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The middle-aged man who called himself Pu Huai said vacantly, “Ruo Huan is the most dazzling genius of the Purple Moon Foxes’ younger generation, as well as one of the candidates most likely to become the next holy maiden.
Su Yi looked thoughtful.
Back in the Great Qin’s Cloud Terrace Assembly, the Holy Son Qing Yuan of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar appeared, accompanied by a young woman called Ruo Huan.
The moment he laid eyes on her, Su Yi recognized her as a descendant of the Purple Moon Foxes. She had their distinctive talent, Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion.
However, she was extremely alert, and the moment she realized something was amiss, she fled.
Su Yi still remembered that, as she fled, she said that the next time they met, they’d have to see which of them was superior when it came to mastery of the Grand Dao.
Only now did he realize that Ruo Huan was from the same race as Xia Qingyuan’s mother!
That was interesting.
Why had Ruo Huan appeared in the Great Qin?
Was she perhaps targeting him?
Su Yi was just about to ask when a sigh echoed throughout the courtyard.
“Fellow Daoist, that man came here on my account. If possible, might you allow me to deal with him?”
The simply-dressed emperor of the Great Xia appeared alongside his voice, pushing open the door and entering the courtyard. When he arrived before Su Yi, he inclined his head in greeting.
Su Yi remained in his wicker chair, unmoving. He said casually, “Indeed, this is a family matter for you. You’re naturally best suited to resolve it.”
“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist.” The Xia Emperor felt as if a massive weight had lifted from his shoulders.
Given Su Yi’s temperament, were he dead-set on killing Pu Huai, there’d be nothing the emperor could do about it.
Fortunately, Su Yi was willing to let him go.
It was then that the kneeling, vacant-eyed Pu Huai shuddered and came to his senses.
He shot to his feet, and when he next looked at the reclining Su Yi, his face was full of astonishment and dread.
“Go back and tell Pu Surong not to do anything so unseemly again. If she has a problem, she should take it out with me,” the Xia Emperor said coldly.
Pu Huai’s expression shifted back and forth, but in the end, he said nothing. He just turned and left.
It was already getting light, and night was gradually setting in.
After watching Pu Huai fade from view, the Xia Emperor let out a bitter laugh. “Fellow Daoist, please don’t take offense. I wouldn’t have guessed that Pu Surong’s subordinates would be so blind.”
Su Yi looked the emperor up and down, then said, “I can tell things have been rough on you lately.”
Compared to a few months ago, there was an undisguisable gloominess about the emperor. He lacked his former grace and composure.
His words stirred up numerous emotions, and the emperor couldn't help but sigh. “We’re surrounded on all sides by powerful enemies, and dark undercurrents are flowing beneath the surface. Even Pu Surong came knocking on my door, hoping to take Qingyuan away from me. I won’t lie to you, Fellow Daoist; in all my years of cultivation, I’ve never encountered such difficulties before. It would be no exaggeration to call me an ant on a hot wok.”
His tone was bleak and helpless.
He was the Xia Emperor. In the past, he had been the sole ruler of his domain. None had dared treat him with disrespect.
But as heaven and earth transformed, and as the ambient spiritual energy recovered, everything changed. In just a few short months, the balance of power had changed completely.
The imperial family was now beset on all sides, and their situation was precarious.
This put unprecedented pressure on the Xia Emperor!
“Then what are your plans?” asked Su Yi.
The Xia Emperor’s expression calmed down, and he explained the plan he’d prepared. “Currently, my only hope is borrowing your hands to repair the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier as quickly as possible. Then, I can intimidate our external foes, and prevent them from invading lightly.
“If we can hold out until the onset of the Radiant Epoch, we might lose our hold over the nation, but with our accumulations, we’ll still be able to rule over a region and stand tall in perpetuity.”
When he heard this, Su Yi shook his head. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d place all your hopes on a formation.”
“I am naturally well aware that it’s not a long-term solution,” the Xia Emperor sighed helplessly. “But in our current situation, we have nothing else to rely on. Only the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier can neutralize the imperial family’s imminent crisis.”
Su Yi could tell that the Xia Emperor was truly desperate; otherwise, he wouldn’t have seen a formation as his last hope. He was grasping at straws.
Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “I once agreed to help you repair the formation, and I naturally won’t go back on my word. However, you ought to understand that it’s an Imperial-level grand formation. With my abilities, I cannot restore it to its former peak.”
The Xia Emperor’s eyes lit up. “So long as we can intimidate our external foes, it’s enough!”
Su Yi nodded. “That’s actually easily done.”
The Xia Emperor took a deep breath, then bowed. “Fellow Daoist, I, Xia Yunjing, thank you on behalf of the entire Xia Family.”
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Su Yi waved his gratitude away. “A trivial matter, that’s all. No need for such politeness. Even without the formation, when you encounter trouble, I won’t remain uninvolved.”
Here, he smiled. “Besides, it’s just a handful of tiny little ancient factions. So long as I’m in Nine Tripod City, they can’t stir up any waves.”
His tone was casual, as if he were discussing a perfectly ordinary, trivial matter.
The Xia Emperor was stunned. Tiny little ancient factions? It would be wonderful if they were really that worthless…
He sighed to himself. However, the emperor was well aware that this was just Su Yi’s personality. It seemed that even if the heavens crumbled, he’d consider it a trivial matter not even worth mentioning.
“Right, once I’ve resolved your problem, there’s something I’d like to ask of you,” said Su Yi.
The Xia Emperor didn’t even pause to think. “Fellow Daoist, please speak directly. So long as it’s within my power, I won’t refuse.”
Su Yi thought for a moment. “Let’s talk about it later.”
He’d originally planned to entrust Daoist Master Coldsmoke and Qing Ya to the Xia Emperor. He wanted them to cultivate on Mount Heavenbristle.
But he had to ask them if they were willing first.
“That works too.” The Xia Emperor nodded.
They chatted a while longer until finally, Su Yi could no longer hold back. “Are you going to let Xia Qingyuan leave with her mother?”
“I won’t!” The emperor shook his head, and he spoke with staunch conviction.
But then, his expression shifted, and he looked conflicted. “Fellow Daoist, this should have been a private matter, but since Pu Surong’s subordinate has already offended you, I ought to tell you the full story.”
With that, he launched into the tale of his relationship with Pu Surong and recounted his grievances.
He couldn’t hide the despondency and melancholy in his voice.
After hearing the full story, Su Yi said, “When you and Pu Surong first got acquainted, did she already intend to deceive you?”
The Xia Emperor grimaced. “Whether she was out to trick me or not no longer matters.”
Su Yi had nothing more to say on the matter.
This was someone else’s love life, and he was an outsider. It wasn't his place to comment.
Before long, the Xia Emperor bade farewell and left.
And Su Yi? As night fell, he waited until Wen Xinzhao and the others returned from their stroll through the city.
When she got back, Wen Xinzhao looked worried. “Brother Su, in the city, everyone’s talking about the seven top ancient factions. They say there’s no way they’ll let you off.”
“If they insist on throwing their lives away, I wouldn’t mind using their lives to sharpen my sword,” said Su Yi, not the least bit concerned. “Qing Ya, bring out the food and wine. Neither heaven nor earth matters as much as keeping ourselves fed.”
He could see the meal boxes Qing Ya was carrying. Their enticing aroma had already permeated the air.
“Mm!” Qing Ya laughed and agreed.
When Wen Xinzhao saw this, she couldn’t help but shake her head helplessly. But then, it’s not surprising. Brother Su has never concerned himself with threats.
Meanwhile, in one of Nine Tripod City’s towers, in a room illuminated with swaying candlelight.
Pu Surong languished on a soft couch. She looked tranquil, except for the look on her beautiful face, which shifted erratically beneath the flickering light.
Her willowy eyebrows knit together. “Su Yi really wasn’t at all affected by our race’s Soul-Sucking Spirit Incantation?”
Pu Huai said grimly, “It seems that way.”
“Aunt, I said it already, didn’t I? When I saw Su Yi in the Great Qin, he effortlessly neutralized my Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion,” a snowy, movingly beautiful young woman in yellow said crisply.
This was none other than Ruo Huan.
“That boy… isn’t simple…” murmured Pu Surong.
The Soul-Sucking Spirit Incantation and the Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion were two of the strongest inheritances of the Purple Moon Foxes. They could silently seize others’ hearts and souls, placing their enemies in the palms of their hands.
Pu Surong had never heard of a Spirit Dao cultivator immune to both secret abilities!
Ruo Huan’s eyes flashed. “Of course he isn’t simple. With his Spiritual Manifestation cultivation, he killed Chu Yunke, defeated Dongguo Feng, and crossed cultivation boundaries to kill Dongguo Hai and six other Spiritual Incarnation existences.
“Even in our Bright Sky Realm, he’d be the most extraordinary genius of his era, a one-in-a-million genius of the Spirit Dao!”
She wasn’t at all stingy with her praises.
“That so…?” Pu Surong sighed. “It’s a pity that Su Yi isn’t a descendant of one of the Bright Sky Realm’s peak-level factions. If he were, with his aptitude and cultivation, he’d actually be worthy of Qingyuan.”
Ruo Huan shook her head. “Aunt, my father said that when Cousin Qingyuan returns to the clan, she’s to become our next holy maiden. That means she’s destined never to become anyone’s Dao Partner.”
Pu Surong nodded, then took a deep breath. Her expression recovered its usual unflappable calm. “When I get the chance, I’ll go converse with Su Yi myself. I hope he knows when to back down, and that he severs his relationship with Qingyuan completely!”
It hadn’t been long since her return to Nine Tripod City, but she’d asked around, and she knew that her daughter had never shown any interest in men before.
Su Yi was the only exception!
But if she were to become the holy maiden of the Purple Moon Foxes, she couldn’t get involved in matters of men and women. Even the slightest tie was too much!
Only then could she inherit the loftiest inheritance of the Purple Moon Foxes!
“But aunt, what if Su Yi doesn’t agree?” Ruo Huan batted her eyes.
After a moment’s silence, Pu Surong said, “We’ll just have to put the effort in.”
Earlier, she’d sent Ruo Huan to the Great Zhou to search for Su Yi. Her mission was to see just what kind of person he was.
Su Yi’s return to Nine Tripod City would actually save her a lot of trouble.
Ruo Huan followed up with another question. “Then when do you plan to go see him?”
Pu Surong raised her teacup and took a sip. Only then did she say slowly, “There’s no rush. Isn’t everyone in Nine Tripod City saying that the seven great ancient factions won’t let him off? It might not be long before he runs into trouble.”
She set down her cup, and her eyes flashed as she said leisurely, “When the time comes, we can send him coal in a blizzard.”