Desperados Attack - Chapter 55 - The Wolf's Lament

It was just a grape, but the impact it carried was more astonishing than a hidden weapon.

“Thunk!”

A dull yet sharp sound resonated as the grape hit Tu Ning’er’s forehead.

The dullness was because it hit Tu Ning’er directly, and the sharpness was because her forehead was shattered by it.

“Huh?”

Su Xinghe swallowed hard, surprised by the ruthless nature of this woman who seemed as charming as a fox.

None of the people in the hall uttered a sound, as if they were all accustomed to this scene.

“Hmph!”

The young lady let out a cold snort, gulped down the wine in her hand, and covered her face to stifle laughter at Tu Ning’er’s painful groans on the ground.

At this moment, a voice spoke.

“Friend, if you are willing to risk your life to save your beloved, then look at how your beloved reacts.”

No one in the hall responded, but Tu Ning’er distinctly heard the words.

“Who… is… speaking?”

Tu Ning’er was short of breath, her chest tight, and everything before her eyes dimmed, as if she was stepping into the ghost gate.

“No one is speaking!”

“……..”

The people in the hall thought she was simply struck senseless by the blow and ignored her, laughing as they waited for Tu Ning’er to die.

Then the voice came again, “Don’t speak, I will save your life.”

Indeed, Tu Ning’er stopped speaking. She lay motionless for a long while, and everyone assumed she was dead.

A maid stepped forward and said, “Young lady, this wretched woman seems to be dead. Let me take her away so as not to spoil your mood.”

The young lady waved her hand without saying a word, signaling for Tu Ning’er’s body to be taken away.

With some rough dragging and pulling, Tu Ning’er was brought to the entrance of the hall.

“Stop!”

Barely conscious, Tu Ning’er looked up, hoping it was her beloved Xiao Feng who intervened, but she saw Xiao Feng standing still, frowning deeply. Disappointingly, it was Su Xinghe who spoke up.

However, she quickly thought that her beloved’s hands were bound, and his martial arts skills were lacking; even if he had deep affection for her, he could do nothing against the odds. With that thought, her feelings changed.

Su Xinghe swiftly moved in front of the maid, grabbed her wrist, and said, “You wretched maid, what a cruel heart you have!”

Su Xinghe felt troubled; although he was not fond of the talkative Tu Ning’er, he couldn’t bear to see a living person die in front of him.

“Let go!”

The maid shook her wrist while swaying her body, her large frame awkwardly portraying a delicate demeanor.

After a moment of shaking, she saw that Su Xinghe wasn’t letting go and suddenly dropped to her knees, crying out, “Young lady, help! Young lady…”

Her wails and cries for help filled the air. The young lady Duanmu glanced over, noting that he seemed indifferent to her presence, and commanded angrily, “Let go!”

With the order, Su Xinghe, unaware of their background, figured that someone who could kill Tu Ning’er with a single strike wasn’t ordinary and promptly released his grip.

“Hmph!”

The maid, free from his grasp, sneered, “Hmph, you only act tough with us, but in front of our young lady, don’t you just toe the line?”

Su Xinghe was filled with anger, wishing he could wipe out everyone in Nine Star Manor for satisfaction, but having seen the grand manor lord’s extraordinary skills, he knew he couldn’t act recklessly despite his fury.

Su Xinghe clasped his hands and said, “This person came with me as a friend. While the grand manor lord is indeed a formidable woman, isn’t this manner of handling things somewhat disrespectful to me, Su Xinghe?”

“Hmph! You want respect? Respect must be earned, don’t you know? You have such a fair face, doesn’t it have the respect you seek?”

Her words were extremely insulting. Since arriving, Su Xinghe had tolerated numerous indignities, culminating in harming Nine Star Manor’s second-in-command. But this further humiliation was unbearable. The sight of Tu Ning’er severely injured, and both Xiao Feng and Qiusui captured, left him with no choice; with three lives in his hands, Su Xinghe, neither foolish nor impulsive, couldn’t afford to act rashly.

The young lady laughed at Su Xinghe’s prolonged silence, saying, “I thought he was tough, but he’s just a coward after all. Looks like my younger sister’s skills have slipped!”

Just as Su Xinghe was about to speak, the young lady suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, ugly one, let me ask you!”

Xiao Feng detested being called “ugly.” Though restrained, upon hearing this, he immediately retorted, “Wretched woman, what did you say?”

“Hmm?”

The young lady was momentarily stunned by his outburst, not expecting someone to insult her, especially on her own grounds.

“What did you say?”

She picked up a spoon and flung it. The trajectory was slow, so anyone with basic martial arts prowess could dodge it.

This move was much more casual than the previous one. While hurling the grape, it was done casually, with impressive speed; now, the throw was visibly slower, fueled by burning anger.

Su Xinghe inhaled sharply, thinking, “This woman executed her move with incredible speed earlier, indicating her martial arts must be profound, but why is it now diminished instead of strengthened?”

Su Xinghe found the manor full of oddities, and with a swift “zing” sound, his sword was unsheathed.

Without a word, he swung his sword, sending a heated wave towards the young lady.

He watched intently as his attack neared her, considering it a test of the manor’s strange nature.

In a flash!

With a slicing sound, the alluring young lady was cut in half by his strike, collapsing to the ground as blood gushed from the wound.

Su Xinghe brushed his eyes with two fingers, his gaze glowing and eyelids seemingly ablaze.

This move was Shu Mountain’s demon-hunting technique-Catching Shadows.

The technique cast a spell upon the eyes to reveal the hidden demons lingering in the human world.

“Whoosh!”

Su Xinghe kept his eyes locked on the now lifeless young lady.

“Dead?”

He wondered to himself, when suddenly thick smoke began to billow from the rapidly flowing blood.

This smoke was only visible to him; to others, it appeared as if Su Xinghe had simply killed their young lady with a single strike.

Knowing the situation was anything but simple, Su Xinghe prepared to advance and capture when a mournful wolf’s howl shattered the heavy silence of the Nine Star Manor in the dark night.