“Su Liu?”
It was the first time Liu Xiaolou had ever heard anyone call him that. The more he turned the words over in his mind, the worse it felt. Anger surged up in his chest, and he stormed out of the main hall. “What demon dares—”
Then he saw it was Yun Ao, and paused in surprise. “White Cloud? Brother Yun, what brings you here?”
Yun Ao set down the food basket and smiled. “Su Liu, word is you’ve been cold-shouldered at the Su household, living miserably, not even getting enough to eat. I came to bring you a meal.”
Liu Xiaolou frowned. “No matter what, we’re comrades from the same matchmaking expedition. Brother Yun, there’s no need for such sarcastic remarks.”
Then, with a spark of mischief, he asked, “By the way, how’s that marriage your family forced on you? Satisfied with your bride? I heard she’s fierce as a lioness, that one roar from her sends you trembling and scrambling for cover. Is that true? Come now, tell me the story over a few drinks…”
He hadn’t even finished when the air in the SunRain Hibiscus Garden suddenly turned heavy. A cold wind swept through, stirring the fallen leaves into flight.
Liu Xiaolou’s eyelids twitched. What now? Was Yun Ao really about to draw over a few words?
Sure enough, Yun Ao slowly set the basket aside. With a sharp clang, the White Cloud Sword slid from its sheath.
He held the sword upright before his eyes, running two fingers of his left hand along its tip, and said coldly, “Su Liu, you dare insult me? Do you think my blade has grown dull? A year has passed since we last met. You must have learned much from your lady’s instruction. I wonder how far your skills have come. Show me.”
Liu Xiaolou drew the Three-Mystery Sword. “Then let’s see how it fares against mine.”
Yun Ao shook his head. “Your swordsmanship won’t cut it. If that’s all you’ve got, there’s no need to fight. Show your real strength.”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Fine. You seek a worthy match; you’ll have it.” With a flick of his wrist, a jade formation disk slipped from his sleeve.
Yun Ao gave the White Cloud Sword a sharp shake. Three feet of sword light burst forth. The cold wind rose again in the SunRain Hibiscus Garden, sending the withered leaves swirling through the air.
Even the pile of dead branches and leaves gathered at the feet of Big White was swept up into the storm.
“Honk! Honk!” The goose squawked in panic, flapping its wings wildly as it chased after the flying leaves.
Amid the roar of wind, the rustling of leaves, and the goose’s frantic cries, Yun Ao raised his sword and charged straight at Liu Xiaolou.
Liu Xiaolou pressed his fingers into a hand seal, and at once the Abyssal Blackstone Formation came alive.
Last year Yun Ao had already entered the formation twice, so he knew well how dangerous it could be. The White Cloud Sword hacked wildly in all directions as he pushed straight toward the small pavilion at the center of the garden. Once inside the hall, he hooked a brocade stool with his foot, pulled it over, sat down with his sword at hand, and fixed his gaze on the curtained bed within.
Compared with last year, Liu Xiaolou’s cultivation had advanced noticeably. He had gone from the third layer of Qi Refinement to the fourth. Seventh layer opponents were still beyond him, but anyone at the sixth or below who steps into his great formation was in trouble. Once he activated the Bewildering Fragrance within the formation, crossing layers and crushing enemies became an easy task.
Yet Yun Ao’s behavior left him uneasy. What was this man up to? Did he still have some hidden card to play, or had he discovered a way to break the formation?
Because of that, Liu Xiaolou dared not use the Bewildering Fragrance. He stayed fully on guard.
The cold wind gradually faded, and the SunRain Hibiscus Garden returned to silence. Liu Xiaolou sat cross-legged on the floor, maintaining the formation while bracing for Yun Ao’s counter. Yun Ao half-reclined in the void, his eyes deep and distant.
Then, in the stillness of the garden, a sharp “tock, tock, tock” rang out again and again. It was Big White, struggling to gather the scattered leaves and pounding them furiously with its beak.
Soon a wisp of smoke rose up. Flames licked at the pile of leaves, already stacked half as tall as the goose itself. Big White stepped back a few paces, folded its wings, and let out two long, relieved honks.
On this side, the duel between Liu Xiaolou and Yun Ao had already lasted the time of two sticks of incense. Liu Xiaolou searched him up and down, left and right, but still couldn’t figure out what hidden move Yun Ao was holding back. At last he slipped a strand of Bewildering Fragrance into the formation, ready to probe his defenses.
Keeping the formation active drained a tremendous amount of true qi. If it dragged on too long, he might not have the strength left to block Yun Ao’s counterattack.
Just as he was about to release the fragrance into the formation, Yun Ao suddenly leapt to his feet, face flushed red, and shouted, “Enough! Enough! End the formation. I concede!”
Liu Xiaolou froze. That’s it?
Before he could recover from his surprise, Yun Ao had already sheathed the White Cloud Sword. From the look of him, he really was admitting defeat.
What the hell?
Still lost in the memory of the duel just past, Liu Xiaolou replayed every detail again and again in his mind. Growing impatient, he waved a hand. “Go on, eat.”
With permission granted, the goose immediately buried its beak into the basket and began gorging itself.
While Liu Xiaolou sat in the SunRain Hibiscus Garden, brooding and making no progress, Yun Ao had already thrown his full strength into play, circulating his true qi and racing home at the fastest speed of his life.
The White Cloud Manor lay more than forty li from Mount Shenwu, but in less than half an hour he was there. He burst through the gate, dashed into his own courtyard, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Wife! Wife!”
Lady Yunhua was in the study, leafing through a Daoist text. Hearing her husband holler like a madman, she immediately frowned. When Yun Ao charged into the study, she scolded, “Such rudeness! What kind of behavior is this—”
Before she could finish, Yun Ao swept her up in his arms. “What are you doing? Put me down at once! Do you not know what sort of reckless fool you are...”
Yun Ao didn’t answer. He only laughed, tossed her onto the bed, and with a tearing sound, bits of cloth flew across the room.
Lady Yunhua was about to use a technique and discipline her impetuous young husband when her eyes suddenly widened. Her whole body tensed, her strength abandoned her, and from the depths of her very soul escaped a single long sigh: “Ah…”
After their bout of passion, the two of them collapsed together. Yunhua lay with her head resting in Yun Ao’s arm, her fingers tracing across his heaving chest as she asked sweetly, “What came over you all of a sudden…?”
Yun Ao said, “Tell me, wife. Who’s the master in this house?”
Lady Yunhua tittered for a moment, then answered softly, “You are, my lord…”
When they finally got up and put themselves in order, Yunhua tried to find out whether he had taken some kind of miraculous elixir, but Yun Ao only denied it. She was left with no way to explain it.
And so, after several such occasions, Yun Ao’s standing in the household gradually rose. Yet even in his joy, he began to feel uneasy; as though something wasn’t quite right. The sensation seemed to fade…
Half a month later, one morning, he was finally kicked straight out of bed. Yunhua jabbed a toe against his nose and scolded, “What is wrong with you?”
Gritting his teeth, Yun Ao said nothing. He dressed in silence, then declared, “Wait here. I need some air.” With that, he turned and strode off.
Furious, Yunhua flicked her long sword into the air. It shot straight at him, but Yun Ao narrowly dodged. The blade sank three inches deep into the wooden door, quivering in place.
By the time she had dressed and given chase, Yun Ao was already gone without a trace. Left behind, Lady Yunhua stamped her foot in helpless anger.