As the last sliver of dusk faded beneath a cloudless sky, Bai Xiaoxiao, her skirt hem held aloft, slowly emerged. Her wedding gown shimmered resplendently in the setting sun.
She approached Ye Yun and, without hesitation, rushed into her master's embrace, burying her head and speaking with a voice full of tremors.
"Master…"
"It's alright, Xiaoxiao, it's all over now."
Ye Yun smiled down at her, his arm around her back, his other hand gently stroking her head.
"From now on, no one can force you to do anything. I promise you."
"Mm…"
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded, her small hands still clutching Ye Yun tightly, as if afraid of losing it all again if she let go.
Bai Tianchen watched from a distance, feeling a pang in his heart.
She was his own daughter, yet she was so close to an outsider. It felt somewhat ironic, no matter how he looked at it.
A minute passed, and Bai Xiaoxiao showed no signs of letting go. Ye Yun could only say, with a hint of helplessness.
"Xiaoxiao, there are so many people watching. I think it would be better to settle the remaining matters first, don't you agree?"
After being held for so long, Bai Xiaoxiao finally calmed down a little. Seeing the strange looks from the Bai family members around them,
she reluctantly released her master and nodded.
"You're right, we do need to settle the remaining matters first."
Ye Yun glanced around and smiled, "This is your home. The decision rests with you. How you deal with these people, whether they live or die, is entirely up to you."
In Ye Yun's opinion, Bai Tianchen had a point: everything that happened here was Xiaoxiao's family affair.
Moreover, it concerned the potential death of her father and even her family. Thus, the matter should be left to Xiaoxiao to decide for herself.
Upon hearing his words, Bai Xiaoxiao replied with a low voice.
"Thank you, Master. Please allow me to consider it carefully."
Ye Yun nodded and quietly stepped aside.
In truth, he was reluctant for Bai Xiaoxiao to choose violence. At any time, a person who carried the blood of their family would find it hard to attain pure happiness. Furthermore, Bai Xiaoxiao's nature was relatively innocent, and the pain would likely be even more intense.
At this moment, Bai Xiaoxiao stood up, holding the dagger she had prepared for suicide, and walked towards her father in the distance.
The surrounding Bai family members looked at her with fear in their hearts.
They all knew very well how badly the Bai family had treated this young girl, and how harsh and heartless they had been when forcing her to learn lady-like etiquette.
And this girl, who had been met with disdain and mockery everywhere she went in the Bai family, could now, with a single thought, condemn them all to eternal damnation.
As a result, whenever Bai Xiaoxiao's gaze swept over the crowd, whether it was a servant or a direct descendant, they would immediately kneel and beg for mercy.
"Miss, please spare our lives!"
"Miss, we implore you to let us off!"
"Miss, please…"
…
Bai Xiaoxiao's expression was cold and indifferent to all of this. She finally walked directly to where Bai Tianchen and Bai Qinghong stood.
She looked at her father with icy eyes and then said in a stern voice.
"You probably never dreamed that a daughter you never treated as human could one day, with a single thought, destroy the family and son you held as everything."
From the very beginning, her father had never cared about her, doting excessively on her brother instead. Even this engagement with the Fú Lóng Immortal Palace was largely to pave the way for Bai Qinghong to eventually control the Bai family.
Faced with Bai Xiaoxiao's sharp words, Bai Tianchen remained silent. He knew that anything he said now was meaningless.
Meanwhile, Bai Qinghong had already been scared senseless. Looking at Bai Xiaoxiao's cold gaze and the swords hanging above his head, fear completely consumed him.
With a thud, he knelt at Bai Xiaoxiao's feet, his face pale, and pleaded, "Xiaoxiao, we grew up together! For the sake of our past affection, please spare my life!"
Bai Xiaoxiao said with a cold, indifferent expression, "Affection?"
"Before this, when you forced me into marriage, did you show me even a shred of affection?"
"When you had those indecent thoughts about me, did you consider that I was your sister?"
These two deadly questions left Bai Qinghong speechless. He could only kowtow and beg for mercy, imploring Bai Xiaoxiao to let him go.
He clutched the hem of Bai Xiaoxiao's dress dragging on the ground, behaving more like a dog than a human. The contrast between his previous behavior and his current state was utterly revolting.
Looking at her brother, who was so utterly abject and had abandoned all dignity, Bai Xiaoxiao felt no satisfaction of revenge. Instead, she was filled with profound disappointment.
Finally, she couldn't contain her anger and kicked him away. The exquisite high heel on her shoe was smashed to pieces.
Bai Xiaoxiao carelessly removed the broken heel and its mate, standing barefoot on the ice. Her gaze returned to her father.
"Do you have anything else to say to me?"
Bai Tianchen glanced at Bai Qinghong, who had been kicked to the ground but was still crawling and begging pitifully. His fists clenched.
Finally, he looked at Bai Xiaoxiao, his face grim, and gritted his teeth.
"Xiaoxiao, I know you hate me…"
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded.
"That's right, and it's only natural."
"But the others are innocent…"
"Innocent? Do you think any of them have harmed me twice over?"
Hearing this, Bai Tianchen fell silent. He finally took a deep breath and looked at her.
"I will bear the responsibility for their mistakes. If you just want to vent your anger, you can kill me, or let me commit suicide. But please, spare the other innocent members of the Bai family."
He paused, then knelt straight.
"Consider it my plea as your father… Xiaoxiao, spare your brother, spare the Bai family."
Bai Tianchen lowered his head, and with a thud, his forehead hit the icy ground heavily.
This dull sound made every member of the Bai family's hearts tremble.
"Patriarch, you…"
The dignified cultivator at the half-step of life and death, the head of the family, the overlord of a region, willing to sacrifice his life and even his dignity for the family, deeply shocked the Bai family members. Then, they all knelt down together.
This scene was truly heart-wrenching. It made Bai Xiaoxiao feel like the villain. She closed her eyes and laughed.
"So you can beg people too. To be pushed to this extent, it's truly laughable…"
She laughed mockingly, but tears streamed from her eyes, falling to the ground and turning to ice.
Clearly, Bai Tianchen was a qualified patriarch and a qualified father. Of course, he was only a qualified father to Bai Qinghong.
This was precisely why Bai Xiaoxiao felt such sorrow. The people of the Bai family were not as detestable as they seemed, but she had never had a place to belong here.
She was silent for a long time, and only after her tears had dried did she open her eyes and look at Bai Tianchen coldly.
"Alright, it's all over."
Hearing this, everyone's hearts chilled. It seemed the Bai family could not escape this calamity.
At this, Bai Tianchen could no longer remain calm. He couldn't help but look up.
However, Bai Xiaoxiao had already turned away, her voice calm.
"For the upbringing the Bai family provided me more than ten years ago and for my mother's sake, all past matters are hereby settled. From now on, the grievances between me and the Bai family are cleared. We are no longer father and daughter."
"I also hope that we will have no further enmity in the future, otherwise, I will not hesitate to personally annihilate the Bai family."
With that, she casually tossed the dagger to the ground. After taking two steps, she paused, turned her head slightly, and said indifferently.
"This is the last time I will call you Father. Goodbye forever."
With that, Bai Xiaoxiao turned her face away and, without further hesitation, walked towards Ye Yun.
"Master, let's go."
This outcome pleased Ye Yun greatly. He smiled, took his disciple's small hand, and nodded.
"Good disciple, let's go home."
Bai Xiaoxiao was slightly stunned. Her cold expression melted into a spring breeze of a smile.
"Yes, let's go home!"