“Provincial Governor, Martial Uncle Zhou has already led Junior Apprentice Sister Nan Ying back to the sect. He sent me here to speak with you.” As he entered Qin Wenyuan’s study, Ni Hao bowed respectfully, his heart tense.

This man possessed terrifying authority within Cloudriver Prefecture. Moreover, he was a Martial Dao Grandmaster, an expert like a soaring heavenly dragon!

Qin Wenyuan nodded. “You needn’t be nervous. All you need to do is tell me what happened tonight in detail. Remember, leave nothing out.”

“Yes, sir.” Ni Hao calmed himself down. Then, the entire tale poured out of him. 

From beginning to end, Qin Wenyuan took it all in calmly.

When he heard that Zhou Huaiqiu intervened, only for Su Yi to defeat him in a single attack, he remained outwardly calm, but his fingers quivered uncontrollably. 

“If he possesses such power, why didn’t he silence you?” After hearing the whole story, Qin Wenyuan couldn’t help but ask.

Ni Hao’s expression was bitter and dejected. “He said he isn’t the type to kill indiscriminately, but if you ask me, I think he disdained to do it. We just weren’t worth it.”

“Not worth it?” Qin Wenyuan furrowed his brow.

“That’s right. I could tell that in his eyes, neither I nor Martial Uncle Zhou were even worthy of his concern…” Ni Hao sighed.

Qin Wenyuan fell silent for a long time. Finally, he waved. “You can leave.”

It was like a massive weight lifted from Ni Hao’s shoulders. He clasped his fist, then bade farewell.

“Your Excellency, there’s far too much that’s strange about Su Yi!” The elderly servant in black said in bewilderment, “A year ago, he lost his entire cultivation and resorted to becoming a live-in son-in-law. Now, just one year later, he can overpower Zhou Huaiqiu in a single attack. Isn’t that a bit too unreasonable? Zhou Huaiqiu’s cultivation makes him a peak expert beneath the Grandmaster Level, and he’s been famous for years!”

He paused, then continued, “Also, Madam Cuiyun’s attitude was strange. It’s like she dares not offend Su Yi, but according to our investigations, Su Yi has no background to speak of. Otherwise, he would never have become the Wen Family’s live-in son-in-law.”

Qin Wenyuan sat there in silence. There was no way he’d miss those particular peculiarities!

“Your Excellency, if you ask me, we ought to endure for now and continue our investigation.” The servant hesitated, then suggested, “It won’t be too late to decide our next moves after everything is clear.”

“I’m just afraid that by then, he’ll have already left the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital.” Qin Wenyuan rubbed the space between his eyes, looking uncertain. He no longer had his earlier calm.

It was clear that he felt conflicted about this too.

After a while, he said out of nowhere, “Perhaps, we can borrow others’ power to test that boy’s abilities.”

His eyes flashed with a strange light. “After what happened tonight, there’s no way Blueriver Sword Manor will just let him off, nor is there any way the seven murdered disciples’ clans will just endure in silence. To us, this is an opportunity!

The elderly servant in black’s eyes lit up. “Your Excellency, you plan to borrow another’s hands to kill him?”

Qin Wenyuan nodded, a smile on his face. “The head of Blueriver Sword Manor, Mu Cangtu, is a long-famed Martial Dao Grandmaster. His cultivation is no lower than mine, and his temperament is firm and domineering. How could he remain uninvolved after learning about what happened tonight?

When he said this, he relaxed completely, and his eyes flashed. “Perhaps, there will be no need for us to intervene at all. Su Yi, that boy, will find it hard to escape calamity with or without us!”

The servant smiled too. “That would be for the best.”

It was then that—

“Your Excellency, I have something urgent to discuss!” said a voice from beyond the study door.

“Come in,” said Qin Wenyuan. 

He then watched as a solemn-looking guard walked inside, fell to one knee, and clasped his fist. “Your Excellency, something’s gone wrong with the Blood Ax Gang!”

Qin Wenyuan froze.

The black-robed servant’s expression shifted, and he explained at top speed, “Your Excellency, earlier tonight, you ordered me to find someone with no association with us to investigate the Feng Siblings. I located the head of the Blood Ax Gang, Dong Sandao, and entrusted that task to him…..”

By the end of his explanation, his brow had broken into cold sweats.

Qin Wenyuan frowned. He commanded the guard, “Explain what happened in detail.”

“Just now, Dong Sandao led his men to Bottlegourd Alley. In the end, less than fifteen minutes after entering the Feng Siblings’ residence, there was a strange explosion. Wind and electricity ran rampant throughout the courtyard, which then burst into flame….”

The guard’s eyes shone with unconcealed terror. “It was like immortal magic. Although it only lasted a moment, even after the wind and flame died down, Dong Sandao and company never emerged. I suspect that all of them perished inside.”

The elderly servant gasped. He had a sudden sense of foreboding.

Qin Wenyuan’s expression darkened. No matter how shrewd he was, he was now so angry that he gnashed his teeth and roared, “You incompetent bungler! You’re not skilled enough to accomplish anything, but you’re more than capable of making a mess of things!”

Thud!

The elderly servant hurriedly knelt, then said in a quavering voice, “I was blind and misguided. I should never have trusted that fool, Dong Sandao!”

Qin Wenyuan’s expression was dark as could be, his gaze terrifying. “I factored everything into my calculations. The only thing I couldn’t predict was that a fool would ruin everything! So long as Su Yi isn’t stupid, he’ll suspect that this was our work. Didn’t I say you weren’t supposed to alert him?”

The servant was so terrified that he broke out into cold sweats. “Your Excellency, I don’t think Su Yi will dare oppose the prefectural government over this. After all, he’s already offended Blueriver Sword Manor. If he stands against us too, I’m afraid it’ll be no different from throwing his life away!”

When he finished, he kowtowed. He dared not raise his head.

Only he knew just how terrifyingly cold-blooded Qin Wenyuan was when he was angry.

Qin Wenyuan’s expression changed erratically. In the end, he took a deep breath and said, “It’s already happened. Saying any more will make no difference. Go visit Blueriver Sword Manor. Do it now, and tell Mu Cangtu that if he wants to get revenge, I, Qin Wenyuan, will lend him a hand!”

By the end, he’d regained his former calm. His gaze was cold and sharp.

He’d hoped to borrow others’ hands to get his revenge.

But Dong Sandao’s death told him that Su Yi was already aware of his intentions. Now, all he could do was make a choice as quickly as possible!

“Yes, sir!” The servant hurriedly rose. Then, he and the guard scampered out of the study.

Qin Wenyuan rubbed his brow, then sank into deep thought.

He normally chose not to act, but when he got involved, he had to finish everything in one fell swoop!

……

Bottlegourd Alley, Humble Tranquility Cottage.

Su Yi stood there with his hands behind his back, staring at the wreckage of the courtyard. His deep gaze flashed with cold light. 

“Senior Apprentice Brother Su, they said they were from the Blood Ax Gang, and that they were  here on business, but I was suspicious and refused to open the door for them. I told them to come back another day.”

Feng Xiaofeng sat in his wheelchair, his expression unsightly. “Who would have thought they’d insist? They refused to leave, and in the end, they broke down the door and charged inside. Fortunately, Xiaoran and I were already hiding in the main hall, just in case. When we saw them burst through the gate, we immediately shattered the jade talisman you gave me….”

When he heard that, Su Yi asked, “Are you and Xiaoran alright?”

Feng Xiaofeng nodded. “It’s just a shame about that jade talisman. I would never have guessed it contained such unbelievable power.”

“It’s just a crude formation,” said Su Yi lightly. “If it’s ruined, it’s ruined. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Although he said this, inwardly, he was angry and upset.

A grand formation like that cost many spirit stones to place. It was strong enough to kill Grandmasters effortlessly, yet it had gone to waste killing mere petty hoodlums!

What he found even harder to tolerate was that they’d targeted the Feng Siblings. This unquestionably crossed Su Xuanjun’s bottom line.

“Brother Su, we have no connection with the Blood Ax Gang at all. Why would they come knocking on our door?” Huang Qianjun couldn’t help but ask.

Su Yi said flatly, “They were just working on another’s orders. If I’m not mistaken, it was at the behest of the prefectural governor.” 

Huang Qianjun’s expression shifted dramatically. “Are you saying that the prefectural government intends to act against us?”

Two nights ago, Cheng Wuyong had come to warn them that the prefectural governor had sent his people to investigate them, and that it seemed he was intent on revenge.

And tonight, this happened!

“If he really wanted to deal with us, he wouldn’t have just sent riffraff like this to throw their lives away,” said Su Yi offhandedly. “Way I see it, this was just an attempt to get a feel for our abilities.”

“Senior Apprentice Brother Su, I’m afraid the governor won’t simply let this go,” said Feng Xiaofeng gravely.

“No, I’m the one who won’t simply let this go.” Su Yi patted Feng Xiaofeng on the shoulder. “Dragons have reverse scales, and men have bottom lines. Neither is to be crossed. Someone is going to pay for what happened tonight.”

His tone was flat, but it sent shivers down Huang Qianjun’s spine.

He’d already learned that the calmer Su Yi sounded, the more furious he was inside!

“Brother Su, shall we make some preparations?” asked Huang Qianjun.

After what happened tonight at the House of Prosperity, they were openly at odds with Blueriver Sword Manor. Now, the prefectural governor was probing them. Even Huang Qianjun could smell the incoming storm.

“There’s no need to prepare. They’ll come looking for me on their own,” said Su Yi offhandedly. “When the storm comes, I’ll just have to slash through it. I won’t leave any latent threats behind.”

Meanwhile, beneath the same night sky.

The Yuan Family. 

A spacious, elegant courtyard.

After hearing Cheng Wuyong’s report, Yuan Luoxi’s exquisite eyebrows knit together. “This is getting increasingly troublesome. There’s no way Blueriver Sword Manor will just endure in silence. Add that to the threat of the prefectural governor, and I’m afraid Master Su’s plight is already dire.”

She promptly rose to her feet and pursed her pink lips. “Now, all we can do is ask Father to make an appearance.”

Cheng Wuyong said hurriedly, “Miss, with Master Su’s cultivation, he’s unlikely to fear either threat….”

“But we can’t just sit back and do nothing!” said Yuan Luoxi decisively. “It doesn’t matter how much use I’ll be. If I can help at all, even just a little, that’s enough.”

She hurried off. Cheng Wuyong froze, but soon, he smiled. He looked gratified. The young miss really has grown up, and she has her own ideas.

He hurried after her, but he was well aware that if they wanted to convince the family head to make an appearance, Yuan Luoxi wouldn’t be anywhere near enough.

Adding him, Cheng Wuyong, to the mix wouldn’t do it either.

He had to drag the family’s second young master along too if they wanted a real chance at success!