<h2>Chapter 456: Put me down</h2>


    “Fire Palm!”


    Yang Yuanzhong broke the wall and burst out to the hall with tenacity, sending bricks and stones flying in all directions and stirring up a cloud of sand and dust. Badly wounded and drenched in blood, he looked even more terrifying as his face was twisted in wrath, and his bloodshot eyes bulged in rage. He red at Xiao Luo with murderous intent as if hurling a hail of cold des to strike at Xiao Luo along with his Fire Palm.


    “Humph!”


    Xiao Luo sneered as he teleported away in a blink, pausing for a fleeting moment, and before Yang Yuanzhong could react, he was already behind him, ready to strike again.


    Watching from the corner of the hall, Su Li was terrified as she could not keep up with Xiao Luo’s spectral speed as he seemed to move like a spirit that could teleport through space and time. Although his movements appeared slow, yet he could move from point to point within a split second—he was not bound by thew of physics.


    Who is this guy?


    Didn’t hee from a small vige in the West District town of Gan?


    How could he have such incredible power?


    It seemed that Xiao Luo was shrouded in mystery, and in her eyes, everything this man had revealed to her never failed to impress her.


    Yang Yuanzhong had broken out into a cold sweat, but he was no ordinary man and quickly regained hisposure. Instinctively, he roared as he turned to face Xiao Luo, keeping in a low counter-attacking stance and striking out with a powerful Fire Palm.


    BANG!


    Yang Yuanzhong out everything he had into the fire palm, and it exploded in a resounding blow—it was more potent than any of the palms he had ever executed before.


    CRACK!


    But his palm came against an almighty force that smashed right back into him, and Yang Yuanzhong’s right arm bone was shattered into several pieces. An excruciating pain overwhelmed him and made him scream in agony as he staggered back.


    “Your biggest weapon, the Fire Palm, is gone!”


    A cold voice appeared behind Yang Yuanzhong out of a sudden, and he realized that Xiao Luo had now appeared at his back from where he was in front of him only a moment ago.


    A chill ran down Yang Yuanzhong’s spine as he could not fathom the depth of Xiao Luo’s real strength.


    How could he move at such a tremendously high speed?


    He pulled away from Xiao Luo, forced his backing stance to halt, and gave himself a little time to think further. After the briefest of moments, he suddenly advanced swiftly to strike with his left hand.


    However, just as his left palm was about to connect with Xiao Luo, Yang Yuanzhong was suddenly swiping at thin air and made no contact whatsoever; it was unnerving, and Yang Yuanzhong quickly attempted to recover.


    RIP!


    But Xiao Luo was quicker, moving like a spirit, for he ducked low to avoid the fire palm strike, and his hands were now formed like a w aiming at Yang Yuanzhong’s left arm. His fingers shed into Yang Yuanzhong’s arm like an iron sword, ripping four deepcerations from his wrist up to his upper left arm. A thick stream of blood gushed out, and the tremendous pain had made Yang Yuanzhong howl in agony.


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly as his hand then snaked up to Yang Yuanzhong’s neck, grasping it with all of his fingers and yanking his head down to the floor.


    BANG!


    Yang Yuanzhong’s head smashed against the hard floor, and the impact has left a gigantic hole in the ground, sending a plume of dust and sand into the air.


    Xiao Luo let go of Yang Yuanzhong and left him sprawled on the floor. As Xiao Luo straightened up, he red down at Yang Yuanzhong coldly.


    “You…little…b-bastard…”


    Yang Yuanzhong was severely injured, and blood was streaming out from his nose and mouth. At that moment, the figure of Xiao Luo, with his dreadful blood-red eyes, had carved an indelible fear into his soul. However, as he thought of his poor son, driven to madness by this very man, Yang Yuanzhong was ovee with rage again. He clenched his teeth as he red hard at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly at him and grabbed a sofa out of nowhere—it weighed over two hundred catties and was made from dense hardwood. Without any hesitation, he mmed the sofa on Yang Yuanzhong’s head like a hammer.


    He was cruel and ruthless, and undoubtedly decisive!


    CRACK!


    The Chinese sofa shattered into numerous pieces sending debris and splinters flying everywhere.


    Yang Yuanzhong was beaten to a pulp, and the injuries on his head were severe. He was on the brink of passing out after sustaining from such a heavy hit.


    Xiao Luo tapped several points on his head and activated the Art of Neutralisation. Yang Yuanzhong’s inner power began to leak out from his ears, mouth, nose, and countless pores on his body like air escaping from a ruptured balloon. Without the support of inner power, Yang Yuanzhong passed out immediately even though his face was still showing his will to resist.


    “What…”


    Su Li was utterly stunned, and she could not help but stare in a stupor. She had witnessed many gory scenes before, but those were shows put up for the sake of television programs, and was merely acting. This was the first time that she had to face this in real life. As she looked around, the entire hall was in a state of ruin, and all the furniture was destroyed; the whole ce resembled the aftermath of an earthquake. She could not believe that this was a result of two men fighting barehanded.


    “Let’s go.”


    Xiao Luo came to her, and his eyes had returned to their normal state, dark and alluring like a night sky. He held Su Li’s hand and led her away from the carnage.


    Perhaps she had seen too many shocking things today and was traumatized by them, for she fell shortly after trying to get up, but Xiao Luo managed to catch her, fortunately.


    Without asking her, Xiao Luo lifted Su Li in the way a prince would carry the princess in his arms in fairytales.


    “Xiao Luo…”


    Su Li was blushing like a ripened tomato as she looked at Xiao Luo demurely.


    “Sometimes, it’s okay to put your guard down,” he said.


    Xiao Luo looked at her calmly and then proceeded to walk out of the hall.


    Su Li appeared shy and self-conscious, and even her ears turned red. However, Xiao Luo’s words had touched the deepest and most sensitive part of her heart. He was right that she was not that strong as most people would perceive, very much to the contrary, she was still very frail most of the time. She had to put up a strong front to prevent herself from being taken advantage of.


    Being carried by Xiao Luo made her feel like a lost ship that had returned to the safety of a bay after a rough journey, giving her an unexinable sense of security.


    …


    …


    The moon was riding high in the sky, and the road leading out of Bode Vi was charming. At night, the serenity of the vi contrasted with random sounds of nocturnal creatures living within the garden’s ecosystem. The roadmps illuminated their path and cast imposing shadows of the old trees.


    “How is the wound on your back?”


    After a rather long silence, Su Li finally thought to ask Xiao Luo.


    “It’s okay.”


    Xiao Luo continued walking and shook his head. He then looked at her and said, “For you, remember to apply a coldpress to your face. It’ll be really bad if there’s any scar on you, especially for the sake of your career.”


    Su Li covered that side of her face unconsciously and blushed even more.


    She changed the topic quickly and asked, “Your martial arts…”


    “I learned it from an old psycho in my vige when I was a kid,” Xiao Luo said, employing the same excuse he had used to fool Gu Qianlin.


    “Is there really real martial art in today’s world?” Su Li asked.


    “Yes,” Xiao Luo affirmed.


    Su Li then kept silent, perhaps trying to digest what he had said and everything she had witnessed today.


    When they finally reached the Vi gate, Su Li was surprised to see arge number of security guards in back uniforms lying unconscious on the ground. “You did this?” she asked.


    “Yup.”


    Su Li was astonished and once again felt a chill recalling how Xiao Luo had taken on Yang Yuanzhong and the others earlier. Even without any weapon, he still proved very deadly. Su Li nodded in acknowledgment as she could find no words to respond.


    “Miss Su, I am giving your honest advice—let’s end this confusing rtionship and part ways from hereon,” Xiao Luo said, with a wry smile on his face.


    Su Li was shocked and saddened when she heard him, and all her excellent feelings toward Xiao Luo suddenly vanished. She was disappointed with Xiao Luo’s attitude, and she could feel a gnawing rage growing within her.


    “Put me down!” she cried.