The Inheritance and the Salt Wind

Chapter 384: Arrival

As Bai Lingmiao raised her wine glass high, everyone’s eyes went wide. What had gotten into Miss Bai? She had changed so much. The Bai Lingmiao of the past would never have done something like this.

Despite the doubt lingering in their minds, since she was the true master of this village, the others picked up their cups one after another and toasted to Bai Lingmiao.

As the others started eating again, Chun Xiaoman sat back down beside Bai Lingmiao. She grabbed her hand eagerly and asked, her voice anxious, “Miaomiao, what’s going on? You’re like a different person!”

Bai Lingmiao was quite magnanimous about it. She picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, stuffed it into her mouth, and said as she chewed, “It’s nothing. I just held Li Huowang’s sword for a bit.”

“What?!” Chun Xiaoman’s voice was almost loud enough to lift the roof off. She had seen what had happened to Xiucai Lü after he held that sword.

With something this big happening, none of the other fellow disciples cared about eating anymore. They all stood up, crowding around to ask what was going on. In the end, amid their noisy questions and concern, this New Year’s Eve dinner came to an abrupt end.

It took a long time before they finally came to terms with this new reality. Her personality had changed, yes, but at least she was still the same person.

But not everyone could be so open-minded. Chun Xiaoman pulled Bai Lingmiao into her arms, sobbing as she blamed herself bitterly for not keeping a closer watch. If she had, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

Bai Lingmiao struggled out of her embrace, irritated. “You’re going to deafen me with all that noise. If you really care about me, you should be happy for me. The way I feel now, I’ve let go of everything. It’s a lot more comfortable.”

What was done was done. Complaining wouldn’t change anything. Eyes red-rimmed, Chun Xiaoman spoke as if swearing an oath, “Don’t worry. Once I master a divine skill, I won’t let anyone hurt you again!”

“A divine skill? What divine skill?” Bai Lingmiao’s slender brows drew together.

Chun Xiaoman panicked for a moment and quickly tried to cover it up. “No, I mean, I’ll go find a divine skill in the future. After I learn it, I’ll protect you!”

But Bai Lingmiao wasn’t so easy to fool. “That’s not right, is it? Don’t try to fool me. Did you find something under the ancestral hall? Sister Xiaoman, tell me the truth.”

Since she had already guessed, Chun Xiaoman didn’t hide it anymore. She looked at the Bai Lingmiao before her with a complicated expression and finally let out a long sigh. “Miaomiao, I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d worry. You know your family…”

Chun Xiaoman rambled on, but Bai Lingmiao’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. She couldn’t even wait for daybreak. Hurriedly, she strode quickly toward the Bai family ancestral hall.

“I should have thought of it sooner. I should have thought of it sooner!” The joy in Bai Lingmiao’s face was impossible to hide. Even Chun Xiaoman’s shouts from behind couldn’t slow her down by even half a step.

Twisting the monkey bronze statue, Bai Lingmiao lifted her skirt and rushed swiftly into the main hall of the hidden chamber.

She didn’t search the hall, which was visible at a single glance. Instead, she charged into the side doors, one after another.

Just as she was frantically searching, she suddenly stopped. Some particularly vague memories flashed through Bai Lingmiao’s mind. She had been here before. A very long time ago.

“Wait… where were Second Uncle and Little Uncle going? Wait! I remember… it’s this way.”

Following the corridor, Bai Lingmiao walked all the way to the deepest part. But there was nothing there—just a dead end.

“Miaomiao, it’s not here. Gouwa said it was in the third door on that side. That’s where your family’s divine skills are.”

Bai Lingmiao paid her no attention. She crouched down and carefully felt along the uneven wall.

Suddenly, with a tremor, the harsh scraping of chains sounded, and the wall of the dead end slowly rose.

A row of solemn bookshelves, draped in white banners adorned with lotuses, appeared before Bai Lingmiao. On a platform in the far corner, a single translucent white jade lotus emitted a faint glow, illuminating the entire room.

Every book was carefully wrapped in soft cowhide. Sand was placed nearby to absorb moisture. The White Lotus Society seemed to treasure these texts greatly.

“My god.” Chun Xiaoman stood dumbfounded, staring at everything before her. She had never imagined there was yet another hidden chamber within the hidden chamber.

For something to be hidden this securely, it was clearly of extraordinary value. The cultivation method she had struggled so hard to learn before probably wasn’t even fit to carry the shoes of these texts.

“Looks like my family left me quite a few good things after all.” Bai Lingmiao looked around, left and right, thoroughly delighted.

“Wah… wah…” A faint, barely audible crying sound came from the corner of the room.

Hearing the crying, a trace of impatience appeared on Bai Lingmiao’s face. “What are you crying about! What’s there to cry about! Li Huowa is in that horrible state now, and you don’t plan to help him? Relying on the immortals won’t do a damn bit of good!”

Chun Xiaoman carefully approached and realized the crying was coming from the Second Spirit. She was huddled in the corner, weeping most pitifully.

Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, then finally steeled herself. She walked over to the Second Spirit and gently patted her on the back.

The Second Spirit’s trembling body leaned slightly, resting against Xiaoman’s chest, sobbing quietly.

Looking at the red bridal veil in her arms, Chun Xiaoman felt a moment of distraction. For just an instant, she felt that the Second Spirit before her was the real Junior Sister Bai who had been so close to her.

With her arm around the Second Spirit’s shoulder, Chun Xiaoman looked up, her expression complicated, staring at the ecstatic Bai Lingmiao in the distance.

“Miaomiao, this is the Bai family’s property after all. I won’t oppose you cultivating it. But haven’t you forgotten about those human pillars buried in the ground before?”

“Stop beating around the bush. Don’t worry. I won’t use any of the White Lotus Society’s heaven-defying techniques. I’m not Li Huowang.”

“Hyah! Hyah!” Li Huowang jerked the reins violently, urging the four horses pulling the cart to gallop.

An ordinary cart only needed one horse. But if he wanted to reach the coast faster, he needed three more.

And if he wanted to go even faster, he would slap speed talismans onto the backs of the three horses.

“Whoa… whoa…” As Li Huowang pulled back on the reins, the four black horses, their bodies dripping with blood, stopped, trembling all over.

Standing on the slope, Li Huowang looked up at the coastal town in the distance. Of course, it couldn’t compare to Silver Mound City in the capital, but it was still bustling with people coming and going.

His gaze passed over the black-tiled rooftops of varying heights and landed on the seawater in the distance, stretching to merge with the sky.

The salty, damp sea breeze brushed against Li Huowang’s skinless cheek, bringing a slight stinging pain.

“Finally made it. At least there were no incidents along the way.” Li Huowang picked up a black gauze hat and placed it on his head. He sat back down and snapped the reins sharply.

Passing through the city gate, which had no guards on duty, Li Huowang’s first stop was the courier station. He returned the three borrowed horses.

These extra three horses were what Li Huowang had borrowed from the previous courier station using his identity in the Supervisory Heavenly Office.