The inner garden was peaceful, filled with the scent of medicinal herbs and warmed by the sun.
Mu Yuelan sat beneath a blossom tree, a delicate zither resting beside her as she sipped a cup of fragrant tea.
Her robe was light blue, trimmed with silver vine embroidery, and her long black hair shimmered under the light. She looked peaceful, yet refined—like a moonlit lake.
As footsteps approached, her head tilted slightly. Then her eyes widened.
“…Zihan’er?”
Her voice was a mix of surprise and disbelief.
The next second, she was already up.
“Zihan’er!”
She rushed across the garden like a gentle breeze—then, like a bolt of wind, swept her son into a tight embrace before he could even brace for it.
“ARGH!”
Bai Zihan almost suffocated under his mother’s embrace.
“You’ve gotten taller again! But you—why are you so thin? Are you not eating well?”
She leaned back slightly, gripping his shoulders as she scanned his face with intense scrutiny, then pinched his cheek.
“Look at this complexion! You’re pale! Missing sleep? Are you cultivating too hard again?!”
Bai Zihan’s lips twitched helplessly.
To be honest, anyone could tell that he was doing better than before, especially with his ascension to the Soul Formation Realm.
And as cultivators, what is not eating? What is missing sleep?
Those things didn’t affect them much. Even if one went over the limit, there were pills to solve those problems.
He knew his mother was overreacting, as always.
“…Mother, I’m fine!”
“Fine?! You call this fine?”
She huffed, brushing a strand of hair from his face.
“I swear, if you’ve lost even a single jin of weight since last year—”
Ahem!
Mu Qingyuan cleared his throat with a slightly awkward expression from a few steps away.
“Sister, maybe let the boy breathe? He didn’t come all the way here just to get pinched to death.”
Mu Yuelan reluctantly let go but kept one hand protectively on Zihan’s shoulder as she turned, a bit sheepishly.
“Right, right. Sorry. I was just… surprised. I wasn’t expecting him.”
She glanced back at Zihan.
“But I’m so happy you came. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.”
Bai Zihan said, offering a small smile.
“Well,” Qingyuan said with a grin, “your nephew has something to ask you.”
“Oh?”
She turned her full attention back to her son, eyes gleaming.
“What is it, Zihan’er? Whatever you need, just say the word.”
Bai Zihan rubbed the back of his neck.
“I came to invite you,” he said. “To celebrate my birthday.”
Mu Yuelan blinked—then her eyes widened in realization.
“Your birthday… of course!”
She clasped her hands together, a proud gleam lighting her face.
“How could I forget?! Don’t worry, Zihan—I’ve already prepared two gifts for you. One for this year—and one to make up for missing last year.”
Her voice was practically bubbling with excitement.
“You’re going to love them. I promise! I’ve been working on one of them for over a year—it’s not just rare, it’s perfectly suited for you!”
“You really didn’t have to go that far…”
“Nonsense!”
She waved her hand sharply.
“It’s your birthday! My baby boy’s birthday! You only turn this age once, and I won’t let anyone say the Mu Clan doesn’t know how to dote on their own!”
“…Baby boy?”
Bai Zihan muttered, horrified.
He was already turning 17, and many people would tremble at the mention of his name. Still being called a baby boy by his mother was another kind of tribulation.
Mu Qingyuan couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head.
“Sister, enough already. He’s not five anymore. He’s almost an adult! A Soul Formation Realm cultivator, no less—and already engaged, too!”
The laughter died instantly.
Mu Yuelan froze, eyes narrowing.
“Engaged?”
Mu Qingyuan blinked.
A beat of silence passed.
“Oh no!”
He immediately looked away, sipping his tea a little too quickly and pretending to admire the flowers blooming at the edge of the courtyard.
Mu Yuelan turned back to her son, her grip tightening slightly on his shoulder.
“Zihan’er,” she said slowly. “What was that about?”
“You mean about me being engaged?”
“Yes!”
“Well… yeah. I was engaged last year.”
“You were what?”
She said in a quiet voice, the pitch dangerously even.
“Yeah! Didn’t Father inform you?”
He looked confused, scratching his cheek.
“He did not,” Mu Yuelan hissed through gritted teeth.
Then her gaze shifted—not to rage, but to something colder and far more dangerous: maternal indignation.
“That man really—he dares arrange something this important without even speaking to me?!”
Mu Yuelan’s lips curled into a cold, dangerous smile—one that sent shivers down Bai Zihan’s spine.
“He really asked for it.”
Her spiritual Qi surged slightly, the surrounding herbs trembling as if sensing their mistress’s fury.
“Mother—?”
Before Bai Zihan could say anything else, Mu Yuelan stood up, her sleeves flicking with a crisp snap as she turned on her heel.
“I’ll kill him!”
With that declaration, she soared into the air in a flash of light-blue robes, wind billowing behind her.
Her hair fluttered like a comet’s tail as she flew off across the estate, vanishing beyond the distant pavilions.
Bai Zihan stood frozen for a second.
(Did she really just say she was going to kill Father?)
He didn’t understand why she was this angry. Sure, getting engaged without telling her wasn’t ideal—but to threaten murder over it?
(Wait, actually… knowing their relationship, maybe I do understand.)
Bai Zihan rubbed his temples.
His parents’ relationship had already been walking a tightrope for years.
He had thought that with the matter of Bai Xinyue’s Dao Bone finally resolved, the tension between them would fade—but this might only make things worse.
He needed to stop her.
He spun on his heel and ran down the stone path.
“Grand Elder!”
He reached the Main Hall where Bai Ren was still enjoying a cup of medicinal tea, sighing in comfort.
“Ah, Zihan? What is it—?”
Bai Ren asked, seeing that Bai Zihan was in a hurry.
“We have a problem!”
The old man frowned, placing the teacup down.
“What kind of problem?”
“Mother stormed off saying she’s going to kill Father!”
Bai Ren blinked.
Then he stood up slowly.
“Oh dear! Did things escalate to this point?”
“I think we should go back. Right now!”
The Grand Elder stroked his beard, then sighed.
“Yeah, we should!”
He looked at Bai Zihan.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Gather the guards. We’ll take the ship back immediately before she gets there first.”
“You’re the one sitting!”
“Don’t talk back to your elders! Go, go!”
The peaceful day at the Mu Clan suddenly turned into a flurry of motion as Bai Zihan and Grand Elder Bai Ren quickly gathered their escort.
Whatever was waiting back at the Bai Clan… it certainly wasn’t going to be peaceful.