Chapter 193 – Did They Run Over from the Set Next Door?

“……”

Silence spread through the darkness.

Xu Yanyan seemed momentarily at a loss for how to respond to Su Ming, merely slumped on the ground with her expression shifting unpredictably.

Watching the Xu Family’s ruthless Young Miss’s face shift like a Sichuan opera performer, Su Ming could more or less guess what she was thinking.

“What? Worried I’ll take advantage of your situation here?”

Su Ming’s meaningful question made Xu Yanyan take a deep breath.

“I don’t know Mr. Gao’s condition.” Xu Yanyan avoided answering Su Ming’s question, instead responding to the previous one in a low voice: “The moment the artillery barrage descended, Mr. Gao threw me aside. The last thing I saw was him drawing his saber to face the bombardment, then everything went black and I knew nothing more.”

In other words, Gao Xu deserved full credit for Xu Yanyan surviving like this.

“He was actually willing to block spiritual attacks cast by so many Sorcerers for you?” Su Ming raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. “It seems this famous ‘Qilin Blade’ is quite loyal to your family.”

Xu Yanyan fell silent.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak, but she didn’t know how to answer this question.

Although Su Ming hadn’t taken the opportunity to kill her, Xu Yanyan still maintained some vigilance toward him.

Of course, Xu Yanyan also knew that if an Upper-Rank Professional truly wanted to kill her, in her current state, no amount of vigilance would be useful.

She could only pin her hopes on Su Ming not wanting to offend the Xu Family, unwilling to provoke conflict between the Xu Family and Yun Family Estate, thus letting her off.

Unaware of Xu Yanyan’s thoughts, Su Ming merely glanced down at her before turning around, his back facing her.

“I’m going to continue rescuing people. You can decide what to do yourself.”

After leaving these words, Su Ming began rushing around the area again, carrying out rescue operations.

Seeing this, Xu Yanyan hesitated for a moment before finally struggling to her feet and following behind Su Ming.

There was no other way – in this damned place, acting alone was even more dangerous.

Rather than face unknown dangers, Xu Yanyan preferred to face the known danger that was Su Ming.

At the very least, Su Ming hadn’t immediately killed her, right?

Perhaps he really had some reservations?

Then following him would be the safest course of action.

With this in mind, Xu Yanyan mustered her courage and followed Su Ming.

However, they hadn’t gone far when Xu Yanyan noticed Su Ming had stopped walking.

“……!?”

Xu Yanyan immediately halted as well, her constant vigilance instantly heightening.

But just as Xu Yanyan thought Su Ming intended to make a move against her, Su Ming suddenly spoke.

“Since you’re here, come out.”

At these words, Xu Yanyan was the first to be stunned.

It wasn’t until the next second that Xu Yanyan understood why Su Ming had said this.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

With several sounds of cutting through air, dark figures shot out from the darkness, assaulting their position.

Cold, sharp glints appeared in their hands.

The dark figures held sharp weapons like ghosts hidden in the darkness, mercilessly pouncing toward Su Ming and Xu Yanyan, attacking their vital points.

“Damn it!”Xu Yanyan felt a sudden surge of crisis erupt within her, prompting her to react instantly as the cold gleam approached. She disregarded her dignity, twisting sideways to narrowly evade the lethal strike.

In contrast, Su Ming’s response was far simpler.

Swish, swish, swish…!

The icy glints targeted Su Ming’s heart, abdomen, and head, producing faint sounds as they cut through the air.

Yet Su Ming seemed to have anticipated it all. He stood unmoving, merely tilting his head and shifting his body slightly, effortlessly dodging the three incoming attacks.

Three figures brandishing weapons brushed past him, crossing his path.

In that very instant, Su Ming moved.

Thud!

A heavy, muffled sound echoed as one of the attackers was sent flying by Su Ming’s lightning-fast kick, crashing into a nearby pile of stones and leaving behind a smear of blood.

Immediately after, Su Ming’s hands shot out, seizing the weapon-wielding arms of the other two attackers. With a forceful tug, he yanked them toward each other.

The two attackers collided heavily, their heads spinning and vision blurring from the impact.

By then, Su Ming had already wrested their weapons from their grasp. In one fluid motion, he reversed his grip and plunged the blades into their backs.

Squelch!

The sound of flesh being pierced rang out simultaneously.

The weapons, now in Su Ming’s hands, had impaled the attackers from behind, emerging through their chests and splattering blood everywhere.

“Urgh…”

“Agh…”

Low, pained groans escaped the two attackers’ lips.

Moments later, they collapsed to the ground, their breaths fading.

Just like that, Su Ming had effortlessly dealt with the assailants.

He then turned his gaze toward Xu Yanyan, only to find her in a dire situation.

At that moment, Xu Yanyan was besieged by two attackers. Though she wielded a small Saber and fought back fiercely, she was clearly at a disadvantage.

Every one of these attackers was a Three-Star Hunter—elites among the lower-Rank Professionals. None were significantly weaker than Xu Yanyan herself.

Against such foes, someone like Su Ming, who possessed the strength of an Upper-Rank Professional, had no trouble dispatching them with ease. But Xu Yanyan, being a Three-Star Hunter of the same Rank, could hardly guarantee victory even in a one-on-one fight. Now, surrounded by two, she was barely holding on.

Had it not been for her solid skills, allowing her to narrowly evade several fatal blows, she would have been defeated long ago.

Even so, she had sustained several wounds, her clothes stained with blood—a clear sign of her perilous state.

Su Ming pondered for a moment but ultimately chose not to intervene, opting instead to watch from the sidelines.

What a joke, he thought. I’ve already refrained from adding insult to injury or seeking revenge for Xu Qianqian. There’s no way I’m stepping in to save her again.

What Su Ming hadn’t anticipated, however, was the immense pressure his presence would exert on the two attackers besieging Xu Yanyan.

Unaware of the strained relationship between Su Ming and Xu Yanyan, they assumed the two were companions. To them, Su Ming—an Upper-Rank Professional who had effortlessly eliminated three of their comrades—was surely waiting for the perfect moment to join the fray and finish them off.”Let’s go!”

At that moment, the two exchanged a glance before simultaneously retreating rapidly, darting into the darkness.

It must be said, this was a wise decision.

Even if Su Ming no longer intended to save Xu Yanyan, if these two attackers continued fighting and eventually dealt with Xu Yanyan, Su Ming wouldn’t let them go either.

By then, they would certainly die.

Given this, it was better to seize the opportunity to escape.

Unfortunately, this wise move actually shortened their lifespans.

At least if they had chosen to keep fighting, they could have lived a while longer, possibly even taking down a beautiful young miss like Xu Yanyan with them.

Instead, they chose to flee, and their fate was predictable.

Su Ming frowned slightly and without hesitation shot forward, chasing the two attackers into the darkness.

“Huff… huff…”

Only then did Xu Yanyan begin breathing heavily, her body covered in wounds, the hand holding the small saber trembling uncontrollably.

Before long, Su Ming returned.

In his hands, he carried the two lifeless attackers like bags of trash.

“Thud…”

With a dull thud, Su Ming tossed the two corpses onto the ground, making Xu Yanyan’s heart jump involuntarily.

Su Ming then turned to Xu Yanyan, taking in her battered and wounded state, and spoke a single sentence.

“Was it necessary?The words seemed inexplicable at first, but for some reason, Xu Yanyan understood their meaning.

Su Ming’s implication was: with this place being so dangerous, why would a delicate young miss from a noble family come to stir up trouble here?

Of course, Xu Yanyan believed Su Ming should be able to guess why she had intervened in this secret mission.

Wasn’t it all about competing for favor and fighting for fame and profit?

Therefore, Su Ming’s “Was it necessary?” could also be interpreted as mockery.

After all, for the sake of competing for favor and fighting for fame and profit, Xu Yanyan willingly took risks to come here – truly deserving of ridicule.

“Tch…”

Xu Yanyan bit her lip, unable to suppress a click of her tongue.

In her view, Su Ming’s “Was it necessary?” was nothing less than the greatest insult to her.

“What would you know?”

How Xu Yanyan wanted to shout these words.

But she wouldn’t go so far as to cry out like that before someone who was neither friend nor foe – that would just be the whining of a loser.

She, Xu Yanyan, wouldn’t whine pointlessly over a single remark before someone who was neither friend nor foe.

Perhaps Su Ming had noticed something, for he glanced at the corpses on the ground and suddenly changed the subject.

“It seems this area is also a danger zone.”

Hearing this, Xu Yanyan fell silent.

The fact that they had been attacked proved that 『Sin』’s members were hunting intruders here.

“First setting traps above, using Sorcerer troops for concentrated fire to eliminate most enemies, then hunting down the remaining survivors within the traps.”

Su Ming murmured to himself.

“Truly leaving no survivors.”

After the earlier schemes, even if some members of the Six Great Families managed to survive, they would have sustained significant injuries.

Under such circumstances, for those Underground Professionals to attack survivors here was as easy as harvesting chives.

“They’ve probably familiarized themselves with the terrain here too. Staying any longer would risk encountering the next wave of traps.”

Su Ming spoke as if talking to himself.

“We must find a way to leave this place.”Hearing this, Xu Yanyan finally couldn’t help but speak up.

“What about the others?”

Xu Yanyan asked this question.

The people from other families were one thing, but for the Xu Family members, if they could be saved, Xu Yanyan still hoped to rescue them.

Because this secret mission was carried out due to Gao Xu and her own relationship, the Xu Family members brought along this time were actually all from Xu Yanyan’s faction.

In other words, every death among these people would be a loss for Xu Yanyan and her father.

Ordinary family members were one thing, but if even Gao Xu met with misfortune, that would be the biggest blow to Xu Yanyan’s faction.

The Xu Family had fewer than ten Upper-Rank Professionals at most, and among them, only a few outsiders could be won over. As a veteran Four-Star Hunter, Gao Xu’s strength and status were both very high within the Xu Family.

His willingness to pledge loyalty to Xu Yanyan’s father was already considered a tremendous blessing for Xu Yanyan and her father.

If they lost him here, then losing such a valuable Upper-Rank Hunter would cause Xu Yanyan’s faction to be completely overwhelmed by Xu Yongfeng’s faction.

This was a loss that must be avoided.

For this reason, Xu Yanyan felt that she at least needed to meet up with Gao Xu and find him.

Actually, Su Ming had the same thought.

“Putting aside the others for now, the Upper-Rank Professionals should still be alive.” Su Ming stroked his chin and said, “They might have fallen somewhere else, and are most likely being attacked by those Underground Professionals just like us.”

As he spoke, Su Ming turned to Xu Yanyan.

“Do you have any way to contact them or find them?”

Only when Su Ming mentioned this did Xu Yanyan seem to remember something, quickly taking something out from her chest.

It was a very thin piece of paper.

“What’s this?”

Su Ming was immediately drawn to it.

“This is Life Paper.” Xu Yanyan wasn’t very willing to answer Su Ming’s question, but thinking that she still needed to rely on him now, to avoid displeasing him, she answered gloomily, “You know about Life Lamps, right?”

“I know.” Su Ming nodded.

Life Lamps were alchemical items that could connect with life itself. Once connected, they could tell whether the connected person was in danger at any time.

Such alchemical items were quite rare in the Four Coastal Base Cities, circulating only among base cities in the mainland’s interior. Very few people in the Four Base Cities knew of their existence, but Su Ming, who possessed a Golden Finger and could obtain any Extraordinary Item from packages, at least knew about the existence of this alchemical item.

However, when it came to Life Paper, Su Ming truly hadn’t seen it before.

Regarding this, Xu Yanyan only said one thing.

“Life Paper is an inferior version of Life Lamps. It can be made by mixing special Materials with fingernails. Although it has some limitations, it can point in the direction of the person whose fingernails were mixed in. If that person dies, this Life Paper will spontaneously combust and disappear.”

Xu Yanyan’s explanation made Su Ming’s mouth twitch involuntarily.

This so-called Life Paper… why did it feel like it came from the One Piece universe?

Are we sure this prop didn’t wander into the wrong story?

“Is there a problem?”

Xu Yanyan noticed Su Ming’s strange reaction and couldn’t help but ask.

“No.”Su Ming didn’t know how to respond and could only utter a single word.

Although it felt somewhat like being in the wrong scene, the appearance of this vivre card still pointed the way for both Su Ming and Xu Yanyan.

“This vivre card contains Mr. Gao’s fingernail clippings.”

Xu Yanyan’s voice rang out strong and clear.

“As long as we follow it, we’ll find Mr. Gao.”

(End of Chapter)