Chapter 680: Humiliation
Chen Hai’s fierce glare caused the hearts of the Chen Clan cultivators to tremble. As for the grand elder, he could see that the clan chief was just about to speak, so he puffed his chest out and glared at the man.
“Clan Chief!!” he yelled angrily. The clan chief’s face fell, and he closed his mouth.
“Majordomo Bai,” the grand elder continued, “for their impertinence, those two Chen Clan Juniors definitely deserved to die!
“However, since Majordomo Bai has already confiscated our thousand years of reserve savings... then it means our Chen Clan really has nothing left to give. Majordomo Bai... please leave us with enough to survive.” With that, he clasped hands and bowed, looking very solemn and even tragic.
Bai Xiaochun didn't respond at first. The truth was the that the Chen Clan really had just about nothing left. Although they had tried to kill him in the past, they had obviously learned their lesson by now. However, it was at that point that his gaze came to rest on the face of the clan chief, whose eyes flickered with a burst of venom.
Although the clan chief was trying hard to keep that venom hidden, he couldn’t conceal it from Bai Xiaochun’s penetrating gaze. Immediately, Bai Xiaochun’s previous caution hardened a bit, and he made his decision about what to do next. Outwardly, he put on an expression of hesitation, and even embarrassment. Then, he looked over at the female members of the Chen Clan.
Every single one of the female cultivators was beautiful, and as Bai Xiaochun’s gaze swept over them, it didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the people present. The grand elder’s jaw dropped; never could he have imagined that this Bai Hao would have such proclivities....
“Well, he is young after all....” the grand elder thought. Immediately, he gave orders for the ashen-faced women to all step forward and line up in front of Bai Xiaochun.
There were even some female clan members who weren’t in that larger group who were sent forward to stand in front of Bai Xiaochun. In the end, there were several hundred of them, all of them beautiful in different ways.
“Majordomo Bai, you are young and have unlimited potential, a true dragon amongst men. It would really be best for you to have some handmaidens to keep you company. These are all beloved daughters of the clan, any of whom would be blessed to be looked kindly upon by you....” As far as the grand elder was concerned, if this Bai Hao took one of the daughters of the clan with him, it would actually be a good thing. In fact, the man’s heart even began to pound in anticipation.
Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat. Inwardly, he was cursing the giant ghost king for being such a pervert, and yet, there was nothing he could do but brace himself and do what needed to be done.
Sighing sadly, but having no choice other than to follow orders, he said, “I'm not really interested in these clan daughters of yours. However, I heard that the clan chief is quite lucky with the women. Please bring his wife out for me to take a look at....”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Chen Clan cultivators’ jaws dropped, and many cries of shock could be heard. The grand elder simply stared at Bai Xiaochun, completely stunned.
The clan chief could no longer restrain himself.
“This is outrageous, Bai Hao!!” he bellowed.
Bai Xiaochun felt a bit guilty, and muttered a few more inward curses directed at the giant ghost king. However, he couldn’t back down now. Off to the side, Chen Hai looked over at Bai Xiaochun with a strange look that contained a bit of admiration.
Then he stepped forward, slapped the clan chief’s face and shouted, “What gall!”
Blood sprayed out of the clan chief’s mouth as he staggered backward. At the same time, he looked over at Bai Xiaochun with burning anger. However, the truth was that inside, he wasn’t actually that angry. He had already come to the conclusion that if this Bai Hao wanted to take his wife away, then afterward, he would finally be off the hook.
After all, stealing another man’s wife would earn him quite a bit of criticism. If he then went on to kill the husband, that would earn him the full ire of the public, so that seemed like a very unlikely possibility.
Naturally, the ideal thing for the clan chief to do at this point was to get out of the situation alive. In fact, he was already trying to think of a way to not just do that, but also improve his reputation within the clan.
“Alright, if he's going to take my wife, then I have to make it seem like an unacceptable insult that I will only endure for the sake of the clan. That will resolve my issues with the grand elder and get everyone else in the clan to trust me!!” Having reached this point in his train of thought, the clan chief bit down on his tongue and then coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. Looking up grimly at Bai Xiaochun, he radiated the air of a desperate, injured wild animal, ready to throw away everything to harm his opponent.
Those who saw the look of madness in his eyes were instantly shaken, and as for the Chen Clan cultivators, flames of anger began to burn in their hearts.
Bai Xiaochun was a bit frightened himself, and almost felt like crying. This whole situation was definitely a big humiliation, but he had to take the unjust blame in the place of the giant ghost king.... However... it really was an outrageous situation, and after a moment, he decided that the best thing... would be to go back and have the giant ghost king do the deed himself....
At this point, just when he was about to take it all back, the clan chief could see that he was hesitating, and instantly got nervous. Abandoning his act, he shouted, “Fine. Fine! I’ll do it for the clan! Men... bring out my wife!!”
The clan chief was trembling with so much anger that he seemed to age visibly. The other members of the clan were so furious that they had forgotten their terror and were glaring with open anger at Bai Xiaochun. When the clan chief saw that, he chuckled inwardly, and then intentionally swayed back and forth, as if he were about to fall over. He also bowed his head in bitter fashion. Of course, there was a glimmer of satisfaction deep in his eyes.
Bai Xiaochun stood there with his mouth open, having been unable to speak a single word. He could only sigh at the injustice of it all.... Then he thought about how he would surely become the subject of public ridicule, and that people might even curse him as a wife-stealer. He would probably drown in the drops of spittle that would inundate him from all the cursing he would endure. He wanted to cry, and yet, knew that he could not give voice to his lamentation. The only parties who would be privy to the truth other than himself would be heaven, earth, and the giant ghost king. Bai Xiaochun sighed in distress and simply watched as one of the members of the Chen Clan escorted a woman out.
She appeared to be a bit over thirty, beautiful, with snow-white skin and the elegant charm of a mature woman. However, she seemed terrified, although she was trying to keep herself under control. As soon as she appeared in the open, even Chen Hai couldn’t hold back from looking her up and down a few times. All of a sudden, he seemed to understand why Majordomo Bai wanted this woman.
Bai Xiaochun was cursing angrily inside. Although she was definitely beautiful, he didn’t really care about that, and in fact, was so embarrassed he simply cleared his throat.
“Ahem... sorry about this....” he said to her. With that, he turned and walked away, filled with embarrassment and unable to keep from wailing inwardly at how his name was going to be in ruins from now on.
As for Chen Hai, a strange smile could be seen on his face. Zhou Yixing gulped in a breath, but quickly pulled himself together. Then the two of them exchanged a glance and stepped forward to politely escort Mrs. Chen forward.
Mrs. Chen had already been informed about the situation. Face pale, she looked around at the clan, and then over at her husband, who had a pained look on his face. In her eyes flickered a venomous hatred; she knew her husband well, and although no one else would be able to tell, there was no way she would miss out on the clues that indicated he was putting on an act. Smiling faintly, she didn’t hesitate at all to follow Chen Hai and Zhou Yixing out of the clan.
Her seemingly heartless reaction aroused the ire of many in the clan, and many of them swore to never forget the insult.
Before long, the thousands upon thousands of soul cultivators were gone from the Chen Clan. As for the clan chief, he watched everything playing out, and felt very pleased with himself. After all, losing a mere wife to save his life was definitely a price he was willing to pay.
Bai Xiaochun had a taut expression on his face, and felt profoundly annoyed. It was at this point that Chen Hai hurried over with Mrs. Chen in tow.
“Majordomo Bai, she... she requested an audience, sir.” After delivering Mrs. Chen over, Chen Hai quickly hurried away, heart filled with admiration at Bai Xiaochun’s daring act, and at the same time, feeling sorry for the woman.
Bai Xiaochun turned in surprise to face the exquisitely beautiful Mrs. Chen, and was just about to ask what she wanted when she took the initiative to speak.
“Many thanks, exalted one, for extracting me from a life of complete bitterness. Your humble servant would like to make a request. I sincerely hope that you can fulfil my wish, exalted one!”
Bai Xiaochun was a bit taken aback, but after seeing how sincere Mrs. Chen seemed, and feeling a bit guilty about the whole situation, he nodded.
“Sure. Just say the word, and as long as it’s within my power, I’ll do my best."
“Exalted one, I request that you please... kill Chen Shishan!” The words came out of her mouth one word at a time, and afterward, she seemed as if a great weight had been lifted off of her. Of course, Chen Shishan was none other than the chief of the Chen Clan!
“What!?” Bai Xiaochun blurted, eyes widening as he looked in shock at Mrs. Chen. Things were already turning out very differently than he would have imagined.
“Chen Shishan is narrow and petty-minded. He is also ruthless and violent, and used living children to forge a magical treasure, arousing the wrath of men and gods alike. In fact, in order to gain more perfect control over his treasure, he sacrificed our own children to become the main souls in the item. I was powerless to stop him, and the grief and rage that incident caused has remained cold in the bottom of my heart ever since....
“Exalted one, for you to take me away this day is like a dream come true. I don’t hate you. In fact, I'm grateful. Considering your lofty position, exalted one, you have unprecedented power. Furthermore, I can tell that you aren’t really very interested in me, nor do you care much about your reputation. You must have your own secret sorrows and goals. As for me, I can guarantee that if you grant my request, that no matter what happens in the future, no matter what position you occupy or where you go, I will always carry out your orders without hesitation!” Although her words were spoken quietly, the wisdom and decisiveness within them carried incredible power. Moved, Bai Xiaochun looked at her closely.
In Bai Xiaochun’s heart, the matter of the Myriad Children Blood Banner was something that made the clan chief unfit to exist in heaven and earth. Then he heard that the man had sacrificed his own children to make it, which was something that not even wild beasts did. That made the clan chief worse than an animal! After a moment of thought, Bai Xiaochun turned and sent a message to Chen Hai.
Chen Hai was stunned at the message, and looked deeply at Bai Xiaochun. Then he turned and left. When he returned... he had the clan chief’s head in his hands!
The chief’s eyes were filled with disbelief and defiance... even in death, he had no idea why Bai Hao had dared to kill him!
When Mrs. Chen saw the clan chief’s head, her heart filled with profound emotions. Struggling to control her breath, she bowed at the waist to Bai Xiaochun.