First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1283 - The Source of Wei Shan’s Misfortune

The immortal palace returned to stillness.

Su Yi walked up to Heavenly Prayer and discovered that although her injuries were severe, her life was in no danger. Only then did he relax.

If she died, Qing Wan wouldn’t be able to live either.

Su Yi then arrived at the far end of the hall.

Wei Shan sat there cross-legged, still as a clay statue. Despite the ferocity of Su Yi’s battle, Wei Shan showed no sign of awakening.

“Ah, a secret art has sealed his soul. Fortunately, it won’t be difficult to undo.” Su Yi sighed in relief.

He took the bronze kettle hanging from Heavenly Prayer’s waist, then undid the seal. “Nine Planets, come out for a chat.”

Whoosh!

Misty light rose, and Nine Planets floated into view.

“This junior greets you, Your Excellency the Temple Master!” Nine Planets greeted him respectfully. When he glanced at the nearby, unconscious Heavenly Prayer, concern arose on his face.

“She’ll be fine. No need to worry,” said Su Yi. He took out his wicker chair and sprawled out, then took out a Fortune Spirit Aperture Pill and swallowed it.

Nine Planets’ spirits soared. “I just knew that you’d be able to kill that woman, Your Excellency!”

He noticed that Su Yi was covered in wounds, and he was inwardly quite surprised. A fierce battle must have broken out just now!

“Do you know where that woman came from?” asked Su Yi.

Nine Planets shook his head. “Your Excellency, all I know is that Yan Daolin called her ‘Lady Snowjade.’ I don’t know her origins either.”

Lady Snowjade?

Su Yi mulled that over, but he couldn’t be bothered to ask questions in detail. “Just tell me everything you know.”

Nine Planets thought for a moment, then launched into the full story.

It was quite simple. A year ago, Supreme Leader Yan Daolin summoned Heavenly Prayer. He said he was taking her to meet a certain senior.

It was also then that a portion of Lady Snowjade’s soul occupied Heavenly Prayer’s body

Then, under Yan Daolin’s guidance, the woman who’d possessed Heavenly Prayer came to this immortal palace deep within Crow Ridge.

“Just as I thought. Yan Daolin really was behind all this, the old bastard. He wanted to help that Snowjade woman kill me,” whispered Su Yi.

“What about him? How did he wind up under Yan Daolin’s control?” Su Yi gestured at the nearby Wei Shan.

Nine Planets said sheepishly, “Your Excellency, I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that fellow Daoist.”

“....” Su Yi had nothing to say to that. There’s no doubt about it. If I want to resolve my doubts, I need to go ask Yan Daolin!

“I’m going to take Heavenly Prayer back to the Nine Heavens Pavilion,” said Su Yi. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her.”

Nine Planets nodded his understanding.

Su Yi said no more, instead calming his heart and attending to his wounds.

An hour later, his injuries had fully knit back together, and his cultivation base was back in peak condition.

He was instantly full of firm confidence. He whispered, “I can break into the Oneness Realm whenever I please!”

But he didn’t plan to break through here.

Instead, he rose, walked up to Wei Shan, and undid the power sealing his soul.

Before long, Wei Shan regained consciousness.

“Little Wei, long time no see,” Su Yi said with a laugh.

The nickname made Wei Shan tremble, and he stared at Su Yi in a daze before asking tentatively, “You’re... the young master?”

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and passed it over. “Who else would be so stupid as to rush over to save you despite knowing full well that this was a trap?”

Wei Shan froze, stunned, then asked excitedly, “Young Master, is it really you?”

Ripples coursed through Su Yi’s heart.

Wei Shan was Ol’ Cripple Wei’s foster son, and the Temple Master’s closest childhood playmate. They’d been no different from other youths—hot-blooded and impulsive. They’d gotten up to all sorts of ridiculous shenanigans together.

They’d crossed the world on horseback, leaning drunkenly on the saddle as red-sleeved beauties beckoned to them.

They’d chivalrously aided the downtrodden, robbing the rich to give to the poor and resolving grudges. It was joyful indeed.

And they’d traveled beneath the heavens, sword in hand, fighting and struggling amidst the churning red dust of mortality...

In these seemingly ridiculous days of their youth, Wei Shan had always been by the Temple Master’s side.

Every time they messed up, Ol’ Cripple Wei dared not rebuke the Temple Master. Instead, he vented his fury on Wei Shan, leaving him clutching his head and scurrying away like a rat, howling in pain.

But Wei Shan was thick-skinned, and he never learned his lesson. Before long, he and the Temple Master were at it again, enthusiastically causing a huge commotion.

Thinking back on it now, Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

He then concisely explained how he’d reincarnated to cultivate anew.

“I just knew you wouldn’t die so easily, Young Master! Not even the heavens themselves can take you!” Wei Shan burst into uproarious laughter, visibly overcome with delight and excitement.

Su Yi shook his head slightly. “Strictly speaking, I am no longer the Temple Master you’re familiar with.”

But Wei Shan didn’t care in the least. “You reincarnated, that’s all. I get it. In any event, in my heart, you’re the young master. There’s no mistaking it!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but grin.

This was Wei Shan: outspoken and carefree.

“How did you wind up trapped here?” asked Su Yi.

Wei Shan froze, stunned, and his smile faded. He grabbed a jug of wine and took a deep swig before finally explaining what had happened.

“Not long after you underwent reincarnation, Foster Father and I went into seclusion back home. Thousands of years passed without incident.

“It was then that Yun Lan and I got together. Before long, she gave me an obedient, well-behaved daughter. I asked my foster father, and he named her ‘Xici.’ Her childhood nickname was A’Jiu....”

Here, Wei Shan’s face filled with tenderness.

By now, Su Yi already understood. Wei Xici, the Nine Heavens Pavilion’s former Seventh Warden, and the Netherworld King were one and the same!

“Alas, worldly affairs are unpredictable. When A’Jiu was just three years old, an enormous disaster befell our family.” Wei Shan’s expression darkened, filled with murderous intent and deep, intense hatred. Even the rims of his eyes reddened.

“A group of mysterious experts appeared out of nowhere and fought their way into the hidden realm we’d secluded ourselves in. Every one of them had an enormously powerful cultivation—unbelievably powerful. They asked no questions and made no attempt to converse before attacking...”

Wei Shan’s tone was forlorn, his expression grief-stricken, as if he couldn’t bear to recall these memories.

Some time passed before he took a deep breath and said hoarsely, “In that battle, they... burned my wife, Yun Lan, to death! My foster father tried to help me and A’Jiu escape. He sacrificed himself, fighting our enemies with everything he had, and...”

Wei Shan’s eyes were bloodshot, and his lips quivered. His face was contorted and hideous.

Su Yi’s expression was overcast too, and his heart churned.

Men weren’t made of wood. Who could be truly heartless?

He had the Temple Master’s memories and experiences. They were the same person to begin with.

How could he not be furious upon learning what his favorite childhood playmate and the servant who’d accompanied him loyally for countless years had suffered?

Especially since, in the moments before his Dao Imprint dissipated, the Temple Master expressed his hope that Su Yi could take good care of Ol’ Cripple Wei after returning to the stars.

But now, Su Yi learned that Ol’ Cripple Wei had long since met with disaster!

Wei Shan suddenly took a big swig of wine before continuing, “I was badly injured, and I knew I couldn’t hold out much longer. As I fled for my life, I happened upon the leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, Yan Daolin.”

Here, Su Yi’s gaze focused. Quite the coincidence, huh?

He resisted the urge to ask questions.

Wei Shan continued, “He told me that if my daughter and I wanted to live, I had to agree to do something for him. In exchange, he’d offer us his protection.

“I’m not afraid to die, but A’Jiu was only three years old then. How could I concern myself with anything else? So I agreed.”

Here, Wei Shan smiled self-deprecatingly. “Now, I finally understand. Yan Daolin saved my daughter and I to use us against you, Young Master.”

Su Yi gently patted him on the shoulder. “I’m just glad you're alive. None of that matters. Continue your story.”

Wei Shan took a deep breath and steadied his turbulent emotions. “After sending A’Jiu to the Nine Heavens Pavilion, I left on my own to seek out our enemies’ origins.”

“Did you find them?” Su Yi couldn’t help but ask.

Wei Shan shook his head bitterly. “I searched every star realm, but even now, I’ve yet to find any leads. They didn’t just have terrifying cultivations; they conducted themselves with the utmost mysteriousness, leaving no clues behind at all.”

Su Yi frowned. “Did you ask the Antique Dealer for help?”

The Antique Dealer.

An expert of the stars with wealth beyond measure, almost a god of wealth.

He was also one of the Temple Master’s closest friends.

When the Temple Master was still the Temple Master, he brought Wei Shan to the Antique Dealer’s for a drink on numerous occasions.

“I went looking for him, and he agreed without hesitation. He said he’d help me get revenge, too.”

Here, Wei Shan’s expression filled with uncertainty. “The second time I sought him out, all that remained was a secret talisman he’d left me. It said he’d uncovered something, and that he’d find my enemies soon. However, I haven’t heard from the Antique Dealer since...”

Su Yi’s gaze focused. “Did something happen to the old-timer?”

Wei Shan looked ashamed. “I think so. I deeply regret asking him for help and dragging him into this.”

Su Yi took a deep breath and shook his head. “How could anyone possibly blame you for that? I’m certain the Antique Dealer is alive and kicking, so you needn’t have a guilty conscience.”

Wei Shan was dazed. “What makes you say that?”

Su Yi’s gaze was a bit strange. “Because a certain someone wants the Antique Dealer dead more than anyone. Furthermore, he swore that the day the Antique Dealer died, he’d arrange a funeral for him and invite first-rate experts from all across the stars to feast, play funeral dirges, and bid the Antique Dealer a grand farewell.”

Wei Shan was flabbergasted. “Who could possibly be so malicious?”

“The old Tailor,” laughed Su Yi. “The Antique Dealer once conducted a major business deal, costing the Tailor a treasure he valued as much as life itself. The Tailor was so angry he almost coughed up blood, and it’s been eating at him ever since.”

Su Yi paused, then said, “The Old Tailor walks in the darkness, and he’s extremely well-informed. Had something happened to the Antique Dealer, he’d reveal it to the public immediately. But that hasn’t happened. That’s proof enough that the Antique Dealer still lives.”

Wei Shan finally understood.

Suddenly, Su Yi asked, “Have you ever suspected that Yan Daolin was involved in the disaster that befell your family?”