[author]
Hey everyone!
I'll be switching to an update schedule of every 2–3 days, but in exchange, the chapters will be much longer, sometimes even double the length of previous ones!
Thank you so much for the love and support.
Stay tuned, because things are about to get really interesting in the next few chapters...
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Somewhere atop the thick city walls, rising nearly a thousand metres into the sky, stood a little white cat who looked elegant and noble.
Contrary to that graceful aura, however, a hideous scar stretched across her forehead, giving off an instinctively repulsive feeling.
She looked down at the vast expanse below, her breathing quick, her bright green eyes shining with excitement.
With a swish, she took out a small tree branch and planted it upright in front of her.
Her little paw held the branch at the top for a moment before she let it fall freely to the ground.
The stick tipped over, pointing to the left.
She turned her head in that direction as well and muttered, "Hmm… that direction it is then…"
With that, she jumped off the wall and hurried off in that direction, an excited smile spreading across her face.
Young Master Rush walked with his two companions, his face sour after his face-off with Su Wen.
He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly, 'That lowly bastard… don't let me see him again.'
The two female companions beside him cuddled up quietly, their movements slow and sultry as if trying to soothe his mood.
Suddenly, he sensed something.
He took out a jade slip from his storage ring and sent his spiritual sense into it.
'Little brother, a few friends are coming over to that countryside. Why don't you accompany them for me?'
It was just a simple message on the jade slip.
Yet the moment he read it, all colour drained from his face.
His fingers trembled and the jade slip nearly slipped from his grasp.
His breathing turned shallow and uneven, as though an invisible hand were squeezing his throat.
For a brief second, raw terror flashed in his eyes... as if a buried trauma had suddenly resurfaced.
Fear, sorrow, shame, and helpless rage surged up inside him, choking him from within.
More than anything… hesitation and cowardice.
The two women sensed the sudden change and stiffened slightly, but Rush didn't even notice them anymore.
'Even after coming this far…'
His jaw tightened, his teeth grinding faintly.
'You still won't let me live in peace…'
After a long moment, he finally managed to calm himself down.
His expression remained grim and hesitant as he slowly stood up.
"Let's go..." he muttered quietly.
The Skyfaring Pavilion was a towering building built from luminous white stone, shaped like a stylised, grounded flying boat.
Cultivators of all realms and merchants from distant lands streamed in and out, their conversations filled with destinations, distant cities and far-off territories.
The interior was vast, resembling a grand, multi-tiered terminal hall.
The old man, Su Wen, along with Du Yue and Little Suzume, made their way to the main ticketing counter.
It was a long marble desk staffed by efficient-looking cultivators in the Pavilion's signature black robes.
As the group approached, one attendant stepped forward and spoke softly,
"Welcome to the Skyfaring Pavilion," he greeted respectfully. "How may I assist the esteemed guests today?"
Su Wen stepped forward calmly.
"We're heading to Great Eastern City. Please book us on the next available flying boat."
The attendant swiftly produced a jade token and tapped it lightly.
A faint spiritual projection of the schedule shimmered into view above it.
"Certainly. The next flying boat departs in one hour."
Su Wen raised an eyebrow as he observed the token.
'Spiritual projection… This thing's practically a cultivator's version of a smartphone.'
The attendant tapped the jade token again, and a projection of the route appeared above it.
"Your journey will take fifteen days, including a required one-day stopover on the seventh day at Greenstone City for resupply."
"Before I proceed, please allow me to explain the available tiers of accommodation."
He tapped the jade token again, and the projection shifted to display the interior of the flying boat.
"The flying boat has three accommodation tiers," the attendant explained.
"Each offers different cabins, spiritual energy levels, privacy, and services."
Noticing the old man's expensive golden robes and the group's aura, the attendant began with the highest option first, his tone practised yet courteous.
"Gold Class, our highest tier, offers luxurious private suites on the upper deck.
Each suite includes a dedicated formation room, peak spiritual energy circulation, and a personal attendant on call.
You'll also have free access to all training chambers.
The price is one hundred mid-grade spirit stones per person."
He slid his finger across the jade token, and the projection zoomed in on the middle section.
"Silver Class offers private rooms on the middle deck.
These rooms offer good-quality spiritual qi, comfortable living space, and access to shared lounges.
The cost is fifty mid-grade spirit stones per person."
Finally, his hand moved to the lowest section of the projection.
"Bronze Class is located on the lower deck.
It provides shared bunks with minimal privacy and basic spiritual qi circulation.
The price is ten mid-grade spirit stones per person."
He lowered the projection respectfully.
"These are the available options for your journey, honoured guests."
Su Wen thought for a moment, then spoke calmly as he pointed towards the old man.
"For the senior here, please book the best available room in Gold Class. As for me and my wife, a single Silver Class will do."
The old man nodded with satisfaction, his head held high.
'This brat sure isn't stingy when it comes to showing respect.'
'Let the old man enjoy the luxury. As for us, we'll be staying in our mountain anyway', Su Wen thought inwardly.
The attendant nodded and glanced at the old man, his eyebrows raising slightly for a moment before he returned a polite smile.
Just as the attendant was about to confirm their tickets, a sudden voice rang out from behind.
"You filthy bastard… you actually dared to show your face again."
Young Master Rush strode into the pavilion, his face already dark after receiving the earlier message.
His tone was cold, though a faint trace of suppressed anger lingered beneath it.
The group immediately turned around to look at the new arrival.
Young Master Rush stared straight at Su Wen with a condescending gaze before turning to the attendant.
"Here, take this…"
He took out a silver token with five rings engraved on it and continued,
"Book three Gold Class tickets to Greenstone City."
Su Wen looked at him, his expression tightening with annoyance as he muttered inwardly,
Typical young master… what a pain.
Seeing Su Wen's reaction, Rush's eyes flashed.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the attendant spoke instead from the side.
"Young Master, please give me a moment."
He quickly took out another jade token and sent a message for another attendant to come over.
The attendant clearly wanted to serve Rush first, but he didn't dare ignore Su Wen's group, after all, ordinary people rarely booked Gold Class rooms.
Seeing the delay, Rush's face darkened.
"You… are you telling me to wait for these insignificant worms?" he growled, releasing a wave of Golden Core pressure. "Do you know who I am?"
The attendant froze at the sudden pressure, then hurriedly tried to calm him while maintaining a professional smile.
"Young Master… please, it's a misunderstanding. I have already called another attendant-"
The woman beside Rush cut in sharply.
"You're just a minor attendant. If Young Master gives an order, you act immediately. Serving these… insignificant pests first? Ridiculous."
The old man and Little Suzume simply munched on pumpkin seeds as they watched the scene unfold, while Du Yue's eyes slowly turned cold.
Su Wen narrowed his eyes but instead of responding to their nonsense, he decided to be the bigger person.
He looked at the attendant and said calmly,
"The young master seems to be in quite a hurry. Why don't you serve him first? We don't mind waiting."
The attendant's shoulders relaxed for a moment, just as the another woman beside Rush sneered.
"Know your place. A nobody like you thinks you can speak on behalf of Young Master?"
Rush's gaze returned to Su Wen, sharp and contemptuous.
He pointed to the ground.
"You are just an ant under my feet. Kneel and beg for your earlier ignorance… maybe this young master will let you leave in one piece."
SLAP! BAM!
A sharp slap echoed through the pavilion, followed by the heavy thud of a body crashing to the ground.
Su Wen turned his head and saw that his wife had vanished from beside him.
In the next moment, she stood where Young Master Rush had been only seconds before.
With a flick of her delicate right hand, she struck him across the face, sending him flying several metres.
Then she glanced sideways at the two women, still frozen and wide-eyed.
Without hesitation, she swung both arms at once. Her left hand hit the woman on the right, her right hand slammed into the woman on the left.
Both women spun through the air, landing a short distance away, collapsing unconscious.
Silence.
The entire pavilion seemed frozen in place.
Su Wen and the attendant stared at Du Yue, their eyes wide with shock.
The old man and Little Suzume, on the other hand, looked mildly excited, munching on pumpkin seeds and even nodding slightly, as if anticipating more.
'Well… who told him to act so arrogantly in front of my wife?' Su Wen muttered inwardly with a sigh. 'She can fling Golden Core cultivators around like mere chickens…'
Young Master Rush slowly rose from the ground, dazed.
He shook his head, clearly not grasping what had just happened.
A bright red handprint marked his cheek.
"You-"
He finally spoke, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"You dare… you dare slap me?!"
His glare fixed on Du Yue, eyes bloodshot, his horse-like ears twitching violently with rage.
Before he could continue, Du Yue calmly turned to Su Wen, narrowing her eyes.
"Husband… who is this person? What's his problem?"
Su Wen's eyes twitched.
'We literally met him an hour ago… did you already forget?'
He coughed lightly before answering.
"This is Young Master Rush, the fourth disciple of the Grand Elder of the Great Eastern Sect, and the third young master of the Swiftmane Family."
Du Yue blinked once.
"So…?" she said coldly. "He dares speak ill of you, husband?"
"I… don't know," Su Wen replied helplessly, raising a hand.
"He seems to have gotten offended for some reason, I guess."
Rush's face twisted through several shades of rage as he listened to their calm conversation, as if he were nothing more than background noise.
"SHUT UP!!" he roared, chest heaving violently.
Without another word, he lunged forward.
Grade 2 Speed Intent wrapped around his feet like a burst of wind, propelling him straight at Du Yue.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before her, palm swinging toward her face.
But just before it could land-
SLAP!!
Du Yue shifted smoothly to the side and delivered a lightning-fast strike to his other cheek, her palm striking cleanly and jolting his head sideways.
This time, Rush crashed into the floor with twice the force.
The marble trembled as his body bounced and rolled, blood leaking from his nose and ears.
Du Yue looked down calmly, then turned to Su Wen.
"Husband… can I kill him?" she asked softly.
"Kill?… N-No, wife!" Su Wen grabbed her shoulders, panicking. "I mean… it's not like we have some life-and-death feud or anything…"
Meanwhile, Rush roared, staggering back to his feet.
"Y-You dare hit me again?!"
Both cheeks now bore bright red handprints, a burning mark of humiliation.
Blood dripped from his face as his body convulsed violently, hands clawing at his head while rage and disbelief twisted through him.
'Does this guy have mental issues?' Su Wen thought, watching him flail helplessly.
"I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
With a ripping sound, four beast-like legs tore from his sides, his lower body contorting and stretching as it partially transformed into that of a centaur.
He drew a Grade 3 hammer, spiritual qi swirling fiercely around it while Grade 2 Hammer Intent coiled along the weapon.
With a furious roar, he swung it straight toward Du Yue, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
Du Yue didn't move.
She simply drew her sword.
Grade 4 Sword Intent wrapped around the blade, powerful, yet restrained.
There was no killing intent, only calm defense.
As her sword met the hammer, no massive shockwave erupted.
Instead, her blade slid along the weapon, seemingly latching onto it.
A thin layer of Snow Intent spread from the sword, subtly freezing the flow of energy and seizing control of the hammer's direction.
With a gentle twist of her wrist, she guided the weapon aside.
Rush immediately lost his balance.
"You-"
Before he could finish, Du Yue had already stepped behind him.
Her palm, wrapped in Yin Vital Qi, struck lightly at the back of his head, shaking his consciousness and instantly blanking his mind.
Rush collapsed to the floor again.
This time… the pavilion fell completely silent.
Du Yue calmly sheathed her sword and returned to Su Wen's side, as if nothing had happened.
The old man and Little Suzume nodded slightly, clearly satisfied, while Su Wen... and everyone else in the pavilion, stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
[author]
Happy reading, and don't forget to leave a comment!
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