Capítulo 2133: Chapter 2131: Bi Tao’s Beloved

When Bai Ruozhu left, only Jiao Ling and Old Liu remained in the hall.

Jiao Ling sighed heavily and said, “Master, this time you really… acted inappropriately.”

She hesitated for a moment, then continued, “I have always respected you from the bottom of my heart, and I usually wouldn’t contradict any of your decisions. If you wanted me to go east, I wouldn’t go west. But in this matter, you really went too far.”

Jiao Ling shook her head as she spoke, and Old Liu, somewhat angry, glared at her and asked, “How come all of you have been brainwashed by that ordinary person? Even if she comes from an official’s family, so what? Here in the Jiuli Clan, we don’t acknowledge these officials.”

Jiao Ling said earnestly, “Since you think that Zepei is an outstanding child, can’t you trust his judgment? His wife was personally chosen by him, with no interference from anyone else. Could the girl he chose himself be lacking?”

Old Liu’s eyes showed some hesitation, as if his attitude was softening a bit, but he sighed and said, “But no matter how good this woman is, she is still an ordinary person. How can she be worthy of Zepei?”

“Zepei is also an ordinary person, with no martial arts, no inner strength, only a few basic combat skills. Yet, wasn’t it because of his extraordinary divine sense and intellect that he was recommended for the Enlightenment Tablet trial? He only became a member of Wei Hall after passing the Enlightenment Tablet examination.”

“I know you won’t listen to anything I say, but I’m telling you the truth. Si Yihuan truly possesses extraordinary intelligence. When Zepei participated in the Enlightenment Tablet trial, it was she who awakened him with her divine sense; otherwise, he would have been in grave danger. Moreover, when we were in that dangerous secret realm, Zepei almost had a fatal accident, but Yihuan saved him with her divine sense. Could an ordinary person do such things?”

Jiao Ling grew more and more agitated, “For the sake of what she’s done, she’s not just an ordinary person! Master, I won’t argue with you about other things, but on this matter, I will not back down. They say it’s better to demolish ten temples than to ruin a marriage. I won’t allow you to use status to pressure Yihuan, nor do I want you to help that girl, Bi Tao, in any way. Just think of it as a lack of filial piety from your disciple!”

At this moment, there was a knock at the door, followed by Bi Tao’s voice: “Master, are you still here? My mother sent me to see you home safely.”

Bai Ruozhu, hiding upstairs and eavesdropping, shot a cold light from her eyes. Why was it Bi Tao again? Was she the one causing all the trouble?

The atmosphere in the room was awkward; Old Liu felt uncomfortable in his heart. He was unhappy that his beloved disciple said such things, but his character was somewhat stubborn and he was unwilling to admit his mistakes. He stood up and said, “I’m leaving; I’ll no longer interfere in your affairs!”

Bi Tao, unaware of what had happened between Old Liu and Jiao Ling, only felt the tense atmosphere and hurriedly supported Old Liu, saying, “Master, walk slowly.”

After they left, Jiao Ling quietly wiped her tears. In her heart, Old Liu was like a father to her. She couldn’t bear to make him angry, nor did she want to fall out with him, but this time she couldn’t back down; otherwise, her brother’s entire family would turn against her.

Seeing her aunt like this, Bai Ruozhu felt deeply uncomfortable. She couldn’t do anything about Old Liu, but she could certainly deal with Bi Tao.

The next morning, Si Yihuan didn’t get up on time. Bai Ruozhu checked on her and found it was the after-effects of overusing her divine sense, so she didn’t wake her. Instead, she packed some food and had it sent by Yihuan’s parents, who were also eager to see their son, to put their minds at ease.

Bai Ruozhu herself went to find Bi Tao.

Bi Tao was surprised to see her; she didn’t get along well with Bai Ruozhu, and visiting her so early in the morning couldn’t mean anything good.

Bai Ruozhu stared at her and said, “Bi Tao, our family has no grievances with you. Even if you don’t like me, why fixate on my second brother? He won’t divorce his wife, let alone take a concubine, so give up on this. A decent girl always thinking about someone else’s husband—aren’t you ashamed?”

She wasn’t interested in scheming with Bi Tao. With her current absolute strength, there was no need to beat around the bush. A direct warning would suffice.

Bi Tao’s face turned from white to red, then from red to blue, quickly revealing her previous domineering demeanor. She gritted her silver teeth, as if she wanted to bite Bai Ruozhu.

“What’s wrong with you? Coming to pick a fight so early? What have I done to your second brother?” Bi Tao exclaimed.

“Wasn’t it you who stirred things up with Old Liu yesterday and made him argue with my aunt? Even if my second sister-in-law is an ordinary person, she will always be my second sister-in-law, and no one can replace her.” Bai Ruozhu declared forcefully.

“When did I stir things up? I even praised your second sister-in-law.” Bi Tao suddenly felt a bit wronged. Why didn’t anyone support her as ardently? Why was Si Yihuan so fortunate? Could it be that she was just a failure in life?

Bai Ruozhu certainly didn’t believe her words. Her previous expression had already exposed her coveting second brother.

“When Fo Lanying was giving my second brother trouble, why did you help? Did you think I didn’t know your intentions?” Bai Ruozhu sneered.

Bi Tao’s expression changed, and she lowered her head, her voice much softer, “I did have some feelings for your second brother before. But wasn’t it the same for many girls in the clan? Who doesn’t admire a young hero? But…”

As she spoke, she paused, blushing, “Ever since the clan turmoil, someone protected me and even got injured for me. Only then did I realize what true love is, and stopped thinking about your second brother.”

Bai Ruozhu was taken aback. She could see Bi Tao’s current emotion, clearly the expression of a young girl’s budding feelings, not at all like a pretense. Could it really have been a misunderstanding?

“If I had known Master wanted me to be with Brother Zepei, I would have made things clear with him,” Bi Tao added.

“Then who is the person you like?” Bai Ruozhu asked curiously.

Bi Tao blushed even more, lowering her head and saying, “You might not know him. He’s a member of the Disciplinary Hall, a few years older than me, a bit dull, and usually doesn’t talk much.”

These words might not mean much, but her eyes were full of tenderness. It seems she truly had feelings for that person.

Heart troubles suppressed for a long time, she continued to talk with Bai Ruozhu.

“During the clan unrest, when you all fled into a secret realm, I and many others were imprisoned by the second elder. My family wasn’t related to any elder, so we weren’t subjected to the second elder’s evil techniques. But later, someone mentioned that my mother was the senior apprentice sister of an aunt, and people in jail started saying they wanted to take me out…”

Her face bore a look of shame and anger, “To, to serve them. It was he who rushed to protect me, willing to fight them to the death. Fortunately, there was an urgent matter on the second elder’s side, and they had to leave, so we narrowly escaped. It was only later that I learned he had always liked me but never dared to say it, even felt embarrassed to talk to me.”

Hey, this guy is really shy, Bai Ruozhu thought with a laugh, not expecting Bi Tao’s next words to completely stun her…