First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2518 – Su Yi’s Threats

The jade slip contained years of Lu Qingmei’s correspondence with Yi Chen.

Most of it was about the trivialities of day to day life. Some of it was advice regarding Yi Chen’s cultivation or other maternal guidance.

Every line of text was full of a mother’s concern and desire to protect her son.

Yi Chen’s responses urged his mother not to worry about him. This revealed that he worried and cared about her, too.

When Su Yi saw these messages, he couldn’t help but sigh. No matter what else I might say about Lu Qingmei, she’s going all out to protect her son.

But when he saw Lu Qingmei’s last message, his eyes narrowed.

In it, Lu Qingmei said she had important business to attend to. She said that even if a month went by without a message, there was no need for Yi Chen to worry about her.

As for what specifically she was going to do? She made no mention of it at all.

At the tail end of this message, Lu Qingmei said something inexplicable.

“WIth your father there, no matter what happens, I won’t need to worry about your safety. Remember: do as your father says, and don’t come looking for me without permission.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He looked at Yi Chen. “Are you worried that something happened to your mother?”

Yi Chen nodded. “I have a strong premonition that Mother went off to do something dangerous. It’s already been a month and three days since I last heard from her. I… can’t help but feel anxious.”

Su Yi returned the jade slip to Su Yi. “Do you want me to go find your mother?”

Yi Chen took a deep breath and looked at Su Yi. “Could you?”

It had been years since their first meeting, but this was the first time Yi Chen had asked anything of Su Yi. He’d obviously drummed up all his courage for this.

Su Yi fell briefly silent, then said, “Alright.”

Yi Chen instantly felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders. He sighed in relief, and much of the worry on his brow faded. He bowed solemnly. “Thank you… Father.”

Su Yi’s gaze shifted inscrutably. “You needn’t be so reserved going forward, nor are you required to address me as ‘Father.’ Just let nature take its course.”

Yi Chen was briefly stunned. He nodded.

“Go on. Cultivate without fear. I’ll let you know if there’s any news,” said Su Yi before passing a jade slip to Yi Chen from afar.

“What’s this?” asked Yi Chen.

“Some of my insights and revelations regarding cultivating the Dao of the Sword,” Su Yi said casually. “If you run into anything you don’t understand, take note of it for now. Later, I’ll find time to resolve all of your questions, one by one.”

Yi Chen gripped the jade slip, waves of emotion crashing through his heart. He found it hard to calm down.

Some time passed before he put the slip away, bowed solemnly, and bade farewell.

Su Yi rubbed his nose, a hint of exasperation on his face. We’re father and son, but he greets me as a guest would his host. He’s so polite and reserved. Ultimately, there’s no father-son bond between us.

Su Yi drank a sip of wine, took out a talisman, and contacted Qi Wei to ask about Lu Qingmei. In the past, Lu Qingmei had made contact with him through Qi Wei on numerous occasions.

But against Su Yi’s expectations, Qi Wei didn’t know where Lu Qingmei had gone. They hadn’t been in touch in a long time.

He quickly reached a decision. “Do me a favor. Send the Qilin Trading Company’s forces into the world to gather information about Lu Qingmei.”

“Alright.” Qi Wei agreed.

After finishing this, Su Yi couldn’t help but sink into thought.

The Dark Days of Legend would begin in less than seven years. Where could Lu Qingmei have gone at this juncture?

To seek revenge against her master, Gu Huaxian? Or was she just lying low somewhere and preparing for the Dark Days of Legend to arrive?

Yi Chen returned half a month later.

“There’s still no news?”

He’d come to visit Su Yi almost every day over the past two weeks, but every time, he left in disappointment. By now, there was lingering worry on his brow.

Su Yi shook his head slightly. The Qilin Trading Company had branches throughout the God Domain, but investigating a Nine-Tribulation Master Goddess wasn’t easy.

Yi Chen pursed his lips, his eyes dull.

Just as he was about to leave, Su Yi said suddenly, “If anything happens to your mother, I’ll avenge her.”

Yi Chen’s heart shook, and when he responded, his voice was a bit low and hoarse. “I… I don’t want that to happen.”

He turned and left.

Su Yi watched his haggard figure fade away. He couldn’t help but frown.

Over the past two weeks, he hadn’t just asked the Qilin Trading Company to investigate. He’d drawn on some of his other questions, asking many of the old-timers scattered across the God Domain to keep an eye out.

But there were still no leads. It was as if Lu Qingmei had evaporated into thin air. Something was seriously wrong here.

Sometimes, only the person who created a problem can solve it. It seems that if I want to find Lu Qingmei, I’ll have to start with the Ol’ Dipankara, thought Su Yi.

Lu Qingmei’s master, Gu Huaxian, had an extraordinary connection with the Dipankara Buddha. The two of them even had a child together.

If he found the Dipankara Buddha, he’d alert Gu Huaxian by extension.

Gu Huaxian had raised Lu Qingmei from a young age. She, more than anyone else, knew how best to locate Lu Qingmei.

Of course, it was also entirely possible that Gu Huaxian was involved in Lu Qingmei’s disappearance.

Su Yi took out a talisman and sent Qi Wei another message. “Help me send a message into the world. Say that if the Dipankara Buddha doesn’t give me Lu Qingmei, I’ll do everything in my power to crush the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains before the Dark Days of Legend arrive!”

“Got it!”

……

That very day, the Qilin Trading Company spread Su Yi’s message throughout the God Domain, causing a considerable commotion.

The Dipankara Buddha sat beneath the bodhi tree in a hidden realm. His eyelids twitched, and for a moment, he almost suspected he was hearing things. What does Lu Qingmei’s disappearance have to do with me? Su Yi… is simply sick in the head.

The Dipankara Buddha was so angry that he almost laughed.

He’d led everyone in the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains into seclusion. They were no longer involved in worldly affairs.

Who could have anticipated that Su Yi would publicly blame them for Lu Qingmei’s disappearance?

This was more than just unreasonable. It was blatant bullying! As if he thought no one in the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains could stand up to him!

No, wait. The Dipankara Buddha frowned, as if he’d realized something. He promptly called Gu Huaxian, who was hidden here too, over to see him.

“Did you have anything to do with Lu Qingmei’s disappearance?” The Dipankara Buddha’s gaze was deep and intense as he questioned her.

Gu Huaxian was stunned. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she got the chance, the Dipankara Buddha’s countenance frosted over. “Deceive me, and I promise to hand you over to Su Yi immediately!”

Gu Huaxian’s expression shifted. “Are you threatening me?”

The Dipankara Buddha tossed her a jade slip. “See for yourself how Su Yi has threatened me.”

The jade slip recorded Su Yi’s recent announcement, including the blatantly unconcealed threat.

After reading the slip’s contents, Gu Huaxian finally understood why the Dipankara Buddha was so angry.

“So, you fear threats too?” she asked.

“Several years ago, when Su Yi began his revenge campaign, I warned you repeatedly not to meddle in worldly affairs any further. Preparing for the Dark Days of Legend is more important than defeating Su Yi right now. But you obviously didn’t take my words to heart!”

He paused, then said, “Su Yi’s threats are far from enough to threaten me. What really infuriates me is having a woman as stupid and conceited as you by my side!”

His eyes shone with terrifying light. He glared at her and said coldly, “If your stupidity ruins my plans, I guarantee you an unsightly death.”

Gu Huaxian stiffened. She could feel intense pressure bearing down on her. This was her first time seeing the Dipankara Buddha this angry.

In the end, she lowered her head and said, “Half a year ago, the Goddess of Silent Darkness contacted me. I told her a secret method for locating Lu Qingmei.”

“That woman?” The Dipankara Buddha’s brow furrowed. “Do you know why she did that?”

“She told me that she needed to use Lu Qingmei as a pawn to defeat Su Yi,” said Gu Huaxian. “I don’t know why she chose that timing either.”

The Dipankara Buddha fell silent.

The Goddess of Silent Darkness was a woman of mysterious origins. She’d made arrangements to take Su Yi down dating back to his time in the Human Realm.

The one who called himself the Tailor was one of her disciples.

The Dipankara Buddha couldn’t understand why the Goddess of Silent Darkness would run out of patience and target Su Yi now, when the Dark Days of Legend were only seven years away.

Much less why she’d use Lu Qingmei as a pawn to target him. That was playing with fire!

“Seems to me that letting the Goddess of Silent Darkness deal with Su Yi is to our advantage,” said Gu Huaxian. But before she could continue…

Whap!

She took a sharp slap to the face. It left a blood-red handprint on her jadelike cheek.

Her expression shifted dramatically. She felt endlessly aggrieved, and she shouted in fury, “What are you doing!?”

The Dipankara Buddha slowly rose from beneath the bodhi tree. “A good thing? If this were really a ‘good thing,’ then why is Su Yi threatening me and not the Goddess of Silent Darkness?”

He stretched out his hand and seized Gu Huaxian by the throat as if holding a little chicken aloft. His gaze was icy and indifferent. “How many times did I say it? You aren’t to do anything at all until the Dark Days of Legend begin. Why… won’t you listen to me?”

Gu Huaxian felt suffocated. Her beautiful face reddened, but when she met the Dipankara Buddha’s cold, cruel gaze, a chill coursed through her entire body. She felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy abyss. Terror overwhelmed her!

“If there’s a next time, I’ll leave you longing to die, yet unable to do so!”

Bang!

The Dipankara Buddha relaxed his grip, and Gu Huaxian fell to the ground. Her face was pallid, and she breathed in ragged gasps. Terror and unease were written all over her face.

For a moment there, she’d almost thought he was going to kill her!

More terrifying than that, despite having touched upon the threshold of destiny, she couldn’t even struggle against the Dipankara Buddha!

Since when was this old-timer so terrifying? The way she looked at him changed. Now, her gaze was full of deep-seated dread.

“You deal with this mess.” The Dipankara Buddha sat back down beneath the bodhi tree. “I want a definite answer within three days.”

Gu Huaxian fell silent for a while, then said, “I don’t understand. Why are you so afraid of Su Yi’s threats?”

The Dipankara Buddha disregarded this. It was as if he couldn’t hear her.

Gu Huaxian sighed, then turned to leave.

A day later.

Word reached Su Yi.

“The Ruins of Supreme Simplicity, Heavenly Aberrant Mountain. Come alone, and I’ll let Lu Qingmei go.”