Chapter Sixty-Nine: Watching and Waiting

After the boy in black threw his punch, he casually glanced around at the Jiang family guards who were watching. Everyone his eyes fell upon instinctively recoiled in panic, terrified they might be the next target. Instantly, a small clearing appeared around the three of them.

Of all those present, Lu Caiwei was undoubtedly the most shaken. After all, having spent several months together, she had always assumed the boy in black was just an ordinary page. Who could have guessed he was such an unfathomable cultivator?

Within the crowd, a middle-aged man with the bearing of a steward pointed at Shen Yu and, with feigned bravado, barked, “Even if you allow your servant to commit murder at will in Cloudcliff City, my Jiang family will surely—”

Shen Yu glanced at him.

The wind of his fist surged again.

The next instant, the boy in black moved so swiftly he left overlapping afterimages. His right hand shot out and seized the steward by the throat.

The sharp-faced, mean-spirited man blinked in confusion. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, and then his mind nearly shattered from terror; his face turned deathly pale, and he almost fainted.

Shen Yu said, “Take us to the Baili family.”

The man, so arrogant a moment before, could now only nod frantically.

The crowd parted, creating a path as the group walked off into the distance. As they made their way through broad avenues, countless onlookers gathered, speculating and gawking at the spectacle.

Baili Xi was the lord of Cloudcliff City. Though his cultivation was not high, he had once traveled to the Great Tang Empire of Central Province and, most importantly, had studied at the renowned academy there.

Because of this, even the Jiang family—currently enjoying its zenith thanks to its patriarch’s breakthrough—had to show him some deference.

Could it be that these audacious strangers now dared openly defy the academy itself?

After about half an hour, Shen Yu and his companions arrived before a grand and imposing mansion. Two massive granite statues of mythical beasts flanked the gate, and several people were already waiting on the steps, clearly having been forewarned.

A middle-aged man, his features bearing a faint, official sternness, asked coldly, “What is your intention, causing trouble here?”

By his side stood two unremarkable guards in blue, their auras restrained, yet the boy in black instinctively narrowed his eyes at them.

Shen Yu said, “Baili Xi?”

The middle-aged man replied calmly, “I am he.”

Shen Yu said, “Daoist Master Daofan.”

The man’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched tightly as his expression changed. Perhaps the others did not recognize the name, but he knew well its weight and distinction.

Unfortunately, the steward-like man failed to notice this, and—thinking he had found his protector—ran forward to the gate, weeping as he recounted his grievances.

The crowd in the distance grew, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

Baili Xi’s expression grew increasingly grim, his gaze murderous.

After a long pause, he asked, “Are you finished?”

The steward hesitated, then nodded.

“Hmph. You broke the city’s rules: you deserve to be punished. You offended an immortal master: you must be fined,” Baili Xi said coldly. “Take him to the dungeon and wait for the Jiang family to come redeem him.”

A stir swept through the onlookers.

The steward, dazed and bewildered, seemed unable to comprehend what had happened before he was dragged away by several guards.

After this, Baili Xi bowed respectfully and said, “It is an honor to receive an immortal master. If I have shown any discourtesy, I beg your pardon.”

“Immortal master?”

Lu Caiwei, who had been pondering how to escape, turned to Shen Yu in confusion.

Shen Yu’s expression was calm. Ignoring the astonished and fearful stares of the onlookers, he strode into the mansion.

Everywhere in the courtyard radiated understated opulence. The willow-laden breeze and the pear blossom garden spoke to the master’s high status.

Lu Caiwei and Li Fugui were settled into a lavish room, while Shen Yu followed Baili Xi into a lakeside pavilion.

Though a man of letters, Baili Xi handled matters with decisive efficiency, wasting no time on idle pleasantries—a trait Shen Yu found refreshing.

In the pavilion, after some conversation, Shen Yu finally understood what Daoist Master Daofan had spoken of.

It turned out that in the past two years, rumors of a monster in the Canglan River outside Cloudcliff City had surfaced. Travelers attempting to cross the river would inexplicably vanish, leaving no bodies behind.

It was said the river demon favored boys and girls, was cunning and elusive, and in two years no one had glimpsed its true form.

Shen Yu gazed at the rippling lake and asked, “Why seek distant aid?”

The Eastern Ancestor Continent was itself a land of cultivation. No matter how rampant demons might be, it seemed strange to appeal to the Daoist Sect, so far away in Central Province.

Baili Xi replied calmly, “First, I have a personal connection with Daoist Master Daofan from our academy days. Second, this demon is truly too cunning. Third...”

He hesitated before continuing, “All the local sects have sent their disciples, but none have found the demon.”

Shen Yu said, “It’s not that they failed to find it, but that they didn’t try seriously.”

Baili Xi gave a bitter smile, unable to refute him.

The disciples sent by the sects were arrogant, treating such matters with indifference, merely going through the motions. The few who did put in effort simply could not locate the monster.

The Daoist Sect, compared to other cultivators, operated on a far higher level and nursed a thousand-year grudge against the demon clans. That was why Baili Xi sought their aid across such distance.

Shen Yu nodded, then suddenly asked, “Has the Guiyun Immortal Sect been recruiting disciples aggressively lately?”

Baili Xi paused. “Yes, there are quotas in every city across the continent.”

“Are there any here?”

A little puzzled, Baili Xi replied honestly, “There are two. One is with me, the other has already been allotted.”

“To whom?”

Baili Xi’s expression turned odd. “To the Jiang family’s young master—the one your servant just gravely injured.”

Shen Yu was silent for a moment, then smiled. “That’s just as well.”

Shen Yu and his companions remained at Baili Xi’s residence. Li Fugui, unable to contain his curiosity, roamed the city; Lu Caiwei stayed secluded, and after several days of rest, her complexion grew rosy, clearly about to pass the first threshold Shen Yu had mentioned.

Shen Yu merely observed quietly.

The jade sword within her body, its spirits coursing through her organs and viscera, was agonizing at first. But as the sword energy gradually expanded her meridians and dantian, the more spiritual power she could accommodate, the broader her path of cultivation would become.

For thousands of years, apart from a few madmen of Sword Immortal City, none had dared use such a shocking method—the risks were too great, and it required immense skill from the sword-bearer.

Lu Caiwei would never know how she had walked the edge of life and death, nor how much this opportunity would benefit her future breakthroughs.

Seven days later, Lu Caiwei suddenly opened her eyes in her room. At a thought, she gently exhaled.

A beam of white light shot from her mouth, swirling outward, directly piercing the door and shooting into the pond outside.

Where the jade sword passed, the pond’s surface split cleanly in two, as if soft tofu sliced by a knife.

Shen Yu happened to witness this from afar.

The jade sword flew back into the room, and Lu Caiwei emerged, looking at Shen Yu with triumphant pride.

Shen Yu said, “Come with me.”

“Where to?” Lu Caiwei asked.

“To begin the next stage of cultivation,” Shen Yu replied coolly.

She instinctively took a few steps forward, but Shen Yu’s hand suddenly settled on her shoulder.

The young woman immediately recoiled, glaring at him.

She sneered, “Hmph! Men really are the filthiest creatures alive. Do you think a little kindness will make me...”

“Be quiet,” Shen Yu said calmly.

For some reason, Lu Caiwei found herself unable to speak.

“Take a look at yourself.”

With that, Shen Yu produced an ancient mirror from his sleeve.

In its surface, the woman’s face appeared sallow, her eyes swollen, hair oily and disheveled. Not exactly ugly, but certainly unkempt.

Lu Caiwei’s face flushed crimson. She didn’t know that the mirror was a sect treasure of Guiyun Immortal Sect, but she understood Shen Yu’s point.

Shen Yu gripped her shoulder once more, and in an instant, the two of them vanished from the courtyard.

…

In a daze, Lu Caiwei opened her eyes to find the ground below shrinking into distant black dots.

Wind rushed against her face, clouds and mist swept rapidly past her.

They were flying!

She instantly realized what was happening—a flood of emotions swept across her beautiful face: awe, delight, longing, fear, anxiety.

Shen Yu stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, and said lightly, “Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Lu Caiwei retorted with a huff.

After about half an hour, Shen Yu landed them by a secluded stretch of riverbank.

The girl’s knees buckled as she squatted on the ground, clutching her chest to steady her heart.

Shen Yu watched her quietly.

Feeling his gaze, Lu Caiwei clutched her rumpled collar protectively over her chest.

But before she could retort, Shen Yu said, “Would you like to look in the mirror again?”

His tone was light, but the words left her speechless.

Lu Caiwei stood up angrily. “Don’t look down on me! If I took off my mask, you wouldn’t be able to look away.”

Shen Yu gazed out over the distant lake, hands clasped behind his back. “Oh?”

There was none of the surprise she had expected. For one who had always despised attention for her beauty, she suddenly felt the urge to rip off her mask.

Years ago in the south of the Great Tang, her beauty had shocked the entire region when she was only twelve or thirteen. Were it not for her family’s efforts to suppress the news, her name would be famous throughout the empire.

Shen Yu surveyed the surroundings, then closed his eyes.

Bored, Lu Caiwei asked, “Which sect are you from, to make even the city lord show such respect?”

Shen Yu replied, “The Daoist Sect.”

Lu Caiwei scoffed, “You? Impossible.”

Shen Yu said calmly, “As I recall, I was the one who taught you the sword-riding technique.”

“I never wanted it!” Lu Caiwei huffed.

Shen Yu turned to her. “Oh? Then give it back.”

Furious, Lu Caiwei rummaged through her sleeves, but could find nothing.

“It’s within you,” Shen Yu said, showing no mercy. “Settle your breath in your dantian, and draw it out through your mouth.”

“You—you’re not even a man!” she sputtered, stamping her foot and covering her mouth, glaring at him in stubborn refusal.

She had only just mastered the basics of sword-riding—how could she bear to give it up?

Shen Yu shook his head and, saying nothing more, began to walk along the river.

“Where are you going?” Lu Caiwei called after him.

“To subdue the demon,” Shen Yu answered.

Lu Caiwei’s eyes brightened. “Are we doing it together?”

“You just watch,” Shen Yu replied coolly.