First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2221 – A Storm Brews in the Spirit Firmament Divine Province

The night was increasingly dark and deep.

Liang Lingxu remained silent.

Ku Zhen’s excitement gradually faded. Eventually, he said probingly, “Sect Leader, do you… think my suggestion is inappropriate?”

Liang Lingxu waved. “Your analysis is on the mark. There… really is something seriously wrong with Xiao Jian’s identity.”

Ku Zhen’s spirits soared. “So you agree to let me arrest and question him?”

“No.” Liang Lingxu shook his head. “Xiao Jian has already established himself within the sect, and countless people are watching him. Even some of the old-timers think extremely highly of him. If we touch him without concrete proof, it’ll shake the entire sect.”

Ku Zhen furrowed his brow. “Proof? Everyone saw what happened here today. We’re capturing a spy! What need is there for proof or a fair trial?”

Ling Liangxu’s gaze was solemn. “We have to do everything according to due process. Is Xiao Jian a spy just because you say he is? Who at tonight’s banquet could fail to realize that you’re full of enmity for Xiao Jian?”

Ku Zhen’s expression shifted erratically.

Liang Lingxu said slowly and clearly, “Moreover, the grand elder is eyeing us hungrily. The moment you make a mess of things and ‘fall down a well’, he’ll be all too eager to throw stones at you.”

Ku Zhen gasped. It’s true! I almost overlooked a ruthless opponent like the grand elder!

Liang Lingxu rose from his seat and said with cold indifference, “No need for vexation. Once this blows over, take a mission outside the sect, and bring Xiao Jian with you.”

Ku Zhen shook, then inclined his head and clasped his fist. He was all too happy to accept these orders.

……

The following day, Su Yi moved to Spirit Bamboo Peak. Furthermore, he closed his doors and politely turned away all guests. He’d gone back into seclusion.

He needed to lie low for a while.

Both his victory in the River of Stars Ritual Grounds and the storm at the following banquet had made him the center of attention throughout the sect.

When a tree stood above the rest of the forest, the wind was sure to strike it.

Su Yi could say with certainty that after what happened yesterday, while most of the sect admired him and wanted to protect him, some of the old-timers were suspicious of him.

Especially Third Elder Ku Zhen and his cohort. That was where things were most likely to go wrong.

Given the circumstances, Su Yi had no choice but to lie low for now and wait for things to settle down.

But against all expectations, just as Su Yi was about to go back into seclusion, Qi Wei came calling. Furthermore, she disregarded his insistence that he “wasn’t accepting guests” and marched right in.

Qi Wei leisurely found a place to sit outside the three-story bamboo tower on the mountaintop.

“Fellow Daoist Xiao, at this point, going into seclusion won’t fix anything. You’ve already been targeted!”

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

Qi Wei batted her eyes, then said, “I’m sure you know better than anyone that the Blue Rose Demon Master was here for you, and that I too have come to Qingwu Divine Court to force you to reveal yourself. Surely even the old-timers of Qingwu Divine Court have realized that there’s something suspicious about your identity by now?”

Su Yi said calmly, “You can’t make such accusations without evidence.”

Qi Wei glanced at him. “Sometimes, suspicion is enough, and there’s no need for concrete evidence. If you think you can keep hiding in Qingwu Divine Court, you’ll inevitably invite disaster upon yourself.”

Su Yi smiled. “Is that what you came here to discuss?”

“No,” said Qi Wei. “I said it already. If you need it, the Qilin Trading Company can make an exception for you and you alone. We’ll help you resolve whatever difficulties you run into. If you need refuge from the storm, I can bring you back to the clan at any time!”

She fixed her bright blue eyes on Su Yi and said with the utmost confidence, “In the territories of the Qilin Race, not even the gods and Buddhas of the God Domain will be able to cause you any trouble!”

Su Yi let out a long sigh. “It’s a pity.”

“What’s a pity?”

“It’s a pity that I’m not Su Yi. If I were, I’d actually just love to take a trip to the Qilin Race’s territories.”

Qi Wei couldn’t help but roll her eyes and snap, “Keep up that act, and you’ll only hurt yourself!”

Su Yi asked in confusion, “Why are you so certain that I’m Su Yi?”

“It’s not that I’m certain, but that I trust the Divine Pearl of Heavenly Fate!” said Qi Wei. As she spoke, she opened her hand, and a longan-sized, snow-white pearl floated into the air. It was crystalline, translucent, and swathed in misty divine radiance.

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. On the surface, he remained as calm as ever, but in truth, ripples coursed through his heart.

Because the moment the Divine Pearl of Heavenly Fate appeared, the second of the divine chains sealed on the Sword of the Nine Hells quivered for the first time!

The second divine chain sealed Su Yi’s second lifetime’s Dao Imprint. It had been silent all along.

Furthermore, the third divine chain representing Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint remained, yet the second divine chain had reacted!

Did this mean that Qi Wei’s Divine Pearl of Heavenly Fate was somehow connected to Su Yi’s second incarnation?

But then, Qi Wei continued, entirely unperturbed, “It was my clan ancestor who gave me this treasure. He said that with it, we’d be able to sense a trace of Su Yi’s aura!”

“The moment I first laid eyes on you in the Spring and Autumn City Branch of the Qilin Trading Company, the Divine Pearl of Heavenly Fate reacted. Tell me, what does that mean?”

“Sometimes, treasures are unreliable,” Su Yi said casually. “Not long ago, the late Vice Palace Master Huang Changting and I ventured into the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity. It was because the vice palace master placed too much trust in the Grand Dao Heaven-Guiding Compass’s predictions that he met with an untimely end.”

When she realized that even now, Su Yi wouldn’t admit the truth, Qi Wei couldn’t help but gnash her teeth in irritation. This bastard sure is unfeeling… Hah! A dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water!

“If there’s nothing else, please go back, Fellow Daoist,” said Su Yi. He was kicking her out.

Qi Wei glared at him. “You’re seriously this heartless? I spoke up for you when the Blue Rose Demon Master targeted you at the banquet yesterday, you know. That proves that I’m on your side. How can you treat me like this?”

Su Yi felt a headache coming on.

He knew that when women argued rationally like this, they were far more troublesome than when they were simply refused to hear sense.

Thus, Su Yi decided to simply shut his mouth.

Just as he suspected, Qi Wei had a lot to say. When she saw that Su Yi was giving her the silent treatment, she instantly lost her temper.

“Fine! You’ll come looking for me once you’ve suffered big time anyway!” Qi Wei rose, grumbling irritably. “My good intentions were taken for donkey lungs and livers. They’re completely wasted on you!”

Then, she left in a huff.

Su Yi smiled and saw her off. There was no denying that she was an unparalleled beauty; even angry, she was extraordinarily charming.

It was just a pity about her veil. It was obviously an extraordinary treasure, and it prevented anyone from seeing her true appearance clearly.

After seeing Qi Wei off, Su Yi activated the mountain’s formations and sealed off the entrance to Spirit Bamboo Peak.

It was only after he finished that he returned to the bamboo tower. There, he sat down to meditate.

Qi Wei’s really not a bad sort, she’s just a bit lawless and over-eager.

He got the sense that the Qilin Race had some sort of deep connection with this second incarnation. That was why Qi Wei had been so eager to assist him.

It was just a pity that he currently had absolutely no intention of seeking refuge with anyone. He didn’t want to implicate the Qilin Race, either.

It wasn’t that he was too proud, but that there was simply no need.

I’ll just stay in seclusion for a while and see how things develop after yesterday’s storm.

With that, he began his meditation.

Yesterday, Sect Leader Liang Lingxu granted him an enormous supply of divine medicines and materials in front of a crowd.

If all went as he suspected, his wounds and cultivation base would be fully recovered within half a month!

Su Yi even had a sense that after overcoming this arduous recovery, the moment he returned to peak condition, his cultivation base would rise.

He’d face death and overcome it, like a dried-up tree in the spring!

……

“Young Mistress Qi Wei, did you just leave Vice Palace Master Xiao Jian’s place?” It was unclear when he’d gotten there, but Third Elder Ku Zhen was standing outside Spirit Bamboo Peak, smiling and waving.

“How is that any of your business?” said Qi Wei. She was currently in a huff, so she chastised him directly, not the least bit concerned about his status as the third elder of the sect’s inner court.

Ku Zhen’s smile stiffened, and his face flushed red. He looked incomparably unsightly, but he restrained his temper.

Qi Wei’s origins were just too grand!

It was only after her delicate figure faded from view that Ku Zhen took a deep breath and suppressed his shame and fury.

When Ku Zhen cleared his head, his brow furrowed. If the young mistress of the Qilin Race insists on protecting Xiao Jian, it’ll mean big trouble…

Inside the sect, so long as the grand elder was around, he couldn’t attack Xiao Jian recklessly.

But Qi Wei was like a lofty noble of grand origins. She made things troublesome, too.

Once this blows over, I’ve got to find a way to get Xiao Jian alone outside the sect, thought Ku Zhen.

Days passed, one after another.

Everything was peaceful in Qingwu Divine Court, with no waves to speak of. Soon, a full month had passed.

“Sect Leader, something big has happened!” Third Elder Ku Zhen rushed into Clear Sky Divine Palace. There was no disguising the delight on his face.

“Just now, we received word from the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent. Several top factions have, under the Three Purities Daoist Court’s leadership, announced that they’ll be taking action against the ancient Xi Family!”

Liang Lingxu’s brow furrowed. “They’re causing such an enormous commotion. If I were Su Yi, there’s no way I’d go.”

Ku Zhen said solemnly, “You don’t know this, but Divine Daughter Xi Ning of the Xi Family once fought side-by-side with Su Yi. They have an intimate bond! If Su Yi stays out of this, both the Xi Family and Xi Ning are doomed!”

“But going to her rescue would be no different from suicide! Seems to me that he’ll stay out of it.” Liang Lingxu shook his head.

A moment later, he realized something. “Why are you telling me this? Don’t tell me you plan to use this as an opportunity for something?”

Ku Zhen smiled. “I knew I couldn’t get anything past you, Sect Leader. I plan to take Xiao Jian with me to the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent and see this spectacle for myself!”

Liang Lingxu’s gaze focused. He could tell that now, a month after the incident at the banquet, Third Elder Ku Zhen could no longer hold back. He was going after Xiao Jian!

As for whatever was happening with the Xi Family? That was merely an excuse to bring Xiao Jian out of the sect!

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