The next day, Bai Jinshu kept his word and brought Ye Lihen to meet his Shishu (martial uncle). When they arrived at the inner hall, Lin Ling’s father, Lin Congyuan, known in his youth for his mastery of the whip, was chatting with Jiang Cheng. Upon seeing Bai Jinshu, Jiang Cheng greeted him warmly. After a brief exchange of courtesies, Bai Jinshu introduced Ye Lihen to Jiang Cheng and Lin Congyuan.
“Shishu, Uncle Lin, this is a friend I recently made, Ye Lihen.”
Jiang Cheng took one look at Ye Lihen and immediately noticed, “This young brother seems to be suffering from internal injuries.”
Fearing that Ye Lihen might say something inappropriate, Bai Jinshu quickly answered on his behalf, “Ye Shaoxia (young hero Ye) was investigating some clues for me and ventured into the enemy’s lair, where he unfortunately got injured.”
Jiang Cheng nodded in concern. “Ling’er has already told me about someone trying to assassinate you. Have you found out who’s behind it?”
Lin Congyuan, standing nearby, also echoed the concern, looking at Ye Lihen and asking, “Since Ye Shaoxia has already ventured into the enemy’s camp, he must have found some clues?”
Bai Jinshu had never asked Ye Lihen about the details of his infiltration. After all, he knew Ye Lihen well enough to understand that if there was something Bai Jinshu needed to know, Ye Lihen would tell him without being asked. And if Ye Lihen didn’t want to say anything, no amount of questioning would make him talk.
As expected, Lin Congyuan’s question was met with a calm shake of the head from Ye Lihen. “I was exposed before I could investigate anything.”
“But you know where the enemy’s headquarters is, don’t you?” Lin Congyuan pressed.
Ye Lihen shook his head again. “It was dark at the time, and I’m not familiar with Fengcheng, so I may not be able to find that place again.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t be sure if Ye Lihen was telling the truth or just didn’t want to reveal too much to Lin Congyuan and Jiang Cheng. Either way, he stepped in to change the subject. “Actually, we don’t need to pinpoint their exact location. From the way they fought, I can pretty much confirm that they’re from the Huolian Sect.”
Jiang Cheng nodded thoughtfully, with a hint of concern in his voice. “That makes sense. The Huolian Sect must have gotten word about our plans to eliminate them. Given that you’re the most prominent young figure in the martial world, it’s no surprise that they’ve targeted you.”
“Don’t worry, Shishu.” Bai Jinshu said with a lighthearted smile. “I won’t let myself get killed by the Huolian Sect before the martial arts conference. We can’t let them weaken the morale of the martial alliance.”
Bai Jinshu was always confident in himself. In his eyes, the only things in this world that were impossible were those he believed he couldn’t do. Even without his current martial skills, Bai Jinshu still had faith in his abilities.
Unlike Bai Jinshu’s optimism, Jiang Cheng was more cautious. “Jinshu, I’m heading to Jiangnan. Why don’t we travel together?”
Bai Jinshu appreciated his Shishu’s concern for his safety, but for two reasons, he had to decline. First, he knew Jiang Cheng was likely planning to meet with the heads of various sects and martial families before the martial arts conference. If he tagged along, he might delay his Shishu’s important work. Second, Ye Lihen was still recovering from his injuries, and Bai Jinshu couldn’t just leave him behind. Considering these two points, Bai Jinshu bowed and said, “Thank you, Shishu, but since my friend was injured because of me, it’s my responsibility to take care of him until he recovers. I’m afraid I can’t accompany you on your journey.”
Before Bai Jinshu could finish speaking, Ye Lihen interjected, “I was planning to head to Jiangnan anyway, so we might as well travel together.”
Bai Jinshu was stunned by Ye Lihen’s straightforwardness. He instinctively glanced at the cold and aloof young man. “Your injuries are serious. Can you manage the journey?”
Jiang Cheng once again focused his attention on Ye Lihen. “Ye Xiaoxiong (young brother Ye), would you mind if I checked your internal injuries?”
In the martial world, letting someone check your pulse was considered taboo, and Jiang Cheng’s offer was clearly meant to test Ye Lihen. Bai Jinshu didn’t blame his Shishu for being cautious. To be honest, even Bai Jinshu believed Ye Lihen’s background wasn’t simple. But seeing Jiang Cheng about to examine Ye Lihen, Bai Jinshu instinctively stepped in to protect him. “Shishu, Lihen has already been seen by a doctor. There’s no need to worry too much.” To emphasize that Ye Lihen was his friend, Bai Jinshu deliberately used a more familiar form of address.
Seeing Bai Jinshu’s attitude, Jiang Cheng didn’t press the matter. His expression returned to its usual calmness as he resumed the conversation. “Since Ye Xiaoxiong’s injuries aren’t too severe, and since fate has brought us together, why don’t we all travel together?”
Bai Jinshu knew that traveling with his Shishu would be much safer. He also realized that Ye Lihen, having infiltrated the enemy’s territory, might also be pursued by the Huolian Sect. To ensure the safety of the injured, Bai Jinshu eventually nodded in agreement.
After some more catching up, Bai Jinshu and Ye Lihen took their leave, not wanting to disturb Jiang Cheng and Lin Congyuan’s conversation any further.
—
As they left the courtyard where Jiang Cheng was staying, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but glance curiously at Ye Lihen beside him.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re very interested in my Shishu? You kept staring at him.”
In truth, Ye Lihen had only glanced at Jiang Cheng a couple of times, but given how aloof and detached he usually was, those two glances were equivalent to someone else staring for half an hour.
Ye Lihen didn’t deny it. Instead, he fell into deep thought and mused, “Why do I feel like your Shishu looks quite ordinary? He doesn’t seem like a martial arts leader.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but laugh. “What, did you expect the leader of the martial world to have three heads and six arms?”
“That’s not a martial arts leader. That’s Nezha.”
“Then what should a martial arts leader look like?”
Without hesitation, Ye Lihen replied, “Cold, ruthless, and willing to forsake all bonds.”
Bai Jinshu was speechless for a moment before letting out an awkward laugh. “That’s not a martial arts leader. That’s Erlang Shen.”
Surprisingly, Ye Lihen actually found the joke funny and smiled. Bai Jinshu noticed that they were becoming more familiar with each other, and Ye Lihen’s attitude had softened. Sometimes, he was even capable of showing a bit of humanity. This realization made Bai Jinshu chuckle as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
Ye Lihen didn’t notice Bai Jinshu’s gaze and continued their conversation. “What kind of person is Lin Congyuan?”
No longer surprised by Ye Lihen’s curiosity, Bai Jinshu casually answered, “Uncle Lin made a name for himself at a young age. He was quite formidable in his time. Now he’s enjoying his retirement and family life.”
Ye Lihen pondered for a moment. “If Lin Congyuan was really that formidable back then, why didn’t he become the leader of the martial world?”
Bai Jinshu looked at Ye Lihen, who seemed lost in thought. “Being the leader of the martial world isn’t just about martial prowess.” He pretended to study Ye Lihen with curiosity. “Why are you so interested in this? Are you planning to study how to become the leader of the martial world?”
“No.” Ye Lihen replied seriously. “I’m not interested in becoming the leader of the martial world.”
“Then what are you interested in?”
Instead of answering, Ye Lihen asked another question. “Lin Congyuan has several sons, doesn’t he?”
“…He has two.”
“Are they both married?”
Bai Jinshu was starting to find it hard to laugh. “Do you really have a sister who can’t find a husband? Why are you so concerned about whether everyone is married?”
“What else should I be concerned about?”
With a heavy sigh, Bai Jinshu said, “At your age, you should be more interested in girls, not older men.”
“You’re old enough, and yet you still don’t understand that some men only care about other men?”
Ye Lihen wasn’t joking—this was his usual style. He always spoke seriously, making it impossible for Bai Jinshu to tell if he was being earnest. “…Anyway, both of Uncle Lin’s sons are married, their marriages are happy, and they each have several children.” Just in case, Bai Jinshu made sure to emphasize this point.
“So.” Ye Lihen mused, “why hasn’t Jiang Cheng married, even at his age?”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but study Ye Lihen closely. This person had asked a string of seemingly random questions today, but he was definitely not the type to waste his time on trivial matters. Typically, there was a deeper purpose behind everything he did. However, Bai Jinshu couldn’t piece together a clear logic behind these questions.
“Shishu is said to have a love he can’t forget but can never be with, so he has no plans to marry.” Bai Jinshu explained. He wanted to ask Ye Lihen why he had so many questions today, but before he could, Lin Ling appeared.
“Shixiong, I’m here to hold you accountable!” she said in an accusatory tone, looking every bit like she was about to scold him. As always, she was a bit slow to notice Ye Lihen standing next to Bai Jinshu. “Ye Shaoxia, you look much better now?”
“I’ve recovered quite a bit, thank you for your concern, Miss Lin.” Ye Lihen replied politely.
If Bai Jinshu had initially thought Ye Lihen’s politeness toward Lin Ling was a display of good manners, he now realized that it was a form of cold indifference. As Ye Lihen had mentioned before, he didn’t like Lin Ling. Although Bai Jinshu didn’t agree with Ye Lihen’s suspicion of his junior sister, seeing how distant Ye Lihen was toward Lin Ling, he instinctively chose to maintain a slightly more detached attitude as well.
“Ling’er, is there something you needed?”
Lin Ling finally remembered her purpose. “I came to question you, Shixiong! We were supposed to head south together, but then I heard from Shishu that you’ll be traveling with him. You’re ditching me!”
Bai Jinshu felt wronged. “Shishu is here to discuss matters related to the martial arts conference with Uncle Lin. If the Lin family plans to attend, you should go with your father and brothers.”
“That’s not the same. I’m from Renwang Sect, so I should travel with my fellow disciples.”
“If that’s the case, just tell Shishu. He’d be happy to have you join us.”
Realizing her oversight, Lin Ling said, “You’re right! Shishu likes me more than you do. I’ll go talk to him!” With that, she left as quickly as she had come, leaving Bai Jinshu and Ye Lihen behind.
Bai Jinshu noticed that Ye Lihen was watching Lin Ling’s departing figure with a thoughtful expression. He could tell that Ye Lihen wasn’t keen on traveling with Lin Ling, but it wasn’t up to him to decide who would get their way. Pretending not to notice, Bai Jinshu asked casually, “What are you thinking about?”
Still deep in thought, Ye Lihen replied, “I’m wondering what the head chef will do when he realizes all the food is gone.”
“Don’t worry.” Bai Jinshu laughed. “Those were his secret stashes. He won’t say anything. I’ve been sneaking food all my life, and I’ve never been caught because I’m smart!”
“Have you ever been caught by a mouse trap behind a plate?”
“…Good thing you’re not a cook!” That was the best answer Bai Jinshu could come up with after some thought.
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