He had read about political hostages in the ancient records, and knew that they always suffered all sorts of tragic and grievous fates. He was especially worried about going alone; being all by himself in a strange sect didn’t seem safe at all.
The River-Defying Sect was great! He had an incredibly high standing, lots of female disciples liked him, and people offered formal greetings to him wherever he went. The mere thought of going to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect caused his vision to grow dim.
Yelping, he lurched forward and grabbed onto Frigidsect’s leg.
“Patriarch, I don’t wanna go!” he wailed, “I’ll miss you all too much! This is my home! Don’t make me go!
“I just made a heroic contribution to the sect! I… I’m the junior patriarch!
“For years now, I’ve always been ready to stand up for the sect during hard times. I saved my fellow disciples from the Luochen Clan, I made a name for myself in the Fallen Sword Abyss, I went undercover in the Blood Stream Sect! But my biggest contributions have been to the River-Defying Sect! Patriarch, I don’t wanna go!
“I can’t stand to part with all of you. I’ll miss my fellow disciples! Don’t make me go, please…! Have Shangguan Tianyou go instead! He’d be a great choice. He’s heroic and confident and super handsome! Heaven and earth would weep if he doesn’t become the hostage. Or how about Song Que? The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect doesn’t have somebody like him, do they? So send him! Or what about Beihan Lie or Nine-Isles? They would be great choices! If not, then how about Chen Manyao. Send her….”
Frigidsect felt a headache coming on. Sighing, he looked down at Bai Xiaochun and softly said, “Xiaochun, if I had any choice in the matter, I definitely wouldn’t make you go.”
A tremor ran through Bai Xiaochun, and he looked up at Frigidsect, looking like he was about to cry.
“I really have to go?”
Frigidsect tousled Bai Xiaochun’s hair. A kind look appeared in his eye as he said, “Yes, you do. However, you can take some Dao protectors with you. Also, it won’t be for very long. You’ll be back here at home before you know it.”
1. The practice of exchanging political hostages goes way back into Chinese history all the way to the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
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Chapter
375: Bai Xiaochun’s Dao Protectors....
Chapter 375: Bai Xiaochun’s Dao Protectors….
Bai Xiaochun felt as if his heart were withering. Looking up again at Frigidsect to make sure he wasn’t pulling a prank, he finally exclaimed, “Why did you make me so outstanding, oh heavens? I can’t believe that even the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect can’t do without me!”
Moments ago, Frigidsect had been feeling sad, but after hearing Bai Xiaochun’s words, he could do nothing but cough dryly. Now that he thought about it, in some ways, sending Bai Xiaochun to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect wasn’t that bad of a choice after all.
“You leave in three days,” he said. “Take this command medallion. It gives you the authority to select any Dao protectors from your current generation to accompany you….” With that, he handed Bai Xiaochun the command medallion and then turned to leave. Before walking out the door, he added one final reminder.
“You can select, at most, five Dao Protectors. The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect won’t allow any more than that.”
Bai Xiaochun stood amidst the ruins of his immortal’s cave, watching Frigidsect leave. Then he slumped down, somewhat in a daze. After wrestling with his thoughts for an hour, he watched the sun rise and then finally sighed.
“Ah, whatever. Since the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect wishes for me to come, then I guess I’ll go check things out.” Although he was still a bit depressed, the idea of being able to select his own Dao Protectors was an exciting thought.
“I’m not going to take Bruiser with me,” he murmured. “The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect is too much of a strange and dangerous place.
“So. Dao protectors, hm? Who should I pick? I’m going to be in a strange place, so I’ll definitely need someone good at digging up information!” With that, he began to think about everyone he knew.
“They’ll need to be quick-witted, and good at making discreet inquiries. I need someone who’ll be able to find out about everything in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and quickly at that. I’ll need to know all the rumors! It will definitely require a pure genius….”
Suddenly, he slapped his thigh, and his eyes began to shine. “Xu Baocai!”
Back in the Spirit Stream Sect, Xu Baocai had always been adept at rooting out information. He knew who all the top beauties in the sect were, and how they were ranked. Bai Xiaochun also remembered how, whenever Xu Baocai got some new information, he would make a record of it in his little notebook.
“He prefers to hand-write things instead of using jade slips. Only a person completely dedicated to his work would do that. Yeah, nobody would be fit for this position other than Xu Baocai!” Chuckling, Bai Xiaochun thought about how quickly Xu Baocai had fit into the River-Defying Sect as a whole, and how he knew about all the gossip and news. In fact, whenever Bai Xiaochun wanted to know anything, he was completely confident in being able to get an answer from Xu Baocai.
Without any further hesitation, he shot through the air toward the mountains of the Spirit Stream Division. As he neared Xu Baocai’s immortal’s cave, he saw Xu Baocai standing outside, his eyes sparkling like gems, and his expression one of intense sorrow. Almost immediately, Xu Baocai began to wail, “Sect Uncle Bai, I’m going to miss you so much! I heard that you’re going to become a hostage in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Who knows when we’ll meet again, Sect Uncle Bai? You take care of yourself!!”
“Wow, you got the news that quickly?” Bai Xiaochun said, surprised. He had just been informed himself, and yet somehow, Xu Baocai already knew.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Xu Baocai said proudly. “Nobody knows more about what’s going on in the River-Defying Sect than Xu Baocai. Wherever I go, I find out all the secrets. I have countless ways of ferreting out information.” This was actually what Xu Baocai was most proud of, and he couldn’t tolerate when people doubted his abilities.
“But don’t worry, Sect Uncle Bai,” he continued in a serious tone. “I’ll continue to make sure everyone knows about all of your stories. All the new recruits in the sect will hear everything about you.” Inwardly, he was feeling very pleased. The recent events in which virtually all the female disciples in the sect had become infatuated with Bai Xiaochun had left him very depressed. As far as he was concerned, with Bai Xiaochun around, it would be very difficult to get a Daoist partner of his own. All of the girls he liked turned out to be smitten with Bai Xiaochun, which left him feeling very down.
As soon as he’d heard that Bai Xiaochun would be leaving for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, his heart had swelled with excitement.
Bai Xiaochun was actually very pleased by what he had just heard. Clasping Xu Baocai’s shoulder tightly, a look of both sincerity and sorrow appeared on his face as he said, “Listen, my brother, I was actually hesitating before. After all, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect will be an unfamiliar place, and I didn’t want to drag any of my sect brothers and sisters into this situation with me. But after what you said just now, I completely understand!”
“Huh?” Xu Baocai suddenly realized that he hadn’t gotten all the information, and that something about the situation was clearly off.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Bai Xiaochun said, “I need a Dao protector who can help me get information in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and that person is you!”
A tremor ran through Xu Baocai, and his eyes widened. Suddenly, he understood everything, and his face fell. “Sect Uncle Bai, um, my cultivation base is a bit low….”