First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 252 - Painting a Target on Your Own Head

The skies were dark as ink.

Suddenly, the sound of urgent knocking rang out from beyond the courtyard gates, followed by Zheng Muyao’s frantic voice. “Uncle Su, are you back yet?” 

When he saw that Su Yi was about to stand up, Shen Jiusong immediately went to open the door on his behalf.

Before long, the fiery, sultry, black-dressed Zheng Muyao followed Shen Jiusong inside.

She looked haggard, and exhaustion was written all over her exquisite features. 

When she saw Su Yi, her big eyes instantly misted over with tears, and she cried out, “Uncle Su, I beg you! Please, save my father!”

She immediately started to kneel, only for Shen Jiusong to stop her in the nick of time and ask gently, “Miss, first, calm down and explain yourself clearly.”

“What happened?” asked Su Yi.

Zheng Muyao took several deep breaths before stabilizing her turbulent emotions and saying, “Two days ago, someone from the Jade Capital’s Su Family came to our estate as a guest. He said he wanted us to change our stance and distance ourselves from you, and that if we refused, we’d bring disaster upon the entire Zheng Family…..

“My father refused, but my great uncle and a group of elders captured and imprisoned him in the family dungeons. They even stripped him of his position as head of the family.

“Uncle Su, Great Uncle and the others even went so far as to publicly announce that the entire Zheng Family stands against you….”

Su Yi mulled this over, then said, “You’re saying your father’s been stripped of his status, but that his life isn’t currently in danger?”

“That’s right,” Zheng Muyao said pitifully. “But I’m worried that others in the clan covet his position and that they’ll act against him in secret.”

Su Yi thought for a while, then said, “Rest assured. After tomorrow, all will be well. As for the group that’s jumped out and attempted to steal your father’s position? They’re nothing but a pack of clowns. Once your father escapes captivity, he’ll settle the score with them.”

Zheng Muyao was briefly dazed. “Uncle Su, you…. Are you certain my father will be okay?”

Shen Jiusong laughed. “Since Young Lord Su said so, he naturally has complete confidence. Miss, for your father, this is actually an opportunity to rid the clan of dissidents and unite the family. You might not understand now, but after tomorrow, all will become clear.”

Chen Zheng nodded. “That’s right. The more excitedly a grasshopper jumps, the closer it is to death.”

Both of them were marquis of their respective territories. They instantly understood the implications of Su Yi’s words.

All of this was built on the assumption that Su Yi could overcome this storm and knock the group the Su Family had dispatched onto their backs. 

But then, Chen Zheng and Shen Jiusong weren’t worried about that.

Even before becoming a Grandmaster, Su Yi could easily slay a fifth-level Grandmaster like Qin Changshan, and even an old demon like Hua Liuye had fallen beneath a single swing of his sword.

He had even less to fear now!

“Uncle Su, thank you so much!” Zheng Muyao’s little face filled with gratitude. “Once my father escapes captivity, I…. I’ll definitely repay you!”

Earlier, she was startled as a fawn, but now, she was already much calmer.

However, the rims of her eyes were still red and bloodshot, and her melon-seed-shaped face still looked pallid and exhausted.

Su Yi rose from his wicker chair, walked up to her, and gently wiped away her tears. “Your father is suffering because I got him mixed up in this. I naturally won’t just stand back and watch. All you have to do now is clear your head, go home, and wait for further news.”

Zheng Muyao nodded firmly. “Mm!”

Inwardly, her heart quivered. I would never have guessed Uncle Su would wipe away my tears, much less comfort me so gently.

This made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She was much like a fawn who, in her moment of panic, had discovered the most reliable pillar of support around. 

“Uncle Su.” She thought for a moment, then lowered her head and said as quietly as a gnat, “Can… Can I wait for news here instead?”

Su Yi nodded. Inside, his heart surged with killing intent.

First, they’d tried to threaten Chen Zheng into severing their bond. Now, they’d coerced and implicated Chen Jinlong, threatened Heaven’s Origin Academy, and they’d even had Zheng Tianhe imprisoned.

This entire sequence of events made it clear that this time, the Su Family’s targets included anyone and everyone connected to Su Yi. They were using them to force him to lower his head.

But the way Su Yi saw it, they were, unquestionably and repeatedly, crossing his bottom line!

Early the next day, the sun had only just risen. In the provincial governor’s meeting room, Xia Houlin sat valiant and upright in the seat of honor.

He wore long, navy blue robes, and although he was already in his forties, he was handsome and elegant, hearty as a pine tree, with a disposition that stood out from the crowd. 

“Third Young Master will be here soon. Don’t take this too far; his lordship said that we’re only supposed to clear his head,” said Xia Houlin unhurriedly.

As one of the Great Zhou’s nine non-Zhou Kings, the Firedome King, he was also a famed Xiantian Martial Ancestor.

Although he’d never appeared in the ranks of the “Ten Great Xiantian Martial Ancestors”, both his combat strength and his foundations placed him solidly near the peak of the Great Zhou’s martial artists!

“I’ve never really understood what it means to ‘clear someone’s head.’” The Heavenbrave Marquis sat cross-legged off to the side, a broad grin on his face as he asked, “What if he insists on feigning muddle-headedness? What if we can’t snap him out of it?”

“If shouting doesn’t work, we’ll hit him. We’ll make him suffer, and we’ll make him realize how insignificant he really is. That will naturally jolt him to his senses. We’ll show him that, in the face of the entire Su Family, his paltry little cultivation is laughable and pathetic.”

Yue Qing snickered. “Ultimately, we’re still going to fight, aren’t we? Of course, it would be even better if our third young master realized the error of his ways and we could avoid a fight.”

Xia Houlin glanced at the Jade Mountain Marquis, Pei Wenshan, who was seated on the other side. “Are all our preparations complete?”

Pei Wenshan nodded. “This time, Third Young Master ought to truly understand just how terrifying the Su Family’s power is.”

In addition to the three of them, numerous other lofty and influential figures had gathered in the provincial governor’s office.

Their ranks included the current heads of the Imperatorial Provincial Capital’s five peak-level clans, as well as the Firedome King, Heavenbrave Marquis, and Jade Mountain Marquis’s most trusted and capable subordinates.

You could pick any one of them at random, and you’d surely find someone capable of intimidating an entire region. Even the weakest of them was a Grandmaster.

But now, all of them sat solemnly, not daring to make the slightest noise.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The beating of a drum suddenly resounded from beyond the gates. All of them were instantly alert, and all of them glanced beyond the hall.

Before long, beneath the crowd’s watchful gazes, Su Yi, Shen Jiusong, and Chen Zheng strode over from afar.

When they saw Su Yi, many of them had strange looks on their faces. They still recalled the Western Mountain’s Tea Party, when Su Yi accompanied Zhou Zhili and participated alongside him. 

“The Cloudlight and Spiritmartial Marquises are here too. Surely they know how dire the situation is?” Some of the major powers were alarmed and uncertain.

Both marquises had extraordinary statuses and powerful cultivations.

However, in the face of the Jade Capital’s Su Family, they obviously didn’t amount to much.

And yet, they’d stubbornly insisted on accompanying Su Yi all the way here. The way the crowd saw it, this was no different from throwing themselves into the firepit—extremely unwise.

Xia Houlin’s brow furrowed, and his gaze immediately locked onto Chen Zheng. “I sent you a letter. Didn’t you receive it?”

“I received it, and read it, too,” said Chen Zheng. “Then, I ripped it up.”

“You ripped it up?” Xia Houlin sat upright, looked at Su Yi, then back at Chen Zheng. “I wrote you that letter out of consideration for our years of friendship, yet you went ahead and tore it up? Do you plan to sever the bond between us? Or…. Do you plan to become enemies with the Jade Capital’s Su Family?”

As he said that last part, his voice carried deep displeasure. 

Chen Zheng said expressionlessly, “All I know is that, if not for Young Lord Su, I would have already died on Bloodthistle Yao Mountain. From this day forth, this life of mine belongs to him.”

The crowd was instantly flabbergasted. 

“What a shame,” sighed Xia Houlin. “If you try to intervene today, you’ll be no different from a mantis trying to block a chariot. If word gets out, I’m afraid you’ll only invite others’ mockery.”

But Chen Zheng suddenly laughed, then swept his gaze across the authority figures in attendance. “The way I see it, everyone in attendance has painted a target on their heads. You’re just selling your lives away.”

What did it mean to paint a target on your head? 

It meant you were a sacrificial pawn, a distraction! It meant you were selling your own life!

This was undoubtedly an expression of immense disdain for the entire group, to the point that all of them, Xia Houlin included, were stunned. But then, they burst into laughter, as if they’d just heard the biggest joke of their lives.

The Heavenbrave Marquis flung back his head and laughed so hard, he almost cried. “To think that the lofty Spiritmartial Marquis would actually say something so ridiculous! Tell me, then: if I, Yue Qing, am selling my life, what’s the going rate?”

“You’re not worth a single coin.”

This time, it was Su Yi who responded. He stood in the center of the hall, surveying those in attendance. “There’s no need to waste any further words. Anyone who wants to force me to lower my head is welcome to just come at me.”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and oppressive as everyone fixed their gazes on Su Yi. Some frowned, while others were surprised. It seemed they didn’t understand. He’s already in such a predicament, and he’s only seventeen. Why is it that he isn’t the least bit afraid, even now?

Xia Houlin stared intently at Su Yi and said, “Third Young Master, since you’re in such a hurry for us to beat some sense into you, how could we possibly refuse?”

He then turned to Yue Qing. “You’re up.”

Yue Qing smiled and stood, then took a sealed letter from his sleeves and tossed it to Shen Jiusong. “Cloudlight Marquis, this is a letter from your son, Shen Shu. Read it, then reconsider whether you wish to get involved.”

His tone and gaze were both utterly playful.

Shen Jiusong’s heart shook. It was just last night that Su Yi warned him that, since the Su Family had already dispatched their forces, it was highly likely that they’d targeted him too.

Who’d have thought that Su Yi’s words had now become a reality?

Shen Shu was his only son. He’d been sent to cultivate at the Jade Capital’s Phoenix Pass Academy at a young age, and he was now nineteen years old, in the prime of his youth, far cleverer than his peers.

He was Shen Jiusong’s only son, to whom he’d entrusted all his hopes. Now, it was highly likely that the Su Family was targeting him. 

It was no exaggeration to say that this was no different from hitting him right where it hurt the most; they’d targeted his greatest weakness!

His heart clenched, and his expression shifted erratically.

When they saw Shen Jiusong’s reaction, the crowd couldn’t help but inwardly shake their heads.

You might be a marquis, but so what? Against the Jade Capital’s Su Family, you can’t endure so much as a single hit!