The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Another New Year had arrived.

The Bai Mansion was bustling with a rare liveliness, and for once, Bai Yuan and Xiao Qiaoniang were able to spend the New Year together.

In this era, the holiday wasn’t called the Spring Festival. It was simply known as New Year’s Day.

To liven things up, Bai Yuan had specially invited Yang Fangyu and his family, as well as Li Ting, Ma Dingjun, Cheng Li, You Shengnan, and Xiongshan from the Divine Mansion Sect.

Yue Xiaobai was also among them.

After Shi Yan left, Yue Xiaobai had not followed him south, choosing instead to remain in Ling Province.

According to him, staying by Bai Yuan’s side made it easier to condense his Sword Qi.

Bai Yuan was naturally happy for Yue Xiaobai to stay. Just as he had in the Capital City, he kept a room prepared for Yue Xiaobai in the Bai Mansion.

Inside, the group gathered and chatted idly.

The occasional CRACKLE-POP of firecrackers from outside filled the air with the festive spirit of the New Year.

This was the great thing about being a prominent family—you didn’t have to lift a finger during the New Year. The servants took care of everything.

Bai Yuan had even made a few dishes himself today. In the end, the table was laden with dozens of courses, a feast fit for an emperor.

Just after 3 p.m., he sent all the servants in the estate home. In this era, most people only lived to be forty or fifty; they didn’t have many New Years to celebrate. He, the great master, ultimately wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed exploiting others.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan’s words, the servants were so moved they all wanted to kowtow in gratitude.

Back in his Qinghe days, Bai Yuan would never have done something like this. After all, servants were an asset, and no other master in the county would perform such a seemingly pointless act of kindness.

But the Bai Yuan of today was no longer the humble disciple from the Martial Arts Hall.

He might not be able to live up to the Confucian ideal of ’cultivating virtue in solitude when poor, and sharing prosperity with the world when successful,’ but he could certainly manage a few simple acts of kindness.

After dinner was finished and blessings were exchanged.

Xiao Qiaoniang, Yan Hongxiu, and the other women gathered together, doting on Yang Hao.

No one knew what Yang Fangyu had been thinking, giving his son such an audacious name.

Yan Hongxiu and Xiao Qiaoniang both lived in Huanglong Prefecture, and the two were quite close. Seeing how fond Xiao Qiaoniang was of the child, Yan Hongxiu pursed her lips and asked, "Sister Qiaoniang, since you love children so much, why not have one of your own with Brother Bai? Then you could dote on them all you want."

The corners of Xiao Qiaoniang’s mouth tilted up slightly.

Seeing her expression, Yan Hongxiu faintly guessed the truth. A flash of surprise appeared in her eyes. "He finally agreed?"

Xiao Qiaoniang nodded shyly.

All this time, though she and Bai Yuan were deeply in love, they had never had a child.

She had asked him before, but Bai Yuan had only said the time was not right.

’Why does making a baby require waiting for the right moment?’ She didn’t understand, but she trusted Bai Yuan unconditionally.

It wasn’t until Bai Yuan returned from the Northern Plains that he finally relented.

’Making a baby should happen soon...’

Xiao Qiaoniang glanced at her own flat stomach. ’They say it’s difficult for Martial Artists to conceive. It seems to be true.’

At that, the women huddled even closer together to hear Yan Hongxiu’s experiences.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuan and the other men sat around a table, warming plum wine.

Though Yan Hongxiu spoke quietly, her words couldn’t possibly escape Bai Yuan, whose mind was already clear and perceptive. He heard every single word.

’The reason he’d put off having children...’

’...was actually based on the principle of ensuring the best possible start in life for his child.’

’Ever since he heard that the Divine Mansion Sect’s Murong Family produced geniuses generation after generation, and especially after he himself acquired the gene-altering Divine Mansion Technique, he had a plan. He would only consider having a child after he had perfected the technique.’

’In this era, having children was a matter of utmost importance.’

’Otherwise, even the greatest family fortune could be squandered in a single night.’

’In the Northern Plains, he had finally reached the fourth level of the Divine Mansion Technique. The legendary level was still a distant dream, so he decided it was finally time to have a child with Sister Qiao.’

’However, just as Yang Fangyu had experienced, the higher a Martial Artist’s cultivation realm, the lower the chances of conception.’

’But as long as the bombardment was heavy enough, a hit was guaranteed sooner or later.’

And so, Bai Yuan decided to let nature take its course.

The men at the table were all his closest friends. Ma Dingjun, an old companion from their days at the Martial Arts Hall in Qinghe County, felt a wave of emotion as he looked at his junior brother.

’To think that a young Hunter who once had to struggle just to scrape together three taels for tuition could reach such heights.’

’His story was more legendary than any legend.’

Ma Dingjun said, "Junior Brother Bai, Senior Brother Chu broke through to the Blood Refining Pass not long ago. He’s the first person from our county to do it! Elder Xue was so happy he drank all night and caught a cold. Thankfully, it’s nothing serious."

Surprise showed in Bai Yuan’s eyes.

A Martial Artist at the Blood Refining Pass might not seem like much at this particular table.

That was only because everyone present was a monstrous talent. Back in Qinghe, such an accomplishment was extraordinary. What’s more, Senior Brother Chu was only forty-five; he still had a chance to reach an even higher realm.

Compared to Bai Yuan, Chu Yuan had accompanied Old Xue for the longest time.

He had even given up the chance to join the Divine Mansion Sect just to ensure the Martial Arts Hall’s legacy continued. How could anyone not admire such a loyal senior disciple?

It was only natural that Old Xue would be overjoyed about Chu Yuan’s breakthrough.

Bai Yuan had originally wanted to bring Old Xue to Huanglong Prefecture, but the old man was stubborn. He insisted on staying in Qinghe, saying he was too old to be uprooted. Bai Yuan had no choice but to respect his wishes.

Bai Yuan, too, was filled with a myriad of emotions.

Yang Fangyu raised his cup, proposing a toast to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.

He had now resolved to stay in Ling Province and stick with Bai Yuan through thick and thin.

Thanks to Bai Yuan’s maneuvering, Kong Sen had already "voluntarily" left Ling Province. This made Yang Fangyu the de facto Prefect. All that remained was for the Court to restore order and for the Ministry of Personnel to issue the official documents—a small matter that Bai Yuan, as the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy, had the power to arrange.

Kong Sen had abandoned a promising future at the Guanglu Temple to come to Ling Province, hoping for a meteoric rise. He had arrived full of ambition, only to depart in wretched disgrace.