Super Soldier in the City

Chapter 1875 - 1938: Suspected Target

Su Tianhai then turned around and closed the door, as it was clear Li Yifei had something to say.Sitting in front of the bed, Su Tianhai looked at Li Yifei. Only then did Li Yifei say, "I heard there are no snakes in the back mountain..."

"Indeed, there are no snakes because Ali is afraid of them, and there are quite a few in our area. So I once put in the effort to catch all the snakes in the mountain and set up a formation method to prevent snakes from outside from coming in!" Su Tianhai nodded and said.

Li Yifei frowned and said, "Then how did this snake get in? Could it have burrowed in?"

Li Yifei still remembered that the mountain had more than one formation method. The method covering the entire mountain was one, and there were many smaller ones on the mountain—for example, the formation trapping the lion and the tiger was the largest on the mountain. It also ensured these two animals had enough territory to roam, even though compared to a normal Siberian tiger’s range of several hundred miles, it was much smaller, but still better than a zoo.

Elder Su’s face stiffened upon hearing this, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I haven’t really thought deeply about this question..."

Li Yifei understood. He nodded, realizing that Elder Su had his reasons for not thinking further. The Su Family had been in a semi-secluded state for years. Someone like Elder Su stayed at home daily, and most of the Su Family hardly went out or interacted much with the outside world, existing within this manor by themselves. The Su Family also grew vegetables, and this place was like a permanent spring season, with the grown vegetables and fruit trees fully satisfying the family’s needs. Additionally, if any vegetable or fruit was needed, they could find a place, set a formation method to provide the growth environment required, making this a rare place of happiness on earth.

In other words, outsiders couldn’t enter the Su Family. If that venomous snake didn’t come in by itself, it meant someone deliberately let it in, and it likely wasn’t put there long ago. Given the snake’s ferocity, Su Lio might have been attacked long ago, or to think maliciously, the snake might have been specially trained, highly aggressive, and the venom far more lethal than that of an ordinary snake.

Thus, it could only have been done by someone from the Su Family, since outsiders couldn’t enter, and Li Yifei and Su Jingguo had just arrived, so they couldn’t have done it, nor did they have any reason to harm Su Lio.

The conclusion was made that the target was Su Lio because, on that back mountain, aside from a few servants of the Su Family going to feed the animals, only Su Lio went up the mountain frequently, to feed or spend time with the animals, sometimes staying there all day.

Therefore, if someone really intended to harm Su Lio, it could only be a member of the Su Family. The consequences of this assumption were too serious, as the total Su Family population was only a little over thirty, making the scope for investigation very small.

Connecting this with Elder Su’s being framed, and no clear suspect identified thus far, this narrowing hypothesis suggested it could well have been done by a member of the Su Family!

Li Yifei could think of this in a short time, so how could Elder Su, who had lived for over a century, not think of it? Though he was old and frail in body, his mind was very sharp. When Elder Su thought of this, he was shocked, followed by intense anger. Su Lio was already so pitiful, yet someone wanted to harm her... Of course, perhaps they had already tried. After all, when they went to Ying City seeking medicine for Su Lio, Su Tianhai was inexplicably poisoned.

With both incidents combined, Elder Su felt a chill in his heart. If these suspicions were true, then there was a problem within the Su Family.

Speaking of the composition of the Su Family, besides the two families of Wang Dynasty and Ma Han, there’s also the wife Elder Su married later, but she died decades ago when Su Lio’s father was still young. The wife also had a younger brother who lived here with his own family. Furthermore, Su Tianhai had two adopted daughters adopted as orphans back then, both of whom married far away. They had also returned recently, and Li Yifei had met them.

Logically, these people shouldn’t have ulterior motives. As long as Elder Su was around, the Su Family’s status in the Northeast, and even the entire Huaxia, was transcendent. As one of the Five Greatest Experts of China, this kind of internal and external deterrence was comparable to nuclear weapons. Just like nuclear weapons, these five were not to be used easily. Yet now this matter has arisen, making the old master feel a chill in his heart and a bit desolate. He was unwilling to suspect his family, but this matter had to be investigated to the end because the opponent lurked in the dark, and if it was indeed done by them, there could be a next time...

What they were after was the lives of Su Tianhai and Su Lio. What did they want? The Su Family’s assets? Or something else?

But Su Tianhai had clearly said if he passed, the successor would only need to look after Su Lio. He didn’t care about the rest; whoever got the inheritance was the same to him. Even the Wang Dynasty and Ma Han had promised to take good care of Su Lio, and as for the family assets, they had no vested interest; they only hoped the adoptive father could live a few more years so they could spend more time with him.

Thinking further on this made Li Yifei feel a chill down his back. Seeing the old master in such pain, he quickly consoled, "Old master, maybe it’s not so bad. It might be a coincidence that the snake got in, but the poisoning needs further investigation."

Su Tianhai sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands, and said tiredly, "I don’t have many years left, yet someone hopes for my death. But am I so easy to bully? Heh, over these hundred or more years, many have wanted me dead, but they have all died!"

With this, a strong murderous intent surged from Su Tianhai, making Li Yifei feel a little terrified. If he were Elder Su’s opponent now, he would likely have to avoid the edge.

Li Yifei nodded, saying, "If there’s anything I can do, old master, don’t hesitate to call on me."

"You’re also part of the Su Family. If the need arises, I won’t hesitate." Elder Su said.

Suddenly, the two fell silent, a silence that lasted a full ten minutes before Elder Su suddenly lifted his head and said with a tone of wonder, "Aren’t you curious why I, unlike Murong Yuanqing, didn’t walk the world but chose this secluded corner?"

"A bit curious!" Li Yifei replied honestly, recalling another old man’s reaction. Murong Yuanqing’s identity was significant, yet he spoke those strange words to Li Yifei, even insisting that only by being with Su Lio could he vent his anger...

"Heh, it’s a story from many years ago." Su Tianhai laughed with a hint of bitterness.

Time turned back, according to Su Tianhai, to seventy or eighty years ago when the nation was overrun, and these talented patriots were fighting desperately, risking their lives to protect the country. The atmosphere then was awe-inspiring, and those who survived naturally earned respect, while those who perished out numbered the survivors tenfold or more. This only speaks of cultivators like Su Tianhai, whose skills were hundreds of times superior to ordinary people.

At that time, Su Tianhai was not one of China’s Five Great Masters. He was at best a minor expert, and he rose to his current level through relentless combat. Similarly, the more enemies he killed, the more came after him, an unavoidable reality.

Back then, there was a master not only skilled in cultivation but also a woman, which made her very popular, including with Su Tianhai, because he was of similar age and had accomplished missions with the female hero. Naturally, he developed feelings for her, but he had a bigger rival—Murong Yuanqing. Though Murong Yuanqing was younger, about ten years or so younger than Elder Su and even younger compared to her, supposedly rivals, Murong Yuanqing actually knew the female hero earlier. Calling themselves siblings, they formed a close bond and both expressed admiration for the female hero. However, she said that reckless negotiations would wait until after China’s unification and the establishment of New Huaxia.

So, Su Tianhai and Murong Yuanqing had to leave it at that back then. It was understandable since serving the country was everyone’s dream in those circumstances, and no one thought her words were inappropriate.

The pair hid their affections. With nationwide transport not as convenient as today, gatherings were few and far between, all striving for a common goal. In those years, Su Tianhai met the female hero several times, which was significant given the years. As warfare grew intense, with foreign invasions, many masters fell, making each farewell unbearable for Su Tianhai.

A gap of two years without seeing her, when he did, he noticed she had a child and dressed differently, no longer a wandering heroine though she still carried the sword. Her demeanor changed entirely. After grilling her, he learned a crushing truth. She wouldn’t share the events of those two years but merely told him she had married.

Struck like lightning, Su Tianhai, after recovering, frantically asked if she had married Murong Yuanqing. The female hero said no. Su Tianhai kept pressing, but she wouldn’t say, and to this day, he doesn’t know who fathered her child.

If there was something Su Tianhai could never let go, it was this, taking decades before he married and had Su Lio’s father. Still, when it comes to feelings, he never stopped missing the female hero, recalling it with sorrow even now.