Alex looked straight at Bai Yuhan.
"So I''m not your real big brother. Is that it?"
Bai Yuhan lifted her chin. Her face was serious, almost stubborn. "No. You''re not."
"Good." Alex didn''t hesitate. "Then that gold isn''t real either. Give it back."
Bai Yuhan froze.
For a split second, her fingers tightened around the wooden box in her hands.
"No," she said again, more firmly this time. "The gold is real. You''re not."
A sharp smile touched Alex''s lips, but there was no warmth in it.
"Since I''m not your brother, and you''re not my little sister, I''ll just take my gold back." He stepped toward her.
Bai Yuhan immediately retreated, clutching the box to her chest. "No! This gold is mine."
"But you''re not my little sister," Alex said tly.
"I am your little sister," she shot back.
"You just said I''m not your big brother." His voice hardened. "So how exactly are you my little sister? Give me back my gold."
The tension snapped.
"Big Brother!" Bai Yuhan blurted out atst, her pride copsing. "You are my best big brother. I was wrong. I shouldn''t have doubted you. It was my mistake. Please forgive me. Don''t take the gold away from me."
Her voice softened, almost pleading.
Alex waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Don''t bother me."
He turned and walked toward his room without looking back.
"Yes, Big Brother,” Bai Yuhan said, bowing deeply. "I won''t bother you for a thousand years. As long as you let me keep our money, you can stay in your room forever for all I care."
"Good sister,” Alex repliedzily. "You''re the best little sister.”
With that, he entered his room and shut the door behind him.
The moment he was alone, his expression shattered.
He staggered two steps-
and then vomited violently onto the floor.
Everything in his stomach came up in a single, brutal surge.
A faint mechanical hum filled the air.
From his mouth, a tiny swarm of nanobots drifted out, gathering midair. They merged together, forming a small metallic sphere that hovered quietly in front of him.
Alex''s vision blurred.
His knees buckled.
He copsed onto the floor.
The nanobots could repair flesh. They could reshape tissue and close wounds.
But they weren''t natural. They forced the body to operate beyond its limits. Every cell had been driven into overdrive.
His brain chemistry was destabilized. His muscles were locked in constant tension.
He had been holding it together by sheer will.
Now that will was gone.
Darkness swallowed him.
When Alex finally woke, he was lying in bed.
His clothes had been changed.
His body still felt wrong—off-bnce, as if gravity itself had shifted. His head throbbed. His muscles trembled faintly, refusing to fully rx.
He pushed himself up slowly.
The door creaked open.
A young maid stepped inside.
The moment she saw him sitting upright, her eyes widened. She spun around and ran out, shouting down the hallway, "Young Mistress! The Young Master is awake!"
Footsteps pounded.
The door burst open.
Bai Yuhan rushed in.
Her face was pale. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she hadn''t slept. Worry clung to her like a shadow.
When she saw Alex conscious and sitting there, relief flooded her expression.
Her shoulders sagged.
Her eyes glistened.
For a heartbeat, she looked like she wanted to cry.
Then her lips moved.
"Why didn''t you just go die?"
Alex lifted his eyes slowly.
He studied Bai Yuhan''s face.
Every part of her body betrayed her—her stiff shoulders, her trembling fingers, the
faint redness around her eyes. She had clearly been worried sick.
And yet her mouth? Sharp as a de.
"Fine. Fine," Alex muttered, his voice dry. "How long was I out?"
"Two weeks," Bai Yuhan said.
Alex jerked upright. "What?"
"Two weeks," she repeated. "You slept like a corpse. Even if someone had slit your throat, you wouldn''t have twitched."
"Two weeks?" Alex felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"That''s not even the worst part," Bai Yuhan added coldly. "Assassins came for you. Three of them. And you didn''t move a muscle."
"Assassins?" Alex''s mind went nk. He didn''t remember anything.
Thest thing he remembered was the brutal fight with the Prussian warrior.
The blinding sh of the light bomb.
The car crashes.
The chaos.
And through all of it, forcing the nanobots to tear through his body reshaping bone, rewiring muscle, rebuilding him from the inside out to be Bai Xiaochun.
Every cell in his body had been pushed past its limit. His internal force had been drained dry.
He hadn''t expected the recovery to take two full weeks.
It must have been because his inner force was exhausted.
"How did I survive?" Alex asked quietly.
"The second day after you locked yourself in the room, Zhuge Liang sent men to protect you from Bai Xi,” Bai Yuhan exined. “We knocked on your door. No response. We forced it open. You were lying on the floor."
Her jaw tightened as she remembered it.
"The men guarding you are mercenaries. High-level cultivators. Professionals. When three assassins broke in, they killed one on the spot and injured the other two. The remaining ones fled."
Alex nodded slowly. "Zhuge Liang did well."
"Yes," Bai Yuhan admitted, though she sounded almost irritated by her own praise. “He and Uncle have split Qinshui City in half. It''s practically a civil war now."
"Oh?" Alex leaned back slightly. "Who''s winning?"
Bai Yuhan exhaled.
"Zhuge Liang has the citizens and most of themon people. Uncle has the wealthy elites and several corrupt officials backing him. They''re locked in a stalemate. Neither side can break through."
Alex absorbed the information in silence.
A knock came at the door.
"Miss,” a maid said respectfully as she entered. "Sir Zhuge Liang requests
permission to visit the Young Master."
Bai Yuhan nced at Alex.
"He''s been waiting for news about your recovery every single day since you copsed," she said quietly. "His bodyguards must have already reported that you''re awake. That''s why he''s here."
"Let him in,” Alex said calmly. Then his stomach growled loudly, breaking the tension. He winced faintly. "And... could I get something to eat? I''m starving."
Bai Yuhan''s expression softened for a fraction of a second.
"Of course," she said. "I''ll prepare it myself."
She turned and left the room without another word.
"No," Alex said suddenly.
Fragments of Bai Xiaochun''s old memories were still lodged in his mind like broken ss. He knew exactly what kind of disaster Bai Yuhan''s cooking could be. "Call the chef," he added quickly. "Or anyone else. Just not you. If you cook, I''ll be unconscious for another three weeks."
Bai Yuhan froze.
Then her face exploded with fury.
"You bastard!” she snapped, stomping her foot so hard the floorboards creaked. "I''m being kind to you and this is how you repay me? Why don''t you just die already!" With that, she stormed out and mmed the door so hard the walls shook.
Alex exhaled slowly and leaned back against the bed.
A momentter, the door opened again.
Zhuge Liang stepped inside with measured, controlled steps. He bowed properly,
posture straight, expression respectful.
"Sir. City Lord."
"No," Alex cut him off immediately. "I don''t want to hear anything. Not one word. I''m still sick. So say nothing."
Zhuge Liang paused mid-breath and closed his mouth.
They stared at each other.
"We''re both smart," Alex continued calmly. “So don''t waste time pretending. I know
why you''re here."
Zhuge Liang said nothing.
"Look down at the foot of my bed," Alex instructed.
Zhuge Liang had clearlye prepared with reports, updates, strategies-but he
swallowed them all. Without a word, he lowered his gaze.
At the foot of the bed sat two wooden boxes.
Zhuge Liang''s eyes sharpened instantly.
He looked back at Alex, shock flickering across his usuallyposed face.
"Say nothing," Alex warned quietly. "Take those boxes and leave. It would be best if
Bai Yuhan doesn''t see them."
Zhuge Liang stepped forward and opened the lids.
Gold gleamed inside.
His lips curved into a wide, satisfied smile.
He closed the boxes carefully, then bowed deeply. "Understood. I will follow your
order."
"Good. Now get out."
Zhuge Liang bowed again. This time, instead of walking to the door, he moved to the window. He pushed it open and made a subtle hand signal.
Two bodyguards appeared instantly outside the open window,nding silently on the ledge like shadows.
"Take these two boxes," Zhuge Liang ordered in a low voice. "Transport them to my office. Discreetly."
"Yes, sir," the two guards responded in unison.
They wrapped the boxes in arge cloth, secured them tightly to their backs, and
vanished through the window without another sound.
Zhuge Liang turned back toward Alex.
Before he could speak-
"Bai Xiaochun!" A loud, arrogant voice thundered from outside the residence. It
echoed through the courtyard and carried all the way into the room. "Get out here
and kneel before Immortal Murong!"
Alex and Zhuge Liang exchanged a look.
"Who is Murong?" Alex asked calmly.
Zhuge Liang''s expression tightened, the faintest crease forming between his brows.
"City Lord," he said carefully, "I believe it is Murong Yue. Your fiancée. From the
sound of it, she intends to publicly annul the engagement."
Alex frowned. "Why does she need to make a spectacle of it?"
Zhuge Liang exhaled slowly, choosing his words with deliberate care. "The Murong family is slightly below the Barfamily in status However, your father and her father
were once very close friends That bond created the engagement."
He paused, then continued bluntly.
"But since your father passed and your reputation has... declined... and she has been epted into the
Wudang Sect as a cultivator it is
only natural she would want to sever ties. In her eyes, remaining engaged toyou-a pathetic asshole would damage her standing."
Alex turned his head slowly. "I am your City Lord."
"Yes, City Lord," Zhuge Liang said immediately, bowing his head. "I apologize for my
frankness. It may be painful, but it remains the truth."
Outside, the female voice rang out again, sharp and proud.
"You pathetic Bai Xiaochun! Come kneel before me, Murong Yue!"
Her voice carried across the entire residence. Citizens had already begun gathering
outside the gates.
"He wants me to kneel?" Alex asked.
"Yes." Zhuge Liang replied.
Alex considered this. "Does he know I just woke up?"
"I doubt she cares."
Alex let out a faint sigh, rubbing his temple.
“These people really don''t check the calendar before choosing the day they make
an enemy."
Zhuge Liang coughed lightly, hiding a smile behind his sleeve. "Perhaps she did
check the calendar, City Lord. Perhaps she thought today was an excellent day to create one."
Alex shot him a sideways look, then nced toward the courtyard where Murong Yue''s voice still echoed.
"Does she really have to shout like that?" he said, irritation sharpening his tone.
"Does she need the entire city to hear it? Couldn''t she just cancel the engagement quietly and spare everyone this ridiculous spectacle?"
"City Lord," Zhuge Liang replied, lowering his voice, "Murong Yue is
now a First-Level Foundation Establishment cultivator. I have also heard that a Fifth-Level Foundation senior disciple-considered a genius within the Wudang Sect-has taken an interest in her She likely wishes
to make it publicly clear that there is no longer any connection between
you and her."
Outside, Murong Yue''s voice rose again, this time filled with open contempt.
“Bai Xiaochun! Come out and kneel, or I will tear this entire house apart!"
The threat was not empty. A Foundation cultivator had more than enough strength to make good on it.
Alex drew a long, steady breath.
Then he walked to the open window.
Zhuge Liang watched him closely.
Alex inhaled once more, then shouted back with full force, his voice echoing over
the walls and into the crowd beyond.
"You shameless Murong Yue!" Alex''s voice crashed through the courtyard like thunder splitting stone. It echoed off
the walls, rang across the street, and cut through every whisper in the crowd.
“You strut around here like some celestial queen, but all I see is a spoiled, self- important brat drunk on borrowed status!" Gasps rippled through the gathered citizens.
"Why do you keep crawling back here?" he continued, his tone turning sharper,
colder. “How many times do I have to say it? I don''t want to be engaged to you. I
never wanted it. Not once."
His eyes burned with open contempt.
"You shout my name like you''re granting me mercy. Mercy? From you? Don''t tter
yourself. If there''s a man foolish enough to chase after you, then he must be blind,
desperate, orpletely devoid of taste."
A stunned silence spread across the courtyard.
"Youe here pretending you''re discarding me? Don''t twist the story. I''ve rejected
you a thousand times. You just didn''t have the pride to ept it."
His voice grew louder, each word striking like a p.
"Don''t act like you''re here to free me. You''re here because you can''t stand the
thought that I don''t care. You can''t stand that I''m not kneeling. That I''m not begging."
He leaned forward, eyes cold as ice.
"I annul this engagement because you are an embarrassment. Loud. Arrogant.
Desperate for attention. You talk about cultivation and status, but all you''ve
cultivated is
vanity."
The crowd stood frozen.
"Get out of my house. Stop pretending you''re forcing me into something. I don''t
want you. I never did. Take your pride, take your noise, and take your delusions with
you."
His final words rang clear and merciless.
"And don''t evere back here thinking you''re the prize."
Silence fell.
At the front gate, Murong Yue and herpanions froze, stunned beyond belief.
She hade here to publicly annul the engagement-to humiliate Bai Xiaochun in
front of the entire city, to put him in his ce like a discarded piece of trash.
How had it suddenly turned around?
How had she ended up being the one insulted-branded a shameless woman and
kicked aside by Bai Xiaochun instead?
The gathered citizens gasped. Even the guards stared wide-eyed.
No one had expected Bai Xiaochun to respond like that.
Inside the room, Zhuge Liang''s face drained of color.
This... had just escted beyond control.
"City Lord—she''s going to kill you!"