Chapter Seventy-Five: The Two Generals of Wind and Thunder

“The old lord is dead...”
A mournful, agonized cry echoed through the entire Chaoyang Street, spreading rapidly from one to ten, ten to a hundred. Soon, everyone in Mao Fortress was crying out in grief.

Qin Yi and Zhang Chen heard these cries and both furrowed their brows. When they had struck, they had been careful to control their strength. How could this have happened? Had they perhaps underestimated the old lord’s physical condition, despite being aware of his power? Qin Yi thought this unlikely.

“Revenge for the old lord...”

Suddenly, a shout rose from the crowd, and everyone from Mao Fortress turned their gaze toward Qin Yi and Zhang Chen, their eyes filled with an unspeakable hatred.

Qin Yi felt helpless. He hadn’t expected things to escalate to this point.

At that moment, Lord Yan gestured to the people of Yan Fortress behind him, the meaning plain. Five cultivators of the Transcendent Realm, together with hundreds of warriors—some trained, some merely strong—charged forward.

Old Lord Li patted the shoulder of the frustrated Qin Yi and laughed, “It’s nothing, Qin Unrighteous. This day was bound to come. We’ve all long been sick of those bastards. Today, let’s fight to our heart’s content.” His eyes suddenly became sharp, his tone filled with murderous intent. “I should avenge my sons and grandsons as well.”

“Yes, yes, Qin Unrighteous, the old lord is right. We’ve all been fed up with them for ages. Today, I’ll avenge my boy too.” At that moment, a burly man beside Old Lord Li leapt out, wielding a four-foot saw and speaking in a rough voice.

Qin Yi glanced back at the people of Fish-Dragon Fortress, all eager for battle. He smiled, then turned and drew his sword, Flying Snow, from his waist, pointing it at the incoming forces of the two fortresses, laughing, “Let’s all go together!”

Next moment, the people of Fish-Dragon Fortress charged forth. Though outnumbered, their momentum was not inferior.

It wasn’t that Qin Yi and Zhang Chen couldn’t deal with the hundreds from the two fortresses themselves, but the people of Fish-Dragon Fortress had long pent-up frustrations they needed to vent, and it wasn’t right to stop them. Besides, while they could handle the numbers, it would be too exhausting. If their energy was depleted continuously, and luck faltered, danger could arise. Cultivators are not gods, nor invincible. They’d never seen true immortals—who knows, even immortals might have weaknesses.

“Clang...”

Qin Yi knocked back Lord Yan with a sword strike. He looked around at Chaoyang Street, now a battlefield, and asked Yan, his gaze dark, “Are you really willing to pay such a price for revenge for that old man?”

The ironclad warrior wielding a four-foot blade sneered, “If, from now on, Yan Fortress is the only one left among the three fortresses of Southern Yi, it’s worth it.”

Qin Yi said no more, sword in hand, facing the five.

With Zhang Chen supporting from behind, the fight wasn’t difficult. Yet Qin Yi always felt a lingering doubt.

Suddenly, Qin Yi sensed danger and quickly retreated.

As he withdrew, a silver lightning bolt suddenly streaked across the dusk sky, striking down at incredible speed.

---

“Boom...”

The silver lightning crashed onto the flagstone pavement, resounding loudly.

Even though Qin Yi had been alert, he couldn’t avoid retreating in a somewhat embarrassed manner. Fortunately, Jiang Yao was also prepared, catching Qin Yi and shielding him from the aftershock.

“Ah...!”

Compared to them, the people of Yan and Mao Fortresses weren’t so lucky. Having gained the upper hand against Qin Yi, they couldn’t halt their charge in time. The silver lightning struck swiftly, sending men and horses tumbling; many were surely injured.

Standing once more on the flagstone, Qin Yi gazed toward the empty sky and spoke calmly, “With your cultivation, you must be a notable figure in Lingzhou. Why hide in the shadows?”

He was certain that strike couldn’t have come from a Transcendent Realm cultivator; the newcomer had to be at the Golden Core Realm. Anyone at such a level in Lingzhou was far from unknown.

Silence reigned; no one replied. Everyone stared at the distant sky, unblinking.

“Well now! Such a handsome young man—tell me, are you married yet? If not, how about marrying me?” A delicate voice rang out on Chaoyang Street. Qin Yi felt a small, yet distinct breeze pass by, and suddenly someone had linked arms with him.

Instinctively, Qin Yi glanced at Jiang Yao, and saw her face darkened. He turned stiffly to his left, and there he saw a beautiful woman in flowing green robes gazing at him with affection. Qin Yi’s lips twitched.

“You look like you’re enjoying this,” Jiang Yao’s voice came, devoid of emotion.

Qin Yi felt a sense of foreboding and tried to pull his arm away, but found he couldn’t. Some gentle force seemed to hold him fast.

The next moment, sword energy—familiar and unmistakably Jiang Yao’s—surged around him, and she easily pulled him aside.

The woman in green watched the swirling air, then turned her gaze to Jiang Yao and smiled, “A sword cultivator from Taiyi Mountain with such skill must be either Xue Songmei or her disciple. So young and beautiful—you must be the disciple.”

She then covered her cheeks with her hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Qin Yi, “But no matter who you are, this handsome fellow is mine today. I’ll make him a real man tonight.”

Jiang Yao blushed deeply and clung tightly to Qin Yi’s arm, pouting, “He’s already my man.”

Qin Yi froze, surprised, staring at Jiang Yao, barely able to keep from laughing. She truly was adorable at this moment.

Jiang Yao’s face was crimson.

Zhang Chen was equally stunned. Did this mean Qin Unrighteous had actually won over Jiang Yao? He was filled with admiration.

The woman in green seemed taken aback, then looked at Jiang Yao with a click of her tongue, “Little girl, you’re quite bold!”

---

“You lewd old woman—do you lose your senses every time you see a handsome young man?” At that moment, a thunderous voice sounded. Everyone looked up to see what appeared to be a bolt of lightning in the sky, followed by a burst of light. A tall man in silver robes, dignified and impressive, appeared beside the woman in green.

He was truly tall—Qin Yi estimated he was even taller than Old Jiang or Jiang Fengnian.

“I’m perfectly normal, unlike you—” The woman in green glanced at him with disdain.

“We have important business,” the silver-robed man interrupted her coldly, then looked at the people from Yan and Mao Fortresses and sighed, “Alas, I didn’t expect them to fail even at such simple tasks.”

The woman in green looked back at Qin Yi with a playful smile, “With such a handsome young man before me, I can’t bring myself to strike.”

Jiang Yao looked at the two and said, “With skills like yours, you must be the Wind and Thunder Generals among the seven great champions of the Eastern Ridge Wang clan, correct?”

The silver-robed man smiled, “Miss Jiang, not only are you formidable, your insight is remarkable.”

Qin Yi laughed, “I really don’t know what makes Fish-Dragon Fortress so memorable to the Wang clan of Eastern Ridge!”

Last time it was Wang Weixue, now the Wind and Thunder Generals—something was clearly amiss.

The silver-robed man smiled, “We’re just here to find someone.”

Qin Yi’s brows knit even tighter. Find someone? Other than himself, he couldn’t think of anyone in Fish-Dragon Fortress who would attract the Wang clan’s attention.

Well, perhaps that was a bit conceited.

“Qin Tian, after so many years as old friends, you know I’m here—won’t you come out and greet me?”

Just then, a voice rang out from the sky, so loud it resounded throughout Fish-Dragon Fortress. Qin Yi looked toward the source, and in the distant crimson west, a dazzling golden light appeared, transforming into a golden figure that slowly approached Fish-Dragon Fortress, finally stopping at the end of Chaoyang Street.

Qin Yi gazed from afar at the figure shrouded in golden light, unable to see who it was, his expression grave.

His instincts told him this person was powerful.

“Qin Tian.” Qin Yi was startled. Why was this person calling his father? Why would the Wang clan of Eastern Ridge seek him out? Could his father, an ordinary man, have once offended the Wang clan? And if so, why send the Wind and Thunder Generals and a Golden Core master?

Curious, Qin Yi made his way to the end of Chaoyang Street, stopping before Zhang Chen’s tavern.