A Bitter Reckoning

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Zique, Qin Wanzhao’s maid, came over to refill their tea, prompting everyone to cease their quiet critique of Qian Ying.

The conversation, having made a full circle, inevitably returned to Bai Yuan.

“Sister Qin, what prompted you to invite Sister Yuan today?”

Yin Shuang took a sip of tea, her gaze turning to Qin Wanzhao with a hint of curiosity.

A subtle shift occurred in Qin Wanzhao’s smile, fading into a more subdued expression.

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned her head, “Zique, go to Sister Yuan’s previous courtyard and have Yuanyang return. Also, brew her a bowl of ginger tea to prevent her from catching a cold. Tell her to go back to her room, get some proper sleep, and not overthink things.”

“Yes.”

Zique’s expression seemed a little disheartened, but she bowed respectfully before withdrawing.

The flower hall instantly fell into a heavy silence.

Qian Ying, Liu Qingyue, and Yin Shuang exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked at Qin Wanzhao.

Qin Wanzhao let out a soft sigh.

“Yuanyang is no longer young. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone ask if she has a sweetheart. If not, please help me keep an eye out for any suitable young men around you.”

“After all, she has followed me for so long; she deserves a good future.”

….

The three women remained silent, their gazes simultaneously sharpening.

“Sister Qin—”

Qian Ying began hesitantly.

“In these past three years, have any of you visited Sister Yuan’s residence?”

Qin Wanzhao asked softly, her voice carrying a hint of melancholy.

“This…”

The women were stunned, exchanging bewildered looks among themselves, but ultimately, none spoke up.

“None of you have, have you?”

Qin Wanzhao’s lips curved into a bitter, helpless smile. “I haven’t either. Sister Yuan has always been very quiet since she joined our household, staying indoors all day. So, after paying attention for a few months, I gradually grew lax.”

“Later, when I became pregnant with Lingwu, I had even less time, leaving everything to Yuanyang. Even today, if my husband hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have gone.”

She sighed softly.

Within the chamber, the four women each wore a pensive expression.

They were all intelligent women, keenly aware of the complex and conflicted feelings they harbored towards Bai Yuan. Their attitude towards Bai Yuan during the banquet today was a direct consequence of these intricate emotions.

Despite being a woman, her talent was extraordinary. From the age of fifteen, she had surpassed all the venerable elders and esteemed veterans of the Bai family, taking command of a prominent family that had previously only held sway in Yangguan.

She recruited talent and managed diligently, causing the family to rise swiftly within a few short years. They dominated the northwest, becoming the overlords of Longyou and leaving countless other aristocratic families and sects gasping for breath.

Her martial arts had advanced at an astonishing pace. Though barely twenty, she had already defeated all rivals across the ten prefectures of the northwest, broken through multiple profound barriers, and stood but half a step from the Xiantian realm.

Such a brilliant and dazzling woman, so exceptionally talented, had not been seen in the entire northwest for hundreds of years. Even they couldn’t help but be deeply impressed by her.

Regrettably, they were enemies.

Since stepping into the martial world, not a single day had passed where they hadn’t lived under Bai Yuan’s shadow.

Those were truly dark and arduous years.

They had repeatedly clashed with Bai Yuan, repeatedly tasted defeat, and then fled. They knew of her then-despairing strength, her sharp and decisive thunderous methods, her meticulous caution even when an eagle hunted a rabbit, and they constantly endured the immense pressure of being her adversaries.

Perhaps to outsiders, the final battle appeared as Tianhe Gate sweeping through the Bai family with overwhelming force. Yet, only those who had personally faced Bai Yuan’s might, enduring that tempest-like onslaught, truly knew the truth.

Throughout the entire battle, from the very planning stages, they had largely been suppressed by their opponent, making their victory incredibly precarious. Based on the arrangements confessed by the Bai family captives afterward, had it not been for their husband Yang Xuan’s breakthrough to the Xiantian realm under pressure, and Bai Yuan’s desperate attempt to force a breakthrough to counter him, inadvertently suffering a qi deviation and losing all her cultivation, leading to a critical imbalance in combat strength, their chances of victory would have been at most thirty percent.

Even if they had won, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory, likely leaving them vulnerable to other factions and giving the Bai family a chance to recover.

Therefore, if there was hatred between them, that period was indeed filled with bitter animosity.

Conversely, with such an exceptional talent before them, these proud women, consciously or unconsciously, had always regarded this mortal enemy as their inner benchmark and their goal to surpass.

Ultimately, all of this vanished with the end of that war, Bai Yuan’s defeat and capture, and her marriage into the Yang household.

Their former mortal enemy was now their co-wife. Amidst admiration and a quiet rivalry, these complex emotions instinctively led them to avoid her.

Moreover, with Tianhe Gate currently embroiled in numerous affairs, and their own need to diligently cultivate to keep pace with their husband, the women barely had time for their daily practice. Naturally, they wouldn’t proactively visit Bai Yuan, to avoid unnecessary awkwardness.

However, to outsiders, this translated into indifference and neglect towards her.

“When I went to Sister Yuan’s courtyard just now, I couldn’t even get a cup of hot tea.”

Qin Wanzhao lowered her gaze, speaking softly. “Looking around, the entire garden was overgrown with tangled vines and weeds, withered branches and fallen leaves everywhere, and only one lantern was lit.”

“The maids and servants had all disappeared. There was no hot food, no hot water. In fact, if I hadn’t gone, Sister Yuan would likely have had to subsist on flatbread and plain water tonight.”

“Inviting her over was merely a compensatory measure born of helplessness. The only fortunate thing is that Sister Yuan, with her broad mind, did not dwell on it.”

“How could that be—”

The faces of the other three women simultaneously registered shock.

“She never said anything—”

Yin Shuang instinctively began to speak, but then immediately closed her mouth.

Liu Qingyue said coldly, “When have you ever heard her speak of anything before?”

“Indeed, though her temperament has changed, that inherent pride remains. How could she possibly speak up about such matters?”

Qin Wanzhao lowered her head, a trace of bitterness on her lips. “This is my fault; I was negligent.”

“I only just remembered that Yuanyang has a brother who died in the war against the Bai family. So, it’s only natural that she resents Sister Yuan and deliberately turned a blind eye to these things.”

The women fell silent in unison.

Although they had all fought fiercely against Bai Yuan, endured much hardship, suffered various injuries, and even faced death more than once, narrowly escaping with their lives, none of their close friends or relatives had actually died at Bai Yuan’s hands.

Having moved past that period, looking back at those dangerous experiences that forced them to grow, they found it easier to let go. However, for someone like Yuanyang, it was an entirely different matter.

“This incident ultimately happened under my watch. In due time, I will give her an explanation.”