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The ninth floor of the Overflowing Goblet.
Phoenix Song Palace.
“Young Lord, that esteemed personage is waiting inside. Allow me to bid you farewell here,” said Qiao Yu with a charming smile.
Su Yi nodded, watched Qiao Yu leave, then said to Fang Yuan, “You wait here.”
With that, he pushed open the door and entered Phoenix Song Palace.
The interior had a classical elegance, but there was only one person seated there, a handsome young man in jade-colored robes.
This was none other than the sixth prince, Zhou Zhili!
When he saw Su Yi, he shot to his feet and went up to greet him. “Brother Su, thank you for coming all the way here in person. I’m sorry to trouble you; it’s just that my status is a bit unusual. Were I to visit you at Pinewind Villa, numerous people would watch my every move. Please, forgive me.”
Su Yi waved his concerns away. “Let’s hear it. What’s the urgent matter you mentioned in your letter?”
Earlier, at Pinewind Villa, it had been Zhou Zhili who’d sent that message.
Otherwise, Su Yi couldn’t have been bothered to come all the way here in person.
As he spoke, he casually sat down, filled his glass, and started drinking.
However, Zhou Zhili was nowhere near as composed. He said in a voice fraught with worry, “Brother Su, earlier, I urged you not to come to the Jade Capital. Who’d have thought you’d come anyway…?”
He sighed.
Su Yi asked, “Are you worried something will happen to me in the Jade Capital?”
Zhou Zhili shook his head, “No, I’m not worried about that.”
He thought for a moment, then said solemnly, “Brother Su, please forgive my boldness, but what do you plan to do about your father? You aren’t… Don’t tell me you’re really going to commit patricide?”
Su Yi took a drink, then said offhandedly, “What, is that not okay?”
“It’s not that it’s not okay, but that there’s no way you’ll get the chance,” said Zhou Zhili with a bitter laugh.
Su Yi arched his brow. “What do you mean by that?”
Zhou Zhili took a deep breath, then lowered his voice and said, “Things have already progressed to this point, so I won’t keep it from you. Neither Imperial Father nor State Preceptor Hong Shenshang will allow something like that to occur!
“This means that, even if you manage to defeat Su Hongli, if you try to kill him, my father and Hong Shenshang will stop you!”
“Oh?” said Su Yi with carefree ease. “And do you think they can stop me?”
Zhou Zhili shook his head. “Brother Su, the Great Zhou Dynasty has maintained its hold on this land for years, and we rely on more than just mundane authority to maintain control. Otherwise, how could we possibly repress cultivation factions like the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect?”
Su Yi asked with great interest, “What are you getting at?”
Zhou Zhili hesitated, then lowered his voice. “The Great Zhou’s imperial family controls a mysterious and powerful force. They call themselves the Unknown Dragons. Every Unknown Dragon is an Earthly Immortal, an expert that transcends the mundane. Their strengths are deep and inscrutable.
“My father could only ascend to the imperial throne all those years ago because the Unknown Dragons gave their approval!
“The Unknown Dragons pay no heed to mundane affairs. They’re cultivators detached from the world. However, the power at their disposal is sufficient to intimidate even the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect.
“Over the years, Imperial Father has used every power at his disposal to scour the nation for cultivation resources. Over half of whatever rare spiritual materials and medicines he finds go to the Unknown Dragons.”
“Especially recently. My father has dispatched his forces to search for treasures within the Eight Great Yao Mountains. Whatever they find winds up in the hands of the Unknown Dragons.” Zhou Zhili paused to take a sip of tea. He sighed, “Brother Su, now, you ought to understand why I urged you to take precautions. If Imperial Father requests the Unknown Dragons’ aid, you’ll find yourself alone and helpless in the Jade Capital. Anyone in that situation would face inevitable defeat.”
Su Yi said thoughtfully, “Tell me, how many Unknown Dragons are there?”
Zhou Zhili thought for a moment. “There ought to be more than ten of them!”
Su Yi laughed. “And what if all of them were to die? What consequences would await the Great Zhou’s imperial family then?”
Zhou Zhili was stunned.
“I already understand what you’re worried about,” said Su Yi. “But you needn’t say anymore. If your father truly has the courage to face the consequences, I don’t mind starting a massacre here in the Jade Capital.”
With that, he rose. He’d already decided to leave.
Zhou Zhili hurried to his feet. He couldn’t help but repeat the same question he’d earlier. “Brother Su, you… You’re not really going to kill your father, are you?”
“That would be letting him off too easily,” said Su Yi. As he spoke, he was already leaving Phoenix Song Palace.
Years ago, Su Hongli stripped Ye Yufei of her position and placed her under house arrest. The sheer torment made her fall gravely ill, and in the end, she died.
How could Su Yi let Su Hongli die so easily?
Killing someone was easy. Making them live a life worse than death? That was the far crueler punishment!
Of course, if it were really necessary, Su Yi wouldn’t mind just killing Su Hongli directly.
……
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……
The Wenyuan Palace.
“Second Brother, Xinglin’s death is all my fault. I should never have written to Eldest Brother for aid. I would never have thought that the little beast Su Yi could kill Xinglin!” You Qingzhi looked grief-stricken and on the verge of tears.
A man in simple white robes sat across from her. He wore a high-brimmed hat, and his face was slightly gaunt. His eyes flashed with cold light, making him seem as sharp as a sword.
You Tianhong!
He was an elder of the Great Qin’s You Family, the disciple of the leader of the Profound Moon Temple, and a legendary Origin Dao sword cultivator. The people of the Great Qin honored him as “Sword Monarch Tianhong.”
“How could you possibly be to blame for this? If I weren’t absolutely certain Su Yi was the culprit, I wouldn’t dare believe a young Grandmaster like him could kill an Earthly Immortal like Li Changning.” You Tianhong’s eyes flashed, glinting with intimidating light. “But now that I’m here, I’ll naturally take the boy’s head, and bring it back to the clan to comfort Xinglin’s departed soul!”
Even his words were like swords; each brimmed with shocking murderous intent.
It was then that Su Boning couldn’t help but speak up. “Uncle, Father said that he’ll deal with Su Yi personally next month on the fifth.”
You Tianhong instantly burst into cold laughter. “Su Hongli has been in seclusion for a decade. Even now, he’s like a turtle hiding in his shell, without the slightest bloodthirst. But then, it’s to be expected. After all, Su Yi is still his son. It’s only natural that he can’t bear to kill him himself.”
You Qingzhi explained, “Second Brother, you’ve misunderstood. Su Hongli has always been the type to keep his word, no matter what. There’s no way he’ll renege on his promise. Furthermore, although Su Yi is his son, he’s also the person Su Hongli detests the most. I don’t doubt that he’ll exterminate the little beast!”
Despite himself, You Tianhong was surprised. “Not even tigers eat their own cubs. Besides, does Su Hongli truly have the guts to become ‘the man who killed his own son?’”
You Qingzhi’s expression turned a bit strange. “This isn’t about whether or not he has the guts. It’s about the little beast’s mother, Ye Yufei.”
“What do you mean?” You Tianhong furrowed his brow.
You Qingzhi shook her head. “I don’t know the exact reasons, but I can roughly discern that there was an issue with Ye Yufei’s background.”
“Oh?” said You Tianhong. “Never mind that. I certainly won’t rely on Su Hongli to dispose of Su Yi for me.”
“Then when do you plan to do it?” asked Su Boning.
You Tianhong fiddled with his wineglass, his expression somber. “I am, after all, from the Great Qin, while in this is the Jade Capital. Emperor Zhou most certainly won’t agree to let me attack here, and trying might well lead to unnecessary trouble. Thus, I plan to schedule a duel with Su Yi three days from now. We’ll fight outside the city, atop Nine Millet Mountain!”
“But what if he doesn’t dare show up?” asked Su Boning.
“Rest assured,” said You Tianhong leisurely. “I’ll make sure he has no choice but to come.”
With that, he rose. “Let’s go.”
You Qingzhi and Su Boning hurriedly got up to follow him.
“Uncle, when you kill Su Yi, can I watch you fight?” As they left the Overflowing Goblet, Su Boning couldn’t help but ask. His eyes shone with eagerness.
You Tianhong laughed. “When the time comes, you’re welcome to come watch.”
Su Boning instantly lit up. “That’s great! Uncle, you might not know this, but lately, I’ve found it hard to sleep at night, and I’ve had little appetite. I simply can’t wait for that wicked creature Su Yi to disappear from this world!”
A hint of a smile rose unbidden to You Qingzhi’s lips as well. You Xinglin’s death filled her with incomparable fury, and she’d blamed herself for a long time. She naturally couldn’t wait for Su Yi to drop dead.
Now, You Tianhong was here in person, and he wanted to kill Su Yi. This naturally couldn’t get any better.
But it was then that—
A calm voice rang out. “Su Boning, who exactly are you calling a wicked creature?”
Su Boning turned and saw a youth in blue walking through the Overflowing Goblet’s main gates.
“Su Yi!?” Su Boning’s expression shifted, seemingly in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
Practically simultaneously, You Qingzhi’s expression shifted, and her eyes surged with fury. She spat through gnashed teeth, “So, it’s you! You little beast!”
You Tianhong turned around. His eyes crackled with electricity and glinted like a sword’s edge. This young man… So this is Su Yi?
What a coincidence! To think we’d bump into him here, at the Overflowing Goblet!
Su Yi hadn’t expected that, as he left the restaurant, he’d encounter You Qingzhi and Su Boning. When he saw their unsightly expressions, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s been years since we last saw each other. I’m truly glad to see that you’re both still alive.”
Although he was smiling, his smile didn’t contain even the barest hint of emotion.
If you asked Su Yi who he hated most besides Su Hongli, it would have to be this mother-and-son duo.
Starting when he was four years old, practically all of the cold shoulders, mockery, suppression, and humiliation he’d endured were thanks to the two of them.
Throughout all those years, Su Hongli neither cared for him nor asked about him.
You Qingzhi, however, hated the very sight of him, like his existence was a thorn in her foot. She’d ordered the servants to humiliate and suppress his younger self in countless ways. As a result, he’d spent almost his entire childhood trapped in a dark, grim world of constant abuse and degradation.
Su Yi vividly remembered that once, when he was eight years old, after Su Boning led a group to beat him up, a servant girl took pity on him. She secretly gave him some medicinal soup to help him recover.
The result? Just one day later, You Qingzhi had the servant whipped to death!
How could Su Yi possibly forget?
Even his marriage into the Wen Family was You Qingzhi’s idea!
Thus, when he saw that You Qingzhi and Su Boning were still alive and well, he was happy indeed. Had they died, how could he possibly get his revenge?
When they heard Su Yi’s words and saw the sincere smile on his face, You Qingzhi and Su Boning each felt an inexplicable chill course through their hearts.
They were naturally well aware that Su Yi was no longer the pitiful worm they could tramble and abuse as they pleased.
Now, facing Su Yi directly, the thought of his current prestige made their hearts shake uncontrollably. Their expressions shifted erratically, dread written all over their faces.