Chapter 8: Endurance√, Old Protagonist
Bai Ruoxi stood outside the Mu family residence, staring blankly at the pouring rain outside. The rain pattered on the ground, blanketing the surface in white mist.
She had been so angry when Ye Yu left just now that she even forgot to bring an umbrella. But if she went back now, she might run into Mu Zhi’an again.
Young Master Mu had just been splashed with tea by Ye Yu. If she encountered him now, he might think of Ye Yu when he saw her and become dissatisfied or something…
This wasn’t impossible because the Mu Zhi’an of the past was such a petty fellow… Although he seemed to have changed a bit starting these past two days, Bai Ruoxi couldn’t be sure if this was just Mu Zhi’an’s act.
But leaving like this, she would likely get drenched like a drowned rat… Bai Ruoxi looked at the pouring rain under the night sky hesitantly.
“Ruoxi, let me give you a ride!”
At this moment, Ye Yu, who had already left the Mu residence, actually turned back. He stood at the door, raised his head with a smile, and stepped forward wanting to take Bai Ruoxi’s hand.
With the background of a rainy night, the characters being a girl without an umbrella and a boy with an umbrella who had originally left but specially turned back for the girl, in such a situation, even the most stone-hearted person would likely soften a few degrees and feel a bit of affection.
However, the premise of all this was without the series of events that had just occurred in the Mu residence.
The moment she saw Ye Yu, Bai Ruoxi inexplicably became angry. She immediately swatted away Ye Yu’s hand and said coldly, “Young Master Ye, please have some self-respect!”
Hearing this, Ye Yu felt inexplicably displeased in his heart, but he didn’t dare make a scene. He only muttered, “You coming to the Mu residence in the middle of the night is self-respect—”
Before he could finish, Bai Ruoxi abruptly raised her beautiful eyes and said coldly, “I came to find Young Master Mu just for some important matters. Nothing happened between us like what you imagined. Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”
“He threatened you to come to the Mu residence, right?” Ye Yu immediately asked.
“Ruoxi, don’t be fooled by Mu Zhi’an. You know what kind of reputation that fellow has in Tianxuan City. Even if you agree to give your body to him, he may not necessarily help you and the Bai family afterwards.”
Bai Ruoxi suddenly raised her head and said coldly, “He never threatened me.”
Ye Yu frowned slightly, saying disdainfully, “If he didn’t threaten you, then why would you come to the Mu residence at night? Don’t tell me you came willingly?”
The girl before his eyes was the number one beauty of Tianxuan City. Those who secretly liked her could line up from inside the city to outside. In the past, Mu Zhi’an had tried all sorts of ways to pursue Bai Ruoxi. Everyone in Tianxuan City knew about this matter.
Ye Yu didn’t believe that in this situation, that Mu Zhi’an wouldn’t take advantage of the fire to loot and threaten Bai Ruoxi to do something.
Let alone Mu Zhi’an, even Ye Yu himself would probably have some wicked thoughts.
The rain pattered on the ground, the entire street white and hazy in the night.
Bai Ruoxi stood in the rain, her small mouth slightly open, but she couldn’t say a word.
She really didn’t want to say that she was forced to come to the Mu residence by her mother.
Seeing this, Ye Yu’s heart burned with even more jealousy.
There was absolutely no mistake… Ruoxi had likely already given her body to that scoundrel of the Mu family just now in the Mu residence. She was just coerced by Mu Zhi’an, so she kept hesitating and refusing to answer him now.
Perhaps even Bai Ruoxi’s current cold attitude was because Mu Zhi’an had whispered something in her ear…
No, the Mu family’s power was immense. Maybe she was afraid of involving me, so she deliberately put on that indifferent attitude in front of Mu Zhi’an… Ye Yu thought of this possibility, and his eyes lit up a few degrees, the jealous flames in his heart slightly alleviating.
He looked at Bai Ruoxi and said seriously, “Ruoxi, I’m different from the past now. Give me half a year… No, just three months, and I will definitely step into the Foundation Establishment stage!”
He was a chosen one, a chosen one with great luck. Tianxuan City was just his starting point.
Give him some time, and in the future, no one stronger than him would be found in the entire Tianxuan City.
Ye Yu had such confidence.
Because some time ago, he had obtained a huge opportunity…
“Three months? You can step into the Foundation Establishment stage in three months?” Bai Ruoxi clearly didn’t believe it.
Ye Yu revealed a confident smile and said, “Want to bet?”
Bai Ruoxi frowned slightly and said indifferently, “No need. Whether it’s true or false, what does it have to do with me?”
Ye Yu was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and said, “What are you saying, Ruoxi? You’re my fiancée—”
“That’s the marriage arranged by my parents. If you want to get married, go find them.”
Back then, the Ye family could also be considered a prominent family. At that time, the Ye family and the Bai family had business dealings. Later, the two families hit it off and arranged a childhood marriage for the two children.
But no one expected that the Ye family’s fortunes would later decline, falling from a first-rate family to a second-rate one. The patriarch of the Bai family had never mentioned breaking off the engagement to save face, but Bai Ruoxi’s mother and Bai Ruoxi were both dissatisfied with this marriage. The former believed that Ye Yu was no longer worthy of Bai Ruoxi now and wanted to find a better candidate for Bai Ruoxi.
As for the latter, she was purely dissatisfied with having a marriage arranged for her as soon as she was born.
Bai Ruoxi ignored Ye Yu and strode into the curtain of rain.
“Miss Bai!”
At this moment, a maidservant’s voice suddenly came from behind.
Bai Ruoxi turned her head to look. The maidservant of the Mu family ran over with an umbrella and said, “The young master said it’s raining heavily tonight and told me to bring an umbrella over. Miss Bai can return the umbrella to the Mu residence in the next two days.”
Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a moment, then as if she thought of something, her beautiful eyes danced with a hint of joy as she took the umbrella the maidservant handed over.
“Please thank your young master for me. I will send the umbrella back to the Mu residence in the next two days.”
The maidservant smiled, nodded in salute, then turned and returned to the Mu residence with an umbrella.
Bai Ruoxi didn’t even glance at Ye Yu and walked into the curtain of rain with the umbrella.
Ye Yu looked at Bai Ruoxi’s departing figure, subconsciously reaching out his hand in a gesture of wanting to stop her.
But slowly, that hand fell weakly.
Now wasn’t the time. After cultivating for a while longer, after some more time, when she discovered that his talent had returned, Ruoxi would definitely have a change of heart.
At that time, I will amaze everyone in Tianxuan City!
Ye Yu subconsciously clenched his fists.
The only thing he could do now was to endure.
…
Bai Ruoxi returned to the Bai family residence with an umbrella. It was already late at night, and not a single figure could be seen in the residence.
Bai Ruoxi walked along the corridor. When she passed by her mother’s room, a woman’s gentle and pleasant voice came from inside, “Ruoxi, you’re back so early?”
“Come in and chat with Mother for a bit.”
She just simply wants to ask about my gains from going to the Mu residence, right… Bai Ruoxi revealed a hint of a cold smile and said softly, “I understand, Mother.”
Pushing the door open, she saw the beautiful woman in sleepwear. She sat on a chair, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her daughter, saying, “Drink some hot tea so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Bai Ruoxi took the tea and responded gently.
“Young Master Mu finished so quickly?” Bai Yuanfeng asked in a suggestive tone.
As expected, she’s asking about this matter… A trace of coldness flashed through Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful eyes as she said softly, “He didn’t do anything to me.”
Bai Yuanfeng’s expression changed slightly as she anxiously said, “He still refused?”
“He didn’t refuse… He told me to find a time in the next two days to return the umbrella.” Bai Ruoxi said softly.
Bai Yuanfeng was slightly stunned and said with some worry, “This means giving him two more days to consider… What on earth does Young Master Mu want?”
“I think it should be the Meridian Connecting Pill.” When Bai Ruoxi said this, her eyes were filled with complexity.
She finally realized that she had made a very serious mistake. Mu Zhi’an did like her in the past… Perhaps he still liked her now, but he was considering the overall interests of the Mu family. He felt that to lend a helping hand, the Meridian Connecting Pill needed to be offered in exchange, not her as a person.
Just as Mu Zhi’an had said just now, she only moved him, not the Mu family.
Recalling Mu Zhi’an’s words in the main hall just now, as well as the hand that had lightly squeezed her slender fingers, Bai Ruoxi’s cheeks inexplicably felt a bit hot, her eyes flickering slightly.
“Ruoxi…?” Bai Yuanfeng tentatively called out to her daughter who seemed to be in a daze.
Only then did Bai Ruoxi wake up from her earlier trance. She suddenly asked,
“By the way, has Father returned?”
A few days ago, the patriarch of the Bai family had gone to the auction house in a neighboring city. It had been nearly three days until now. Theoretically, even if he was delayed a bit on the way, he should have arrived home by now.
Bai Yuanfeng was stunned for a moment, then looked at her daughter with a bit of complexity, as if it was difficult to speak.
Bai Ruoxi seemed to understand something. Her expression changed slightly as she said, “Did something happen to Father?”
The beautiful woman sighed lightly and said, “Your father was attacked on his way back and is now seriously injured. He was secretly sent to a very safe place to recuperate.”
“However, even if he recovers this time, he will likely have no hope of breaking through to the Reversion stage in his lifetime.”
The patriarch of the Bai family was at the peak of the Spirit Refinement stage, just one layer away from spirit refinement and reversion, stepping into the Reversion stage.
However, he had been trapped by this layer for a full six years. This time, the Bai family had painstakingly gathered enough materials at great financial cost to refine a Meridian Connecting Pill.
Originally intending to use the Meridian Connecting Pill to break through to the Reversion stage, unexpectedly, he was attacked and severely injured on his way back to the clan.
Even if the patriarch of the Bai family recovered from treatment this time, he would be left with a latent illness and have no hope of spirit refinement and reversion.
Bai Ruoxi first worried about her father, then suddenly thought of something and raised her head to look at Bai Yuanfeng, “Then currently, isn’t the Meridian Connecting Pill useless?”
The Meridian Connecting Pill was a medicine that could only be used when spirit refining and reversing. With the effect of the Meridian Connecting Pill, there was at least a seventy percent chance of entering the Reversion stage, and one could even withstand a few heavenly tribulation lightning strikes during the duration of the medicinal effect.
But if one wasn’t a cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Refinement stage, the Meridian Connecting Pill would have no effect.
Bai Yuanfeng sighed lightly and said, “I know what you mean, but the Meridian Connecting Pill is hard to exchange for even a thousand gold. It can’t be given to the Mu family.”
The Mu family was already very dominant. If they obtained the Meridian Connecting Pill and someone in the Mu family used it to step into the Reversion stage, the other families in Tianxuan City would be completely suppressed and unable to raise their heads, forever living under the shadow of the Mu family.
This was not what Bai Yuanfeng wanted to see.
The Meridian Connecting Pill is hard to exchange for even a thousand gold, but your daughter can be exchanged for a thousand gold… Bai Ruoxi said softly, “Mother, it’s late. I’m going back to sleep first.”
After saying that, Bai Ruoxi got up and returned to her room.
The next morning.
After Bai Ruoxi woke up, she turned to look at the maidservant beside her and said softly,
“Go find out if Young Master Ye was ambushed or something last night.”
Last night, Mu Zhi’an was splashed with a cup of tea by Ye Yu, but he still remained nonchalant. She wanted to know if this was just Mu Zhi’an’s act of calmness in front of her, or if he had secretly ordered someone to teach Ye Yu a lesson afterwards.
The Mu Zhi’an of the past was notorious for being vengeful, the type to not let a night pass before taking revenge. Moreover, he had an extremely domineering personal maidservant. There were hardly a few people who dared to be disrespectful to Mu Zhi’an, afraid of being taught a lesson by his maidservant Wei Mengrou.
Before long, the maidservant returned to Bai Ruoxi’s boudoir. She lightly knocked on the door, her voice crisp, “Miss, nothing happened to Young Master Ye.”
Bai Ruoxi sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at her flawlessly beautiful face in the mirror. Her lips parted slightly as she calmly said, “I understand. You may leave first.”
After saying that, Bai Ruoxi’s beautiful eyes gleamed with a strange light. She gently placed her hand on her lofty bosom, taking a shallow breath and slowly exhaling.
It seemed that Mu Zhi’an was indeed different from before.
