The front gates of the General's residence were bustling with noise and jubilant celebrations, filled with an overwhelming sense of joy that seemed to mock the crisis within. Red lanterns swayed. Music played. Guests arrived bearing congratulations and gifts.
Yet, in the rear hall of the estate, a heavy gloom hung in the air like smoke you couldn't wave away.
Servants and maids knelt trembling on the cold floor as General Bai brandished a long whip, his beard practically bristling with fury. Each crack of leather against stone made them flinch.
Dressed in formal attire meant for celebration—now wrinkled from pacing—Lady Bai wiped her tears with trembling hands, utterly distraught. Her carefully applied makeup streaked down her face.
A sharp crack of the whip sent a collective shiver through the kneeling servants. The sound echoed like judgment.
"Who helped that wretched girl escape? Speak! Where has she gone?"
Bai Xun lashed the whip against the floor with enough force to leave marks, roaring in anger that came from somewhere deeper than rage—from fear, from helplessness, from a father's desperate love disguised as fury.
The maids kept their heads bowed, trembling in fear, but none dared to speak. Loyalty warred with self-preservation in their young hearts.
"Fine! I've indulged you all these years, and now you dare help that disgrace bring such calamity upon us? Still silent?"
Bai Xun's voice rose to something almost inhuman. "Guards! Drag them out and beat them until they talk!"
His rage burned hotter than ever—even when Bai Xi and Bai Shuo had gone missing years ago, when they'd faced demons and death, he had never punished the servants so severely.
"My lord," the steward Bai Lei hesitated, his voice careful, "these are all from the Young Miss's courtyard. If they cannot endure the punishment..."
Meaning: if they die under interrogation, who will serve the household?
"Disloyal servants deserve death!"
Bai Xun's icy voice cut through the air like a blade through silk, and only then did the kneeling servants realize the depth of his fury. This wasn't performative anger. This was a general who'd ordered men to their deaths on battlefields, and he would do it again here.
They hastily kowtowed, foreheads striking stone hard enough to bruise.
"General, please calm your anger! Spare us, we beg you! We truly don't know where the Second Young Miss has gone! We swear we don't know!"
Pleas echoed through the hall in a chorus of desperation, and Lady Bai, unable to bear it any longer—unable to watch children she'd known since birth face execution—quickly rose and tugged at Bai Xun's sleeve.
"My lord, today is Shuo'er's joyous occasion. How can we allow bloodshed and death?"
The irony hung heavy. A wedding day. A celebration. And they spoke of death.
"My lady, it's because you've spoiled that wretched girl too much!" Bai Xun rounded on his wife, decades of indulgence finally exploding into accusation. "When we find her, I'll whip her to death myself—better that than letting His Majesty execute her and bring shame upon the Bai family!"
His voice cracked with emotion he rarely showed. "Do you think this is just any marriage? This is a royal decree! How dare she flee? What will become of the Prime Minister's household? What will become of Xi'er?"
Bai Xun's eldest daughter, Bai Xi, had married into the Eastern Palace a year ago. She and the Crown Prince were a harmonious pair, highly favored by the Emperor. The family's fortune rose with her status.
Lady Bai's heart ached for her youngest daughter—always her wild child, her impossible dreamer. But hearing that Bai Shuo's escape might implicate Bai Xi, might bring down the entire carefully constructed political edifice, her vision darkened with the weight of impossible choices.
She collapsed to the floor in a heap of silk and sorrow.
"My lady! My lady!"
The moment Lady Bai fainted, General Bai panicked. All his military composure fled, leaving only a husband watching his wife crumble. Flustered and helpless, he hurriedly lifted her onto a chair, patting her face.
"Mother!"
A calm yet urgent voice rang out from outside the hall, cutting through chaos. Crown Princess Bai Xi rushed in with her retinue, and seeing Lady Bai unconscious, immediately grasped her hand with practiced gentleness.
At Bai Xi's arrival, everyone in the hall—except for Bai Xun and his wife—dropped to their knees in reverence. Power shifted. The Crown Princess commanded obedience that even the General couldn't match.
"Greetings to Her Highness the Crown Princess!"
The sight of Bai Xi only made Lady Bai weep harder, consciousness returning with fresh grief. "Xi'er, Shuo'er, she... she..."
"I already know. Don't worry, Mother. A-Shuo will be fine!"
Bai Xi patted Lady Bai's hand reassuringly with the confidence of one who'd learned to navigate palace politics. Then she turned her gaze—usually gentle and meek, cultivated carefully over years—into a stern glare at the maids on the floor.
"You've all grown up with the Second Young Miss. I know how close you are to her. Whoever helped her escape today deserves death, but do you truly wish to watch her die?"
The words landed like physical blows.
Among the maids, the one in peach-colored robes—Tao Hua, who'd braided Bai Shuo's hair since childhood—suddenly lifted her head. Her face filled with terror as she met Bai Xi's penetrating gaze.
Bai Xi narrowed her eyes at her, reading guilt as clearly as written words. "The Second Young Miss's marriage was decreed by His Majesty. Even if she escapes today, can she run forever? If she returns, she may yet live. But if she truly flees this marriage, neither the General's household nor I can protect her!"
The threat was clear: return meant punishment. Fleeing meant execution.
Bai Xi stepped closer to Tao Hua, looking down at her quietly with the authority of royalty. "A-Shuo's life... rests in your hands."
"Young Miss, please save Second Young Miss! She... she's left the capital!"
Peach Blossom grabbed Bai Xi's skirt with desperate hands, frantic with regret that came too late. The secret spilled like water from a broken dam.
Bai Xi pulled Peach Blossom up urgently, fingers digging into the maid's shoulders. "How did she leave the manor?"
"Second Young Miss changed into my clothes and sneaked out last night. She ordered us to have Cold Bamboo pretend to be her in the room to... to buy time." The words tumbled out in a rush. "She also said that once she left this time, she wouldn't return. She told the master and mistress to report her death by illness to the Chong family, so Your Majesty wouldn't punish our household."
Bai Xi was nearly exploding with anger at Bai Shuo—at her sister's recklessness, her impossible dreams, her stubborn refusal to be the person everyone needed her to be.
"Where exactly did she go?!"
"The Young Miss said... she went to seek immortals."
Hearing Peach Blossom's stammered words, the Bai elders and Bai Xi almost fainted from rage. That ill-fated little ancestor had been playing the role of a mystic for over a decade, and even on the eve of her wedding, she hadn't abandoned this foolish notion of seeking gods and immortality.
"Why can't she ever shake off this superstitious nonsense? There are no immortals in this world!"
Lady Bai was both furious and helpless, patting General Bai's arm as tears streamed down her face. Years of dismissing her daughter's obsession, and still it persisted like a fever that wouldn't break.
"That wretched girl! Will she never outgrow this madness?"
But Bai Xi suddenly fell silent, her expression shifting. She looked at Peach Blossom with new intensity and asked quietly, "Where did she go to seek immortals this time...?"
"Second Young Miss didn't say..." Peach Blossom wore a mournful expression but suddenly remembered something, a detail that had seemed insignificant. "She mentioned going beyond the Eastern Sea to seek immortals..."
"The Eastern Sea? The east!"
Bai Xi and Bai Xun's eyes sharpened as they simultaneously guessed Bai Shuo's escape route. Years of knowing her patterns, her obsessions, her reading habits.
"Bai Lei!" Bai Xun shouted, snapping into military mode. "Prepare the horses!"
"Father!" Bai Xi stopped Bai Xun with one raised hand and glanced toward the outer hall, where celebratory music grew louder by the moment. Reality intruded on urgency.
She shook her head with careful calculation. "The Chong family's wedding procession is almost here. You can't leave now."
Bai Xun halted as if struck, flicking his sleeve in frustration. Then he pointed at Bai Lei with decisive authority. "Take the manor guards and pursue her eastward immediately! She left last night—with her walking speed, she hasn't reached Weicheng yet. You must bring her back before she gets there!"
"Yes, Master!"
Bai Lei, a former soldier under Bai Xun who'd followed him through countless campaigns, acted without question and turned to leave. But Bai Xi stopped him with one word.
"No."
Bai Xi looked at Bai Xun, her voice steady with political wisdom he'd never taught her but she'd learned anyway. "Father, the General's Manor has always guarded the capital. If Bai Lei leaves the city on such an important day for our household, it will surely alert His Majesty."
The Emperor noticed everything. Especially on days when imperial decrees were involved.
The celebratory music drew nearer, and the sudden burst of firecrackers struck General Bai's heart like a hammer. Remembering the decades-long friendship between the Bai family and Chancellor Chong, remembering favors owed and debts unpaid, he wished he could strangle that little troublemaker Bai Shuo.
"The Chong family's wedding procession is at our doorstep, and we can't even search for her! Where am I supposed to find another daughter to compensate Chong Zhao now?"
Bai Xun paced back and forth like a caged tiger, his brow deeply furrowed with lines that hadn't been there this morning.
"Don't panic, Father. There's only one person who can help us resolve the Bai family's crisis now."
"Who?" Bai Xun stopped abruptly, grasping at hope.
"Chong Zhao," Bai Xi said steadily, as if the answer had always been obvious.
Bai Xun was stunned into silence.
On a narrow winding path a hundred li from the capital, where mountains met sky and civilization felt distant, the crisp sound of bells approached from afar.
"Little sister sits at the prow, oh~ Big brother walks on the shore, lovey-dovey on the towline swaying slow~"
A young woman in plain clothes lay leisurely on a donkey cart, humming a folk song with a blade of grass between her teeth. She'd shed the restrictive robes of nobility for simple peasant garb, and freedom tasted sweet as summer fruit.
Suddenly, the little donkey snorted and stopped dead. The young woman opened her eyes to see the donkey turning its head, puffing heavily through flared nostrils, its round eyes bulging with unmistakable exhaustion.
Strangely enough, though Bai Shuo hadn't achieved Immortal Ascension yet—though she remained frustratingly, stubbornly mortal—she could practically read the donkey's thoughts radiating from those enormous eyes:
"I'm damn well not moving another step. I'm tired and hungry as hell."
The little donkey had been lured out of a thatched shed in the capital by Bai Shuo with two bananas and vague promises—hardly a sworn brother bound by blood oaths. Seeing the donkey about to quit, about to simply sit down in the middle of the road, Bai Shuo quickly scrambled up from her comfortable position with an ingratiating smile.
"Brother Donkey, once we cross this mountain path, it's just ten more miles to Weicheng. I promise, the moment we arrive, I'll find you the finest inn to rest in! And buy you ten pounds of dried fodder?"
Bai Shuo coaxed, patting the donkey's rump with desperate affection. "How does that sound?"
The donkey flicked its tail with supreme indifference, utterly unimpressed by such paltry offerings, and turned to head back the way they came.
Bai Shuo panicked, seeing her escape literally walking away. She raised one finger dramatically. "Plus a fresh, tender young female donkey!"
The donkey paused mid-step, ears swiveling. It eyed Bai Shuo with deep suspicion, as if calculating whether humans could be trusted in matters of donkey romance.
"I swear it! If I'm lying, I'm a dog!" Bai Shuo pointed to the sky in solemn oath, hand over her heart.
The donkey snorted in satisfaction—a deal had been struck. It turned its head and mustered its strength to charge toward Weicheng with renewed vigor.
Only to suddenly halt again, its gaze fixed intently on a pile of rocks five meters away.
"Big bro, you think this kid's got a screw loose? Since when can livestock understand human speech?"
Behind the pile of rocks hid five or six men, their faces fierce and weathered, gripping sabers and axes—clearly mountain bandits who'd made this stretch of road their hunting ground.
The scrawny one, Wu Yong, second-in-command of the bandit stronghold, smacked his lips as he watched the odd pair in the distance with professional assessment.
"Who cares? The dumber the better. We'll drag him back to tend the cattle—keeps his mouth shut!"
The leader, Zhang Chao, had a square face and a vicious expression that came from years of casual violence. He'd stopped seeing travelers as people long ago.
"Big bro, that donkey's staring right at us. You think it spotted us?" Wu Yong suddenly looked astonished, as if he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"Don't talk nonsense! How could a dumb animal—"
Zhang Chao snapped, but when he glanced up the path, he locked eyes with the donkey's enormous, unblinking gaze. The usually ruthless bandit leader felt a shiver run down his spine, his confidence wavering inexplicably.
"Is that donkey... some kind of m-monster...?" Wu Yong stammered, hand tightening on his weapon.
But soon, the bandits' fear evaporated like morning dew. They watched as the donkey blinked rapidly, its face transforming into something that looked remarkably like terror as it backed away, its legs trembling.
Monster or not, the beast was scared of them!
The bandits' morale soared. Zhang Chao brandished his axe with renewed confidence and pointed at the duo. "Charge! Grab that kid!"
The donkey's stare had lasted only a moment. Bai Shuo, already annoyed by its sudden stop, gaped in shock as the bandits descended upon them like a swarm of locusts emerging from the rocks.
Seriously?
She'd just escaped the cage of the capital, hell-bent on reaching the immortal mountains to seek the Dao. How had she run into bandits already? Was the Great Jing's security this unreliable? Where were the imperial patrols?
"Go, go, go! Move it!"
Bai Shuo frantically turned the donkey around, cracking her whip as she fled with zero shame about the strategic retreat.
The donkey didn't need her urging. Faced with imminent doom, it bolted faster than she'd ever seen it move, faster than seemed possible for its stubby legs. Fear was an excellent motivator.
"Running, huh? Get him!"
Wu Yong barked as the pair turned tail. The bandits raised their axes and gave chase, legs pumping, closing distance.
Dust flew as the mountain path erupted into chaos. The bandits closed in, their axes nearly grazing the donkey's hindquarters—Bai Shuo could practically feel the wind of their swings.
Until the donkey suddenly skidded to a halt with the sound of hooves scraping stone, spun around, and glared at the pursuers with a ferocious aura that seemed impossible from something so small.
The bandits froze mid-charge, axes raised in bewilderment, momentum dying.
"Big bro, what's this donkey up to?"
Zhang Chao, gripping his axe tightly, had never been stared down by a donkey before in his career of highway robbery. He nervously jabbed Wu Yong with his elbow.
"How the hell should I know? Maybe this kid's some kind of expert?" Wu Yong tensed, gathering his Qi in preparation for martial combat.
"Stupid donkey, what are you doing? Run!"
Bai Shuo's face turned pale with urgency as she leaned close to the donkey's ear, desperately urging it forward with whispered pleas.
The little donkey paid no attention to Bai Shuo's words. Its hind hooves continuously scraped the ground in a combat stance she'd seen horses take before battle. Its eyes bulged wide, nostrils flaring with angry snorts.
Bai Shuo felt both exasperated and touched: "Bro, are you seriously planning to take on a whole gang of bandits alone? I never knew you were such a brave donkey, ahhhhh—"
Before Bai Shuo could finish her praise, before she could properly appreciate this unexpected heroism, the donkey suddenly bent forward. It arched its back and planted its front hooves firmly on the ground.
With all its might, it flung Bai Shuo off its back like a catapult launching a stone.
With a loud "thud," Bai Shuo landed face-first in the dirt. Dust filled her mouth. Stars exploded in her vision.
Without missing a beat, without even a backward glance, the donkey turned around and trotted away, light and carefree as if it had never been fleeing for its life.
The sound of the donkey's hooves hitting the mountain path was unmistakably clear. Even from a distance, even through the ringing in her ears, Bai Shuo could hear its joyful snorts.
The little bastard was laughing.
Bai Shuo was too stunned to even cry out in pain. She stared blankly at the fading silhouette of the donkey, watching it disappear around a bend.
Unless her memory was playing tricks on her, unless she'd hit her head harder than she thought, had she just been outsmarted and betrayed by an animal?
A massive axe suddenly pressed against her neck, cold metal against warm skin.
Slowly, with theatrical dread, Bai Shuo turned her head to meet the equally bewildered face of the bandit leaning over her.
"Bro, that donkey of yours... it's practically a demon!"
Bai Shuo grimaced, but before she could offer any explanation—before she could explain that the donkey was absolutely not hers and she'd been betrayed by livestock—the axe came down hard on her head.
Excruciating pain shot through her skull like lightning. Stars multiplied. The world tilted.
Bai Shuo collapsed to the ground, consciousness fleeing.
Damn it! Once I achieve Immortal Ascension, I swear I'll eat every last donkey in the world!
In the darkness, as awareness faded, Bai Shuo made her first wish as a future immortal.
Revenge on ungrateful donkeys. A reasonable goal.
Meanwhile, the joyous celebrations continued at the General's Mansion in the capital, proceeding as if nothing was wrong.
The young groom, dressed in festive red that made him look like a particularly elegant flame, stood before Bai Xun. The General's face was filled with guilt that carved new lines around his mouth.
Though the groom's brows were furrowed with disappointment, there was no trace of anger in his expression. Only resignation and something deeper—determination, perhaps.
"Uncle, don't worry. I will bring Shuo'er back safely."
Chong Zhao turned to leave, but as he passed through the corridor with measured steps, he saw Crown Princess Bai Xi waiting for him by a side gate. She'd positioned herself deliberately, ensuring this private conversation.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Bai Xi raised her hand, dismissing formality. "A-Zhao, about Shuo'er..."
"Your Highness need not worry. I've already asked Uncle to submit a petition to the palace overnight, stating that Shuo'er has suddenly fallen ill and requesting His Majesty's permission to postpone the wedding by three months." His voice was steady, efficient. "I will also explain everything properly to my father."
Bai Xi sighed in relief, some tension leaving her shoulders. "This is hard on you. Since no one from the General's Mansion can leave the capital without raising suspicion, we must trouble you to bring that girl back."
Chong Zhao nodded with the easy acceptance of someone who'd expected this. "You honor me too much, Your Highness. Shuo'er is my betrothed, and I will ensure her safety. Chong Zhao takes his leave."
As Chong Zhao turned to go, as his red robes swirled with the movement, Bai Xi suddenly spoke again.
"A-Zhao, you know her temperament. She's stubborn, and whatever obsession she has is unsuitable for the wife of a prime minister's son. Why not take this opportunity to—"
The implication hung heavy: break her spirit. Make her suitable. Change her.
"Your Highness."
Chong Zhao's clear, youthful voice interrupted Bai Xi with surprising firmness. He turned back, and his eyes were bright and resolute, carrying conviction that came from somewhere deeper than duty.
"From now on, whatever she wants to do, I'll let her. If she wants to become an immortal, I'll accompany her in seeking the Dao. At worst, I'll simply stop being the Young Master of the Prime Minister's household."
The young man smiled—genuine, unforced, carrying all the reckless optimism of youth—and strode away. His red robes and handsome face brimmed with youthful vigor and unwavering devotion.
Bai Xi sighed as she watched him go, but said no more.
Some people couldn't be changed. And some people wouldn't change the ones they loved.
Back in the bandits' den on the outskirts of Weicheng, raucous cheers filled the main hall as the outlaws feasted on meat and wine. They celebrated their easy catch, their continued survival.
In the pitch-black kitchen that reeked of old vegetables and smoke, Bai Shuo groaned and rubbed her head as she slowly regained consciousness.
"What kind of hellhole is this? My head hurts..."
She massaged her forehead, feeling the enormous lump where the axe had connected, while groping blindly in the darkness. Her eyes hadn't adjusted yet.
Suddenly, her hand froze.
She had touched something incredibly soft—something that felt unmistakably like... a human face?
Bai Shuo's heart trembled like a sieve as she stiffly, with mounting dread, turned her head.
Under the thin moonlight filtering through cracks in the wall, she caught sight of a face.
And screamed.
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