Cha Jin was a bit peeved. “Young Lord, that bunch is awfully ungrateful. We just saved their lives, but look at them now! They just seized the opportunity to flee with no regard for our wellbeing.”

She saw everything the man in warrior robes and his group did, and it left her rather displeased.

“I certainly didn’t do any of this to save them,” said Su Yi flatly. He plucked the Bloodflame Wolf King’s fangs with practiced ease, removed its sharp claws, and skinned it, then placed the spoils into his black jade pendant.

These were spiritual materials. Some were useful for refining treasures, while others functioned as medicine or as materials for inscribing talismans. All of them were extraordinary and brimming with spirituality.

“I guess that’s true….” thought Cha Jin. They’d walked through the canyon in part because they didn’t want to walk around, and in part because they were interested in the Bloodflame Wolf King.

Their goal really wasn’t to save anybody. In that case, it didn’t matter that the people they’d inadvertently rescued were ungrateful.

“Let’s go.” Su Yi sheathed Guiding Mysteries and strode onward.

As soon as they left the gorge, they saw the man in warrior robes and his group walking toward them.

“Young Lord, many thanks for righteously coming to our aid.” The Grandmaster was the first to clasp his fist in respect.

Every word came straight from the heart. He’d initially assumed all of them would die here. Who’d have thought Su Yi would reveal his miraculous power and slice his way through the wolf pack?

Furthermore, based solely on the power Su Yi had just put on display, he was certain that this youth’s origins weren’t simple.

What really shocked him was Su Yi’s extreme youth, and that despite his Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation, his abilities surpassed even most Grandmasters. Even by the standards of the Great Zhou as a whole, this made him a peerless genius.

The four who looked like guards or attendants each greeted him respectfully in turn, but Cha Jin was inwardly disdainful. You just seized the opportunity to flee, now, you’re turning around and acting all sincere and grateful? What a joke!

“We didn’t do it to save you, so there’s no need for thanks,” said Su Yi indifferently.

“See? I hit the nail right on the head, didn’t I? We’re neither his friends nor his relatives. How could he possibly have charged into the fray just to save us? The way I see it, there’s no need to even thank him,” snorted the girl in the pomegranate skirt. “Besides, if we hadn’t confined the wolf pack, he couldn’t possibly have slain the Bloodflame Wolf King so easily.” 

“What are you saying?” Cha Jin couldn’t help but interject. “If not for us, would you even be alive now? You don’t understand gratitude, fine, how could you possibly say something like that?” 

How ridiculous is this girl? We saved you in passing, yes, but even if it wasn’t our goal, it was the right thing to do. Yet here you are, climbing all over us!

The Grandmaster in warrior robes felt rather uncomfortable too. He was just about to explain when Su Yi waved dismissively. “Why fuss about all that with them? Let’s go.”

“Stop!”

Who’d have thought that, before he could even leave, the girl in the pomegranate skirt would storm over in a huff?

“Did you hear me?" said the girl. "We never asked you to save us, so why should we prostrate ourselves in gratitude?”

Su Yi’s expression was calm and indifferent. This was called “fearing authority, but having no virtues.”

Would this girl have dared be so brazen while the wolves still encircled them? No! But now that she was safe, she was already losing her temper and throwing her weight around. This was obviously due to confidence in her illustrious background; it was the reason she dared be so undiscriminating and thoughtless.

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to pay her any further heed, so he just upped and left. He really hadn’t intervened on their behalf, and he certainly didn’t care whether they were grateful to him or not.

When she saw that he didn’t argue and that he planned to leave, the girl in the pomegranate skirt seemed to take this as an admission that he was in the wrong. “I’m not done talking yet! You aren’t allowed to leave!”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He turned, stared directly at the girl, and said flatly, “Oh? What else do you have to say?”

The atmosphere was instantly heavier.

The man in warrior robes sensed that this didn’t look good for them, so he said, “Miss, it’s almost dark. His Excellency and the others are still waiting for us in Yangku Town.”

This was intended as a warning against making a fuss and a reminder that they should hurry up and leave.

He was also indirectly informing Su Yi that there was an important figure waiting for them, so he shouldn’t make this incident any bigger either.

A hint of a cold smile rose unbidden to Su Yi’s lips, but he said nothing. He just watched the young woman in the pomegranate skirt.

“Elder Qiao, we’re obviously in the right. Why should we leave? Wouldn’t that make it seem like we had a guilty conscience?” The young woman crossed her arms in front of her chest, and she held her head high, meeting Su Yi’s gaze with pride. “We entered the mountains specifically to hunt down the Bloodflame Wolf King. You might have killed it, but you can’t seize all the spoils for yourself. After all, we’re the ones who kept it there for you.”

Su Yi’s gaze was increasingly cold and indifferent. “So you’re saying you plan to have me split my spoils with you?”

“Isn’t that obvious?” the girl said, sounding completely unruffled.

When Cha Jin heard that, she was so angry that she almost burst into laughter. She felt her fury rising, and she couldn’t help but long to teach this ungrateful little girl a lesson.

The Grandmaster in warrior robes was inwardly complaining too. The entire clan has always doted on the young miss. She’s been the center of attention from the moment she was born. 

She’s the daughter of the head of one of the Imperatorial Province’s five peak-level clans, and her maternal grandfather is one of the nine foreign-surnamed kings, the ‘White-Eyebrowed King’, Cai Jinghai. Her maternal grandmother was born into the Great Zhou’s imperial family, and her paternal grandmother is an elder of Heaven’s Origin Academy, although she’s long since gone into seclusion….

As a result, she’s been like a glittering, resplendent pearl her whole life. No matter where she goes, people cluster around her like stars gathering around the moon. When she wants wind, it’s windy, and when she wants rain, it rains. 

With an upbringing like that, it’s almost inevitable that she’d grow up conceited and temperamental. She only tones it down when she’s with other disciples of prominent clans, those in the same circle.

Before the man in warrior robes could speak, the girl continued, “Of course, I admit that your arrival enabled us to break through their encirclement. Offer up half the spoils, and I’ll pay for them in cash. I absolutely won’t take advantage of you.”

“Sure,” said Su Yi flatly. “Give me ten thousand tier-two spirit stones in exchange, and not one less.”

Everyone fell silent.

Ten thousand tier-two spirit stones!

Even to the peak-level clans of the Imperatorial Province, that was an astronomical figure!

“I made that offer with good intentions, and now you’re trying to rip me off? Don’t you think you’re pushing your luck?” The girl in the pomegranate skirt sounded increasingly irritated.

When she said this, the Grandmaster in warrior robes inwardly cried out. Young Miss, please! How can you talk like that to an expert who killed his way through that entire wolf pack? It wouldn’t matter even if your status were loftier; we’re in the middle of the wilderness. If you really infuriate him, I’m afraid none of us will get out of here alive!

“I gave you a chance, but you didn’t take it,” said Su Yi flatly. “In that case, you’d better not do anything else to provoke me. Or else, you really will die an unsightly death.”

With that, he turned and left. Cha Jin hurried after him. 

The girl in the pomegranate skirt quivered with fury, but just as she was about to say something, the Grandmaster grabbed hold of her arm. 

“Miss,” he said in a low, grave voice, “Yangku Town is just up ahead. Why must you lose your temper with him here, in the wilderness? If something goes wrong, your father and the others would never let us off.”

The expression on the girl’s beautiful face shifted back and forth. Finally, she gnashed her teeth and spat, “Fine. This ends here. I can’t be bothered to pursue the matter with someone like him anyway.”

The man in warrior robes inwardly sighed in relief. He swore that, even if they beat him to death, he would never go out hunting with this privileged little princess ever again. It would be one thing if they only encountered ordinary people, but if they met any real tough customers, the type that didn’t even fear the heavens, they were doomed!

The four guards relaxed too.

Were this the provincial capital, they would have had nothing to fear. Even if they provoked a terrifying expert, the moment they announced the young miss’ background, the incident would simply melt away.

But here in the wilderness, it was a completely different story.

Had that blue-robed youth borne ill intent, he could kill them all without even breaking a sweat….

“Let’s go.” The girl in the pomegranate skirts seemed entirely unaware of all that. She walked into the distance, still sulking as she went. Her companions hurried after her.

…..

“Young Lord, for a moment there, I thought you’d lose your temper and kill someone,” whispered Cha Jin.

The hills gradually gave way to flat ground, and off in the distance, they saw the vague outline of a walled city at the foot of the mountains.

“A conceited little girl, that’s all. It takes more than that to anger me,” said Su Yi calmly.

Speaking of “conceited little girls”, Yuan Luoxi could be quite stubborn and overbearing too, but in her heart of hearts, she understood gratitude.

By comparison, the girl in the pomegranate skirts had obviously been spoiled rotten. She was arrogant and bossy, unwilling to listen to others, and she had no real-world experience to speak of.

He couldn’t say she was stupid. Differences in position, upbringing, and environment always led to vast differences in perception.

After all, were he any other martial artist, the girl’s anger might very well have intimidated them. Most people wouldn’t dare treat her with disrespect.

And in that case, there wouldn’t have been any conflict or friction between them and her.

“In terms of status, I’m not necessarily her inferior, but I would never be so ungrateful,” muttered Cha Jin.

“Human life is complex and multifaceted, and so too are worldly affairs. Everyone’s different, and it’s just as they say: a large forest is home to all kinds of birds,” said Su Yi flatly. “A little incident like this doesn’t amount to anything.

As they spoke, they were already traveling along an obviously man-made path. They could now see the distant walled city clearly.

Night silently descended upon them.

The walled city wasn’t large, but it was already bright with lanterns, and the sound of distant hustle and bustle transmitted from afar with the unique energy of ordinary mortal life.

After several days traveling through uninhabited wilderness, through rivers and over mountains, the sight of civilization put Cha Jin into a brief trance.

She carried the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast cub in her arms, and it stuck out its little head, its big eyes round with curiosity.

This was Yangku Town. It was constructed right at the foot of the mountain range, just eighty miles from the Imperatorial Provincial Capital. It was just a town, but it was vibrant and flourishing.

Experts of the provincial capital gathered here year-round. Sometimes, they ventured into the mountains, either to hunt yao or to gather spiritual medicines.

“Tonight, let’s find an inn to rest in. We’ll head for the provincial capital tomorrow,” said Su Yi. He was already sauntering into town. 

Cha Jin hurried after him. She wasn’t at all aware of it, but after leaving the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital and undergoing this journey through eight hundred miles of wilderness on foot, the way she treated Su Yi had changed. Her attitude towards him had long since undergone a subtle shift.

The most obvious difference was that when she encountered trouble or danger, she now subconsciously thought of herself and Su Yi as members of the same camp. His worries were her worries, and his anger was her anger.

The long trek had long since frittered away any grudge, hatred, or opposition she’d once had.

Shortly after Su Yi and Cha Jin entered Yangku Town, the girl in pomegranate skirts and her entourage returned as well. They went straight for the villa on the east side of town, which was right beside the mountains and facing the water.

I initially assumed that “pomegranate skirt” was a description of the skirt’s color, and it is, but it also looks like a type of Tang Dynasty fashion with a reputation for making men “bow down” before it. Or, you know, before the women wearing them.

“White Eyebrows” might sound a bit random as a title for a king, but the name apparently comes from a real historical figure, a monk of the legendary Shaolin Temple.

As an aside, he’s the inspiration for Beatrix’s Sifu, Pai Mei, in the Kill Bill movies. His name is translated with the characters “White Eyebrows” in the film’s Chinese version. “Pai Mei” is not the Mandarin pinyin reading for those characters, so the pronunciation is either not based on Mandarin, or they used an alternative system of romanization.