Chapter 77: Su Yan: I

The manager bowed his head, unable to meet Su Yan’s eyes, his voice thick with guilt and fear:

“Y-yes, Young Mistress…”

“Yesterday afternoon, as our caravan passed beneath Heisong Mountain, a group of bandits suddenly surged out—black as a storm, over a hundred of them!”

He swallowed hard, his voice growing even more strained:

“We’ve dealt with those Heifeng Bandits before—always paid for safe passage, never had an incident… but this time, those bandits turned on us outright!”

“They attacked without warning—right off the bat, they wounded our guard captain, Zhao Gang. Zhao Captain was a Hua Jing martial artist, yet before that ‘Storm Bear,’ he didn’t even last ten strikes…”

“With our only Hua Jing martial artist injured, our guards stood no chance…”

The manager’s voice grew quieter with each word, until it was nearly inaudible:

“The cargo… was all stolen, and everyone was taken captive…”

Su Yan’s body swayed slightly; she gripped the table beside her to steady herself.

Her lovely face, drained of color, now flushed with an unnatural red—the mark of fury and anxiety intertwined.

This cargo was the largest deal she had ever handled since taking over the family business.

If sold successfully, the Su family’s foothold in Fucheng would be barely secured.

But now…

The crushing blow left this young girl, only recently broken through to An Jing, speechless—her rosy lips trembling.

Beside her, Su Chen gently patted her shoulder, keeping his voice steady: “Xiao Yan, don’t panic. The Heifeng Bandits always seek wealth, not blood. It may not be as bad as it seems.”

He turned to the manager and asked sharply: “How much ransom do they want?”

The manager swallowed painfully, his voice trembling: “Those damned bandits—they said thirty thousand taels…”

“Thirty thousand taels?”

Hearing that absurd figure, both Su Chen and Su Yan’s pupils contracted sharply.

Su Chen’s face turned as pale as his daughter’s.

They had hastily relocated from Anxi County, abandoning much of their wealth.

After arriving in Fucheng, they spent money like water to establish new trade routes.

Now, nearly all their capital was tied up in that cargo—how could they possibly raise thirty thousand taels?

“Are these damned bandits truly out of their minds for silver?!”

Su Chen’s eyes turned bloodshot; unable to contain his rage, he slammed his palm hard onto the table.

The atmosphere inside the hall grew heavier, suffocating.

Su Yan’s slender frame trembled with fury, but in that moment of despair, a thought flashed through her mind.

She snapped her head up, teeth clenched:

“Father, could it be the Sun family’s doing…?”

Su Chen frowned: “The Sun family?”

Su Yan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down and analyze:

“We’ve traveled this route before—had repeated dealings with the Heifeng Bandits, always paid and moved on.”

“Why, this time, did they suddenly turn on us?”

She paused, a flash of cold light in her eyes:

“I’ve heard rumors that the Sun family has ties with all kinds of shady characters…”

Su Chen’s face darkened further.

He growled, “You mean the Sun family is targeting and retaliating against us?!”

The Sun family was a mid-sized clan in Fucheng, stronger than the former Ding family, with eight Hua Jing martial artists as retainers.

A few days ago, the Sun family’s playboy second son, Sun Yu, happened to see Su Yan on the street—and ever since, he’d clung to her like a leech.

But she had firmly rejected him every time.

He had then flown into a rage and threatened her: “Little bitch, if you won’t marry me, the Su family is finished!”

Now, looking back, this Heifeng Bandit ambush was almost certainly the Sun family’s doing.

At that moment—

“Get out of my way! Anyone who blocks me, I’ll crush their skull!”

A brazen voice rang out from outside the mansion, shattering the hall’s silence.

“Damn it! That second-generation wastrel, Sun Yu, is here!”

Su Yan and Su Chen exchanged a glance—both eyes flashing with icy fury.

They strode out of the hall, crossed the courtyard, and reached the front gate.

There stood a man in luxurious robes, pale-skinned and with a soft, effeminate face, held back by Su family guards. He cursed loudly, shoving the guards aside, radiating utter arrogance.

He was none other than Sun Yu, the Sun family’s second son.

The moment he saw Su Yan, his eyes lit up.

His lecherous gaze roamed over her slender figure; he licked his dry lips, smirking with a revolting grin:

“Hah! Miss Su, it’s been days—I’ve missed you so much!”

He glanced at the guards blocking him and sneered:

“Your servants are quite disobedient.”

“Daring to block even your future son-in-law?”

Su Yan’s face turned icy, her voice thick with revulsion: “Shut up, Sun Yu. The Su family doesn’t want you—get out now!”

“Hah! Tell me to leave?”

Sun Yu didn’t anger—he laughed harder.

He crossed his arms, smugly studying Su Yan, his expression begging to be punched:

“I heard your cargo and people were seized by the Heifeng Bandits—big loss, huh?”

He paused, a gleam of triumph in his eyes:

“I came here specifically to help you—and you tell me to leave?”

He turned as if to walk away, mocking as he went:

“Fine! Since you’re so unwelcoming, I’ll go.”

“Such a shame about your cargo and those poor captives… tsk tsk, thirty thousand taels—and how long will those poor souls survive in Heifeng’s hands?”

Su Yan’s fury could no longer be contained; frost blanketed her face as she shouted:

“You bastard! Was this really your family’s doing with the Heifeng Bandits?!”

She clenched her fists, her body trembling, desperate to kill the scoundrel right there.

Sun Yu stopped, turned back, his grin even more insolent:

“Miss Su, don’t speak recklessly.”

“Do you have proof? Without proof, I can sue you at the Fucheng magistrate’s office!”

He licked his lips again, his eyes sweeping over Su Yan once more, leering:

“But… if you marry me, we’ll be family—I could negotiate with the Heifeng Bandits for you.”

“Thirty thousand taels? Maybe not a single tael needed—your cargo and people would be returned.”

“Hehehe!!!”

He threw back his head and laughed—shrill, grating, echoing before the Su mansion, as if he’d already won her.

Su Yan drew a deep breath; the frost on her face melted, replaced by a bright, almost blinding false smile.

“Want to marry me?”

She laughed softly, the sound like silver bells—but icy as winter’s blade:

“You’re not worthy!”

She stepped forward, looking down at Sun Yu.

“Sun Yu, I’ll say this one last time!”

“I’d rather marry a seventy-year-old man than ever look at a piece of trash like you!”

“Get—OUT—!!!”