Bai Qi remained calm during the unexpected rescue as he had accepted death. And his first thought, as the newly arrived, or more correctly worded - revealed, Warrior Empress proclaimed the reasons for her coming, was
Bai Qi could not be sure of the reasons behind the aged woman - the 7th level Warrior Empress later hailed as the savior of [Zihoadao]. Yet it was clear they weren't related to saving the city. But no matter what he thought, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe them to be related to him. And as it would turn out, they actually were, except that Bai Qi would understand it far later - after the true expert single-handedly cleared the city from remaining attackers.
Some killed, some allowed to escape, and others knocked out by sheer aura pressure. But everything done and decided by the aged senior alone, without asking anyone, not even City Lord Yi, who she would also rescue.
And she would do all of that without releasing her suppression of the Warrior Empress that nearly killed Bai Qi and his companions!
Everything considered Bai Qi would have chosen to leave [Zihoadao] immediately. It was clear that after such bloody events, with the City Lord barely alive, dozens of cultivators, and hundreds of non-cultivators dead, there was nothing to gain by remaining in the half-ruined city. And not that Bai Qi could provide any help either, with him and nearly each of his companions wounded and exhausted. Yet, he wouldn't have such a chance. The unexpected savior aura was yet to subside as He Liling, the [Deep Soul Gaze Princess], suddenly called out to him, approaching without being noticed, surrounded with the same 7th level Warrior Emperor aura filling the entire city.
An aura that not only masked He Liling from anyone but Emperor-level senses but also protected her. Shielded her to an extent no one but a similar level expert could even touch a single strand of hair of the [Princess].
"Bai Qi, there is something I would like to request of you." Without preamble, without any explanations, He Liling declared. And before Bai Qi could even answer, she left, leaving only a few words, nearly instructions behind, "Rest, recuperate, let us meet tomorrow at my manor."
Did Bai Qi doubt about remaining? Yes, he did, for precisely three breaths.
***
As Bai Qi directed his group to return towards the city gates, he had expected nothing but to find a few scared people, force them to accept payment and return to the same manor they had rented until today. Regretfully, the truth of today's events, the battles and indiscriminate killing by the attackers, proved him wrong.
His group would find the [Storm Persimmon Tree] inn destroyed, entirely leveled down, in some clash between attackers and defenders. He Delan's and Ma Su's, even Bai Qi's senses, caught only on death, the only fate for every person they related to the inn, and even some over that, probably people trying to escape the ongoing chaos.
With such discoveries, one could expect Bai Qi to feel anything. But he didn't, his mind entirely centered around the matters related to his, taking this as only part of a greater tragedy, one that thankfully, callous as it may sound, didn't touch them.
With the Bai sisters silent, and the only remaining voice of rightness in their group, surprisingly belonging to Fan Jia, unconscious, their potential actions were straightforward. And indeed, Bai Qi, with the unspoken acknowledgment of both He Delan and Ma Su, moved to the [Budding Lake] manor, crashing in as if some spoils of battle it was.
"Place them back on the formations. All of us, we should try and rest as much as we can. I have no idea what the request may be, but it is one I can not ignore, so let us be ready." No hesitance, no questioning, Bai Qi spoke up as soon as they entered the recently abandoned manor, his words being anything but a command. One obeyed right away, no questions asked, even by He Delan, who had nothing to do with the rest of Bai Qi's willingly, by their own will or not, people.
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Leaving [Zihoadao] had turned into a true ordeal, even if one could have expected the city to focus on the events related to the sudden assault it suffered.
From one side, there was He Liling and her protector, the so-called savior of [Zihoadao], a 7th level Warrior Emperor realm cultivator and relative of the former, Yuwen Zhu. Their request, if one may call the forceful manner of it a request, was already troubling, even without everything it entailed, all clouded by the oath that Bai Qi had to make, less he was vanished, even after He Liling promised him a safe leave.
From the other, a source that should have given no problems, there was the City Lord, Yi Lao. Crippled, his dantian damaged, and hardly conscious, Lord Yi had not allowed even the destruction of his town to thwart his plans. He had decided to make a show of Bai Qi's success in the arena, and Heavens are witness - nothing short of his own death could have stopped him.
And the result of both factors, which were the source of Bai Qi's lately sour mood, was a whole load of tasks, rewards, and titles Bai Qi himself felt neither need nor desire to take or receive.
Not even the few bright moments of these three entire days, like Fan Jia and Chun Hua's awakening, or his so-expected meeting with Wei, were enough to overcome the bitterness of accepting a dangerous and messy task from He Liling or correctly said, Yuwen Liling, primary heir of the [Yuwen Family]. Neither of these wished-for events was enough to cover the shame he felt for being lauded. Hailed as the conqueror of the arena and, worse, as one of the defenders of [Zihoadao] during the attack.
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Regretfully, Bai Qi found himself unable to refuse in either matter. With Yuwen Zhu overseeing the former and the wounded, crippled Yi Lao declaring the latter before nearly every surviving person in [Zihoadao].
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Four days after the assault on [Zihoadao], near [Heyang] city outskirts.
"So, here's where we separate, huh?" His words were coarse, even to his own surprise, as in place of joy, he only felt irritated at the soon-to-leave companions of his.
"Mmm, I am sorry to do so, but Song Lin is a matter I must attend to, even without you." He Delan nodded, her face a cold mask that hid her genuine thoughts.
"As I am now, I couldn't help even if I wanted, but..?" Bai Qi had accepted He Delan's intent to leave before as he did now, but the but remained. He Delan wouldn't depart alone but would take the just awakened, yet-to-recuperate Chun Hua with her.
"Hunting someone like him will take time, and I intend to concentrate on her during all of it. If I find Song Ling, though, do not worry, Chun Hua will not participate in our feud." Bai Qi didn't doubt that He Delan spoke the truth, yet, he felt worried about Chun Hua. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, but it was there, and he couldn't do anything but try and remedy it.
Although, in the end, with Chun Hua herself willing to go, Bai Qi hardly had any say in the matter. After all, their link was broken long ago, leaving Chun Hua a free being. One that could decide by herself. Even if it wasn't so, Bai Qi would have never thought to forbid something of anyone. And still, the worry was there.
"It is better for me to go with Master, even if to recuperate entirely." Chun Hua spoke without emotion, as she always did. Her words and thoughts, while somewhat confused because of the circumstances, were the absolute truth. He Delan was fairly more capable than Bai Qi, at least at the moment, of providing her with the qi and environment her race required.
"I... I do understand. And yet, I have to ask. Or no, even plead of you. Do not commit yourself to the task of hunting down that man. No matter how willing I am to kill him for nearly putting us to death, I know that a 7th level Warrior King is no opponent for either of the current us." Kui Mulang's incarnation set aside the truth was that Bai Qi was far below Song Ling's power, as well as Chun Hua was, no matter the heavenly advantages of her race.
"I will not die." Chun Hua's response was cold as always, yet carried a hint of emotion, one that she hid right away, taking the first step away from Bai Qi's group.
"And I will not allow it to happen." He Delan would finalize the discussion, following after her disciple.
"And I still would have wished for us to hunt him together..." Bai Qi ended up murmuring to no one, feeling that no duty-filled quest ended well, not without overwhelming advantages over the target.
"It is her task, so why stop her?" Bai Ze interjected, half-answering to Bai Qi's murmur as expressing her own thoughts on the matter.
"And I am sure she will not risk Chun Hua, no matter what happens." Bai Rui added.
"Although hunting that man, the one that nearly brought death to Master and us, should have been a shared burden - Senior He Delan has all the rights to set off on it before we do." Fan Jia, who usually remained silent during the group's talks, suddenly spoke up, her words effectively negating further discussion.
And indeed, how could there be any discussion about He Delan's rights to hunt down Song Lin if he was guilty of both their near-death situation as he was of the events that essentially had provoked the siege on the [Void Palace]? He Delan had identified the [Void King] right as he had sent his message, and on the next day, before Bai Qi met with He Liling, she had shared everything about the matter.
Song Lin, the [Void King], had been an elder in the Palace, one suspected to be the source of the demonic teachings that had led to the assault on the [Delicate Forest Palace] disciple. But before he could be apprehended, at least for interrogation, he had disappeared, leaving a dumbfounded He Delan staring at a one-use teleportation formation. He Delan, who had arrived to capture him!
Fan Jia bowed as she noticed Bai Qi looking at her, "I will proceed to leave. I am deeply thankful to you for everything until now. And even more for your ongoing benefaction."
"Don't." Bai Qi shook his head before continuing, "I decided to spare you, as it was I to take you along. Your oath, which I accepted, makes me as much your benefactor as it makes me your villain."
Noticing Fan Jia's intention to rebuke his words, Bai Qi raised his hand, stopping her as he continued speaking, "As I said, I accepted it, so it is my own will to think about it how I like to."
"It is indeed, Master." Fan Jia, who had sword herself as Bai Qi's follower, perfectly knew how he disliked being addressed as Master, and so, her way to pay back to his - bordering the rude - words was to address him as such.
"I pray for a safe journey to you and wish you the best of luck during your healing. And hope that next time we meet, you remember I prefer to be your friend, not your Master." Somewhat aware of how badly he had spoken before, Bai Qi sadly smiled as he responded to Fan Jia. And yet, he wouldn't excuse himself.
"And I pray I will live to that expectation. As soon as I am able to." Fan Jia, who did understand Bai Qi's mood, even if he had only shared a few hints of the reasons for it, bowed again. But this time with a light smile of her own. She wouldn't speak anything else before stepping into the teleportation formation, one that Bai Qi had already paid to send her to [Shoumen].
Severely wounded during her second and last combat on the [Zihoadao] lowest Warrior Lord arena, Fan Jia had been unconscious during all of the events that ended up with the devastation she had glimpsed before leaving the city. Now, she was being sent to [Shoumen], the only place where Bai Qi could be said to have at least some safe ground, to attempt healing her half-crippled cultivation.
Did she feel anything but gratitude towards the man that had spared her, allowed her to follow him, and even spent a good fortune to make sure she would be able to attempt healing? No, she didn't.
And yet, even she, who had barely spent time with this strange young man, felt that Bai Qi wasn't the same as before. Something she attempted to understand but found herself unable to.