Chapter 12
The Agreement
"Lady Bai, can I ask—are you from any sect or clan?"
Once he calmed down, Tang Xiuhan asked the question he most wanted to know.
Bai Fanxian thought it over. Right now her Alchemy Residence had disappeared. She could say she wasn't affiliated with anyone, right?
"No. I'm on my own," she answered calmly.
"Oh, now I have this child too. She belongs to me." Bai Fanxian gently patted Hui'er's head, making the little girl beam happily.
"I see..."
Tang Xiuhan breathed a sigh of relief. What he worried about was that she might be the descendant of some great clan or sect. If that were the case, things would be quite difficult.
"I have a request, Lady Bai. Would you hear me out?"
Tang Xiuhan spoke politely and made his request to Bai Fanxian straightforwardly. This sudden request made the young woman raise her eyebrows in surprise.
"I'd like to ask you to protect someone."
While making his request, Tang Xiuhan looked directly into Bai Fanxian's eyes to show his sincerity.
"Protect someone?"
"Not me." Tang Xiuhan quickly waved his hand in refusal.
"...My daughter."
"I mentioned earlier that I have a daughter about Hui'er's age, right?" Tang Xiuhan began reminiscing. When he talked about his daughter, he looked genuinely happy.
"She's always been frail. Even my father who has extensive medical knowledge can't cure her. But recently there's news that the Divine Doctor has come out of seclusion."
"...Divine Doctor?"
"You don't know him, Lady Bai?" Tang Xiuhan asked back in confusion, since the Divine Doctor's name should be widely known among cultivators.
He was a cultivator with both profound medical knowledge and alchemy skills. He could cure many difficult diseases, and he helped people without discrimination. That's why he was ultimately called the Divine Doctor.
"...An interesting title."
Bai Fanxian said. Ten thousand years ago, her title was "Alchemy Empress." What she excelled at most was refining pills, not healing. Though there were times she healed people, it came from the power of the pills she refined.
Hearing the name Divine Doctor made her somewhat interested.
No one knew his real name. Recently he'd been in closed cultivation for 5 years. Finally, news came from his disciples that the Divine Doctor would soon emerge from seclusion.
This made people who heard the news excited with joy. They began traveling to Village Beneath the Clouds where rumors said he would appear.
Tang Xiuhan himself was one of them. When he heard the news, he wanted to rush and bring his youngest daughter immediately. But what worried him most was the matter of safety.
Not just his daughter's health, but also enemies ready to attack the Tang clan as soon as they found out.
For example, the black car that chased him today and nearly caused an accident with Hui'er. There were many clans that wanted to attack the Tang clan both in secret and openly. The Tang clan had influence as an alchemy clan in the city, and on the surface they owned several hospitals.
So there were both ordinary people and cultivators ready to take advantage of them.
Bai Fanxian listened to Tang Xiuhan's explanation quietly.
"I won't trouble you too much, Lady Bai. Just during the journey to take my daughter to see the Divine Doctor." Tang Xiuhan knew the limits of his request. For someone of Grandmaster-level identity, asking them to protect one little child constantly seemed quite unreasonable and a bit presumptuous too.
"You already have these people, don't you?"
Bai Fanxian looked at Ama and Atian. Both were also cultivators, and they already worked for the Tang clan.
"The enemies this time aren't at a level Martial Artists can handle." Tang Xiuhan sighed softly.
"There are several Grandmasters targeting the Tang clan. If my father who's a Martial Master 6th stage wasn't there, the Tang clan would have already collapsed." He continued with sadness.
"I don't have any talent for cultivation myself. At my age I'm still stuck at Qi Gathering 10th stage." He laughed dryly at his own inadequacy.
But both Ama and Atian objected in their hearts. Even though the master's cultivation talent was low, Tang Xiuhan was a business genius. Under his management, the Tang clan's hospital chain had grown tremendously over the past 20 years.
The black car drove into the grounds of a large house. The guards on duty immediately opened the gate when they saw the car. Hui'er noticed the changes outside through the window and watched with interest.
After passing through the gate, what appeared was a spacious lawn with well-maintained trees. At the end was a large modern mansion built exquisitely.
When the car stopped, Ama quickly got out to open the door for the master and guests efficiently. The sight of Bai Fanxian stepping gracefully out of the car in her ancient clothing drew plenty of attention from the waiting servants.
Little Hui'er jumped down from the car with Ama's help. She thanked him and refused Ama's kind offer to carry the large bag for her.
"Please, this way, Lady Bai." Tang Xiuhan gestured politely to invite Bai Fanxian. This created surprise for the watching servants once again.
Who was this guest? For their master to give her such importance.
If even the master treated her so politely, they quickly put away their curiosity.
"Welcome home, Master." An elderly butler with a kind smile stepped forward to greet him according to duty. He looked at Bai Fanxian with surprise then asked:
"Do we have guests today?"
"Yes. Uncle Huang, please prepare food and a room for tonight." Tang Xiuhan spoke politely to the elderly butler. This Uncle Huang had been with his father since he was young and had raised him since childhood. So even though he was the master of the house, he still treated the elderly butler with respect.
"Yes, Master." Uncle Huang nodded. He bent down to look at Hui'er who was hiding behind Bai Fanxian and peeking at him with curiosity, affectionately.
"Should I prepare a separate room for the young miss?"
"N-no...I'll stay with my lady." Hui'er refused softly. She used the hand not holding the bag to tightly grip Bai Fanxian's sleeve.
"Ho ho, then I'll prepare an extra bed." Uncle Huang laughed softly, then excused himself to give orders to prepare the guest room as quickly as possible.
Tang Xiuhan led them into the reception room. There were comfortable sofas and a large television, along with many other amenities prepared there.
"Lady Bai, please have a seat first." Tang Xiuhan invited Bai Fanxian to sit on the long sofa. He didn't forget to say the same to Hui'er.
"Refreshments, Master."
Uncle Huang who had disappeared returned with a cart that had tea and snacks on it. He served tea skillfully along with good cheesecake to everyone including Hui'er, and added several small cookie pieces next to the little girl's plate.
"Thank you! Grandpa."
Hui'er thanked Uncle Huang happily, and Uncle Huang laughed heartily with affection. He seemed quite delighted to see the little girl call him grandpa and happily eat the snacks he gave.
The young miss of the house was sick and unwell, so the house wasn't very cheerful. And when she ate anything, she ate so little it was worrying.
"You're back?"
A gentle voice rang out from the doorway. A middle-aged woman who looked elegant stepped into the room with a warm smile on her face. When she saw there were guests, she asked in surprise:
"Oh? Do we have guests?"
"Xinlan, come greet Lady Bai first." Tang Xiuhan stood up to meet his wife with a smile. He brought her over and introduced her to Bai Fanxian.
"My name is Tang Xinlan. Pleased to meet you." Tang Xinlan greeted Bai Fanxian politely.
"Hello."
Bai Fanxian just greeted simply. That didn't make Tang Xinlan angry or displeased at all. She had been Tang Xiuhan's wife for decades. Looking at how her husband treated the young woman in front of her, she already knew she was no ordinary person.
"This child is so adorable..."
Tang Xinlan glanced at Hui'er who was eating cookies in big bites until her little cheeks puffed up like a squirrel and murmured without realizing.
"That child is named Hui'er. Can I ask you to look after her while I discuss business with Lady Bai?" Tang Xiuhan asked his wife, who readily nodded in agreement. She stood up and led Hui'er to another sofa near the TV after Hui'er received permission from her lady.
The plate of snacks and tea were moved over by Uncle Huang, who appeared from nowhere. He secretly served several more pieces of cake.
Bai Fanxian glanced at her little follower who was happily content with a faint smile at the corner of her lips. That made both male and female servants gasp in amazement.
Only Tang Xiuhan and Uncle Huang watched calmly.
"Lady Bai, about what we were discussing in the car..."
The middle-aged man brought up the topic.
"Don't worry about compensation at all. I'll prepare it appropriately for you."
"Or if you have other needs, just let me know. Not just me, but the Tang clan will do everything we can to fulfill them." Tang Xiuhan spoke straightforwardly, secretly watching Bai Fanxian's indifferent demeanor with concern.
He didn't state the compensation as a number. So he just threw out a feeler in case the young woman had some special needs he could fulfill.
After all, the Tang clan was renowned for alchemy among cultivators. He was prepared if the young woman demanded rare pills or materials. He knew well that the price of a Grandmaster-level cultivator couldn't be cheap.
But the young woman's answer surprised him.
Because it wasn't a huge sum of money or precious pills.
"A house...I need a house."