"What about Father? I did not see him in the training hall?" Bai Tian Ming asked in a more relaxed tone. He was rather strict in training. But out of the training, he was still a good father that spoiled his daughters often with the absence of their mother.
After stabilizing the breath, Bai Xin Yue stood up and responded with rather a gentle tone, "Grandfather and Shuang'er went to Xing District."
"Xing District?" Bai Tian Ming blurted out in puzzlement. He was just back from the Northern Fortress and he also did not have a Star Web account, so he did not know about the thunder dragon descent or the auction, let alone about Huo Liang Xun was caught by an unknown power.
"It's a district in the outer region. That district has good food, they have White Bull and Silver Dragoon," Bai Xin Yue mentioned her experiences of eating hotpot.
However, she did not tell the other things, like the auction or Huo Liang Xun's incident. With her father's temper, she was afraid he would storm toward the Xing District to free Huo Liang Xun.
"What? Really? They have White Bull and Silver Dragoon??" Bai Tian Ming rose and asked in excitement. He had been fed up with the food in the Northern Fortress, so he wanted to feast himself with a true delicacy.
"Yes… oh, Father, you can wait for Shuang'er to come back. She went to Xing District to buy those meats, you don't have to go there," Bai Xin Yue approached her father and took a seat next to him as she replied with a slight smile.
The attitude of the pair father and daughter when they were at home and outside was completely different. The father appeared as a dignified and strict hero while the daughter inherited her father's strict attitude but was also cold at the same time.
However, they became completely different when they were at home. Bai Tian Ming was easy-going and gentle while Bai Xin Yue acted just like a normal girl and quite often smiled. Her cold aura was nowhere to be seen while she was at home.
Bai Tian Ming gazed at the clear morning sky as he enjoyed the rare moment with his daughter. After a momentary silence, he broke the silence, "You will turn twenty-six soon…"
Hearing this, the rare gentle look on Bai Xin Yue's face replaced with a frown. She did not like where this talk was going on.
"What about the boy from Wu Family? Do you like him? From the last meeting, I can tell he is a good boy, and he is also quite strong,"
As she expected, her father began talking about her marriage each time they met like this. Bai Xin Yue did not give her response as she kept her mouth shut.
Despite not getting any response from his daughter, Bai Tian Ming continued. "Or do you like Kingsman Family's boy? He is also not bad…" here, his words trailed off as he remembered something.
"I heard he just got promoted to Emperor Class not long ago and soon he will inherit Kingsman Family's throne. Also, he is interested in you, when I meet her in the Northern Fortress, he keeps asking about you,"
"However, Wu Family's boy is also not bad. I heard he went with his grandfather to train outside. I believe when he's back, he also could enter Emperor Class…"
Hearing no responses from his daughter, Bai Tian Ming turned his head. He found a frown on his daughter's face and he knew his eldest daughter did not like the talk about her marriage.
However, he would never give up bringing up her eldest daughter's marriage as a girl from other families usually married at twenty or the latest twenty-two. As a father, he was worried that his daughter would remain single forever.
"Oy, do you hear me?" Bai Tian Ming gently elbowed his daughter.
"I will never marry both of them, it's not like Father don't know they only want our family's secret," Bai Xin Yue responded with a shake.
Wu Family was one of the oldest families in Star City and one of Star City's founders. They had a long history just as Bai Family.
Meanwhile, Kingsman Family was a family that ruled the beforehand UK, also known as the Regalius Kingdom now. Bai Tian Ming chose the best out of the best men outside to his daughter, but it still failed to catch his daughter's interest.
Then, Bai Xin Yue stood up and continued, "Moreover, I have someone else in my mind, so please stop introducing men to me. Alright, Father, I am going to take my medicine bath now. I believe grandpa and Shuang'er will be back soon and we will have lunch together later,"
Bai Xin Yue then headed out of the private training ground. Leaving Bai Tian Ming in a daze. Looking at his daughter's silhouette disappeared, a bitter smile formed on his lips.
"She has someone in her mind, not in her heart…"
What did it mean? It meant she was considering this man for the family's benefit, not based on her feelings. His eldest daughter prioritized the family rather than her happiness.
It certainly worried him, but he could do nothing about it. It was not like he could force her to marry someone she loved as he did not know the man she loved.
Bai Family was experiencing a successor crisis as there was no man in their younger generation. Bai Shuang'er and Bai Xin Yue were the only younger generation, his only children while he was the only child of his father.
As for why both father and son only had a few children. It is because their wives died at a young age and they did not remarry again since then. Leading the family to lack a successor.
If he married his daughter to the other big families, it meant his daughter had to follow the man's family. A big family such as Kingsman and Wu Family would not let their brilliant younger generation be married off to Bai Family.
This was why Bai Xin Yue never liked to discuss her marriage. If she was married off, Bai Shuang'er would be left alone and Bai Xin Yue did not want her little sister to shoulder Bai Family alone. Bai Tian Ming knew that well.
"Should I remarry, then?" Bai Tian Ming muttered.
*** ***
Bai Xin Yue headed to the main courtyard where her family lived and directly headed to her room. She went to the side of her bed and took the medicine bath with her before going to the bathroom.
She had read the instruction book, on how to use the medicine bath and its effect. There was a detailed explanation within the book and if what was written within the book was true, then this medicine bath was truly amazing.
Entering the bathroom, she filled a barrel she had prepared before with hot water as per instructions in the manual book. She wanted to use her bathtub, but the instructions recommended she use a barrel.
After that, Bai Xin Yue took one-third of the green paste in the jar and put it into the hot water. Mixing the green paste within the hot water with her hand for a while, then she took off her training clothes.
Her snow-white skin exposed, she did not enter the barrel directly, waiting for a while. She followed the instructions carefully as she kept an eye on the water. Based on the instruction, she was allowed to enter after the water turned greenish-blue.
Three minutes and the water truly turned into greenish-blue. It was a sign for her to enter the barrel. Taking a deep breath, she entered.
Splash!
As soon as she entered the barrel, her face changed drastically as pain assaulted all over her body. It was as if something was biting her flesh from inside her body. She almost wanted to jump out of the barrel with her hands already at the edge of the barrel.
However, she remembered that she would experience unbearable pain in the first five to ten minutes she entered the barrel. The pain was the progress of expelling the harmful substance within her body.
Bai Xin Yue gritted her teeth and stayed inside the barrel while bearing the pain. After soaking her body for nine minutes, the pain that tortured her was instantly relieved. Bai Xin Yue let out a sigh of relief.
If the pain continued for another few minutes, she did not know whether she could bear with it or not. After the torturous ordeal, the next step was pretty enjoyable. It was as if the medicine relieved her exhausted muscle after the training.
Fifteen minutes later, she rose from the barrel with a satisfied look. Except for the first nine minutes, everything was pretty satisfying. She also felt the exhaustion from the training was washed away.
Based on the instruction book, she could see the change after finishing the jar. For now, except for relieving her exhaustion and she felt that her body was lighter, she did not feel the other effect. She looked back to the barrel and found the water turned darkish-brown.
"Everything is precise with the manual…" Bai Xin Yue muttered. The water turned into a darkish-brown because of the harmful substance successfully extracted out of her body. At least, it was what the instruction book told her.
"I hope this medicine bath works as it said…"
*** ***
Bai Xian Ming depressedly traveled back to the core region as he failed to free Huo Liang Xun from Xing District. Along their way back home, Bai Xian Ming was completely quiet.
The weirder thing was the cheerful Bai Shuang'er was also quiet. It seemed there was something in her mind. After the long silence, the quiet Bai Shuang'er snapped her fingers.
"Grandpa, I know who Sun Zhou Yi's Master is!" she exclaimed cheerfully.
The daze Bai Xian Ming surprised and looked at her granddaughter. Choosing Bai Shuang'er as his successor to be an executive was not without reason. Besides her mischievous and playful side, she was smart and quite attentive.
"The stiff guy's master is Handsome Brutal Savage!"
Instead of happy, Bai Xian Ming frowned as he tried to remember who was this Handsome Brutal Savage. After a moment of silence, he remembered her granddaughter called a waiter at the noodle with this ridiculous name.
"There's no way that attendant is Sun Zhou Yi's Master," Bai Xian Ming immediately shook his head. How could someone strong as Sun Zhou Yi's Master be willing to become a waiter?
"Indeed, I don't have strong evidence to support my claim. But few clues are indicating that attendant is the Inflexible Guy's Master." Bai Shuang'er countered.
Just as he wanted what clues she found, there was a voice from the front seat, "Master, we've arrived,"
The pair of grandfather and granddaughter stepped out of the car. When they reached the entrance an old man with no hair was waiting for them.
"Master, Young Miss, Master Tian Ming is back," the old man informed.
"Ah, Daddy's home!?" Bai Shuang'er dashed in without waiting for an answer from the old man. She even forgot the conversation she was having with her grandpa.
Bai Xian Ming was also surprised as his lips curved into a smile. With the news of his son coming back, his depressed mood of his was lifted with happiness swelled inside.
"Let's forget about work for a moment…" Bai Xian Ming muttered as he stepped into his residence.