Chapter 120: Friend or Foe from Now On?

The martial artists dispersed, and a cold, stunningly beautiful young woman strode into the center of the room.

She looked to be about seventeen, tall and icy, with a pointed, oval face and fair, delicate skin. She was the type of person whose appearance would leave anyone spellbound at first sight.

The middle-aged proprietor immediately hurried forward, exclaiming, "Miss Ya-Yue, you've arrived! It's him!"

When the young lady known as Ya-Yue looked at Su Ye, the expression on her cold face instantly shifted to one of astonishment.

Su Ye looked back at her, equally surprised. In unison, they both exclaimed, "It's you!"

Su Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This cold, beautiful girl was none other than his high school classmate, Jiu Ya-Yue. Back when they were in class together, a giant python had suddenly burst in, and he had stepped in to save her.

They could be considered comrades who had shared a life-or-death experience!

"Su Ye, how can it be you? Honestly, I thought—anyway, there is nothing for you all to do here. Go back to your own business! I will resolve this matter myself," Jiu Ya-Yue said. Upon realizing it was Su Ye, she immediately waved her hand, dismissing her subordinates.

Seeing that their young mistress was acquainted with Su Ye, the shop attendants dared not linger. The middle-aged boss, however, wore a peculiar expression; how could Su Ye possibly know their mistress?

They seemed to have a good relationship, too! Would he be finished off by Su Ye? His attitude just moments ago had certainly not been very good!

However, since Jiu Ya-Yue had ordered them to withdraw, he couldn't say much. He just offered a sheepish smile and nodded repeatedly at Su Ye, as if desperately trying to apologize.

Before long, only a few people remained in the hall.

Feeling it wasn't quiet enough, Jiu Ya-Yue invited him and Ling Zhu into a private room.

"Su Ye, what a coincidence! To run into you here!" Jiu Ya-Yue was incredibly warm. She showed no animosity toward Ling Zhu, personally inviting them to sit and brewing tea for them herself.

"Indeed, Ya-Yue, what a coincidence today! Is this place yours?" Su Ye was also quite happy; facing what seemed like an unavoidable conflict, he hadn't expected to run into an old acquaintance.

"Well, it's my family's business... Since I've graduated and the martial arts university hasn't started yet, the family asked me to manage things here. I don't really know much, I'm just wandering around. I never expected to hear from the store manager that we had encountered the very thing we were secretly keeping an eye on..." As she spoke, Jiu Ya-Yue looked deeply at Su Ye and sighed.

Without waiting for Su Ye to ask, she continued, "The entire artifact market is secretly operated by various families, with the Martial Arts Alliance leading the charge. We received the order early this morning: as long as we keep watch for a specific conch shell, there’s a handsome reward for monitoring it for three months. Who would have thought you’d deliver it to our doorstep yourself?"

Su Ye let out a dry laugh upon hearing this. It seemed he had underestimated the influence of the Phantom Sea Sect.

Perhaps this was the true foundation and power of a major family or organization.

If ordinary people lost something, they would have no choice but to seek help from relevant departments or conduct their own search. But for an organization like the Phantom Sea Sect to be able to make every shop in the entire artifact market assist in secret surveillance—that was surely something that could not be achieved with money alone.

"Is this the work of the Phantom Sea Sect?" Su Ye asked.

Jiu Ya-Yue shook her head, looking as if she didn't know what to say. "Who else could it be? In any case, every shop has taken this order. It’s fortunate you brought it to me; otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do! Tell me, did you really kill the Phantom Sea Sect's third young lady?"

Su Ye paused slightly. It appeared the Phantom Sea Sect did not have full mastery of the situation.

He hadn't intended to say much, but upon reflection, it might be good to let Jiu Ya-Yue pass on a message.

"How could I have the nerve? Keeping their third young lady alive is my only insurance! If I had killed her, wouldn't it be a fight to the death?"

"It seems you aren't as hot-headed and reckless as they say! Don't worry, since this item is with me, I will definitely keep your secret. You don't need to be concerned! You saved my life once, so it’s only right that I do you a small favor. After all, the Phantom Sea Sect already knows it was you who took it; they just told us to keep watch in case you tried to sell it!"

A maturity beyond her years appeared on Jiu Ya-Yue's cold face. Before Su Ye could express his gratitude, she changed the subject, whispering, "By the way, I heard you defeated Ye Lingyun that day. Is that true? Is your cultivation actually higher than his?"

Su Ye didn't expect Jiu Ya-Yue to be so gossipy, but he answered honestly, "I did win that day, but he was suppressing his cultivation. If he had fought with all his strength, I fear I would have been killed by him."

"Oh, that's good, that's good..." Jiu Ya-Yue looked relieved, but then she realized something was off and quickly added, "I mean, I thought it would be too terrifying if you had actually beaten Ye Lingyun! Wait, did you also win his Thunder-Inducing Pearl?"

Su Ye frowned again. It seemed the outside world believed it to be Ye Lingyun's Thunder-Inducing Pearl. He feared that no matter how he explained the truth, it would be futile.

"That pearl was mine to begin with. It was just that he was shameless and despicable, maliciously slandering me and turning black into white!"

"Su Ye, are you... are you sure about that? I’ve heard that Ye Lingyun isn't that kind of person. It’s very likely that Qiu Xuanyan, the woman by his side, is the one causing trouble. That kind of woman is the best at playing tricks. Didn't Brother Lingyun slap her in public? Served her right!" As she spoke, a look of defiance appeared on Jiu Ya-Yue’s face.

Su Ye’s hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly, and the tea almost spilled. The term "Brother Lingyun" that Jiu Ya-Yue used unintentionally was enough to show that their relationship was far from ordinary.

Furthermore, there was a clear look of jealousy on her face now.

A wave of inexplicable discomfort rose in Su Ye's heart. He knew very well that he wasn't in love with Jiu Ya-Yue, even though she was beautiful and had been ranked as a school beauty alongside the likes of Jiang Liuying and Yu Zhisha in high school.

The discomfort he felt now was one of regret and helplessness. A girl he admired, a girl he had saved, should have become a close friend, yet this friend had suddenly fallen for his mortal enemy.

His sworn enemy, whom he hated to the core and wanted to kill—yet Jiu Ya-Yue’s face was filled with a sweet, infatuated look.

What kind of feeling was that?

Su Ye asked calmly, "Oh, I see! Although I fought him, from an opponent's perspective, he is indeed very powerful."

"Hahaha, right? I think so too!" Jiu Ya-Yue suddenly clapped her hands, laughing with joy, her face brimming with an indescribable delight. "Su Ye, you know? I was so afraid you would say you were going to fight him to the death! You saved me, and I wouldn't want Brother Lingyun to hurt you! He is so overbearing and powerful; if he got angry at you, I wouldn't know what to do!"

"Yes, that would be a difficult situation," Su Ye said, his tone perfectly flat, though his heart sank deeper. He really didn't know how to judge this. He knew that many emotions were beyond one's control; it was Jiu Ya-Yue’s freedom to love whoever she chose.

However, when the time came for him to face Ye Lingyun in a life-or-death struggle, would Jiu Ya-Yue be a friend or a foe?

Jiu Ya-Yue chattered on, "You know, when I heard you two had fought, I immediately called him, but he actually scolded me! I felt so wronged. It was the first time in my life I’d ever been scolded, and it was by him. He said to me: 'Most people value beauty over friendship, but you value friendship over beauty.' God, I was so angry!"

"Oh, really?"

"Of course! God, I was so angry I couldn't sleep all night, but later I thought he was right! It seems I really was wrong. I shouldn't have called to blame him right away! Sigh, it’s all my fault. If only I had been the one accompanying him to the Jiang family instead of that bitch Qiu Xuanyan, then none of this would have happened..." The more Jiu Ya-Yue spoke, the more agitated she became.

"Oh? You think so? Isn't Qiu Xuanyan Ye Lingyun's girlfriend?"

"Hmph, don't listen to that bitch's nonsense! She’s the one shamelessly clinging to Brother Lingyun! Brother Lingyun just doesn't want to hurt her; he doesn't have the heart to drive her away. Brother Lingyun told me that himself that night. Sigh, sometimes being too handsome and too strong is a nuisance, isn't it? A bunch of shameless women clinging to you—it’s just exhausting!"

Su Ye suddenly stood up, his voice surprisingly calm. "I actually have things to do. Please have your people return the conch to me, and I'll be going now. Classmate Jiu Ya-Yue, it was a pleasure to see you..."

"..."