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The old blind man rose in greeting. “Might I ask your name?”
“Cui Chang’an. I was once acquainted with your master, Five Burials, and my father and your grand-master are friends.”
The old blind man had a sudden realization, and his expression was instantly solemn. “Yun Zhijiu greets you, Senior.”
Yun Zhijiu.
That was the old blind man’s real name.
Cui Chang’an laughed. “You needn’t be so polite. I heard about what happened to your master. Since you’ve come to the Cui Family, please make yourself at home for the time being. Once Un-... Once, er, Young Lord Su and I have finished our discussion, I’ll arrange for you to visit the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos.”
The old blind man instantly understood that the family head wanted privacy, so he considerately took his leave.
Soon, only Su Yi and Cui Chang’an remained in Pinebreeze Pavilion.
The leader of the Cui Family first activated the pavilion’s formation, preventing anyone outside from disturbing them.
Then, he took a deep breath, faced Su Yi, who was still drinking tea, and bowed with the utmost respect. “Your nephew, Cui Chang’an, greets you, Uncle Su!”
This was the man who’d held chief authority in the Cui Family for over ten thousand years. He was also a prominent Imperial expert in his own right, one of the most influential major powers in the Six Paths Royal Territory.
Yet now, when he faced Su Yi, he sounded delighted, excited, but also faintly awed and reserved.
Like a junior respectfully greeting his senior.
Were any other members of the Cui Family here to see this, their jaws might well have fallen off.
Su Yi calmly accepted this respect, his expression perfectly natural; he didn’t find this at all inappropriate.
In his past life, Cui Longxiang requested that Su Yi choose his son’s name. For the now-grown Cui Chang’an to call him “uncle” was perfectly logical.
Su Yi set down his teacup, then waved his hand. “It’s not like you don’t understand my personality. I detest little more than small talk and pleasantries. Have a seat.”
Cui Chang’an nodded. Only then did he take a seat beside Su Yi and sigh, “Five hundred years ago, everyone thought you had died, but my father said someone like you couldn’t possibly just silently disappear from this world. It seems Father was right on the mark.”
Su Yi thought for a moment, then asked, “Why did your father go to the Sea of Bitterness?”
After a moment’s silence, Cui Chang’an said, “Before he left, Father said that great changes were in store for the Netherworld, and that the source of the change was deep within the Sea of Bitterness. I’m afraid I don’t know the specifics either.”
Su Yi furrowed his brow. “Did he give you any instructions before he left?”
Cui Chang’an’s expression instantly turned a bit strange, but after a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Father said
 that during his absence, people were sure to come knocking on our doors looking for trouble. He said that if my Uncle Su appeared, I should just ask him to take care of the Cui Family.”
Su Yi was briefly stunned, as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I understand what you’re trying to do, but I’m sure those weren’t your father’s words.”
Cui Chang’an instantly felt a bit awkward. It was just as Su Yi thought: when Cui Longxiang left for the Sea of Bitterness, he said to Cui Chang’an:
“If the Cui Family’s troubles are more than you can resolve, go find Old Monster Su. If he tries to just stand back and watch you die, go to the Ghost Serpents and find your Aunt Ye.
“Of course, you’re the old monster’s nephew, and he named you. No matter how devoid of conscience he might be, there’s no way he’ll just stand back and watch.”
When he first heard these words, Cui Chang’an was incomparably astonished. At the time, he’d had no idea that Su Yi was still alive.
But now, how could Cui Chang’an fail to realize that his father had long since anticipated that Uncle Su would come calling?
Of course, Cui Chang’an dared not repeat his father’s word-for-word instructions in front of Su Yi.
“Do you understand that mysterious Netherworld Vessel?” asked Su Yi.
Cui Chang’an’s expression was instantly solemn. “To tell the truth, Uncle Su, I just know that it appeared in the Sea of Bitterness nine years ago, and that its movements are erratic and unpredictable
”
He went on to describe his knowledge in more detail, but it was little different from the rumors Su Yi had heard before.
However, there was one point that drew Su Yi’s attention.
After the black ship appeared, all manner of strange and inauspicious occurrences took place in the Sea of Bitterness!
The most extraordinary was the re-emergence of the Battleground of Immortals and Gods deep within the Sea of Bitterness.
No small number of Emperors had ventured there in person, hoping to enter the Battleground of Immortals and Gods in search of immortal fortune.
Su Yi was well aware that the so-called “Battleground of Immortals and Gods” was really the Burial Ground of the Dao, and that it had existed since antiquity. It was hidden deep within the Sea of Bitterness, submerged on the ocean floor and far from land.
It was a taboo, malevolent place. In the past, ordinary people had no hope of even laying eyes on it.
Only experts with Imperial Realm cultivation could enter the water and reach the ocean floor to find that taboo land shrouded in endless Dao Light.
But now, this forbidden ground had re-entered the world, appearing on the surface of the Sea of Bitterness far out to sea.
This had never happened before.
The appearance of the black Netherworld Vessel has caused changes deep within the Sea of Bitterness, including the re-emergence of the Burial Ground of the Dao, the so-called ‘Battleground of Immortals and Demons’...
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It seems that the black Netherworld Vessel is the source of this disaster. Cui Longxiang, the old fox, must have picked up on that, which is why he ventured out to sea

But I’m sure Cui Longxiang has more information than this. Otherwise, given his disposition, there’s no way he’d take direct action out of mere curiosity.
When Su Yi reached this conclusion, he looked at Cui Chang’an. “Did your father give you any further guidance before he left?”
Cui Chang’an shook his head. “He didn’t. Uncle Su, do you think
 something really happened to my father?”
He looked worried.
Earlier, the ancient Qu, Hong, and Tantai Families tried to take advantage of the Cui Family’s weakness to “loot a burning house.” They’d even said with great conviction that Cui Longxiang had encountered the Netherworld Vessel and disappeared from this world, never to return.
Of course Cui Chang’an was worried!
Su Yi laughed and teased, "Relax. A sly old devil like your father always has a backup plan. If he senses danger, he'll flee right away, before it could do anything to him."
Cui Chang’an visibly relaxed.
He naturally had complete confidence in Su Yi’s judgment.
After all, this was the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, the legend who’d once dominated the Wilds and struck terror into the Netherworld!
Su Yi suddenly asked, “Right, why did the Qu Family request to enter the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication?”
Cui Chang’an furrowed his brow. “I’m quite confused too. In ancient times, the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication were a prison for the world’s evildoers. Although the prison fell into ruin a long time ago, my father says a few of the worst, most utterly malevolent entities are still imprisoned there. Don’t tell me
 that the Qu Family plans to free them?”
Cui Chang’an couldn’t help but look solemn.
Su Yi’s eyes flashed. “Do you know if ol’ man Qu Boling is still in the Qu Family estate?”
Just like Cui Longxiang, Qu Boling was one of the Six Sovereigns of the Netherworld, the Bloody Desolation Netherworld Sovereign.
He’d once suffered an enormous loss at Cui Longxiang’s hands, paying an enormous price.
This was the origin of the conflict between the Cui and Qu Families. Even now, the two didn’t mix.
“They say that the old-timer went into seclusion in the clan’s forbidden grounds a long time ago,” said Cui Chang’an. “There’s been no news of him since.”
Suddenly, Cui Chang’an seemed to realize something. “Uncle Su, do you suspect the Qu Family wants to enter the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication on Qu Boling’s orders?”
Su Yi shook his head. “It’s hard to say.”
Qu Boling was subtle and shrewd. After losing to Cui Longxiang, his cultivation base had suffered severe, nigh irreparable damage. He still held a grudge.
Now, rumors were spreading that Cui Longxiang had encountered that mysterious Netherworld Vessel, and that he’d never return from the Sea of Bitterness. Furthermore, the once-in-a-millennium Lantern Festival was imminent.
This left the Cui Family like a group of dragons without a leader; their situation was precarious.
Ordinary factions still wouldn't dare set their sights on the Cui Family, but powerful, ancient clans like the Qu Family undoubtedly saw this as the ideal opportunity to get revenge!
How could Qu Boling, who hated Cui Longxiang to the bone, possibly miss this opportunity?
If that were really the case, the problem was quite severe.
Cui Chang’an was obviously well aware of this. He said solemnly, “In that case, when the Lantern Festival arrives, we won’t just have to contend with whatever strange and inauspicious powers arise in the darkness; we’ll have to be on guard for whatever waves the Qu Family plans to stir up.
“The problem most likely isn’t as dire as you think,” said Su Yi. “After all, had that old-fart Qu Bolong really recovered his peak cultivation, he wouldn’t have needed to wait for the Lantern Festival. He could have just come to make trouble directly.”
He paused, then added, “Today, the Qu, Hong, and Tantai families came together to demand things of the Cui Family. They were obviously trying to probe you.”
“Probe us?” Cui Chang’an looked thoughtful.
“That’s right. After all, even if your father isn’t here, the Cui Family’s forces are nothing to sneeze at. Even if the ancient clans join forces, they can forget about taking advantage of the Cui Family without paying a heavy price.
“Besides, they’re likely afraid your father left something in reserve before he left. That’s why they showed up on your doorstep and made those outrageous requests today.”
“Had you chosen to endure and accept their conditions, they would surely have assumed the Cui Family lacked confidence and dared not have a falling out with them. Then, they would have walked all over you, demanding more and more. Even if they failed to destroy the Cui Family, they’d at least deal a heavy blow that way.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “They call that ‘fighting fire with firewood.’ If you keep adding fuel to the flame, it won’t go out.”
Cui Chang’an was the head of his family; he naturally understood that.
However, after hearing Su Yi’s analysis, he finally understood something on a visceral level——
In the eyes of numerous ancient factions, the Cui Family had already become a fatty lamb, and all of them were eager for the Lantern Festival to arrive so they could charge in and take a bite out of them!