It was windy on the peak, and the gusts spread the pungent, suffocating stench of blood.

The corpses’ tragic state was a terrifying sight.

In life, all of them had wielded vast authority and influence, enough to command the winds and rain with a mere gesture. Yet in death, they were nothing but bloodied corpses, no different from ordinary men.

Ning Sihua’s gaze swept across this bloody spectacle, and she sighed ruefully. “Fellow Daoist, with your Qi Accumulation cultivation, you drew upon the Grand Dao of heavens and earth and infused it into your Dao of the Sword. It’s truly unbelievable.”

Su Yi put away Guiding Mysteries, then said, “You didn’t just come here to watch the fight, did you?”

“Of course not,” said Ning Sihua directly. “The Cloudlight Marquis and I are here because we have something we wish to discuss with you.”

Su Yi shook his head. “Whatever it is, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Why tomorrow?” Ning Sihua was stunned.

Su Yi gently patted his tummy. “Because I still haven’t eaten my breakfast.”

“.....” The crowd didn’t know what to say to that. All of them had assumed that if Su Yi refused Ning Sihua, he must have some other plans. That was why all of them had listened carefully to his answer. Who’d have thought he was just hungry…?

Cha Jin felt slightly embarrassed. Did I not prepare enough refreshments for him this morning?

Zhou Zhili was instantly shamefaced, and he said sheepishly, “My preparations were inadequate. I came looking for you before the sun even rose.”

“Idiot.” Su Yi glanced at him. “I was just looking for an excuse. I don’t want to do anything else today.”

He thought, then sighed. “But now it seems I ought to have been more direct.”

When she heard Su Yi make his position so perfectly clear, the corners of Ning Sihua’s lips twitched slightly. “Alright. Then the Cloudlight Marquis and I will visit you tomorrow instead.”

Thinking about it, this made sense. They’d only just wrapped up the Tea Party, and he’d caused such a huge commotion. How could Su Yi possibly be in the mood to think about anything else right now?

As soon as Ning Sihua considered it that way, she understood. 

“Can you have your dirty beast… Uh, can you have Qing’er send us back?” Su Yi glanced at the Bluescale Eagle.

Calling the bird a “dirty beast” on their first meeting was one thing, but now, they were already acquainted. Continuing to call it “dirty beast” would be a bit inappropriate.

The Bluescale Eagle quivered. It was inwardly stunned that someone so proud would change how he addressed it of his own volition.

“Qing’er would be honored to carry you, Fellow Daoist,” laughed Ning Sihua.

“Many thanks.” Su Yi waved to the nearby Cha Jin. “Let’s go.”

Only then did Zhou Zhili and the others realize that Su Yi didn’t want to linger here a moment longer than necessary; he was already planning to leave.

Soon, they watched as Su Yi and Cha Jin sat atop the eagle’s back and soared into the heavens.

An inexplicable thread of melancholy arose in Qing Jin’s heart.

She didn’t know why, but when she saw Cha Jin leave with Su Yi, she once again recalled their time on the tower ship and how she’d refused to become Su Yi’s servant. 

“That Young Lord Su really is an extraordinary man in an ordinary world,” the Cloudlight Marquis, Shen Jiusong, sighed.

Earlier, they’d watched the battle in secret. He’d witnessed Su Yi slaying an entire group of Grandmasters. Now that he’d interacted with Su Yi from up close, he sensed Su Yi’s extraordinariness with increasing clarity.

“Let’s leave as soon as Qing’er gets back.” Ning Sihua said this, then stood by the cliffside, gazing into the sea of clouds in silence.

In some ways, she and Su Yi were similar. Neither of them could be bothered with the petty strife of the mundane world. She couldn’t even be bothered to converse with Zhou Zhili and his companions. 

This wasn’t exactly disdain; she simply saw them as inhabitants of two different worlds.

“Your Highness, the Tea Party is over. How do you plan to clean up the mess?” Shen Jiusong glanced at Zhou Zhili and asked with great interest.

The Hidden Dragon Sect deacon, Kang Shanjing; the Su Family deacon Yue Changyuan; and the second prince’s personal guest, Qin Changshan. All of them had died here.

The disaster that was to follow would involve the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect, the Jade Capital’s Su Family, and the second imperial prince. All of their foundations ran terrifyingly deep.

And there was no way they could keep the deaths of Yu Baiting and four Imperatorial Provincial Capital big shots under wraps, either.

When news spread, it would inevitably plunge the entire provincial capital into uproar!

It was fair to say that today’s incident was like an enormous vortex. Anyone who got involved was sure to get wrapped up in a grave disaster.

Zhou Zhili fell silent for a moment, then feigned casual confidence and ease. “I won’t lie to you, Marquis. I still don’t know how I’m going to resolve the aftermath of what happened here today, but no matter how numerous and severe the consequences, I’m prepared to take them all on.”

Shen Jiusong smiled faintly. “Your Highness, would you care to hear my view on the situation?”

Zhou Zhili instantly perked up; he realized that the Cloudlight Marquis planned to give him advice, and he solemnly clasped in fist. “Marquis, if you have any advice, please don’t hold back.”

Zheng Tianhe, Mu Zhongting and the others pricked up their ears as well.

Shen Jiusong thought for a moment, then said, “The way I see it, the moment you determined victory and defeat, the actual position of provincial governor ceased to be important.

He looked directly at Zhou Zhili and said, “Do you know why His Majesty ordered you to appoint the next governor of the Imperatorial Province?” 

“This was Imperial Father’s test for me,” said Zhou Zhili without so much as pausing to think.

“Exactly. Since it’s a test, achieving victory over the second prince is equivalent to earning His Majesty’s approval.” Shen Jiusong said slowly, “Under these circumstances, even if you pierced through the dome of the heavens, His Highness wouldn’t blame you. On the contrary; he’d see you in a new light. As for the resulting trouble, His Majesty will smooth it over for you.”

“That…. Is that possible?” Zhou Zhili was stunned; it seemed he dared not believe it. 

Shen Jiusong laughed. “His Majesty reigns over the entire Great Zhou, and all of its mountains and rivers are under his domain. In his eyes, little matters more than an imperial prince who’s passed his tests and obtained victory!”

He paused, then continued, “Given the circumstances, if the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect, Su Family, and various factions of the Imperatorial Province are clever, they’ll understand that your status is already different than it was in the past. If they want to take vengeance upon you, I’m afraid they’ll have to get through His Majesty first!”

Zhou Zhili’s spirits soared, and he muttered to himself, “I really hadn’t considered that….”

“If I don’t mistake my guess, upon your return to the Jade Capital, you’ll experience the power that comes with His Majesty’s approval,” said Shen Jiusong. He smiled and clasped his fist. “Allow me to congratulate you on your rise to prominence in advance, Your Highness.”

Zhou Zhili was instantly frantic, “Marquis, I’m unworthy of your flattery. I’m well aware of my limitations. Never mind rewards; if Imperial Father doesn’t punish me, I’ll cry tears of gratitude.”

Shen Jiusong burst into laughter. “Punish you? In recent years, His Majesty has almost never concerned himself with mundane affairs; he’s fixated on pursuing the Dao. If I’m not mistaken, the fact that he’s started testing you and the other imperial princes might very well mean that he’s started preparations for appointing a crown prince.”

Appointing a crown prince!

Everyone couldn’t help but gasp.

The current emperor was still in his prime. He was heroic and shrewd, wise and powerful. Who’d have thought that he was already starting to consider the matter of succession? 

Zhou Zhili was stunned, and his chest heaved.

Those directly involved in something often struggled to see it clearly. Now that Shen Jiusong pointed it out, Zhou Zhili suddenly understood the true reasons his father had sent him to the Imperatorial Province.

“Marquis, many thanks for your guidance.” Zhou Zhili bowed low at the waist, his voice full of gratitude.

Shen Jiusong warned him, “Your Highness, don’t get excited too soon. This was merely a test. Winning His Majesty’s approval doesn’t mean you have hope of becoming crown prince.”

Zhou Zhili took a deep breath, and his excitement gradually died down. “In the past, Imperial Father has never attached much importance to me, and my position within the imperial family is far inferior to my eldest and second brothers. If what happened today has won me his approval, even just a little, I’m already happy with that!”

Shen Jiusong smiled. “When His Majesty was still just an imperial prince, he was much like you. His situation wasn’t advantageous, yet with Imperial Preceptor Hong Shenshang, Sea-Swallowing King Ge Changling, and Family Head Su Hongli’s support, he drew closer to the throne, step by step, ultimately achieving power.

“I trust that one day, you too can achieve this!”

When he heard that, Zhou Zhili shook from head to toe, and waves of emotion coursed through his heart.

Shen Jiusong said no more. Instead, he took out a jade pendant rimmed with blood-colored tassels and passed it to Mu Zhongting. “The position of provincial governor means you represent the Great Zhou imperial court’s prestige. If you ever run into difficulties, use this command token, and the Redscale Army shall lend you its aid.”

Mu Zhongting was briefly stunned. Then, he hurriedly clasped his fist. “Many thanks, Marquis!”

Earlier, he’d been worried. How was he to retain his hold on the seat of provincial governor after today’s bloody incident?

Shen Jiusong’s support changed everything! It meant that even the Yu, Zhao, Bai, and Xue Families, the province’s local tyrants, wouldn’t dare oppose him casually.

Chang Guoke and Qing Jin took all of this in. They already got the vague sense that the Cloudlight Marquis wasn’t doing this because he thought highly of the sixth prince’s prospects. No, absolutely not.

If that were all this was, wouldn’t he have stood with the sixth prince before the Tea Party even started?

If asked to explain, there was only one possibility they could think of: the Cloudlight Marquis was doing this because of Su Yi. That was why he took the initiative to express his support for the sixth prince!

Otherwise, as a marquis, there’d be no need for him to get mixed up in all this.

They’d all seen the way Shen Jiusong stepped up to greet Su Yi immediately after he and Ning Sihua landed!

A clear, sonorous cry rang out, and the Bluescale Eagle appeared over the horizon, then landed gently atop the peak.

“Let’s go.” Ning Sihua walked directly onto the Bluescale Eagle’s back.

“Farewell, everyone.” Shen Jiusong faced the crowd and clasped his fist, then reconvened with Ning Sihua.

Before long, the Bluescale Eagle shot through the skies and carried them away.

“Your Highness, should we leave too?” Zheng Tianhe asked softly.

Now, only the few of them remained on the peak of the Western Mountain.

Zhou Zhili was silent for a moment. He muttered to himself ruefully, “I won’t forget what happened here today…”

With that, he turned and descended down the mountain path. Zheng Tianhe, Chang Guoke, Qing Jin, and Mu Zhongting followed hot on his heels.

Meanwhile, the crowd by the foot of the mountain was already as chaotic as an over-boiling pot of porridge. The sound of uproar and relentless discussion filled the air.

These prominent figures of the Imperatorial Province’s six prefectures had long since noticed that the Tea Party was over, but they still didn’t know who exactly had won.

If not for the Redscale Army standing guard around the path up the mountain, many of them would have charged up a long time ago!

Shen Jiusong calls Su Yi a “俗世奇人”, or an “extraordinary man in an ordinary world.”

That’s also the name of author Feng Jicai’s collection of short stories. Not sure if he came up with the term of just popularized it, though. Feng Jicai was a prominent figure in the Scar Literature movement that arose after the cultural revolution.