Upon arriving at Bai Zhantang’s residence, Long Chen found that he wasn’t there. So, he went toward the rear mountains to find Bai Zhantang beside a tall waterfall.

At this moment, Bai Zhantang was staring at the waterfall blankly. No one knew what he was thinking.

As Long Chen arrived beside him, he sat down on a boulder and smiled at Bai Zhantang.

“Vice Palace Master, are you missing your two wives?”

“Is it any of your business? I’m not in the mood to chat with you!” said Bai Zhantang irritably.

Long Chen remained silent and just picked up a rock. With a flick of his finger, it shot into the waterfall, its penetrative power unleashing a spray of droplets.

As the sun shone on the water droplets, a rainbow emerged, its vibrant hues illuminating the cliffside, enhancing its beauty. Even Bai Zhantang found himself momentarily captivated before he angrily remarked, “Is this the kind of trickery you used to con away Shishi?”

“So what if it is? My methods are beyond your comprehension with your level of intelligence,” retorted Long Chen.

“Hmph, a slippery-tongued man is the least trustworthy!”

“A man who can’t even make his women happy is no different from an empty cannon,” countered Long Chen.

“You want to fight, is that it? Come, let me see if you are qualified to be arrogant in front of me!” Bai Zhantang furiously stood up.

Seeing Bai Zhantang acting like this, Long Chen waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve long since gotten past that competitive age. Tell me, for you to come back at this time, it wasn’t your idea, was it? Were you forced to return?”

“You… How did you know?” Bai Zhantang was baffled.

Long Chen didn’t reply to this question. Instead, he said, “You brought those two priceless treasures back, but in truth, you had another mission. However, you have completely blundered that mission.”

When Bai Zhantang heard this, his fury vanished. He then sat back down, feeling vexed.

Clearly, all of Long Chen’s guesses were right. Those two treasures should have been brought back by Bai Xiaole’s or Bai Shishi’s mother. After all, the two of them were both powerful and capable. They were definitely more dependable than Bai Zhantang.

However, Bai Zhantang had returned instead, which drew Long Chen’s curiosity. To put it in an uglier way, within the High Firmament Academy, Bai Zhantang wasn’t that trusted with important matters.

Of course, Long Chen didn’t dare to say that out loud. The main reason Bai Zhantang had his position as vice palace master was thanks to his two wives. If it was just based on his own power, even as Bai Letian’s son, he probably wouldn’t have such a position.

Although Bai Zhantang was powerful, he never thought things through, so he could ruin good things easily. For example, this time, he had brought such a nice gift for Bai Xiaole, but when he sensed Bai Xiaole’s powerful aura, he was overjoyed and wanted to test him. Originally, it was just to give his son some encouragement, but it ended up being awkward for everyone.

Moreover, he was unable to even say anything nice to his daughter. As a result, he regretted his return and sank into deep despair, feeling utterly incompetent, incapable of even fostering a positive relationship with his own children.

Long Chen continued, “Not only did you not accomplish your personal mission, but you also failed the mission that the academy gave you, which irritates you even more.”

“No one likes a smart ass,” said Bai Zhantang coldly.

Long Chen smiled. “Sometimes I'm very smart, sometimes I’m very stupid. Fortunately, I’m smarter more often than I’m not. I came to tell you that Bai Shishi wanted to thank you for your gift. She is extremely fond of this gift that you almost died for.”

“You… how could you know that?”

“As I said, sometimes I am very smart,” laughed Long Chen.

In truth, Long Chen was shaking his head inside. Bai Zhantang wasn’t that bright indeed. With his simple mind, there was no way he could trick others.

He couldn’t hide things from Long Chen, so he definitely couldn’t conceal stuff from his wives. They likely just feigned ignorance, hoping that when he presented the bracelets to Bai Shishi, she would recognize her father’s affection for her. It was the ideal moment to mend their fractured father-daughter relationship.

However, Bai Zhantang believed he had acted flawlessly, unaware that his tricks fooled no one. Even Bai Shishi would have sensed something over time.

“She… she really wanted to thank me? That’s… that’s impossible. You’re lying.” Bai Zhantang’s voice quivered.

“Well, she cried because of it,” replied Long Chen solemnly.

Bai Zhantang was struck speechless, so he just sat there, his eyes reddening. A rare tenderness surfaced from within this stern, iron-hearted man.

Bai Zhantang’s jaw moved a few times, but no words came out of his mouth. Seeing this, Long Chen turned away and looked at the distant mountains, giving him a chance to wipe away the tears in the corner of his eyes.

“Shishi is very proud. That’s why she can’t apologize…” said Long Chen.

“She didn’t do anything wrong, so she doesn’t have to apologize. The daughter of Bai Zhantang doesn’t need to apologize to anyone! Including you! I’m warning you, you can’t bully her. Even if she is wrong, you can’t force her to admit it. I won’t let you off if you do,” warned Bai Zhantang, recovering his domineeringness. He instantly became reinvigorated.

Long Chen didn’t respond to Bai Zhantang’s warning. Inside, he thought to himself that if Bai Zhantang wouldn’t let him off, his beloved daughter wouldn’t let his father off either.

Observing Bai Zhantang’s expression, which seemed as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, Long Chen couldn’t help but smile. To him, such a trivial issue was far too insignificant.

“You don’t need to worry about Shishi. She will continue to maintain her pride…”

“Hmph, I know what my daughter is like. I don’t need your advice,” interrupted Bai Zhantang.

Long Chen nodded. “As for Xiaole, he is like a child and is delighted by your gift. However, you shouldn’t hope for a single gift to change the way he views you.”

“Tch, why do I need him to change? If he doesn’t like it, I’ll put him in his place,” answered Bai Zhantang indifferently.

“That’s also true. You should do so while you can still do it. In a few years, who knows who will be putting who in their place?” said Long Chen casually, his hands on the back of his head as he looked up at the sky.

“What does that mean? You think I won’t be a match for him in a few years?” demanded Bai Zhantang.

“In truth, even now, if Xiaole and Little Nine were to go all-out, your odds of victory would not exceed seventy percent,” replied Long Chen.

“Hmph, keep bragging,” retorted Bai Zhantang as he stared at Long Chen in disbelief.