The atmosphere was instantly heavy and stifled.
The birdsong and rustling of insects were initially pleasant, but now, it was irritating.
The dazed middle-aged swordsman rubbed his forehead but remained silent.
Cha Jin picked up her teacup and took a sip before saying, “Young Lord, your eyes are bright as torches, and your foresight is practically divine. I deeply admire you, but might you listen to my conditions before you decide to refuse me?”
Su Yi raised the glass of wine he’d poured for her. “Please.”
It was just one word, but it carried two layers of meaning.
Drink first, talk later.
Finally, the middle-aged swordsman reacted. He turned to look at Su Yi and his wicker chair, his gaze cold and indifferent. “She doesn’t drink. Never has.”
Su Yi reacted as if he were deaf. Or rather, he directly ignored the man.
Trying to get a woman drunk would indeed sour the mood.
But to Su Yi, Cha Jin’s arrival didn’t just disrupt his mood; it was trouble.
He certainly didn’t care if pressuring someone who’d brought him nothing but trouble to drink was rude.
Cha Jin fell briefly silent. Suddenly, she smiled radiantly. “Uncle Xiang, you needn’t worry. It’s true that I?don’t?drink, but that doesn’t mean I?can’t?drink. If it will move Young Lord Su, it’ll be worth it even if I wind up dead drunk.”
With that, she raised her cup to her lips and drained it. Her pure, beautiful features were now flushed a faint red, the sight intoxicating.
She licked her lips, as if savoring the flavor, then laughed. “Young Lord, you’re so young, but you can already slay Grandmasters. You’re surely a man of great ambition. Who knows? You might very well become another Mountain-Suppressing King.
“But as I’m sure you’re aware, the loftier your cultivation, the rarer and more precious the resources you need to progress. Furthermore, within the Great Zhou, those high-level resources are practically monopolized by a select few peak-level factions.”
As soon as she said this, Su Yi refilled her glass. This time, he didn’t even bother to say “please.”
Cha Jin froze, but only briefly, then drained her glass. “Young Lord, if you’re willing to work for the second prince, I guarantee that you’ll never need to worry about your future cultivation. Furthermore, if you achieve great merit, it’s entirely possible you’ll become a marquis or minister!”
Su Yi sighed. “Do you know what Zhou Zhili promised me?”
“Please enlighten us.”
“He promised me the position of imperial preceptor, in addition to enormous wealth and all manner of precious delicacies and materials.”
Cha Jin instantly went blank. She looked flabbergasted. “How is that possible? The current imperial preceptor, Hong Shenshang, is second only to the current emperor in rank. How could the sixth prince offer you such a position just like that?”
It seemed the nearby middle-aged swordsman couldn’t take it any longer. He snorted, “Of the eight princes, the sixth is one of the emperor’s least favored, and he’s never held true authority. His status in the imperial family pales in comparison to his brothers.
“He’s just talking nonsense and promising you the moon. Do you really believe him? Or are you just greedily trying to seize an opportunity to turn a profit?”
The middle-aged swordsman seemed to have some understanding of the imperial family’s inner workings, and he sounded deeply displeased. He assumed Su Yi had ulterior motives for making such a declaration.
Cha Jin seemed to have calmed down too, and she said lightly, “Young Lord Su, Uncle Xiang has a temper and can be a bit direct. Don’t take it personally. But to the best of my knowledge, the sixth prince’s current predicament really is… a bit awkward.”
“Don’t repeat your past mistakes,” said Su Yi, handing Cha Jin yet another glass. “Finish this, then be on your way.”
Cha Jin’s beautiful brow furrowed. Su Yi’s unshakable calm filled her with wordless irritation.
She’d come here of her own volition, and she’d already fully demonstrated her sincerity, but he was giving her no face at all!
The atmosphere frosted over.
The middle-aged man turned to look at Su YI.
In that moment, his eyes were like sharp blades, and his gaze seemed to tear a hole in the night sky. His pupils flashed with intimidatingly cold, terrifying light, and the surrounding air almost seemed to freeze. The atmosphere was suddenly so heavy, it was suffocating.
This was the intimidation of a Grandmaster!
“Young man, it’s good to have lofty ambitions, but not to be arrogant. Don’t you know what’s good for you? Miss Cha Jin appreciates your talent, which is why she’s trying to recruit you to our cause, yet you seem to think you’re someone special now?”
The middle-aged swordsman spoke coldly, his words forceful and intimidating. 𝒆𝙣𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝙚𝙩
Su Yi’s gaze frosted over.
“They say you can slay Grandmasters, but the geezer you killed on board the tower ship used a forbidden, self-destructive art before you two even fought. He was already at the end of his rope.” The swordsman’s eyes flashed with cold light and disdain. “And you? You just took advantage of his weakness!”
Cha Jin’s gaze darted around. She laughed in an attempt to alleviate the tension. “Uncle Xiang, Young Lord Su slew a Grandmaster. How could he possibly be ordinary?”
“Of course he’s extraordinary. I’m just trying to warn him not to think too highly of himself,” said the middle-aged swordsman flatly.
“Do you two know what happened at the Qingding Military Drill Grounds yesterday?” Su Yi’s expression remained indifferent throughout this exchange, and his gaze was focused on the cup of wine he’d poured for Cha Jin.
“The Qingding Military Drill Grounds? No, what happened?” Cha Jin was stunned, and she instinctively glanced at the middle-aged man.
He furrowed his brow. “They say a mysterious but highly capable expert killed both Qin Wenyuan and his son. Why bring that up?”
Cha Jin froze momentarily, then blinked. “Young Lord Su, surely you’re not trying to say that?you’re?the mysterious expert who killed Qin Wenyuan and son?”
“Got it in one,” said Su Yi. He picked the cup off the table and poured it onto the floor. “I’ll give you one last chance. Get out of my sight this instant, or else….
He rose from his wicker chair with a faint smile. “Or else you’ll never make it out alive.”
Although he smiled, it was without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Cha Jin’s expression changed dramatically, and she retreated several steps back. “Young Lord Su,” she shouted, obviously infuriated. “That joke isn’t the least bit funny!”
She naturally wouldn’t believe that he was the mysterious expert who’d killed Qin Wenyuan.
But the middle-aged swordsman couldn’t help but laugh. His eyes surged with murderous intent. “Then I’ll be blunt too: if you refuse, in order to prevent you from divulging our identities, we’ll have to kill you and everyone else living here!”
“That so?” Su Yi’s eyes carried no emotion whatsoever. “It seems I’ve really been too agreeable.”
He took a step forward.
Cha Jin looked flustered. “Young Lord Su, why be so stubborn?”
Clang!
The hum of a sword rang out as Uncle Xiang drew his sword. It was a spiritual blade, and as it exited its sheath, it seemed to crackle with purple lightning. The intense light stung the eyes.
The sword was called “Reflecting Purple.”
Chai Yong, a master swordsmith of the Jade Capital, had forged it personally. In doing so, he’d expended eighty-one types of spiritual materials. It was ranked thirty-third on the Great Zhou’s Famous Sword Leaderboards!
With his sword in hand, Uncle Xiang’s bearing changed dramatically. He was imposing and indifferent, and his aura expanded around him, filling the skies.
“Submit beneath my sword, or die. Your choice,” said Uncle Xiang coldly.
When she saw this, Cha Jin retreated, leaving the gazebo without hesitation. However, when she looked at Su Yi, her gaze carried a hint of pity.
Was this really necessary?
We tried to do this the easy way. Why insist on doing it the hard way?
She couldn’t help but sigh to herself.
“Drawing your sword? In front of me?” Su Yi’s gaze carried a hint of disdain. “Listen up. Within three moves, I’ll sever your right wrist, force you to your knees, and cut off your head!”
As he spoke, the depths of his eyes flashed with terrifying, sinister light.
His right hand shot out like a sword.
“Reckless!” Uncle Xiang’s expression darkened.
Clang!
His long-accumulated, towering momentum burst forth with the low, reverberating hum of his sword.
Woosh!
Reflecting Purple stirred up a nigh illusory purple sword shadow, which shot ahead, piercing through the darkness like a sudden crack of thunder.
Cha Jin’s eyes stung, and her heart filled with indescribable shock.
Uncle Xiang was one of the top experts working beneath the second prince, and he’d been famous for over a decade. His “Thunderflame Swordsmanship” had once shocked all who witnessed it, and even his fellow Grandmasters exclaimed over its brilliance!
With swordsmanship like that, even a casual attack revealed the peerless bearing of a Martial Dao Grandmaster!
But Su Yi didn’t even dodge. He just stretched out and swept his right hand.
His movement looked simple and understated, yet it was as miraculous as if he’d swept aside the clouds and revealed the sun.
The rapidly incoming sword qi instantly shifted to the side.
Hm??Uncle Xiang’s?pupils constricted.
How ample was his combat experience? He immediately changed his stance. If his earlier stance was like lightning streaking across the sky, his current stance was like a densely-layered mountain range. It swept through heaven and earth, with no obvious weaknesses to exploit. It seemed unshakable!
But Su Yi’s hand moved just as it had before, with only one subtle change. This time, the pale skin of his fingertips emitted dazzlingly radiant light.
Clang!
When sword and fingertip collided, a massive, deafening boom ensued.
That seemingly invincible sword force burst apart and disappeared as if it were made of soap bubbles.
Immediately afterward, Su Yi’s fingertips brushed lightly against Uncle Xiang’s right wrist.
Splurt!
It was obviously just a light touch, as gentle as a drizzle in spring, yet it now seemed like an incomparably sharp knife. It effortlessly severed Uncle Xiang’s hand.
His right hand, complete with his sword, Reflecting Purple, fell to the ground. The stump was as smooth and flat as a mirror, and blood gushed out like a geyser.
Uncle Xiang was in agony, and so stunned, he didn’t know how to react.
Su Yi’s attack looked effortless, yet it seemed capable of parting the clouds. It broke the seemingly mountainous force of Uncle Xiang’s sword, and even took his right hand clean off!
How could this boy be so terrifying??Almost instinctively, Uncle Xiang retreated explosively.
But it was then that Su Yi’s indifferent voice rang out once more. “Now for my second attack.”
His right hand suddenly formed seals in mid-air. He gestured as if pressing something down.
He was like a god moving mountains or repressing nations!
Boom!
The surrounding air burst, as if it couldn’t withstand the force.
The light around Su Yi’s palm seemed to solidify. He pressed down, and despite Uncle Xiang’s attempts to resist, within a single breath of time, the pressure forced him to his knees with a bang. He hit the ground with so much force, the ground split with an audible crunch.
It all happened too fast, and it was too domineering, as if Su Yi were merely swatting a fly. This suppressive force was so intense, Uncle Xiang’s defenses shattered like rotten wood.
“This….”
Uncle Xiang was so shocked and furious that his eyes almost popped out of his head.
Cha Jin suddenly seemed to recover from her bewildered daze. She shrieked, “Don’t do it—!”
But it was as if Su Yi didn’t even hear her. His finger was like a blade. One gentle cut, and Uncle Xiang’s head flew through the air.
From beginning to end, he couldn’t react, much less resist.
In the last moments before his death, his face filled with shock, terror, and disbelief.
Su Yi’s earlier words seemed to echo through his ears.
“Listen up. Within three moves, I’ll sever your right wrist, force you to your knees, and cut off your head!”