Chapter 554: Knowing the times makes you a hero!
“So… the letter Dad pulled out earlier was a fake?”
Bai Feng rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Well, that could explain why it took so many years for their father to “find” it. After all, their dad was still quite young and not suffering from old-timer’s dementia.
Bai Yu Mo set the pieced-together letter down on the table, then took out another carefully guarded letter from her ring and placed it beside the first one.
Apart from the fact that one of them was torn and then glued back together, every detail—the handwriting, the yellowed pages from years of preservation—was nearly identical. Clearly, their father had gone to great lengths to fake it, probably learning and crafting each detail himself, not farmed out to anyone else.
“Phew…”
Bai Yu Mo exhaled slowly. In her mind, she’d had her suspicions earlier—how could their dad forget where he hid the letter when he was at the Refinement Stage during their childhood? And besides, their family wasn’t exactly sprawling; with his cultivation level, searching for something hidden wasn’t a big deal.
She had even entertained the idea that the letter might be fake before, but after spending time with Bai Feng, she was certain he wasn’t interested in her Celestial Bone anyway, so she didn’t pursue it further.
Now…
She shifted her gaze to Bai Feng, who was scrutinizing the two envelopes, trying to spot differences. Then, she slowly strolled over and hugged him.
At this point, she didn’t care anymore—just like their dad said in the letter, the letter he gave her was forged, but the events it described were real. A “fake” real letter only showed how much their father cared and worried about her and Bai Feng.
“I suddenly feel a bit regretful,” Bai Yu Mo leaned into his embrace, lifting her face slightly with a little pout.
“What’s wrong?”
“I should’ve taken out a few more people from the Siku Family when I was in Zhongzhou.”
A flicker of murderous intent flashed in her eyes. If it hadn’t been for the Siku Family causing trouble, she wouldn’t have had such a huge misunderstanding with Bai Feng!
But now, all she could do was stew in her frustration.
“Alright, alright, we’re both going to wipe out the grand ancestor of the Siku Family at once,” Bai Feng comforted her with a smile.
“Hmm…” Bai Yu Mo nodded, still feeling a bit irritated. She buried her face in Bai Feng’s chest and held on tight, unmoving.
Bai Feng gently massaged her head, but after a moment, he lowered his head—wait, why was Bai Yu Mo’s little hand so unruly? Why was she unbuttoning his clothes?
She looked up shyly, her face a little flushed, and asked, “Big Brother, can we cultivate together later?”
As feelings of annoyance, anger, and regret fermented deep inside her, they mixed into a possessiveness towards Bai Feng, as if trying to make up for lost time.
Bai Feng was silent for a few seconds—was her topic switch a bit too abrupt? Just moments ago, they were still discussing the letter!
Finally, he nodded. “…Fine.”
……
“Bai Feng, do you have a moment? I…”
Chu Chu looked at Bai Feng, whose clothes were a bit disheveled. She blinked—maybe she’d come at a bad time?
If it were before, she’d likely have made an excuse and left quickly. But now…
She squeezed her way into the room, “I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Come in first.”
Bai Feng moved aside without resistance.
Inside, Chu Chu saw Bai Yu Mo curled up on the sofa, sleeping under a blanket. Perhaps because of the sound of her footsteps, Bai Yu Mo slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Chu Chu—though slightly displeased, she didn’t say anything to her biological older sister.
“Is what you want to talk about related to the Siku Family?” Bai Feng sat down on the other side of the sofa, but Bai Yu Mo clutching her blanket, slowly moved closer to Bai Feng.
Watching Bai Yu Mo’s little actions, Chu Chu briefly hesitated but then nodded. “Mm, some of them are trying to escape, but they’ve already been dealt with.”
“Normal. If no one tried to escape, that’d be strange,” Bai Feng waved his hand. He’d secretly planted quite a few of his own in the Siku Family, so some dissatisfaction and attempts to flee were expected. “Keep an eye on the rest. Oh, and how’s that traitorous elder who surrendered first? Is she planning to run?”
Chu Chu shook her head. “No, and this time, she’s the one who eliminated those trying to escape, and she did so pretty ruthlessly.”
“Talent,” Bai Feng nodded. Looks like she’s planning to stick with Chu Chu. “In that case, give her some rewards. Also, there should be others from the Siku Family who helped her, right?”
Chu Chu nodded again. “Yes, but they’re not high-level figures.”
“Better not be,” Bai Feng’s face had a faint smile. “Once you reward those who helped, promote them a bit, and promote some rumors of the Siku Family’s high-ups beating, scolding, or even hoarding resources from others.”
“Got it.”
Chu Chu quickly grasped Bai Feng’s intent. This way, the remaining members of the Siku Family would start to resent the former high-ups, reducing their nostalgia for the old family and lowering hostility towards the new head.
“Any other matters?”
Faced with Bai Feng’s question, Chu Chu glanced toward Bai Yu Mo, who was almost pressed against him. Not willing to be outdone, she sat next to Bai Feng, grabbing his arm and quietly whispering, “I want you to help me train…”
“Nope, today he promised to cultivate with me,” Bai Yu Mo suddenly objected.
Chu Chu didn’t reply, just tightly hugged Bai Feng’s arm to show her determination.
…
As expected, things turned out this way…
Bai Feng shook his head gently, then reached out to hold both of them—no problem, he could cultivate with both of them together!
……
Central Continent, the Siku Family.
Once just an ordinary patrol guard, now packing his new clothes, the guard was feeling pretty proud of himself today—his first day as the new patrol captain. Thinking back on recent days’ events, he felt he’d made a good choice.
He had noticed his captain acting a bit suspicious lately—meeting with unfamiliar people often, and no longer scolding him and the other regular guards. It looked like his captain had something up his sleeve. After hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to report.
After investigation, it turned out his captain was indeed planning to escape. As for the outcome—well, he’d already become the new captain, so he didn’t care much.
He pushed open the door and walked out to where his former ‘colleagues’ stood, some giving him less-than-polite looks.
“Traitor!” someone muttered quietly.
The new patrol captain strode up to him, expressionless. “What did you say?”
The man swallowed and shouted, “Traitor!”
“Huh, traitor? Isn’t our new head the Siku Family’s own? How can that be traitorous? This is knowing how to read the situation!” The patrol captain patted him on the shoulder. “Besides, what were you so loyal to the old captain for? Forgot how he treated you? He, relying on some connection with Elder Qi, beat and scolded us daily. When he earned some Spirit Stones, he’d take half—and if not, assign us to the worst jobs. Tell me that’s not true!”
After a few seconds of silence, someone suddenly chimed in, “That’s right; this lousy captain should’ve died a long time ago. At last year’s festival, because my gift wasn’t to his liking, he picked on me for a month. I fucking hate him!”
With someone finally speaking out, the others also started criticizing him. Even those who initially called him a traitor hesitated for a moment and then joined in.
The new patrol captain nodded with satisfaction. “So, why don’t you all join me? The Family Head has issued strict laws, enforced by Yang Linglong’s people—they don’t care about your status, punish wrongdoers, reward merit. Just look at me. And if you ever catch a traitor trying to escape, maybe the Family Head will appoint you as a captain someday.”
Hearing this, everyone, already itching for a fight, felt their spirits lift—an annoying traitor every day, a wise and mighty new head? No brainer!
