Chapter 161: Should We Just Come Clean and Have Second Brother Get Him Some Jade to Replenish

The sunlight at the cave entrance was just right, filtering through the branches and casting dappled shadows on Bei Lanfeng. He sat leisurely on a wooden chair, gently fanning himself, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

A man emerged from the cave behind him and addressed Bei Lanfeng, who was seated on the wooden chair. “He still refuses to talk. His bones are really tough!”

Bei Lanfeng sighed slowly and used his folding fan to cover his face.

“I remember the Former Dayu Dynasty had a punishment called ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts¹.’ Use it on his father.”

“And as for that old lady, wake her up and let her watch.”

“Understood.”

The man replied and turned back into the cave.

Inside the dim cave, the stench of blood mixed with the smell of urine and sweat, making one’s head spin.

Bai Jiaxing was uninjured, chained and pressed onto a stone bench.

In front of him was his father, tortured and covered in wounds.

His sixty-year-old grandmother, unable to bear the shock, had fainted.

Cold water was splashed on the unconscious Old Madam Bai, jolting her awake.

Upon seeing the scene before her, Old Madam Bai looked at her grandson, who sat quietly with his head lowered, and pleaded desperately.

“Jiaxing, please, speak up. Save your father!”

“Why are you so stubborn? Just say something! Look at your father, he’s never suffered like this…”

As soon as Old Madam Bai finished speaking, a heart-wrenching scream echoed.

A dagger sliced into Bai Jiaxing’s father’s skin, peeling off a thin piece of flesh, which was then tossed in front of Old Madam Bai.

Old Madam Bai gasped sharply, almost fainting from fright.

“Bai Jiaxing, you’re an ungrateful wretch! Speak up! Your father can’t die like this!”

Old Madam Bai was nearly driven mad with fear, saying whatever came to mind.

Bai Jiaxing lifted his eyes to look at his grandmother, a pained smile appearing on his face.

“Grandmother, do you think anyone who comes here will leave alive?”

Others might not know, but he did.

The secrets of this mountain were laid bare before him—Northern Barbarians, saltpeter mines, Bei Lanfeng…

The only reason they were so bold to show it all was that they had no intention of letting anyone leave alive.

Besides, even if he could leave alive, how could he betray the Mu Family Army’s stronghold?

“The Mu Family Army is truly loyal and righteous. Mu Hu actually came here to save you.”

A pleasant voice suddenly spoke, the tone unhurried, as if he were merely out for a leisurely stroll.

“He’s lost an arm and been poisoned with Zhiyi toxin, won’t live for even a year, yet he’s willing to serve the Mu Family Army?”

Bei Lanfeng walked slowly into the cave, covering his nose and mouth with a scented silk handkerchief, disdainfully glancing at the filth inside, his gaze landing on Bai Jiaxing.

“But indeed, with a brother who knows he’s walking to his death yet still comes for you, the Mu Family Army is certainly loyal and righteous. So, tell me…”

Bei Lanfeng’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “Do you think that good brother of yours would betray the Mu Family Army’s spies among the Northern Barbarians to save you?”

Bai Jiaxing sneered, his eyes full of mockery.

“You can try.”

Hearing this provocation, Bei Lanfeng merely shook his head with a light laugh, as if watching a child throwing a tantrum. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something amusing and said:

“By the way, did you know the Northern Barbarians once had a custom called ‘inheritance marriage²,’ where the son marries the mother after the father’s death? How about we hold a wedding today for you to see?”

Bai Jiaxing’s pupils contracted sharply, glaring at Bei Lanfeng.

“Dealing with smart people is easy. You guessed what I wanted to do right away?”

“Aren’t they just ready-made? A mother and a son.”

Bei Lanfeng looked at the bound Old Madam Bai and Bai Family’s second uncle, a smile just beginning to form on his face.

Suddenly, he took a quick step back.

An arrow whizzed past, barely missing his face, embedding itself into the wall beside him.

At the cave entrance, a tall figure walked in against the light, holding not a longbow but a sharp sword that could cut through iron like mud.

“I’ve long heard of the Northern Barbarians’ strategist, Bei Lanfeng, known for his ruthless and vicious nature. It’s an honor to meet you today. You’re truly worse than a beast.”

The voice was androgynous, full of the arrogance of a favored child of heaven, making one curious about what such a person looked like.

Bei Lanfeng turned to look and saw a somewhat familiar face, one he’d encountered before, but definitely not Mu Family’s fifth. This must be…

“Mu Zhaoyuan.”

The sixth of the Mu Family, Mu Zhaoyuan, and the fifth were twins, a rare dragon and phoenix pair³.

“Oh, you recognize me. What a coincidence.”

Mu Zhaoyuan said it was a coincidence, but there was no smile on her face. Her blade turned into a silver light, her arm muscles tensed, and she charged straight at Bei Lanfeng.

Wasn’t it a coincidence indeed!

Her twin brother had been crippled by this scum, his legs never to stand again!

If not for her mother and grandmother holding her back, she would have rushed to the Northern Barbarians to kill this bastard.

Now, meeting him in Dayu Territory, if she didn’t kill him, she wouldn’t bear the Mu surname.

Not far away, in a tree.

Bai Yunqi yawned leisurely, holding a small piece of jade he’d picked up on the road, absorbing it to replenish the Spiritual Power he’d expended leading the way.

Watching the fight unfold in the cave, he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Tsk… This is the Mu Family Army, the second brother’s sixth sister! Even in the Cultivation World, she’d be an excellent candidate for immortal cultivation.”

Fortunately, Mu Family’s sixth sister arrived just in time.

And she brought a team of Mu Family elites. There was no need to wait, they charged right in.

As for how they found this place and sneaked in, it was all thanks to him, a helpful cultivator.

It was quite a coincidence, really.

The location described by Bai Family’s second aunt coincided with that strange Energy Fluctuation.

His mother accompanied the second brother here, while his father and the rest of the siblings stayed at County Yamen.

So, with a little trickery, he snuck out, leading the Mu Family squad here in secret.

But he had to thank his younger brother and sister for covering for him. They were really great; he’d have to look out for them more in the future.

However…

Bai Yunqi tilted his head, pondering why, even with Bei Lanfeng nearly beaten to a pulp, that person with the peculiar ability hadn’t shown up.

Just as Mu Zhaoyuan was about to capture Bei Lanfeng alive.

Bai Yunqi was about to leave, just standing up and not yet jumping down from the tree.

His heart suddenly raced, and his Spiritual Power surged out instinctively, shielding everyone in the cave except Bei Lanfeng.

The next moment, a powerful explosion shockwave spread from inside the cave, debris falling, blocking the entrance to a man’s height.

Bai Yunqi’s mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but comment, “How can I encounter a mortal version of a Heavenly Thunder Bomb here!”

Oh, the Heavenly Thunder Bomb was an explosive artifact developed by some maniacs in their dimension.

“Hmm? He managed to escape?”

Just after complaining, Bai Yunqi’s eyes lit up, sensing a faint fluctuation moving quickly.

Bei Lanfeng… escaped?

That guy was truly something.

In the Cultivation World, he’d definitely be a notorious Evil Cultivator hunted by all!

Without thinking, Bai Yunqi gave chase, feeling the limited Spiritual Power within him.

Bai Yunqi considered confessing to his second brother, asking him to gather more jade and gold so he could properly replenish himself.

Translator’s Notes