Chapter 72 - A Familiar Face Outside the City Gates
How unusual was that soul jade?
The scarred middle-aged man didnât know. All he knew was that the elders of the Deathbringerâs Gate viewed Qing Wan as a treasure on account of that soul jade.
Otherwise, given those heretical cultivatorsâ tendencies, discovering such a pure yin soul would have been an irresistible temptation. They likely would have already used her as a âlivingâ sacrifice.
When he heard this, Su Yi couldnât help but glance at Qing Wan. âDo you remember that piece of soul jade?â
Qing Wan shook her head and whispered, âWhen I woke up, I was already with that Wu Ruoqiu. Everything before that is a complete blank.â
This was her first time hearing that sheâd once occupied a piece of mysterious soul jade.
So, they found me in a piece of soul jade. I didnât simply become a yin soul upon my death. This revelation left her daze. Who⌠Who exactly was I before?
âHow did the Deathbringerâs Gate obtain that soul jade?â Su Yi glanced at the scarred middle-aged man once more, but the man merely shook his head. His position in the Deathbringerâs Gate wasnât high at all; he had no access to classified information of this level.
Su Yi mulled it over, then asked a few other questions about the Deathbringerâs Gate.
It turned out that ever since facing annihilation a hundred years ago, the lucky survivors went dormant for a hundred years. Theyâd already secretly recovered a certain degree of power.
Today, the Deathbringerâs Gate headquarters had a sect leader, two vice sect leaders, and nine elders.
Them aside, the Deathbringerâs Gate had six branches dispersed throughout the Great Zhou.
Each branch had a branch leader and four dharma protectors, and they reigned over all the sect disciples and underlings in the area.
The scarred middle-aged man and his late companions, as well as Wu Ruoqiu and Weng Yunqi, were all members of the sectâs Imperatorial Province Branch.
When he heard this, Su Yi instantly understood.
The Great Zhou was divided into six provinces and thirty-six prefectures, while the Deathbringerâs Gate had six branches. Theyâd undoubtedly built one branch per province.
For instance, the Imperatorial Province that Cloudriver Prefecture was a part of had just one such base.
In other words, it was highly likely that the Deathbringerâs Gate had already spread their forces throughout the Great Zhouâs territory!
Of course, the way Su Yi saw it, if the Deathbringerâs Gate was relying on inept small fries like the ones heâd just fought, they wouldnât be able to stir up any waves worth mentioning.
The scarred middle-aged man might be a disciple of the Imperatorial Province Branch, but he didnât even know who their branch leader wasâŚ.
It was utterly ludicrous.
All the man knew was that Wu Ruoqiuâs master, Weng Yunqi, was once one of the Imperatorial Province Branchâs four dharma protectors, and that his whereabouts had been unknown ever since he betrayed the sect.
After learning all this, Su Yi sank into thought.
Ten years ago, Weng Yunqi and Wu Ruoqiu fled the sect, taking the mysterious soul jade, Soul-Nurturing Gourd, and the secret method for raising Ghoul Worms with them.
Yet when Su Yi killed Wu Ruoqiu not long ago, all of these treasures fell into Su Yiâs hands save for the soul jade.
Of course, that included Qing Wan.
But this revelation only led to more questions. If Wu Ruoqiu was only Weng Yunqiâs disciple, why did he have his masterâs stolen treasures?
Where has Weng Yunqi gone? Is he alive or dead?
If Iâd known Qing Wanâs origins were so unusual, I wouldnât have killed Wu Ruoqiu so soonâŚ. Su Yi sighed to himself.
I would never have guessed that Qing Wanâs origins touched on so many secrets. If I want to learn Qing Wanâs origins, Iâm afraid Iâll have to start with investigating the Deathbringerâs GateâŚ..
Su Yi then set those thoughts aside. He wasnât all that concerned about who Qing Wan had been in life, but if she wanted to uncover the truth, he didnât mind lending her a hand.
âSenior, Iâve told you everything I know, so please show mercy and spare my humble little life!â When he saw Su Yi sink into a long silence, the scarred man hurriedly kowtowed. He was scared out of his wits.
But it was then that the sound of distant, hurried footsteps cut through the darkness. Shortly after, Cheng Wuyong, Yuan Luoxi, and their companions appeared. When they saw Su Yi, as well as the corpses sprawled out nearby, Cheng Wuyong and the guards couldnât help but be surprised.
âWere you chasing them?â asked Su Yi.
Cheng Wuyong nodded. âMystic Master, just now, this bunch took advantage of the cover of darkness to approach the run-down temple in secret. They snuck about like ghosts; it was obvious at a glance that they were up to no good. When I discovered them, they scampered off in a panic. I wouldnât have guessed theyâd run into you.â
âIâm finishedâŚ.â The scar-faced man sank into despair, looking as dejected as if he were attending his parentsâ funerals.
âTheyâre from the Deathbringerâs Gate, but thereâs only one survivor left to interrogate. Iâll leave him to you.â After giving these orders, Su Yi picked up the Soul-Nurturing Gourd and led Qing Wan away.
Cheng Wuyong naturally didnât stand on ceremony. He immediately ordered the other guards to tie the scarred middle-aged man up and bring him back to Guangling City for a thorough interrogation.
âMiss, what are you looking at?â Cheng Wuyong suddenly noticed that something was strange about Yuan Luoxiâs expression.
Yuan Luoxi whispered, âUncle Yong, did you notice? Just now, there was a girl in a red dress floating beside the Mystic Master. She was really pretty⌠Her eyes were so big, and her skin was white as snow. She was almost a bit too prettyâŚ.â
Cheng Wuyongâs eyes narrowed. âMiss, if my deductions are correct, thatâs most likely a yin soul the Mystic Master has subdued.â
âA ghost?â Yuan Luoxi gasped.
âThatâs right.â
âBut a ghost like that isnât scary at all! This is my first time hearing that there are such peerlessly beautiful specters out there!â
She suddenly seemed envious. âIf I had a ghost like that as my subordinate, Iâd definitely brush her hair every day and make her try on different clothes. Oh, and Iâd have her wear all sorts of beautiful jewelry. It would definitely be a blast!â
â....â Cheng Wuyong didnât even know what to say. What⌠What kind of hobby is that?
âŚâŚ
The run-down temple.
When they returned, Su Yi immediately sat down and crossed his legs.
During this trip to Mother Ghost Ridge, heâd had quite the harvest. Heâd killed the Six-Severings Yin Corpse, obtaining a ink jade pendant storage treasure, nine stalks of spiritual medicine, fifty-plus spirit stones, and around a dozen bottles of pills suitable for Qing Wanâs cultivationâŚ.
Then, heâd traded the Six Yin Grass with Yuan Luoxi in exchange for seventeen stalks of spiritual medicine, five of which were tier two.
On top of all that, in the peach orchard, heâd obtained three tier-four Fire Peaches and a foot-long segment of yin spirit vein.
Adding all these treasures together, Su Yi wouldnât have to worry about cultivation resources any time soon.
There was still more to see in Mother Ghost Ridge, but Su Yi had no plans to investigate any further.
He could vaguely deduce that between the Six-Severings Yin Corpse and the heretical cultivators of the Deathbringerâs Gate, others had long since swept the mountain of all its treasures.
âI just donât know when Lingxue is getting backâŚ.â Su Yi muttered to himself.
He planned to leave Guangling City in the near future, and he had no lingering attachments to the place.
The only thing he couldnât just let go of was Wen Lingxue.
When dawn broke over the horizon, Su Yi, Yuan Luoxi, and company set off and left Mother Ghost Ridge.
....
Outside the mountains, near the unmarked mass graves.
The group had left two retainers by the foot of the mountains to look after the horses. When the two of them saw Yuan Luoxi and their companions return safely, they finally sighed in relief.
Once everyone reconvened, they set off for Guangling City.
Except that this time, Yuan Luoxi and her companions led their horses on foot, walking so as to accompany Su Yi and Guo Bing. None of them showed any signs of impatience, either.
Su Yi noticed all of these changes, but he declined to comment.
As they neared Guangling Cityâs main gate, he suddenly recalled something, and he warned them, âEveryone, it would be best if you didnât speak of what happened in Mother Ghost Ridge. If you do, well, Iâm not worried about myself, but Iâm afraid you might get mixed up in something dangerous.â
Mixed up in something dangerous? Yuan Luoxi was stunned for a moment. Then she said hurriedly, âMystic Master, thank you for your warning, but weâre not at all afraid of the Deathbringerâs Gate knocking on our door.â
She sounded completely confident.
But sheâd obviously misunderstood. Cheng Wuyong and the others seemed confused too.
Su Yi thought about it, then explained in more detail. âIf Ge Changling finds out you were with me, itâs hard to say whether itâll end well for you or not.â
Ge Changling!
Cheng Wuyongâs expression changed dramatically. This was one of the Great Zhouâs nine non-Zhou kings, the Sea-Swallowing King. Furthermore, of the nine of them, he was solidly in the top three!
Heâd leaped into the ranks of Xiantian Martial Ancestors a full thirty years ago!
The other guards went rigid, their eyes blank.
How on earth could our expedition into Mother Ghost Ridge land us in hot water with the Sea-Swallowing King?
Heâs like a god of war amongst men! A legend every martial artist in the Great Zhou can only look up to!
Yuan Luoxiâs confident smile faltered. Her eyes widened, and her pretty face looked lost.
Ge Changling?
Father says heâs an expert so lofty, even our Yuan Family can only gaze upon him from afarâŚ.
A while later, Cheng Wuyong finally regained his composure. âMystic Master, are you saying that some of what occurred in Mother Ghost Ridge had a connection to the Sea-Swallowing King?â
Su Yi dared call the Sea-Swallowing King directly by name, but Cheng Wuyong certainly didnât.
âGiven his status, heâs unlikely to make this hard on you,â said Su Yi offhandedly. âIn the unlikely event he does, have him come find me instead.â
These words only made it harder for Cheng Wuyong to remain calm. Is Mystic Master Su implying that itâs highly likely the Sea-Swallowing King will come looking for him?
But the most unbelievable part is that he doesnât seem at all concerned about the threat the Sea-Swallowing King represents!
This small interlude only silently increased the awe Yuan Luoxi and company already felt for Su Yi.
This time, Guo Bing was actually the most relaxed member of the group. Although he was confused too, he had no idea just how terrifying the Sea-Swallowing King, Ge Changling, really was. The ignorant were without fear.
âMiss Luoxi, youâre finally back!â Suddenly, they heard a burst of hearty laughter from the city gates. A handsome young man in jade robes and a thick cloth belt strode toward them.
The black-hatted elder followed immediately after.
They were none other than Zhang Yuanxing and Elder Xiong.
When he saw them, Su Yiâs expression went a little strange.
Two days prior, on Spiritbamboo Island, this young dandy of the Cloudriver Prefectural Capitalâs Zhang Family had said that working with him would be like flying with the support of powerful winds, and that heâd send Su Yi soaring into the cloudsâŚ.
Even Fu Shan had found it amusing.
As for Su Yi, he naturally saw the entire incident as a mere joke. He laughed, but didnât take it the least bit seriously. He wouldnât have guessed that heâd run into Zhang Yuanxing again now.
âEh? Young Lord Su? Why are you with Miss Luoxi?â
At practically the same time, Zhang Yuanxing saw Su Yi. He couldnât help but exclaim, âDonât tell me you plan to seek refuge with the Yuan Family and serve Miss Luoxi?â
His smile faded, and his brow furrowed in displeasure.
After witnessing Su Yiâs performance at the Dragonâs Gate Banquet, Zhang Yuanxing appreciated his abilities and took the initiative to extend an invitation. If Su Yi agreed to work under him, he wouldnât mistreat him.
Who would have thought that just two days later, Su Yi would reappear by Yuan Luoxiâs side?