The night slowly fell, and the blue night sky was dotted with countless small stars. A cool breeze whisked away the heat of the day, and the faint chirping of insects brought a touch of coolness to the early summer night.
In recent years, in order to develop the tourism industry of Lingyun Taoist Temple, the relevant departments of K City have preserved most of the buildings in their ancient style. The residences of the Taoist priests were also mostly ancient-style buildings.
The door to Bai Shuishui's room was slightly open, allowing the night breeze to bring in the light fragrance of flowers from the courtyard.
Upon learning that the man was indeed her biological father, Bai Shuishui stared blankly at the report.
Her father said he hoped she would come down the mountain with him to reunite with the family.
"Shuishui." Qi Zhi knocked on her door.
Qi Zhi usually liked to pester Bai Shuishui, tease her, and spar with her. But since they were of different genders, Qi Zhi rarely came to see Bai Shuishui at night.
Bai Shuishui blinked, got up and walked over to Qi Zhi's side.
Since it was nighttime, Qi Zhi didn't enter her bedroom, and they sat on the stone bench in the courtyard.
The dim, hazy yellow light reflected on Qi Zhi's face, making his expression appear quite cold and sharp:
"Shuishui, the water in the Bai family runs deep."
"What do you mean?" Bai Shuishui's eyes were confused for a moment.
She had grown up in the Taoist temple since childhood, harboring kindness and doing good deeds for others. She had never experienced the darkness and complexity of the mundane world.
Qi Zhi frowned: "Did he ever mention your mother?"
Bai Shuishui pursed her lips and her long silky black hair swayed with a faint fragrance in the wind. She casually tucked it behind her ears. "I asked that day, and he said my mother passed away from illness years ago."
"He said she... was thinking about me before she passed away," Bai Shuishui said, feeling very uncomfortable as she spoke.
She was an orphan who grew up in the Taoist temple. She often envied the children who were loved by their parents, and hid in corners to watch families of three coming to offer incense.
Gradually, Bai Shuishui buried her longing for familial love deep in her heart.
Bai Shuishui admitted that her heart softened; she wanted to see the home that Bai's father spoke of and to see her mother's remains.
Qi Zhi frowned, his amber eyes filled with pity as he looked at Bai Shuishui, and his tone was solemn: "Shuishui, don't follow him down the mountain."
"Qi Zhi, he is my biological father." Bai Shuishui frowned, feeling that Qi Zhi's words were too insensitive:
"As the ancients said, among all virtues, filial piety is the foremost. I was separated from my family when I was young, and now that we have reunited, how can I not go?"
Qi Zhi's eyes flickered, only then noticing that Bai Shuishui had been using the word "I" to refer to herself.
Qi Zhi rubbed his temples, and stared at her for a long time before finally compromising: "Fine, if you want to go down the mountain, I'll go with you."
"Why would you come with me?" Bai Shuishui gave him a strange look. "This poor Taoist and you are mere passers-by. Why are you concerned about this poor Taoist?"
Hearing her refer to herself again as "this poor Taoist," Qi Zhi let out an exasperated laugh, his amber eyes growing darker. He gave a cold snort, "Bai Shuishui, you really don't recognize the good will of a person."
"You're not a person anyway," Bai Shuishui's eyes flickered as she stubbornly retorted.
The next day, Bai Shuishui called her father, intending to go to the capital to pay homage to her mother and meet the Bai family.
Actually, after many years of cultivation in the Taoist temple, Bai Shuishui had no intention of returning to the Bai family. She only wanted to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, aspiring to be a Taoist like her master who helped the people.
On the other end, her father seemed overjoyed to tears, repeatedly saying "good."
"Then Dad will be waiting for you at the airport." Bai's father paused for a moment before adding, "Our family's plane is on the apron at the airport in City K." Lingyun Peak was located in a remote area surrounded by mountains, making it inconvenient for the planes to land.
"Alright." Bai Shuishui's expression remained unchanged, her tone calm.
"Tch." Who doesn't have a plane these days?
Qi Zhi, hearing Bai Shuishui's father flaunt his wealth, couldn't help but snort coldly.
If an ordinary person found out that their biological father was wealthy, they would eagerly rush to acknowledge their family and eagerly follow him home.
Unfortunately, he was dealing with Taoist Bai.
Bai Shuishui only intended to pay respects to her mother, with no intention to return to the Bai family.
"Bai Shuishui, I'm telling you, after paying your respects to your mother, you better come back immediately."
Qi Zhi leaned against the doorframe, watching her pack her clothes and lazily issued a threat: "Otherwise, I'll pluck the roses you've been raising and make flower cakes." [xiān huā bǐng - It's Yunnan's Specialty dessert also known as hua juan. Flower cake is a flaky pastry with edible Yunnan roses inside.]
Hearing this, Bai Shuishui threw down the clothes in her hand, bit her lip as her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly: "Those roses are not edible."
Qi Zhi raised an eyebrow and threw her words from yesterday back at her: "I'm not human anyway."
With that, Qi Zhi laughed wickedly, walking over to the cluster of flowers.
Qi Zhi reached out and pinched a delicate petal between his fingertips. With a gentle tug, the outermost crimson petal fell into his hand.
"Don't touch my flowers."
Bai Shuishui's eyes flared with anger as she glared fiercely at Qi Zhi, frowning: "This was a gift from Senior Brother Xianyang."
Seeing Bai Shuishui's intense reaction, Qi Zhi felt a twinge of jealousy. Rubbing the petal between his fingers, he said in a sour tone:
"Oh, so they were a gift from Senior Brother Xianyang."
Hearing the jealousy in his tone, Bai Shuishui explained, "Senior Brother Xianyang's wife's family is in the flower business. When they got married last year, they gave bags of flower seeds to all their fellow brothers and sisters."
After Bai Shuishui finished speaking, a sudden silence fell between them. Qi Zhi's lips curved up slightly, his eyes looked like a starry river, their light softening as he gazed at her gently.
Just when Bai Shuishui thought Qi Zhi would say something to annoy her again, he unexpectedly whispered softly:
"Shuishui, promise me that you'll be very careful about everything."
*
In late June, the winds suddenly picked up outside as dark clouds rolled in, a heavy rainstorm caused leaves to fall rustlingly. An eerie crimson glow spread across the distant horizon.
Bai Shuishui held an umbrella, gazing at the blood-red morning glow. Qi Zhi's words of caution from the previous night echoed in her mind, making her steps heavier as she descended the mountain.
Around eight in the morning, Qi Zhi stood at the entrance of the Taoist temple, looking down at the foot of the mountain. Through the misty rain, he could vaguely see Bai Shuishui's figure.
Only when Bai Shuishui's figure completely disappeared did Qi Zhi retract his gaze.
He took out his phone and made a call, his expression cold as he said: "Send a plane over now."
"Okay, boss."
On the other end of the line, the assistant's voice sounded slightly excited. My goodness, Mr. Qi is finally coming back.
*
As soon as Bai Shuishui got off the plane, the news of her father picking her up and taking her back to the capital spread like wildfire. The reason was simple: Bai Shuishui, dressed in a deep blue Taoist robe, was too conspicuous next to her father.
Her father often appeared in financial news, and with his considerable wealth, he was somewhat of a public figure.
#Bai Family's Missing Eldest Daughter Found [Explosive]
#The Female Taoist Priest Going Viral is Actually the Bai Family's Heiress!
Such headlines instantly dominated both entertainment and financial news sections.
Over a decade ago, the Bai family annexed the Qian family and then went public on the New York Stock Exchange, making Bai Shuishui's father to become a well-known tycoon in the country.
Along with the Bai family's immense wealth, the scandal of her father bringing in a mistress right after his first wife's death was also widely discussed.
However, this matter was eventually drowned in the sands of time.
Over twenty years later, with Bai Shuishui's return, the Bai family's scandal resurfaced in the public eye.
【The eldest lady of the Bai family has been found, the position of the Bai family heir is unstable】
【What heir? Isn't he just an illegitimate child.】Someone sneered.
However, Bai Shuishui, who rarely went online, remained oblivious to all this. She felt a bit at a loss as she looked at the elegant and seemingly gentle but unsettling woman in front of her.
Qu Lianyan, smiling warmly, held Bai Shuishui's hand with an eager and gentle gaze: "Shuishui, my surname is Qu. After your mother passed away, I've been the one taking care of your father."
This wench really lucked out, not only did she not die, but she was even taken in by that meddlesome stinking Taoist priest.
Qu Lianyan began to wonder, now that this girl is back, what would she and her son do if Father Bai wants her to join the group.
She actually has a stepmother?
Bai Shuishui felt a mix of emotions, no wonder Qi Zhi said waters of the Bai family run deep.
"May the infinite blessings of Tianzun be upon us." Bai Shuishui withdrew her hand away from Qu Lianyan's grasp and coldly performed the Taoist hand gesture as a greeting.
Bai Shuishui intended to make it clear that she was a person of the Taoist sect and did not wish to be entangled with them.
Bai's father had never mentioned taking Qu Lianyan as his new wife to Bai Shuishui, so he was somewhat caught off guard by his wife's eagerness to appear in front of his daughter.
His eyes showed a moment of embarrassment, and his tone was pretentiously gentle: "Shuishui, if you're not comfortable, you can call her Auntie Qu for now."
His words were practically a public slap in Qu Lianyan's face.
Jealousy and hatred flashed through Qu Lianyan's heart, but a flawless fake smile hung on her face: "Your father is right, it's fine if you call me Auntie Qu."
Bai Shuishui remained silent. Right now, all she wanted was to go and pay her respects to her mother as soon as possible.
However, it wasn't over yet.
She still had a half-brother and grandmother she had not met.
By the time Bai Shuishui arrived with the two of them at the villa area where the Bai family resides, it was already late at night.
The Bai family had made their fortune in real estate, owning several billion worth villa properties in the highly coveted areas of Beijing.
The villa area where the Bai family resided was a gathering place for high-ranking officials and social elites of Beijing.
As they entered the villa complex, the expensive car glided along the asphalt road until Bai Shuishui fell asleep. Finally, they arrived at the door of the Bai family's villa.
“Shuishui, we’re here,” her father said, waking her up.
Bai Shuishui blinked and noticed a man in a black silk robe standing on the open balcony of the villa next door, waving at her.
The dim light of the night obscured her view partially as she was inside the car.
The man's features were not clear, but his carefree demeanor unmistakably resembled someone who had been pestering her recently.
“Nobody lived in that villa next door for a long time. It seems someone moved in just last year.”
Qu Lianyan, taking on the attitude of a hostess, said to Bai Shuishui. "I'll pay this neighbor a visit some other time."
Bai Shuishui got out of the car and looked up at the villa next door. The man smiled brightly at her, his handsome face and gleaming white teeth seemed even brighter than the moonlight that night.
"Hello, long time no see." Qi Zhi changed his posture, supported his chin with his right hand, looking down at Bai Shuishui from the balcony.
Bai Shuishui thought, “..." Thank you, we just saw each other this morning.
"You two know each other?" Qu Lianyan glanced at Bai Shuishui in surprise.
“He's the president Qi of Qi Seafood,” Bai Shuishui’s father whispered to his wife, then glanced at Bai Shuishui.
He recalled that Qi Zhi was also there when he reunited with Bai Shuishui.
But at the time, he was so focused on Bai Shuishui that he didn’t notice that the short-haired Taoist was Qi Zhi.
After the exhausting journey, Bai Shuishui's eyes were tired and sleepy.
Just then, the gates of the Bai family villa opened, and the path lights illuminated the entire villa, making it as bright as daytime.
As Bai Shuishui stood at the entrance, an eerie, sinister gust of wind blew away her exhaustion.
A tall slender young man stood in the middle of the marble pathway leading to the villa.
The young man bore a slight resemblance to Bai Shuishui. He looked very thin, with a pale complexion and a cold, dark gaze.
While Bai Shuishui’s coldness was a serene detachment as a member of the Taoist sect, the young man’s coldness seemed to come from the underworld itself.
It was clearly early summer in mid-June, but he was dressed in a khaki windbreaker often seen in late autumn, wrapping his body tightly.
The young man’s eyes swiftly shifted, and he coughed lightly, "This is the first time we meet, I am Bai Tianying, your biological younger brother.”