"Eh? You told him about your past?" Wu Yijun blinked with surprise shining in her dark eyes. "You even told him about your father?"

Shangguan Bing Xue nodded calmly, not caring at all about the word 'father'. Even if she hated that man to the marrow of her bones, she could not deny the fact that he was her father and that his blood ran through her veins. 

"Not only that." Shangguan Bing Xue rested the weight of her body on one of the large columns supporting the roof of the building and noted, "Thanks to him, I even stopped hating that man so much. Although I still can't tolerate him and will make him suffer at least a portion of the pain that my mother and I suffered because of his irresponsibility, at least I have no more thoughts about taking his head."

In the past, Shangguan Bing Xue aspired to the short-lived dream of claiming a position high enough within the government cabinet to make her father's rule a living hell and, if possible, take everything away from him. Something like killing him never crossed her mind since even if one set aside the great security Xuanyuan Wentian had as president of one of the most powerful countries in the world, his own strength was nothing to scoff at.

However, when the apocalypse broke out and the possibility of evolving rose before her eyes the moment the Soul Record appeared on Earth, Shangguan Bing Xue no longer restrained herself and her thoughts ran wild and unbound. If she acquired enough power in the midst of this chaotic world, she would be the dictator of life and death; therefore, she would be the one to hold that person's life in her hands.

But her talk with Bai Zemin changed many things, among them, her way of thinking.

"No? Not anymore?" Wu Yijun could not believe what she was hearing. She was aware of how great Shangguan Bing Xue's hatred for her father was, her hatred for him was so great that the only real goal in Shangguan Bing Xue's life other than making her mother happy was to make her father's life as unhappy as possible.

Wu Yijun many times tried to help her to let go of that hatred, tried countless times to make her live her own life; unfortunately, she could not. Therefore, now that she heard that a single talk with Bai Zemin made her good sister could at least leave some of that hatred behind, Wu Yijun felt incredulous and for a moment did not know how to react.

"Not anymore." Shangguan Bing Xue shook her head. Then, as if she was remembering something, she spoke as her clear sky blue eyes were lost in the view outside through the huge window at her right: "He said words that made me reconsider many things.... After thinking it over, I realized that there was no point in hating that man to such an extent. After all, it was partially his attitude that shaped my personality and my being to be what I am today. To hate him to the breaking point would be the same as rejecting my own personality and my own self."

Wu Yijun fell silent and lowered her head, thinking carefully about what she had just heard. 

The scene was silent for a minute or two as none of the two women present said anything and it was only when a glimmer of understanding showed in Wu Yijun's bright eyes that the conversation resumed.

"I understand." She said with a very soft smile, and as she looked at the girl before her, who was basically like her family, she said in a gentle voice, "I'm happy for you, Bing Xue. You finally started to walk your own path, leaving that thorny path where you were chasing the back of a person who didn't even turn once to look at you."

Shangguan Bing Xue chuckled and said calmly, "Well, I wouldn't say it's a radical change.... But, a change is a change at the end of the day."

Even the tallest skyscraper was once small and even the most powerful existence was once weak. Everything starts small and even the white clouds in the sky were once drops of water on the earth.

Wu Yijun nodded at the realization of this fact and looked at her silently. 

Shangguan Bing Xue also looked at her friend, and although she had not said anything, it was easy to notice that Wu Yijun looked hesitant about something. It was as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to go about it.

"Yijun? What's wrong?" She asked with a slight frown.

"No..." Wu Yijun was about to shake her head but stopped herself as she saw Shangguan Bing Xue's worried frown turn to one of anger. In the end, knowing that it was not good to hide things from someone who was always open with her, she said, "I was wondering.... I was wondering, what kind of life or experiences did he live to say such meaningful words even though he is so young..."

It is said that when one falls in love with another person even the smallest of details cannot slip away from one's attention. The current Wu Yijun was very curious about Bai Zemin, she longed to know more about him and to be able to close that seemingly small but actually incredibly large distance between the two of them.

"About that..." Shangguan Bing Xue hesitated as to whether or not she should tell her what Bai Zemin had confided in her.

While he didn't seem concerned at all about that past and also didn't seem to care about that girl who hurt him, Shangguan Bing Xue felt that it wasn't good of her to talk about something so private that someone else shared with her. She felt that if she did that, regardless of whether Bai Zemin would be upset or not, she would be betraying the trust he deposited in her.

In the end, even though Wu Yijun was her best friend, she shook her head and said in an apologetic tone of voice, "I'm sorry, Yijun. But I think it would be disrespectful if I talk about such a private topic just like that."

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Wu Yijun hurriedly shook her head while waving her hands nervously. "I'm just curious, that's all!"

Shangguan Bing Xue smiled faintly upon hearing this and did not continue with the previous matter. Instead, after thinking about it for a moment, she said with a hint of concern in her usually indifferent voice, "Yijun.... Are you sure it really must be him?"

"It must be him." Wu Yijun didn't even hesitate for a second. She said in an extremely serious voice: "He has been the only man who could make my heart beat like this. It is only him who makes me feel at peace and safe just by his presence.... Any other man is no good."

Shangguan Bing Xue sighed as she heard this and shook her head. After a slight hesitation, she said quietly, "In that case, you'd better get ready. Getting Bai Zemin's heart will definitely not be easy..."

Wu Yijun's small mouth opened slightly, briefly showing a glimpse of her pearl-white set of teeth. She felt that she figured something out from her friend's words but even then the steadfastness in her gaze did not waver at all.

Seeing her so determined, Shangguan Bing Xue finally chuckled and said in a somewhat uncanny voice, "Well, in return for your efforts, if you manage to get his love, I'm sure you will be an extremely happy woman in the future. All the sadness and hardship you have to go through to get there will surely be richly rewarded when you reach the destination. After all, he is an anomaly!"

A consensus was reached between the two ladies that. regardless of his faults, faults that every human being had, Bai Zemin was indeed a great man.

This conversation ended here, at least for today. But who knows, a similar discussion with the same subject as the core might take place in the future between the two friends.

* * *

Achoo!

On his way to his village, Bai Zemin suddenly stopped and sneezed.

'Am I catching a cold?' Such a thought flashed in his mind for a second before he immediately dismissed it.

Even if the nights were cold he shouldn't have caught a cold, right?

Considering his current evolutionary level, a normal cold was impossible for it to break through the defenses of his current immune system. Therefore, another idea popped into his head, one that was soon discarded as well.

Bai Zemin did not give the matter much thought and continued walking. Due to everything that had happened in the previous four days, he did not even have time to check his spoils of war obtained after slaughtering tens of thousands of goblins.

After all, as the leader of a growing faction whose boundaries were expanding day by day, Bai Zemin didn't just need to worry about leveling up or searching for survivors. Just like any leader, he needed to read many documents, listen to ideas, approve some and disapprove others, and so on.

The amount of work Bai Zemin had to do during the four days when the North Camp survivors were adjusting to life in Beginning Village was immense! If not for the fact that there were people like Lu Xiaoyao, Cai Jingyi, Wu Yijun, Lu Yan, and others there to help him, even now he would be immersed in paperwork.

Suddenly, he felt his nose itch and before he could do anything, the unthinkable happened.

Achoo!

Bai Zemin stopped dead in his tracks and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, is someone talking bad about this elder? This father will beat your ass a couple of times if I find out who you are."

Then, he proceeded on his way as he looked at his surroundings cautiously.

* * *

Walking out of the building where the meeting had been held, Shangguan Bing Xue suddenly took a hand to cover her mouth and nose before a small, delicate sneeze escaped her.

"Eh? Are you okay?" Wu Yijun, who was standing next to her, asked with wide eyes.

Shangguan Bing Xue looked behind her and then to her sides before shaking her head and saying, "Someone is probably talking bad about me."

"Oh, well... Considering our positions it's normal for people to talk bad about us. Even more so about you." Wu Yijun shrugged her shoulders.

The two women soon disappeared from the scene after that. 

What kind of expression would Shangguan Bing Xue put on if she knew that the person who was "talking bad" of her and saying that he would give her a couple of smacks on the butt was actually none other than Bai Zemin, the "great man" she was talking about just a few moments ago? Surely her expression would be interesting to witness.

* * *

An unknown place.

The wind was blowing strongly, strong enough to turn the body of a normal First Order existence into a pile of chopped meat as the countless wind blades were too powerful and terrifying.

This was a world without an Earth-like sun, so the environment was considerably dark; even the leaves on the trees grew deep black. The whole atmosphere would be rather gloomy were it not for the two bright stars that dimly illuminated the world.

On top of a mountain surrounded by huge forests, a giant castle of majestic appearance stood proudly. The tallest tower surpassed the clouds and the dark-colored walls were surrounded by mighty futuristic-looking cannons with the power to wipe out High Existence of the Fifth Order with ease.

Several groups of men and women could be seen patrolling the surroundings, walking on the wall while keeping serious faces on constant alert. Clearly, they were all taking their vigilance very seriously even though the odds of an attack on this place were as low as the odds of the universe suddenly exploding.

Two handsome men dressed in heavy armor and carrying swords at their waists guarded the main entrance. Both as straight as spears and with extremely solemn expressions.

However, the solemn expression on the two handsome men's faces practically collapsed in an instant when a beautiful beyond words woman appeared in the distance.

* * * * * * *

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