It was an unfamiliar face. Bai Jinshu didn’t know many people, so he hadn’t expected the face behind the mask to be a dramatic surprise, like that of a fellow disciple. On the other hand, while most of the assassins’ techniques were unrecognizable, a few moves revealed their origins.
Bai Jinshu could tell that these three were from the Huo Lian Sect. The righteous factions of the martial world were about to hold a martial arts conference to discuss eliminating this demonic sect that had been causing chaos in the martial world for years.
As the senior disciple of the leading sect hosting the conference, Bai Jinshu had just passed through the Huo Lian Sect’s territory, so it was only natural that they would send people to kill him. Bai Jinshu didn’t feel the need to capture and question the assassins.
However, since Ye Li Hen was so determined to help him capture one alive, he didn’t want to spoil the young master’s efforts. Following Ye Li Hen’s plan to lure the enemies into a trap, Bai Jinshu feigned a move and prepared to immobilize one of the assassins. Just then, another green figure flew toward them.
“Shixiong! I’m here to help you!”
The green-clad girl who suddenly appeared was Bai Jinshu’s junior sister, Lin Ling. Bai Jinshu had no idea how his little junior sister, who had never left the mountain before, had ended up in Fengcheng.
He only knew that her sudden arrival disrupted the coordination between him and Ye Li Hen. In particular, to avoid accidentally injuring Lin Ling, Bai Jinshu had to pull back his sword. With his suppression gone, Ye Li Hen suddenly became the primary target of the assassins.
Forced to retreat to avoid the deadly strikes, Ye Li Hen gave the assassins the opportunity they needed to escape simultaneously. Ye Li Hen wanted to pursue them, but Bai Jinshu, worried about leaving his junior sister behind, quickly called out to him, “Don’t chase them down.”
Bai Jinshu had been concerned that Ye Li Hen wouldn’t listen to him, especially since the young master had seemed so determined earlier. But surprisingly, as soon as Bai Jinshu spoke, Ye Li Hen obediently stopped and returned. His attention shifted to Lin Ling, who was curiously looking at him.
Watching these two teenagers of similar age, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but wonder if they were interested in each other. Lin Ling was the first to speak. “Shixiong, is this your friend?”
“Let me introduce you. Ling’er, this is a friend I just met, and I just found out he’s an extraordinary young hero”, taking the opportunity to lightly tease Ye Li Hen for hiding his skills earlier, Bai Jinshu continued the introduction, “This remarkable young man’s name is Ye Li Hen. Ye Shaoxia, this is my junior sister, Lin Ling.”
Ye Li Hen, though young, always carried himself with an air of aloofness, which had made Bai Jinshu want to tease him before. This was the first time he had used the term “Ye Shaoxia,” and it felt a bit awkward coming out of his mouth. The person being introduced, however, remained expressionless as he glanced at Bai Jinshu. Then, for the first time, the usually impolite Ye Li Hen responded with proper manners, “Lin Guniang1(姑娘) Miss / Young Miss, a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ye Shaoxia’s weapon is quite unique”, Lin Ling said, eyeing the willow branch in Ye Li Hen’s hand with curiosity. “May I ask which school Ye Shaoxia trained under?”
This was a question Bai Jinshu had also been curious about. During their fight against the assassins, Bai Jinshu had secretly observed Ye Li Hen. Despite being several years younger than him, Ye Li Hen’s martial skills weren’t far behind his own.
Bai Jinshu himself was a martial arts prodigy, and there were hardly any young talents who could match him. But if Ye Li Hen were given time to mature, it would be hard to say who would win if they ever faced off. Bai Jinshu believed Ye Li Hen must have a famous teacher. Now, hearing Lin Ling’s question, Bai Jinshu eagerly turned to Ye Li Hen, hoping for an answer.
Unfortunately, Ye Li Hen was tight-lipped. “I dare not mention my master’s name lightly.”
Bai Jinshu felt a bit disappointed, but seeing Lin Ling about to speak again, he, knowing her persistent nature, quickly changed the subject to avoid making Ye Li Hen uncomfortable. “By the way, Ling’er, how did you end up here?”
Lin Ling immediately shifted her attention, happily replying, “I came to find you, Shixiong. I didn’t expect to be so lucky. When I heard the flute playing earlier, it sounded familiar, and I followed it. I can’t believe I actually found you.”
“What did you come to find me for? And how did you end up in Fengcheng?”
“Shixiong, you’ve forgotten? My family lives here. When I heard you had gone to confront the demonic sect alone, I thought you might be nearby. Since you’d eventually attend the martial arts conference, I figured you’d pass through Fengcheng. So, for the past two days, I’ve been wandering around the city and its outskirts, thinking that with your personality, if anything stirred up trouble, you’d surely be involved.”
“How dare you speak of your Shixiong like that? You’ve got no manners.” Bai Jinshu wasn’t upset by her teasing, merely lightly scolding her. Then, noticing that he and his junior sister were engrossed in conversation and had left Ye Li Hen out, he glanced at the other person nearby.
Ye Li Hen had been quietly standing by, listening to their conversation with an inexplicable sense of obedience. Bai Jinshu thought for a moment. He actually had a lot of questions he wanted to ask this strange young master, but since Ye Li Hen was unwilling to discuss his school, Bai Jinshu didn’t want to pry further in front of his junior sister. At this point, he decided to consider more practical matters—such as what his next steps should be.
Setting aside the question of who wanted him dead, those who had failed this time would undoubtedly return. Anyone traveling with Bai Jinshu wouldn’t be safe. Ideally, Bai Jinshu would prefer to act alone.
However, in this situation, where it was unclear whether the assassins were targeting just him or his entire sect, it was hard to say if it would be more dangerous for his inexperienced junior sister to travel alone to the martial arts conference.
After considering the options, Bai Jinshu concluded that it might be safer to conceal their movements and travel together. As for Ye Li Hen, he had no close ties to Bai Jinshu and was highly skilled.
Bai Jinshu figured there was no need to worry about him. With this in mind, Bai Jinshu made a decision and turned to Ye Li Hen.
“Ye Shaoxia, it’s getting late. My junior sister and I have some things to catch up on. Perhaps we should part ways here?”
No matter how politely he phrased it, his words clearly meant he was sending Ye Li Hen away. However, Ye Li Hen’s expression remained unchanged as he replied, “You said you’d play me a full song as thanks. You didn’t finish earlier. Why don’t you complete it now before we part?”
This wasn’t an unreasonable request. Keeping his promises, Bai Jinshu took out the jade-screen flute Ye Li Hen had gifted him and resumed playing.
As he played, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but worry: Would Ye Li Hen think he was in danger and insist on staying to help? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Bai Jinshu saw that Ye Li Hen, without waiting for the song to end, had turned and walked away without a second glance.
The young master, who had just been sent away, made it clear that he wasn’t leaving because of anyone’s orders but because he didn’t care to stay. Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but chuckle at the young master’s pettiness, though there was also a faint sense of disappointment, perhaps because of his fleeting moment of self-indulgent sentiment.
But regardless, Ye Li Hen’s figure soon disappeared from Bai Jinshu’s sight, and he continued playing until the song was finished.
He didn’t know if his flute playing could carry far enough for Ye Li Hen to hear it, nor did he know whether he would meet this peculiar young master again. More importantly, there were many things he didn’t know…
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