Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Focus

The scene was momentarily awkward.

In the haunted "Chang Residence," Fu Ming had already known that the Twenty-Eight Generals had spirits. At the time, he did not rush to seize the blade because he knew he still needed Bai Zhengliu's martial power.

But after enduring up to now, the result was actually...

Fu Ming's face twitched, and he exerted force once more!

This time, everyone could see: no matter what Fu Ming did, the long blade remained floating in mid-air, not moving an inch!

"Xiao Xiao!" Fu Ming could no longer maintain his composure, took a step back, and called out, "You come take the blade."

Gu Miao was still sorrowful over the unreciprocated feelings. Hearing his lover's words, he froze for a moment, then walked forward and placed his hand on the blade.

In terms of martial prowess, he was indeed far superior to Fu Lang. However, the situation with the blade was obviously strange, and Gu Miao wasn't sure...

Alright.

Gu Miao released his grip and looked at Fu Ming.

No need for more words. This display was enough for Fu Ming to understand the answer.

Fu Ming's heart grew angrier. His expression darkened, and with an inscrutable gaze, he looked at Bai Zhengliu for a moment before finally saying, "It doesn't matter. This blade originally belonged to the royal family, and now it’s in the Liang County Magistrate's house. It must be a gift from the capital. Upon hearing this, the Liang County Magistrate will certainly be happy to receive the favor."

Mei Yinghan couldn’t stand it anymore and said, "Prince Ji! Why go this far?"

Fu Ming turned his head to look at him.

Mei Yinghan said objectively, "This blade has a spirit; clearly, it acknowledges Brother Bai as its master. Moreover, since it has already been given away, there’s no need to make such a scene."

Fu Ming sneered coldly, his gaze shifting between the swordsman and the blade master, "You two certainly have become quite close."

His words carried hidden meaning, but Bai Zhengliu didn’t indulge him.

Had it not been for the current situation, returning the Twenty-Eight Generals to Fu Ming would have been a source of regret for Bai Zhengliu. But as a martial artist of the Jianghu, facing the former owner of the royal family’s beloved weapon, it was unreasonable to refuse to return it.

However, since the Twenty-Eight Generals had already acknowledged him, Bai Zhengliu didn’t hesitate and raised his hand to take the blade once more.In Fu Ming and Gu Miao’s hands, the weapon felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, but in Bai Zhengliu's hands, it was light as a feather and was easily returned to his waist.

Fu Ming watched this scene, his face tightening, seeing it only as Bai Zhengliu’s provocation toward him.

Bai Zhengliu looked at him for a moment, then suddenly said, "Since we left the 'Chang Residence,' I've been thinking, what exactly was the formation that Lord Chang had us draw?"

Fu Ming froze for a moment, then impatiently said, "Stop with these meaningless words, just hand over the blade!"

Bai Zhengliu ignored him and continued, "Since the 'spirit talisman' is a 'yin talisman,' then that formation surely isn’t anything good. I’m just guessing, but—do you all remember, Liu Shi once said that Lord Huang first approached Lord Chang because he wanted to 'take over' someone's body?"

For those present, the term "take over" was unfamiliar. But after hearing the context of Lady Huang from Liu Shi's memory, it wasn’t hard to guess that it meant Lord Huang wanted to occupy Lord Chang's body for himself.

Now that Bai Zhengliu mentioned it again, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Think about it—someone who was talking to you just a moment ago, suddenly, without any warning, becomes someone else entirely. And most likely, you wouldn’t even notice, thinking you were still facing the same person.

Bai Zhengliu continued, "Mei Xiong, Gu Lang, Prince Ji. How likely do you think it is that Lord Chang wanted to 'take over' one of us?"

Mei Yinghan slightly furrowed his brows, and Gu Miao sharply inhaled.

Fu Ming, listening, also felt a sense of unease. But not wanting to show weakness in front of Bai Zhengliu, he said, "Taking over, taking over, there's naturally a place for it. We have so many people here, and Lord Chang doesn’t care who fills the formation. Bai Zhengliu, stop spreading such nonsense!"

Bai Zhengliu looked at him and said calmly, "Does he not care, or does he think that no matter who of us fills the formation, it would suit his intentions?"

Fu Ming, "What exactly are you saying…"

Bai Zhengliu, "I, Bai, am not talented, but I can at least say this—'Among all the ghosts in the Chang Residence, I’m probably the one with the highest martial skill.'" Saying this, he glanced at Mei Yinghan and cupped his hands.

This was a gesture of apology. After all, Bai Zhengliu knew that the Tianshan Sect’s senior brother’s martial skills were on par with his own.

Mei Yinghan shook his head, also cupping his hands in return, signaling, "It’s nothing."

Bai Zhengliu turned back and said, "As for you... 'Prince Ji,' is that not enough?"

Fu Ming's pupils shrank suddenly.

Bai Zhengliu pressed further, "A blade forged from a criminal's weapon, but replaced with a true, untainted blade from Prince Ji himself—I think it's worth it. What do you think?"Fu Ming’s face twitched, and he glared at Bai Zhengliu for a long moment, but in the end, he couldn’t refute him.

Not just worth it—it was a stroke of great fortune!

If it was truly, truly a "soul-seizing" formation, then that old ghost named Chang, using his own identity, returning to the capital—how much chaos would that cause? Moreover, if he were to replace him, he would most likely be dead. Even if there were a 20% chance of survival, it would certainly be a fate worse than death, one that couldn't escape.

Seeing Fu Ming’s reaction, Bai Zhengliu understood. He then said, “Looks like Prince Ji also thinks it’s worth it.”

Fu Ming glanced at him, then at Gu Miao and Mei Yinghan standing beside him.

From their expressions, it was clear to him: not only was the Tianshan Sect’s senior brother, who had always sided with the swordsman, convinced, even Gu Miao, who should have stood with him, had been persuaded.

The tide had turned.

Fine, fine, fine… he…

Bai Zhengliu spoke again, “In that case, I will take my leave now.”

Yes, he had figured it out. The twenty-eight generals had originally belonged to him, and he didn’t need Fu Ming’s approval!

Bai Zhengliu turned and left.

Fu Ming gritted his teeth, grinding them so hard they almost cracked... But in the end, he could only swallow his anger, feeling pain in his chest, his heart, his liver, his spleen—he was in agony but couldn’t say anything.

Had he still been in the capital, he might have said something like, “You, for the people of my Fu family, saving the Fu family’s prince was your duty.” But the jianghu was something he had to venture into himself, and the title of "Jianghu Prince" was one he had to establish by himself. If he tried to stop Bai Zhengliu now, word would get out, and his reputation would be ruined.

Fu Ming had no other way. He could only swallow his anger and keep quiet. He silently began to plan, knowing that since the twenty-eight generals could become spirit weapons, he would return and search for other unique magical artifacts.

The dispute here seemed to have come to an end. Soon after, Mei Yinghan also bid farewell to Fu Ming and Gu Miao, setting out on his journey to the western Tianshan Mountains.

He had still felt a bit regretful earlier: "Didn’t we agree? Bai Xiong was supposed to leave with me. But after the previous dispute, Bai Xiong must have already left Guang'an Mansion. Though our paths are headed in the same direction, we might not meet again along the way."

To his surprise, after he had bought supplies for the next few days, and was about to leave the city with his horse, the swordsman was waiting for him at a tea stall outside the city.

When they met, Mei Yinghan was astonished. Bai Zhengliu, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, said, “I was going to ask if Mei Xiong wanted to leave with me. But then I thought, this conflict was between me and Fu Ming, why drag anyone else into it? It’s better if I go ahead first and wait for you outside.”

Mei Yinghan smiled, “Why bother with such small matters? When I said the twenty-eight generals should belong to Bai Xiong, I already got myself involved.”Bai Zhengliu: "I haven’t thanked Mei Xiong for speaking up on my behalf."

Mei Yinghan shook his head: "I only said what needed to be said."

Bai Zhengliu was quiet for a moment, then sighed lightly: "Who could have imagined, when we first arrived in Guang'an Mansion, the situation would be completely different?"

Following his words, Mei Yinghan began to recall.

Yes. Back then, he was still with Gu Miao, and Bai Xiong was with Fu Ming... In just three days, they had not only seen ghosts, but also the human heart.

For a moment, both of them felt a bit melancholic. In the end, it was Bai Zhengliu who broke the silence.

"Let’s not talk about this anymore." The swordsman regretted bringing up a topic that should not have been spoken of, and now tried to use a more casual tone. "Mei Xiong, tell me, how should we proceed on this journey from here?"

Mei Yinghan smiled and spoke thoughtfully: "We will first head west along the main road. Once we reach the next city, we will then go north..."

The two young men drew their swords and held them. One in dark robes, the other in white.

As their voices trailed off, they mounted their horses and rode side by side. Before long, their figures disappeared at the end of the main road.

Bai Zhengliu’s earlier melancholy slowly faded away as the conversation between the two cleared his mind.

He began to truly feel at ease. After all, the time spent with Mei Xiong must have always been carefree and pleasant, right?

...

That night.

Bai and Mei, having left Guang'an Mansion a little later than intended, didn’t make it to the town with an inn in time. They had no choice but to knock on the door of a farm family and request to stay for the night.

Both of them had handsome appearances, fitting the common image of "jianghu heroes." Since they were willing to pay, they quickly found a household that agreed to offer them a room.

But they didn’t just pay money. Seeing that the host needed to cook and gather some hay in the yard, Bai Zhengliu volunteered to help and said, "Big brother! I’ll do it."

Saying that, he easily took a bundle of dried rice straw from the haystack and was about to bring it into the house.This was truly a small matter, so Mei Yinghan didn’t argue with him. He just looked around the yard, pondering how else he could help.

After surveying, he withdrew his gaze and was surprised to find that Bai Zhengliu had not moved from where he stood.

Mei Yinghan asked, puzzled: "Bai Xiong, what are you...?"

Bai Zhengliu, looking at the bundle of straw in his hand, his smile gradually turned serious, and after some thought, he said: "When I first lifted Old Master Chang, it was this kind of feeling."

Technically, he had also lifted Butcher Hu later on. When he found the body of Butcher Hu stuffed with rice straw, Bai Zhengliu should have reacted immediately.

But then, it was that same problem. When he carried Butcher Hu to Chang’s residence, it was raining, and everyone was tense. Since Butcher Hu was not an important figure, Bai Zhengliu had been focused on staying alert to his surroundings, so he hadn’t noticed anything strange about the person he was carrying.

It was only now that he understood.

— The center of gravity.

The center of gravity of a living person and that of a body filled with rice straw are different.

Similarly, a "wandering soul" and a body filled with straw should also be different.

Old Master Chang should have been the former.

But why did the feeling he gave Bai Zhengliu feel like the latter?

Author's Note:

Xiao Bai: The more you think about it, the scarier it gets.