Chapter Twenty-One: The White Mask

Hearing these cold and indifferent words, both Su Yi and his companion, as well as the three guards from the Lie family, were slightly taken aback. The guard who had spoken earlier turned to see who had arrived, and his expression changed instantly; he became exceedingly respectful, stepped forward, bowed his head, and greeted, "Captain!"

The newcomer was a man of about thirty-five, his demeanor as icy as his words had been. His frosty gaze swept indifferently over Su Yi and his companion, but when his eyes landed on Su Yi, a trace of something unreadable flashed in them. He turned to the three guards and asked in a cold voice, "What happened here?"

Su Yi, upon recognizing the man, was somewhat surprised as well. He knew this man, and to become a captain in the Lie family required at least the strength of a Dou Practitioner.

This man was called Lie Tie, already a level fourteen Dou Practitioner—a formidable strength even within the Lie family. Besides the eleven Dou Masters among the elders and clan head, the strongest was the chief captain, a level seventeen Dou Practitioner.

Beneath the chief captain were five captains, of whom Lie Tie was one.

The previous guard, seemingly affected by Lie Tie's chilly tone, gave a barely noticeable shiver before hastily stepping forward and explaining, "I noticed this person's behavior was suspicious, so I came to investigate..."

"Oh? Is that so?" Lie Tie glanced at Su Yi, and for an instant, a hint of a smile flickered across his otherwise icy features. He turned to the guard and said, "Kenmu, you and the others may not recognize him, having just returned to the clan. This young man is a renowned genius of Changling City. At seventeen, he was already a level ten Dou Fighter, idolized by all the young women of the city and regarded as the most promising new star among the clan leaders. His future was bright and unclouded—how could he possibly be a suspicious character?"

The three guards exchanged startled looks, and Kenmu couldn't help but blurt out, "Isn't he... that useless one?!"

"Useless?" Lie Tie chuckled dryly. "How could such a remarkable genius be useless? Kenmu, you'd best not say such things to his face in the future."

Su Yi's pupils contracted sharply at Lie Tie's mocking and sarcastic words. He fixed his gaze on him, his fists clenching tightly in silence.

Feeling the sting of his nails cutting into his palms, Su Yi forced himself to calm down. Lie Tie was a level fourteen Dou Practitioner—even at his own former peak as a level ten Dou Fighter, Su Yi had not been his match.

To challenge him now, in his current state, would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock—seeking his own humiliation.

This change in Su Yi did not escape Lie Tie's notice. Witnessing the series of expressions, his gaze grew openly contemptuous. So what if you were a genius? So what if you were a level ten Dou Fighter at seventeen? In the end, you are nothing but a useless man!

To think that, back then, all the major family powers had regarded him as their greatest potential threat. Now, it seemed they had been making much ado about nothing.

Recalling the solemn look on the clan leader's face when he had once spoken to him about Su Yi, Lie Tie felt an inexplicable suffocation in his chest. If it weren't for urgent business to attend to, he would have dearly loved to land a few punches on Su Yi's face.

But years of experience as a captain had taught him not to provoke the Yousiman Auction House at such a sensitive time. Even though Su Yi was now a cripple, unable to ever cultivate Dou Qi again, the chief auctioneer, Maya, still favored this "useless" man greatly.

This was no secret in Changling City. If he messed with Su Yi, he might well attract Maya herself to intervene.

Just thinking of Maya made Lie Tie even gloomier. Unsurprisingly, she was also the woman of his dreams. The first time he had met her three years ago, he had been immediately smitten with this seductive enchantress.

Over the past three years, he'd had many dealings with her, but she remained as cool and indifferent as ever. Why did she ignore him, yet treat this useless man so well?!

The more Lie Tie dwelled on this, the angrier he became. He shot Su Yi a venomous glare, snorted coldly, and barked, "Let's go!" He turned and led his men away, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist slapping Su Yi a few times. In his heart, he vowed that, given the chance, he would definitely teach this pretty-faced good-for-nothing a harsh lesson!

As Lie Tie and his men departed, their mocking laughter still echoing behind them, a surge of murderous intent suddenly welled up in Su Yi's heart!

The chill of that killing intent was so intense that it startled even Su Yi himself. Yet more than anything, he felt a sudden, unfamiliar sensation—yes, unfamiliarity!

He couldn't understand what was happening. That murderous urge had come out of nowhere, as if it weren't even his own.

The intent was so terrifying and sinister that Su Yi felt on the verge of losing control. His eyes filled with blood, turning crimson, and his fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably.

Kill them. Kill them!

A voice seemed to rise abruptly in his mind. Su Yi tensed, ready to lunge at them—

But just then, a cold current within him shifted, as though ice had wrapped around his body. He shivered involuntarily, and the killing intent vanished completely, leaving only clarity and peace, as if nothing had ever happened.

Before Su Yi could comprehend what had just occurred, his soul sense detected a faint ripple—someone seemed to be observing him in secret! He was about to probe further with his soul power, but the sensation had already disappeared.

What was going on? First, that inexplicable urge to kill; next, that strange fluctuation in his soul sense—he was baffled.

Unable to make sense of it, Su Yi decided to set those thoughts aside. When he looked up, he realized Lan'er had already walked off without a word. With a sigh, he hurried to catch up.

In the distance, beneath a shadow, a figure draped in a black cloak stood silently, watching Su Yi's departing back. After a long moment, he let out a cold, sinister chuckle. "Interesting..."

...

After catching up to Lan'er, Su Yi found that she completely ignored him, keeping a certain distance between them. Su Yi simply frowned, but said nothing. Before long, they reached the market stall Old Yang had mentioned, run by Old Zhang.

This market was clearly inferior to those operated by the city's great families. It was about a third smaller, with fewer passersby, and not even any hawkers or maids greeting customers at the entrance.

Inside, Old Zhang sat alone at a table, looking bored and half-asleep.

Hearing footsteps, Old Zhang perked up, quickly put on a professional smile, and greeted, "Welcome, welcome!" When he saw Lan'er, his smile grew even warmer. "Why, if it isn't Miss Lan'er!"

Though Lan'er was only a maid at the Yousiman Auction House, she handled the procurement of ordinary goods for the establishment—though not the valuable items.

Still, the items required by such a prominent auction house were good business for Old Zhang's modest market. He might not be able to compete with the big players, but every order helped.

Lan'er nodded and entered, Su Yi trailing behind. Old Zhang was momentarily surprised to see Su Yi, his eyes flashing with a hint of pity, but he said nothing.

Turning to Lan'er, Old Zhang beamed and asked, "Miss Lan'er, are you here to buy something today?"

Lan'er shook her head. "Master Yang said there's something left here for us to pick up."

"Oh, that business." A hint of disappointment flickered across Old Zhang's face, but his smile never faltered. "Please tell Master Yang not to worry—the item is perfectly safe with me. I'll fetch it right away."

He disappeared into the back room and soon returned with a black bundle, which he handed to Lan'er. "This is what Master Yang left in my care. I entrust it to you now, Miss Lan'er."

Lan'er took the bundle and nodded. "I'll be going then."

As she passed Su Yi, he spoke up. "Miss Lan'er, you go on ahead. I'd like to stay a while longer."

Lan'er simply acknowledged him with a brief sound, said nothing more, and left hugging the bundle.

Old Zhang looked at Su Yi in mild surprise. "Why are you staying, Su Yi? Do you want to buy something?"

Ever since Su Yi's Dou Qi vortex had been destroyed a year ago, he had seldom left the auction house, rarely showing himself in Changling City. It was rare for anyone there to see the former prodigy these days.

Su Yi did have a purpose in staying. He smiled at Old Zhang's question and glanced around at the various goods on display. "You have quite a few medicinal herbs here."

Old Zhang chuckled, stroking his short beard. "We may not compare to the Lie family, but we do have some. You know, this market belongs to the Kina family. Their casino has been doing well lately, and many losing patrons have pawned items here instead of paying in cash. Sometimes, real treasures show up among those items."

Su Yi nodded and refrained from asking more about the herbs. He hadn't cared much for such things in the past. If he suddenly showed intense interest now—especially right after the Lie family's stores had been robbed—it might arouse suspicion. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but better safe than sorry.

Following Old Zhang's lead, Su Yi smiled. "May I take a look at those pawned items?"

"Of course. Over there." Old Zhang pointed him to a section.

Su Yi walked over for a look. Indeed, the collection was varied and eclectic. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a white mask.

Martial Peak—Chapter 21: The White Mask.