Reversing the Milky Way

As the tremors grew closer, a gigantic rhinoceros charged out of the western forest. It was four times the size of an ordinary rhinoceros, weighing a staggering fifteen tons. A single, blood-red horn adorned its head—this was the Bloodhorn Rhinoceros, a third-grade spirit beast mount. Each step it took caused a slight tremor in the ground. As it charged towards Hao Motou, Hao Motou leaped onto its back and swiftly raced into the western forest, snapping smaller trees in the process.

After witnessing this scene, Yue Ling's two henchmen exchanged a glance before disappearing into the woods to the west of the road. Yue Ling, seeing this, didn't give chase but instead went to Yu Qing's side. Finding Yu Qing unharmed, she turned and headed towards the eastern woods where Bai Cheng had fled, her heart still filled with unease.

Just then, Song Xian carried the unconscious Bai Cheng and leaped out of the woods. Seeing this, Yue Ling immediately ran over. Looking anxiously at the unconscious Bai Cheng, she asked, "How is Bai Cheng?"

Song Xian looked at Bai Cheng behind him and said, "Don't worry, the kid seems to be fine, he just fainted."

Hearing this, Yue Ling's unease subsided. Yu Qing, having regained some strength, stood up and quickly went to Pei Liang's side. Pei Liang was covered in knife wounds, blood still oozing from them, but he was still clinging to life. The other two village guards were beyond saving, and Yu Qing was consumed by self-reproach. His reckless actions had led to this outcome; he couldn't escape responsibility for the deaths of the village guards. After all, his father, as the village chief, bore a heavy responsibility; his children needed to be supported, and he owed them sufficient compensation to ensure their livelihood.

Afterwards, the group discussed the matter and decided that Song Xian would carry the injured Pei Liang to the village clinic, Yue Ling would carry Bai Cheng back to the village first, and Yu Qing and Yu Qing'an would collect the bodies of the bandits and go to Wuling Town to exchange them for the bounty, since a large sum of money would be needed to comfort the families of the fallen village guards.

At the North Prefectural Government Office in Wuling Town, two towering stone lions stood before the main gate. On either side of the entrance hall, two rows of yamen runners in brown uniforms stood in neat rows, their expressions serious, ready to respond to any unexpected situation. The inner courtyard of the government office was a traditional courtyard house. To the left were the living quarters for the government officials, and to the right were various storage rooms, with a small path leading to the rear garden. In the center was a large inner hall. Yao Zheng was currently reviewing documents at a table inside when a yamen runner braved the rain to enter.

"Lord Yao, someone has come to collect the reward money."

Yao Zheng was reviewing the case at the time. Upon hearing his subordinate's report, he frowned slightly and said, "Oh? Let them in."

"Sir, you should go and take a look yourself."

Upon hearing this, Yao Zheng keenly sensed that this matter was not simple, so he immediately opened a leather umbrella and went to the front door. There he saw Yu Qing'an and Yu Qing standing outside the door, covered in blood, with a cart next to them piled with corpses, which looked particularly eerie under the reflection of the lightning.

Upon seeing this, Yao Zheng was slightly surprised: "This is..."

Upon seeing this, Yu Qing'an replied, "Lord Yao, we were robbed by bandits on the road, but we killed them in return. See if there are any people with bounties on their heads among them."

Upon hearing this, Yao Zheng immediately arranged for people to go up and check. The reward notices on the bulletin board in Wuling Town were all issued by the Supervisory Office. The four of them needed the cooperation of the government office at the same time. If anyone came to claim the reward with the head of the person on the reward notice, they had to give the corresponding reward. Of course, the person claiming the reward could also go directly to the Supervisory Office to claim the reward.

After his subordinates took stock, they found that four of the people on the cart were wanted individuals: two in the late stage of Body Refinement and two in the middle stage. These four were frequent offenders, while the rest were not wanted.

Yao Zheng, holding an umbrella, approached the cart to inspect it. He found that the bandits' corpses on it were mostly in gruesome condition, some so disfigured they were unrecognizable, their flesh mangled. He couldn't help but glance at Yu Qing'an and Yu Qing beside him. He recognized Yu Qing, as he was the son of the village chief of Yu Family Village, but he had never seen Yu Qing'an before. Even though Yu Qing'an frequently visited Wuling Town, he was usually only there to pick up and drop off Yue Ling; he rarely stayed in Wuling Town unless absolutely necessary. The only guards who had seen them were those at the north gate of Wuling Town. Yao Zheng carefully examined Yu Qing'an. Judging from the cart full of bandit corpses, he was likely a skilled fighter. As for Yu Qing, he knew his cultivation level.

Then the adjutant brought over a box of silver coins, a total of three hundred silver coins. This money did not come from the prefectural government, but from the supervisory office. After the prefectural government confirmed this, it could report to the supervisory office. After the supervisory office personnel came to confirm, they could reissue the reward money to the prefectural government. In this way, the prefectural government would not suffer a loss, and would even receive a reward.

After receiving the reward, Yu Qing and Yu Qing'an quickly left. Yao Zheng, having finished his instructions, returned to the main hall, took out all the cases related to the four men, and stamped them with the official seal of the prefectural government, indicating that the cases were closed. Little did he know that his actions would stir up a storm on the peaceful surface of Wuling Town.

Back in Yu Family Village, Yue Ling had already placed Bai Cheng, covered in blood, in the bathtub to wash him. Bai Cheng was now only wearing his underwear, and the entire tub was stained red with blood. Yue Ling examined Bai Cheng's body thoroughly but found no wounds. "Strange, why is Bai Cheng's skin still bleeding? What happened?" Just then, Yu Qing'an rushed back. He immediately went to the bathtub and saw Yue Ling constantly wiping Bai Cheng's body, looking very worried.

Upon seeing this, Yu Qing'an asked, "How is Bai Cheng?"

"I don't know why, but blood keeps seeping from Bai Cheng's body." After saying that, Yue Ling picked up a towel and wiped away the blood-covered skin of Bai Cheng. Blood slowly seeped out from the wiped skin. The more Yue Ling wiped, the more anxious she became, and Yu Qing'an also saw the increasingly restless look in her eyes.

"Father, what happened to Bai Cheng? Why is this happening? And he's been unconscious the whole time, so we can't put him on the bed; we can only put him in a wooden tub." Yue Ling's voice was slightly choked with sobs.

At this moment, Yu Qing'an stepped forward to carefully examine Bai Cheng's body. He couldn't immediately discern what was wrong with Bai Cheng, only vaguely feeling that he seemed to have heard of this symptom before, though he didn't consider it, as it seemed too far-fetched. However, just to be on the safe side, he wanted to confirm, so he quickly got up, retrieved the herbs he had used to temper Bai Cheng's body, and gave him a tempering pill. After an hour, Bai Cheng's condition still hadn't improved, so Yu Qing'an quickly gave him another tempering pill. Only then did Bai Cheng's abnormal behavior gradually subside.

Upon seeing this, Yu Qing'an frowned and said, "Just as I thought. I warned him. His body is simply not strong enough to withstand so much spiritual energy entering his body. He was really reckless. It's a miracle he didn't explode."

"Spiritual energy entering the body..." Yue Ling repeated these four words before saying, "Father, can I..."

"no!"

Before Yue Ling could finish speaking, Yu Qing'an interrupted her. Yue Ling was also secretly saddened, her eyes filled with melancholy, as if she had something difficult to say.

Seeing this, Yu Qing'an felt a pang of heartache. He only had one daughter, and he had given her all his love, hoping to give her a normal life. Seeing his daughter so listless, his heart softened, and he said, "Sigh... Look, Bai Cheng's body has basically stabilized now. I sense that this kid is not simple. He can actually withstand the influx of spiritual energy into his body without exploding at the early stage of Body Refinement. It's simply unbelievable."

After saying this, Yue Ling's melancholy eyes gradually brightened, and then she said in a slightly melancholy tone, "Father... if I'm not mistaken, Mother should be coming to take me back soon, right?"

Yu Qing'an looked surprised after hearing this: "You...you saw that letter?"

Yue Ling continued, "Actually, I remember a lot of things from the moment I was born. Father, I know that you have stayed here all these years so that I could have a happy childhood."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing'an closed his eyes tightly and fell into deep thought, a single tear slowly rolling down his cheek. He then said, "I...I'm sorry, Grandpa. To be with your mother, I defied my family's objections and came here alone with her. Seventeen years have passed, and I've never contacted the family." As he finished speaking, tears streamed down Yu Qing'an's face. Seeing this, Yue Ling rushed into his arms, saying, "It's alright, Father. Even if I go back, I can come to see you often! If it really doesn't work, I'll persuade Mother to stay."

After hearing this, Yu Qing'an smiled with relief and said, "If it could really be like that, that would be great..." After a long while, the two separated from their embrace. At this moment, Yu Qing'an said, "Alright, since Bai Cheng is fine now, let's put him on the bed." After saying that, the two of them helped Bai Cheng into the house and changed him into a clean set of clothes.

Two days later...

Above White Maple City, a bird with azure feathers soared through the clouds. It accelerated, then swooped down and burst through the clouds, its eyes slowly reflecting the bustling cityscape of White Maple City. First, there were the hundred-meter-high city walls, upon closer inspection, with spirit beast mounts carrying people on patrol. Beyond the walls lay a vast, boundless expanse of land, followed by bustling streets. Upon closer inspection, the streets were almost entirely filled with spirit beast mounts; even levitating sedan chairs floated along the streets. People intermittently flew between towering pavilions on swords, while the vibrant scene below was truly magnificent. As the birds continued their flight, a wide river came into view after passing through the bustling streets. Towering pavilions stood on both banks of the river, and many large ships sailed on it, carrying various refined scholars who sat cross-legged. Some were in small groups, exchanging their cultivation insights in hushed tones. Their clothing varied, but they all exuded an extraordinary and otherworldly aura.

On the boats were many beautiful women. They wore light gauze robes, their skirts fluttering in the wind, like fairies in the clouds. Their faces were ethereal and refined, their eyebrows like distant mountains, their eyes like autumn waters, their noses straight, their lips pale and elegant; every smile seemed to carry a touch of fairy-like grace. In the river flowed a colossal spirit boat, resembling a gigantic beast. The surrounding ships, reflected in its form, appeared as tiny as tortoises and ants. As the bird continued its flight, after crossing the nearly hundred-mile-wide river, it arrived at a bustling city. Passing through this city, a vast manor came into view—the Xue residence. So far, the bird had only flown one-fifth of the distance to Baifeng City. The manor was picturesque, with lush green hills even nestled within its walls. The bird then flew to the windowsill of a magnificent house within the manor.

Inside the house, a person was meditating cross-legged, cultivating. A faint blue spiritual energy could be seen circulating around him. This was Xue Qingmu, the third son of the Xue family's main branch. He noticed a bird with azure feathers outside the window. This was a third-grade spirit beast called a Azure Phoenix, about the size of a normal bird, but incredibly fast, capable of flying day and night without stopping. It was also very loyal to its master, making it a relatively rare existence among third-grade spirit beasts. He slowly opened his eyes, and the surrounding spiritual energy gradually disappeared. He then gently raised his hand, and the Azure Phoenix flew to his arm. He circulated his spiritual power, and a small bamboo tube appeared on the Azure Phoenix's leg. A scroll of letter flew out of the tube and floated before Xue Qingmu's eyes. He opened it from top to bottom—this was Xue Qingmu's manipulation of spiritual power. After reading it, he slowly uttered a few words: "Oh? Bai Cheng?"

He then channeled his spiritual energy, and a flying sword flew out of his storage bag at his waist. He then stepped on the flying sword, flew out of the window, and headed straight for the Bai family.

The Bai family of Baifeng City is no less impressive than the Xue family manor. As the largest aristocratic family in Baifeng City, the Bai family manor is incredibly grand, complete with everything from mountains and rivers to mythical beasts, pavilions and towers, artificial hills and ponds, as well as herbal cemeteries.