The prefectural governor’s estate, the governor’s study.

“Your Excellency, we’ve already uncovered some information about that youth. Please take a look.” The black-clad elderly servant passed him a stack of sealed scrolls.

Qin Wenyuan only had to skim them to sense that something was strange about their contents.

Su Yi, the cast-off disciple of Blueriver Sword Manor. A year ago, he lost his entire cultivation and married into Guangling City’s Wen Family…..

A status like that is a bit too pathetic, isn’t it? How could a youth like that have the guts to disregard the prefectural government?

Qin Wenyuan furrowed his brow, then continued reading.

The information on the scrolls was fairly detailed.

“On the eighth day of the second lunar month, Su Yi and Huang Qianjun disembarked from a tower ship and arrived at the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital. That day, they went to Willow Alley to meet up with siblings Feng Xiaofeng and Feng Xiaoran….

“That night, Su Yi fought his way into the Black Tiger Gang’s lair, killing twenty-nine gang members to save Feng Xiaofeng’s little sister, Feng Xiaoran…..”

The annotations included descriptions of the Feng siblings and their origins, as well as some details about the Black Tiger Gang.

When he read this, Qin Wenyuan’s eyes narrowed. The ‘waste’ Su Yi must have recovered his lost cultivation well before returning to the prefectural capital.

“That night, all of them got in a horse-drawn carriage. Where did they go?” asked Qin Wenyuan.

“We couldn’t determine that,” explained the servant in a low voice. “The Cloudriver Prefectural Capital is enormous, and there was nothing noteworthy about their movements. Our spies surveyed all of Willow Alley, but they couldn’t uncover that particular detail.”

Qin Wenyuan nodded. “Continue investigating. Don’t overlook any details whatsoever.”

He continued reading.

“On the ninth day of the second lunar month, Su Yi and company moved to a new residence in Bottlegourd Alley.

“On the eleventh night of the second lunar month, Su Yi and Huang Qianjun went to the workshop, which is where they came into conflict with Young Master Qin Feng…..”

When he finished reading, Qin Wenyuan furrowed his brow. He could vaguely sense that something was amiss. “Is that all?”

The elderly servant in black said hurriedly, “Our people will continue the search, but as you know, Su Yi and Huang Qianjun have only recently arrived in the prefectural capital, and they have few connections. Investigating what they’ve been up to over the past few days has been difficult.

He paused, then said, “But there are two things worth taking note of.”

“Tell me,” said Qin Wenyuan.

“The night of the eleventh, Lu Quan, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, was killed. His band of over a hundred underlings all died brutal deaths as well.

“The one who gave the orders was Wu Tianhao, the head of the southwestern district’s underworld, but according to our investigation, he had no grudge with Lu Quan. On the contrary, Lu Quan went to visit Wu Tianhao the day before his death.”

“Wu Tianhao….” Qin Wenyuan sank into thought. He’d naturally heard the name of this underworld boss before. “Do you suspect that Wu Tianhao’s uncharacteristic behavior had something to do with Su Yi? Do you plan to investigate?”

“Exactly,” said the elderly servant.

“Alright, get right to it. If Wu Tianhao doesn’t behave himself, you can just wipe him and his subordinate underground associations right off the map. Consider it a good deed on behalf of the citizens of the prefectural capital,” said Qin Wenyuan coldly. “What was the other thing?” 

The servant in black said, “Just now, we received word that Su Yi and Huang Qianjun went to the House of Prosperity together. Our agents are currently investigating for further information.”

“The House of Prosperity?” Qin Wenyuan’s eyebrows shot up. “Ordinary people can’t even step foot in a place like that. What are they going there for? Get to the bottom of it.”

The servant hurriedly nodded his assent.

“This is too little information, and all of it is superficial. There’s no way this kid is as simple as this makes him seem.” Qin Wenyuan rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, and his eyes glinted with cold light. “Continue investigating. If necessary, you can start with the people around him. We ought to be able to uncover numerous worthwhile clues that way.”

The servant pondered for a moment. “Your Excellency, you’re saying that we should start investigating from the Feng siblings?

“That’s right,” said Qin Wenyuan with an indifferent nod. “But we cannot have our people do it directly. Find a group with no connection to us and have them do it to avoid alerting our target. It’d be best if the Feng siblings cooperated willingly to prevent Su Yi from getting suspicious.”

The elderly servant in black nodded. “Your Excellency, please rest assured.”

Qin Wenyuan waved. “Go on. Don’t forget to investigate what happens tonight at the House of Prosperity.”

The servant acknowledged his orders and left.

“That boy is undoubtedly hiding something!” Qin Wenyuan leaned back into his chair and sank into thought.

How did he recover his cultivation?

What did he come to the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital to do?

Just two days after he killed all those Black Tiger Gang members, Wu Tianhao wiped the rest out. Why?

These questions might have seemed ordinary and trivial, but his years of experience told Qin Wenyuan that something strange was happening here.

And a mere live-in son-in-law without a cultivation somehow became strong enough to kill six elite Qi Accumulation guards with a single swing of his sword. Who’d dare believe such a thing?

There’s got to be an explanation for all this!

Qin Wenyuan’s eyes flashed. “But it doesn’t matter how many trump cards you’ve got up your sleeves. No enemy I, Qin Wenyuan, set my sights on has ever gotten away! This won’t end well for you!”

……

The House of Prosperity.

The night was dark, and the lamps were freshly lit.

On their way to the ninth floor, Nan Ying, Ni Hao and the others couldn’t help but reveal curious expressions, and even their movements were more reserved than usual.

In the hearts of these young people, those capable of dining on the ninth floor were, without exception, figures of enormous influence and authority, people who stood at the top of the prefectural capital.

Zhou Huaiqiu’s expression was the calmest, but even he was pondering just who it was who’d invited this group here.

When they reached the Mountain and River Palace, the group instinctively got their emotions under control.

“Everyone, please wait for a moment while I report to the host of tonight’s banquet,” said Madam Cuiyun. She pushed the door open just wide enough for her to squeeze through, then closed it immediately behind her.

Zhou Huaiqiu and company couldn’t help but find it a pity; her caution meant they couldn’t use this opportunity to find out just who was waiting inside. 

“How extravagant! He’s even got Madam Cuiyun reporting to him personally. In our Blueriver Sword Manor, I’m afraid only the sect leader could enjoy such lavish treatment,” muttered Nan Ying.

Although she said this, she was increasingly excited. She had already decided how best to display her good side at the banquet.

It would be ideal if she could win the host’s favor.

“You can’t say that. If Martial Uncle Zhou came here, he’d surely receive comparable treatment,” said Ni Hao.

Zhou Huaiqiu merely waved self-deprecatingly, “Ordinarily speaking, I won’t come to the House of Prosperity. But of course, if I needed to entertain VIP guests, this old face of mine is just barely enough to get a room on the ninth floor.”

The more he spoke, the greater the waves coursing through the group’s hearts. They were eager, but also uneasy.

Before long, the door opened, and Madam Cuiyun walked out with a smile. “Everyone, please go right in. I shan’t disturb you any longer.”

With that, she bade them farewell and dashed off.

This was a little out of the ordinary, but everyone’s thoughts were elsewhere. They were all excited to participate in the banquet and see just who their mysterious and illustrious host was. 

Zhou Huaiqiu walked at the front of the group. He took a moment to adjust his clothes, then pushed open the door. He instinctively raised his hands and was about to clasp his fist in greeting when he froze, and his eyes widened.

Because his back was to the rest of the group, none of them sensed anything strange or inappropriate about this. They all streamed in, feeling a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and reserved caution.

But when they saw the inside of the Mountain and River Palace, all of them froze, tongue-tied. It was as if they’d seen a ghost.

Nothing was scarier than a sudden silence….

And now, the Mountain and River Palace was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

No, that wasn’t right. They could hear someone moving his chopsticks and chewing.

“Su Yi, why the hell is it you!?” Ni Hao was the first to cry out. His eyes were wide with disbelief.

His words seemed to wake the others from their reveries. All of their expressions turned incomparably unsightly. Their eagerness and anticipation seemed to grow wings and fly away, and they felt ashamed, like they’d fallen for a prank.

The luxurious dining room was spacious and well lit.

Su Yi sat at the head of the massive table, clad in blue robes, sipping wine and tasting the various delicacies. He looked leisurely and at ease. Huang Qianjun sat by his side. They were the only two people sitting in this spacious, luxurious private dining hall. It didn’t quite feel real.

“Why shouldn’t it be me?” Su Yi set down his white jade chopsticks, then looked up at the group. “I didn’t expect you to come too, Martial Uncle Zhou. But then, this place is quite spacious. There’s more than enough room to seat a few extra guests.”

He rose, then gestured to Zhou Huaiqiu. “Please, take a seat.”

No matter what, during his time at Blueriver Sword Manor, Zhou Huaiqiu had looked out for him. Su Yi couldn’t ignore that.

It was as if Zhou Huaiqiu awakened from a daze. He lowered the hands he’d lifted to greet their “illustrious host”, then smiled dryly. “I wouldn’t have guessed that the host of this ninth-floor banquet at the House of Prosperity would turn out to be you.” His gaze swept across Ni Hao and the other dumbstruck disciples. “Sit down, everyone.”

As he spoke, he was the first to take his seat. When they saw this, the others temporarily repressed their astonishment and confusion and joined him at the table.

When they looked over the sumptuous, tempting array of delicacies, then at Su Yi’s spot at the head of the table, waves coursed through their hearts. This feeling was simply too difficult to take!

At first, they’d assumed some enormously influential, long-established authority figure had invited them. As such, every last one of them had been excited and eager, and even a bit reserved and nervous. 

Who would have thought….

It was Su Yi, the disciple the sect had cast away!

Of them, Nan Ying suffered the greatest shock. Her beautiful face alternated between different expressions, and her pretty eyes stared intently at Su Yi, as if she wanted to see right through him.

This was because she’d once been Su Yi’s lover. They’d been together day and night, and they’d once whispered sweet nothings to each other in flowering, moonlit fields. 

She would never have guessed that the waste she’d kicked to the curb hadn’t just recovered and taken first place in the Dragon’s Gate Banquet; he now sat proudly in the ninth floor of the House of Prosperity!

But actually, it wasn’t just Nan Ying; the others were utterly baffled as well.

Even Zhou Huaiqiu found it strange and unsettling. Although he didn’t know how Su Yi managed to set up this banquet, he keenly picked up on the fact that all seven invitees were Blueriver Sword Manor disciples, and furthermore, that they’d all once been on bad terms with Su Yi.

This was a bad sign!