Zhu Ping returned to the Bai residence later that afternoon, with the Soul Grass Root.
He was in a very good mood, because despite Gu Wenxian's protests, he still paid for it even though he paid half the actual amount.
He now possessed every ingredient needed for the treatment Bai Jing had prescribed. Now that everything is settled, he just needs to talk to Lord Bai so he can visit Jing'er.
He had barely entered the inner residence when a servant approached and called out to him:
"Master Zhu."
Zhu Ping stopped in his steps and looked at the servant. This wasn't his servant, Zhu Ping's good mood immediately disappeared and he had a bad feeling.
"The Lord wants to see you."
"Now?"
The servant shook his head: "It'll be best if you follow me immediately."
Zhu Ping looked toward his courtyard. Something about the servant's expression made him uneasy: "Where is the Lord?"
"In the main hall."
Zhu Ping handed the medicinal package to his servant: "Take this to my room."
"Yes." His servant took the package and left.
He then followed the waiting servant.
The moment Zhu Ping entered the main hall, he knew something was wrong. Bai Zhenyu sat in the main seat, and Xin Ying was beside him with an amuse expression on her face.
Zhu Ping bowed: "My Lord, you called for me."
Bai Zhenyu did not tell him to rise, but asked instead: "Where were you?"
Zhu Ping remained bent slightly forward and answered: "I went to the business district to buy medicine."
Bai Zhenyu's expression darkened: "Medicine? For whom?"
"Myself, I'm not feeling well."
Xin Ying quietly lifted her teacup, and sneered. The sound was a bit loud in the quiet hall. She does that right after Zhu Ping's response, indicating that he was lying.
"Did buying medicine require you to eat lunch with another man?" Bai Zhengyu asked angrily.
Zhu Ping's heart sank. He finally understood what was happening.
He looked Xin Ying directly in the eyes and asked: "You saw us?"
Xin Ying smiled faintly: "I happened to pass by."
Zhu Ping straightened: "You should have come in to assess the situation. There is a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Bai Zhenyu slammed his palm against the table. The teacups jumped before setting down with tea spilling everywhere.
"You were seen sitting with another man and acting intimately in public! You dare say it was a misunderstanding? Do you take me for a fool?!"
"He is an old acquaintance. We were just at the noodles stall,"
Xin Ying sighed: "Husband, perhaps Zhu Ping should explain who that man actually was."
Bai Zhenyuan's gaze sharpened: "You know him?"
Zhu Ping remained silent for a moment. Then he answered truthfully: "He's Gu Wenxian. My former fiance."
The temperature in the room immediately drops. Bai Zhenyuan stood up and walked towards Zhu Ping slowly: What business do you have eating with Gu Wenxian?"
"I… we were just…" Zhu Ping didn't know how to defend himself for a moment.
Xin Ying lowered her eyes, concealing the satisfaction within them.
"Our engagement ended before I married into the Bai family. We haven't had any improper relationship since." Zhu Ping explained
"And you expect me to believe you happened to meet your former fiance after seventeen years, and he just so happens to invite you to lunch?"
"We really did meet by accident. Today was the first time I've seen Gu Wenxian since I married you, my Lord."
Bai Zhenyuan laughed coldly: "Even if what you're saying is true, as a married Ger, you have no reason associating with your ex!"
Zhu Ping knew denying it would accomplish nothing: "I know I was wrong. I just didn't have any reason to refuse then."
"No reason? Perhaps you found the company there more... nostalgic than the life you have here. Does the shame of our name mean so little to you?"
Zhu Ping opened his mouth to defend himself, but he was cut off by a soft, melodic laugh.
Xin Ying, who had been sitting at the end of the table, gently placed her teacup down. She looked at Zhenyu with eyes full of concern: "Now, now, Husband. Don't be so hard on him. Zhu Ping is a Ger, after all; they are naturally weaker, both in body and in resolve."
She then turned her gaze toward Zhu Ping, with a smile: "I am sure Ping didn't mean anything sinister. It must be so difficult, living in this house while harboring such... unfortunate attachments to the past. When my servant and I saw him, he looked quite desperate. He was practically clinging to that man every word. It's almost pitiful, really."
Zhu Ping clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles white were turning white: "That's a lie. I did no such thing…"
Xin Ying didn't even blink: "My servant and I are not blind, Ping. And we certainly have no reason to fabricate such a disgrace for the Bai family. If you are so desperate for that wretched life you left behind, perhaps you should be honest about it. It would save us all a great deal of trouble."
She sighed, looking back at Zhenyu: "Husband, I suppose when one is as neglected and useless as Ping, they naturally seek comfort in someone of their class. It's a tragedy, but I suppose we shouldn't expect more from someone of his standing."
Zhenyu's expression hardened, his disappointment turned into pure contempt as he looked down at Zhu Ping. "You hear her, right? If you have such a longing for the gutter, then do not be surprised if you eventually find yourself back in it. Do not let me catch you stepping out of line again."
"Why would you listen to everything she says?! She's your wife and so am I. I have been loyal to you for all these years. Why are you doubting me now?!"
Zhu Ping was fed up with Xin Ying and her lies. Just because she's a female and the main wife Bai Zhenyu always takes her side and listens to her every nonsense. All she does is fuel the flames to make others suffer and since she has support, it works particularly well for her.
Zhu Ping's resentment for Xin Ying did reach Bai Zhenyu; unfortunately, Lord Bai responded by striking him.
Bai Zhenyu's hand struck Zhu Ping across the face without warning. Zhu Ping, caught off guard, stumbled sideways.
Bai Zhenyu grabbed Zhu Ping's arm. Another blow struck him, this time sending Zhu Ping directly to the ground.
Pain spread through his shoulder when he hit the floor.
Zhu Ping did not fight back. He only guides his spiritual energy around his internal organs, reinforcing the most vulnerable areas of his body.
Zhu Ping's cultivation had always been high. Higher than most people inside the Bai residence realized. Possibly even higher than Bai Zhenyu's.
But he had never displayed its full extent. There was no benefit in doing so. Especially now.
If he retaliated against his husband, the law would not consider that Bai Zhenyu struck first. A wife attacking his or her husband was considered an offense. For a ger, the consequences are even worse. He would be arrested, beaten and even imprisoned.
And after everything that had happened to Bai Jing, Zhu Ping refused to create another scandal that could be used against his son.
So he endured Bai Zhenyu's kicks and punches. All he did was guide his Qi toward his ribs before the impact landed.
He had endured worse things than pain during seventeen years in the Bai residence. What hurt more was knowing that no explanation would matter.
Zhu Ping endured several more blows before Bai Zhenyu finally stepped away.
By then, blood stained the corner of Zhu Ping's mouth.
His clothes were disordered. One side of his face had swollen badly. Yet his eyes remained dry.
Bai Zhenyu stared down at him: "From today onward, you're confined to your courtyard."
Zhu Ping slowly lifted his head: "For how long?"
"Until I decide otherwise."
"I understand."
"You aren't permitted to leave the Bai residence."
"Yes."
"You aren't permitted to receive visitors without my approval."
Zhu Ping's fingers tightened against the floor. That restriction mattered far more. If Bai Jing returned… If someone brought news of him...
Zhu Ping lowered his eyes: "I understand."
Bai Zhenyu's expression remained cold: "If I discover that you've met that man again—"
"You won't." Zhu Ping interrupted.
"..." Bai Zhenyu frowned.
Zhu Ping looked directly at him and said slowly: "I haven't seen Gu Wenxian for seventeen years. He has a wife he loves and a child on the way. Whatever existed between us ended before I entered this family. You have to believe my Lord. If I still have feelings for Gu Wenxian, I wouldn't have come back here."
For a brief moment, something complicated appeared in Bai Zhenyu's eyes. Jealousy, anger, and insecurity, but it quickly disappeared.
"Take him away." He ordered.
Two servants entered from outside.
Zhu Ping pushed himself upright before either could touch him. His legs trembled, but he remained standing.
"I can walk." He bowed toward Bai Zhenyu, then he turned and left.
Zhu Ping might look weak, but he's very stubborn. Lord Bai knows that much about him.
...
When Zhu Ping reached his courtyard, his servant rushed forward: "Master!"
"I'm fine."
"How can you be fine?"
The servant's eyes reddened upon seeing his injuries: "Should I call a physician?"
"No."
"But…"
"No physician, I'm fine."
Zhu Ping sat carefully beside the table.nEvery movement hurts.
He closed his eyes and circulated his Qi through his body. The injuries looked terrible from the outside, but his internal organs were mostly unharmed. He wasn't stupid enough to allow himself any internal injuries.
His servant stood helplessly beside him.
Zhu Ping eventually opened his eyes: "Where's the medicine?"
"What?"
"The package I brought home."
The servant quickly retrieved it.
Zhu Ping opened the wrapping. Inside rested the Soul Flower Root he had searched for all morning. A faint smile appeared despite his swollen face. At least the trip hadn't been for nothing.
"Master..." The servant called out worriedly
Zhu Ping looked toward the window.
Somewhere far beyond Qingzhou, Bai Jing was living in a village with the husband he had been forced to marry.
Zhu Ping wondered whether his child was eating well. Whether Ye Cheng treated him kindly.
He hoped Bai Jing would never have to learn the same lesson Zhu Ping had learned long ago. Strength did not always mean freedom.
A person could possess enough cultivation to fight back and still be bound by laws, family, reputation and rules written by people who would never suffer beneath them.
Zhu Ping lowered his gaze toward the medicinal root.
For himself, he could endure. It was he who allowed himself to get into this mess anyway.
And that was why, when Zhao Yuyuan appeared before him a week later and casually mentioned visiting Bai Jing, Zhu Ping panicked