Chapter 72: A Familiar Face Outside the City Gates

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nHow unusual was that soul jade?

nThe scarred middle-aged man didn’t know.?All he knew was that the elders of the Deathbringer’s Gate viewed Qing Wan as a treasure on account of that soul jade.

nOtherwise, given those heretical cultivators’ tendencies, discovering such a pure yin soul would have been an irresistible temptation. They likely would have already used her as a ‘living’ sacrifice.

nWhen he heard this, Su Yi couldn’t help but glance at Qing Wan. “Do you remember that piece of soul jade?”

nQing Wan shook her head and whispered, “When I woke up, I was already with that Wu Ruoqiu. Everything before that is a complete blank.”

nThis was her first time hearing that she’d once occupied a piece of mysterious soul jade.

nSo, they found me in a piece of soul jade. I didn’t simply become a yin soul upon my death.?This revelation left her daze.?Who… Who exactly was I before?

n“How did the Deathbringer’s Gate obtain that soul jade?” Su Yi glanced at the scarred middle-aged man once more, but the man merely shook his head.?His position in the Deathbringer’s Gate wasn’t high at all; he had no access to classified information of this level.

nSu Yi mulled it over, then asked a few other questions about the Deathbringer’s Gate.

nIt turned out that ever since facing annihilation a hundred years ago, the lucky survivors went dormant for a hundred years. They’d already secretly recovered a certain degree of power.

nToday, the Deathbringer’s Gate headquarters had a sect leader, two vice sect leaders, and nine elders. .

nThem aside, the Deathbringer’s Gate had six branches dispersed throughout the Great Zhou.

nEach branch had a branch leader and four dharma protectors, and they reigned over all the sect disciples and underlings in the area.

nThe scarred middle-aged man and his late companions, as well as Wu Ruoqiu and Weng Yunqi, were all members of the sect’s Imperatorial Province Branch.

nWhen he heard this, Su Yi instantly understood.

nThe Great Zhou was divided into six provinces and thirty-six prefectures, while the Deathbringer’s Gate had six branches. They’d undoubtedly built one branch per province.

nFor instance, the Imperatorial Province that Cloudriver Prefecture was a part of had just one such base.

nIn other words, it was highly likely that the Deathbringer’s Gate had already spread their forces throughout the Great Zhou’s territory!

nOf course, the way Su Yi saw it, if the Deathbringer’s Gate was relying on inept small fries like the ones he’d just fought, they wouldn’t be able to stir up any waves worth mentioning.

nThe scarred middle-aged man might be a disciple of the Imperatorial Province Branch, but he didn’t even know who their branch leader was….

nIt was utterly ludicrous.

nAll the man knew was that Wu Ruoqiu’s master, Weng Yunqi, was once one of the Imperatorial Province Branch’s four dharma protectors, and that his whereabouts had been unknown ever since he betrayed the sect.

nAfter learning all this, Su Yi sank into thought.

nTen 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.

nYet when Su Yi killed Wu Ruoqiu not long ago, all of these treasures fell into Su Yi’s hands save for the soul jade.

nOf course, that included Qing Wan.

nBut this revelation only led to more questions.?If Wu Ruoqiu was only Weng Yunqi’s disciple, why did he have his master’s stolen treasures?

nWhere has Weng Yunqi gone? Is he alive or dead?

nIf I’d known Qing Wan’s origins were so unusual, I wouldn’t have killed Wu Ruoqiu so soon….?Su Yi sighed to himself.

nI would never have guessed that Qing Wan’s origins touched on so many secrets.?If I want to learn Qing Wan’s origins, I’m afraid I’ll have to start with investigating the Deathbringer’s Gate…..

nSu Yi then set those thoughts aside.?He wasn’t all that concerned about who Qing Wan had been in life, but if she wanted to uncover the truth, he didn’t mind lending her a hand.

n“Senior, I’ve told you everything I know, so please show mercy and spare my humble little life!” When he saw Su Yi sink into a long silence, the scarred man hurriedly kowtowed. He was scared out of his wits.

nBut 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 couldn’t help but be surprised.

n“Were you chasing them?” asked Su Yi.

nCheng Wuyong nodded. “Mystic 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 wouldn’t have guessed they’d run into you.”

n“I’m finished….” The scar-faced man sank into despair, looking as dejected as if he were attending his parents’ funerals.

n“They’re from the Deathbringer’s Gate, but there’s only one survivor left to interrogate. I’ll leave him to you.” After giving these orders, Su Yi picked up the Soul-Nurturing Gourd and led Qing Wan away.

nCheng Wuyong naturally didn’t 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.

n“Miss, what are you looking at?” Cheng Wuyong suddenly noticed that something was strange about Yuan Luoxi’s expression.

nYuan Luoxi whispered, “Uncle 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?pretty….”

nCheng Wuyong’s eyes narrowed. “Miss, if my deductions are correct, that’s most likely a yin soul the Mystic Master has subdued.”

n“A ghost?” Yuan Luoxi gasped.

n“That’s right.”

n“But a ghost like that isn’t scary at all! This is my first time hearing that there are such peerlessly beautiful specters out there!”

nShe suddenly seemed envious. “If I had a ghost like that as my subordinate, I’d definitely brush her hair every day and make her try on different clothes. Oh, and I’d have her wear all sorts of beautiful jewelry. It would definitely be a blast!”

n“….” Cheng Wuyong didn’t even know what to say.?What… What kind of hobby is that?

n……

nThe run-down temple.

nWhen they returned, Su Yi immediately sat down and crossed his legs.

nDuring this trip to Mother Ghost Ridge, he’d had quite the harvest. He’d 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 Wan’s cultivation….

nThen, he’d traded the Six Yin Grass with Yuan Luoxi in exchange for seventeen stalks of spiritual medicine, five of which were tier two.

nOn top of all that, in the peach orchard, he’d obtained three tier-four Fire Peaches and a foot-long segment of yin spirit vein.

nAdding all these treasures together, Su Yi wouldn’t have to worry about cultivation resources any time soon.

nThere was still more to see in Mother Ghost Ridge, but Su Yi had no plans to investigate any further.

nHe could vaguely deduce that between the Six-Severings Yin Corpse and the heretical cultivators of the Deathbringer’s Gate, others had long since swept the mountain of all its treasures.

n“I just don’t know when Lingxue is getting back….” Su Yi muttered to himself.

nHe planned to leave Guangling City in the near future, and he had no lingering attachments to the place.

nThe only thing he couldn’t just let go of was Wen Lingxue.

nWhen dawn broke over the horizon,?Su Yi, Yuan Luoxi, and company set off and left Mother Ghost Ridge.

n….

nOutside the mountains, near the unmarked mass graves.

nThe 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.

nOnce everyone reconvened, they set off for Guangling City.

nExcept 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.

nSu Yi noticed all of these changes, but he declined to comment.

nAs they neared Guangling City’s main gate, he suddenly recalled something, and he warned them, “Everyone, it would be best if you didn’t speak of what happened in Mother Ghost Ridge. If you do, well, I’m not worried about myself, but I’m afraid you might get mixed up in something dangerous.”

nMixed up in something dangerous??Yuan Luoxi was stunned for a moment. Then she said hurriedly, “Mystic Master, thank you for your warning, but we’re not at all afraid of the Deathbringer’s Gate knocking on our door.”

nShe sounded completely confident.

nBut she’d obviously misunderstood.?Cheng Wuyong and the others seemed confused too.

nSu Yi thought about it, then explained in more detail. “If Ge Changling finds out you were with me, it’s hard to say whether it’ll end well for you or not.”

nGe Changling!

nCheng Wuyong’s expression changed dramatically. This was one of the Great Zhou’s nine non-Zhou kings, the Sea-Swallowing King. Furthermore, of the nine of them, he was solidly in the top three!

nHe’d leaped into the ranks of Xiantian Martial Ancestors a full thirty years ago!

nThe other guards went rigid, their eyes blank.

nHow on earth could our expedition into Mother Ghost Ridge land us in hot water with the Sea-Swallowing King?

nHe’s like a god of war amongst men! A legend every martial artist in the Great Zhou can only look up to!

nYuan Luoxi’s confident smile faltered. Her eyes widened, and her pretty face looked lost.

nGe Changling?

nFather says he’s an expert so lofty, even our Yuan Family can only gaze upon him from afar….

nA while later, Cheng Wuyong finally regained his composure. “Mystic Master, are you saying that some of what occurred in Mother Ghost Ridge had a connection to the Sea-Swallowing King?”

nSu Yi dared call the Sea-Swallowing King directly by name, but Cheng Wuyong certainly didn’t.

n“Given his status, he’s unlikely to make this hard on you,” said Su Yi offhandedly. “In the unlikely event he does, have him come find me instead.”

nThese words only made it harder for Cheng Wuyong to remain calm.?Is Mystic Master Su implying that it’s highly likely the Sea-Swallowing King will come looking for him?

nBut the most unbelievable part is that he doesn’t seem at all concerned about the threat the Sea-Swallowing King represents!

nThis small interlude only silently increased the awe Yuan Luoxi and company already felt for Su Yi.

nThis 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.

n“Miss Luoxi, you’re finally back!” 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.

nThe black-hatted elder followed immediately after.

nThey were none other than Zhang Yuanxing and Uncle Xiong.

nWhen he saw them, Su Yi’s expression went a little strange.

nTwo days prior, on Spiritbamboo Island, this young dandy of the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital’s Zhang Family had said that working with him would be like flying with the support of powerful winds, and that he’d send Su Yi soaring into the clouds….

nEven Fu Shan had found it amusing.

nAs for Su Yi, he naturally saw the entire incident as a mere joke. He laughed, but didn’t take it the least bit seriously.?He wouldn’t have guessed that he’d run into Zhang Yuanxing again now.

n“Eh? Young Lord Su? Why are you with Miss Luoxi?”

nAt practically the same time, Zhang Yuanxing saw Su Yi. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Don’t tell me you plan to seek refuge with the Yuan Family and serve Miss Luoxi?”

nHis smile faded, and his brow furrowed in displeasure.

nAfter witnessing Su Yi’s performance at the Dragon’s Gate Banquet, Zhang Yuanxing appreciated his abilities and took the initiative to extend an invitation. If Su Yi agreed to work under him, he wouldn’t mistreat him.

nWho would have thought that just two days later, Su Yi would reappear by Yuan Luoxi’s side?

nThis was a blatant slap in the face!

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Chapter end