28: Li Yun appeared

“According to what that Old Woman said, this should be the person. You guys circle around and walk past her from the front to look at her face. If you mess up and tip her off, I'll kill you all.”

A Bald Man rubbed his head, a cruel look appearing on his face. Hearing this, his subordinates nodded repeatedly and quickly chased after Su Yao.

Soon, they brought the information back.

“That's right, Boss, we compared them. Her eyes are exactly the same as those in the portrait. She covered the lower half of her face, so we couldn't see it, but we can confirm it's definitely her just by her eyes!”

The subordinates excitedly rubbed their hands. If they succeeded in capturing Su Yao, they would also get a lot of good rewards.

“Hahahaha! Good! Take her down immediately!”

The Bald Man waved his large hand, and several subordinates immediately stepped forward, weapons in hand, blocking Su Yao's path.

The other people in the city quickly backed away upon seeing this, seemingly afraid of being implicated.

Su Yao looked at the people blocking her way, a helpless expression appearing on her face. She hadn't expected her identity to be exposed so quickly.

“Hahahaha, little lady, are you going to surrender yourself and let your brothers have some fun, or do you want your brothers to conquer you by force?”

The Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator shook the iron hammer in his hand, sticking out his bright red tongue to lick his lips.

Disgusting saliva clung to his mouth, causing Su Yao to immediately frown.

“Get lost!”

Following the principle of striking first, Su Yao did not hesitate, immediately making a move. Black Flames landed on them, instantly igniting a blazing fire. In less than a few breaths, screams of agony rang out, and then they were reduced to a handful of scorched earth.

An astonished look appeared on the Bald Man's face. The moment the opponent attacked, he had sensed her aura—it was the aura of Entering Profundity. But he wasn't worried at all; he was a dignified Yin and Yang expert, a full major Realm higher than the opponent.

“Hmph, she actually dared to resist! She killed so many of my brothers; she must give an explanation today!”

A large saber suddenly appeared in the Bald Man's hand, and he was about to slash it down toward Su Yao's back.

They were originally a bunch of street thugs, or even bandits. Seeing an opportunity to make money now, they naturally showed no martial ethics. If they couldn't win fairly, they'd resort to dirty tricks. Some righteous Sects might find this against the rules, but they only needed to achieve their goal; they didn't need to follow rules.

“Pfft!”

Just before the Bald Man could reach Su Yao, he was suddenly sent flying by a palm strike, spitting out blood. His gaze landed incredulously on the Black-robed person standing nearby.

While Su Yao was still somewhat surprised, the Black-robed person had quickly dealt with everyone else, then pulled her along and fled into a nearby alley.

Only after the Black-robed person removed his hood did Su Yao realize that this person was none other than her maternal grandfather, Li Yun!

“Grandfather? Weren't you captured by the Su Family members?”

As Su Yao spoke, her gaze fell upon Li Yun's empty left sleeve. His arm was gone, and the sleeve fluttered gently in the breeze.

“Your mother was right. You little girl are too stubborn. If you hadn't come, you could still live, but since you're here, we can only die together.”

Li Yun shook his head helplessly and recounted what had happened.

When they were captured, Li Wan realized on the way back that her daughter would definitely come to rescue them. So, she had to instruct her strongest father to take advantage of the guards' inattention, forcibly escape, hide in Jinyun City, and immediately take Su Yao away the moment he spotted her, preventing her from approaching the Su Family.

Originally, Li Yun disagreed with this plan, as if he dared to resist, all the relatives present could be in mortal danger.

But Li Wan threatened him with her own life, saying that if Li Yun refused, she would immediately smash her head and die right in front of her father.

Li Yun had no choice but to compromise and immediately began his escape while the guards were distracted.

Although there were Heaven Human experts among them, intercepting a Heaven Human who was desperately trying to escape would incur a huge cost. Since they were all just paid to do a job, why risk their lives? Thus, they naturally let him go.

Li Yun also paid a huge price, losing his left arm, just barely managing to escape from their encirclement.

Li Wan and the others were unharmed. Su Aotian was waiting for Su Yao to walk right into his trap. If he had killed all these people in a fit of pique, he would have lost the leverage needed to lure Su Yao to willingly come to her death.

Li Yun had also understood this point at the time, which was why he resolutely fought his way out of the siege.

After explaining everything, Li Yun grabbed Su Yao, ready to leave.

But Su Yao struggled desperately, unwilling to leave.

“I can't, Grandfather. If I don't go to the appointment, Mother and the others will die. If Mother dies, I will breed a Heart Demon, and from now on, my cultivation will never advance.”

Li Yun's hand instantly froze in place. He looked at his granddaughter in disbelief, and after careful examination, confirmed that a Heart Demon had indeed appeared in her heart.

If he took her away now, Su Yao would be tormented by the Heart Demon until her death.

Now, the two of them could only head to the Su Family. This matter had to be resolved by Su Yao herself. If she couldn't break the Heart Demon, she would be ruined.

For a Cultivator, making them unable to Cultivate for all eternity and turning them into a cripple—how is that different from killing them outright?

Furthermore, losing the ability to Cultivate and losing the path to advancement is even harder for a Cultivator to accept.

The two of them had no choice but to tidy themselves up and silently head toward the Su Family.

“Yaoyao, you've suffered these past years. After giving birth to you, your mother fell into a severe injury. Later, if she didn't enter seclusion, her cultivation would regress. From your birth until now, your mother has always thought of you. Every time her injuries stabilized, the first thing she did was go to see you.”

Su Yao nodded.

“I know, Grandfather. Mother is very good to Su Yao, and Su Yao's life is very good now.”

Li Yun looked at Su Yao with doting affection and sighed helplessly. If only he had a little more ability, how could his family have suffered such persecution?

“You said you joined the Taixuan Sect. Which of the Hundred and Eight Peaks did you pledge allegiance to? What is its ranking?”

When Su Yao heard the three words “Taixuan Sect,” her eyes immediately lit up. That place had clearly become her new home.

“I don't think Revered Master mentioned the ranking. I only know that we are called Spirit Gathering Peak, and it seems there aren't many Disciples.”

The doting and affectionate smile on Li Yun's face immediately froze. He looked at his granddaughter with some disbelief.

“Are you saying you pledged allegiance to Spirit Gathering Peak? Is the Chief of Spirit Gathering Peak a young man named Li Haotian?”

Su Yao didn't notice her grandfather's expression at all, and excitedly nodded to herself.

“Yes! Revered Master was even willing to become enemies with the Su Family just to let me join the Sect!”