First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 874: The Proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower

Two days later, at twilight.

Outside the towering, majestic gates of Tianya City.

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the ancient city walls in the distance. He couldn’t help but recall a certain delicate figure.

Her eyebrows were curved, and she wore a lotus crown and a crane coat. She carried a lotus-shaped lantern, and she stood alone amidst the darkness, but not even that could disguise her peerless beauty.

A little while later, Su Yi shook his head.

“Fellow Daoist, when do you plan to visit our clan?” Ye Tianqu couldn’t help but ask.

“When the time is right,” Su Yi said casually.

The curtains would open on the Ghost Serpents’ grand conference in just ten days. Su Yi planned to use the days before the conference to gather information, then decide the right time to visit the Ghost Serpents.

“When you go back, you’d best be careful,” warned Su Yi.

Ye Tianqu smiled. “To the Ghost Serpents, killing fellow clansmen is a taboo. So long I’m within Tianya City, no one will dare harm me.”

“They can’t kill you, but they can declare you a criminal and imprison you,” Su Yi said calmly.

Ye Tianqu’s gaze focused. He took a deep breath, then said, “Even if they lock me up, there’s no way I’ll support the instatement of a new clan leader!”

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “I plan to stay in Auspicious Cloud Tower for the next few days. If you run into trouble, you can come looking for me.”

Ye Tianqu had entrusted him, a stranger, with their Ancestral Jade Seal. That was a show of trust. Su Yi naturally couldn’t let him down.

Having finished speaking, Su Yi proceeded into the city. His tall, upright figure quickly disappeared into the crowd.

“Your Excellency… are you really at ease entrusting that Young Lord Su with our Ancestral Jade Seal?” Tu Yong said in a low voice.

After a moment’s silence, Ye Tianqu asked right back, “Without Fellow Daoist Su, would we have made it to Tianya City alive?”

Tu Yong froze, but before he could answer, Ye Tianqu was already walking toward the gates.

…

The western district of Tianya City.

Auspicious Cloud Tower was an inn. It had established itself in Tianya City a long, long time ago.

Rumor had it that one of the proprietor's ancestors was an extraordinary sword cultivator of all-encompassing skill. This expert was rumored to have slain numerous yao, demons, ghosts, and monsters.

Whether or not the rumors were true, Auspicious Cloud Tower really was an extremely ancient inn.

So ancient that not even the city's old-timers could recall when it had been built.

Auspicious Cloud Tower was currently considered the safest inn in the whole city.

Even if someone caused an enormous disaster, so long as they passed through the inn’s door and checked into a guest room, they had no need to fear any sort of danger.

Once, an arrogant, aggressive yao cultivator provoked the Ghost Serpents, and he was wanted throughout the city. However, when he checked into Auspicious Cloud Tower, the Ghost Serpents’ forces had no choice but to retreat.

However, in the end, they still arrested the yao cultivator in question.

The reason was simple: Auspicious Cloud Tower’s guest rooms were too expensive!

Thus, after hiding in Auspicious Cloud Tower for just two weeks, he could no longer afford his room, and the proprietor kicked him out…

The cost of the inn’s rooms was unpredictable. When the proprietor was in a good mood, he wouldn’t accept even a single coin. When he was in a bad mood, he’d demand an exorbitant price!

Of course, even under ordinary circumstances, not just any cultivator could afford to stay here.

This was because generally, even the most typical rooms were eight hundred eighty-eight tier-eight spirit stones a night!

A price like that was enough to make even a wealthy Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator wince.

Thus, over the years, Auspicious Cloud Tower’s business had been slow.

Night was fast approaching, and the lamps were freshly lit.

The innkeeper sat behind the counter, holding a jug of wine and taking sip after sip. He had a medium build, and he was dressed in worn gray cloth robes. His features were thin and bore the mark of countless years, while his gaze was expressionless.

The lobby was spacious, but there were only two guests seated there: a young woman and a middle-aged man. Both were lavishly dressed; one look, and it was obvious that their backgrounds were extraordinary.

The middle-aged man hesitated, then gnashed his teeth and walked up to the counter.

His expression was solemn and respectful as he faced the proprietor and clasped his fist. “Elder Ye Zishan of the main lineage of the Ghost Serpents greets you, Senior.”

The boss just sat there calmly. His eyelids didn’t so much as twitch. “If this is about your clan’s troubles, don’t even say it.”

His voice was flat, without even the slightest ripple of emotion.

Ye Zishan’s expression shifted, but he nonetheless steeled himself and said, “Senior, even if it displeases you, I’d still like to request your assistance. Please, help us!”

The proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower frowned, then took a sip of wine. “This is an internal matter. It’s not like you’ve been invaded by external foes; you ought to deal with this yourselves.”

Ye Zishan’s expression shifted, and he said bitterly, “Senior, you perhaps don’t know this, but our Third High Elder has already allied with one of Pi Mo’s disciples, Jiang Yingliu. On the fifteenth, they plan to select a new clan leader. If they get away with it, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

“Pi Mo’s disciple…” the proprietor muttered to himself.

A little while later, he shook his head. “I said it already. I won’t get involved.”

His tone was cold and forceful.

“Sorry for disturbing you, Senior. Ye Zishan said, his tone forced. His expression was bleak, as if he’d suddenly lost his vitality.

With that, he returned to his seat and had a hushed conversation with the young woman accompanying him.

Before long, she too looked dejected.

Suddenly, the proprietor’s eyes flashed with cold light. “Who told you to ask for my help?”

The young woman immediately rose to her feet and said, “When I was young, I heard one of our ancestors say that you were a reclusive expert with immensely powerful abilities, and furthermore, that you had an extraordinary connection to our clan. That’s why I took it upon myself to invite my uncle and pay you a visit in hopes of obtaining your aid, Senior.”

The young woman wore skirts as dark as ink, and her features were clear and extraordinary. She had an upright, prideworthy figure, and her every movement was elegant.

However, the tinge of worry on her brow wouldn’t go away.

“Which ancestor are you referring to?” asked the proprietor.

The young woman in the ink-colored skirt took a deep breath, then said, “Her name is Ye Yu, but she’s known as the Falling Feather Spirit Empress!”

A nigh imperceptible daze flitted through the proprietor’s inferent eyes.

Then, he said coolly, “Your ancestor won’t die, so just wait until she gets back. When she does, she’ll naturally be able to quell the consequences of this upheaval.”

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The young woman in the ink-black skirt froze, then said frantically, “But according to the clan rules, if we select a new leader, the ancestor won’t be able to do anything about it even if she returns!”

The young woman paused, then continued, “Furthermore, I suspect that there’s a conspiracy going on behind the scenes. The third high elder and Jiang Yingliu are obviously plotting something. If it leads to unpredictable disaster, it’ll be too late to fix anything.”

However, the proprietor wasn’t moved in the slightest. He just said flatly, “If you have no other business here, you should leave.”

With that, he raised his jug and silently took a sip of wine.

When she saw this, the young woman was briefly stunned. Then, she slumped despondently.

Ye Zishan couldn’t help but sigh.

The main lineage of the Ghost Serpents was in a completely passive position.

He dared say with certainty that, when the great conference began on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the forces of the main lineage wouldn’t be able to prevent the inauguration of a new clan leader!

All of a sudden, the atmosphere was oppressive.

But then, a young man in blue robes walked inside.

His hands were behind his back, and his bearing was relaxed and casual. He swept his gaze across the proprietor, then at Ye Zishan and the young woman in the ink-black skirt.

Then, he walked right over. “Ye Ye is your family’s ancestor?”

A young stranger had called Ye Yu directly by name. Both Ye Zishan and the young woman frowned.

“Let’s go, Uncle.” The young woman paid Su Yi no heed. She rose and started to leave.

“Alright.” Ye Zishan got up too.

Su Yi laughed, thinking nothing of it. “Answer a few of my questions, and I might well be able to help you resolve your troubles.”

This declaration left both Ghost Serpents stunned.

Behind the counter, even the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower couldn’t help but look at Su Yi. However, a moment later, he shook his head and retracted his gaze.

A mere Spiritual Revolution cultivator? No matter what he was up to, it would be difficult for him to interest someone as old and powerful as the proprietor.

“You?” the young woman in the ink-colored skirt said skeptically.

Ye Zishan snorted coldly. “Young man, not even an Emperor would dare boast like that. Please, don’t overestimate yourself!”

A young stranger had said suddenly proclaimed that he could resolve the Ghost Serpents’ imminent internal conflict? No matter how they looked at it, Su Yi seemed like a child ignorant of the height of the heavens or the depths of the earth.

But after a moment’s thought, Su Yi just said, “It’s entirely reasonable for you to doubt me. Wait a moment.”

He then turned and walked up to the counter.

Ye Zishan furrowed his brow, uncertain of what the young man in blue was up to. He transmitted, "Ruoxi, wait a moment. Let’s see what he does.”

The young woman transmitted back, “Uncle, it seems to me that that guy’s just insane. Why pay him any heed?”

Ye Zishan’s eyes flashed. “Let’s just watch a while longer.”

The young woman nodded unwillingly.

Behind the counter, the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower took a sip of wine. Without so much as looking at Su Yi, he said indifferently, “Little fellow, if you’re here to check in, take out your money. If not, get out of here as soon as possible. I’m in a bad mood, and if you piss me off, don’t blame me for kicking you out.”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. He picked the wine jug off the countertop and sniffed it before saying, “Old Butcher, most debts, you repay with money. But what if you owe someone your life?”

To the two Ghost Serpents, this sentence seemed entirely nonsensical, but the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower felt as if a familiar thunderclap had resounded through his heart for the first time in countless years.

His cold, indifferent eyes flashed with imposing light, and he stared intently at Su Yi. He said nothing.

Prior to this, the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower had seemed as if he’d remain calm even if heaven and earth crumbled around him, as steady as a boulder after countless years of tempering. He was cold and steady, and attached little importance to anything.

But now, he’d obviously lost his composure!

Ye Zishan and the young woman in the ink-black skirt took all of this in. Both were unwittingly stunned, and they felt that something wasn’t quite right here.

Old Butcher?

Why would that young man refer to the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Inn like that?

And what… exactly did he mean by that? How did two sentences make such a terrifying hidden expert lose his calm?

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