Bewilderment

The White Jade Token gleamed with a warm, lustrous sheen beneath the candlelight. Mu Bai gently traced the exquisite lotus pattern on its surface with his fingers.

For the past three days, the token had scarcely left his palm. He even held it while sleeping, as though afraid it might sprout wings and fly away.

Outside the window, a bright moon hung high in the sky, bathing the courtyard of the Carefree Prince's Estate in light as clear as day.

Mu Bai pushed open the window. The night breeze brushed against his face with a faint chill, but it could not dispel the vexation in his heart.

Go, or not go?

This simple question had tormented him for three full days.

Ever since returning from the battle outside Xiaoyao City, Mu Bai had been caught in an unprecedented conflict.

Martial arts had been his lifelong pursuit, and the Langya Aristocratic Family, as a reclusive clan, possessed cultivation methods and resources beyond anything the secular world could imagine. It was undoubtedly the sacred ground of cultivation he had always dreamed of.

But on the other hand...

Mu Bai's gaze unconsciously turned toward the eastern side of the estate—where his father, Mu Rongyi, lived.

Though he held the exalted title of Carefree Prince, Mu Rongyi's life was far from easy.

The Yan Emperor had always been suspicious of the princes throughout the land. If not for his wariness of Mu Bai's Grandmaster of Martial Arts cultivation, he would likely have already moved against the Carefree Prince's Estate again.

If I leave, Father will be alone... Mu Bai's fingers tightened unconsciously, and the edge of the White Jade Token bit painfully into his palm.

A breeze drifted through the courtyard, setting the paulownia trees rustling.

Mu Bai suddenly seized the Qinglin Sword and leaped out the window.

He needed to practice his swordsmanship. He needed to exhaust his body until he could no longer think. Perhaps then he could temporarily escape this maddening turmoil.

Under the moonlight, the Qinglin Sword traced one graceful arc after another. Wherever its edge passed, fallen leaves silently split in two.

Mu Bai performed the Lightness Sword Style from beginning to end again and again, until sweat soaked through his clothes and his arms ached so badly he could barely lift them.

With his final strike, he deliberately slashed at an ornamental boulder in the courtyard.

As Sword Qi swept past, the hard stone split apart with a crack, its severed surface smooth as a mirror.

"Fine swordsmanship."

A gentle voice came from behind a corridor pillar.

Mu Rongyi slowly stepped out, carrying a glazed palace lantern in his hand.

The lamplight danced across his resolute face, illuminating the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the few strands of white at his temples.

"Father." Mu Bai sheathed his sword and bowed, his breathing still somewhat uneven.

Mu Rongyi approached and brushed a fallen leaf from his son's shoulder. "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, but splitting rocks out here instead. Is something weighing on your mind?"

Mu Bai opened his mouth, yet did not know where to begin.

Beneath the moonlight, his father's figure seemed especially thin. At some point, that man who had stood as tall as a mountain in his memories had begun to show the marks of age.

"Come with me." Mu Rongyi did not press him, merely turning toward the study.

The Carefree Prince's study stood in a secluded corner of his courtyard, surrounded by ancient cypresses and imbued with a solemn, imposing air.

After entering the study, Mu Rongyi sat on a cushion beside the tea table and gestured for Mu Bai to sit as well.

"Take out that token," Mu Rongyi suddenly said.

Mu Bai jolted, instinctively touching his chest—the token was clearly hidden inside his clothes. How did Father know?

As if seeing through his confusion, Mu Rongyi smiled faintly. "Langya Xing gave it to you, didn't he?"

"For the past three days, you've been absent-minded, always clutching something in your hand. If it isn't that token, what else could it be?"

Mu Bai gave a bitter smile, took the White Jade Token from his robes, and offered it to his father with both hands.

Mu Rongyi accepted the token and studied it carefully beneath the candlelight, his fingers gently stroking the lotus pattern. "This must be the token of a direct-line young master of the Langya Family. Those outside the direct line cannot possess one at all. He was willing to give you something so precious—it seems that young master of Langya holds you in high regard."

"Father knows of this token?" Mu Bai asked in surprise.

"When I was young, I happened to hear the late Emperor mention it." Mu Rongyi returned the token to Mu Bai. "The Langya Family may be vast and powerful, but it truly has many clan members. Naturally, it needs a set of clan rules to govern them."

He glanced at Mu Bai, then continued, "If he is willing to give you something like this, then should you go to the Langya Family, the benefits you gain will certainly be far from few."

Mu Bai clenched the token, his heartbeat quickening without his realizing it.

This was precisely the opportunity he had always dreamed of—entering the true world of cultivation and pursuing the utmost heights of martial arts.

"Do you want to go?" Mu Rongyi looked directly into his son's eyes.

Mu Bai's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke with difficulty. "Your son... does not know how to choose. Martial arts are Your son's lifelong pursuit, but the Carefree Prince's Estate..."

"Silly child." Mu Rongyi suddenly laughed and patted Mu Bai's shoulder. "What do you think our Carefree Prince's Estate has relied on all these years to live so freely and at ease?"

Mu Bai froze. "Father means...?"

"Strength." A sharp glint flashed through Mu Rongyi's eyes. "Absolute strength. The Emperor does not dare touch the Carefree Prince's Estate not because I, Mu Rongyi, possess any great ability, but because of your strength as a Grandmaster of Martial Arts!"

The candle flames in the study suddenly flickered, stretching the shadows of father and son long across the room.

Mu Rongyi continued, "If you follow Langya Xing to the reclusive families and advance even further on the path of martial arts—perhaps even break through into the innate realm—then even if the Yan Emperor had the courage of heaven itself, he would not dare act rashly against the Carefree Prince's Estate."

"But..."

"No buts." Mu Rongyi cut off his son. "When a martial artist journeys afar, that in itself is a form of protection. The farther you go, the higher you stand, the safer the Carefree Prince's Estate will be."

Those words were like a bolt of lightning splitting apart the fog. Mu Bai felt as though he had suddenly seen the light.

He had always believed that only by staying in the estate could he protect his family. Yet he had never considered that sometimes, leaving was the better protection.

"Father..." Mu Bai's voice caught slightly.

Mu Rongyi rose to his feet and looked at Mu Bai, his eyes brimming with pride. "Go. Do not let down your talent, nor disappoint that Young Master of Langya's regard. With me here at the Carefree Prince's Estate, nothing will go wrong."

Mu Bai bowed deeply, his forehead touching the cold blue bricks. "Your son understands."

By the time he left the study, the east was already turning the pale white of a fish's belly.

Mu Bai returned to his room and solemnly tucked the White Jade Token into his robes.

The entanglement of the past three days was swept clean away, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and resolve.

After washing up simply, he changed into a dark indigo robe and fastened the Qinglin Sword at his waist.

The young man in the mirror had eyes blazing like torches, with no trace of confusion left.

It was time to keep the appointment.