The study.
Dowager Wen fell into a brief silence before speaking, "I don't know much about your mother, Lady Ye Yufei. Some of it is just hearsay and rumors."
Su Yi lounged on the opposite side, nodding. "Go ahead."
"On the fifth day of May thirteen years ago, your father suddenly ordered the removal of your mother, Lady Ye Yufei, from her position as his lawful wife. She was confined to Yunni Xiao Zhu and forbidden from setting foot outside for the rest of her life."
The Dowager's eyes filled with reminiscence. "At that time, the entire Su family, including myself, was shocked. Even I hadn't anticipated it because over the years, your parents had an excellent relationship and were regarded as an immortal couple..."
"The Clan Chief never explained why he suddenly revoked your mother's status and imprisoned her like a criminal."
"However, there has always been a rumor within the Su family. It is said that your father discovered that Lady Ye Yufei was a pawn planted by some mysterious force beside him, which angered him and led to her downfall."
As the Dowager spoke, she glanced at Su Yi, only to find his expression calm and unruffled, as if he didn't care about any of it.
He seemed completely indifferent to everything.
The Dowager steadied her mind and continued, "For a top family like the Su family, it is not uncommon for the Clan Chief to demote or remove concubines. After Lady Ye Yufei's confinement on the fifth day of May, she fell seriously ill and passed away on the second day of the second month of the following year. This is something you should remember, Third Young Master."
Su Yi nodded.
He was four years old at that time and was able to remember many things.
Among them was the memory of his mother, Lady Ye Yufei, passing away.
And the memory was extremely vivid.
Because it happened to be on his fourth birthday!
That day, Lady Ye Yufei, in her ailing state, made a bowl of noodles for him.
The wind outside was bitterly cold, and rain lashed against the windows. Inside the room, the dim light from the small lamp cast a faint and yellowish glow as the mother and son sat facing each other.
As he happily ate the noodles, his mother, Lady Ye Yufei, smiled and watched silently, and then quietly passed away.
These scenes were etched in Su Yi's heart like a deeply carved mark. Every detail was clear, and it became his most profound obsession.
Even though he had awakened memories of his past life, when he recalled this event, anger and hatred surged uncontrollably within Su Yi's heart.
This was his hatred for his father, Su Hongli.
And it was his hatred for the Su family in Yujing City.
It had long become a deep-rooted obsession.
"This grudge must be settled, or the heart demon will be hard to eliminate..."
Su Yi murmured to himself.
"Third Young Master, I have told you everything I know. Whether it is true or false, I cannot be certain. In any case, the Clan Chief must have had a reason to remove your mother. The truth behind it can only be uncovered by you."
The Dowager's voice was slow, tinged with self-ridicule. "In the end, I was just a servant in the Su family back then. Such important matters were beyond my involvement."
Su Yi pondered for a moment before saying, "I will settle this matter with Su Hongli one by one. But before that, there is one thing I have been unable to understand. Why does You Qingzhi, that woman, hold such deep hostility towards me?"
The Dowager hesitated for a moment, her gaze complex. She said, "I don't know the real reason, but from what I know, when your parents had the best relationship, You Qingzhi was always neglected. Her status, position, and treatment were far inferior to your mother's."
"It was only after your mother's removal that You Qingzhi became the most favored wife. Perhaps... her hatred towards you stems from her jealousy towards your mother back then?"
Su Yi made a sound of acknowledgment but didn't take it seriously.
A jealous woman could indeed commit unimaginable acts of cruelty.
However, Su Yi didn't believe that You Qingzhi had always held animosity towards him purely out of jealousy.
There must be other hidden factors involved.
Nevertheless, Su Yi couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. When he went to Yujing City in the future, he would settle accounts with them one by one.
Some matters could be resolved with a single stroke of the sword, without the need for complex thoughts.
"Alright, you can leave with Wen Changjing and the others," Su Yi stood up and said.
The Dowager hesitated for a moment but still reminded him, "Third Young Master, if you become an enemy of the Su family, you may very well be at odds with the entire Da Zhou Empire. The current Emperor will never allow the Su family to fall!"
"At odds with the entire Da Zhou Empire?" Su Yi sneered, not bothering to explain anything.
Soon, Su Yi and Dowager Wen returned to the courtyard in front of the lake.
Wen Changjing, Wen Changtai, and Qin Jing, who were chatting with Tea Jin, all stood up immediately. When facing Su Yi, they were filled with genuine fear and deep reverence.
Su Yi glanced at Wen Changtai and Qin Jing, feeling a subtle emotion in his heart. He said, "In the past, you were nominally my parents-in-law, but I never acknowledged it."
"Naturally, you and Lingzhao both opposed the marriage. We are well aware of that," Wen Changtai replied awkwardly.
Su Yi smiled faintly and said, "In the Wen family, they say you are honest and unremarkable, mediocre and incapable. But in my eyes, you are a respected elder."
During the year he spent in the Wen family, Wen Changtai, this honest and somewhat powerless man, never uttered a word of ill-will towards him, despite being his unwanted son-in-law.
Just based on that, he deserved the label of "respected."
In Su Yi's opinion, the kindness exhibited by Wen Lingxue must have been inherited from her father, Wen Changtai.
Wen Changtai waved his hand anxiously and said, "I... I have nothing deserving of respect. Please don't say that. In the past... in the past, it was our Wen family who wronged you."
Su Yi chuckled, "That's all in the past. Let's not talk about that."
"Alright, let's not talk about it," Wen Changtai nodded repeatedly.
"Su... Su Yi, is it really impossible for you and Lingzhao to reconcile?" Qin Jing couldn't help but speak up.
After experiencing the shocking scenes just now, her thoughts had undergone a tremendous change.
In her opinion, with Su Yi's current status and position, he was more than suitable for her daughter, Wen Lingzhao. In fact, they were even reaching high by being connected to their family...
Qin Jing continued, "Don't worry, I will persuade Lingzhao. She's already an inner disciple of Tianyuan Academy. She should understand that this marriage is beneficial and harmless to her, and..."
As she spoke, she grew more and more excited, already imagining the future.
For example, with a son-in-law like Su Yi, who would dare to disrespect her in Gunzhou City?
Which fool would dare to provoke her?
But Dowager Wen coldly snorted, interrupting Qin Jing's fantasies. "Enough! Aren't you ashamed?"
Wen Changjing, who had been silently observing, wanted to say that it wasn't embarrassing at all. Qin Jing was doing it for the good of their Wen family!
But he didn't dare to contradict the Dowager, let alone speak up at this moment.
There were certain things that Qin Jing could do, but if he, as the team leader, did the same, it wouldn't just be a matter of being looked down upon. It might even provoke Su Yi's resentment.
If Su Yi were to bring up the past humiliations he endured in the Wen family, then it would truly be over.
Soon, the Dowager took Wen Changjing and the others and left.
After some thought, Su Yi instructed Tea Jin to escort them to Tianyuan Academy.
Tea Jin keenly perceived that Su Yi made this arrangement to save face for Wen Lingxue, allowing him to send the Wen family away.
"It's been almost ten days since Miss Lingxue left. Although the young master doesn't say anything, he must still be concerned about her," Tea Jin muttered to himself.
Su Yi lazily sat down in the rattan chair, silently pondering his trip to the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
Today, Ning Yihuai and Shen Jiushong came to visit and mentioned an unusual matter.
The upcoming beast tide in the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain, both in terms of scale and danger, could be completely different from the past.
Shen Jiushong received information that although the beast tide would erupt in seven days, there were already many strange phenomena occurring deep within the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
There was a blood-colored mist covering the sky that persisted for a long time.
There were obscure and unknown murmurs occasionally emanating from deep within the blood-colored mountain, intermittent and ethereal.
Once heard, it would cause a tearing pain in one's soul, especially for demonic beasts, who would directly enter an unconscious state of rage and madness.
It should be noted that in the past years, the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain would only have a beast tide every ten years, and there had never been such eerie and abnormal occurrences before.
It is precisely because of these reasons that Ning Yihuai and Shen Jiushong both concluded that the upcoming beast tide in the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain would be completely different from before.
"The blood mist... the obscure murmurs... are these signs of a great demon's birth or an indication that a precious treasure will appear?" Su Yi pondered.
He had originally planned to visit the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
Firstly, he had promised the Martial Spirit Marquis Chen Zheng.
Secondly, he had now discovered that the mysterious soul jade, the one containing the soul of Qing Wan, likely originated from the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
In other words, if he wanted to further investigate Qing Wan's origins, it was imperative to go to the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain.
The final reason was that with his current diligent cultivation, it would take at least one or two months to refine his True Essence into "Dao Gang."
But if he could undergo honing in intense battles, it would greatly shorten the time required to refine "Dao Gang."
Undoubtedly, the current Bloodthorn Demon Mountain was highly suitable for combat.
"Hmm, I wonder how Huang Qianjun is doing in the Green Armor Army now..."
"In three days, I'll go and take a look."
Su Yi thought to himself.