Yellow Sand City had a strange name, because it was surrounded on all sides by an endless primeval forest, a place of immense natural wealth.
Legend had it that over a thousand years ago, Yellow Sand City was still just a small village. While surrounded by forests, this specific location was a desert spanning a hundred-odd li. The small village, built on an oasis within this desert, came to be known as Huangsha Village.
Later, more and more Adventurers gathered here to hunt for treasure, using Huangsha Village as a way station. As a result, the place gradually developed. By the time the Cyan Dragon Kingdom overthrew the previous dynasty and established its rule, the once-small village had grown into a large town with over one hundred thousand permanent residents!
After another hundred years or so, it had become the largest city in the southern Cyan Dragon Kingdom. Today, Yellow Sand City's permanent population exceeds one million!
The Shangguan Family was one of the earliest clans to settle and prosper in what was then Huangsha Town. Transportation, restaurants, inns, pawnshops, banks... even brothels and casinos—nearly every service-related business was monopolized by the Shangguan Family.
And Shangguan Tie, the twenty-fifth Patriarch of the Shangguan Clan, was a master in his own right! Fourteen years ago, he had already attained Sixth-Level Primordial Power, his strength reaching the ninth stage of the Profound Level!
Seeking a breakthrough, Shangguan Tie, then in his sixties, ventured alone into Eagle's Beak Stream, located one hundred and seventy li south of Yellow Sand City.
Soul-Devouring Swamp, Eagle's Beak Stream, Phoenix Lake, and the Execution Ground. These four locations were collectively known as the Four Great Perilous Grounds of Yellow Sand City—a list compiled over centuries with the lives of Adventurers who had barely escaped death.
The Soul-Devouring Swamp lay over three hundred and fifty li east of Yellow Sand City. It was a marshland spanning more than seventy li, where poisonous miasma was ever-present and Spirit Beasts were abundant. The slightest misstep could lead to being devoured, becoming just another restless soul. However, the swamp was also rich with dozens of precious medicinal herbs and hundreds of species of Aquatic Spirit Beasts. Obtaining even one of these treasures would be a massive windfall, and so, despite its extreme danger, it drew countless Adventurers.
Eagle's Beak Stream resembled a colossal eagle's beak, surrounded by all sorts of mystical, celestial pits. Some of these pits were over a hundred li in diameter and immeasurably deep, home to magical plants and ferocious Spirit Beasts. There were even rumors from many Adventurers who claimed to have seen Spirit Beasts that had taken human form there. Of course, no one could confirm whether these figures were truly human or transformed Spirit Beasts. Nevertheless, this only added to Eagle's Beak Stream's ever-growing mystique.
Phoenix Lake and the Execution Ground were much the same. For an ordinary Martial Artist to enter any of these places, "a slim chance of survival" would be no exaggeration.
Yet it was in this incredibly perilous place that Shangguan Tie witnessed a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.
He was fleeing from a pursuing Spirit Beast, a creature that possessed the strength of a peak Profound Level expert at the very least. Had Shangguan Tie chosen to fight it to the death, he wouldn't necessarily have lost. The problem was that battling a Spirit Beast in Eagle's Beak Stream could easily alert a far more powerful entity. If that were to happen, death would be certain.
And in the midst of his desperate flight, Shangguan Tie caught a fleeting glimpse of the highest point of Eagle's Beak Stream... atop the peak of that colossal, menacing "beak," stood two figures: a man and a woman.
The man was extraordinarily handsome, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows, eyes that shone like stars, and a noble, well-defined face. His stature was imposing, and he wore a white robe. Beside him, a woman of peerless beauty nestled close, her face a picture of sweet bliss. She didn't even notice Shangguan Tie, who was fleeing for his life a hundred meters away.
'A couple enjoying a romantic tryst in such a perilous place, acting as if they owned the world... Well, that's not so strange,' Shangguan Tie had thought. 'Reclusive masters are known for such eccentricities.' The problem was, Shangguan Tie recognized the woman! It was Qin Hanyue, the youngest daughter of Qin Hongyuan, Patriarch of the Qin Family—one of the three great families of Yellow Sand City!
Shangguan Tie nearly cried out in shock. But just then, the man glanced over at him, a single, cold look. In that instant, Shangguan Tie felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss. The ferocious, tiger-like Spirit Beast that had been chasing him let out a terrified roar, then turned, tucked its tail between its legs, and fled.
That cold, indifferent gaze was like a sharp sword piercing straight into his soul.
Shangguan Tie would never forget it. The sheer pressure and intangible killing intent were nothing a mortal Martial Artist could possibly exude.
Years ago, when his daughter Shangguan Feiyue had entered the palace to become a Consort, Shangguan Tie had personally seen the emperor's royal guard, who was rumored to be a Celestial Level expert. Even that master hadn't subjected him to such immense pressure.
And this was from a single glance.
Shangguan Tie fled immediately. He didn't know if Qin Hanyue had seen him. 'That man... he probably wouldn't mention this to his lover, would he?' he wondered. 'Perhaps in their eyes, I was just an unwelcome guest who stumbled upon their private rendezvous...'
That single glance nearly tormented Shangguan Tie to the point of a cultivation backlash. He spent three full years in seclusion just to expel the Heart Demon it had created. As a result, however, his power was forever stalled at the ninth stage of the Profound Level, never to advance another step in this lifetime.
Later, news broke about the Qin Family's youngest daughter, Qin Hanyue, engaging in "improper conduct" and giving birth to an illegitimate son. The story caused a massive uproar in Yellow Sand City, much like the scandal involving Shangguan Shiyu.
Qin Hanyue had once been a likely candidate to be selected for the imperial palace alongside his own daughter, Shangguan Feiyue. When the scandal broke, countless people lamented the turn of events. At the same time, everyone was left to wonder: who was the man that had captured the heart of the Qin Family's peerless beauty, only to then abandon her so ruthlessly?
Over the following years, Shangguan Tie would "coincidentally" pass by the Qin Family's servant quarters from time to time, quietly observing the silent, illegitimate boy. As Qin Li grew older, Shangguan Tie felt more and more certain that he could see a shadow of the man from that day in the boy's features. He finally concluded in his heart: 'This little bastard is almost certainly that man's child!'
Though he didn't know what had transpired between the Qin Family's youngest daughter and that mysterious man, Shangguan Tie was firm in his belief that marrying Shangguan Shiyu to Qin Li was the right decision. As a man who had seen the world and was a master at reading people, Shangguan Tie was making a gamble. He was betting that sooner or later, that man would return for his woman and his son. And when that day came, all of his investments... would pay off.
That was true daring!
A smug smile filled Shangguan Tie's aged eyes as he thought to himself, 'That old fool Qin... *this* is the fundamental reason why your Qin Family can never measure up to my Shangguan Family!'
'Because I can see so much further than you!'
...
"My dear granddaughter, listen to your grandpa. Just go and meet him, won't you?" Shangguan Tie looked at his precious granddaughter with a hint of helplessness, trying his best to persuade her.
Across from him sat Shangguan Shiyu, dressed in a long robe. She wore thin, white gauze gloves on her hands and a white gauze veil over her face. Not a single patch of her skin was exposed. This was a change that had occurred after the "incident" a year ago; she refused to let anyone see her blue skin.
"I won't go."
Shangguan Shiyu shook her head firmly. "Grandpa, I will not marry in this lifetime! I'll just stay here with you!" Her voice was as clear and melodious as an oriole's song.
"Silly child, sooner or later, your grandpa will be gone. You can't stay with me forever. What will you do when I'm no longer here?" At this moment, Shangguan Tie had shed all semblance of the imposing Patriarch, appearing only as a kind old man, his eyes a mixture of relief and heartache.
"Still... I don't want to see him!"
"Is it because of his status?" Shangguan Tie asked tentatively.
"Of course not. What right do I have to mock anyone else? I simply don't want to marry. More than that, I don't want to frighten him!" Shangguan Shiyu said softly.
A pang of pain seized Shangguan Tie's heart. 'What terrible sin was committed,' he thought, 'for my beautiful, lovely granddaughter to suffer such torment? Why didn't the retribution fall on this worthless old man instead?'
Just then, Shangguan Shiyu suddenly asked, "Was it his idea to meet me? I heard that a few days ago, he personally killed two family servants who insulted his mother?"
Shangguan Tie sensed an opening and immediately recounted all the news he had gathered over the past two days to Shangguan Shiyu.
Shangguan Shiyu fell silent for a moment. Then, she looked up and said, "Alright. I'll meet with him."