Chapter 33: Smile

I tore off my mask, my voice trembling with urgent sobs as I shouted at Bai Xiaoli, “Silly girl, the one you love has come to marry you!”

Clang!

The dagger slipped from Bai Xiaoli’s hand and clattered crisply onto the deck the moment she saw my unmasked face. She stared at me in utter disbelief, her expression frozen.

I rushed to her side, kicked the dagger away, and quickly took some medicinal herbs for staunching blood from my pocket. I ground them and applied them gently to her wound.

Throughout it all, Bai Xiaoli remained stunned, only coming to her senses once I finished bandaging her. Suddenly, she grabbed my shoulders, her large eyes fixed on me as she asked, “Pi Yangxi, is it truly you? Am I not dreaming?”

Startled by her reaction, I steadied myself and gently stroked her short hair, which just brushed her ears. “Silly girl, it’s me. I’ve come to marry you. Don’t ever do something so foolish again, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

“Mm!” Hearing my words, Bai Xiaoli finally let out a delicate laugh—her smile shining through tears was truly beautiful. She rested her head against my chest, her eyes still shimmering with tears, but filled with happiness as she nodded.

Just as we were immersed in our joy, a knock sounded at the door. Outside, Bai Ranhai called, “Master, why have you locked the door? Open up, I have something to discuss.”

“All right, Xiaoli, your father-in-law has come knocking,” I said to the girl in my arms with a smile.

Bai Xiaoli stuck her tongue out at me playfully before opening the cabin door. When Bai Ranhai saw me inside, he was utterly stunned. He stood there dazed for three or four minutes, only snapping out of it when Bai Xiaoli tugged at him. He looked at me in confusion and asked, “Pi Yangxi, why are you here? Where did the Master go?”

For a moment, I didn’t know how to explain, but thankfully, Bai Xiaoli recounted the entire story for him. After hearing it, Bai Ranhai’s expression grew quite complicated, but there was newfound respect in his eyes as he looked at me. Then he asked, “Little Xi, what if Madam Wan really is your master?”

I nodded. “That’s right, Uncle Bai. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to meet her.”

Only then did Bai Ranhai show a satisfied smile. “Little Xi, honestly, I think you’re much better than that Chen Zhiqiang. I’m actually quite pleased with you. When we get the chance, pick a good day and marry Xiaoli. That way, we’ll fulfill your grandfather’s wish as well.”

I knew what truly pleased Bai Ranhai was not me, but the strength I had just demonstrated and the powerful figure of Madam Wan behind me. Still, since I was able to settle the marriage with Bai Xiaoli, I had no intention of quibbling with him—after all, I would have to call him father-in-law from now on.

After discussing the wedding, Bai Ranhai brought in two men in uniforms. He explained they were from a special department and needed to register my information. He also told me that today’s events had been classified and warned me not to spread word of them.

My grandfather had long served the nation by transporting important artifacts, so I was well aware of this department’s existence and wasn’t at all surprised.

Once I finished registering, Bai Ranhai took Bai Xiaoli to the hospital to have her wounds treated. I told Xiaoli I had a few matters to attend to. After they left, I dove straight into the river.

It was clear to me that the gray dragon at the river’s bottom had helped me tremendously. Yet, why hadn’t Chen Yetian and the others been able to find any trace of it? This question gnawed at my heart.

I swam to the spot where the gray dragon had once been trapped by the Feng Shui Bureau. All I found beneath the water was a stretch of yellow sand; the dragon was nowhere to be seen, nor could I feel the oppressive aura that had lingered there the day before.

How strange—could the gray dragon have escaped its bonds? I surfaced to catch my breath, then dove back down beneath the sand, but saw no sign of the dragon.

Recalling my encounter with the dragon the previous day, I drew my demon-whip from my waist and lashed it hard at the riverbed. A cloud of murky sand billowed up.

As the water cleared, I saw a water serpent with gray-white scales slither out from the sand. It bore several wounds, still smeared with the medicine I had applied yesterday. It had to be the gray dragon.

I couldn’t help but laugh quietly—so the gray dragon had already gained sentience. Not wishing to be discovered, it had concealed its presence and disguised itself as a serpent.

“Grand Dragon, thank you for your help today. Don’t worry, in the coming days I’ll find a way to break the Feng Shui Bureau’s trap that binds you and help you reach the sea.” I hadn’t forgotten my promise. Yet, the trap on the Dragonhead Canal wasn’t something easily undone; I would need to plan carefully.

The gray dragon, now in the guise of a snake, flicked its tongue at me before slipping back into the water. It seemed to have understood my words.

Climbing ashore, I pondered what the man in black had told me: My wedding day would also be my funeral. Clearly, he had left some hidden threat for me. I needed a plan to deal with it.

But today was Saturday, and Pi Liner would be back at the shop to rest that afternoon. I had to hurry home to prepare lunch for her. On the way, I felt a heavy weight pressing on my back, as if something invisible were bearing down on my shoulders. Yet, when I reached back to touch it, there was nothing there.

Stranger still, when I arrived home, the door was locked tight as I’d left it, but inside there was a lavish meal already set out, as if someone had prepared a feast in my absence.