Chapter 575

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Chapter 575: Almost Like Family

The ancestral home of the Bai family, with an empty courtyard.

Mr. Bai Zhao was slowly practicing his punches.

Despite being almost seventy years old, he was still lively and energetic. Although his martial arts skills may have declined, he focused on both internal and external training, rather than just external martial arts.

The Bai family didn’t really have any remarkable inherited martial arts. Even if they did, they responded to the call and donated their family secrets to the national martial arts museum for the benefit of the next generation of children.

He had achieved the mastery level in martial arts—the mountains and waters were just mountains and waters. However, unlike Bai Wei, his expertise was in Tai Chi.

Tai Chi also has different styles, such as the one created by Zhang Sanfeng and the Chen-style Tai Chi.

He practiced both styles and reached the level of mastery.

In the capital city of a province, there are definitely no more than three grandmasters, and there are only a few grandmasters in the whole Ming Country. Their average age is over fifty, and they are highly respected.

Being old in age and highly skilled in martial arts, speaking with authority, Mr. Bai Zhao is considered a prominent figure in the Bai family. The Bai family may not be a wealthy or prestigious family, but they are quite famous in the martial arts world. If it weren’t for Bai Wei’s failure in battle, Mr. Bai Zhao would have been regarded as his successor long ago.

However, the grandmasters of martial arts in the Ming Country are slightly inferior in actual combat skills, as they have not experienced life and death trials. When it comes to determining life or death with a single move, they tend to make mistakes. Their fierceness and killing intent are not as strong as those executioners of the Shogunate who have beheaded over a hundred people.

It is widely acknowledged that the martial arts grandmasters in the Ming Country are not defenseless, but among opponents of the same level, they are relatively weaker… This doesn’t mean that their martial arts are weak, but rather that they lack the practical experience. Martial arts grandmasters who lack combat experience can only be considered theorists, not practitioners. They lack honing.

Mr. Bai Zhao is already seventy years old, so of course, he has no ambition to dominate the world. If he can’t become a highly respected martial artist, then he is content to happily spend his time with his grandchildren.

As he throws punches, the falling leaves form a circular shape like the Tai Chi symbol beneath his feet. Mr. Bai Zhao exhales and shouts, "Whoever is hiding, show yourself!"

After saying that, he clasps his hands together and pushes out a burst of energy. The energy pounds against the wall, but instead of forcefully breaking it like a strong blow, it lightly taps the wall and passes through, causing ripples to spread across the entire wall.

In the next moment, the wall breaks, and three figures descend one after another.

Mr. Bai Zhao immediately realizes that these newcomers are not friendly. Although he has encountered some young challengers and young people blocking his path at night before, he usually doesn’t immediately engage in a fight. Instead, he creates distance, calls the authorities, and clarifies the situation before doing anything. Engaging in a physical fight directly, regardless of the outcome, is unseemly.

But this time, he acted directly. He picked up a pot of flowers and threw it at the person on the right. The person on the right jumped up in the air and kicked the pot, but couldn’t avoid the egg-sized pebbles that came out from behind the pot. It hit him on the head and he fell down on the spot.

Suddenly, a person in the middle rushed over. Mr. Bai Zhao raised his foot and kicked the person in the chest. The person’s door was wide open and Mr. Bai Zhao’s old bones struggled a bit, but his strong strength temporarily knocked the person off the ground. Mr. Bai Zhao took advantage of the opportunity and quickly turned around and punched the person in the side of the face, causing him to fly out of the door.

Mr. Bai Zhao looked down at the back of his hand, which was scratched. There was a wound on his skin, with a few colorful scales stuck to it.

"Not human?" Mr. Bai Zhao murmured, "Could it be a monster?"

The person on the left side was still there, but he hadn’t made a move yet. It seemed like he was preparing for something.

Mr. Bai Zhao focused his attention. He had to deal with three people at the same time and needed to find a way to take them down separately. Just relying on his fists and feet wasn’t enough, so he immediately thought of the Tai Chi sword hanging in his training room. With a weapon, he would have the advantage.

At that moment, the sound of a child’s voice came from the ancestral home. A child who couldn’t fall asleep was wearing pajamas and went to the bathroom. Rubbing their eyes, they didn’t see the situation clearly and staggered closer.

"Haor, step back!" Mr. Bai Zhao shouted loudly.

Unfortunately, it was too late. The three non-human monster beings immediately changed their targets.

The old man felt a chill in his heart, so he released his inner energy. There was a loud explosion in the air, and he swung his palm, hitting a person right in the chest. The force was as strong as splitting a mountain. The creature’s body immediately made the sound of bones cracking and it fell to the ground, spewing a cloud of blood mist.

Old man Bai Zhao was surprised, and the other two creatures were also surprised.

"When did I break through?" he wondered, finding the power of this palm a bit too overwhelming.

The one who was seriously injured struggled to move a few steps to the side. In the next moment, it seemed to fly up from nowhere and landed on the ground.

There was another explosion in the air, and even the green bricks on the ground were shattered. The attacker fell to the ground and didn’t move.

A black whip lashed on the ground, like a dark poisonous snake. A person quietly appeared in the courtyard.

"You dare to mess with the Bai family. Are you here to die?"

The other two attackers were terrified. They glanced at each other and climbed over the high wall to escape.

The newcomer waved his hand and said, "Chase after them, capture them alive!"

From the night sky came the sound of leaves rustling, and several figures jumped up, temporarily blocking the moonlight. However, their clothes and appearance were not at all human-like.

"Thank you for your help, sir," said Bai Zhao, realizing that he had been saved. As he looked at the person, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He didn’t recognize the other person, and their aura didn’t seem human, more like a creature.

"I am from the East Sea Water Clan, stationed in the Yangtze River office," it introduced itself. "Just a small leader. I have met the Elder Bai."

Under the command of the Dragon Clan from the East Sea Water Clan.

"Please don’t be so kind, sir," said Bai Zhao humbly. The East Sea Dragon Palace is a huge entity that ordinary people don’t have a chance to see in their lifetime.

"How can I dare to call myself a great person? Instead, it was our lack of protection that caused the Elder to be startled."

"Protection?" Bai Zhao was puzzled. "Why would you need to protect my family, the Bai’s?"

"Regarding this matter, the Elder Bai will understand in due time. Please don’t take today’s attack to heart, as we promise that there won’t be a second time. We assure you that with the warning, those foolish beings who fear power but lack virtue will know their place."

Bai Zhao was puzzled and full of doubts.

"Leader, we have caught him."

"Hmm." The leader of the water snakes nodded and bowed to the old man. "I shall take my leave now. My subordinates will be responsible for fixing the damages here."

"Why is it so troublesome?"

"Hahaha, it’s not troublesome at all. We’re practically family now, no need to be polite."

With a laugh, the leader pointed and then left with his followers.

In the courtyard, Mr. Bai Zhao drifted into deep thought. Suddenly, he guessed, "Could it be that someone from the East Sea has taken a liking to our Xinghui? Oh my…"

After all, not many people would believe in going on blind dates with dragon clan members. It’s absurd to think that they would personally come over for it.

Even in online novels, it’s rare to have a dragon maiden appear for a blind date without any prior conditions. If it were written, it would be considered a cliché beginning.

Even the cowherd had to steal clothes first.

…

By the side of the Yangtze River, the leader of the water snakes kicked the captive in front of him.

"If you’re not dead, make a sound."

"…"

"You’re quite stubborn. When I bring you to the princess later, let’s see if you can still talk tough." The leader sneered, "You think you can hide your origins by removing the water tribe marks? Even my calloused skin on the buttocks can tell that you bunch of dogs definitely come from the North Sea. You’re a group of uncivilized barbarians who fear power but lack gratitude."

"Bullshit!" one of them couldn’t help but curse, "You’re…"

Before he finished speaking, he was kicked in the face, turning 360 degrees in mid-air and falling down.

"Watch your mouth." The water snake brushed off the dirt and dust from his foot, "I thought you wouldn’t come, but you’re even more foolish than I thought. Trying to pull off these tricks within the territory of the Ming Country, do you really not consider us humans?"

It squatted down, with a sinister expression, "You should consider yourselves lucky, fools. Now that we’ve caught you, it’s us who will deal with you. This is still an internal affair of the four seas. When you hurt people and cause trouble, your Dragon King will even be skinned."

Another fish sneered, "Are you really that afraid?"

The leader said coldly, "It’s not about being afraid or not. I just don’t want to bear this unjust blame. It’s best to handle the matter internally. If it really escalates, I don’t think any of you want to face Xue Luoyang’s army."

"So what if the Bai family disappeared without a trace? Can they provoke Xue Luoyang?" The fish covering its mouth spat out its teeth, still fierce.

"You really don’t know anything." The serpent leader gave a sympathetic look, "Well, it’s expected. The North Sea lacks brains, only muscles."

It didn’t explain anything, just waved its hand, "Suppress them, use harsh interrogation methods."

The fish leaped into the river.

"Leader, about this matter…"

"I have my limits. We captured three, but there’s definitely more than three coming. This time, we’ll pick it up high and put it down lightly. It’s not yet time to tear our faces apart. The Black Dragon of the North Sea is already decaying. This is a warning from the East Sea, and a way to repay Bai Wei. After all, everything is happening within the four seas. If we ignore the Bai family’s matter, it will only chill people’s hearts. I owe Young Master Bai a favor. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known that my beloved nephew was secretly being bled… The more I think about it, the more hateful it becomes."

"I have heard some things about the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, and it’s also related to Lord Bai Wei. He may be far more formidable than what we have seen."

"Then I must listen carefully. Let’s report to His Highness about the situation next time we drink."

"Who is His Highness?"

"Everyone should report." The commander finished speaking and added, "There is a distinction between close and distant relatives, so of course it should be Lady Hanli first."

"That’s right, after all, it’s the future husband’s matter. We should show some concern." The vice commander also laughed along with the aunt.

Perhaps neither of the two parties involved expected that the original intention was to pretend and fool around, but unable to resist, relatives and friends would take it seriously. Unfortunately, they couldn’t explain it immediately, so they had to force a smile and pretend that it was indeed true. The more they remained silent, the harder it became to explain.

Once it spreads and becomes well-known throughout the world, it’s often beyond one’s control.