While the guests in the living room were bewildered by Bai Fanxian's behavior, the young woman who'd separated herself appeared quietly at the beach. She watched the waves crashing on shore and felt the sea breeze blowing gently.
No one knew what she was thinking.
Only she was surprised when she first sensed that pearl.
And when she touched it, both its shape and aura were exactly like those in her memory.
That Fire Pearl—it was a treasure that once belonged to Hui'er.
Not this little girl Hui'er, but the Hui'er who was her close companion ten thousand years ago.
She'd given it to that girl with her own hands, when Hui'er achieved Grandmaster level.
Hui'er was a peculiar child. Her body had exceptional compatibility with yang qi. When she obtained this treasure, it matched Hui'er very well, and it was the treasure Hui'er loved most.
Because it was the first treasure her lady gave her.
And only Hui'er could draw out its power to the maximum. Only she knew the Fire Pearl's secret besides Bai Fanxian.
When she looked at little Hui'er, a faint hope arose in her heart that this child might be Hui'er reborn once more.
But the Fire Pearl showing no response whatsoever meant she was wrong.
That Hui'er was truly gone.
Bai Fanxian could only release her feelings to the wind. Even a being like her who'd come to terms with it couldn't help feeling melancholy at this sudden sadness...
"Cough, cough... Then we'll take our leave."
Liu Yianfei said to Uncle Huang who came out to see him off at the gate. Uncle Huang felt this General was quite sickly. Just touching the outside air for a moment made him cough non-stop.
"Travel safely."
Uncle Huang bowed to politely see off the Black Hawk Unit people. Liu Yianfei smiled and laughed softly. He said goodbye before getting in the car.
"Please say goodbye to Miss Bai and the children for me." Before leaving, he turned back to look at the house. Uncle Huang noticed the extremely warm gaze when looking inside.
Could this person...?
Jin Ling, about to get in the car following behind, couldn't help but turn back to Uncle Huang. He hesitated until Uncle Huang had to ask first out of consideration:
"...Is something the matter?"
"Uh..."
Jin Ling looked toward the General's car already driving away. He and the female assistant turned to look at each other and finally decided.
"Mr. Huang, you used to have a chronic wound at your chest, right?"
Jin Ling asked seriously.
Uncle Huang, hearing the question, narrowed his eyes in surprise. He sensed some implication hidden with that question.
"I still have it now."
The old man touched his chest lightly with a calm expression. Not knowing Jin Ling's purpose, he answered ambiguously.
Yes, he still had that scar now.
Though it had been restored thanks to Grandmaster Bai's medicine, it still wasn't completely healed.
Answering that way, Huang Zihan wasn't lying at all.
"And that child, Tang Yeye—she was bedridden for many years, right?"
Jin Ling continued asking with a serious expression.
The question from the Black Hawk Unit person made the old man guess their purpose already.
They wanted to know who treated them. And thinking briefly, it was easy to know who.
Grandmaster Bai Fanxian!
Because both Tang Yeye and Huang Zihan had recovered and improved after her appearance. Uncle Huang showed a smooth expression and began radiating faint pressure.
5th-stage Martial Master pressure!
This was his cultivation power before receiving injuries that caused it to decline to stage two.
After receiving treatment, though not fully restored, it had returned to touch the boundary of this fifth-stage Martial Master once more.
Grandmaster Bai was a great benefactor to him and the Tang Clan. Uncle Huang wouldn't let the military trouble her peaceful life!
"You're asking quite a lot, aren't you?"
Uncle Huang showed a calm-looking smile. Jin Ling, knowing the old man was misunderstanding something, quickly waved his hands frantically.
"I'm not trying to intimidate or pressure you, Mr. Huang... We have a request instead."
"A request?"
Uncle Huang released his pressure. He asked with curiosity.
"You noticed our chief's body is weak, right?" Jin Ling led in.
"Actually, he wasn't like that before..." Jin Ling sighed helplessly and began telling the story from the past.
.
.
.
In the past, Liu Yianfei was a rising star of the military. He achieved Grandmaster level at a young age, then was appointed General at age 40.
Yes, 40 years old!
Despite his still-youthful face, in truth Liu Yianfei was nearly fifty years old. But because he achieved Grandmaster level when his body hadn't yet declined much, combined with the techniques he practiced, he could maintain his youth far longer than ordinary people.
Liu Yianfei's life was smooth and extremely happy. Before that, he'd married and had one lovely daughter. But this very prominence created problems.
Some people were dissatisfied that Liu Yianfei would reach General position so quickly. The day before taking office, his wife and daughter were kidnapped, to be exchanged for his refusal of the General position.
Liu Yianfei agreed.
He didn't appear on the appointment day. He alone traveled to receive his wife and daughter according to the promise the other side gave.
But how could things be that simple?
When he arrived, Liu Yianfei's wife had been murdered. His small daughter, only a few years old, had also fallen to her death in her mother's embrace.
...That day was the military's most shocking day.
A Grandmaster's fury swept through the entire military. Liu Yianfei, enraged until tears flowed as blood, invaded alone to kill everyone involved.
Two Lieutenant Generals.
And six more Major Generals.
Including those behind the act—all judged by Liu Yianfei's own two hands.
That day many witnessed the saying "a Grandmaster can fight an entire army" come true.
After the chaos, Liu Yianfei, who'd sacrificed everything then, received two unhealable wounds. One was a wound in his torso, which made him weak and appear sickly as he does today.
The other was the wound of losing both his beloved wife and daughter together.
The military tried to cover up what happened with full capability, so outsiders didn't know the news then. They only knew the rumor the military released that the military's new General fought rebels until gravely injured.
Yes, after long debates and discussions, they chose to pretend not to know and appointed Liu Yianfei as General as originally planned.
Because a Grandmaster-level cultivator's power was too dangerous. The military couldn't let him go or execute such a genius. Once they investigated and knew the cause, no one at that time dared object anymore.
After appointing him, Liu Yianfei was ordered transferred to serve in this eastern military instead, making the story gradually fade away.
"And telling me this won't cause problems?"
Uncle Huang, listening to the end, took a deep breath and couldn't help but wonder.
"It's fine. Consider it showing sincerity to you. Besides, it's been nearly ten years. It's become legend already."
His female assistant nodded in support. "New soldiers of this era don't even know about these things."
Uncle Huang couldn't help thinking. In that era, rumors about the military appointing a new General were quite famous. He who'd seen Liu Yianfei before didn't expect that before coming to serve here, he had such a terrible past.
That meant the warm gaze looking into the house wasn't looking at Grandmaster Bai.
But at the children instead!
Uncle Huang thought his eyes probably saw the children's image overlapping with his own departed daughter.
"And what you want to request is?"
Though he could guess from the story, for certainty he didn't hesitate to ask.
"I want to request Grandmaster Bai to help treat the General..."
Jin Ling sighed and finally spoke.
"...This matter," Uncle Huang pondered, "will be quite difficult..."
"Why!?" Jin Ling asked uncomprehendingly. He and the 1st Black Hawk Unit members were the unit that had been with their chief longest. They knew their chief's story and pain well and wanted to help lighten that burden. Previously when Bai Fanxian met Jin Ling and three others at the medicine shop in the city, it was because he'd heard that shop had 50-year-old ginseng.
So they didn't hesitate to go there.
"We're ready to repay Grandmaster Bai fully. Just tell us—even if we must charge through water or fire, we're always ready!" Jin Ling promised firmly. Especially him, having followed Liu Yianfei longer than others, felt even more attached.
"The problem isn't there." Uncle Huang shook his head and sighed. He looked at Jin Ling's serious attitude with helpless feelings.
In that case, let her decide herself!
"I refuse."
Now they'd moved to the house's deck. Jin Ling gaped at Bai Fanxian who was reading a book and catching the breeze with a lazy attitude. She refused even before he finished telling the story. She even waved her hand lightly as if shooing them away.
"Wh-why!?"
Jin Ling didn't understand. He tried to explain the General's situation for Bai Fanxian to hear. But not only would she not listen to the end, she waved her hand once more and he and the female assistant seemed blown by a large gust of wind until they tumbled at the front gate!
It didn't hurt because Bai Fanxian only brushed lightly and they were both cultivators. Jin Ling, knowing he'd failed today, could only leave dejectedly.
"I'll come again!"
And left behind only a sentence that made Bai Fanxian shake her head wearily.
"Next time don't open the door for strange people."
Uncle Huang could only laugh softly at this helpless order from the house's mistress...