Bai Sicheng looked at Bai Shengyi and smiled gently.
He teased, "Can't I have you come home just because there's nothing else going on? Once you go to the academy, it'll be like it was for your elder brother, with few chances to come home. Since I'm home now, let's spend time with Grandpa together. It's just right."
He had a time limit for his external trials. He was only worried about Bai Shengyi, which was why he let his teammates go ahead and stayed a few extra days by himself. If Bai Shengyi didn't return to the manor in two days, he would have to return to the academy as well.
Bai Shengyi pulled at the corner of her mouth, a faint smile, and said nothing.
She didn't have a good impression of the Duke of Rong.
Bai Sicheng seemed to know that Bai Shengyi and the Duke of Rong had a rift between them, and he wanted to help mend their relationship.
"I heard you went to Qianlian City for your assessment this time. That's considered the place with the most high-level cultivators outside the academy. I was worried earlier that the 150 top-grade spirit stones Grandpa gave each of you would have nowhere to be spent. That place is just perfect, with a wide variety of talismans and spirit herbs traded in the market. Did you...?"
"Wait!" Bai Shengyi stopped walking, frowning. "What 150 top-grade spirit stones?" Didn't they just send her to the Dou Zhan stage beside Xiangsi Cliff?
Bai Sicheng was not angry at being interrupted and said kindly, "Grandpa said that before you left home, he gave each of you a storage bag. Inside, there were 150 top-grade spirit stones, two fifth-tier Replenishing Pills, and three fourth-tier Flying Fire Talismans..."
As Bai Sicheng spoke, he noticed Bai Shengyi's strange expression and suddenly realized something.
"What's wrong? Ayi, didn't you see them?"
Bai Shengyi said with a half-smile, "I only received a storage bag from the housekeeper, but it only contained some food and daily necessities. So, I didn't see or use what you mentioned. Don't talk nonsense, okay?"
"How could that be? Ayi," Bai Sicheng sensed Bai Shengyi's attitude suddenly turn cold and said urgently, "Don't be angry. There might be some misunderstanding. Your elder brother will go and ask Grandpa right away."
"No need," Bai Shengyi waved her hand. "This way is quite good."
Neither owing nor being owed, with no entanglements.
Bai Sicheng was not foolish. He immediately understood Bai Shengyi's unspoken meaning. He frowned and disagreed, "Ayi, how can you say that? You are the true..."
"Elder brother, let's not talk about this. Tell me first, what did you want me to come back for?" Bai Shengyi didn't want to listen to Bai Sicheng's grandstanding words and interrupted him directly.
"You," Bai Sicheng sighed helplessly seeing that Bai Shengyi genuinely didn't want to hear it and was very resistant.
"I asked you to come back for an inheritance matter. You now have wood spiritual roots and your cultivation has advanced. You should inherit the Bai family's medicinal texts and become the legitimate young family head." This way, even if Murong had any ideas, they would be nipped in the bud.
Bai Sicheng, for this matter, had even joined forces with the second uncle to talk to the Duke of Rong several times, showing great effort.
He also hoped that Bai Shengyi could understand him. Bai Murong was also his sister. He couldn't do anything to Bai Murong and the Duke of Rong, so he could only compensate Bai Shengyi in these aspects.
Even now, Bai Sicheng still felt that the conflict between Bai Shengyi and the Duke of Rong's manor was just some minor, resolvable issues. He even thought that when Bai Murong returned to the manor, he would arrange for the family to have a good meal together and resolve any issues face-to-face.
The thoughts of a youth, gentle and simple, but unaware of the root cause, were utterly useless.
"Inherit the Bai family's medicinal texts? That's fine, but forget about the young family head title." Bai Shengyi chuckled, her gaze falling on Bai Sicheng, as if she had seen through him.
"I'm not interested in these things."
Bai Shengyi pushed open the door of the courtyard and walked in. Turning around, she said to Bai Sicheng outside the door, "Besides, Grandpa has always wanted to leave the young family head position to Bai Murong, hasn't he? I think that's fine."
After Bai Shengyi finished speaking, she shut the courtyard gate crisply with a "snap."
"Do they take me for a fool? Oh, so now I'm not a cripple, and they want me to be the heir. When I was useless, they kicked me aside. Am I the pathetic one, or are they?"
Bai Shengyi sneered.
Qing Meng Teng obediently chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. These people are too shameless. Master, don't be angry. Little Teng Ye will help you clean the house."
As she said this, she quickly slipped off his wrist, fawningly placed the teapot in front of Bai Shengyi first, then began sweeping fallen leaves and dust from the ground, and tidying clothes inside the house...
Reincarnation Brush watched its younger brother's fawning demeanor and closed its eyes in unbearable pain. "Where did you learn to do this?" It looked very professional. A perfectly good illusion vine had now become a nanny vine.
"In that illusion that time," Qing Meng Teng was clearly a scheming vine. "Boss, do you want to join?"
"No, you do it yourself," Reincarnation Brush hurriedly shook its head.
It circled the courtyard and said to Bai Shengyi, "Your elder brother keeps saying you should be the heir, but whose heir's courtyard has no one to sweep even fallen leaves? Master, this is clearly toying with you."
Bai Shengyi nodded. See, even Reincarnation Brush could see it clearly.
"Never mind him. I'm going to sleep for a while, then go out for a meal, and then I'll go see Second Uncle." Bai Shengyi saw that Little Teng Ye had finished tidying the room and went inside to lie down on the bed, starting to feel sleepy.
Qing Meng Teng continued to clean diligently.
While she rested in the courtyard, she didn't know that Bai Sicheng was deeply dejected and lost.
He first went to find the housekeeper to inquire about the storage bags. Upon learning that the two storage bags were his personal property given to Bai Shengyi and Bai Murong, he couldn't help but go to the Duke of Rong.
However, he stopped outside the Duke of Rong's study.
"Sicheng, what is it?" The Duke of Rong opened the door, his face stern and harsh. "If you're a man, don't be effeminate and fidgety. Speak if you have something to say."
Bai Sicheng was accustomed to being scolded by him, so his momentum when asking questions weakened. He instinctively gave a "mm" before hesitantly asking, "Grandpa, did you personally hand over the assessment supplies to Ayi?"
The Duke of Rong's expression became unnatural. "Why are you talking about these things? Does she think I gave too little?"
"No... no..." Bai Sicheng looked at the Duke of Rong's furrowed brow, as if he was about to curse him again. He resigned himself to confessing, "Ayi said she never received these things."
"How is that possible! Rongrong told me clearly that she would definitely give the things to her! Where is Bai Shengyi? I'm going to ask her. She's already this old, why is she still lying!"
The Duke of Rong pushed Bai Sicheng aside furiously.
"Rongrong does everything for her sister, thinking of her. But she's like this, accusing her sister as soon as she returns. I think she's truly an ungrateful white-eyed wolf! Heartless and wicked!"
"Grandpa! Wait, there might be some misunderstanding here."
"Hmph! What misunderstanding is there? I know perfectly well what Bai Shengyi means. Isn't it just that she's relying on her increased cultivation now and thinks she's definitely our Bai family's young family head, wanting to bully Rongrong!"
"I'm telling you all! This old man is not dead yet! Regarding the matter of the young family head, I think we should discuss it later!"
The Duke of Rong said, pointing at Bai Sicheng and scolding, "And you, Bai Sicheng, you're the elder brother. How can you always side with Bai Shengyi? Rongrong is also your sister! If you don't tell me where Bai Shengyi is, I'll go find her myself!"
Saying this, he called for a servant to ask for Bai Shengyi's location and strode towards Bai Shengyi's residence.
Bai Sicheng didn't expect the Duke of Rong to have such a temper and couldn't stop him at all. He hurried to catch up.
He didn't see, on the study desk, two family letters placed side by side. One had arrived at the Bai family three days ago, and it was in Bai Murong's handwriting.
"...Grandpa, Sister's cultivation is high now, and she doesn't play with me anymore. She even let others bully me, almost making me miss the chance to pass the fifth trial. How can she be so heartless? I'm her sister... I heard Sister is having conflict with Princess Mingyu again. I advised her to think more about the Bai family, but she said I was meddling..."