Chapter 172: 173

Chapter 173 - Hard Work Won’t Let You Down

That night, at the House of Waveswept Rocks, lotuses swayed along the edges of the pond.

Su Yi lay in his wicker chair beneath the warm light of the setting sun, his eyes shut in repose.

During his visit to the Goldstone Pavilion earlier today, he sold off everything he didn’t need, but he only got ten tier-three spirit stones in exchange.

There was nothing for it; tier-three spirit stones were just too rare. Tier-two spirit stones weren’t even remotely comparable. 

Within the Great Zhou, not even Grandmasters would use up treasures like that lightly.

But for Su Yi, only the pure energy contained within tier-three spirit stones could create the strongest formations possible during the middle stages of the Qi Accumulation Realm.

As for tier-two spirit stones, he could still use them for cultivating, but they had little effect when it came to tempering his foundations. 

Ten tier-three spirit stones? That’ll just barely last me ten days, Su Yi thought to himself. It’s no wonder that in this mundane world, Grandmasters are already praised as ‘heavenly dragons.’ Cultivation resources are just way too sparse.

Anything rare was precious.

The price of tier-three spirit stones was downright unreasonable. One piece was worth a hundred tier-two spirit stones!

Going forward, I can just sell my ‘spoils of war’ to the Goldstone Pavilion. That way, I can obtain sufficient tier-three spirit stones.

As Su Yi thought to himself, Cha Jin walked over from afar. “Young Lord, what would you like to eat tonight?”

She’d changed into a simple and elegant pale pink blouse and a tailored, flattering pale blue skirt, which offset her slender waist. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and her pretty face was clear, with bright eyes and red lips. She had a distinctive, chic beauty.

“As long as there’s meat and alcohol, anything’s fine,” said Su Yi.

“Then I’ll go out to buy food,” said Cha Jin softly.

Su Yi waved. “Go on.”

Cha Jin inwardly sighed in relief. Since falling into servitude, she’d essentially never left Su Yi’s side; she’d never once gone out on her own.

She was actually a little worried Su Yi wouldn’t agree to let her go, but now it seemed she’d overthought things.

But then, this makes sense. My soul is still under the effects of the Soul-Binding Rope; he has no need to fear me running away, Cha Jin sighed to herself, then turned and hurried off.

The setting sun was like molten gold, bathing the world in orange light and casting a radiant sheen on the blue-green waters of the pond.

Even as he reclined in his chair and admired this beautiful scene, Su Yi felt rather conflicted.

Should I go pay Heaven’s Origin Academy a visit first, or should I find Weng Yunqi and investigate Qing Wan’s origins first?

Or should I start by visiting the Yu Family?

Suddenly, he heard the sound of knocking emanating from afar—

Zhou Zhili’s voice soon followed. “Young Lord Su, are you in?” 

Su Yi was stunned, but a moment later, he understood. I’m afraid this is about the Yu Family.

After all, last night in Yangku Town, they mistook me for Zhou Zhili’s subordinate. Now, Zhou Zhili has come knocking on my door; of course this has something to do with them.

“Climb in over the walls,” said Su Yi, not moving from his wicker chair.

The House of Waveswept Rocks was quite large, but it didn’t have even a single servant, and Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to get up and open the door personally.

Meanwhile, outside the House of Waveswept rocks.

Climb the walls? Zhou Zhili, Chang Guoke, and Zheng Tianhe looked at each other. With our status, how could we do such a thing? Wouldn’t that make us no different from thieves?

“Young Lord Su doesn’t sweat the small stuff, so we shouldn’t worry either.” Zhou Zhili coughed dryly, then led the way over the walls. Chang Guoke and Zheng Tianhe followed. If even the sixth prince didn’t mind, they naturally didn’t either.

Before long, they saw Su Yi by the side of the pond, sprawled out in his wicker chair.

“Brother Su, we humbly request your forgiveness for showing up uninvited and disturbing your leisure,” said Zhou Zhili, clasping his fist with a smile.

“Mm.” Su Yi grunted, but when he saw Chang Guoke, he was stunned. He couldn’t help but blurt out, “What are you doing here?”

Chang Guoke’s face went rigid for a moment before he too clasped his fist. “Young Lord, I have pledged my allegiance to the sixth prince and now work at his side.”

Zhou Zhili patiently explained, “Brother Su, you probably didn’t know this, but Martial Uncle Chang is just like Martial Aunt Qing Jin; he’s from the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect too. He left the mountain to lend me a hand.

“Oh..!” Su Yi suddenly understood. “No wonder you dared set your sights on the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast despite your second-level Inner Furnace Realm cultivation. So, you’re the inheritor of a famous sect; that’s why you were so confident.”

Chang Guoke couldn’t help but feel sheepish; for some reason, he felt as if Su Yi were making fun of him.

Zhou Zhili just smiled, then introduced Zheng Tianhe. “Brother Su, this is my maternal uncle, the head of the Imperatorial Provincial Capital’s Zheng Family, Zheng Tianhe. He’s heard tales of your accomplishments, and he admires you deeply.”

“Greetings, Young Lord!” Zheng Tianhe clasped his fist and laughed heartily.

Before learning of Su Yi’s history, seeing Su Yi just leaning back in his chair, too lazy to even get up and greet them, would undoubtedly have infuriated Zheng Tianhe. 

But knowing what he knew now, and seeing how respectful the sixth prince and Chang Guoke were, how could Zheng Tianhe let something so trivial upset him?

On the contrary; it was precisely this combination of extreme pride and indolence that made Zheng Tianhe think, He really does have the bearing of a fallen immortal!

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When he looked at Su Yi, his eyes carried faint hints of respect, and he was already starting to consider just how to go about building a connection with this supremely capable young man.

“Everyone, please be at ease. There are no servants here, so if you want to drink tea, please help yourself,” said Su Yi offhandedly.

When Zheng Tianhe heard that, he immediately laughed. “You chat, I’ll go make tea.”

He didn’t act like an outsider, either; he just walked right into the distant loft to search for tea and teapots.

Zheng Tianhe’s behavior left Su Yi somewhat surprised. “This Family Head Zheng is quite adaptable. He knows when to bend and when to stand tall, all while maintaining his composure.”

The man behind the helm of one of the provincial capital’s five peak-level factions could, with a single stomp of his foot, influence all six of the province’s prefectures. Yet here he was, brewing tea for them as if it were all perfectly natural!

If word of this got out, Su Yi feared few would believe it.

“Ha ha ha, Brother Su, you’re worthy of my uncle personally brewing you tea,” laughed Zhou Zhili.

Su Yi glanced at him. “Let’s get down to business.”

Zhou Zhili looked around and saw that there were no other chairs, so he just sat directly on the ground. “Earlier today, I accepted an invitation to meet the head of the Yu Family, Yu Baiting, at the Cloudscouring Tower….”

He went on to describe their meeting in detail. By the time Zhou Zhili finished his tale, even Su Yi was stunned. A moment later, he laughed, “I haven’t even visited the Yu Family to settle the score yet, but they’ve already started plotting revenge against me.

Zhou Zhili seized the opportunity to ask, “Brother Su, what exactly happened last night?”

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to waste words explaining such trifles. “When Cha Jin gets back, have her tell you.”

“Uh….” Zhou Zhili’s gaze swept around the area, but he saw no sign of Cha Jin. Still, he was too considerate to ask any further questions.

Before long, Zheng Tianhe appeared with a cart and the various implements needed to brew tea. He also carried chairs for himself, Zhou Zhili, and Chang Guoke, then sat beside the pond and began brewing tea. He had none of the airs typical of a family head.

Zhou Zhili suddenly rose, then bowed low at the waist. “Brother Su, I’m also here to thank you for your intervention; you eliminated three of my third brother’s retainers. I’ll be sure to repay the favor someday!”

Su Yi was visibly confused. Chang Guoke then immediately explained, “HIs Sixth Highness is talking about the three you slew that night.”

Only then did Su Yi understand. He looked at Chang Guoke strangely, “You’re really embroiled in a lot of trouble, huh?”

Chang Guoke instantly felt awkward. He had a heroic, upright personality, and he was free and unrestrained. Furthermore, he had a high status within the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect; even Zhou Zhili had to treat him with respect.

But for some reason, in front of Su Yi, he felt like he couldn’t quite raise his head. It didn’t matter that Su Yi already saw him as trouble, or that he’d said as much on numerous occasions; Chang Guoke dared not argue or lose his temper.

“Argh! I would never have guessed that my second and third brothers would join forces. I’ve implicated Martial Uncle Chang,” sighed Zhou Zhili.

Su Yi said flatly, “You didn’t just implicate him; you dragged me into this too. If that third prince finds out that I’m the one who killed his subordinates, there’s no way he’ll just let it go. Also, it’s precisely because the Yu Family saw me as your subordinate that last night’s conflict arose.”

Zhou Zhili could no longer remain seated. He shot to his feet, then made a solemn vow. “Brother Su, please rest assured and leave that to me!”

“You?” Su Yi glanced at him, then shook his head. “Even a trivial figure like Yu Baiting dared to openly oppose you. That’s clear proof of your weakness.”

His words weren’t the least bit polite, and they made Zhou Zhili extremely uncomfortable. A dark look flashed across his face.

Zheng Tianhe was busy brewing tea when he heard this. He inwardly gasped; he would never have guessed Su Yi would dare slander and make fun of His Sixth Highness like that.

What surprised him even more was that Zhou Zhili seemed like he dared not argue or lose his temper….

When Chang Guoke saw the sixth prince lower his head in shame after his scolding, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Young Lord, it’s true that the sixth prince doesn’t have the power and influence of His Second Highness, but he’s not as inept as you make him sound—”

But before he could finish, Su Yi cut him off. “What, do you think you’re not trouble enough already?” 

Chang Guoke choked on his words, and his face alternated white and green. 

The atmosphere was instantly tense and stifled. Zheng Tianhe hurriedly tried to play peacemaker. “Young Lord, please don’t get angry. Actually…”

“Enough.” Su Yi waved, then sighed lightly and faced Zhou Zhili. “I’ll just have to accompany you to the Tea Party ten days from now.”

Zhou Zhili was in low spirits, but when he heard this, he froze, quivered, then stared at Su Yi in disbelief. “You’re really willing to help me?”

Even his voice shook.

Zhang Guoke and Zheng Tianhe glanced at each other; their spirits soared too. They wouldn’t have guessed that Su Yi would take the initiative to offer his support, so this came as quite a surprise.

“Trouble has already come knocking on my door. Do I have any choice but to help you?” Su Yi rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and said, “Besides, you cleaned up my mess back in the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital. Twice, even. No matter what, I can’t just stand back and watch people bully you.”

Zhou Zhili’s entire chest filled with delight and excitement, and his lips quivered. He didn’t know why, but he almost felt the urge to cry….

Is this what they mean when they say “hard work won’t let you down”?

So, Su Yi really does remember what I’ve done for him!

Zhou Zhili felt warm inside, especially when he heard the sentence, “I can’t just stand back and watch people bully you.”

It was moving, but it also caught him off guard.

When Chang Guoke and Zheng Tianhe saw this, they sighed. Just looking at how moved the sixth prince was, it was obvious how difficult it was to convince Su Yi to work on your behalf!

Seth's Thoughts

“Leaving the mountain” can of course refer to leaving a literal mountain, but it’s a pretty common way to describe monks leaving the monastery or cultivators leaving their sects. Both groups intentionally isolate themselves from the mortal world, and mountains are a good place to do that, so there’s this strong mental association between “living secluded from the mundane world” and mountains.” 

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