Across the waterway, in the distant teahouse, a pair of cold, clear eyes gazed at the procession of the Imperial Guards.
It was early morning, and the tea girl served tea to the group of Yin Sword Mountain disciples. They drank tea, heads lowered, whispering softly.
"Why is Senior Aunt Zhou acting strange today? Why hasn't she said a word and is just sitting in this teahouse?"
"Could it be that she likes the tea here? But this tea is mediocre—how could it compare to the thousand-year-old tea trees on the mountain?"
"Did you notice? As soon as she entered the teahouse, she went upstairs and kept looking in that direction, as if waiting for someone."
"Could it be that someone with deep destiny connection is here?"
...
The disciples of Yin Sword Mountain followed her gaze.
Those fragmented whispers lingered seven feet behind the solitary, one-armed woman. Yet, as though she hadn't heard, within that seven-feet radius, she sat alone, with no one daring to approach.
If someone had been close to her, they'd realize that her gaze was layered with complexity.
........
"Brother Zunming, it's been a while since we last met."
The clatter of horse hooves filled the air; the sight of the uniformed, imposing Imperial Guards unsettled the elder protector of Ming'an Divine Sect.
Despite this, the West Factory officer, with a smile plastered across his face, dismounted, cupped his fists, and said:
"Elder Li, we've brought our brothers here specifically to bid you farewell."
Elder Li looked momentarily stunned.
"Since you've treated us to drinks, it's only right we ensure your safe departure."
Chen Yi lowered his voice.
Elder Li was startled; sharp as an old fox, he was half-doubtful.
Could this West Factory officer, Chen Zunming, truly be so upright and trustworthy?
"This… seems a bit extravagant, doesn't it?"
Elder Li couldn't help but say.
Chen Yi sneered.
"With the West Factory backing you, how dare the Eastern Factory act recklessly?"
"Elder Li, the Eastern Factory seems restless; rumors have it someone plans to arrest you."
Min Ning instinctively gripped her sword hilt.
Listening to Chen Yi's words, Elder Li furrowed his brows, cupped his fists, and said:
"Thank you for the warning. We are aware the Eastern Factory is unreliable and unstable.
In that case… you must have plans…"
Chen Yi smiled and said:
"Naturally, we'll escort you all the way to the ferry teahouse. You can board your ship once it arrives. As for this tea, you should be the ones paying for it, right?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Li couldn't help but fume inwardly. So all this fuss was just to extort money! What a greedy fellow Chen Zunming!
Still, Elder Li exhaled a sigh of relief.
At least it's only for money…
Don't hit a smiling face.
Once in the teahouse, Chen Yi's sharp eyes immediately gleaned several disguised Ming'an Divine Sect members posing as merchants and laborers.
In the teahouse, they chatted loudly about the Unmoving Ming King and the Four Heavenly Kings. Those unfamiliar might easily mistake it for discussions of Buddhist Law.
Yet the Unmoving Ming King they spoke of was actually the Great Ming Venerate Buddha worshipped by the Ming'an Divine Sect. The Four Heavenly Kings were the sect's Four Venerable Saintesses: Purity, Wisdom, Radiance, and Power, representing the dignities of the Great Ming Venerate Buddha.
On the second floor of the teahouse, a waiter served tea. Chen Yi took the initiative, opened the lid, and carefully inspected before nodding toward Elder Li.
Elder Li chuckled and said:
"Brother Zunming has overthought. There's no poison in the tea."
Chen Yi replied:
"In all things, caution is necessary. Let's drink."
Downstairs, uninterrupted snippets of "Buddhist Law" talk reached Min Ning's ears, causing her some annoyance. Sitting opposite the Ming'an Divine Sect's elder protector naturally made her nervous; her palms grew damp.
This elder protector was a Sixth Rank expert.
While she considered herself slightly above Eighth Rank.
A single elder protector could easily defeat three of her.
Which was why she sought Chen Yi's help to bring his men.
Yet now...
Min Ning saw Chen Yi engaging cordially with him, showing no sign of punishing evildoers.
Elder Li glanced at Min Ning, sensing something amiss from the look in her eyes.
"Brother Zunming, this companion of yours seems…"
Chen Yi, hearing this, immediately caught on and casually placed a hand on Min Ning's shoulder, subtly brushing her ribcage.
Min Ning froze in panic but, with the sect's elder protector sitting in front, bit her lip and stayed silent.
"He's unaccustomed to this sort of scene and is naturally nervous."
Chen Yi said offhandedly:
"Let's drink tea, drink tea."
Seeing this, Elder Li let go of his suspicions.
After finishing tea, Elder Li took out a stack of silver notes from within his robes.
"Consider this a parting gift."
"This… you're being overly polite! Don't make it a habit."
Chen Yi carefully collected the silver notes, gave them a rough look—it seemed close to a thousand taels.
"Giving me this—Elder Li, you hinder my path to enlightenment!"
Elder Li smiled faintly, using a Buddhist koan:
"All phenomena are devoid of self, ultimately empty, and thus existent as they are…"
Chen Yi looked out the window and asked:
"Has it arrived?"
Elder Li followed his gaze and said:
"It's here. We should get on the ship now. Many thanks, Brother Zunming."
"It's time to hit the road."
Chen Yi said with a smile.
Elder Li smiled back—but instantly froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
From his pale lips, black blood trickled out.
The tea was poisoned!
Chen Yi let go of Min Ning and supported the collapsing Elder Li:
"Don't stand on ceremony. There's no need for such formalities. Don't kneel, please!"
Black blood filled Elder Li's throat; his legs gave way, and he fell heavily to his knees.
"Far too polite!"
[Li Shengling contains sixty years of true energy of an unusual type.]
When the chest was opened, the true energy was fully absorbed into Chen Yi's meridians.
Elder Li collapsed abruptly. Even a fool could see something was wrong, but given the earlier cordial exchanges, the Ming'an Divine Sect members failed to react immediately, staring at each other in confusion.
Outside, the West Factory members were equally baffled, exchanging perplexed looks.
Chen Yi stood up, the Brocade Spring Blade sliding inch by inch from its sheath, silver light scattering.
"West Factory, under the Emperor's feet—why haven't you eradicated evil yet?!"
With that, Chen Yi severed Elder Li's head and tossed it downward like a jug of wine.
Blood painted an arc in the air, landing heavily below with a thud, shattering a tea table into splinters. The severed head was ghoulish, eyes wide open in death.
Min Ning stared at the scene, momentarily stunned...
This man,
How righteous he appears!
As Elder Li's head fell, it ignited the powder keg within the room.
The masks were off—how could the West Factory members fail to act? Emboldened and already complicit, they drew their weapons, shouting as they stormed into the teahouse for battle.
The teahouse erupted into chaos, blades and swords clashing, a mist of blood blooming. The crashing sound of teacups breaking filled the air.
The tea boy darted for cover, attempting to hide under the counter, only to find the shopkeeper trembling beneath it.
A Ming'an Divine Sect member seized the hapless tea boy, cutting off his head in one swift motion.
Though caught off guard, many Ming'an Divine Sect members rallied, surging toward the second floor to attack Chen Yi.
A towering Ming'an Divine Sect member, muscles rippling, wielded a Demon-Subduing Pestle, roaring as he swung it down to smash Chen Yi's skull.
Chen Yi laughed heartily, raised the Brocade Spring Blade, and the blade, like a serpent, twisted around the side of the pestle, deflecting its trajectory. The pestle slammed into the ground, leaving a shallow pit.
Stepping forward, Chen Yi placed one foot atop the pestle and pressed a hand on the sect member's head, as if bestowing blessings.
But Chen Yi was no Immortal; he could not grant longevity.
The sixty years of unusual true energy surging within Chen Yi's body were injected into the Ming'an Divine Sect member's body in an instant. His blood vessels bulged, spewing blood from his mouth. With a slight exertion, Chen Yi crushed the man's head with disturbing ease.
Collapsing lifelessly, the man was finished.
[Wang Gu contains twenty years of true energy.]
[Li Shengling contains sixty years of unusual true energy.]
Chen Yi absorbed the combined eighty years of true energy and continued his rampage.
From the air, the sound of knives slicing through the wind arrived.
Several throwing knives flew straight at Chen Yi's face.
Min Ning raised her blade, cutting vertically as if severing a serpent. The sound of iron striking resounded; the knives were cleaved cleanly in half.
The West Factory had the numbers advantage, and the Ming'an Divine Sect members were caught unprepared. With Elder Li dead, they quickly fell into disarray.
Within moments, the sect's forces were decimated, leaving bodies strewn across the tea house. A few tried fleeing out of the windows, jumping into the water, only to be shot dead by a rain of arrows from the Imperial Guards.
Chen Yi sheathed his blade, descending the stairs and approaching the sole surviving Ming'an Divine Sect member.
"The Ming King will return, surely restoring… the World of Ignorance..."
The sect member, drenched in blood, mumbled incoherently.
"All phenomena are devoid of self, ultimately empty."
Chen Yi said with a smile.
His blade pierced through the man's skull, twisting sideways—half of the man's head fell to the ground.
Min Ning watched this brutal scene, her expression not pallid, but filled with a flush of exhilaration.
Had she misjudged him before,
mistaking him as a despicable villain?
This was clearly…
Thunderous actions, benevolent heart!
Min Ning's hands trembled slightly as she wiped blood from her blade. Breathing heavily yet fueled by excitement, she was overwhelmed with a sense of liberation. A servant of the Heavenly Family could seldom experience the thrill of justice and freedom—always caught in schemes and power plays, how could one savor the righteous punishment of evildoers?
[Negative Emotion: 5]
Chen Yi turned his head and glanced at a particular corner.
[True energy of unusual type within body: Two hundred and ten years.]
He exhaled heavily, his dark official robes stained crimson, his veins bulging, and a flicker of red igniting his eyes.
The rampaging true energy coursing through his meridians brought numbness to his limbs.
Throughout the violent skirmishes, Chen Yi had continually transferred the unusual true energy into others, causing their meridians to rupture and bodies to explode, allowing him to hold out this long.
But now…
There was no one left to offload his true energy.
A stream of blood trickled from the corner of Chen Yi's lips.
Out of desperation, Chen Yi slowly recited the Resentment Yin Yang Technique.
As the Yin Yang Technique ran its course, the turmoil inside grew quieter, though it brought forth an unspeakable urge.
"Let's go."
Chen Yi said hoarsely, turning to leave.
He needed to return home quickly.
Min Ning rushed to follow. As Chen Yi mounted a fine steed, she noticed him swaying unsteadily, and reached out to steady him.
Chen Yi gritted his teeth, seized her hand, and pulled her up.
"Ride with me on the same horse. If I collapse, take me back."
Chen Yi sat behind, while Min Ning took tight hold of the reins.
Noticing something amiss, she didn't delay and immediately urged the horse forward.
Hooves thundered against the stone streets, echoing loudly as the onlooking West Factory members watched them depart.
Chen Yi's labored breathing continued from behind, giving Min Ning a sense of urgency. Obliging the situation, she thoughtlessly said:
"Hold on tighter!"
A firm grip tightened around her waist.
The horse galloped through the streets, its hooves reverberating. Min Ning rode while keeping an eye on Chen Yi. Soon, they'd arrive at his residence.
From behind, Chen Yi's grip grew stronger.
"Give it back to you… Min Ning."
He rasped breathlessly, retrieving a manual from within his robes.
Min Ning glimpsed it in haste; it was the Dragon-Slaying Blade Technique he had taken, and her face revealed astonishment.
This man had truly changed!
Min Ning found herself increasingly unable to comprehend him.
The debauched villain façade was merely a disguise; in truth, he was an honorable man!
Min Ning's admiration surged at the revelation.
[Negative Emotion: 0]
She failed to notice Chen Yi subtly smirk.
Arriving at the courtyard entrance, Min Ning urged him to dismount. However, Chen Yi still held on tightly.
Min Ning grew puzzled and then worried, about to turn to face him when he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Min Ning…"
Chen Yi's voice was weak and faint.
"What is it?"
Min Ning asked urgently.
Tormented by the effects of the Yin Yang Technique, Chen Yi could hardly suppress the compulsion and murmured:
"Min Qianhu, has anyone told you,
your subordinate, West Factory Officer Chen Zunming, harbors… affection for dragon's favor toward you?"
That valiant woman's face turned pale in an instant. The reins slipped heavily from her grip as she froze and trembled uncontrollably.
He extended his hand, toward the place it had no business reaching.
The goodwill she had developed earlier unraveled rapidly into utter contempt, her negative emotions surging intensely—almost erupting to their peak!
[Negative Emotion: 92]