a person's views about life, the world, and values<

There was an unknown prophecy, bestowed on Bai Jia for a particular daughter of the family. With heavy strokes, the heavenly brush artefact wrote the fate of the daughter, deciding the path of her life. Her firstborn would fall into devil cultivation and rule the evil as its ruler.

Hell broke loose within the Bai Jia as the prophecy was told. A deep secret that lies in the family was the blood heritage of an ancient demon. For so long the Bai Jia had concealed the secret of their lineage, focusing their mind into the righteous path in order to control the demonic blood running into their veins.

Thousands of years of fighting against their nature and the unborn child threaten to destroy it. The elders were livid and the patriarch with heavy heart sent his brother's daughter away, far from civilization, to a place where not even a demon can survive.

But 30 years passed and a child appeared at the Bai's ancestral house, carrying the daughter's family jade.

This time, the patriarch regardless of the objection of other Bai's elders, placed the child into the family tree and into the Bing generation.

It took years before the child's existence to be formally accepted. All it took for the elders to accept her was for her to be discovered to have heavenly fire spirit root and become one of the youngest cultivators in the current times that managed to reach Foundation Establishment. The elders rejoiced, thinking that regardless of what had destined for the child, as long as she grew up in the righteous path, such a future can be avoided!

Currently, the prodigy child was rolling on the floor of her room, trying to get dirt and dust onto her body.

The Bai Jia was under the impression of her locking herself in her courtyard for her to develop her Golden Core. The truth was, however, was far from that. The two months she spent locked away was actually spent lazing around, eating her hidden snacks and reading the light novels she 'borrowed' from the servants' quarters.

But the period of confinement was ending and so she was dirtying herself to replicate the dirty look of a person who mediated wholeheartedly for two months.

There was a reason why she wanted to delay forming her golden core. On the contrary of normal belief, she did not do it to stabilise her cultivation, she just simply wanted to lower down the expectation the Bai Jia had on her. Sure she was a prodigy, but Bai BingLu was not a fan with the high expectation on her. It gave her an unwarranted burden that makes her feel anxious.

Bai BingLu doesn't want all the attention, she just wanted to blend in, to be normal so that one day, she would be able to live quietly without thinking of her dark past.

As she finished rolling on the floor, someone approached her locked bedroom.

"Lu-meimei? Are you occupied?"

Bai BingLu stood right up, a bit too quickly that she fell back down due to sudden inertia.

Hearing the sound of a sack hitting the floor, the man outside quickly unlocked the room with the master key he brought.

"Lu-meimei?? Are you alright?"

Bai BingYun looked at his cousin, eyes filled with concern but made no effort trying to help the fallen woman.

"I'm okay. This is fine."

Bai BingLu rose slowly this time. Even with the pain throbbing on her ass bone, she realised that Bai BingYun brought a master key to her courtyard. As if no matter what happened, she must leave her place on that day.

"What do you need me for, Yun-ge?"

"An old friend of Lao Bai has come for a visit. Lao Bai wants to introduce you to him."

The old friend that Bai BingYun referred to was Zhao Wuqing, one of the peak masters of Rising Heaven's sect. He was a blade cultivator who was poisoned several years ago and was forced to consume a certain pill every month after or the remnant of the poison will affect his body. The pill, however, can only be produced by the Bai Jia due to its complicated nature and thus a friendship of convenience developed between a cultivator desperate of healing and an alchemist family who wish for protection.

Bai BingLu was aware of the nature of friendship, and yet she never saw Zhao Wuqing before as he went travelling for years to find a permanent resolution for his sickness. Coming to the Bai's ancestral family house, could it be he finally found a cure?

The man like other blade cultivators, has a physique resembling a bear and his body was covered with scars. It was no wonder why Bai Jia felt protected with Zhao Wuqing behind them. The bear of a person had an aura that exuded strength from every one of his pores.

As soon as Bai BingLu made eye contact with Zhao Wuqing, she bowed, lowered her gaze downward.

"Lu'er greets the elders."

"Ho... So this is the prodigy I have heard about."

"It's a pity she reached a bottleneck before forming her core."

Bai BingLu screamed internally when Lao Bai proceeded to list her accomplishment to the bear cultivator, her fingers started to fiddle with each other anxiously. Zhao Wuqing noticed it.

"Have Bai-guniang travel before? Travelling used to help me gather a lot of insight when I am stuck."

The eyes of Lao Bai sparkled.

"Travelling, hmmm. I haven't thought of that. Lu'er, do you want to go-"

"No!"

An immediate refusal was yelled however it was not by Bai BingLu. It was Bai BingYun.

"Letting Lu-meimei travelling alone is dangerous, I don't agree."

Lao Bai's face darkened, "Of course she would bring along a few servants and guards."

"I still cannot agree."

Zhao Wuqing clearly enjoying the banter between the Bai's patriarch and the heir of the patriarch as he slowly sipped his tea.

"There is another way to improve Bai-guniang's cultivation but-" Zhao Wuqing naughtily glanced at Bai BingYun, "Bai-gongzi[7] would probably not agree with that too."

The three male stared at each other, the air became heavy meanwhile the person-in concern was standing on the side, wondering if she can leave.

After Zhao Wuqing left, Bai BingLu rushed to Lao Bai's courtyard, wanting to beg for him to let her travel as per Zhao Wuqing's suggestion. This way, she would be able to delay her cultivation and no one would know!

a/n:

This is just a fun project of mine after getting addicted to chinese novel. If there is a mistake, please tell me. I am happy to listen to criticism.

So here is the list of people introduced in this chapter for clarification ^^

Bai Jia

> Lao Bai (The clan's patriarch)

> Bai BingYun (The eldest in the Bing generation, the Yun in his name means cloud)

> Bai BingLu (The eldest female in the Bing generation, the Lu in her name means  dew)

Rising Heaven Sect

> Zhao Wuqing (Peak master)