Chapter Twenty-Two: Provocation

The white mask appeared rather crudely made, lacking any real craftsmanship. Perhaps it was because it had been left untouched for so long, but it was covered in dust and gave off the impression of a shabby trinket. Only the thin, slit-like eyes and the slightly upturned, narrow mouth seemed to carry any character, resembling the sinister smile of a demon from the underworld—enough to send a chill down Su Yi’s spine.

Could there be something unusual about this object?

Curiosity piqued, he picked up the mask. The moment it landed in his hand, its weight took him by surprise. Ordinary masks were made light for ease of wearing, but this white mask felt as heavy as a block of iron. Su Yi doubted whether it could even be worn at all.

Seeing Su Yi holding the mask, Old Zhang smiled faintly and began to explain, “This mask was a collateral item left behind by a gambler who lost a bet.”

“Collateral item?” Su Yi asked, puzzled. “Is the mask not worth anything?”

Old Zhang nodded, glanced at the mask in Su Yi’s hand, and said, “You’ve noticed its weight, I suppose. No one could possibly wear something like that. I doubt any alchemist who could craft storage rings and the like would waste their time making such a mask. It’s probably just a worthless decorative piece.”

Su Yi turned the mask over in his hands, inspecting it from all sides before laughing, “As a decorative piece, it’s really… quite unattractive.”

“It truly is crude and unappealing. Who knows who made it?” Old Zhang said helplessly. “I looked into it; the gambler picked it up somewhere, but no one in his family knows what it’s for. It’s been left here for half a year, and the gambler hasn’t come back to redeem it. Seems it really isn’t worth anything.”

Su Yi could only agree. The mask was too heavy to wear and too ugly to display—a real piece of junk. He was just about to put it back when a sudden, intense wave of unease and aversion swept through him, so powerful that his hands nearly shook the mask right out of his grip.

Forcing himself to steady his nerves, Su Yi gripped the mask tightly. He realized that the inexplicable feeling of aversion was directed at this seemingly ordinary white mask.

He’d experienced something similar earlier that day—a mysterious murderous intent he couldn’t make sense of and, after much thought, still no clue as to its source. But this time was different; the unexplainable sense of unease and disgust clearly had something to do with the mask. It was a clue.

As Su Yi held the white mask tighter, the strange feeling within him gradually faded, yet remnants of it continued to disturb his mind. He raised his head, took hold of his emotions, and asked with a calm expression, “This mask… Old Zhang, do you feel anything strange when you look at it?”

“Something strange?” Old Zhang gave Su Yi a doubtful look, glanced at the mask, and frowned. “No, nothing at all.”

So it’s just me, Su Yi thought to himself. He decided not to say more, stroked the mask, and asked, “By the way, can I buy this mask?”

“You want to buy it?” Old Zhang exclaimed in surprise. “This worthless mask?”

Su Yi nodded slightly.

Seeing Su Yi’s determination, Old Zhang gave a wry smile. “I really don’t understand you young people. This mask is worth nothing. Just take it as a gift from me.”

Su Yi was actually grateful for Old Zhang’s straightforwardness. He showed no disdain or mockery. Taking out ten gold coins, Su Yi pressed them into Old Zhang’s hand, bid him farewell, and left the market.

Watching Su Yi leave, Old Zhang couldn’t understand why he would want such a piece of junk. Was it because Su Yi couldn’t cultivate battle energy? Did he feel a sense of kinship with this mask?

…

Su Yi didn’t care what Old Zhang thought. After leaving the market, the strange feeling in his chest faded completely. He patted the white mask tucked inside his robe and shook his head, dismissing further thoughts about it.

On the bustling street, the Lie family’s guards were still conducting their search. It was clear that the Lie family wouldn’t rest until the culprit was caught. Given the losses of nearly a million gold coins, anyone would be relentless.

I hope they don’t notice me, Su Yi thought. Though there’s a saying, “the innocent need not fear,” in some ways, he certainly wasn’t innocent in all this. Lost in thought, he was drawn by the sound of shouting.

Looking up, he saw a group of boys around seventeen or eighteen, shoving and yelling at each other, behaving exactly like spoiled young masters—arrogant and unruly.

But Su Yi knew not just anyone could afford to provoke them. These were all sons of the Lie family. On this continent, though the art of battle energy had reached its zenith, mastering it was by no means easy.

Everyone knew that only by becoming a Fighter could one truly cultivate battle energy, and that was just the beginning. More importantly, one had to learn battle skills.

This continent had a long history and vast lands filled with uncountable battle skills. Yet, for an individual to acquire a battle skill on their own was nearly impossible.

Unless one belonged to a family, faction, academy, or sect, there was almost no chance to learn battle skills. For those without wealth or connections, joining the army might be their only way to get ahead in life.

The Lie family, as a major power in Changling City, naturally had its share of battle skills. Once a child of the Lie family broke through and became a Fighter, they were given the opportunity to learn such skills. Of course, there was an age limit to this breakthrough.

If they didn’t become a Fighter by the designated age, they’d be assigned menial tasks in the family, relegated to unimportant posts for life.

In the Lie family, the age limit was twenty. If one wasn’t a Fighter by then, their prospects were finished. But, if they managed to meet the requirement, they could seek out battle skill manuals, or consult elders who specialized in teaching these arts.

Mastering battle skills was no simple feat. Few could teach themselves even the lowest-level skills, and higher-level ones took even more time and effort, especially when one also had to train their battle energy simultaneously.

Su Yi himself had only managed to learn a high-level battle skill from his faint memories after considerable effort, and it took him a year or two to consolidate and strengthen his mastery. Even so, he doubted he had truly mastered it. This only proved how difficult it was to truly master advanced battle skills.

Thinking of this, Su Yi recalled another matter. He’d heard that Lie Tie had come dangerously close to being banished by his family, only breaking through as a Fighter at the last possible moment before turning twenty. By contrast, Su Yi reached the tenth rank as a Fighter by age seventeen. Was this why Lie Tie always resented him?

Recalling the scornful look Lie Tie had given him earlier that day, Su Yi’s annoyance toward the Lie family grew even stronger. He glanced at the group of Lie family youths and, not wanting trouble, decided to avoid them.

Though none of them had reached the Fighter level yet, they were the most promising among their peers, the new blood of the Lie family, highly valued and fiercely protected.

Su Yi had no desire to cause trouble, but trouble sought him out. He had barely taken a few steps when the group of Lie family youths spotted him. After exchanging whispers and laughter, they came over to block his way.

“Well, isn’t this our great genius?” one of them jeered. “Why aren’t you hiding in the auction house today? Decided to show your face instead?” The group burst into laughter.

Su Yi frowned, feeling frustration rise within him. Today was truly unlucky—everywhere he turned, he ran into the Lie family. What was even more irritating was that, while he could accept being challenged by Fighters or higher, these boys were still cultivating their energy, yet dared to provoke him!

Though he too was currently training his battle energy, he had once been a tenth-rank Fighter, experienced and hardened by many challenges.

Neither their combat experience nor their physical skills could compare to his. Since neither side could use battle skills, he had the advantage. Even if they were a level or two higher in energy, he was confident he could prevail.

What’s more, he had already reached the seventh level of energy, entering the advanced stage. He had even reached the ninth level before, so his mastery and familiarity with energy were superior—he could be considered the strongest below the Fighter rank. He hardly regarded these Lie family youths as worthy opponents.

Most importantly, though he now appeared to be at the seventh level, his physical strength was equivalent to a third-rank Fighter’s!

Back in the day, aside from his reputation as a genius, Su Yi had always been ruthless to his enemies: if he acted, it was to kill. Now, with the passage of time, how many still remembered that?

—Martial Peak, Chapter 22: The Provocation, updated.