Nan'an City.
Holding a Buddhist staff in one hand and a smoking pipe in the other, with betel nut chewing in his mouth, Su Zhe swaggered down the street in this bizarre attire. Yet passersby treated him with great respect, nodding in greeting and even offering fine tobacco. Of course, this had nothing to do with Su Zhe himself—it was all due to Bai Hehuai walking beside him, nibbling on osmanthus cake.
The Miracle Healer Fairy Bai Hehuai had become quite renowned in Nan'an City.
Munching on osmanthus cake, she eyed the novel trinkets along the roadside with keen interest. Today was the clinic's once-in-ten-days closure, granting her rare leisure. She had been out shopping since early morning, having promised Xiao Chaoyan—who stayed behind to mind the house—not to return without a cartload of purchases. Yet after browsing left and right, not a single item in Nan'an City caught her fancy.
"This is rather unusual." Su Zhe paused at a stall, eyeing a glass vessel beside him. Inside, a golden butterfly fluttered its wings—whether a living creature or a masterfully crafted mechanism was unclear. "How much?"
"This isn't priced in silver," the vendor said haughtily. "Gold only. Thirty taels, not a coin less."
"Thirty taels of gold for this?" Bai Hehuai scoffed. "The craftsmanship is decent, but clearly just the sort of useless trinket Heaven Revelation City's nobility love to flaunt before guests. For something like this to appear at a street market, it's either a fake or—"
"If you're not buying, are you here to make trouble?" The vendor's face darkened as he made to lunge.
"Oho." Su Zhe flicked his Buddhist staff lightly, sending the vendor stumbling back. Bai Hehuai rolled her eyes at him, clasped her hands behind her back, and hummed a tune as she sauntered onward. Su Zhe took a drag from his pipe, blew smoke in the vendor's face, then followed.
"That was stolen. The glass vessel originally bore its owner's seal at the base—he erased it," Bai Hehuai remarked after they'd walked a distance.
Su Zhe nodded. "Figured as much."
"Tch, letting him off like this is irritating." Bai Hehuai wore the expression of one who loathed evil.
"Relax." Su Zhe raised an eyebrow. "In half an hour, a crack will appear on that vessel. An hour after he notices, it'll shatter to pieces."
Bai Hehuai grinned. "Dad's really something."
"Naturally. Skills once used for killing now serve petty mischief." Chewing betel nut, Su Zhe feigned melancholy. "How the mighty have fallen."
Just then, wind chimes from a nearby tavern tinkled crisply in the breeze. Bai Hehuai instinctively looked up, struck by their familiar tone.
"Oh?" Su Zhe halted, tapping his Buddhist staff lightly against the ground. Its golden rings chimed in perfect harmony with the wind chimes.
"I'll be right back." With that, Su Zhe leaped away, Buddhist staff in hand.Bai Hehuai wasn’t particularly surprised. She found a roadside tea stall, sat down, ordered a pot of Longjing tea and a plate of mung bean cakes. After eating and drinking for a while, she let out a long sigh, seeming rather dejected.
“What’s wrong, Miracle Healer? Are our tea and snacks not to your liking?” The stall owner had once sought treatment at the Bai He Medicine Mansion and held great respect for Bai Hehuai. He had already served the best tea leaves he had and freshly baked mung bean cakes, so he had been uneasy to begin with. Now, hearing her sigh, he hurried over to ask.
Bai Hehuai quickly shook her head. “No, no, it’s my own issue today. I originally planned to go out and have a good time, full of excitement, but after half a day of wandering, I still feel bored.”
“Nan’an City is renowned far and wide for having the most novelties,” the stall owner said, relieved. “But you’ve been here for some time now, Miracle Healer. No matter how interesting a place is, it’s natural to grow tired of it after a while. Unless you make it your home—then you’ll see the city in a different light.”
“Oh? So, by your logic, I should go somewhere farther away?” Bai Hehuai murmured.
The stall owner paused. “Well, that’s not a bad idea.”
“You feel bored because you find the company around you boring,” Su Zhe said as he sat down beside her. “Boss, bring me a cup of Longjing too—the best you’ve got.”
“No problem,” the stall owner chuckled.
“Why bother with tea? Let’s just go back to the mansion,” Bai Hehuai muttered, pursing her lips.
“Don’t you want to know who I just met and what I heard?” Su Zhe asked.
“It’s just more Dark River business, isn’t it? I don’t want to hear it. Didn’t you already leave them, Dad? Why are they still bothering you?” Bai Hehuai grumbled.
Su Zhe took a slow drag from his pipe. “If you don’t want to hear it, then I won’t tell you about the news Su Changhe brought regarding Su Muyu.”
Bai Hehuai immediately pushed the plate of mung bean cakes in front of Su Zhe, then personally stood up to take the teapot from the stall owner, pouring Su Zhe a full cup and placing it before him. “Dad, please enjoy your tea!”
“This matter…” Su Zhe picked up a mung bean cake with satisfaction, “will probably spread throughout the entire martial world very soon…”
Two cups of tea and a plate of mung bean cakes later, Su Zhe’s story was finished. He picked up his pipe and leisurely lit some tobacco, while Bai Hehuai rested her chin in her hand, gazing into the distance as if lost in thought.
“Now you can rest easy. Sword Challenge to Unrivaled, completely unscathed. He should be back in a few days,” Su Zhe said, exhaling smoke and glancing at Bai Hehuai, who had just snapped out of her reverie and met his gaze. The moment their eyes locked, Su Zhe inwardly cursed—his right hand tightened around his Buddhist staff, ready to make a quick escape.
“Dad!” Bai Hehuai grabbed his arm.
Su Zhe smiled wryly. “Don’t be impulsive.”
“How many days would it take to reach Peerless City?” Bai Hehuai asked.
Su Zhe sighed. “Half a month! If there’s thunder, rain, heavy snow, or strong winds—at least a month!”
“What if we ride hard, changing horses along the way?” Bai Hehuai pressed.
Su Zhe laughed helplessly. “Then at least seven days!”"To Peerless City," the nearby stall owner overheard and replied. "There happens to be a ship docked at the harbor today. This vessel heads east and will reach Luoyang City in four days. From Luoyang to Peerless City is just a hundred miles away..."
"Oh ho," Bai Hehuai raised an eyebrow.
"Damn it," Su Zhe cursed.
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