Grinding to the Martial Sage from the White Ape Fist-Chapter 50: Yama’s Debt

Su Yu frowned. The person who had arrived was an apprentice from the martial arts hall, his face etched with anxiety.

"What’s wrong? Slow down and tell me."

"Senior Brother Su! A young girl named Liu Yaya is looking for you! She’s saying... she’s saying something terrible has happened at your home!"

Su Yu’s gaze turned icy as he strode into the martial arts hall.

At the entrance, the once-scrawny little girl was pacing anxiously. A few months had passed, and with plenty of rice to nourish her, Yaya had grown taller. Her once-gaunt little face now had some color, revealing a touch of delicate beauty.

"Brother Su!" Seeing Su Yu, Yaya looked as if she’d found her last hope. "You have to go back! Brother Su Hong said your grandfather borrowed loan shark money from the Water Snake Gang. The interest has been rolling over, and he can’t pay it back. Now the Water Snake Gang has come to collect the debt!"

’Loan shark money!’

Su Yu’s heart sank.

It was a particularly vicious type of loan.

Normal high-interest loans were just the entry-level stuff. This kind was the real man-eater, the kind that devoured you without spilling a drop of blood. The moment a payment was late, the interest was added to the principal. Then interest was charged on the new, larger sum. It was a vicious cycle, the debt piling up higher and higher.

You might only borrow a few taels of silver, but with the interest compounding, they could turn it into several hundred taels if they felt like it.

’How could he do something so foolish!’

Su Yu sighed inwardly. Regardless, he had to go back and see what was happening.

"Let’s go!"

"Junior Su, wait."

Just then, a voice came from behind him. Xu Feng walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Junior Su, you’re an Inner Courtyard Disciple of our White Ape Martial Arts Hall now. If you run into any trouble you can’t handle, just ask. No one from our hall gets bullied by outsiders."

A warmth spread through Su Yu’s chest. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

...

「Qingxi Village, at the Su Family’s Old Mansion.」

Dozens of villagers had gathered at the gate, their eyes filled with pity and sympathy as they watched the scene unfolding in the Su Family’s courtyard.

The courtyard was in shambles.

Su Manjiang was curled on the ground like an old dog, coughing violently. Each spasm brought up flecks of bloody foam. The old tobacco pipe he was never seen without lay snapped in two, its dark tar mixing with blood in a gruesome display.

Su Hong was sprawled on the ground, his hands clawing at the dirt as he glared viciously at three members of the Water Snake Gang.

His aunt was slumped on the ground, having cried her voice raw. "Damn it all... what sin did we commit to deserve this? They’re going to be the death of us all..."

But the one in the worst state was his third aunt, Mrs. Chen.

Her hair was a mess, and one side of her face was swollen to a grotesque size, with blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her left arm hung limply at her side, clearly broken.

Her right hand, however, was clenched into a tight fist, held protectively over her chest. Glimpses of Broken Silver could be seen clutched within.

"Stop playing dead, you old thing!"

Three burly members of the Water Snake Gang stood in the yard. The leader, a man called Brother Hu with a face full of cruel muscle, brandished a loan agreement marked with a handprint for the crowd to see.

"Everyone take a look! It’s right here in black and white! Su Manjiang borrowed five taels of Patterned Silver from my Water Snake Gang! He’s past due, so according to the rules, the interest has compounded. Now, principal and interest together come to two hundred taels!"

"If he can’t pay up, then this house, this land, and even the people in it... they’re all ours!"

’Two hundred taels!’

A collective gasp rose from the crowd.

"It’s over... The Su Family has been utterly ruined."

"Taking out a loan like that! How could Old Man Su be so foolish!"

"What a tragedy..."

Brother Hu sneered and gave his underling a meaningful look.

One of the thugs strode toward Mrs. Chen, his eyes savage. "Filthy bitch, what are you hiding in your hand? Hand it over!"

Mrs. Chen flinched and tried to scramble away, but her hand only clenched tighter, her nails digging into her palm.

"You’re asking to die!"

A murderous glint flashed in the thug’s eyes. He lifted a heavy-soled boot and brutally kicked Mrs. Chen in the abdomen.

THUD!

Mrs. Chen screamed, her body doubling over like a shrimp as she crumpled to the ground, but her hand remained clenched.

"Still resisting? We’ll see how long you can hold out!"

Enraged, the man lifted his foot again, bringing it down hard on the back of Mrs. Chen’s hand and grinding it with a vicious twist.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering finger bones was sickening.

"AAGH! My money... That’s for my son’s martial arts training..." Mrs. Chen shrieked, yet she still refused to let go, as if she were clutching her own life in her hand.

"They’re going to kill her! Where are Mrs. Chen’s husband and son?"

"Didn’t her son go off to practice martial arts? Has anyone gone to get him?"

"Stop!"

An angry shout came.

Village Chief Wang Yuechi pushed through the crowd and rushed in. He trembled with rage at the sight before him.

"Brother Hu! Have mercy! Any more of this and you’ll kill her!"

Brother Hu shot Wang Yuechi a sideways glance and sneered.

"Village Chief Wang, paying what you owe is the way of the world. Brother Cao himself gave the order for this collection. What, are you going to pay the two hundred taels for them?"

At the mention of Cao Bin, Wang Yuechi’s resolve wavered.

’The Water Snake Gang is trying to completely destroy the Su Family!’

He knew about the feud between Su Hong and Cao Bin. Now that the Water Snake Gang controlled the entire Black Water River region and had established a base in Qingxi Market, he’d heard that this very same Cao Bin was the man in charge. With his power consolidated, he was free to deal with the Su Family, and no one could stand in his way.

Wang Yuechi opened his mouth, but ultimately just sighed in resignation and stepped aside.

Their only hope was extinguished, plunging the Su Family into absolute despair.

The watching villagers all shook their heads and sighed. "It’s over. The Su Family is finished."

"No one can save you!" Brother Hu strode over to Mrs. Chen, unleashed a burst of his Power, and kicked her brutally in the chest.

THUD!

Mrs. Chen flew back like a ragged sack, slamming hard against the stone wall. She coughed up a spray of blood, and the blood-soaked piece of Broken Silver finally tumbled from her grasp, clattering away on the ground.

"My money... my money..."

Her consciousness was fading, but she still instinctively tried to crawl toward the silver.

"You really don’t know when to quit!"

Another thug drew a dagger from his belt, undisguised murder in his eyes, and moved to finish her off.

"Stop!!!"

A hoarse, desperate roar sounded.

Su Hong, who had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly found a burst of strength. He began clawing at the earth, dragging his broken legs behind him as he crawled frantically toward Mrs. Chen.

He left two long, bloody trails in the dirt behind him.

"I’m the one you want! I’m Su Hong! Come after me! Kill me! Just don’t touch my family!"

The once-proud man of the Snow Wolf Gang was now humbled in the dust, wanting only to trade his life for his family’s survival.

Brother Hu watched Su Hong crawl like a dog, his eyes filled with cruel amusement. "Come after you? Don’t be in such a hurry. Brother Cao wants you to watch your entire family die before your eyes. Your turn will come last. We’re just getting started."

"Do it!"

The knife-wielding thug sneered, casually tossing the dagger in his hand as he prepared to deliver the fatal strike to Mrs. Chen.

In the nick of time, a voice rang out. "Stop!"

The crowd parted like waves, and a figure with eyes blazing with fury strode forward.

"It’s Su Yu! Su Yu’s back! The Su Family is saved!"

"Brother Su knows martial arts! He even scared off that supernatural being! The Su Family really is saved!"

"It’s no use. It doesn’t matter who comes. The Water Snake Gang is too powerful, and Cao Bin, the man behind them, is a true Martial Artist. Su Yu is no match for them."

"Sigh... You’re right. Someone from the Su Family is going to die today, no matter what."