âPhewâŠIâve it planned out, but itâs still killing meâŠâ
Bai Yunfei gave a long exhale as he eyed the people here in the hall. To reassure himself, he slapped his chest with a palm.
The pressure was overwhelming. It didnât even begin here, but back in the Core World when he was surrounded by his fellow crafters. The pressure was only made worse now that he was in the hall of the Tang and listened to the elders speak. He didnât even have the heart to speak up now, and the way he was being stared at only made it worse.
Luckily, Shen Pojun seemed to understand Bai Yunfeiâs unease and asked permission for Tang Xinyun and Bai Yunfei to leave so Tang Xinyun could visit her mother.
Bai Yunfei felt as though he had just received a huge pardon. Gratefully, he and the others of his generation left the hall.
It wasnât until they left the hall that Li Chengfeng spoke up, âHaha, that was some considerable amount of pressure back there.â
Tang Xinyun smiled, âLetâs visit my mother, itâs been far too long since I last saw herâŠâ
In truth, she felt guilty whenever she thought about her mother.
âLetâs get going, then.â
âSister! Brother Bai!!â
Suddenly, an ecstatic voice came calling out to them from the right. The owner of the voice mustâve been waiting for them outside the hall for quite some time.
âTang Ming?â Bai Yunfei smiled, âItâs been a long time, look how tall youâve got! Ah, you look like youâre close to becoming a Soul King already? Good goodâŠâ
The one coming toward them was Tang Xinyunâs little brother, Tang Ming. He had grown up to be quite the elegant man and slightly taller than Bai Yunfei. Though a Peak Late-stage Soul Exalt, he was not far from the realm of Soul Kings.
But the way he acted around them made Bai Yunfei feel like Tang Ming was still the same young kid from all those years ago. If anything, the look of respect he was getting from Tang Ming was far greater than beforeâŠÂ
It was practically overflowing, the admiration. The âlegendsâ that spoke of Bai Yunfei were something Tang Ming listened religiously almost, and the man was essentially an idol for him. Having Bai Yunfei as a âbrother-in-lawâ filled him with the utmost pride and was quite often the topic of conversation among his friends, much to the envy of others.
âHaha, Iâm not very slow, but itâs nothing compared to you, big brother BaiâŠâ Tang Ming replied modestly.
He, of course, wanted to accompany them as they traveled to meet Tang Xinyunâs mother. As it just so happened, his own mother was currently with Tang Xinyunâs mother.
Tang Mingâs mother was the third wife of Tang Qianlei, Hua Yueying. Initially, the cold shoulder received by Tang Xinyunâs mother was due to Hua Yueying, hence why Tang Xinyun had a very bitter relationship with her. But over the years, the relationship between the two mothers improved to a considerable degree.
âAh, little Ming, where is third brother? Why havenât I seen him yet?â Tang Xinyun asked as they walked through the courtyards.
âOh him? Heâs outside training right now. He came back three months ago, so I think heâll be back soon. He and Yan Lin are both Peak Late-stage Soul Kings! I think he told me heâs going to the Soulbeast Forest to try and breakthroughâŠâ Tang Mingâs eyes lit up when he talked about his third brother, evidently, he admired him as well.
âHeâs close to becoming a Soul Emperor?â Bai Yunfei murmured, âThe Soulbeast Forest? HeâŠmust be going to the Tomb of the Emperor Beasts then? With his talent, Iâm sure breaking through wonât be a problemâŠâ
Tang Wei was a man of considerable talent. And with a soulbeast partner as powerful as Yan Lin, Bai Yunfei was sure that the two wouldnât have any problems in the Tomb of the Emperor Beasts. As long as a Soul Emperor-leveled soulbeast was there to guide the way, there was no way Yan Lin wouldnât breakthrough. And that by extension meant Tang Wei.Â
But if Tang Wei was somehow unable to enter the tomb, he should still gain enough benefits from their soul contract and breakthrough anyway.
âŠâŠ
By now, the group was getting close to where Tang Xinyunâs mother was. Bai Yunfei could already sense her aura getting closer to them as well. As they walked over the cobblestone road, the group saw another set of people walk toward them across a small bridge. Of the group, one of them on the left was most definitely Tang Xinyunâs mother.
Plenty had changed about the woman since their last meeting. Contrary to the passage of time, the woman looked quite young. Without a poison taxing her body anymore, she was looking far healthier and more youthful. For soul cultivators, maintaining their youthful appearance was nothing but a minor problem.
By her side was another woman much younger than her. Her ovalish face had phoenix-shaped eyes, and even her walk had a graceful feel to it. It was Tang Mingâs mother, Hua Yueying.
âMother!!â
Excited to see her mother, Tang Xinyun ran quickly across the pathway to run into the arms of her mother at long last.
Having been chatting with Hua Yueying about something, Chu Qingxue took a moment before she realized there were guests here. And when she noticed that Tang Xinyun was among those guests, her body began to quiver in excitement as well.
By the time Bai Yunfei reached the two, Tang Xinyun was already hugging her mother while Tang Ming walked up to his own mother to greet her. He bowed politely to the two but otherwise remained quiet so he wouldnât disturb the reunion between mother and daughter.
It was then that Bai Yunfei noted someone was pulling at his sleeves. Turning his head, he realized it was Huangfu Rui. âAhâRui?â He whispered, confused by the strange expression on her face, âWhatâs wrong?â
She was staring at Hua Yueying, âBrother Yunfei,â She whispered back, âthat personâŠis being controlled by Soul Puppetry!â
âWhat!?â
He could hardly prevent himself from exhaling sharply. Facing Huangfu Rui in earnest, he began to speak with her via the soul, âSay that again, AhâRui? Whoâs being controlled by Soul Puppetry? Are you sure?â
He was deeply confused because Huangfu Rui wasâŠstill looking at Hua Yueying!
Though Bai Yunfei wanted to avoid a disturbance, Huangfu Rui didnât think that far. She initially spoke quietly because she hadnât been very sure of herself, but she was pointing now that she was more confident. âIâm not wrong, brother Yunfei, itâs her. Iâm sure sheâs being controlled, Iâm getting the same feeling as with brother Zhiqiuâs father.â
With how she was pointing and how loudly she was speaking, Bai Yunfei couldnât even stop the others from noticing even if he tried. Already, Tang Xinyun and her mother were listening in now and following where she was pointing in strange curiosity.
âWhat?â
The woman in question, Hua Yueying, had been smiling as she spoke with Tang Xinyunâs mother. She had been startled to see Bai Yunfei staring at her. But then she turned around, confused on whether or not it was her or the servant girl next to her that was being pointed at.
A silent breath of relief escaped from Bai Yunfeiâs lips. It was at that moment that she realized Hua Yueying wasnât the person Huangfu Rui was pointing at, it was the servant girl!
Things would seriously be trouble if it was Hua Yueying that was being controlled by Soul Puppetry!
At the sight of the middle-aged maid, Bai Yunfei casted a withering glare at her, causing her to immediately freeze in place with fear.
âWhatâs wrongâŠYunfei?â
Havenât not heard the exact details of what Huangfu Rui said, Tang Xinyun was confused by why Bai Yunfei was acting this way. Already, she, her mother, and Hua Yueying were starting to question what was going on.
âThis person is being controlled by Soul Puppetry, sheâs a puppet of the Soul Refining School.â
âWhat!?â Tang Xinyunâs hand flew to her mouth, shocked. âThatâsâŠhow could that be? Are you sure, Yunfei?â
âHuangfu Rui said it, so it must be true.â
âWhat are you talking about? Cui Ying canât be a puppet of the Soul Refining School. Itâs simply impossibleâŠâ Hua Yueying was becoming flustered now, âSheâs been my maid ever since I was young. How could she possibly be with the Soul Refining School?â
âPlease donât panic, aunty Hua. I said sheâs being controlled, not that sheâs an insider. We can undo the Soul Puppetry. The method to do so wonât harm her even if sheâs not a puppet.â
âStilâŠâ Hua Yueying still didnât seem to believe Bai Yunfeiâs words. Everything was happening far too fast for her to properly digest.
Feeling that he was getting nowhere with this conversation, Bai Yunfei took out a single pill. âThis is a truth pill. Everything will be clear if we administer this to her and ask a few questions. No harm will be done to her.â
Soulscanning an âinnocentâ person, even if they were a Soul Puppet, was not something Bai Yunfei wanted to do. Therefore, a truth pill was an easier solution, especially on a Soul Sprite. There was no way such a person would be able to resist its effects.
As doubtful as Hua Yueying was, her fear of the Soul Refining School finally convinced her in the end. The recent horrors of Soul Puppetry wasnât unknown to her, but she still found it incredibly hard to believe that her maid of over a dozen years would be one of those unfortunate victims. In the end, she relented to Bai Yunfeiâs actions for the sake of knowing the truth.
And so the pill was administered to the maid. And once a few questions were asked, Bai Yunfeiâs groups were alarmed to hear thatâŠÂ