Night Journey

Deng Baiyi stared blankly at her "foolish father."

Her mother had long been plagued by illness and passed away early.

All these years, Deng Chicheng had never entertained the thought of taking another wife.

From the time she was old enough to remember, the "father" in Deng Baiyi's memories had always been alone, laboring tirelessly inside and out, flicking an endless abacus and recording endless account books.

Northern Prefecture was barren to begin with, and Jade Pearl Town was even more remote.

There were very few wealthy households in town, and the Deng family was certainly one of them.

Deng Chicheng always said she did not know how fortunate she was.

Deng Baiyi had never thought so.

She did not care for the scattered silver of the Deng Estate, nor did she care for the status of a young lady from a wealthy family.

What kind of blessing was that?

All along, she had wanted to cultivate, to wield a flying sword, slay demons and vanquish evil, and become a carefree sword immortal who rode a sword through the skies.

Instead, she felt that her father lacked ambition, wanting only to do small business and earn a few scraps of silver.

How could someone so afraid of death enter the gates of immortality?

He was truly a mundane man!

The older Deng Baiyi grew, the more "ordinary" she found her father.

But at this moment, she suddenly realized that she had been wrong.

Terribly wrong.

The man she usually saw as deathly afraid of dying had actually stood before Taian City's deputy city lord to demand a debt?

Demanding repayment from Miss Shen was no different from demanding repayment from Xu You.

Xu You fell completely silent.

He looked toward Xie Xuanyi beside him.

Xie Xuanyi's expression remained unchanged. Holding his wine cup, he took a gentle sip.

Interesting. Truly interesting.

No wonder Deng Chicheng had insisted on bringing Shen Yan along earlier, even voluntarily telling him about the Spirit Luo Mountain Shen Clan.

So this old fellow's plan from the very beginning had been to "save someone," then "collect a debt."

Xie Xuanyi set down his wine cup and smiled. "Northern Prefecture has been too chaotic these past few years. Spirit Luo Mountain has a vast household and great business; perhaps they forgot about this matter. But given Miss Shen's character, she surely would not wish to owe anyone, would she?"

"Of course."

Shen Yan spoke faintly. "How much does Spirit Luo Mountain owe you?"

"A total of three thousand seven hundred and ninety-two taels and four li."

Deng Chicheng said respectfully, "Everything is recorded in the account books. I reviewed and verified every entry. If Miss Shen does not believe it, we can check them again..."

"No need."

Xu You interrupted Deng Chicheng. He waved a hand and said calmly, "Four thousand taels altogether. Jing'er, bring banknotes for this Mister Deng."

Four thousand taels of silver was nothing to a cultivator like Xu You.

Worldly wealth meant little to people like them.

"Thank you, Lord Xu. Thank you, Miss Shen."

Ever since Xie Xuanyi had spoken, Deng Chicheng's back had been ramrod straight.

He tried his best to keep his voice calm.

But when he accepted the banknotes, his fingers still could not stop trembling.

"Young Master Xie, thank you so much."

After the banquet ended, Xu You arranged a residence for the Deng Estate party to stay the night...

On the way back, Deng Chicheng's voice carried the scent of wine as he thanked him again and again.

Xie Xuanyi smiled. "Spirit Luo Mountain owed you money, and Xu You repaid you. I merely said one sentence. What are you thanking me for?"

"I, Deng Chicheng, am merely old, not foolish."

Deng Chicheng said sincerely, "Had you not spoken, I fear I would never have recovered Spirit Luo Mountain's money in my lifetime."

"Good that you know."

Deng Baiyi reproached him, "It is only some scattered silver. Was it worth remembering for so long?"

"A man is a hero, and wealth is his courage. Now that you are following Young Master Xie, will you not need money while traveling the world?"

Deng Chicheng said helplessly, "Leaving aside everything else, even a modest two-courtyard residence in the imperial city costs at least three or four thousand taels of silver. Our family has worked bitterly in Northern Prefecture for all these years—how much have we saved in total? You spend with a lavish hand. The moment I look away, you have given away half the family fortune. If I do not shamelessly recover some of it, how many days will these remaining provisions last under your spending?"

Deng Baiyi had nothing to say and could only obediently shut her mouth.

She drew a soft breath, her eyes slightly moist.

No matter what, her father...

Had always been thinking of her.

"Besides, there is no use for me keeping this silver."

Deng Chicheng smiled and said frankly, "When I die, will it not all belong to you... and Young Master Xie?"

"???"

Deng Baiyi caught the hidden meaning in the old man's words and flushed crimson as she snapped, "Father, what are you saying?!"

Xie Xuanyi also sensed that something was amiss.

He laughed helplessly. "No, keep all this silver for Deng Baiyi. I truly do not have the fortune to enjoy it."

Deng Chicheng had intended to say something more to salvage the situation.

The next moment, he was fiercely pinched, the pain making him bare his teeth.

Intimidated by his daughter's stern authority, Deng Chicheng could only change his words with a pained expression. "Young Master Xie, please do not misunderstand. Of course I know we are not from the same world. How would I dare think in that direction? What I meant earlier was... please spend this silver however you wish. After Carp Tide City, if it is convenient, why not keep Deng Baiyi by your side as a maidservant? She has wanted to roam the world since childhood. Even if she cannot become a sword immortal, seeing flying swords would still be good."

This time.

Deng Baiyi unusually did not get angry.

She quietly waited for Xie Xuanyi's response.

She was nervous about this matter as well.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi fell silent for a moment.

Naturally, he could see through the thoughts of this father and daughter, especially Deng Baiyi. Whenever they stopped the carriage to rest, she practically wanted to throw her eyeballs into the sky.

"Baiyi is good material. She has talent. If she met a teacher willing to guide her, she would achieve something remarkable."

He said softly, "...But unfortunately, that person is not me."

The glimmer that had just lit Deng Baiyi's eyes dimmed again.

She silently clenched her sleeve and said nothing more.

"If the trip to Carp Tide City goes smoothly, I will find a suitable place for her." Xie Xuanyi lifted his head and smiled. "As for you, do not worry either. I will arrange for the Deng Estate party to settle in the imperial city... You need not spend a single banknote. There will naturally be a place to live, with no worry over food or clothing."

Deng Chicheng froze.

Earlier, this Young Master Xie Zhen had said he would arrange for them to live in a city untouched by the demon scourge, a place of absolute safety.

He had still been wondering what sort of place could be called absolutely safe.

Now he knew...

The imperial city! The Great Chu Imperial City!

This was truly a blessing as vast as heaven!

"Xie..."

Deng Chicheng wanted to speak, but Xie Xuanyi interrupted him.

"You have already thanked me too many times tonight. If you wish to thank someone this time, thank yourself for having a daughter with such fine aptitude. Deng Baiyi truly has the makings of a sword immortal."

Xie Xuanyi turned to Deng Baiyi, whose gaze had dimmed, and encouraged her, "You have laid a very solid cultivation foundation in the Qi Refinement realm. Even in a great sect, you would count as above average. Continue cultivating steadily like this, and one day, sooner or later, you will become the kind of person you wish to become."

Deng Baiyi said nothing. For some reason, though her cultivation achievements had been affirmed, she was not very happy.

"Enough idle talk. There is something very important at hand."

The smile on Xie Xuanyi's face gradually vanished, and his voice slowly turned grave.

The carriage had already stopped.

Ahead was the residence Xu You had arranged.

"Once we reach the residence, do not truly settle in. After the lights are extinguished and Xu You's people leave, have everyone pack their belongings."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "Leave immediately. Depart Taian City overnight."

"Leave Taian City overnight?"

Hearing this, Deng Chicheng sobered at once.

"What, is there something wrong with the residence Xu You arranged?"

Deng Baiyi also sensed the strangeness in Xie Xuanyi's tone.

Xie Xuanyi explained nothing. He merely lifted the carriage curtain and looked toward the distant residence. Beneath the dark night sky, Taian City's long streets were terrifyingly quiet.

He did not know whether there was a problem with that residence.

But he knew this.

Ever since entering Taian City, his Heart Lake had been seized by an unprecedented unease.

"Spirit Luo Mountain, Shen Yan, Taian City, Xu You, Azure Prefecture's Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone..."

Xie Xuanyi tried to piece these clues together.

A rough outline emerged in his mind.

Yet something was always missing.

"z!"