Chapter 224: Returning to the Sect
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The capital of Great Zhou, the Prime Minister’s Residence.
In front of Su Changqing, someone reported the situation to him in a low voice.
After hearing this, Su Changqing gently waved his hand.
That person retreated, and Su Changqing muttered to himself.
“Letters scattered all over the city… The Crown Prince was assassinated… a Heaven Rank expert was dispatched… a 9th Grade Earth Rank guard was killed… the assassin is missing…”
“Hehe, you’re quite bold… to think that your strength has reached this point already? Heaven Rank…”
Su Changqing closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. No one knew what he was thinking.
In the Royal Palace of the Chu Country.
After Xiang Feiyan finished handling the government affairs, she went to do some drawing.
She appeared quite relaxed.
“Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites, Liu Peide, requests an audience.”
“Let him in!”
Xiang Feiyan, who was painting, casually instructed without even raising her head.
Not long after, Liu Peide entered. He was about 40 years old and had a beard. At this moment, his face was filled with a flattering smile.
“This subject, Liu Peide, greets Your Majesty!” He bowed obediently.
“What’s the matter, my Minister Liu?” In front of people other than Su Wen, Xiang Feiyan still appeared rather dignified.
Liu Peide smiled and said, “It’s like this. I heard that many eunuchs in the palace are old. I found a few obedient and clever people and sent them into the palace. Your Majesty, you can keep them as eunuchs.”
“Hmm?” Xiang Feiyan was stunned.
Her eyes narrowed.
Liu Peide waved his hand and said, “Come and pay your respects to His Majesty!”
In an instant, ten people came in from outside.
All of them were tall and handsome.
And there were all kinds of styles of men present.
Some of them were masculine, while others had relatively gentle facial features. Some had thick eyebrows and big eyes, while others looked scholarly and erudite.
In short, ten handsome men were delivered to Xiang Feiyan.
“Your Majesty, I heard that there are many elderly eunuchs in the palace recently. These people are well-versed in poetry and know etiquette. Your Majesty, you can keep these people as eunuchs in the palace.” Liu Peide kept observing Xiang Feiyan’s expression as he spoke.
He could tell that Xiang Feiyan was a person with a lot of personality. She was not like a traditional emperor who paid attention to reason. One could even say that she was a fatuous ruler.
During this period of time, he had pondered many ways on how to please Xiang Feiyan.
In the end, he felt that since Xiang Feiyan could dote on Su Wen, why couldn’t she dote on others?
To judge others by oneself, Xiang Feiyan must also like handsome men!
Hence, he specially prepared this move to send these people into the palace.
These people were basically all willing to serve Feiyan.
Why? Because of Xiang Feiyan, Su Wen was conferred the title of Nanli King. Everyone in the capital knew about this.
All the men were envious upon hearing of such a thing.
They were proud of their looks and were not inferior to anyone else. Who wouldn’t want to become a noble just like that?
Even if he could not be a King, he could still be a Duke.
Liu Peide was very smart, and he was also very careful with his words.
He spoke about sending them into the palace as eunuchs, but as to whether or not they would be castrated, that was another matter.
Unfortunately, he did not see any joy in Xiang Feiyan’s eyes. Instead, he saw a trace of disgust.
Instantly, he developed a bad feeling.
What went wrong?
Before he could think too much, Xiang Feiyan lowered her head and said, “Drag this Liu Peide and these men to be beheaded at noon! From tomorrow onwards, the palace is not allowed to have any men present, and eunuchs are not needed either. Train a group of women to serve as the Royal Guards instead!”
“I am not guilty! I am not guilty!” Liu Peide shouted.
Xiang Feiyan sneered, “You’re innocent? You brought these people into the palace because you think I’m a slut, right? Push them out and execute them!”
The men were all shocked!
No one expected Xiang Feiyan’s reaction to be so intense.
In reality, the relationship between Xiang Feiyan and Su Wen started from the union of benefits and the desire of both parties.
However, the difference between Xiang Feiyan and Su Wen was that she was still invested in their relationship.
She could not be as emotionally and physically separated as Su Wen.
And most importantly, Xiang Feiyan did not like to be seen as a slut!
Her desire was not to that extent.
This was how humans were, especially women. There was a saying that women would not admit to any mistakes other than marrying the wrong person.
As for Xiang Feiyan, even though she had just ascended the throne, even though she had killed two ministers, even though she was not too interested in government affairs, even though I had conferred the title of the King to a person not of the same bloodline, even though there were some things that everyone knew about her and Su Daqiang… she still considered herself to be a wise ruler and a Sage…
As a sage, she definitely couldn’t admit to being a slut!
Furthermore, her interactions with Su Wen during this period of time and his strategy and martial arts skills had left a deep impression on her.
Xiang Feiyan did not feel anything when she looked at these idiots that only had looks.
Or rather, if she really was such a person, she wouldn’t have been a widow for so many years…
Su Wen did not know that someone was trying to snatch his rice bowl at the moment.
He was currently chatting and laughing with Ouyang Yiyi.
It had to be said that Young Master Su was quite skilled in this aspect…
Ouyang Yiyi came with the order to delay Su Wen, but as they chatted, she subconsciously felt herself growing closer…
A few days later, their relationship improved.
Her fate was sealed in that matter. Who was Su Wen?
He had grown up in the capital and had been trained by the harshest and most demanding of women.
To him, Ouyang Yiyi was just a country bumpkin who had never seen the world…
“Have you never seen a Mandara Flower before? Let me show you!” Su Wen snapped his fingers, and the Holy Flame flew out, transforming into a beautiful flower in the air before exploding in all directions.
The lady’s eyes widened in surprise.
This control of fire was very powerful, and the flowers made of flames were even more beautiful.
“Brother Daqiang… you’re so awesome!” The little girl’s eyes were filled with admiration.
“Little sister, let’s go back and eat…” Ouyang Bubai walked over and said in a low voice.
Why did he feel unhappy when he saw Ouyang Yiyi beaming with joy?
Ouyang Yiyi smiled and said, “I’m not eating anymore. You guys eat. I’ll chat with Young Master Su for a while more!”
Ouyang Bubai did not leave, instead just staring at her.
Su Wen smiled. “Your brother seems to be unhappy. Go with him.”
Ouyang Yiyi pouted as she stood up and followed Ouyang Bubai back.
“What are you doing? Why are you calling me?! I already said that I’m not eating, yet you’re still standing there. Annoying!”
Ouyang Yiyi complained as she walked.
Ouyang Bubai was in a bad mood as he raged, “I think you’ve taken a fancy to that fellow!”
Ouyang Yiyi spat at him. “Pui! Do you think I’m like you? You want everyone to stay with you just because that Xue Qianxun is pretty, but you insist on marrying her? I’m making friends with Brother Daqiang! Brother Daqiang said that I’ll be his confidant in the future, and he’s my confidant. We’re good friends, and we’re purely friends! What do you know, you boorish fellow!”
“????”
Ouyang Bubai was speechless.
As a iron blockhead of a guy, only two conditions existed for him when he met a woman. The women he wanted to f*ck… and the women he didn’t want to f*ck.
1
What bullsh*t friends and confidant? He was confused.
He did not understand what Ouyang Yiyi was thinking. How could she believe such words?
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m telling you, don’t believe his bullsh*t! He just wants to sleep with you!”
Ouyang Yiyi’s face turned red as she said angrily, “I don’t understand even if I tell you. Look at how vulgar your words are. You’re not even the slightest bit interesting compared to Brother Daqiang. Serves you right for not being able to get a wife!”
Ouyang Bubai was unconvinced. “You! Are you trying to destroy our bonds? Look at you. You were smiling like a love-struck fool just now. I’m afraid you’ll leave with him the moment he hooks his finger!”
“I’m willing to leave!”
Amidst the commotion, everyone arrived at the Flame God Sect.
Just as Su Wen arrived at the entrance of the mountain, a red light suddenly flew across the sky.
It directly charged out of the mountain gate and into Su Wen’s embrace!
Everyone fixed their eyes on the beam. It turned out to be a delicate little girl!
“Father, you’re finally back. Su Su misses you so much!”
Little Su’s spiritual senses were sharp. Before Su Wen entered the mountain, she had already sensed him and rushed out.
Su Wen touched Su Su’s face dotingly and said, “Su Su, have you been obedient recently?”
“Su Su is so obedient! Su Su followed Master’s instructions and cultivated every day. Master even gave Su Su many pills to eat. Su Su is already at 1st Grade Earth Rank!”
“WTF!” The people behind were stunned.
Especially Ouyang Bubai!
His eyes widened in disbelief.
How old was this girl? Three? Four?
1st Grade Earth Rank?!
Su Wen was also shocked. He looked at Little Su and saw that her cultivation level was indeed at Earth Rank…
Wasn’t this too fast?
At this moment, Dongfang Ju also came out of the sect.
“Su Su, why did you run out while playing with the Senior Sisters? Did they bully you? If so, I’ll help you take revenge on them!”
Now, Little Su Su had already become the apple of Dongfang Ju’s eyes.
She was only three or four years old, yet already at the 1st Grade Earth Rank. He had never heard of such a thing before!
At the start, many people in the sect who were unaware of the situation were still discussing the qualifications for Su Su to become the Holy Maiden.
Now, no one had any doubts about this question.
In fact, the hottest topic of the Flame God Sect now was how fast the little Holy Maiden could break through again.
Right now, all the records in the entire sect belonged to Su Su.
Only the youngest Heaven Rank was left for her to achieve….
Little Su Su hugged Su Wen and smiled at Dongfang Ju. “Master, I’m fine. I just sensed that Father is back.”
Dongfang Ju looked at Su Wen and smiled. “Junior Brother Su, you’re back. Oh right, Junior Sister Wu said that she went down the mountain to look for you. Why aren’t you together?”
“Ah?!”
Su Wen was stunned.
This was awkward. Wu Yuehan went down the mountain and he happened to come back…
The two of them must have passed each other by!
At this moment, Wu Yuehan was staring blankly at the gate of the Nanli King’s residence.
“Where did Junior Brother go? These servants don’t even know! Looks like I have to enter the palace and ask Xiang Feiyan!”
She walked straight into the palace.
Meanwhile, Su Wen brought Ouyang Bubai and the others into the sect.
Ouyang Bubai sat upright and glanced at Su Wen from time to time.
Wasn’t this person too OP? How was he the junior brother of the Sect Master when he was only at this age?
Furthermore, his daughter was only two or three years old, yet she was already a 1st Grade Earth Rank, and furthermore the Saintess?
No wonder a 6th Grade Earth Rank elite could only be a servant…
When he thought of Xue Qianxun, his heart ached again. However, Ouyang Bubai was not a fool. The other party was not impressed by him at all, and with Su Wen’s current status, how could he afford to provoke him?
Su Wen hugged Su Su and said to Dongfang Ju, “If there’s nothing else, Sect Master, I’ll return to the Fifth Peak first. How’s Hongxiao been recently?”
At the mention of Ni Hongxiao, Dong Fang Ju’s expression changed again.
He smiled bitterly and said, “Alright! She’s quite good… but the Fifth Peak isn’t too good…”
“Eh?”
Su Wen was a little confused as Dongfang Ju explained.
Ever since Su Wen left, Ni Hongxiao started her new experiments…
Then… for some reason, a large area of plants withered on the Fifth Peak…
The entire Fifth Peak was almost bald. When the sect investigated, Ni Hongxiao admitted very honestly that it was her doing…
Then… for Su Su’s sake, the sect decided not to pursue the matter.
However, there were a few elders who at most complained a little more… Especially the Fifth Peak’s Elder Jiang Hu. His disciple had technically been snatched away, and now the Fifth Peak had become bald… How could he not be angry? It was normal for him to complain a little.
Three days later, the flora in Fifth Peak began to grow rapidly!
Furthermore, these plants were all poisonous. Many of them would even take the initiative to attack the disciples!
The Fifth Peak suddenly became a forbidden land for birds and beasts…
Su Su was similar to Su Wen, impervious to all poisons.
But ordinary disciples could not. In a day, thousands of disciples had been poisoned and their lives were in danger…
Fortunately, Ni Hongxiao saved them all.
However, the aftereffect was that the thousand plus disciples were all bald… not only were their hair gone, even their eyebrows and beards were gone.
All of them turned into boiled eggs!
2
Even though Ni Hongxiao promised that she could help the disciples recover…
But no one dared to believe it! Everyone felt fear towards this Elder’s wife.
In fact, no one dared to stay on the Fifth Peak anymore.
Therefore, all the disciples in the Fifth Peak had moved out en masse.
Dongfang Ju said with a bitter smile, “We’ve already discussed it. We’ll help Elder Jiang Hu reestablish the Fifth Peak. The original Fifth Peak will be independent as the Tenth Peak. If anyone is willing to take a master there, they can do so. Your wife has also agreed. However, she said that there can’t be more than three disciples, not men… At present, there’s not a single one…”
At this point, he said to Su Wen, “Now the new Fifth Peak has become known as the infamous Baldy Peak, and they are filled with grief and indignation. They have all gone into seclusion and their cultivation levels have increased quite quickly… It’s just that Elder Jiang… Sigh.”
From his point of view, this was not a bad thing.
Su Wen was speechless… Ni Hongxiao was too ruthless this time round.
When he heard Dongfang Ju’s tone, he asked nervously, “Is Elder Jiang alright? He can handle those plants, right?”
Dongfang Ju sighed and said, “He can’t be said to be fine. Those plants aren’t much of a problem for him, but Elder Jiang was so furious, he went to your wife to reason with her… and was then beaten back…”
“Huh?” Su Wen was shocked. “Can my wife can defeat Elder Jiang?”
“Her cultivation level is definitely not high enough, but she has too many tricks up her sleeve. Elder Jiang was careless and was ambushed. There were a few bloody holes on his body, and he was poisoned… thanks to your wife’s timely treatment… Then, he was so embarrassed that he went into seclusion and swore to break through to Heaven Rank…”
“Hehe… hehe…”
Su Wen had nothing to say in her defense.
Dongfang Ju smiled and said, “But don’t worry, this is just a small conflict in the sect. No one died, so it’s not a big deal. Now that we’ve passed the resolution, Ni Hongxiao has been promoted to the sect’s Tenth Peak Master and is receiving the treatment of an elder in the sect.”
He was quite open-minded. After all, from the perspective of the sect, with such a talent… in the future, when the disciples traveled the martial world, they would have many life-saving methods.
After knowing the situation, Su Wen did not stay any longer and left with Su Su in his arms.
At this moment, Dongfang Ju looked at Ouyang Bubai. The smile on his face disappeared as he coldly said, “You are a disciple of the Thunder God Sect. Why have you come to my Flame God Sect?”
The relationship between the two sects could not be considered bad, but it was definitely not good either.
Ouyang Bubai hurriedly bowed and handed the letter to Dongfang Ju.
After Dongfang Ju read the letter, he said in a low voice, “I understand what happened. You may leave. If you are willing to stay, you can stay at the mountain gate for a few days. If you are unwilling, you can leave with your men.”
With that, he turned around and left.
However, his grip on the letter tightened unconsciously.
This matter had to be discussed by the Heaven Rank elders.
He could not make the decision himself!
At the Fifth Peak, the current Tenth Peak.
Su Wen stood at the foot of the mountain and looked at the colorful and strange plants. He gulped subconsciously.
“Su Su, go play by yourself. I’ll go find Mom!” Su Wen smiled.
“Alright!” Little Su was very obedient!
Su Wen’s body turned into a red light as he charged up the mountain!
“Sigh… he’s going to do something embarrassing again. When can I have a younger brother or sister…” The little girl sighed after he left.
As soon as Su Wen entered the mountain, these plants seemed to have gone crazy. There were carnivorous plants with big mouths…
Pink mist…
An ancient tree that suddenly pulled out several branches…
All kinds of methods emerged.
However, with Su Wen’s strength, these things were not enough to deter him.
Finally, Su Wen found Ni Hongxiao’s laboratory…
Su Wen realized that this laboratory seemed to be bigger than the one she had back at Great Zhou Dynasty!
Ni Hongxiao was already standing at the door. When she saw Su Wen, she said unhappily, “I thought it was someone else. If I knew it was you, I wouldn’t have come out.”
With that said, she turned around and entered the laboratory.
Su Wen quickly followed and stuck close to Ni Hongxiao. He chuckled softly and said, “Wasn’t it all because you’ve caused so much trouble? Now, everyone’s expression changes at the mention of you.”
Ni Hongxiao shook her head. “I accidentally had an accident… It’s normal when doing experiments.”
Su Wen hugged her from behind and whispered, “I missed you so much.”
“Hehe… a stupid man controlled by desire…” Ni Hongxiao ridiculed.
Su Wen realized that apart from a large number of corpses, there were also some plants in Ni Hongxiao’s laboratory. He asked curiously, “Why did you start researching plants?”
Ni Hongxiao calmly said, “There aren’t enough living people to be my experimental subjects, so I can only try using some plants. It’s easier to find experimental materials, and the effect is pretty good.”
Su Wen was speechless. This answer was too realistic.
“Keep your hands to yourself!”
Ni Hongxiao patted Su Wen’s hand. “I still have work to do…”
“No, I miss you!”
Su Wen pulled Ni Hongxiao over and said, “I’ve recently practiced a few new martial arts moves. I can show you.”
“You bastard! Don’t pull me!”
“Hehe!”
As the saying goes…
On this lush mountain, he pushed the waves and stirred the sea to cultivate his divine technique.
The raging dragon pierced straight into the heavens, revealing a beautiful face.
In the room, the two of them panted heavily.
Su Wen looked at Ni Hongxiao’s nearly perfect body and asked with a smile, “Do you think I have a chance to become a Spiritual Master? Are the spiritual powers of all Spiritual Masters stronger?”
Ni Hongxiao wiped her face as she said, “That’s impossible. Spiritual Masters start enchanting at the age of three. Only then can they reach the heavens and earth, sense the heaven and earth, and strengthen their souls.”
Su Wen frowned. There was such a thing?
“But I have a problem now!”
Su Wen truthfully told Ni Hongxiao about his breakthrough to the Heaven Rank.
Ni Hongxiao frowned. “Do you think it’s because your consciousness power is insufficient that you can’t break through to the Heaven Rank?”
Su Wen nodded and said, “If strengthening one’s knowledge and persistence in strength is to strengthen one’s mental strength, then one should think of a way to strengthen one’s mental strength.”
Ni Hongxiao pondered for a moment and said, “Hmmm… even if your deduction is correct, it’s impossible for you to enchant at your current age. But if you only want to strengthen your mental strength, there are actually other ways.”
“What methods are there?” Su Wen asked curiously.
Ni Hongxiao casually said, “It’s very simple. For example, pain… According to my experience, generally speaking, when a person feels pain, their mental strength will also greatly increase. It’s just that this strength is created through a state of losing control. Are you willing to try?”
“Hehe! You want to take revenge on me, right?” Su Wen looked at Ni Hongxiao suspiciously.
Ni Hongxiao replied, “You should know that I will never do meaningless things like a fool.”
Su Wen felt that something was wrong. He could always feel a faint sense of disdain from Ni Hongxiao.
Even if his cultivation base surpassed hers, it still couldn’t change the feeling.
If he faced this problem, it was even more so for others.
Su Wen suddenly thought of a joke. If the average human had an IQ of 100, and a dog’s IQ was 40, Ni Hongxiao’s IQ was probably around 160 or more. Thus, she would naturally look at humans the way humans look at dogs.
In that case, perhaps she didn’t think that his thoughts were right at all.
“Then how do you think I should break through to the Heaven Rank?”
Su Wen decided to listen to Ni Hongxiao’s opinion.
Ni Hongxiao pondered for a moment and said, “Firstly, I don’t there is a shortcut. You have to know that in this world, not everything has a shortcut to take. Especially in the martial path, it is extremely important to accumulate strength. Sometimes, the more you want to take a shortcut, the more you will go astray.”
“In my opinion, whether it’s to comprehend one’s own martial arts, understand heaven and earth, or desire for power, it’s all a form of accumulation. Once you’ve accumulated enough, you’ll be able to break through. I think it’s a mistake for you to try and find a shortcut. For tens of thousands of years, there have been very few Heaven Ranks. If you can break through just by strengthening your mental strength, do you think anyone else can’t?”
Ni Hongxiao walked to Su Wen’s side and gently touched his face. She smiled and said, “I don’t know why, but you are very impatient. However, you have to know that you are still very young. Compared to others, you have more time to accumulate and break through. Why are you so anxious?”
Su Wen was stunned.
He began to reflect.
Ever since he’d reached the 9th Grade, he had been pondering how to break through to the Heaven Rank.
This was understandable, but it was just as Ni Hongxiao had said, he seemed to be a little too impatient.
Sometimes, people would stubbornly think that they were smarter and more talented than others.
But thinking about it carefully, most of them were just ordinary people.
The more one thought that they could take a shortcut than others, the more likely they would fall in the end.
After realizing this, Su Wen suddenly felt much more relaxed.
For the first time since he broke through to the 9th Grade of Earth Rank, the pressure in his heart had disappeared. It was a relief that he could feel in his heart.
Su Wen pulled Ni Hongxiao’s hand and smiled. “I think what you said makes sense. So, why are you in such a hurry?”
“Ah! What are you doing? I still need to do experiments!”
“I only used two moves just now, but they were useless. As expected, I can’t slack off in my martial arts cultivation.. I have to practice more. I’ll practice for three days first!”
