Chapter 12

As Bai Hui and Bai Yi carried Bai Feng on their backs towards the fourth elder's residence, they met his older brother.

Bai Ziouk stopped him from walking when he caught a glimpse of two familiar people carrying something behind him out of the corner of his eye. Looking more closely he realized that it was his younger brother Bai Feng. "Stop right there!" He said cutting off the youngsters' path.

Bai Hui and Bai Yi stiffened at the voice, they couldn't even relax when they realized who it belonged to. They feared that Bai Ziouk would misunderstand the situation and attack them thinking that they had left Bai Feng in such a sorry state.

As Bai Ziouk looked at them with piercing eyes, he spoke while releasing some of his suffocating cultivation aura. "Explain, what happened to my brother Bai Feng?"

With the intimidating interrogation adding to the pressure on them Bai Hui couldn't take it any longer, he burst into tears as he showed Bai Feng's state and began to recount everything that had happened. He had left out a bit of information which would link the blame to him. He didn't want Bai Ziouk to hit him right now, he knew that he would find out eventually, but he was just content that he didn't go on this day.

As Bai Ziouk listened to Bai Hui's story his teeth were gnashing in anger, he felt so angry that if Bai Hui hadn't recounted the facts he might have hit him right then. As for Bai Yi, knowing about Bai Ziouk's temper, he had already kept a safe distance in case he felt the need to take it out on someone.

"So a stranger has plucked up enough courage to leave my little brother in such a state. Alright, I'll go thank him right now. You guys tell me where he went." Bai Ziouk asked with a gloomy expression.

This time the one who spoke was Bai Yi. He pointed out exactly the place that Bai Yingzu would choose to stay until noon whenever he was done with his morning walks. Bai Ziouk didn't say another word and left.

"Do you think it will be okay?" Bai Hui asked doubtfully.

Bai Yi smiled confidently. "Why wouldn't I be? Brother Ziouk is very strong."

Even with the tone in which Bai Yi said it, for Bai Hui who had already received many surprises, it still seemed somewhat unbelievable. "Well you know. Brother Feng is also strong and we both thought that he would be fine, but things turned out unexpectedly."

"That...". Bai Yi couldn't find the words to refute his friend. He also changed his expression from looking at each other uncertainly. "I guess he'll be fine. Either way we should be fine no matter the case." He said trying to look in a different perspective.

After that the two were silent looking at each other for a few seconds. They resumed their journey, carrying little Bai Feng on their backs. Throughout the journey, none of them said anything again.

...

Bai Yingzu was sitting on one of the stone seats found in the park. The Bai clan was a large community organized in what looked like a village, where the vast majority of the clan lived. Closer to the middle part of the territory were the buildings of the central area, where Bai Yingzu and other cultivator members lived.

The Bai clan was large, the central area was located in the center of the territory, and the aspirants and practitioners of cultivation had gathered there. The ideal for a clan was to have only cultivating members, unfortunately there were too many people who were unable to cultivate for various reasons. Whether they were born with some malformation in their spiritual veins or the cultivation was not compatible with them, it greatly limited the spread of cultivation throughout the clan.

For that reason the central zone of the territory had become an isolated part of the other common mortal members that inhabited the clan. Opening only to aspiring or practicing members in cultivation, they were provided with everything they needed to develop as true cultivators. In addition, they were also given guard jobs to protect the lives of ordinary mortal clan members when necessary, such as when merchants from the Bai clan went on trips.

Outside the core area, the area inhabited by common mortals was called the 'Mortal Section'. This was where most of the trade and currency exchange buildings were built, making it a medium-scale city, although to Bai Yingzu's eyes it seemed to be a large town with different services.

There were various shops and stalls, they had streets paved with gray stone so that when the rain fell it would not become difficult to traverse. Bai Yingzu had to admit that the large town had efficient architectural design, perfectly arranged streets, stalls and shops at strategic points, as well as recreational areas such as parks, temples, and also what appeared to be some kind of playground. and they even had a place where they watched plays in the open air.

The latter caught Bai Yingzu's attention, he wanted to know what stories would be shown, as well as look at the acting level of each of the characters. Compared to the central area, the mortal section was without a doubt the heart of the Bai clan.

Bai Yingzu continued to think as his gaze wandered away. "Big brother. Big brother!" Suddenly a childish voice was heard that took him out of his thoughts.

Bai Yingzu looked at where that voice came from. His eyes fell on a little girl around the age of 10 who was holding a multi-colored ball made of paper. He had seen this type of ball during his walk through the market, making it was not complicated, but it was sold because the children liked it.

If it had been someone else Bai Yingzu would have been in a bad mood, but no matter how he was normally with other people, with children Bai Yingzu was a very kind person.

Bai Yingzu showed a gentle smile. "Hello little sister. Are you lost or are you looking for someone?"

The little girl shook her head. "I saw the older brother, and he was asking me..." She hesitated to go on, seeming a little embarrassed. With her right hand the girl was holding her ball of paper and with her left hand she was squeezing one end of the fabric of her clothing, thus showing a little nervousness.

Bai Yingzu did not rush her to speak, even with the smile on her face she hoped that the girl would continue speaking on her own.

Looking at Bai Yingzu's patience, the girl took a breath and continued her words. "I was wondering if the older brother has no friends and he is here alone."

Bai Yingzu laughed as she scratched the back of her head. "A good question actually... I really don't have any friends, but I don't feel lonely. Sometimes people want to relax and come to a park on their own. Do you need something little girl?"

"I just wanted to invite the older brother to play with me." Said the girl with her nervous attitude.

Touching her chin, Bai Yingzu thought for a moment. So she said. "Little sister. Where are your friends?" Bai Yingzu asked why he had thought that the little girl invited him to play with her friends, but Bai Yingzu did not see any children near her.

The girl's nervousness seemed to worsen, with a trembling voice she told her. "I-I don't have any friends. The other kids tease me because they say I'm too young to play with them."

Bai Yingzu knew that she had made a mistake by asking that. She tried to cheer her up. "You don't have to feel bad. It's true that you look a little smaller than other children, but that doesn't matter, in the end all children grow up to be adults. Just look at me I'm shorter and skinnier than other children, but none of that has prevented me from doing what I want, eventually I will grow up and become so strong that no one will dare to bully me."

The girl seemed to perk up at Bai Yingzu's words. Her eyes lit up with excitement. "So elder brother will become as strong as the immortals?" she asked her with obvious emotion.

Bai Yingzu knew that the girl was referring to the cultivators, immortal was another word to refer to them, although in the words of the cultivators themselves they did not deserve to be named that way, not until they reached the higher path to immortality.

Bai Yingzu seemed to be in a good mood. "That's right. Immortals who are proud in my presence will be under my feet. Ha ha. Alright little sister, let's stop this talk and go play." Bai Yingzu said this as she stood up.

Bai Yingzu spent a little of her time to play with the girl. After that she took her to buy candy until they went back to the park and said goodbye to her. Before she left, the girl turned to where Bai Yingzu was and asked. "Elder brother, I have heard that immortals are always accompanied by beautiful women and eventually take them as wives. Will elder brother also do the same?"

Bai Yingzu was surprised by the question, but she took it as an innocent question. Touching her chin she replied after thinking for a bit. "I don't think I'm exactly like them, those women just chase the fame they could gain by going with powerful figures. I couldn't bear to be with a woman interested in influencing my own power, if so I would push them away from my side myself without hesitation, it would be ridiculous to end up marrying one of them".

The girl looked thoughtful. "But if they really loved the older brother?" she asked bravely.

Another question that surprised Bai Yingzu. But this time she responded with a smile. "Then I will be very happy to find a good woman who will devote herself completely to me."

The girl's cheeks turned slightly red. Turning around, she bid Bai Yingzu farewell. Bai Yingzu waved her off with a smile as she thought about the girl's strange questions. "The simple thinking of children is understandable." She murmured feeling in a very good mood.

Bai Yingzu returned to the stone seat to start writing down some ideas that she had come up with. She saw that the colored ball made of paper had been forgotten when the girl had left in a hurry. "Well. I'll save it for the next time I see it." She said taking the ball to store it inside her storage ring.

She sat down and took out her book, quill and inkwell. Opening it to the page where she had left off earlier she began to write.

Bai Yingzu felt a presence behind her, but she ignored it thinking that she was some person passing through the park, after all it was a public park. However, she felt strange as she approached that person. Bai Yingzu thought that this was some kind of omen of this world, perhaps a sixth sense.

Before she could decide what she should do, an angry voice spoke from behind her. "So you're the bastard that beat up my little brother. Turn around and face me like a real man!"

Bai Yingzu knew they were talking to him because there didn't seem to be anyone else passing through the park. He got up and turned around to look at the person. This appeared to be a young man around the age of 17, with a normal build, long black hair, and a very healthy white complexion. This was the first time Bai Yingzu had seen him.

He thought about the reason why he had come, and as he tried to get an idea, the chubby young man and the little milky-skinned baby came to mind. Looking at the resemblance of the person, he thought that maybe it was the little boy's older brother, but Bai Yingzu did not expect him to come looking for him so quickly.

He had thought that if Bai Feng wanted to take revenge he should ask some brother or acquaintance for help, but that he would only find him after one or two weeks, the same time it had taken to meet after what happened with Bai Hui.

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