Lian Li could even smell the foul odor coming off the man. Seeing the man reach out to grab him, Lian Li truly could not endure it any longer.
To hell with it. If the persona breaks, it breaks. At worst, after I beat this group of people back, I’ll just make up some nonsense to explain it.
He placed his hand on the soft whip wrapped around his waist, and his internal energy began to stir.
At that moment, a blur flashed before his eyes. Yun Huizhou appeared, blocking his path. With a sudden flash of a blade, the bushy-bearded man was forced back.
Lian Li hurriedly stood up, preparing to distance himself from this battlefield. Su Jun also rushed from the side of the martial arts arena to their position, shouting for Madam Su and Master Su to leave quickly.
Master Su pulled Madam Su along, heading toward the inner houses without looking back.
At this point, Su Jun turned to look at Lian Li. He landed beside him, grabbed his wrist, and said, “You should leave first too.”
Lian Li: “…”
He looked at his captured wrist and thought, If you hadn’t grabbed me, I would have run away ages ago.
Wearing a fake, skin-deep smile, Lian Li shook off Su Jun’s hand and said, “Gee, thanks a lot…”
Having said that, he bolted, intending to find a nook or cranny to hide in first.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hide in the house with Madam Su and Master Su, but the target of this group was clearly to snatch “Miss Su.” If he followed them, he would only bring the danger to them.
With his martial arts, escaping on his own was fine—after all, his lightness skill had been forged through Yun Huizhou’s devilish training—but protecting Madam Su and Master Su as well was beyond his current capability.
Therefore, it was better to find a corner near Yun Huizhou to hide.
Aside from Yun Huizhou, there were many young swordsmen here. If the bushy-bearded man’s accomplices came to catch him, he could call for help in a female voice and receive timely rescue.
Su Jun watched as Lian Li held his veil in place, looking around. Suddenly, as if he had found what he was looking for, Lian Li’s eyes lit up. He then hiked up his skirt and nimbly crouched down in a corner.
At that moment, Yun Huizhou landed beside Su Jun and said, “Young Master Su, instead of having the time to daze off, why not join the other young heroes to deal with an enemy?”
Yun Huizhou’s words were not polite; one could even say they were somewhat snide. Regardless, he was currently feeling quite displeased.
As Su Jun was the source of his displeasure, the fact that he hadn’t thrown the man out directly was already a sign of his good temper. Did the man expect him to speak kindly?
Su Jun also snapped back to his senses. He didn’t notice Yun Huizhou’s strange tone, drawing his sword to join one of the battlefronts.
This group of people possessed exceptionally high martial arts. Yun Huizhou judged that the bushy-bearded man he was clashing with was the strongest among them, already approaching the level of a super first-class master.
Among the others, four or five had reached the first-class master level, while the rest were all solidly at the second-rate level.
This was a significant force. He didn’t know where they had come from, but for such a force to act with so little regard for decorum, they were ultimately a hidden threat.
Although many people had participated in the martial arts marriage competition, not everyone was qualified to join a battle of this caliber. Those with inferior martial arts simply didn’t have the right to intervene.
If they tried to force their way in, they might be disposed of by the collateral damage of an attack without anyone even intending to strike them.
In particular, some had martial arts that couldn’t even compare to Lian Li’s; they might not even be able to run away.
Consequently, all told, the number of people capable of joining the fight was only about twenty more than the group of sudden intruders.
These extra twenty people might seem like a lot, but they were truly not enough.
Although the Su Family’s martial arts marriage competition was a grand event that attracted disciples from prestigious sects and the students of Jianghu seniors, the age limit of the competition meant these people were basically only at a solid second-rate level.
When both sides were at the second-rate level, they could fight one-on-one. But when they encountered a first-class master, several of them had to surround and attack a single opponent.
Just to deal with one first-class master, several people had to be drawn from those twenty.
Even so, they weren’t necessarily gaining the upper hand; they had to pray that others would quickly finish their opponents and come to help.
As many people dealt with their own opponents, their gazes drifted toward Yun Huizhou’s side. They couldn’t help but feel fortunate; luckily, someone was holding back that bushy-bearded man.
Otherwise, the bushy-bearded man alone could have easily killed many of them.
At the same time, some were wondering: who exactly was this young man capable of stalling a warrior approaching the super first-class level? Who was his master?
A portion of the crowd clearly recognized Yun Huizhou as the champion of last year’s Martial Arts Assembly, believing that his ability to stall the bushy-bearded man was well within expectations.
Furthermore, another portion felt that perhaps after a period of bitter fighting, this Young Master Yun might be able to kill the bushy-bearded man.
Once Young Master Yun was free, the pressure on them would be greatly reduced, and these mysterious people would no longer be a threat.
Lian Li poked his head out from the corner to take a look, finding that the fighting was still intense. The martial arts stage had already been battered beyond recognition.
The relatively good news was that their side hadn’t suffered any casualties yet.
The not-so-good news was that the group of kidnappers hadn’t suffered any casualties either; the two sides seemed to be at a stalemate.
However, looking closely, one could see that among the first-class masters being surrounded, only one was at a disadvantage; all the others held the upper hand.
If this dragged on, he feared their side would start seeing casualties.
He could already see that several young heroes besieging the first-class masters had sustained wounds.
Those with poorer martial arts, seeing this group coming with such ferocity and possessing high martial arts and ruthless hearts—striking with lethal intent—had already fled. Most of those who remained were like Lian Li, hiding to the side and looking for an opportunity to help.
They didn’t dare go near the first-class masters, but they could try their hand against the second-rate ones; it was unlikely the enemy could kill them instantly.
Lian Li watched with growing anxiety, wanting to go out and help, but he was wary of his current identity as “Miss Su.”
He turned his gaze toward Yun Huizhou’s side and found that Yun Huizhou had the upper hand. He took a deep breath, finally understanding the situation on the field.
Yun Huizhou and the bushy-bearded man were leagues ahead of the rest in strength. Below them, however, the bushy-bearded man’s group held the advantage.
To reverse the situation, the best way was to have Yun Huizhou quickly finish off the bushy-bearded man. Once liberated, Yun Huizhou dealing with the others would be like a wolf entering a flock of sheep.
This would also end the chaotic brawl as quickly as possible.
Lian Li narrowed his eyes, shrinking himself further into the corner. He then began to take stock of the poisoned hidden weapons, mechanical gadgets, and some special poisons from the West Island Lord that he carried.
After finishing his inventory, he sneakily emerged from the corner, staring at the battle on Yun Huizhou’s side. He prepared to find a suitable angle and position to secretly give the bushy-bearded man a shot.
Ideally, it would be from a position where Yun Huizhou could see him, but the bushy-bearded man could not.
