After *Susha*, there was only a deathly silence.
Even the dogs within the Old Capital did not dare to bark.
The rustling of the wind through the leaves seemed unusually piercing to the ear.
Many people turned their gazes toward the Zheng family.
Including Wang Sandong.
Possessing the memories of Miss Zheng, she could not help but feel a surge of uncontrollable worry.
However, her reason kept her mind clear, preventing her from being swayed by emotions that did not truly belong to her.
Nevertheless, she could not put her heart at ease no matter what she did.
Perhaps her state of mind had been affected by *Susha*.
“The Zither Emperor’s sound techniques are truly unrivaled in the world,” Wang Sandong said, making small talk to try and ease the tension.
After speaking, a sudden curiosity arose within her.
“You are both part of the Five Emperors. Between you and the Zither Emperor, who is more powerful?”
Yuan Di turned to look at the night outside and replied, “We have never fought, so it is difficult to judge.”
Wang Sandong glanced at the harp that Yuan Di had brought.
“Do you know sound techniques?”
“That depends on how you define ‘knowing,'” Yuan Di said.
“All laws in the world originate from the same source. No matter what type of cultivation technique it is, they are fundamentally the same.”
Hearing this, Wang Sandong understood.
“When you played *Lichou* just now, did you use sound techniques?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
After a long silence, Wang Sandong looked at Yuan Di’s back. It sounded like casual chatter, but it felt more like she was comforting herself.
“Zheng Xiao is one of the Nine Surnamed Kings, after all. Her strength must be quite formidable, right?”
Yuan Di smiled and said, “The strength of The Righteous Butcher is, of course, not weak.”
“The Righteous Butcher” was Zheng Xiao’s nickname.
In the “Righteous Butcher” chapter of the *Records of the Nine Kings*, it was written: The Zheng Clan has a daughter whose name is unknown.
She delights in masking her face to play the hero, punishing evil and promoting good.
With a single sword, she travels 10,000 miles alone.
Her temperament is as fierce as fire, and she hates evil as if it were a personal enemy.
She firmly believes that both good and evil are matters of nature, and that evil must be eradicated completely.
Therefore, wherever she goes, all evil must be put to death.
Since entering the secular world, she has killed over 10,000 people, and the world calls her “the Butcher.”
During the Great Demon Slaying War, she served as the vanguard of the Righteous Alliance and slew more than 3,000 demons in a single day, thus earning the title “The Righteous Butcher”…
Wang Sandong was silent for a moment before saying, “The Zither Emperor is also very powerful.”
“Unrivaled in both illusion and sound; he is naturally extraordinary.”
Yuan Di turned around, leaning her back against the window once more.
Seeing the worry that Wang Sandong was unconsciously projecting, she teased, “What? You’ve only met Zheng Xiao a few times. Have you already lost your heart to her?”
She thought Wang Sandong’s worry was because she had developed feelings for Zheng Xiao.
Before Wang Sandong could reply, Yuan Di warned, “If it were anyone else, I would let you be. But that is Zheng Xiao — the Zheng Xiao who kills any demon she encounters. You had better kill that crooked thought of yours. No matter how much effort you put in, there will be no good result.”
She gave a mocking laugh and added, “What’s more, you might become a woman in the future.”
Might…
Was it only a possibility?
Yuan Di clearly wasn’t certain yet what the consequences of the new version of *Huitian* would be.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Wang Sandong crossed her arms over her chest as if to hide something that wasn’t there.
She even crossed her legs, feeling a sense of “absence” in a certain area.
Her mood became inexplicably irritable, and her tone turned sharp.
“So what if I do? Even if I become a woman, can’t I still be with another woman?”
“Of course you can. However…”
Yuan Di smiled thinly and said, “I have been to the desolate lands of the far west. The people there have never eaten sausage, so they always think steamed buns are the most delicious delicacy in the world.”
Wang Sandong froze for a moment, squinting at Yuan Di.
“Are you making a dirty joke?”
“A dirty joke?”
Yuan Di was puzzled.
Wang Sandong was too lazy to explain and asked instead, “You’ve been to the western borders?”
“Yes.”
“What did you go there for?”
Wang Sandong said.
“The books say it’s just a wasteland. Why would anyone live there? Can’t they move out?”
Yuan Di looked at Wang Sandong but did not answer.
Instead, she turned around again to face the night.
Suddenly, the zither music rose again.
The melody was melodious and tactful, like a gurgling stream, like a gentle breeze, like curling green smoke.
Yuan Di raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s about to start.”
Wang Sandong’s heart leaped. She frowned and said, “Such a light and cheerful tune… there shouldn’t be any killing intent, right?”
Her voice was low and lacked confidence.
She knew that, for the time being, she wasn’t qualified to question Yuan Di’s judgment.
“Killing intent? There will be.”
A faint smile played on Yuan Di’s face, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
“I really want to go and watch the excitement.”
Wang Sandong stared at Yuan Di’s back, her gaze falling on her shapely rear.
She opened her mouth and silently mocked: ‘How childish!’
In her heart, she grumbled: ‘She isn’t a child, so why go watch the excitement? Doesn’t she know there’s a risk in being a bystander?’
Still feeling spiteful, she gave Yuan Di’s backside a fierce glare.
As for where the spite came from…
Wasn’t Yuan Di’s “sitting back to watch the clouds rise” attitude annoying enough?
With a huff, Wang Sandong said, “If you have the spare time to join the crowd, why not help me kill Chen Youde instead? Everyone in the city is at the Zheng residence right now! It’s the perfect opportunity!”
Yuan Di pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
“With the Zither Emperor there, it isn’t safe.”
Wang Sandong let out a mock laugh and teased, “Are you that afraid of the Zither Emperor?”
“I am.”
Yuan Di actually admitted it quite calmly.
“You…”
Wang Sandong was surprised.
“Fine, then aren’t you afraid I’ll actually get killed by Chen Youde?”
“Didn’t you say he wanted to use you to forge an artifact?”
Yuan Di smiled.
“A pig farmer will only slaughter the pig once it’s fat enough.”
“You’re the pig!”
Wang Sandong cursed in anger.
Yuan Di smiled and said nothing.
Wang Sandong glared at her back, a sense of frustration welling up within her.
Regarding the matter of “killing Chen Youde,” she had worn her tongue thin talking about it, but it was all in vain.
This Yuan Di…
She was truly stubborn!
However, what she said seemed to be right.
She wasn’t fat enough yet…
Bah!
How could she actually think of herself as a pig?
“They’re here,” Yuan Di suddenly whispered.
They’re here?
What was here?
Wang Sandong was feeling suspicious when the previously melodious and continuous zither music suddenly turned sharp.
It was like a gale suddenly rising, like clouds obscuring the sun.
In just an instant, it became like a terrifying tidal wave, as if it wanted to destroy heaven and earth.
A sudden chill set in.
*Crash!*
A violent wind erupted, slamming against the open window frames and making them rattle.
The branches and leaves in the courtyard shook wildly, like churning ink-colored clouds, seeming as if they would swallow everything.
In another breath, raindrops as large as beans slammed down, instantly turning into a torrential downpour.
The zither music grew even more frantic.
It was like 10,000 horses besieging a city, like a mountain of blades or a sea of fire charging through.
Without realizing it, Wang Sandong had clenched her fists, her entire body tense.
She let the violent wind howl into the window and the cold rain soak her clothes.
She simply sat there in a daze, her expression frozen, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
The pitch-black night was suddenly illuminated —
Lightning tore through the sky.
Immediately following it was a deafening roar of thunder, as if a heavenly punishment had descended upon the world.
“Heh… controlling Qi with sound…”
Yuan Di lightly bit her lip, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“Impressive skill.”
Wang Sandong snapped back to reality.
Looking at the storm outside, she swallowed hard.
Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a strange wave of heat.
The original chill made this heatwave even more prominent.
“This heatwave is…”
Even as Wang Sandong spoke, she already had the answer in her heart.
Noble Spirit!
In her mind, the Zheng Clan Precepts she had recited “since childhood” suddenly echoed: “Man is born between heaven and earth; one should possess a sincere heart and uphold the moral laws of society. Maintain the righteous path and protect the laws of the universe. If the heart holds nobility, no evil can invade; if the body possesses righteousness, one will never yield despite ten thousand hardships. May the noble soul live forever, and may the brilliant spirit last for all eternity!”
As the family precepts echoed, the Demonic Qi within Wang Sandong’s body began to circulate on its own.
The memories of Miss Zheng made Wang Sandong subconsciously begin to operate the *Noble Spirit Art*.
However, Wang Sandong did not have a Spiritual Root and could not master the *Noble Spirit Art*.
Ultimately, this caused the Demonic Qi to run wild and her breathing to become erratic.
Detecting the abnormality, Yuan Di turned her head and saw Wang Sandong’s face flushing red.
She frowned, and then her figure drifted over, arriving at Wang Sandong’s left side.
She raised her hand and pressed it lightly against Wang Sandong’s right shoulder, seemingly embracing her, but she was actually using her own Demonic Qi to stabilize Wang Sandong’s blood and Qi.
“This body of yours is truly…”
Yuan Di’s tone carried a hint of disdain and helplessness.
“Even this could cause your Qi to become disordered.”
Having said that, she waved her left hand toward the window.
The window frames closed on their own, sealing out the wind and rain.
Looking again at the slightly flushed Wang Sandong, she gave a bitter smile.
“Care leads to chaos. Even if you have feelings for Zheng Xiao, you cannot help her.”
Wang Sandong had already come to her senses and stopped operating the *Noble Spirit Art*.
As the Demonic Qi stabilized and her breathing recovered, the redness on her face gradually faded.
She slowly let out a breath and glanced sideways at Yuan Di’s body, which was mere inches away.
“Do you have to hold me like this? Are you trying to take advantage of me?”
Seeing that her condition was stable, Yuan Di gave a huff and withdrew her hand, walking over to sit down.
She opened her mouth, wanting to explain: ‘The Demonic Qi in the right half of your body was more disordered, so I needed to touch the acupoint on your right shoulder to transfer Qi. But there was a table on your right, so there was no room to stand.’
The words reached her lips, but she swallowed them back down.
Does an elephant need to explain to an ant why it stepped on it?
Of course not.
Furthermore, at that moment, a metallic clanging sound suddenly appeared within the zither music that sounded like a torrential storm.
The corners of Yuan Di’s mouth curled up as she said, “It’s getting quite lively.”
“What?”
Wang Sandong was not only ignorant of the situation, but she hadn’t even heard anything unusual within the chaotic sounds.
Yuan Di replied, “The ‘Life-taking Sword’ has been unsheathed.”
After that, she added, “Although I haven’t seen it personally, I imagine that since the Cui Family has made a move, your Wang Family won’t just sit idly by.”
The Life-taking Sword was a sharp weapon forged by the ancestors of the Cui Family.
Currently, it was in the hands of the “Life-taking Swordsman,” one of the Nine Surnamed Kings from the Cui Family.
As for the one from the Wang Family…
He was the only king among the Nine Surnamed Kings who did not have a nickname.
His surname was Wang, and his given name was Fa.
He had created his own cultivation technique: *The King is Beneath the Law*.
Has Grandfather returned?
Wang Sandong was 16 years old, but she had never seen her illustrious grandfather, Wang Fa, take action.
She let out a sigh and said with regret, “My cultivation is too low and my body is too weak. I don’t even have the qualification to watch the excitement.”
Hearing this, Yuan Di’s eyes grew distant, as if she were remembering events from long ago.
At the same time, the corners of her mouth curled into a meaningful arc as she said, “You want to watch the excitement? There will be plenty to see in the future.”
Before her voice had even faded, the rapid zither music in the storm suddenly became sharp and fierce, actually containing a hint of heaven-toppling rage!
A sharp light flashed in Yuan Di’s beautiful eyes.
Without any visible movement, her figure closed in like a bolt of lightning.
She grabbed the armrest of Wang Sandong’s chair and slammed it violently to the left!
In almost the same instant, an invisible wave of sound sliced through the air.
It silently carved through the wall, the roof, and the wooden floorboards where Wang Sandong had originally been sitting.
Wood chips flew and debris splattered everywhere.
Wang Sandong’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the strange and dangerous scene.
She couldn’t react in time.
She forgot to breathe, forgot to move, but she didn’t forget to complain: ‘It really is lively…’