Chapter 314: Chapter 313: Meeting an Acquaintance
A month had passed since Qin Ya left the Celestial Demon Mountain Range, and he was now drawing ever closer to the Yunxiao Empire. For some reason, however, a faint sense of unease had been growing in his heart along the way, compelling him to quicken his pace.
Soon, he was back within the borders of the Yunxiao Empire.
But the unease in Qin Ya’s heart only grew stronger. Suddenly, he spotted two familiar figures. His eyes lit up, and he immediately headed over.
Inside a restaurant, a handsome young man was drinking, his gaze fixed on the hustle and bustle outside the window. He couldn’t help but sigh.
’Yes, those who know nothing are truly the lucky ones.’
Just then, a figure in white slowly approached and sat down opposite him.
"Hey, who are you..."
The handsome young man’s expression soured. ’Who does this guy think he is, just sitting down without asking? I have a fearsome reputation in the Imperial Capital, you know.’
The handsome young man looked up, his expression suddenly shifting to one of surprise and uncertainty. Then, he let out a soft laugh. "Well, if it isn’t Young Master Qin? We haven’t seen each other in over half a year. I never expected to run into you here today. What a rare sight."
"Hua Wuchang, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the Imperial Capital?"
That’s right. The handsome young man was none other than Hua Wuchang, the top-tier assassin from the Imperial Capital’s Black Market known as Thousand Faces. She was a master of the Disguise Skill, but her craft had been useless against Qin Ya in the past, and it was even more so now. With just a slight stir of his Divine Thought, he had seen right through her disguise, which was why he had come over to talk.
"Eldest Young Master Qin, a lot has happened in the half a year you’ve been gone. I’d advise you not to return to the Imperial Capital. It’s very dangerous there."
"Dangerous? What kind of danger?" Qin Ya’s brow furrowed.
"Alas, the political landscape in the Imperial Capital has completely changed."
"Explain." A hint of impatience entered Qin Ya’s voice.
’Huaa Que, Qin Yuxiang, Leng Ningshuang, Li Peiyi...’ He thought of all the people he held dear. ’With this upheaval in the Imperial Capital, what’s happened to them?’
A tremor went through Hua Wuchang. In that brief instant, it felt as if her heart, her blood, and even her Soul had frozen. Coming back to her senses, she was inwardly shocked. ’Good heavens, just how high has this monster’s Cultivation reached?’
’Earth Element Realm? Celestial Essence Realm? Celestial Essence Perfection...?’
"About half a year ago, a so-called Venerable Lord appeared in the Imperial Capital. This person is no simple character. After unifying the Black Market, he forced the major families of the Imperial Capital to submit to him, forming a power bloc that rivals Mingxin Academy and the Royal Family. These two factions are now engaged in open and secret struggles within the Imperial Capital, causing utter chaos."
"These days in the Imperial Capital, forget about the Earth Element Realm or Celestial Essence Realm—even the legendary Extraordinary will start fighting at the drop of a hat. Ordinary commoners fled the Imperial Capital long ago. A small-time assassin like me could die at any moment, which is why I decided to leave and come here."
"Then do you know what happened to Huaa Que, Ningshuang, and my aunt?"
"Master Huaa fought that so-called Venerable Lord a few days ago. It was a draw. As for your aunt and your little lover, I don’t know. But since Master Huaa is fine, they should be fine too."
Hearing this, Qin Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, with such a massive change in the Imperial Capital, he was still worried and decided to return to the Academy at once.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Back to the Academy," Qin Ya said flatly.
"So loyal and devoted. In that case, I’ll go back too."
Qin Ya was a little surprised. "Why?"
"Heh, with my Disguise Skill, as long as I don’t run into an Extraordinary, I can come and go as I please in the Imperial Capital. Why am I going back? I just want to see what kind of trouble you’ll stir up. You know, things were always lively when you were around."
Hua Wuchang playfully blew a breath at Qin Ya, her lips curling into a beautiful arc. Despite her masculine disguise, she exuded a hint of feminine charm. The other patrons, seeing the interaction, seemed to jump to unpleasant conclusions. They shivered as if catching a chill, staring at the pair in revulsion.
"Sigh, so handsome, but he’s actually..."
"Don’t say it. Maybe that’s what they’re into."
"I’ve only ever heard stories. I never thought I’d see it in the flesh."
"Kids like that must be a real worry for their parents. What is the world coming to?"
"In broad daylight, too. Utterly shameless."
Hearing their words, Qin Ya’s expression remained indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Hua Wuchang, however, wasn’t so good-tempered. With a raised eyebrow, she produced a dagger from nowhere. It danced and spun in her palm as if alive, and in a flash, it shredded the clothes of a young man nearby who had been running his mouth.
Then, the dagger shot out, burying itself halfway into the table.
Hua Wuchang’s crystal-clear eyes swept over the crowd. She said softly, "If anyone else says another word, be careful, or this young master might just cut out your tongue."
Hearing this, the crowd glanced at the gleaming dagger and swallowed hard. They immediately turned back to their own food and drink, not daring to utter another word. As for the young man whose clothes had been shredded, he hugged himself and trembled, looking at Hua Wuchang with terror, like a little lamb facing a big bad wolf.
Hua Wuchang gave a disdainful smile, then walked out of the restaurant with Qin Ya.
"Qin Ya, what’s your plan once you get to the Imperial Capital?"
"First, find that old man Huaa Que and make sure my aunt and the others are safe."
"Wait, we’re not close to the Imperial Capital. I’ll go buy a couple of horses."
Qin Ya held out a hand to stop her and said flatly, "No need."
"Huh?" Hua Wuchang looked at Qin Ya in surprise. "No horses? Don’t tell me you plan on running there on foot? Come on, we may be Martial Artists, but we’d probably die from True Essence exhaustion halfway there."
"I said there’s no need," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.
Hua Wuchang pouted. "What do you think you are, an Extraordinary? It’s not like you can fly."
"How clever."
The corner of Qin Ya’s mouth lifted. Then, with no gentleness whatsoever, he grabbed her by the collar, shot up into the air with his Sky-Controlling ability, and sped towards the Imperial Capital.
"AHHHH..."
A series of unending screams rang out.
The dazed pedestrians on the street below finally snapped out of it, their faces filled with shock.
"Good heavens, that was an Extraordinary Martial Artist!"
"Heavens, what did I just see? An Extraordinary Martial Artist! They’re the stuff of legends! I can’t believe... I can’t believe I actually saw one."
"Extraordinary Martial Artists really live up to their reputation! To think they can remain eternally youthful!"
"Dammit, I missed such an opportunity! No, I have to chase after him! I want to ask him to be my master! I want to become an Extraordinary too!"
"Mommy, that big brother can fly. He’s so amazing!"
"That’s an Extraordinary, child. They are among the most powerful people in the world."
For the common people of the Empire, even a moderately powerful Martial Artist was an unimaginable being, to say nothing of a legendary Extraordinary.
And so, news of an Extraordinary’s appearance spread through the city in an instant, becoming the topic of idle gossip for some time to come.
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