Baxter's Twist

"Daddy! What is this?"

"This?" The tall and burly man touched the head of the little girl and smiled, "It represents the past glory of the Bai Clan, the brilliance alongside the royal family. But now, it's useless."

"Then, Daddy, let me wear it too."

"Alright, let me put it on little Fang."

...

...

In a room in the secluded mansion of the Ming Prefect.

Bai Fang looked at the finger ring, as if lost in memories, and instinctively put the object in her hand on her finger...

Zhang San hurriedly said, "Wait..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Fang put on the finger ring, but nothing unusual happened.

However, Zhang San's slightly panicked expression brought Bai Fang back to her senses. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Zhang San stared at the finger ring on Bai Fang's hand and became more certain about something.

If Lu Gaosheng wore it without any problem, and now Bai Fang wore it without any problem, it seemed that this finger ring's strangeness only affected specific individuals.

Zhang San asked, "This finger ring was given to me by Lu Gaosheng to pass it on to you. I should have returned it to you earlier, but I kept it in my possession..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang San decided to conceal the truth. After all, what happened in the woods that day was both terrifying and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, so he only said one thing:

"This thing, it absorbed my blood, and it felt eerie, so I didn't give it to you all this time."

Bai Fang frowned, "Absorbed blood?"

Zhang San confirmed, "Yes, although I was a bit dizzy at the time, I saw it clearly. This finger ring can absorb blood."

Bai Fang looked at the finger ring on her hand and said with certainty, "It's impossible. This is my father's personal item. He rarely takes it off. He would wear it every time he went into battle."

Bai Fang's implication was clear. If this finger ring could absorb blood and had something strange about it, then Bai ShiXuan should have known about it long ago.

Zhang San asked again, "General Bai wore it all the time? Do you know the origin of this thing?"

Bai Fang didn't consider the origin of the finger ring to be a secret, so she said, "My father said that this finger ring was bestowed upon our Bai Clan by an emperor of the ancient Bai Dynasty. It is indeed a treasure and wearing it constantly has a strengthening effect on the body."

Wearing the finger ring can strengthen the body?

Zhang San immediately caught the strangeness in Bai Fang's words.

Faced with Zhang San's puzzled gaze, Bai Fang answered, "When I was a child, I heard my father say that. I found it strange too, but my father was a martial artist and naturally had a strong body. So, I don't know if it's true or not."

Upon hearing this, Zhang San furrowed his brow. He remembered something...

Wearing it constantly, with a strengthening effect on the body.

Bai Fang didn't know if this statement was true or false, but it seemed that she had witnessed it herself, because wasn't Lu Gaosheng the person who "wore it constantly"?

On the day Lu Gaosheng died, he had lost so much blood that it was close to being fatal. But why was he able to speak calmly and make arrangements to deal with Song YanShi?

If Lu Gaosheng was a martial artist with profound internal skills, it could be explained, but he was clearly just a scholarly person and had never practiced any internal skills.

At the time, I thought it might be related to Soul Departure Syndrome, but now I realize that even though Soul Departure Syndrome is bizarre, it's still a mental illness. How could it possibly turn a scholar into a warrior who remains composed even after losing a large amount of blood?

It seems that there is something peculiar about this finger ring!

Zhang San then asked, "Apart from these, do you know anything else about this finger ring?"

Bai Fang shook her head but also looked puzzled. "I really don't know, but why are you so concerned about this finger ring? If you're concerned..."

Her sentence abruptly stopped.

Bai Fang almost blurted out the words "go find the Bai Clan" because she knew very well what the words "Bai Clan" represented. Even though Zhang San clearly wasn't an ordinary martial artist, if there was any connection with the Bai Clan, whether it would bring fortune or calamity was completely unknown.

Moreover, how the Bai Clan and the people of the Bai family would view her was something she fully understood. Her father had already warned her that if Zhang San, through her, sought out the Bai Clan, it would likely lead to trouble, not just an ambiguous outcome.

Zhang San questioned with doubt, "If I'm concerned, then what?"

Bai Fang hesitated for a while, gazing at the finger ring for a long time, and finally took it off, handing it to Zhang San.

"What's this for?"

"I was thinking that if you're concerned, I'll give you this ring."

Zhang San was greatly perplexed.

But Bai Fang smiled gently and said, "In the past, I wanted him to return the ring to me because it represented the final connection between him and me. But now... he's dead, and to me, this ring is the only memory of my father. However, I'm also nearing the end of my life."

What else could she do with the ring?

Bai Fang had never thought of passing it on to Bai Xiaoyu.

Let the past glory stay in the past. At this moment, Bai Fang's only thought was for Bai Xiaoyu to have a good life in the future.

After a slight hesitation, Zhang San finally accepted the ring.

But as he looked at Bai Fang's pale face, he knew that these past few days had likely taken a toll on her once again.

Her body was already so fragile...

*Cough cough...*

The cough was accompanied by blood, and Bai Fang quickly picked up a white handkerchief to wipe it away.

Zhang San said, "Give me your hand, I'll check your pulse."

Bai Fang shook her head. "There's no need. My illness is incurable."

Zhang San insisted, "I won't hide it from you. While I can't claim to be the best doctor in the world, I'm not inferior to some renowned physicians."

Bai Fang smiled faintly, appreciating his good intentions, and extended her hand.

Zhang San was about to feel Bai Fang's pulse when he immediately noticed something strange.

There was a red dot on Bai Fang's wrist pulse, and he had seen it once before when he took Bai Fang as a hostage. At that time, he didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just a birthmark or a mole.

But back then, was this dot... not as red? Now, it looked as vivid as blood!

Did I remember it wrong?

Come to think of it, the situation was urgent back then, and I didn't examine it closely.

"What's wrong?" Bai Fang asked.

Zhang San snapped back to reality, continuing to feel her pulse while saying, "It's nothing."

Bai Fang's pulse was even more chaotic and serious compared to the last time, and her heart rate fluctuated between fast and slow.

Forget it.

I won't take your things for free.

Suddenly, the robes on Zhang San's body billowed without any wind, and the same happened to Bai Fang's sleeves.

An invisible force stirred up a faint air current that hovered between the two of them.

Bai Fang realized what Zhang San was doing and said, "You..."

"No need to say more," Zhang San interrupted Bai Fang, continuing his cultivation.

After about half an incense stick's worth of time passed.

Zhang San let out a long breath, his complexion slightly paler. He stood up and said, "Our sect excels in profound internal cultivation. I cannot cure you or extend your life, but with my internal energy adjusting your internal circulation, you can stop coughing up blood and move around during these days."

Bai Fang looked at Zhang San's slightly pale face, as if recalling something.

More than thirty years ago, her father had done the same thing.

Back then, her parents carried her, traveling day and night, cultivating their internal energy. They crossed the East Sea, and for three days and nights, they knelt before that valley, hoping that Bai Shi would help her just once.

She remembered that they ended up staying there for several months and even got to know their cousin Baijun Marquis.

Zhang San didn't know what his actions reminded Bai Fang of, but he felt that they were now even. He turned around and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."

Bai Fang nodded. Just as Zhang San turned around, she said, "Thank you."

"What for?" Zhang San turned back, puzzled.

Bai Fang said, "I know Ming Qing will treat Xiao Yu well. I know that he is too pure and kind-hearted. With your help, I can leave with peace of mind."

Zhang San helplessly said, "There's nothing to thank me for. It was just a deal we made. You wanted it, and I agreed."

Bai Fang smiled and said, "To get the assistance of a master like you by writing a few letters, this deal is too easy to profit from."

Zhang San shrugged and said, "It's alright. I've become quite numb to this kind of thing lately. I've gotten used to being taken advantage of."

Someone offered me two wen to kill a small Celestial Realm expert.

Someone offered me an empty promise to kill two small Celestial Realm experts, along with a hundred Earth Realm experts.

What a loss.

"Anyway, thank you," Bai Fang said solemnly.

Zhang San walked out the door, waved his hand, and said, "No need. I've already told myself that from now on, I'll focus on being a bad person. And professional bad people don't need thanks."