Soaring the Heavens

Since he was here just to have a cup of tea, that was exactly what he did. Miao Yi soon attempted to excuse himself, "I told my friends that I won't be long. I should get going now!"

Qin Weiwei ordered Hong Mian and Lu Liu to bring the mounts over. After which, the three women proceeded to send off Miao Yi and his subordinates. And since they had even brought the dragon steeds out for them, they naturally wouldn't just stop at the mountain gates.

Miao Yi told Qin Weiwei that it was far enough, but the latter was adamant in sending him all the way out, saying, "All who come here are my guests. Since you and I are friends, that makes your friends my friends too. And since they're already at my doorstep, I naturally need to show my face!"

The group continued out the gates of Mount Calming Sea, riding on their dragon steeds through the nearby forest, eventually coming to a stop at the entrance of a major road. More than twenty riders soon showed up from the surrounding forest.

Qin Weiwei didn't think that Miao Yi's friends would turn out to be Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei. She'd met the two of them before back at Mount Calming Sea. She immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Safe travels!"

"Take care!"

Miao Yi didn't say anything much and simply smiled as he cupped his fists towards Qin Weiwei, bidding farewell. He then led the rest of his group to a charge, resuming their journey!

Qin Weiwei brought her own mount to gallop up the top of a nearby mountain.

The surrounding mountains were lonely and desolate, and standing at the peak was a girl, her white dress fluttering like a daisy flower in the wind. Her face was of astounding beauty, but as she gazed towards the distance, her expression was forlorn and downcast. The person that had risked his life to save her, protected her in his embrace, was now gone, off to a faraway place!

Hong Mian and Lu Liu stood quietly behind her.

"He's really changed ever since he came back from the Sea of Constellations. His whole aura seems different now. Even the people accompanying him are Manor Heads. I still remember the time back in Transient Light Cave when he was beaten to a pulp by the young miss. Who would've thought that he'd become a person equal in status to the Manor Head after a few short decades? His position now is even higher than the young miss. Talk about a speedy promotion! If one day his position becomes even higher than the Manor Head's, maybe…" Lu Liu stopped and sighed.

Hong Mian sighed as well, "Traversing Water Palace, huh? That's really far! There are quite a few Palaces between that place and our Traversing Moon Palace. And I think Raincloud Manor is almost at the border of the Boundless Nation itself. Even if we were to ride nonstop on our dragon steeds, it would take at least half a month to go that far. Who would possibly make such a trip without a viable reason? I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to meet again in the future."

The two girls glanced at the lonely figure seated atop the dragon steed in front of them, then looked back at each other and sighed…

Traversing Water Palace, Suppressing Tenth Hall.

Once again, more than twenty riders galloped through the wind and rain, sheltered by the blazing sun and the starry night sky, trekking over mountains and rivers, only stopping to rest once every five days.

Halfway through the journey, a spirit eagle from the capital city came and landed on top of Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu proceeded to take out the jade archive tucked away in the small tube by the spirit eagle's feet and handed it over to Miao Yi.

After Miao Yi read through the document, he passed it to Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei so that they could make their own copies. Naturally, the jade archive came from Lin Pingping, containing information regarding the situation in Traversing Water Palace and its Suppressing Tenth Hall, all gathered with the help of Luo Ping, of course.

There were no two ways about it. The place was indeed much too far this time, to the point that none of Miao Yi's acquaintances had any idea what it was like down there. He didn't even know what kind of person the Hall Master of Suppressing Tenth Hall was like, much less the other Manor Heads that he would soon be working with. Miao Yi couldn't just sit like a helpless duck before this pitch black road before him.

That said, during his time in the capital city, Miao Yi didn't inform Luo Ping beforehand that he would be coming here, causing the latter some difficulty in fulfilling his request on such short notice. All Luo Ping could do was gather as much information as he could after Miao Yi had left. It was only now that he'd managed to send the documents over.

Miao Yi then wrote a reply to Lin Pingping, and after feeding the spirit eagle, Yan Xiu placed the jade archive into the hollow cylinder by its legs, then sent it off.

"Suppressing Tenth Hall Master Shen Huaixin! Tsk tsk! A cultivator at the Red Lotus Seventh Grade!" After reading Lin Pingping's letter, Sikong Wuwei clicked his tongue a few times, then chuckled and remarked, "It seems that Brother Luo can be rather useful in this aspect as well. Zhao Fei, since we're not short of money anyway, it looks like we should also begin cultivating some people of our own in the capital city. Things will be a lot easier with someone like Lin Pingping working for us there."

Zhao Fei nodded in full agreement!

After traveling on horseback for almost an entire month, the party finally entered Suppressing Tenth Hall territory.

As none of them had been there before, no one knew the directions at all. Amidst the thundering hoofbeats of the dragon steeds, Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei each held a map as they led the way ahead.

Soon, they reached a fork in the road, the path to the side leading up towards the mountain. Zhao Fei confidently pointed to said path, and the rest of the party hastily followed, their mounts making such an abrupt turn that they were almost skidding across the ground. Their balance was quickly regained, and without a drop in momentum, rushed up the mountain path.

The birds that soared overhead and the beasts that hid amongst the shrubbery cast cautious gazes as the party charged their way into the mountain depths.

The surrounding forest was full of greenery; vines dangled from the trees and a rich assortment of flowers and plants blanketed the landscape, accompanied by the rushing torrent of waterfalls. The path was heavily uneven, but under the powerful legs of the dragon steeds, a towering mountain soon came into view, upon which sat a colossal structure.

As the party made their way to the mountain gates, two men suddenly appeared before them with hands raised, asking in a cold, commanding tone, "Who goes there?!"

Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei raised their hands and called for their men to stop. Heeding their lords' order, the rest of the party immediately came to a halt just in front of the mountain gates.

"Zhao Fei! Miao Yi! Sikong Wuwei!" The trio reported their names, then Sikong Wuwei announced, in his gruff voice, "By the orders of the Traversing Water Palace Lord, we have come to Suppressing Tenth Hall to take up our new posts!"

The two gatekeepers looked at each other. They had already received news from Traversing Water Palace that there would be three Subjugation Crusade survivors coming here to their Suppressing Tenth Hall. Because of this, they had to free up three Manor Head positions, which, unsurprisingly, caused quite the commotion over the past few weeks.

The Manor Heads of Thousand Lake Manor, Raincloud Manor, and Mulberry Cloud Manor had already received instructions regarding their transferral. As soon as the new Manor Heads arrived, the three of them would have to cede all authority and take up new posts within Suppressing Tenth Hall. Naturally, they would no longer be treated as well as they were before.

To put it lightly, those three Manor Heads were clearly not enthused about the idea. The three of them were unlucky, even for normal standards. This incident had already become a running joke within Suppressing Tenth Hall, and as for those who disliked these three Manor Heads, their stomachs were practically cramping from laughing too hard.

It would still have been acceptable if only one of them came, but for three to swoop down here in one go? This surprise was a little too much!

The people of Suppressing Tenth Hall couldn't help wondering whether these Subjugation Crusade survivors were sick in the head or something. The fact that they could have chosen any territory they pleased within the Fifth Earthly Branch had already become public knowledge at this point. And those three unfortunate Manor Heads never even dreamed that their territories would be chosen. You people could have chosen somewhere even better. Why did you have to come here and make life hard for us? How unlucky must one be to bump into something like this? And for three fellows to appear in one go was even more inconceivable.

However, there was no room for discussion. Even the Traversing Water Palace Lord had to accept this decree, much less her subordinates!

The people who could make it back from the Subjugation Crusade were a symbol of strength to begin with, making it easy to instill a sense of respect in others. And this was true for Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei as well. The three of them commanded an indomitable presence; there wasn't a single shred of uneasiness in their eyes, which was so common among first-time visitors. When the two gatekeepers witnessed the aura coming off of them, the sharpness of their expressions immediately gave way to humility, and one of them hurriedly, but cautiously, approached.

After checking through their official decrees of appointment, the gatekeeper smiled and said, "Please wait for a moment, Manor Heads. I will report this immediately!"

Zhao Fei nodded expressionlessly, and the gatekeeper hastily departed.

After a while, several streaks of light could be seen zooming in from the surrounding mountains and congregating on the palace at the peak of the highest mountain. Soon, the gatekeeper that had left came back and allowed Miao Yi and the others passage into the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Miao Yi's, Zhao Fei's, and Sikong Wuwei's subordinates halted, and only the three of them proceeded up the mountain.

Once they were at the palace gates, the three of them alighted from their steeds. Of the Suppressing Tenth Hall Master Shen Huaixin's two handmaidens—Ru Meng and Ru Huan—Ru Huan was already standing by the palace gates, ready to welcome them. Miao Yi and the others were only able to receive such treatment because it was their first time visiting; it was unlikely that they'd enjoy this same pleasure all the time in the future.

As both parties had already been informed beforehand, Miao Yi and the others immediately cupped their fists and said, "We respectfully greet Little Auntie!"

"Please come in, Manor Heads!" Ru Huan turned and guided Miao Yi and the others inside, heading straight for the assembly hall.

The throne within the hall was still empty, indicating that Hall Master Shen Huaixin had yet to arrive. However, there were nine other people presently waiting to the side. Needless to say, these must be the three Advisors and six Deacons of Suppressing Tenth Hall.

Ru Huan received Miao Yi and the others' decrees of appointment and proceeded to the back of the palace to inform the Hall Master. Meanwhile, the nine people in the hall carefully eyed the three newcomers and acquainted themselves with one another.

Shortly after, Shen Huaixin strode out, accompanied by his two handmaidens.

Garbed in black from head to toe, Shen Huaixin's appearance was rather ordinary for someone of his status. The most prominent feature on his face would probably just be his distinctly crooked nose. As he swept a cold glance past Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei, he sat down on his throne and said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting!"

The twelve people below him immediately bowed and called out in unison, "We respectfully greet the Hall Master!"

"Miao Yi! Zhao Fei! Sikong Wuwei!" Shen Huaixin called out the three newcomers' names, receiving a response from each person as his name was called. Shen Huaixin now knew which one was which, and wouldn't likely mistake them for one another.

These three people simply dropped in too abruptly. Not to mention, Shen Huaixin was also meeting them for the first time, so he didn't have any other choice but to use such a method to figure out who was who. He would end up a laughingstock if he couldn't even differentiate the Manor Heads under his command.

"The three of you have survived the onslaught of 180,000 cultivators that is the Subjugation Crusade, and you are without a doubt, the elites of our Fifth Earthly Branch! However, there is something that I can't quite figure out. You three had the chance to pick a better place, but instead, you all chose to come here to my Suppressing Tenth Hall. Why? Even though I may not be a capable man, I do know my own strengths. Nonetheless, I can't think of a single thing that could have attracted the three of you to this place!" Shen Huaixin was dying to ask this question.

Standing shoulder to shoulder in the center of the hall, Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei exchanged glances with one another. Miao Yi then cupped his fists and replied on everyone's behalf, "If I may, Hall Master, the three of us are loose cultivators by origin, and have no background to speak of. The places that are typically well-regarded tend to have powerful forces working in the background. Even if we force ourselves into them, it is likely that we won't be able to enjoy any of the benefits!"

"Yes, this is a logical reason. Powerful forces do like to stick their fingers in places like those. It is indeed questionable whether or not you would be able to enjoy any of the benefits there. At the very least, establishing your footing will be a relatively arduous task. However, while I do agree that this is a valid reason, I believe it only applies to the two of them. As for you, I think it's a little far-fetched. Wouldn't you say?" Shen Huaixin's expression was cold as he continued, "As far as I know, Hall Master Huo Lingxiao of the Traversing Moon Palace's Suppressing Second Hall is your sworn brother. And you say you don't have a background? I meet up with Huo Lingxiao almost every year whenever I have to accompany the Palace Lord to the capital city to handover the tributes, and we tend to share a drink quite regularly. I guess you can say we're close acquaintances. For you to not work under your sworn brother, and instead come over to my place… this reason just seems a little forced to me!"

The people in the hall exchanged looks of surprise when Shen Huaixin revealed that Miao Yi's sworn brother was actually a Hall Master!

Miao Yi was rather speechless. It seemed this Hall Master had done his homework on them already. Miao Yi cursed inwardly, 'Huo Lingxiao, you bastard. You didn't mention that you were close to this guy. Would it kill you to help me drop a message at least? Fine! You'd better watch your back! I swear, if I get the chance, I'll give you hell!'

"The Hall Master is well-informed. It is precisely because I do not wish to stay under my Big Brother's wing that I decided to go off on my own. Otherwise, why would I have personally asked to take part in the Subjugation Crusade?! Otherwise, I would've surely asked my Big Brother to write you a letter of recommendation for me as well!" At this point, Miao Yi could only grit his teeth and play along. It would do him no good to say that he had a poor relationship with Huo Lingxiao. That two-faced bastard could still be of use to him someday.

"I see! I was wondering why Huo Lingxiao let you join the Subjugation Crusade when he was your sworn brother!" Shen Huaixin nodded in understanding. However, he was no fool, and he continued to probe, "This still doesn't explain why all three of you decided to come to my territory though. It all just feels like a dream to me, and even now, I can't make heads or tails regarding your motives, no matter how hard I think about it!"

Miao Yi thought to himself, 'Why do you need to ask so many questions? The Palace Lord has already given the order. It's not like you can chase us away anyway!'