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Chapter 251 - Deterrence
The Heavenbrave Marquis, Yue Qing, left.
Dark scowls surfaced on Ning Sihua, Shen Jiusong, and Chen Zheng’s faces.
It was indeed just as they expected; the Su Family had long since sprung into action!
According to Yue Qing, several people with connections to Su Yi were already under the Su Family’s control. As he put it, everyone had already “turned their backs on him.”
Who could possibly miss the implications?
The Su Family had obviously used its prestige to threaten the experts and factions connected to Su Yi, leaving them little choice but to distance themselves from him!
“Isn’t the Su Family being a bit too ruthless?” Chen Zheng’s expression darkened.
Earlier, he received a letter from the Firedome King, Xia Houlin, telling him to sever his bond with Su Yi or else the Su Family would consider him its enemy.
From this, he didn’t even need to think to guess how the Su Family was treating everyone else!
“Fortunately, they haven’t killed anyone. Otherwise, they wouldn’t say they were only doing this to ‘beat some sense’ into Fellow Daoist Su,” Ning Sihua muttered. “In other words, those connected to him are not in life-threatening danger, at least for now.”
“But what if the Su Family uses their lives as a threat tomorrow morning, when Young Lord Su visits the seat of the provincial government?” Shen Jiusong couldn’t help but ask.
“This….” Ning Sihua fell silent.
If that really happened, Su Yi’s hands would be tied. He couldn’t act without fear of hurting those he cared about. What was he supposed to do then?
Would he choose to endure and lower his head out of consideration for their lives?
Or would he directly start a massacre?
Ning Sihua couldn’t help but glance at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, how do you see this matter?”
Shen Jiusong and Chen Zheng looked over as well, only to see that Su Yi’s expression was as calm as ever. They saw no trace of panic or anxiety; he looked incomparably composed.
“If the Su Family were only targeting me, then no matter what petty tricks they employed, I’d disdain losing my temper. However, they’re currently attempting to use the lives of others to force me to lower my head. This is no longer a mere petty trick; they’ve already crossed my bottom line.”
His gaze was distant and utterly indifferent, and his tone was casual. “It doesn’t matter whether or not they actually kill anyone. They’ve chosen this path, so they’ll pay the corresponding price.”
Just judging from his tone and expression, they couldn’t see any signs of anger.
However, Ning Sihua, Shen Jiusong, and Chen Zheng all felt an inexplicable chill in their hearts.
This was the first time Su Yi had made his position clear: the Su Family’s behavior had crossed his bottom line!
Dragons had reverse scales, and anyone who touched them had to die.
What kind of person was Su Yi? If you crossed his bottom line, the consequences were naturally dire!
Su Yi glanced at Ning Sihua and said, “Palace Master Ning, I think you’d best pay Heaven’s Origin Academy a visit.”
Ning Sihua instantly came to her senses and nodded. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll go right now.”
With that, she boarded the Bluescale Eagle and rode off.
Su Yi then turned to look at Shen Jiusong. “Cloudlight Marquis, it’s entirely possible that the Su Family has prepared various means of threatening you. You’d best be prepared.”
Shen Jiusong’s expression shifted slightly. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, “Young Lord Su, please rest assured. I, Shen Jiusong, will not sink to betrayal!”
Su Yi shook his head. “When you’re threatened, you often have little choice. So long as the people involved remain unharmed, it doesn’t really count as a betrayal.”
He said this, then rubbed his tummy and said a bit helplessly, “I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to go out and purchase some food and wine.”
Shen Jiusong was dazed. He… He’s hungry? But the situation is already so serious. How could he possibly be worried about food and drink even now?
This… This is ‘equanimity even in a crisis’ and ‘superhuman composure’, isn’t it…?
Su Yi’s calm composure seemed infectious, as Shen Jiusong instantly relaxed. He laughed, “Please wait; I’ll be right back.”
“Remember to go to the Pot of Freshness and buy a whole roasted lamb and butterfish!” ordered Su Yi.
Shen Jiusong straightforwardly agreed, then dashed off.
“Young Lord Su, what do we do with him?” Chen Zheng gestured to the nearby Chen Jinlong.
Chen Jinlong was so terrified, he collapsed to the ground and shrieked in terror. “Brother Su, you know I never wanted to be your enemy. I….”
“There’s no need to explain.” Su Yi raised a hand to silence him, then said in amusement, “You really are unlucky. It seems that every time we run into each other, you’re in a terrible spot.”
He thought back to their first meeting at the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital’s House of Prosperity. Chen Jinlong and a few other Blueriver Sword Manor disciples came knocking and provoked him. In the end, Chen Jinglong was forced to kneel and slap himself across the face.
Their second meeting was at the Snowy Villa. Chen Jinlong was only playing a supporting role then, but his sectmate, Yan Yufeng, had implicated him, leaving him terrified out of his wits, too scared to stand, but also too scared to remain seated.
Their third meeting was in Yangku Town, when a Grandmaster in the Yu Family’s employ, Qiao Leng, set his sights on him.
And this time, he’d been threatened by the Heavenbrave Marquis…
He really was as unlucky as it gets.
Chen Jinlong was stunned. He suddenly felt the urge to burst into tears.
He also felt that he was simply unbelievably unlucky. When he and Su Yi met, nothing good ever came of it….
“Brother Su, I’m just glad you don’t blame me,” said Chen Jinlong, his voice choked with sobs. He really was on the verge of tears.
Su Yi helped him to his feet, then said gently, “Enough. You’d best leave quickly, and I recommend leaving the provincial capital immediately. Going forward… It’d be best if we never met again, and don’t tell anyone we know each other. Otherwise, I’m truly worried you’ll encounter misfortune yet again.”
Chen Jinlong nodded bitterly. Before long, he scurried away in dejection.
Su Yi sighed just watching this. He couldn’t help but feel sympathetic when he saw someone as unlucky as Chen Jinlong.
Then, he glanced up at the night sky, took out his wicker chair, and lounged beside the pond.
He fully relaxed his body, then said softly, “Spiritmartial Marquis, we’ve got a bit of time, so let’s take advantage of it. I’ll teach you a secret soul technique. With it, you’ll be able to refine the foreign soul power in your sea of consciousness. Listen carefully.”
Chen Zheng’s heart shook. He instantly cast aside his scattered thoughts, calmed his heart, and focused.
Su Yi immediately proceeded to teach him a secret art called the “Combatting Chaos Soul Refining Sutra”.
It was only a few hundred characters long, yet each was like a pearl rife with profundity.
Chen Zheng committed every word to memory. Once he was finished, Su Yi started from the beginning, describing the technique’s true essence in detail.
As he listened, Chen Zheng found himself unwittingly transfixed, as if he were intoxicated.
By the time Su Yi finished, Chen Zheng was completely immersed in a wondrous state of enlightenment.
Su Yi didn’t disturb him. He just lay there silently in his wicker chair, watching the lotuses swaying beneath the sunset.
Not long ago, Cha Jin would have been here to attend to his needs, to wash and fold his clothes, to brew and pour his tea, and to have deep discussions about the Dao of cultivation in his chambers at night.
Only a few days had passed, but due to the Su Family’s forceful intervention, everything had changed.
Su Yi was strongly averse to such sudden changes, and he felt deeply irritated.
Once this is over, I’ll have to visit the Jade Capital….. Su Yi muttered to himself. Beneath the blazing light of the setting sun, his gaze was deep and profound, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
A long time passed before Chen Zheng awoke from his enlightenment. “Young Lord Su, many thanks for instructing me!”
His staunch features were full of gratitude. Shockingly, he directly knelt as if to kowtow, a show of extreme deference.
Su Yi remained unmoving and seated in his willow chair, except for his right hand, which he lifted slightly. Chen Zheng instantly froze in place, unable to kneel.
“A man shouldn’t grovel,” said Su Yi calmly. “Cultivators such as ourselves shouldn’t bow to heaven or earth. We shouldn’t defer to gods or ghosts, and we should fear neither life nor death. Spiritmartial Marquis, you aren’t my disciple, so you need not be so polite.”
Chen Zheng took a deep breath, then clasped his fist. “Thank you for instructing me.”
It was then that Shen Jiusong returned carrying boxed meals and jars of wine. When he saw this, a wave of indescribable envy arose in his heart.
There was no way he’d fail to realize that Chen Zheng had already received Su Yi’s guidance and instruction!
Despite his jealousy, Shen Jiusong smiled and congratulated Chen Zheng. “Congratulations, Spiritmartial Marquis. With Young Lord Su’s guidance, you have no need to fear failing to enter the ranks of true cultivators!”
Chen Zheng’s face was brimming with delight.
This time, he really had turned disaster into fortune. Although he’d come perilously close to being possessed, thanks to Su Yi’s guidance, he’d turned this calamity into hope for a brighter future!
Night fell.
Su Yi, Shen Jiusong, and Chen Zheng sat at a table by the lakeside, eating and chatting.
The starry skies overhead were clear, and the moon was bright. Cool, comfortable breezes blew across the surface of the pond. The scene was tranquil and pleasing.
However, when they recalled what the Heavenbrave Marquis said earlier, Shen Jiusong and Chen Zheng couldn’t truly relax.
Only Su Yi seemed perfectly content as he relished his food and drink. It was as if none of this had anything to do with him.
When they were fully satiated, the Bluescale Eagle descended from the skies with a letter Ning Sihua had penned herself.
The letter’s contents were simple—
Yesterday at dawn, Jiaxia Academy’s vice palace master, Tao Zheng, and Watermoon Academy’s vice palace master, Mo Huaque, had each led a group of elders to “visit” Heaven’s Origin Academy.
Now, both groups had temporarily taken up residence there.
Nominally speaking, they were here to give disciples of the three academies an opportunity to spar, converse, and learn from each other.
But Ning Sihua could tell at a glance that both Tao Zheng and Mo Huaque were using that as an excuse; this was obviously intended as a threat!
Both Jixia Academy and Watermoon Academy had close ties to the Su Family!
Disciples of the Su Family and the various factions subordinate to them typically chose these two academies to cultivate in.
Jixia Academy’s vice palace master, Tao Zheng, was also the grand elder of the Tao Family, and the Tao Family was one of the seven great clans subordinate to the Su Family!
Mo Huaque had deep connections to the Su Family as well.
It was blatantly obvious that both great academies had come to “visit” Heaven’s Origin Academy to support the Su Family’s display of power!
But Heaven’s Origin Academy was also one of the Great Zhou’s Ten Great Academies. Furthermore, it had the mysterious Ning Sihua to hold down the fort. Neither Tao Zheng nor Mo Huaque would try anything lightly.
But it was obvious to anyone that their arrival itself was an implied threat!
According to Ning Sihua’s deductions, the second conflict arose between Su Yi and the forces of the Su Family, Tao Zheng and Mo Huaque would take action!
Su Yi didn’t care about this, or rather, he wasn’t the least bit concerned. According to Ning Sihua’s letter, both Wen Lingxue and Cha Jin were alive and well. Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to pay the rest of the letter’s contents any heed.
Their “guests” were nothing but the Su Family’s dogs. If they dared lash out, he’d just kill them and be done with it. What was there to worry about?