Chapter Seventy-One: So This Is Where It Was

With a heart full of worries and complicated fears, Ke Yue glanced at Su Yi, his gaze evasive, as if he wished he could pretend not to have seen him and simply turn away, walking far from this place.

Standing beside Ke Yue, Di Yuan did not appear nearly as flustered; though he’d suffered a broken arm yesterday, here he was, already able to stand and move about in just one day. If it were someone else, they would likely still be languishing in bed, debilitated. This alone proved that Di Yuan’s years of battle and tempering were not for nothing—he had grown used to wounds, large and small, and could endure them.

Di Yuan looked at Su Yi with a gaze tinged with complexity: at times, a cold glimmer flashed in his eyes, and at others, a wariness he himself was reluctant to acknowledge. He and Su Yi had never been on friendly terms; even when Su Yi had become a tenth-level fighter, Di Yuan continued to oppose him from time to time.

In a sense, Di Yuan was not the type to yield simply because his opponent was stronger.

Perhaps the heavens favored him, for Di Yuan had lived to see the day when Su Yi’s fighting aura was abolished, and even now, the memory of that schadenfreude and delight remained vivid. He had thought Su Yi would remain crippled, struggling to survive like a worm.

But unexpectedly, Su Yi had managed to rise again; more importantly, Di Yuan—always cautious, never sparing effort even against the weakest foe—had underestimated Su Yi’s strength.

That underestimation led to Di Yuan’s utter defeat: he lost before Su Yi, before Mei Ya, before the crowd. His reputation and standing suffered a severe blow, and he could no longer hope to serve as captain of the guard.

His hand tightened, a sharp pain shooting through him. Feeling this pain, Di Yuan’s heart was filled with resentment and confusion—Su Yi’s sudden rise in strength was simply too bizarre. Others might not know, but Di Yuan, who had once taught Su Yi a lesson firsthand, understood perfectly.

Just a dozen or so days ago, Su Yi couldn’t withstand even a casual blow from him, suffering injury and coughing blood. Yet in this brief span, Su Yi’s power had soared like an arrow, almost back to his former tenth-level strength—perhaps even stronger!

No matter how he wracked his brain, Di Yuan could not fathom it; it was simply impossible! Truth be told, even now, the strength Su Yi had demonstrated yesterday seemed unreal to Di Yuan.

If not for the pain in his body reminding him, Di Yuan might have believed it all a nightmare. He could hardly accept or believe that within such a short time, he had gone from absolute victor to absolute loser.

This mysterious and strange aura surrounding Su Yi only deepened Di Yuan’s wariness; even if he wished for revenge, he could only suppress it for now.

Su Yi glanced briefly at Ke Yue, then fixed his gaze on Di Yuan. Though Di Yuan masked the occasional fierceness in his eyes well, Su Yi’s sharp gaze caught it, and he frowned slightly.

He had long-standing enmity with Di Yuan and knew his nature well—like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows, always ready to strike.

But before absolute strength, all schemes are useless. Su Yi’s brows relaxed; he smiled, strode forward with hands behind his back, and said, “Ah, Captain Di Yuan. Out patrolling before your injury is healed—are you sure you’re all right?”

Di Yuan’s expression shifted; he snorted and replied coldly, “That’s none of your concern, genius.”

“I certainly don’t want to worry—” Su Yi replied with a gentle smile, “But Captain Di Yuan, you’ve always been rather concerned about me, haven’t you? You seem eager for me to leave the auction house. Still, I think you should focus on yourself for a change…”

Di Yuan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.” Su Yi’s demeanor cooled, his tone taking on a chilling edge. “Since you failed to drive me out of the auction house, it’s time for me to drive you out instead.”

At these words, Di Yuan and the other guards’ faces changed; Di Yuan, especially, looked livid. He was being openly threatened before everyone’s eyes!

Su Yi, having spoken, paid no heed to their reactions. He chuckled, turned on his heel, and walked away from Di Yuan and his retinue, heading leisurely toward the appraisal chamber.

As he walked, he heard no shouts of “Stop!” or the like behind him, and Su Yi couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Faced with the gap in strength, these people no longer dared to act high and mighty as before.

After nearly ten minutes, Su Yi arrived at the door of the appraisal chamber. Upon entering, he found Old Yang and Miss Lan’er inside; both showed hints of surprise at his arrival.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Lan’er hesitated and asked softly, “Su Yi, why have you come?”

“Uh, I don’t really have anywhere else to go…” Su Yi coughed. “What I mean is, I work here, so naturally I can come in.”

“It seems you haven’t heard: Miss Mei Ya has already given orders, considering your current situation, you no longer need to do menial work here. I expect you’ll be entrusted with important matters from now on. Haha, let me congratulate you in advance…” Old Yang said with a faint smile, cutting in before Lan’er could speak again.

Seeing Lan’er’s demeanor and Old Yang’s hint of ingratiating smile, Su Yi secretly shook his head. Their change in attitude was clearly due to his newfound strength; it really is true that only the powerful receive respect.

Knowing he no longer needed to frequent the appraisal chamber, Su Yi felt indifferent—he rarely came here anyway. He did not leave at once, however, since the Lie family and the Auburns might still be around, and this chamber made a decent hiding place for now.

Since seeing Su Yi, Lan’er had felt conflicted and unsure how to treat him. She had long ignored him, but now, if she acted too attentive, she herself would feel awkward and embarrassed. Along with these feelings, regret slowly grew in her heart.

Su Yi, however, paid little mind to Lan’er’s complicated thoughts. He found a seat and sat down. After a while, a thought struck him, and he asked Old Yang, “Old Yang, you’ve worked in the auction house for so many years—have you ever encountered Ghost Dao fighting techniques?”

“Ghost Dao fighting techniques?” Old Yang looked at him in surprise.

Throughout the continent’s history, the development of fighting techniques saw many schools of thought and theoretical debates. Though, in the end, the four-tiered system of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow prevailed and became the dominant theory, in ancient times, a few other schools held considerable influence.

Among these, the Ghost Dao fighting techniques were the most impactful—even now, rumors about them persist. Ghost Dao fighting techniques are not a single technique, but rather a system of one hundred ninety-eight techniques, developed according to its theory. These are divided into two categories: Destructive Dao and Binding Dao, each with ninety-nine forms.

Ghost, meaning cunning—Ghost Dao fighting techniques are known for their power and strangeness. Some claim that mastering all one hundred ninety-eight techniques would make one invincible, undefeated throughout the world.

Though the truth of such claims remains unknown, most Ghost Dao fighting techniques have been lost to history; few people even know of them today, and fewer still have witnessed them.

“They’re indeed rare techniques,” Old Yang mused, clicking his tongue. He then looked at Su Yi in confusion. “Su Yi, why bring this up? Nowadays, everyone cultivates techniques divided by Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. In all my years, I’ve never seen Ghost Dao fighting techniques or those who practice them…”

“Oh, it was just a sudden curiosity,” Su Yi replied with a smile—not a lie. Ever since losing his fighting aura and being unable to cultivate, he’d felt a lingering discomfort. This sudden question was driven by a desire to learn more about such special techniques—perhaps a flicker of hope deep within his heart.

He lingered in the appraisal chamber a while longer; Lan’er worked quietly nearby, saying nothing. Old Yang was evidently not much of a conversationalist. The atmosphere grew somewhat stifling, so, feeling it was time, Su Yi rose, took his leave, and walked out.

Afterward, Su Yi wandered the auction house for a while longer, debating whether to seek out Mei Ya. Just then, Auburn Shan’s sinister voice, laced with murderous intent, sounded from behind—

“Su Yi, so you’re here!…”

Martial Peak 71—Chapter Seventy-One: So You’re Here—Complete.