The night wind was chillingly cold, and the stench of blood still lingered over the river.
Su Yu watched the treasure ship of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect cutting through the waves as it approached, his brow slightly furrowed.
But the movement of his hands didn’t pause in the slightest. Forming a blade with his fingers, he didn’t hesitate to deliver another strike to Xue Kuang’s already crushed neck.
"CRACK!"
The light in Xue Kuang’s eyes dissipated. He was thoroughly dead, without a single sound remaining.
Su Yu efficiently looted the corpse, pulling a white Storage Ring engraved with a whale pattern from Xue Kuang’s thick fingers and tucking it away securely.
Then, with a swift kick, he sent the body flying into the deep, dark river water with a SPLASH, as if kicking away trash.
This series of decisive, murderous actions, and the subsequent destruction of the evidence, was witnessed in its entirety by Xu Hesui, who stood at the bow of the treasure ship.
Xu Hesui’s green robes fluttered in the night wind. She raised a delicate eyebrow, her once clear, black-and-white eyes now suffused with a strange, faint cyan glow, shimmering brightly in the darkness as she observed Su Yu.
’What a kid, he sure hides himself well!’
’That innate talent, and that dual Fist Stance he used to kill Xue Kuang just now... to think he’s such an astonishing genius!’
’He was pretending to be a spoiled brat before. I can’t believe even I was fooled.’
’Looking at it this way, he probably killed those two from Linyuan City as well!’
’To come out on top as the fisherman who reaps the benefits, all while at the Flesh Refining Realm... what impressive methods!’
At this thought, even more admiration flashed in Xu Hesui’s eyes. Her figure as nimble as a swallow, she leaped from her treasure ship and landed steadily on the deck of the Giant Whale Gang’s vessel.
Qian Qinghong’s expression instantly tightened. Her body flashed, and in a moment, she was at Su Yu’s side as he leaped back from the river’s edge.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder. Qian Qinghong gripped her blood-drenched Silver Dragon Shuttle, while Su Yu secretly gathered the Qi and Blood in his body, facing off against Xu Hesui from a distance.
"There’s no need for you two to be so tense."
Xu Hesui retracted the cyan glow in her eyes, a smile as pleasant as a spring breeze appearing on her face. "My Cyan Wood Sword Sect wouldn’t go so far as to offend two geniuses over a single black dragon fish."
Su Yu had heard of the Cyan Wood Sword Sect’s good reputation in Jian’an Prefecture. Combined with the fact that Xu Hesui hadn’t taken advantage of their situation earlier, his guard lowered slightly.
However, he still didn’t approach Xu Hesui, merely cupping his fist and saying, "Miss Xu is very understanding. Since the matter here is concluded, my wife and I will not linger. Farewell."
"Wait!"
Xu Hesui smiled and raised a hand to stop them. "If you two don’t mind, would you be willing to come to my ship for a cup of tea before you go? I have some important matters I’d like to discuss with you."
Qian Qinghong turned to look at Su Yu, her beautiful eyes filled with a questioning gaze.
A glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "Alright. Then we’ll impose."
’The Cyan Wood Sword Sect is said to be a major power in Jian’an Prefecture. Since she has shown goodwill, it’s not wise for me to refuse so easily.’
’Especially with Black Stone City in such a precarious state, I might need to prepare an escape route in advance, like heading to Jian’an Prefecture or Qingzhou Prefecture.’
’Befriending a disciple from such a power now has a hundred benefits and no drawbacks.’
’Most importantly, I still have the White Ape Transformation as a hidden trump card. I don’t feel any pressure facing this Xu Hesui. If she truly has malicious intent, I have no reason to be afraid.’
...
On the Cyan Wood Sword Sect’s treasure ship.
The moonlight, as bright and clear as frost, scattered across the exquisitely carved deck.
Su Yu, Qian Qinghong, and Xu Hesui sat around a green sandalwood table that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. On the table, a small, red-clay stove was brewing tea, its aroma curling into the air.
"Brother Su." Xu Hesui poured tea for the two of them, her tone carrying a well-intentioned warning. "While the Giant Whale Gang isn’t a top-tier power in Jian’an Prefecture, they are firmly established as a second-rate one. That Xue Kuang was the youngest and most doted-on son of the gang’s old leader. Now that you’ve killed him, if word gets out, you will face endless pursuit. You should prepare yourself."
"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Xu." Su Yu nodded. Xu Hesui’s manner of speaking lacked the arrogance typical of disciples from major sects, which made a good impression on him.
"Besides this reminder, the main reason I brazenly asked you two to stay is actually because of Miss Qian." Xu Hesui’s topic shifted, and she turned her burning gaze toward Qian Qinghong, who was sitting quietly to the side.
Qian Qinghong was slightly puzzled. She looked at her in confusion. "I wonder what business Fairy Xu has with me?"
"Because Miss Qian carries the favor of Heaven!"
The instant she finished speaking, Xu Hesui’s eyes changed again. Her originally black pupils transformed into a deep, ghostly green, looking incredibly mystical under the cold moonlight!
’Favor of Heaven?’
Qian Qinghong looked completely lost and shook her head slightly. "I don’t even know what this ’Favor of Heaven’ means. Could it be that Miss Xu has made a mistake?"
Seeing that she didn’t seem to be faking it, a trace of surprise flashed in Xu Hesui’s eyes. She pressed, "Then when you broke through to the Martial Artist Realm, did any ancient memories surface in your mind? Or... did you hear some kind of delirious rambling?"
At these words, Qian Qinghong’s heart skipped a beat. But on the surface, she remained perfectly calm. "I have not."
Xu Hesui gave her a deep look, the cyan light in her pupils slowly fading. She sighed with some regret. "Then perhaps I really was mistaken. However, while ’People Favored by Heaven’ might be the stuff of legends in a remote place like your Black Stone City, in places like Jian’an Prefecture and Qingzhou Prefecture, they are the geniuses that all the major powers fight over."
"Take me, for example. These eyes of mine are a manifestation of that Heaven’s Favor."
Su Yu picked up the conversation, asking curiously, "Oh? What’s the story behind this so-called ’Heaven’s Favor’?"
Xu Hesui picked up her white jade teacup and said softly, "Ancient texts record that after the great catastrophe of antiquity, two types of people were uniquely blessed and called the ’Heaven’s Favored.’ One type is the Spiritual Origin Saint Body, those who have awakened the constitution of ancient cultivators. The other type is the descendants of ancient gods, whose veins carry their divine bloodline!"
The moment she said this, Su Yu’s heart leaped in his chest.
’Spiritual Origin Saint Body!’
’Isn’t that just another name for a Spirit Body?’
’The Wood Spirit Body that Zhen’Er awakened is one of these so-called Spiritual Origin Saint Bodies!’
’Does that mean Zhen’Er is one of these ’People Favored by Heaven’?’
’And the descendants of gods... I’ve run into them several times now. The Huyan Family, that deacon from the Black Lotus Sect... are they all considered ’People Favored by Heaven’?’
’No, that’s not quite right. Some of those ’descendants’ didn’t seem to be born that way. It was more like they were transformed by Divine Blood granted by a god.’
’Heaven’s Favor sounds like something you’re born with...’
Su Yu untied the Cyan Spirit Transformation Gourd from his waist, pulled out the stopper, and tilted his head back, taking a large gulp of wine to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
However, the very instant the gourd’s stopper was pulled!
"CLINK!"
The white jade teacup in Xu Hesui’s hand trembled violently, nearly spilling the tea. Her eyes, which had just returned to normal, instantly and uncontrollably constricted to the size of pinpricks, erupting with an unprecedented, piercing cyan light!
"Brother Su!" Xu Hesui took a deep breath and feigned the look of a wine lover, her gaze burning. "The wine in your gourd has such an extraordinary fragrance! I wonder if you would do me the honor of letting me have a taste?"
But Su Yu was far too perceptive. Xu Hesui’s momentary loss of composure and the fanaticism in her eyes could not escape his Five Senses Divine perception.
’Is there something wrong with this wine?’
’Is it because of the Wood Spirit Qi, or the Nine-Revolution Lotus Seeds?’
’Or has she taken a liking to my Cyan Spirit Transformation Gourd?’
’I’ve studied this gourd before. There’s nothing special about its appearance, it just looks a bit nice.’
’But no matter the reason, I don’t want to reveal any more information.’
"Fairy Xu must be joking." Su Yu calmly pushed the stopper back in tightly and hung the wine gourd back on his waist. "This is just some rough brew from the backwoods. This is the last of my private stash, so I’m afraid I can’t part with it."
Xu Hesui’s breath hitched slightly. She hadn’t expected Su Yu to be so decisive in his refusal.
She took a deep breath, regained her cool demeanor, and took two simple, ancient-looking cyan wood tokens from her sleeve, pushing them in front of the pair.
"My friends, the Cyan Wood Sword Sect is considered a leading authority in Martial Arts in Jian’an Prefecture. This is our sect’s VIP Token."
Xu Hesui looked deeply at Qian Qinghong. "Miss Qian, if one day you truly awaken something, you can bring this Token to find me in Jian’an Prefecture. As long as you are one of the Heaven’s Favored, you will be accepted into my Cyan Wood Sword Sect as a direct disciple! The resources and status a direct disciple enjoys are things the little Black Stone City could never compare to!"
She paused, then turned to Su Yu. "The Black Lotus Sect is currently eyeing Black Stone City like a tiger stalking its prey. Great chaos is coming. Brother Su, you should talk more with your wife about this."
Qian Qinghong accepted the Token, but still shook her head and said, "I am not one of the Heaven’s Favored. From now on, I will only stay by my husband’s side."
After speaking, she hugged Su Yu’s arm, adopting the look of a cute, dependent woman.
Seeing this, Xu Hesui didn’t press the matter further. However, her gaze still lingered for a moment on the wine gourd at Su Yu’s waist, a sharp glint flickering in the depths of her eyes.
"Fairy Xu, we’ll accept these Tokens. It’s getting late, so my wife and I will take our leave now!"
Su Yu took the opportunity to grab the Tokens and cup his fist in a salute. Without waiting for a response, he took Qian Qinghong and leaped off the treasure ship without a moment’s hesitation.
Those eyes of Xu Hesui’s always made him feel as if she could see right through him, and he had no desire to stay any longer.