Chapter 401: A Life-and-Death Struggle! You Flirtatious Fox! You Look Down on Martial Men!

He shot a cold glance at his men.

One of them, a vicious brute with straight, heavy brows and a face like a fiend, grinned savagely and yanked open the woman’s blouse, leaving only a thin inner shirt clinging to her body.

With that, Liu Yu’s rage exploded, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He raised his hunting fork and lunged straight at the handsome youth, his movement fierce and reckless. His blood was surging with primal power, the mark of a true martial warrior.

The handsome youth sneered coldly, his sword flashing like lightning as he thrust straight toward Liu Yu’s throat. He was ruthless, swift, and deadly.

But Liu Yu’s eyes darkened with grim resolve. He tilted his head just enough to avoid the killing strike and kept driving his heavy fork forward without hesitation in a suicidal, do-or-die attack!

The young man was startled for an instant. He hastily drew back his sword, barely parrying the blow, then lashed out with a whip-like kick, his leg snapping forward like a striking viper.

Bang

!

His boot smashed into Liu Yu’s neck. Liu Yu staggered, but his momentum did not break. Like a raging tiger, he charged forward again, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His one hand clawed at the youth’s chest, while the other grasped for his sword-wielding wrist.

The two clashed in a blur of movement, and in the next instant, Liu Yu had the swordsman locked in a grappling hold!

Then, a hiss of air split the silence as a burly thug behind him swung a heavy saber down with brutal force. Liu Yu had no time to dodge, and he took two direct hits.

Slash! Slash!

Blood sprayed into the air. A dull, meaty thud echoed through the room as the broadsword struck flesh, but the wounds weren’t deep. Clearly, Liu Yu had gone through some kind of body-hardening training.

“Don’t move! Anyone moves, and I’ll kill him!” Liu Yu’s arm tightened around the handsome youth’s throat, his voice harsh and full of fury.

Seeing this, the burly thugs froze.

Meanwhile, the handsome youth gave a cold, mocking smile. “Senior Brother, impressive. I’ll admit it, your junior brother here can’t beat you.”

“Enough talk. Let her go!” Liu Yu barked, voice sharp as a whip.

“If I lose even a single hair,” the youth said darkly, “Miss Lin will die instantly. Want to test me?”

Liu Yu’s grip tightened, and the youth’s face turned purple.

“Go ahead,” he rasped, “try me!”

The brute holding the woman pressed his saber harder against her throat, and a thin red line appeared, blood beading along the edge.

These weren’t ordinary street thugs, they were cold and ruthless hardened killers.

At last, Liu Yu’s hand slackened slightly, his concern for his wife breaking through his rage.

“Stop!” he growled.

The young man coughed, then smiled again, twisted and cruel. “Senior Brother, with such a burden dragging you down, what do you expect to accomplish?”

Liu Yu stood trapped, torn between fury and fear for his wife’s life. Finally, he gritted his teeth.

“Sui Liang,” he said, “for the sake of us being from the same sect, I’ll hand the item over. Just let us go.”

“That item belongs to Madam,” Sui Liang replied smoothly. “I’ve no wish to make this ugly. Give it up, and I swear you and your wife will walk away unharmed.”

The two of them had once been guards for the Lin family, hired swords from the

jianghu

. Liu Yu had always been the strongest among them; without that skill, he’d never have escaped this long.

But Sui Liang had already decided that once Liu Yu handed over the item, he would kill him. As for Miss Lin... he thought her beauty plain enough that he’d just let his men have their fun.

Still holding Sui Liang in a chokehold, Liu Yu began backing toward the wall. Then, suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest, as if lightning had struck his heart.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood burst from his lips; his face turned ashen.

A lilting, seductive laugh rang out. “You useless trash,” a woman’s voice purred, “and you’re struggling this much with two people?”

A stunningly voluptuous woman stepped slowly into the room, gold hairpin swaying atop her head, each step oozing charm and danger. Her laughter was honey-sweet and wicked, stirring a feverish heat in every man’s chest.

But to Liu Yu, it sounded like the tolling of a death bell. With every click of her heel, his heart pounded harder,

thump, thump, thump

, as if it might burst at any moment.

“Mr. Liu!” The fallen Miss Lin cried out, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, her voice full of despair.

“You stupid girl,” the alluring woman sneered, “how dare you steal from your father?”

The men in the room bowed low. “Madam,” they chorused.

This was none other than Old Master Lin’s new wife, Madam Hong Ling.

“Let him go, you monster!” Miss Lin sobbed.

Ever since this woman had entered the Lin household, strange deaths had followed: Her father’s second and third concubines had both “fallen ill“ and died mysteriously. Her seven-year-old brother had vanished one night in the garden, and even chickens had gone missing. Two night watchmen were found dead with their bodies shriveled, their life essence drained.

Even the Daoist exorcist Master Kongzhu, hired to drive away evil, had been discovered the next morning hanged in his own room.

Her own father, Old Master Lin, had changed beyond recognition; he shut himself in his chambers day and night, indulging in carnal pleasure with that woman named Hong Ling. Before long, he had wasted away to skin and bone... and then died.

All of it, every last tragedy, had been caused by

her

.

Just then, Hong Ling let out a silvery laugh. She stretched out a soft, jade-like hand[1] and gently stroked Liu Yu’s cheek, her breath fragrant as orchids.

“What a vigorous, hot-blooded man you are... I rather like you,” she purred.

Liu Yu’s eyes went glassy. His expression slackened, and his gaze turned hazy. Bewitched, the man was losing his will.

“Madam!” Miss Lin cried out in despair, struggling in the thug’s grasp, but she couldn’t move.

Suddenly, Liu Yu’s hand flashed from his sleeve. A dagger gleamed coldly, and he lunged straight for Hong Ling’s eyes. The strike was ruthless, desperate.

Hong Ling gasped softly, surprise flickering across her sultry face, then,

bam!

With what looked like the lightest tap of her hand, Liu Yu was sent flying, crashing into the wall, face deathly pale. Several silver needles glinted on his thigh; he had driven them into himself earlier, to resist her charm and stay conscious.

“You demon!” Liu Yu roared.

Hong Ling only smiled more wickedly.

“So fierce... The more I look at you, the more I like you,” she cooed. “But alas, you’re just a rough martial man, how could you ever be my match?”

Fear, despair, and helplessness overwhelmed him. For a mortal fighter like him, before such a creature, there was no chance at all.

Creaaak!

The door eased open, and everyone turned.

A young, striking Daoist stepped inside, a lithe orange cat padding at his heels. His eyes gleamed like cold stars; his face was sharp, composed, and impossibly handsome.

He smiled faintly and said, “What’s this? You look down on martial men?”

For an instant, Hong Ling’s eyes lit up, as his looks were enough to daze even her. But then wariness followed. Why hadn’t she sensed this Daoist’s presence before?

“My, my... such a handsome little Daoist priest,” she laughed. “And where might you have come from?”

Li Yanchu’s gaze didn’t waver. “I asked you, do you

look down

on martial men?”

Hong Ling’s smile did not waver, though she thought to herself that this Daoist was indeed handsome, but why was he so fixated on this question?

“Little Daoist...”

Before she could finish, she felt it, a surge of boiling blood-energy filling the room.

Boom

!

From Li Yanchu’s body erupted a roaring blaze of vitality; his qi and blood burned like a furnace, his eyes flashed like lightning. The very air grew hot, the walls creaked, and everyone involuntarily took a step back.

Then, faster than thought, Li Yanchu struck. His hand shot out like a thunderbolt, and clamped around Hong Ling’s throat before he lifted her straight off the ground.

1. The phrase “jade-like hand” (玉手, yù shǒu) carries rich cultural and aesthetic connotations in the Chinese context. Traditionally, it is used to describe a woman’s hands as delicate, slender, smooth, and fair, resembling the appearance and texture of jade, which has long been prized in Chinese culture for its beauty, purity, and elegance. Beyond mere physical description, the term often conveys refined femininity, grace, and social refinement, as having “jade-like hands” was historically associated with women of higher social status or those admired for their gentle manners and upbringing. ☜