It was at this point that a new group of people arrived, a group of handsome elite clan members from the cultivator clans, who were clustered around a young woman. She wore a long white gown that resembled a blooming lotus, had the fairest of skin, and had her long hair coiled up and bound with a silver hairpin. She wore pearls and jewelry, and walked with a gentle grace. The starlight which reflected in her eyes made her look even more beautiful.
Unfortunately, her exquisite beauty was somewhat marred because of her furrowed brow; apparently she was concerned with some important matter. And yet, she did her best to put a smile on her face as she conversed in a low tone with one of the young men escorting her.
Although the young man did his best to conceal it, it was possible to see the passion in his eyes as he listened to her.
That young woman was none other than Du Lingfei.
She immediately became the focus of all attention. Furthermore, there was something about her, some energy or power that made everyone in her presence feel the urge to bow their heads.
Despite how many people were clustered around her, Bai Xiaochun instantly caught sight of her. At first, he almost looked like he was in a daze. They hadn’t seen each other for years, but she somehow seemed more familiar to him than ever. And yet, she was more beautiful than before. There was also something a bit more noble about her, perhaps something that had come from holding a position of power for so long.
She definitely seemed different from the rude and unreasonable beauty she had been when they’d first met. And yet, as the moments ticked by, that old version of Du Lingfei and this newer, more beautiful one slowly merged together.
Bai Xiaochun had grown in their time apart, and so had she. Thanks to her subtle control of affairs in Eastwood City, the cultivator clans were in harmony, something that most outsiders found unbelievable.
“Goddess Lingfei….” Li Youdao said, his eyes flickering with infatuation. Back when he’d first laid eyes on her, he had been somewhat attracted to her. However, it was only thanks to her deft manipulation of the cultivator clans that he came to be fully infatuated.
The courtesan sitting next to him paled in comparison, and she clearly knew that. In the face of the powerful Du Lingfei, she had no choice other than to lower her head.
At this point, Hou Yunqing leaned over to Bai Xiaochun and quietly said, “Goddess Lingfei came to Eastwood City with nothing. I remember her often gazing back in the direction of the Spirit Stream Sect, thinking about something. Who would have ever thought that she would do so well for herself? None of the past emissaries ever accomplished what she has. She kept the peace between the clans, bringing about a harmony the likes of which has never been seen before.
“Supposedly, some of the clan patriarchs were so impressed that they convinced the Spirit Stream Sect to renew her emissary commission several times over.”
Even as Li Youdao stared at her with glittering eyes, and Hou Yunqing was murmuring to Bai Xiaochun, Du Lingfei finished speaking to the young man next to her. Just as she was about to take a step forward, her gaze pierced through the crowd to land on Li Youdao’s table.
Her eyes went wide, and a tremor of disbelief ran through her. All of a sudden, it seemed as if everyone around her had vanished, leaving only one person behind in her world.
Breathing heavily, she started walking in the direction of the table. Everyone was shocked to see her acting this way, especially Li Youdao, who shot to his feet, trembling.
“Sh-she’s actually coming over to see me!!!” His mind began to spin, and his heart began to pump wildly. Unable to prevent the joy from filling his face, he immediately began to walk toward her.
“Goddess Lingfei….” he said. Even as he prepared more words to say, Du Lingfei walked right by without even sparing him a passing glance. His jaw dropped, and he looked stiffly over his shoulder to see Du Lingfei stop in front of the table and look at one person in particular.
“Bai Xiaochun, you’re here….” Even the way she stood there was enticing. Her eyes were beautiful, like shining moons, and everyone who looked at her couldn’t prevent their hearts from surging with passion.
The instant she spoke Bai Xiaochun’s name, the clamor of the banquet transformed into utter silence. Trembling, people began to turn to look at Bai Xiaochun.
Everyone knew that Bai Xiaochun was a Prestige disciple of the Spirit Stream Sect and the Junior Brother of the sect leader. The latest news was that he had recently gone to one of the Foundation Establishment Holy Lands.
“Yeah, I’m here,” he said, smiling. All of a sudden, he recalled that moment in the cave when they were fleeing from the Luochen, how she had sat next to the fire, her face ashen and yet oh so beautiful.
Hou Yunqing plastered a look of surprise on his face. Taking several dramatic steps backward, and stumbling down to his knees in the process, he pointed his finger and raised his voice as loud as possible. “Y-y-you’re… you’re Bai Xiaochun!?!?”
It was at that exact same moment that people from the various cultivator clans began to pull jade slips out of their holding items, as news came in from their clans.
Within moments, the surprise which had just gripped their heart turned into massive waves of shock. People began to gasp and look over at Bai Xiaochun, their minds reeling.
All of the various jade slips contained similar information.
“Bai Xiaochun reached Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment! Any clan member who meets him should treat him with utter respect. Immediately notify the clan for a hefty reward!!”
—
Translator: Deathblade. Chinese language consultant: ASI a.k.a. Beerblade. Editor: GNE. Memes: Logan. Meme archives: Tocsin. Transcendent Patrons: Daoist Elder N, BLE, ttre208
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Chapter
171: Assassinate Bai Xiaochun!
Bai Xiaochun looked around at the flabbergasted crowd of cultivator clan members, and mused about how glorious the situation was. From the expression of utter shock on Hou Yunqing’s face, it seemed as if he had only just now realized the shocking identity of the person he had befriended. Although Bai Xiaochun found his behavior a bit servile, it still felt good receive such treatment.
Coughing dryly, he patted Hou Yunqing on the shoulder and said, “Alright, enough with the act. Your big bro Hou Yunfei told me about you a while ago.”
Hou Yunqing rose to his feet, looking a bit embarrassed. The truth was that because of his place in the Hou Clan, he had recognized Bai Xiaochun the instant he set foot in his shop. The Hou Clan had long since passed out information throughout the clan about Bai Xiaochun.
Hou Yunqing knew that his clan brother and sister were both on good terms with Bai Xiaochun, and he himself had hoped to somehow make friends with him, but had never been able to. When the chance suddenly arose to get close to an important person like Bai Xiaochun, he had to strike while the iron was hot. Of course, when flattering someone, the best thing was not to be too direct. That way, the target of the flattery would feel more comfortable, as would the flatterer.
And that was why things had played out the way they did on the way to the banquet…. Actually, Hou Yunqing had been prepared for the possibility that Bai Xiaochun would see through his ruse. In fact, Bai Xiaochun’s enigmatic smiles along the way caused Hou Yunqing to come to that very conclusion. However, that didn’t prevent him from continuing to lay on the flattery as thick as possible.
Bai Xiaochun looked at Du Lingfei, and she looked back at him. However, there was no time to sit around and reminisce. People from the cultivator clans immediately began to flock around Bai Xiaochun, offering formal greetings in extremely respectful tones, each one more enthusiastic than the one before.
When Du Lingfei saw so many people jumping at the chance to meet Bai Xiaochun, and how he stood there proudly with his hands clasped behind his back, she couldn’t help but smile and think back to everything that had happened when they were being chased by the Luochen Clan.