Chapter Fifty-One: The Ambush!

Seeing Su Yi so calmly snapping Liu Xuan’s wrist, Lie Feifei and the others couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts. The looks they cast at Su Yi were filled with both fear and confusion, as if the person before them was a stranger, unrecognizable from the Su Yi they thought they knew. Lie Feifei and Geli, after all, were only seventeen-year-old girls, sheltered and lacking in experience. Witnessing something so bloody and brutal at such close range made them both tense and nervous—their palms were slick with sweat.

Lie Ren, meanwhile, stood there as pale as a ghost, unable to utter a single word. To have crushed Liu Xuan’s wrist so easily—perhaps the story about defeating Aoben Yu and breaking his wrist as well wasn’t a lie after all.

Su Yi had dared lay hands on the only son of the Aoben family, so there was no reason to think he wouldn’t dare act against him. If he were crippled here, it would be pointless to talk about regaining any dignity afterward.

Alas, if his hand were broken, it would be inconvenient for certain intimate matters in the future. He must tread carefully. With cold sweat pouring down his back, Lie Ren silently vowed to himself.

Having subdued Liu Xuan so he couldn’t move, Su Yi glanced at him and suddenly gave a faint, detached smile as he asked an unrelated question, “Will you be participating in this year’s Martial Trial Tournament?”

Liu Xuan, bewildered, instinctively nodded. Su Yi nodded slightly in response. “I’ll also be participating in this Martial Trial Tournament, so—”

A dangerous curve appeared on Su Yi’s lips. Suddenly, he raised his foot and kicked Liu Xuan squarely in the abdomen. The dull thud spoke to the immense force behind the blow. Liu Xuan’s body shot straight out, but because Su Yi still had hold of his hand, he didn’t fly far.

Su Yi then let go. Liu Xuan, who had only just begun to scream, lost all support and crashed to the ground with a heavy thump. He immediately curled up, clutching his stomach, mouth agape but unable to make a sound, his body wracked with spasms.

Having finished, Su Yi dusted off his hands and glanced at Lie Feifei and the others, whose eyes were wide with shock. He then turned to Lie Ren with a smile. “Lie Ren, as a second-level fighter, you’ll be joining the tournament too, won’t you?”

Lie Ren, ever the bully who cowered before the strong and preyed on the weak, instantly lost all trace of his earlier arrogance. He forced an awkward smile. “With my abilities, I’m just there to make up the numbers, really, just a bottom-ranker. Brother Su, you—”

Su Yi waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s just forget about the trouble you caused me today. But if we meet in the tournament, don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

With that, Su Yi paid no further attention to the still-stunned Lie Feifei and Geli. He shook out his robe and turned to leave, while Liu Xuan continued to moan on the ground.

Watching Su Yi’s figure fade into the distance, Lie Ren murmured with a complicated expression, “…the shadow lingering in my heart all these years… Su Yi, I never thought you’d have a chance to rise again…”

The two women beside him wore changing expressions as they stood, unmoving, lost in their own thoughts…

…

After parting from Lie Feifei and the others, Su Yi, his mood for buying medicinal herbs spoiled by Liu Xuan’s antics, wandered aimlessly through the streets for a while. He bought a pile of clothes and daily necessities, then rounded a corner, intending to return to the auction house.

Unexpectedly, as he turned the corner, he collided with someone. Su Yi felt as if he’d crashed into something extremely soft and resilient, and was actually bounced back. Steadying himself, he looked up and was greeted by the sight of a striking young woman.

She was tall and voluptuous, her skin not the usual snow-white of beauties, but a sexy bronze that, paired with her pretty, resolute features, gave her a unique allure.

She wore a tight, short black leather jacket that exposed the skin of her neck and emphasized her proud curves. The jacket was short enough that a smooth, flat expanse of abdomen, navel and all, was fully exposed to Su Yi’s gaze.

Below her slender waist, she wore a short, tight black leather skirt that showed off her long, taut legs.

Her entire outfit radiated explosive energy and wildness, drawing out her beautiful curves, making her irresistibly tempting, igniting a primal urge to conquer her, to see this wild beauty yield beneath him.

At first sight, even Su Yi was momentarily dazed. But he quickly regained his composure, for he noticed the anger in the woman’s eyes as she looked at him.

“Ina, don’t be angry. We were walking quickly, too. This young man can’t be entirely to blame…” Only then did Su Yi notice that beside the woman, who looked to be around twenty, stood a man dressed in white. The man was reaching out to stop her from acting rashly, his voice anxious.

“Ina, what do you mean?” the woman snapped. “Are you saying I ran into him on purpose?!”

The man, called Shi Yan, tried to placate her. “All right, all right. Aren’t we here to search for medicine to cure your father’s poison? Since we’re here on a mission in Changling City, we should make good use of our time.”

At the mention of curing her father, Ina’s expression changed, her eyes reddening. Though her anger subsided, she still pouted stubbornly. “Changling City may be big, but it’s nothing compared to our Yunzhou City. If there was no miracle medicine in Yunzhou to save my father, what could we possibly find here?”

“That’s exactly why we took this job, so we could search for a cure along the way,” Shi Yan sighed. “I’ve heard Changling City is famous in this region. There’s also the auction house run by the Yousiman family. Since they’re renowned throughout the empire, maybe we’ll get lucky and find something to help your father.”

Ina snorted softly, saying nothing, but didn’t object.

The white-clad man turned politely to Su Yi. “Young man, I heard the auction house will be holding an auction soon. Is that right?”

“Yes, it’s tomorrow,” Su Yi replied with a nod.

Shi Yan gave Su Yi a friendly smile. “Thank you, young man.”

Su Yi had a good impression of Shi Yan and was about to say there was no need for thanks when Ina, standing beside them, burst out irritably, “What’s the point of thanking this lecher?”

“Lecher?” Su Yi frowned, displeased. “Are you referring to me, Miss Ina?”

“Don’t use my name!” Ina shot Su Yi a look of disgust. “Coward! Can’t even admit what you did. Wasn’t it you who deliberately ducked your head and bumped into my…my body?”

It was rather springy, Su Yi recalled inwardly, but he said aloud, “How was I supposed to know someone would suddenly dart out? Like Shi Yan just said, it takes two to make a quarrel. Can you really say you bear no responsibility?”

“You—!” Ina was so furious she couldn’t speak. Clearly he had taken advantage of her, yet now he was turning it back on her, actually blaming her! What a shameless scoundrel!

She was about to lash out and teach Su Yi a lesson when Shi Yan caught her arm. “Ina, don’t cause trouble!”

He then turned to Su Yi with an apologetic smile. “Please don’t mind her, young man. Both Ina and I are members of the Flame Mercenary Group from Yunzhou City. Ina’s father is our leader, but he’s suffering from a strange poison we can’t cure. Ina’s been in a bad mood because of it…”

“I understand.” Su Yi nodded, then smiled easily. “But Brother Shi Yan, your mercenary group must be quite something. Standing here in front of me are a fourth-level and a sixth-level fighter.”

Shi Yan and Ina both started in surprise, glancing at Su Yi with new respect. Who would have thought this youth, who looked no more than eighteen, could so accurately gauge their strength at a glance?

After admiring Su Yi’s perception, Shi Yan nodded to him, pulling a reluctant Ina along. As they left, Ina glared fiercely at Su Yi and called back, “If I ever see you again, I’ll beat you up every time!”

Watching them go, Su Yi couldn’t help but ponder their earlier conversation. It seemed the Yousiman family didn’t have an auction house in Yunzhou City. Was it for the same reason that Changling City had no mercenary groups—because families like the Lie clan excluded them?

Lost in thought, Su Yi realized he had wandered to the mouth of a deserted alley. Just then, a chill ran through him—a sudden, overwhelming sense of danger! Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash—a figure was lunging at him!

(End of the third update! Please vote for support!)
Martial Peak 51_Chapter 51: Ambush! Update complete!