Chapter 22: Farewell Kiss

The Bai family is the richest in Duhe City. What kind of trouble could such a commercial giant possibly encounter that it faces the risk of bankruptcy, or even massive compensation claims? I asked Bai Xiaoli to tell me, hoping I might come up with a solution.

Her face was clouded with worry as she began, "You know, our Bai family runs a river transportation company. The profits are huge, but so are the risks. Not long ago, my father accepted a major order—tens of thousands of tons of cargo to be shipped out. It was the first time our Bai family had taken on such a large contract. But just this morning, my father received a call: our cargo ship has run aground on the 'Longtou Canal.'"

As she spoke, Bai Xiaoli took out her phone and showed me a photo of their vessel stranded in the canal.

The sight was astonishing. In the picture, a gigantic cargo ship lay across the center of the canal, blocking the way. Behind it, a line of enormous vessels was stuck, unable to move. I was familiar with traffic jams, but this was the first time I'd seen a jam of ships—and of such massive scale.

I took a deep breath. The Longtou Canal is the only canal connecting the Yellow River to the sea, built at great expense. The canal alone generates tens of millions in revenue each day, not to mention the cargo on the hundreds of ships blocked behind the Bai family's vessel.

If the Bai family's ship remains stranded for too long, it’s no exaggeration to say the losses could reach billions. No matter how powerful the Bai family is, they could never afford such tremendous compensation.

"The canal authorities have given us a two-day grace period," Bai Xiaoli explained. "If we can’t resolve the grounding within two days, all the affected businesses will join forces to pursue legal action against us. Even ten Bai families couldn't cover the compensation."

I looked again at the photo. The ship was deeply stuck; even with hundreds of excavators digging at once, it would take months to budge it. To move the vessel within two days would require the intervention of a feng shui master, leveraging supernatural power.

Bai Ranhe had clearly realized this as well. He discussed with Bai Xiaoli that whoever could move the ship and save the Bai family would be given his only daughter in marriage. The Bai family’s public betrothal was set for tomorrow morning.

After all, the Bai family is the wealthiest in Duhe City. If one could marry Bai Ranhe’s daughter, it would mean inheriting the Bai family’s assets in the future. Such an enticing prospect would surely attract many feng shui masters from both within and outside Duhe City to try their luck.

After explaining the canal situation, Bai Xiaoli looked at me with a dim, uncertain gaze and said, "Yang Xi, I am my father's daughter. I strongly oppose his decision, but I can't just stand by and watch the Bai family suffer..." She paused and looked at me hopefully. "You’re the grandson of the Dragon King of the Yellow River. Surely your grandfather taught you some feng shui techniques?"

I said nothing. My grandfather had indeed passed on his skills to me, but he had strictly instructed me never to let outsiders know I had received his true teachings. I never understood why he made such a rule, but I knew that anything decreed by the Dragon King of the Yellow River had its reasons, and it was best not to challenge it; the consequences would be beyond my ability to bear.

Seeing my silence, Bai Xiaoli sighed softly. Her beautiful eyes fixed on me as she said, "Pi Yangxi, do you know? I truly want to marry you. I know that the guardian of the river passes down his legacy to only one heir each generation. Can you at least try tomorrow?" She placed a betrothal invitation on my desk.

Looking into her expectant eyes, I have to admit, I wanted nothing more than to stand before all the feng shui masters of Duhe City, move the ship, and win her heart—so she wouldn’t have to feel so miserable. But until I found a way to honor my grandfather’s injunction, I could not act.

I remained silent. Bai Xiaoli’s face was full of sorrow as she picked up the pocket watch from the table, fastened it for me, then wrapped her arms around my neck. She pressed her lips gently to mine.

My entire body tingled, but before I could savor the moment, Bai Xiaoli pushed me away, saying, "Well, Pi Yangxi, after today I may belong to someone else. I can’t keep your pocket watch. Please forget me." With that, she turned and ran out of the room, vanishing from sight.

Her parting kiss melted me completely. Staring at the Bai family’s betrothal invitation on the table, I knew with certainty: I would go to the scene of the accident, and I would marry Bai Xiaoli.