I am the snake demon!

"Mr. Li, Yuhua, Xuan'er agrees. From today onwards, he will be my only son, Xu Shi'an, and also the Prince of Zhenbei who will command the two northwestern prefectures."

After calming down, Duan Baiyu took Bai Xuan's hand and walked outside to look at Xu Yuhua and Li Daoyan.

"Xuan'er, pay your respects to Mr. Li. He is the foremost strategist in the Northwest, and the Prince of Zhenbei treats him like a teacher. From now on, you shall respectfully address him as your Uncle. Do not treat him with disrespect," Duan Baiyu said.

"Your Highness, this..."

Upon hearing this, Li Daoyan hesitated slightly. If he acknowledged this relationship, it would be difficult for him to maintain a proper stance should Bai Xuan get into trouble in the future.

"If Shi'an were still alive, I would have made him do the same. My son and I haven't been back to the palace for a long time. Shi'an is in the army, and apart from my mother's family, the Duan family of Wuwei, he has no other support. His foundation is shallow, and he needs to rely on a wise and resourceful minister like Mr. Li. If Xuan'er doesn't bow, it will only arouse suspicion," Duan Baiyu said.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan glanced at Duan Baiyu without revealing his thoughts, thinking to himself that his mother was even more formidable than he had imagined. Was this the style of the Duan family women of Wuwei?

Zhongfu was originally a term for the younger brother of one's father, which is a way of addressing one's uncle.

Later, it evolved into a term of respect from the monarch to his ministers, meaning "second only to the father."

If he were truly just an ordinary person, this would pave the way for him to live a better life in the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion.

After a brief hesitation, Li Daoyan replied, "In that case, Your Highness, please rest assured, I will certainly teach the young master with all my heart."

"Xuan'er".

Duan Baiyu looked at Bai Xuan.

Bai Xuan immediately understood and stepped forward, saying, "Xuan'er greets Uncle."

"Young Master, you should change your self-designation to Shi'an in the future, otherwise you might be easily discovered if you are not careful," Li Daoyan said.

He was a seasoned veteran of many challenges and knew that while doing the details well didn't guarantee success, doing the details poorly could easily lead to failure.

"Yes."

Bai Xuan nodded, "Imitation is a serious technical job."

Even though she was prepared, Duan Baiyu still couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when she heard Bai Xuan refer to himself as Shi'an. She forced herself to suppress it and then introduced Xu Yuhua to Bai Xuan, saying, "This is Xu Yuhua, the eldest daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei and my sister. She is intelligent from a young age and entered the Qintian Academy in the capital to study. From now on, you will be called my elder sister."

"Greetings, elder sister," Bai Xuan said, his attitude even more intimate than before. He thought to himself that he would first approach her as a fake younger brother, and then repay her kindness in the future.

"My aunt hasn't been back to the Prince's Mansion for a long time. On the way back, I'll tell you about what happened there." Xu Yuhua nodded slightly. Although she was the one who proposed this plan, the actual implementation now was more awkward than she had anticipated.

After all, Xu Shi'an was both her younger brother and her cousin. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, they were still very close by blood.

We also played together when we were kids, so we can chat about the past.

But Bai Xuan was a complete stranger to her.

However, these things cannot be revealed to Bai Xuan.

"Thank you for your trouble, elder sister," Bai Xuan said.

After introductions, Duan Baiyu said, "We'll leave the Blood Shadow Cult members to Mr. Li. We'll rest here for the night, bury everyone, and then we'll set off back to Xuanwu."

"Yes."

Bai Xuan and the other two responded in unison, each fulfilling their respective duties.

Bai Xuan accompanied Duan Baiyu, while Li Daoyan took over the assassins of the Blood Shadow Sect and interrogated them rigorously. Xu Yuhua ordered the soldiers to dig pits and graves on the spot to bury the corpses.

Time passed by, and before we knew it, night fell, and Yuzhen Temple was plunged into darkness.

Xu Yuhua returned and informed that the pit had been dug and the coffin had been purchased, and they were just waiting for the burial.

Duan Baiyu trembled slightly as she personally placed Xu Shi'an's body into the coffin, watched him being buried, and then told Bai Xuan to go back while she stayed by herself for a while.

Bai Xuan did not refuse and chose to leave, but he did not go far. He stood not far away and just watched Duan Baiyu.

Aren't you going to stay with me?

A gentle voice rang out.

Bai Xuan turned his head and, sure enough, saw Xu Yuhua walking over.

"Mother needs to be alone right now, and I shouldn't disturb her. Princess, aren't you going to rest? Aren't we leaving for Xuanwu tomorrow?" Bai Xuan said, withdrawing his gaze.

"You should call me Big Sister," Xu Yuhua corrected.

To counterfeit, one must be prepared at all times.

"Let's make an exception for today. Otherwise, with Shi'an's body still warm, it'll always feel awkward for me to call you 'Big Sister.' Let me be Bai Xuan for one more day," Bai Xuan said.

Upon hearing Bai Xuan mention Xu Shi'an, Xu Yuhua's expression changed slightly, and a faint sadness appeared in her clear eyes. She said, "You and your third brother must have a very good relationship."

Ten years have passed, and if we're talking about deep feelings, there aren't any.

But after all, they were siblings who played together in their childhood. Now that things have changed, the memory inevitably brings a sense of sadness.

"It was alright. We grew up together. I'm a bit older than him. When we were little, he always followed me around, climbing trees on the mountain and catching fish in the water. I would tease that kid from time to time, and he would get really angry and say he would break up with me. Then the next day when I went to see him, he would happily follow me again." As he recounted the past, Bai Xuan's lips unconsciously curled up slightly.

"Is my third brother really that mischievous? When I played with him when we were little, he would obediently follow behind me, calling me 'sister' in a sweet voice. But actually, among all the children in the family, he was the quietest and most well-behaved." Xu Yuhua's eyes flickered as she recalled the past.

Back then, I hadn't yet left Xiliang to pursue my studies.

She knew nothing about anything, but as the eldest princess of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, she naturally became the leader.

At that time, there were no rules. Liangzhou girls were naturally good at fighting on horseback, let alone her, the eldest princess. She was skilled in archery and horsemanship from a young age and became the leader in the hearts of all the children in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

With my father and Zhenlan alive, all I need to do is be happy.

At the time, it was only common.

"Perhaps the princess will like Shi'an when he grows up. He became much quieter as he grew up and liked to read, especially Taoist classics. If it weren't for these things, he should have become a Taoist priest," Bai Xuan said.

"Yes, if none of this had happened, it might have been a good thing for my third brother to become a Taoist priest. I remember when he was little, he liked to read Taoist scriptures with his aunt. I can bring him to the capital and have him join the Imperial Observatory. There's even a chance he could become the National Preceptor's disciple. If he finds the capital too complicated, he can go to any of the major Taoist sects like Qinghua, Wudang, or Zaoge," Duan Baiyu said.

In today's world, the strict separation between men and women is not as serious.

However, men and women sat at separate tables and studied in separate rooms.

She went to the capital to study, becoming a disciple of Taoism and learning Taoist formations.

Therefore, she was quite confident in making recommendations.

"Then this kid must be restrained on the surface, trying his best to appear as a Taoist who is detached from worldly affairs, not elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses, but in his heart he must be happy, and might even go back to his room and jump around a few times, dancing with joy," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

"Jump around a few times?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuhua seemed to recall that scene, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Yes, that kid always knows how. It's just..." Bai Xuan's lips curled up as he thought of that scene, but when his gaze fell on the grave beside him, his smile faded.

In the blink of an eye.

A perfectly normal little kid, and now he's a ghost.

My health has deteriorated.

Whether I can help him repair his soul is unknown, and even if I can repair it, it is also unknown whether his body, which has been split in two, can still be used.

Is it a case of being reborn into another body, or simply becoming a ghost?

The thought that Xu Shi'an, who should have been full of energy, was now lying in a cold coffin and could no longer jump around, made Xu Yuhua's smile completely fade away.

"The Blood Shadow Cult was behind this, but it must be related to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. They are either enemies of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion or people within the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. Princess, my life was saved by my mother, and I must avenge this. But I am a country bumpkin and do not know anything about the affairs of the powerful and wealthy. I need the Princess's help to plan how to take revenge. I am willing to be the sharp blade in the Princess's hand." Bai Xuan said to Xu Yuhua.

He possesses great magical powers, but investigating the true culprit is not his forte. The relationships within the Prince's mansion are complex and intertwined, requiring Xu Yuhua's assistance.

"Our cooperation isn't about you becoming my tool. If we find the real culprit and avenge our third brother, you'll still be the Prince of Zhenbei, and we might remain siblings for life," Xu Yuhua said, shaking her head.

Once the plan to impersonate Xu Shi'an begins, it cannot be stopped.

Even after the matter is over, Bai Xuan will still be made the Prince of Zhenbei.

"In a short period of time, the army was ambushed, the heir apparent was killed, the prince died tragically, and then Shi'an also died. It is obvious that someone is targeting the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. I do not know the situation of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, and it is difficult to guess the enemy, but it is nothing more than the powerful forces from the Northern Wilderness, the Demon Kingdom, and the royal family. All of them are in danger. It is no exaggeration to say that the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion is now a dragon's den and a tiger's lair."

"If necessary, you can arrange any deadly situations for me. As long as the real culprit can be caught, you don't need to worry about my life or death when planning," Bai Xuan said.

"No, Auntie has already lost her third brother, she can't lose you too." Xu Yuhua was shocked to hear this, she never expected Bai Xuan to make such a plan, and then refused without hesitation.

"I meant when necessary." Bai Xuan turned his head and looked into Xu Yuhua's clear eyes. He knew that she was speaking from the heart. His heart stirred slightly as he recalled that scene from a hundred years ago. The same eyes. After reincarnation, do their personalities remain unchanged?

But I asked you to put me in a desperate situation, not just for Shi An's sake, but because if I really risked my life for you, it would be a way of repaying a debt of gratitude.

I repaid the debt of gratitude earlier, and became an immortal directly, capable of subverting dimensional attacks.

"That time will never come, and we will be able to find out the truth," Xu Yuhua said firmly.

"We'll talk about it when the time comes," Bai Xuan said, and stopped insisting on the matter.

Xu Yuhua looked at Bai Xuan and stopped pursuing the topic. Instead, she introduced the situation of the Prince's Mansion to Bai Xuan.

The night was silent. They sat on the ground and talked all night long, and their relationship gradually grew closer without them even realizing it.

Before we knew it, the night had passed, and dawn broke, the sky turning a pale white.

Bai Xuan's gaze shifted slightly, realizing that he was about to leave.