First Immortal of the Sword

Zhu Guqing left ashamed and angry. She was worried that if she lingered, Su Yi would make her die of anger.

Su Yi naturally wouldn’t keep her here.

Chen Zheng sighed as if it were quite the pity. “Zhu Guqing is a top-class beauty of Heaven’s Origin Academy. Sure, she’s already in her thirties, but to martial artists such as myself, those are the most dazzlingly charming years of a woman’s life.”

Despite himself, Su Yi was a bit stunned. He wouldn’t have guessed that an austere, seasoned warrior like the Spiritmartial Marquis would say something like that.

You really couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

“Young Lord Su, what should we do with her?” Chen Zheng pointed at the terrified, helpless Liu Xianglan sprawled out not far away.

“You interested?” Su Yi couldn’t help but ask.

Before, there was no way he’d say something like that. However, after hearing the marquis sigh with appreciation over beautiful women, Su Yi couldn’t help but suspect he was interested in this full-figured, enchanting, mature beauty.

Chen Zheng coughed dryly.

Zhang Yiren hurriedly stepped forward and laughed, “You might not know this, but life in the army is bitterly cold. For those hot-blooded soldiers, it’s hard to avoid lonely nights and feeling pent-up without release. Out of consideration for his subordinates, the marquis things we should deliver this endlessly wicked heretical cultivator for the barracks. There’s no better place for her.”

“Ah, so that’s how it is. Let’s do it that way, then.” Su Yi found it a bit ridiculous, but outwardly, he sounded perfectly serious.

Chen Zheng clasped his fist. “I won’t linger, Young Lord Su. I’ll begin my return journey to Bloodthistle Yao Mountain tomorrow. If you have the free time, I hope to see you there a month from now.”

“Sounds good.” Su Yi nodded.

But then, Huang QIanjun dashed over and said, “Brother Su, I…. I want to join the army and fight on the battlefield too.”

Su Yi was briefly stunned. Then, he recalled Huang Qianjun expressing his longing for the military life and hopes of enlistment when they first arrived in the city.

“Are you certain?” asked Su Yi.

Huang Qianjun lowered his head, as if he dared not look Su Yi in the eye. “Brother Su, recently, I’ve felt completely worthless. I haven’t been any use at all. Worse, my problems brought you a lot of trouble….”

He took a deep breath, then said decisively, “So I’ve decided to follow Marquis Chen onto the battlefield to temper myself. When I make something of myself, I’ll come back and repay your benevolence!”

Su Yi’s eyes glowed; he looked gratified. “Not bad. A towering tree might provide ample shade, but living in another’s shadow for too long will only stunt your growth. I hoped you would make this choice.”

He was well aware that when he was the one dealing with every incident, Huang Qianjun would at most become a tea-brewing, water-pouring errand boy.

If he went too long without tempering, it wouldn’t matter if he practiced all-powerful secret arts; his future accomplishments were sure to be limited. The more time passed, the further behind Huang Qianjun would fall.

“Marquis, what do you think of him?” Su Chen glanced at Chen Zheng.

“Is he a general in the making or a coward? We’ll have to test him on the battlefield before we know for sure. But since he’s working at your side, I’m sure he has his own extraordinary qualities. If he’s willing, he’s welcome to accompany me back to camp tomorrow," said the Spiritmartial Marquis.

He could tell at a glance that Su Yi wanted to temper Huang Qianjun.

“Marquis Chen, many thanks for granting my wish!” Huang Qianjun clasped his fist in gratitude.

“Don’t thank me yet,” said Chen Zheng, his voice cold and firm. “You won’t receive any special treatment after enlisting in the Greenplate Army. On the contrary, because of your relationship with Young Lord Su, I’ll hold you to even higher standards. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” Huang Qianjun said solemnly.

“I believe in you!” Zhang Yiren laughed and patted Huang Qianjun on the shoulder.

Chen Zheng said no more, and before long, he and Zhang Yiren left, taking Liu Xianglan with them.

“Clean up and collect any spoils of war, then meet me beneath the gazebo,” said Su Yi. After giving his orders, he placed his hands behind his back and walked inside.

Huang Qianjun immediately got to work.

Meanwhile, under the gazebo.

When Weng Yunqi woke up, the first thing he saw was Su Yi seated in his wicker chair. His expression changed dramatically, and he struggled to his feet. “Young Lord, why didn’t you kill me?”

“Where is the soul jade?” asked Su Yi.

He’d just searched Weng Yunqi’s body, but he didn’t find it.

“So that’s why.” Weng Yunqi’s eyes flashed. “You’re also interested in uncovering Qing Wan’s background?”

Su Yi’s eyes were piercingly cold and distant, and his tone was flat. “I dislike wasted words. I’ll give you a choice: you give me the soul jade, and I give you a path to survival. Or else, I guarantee you a life worse than death.”

Weng Yunqi fell silent for a while, then said, “Young Lord, can you really give this old man a chance to survive?”

“Believe me or don’t,” said Su Yi. “You can only gamble.”

“Alright. I trust your character!” Weng Yunqi took a deep breath, then suddenly slashed his upper arm open with his fingernail. He jammed his finger into the open wound, and before long, he retrieved a bloodied jade pendant.

The pain left his forehead covered in sweat, but his expression never wavered. He wiped the blood onto his clothes, and once it was clean, he passed it to Su Yi. “Please take a look.”

Su Yi picked it up, and saw that it was about four inches long. It was a dim yellow reminiscent of amber, and it was warm to the touch, but with a hint of a chill.

The front of the pendant had an inscription like an ancient talisman, with a strange carving of a landscape. The mountains and rivers hung down from the sky, upside-down over an abyss.

Taken as a whole, the pendant looked like a strange, round eye. The upside-down mountains and rivers were its iris, and the center, its "pupil", was an abyss of nothingness.

The back of the pendant had a distorted, complex Edict carved onto its surface.

Su Yi’s arrows narrowed. This was strange!

The pendant was carved of “Spirit-Harboring Profound Pith.” Even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, this was a divine material on the level of a heavenly or earthly treasure. It was extremely rare and precious.

Ghost cultivators saw Spirit-Harboring Profound Pith as a “vessel of divinity.” The pith had an unbelievable, miraculous effect when used to nourish and cultivate the soul.

In his past life, Su Yi had spent countless years building up his treasury, yet he only had around a dozen kilos of such high-grade divine materials.

For a jade pendant like this to appear in a mundane empire was, of course, simply unbelievable.

In addition, the eye carved on the front surface of the pendant was bizarre and distinctive. It depicted mountains and rivers hanging upside-down over an abyss. Su Yi couldn’t see through its mysteries, but he could tell at a glance that the person who’d inscribed the image and talisman cloud patterns was an Imperial Realm expert!

Even the faint, thread-like grains between the lines were emblazoned with obscure and subtle mysteries.

Alas, the pendant’s spirituality had long since been frittered away, and it was now just an empty shell. It lacked substance or spirit, and thus, whatever mysteries it once contained had long since dispersed.

As for the Edict on the other side of the pendant, there was nothing special about it. It was a “Spirit-Harboring” Edict that nourished any soul that took refuge within the pendant.

A while passed before Su Yi retracted his gaze and looked at Weng Yunqi. “Where did this soul jade come from?”

Weng Yunqi’s expression was complex. “All I know is that thirty years ago, the leader of the Deathbringer’s Gate Imperatorial Province Branch, Huyan Hai, brought this back with him. He saw it as a treasure and hid it within his private treasury.”

“Huyan Hai?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shifted upward a little. “Where is he now?”

“He’s the leader of the sect’s Imperatorial Province Branch. The base is, or at least was, located in the depths of Copper Hill, about three hundred miles away from the provincial capital. However, it’s highly possible that they’ve changed locations since I betrayed them.”

Weng Yunqi suddenly paused. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Young Lord, the grudge between Huyan Hai and I is so deep, I cannot bear to live under the same skies as him. If you don’t disdain my assistance, I’m willing to work on your behalf.”

Su Yi stared intently at the down-and-out, weatherbeaten elder. “You want to borrow my hands to get your revenge?”

Weng Yunqi grimaced. “Huyan Hai is a second-level Grandmaster, and furthermore, he’s mastered countless trange and wicked arts. Worse, he’s crafty and sinister. Those at his level typically are no match for him. With the power at my disposal, I’m afraid I cannot get revenge on my own.

“How can you help me?” Su Yi followed up.

Weng Yunqi said gravely, “My cultivation doesn’t amount to much, but I was once one of the Imperatorial Province Branch’s four dharma protectors, and I am aware of many secrets regarding the Deathbringer’s Gate.”

“Leave a method of finding you, and if I really go looking for Huyan Hai, I’ll take you with me.”

Weng Yunqi was a bit disappointed; he sensed that Su Yi didn’t trust him, and wasn’t willing to let him stay and work by his side. Nevertheless, he nodded. “Alright.”

He took out a copper coin and said, “I’ll begin my journey to the Imperatorial Provincial Capital immediately. If you wish to locate me, you can send an attendant to deliver this coin to the Peaceful Inn. All you have to do is give it to the proprietor; he’ll do the rest.”

Su Yi nodded. “You can leave.””

Weng Yunqi clasped his fists, then turned to leave.

Su Yi watched him leave, then fidgeted with the copper coin as he sank into thought. When I go looking for Huyan Hai, who cares if you’re planning something or whether you sincerely wish to cooperate with me? If you dare meddle in my affairs, I’ll scatter your ashes to the wind.

Huang Qianjun quickly finished gathering up the spoils and walked over.

“Brother Su….”

Before he could continue, Su Yi said, “Hold onto all the spirit stones and spiritual materials. Consider it a token of my appreciation.”

For a moment, Huang Qianjun was stunned. He felt a twinge in his nose.

Then, he took a deep breath. “Brother Su, aside from the spirit stones and spiritual materials, I found a few unusual trinkets.”

As he spoke, he took out a blood-colored candle, a stack of black talisman papers, a string of pearls carved of bone, and a wooden puppet painted with fresh blood.

Su Yi examined them momentarily, then ordered Huang Qianjun to take the talisman papers and bone beads and destroy them.

They were wicked objects, and all of them were worthless.

However, the candle and blood-smeared puppet actually attracted his attention.

A Soul-Summoning Candle forged with blood essence? It seems this is what the three of them used to track down Weng Yunqi. Su Yi thought about it, then put the blood candle away for later.

With this, he didn’t need that copper coin at all. Once he arrived in the provincial capital, he could find Weng Yunqi himself, whenever he pleased.

This looks like a Bloody Corpsewood Puppet.

Next, Su Yi evaluated the blood-smeared puppet. It was about the size of a fist and made of human skin. Its surface was covered in sinister red talismans, and it reeked of blood.

Those three likely prepared a blood-refining formation somewhere in the city. This Bloody Corpsewood Puppet must be the key to activating it, but I’m afraid they’ll never get the chance to use it…

As he thought, Su Yi’s fingernails slashed like blades, and the puppets head fell into the dirt.

Meanwhile, in a long abandoned courtyard somewhere within the city, something roared beneath an altar built entirely of bone. The cry was vengeful, bitter, and poisonous.

Bang!

The bone altar shattered.

Beneath it, a bloody corpse gradually melted into pus and disappeared.

Beneath the gazebo, Su Yi pondered for a moment, then said out loud, “When we first entered the city, weren’t you interested in the Sand-Scouring Waves? How about I take you there tonight?”

Huang Qianjun was dumbfounded. “Brother Su, are you… trying to take me brothel hopping?”