Rain poured down like a waterfall.
It washed away the pooled blood and fragmented corpses littering the Qingding Military Drill Ground. Bean-sized droplets pitter-pattered against the eaves.
The sudden downpour soaked everyone present, shaking them out of their stunned, terrified reverie. They hurriedly sought shelter from the rain.?Even those influential figures now looked drenched and bedraggled, but even so, they instinctively looked toward the platform.
There, they saw a youth in robes, their blue fabric reminiscent of jade. He held an oil-paper umbrella, and the rain flowed down its sides, shrouding his tall, lean figure in mist and giving him an ethereal air.
His long hair was neatly bound up with a wooden hairpin. As he stepped off the platform, he looked calm and at ease despite the dense clouds and pouring rain.
Oh, impressive! Brother Su had the foresight to tell me to bring two umbrellas….?Huang Qianjun sighed to himself. He held an umbrella too.
When they saw Su Yi walk towards them, step by step, those major powers’ hearts tensed. .
“What’s he doing? Don’t tell me he still wants to kill people?”
“Hard to say….”
“How about we get out of here?”
“Didn’t you see how Qin Feng died? Who would dare leave now?”
….The onlookers?argued?amongst themselves in harsh whispers. They couldn’t help but tense up and go on high alert.
In their eyes, Su Yi was now an unparalleled killer, terrifying beyond imagination.
“You’re certain you don’t want revenge?” Su Yi paused, then looked at a group standing roughly one hundred feet away.
These were the families and elders of the Qian Yunjiu, Huo Long, and the other five Blueriver Sword Manor disciples he’d killed.
In the face of Su Yi’s questions, all of them fell silent and lowered their heads. They dared not meet Su Yi’s gaze.
“You’re welcome to change your minds and attempt revenge later, but if you do, you’ll inevitably implicate your factions, families, and friends,” said Su Yi. His tone was light and airy, but the listeners’ spirits sank.
They suddenly recalled what Su Yi said to Qing Wenyuan. He killed the governor and his son as a warning to the others!
“Young Lord Zhang.” Just as Su Yi was about to leave, he suddenly glanced at Zhang Yuanxing. A hint of smile rose unbidden to his lips. “You once told me I’d fly further with strong winds to carry me, and that you could send me soaring into the clouds. How about you take the opportunity to do so now?”
Zhang Yuanxing shuddered, and he felt a chill course through him. He said hurriedly, “Young Lord Su, please don’t misunderstand. I was only joking. I hope you won’t take it seriously, and if I offended you, I’ll apologize on the spot.”
As he spoke, he bowed low at the waist, his entire body trembling slightly.
He was truly terrified that their conflict at Apricot Cottage would result in him suffering Su Yi’s wrath as well.
“If you’re going to apologize, you ought to show your sincerity. You unfilial brat, why haven’t you knelt yet?” Suddenly, Zhang Zhiyan rebuked him.
He sounded furious, but he was inwardly frantic. He didn’t know when his son had offended Su Yi, but there was no time to ask questions. First, he had to resolve the problem at hand: they had to hurry up and apologize!”
“This….” Zhang Yuanxing hesitated.?Kneel? If I get down on my knees in front of so many people, how am I supposed to live going forward?
But before he could make his mind, Zhang Zhiyan slammed him into the dirt.
Bam!?Zhang Yuanxing’s knees landed in muddy water, and his father forced his head down, preventing him from looking up. An indescribable sense of humiliation filled his heart.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhiyan turned toward Su Yi and clasped his fist. “Young Lord Su, my Zhang Family has absolutely no intention of becoming your enemy, not now, not then, not ever! I failed to discipline my son properly, but I humbly request your magnanimity. Please, spare my incompetent fool of a son.”
Once he said this, he bowed at the waist.
When they saw this, the other influential figures were visibly stunned. Even the glorious head of the Zhang Family had no choice but to lower his head!
Zhang Yuanxing watched in a daze, and explosions went off in his heart. An unprecedented sense of bewilderment arose within him, and he felt both aggrieved and frantic.
In his heart, his father was like a towering mountain. He never would have thought that, at a time like this, that mountain would lower its proud head.
Su Yi paid this father and son duo no further heed. He waved Huang Qianjun over and was just about to leave when the sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed from beyond the military drill grounds.
Immediately afterward, Zhou Zhili, Qing Jin, Mu Zhongting, and Zhang Duo rushed over. All of them wore straw raincoats.
When they saw the bloody aftermath of the battle, as well as the sprawled out corpses of Qin Wenyuan and Qin Feng, how could they fail to understand what had happened?
“Young Lord Su, are you alright?” Zhou Zhili ignored everything else and immediately asked about Su Yi’s wellbeing, his brow knit in concern.
Su Yi smiled faintly. “Do I look injured to you?”
Zhou Zhili’s expression went rigid, but then, he sighed in relief. “I’m just glad you’re alright. As soon as I learned what was happening, I rushed over. I wouldn’t have guessed I’d arrive one step too late! Fortunately, you’re unharmed. Otherwise, I’d have to bathe the prefectural government in blood!”
This declaration sounded extremely despotic. Many of those present were stunned.?Who is it this time? Isn’t he bragging a bit too much?
But it was then that—
Yuan Wutong, Zhang Zhiyan and the rest of the city’s higher-ups reacted. It was obvious that they recognized him.
“Greetings, Sixth Highness!”
“Greetings, Sixth Highness!”
“Greetings, Sixth Highness!”
Following this solemn, respectful greeting, the atmosphere was deathly silent. Everyone was stunned, and their eyes widened with unconcealable shock.
Throughout all of the Great Zhou, there was only one person called “His Sixth Highness”, and that was the sixth son of the current emperor! There was no need to even describe just how lofty this status was.
Zhou Zhili waved, indicating that they needn’t stand?on ceremony. Then, he looked at Su Yi and sighed, sounding contrite. “Young Lord Su, you’ve done me an enormous kindness, yet I’ve yet to truly assist you in any way. I’m truly ashamed.”
It was just a few words, but they left Zhang Zhiyan and the other higher-ups dumbstruck.
They suddenly realized that Su Yi didn’t just have a terrifying cultivation; even His Sixth Highness respected him immensely, and moreover, owed him an enormous favor!
This was truly shocking, and the way they looked at Su Yi changed once more.
“Greetings, Young Lord Su.” Mu Zhongting stepped forward and clasped his fist.
Su Yi nodded, then suddenly turned to Zhou Zhili and said, “If you really want to help, clean this up for me.”
With that, he left, holding his umbrella aloft. This matter was already resolved, and he couldn’t be bothered to linger any further.
Huang Qianjun hurried after him. Yuan Luoxi wanted to run after him too, only for Yuan Wutong to grab her by the shoulders. He said irritably, “You really are smitten, huh?”
Yuan Luoxi pursed her lips but said nothing.
When he saw Su Yi fade into the distance and disappear into the rain, Zhou Zhili called out, “Young Lord Su, rest assured! I guarantee I won’t disappoint you!”
“What ‘two birds, one stone’? I told you not to get your hopes up. Do you get it now?” asked Qing Jin.
Her bright, sharp gaze stared intently at the direction Su Yi had left in. Inwardly, she felt stifled and disappointed.?Just now, he didn’t even spare me so much as a single glance! Does he plan to draw a line between us?
As she thought this, she pursed her lips in frustration.?But then, that makes sense. In his eyes, I’m only fit to act as his serving girl, and I refused his offer. It’s to be expected that he’d pay me no further heed….
Zhou Zhili’s eyes shone with determination. “Martial Aunt, after this incident, I’m increasingly certain that ten Qin Wenyuans added together wouldn’t be worth one Young Lord Su!”
This declaration left Qing Jin speechless, but then, her gaze swept across the carnage and rivers of blood. Thinking back, Su Yi wasn’t even injured. No, he hadn’t even stained his clothes. She couldn’t help but feel stunned.
“Sixth Highness, might I be so bold as to ask how we’re to resolve what happened today?” asked Zhang Zhiyan.
“Leave it up to Prefectural Governor Mu. I have but one request: you are not to leak word of what happened here today.” Zhou Zhili’s gaze swept around the gathered experts. “If word gets out, I’ll take you to task for it!”
Their hearts were instantly heavy.
What happened here was too major and serious to keep under wraps. They might be able to keep it from the vast majority of the city’s ordinary citizens, but there was no way they could keep it from the more prominent clans and factions!
Of course, the prince knew this too, but that didn’t matter. He still had to do what he had to do.
So what if all I do is wipe his butt for him? If I help out repeatedly, there’s no way he’ll forget the favor, right??Zhou Zhili thought to himself.
……
The rain gradually faded away, going from a downpour to a gentle, misty drizzle.
Mists enshrouded the densely packed roofs of the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, lending the city an additional layer of picturesque beauty.
Su Yi sat within a horse-drawn carriage, staring at the sword laid out across his knees.
Earlier, he used the Profound-Gathering Edict’s power. Although he’d successfully put the power of the rain to use, the inscription that represented the Edict was noticeably dimmer than before.
Su Yi evaluated it, then made his judgment. “I can use it about nine times more….”
Edicts were different from ordinary talismans. He’d used his blood as a guide to imbue the Edict into the sword during the forging process, while it was still unfinished. Once expended, there was no way to replenish its power.
But then, Su Yi didn’t particularly mind.
In his eyes, Edicts were just another form of external power. What mattered most was one’s personal strength!
They soon reached Bottlegourd Alley. Cheng Wuyong and the Feng Siblings had been waiting at Humble Tranquility Cottage all this time. When they saw Su Yi and Huang Qianjun return safely, they couldn’t help but sigh in relief before going up to welcome them.
Su Yi exchanged a few pleasantries, then returned to his room. It was as if everything that happened at the Qingding Military Drill Ground wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Cheng Wuyong pulled Huang Qianjun aside and asked him about what happened in detail.
Meanwhile, Su Yi sat at the desk. He stared through the window, at the mist-shrouded trees. His heart felt calm and tranquil, but at the same time, he felt an inexplicable melancholy.
Reincarnating to cultivate anew meant he had a new identity and that he’d begun a new journey.
But since his reincarnation, he’d yet to find any sense of belonging. He was like an aimless wanderer, an eternal passerby.
“Heaven and earth are a guesthouse, and I am but a transient traveler,” Su Yi muttered to himself.
Through the windows, he saw the courtyard. He could vaguely hear Huang Qianjun recounting what happened with great excitement and enthusiasm, interspersed with Cheng Wuyong and the Feng Siblings’ stunned follow-up questions and comments.
Su Yi smiled, then set those thoughts aside. He spread a piece of white paper across his desk, picked up an ink-laden brush, and began writing.
“I am a drifter in this world. I face the mists and rain with a sword in hand.”
The characters flowed like water, and the ink penetrated all the way through the paper. The text contained a concentrated, free and assertive energy.
The drizzle and gentle winds shrouded the world beyond the windows in mist.
As for Su Yi? He turned, emerged from his room, and laughed. “Junior Apprentice Brother Feng, quick! Bring out the heated wine!”