A completely unfamiliar term. It sounded like the name of some organization's member. With countless questions swirling in his mind, Bai Jun calmed himself and asked the most practical question. "Where is that Cultivator?"
"H-He, he's..." Qiu Zhou seemed unable to support his utterly exhausted mind any longer. He muttered softly before falling into a deep sleep.
He had stopped at the most crucial point. Bai Jun immediately recalled the painful experience of slacking off while listening to a storyteller, only to be dragged back to work halfway through. Agony welled up in his heart, and he wished he could shake Qiu Zhou awake right now and get the answer out of him.
But when he looked at the boy's pale face and frail body, Bai Jun finally let out a quiet sigh and chose not to wake him.
The stench of grease mixed with blood filling the room was simply nauseating. Bai Jun carried the unconscious Qiu Zhou out into the courtyard, but even then, the bloody smell clung to him. He frowned in disgust and repeatedly wiped his long fingers and sword sheath with tissue paper.
When he raised his head slightly to look at the sky, it was already growing dark. Brilliant twilight piled up across the distant heavens, and vast swathes of fiery clouds spread like flames burning with wild abandon.
Bai Jun leaned lazily against the wall. Since he had nothing to do while waiting for the Cloud Cavalry, he idly examined his surroundings.
It was a small courtyard. Bloodstained bandages and cotton balls had been carelessly tossed everywhere, making for a horrifying sight. In the left corner sat something like a charcoal stove, along with a soup pot, iron pots, and other kitchenware. The right corner was piled high with damp firewood. All sorts of things lay scattered across the ground in the middle of the yard—chopsticks, bowls, utensils, and several yellowed photographs. One of them seemed to show a woman, but they were badly damaged, making the details impossible to see.
Suddenly, Bai Jun's gaze landed on a thick notebook amid the pile of bowls and chopsticks. He picked it up and flipped through a few pages. Much of it had been blurred by bloodstains, but he could tell that it was Qiu Zhou's diary. Perhaps it contained information about the so-called Cultivator he had mentioned...
Bai Jun glanced at Qiu Zhou lying on the ground. This is for work. It can't count as invading his privacy, right? Just as he was about to read through it, hurried footsteps and shouts outside interrupted his thoughts. Startled, he instinctively stuffed the notebook into his clothes.
"Cloud Cavalry on official business! All bystanders, step back!"
With an angry roar, the heavy iron gate Bai Jun had already opened was kicked open again. The arriving Cloud Cavalry swarmed into the courtyard and surrounded Bai Jun and Qiu Zhou on the ground.
The Cloud Cavalry captain was a burly man with a thick beard. He knew Da Hao somewhat. After carefully looking over Bai Jun, who obediently had his hands raised, he quickly recognized him. He gave Bai Jun a flattering bow, and after learning what had happened, signaled that Bai Jun was free to leave whenever he wished.
Not wanting to interfere with the Cloud Cavalry's protection of the primary crime scene, Bai Jun handed Qiu Zhou over to them and left the courtyard. As he departed, he could vaguely hear Cloud Cavalry soldiers retching inside the house.
After Bai Jun left, two Cloud Cavalry soldiers assigned to stand guard came to the great door made of refined iron and sandalwood. Facing the heavy iron gate, the two sighed as they touched it. The door was made of wood plated with iron, thick and heavy. It was obvious at a glance that an ordinary person would find it difficult to damage without tools.
Yet this shield-like door now had a fist-sized hole in it, making it particularly conspicuous.
"By the Reignbow, how was this door opened? Don't tell me it was cut apart with a weapon?"
"How could that be? A gap cut by a sharp blade would definitely be neat and smooth. Look at that hole—it was obviously made by a blunt weapon!"
"A blunt weapon? What kind of blunt weapon could punch such a precise hole? I feel like..."
"Like what?"
"Like it was smashed open with a fist."
The two imagined that unbelievable scene—a hand thrust through the iron door, right through the hinges.
No, it was more than that. The arm had kept sinking into the door with low, heavy sounds, until the hinges let out a wail and said farewell to the wall.
That was a monster...
The two swallowed in unison and suddenly shuddered.
Father's Illness
Ding— Moral Excellence Commendation +15 45/100
The cold, familiar mechanical voice of the system suddenly rang out. Under normal circumstances, Bai Jun would have been ecstatic to gain so many morality points at once. But right now, he had no interest in it whatsoever. His thoughts were immersed in the Cultivator Qiu Zhou had mentioned, and he unconsciously ignored even the activity around him.
As he slowly walked through the streets and alleys, Bai Jun pulled out the diary from his clothes and opened it to a few pages. The words on the yellowed paper were difficult to decipher.
It was not written in some language from beyond the Xianzhou. The handwriting was simply too ugly, the layout too terrible. The densely packed characters looked like crawling ants, with black circles and heavy strike-throughs scattered throughout. Combined with the ink so black it seemed ready to drip, it was a veritable feast for the eyes.
The narrow alleyways were too dim, and after reading for a while, Bai Jun's eyes felt deeply fatigued. He put the diary away and tucked it back into his clothes, planning to study it carefully at home under his desk lamp.
Once he emerged from the narrow lane, Bai Jun's view suddenly opened up. The foul stench that had lingered around him was swept away by the smells of city life in the air. Though there was still a faint trace of blood, it was far better than before.
He reached out to touch the exposed skin of his left arm. The slight chill reminded him that he had used his sleeve to bandage Qiu Zhou. Fortunately, the people around him were not paying attention to him, which put Bai Jun somewhat at ease. He only wanted to hurry home.
"Bai Jun! Bai Jun!"
At that moment, a familiar voice filled with worry rang out. Bai Jun froze for half a beat, then followed the sound and turned his gaze toward the adorable figure at the other end of the street.
Tears hung at the corners of Bailu's eyes as she ran over and threw herself into Bai Jun's arms. Her little face, streaked with tears, buried itself against his chest. Her falling tears soaked his clothes, and her soft, petite body trembled as she let out quiet sobs. "I was really, really worried about you..."
Bai Jun could feel the little body trembling in his arms. His raised hand hesitated for a moment before finally settling gently on her small head as he comforted her again and again. "It's okay now. It's okay. I won't leave Lady Bailu..."
She lifted her tear-streaked face. Though tears still fell in hiccuping drops, she nevertheless asked in a small, confused voice, "R-Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Bai Jun gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then softly held her. He repeated himself tirelessly.
Only after Bai Jun's clothes had been completely soaked by her tears did Bailu finally manage to stop crying. She slowly pulled away from his embrace, then suddenly said, "Your clothes... smell bad."
"Sorry..."
The tips of Bailu's ears reddened slightly. Suddenly, she buried her face in his chest again, lowered her head to hide her embarrassed expression, and muttered, "I don't mind."
Nearby, Dan He squatted beneath a streetlamp with two steaming cups of Immortal's Joy Tea in hand. Watching the deeply affectionate sibling-like scene, she did not know whom she ought to envy.
After a while longer, Dan He, who had been so bored that she was drawing circles on the ground, sensed someone approaching. She raised her head and saw Bai Jun walking over. His face was full of exhaustion, and he gestured with his eyes toward the little figure in his arms. Perhaps due to a child's nature, Bailu had cried herself tired and naturally fallen asleep in Bai Jun's embrace.
"Why didn't you take Bailu away? Didn't we agree that you had to be back before sunset?"
"You think I didn't want to? Lady Bailu was worried sick about you and refused to leave first no matter what I said. What was I supposed to do as her attendant?" Dan He carefully took Bailu from him and cradled her like a precious treasure, while casting Bai Jun a slightly resentful glance.
"You clearly could have reported directly to the Dragon Master of the clan. At the very least, you could have notified the Alchemy Commission's healers."
"...What are you talking about? I have no idea." Unable to withstand Bai Jun's teasing gaze, Dan He casually turned her face aside and handed him an Immortal's Joy Tea. "Here. Lady Bailu specifically ordered me to buy it for you. She really cares about you more than anyone."
"I'm deeply honored." Bai Jun smiled helplessly and accepted the milk tea.
"Alright, let's go. We're already returning so late in violation of clan rules. Forget Lady Bailu—even I'll probably be severely punished by the Alchemy Commission..."
"Mm, should I plead for you?"
"No. What are you, some student's parent...?"
The two chatted idly as they left beneath the setting sun.
Only after they had gone far away did two figures steadily and slowly emerge from the shadows of the alley.
"Lord Cultivator, are we just letting him go?" The shorter believer stared at Bai Jun's retreating back and asked the black-robed man addressed as the Cultivator.
The Cultivator fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Forget it. This is a turbulent time, and the leader has made it clear that we should not act rashly. The greater situation comes first."
There was another thing he had not said. He vaguely felt that he was no match for Bai Jun. Naturally, he did not voice that thought. Instead, he changed the subject and gave an order.
"Begin recording. Experiment No.: Qiu Kui. Xianzhou native. Long-lived species. This test subject had already displayed signs of a Mara-struck Body and accepted this experiment with the family's consent. After the test subject consumed solidified powder made from Vidyadhara marrow fluid, the Mara-struck Body showed significant alleviation. Worth noting is that the test subject's restored sanity was nearly indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person. This state lasted roughly seven days. The medicinal effect was far stronger than Soul-Returning Vitality Powder, but a severe mutation reaction occurred afterward. The test subject has now been destroyed."
After a brief pause, the Cultivator added, "A silver-haired young man has appeared beside the dragon girl. In my humble opinion, his danger level is... extremely high. For the sake of subsequent plans, I recommend immediate elimination."
That evening, Bai Jun entered the study after taking a bath, a towel in hand.
After dealing with his torn clothes, Bai Jun changed into another linen shirt and sat down in the chair before his desk.
A bookcase stood beside the edge of the desk, its shelves neatly filled with books and magazines on weapon forging and design—more than a dozen in all. Gray pipes and connected wall lamps were embedded in the wall to his right. Nothing ornate, just exceptionally simple.
He reached out and turned the desk lamp's switch. Bright light quickly filled the lamp before passing through the clear glass. The darkness abruptly retreated, and the walls were dyed with warm yellow light. Bai Jun felt inexplicably reassured as he spread the diary he had picked up across the desk.
This time, he examined the diary seriously, refusing to overlook even the smallest detail.
After much effort, he could roughly tell that most of the earlier entries were Qiu Zhou's resentful curses against society. Between the twisted words were furious tirades against his gambling-addict grandfather, hatred toward his mother, and even complaints about the father he admired. It was difficult to imagine such writing had come from an underage child.
As he continued reading, he discovered that more than half of the middle portion had been torn out for some unknown reason. The damaged pages were unlikely to provide any useful information, so Bai Jun could only skip ahead to entries from the most recent months.
When he turned to a page where the handwriting was especially twisted, Bai Jun immediately sat upright and focused all his attention on investigating that section.
"February 21st. Father, who is always gloomy, suddenly started talking nonsense. He asked why I was sprinkling dirt into his rice bowl, why I burned his clothes, why I was abandoning him and leaving. I didn't understand. All I could do was tell him over and over that I wouldn't leave."
"February 24th. Over the following days, Father stopped eating and drinking. He stopped responding to people too. He just sat there like a walking corpse, like a cobweb growing in an unswept corner, covered in dust and devoid of life. These symptoms resemble Grandfather's back then... No, impossible. Father is Cloud Cavalry. He's a hero. How could he possibly fall into mara?"
"February 26th. Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it... Golden vines began growing from Father's body. The proliferating branches pierced through his skin, tearing out huge chunks of flesh with them. Half the room was covered in blood. Father lay on the ground wailing. Once it gets light, I have to find a healer."
"February 27th. As soon as I left Aurum Alley, a strange man in black robes stopped me. I can't remember exactly what he said. I only know that he called himself a Cultivator of the Medicine King's Legacy and gave me a packet of powder, saying it could save Father. I didn't want to take it, but if I really went to the Alchemy Commission's healers, they would definitely take Father away just like they took Grandfather away back then. He's my only family. I-I absolutely won't allow them to take Father away!"
"February 28th. I only meant to give it a try, but I never expected the powder to actually work! Father's condition has clearly improved. And I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I think he has become younger. Saying that Xianzhou people become younger is ridiculous. Our appearances stop changing after we reach adulthood—but a person's bearing can change. Father's steps were light, and his expression carried the carefree ease of someone relieved of a burden. His face, which had seemed covered in grime, relaxed and opened up."
"March 2nd. Father has been getting better and better these past few days. Not only can he talk again, but he also has a great appetite. His food intake is astonishing. He often strokes my head and tells me that the two of us must live well. Yes, live well..."
"March 6th. I was awakened by a loud crash from Father's room this morning. I hurried over and saw him collapsed on the floor, having vomited so much undigested food. I even saw several teeth in that pile of vomit. In the afternoon, Father's hair suddenly began falling out. Then he ran into his room. I-I might have to find an Alchemy Commission healer."
"March 7th. Father's hair has all grown back! How is that possible? And he has completely forgotten what happened yesterday. Why? Why..."
"March 8th. In the evening, Father's body started swelling. His entire body looked as though it had been filled with water. His teeth, hair, and nails all began falling out. So disgusting, so disgusting. I need to find a healer and make them save Father! But as soon as I left home, that person calling himself a Cultivator stopped me again. He said Father was adapting to the Mara-struck Body, and that as long as he took three more doses of medicine, he could completely overcome it. I don't believe him, but... but he is right. If I go to a healer, Father will definitely be taken away."
"March 9th. I've already fed Father two doses of powder, but there hasn't been the slightest improvement. He has started vomiting large mouthfuls of blood and yellowish-brown... fat? No. If the last dose of powder doesn't work tomorrow, I'm afraid I really will have to find an Alchemy Commission healer..."
The diary ended there, and the calendar on the desk happened to point to March 10th. Clearly, Qiu Zhou no longer had the chance to add another entry.
Bai Jun closed the diary and turned off the wall lamp to his right. He watched the lamp gradually dim until it went out. Yet he remained seated, his thumb unconsciously brushing the corner of his lips as he sat in silence amid the darkness, like the most attentive audience member in a theater.
"Medicine King's Legacy... you really are something."
This time, there was a faint gritting of teeth in his voice.
P.S. I was so dizzy after a whole day of classes that I kept feeling like I'd forgotten something. I suddenly woke up just now while sleeping and realized I forgot to update. Forgive me. How about I post a lot more in a few days?
Have You Heard the Story of the Wandering Swordsman?
Qiu Zhou had been arrested by the Ten Lords Bureau on charges of "causing fallen longevity" and "greedily seeking immortality."
Early the next morning, Bai Jun had just arrived at the Earth-Balance Commission Public Office when he heard his colleagues chatting about the matter.
He gathered his messy hair, originally intending to return to his seat while pretending not to care. But the contents of last night's diary remained vivid in his mind. In the end, he stopped beside the doorframe and listened intently, though his body language and expression tried their best to convey the indifferent attitude of a child listening to a story.
After a while, Bai Jun's faintly furrowed brow suddenly relaxed. He heard that the Ten Lords Bureau had taken Qiu Zhou's special circumstances into consideration and ultimately sentenced him to only twenty-five years in prison.
Though he was still young, wrongdoing deserved punishment.
For the Xianzhou's long-lived species, whose lifespans often spanned seven or eight centuries, twenty-five years was not an especially severe sentence. But every second passed no differently than it did for short-lived species, and every hour confined in a prison was undeniably real. Bai Jun hoped Qiu Zhou would come to his senses soon.
At that moment, the chatting colleagues noticed Bai Jun standing by the door and warmly waved at him. "Good morning, Qing Yan. You're as punctual as ever today."
"Good morning."
Bai Jun nodded with a smile in return, then passed them with elegant composure and headed toward his desk.
The colleagues stared blankly at Bai Jun's retreating figure. Once he was gone, the women in particular began chattering excitedly. "He looks so good when he smiles."
"Exactly! Look at how gentle his smile is."
That was probably Bai Jun's image in his coworkers' eyes—a person who could make people infatuated merely by looking at him.
It was not merely that his features were exquisite. The aura he gave off was even more eye-catching. When he walked down the street, ninety percent of women, regardless of age, would turn back for another look. It was perfectly understandable, and practically routine, for the young female clerks behind the counter to become so entranced after seeing Bai Jun's exceptionally rare smile.
Even the male colleagues beside them could not help nodding. Everyone was a creature of appearances. They could not honestly deny that. If they smiled at women, there was an eighty percent chance they would be seen as creepy, disgusting goblins lurking in the shadows.
But Bai Jun truly was remarkable. Fine, they would reluctantly admit that Bai Jun was just a little more handsome than them.
The women were still cheering and squealing excitedly. "If he invited me out for drinks tonight, I'd definitely go with him obediently!"
"Mm-hmm, me too, me too! I'd even pay for everything!"
Their topics had always been wildly scattered. Before long, they had shifted to discussing which newly opened teahouse had reasonable prices, whose desserts were tastier, and how exactly they might melt the iceberg known as Bai Jun. The men shot the women sidelong glances before turning back to enthusiastically discuss their own topics.
Bai Jun had long since returned to his seat and paid no attention to the commotion among his coworkers. He first used a key to open the cabinet against the wall and stored his sword inside. Then he turned sideways and pulled open the third drawer beneath the cabinet, placing a heavy book on the desk. He also took out quite a few case files to better throw people off.
The book was called "A Survey of Star Skiff Voyages Across the Seas of Stars." It was roughly about the author's experiences of crashing star skiffs and repeatedly encountering danger in different worlds. The writing was humorous while still recording local species and ecosystems. It was one of Bai Jun's favorite books.
The bookmark marked a particularly exciting part of the story. Ordinarily, he would have immersed himself in it completely, but today he could not bring himself to read it. An inexplicable irritation kept rising in his heart. It was probably because of what had happened yesterday.
Bai Jun held his forehead, then closed the book in displeasure. He had intended to take out the case files and work for a while to clear his mind, but his thoughts were filled with the Medicine King's Legacy. Just as he was about to make himself a cup of tea, an irritating voice reached his ears, carrying a sticky quality that made him uncomfortable.
"Ah, the people outside are always persistently seeking their other half, and I have always disdained such things. Yet whenever I see passersby walking in pairs, that dead heart of mine still kindles a faint hope. Well, perhaps early spring has arrived. Perhaps I have been alone for too long, to the point that I wish for companionship. When I write, she could read the words I have written beside me. When I do not write, I could hold her hand and gaze upon her gentle brows. I have not even had a drink, yet I feel a little drunk..."
Song Yan leaned mournfully against the window, propping his chin on one hand as he gazed at the bustling traffic beyond the glass and launched into an impromptu melodramatic essay.
Bai Jun had not wanted to pay him any attention. Unfortunately, the window Song Yan had chosen was directly beside him, making him impossible to ignore.
"Stop acting crazy here." Bai Jun rolled his eyes and snapped irritably.
No one in the entire Public Office had thicker skin than Song Yan. Even when shown such obvious disgust, he could still grin as though nothing had happened. Instead, he casually leaned against Bai Jun's desk and continued bothering him.
"Hey now, Qing Yan. Don't get so angry this early in the morning. Is something bothering you? You can always pour your heart out to big brother here, you know?"
"Oh? You can tell I have something on my mind?"
Bai Jun neither confirmed nor denied it. His slender index finger tapped idly against the rim of the white jade teacup.
Before you continue