It was just as Weng Jiu first lamented. Su Yi might seem aloof from worldly affairs, but in truth, his pride was bone deep.
Even if the skies fell and the earth collapsed, even if the whole world stood against him, he wouldnât be the least bit concerned.
However, threatening the safety of those around him was like touching a dragonâs reverse scale! Â
It didnât matter who you were. Even if you were a god, Su Yi would cut you down without the slightest hesitation.
The heavy and oppressive atmosphere made Xia Qingyuanâs hair stand on end. âBrother Su, the situation hasnât gone so far awry that thereâs no room to turn things around.â
Su Yi nodded. âXia Linyuan doesnât wish to get involved? That, I can understand. But why would he do this?â
Xia Qingyuan said gravely, âHe told the ancient factions that before the imperial family made its position clear, it wouldnât let you leave Nine Tripod City unauthorized.â
âThatâs not âmaintaining a neutral position,ââ said Su Yi. âIt doesnât matter if theyâre putting pressure on him or if heâs simply disregarding me completely. Heâll pay for what heâs done.â
He spoke casually, but the iciness of his apparent calm was enough to make one shudder.
Xia Qingyuan hesitated. âBrother Su, actually⊠When my father left half a month ago, he left something in reserve just in case. However, Iâm afraid not even he could have anticipated that the third elder would act so quicklyâŠâ
Su Yi said thoughtfully, âDid your father leave intentionally?â
Xia Qingyuan nodded. âHe said that although the Radiant Epoch is not yet truly upon us, the world is showing signs of increasing upheaval. If the Great Xiaâs imperial family is to continue in perpetuity, thereâs something he must do.â
Su Yi seemed to guess something, and his eyebrows shot up. âScraping poison off the bone?â
Xia Qingyuan was stunned. She exclaimed, âBrother Su, youâve already guessed it?â
âTo fight the outside world, one must first secure what lies within oneâs borders. If major factions wish to remain standing as the world changes without, they must first eliminate the cancer within,ââ Su Yi said casually.
âUnder ordinary circumstances, these âtumorsâ seem harmless. However, in the face of pressure, theyâll act up. Some will collude with enemies and assist them from the inside. Others will seize any opportunity to seize power, while others are so spineless that theyâll run away at the first sign of pressureâŠâ
Su Yi paused here. He couldnât help but lament, âThroughout history, numerous peak orthodoxies have fallen, not because their opponents were too powerful, but because of the cancer in their own ranks!â
Xia Qingyuan said in complete agreement, âMy father said much the same thing.â
She paused here, then continued, âFurthermore, he said with certainty that so long as he wasnât around, when the curtains fell on the expedition to Sumeru Immortal Island, those malignant tumors wouldnât be able to resist jumping out. However, Iâm afraid not even my father could have anticipated that the third elder would be in such a rushâŠâ
With an inscrutable expression on his face, Su Yi said, âYour father must have been certain that, with my temperament, I would kill quite a few monsters of the ancient era on Sumeru Immortal Island, thereby causing a storm. Thus⊠He used me to test the imperial family.â
Xia Qingyuanâs heart clenched, and she said hurriedly, âBrother Su, thereâs no way my father meant it like that!â
Su Yi said, âIâm naturally well aware that those werenât his intentions. Heâs merely taking advantage of the waves to cleanse the imperial family of its filth.â
Xia Qingyuan instantly relaxed quite a bit. She then took out a sealed letter and passed it to Su Yi. âBrother Su, my father gave me this before his departure. He instructed me to give it to you if this incident displeased you.â
Su Yi opened the letter, and found that there was only one sentence written on it: âThe imperial family of the Great Xia will forever stand by Fellow Daoist Su!â
The strokes were bold and vigorous, and the ink bled through the page.Â
Su Yiâs eyebrows shifted, and he put away the letter. âYour father has his plans, but since Iâve gotten dragged into this⊠Iâm afraid I wonât be able to wait until he gets back to resolve this.â
Xia Qingyuanâs heart shook. âBrother Su, donât tell me you want toâŠâ
âDidnât Xia Linyuan invite me over tomorrow? Then Iâll just go see him,â said Su Yi casually.
Xia Qingyuan stood there in a daze for a while. Suddenly, she blinked, then grinned like a fox. âThen, Iâll be sure to show up and watch the show tomorrow.â
âYou anticipated this, didnât you?â Su Yi glanced at the crafty, beautiful young woman.
Xia Qingyuan giggled. âI thought about it on the way here. âWhat will Brother Su do when he finds out about this?â I figured that, with your temperament, you couldnât possibly just endure in silence.â
âThen was your earlier concern just an act?â teased Su Yi.
Xia Qingyuan shook her head. âNo, actually. My only concern was that youâd misunderstand my father. Thatâs the reason I came here tonight.â
Su Yi smiled but said nothing.
âŠâŠ
The second day of the eleventh lunar month.
Early in the morning, the cold was as sharp as a knife. A bone-piercing chill hung in the air.
Su Yi got up early, practiced his fist technique, washed up, and ate, as he always did.
âIâm going to Mount Heavenbristle for a visit. Iâll be back shortly,â said Su Yi. He then headed out of Azurecloud Court.
âBrother Su, what are you going there for?â Wen Xinzhao asked curiously.Â
âIâm going to bring Yuan Heng and Miss Bai back,â said Su Yi. As he spoke, he was already leaving the courtyard. âRight, prepare some food and drinks for lunch to welcome them back.â
âAlright.â Yue Shichan promptly agreed.
Wen Xinzhao asked in confusion, âBig Sister Shichan, why does something seem not quite right here?â
Yue Shichanâs gaze was as calm as a stagnant pool. âDo you think Brother Su will run into danger?â
âOf course not,â said Wen Xinzhao without so much as pausing to think.
âThen thereâs naturally no need to worry about anything,â said Yue Shichan.
Wen Xinzhao couldnât argue with that.
âŠ.
Mount Heavenbristle.
The residence of the Solar King.
âEveryone, when Su Yi gets here, make sure to be polite. After all, His Majesty once thought highly of the boy, and his strength is truly heaven-defying. We cannot be negligent when it comes to etiquette,â said Xia Linyuan slowly from his elevated seat at the center of the room.
He looked hale and hearty, with bright eyes, robes embroidered with dragons, and a poised, majestic bearing.
There were five other prominent members of the imperial family in attendance, and when they heard this, they all nodded. However, they didnât take the warning to heart.
Even if Su Yi were far more heaven-defying, more than ten ancient factions had set their sights on him. He wouldnât be able to jump around much longer!
He was about to die. What need was there to concern themselves with him?
When he saw this, Xia Linyuanâs eyes flashed. âAlso, I sent someone to inform the emissaries of the ancient orthodoxies, and theyâre already on their way. When Su Yi arrives, I plan to announce the imperial familyâs stance to them directly.â
Someone couldnât help but ask, âWeâre announcing it today already?â
âHow could we delay a matter of such importance?â said Xia Linyuan calmly. âEveryone, you saw it last night. Quite a few members of the imperial family oppose this decision. Delays will only lead to trouble. To prevent this, itâs better to get it over with quickly.â
The crowd nodded.
Indeed, the storm Su Yi had caused was intensifying, and more and more citizens of Nine Tripod City were paying attention.
Given the circumstances, it was naturally best that they removed the imperial family from the storm sooner rather than later.
Someone announced from outside the hall, âThird Elder, Her Highness, Xia Qingyuan, has arrived.â
âLet her in,â Xia Linyuan said casually.
Before long, the fair young woman in a pale green dress walked in. Xia Qingyuan smiled and said, âThird Elder, Iâm just here to watch the excitement, assuming you donât mind.â
Xia Linyuan laughed. âHow could I mind? Find a spot and have a seat.â
Xia Qingyuan nodded, then found a seat relatively far away. Her bright eyes evaluated the other members of the imperial family present.
She muttered to herself, These are the people Brother Su called âpoisonous tumors.âÂ
Before long, some announced the arrival of the emissaries of the various ancient factions.Â
âThis way, please!â Xia Linyuan said in a low voice.
Before long, a dozen or so people entered the hall. There were both men and women, and all had an extraordinary martial bearing. Without exception, they were in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.
The leader was middle-aged. He wore purple robes and a feather headdress, and a sheathed sword hung at his waist.
His name was Huan Tianhe, and he was an elder of the Demonic Huan Family.
As soon as he arrived, he scanned the hall and frowned. âBrother Xia, didnât you say Su Yi would come today at dawn?â
Xia QIngyuan rose with a smile. âFellow Daoist Huan, please, be patient and take a seat. For now.â
âFine, weâll wait for now.â Huan Tianhe waved and led the emissaries inside. All of them took their seats.
Just watching this, Xia Qingyuan felt uncomfortable. Arenât these old farts a bit too brazen?
Even more infuriatingly, Third Elder is welcoming them with a smile!
âBrother Xia, we all have some understanding of the imperial familyâs attitude. I must say, youâve made the rational choice,â said Huan Tianhe slowly, with a reserved smile on his face. âWhen Su Yi arrives, thereâs something weâd like to ask of you. Itâs a presumptuous request, but we hope youâll agree.â
Xia Linyuan smiled. âThereâs no harm in asking.â
âWe hope to borrow the power of the imperial familyâs Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation to suppress Su Yi.â
What!?
Xia Linyuan and the other imperial family higher-ups all reacted to this pronouncement.
Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawread dot com ].
Xia Qingyuanâs pupils silently constricted, and she was inwardly furious. Bastard! Youâve actually set your sights on our clanâs core defensive formation?
You must die for this!
Huan Tianhe smiled faintly, then continued, âOf course, we merely plan to borrow it. Once weâve dealt with Su Yi, weâll naturally give the imperial family adequate compensation.â
Xia Linyuanâs expression filled with uncertainty. âBrother Heng, I only promised that the imperial family would maintain its neutrality. If I agree to your request, how is that any different from getting directly involved?â
Huan Tianheâs brow furrowed. âBrother Xia, so long as you agree, the thirteen factions represented here will never forget the imperial familyâs benevolence. This can only benefit the Xia Family, and it wonât harm you in any way.
âHowever, if you refuse, youâll deeply disappoint us. I hope you consider this carefully!âÂ
His words contained a hint of an implied threat.
The emissaries of the other factions all looked at Xia Linyuan.
In the face of this invisible pressure, Xia Linyuanâs expression shifted repeatedly, and he sank into silence.
Not far away, Xia Qingyuan sighed to herself. This is what happens to those without a backbone!
The moment you show weakness, theyâll start demanding more and more. Theyâll walk all over you!
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