The assembly to "confront the traitor" had ended on a sour note.
As she left, City Lord Xiaojingji of Tianmi turned back with one final question:"Daoist Wu, yesterday a police officer trialed your game. Did he win or lose?"
Wu Qiong responded with deliberate ambiguity:"The officer was merely sent to assess the safety of the platform. Any specific results will be released by the authorities."
Xiaojingji gave Wu Qiong a long, meaningful look. Conversing with this old monster—who might've lived for centuries—never yielded anything direct.
She said nothing more and departed with her entourage.
Once the crowd had thinned, Huang Peiyu stepped out from the shadows with his young apprentice, Zhuang Mo.
The veteran officer eyed the father and daughter, a knowing glint in his gaze.
Wu Qiong bowed politely. "Officer Huang. Officer Zhuang."
"You're too kind, Daoist," Huang said, glancing around the vast, echoing hall. "Whale Fall City… a place every power covets. Times are getting turbulent here. I suspect peace won't last long."
Wu Qiong offered a weary smile but held his tongue.
Huang Peiyu's eyes swept casually over Wu Qiong's neck and paused. He chuckled inwardly—so even this stoic old Daoist wasn't entirely immune to the pleasures of the flesh?
He masked his amusement and pointed to his apprentice."The precinct's overloaded. We don't have the manpower to spare for long-term security detail around Whale Fall. So if you don't mind, I'll leave little Zhuang here for a while."
Before Wu Qiong could object, Huang turned to his apprentice and ordered:"Zhuang, stay sharp. Report anything strange immediately. Don't act on your own."
Zhuang Mo's eyes kept drifting toward Bai Shuang. When he realized his assignment involved sticking around the city—and her—he beamed."Yes, sir," he murmured.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" Huang barked. "Quit mooning over pretty girls. Are you a cop or not?"
Zhuang Mo snapped to attention. "Yes, sir! I'll get the job done!"
Huang nodded and looked back to Wu Qiong."No need to thank me. This is what we do."
And just like that, he'd assigned the young officer to Whale Fall, not giving Wu Qiong a chance to object.
Wu Qiong barely hid his disgust. Just a snot-nosed rookie—and already he'd managed to lure his precious daughter away?
Though Zhuang Mo acted reserved in front of Wu Qiong, Bai Shuang eagerly grabbed his hand and said,"Come on, Xiao Hei, I'll show you around the core offices!"
Zhuang shot his master a pleading glance, and with a grudging nod from Huang Peiyu, he let Bai Shuang drag him off into the heart of the city.
Wu Qiong could only sigh and groan.
The boy wasn't even married in yet, and Bai Shuang was already giving him a tour of the inner sanctum.What if he were a spy? All their secrets would be exposed!
As the two lovebirds disappeared down the corridor, Huang Peiyu watched and casually asked,"Daoist Wu, where did you find such a sweet daughter? Come to think of it, why does she carry the surname Bai if you're her adoptive father?"
Wu Qiong's glare sharpened like a blade."Adoptive father? Bai Shuang is my biological daughter!" he snapped.
Then, without another word, Wu Qiong spun on his heel and stormed away, robes flaring in indignation.
Huang Peiyu merely smirked. He could tell it was nonsense—anyone with eyes could see there was no blood relation. Wu Qiong was just upset his little girl had found a boyfriend on her own.
As a father himself, Huang could understand the creeping fear of losing control.
Still, he could also see that Wu Qiong didn't completely despise Zhuang Mo. If he did, the boy never would've been chosen as the first to trial the game.
—
Wu Qiong wandered back to his quarters, defeated. He collapsed onto the sofa, draped in melancholy.Forget losing Whale Fall City—he'd probably lose Bai Shuang first.
Looking young had its drawbacks. On a youthful face, sorrow always looked more like theatrical angst.
Drowsy and bitter, Wu Qiong dozed off and slipped into a dream.
—
"Hey, dummy," said a gentle voice.
It was Bai Mutian, the Second Head of the Bai Family. He appeared beside the sofa, refined and smiling warmly."Why are you napping here again? You'll hurt your neck. I've told you a hundred times."
Wu Qiong pouted."Senior Brother Bai… I can't protect anything. Not the last of the Bai bloodline. Not their legacy. I'm losing it all."
Bai Mutian's celestial beauty broke into a radiant smile as he cradled Wu Qiong in his arms."Bai Shuang has her own path to walk. You can't keep her tethered forever."
Wu Qiong felt like collapsing.This double-life he lived—it was exhausting beyond words.
Outwardly, he wore the mask of the untouchable Daoist.But the modern world didn't care for masks. These days, people celebrated authenticity.
Yet two centuries ago, he'd made a vow to live a life "unmoved by mortal dust."Now the universe was calling in that debt, and he didn't know when he'd be free.
He'd become the very image of abstinence he once pretended to be.
Lonely, isolated—and now, watching the only daughter he raised choose a boy over him.A rookie cop, no less.
"It's your fault!" Wu Qiong pounded on Bai Mutian's chest. "You're the one who bound the Bai lineage to me! I could've lived carefree, but no—you had to leave your legacy in my hands!
"I raised four generations of Bai Family heads—each one of them broke my heart!"
"I'm sorry," Bai Mutian said, gently brushing back his hair. "I never imagined things would turn out like this. I thought Bai Yuan wouldn't live past ten."
Wu Qiong flinched.
Bai Yuan—the Fifth Head of the Bai Family.His deepest regret. His bloodiest guilt.
That boy had clung to Wu Qiong like a puppy, calling "Father, Father" at every turn.
And what had Wu Qiong done? Failed him. Left him to die beneath a pile of rubble.
Over the years, Wu Qiong had buried more than ten Bai family members with his own hands. Each had loved him. Trusted him.
But to him, their deaths had become… expected. Routine.
"I'm sorry, Senior Brother," he whispered, voice cracking. "You entrusted me with Bai Yuan… and I let him die. When he passed…"
He couldn't finish.
The boy who'd always looked sad in life had finally smiled in death.
Death had been his release. His escape from pain.
"It wasn't your fault," Bai Mutian whispered."That was always Bai Yuan's fate. Without your protection, the Bai line would've ended with him. You preserved their legacy. You ensured they lived on."
He kissed Wu Qiong's brow, just as he'd done centuries ago when they parted.
"Sleep now, my child."