Once, I wanted to be a good person

Bai Zhi turned her head, looking oddly at the back of her sister, feeling as if... they were keeping something from her.

However, thinking of how Lady Jin had always treated her like her own daughter for so many years, and how well Maimai got along with her, she shook her head again and turned back to her room to change clothes...

....

At the same time.

Spirit Realm.

Fang Ze and a few others were still rushing towards Congyun City.

And while on the road, to alleviate the boredom, of course, they'd have to chat.

So they started chatting about everything under the sun, and after swapping a few topics, they inevitably ended up discussing their current enemy: Dahei Jialuo.

Fang Ze dodged a dandelion that was erupting and spewing lava while speaking to Hei Po, "I've been looking into Dahei Jialuo's information lately."

"But there isn't much intel. Moreover, some of it is quite vague."

"So, did you hear any rumors or incidents concerning Dahei Jialuo back in the day?"

Upon hearing Fang Ze's words, Hei Po lightly tapped her foot, thought for a moment, and then said, "Dahei Jialuo?"

She showed a pensive expression, seeming to recall something.

After a moment, she slowly spoke in her aged, hoarse voice,

"I did hear something about him. And... it also involves you."

"Involves me?" Fang Ze almost halted in his steps upon hearing this. He curiously looked towards Hei Po and asked, "What is it?"

Hei Po said, "I remember you have a friend named Bai Zhi, right? She is a legitimate daughter of the third generation of the Bai Family."

Fang Ze nodded, "Yes."

Hei Po said, "Then it must be right."

"Her father, Bai Jinwen, is the head of the Bai Family, and he was quite a charming figure in his youth. While traveling through the Eastern Administrative Region, he 'brought back' two noble maidens from two states bordering Xida State to marry."

"Two noble maidens from neighboring states?" Fang Ze repeated this phrase and recalled Lady Jin's surname, suddenly realizing, "You're talking about the Jin Family from Luoxing State, aren't you?" (Chapter 175)

Xida State is located in the southwestern part of the Eastern Administrative Region, bordering three states: Luoxing State, Yunlan State, and Tuoya State. (Chapter 202)

Hei Po nodded, "Yes. One of them is Jin Luan, an illegitimate daughter of the Jin Family from Luoxing State. The other is the second legitimate daughter of the Galan Family from Tuoya State: Galan Xian."

Hei Po's words made Fang Ze frown involuntarily.

He suddenly felt as if he was missing something important...

At this moment, while still on the move, Hei Po continued, "And I remember the ancestors once said that when the ancestor of the Galan Family ascended to demigodhood fifty years ago, he chose Dahei Jialuo's method of ascension, thereby inheriting Dahei Jialuo's bloodline."

Upon hearing Hei Po's words, Fang Ze deeply frowned, his brows furrowing into a "川" shape.

Then Hei Po continued, "The Galan Family's ancestor was an Absolute Pinnacle Demigod, one of the top masters in the whole Federation. Additionally, since Tuoya State was a theocracy before it was incorporated into the Federation, he was the highest-ranking Pope in Tuoya, so naturally, he looked down on the Bai Family even more."

"So, when Bai Jinwen married Galan Xian, the Galan Family merely sent a junior to attend the ceremony as a formality, which was quite disrespectful."

"Later, Galan Xian gave birth to a son and a daughter, with the boy inheriting the abilities of the Galan Family. This served as a bridge, gradually easing the tension between the families."

"And thus, the two families remained at peace for many years. During this time, the Galan Family tried several times to demand custody of the boy, wanting him to return to the Galan Family, but the Bai Family never agreed."

"Until over ten years ago, when Galan Xian took the boy back to Tuoya State to visit relatives. While passing through Emerald City, they suddenly got attacked and then went missing."

"The Galan and Bai Families, upon hearing of this incident, expended vast resources to search for them, but to no avail. This led to the fragile relationship between the two families breaking apart. They blamed each other for irresponsibility, and ultimately, they cut each other off completely."

This secret, Fang Ze had heard a bit from Bai Zhi, but not much. Now, hearing the whole story and more details from Hei Po, Fang Ze felt an ominous premonition...

But being on the road and having never met anyone from the Galan Family to confirm any suspicions, he ultimately suppressed his random thoughts,

'Maybe I'm just overthinking it?'

'Hmm... probably. Otherwise, the whole thing would be too horrifying...'

Perhaps because the topic was indeed somewhat inappropriate, after finishing the conversation, Fang Ze lost interest in chatting.

And since even Young Master Fang Ze wasn't speaking, Hei Po, Hei Yu, and the others dared not speak either. The marching team instantly fell into silence.

And just like that, they ran for fourteen hours. Fang Ze used instruments to determine direction and distance, and now they were only four hours away from Congyun City. As for Black Mountain Castle, where Dahei Jialuo was hiding, they were just two hours away.

Thinking it unlikely that Dahei Jialuo would let them go so easily, Fang Ze and the others remained vigilant, ensuring they were ready to face any sudden attacks.