Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The reason why Qin Yu told Hundred Saint about his true identity was not because Qin Yu could not return without this identity. The real reason stemmed from the West Desolate.

What he was about to do next required massive support from the West Desolate. He had to eliminate the fear and vigilant attitude that the West Desolate King had for some unknown reason.

After thinking carefully about it, the problem probably started from when Qin Yu changed his identity and pretended to be the Darkness Ruler to enter the West Desolate.

With his current importance as a chess piece for the West Desolate, it was not going to be too dangerous if he exposed his identity…it was better than being suspected by the West Desolate in the future. If he was eventually going to spoil the ship for a ha’penny worth of tar, he might as well voluntarily expose himself. At the most, he could just abandon the identity of Marquis Chongwu.

Like the little blue lamp reminded him, thirty years was an incredibly short period of time and mistakes were not allowed. It was better if he took a path full of thorns rather than almost losing his life again on a regular path.

A horse carriage was waiting peacefully in the wilderness. Qin Yu pushed the door open and rubbed his forehead, “I have gotten new proof of my identity, but we are not in a hurry to leave. I have something to do.”

Rourou frowned, “Where are you going?”

“Iron Thorn City.”

……

It had been six years since the upheaval in the West Border Army camp. The chaotic Iron Thorn City had already gotten used to the military’s intervention in the small city and there was finally peace there. The only thing that made the people in the city sigh was that the big doors to the Wang Family’s mansion were abandoned and the mansion itself was in ruins.

In the past, the Wang Family was one of the top-ranked families in Iron Thorn City. For many generations, they enjoyed glory, splendor, and wealth, but one day, they were dragged into the internal battle in the military and more than a hundred men in the family were killed.

Wang Kai was a headless ghost and many elders in Iron Thorn City would secretly curse at him needlessly. He was an example they spoke of to their own disciples, claiming that he forgot his own roots and destroyed his entire family for a moment of selfishness. In death, he would continue to be boiled in hot oil!

On the other hand, Crow Iron Wine was still continuing with business. However, from the brewery to the retail store, every worker was a new face. The fair-skinned woman who attracted even married men was now missing.

Married men who continued to drink at Crow Iron Wine would occasionally think of her and they could not help but sigh. Without that woman, drinking did not feel as satisfying.

There were rumors that the woman married a young man who came to the border to work and live his life. The man was tall, burly, good in bed, and also wealthy. As such, he kept the woman at home and she could rarely go out.

The wives of the men at the border scoffed in disdain. They scowled in disgust as they said that the troublemaker should not live a comfortable life. Rumors could not be trusted!

On this day, a horse carriage stopped in front of the retail store of Crow Iron Wine. Many people looked at the carriage in interest because the driver was a lady.

Many people who lived at the border were strong-willed, and it was not rare to see a lady driving a carriage. However, this lady was dressed in a white robe. Although only her eyes could be seen, this did not stop men from staring at her with fiery desire.

Their eyes were burning with greed, however, no one dared to make a rash move. The capital border area was not a peaceful place. Dead men were a natural sight. As long as nothing too massive happened, the powerful men in the military did not interfere with them. The horse carriage that the lady drove looked travel-worn. The fact that it managed to arrive in Iron Thorn City meant that it was an invisible threat.

The carriage stopped and a young man got out after pushing the doors open. His aura and gaze were calm and peaceful. However, it was evident from his moves that he was more than he seemed. The people who stopped at the side to look at the white-robed lady were like scared cats and they quickly scurried away.

Judging people was not a good thing, but it was a necessary skill to have in the capital border area. Unless they were blind, they could tell that they should not provoke the young man. Otherwise, their heads would roll before they could blink.

The man walked towards the winery and asked for the shop owner. No one knew what they spoke about but the man left quickly and the horse carriage slowly began to move again. Soon, they vanished.

Two hours later, the horse carriage stopped at an ordinary-looking yard in the north of Iron Thorn City. This time the man did not appear, but the white-robed lady hopped off the carriage and knocked on the door.

It seemed like no one was inside. After knocking for a long time, there was still no response. She frowned slightly and the air around her turned cold. In the carriage, the man’s calm voice rang, “Alright, since he isn’t around, let’s go.”

The white-robed lady respectfully acknowledged the command and returned to the carriage. She pulled the reins of the horse and left.

On the bed in the room of the yard.

A half-naked lady cuddled in the embrace of a man. She was wearing a long skirt and her face was flushed red. Yet, she was starting to turn pale and her eyes were filled with horror.

The man next to her was tall and burly and he was definitely good in bed. However, it was not like the rumors said where he came to the border to work. He was part of the border army. He was one of the interrogators who investigated the assassination attempt on Marquis Chongwu Ning Qin. After the incident, he sought out the lady and the two made an arrangement. Very quickly, she went out of sight from everyone and she lived in the small yard.

“I am scared…”

The lady’s voice shivered as she spoke. Her fair chest was plastered against the man and her arms wrapped around his neck in a vice-like grip. Her body shivered uncontrollably.

The interrogator frowned and his expression darkened, “Don’t be scared. The incident was settled back then. No one will wait for six years before making a move against you…”

Pst –

There was a hollow sound and the interrogator’s eyes bulged wide open. Blood poured out of his nose. There was now a hole in the middle of his chest and his heart was in the woman’s hand. It was still beating very unwillingly as large amounts of fresh blood poured out.

With that, she pushed the interrogator to the ground. The lady stood up and ignored the bloody mess on the ground. She slowly said, “You are right. However, I need to be careful…I used you and hid for a few years. Now, it is time for me to leave.”

She blinked and smiled, “Trading your heart for six years of my service is fair.”

The lady threw the heart into her mouth and chewed on it. She watched the man take his last dying breath.

A few moments later, the space shifted and a translucent figure appeared in the room. She looked at her surroundings carefully and muttered, “No one. Was I really being overly cautious?”

The moment she said this, the translucent figure froze on the spot. Rourou grabbed her neck and glanced at the pool of blood on the bed. Her frown grew deeper.

“Kill her.”

Qin Yu’s voice entered her ears and Rourou did not hesitate before she tightened her fingers. With a ‘bam’, the good-looking evil spirit’s soul dispersed.

Shoosh –

Rourou’s figure disappeared and she returned to the horse carriage that was now outside of Iron Thorn City. As she grabbed a cloth to wipe her delicate fingers, she frowned.

Qin Yu smiled apologetically, “Sorry to trouble you, but you are the best at this…capable ones have to work hard!”

Was this a compliment? Rourou rolled her eyes, “Listen up. I will not dirty my hands for these kinds of worries again. I still feel disgusted.”

Qin Yu chuckled and did not argue with her. He lightly said, “Now, I think I know where Wu Tongtian’s power comes from.”

The West Desolate’s west border commander, one of the elites in the military who controlled one of the four border armies. He was actually…a part of them.

Interesting!

Qin Yu’s eyes flashed brilliantly. He wasted valuable time to come to Iron Thorn City and purposely alerted the enemy. Of course he was not doing this out of boredom.

He and the West Desolate were using each other. Regardless of what happened in the future, he would definitely reap benefits when this was revealed.

……

The Seizing Heavens Sect.

The power of the sect was slowly decreasing in the West Desolate. It had fallen from its first class status. Although this was an undeniable fact, it did not mean that the sect's cultivators were suffering.

In fact, compared to other creatures in the world, the cultivators in the sect were elites.

As a famous sect in the northwest region of the empire, one of its ancestors was a Half-King. Even if its powers decayed and the bloodline diminished, the sect cultivators were still superior to others.

In recent years, the ancestral hall of the Seizing Heavens Sect were overjoyed because they found a unique talent. Many years proved that the seniors of the sect had good foresight, and everyone valued this talent well and they placed hopes on him.

It was rumored that the Sect Master once got drunk two years ago and proudly proclaimed that a peak level Ruler would appear in the Seizing Heavens Sect within a hundred years. They might even have a King in two hundred years.

Once this happened, the Seizing Heavens Sect would regain their spot of honor and glory from the past. They would leap to power instantly and take over the position of the Demon Sect to become the ultimate superpower in the world. They would be able to reverse the standings of the sects and lead all sects as the leader in the highest position.

By then, all sects would owe the Seizing Heavens Sect a big karma favor. This would help to ensure that the sect’s roots and power would last for another ten thousand years.

Six years was enough for a young teenager to turn into an outstanding young lord. Furthermore, Qin Yǔ[1] did not stray from his path. Currently, he wore a white robe as he stood on the peak of a mountain. Wind blew gently against his robe, making him look like an immortal who had descended upon this land.

A few female cultivators of the Seizing Heavens Sect stared at him, smitten. If this place could bear cherry blossoms, the cherry blossoms would never wilt.

“Ah!”

Qin Yǔ, who had the look of a young man, sighed and started to frown slightly.

This frown seemed to break the hearts of a few of his senior sisters and junior sisters. An elegant-looking female cultivator in a white robe that looked similar to his stepped forward and gently asked, “Junior brother, is something wrong? If there is something bothering you, tell me about it and I can help you.”

Qin Yǔ smiled and turned around, “The green hills look really charming, but autumn is coming soon and when things dry up, I will feel sad.”

The white-robed senior sister smiled, “This is not an issue. I will tell the sect and ask the Old Ancestor to use a Divine Way to ensure that seasons never pass on this hill. It will remain green for the whole year.”

Qin Yǔ shook his head, “Thank you senior sister for your kind words. But dying and living is part of the cycle of life in this world. How can we easily meddle with it?” He shook his head and a complicated look crossed his eyes, “What will come will eventually come. It is useless to avoid it.”

With that, Qin Yǔ flashed a smile and cupped his hands towards his senior and junior sisters. He stepped forward and said, “A guest has arrived, I will take my leave.”

His body flashed and he vanished like a rainbow. The ladies that stared at him were dazzled and they wanted to embrace him with their arms and dote on him.

A few moments later, the rainbow appeared at another spot. The immortal-like Qin Yǔ fell to the ground with a ‘slam’ and bowed his head to the ground, “Greetings to Master.”

The carriage door opened to reveal Qin Yu inside. Rourou smirked coldly, “Can you avoid the meeting just by avoiding the greetings? Qin Yǔ, what do you think I should do to you?”

Qin Yǔ smiled. At this moment, it felt like the heavens’ light had shined down on the world and every creature was filled with life, “My Lady, what happened in the past is the past. Since we are all alive, we should continue forward.

“Keeping me and pretending that nothing happened is your best option…especially since Master is here, and time is tight. He can only enter the King realm with my help.”

His voice was calm and he spoke slowly, as though victory was in his hands.

Rourou’s lips curled up and her eyes were cold as she said, “It seems like you are confident!”

1. 秦羽, the Spirit Embryo ☜