Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Dark Under the Lamp

Family Head Bai Chong An was the only Golden Core cultivator left in the Bai Family.

In his youth, he’d trained at the Cinnabar Cloud Palace. But decades passed, and he never touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul Stage. In the end, he returned home to live out his years.

He lived in the Withered Leaf Cottage on the back mountain and rarely met anyone. The clan’s mundane affairs were left to juniors. Only on truly important occasions could he be persuaded to appear.

At Bai Meng Jin’s age, she’d only seen this Great-Uncle once—when her parents died.

She remembered kneeling before the spirit tablet as he walked in, sleeves flowing, every inch an immortal figure. He’d glanced at her with cool indifference, then turned to speak to her uncle.

“Ding Han died while running errands for the family. Handle his funeral properly. Find a matron, too. Make sure his daughter is cared for.”

Her uncle had answered respectfully.

Bai Meng Jin, small enough that the mourning clothes swallowed her, had kowtowed until her forehead ached.

Later, when she was bullied and wanted Great-Uncle to uphold justice, she couldn’t even get through the gates of the Withered Leaf Cottage.

Thinking of it now, her lips tugged—not quite a smile.

Hard to judge.

An old servant greeted them at the cottage door, posture respectful. “Immortal Master Huo, please. Immortal Maiden Yue, please. Second Miss, please.”

It was Bai Meng Jin’s first time stepping through these gates.

She looked around, curiosity kept carefully on the surface.

Just inside stood a screen wall. Simple stacked rocks flanked the path—plain, elegant, deliberate.

In the courtyard rose a massive tree.

From trunk to twig, it was completely withered.

And yet it carried a heavy, steady presence, as if even dead wood could weigh down the air.

Bai Meng Jin’s gaze fixed on the umbrella hanging beneath it.

It floated in midair, open as if waiting for rain that would never come.

The canopy was made of some unknown material—jet-black below and snow-white above.

Bai Meng Jin’s fingers curled.

That was her mother’s relic.

The Yin-Yang Umbrella.

She’d known Great-Uncle kept it.

She hadn’t known he displayed it like this.

No.

This wasn’t display.

If she wasn’t mistaken, that withered tree was Yellow Springs Wood—something that gathered death qi.

An open Yin-Yang Umbrella beneath Yellow Springs Wood would draw in wandering souls like a hook draws fish.

What was Great-Uncle doing?

A proper disciple of the Cinnabar Cloud Palace shouldn’t be cultivating soul-commanding arts.

Shouldn’t.

“Second Miss?” The old servant appeared at her side with a gentle reminder, smile fixed in place.

Bai Meng Jin blinked and tucked her expression away as if it had never existed. She followed behind Yue Yun Qiao and Huo Chong Xiao into the room.

Bai Chong An stood by the window, unchanged—sleeves flowing, posture serene, smiling at the young people who entered as if the world held nothing urgent.

Huo Chong Xiao stepped forward and bowed solemnly. “Huo Chong Xiao of Thousand Elegance Peak greets Senior Brother Bai.”

Perfected Chang Ling held high seniority in the sect. Calling Bai Chong An “Senior Brother” was appropriate.

Bai Chong An lifted a hand, friendly and gentle. “We are fellow disciples. No need for ceremony. Sit.”

Huo Chong Xiao thanked him and took the lower seat.

By rights, Bai Meng Jin should have stood behind as the junior. She couldn’t be bothered. She sat down beside Yue Yun Qiao like she belonged there.

Bai Chong An didn’t comment. His gaze lived above the dust. Small breaches of etiquette weren’t worth noticing.

He took a sip of tea. “How is Martial Uncle Chang Ling? I’ve been away from the sect for decades. Living in seclusion, I rarely hear news.”

Huo Chong Xiao answered respectfully. “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. My master is well. He reached the Divine Transformation Stage 10 years ago and is currently stabilizing his realm.”

“The Divine Transformation Stage…” Bai Chong An’s smile faltered into something briefly distant, then returned. “Congratulations to Martial Uncle Chang Ling. With Martial Uncle’s talent, he surely won’t stop there.”

Huo Chong Xiao heard the disappointment behind the warmth and offered a few vague replies.

For a cultivator, what hurt most wasn’t a blade or a spell.

It was stagnation.

Hearing others advance made comparison unavoidable.

They spoke for a while about sect matters. Finally, Huo Chong Xiao asked, “Senior Brother Bai, what do you think about the Devil Creature in Azure Cloud City?”

Bai Chong An waved a hand as if brushing away gnats. “The authorities have a mage stationed here. Since you discovered it, they will handle it fairly.”

“But—”

“I’ll tell them to pay closer attention.” Bai Chong An’s tone remained calm. “This is Bai territory. If something happens, it affects our juniors too.”

Then he smiled and praised them. “I’ve already heard what you did tonight. Junior Brother Huo and Junior Sister Yue are indeed worthy disciples of Martial Uncle Chang Ling. You handled it excellently.”

Yue Yun Qiao seized the opening, eager. “Senior Brother Bai, this was also thanks to Meng Jin—our junior sister. If she hadn’t been alert, we might not have found the source of the devil qi at all, and she even saved me.”

“Is that so?” Bai Chong An finally looked at Bai Meng Jin.

His gaze was mild, measuring.

Then he smiled. “Well done.”

He turned slightly. “Qing Ru. Later, bring a talisman brush and deliver it to Second Miss.”

The old servant bowed. “Yes.”

Yue Yun Qiao relaxed, relief bright on her face. She smiled at Bai Meng Jin, satisfied that justice—at least in this small thing—had been done.

Bai Meng Jin returned the smile, faint and empty.

Yue Yun Qiao didn’t understand.

Bai Meng Jin did.

Great-Uncle spoke kindly, rewarded neatly, and kept everything at a distance where it never touched his heart.

But it didn’t matter.

She wasn’t the girl who’d once cried at gates that wouldn’t open.

Why would she care now?

With the talk concluded, Bai Chong An said, “Junior Brother and Junior Sister, since you came to Azure Cloud City, as your Senior Brother I must do the honors of a host. You worked hard slaying devils tonight. Why not stay in the house for a few days, rest, and then return to the sect?”

Huo Chong Xiao bowed. “Thank you, Senior Brother. Then we’ll impose.”

Bai Chong An smiled faintly and signaled Guan Mo Wen to arrange it. He lifted his teacup in a gesture of dismissal.

As they rose to leave, Bai Meng Jin let her fingers trail along the screen wall and said lightly, “Great-Uncle has an eye. This painting is beautiful.”

Yue Yun Qiao glanced at it and laughed. “If you like it, get one yourself later.”

Laughing and chatting, they followed Huo Chong Xiao back down the mountain.

At the main residence, Bai Meng Jin asked Guan Mo Wen, “Mr. Guan, which courtyard are the guests staying in? Could you place them closer to mine? I can guide Senior Sister Yue around.”

Guan Mo Wen smiled. “Immortal Master Huo and Immortal Maiden Yue will stay in Clear Lotus Courtyard. Second Miss, don’t worry. I’ll arrange servants. No one will neglect them.”

“That’s a bit far,” Bai Meng Jin said, disappointed.

“The patron instructed we must host them well,” Guan Mo Wen replied. “Clear Lotus Courtyard is the best guest courtyard in the house.”

Yue Yun Qiao hurried to reassure her. “It’s fine. No matter how far, it’s only a few more steps. Junior Sister Bai, we’ll wait for you tomorrow.”

Bai Meng Jin nodded, then turned and returned the warding coins to Huo Chong Xiao. “Young Master Huo, thank you for looking out for me tonight. This belongs to you.”

Huo Chong Xiao accepted it. “That had nothing to do with you. We should be the ones thanking you.”

They said goodbye.

Yue Yun Qiao even promised they’d wait for Bai Meng Jin in the morning so they could go out together.

Bai Meng Jin watched their figures disappear into the night.

The smile on her face vanished as if it had never existed.

She lowered her eyes.

The devil qi she’d taken from the Devil Creature flickered faintly in her palm—and then resonated, pulling like a hook toward the Withered Leaf Cottage.

Yellow Springs Wood.

Yin-Yang Umbrella.

The source of that devil qi… was in her own home.

The answer settled in her mind like ice.