“Brother Bai!!!” Madam Yan let out a shrill scream that cracked with emotion.
She shook the arm she was holding as if she were having a stroke.
“Master, am I dreaming? It’s Brother Bai! Brother Bai is alive and well!”
“Mother, I don’t know if your Brother Bai is alive or dead, but I do know that if you keep shaking me like this, I won’t be able to hold a sword ever again,” their son said.
Madam Yan immediately let go. Only then did she realize that the arm she was holding was her son’s.
She turned from her son to her husband, who had a dark expression, and scratched her head in confusion. “Master, who upset you?”
Master Yan remained silent, which was unusual. However, the thick-skinned Madam Yan paid it no mind and mumbled to herself, “Master, I haven’t had anything to drink today, so why am I seeing Brother Bai? This Brother Bai is different from the ones I’ve seen before, though. He’s bald? But Brother Bai looks so handsome even with a shaved head…”
“Mother, do you know that monk?”
“That monk’s name is Bai Yichen, and he’s been your mother’s dream lover for decades,” Master Yan said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Even Madam Yan, with her usual obliviousness, knew her husband’s old jealousy was acting up. She quickly put on a fawning smile. “What dream lover? Brother Bai was just a youthful mistake. I came to my senses later and devoted my heart to you, my handsome husband!”
“Madam, if you devoted your eyes to me as well, I would wake up smiling in my dreams every night.”
Despite his words, Master Yan’s expression visibly improved.
“Mother, why does that monk look so much like Coroner Murong?”
“Brother Bai is Coroner Murong’s father, of course he looks alike.”
“But Mother, why don’t I look like either of you?”
“Silly Hao’er, you are the child of your father and me, how could you not resemble us? It’s just not very obvious.”
“Oh.” Yan Tinghao nodded, unconvinced, and began to count on his fingers. “From what I know, Coroner Murong, although a noble heir, inherited his title not from his father but from his mother, who was a princess. The late Emperor didn’t have many siblings; apart from those sent for marriage alliances, only the Empress, the Emperor’s full sister, married a consort. But Mother, you said the Empress and the consort are no longer alive?”
“Hao’er, your mother doesn’t know why Brother Bai has come back to life and become a monk.”
At this point, Madam Yan suddenly slapped her thigh, seemingly struck by a thought. “Right, since Brother Bai is alive, does Sister Nalan know? Back then, Brother Bai and Sister Nalan were deeply in love, but they were forcefully separated due to their family backgrounds and responsibilities. Now Sister Nalan’s husband has died, and Brother Bai is also single. It’s a perfect match for them to rekindle their old flame.”
“Madam, speak with caution. The Empress Dowager is of noble status; how can you speak of her so carelessly? Moreover, her son is right here. Be careful, or you might be punished!”
After speaking, Master Yan glanced at Lin Moyuan, who was wearing a veil, off to the side. Lin Moyuan shrugged indifferently.
“Don’t worry, I won’t interfere with anything Mother does. I imagine Brother Bai feels the same way.”
“That’s true. Given Sister Nalan’s personality, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t influence any of her decisions.”
“Madam is right.”
Lin Moyuan…
Meanwhile.
Murong Bai, walking at a leisurely pace, finally reached the center of the stage.
“Tell me, what’s going on?”
Seemingly surprised that the person before him had come out to challenge him, a flicker of panic crossed Bai Yichen’s handsome face, which was like that of an immortal from a painting. His voice softened slightly. “Xuan’er, let your father explain.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“Well… years ago, Ah Ze helped me out. So, I promised him that if he ever asked, I would do one thing for him.”
“I see.” Murong Bai nodded slightly, having received the answer he wanted. “It’s good that you’re not truly standing with King Wucheng.”
Compared to Murong Bai’s business-like tone, Bai Yichen appeared hesitant. “Xuan’er, you know my way of doing things. Since I promised Ah Ze, I will fulfill my promise, regardless of my stance, so…”
“Father, don’t worry, I understand. It’s been a while since I last sparred with you. I didn’t have the chance to learn from you last time, but now that the opportunity has arisen, please grant me your guidance.”
After speaking, Murong Bai took out a finely crafted porcelain bottle from his embrace. Bai Yichen also took out a porcelain bottle.
Watching the father and son exchange bottles on stage and then swallow the pills within, Yan Tinghao, who was as inquisitive as a ten-thousand-whys, started talking again. “Cousin, do you know what Coroner Murong and his father are doing?”
“Brother Bai learned medicine from his father since childhood. They often test their learning by ingesting each other’s poisons.”
“What?! Poison?! Cousin, if what you say is true, did Coroner Murong just take the most potent poison? Is Coroner Murong going to die?”
“I don’t know if the Bai family’s young master will die, but anyone else who went up there certainly wouldn’t make it back alive.”
“Father, what do you mean by that?”
“Bai Yichen and his son are both weaklings with no strength to even tie a chicken. Therefore, Bai Yichen challenging someone on stage is likely not a martial arts duel, but a competition of poison. Medicine and poison have always been inseparable. Although Bai Yichen usually acts like a pretentious immortal who wouldn’t even step on an ant, he is an expert at making poisons. Besides the Bai family’s son, who inherited his true skills, anyone else would be futile, no matter how many went up.”
“But Master, Brother Bai said Ah Ze helped him, but I don’t recall them ever interacting?”
Master Yan stared at his wife for a long time. It was only when his son’s exclamation reached his ears that he raised his eyelids and looked towards the center of the stage. He saw blood trickling from the corners of both the father and son’s mouths. They took out the pills they carried and swallowed them in unison. A moment later, Bai Yichen’s complexion regained some color, but the blood flowing from Murong Bai’s lips increased.
“My father’s skills are still superior; I concede,” Murong Bai said with difficulty, swaying precariously.
The next moment, Hua Jinrong, who had been sitting on the high platform, flew down and caught him. “Brother Bai, are you alright?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t die.”
“Xuan’er, this is the antidote.”
However, Murong Bai did not reach out to take the antidote Bai Yichen offered. He simply said calmly, “Father, have you forgotten? I’ve been testing poisons on myself since childhood, so ordinary poisons have no effect on me. As for the poison you made, Father, although it took effect, it’s not enough to kill me. I will study it carefully for a few days and will surely find a way to break it.”