Chapter 96: A Nighttime Ruckus at the Board of Justice
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
That night, the Board of Justice served dishes and wine to Shui Yuehan and Fu Guansan as a sign of apology.
"Everything has happened within expectations. We shall be returning tomorrow. This unexpected turn of events can finally be put to rest." Although both Shui Yuehan and Fu Guansan heaved sighs of relief, they still felt uneasy - this case with Cirrus House did not seem so simple after all.
They had not really done anything but they had already put themselves in trouble and exposed themselves. It was time to change up the game.
…
In the residence of Old Marshal Qiu, feelings were running riot.
"They were only held for a day?" Qiu Jianhan was adamant that they shouldn't have been let off that lightly.
It was the Dictum of Supreme Cloud!
Supreme Cloud’s men usually made a move with the foresight of ten moves; how could there be something so simple and easy? So much effort had been wasted to go through to the Board of War to pressure the Board of Justice, then with the execution of the nation’s law through the Board of Justice, suppressing the crown prince’s residence, the martial arts world, and the noble families!
Had they utilized the government's arm to suppress all the influences and send them to the Board of Justice only to keep them in the prison for a single night?
How could it be so trivial and insignificant?
"If nothing happens until the next morning…" Old Marshal Qiu Jianhan mumbled to himself with a frown, "I'll go stark raving mad."
"If something really had happened, there shouldn’t be any deaths at all. Supreme Cloud’s plot wouldn't have been so shallow." Old Marshal Qiu was thinking hard now. "Maybe they were beating around the bush just to create suspicion? Lure them out to catch the real culprit?"
"But that can't be it either. The mastermind behind all these wouldn’t be moved from such petty matters. Who would dare to make a move before feeling a strong sense of danger?"
"This is extremely odd. What do they really want to do?"
The old marshal sat in his study room and mumbled to himself as if crazed. He could not discuss this with anyone else.
Although everything seemed to have happened out in public, only he knew the ins and outs of this situation in the entire Empire of Yutang! If anything had been leaked out, the aftermath would be unimaginable.
Thinking about it, Old Marshal Qiu grew even more despondent; the sense of creeping madness began to grow stronger.
…
Night came around soon enough. Borderless darkness enclosed the land as silence wrapped Tiantang City, the prison cells even more so.
Although Shui Yuehan was in a prison cell, he was very much at peace. He looked like he was just sitting with his legs folded but he was cultivating, inhaling and exhaling deeply in a regular pattern as his breaths grew longer.
There was nothing else more suitable to be done other than cultivating in this silent night, especially so for the prison was quiet; not even the insects’ chirping could be heard.
The peaceful silence even made Shui Yuehan think to himself, "It’s not bad to cultivate here, the efficiency is high. Let me see if I could make some connections and come here to cultivate in the future."
From this train of thought, he recalled a legend in the martial arts world. Word had it that a martial arts expert was captured while committing a crime. The crime was not small but it was not severe enough to incur the death penalty either. The expert was sentenced to a long eight years in prison. When he was released, however, he had actually become an intimidating expert, with few men who dared to challenge him.
The entire myth seemed outrageous but it was logical – this man's ability was not restrained so naturally, he became the lord of all the prisoners. People served him every day in the prison so he had no worries, not even the petty matters of socializing and hobnobbing. Under such circumstances, cultivating actually became the only way to curb boredom and so, he broke through several levels within the eight years as his capability increased by leaps and bounds. After this man was released, his proclamation was always the same – eight years of prison had built his valiant reputation!
Prison was a good place indeed.
Thinking about this, Shui Yuehan broke out into a smile and murmured, "This man might have really been speaking the truth. With some planning, this prison could become a good place for cultivation."
The night became deeper as the surroundings grew quieter.
Shui Yuehan ended his cultivation and began immersing himself in his train of thoughts, combing through what he had done so far in his mind.
Just wait until I’m released.
There had to be something going on at the Cirrus House!
Perhaps it was related to the escape of the Nine Supremes. Was it a coincidence for all three young masters of the noble families to gather here or was it all a set-up? I can use this unfortunate prison night and the power of the crown prince’s residence to reveal all the details of this incident!
He was thinking hard with his eyes closed, completely unaware that something with no color nor scent had somehow appeared in his cell. A faint, wispy smoke issued from a corner under the cell’s bed, merging into the air as it coalesced.
There was no scent at all as the smoke entered in an endless stream. After a very long time, Shui Yuehan felt himself getting drowsy, his eyelids fighting to stay open.
"How can I be so sleepy…" Just as this instinctual exclamation came out from his mouth, Shui Yuehan jumped in surprise. A rarely - seen look of shock adorned his sculptured face.
With his cultivation base, he would not be this tired even if he had not slept for a whole month. What was going on today?
Something was wrong.
He took in a deep breath and began directing the mystical Qi in his dantian immediately to prepare for the unknown.
It was right then that things took turn for the worse.
The energy and vigor that was hidden within his body could not be summoned at all. All of his mystical Qi seemed to be shackled in his chakras; he could not tap into them no matter how hard he tried.
Shui Yuehan stared in wide-eyed terror.
Right in front of his eyes, another ball of fog appeared out of nowhere. The cloud was morphing and growing, condensing continuously in the air.
Shui Yuehan’s eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets, he watched this fog of cloud with a horrified expression.
He stared unblinking as the cloud condensed thicker and materialized into a thick fog right in front of him; a person’s silhouette then gradually appeared before him like a bizarre conjuration.
The person wore a black mask, a pair of cold eyes gleaming with a calm glint; he was tall, standing with arms behind his back.
"Supreme… Cloud…!" Looking the bizarre apparition, Shui Yuehan’s mind recalled this name without any hesitation.
In this cell that was completely sealed off, without any noise and gap, where no tunnel could reach, a cloud had been conjured from thin air and a person had stepped out of it.
There was only one person in this whole wide world who possessed such a skill. Even Ling Xiaozui, who had become a legend, or Dugu Chou, who had become a myth of the human realm, could never have done it!
There was only Supreme Cloud of Yutang’s Nine Supremes!
There was only one person in this world who could do this.
Yun Yang looked at Shui Yuehan from behind his mask and smiled softly, saying, "Sir Shui has good senses indeed, no wonder you are a significant force in the Four Seasons Tower."
Shui Yuehan forced a smile and replied, "Forgive my ignorance but I don’t understand what Supreme Cloud is saying. Supreme Cloud’s heroic return this time has an additional flair compared to the old days. It is indeed an honor and a happy occasion for Yutang! The hero is safe and sound; I am incredibly elated."
Yun Yang said indifferently, "I shall make you even more so."
With a stretch of his hand, he reached out towards Shui Yuehan’s neck.
Shui Yuehan’s hand instinctually reached out to block as his eyes bulged, but he was only an ordinary person now that his cultivation base was gone. Just as his hand came into contact with Yun Yang’s, his arm broke with a loud crack.
Yun Yang’s hand was already choking his neck.
Shui Yuehan looked at Yun Yang, as absolute abhorrence glinted in his gaze. "Immortals’ Odium?"
Yun Yang smiled. "Sir Shui is indeed knowledgeable, it’s fitting that you are the Four Seasons Tower’s pillar of force."
Immortals’ Odium – a poison loathed by all cultivators as it rendered a person a cripple. Once ingested, his or her entire cultivation base would be destroyed and there would be no hope to recover it.
Shui Yuehan had lost all hope by then, saying softly, "May Sir Supreme Cloud allow me to speak a few words?"
Yun Yang blinked, his hand still on Shui Yuehan’s neck as he said, "Speak up."
Shui Yuehan’s gaze transitioned from panic to calm. He said after sighing softly, "I’ve said something like this after the incident at Tianxuan Cliff then, ‘If someone from the Nine Supremes were to still be alive, forget the others, the handful of us would definitely face our deaths."
Yun Yang commented, "Oh? How could you be so sure?"
Shui Yuehan smiled faintly, "Honestly, if I knew that someone from the Nine Supremes WAS still alive, that someone being Nine Supremes’ soul, Supreme Cloud, I would have already concealed my identity and destroyed all traces of my existence, moving hundreds of thousands of miles away to a deserted island!"
Yun Yang said serenely, "You should have known that the Nine Supremes would never really die, so you should’ve run away long ago. But in reality, you didn’t."
Shui Yuehan smiled humorlessly. "One should never take chances in life. If I make it tot he next one, I would remember this lesson for infinity. For now, I can only hope that there is a next life."
Yun Yang looked at him, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes as he said softly, "Shui Yuehan, Sir Shui, you’re the first one from the Four Seasons Tower whom I’ve met to be so decisive!"
Shui Yuehan’s laugh was devoid of humor. "Thank you for your compliment. May I ask how did Supreme Cloud confirm that it was me?"
"Should I not be sure it’s you?" Yun Yang said softly, "I couldn't catch you if you had stayed still. But once you moved, there was no way for you to escape my grasp. I'm sure you know what I mean."
Shui Yuehan sighed softly. "The Cirrus House is indeed related to the Nine Supremes, the connection between deeply rooted too. This step was never a wrong one, it’s just a pity that the attack had exposed us at the same time."
He smiled faintly. "Supreme Cloud, I hope that you grow stronger by a thousand fold, a hundred thousand fold even, to eventually annihilate the Four Seasons Tower. If there were to be such a time, please don’t forget to tell me about it."
Yun Yang replied, "I will. Leave in peace."
Shui Yuehan looked at Yun Yang without any retribution in his eyes as he muttered softly, "Supreme Lord Spring Frost!"