Chapter 402 Hope

When he walked out of the small courtyard, Bai Su noticed the little girl peering from behind the courtyard gate, and a complex emotion stirred within him.

He had thought returning to Huaiyin would be a good thing.

Yu Shu was dead.

Surely, he could do something…

But upon truly seeing the vibrant little courtyard, he realized there was nothing he could do.

Yu Shu's family was doing well.

Or rather… could not be doing any better.

Bai Xiaochi stood beside him, walking along the shady, sun-dappled streets of the small town of Huaiyin.

The Bai family head looked up slightly, feeling the faint light filtering through the leaves, and said softly, "Humans are always insignificant in the face of destiny… Some things cannot be changed, no matter how powerful your extraordinary abilities."

Bai Su was silent for a moment.

"He won't come back," Bai Su said. "That courtyard, that mother and daughter, will know the truth sooner or later…"

"The truth is… there are bound to be partings in this world, not just for them, but for you and me as well. Millions gather, millions separate, millions live and die together, and in the end, everyone's story is a tragedy." Bai Xiaochi said calmly, "You're right, Yu Shu's death will reach that little courtyard sooner or later, but by then, they might have found another hope. From the moment Yu Shu awakened his powers, his fate was sealed. Isn't this ending good enough?"

Bai Su was speechless.

Yes.

This was already… the best possible ending.

"From life into death, everyone is like a mayfly," Bai Xiaochi said. "Hope is the motivation for mayflies to live on…"

Bai Su stopped.

He had rushed back to Huaiyin from Changye, intending to see how the family of the life-devotee, Qu Long, was doing… It was a small thing, not worth alarming or troubling others.

So he had declined the family head's earlier offer to accompany him.

But… the family head had still come.

And he had helped him in a very important way.

If the family head hadn't appeared in the small courtyard in time, Bai Su might have said something… he would regret.

After a long pause, Bai Su said softly, "...Thank you."

"It's rare to hear that word from you."

Bai Xiaochi smiled.

"I…" Bai Su hesitated, then sighed softly, "Am I usually very cold?"

"No… it's not coldness."

Bai Xiaochi shook his head and said, "I know you're not that kind of person. If someone helps you, you'll definitely say thank you… But you're too strong, you can handle anything on your own, and few people have the chance to hear you say thank you."

Bai Su was slightly stunned.

That was indeed the case…

Over the years, many people had expressed their gratitude to him.

The Tribunal, the Prison Authority, the Command Center, the Five Families… Wherever he went, whatever he did, he seemed to be able to help some people, solving problems that plagued them.

But in return.

The number of times he had said thank you could be counted on one hand.

"You came to Huaiyin this time…"

"Don't get me wrong, it's not just because of you." Bai Xiaochi said with a smile, "I like that little girl from Yu Shu's family. I specially had someone pick that sunflower from the south. I came to Huaiyin this time just to see her."

Okay… that sounded reasonable.

Bai Su looked at the family head with a complex expression, feeling that Bai Xiaochi was not quite the same as he remembered.

Usually in Changye, he mostly lived in seclusion, cultivating in a cold and solemn atmosphere, and only saw the family head when dealing with major events.

In his memory… Bai Su had rarely seen the family head like this.

But after arriving at this small courtyard.

Or rather… after arriving in Huaiyin, Bai Xiaochi had taken off that serious mask.

"Of course… what I just said, it’s not *just* because of you." Bai Xiaochi said, first downplaying then emphasizing, "The reason I came to Huaiyin, there is still a part of the reason, because of you."

In the Frigid Zone, Bai Su had just experienced an assassination attempt.

The Bai family could not accept a second, a third…

Hearing this, Bai Su basically understood what the family head meant.

"Next, let's go to the Frozen Lake in the Frigid Zone," Bai Xiaochi said calmly, "Bring Yu Shu's body back to Changye, and… I also want to see the scene of the assassination."

……

……

It only took a day to travel from Huaiyin to the Frigid Zone.

In the biting cold wind, two figures stood on the Frozen Lake.

Bai Xiaochi looked at the vast white lake in the distance and asked softly, "Is this the scene of the assassination?"

The Frozen Lake was very large.

Covered in snow.

With extremely low visibility.

But none of this mattered… With the perception of the Thunder Realm Walker (Lei Jie Xing Zhe), even if the wind and snow were twice as heavy, it would not affect Bai Su's senses.

"Yes…"

Bai Su walked forward slowly.

His sense of direction was excellent, and he could still find the assassination site in his memory amidst the wind and snow. Finally, he stopped and looked down at the lake surface, which was covered with thick ice, "It's here."

Bai Xiaochi crouched down.

He narrowed his eyes and reached out his palm.

A wisp of dark nether color condensed in his palm… A crackling sound came from the pale ice layer, and a wisp of blood that had long been dissolved and diluted was sucked up by an invisible force.

"…!"

Bai Su watched this scene, his expression somewhat shocked.

The established power of the Five Great Families of Changye had long been established. For so many years, Snow Forbidden City had maintained great peace. The heads of the families treated each other with courtesy. Even if there were some contradictions and conflicts underground, they were left to their subordinates to solve on their own.

Therefore… the heads of the Five Great Families did not reveal their abilities. Their "power" was deeply rooted in people's hearts, but the abilities they possessed and their true strength had gradually faded into the background.

In Bai Xiaochi's palm, a wisp of swaying blood was condensed.

He took out a test tube from his bosom, collected the long-frozen blood, and said softly, "Don't be shocked. [Illuminating Darkness] (Zhao Ming) is not a heaven-defying ability… Compared to your Thunder Realm Walker, its power is still too weak."

"Is it manipulating blood…"

Bai Su squatted down. He stroked the thick ice layer and could not understand how the blood had been extracted.

It had been several days since he left the Frozen Lake in the Frigid Zone. Given the harsh climate of the tundra, let alone a drop of blood, even a complete corpse would be frozen into ice and completely shattered after being blown here for a day.

"You guessed half right, it's a small branch of the [Special Trait] (Te Zhi Xi) system."

Bai Xiaochi put the test tube into his inner pocket without hiding anything. He said in a deep voice, "The Five Great Families are all ancient families that moved to Changye before the New Calendar… The older generation once told me that strange blood flows in the bodies of the Five Great Families. I don't know about the other families. But in the Bai family, as long as the bloodline is pure, there is a high probability that they can awaken their extraordinary abilities."

Bai Xiaochi looked at Bai Su, knowing that Bai Su was a member of the Jiangbei branch.

All along, the Bai family members did not dare to mention the word "bloodline" in front of him.

But in fact… How could someone who had truly awakened an "S-level ability" care about the so-called bloodline?

Bai Su's expression did not change much.

Bai Xiaochi continued, "Among the abilities of the Bai family's direct descendants… there will be a strange trait attached, and that is [Reversal] (Dao Liu)."

Bai Su frowned, "Reversal?"

"That is… a trait ability that violates the common rules of the two worlds."

The two worlds, the mortal world, and the extraordinary world.

"You can understand it as… [Time Reversal] (Shi Jian Dao Liu)," Bai Xiaochi said calmly, "But it's not as heaven-defying as the literal meaning. [Time Reversal] cannot affect the established conclusions of the material world, nor can it conflict with more powerful rules. For example, things like resurrection from the dead… If a person is really dead, then Reversal cannot save them. Moreover, Reversal requires a huge price."

Bai Su's expression gradually became serious.

"Extracting blood just now… used [Reversal]. In fact, extracting that wisp of blood has already reached the limit of [Illuminating Darkness] ability, and… it's only limited to inanimate objects." Bai Xiaochi shrugged and said indifferently, "Maybe it's because my bloodline is relatively poor. Since the previous Bai family head passed away, the ability of [Reversal] has been greatly diluted. Being able to have such a wisp should be considered a blessing in disguise."

Bai Su was a little puzzled, "After the previous family head passed away, the ability of [Reversal] was diluted?"

"You'll know about this sooner or later."

Bai Xiaochi said calmly, "The previous family head was named Bai Shu… To call him family head is actually not accurate. His name is not on the ancestral hall memorial tablet, nor is it in the family tree. Although he was the Bai family's designated 'family head', he never really sat on that seat."

"Bai Shu…"

A very unfamiliar name.

Bai Su had never heard of it, partly because he paid no attention to what was happening outside, and partly because… the Bai family had really never mentioned the previous Bai family head to future generations.

"In the era when Gu Changzhi became a God, the Bai family paid a huge price to cultivate 'Bai Shu'… But in the end, Bai Shu failed in the competition for the 'Fire Seed'."

Bai Xiaochi lowered his eyes and said, "Without obtaining the Fire Seed, everything the family paid was equivalent to a complete waste. The blood of the clan members and the trait of [Reversal] were all gathered on him alone. Although he did not become a God, he became the second person in Changye besides Gu Changzhi."

"Bai Shu… did not choose to shoulder the burden of revitalizing the family, but chose to end his own life."

This story was very short.

There were no twists and turns, and no reversals.

And it was such a story that was completely sealed off by the Bai family ancestral hall… The previous council of elders, the power holders who made the decision to dedicate blood, retired because of guilt. This kind of gamble was actually quite similar to the desperate struggle of the Gu family to build the [Clear Tomb] (Qing Zhong).

The Gu family lost the bet, Gu Changzhi did not wake up, but after all, they had built a miracle place.

The Bai family lost the bet… the [Reversal] trait in the blood was greatly diluted, and the miracle person they created chose to commit suicide.

In a sense, the Bai family lost even more miserably.

"This is the reason why the Bai family has been silent for twenty years. What I, this family head… have to do is actually very simple." Bai Xiaochi smiled softly, "Before the Bai family ushers in prosperity, stabilize the situation. I am not an unparalleled genius, nor do I have heaven-defying abilities. I only need to stabilize this family and wait for you to grow up… that's enough."

You, referred to Bai Su and Bai Chen.

Bai Xiaochi saw it very clearly… After the blood trait was diluted, the Bai family urgently needed a "savior" with strong enough abilities. It was just a pity that the savior was not himself.

"I…"

Bai Su hesitated, but remained silent.

"Okay, let's get back to the main topic. The purpose of this trip to the Tundra is to collect evidence." Bai Xiaochi saw Bai Su's complex thoughts, patted the latter on the shoulder, and said lightly, "Now the task can be considered half completed. With this bloodstain, after returning, perhaps we can find the assassin's identity information from the [Deep Sea] (Shen Hai) database."

"Blood verification… may not have results."

Bai Su shook his head, "This assassination… was very carefully planned. The assassin hid under the ice lake a long time ago. Since he was prepared to assassinate me, he must also have countermeasures for the failure of the assassination."

"If this assassination is a game of chess. Then the one sitting across the chessboard from us is not an ordinary person." Bai Xiaochi said softly, "If he doesn't make a mistake, then we can only continue to wait."

"Did it end with Bai Buzheng's death?" Bai Su suddenly asked.

The Bai family head quietly looked at the young man.

"Perhaps there are others in the Council of Elders." Bai Su said slowly, "More than one… Bai Buzheng."

If the blood verification has no results…

Then it can only mean that the one who set up the game of chess was too thoughtful, this is by no means a coincidence… but he had already made countermeasures for all of this.

Perhaps, he not only understood Bai Su's whereabouts, but also understood Bai Xiaochi's abilities.

"I know what you want to say, but… this is just speculation, speculation without evidence." Bai Xiaochi sighed softly, "You must know that there are many people in the Council of Elders. At this juncture… if we arrest the wrong one, things will become very bad."

Bai Su lowered his eyes.

He stopped talking about this topic and continued to walk towards the distance of the Frozen Lake.

He walked to the bottom of a giant stone. This giant stone ran through the ice layer of the Frozen Lake and the water surface under the ice layer. Beside the giant stone, a snow-white ice cocoon was condensed, and a pale corpse was curled up in the cocoon.

"I buried Yu Shu here."

Bai Su said softly, "I want to bury him in the Clear Tomb… There is a good place there. One day, his extraordinary source-matter will arrive in Changye and get real peace."

A wisp of thunder power vibrated out along the ice layer.

Bai Su silently lowered his head. He watched the Frozen Lake being shattered by a gap, and a silent undercurrent surged. The ice cocoon floated up little by little, and the curled up Qu Long was frozen in the ice cocoon.

Bai Xiaochi said softly, "Regarding the affairs of the Bai family ancestral hall… I can negotiate with the Council of Elders… Perhaps I can give you a satisfactory answer."

"No need, there's no need to force it."

Bai Su looked at the pale face in the ice cocoon and shook his head, "And… he probably wouldn't like a place like the ancestral hall either. It's better to bury him in the Clear Tomb."

Bai Xiaochi was silent for a long time.

He looked at the stubborn young man and sighed again.

"The registration for the Changye Newcomer's War… has ended. You wouldn't be deliberately avoiding it because of this assassination… would you?"

Bai Su raised his head.

He didn't say anything, just sat on the big stone and waited quietly for the ice cocoon to thaw.

"If you want to use this method to protest against the Bai family. There is actually no need." Bai Xiaochi said seriously, "If you win the Newcomer's War and comprehend the Fire Seed Dream… the Council of Elders' prejudice will be much smaller."

The reason recorded on the dossier for this assassination was that Bai Buzheng was dissatisfied with Bai Su and became jealous.

In fact… it was for the so-called name of "Family Head".

First Bai Chen, then Bai Su.

This was originally a fortunate thing.

But in a big family, taking sides and betting on treasures has become an undercurrent… No matter how monstrous Bai Su's talent is, there are many people who worry that this young man from the Jiangbei branch will seize the power of the direct line in the future.

"I regard Bai Chen as an elder brother, and I have no intention of fighting for power. Since entering Changye, everything I have done has been clear in my conscience, so why should I explain it to them?" Bai Su looked at the family head and said calmly, "As for the Newcomer's War, the Fire Seed Dream… If I want it, it's easy to get. Why should I hide from all this, why should I avoid it?"

Bai Su knew what the family head really wanted to say.

He had gone to the Clear Tomb.

And in the Clear Tomb… there was a person who was being watched by many people in Changye.

Gu Shen.

Everyone in Changye was looking forward to a fight between himself and Gu Shen… it would be best if it was in the Newcomer's War, and the family head must be one of them.

"I moved to Huaiyin, and then came to the Frigid Zone, not because I was avoiding the war…" Bai Su said slowly with lowered eyebrows, "I just simply felt that this matter was more important than participating in the Newcomer's War."

"The Council of Elders has a lot of opinions about your choice, they think there will be a lot of trouble next year…"

Bai Xiaochi said meaningfully, "But, I understand you, and I support you."

The trouble next year.

"Thank you…"

Bai Su smiled self-deprecatingly. He confessed, "This should be the third time I've said thank you since I came back from the Tundra."

The third time?

Bai Xiaochi was slightly stunned… once in Huaiyin, and once in the Frigid Zone. Both times, he was speaking to himself.

Bai Su, who was sitting on the big stone on the Frozen Lake, said seriously word by word, "After returning to Changye, I disappeared for a day."

"Then in the Council of Elders meeting, I ferreted out Bai Buzheng."

"And then… I found out Qu Long's name, background, and origin."

"Actually, I didn't do any of this… Someone helped me, and he also helped me choose a good place in the Clear Tomb."

Speaking of this… Bai Xiaochi had already vaguely guessed something.

Within a day, the only one in Changye who could break the predicament and directly identify the identity of the "plotter" was that master who was proficient in divination.

And that master had just taken in a disciple.

Meeting in the Clear Tomb, nothing happened.

Everything that everyone in Changye could not understand now seemed to be reasonable.

Even Bai Xiaochi, an observer, could not help but sigh at the wonder of fate.

"That person is Gu Shen."

Bai Su said seriously, "Gu Shen and I hit it off right away. The investigation of the Tundra assassination went very smoothly… I am very grateful to him."