Vol 5 Chapter 155

XH 155

Da Bei and Eunuch Heng were finally released from the talisman, their eerily blank face slowly returned to life, replacing it with a confused expression. Doctor Bai had rebuilt their memories and replaced them with him visiting Xiao Hua in a hostile manner and that was why Xiao Hua got injured.

The flour plus sugar attack by the Eighth Prince was treated as an act of childish revenge for Xiao Hua's sake.

The Rubik Cube was forced to hide inside Doctor Bai's spatial dimension to avoid Da Bei's sharp hearing from sensing it, much to the system's displeasure. However, only Doctor Bai sympathized with its plight but since it was necessary, it will have to hide inside the spatial dimension.

Fortunately, Doctor Bai was a strong level cultivator, for once Da Bei was released from the talisman, he immediately attacked the one that 'harmed' Xiao Hua.

The Eighth Prince grinned, not making any move to stop Da Bei, so it was only Xiao Hua that speak up to stop it. "Stop, Da Bei! Doctor Bai means no harm! He agreed to adopt me!"

Da Bei halted, his eyes flashed in confusion before it was gone. He did not say or ask anything and just put his blades away, fully trusting Xiao Hua's words.

"Thank you Da Bei," Xiao Hua said, full of gratitude. This young boy had often saved her life and never doubted her for the slightest.

Obedient and cute, this young lady is very satisfied~

She turned her attention to Doctor Bai. "So how does adoption work?" Does she need to go to the government place and change her birth certificate?

"I am not a citizen of the Four Kingdom and there isn’t a need to update any birth record other than your own, which we can do at the Guilin government office. We will have to make a trip there to update the birth records later, but first, we will do the blood adoption."

With a flick of his sleeve, a rectangular shaped thick plate with a craving of 'Bai' letter on it, dropped onto his hand. "This is Bai family's nameplate. I sincerely apologize, but Da Bei and Heng Xin, would you please step out? The next discussion is a family secret."

Da Bei turned to Xiao Hua, who nodded. "I will be fine, Da Bei. If there's anything, I will yell for you."

Slowly nodded, Da Bei stepped out of the room, but not before giving Doctor Bai a warning glare.

Eunuch Heng stared at the Eighth Prince when he did not make a move to step out. "Your Highness?"

"I will be staying behind. Doctor Bai, are you alright with it?"

"I do not mind letting you knowing it." Doctor Bai smiled in amusement.

"Then... this servant will wait outside. Your Highness, please summon me if there is anything you need."

After Eunuch Heng finally left the room, Doctor Bai continued on. "You will have to drip a drop of your blood on it so that your name will appear in Bai family's ancestral records. However, you will also be taking Bai's surname and will have the responsibility of a Bai family member. Are you sure you still want to be adopted by me? This will not only be the adoption in name but adoption by blood."

"Can I ask what the responsibilities of a Bai family member are?" Xiao Hua asked apprehensively.

Suddenly the Eighth Prince has a bad feeling as a memory of a distant past itched to make itself rise to the surface of his brain.

"You will have to guard the Bai ancestral family land until the next generation takes over."

"Take care?"

"For example, you will have to look after the plants of Bai land, make sure the land still belongs to Bai family member, and so on."

Xiao Hua immediately spotted something. "Look after means that I have to stay at Bai land?"

Doctor Bai nodded. "Yes. You have to take care of the land in your own hands. It's not allowed for you to hire servants to look after the land on your behalf, as the land needs a Bai children's spiritual energy to continue living."

"B-But..." She does not want to leave the Third Prince's side!

Knowing her dilemma, Doctor Bai continues to explain in a gentler manner. "You can leave the Bai land after you got married. As a wife, you will stay with your husband and no longer considered to be a Bai family member. The tradition requires the heir to stay at the land, but since I'm the only Bai family left and without a successor, you will be considered as my heir, which will be inherited by your child in the future."

"Eh? You are the only Bai family left?" Xiao Hua asked in surprise. "Can't you bend the rules a bit then? I… I don't wish to leave the Third Prince's side."

Despite Xiao Hua's pleading, Doctor Bai still shakes his head. "I can't. The rules are enforced by the strong will of the Bai ancestors. If a Bai family member broke the rule, it's the ancestors' will that punished them."

"Ancestor's will?" Xiao Hua shivered. "Are they ghosts?"

"In a way, yes. Moreover, if you, an unmarried lady that isn't the Third Prince's servant or family choose to stay with him, you will be scorned as a scarlet lady."

"Not if I'm known as his fiancée." Xiao Hua frowned. "Besides, why are the spirits forcing people?"

"It could be taken that way, but to the ancestors, they do not wish for the Bai's family secret and treasures to disappear from the world and that's why they force their descendants to do certain things."

"Family secret? The Bai land has treasures?" The Eighth Prince asked excitedly as if he was the one that has the chance to get his hands on them.

"Every prominent clan has its own secrets and treasures after decades of success."

With a regretful sigh, Xiao Hua shook her head. "I'm sorry, looks like I can't be adopted by you."

"If you don't, who will agree to adopt you?" Xiao Hua has no answer to that. "Then let me tell you this. Long Zhu knew about the Bai traditions, yet he still chooses to ask me to adopt you."

But he omitted the part where his apprentice only requested to be adopted by name, which his apprentice had thought that his teacher would not adopt a stranger as his true daughter.

"What! He... He knew?!" Xiao Hua unconsciously took a step back as if doing so would reduce the pain in her heart.

"How old are you now?" Doctor Bai asked but Xiao Hua was too immersed in her thoughts to catch his question.

Instead, the Eighth Prince answered for her. "She's 14 now. You want her to stay with you until she reaches adulthood?"

"Sixteen is the suitable age of marriage, accepted by society and traditions."

This was the first time Heise ever felt guilty for being cruel to his own character. At first, he assumed that since he had not written down the terrible fate of Doctor Bai in the novel, it would not happen. But when Doctor Bai explained about Bai ancestor's will and land, it was eerily the same as the notes he had written down in a notebook.

In a way, he could be considered as a sinner for thinking up a horrible fate for the Bai family and now his past actions led to trouble for his best friend. Fortunately, it was not a work of curse but just plain bad luck on the Bai family, or else it might harm Xiao Hua too.

"Let Xiao Hua be your daughter," the Eighth Prince said firmly. "In these two years, teach her to be as strong as possible to prepare for the demon invasion. How long will it be until the demon invasion?"

"I don't want to!" Xiao Hua cried out unhappily.

"Stop whining and pick up your slack!" the Eighth Prince suddenly yelled at Xiao Hua, shocking her. "You need to become stronger until you are fit to stand beside Long Zhu and protect yourself! Damn it, right now you are just nothing but a burden to him!"

"I know I'm a bloody burden to him!" Xiao Hua yelled back, feeling the sharp sting from his words. "I am training hard to get stronger! But I don't want to be away from him and everyone!"

That was the only thing she does not want to happen!

"It's just two years for fuck sake! It's not as if you are not going to see him forever! He can come to visit you whenever he's free and if I know him well, he will visit you often!"

Tears clouded her vision. "I..."

"I will visit you too and bring news from the Third Prince if he can't make it!"

"Promise you will visit me?"

Finally, he realized that Xiao Hua was not being a lovesick fool that does not want to separate from her boyfriend, the Eighth Prince stopped being harsh. He had not thought that she would be afraid of the new place, with unfamiliar people, and need to spend time to learn everything again.

"It will be four years until the invasion happens. Until then, I will do my best to supply you with appropriate training lessons and suitable supplements for you to take to increase your strength," Doctor Bai answered.

Xiao Hua used her sleeves to cover her ugly crying face, as well as to hide her anger towards Doctor Bai and the Eighth Prince.

"I understand." Xiao Hua's weak, feeble reply had the Eighth Prince close his eyes, unable to watch the miserable Xiao Hua that he had a hand in causing.

"Can I come along too?" The Eighth Prince suddenly asked.

Doctor Bai looked thoughtful. "We can use this chance to 'cure' your mental illness."

"It's decided then! I will ask Heng Xin to persuade Uncle to have you cure me!" The Empress would listen to Duke Heng since this was reasonable, and as for the Emperor? The Empress was enough to coax her husband to agree for the sake of his son's health.

Her aching heart eased slightly along with the fear of the unknown. While she still has courage, Xiao Hua holds out a finger to Doctor Bai. With a small understanding smile, Doctor Bai helped to make a small cut on her finger with inner energy and let her blood drip onto the tablet.

The tablet glowed for a second before returning back to its normal state and her drop of blood was absorbed into the nameplate.

"It's done."

Xiao Hua does not feel anything different. She had imagined that there will be a magnificent transformation of turning herself into beauty with a similar appearance to Doctor Bai.

Doctor Bai kept the tablet away. "We will wait until Long Zhu returns before we head to Bai's family land."