Bai Shixuan

At night, moonlight seeped through the window, filling the room with a silver glow.

Zhang San pondered to himself. Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, he had already become entangled with the Bai family. Now, he looked at the memorial tablet of Bai's father, hoping to find some clues from it and uncover their secrets.

With this thought in mind, Zhang San activated his internal energy and silently moved the wardrobe aside with one hand. Then, he uncovered the white cloth, revealing a memorial tablet standing on the table. Next to the tablet, there was an iron plaque with the words "Zhennan" engraved on it.

Looking at the tablet, the words on it were clearly written:

Memorial tablet of the late father, Bai ShiXuan.

In the moonlit room, Zhang San was dumbfounded by what he saw.

Although he was a martial artist, Zhang San naturally had little knowledge about the court of Dawu Country. However, there were some influential figures in Dawu Country whose names were known even to ordinary people.

For example, the current Left Prime Minister, Song YanShi. Zhang San had no reason not to know about him.

Therefore, Zhang San felt a sense of panic.

The tiger-patterned military command token with the words "Zhennan" and the name Bai ShiXuan made Zhang San think of only one person...

Twenty years ago, Bai ShiXuan, the former General of the Zhennan Army, commanded an elite force of 150,000 soldiers. He was the foremost military figure in Dawu Country at that time.

His martial arts, internal power, and lightness skills were all at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Stage!

But Zhang San also knew that twenty years ago, Bai ShiXuan was accused of treason and rebellion, and was escorted to the Imperial Prefecture, where he was eventually convicted and executed.

However, Bai Fang clearly said that her father had passed away only ten years ago, which meant that Bai ShiXuan, the central figure in the treason case that shook the entire Dawu Country twenty years ago, hadn't died. In other words, the person who was executed in the Imperial Prefecture back then was not Bai ShiXuan!

Zhang San forcibly calmed himself down. He must not exclaim in surprise, because he couldn't afford to startle Bai Fang, and he certainly couldn't let her discover that he knew about this top-secret information.

Zhang San tried hard to recall. Twenty years ago, he was only eight years old, but having traveled with his master for so long, his master had mentioned the underworld and some martial arts masters of Dawu Country more than once.

He remembered his master saying:

Twenty years ago, the number one martial artist in the underworld was undoubtedly the leader of the Black Sect at that time, Yu Xiansi. At the same time, Yu Xiansi was also hailed as the world's number one martial arts master. The second was the head of the Star Sea Sect, Bai Si.

As for the third person, it should be the number one military figure in Dawu Country at that time, Bai ShiXuan. However, since this ranking was made by the Knowing Hall, and these three individuals have never had a real public showdown, it is impossible to completely confirm who among them was truly the world's number one.

But Zhang San was very clear about how terrifying it would be to be ranked alongside martial arts masters like Yu Xiansi, who was the leader of the Black Sect, and Bai Si, who led the Star Sea Sect, as well as Bai ShiXuan, the general who commanded 150,000 soldiers.

To kill high-level martial artists like them, there were basically only two methods, unless you consider the existence of immortals, which transcends the mortal realm.

Either, high-level experts like themselves engage in life-and-death battles, such as the one witnessed by Zhang San when the former head of the Star Sea Sect, Bai Si, fought against Yu Xiansi for a whole day and night, only to be defeated and killed by Yu Xiansi due to a momentary lapse.

Or, the imperial court dispatches armies of several thousand or even tens of thousands of soldiers to surround and encircle these high-level experts while deploying powerful bows and hard crossbows capable of unleashing a deluge of arrows that blot out the sky, similar to the Black Tang Heavy Crossbow used by the Dark Building or the Jin Kill Repeating Crossbow of JinWan Pavilion.

Then, through the sheer numbers and the use of bows and crossbows, they engage in a relentless war of attrition, day and night, until these experts are worn down to their deaths.

Zhang San's current panic stems not only from the fact that twenty years ago, Bai ShiXuan was not executed by the imperial court, but also from the realization that treason is an offense punishable by exterminating one's entire family.

Yet, the reality now is that not only did Bai ShiXuan outlive the imperial court's records by ten years, but his daughter and granddaughter are still alive in this world!

And, by some stroke of luck, Zhang San has encountered them.

Talk about 'good' fortune.

But before Zhang San could continue lamenting his already bleak life and the additional twists and turns that might lie ahead, he heard some noises coming from the adjacent hall.

They were very faint, the sound of footsteps.

If Zhang San were truly asleep, he might not have heard them, but being awake is a different story altogether.

Zhang San furrowed his brows and thought to himself: "The lightness and rhythm of these steps seem reminiscent of a white crane in flight. What is that mischievous brat, Wang Xiaoer, up to now?"

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Considering that it wouldn't be safe for Wang Xiaoer to return home alone and fearing that this restless child would disturb Zhang San, who had just come forward to help them, Bai Fang prepared a makeshift bed in the hall and let Wang Xiaoer sleep there.

Although it was just a bed on the floor, Wang Xiaoer was overjoyed!

Does this mean I can officially move into my mother-in-law's house?

The progress of this relationship is quite remarkable, isn't it?

Wang Xiaoer reveled in his thoughts for half the night, but as it grew late, he got up.

From Zhang San, Wang Xiaoer learned the mercilessness of being an assassin and also his caution.

As he got up, Wang Xiaoer revealed a cold and indifferent look. He had vowed never to let Bai Xiaoyu see him like this because this was the expression he would show when he decided to kill someone, just like in the morning.

It was the gaze of a hunter fixated on its prey!

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In the darkness of the night, in a small alley next to the tofu shop, three figures moved slowly, accompanied by the following conversation:

"That woman from this morning is truly exceptional. I've been holding back all day, and I'm about to burst."

"Big brother is wise. Let's wait until nightfall and see what those mother and daughter can do."

"I've observed all day, and that scholar from the calligraphy and painting shop is also inside. Why don't we kill him first and then take our time playing with them?"

As they spoke, muffled lascivious laughter emanated from the alley.

And at the corner of the alley, where they had already noticed Wang Xiaoer's lewd intent as they were leaving in the morning, his eyes now brimming with wickedness, he could no longer contain his desire to kill.

It's you, my mother-in-law and master.

You damn bastards, think you can get away with it?!

Wang Xiaoer tightly grasped the two silver needles that he hadn't used that morning in his hands. He had made up his mind to personally take action before these three foolish thieves entered the tofu shop and were killed by his master.

Although he didn't know why his master suddenly appeared in front of the tofu shop in the morning and put on an unmatched performance, it was late at night now, and with these three foolish thieves coming to him, he couldn't blame anyone but himself, Wang Xiaoer.

Just as Wang Xiaoer was preparing to step out from the corner and kill the two ruffians first, a hand covered his mouth.

Wang Xiaoer immediately wanted to resist, but he heard a whisper in his ear:

"It's me, don't move."

It was Zhang San's voice. His voice made Wang Xiaoer give up resisting. Wang Xiaoer, puzzled, turned around and saw Zhang San furrowing his brows under the moonlight, making a gesture for Wang Xiaoer to keep quiet.

Wang Xiaoer stopped moving.

Zhang San, with Wang Xiaoer in tow, displayed his light-footed martial arts and silently disappeared into the alley. Not long after, the figures of the master and disciple appeared on a high building in the neighboring street.