Chapter 295 - 290: Guardian? Top Credit
Qingyuan’s current flight speed was astonishing. With a single flap of its wings, it tore through the night sky in mere moments, landing steadily on Su Yu’s outstretched forearm.
Su Yu smiled, stroking the feathers on its neck. ’In wiping out the Water Snake Gang this time, it deserves the highest honor!’
’If it weren’t for its Eagle’s Eye, there’s no way I could have tracked down Hong Lei.’
SWISH! SWISH!
Just as Su Yu was soothing Qingyuan, the sound of two powerful figures slicing through the air rapidly approached from the mire behind them.
"Su Yu, where’s Hong Lei?!"
The two Commanders, Li Jingxuan and Ye Xiaohong, their faces fraught with anxiety, charged up to Su Yu like a pair of hurricanes.
Just a short while ago, the two of them had joined forces to kill Luo Gui, an Incense Master of the Black Lotus Sect.
But upon searching his body, they were shocked to discover that aside from a broken blade, Luo Gui didn’t have a single valuable secret message or treasure on him.
This instantly brought a cold sweat to their brows. They immediately realized they had fallen for the fiend’s ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain!
The Black Lotus Sect had spared no expense, dispatching several Hall Master-level experts to rescue Luo Gui; it had to be because he was carrying something of great importance.
With Luo Gui’s body turning up empty, the only possibility was that the priceless item had been transferred to Hong Lei, who had fled in a different direction!
Thus, after killing Luo Gui, they had frantically followed the eagle’s trail all the way here.
Su Yu didn’t keep them in suspense. He smiled and said, "Rest assured, Commanders. I’ve already killed Hong Lei. He didn’t get away."
At his words, the two men fell silent, wondering if they had heard him correctly.
Ye Xiaohong was hot-tempered and immediately demanded, "Su Yu, are you telling the truth?"
Although he knew Su Yu was unlikely to lie at a time like this, his eyes were still filled with deep suspicion.
"Of course. Come with me, Commanders."
Su Yu turned and led them toward a hemlock forest. Soon, the three of them reached its edge.
Su Yu had already dragged Hong Lei’s corpse out. It now lay silently on the ground, half of its body cleanly sheared away—a terrifying and gruesome sight.
"This... This really is Hong Lei’s corpse!"
Li Jingxuan’s eyes widened, the flesh on his round face trembling. He leaned down to inspect it again and again before finally confirming that Hong Lei was, in fact, dead.
Though Ye Xiaohong did his best to control his emotions, he couldn’t hide the astonishment in his eyes.
He looked at the perfectly calm Su Yu. ’My estimation of him just shot up again.’
’This Su Yu is a true prodigy. He’s accomplished so much already. I thought considering him the most talented junior in the Public Security Bureau was giving him enough credit.’
’But now he’s actually killed Hong Lei. Regardless of the methods he used, for him to be capable of this... I must value him even more highly!’
"C-Captain Su... how did you kill Hong Lei?"
Ye Xiaohong’s change in attitude did not escape Li Jingxuan’s notice, and his eyes darted about thoughtfully.
Su Yu also noticed the shift, but he recited the story he had prepared in advance. "Commander Ye, to be honest, I once stumbled upon a divine talisman in an ancient ruin. It’s incredibly powerful, and I only had the one."
"When I was chasing Hong Lei, he was already severely wounded. Realizing he couldn’t escape, he laid an ambush here to try and kill me instead. I knew I was no match for him, so I used the divine talisman and barely managed to kill him!"
There was no way to verify his story, but Hong Lei’s corpse was right there, undeniably killed by a single, powerful strike.
Li Jingxuan clapped Su Yu on the shoulder. "Haha, Younger Brother Su, your luck is truly astonishing! Ancient Cave Mansions aren’t so easy to come by. Many people search their entire lives and never see so much as a shadow of one."
"Younger Brother Su, was this forest where you fought him?"
"That’s right!"
After Su Yu’s confirmation, Ye Xiaohong nodded. He first patted down Hong Lei’s body and, finding nothing, walked straight into the woods.
Li Jingxuan, meanwhile, pulled Su Yu aside and asked in a low voice,
"Younger Brother Su, when you killed Hong Lei, did you happen to find anything... special on him?"
"I did."
Su Yu remained perfectly calm as he took the Divine Statue from his robes and handed it over.
Even though he had already absorbed its divine blood and authority, a special aura still emanated from the Divine Statue.
Moreover, the material of the statue itself was extraordinary; that it could survive a divine power completely unscathed meant it was still immensely valuable.
Sure enough, the moment Li Jingxuan saw the Divine Statue, he eagerly took it with both hands and examined it closely. "Haha, Younger Brother Su, your luck is simply peerless! The greatest merit this time is yours once again!"
Seeing Li Jingxuan’s reaction, Su Yu asked out of curiosity, "Brother Li, what exactly is this Divine Statue?"
"To put it simply, this Divine Statue is a vessel for channeling a deity, used to absorb the power of faith. The one you’ve found is very likely one of the core Divine Statues the Black Lotus Sect has placed in Black Stone City!"
As he spoke, Li Jingxuan handed it back to Su Yu. "Once this Divine Statue absorbs enough power of faith, it can be used to channel a deity. If they let that Evil God Matriarch descend with her divine might, who in all of Black Stone City could possibly stop her?"
"According to intelligence from Liangzhou, they found similar Divine Statues in many cities over there. Cities that were once thought impregnable had their defenses destroyed from within in an instant by divine might, leading to their eventual fall!"
"You keep it safe, and don’t let Commander Ye see it! When we get back, this thing will be your ticket to a great merit! Mansion Master Pang will be sure to reward you handsomely!"
...
「In the hemlock forest.」
Ye Xiaohong stared at the swath of destruction that cut through the entire forest, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
’What the fuck? This was a single strike from a divine talisman?’
’He knew the ancient Immortals were powerful, but could a single talisman really unleash this much destructive force?’
’What had Hong Lei possibly done to deserve being on the receiving end of a strike like this?’
’If it wasn’t a talisman, then what level of expert could create such a powerful attack?’
’Su Yu’s cultivation level was well-known; there was absolutely no way he could have done this himself. That means someone else must have been here!’
’The power of this move is comparable to a divine power. Doesn’t that mean the expert who did this is likely a Martial Arts Grandmaster?’
’A Grandmaster! An expert who has surpassed the Divine Storage Realm! Every single one is a renowned figure. A small place like Black Stone City, whether the Inner City or the Outer City, couldn’t possibly hold such an expert.’
’They are only seen in a County Mansion like Jian’an Prefecture!’
’So why would such a person make a move here? Unless...’
A jolt went through Ye Xiaohong as the detailed intelligence dossier on Su Yu flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.
’A poor boy from a low-class fishing family with no background. But ever since joining the White Ape Martial Arts Hall, his Martial Arts talent has been monstrous, erupting like a volcano. In little more than a year, he not only accomplished one incredible feat after another but also mastered the ancient art of Beast Taming. And now, he has even one-shot a Tendon-Forging expert...’
’It’s impossible that he doesn’t have an expert guiding him from the shadows!’
’I get it!’
’This person must be Su Yu’s hidden master, someone acting as his Path Guardian!’
’It wasn’t without precedent. He’d heard that back in the day, Black Stone City’s most famous figure had no less than three Grandmasters vying to be his Path Guardian!’
’Right now, Black Stone City is teeming with shady characters, and the Black Lotus Sect’s Earth King has made his move several times. It’s not impossible that the Public Security Bureau or Qingzhou Prefecture has secretly sent a Grandmaster here!’
’As the number one genius of his generation, Su Yu must have caught a Grandmaster’s eye!’
Having figured all this out, Ye Xiaohong’s opinion of Su Yu was completely transformed. He now saw him as a peer, someone he might even need to curry favor with in the future.
He turned and left the forest. Seeing that Su Yu and Li Jingxuan were ready to leave, he immediately went forward to ask a question.
"Younger Brother Su, I found no trace of any enemies in the forest. Did you happen to find anything on Hong Lei?"
"I already asked. My little brother here didn’t find anything important," Li Jingxuan interjected, trying to smooth things over. "Commander Ye, let’s head back to Black Stone City first and plan our next move."
Seeing his attitude, Ye Xiaohong guessed he was hiding something and became annoyed. "Commander Li, with an attitude like that, are you taking me, Ye Xiaohong, for someone who would steal credit?"
With that, he turned to Su Yu and clapped him heavily on the shoulder. "I feel a kinship with Younger Brother Su. In our joint pursuit of the Black Lotus Sect fiends, it was his eagle that rendered the greatest service. Naturally, the lion’s share of the credit belongs to Younger Brother Su!"
This grand, righteous-sounding speech left Li Jingxuan dumbfounded.
’What’s going on? Why the sudden, drastic change in Ye Xiaohong’s attitude toward Su Yu?’
’He’s already calling him "Younger Brother"?’
Su Yu had a good idea why. ’He must have seen the residual power left by the divine ability.’ After a moment’s thought, he took out the Divine Statue again.
The instant Ye Xiaohong’s eyes fell upon the Divine Statue, his pupils contracted, and his stern, square-jawed face erupted in ecstatic joy.
"No wonder! No wonder those fiends would risk everything to save Luo Gui! HAHAHAHA!"
Ye Xiaohong laughed boisterously with excitement. "Younger Brother Su, this time you have truly performed a deed so monumental it will shake all of Black Stone City to its core! Let’s go! We must return to the city at once! I, your big brother, will personally petition Mansion Master Pang on your behalf and ensure you receive the highest honors for this!"