Pei Su entered the Peach Blossom Land once again. But this time, he did not enter Nirvanic Obscurity. Instead, he let his aura be exposed, flying all the way to the side of the bamboo house.
Before long, the old woman appeared before Pei Su.
She pointed a finger, staring at Pei Su's face. Seemingly recognizing something, she swallowed the angry rebuke on the tip of her tongue, her pupils trembling slightly.
But the armored soldiers beside her lacked such perception. Seeing Pei Su's brazen aura, they roared in anger:
"Who are you! We just sent one off, and now another scoundrel shows up!"
"Exactly, this is absurd! I say we should change our concealment formation again!"
"Another junior disturbing our peace, and several times more arrogant than the last one!"
"..."
Faced with Pei Su's sudden arrival, everyone was furious and berated him.
Their Die Meng Valley was a place of such tranquility, yet it was disturbed time and again by outsiders. Even the most good-tempered person would be angered.
"Shut up!"
Everyone subconsciously started to retort, but the words caught in their throats.
For they suddenly realized the one who had spoken was not the outsider, but—
The elder they all respected, the old woman standing before them, Senior Ling Yao!
"Spirit Granny...?"
Someone called out timidly, as if asking, "Spirit Granny, did you misspeak?"
All eyes gathered on the old woman's face, only to see her expression growing worse and worse.
And the young man opposite them still watched the crowd with a faint, unreadable smile, not saying a word.
"Heh, the Heir of Northern Marquis has paid a sudden visit. Forgive this old woman for my poor hospitality."
The old woman's voice was heavy, betraying no hint of pleasure or anger.
But to the ears of the indignant youths of the valley, it was nothing short of a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
The... the Heir of Northern Marquis!
The person who had suddenly barged into their valley was the Heir of Northern Marquis?!
In an instant, everyone fell silent, even trembling slightly as they recalled their insolent words.
The world today... belonged to the Great Jin.
The Pei Sect was the most powerful and prestigious sect in the Great Jin, while they were merely remnants of a fallen dynasty in exile. The two were not on the same level at all.
"Your Excellency need not be so tense."
"The Pei Family is too powerful. This old woman has no choice but to be tense."
Pei Su smiled. "Granny, you exaggerate. Centuries ago, my elders and your ancestors shared the bond of ruler and subject. Why must we be at daggers drawn?"
During the Great Xia Dynasty, the Pei Family had also been a great sect in the Imperial Court, with disciples and former officials throughout the government. The head of the Pei Family during that era had nearly become a prime minister and been enfeoffed as a king in the Xia Dynasty. This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
Seeing Pei Su's gentle voice and calm expression, many of the youths in the valley secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
From the looks of it, the Heir of Northern Marquis probably wouldn't report them to the Imperial Court.
If Pei Su hadn't brought it up himself, they would have almost forgotten that they were imperial relatives of a former dynasty. Centuries ago, the Pei Sect had been the subjects, and they, the rulers.
Only the old woman's expression remained grave, not relaxing in the slightest.
"I wonder, for what reason has the Heir come here?"
"It's strange, really," Pei Su said, frowning. "I was apprehending a suspect of the Imperial Court earlier, but I was careless for a moment and let him escape into this place, heavily wounded. A few hours later, I saw him again, and he was full of life and vigor..."
With every word Pei Su spoke, the faces of those present grew a shade paler.
How could they not know that the person Pei Su spoke of was the heavily wounded young man from before?
They had been terrified when they learned it was the Heir of Northern Marquis who had wounded him, but they never thought he would arrive so quickly!
Pei Su scanned the crowd but did not see the figure he was looking for.
"Don't be nervous, everyone. I just want to know which kind and lovely soul healed that suspect, who should have died, and made him all hale and hearty again."
Although Pei Su was still smiling, as affable as a neighbor making small talk.
But the faces of the valley's youths were already deathly pale.
One of the young men steeled himself, took two steps forward, and said with his head bowed:
"Heir, please calm your anger. When we treated him, we didn't know his identity. Her Highness only saw..."
"Jiang Xiao."
The young man's voice was suddenly cut off by the old woman.
Her expression was as somber as ever, her gaze falling lightly on the youth named Jiang Xiao.
"Since you cannot distinguish right from wrong and treated the Imperial Court suspect apprehended by the Heir, you will atone for your crime to the Heir."
As her words fell, a dead silence descended upon the scene.
The young man named Jiang Xiao stared blankly at the old woman, took two steps back, and his lips trembled.
"I... I..."
At that moment, all eyes were gathered on him, each gaze filled with a different emotion.
He glanced around, and his eyes met Pei Su's.
In that instant, Jiang Xiao's vision went black. A chill ran through his limbs, as if a jackal were tearing at his heart.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Around him were his many silent friends and family; above him sat the Spirit Granny he respected and loved.
Finally, he spoke in a trembling voice—
"This lowly one was momentarily foolish... and saved the... Imperial Court suspect. I beg the Heir... for forgiveness..."
Pei Su: "Was it you who saved him?"
"Old Wu, kill him."
The moment the words were spoken, a black shadow shot out from behind Pei Su, appearing before the young man in an instant, a palm thrusting forward.
At that very moment, a young woman's voice rang out from the distance—
"Stop!"
Unfortunately, to Old Wu, an outsider's voice was no different from the whistling of the wind; it could not make him pause for even half a breath.
His hand pierced straight through the young man's chest. Then, with a backward leap, he vanished into the darkness again.
The young man grunted twice and fell to the ground, but the focus of the entire crowd shifted to the girl running towards them from the distance.
The old woman's face changed drastically. Heedless of propriety and status, she shouted—
"Go back! Who told you to come here!"
But the girl did not stop. She walked numbly past the crowd, her gaze fixed on the clansman who had died because of her, a tidal wave of grief suddenly rising in her heart.
Her face was pure and exquisitely beautiful, her lashes like butterfly wings, her eyes like stars, now slowly misting over. The sense of brokenness was like that of a young butterfly with a broken wing; any ordinary person seeing her would feel nothing but endless sympathy.
Behind her, two panicked-looking maids were chasing after her.
"Spirit Granny, we... we couldn't stop Her Highness."
The old woman's expression grew even uglier. Her body twitched, as if she wanted to make a move.
But looking at the black shadow behind Pei Su, she suppressed the impulse and could only watch as the girl passed the crowd and came to stand before Pei Su.
"Why..."
*Why did you kill him...*
The girl's gaze shifted from the dying young man to Pei Su. She choked back a sob, questioning him weakly and timidly, like the gentlest, purest lamb in a flock.
However, Pei Su's immunity to beautiful women was top-tier. He merely gave her a faint glance.
"He saved a suspect of the Imperial Court and aided his escape. That alone is a capital crime."
"No... it wasn't!"
The girl kept shaking her head, tears falling from her almond-shaped eyes, making it unclear if she felt guilt or grief.
"He wasn't the one who saved him... I was. You've wronged an innocent man, you've killed the wrong person..."
As the girl's voice fell, the expressions of many people in the crowd changed.
The old woman let out a low cry: "Your Highness..."
The girl suddenly turned her head to look at the old woman, suppressing a sob as she said—
"Spirit Granny, it is true that I am a princess of the Jiang Clan, but even a prince who breaks the law is judged the same as a commoner. How can I let another take the blame for my mistake? I beg for your forgiveness, Spirit Granny."
Then, the girl turned her head again to look straight into Pei Su's eyes. There were still tears in them, but her small face was filled more with stubbornness.
"Heir of Northern Marquis, do not... vent your anger on my people any longer. I was the one who saved him. If you wish to punish someone, then punish me."