Qingxi Village, in Su Yu’s old house.

Pushing open the slightly mottled wooden door, what greeted him was not the desolate, dilapidated scene Su Yu had expected.

The bluestone slabs in the courtyard were washed spotless, with not a single weed left in the cracks between them.

The stone mill in the corner was polished to a shine. Strings of dried chili peppers and corn cobs hung from the eaves, swaying gently in the breeze, exuding a long-missed, lived-in warmth, as if the master had never left.

"Uncle Wang, you’ve been too thoughtful."

Su Yu ran a finger along the windowsill and found not a speck of dust.

"Lord Su, this is hardly my doing. Ever since word of your fame in Black Stone City reached us, the villagers have been fighting over who gets to clean the place. Forget our local villages; even the wealthy families from the next town over wish they could come to this courtyard just to soak up some of your good fortune. If not for the fear of disturbing the peace, those people would have even wanted to set up a longevity tablet to worship you."

Su Yu gave a helpless smile.

He was reminded of his past life, where after someone achieved great academic or professional success and became famous, people would actually go to burn incense for them. The thought made him feel more at ease.

It seemed human nature was the same everywhere.

"As for the matter of the bandits, is there any news?"

Turning to business, Wang Yuechi’s expression immediately grew serious. "Lord Su, the information is confirmed. That band of marauders has occupied a derelict stronghold on the Black Water Riverbank, the Black Water Stronghold. It was originally a den for Water Bandits. It was left vacant for some time after they were wiped out, but now this group has taken it over."

"Mm," Su Yu nodded slightly.

’Wang Yuechi is certainly reliable,’ Su Yu thought. ’He’s saved me a lot of time.’

"Besides the marauders, has there been anything else unusual around the villages and towns lately?" Su Yu asked casually.

Wang Yuechi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lord Su, I’m not sure if this counts as unusual. A while ago, Wang Family Village and several of the surrounding villages all sealed themselves off, as if by prior agreement."

"Sealed off? How long ago was that?"

Wang Yuechi considered for a moment. "About a month now. But they still send people to Qingxi Market to buy supplies. I heard they sealed the villages for spring planting, so it’s not that strange."

Su Yu nodded. Since the Public Security Bureau began maintaining order outside the city, constantly clearing out aberrations and marauders, the areas beyond the walls had become much more stable.

Later, the Li Family, one of the three great families, distributed seeds for the spring planting. It wasn’t odd for some villages to seal themselves off to focus on farming.

"I understand. I’ll send someone to look into it later." Su Yu didn’t press the issue. The urgent matter was dealing with the marauders at hand.

"By the way, once things have settled down here, you should go to the Su Mansion and see Wang Qu. The boy is something of a scholar now; he’s made a lot of progress."

At the mention of his son, a joyful light instantly appeared in Wang Yuechi’s eyes. He hadn’t seen his son in over half a year and missed him dearly.

"Thank you for cultivating him, Lord Su!"

...

「Half an hour later, at the Black Water Stronghold.」

Under the spring sun, the snort of a Black-scaled Horse shattered the silence.

Su Yu reined in his horse, looking down from his high vantage point.

Ahead lay a treacherous stronghold, nestled by a mountain and built along the water.

The gate, two zhang high, was made of a palisade of sharpened logs. A few desiccated animal carcasses hung from it, emitting a nauseating, rank stench.

Behind the stronghold was the surging Black Water River, its murky waves crashing against the cliffs with a thunderous roar.

Su Yu, whose Five Senses were Divine, observed carefully and quickly assessed the situation in the Black Water Stronghold.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. ’Just as I thought,’ he said to himself.

"Song Mirror, follow me and kill our way in!"

Su Yu dug his heels into his horse’s flanks. The magnificent Black-scaled Horse beneath him let out a ferocious neigh. It was a warhorse with the blood of an Exotic Beast, possessing astonishing explosive power.

Its hooves flew, and like a black bolt of lightning, it charged toward the gate. Facing a cheval de frise taller than a man, it kicked off with its hind legs, its massive body soaring into the air. With a BOOM, it leaped over the stronghold wall and landed heavily in the central clearing, kicking up a cloud of dust!

"Who’s there? How dare you barge into my Black Water Stronghold! You’re courting death!"

Following the furious roar, the marauders inside the stronghold were startled and rushed out, grabbing their weapons.

The leader was a burly man with a face full of fierce flesh. A hideous scar ran from the corner of his left eye to the corner of his mouth. He carried a heavy Ghost Head Saber and radiated a murderous aura.

"Surround him! Kill this bastard who doesn’t know what’s good for him!"

The scar-faced leader roared, ordering a dozen of his men to surround Su Yu at the gate.

"Protect the Lord! Kill them!"

Outside the stronghold gate, Song Mirror roared, cleaving the gate’s wooden bolt in two with a single strike. He then led a dozen Security Guards in a ferocious charge, like a pack of wolves.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of colliding weapons instantly echoed through the stronghold.

Although the marauders were fierce, facing the well-trained Security Guards led by Song Mirror—who was at the First Acupoint level—they were quickly outmatched.

Within a few rounds, the Security Guards had already killed several of the bandits.

Seeing his men being pushed back, the bandit leader bellowed, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

His Ghost Head Saber whipped up a vicious gust of wind as he charged directly at Song Mirror. "You dare kill my men? I’ll chop you to pieces!"

"Sweeping Thousand Armies!"

The strike was powerful and heavy. Song Mirror didn’t dare to block it head-on, sidestepping and countering with an upward slash aimed at Yin Zhao’s abdomen.

The two exchanged more than a dozen blows in an instant.

The scar-faced man couldn’t break through after a long assault, but nearly half of his dozen men were already dead or injured, and his forces were on the verge of collapse.

"This one’s tough! Let’s get out of here!"

He suddenly shouted, forced Song Mirror back with a slash, and turned to flee toward the stronghold gate.

At the entrance, Su Yu had dismounted and was blocking the way!

"Don’t let them escape!" Song Mirror bellowed, chasing after the scar-faced man.

Behind him, the remaining five or six bandits tried to flee, but they were easily surrounded by the well-trained and coordinated Security Guards. Not a single one was allowed to escape.

"Get out of my way!"

The scar-faced man roared, his expression frantic. If Su Yu stopped him, he would be pincered by Song Mirror from behind, and his death would be certain.

Su Yu’s expression remained unchanged. He simply lowered his center of gravity slightly, took a step forward with his right foot, and placed one hand on the scabbard at his waist and the other on the hilt of his blade.

"Idiot! You dare try to stop me alone?"

Seeing Su Yu continue to block the gate, the scar-faced man cursed. The Qi and Blood of a First Acupoint martial artist surged into his arms as he raised his great saber and swung it down at Su Yu.

Behind them, Song Mirror saw the scar-faced man hack toward Su Yu with a vicious grin and shook his head mockingly.

’Lord Su is a genius at Third Acupoint Perfection,’ he thought. ’This scar-faced man must have a death wish!’

The Ghost Head Saber whistled down. Just as it was a mere three zhang from Su Yu, a shocking change occurred!

CRACK!

A sharp crack, like a bone snapping, suddenly rang out. The aura around the scar-faced man abruptly transformed. One moment, it was merely the Qi and Blood of the First Acupoint level; the next, it erupted violently, shattering the limits of the Skin Tempering Realm and reaching the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm!

’Die, Su Yu!’

A trace of triumph and cruelty flashed in the scar-faced man’s eyes. ’Haha, you didn’t expect me to be a master at the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, did you?’

This man was none other than the Huyan Family’s Tributor, Yin Zhao!

He had always been sinister and cunning. Despite already being a master at the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, he had disguised himself as a marauder, waiting for Su Yu to walk right into his trap!

To prevent Su Yu from escaping, he had maintained his disguise until the very last moment, determined to land a fatal blow!

Flesh Refining Realm!

Behind them, Song Mirror was struck with absolute horror.

’This is bad!’

’We’ve walked into a trap!’

’This man is in the Flesh Refining Realm! His disguise was a ploy to kill Lord Su!’

"Lord Su, be careful!"

He thrust his long saber forward with all his might. His only thought was that if he could just land a single blow on the scar-faced man, it might help Lord Su.

’Just one moment, and Lord Su might have a chance to escape!’

The scar-faced man’s sudden transformation was too abrupt. The dozen or so Security Guards, all at the apprentice realm, couldn’t react in time. Faced with such an overwhelming aura, they felt their own Qi and Blood being suppressed, their movements slowing for a fraction of a second.

They could only watch the shocking turn of events in despair, a sinking feeling in their hearts that they were all doomed.

However, faced with this sudden, lethal strike, Su Yu showed no sign of panic. He didn’t even bat an eyelid.

In his deep eyes, there was only a calm indifference, as if he could see through everything.

His right hand suddenly tightened its grip on the hilt.

The vast Qi and Blood within him surged like a mighty river, and the saber-qi of the Demon-subduing Saber hummed as it gathered in his scabbard.

"Ape Arm Star-Picking."

Su Yu whispered.