Chapter 122
At sunset, Yu Sui had already left the Taoist School study hall and met with Xue Mushi to discuss the Strange Fire matter.
Passing through a quiet water corridor, at the end of the forest path there were stone tables and chairs for rest. After Yu Sui sat down, she drew the Water Vessel's location on paper prepared by Xue Mushi.
"It's roughly here, but it seems to be in a different sea area from Taiyi Academy." Yu Sui drew Taiyi Academy's location as well. "Have you heard of Taiyi Academy's Core Earth Power before?"
Xue Mushi shook his head, looking at the map: "I know the Twenty-Four Saints System at Taiyi Academy will change, but I don't know how they're selected. I thought the Saints themselves voted internally."
Yu Sui turned her pen, falling into deep thought.
Xue Mushi asked her: "Do you have any thoughts about the Core Earth Power?"
Yu Sui tapped her finger on Taiyi Academy's position on the paper, saying thoughtfully: "I'm wondering what would happen if I burned it with Strange Fire."
Xue Mushi looked at her in shock. After a moment of silence, he said uneasily: "Are you going to do it?"
"Not now." Yu Sui supported her head with one hand, as if thinking. "But who knows about the future."
Xue Mushi looked up at her: "Then the Water Vessel... are you going there?"
Yu Sui smiled silently and asked back: "Are you going?"
Xue Mushi shook his head: "There's no way I could go."
Yu Sui said in a relaxed tone: "If you don't go, I won't go either."
Xue Mushi: "..."
Yu Sui continued: "We two are certain we won't go. I wonder what the other three will think."
"Is there any way to contact them so we can discuss it together?" Xue Mushi rarely frowned, thinking hard. "From the previous two death resonances, judging by what they said, they also don't want to expose their identities. The secret about Strange Fire probably isn't being investigated by just us two."
"Falling into a near-death state can trigger Fire Spirit Orbs and cause death resonance." Yu Sui already had a plan in mind but didn't say it immediately, only stating: "This special situation seems to have only appeared in the last 200 years or so."
"What will Strange Fire eventually evolve into?" Xue Mushi gazed at the black ship drawn on the white paper, deep in thought. "I believe Strange Fire's power is gradually strengthening. World Destroyers in the past could use it at will, but now Strange Fire has become so powerful that no one can control it. If several hundred more years pass, won't it be free?"
Free?
Yu Sui blinked and said: "Are you concerned about the Xuangu Continent's safety several hundred years from now?"
"Uh." Xue Mushi froze.
Yu Sui clapped lightly, widening her eyes slightly as she looked at him with praise: "How admirable."
Xue Mushi raised his hand to wipe his face, erasing the thoughts in his mind, then took out his Wind-Listening Ruler: "Let's focus on getting the fragments first and see the secrets of the Heavenly Character Text."
Wei Ren was already staking out at the School of Names. Li Jin Shuang was also acting together with Xun Zhiya, having gone to the School of Names' Xiaoyao Pool.
Ji Meng and Shu Chujun were keeping watch outside Xiaoyao Pool while others went underwater to open the hidden passage.
Yu Sui had already sent the hidden passage's cipher text to Gu Qian, who had tested it beforehand and could indeed unlock it.
Li Jin Shuang maintained voice transmission through the Wind-Listening Ruler, and others could also hear sounds from her side through the Fusang Dewdrops.
Yu Sui and Xue Mushi also headed toward the School of Names, joining Wei Ren outside to clear the area, preventing people from approaching Gu Qian's location. If they discovered School of Names disciples coming, they would find ways to lead them away.
Originally everything was going well. Yu Sui had already seen Gu Qian leading Xun Zhiya through the third hidden door, moving in the pitch-black underground passage, walking toward increasingly deep darkness.
Suddenly she received a voice transmission from Blackbeard.
Yu Sui hid in the shadows of the tree grove by Xiaoyao Pool, glancing at the water flow ahead. As soon as she connected the transmission, she heard Blackbeard say gravely: "Little Princess."
From this tone, it didn't seem like good news.
Yu Sui scanned her surroundings without making a sound.
At Ethereal Hall, Blackbeard was staring at Qu Zhenghao standing across the table. He maintained steady breathing and respectfully explained the current situation to Yu Sui on the other end of the Wind-Listening Ruler.
"...Currently Ten Mountain, Leaving Fire, Star Moon, Dragon Martial, and Sky Crane are all waiting at Ethereal Hall for our reply. Tonight's peace banquet, judging by their intentions, if they want the chaotic Outer City of recent days to settle down, we must hand over the deeds we previously collected and Pearl House's profits from the past two months."
Hearing this, Yu Sui gently rubbed the cool, smooth edge of the Wind-Listening Ruler with her fingertip, sighing inwardly at how these people really had huge appetites.
Qu Zhenghao then smiled: "Manager Black speaks as if it weren't for Pearl House being caught cheating, protecting the cheater, and breaking the rules first, why would the Little Princess need to worry about how to preserve Pearl House?"
After saying this, his subordinate handed the Wind-Listening Ruler that was in transmission mode to Qu Zhenghao. After listening, his face darkened slightly and his tone carried murderous intent: "Right now Pearl House is in complete chaos, with many of my Sky Crane Gang brothers injured. This matter cannot be settled so easily."
Blackbeard sneered coldly: "You think I don't know what your Sky Crane Gang people's intentions were in coming to my Pearl House?"
Qu Zhenghao pointed his long blade at Blackbeard: "Pearl House opens for business. Are you saying my Sky Crane Gang people can't go there?"
Wei Liu's Wind-Listening Ruler was also connected to Pearl House, listening to reports from there. He said coldly: "Gang Leader Qu, I think you have a personal grudge against Young Master Mei, so you designed this whole scheme. I heard your left eye was lost to Young Master Mei's hand."
Qu Zhenghao's one eye swept toward Wei Liu, flashing with threatening killing intent: "Well said. I do have a personal grudge against Mei Liangyu, but doesn't your Little Princess also have personal feelings for Mei Liangyu? That's why she's protecting Mei Liangyu who was cheating at the gambling house."
Blackbeard couldn't help cursing: "Watch your mouth. My Little Princess and Young Master Mei are from the same school, Senior Brother and Junior Sister. Gang Leader Qu should keep quiet if he lacks education and culture."
Both sides were at sword's point, seeming ready to fight if anyone said another word. In the brief silence, everyone heard a young woman's gentle voice from Blackbeard's Wind-Listening Ruler: "Pearl House's profits from two months, I can't decide that immediately. Have them wait a moment. I'll come from the academy right away."
Blackbeard was stunned: "Little Princess, you want to come personally?"
Yu Sui said: "If I'm to discuss money matters with them, naturally face-to-face discussion shows more sincerity."
Qu Zhenghao said coldly: "Little Princess, why trouble yourself with such a long trip? It's just a matter of your word."
"Gang Leader Qu?" Yu Sui asked.
Blackbeard glanced at Qu Zhenghao and said quietly: "It's him."
Qu Zhenghao heard a light laugh from the other side, the young woman saying in a relaxed tone: "Sky Crane Gang's internal strife just settled, with a new gang leader taking office. You must be quite short of money."
After these words, everyone present showed various expressions, and those who had been watching the show couldn't help looking toward the Wind-Listening Ruler in Blackbeard's hand.
Qu Zhenghao frowned. His emotions had just risen but before they could ferment, he heard Yu Sui continue: "My father said that if someone wants to take money from you, they must exchange it for something of equal value."
Yu Sui said: "Please wait a moment everyone. Let me calculate Pearl House's profits from two months and see what you can offer in exchange."
"Exchange? We're not doing business with you!" Before Qu Zhenghao could finish his sentence, Yu Sui cut off the transmission, leaving him with his breath stuck halfway, feeling stifled.
Yu Sui hadn't closed the Fusang Dewdrops earlier, so Xue Mushi and the others had also heard the conversation.
Wei Ren was first to ask: "Are you going to the Outer City to deal with those gangs?"
Yu Sui gave a brief "Mm," already turning to leave, only saying: "You watch things here."
Xue Mushi asked: "Do you need us to help too?"
"No need." After Yu Sui finished speaking, Wei Ren swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
……
Yu Sui's mind considered the several Outer City gangs that Blackbeard had introduced.
She had heard Blackbeard mention the Outer City's power distribution before and had monitored some information through the Wind-Listening Ruler, currently organizing it.
She came to the academy gate, found the carriage service, and took a mechanism-operated unmanned carriage to the Outer City.
Yu Sui had positioned many people's locations from the Communication Courtyard's Number Mountains. After a moment of contemplation, she had figured out what to do. Upon entering the Outer City, she released dozens of Five Elements Light Cores, which shuttled through the Outer City along different routes.
She sat in the carriage as the mechanism carriage traveled according to Yu Sui's given route, moving quickly through the mountain paths and slowing down to maintain stability after entering the Outer City.
Yu Sui concentrated and focused, controlling each Five Elements Light Core. They were as small as dust, riding the night wind and moving swiftly to find the positioned people.
Light cores flew beneath roof eaves. The scenery flashed by wherever they passed. Yu Sui was somewhat surprised to glimpse two people walking under the eaves.
These two wore black outer robes covering their entire bodies. When they looked up in the same direction, the light cores flying overhead inadvertently let Yu Sui catch sight of their faces.
Technical Arts School disciple Zhang Xiangyun, Taoist School disciple Luo Fu.
Yu Sui made the light core stop and approach these two.
Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu were looking at the opposite street, where Pearl House was located. Light flickered there with bustling crowds, very lively.
The two entered a tall shop building one after another. The shop was filled with miscellaneous goods with no one inside. In the darkness, they went upstairs where all the rooms were empty with nothing in them.
Zhang Xiangyun came to the window, gently pushing open a window crack, squinting as he smiled and looked toward Pearl House across the street.
From outside, one could only see swaying lights and shadows inside Pearl House, with chaotic shadows overlapping, crowding together, and separating. With a loud bang, the windows and doors facing the street completely shattered and exploded, with several figures being struck and thrown out.
Green poisonous mist rushed out, eagerly spreading toward both ends of the street. People on the street had long been cleared out. As the poison scattered, Yu Sui saw through the Five Elements Light Core Mei Liangyu fighting with blades against the scarred man.
The scarred man seemed to want to stop him from leaving. With one strike he knocked away the dagger in Mei Liangyu's hand, then raised his hand to strike a second blow. Mei Liangyu spoke: "Blade Control."
School of Names Word Command. Three long blades wrapped in flickering lightning appeared out of thin air. The three blades twisted together, jamming the scarred man's long blade so it couldn't move. As he looked up in surprise, they ground the long blade into three pieces that fell.
The scarred man immediately released his grip and retreated, using Wind-Riding Techniques to hover in air while simultaneously using Military School weapon control, making the three falling blade pieces spin and hover, reflecting countless blade energies from the blade surfaces toward Pearl House.
The sharp blade energies made shrieking sounds in the air, piercing through the previously surviving doors and windows, making them broken and ragged.
Mei Liangyu used Wind-Riding Techniques to dodge, scooping up Nian Qiuyan who was trapped behind him. Nian Qiuyan covered his mouth and coughed twice, escaping Pearl House with Mei Liangyu while avoiding blade energies in the poisonous mist.
Zhang Xiangyun, watching by the window, tapped lightly on the window frame with his finger. A trigram image flashed at his knuckle. Mei Liangyu and Nian Qiuyan, who had just landed, felt the earth shake.
Stone walls suddenly rose from the ground, separating the two. After the stone walls moved and connected, they arranged this street into a maze.
Just as Mei Liangyu was about to look for Nian Qiuyan, he paused because of the scarred man's blade energy. Wei Lingshu stood atop the stone walls looking down, raising her hand. Her pale wrist crawled with dense black insects. She stared at Mei Liangyu below and smiled: "Do you have time to look for others?"
Wei Lingshu lightly shook her wrist. The black insects attached to her wrist spread their wings and flew away. Their nearly transparent wings had long, slender poison needles at the tail ends, with crystalline poison droplets hanging from them.
Nian Qiuyan was pressed step by step by blade energies. He had used up his three daily trigrams and couldn't even use the non-denominational Eight Trigrams Living Arts, which also counted as a type of trigram technique.
As he dodged somewhat awkwardly, the stone walls opened a path for him, letting him leave the street maze, while blade energies drove him toward the opposite street.
Seeing this, Yu Sui had already formed a guess.
Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu leisurely walked downstairs. Just as they reached the stairway, they heard a loud bang from below as Nian Qiuyan was forced by blade energies to break in.
After he entered the building, the blade energy attacks also stopped.
The interior was pitch black. Nian Qiuyan raised his hand to gently wipe his scratched cheek. Hearing the sound of two people coming downstairs, he looked up calmly without showing any surprise upon seeing Zhang Xiangyun and Luo Fu.
Yu Sui scanned the movement outside, looking at ground building distribution from above, and realized that where Nian Qiuyan had broken in was roughly the same place where she'd seen him disappear in the Outer City before.
The day Sheng Hao accompanied her to buy clothing, Yu Sui had seen Nian Qiuyan from the window while changing clothes.
Zhang Xiangyun removed his hat and hood, stopping at the stairway entrance. He looked at the somewhat disheveled Nian Qiuyan with leisure and smiled: "Having used up three trigrams, you still dare come to the Outer City. Your courage is growing."
Luo Fu leaned against the wall, coldly watching Nian Qiuyan without speaking.
Nian Qiuyan's peripheral vision lightly swept behind him as he said quietly: "That child was also found by you?"
Zhang Xiangyun placed one hand on the stair railing and tapped lightly: "My patience has limits, Nian Qiuyan. Hand over the Silver River Water first, then we'll discuss other matters."