"The Yuwen family?" Yin Wuxiao frowned, recalling the Yuwen family's blue-faced, fanged old lady and her two stunningly beautiful sisters. "What kind of spectacle could the Yuwen family possibly have to offer?"
Bai Can was greatly surprised: "You really didn't know? The Black Jade Goddess Shi Mansi was ambushed half a month ago, and you didn't know? The person who ambushed her is said to be the old lady of the Yuwen family, and you didn't know? The Black Jade Goddess threatened to come and settle scores, and you didn't know?"
Yin Wuxiao suddenly realized, "So that's what it is." She laughed, "The old lady of the Yuwen family is so highly respected, how could she possibly plot against a junior in the martial arts world? Even if she did, there wouldn't be any excitement to be had."
"Wherever the Black Jade Goddess is, there's bound to be a great spectacle. This Miss Shi is truly a remarkable person," Bai Can smacked his lips, still savoring the moment.
Yin Wuxiao chuckled: "You playboy, have you found a new target? Have you forgotten about your Cui Cui?"
Bai Can hurriedly swore an oath: "Of course, there is only Cui Cui in my heart."
The two went straight to the Yuwen Mansion. A group of swordsmen stood in front of the mansion, and a black-bearded steward stood next to the stone lions at the gate, writing something in a book with a brush.
“Green-hatted Zhou Qi? Yellow Crow Shen Da? What kind of names are these? I’ve never heard of them in the martial arts world. Goodbye, both of you.” The black-bearded steward snorted and waved his hand. Then, guards from the Yuwen Manor stepped forward and “invited” Zhou Qi and Shen Da away.
Bai Can explained from the side: "The Yuwen family is known for its benevolence and hospitality. In fact, they are the biggest suckers in the martial arts world. Anyone with a reputation in the martial arts world can come here to beg for a meal."
The black-bearded steward suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my, it's Young Master Rong! Seeing is believing! Your heroic figure is like a god descending from the heavens, or a whirlwind sweeping across the land! Hehe, please come in, please come in."
It was indeed Rong Jufeng and his sister Rong Qiurui from the Rong family in Luoyang.
Yin Wuxiao chuckled. The Yuwen family was truly opportunistic. However, it was a miracle that the Yuwen family hadn't been ruined by these江湖客 (jianghu ke, martial arts practitioners) eating them up like this.
"Gentlemen, do you have any names?" The black-bearded butler strolled slowly over to Bai Can and Yin Wuxiao.
Bai Can bowed with great flair: "I am Bai Can, the carefree one."
"You mean...Xiaoyao?" The black-bearded man was momentarily stunned by the bright laugh of the handsome young man with jade-like face and red lips. He finally came to his senses and exclaimed, "Aren't you that master thief! You little rascal, you've come to steal from the Yuwen mansion!"
"Who said I came to steal? This young master is not here to do business today, but has come specifically to visit Madam Yuwen. Why haven't you gone to inform her yet?" Why haven't the young ladies and maids of the Yuwen family rushed over in a tidal wave of crying and shouting?
The black-bearded butler turned and rushed inside as if he'd seen a ghost, then rushed out a moment later: "My matriarch said that the Yuwen family has no place for a petty thief like you." He snorted with great pride... his mustache twitching.
Bai Can's face turned pale and then flushed.
Just then, a deep voice suddenly came from behind the gate: "For my sake, let them in."
That voice! Bai Can suddenly trembled violently. Yin Wuxiao patted him in surprise: "What's wrong?"
Bai Can gritted his teeth: "It's nothing."
Blackbeard's expression changed abruptly; he jumped up, his face transforming into a menacing, almost menacing smile.
"Old Master Zhang, how can you speak up for this thief?"
Zhang Baitong, the patriarch of the Zhang family in Sichuan, walked out carrying two jade balls in his hands. His gray beard was pressed into wrinkles, and his smile was dashing.
Yin Wuxiao was taken aback. He hadn't noticed it last time at the Jueshe Tower, but how come this old man's smile was exactly the same as Bai Can's?
Grandpa Zhang waved his hand: "The master thief Zhi Xiaoyao, how can he be an ordinary thief? Let them in quickly. If there are any problems, I will talk to the old lady."
The black-bearded steward hesitated for a long time, but considering that even the highly respected Old Master Zhang had spoken, he finally gritted his teeth and let Bai Yin and the other man into the mansion.
Chapter Eight: This Day Last Year, West of the Apricot Wall (Part Three)
Upon entering the mansion, Zhang Baitong patted Bai Can's shoulder kindly: "Kid, if it weren't for me today, you would be sleeping on the streets."
Bai Can completely ignored his kindness: "Don't I have any money? Aren't there any inns in this city?"
Zhang Baitong looked somewhat embarrassed, but he swallowed it without saying a word, and then smiled and said, "What inn can compare to the comfort of the Yuwen Mansion? Besides, are you willing to miss the excitement tomorrow?"
Bai Can gave him a cold look: "I really owe you a lot of favors, Mr. Zhang. It turns out that Madam Yuwen was also your lover when you were young."
Zhang Baitong's gray beard trembled violently. He wasn't a good-tempered person to begin with, and upon hearing this, he finally exploded: "You little brat, I've given you a little respect and you've got a problem with that? Old Lady Yuwen is more than ten years older than me, who the hell is dating her?"
Yin Wuxiao watched the old man and the young man arguing without saying a word, and suddenly blurted out: "So you two knew each other all along."
Zhang Baitong and Bai Can exchanged a glance and turned their faces away in perfect unison: "Who knows this (old) kid?"
Yin Wuxiao smiled slightly. These two must know each other, and their relationship must be quite close. She said calmly, "You two are so in sync, I initially thought you were master and disciple."
Bai Can immediately exclaimed excitedly, "How am I like his disciple? How could an old scoundrel like him deserve a disciple?"
Zhang Baitong was also furious: "What's wrong with being my apprentice?" He shouted at Yin Wuxiao, "Girl, look at this kid. I've trained him into a handsome and refined gentleman. He has good looks and good skills. The girls in the martial arts world have even given him a nickname, 'Summer Night's Carefree Heart-Stealing.' What more could he want?"
"Other people teach their disciples to follow the right path, but you teach your disciples to become thieves and womanizers. You've ruined my reputation, and you still have the nerve to say that? You forced me to wear white clothes. Do you know how hard it is to wash white clothes? How hard it is to wash white clothes!" Bai Can's face turned red, almost dripping blood.
"You brat, don't you even realize that so many girls like you? Isn't it all thanks to your master?" Zhang Baitong pulled out his pipe from his waist and smacked him hard on the head.
"You old geezer!" Bai Can wailed, clutching his head. "If you hit me with that pipe again, I'll break it and throw it into the Minjiang River!"
"You dare!"
"Why wouldn't I dare!"
"You little brat!"
"..."
Yin Wuxiao laughed until tears streamed down his face. It was... damn funny. No wonder Bai Can was so furious when Zhang Baitong verbally provoked him at the Jueshe Tower last time. These two were both known in the martial arts world for their love of womanizing and their forthright and generous personalities; who would have thought they were master and disciple!
She laughed and laughed, her emotions spiraling out of control. Bai Can and Zhang Baitong both stopped arguing and stared speechlessly at the woman who was laughing uncontrollably.
"Is it that funny?" Bai Can asked, feeling wronged.
What's wrong with me? Yin Wuxiao clutched his stomach and laughed until tears streamed down his face.
Zhang Baitong sighed: "Girl, I know my old man's apprentice has some mental issues, but you laughing like that makes my old man lose face."
According to Bai Can's own account, his life story was extremely tragic.
He was originally an ordinary, happy child from a rural family. When he was eight years old, a sudden disaster struck; his parents starved to death, and he was raised by the villagers who helped him out. Before he was ten, he lived a simple and peaceful life, until one day, a shameless old man came to the village.
To this day, Bai Can still harbors resentment over that incident: "That old man ruined my life's happiness! He tricked me into believing that if I became his apprentice, I would have food, clothes, and a wife. I never imagined that he would train me for ten years to become a thief!"
"Well, Grandpa Zhang didn't exactly lie to you, did he? Look at you now, you really do have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a wife." Yin Wuxiao chuckled.
"What do you mean, food, clothes, and a wife? Damn it, if I don't steal, I won't eat. I have to wear expensive white robes and flutter around all day. Everyone in the martial arts world knows I love visiting brothels. What girl would want to marry me? My whole life is ruined just to satisfy that old man's perverse tastes!" Bai Can became angrier and angrier as he spoke, until his whole body trembled with rage.
Yin Wuxiao remained silent. Although Zhang Baitong often acted improperly, he was essentially a respected and virtuous old man from a prestigious family. Why would he raise his disciple to be like this?
She squinted: "This is truly intriguing."
Zhang Baitong tapped his pipe with an air of authority and sneered, "Kid, it's too late for you to regret this now."
Yin Wuxiao smiled ingratiatingly: "Old Master Zhang, how did you happen to be at the Yuwen residence?"
Zhang Baitong looked Yin Wuxiao up and down with great interest, but instead of answering her question, he asked indirectly, "Girl, is your surname Shui?"
"yes."
"You've got some skill to keep this kid by your side."
Yin Wuxiao chuckled dryly: "That's because he's afraid. He's afraid that I'll die if he's not by my side."
Zhang Baitong burst into laughter in astonishment: "Girl, you've got guts! When it comes to love, that's the kind of attitude you need—a willingness to risk your life for it."
Yin Wuxiao then realized that Zhang Baitong had completely misunderstood her meaning.
"You've misunderstood. My relationship with him isn't what you're imagining..." Does she look like a woman who can't live without a man?
"Oh? What kind of relationship is that?" Zhang Baitong asked, looking at her with a teasing expression.
These kinds of things only get worse the more you try to explain them.
Yin Wuxiao was speechless and just wanted to bang his head against the wall.
"Girl, my apprentice is a very popular and charming man. You'd better hurry up, or someone else will snatch him up."
“Grandpa, actually… why do you insist that Bai Can be a charming and womanizing playboy? I think a law-abiding man is just as good.”
"What's so good about it? As the saying goes, women don't love men who aren't a little bad, right?"
"But... look at the young man in blue, who is so indifferent to women, isn't he quite popular with young girls?"
Zhang Baitong waved his hand mysteriously: "The one he likes doesn't like him back. What's the use if the young girl likes him?"
Yin Wuxiao stared wide-eyed: "Are you saying that the young master in blue really has a girl he admires?"
Zhang Baitong said smugly, "Why do you think the young master in blue made up a couplet? It's just because he couldn't find the girl in the vast sea of people, so he had to make up a couplet to lure her in. But he's been trying to lure her in for six years, and she still ignores him."
Yin Wuxiao curled his lip in suspicion: "How did you know about this?"
Zhang Baitong shook his pipe: "Of course I know! Back then, he was so fooled by that little girl that he couldn't even find his pants. He had to send me his clothes by carrier pigeon..." He suddenly covered his mouth, angrily slapping his large head. Oh no, the secret of the young master in blue had been revealed just like that.
Pfft! Bai Can, who was drinking tea, sprayed the tea far away.
"You two, didn't you hear anything!" Zhang Baitong slammed his pipe on the table, threatening fiercely.
Yin Wuxiao and Bai Can nodded obediently and looked at each other.
Poor Baili Qingyi.
Yin Wuxiao remained calm, but in his mind he couldn't help but picture Baili Qingyi's embarrassing state of being naked in the wilderness while waiting for Zhang Baitong to bring her clothes.
What was Baili Qingyi's expression like at that time? Was she still looking leisurely and composed?
It's really hard to imagine.
Ugh, she's so vicious.
Zhang Baitong cleared his throat: "Clear all the unclean, unhealthy, and impure thoughts from your heads and listen carefully to what I have to say."
The two coughed.
"Tomorrow is the day Shi Mansi will visit the Yuwen family. The two young ladies of the Yuwen family have already arrived from the capital by fast horse, and I heard that people from Baili Prefecture will arrive soon after. A few days ago, the Mobei Qiong Sect re-entered the Central Plains, and it is said that they are heading towards Hubei. Something big may happen at the Yuwen family tomorrow. If any trouble arises, you two must do your best to stop it."
Bai and Yin stood there, mouths agape, pointing at their own noses: "Us? What can we do to stop them?"
Bai Can yelled wildly, "My specialty is lightness skill! Lightness skill! You want me to stop the top master in the martial arts world? I'd rather run away!"
Yin Wuxiao forced a smile and said, "Grandpa, I'm even worse off. I don't know any martial arts at all..."
Zhang Baitong squinted: "What are you doing? Maintaining the stability and unity of the martial world is the duty of every martial artist. Even if it means risking your life, it's only right." He shot a accusing look at Yin Wuxiao: "You're willing to die for that kid, but not for the peace of the entire martial world?"
Yin Wuxiao was covered in sweat. "Who...who said I was going to die for that kid?" Martial arts peace? If you truly love peace, you shouldn't be practicing martial arts!
"This matter concerns not only the peace of the martial world, but also the lifelong happiness of your master and your mistress!"
"You old fool, your master's wife passed away ten years ago, okay?"
"You little brat, can't your master get a new one?"
"You've had your fair share of suitors over the years, from Chunhua at Manyuetang to Qiutang at Banyuexuan..."