Su Yi suddenly looked at Xing Yue. âHave there been any sudden developments in the Sea of Bitterness lately?â
Xing Yue nodded.
Cui Jingyan couldnât help but say, âBrother Su, if you ask them, all youâll get are unreliable answers. When we get to Ziluo City and you meet with my grandfather, heâll definitely know more about whatâs happening in the Sea of Bitterness.â
Xing Yue and the others gasped. They were completely stunned.
Cui Jingyan was actually bringing that blue-robed young man to see the Adjudicator of the Netherworld!
Who is this guy? Why does Cui Jingyan attach such importance to him?
Even the vast majority of their clan elders were unqualified to meet with the Adjudicator of the Netherworld, Cui Longxiang!
Su Yi looked at the young woman, but in the end, he decided not to tell her that Cui Longxiang had long since left for the Sea of Bitterness.
....
As the banquet neared its end, someone suddenly kicked open the tightly shut door of the Moonpluck Pavilion.
âWho is it?â Xing Yueâs expression darkened with fury. This is the highest floor of the Drunken Immortal, and I've long since booked this room. What kind of brazen asshole would dare disturb us now?
The other attendees were visibly displeased as well.
However, when they saw the new arrivals clearly, Xing Yue and his dining companions all looked stunned.
There were five of them in total. The leader dressed in fiery warriorâs robes and a feather headdress. He was accompanied by two young men, one young woman, and an utterly assuming, easily overlookable old man in gray.
The leader, the man in fiery robes, looked right at Cui Jingyan and broke into a smile. âHaha! Miss Jingyan, you really are here!â
His gaze, words, and behavior were all utterly contemptuous and unrestrained.
âQu Ming, youâre here uninvited, and you even kicked the door in. Donât you think your manners are awfully lacking?â Xing Yue rose, his expression dark.
However, Su Yi noticed that when they faced their uninvited guest, Qu Ming, both Xing Yue and his companions looked a bit fearful.
âBrother Su, that guyâs a main-branch descendant of the ancient Qu Family. Their ancestor is the overseer of the Hell Bureau, and the Qu Family is one of the Netherworldâs Nine Royal Clans,â transmitted Cui Jingyan. âTheir ancestor, the Bloody Desolation Netherworld Sovereign, is one of the Six Sovereigns of the Netherworld, just like my grandfather.â
As she spoke, her expression frosted over.
Su Yi subtly inclined his head.
âRude?â The fiery-robed Qu Ming laughed, looked at Xing Yue, and said leisurely, âTianluo City might well be Xing Family territory, but if you dare insult me like that, donât blame me for walloping you.
âDonât forget: when the younger generation fights among itself, our seniors wonât intervene.â he paused, his gaze suddenly playful. âWithout the clanâs protection, going purely by the power of our cultivations, I could beat you up effortlessly.â
Xing Yueâs expression turned a bit unsightly; he was obviously infuriated.
His companions were all as silent as cicadas in winter. None of them uttered a peep.
Qu Ming was right; the peak factions of the Six Paths Royal Territory had long since established an unwritten ruleââ
When the younger generation fought, unless someone died, the older generation wouldnât get involved!
âQu Ming, are you trying to show off your martial prowess in front of me?â Cui Jingyan couldnât help but say coldly.
âMiss Jingyan, please donât misunderstand.â Qu Ming laughed and waved dismissively. âI only came here to greet you.â
He then swept his gaze across Su Yi and the old blind man with feigned indifference. âYour friends are entirely unfamiliar. Where are they from?â
Su Yi set down his chopsticks, then got up. âLetâs leave.â
These uninvited guests had robbed him of all interest in enjoying delicacies. He naturally couldnât be bothered to stick around.
Cui Jingyan and the old blind man promptly got up too.
When Qu Ming saw this, his expression darkened with displeasure. What the hell is this supposed to mean? They arenât taking me the least bit seriously!
âFriend, our young lord is talking to you!â
Behind Qu Ming, a tall, coppery-skinned, ferocious-looking middle-aged man in dragon robes blocked the doorway. The way he looked at Su yi was decidedly unfriendly, and the depths of his gaze shone with bloodlust.
His Spiritual Revolution Realm aura was unusually imposing.
But it was as if Su Yi didnât even see him. He just continued ahead.
It was as if a divine mountain had slammed into the tall middle-aged man. He flew back like an arrow, slamming into the opposing wall over a hundred feet away with a low boom. The impact shook the entire building.
The middle-aged man coughed up blood, and his face paled. A moment later, his head lolled to the side, and he collapsed limply to the ground. Heâd been knocked unconscious!
Xing Yue and the others were stunned, and their eyes widened. Su Yi sure is fierce!
Qu Ming and company were stunned too, but their expressions filled with uncertainty.
They naturally knew how strong the middle-aged man in dragon-embroidered robes was. None of them would have anticipated that he could knock him out just by walking into him.
This was unquestionably terrifying.
However, Cui Jingyan and the old blind man were completely accustomed to this sort of thing.
âQu Ming, that subordinate of yours sure has no self-respect. Is it true that subordinatesâ behavior is a reflection of their masterâs?â Cui Jingyan jeered coldly.
As she spoke, she saw Su Yi headed out the door, so she and the old blind man hurried after him.
âSecond Young Master, shall we stop them?â The unassuming, unexceptional-looking old man whispered suddenly.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Qu Ming looked uncertain, but in the end, he shook his head. He then faced Cui Jingyanâs retreating figure and said, âMiss Jingyan, seven days from now, my elders and my older brother will be visiting the Cui Family. When the time comes, Iâll go with them. Please, donât refuse to see me!â
Cui Jingyan stiffened, but she didnât stop.
Before long, the group disappeared from view.
âXing Yue, who was that young man just now? And that blind man?â asked Qu Ming.
âWhy should I tell you? Weâre leaving!â Xing Yue snorted coldly, then led his companions away.
Qu Ming furrowed his brow, but in the end, he did nothing to stop them.
This was Tianluo City, the ancient Xing Familyâs territory. No matter how much he looked down on Xing Yue, he couldnât start a fight with him here, not without a good reason.
Qu Ming then looked at the elder in gray. âUncle Huai, was that old blind man the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearer?â
The old man in gray nodded. âMost likely, yes.â
As he spoke, he subtly inclined his head. âSecond Young Master, Iâll go investigate the old blind man in further detail.â
Qu Ming didnât understand. âUncle Huai, why is that necessary?â
After a momentâs silence, the old man in gray said, âThose are my orders. Second Young Master, if you want to know the full story, ask the family head when you next see him.â
Qu Ming couldnât help but be stunned. This⊠This is at my fatherâs orders?
âUncle Huai, be careful,â Qu Ming said softly.
âRest assured, Second Young Master.â The old man in gray nodded, then turned and left.
When Qu Ming saw this, he couldnât help but sigh to himself.
Uncle Huai wasnât his subordinate, but rather, one of the clanâs early-stage Profound Illumination Emperors. He might travel alongside Qu Ming, but he was there as a âdharma protectorâ, and he naturally didnât obey his chargeâs orders without question.
Qu Ming dared say with certainty that, even if he ordered Uncle Huai to stay behind, heâd still go after the old blind man.
âŠâŠ
Outside Tianluo City.
Su Yi and his companions flew into the distance.
âAgh, itâs a pity that Qu Ming refrained from trying to stop us,â said Cui Jingyan, seemingly disappointed.
Su Yi didnât know whether to laugh or cry. She obviously hoped to borrow my strength to teach Qu Ming and his cohort a lesson.
âMiss Jingyan, someone like that is entirely unworthy of His Excellency Suâs attention. Teaching them a lesson would be beneath him,â laughed the old blind man.
âNo, one of them was actually quite capable. It seemed he was in the early-stage Profound Illumination Realm,â Su Yi suddenly interjected.
Both Cui Jingyan and the old blind man were stunned.
âWas it that unassuming old man?â Cui Jingyan guessed.
âThatâs right,â said Su Yi. âRight, earlier, that Qu Ming person said he and his seniors were going to visit the Cui Family. Do you know why?â
Cui Jingyan knit her brow. âIâm not sure, but Iâm sure itâs nothing good; the Cui Family has been on bad terms with the Qu Family for a long time, and we still donât mix.â
Su Yi nodded but said nothing.
However, he was well aware of why this was. A long time ago, the Bloody Desolation Netherworld Sovereign, Qu Boling, had suffered a great loss at Cui Longxiangâs hands, and heâd paid a heavy price for it. That was the start of the enmity between the Qu and Cui families.
Whoosh!
A black bat flew over, landed in the old blind manâs hand, then transformed into a strange black talisman.
The Night-Wandering Talisman!
Earlier, in Tianluo City, the old blind man had said that someone seemed to be watching him from the shadows, but he couldnât tell just who it was.
He thus sent out the Night-Wandering Talisman to investigate.
âSo, itâs not just one personâŠâ The old blind manâs expression darkened. Heâd already sifted through the scenes left in the Night-Wandering Talisman, and heâd discovered three suspicious characters.
One was a middle-aged Daoist nun sitting upright in a teahouse, one was an old beggar out on the streets, and one was a thin, scraggly-bearded man mixed into the crowd.
When Su Yi and his companions left Tianluo City, these three seemingly unconnected people gathered together!
The old blind immediately shared his discoveries with Su Yi.
Su Yi swept his gaze across the area, then immediately made his decision. âThen letâs wait here.â
People rarely visited these mountains, and they were fully one thousand miles from Tianluo City.
It was noon, and the sky shone brightly overhead. The picturesque landscape was shrouded in mist.
Su Yi, the old blind man, and Cui Jingyan stopped on a plateau. Su Yi then took out his wicker chair and languished in the shade of an ancient pine tree, half asleep.
When Cui Jingyan saw this, she found it irritating but also amusing. Who else could be this lazy?
The old blind man, meanwhile, was a bit uncertain.
Just who are these people, and why are they after me?