The Yuan Family.

“Father, today, Brother Huang will leave to join the army. I’m going to go see him off,” said Yuan Luoyu respectfully.

Yuan Wutong immediately made his decision. “Take some presents with you. Stop by the treasury and pick out something good. Our gift might be intended for Huang Qianjun, but what matters is that Master Su will see it; we absolutely cannot be half-hearted about this. Let’s take this chance to display our Yuan Family’s sincerity.”

“Alright!” Yuan Luoyu straightforwardly agreed.

Yuan Wutong snorted coldly. “Last night, your expenditures at the Sand-Scouring Waves weren’t the least bit small. Out of respect for Master Su, I’ll let you off just this once, but you’d best hurry back to the Redscale Army, you brat!”

“Thank you, Father, for showing mercy!” Yuan Luoyu sighed in relief and dashed off compliantly, but he was smiling with his eyes.

“Father, I’m going too.” Yuan Luoxi rose and, without even asking if Yuan Wutong agreed, ran off excitedly.

Yuan Wutong instantly felt helpless. It’s true what they say; you can’t keep your grown daughter home for long!

……

Humble Tranquility Cottage.

Zhang Yiren stepped forward and knocked gently on the gate, but this time, Huang Qianjun wasn’t the one to open the door. Instead, it was a transcendently beautiful young woman.

Although she only wore a plain skirt and a simple hairpin, with no make-up or other ornaments, it was hard to disguise her fair features or delicate beauty.

“Miss Cha Jin?” Zhang Yiren was stunned.

He'd seen this stunningly beautiful courtesan once back aboard the tower ship, but he wouldn’t have expected to encounter her again at Humble Tranquility Cottage.

Li Moyun, Ni Hao, and the other youths were stunned too; Cha Jin’s absolute beauty left them dumbstruck.

Quite a few of them felt suddenly insecure, and they dared not meet her gaze.

Nan Ying sighed to herself. She was a woman, but even she was even a bit jealous of Cha Jin’s good looks. Thinking about it, even if she searched all of Blueriver Sword Manor, only Wen Lingxue could stand on equal ground with whoever this woman was,

Cha Jin smiled, her gentle voice reminiscent of the jingling of bells. “Greetings, Commander Zhang. Might I ask if you’re here to see our young lord?”

Some of the men almost couldn’t take it. This voice, this temperament, this appearance…. It was just too much!

Even Chen Zheng couldn’t help but reveal a strange light in his eyes. My Young Friend Su sure is something; he even took such a stunning girl as a servant!

“That’s right. We’re here to see Young Lord Su.” Zhang Yiren nodded.

By then, Huang Qianjun had already heard them, and he came over to invite them in with a smile. “Marquis, Commander Zhang, please come in.”

Zhang Yiren furrowed his brow. “Brother Huang, you’ve got dark rings around your eyes, and your aura is weak and depleted. What happened?”

“Uh….” Huang Qianjun instantly felt awkward. “Nothing happened.”

Suddenly, he noticed some familiar faces, and he frowned. “Li Moyun, what are you doing here?”

Li Moyun had long since noticed Huang Qianjun, and he was flabbergasted beyond belief.

Especially when he saw him chatting casually with Zhang Yiren; this sent tidal waves coursing through Li Moyun’s heart. He almost dared not believe his eyes.

“Oh? And you guys are here too!” Huang Qianjun noticed Ni Hao and Nan Ying too, and his expression went a bit strange.

Ni Hao and Nan Ying were stunned; it was like they’d just seen a ghost. Earlier, they couldn’t help but try and guess just who was worthy of a personal farewell visit from the marquis.

They certainly wouldn’t have guessed they’d see Huang Qianjun!

There was no way they’d forget that fateful night in the Mountain of River Palace on the ninth floor of the House of Prosperity. Huang Qianjun had been by Su Yi’s side the entire time. In other words, the moment they laid eyes on Huang Qianjun, Ni Hao and Nan Ying instantly guessed who the marquis was here to visit.

For a moment, they found it hard to stay calm. An incredible array of emotions flitted across their faces.

“Brother Huang, do you know them too?” Zhang Yiren couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s only natural; we’re old acquaintances.” Huang Qianjun laughed heartily.

Zhang Yiren laughed back. “That’s excellent! They’ll be joining us on our trip back to Bloodthistle Yao Mountain. Since you already know each other, you can take this time to get closer to each other.”

As they spoke, they entered the courtyard.

At almost the exact same time, Su Yi leisurely strolled out of his room, clad in his usual blue with his hair tied up. He looked clean and neat, with an aloof, transcendent air.

It really is him! Ni Hao and Nan Ying both cried out internally, and they felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Earlier, they were immensely proud that the Spiritmartial Marquis had chosen them. They thought this meant they were destined to soar into the heavens and realize their ambitions.

Who would have thought that Su Yi, someone the same age as them, had long since left them in the dust? He was now so lofty that the Spiritmartial Marquis would pay him a personal visit!

The difference between them was readily apparent.

Li Moyun silently clenched his fists. Inside, he was dejected too.

At first, he saw the Wen Family’s live-in son-in-law as nothing. He didn’t take Su Yi seriously at all, but now….. He’d already grown powerful to the point that Li Moyun could only look up to him!

He could only eat his dust; he’d never catch up!

The other youths wore complex expressions too. One after another, they recognized Su Yi. To them, it seemed utterly absurd. What could be more ridiculous than this?

After all, just one year ago, Su Yi was still that reject without a cultivation.

But now, he’d climbed so high that even the Spiritmartial Marquis came to bid him farewell in person!

“Young Lord Su, I’m here to bid you farewell. We’ll soon proceed to the harbor just outside the city and board a ship back to Bloodthistle Yao Mountain.” Chen Zheng stepped forward, smiled, and clasped his fist.

Su Yi nodded, then took out a spiritual sword and passed it to Huang Qianjun. “I don’t have anything good to offer you, so just take this weapon.”

The blade emanated a faint purple glow. This was the weapon he’d claimed after slaying Nan Wenxiang, “Reflecting Purple.” A grandmaster weaponsmith of the Jade Capital, Chai Yong, had forged it personally.

When she saw it, the look in Cha Jin’s eyes went strange.

Li Moyun and the others, meanwhile, were dazed. They naturally realized that Su Yi’s “casual gift” was in fact an extraordinary spiritual blade!

“Brother Su, I…..” The rims of Huang Qianjun’s eyes reddened. When the moment of departure truly arrived, it was hard to avoid reluctance and sadness.

But before he could speak, Su Yi cut him off. “I can’t stand it when men put on airs. No need for nonsense.”

“Uh…” Huang Qianjun froze as Chen Zheng and Zhang Yiren burst into laughter.

“Brother Huang, my sister and I have come to see you off!” Yuan Luoyu’s valiant voice emanated from beyond the gates. Then, he and Yuan Luoxi strode inside.

When he saw Chen Zheng standing there, Yuan Luoyu was briefly stunned. Then, he hurriedly saluted. “This junior is called Yuan Luoyu. Greetings, Marquis!”

Chen Zheng nodded. “I know you. You’re Yuan Wutong’s second son, a commander of ten thousand men working beneath Shen Jiusong. I heard he praised you as ‘the Redscale Valiant’, and he says you have the talent of a future king or marquis. Well, how about it? Any interest in taking up office in my Greenplate Army?”

Yuan Luoyu was caught off guard. “I’m afraid I can’t make that decision on my own.”

“If you’re ever interested in the future, you’re welcome to come looking for me at any time,” said Chen Zheng.

Yuan Luoyu smiled and agreed. Then, he took out a jade box and passed it to Huang Qianjun. “This is a set of Thousand-Scale Armor. Brother Huang, consider it a token of my friendship.”

Thousand-Scale Armor!

Chen Zheng was stunned. “Your father sure spared no expense. You can’t buy armor like that with ten thousand gold. It’s enough to withstand a full force attack from a Qi Accumulation expert.”

He understood that although this gift was for Huang Qianjun, they were putting on a show for Su Yi to see. 

At the end of the day, Huang Qianjun’s prestige was insufficient for Yuan Wutong to spend so much on him.

At first, Huang Qianjun thought nothing of this gift, but when he heard the marquis’ words, he was stunned. He sighed, “Young Master Yuan, you really are my good brother!”

Nearby, Li Moyun, Ni Hao, and Nan Ying saw this. All of them were inwardly displeased. Back then, Li Moyun was the leading figure of Guangling City’s younger generation, while Huang Qianjun was just an infamous silkpants.

Who’d have thought that things would change so dramatically? Their statuses had changed completely!

Ni Hao and Nan Ying were keenly aware that Huang Qianjun was basking in Su Yi’s light; that was the only reason the Yuan Family attached such importance to him. They couldn’t help but envy Huang Qianjun’s good luck….

Before long, Chen Zheng led his group away.

When they realized that Su Yi wasn’t going to pursue their former grudges, Li Moyun, Ni Hao, and Nan Ying sighed in relief.

But this was also precisely what left them so bitter and upset. For him to simply let their grudges go meant that, in Su Yi’s eyes, they were unworthy of notice. The gap between them was so huge that they already inhabited different words.

After watching Huang Qianjun leave with the marquis and Zhang Yiren, Su Yi returned to the courtyard.

“Master Su, I’ll be returning to my duties at the Redscale Army shortly. If you ever visit the Imperatorial Provincial Capital, please grant me the opportunity to take you out for a drink,” said Yuan Luoyu.

“You mean like what you did last night?” Yuan Luoxi snorted coldly and glared at her amorous, dissolute elder brother.

Yuan Luoyu instantly felt a bit awkward. 

Cha Jin’s expression went a little strange too.

Only Su Yi remained easygoing. He raised his teacup and took a sip. “That’s all in the future. We can discuss that later.”

“Master Su, are you planning to leave the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital soon too?” Yuan Luoxi couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s right.” Su Yi nodded. 

His Qi Accumulation cultivation had yet to achieve full spiritual awakening of the acupoints even after all this time. If he lingered in the prefectural capital, there was no way he’d catch the lucky break he needed to break through.

Yuan Luoxi pressed, “Then where are you going?”

This time, Cha Jin pricked up her ears too.

“Hard to say.” Su Yi shook his head. He just knew he wanted to leave, but first, he at least had to see Wen Lingxue again.

When she heard his answer, Yuan Luoxi couldn’t help but feel dejected. “Master Su, on the third day of the third lunar month, after my father’s birthday celebrations are over, I’ll be leaving too. I’m going to continue my cultivation at Heaven’s Origin Academy. I don’t know if I’ll see you again….”

“Heaven’s Origin Academy?” Su Yi was briefly stunned. “In that case, we might very well meet again after all.”

Yuan Luoxi was instantly delighted. “Don’t tell me you’re going to Heaven’s Origin Academy too, Master Su?”

“That’s right.” Su Yi nodded.

How could he possibly forget the woman who was nominally his wife?

Of course, there was also Wei Zhengyang and the other young master types. If he didn’t deal with the punks intending to cuckold him, he’d never rest at ease.

Before long, the Yuan siblings bade farewell and left, while Su Yi returned to his room and began his usual cultivation routine.

He temporarily couldn’t make any progress with his cultivation, but he could practice the Universal Self-Embodiment Sutra to temper his soul power.

He left Cha Jin all alone in the courtyard. She stood there for a moment before silently picking up a broom and starting to sweep up the fallen leaves and flower petals…

Meanwhile, at Blueriver Sword Manor, Zhu Guqing retracted her gaze, a satisfied look on her stunning face. “Not bad. Both your talent and your temperament are enough that you could have entered Heaven’s Origin Academy a long time ago.”

Wen Lingxue bowed. “You’re exaggerating, Senior.”

“I already promised your sister that I’d take you with me when I returned to Heaven’s Origin Academy. Get your things in order, and we’ll be on our way momentarily.”

Wen Lingxue was instantly startled. We’re leaving right now?