Destiny in Cinders

An Jing was at somewhat of a loss for words. Given what he knew about the demonic cult, it wasn't a stretch to imagine the sheer number of secret cultists who were tailing his mother. It was very likely that the supervision that Shen Mubai had felt was from the cult itself.

Alas, saying all that now was pointless. Something odd was definitely happening in Northauspice as well. Sigh... Something big is going to happen in Void Embrace, isn't it? Why isn't there anywhere I can spend my days in peace?

"I am well. I'm not sick and nothing ill has befallen me. I didn't run into any trouble either," Shen Mubai stroked An Jing's face gently. She was incredibly grateful that she was able to reunite with the son she had thought she would never be able to see again. "You, on the other hand, have suffered over the years."

"There's not much suffering if I'm honest," An Jing said, shaking his head. "In fact, my experiences allow me to see myself in clearer terms. I've also learned that there are many crooks in this world that deserve to be killed."

"Thankfully, you're such a capable child." She knew more than anyone that had any normal kid fallen into a similar situation, they would've long had to change themselves to adapt, let alone reaffirming their own essence and resolution like An Jing had. "I'll be right here. Your junior, that Bai girl, on the other hand, came all the way here to see you. Clearly, she has a good reason to. Even though she's a member of the demonic cult, I don't think this is something we should fuss over when nobody else is around."

An Jing could tell that his mother had a rather good impression of Bai Qinghan. Even so, he was still on guard against the demonic cult. Then again, given the situation at the northern frontier with the snow calamity and the barbarian invasion as well as other recent troubles, the demonic cult no longer seemed to be that pressing of an issue.

They chatted a little more before An Jing went to the rear building. Bai Qinghan was seated next to a small desk in silence and elegance, something which felt foreign to An Jing. The girl that he knew wasn't someone raised with manners like those. In fact, when they used to train at the manor, Bai Qinghan didn't even care about all the careless postures she had put herself in and merely plopped herself flat on the ground whenever it was time to take breaks. It was only corrected after Gu Yeqi drilled into her some basic modesty and etiquette.

An Jing shrugged off those thoughts and said, "Thanks a lot. Little Bai, why did you come all the way here personally?"

He didn't need to ask about how the demonic cult found his mother or what their objectives were. They weren't that crucial at the moment and it wouldn't take him many guesses to figure it out. He was more curious about Bai Qinghan's own motivations.

"The Lord Inspector of the West's faction was initially in charge of watching Auntie. After the Lord Inspector of the West's death, I used my position as the Profound Yin Goddess and an excuse that we both came from the same manor to take over the assignment to supervise your mother. In doing so, I also took on all other missions relating to you."

"Oh?" An Jing almost did a double take at hearing that. "They were actually willing to hand you all those missions?"

"Yeah."

"A simple 'yeah' doesn't cut it, Little Bai—no, Qinghan. Tell me. What is the Heavenly Demon Cult up to?"

"Like I said, I took over all the missions relating to you," Bai Qinghan said as she took out many pamphlets and booklets made from interesting materials and put them on the desk. "One of my tasks is to pass on the core teachings of the cult to you."

An Jing sat down at the desk with her in deep thought before it fell in place for him. Shocked, he said, "The Heavenly Demon Cult doesn't consider me an outsider at all?"

Bai Qinghan nodded without a word. An Jing was so shocked that he almost forgot to speak. "Do they think I'm on a self-study field trip to Grand Chen or something?"

Bai Qinghan nodded again.

"But I killed the Lord Inspector of the West and even took a sage of the Brightmirror Sect as my master! I betrayed the cult!"

Bai Qinghan continued to nod, causing An Jing to start pondering. "That doesn't sound right... Don't tell me that the cult is aware of my progress somehow? Then again, I have been trained in part of their core teachings. It's not surprising for them to keep tabs on me one way or another. But why would they go so far? Isn't my attitude clear enough? I have to kill them!"

"What's weird about that?" Bai Qinghan finally said with a matter-of-fact tone. "Both you and I know that the members of the divine cult are screwed in the head one way or another. The same applies to the top brass. Madmen aren't afraid of death. It makes no difference whether you tell them you're going to kill them all or you're simply going out for a long stroll."

"Well, at least you seem normal," An Jing said, breathing out in relief. "With how stiff you used to sound, I thought you were also a little screwed in the head as well."

"That was... because... I lacked... an education... back then," Bai Qinghan said through grinding teeth, emphasizing every word as she gripped her hands tightly, finally showing some emotion. "Now that I've hit the books, something has to change, right?"

It was indeed a rather stark change. An Jing almost didn't recognize her.

On that note, their dynamic fell back to what it used to be from when they were still in the manor. "Come to think of it, what's up with your hair?"

Bai Qinghan looked down and raised a finger, causing a strand of profound yin qi to emanate from it. It glowed brightly like a pearl of light. "I'm cultivating both the Minor Yin Piercing Truth Mantra and Major Yin Tranquility Scripture at the same time. Profound yin qi fills my body constantly. At some point, it caused a wonder to manifest on its own. It's called 'Silent Moon Illumination' and it allows me to control three profound-yin-adjacent types of qi at the same time. I'm required to maintain a stable mental state at all times. The white hair is nothing more than an outward manifestation of the profound yin qi. I can turn it back to normal too."

"There's no need to go through the trouble," An Jing said, having simply asked out of curiosity. He had seen many people in Skysource with odd-colored hair, though those were usually the result of unique bloodlines or plain dyeing. A case like Bai Qinghan's where her hair naturally transformed after birth was rather rare. Getting back on track, he asked, "What else were you tasked to do apart from handing me these pamphlets? Is something happening back at the cult?"

"Yes. Apart from ensuring Auntie's safety, I came here personally to tell you about the cult's internal situation. I also have news about your father."

"Oh? My father?" An Jing's eyes widened.

"That's right." Emotion stirred within her upon the mention of that. "Your father, An Qianshan, has been looking for the two of you the whole time. He's with the northern barbarians. However, you and Auntie left the area, so he wasn't able to track you down. By the time he heard the news about you, the barbarian tribe he's with settled at a distant location at the northern frontier. So far, he hasn't been able to make it here because of the snow calamity."

An Jing had to admit that the information she brought was quite crucial and something he really appreciated. His mother was doing well and it also sounded like his father wasn't faring any worse. Though he was quite a distance away, it was probably for the best. There were benefits to being in rural places. It was likely that he had first been taken prisoner by the barbarians before climbing up the ranks when he showed his usefulness.

"Who else knows about this?" An Jing asked.

"Just you, me and Master. I didn't even tell Auntie just in case. If you think she should know, you should tell her."

He would definitely tell his mother about it, but he wasn't sure whether this was the best time. He gave it some thought and felt that he had to do Bai Qinghan a favor one way or another. Otherwise, he would feel guilty about it. He did find that he was quite interested in whatever else she had to say. "Actually, I've more or less learned the truth about the Hanhai Fiend Calamity."

Bai Qinghan looked up, her long eyelashes fluttering, a sign of emotional turbulence. An Jing didn't waste words and briefed her about the information he got from Ming Guangchen, Jin Yanhua and You Ruhui. "After the fiend calamity, the terrestrial veins in the Hanhai Region were most likely damaged. Subsequently, King Jing died and the snow calamity reached the northern frontier..."

After listening to everything, Bai Qinghan's gaze darkened. In a soft whisper, she said, "So, even the true chi said that they didn't want to stay in Grand Chen because of its excessive factional conflicts, huh? I see... So that's how it all went down..."