Volume I: Autumn Festival Chapter 9: Recalling the Terror of Being Ruled by the Marquis of Xunyang

It was 5:45 PM, and a light rain was falling. Jiang Wang sat on the threshold of the Marquis of Xunyang’s estate. Little Yu held a long sword, practicing her strikes amidst the misty drizzle, while Zhao Si painted under the eaves.

Tonight’s moon was not quite full. However, in the Du residence on Nancheng Lane, Du Heng’s eyes were wide with shock. He had been hosting a dinner, accompanied by Su Lingyi and Du Yanruo. His good-for-nothing son, Du Zicheng, had naturally been banished to his room without a meal. Just as Su Lingyi was offering him a toast and he was beaming with joy, a thunderous crash erupted outside. A servant rushed in, panicked: the Black Flame Army had torn down the Du family gates.

Seeing that all-too-familiar face, Du Heng recalled the miserable experience of being severely beaten just days prior. Shan Qiyu stood there, holding a bright silver spear, backed by a hundred imposing Black Flame cavalrymen. They blocked Nancheng Lane in front of the Du estate so tightly that not even water could pass through. The light rain washed the black armor they wore until it gleamed. When the Black Flame Army was on official business, the townspeople would always steer clear to avoid being caught in the crossfire. But the news that the Black Flame Army had directly assaulted the Du residence spread throughout Hun City in an instant.

Du Heng’s face darkened. "Commander Shan, what is the meaning of this?"

Shan Qiyu sneered, pointing his spear directly at Du Heng’s forehead. "I didn't get enough of a beating last time, so I thought I’d do it again. You have an opinion on that?"

Du Heng, flushed with anger and shame, shouted, "This is too much! My daughter is a top student at the Yuyuan Academy. You are merely soldiers of a fallen Marquis’s estate. Hun City does not bear the surname Jiang. Do you really think this is still the era where the Marquis of Xunyang’s word is law?!"

Shan Qiyu, however, was brazen. "That’s only because the Young Marquis chooses to be low-key. If the Young Marquis wills it, Hun City can very well bear the surname Jiang."

Du Heng had never expected Shan Qiyu to dare say such things. Su Lingyi stepped forward, saying, "I never imagined the Black Flame Army could be this arrogant. To put it bluntly, the Marquis of Xunyang’s estate is harboring troops to bolster its own status; this is a clear suspicion of treason."

Back on Panlan Street, when facing the monster Aoyin, he felt he had been played by Jiang Wang. Jiang Wang was clearly powerful, yet insisted on pretending to be weak. But even if Jiang Wang were a great cultivator, this was far too insolent. If they were branded with the label of treason, no matter how powerful the Marquis’s estate was, they would not escape the fate of being wiped out. He felt this was an excellent opportunity—one that had been delivered right to his doorstep.

Shan Qiyu, however, ignored Su Lingyi entirely. Although the Young Marquis had asked him to find out exactly who in the Du family had hired the Jianli Assassins, Shan Qiyu felt the Young Marquis was too kind. Who cared who it was? Wiping out the entire Du family would be simple and easy. As for treason, as long as word didn’t get out, what did it matter?

At this moment, Du Zicheng ran out from his room. Shan Qiyu raised an eyebrow. "Break his legs first."

Du Zicheng: "..."

A man stepped out from the ranks of the Black Flame Army and walked straight toward Du Zicheng. Du Yanruo immediately drew her sword, her face cold. "Who dares to touch my brother!"

A silver spear swept out in an instant. Du Yanruo was knocked to the ground. Following that came the screams of Du Zicheng. Du Heng was paralyzed with fear.

"A third-realm martial artist!" Du Yanruo stared at her brother’s broken leg, hatred erupting from her eyes. She had attempted to break through her internal portals over six hundred times; it sounded like a lot, but it was merely the beginning of building a foundation—which was why cultivators were so rare. Never mind a third-realm martial artist who had strengthened their internal organs to the limit; even a second-realm martial artist could easily handle four or five of her.

The first realm of martial arts was a level ordinary people could reach through training. The second realm, much like cultivation, required the perception of Qi. However, one could only attach Qi to the surface of the skin; reaching the peak of this realm made one impervious to blades. A third-realm martial artist could channel Qi throughout their limbs and bones, a constant flow that allowed them to scale walls and leap across roofs. They were true experts, capable of facing a hundred men with ease. A fourth-realm martial artist possessed power rivaling that of a true cultivator. Even a novice cultivator would have to steer clear of a fourth-realm martial artist.

Since arriving in Hun City, Su Lingyi had been constantly frustrated, and he felt that now was finally his chance to show off his skills. He was only a step away from being a true cultivator. He was confident that as long as he wasn't facing a peak third-realm martial artist, he would be invincible. Being wary of Jiang Wang was one thing, but that didn’t mean just anyone could come to his door to humiliate him.

"Truly a boorish martial artist," Su Lingyi said, helping Du Yanruo up and adopting the air of a master. "Today, I will let you deeply understand the greatest difference between a cultivator and a martial artist."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sword at his waist unsheathed itself. No matter what the Black Flame soldier who had broken Du Zicheng’s leg did, he could not shake the lock of the flying sword. "Cultivators refine Qi, utilizing the Qi of heaven and earth. Martial artists can only borrow Qi to temper their physical bodies. No matter how strong you temper your bodies, it is in vain if you cannot hit your enemy."

The Black Flame soldier wore a demon mask with fangs; though his expression was hidden, his eyes clearly held a trace of mockery. He watched Su Lingyi, who was busy flaunting his sense of superiority, and suddenly swung his spear, knocking the flying sword out of the air. He then charged forward with the force of an avalanche, slamming the heavy spear into Su Lingyi’s face.

Looking down at Su Lingyi, who was spitting blood and howling on the ground, the Black Flame soldier sneered, "As long as the strength is sufficient, all problems cease to be problems. And you—you don't even qualify as a cultivator. With just a flimsy flying sword, where on earth do you get your sense of superiority?"

Su Lingyi had never imagined the humiliation would come so quickly. He hadn't been wrong in his words, but he had overestimated his own ability. Even if he was only a step away, he was not yet a true cultivator. If he had encountered an ordinary third-realm martial artist, he might have succeeded, but against the battle-hardened Black Flame Army, his thoughts were merely fantasies.

Shan Qiyu was actually a bit wary of Su Lingyi, as the Yuyuan Academy was not easy to offend. But since things had come to this, he might as well pull up the weeds by the roots to prevent any future trouble. He signaled to the Black Flame soldier, who understood and raised his bright silver spear high.

Su Lingyi, howling in alternating pain with Du Zicheng, saw this and, ignoring the agonizing pain in his face, shrieked, "I am from the Yuyuan Academy! You had better think about the consequences of killing me! When Instructor Cai arrives in Hun City, your entire Marquis’s estate will be razed to the ground!"

Shan Qiyu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "If you’re going to put it like that, then I truly have to kill you."

Du Heng held onto Du Yanruo tightly. The scene before him reminded him of when the Marquis of Xunyang had first led the Black Flame Army into Hun City to suppress the clans and hang the Black Flame banners all over the city. Back then, many wealthy families who sought to show their power had suffered greatly. Although the Marquis only targeted those who preyed upon the people, some of those families had ties to sects.

Just like Du Yanruo attending Yuyuan Academy. Even if that sect back then couldn't be compared to Yuyuan Academy, the Marquis had led a group of martial artists to directly assault that sect. The final result was the sect sending a cultivator to apologize to the Marquis. In the eyes of Du Heng, who had not yet made his fortune at the time, the Marquis was a god-like existence. After all, how could a mortal dare to challenge an immortal?

Du Heng now understood that immortals and cultivators were not the same thing, but to an ordinary person, what was the difference? Due to the decline of the Marquis’s estate, Du Heng had gradually forgotten this, and with Du Yanruo entering Yuyuan Academy, he had become somewhat reckless. Perhaps the Marquis’s estate was no longer what it once was, but the Black Flame Army remained the same force led by the Marquis of Xunyang.

Watching Su Lingyi’s hysterical state, Du Heng, recalling the fear of being dominated by the Marquis of Xunyang, began to resent Su Lingyi in his heart. He thought about how, despite his frequent mockery of the Marquis’s estate over the years, he had always warned his family not to provoke them until the Du family’s influence truly surpassed the Marquis’s. Now, the only person who could have brought the Black Flame Army to their door was this outsider, Su Lingyi.

Du Zicheng, who was still hugging his leg and howling, had been completely ignored. Du Heng only wanted to pull Du Yanruo further away. After all, they were both from Hun City; as long as the fault didn’t lie with the Du family, he felt things could still be negotiated.

Just as the Black Flame soldier was about to kill Su Lingyi, a sudden gust of wind swept through the Du residence. Shan Qiyu’s expression changed slightly. He lunged out, snatched the silver spear from the Black Flame soldier’s hand, and swung his arm with immense, rigid force, smashing it down toward Su Lingyi!

*Bang!* *Crack!*

The silver spear had already shattered Su Lingyi’s right arm, and the ground itself cracked open. Su Lingyi let out a single scream and passed out. Shan Qiyu’s face was grim, for the spot he had smashed was where Su Lingyi’s head had been. Looking at the figure that had appeared out of thin air in the courtyard, Shan Qiyu cursed under his breath and swung his spear again with even greater force.

"Insolent!"

The newcomer wore gray robes, was thin and frail, and had a withered face, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp. He flicked his finger toward Shan Qiyu, and the silver spear was instantly knocked from Shan Qiyu’s hand, pinning itself deep into the wall, its tail vibrating violently. Shan Qiyu staggered back a dozen steps, his hand bleeding.

"Instructor Cai!" Du Yanruo cried out.

Cai Tanggu waved his sleeve, and the unconscious Su Lingyi was lifted up and slowly placed beside Du Yanruo. He looked at the hundred Black Flame cavalrymen standing ready and said in a low voice, "Are you the garrison of Hun City? On what grounds do you dare to kill a student of my Yuyuan Academy? If you do not give me a reason that satisfies me, I will grind your bones to dust."

Shan Qiyu lowered his trembling arm and grinned. "The reason you want is simple: the Du family secretly hired Jianli Assassins to assassinate the Young Marquis. That is a grave crime, and this man surnamed Su was shielding them. He brought this upon himself."

In the Sui Kingdom, those who could be titled Marquis were no simple figures. That was not something one could obtain merely through military merit. To assassinate the son of a Marquis was a crime beyond forgiveness.