“Welcome back, Young Master!”
Fang Jinyan and Kong Zhanhong stepped forward, their expressions respectful yet eager.
They had been summoned by Bai Zihan through the Transmission Jade.
Bai Zihan gave a nod, then got straight to the point.
“Did anything happen here while I was gone?”
Fang Jinyan stepped forward and gave a slight bow before replying,
“Nothing particularly eventful occurred during your absence, Young Master.”
He paused for a beat, then his expression turned serious.
“However, tensions within the Sect are reaching a breaking point. The two main factions are on the verge of open conflict.”
Bai Zihan’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing—waiting for him to continue.
“The Anti-Sect Leader faction, led by Elder Han, has been especially active. He’s recruiting not just elders, but also top disciples—offering benefits, resources, even access to forbidden techniques.”
Fang Jinyan continued, voice low.
“His ambition is no longer hidden. It’s obvious to anyone now—he intends to seize the Sect Leader’s position for himself.”
Bai Zihan’s expression remained composed.
While he didn’t particularly care who became Sect Leader, the Bai Clan did have a good relationship with the current one.
And even though he disliked that Sect Leader agreed to father’s proposal, the current Sect Leader had helped him get into the Sect through the backdoor.
So, if possible, he wouldn’t mind helping the current leader. But if things truly spiraled out of control—then sorry, he couldn’t do much.
“You’ve been watching them closely!”
He said.
Fang Jinyan nodded.
“I’ve planted eyes inside their fraction. Not deeply yet, but enough to gain key information. The most alarming part is—they’re now involving outsiders.”
“Outsiders?”
Bai Zihan echoed, tone flat.
“They’ve been contacting various clans, seeking external support—especially the Shen Clan,” Fang Jinyan said, lowering his voice.
“The Shen Clan?”
Bai Zihan widened his eyes at the mention of the name that he almost forgot.
Fang Jinyan nodded again.
“As for how they’ll convince them to help… there’s not much to guess.”
He looked directly at Bai Zihan.
Bai Zihan returned the look and gave a knowing nod.
The Shen Clan had always been tied to Elder Han through Elder Shen and Shen Liang.
While the Anti-Sect Leader faction hadn’t supported Elder Shen when things turned bad, they clearly hadn’t forgotten the Shen Clan’s value.
And now, to win their favor, they’d probably made a promise.
A promise to deal with him.
There was a short silence.
“There’s no need to worry about them. If they want to come at me, they’re welcome to try.”
Bai Zihan’s voice was calm, even lazy.
“But they should first ask themselves if they’re stronger than the Li or Zhao Clans.”
Fang Jinyan and Kong Zhanhong exchanged glances, admiration flashing in their eyes.
Indeed, compared to the Li and Zhao Clans, what was the Shen Clan?
Though powerful, they couldn’t even compare to one of the two—let alone both combined.
And Bai Zihan had survived a war against both.
If anything, it was the Shen Clan who should be worried—especially if they want to go against Bai Zihan.
“Fang Jinyan, you’ve done well. Here’s your reward!”
Bai Zihan handed over a jade bottle filled with high-quality cultivation pills.
“Thank you, Young Master!”
Fang Jinyan bowed deeply in gratitude.
Once again, he thought to himself—serving Bai Zihan was truly a Heaven-sent opportunity.
What he had earned in the past few years of hard work for others like Shen Liang paled in comparison to what he’d gotten simply by gathering information for Bai Zihan.
Compared to the risks he once took, this was easy… and far more rewarding.
Then, Bai Zihan turned to Kong Zhanhong.
“Did you prepare what I asked for?”
Kong Zhanhong stepped forward and presented a scroll containing all the information he had gathered, with the key points already summarized.
With practiced precision, Kong Zhanhong unfurled the scroll and began his report in a calm, steady voice.
“The person you asked me to investigate—Nie Fengzhuo—has a rather dramatic history. You could say his story reads like something out of a novel.”
Bai Zihan raised a brow slightly.
“Go on!”
Kong Zhanhong nodded.
“Nie Fengzhuo was once hailed as the number one prodigy of Cloudcrane City, the heartland of the Nie Clan’s territory. By the age of ten, he had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and was expected to reach Core Formation before the age of twelve. The elders called him a once-in-a-century talent, and the city praised him as its future.”
“But… something happened. Out of nowhere, his cultivation plummeted. Not just decreased—completely vanished. No one knows the exact cause. The Nie Clan tried to keep it under wraps, but word eventually spread.”
(Well, standard stuff!)
Bai Zihan thought.
“And the engagement with Bai Xueqing was annulled soon after. But everyone already knew that was coming—Miss Bai Xueqing is considered the number one talent in the entire Desolate Heaven Empire. How could she be expected to marry someone branded as trash? Even the Nie Clan wouldn’t dare hold onto such a dream.”
Bai Zihan nodded at Kong Zhanhong’s reasoning.
“However, what could’ve been a quiet and amicable annulment turned into a disaster for both parties.”
Kong Zhanhong glanced at Bai Zihan to gauge any reaction, but seeing none, he continued.
“Miss Bai Xueqing chose the worst possible time to announce the annulment. It was during the Nie Clan Leader’s birthday celebration, with many prestigious guests present. She canceled the engagement right in front of everyone.”
Kong Zhanhong continued, still mindful of Bai Zihan’s emotions.
He was determined to provide accurate information, but if any part of the truth was likely to anger Bai Zihan—especially saying it was his sister’s fault—he would have left it out.
But Bai Zihan didn’t seem angry. He simply listened, focused.
So, Kong Zhanhong continued, his voice steady and his report thorough.
“Nie Fengzhuo couldn’t take the humiliation—especially the shame his father had to endure because of him and Miss Bai Xueqing’s annulment of their engagement. He reportedly argued with Miss Bai Xueqing and then declared that he would surpass her, and make her regret her words.”
Bai Zihan nodded slightly. It was more or less how he’d imagined things had gone.
It was the kind of thing protagonists went through—first humiliation, then payback.
Of course, he also agreed that the fault lay with his sister for annulling the engagement like that, when she could have handled it discreetly.
He knew full well that his sister wasn’t ignorant of that fact.
But naturally, there were other factors at play.
Like Shen Liang, for example—who clearly couldn’t wait for the engagement to be canceled.
Bai Zihan suspected that Shen Liang might have deliberately arranged for that particular date, even persuading the elders who accompanied Bai Xueqing for the annulment.
If so, the humiliation of the Nie Clan would’ve gone just as Shen Liang intended.
Well, that was his speculation—but it wasn’t far-fetched.
Still, that didn’t mean he was shifting the blame away from Bai Xueqing.
She had been foolish enough to fall for someone else’s scheme. Not that he expected anything different from her.
And even if she had realized later that it was her fault, her pride likely wouldn’t have allowed her to apologize or take back her words.
In the end, she blew out of proportion what could have been resolved calmly and discreetly.