Few things seemed to have changed since he was cultivating.
He was definitely prepared for some elders to appear and demand justice for what he’d done to Shen Liang.
But as a villain, it seemed like the usual script of "beat the young, the old one appears" wasn’t going to happen this time.
Bai Zihan leaned back in his chair, gaze thoughtful as he swirled the tea in his cup—brought over by Kong Zhanhong.
It didn’t seem like any of the parties had made any moves since he destroyed Shen Liang.
"Any news," he asked casually, eyes half-lidded, "regarding Bai Xinyue?"
Fang Jinyan and Kong Zhanhong both stiffened.
They both knew—or at least had an idea—about Bai Zihan’s relationship with Bai Xinyue, which was definitely not amicable.
And the information they had... they knew it would infuriate Bai Zihan.
Kong Zhanhong glanced at Fang Jinyan—then wisely stayed silent, letting the senior disciple answer.
Fang Jinyan cleared his throat.
"There have been... rumors," he said carefully.
"After the Young Master went into seclusion, a few elders from the Bai Clan seemed to have approached Bai Xinyue. They had some talks."
(Oh? They already made their move?)
Bai Zihan thought. Seems like they couldn’t wait to get Bai Xinyue back and immediately set out to do it.
Well, he’d already said he didn’t mind—and there were plenty of elders who wanted Bai Xinyue back, many of whom opposed him.
Whether Bai Xinyue became a puppet in their hands or turned the tables on them, Bai Zihan wasn’t too worried.
Not after what he’d gained.
He didn’t think Bai Xinyue, in her current state, could take him on.
And as far as he knew her, she wouldn’t want revenge in any roundabout way. If she wanted revenge, she’d fight him head-on.
As for schemes? He didn’t think his stupid cousin had the brains for that.
"It seems like the Bai Clan wants to reverse her expulsion and bring Bai Xinyue back into the clan."
Fang Jinyan answered, glancing at Bai Zihan to gauge his reaction.
But Bai Zihan’s expression remained calm.
That helped Fang Jinyan relax a bit—it looked like Bai Zihan wasn’t angry.
"So? Did she agree to rejoin the Bai Clan?"
Bai Zihan asked, more curious than anything.
"Well... it seems like her decision is on hold."
Understandable—probably because of him.
He didn’t think Bai Xinyue had any issue with the other Bai Clan members aside from him and his family.
The other elders had treated her well, and ever since her talent was revealed, that only improved.
Surprisingly, Bai Zihan’s mother had treated her like a daughter and was the one who brought her into the family after her parents disappeared—though now, it was clear that had only been to steal her Dao Bone.
Either way, the hesitation might be because of him... or maybe she held a grudge against the whole clan, unlike what he’d assumed.
But if she hadn’t outright rejected the offer, then the latter probably wasn’t true.
"Then what about Mei Rulan?"
She was the one who had accused him previously, and Bai Zihan had vowed to make her and her clan pay if she continued to lie.
And of course, she didn’t take his words seriously and continued lying.
He didn’t forget nor was he joking when he threatened her.
Because of the System’s reward, Bai Zihan had to put those plans on hold, as he considered them a low priority.
Perhaps only Bai Zihan could consider destroying a clan a side quest of no importance.
"That accuser is also in Reflection Cave, and her clan has been given a stern warning about her behavior," Kong Zhanhong said.
"That’s a pretty mild punishment, considering she messed with me."
Although Bai Zihan said that, it wasn’t considered mild at all.
Mei Rulan had been stripped of her Inner Disciple status, all her cultivation resources had been taken back, and she was locked up in Reflection Cave.
Those punishments were all for merely falsely accusing Bai Zihan. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have been punished so severely.
Kong Zhanhong, of course, agreed with Bai Zihan’s words on the surface and kept blabbing about how she should’ve been sliced into pieces and fed to spirit beasts for falsely accusing Bai Zihan.
He claimed her punishment was too light—even though he knew deep down it was already far too heavy for her actual "crimes."
"I did promise that I would destroy her clan, right?"
Previously, he had warned Mei Rulan that if she continued to falsely accuse him, he would take revenge by destroying her clan.
Fang Jinyan nodded. Kong Zhanhong hadn’t been present at the time, but he had.
Bai Zihan had indeed said those words, though he’d assumed it was just a threat to scare Mei Rulan.
So he didn’t understand why Bai Zihan was bringing it up again.
"Fine, then it looks like I need to keep my word," Bai Zihan said lazily.
It was like he didn’t want to destroy the clan—but had to, simply because he’d said he would.
Not even treating it like anything outrageous.
Fang Jinyan and Kong Zhanhong didn’t understand at first what Bai Zihan was talking about.
But then they thought about it—and immediately shivered.
"Young Master, you don’t mean... destroying the Mei Clan?"
"What else could I mean? Since I already said I would do it, then I should keep my word," Bai Zihan answered casually.
Sweat immediately appeared on Fang Jinyan and Kong Zhanhong’s faces.
They had also once been at odds with Bai Zihan, but unlike Mei Rulan, they’d been lucky enough to switch sides.
Otherwise, they couldn’t fathom what their fate would’ve been.
Moreover, it wouldn’t have just been their fate—but their entire clans’ that might’ve been destroyed.
(Looks like I need to return to the Bai Clan...)
Even though he’d become much stronger, he couldn’t destroy the Mei Clan alone.
Well, maybe he could.
But he didn’t want to take that risk. With a powerful clan backing him, why should he?
Of course, whether he could convince his father to help would depend entirely on his persuasion skills.