SES Chapter 155

Chapter 155

She didn’t know why, but the thought of her master suddenly crossed her mind. For a brief second, Mu Dai lost focus—just long enough for Ya Feng’s hand to land on her shoulder. A surge of strength came crashing down from behind her shoulder blade. Mu Dai’s heart jumped in alarm, but her reflexes were sharp—she twisted her elbow, dropped her shoulder, and slipped free.

Cold sweat broke down her back. Cao Yanhua’s warning had been right—Ya Feng’s strength was monstrous. There was no way to fight her head-on.

She quickly glanced down into the pit. It was pitch-black—nothing visible—but the hanging rope was still swinging.

Luo Ren and Yan Hongsha must be climbing up fast.

Cao Jinhua was holding the trapdoor steady, and Cao Yanhua was more than capable of dealing with Qingshan. As for herself, if she could just keep Ya Feng contained, everything would be fine once the two below made it up.

Mu Dai took a steadying breath, dusted off her hands, and smiled at Ya Feng.
“Little girl, is that all you’ve got? Come on—try again.”

Her words were meant to taunt, to throw the opponent off rhythm. That, too, was a kind of trick.

Ya Feng’s eyes flicked toward the rope, still swaying. She was beginning to realize something wasn’t right—clearly, there was help coming from below.

She glanced again toward the tunnel entrance. Right now, Mu Dai had her cornered against the inner wall. If she wanted to escape, she’d have to get past her.

Mu Dai didn’t miss that glance. Her guard went up. Ya Feng gave her a slow, knowing smile and began to back away.

Damn it, Mu Dai thought. She’s plotting something.

Ya Feng had clearly joined forces with Xiong Jian, thinking clearly and striking when it hurt most. The only small mercy was that, despite her borrowed strength, she was still human—no real combat training, just brute force. That was the only reason Mu Dai had managed to hold her off.

But what trick was she trying to pull now?

With nowhere left to retreat, Ya Feng’s back hit the stone wall—just as Luo Ren’s voice echoed faintly from below. Judging by the sound, he was no more than four or five meters away.

Ya Feng’s expression changed. Her hands latched onto the stone wall, and in a sudden, fluid motion, she twisted her body upward. In the blink of an eye, she was at the top of the pit, crawling rapidly along the tunnel ceiling.

The ceiling was well above the ground—there was no way Mu Dai could reach her. Panic rose in her chest. If Ya Feng crawled all the way to the mouth of the tunnel, she’d escape. Mu Dai darted toward the exit to cut her off—but before she could, Ya Feng reached the spot directly above Cao Yanhua and Qingshan. With a cold sneer, she dropped like a hammer.

The three of them tumbled into a heap. Poor Cao Yanhua ended up pinned at the very bottom, his round face nearly flattened.

“Damn it!” Mu Dai shouted, rushing forward. She yanked Qingshan aside and shoved him out of the way, then lunged for Ya Feng’s hair. Ya Feng roared, reaching for Mu Dai’s face—but before her fingers could connect, a sharp cry tore through the air.

A dagger flew from above and buried itself straight through Ya Feng’s hand.

Relief surged through Mu Dai. She swept her leg under Ya Feng, sending her sprawling, then threw her full weight on top of her, knee pressed hard into her back. Just then, Luo Ren appeared at the edge of the trap, pulling himself up.

Ya Feng thrashed beneath her. Mu Dai’s blows were merciless—her knuckles pressed together, she struck at the nerve point beneath Ya Feng’s ribs. The xue point—where blood and qi converge—was agonizing even when lightly touched. Struck like this, it was worse than any heavy punch.

Covered in dust, Qingshan had picked up two rocks, ready to fight to the death—but the moment he saw Luo Ren climb up, he knew the battle was lost. Fear flickered across his face. He hesitated, stepped back, glanced once at Ya Feng—then turned and ran.

His spot was closest to the tunnel exit. Stumbling and scrambling, he vanished in seconds.

Everyone froze for a heartbeat. It wasn’t unheard of for cowards to abandon their comrades, but seeing it happen in front of you was still jarring. Cao Yanhua spat dirt from his mouth, muttering, “Coward.”

Cao Jinhua steadied the trapdoor and stared blankly at Luo Ren—wasn’t this man the same one from before…?

Luo Ren crouched beside Mu Dai. Ya Feng had stopped struggling, face pressed against the ground, her right hand a mangled mess of blood and flesh.

There was no spare rope to tie her up. Luo Ren motioned for Mu Dai to get off her. Mu Dai hesitated, worried that Ya Feng might lash out again. Cao Yanhua warned, “Brother Luo, she’s got crazy strength—”

Before he could finish, Luo Ren’s hands gripped Ya Feng’s shoulders—there were two sharp cracks, followed by a scream.

He had dislocated both her arms.

Cao Yanhua swallowed the rest of his words. Mu Dai froze, stunned, then rose silently to her feet. Luo Ren said calmly, “For someone who tried to kill me, I don’t see the need for mercy.”

Mu Dai didn’t respond right away. Luo Ren could be cold like that—he never hesitated when it came to certain people. Ya Feng’s screams rang in her ears. Mu Dai winced. “You could’ve just done one arm…”

He shook his head. “You said it yourself—she’s strong. If I left one arm intact, what’s stopping her from snapping the other one back into place?”

That was true. With Xiong Jian’s power in her, Ya Feng couldn’t be judged by normal rules.

After a moment of silence, Cao Yanhua spoke. “Brother Luo… what do we do next? That guy Qingshan—what if he went to get reinforcements?”

Ya Feng chuckled weakly, lifting her head just enough to smirk. “Of course he did. The whole village is mine. You won’t even make it off this mountain.”

Luo Ren looked down at her, his tone even. “If the entire village were yours, why bring only Qingshan? Why not bring more people—stack the odds in your favor? Or is it that Qingshan’s the only one you can still control?”

Ya Feng’s lips trembled, rage flashing in her eyes. Luo Ren smiled faintly, then reached down and yanked the dagger out of her hand. She twitched and nearly blacked out from the pain.

Below, Yan Hongsha’s voice floated up.
“Hey! You guys done fighting up there? Everything settled? Hello? Somebody gonna pull me up or what?”

Hongsha could climb, but she was slow. Gasping for breath halfway up, she was finally hauled out by Cao Yanhua. Cao Jinhua released the trapdoor, sealing it shut again.

Now, all that was left was to regroup with Wan San in the car and use the blood of the five of them to force Xiong Jian out of Ya Feng’s body. Then, everything would finally be over.

Mu Dai and Hongsha stood on either side of Ya Feng, holding her up. Ya Feng was silent—didn’t even cry out from pain. Once she was on her feet, she turned and fixed Mu Dai with a strange, mocking smile.
“You won’t get what you want,” she said.

Mu Dai froze, a ripple of unease passing through her. Hongsha scowled, shoving Ya Feng forward. “Move it.”

Cao Yanhua glanced at Mu Dai, then subtly nodded toward Cao Jinhua. What about her? His expression asked.

Before Mu Dai could answer, Luo Ren had already walked up to Cao Jinhua.

She had helped earlier, but she was still an outsider. Luo Ren’s tone was polite but firm. “Miss Cao, you should head back. What happened today is… sensitive. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone.”

His voice was courteous, but certain words carried unmistakable weight—a quiet warning beneath the politeness. Cao Jinhua, who’d dealt with him before, knew what that meant. She simply nodded.

Luo Ren smiled faintly. Oddly, he trusted her more than most. Mu Dai, on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt. As they walked out, she looked back several times.

Cao Jinhua stood alone in the empty cavern, clothes still creased from the fight. Just a single, gentle dismissal—You should go back now—and that was it.

Mu Dai couldn’t say why, but the scene left a strange taste in her chest. Still, Luo Ren’s decision had been the right one.

When they neared the exit, she suddenly stopped and turned back. “Um—Cao… Jenny,” she called, awkwardly using the nickname, “we’ll, uh, contact you later when we need insurance again.”

Luo Ren blinked, then chuckled softly. He took her hand and said, “Come on.”

Mu Dai smiled at Cao Jinhua before leaving with him, light on her feet.

Cao Jinhua stood motionless for a long time. Eventually, she looked down at her shoes, the image of Luo Ren holding Mu Dai’s hand flashing through her mind.

They look good together, she thought—feeling a faint, bittersweet twinge.

The rain was still falling. Near the base of the mountain, Cao Yanhua hesitated, glancing toward the village. “You think Qingshan ran home?” he muttered.

Mu Dai noticed the faint curve of a smile at Ya Feng’s lips.

That feeling of unease spiked sharply. Her steps slowed.

Luo Ren noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s off,” Mu Dai whispered.

Then, like lightning striking, realization hit her. She froze, turned sharply, and shouted, “Cao Yanhua—come here!”

Startled, he handed Ya Feng off to Hongsha and jogged over. “What is it, Little Master?”

Mu Dai lowered her voice. “When Ya Feng dropped from the ceiling, you and the others were fighting her up close. Did you notice anything strange?”

Cao Yanhua blinked. “Strange? It was amazing! One against two—”

Luo Ren didn’t doubt it; his bruised, dirt-streaked face said enough.

Mu Dai cut him off. “Not about you—about her. Did she seem… different?”

He scratched his head. “Different? Now that you mention it… yeah. She felt weaker.”

Mu Dai’s breath quickened.

Hongsha, impatient, began leading Ya Feng their way.

Mu Dai grabbed Luo Ren’s arm. “When I fought her before, she was unbelievably fast and strong—I couldn’t even trade blows with her. But after you threw that knife and I knocked her down… it was too easy. Like fighting a normal girl. Fragile, even.”

She frowned. “And then Qingshan ran. But what if we were wrong? What if he didn’t run because he was scared? What if Ya Feng let him go?”

Luo Ren’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”

Mu Dai looked past him—straight into Ya Feng’s eyes.

“She had Xiong Jian’s curse in her before,” she said, pointing at Ya Feng. “But when she dropped from the ceiling and hit you—she must have transferred it to Qingshan. That’s why he ran. Not from fear—but to carry it away. You knew we were after Xiong Jian, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

Her voice rose, trembling with fury.

Ya Feng lowered her lashes. A cold, satisfied smile curled her lips.
“I told you,” she whispered. “You’ll never get what you want.”