Chapter 52 - The Owner of Su’s Fort
Shen Lian was led in by an old servant when he was looking for a shelter from the rain. The servant disappeared right after.
It was merely a side hall of the fort to shelter passers-by from the rain. It was a sign of goodwill by the owner and nothing more than that.
Shen Lian was initially attracted by the title of Su's Fort and neglected other details. However, he did notice some oddities.
A handsome man walked into the room, accompanied by the sound of coughing. His face was impeccable and it was possible that no sculptors could ever replicate his face. He was dressed in luxurious materials, sewed together with techniques Shen Lian had never seen before.
His skin was even more beautiful than Xiao Zhu. His fingers were long and slender, suitable for playing the zither and even more suitable for a sword.
However, he covered his mouth with a piece of silk handkerchief as he coughed.
If it was not for the cough, he would totally go under the radar of Shen Lian.
It was the first time for Shen Lian to meet anyone who would not make a sound in between movements. He had good ears, but even then he could not hear anything, neither the sound of the man's footsteps nor the movement of the joints.
Kuhui's usually relaxed face started to show a sign of worry.
Nobody made a move even under such a tense situation.
The rain stopped, water dripped from the roof.
The man glanced over the three standing in the room.
Unknowingly, Xiao Zhu started to swing her folding fan, looking as if she was extremely calm. However, she was holding on to the handle tightly, and her veins were showing at the back of her hand. She was not as calm as she looked.
Shen Lian was the only one who managed to calm down after the initial shock.
He activated The Mastery of Senses as the man's glare was too unusual. It was as if a tiger just woke up from its sleep. It was not malicious, but the kingly power was meant to keep you under his reign of command.
"Who are you?" Xiao Zhu was the first to lose her cool.
Shen Lian sighed, and from this, he could tell Xiao Zhu was not as good as Ye Liuyun.
Even though by sheer luck Shen Lian defeated Ye Liuyun that day, he would never underestimate this opponent. Ye Liuyun was one of the most talented persons he had ever met.
Whoever it was, it was unlikely that anyone could fare better than Ye Liuyun on his wheelchair.
"I am the owner of this place," the owner answered.
"I am asking for your name?"
"This is Su's Fort. Hence, I think it is obvious that my family name is Su. I will not mention my name, as you will not be aware of it. A name is just a representation, but it is destiny that brought us here today and it is getting late, why don't you stay over for dinner? You can rest for a night here before continuing your journey." The owner had a relaxed demeanor even when he said this, but it was apparent that his decision was final and no one could oppose it.
"I am sorry, uncle, my mother told me to have dinner at home tonight." Xiao Zhu let out a gorgeous smile, ignoring the ball formed by the Gobi trio.
She landed on the tip of her feet, like a cloud floating around the mountain and headed toward the exit.
The way she moved was really elegant.
Xiao Zhu was smart and given that she had achieved her goal. She needed not to spend more time here to deal with Kuhui, Shen Lian, and the unknown owner of Su's Fort. There was not any added benefit to stay.
She was also a lady. Even if she ran away from this situation, it would not deal damage to her reputation.
Xiao Zhu was fast, but the owner was already standing before her.
She ceased moving and swung her folding fan, like a swallow stopping abruptly in the air.
This attack required a perfect ratio of body balance and power control. Therefore, even if the attack was deadly, it still looked pleasing to the eyes.
Shen Lian witnessed the whole scene. He had to admire that while women lacked certain qualities for Kung Fu, they did have better flexibility than men.
You win some, you lose some.
The folding fan could easily blow Li Zhuang's head even though he excelled in martial art. It was much more powerful than Xiao Zhu's previous attack.
At such a short distance, Shen Lian thought that even he himself would not be able to avoid the blow.
The owner did not dodge and the folding fan that went past his shoulder. Shen Lian then heard a sound, it was as if a bubble just popped.
The owner turned into a puddle of water. Shen Lian was excited – this obviously was celestial power.
The water-formed body broke away and it splashed all over the space.
Xiao Zhu's invisible shield was activated. It was like the natural reflex of King Kong Talisman to defend.
Drops of water slowly slid down from the air.
A white ray suddenly appeared and went through the shield easily, as easy as a knife cutting through a piece of tofu.
Xiao Zhu let out a scream and was left in a shocked state.
The white ray broke into the shield and circulated around Xiao Zhu. Soon it had restrained her.
The water droplets formed from the alter ego went through the soil and blended with the blood. At that moment, the dead bodies formed a puddle of soiled water.
The soiled water formed into a ball and rolled out to under the loquat tree. It then sunk into the soil.
While the stream of water went by the Gobi trio, they were not harmed. The dead carcasses were all turned into fertilizers.
Shen Lian had really good eyes. He realized the withered loquat tree was coming back alive.
The owner still did not move an inch.
He felt Shen Lian's gaze, and said, "This loquat was planted by my wife. After she passed away, I married a new wife and she ordered me to cut it down. Unfortunately, it now has a life of its own and I relocated it over here. Given the fertilizers, I believe it will bear more succulent loquats next year. Unfortunately, the three of you will not be able to wait until the fruit wine is brewed."
He laughed again. Even Kuhui thought the idea of using dead carcasses as fertilizers scary.
Xiao Zhu squinted and smiled, "Dear uncle, I just recall that both my parents aren't home today. I will have dinner at your place. I won't leave."
The owner responded slowly, "I was just joking with you. I wouldn't want to hurt a lovely lady like you."
He extended his finger and formed a hook. The white ray tying Xiao Zhu down was removed. It stretched itself out like a white snake, and it then went back into the finger of the owner.
Shen Lian thought, 'The owner here isn't someone ordinary. I wonder between him and the Xin father-daughter, who is better.'
This means the fox deity and the owner were beyond Shen Lian's understanding. He did not know enough to judge their capabilities.
Xiao Zhu dared not to run away this time. She walked toward Shen Lian obediently and stood next to him.