After Xie Yong and Yu Fujiu left, the three spectators—Lin Wanzhu, Xu Feng, and Jiang Liuchuan—immediately swarmed around him.
"Hahahaha, Senior Brother Su, I must be the luckiest junior brother alive! I can’t believe I get to ride your coattails!"
Jiang Liuchuan’s face was flushed, an irrepressible joy rippling across it. He had somehow produced his signature Feather Fan again and was waving it flamboyantly.
’Senior Brother Su actually defeated an expert of the Ape Tendon Realm! Haha, now *that’s* a true genius. Even in the Muscle Forging Realm, he’s still far beyond his peers!’
Xu Feng habitually reached out to clap Su Yu on the shoulder, but as his hand extended, he suddenly realized this junior brother of his was no longer an ordinary person.
’A Muscle Forging Realm Martial Artist defeating an Ape Tendon expert... A genius of this caliber was truly beyond his comprehension!’
’But the more monstrously talented Junior Su was, the happier he felt. The future of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall was looking brighter and brighter.’
Lin Wanzhu, on the other hand, was much calmer this time. Ever since Su Yu had told her to leave everything to him, she’d had her suspicions.
’Perhaps this troublemaker of mine was still hiding his strength. Otherwise, what made him think he could take on the experts from the Wind Evil Stronghold?’
’Seeing him defeat Yu Fujiu of the Ape Tendon Realm actually felt... expected.’
’But Feng Dakui is in the Tiger Tendon Realm. He’d be difficult to handle even with her help. What exactly was this troublemaker of hers planning?’
Scenes of Su Yu’s past actions flashed through her mind, and suddenly, inspiration struck.
’This troublemaker of mine has always been cautious and steady. He never reveals his full hand. Could it be that this *still* isn’t his full strength?’
At this thought, her heart began to pound. ’It’s possible! It’s absolutely possible!’
’This time, he clearly only used one type of Fist Stance. But before, he had another aura—an Evil Qi that felt like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!’
’Perhaps he’s comprehended both auras to an extremely profound degree!’
’This might be unthinkable for an ordinary Martial Artist, but for this troublemaker of hers, it was absolutely possible!’
’Some geniuses among Martial Artists in the Muscle Forging Realm might comprehend two or even three types of auras, but they usually focus on mastering one and gradually give up on the others.’
’After all, a person’s energy is limited, and comprehending an aura relies entirely on one’s innate talent—unlike Qi and Blood, which can be accelerated with things like Treasure Medicines.’
’And this troublemaker of hers has been famous for his high aptitude ever since he started training! So it’s completely normal for him to have comprehended two auras!’
Feeling as though she had seen through Su Yu’s trump card, a smile bloomed on Lin Wanzhu’s face, and her heart settled.
’That guy, hiding things even from me. I’ll have to teach him a good lesson tonight!’
...
「Nightfall, inside a guest room.」
Su Yu had just finished soaking his feet in hot water when the door creaked open. Lin Wanzhu walked in, bringing a fragrant scent with her.
"Senior Sister, I was just looking for you," Su Yu said, drying his feet and sitting on the edge of the bed. "About Tiger-Leap Gorge tomorrow, I need to brief you beforehand."
Lin Wanzhu closed the door behind her, walked up to Su Yu, and gave him a charming glare. "So you do know. Hiding things even from your senior sister... are you asking for a beating?"
With that, she raised her fair, delicate hand and, with a PAT, lightly slapped Su Yu’s firm shoulder.
The slap itself was nothing, but she was wearing a loose silk nightgown. The slight movement caused the astonishing "weapons" on her chest to sway violently like snowy waves, threatening to spill out.
Su Yu’s mind swayed at the sight, and he instantly became a "summit-gazer."
"Stop staring!" Lin Wanzhu glared at him coquettishly, but she didn’t bother to cover up. Instead, she slightly puffed out her proud figure. "Now, tell me the specific plan for tomorrow. If you can really get the goods back, your senior sister will be sure to reward you handsomely."
"You said it yourself, Senior Sister!"
Su Yu’s eyes instantly lit up. Ever since they had made their relationship official, his senior sister, while growing more intimate in their daily interactions and even letting him get handsy, always managed to hold onto a last shred of reason at the final moment, never letting him cross the line.
’If I can get her to willingly take the initiative this time... Just imagining it makes my Qi and Blood surge!’
Su Yu gave a dry cough, composed himself, and said in a serious tone, "Tomorrow at noon, if the First Chieftain, Feng Han, doesn’t show up, we’ll proceed with the original plan and strike directly! The two of us will team up, and we must defeat—or even kill—Feng Dakui of the Tiger Tendon Realm in the shortest time possible!"
Lin Wanzhu stared at him, her eyes burning. "Wait. Be straight with me. When you were testing your moves earlier today, were you still holding back a trump card? I noticed you didn’t use that terrifying Evil Qi of yours at all!"
"Ah? Senior Sister, you’re as perceptive as you are beautiful. You saw right through me," Su Yu said with a flattering smile. "It seems this junior brother of yours can’t hide any of his little tricks from your discerning eyes."
Lin Wanzhu nodded with a cool arrogance, but inwardly, she was delighted.
’Little troublemaker. No matter how monstrously talented you are, your senior sister still has you all figured out.’
"Then what if Feng Han comes in person?"
Lin Wanzhu asked, her expression turning serious.
"Then we don’t make a move! We’ll wait for Xie Yong and Yu Fujiu to leave, then we’ll sneak into the Wind Evil Stronghold and wipe it out!"
"Huh?"
Lin Wanzhu’s rosy lips parted in disbelief, forming an "O."
Seeing her expression, Su Yu couldn’t help but walk over and gently close her jaw. "Senior Sister, you still haven’t fully grasped all of your junior brother’s methods. Dealing with the Wind Evil Stronghold won’t be a problem."
Lin Wanzhu snapped back to her senses and took a deep breath. Then, she looked at Su Yu, her beautiful eyes burning with intensity.
"Since you’ve said so, I am completely at ease. I’ll follow your command tomorrow."
"Aren’t you curious what my methods are, Senior Sister?"
"If you don’t want to say, then I won’t ask. In any case, I will always believe in you, Ah Yu," Lin Wanzhu said firmly.
Hearing this, Su Yu instantly understood. His senior sister trusted him completely—so much so that she wouldn’t even care if he betrayed her.
He couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms. Feeling the softness and pressure against his chest, his breathing grew heavier. "Senior Sister, I won’t let you down."
The next moment, the two were tangled in a passionate embrace.
...
「The next day. Noon.」
「Tiger-Leap Gorge.」
This was a great canyon, its terrain looking as if it had been viciously cleaved by an axe. Two steep, dark-red cliffs rose from the ground, soaring straight into the clouds.
At its narrowest, the canyon was only a few dozen feet wide. Howling gales swept through it year-round, creating a wail that sounded like a tiger’s roar. Icy sand mixed with gravel stung the skin on contact.
Su Yu, Lin Wanzhu, Xie Yong, and Yu Fujiu were all clad in wind-proof cloaks, mounted on tall horses. They stood quietly in an open area on the eastern side of the canyon.
RUMBLE...
Before long, the dull thud of horse hooves echoed from the other end of the canyon, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"They’re here!" Yu Fujiu’s eyes narrowed.
Amidst the howling wind, several dozen fierce brigands charged forth like a black whirlwind.
Su Yu’s eyesight was extremely sharp, and he instantly locked his gaze on the two leaders at the front. At the same time, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Because behind the dozens of mounted bandits, there was nothing. They hadn’t brought any cargo-laden carriages at all!
The opposing party galloped to a stop several dozen yards away, reining in their horses.
The man on the left was burly and stout, with a thick queue hairstyle braided down his back. His exposed arms were covered in coarse black hair, and an extravagantly large battle-axe hung from his saddle.
This was none other than the fierce Tiger Tendon Realm bandit from the reports: Feng Dakui!
The man on the right was dressed in short, tight-fitting clothes that left most of his chest exposed. He had a shaved head and a youthful face. He was bare-handed, carrying no weapons, but his fingers were gaunt, like an eagle’s talons.
This was the Third Chieftain of the Wind Evil Stronghold, Feng Yuncheng!
Seeing this, Su Yu felt slightly more at ease, but he didn’t let his guard down. Instead, he issued a command to Qingyuan in his mind.
Far above, hundreds of yards high within the thick cloud cover, a Cyan-Scaled Eagle with a wingspan of over ten feet was silently beating its wings. Its sharp eyes pierced through the clouds as it began a sweeping, circular search of the rocky cliffs in a several-kilometer radius.
"Brother Su, Old Brother Yu..."
Xie Yong’s face turned ugly as he watched them arrive empty-handed. He lowered his voice and said anxiously, "Feng Han really didn’t come. But they didn’t even bring the goods! What in the hell are these sons of bitches planning?"
Su Yu’s tone was calm as he instructed, "Brother Xie, don’t be anxious. We’ll just play it by ear."
The Wind Evil Stronghold’s Third Chieftain, Feng Yuncheng, urged his horse forward and spoke coolly,
"Did you bring the ransom?"
After exchanging a subtle glance with Su Yu, Yu Fujiu shouted in a deep voice,
"The ransom? Of course we brought it, every last bit! But Feng Yuncheng, your Wind Evil Stronghold is supposed to have a reputation to uphold among the brigands. What is the meaning of this? Exchanging money for goods is how this works. So where are our goods?"