Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Request for Guidance

“Oh?” Upon hearing that Deyuan was still with the Guard, Su Yi’s brows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing more. In truth, as someone about to leave Changling City, it no longer mattered to him whether Deyuan stayed or left. If Deyuan had remained at the auction house, Su Yi would have driven him out, but now, with his imminent departure, he would no longer have to see that detestable face. The outcome was much the same either way.

“In that case, let me congratulate you first, Duan Shi,” Su Yi said with a calm smile.

“Not at all, not at all,” Duan Shi replied, shaking his head. Then he looked at Su Yi. “If we’re talking about true strength, the position of captain ought to be yours... To be honest, I’m a bit puzzled by the decision from above...”

Perhaps it was because Meiya knew he was about to leave Changling City? Su Yi couldn’t help but speculate silently, planning to discuss the matter with Meiya again. He smiled, nodded farewell to Duan Shi, and turned away, leaving with an air of lightness.

As Su Yi turned to go, Lan’er, standing nearby, parted her lips as if wanting to say something, but in the end, no words came. She simply bit her lip, her gaze following his departing figure, and a trace of bitterness appeared on her face...

“At least I never had any real conflict with Su Yi in the past...” Watching Su Yi leave, Duan Shi felt a secret sense of relief. Although he and Su Yi were not close, there had never been any enmity between them. Even after Su Yi’s powers were lost, Duan Shi had never taken the opportunity to oppose him. Otherwise, given Su Yi’s formidable means, he might have received a harsh reckoning now.

As the guards watched Su Yi walk away, they all quietly breathed a sigh of relief. In the past, many of them had followed Keyue and Deyuan in challenging Su Yi. If he intended to settle old scores, things could have turned out very badly for them...

Among them, Lin Tie’s feelings were the most complicated. He had climbed a rung when Su Yi was disgraced, no longer the lowest in rank, but now, with Su Yi’s strength surging, Lin Tie became the weakest once more. His old sense of superiority—being not the best but certainly not the worst—was gone. Yet, aside from jealousy, resentment, frustration, and discontent, what else could he do?

...

After parting from Duan Shi and the others, Su Yi headed straight for Meiya’s residence, intent on discussing his departure. After all, Meiya had once saved his life, and they had lived and worked together for two or three years. He couldn’t simply vanish without a word.

Though he had asked Mo Ben yesterday to inform Meiya of his plans, it was best to talk to her in person. Deep down, perhaps he simply wished to see Meiya a few more times before leaving. After all, once he was gone, it would be a long time before they might meet again.

This thought filled Su Yi’s heart with a mix of emotions, as if something weighed on his chest, making it hard to breathe. A faint reluctance stirred within him—not just because he would be parting from Meiya, but also because he was about to leave Changling City, the place he had called home for almost three years. The familiarity of the city made the thought of leaving all the harder, and he felt a touch of disquiet at the sudden change.

When one stays in a place for long, it becomes difficult to leave. Yet Su Yi was truly leaving now—not simply traveling outside the city as before, but journeying to the distant Luojia Mountains in the empire’s east. He didn’t know how long the trek would be, but knowing that Changling City lay in the west was enough to realize what sort of mental preparation was required...

He shook his head, forcibly pushing down these vexing emotions. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders, ready to quicken his pace—when suddenly, he paused. A voice called out from behind.

“Su Yi.”

The voice was not familiar. Su Yi turned in puzzlement and saw a young man of about twenty-five striding toward him. Judging by his features, it was Lie Que, one of the contestants from the Lie family whom Su Yi had seen at the martial tournament the previous day.

Seeing Lie Que, Su Yi felt a flicker of surprise—what was he doing at the auction house?

Lie Que stopped before Su Yi, his gaze carrying a complicated, unreadable expression. Until yesterday’s tournament, he hadn’t considered Su Yi a worthy opponent. In his view, even if Su Yi managed to recover his fighting spirit, he would still not be a match for a sixth-rank fighter like himself.

But what had transpired left Lie Que utterly stunned. Su Yi had quietly revealed such formidable power, and, more astonishing still, rumor had it his strength came purely from physical cultivation. Compared to that, Lie Que would rather believe the ancient laws were flawed, or that Su Yi had never lost his fighting spirit at all. If one could become so powerful through physical training in such a short time, then the entire continent would surely take up the practice...

Not bothering to guess what Lie Que was thinking, Su Yi simply frowned and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, nothing much. I was sent by the clan leader to purchase medicinal herbs for mending bones and meridians...” Lie Que paused but did not conceal the matter. He seemed to think there was no harm in Su Yi knowing.

Why buy such herbs? As far as Su Yi knew, no one in the Lie family was injured. Suddenly, a thought struck him—could this be a move against the Auburn family? Hadn’t Auburn Yu been gravely wounded already?

The more Su Yi thought about it, the more certain he became. Auburn Yu’s bones were shattered; he would certainly need such medicines. Yet, although such rare herbs did exist, whether they could heal depended on their grade and the severity of the wounds. For injuries as severe as Auburn Yu’s, the chance of recovery was vanishingly slim.

The herbs at the auction house would do little for Auburn Yu, but even so, the Lie family was determined to buy them all, grasping at every opportunity to strike at the Auburn family. It seemed that hard times lay ahead for them...

Watching the rivalry unfold between the Lie and Auburn families, Su Yi was naturally pleased. With the Lie family thus preoccupied, Auburn Shan would have to divide his attention, perhaps easing the pressure on Su Yi himself. The auction house might not even sell the herbs to the Auburns, and if Auburn Shan learned of the Lie family’s actions, who knew how he would react?

As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Su Yi noticed Lie Que’s hesitance, as if there was more he wished to say. Su Yi asked, somewhat uncertainly, “Did you come to find me for something?”

Lie Que was momentarily taken aback—perhaps he hadn’t expected Su Yi to be so direct—but then he nodded in silent affirmation.

Su Yi found this odd. He and Lie Que were little more than acquaintances, having met only two or three times at most, with no real interaction. Even at the tournament, though both had competed, they’d had no conflict. Why, then, had Lie Que sought him out?

Sensing Su Yi’s confusion, Lie Que hesitated before saying, “There is something I’d like... I’d like to ask for your guidance in a match.”

He gazed intently at Su Yi, his expression earnest. Although he had witnessed Su Yi’s power at the tournament and been deeply shocked, part of him still found it hard to believe. Not that he thought Su Yi was a fraud—reality spoke for itself, and Auburn Yu would not have staged such a charade for Su Yi’s benefit.

But since Su Yi’s strength was based on his physical body, Lie Que, who had cultivated fighting spirit all his life, was naturally curious—perhaps even a little unwilling to concede. The urge to test himself had arisen unbidden upon seeing Su Yi, and he couldn’t help but call out to him.

Whether Su Yi would accept, Lie Que did not know. Perhaps Su Yi, confident in his prowess, would refuse; after all, Su Yi had crippled a seventh-rank fighter with two blows, while Lie Que was only sixth rank. In his own clan, Lie Que would never spar with anyone below the fourth rank...

Su Yi was momentarily surprised by Lie Que’s challenge. For a split second, he even wondered if this was some sort of test from the Lie family, but he quickly dismissed the thought with a wry smile. Perhaps Lie Que simply wished to see how powerful Su Yi truly was.

Su Yi did not believe Lie Que could match him; after all, he now possessed strength greater than a tenth-rank fighter. Though not yet a match for battle cultivators, against anyone below that level without powerful combat techniques, he was virtually invincible. Still, he was curious to see how far Lie Que, with his own considerable talent, had progressed—and just how strong his own strike now was.

At the tournament, Su Yi had guessed that a full-force blow from him would at least equal a high-level Yellow-grade combat technique, perhaps even reaching the level of a Profound-grade technique. But, with so little true combat experience, he was far from certain. Now, with Lie Que volunteering as a sparring partner, a perfect opportunity presented itself—

“If that’s what you wish, then let’s have a few bouts.”

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