Late that night.

About ten miles northwest of Celestial Palace City, the winds carried flurries of snow through silver mountains.

Although it was late at night, the ethereal glow of the moon reflected off the snow, illuminating heaven and earth and dispersing the darkness.

Thousand Snows Lake was surrounded by mountains on all four sides. A single black-awning boat floated on its waters.

There was a little red clay stove on deck, with a pot hanging over the fire. Over a dozen seasonings were floating in the boiling, steaming red liquid. 

Cha Jin sat on one side with more than ten fresh ingredients laid out beside her, including tender, fresh vegetables, meats sliced as thin as a cicada’s wing, mushrooms, duck intestines, and beef aorta. 

Su Yi ate and drank in contentment.

The snow-filled skies were calm and quiet.

He sat here in the darkness and bone-chilling winds, dining with a peerless beauty beside him, floating on the surface of the lake and enjoying piping-hot hot pot. This was unquestionably a rare pleasure.

“Young Lord, try the Green Shuttlefish. You just need to dip it briefly, and it doesn’t need any condiments. It’s an unmatched delicacy as is.”

Cha Jin held a lustrous, snowy-white piece of fish between her chopsticks. She dipped it in the soup, then passed it to Su Yi.

Green Shuttlefish were unique to Thousand Snows Lake. Although each was only half a foot long, they spent their entire lives in icy waters, making their flesh incomparably fresh and flavorful. 

Su Yi took a bite. The texture was highly distinctive. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “It really is extraordinary.”

Cha Jin smiled as she diligently selected cooked morsels for Su Yi. From time to time, she’d raise her glass and share a drink with him.

The blazing firelight illuminated her extraordinary face, making her look soft and tender.

Once he’d eaten and drunk his fill, Su Yi sprawled out on the ship’s deck. Cha Jin sat beside him, arms on his thighs and head in her hands, grinning like a cat.

Her bright eyes stared into the distance as she said gently, “Young Lord, I already have no home to return to. Going forward… No matter where you go, I’ll go with you. But don’t worry; I won’t cling to you, and I won’t demand any special status or recognition. It’s fine so long as you don’t kick me out.”

Her voice hid endless tenderness and deep sentiment.

Su Yi gently caressed her hair and said, “When cultivating the Grand Dao, every step is arduous. I’ll face countless tribulations on my journey, but if you’re not afraid to follow me, I naturally won’t just abandon you.”

He said this, but in his heart, he sighed. 

As the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, and with his 108,000 years of accumulated experience, he knew better than anyone that as cultivation grew, even if he kept Cha Jin by his side, they’d have less and less time together.

Even his current friends and allies. As each pursued their own Dao, the time might well come that they parted, never to meet again. 

This was the path of cultivation.

This was inevitable. The further one walked down this path, the further one got from their friends and relatives. They’d spend more time apart than together.

However, given Su Yi’s methods, he could naturally give those close to him a degree of protection. Establishing a sect and having them cultivate there was one such method.

It was just that, when he left in pursuit of greater heights of swordsmanship, he’d be gone a long, long time.

Of course, saying that now was a bit premature.

When Cha Jin heard his response, she felt reassured, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

In the past, she wouldn’t have dared imagine she’d one day obtain such a promise from Su Yi. After all, he used to just see her as a servant.

“Ee?” Suddenly, the jade-like arms resting on Su Yi’s thigh went rigid; they’d just made contact with something hard.

 But Su Yi just raised his teacup and said calmly, “I am, after all, a hot-blooded youth. If I didn’t react like this, would I even still be a man?”

He spoke with force and conviction, as if this were all perfectly normal.

Cha Jin had long since grown accustomed to Su Yi’s openness. Her gaze swept furtively across their surroundings, and her red lips pressed gently together. She whispered, “How about I… How about I help you?”

She then took a deep breath and lowered her head.

Su Yi’s entire body went rigid, and he gasped.

She lowered her head as gently as a bashful lotus bowing beneath a cold breeze.

The fire gradually died down.

The distant mountains were covered in snow, and the surrounding fields were vast and tranquil.

A long time passed before Su Yi let out a breath of turbid air.

……

Morning the next day.

The bright light of dawn spilled onto Thousand Snows Lake, casting flecks of gleaming gold onto the water’s surface.

When Su Yi woke up, still on board the black-awning boat, he led Cha Jin back to where they’d first landed, not far from Celestial Palace City.

Cha Jin looked up and whistled. 

She was calling the Bluescale Eagle, Qing’er. 

Today, they planned to return to the Great Zhou.

When Cha Jin looked around, she saw Su Yi staring at her lips. This seemed to remind her of what had transpired the night before. Her cheeks instantly reddened, and her bright eyes were suddenly bashful.

“What are you thinking about?” Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

But he had to admit that last night’s indulgences had a certain rustic appeal.

Before long, the Bluescale Eagle dove through the sky, then carried them away.

News of Qiu Hengkong’s defeat at Su Yi’s hands spread overnight. All of the Great Wei knew that he’d forcefully suppressed the Wheel of the Moon Sect. 

This provoked widespread uproar. Even the emperor was alarmed. He sighed, “So long as the Great Zhou has Su Yi, how can the Great Wei stand shoulder to shoulder with them?”

When word reached the Great Zhou’s borders, it spread from the capital and into the six provinces, leaving a massive uproar in its wake.

Countless people found it hard to believe.

“Qiu Hengkong is the strongest sword cultivator in the Great Wei, a lofty and peerless existence, yet even he was no match for Imperial Preceptor Su Yi?”

Several people clapped and exclaimed.

“He ventured into the Great Wei on his own, as if it were uninhabited. He then forced their top cultivation holy land, the Wheel of the Moon Sect, to lower its head. His Excellency Su Yi is simply incredible!”

Others rubbed their hands together gleefully. 

“Weren’t people saying earlier that His Excellency Su Yi went too far by killing the Great Zhou’s Unknown Dragons, and that this would lead to foreign foes invading? Where are those people now? I’d like nothing more than to slap them right across their faces and force them to kneel and repent!”

“So long as the Great Zhou has Su Yi, our borders are secure, and we’ll enjoy lasting peace!”

Most of the nation’s mundane cultivators revised their opinion of Su Yi. They now worshipped him completely.

In the Jade Capital’s imperial palace, Zhou Zhili was beside himself with excitement too. He repeatedly slapped his thigh and said, “The imperial preceptor went on a journey to the Great Zhou’s prestige. Throughout all our years of history, has anyone else accomplished such a grand feat?” 

But before long, he couldn’t help but worry. He’d just realized that, despite reigning over the Great Zhou, he had no worthwhile treasures to offer Su Yi as a reward.

“How about I select a group of beauties for him instead? No, that would be inappropriate. It would make it seem like I thought of him as lustful and lewd.

“Forget it! I’ll just choose some rare and precious stuff from the imperial treasury. Brother Su might not care, but I have to express enough sincerity!

“Servant! Go to the imperial treasury and fetch the Dragon-Marked Jade, Essence of Heavenly Fragrance, and that thousand-year Ba Serpent yao core my imperial father has in storage!”

After giving these orders, Zhou Zhili couldn’t help but glance at State Preceptor Hong Shenshang, who was always around to help him manage the nation’s affairs. “State Preceptor, do you think those treasures are enough?”

The corners of Hong Shenshang’s lips twitched. All three were from the current emperor’s private collection, and each was worth cities. In the eyes of cultivators, they were heavenly and earthly treasures. This kid seriously doesn’t think that’s enough?

Hong Shenshang calmed himself down, then said, “Your Highness, it’s the thought that counts.”

“Oh…” said Zhou Zhili. “Then… How about this? When I get the chance, I’ll take some time to visit Brother Su and express my sincerity in person.”

Su Yi’s victory over the Wheel of the Moon Sect didn’t just boost the Great Zhou’s national prestige. It also served as a terrifying deterrent to the entire Great Wei!

That was the crux of the matter.

……

The Imperatorial Province, Heaven’s Origin Academy.

Burbling Spring Pavilion.

“Fellow Daoist, you were gone for just two days, yet you defeated the Wheel of the Moon Sect and bested Qiu Hengkong. After this, I’m afraid no one in the Great Wei will dare make trouble in the Great Zhou.”

Ning Sihua’s bright eyes shone with amusement as she looked at Su Yi, who sat across from her, sipping tea.

She’d only just heard the news too. When she learned that even Qiu Hengkong, that giant of the Dao of the Sword, had lost to Su Yi, even she was shaken.

“News sure spread quickly.” Su Yi shook his head. “Right, didn’t you say you had something urgent to discuss with me?”

“Yesterday, Lan Suo sent word that something changed deep within the Great Qin’s number-one danger zone, the Sea of Chaotic Spirits. It seems an ancient ruin has appeared out of nowhere,” Ning Sihua said softly.

“They say that an unprecedented and strange phenomenon appeared, blotting out ten-thousand feet of sky. Mysterious cries rang out repeatedly, and an illusory palace manifested out of nowhere.”

“Oh?” said Su Yi, seemingly intrigued. “Was there anything else worth noting?”

“I’m not sure,” said Ning Sihua. “Lan Suo didn’t explain in detail. She just heard from her master, the Cloudstone Venerate, that something had changed deep within the Sea of Chaotic Spirits. They suspect it’s related to an ancient orthodoxy called the Immortals Sword House.”

“The Immortals’ Sword House? An ancient cultivation faction, that’s all, yet they dare call themselves immortals?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. “That reminds me of something. When yao cultivators establish factions, they love nothing more than adding the word ‘god’ or ‘immortal’ to the name. In doing so, they’re effectively proclaiming that they’ve cast aside their humble origins and savage bodies to become true cultivators in pursuit of immortality.”

“Is that so?” Ning Sihua couldn’t help but exclaim. “It’s my first time hearing that. Well, Fellow Daoist? Are you interested in this sudden development? Lan Suo said she’s looking forward to traveling with you.”

Su Yi’s expression was somewhat strange.

Not long ago, the Featherflow King, Yue Shichan, invited him to travel to the Great Xia and participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly.

Now, Lan Suo had invited him to the Great Qin to search for good fortune deep within the Sea of Chaotic Spirits.

Looking at it that way, it seemed he’d become a hot commodity…

Su Yi thought for a moment, but just as he was about to answer, a Swiftlight Sparrow descended from the distant skies, landing on a tree not far from Burbling Spring Pavilion in a flash.

There was a sealed letter in the Swiftlight Sparrow’s claws.

“Wupeng”, or “black awning” boats.

The little clay stove probably looks like this. 

It doesn’t actually say what kind of soup this is beyond “red”, but I’d guess something like this.

The word I translated as “beef aorta” threw me initially because the characters literally mean “yellow throat.” I wondered if it was… I dunno, esophagus? Thyroid gland? But it seems like it’s beef or pork aorta. I don’t recall seeing this on the menu while I was in China, and I’m not sure how common it is. I’d guess it’s regional, but it’s also possible that my memory is failing me. Here’s a link for more information about this and a few other distinctive hot pot ingredients.

I would also like to say that I invented a new tongue twister while writing this. Can you say “Piping-hot hot pot” three times fast? I bet you can’t.