His gaze which had become clouded again, turned to her as though looking past her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Lord. Manor. Hall. Court. None of these will satisfy your greed."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean?"
"You seek allies." Shou Xin quietly moved his hand a small leaf which had been thrown into the air earlier fell quietly unto his finger, "Like a leaf, the winds push and you fly yet, you wish to push but that is not the fate of a leaf."
"...are you saying that I can't grasp it?" Wo Yiyu reached out her hand and a smooth power spread out with near perfect control causing the countless falling leaves to be swept away including the little one on his finger, "I can destroy it."
"Your ambitions are great," Shou Xin calmly reached out, a tiny power reaching out and taking a leaf from the storm, "But, your heart is exposed."
With that single leaf taken out, the rest of them began to collide, causing them to fall apart.
The very small leaf had returned to his palm floating quietly.
"You must first learn to conceal your heart," He bent down and dug a small hole with his finger, laying the leaf within, "Before you can seek out power."
Elder Yu rubbed his beard.
"Then, what will you do? Have you not bared your heart and ambition to the world?"
Shou Xin shook his head.
"I am no leaf."
"Hm!" Elder Yu stopped and a smile spread wide across his face, his scruffy beard hardly concealing it.
His words were clear.
He was not the same, and did not need to conceal his heart. Only those pushed by fate needed to learn such a thing.
For someone like him, living without regret was the greatest ambition one could have.
"Stop!" Wo Yiyu who understood this, was extremely unhappy at how plainly he had said it, "Are you then saying, that while facing the entire Sea Spring Province, you will announce your intentions and then fight?"
"I have been prepared for that since the moment I spoke within the Hall of Elders." Shou Xin passed by Wo Yiyu, his hands tucked behind his back and his back straight as a sword.
His back grew further away, the two old man vanishing as well, uncaring of her emotions which were so clearly displayed.
Unbeknownst to them, Wo Yiyu had sprouted a sly smile as she slowly turned into an ashen wind along the shadows of the Baikan.
—
"Must you do this?" Feng Wuqing slowly drew her eyes upwards to her father, who sat aloof upon the throne of the Fengzhuo City Lord's throne.
"It is because I love you, that I do this, daughter." Her father glanced down at her, his gaze lingering for a moment before he closed his eyes.
The guards came to Feng Wuqing's side, dragging her away.
"You've done the right thing, Patriarch." The elder's within the hall comforted him.
"She will learn from this a great lesson, and in time forget of all this. She will understand." Another would say.
He waved his sleeve, the elder's quietening and soon, departing.
It was night out, a cloudy night of wind which whistled like arrows and rain just as sharp upon her skin.
Feng Wuqing was ushered unto a carriage with strong binding formations.
Swiftly, the driver took off.
"Sister, are you sad?" Feng Luoyu, her younger sister, asked curiously.
Her eyes closed, Feng Wuqing leaned back in her seat, a terribly dark look on her face as she replied as though squeezing out each word.
"The one I wish for, is to be killed and I am to watch. I am not sad." She said coldly, "I am beyond enraged."
"Then, should we destroy the Yan Clan? If we both ask, father might take it to the Feng Summit in the next year!" Feng Luoyu's innocent voice did well to hide away the brutality of what she'd just suggested.
"No. No matter how horrible this may be… it is not worth stealing innocent lives." Feng Wuqing's voice trembled, "No matter what."
Feng Luoyu didn't say anything more.
The carriage ride was smooth.
—
As if a natural disaster had swept over the seaside town of Sea Spring, the entire area had changed, except it was from catastrophically ugly, to a bit refined.
Several small arena's had been set up in the northern ward of the town where fights took place, business had also just started to return as the wave of genius' heading to Cloud Spiral was accompanied by countless merchants travelling the Golden River in search of fortune.
"Fourth Chain Experts. Those of the Fu, Hu, Shi and Gu Clan have Fourth Chain Expert's, namely the patriarch of each clan, their subsidiary households each have one Third Chain Expert leading them. The Gu clan was severely hurt as they lost all three of their household heads, and their current patriarch." A letter was read aloud at the top of the Heart Mind Pagoda, from which the entire town could be seen.
"The Fu Hu Shi clan's are scrambling to take their assets." The letter ended.
Birds let out their songs down by the port, the day clear to such a degree that their crisp voices could be heard from afar as they glided through the evening wind.
Turning away from the balcony, Shou Xin silently took a look at the maps laid out before him, detailing the positions of the subsidiary households.
It had only been two days, and all of the information had been gathered by Wo Yiyu and the External Affairs Office.
He did not know whether to feel thankful, or fearful.
Once night had fallen, he escaped the Heart Mind Pagoda, no one knowing he had entered to begin with.
Travelling under the concealment of darkness, his feet crushed the earth beneath him as he swiftly exited the city and into the countryside.
Within the Baikan, a forest which spanned the entire area around the southern area of Sea Spring Town, was the households of the Gu Clan which were being mopped up.
They were hard to find within the large expanse, however, the External Affairs Office had found them.
As he arrived at each of the locations, he only found devastation.
There was no fires, only ruined homes and corpses.
Location after location he sought them out, but even as he arrived at what once was the headquarters of the Gu Clan, there was nothing but ruins.
Shou Xin calmly searched through the various large buildings and halls strewn about, passing through courtyards and training grounds as he went, but everything was ransacked and not a soul remained.
"The Gu Clan is no more." Shou Xin stood outside of it's gate where even the sign had been taken, he cupped his fists together and slightly lowered his head, "To the fallen, a farewell."
As one who had seen the viciousness of losing their clan, Shou Xin gave nothing short of respect, despite their attempts to kill him.
Such was the world of the Exiled Court.
Cultivators rose and fell!
Sects soared and plummeted!
Emperors gained and lost!
Heroes come and go.
All is a but a choice, a path in the great scheme of the roots which make their way through the Endless Chaos surrounding the worlds.
The Eternal Path.
Shou Xin turned away, each of his steps seemingly small yet the space he moved wide.
Sanguine Sword Steps.
As night came into full swing, neither sunset nor sunrise but midnight, Shou Xin arrived at the other side of the Baikan where the Shi Clan celebrated.
Their Household heads each had their own feasts since an invite they did not receive from their Patriarchs, though they weren't angered by it.
After all, that is the fate of they who could not continue to advance.
Watching the heads of the three subsidiary households of the Shi Clan, Shou Xin quietly began to walk his way out of the forest and into the large clearing where countless tables and firepits had been set up for the feasting.
Clouds of smoke billowed in all directions, concealing his presence from the drunk heads who felt on top of the world.
Yet, the warriors on the outskirts of the feast had noticed him, though not for long as a low cry escaped the sheath and their bodies were restrained by his Bloodthirsty Sword Aura.
The instant he did so, the three heads sobered and broke apart, taking distance from one another before searching for the source of the terrible sensation crawling up their spines.
"Is this all you are?" A voice seemed to rise up from the crushed grass beneath their feet.
They glanced at one another.
"Cold-blooded murderers."
"Honorless warriors."
"Failures?"
"Shut up!" One head roared! A field which reached far from his feet rose and countless little stones arose within, shooting straight towards the voice in an undodgeable volley!
"Tragic." Shou Xin briefly blipped into existence between the now shredded clansmen of the Shi.
"You!" The head who had raised his hand charged towards the brief figure weaving between the clansmen who were scared stiff!
Yet, as he left the immediate sides of the other two heads, a calm aura spread out!
His eyes rolled.
"Nine Sanguine Sword Art. First Form, Fukkatsu Kiru," Calmly, the words which spilled from Shou Xin's mouth the breath of a giant spread everywhere, "At least, you deserve to know how you died."