First Immortal of the Sword

Over the next few days, every day at nightfall, A’Li visited the cave Su Yi was resting in with food and medicinal herbs.

She also brought Su Yi a worn-out robe. She said it had belonged to her late grandfather.

Occasionally, A’Li took out her beast skin and charcoal to converse with Su Yi, but she said little. All Su Yi knew was that they were at the foot of Southern Wilds Mountain, near the Little Blue River.

The village was called Cloud Stream Village, and it was home to about six hundred people. Most of them made their living hunting and gathering herbal medicines.

A’Li’s parents died when she was little. Her grandfather raised her in their place.

Three years prior, a group of beasts attacked her grandfather while he was out hunting. Although other villagers brought him back, his wounds were too severe, and he passed away shortly after, leaving A’Li all alone.

A’Li said she had an older sister too. It was just that when A’Li was five years old, a passing immortal took note of her and accepted her as a disciple. A’Li’s sister had left the village to cultivate in the immortal’s sect.

A’Li’s grandfather had agreed to let her big sister leave with the immortal, but they’d lost contact since. Ten years had passed since then.

When A’Li told him of this, Su Yi could sense her grief and dejection.

As night approached, after A’Li helped Su Yi apply the day’s medicines, Su Yi couldn’t help but ask, “A’Li, how did you lose your voice?”

He’d recovered some of his vitality, and he could sit up, albeit with difficulty.

A’Li’s expression shifted dramatically. She shook her head, then left. It seemed this was the subject she least wanted to discuss.

Su Yi was stunned, and his thoughts raced. It seems whatever made her a mute is a very sensitive topic, or she wouldn’t have reacted like that. I’ll have to treat her once I’ve recovered my cultivation base.

He’d only just thought this when cold laughter emanated from outside the cave. “Little mute, what are you coming here at night to do?”

Su Yi looked over and saw a tall, stalwart man standing amidst the underbrush, his expression cold and fierce.

A’Li was tiny and frail, but she nonetheless stood resolutely in the man’s way.

“How dare you stand in my way? Step aside!” The tall, stalwart man pushed her to the ground. “I’m curious to see just what shameful acts you’ve been up to, you little mute!”

A’Li rose, then tried to block the man once more. She opened her mouth as if to speak, indignation all over her little face.

“Scram!” The tall, stalwart man had lost his patience. He slapped her across the face.

Whap!

A crisp, clear impact rang out.

A’Li rolled across the ground, her face red and swollen. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she nonetheless clenched her teeth and threw herself at the man, grabbing his leg and shouting repeatedly.

But she was mute, so no words came out.

The stalwart man laughed hideously. “The more you act like this, the more obvious it is that you have a guilty conscience. Scram!”

As he spoke, he grabbed and ruthlessly tugged her hair. A’Li screamed in agony.

“Let her go, or I’ll kill you.”

A voice rang out.

No one knew when, but Su Yi had gotten to his feet, his profound gaze glinting with cold light.

The stalwart man stiffened, then laughed coldly. “Impressive, little mute. How old are you? Yet here you are, secretly tending to a man, and an outsider at that!”

He tugged A’Li’s hair. It hurt so much that she almost lost control and cried.

But she couldn’t concern herself with that now. She frantically “shouted” at Su Yi as if urging him to leave quickly.

But Su Yi approached instead. His gait was unsteady, and every step was difficult. Some of his wounds had yet to knit back together, and they silently opened and bled.

But he didn’t care.

“Haha, A’Li, this is your secret man? He’s covered in wounds, and he can barely stand. He looks like a total wuss!” The stalwart man burst into mocking, uproarious laughter.

A’Li struggled with all her might, but the man held fast to her hair, giving her no chance to fight back.

Su Yi’s gaze was increasingly cold.

When he was still a hundred feet away from the man, he raised his right hand and tapped the air. A wisp of the power of his soul condensed into a sword and slashed from afar.

Splurt!

The stalwart man’s eyes widened, and his jaw opened, but before he could say anything, he toppled over onto his back. His body was completely undamaged, but his soul had been destroyed!

A’Li was unwittingly stunned.

Su Yi chuckled. “It’s fine.”

Beneath the light of the heavens, his face was pallid, and some of his wounds were bleeding, but he stood there nonetheless, tall and upright, like a pillar supporting the heavens. He seemed completely unshakeable!

A’Li looked at him in a daze, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

But then, she heard dogs barking in the distance, startling her to her senses. Her expression shifted dramatically, and she hurried to Su Yi, frantically waving her arms and opening her mouth as if to say something.

“You want me to run?” Su Yi gently patted her shoulder and said, “With me here, it doesn’t matter who comes. They can’t hurt us.”

A’Li obviously didn’t believe it, but just as she was about to take action, a group charged over.

These were citizens of Cloud Stream Village, around ten in total. Their leader was an elder in grey. Even calm, he was imposing.

“A’Li, what happened here?”

“Who is that?”

“Uncle Meng, Shi Kui is dead!”

“What? He’s dead!?”

….A clamor of voices rang out. When they realized that the stalwart man was dead, the villagers were shocked and furious. All of them turned their attention to the stranger, Su Yi.

A’Li was incomparably nervous, but even so, she used her frail form to shield Su Yi.

The elder in gray frowned. He looked at A’Li, then at Su Yi, and said gravely, “Sir, who might you be? Why have you come to Cloud Stream Village?”

Su Yi gestured at the stalwart man’s corpse. “I’m the one who killed him.”

That wasn’t at all the question he’d been asked, but silence followed this response.

The gray-robed elder’s eyelids twitched. “Since you admitted it so openly, was there perhaps… a reason?”

“There was.” Su Yi nodded. “He was hurting A’Li.”

The crowd exchanged glances. Why is the killer talking about murder so casually?

Meanwhile, A’Li took out her beast skin and charcoal and frantically started writing. She then raised the skin into the air.

“Headman, Shi Kui was worried I’d reveal his secret, so he followed me here. Big Brother Su killed him to save me.”

Her secret? Su Yi was stunned. Only now did he realize the stalwart man’s arrival was no mere coincidence!

“What secret? A’Li, you can’t accuse others unjustly!” A thin man shouted. “To the best of my knowledge, Shi Kui has never mistreated you, so why help an outsider murder him? You’re just a duplicitous little snake!!”

The others were indignant too.

The old man in gray was their village headman, Meng Qi. He looked at A’Li and said, “A’Li, do you have an explanation? Explain the situation clearly, and so long as you aren’t in the wrong, I’ll be sure to get justice for you.”

After a moment’s silence, A’Li took a deep breath and nodded. She took out her beast skin and charcoal and started writing. It took quite some time.

When Su Yi saw the message’s contents, his brow furrowed.

The secret was quite simple. There was more to her grandfather’s death than met the eye!

Three years prior, A’Li’s grandfather and three other villagers were out hunting when her grandfather discovered a rare medicinal herb, a Snowcloud Flower.

Snowcloud Flowers were rare, and they fetched a considerable sum.

The other three villagers immediately coveted it, and they tried to seize it. A’Li’s grandfather refused to give it to them, and conflict broke out.

In the end, he was badly injured. When he realized that they'd kill him, he reluctantly agreed to trade the flower for his life.

He hadn’t been ambushed by beasts after all. It was other villagers who’d attacked him!

They'd forced him to swear to secrecy, threatening to hurt his granddaughter if he broke his vow.

Her grandfather agreed, but his injuries were so severe that he passed away shortly after, and the three villagers attacked A’Li anyway. They feared she'd let the cat out of the bag.

They used a poisonous plant, Star Poison Grass, in hopes of killing her undetected.

Against their expectations, A’Li was resilient, and she took an antidote just in time. She survived, but in the process, she lost her voice permanently.

To stay alive, A’Li endured in silence and never went public. She just pretended nothing had happened, and the three villagers gradually lowered their guard.

But A’Li had left home at night frequently over the past few days to tend to Su Yi. This unusual behavior drew the three villagers’ attention!

Thus, one of the three, Shi Kui, decided to tail her tonight, leading to everything that had just happened.

After learning all this, Su Yi finally understood why A’Li had refused to tell him how she’d become a mute. He couldn’t help but pity her.

She was so young, but she’d been pushed this far. She’d had to endure in silence just to stay alive. It truly hadn’t been easy.

A’Li’s secrets left the old man in gray, Meng Qi, and the other villagers stunned.

“Is this… Is this real?” someone said in obvious disbelief.

“It can’t be! How could Shi Kui possibly have murdered A’Li’s grandfather?” the thin man cried out.

Meng Qi said gravely, “If I recall, it wasn’t just A’Li’s grandfather and Shi Kui on that hunting trip. You were there too, weren’t you?”

The crowd was instantly in uproar.

“Lies and slander! Meng Qi, don’t fall for that little bitch’s tricks!” the thin man roared in fury.

His middle-aged companion was furious too. “That’s right. A’Li is obviously trying to frame us! Her grandfather’s death had nothing to do with us!”

Meng Qi looked at A’Li. “A’Li, do you have proof?”

A’Li shook her head, her expression bleak. If she had proof, why would she have endured all this time?

“Without proof, your accusations are nothing but slander!” roared the thin man.

“Never mind this useless talk. Meng Qi, that guy just admitted to killing Shi Kui! Surely we can’t just let this go?” the middle-aged man said through gnashed teeth.

The others instinctively nodded. A’Li’s grandfather’s death was still a mystery, but they knew that outsider had killed Shi Kui!

“Very well,” said Su Yi. “I’ll seize this opportunity to help you end this grudge once and for all.”

Meng Qi’s expression shifted. “What do you want to do?”

Su Yi ignored him. He just raised his hand and tapped the air.

Bang!

It was as if the thin man had been struck by lightning. He fell to his knees, his body quivering and his face contorted with agony.

The crowd was alarmed, and they instinctively moved further away. All of them looked on in disbelief. That invalid is actually a powerful cultivator!?

Su Yi’s gaze was distant and profound and he stared at the thin man and said softly, “Were you involved in A’Li’s grandfather’s death?”

The agony disappeared from the man’s gaze, and his eyes suddenly went vacant. “Yes.”

As the crowd was stunned, Su Yi turned toward the mustached middle-aged man. He was already drenched in cold sweat, and when he sensed Su Yi’s gaze, he turned to flee like a startled rabbit.

But before he could take even a single step, a terrifying power shook his soul, and he fell limply to the ground, convulsing in unendurable agony.

“Were you involved in this?” asked Su Yi.

The middle-aged man’s eyes went vacant, and he nodded. “I was.”

Deathly silence followed.

Meng Qi let out a deep sigh. In the face of a powerful cultivator, what need was there for proof?

All they had to do was use a tiny portion of their power, and they could force you to obediently admit to your crimes!

A’Li had a complicated look on her face, a mixture of joy and sorrow. Her frail frame quivered with obvious excitement!

Su Yi drew his finger through the air, and both men silently perished. Their souls had been destroyed!

After finishing all this, Su Yi turned to A’Li. “Are you satisfied with this?”

A’Li nodded firmly. Her clear phoenix eyes looked dazed, as if she still dared not believe everything that had happened.

A moment later, she seemed to recall past sorrows, and her eyes brimmed with tears.

Su Yi gently patted her shoulder, then looked at Meng Qi and the others. “I killed all three of those men. Does anyone want to avenge them?”

The crowd fell as silent as cicadas in winter. After witnessing Su Yi’s wondrous abilities firsthand, these villagers who’d only grasped a few rudimentary cultivation techniques were terrified.

Meng Qi took a deep breath and bowed. “Earlier, we were ignorant and foolish. We humbly request your forgiveness, Senior.”

Su Yi said flatly, “To me, this was a trivial matter, but this could have been an insurmountable disaster for A’Li. If you’re resentful, feel free to come looking for me. I’ll be staying here for a while.”

Meng Qi quivered, then hurriedly shook his head. “Senior, please, don’t be angry. We’re all ordinary mortals of the mundane world. How could we dare repeat our mistakes? Please rest assured. When we return to the village, I’ll naturally make amends for A’Li’s wrongful treatment!”

Su Yi waved him away. “You all can leave.”

If not for A’Li, he couldn’t have been bothered with any of this.

Meng Qi and the others were visibly relieved, as if they’d received an imperial pardon. All of them scurried off.

After watching them fade from view, Su Yi said, “A’Li.”

A’Li instinctively looked at him.

Su Yi coughed dryly. “Mind helping me walk?”

Even as the words left his mouth, he felt awkward, but there was nothing for it. At present, all he could do was draw on a portion of the power of his soul. His body was so badly injured that even walking was difficult.

A’Li instantly came to her senses. She hurriedly took Su Yi’s arm and helped him back into the cave.

Once he was seated on the bed of soft straw, Su Yi left out a long breath of turbid air.

Meanwhile, A’Li silently rose and stood to the side in a daze. Everything she’d just experienced had obviously come as a massive shock!

Su Yi thought for a moment, then asked suddenly, “A few days ago, when you decided to save me, didn’t you worry that you might be saving a villain?”

A’Li was a kind young woman, but she was also cautious and meticulous. There was no way she’d recklessly trust an outsider covered in wounds.

She took her beast skin and charcoal and wrote at top speed, “My instincts told me that you weren’t a bad person, so I decided to gamble.”

“Gamble?”

“That’s right. I’ve always wanted to leave the village, find my sister, and avenge my grandfather, but I could never find an opportunity. Shi Kui and the others wouldn’t let me leave. When I found you, I saw a chance to turn things around, so I decided to take the risk.”

A’Li continued writing her true thought process. “I figured that even if you were a bad person, I’d have saved your life, so you still probably wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Su Yi nodded. This was perfectly normal.

Kindness didn’t mean someone was stupid. It was perfectly reasonable that A’Li would take such things into consideration.

Su Yi’s gaze was rife with meaning. “A’Li, this was, perhaps, a stroke of fate. Later, I’ll help you speak again, and I’ll help you realize your ambitions, too.”

A’Li was stunned, but she still didn’t realize the weight of Su Yi's promise.

In the years that followed, when she looked back on her life, this conversation with Su Yi in the cramped cave outside Cloud Stream Village was the most unforgettable moment of all. Every word Su Yi spoke had been carved into her heart, and even years later, she remembered this conversation like it was yesterday. She’d never dare to forget.

……

Late at night, Village Headman Meng Qi came calling. He brought with him a dozen types of medicinal herbs in a wooden box.

The most precious was a Seven-Leaved Blood Poria.

When A’Li saw these spirit medicines, she was unwittingly stunned.

To the best of her knowledge, that Seven-Leaved Blood Poria was the village headman’s treasure, an heirloom passed down over generations. Under ordinary circumstances, he would never have given it away.

Meng Qi said respectfully, “Senior, this is a token of my respect. Please accept it.”

Su Yi just glanced at the medicine and said, “I killed three villagers, and I don’t plan to cause any further trouble, yet here you are, delivering medicine in the night. What are you after?”

Before Meng Qi could say anything, Su Yi warned, “I’ve never liked idle pleasantries or beating around the bush. I want to hear the truth.”

The pressure emanating from him was almost suffocating!

Meng Qi’s expression shifted erratically until finally, he bowed low at the waist. “Senior, you’re quite perceptive, so I’ll speak directly. In half a month, the Purple Cloud Sect will send an emissary to collect tribute, but the past year’s harvest was unusually poor. Even if we empty out our coffers, we won't be able to gather enough…”

Before he could finish, Su Yi interrupted, “You want me to help you?”

Meng Qi said hurriedly, “Senior, you’re a cultivator too. It would be wonderful if you could talk to the emissary and ask him to exempt the village from this year’s tribute.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. “And what happens if you don’t pay your tribute?”

Meng Qi said bitterly, “At best, they’ll raid our homes. At worst, they’ll kill us. Several villages near Southern Wilds Mountain were destroyed after failing to pay tribute.”

Su Yi nodded in understanding. Such situations were commonplace in the world of cultivation.

Sects oversaw their own territories, like local tyrants. The lesser factions within their territories all had to pay tribute.

Cloud Stream Village was at the foot of Southern Wilds Mountain, within the Purple Cloud Sect’s territory. They had to pay the sect an annual tribute.

This tribute consisted primarily of medicinal herbs, ore, and other such treasures.

In exchange for offering tribute, they received the sect’s protection. It was much like making offers to a god. When you worshiped a deity, it was only natural to burn paper money in tribute as an expression of sincerity.

“And what would you have done if I hadn’t shown up?” asked Su Yi.

Meng Qi’s heart clenched, and he said bleakly, “I’ve been racking my brains for an answer to that very question. I can’t even eat or sleep in peace. After all that thought, the only solution I can think of is to go bankrupt satisfying the Purple Cloud Sect’s demands.”

“I understand,” said Su Yi. “Is there anything else?”

This was a clear request to leave. Meng Qi considerately refrained from making further conversation. Instead, he ordered A’Li, “Lass, take good care of this senior. If you need anything, come find me.”

With that, he turned to leave.

A’Li hesitated, then wrote, “Big Brother Su, will you help Cloud Stream Village?”

Su Yi asked right back, “If it were you, would you help them?”

A’Li didn’t even hesitate. “I would!”

A moment later, she continued, “Over the years, the villagers looked after my grandfather and me. He said that it was largely thanks to Meng Qi that my sister left with that immortal, too.”

Su Yi smiled. “No need to tell me all that. It was enough to tell you wanted to help them. Knowing that, I naturally won’t remain a bystander.”

A’Li froze, stunned. A moment later, her phoenix eyes lit up, and she nodded. A massive weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders.

She then re-applied Su Yi’s medicines, just as gently as she had over the past few days. When night fell, she stayed in the cave at the foot of the mountain.

Everything that had happened today made it so that she dared not return to the village. She felt safest staying with Su Yi.

Su Yi watched her sleep, then gently covered her in the bearskin.

Meanwhile, he sat cross-legged, took the medicines Meng Qi had delivered, and started meditating to treat his wounds.

The stars shone outside the cave, illuminating the hazy night sky. The silence was interspersed with the occasional roaring of wild beasts.

As Su Yi took all of this in, he couldn’t help but recall his time as the live-in son-in-law of Guangling City’s Wen Family.

Here in this cave, there was none of the bloodshed and intrigue of the path of cultivation. Instead, he found tranquility, a return to simplicity.

It was much like how a divine dragon could grow to enormous sizes and soar freely through the heavens, or shrink and hide itself amidst the minute and mundane. People could look directly at it without realizing what it really was!

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