14: Chapter 14 Traitor

Liu Ruyan nodded with tears in her eyes, watching Ye Yun's figure disappear into the entrance of the ruined temple, her heart full of anxiety and concern.

Ye Yun walked out of the ruined temple, concealing his figure in the night as he headed toward the Su Family in the south of the city.

He knew that this journey would inevitably be full of danger.

But for his and Liu Ruyan's safety, and to completely resolve the trouble at hand, he had to take the risk.

In the south of Shiyun City, the main hall of the Su Manor was brightly lit, with flickering candlelight reflecting on faces that were solemn and filled with grief and indignation.

Su Zhennan, the head of the Su Family, was dressed in a deep blue brocade robe, sitting upright in the main seat with his temples slightly graying.

His usually gentle face was now covered in ferocious anger, his hands tightly gripping the arms of his chair, his knuckles turning white from the force.

His aura was heavy and condensed, clearly showing he was enraged to the extreme.

"This is too much! Simply too much!"

Su Zhennan slammed the table, causing a fine crack to instantly appear on the high-quality Pearwood, and he roared.

"That playboy Zhao Tianheng! Even if the City Lord's Manor rules with an iron fist, they cannot be so lawless! Wanqing is the apple of my eye, yet he dared to kidnap a woman in broad daylight. Does he think our Su Family is a soft persimmon to be squeezed?!"

On both sides of the hall, several Elders of the Su Family stood with their heads bowed, their expressions also extremely unsightly.

Although the Su Family was a famous merchant in Shiyun City with deep pockets and broad connections,

they were ultimately focused on business and lacked a powerful martial force for support.

The City Lord's Manor, on the other hand, held military power and had many Martial Master Realm experts. The difference in strength between the two was vast; they were not even on the same level.

"Family Head, please calm your anger."

A white-haired Grand Elder sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"The City Lord's Manor is powerful, and our Su Family is simply unable to contend with them. Although Zhao Tianheng was overbearing before, he never dared to target our Su Family so blatantly. This sudden move... I'm afraid his purpose is not simple."

"Purpose? What other purpose could there be?"

Su Zhennan's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was raspy.

"It's nothing more than coveting Wanqing's beauty! That beast, relying on his father being the City Lord, has ruined so many innocent women! Now that Wanqing has fallen into his hands, who knows what kind of suffering she will endure."

At this point, his voice choked up, and his eyes were full of heartache and powerlessness.

"Family Head, in my view, the situation might not be as it seems."

A slightly plump Second Elder spoke from the right side, his eyes flickering and his tone carrying a hint of probing.

"Although Zhao Tianheng is lustful, he has always used money to bribe people or worked behind the scenes. He has never been so high-profile about kidnapping someone. I suspect his real target is our Su Family's ancestral Martial Skill—the Qingfeng Step."

Su Zhennan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

"Qingfeng Step? But that news is only known to the high-level members of our Su Family. How would Zhao Tianheng know?"

The Qingfeng Step was the Su Family's clan treasure, a Yellow Grade High Grade Martial Skill. It was by relying on this skill that the Su Family's ancestors were able to establish themselves in a chaotic world and build their current business.

This information had always been strictly kept secret by the Su Family. Aside from several Elders and Su Wanqing, it had never been leaked to the outside world.

The Second Elder's eyes flickered for a moment as he quickly said,

"Perhaps... perhaps the news was accidentally leaked. But rest assured, Family Head, Wanqing has always been clever and certainly knows the importance of the Qingfeng Step; she won't easily let it fall into Zhao Tianheng's hands. As long as the Qingfeng Step is still safe, Zhao Tianheng won't make things too difficult for Wanqing, and we still have time to find a way to rescue her."

Su Zhennan remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the Second Elder, his eyes growing colder and carrying a heart-stopping ruthlessness.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became heavy. The other Elders also sensed something was wrong and looked at Su Zhennan and the Second Elder with confusion.

After a long time, Su Zhennan spoke slowly, his voice bone-chillingly cold.

"Accidentally leaked? Second Elder, do you think I'll believe that?"

The Second Elder's expression changed as he forced himself to stay calm and said,

"Family Head, what... what do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?" Su Zhennan suddenly stood up and pointed his finger directly at the Second Elder, shouting angrily.

"You traitor! You were the one who leaked the news of the Qingfeng Step to Zhao Tianheng, weren't you?!"

"Uproar!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall instantly broke into a commotion. The other Elders looked at the Second Elder in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

The Second Elder's face turned pale, his eyes panicked, and he quickly waved his hands.

"Family Head, you're wronging me! How could I do something that betrays the Su Family? Wanqing is my own niece! How could I harm her?"

"Niece?" Su Zhennan sneered, his tone full of mockery.

"From the moment Wanqing was taken away, I felt something was wrong. The news of the Qingfeng Step is so secret that aside from us old guys, only Wanqing knows.

I investigated secretly and found that in the days before Wanqing's disappearance, you had several secret meetings with Zhao Tianheng's people! Do you dare to say that's a coincidence?!"

The Second Elder's face grew even paler, and his body began to tremble slightly. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but was interrupted by Su Zhennan.

"You think I don't have evidence? I've already discovered that Zhao Tianheng promised you a mine and Martial Master Realm Cultivate resources! For these benefits, you actually didn't hesitate to betray the Family and sacrifice your own niece! Elder Li, how cruel your heart is!"

All defenses appeared weak and powerless in the face of ironclad evidence, and the blood completely drained from the Second Elder's face.

He collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with despair. He no longer tried to explain and instead revealed a hint of ferocity.

"Yes! I told Zhao Tianheng! So what? The Su Family is just a merchant Family. Even with the Qingfeng Step, what can we do? We can't compete with the City Lord's Manor at all! Following the Su Family, we'll never amount to anything! What Zhao Tianheng gave me is something the Su Family could never provide!"

"You're looking for death!" Su Zhennan was beyond furious, and the Mystic Power within his body suddenly erupted.

With a flash of his figure, he rushed in front of the Second Elder and struck him in the chest with a palm.

"Pfft!"

The Second Elder spat out blood, his body flying backward and crashing heavily against the wall, his breath cutting off instantly.

Having dealt with the traitor, Su Zhennan's face remained grim. He took a deep breath and looked at the other Elders.

"Now, the traitor has been removed. The priority is to find a way to rescue Wanqing and take back the Qingfeng Step. Elders, if you have any good ideas, please speak up."

The several Elders looked at each other, all showing looks of difficulty. The City Lord's Manor was powerful, and they had no way to start.

"Family Head, the City Lord's Manor is heavily guarded, and Zhao Tianheng is protected by a Martial Master Realm Fifth Level expert like Wu Kui. We simply cannot rescue her by force."

The Grand Elder sighed, his tone full of helplessness.

"Perhaps we can only agree to Zhao Tianheng's demand and use the Qingfeng Step to exchange for Wanqing."

"No!"

Su Zhennan flatly refused.

"The Qingfeng Step is the Su Family's Foundation. If we hand it over, the Su Family will sooner or later be swallowed by the City Lord's Manor! Wanqing would never agree to it either!"

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, a calm voice suddenly came from outside the main hall, breaking the silence.

"I have a way to help you rescue Young Miss Su."

"Who?!"

Su Zhennan and the Elders were startled at the same time and turned to look toward the source of the voice.

At the entrance of the hall, a youth dressed in green martial attire walked in slowly.

The youth was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a tall stature, a handsome face, and eyes that were calm yet sharp. His aura was steady,

and he was surprisingly a Martial Master Realm expert.