/
Chapter 13 - Apologies
“Are you from the Huang Family?” Su Yi’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t seem surprised or flustered.
The black-robed elder responded expressionlessly, “Young Lord Su, you’ve already figured it out, so you’d best come with us quietly. That’ll do us all good.”
“Where are we going?” asked Su Yi.
“The Immortal Gathering House,” said the elder firmly.
Despite himself, Su Yi was stunned. Does Huang Qianjun want to crawl back up from the same place he fell?
“Let’s go.” He turned and started walking towards the Immortal Gathering House.
The black-robed elder and his subordinates were stunned; they would never have guessed Su Yi would be so self-aware and so proactive. Wasn’t this a bit too simple?
“Keep a close eye on him. Whatever you do, don’t let that kid sneak off!” The elder quietly gave his orders, then led his subordinates forward.
However, his worries didn’t come to pass. As he walked, Su Yi seemed leisurely and relaxed. He had no intention of fleeing whatsoever.
It was only after reaching the Immortal Gathering House and watching Su Yi go inside that the elder sighed in relief. Still, he was surprised. The Wen Family’s live-in son-in-law sure has guts!
It was just after noon, the time when the Immortal Gathering House’s business was typically at its best. However, when Su Yi entered, he found the place still and lifeless. All the seats were empty.
Except, a familiar face stood behind the counter—
The owner of the Immortal Gathering House, Yue Tianhe!
When he saw Su Yi, Yue Tianhe laughed cheerfully, but it sounded a bit like he was gloating over Su Yi’s misfortune, as if he knew what was about to happen. “Young Lord Su, Family Head Huang has personally arranged a banquet in the private dining room you visited yesterday. He’s waiting for you as we speak.”
“Aren’t you afraid we’ll ruin your Immortal Gathering House?” asked Su Yi casually.
Yue Tianhe’s smile froze, but then, he laughed. “Young Lord Su, please relax. Our signboard is exceptionally durable. There’s no way any ordinary person could damage it.”
He paused, and when he continued, his voice carried a hint of pity. “You should worry about yourself, Young Lord Su
. I’m afraid you’re in for bad luck today.”
Su Yi smiled. “Shopkeeper Yue, you’re welcome to watch the spectacle, but if your Immortal Gathering House suffers any damages, I’m sure not going to reimburse you.”
As he gave this warning, he was already heading up the stairs to the second floor.
Yue Tianhe scrunched up his brow. Why does that brat look so fearless? Does he have something up his sleeves?
But the one who’s out to get him today is Huang Yunchong! The head of the Huang Family, one of the most influential and powerful figures in all of Guangling City!
Su Yi, I’d like to see just how a mere live-in son-in-law of the Wen Family like you plans to leave the Immortal Gathering House in one piece!
Meanwhile, the door to the second-floor private dining room was already open. When Su Yi arrived, he saw three people seated inside.
The first was Huang Qianjun. His robes were dark and lavish, and he sat beside a middle-aged man in dragon-embroidered imperial robes.
The man was tall and imposing, with features as hard as rocks. Although he was seated casually, his presence was imposing as a coiling dragon or tiger lying in wait.
A green-robed man with a long knife strapped to his waist sat on his other side. He looked roughly forty years old, and his complexion was sallow. He was busy fiddling with a silver dagger.
As he shifted his hands, the sharp, cold dagger jumped and rolled about so rapidly, it left onlookers dazzled.
When Su Yi appeared, the man in green narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down. Moments later, he burst into jeering laughter. It seemed he was disappointed.
“Su Yi, you’re finally here!” Huang Qianjun’s eyes blazed with hatred carved into his very bones.
“Yesterday, I told you I’d give you your chance to get revenge,” said Su Yi. “Since you’ve decided to take it, it’s only natural I’d show up.”
As Su Yi spoke, he leisurely strolled into the room, picked a seat at random, and sat down. His gaze swept across the middle-aged men in green and imperial robes, but he said no more.
The man in embroidered dragon robes seemed surprised, perhaps because Su YI seemed overly composed.
Then, he suddenly lamented, “The former Sword Chief of Blueriver Sword Manor’s outer sect is indeed far braver than the common man. I can finally confirm that Yue Tianhe was right, the old fox. The people of Guangling City have indeed underestimated you.”
He might have sounded mellow, but he emanated the imposing air of an authority figure.
Su Yi stretched out his hand and tapped casually on the table. “It’s already noon. If you want to make small talk, I’m going to go ahead and order food and drinks. We can chat over lunch.”
Huang Qianjun scowled. Does he really think we’re here to eat?
The man in green’s expression remained unchanged. He just went on fiddling with his silver dagger, as if he weren’t the least bit interested in any of this.
The man in imperial dragon robes laughed. “If you’ve still got an appetite after this is over, I guarantee I’ll let you eat your fill.”
After a brief pause, he introduced himself. “My name is Huang Yunchong. I heard you taught my good-for-nothing son a lesson here yesterday. Let’s set aside who was right and who was wrong. My son was bullied. As his father, I have to do something about it, don’t you think?”
Su Yi gave an easy nod. “Hit the little one, and the big one comes running. It’s to be expected.”
Huang Yunchong tilted forward, his eyes instantly incomparably sharp. He stared straight ahead at Su Yi and said, “I can see that you’re a clever sort, so I’ll be direct. If we don’t resolve this incident, what happened yesterday will make my son the laughingstock of Guangling City. He’s almost a grown man, yet he peed his pants in fright? If word of this spreads, well, it won’t be pleasant.”
Huang Qianjun’s face contorted in fury and embarrassment, and when he next looked at Su Yi, his gaze was even more vicious.
“How do you propose we resolve this?” asked Su Yi, entirely unruffled.
Huang Yunchong’s presence was powerful and imposing; he was obviously an imposing expert of the Qi Accumulation Realm. His every movement struck terror into people’s hearts.
But this little bit of presence was nowhere near enough to influence Su Yi’s mind. On the contrary, he felt the urge to laugh.
Trying to intimidate people?
You have to determine who you’re dealing with first!
Su Yi’s indifference response surprised Huang Yunchong once more. He pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly. “With an apology.”
“An apology?”
“That’s right. Get down on your knees, then crawl all the way out of the Immortal Gathering House, kowtowing once with each step.” Huang Yunchong casually pointed to the floor outside the private dining room. His voice was gentle, and he wore a smile on his face. “You have to make noise when your head hits the ground. It has to be audible from every private room on all three floors of the Immortal Gathering House.”
Huang Qianjun couldn’t help but smile, straight from the heart. His eyes lit up with excitement.
The man in green spoke up for the first time. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Family Head, you sure are merciful.”
Huang Yunzhong’s grin broadened. “You don’t understand. This is just a conflict between youths; there’s no need to be ruthless.”
You think that’s not ruthless? Huang Qianjun couldn’t help but gasp. His father’s casual, understated tone shocked even him.
Huang Yunchong’s gaze was fixed on Su Yi the entire time. He continued, “Once you’ve kowtowed your way out of the building, you are to kneel there and slap yourself. Remember, you need to use enough force to make noise. It needs to be clearly audible even from thirty feet away.”
As he said this, his fingers drummed against the tabletop, and he flashed a carefree smile. “Once the onlookers disperse, that’ll be the end of this incident. “
Huang Qianjun’s heart filled with excitement, eager to see what was about to happen.
“The way I see it, this punishment is still too light. That said, since the head of the family doesn’t want to make a big fuss, we can just leave it at that. We’ll let the kid off easy.” The man in green toyed with his dagger, and his narrow eyes bore into Su Yi like a knife. “Will you do it yourself, or do you need me to help you?”
His voice was raspy, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue. The sound sent chills down listeners’ spines.
Huang Yunchong and Huang Qianjun looked at Su Yi as well. The entire private dining room’s atmosphere was suddenly tense and heavy.
But in the end, Su Yi’s expression didn’t so much as ripple. He said coldly, “And here I thought you were daring enough to kill. I wouldn’t have guessed that
. You’d come up with a silly little game like this.”
Huang Qianjun was stunned. He almost didn’t believe his ears.
Huang Yunchong furrowed his brow.
The green-robed man’s eyes frosted over. He shot to his feet, emanating a terrifying aura. It seemed he was about to attack.
But it was then that—
The heavy thudding of frantic footsteps rang out, immediately followed by a coarse voice
“Brother Huang, please give me face and let Su Yi go.”
This voice was still echoing as a large, powerful, imposing man with a curled beard strode into the private room, his bright eyes flashing like lightning.
“Nie Beihu?” Huang Yunchong’s brow furrowed even deeper, and he snorted coldly, “I simply can’t fathom why the commander of the City Lord’s guards would come here to help a live-in son-in-law.”
Ah, so he’s Nie Teng’s father
.! Su Yi suddenly understood. He recalled what Nie Teng had said yesterday after departing the Immortal Gathering House: “I’ll return this favor!”
Clearly, after returning home, Nie Teng had requested his father’s assistance.
This was most likely why Nie Beihu had shown up here now.
As expected, Nie Beihu entered the private dining room and said solemnly, “Yesterday, your honorable son bullied my boy. Fortunately, Su Yi stepped in. How could I, Nie Beihu, fail to return this favor?”
Huang Yunchong glanced at Huang Qianjun, who hurriedly explained, “Father, I just scared Nie Teng a little, but I didn’t hit him, much less humiliate him.”
“Brother Nie, you heard him. This matter has nothing to do with your son,” said Huang Yunchong. His expression was cold, his words indifferent. “On the contrary, my son was the one who got bullied. If I simply let this go, how can my son live in Guangling City with his head held high?”
Nie Beihu’s expression darkened, but just as he was about to say something, Huang Yunchong cut him off. “Brother Nie, there’s no need to say anymore. Never mind you, even if Family Head Wen Changjing were here in person, he couldn’t protect Su Yi!”
His words were sonorant, forceful, and lofty.
Nie Beihu’s expression instantly turned unsightly. He’d come in person, only to be refused so bluntly; it was like a slap in the face.
When Su Yi saw this, he couldn’t help but inwardly shake his head. He’d never planned on relying on other people to resolve this anyway.
However, whatever else he might say, Nie Beihu had come here to help him. He couldn’t just watch him get treated like this.
But before Su Yi could respond, they heard yet another series of hurried footsteps emanate from beyond the stairway.
Huang Yunhong’s brows knit in displeasure.
The Immortal Gathering House was Yue Tianhe’s territory. He’d assumed that no one would disturb him here, yet now it had happened again! Of course Huang Yunchong was annoyed!
The others in the room were confused. Who is it this time?
Before long, someone new appeared outside the private room.
It was a middle-aged man in loose-sleeved Confucian robes. He had a long, willowy beard and mustache and an exceptional bearing. However, his brow was knit with burning panic, and his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat. It was obvious he’d come here in a hurry.
When he arrived and saw that Su Yi was sitting there unharmed, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
Then, beneath the group’s stunned gaze, the middle-aged man in Confucian robes rushed up to Su Yi and bowed in greeting. “Young Lord Su, they didn’t hurt you, did they?”