Chapter 532: For Gratitude

Upon seeing the old woman appear, the two attendants of Bai's Rice Shop immediately bowed respectfully and greeted her, "Patriarch."

Both men were visibly surprised, clearly not expecting the patriarch to intervene personally for this matter.

However, considering the commotion just now, if the patriarch hadn't intervened personally, they would certainly have failed this time.

"Patriarch?" Chu Jingting and the other two were taken aback, a hint of suspicion in their minds. Could it be...?

They instinctively looked towards the distance, where the stirred-up dust was still rising and drifting closer.

Their suspicion was correct; the newcomer was none other than Granny Qi, the patriarch of the Bai clan.

Granny Qi waved her hand slightly to dismiss the two attendants, then turned to Chu Jingting and the others, her face kindly, and asked, "May I know your esteemed names?"

The three exchanged glances, feeling a bit awkward. They were unsure of the situation and debated whether to deceive her or reveal their true identities.

The problem was that deceiving her seemed inappropriate. This was the Bai clan patriarch, clearly a figure of great prestige, and her recent display of power was truly astonishing.

They hadn't yet evolved to the level of Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, who saw things for what they were, without being swayed.

If it had been Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang in this uncertain situation, they would have certainly lied first and apologized later; neither of them considered an apology to be shameful.

Fortunately, Granny Qi's kindly demeanor was evident. Seeing their hesitation, she didn't press them. She smiled and said, "Alright, if you don't want to say, then don't. But as you can see, leaving you alone like this isn't safe. Contact Gao He. Since he knew the Blazing Fire Sect was going to act, he should have someone to meet you. I won't feel at ease until I personally hand you over to the rescue party."

Chu Jingting and the other two naturally knew who Gao He was. Having been chosen by their sect for such important tasks, they were clearly not ordinary individuals. Hearing Gao He's name mentioned, they exchanged glances again, realizing that this person's appearance wasn't due to a close relationship with their chief.

It was clear the other party still didn't know that the real leader was the one beside Wu Hehei.

However, that wasn't important. What mattered was that their chief, without revealing his identity, had managed to attract such a powerful figure to rescue them.

To be honest, they were quite moved that such a significant force had been mobilized for their sake. Unconsciously, a sense of belonging and reassurance grew in their hearts.

"What, don't tell me you can't contact Gao He, or are you afraid this old woman means you harm?" Granny Qi added with a smile.

Although her words were lighthearted, they put an inexplicable pressure on the three.

After a moment's thought, Chu Jingting took out his mother-son talisman. Turning, he sent a message to Shi Chun: The Bai clan patriarch has arrived personally. She intervened to help us. She says it's dangerous for us to leave now and wants to hand us over to the rescue party herself. She asked me to contact Mr. Gao.

The last sentence was the crucial hint; he believed that with their intelligence, the other two would understand its meaning.

After sending the message, he clasped the talisman and withdrew it into his sleeve, then turned to Granny Qi, bowing slightly as if to say, "Please wait a moment."

Hidden not too far away, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang huddled together, reading the same message, both greatly surprised.

"No way, Granny Qi, the Bai clan patriarch, came in person to help?" Wu Jinliang muttered, finding it hard to believe.

Shi Chun slowly said, "No wonder she could create such a spectacle with a single move."

Their previous plea for help to Bai Qiru was indeed intended to prompt the Bai clan to send experts, but they never expected to draw out the clan's most powerful figure.

At this thought, he couldn't help but murmur, "This is to ensure absolute certainty. Can Huang Yingying really be that important?"

Wu Jinliang also found it incredible. "They said Bai Qiru was expelled from the clan, but the Bai clan seems odd in every way. I'm telling you, such a huge commotion – could it be self-staged? The Blazing Fire Sect was just trying to capture Chu Jingting and the others. Could they really dispatch such a high-level expert for that? This treatment seems exaggerated. I'm a bit skeptical."

Shi Chun replied, "Even if it's a charade, I'll ask you one thing: do we save those three or not?"

This question was indeed irksome. Wu Jinliang couldn't help but point at the talisman in Shi Chun's hand and curse, "Damn it, 'not at ease until I see the rescue party'—that's a ready-made excuse with the danger. What do we do? It's like she's forcing us to come out and meet her."

It was possible she genuinely intended to see her good deed through, or perhaps she truly was uneasy. However, he simply didn't view the well-intentioned Granny Qi as a good person. As for being highly respected, he wasn't like Chu Jingting; he wasn't buying into that. If something seemed strange, it *was* strange.

Shi Chun thought for a moment and said, "One of us goes to assess the situation. If anything goes wrong, the other contacts the demonic sect for intervention."

Wu Jinliang knew a decision had been made. He sighed, "Only I am the most suitable one to go. She asked to contact me; if I don't show up, it'll seem disrespectful."

Shi Chun's gaze shifted to him. "Can you handle it?" he asked.

Wu Jinliang scoffed, "Who are you looking down on? I've seen people more formidable than this old woman. Let's go!"

With that, he vanished into the forest, circling around in another direction to avoid exposing Shi Chun's location.

Shi Chun, watching him leave, became somewhat silent. The image of the old Wu Jinliang, who would lag behind with his great saber whenever danger arose, was slowly fading.

The distance wasn't far, and Wu Jinliang soon emerged from another direction, landing at the meeting point.

Granny Qi, the two rice shop attendants, and Chu Jingting's group all turned to look at the person descending from the sky.

Wu Jinliang landed beside Chu Jingting, nodded to the two rice shop attendants, and mostly kept his gaze fixed on Granny Qi, scrutinizing her.

Noticing that Granny Qi was also observing Wu Jinliang, one of the rice shop attendants quickly introduced, "Patriarch, this is Gao He from the rice shop."

Then, he turned to Wu Jinliang and introduced, "This is the patriarch of our Bai clan."

Wu Jinliang feigned surprise, cupped his hands, and bowed, "Forgive my rudeness, forgive my rudeness! So you are the renowned Granny Qi. My apologies for not recognizing you."

Granny Qi, leaning on her staff, smiled and said, "What rudeness? You are quite courteous."

In her heart, she was secretly surprised and perplexed. Hadn't this fellow been confined to Zhu Lang Pavilion? How did he appear here? What about the extra surveillance personnel? How could they have missed someone this large?

In truth, she recognized Wu Jinliang as Gao He at a glance; she had, after all, heard descriptions of Gao He's stature.

As she spoke, she scanned the surroundings. She found it hard to believe that this single person was the entire rescue party, given that it had provoked the dispatch of Blazing Fire Sect experts.

Wu Jinliang bowed again, repeating his apology, then suddenly lifted his gaze, looking at the two attendants, and feigning confusion, asked, "Patriarch? Are you two also from the Bai clan?"

The two attendants exchanged speechless glances.

Granny Qi smiled slightly, knowing that this exchange had exposed a flaw in the story of Bai Qiru's expulsion from the clan. However, her personal presence here meant she had already intended to reveal the truth.

She had been left with no choice; if she hadn't confronted him directly like this, she would never have found him. She knew he had gone to Divine Mountain, but by the time she arrived, he would have already left, giving her no chance to prepare.

Given her status, she couldn't very well go to Zhu Lang Pavilion and "accidentally" run into him.

Furthermore, she had heard that the three individuals to be escorted were crucial figures and had provoked the Blazing Fire Sect. To ensure absolute safety, she had personally come.

It hadn't been easy for her to leave Divine Mountain this time. Given her high status, she had to sneak out disguised among other Bai clan members. If discovered, a person of her prestige acting covertly would be an even greater disgrace.

She glanced at the two speechless attendants and chuckled, "I should certainly give young brother Gao an explanation."

Then she looked up at the approaching curtain of dust. "There might be remnants of the Blazing Fire Sect searching, so this place isn't safe for long. How about we move somewhere else to talk?"

Wu Jinliang, however, asked, "Is this the lingering power from your intervention, Granny Qi?"

Granny Qi smiled bitterly and shook her head. "It's embarrassing to say, but I intended to quietly eliminate their pursuit in one go. Who knew they possessed a Fifth-Grade magical artifact? It makes sense, though; the Blazing Fire Sect is the foremost artifact-forging sect in the demon realm, so it's not surprising they have powerful treasures. It's fortunate I came in person, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"A Fifth-Grade magical artifact?" Wu Jinliang was slightly startled, then immediately continued to flatter her, "It's truly a blessing that an expert like you, Granny Qi, intervened. What great fortune!"

Granny Qi waved her hand modestly again. "I wouldn't call myself an expert. If I truly were, I wouldn't have failed to control my power, creating such a spectacle and making myself a laughingstock. Let's not dwell on it. Shall we find another place to talk?"

Without waiting for agreement, she flicked her sleeve, instantly enveloping everyone present and whisking them away. It was an eye-opening experience for Wu Jinliang and the others, who were witnessing a Celestial Immortal's power for the first time.

Shi Chun, who had briefly emerged to watch them depart, also dared not linger and quickly slipped away.

They effortlessly traversed countless mountains and rivers, flying an unknown distance, until Granny Qi landed with the group on a mountaintop. A wave of her spiritual energy swept out, surveying the surroundings, before she asked Wu Jinliang, "Should the others withdraw for a moment?"

Wu Jinliang harbored a secret caution but also felt it was useless against such a master. He immediately nodded to Chu Jingting and the others.

Chu Jingting's group voluntarily left, and the two attendants immediately followed, though it was unclear whether they were retreating or keeping an eye on Chu Jingting and his companions.

Once the summit was clear of others, Granny Qi, leaning on her staff, walked a few steps and then sighed softly. "Actually, the matter is quite simple. Before the Bai clan rose to prominence, our ancestors were just minor demons running a rice shop in Dazhi City. By chance, they met Huang Yingying's ancestor and followed him, serving by his side. Huang Yingying's ancestor was truly remarkable; his name was Jin Zhan, and you might have heard of him. He was the supreme ruler of the demon realm at the time. It was through his grace that the Bai clan came to be.

However, unexpected misfortune struck, and the demonic path wreaked havoc. But a powerful figure like Jin Zhan would not easily surrender. He fought the Demonic Ancestor, and regrettably, he was defeated and perished.

Without Jin Zhan, the Golden-Furred Rat clan faced continuous calamities. The Phoenix clan, who had been suppressed and enslaved under Jin Zhan's rule, launched a rebellion and, with external aid, completely overthrew them.

The Phoenix clan initially intended to wipe out the Golden-Furred Rat clan to eliminate future troubles. However, the Bai clan ancestors acted swiftly, defecting to the Phoenix clan. To save the Golden-Furred Rat clan, they resorted to a drastic measure, suggesting that the Phoenix clan exact revenge using the Golden-Furred Rat clan's own methods to truly humiliate them.

The Phoenix clan found this idea compelling, which led to the Golden-Furred Rat clan being enslaved on Divine Mountain for eternity.

Although the Golden-Furred Rat clan was saved, seeing Jin Zhan's descendants suffer deeply troubled the Bai clan ancestors, leading to profound self-reproach. Thus, finding opportunities to rescue the Golden-Furred Rat clan became our clan's ancestral instruction. Only those who uphold this instruction can succeed as patriarch. However, the Phoenix clan has remained powerful over a long period, and our Bai clan's abilities are limited. We could only navigate through the years with difficulty, ensuring that even if we couldn't rescue them, we would at least strive to prevent the Golden-Furred Rat clan from being exterminated.

For this reason, generation after generation of our Bai clan has tried every means to appease the Phoenix clan. In my time, I even went so far as to enter the Phoenix clan's service as a nanny, which is how I earned the nickname 'Granny Qi'.

Huang Yingying, by a stroke of luck, saved a member of the Phoenix clan and thus gained his freedom. He ended up in Dazhi City, where he was bullied and even faced threats to his life. To have one descendant of the Golden-Furred Rat clan finally emerge, representing the hope for their continued existence outside, how could we let him perish easily? Yet, protecting him couldn't be done openly for fear of arousing the Phoenix clan's suspicion and being counterproductive. This is why the story of Bai Qiru being expelled from the family and marrying Huang Yingying out of spite came about."