"It seems you've finally decided to confront that matter," Bai Tianyou said, not surprised. A significant part of his decision to keep the failed inner circle members of the Third Elder around was for Bai Yumo's sake.

Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have long since dealt with this group of shortsighted, infighting fools.

Especially seeing the estranged relationship between Bai Feng and Bai Yumo only fueled his anger. If it became unbearable, he would head to the back mountain under the pretense of sparring and give the Third Elder and his crew a good beating.

He stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, picking up a thick book. "I've organized everything about that incident from years ago. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you, Father."

Bai Yumo took the book but didn’t leave; instead, she began flipping through the pages in the study.

As she furrowed her brow, deep in thought, a letter suddenly slipped out from between the pages.

She quickly reached out to catch it. The childish handwriting on the letter seemed out of place amidst the seriousness of the event, and the paper was already yellowed with age.

"Father, who wrote this letter?" Bai Yumo asked, holding the letter up to Bai Tianyou, who was practicing calligraphy nearby.

"Oh, that was written by Feng'er. A few years ago, I almost lost it, but I recently found it again. It was he who discovered someone had ill intentions towards you, which allowed me to intervene in time," Bai Tianyou said, looking at the childish script with a hint of nostalgia.

What a good child he was, truly treating Bai Yumo like a sister. All the blame lay with the Third Elder and his wife!

This was infuriating! He would definitely seek out the Third Elder and his crew for a sparring session tonight!

"It was my brother who wrote this?"

Bai Yumo was momentarily stunned. She lowered her head to read the contents of the letter carefully. Although it was addressed to her father, the letter was filled with concern for her.

Especially the hints about her mother’s poor attitude towards her, and how, after her mother had recently started treating her better, Bai Feng had begun to suspect ulterior motives. This left her feeling both amused and exasperated.

But in the end, the truth proved him right; their mother indeed had ulterior motives.

As she finished reading the last line, she sniffed hard. She could clearly feel that Bai Feng genuinely regarded her as a sister.

But what had she done over the years…?

She felt a weight pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Bai Feng had treated her so well, yet why did she doubt him? Even after he had cleared his name, a part of her still felt he had ulterior motives…

Her heart was filled with confusion and misunderstanding.

It was like a poor man who had found gold; clutching it tightly, he saw everyone as a thief or a robber. Moreover, the gold in her hands had almost been taken by friends and family, intensifying her paranoia, leading her to doubt even those closest to her.

At that moment, Bai Tianyou was unaware of Bai Yumo's chaotic and complex feelings. Seeing her lost in thought while looking at the letter, he decided to ease the tension between Bai Feng and her:

"Don't blame him too much. He’s been concerned about you all these years. The pastries he sent you every month before you established your foundation were all his idea."

Bai Yumo nodded. She remembered that after the bone-digging incident, Bai Feng had come to her as usual, wanting to take her out to play, but she had turned him down.

It seemed he had sensed her distance; since then, he rarely sought her out. But it wasn’t childish stubbornness; he didn’t pester her or retaliate. Instead, he chose to respect her wishes and keep his distance, even moving out of the room next to hers.

In her heart, the thick walls built from insecurity seemed to crack open just a little.

"Father, I want to wait a bit before looking."

She lifted her head, as if she had made a decision.

Bai Tianyou waved his hand. "No problem. This book will stay here. You can come and read it whenever you want."

Meanwhile, Bai Feng was holding a novel, but he didn’t seem to be reading it. His eyelids were heavy, and he looked like he might fall asleep at the table at any moment.

Just then, a notification suddenly popped up from the system:

【Ding! Detected that the Child of Fortune has feelings of regret towards the host. Fortune value +30, cultivation level breaks through to the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.】

Bai Feng: "?"

Which Child of Fortune is messing with me?

---

Chapter 9: Detected that the host has made the Child of Fortune cry hard.

The moment Bai Feng saw the system notification, he instantly snapped awake, forgetting to guess which Child of Fortune had lost their mind. He quickly sat cross-legged.

In an instant, a surge of spiritual energy flooded into his body, and his aura began to rise until it barely stopped at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Damn Child of Fortune, don’t let me find out who you are, or I swear I’ll..."

Bai Feng gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, his tone fierce: "Stay far away from me!"

But just then, a knock sounded at the door, forcing him to halt his thoughts. He got up and walked to the door. "Who is it?"

Hadn’t he moved to a more secluded part of the family estate? And under his request, the servants rarely disturbed him.

Could it be his father needed him?

He pushed the door open, and his movements froze.

Standing outside was none other than his sister, Bai Yumo. However, her expression was no longer distant and cold; instead, it was tinged with a hint of conflict.

What? Didn’t Yumo go to find Father? Why is she suddenly looking for me? She never came to see me after returning home before!

Bai Feng quickly masked his surprise, stepping back a half-step to maintain some distance from his sister. "Ahem, Yumo, didn’t you go to find Father? Is he looking for me?"

Bai Yumo noticed his retreat and a flicker of guilt and sadness crossed her eyes.

But she couldn’t blame anyone else; this was all her doing. If she hadn’t deliberately kept her distance, Bai Feng wouldn’t have felt the need to do the same.

"No..." Bai Yumo lowered her head, her previously carefree demeanor now replaced with tension and fear. "I wanted to invite you to go out for a stroll."

After saying that, perhaps feeling embarrassed or fearing a harsh rejection, she quickly added, "I haven’t been back in a long time, so I want to buy some things I need for cultivation. If you don’t have time, then..."

She bit her lip, unable to say she would go alone, and instead finished with, "Could you help me mark the shops in the city? I haven’t been back in ages..."

Bai Feng didn’t answer immediately; his expression was one of shock.

Where did my sister, who was so guarded and deliberately keeping her distance, go?

Had she taken some strange medicine, or was she possessed by a ghost?

Bai Yumo kept her head down, waiting for Bai Feng’s response. What felt like mere seconds stretched into an eternity. Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, and as time passed, her body began to tremble slightly, as if she might turn and flee at any moment.

Fortunately, Bai Feng didn’t remain silent for long. He collected his scattered thoughts and curiously asked, "What could you possibly need that the Tianjian Sect doesn’t have?"

If it were anyone else, he might not have been curious, but his sister was a bearer of celestial bones, enjoying the treatment of a direct disciple upon entering the sect. He found it hard to believe she lacked cultivation resources.

Though Bai Feng didn’t answer her right away, Bai Yumo felt a sense of relief, her demeanor lightening a bit. "There are still many things. Although direct disciples receive a lot of points, they can’t just spend them freely. We usually buy ordinary materials in the city while doing tasks."

"Mm..."

Bai Feng nodded, his gaze fixed on Bai Yumo, who was avoiding eye contact and looking anxious. He couldn’t help but recall how she had been when she first arrived at the Bai family.

She had been just like this, nervous and avoiding his gaze the first time they met. Though only three or four years old, her mind seemed mature beyond her years. She was cautious around everyone, filled with insecurity, and when ignored, she would hide and observe, completely unlike a child her age.

"Did Father say something strange to you?"

Bai Feng thought of their father, who was good at fighting but a mess when it came to family matters. He seemed to be trying to mend the relationship between the two siblings.

Plus, the system had just popped up a notification; it was highly likely that the Child of Fortune regretting their actions was his sister.

Damn it! When have I ever wronged you for you to treat me like this?

"No... no, it’s just that I wanted to see." Bai Yumo quickly waved her hands, then looked up at Bai Feng, her eyes filled with apology. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you."

Bai Feng blinked, suddenly realizing something. "You read that letter? Dad actually kept it? With his personality, I can’t believe he didn’t lose it!"