Yu Wenjin followed the scrawny man to a two-story house just outside of the village.
From the way the house looked, it used to be a mansion of the local gentry. It was surrounded by tall fences, and its roof was covered with green glazed tiles. Two human-sized stone lions were set by the entrance. In the courtyard, a white-haired woman sat in a rocking chair and was enjoying the afternoon sun that came through the grape vines above her. It was supposed to be a cozy country scene.
However, the peace and serenity of the scene were disrupted by a large green snake that coiled itself by the old woman’s feet.
“Granny.” Yu Wenjin was not disturbed by the eerie scene as she readily greeted the old woman.
The white-haired woman opened her eyes and cracked a loving smile.
“Have you bid farewell to your friends?”
Her voice was a stark contrast with her appearance; it was like a wailing of a night owl. Her voice and the snake completed a ghostly portrait of the old woman.
“Yes.” Yu Wenjin scurried toward the old woman; it was as if she felt safer being closer with her.
“Granny Snake, your granddaughter is getting too close to other boys. It makes things very difficult for me.” The scrawny man said as he leaned against the door.
“Rightfully so! My granddaughter is pretty, and boys are attracted to her. That’s just how it is.” Granny Snake’s smile disappeared, and then she refuted in a stern voice: “Zhang Ben, you are sent by Young Master to protect Xiao Jin, not to micromanage her.”
Zhang Ben snorted. He didn’t want to argue with the old woman. Instead, he glared at Yu Wenjin and said: “You must remember at all times that you belong to the young master. If anyone else touches you, I will make sure they won’t be able to touch anything else again.”
His eyes held the savage luster that threatened to kill. It was obvious that it wouldn’t be the first time for him to take someone’s life.
“Yes…” Yu Wenjin lowered her head and replied reluctantly.
She had heard the same old thing from everyone she knew: her granny, father, uncles, aunties, and elders of the village. They all told her the same thing: she belonged to the young master.
“But I have never met him before. Why me?”
Yu Wenjin thought indignantly.
The thought was less unbearable when she lived in the village in the middle of nowhere with her own people. However, ever since she moved to the county town, and met with her classmates, she started to change. She wanted to open herself up to her friends, but whenever she tried to do so, she always got a stern warning from Zhang Ben.
Even Granny Snake nodded in agreement with Zhang Ben. She said to Yu Wenjin: “Xiao Jin, Young Master is a powerful man. It is your honor to be married to him. Your marriage will bring immeasurable prestige and wealth to our family.
“Young Master is coming for you soon. You won’t have to be stuck here forever.”
“Ok, granny. I got it.”
Yu Wenjin managed a calm expression to hide her disappointment.
Without support from her closest and the most trusted person in the world, she couldn’t find it in her to rebel.
Everyone from her hometown knew that the young master was a powerful cultivator. He could kill from miles away, and control hundreds of ghosts at one time. If she denied his blessing and ran away from the marriage, what would happen to her family?
With that thought in mind, a wave of despair rose inside of Yu Wenjin.
Suddenly, a string of chortles came up from outside the door.
“You guys are still waiting for the Young Master?”
“Who is that?”
Zhang Ben sprung up from his chair and readied arms. He tensed up his back as he gazed at the entrance. Meanwhile, Granny Snake remained still, but the commotion had stirred up the green snake by her feet. The snake rose up and hissed at the entrance while the forked tongue slithered in and out of its mouth.
“Granny Snake, Brother Zhang, long time no see!”
They watched as a man sauntered in.
The man was wearing a Manchurian horse riding vest, a pair of cotton shoes. Half of a pocket watch poked out from the chest pocket of the vest. On his face rested a pair of bronze-rimmed round glasses. Although he dressed as if he was cosplaying a young playboy of the last century, the man was well in his forties.
“Lord Bai?” Granny Snake was taken aback. “What are you doing so far away from your home, Bai Wuji?”
“Hehe.” Lord Bai linked his hand behind his back and replied to granny with a silent smile.
He scanned around the house, completely ignoring Zhang Ben in the process. In the end, his gaze rested on frightened Yu Wenjin behind Granny Snake.
“So this is the girl hand picked by Young Master? She has the body of a pure Yin element?”
“So what? She is also my granddaughter. Is there is a problem, Bai Wuji?” Granny Snake asked cautiously.
“Your granddaughter… Haha! What a nice granny. You are pushing your granddaughter to her own grave.” Bai Wuji glanced at Yu Wenjin pitifully and said: “Little girl, do you know why the young master chose you?”
“Why?” Although she didn’t like the intruder one bit, curiosity drove her to ask.
The question was rooted in her mind for a while now. As the young master, he could be with any woman he wanted to, why would he chose her before she even came of age?
“Shut up!” Granny Snake shouted, and her face turned pale.
“Haha! That is because your body contained Arcane Yin Energy.” Bai Wuji laughed out loud. “Being the Vessel of the Arcane Yin Energy is a blessing to a cultivator; moreover, the energy inside of you can be used by others to improve their cultivation.”
“I have heard that the young master had a secret art which he would plant a seed in other people’s body that will feed on its host’s energy. Once the seed was fully grown, he would reap the product and use it to improve his cultivation. They say that such a method can bring a Dao-Reaching Level Master straight into the level of Dharma Cultivation.”
Bai Wuji shook his head as he explained.
“That was the young master’s plan. His father had achieved his level of attainment through the same process, and now his son is trying to do that same thing. If that happens, the balance of power will be disrupted, so we will have to stop him.”
“Granny, is that true?” Yu Wenjin asked Granny Snake incredulously.
Granny Snake’s wrinkled face twitched slightly and then she replied under her breath: “That is the only way. The Young Master is mighty and powerful; he is not someone the Yu family wants to get in the way of. Plus, Young Master’s secret art will only draw the Arcane Yin Energy out of your body, but he won’t hurt you. The Young Master had promised to us that once he had finished using the art on you, he will marry you as his wife.”
She went on excitedly: “Xiao Jin, no matter how difficult and painful it will be, it is worth it to have Young Master as your husband.
“By then, no one would dare to defy you, nor the Yu Family.”
“Granny!” Yu Wenjin moaned ruefully as her heart sank to the bottom.
“That’s enough talking!” Bai Wuji bellowed “Get out of my way, I am taking her with me.”
“Bai! How dare you! Aren’t you afraid of the Young Master’s wrath?” Granny Snake Shrieked.
“I didn’t come alone. I know that you Granny Snake reached the mid-stage of the Dao-Reaching Level. With the help of Zhang Ben, you can kill me with ease.” Bai Wuji laughed.
Behind him, a few more shadowy figures emerged.
They had scaled the wall and entered the house from the back door, blocking Granny Snake’s way out. All three fighters moved nimbly in the darkness, only revealing the glint from their eyes. It was obvious that all three of them were internal force users.
“The six families forged an alliance; In addition to the Bai Family, there are the Li, Yuan, Gong…”
With every name that came out from Bai Wuji’s mouth, surprise flashed in Granny Snake’s eyes.
However, she was unfazed by the development. She snorted and then said: “Six families, so what? You are no match against the Young Master. When the Young Master arrives, you will all be dead.”
Bai Wuji laughed again and replied: “Don’t you find it strange that only I am here but not the other five families?”
Granny Snake’s face paled.
Bai Wuji continued: “The grandmasters of the other five families were already on their way to meet the Young Master. Although they might not be able to kill him, they could at least slow him down for another three days. That should be enough time for me.”
Hearing that, Granny Snake could no longer keep her calm.
Suddenly, she pushed Yu Wenjin toward Zhang Ben and shouted: A”Take her and leave. Find the Young Master. I will stop them.”
Before she finished her words, the green snake by her feet shot out at Bai Wuji. Granny’s eyes turned green as she recited a spell. She stomped the ground with one foot forcefully and summoning a cloud of green smoke.
“Poison!” Bai Wuji and the other three assassins backed away.
When the green smoke dissipated, they saw only Granny Snake standing in the courtyard; Both Zhang Ben and Yu Wenjin were gone.
When Chen Fan saw the two, they were running on the high way. Zhang Ben carried Yu Wenjin with one large arm while running like there was no tomorrow.
“What is going on?”
Chen Fan was confused. This was not what he had expected at all.
“Is she going to run away with her uncle?”