Wei Baji
A powerful shout, sharp as thunder, rang out from the walkway leading to the pavilion.
Lady Huifan appeared there, having come to give Lanyi her music lesson for the day.
With a single flick of her sleeve, a current of Qi—gentle yet firm—surged forward and formed a barrier between the two young women. In an instant, it suppressed the eruption of Yin Qi and forced it back into stillness.
Upon hearing the name that had just been called, Lanyi froze.
‘Wei Baji?’
‘The Wei clan?’
She looked at the red-haired woman before her.
‘Could this person be… the daughter of the estate lord?’
‘The heir of this household?’
As for the red-haired Zhenyuan, the moment she saw her mother standing there with a stern expression, her earlier arrogance and that strange magnetic pull vanished like snow beneath the sun.
She quickly withdrew her hand, snapped her folding fan shut, tucked it back into her waist, and lowered herself in a respectful bow, becoming an entirely different person from the one she had been moments ago.
“Greetings, Mother… Your daughter has returned.”
Baji spoke in a sweet, coaxing voice, flashing a sheepish smile at her mother, who was glaring at her with unmistakable severity.
‘What was that just now…?’
‘My fingertips… did I touch her, or was I struck by Mother’s Qi?’
‘Why did it feel so strange…?’
“You troublesome child!” Lady Huifan scolded sharply. “You have barely returned, and already you are frightening our guest?”
“Oh, Mother… please do not be so harsh on me.”
Baji immediately dropped the air of a proud warrior and rushed forward to cling to her mother’s arm, resting her head against her shoulder in shameless affection.
“If you keep frowning like that, your beauty will fade. Please do not let your daughter bear the sin of worrying you so much that your complexion loses its glow.”
Lady Huifan let out a long sigh and shook her head at her daughter’s blatant flattery.
Then she turned toward Lanyi, who was still clutching the pipa tightly in her arms, her posture guarded and wary.
“Lanyi, this is Wei Baji, the youngest daughter of our household. It seems she has only just returned from wandering the martial world.”
After introducing her, Lady Huifan turned back toward her troublesome daughter and lightly flicked her forehead.
“And this is Young Lady Lin Lanyi, an important guest of our clan. Remember this well, Baji. You are strictly forbidden from disturbing her or approaching her without permission.”
Her voice grew firmer.
“She is undergoing intensive training to balance her Qi. If you interfere and cause her power to recoil, I will lock you inside the ice cave.”
Baji raised an eyebrow slightly.
Her mischievous eyes turned once more toward the noble young woman before her.
“Lin Lanyi… What a beautiful name. It sounds as soft as that pipa melody just now.”
She winked once, her smile bright and charming, without the slightest sign that she had taken her mother’s warning to heart.
‘This woman…’
‘Is she still trying to tease me?’
Lanyi was still angry over the insults and outrageous lack of manners from earlier. Yet with the noble etiquette she had practiced for many years, she forced herself to suppress her emotions and curtsied according to custom.
“A pleasure to meet you… Fourth Young Miss.”
Her tone was polite, but the distance in it was unmistakably cold.
“Enough, Baji. Go on now.”
Lady Huifan gave her daughter a light push on the back.
“Have you paid your respects to the ancestors yet? And your father is in the main hall. By now, he is probably dying to hear all about your adventures in the martial world.”
“Yes, Mother!”
Baji answered cheerfully.
Before leaving, she turned back and cast one last sly glance at Lanyi.
“I will come listen to you play the pipa again, Lady Lanyi. Next time, I shall teach you how not to miss a note.”
The red-haired young woman laughed softly, then leapt away toward the main hall with astonishing agility.
She left Lanyi standing there with her hands clenched tightly, her heart filled with anger and confusion.
‘What kind of woman is she…?’
‘Merely meeting her once nearly made the Qi I spent five days suppressing erupt all over again…!’
Lady Huifan watched her youngest daughter disappear into the distance and sighed with weary resignation.
“That child… My warnings must have gone in one ear and out the other.”
She shook her head slowly and murmured to herself.
“It seems our once-peaceful valley is about to become lively again.”
At the main hall of the Wei Estate, the atmosphere became lively the moment the slender figure in dark warrior’s clothing stepped across the threshold.
Wei Baji set aside her carefree, wandering air for a moment and properly paid her respects to her father and Lady Pan.
“Your daughter has returned, Father, First Mother.”
She curtsied with graceful courtesy, though the mischievous spark in her eyes remained impossible to hide.
When Wei Balong saw that his beloved youngest daughter had returned home safely, he burst into a booming laugh that rang through the hall.
The tall, imposing master of the estate rose from his seat and strode forward, clapping his daughter on the shoulder in delight.
“You finally came back, you little troublemaker! You were gone so long that I nearly sent a troop out to drag you home myself.”
Balong then turned to the servants and gave a command in a deep, powerful voice.
“You there! Prepare the grandest welcoming feast at once. Today, we celebrate the return of my fourth child. Bring out the finest wine and the best dishes in the valley. See that nothing is lacking!”
“Father spoils me far too much,” Baji said with a bright laugh as she poured tea for him with practiced sweetness. “But your daughter likes it very much.”
Her face shone with a wide smile when she saw that her father’s affection for her had not changed in the slightest.
“Exactly, my lord,” Lady Pan said from beside him, teasing gently as she shook her head with a faint smile. “You indulge her so much that she is bound to become even more spoiled. She has only just returned, and already you are ordering such a grand feast. How is this little troublemaker ever supposed to learn restraint?”
The hall remained warm and cheerful, but the curiosity that had taken root at the lotus pavilion refused to leave Baji’s mind.
She pretended to sip her tea calmly before bringing the subject up in a casual tone.
“Speaking of which, Father… on my way back, I saw a woman playing the pipa in the pavilion at the center of the pond.”
Her eyes brightened slightly.
“Her appearance was so flawless that even I was surprised. Her aura does not feel like anyone from our Cursed Lands. Who exactly is the important guest staying in the guest residence? And why did Mother Huifan warn me so severely not to approach her?”
Baji watched her father’s reaction with keen interest, a hidden desire to win flickering deep within her gaze.
She wanted to know who that woman was.
Who was this proud, strikingly beautiful lady whose beauty could nearly rival her own? And what kind of importance did she hold, to be allowed to stay in such a secretive estate?
“Ah, that young lady.”
Wei Balong’s tone grew slightly more serious.
“She is Lin Lanyi, the eldest daughter of Lin Wumei. She is the successor of the main Rouling bloodline, and her purity is extraordinary. Her power only awakened recently.”
“The Lin family is an ancient clan whose power and prestige have long stood equal to our Wei clan,” Lady Pan added, turning her gaze toward Baji. “For many years, they have been the ones to face the Imperial Court and handle its troubles on behalf of the Zhenyuan and Rouling who remain hidden.”
Her voice became solemn.
“That is why Lanyi is one of the most important guests we must protect with utmost care.”
Baji fell silent for a moment.
In her mind, she recalled that woman’s sharp beauty and proud, aloof bearing.
‘So she is a young lady from the main clan.’
‘No wonder she carries herself like that.’
‘And she is reasonably pretty, I suppose.’
“An ancient clan equal to ours…”
Baji murmured to herself before turning back to her father with growing curiosity.
“Then how long has she been here, Father? Since she is such an important guest, will Lady Lanyi be joining us at the feast tonight?”
Her smile looked innocent at first glance, but the troublesome eagerness beneath it was impossible to hide.
“Your daughter truly wishes to get to know her.”