Lost Steak and Family Tensions

After a brief respite on her own bed, Bai Xia finally regained her composure. With a flushed face, she climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Having been taken away by the police earlier, her original plan to cook lunch at home had completely fallen through. Moreover, having missed lunch, her stomach began to rumble in protest.

“Perhaps I should find something to eat to fill my stomach…”

Although she still possessed ample stored energy—enough to sustain her for days without food or drink—the sensation of hunger would not simply vanish. Thus, Bai Xia could only rub her protesting stomach, deciding to rustle up something simple in the kitchen.

Hmm… what delicious thing should I make?

At that moment, Bai Xia suddenly recalled how she had craved the steak Mo Bai mentioned at the market, and how she had bought a piece for herself. Her entire expression soured instantly.

She had wondered why she felt like she’d forgotten something on the way back; it turned out she had lost the steak she’d bought.

Damn it! That was a hundred and twenty yuan steak, a sky-high price!

Bai Xia stomped her foot in vexation, her long, snow-white hair swaying gently with the movement. But in the end, her anger was a fleeting burst, as it was clearly too late to go back and search for it now.

A hundred and twenty yuan, wasted! How frustrating!

“Ugh, instant noodles it is…” Opening the refrigerator with a hint of dejection, Bai Xia ultimately decided to simply boil a bowl of instant noodles to tide her over. While she did have a bit of money now, losing a hundred and twenty yuan steak just like that still made her heart ache.

“Hiss… why are my legs still a bit wobbly?”

****

“Mo Hongyi! What is wrong with you?!”

Inside the Mo Estate, Imperial Capital, news of Mo Bai’s intervention in the Blade Keepers Agency’s work at the police station had reached Mo Mom and Mo Dad. Naturally, Mo Mom was the most displeased by this development.

“Such matters are so dangerous, yet you tacitly allowed him to go? Do you not care for your son anymore?” Mo Mom’s eyes were red with fury, her fingers clenching tightly onto the silk sofa cover as she glared at Mo Dad with extreme displeasure. This prompted Mo Hongyi, who was seated on the sofa reading an ancient text, to rub his temples in exasperation.

Although he cared deeply for his son, unlike his wife’s doting concern, Mo Bai was, after all, destined to inherit everything from him. Therefore, he hoped his son would learn to make independent judgments and shoulder responsibilities starting now, rather than being protected by them his entire life.

“Ah, haven’t I told you not to worry about this matter?” Mo Hongyi sighed, then set down the ancient text he was holding. “He’ll have to face these things sooner or later; learning early isn’t a bad thing.”

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll get hurt? What if he loses an arm or a leg?” Mo Mom retorted immediately. She was clearly still unwilling for her son to get involved with such matters too early; even though Mo Bai’s abilities had already awakened, as a student, his studies should be the priority.

“Don’t worry,” Mo Hongyi said, taking a sip of his freshly brewed tea, “I’ve already reminded him. Besides, that child… I have a good feeling about him. You don’t need to worry about this; I know what I’m doing.”

“Knowing what you’re doing, knowing what you’re doing, indeed! If anything happens to my son, I’ll never forgive you!” With that parting shot, Mo Mom left the study, leaving only Mo Dad to shake his head helplessly, gazing at the ancient text in his hands.

However… this girl named Bai Xia is indeed quite special.

Even Mo Hongyi, who had extensively researched various superpowers, had to admit at this moment that he truly hadn’t noticed such a unique entity hidden beside his son—so special, in fact, that she might even alter humanity’s understanding of beings from beyond their realm.

However, it was best not to jump to conclusions before the investigation results were in. Yet, he couldn’t help but think that the girl and his son were quite a good match. He wondered when he would finally be able to hold a grandchild.

Thinking of this, Mo Hongyi, seated in the study, couldn’t help but reveal a fatherly smile. It was as if he wasn’t a high-ranking Sword-Wielder of the Blade Keepers Agency at all, but simply a father to a child.

After setting the ancient text aside, he made a call on his phone. Over the years, as the Empire had grown increasingly vast, the Mo family, controlling both the political arena and the military forces in border regions, had seen its status rise significantly. They had also planted a considerable number of informants and intelligence personnel within the Imperial Capital; without exception, all served the Mo family, providing Mo Hongyi with any required information at a moment’s notice.

“Have you found anything?” Mo Hongyi asked in a deep voice to the person on the other end of the line.

As soon as Mo Bai mentioned his intention to intervene in the matter, Mo Hongyi had already given orders to gather information about Bai Xia. However, it was remarkably strange that information concerning Bai Xia’s true identity was extremely scarce; they could practically only trace Bai Xia’s activities under a male identity. Yet, based on investigations by some superhumans with extensive knowledge of superpowers, Bai Xia’s identity as a “blood race” was swiftly delivered to Mo Hongyi’s computer.

“Currently, it appears the young lady is of the blood race, though it’s unclear if she’s a vampire or something else,” the voice on the phone responded. “However, she poses no threat to the young master, and she also seems to be his friend. Furthermore, her bloodline appears to be quite special. As you know, Patriarch, if she were ‘those guys,’ she wouldn’t likely present herself in this manner.”

“A special bloodline…?” Mo Hongyi’s fingertips paused lightly on the tabletop, a hint of hesitation flickering in his eyes. He then instructed, “Those fellows have also started stirring lately; help me find out what’s going on.”

After hanging up the phone, Mo Hongyi, seated in the study, sighed with a touch of helplessness, his gaze once again falling upon the ancient text from the summer.

No need to rush; we’ll wait until the investigation results are out…

****

Mo Bai, who had just left the police station, was completely unaware of what was happening at his home. Having finally sorted out Bai Xia’s situation, he now only wanted to find a place to properly rest.

In any case, after everything was said and done, the man who drugged Bai Xia received only a minor administrative penalty, and the bar was simply ordered to undergo rectification. Although this lukewarm punishment left him highly dissatisfied, that was how the procedures were set, and he couldn’t very well argue further.

Still… he had been busy running around for this, yet a certain someone had simply taken off. It truly annoyed him a little.

Mo Bai stood at the police station entrance, gazing at the road before him, lost in thought for a moment. Then, he pulled out his phone from his pocket, opened his chat interface with Bai Xia, and began typing rapidly.

He had helped Bai Xia with such a significant matter; surely, he deserved some “compensation” now? Furthermore, this place seemed quite close to Bai Xia’s home. Perhaps he should just go visit his deskmate’s house; he’d never been there anyway.

[Mo: I’ve handled everything for you, yet you won’t even invite me to your place to rest.]

[Mo: You just ran off, didn’t even wait for me.]

The message was sent. Meanwhile, Bai Xia, slurping instant noodles in her rented room, saw the message suddenly pop up on her phone. She instantly almost choked on the noodle soup, her blood-red eyes wide with disbelief.

Damn it!? Mo Bai wants to come to my place? What is going on?!