C14 Braceful Return

"A bunch of trash."

Yang Qian sheathed his silver flying sword and said with an icy tone, "I'll spare your lives for now. Once I've captured that little bastard Su Li, I'll behead you all right in front of him."

With a rustling sound, he left those chilling words hanging in the air.

Yang Qian then strode towards Su Li's room, ignoring everyone else as if they were invisible.

"The Su family is doomed this time."

"Indeed, offending Crown Prince Yang Qian is bad enough, but the Su family's likely downfall is certain."

"Crossing the Crown Prince is one thing, but crossing the Trembleglades is far worse."

"Absolutely. I had no idea Su Li was a castoff from the Trembleglades. I even presented him with a generous gift yesterday. Talk about bad luck."

"Enough talk. We need to figure out how to distance ourselves from the Su family."

"Exactly, we need to sever ties with the Su family quickly. We can't afford to be dragged down with them!"

As Yang Qian entered the Su residence, the martial artists nearby began to gossip.

Their murmurs reached Su Hai's ears, twisting his expression into one of grave concern.

Su Li had warned him just yesterday that the Su family would face a catastrophe today.

He had also instructed Su Hai to conceal all the younger members of the Su family.

Su Li cautioned him to avoid confrontation with Yang Qian at all costs.

They would wait for his return to discuss everything.

"Li'er, are you truly the discarded disciple of the Trembleglades?"

A trace of moisture glistened at the corner of Su Hai's eyes.

He couldn't believe the situation was as dire as it had been portrayed, knowing Su Li's character as he did.

"You there, come here. Yes, you. I need to ask you a few questions."

Lost in thought, Su Hai was jolted back to reality by Lan'er's voice.

"If you answer my questions truthfully, I can ensure you're left with an intact corpse," Lan'er declared, recalling Shen Ning's covert instructions. "Where is Su Li's mother, and why has there been no trace of her for over a decade?"

Su Hai turned his head away, remaining silent.

At last, he understood why they were so intent on troubling Su Li.

The reason was undoubtedly to find Su Li's mother, Xiao Yunshan.

In truth, he wasn't Su Li's biological father.

Over a decade ago, while hunting demon beasts, he stumbled upon the gravely wounded Xiao Yunshan carrying Su Li. At that time, he was a young man, full of vigor, and was immediately captivated by Xiao Yunshan.

She entrusted him with a few medicinal pills and asked him to raise Su Li. As for herself, she continued on, drawing her pursuers away with her injured body.

To be precise, Su Li's surname wasn't Su, but Xue!

To avoid recognition, he had changed Su Li's name.

For the past ten years, Su Hai had lived in constant fear, dreading the day someone might come for Su Li.

When Ling Xu passed through Suuton years ago and offered to take Su Li as his disciple, Su Hai was overjoyed.

After all, the Trembleglades was a kingdom-level force, and its sect master was a supremely powerful being.

Su Hai believed that once Su Li joined the Trembleglades, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

But who could have predicted?

Su Li was expelled from the Trembleglades, and now its members were even seeking to execute him!

"Don't ever come back!"

At that moment, Su Hai silently prayed that Su Li would stay away, as far away as possible.

"Ungrateful wretch!"

Lan'er huffed in disdain, then directed the middle-aged man, "Go, remove his jaw first. I want to see how he'll... No, I'll do it myself."

Lan'er had initially intended for the middle-aged man to carry out the task, but then decided it was better to handle it personally.

With a rustling sound, she advanced.

Lan'er quickly approached Su Hai, her right foot poised to deliver a powerful kick.

But before her foot could connect with Su Hai's jaw, a massive palm print hurtled toward them from a distance.

The palm print closed in rapidly and crashed down in an instant.

Feeling the terrifying surge of Genuine Qi from the palm print, Lan'er's face paled. She retreated hastily, calling out to the middle-aged man for help, "Zhao Tuo, save me!"

At that moment, Lan'er was terrified.

Her cultivation was only at the early stage of the Oceanic Wheel Realm, and the formidable power unleashed by the palm print was something not even a peak Oceanic Wheel Realm martial artist would confidently claim to withstand, much less her.

"Could it be Su Li's mother?"

As Lan'er backed away, she was overwhelmed with astonishment.

She had two objectives upon her arrival in Suuton City: to assassinate Su Li and to coerce the whereabouts of Su Li's mother.

"Merely a minor trick."

Zhao Tuo stepped forward and launched a punch that radiated with light.

Sizzle sizzle!

The punch and the palm print collided, but to little avail; the palm print shattered.

"Hmm?"

Seeing his punch disintegrate, Zhao Tuo's face betrayed a hint of concern.

He had underestimated the situation.

He had assumed the palm print's power was comparable to a late-stage Oceanic Wheel warrior's full strike, but it was clear he had been too complacent.

The punch's power was at least on par with a full-force strike from a peak Oceanic Wheel warrior!

Swish!

The palm print, undeterred by the destruction of Zhao Tuo's punch, continued its relentless advance, whipping up a fierce wind as it bore down on Lan'er.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Tuo's expression soured.

Lan'er served as Shen Ning's maid, and her death would spell trouble for him upon his return to the Trembleglades.

Thus, he spared no effort.

His body's robust Genuine Qi burst forth, transforming into a streak of cold light that shot towards the palm print.

"Not good!"

But it was too late.

Zhao Tuo's reaction lagged, and as his cold light emerged, the palm print had already reached above Lan'er's head, crashing down with ferocity.

The palm print loomed ever larger in Lan'er's gaze until it brutally struck her head.

Crack!

The crisp sound echoed as Lan'er's mouth fell open, her face etched with incredulity.

In her final moments, she couldn't fathom whether her assailant was truly Su Li's mother.

That question would have to wait for another lifetime to be answered.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Upon witnessing Lan'er's demise, Zhao Tuo's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Who did this?"

At that moment, Zhao Tuo was seething with rage.

He bore direct responsibility for Lan'er's death!

Had he not been so careless, that single palm strike would never have been fatal to Lan'er!

But now, any words were meaningless.

Zhao Tuo's gaze was fixed on the distance, determined to identify who had dared to kill Lan'er right under his watch.

"Who could it be?"

"Who would have the audacity to aid the Su Family at such a pivotal time?"

"Is it someone from the Trembleglades?"

"How could it be the Trembleglades? Don't you remember, Su Li is their castaway disciple!"

The onlookers' mouths hung open, their faces painted with curiosity.

They were all eager to discover who had boldly emerged to support the Su Family.

With a swift whoosh that drew gasps from the crowd,

A blurred figure streaked through the void, coming to a halt before Su Hai.

"Su Li!"

"What? It's actually Su Li!"

"Isn't Su Li an outcast from the Trembleglades? How can he possess such formidable combat prowess?"

"And you're asking me? Who in the world should I ask?"

The sight of the gaunt figure appearing suddenly before Su Hai left the surrounding warriors in a state of bewilderment.

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