A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 120 Marrying into the Family

After the battle, the bodies were counted and the casualties were tallied.

In front of the Zhenfusi Yamen, the bloodstains on the bluestone slabs were not yet dry, and the bodies of the constables were carried in one by one and placed in the courtyard.

After counting once, and then again, 46 of the constables died and 127 were injured; 4 of the head constables died and 8 were injured.

Almost everyone who was alive was wrapped in white cloth, stained with red. Some leaned against the wall, panting, while others sat motionless on the steps, their eyes vacant.

The body of Zhou Changqing, the deputy clerk of the Northern Garrison, was found deep in the alley.

It is said that there were still some wicked people who escaped the clutches of the Reincarnation Sect at that time. They refused to give up and insisted on killing Ning Yuechan and Su Bai, who had just killed three True Qi Realm wicked people, to avenge their fellow disciples.

When Zhou Changqing arrived with his men, he rushed forward and fought desperately, managing to repel the demon, but he himself could not stand up again.

When the body was brought back, someone saw that his eyes were still open, staring at the gray sky.

When the news spread, the entire Zhenfu Division remained silent.

However, when his belongings were being inventoried later, someone found a folded piece of paper in his inner pocket. When opened, it contained his hometown address and a hastily written message: "If I cannot return, please inform my mother. Your son has done his duty."

This was not spread outside.

After this battle, the Reincarnation Sect was severely weakened and retreated completely, with no strength left to launch another attack.

In the days that followed, Su Bai was busy comforting the wounded, providing relief to the families of the deceased, and taking stock of the weapons and medicines lost in the warehouse.

People came and went in the yamen, their footsteps clattering, but they all spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid of disturbing something.

A few days later, officials from the prefectural government arrived to inquire about the details of the battle. The leader, surnamed Hu, was a deputy constable, a master of the True Qi Realm, with a square face and a discerning, suspicious air cultivated from years of handling cases. He entered the Zhenfu Division, and without even taking a sip of tea, ordered someone to invite Su Bai over for a talk.

The hall was dimly lit. Hu Tao sat at the head of the table, his gaze fixed on Su Bai's face for a long time.

"Lord Su," he began, his voice low but clear, "you mean, after the demons of the Reincarnation Sect were defeated by Deputy Commissioner Zhou, they disappeared without a trace? I'd like to know, it's said that you and Lord Ning were taken to the inner hall by Lord Zhou to heal your wounds, so why are you back outside?"

Su Bai stood below the hall, his face pale and his lips bloodless, as if his injuries had not yet fully healed.

He nodded, his tone flat: "Lord Hu, everything I said is true."

After we treated our wounds, Lord Ning and I were worried about what was happening outside, and Lord Zhou was also worried that something might happen if we went out. In the end, he decided to go out with us, and as a result, we encountered the enemy.

When we went out, my subordinates Sun Hou and Zheng Shijie both saw it. After we repelled the enemy, Lord Zhou was already seriously injured. Lord Ning and I were already too weak to fight anymore, so we couldn't catch up.

As for where that sorcerer went after being defeated—who knows?

When he said the last three words, he slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at Hu Tao.

Hu Tao didn't speak, he just looked at him and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice.

"Lord Su," he asked again, "describe the characteristics of that sorcerer in more detail."

Su Bai then repeated himself: physique, clothing, weapon, and martial arts style, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if recalling something from a long time ago. Hu Tao listened, occasionally nodding and asking a question or two, to which Su Bai answered flawlessly.

After questioning Su Bai, he went to ask Ning Yuechan. Ning Yuechan was more seriously injured and was leaning against the couch. Her breath was still weak when she spoke, but her answer was exactly the same as Su Bai's.

Hu Tao checked it repeatedly, but couldn't find a single flaw.

He stood at the entrance of the Zhenfusi Yamen, holding the record, and glanced back.

In the courtyard, the constables came and went, some moving things, others cleaning up the bloodstains.

As dusk settled, the lanterns under the eaves were lit, their dim light illuminating the water stains on the bluestone slabs, making them gleam like blood that hadn't quite dried.

He withdrew his gaze, mounted his horse, and returned to the prefectural government to report.

Busy days fly by, and five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The Zhenfu Division organized a memorial service, which was quite large.

The courtyard was filled with white chrysanthemums, and the memorial tablets were covered with names written on them.

The families of the fallen officers stood in the front row. Some wept silently, some tried their best not to cry out loud, and some had cried so much that they were too weak to continue and were being helped up by others.

The constables stood in a line, heads bowed, and no one spoke.

A breeze swept through the yard, causing the white chrysanthemums to sway gently.

After the memorial service ended, Su Bai stood before the memorial tablet for a long time. No one disturbed him.

In the days that followed, he resumed his usual routine—getting up before dawn to practice his skills, handling official business during the day, and meditating until late at night.

The wounded in the yamen gradually recovered, and the losses in the treasury were slowly replenished. Days passed by like flowing water.

And so, another ten days passed peacefully and steadily.

"Lord Su, there's news."

The voice came from the courtyard gate, carrying a hint of urgency. Su Bai was standing under the old locust tree, sheathing his sword. His clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his spine. He took the handkerchief handed to him by the constable and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Beads of sweat slid down his brow and clung to his eyelashes. He blinked.

"explain."

The constable stepped forward half a step and said in a low voice, "It's from Fengshan County. The chief constable of Qingjiang County was found dead in his own home."

Su Bai paused slightly as he wiped his sweat, the handkerchief resting on his forehead.

"Die in your own home?" he asked, his voice low, yet like a stone thrown into a deep well, falling with a heavy weight.

"Yes." The constable's voice lowered even further, almost a whisper. "It's said to have happened last night. When the family found him this morning, he was already cold. He had injuries on his body, like those inflicted by the Cycle of Reincarnation."

Su Bai remained silent.

The courtyard quieted down, with only the rustling of locust tree leaves overhead as the wind blew through it.

He draped the handkerchief over the wooden shelf beside him and slowly sheathed the knife—his movements were much slower than usual, and the blade emitted a soft, long hum as it went into its sheath, as if he were thinking about something else.

He was a mere chief clerk, a figure at the True Qi Realm. In Qingjiang County, he was a man whose every stomp would cause the streets to tremble, a respectable person whom the county magistrate would invite for tea during festivals.

Such a person died quietly in his own home, on his own turf, in the yard where his wife, children, and elderly relatives were all present, in the place where he should have felt safest.

Su Bai lowered his eyes, looking at the old strips of cloth wrapped around the hilt of the knife, which had been polished smooth by his palms over the years.

He remembered that night, the way Zhou Changqing collapsed in the alley. Blood spread from beneath him, black in the moonlight.

Rotation of teaching.

"I understand," he said.

The constables withdrew quickly, as if afraid to linger for even a moment longer.

Su Bai stood still, looking up at the old locust tree. Its bark was cracked, with a deep, old scar, the source of which was unknown. He stared at it for a long time.

Qingjiang County was a county under the jurisdiction of Fengshan County and was not under his control.

He wanted to investigate, but he couldn't get involved.

Separated by government offices, separated by layers upon layers of rules.

We can only wait for news from the prefectural government—if there is any further news.

He withdrew his gaze, stood still again, and gripped the knife.

The flashing of blades and the constant sound of them cutting through the air were deafening.

A few locust tree leaves were swept away by the sharp wind and fell to the ground in a flurry.

This time, however, each cut was heavier than before.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was like something growling softly.

Ning Yuechan arrived in the afternoon.

Her injury hadn't fully healed, and her steps were still a little unsteady. When her left foot landed, she hesitated slightly, as if aggravating some wound. But her face had regained some color, no longer the ashen white it had been a few days ago.

Upon entering the courtyard, I saw Su Bai sitting on the porch, wiping his knife.

He sat on the veranda, one leg bent, the knife across his knee, a piece of old cloth clutched in his hand, rubbing it from the base to the tip of the blade.

She went over and sat down next to him. The wooden planks of the porch creaked softly under her weight.

Su Bai glanced at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, but he didn't say anything and continued wiping the knife.

The cloth wiped across the blade, making a soft "squeak" sound.

"There's something I need to tell you," Ning Yuechan said.

She turned her head to look at him, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the locust tree leaves, casting patches of light on her shoulders.

"Um."

"My family—" She paused, lowered her eyes as if choosing her words carefully, her fingers unconsciously stroking the fabric of her clothes on her knees, "asked me to pass on a message."

Su Bai's hands continued moving, the cloth still wiping the knife: "What are you saying?"

I want you to go on a blind date with someone.

The hand wiping the knife finally stopped.

Su Bai raised his head and looked at her, his eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes showing a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Ning Yuechan felt somewhat helpless under his gaze, sighed, and finished speaking: "She is a concubine's daughter of the Ning family, named Ning Qingyue. Her father is my second uncle, a great master in the late stage of True Qi, and his words carry some weight in the clan. Although she is born out of wedlock, she is not lowly in the clan because of her father."

As she spoke, she glanced at Su Bai.

Su Bai's face was expressionless; he simply lowered his eyes and slowly stroked the spine of the knife with his fingers.

She added, "My second uncle heard about you from somewhere and thought you were a promising talent, so he asked me to come and ask you what you think."

Su Bai lowered his eyes and continued wiping the knife. The cloth slid across the blade, the movement slower than before.

The blade gleamed, reflecting his features.

He noticed that his brow was slightly furrowed.

"What is my status now?" he said, his tone indifferent, as if discussing something unrelated to himself. "Just a lowly clerk in the Garrison Command, not even a proper official. Your Ning family's daughter, whether born out of wedlock or not, is still a member of the Ning family. Are you worthy of me?"

Ning Yuechan smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning. Her lips curled up, but her eyes remained fixed on him.

"Whether I'm worthy or not isn't for me to decide. My second uncle has his reasons for bringing it up." She paused, her voice lower and slightly hoarse. "Besides, although you're just a constable now, after this battle, who will still see you as an ordinary constable?"

Su Bai didn't reply.

The corridor was quiet for a moment.

The wind swept through the courtyard, causing the dried gourd in the corner of the corridor to sway and bump against a pillar with a soft "thump".

"I've met Ning Qingyue a few times," Ning Yuechan continued, her voice returning to its usual tone. "Although she's a bit arrogant, you know, many children in large families are like that, it's something they develop from a young age, and it's not directed at anyone in particular. But she's not a bad person at heart."

She turned her head to look at the light and shadows swaying in the wind in the courtyard: "She's not bad-looking either. Oval face, well-defined eyebrows and eyes, and a well-proportioned figure. She's somewhat skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her cultivation level—well—is not bad either, at the Soft and Hard Realm, not shameful. If you're interested, you can arrange a day to meet her; if not, I'll decline on your behalf."

After saying that, she stopped talking and just looked at the old locust tree in the yard.

Su Bai placed the knife on his lap, its blade lying horizontally, the autumn sunlight reflecting off it and casting a thin beam of light. He looked up at Ning Yuechan.

She sat on the veranda, the sunlight outlining the lines of her profile with a pale golden edge, the shadow of her eyelashes falling on her cheekbones, trembling slightly.

If someone else had brought this up, he definitely wouldn't have gone.

But it was Ning Yuechan who spoke.

"Okay," Su Bai nodded.

Ning Yuechan nodded.

"Then I'll pick you up in three days."

Three days later, in the afternoon.

Su Bai changed into clean clothes, a gray-blue robe, with the knife still hanging at his waist. Ning Yuechan was waiting for him at the courtyard gate. When he came out, she looked him up and down, said nothing, and simply turned around: "Let's go."

The two walked through the streets and alleys of Qingjiang County, left the city, and walked east along the main road for five or six miles before turning into a side road. On both sides of the side road were mulberry groves, the leaves already turning yellow, rustling in the wind.

The Ning family was a prominent clan in Fengshan County and also owned property in Qingjiang County. At the end of the fork in the road was a manor with blue bricks and gray tiles, and two locust trees in front of the gate, which were more than twice as thick as the one in Su Bai's courtyard.

Ning Yuechan stepped forward and knocked on the door. The doorman clearly recognized her and quickly opened the door, while someone else hurriedly announced her arrival.

Su Bai stood outside the door and looked up at the plaque above the door—the two characters "Ning Yuan" were written in a strong and vigorous style, as if they had been there for many years.

He withdrew his gaze, his expression calm.

After entering, passing through a screen wall, you arrive at the front hall. There are already people waiting in the hall.

A middle-aged man sat in the main seat. He had a clean face, three long wisps of beard under his chin, and a calm yet scrutinizing gaze.

This is Ning Yuechan's second uncle, Ning Zhiyuan, a master of the late stage of True Qi.

A young woman was standing beside him.

With an oval face and well-defined eyebrows and eyes, she was indeed as Ning Yuechan had said, quite good-looking.

She wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a jade pendant tied at her waist. She stood upright, and when her gaze swept over Su Bai, it carried a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny—the kind of scrutiny that children of large families often show when looking at outsiders.

Su Bai clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Senior Ning."

Ning Zhiyuan nodded and gestured for him to sit down.

A maidservant brought tea; the tea had a refreshing aroma and was this year's new tea.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ning Zhiyuan asked Su Bai about his age, hometown, and how many years he had served in the Zhenfu Division.

Su Bai answered each question clearly, though his words were few.

Ning Qingyue remained silent, sitting to the side, occasionally glancing at Su Bai before quickly lowering her eyes again.

She drank her tea very gently; the lid touched the rim of the cup so softly that it was almost inaudible.