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Outside of the Song of the Sandy Creek.
The lanterns illuminated the streets, which were still bustling with human traffic.
“That Madam Rou actually rather understands the bounds of good behavior.” Su Yi glanced at Yuan Heng, who was entirely unharmed, without a single hair out of place.
“I worried you again, Master,” said Yuan Heng, looking ashamed.
“With your cultivation, how could you be a match for a Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator?” said Su Yi with a dismissive wave. “Never mind that. Let’s go find Miss Bai.”
He took out the Rhinoceros Horn Talisman, sensed it briefly, then proceeded into the distance. His steps seemed unhurried, but in truth, he was moving very quickly. Before long, both he and Yuan Heng disappeared into the vast sea of people.
Crunch!
In a shadowy corner of an alleyway not far from the Song of the Sandy Creek, a crisp cracking noise rang out.
An elderly Daoist gasped, and his eyes widened as he stared intently at the fragmented black turtle shell in his hands. His heart and mind shook.
“Just who the hell is that kid? Isn’t his natal horoscope a bit too hard to see through!?”
The elderly Daoist looked dazed, and his fingers quivered.
Were Su Yi here, he’d recognize the man at a glance. This was the old-timer who’d tried to play without paying.
The elderly Daoist pounded his chest and stamped his feet. In his heart, he wailed, Dammit! If I’d known the kid’s fate was this hard to read, I wouldn’t have used the Celestial Horoscope Divination Disc to read his destiny! Now my treasure is ruined!
He clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth. “I’ll be sure to get even with that punk sooner or later!”
Before long, the elderly Daoist left the alleyway. When his gaze landed on the distant Song of the Sandy Creek, he instantly stopped in his tracks.
Should I
 indulge tonight?
As he pondered, it was as if limbs had a mind of their own; they seemed to carry him over to the brothel of their own volition. The elderly Daoist was so angry that he pounded his legs. Hey! What are you doing, taking me here without my permission
?
A downright vulgar smile had already spread across his face.
Bang!
Before long, they kicked him out again.
A group of enraged attendants rushed out after him. “Brothers, that blasted geezer wants to play without paying again! This time, let’s beat him to death!”



The night was dark as ink.
Cloudmarsh Tower.
An elegant, kindly middle-aged man in cloth robes stood on the jade platform on the top floor, leaning against the railing and gazing into the distance.
From here, he could see tens of thousands of lamplit homes. It was as beautiful as a painting.
Elder Shui stood by his side, and he bowed slightly. “My lord, Miss Bai brought the dragon sparrow jade pendant, so I dared not be negligent. Strangely, all she asked for was a place for her and her master to rest their feet
”
“Mm,” grunted the middle-aged man distractedly. “They only arrived in Nine Tripod City earlier today. It’s only natural that they’d require a place to stay. Which residence did you arrange for them?”
Elder Shui said in a low voice, “Azure Dragon Lane, Azurecloud Court.”
“Azurecloud Court
.” The middle-aged man’s expression shifted. He turned to look at Elder Shui and snorted coldly, “You old dog, are you trying to test my intentions?”
Elder Shui hurriedly lowered his head. “This old servant wouldn’t dare. I just remembered that years ago, in Azurecloud Court, the dragon sparrow jade pendant’s former owner
.”
The middle-aged man in cloth robes waved for silence. “Don’t bring that up.”
Elder Shui instantly fell silent.
“My lord.” Weng Jiu silently appeared in front of him.
“What did that kid say?” asked the middle-aged man in simple cloth robes.
Weng Jiu immediately launched into an explanation of everything that happened at the Song of the Sandy Creek.
When he learned that Xia Jingyu was present, the middle-aged man furrowed his brow. “That’s King Yong’s son?”
Weng Jiu nodded. “That’s right.”
The middle-aged man looked at Elder Shui, and he said casually, “Pay King Yong’s residence a visit. Tell him that such a stain on our clan needn’t show his face in public and humiliate us again.”
“Yes, sir.” Elder Shui hurried off to carry out his orders.
When he learned that Su Yi had executed Sikong Bao smoothly and without any fuss despite the combined threats of Old Demon Slaughterer and Madam Rou, the middle-aged man’s eyes lit up.
“What guts!” he exclaimed.
After explaining the night’s proceedings in full, Weng Jiu bowed in penance. “I took it upon myself to use the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier’s power to slay Old Demon Slaughter. My lord, please punish me accordingly!”
The middle-aged man said dismissively, “A trivial matter.”
He thought for a moment, then said, “What did you think of the boy’s performance tonight?”
Weng Jiu looked a bit exasperated. “If you’re asking for my impression of him, I think he’s arrogant and conceited. He completely disregarded me, and he spoke without the slightest politeness. I can’t help but suspect that stepping in to assist him was entirely unnecessary
”
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
He thought back to meeting Su Yi before the city gates. Su Yi was rude then too; Su Yi even forced him to humble himself and earnestly request his guidance.
Su Yi didn’t even let the man call him “young friend”; the middle-aged man had to call him “Fellow Daoist”....
When he saw that Weng Jiu had also suffered a tongue lashing, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but feel secretly gleeful.
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A moment later, he repressed his laughter and said, “He really is proud, proud to his very bones. When we spoke, he demanded respect in both my words and behavior, and he fought for control over the conversation.”
“However,” said Weng Jiu gravely, “Although he’s proud, he’s no empty boaster. On the contrary, of all the younger generation cultivators I’ve seen, he’s likely the most impressive, as well as the most unfathomable.”
The middle-aged man asked with great interest, “What do you mean by that?”
“Sikong Bao was among the greatest of the monsters of the ancient era, with cultivation in the mid-stage Gathering Stars Realm. Those Origin Dao cultivators strong enough to contend with him can be counted on one’s fingers. However, despite Su Yi’s Origin Palace cultivation, Sikong Bao was helpless against him. This only makes it even more obvious just how terrifying Su Yi’s accumulations and strength are.”
Weng Jiu’s eyes were as cold and clear as snow. “Furthermore, even in the face of two Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator’s combined threats, he dared kill Sikong Bao without the slightest reservation. That means it’s highly likely that he has means of contending with two Spiritual Manifestation experts at once.”
The middle-aged man in cloth robes nodded. “Continue.”
Weng Jiu’s eyes shone with reminiscence. “The part I cannot understand is how terrifyingly perceptive the boy was. When I borrowed the power of the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier to destroy Old Demon Slaughterer, everyone else present was so shaken that they lost their composure. He, however, seemed accustomed to this sort of thing. He could even tell at a glance the source of the power I’d just used.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not strange. Don’t forget; throughout countless years, only he could discern the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier’s condition just by examining the city walls. If not, how could I have gone so far as to send you looking for him?”
Weng Jiu shook his head. “Master, if that were all, it’d be one thing. However, it seemed he’d long since seen through my goal. Furthermore, he said directly that if I wanted his help, merely killing Old Demon Slaughterer was far from enough.”
The middle-aged man’s eyebrows shifted upward, but he didn’t lose his temper. On the contrary, his face lit up with a trace of delight, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Ol’ Jiu, doesn’t that imply that he didn’t just see through the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier’s poor condition, but that he also knows how to repair it?”
Weng Jiu was stunned, but he quickly understood. “My lord, you’re absolutely right!”
Su Yi could tell that he’d come with a request, but he didn’t refuse to grant it; he just said they’d yet to display sufficient sincerity!
Didn’t that imply that, so long as they were sincere enough, he’d lend them a hand?
And for him to dare imply such a thing surely implied that he was extremely confident that he could repair the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier!
“Ol’ Jiu, as I’m sure you’re well aware, the Nine Tripods Suppression Barrier was the third-ranked peerless divine restriction even thirty thousand years ago. Fixing its damaged portions is almost impossible.”
The man in cloth robes emanated a formless majesty, like a monarch looking down upon the populace. It was as if his hands could hold the sky aloft, or as if he could swallow mountains and rivers.
As his aura silently shifted, even Weng Jiu found it hard to breathe, and his expression filled with deep-seated reverence.
“I’ve lost track of how many cultivators proficient in the Dao of Formations and Talismans I’ve reached out to over the past thousand years, but never mind repairing the formation; with their methods, they couldn’t even tell me what was wrong with it.”
A hint of mockery appeared on the middle-aged man’s face. “Left with no other choice, I could only ponder it on my own. I kept at it day and night, working myself to the bone. I’ve read too many texts regarding formation diagrams to count, all for the sake of repairing the formation before the onset of the Radiant Epoch. With it, I would have something to rely on even against unparalleled, mighty foes.
“But now, I understand: there are limits to human power! With my cultivation and my attainments, I am ultimately incapable of repairing the formation
” The middle-aged man in cloth robes paused here and sighed.
Over the past thousand years, he’d worked day and night, pouring out his heart’s blood. The price he’d paid was unimaginable.
After all that, he discovered that there was nothing he could do. That despondency, frustration, and bitterness were more than words could express; only those who’d experienced it would understand.
“Now, someone hasn’t just discerned the formation’s secrets at a glance; it’s highly likely that they have the power to repair it. Do you have any idea
 how happy this makes me?”
The overcast look on the middle-aged man’s face disappeared. His eyes shone, and his entire body emanated a startling brilliance.
Weng Jiu’s heart shook. “My lord, I’m incomparably relieved too. I’m sure you’re not afraid you can’t offer sufficient sincerity; you’re afraid no one is capable of repairing the formation.”
“That’s right!” the middle-aged man nodded and said with unhesitating resolve, “So long as he can fix the formation, I can agree to anything! I’ll give him anything he wants!”
Weng Jiu quivered, then said in a low voice, “We’ve yet to uncover the boy’s origins. If we trust him recklessly
”
The middle-aged man waved and cut him off. “Peerless geniuses all have enormous secrets. So long as Su Yi can help us, I don’t care about any of that.”
He paused, and the look in his eyes turned a bit strange. “Besides, that girl treasures her dragon sparrow jade pendant almost as much as her own life, yet she entrusted it to Su Yi when she left the Sea of Chaotic Spirits
”
He paused and rubbed his forehead, his gaze conflicted. “Doesn’t it almost seem like fate has long since arranged all this?”
Weng Jiu’s expression turned a bit strange. “When you put it that way, it sounds like the princess inadvertently made a matchless contribution
.”
A hint of a smile tugged at the middle-aged man’s lips. He smiled, but he also seemed to have a bit of a headache. “Forget it. Don’t bring up that troublesome girl. Tomorrow, let’s find a time to visit Azurecloud Court.”
“Yes, sir!” Weng Jiu solemnly accepted his orders.
Whoosh!
It was then that Elder Shui returned.