The Scapegoat’s Task

“So, this is the task my husband has found for your concubine?”

It was evening. Bai Yuan had spent the entire day toiling within her inner sight, barely managing to raise the Spirit City by a mere three feet with a single Nineflower Jade Dew Pill. Emerging from her inner chambers, her previously leisurely mood was immediately shattered by Yang Xuan.

A business trip. The sheer evil of it.

Working like a beast of burden within the gate was one thing, but now she had to go on a business trip… Though she likely wouldn’t have to cover the travel expenses, being constantly on the move in these times was utterly exhausting, wasn’t it?

Bai Yuan fixed her alluring gaze upon Yang Xuan, who had been sitting idly in a chair outside, leisurely sipping tea for an unknown duration.

Yet, Yang Xuan’s composure was no less robust than her own.

“More or less. After much thought, you are currently the most suitable person within the gate.”

His tone, proclaiming ‘only you will do,’ was indistinguishable from those leaders in her previous lives who excelled at painting grand, empty promises.

Grinding her pearly teeth ever so slightly, Bai Yuan pondered for a moment, and then a realization dawned upon her.

In just a few short years, Tianhe Gate, leveraging its victory over the Bai family of Longyou and Yang Xuan’s ascension to Grandmaster, had explosively expanded. From a mere local power entrenched in Wuzhou City, it had ballooned into a colossal entity dominating all ten prefectures across the two northwestern provinces.

This rapid expansion was undoubtedly driven by a sense of urgency, seizing every available window of opportunity. However, it also led to a chaotic influx, a blending of the pure and the impure, where dragons and snakes mingled indiscriminately.

Many individuals ill-suited for their positions had risen to prominence on the tide of expansion, enriching themselves in the process. At this moment, Tianhe Gate was flourishing, like flowers blooming on brocade or oil boiling in a blaze. The dangers were not yet apparent.

However, if left unchecked, these issues would inevitably grow unwieldy over time, transforming into monstrous parasites within the gate.

In the future, Bai Yuan had starkly realized this truth: after breaching Wuzhou City and tearing through the Helan Mountain defenses, the various prefectural governors left to guard the Hexi region either fled, abandoned their cities, or were assassinated by spies planted by the Demonic Sect in their panic. Virtually no effective resistance was mounted.

The swift decay of the northwestern territories was intimately linked to the inaction of these very individuals.

In Bai Yuan’s view, Tianhe Gate’s expansion had largely reached its limits by now, perhaps even drawing the wary attention of surrounding major powers. The appearance of the Drunken Daoist was a clear harbinger of this.

The next phase should involve consolidating their gains and slowly building up their foundation. Evidently, Yang Xuan had also recognized this, intending to turn his blade inward and rectify the gate’s discipline.

Steward Zhao of the Three Divisions Hall was the first target, and Sun He of Lingzhou City would be the second.

However, unlike Steward Zhao, who operated directly under Yang Xuan’s watchful eye, Sun He had held his position as a high-ranking official governing a region for Tianhe Gate for many years. Despite enjoying a long period of peace, his martial arts were undoubtedly formidable.

Within Tianhe Gate, aside from the Grandmaster himself, those who could firmly suppress Sun He could likely be counted on one hand.

Qin Wanzhao presided over the gate, managing its myriad affairs. Hu Feng and Qian Ying had just returned from the western campaign, making it unsuitable for them to depart again immediately. Liu Qingyue was currently pregnant. As for Zhan Baisheng of the Battle Hall… well, that notorious martial arts fanatic was perfectly suited for battles and skirmishes, but entrusting him with delicate matters requiring careful judgment was utterly unthinkable.

Other hall masters were either too young and lacked sufficient strength, at best being evenly matched, or had tangled pasts with Sun He, rendering their involvement largely ineffective.

Truly, when considering both strength and capability, Bai Yuan was indeed the most suitable candidate within Tianhe Gate at this moment.

Moreover, there was an unspoken reason.

Upon this thought, Bai Yuan secretly sighed. She was an outsider, with no deep entanglements within Tianhe Gate. This made her the perfect blade for Yang Xuan to wield against these old officials. If she handled it well, all would be fine. But if things went awry, if chaos erupted, or if she incurred widespread resentment, she could conveniently be cast out as a scapegoat.

However… this too was of no consequence.

For Bai Yuan, whatever she was asked to do now, she could accept. Her complaints were truly nothing more than a few verbal grumbles.

“Then your concubine thanks her husband and Sister Qin for their trust.”

Bai Yuan nodded, accepting the assignment.

“It’s good that you agreed. Have someone pack your things during dinner; you’ll depart first thing tomorrow morning—”

Yang Xuan reached to refill his cup, only to find the teapot empty, yielding just a small splash. He paused momentarily. “Mm, I will send Hu Hai and the Sharp Gold Guard with you, along with a few accountants skilled in auditing. Take them all.”

“So urgent?”

Bai Yuan blurted out instinctively, then heard the latter part of his statement, growing even more surprised. “And… the Sharp Gold Guard, Hall Master Hu?”

Why were these two also coming along?

“Hu Hai is too young, his martial arts cannot suppress Sun He, and he has too many entanglements within the gate to serve as an inspection envoy. However, he is perfect for stabilizing morale. As for the Sharp Gold Guard… I mentioned last night that they would be under your command from now on. It is only right that they support you and bolster your presence, lest you appear too humble.”

The man set down his teacup, his gaze flicking towards her, his voice imbued with a meaningful undertone. “With these two, you needn’t worry too much. We are merely using you as a scapegoat, to be cast aside once you’ve served your purpose.”

Meeting the man’s profound gaze, Bai Yuan felt a flush spread across her face. She said somewhat awkwardly, “Your concubine had no such intention…”

“Whether you did or not, you know best.”

Yang Xuan gave her a cold glance. Bai Yuan closed her mouth and obediently stepped forward to refill the man’s teapot.

Since he was already there, and with their imminent separation, Yang Xuan simply stayed in the Golden Bamboo Courtyard that night. Perhaps considering Bai Yuan’s early departure tomorrow, Yang Xuan was not as vigorous as on previous occasions. He behaved as he had in the past, leaving Bai Yuan with a lingering sense of unfulfillment after they finished.

All things considered, this fellow had stayed with her for four days out of the past half-month. Was this… unprecedented favor?

She actually had little need for such things; her occasional initiative was more often a performance, designed to satisfy a man’s desire for conquest. She was all too familiar with the male psyche in this regard, and even a Grandmaster like Yang Xuan was hardly immune.

She merely wondered what Qin Wanzhao and the others might be thinking.

Bai Yuan turned her head, watching the flickering candlelight beyond the bed curtains, brazenly indulging in these idle thoughts. Then, she suddenly heard the man speak.

“Yuan’er?”

“Mm.”

She responded lazily.

“Tell me, if we had never met, what do you think we would be like now?”

The man’s voice was equally languid, likely a sudden whim during the ‘sage’s time.’

“How could that be?”

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle. Back then, that system had been fixated on her, scouring the world for ‘Children of Destiny’ to harvest. How could it have easily let go of such a big fish as him?

“I mean, if.”

The man insisted.

‘If?’

Bai Yuan shifted slightly, resting her head against the man’s chest, and considered it seriously.

“Perhaps… one day, your concubine would suddenly lose all her cultivation, and then hear that my husband had already ascended to the Xiantian realm?”

Given the nature of that system, it certainly wouldn’t have allowed her to cross the threshold into the Xiantian realm. Achieving the Xiantian state meant the fusion of essence, qi, and spirit into one, after which the system could no longer control her. Therefore, it would most likely have seized an opportunity to ‘abscond with the funds’ once she lost her utility, as that would align with its character.

“Speak seriously.”

The man’s warning came from above, and at the same time, the hand wrapped around her slowly moved downwards, seemingly a threat.

Bai Yuan wasn’t afraid of this, but remembering she had to wake early tomorrow, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, she finally lifted her head and explained in detail.

“Your concubine is also serious. With my husband’s talent and aptitude, no matter where, you would achieve your current accomplishments sooner or later. But for your concubine… back then, I was too eager for martial progress, and my foundation was unstable. Looking back now, my achievements then were merely castles built on sand. Even without my husband, I would have eventually suffered qi deviation.”

As she finished, recalling her early arrogance and the consequences she faced, Bai Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.

“My husband’s… talent and aptitude?”

Yang Xuan seemed momentarily speechless. After a pause, he suddenly reached out and covered Bai Yuan’s hand. Bai Yuan was somewhat puzzled by the man’s sudden action, but she merely shifted into a more comfortable position, allowing her hand to be led by him. Slowly, his hand explored his firm chest, eventually reaching the left side.

There was… a very faint scar, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

“This is…”

Bai Yuan was startled. She knew that after entering the Xiantian realm, almost all injuries would leave no trace, and even old scars would gradually fade. Unless, of course, a Grandmaster intentionally wished to keep them, deliberately choosing not to heal them.

“That cut was left by you when you pursued me back then.”