Chapter 65: Yan Donglai, the Bai Family’s Retainer

At the place where the crowd parted, a man dressed in a blue brocade robe appeared. He was tall, yet his build did not seem coarse or rough. Beneath his sword-like brows, a pair of dark eyes swept over the surroundings, exuding an air of cold arrogance—aloof and imperious. The onlookers held him in great awe; those standing closer hurriedly stepped aside, fearful of bringing misfortune upon themselves by provoking this formidable figure.

Bai Mufeng muttered inwardly, wondering why Yan Donglai had shown up—hadn’t the family elders deliberately sent him away in advance? Yan Donglai was a Jindan stage expert; if he intervened, things would not go well. At once, he cupped his hands and said, “Senior Yan, this is an internal matter of the Bai family. I must ask that you refrain from interfering.”

Yan Donglai sneered, “So this is why both elders invited me out for drinks today—they clearly had their own agenda.”

He glanced at Qiao Xuange, who was kneeling on the ground, wounded all over, as well as at the many dead guards. Turning to Bai Muyun, he said, “Brother Muyun, it seems your Bai family’s kin are not much to speak of. In the end, the only ones protecting you are outsiders. What a laughable sight.”

Bai Muyun replied, cupping his hands, “Brother Yan, you make a joke of it.”

Yan Donglai did not say more. He pointed at the wounded Qiao Xuange and addressed the crowd: “Let them go.”

Bai Mufeng interjected anxiously, “Senior Yan, what do you mean by this?” Yan Donglai’s stance was ambiguous—Bai Mufeng dared not risk a direct confrontation. While Bai Muyun could address Yan Donglai as an equal, Bai Mufeng, by virtue of rank and cultivation, could not afford any disrespect.

“I said let them go. Don’t make me say it a third time,” Yan Donglai replied coldly.

Bai Mufeng was incensed. He could not let his prize slip away so easily. They had hundreds of people, with no less than seventy or eighty cultivators of the Fusion stage—could they really be afraid of a single Jindan expert? Besides, the other six family experts were staying hidden to avoid suspicion, but if matters grew dire, they would certainly step in against Yan Donglai.

With a face like iron, Bai Mufeng said, “Senior Yan, you serve as the Bai family’s honored protector. Surely family affairs are none of your concern? Besides, fifteen years ago you were already a renowned master in Linhai City. It was only because you lost your challenge to Bai Muyun and lost the wager that you agreed to serve the Bai family for fifty years. Everyone knows your lifelong wish has been to defeat Bai Muyun.”

He continued, “Now that Bai Muyun has become a cripple, are you still content to remain beneath him? If you were not hiding within the Bai family, how could the likes of Liu Changqing ever have made a name for himself? Senior Yan, hear me out—if you turn a blind eye to today’s events, you will remain the Bai family’s esteemed protector, admired by all, with all the wealth and honor at your disposal.”

“Are you finished?” Yan Donglai replied coolly. “My wager was with Bai Muyun, and now that he is no longer the patriarch, why should I uphold the bargain? Nine years ago, I realized the patriarch had lost all of his cultivation. Did you think I stayed for the Bai family’s riches?”

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Bai Mufeng cried out in shock, “You—do you seek the Azure Profound Jade Sword as well?”

Yan Donglai scoffed, “The patriarch’s cultivation is gone, and the mark on the Azure Profound Jade Sword has faded. Anyone could now seize and refine it to become its new master. As one of Wuzhou’s Eight Great Immortal Artifacts, all covet it—but I, Yan Donglai, am not so base as to take advantage of the weak. It is laughable that you clansmen of the Bai family are even less principled than I, an outsider.”

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, many showing shame.

Yan Donglai looked to Bai Muyun and nodded, then said, “In years past, I was unmatched in Linhai City, but I was defeated here in Wuzhou by the Bai patriarch, for whom I have the utmost respect. Although I have kept a low profile in the Bai family for many years, the discussions of martial arts and the Dao with the patriarch have helped me grow immensely. It is laughable that you all care only for cultivation level, never realizing that the patriarch’s true wealth lies in his insight into the path of cultivation. How many of the Bai family’s rising talents made rapid progress thanks to his guidance? Yet now, for your own safety, you turn on him.”

“Even I, an outsider, know that in times of crisis, a family must weather the storm together. You are truly hopeless. In my opinion, only Uncle Bai and Bai Muyun are worthy of being called men. Forgive my bluntness, but the rest of you here—and those hiding in the shadows—are nothing but useless trash.”

His words enraged the crowd, but except for Bai Muyun in his prime, no one in the family could match Yan Donglai. Most dared only bristle in silence. Only Bai Mufeng, emboldened by his status, shouted, “Yan Donglai, don’t forget you’re in the Bai family’s territory. If you meddle in our affairs, no matter how powerful you are, you’ll never leave here alive.”

Bai Muyun, who had remained silent, added, “Brother Yan, I am no longer the patriarch. Our wager is void. You may leave freely—there’s no need to throw your life away for no reason.”

Yan Donglai replied, “A true man knows what should and should not be done. To be frank, I am a wanderer, accustomed to a carefree life. Were it not for the inspiration I gained from our martial discussions, I would never have stayed. In fifteen years with the Bai family, I have seen all the ugliness of great clans and found it contemptible—there is no talk of loyalty or sentiment here. If they truly try to stop me, don’t blame me for showing no mercy with the ‘King’s Wheel of the Five Elements.’” As he finished, his mind stirred, and his famed weapon, the “King’s Wheel of the Five Elements,” floated to either side of him—countless icy gears spinning rapidly, ready in an instant to reap lives.

Bai Muyun sighed. Yan Donglai had always been intolerant of injustice, and in his early years, was infamous for slaughter; who knew how many cultivators had fallen by his hand? He no longer tried to dissuade him, for Yan Donglai would never heed another’s orders. Bai Muyun could only mourn, for these kinsmen who once supported him still shared a sliver of blood with him.

“You…” Bai Mufeng tried to speak, but as he opened his mouth, a flash of cold light swept by. Suddenly, he felt himself soaring upward—his body lighter than ever before. Once he reached a height, terror dawned as he saw his own body still standing where it was, headless, blood jetting from the neck.

The crowd stared, aghast, as Bai Mufeng’s head spun several times in the air before falling to the ground, his eyes still rolling with unwillingness and rage. The elders of the main branch had promised him that if he survived this calamity, he would become patriarch and use all the Bai family’s treasures and elixirs to break through to the Dao Gold Core stage.

It seemed that day would never come.

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Yan Donglai withdrew the King’s Wheel of the Five Elements and said coolly, “Noisy.”

“Splendid! Splendid! Hahaha!” Still kneeling, Qiao Xuange burst into laughter. He wished he could slaughter all these treacherous men, but lacked Yan Donglai’s power.

Yan Donglai barked, “Can you still move? If so, take the patriarch and leave Wuzhou City.”

Qiao Xuange struggled to his feet and quickly replied, “I can move. Thank you, Senior Yan, for saving my life.”

Yan Donglai ignored him, standing proud and aloof. “The young ones are dead. Now the old ones should come forth, shouldn’t they?”

After a moment’s silence, an old man stepped from the darkness—it was Bai Chengbin, the elder of the Bai family’s main branch.

With a sigh, Bai Chengbin said, “Brother Yan, we have no wish to become your enemies. That’s why we went to such lengths to invite you out drinking today. Let us set aside our differences for now; once I have sorted out the family’s affairs, we might still treat one another as friends.”

Yan Donglai threw back his head and laughed. “Friends? Did you ever ask me?”

Seeing Bai Chengbin’s confusion, he continued, “To be friends with the likes of you would be my greatest shame.”

“You—you are truly insufferable!” Bai Chengbin’s face turned pale with anger.