Chapter 55

An Unexpected Bond, Unwelcome Guests

Hong Ye and Shi Mei's conversation, while not earth-shattering, certainly took the initiative and dampened the spirits of the martial artists who were initially fired up. Their heated minds were cooled by the girls' words.

Fu Ying, listening to Hong Ye's words, felt each one piercing her heart, glaring at her angrily. Hong Ye, skilled in martial arts and not one to hold back, thought, 'You glare at me, I'll glare right back,' and with a raised eyebrow, she returned the look.

Bai She observed the martial artists around him, his face expressionless, and coldly stated, "I was in the inn all night yesterday, I never went to the Duan residence. Believe it or not, that's up to you."

Most of the martial artists hadn't interacted with Bai She, only hearing that he was low-profile and elusive in the martial world, preferring solitude and shrouded in mystery. Yet, with the formidable presence of the Gui Dao sect and the support of Fu Si and Duan Yan, they dared to confront him.

But Duan Yan knew better; even if he and Fu Si joined forces against Bai She, they would stand no chance, not to mention the presence of Gui Dao's second-best, Qin Dai.

Moreover, the common saying 'the commoner does not fight with the official' held true. With the fragrance princess's noble status and Bai She being touted as her consort, he was untouchable.

"Brother Duan, Master Bai makes a fair point," Fu Si switched to a more reasonable tone, "Since there's a possibility of impersonation, we mustn't act rashly to avoid harming the innocent."

Hearing this, Shi Mei turned to look at Bai She, as if asking - Is this okay?

Bai She remained impassive, it was unclear if he heard or not,

Duan Yan pondered for a moment before asking, "Brother Fu, do you have any suggestions?"

"How about this, we give Master Bai some time to uncover the truth?"

Shi Mei, weighing her options, thought, if the culprit hides and Bai She can't catch him within the agreed time, wouldn't that be hard to explain?

Qin Dai sneered, "Master Fu, you said it yourself – the killer impersonated our master to commit murder, probably to frame him. Now that their goal is achieved, they will likely hide... In this vast sea of people, where do we even start looking?"

After hearing this, Fu Si seemed to consider for a moment before adopting an indifferent attitude. He turned to Duan Yan, "Deputy Master Duan has a point. What do you think, Brother Duan? What should be done at this time?"

After a long silence, Duan Yan finally spoke, "Here’s what we'll do: in ten days, I'll invite martial artists and seniors to attend the ceremony of my taking over the family business. At that time, I hope Master Bai can also attend, to clarify things to the martial world and me. If Master Bai could bring the real culprit who impersonated him, it would not only avenge my father but also restore the reputation of the Ghost Knife Clan... We'll reconvene in ten days."

Having said his piece, Duan Yan turned and gestured to the people behind him... and departed.

Fu Si, of course, didn't linger either. He bowed to Bai She and then left with the others.

After the group had departed, Hongye let out a sigh of relief, "Really... Can’t that troublemaker stay quiet for a while? Even after leaving the capital, he follows us here. What deep grudge does he actually hold against your Ghost Knife Clan?"

"This time it may not be that person," Bai She disagreed, shaking his head.

"How do you know?" Qin Dai wondered.

"He was seriously injured after our last encounter and likely hasn't fully recovered. Elder Duan was no defenseless old man, and the Duan residence is heavily guarded. For someone to infiltrate successfully and escape after committing murder... it probably wasn’t someone with serious injuries."

"Why would Elder Duan call your name before dying?" Shimei was puzzled. Fortunately, there were ten more days to uncover the truth. But at the moment, their schedule was problematic. They still had to deliver a message to the Ghost Fox Forest and return to Dayu Mountain to search for the Jade Buddha. The journey alone would take at least ten days, making it impossible to return in time.

"How about postponing our trip to the Ghost Fox Forest until after these ten days?" Hongye suggested. "Let’s first catch the impostor."

"That's not easy... This time, it's likely just a mercenary from the jianghu," Qin Dai mused, squatting on a mounting stone nearby. "We've been outmaneuvered this time. We need a well-thought-out plan."

Subsequently, Hongye's sister-in-law found a quiet little room in a side courtyard for the deceased, allowing them to discuss serious matters.

As Hongye was about to sit down, Qin Dai pulled her away, "Let Bai She and the others think about it. We'll go out and see if there's any news."

"What are you doing?" Hongye, dragged out of the room by Qin Dai, quickly shook off his hand, rubbing her wrist as if it was contaminated, "Really annoying. Don't be so handsy."

"How can you be so oblivious?" Qin Dai shook his head. "Didn't you hear Shimei just mention a son-in-law? A son-in-law! They need to clarify things."

"Shimei was just improvising, right?" Hongye still wanted to go in but was blocked by Qin Dai. "Hey, you can't go in now! Come on, let's go investigate the case."

"How do we investigate..." Hongye followed him out the main door, "Are we supposed to search the streets for someone in white?"

Qin Dai paused, then looked at Hongye with a sudden realization, "You're actually quite clever!"

Thinking Qin Dai was mocking her, Hongye was confused, but he clapped his hands excitedly and dashed off, leaving her bewildered. She had no choice but to chase after him, calling out, "Wait for me! Hey!"

As the two ran off into the distance, two figures emerged from the woods.

"Brother, are you really going to do this?"

"Yes, this is the best opportunity. I don't want to miss it. Go and do as I've instructed."

"Okay!"

……

With Hong Ye and Qin Dai gone, only Shi Mei and Bai She remained in the room.

They sat opposite each other at the table.

Shi Mei was completely focused on helping Bai She figure out who was trying to frame him and how to clear his name. Bai She, on the other hand, was lightly resting his chin in one hand, staring blankly at Shi Mei.

"Hey?" Shi Mei asked earnestly, "Do you think this incident could be related to Fu Si?"

Bai She remained motionless, still staring blankly at Shi Mei.

"Hey." Mei Zi, seeing him spaced out, reached out to tug on his sleeve.

Suddenly, Bai She spoke, "Did you just mention 'son-in-law'?"

Shi Mei was taken aback, her face turning bright red, "That was just improvisation."

Bai She raised an eyebrow, "Thinking of leading me on and then abandoning me?"

Shi Mei gasped, nearly jumping up, "What are you saying! Who's leading on and abandoning... you?!"

"You publicly declared me as your son-in-law. My reputation is ruined because of you, so you're responsible for seeing it through. Let's discuss the details of getting married, like setting a date... How about tomorrow? It's an auspicious day," Bai She said, apparently having given no thought to Elder Duan's case from the beginning, only focused on getting married.

"It can't be that soon," Shi Mei's face flushed deeply, "These things need to be discussed."

"The rice is already cooked; what's there to discuss?" Bai She raised an eyebrow, "Or are you planning to dine and dash?!"

"I haven't 'dined'!" Shi Mei protested.

Bai She was quite nonchalant, "Do you want to 'dine' now?"

Unable to help it, Shi Mei glared at him. Bai She's lips curled into a smile as he grabbed her hand, "Would you like to 'dine'? Shall I teach you?"

"I don't want to!" Shi Mei quickly jumped up, glaring at him warily, "Don't get any ideas, I haven't agreed yet."

Bai She sighed softly, "You really are hard to understand. If you're not afraid of being misunderstood by everyone, why won't you marry me?"

"It's not that I'm unwilling," Shimei blurted out. "Think about the timing. We need to clear your name first before talking about marriage. How can we have a celebration when people are so anxious? A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I want it to be dignified and proper..."

As Shi Mei's voice trailed off, a smile appeared on Bai She's face, "So that's it. No worries, I can wait, but..."

"But what?" Shi Mei looked up at Bai She, who had come close to her.

"You're known for being unreliable in your words. To prevent you from going back on them later, I think we should start with a down payment!" Bai She said leisurely, his fingers gently playing with a lock of Shi Mei's hair, "What do you say?"

At the mention of a down payment, Shi Mei grew curious, "What down payment will you give?" she wondered, perhaps expecting a family heirloom.

But Bai She, without another word, scooped her up and headed for the bed.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Mei Zi struggled, grabbing his arm.

"Making a down payment," Bai She said earnestly.

"You..." Shi Mei was indignant, her face turning bright red. She managed to wriggle free and gave Bai She's calf a kick, "You wouldn't dare!"

Bai She looked at her in confusion, "It's either a yes or a no, what's this about daring? I dare to kill, I've never been afraid of anything in my life, why wouldn't I dare do this?"

Shi Mei was left speechless, infuriated by his foolishness, "No, such things are only after marriage!"

Bai She watched her for a while, then asked seriously, "What's the matter?"

"The things you were just thinking of doing," Shi Mei's face burned, "A woman should maintain her purity, and you should have some self-respect too!"

Bai She's smile deepened as he leaned in closer, sniffing her hair.

Shimei's face turned red down to her neck. How did Bai She suddenly become so bold? Had he taken the wrong medicine or something?!

"Qin Dai just told me," Bai She said, lightly pinching her chin and pecking the corner of her mouth, clearing up her confusion, "Now I can tease you boldly, because you already have me in your heart."

Shimei wanted to give Qin Dai a good kick for teaching her such things!

Bai She pulled Mei Zi into his embrace, gently, because Qin Dai had advised him — at such times, you can do whatever you like, but if Mei Zi resists, never force her. However, when she's confused, that's the time to be assertive!

Indeed, completely unprepared, Mei Zi felt her face burn as Bai She embraced and kissed her several times, her head spinning with embarrassment!

"Alas..." In the midst of the room's romantic atmosphere, Bai She sighed deeply, "What a pity, someone's interrupting."

Shi Mei was startled, then heard someone call from the door, "Brother Bai, sorry to intrude."

Mei Zi instantly bolted from Bai She's embrace, but he frowned and caught her.

Struggling, Shi Mei thought to herself in panic, 'This is it! How long has that person been listening outside? Did they hear everything just now? Oh no, how embarrassing!'

Bai She pulled her to sit down and poured two cups of tea, calling out to the person outside, "Come in and speak. I knew you would show up."

With a creak, the door opened, and someone slowly walked in.

Shi Mei glanced at him, puzzled - 'Why would it be him?'