I am the snake demon!

"I'm leaving now. Stay here and help your sister-in-law manage the business. Don't miss me too much."

Time flies, and soon it was time to leave Xuanwu.

Bai Xuan lazily got up and reached out to pinch Hongxiu's fair cheek.

The life of warmth, fragrance, and softness is indeed intoxicating.

Unfortunately, this wonderful life has to be temporarily interrupted today.

For the rest of the journey, we didn't receive the same treatment.

Although there are beauties among them.

But one was his godmother, one was his sister in name only, and one was his master in name only.

It's better to be with Gao Feng and the others than with these women.

"This servant will take care of the shop for Your Highness and wait for your return," Hongxiu said.

"Sweetie, wait for me at home."

Bai Xuan naturally reached out and hugged Hongxiu, then picked up a fan and walked out of the room.

Hongxiu blushed and stood there, staring blankly at Bai Xuan's departing figure, looking just like a timid young wife.

Bai Xuan lacked the company of a beautiful woman and was less dashing, but his natural good looks, his dark robes, and the black folding fan added to his charm.

"Liangjie, how is your Tai Chi True Scripture practice going?" Bai Xuan asked.

Noble character and integrity.

The courtesy name he gave to Gao Feng.

"This humble servant is dull-witted, and has only made slight progress on the first level," Gao Feng replied.

"Not bad. You've advanced to the seventh rank in such a short time, and you've also made some progress on the first level of the Tai Chi True Scripture. You are indeed suited to cultivate this martial art. I'll bring you some good tea later," Bai Xuan said.

Gao Feng is also an outlier.

Soldiers often enjoy drinking.

Gao Feng, however, never drank alcohol and only liked to drink water.

But Bai Xuan couldn't very well offer his subordinates water, so he offered them tea instead.

"It was my duty, I dare not take credit, but I accept Your Highness's gift," Gao Feng said sullenly.

The prince granted him a pension, promoted him, bestowed upon him divine skills, and helped him break through his current realm. Now that he has received further commendation, he feels ashamed.

"Just consider this a gift to treat me. Otherwise, if I visit your home one day and you don't even have good tea, are you going to serve me plain water?" Bai Xuan said.

"Yes," Gao Feng replied.

"Are Duan Zhiguan and Leng Jingchang still obedient under your command? If they are, beat them up. It's alright. In this northern border region, you don't need to heed anyone's orders except mine," Bai Xuan asked.

These two spoiled brats have now joined his personal guard and become Gao Feng's deputy generals, which is also a way for him to express goodwill to Duan Qingyue and Leng Shihhu.

The two were at roughly the same level of cultivation, both at the peak of the sixth realm and about to enter the seventh realm, the ant realm.

If it were the Gao Feng of the past, it would have been difficult to suppress him, but now that Gao Feng has entered the seventh realm, it is much easier to suppress him.

"Deputy General Duan and Deputy General Leng did not cause any trouble and were cooperating with me. Deputy General Leng's cultivation of the second level of the Taiji True Scripture is like a tiger with wings, making him the one who is cultivating most smoothly among all the people. On the contrary, Deputy General Duan is the slowest among all the people. I think he might be able to cultivate the first level faster. In addition, he is quite soft-hearted, and I think he needs to experience some trials and tribulations." Gao Feng said.

"This is what he currently lacks. Many countries in the Western Regions are Buddhist, and Wuwei is adjacent to the Western Regions and is greatly affected by it. However, it's not a big problem. We can just let him go to the battlefield a few more times," Bai Xuan said.

He knew about Duan Zhiguan's affairs.

There are many Buddhist temples in Wuwei.

The Duan family of Wuwei also had close ties with Buddhism, firstly to counterbalance the Hidden Sword Manor, and secondly because Buddhist martial arts are mostly expansive and masculine, making them very suitable for military warriors to practice.

Wuwei Longxiang Temple originated from Wuxiang Temple in the Western Regions. It contains the Longxiang Vajra Kung Fu, a superior external martial art. After successful practice, one becomes invulnerable to swords and spears and possesses immense strength.

Duan Zhiguan's mother was close to Buddhism, and he himself was close to Buddhism from a young age, so the name Zhiguan is related to Buddhism.

This led to him being too gentle.

But this is a family matter for the Duan family, and he shouldn't comment too much.

Moreover, in his view, the problem was indeed not that big. If you were thrown onto the battlefield, either others would die or you would die. In this situation, Duan Zhiguan would figure it out on his own.

Gao Feng remained silent. He was a professional soldier who only did what he was supposed to do, but Leng Jingchang and Duan Zhiguan were special cases, and he couldn't interfere with their training.

Bai Xuan played with his folding fan as he went out. The guards who were going out were already prepared. The soldiers of Gao Feng's battalion were all waiting outside the door with solemn expressions, resolute faces, and a fierce military appearance, which made Bai Xuan feel very pleased.

"Sister, An'er has arrived; it's time to set off."

Duan Baiyu, who was saying goodbye to Duan Baifeng, saw Bai Xuan arrive and said...

"An'er is here."

Upon seeing Bai Xuan arrive, Duan Baifeng smiled and said, "Take good care of your mother and Yu Shuang along the way."

"Don't worry, Auntie, I will take good care of Mother and Second Sister, and I guarantee they will return exactly as they were," Bai Xuan said with a smile.

"Who's taking care of whom? If anyone's taking care of someone, it should be me taking care of you," Duan Baiyu said irritably.

Bai Xuan smiled warmly.

"I wish my third brother a smooth journey to the Sword Appreciation Conference, that all his wishes come true, and that he finds a flying sword he is satisfied with," Xu Yuhua said with a smile.

"Oh? Eldest sister, you've come to see me off too. I thought you were too busy with business tax matters to come and see me off. You didn't forget me even in your busy schedule. As expected, in the Prince's mansion, eldest sister loves me the most." Bai Xuan looked flattered as if she had just seen Xu Yuhua.

Xu Yuhua's gentle smile froze instantly. After returning from the spring hunt, Bai Xuan's life returned to normal, with almost no changes except for the addition of a beautiful female master. Xu Yuhua, on the other hand, began to formally implement commercial taxes, but this was easier said than done.

Merchants from all over the country resisted. Some officials wanted to take the opportunity to extort money, while others deliberately created such a false impression. Disorders of all sizes occurred frequently.

Now that Bai Xuan has gone to Wuwei, she's naturally the one who has to deal with this mess.

Knowing that Bai Xuan was angry that she had let Duan Baiyu and Bai Xuan travel together, Xu Yuhua gritted her teeth and said, "Of course, you are the one I love the most in the Prince's Mansion, so Third Brother must go and come back as soon as possible."

"Good." Bai Xuan smiled. "Your idea is good. If I were just an ordinary person, Mother could really keep an eye on me, but you have no idea how terrifying a half-immortal is."

"In addition, Mr. Huangfu recommended a student, who can also be considered your senior brother, named Guo Yuanhao. He comes from a poor family and was a wandering knight in his early years. He met Mr. Huangfu when Mr. Huangfu was traveling around the world, challenged Mr. Huangfu but was defeated, and was taken in as a disciple by Mr. Huangfu. Later, he passed the imperial examination and entered the Great Zhou Dynasty, but after a few years he resigned and traveled around the world again," Xu Yuhua said.

"Since he was recommended by the teacher, just appoint him directly," Bai Xuan said.

"It's not that easy. A ruler chooses his ministers, and a minister chooses his ruler, especially since he's half a martial artist. He needs to see you in person before deciding whether to serve you. Fortunately, he's a swordsman. Go to Hidden Sword Manor and bring him back to me," Xu Yuhua said.

"Seeing me won't help. Try your best," Bai Xuan said upon hearing this.

He was mostly a mascot in the North; even when Guo Yuanhao came, he didn't work under him.

It would be better to meet Xu Yuhua directly.

"It's about time, let's go," Duan Baiyu urged.

Bai Xuan responded and said to Xu Yuhua, "I'm leaving. Don't worry, I'll come back safely."

After saying that, Bai Xuan turned around and got into the carriage. Unlike the last time, which was a fast ride, this time the trip to Wuwei was leisurely.

Bai Xuan lay comfortably in the carriage as it moved slowly.

Xu Yuhua stared for a long time until she completely disappeared from sight before turning back to continue dealing with commercial tax matters.

Meanwhile, west of Liangzhou, at the dividing point between the three major powers of the Northern Border, the Western Regions, and the Demon Kingdom, a magnificent city stands tall.

Tianhao City, the residence of the White Emperor, is the number one martial city in the world.

Beyond Tianhao City, there is another mountain, its shape like a sword's edge, towering into the clouds and reaching straight to the sky.

The Taibai Sword Sect is located here.

At the summit of the mountain, there is a flower garden where hundreds of flowers bloom in vibrant colors, including many that are out of season.

In the center of the flowerbed, a young girl dances with a sword. Her figure is graceful, her swordsmanship is sharp, and her sword energy is intense, yet it possesses a unique beauty.

However, if someone were really there, their attention would probably not be on her, but on a white-clad man in a pavilion not far away.

The man was dressed in white, his beauty unparalleled, his skin as smooth and flawless as jade. His fingers, holding the letter, were long and slender with distinct knuckles, making him seem like a celestial being descended to earth. His beauty was so striking that one could almost forget his gender, making it impossible to tell whether he was male or female.

The man looked at the contents of the letter and said coldly, "Marrying into the royal family is a dangerous place. Duan Baiyu has been delayed herself, and now she's delaying others too."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp sword aura surged, and the letter in the man's hand turned into dust and flew away with the wind.

After gazing intently at the girl in the flowerbed, the man in white gripped his long sword and transformed into a streak of light, heading towards Hidden Sword Manor.