Demon Sword Immortal

It was only after Bai Shengju returned from his studies that he improved his sword techniques using his own experience and lessons learned, which allowed swordsmanship to regain its brilliance and the business of swordsmanship gradually improved.

But Bai Xiang felt that a sword technique that couldn't guide the forging of swords was useless no matter how well it was practiced.

The credit for this improved business performance should be attributed more to Bai Shengju personally.

The Bai family members were originally going to go directly through the main hall to the inner room, but when they saw the young man lingering to practice his sword, both Bai Guanshan and Bai Lianzhou stopped in their tracks. The others could only stop as well, standing aside to watch the young man and 'Wooden Man Forest' engage in a fierce battle.

The term "wooden dummy forest" refers to rotating mannequins that are fixed in place.

The dummy is made of flexible wood and is shaped like the Chinese character "木" (wood). It has two arms that extend horizontally and two legs that kick diagonally.

Because these things spin, after the challenger sweeps them away, the arms and legs will rotate around and strike back.

Especially... the tips of his arms and legs were coated with white powder. He was wearing a black training uniform and practicing swordsmanship in the 'Wooden Dummy Forest'. If he was not careful, he would be swept by the wooden dummy's legs and feet, leaving marks on the dark fabric.

The young man noticed that someone was watching, and his previously smooth swordplay faltered slightly.

Originally, he only had seven or eight white marks all over his body, but when his moves went awry, the surrounding dummies suddenly attacked him all over, causing the number of white marks to increase dramatically. He even got a smear on his head, making him look extremely comical and pathetic.

"Pfft!"

"Hahahaha!"

Bai Leying was the first to laugh out loud, and Bai Guanshan also laughed heartily as he walked towards the young man.

"You're so diligent, Xiao Xu!"

"Uncle Bai!" The young man, referred to as Xiao Xu, smirked. "It's already past 10 o'clock..."

He held the wooden sword upside down, faced Bai Guanshan, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed. Then he turned his body towards the crowd and bowed even lower.

Xu Shu is a native of Chilong. Bai Xiang remembers that he had been practicing swordsmanship with Bai Shengju since he was very young. Although he came from an ordinary background, he was diligent and hardworking, and had a good personality. He often guided and corrected his disciples' mistakes. The Bai family treated him like a second family member.

Compared to herself, the useless senior sister of the dojo, Xu Shu seemed more like the senior brother at the head of the line.

"Why are you all alone?"

Bai Leying pulled Bai Zhuqing aside to whisper, while Bai Lianzhou frowned and leaned closer, glaring at Xu Shu: "Where is Jingjing?"

"Huh?" Xu Shu was taken aback, scratching his head and saying, "Jingjing told me yesterday that she was going home, didn't she tell you?"

Bai Lianzhou frowned; he hadn't received any news at all.

Bai Shengju is getting old, and he usually handles the affairs of the Daoist temple, a fact that everyone in the temple is well aware of.

As the only disciple to enter the Dao in the past two years, Jiang Haojing was originally planned to be personally taught by Bai Shengju in the near future. He usually eats and lives in the Dao temple just like Xu Shu. How could he have something going on at home without informing him?

Instinctively, Bai Lianzhou felt that there might be more to this than met the eye.

He didn't say anything, just grunted and gave Xu Shu a few pointers.

"The sword moves are not fluid enough."

"They don't know how to apply what they've learned to other situations, and they're especially afraid of being watched!"

"They're not going to kill you, so what are you afraid of?"

"How can one master swordsmanship if one is timid and hesitant!"

Bai Lianzhou was displaying the authority of the acting Dao Master, while Bai Guanshan was sabotaging him from the sidelines.

"Alright, alright... stop spouting all that high-sounding platitudes."

"Practicing swordsmanship! All you do is practice swordsmanship all day long! What's the use of mastering it even if you do it well?"

"Come on, Xiao Xu, don't listen to your master's nonsense. Come on, let's go inside and have some water..."

"Le Ying, it's been a while since I've seen you. You two should have lots of fun!"

"Humph!"

Bai Lianzhou disapproved of his elder brother's remarks, snorted angrily, and left on his own.

"father!"

Bai Maoxu, who had been relatively unknown, called out and looked at Bai Guanshan with great dissatisfaction before being led inside by Shen Xuelan.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat oppressive, and it was Zhu Ying who took the lead in reprimanding her husband.

"I think you're deliberately trying to provoke Lianzhou."

"You're such a grown man, yet you're still so stubborn... Wait until the old man blames you, then let's see you try to argue!"

"Even if the sky falls, I'm always right."

Bai Guanshan remained unmoved, forcefully pulling Xu Shu inside, muttering as he went, "If practicing swordsmanship were useful..."

He paused, then suddenly glanced at Bai Xiang.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Bai Xiang felt that at this moment, he was looking at another person through himself.

She was genuinely surprised. Could it be that Bai Guanshan had seen through her secret of time travel at a glance?

Bai Shengju didn't notice when he was chatting with her, and so many people in the Bai family didn't notice either, so how could Bai Guanshan notice when he came up?

Bai Guanshan was also surprised, because Bai Xiang actually dared to look him in the eye this time.

He was clearly displeased with her behavior, and he gave a heavy "humph" before quickening his pace to go inside.

They remained silent the whole way, the stiff atmosphere continuing until they reached the inner hall, where Bai Shengju emerged from the house, cane in hand.

Bend over.

Hunchback.

Stiff movements.

Looking at this elderly man, one would never guess that he was once a renowned genius swordsman.

It just goes to show that time waits for no one.

Nothing can withstand the test of time.

Bai Shengju first greeted Bai Guanshan, then Bai Lianzhou, then Zhu Ying and Shen Xuelan, and then began questioning Bai Xiang.

This is in accordance with etiquette and law.

Aside from the eldest and second sons, and the two women who are Bai Xiang's elders, Bai Xiang is the oldest among them.

Bai Shengju asked very detailed questions.

Even though she had already communicated with Bai Xiang via text message, she still pressed her for details about the demon in No. 1 Middle School, almost demanding that she reveal every single detail.

Bai Guanshan was clearly receiving this news for the first time, and he was stunned after listening to a bit of it.

His wife Zhu Ying and his sister-in-law Shen Xuelan exclaimed in surprise from time to time, shocked that Bai Xiang had actually managed to build relationships with so many adults and praised her for being successful. Bai Guanshan was still in a daze and unable to come back to his senses.

"This is real?"

"Nonsense! How could it be fake...?"

Bai Maoxu couldn't help but whisper to Bai Zhuqing and Bai Leying beside him. The three of them looked at Bai Xiang together, and Bai Zhuqing's eyes flickered slightly.

After asking Bai Xiang, Bai Shengju then asked Bai Zhuqing and the other juniors in turn before picking up his teacup and taking a sip of water.

Xu Shu was not present.

This was an internal meeting of the Bai family. No matter how close he was to them, he was still an outsider. So, being very sensible, he went back to practice his sword early.

"Go away."

"Let's talk again tonight."

Bai Shengju waved.

"I want my daughter to stay; I have something to discuss with her."

Bai Guanshan opened his mouth as if to say something, but Zhu Ying pulled him back, and the group of people left the courtyard in a scattered manner.

After everyone left, Bai Shengju looked at Bai Xiang again.

"Your uncle's matter... should have been made clear a long time ago."

"But on the one hand, this is a disgrace to my Bai family; on the other hand, you are still young and lack the ability to control your emotions; most importantly, your cultivation is not high enough, so it would be of no benefit to let you juniors hear this."

Bai thought intently, guessing that he might be referring to Bai Guanshan's attitude towards him.

"Do you know that besides Guanshan and Lianzhou, and your third uncle who went to Liangzhou to do business, you should also have an aunt?"

Bai Shengju faced her.

That look... it felt exactly the same as when Bai Guanshan looked at her before.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Long-Standing Regrets

If we consider Bai Shengju as the first generation of the Bai family, then his eldest son Bai Guanshan, second son Bai Lianzhou, and youngest son Bai Qingmin are the second generation of the Bai family.

Conversely, Bai Zhuqing, Bai Leying, Bai Maoxu, and Bai Qingmin's son Bai Senyu, along with Bai Xiang, are considered as three generations.

However, according to the memories Bai Xiang retrieved, she had never received any information from the Bai family during her many years there, and that there was actually a fourth person in the second generation of the Bai family.

An aunt?

Is it... that this aunt had an accident, which led to a difference in the Bai family's beliefs about swordsmanship?

Bai Xiang recalled Bai Guanshan's prejudice against swordsmanship and remembered his "special treatment" of him, guessing that this matter was probably related to why he was adopted by the Bai family.

"Your aunt, Bai Nianchan, was originally an even more outstanding swordsmanship talent than Lianzhou."

"Unfortunately, his brilliance was too great, and he was envied by the heavens. He was murdered in prison without any explanation."

Bai Shengju looked up at the sky, blinked, and began to tell Bai Xiang about his past.

Many years ago, when Bai Shengju returned from studying swordsmanship, he discovered that his family's ancestral Shenming Dojo had been occupied by a group called "Chengfeng Sword Dao" while he was away. Enraged, he was killed and his name was added to the Inspectorate's case file.

However, he was an upright man. When he returned, the Southern Region was in chaos. He didn't have time to go home and went around helping out and putting out fires. He made friends with many people. In addition, he was in the right in this matter. The Daoist sect, based on the idea of ​​"not letting righteous people bleed and feel disheartened", ignored Chengfeng Sword Dao and did not punish Bai Shengju.

Bai Shengju was very grateful for the care shown to him by the Daoist sect. He used all his skills to save people from danger in the chaos of demons on many occasions, which not only made the Divine Cry Sword Dao famous, but also attracted the hearts of many women.

He eventually married a woman named He Qiuming, and they had four children.

The eldest son, Bai Guanshan, had a bold and unrestrained personality.

The second son, Bai Lianzhou, was quiet and reserved.

The third son, Bai Qingmin, was refined and witty.

The youngest daughter, Bai Nianchan, was exceptionally talented and beautiful.

How old are you this year?

After saying the words "extraordinary talent," Bai Shengju suddenly asked Bai Xiang a question.

"I'll be an adult in seven months," Bai Xiang replied honestly, based on his memory.

"Entering the Dao at 17..." Bai Shengju nodded, "Even today, that would be considered genius."

"But do you know how old Lianzhou was when he entered the Daoist path?"

He then answered himself: "It's 16 years old."

Do you know how old your aunt was when she started practicing Taoism?

He continued, answering himself, "It's 13 years old."

Bai Xiang was finally somewhat surprised—Bai Lianzhou had already been a prodigy since he entered the Dao at the age of 16, but he never expected that his aunt Bai Nianchan would be even more extraordinary, pushing that record forward by three years.

Generally speaking, the ideal age to break through to the Sword Forging Realm is 18 years old.

This is because by this time, except for the brain, the human body is basically fully developed in all aspects, which is sufficient to withstand the onslaught of demonic power.

Before the age of 18 when one begins to forge a sword, each year earlier one enters the path means an extra year to hone one's physical skills and solidify one's foundation.

Those who enter the path early cultivate their spirit in advance, while those with mediocre talent only enter the path after the age of 18, and they have to spend four years of university just cultivating their spirit.

By the time they hesitated to attempt to break through to the Sword Forging Realm, those geniuses had already completed the first three stages of the Dao and begun their attempts to reach the higher levels of the Transcendent Path.

The gap will widen to an unimaginable degree.

Bai Nianchan entered the Dao at the age of 13, a talent that is considered exceptional among the nine major sword paths.

Bai Xiang couldn't understand why such a genius would be killed.

Even after his death, it seems nothing happened? The Bai family also seemed resigned to their fate, and there was no indication that they had any conflicts with any forces over the years.

“Your aunt not only entered the Dao early, but also has unique insights into cultivating the spirit and practicing techniques,” Bai Shengju added.