Chapter 119: This Night (Bonus Chapter for the Patron

This night was bound to be sleepless; the third knock came, and this time it was the Wang family’s young master standing at the door. He wished to invite Su Wuniang outside for a walk, as he had much to confide to her.

“Xixi, I…”

“Young Master Wang, please show respect. I am now a married woman. Please call me Sister Su.”

“...Sister Su, I mean no harm. This is the last time I’ll meet with you alone—just to say farewell, for we shall never meet again. Is your husband inside? If you find it inconvenient to say, I’ll speak to him myself…”

“You have nothing to say to him, and no need to speak to him at all.”

“True, you can decide for yourself—after all, he’s a door-sitting husband…”

“You misunderstand me. I mean there’s no need to say this—I won’t go. Please return, Young Master. I’ve always regarded you as a good senior brother, nothing more. I hope you won’t destroy this bond of our sect kinship.”

After the Wang young master left, dazed and defeated, Su Wuniang thought for a moment and said: “You’re inside. I’m going out. This constant disturbance is unbearable—it’ll ruin my night’s cultivation.”

Liu Xiaolou asked: “So you’re going?”

Su Wuniang said: “I’ll go cultivate by the Thunder-Struck Banyan.”

“But isn’t it said you can’t enter the Thunder-Struck Banyan until you reach Golden Core?”

“No matter. I’ll cultivate the Lotus Blade there—I won’t go inside.”

“So we don’t need to share a room anymore? Shouldn’t you ask your father?”

“I’ve seen all who needed seeing. The rest don’t matter. Your presence here is enough.”

Su Wuniang left without hesitation, leaving Liu Xiaolou alone in the empty chamber, still guarding the spring pool as he pressed toward the Outer Pass point.

Not long after, someone knocked again—but this time it wasn’t another outsider; it was Su Jiuniang, one of their own.

“Where’s Fifth Sister?”

“She’s a cultivation fanatic. She couldn’t bear the disturbance, so she left—gone to cultivate her flying blade by the Thunder-Struck Banyan.”

“Hmm, she’s always been diligent—ten times more than me.”

“Did you come looking for her?”

“No. I just came to check… Never mind. I’d planned to speak to you after the ceremony, but since we’re here… it’s still about that matter.”

Liu Xiaolou glanced back at the room, intending to invite her in, but thought it inappropriate—there were too many ears nearby—so he said: “Shall we take a walk?”

The two left the Su family’s villa and climbed a nearby hill, where they could see the open land. Rolling hills glowed faintly red under the starlit sky, silent and eerie.

“All the families have arrived,” Liu Xiaolou said, pointing to the newly erected tents and piles of bonfires near the villa—those of the Su clan’s affiliated clans and minor sects who had just arrived.

“Yin Gong is here too,” Su Jiuniang said.

“How did he get here?”

“After the ceremony, the Four Sects of Jingxiang will hold a martial contest. The winner enters the Danxia Sect’s secret realm. All four sects have arrived, and Yin Gong came with the Qingyu Sect into the Celestial Grotto.”

“Oh, this was all thanks to our Su clan’s doing. He’s not here to cause you trouble again, is he? Has he found out our Jing Zhao impersonation is fake?”

“Maybe. He just sent someone to deliver a message—he wants to meet me. I refused.”

“By the way, Jiuniang, how’s the incense supply from the Yin family these past few months?”

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“It’s back to normal. I thought it would last longer, but it’s only been three months.”

“That’s normal. Three months before he confirmed it—already quite good.”

Jiuniang sighed: “What should we do?”

Liu Xiaolou said: “There’s no better way—tell him plainly to stop bothering you.”

Jiuniang said: “He’ll surely cut the incense supply again.”

Liu Xiaolou said: “Then tell him plainly—and warn him that if he does, he’s declaring war on the Su clan. Let him weigh the consequences.”

Jiuniang frowned: “He refuses to sell you incense, and you’d declare war? That’s too tyrannical.”

Liu Xiaolou: “The key is, he’s refusing to sell something vital. This cannot be tolerated—we must fight.”

Jiuniang fell silent for a long while, then said: “The Su clan’s power is weaker than the Yin clan’s.”

Liu Xiaolou was firm: “Still, we must fight. Show them we’re ready to die. Will the Yin clan dare to fight to the death?”

Jiuniang said: “Besides, this isn’t just the Su clan’s matter—it involves Danxia Sect. How can the Su clan drag the entire Danxia Sect into a great war over personal interests?”

Liu Xiaolou said: “Precisely—we must drag Danxia Sect into it. Otherwise, what’s the point of such a large sect? Isn’t a sect’s purpose to protect its disciples?”

Jiuniang shook her head: “You don’t understand. Now… the Su clan is in decline, no longer as prosperous as in past years. We’re facing internal strife and external threats—we can’t afford to start a war lightly…”

As they spoke, Su Dalang suddenly appeared at the foot of the hill, rushing up in agitation: “Jiuniang! I’ve been searching for you everywhere—turns out you’re here with him… You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?”

Su Jiuniang said: “I’m talking to him. What’s it to you?”

Su Dalang, furious: “It doesn’t concern me, but do you know the Yin family has come calling? They demand to see you—and they’re speaking rudely. What have you done to offend them? If you’ve made a mistake, apologize quickly and beg their forgiveness, or they’ll hold a grudge—and the consequences will be dire! They’ve just restored our incense supply. How can we offend them now?”

Liu Xiaolou glanced at Su Jiuniang, thinking: Does she still not tell her family what the Yin clan intends? He asked: “Big Brother, isn’t Father here?”

Su Dalang snapped: “Isn’t this all your doing? Father and Second Uncle have gone to explain things to Cai Yaojun! And where’s Fifth Sister? Father entrusted her with the critical task—where is she hiding now?”

Liu Xiaolou leapt to his feet, rolling up his sleeves, staring at Su Dalang. Su Dalang instinctively stepped back two paces: “What are you planning? I warn you—this is the Danxia Celestial Grotto, not Shenwu Mountain. No one’s here to protect you!”

Liu Xiaolou said: “Then fine. When we return to Shenwu Mountain, I’ll challenge you, Big Brother. If I win…”

Su Jiuniang stopped him: “Enough. This is my doing—I’ll go speak to Yin Gong myself.”

Liu Xiaolou encouraged her: “Go ahead, Jiuniang. I’ve got your back.”

Su Dalang laughed bitterly: “You?!” Seeing Liu Xiaolou roll up his other sleeve, he grabbed Su Jiuniang and hurried down the hill.

Liu Xiaolou spat after him: “Coward!”

Su Dalang heard it, wanting to turn back and argue, but thought better of it: I’m the Su clan’s rightful eldest son—why should I stoop to quarreling with a bandit? It’d only lower my status. He muttered: “Unaware of his own insignificance. Jiuniang, don’t associate with him again—you’ll lose face.”

Su Jiuniang coldly said: “Big Brother, please return. I’ll go meet the Yin family myself.”

Su Dalang said: “Shall I accompany you? Yin Gong, the eldest of the Yin family, is reasonable. After I visited his father last year, he wrote to me personally and restored the incense supply—his tone was very courteous. If you’ve offended him, I can ask him to mediate—there might still be a chance…”

Su Jiuniang waved her hand: “Big Brother, please return. I’ll go alone. You can’t help with this.”

Watching her walk off alone, Su Dalang sighed in relief, yet still seethed: “What kind of attitude is this? In just one year, everyone treats me with such disrespect—even Jiuniang no longer holds me in regard?”

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