The Beauty Is Still Young, The Hero Is Still Young

The one who had come to visit was Nie Beihu's son, Nie Teng.

This heroic-looking youth had once met Su Yi at Gathering Immortals Pavilion.

Although he also had some of the bad habits common to youths, his hot blood still remained, and he knew to repay kindness.

On this point alone, he had already earned Su Yi's approval.

"Brother Su, my father had me come deliver an invitation."

Entering the courtyard, Nie Teng bowed solemnly, holding out a gold-stamped invitation with both hands.

"This invitation was specially prepared for you by Lord Fu Shan. He hopes that when the time comes, you'll be able to attend the Dragon Gate Banquet as an honored guest."

Su Yi could not help feeling somewhat surprised. After pondering for a moment, he put the invitation away and said, "I'll accept the invitation. As for whether I can attend, that will depend on whether I have free time then."

As if relieved, Nie Teng said, "Brother Su, there's one more thing. Last night, the City Lord's Mansion already joined forces with the Wen Family and took action, searching the whole city for clues about the Ghost Corpse Worms."

"By now, they've found two places where Ghost Corpse Worms were being raised, and both have been completely eradicated."

After a pause, he said, "Within three days, they should be able to check every suspicious place in the city. My father told me to tell you that you needn't worry too much about this matter. As soon as there's news, he'll have me come report it to you."

Su Yi was startled. He sized up the respectful, courteous, restrained, and well-behaved youth before him, then suddenly smiled and said, "Your father is quite thorough in his considerations. All right, if there's nothing else, hurry back and report to your father."

Yet Nie Teng hesitated, as if he found it hard to speak.

Only after a long while did he steel himself and say in a low voice, "Brother Su, my father also said that in the future, I should ask you for guidance and learn from you more. He also hopes that you... that you won't hold a grudge and will forgive my rude behavior back at Gathering Immortals Pavilion."

By the end, he could not help looking embarrassed, somewhat ashamed.

"Pitiful are the hearts of parents under heaven."

Su Yi could not help sighing with emotion.

Only, when he thought of his father in this life, Su Hongli, what rose in his heart was an unforgettable fury and hatred.

"This obsession is too deep, already rooted in the heart. In the future, I must cut it down. Otherwise, if my state of mind carries a flaw, it will easily suffer a great upheaval."

Su Yi shook his head, cast aside his stray thoughts, and said casually, "As for your father's arrangements, what do you think of them?"

Nie Beihu had indeed helped him quite a bit. Although Nie Beihu had taken the initiative to attach himself to him, Su Yi still could not simply ignore the favor.

Moreover, if Nie Beihu had not cooperated yesterday, it would have been impossible to resolve the matter of Wen Jieyuan's murder so easily.

Thus, Su Yi did have some intention of testing Nie Teng, to see whether he was worth "looking after."

"I..."

Nie Teng fell silent, his heart warring and struggling.

A long time passed before he gritted his teeth and said, "I don't want to obey my father's arrangements. I'm still young. I don't want to rely on someone else's power to cultivate. Even if the road ahead is rugged and I smash my head bloody, I still want to go charge through it!"

The youth's words rang with force, his bearing resolute.

Then he took a deep breath, his eyes bright and firm, filled with longing. "At the very least, I'm following my own heart. In the future, even if I accomplish nothing, I absolutely won't regret this."

A trace of appreciation flashed deep in Su Yi's eyes.

A youth ought to have such Lofty Ambition!

The older generation might scoff at it, but the older generation had long since lost this chestful of hot blood, this sharp will that sprang from the heart.

"Beauties are still young, heroes are in their youth. From ancient times to now, among all the countless heroes and giants, who did not have a glorious youth?"

Su Yi sighed softly, his gaze somewhat dazed.

Seeing Nie Teng's youthful spirit, he also thought of his own youth in his previous life.

Back then, he had been open and upright in a green robe, carrying a sword to the ends of the world, riding a horse and leaning by a slanting bridge while red sleeves beckoned from every floor, drinking his fill of romance and elegance!

Nie Teng stared blankly, somewhat puzzled.

The Su Yi before him was clearly about the same age as him, so why did he sigh with such old-fashioned melancholy?

"Go back and tell your father that I appreciate your decision."

"Within ten years, so long as I'm still in the Great Zhou Dynasty, if you encounter a matter you cannot resolve, you may come find me. I can act on your behalf three times."

After Su Yi finished speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back and turned to walk toward his room.

In his heart, he was still murmuring, Sparrows and swans have no high or low; commoner and prince share a cup of wine. You are a great roc in the clouds, only hating that the sky is too low and refusing to fly...

Today, I am a youth, and I ought to have the boldness of "where the sea reaches its end, heaven becomes the shore; when the mountain's summit is climbed, I am the peak"!

Nie Teng stared blankly as Su Yi's figure entered the room. Only after a long while did he seem to come back to himself. He suddenly waved his hand and turned away excitedly.

At last, he could go give his father an account.

Guangling City, the Li Family.

The guest-welcoming hall.

"Brother Zhou, with you holding the fort at this Dragon Gate Banquet, it will surely draw the eyes of all. After all, with Brother Zhou's status, even City Lord Fu Shan has to show you some respect."

Patriarch Li Tianhan smiled and complimented him.

On a chair to the other side, Zhou Huaiqiu waved a hand and said calmly, "I merely happened to be here at the right time and hoped to use this chance to witness the bearing of the younger generation of martial artists from Guangling City and Fallen Cloud City. As for the Dragon Gate Banquet, Lord Fu Shan still has the final say."

He wore a cloth robe, his beard and hair gray-white, his features somewhat aged, yet whenever his eyes opened and closed, a sharpness flowed through them that looked down on all and chilled the heart.

"Hahaha, Brother Zhou, you're too modest. You are an Inner Disciple Elder of Green River Sword Mansion, and your 'Azure Peak Thirteen Swords' have reached the realm of the uncanny and divine, your name shaking Cloud River County!"

Li Tianhan laughed heartily. "What's more, Brother Zhou is still in the prime of life. One day, you will surely have the chance to point your sword at the Grandmaster Realm and achieve an even greater breakthrough."

He was not merely flattering him blindly.

Zhou Huaiqiu's status ranked fourth among the twelve elders of Green River Sword Mansion, and his attainments in the Dao of the Sword were exceedingly deep and refined. In Cloud River County, he enjoyed the honored title of "Azure Peak Sword Old."

"The Grandmaster Realm..."

Zhou Huaiqiu's gaze drifted slightly, and he sighed softly. "The difficulty of this realm is harder than ascending to the blue heavens. I have been trapped at Qi Gathering Realm Great Perfection for nineteen years, and even now I have only touched the slightest threshold of the Grandmaster Realm. If I want to step inside, who knows how much longer I must temper myself..."

As he was speaking, Ni Hao, tall and handsome in a golden robe, and Nan Ying, demure and gentle in a snow-white dress, walked in side by side.

"You've seen Su Yi? How is he doing now?" Zhou Huaiqiu asked.

"Reporting to Uncle-Master, we saw him."

Nan Ying lowered her brows obediently and gave a graceful bow before sighing faintly. "Senior Brother Su has lost his cultivation, and he married into the Wen Family. His position is rather awkward. It truly makes one's heart ache."

"Ah."

A complicated look appeared on Zhou Huaiqiu's face, his eyes sorrowful. "That child Su Yi originally possessed extraordinarily high comprehension in the Dao of the Sword. Back when he became Outer Disciple Sword Leader, I was certain that his future achievements would absolutely not be beneath your Senior Brother Ni Hao's."

"Who could have imagined the heavens would envy the talented and make his path in the Martial Dao wither away here!"

With that, he sighed in bitter regret.

"How could that good-for-nothing possibly compare with Senior Brother Ni Hao!"

Nan Ying muttered inwardly, but aloud she hurried to comfort him. "Uncle-Master Zhou, all of that is already in the past. You needn't worry too much over Senior Brother Su either. Although he has become an ordinary person now, his life can still be considered decent."

Zhou Huaiqiu nodded and said, "That is also why I did not go see him. I was afraid it would stir up his sad memories and make him brood over the matter of losing all his cultivation back then, unable to see things through."

Suddenly, Ni Hao spoke, looking toward Li Tianhan. "Uncle Li, is Junior Brother Moyun not at home?"

Li Tianhan's eyes flashed, and he said with a beaming smile, "It truly is rather unfortunate. Moyun already set off yesterday and returned to Cloud River County."

Ni Hao nodded and said, "That's true. With Junior Brother Moyun's current status and cultivation, there's no longer any need for him to participate in the Martial Dao sparring at the Dragon Gate Banquet."

At the mention of Li Moyun, Zhou Huaiqiu could not help smiling and praising him. "That child Moyun is indeed very good. His bones and roots are outstanding, and his Martial Dao talent stands out from the crowd. In my view, in less than a year, he will be able to attempt breaking through to the Qi Gathering Realm."

"Hahaha, Brother Zhou flatters him!"

Li Tianhan laughed happily.

"Uncle-Master, Senior Brother Ni Hao isn't bad either, but you rarely praise him. You're too biased."

Nan Ying's voice rang clear as a bell, and she stood up for Ni Hao as if acting spoiled, causing Zhou Huaiqiu to break into a helpless laugh.

"Worthy Nephew Ni Hao is naturally a dragon and phoenix among men, an outstanding figure of the younger generation. There is no doubt about that."

Li Tianhan took over the conversation. "However, in my view, Su Yi's situation in the future will likely become quite terrible."

Zhou Huaiqiu frowned slightly and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Tianhan's eyes flickered as he said, "As far as I know, his wife, Wen Lingzhao, will soon become the personal disciple of Grandmaster Zhu Guqing. Add to that Wen Lingzhao's peerless beauty and the fact that she has no small number of admirers in Kaiyuan Academy; some noble scions of prominent families have even declared that in the future, they will kick Su Yi away from Wen Lingzhao completely."

After a pause, he said with feeling, "Under circumstances like these, how could Su Yi possibly live well in the future? In my view, putting everyone else aside, the Wen Family alone will likely treat Su Yi with increasing disfavor. I cannot rule out the possibility that some unpleasant things may happen."

Zhou Huaiqiu's pupils narrowed slightly, and he fell silent.

Although he sympathized with and pitied Su Yi's experience, facing this sort of situation, there was nothing he could do.

This made a faint trace of guilt rise in his heart, but that was all. It was impossible for him to stand opposed to a Grandmaster Disciple.

Even more impossible for him to get involved in the Wen Family's affairs.

For one, it was troublesome. For another, stretching his hand too far would instead bring fire upon himself.

"This cannot be blamed on anyone. If there is blame, it can only be blamed on Su Yi for simply being unqualified to be Wen Lingzhao's husband."

Ni Hao's expression was indifferent as he spoke.

"Let's not mention this matter."

Zhou Huaiqiu felt somewhat irritated and waved a hand.

Li Tianhan smiled faintly and thought to himself, It seems everyone has a premonition and realizes that after Wen Lingzhao becomes a Grandmaster Disciple, that good-for-nothing Su Yi is bound to get into trouble in the future.

That is enough!

Next, it depends on when that child Moyun makes his move!

From that day on, Zhou Huaiqiu, Ni Hao, and Nan Ying stayed at the Li Family, intending to leave only after participating in the Dragon Gate Banquet.

Early the next morning.

Wen Family patriarch Wen Changjing, Wen Changtai and his wife, together with Wen Lingxue, set off from Guangling City for Heavenly Origin Academy to visit Wen Lingzhao.

From beginning to end, aside from Wen Lingxue once mentioning this matter to Su Yi, everyone else simply ignored him, Wen Lingzhao's husband.

Su Yi naturally would not care about any of that.

Outside the city, by the Great Cang River, in Mulberry Forest.

When Su Yi's tall, slender figure arrived bathed in the faint morning light, he unexpectedly saw that today, there were two people waiting there.

PS: 1. No extra update today; I need to seriously work out some of the plot.

2. The upcoming Dragon Gate Banquet is a major climax, so it needs a little setup first.