The evening glow was dull and faint, and the sky was already tinged with black by the time Huang Qianjun returned carrying boxes of food.

It was a bit awkward to say this out loud, but although Feng Xiaofeng could cook, his culinary skills left a lot to be desired. Feng Xiaoran was so young that she’d yet to even attempt learning to cook.

Su Yi, meanwhile, was too lazy even to try.

And Huang Qianjun was a silkpants. He’d been pampered from a young age, and he followed the maxim that “gentleman were to avoid the kitchen.” He’d never done any housework in his life. 

As such, ever since moving into Humble Tranquility Cottage, they left all of their meals up to Huang Qianjun, who purchased everything outside….

“Brother Su, while I was out buying our meals, I felt as if someone were following me, but I didn’t see anyone suspicious,” said Huang Qianjun as he laid out the various delicacies he’d brought back with him. “Do you think I’m being overly paranoid?”

Su Yi glanced at him. “For the next couple of days, you, Junior Apprentice Brother Feng, and Xiaoran are to stay home. Once I deal with the conflict outside, you won’t encounter any further danger regardless of whether you go register at Blueriver Sword Manor or have other plans.

Huang Qianjun hurriedly agreed, then whispered, “Brother Su, I no longer plan to continue my cultivation at Blueriver Sword Manor.”

“Why is that?” Feng Xiaofeng couldn’t help but ask.

Huang Qianjun grinned. “Because I think cultivating alongside Brother Su is far better than cultivating at Blueriver Sword Manor.”

Feng Xiaoran nodded repeatedly in agreement, then said in her crisp, clear voice, “I feel the same way!”

Su Yi had nothing to say in response.

After eating dinner, Su Yi was just about to begin his cultivation when he heard hurried footsteps from beyond the cottage gates.

Cheng Wuyong had ridden here in a hurry.

“Master Su, today I heard that the prefectural governor’s estate is currently investigating a young man surnamed Su, so I came here to ask you if this had anything to do with you. If so, our Yuan Family naturally won’t remain uninvolved.” Cheng Wuyong clasped his fist and made his reasons for coming clear.

“They really are going to try for revenge, huh?” Huang Qianjun was stunned, and his expression wavered.

It was just one sentence, but Cheng Wuyong instantly understood the implications. He couldn’t help but glance at Su Yi. “Master Su, I’ll go back right away. I trust that with the power at the Yuan Family’s disposal, we can help you out of this predicament. We’ll ensure that the prefectural governor dares not….”

Su Yi waved and cut him off, then said flatly, “You needn’t trouble yourself over a minor matter like this.”

A minor matter? Cheng Wuyong was stunned.

The governor did his best to suppress word of what happened at the workshop last night, but there was no way he could keep such an incident from the city’s other top factions.

Someone had killed six of the prefectural governor’s guards before forcing his son, Qin Feng, to his knees! This was going to have a huge impact!

According to the results of Cheng Wuyong’s investigations, just last night, the governor’s estate began silently exerting its power!

“Master Su, you might not know this, but Qin Wenyuan is crafty and shrewd. Ruthless, too. In the thirty years he’s managed the prefecture, who knows how many factions have suffered heavy losses at his hands?

“Even the head of our Yuan Family once said that Qin Wenyuan is the type to devour you whole without even pausing to spit out the bones. He said it’s best to avoid offending such a man if at all possible,” whispered Cheng Wuyong. “Furthermore, his attainments in the Martial Dao are shocking. Fifteen years ago, he stepped into the Grandmaster Realm, and eight years ago, he had another breakthrough. He’s in the second level of the Inner Furnace Realm!

“When he was young, he spent many years cultivating at one of the Ten Great Academies, Luyang Academy. Rumor has it that the academy’s vice palace master, ‘Xuan Youlong’, is his Senior Apprentice Brother and that the two of them are extremely close.

“That aside, Qin Wenyuan has connections with the provincial governor….” Cheng Wuyong blurted out practically everything he knew about Qin Wenyuan.

Huang Qianjun and the Feng siblings’ hearts shook. They never would have guessed that Qin Wenyuan wielded such a terrifying degree of authority!

The territory of the Great Zhou was divided into six great provinces.

The Imperatorial Province was one of them, and its provincial governor oversaw all six of the province’s prefectures.

Cloudriver Prefecture was one of the six prefectures that made up the Imperatorial Province.

As a prefectural governor, Qin Wenyuan wielded the greatest authority of anyone in Cloudriver Prefecture, and he represented the prestige and authority of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

And he himself was a Martial Dao Grandmaster. He had authority, but he had real strength to back it up, too. 

Add that to his shrewdness, deep thinking, and ruthlessness, and it was obvious that were he to seek revenge, the consequences would be dire.

But even after hearing all this, Su Yi merely laughed. “Elder Cheng, the way I see it, everything you’ve just described can be settled with a single swing of my sword.”

As he said this, he rose from his wicker chair, placed his hands behind his back, and said evenly, “When cultivating and seeking the Dao, you must kill decisively and dread nothing more than empty glory and the burdens of authority. Even if Qin Wenyuan’s network were wider, and even if his authority were greater, to me, he’d still be just another Inner Furnace Realm Grandmaster.”

Cheng Wuyong was instantly at a loss for words. 

Was this just arrogant bluster?

No, not at all, because the speaker had slain a Grandmaster before!

Then, out of nowhere, Su Yi asked, “Elder Cheng, do you know why your cultivation has stagnated at the peak of the Qi Accumulation Realm for so long? Do you know why you cannot break through, even after all this time?”

Cheng Wuyong shook from head to toe, then solemnly clasped his fist. “Master Su, please enlighten me.”

“Buddhism has a saying that goes ‘Walking is meditation, and so is sitting. You experience nature both in speech and in silence, both in stillness and in motion.’” Su Yi glanced up at the night sky, then said softly, “The path of cultivation is the same. Every action you take and every word you speak needs to carry the will to forge valiantly ahead. You need the courage to disregard not just the law, but also the heavens themselves. Only then can you free yourself from trivial concerns and make further progress.

His gaze then returned to Cheng Wuyong. “As you conduct your affairs, you overlook nothing and consider the bigger picture, but in doing so, you’ve let the limits of mundane authority shackle your mind. When you encounter a problem, all you can think is ‘how best can I wield my authority to resolve this’? With a mindset like that, how can you face your cultivation with a dauntless spirit?”

He spoke just a few sentences, but they were like sharp blades, stabbing the deepest recesses of Cheng Wuyong’s heart. His forehead broke out in sweat. He felt as if he had nowhere to hide, and as if all of his secrets had been laid bare. 

A long time passed before he let out a breath of turbid air, then bowed in gratitude. “Your words are like a sharp warning; they’ve shown me the light. I humbly accept your wisdom!”

Every word came from the heart. His gratitude and admiration were more than words could express.

This bow was an enormous show of respect, but Su Yi accepted it calmly.

When cultivating, this was called “giving someone pointers.” Buddhists called it “breaking barriers,” and Daoists called it “revelation.”

To cultivators who’d encountered bottlenecks, receiving pointers was like receiving a chance at rebirth!

“Here are eight characters I wrote personally. If you can understand their implicit charm, even partially, becoming a Grandmaster is just a matter of time.” Su Yi thought about it, then took something out of his black jade pendant and passed it to Cheng Wuyong.

He’d written this while he was still living at Apricot Cottage. He’d just had some success with his cultivation when he wrote these words casually. When he left, he packed it and all of his other miscellaneous belongings into the black jade pendant.

When Cheng Wuyong opened it, he saw a line of text—

Unable to Let Go, a Sword Severs Lingering Attachments.

It was just a handful of words, but they were timelessly elegant, with brushstrokes sweeping freely across the page.

Were an ordinary person to see them, they’d be certain to comment on the words' visual beauty and proclaim this the work of a master calligrapher.

But to a warrior like Cheng Wuyong, every character on the page was a sword, and all of them emanated a piercing aura, as if they could cut through all of creation!

Just one look, and he felt a pricking pain in his eyes and mind.

He took a deep breath, then carefully put the calligraphy away. He bowed once more. “Thank you for this gift!”

He remained outwardly calm, but he couldn’t stop the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t have been any more excited.

He had a powerful premonition that, were he to contemplate these eight characters frequently, it would enable him to break through the barriers that had blocked his cultivation for many years. One more step, and he’d step over the threshold of the Grandmaster level!

“Go on.” Su Yi waved.

Cheng Wuyong had already been stuck at the peak of the Qi Accumulation Realm for a long time. He just needed to get his foot over the threshold to the next level. To Su Yi, giving him a bit of advice was a small matter.

Had Cheng Wuyong’s cultivation boundary been insufficient, this would have accomplished nothing.

Morning the next day.

As he did every other day, Su Yi cultivated, washed, and ate. It was a dull routine, but this was cultivation.

If he coveted the abundance of the mundane world, if he got wrapped up in petty entanglements, it wouldn’t just waste his time; it would delay or even ruin his cultivation.

Perhaps due to Su Yi’s influence, these days, Feng Xiaofeng, Feng Xiaoran, and Huang Qianjun had lived according to strict schedules too, and all of them cultivated diligently.

Then, when night fell.

“Brother Su, the carriage is ready,” said Huang Qianjun as he rushed back into the courtyard. “The House of Prosperity’s Madam Cuiyun readily agreed. She’s reserved the Mountain and River Palace for our use.”

As he said this, his expression turned a little strange. He couldn’t help it.

When he first arrived at the House of Prosperity, Madam Cuiyun greeted him personally and treated him like a first-class guest, without the slightest negligence.

But when she learned that Su Yi planned to dine there tonight, she was stunned, and her beautiful face alternated erratically between different expressions. It was quite something to watch. Clearly, she still felt lingering terror over what had happened that night.

But in the end, she nonetheless straightforwardly agreed. She reserved the ninth floor’s Mountain and River Palace for their use.

“Good.” Su Yi nodded, then glanced back at the nearby Feng Xiaofeng. “Junior Apprentice Brother Feng, remember to warm a jar of wine. We’ll drink it together when I get back.”

“Senior Apprentice Brother Su, you must be careful!” exhorted Feng Xiaofeng. 

“‘Be careful’?” Feng Xiaoran thought about it seriously, then said, “Big Brother, I think it’s his enemies that ought to be careful!”

“.....” Feng Xiaofeng didn’t know what to say to that.

But Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He waved, then left with his hands behind his back.

With the black jade pendant around, Su Yi couldn’t even be bothered to carry his bamboo staff himself.

And if there was a carriage he could ride, he naturally couldn’t be bothered to walk….

Huang Qianjun quickly got in the driver’s seat, and the carriage carried Su Yi out of Bottlegourd Alley.

It was only dusk, but the streets were already well lit with lanterns. The hustle and bustle of city life filled every street and alleyway, like a scroll painting depicting all facets of mortal life.

The House of Prosperity.

When he saw Su Yi and Huang Qianjun drive towards them, the chubby manager in brocade robes jumped, then hurriedly went right up to greet them, a big, broad smile on his face. “Young Lord Su, Young Lord Huang, welcome! Please, come right this way!

This was the very same manager who’d stood outside their door awaiting further orders during their last visit.

Almost immediately after entering the House of Prosperity’s lobby, Madam Cuiyun received word of their arrival and rushed over to greet them too. In her tailored, form-fitting black palace dress, her smooth, snowy white skin was particularly dazzling.

When she saw Su Yi, her beautiful, even features were nothing but smiles and warmth.

“When the seven people on this list show up, send them up to the Mountain and River Palace to see me.” Su Yi took out a piece of paper and passed it to her.

Madam Cuiyun’s laughter was beautiful and pleasing to the ear. “Young Lord Su, please rest assured. We guarantee that tonight’s banquet will satisfy both you and your guests.”

“I don’t know about that,” warned Su Yi. “Will it satisfy the dead?”

Madam Cuiyun froze, and when she realized the implications, her smile went rigid on her face.

The whole "gentleman are to avoid the kitchen" thing, to Western ears, might sound like "cooking is women's work." I'm not going to say that the phrase isn't ever used that way, but the original (Mencius) quote isn't about gendered division of labor at all. It's about compassion for the living things killed in the process of making food. 

It's not "gentlemen shouldn't go in the kitchen because that's women's work". It's "gentlemen should be compassionate and shouldn't involve themselves in the slaughter of animals." 

Here's a reddit post that goes into a bit more detail. 

Now, I don't think for a minute that Huang Qianjun fits the Confucian ideal of the cultivated gentleman, so in this particular instance, that line is really just saying "Huang Qianjun is too privileged to have ever cooked his own meals."