Chapter 39: Vanquishing the Enemy

On this side, Guan Shan had subdued and knocked out Xie Lingyuan. Kong Kun, the Thunderbolt Hand from Changfeng Escort Agency who had been watching from the sidelines, leaped down from the wall: "Master Guan, your blade is as sharp as ever. Truly impressive!"

Kong Kun was deeply shaken. He had always known the gap between a top hundred master of the Weapon Rankings like Guan Shan and a second-rate martial artist like himself was vast, but he never expected a thief of similar skill to himself would be so utterly defeated, so swiftly and miserably. He couldn't help but reflect: the world claimed the Four Diamond Guardians of Changfeng Escort Agency were invincible below the supreme level, and he'd begun to believe it himself, perhaps even underestimated true masters like Guan Shan. Clearly, he was nothing but a frog in a well.

"A mere trick, hardly worth mentioning." Master Guan laughed heartily, his mood clearly lifted.

The two stood for a moment, then a squad of fully armored soldiers approached from afar.

"There! The thief is over there!"

"Who are you?" asked the leading officer.

"Sir, this is Master Guan Shan of the Southern Sky Escort Agency; I am Kong Kun of Changfeng Escort Agency. The thief was apprehended by Master Guan."

Their exchange was brief, interrupted by another hurried group. The officer looked up, surprised to see a notable figure.

"Sergeant of Patrol Division, Alpha Company, reporting to Inspector, sir."

Cai Xing, the Inspector of South City—an associate of Zhou Kui'an and involved in clandestine dealings with Su Yi—sat atop his horse, nodding with calm authority. Only now did Guan Shan and Kong Kun notice that the man behind Cai Xing was the idle fellow who had relayed the message earlier.

The idle man nodded at Guan Shan and Kong Kun. Cai Xing addressed the officer: "Is this the captured thief? Take him away!"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers behind Cai Xing replied in unison.

Guan Shan let them escort the thief he'd apprehended onto the cart. The idle man drew near and whispered, "My master says you should wait here in case any others slip through. The silver reward will be delivered to your escort agencies shortly."

Guan Shan's smile stretched so wide his wrinkles seemed to relax.

......

Feng Fei's sword flashed with deadly brilliance, striking toward Monk Jingyue's shoulder. The old monk dodged, but Feng Fei's foot, already airborne, struck his waist. Monk Jingyue spat blood, hurled across the courtyard, his ribs shattered beyond count.

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At last, Feng Fei had driven off all those who had beset her. Her face twisted with murderous fury as she let out a wild scream and leaped skyward, finally breaking through the military formation. In achieving this, she paid a heavy price—her body drenched in blood, wounds exposing bone, and her cultivation, just a hair's breadth from the innate realm, was severely damaged. If she could not find a secret place to recuperate for a year or more, she could not hope to recover.

Kill him! If not for him, I would never have ended up so wretched! Feng Fei's hatred burned as she rushed toward Su Yi, using a human shield.

Su Yi loosed his final arrow; when it failed, he tossed his bow aside. His waist bore a four-pronged gilded mace, which he raised overhead, and with a punch sent the lifeless officer flying. A terrifying sword was already thrust toward him.

Though the sword was still formidable, its wielder had been whittled down by the relentless battle.

You think you can kill me with this? Not nearly enough!

Su Yi grinned savagely beneath his helmet, muscles taut and explosive power surging forth, true energy erupting from deep within.

Feng Fei never expected she faced a monster whose physical strength matched top-tier masters, and whose true energy was equally formidable.

Her supposedly foolproof strike missed the only vulnerable spot—the eye—because of Su Yi’s sudden burst of strength, instead plunging into the thickly armored chest. The nearly half-inch metal plating was sliced open, but Su Yi’s internal energy and protective gear blunted the force, finally dissipating the deadly blow.

Su Yi unleashed his Sandstorm skill, summoning a gale behind Feng Fei that pressed her forward, preventing her escape from the descending mace.

With a dull thud, the two-hundred-eighty-pound four-pronged gilded mace shattered Feng Fei’s collarbone, mingling flesh and blood as it smashed into her body. Her sword arm was torn from her body by the sheer force.

Su Yi seized her throat, squeezing so tightly Feng Fei could not even cry out. Shattered bone pierced her windpipe, and dying terror distorted her face beyond recognition.

In her final moments, her unfulfilled ambitions flickered through her mind, her life flashing by like a phantom. Before consciousness faded into eternal silence, she felt her true energy rapidly draining from her body.

Su Yi soared skyward, his armored frame breaking through the roof tiles, hurling himself into the distance.

......

Somewhere in Jiangting City, in a sealed chamber.

A basin of cold water splashed across his face, and Xie Lingyuan groggily awoke.

He saw a stranger standing before him.

"Who are you? Are you from the authorities?"

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"Who I am does not matter. Answer my questions, or die!"

"I ask, you answer."

"What does the Yuanmo Sect intend with this ostentatious arrival in Jiangting City?"

Silence.

Su Yi stepped forward, placing his foot on Xie Lingyuan’s right big toe, and pressed down, grinding the bone to fragments.

"Ah!" The inhuman scream rang out. With his energy suppressed, Xie Lingyuan’s endurance was no greater than any ordinary person.

"I ask, you answer. If you refuse, I’ll crush every bone in your body one by one. Care to try?"

It proved that stubbornness simply meant the pain was not yet deep enough. After Su Yi crushed all ten of Xie Lingyuan’s toes and pulverized his left foot, the Yuanmo Sect’s second-generation disciple, who fainted from agony and was revived by Su Yi, finally divulged everything Su Yi wished to know.

......

So that’s how it is.

After settling all loose ends, Su Yi stood atop the mountain at Que Shi Ji, outside Jiangting City, gazing over the vast river as he pondered.

Que Shi Ji was a rocky hill jutting into the great river, one of Jiangting’s renowned landmarks. The Sunset at Que Shi was famed as the foremost of Jiangting’s Four Great Views. On clear afternoons, visitors strolled among sparse woods, scholars and poets gathered in pavilions composing verse, playful children chased each other with toys, and across the river, sails dotted the broad expanse, soothing all who beheld it.

To the north, on the left side of Que Shi Ji, a river dozens of yards wide flowed from north to south into the great river—this was the Han Shui.

Su Yi stood here now, waiting for the arrival of the young master of Chiling Xiao and his entourage, coming from the north.

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