Embarrassed Master Bai . . .
The two ladies seethed with anger, their fury resembling a blazing inferno reaching towards the heavens. It felt as though they were ready to unleash their rage, even if it meant their own lives were on the line.
[As long as it wasn't the Lady!]
[Whoever could subject Master to such a brutal beating must be an exceptional cultivator, a figure of world-shaking power, possibly hailing from a realm beyond this one. Perhaps he's one of Master's senior brothers...]
So what?
Even if they had to throw caution to the wind, they were determined to seek vengeance. They'd fight, even if it meant casting aside all restraint. If victory remained elusive even after shedding those constraints, they'd still fight. They were prepared to fight to the death.
[Humph!]
But Master Bai intervened, urging them to hold back, his voice tinged with a hint of discomfort. "Don't hurry. I've already told you, it was an accident. Just an accident! Besides, it's not something I care about... Oh, and by the way, I managed to land a hidden attack on the fellow who battered me. He's bound to be in a worse state..."
Master Bai's confidence persuaded the two women to abandon their vengeful plans. They trusted that if their master believed the assailant would suffer even more, they could let it be.
"Master..." Xiu-Er retrieved a jar of medicinal ointment and tenderly applied it to his face, her heart heavy with sorrow, tears streaming from her eyes.
Wan-Er wept alongside her.
At this moment, the two legendary female figures, each having shaken the world over thousands of years, appeared as delicate and poignant as young girls.
"Who could have done this to you, a man with a gentle heart? This is malevolence in its purest form..." Wan-Er sobbed, her voice trembling. "He's utterly malevolent, beating you like this... Could it be that some powerful lords from the highest realm discovered your whereabouts and descended here for you?"
Master Bai was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth, but no explanation came forth, so he closed it.
[What can I possibly say?]
[Can I confess... that I was beaten by an anonymous individual in this Land of Han-Yang? That I was struck so hard that I now resemble a pig's head?!]
With a sigh, Master Bai reassured them, "Please, don't be so distressed. It's only superficial injuries... Look at you, so worried. I'll be perfectly fine in half a day. There's no need to be so upset... You're well aware of how swiftly I recover from injuries."
"But it must hurt..." Wan-Er, holding back tears, spoke. "Who on earth could do this to you? Look at what they've done. You no longer resemble a human being..."
Master Bai sighed. [You silly girl. Are you comforting me or tormenting me? Such thoughts should remain unspoken. Why say it out loud?!]
[I had thought they wouldn't return until the afternoon. By then, I should have made a full recovery...]
[Yet, they came back unexpectedly early. This is the most humiliating moment of my life.]
He felt embarrassed, humiliated, and utterly disgraced.
"Why did you return so soon?" He frowned, displaying a hint of dissatisfaction.
[If you had returned a bit later, you wouldn't have seen me in such a state. I wouldn't be this embarrassed...]
"It was Xiu-Er's fault, really. She missed you so much. As soon as she regained a little strength, she insisted on coming back. She thought it was just as good to rest here..." Wan-Er began to explain, her tone slightly nagging.
Xiu-Er blushed with embarrassment and retorted, "Why blame me? You also said... Besides, if we hadn't returned in time, how would we have known that Master was in such a condition?"
[In such a condition...]
Master Bai grimaced.
[That doesn't sound right to me...]
[I am Bai Chen, a man who has traversed the skies and explored the earth. Who would dare to lay a hand on me? Who could possibly defeat me?]
Xiu-Er took great care in tending to his injuries and said, "Master, please tell us who did this to you. We need to be aware, even if we don't seek revenge, we should be prepared to defend ourselves."
Her reasoning was sound.
Master Bai contemplated, [Should I tell them or not?]
It was a challenging decision.
"Did any of the Saint Lords descend here?" Wan-Er inquired, her worry evident.
[They are overthinking this.]
Master Bai coughed and cleared his throat, then reluctantly admitted, "Ahem. It was... It was a man..."
He felt deeply embarrassed!
"What man?" The two ladies asked simultaneously, their eyes sparkling.
"Ahem... Cough..." Master Bai coughed as if afflicted with a severe ailment. Reluctantly, he continued, "Well, it was just... that man... from Ling-Bao Hall... Feng Zhiling... He... ahem... He did it."
The two ladies were left dumbfounded.
They both thought, [Did we hear him incorrectly or did he misspeak?]
[It can't be possible!]
[Absolutely not!]
[No way!]
After a moment, Xiu of Heavens cautiously asked, "Master, did you say that the man who inflicted these injuries on you is... Feng Zhiling, from that Ling-Bao Hall, here in Chen-Xing City? Urh..."
Master Bai was at a loss for words. [Why did you make it sound so severe? It's obviously not that bad! Pah! You're making it worse!]
He didn't entirely agree with her phrasing but nodded nonetheless.
The two ladies exchanged bewildered glances, as if they were in a surreal dream.
[Feng Zhiling... actually beat Master this severely?]
[That...]
Master Bai's frustration was palpable, and he let out a resigned sigh. He knew he couldn't simply leave the matter unexplained. The two ladies were far too curious, and it was time to lay it all bare.
"Listen, after you left... Feng Zhiling paid a visit," he began, attempting to provide context for the situation. "He claimed to be checking on my condition and mentioned something about my legs. Out of courtesy, I offered him some tea, and we engaged in a conversation..."
He was attempting to clarify the sequence of events.
He continued, "... At some point, I must have inadvertently said something that didn't sit well with him. It spiraled out of control, and he took it rather seriously..."
As he spoke, Wan-Er and Xiu-Er exchanged knowing glances. Their disbelief gradually gave way to amusement.
[So, that's how it unfolded.]
They were well-acquainted with their master and had pieced together the narrative even before he'd finished explaining.
[Our master was likely asserting his higher position while conversing with Feng Zhiling. That must have rubbed the audacious Feng Monarch the wrong way... In essence, it was our master who had a hand in creating the turmoil in Chen-Xing City, the turmoil that drove Monarch Feng into such dire straits...]
[Given the circumstances, our master adopted an air of authority that irked Feng Zhiling. It's a justifiable reason for him to be infuriated!]
[Even if our master had done nothing, that man was probably itching for an opportunity to put him in his place...]