When Yu Sui saw Black Beard and the others, her mind cleared in an instant, and all her emotions were suppressed. As she floated toward shore, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Wei Ren, who was far away from her.
She had thought she'd only torn open a tiny crack, using just a small wisp of strange fire. Yet, just like back then, it had still been hard to control.
Back then, Zhongli Que had brought her back to her senses. Tonight, without that Thunder Serpent, her strange fire would have set this stretch of sea ablaze, and everyone in the outer city would have seen it.
As Yu Sui grew, the power unleashed by the strange fire grew with her.
Even now, seawater continued to rush back in, sending up waves and splashing sounds. Black Beard and the others hurried over and pulled Yu Sui ashore. They were shocked by the wounds and blood covering her, their faces turning pale as they quickly took off their coats and draped one around her.
"Your subordinate arrived too late and let those despicable Agricultural School people grievously wound the County Princess. Your subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths." The Nangong Family's Technicians, Black Beard and the others, were so shocked that sweat covered their heads.
Mei Chengyu looked back at Wei Ren, who was still in the water.
He had left the city tonight to kill Wei Kun. Halfway through chasing him, he'd run into Black Beard and the others, who'd been anxiously saying things like the County Princess was missing, there were traces of the Agricultural School, and what would happen if the County Princess died.
Knowing he was Yu Sui's senior martial brother, Black Beard had asked if he had any way to find her.
After all, she was his master's precious disciple. If the Agricultural School people really killed her, his master might spend several days grieving and refuse to speak to him again.
Mei Chengyu had used divination to locate Yu Sui, then brought the others here with Wind Riding Technique. There were obvious signs of a fight. Five Elements Qi had erupted in the seawater, which had grown dark and heavy. He couldn't see Yu Sui or Wei Ren because Yu Sui had forced Wei Ren far below the surface, where the moonlight couldn't reach the cold, deep seabed.
He could only sense the turbulent Five Elements Qi and have the Thunder Serpent strike away the two forces in the sea before assessing the situation.
The seawater swept the people on the seabed up to the surface. Mei Chengyu had thought the powerful force holding someone down was attacking Yu Sui. But when he saw Wei Ren swept out by the water, then looked at Yu Sui, he fell thoughtful.
Wei Ren bobbed up and down in the waves. When he drew near shore and tried to climb out, a flash of lightning made him pull back the hand he'd reached out. He looked up at Mei Chengyu.
"Well, hello." Mei Chengyu greeted him. "Agricultural School lapdog."
Wei Ren gave a bitter smile and raised both hands. "I really didn't lay a hand on her."
Mei Chengyu glanced behind him. Quite a few people had come. Besides the Nangong Family's Nine Schools Practitioners, there were people who had been watching the Nangong Family along the outer city's roads, as well as others who'd come to see the commotion. They were all hiding on the cliffs behind them, peeking at what was happening by the sea.
There were bound to be people from the Agricultural School among them.
Mei Chengyu made a quick estimate. There were at least thirty people.
Earlier, Five Elements Qi had gathered here and the seawater had churned. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought a Sage was disrupting the Five Elements Qi.
That would naturally draw some people here. Black Beard searching for Yu Sui would also have alerted those watching the Nangong Family.
Mei Chengyu's Listening Wind Ruler gave a buzz. He tapped it open to check.
Nian Qiuyan: "He got away."
Wei Kun had escaped back to the academy.
Mei Chengyu clicked his tongue, turned, and walked toward Yu Sui, who had come ashore. In those few short steps, his eyes caught sight of Lu Haiye nearby, a gaping hole in his chest, dead with his heart pierced.
Yu Sui wore the black coat Black Beard had given her. Water still streaked her pale little face as she hung her head, droplets falling from her hair. Blood mingled with seawater and spread across her skin, making her lips look darker.
Mei Chengyu watched her for a while, then said, "If you can't beat them, call your master."
Yu Sui's lashes trembled faintly. She looked up. "Can I?"
Wei Ren, still trapped in the water and barred from coming ashore, had a complicated expression. She didn't even know she could summon Sage Chang Gen?
"You're his disciple. If your master's disciple is being hunted, why can't you call your master to save you? He just can't come out on his own. In the outer city, someone has to summon him. In Taiyi, only you and I can summon him." Mei Chengyu spoke to Yu Sui. "Call him when you need to."
It sounded like a reminder that she should do it right now.
Yu Sui parted her lips. A faint voice struggled out of her throat. "Master."
At that moment, the torrential seawater stopped pouring back in. The wind and waves fell still, yet people felt a silent pressure descending from the sky. An irresistible consciousness invaded them, and everyone by the shore and on the cliffs received Sage Chang Gen's response:
"I'm here."
Yu Sui's gaze shifted. She instinctively lifted her eyes, searching for that dark trace, but found nothing. Still, she felt her master's presence with absolute certainty.
To pray and receive an answer—it felt so wondrous.
Mei Chengyu glanced toward the people watching from the distant cliffs.
After Sage Chang Gen's consciousness entered them, they ran faster than rabbits, leaving the area without stopping.
The Nangong Family's Nine Schools Practitioners, Black Beard among them, all lowered their heads with respectful expressions, not daring to harbor the slightest disloyal thought.
Yu Sui gazed for a while at the dark night sky and the bright, clear moon, then suddenly smiled.
Mei Chengyu looked back at Wei Ren, who wanted to climb ashore, and struck him back into the water with another Thunder Strike. Wei Ren surfaced, glaring at him.
"Once you leave Taiyi Academy, the academy doesn't interfere in other people's grudges or life-and-death fights. But if you kill an academy disciple, the academy doesn't remain completely unaware. It knows everything that happens on this island, so you'll still lose points when you go back." Mei Chengyu watched Wei Ren, though the corner of his eye was on Yu Sui. "So, what's it to be? Will you kill him, or let him go?"
Wei Ren wiped the seawater from his face and repeated, "I really didn't lay a hand on her!"
Mei Chengyu gave him a knowing smile. "You weren't working with that old man who died back there?"
Wei Ren's expression paused. He didn't answer at once. Mei Chengyu lifted his chin slightly. "Telling me won't help. Look at my junior martial sister and see if she believes you."
Yu Sui stood on the shore, watching Wei Ren bob in the water. Just as she had watched Lu Haiye earlier, she stared straight at him with dark, deep-set eyes. The first flicker of fear had risen in Wei Ren's heart, and by then he no longer had the strength to fight her.
Wei Ren took a deep breath. Though he was drenched from head to toe, he was also clearly sweating. He took on a resigned air and addressed Yu Sui solemnly. "I did keep my promise to you. I didn't tell anyone you knew the Nine Schools Techniques. I only told him about the Xirang and where you were. I thought you'd summon Sage Chang Gen."
"I was wrong about tonight. I—"
Yu Sui cut him off. "You know Lady Su?"
Wei Ren answered quickly. "I do."
Yu Sui asked again, "Do you know a lot about her?"
Wei Ren thought the truth might be cruel, but at a time like this, it was the answer most likely to keep Yu Sui from killing him. "I probably know more than you do."
"I see." Yu Sui wiped the seawater from her face. When she looked at Wei Ren again, she smiled faintly. "I won't kill you, but could I ask you to destroy your Five Elements Light Core yourself?"
She seemed to have become the same elegant, polite little County Princess again.
Even such a cruel thing came out of her mouth with perfect courtesy.
Wei Ren stared at her, stunned.
Black Beard and the others didn't say a word. As far as they were concerned, even if Yu Sui truly wanted to kill Wei Ren, they would have to act immediately.
But Black Beard was also being careful. The Agricultural School disciple before them seemed to have a deep connection with Lady Su. Perhaps they should keep him alive and take him back for the Prince to interrogate.
"County Princess..." Wei Ren began, only for Yu Sui to cut him off again. She spoke with complete seriousness. "Knowing you're a Fifth Realm practitioner, that I can see you every day at the academy, and that someone so much stronger than me might kill me—I'm scared."
If Wei Ren wanted to survive, he had to find a way to make Yu Sui believe him and dispel her suspicions.
Even now, Yu Sui hadn't mentioned that Wei Ren practiced the Agricultural School Forbidden Technique, and Wei Ren hadn't said that Yu Sui had opened the Military Formation—Asura Hell.
They had both kept their promises, but they still had other conflicts to resolve.
Before, Yu Sui had faced a life-or-death choice. Now it was Wei Ren's turn.
A chill crept up Wei Ren's back. With everyone watching, he didn't dare make a single move. Yu Sui's sudden outburst had left him gravely wounded, and after the Nangong Family's Nine Schools Practitioners arrived, he had no chance of escaping.
And then there was Mei Chengyu.
Mei Chengyu was a strange person who might not get involved. He'd heard that Zhongli Shan had once been brutally beaten in front of him, and Mei Chengyu had merely watched without lifting a finger.
But Nangong Sui was his junior martial sister, and she shared the same master as him—the disciple of Sage Chang Gen. Wei Ren didn't think Mei Chengyu would remain indifferent and refuse to act.
And there was Sage Chang Gen. Perhaps all Yu Sui had to do was say the word, and the old Sage would help her too.
"I can't destroy my Five Elements Light Core. That would be no different from dying." Wei Ren spoke just as seriously, his nerves taut as he said in a low voice, "But I can cripple my cultivation and fall to the First Realm."
Mei Chengyu glanced at him sideways. Without destroying his Five Elements Light Core, he wouldn't lose the Nine Schools Techniques he possessed. For a Nine Schools Practitioner, losing a Five Elements Light Core really was the same as dying.
Crippling his cultivation would also inflict irreversible damage on his Five Elements Light Core. Although he could cultivate again, it would be far harder than before. He could never rise beyond the Ninth Realm in this lifetime, and the Soul Light Core realm would be out of reach.
Yu Sui knew all this, but she still watched Wei Ren for a long time.
She wanted to see what other people looked like when driven into a dead end.
Would they be as wretched as she was?
Yu Sui had borrowed the strange fire's power, strengthening her Bagua Life Technique. When she killed Lu Haiye in an instant, lightning had flashed brilliantly. Wei Ren hadn't even seen what happened before the Thunder Serpent whipped him into the sea.
In the seawater, the strange fire had risen from the depths of the seabed. It had stirred the desire for destruction in Yu Sui's heart. Just as she was about to sink completely into the killing intent, another Thunder Serpent struck it back.
So Yu Sui was certain Wei Ren hadn't noticed the strange fire.
He hadn't had time.
The timing had been too perfect.
Yu Sui had only used the strange fire's power twice.
When she was thirteen, by the pond, she had used the strange fire to burn to death a Nine Schools Practitioner who had let his guard down. Her gaze had been drawn to the Black Flame. That power ignored all Nine Schools Techniques. It was too strong, too wondrous, and it could become addictive.
From that day on, Yu Sui had known she couldn't use the strange fire's power, because she couldn't control it.
If she lost control of her consciousness, the strange fire would kill her first.
She had endured so much just to stay alive.
If the strange fire swallowed and burned the entire Xuangu Continent, that world would be no different from her being dead.
Yu Sui didn't want the strange fire to devour her reason and control her, robbing her of herself until she became nothing but a ball of fire, furious and burning the heavens and earth and all living things.
And killing intent always made her angry.
Yu Sui watched Wei Ren, driven into a dead end. Sweat poured down his head, his teeth clenched, and the veins in his neck showed faintly. His gaze trembled slightly. Perhaps his hands beneath the seawater were already clenched tight, afraid to let go. Yet Wei Ren met Yu Sui's gaze without flinching or dodging.
They were both just as wretched.
Yu Sui lifted a hand to cover her face and coughed softly. "Do it."
The breath Wei Ren had been holding quietly escaped at Yu Sui's words.
He gathered his Five Elements Qi and rasped, "All right." Wei Ren crippled his cultivation, falling from the Fifth Realm to the First. On top of his injuries, he had no strength left to return to the academy.
Yu Sui was injured too. Black Beard and the others took her back to the inn. After she had washed up, they brought in a Medical School Practitioner to treat her. Mei Chengyu ate downstairs. He said he'd gone out to kill Wei Kun without having dinner, and Black Beard told him everything at the inn was free tonight. Mei Chengyu also thought he shouldn't waste the opportunity.
The Tranquil Spirit Incense burned in the room, its fragrance refreshing. Yu Sui sat on the edge of the bed as a healer wrapped her wrist. She had taken off her clothes from the waist up, and almost her entire upper body was wrapped in white gauze soaked in medicine.
The healer said gently, "The pain will stop in a little while. Leave the Medicated Cloth on until tomorrow night, then apply the ointment I gave the County Princess."
"Will it leave a scar?" Yu Sui frowned at her reflection in the mirror. With her other hand, she pointed to the scratch the spider silk had left on her left cheek. "Then my face will be ruined."
"Don't worry, County Princess. This Clear Face Cream will make the scar fade completely, leaving your skin as good as new. It absolutely won't leave a scar or mar your beauty." The healer coaxed her gently. "You'll still be the prettiest County Princess."
Yu Sui looked at herself in the mirror.
Tonight, the healer was the only person whose words didn't make her feel irritated.
The healer gently pressed Yu Sui's abdomen and waist. Warm Five Elements Qi flowed through Yu Sui's body with the healer's movements, mending her broken ribs.
"Your Five Elements Light Core isn't injured, and the poison has been cleared. There's nothing seriously wrong." The healer spoke to Black Beard outside the door. "The pain has stopped. Let the County Princess rest for a while before discussing matters with her."
Black Beard nodded and closed the door for Yu Sui.
Yu Sui felt exhausted, and her eyelids were heavy, but the heat brought on by the strange fire kept her from sleeping. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She wiped them away and sat up in bed.
She asked Black Beard to come in.
Black Beard had already prepared himself for Yu Sui to give him a furious scolding. He entered and asked respectfully, "County Princess, what are your orders?"
"At Taiyi, do you take orders from me, from my Third Brother, or from Brother Gu?" Yu Sui asked softly.
Black Beard's heart jolted. He hurried to declare his loyalty. "Of course I obey you, County Princess. You're the future heir to the Prince's estate, and I'm a member of the Nangong Family. I'll only serve the master of the Nangong Family."
Yu Sui asked him to look up at her. At that moment, the Nangong County Princess's gaze was clear, and every word she spoke came from the heart. "I couldn't cultivate before, and my relationship with my mother was poor. My father often looked down on me too. But I wanted to prove that I was worthy of the name my father bestowed on me. You were the first person I met when I came to Taiyi Academy, and after I gained the ability to cultivate, you were the one who looked after me at every turn."
"You weren't like those people in the Imperial Capital who looked down on me because I was a mediocre practitioner. I like you very much, and I hope you'll become one of my people, because you're the person I trust most right now. When I inherit the title, I'll take you away from Taiyi and back to the Imperial Capital with me."
Black Beard was captivated by the girl's sincere, bright eyes. Hearing the earnestness in every word, he had already been moved and persuaded.
Leaving Taiyi and returning to the Imperial Capital had been his goal all these years.
Besides, the County Princess had said it herself: he was the person she trusted most right now.
"To serve the County Princess is a blessing earned over three lifetimes. With just one word from you, your subordinate will do everything in his power to see it done." Black Beard spoke solemnly.
"I don't want my father to find out what happened tonight," Yu Sui said with a troubled expression. "First, I don't want him to worry. Second, I've noticed some things related to the Xirang, and I want to investigate them myself. Then I can surprise my father and make him see me in a new light."
"Are you willing to help?"
Black Beard immediately bowed his head and cupped his hands. "If the County Princess doesn't want the Prince to know, then no one will send word of what happened tonight back to the Imperial Capital."
Only then did Yu Sui's fingers, which had been gripping the blanket, loosen slightly.
How had she killed Lu Haiye?
If Nangong Ming found out, he would certainly think further about it.
It wasn't time yet. Any news going back to the Imperial Capital had to be stopped if possible.
Fortunately, the talent she'd displayed, along with her identity as Sage Chang Gen's disciple, had filled Black Beard with confidence in her. He believed she would turn the tables one day and return to the Imperial Capital, astonishing everyone who had once looked down on her.
She was absolutely the one who would inherit the Prince's estate.
I need to build a good relationship with the County Princess.
Black Beard was utterly certain of it.
After talking with Black Beard, Yu Sui said a few more things to reassure him. They chatted a little about the Agricultural School Nine Streams Technique. When the pain in her body had mostly faded, she finally rose and asked, "Where's my senior martial brother?"
Black Beard hurriedly replied, "Downstairs. Would you like to go see him?"
Yu Sui reached up to touch the Medicated Cloth wrapped around her neck and asked curiously, "What's he doing downstairs?"
"He was eating earlier," Black Beard said. "He said he hadn't had dinner, so I asked the kitchen to prepare a whole table for him. It was free."
Yu Sui followed Black Beard downstairs.
It was already late at night. The first floor had none of its daytime bustle, and there were no customers now. Only Mei Chengyu remained, sitting by the window after finishing his meal, his head lowered as he fiddled with the Listening Wind Ruler.
Hearing someone come downstairs, Mei Chengyu paid no attention.
Only when Yu Sui walked toward him did he look up. Seeing the white Medicated Cloth wrapped around her neck and wrists, he lifted his brows slightly and looked her over. She seemed both pitiful and adorable like this.
"Senior martial brother, are you going back?" Yu Sui asked.
Mei Chengyu tapped the Listening Wind Ruler as he answered, "Master told me to keep an eye on you. Now that you're fine, I'm leaving."
"Then let's go," Yu Sui said. "I'm going back to the academy too."
Only then did Mei Chengyu look back at her. "You're not going to rest a little longer?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Yu Sui raised her bandaged hand and gave it a little wave.
Mei Chengyu smiled, put away the Listening Wind Ruler, and stood. "All right, let's go."
Yu Sui stepped outside and climbed into the carriage. She lifted the curtain and looked at Mei Chengyu, who was still standing outside with an inscrutable expression.
"Senior martial brother, are you going to use Wind Riding Technique to get there?" she asked.
The long street was quiet, with only the night breeze stirring the lanterns hanging from the pillars.
Mei Chengyu answered lazily, "I'm tired. I don't really feel like using Wind Riding Technique to get there."
Yu Sui looked around. There wasn't anything else he could use to get there, so she tilted her head to invite him aboard.
Mei Chengyu paused at that little gesture of hers.
The carriage traveled about as fast as Wind Riding Technique. Black Beard drove it himself, escorting Yu Sui back to Taiyi Academy. Three other Nangong Family Nine Schools Practitioners accompanied them, protecting them from the shadows in case anything happened.
Yu Sui and Mei Chengyu sat facing each other inside the carriage. Mei Chengyu wasn't playing with the Listening Wind Ruler; he simply watched Yu Sui with a calm expression.
She met his gaze and blinked. After a while, she realized Mei Chengyu was still watching her. Unable to help herself, Yu Sui touched her face:
"Senior Martial Brother, why do you keep looking at me?"
Mei Chengyu leaned lazily against the carriage wall with his arms folded. "Where else should I look?"
Yu Sui rolled her eyes. "How about looking at something else?"
"What else?" Mei Chengyu glanced behind her, his eyes making his meaning clear. "This carriage is so small that looking at anything else to avoid you would make me look even more contrived. Besides, what's there to look at in the carriage?"
Sometimes Yu Sui couldn't help marveling at how bold he was.
Yu Sui asked again, "Then what have you figured out, Senior Martial Brother?"
Mei Chengyu answered, "I haven't looked closely. What do you want me to see?"
Yu Sui thought for a moment, then asked, "Senior Martial Brother, how good are you at divination?"
Mei Chengyu lifted an eyelid. "Very good."
Yu Sui's eyes widened slightly, her gaze curious. "Then read my face for me and tell my Peach Blossom Luck."
Mei Chengyu refused without hesitation. "I won't."
Yu Sui lowered her head. "Oh."
Mei Chengyu asked her, "Why check your Peach Blossom Luck instead of your fortune or wealth?"
"I was born wealthy. I'm not short of money, so there's no need to check that." Yu Sui wore an honest expression. "Good fortune and bad fortune always come in equal measure. It was like that before, and it's like that tonight. I don't need to check that either. This is the only thing left to check."
Mei Chengyu's eyes narrowed slightly. His dark eyes reflected Yu Sui sitting across from him, and she alone filled his gaze. "You were born wealthy and aren't short of money. Naturally, you're not short of a little Peach Blossom Luck either. Of all things, that's the most useless to you."
Yu Sui seemed pleased by his words, her eyes curving into a smile.
"Senior Martial Brother..." Before she could finish, Mei Chengyu cut her off. "If you're tired, sleep. If you don't want to talk, don't force yourself."
Yu Sui froze.
Weariness appeared between her brows. She sighed softly, lowering her eyes. "But I can't sleep well."
She didn't mean she couldn't fall asleep; she meant she couldn't sleep well.
Mei Chengyu didn't respond. If he asked, Yu Sui would answer, but he felt even speaking was tiring for her.
He said nothing, and Yu Sui didn't speak again.
Neither of them mentioned what had happened to Yu Sui that night. The carriage was quiet, yet Yu Sui felt more at ease than before.
After returning to the academy, Yu Sui said goodbye to Mei Chengyu and went to the Taoist Saint Hall alone.
Mei Chengyu didn't follow her. He watched her depart with the Wind Riding Technique, disappearing along the misty road at night. She was like a little flower swept up into the sky by a hurricane, only to fall back into the mud, wanting nothing more than to land quietly, all by herself.
The Taoist Saint Hall was very quiet.
There wasn't even the faintest breeze in the dead of night, and the insects had fallen silent. Yu Sui trudged up the steps with her head drooping. She liked it here. There were too many people in the outer city, too many at the academy, and too many in the dormitory.
There were people everywhere in this world.
She wanted to go somewhere with no people—or somewhere people couldn't enter, couldn't reach.
After Yu Sui climbed the stone steps, she stopped moving. She had only enough strength to get this far; she couldn't take another step.
She sat on the steps beside a stone pillar at the edge.
Green vines crawled all over the open ground outside the main hall. Besides the vines, there were many flowering and fruit trees. Spring was drawing to a close, and many of the flowering trees had shed their blossoms, leaving only lush green branches and leaves. On some fruit trees, after the blossoms fell, clusters of small green fruit could be seen hanging from the branches.
Yu Sui's gaze wandered aimlessly over the flowering and fruit trees, then finally turned to the distant horizon, fixed on some unknown place far away.
She simply watched in silence. Even heaven and earth had no idea what she was thinking.
Only when dawn's light spilled across the world did she gently close her eyes and fall asleep.
Yu Sui fell asleep at the Taoist Saint Hall, undisturbed, and slept until afternoon. The sunlight sometimes disappeared behind clouds, bringing cool shade, and sometimes broke through them, shining brightly and gifting warmth to the earth.
It was so warm that Yu Sui slowly woke.
Mei Chengyu, playing with the Listening Wind Ruler inside the Saint Hall Main Hall, glanced outside. The person who'd slept there all day had woken up—the sun had been too hot and roused her.
Yu Sui wiped her face with her sleeve, raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, and looked around. Noticing someone behind her, she turned to look.
Mei Chengyu watched Yu Sui twist around to look at him, bent over like a cat. She seemed to have bounced back, so he carried the food box over and set it beside her.
"Are you eating here or inside?" he asked, crouching beside her.
Like a little cat washing her face, Yu Sui wiped it again with her sleeve. She lifted her head slightly to look at Mei Chengyu, her eyes bright and clear. "Thank you, Senior Martial Brother. I'll eat here."
Mei Chengyu pushed the food box toward her. "Remember to pay me. Your Senior Martial Brother isn't wealthy and is very short of money."
Yu Sui opened the food box and first poured herself a drink. Holding the cup, she took a couple of sips to soothe her throat. "Mm!"
Mei Chengyu propped his head on one hand and watched her. "Junior Martial Sister, if you have more money than you can spend, you can spend some on me."
Yu Sui held her cup. Her gaze paused for a moment, then she looked at Mei Chengyu and said, "Senior Martial Brother, I don't spend money on men."
Before you continue