Chapter 154: Fear—A Foreboding Sense That Something Big Is About to Happen at Home

Jiang Dai looked into her second son’s eyes—eyes filled with fear, as if hiding a thousand unspoken words he didn’t know how to express—and her heart ached deeply.

“It’s alright. Mother’s here. Mother’s here.”

She pulled him into her arms, gently raising her sleeve to wipe away the blood that had dried on his face.

Bai Yunxing looked up at his mother, who was trying to comfort him. His heart was a mess of emotions. The fear and guilt were real, but not because he had killed someone—rather, because he was about to confess.

He hadn’t wanted things to come to this.

But when the black-clad man let out that agonized scream, it had already alerted the nearby villagers. If he had run at that moment, maybe he could have gotten away.

But he had to kill. If he didn’t, the consequences would have been far worse.

The blood on his body couldn’t be cleaned off in time. The commotion had already drawn attention, and his parents would wake up any minute.

If he returned home covered in blood, not only would he be unable to explain himself, he’d scare his parents half to death.

So instead, he chose to cry thief to catch thief¹, to strike first. After all, this six-year-old body made the perfect excuse—an excuse that couldn’t possibly be capable of killing.

Still, now that this had happened, he figured the truth would have to come out sooner or later.

Whether he had killed the man or not, the Bai Family was already in trouble because of him.

Bei Lanfeng was in Taoyuan County, and both he and Mu Hu were being watched. His parents needed to contact the capital immediately, seek the protection of Grandmother in Jingcheng, and secure a safe haven for the Bai Family.

He couldn’t let his presence drag this family into disaster.

Still hiding in the shadows, Bai Yunqi muttered to himself, 【Who said Second Brother’s the quiet one? He was vicious and full of fight when he killed that guy, and now he’s acting all scared? He’s totally faking it!】

Juanjuan heard her eldest brother’s voice and figured he must be hiding nearby.

She had thought it was her big brother who killed someone, but now he was saying it was Second Brother?

So the powerful adult lying on the ground wasn’t taken down by Big Brother, but by Second Brother?

But Second Brother didn’t even know magic, right?

He could still kill someone?

Juanjuan tilted her head, trying to sneak a peek.

Bai Tian quickly covered her eyes, scanning the area anxiously as he asked the people nearby, “Has anyone seen my eldest son?”

【Where the heck did that rascal Bai Goudan run off to? Don’t tell me someone kidnapped him!】

“Dad! I’m right here!”

Hearing his father call for him, Bai Yunqi finally came trotting out.

Seeing his clever, grinning son appear, Bai Tian let out a sigh of relief.

He raised his hand, wanting to pat the boy’s shoulder to offer some comfort, afraid the night’s events might have scared him.

But the moment Bai Yunqi saw his father’s hand coming down, he dodged instinctively.

Then he realized—his dad was trying to comfort him.

Father and son locked eyes in awkward silence.

Bai Yunqi: …

【Okay, that’s on me. I thought I was about to get smacked again.】

He glanced at his father’s hand, which had missed its mark, then flashed a sheepish grin and leaned his face in, rubbing it against his father’s palm.

Bai Tian’s brow furrowed deeper. 【This is even weirder! Creepy, even!】

“When did you come out? Do you know what happened here?”

Bai Yunqi blinked. “I came out when I heard the noise. At that time, little brother and Dad were still asleep.”

【Third Brother and Dad came out way too late. They must’ve been sound asleep. When I left the house, those two were still completely out cold.】

He wasn’t wrong, technically. But the problem was, Juanjuan had seen Third Brother climbing over the wall.

Standing nearby, Bai Yun’an glanced at his little sister, worried she might blurt something out.

She might ask, “Why is what Big Brother said different from what you told me?”

But the little girl seemed not to have heard a thing. She was just tugging at their father’s hand, which was still covering her eyes, trying to sneak a peek at the dead body nearby.

She hadn’t noticed the conversation at all.

Bai Yun’an: …

【Maybe I’m overthinking it. A little kid with a bit of smarts is one thing, but she’s not some all-knowing genius.】

Juanjuan, still pawing at her father’s hand: ?

Third Brother’s a weirdo!

Why does he overthink everything?

Juanjuan had indeed heard what Big Brother said earlier, but in her mind, he was just making excuses. Dad didn’t know the truth, so she’d just pretend not to know either.

She never imagined that one sentence would conflict with Third Brother’s story and raise suspicion.

Juanjuan stayed quiet, thinking Third Brother was smart, sure—but sometimes…

Too smart for his own good!

Yes!

That’s what Mother always said.

“There! There’s someone over there!”

A shout drew everyone’s attention to the rear.

They turned to see a man approaching—his face stern, his body upright despite the bloodstains on him.

As he walked closer, the overwhelming aura he carried silenced all the murmuring around him.

Jiang Dai looked up and recognized the man instantly. Wasn’t this the same person who had visited their home earlier today and given her second son those blueprints?

“Mother, it was… it was him who saved me. I just got up to use the bathroom and heard something outside. When I looked out, this man…”

Bai Yunxing trembled as he pointed to the black-clad corpse. “This man tried to kill me, and that uncle saved me.”

Mu Hu gave Bai Yunxing a glance, then nodded in agreement with his story. He turned to the villagers nearby.

“I am Mu Hu, captain of the seventh squad of the Mu Family Army, stationed at the border. I ask that someone who can move quickly go report this to the county office.”

“Tell them that Northern Barbarians spies were discovered here and have been dealt with.”

The moment Mu Hu finished speaking, his body gave out and he collapsed. Even so, he managed to catch himself with one hand, keeping himself from falling flat on the ground.

Bai Tian rushed forward to support him.

【Why did I even go help him? Oh well… I guess I just can’t help but respect men who protect their country.】

“Hurry to the yamen², go, go, go!”

The surrounding townsfolk stared at the gruesome scene on the street. A few of the bolder ones grouped up and headed off toward the local magistrate’s office.

As they left, one man muttered under his breath, “Maybe the feng shui’s off. Why are we always running to the yamen lately?”

“Mom, can we save…”

Bai Yunxing spoke in a hushed voice, turning to his mother. But before he could finish, his eyes met hers.

In that instant, Bai Yunxing felt as if his mother had already guessed what he was about to say.

“Alright.”

Jiang Dai simply responded, even though Bai Yunxing hadn’t said who he wanted to save.

When the family returned home, no one spoke a word.

Whether it was Bai Tian or the younger children, all of them could tell that Jiang Dai—Mom—was in a bad mood.

After boiling water outside, Jiang Dai told her eldest son to help the second son clean up and change clothes.

Bai Tian stayed inside, tending to Mu Hu’s injuries.

The house was silent. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, but the atmosphere felt heavy and stifling.

Normally, both Jiang Dai and Bai Tian were cheerful and talkative, always bustling around with something to say. But now, the silence was unsettling.

Juanjuan stayed close to her third brother, clutching the hem of her shirt tightly.

She hadn’t felt too scared when they saw the dead body earlier. At the time, it hadn’t seemed real. But now that they were home and everything had quieted down, a chill crept up her spine.

Something felt off in the house. Not only were their parents and brothers silent on the outside, but it was like they had shut down inside too.

The tension in the air was suffocating. Juanjuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. cry thief to catch thief: This phrase is a rendition of the Chinese idiom ‘dǎo dǎ yī pá’ (倒打一耙), meaning to turn the tables by falsely accusing the accuser or striking preemptively to shift blame. ↩
2. yamen: The yamen refers to the local government office in imperial China, presided over by a magistrate who handled administrative, judicial, and public order matters. ↩