Chapter 147: Returning Home

On a small road about fifteen or sixteen li¹ from Taoyuan County.

Two men were traveling. Neither looked very old—one appeared to be in his early twenties at most, while the other looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six.

Their attire resembled that of wandering martial artists. The muscles and scars hidden beneath their clothes hinted that they were far from ordinary.

“Brother Huzi, we’re almost at Taoyuan County. Once we pass through, we’ll be at my home.”

The younger man couldn’t hide the joy on his face as he spoke of his family.

Mu Hu chuckled. “Three years away… you must be homesick.”

“Of course I am! I wonder how Mother’s doing, and what my younger brothers and sisters look like now. Maybe one of them’s got talent for martial arts!”

As he spoke of home, the young man’s expression softened, full of warmth and anticipation.

“Then I’ll have to take a look too. If there’s a promising one…”

Mu Hu started to speak without thinking, then slowed down as he realized something.

But the young man didn’t mind at all. With a smile, he finished the sentence Mu Hu had left hanging: “If there’s a good seedling, the first one goes to our Mu Family Army!”

Mu Hu looked at the cheerful, handsome youth beside him. He couldn’t tell whether Bai Jiaxing truly didn’t care, or if he was just holding it in.

Less than a year left to live, and a right arm already lost.

Even Mu Hu didn’t know how to face Bai Jiaxing’s family.

Seeing that Brother Huzi had drifted into thought again, Bai Jiaxing grinned and rode forward with one hand on the reins, carefree and radiant.

“Come on, it’s not dark yet. We can still walk around the county a bit. We’re rich men now! When I was little, I loved coming here to play. Everything was fascinating!”

They entered the county using their travel permits², just as dusk was falling. The streets were still bustling with people.

So the two dismounted and led their horses on foot.

Walking through the streets, Bai Jiaxing marveled, “It’s even livelier than three years ago.”

“Once we beat the Northern Barbarians into submission, it’ll be even livelier,” Mu Hu said quietly.

Bai Jiaxing nodded. “I can’t help much anymore, so you’ll have to keep pushing forward, Brother Huzi.”

Mu Hu patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. This New Year, I’ll bring you some good news.”

“Deal!”

After wandering around a bit and having a bowl of wontons from an old lady’s stall, they asked for directions to a blacksmith shop. Mu Hu was ready to head over.

“Brother Huzi, every time we get to a new place, you always visit the blacksmith. What are you looking for?”

Mu Hu replied, “Just checking if there’s anything good. The Young Masters like that sort of thing.”

“True.”

Bai Jiaxing suspected there was more to it, but since Brother Huzi didn’t explain, he didn’t press further.

At the blacksmith shop, Mu Hu casually asked, “Did someone named Jiang leave a blueprint here for someone to pick up?”

Honestly, he wasn’t expecting much.

All along the way, there had been nothing. The Young Masters’ covert networks probably didn’t reach such remote places.

“One or two taels of silver, right? I’ll go get it.”

Mu Hu was stunned. He hadn’t expected to actually find something. He quickly nodded and asked, “When was it left here? What kind of person brought it?”

“Just yesterday. A kid dropped it off. Can’t really describe him, but he was pretty good-looking.”

As the blacksmith spoke, he handed over the blueprint and accepted the silver Mu Hu gave him.

Mu Hu thanked him profusely and carefully stored the blueprint away.

Later that night, when everything was quiet, Mu Hu sat up in bed and took out a thin book filled with writing—rules the Mu Family Army had to follow, and records of certain members’ lives.

Only a few of the most trusted Mu Family members knew of its existence.

This slim booklet was, in a sense, a code.

Different patterns corresponded to different pages. The number of petals on a flower indicated which line and which character to read.

The resulting words might not be exact, but the sounds would be³.

“Shiwei Restaurant, connect.”

Mu Hu glanced out the window. It was deep into the night, and the restaurant had long since closed.

And before dawn tomorrow, he still had to take Xiaobai home. That was his main task, and it had to come first.

If he left early enough, he could make it back by afternoon and meet with the contact then.

Mu Hu carefully stored the blueprint. It was the token for tomorrow’s rendezvous—he had to keep it safe.

As the sky began to lighten.

Bai Tian yawned as he carried bags for his four children, ready to walk them to school.

As they walked, Bai Tian suddenly realized—there were only three kids in front of him.

In that instant, he fully woke up.

【Second, Third, and Juanjuan… Where’s the eldest, Goudan?!】

Juanjuan: Huh?

Big Brother ran off again?

The little girl turned her head and saw her eldest brother standing behind their father, tiptoeing to look at something.

“Big Brother, hurry up! Let’s go!”

Bai Tian followed his daughter’s gaze and saw his eldest son right behind him, staring off into the distance.

“Dad! I think I just saw someone I know.”

Still unaware that he had narrowly avoided a scolding, Bai Yunqi ran up to his father, puzzled, hoping for some answers.

“Really? I didn’t see anyone,” Bai Tian said, feeling a little guilty for jumping to conclusions. He gently patted his son’s head.

“Ugh, Dad, don’t do that. It’s gross!”

Bai Yunqi recoiled from his father’s sudden affection, visibly disgusted.

Bai Tian’s mouth twitched. He looked down at his son and said seriously, “I feel like hitting you.”

Bai Yunqi dodged and took off running. “No way! Don’t even think about it!”

【That’s more like the dad I know!】

Juanjuan blinked, recalling a word her mother once used to describe people like her big brother.

What was it again… masochist?

The four Bai siblings arrived at the private school not too early, but not late either. The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and a group of kids were huddled together whispering.

“Did you hear? There’s a monster going around killing people. Two adults are dead already!”

“What? I didn’t hear anything. Tell us!”

“Heh, of course you didn’t. You lot live in the school all day. What would you know? Want to hear the story?”

“Hurry up, tell us!”

The Bai siblings, who knew the full truth, quietly listened to the boy’s tall tale.

“He’s not some hero punishing evil. He’s a ruthless demon! A monster! He can summon wind and rain, and he eats people’s hearts!”

Bai Yunqi: 【This kid’s got talent! Forget the Imperial Exams, he should be a storyteller. He’d be a hit.】

Bai Yunxing: 【What is Bei Lanfeng planning? Taoyuan County isn’t even near the northern border. Why come here? What’s he after?】

The eldest and second brother remained calm.

Juanjuan, however, snuck a glance at her third brother. Only she knew—

Though he looked composed on the outside, he was seething inside.

Bai Yun’an: 【Just one night, and the rumors are already this ridiculous? No way. I’m going to find whoever killed Old Cao.】

【You dare throw dirt on my name? I didn’t do it for you to pin it on me!】

Juanjuan looked at her third brother and didn’t feel the least bit worried. He was strong and smart. He would definitely catch the culprit.

A classmate keeping watch at the door called out, “He’s coming, the teacher’s here!”

In an instant, the room fell silent. The children grabbed their books and began nodding and swaying⁴ as they read, looking studious and focused.

Meanwhile, Songtao Village welcomed a son who had long been away.

He was handsome, riding a tall horse, and carried an air completely different from the villagers.

In an instant, the usual calm of the village was broken. Everyone began whispering and asking questions.

Only one child seemed to notice something.

He said, “Dad, that man doesn’t have an arm!”

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Translator’s Notes