Half an hour later, Bai Xianxian woke up in a hospital bed.
The nurse stood by the bed, glanced at the thermometer in her hand, then took her blood pressure. She said to the worried Section Chief Yu, "Her temperature and blood pressure are normal. She might have low blood sugar from skipping breakfast. She'll be fine after some rest."
Bai Xianxian retorted inwardly: No, I ate. I had two steamed buns and a glass of soy milk.
Yu Anding let out a sigh of relief and asked with concern, "Xianxian, is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?"
Bai Xianxian lay in bed, eyes half-open, expression dazed, unable to shake off the shock from moments ago. For someone who had been afraid of ghosts since childhood, the morgue just now was a direct critical hit to the heart. Bai Xianxian felt like her entire soul had split apart.
There was another person standing behind Yu Anding. Bai Xianxian focused her eyes and saw that it was actually the young man in the blue coveralls.
Seeing that she wasn't responding, Yu Anding followed her gaze and looked behind him. With a look of understanding, he turned back and introduced him: "This is Chen Lin. He's also one of the morgue attendants. When you fainted just now, he's the one who carried you over."
With those very hands that had carried corpses.
Bai Xianxian wanted to faint again.
Yu Anding said, "Xiao Chen, from now on Xianxian will be your colleague. Colleagues should get along well and help each other out, alright?"
Chen Lin nodded.
He didn't seem to like talking, nor did he like raising his head. He always wore a mask with his eyes lowered. Combined with the nature of his job, the more Bai Xianxian looked at him, the more sinister he seemed.
Wait—why would she be working as a colleague with someone who guards the morgue?!
Wasn't she here to repair ambulances at the hospital?!
Chen Lin and the nurse both left, leaving only the concerned Yu Anding and Bai Xianxian, who was gradually realizing something was wrong. As he poured her hot water, Yu Anding said, "My son doesn't like eating breakfast either. You young people just don't take care of yourselves. Now—"
Bai Xianxian mustered her courage and interrupted him: "Uncle Yu, what exactly did the First Elder say when he called you?"
Yu Anding found it a bit odd, but still answered as asked: "Old Master Bai said you're the only heir of the Bai family. But society nowadays isn't like it was in our time—few people believe in this stuff, and if you're not careful, you'll be labeled as feudal superstition. Your business is hard to develop. So he asked me to arrange a proper position for you—one with meals, housing, and full social insurance. As for the job itself, on the surface it's guarding the morgue, but actually…"
Bai Xianxian swallowed hard and heard Yu Anding's earnest voice: "It's to be stationed at our hospital to ward off evil and suppress ghosts! I once attended a dharma assembly where I heard people talk about your Bai family. You're from the lineage of the Ancestral Celestial Master, right?"
Yu Anding added with a hint of pride: "I may not be part of the Daoist community, but I'm not completely ignorant either. The Ancestral Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling, became an immortal by slaying ghosts. Your Bai family inherits the Celestial Master lineage—your skills are immense!" He lowered his voice and said, "You know, hospitals—they always have a bit of that sort of thing going on. With a great master like you stationed here, I can rest easy."
Bai Xianxian was completely stunned.
She finally realized she had fallen into another trap set by the elders.
Just like the countless traps they had set since she was young to trick her into building courage, the goal was always the same: to make her stop fearing ghosts, accept the Bai family inheritance, and shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing the family.
She had thought that after all these years—now that she'd even graduated from university—they would have given up by now.
But all her resistance and unwillingness meant nothing in their eyes.
Saying "We won't push you anymore—we've arranged a job for you repairing ambulances at the city hospital" was just one of their countless lies!
Three rotten old men—utterly wicked!!
Bai Xianxian was so furious she felt like her lungs would explode.
Yu Anding watched her face turn from white to green, then from green to black, and hesitantly spoke up: "Xianxian, you don't want to stay at our hospital?" His tone grew urgent: "Our benefits are pretty good, and nothing much has ever happened here. You'd only need to come in two or three times a week—it won't be too much trouble!"
In the eyes of Yu Anding, who had once personally witnessed Old Master Bai force out and slay the female ghost hiding inside his wife's body, Bai Xianxian—the only heir of the Bai family—possessed extraordinary abilities and profound Daoist cultivation. In this modern society overrun with charlatans, she was a great master worth their weight in gold.
With such a "great master" stationed at the hospital, no ghost or monster would be a problem!
The "great master" Bai Xianxian felt a lump stuck in her throat—she could neither swallow it down nor spit it out.
By the time the Bai family inheritance reached her generation, it was essentially finished. The only ones in the family with any real skill left were the three elders. Yu Anding held the Bai family in such high regard—if she told him the truth, she would be erasing the family's honor and slapping the elders in the face.
Refusing to accept the inheritance was one thing; protecting the family's reputation was another.
Bai Xianxian took two deep breaths and could only say, "Uncle Yu, the First Elder didn't explain things clearly to me from the start. Let me think it over for a couple of days."
Yu Anding wore a dejected expression and muttered after a long pause: "But we already signed a labor contract…"
Bai Xianxian didn't dare to speak.
Fortunately, with the almighty aura of the great deity backing her, Yu Anding didn't dare to push her either. He sighed and said, "Alright then, take your time to think it over." Then he added sincerely, "Our hospital's benefits are really good, Xianxian. Once you've made up your mind, let me know soon, and I'll have HR set up your social insurance and housing fund."
Bai Xianxian nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay!"
…
The summer heat had already begun to permeate the air.
After leaving the hospital, Bai Xianxian bought a bottle of iced cola and sat down in a nearby park. She scrolled through the class group chat. The job fair was still going on. She sent Xie Yi a message: Are you still at the job fair?
Xie Yi replied that he was.
Bai Xianxian: I'll send my electronic resume to your email. Help me print it out. I'll be there in a bit.
Xie Yi: ??? Didn't you already get hired? What's going on?
Bai Xianxian: It's a long story. We'll talk when we meet. Anyway, I need to find a new job.
Just as she finished speaking, the First Elder's call came through.
It seemed Yu Anding had "tattled" on her.
Bai Xianxian's pent-up anger, mixed with the carbonation from the half bottle of cola she'd just drunk, bubbled up and threatened to spill over. The moment the call connected, before the First Elder could even speak, she struck first: "No matter what you say, I'm not going to that hospital! I'll find a job on my own—I don't need your help!"
There was a pause on the other end, then an aged voice, sounding somewhat feeble: "I've never begged anyone in my life. For your sake, I swallowed my pride and went to ask someone to arrange a job for you, and you—"
Bai Xianxian cut him off: "Did you do it for me? You did it for yourselves! For the Bai family!"
"The Bai family?!" The First Elder was so enraged by her words that he nearly choked on his breath. He burst into a furious tirade: "You go to university, live as a city person for a few years, and now you've forgotten your roots and your bloodline? How did our Bai family produce an ingrate like you who betrays her ancestors?!"
Bai Xianxian was both furious and hurt, tears welling up in her eyes. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be born into the Bai family! I just want to be an ordinary person, find an ordinary job, and live in the real world! I don't want to be your puppet!"
"You—"
The First Elder's voice suddenly cut off. After a few seconds of silence, another voice came through the receiver: "Xianxian."
It was the Second Elder who had taken over the phone.
Bai Xianxian held back her tears and said nothing.
The Second Elder spoke gently: "You know the First Elder's temper. Don't take his words to heart. It's the elders' fault—we just couldn't give up and wanted to try one more time. Since you're unwilling, then let it be. I'll have a word with the hospital, so you don't have to worry about that."
Bai Xianxian sniffled. "…Really?"
The Second Elder chuckled. "Really. We won't trick you this time."
Bai Xianxian: "That's what you said last time too."
The Second Elder: "…"
He laughed twice before speaking again: "The adult world is complicated. You've just graduated, so you need to be careful about everything. When looking for a job, be thorough and don't get scammed. The elders are old and can't help you much anymore—don't find us a bother."
Bai Xianxian wiped her tears and said in a muffled voice: "I won't. Second Elder, I'll find a good job. Once I earn money, I'll bring you all to the city to live and take care of you in your old age."
The Second Elder laughed. "Alright, then we'll be waiting."
Bai Xianxian asked again: "What about the Third Elder? He wasn't around the last two times I called."
The Second Elder: "The Third Elder is delivering courier packages in the county town. He's busy every day."
Bai Xianxian: "…?"
Had the Bai family really fallen to the point where they had to rely on an elder delivering packages to make ends meet?
A sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt rose in Bai Xianxian's heart.
The Second Elder gave her a few more words of advice to take care of herself before hanging up. Bai Xianxian sat on the park bench, clutching the half-empty bottle of cola, watching the elderly men and women doing square dancing in the plaza across from her.
The three elders were advanced in years—already considered long-lived by today's standards. They had never left the Bai family their entire lives, guarding the mountain where the founding master had established the sect all those years ago. Even though the family had dwindled and the incense no longer burned, their faith remained unwavering.
Bai Xianxian's emotions were a tangled mess. She sat in a daze for a while until her phone rang again.
This time, it was her father.
Bai Xianxian answered in a subdued voice: "Hey, Dad."
Bai Xiangwang used an old-fashioned senior phone, and every call came with crackling static: "Xianxian, the Second Elder just called me. Are you okay?"
Bai Xianxian said gloomily: "Did you know about this all along too?"
Bai Xiangwang raised his voice: "I did not! Would I set up my own daughter?"
Bai Xianxian let out a huff.
Bai Xiangwang coaxed her: "Good girl, don't be angry. Where are you now? Why don't you come find me? Dad will take you to get some yougun pastries."
Bai Xianxian glanced at the sun—it was almost lunchtime. Yougun pastry was her favorite snack, and the most authentic shop was located right behind Shouyi Temple, where Bai Xiangwang resided.
So she agreed and took a cab over.
Though both came from the same Bai family lineage, unlike Bai Xianxian, her father had been drawn to Daoist culture since he could remember. He had once cultivated under the three elders, attempting to carry on the family's legacy.
Unfortunately, talent is a picky thing. Father Bai hadn't inherited the family talent at all, and couldn't even lift the Six-Spirit Sword that had been gathering dust before the statue of the Ancestral Master for years.
Xiangwang, Xiangwang—what a pity his surname was Bai. Bai Xiangwang.
But Father Bai never gave up. After studying all the scriptures in the family collection, he left the Bai family to cultivate on his own.
The Bai family's Ancestral Master had studied under the Ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, and Zhang Daoling was the founder of the Zhengyi Celestial Master Way. Naturally, the Bai family belonged to the Zhengyi sect, and unlike the Quanzhen sect, Zhengyi Daoists were allowed to marry and have children.
Otherwise, given Father Bai's devotion to the Daoist path, Bai Xianxian would never have had the chance to be born.
Later, when her mother passed away from illness, Father Bai became even more devoted to his cultivation. The year Bai Xianxian got into university, Father Bai accepted an invitation from a close friend and took up residence at Shouyi Temple in Yunchang City to cultivate there. He had been living there for years.
When Bai Xianxian took a cab to Shouyi Temple, she saw Father Bai walking out of the Tongrentang pharmacy across the street, carrying a large bundle of medicine. He waved at her from a distance.
Bai Xianxian waved back, and as soon as Father Bai crossed the street, she hurried up to him. "Dad, are you sick?"
Father Bai waved his hand. "No, it's for your First Elder."
Bai Xianxian was taken aback, and listened as Father Bai continued, "There are a few kinds of medicine that can't be bought in the county, so I'm sending them back to him."
She took the bundle and looked at it—they were all cough and phlegm remedies. No wonder the last few times she'd answered the First Elder's calls, she'd heard his intermittent coughing. She'd thought it was just a minor cold, but judging by the amount of medicine, his condition might be serious.
She suddenly grew anxious. "How long has it been? You should have him come to the city for treatment. How can he get better just by taking medicine?"
Bai Xiangwang sighed. "You know your First Elder's temper. Would he listen to me? He said he knows his own condition, told me not to worry unnecessarily, and forbade me from telling you."
Bai Xianxian thought of the argument she'd had with the First Elder today, and a wave of regret washed over her.
When people get old, they can't handle being upset. She'd spoken without thinking in the heat of the moment today—she really hoped the First Elder's condition wouldn't worsen because of it…
Bai Xiangwang noticed her distracted expression and patted her head. "If you're worried, go back and visit the elders."
Bai Xianxian fell silent for a moment.
After getting into university, every winter and summer break she'd made excuses about needing to work part-time jobs. It had been four years since she'd last returned to the Bai family.
She didn't want to go back, and she didn't dare to. She didn't want to listen to the elders' nagging, to read those tedious scriptures, and she was afraid they'd take her to the mass grave again to build up her courage.
That was the age of rebellion—she had to oppose the family in everything. Getting into university felt to her like breaking free from a cage, achieving complete freedom.
In her first year of university, she hadn't even made a single phone call home.
Then one day, a single sentence from Xie Yi woke her up.
Xie Yi said, "Xianxian, you describe the family elders as so terrifying and horrible, but why didn't they just lock you up and torment you until you were willing to learn?"
Bai Xianxian stared at her in shock.
Xie Yi shrugged. "Right? If it were really as you say, and you're the family's only hope—if you don't learn, the family legacy is completely cut off—then is that something you can just choose not to do? If I were your elder, I'd definitely stop at nothing to force you. At the very least, I wouldn't still be paying your tuition so you could go to university."
They could have done that.
But they didn't. They pushed her, yes, but they also followed her wishes, letting her fly to this bigger, farther place.