Chapter 50: Eyes

Song Jin's expression relaxed. "So that's how it is. It seems I have disturbed your interest."

Junior Brother Bai Ming smiled faintly and waved his hand. "Not at all. This is Leader Song's duty, and it is only right for you to come and ask."

"I just don't know if we might be allowed to leave the city for a while."

Song Jin's expression turned serious. "Young Master Bai is currently in the limelight, and I fear many people have their eyes on you. Going out might lead to some unnecessary trouble."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. He spoke softly, "And what if I insist on going out?"

Song Jin stepped forward, bowed, and cupped his hands. "I am afraid I cannot comply. I hope you will forgive me, Young Master."

The atmosphere became somewhat tense, like swords drawn and bows bent; it seemed as if a storm was about to break.

Watching the two of them confront each other, Xiaoxue felt anxious. She stepped forward, tugged at Junior Brother Bai Ming's sleeve, and then looked at Song Jin before them.

With a worried expression, she said, "Why don't we just not go out? Uncle Song is right. If you were targeted by villains, wouldn't it be very dangerous outside the city?"

The young man turned to the side, looking at her with a smile, which made Xiaoxue slightly stunned.

"It seems I cannot take you to see the moonlight outside the city, Xiaoxue." Junior Brother Bai Ming turned around, his face filled with guilt. "Leader Song, I was offensive just now. I had thought that being a bit firmer would allow me to go out."

Song Jin's expression softened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "It is my duty, so please forgive me, Young Master. If you had insisted on going out, I truly would not have known what to do."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's tone was calm. "I did not consider these things. Now that I think about it, I might indeed have been targeted."

"Then we might as well just watch from these city walls; we can still see the scenery outside."

The tense, confrontational atmosphere vanished. Xiaoxue nodded quickly, not wanting the two to have any conflict.

The group picked a good spot on the city walls, leaning against the edge, gazing into the distance at the moonlight scenery.

Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, huh.

Junior Brother Bai Ming glanced at Song Jin beside him, secretly probing his cultivation level.

It seems that the scene from that day was truly meticulously designed by her, even having this Foundation Establishment stage Leader Song specifically reassigned.

It was just to make me despair again after tasting hope.

Truly full of twisted tastes, Song Wanqing.

The evening breeze blew in, and the hand he held against the city wall tightened involuntarily.

The night was silent, the cold wind howled, and the moonlight suddenly seemed somewhat desolate.

"Let's go back," said Junior Brother Bai Ming.

Xiaoxue snapped out of her daze and shifted her gaze to the young man's face. "Alright, Young Master."

Hearing this, Song Jin rose from the wall he had been leaning against. "We are short-handed tonight, which has disturbed your interest, Young Master. If there is a next time, I will certainly protect you by your side, allowing you to enjoy the scenery outside the city with peace of mind."

"Leader Song is thoughtful."

After exchanging greetings, Junior Brother Bai Ming left the city wall without looking back, with Xiaoxue close behind.

After some twists and turns, the two returned to Song Mansion once again.

Pondering the current situation, Junior Brother Bai Ming arrived at the door of the cultivation room before he knew it.

After greeting Xiaoxue, he closed the iron door of the cultivation room.

"Targeted by others, hmph, that really is a good excuse." Junior Brother Bai Ming paced aimlessly.

"It seems highly likely that this is under the orders of Patriarch Song. I won't be able to leave the city until she forms her Golden Core."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression darkened. "Truly calculated without error. As long as I am still in Canglan City, relying on his mysterious and unpredictable Boundless Step, it is impossible for me to escape his grasp."

Everything that needed to be done has been done.

Du Ruoyu.

I hope what you said is true.

The green light of the Qingming Storm Soul illuminated the entire cultivation room, making Junior Brother Bai Ming's face shine.

He held the green orb in his hand. "Recent actions have been a bit too abnormal. If there are secret agents observing, they might detect something amiss. I had better lay low for these few days."

The green orb of light entered his body, and Junior Brother Bai Ming began to temper his own techniques and improve his cultivation.

For two consecutive days, he did not make any further moves, only practicing the Wuxiang Wind-Control Tactic alone in the cultivation room.

Until the third day.

The appointed day was approaching. Junior Brother Bai Ming slowly opened his eyes, and the concentric lock in his hand emitted an unusual radiance. He prepared to get up and leave the cultivation room.

But before he could open the iron door of the cultivation room, hasty knocking came from the side outside.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound of the iron door interrupted his thoughts and also made Junior Brother Bai Ming feel suspicious. He paced to the door and opened the lock.

The girl in white had bright eyes and was waving her hands incessantly, her smile like a bright crescent moon.

Seeing the girl's joyful appearance, Junior Brother Bai Ming was also infected by it to some extent. He asked softly, "What is it? What happened to make you so happy, Xiaoxue?"

Xiaoxue's eyes sparkled. "Young Miss has successfully formed her Golden Core and has already come out of seclusion."

…

Song Mansion.

Inside the second-level barrier.

In a secret grand hall.

A beautiful woman in green robes sat cross-legged in the center of the grand hall, with a faint radiance emitting from her body.

Green light in the hall suddenly brightened, autumn waters rippled continuously, and then transformed into birds and beasts, swirling about, implicitly centering on the woman.

Spiritual energy continuously gathered into her body. The woman in green had a calm expression, and beneath her beautiful countenance seemed to hide an autumnal mood.

After a long time, the strange phenomena filling the sky turned into autumn waters and flowed toward the woman's brow.

A speck of cyan-green appeared at the woman's brow and then flowed toward her eyes.

Gradually, the cyan-green radiance disappeared, and a faint green eyeshadow appeared at the woman's brows and eyes, carrying a hint of soft brilliance.

As time passed, the light green eyeshadow became fainter and fainter, as if it were flowing into the woman's eyes along the slits of her eyelids.

But at this very last moment, a furrow appeared on the woman's face, and her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly knitted.

The Golden Core formation was almost complete; she was only one step away from breaking through Foundation Establishment and forming the Golden Core.

But unfortunately.

A distracting thought appeared.

It was precisely this sliver of distraction that hindered the process of her Golden Core formation.

The spiritual energy within her body became unstable, and she hurriedly reached out to form a hand seal to stabilize her own aura.

Outside the grand hall, Patriarch Song sensed something was wrong and was secretly alarmed. However, once Golden Core formation begins, rashly barging in would only add to the trouble, so he had to wait outside the room.

As the woman performed the hand seal, the aura on her body stabilized once again, but there were still no signs of Golden Core formation.

It was still that sliver of distraction.

That young man.

The entanglement between her and the young man appeared in her heart at this moment.

All sorts of past events surfaced in her mind, as if requiring her to examine her heart and face the worries hidden deep within it.

The question she was unwilling to consider.

Time seemed to pass very slowly in the ocean of consciousness.

In a single breath, thousands of thoughts could be generated. In such a situation, what did time even count for?

The woman in green sighed softly, the furrow in her brow deepening.

Thousands of thoughts, yet all converged in one direction.

Until the early sun rose outside the grand hall, the woman's brow smoothed out, and a hint of a cunning smile hung on her lips.

The Dao foundation within her body dissipated, and instead, it condensed into a Golden Core.

A pair of eyes slowly opened, rich with autumnal mood; withered leaves fell into a deep pool, yet at the center of the deep pool, there were two bright autumn lights.

Song Wanqing's lips curled into a smile, her eyes bright. "I have arrived, my dear Bai."