Chapter 132: Breaking Out of the Encirclement

Su Yi was momentarily stunned by these words, but he quickly understood. Mentioning that his body was sturdy might lead some people to misunderstand in certain ways. Hadn't something similar happened when he was out shopping with Mei Ya and ran into Ao Benyu? However, it was completely a case of the speaker having no intention, while the listener read too much into it. Who could say...

Who exactly was being obscene? Su Yi couldn't help but feel speechless. He looked up and surveyed Yao Xin from head to toe. Although it was late at night, the moon was in the sky and the torches on the ground—which had been dropped when the battle began and had not yet gone out—provided enough light. The mercenaries were too busy to care about them, and the Serpent-Tailed Wolves didn't seem to mind the firelight. Under that illumination, man and beast engaged in a bloody battle.

However, in the glow of the firelight, Su Yi began to truly study Yao Xin. Whether it was because the Serpent-Tailed Wolves were frightened by the death of two of their own, or because their numbers were insufficient, or for some other unknown reason, there were no wolves around the two of them anymore. They had all swarmed to attack Captain Ji and his men. With the immediate threat gone, Su Yi’s attention shifted to Yao Xin.

Appreciating a beautiful woman was certainly a pleasant experience, especially at a moment when blood, death, and beauty were all present. But Su Yi’s thoughts clearly went beyond that. In fact, ever since he had initially failed to perceive Yao Xin’s strength, he had been paying special attention to her. With his extraordinary soul power, it should have been no problem for him to sense the strength of a martial cultivator.

Yet, Yao Xin, with only the strength of a level six or seven martial practitioner, had managed to evade his detection. To Su Yi, this was incredible and highly abnormal. What shocked him the most was when he had used his hand to block the Serpent-Tailed Wolves earlier; Yao Xin had erupted with battle qi to counterattack, and at that very moment, Su Yi had been terrified to discover that a wisp of his own soul power had been drawn into her body as if by a magnet.

If it hadn't been for the tempering Su Yi had undergone over the years, which had made him much more composed, he might have pushed Yao Xin away in shock right then and there. In reality, he hadn't changed his expression at all, as if nothing had happened. Of course, this was also because very little soul power had been absorbed and devoured; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to act as if nothing was wrong.

"What... are you looking at?" Sensing Su Yi’s intense gaze fixed on her, Yao Xin instinctively covered her chest with her hands, her face flushing as she spoke.

"I’m looking at—" Su Yi shook his head, sighed softly, and said, "You’re overthinking it."

"Who says? You clearly tricked me into crying just now. You definitely don't have good intentions... all men are no good," Yao Xin said, her face blushing, her tone filled with a sense of sophistry.

"Uh, you’re so young and you already know that men are no good? What are you going to do in the future?" Su Yi was surprised. He hadn't expected her to know this "famous saying" at such a young age. Could she have suffered some emotional setback? Also, who had tricked her into crying?

"You're the one who's young!" Yao Xin snapped, but after saying it, she seemed to drift off into her own thoughts, her face burning red—whether from shame or the firelight, it was hard to tell.

"Yes, yes! I'm young!" Sighing, Su Yi looked at her bashful appearance and felt a mix of amusement and frustration. He decided to end this conversation for now, as no matter what was said, it would eventually be steered toward the same territory. Just then, a roar drew their attention.

The two looked toward the source of the sound. Only the captain was left standing on the field; all the other mercenaries had fallen. However, their sacrifice had not been in vain; there were only three or four Serpent-Tailed Wolves left pestering the last man.

With a muffled thud, a Serpent-Tailed Wolf was sent flying amidst an angry howl. After Captain Ji channeled his battle qi and struck the wolf away with a palm, his eyes, reddened by the slaughter, scanned the area. His heart sank when he realized he was the only one left in his mercenary group. He had come to track down a martial technique, but he hadn't expected that in the end, although the technique was within reach, the result would be the total annihilation of his squad!

Captain Ji’s vicious gaze swept toward Su Yi and Yao Xin. At the sight of them, his fury erupted, and a violent murderous intent surged forth! *I am out here risking my life, and you two lovebirds are here flirting! And if it weren't for this slut Yao Xin, my mercenary group wouldn't have ended up like this!*

In a rage, he roared, his bloodshot eyes fixed on them. He punched a Serpent-Tailed Wolf, sending it crashing to the ground with a bang. With the wolves’ encirclement momentarily broken, Captain Ji stomped his foot, his body darting out like lightning. In an instant, he was in front of Yao Xin, and with a fist brimming with fury and murderous intent, he struck viciously toward her chest!

Seeing the fist rapidly enlarging in her vision, Yao Xin was paralyzed by fear and despair. A strike from a martial cultivator in his rage—if she were hit, she would surely die!

Just as she was about to close her eyes in terror, a somewhat slender figure wrapped around her in an instant. Her heart jolted, and she almost cried out.

"Boom!"

The fierce fist landed squarely on Su Yi’s back! A sharp pain surged, and a low grunt escaped from deep in Su Yi's throat. Yet, using the force of the impact, he lunged like an arrow released from a bow, carrying Yao Xin into the dense jungle. Within a few bounds, they had vanished from sight. The shocked and enraged Captain Ji immediately wanted to pursue, but the remaining Serpent-Tailed Wolves pounced on him again, entangling him tightly and forcing him to let out roars of frustration.

...

The night was dim, and the bright moon shone upon the sky. Beneath a thick tree in the vast forest, Yao Xin and Su Yi sat down against the trunk, feeling exhausted. To avoid being tracked by the captain, they had traveled quite a distance. Because Su Yi had taken a hit, he was slightly injured, and their pace had naturally slowed. Along the way, Yao Xin had helped him, and they were truly tired.

"He won't catch up, will he?" Yao Xin asked softly, her face showing a hint of worry. Although she didn't name him, they both knew who she meant. If he tracked them down, the consequences would be dire; after all, the strength of a martial cultivator was not just empty talk, and the two of them were likely no match for him.

Unlike the worried Yao Xin, Su Yi appeared much calmer. Hearing her question, he wanted to speak, but a surge of blood caused him to cough uncontrollably. Once he caught his breath, he said slowly, "He shouldn't be able to find us that quickly."

Nodding slightly, seeing Su Yi cough, Yao Xin asked nervously, "Are you okay?" After asking, she felt her question was quite foolish. The attacker was a level twelve martial cultivator; even a level eleven cultivator would be in bad shape after taking such a strike. If it had been her, she would have died on the spot, let alone this seemingly frail youth.

Although she knew there was something extraordinary about him—that he was perhaps even stronger than her—how much stronger could he be? He couldn't possibly be a martial cultivator himself. If he had that kind of strength, he wouldn't need to flee so miserably. In other words, he must have been quite seriously injured. Still, thinking that he was willing to be hurt to save her, Yao Xin felt deeply moved.

"It's nothing serious." Su Yi shifted his body slightly, feeling that the sharp pain in his back had mostly dissipated, leaving only a dull ache. He was actually quite confident in this; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken such a risk. Given his current physical state, while he might not be able to defeat a level eleven or twelve cultivator, it wasn't easy for the other party to kill or severely injure him in one blow. Moreover, judging by how much Captain Ji had prized that low-grade profound-level technique, he likely only knew that one, and it was probably the weakest of its kind. That alone wasn't enough to threaten Su Yi’s life.

Seeing Su Yi’s relaxed demeanor, Yao Xin widened her eyes. Although she knew his body was sturdy—even the Serpent-Tailed Wolves couldn't bite him—that strike had come from a martial cultivator. Even if the captain hadn't fully mastered the technique, its power was not to be underestimated. To take a punch like that and act as if nothing had happened gave Yao Xin a new perspective on his durability.

Seeing that he was fine, Yao Xin breathed a sigh of relief, but then she remembered something and felt a bit embarrassed. She had been saved by a stranger whose name she didn't even know. Lowering her voice, she asked shyly, "By the way... I still don't know your name."

"You can just call me Su Yi," he said with a gentle smile. It was his name, after all; as for what the original owner of this body was called, he truly didn't know.

"Hmm, Su Yi." Yao Xin stared at him unblinkingly, murmuring his name, her eyes growing slightly moist. "You saved me twice. I don't know how to thank you. I've been thinking... perhaps—"

Yao Xin lowered her head, hesitating for a moment, then seemed to make up her mind. She looked up abruptly, turned her back to him, and then, to Su Yi’s stunned gaze, reached out to undo her clothes.

"I will offer myself to you."