"No matter what you want to say, I won't let you say it."
Su Chen moved in front of Lei Yao, raised his hand, and grabbed the other man by the head.
Shhk!
He tore the man's head clean off with a single pull.
The Lei family claimed they didn't know what Lei Ao had done. That was just what they said. How could Su Chen believe them?
Although he had no feelings for Su Mengbai, he had taken over the original owner's body. Helping the original owner kill a few more enemies was only natural.
As for why he had torn off the man's head—
It seemed he'd done it on a whim.
Thud!
Just as Su Chen finished off his opponent,
the black-robed figure and Liu Wumei separated after clashing. The figure's eyes turned toward Su Chen, who was holding the severed head.
Blood trickled down from the head, making for a ghastly sight.
The eyes beneath the black-robed figure's hat narrowed. With a turn, she left at once.
"Why'd she just leave?"
Su Chen watched the departing figure, looking a little bewildered.
After glancing at the vanishing silhouette, he casually tossed Lei Yao's head aside.
"Were you trying to scare her by holding Lei Yao's head?"
Liu Wumei came over as she watched Su Chen throw away the bloodied head.
"I did it on a whim. My father was killed, and the Lei family was involved. Tearing off a head is only natural."
"Did you figure out anything about her fighting style during your exchange?"
Su Chen asked.
"My opponent seemed to be deliberately hiding her aura, but I can say for certain that she's a woman!"
Liu Wumei said.
"A woman!"
Su Chen froze. Her attacks had been vicious and fierce. How could she be a woman?
"The scent on me is very faint, yet she could still detect it. Only women are sensitive to fragrance. What's more, though her palm was wrapped in black energy when we fought, I could still tell it was a woman's hand."
"Let's go. In two days, this place might become the center of attention!"
"Even if we don't spread the news, she will. Everyone wants to be the fisherman who profits from the fight between the snipe and the clam."
Liu Wumei said.
Then she looked at Su Chen.
"Su Chen, what do you think of your big sister?"
"Fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs—a mature beauty!"
Su Chen answered with complete seriousness.
"That's a very accurate summary. If you join my Changhen Palace, I'll be yours!"
"Though I'm called a madam, I've never known a man. I'm still a maiden."
"This is your chance!"
Liu Wumei was trying to draw Su Chen into Changhen Palace.
Su Chen had just displayed a sharp saber technique and decisive, ruthless methods.
Lei Yao, an Innate Late Stage expert, had been killed by a single slash.
And just now, she'd sensed the lingering intent of a fine drizzle.
The Dusk Fine Rain Saber Technique.
Su Chen was in no way inferior to the late Su Mengbai.
He was certainly a talent.
She wanted to bring him into Changhen Palace.
"I feel like you have ulterior motives. I'm the lord of Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower. Recruiting me would mean taking over my entire Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower!"
"Besides, I have the Mountain River Sect and Zitan Palace backing me."
"Joining your Changhen Palace? That deal seems like a loss."
Su Chen looked at Liu Wumei.
"The Mountain River Sect is only somewhat renowned in Lingnan Commandery. Zitan Palace is powerful beyond the passes, but do you know why they can't enter the lands within the passes?"
"They have an enemy within the passes: Great Buddha Temple, one of the five great Buddhist temples of Great Zhou."
"Changhen Palace is different. We thrive wherever we go. You don't need to answer me now. Take your time to think it over!"
With that, she led Su Chen away.
Before long, they reached the foot of the mountain.
They climbed into the carriage and headed back to Qingcheng City.
Not long after they left,
a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was the person who had departed wearing a conical hat.
"Su Chen, I never expected you to have hidden your abilities so well!"
"If I hadn't come here, I really wouldn't have discovered you. Your Dusk Fine Rain Saber Technique is every bit as good as your father's, and your strength is beyond what I expected."
"No wonder you act so casually. It turns out you don't care about Ling Tianhe at all."
The figure spoke softly.
It was a woman's voice, completely different from the low voice she'd used earlier.
If Su Chen had heard it, he would have recognized her. The woman was Shangguan Ziyun, right there in the Su Mansion.
She was also Zi Hanyue, the Saintess of the Cold Moon Sect.
She had sensed the intent of Su Chen's saber technique, which was why she had withdrawn at once.
Besides, the treasure herb wasn't ripe yet. There was no need to fight now.
The moon hung high in the sky, and the night was dark and silent.
The carriage jolted along the broken road.
"When we reach the city gate, it'll probably be closed. How about we find somewhere in the outskirts to spend the night and head back to Qingcheng City first thing tomorrow?"
Liu Wumei said from inside the carriage.
"All right."
Su Chen nodded.
They could have paid the guards a few scraps of silver to enter the city, but traveling by carriage at night was bumpy. Spending the night outside was indeed better.
The carriage continued onward.
Before long, a clap of thunder rang across the sky, and it looked as though rain might fall in the night.
The carriage kept going.
A while later, it came to a stop in front of a ruined temple.
An old man carrying a long-stemmed pipe left the carriage outside the temple. He took some dry rations from it and went inside.
Rumble!
Then thunder rolled, and raindrops as big as beans fell from the sky.
"What's going on with the weather in Qingcheng City?"
Su Chen asked, watching the downpour.
"The weather's changing. It may bring about a lot of changes."
Liu Wumei gazed outside and spoke gravely.
Changes in the weather meant disasters could follow, and disasters meant turmoil.
Su Chen shook his head and turned to enter the ruined temple.
By then, Old Man Dry Smoke had already lit a fire.
Elsewhere,
at the Su Mansion,
a black shadow slipped in through an open window, raindrops clinging to her clothes.
Xiao Lan, who was inside, immediately lit a lamp and shut the window.
The shadow changed out of her damp black clothes and came out wearing white. It was Shangguan Ziyun.
"Get rid of these night clothes for me."
Shangguan Ziyun said.
Xiao Lan immediately helped Shangguan Ziyun dispose of the black clothes. She returned to the room a while later.
Inside the room,
Shangguan Ziyun's brows were tightly furrowed, as though she were deep in thought.
"Miss, wasn't that a Fifth-grade Lotus Platform?"
Xiao Lan knew why her mistress had gone out. Seeing her like this, she assumed the treasure wasn't a Fifth-grade Lotus Platform.
"It wasn't a Fifth-grade Lotus Platform, but it was a Blood Demon Flower. Its effects are about the same."
"If I consume the Blood Demon Flower, it can improve my aptitude and make it easier for me to enter the Refining Soul Realm."
"By the way, where was Su Chen today?"
Shangguan Ziyun suddenly asked.
"Su Chen? He seemed to be at Yuchun Courtyard."
Xiao Lan recalled.
"Yuchun Courtyard, Liu Wumei. It seems they really were the ones."
Shangguan Ziyun said.
"Miss, did you see them?"
Xiao Lan, standing nearby, couldn't help asking.
"Yes. I ran into them at Qin Cui Mountain and fought them. Su Chen used the Dusk Fine Rain Saber Technique to kill Lei Yao with a single slash."
Shangguan Ziyun said.
Before you continue