Chapter 131: The Siege

“Snake-Tailed Wolves?!”

If anyone had failed to understand Su Yi’s intentions before, everything was perfectly clear now. More than twenty mercenaries surrounded Yaoxin and Su Yi, while nearly thirty magical beasts called Snake-Tailed Wolves surrounded them in turn. No one could appreciate the meaning of “the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind” better than they did at that moment.

Su Yi swept his gaze over the attacking beasts, his expression growing slightly solemn. He had heard of Snake-Tailed Wolves. Each one possessed strength roughly comparable to that of a seventh- or eighth-level warrior. They were not especially powerful magical beasts, but they preferred to move in packs. When confronted by a large group, even powerful martial cultivators had to avoid them temporarily. With nearly thirty Snake-Tailed Wolves gathered here, the deaths of everyone present had, in a sense, already been pronounced. The fear and despair in their eyes made that plain enough.

The color had drained from Commander Ji’s face as well. Setting aside whether he could withstand the assault, even if he ultimately managed to leave alive, he would probably have very few people left at his side. While he was still hesitating over whether to fight or flee, the Snake-Tailed Wolves, their eyes gleaming ferociously, had already begun closing in. Their long, python-like tails writhed and lashed about continuously, producing a chilling sound. In truth, aside from their gaping jaws and razor-sharp claws, those tails were the deadliest part of them.

“Attack!”

Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Commander Ji abruptly issued the order to engage. The others knew how dire the situation was as well. They could only fight their way through, for before these savage beasts, there was no room for the slightest hope of luck.

The mercenaries struck first. Each brandished a weapon, unleashing fierce surges of battle energy as they charged straight into the pack of Snake-Tailed Wolves. Shouts and cries erupted everywhere, mixed with the roars of beasts. Su Yi led Yaoxin, whose jade-like hands had gone cold, backward while dodging the attacks and closely observing the battlefield around them. To his surprise, although these mercenaries seemed rather inept, they truly had some skill.

The weaker fighters grouped together and attacked in concert, while the stronger ones engaged the Snake-Tailed Wolves alone. Commander Ji and a mercenary possessing the strength of a ninth-level warrior were the most conspicuous among them. Although the Snake-Tailed Wolves were ferocious, the gap in strength was undeniable. Every so often, one of them would die beneath the pair’s palms, which were charged with powerful battle energy.

The pack seemed to notice the situation. After emitting a low growl, even more Snake-Tailed Wolves joined the assault on the two men. One of them seized an opening and bit down on the ninth-level mercenary’s leg. The mercenary cried out in pain, battle energy surging through his hand as he struck the beast viciously across the neck.

With a furious howl, the savage beast not only refused to release its bite but also coiled its thick tail, nearly as wide as a man’s leg, around the mercenary’s body.

The mercenary struggled desperately to shake off the massive tail. Several Snake-Tailed Wolves nearby suddenly pounced together, instantly knocking him to the ground and tearing into him with savage bites. He could still be seen struggling, but he clearly would not last much longer. Having devoured such a tough opponent, the Snake-Tailed Wolves seemed invigorated, and their assault grew even more violent.

As blood spilled across the ground, the mercenaries’ casualties steadily increased. The weakest of them were the first to die. Although they had tried to surround the beasts and overwhelm them with numbers, the Snake-Tailed Wolves outnumbered them by even more. Under the beasts’ counterattack, the mercenaries were quickly wiped out.

Only a handful of men remained, struggling desperately, along with Commander Ji, whose body was likewise stained with blood.

The mercenaries had paid with more than a dozen lives, and nearly twenty Snake-Tailed Wolves had already been slain. Yet more than ten still surrounded the remaining fighters without the slightest intention of retreating. Both sides appeared to have been driven completely mad by the slaughter.

At the sight of this, a faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of Su Yi’s mouth. After all, he had killed this mercenary group’s vice commander and stolen their belongings. If they discovered the truth, they would certainly come after him. Su Yi had been worrying all along that the matter might come to light. The “evidence” was still hidden against his body, and a search would have left him in serious trouble.

Although Su Yi considered himself stronger than most of them, he might still find it difficult to withstand so many opponents attacking him at once—not to mention the presence of a martial cultivator. But the situation was much better now. The more people died, the happier Su Yi became. He wished they would all perish, preferably taking the Snake-Tailed Wolves with them. Then he would have nothing to do with the matter.

“Hey, aren’t you afraid?”

Yaoxin found Su Yi’s behavior extremely strange. She widened her bright eyes and examined him from head to toe, feeling that this man was truly difficult to understand. If he was not afraid, then why did he possess so little strength? Yet if he was afraid, why did he appear so fascinated by the spectacle? The two of them stood at the very center of the battle. Most of the Snake-Tailed Wolves had been held back by the mercenaries, but it was still extremely dangerous.

“Of course I’m not afraid. Haven’t you noticed that very few of these Snake-Tailed Wolves come near us? I haven’t done anything special. Could it be that you possess some unusual treasure capable of repelling beasts?”

Su Yi smiled faintly as he looked at Yaoxin. There had been a hint of teasing in his words, but Yaoxin’s expression changed slightly. She lowered her head and said softly, “I’m only an ordinary girl. What special thing could I have?”

“Look out!”

As if to prove her own words false, the instant she finished speaking, a Snake-Tailed Wolf leaped viciously into the air and lunged straight for her chest.

Su Yi immediately warned her. At the same time, he raised his left arm and blocked it before Yaoxin. The beast’s gaping jaws slammed down hard on Su Yi’s right arm.

Crack!

A sharp sound rang out where the two collided.

“Ah!”

Su Yi did not cry out. Yaoxin did. Battle energy surged into her toes, and she kicked like lightning, striking the Snake-Tailed Wolf squarely in the throat.

The beast let out a painful whimper and immediately released its bite. It crashed to the ground, twitching and struggling. Its breathing was clearly obstructed. Su Yi then planted a foot on its head. Several crisp cracking sounds followed, and the Snake-Tailed Wolf fell silent forever.

“Is your arm all right?”

Yaoxin hurriedly extended her delicate hand and carefully examined Su Yi’s arm. His sleeve had been pierced by the beast’s sharp fangs, leaving several holes, and blood was dripping steadily onto the ground.

She had never expected Su Yi to suffer such a serious injury to save her. When she remembered the cracking sound she had heard at the moment of the bite, her eyes immediately grew moist. Tears brimmed in them and seemed ready to spill over.

“Hey, don’t cry. I’m fine…”

Su Yi shook his head helplessly as he explained himself, as though he had deliberately tricked a girl into shedding tears.

“How could you be fine? Don’t try to comfort me. I heard that sound myself… Your bones must be broken. Sob…”

Yaoxin refused to believe him. The evidence was right before her eyes, leaving Su Yi no room to argue.

You’re the one who got screwed!

Su Yi cursed inwardly, but judging from her reaction, Yaoxin seemed to possess a genuinely kind heart. She was a good girl…

And, of course, she had an even better figure.

Unable to bear the sight of a beauty with tears on her cheeks, Su Yi said nothing more. He simply let his actions speak.

Another Snake-Tailed Wolf pounced toward him. With a low shout in his heart, Su Yi drew back his left arm and then swung it forward with sudden force. His fist, carrying tremendous power, slammed into the beast’s head.

The Snake-Tailed Wolf let out a shrill howl. Its body flew away like a kite with its string cut, crashing violently into a nearby area and startling several people who were fighting there.

Su Yi shook his arm and turned to look at Yaoxin, whose face was filled with astonishment and disbelief. He merely shrugged without saying a word, appearing perfectly calm.

With his current strength, sending a seventh-level warrior flying with one punch was nothing remarkable. So what if it had been the body of a magical beast? He had even sent a tenth-level warrior flying before. How could he possibly be unable to deal with a Snake-Tailed Wolf that had not even reached the peak of the first rank?

Su Yi remained calm, but Yaoxin was anything but. After finally closing her astonished mouth, she still found herself replaying the scene in her mind—the posture, the speed, the smooth trajectory…

Even she could not accomplish something like that.

Could it be that this young man, who appeared to possess no battle energy at all, was actually stronger than she was?

She quickly reached out and touched Su Yi’s left arm. Sure enough, she discovered that he had not been injured at all.

“If that’s the case, then what was that sound? And where did all this blood come from?”

“Well…”

Su Yi scratched his head lightly and explained, “That sound came from its teeth breaking. The blood naturally came from the broken teeth.”

Its teeth… broke?

Yaoxin felt as though she were on the verge of collapse. How thick did someone’s skin have to be for a magical beast to bite hard enough to make its own gums bleed?

Although the Snake-Tailed Wolf’s strength was only comparable to that of a seventh-level warrior, its sharp fangs could draw blood even from an ordinary martial cultivator. Commander Ji, covered in wounds from head to toe, was still fighting desperately over there.

“My body is simply very tough…”

Seeing Yaoxin’s expression as if she had witnessed a ghost, Su Yi decided that some explanation was necessary. He knew this better than anyone. Back in Changling City, in terms of physical strength and toughness alone, he had already been no weaker than Qin San. He could not defeat Qin San, but that had been because of the difference in battle energy.

After all the training he had undergone along the way, Su Yi’s physical strength had not increased by much, but his body had become even tougher. This was not merely his own wishful thinking. A glance at his unharmed arm beside the bloodied, claw-slashed body of one of the mercenary group’s commanders was enough to reveal just how formidable his physique was.

“You… You’re so shameless! Who wants to know whether your body is… tough or not?”

Su Yi had expected to see admiration and amazement in Yaoxin’s eyes. Instead, her face suddenly flushed crimson. She shot him an exasperated glance and scolded him in a soft, coquettish voice.

“…”

Third update! Please support the novel and add it to your collection!

Chapter 131: Under Siege — Complete.