Chapter 38
Yu Sui thought of a certain possibility. If Qing Kui had always been under Nangong Ming's control, would he do nothing to this daughter?
Everyone saw Lady Su differently.
To Yan Kingdom's Agricultural School disciples, Lady Su was the enemy who stole Breath Soil and caused the Yan Kingdom Saint's severe injuries.
To Wei Ren and these Agricultural School traitors, Lady Su was the great benefactor who saved them.
In Yu Sui's eyes, Lady Su was calm and intelligent, as well as decisive and ruthless.
Lady Su had initially hesitated at the peak of Luo Mountain about what to do with this child who had unexpectedly taken half her Breath Soil.
She had obtained Breath Soil by becoming pregnant with Yu Sui, but no one had expected that giving birth to this child would result in her losing half the Breath Soil.
From initial hesitation to later firm decision, she thoroughly carried out her choice and no longer showed mercy to Yu Sui.
Simply because she had already made her choice.
So Yu Sui felt Lady Su was decisive and ruthless. Once she decided to abandon this daughter and choose Breath Soil, she wouldn't look back.
As for Nangong Ming, his danger level was even higher than Lady Su's.
Even someone as formidable as Lady Su had been defeated by him. What kind of strength did Nangong Ming possess?
In terms of ruthlessness, Nangong Ming probably surpassed Lady Su.
Lady Su might only want Breath Soil and Qing Kui, but Nangong Ming wanted much more than she did.
Regarding the relationship between Lady Su and Nangong Ming, from Yu Sui's observations over the years, she felt these two had some romantic entanglements.
The two were special to each other, using each other, depending on each other, appreciating each other.
But given their personalities, any romantic feelings were minimal, just a tiny bit.
Often it was just that tiny bit, that momentary attraction, enough to make people make many regrettable decisions.
If Yu Sui did anything, it would alarm both Lady Su and Nangong Ming. Yet when facing Yu Sui's problems, these two maintained a tacit consistency.
Perhaps because they had two children.
Losing one wouldn't matter.
Wei Ren saw Yu Sui fall into thought and waited patiently and quietly without disturbing her. She looked somewhat absent-minded, her finger lightly resting on the Wind-Listening Ruler, which flickered on and off. When it glowed faintly, the rotating characters on it would reflect in Yu Sui's dark pupils.
Yu Sui went from initially being absent-minded to later becoming seriously focused.
She first replied to Zhongli Que's message: "Do you like this Sister Chu?"
Zhongli Que replied quickly: "Not to that extent yet."
"It's just that she gives a very comfortable feeling. Being near her makes me feel pleased with her." Zhongli Que tapped the message squares, pausing when sending these messages, hesitating before sending the second half: "I get this same feeling every time I see Prince Nangong."
Yu Sui's finger tapping the Wind-Listening Ruler stopped.
Zhongli Que continued: "I want to interact with her for a while first to see. Everyone's aura perception is different. If they're too similar, either they're the same type of person or they've spent long periods together. Oh right, you should be careful at Taiyi too. I keep dreaming about bad things happening to you lately, but I can't remember clearly when I wake up, and divination doesn't help."
"Sui Sui, you're too far away. I'm afraid I won't make it in time."
Just after she sent the message, the carriage stopped.
Zhongli Que heard noisy sounds from outside. Guard Li from the Zhongli family said in a deep voice: "Who dares block the Great General's carriage?"
Both sides of the road were filled with soldiers in golden armor. The leading man wore black and gold robes, broad-shouldered with a strong waist, a qilin pattern around his waist, holding a white jade token toward Guard Li. His features were handsome and refined, his expression cold: "Golden Armor Army's Gu Jun, following His Majesty's orders to set up checkpoints on Fourth Street to search for Orchid Poison. Please excuse the delay, Great General Zhongli."
Guard Li saw that there were indeed Golden Armor Army checkpoints ahead, with many carriages blocked behind, all sending people to investigate.
"Miss," Guard Li turned back, saying quietly to Zhongli Que inside the carriage, "The Golden Armor Army is setting up checkpoints to search for poison. Please step out of the carriage and wait a moment."
Zhongli Que lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down with Guard Li's assistance. She looked back and met eyes with Gu Jun standing in the sunlight.
Both were momentarily surprised.
From their recent private encounter under the tree at the hunting ground to now looking at each other on the wide road between armies and attendants, only a few days had passed, yet it clearly divided their identities and positions.
Zhongli Que suppressed her surprise and stood quietly to the side watching the Golden Armor Army. Gu Jun's gaze swept to the Golden Armor soldiers beside him, signaling them to search the carriage while slightly bowing his head toward Zhongli Que in acknowledgment.
……
After Yu Sui finished sending messages to Old Yan, she put away her Wind-Listening Ruler and looked up at Wei Ren who had been waiting. She asked thoughtfully: "If I fought Lady Su now..."
"You'd die," Wei Ren said with certainty.
Yu Sui continued: "What if I were Fifth Realm?"
"You'd still die," Wei Ren said. "I heard she was injured, but could still kill many Thirteenth Realm practitioners at the peak of Luo Mountain, not to mention her phantom beast illusions. Each one has Thirteenth Realm strength."
"That means whether now or in the near future, you'd only have a dead end facing Lady Su."
Yu Sui made a sound and blinked: "So I've only lived until now because of her mercy?"
Wei Ren's expression paused, then he shook his head: "It seems you've lived until now by deceiving Lady Su and Nangong Ming. To deceive both of them, you're not simple either."
"Lady Su can't possibly fly directly to Taiyi to kill you now. Your problem still comes from Agricultural School pursuers. Honestly, I think you'll be safer at Taiyi than in Qingyang's imperial capital."
Wei Ren's gaze passed over Yu Sui toward the door, smiling without humor: "You're now Saint Chang Gen's disciple. Killing isn't allowed within the academy, but outside the academy, you can summon the Saint to act. Now if they want to kill you, they'd have to eliminate Saint Chang Gen first. If anyone moves against Saint Chang Gen, your Senior Brother Mei Liangyu would cut off their head first."
Yu Sui listened with a half-smile.
Wei Ren continued: "Why not take this opportunity to cultivate first, then resolve the Breath Soil issue? I mentioned I'm just interested in Breath Soil, so I've researched its existence over the years and wondered if it's possible to separate Breath Soil without killing the person."
"Is that possible?" Yu Sui asked with little interest.
Wei Ren smiled: "Theoretically yes. Die once, let Breath Soil think the host's body has dissolved and detached, then come back to life."
Yu Sui brushed back her hair and said seriously: "You're really the most capable of the younger Agricultural School generation? Then this generation of Agricultural School disciples is hopeless."
Wei Ren said: "Didn't your Master do exactly that?"
Yu Sui looked at him: "Then why don't you join the Ghost Way School?"
"My talent isn't there," Wei Ren immediately replied. "I'm most skilled at Agricultural School phantom beasts."
Yu Sui was quiet for a moment, then shook her head in refusal: "I don't like it. Master can't even eat apricots. I like eating meat. That's my only hobby for staying alive."
Wei Ren looked at her in amazement as she stood up. Yu Sui again brushed back the hair that had slipped from behind her ear, looking at Wei Ren with a half-smile: "You'd better think of some other way to let me separate Breath Soil while staying alive."
"You're not going to give me a time limit too, are you?" Wei Ren said awkwardly. "I don't have enough talent to figure it out in a few days. My talent isn't in that area."
Yu Sui turned to open the door, not looking back but smiling brightly: "If you can't figure it out, go die."
Wei Ren watched her departing figure. Yu Sui was a polite child who closed the door when leaving.
After the door closed, the room became quiet again. Wei Ren could faintly hear Yu Sui calling someone Senior Brother outside.
He looked down at the medicine bottle in his hand, recalling the news about Yu Sui he'd heard over the years. Even in years when Yu Sui hadn't noticed, Wei Ren had seen her from afar in Qingyang's imperial capital.
At ages six, eight, eleven, and thirteen.
Wei Ren had seen Yu Sui standing with Lady Su in crowds from afar.
Wei Ren had been different from other children since childhood. When other children around him were inspired by their master's words to dedicate their lives to the Agricultural School, vowing to reclaim Breath Soil and save the Agricultural School as their life's goal, he only felt that little child standing beside Lady Su was truly unlucky.
Being unlucky was bad enough, but she also didn't look very smart, foolish and simple. You could tell at a glance that this type of person definitely wouldn't live to eighteen.
In Yu Sui's eighteenth year, Wei Ren saw her on the Cloud Carriage Flying Dragon.
For the first time, they weren't separated by crowds of people, long streets and alleys, or heavily guarded armies, only three to five steps apart.
At such close distance, Wei Ren discovered he had misjudged.
The moment Yu Sui's years of appearing stupid and innocent to outsiders was overturned, Wei Ren couldn't stop his heart from trembling with excitement.
From that moment on, he wouldn't let Yu Sui die.
……
The instant Yu Sui left Wei Ren's bedroom, she had already organized all her emotions. Over the years, she had become skilled at making herself quickly calm.
Precise emotional control was necessary to avoid Nangong Ming's scrutiny.
Yu Sui knocked on Mei Liangyu's door, speaking softly: "Senior Brother."
A casual response came from inside: "What?"
"Are you going to Ghost Way Saint Hall?" Yu Sui asked.
Mei Liangyu: "Yes."
Yu Sui: "Now?"
Before she could invite him to go together, she heard Mei Liangyu say lazily: "I'll go when I feel like it."
"Alright." Yu Sui withdrew her knocking hand. "Senior Brother, I'll go ahead then."
Mei Liangyu didn't respond.
Yu Sui took the Dragon Stairs alone, leaving the dormitory and heading to Ghost Way Saint Hall to continue yesterday's introductory cultivation.
After last night's torrential rain and thunder, the Saint Hall grounds were a mess, covered with fallen leaves and branches. The white flowers adorning the green vines were also mostly gone, and the ditches by the walls contained nothing but flowing water and flower petals.
Unripe apricots, plums, and peaches had also fallen everywhere.
Yu Sui swept clean a small area and picked up several fruits to arrange on the ground.
The first was a green apricot.
This was the physical body.
The second was a slightly reddish plum.
This was the separated self, the three souls.
The third was a peach.
This was the six spirits of the seven consciousnesses emptied.
Yu Sui's finger hovered and pointed, finally stopping on the peach representing the six spirits of seven consciousnesses emptied, her fingertip touching the peach:
The Ghost Way School's introductory mental techniques could control souls, stabilize spirits, and empty seven consciousnesses. This meant that injuring the physical body wouldn't cause death; only shattering the six spirits with Five Elements energy would count as death.
Yu Sui gathered golden Five Elements energy at her fingertip, staring at the three fruits arranged in a line, pointing at the apricot in front.
All three fruits were shattered.
When Yu Sui stabilized her spirit, her primary field of vision would no longer be through her eyes, but through the other self separated by soul control, suspended in air with a bird's-eye view of the entire situation from above.
The three to five apricots on the ground suddenly floated up, shooting toward Yu Sui from different directions. The consciousness separated by the first soul control could see attacks from all directions. Yu Sui's figure flickered, the afterimage from Wind-Riding Techniques brushing past the flying apricots.
The small apricots, wrapped in rapidly rotating Five Elements energy, made dull thudding sounds when colliding with Yu Sui's Five Elements energy before bouncing away.
Yu Sui was forced back, unable to avoid the last apricot.
The apricot hit her forehead and fell.
"Ow," Yu Sui covered her forehead and made a soft sound.
Saint Chang Gen: "Too slow."
Yu Sui bent down to pick up the apricot, wiped off the moisture, and held it to her nose to smell. It had the faint fragrance of apricots. She asked Saint Chang Gen: "Master, can you smell it?"
Saint Chang Gen: "I cannot smell, but I can imagine."
Yu Sui crouched down, staring at the apricot in her palm and asked again: "Could I someday cultivate to your level of realm?"
Saint Chang Gen: "No."
"Huh?" Yu Sui was stunned. So direct and certain?
"Master, why can't I? Is my talent insufficient?" Yu Sui asked curiously.
Saint Chang Gen: "You're attached to your physical body."
After hearing this, Yu Sui touched her face, then looked down at her clothing, nodding: "I'm so beautiful, I really don't want to lose this appearance and die."
Saint Chang Gen: "Reasonable."
Yu Sui smiled and stood up to continue cultivating.
……
Yu Sui practiced with her Master at Ghost Way Saint Hall all day, being chased around the entire hall by fruits thrown by her Master until she was out of breath and had to rest several rounds.
Mei Liangyu didn't come today. Yu Sui glanced at the darkening sky. She needed to go to the Medical School to change her medicine. After greeting Saint Chang Gen, she used Wind-Riding Techniques to head to the Medical School.
Shi Yuezhen was still the disciple on duty at the medical clinic today.
However, many people had come, making the medical clinic quite lively. Shi Yuezhen saw Yu Sui and lifted the partition curtain for her: "You came at just the right time. This is the last room. The Military School opened formations today, and many injured disciples came."
Yu Sui walked into the small partition room: "Military formations? What level?"
"Level One Military Formation: Black Wind City. That's quite difficult. You definitely can't pass it fighting alone." Shi Yuezhen said while mixing ointment.
Yu Sui sat by the small bed, consciously removing her upper garments, twisting her head to look at the wound marks on her shoulder. They were still quite visible but had begun healing.
"No wonder there are still so many people this late." Yu Sui said, "Are they all Military School disciples?"
Shi Yuezhen smiled: "Not all. When the Military School opens formations, it's for disciples from other schools to experience military formations. Their own disciples can also participate."
Yu Sui nodded, sitting properly on the bedside, quietly waiting for medicine application. When she was quiet and still, her eyes remained lively, with moist dark pupils containing points of soft light, always appearing innocent and obedient.
Shi Yuezhen turned back and saw Yu Sui like this, her gaze becoming gentler: "If only every patient were as well-behaved as you."
Yu Sui smiled with curved eyes and brows.
Shi Yuezhen first applied medicine to her back. When going out to change medicine, she saw another person enter, quite severely injured with half their body covered in blood, brows slightly furrowed and forehead covered in fine sweat.
Li Jin Shuang looked up at Shi Yuezhen carrying the medicine bowl. Her left cheek had a long, deep wound, a sword injury with some flesh turned outward, looking fierce and frightening.
Unfortunately, there were no extra partitions available.
Yu Sui would need to remove her lower garments, making it inconvenient to share with others. Shi Yuezhen went to ask the girl in the next partition who wasn't severely injured: "Could you share with her..."
The girl inside saw Li Jin Shuang beside Shi Yuezhen and couldn't help widening her eyes. Without hearing the full question, she refused: "No!"
And whoosh, she pulled the curtain closed.
Shi Yuezhen was stunned.
The girl inside said angrily: "Li Jin Shuang is neither male nor female. Senior Sister, how can you have her stay with me!"
Shi Yuezhen said gently: "She is female, and you are female. What's the difference?"
Yu Sui heard the argument outside and knocked on the wall: "Senior Sister, let her come to my room."
Shi Yuezhen looked back at Li Jin Shuang. She was in poor condition, barely supporting her severely injured body and looking like she might faint at any moment. Without further delay, she brought Li Jin Shuang into Yu Sui's partition.
Yu Sui had been lying on the bed but now sat up to give Li Jin Shuang space.
"Do you two know each other?" Shi Yuezhen helped Li Jin Shuang sit by the bed, gently supporting her chin while Five Elements energy from her fingertip lightly touched Li Jin Shuang's facial wound.
"Roommates," Yu Sui said, tilting her head to examine Li Jin Shuang's injuries. "Did you also attempt the military formation?"
When Li Jin Shuang was pressed to sit on the bedside by Shi Yuezhen, the strength she'd been forcing herself to maintain dissipated. As Shi Yuezhen's gentle Five Elements energy circulated around her, her consciousness became cloudy and she slowly closed her eyes.
"She needs to rest," Shi Yuezhen said.
Seeing Shi Yuezhen's serious expression as she focused on guiding the accumulated Five Elements energy within Li Jin Shuang to dissipate, Yu Sui carefully got off the bed to give Li Jin Shuang space to lie down.
While Shi Yuezhen was busy cleaning Li Jin Shuang's wounds, Yu Sui went to a corner and dressed herself. Shi Yuezhen asked her to help bring several medicine bowls from the counter outside. Yu Sui agreed and lifted the curtain to go out.
It was already late at night outside. Yu Sui walked to the counter and picked up the medicine bowls Shi Yuezhen wanted. On her way back, her peripheral vision caught two approaching figures and she stopped.
There were still puddles from last night's rain on the ground. The man walking in front stepped in the water, but blood drops fell into it.
Mei Liangyu carried blood-stained outer clothing draped over one shoulder. His right sleeve seemed burned away, exposing his strong arm with smooth, flowing forearm lines containing immeasurable explosive power. Combined with the scent of blood and fire on his body and the battle intent he hadn't fully withdrawn from the battlefield, he created an intimidating presence.
Behind him followed the equally injured and bloodied Zhongli Shan, his neck covered in blood mixed with black spots. Zhongli Shan's brows were slightly furrowed, and he showed momentary surprise upon seeing Yu Sui standing in the medical clinic.
Yu Sui first took the medicine jars to Shi Yuezhen, then lifted the curtain again to look at the entering Mei Liangyu: "Senior Brother."
Mei Liangyu noticed her earlier action with the medicine jars and asked in a tone neither light nor heavy: "Are you working odd jobs at the medical clinic?"
"I came to change medicine but haven't finished yet," Yu Sui said, seeing Mei Liangyu and Zhongli Shan walking steadily toward the upstairs without stopping. She asked: "Did you also attempt the military formation, Senior Brother?"
Mei Liangyu glanced at her sideways, raising an eyebrow: "I'll take you along another day."
The two went upstairs to the medical clinic's second floor one after the other.
Yu Sui returned and told Shi Yuezhen that those two had gone to the second floor.
Shi Yuezhen smiled: "That's fine. The second floor is prepared for people who can treat their own injuries."