The purple-robed youth's face displayed a range of emotions—shock, confusion, guilt, and embarrassment, constantly shifting.
He stared straight at Su Yi, wanting to say something but finding it difficult to speak.
Even Su Yi felt slightly uncomfortable being stared at by a man like that, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows and say, "If you want to apologize, there's no need. What you should do now is to find out who ordered this assassination on you. I hope you can give me an answer before we reach Yunhe County."
The purple-robed youth quickly said, "Rest assured, I will definitely do that!"
He spoke with respect in addressing Su Yi.
"Also, while I don't mind being involved, tonight's events could potentially implicate others. I hope you can take care of that as well."
Su Yi's expression remained calm as he spoke.
The purple-robed youth took a deep breath and firmly assured, "Of course, that's only natural. This matter started because of me, and I won't let it further implicate the innocent."
Yuan Luo Xi was by the side, and when she witnessed this scene, her heart trembled slightly, overflowing with indescribable warmth. The gaze she cast upon Su Yi was filled with gratitude.
She had never expected that someone as transcendent as a celestial exile would also possess such delicate thoughts, taking care of every aspect of her affairs.
Su Yi didn't say anything more and closed his eyes to rest.
The reason he had wanted to leave early was to avoid getting involved in trouble.
Now that the incident had occurred, it was necessary for him to handle it properly.
After all, once the forces daring to assassinate the Crown Prince of Da Zhou were discovered, there would undoubtedly be a furious retaliation.
Su Yi himself didn't care about these matters, but it would be troublesome if they implicated Yuan Luo Xi, Huang Qianjun, and the others.
Suddenly, Su Yi remembered something and said to Huang Qianjun not far away, "By the way, check the belongings of this person and see if you can find any clues."
Huang Qianjun quickly took action.
A moment later, he came back holding the black short spear, wearing a puzzled expression. "A grand martial master like him, apart from this weapon, there's nothing else on him."
Su Yi took the black short spear in his hand, inspected it while saying, "This person had already resigned himself to death tonight. The reason for his sudden increase in strength earlier was that he used a secret technique that sacrificed his own life force."
Huang Qianjun suddenly understood. "No wonder."
"Although this short spear is of inferior quality, the materials used are quite good. It's made from 'Mysterious Condensation Iron' mixed with more than ten kinds of spiritual materials like Phosphorous Stone and Green Radiance Silver Powder. If melted down, it could be reluctantly used as material for forging a spiritual sword."
After inspecting it for a while, Su Yi raised his hand and stored the black short spear in his Ink Jade Pendant. He planned to refine it once they reached Yunhe County.
The Dustfall Sword in his hand had only a trace of spirituality left and could barely be used, but its power was limited after all.
When his cultivation broke through to the Gathering Qi Realm, he would be unable to fully unleash his true strength.
Therefore, Su Yi had already begun planning to collect a batch of spiritual materials to forge another sword for himself.
"Based on the commotion on the ship, there shouldn't be much of a problem anymore. Do you want to leave or continue waiting here?"
Su Yi stood up and looked at Yuan Luo Xi and Huang Qianjun.
"Let's leave together," he said.
Both of them replied without hesitation.
Su Yi nodded. As he walked past the purple-robed youth, he suddenly paused and said, "Do you want to hear one more piece of advice?"
The purple-robed youth quickly clasped his hands together and said, "Please enlighten me."
At this moment, he had adjusted his mindset and no longer treated Su Yi as an ordinary person.
Su Yi casually said, "Once your subordinates return, go back to your residence immediately. Before reaching Yunhe County, don't go to the girl named Chajin again."
The purple-robed youth was taken aback and felt a bit embarrassed, thinking that Su Yi was cautioning him not to run around aimlessly to avoid attracting more trouble.
Seeing through his thoughts with just a glance, Su Yi couldn't help but sigh lightly. "You're overthinking. If I'm not mistaken, she has ulterior motives for you."
Ulterior motives!
The purple-robed youth stiffened, and a cloud of doubt surged in his heart.
Before he could inquire further, Su Yi had already walked away with Yuan Luo Xi and Huang Qianjun.
"Tell your senior brother in the green robes not to forget what she promised tonight," Su Yi's voice came from the staircase.
The purple-robed youth was initially bewildered, but soon he became distraught. This guy... could he be interested in the senior brother in the green robes?
As they descended the stairs, they encountered traces of battle everywhere, with bloodstains and corpses on the walls and floor. Most of the corpses belonged to strange and diverse demonic beasts.
Huang Qianjun's eyes widened with astonishment as he witnessed the scene along the way.
Su Yi, however, paid no attention to it.
These demonic beasts were mostly first or second-tier beings. Occasionally, they would come across third-tier demonic beasts, but they were only on par with a fully cultivated Blood-Soaked Realm warrior.
They didn't catch Su Yi's interest at all.
Until they returned to the Jiazi Building where they were staying, Su Yi went straight to his room.
He was mentally exhausted, and he hadn't practiced today, so he needed to seize the time.
The true test of great perseverance lies in the little details of ordinary life.
The same goes for cultivation. Enduring loneliness and monotony while reflecting and self-disciplining are necessary to maintain perseverance day after day.
With Su Yi's temperament, unless he was bound by circumstances and unable to break free, he would never neglect his daily cultivation.
In summary, while he could be indifferent to worldly matters, when it came to cultivation, he had to devote all his spirit and effort.
Time flowed bit by bit.
Until late at night, the battle on the ship finally subsided.
In this battle, Zhang Yiren was severely injured, and out of his elite force of thirty-seven warriors, eleven were lost, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Of the eight hundred demonic beasts on the ship, over one hundred were killed, and a portion took advantage of the chaos to escape into the Great Cang River.
Ultimately, only over five hundred remained, and they were reconfined in cages.
At the same time, the group of middle-aged scholars who attempted to assassinate the Sixth Prince of Da Zhou suffered five immediate casualties, three were captured alive, and six escaped by jumping into the Great Cang River.
It was only after all the battles concluded that Zhang Yiren finally discovered the reason for the violent shaking of the ship tonight—it had collided with a chain barrier spanning the Great Cang River.
These chains stretched across both banks of the river, with more than ten of them, each as thick as tree trunks and submerged in the river, making them difficult to detect.
This led Zhang Yiren to deduce that the enemy had planned this attack in advance!
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to construct such a chain barrier spanning the Great Cang River in such a short time.
Fortunately, the damage to the ship was not severe. If it had sunk, the losses would have been unimaginable.
Jiazi Building Number One.
Under the flickering candlelight, Qingqin's pale and stunning face radiated a faint halo. Her bound-up hair fell loose, and her long hair scattered freely. Despite her lazy aura, she bore a hint of fatigue.
She had already swallowed several pills and was currently meditating to heal her injuries.
Not far away, the purple-robed youth listened to the report from his subordinate Zhang Duo, his expression constantly changing.
After a long while, a cold glint surged in his eyes, and he said coldly, "We must not let those three captured assassins die. Even if they are desperate criminals who value money over their lives, we must pry open their mouths and find out who hired them!"
Zhang Duo solemnly replied, "Yes!"
"Also, have Li Mo investigate the background of Man Tingfang's Chajin. Don't alert her for now, carry out everything discreetly," the purple-robed youth ordered.
Although Zhang Duo was somewhat puzzled, he nodded and accepted the command.
After a moment of contemplation, the purple-robed youth added, "Also, prepare some generous gifts. Tomorrow morning, I will visit Su Yi at Jiazi Building Number Nine."
This time, Zhang Duo readily agreed and said, "Su Gongzi has turned the tide tonight, not only saving His Highness's life but also saving us from the dire situation. We must certainly show our gratitude."
The purple-robed youth waved his hand. "You may go now."
Zhang Duo turned and left.
The purple-robed youth let out a long breath and slumped into the chair, a deep exhaustion apparent on his face.
The danger he experienced tonight kept him on high alert, and only now could he relax, feeling mentally and physically drained.
However, just the thought of almost being in danger ignited an uncontrollable anger within him, and his eyes were filled with a dark and gloomy color.
"Have you already suspected someone?"
Suddenly, a voice with a unique magnetism resounded.
The purple-robed youth's heart trembled as he noticed Qingqin, who had been meditating not far away, had opened her eyes and was looking at him.
"Yes," the purple-robed youth nodded, his tone heavy with a hint of coldness. "The only ones who knew about my operation were my third brother and me. I suspect that even if he is not the culprit, it's highly likely that the information was leaked from him."
"Isn't your relationship with the Third Prince always good?" Qingqin asked, somewhat puzzled.
The purple-robed youth let out a long sigh. "We are all the Emperor's sons, born as siblings, but in the imperial family, those of us who have the qualifications to inherit the throne are actually each other's greatest enemies."
He shook his head as he spoke, his enthusiasm dwindling, unwilling to discuss it further.
"The struggle for worldly imperial power is ultimately fleeting, but it's a pity that you, as insiders, can never see through it."
Qingqin's voice carried a hint of disdain. "Let me tell you in advance, once this operation is over, I will immediately return to the sect."
The purple-robed youth was taken aback for a moment and then smiled bitterly. "I had a premonition. With your noble character, it's impossible for you to stay and assist me, but I didn't expect it to be this soon."
Qingqin's expression remained serene as she said, "I wholeheartedly seek the path of the Great Dao. How could I have the time to care about the petty struggles of the world? You don't need to pretend to be pitiful either. With your status, it's effortless for you to gather a few martial arts masters to serve you."
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, the purple-robed youth also restrained his thoughts and said no more.
However, suddenly, he remembered something and his expression became peculiar. "Shishu, there's one more thing I must tell you."
"What is it?"
"That Su Yi said, 'Don't forget what you said tonight.'"
Upon hearing this, Qingqin first froze, then her bright eyes narrowed like blades. Her stunning face slightly stiffened, and she felt a wave of discomfort. An indescribable sense of unease surged in her heart.
That guy...
Could it be that he has some intentions towards me?
In the flickering candlelight, the beauty's heart surged like the tides, her delicate eyebrows furrowing tightly.