Early the next morning, mist coiled around the mountain gate of Divine Might Manor.
Gongsun Rou pulled Su Yi aside, lowering her voice with a mischievous smile dancing in her eyes. “Yi’er, both Little Lin’er and Yunzhi are coming along with you to Ancient Sword Mountain. Both are fine girls. Can’t you... at least settle on one?” She gave a pointed wink.
Su Yi felt an immediate headache at her words and replied helplessly, “Mother, you really don’t need to worry about this. Right now... I truly have no such thoughts.”
Gongsun Rou merely smiled without answering, her gaze subtly sweeping past Su Yi’s neck.
There, despite his collar’s best efforts to conceal it, a faint red mark was still vaguely visible. She thought to herself, ‘It seems sending Yunzhi to see my silly son last night was an accidental stroke of genius. Progress seems to be moving even faster than I imagined...’
Su Yi keenly noticed his mother’s gaze. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his face as he hastily tugged his collar up even higher, inwardly wailing, ‘What did I do to deserve this! When on earth is this thing going to fade?!’
Just as he was inwardly cursing Ming Xi, a broad, warm palm rested upon his shoulder.
Unlike Gongsun Rou, Su Jing wore a far more serious expression as he said in a deep voice, “Yi’er, going to Ancient Sword Mountain this time represents the face of our Divine Might Manor.”
“Remember, this isn’t your first time leaving the manor. Rein in your temperament, and don’t stir up trouble that gets out of hand like you used to.”
His words carried an admonishment, yet also held a trace of imperceptible concern.
As he spoke, he produced an antique space ring and handed it to Su Yi. “Your cultivation has returned to its peak, even surpassing the past. The reason behind it is your secret, so I won’t pry, and I’ve even covered for you a bit.”
“Inside are thirty thousand High-grade Spirit Stones. Take it. While traveling out in the world, you’ll inevitably have expenses.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Rou furrowed her delicate brows and secretly pinched Su Jing, sending a voice transmission: “Thirty thousand? You’re far too stingy as a father! Who knows how long Yi’er will be gone, what is that going to be enough for?”
Su Jing gave no answer, merely keeping his hand extended.
Yet Su Yi did not take the space ring immediately. Instead, he looked at Su Jing with a conflicted gaze, his lips moving as if to say something. “Father, actually, I...”
Seeing this, Su Jing assumed his son thought it was too many spirit stones or was deeply moved. Without giving him room to argue, he shoved the space ring into his hands, his tone brooking no refusal. “Alright now, a real man shouldn’t act so bashful. If I give it to you, take it. Be careful out there.”
Right then, Qiu Ning and Murong Yue walked over together.
Qiu Ning bowed and said, “Manor Lord, Mistress, the flying boat heading to Ancient Sword Mountain is fully prepared and ready to depart at any time.” Murong Yue nodded slightly from the side as well.
“Good, then depart. Make it a swift return.” Su Jing waved his hand, watching alongside Gongsun Rou as Su Yi and a contingent of disciples boarded the massive, ornate flying boat emblazoned with the crest of Divine Might Manor.
Watching the flying boat slowly rise and streak across the sky like a beam of light, Su Jing stroked his beard with immense gratification, remarking to his wife beside him, “Look at Yi’er, Madam. He truly has become much more steady this time. It seems he’s finally matured.”
Gongsun Rou nodded with a smile as well. “Indeed. After all, he’s grown up and knows propriety now.”
However, before their heartwarming sentiment could linger for long, a deacon disciple rushed over in a flurry. With a look of trepidation and awkwardness on his face, he bowed and reported, “M-Manor Lord!”
In high spirits, Su Jing asked amiably, “Why in such a fluster?”
Holding up a jade slip with both hands, the disciple spoke in a slightly trembling voice: “Reporting to the Manor Lord, the Young Manor Lord... The Young Manor Lord just took your personal letter to the Internal Affairs Hall to withdraw his travel expenses for leaving the manor...”
The smile on Su Jing’s face froze slightly as an ominous premonition inexplicably welled up in his heart. Frowning, he asked, “My letter? When did I ever give him a letter? How much did he withdraw?”
The disciple bowed his head even lower, not daring to state the amount aloud at all. He merely held the jade slip forward a bit further, his gaze cautiously guiding Su Jing’s eyes toward the exceptionally conspicuous number marked in cinnabar on the slip.
Su Jing looked closely: “High-grade Spirit Stones: Three hundred thousand!”
The air seemed to freeze at that very instant.
The expression on Su Jing’s face instantly hardened, whatever gratification and sentiment he had felt earlier vanishing without a trace.
He suddenly recalled Su Yi’s conflicted look, his hesitation to speak just moments ago, and the space ring holding thirty thousand spirit stones that he himself had stubbornly shoved into his hands...
After a long silence, Su Jing gazed in the direction where the flying boat had vanished, the corners of his mouth twitching violently as he finally understood the true meaning behind his son’s conflicted gaze.
“Th-this brat!”
...
The flying boat glided steadily through the sea of clouds. As its massive hull occasionally cut through thin wisps of cloud, it drew soft gasps of excitement from several Divine Might Manor disciples who were traveling far from home for the first time.
Tantai Yunzhi stood alone by the boat’s railing. While her gaze appeared to rest on the mountains and rivers rushing past below, the corners of her eyes unconsciously followed Su Yi and Gongsun Lin not far away.
Gongsun Lin was sticking tightly to Su Yi’s side, clutching his sleeve with one hand while seeming to chatter away endlessly about something.
“...So, Senior Brother, going to Ancient Sword Mountain this time, you can’t be all proud and arrogant like before.”
“I know, I know,” Su Yi replied offhandedly, having not yet recovered from last night’s ordeal and in no mood to banter.
Nearby, Qiu Ning, who had originally intended to offer a few words of advice as well, couldn’t help but cover her lips with a soft chuckle upon seeing that Gongsun Lin had already said everything she had in mind.
Yet this seemingly familiar scene tasted entirely different in the eyes of different beholders.
Tantai Yunzhi silently withdrew her gaze, looking out toward the boundless sea of clouds beyond the gunwale, as if as long as she didn’t see it, it didn’t exist.
On the other side, Murong Yue stood with her arms crossed, her cool gaze likewise resting on Su Yi, though her eyes held far more scrutiny and suspicion.
She genuinely felt something was off about Su Yi.
Compared to the flamboyant, arrogant youth of rumor who had even clashed head-on with her at the Ascendance Gathering, the Su Yi before her seemed... far too subdued.
Faced with Gongsun Lin’s near-preachy nagging, he didn’t show the slightest impatience, merely offering occasional helpless smiles or brief, offhand replies. This was by no means his usual temperament.
Moreover...
Murong Yue’s gaze, sharp as a sword, locked tightly onto Su Yi’s somewhat unnatural collar.
He seemed to be deliberately hiding something, and the way he kept tugging it upward struck her as remarkably out of place.
‘What is he concealing?’ Murong Yue’s mind was fraught with suspicion. ‘Is the mark on his neck... an injury? Or... something else?’
Rate on N.U.
