Chapter 77: The First Battle—Testing the Waters

Gu Yi moved. He slipped into the street, momentarily shaking off Changsheng.

The sudden explosion didn’t rouse any alarm from the people here; it seemed they were long accustomed to such disturbances.

The fluctuations of spiritual energy grew more intense, a clear sign that the scope of the battle was expanding. Gu Yi summoned all his strength and darted through the residential alleys at a remarkable speed, finally coming to rest upon the bough of a great tree.

This was the edge of the neighborhood, where dense thickets grew along both banks of the ancient Qing River. Ahead lay an open clearing—the source of the commotion.

At a certain moment, Gu Yi’s figure appeared. He rested his left hand on the tree’s rough bark and gazed down from his lofty perch. The view was unimpeded.

There stood a young man with a narrow-eyed gaze and a folding fan, guarding a simple earthen grave. He stood alone, fan in hand, radiating an air of pride.

Opposing him were five or six others, all of them panting and clearly outmatched.

The young man maintained a gentle smile, his eyes mere slits. His features, at first glance, seemed amiable, but the surrounding devastation left no doubt—he was anything but.

A sudden rustle caught Gu Yi’s ear. He shifted his gaze toward the two o’clock position on another giant tree’s branch, where a woman stood. Her face was veiled, her attire unremarkable, and her expression serene.

Was she from Grand Rain Palace?

No time to ponder—by the grave, the young man stepped forward and spoke, his tone surprisingly mild, even tinged with a faint smile. “If I’ve offended, I ask your pardon. Elder He Yu was my benefactor. No one may disturb his rest.”

Gu Yi’s brow furrowed. He’d known burning He Yu’s grave would not be so easy. Yet General He Jiang had insisted He Yu’s body was missing, and now it was found so readily by this young man...

Unless, of course, this grave had been deliberately raised here as a decoy.

And who but the Twin Peaks would go to such lengths?

Gu Yi suddenly wanted nothing more than to seize this man and demand news of Little Yiyi. His fist clenched on the tree bark, drawing the attention of the woman on the adjacent branch.

Their eyes met.

Her gaze was clear, pure—a fleeting glimpse like a startled swan.

“This is undoubtedly a plot against the State of Xu! Since we’ve stumbled upon it, we can’t sit idly by,” declared an impassioned youth, rallying his companions. He used his blade to prop himself upright, his tone bold. “Friends, our nation has nurtured its talents for three centuries. Now is the time to risk our lives. We must destroy He Yu’s grave!”

Definitely Xu people, Gu Yi surmised. Though he didn’t know them, the emblem on their sleeves suggested they hailed from a certain cultivation academy.

“It’s useless,” the narrow-eyed youth replied, still smiling.

“Attack!”

There were four men and one woman among them. The leader gave the call, but only one man and one woman managed to rise; the other two lay on the ground, convulsing, unable to stand.

That one—he was ruthless.

Gu Yi glanced at the veiled woman again; she showed no sign of intervening.

Twin Peaks had eyes here, and another stranger watched as well. He had to restrain himself—couldn’t let them discern at a glance that his cultivation, too, came from Twin Peaks.

A buzz filled the air. The grave’s guardian summoned a surge of azure spiritual energy, instantly binding the three attackers, leaving them paralyzed.

“Damn it!” one of the captives tried to swing his sword, but even as he bit his lip till it bled, he couldn’t move.

Their opponent, meanwhile, let out an easy, amused laugh, as if toying with them. “I’ve already killed so many these past days. Five more to liven up He Yu’s afterlife won’t hurt.”

A soft sound—Gu Yi moved.

His sword style was formidable, like wind and thunder.

He leapt from the branch and, midair, unleashed his first strike. The sword’s momentum was extraordinary; the young man’s brow knit as he unfolded the first layer of his fan.

Gu Yi landed, dashed forward, and swung anew, slicing through the azure energy.

The three captives fell to the ground.

Gu Yi launched himself backward, his left hand flaring with a surge of white spiritual energy that swept up the trio, pulling them to safety in an instant.

His mind was clear, his movements precise—no wasted effort. The spiritual energy exploded out one moment, then in the next, was gathered back in the blink of an eye.

Both the narrow-eyed youth and the veiled woman on the branch studied Gu Yi with renewed interest.

He had the foundation, but his sensitivity to spiritual energy was markedly superior to the average cultivator at his level.

“Have you found yourself some helpers?” the youth asked, still smiling brightly.

The three Gu Yi had rescued heaved a sigh of relief. “I am Shao Dong of the East Lake Prefecture Cultivation Academy. Thank you, sir, for saving our lives!”

“Take your people and go. We’ll talk later,” Gu Yi said curtly.

“But…” Shao Dong hesitated, then relented. “Very well.”

Their opponent interjected, “Now hold on. I’ve already injured you, so how could I let you leave alive? A breeze never lets wounded prey escape—it would be a shame.”

Though his smile was radiant, it instilled only dread.

Gu Yi turned to him. “Why do you never open your eyes?”

The young man, “Qingfeng,” chuckled. “Don’t worry—you’ll soon find you can’t open your eyes either.”

Qingfeng was the taciturn, merciless type. No sooner had he spoken than he opened the second layer of his fan, unleashing a wave of sharp spiritual energy.

Gu Yi raised his sword hand, starting slow, then accelerating suddenly. Patterns flickered along the blade, light burst forth—he gripped the hilt with both hands, spun, and struck.

A thunderous crash—the white and blue energies collided, the shockwave rattling the heavy foliage.

The three behind Gu Yi had to shield their eyes from the gale.

Gu Yi’s pinky moved surreptitiously, drawing on the spiritual energy of the land itself; his sword flared even brighter.

Qingfeng instinctively retreated. The sword’s tip grazed his cheek, not even so much as a hair was touched.

“What a marvelous artifact rune you’ve mastered—impressive,” Qingfeng said, self-assured, his cultivation clearly above the foundation stage, perhaps even beyond the guardian level.

Shao Dong shouted, “Shaoyang, Xinchi, let’s join the fight!”

“No need. Let’s go,” Gu Yi sheathed his sword, turning away.

He addressed Qingfeng. “Next time, we’ll settle this. For now, keep watch over He Yu’s grave.”

Hmm?

The narrow-eyed youth sensed something amiss. He moved—and suddenly, a ring of intricate spirit runes shot up around him.

“A binding rune?” Qingfeng appraised Gu Yi with genuine interest. “You may be at the foundation stage, but you’re clearly versed in rune techniques. How interesting. But surely someone’s told you, runes are always supplementary—if your cultivation’s beneath mine, these won’t hold me for long.”

“I only need to hold you for a moment, not forever.”

“Let’s go.”

Shao Dong and Shaoyang didn’t know this man, but a savior’s commands are not to be ignored. Though a moment ago they were ready to fight to the death, that was only in desperation; now that a chance at life was offered, they each hoisted a comrade and hurried off, with Xinchi, the young woman, close on their heels.

Before long, they had vanished into the thicket.

The binding runes around Qingfeng quickly disintegrated beneath his touch. He tilted his head, squinting as he smiled. “What a dashing fellow.”

He called out, “Young lady over there, sorry I was too weak and let them escape. Now there’s no one left to play with me. Would you care to try your hand? If you win, He Yu is yours; if you lose, you’ll have to leave your life behind.”

...

...

“East Lake Prefecture Cultivation Academy...” Gu Yi recalled that East Lake Prefecture was in the far north of Xu, bordering the eastern edge of the Chen Province basin. “Did you also hear that some are trying to use He Yu’s death to incite conflict between Xu and Li?”

“Yes. We were out on academy training when we heard of He Yu’s death and began to investigate out of curiosity, never expecting such malicious schemes,” Shao Dong replied.

Gu Yi pondered in silence. If the goal was to use He Yu’s grave, simply stationing someone here would prevent its desecration, but if no one could claim it, what was the point? Would they risk offending both Xu and Li?

Besides, even guarding it could only be temporary.

They were waiting—for the arrival of Luyang Academy and Grand Rain Palace.

Just like himself, the veiled girl must have been probing first. Since no sounds of battle erupted, she must have left already.

“Brother,” Shao Dong called to him.

Gu Yi snapped out of his reverie. “Yes, what did you say?”

The youth smiled. “I wanted to tell you—my two companions fainted from exhaustion and depleted spiritual energy, though they’re injured, their lives are not in danger. So, my deepest thanks for saving us.”

“It’s nothing. You’re trying to prevent war for Xu as well.”

“Indeed. It seems you are a cultivator of Xu as well. May I ask which region you hail from?”

“I’m from Luyang,” Gu Yi replied.

At this, both Shaoyang and Xinchi looked at him with envy and surprise. “Luyang Academy?”

Gu Yi didn’t quite understand. His first stop had been the capital, and he couldn’t comprehend the reverence other provinces held for Luyang Academy.

For centuries, Luyang Academy’s position had never wavered.

“If you’re from there, then surely you’ve met the new imperial appointee, the Immortal Talent Gu Yi?” Shao Dong exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

“Well... I suppose I have.”

Their enthusiasm was almost alarming to Gu Yi.

Clearly, Xiaoyuan Mountain was sensitive ground; Changsheng was looking for him, and the Luyang people at the academy had heard of him—which meant the Grand Rain Palace and Twin Peaks would soon be interested as well.

Worse still, word had spread that the Immortal Talent was named Gu Yi.

Shaoyang and Xinchi beamed with delight. The young woman, despite her injuries, stood and said, “We owe you our lives, senior. My name is Xinchi, this is my classmate Shaoyang. May I ask your name?”

Gu Yi scratched his nose, eyes not flickering. “My surname is Ma. You may call me Ma Yuan.”

The three were elated, but it was Xinchi who spoke up. “Master Ma, could you tell us what sort of person this Immortal Talent is? He must be extraordinarily gifted, to have been taught by Xiaoyuan Mountain, right?”

Gu Yi took a deep breath, and with great pride replied, “Yes!!”

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As for asking you all for recommendations, I’ve all but given up hope.