The House of Prosperity.

A private dining room on the first floor.

Madam Cuiyun was currently sitting upright, her expression respectful.

She sat across from a stunning beauty with long, snow-white hair, a simple white dress, and a calm, elegant bearing. Her features were clear and stunning, and although she was in her thirties, she looked barely a day over twenty.

She sat there casually, cold as ice and proud as snow. Just looking at her left others with a chilling, prickling sensation.

Zhu Guqing!

She was one of Heaven’s Origin Academy’s nine elders and a Martial Dao Grandmaster whose name shook all six prefectures of the Imperatorial Province!

“The three dharma protectors of this branch of Deathbringer’s gate include the Blood Balance Daoist. He’s a withered old man with a sinister, cruel disposition. He’s in the second level of the Inner Furnace Realm. In the Imperatorial Province’s branch of the Deathbringer’s Gate, he’s a top expert, second only to Branch Leader Huyan Hai.

“The Blood Balance Daoist excels at controlling ghosts and summoning malevolent spirits. The power of his soul is strange and terrifying. He can silently enter his opponents’ mental seas. Once he breaks through your soul’s defenses, he can kill and manipulate you as he pleases, and your life is no longer your own."

Zhu Guqing took out a scroll, her words cold as ice and sharp as swords. 

“The other two are, respectively, ‘Old Man Lungrot,’ Chu Silang, and ‘the Corpse Madam,’ Liu Xianglan. Both are at the peak of the Qi Accumulation Realm.

“Chu Silang excels at tracking, assassination, and evasion, while Liu Xianglan is skilled in formations. She’s the most wicked of the bunch. Over the past few years, she’s taken to cultivating an obscene, lascivious secret art. Who knows how many men have died brutal deaths at her hands?”

Zhu Guqing then rolled the scroll back up and looked at Madam Cuiyun. “I’m here to hunt down the three of them.”

This explanation had long since left Madam Cuiyun’s heart quivering. “Why would these heretical fiends come to the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital out of the blue?”

Zhu Guqing shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’m just responsible for killing them. Your brother said you’ve done business in the capital for decades and that your network and access to information is the most extensive in the city. I hope you can lend me your assistance in this matter.”

Madam Cuiyun was briefly stunned, but she hurriedly said, “Your Excellency, please rest assured. I’ll do everything in my power to assist you.”

Her elder brother was only the fifth-ranked elder at Heaven’s Origin Academy, while Zhu Guqing was solidly in third place!

“Good. I hope to locate the three of them as quickly as possible. I’ll be back, same time tomorrow.” Even as Zhu Guqing said this, she rose and turned to leave.

Simple, curt, and to the point, without the slightest dithering or beating around the bush.

Madam Cuiyun hurried to her feet to show her to the door. It was only after she watched that peerlessly beautiful figure disappear that she rubbed her brow in aggravation.

She’s coming back tomorrow night? Doesn’t that mean I only have one day to investigate?

“They say that just yesterday, Qin Wenyuan and his son died outside the city, on the Qingding Military Drill Grounds. Today, three of the Deathbringer’s Gate Imperatorial Province Branch’s dharma protectors have shown up out of nowhere, followed by Heaven’s Origin Academy elder Zhu Guqing. Since when was the prefectural capital so chaotic…?”

As the night sky gradually darkened, Madam Cuiyun’s heart gradually grew heavier.

….

Humble Tranquility Cottage.

Red lamps hung from the eaves, bathing the ground in gentle light.

Insects buzzed and chirped, and the leaves rustled in the wind.

Huang Qianjun and Feng Xiaoran were washing up after dinner. 

As soon as they finished eating, Su Yi carried a jar of wine, sat beneath the gazebo, and leaned back into his wicker chair.

This was what it meant to “alternate work and rest” and “balance movement and stillness.”

When he cultivated, he went at it with all his might.

And when he rested, he thoroughly emptied his mind.

“Junior Apprentice Brother Feng, I can’t possibly remain in the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital forever, but before I leave, I’ll make arrangements for you and Xiaoran,” said Su Yi as he poured himself and Feng Xiaofeng each a cup of wine.

“I know.” Feng Xiaofeng nodded. “Please, rest assured. If you ever need anything from me going forward, it’s yours. I’d even give you my life if need be.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “Your life? What am I supposed to do with that? The best way you and Xiaoran can repay me is to live well.”

Feng Xiaofeng smiled back. “Senior Apprentice Brother Su, when do you plan to leave, and where do you plan to go?”

“I might find some danger zone to test myself in. Alternatively, I might pay Heaven’s Origin academy a visit,” said Su Yi lazily.

He’d encountered a minor bottleneck in his cultivation. Quite some time had passed, but he still couldn’t manage full spiritual awakening of the acupoints.

Bitter cultivation alone wouldn’t be enough. He needed an opportune moment. 

And the easiest way to find some opportune moments to break through was undoubtedly to fight for your life and struggle on the brink of death.

The extreme danger and excitement of battle shook the heart and moved the soul, stimulating your latent potential.

With the experience of his past life, Su Yi was well aware that his road had been far too smooth since reawakening his past self’s memories. 

It wasn’t that he was too strong, but rather, that the opponents he’d encountered thus far were all just… a bit too weak.

Without proper opponents, he lacked true whetstones with which to temper himself.

“But never mind that. Let’s drink!” Su Yi raised his cup and drained it.

It was then that he heard someone knocking at the gates. 

“Young Lord Su, it’s Cha Jin. I’ve come to see you.” A soft, tactful voice rang through the night sky, like the relaxing sound of bubbling spring water. 

“Cha Jin? That artful courtesan?” blurted Huang Qianjun. “The one who looks like she could topple nations and bring ruin to the populace with her beauty?” His eyes lit up. It didn’t take him long to recall who she was.

Every field had its experts, and as a former delinquent silkpants and frequent patron of brothels, Huang Qianjun’s memory for beauties was all but perfect; one glance was enough to remember them forever.

“I’ve never toppled any nations, and I’ve certainly never brought ruin to the populace,” said a gentle, laughing voice.

“Go open the door,” Su Yi ordered from the wicker chair. Earlier today, he agreed not to let Cha Jin through the gate, but it seemed he’d completely forgotten his promise to Wen Lingxue….

Huang Qianjun hurried to do as he was told. As soon as the gates swung open, his eyes lit up.

To his surprise, Cha Jin had changed into men’s robes, the fabric as white as the moon. Her lips were red, her lips pearly white, and her eyes shone like stars, giving her a beautiful, amorous air.

Her long hair was tied up in a bun, revealing her long, white neck. Beneath the moonlight, the sight of her was radiant and moving.

“She really is an enchantress,” Huang Qianjun muttered under his breath. Then, out loud, he said, “Miss Cha Jin, might I ask why you’ve come at this hour?”

As he spoke, he noticed that she wasn’t alone. A middle-aged man in black trailed after her.

The middle-aged man was disheveled, his hair and beard unkempt. He carried a sheathed longsword, and his gaze was distant; it seemed there was something on his mind, and his thoughts were elsewhere.

But when he saw the man’s sword, Huang Qianjun’s pupils constricted, and an indescribable chill coursed through him.

A Grandmaster!

This was unquestionably a Grandmaster!

“I made an appointment to meet with Young Lord Su tonight.” Cha Jin pressed her lips into a smile and walked inside.

Huang Qianjun could only step aside.

The middle-aged man stuck close to Cha Jin. If you looked closely, each step was exactly the same distance apart, down to the millimeter, as perfect as if he’d measured his gait with a ruler.

Su Yi glanced at the man once before looking away. “Feng Xiaoran, take Xiaoran and return to your rooms.”

Feng Xiaofeng rose and did just that. Cha Jin, meanwhile, walked up to the gazebo as if it were perfectly natural, then smiled gently. “Greetings, Young Lord.”

“Sit.” Su Yi remained in his wicker chair, not moving at all.

This slack, impolite attitude left the sword-bearing middle-aged man a bit stunned, but he didn’t say anything. He simply stood beside one of the gazebo’s stone pillars in silence.

Huang Qianjun poured two cups of tea and smiled. “Please, have some tea.”

He was just about to pass the other cup to the middle-aged men when Cha Jin stopped him. “You needn’t trouble yourself. Uncle Xiang won’t drink any.”

“Oh,” said Huang Qianjun. He took the opportunity to ask, “Is he your bodyguard, Miss Cha Jin?”

He was attempting to get a clearer sense of the man’s origins on Su Yi’s behalf.

Cha Jin smiled. “You could say that.”

“Alright, that will be all.” Su Yi waved, and Huang Qianjun understandingly turned and left.

But afterward, Su Yi said nothing. He just leaned into his chair and squinted contentedly, admiring the bright moon overhead, perfectly at ease.

Cha Jin laughed, then took the initiative to break the silence. “Young Lord Su, aren’t you curious as to what I’m here to discuss?”

“It would be best if you were here to admire the scenery and share a drink,” said Su Yi offhandedly.

Cha Jin fell briefly silent. She tucked her hair behind her ears and bent slightly at the waist. Her lustrous, white hands reached for the jar of wine, and she poured Su Yi a cup.

Her aroma mixed with the fragrance of the wine and lingered in the air.

A beauty was personally filling his cup, and she was so close that he could feel her breath against his skin. Were Huang Qianjun here to see such scenery up close, he would likely have been infatuated to the point of madness already.

But Su Yi merely glanced at her in amusement, his gaze clear and free of lust or desire.

Cha Jin’s expression and movements were all perfectly natural. She sat there, and her lips parted as she laughed, “Young Lord, I’ll keep your cup full, so please hear me out.”

“It seems I have no choice but to listen.” Su Yi sighed, picked up his glass, and drained it. “Go on then.”

Cha Jin chirped, “I won’t hide it from you: I work for the second prince. I’m sure you picked up on a few hints during our time on the tower ship; that’s why you warned His Sixth Highness not to get close to me….”

As she said this, she gently bit her pink lip, and her pretty eyes flashed with resentment. “I’m confident that, otherwise, I could have won the sixth prince’s trust. Who’d have thought you’d waste all of my prior efforts?”

“So does that mean you’re here tonight to settle the score?” Su Yi sounded a bit surprised.

“At the time, I really did feel the urge to pick up a knife and fly into a murderous rage,” said Cha Jin solemnly. But then, she burst into laughter. “But then, how could I fail to realize that with my skill, I’m not your opponent?”

“You really understand your limits,” said Su Yi perfunctorily.

“.....” Cha Jin didn’t quite know what to say to that. She got her emotions back under control, then said softly, “Young Lord, my visit might very well be a grand stroke of fortune for you.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. “What ‘grand stroke of fortune’? You just want to help the second prince rope me in. I advise you not to waste your time; it won’t go as you hope.”

When she heard that, Cha Jin’s smile shifted, and she froze in place. He’d caught her completely off guard; she would never have guessed that Su Yi would see through her intentions at a glance!

Was a mere seventeen-year-old really capable of such perceptiveness?