Chapter 183 Bai Xiuming Suddenly Turned His Head and…

Chapter 183 Bai Xiuming suddenly turned his head, meeting the gaze of…

Pang Qi looked back at White Dragon Village, sighing regretfully, "It seems we'll have to seal off the entire village. What a pity for the geomancy here, and for the active water source."

In arid, water-scarce border regions like this, an active water source alone qualified a place as auspicious, more than sufficient to sustain an entire village.

However, according to the Bright Mirror Bureau's regulations, such uncanny locations had to be sealed off to prevent their influence from spreading or people from wandering in and getting harmed. Once sealed, ordinary folk would instinctively avoid the vicinity, effectively erasing the village from existence.

The only silver lining was that the Dragon King behind this, though ruthless, had shown restraint by not implicating others.

"Need my help?" Bai Xiuming was, after all, a Bright Mirror Bureau Commander. Since he’d encountered the situation, he couldn’t just leave.

Pang Qi didn’t stand on ceremony, nodding. "Then I’ll trouble you to stand guard tonight. I hope sealing this place won’t provoke that Dragon King."

"Agreed." Having accepted Pang Qi's request, Bai Xiuming leaned down to consult A Chan. "We'll stay here for the night. Shall we rest in the village first?"

A Chan nodded, looking perfectly obedient. "Okay."

Bai Xiuming raised his eyes to look at Pang Qi, whose face contorted briefly. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would hardly believe this was Bai Xiuming—he looked as if he’d been possessed.

"I’ll have someone take you into the village. There are a few empty houses there, perfect for resting."

With that, he waved over a subordinate, instructing them to escort Bai Xiuming and A Chan into the village. He still needed to prepare to ensure no mishaps occurred when sealing White Dragon Village that night.

The Bright Mirror Bureau guard leading the way indeed brought them to the same houses they had stayed in before. Less than a month had passed since they left, yet the place already exuded an air of desolation.

A Chan had no time for sentimental musings. If she had empathized with the villagers, she wouldn’t have helped the young dragon in the first place.

After the room was cleaned, A Chan had just sat on the bed when she heard Bai Xiuming ask, "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

Those words were now taboo to A Chan. She immediately scooted away. "No!"

Then, pointing at the table in the room, she added unreasonably, "Go sit there. Don’t disturb my sleep."

"What if I stay here quietly and don’t bother you?"

A Chan turned her head. "No."

Bai Xiuming sighed, pinching her chin to turn her face back, and pecked her lips. "So unreasonable."

"Oh." A Chan replied coolly. "Feel free to ignore me, then."

Bai Xiuming obediently went to sit by the table. Once he was shooed away, A Chan lay on the bed, closing her eyes and trying to summon sleep for a long while, but to no avail.

She opened her eyes, propped herself up, and beckoned to the man she’d just banished. "Bai Xiuming, come and coax me to sleep."

Bai Xiuming almost laughed in exasperation. "You only know how to torment me, don’t you?"

A Chan’s eyes were innocent. "So you don’t want to sleep with me anymore?"

The man could only return to the bedside and dutifully coax her to sleep.

Since it took her a while to fall asleep, A Chan managed barely an hour’s sleep before being woken up.

By then, it was already dark outside. Yawning, she got out of bed and opened the door—only to see flames licking at the village structures.

Along with the firelight were the villagers who had vanished during the day.

Screams and wails rose incessantly, turning the village into a scene from hell.

Bai Xiuming led her past the villagers and out of the village. At the entrance, Pang Qi and his subordinates were already waiting.

Seeing them emerge, Pang Qi handed Bai Xiuming a long saber and said gravely, "I’m going in to set up the formation. I leave the rest to you."

Bai Xiuming nodded, watching as Pang Qi led his men into the village.

"Will something happen later?" A Chan sensed tension in Bai Xiuming’s colleague.

"Hopefully not."

The night deepened, and the temperature around them seemed to drop further.

It was inevitable for a place teeming with lingering spirits to feel colder. A Chan tightened her cloak and sat on a nearby rock, propping her chin in her palms as she watched Bai Xiuming.

He stood motionless at the village entrance, the long saber driven point-first into the earth.

An unknown amount of time passed when suddenly, a flash of white light erupted in the village. The four corners of the village seemed to be swallowed by something, gradually vanishing from sight.

Just as Pang Qi finished reinforcing the formation and prepared to leave with his subordinates, a deafening draconic roar echoed overhead—and a corner of his newly fortified formation instantly crumbled.

Simultaneously, a white dragon’s head, at least ten times larger than the young dragon’s, appeared above White Dragon Village. Its eyes, golden as molten metal, burned with liquid gold intensity. Though only a phantom, it was awe-inspiring.

A Chan looked up at the dragon, while Bai Xiuming unsheathed his blade and loosed a cutting arc skyward without hesitation.

*ROAR—* The deafening dragon’s cry shook the air as the colossal dragon phantom dove downward.

Bai Xiuming’s figure vanished into the night, leaving only flashes of blade light visible in midair.

Their clash was brief. Soon, the white dragon’s form dissipated like a mirage, but before vanishing completely, its golden eyes locked onto Bai Xiuming, as if branding his likeness into memory.

By the time Bai Xiuming landed, Pang Qi had already repaired the damaged formation. The barriers at the village’s four corners gradually closed. When Pang Qi and his men finally stepped out, only a few houses remained visible behind them.

Moments later, even those houses disappeared. White Dragon Village was now sealed away—to others, it had been wiped from existence.

Pang Qi wiped cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath before approaching Bai Xiuming. "You saved our skins this time."

Had Bai Xiuming not stood his ground, that Dragon King’s sudden psychic attack might have been their undoing.

"Don’t mention it."

Bai Xiuming returned the sheathed saber to Pang Qi, who added, "That Dragon King was clearly keeping tabs on this place. Now that you’ve crossed blades with him, he might come after you. Be careful."

Bai Xiuming chuckled. "Save your concern. The dragonkind already held no goodwill toward me."

Moreover… Feeling the surging energy in his body, he thought to himself, even if they did come for him, a fight in the future wasn’t necessarily unwinnable.

Ever since returning from the wilderness, his vitality had been swollen to bursting. To be precise, the change had begun after that sacrificial rite.

Now it seemed his efforts those days hadn’t been in vain—the ancestral spirits of the witch clan had indeed bestowed him with no small boon. The only downside was that excessive vitality was prone to losing control.

Pang Qi recalled the battle that had made Bai Xiuming famous and suddenly relaxed. Having slain the black dragon, he’d already earned the dragonkind’s eternal hatred—another mark against him meant little.

With White Dragon Village dealt with and no other resting places nearby, Pang Qi escorted them back to the county town.

By then, the town gates were already closed, but the guards wouldn’t dream of delaying a Bright Mirror Bureau Commander’s entry.

The Bright Mirror Bureau’s outpost in the small county town was modest, so after entering, Pang Qi brought them directly to the waystation.

On the way to the waystation, the two chatted casually on horseback, bringing up the King of Northern Wilderness once more.

It was Bai Xiuming who initiated the topic, asking Pang Qi, "Why did you personally escort the King of Northern Wilderness to the capital?"

Pang Qi glanced at A Chan, who seemed to be asleep with her eyes closed, then lowered his voice and said, "Thanks to you. You slapped such a serious charge on the King of Northern Wilderness in the capital. To show sincerity this time, he probably brought half the estate's wealth of the Residence of the King of Northern Wilderness with him."

Clearly, this wealth was meant to be surrendered to the emperor as proof of the King of Northern Wilderness's earnest repentance and absolute lack of rebellious intent.

Hearing Pang Qi's words, Bai Xiuming looked down at A Chan nestled in his arms. He definitely didn’t have the means to swindle half the wealth of the King of Northern Wilderness.

"It seems the King of Northern Wilderness is a clever man," Bai Xiuming remarked, feeling a spark of curiosity about this man he had never met.

Pang Qi nodded in agreement. "I haven’t interacted with him much, but this prince is young yet cunning. He handles everything impeccably, and those around him are fanatically loyal, with many skilled guards. He’s no pushover. His mother's family perished in the capital, and now you’ve screwed him over—watch your back."

After speaking, Pang Qi realized he had repeated similar warnings twice that night.

Bai Xiuming smirked. "We’re brothers of the same clan, Lord Pang. Your words are a bit alarmist, don’t you think?"

Pang Qi shot him a glance. He knew this punk too well—his words might sound pleasant, but who knew what plans he was hatching against his so-called brother.

A Chan kept her eyes closed, listening to their conversation, her fingers flexing slightly under her cloak.

She had known Bai Zhanhuang wouldn’t be easy to deal with. His decisive sacrifice of half his wealth proved her expectations were bound to fail.

But it didn’t matter. As long as people lived, flaws could always be found.

The two stayed overnight at the waystation and resumed their journey to the capital the next day.

It took them over ten days to reach Liangzhou, with the capital now just ahead.

Passing through Liangzhou’s prefectural city, A Chan caught wind of news.

Three days prior, the crown princess had given birth to a royal grandson, and the emperor, overjoyed, declared a kingdom-wide pardon the next day to bless the child.

This meant the exiled Lin clan would also return to the capital.

She could only hope Ji Chan’s relatives were as kind as she remembered.

Four days later, the capital’s gates finally came into view.

She had left the capital on the third day of the third month, when the weather was still chilly. Now, nearing the end of the fourth month, even her dress had grown thinner.

Today, she wore a pale purple dress bought in Liangzhou, its hem embroidered with realistic knotflower patterns. She adored it.

In contrast, Bai Xiuming dressed simply—a white cross-collared, narrow-sleeved robe, with only two strings of knotflowers on his belt, out of character for him, tied by A Chan that morning.

They rode the same horse, as they had all along. A Chan saw nothing unusual, but to others, it was pretty noticeable.

Ignoring the stares, she didn’t notice the distant carriages where someone was staring intently at her.

"Your Highness, what are you looking at?"

Hearing the chatter beside him, Bai Zhanhuang withdrew his gaze and smiled at the young man speaking to him.

If he recalled correctly, this was the Second Young Master of the Minister of Rites’ family—Mu Lin.

Bai Zhanhuang had seen him at many social gatherings lately. Today, with his carriage halted here, Mu Lin seemed to think there was trouble and stopped to offer help.

A dim-witted socialite, but decent enough, with many friends in the capital.

"I was watching the people on that horse. Do you know who they are, Second Young Master Mu?" Bai Zhanhuang tilted his chin slightly, guiding Mu Lin’s attention.

Mu Lin recognized Bai Xiuming from his profile and blurted out, "Isn’t that Lord Bai of the Bright Mirror Bureau? He’s back in the capital!"

"Lord Bai?"

"Oh, Lord Bai’s name is Bai Xiuming. He’s—"

Bai Zhanhuang suddenly smiled and finished, "The trueborn son of the Prince of Xiling and the adopted son of King Ming, right?"

"Right! Your Highness knows Lord Bai?"

"I’ve heard of him. They say his martial potential is extraordinary."

Mu Lin nodded. "Absolutely. Word is Lord Bai has already reached the Fourth Realm at a young age."

"The Fourth Realm... Truly impressive." Bai Zhanhuang’s tone was loaded before he asked, "And do you recognize the woman with him?"

Mu Lin hadn’t noticed the person seated before Bai Xiuming earlier. Now, looking closely, he recognized A Chan at once.

He had once met her at a tavern and had carried a torch for her ever since.

"Isn’t that Miss Ji...?"

He remembered telling her about Lord Bai’s background back then. So they knew each other.

Noticing Mu Lin’s distraction, Bai Zhanhuang asked, "And what of this Miss Ji’s origins?"

Mu Lin bit his lip. "Miss Ji was originally the trueborn daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang. After her mother died and her mother's kin was exiled, she was kicked out of the marquis' household for her tainted heritage, losing her status."

The reason he hadn’t pushed things further was precisely because of her dangerous connections—if his family found out, his father would skin him alive.

Bai Zhanhuang missed Mu Lin’s wistfulness. Narrowing his eyes, he mused aloud, "The trueborn daughter of the Marquis of Jinyang, hm?"

Just then, Bai Xiuming turned his head and met gazes with Bai Zhanhuang across the distance.