《The Genius System Without Equal》


 Chapter 1 - A Systems Sudden Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 1: A System¡¯s Sudden Arrival</h4>


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo blearily regained consciousness and found himself lying on a hospital bed. The strong odor of disinfectant permeated the air.


    ¡°This is..... a hospital? Why am I in a hospital?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned, feeling extremely puzzled. But his brain, which had recovered its functions, quickly told him everything.


    After his girlfriend, Zhao Mengqi, broke up with him, he drove his cheap domestic car to the suburbs, where he sped down the road to vent his emotions.


    It had been raining earlier, and the road was slick. Moreover, it waste at night. He very unluckily got into an ident. The car, which was going more than 120 miles an hour, careened off the road and plunged headfirst down a three-meter drop into farnd. He could not remember anything after that and did not know who was the good Samaritan who had found and brought him to the hospital. That was the only reason he was still alive.


    Creak.


    At that moment, the door of the ward was pushed open, and a sweet-looking nurse carrying a tray of liquid medications walked in.


    ¡°Ahhh.¡±


    When she saw that Xiao Luo had awakened and was sitting up, frowning in contemtion, she immediately cried out in rm. The liquid medications in her hands crashed to the ground and spilled all over the floor. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide open, and she pointed at Xiao Luo with her trembling right hand and stammered, ¡°You, you, you.... how are you awake?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what was going on and thought in his mind, Is this nurse new? If not, why is she having such an intense reaction to seeing a patient who had awakened?


    He looked up and down at himself and then from left to the right. Afterward, he spread his hands and said, ¡°This is obvious.¡± He asked carefully, ¡°Is there... anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°How could you have awakened? There¡¯s no way that you could have you awakened, how.....¡±


    The nurse still looked as if she had seen a ghost; her eyes and delicate mouth were wide open. She stared at Xiao Luo with an incredulous expression. It seemed that she could not believe the facts that were in front of her eyes.


    No way he could have awakened!


    Xiao Luo really felt a little stumped; he did not understand why the nurse would say such a thing.


    Just as he was about to ask her a question, the nurse turned her head and ran out. Her hysterical shrieking echoed down the corridor, ¡°Dr. Zhang, this is bad. The patient in Ward 438 is awake!¡±


    Just what was happening?


    Xiao Luo was at a total loss. He could not figure out the reason for the situation. Besides, he was speechless about his ward number: ¡°438¡± was not an auspicious number; its homonym was ¡°damned fool.¡±


    At this moment, a series of system notifications suddenly sounded in his mind, the tone of which was just like the system voice of a popr online game, ¡°League of Legends.¡± This also was the highly-modted voice of a female with an expansive and exaggerated quality.


    ¡°DING. Congrattions! You¡¯ve earned ten points. Would you like to open the mall to proceed with redemption?¡±


    Xiao Luo sucked in a breath of fresh air. What motherf*cking situation was this?


    As a new youth of the twenty-first century, he could not believe such an outrageous thing could happen. This simply went against allmon sense.


    He thought he was hallucinating, perhaps the result of a concussion, but then a lighted panel appeared before his eyes. It was like a high-tech resume that showed a series of information about him.


    Host: Xiao Luo


    Age: 26


    Points: 10 points


    Current Identity: Huahai Corporation employee


    Level of Current State: Mediocre


    ...


    What? M... Mediocre?


    Seeing this, Xiao Luo immediately returned to himself. He found this uneptable and thought, In any case, I¡¯m still an engineer of Huahai Manufacturing Corporation. If even engineers are considered mediocre, no one in this world is not mediocre!


    It seemed that the system had heard the thoughts in his mind, and its notification tone sounded again, ¡°Ding! Host, your ability tomunicate in foreignnguages ??is poor, and your body is in a sickly condition. In terms of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics, you are no good in any of those. What are you if not mediocre.¡±


    F*ck you!


    Xiao Luo had an outstanding temperament, but his capacity for tolerance had reached its limits. At this moment, he could not help but spit out another swear word. Then he asked, ¡°What the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Ding! I¡¯m called the Genius System Without Equal, and Ie from a parallel universe that is a hundred billion light-years away,¡± the system¡¯s voice responded.


    ¡°Parallel universe?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s shock could not be put into words. The facts in front of him forced him to believe the words spoken by this invisible and intangible system. Because he already knew the concept of a parallel universe, he subconsciously asked, Is there an Earth there too?


    ¡°Ding! Of course, but the level of technology there is a hundred thousand years ahead!¡±


    F*ck me!


    For a short time, Xiao Luo¡¯s brain could not ept what he was hearing. A level of science and technology that was a hundred thousand years ahead? What kind of scene would it be? The humans there had probably escaped the cycle of rebirth and death through the power of science and technology.


    ¡°Ding! I arrived at this universe because of the chaotic flow in time and space. I became a parasite in you who was on the verge of death. I¡¯ll especially give you a free life extension!¡±


    Xiao Luo was astounded. With his IQ, he immediately understood why the nurse had lost herposure when she saw that he had awakened.


    So that was the reason. I wasn¡¯t supposed to wake up so quickly, but I did because of the life-extension from the system. In other words, Xiao Luo came to after being diagnosed by a doctor as a hopeless case. The nurse¡¯s overreaction made sense in this light.


    His mind felt more at ease when he figured this out. He changed the topic by asking, ¡°What else can you do for me besides extending my life?¡±


    ¡°Ding! This system can build you into a genius without equal.¡±


    ¡°A genius without equal? Is it that some kind of freak who knows everything?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Ding! You could say!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the price?¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t believe in free lunches.


    ¡°Ding! By using points to redeem various abilities in the mall, the more applicable the abilities are, the more points are needed.¡±


    After the system¡¯s introduction, the light panel changed to show the mall; various abilities were packed in the disy. There were foreignnguage abilities, gaming abilities, memory abilities, and more. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t take them all in at a nce.


    After looking through it once, he felt like cursing. Among the thousands of abilities shown, none could be redeemed for only ten points.


    ¡°System, can you tell me what abilities can be redeemed for ten points?¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t give up. He wanted to test if this was a hallucination or maybe someone¡¯s prank.


    ¡°Ding! You cannot redeem any abilities for ten points!¡±


    Xiao Luo was exasperated. ¡°You messing with me?¡±


    ¡°Ding! Points can be earned. Host, do not worry.¡±


    So points could be earned!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°How do I earn points?¡±


    ¡°Ding! Surprise, curiosity, shock ... and any other human emotional reactions caused by the host will be automatically distinguished and absorbed by the system, and then automatically converted into corresponding points based on the depth of the emotion.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Xiao Luo immediately understood. This was not a genius system without equal. This clearly was a cheat-code system that allowed him to continually act like a pretentious jerk, to y the sheep to catch a wolf. The ten points he had must have been earned from the nurse just now.


    Bang.


    Suddenly, the door of the ward was pushed open. In swarmed arge group of doctors in white coats. When they saw Xiao Luo sitting up, they all stood rooted to the ground, as if they had been petrified. Their eyes were wide open in shock as they looked at Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 2 - Constitution of the King of Mercenaries

    Chapter 2: Constitution of the King of Mercenaries


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo saw shock, confusion and doubt in their eyes ¡­


    ¡°The patient has septic shock, ruptured intestines, bleeding, and contusion of the liver and spleen. How could he have awakened in only half a day?¡±


    ¡°Not only that, the patient also suffered contusions on both lungs, multiple rib fractures on both sides,minuted skull fracture, torn right abdominal muscles, haemorrhage of the digestive tract and a pelvis fracture. With such severe injuries to his body, how did the patient regain consciousness just like this?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable, this is a medical miracle!¡±


    The group of doctors sized up Xiao Luo carefully, as if they were looking at an alien. Their shock and horror could not be articted. The female nurse who screamed earlier was amongst them.


    Xiao Luo was equally shocked, because the value of his points was increasing rapidly. It suddenly rose from the previous ten points to one hundred points. It did not stop at one hundred but continued to increase to a thousand and one points before finally stabilizing.


    ¡°DING, Congrattions! You¡¯ve earned nine hundred and eleven points. Do you want to enter the mall for redemption?¡± The system notification sounded.


    Xiao Luo blinked and got a hold of his mind, he remembered his weak constitution and inquired, ¡°System, is there anything that can improve my physical strength?¡±


    As soon as the words were spoken, an ability called ¡°Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡± appeared on the lighted silver screen. But it would cost a thousand points to redeem it.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there an exnatory note?¡± Xiao Luo was puzzled.


    ¡°Ding, the ¡®Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡¯ can enable the host to quickly possess a mercenary king¡¯s ability. This includes but is not limited to physical strength,bat experience, ability to response, knowledge of firearms, etc. Once redeemed, it will be permanently in effect. Do you wish to proceed with redemption? ¡°The system voice said.


    F*ck me!


    Xiao Luo drew in a breath of cool air. This was more than just a ¡°cheat code¡±. It was like going into the script of a game and directly modifying the characteristics of the main character.


    ¡°Redeem!¡±


    The word was barely squeezed out from the cracks between his teeth. He still could not believe that this system really existed, unless his body suddenly became stronger for real.


    ¡°Ding, Congrattions! You¡¯ve received ¡®Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡¯ and used up one thousand points!¡± The system notification voice said.


    However, the doctors in the room looked at each other in dismay. It was because they could not see the lighted silver screen or hear the system¡¯s notifications. All they could hear was Xiao Luo¡¯s voice.


    Seeing how Xiao Luo was talking to himself as he sat on the bed and how his brows asionally scrunched together and rxed, they uniformly agreed that Xiao Luo¡¯s brain had been damaged. Although he had awakened, he had now be a mental patient.


    Moreover they hadpletely calmed down by now as they realized a major problem, and that was the person who had diagnosed the patientst night. He was an intern who had not arrived in the hospital for long.


    Their understanding of the patient was also based on the diagnostic report by the intern. After all, they had only arrived for work a short while ago and did not have the time to check the patient¡¯s condition personally.


    So, could this be a misdiagnosis, a case of getting the wrong report? This was not a medical miracle at all?


    ¡°Have you contacted the patient¡¯s family?¡± A middle-aged doctor turned his head and asked the female nurse next to him.


    The female nurse nodded, ¡°We¡¯re about to contact the patient¡¯s family through his cell phone. A man named Zhang Dashan just happened to call and he said he¡¯s the patient¡¯s good friend. We told Zhang Dashan the patient¡¯s situation and he immediately agreed toe over. He should be on his way now. ¡±


    The middle-aged doctor said, ¡°Very good. Remember to inform Zhang Dashan of the patient¡¯s medical expenses!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay.¡± The female nurse nodded in answer.


    ¡°By the way, arrange another full-body examination for the patient. I strongly suspect that his examination report was wrong. What? Tearing and bleeding of the right eye? Look at him, there¡¯s no injuries anywhere on his body. Did Xiao Lai, who took over my shiftst night, doze off on the job?¡± The middle-aged doctor scowled.


    Just then, a chilly atmosphere suddenly spread across the ward without any warning.


    The doctors in the ward could not shake of this cold feeling. All of them could not take their eyes off Xiao Luo, who sat on the hospital bed. They were experiencing a strong misperception at this moment, that it was not a person sitting on the hospital bed, but an extremely dangerous bloodthirsty beast. It was as if it could devour them at any time, leaving nothing but a pile of bones.


    Especially Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes; his chilling aura pressed upon them. And his fiendish intent was overwhelming. It was like the eyes of a wild beast, and they truly felt a tremor that started from their souls!


    How did this happen?


    Was it a hallucination or a misperception?


    The doctors were all stunned, and they foolishly could not tell whether it was real or not. But their foreheads could not stop breaking out in cold sweat. They could not understand how a person¡¯s temperament could change so dramatically in an instant.


    Xiao Luo felt very strange and wonderful at this moment. His body seemed to have endless strength, and the ankylosing spondylitis that had troubled him for more than two years seemed to have been cured. His entire back now felt extremely light. His body had never experienced this full and unrestrained sense of ease andfort.


    Even his sight had be much clearer, he could even easily see the tiny creatures in the ward, such as the spider lying quietly on the wall waiting for the prey to serve itself up.


    ¡°Lao Xiao!¡±


    A loud voice blew in from outside the ward, and it was quickly followed by the door mming open. A young man simr in age to Xiao Luo appeared at the doorway.


    The young man had a fleshy face. His entire face was plump and round, but his body was not fat, it was even on the thin side. It looked like a fat man¡¯s head grafted on a thin man¡¯s neck; he wore a crew cut and had some distinct forehead wrinkles. The skin on his face was very rough too.


    The young man looked around before his gaze finallynded on Xiao Luo on that hospital bed. Then, hepletely disregarded the doctors, treating them like air as he ran straight towards Xiao Luo.


    After a general examination of Xiao Luo¡¯s body, the loud voice suddenly shouted, ¡°F*ck, which quack doctor said that my brother was in shock and was going to be a vegetable. I rushed over without even having breakfast. What in the bollocks were you trying to do? ¡±


    As soon as this statement was spoken, the group of doctors in the ward suddenly flushed red, especially the middle-aged doctor. Even though the diagnosis was written by Xiao Lai, the intern doctorst night, as Xiao Luo¡¯s primary physician, wouldn¡¯t thebel of ¡°quack doctor¡± still be directly tacked onto him?


    ¡°Ahem¡­.¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed dryly a few times and felt a wave of embarrassment. His buddy Zhang Dashan really had the guts to say anything. Was he not afraid of getting beaten by the group of doctors?


    The row of doctors looked at each other, and then stepped out in session. After closing the door, some of the doctors with bad tempers could not help but flip out.


    ¡°Just what kind of reputation is Xiao Lai trying to establish? To even make this kind of mistake, did he doze off as he was diagnosing the patientst night?¡±


    ¡°An intern is an intern. He is not serious at all in his work. I suggest that we cancel his qualification to be a regr employee. He should stay in the hospital for another three months.¡±


    ¡°Yes, misdiagnosis is a major taboo for us as doctors. This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen such a huge misdiagnosis in my life.¡±


    Obviously, these doctors had determined that Xiao Luo¡¯s waking up was not a medical miracle at all, but a huge misdiagnosis. And the one responsible for the misdiagnosis was Xiao Lai, a new intern in their hospital.


    The middle-aged doctor said nothing, but his expression was unusually ugly.


    Xiao Lai was an intern under his name. This was also the first time that he had seen such a huge misdiagnosis as a doctor.


    He was usually loved by others and had even been gifted a que that said ¡°Hua Tuo Of Our Lifetime¡±. It was totally unlike the insulting names that he had suffered since early morning of today, such as ¡°quack doctor¡±. He would settle all these with Xiao Lai.

 Chapter 3 - Resignation

    Chapter 3: Resignation


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo could not be bothered to find out who the doctors wanted to pin the me on.


    He was nowpletely immersed in the excitement of the Constitution of the King of Mercenaries brought about by the Genius System Without Equal. The iron railing of the hospital bed had been twisted and deformed by his bare hands. He had now thoroughly confirmed the very real existence of the system. This was not a hallucination produced after the concussion.


    ¡°¡®If one does not perish in a great disaster, blessings will surely follow¡¯. The words of the ancients really don¡¯t lie, hahaha ¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo could not suppress himself andughed heartily. He felt as if he had woken up and found that he had turned into Superman who wore his red underpants on the outside and could fly in the sky. It was difficult to describe the excitement in words.


    ¡°Hey hey hey, Lao Xiao, what¡¯s up with you? Don¡¯t scare me. Why are you getting happy all by yourself in such a silly way?¡± Zhang Dashan pped his hands in front of Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, but he did not see how Xiao Luo had twisted the iron railing of the bed into a deformed shape.


    Xiao Luo looked at his ex-college room-mate and buddy in front of him, he really wanted to tell him about the Genius System Without Equal.


    But he thought better of it. It was better to keep this matter to himself. If he said it, he would only be treated like a lunatic by Zhang Dashan. After all, this was too ridiculous, who would believe that he had merged with the Genius System Without Equal from a parallel universe a hundred billion light years away?


    ¡°What are you looking at? I¡¯m nothing to look at. Tell me, why are you lying in the hospital?¡± Zhang Dashan jabbed at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with a finger, putting all his strength behind the motion.


    ¡°Ah¡­. disappointment in love!¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed. He followed up with an ount about how Zhao Mengqi broke up with him, after which, he drove his car at high speed in the suburbste at night and ended up in a car ident.


    After listening, Zhang Dashan sighed, ¡°F*ck me, you¡¯ve really survived a great disaster!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you understand the main point?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes.


    Zhang Dashan immediately scolded, ¡°The main point is bollocks. Zhao Mengqi is less than a fart. Breaking up with you is her loss. You are so outstanding. You even have an ipital bun at the back of your skull. The physiognomy books have said that this is a feature of an emperor. One day, sooner orter, you will be rich and powerful, when that timees, the only thing left for Zhao Mengqi to do is to secretly cry by herself. ¡±


    Xiao Luo did not know whether tough or cry. He patted Dashan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Dashan, I really salute you for your skill at talking drivel. No one can beat you at this.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Zhang Dashan waved his hand impatiently, and then said with a serious expression, ¡°By the way, do you feel any difort now? For example, do you feel like vomiting?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me. I¡¯m lucky this time, only the car was thrashed, I¡¯m totally fine and can be discharged now,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, we can¡¯t brag about this, the body is an asset for revolution. You can¡¯t afford to be careless about it. If you have no money for treatment, I have. I don¡¯t have millions, but I can definitelye up with three to four thousand dors for you.¡± With their rtionship, Zhang Dashan was a straight-talker who did not hide things or beat about the bush.


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that!¡±


    Xiao Luo immediately leaped from the bed. Not only did he jump three times on the floor, he also walked upside down to prove that his body was better.


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Oh my lord, when did you learn to walk upside down? You¡¯ve hidden that skill so well.¡±


    He nowpletely believed in his heart that there was no major issues with Xiao Luo¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ding! Congrattions. You¡¯ve earned five points.¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored the system notification and ended the handstand. He dusted his palms and said irritably to Zhang Dashan, ¡°So, ording to what you¡¯ve said, do I have to report to you even when I go to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in you going to the bathroom, but I would love to hear about it if you have sex with a girl. The more detailed the better, hehe¡­..¡± Zhang Dashanughed in a vulgar way.


    ¡°F*ck your sister!¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha!¡±


    Zhang Dashan ran out with a heartyugh toplete the discharge papers for Xiao Luo.


    They had a simple breakfast together after leaving the hospital. Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan went to the Traffic Police where his domestic car was. The car was seriously deformed, even the engine was broken. Even if it was repaired, it would still bounce heavily on a t road like the broken car that it was. He could only apply for it to be scrapped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad about it, it¡¯s just a car. ¡®If the old doesn¡¯t go, the new will note¡¯. The same logic applies to girlfriends. There¡¯s always a good car, a good woman in this world that belongs solely to you,¡± Zhang Dashan consoled.


    Xiao Luo smiled and didn¡¯t speak. After barely escaping from the Grim Reaper¡¯s clutches, he had gotten over many things in his mind. His mental state was much more calm and collected than before.


    ¡°Do you want to go home or thepany?¡± Zhang Dashan opened the driver¡¯s door of his Coro and asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°To thepany.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, you insist on going to work even after a car ident. If I¡¯m Jack Ma, I¡¯ll definitely send you a dedication blessing card.¡± (A category in an AR game by Alipay where one can win money)


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to work, but to resign!¡± Xiao Luo said helplessly.


    Zhang Dashan frowned, feeling a little agitated, ¡°You¡¯re resigning just because of Zhao Mengqi? My bro, aren¡¯t you acting too much like a loser?¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed, but did not exin. He opened the door to the front passenger seat and got into the car.


    In fact, he had thought about ??resigning long ago. Not only was working in a manufacturing factory a repetitive grind every day, it alsocked challenges. He could not see any future in this.


    He had never felt particrly happy about this job. If Zhao Mengqi did not also work at Huahai Group, he would have chosen to leave long ago. Now that he had the Genius System Without Equal, there was no need to restrict his career path to Huahai Corporation.


    Zhang Dashan stopped shooting his mouth off and got into the driver¡¯s seat. He drove Xiao Luo to Huahai Corporation.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, cheer up. We are men. There is no need to be sad and depressed over a woman who doesn¡¯t care for you,¡± Zhang Dashan spoke again in constion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve opened my mind; I can adjust myself well.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart warmed, ¡°By the way, you should pay attention when you¡¯re driving, don¡¯t learn from me and run yourself off the road.¡±


    ¡°Touch wood¡­.. No good words can be expected from a scoundrel like you. I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯ll call you up again for a good time when I¡¯m free.¡± Zhang Dashan stepped on the elerator and boldly drove his Coro away.


    Xiao Luo watched him leave until he couldn¡¯t see the shadow of the car any more. He collected his gaze and turned around, swiping his employee card and walking into Huahai Corporation


    His resignation was finallypleted just before noon.


    Holding a box of his stuff, Xiao Luo walked down the main pathway of Huahai Corporation, where he had worked for three years. All sorts of feelings welled up in his heart. This was his first job after graduating from university. He still remembered when he had first arrived, full of dreams and ideals. Each and every scene flitted across his mind like a movie.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, stop right there!¡±


    A familiar voice rang out behind him, with a hint ofmand behind her tone.


    Xiao Luo stopped and turned back to meet a beautiful face. That was Zhao Mengqi, a stylishly dressed woman with a sweet appearance.


    He was not surprised at all that Zhao Mengqi had knew about his resignation. After all, she worked in the HR Department. There were thousands in Huahai Corporation, whether they stayed or left, the HR department had detailed records of all of them.


    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Xiao Luo asked indifferently.


    Zhao Mengqi ran up to him in her high heels. She nced at the contents of Xiao Luo¡¯s box with a scornful expression in her eyes, ¡°Xiao Luo, can¡¯t you be a bit more mature? You and me, we¡¯vee to the end, but do you have to resign over this and ruin your future? Even if you don¡¯t want to think about yourself, you have to consider your family. You would have no source of ie after you resign. Do you intend to go back and live off your parents? ¡±

 Chapter 4 - The Ex and the Current

    Chapter 4: The Ex and the Current


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo felt that he had been reborn after the car ident. He did not really have muchints about Zhao Mengqi. He felt more numb than anything else and expressed his understanding about her choices. After all, the world had always been very realistic and cruel.


    ¡°I resigned due to personal reasons, it has little to do with you.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, goodbye!¡±


    A goodbye to put a perfect full stop to their four year rtionship. There were no entanglements between them, no pestering. He would noty down the dignity he had as a man to appeal for anything more. He turned around airily and left.


    Zhao Mengqi stood rooted in the same spot and only felt emptiness in her heart. She originally came to rant about Xiao Luo¡¯s shorings and to also confirm that her choice of leaving Xiao Luo was correct ¨C such a weak and ipetent man was not worthy of her at all.


    But the result was not what she had expected. Xiao Luo did not plead with her to stay, nor did he have any sad feelings, which suddenly made her feel a little indignant. Things should not be like this.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t care. I know that you really hate me, but this is reality.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi shouted, ¡°I can almost predict the trajectory of your life. You can¡¯t escape from the fate of a working man. Maybe you¡¯ll seed one day, but whether it¡¯s ten years or twenty yearster, who knows? You can afford it, but I can¡¯t afford to waste my youth. I don¡¯t want to live in a narrow rental house with you after marriage, and I don¡¯t want to be a ve to our mortgage for thirty years after the down payment for a house. That is not how I want to live like that. ¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his head and said with a nk expression, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So I chose to leave you and make ns for my own future.¡± Zhao Mengqi blurted out, answering in a self-righteous voice.


    ¡°Well, you did right.¡±


    Xiao Luo kept a smile on his face from beginning to end. His ease and calm remained unchanged, ¡°Thanks for giving me a lesson in the school of hard knocks.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi was stunned once again. She did not understand why Xiao Luo could still be so calm. Shouldn¡¯t he have lost all rational thought and gone mad? Was this guy pretending or did he really not care?


    ¡°Qiqi?¡±


    At this moment, a Lamborghini sports car stopped next to Zhao Mengqi. The window rolled down, revealing the face of a handsome young man. With one nce, one could tell that he was a young master who had been pampered since childhood. His skin was very fair and he was dressed in branded apparel.


    Xiao Luo recognized at a nce that this was Hua Haifeng, the son of the Chairman of Huahai Corporation, also known as Young Master Hua. He was said to be a total yboy. Many beautiful, unmarried women in Huahai Corporation had a little history with him.


    ¡°Qiqi, what are you doing here?¡±


    Hua Haifeng alighted from the sports car before realizing that Xiao Luo was there. He pointed at Xiao Luo with a hostile expression,


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Zhao Mengqi was rather embarrassed, but didn¡¯t hide anything. She said coquettishly, ¡°He¡¯s Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo? So he¡¯s your ex.¡±


    Hua Haifeng had a sudden realization; it was obvious that he knew about Xiao Luo¡¯s existence and the rtionship between Zhao Mengqi and Xiao Luo.


    He nced at Xiao Luo, and a nebulous expression shed across his eyes, ¡°Since he¡¯s your ex, it would be impolite for me, as the current, not to say hello to him.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Hua, with your status, there is no need for you to say hello to him. Let¡¯s just go,¡± Zhao Mengqi said.


    Hua Haifeng and Xiao Luo formed a sharp contrast. The more she looked at Xiao Luo, the more she felt that he was incapable and powerless. He truly belonged to the bottom of the pile. She did not want to see any interaction between Hua Haifeng, who had a distinguished status, and Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Qiqi, you can¡¯t say that. After all, he took care of you before I showed up. It is only natural that I thank him for that. Wait for me here, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    After which, Hua Haifeng walked towards Xiao Luo.


    With his back to Zhao Mengqi, Hua Haifeng did not bother to conceal anything. A peculiar and self-satisfied smile appeared on his face as he strutted like a victor.


    He put his hand out, giving a phony and evil smile, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hua Haifeng, d to meet you!¡±


    Xiao Luo harrumphed and said in a monotone, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m holding stuff. I can¡¯t put my hand out.¡±


    The rumors did not do him justice. Now that Xiao Luo had seen Hua Haifeng in person, hepletely believed that those bad rumors about Hua Haifeng were true. He had caught the smell of a scum even from far away.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s your honor that Young Master Hua is shaking hands with you. Why are you so ignorant of the greater picture?¡± The anger that Zhao Mengqi experienced was not only because of this incident. She said this in front of the two men to show that she stood firmly on Hua Haifeng¡¯s side.


    Xiao Luo turned a deaf ear to her. There was nothing he felt towards Zhao Mengqi apart from disappointment. Their four year rtionship had be a sacrificial object as she courted Hua Haifeng¡¯s favor. He suddenly felt that he had been blind for the past four years; he had wasted four years on this rtionship.


    At this moment, Hua Haifengughed, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re quite a character. I really admire you. By the way, are you interested in being my assistant? I guarantee that you¡¯ll get an annual sry of twenty-eight thousand dors.¡±


    Of course, he was not sincere about inviting Xiao Luo to be his assistant. Instead, he wanted to use this as a pretext to deliberately mock Xiao Luo and strike him down. Hua Haifeng would feel special a sense of aplishment and thrill to seize someone else¡¯s ¡°cake¡± and eat it in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested!¡±


    Xiao Luo dropped those three words and turned away.


    Hua Haifeng¡¯s eyes narrowed and emitted a chilling light, ¡°Wait.¡± He went up to Xiao Luo and put his mouth close to his ears. He revealed his true nature by saying, ¡°I f*cked your woman for youst night. Her body is great, it was so good I could die. I tried all thirty-six moves on her. I didn¡¯t expect that a pretentious d*ck like you had never f*cked her once in those four years. I got a bargain in the end. Hehe¡­.. ¡±


    ¡°Congrattions on turning another girl into a woman for this society!¡± Xiao Luo smiled and said without any grief or joy.


    Hua Haifeng¡¯s expression instantly froze. He never expected Xiao Luo¡¯s response to be so dull. This suddenly caused him to feel a great sense of failure and frustration.


    He reached out and grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±


    To Xiao Luo¡¯s ears, the challenging words sounded like it came from an ignorant fool. He mocked, ¡°She¡¯s your woman now, but you¡¯re telling another man about your private lives, have you be addled? If there¡¯s a next time, you might as well invite me to observe the scene, I¡¯ll surely apud and cheer for you from the sidelines. ¡±


    It was only then that Hua Haifeng realized, yeah, he was Zhao Mengqi¡¯s man now.


    To be counteracted and crushed by Xiao Luo, Hua Haifeng suddenly felt so humiliated that he became enraged. He grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s cor in one move and sneered, ¡°Piece of garbage, what are you talking about?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°Release me!¡±


    With just two simple words, Hua Haifeng felt as if he had fallen into an ice hole. He shuddered involuntarily from head to toe. Especially when he met Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, he could not control the hair on his body from standing straight up.


    How could this kid¡¯s eyes be so scary?


    Hua Haifeng was terrified, he could not believe that Xiao Luo could scare him with just a look from his eyes.


    Subconsciously, he was about to let go, but how could he admit defeat when Zhao Mengqi was standing behind him? Moreover, he did not believe that Xiao Luo would dare to do anything to him when they were in Huahai Corporation.


    ¡°So what if I don¡¯t let go, you want to hit me? Come on, I can lend you ten times the courage. Let¡¯s see if you really dare¡­..¡±


    His voice suddenly broke off. This was because Xiao Luo had jolted him away with his inner force. Xiao Luo then struck a foot on his chest without mercy.

 Chapter 5 - The Little Beggar Girl

    Chapter 5: The Little Beggar Girl


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As his right foot pounded firmly on Hua Haifeng¡¯s chest, the force of the impact surging outward from the center point of attack.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    A sad and blood-curdling screech rang out of Hua Haifeng¡¯s body, which weighed 65 kilograms. He flew backward immediately as if hit by a lotive and fell hard on the solid ground four or five meters away.


    His teeth bit through his tongue, and blood flowed in a mad gush, streaming from the corners of his mouth. Feeling as if his internal organs had been rearranged, Hua Haifengy on the ground, moaning in pain.


    That move by Xiao Luo¡¯s foot was like an attack from the legendary aquatic dragon¨Caplete whirlwind executed in one smooth motion. It was direct and efficient!


    Zhao Mengqi was wholly stunned and stood motionless. Her eyes were wide, and she looked at Xiao Luo with an incredulous expression as he exuded a murderous air. She simply could not believe Hua Haifeng was kicked four or five meters away by Xiao Luo.


    ¡°DING, Congrattions. You¡¯ve earned fifty points!¡± The system notified.


    ¡°Fifty points? How did I get fifty points?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked around, only to find four security guards at the main entrance who had also seen what happened.


    The four security guards quickly ran to them.


    ¡°Young Master Hua!¡±


    The four of them, together with Zhao Mengqi, who had regained herposure, supported Hua Haifeng to stand up.


    Hua Haifeng was furious. He pointed at Xiao Luo and bellowed, ¡°Beat him up. I want him dead. He won¡¯t be taking one step out of Huahai¡¯s door!¡±


    The four security guards did not dare to disobey. Besides, this was an opportunity to distinguish themselves and prove their mettle. Who could say for sure, perhaps they would be able to aplish a shocking achievement all of a sudden simply because they taught someone a lesson on behalf of Hua Haifeng. Although they witnessed Xiao Luo¡¯s power, they still pulled out the ck iron truncheons hanging at their waists and threw themselves at him.


    Why would Xiao Luo be afraid of mere security guards who watched the entrance? Without relinquishing the box, he executed a series of kicks and jabs with his legs. Each footnded squarely on a security guard¡¯s chest. Four voices screamed; the four security guards were thrown backward like Hua Haifeng. Even the iron truncheons in their hands dropped to the ground.


    At this moment, the anger had drained out of Hua Haifeng. He looked at Xiao Luo in extreme horror; it was as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. He shivered when Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze locked on him. Cold sweat instantly broke out across his body. He could not believe that Xiao Luo could have such freakish and terrifying skills.


    Zhao Mengqi was in the same state. She now felt that Xiao Luo was even more of a stranger. This was not the Xiao Luo she knew before.


    When Xiao Luo walked toward Hua Haifeng, she subconsciously ced herself in front of him and stared at Xiao Luo nervously, ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡­ What do you want?¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored her. He just smiled and looked at the badly frightened Hua Haifeng. He said in a chiding tone, ¡°Young Master Hua, if you have nothing to do, don¡¯t go around grabbing other people¡¯s cor. That¡¯s very ill-mannered of you. I warned you, but you didn¡¯t let go. You shouldn¡¯t be indignant about getting a kick from me.¡± His gaze turned toward Zhao Mengqi, and he said with a grin,¡± Everyone wants to wear the princess¡¯s robe, but for how long can you wear it? Three months or half a year?¡±


    A tremor went through Zhao Mengqi¡¯s body. Xiao Luo¡¯s words stabbed right at her worry.


    Yes, although she became Hua Haifeng¡¯s girlfriend as she wished, Zhao Mangqi did not have the slightest sense of security and always felt that she could be abandoned by him at any moment. This was also the main reason she went to look for Xiao Luo today. Deep down in her heart, she still hoped to have him as her back-up n, which would give her a sense of security.


    ¡°Of course, this is just my advice. Feel free to disregard it!¡±


    After saying this, Xiao Luo left without looking back.


    Zhao Mengqi seemed to have lost her soul all of a sudden. She stood there in the same spot, looking like an idiot. She thought that breaking up with Xiao Luo was definitely the right thing to do. But when the man really turned and left, the only thing she felt was an infinite sense of loss, sadness, and loneliness.


    Every little detail of her four years living with this man emerged in a non-stop stream in her mind. Every scene was normal and ordinary, but she could not let go of them entirely.


    She missed the egg fried rice Xiao Luo made, his meticulous care when she was ill, and even more so his narrow but hot chest¡­. She had to admit that her four-year romantic rtionship with him was the best time of her life.


    Looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s back as he left, her vision was slowly blurred by tears. Her feelings became indescribablyplicated; she felt as if she had lost a crucial thing!


    ********


    Walking along the bustling street, Xiao Luo felt a lightness he had never experienced before. For a while, he couldn¡¯t exin why he was in such a mood. Perhaps it was because he had seen Zhao Mengqi¡¯s true nature, or could it be because he had left Huahai Corporation?


    Not long after, he came to the entrance of a department store, and his gazended on a corner of the square.


    There was a little girl in rags, about seven or eight years old. She was begging from the flow of tourists.


    The little girl was unkempt, her long ck hair so filthy and messy that knots had already started to form. Her legs were curved in an abnormal state, and her leg muscles were severely atrophied. She could not stand up and walk; she could only rely on her young and tender hands to slowly crawl forward like a poor little seal as she pushed along a chipped bowl.


    Her long trouser legs dragged windingly on the ground. They were covered in dust and looked like two filthy rags. After a while, the little beggar girl crawled to his feet and shook the chipped bowl gently. The sound of coins nking against the container rang out.


    Xiao Luo lowered his head, and his gaze collided with the little girl. Although she was dirty and even emitted a pungent odor, her eyes were crystal clear and alert, so bright that they resembled the stars in the sky.


    ¡°Please, do a good deed and give me a few bucks!¡± The little girl said, hopefully.


    Xiao Luo saw that she was pitiful, so he lowered the box, took out a two-dor note from his pocket, and put it in the bowl.


    ¡°Thank you, mister. Buddha will bless you!¡± The little girl kowtowed and put her hands together palm to palm.


    The people of Jiangcheng believed in the Buddha, and there was nothing wrong with the little girl¡¯s words of gratitude.


    Xiao Luo thought she was very bright and quick-witted, so he then took out two ten-dor notes and stuffed them into her pocket. ¡°Quickly go home and get your family to buy you something delicious.¡±


    He truly felt that the little girl was pitiful. She was still so young but had to suffer like this.


    ¡°Home?¡±


    The little girl¡¯s petite body trembled slightly, and her bright eyes became lifeless. She seemed to be mumbling to herself, or perhaps she was recounting her tale, ¡°I have no home now.¡±


    She revealed a great sadness and loneliness despite her young age. Her eyes became red, forming two reddish circles.


    Xiao Luo was puzzled. ¡°Everyone has a home and parents. Why don¡¯t you have a home?¡±


    The little girl shook her head and then smiled staunchly, she changed the subject and said, ¡°You¡¯re a good person, thank you.¡±


    After that, she moved her petite body with great difficulty and crawled away.


    Xiao Luo thought this little girl was extraordinary; she had a story. After thinking about it, he quietly followed her¡­


    She finally crawled into a gloomy alley, where a young man with an ugly and ferocious countenance was waiting.


    Seeing her return, the young man put the knife he was ying with back into his pocket and walked up to the girl. He looked down at the chipped bowl that she used for begging and immediately flew into a rage. He kicked the little girl aside, ¡°Motherf*cker, you¡¯re knocking off after getting only this little bit of money? You motherf*cking brat don¡¯t want to eat today? ¡±


    ¡°You dare to stop begging? I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today!¡±


    The angry young man had a fierce and sinister expression. He rolled up his sleeves and rushed toward her, grabbing the little girl¡¯s hair with one motion and raising her entire body into the air.


    ¡°It hurts¡­. it hurts ¡­¡±


    Her feet were lifted off the ground, and the intense pain made her cry. She felt so aggrieved.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Hold it in!¡±


    The young man pped her with his hand. ¡°Pow.¡± He hit her again. Huge psnded on the girl¡¯s face in session, with no concern for her at all.


    She could only endure the pain, gritting her teeth to keep herself from crying out, but the tears kept overflowing. Her face was swollen and distorted.

 Chapter 6 - A Good Person

    Chapter 6: A Good Person


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Let her go!¡±


    A cold, hard voice rang through the empty alley.


    The ugly and ferocious-looking man turned his head, only to meet with regr features set in a face that exuded a noble spirit. Then he raged fearlessly as if he was on the right course. ¡°I¡¯m disciplining my daughter; it¡¯s none of your business. Don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s affairs. Scram!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to let go of her!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted coldly, the imposing manner of his body suddenly intensified.


    Without warning, the brute felt a bone-piercing chill, a chill that made his hair stand on end. He was like a frog under the watchful gaze of a poisonous snake; he was walking a perilous edge. Unable to help himself, he took a step back.


    While he was in a daze, Xiao Luo lost his patience.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s body turned into a streak of ck lightning that rushed toward him. In the blink of an eye, he was knocked seven or eight meters.


    The man with the hideous and brutish appearance only felt something flicker in front of his eyes. He had no time to fight back. A clenched fist greeted his face and was closely followed by an intense pain that flooded his head. His body was thrown back helplessly, a bloody tooth jutting from his mouth.


    The little girl fell but was caught firmly by Xiao Luo.


    When she found out that it was the same man who¡¯d given her a lot of money, she stared nkly at first before bursting into tears, feeling aggrieved.


    ¡°Is he your dad?¡± asked Xiao Luo, pointing at the hideous hulk on the ground.


    Shaking her head, she said, ¡°No. He¡¯s a bad man. He broke my legs and forced me to beg for money. Please, call the police. Tell them to take me away. I want to go home, I want my daddy and mommy, boohoohoo¡­.. ¡±


    She cried her heart out, her young and soft body heaving with each sob.


    Xiao Luo immediately understood. The little girl was abducted by human traffickers. These people brutally broke both her legs, forcibly turning a healthy person into a miserable, disabled beggar. She was nothing more than a cash cow for them, thrown to the streets to beg like a lump of dirt.


    At this point, the guy got up from the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, and pulled out the switchde from his pocket. He red at Xiao Luo savagely. ¡°Boy, hand her over to me now, and we can still talk things over. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you with this knife!¡±


    ¡°I really want to know how you intend to kill me.¡±


    When Xiao Luo stamped his foot, a loud bang was heard as the ground ruptured, spreading cracks from under his foot to the surrounding area, like spider webs.


    Gulp.


    The man swallowed his saliva with difficulty, wondering where this monster came from. He cracked the surface of the cement with one stomp of his foot.


    ¡°You¡­ You just wait!¡±


    After speaking these harsh words, he fled in defeat and disbelief. He didn¡¯t think his body was stronger than the concrete path.


    Xiao Luo immediately swept toward him and sted this guy back with his fist. As the man flew back, two bloody teeth jutted hideously out of his mouth.


    ¡°DING! Congrattions. You¡¯ve earned ten points!¡± The system notification rang out.


    Xiao Luo was too busy to pay attention. He collected his gaze and looked at the little girl,forting her as she shivered. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Everything¡¯s all right!¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡± The little girl wiped away her tears unceasingly.


    Half an hourter, Xiao Luo appeared with the little girl at the Public Security Bureau.


    ¡°Stay here. The police will send you home to your parents.¡± Xiao Luo did what he could do; now it was time to leave.


    ¡°Mister, thank you!¡± The little girl was very sensible. She knew that she had met the right person; otherwise, she would still be suffering in the hands of the traffickers.


    Xiao Luo smiled at her, and then walked out of the police station, apanied by a police officer slightly older than he was.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, please rest assured that we will send her back to her birth parents.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your trouble!¡±


    ¡°This is our duty and responsibility as the police. It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±


    The policeman ushering him out was full of smiles. He solemnly shook Xiao Luo¡¯s hand. ¡°Nowadays, we need more people like Mr. Xiao Luo in this society. There would be fewer crimes!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not say more. He just nodded and stood up to leave.


    A policewoman was walking toward them near the entrance of the police station.


    She must have been in a hurry, for she was walking quickly. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiao Luo¡¯s quick response, the two of them would have collided. However, his ability was just so, and their shoulders still touched.


    The policewoman turned back, and Xiao Luo did the same.


    Their gazes met in mid-air, the former shivering; theter cool and collected. After smiling apologetically, he left without looking back.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu!¡± The policeman ushering Xiao Luo walked up and greeted the policewoman.


    She pointed at Xiao Luo¡¯s back and asked, ¡°Who is that guy?¡±


    The policeman grinned and said, ¡°He¡¯s one good man.¡±


    ¡°A good man?¡±


    The policewoman was stumped for words. The moment their gazes intertwined, she clearly felt a suffocating chill that made her break out in goosebumps all over. The expression in his eyes was sharper and scarier than the drug pushers she¡¯d dealt with before.


    The policeman nodded and smiled, ¡°He rescued a little girl from an underground criminal gang that specializes in enving children for begging, he¡¯s clearly a good guy.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    The policewoman¡¯s wariness against Xiao Luo disappeared immediately, and she dropped her gaze from Xiao Luo¡¯s back. ¡°By the way, where is that little girl?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in our office.¡±


    ¡°Very well, this should be an opening. As long as we carefully tear it open, we can wipe out the entire underground criminal gang in Jiangcheng, who enves children for begging.¡± The policewoman¡¯s eyes showed a sh of extreme hatred as she quickly walked into the building of the police station.


    ******


    Back in his rental house, Xiao Luo browsed the mall in the system. He now had a total of two hundred points. After redeeming a foreignnguage ability, he was down to zero points.


    Fortunately, this foreignnguage ability did not refer to only English; it also included Russian, French, German, etc. There were as many as a dozennguages.


    Xiao Luo personally found more than a dozen movies in the correspondingnguages and discovered that not only could he understand all of them, he could also fluently repeat the characters¡¯ lines in the movies.


    ¡°This ability should be beneficial in finding a job!¡± Xiao Luo was quite satisfied.


    Ring, ring, ring.


    It was his mobile phone.


    Xiao Luo looked at his phone. It was his sister, Xiao Ruyi, who worked as a nurse.


    As soon as he pressed the answer key, Xiao Ruyi¡¯s voice could be heard from the phone. ¡°Bro, I heard from Zhang Dashan that you and Zhao Mengqu broke up.¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled and called out to Zhang Dashan in his mind, You big mouth! Can¡¯t you keep a secret?!


    ¡°Hmm!¡± he answered indistinctly.


    ¡°Well done. I¡¯ve never felt she was a good woman or right for you from the first time Iid eyes on her. Her bag was a branded and one article of clothing cost more than a hundred dors. There was also an unpleasant perfume smell about her, and her features were sharp and unkind. You would have definitely been asking for trouble if you married her; even the family could expect to have a hard time, ¡°Xiao Ruyi said.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what to say. Raising his voice, he said, ¡°Xiao Ruyi, I had a breakup, but you¡¯re offering no words offort. You seem to be gloating. I¡¯m starting to wonder if you¡¯re my real sister.¡±


    ¡°Bro, I¡¯m two hundred percent your sister. I care about your happiness because I¡¯m your sister, hehe¡­..¡±


    Xiao Ruyi chuckled. ¡°By the way. We recently recruited a few beautiful young nurses. When you¡¯re ready, I can introduce you to some. They¡¯re definitely better than that Zhao Mengqi woman.¡±


    Xiao Luo almost spat out the tea he just sipped. ¡°Have a good life as a couple with Tang Ren. Don¡¯t worry about your brother¡¯s affairs.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re my elder brother. Your happiness is important to me. When we have a holiday someday, I will bring a girl I¡¯ve selected to see you. So that¡¯s settled. I¡¯m working now, bye!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi didn¡¯t wait for Xiao Luo¡¯s refusal before hanging up.


    ¡°This girl!¡±


    Xiao Luo tossed the phone aside with a helpless expression.

 Chapter 7 - The Troublemakers Had Arrived

    Chapter 7: The Troublemakers Had Arrived


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo did not tell his family about his resignation and car ident. As a man, and a twenty-six-year-old man at that, he would try his best to hide anything that would cause worry for his family.


    Besides, he had more than 4,000 dors in savings. Even if he had no source of ie, that money would still cover him for a while. Not to mention, he had now merged with the Genius System Without Equal. Work could be done in minutes; there was no need to worry about anything at all.


    He stretched and yawned.


    In his three years of working for Huahai Corporation, he had to rotate shifts (day shift and night shift) once a month, every month. There were various sorts of overtime. His daily routine was highly irregr, plus he had just been in a car ident. Although he was saved by the system, his body did not seem to be entirely back to its nimble state yet. He felt tired and sleepy at the moment.


    He copsed into bed, pulled the sheets over his head, and immediately fell into a deep slumber. His rest was extraordinarily stable and pleasant: the best he had experienced in these three years.


    When he woke up, it was already past nine in the evening.


    After entering the bathroom and taking a bath, he went out for supper to solve the practical problem of hunger.


    He paired a ck shirt with slim ck pants. Dressed from head to toe in ck, he gave off a mysterious feeling.


    He chose to have supper at a small stall. The stall owners were a middle-aged couple. The husband grilled while the woman cooked some noodles. Also, there were beer and other beverages. The business was quite good.


    Xiao Luo often came here to eat. As time passed, he became familiar with this middle-aged couple.


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    The husband, greeting him warmly, said, ¡°The usual?¡±


    ¡°Hm, yep. The same old.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and found an empty table where he sat down.


    Zhang Dashan was calling him on his mobile.


    Xiao Luo really wanted to chew him out. He was such a big mouth that he could not keep any secrets.


    ¡°Why do you always call me about nothing? You think phone calls are free?¡± Xiao Luoined unhappily when he pressed the answer button.


    Zhang Dashan was startled. ¡°F*ck me. Did you eat explosives or what? You¡¯re so angry. Okay, okay. I¡¯ll call you on WeChat.


    ¡°That¡¯ll exceed my data.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? You have 4GB per month, but you don¡¯t listen to music or watch movies that often. Exceed your data? Bullsh*t!¡± Zhang Dashan became impatient.


    At that moment, a bowl of Sanxian noodles was served.


    Xiao Luo coughed dryly, and said in a stern voice, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not talking nonsense with you anymore, I¡¯m eating now.¡±


    ¡°Motherf*cker, why didn¡¯t you call me to eat too? Aren¡¯t we bros?¡± Zhang Dashanined immediately.


    Xiao Luo grew exasperated. ¡°You are more than 40 kilometers away. Would you actually havee if I called you? Just the petrol alone is enough for you to eat several bowls.¡±


    ¡°My bro, you can¡¯t calcte it like that. Compared with our friendship, that little bit of petrol money is less than nothing.¡± Zhang Dashan nagged earnestly.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered with him now. He was too hungry. Picking up his chopstick, he became engrossed in his food.


    Zhang Dashan also became serious as he spoke of proper matters. ¡°By the way, Lao Xiao, did you really resign today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered truthfully, and then quickly urged, ¡°Don¡¯t tell my sister about this, or else I¡¯ll end our friendship.¡±


    His sister, Xiao Ruyi, was a big mouth like Zhang Dashan. If Xiao Ruyi knew about his resignation, he could guarantee that his phone would be blowing up with calls from his family the next day.


    ¡°F*ck. You still don¡¯t trust me. Any secrets you tell me are absolutely safe with me,¡± Zhang Dashan solemnly vowed.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes and asked with a profound meaning. ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Never mind. Let¡¯s drop this and talk business. Today I asked a colleague from my HR department if our bank is still recruiting. Do you want toe over? The amazing teamwork between us will guarantee an awesome monthly performance,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not interested in working in a bank,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you looking down on our countryside credit union? There is a saying, no matter how small a mosquito¡¯s legs are, they are still meat. Our credit union was established ording to regtions. We¡¯ll still get a pension every month even when we collect our old-age pension.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. Anyway, I understand your intentions. But, when ites to working, I¡¯ll take care of it myself,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Zhang Dashan knew there was nothing he could achieve by insisting, so he softened his tone. ¡°Okay. Call me when you¡¯ve thought it through. Even if I have to sell my *ss, I¡¯ll find a way to use my connections to get you in.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart melted. He knew Zhang Dashan truly meant well for him. ¡°Thanks, Dashan!¡±


    ¡°No need for thanks. We¡¯re bros, we¡¯re good. You¡¯re me and I¡¯m you. That¡¯s it then, enjoy your meal. I have a female client who asked me to meet her at her home. It seems that I have to sacrifice myself a little tonight. Let me tell you, she¡¯s a married woman who is delicate, pretty, and young. ¡±


    ¡°Restrain yourself.¡± Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly.


    ¡°What nonsense. When the woman asked me to go to her house, she said to also bring a can of Red Bull. A can of Red Bull, bro! I want to restrain myself too, but look at this situation: she clearly wants to squeeze me dry.


    ¡°Why do I feel you¡¯re showing off to me?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­. I¡¯ve been outed. Hanging up now. The female client is calling. Call you backter!¡± Zhang Dashan hung up the phone.


    Xiao Luo put the phone back in his pocket and continued to eat his remaining Sanxian noodles.


    From the corner of his eyes, he glimpsed a middle-aged man in a western suit and leather shoes sitting not too far from him. The guy was extremely dignified, and his body exuded the confident manner of someone from the upper-ss. He even had two grim-faced bodyguards beside him. They donned sunsses even at night.


    He was obviously a person of high status!


    Xiao Luo found it inconceivable that someone like that would be eating at a small stall. Moreover, he seemed looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him before somewhere.


    But amotion rocked the street at this moment. Dozens of people gathered around the stall, and all of them looked murderous. They were like beasts that had just emerged from the mountains, causing people to tremble in fear. They even wielded gleaming machetes and steel pipes.


    Their leader was a bald man with a severe, stocky build; he had no eyebrows. His body was covered with tiger and leopard print tattoos; his eyes were fierce and malevolent. He wore an insufferably arrogant and insolent expression on his face.


    ¡°Boss, that¡¯s him. He¡¯s the one who rescued that little b*tch!¡±


    A man with an ugly and ferocious-looking face said that savagely as he stepped out and pointed at Xiao Luo, who was eating his noodles. It was that horrible guy from today, the one who enved the little girl and made her beg.


    The bald man threw a vicious nce at Xiao Luo, then he looked up and swept his eyes over the other customers at the stall. He yelled coldly, ¡°Except for this kid, everyone scram!¡±


    The row of customers in front of the stall scattered in all directions, leaving this ho¡¯s nest.


    ¡°Sir, please. We can always talk things out. Please don¡¯t drive away my customers!¡±


    The stall owner hurried forth and pulled out $20 to $40 and stashed the money into the bald man¡¯s pocket.


    This area was a district of Jiangcheng; it was also an area that was far away from the city center. This was a case of central authority not being able to prate remote areas. Moreover, because of the many factories here, good and bad people intermingled. People from all over the country rubbed shoulders here. Law and order was not well maintained. Hooligans and gangsters often made trouble, so the stall owner thought they were here to collect protection fees again.


    The bald man dropped him to the ground with a kick and pointed at him. ¡°This is none of your damn business. Stay on the side obediently, or I¡¯ll chop you up as well.¡±


    But he did not return the money to the stall owner.


    The woman quickly ran to help her husband up. She shook her head to signal her husband not to provoke the local mafia boss.

 Chapter 8 - Overbearing and Tyrannical

    Chapter 8: Overbearing and Tyrannical


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    The bald man mmed the table where Xiao Luo was at. He watched Xiao Luo with a vicious pair of eyes, ¡°Boy, because of your nosiness, all of my twenty cash cows have been confiscated. Even five of my brothers have been brought in. How do you think I should settle this score? ¡±


    Hatred radiated from his malevolent gaze. The so-called cash cows referred to the children who had been bought by him and then had their legs broken and thrown on the streets to beg.


    Because of a little girl who had escaped, the police officer Gu Qianlin, who had always been known as the ¡°Flower of Justice¡±, led her team to seize their den of illegal activities. Naturally, the me was pinned on Xiao Luo who had rescued the little girl.


    Xiao Luo raised his head and nced at the bald man indifferently, ¡°Whatever business you have, we can talk about it after I¡¯ve finish eating this bowl of noodles. Now, please distance yourself a little more, because I have no appetite when I look at your face.¡±


    When he finished talking, he buried his head and continued to eat his noodles.


    As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere of the entire space became sluggish.


    All of the men, who numbered in the dozens, were stumped for words. They could not believe that this fellow could be so calm when he was facing them. Was his head damaged?


    In the distance, the middle-aged man dressed in a western suit and leather shoes was also stunned for a period of time. Then, he smiled inprehension, ¡°He¡¯s neither servile nor overbearing, instead, he¡¯s unperturbed and unhurried. Either he has some real abilities,¡± he pointed at his head, ¡°or there¡¯s a problem here.¡±


    ¡°Boss, for the sake of your safety, let¡¯s leave.¡± The bodyguard on the left suggested.


    The middle-aged man waved his hand, ¡°No, their goal is that young man. They¡¯re not going to make things difficult for an old man like me.¡±


    He grinned and looked at Xiao Luo who nearly had his head buried in the bowl as he ate. Suddenly, he remembered the days when he came to Jiangcheng to make a living. He still was very young at that time. He often came to the street stalls to eat when he was hungry. There was even once when he was maliciously confronted by dozens of men who came wielding chopping knives to get him to pay his debts.


    A sense of empathy suddenly arose in his heart, and his fingers tapped lightly on the surface of the table with great rhythm, ¡°He¡¯s exactly in his prime and full of mettle; an age where he¡¯s full of creativity. It would really be a pity if he fell like this.¡± He turned his head and ordered the bodyguard on the right, ¡°Leng You, depending on the situation, intervene to help this young man.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡± The bodyguard responded respectfully.


    At this time, the bald man had returned to his normalposure and immediately became furious.


    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡±


    He overturned Xiao Luo¡¯s table and sent it flying. The remaining Sanxian noodles scattered across the ground, and the bowl containing the noodles were shattered.


    The bald man stepped on the Sanxian noodles on the ground with great strength. The noodles were stomped on until they resembled nothing more than dirt. He red furiously with a expression full of loathing and thundered, ¡°Eat, keep eating, don¡¯t you want to eat noodles? Come on, kneel and pick up these noodles that are mushy as sh*t and swallow it. Don¡¯t waste the soup too, lick it clean. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll cut your tongue out.¡± He shoved at Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder with great force, ¡°Motherf*cker. Why are you still staring so stupidly. You want me and my bros to give you a helping hand? ¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at Sanxian noodles that had fallen all over the ground, the expression on his face slowly grew cold and congealed. He threw away the chopsticks in his hand and slowly stood up. His eyes sharp and fierce as he watched stared coldly at the bald man like a tiger or a leopard.


    Hiss ~


    Everyone could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. Their bodies could not help but shiver to dispel a coldness that would not leave. They suddenly had the misperception that the person standing up was a cruel butcher with endless blood on his hands.


    The bald man was also slightly stunned. He was about to say something when a big hand stretched out swiftly but silently for him like electricity. Five fingers spread out like a python opening its big bloody mouth on a hunt to clutch his neck. The hand lifted his entire body up. The powerful force around his neck instantly squeezed his windpipe and oesophagus tightly together.


    An intense, burning pain and the pain of suffocation flooded his brain. He could not help but make a hoarse muffled sound. His hands kept beating against the iron arm that restrained him, trying to get the other party to release him. But no matter how hard he tried, that hand did not budge in the slightest. It was like a pair of steel pliers had rigidly mped itself around his neck.


    ¡°I said to wait until I¡¯ve finished this bowl of noodles, why do you refuse to listen?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s brows scrunched in a deep frown.


    The bald man and his dozens of subordinates were dumbfounded. They never expected that such a scene would happen. The power disyed by Xiao Luo really shocked their minds. He lifted their boss and with a single hand. Was he motherf*cking human?


    The middle-aged man in the distance opened his mouth slightly, his eyes were filled with surprise.


    The two bodyguards next to him were even more stupefied. It was hard to believe that a guy who did not look strong at all could actually lift a big man weighing seventy-five kilograms with one hand. Even they could not do it.


    The man with the ugly and ferocious countenance could not help but be rmed and frightened, ¡°Fight! Let¡¯s save the boss together!¡±


    He shouted loudly, but backed away himself.


    The dozens of men immediately reacted. They yelled and raised their machetes and pipes, rushing towards Xiao Luo like a tidal wave. The des whooshed through the air sword and they were filled with a savage, murderous intent.


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°I¡¯m retuning him to you!¡±


    He threw the bald man in his hand towards the crowd that was rushing towards him like he was ying shot put.


    The bald man flew backwards at an extreme speed. He was like a cannonball about to crush his own subordinates.


    Their expressions changed slightly and the five or six people who were rushing at the front of the group reached out to catch him. They thought that with their joint effort to catch the boss, it would be enough to grab a hold of him. But before they could raise their arms, the body of the bald man mmed onto them.


    ¡°Crash ~¡±


    Blood sprayed from their mouths. They were like bowling pins that had been hit by a bowling ball. Four of them were thrown backwards and fell down while one copsed on the ground moaning in pain.


    A powerful explosion that shocked everyone!


    The dozens of big men forced themselves to stop all movement. They did not dare to act lightly. Their eyes were opened wide and they looked at Xiao Luo in horror.


    Just when they became inactive and lifeless, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes grew cold. He threw two punches without hesitation.


    ¡°Bam Bam ~¡±


    It was as if the two closest men were hit hard by a speeding car. They let out a mournful scream as their bodies were flung backwards uncontrobly. Several of theirrades were knocked down in session before the bodies were stopped. They struggled to get up, but only felt pain in their sternums. Then, two men who managed to push their torsos up spit out blood at the same time and passed out.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s pupils suddenly shrank and shock that could hardly be hidden was written all over his face. He never expected that Xiao Luo¡¯s skill would be so overbearing and powerful.


    His two bodyguards were also stunned. This ss of skill and strength was beyond shocking. They looked at each other and saw incredulity in each other¡¯s.


    ¡°Motherf*cker, chop him to death!¡±


    The bald-headed man was seriously injured, but not to the point of passing out. He covered his chest, which felt heavy and extremely painful, as he roared hysterically.


    He had heard from the ugly and ferocious looking man that the other party possessed extraordinary skills, but he did not expect that he would be so powerful. But so what? One tiger, no matter how fierce, could not hold off a pack of wolves. No matter how formidable he was, was he not just one person while they were arge group?


    Dozens of burly men who were fierce and belligerent even on a typical day rushed towards Xiao Luo. Their postures were reminiscent of a group of hyenas chasing deer.


    ¡°You want to be ruthless about this? Okay, I¡¯ll drop everyone whoes today!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth showed a cruel smile. Not only did he not retreat, he moved forward to take the initiative in repulsing their attack.

 Chapter 9 - Invincible

    Chapter 9: Invincible


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The big guy at the head of the thundering mob was running at full speed. With eyes as round as tes, he headed toward Xiao Luo. Before his machete could chop him in two, the guy realized he couldn¡¯t stop the momentum of his feet, and the two men collided.


    Ahh


    The guy let out a blood-curdling screech as all the bones in his body fractured from the impact of hitting Xiao Luo. He mmed to the ground, skidding four or five meters beforeing to a halt. In the process, several men tripped over each other or were knocked down.


    Xiao Luo had a taunting smile on his face, his eyes cold. His right hand changed direction to seize another¡¯s man¡¯s left leg that was delivering a kick. He pped the guy¡¯s leg against his knee and bent it backward in a V shape. An awful scream was heard.


    Then he hurled the injured man¡¯s body into the crowd that was following closely behind.


    Caught off guard, some of those people lost their footing and fell down, end over end.


    Taking advantage of this situation, two guys wielding machetesshed out at Xiao Luo¡¯s back. He instinctively turned and formed his hands into fists that sted forth, meeting force with force.


    Bam


    The two men hugged their dislocated wrists and retreated as they lost their center of bnce. The pain was so intense they couldn¡¯t hold back their tears or miserable bawling.


    Xiao Luo was like a fierce tiger, a cheetah. He was an unstoppable force!


    The men¡¯s expressions changed as their attacks became weaker. They were shocked, but Xiao Luo, who had been provoked into a rampage, didn¡¯t hesitate while rushing madly at them. He carried a lethal aura and a roiling, fiendish intent in his violent attack.


    Each move was more vicious than the previous one; his fighting style was strong and fierce as if they were being bombarded by violent storms and gales. Blood was streaming everywhere amid sad, shrill screeching¡­


    By now, there was no trace of anger left in the bald man. His eyes were full of fear, and his body could not stop shaking. Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down his forehead unceasingly. He never thought the other party would be so fierce. Was he human? No, he was a monster!


    In the blink of an eye, this monster-man cut down a dozen people. The middle-aged man in the distance could no longer keep his calm. His eyes and mouth were open wide in a state of total shock.


    His two bodyguards also went pale as they stood in shock, horror, and amazement. They were retired veterans of the special forces, state-trained machines, tough and unyielding. From head to toe, they had a perfect mastery of their abilities and believed it would be hard for them to meet a worthy opponent. But they were floored: They did not understand how Xiao Luo had made his moves.


    Bam


    While these two bodyguards were still in a state of shock, Xiao Luo punted another person, sending him flying seven or eight meters. Then he reached out and grabbed a machete.


    With the deste and chilling aura of death filling the air, he rushed into the crowd and raised the de to swing it down. The line of the machete flew at a bold and unrestrained speed, whizzing like a tornado as it ravaged the enemies nearby.


    One guy after another copsed in a pool of blood. No one had imagined that themb, which was supposed to be a prey, would suddenly turn into a bloodthirsty beast, exposing its savage and cruel fangs.


    The ugly, ferocious-looking man¨Cscared witless¨Chad run off a while ago to an unknown location.


    When thest guy copsed, letting out a wretched howl of pain, Xiao Luo turned looked coldly at the bald man, his machete dripping blood that pooled in the ground.


    The bald-headed man was stiff, the terror on his face palpable. When he saw Xiao Luo approaching him step by step, he turned white ¡°What, what do you want to do? We¡­ We are the Dragon Gang ¡­¡± he stammered.


    ¡°What is the Dragon Gang!¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted in ridicule in a low voice. In the next second, he was running wildly, like a ck smear of tearing wind as he pressed down on the bald man with inhuman strength. Like a wild wolf running madly on the open ins, the machete then cut a gleaming and vicious path in the air. The sword was about to chop down violently with an unstoppable force.


    The bald-headed man¡¯s pupils shrank, and his scalp felt numb. The gleaming machete cleared his vision. It was as if he was looking at the Grim Reaper beckoning at him.


    Bang


    Just as Xiao Luo¡¯s machete was about to descend and split the head of the bald man in half, an ear-piercing gunshot exploded like a sudden p of thunder, causing everyone to tremble.


    ¡°Stop!¡± s woman shouted sternly.


    Bzzz


    Xiao Luo¡¯s machete stopped in an instant. It hung in the air atop the bald man¡¯s head like the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe.


    Looking at the bloodthirsty machete, the bald man turned, deathly pale, eyes wide open. A rank and pungent odor rose from his crotch: He had lost control of his dder and bowels and fainted immediately after. He had totally passed out from fear.


    Xiao Luo turned his head and saw that both sides of the streets were blocked by five or six police cars. Two explosion-proof cars tore through the blockade line. There were more than 20 riot police in identical outfits and equipment holding up their shields. They looked intimidating as they struck their poses. There were also ordinary criminal police holding uploaded firearms with muzzles aimed at him.


    ¡°You have five seconds to drop the knife!¡±


    A policewoman lowered her gun pointed toward the sky and picked up a loudspeaker from a police officer next to her. She shouted at Xiao Luo¡¯s expressionlessly as she counted down, ¡°Five, four, three ¡­..¡±


    She had fresh, clean, and beautiful features and a tall, athletic, and spirited figure. Her short hair was sleek and coiled behind her ears. Her bright and elegant eyes were pure as water, and her ck police uniform could not hide her svelte and morous figure.


    Xiao Luo remembered that this policewoman was the woman whom he had the providence to meet at the police station earlier in the day.


    Although his strength had increased, he did not consider meeting the police head-on. When she counted down to two, he threw the machete on the ground.


    Two special police officers rushed up. One ced himself on Xiao Luo¡¯s left and the other on his left as they restrained him.


    Looking at the ground full of people who were hurt and groaning in agony, Gu Qianlin¡¯s ck brows knitted in a scowl. She said with loathing, ¡°Gathering a group of men together on the streets and using knives to hurt others; you¡¯re disregarding the nation¡¯sws and the safety of the people. You¡¯ve caused a terrible impact on society. What a bunch of bastards, bring them all in!!! ¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± a cadre of police officers responded.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want to exin anything now, because he knew it wouldn¡¯t do any good. The police would not listen. His answers would only have meaning after they brought him back into the bureau for questioning.


    The middle-aged man dressed in a western suit and leather shoes only stood up after Xiao Luo, and the bald man¡¯s group were taken away by the police.


    ¡°Find out that young man¡¯s information. Also, get him a public defender. This young man is mine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡± Leng You answered respectfully.


    The next day, in the police interrogation room¡­..


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Age?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-six.¡±


    ¡°Why did you use a knife and hurt someone in public?¡±


    ¡°It was a legitimate case of self-defense!¡±


    Xiao Luo, wearing handcuffs, sat in the interrogation chair. He answered every question Gu Qianlin asked.


    ¡°Legitimate self-defense?¡±


    Gu Qianlin snorted and threw the report from the hospital on the table. ¡°Twenty minor injuries and eight serious injuries. All of them are now lying in the hospital¡¯s acute ward. You¡¯re telling me this is legitimate self-defense?¡±


    ¡°Officer, there is the police Sk surveince system on that street. Go into the system and look for yourself. You¡¯ll see if what I said is true,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to teach me how to handle the case, but I can tell you very regretfully that there are no surveince cameras at the ce where you wielded the knife to hurt others.¡± Gu Qianlin propped herself with both hands on the interrogation table and stared at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo raised a brow, ¡°There are no surveince cameras, but surely there are eyewitnesses. The stall owner can prove I was forced to defend myself.¡±

 Chapter 10 - An Excuse

    Chapter 10: An Excuse


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Qianlin looked Xiao Luo up and down. Now she recognized him: He was the guy who rescued a little girl from a crime gang earlier and whom she had a brief encounter with outside the entrance to the police station.


    It was because of his actions that she was able to crack a criminal gang that cripples kids and forces them to work as street beggars. Today, she saved 20 enved children who had their hands and feet broken. Thinking about this made her soften her gaze toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu?¡±


    The door of the interrogation room opened, and a police officer leaned half his torso in. It was evident he had something to report.


    Before leaving the room, Gu Qianlin ordered the other two officers to continue interrogating Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu, we¡¯ve investigated the identities of those people. The bald guy, Li Dawei, goes by the name Baldie. The other 20 are his subordinates. We now know they¡¯re part of the same group as the five we arrested this afternoon,¡± the male officer reported dryly.


    Gu Qianlin was startled. Suddenly she felt as if everything became clear at once. ¡°So, Li Dawei and his group started the fight to take revenge on Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°It looks that way.¡± I also spoke with the stall owner, who corroborated Xiao Luo¡¯s story. They said he was just sitting there eating his noodles when Li Dawei and his gang suddenly ran over with knives and steel pipes, looking to make trouble. Li Dawei even flipped over Xiao Luo¡¯s table; that¡¯s what started the conflict.¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s gaze drifted. She turned to another topic and asked, ¡°Have you checked Xiao Luo¡¯s biodata?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He was born into an ordinary farmer¡¯s family in Xi Province and graduated from Xisheng Aeronautical University three years ago. He had been working for Huahai Corporation. His parents are one hundred percent farmers. He also has a younger sister who¡¯s married and works as a nurse in a hospital in Jiangcheng. He ¡­ ¡±


    Gu Qianlin waved and interrupted, ¡°Xiao Wang, do you think anything¡¯s wrong with this biodata?¡±


    Officer Xiao Wang had a nk expression on his face, not understanding the nature of her question. He shook his head and said, ¡°This is a very ordinary biodata. I found nothing amiss.¡±


    ¡°His biodata is fine, but Xiao Luo has a big problem.¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s ck brows knitted slightly, and she said in all seriousness, ¡°He dealt with 28 crime members armed with knives and clubs all by himself. Not only was he not injured, but he caused 20 minor injuries and eight serious injuries. Hisbat skills put our entire elite SWAT team to shame.


    Upon hearing this, officer Xiao Wang understood the problem.


    He furrowed his brows and scratched the back of his head. His face was full of astonishment and doubt. ¡°Yeah, Xiao Luo is an ordinary person ording to what¡¯s written in his biodata. But how could an ordinary person have such freakish skills?¡±


    ¡°So, there must be a problem with him!¡± Gu Qianlin asserted.


    ¡°But that can¡¯t be right. His biodata clearly states that he neither received any specialized training nor joined any organization. Also, his sister, Xiao Ruyi, who works at the People¡¯s Hospital in Guangming district, confirmed that his biodata records are urate, not false. Could he have received guidance from an expert when he was a child?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Gu Qianlin was even more puzzled: How could an ordinary person suddenly be a superhero with terrifying fighting abilities?


    Officer Xiao Wang further expounded, ¡°I mean, would there be an expert who happens to live as a hermit in their mountain vige? The expert would have seen that he was dealing with a child prodigy and that Xiao Luo possessed an extraordinary physical constitution when he imparted his skills to him. After all, it¡¯s impossible to include something like that in a person¡¯s biodata. ¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking of making a movie now? An expert living like a hermit? Hah!¡± Gu Qianlin rolled her eyes.


    Officer Xiao Wangughed in embarrassment. He had watched simr movies; that¡¯s how he came up with a wild guess like that.


    At that moment, a fresh-faced young police officer came running over and saluted Gu Qianlin. ¡°Team Leader Gu, awyer Ge, of Jiangcheng Law Firm, is here to post bail for a man named Xiao Luo.¡±


    Lawyer Ge of Jiangcheng¡¯s Law Firm?


    Ge Zhongtian?!


    The expression on Gu Qianlin¡¯s and Xiao Wang¡¯s faces changed slightly. Ge Zhongtian was a well-known attorney at Jiangcheng, a top firm. Even if someone had money, it was almost impossible to retain his services if the person had no status. Just who was this Xiao Luo that the likes of Ge Zhongtian would condescend to bail him out?


    She had nned to investigate Xiao Luo further, but it seemed unlikely now.


    ******


    ¡°DING! Congrattions. You¡¯ve earned ten points!¡±


    ¡°DING! Congrattions. You¡¯ve earned twenty points!¡±


    ¡­


    In the interrogation room, the system notifications sounded in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. The system had been reminding him of the points he was earning when he started fighting with the bald man and his group. So far, he had umted more than 250 points.


    The door of the interrogation room creaked open, and Gu Qianlin and Officer Xiao Wang came in. She ordered two other police officers to remove the handcuffs from Xiao Luo.


    She said icily, ¡°You¡¯re free to go, Xiao Luo!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve confirmed that I acted in legitimate self-defense?¡± Xiao Luo stood up and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Your problem can be legitimate self-defense or excessive self-defense. If it wasn¡¯t because you indirectly helped the police deliver a blow against crime, I wouldn¡¯t be letting you go so easily,¡± said Gu Qianlin proudly as she stuffed her hands into her pants pocket.


    ¡°Oh, it seems that I have to thank Team Leader Gu for your generosity!¡± Xiao Luo strode toward the door.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Gu Qianlin suddenly stopped him.


    Xiao Luo halted and said, ¡°Officer? Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn your fighting skills? Your biodata made no mention of your receiving any special training.¡± Gu Qianlin stared at him as if she was interrogating a suspect.


    Xiao Luo froze for a moment, then heughed and said, ¡°I learned from an old beggar in our vige when I was a child.¡±


    Officer Xiao Wang was astonished. So I was right with my stupid guess! Isn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence?


    ¡°What¡¯s the old beggar¡¯s name?¡± Gu Qianlin carefully observed the microexpressions on Xiao Luo¡¯s face to confirm if he was lying.


    ¡°He was a horrible old geezer who used to victimize others for food and drink. I received my fair share of bullying from him when I was a kid.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know his real name; the vigers used to call him Old Loony.¡±


    ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He died a few years ago and was buried in the mountains. His body has probably fully dposed by now.¡±


    Xiao Luo knew this question would eventuallye, hence his glib answer. Moreover, there really was a person like that in his vige. He came over in the early years to escape famine and beg for food. There would be no cracks in his story if someone wanted to check it out.


    Gu Qianlin was demoralized. Asking these questions was the same as not asking. Besides, her skill and technique at observing microexpressions, something she was proud of, seemed to be ineffective now. She couldn¡¯t tell whether Xiao Luo was telling the truth or lies.


    ¡­..


    At the gate of the police station, Ge Zhongtian, a grizzled man with gold-rimmed sses, shook hands with Xiao Luo solemnly, ¡°Hello Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Xiao Luo immediately understood why he was released from the police station so quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who bailed me out?¡±


    Ge Zhongtian nodded, ¡°Yes, at Mr. Chu¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chu?¡± Xiao Luo frowned. He couldn¡¯t remember meeting anyone by that name.


    ¡°The boss of Chongshan House, Chu Yunxiong!¡± Ge Zhongtian said with a smile.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11: Mission To Protect


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The name set off rm bells in Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Chu Yunxiong was one of Jiangcheng¡¯s most prominent business tycoons. He started thepany from scratch and slogged away for 20 years, establishing Chongshan House in the process. He now owned half the restaurants in Jiangcheng as well as outlets in hundreds of cities nationwide. He had indeed built a food and beverage empire.


    Perplexed and doubtful, Xiao Luo hadn¡¯t the faintest idea when or how he became intertwined with Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, Mr. Chu is waiting for you!¡± chuckled Ge Zhongtian.


    Looking in the direction in which Ge Zhongtian was pointing, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyesnded on a ck Rolls Royce parked at the side of the road.


    Since Mr. Chu had posted bail for him, Xiao Luo had to give him face. Besides, he also wanted to know why Chu Yunxiong was helping him.


    After saying goodbye to Ge Zhongtian, Xiao Luo walked toward the Rolls and nced at the back seat. What he saw got his attention! He gasped in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just anyone. It was the middle-aged guy he had eaten withst night.


    Because it was so dark, and there was some distance between them, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t realize that the middle-aged man was Chu Yunxiong. Moreover, it never urred to him that someone of such stature would be eating at a street food stall just like him.


    Dressed in a chic suit, and sitting calm and collected on the ck leather seat, Chu Yunxiong was full of vigor, despite the ample streaks of white in his hair. He chirped to Xiao Luo, ¡°Get in, young man! Let¡¯s talk!¡±


    Though his smile was kind and warm, hisportment exuded dignity and grace.


    Xiao Luo realized this was a rare opportunity, so he opened the door and got in the car.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu, that car seems to belong to Chu Yunxiong, the boss of Chongshan House.¡±


    On the second floor of the police station, Officer Xiao Wang was watching the departing Rolls Royce in astonishment. ¡°Who is this Xiao Luo, really? He got Chu Yunxiong to post bail for him?¡±


    Gu Qianlin was equally astounded: One was a tycoon at the top of the food chain; the other, a little nobody at the bottom. There wouldn¡¯t have been an intersection between the two of them¨Cor would there? What what was up with that?


    Like Xiao Luost night, she didn¡¯t recognize Chu Yunxiong and took him to be a passer-by.


    She was now very interested in Xiao Luo and determined to resolve all the mysteries surrounding him, eventually.


    ******


    Ten minutester, the Rolls Royce pulled up in front of a caf¨¦ next to the mall. They walked past the gigantic water fountain, into the caf¨¦.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    The service staff and the manager were lined in two rows, respectfully weing Chu Yunxiong¡¯s arrival.


    Xiao Luo surmised that this caf¨¦ had either already been booked or was perhaps owned by Chu Yunxiong.


    The two of them settled at a secluded corner on the second floor. The room was surrounded byrge potted nts and was incredibly serene and peaceful. Meanwhile, Chu Yunxiong¡¯s two bodyguards, Leng Zuo and Leng You, remained alert and watchful of the surroundings.


    ¡°You must be hungry after spending the night at the police station,¡± said Chu Yunxiong, with a smile on his face.


    ¡± Well, a little!¡± Xiao Luo replied modestly with wide eyes.


    With a snap of Chu Yunxiong¡¯s fingers, the waitstaff began serving them tes of rolls, desserts, congee, corn soup, steak, and more. The table was soon filled with a mouth-watering assortment of aromatic dishes.


    Xiao Luo was not all pretentious. He was indeed hungry, so he dug into the sumptuous spread.


    Chu Yunxiong admired his enthusiasm. ¡°It is, indeed, good to be young. You can eat whatever you want. But if old men like me satisfy our cravings on a whim, it would be detrimental to our health.¡±


    He then leisurely took a sip of the corn soup.


    ¡°Mr. Chu, allow me to get to the point if I may. I don¡¯t think you bailed me out just to treat me to breakfast.¡± Xiao Luo took a bite of the roll and spoke as he chewed.


    ¡°Haha¡­okay, you are indeed a straight shooter!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong had a feeling that they would get along well. With a wave of his hand, he summoned Leng You, who brought him a copy of a contract and ced it in front of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Xiao Luo was mildly rmed.


    ¡°Last night, I watched how you dealt with those gangsters and hooligans. You were not merely courageous. You were also a highly-skilled fighter. You single-handedly took down more than 20 heavily armed thugs. I have nothing but admiration for you. Hence, I¡¯d like to hire you to protect someone for three months. You will be paid two million for your trouble.¡±


    Two million to protect a person for three months?


    No matter howposed Xiao Luo was, it still took him a while to fully absorb what he had just heard. He scrutinized the contract; it spelled out the agreement clearly in ck and white, proving that Chu Yunxiong meant every word he had just said.


    ¡°Protect who?¡±


    ¡°My daughter.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked up in bewilderment. ¡°Mr. Chu, you have too high an opinion of me. Are you sure you want to entrust your daughter¡¯s safety to someone you¡¯ve known less than a day?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be hiring you if I doubted your abilities. You managed to save a kid who was wholly unrted to you. I have faith in your character and capabilities.¡± Naturally, he had already conducted a background check on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Even so, why don¡¯t you have them to do it?¡±


    Xiao Luo gestured at Leng Zuo and Leng You. ¡°As professionally trained bodyguards, surely they¡¯re better qualified than I am.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong set down the ss in his hand, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s because they¡¯re bodyguards. That¡¯s why they¡¯re not suitable.¡±


    This puzzled Xiao Luo. Bodyguards specialize in protecting people; why would Chu Yunxiong say that they weren¡¯t suitable?


    ¡°The problem lies with my daughter, Chu Yue. She doesn¡¯t like being followed by bodyguards and would devise all sorts of tricks and methods to keep them away. This has caused me many a headache,¡± Chu Yunxiong let out a long sigh.


    Xiao Luo nodded empathetically. A youngdy born to a wealthy family would be used to getting her way.


    He then asked, ¡°Where does Mr. Chu¡¯s daughter work?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still a student, currently enrolled at Huaye University.¡±


    ¡°A student?¡±


    This surprised Xiao Luo, but he managed to regain hisposure quickly. ¡°Mr. Chu wants me to act as a student to protect her in secret?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Only by doing this would she not keep her guard up.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°I must tell you; I¡¯m already 26 years old.¡±


    He was implying that it was hardly appropriate for him to pass or act as a student.


    ¡°Age isn¡¯t important. What matters is that you¡¯re still very young, so no one on campus will suspect you.¡±


    Chu Yunxiongughed. ¡°This is also the main reason I set my eyes on you. My bodyguards, no matter how skilled, would hardly pass as students¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as he shook his head. It was clear what he was getting at, even if he hadn¡¯t said another word.


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡± Well, if you¡¯re agreeable, shall we sign the contract now?¡± Chu Yunxiong was also a straight shooter.


    ¡°I have onest question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡± Why three months?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Chu Yunxiong tapped the table lightly with his fingers. ¡°I have confidence that I¡¯d be able to make mypetitor go out of business within three months. When that happens, he won¡¯t have any extra resources to hire thugs to go after my daughter and me, and I would also be able to devote more time to keeping herpany¡­¡±

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12: A Female Dominated Major


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo agreed to Chu Yunxiong¡¯s request when he had no more questions. Putting aside the fact that he would be paid 140 grand for this transaction, more importantly, the skills he had obtained from the system ¨C the Constitution of: King of Mercenaries ¨C seemed more than sufficient to ensure Chuye¡¯s safety.


    Moreover, he needed the money. Whether it was for his family or his future career, this first bucket of gold was a necessity.


    After he signed the contract, 70 grand was immediately deposited into his bank ount. This was the first payment. The bnce would be paid after he hadpleted the task of protecting Chuyue.


    Xiao Luo felt immeasurably self-satisfied and went to the bank to transfer all the money to his father¡¯s ount. Then he called home to share the good news. ¡°Dad, I transferred some money to your ount. Check it when you¡¯re free. ¡±


    Silence. Suddenly his mom¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°Son, your dad is busy. He didn¡¯t take his mobile with him. You just said that you transferred some money? How much?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not surprised. A farm was a huge responsibility and had to be adequately managed. Of course, Dad was busy. Heughed and said, ¡°Seventy thousand. Get Dad to check it out at the credit union when he¡¯s free.¡±


    ¡°Seventy thousand? Son, why do you have so much money, you¡­. did you rob a bank?¡± his mom eximed in surprise.


    Xiao Luo was lost for words. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I won the lottery.¡±


    ¡°Won the lottery? When did that happen?¡± Mom smiled.


    ¡°A few days ago. I redeemed the prize today. By the way, don¡¯t make this public knowledge; others will be jealous.¡±


    ¡°I know. Your mother¡¯s not stupid.¡± Excitement and joy were shining through her words.


    ¡°He Ying, who called?¡± A man¡¯s steady voice came through the phone.


    Xiao Luo knew it was his father¡¯s voice. He was probably returning from his farm chores.


    ¡°It¡¯s our son. He bought a lottery ticket and won the jackpot. He just transferred us 70,000 dors. Hurry, go to the credit union above the dike. It¡¯s so much money and can¡¯t be swallowed up by the credit union,¡± said Mom, burning with anxiety.


    ¡°Look how happy you are! Give me that phone. I want to say something to Xiao Luo.¡±


    Mom passed the phone to Dad. An old-fashioned voice said, ¡°Xiao Luo, is it true what your mom said? You bought a lottery ticket and hit the jackpot?¡±


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯ll know when you check your ount at the bank.¡± Xiao Luo chuckled gleefully.


    ¡°Even if you won 70,000, why remit the money? Isn¡¯t it good to keep it and use it for your career? Men should have a career and work hard in it forever.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I see you and Mom working hard. I also know that you owe the bank a loan of 57,000 dors. This money can help alleviate your burden. I¡¯m still young. I can slowly build my career.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Our son is dutiful, so why are you reprimanding him? Can¡¯t you praise his good points?¡± Mom said in Xiao Luo¡¯s defense.


    Dad¡¯s tone changed. ¡°You¡¯re a woman. What do you know? You¡¯re short-sighted, getting all smug because of 70,000 dors. This will rub off on your son, and he¡¯ll be easily satisfied. Men should not feel satisfied but should be as greedy as a wolf. When he has earned a 100,000, he should have the desire to make a million, and when he¡¯s made a million, he should want to make 10 million. Do you understand? ¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. You¡¯re right. Everything you¡¯re saying makes sense. I¡¯m short-sighted.¡± Mom didn¡¯t want to argue.


    Feeling a bit awkward, Xiao Luo raised his brows and said, ¡°Dad, I still have something left. Both of you need to take care of yourselves. Say hello to Grandpa and Grandma for me.¡±


    He finished talking and quickly hung up the phone; he was in no mood to listen to his dad¡¯s nagging.


    Xiao Luo exhaled a long breath. Calling home always filled him with trepidation. He couldn¡¯t remember getting any decent praise from his dad while growing up. Like the time he was among the quota of students with the second-highest batch of results in the college entrance exam. And what was Dad¡¯s reaction? ¡°Don¡¯t be full of yourself. This achievement is nothing.¡±


    ******


    Early the next day, Xiao Luo dressed like a poser. Oh no, it should be said that he was dressed smartly and looked energetic. He brought his luggage along and took the subway to Huaye University.


    Since he was entrusted with a task, he vowed to do his best to do it to the best of his ability. What¡¯s more, he was being paid royally for his services and was very enthusiastic about this mission.


    Of course, Chu Yunxiong had also made it clear that in addition to him, there were a few other professionally trained bodyguards on campus who were covertly protecting Chu Yue. Arranging for him to go into the school was just an additionalyer of security for Chu Yue.


    He changed subway lines several times and traveled more than two hours. Atst, he took a taxi for another fifteen minutes before finally arriving at the gates of Huaye University.


    As a world-ss academy, even the front gates of the university gave off an air of majesty. Standing below them made one feel very small.


    Xiao Luo took out his mobile phone and dialed the number Chu Yunxiong had given him.


    Not long after, a woman wearing sses for myopia and who looked to be around the same age as him came out. She was wearing a short pink off-shoulder dress, the bow cinching at her tiny waist sentimental and cute. Layers ofce embellished the beautiful dress,plementing the wavy hair draped gracefully over her shoulders.


    She was not exactly pretty. The e scars that marred her face were the main detracting factor. Other than that, her facial features were quite well-proportioned and lovely.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡± The woman approached Xiao Luo and asked out loud.


    Xiao Luo nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°We just spoke on the phone. I am Qin Nanyu, a counselor with the English Department.¡± The woman introduced herself effusively.


    ¡°Hello, Teacher Qin!¡± Xiao Luo smiled politely.


    A counselor wasn¡¯t considered a real teacher; he or she could only be regarded as a nanny in the life of college students. When Xiao Luo addressed her as ¡°Teacher,¡± Qin Nanyu¡¯s smile immediately brightened; she also became more enthusiastic. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you over so you can meet your ssmates. It¡¯s almost time for ss to end so everyone will be present.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work!¡± Xiao Luo smiled lightly.


    He followed Qin Nanyu as they walked on the long main road. They passed by a beautiful artificialke before going through a rockery and finally a teaching block. It just so happened that the bell was ringing, signaling the end of ss. University students brimming with energy and vitality walked out of the ssroom in groups. The entire building became noisy.


    ¡°Wait here; you cane in when I call for you!¡±


    Qin Nanyu urged Xiao Luo and then entered the ssroom in front of them.


    She pped her palms several times to signal the Englishnguage sophomores who were preparing to leave to sit down again, ¡°Students, don¡¯t leave yet. I¡¯ll be introducing your new ssmate.¡±


    ¡°New ssmate? Counselor, are you sure you spoke correctly? This is a university, not a middle or high school. How could a transfer student being in halfway through the term?¡±


    ¡°An Huanhuan, you don¡¯t understand. If one¡¯s course credits in the previous year are seriouslycking, a student would have to repeat a year. It doesn¡¯t only include the transfer students that you¡¯ve mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is also another situation where this is applicable: those who change majors!¡±


    Qin Nanyu kept them in suspense. ¡°Don¡¯t make blind guesses. It¡¯s better to let the student introduce himself.¡±


    After speaking, she threw a look at Xiao Luo, who was at the door of the ssroom.


    After getting the signal, Xiao Luo took a deep breath and stepped in. When he stood at the podium and looked down, he was dumbfounded. The ss was all girls. Only two boys sat in the most inconspicuous corner of the back row.


    He had long heard that majors like English Language were female-dominated with a few males, but this was too crazy. Only two boys?

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13: Two Dormitory Roommates


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    He couldn¡¯t just stand there stupefied like an idiot; he had a job to do. Xiao Luo quickly calmed down and introduced himself, ¡°Hello everyone. My name is Xiao Luo. I¡¯ll be having lessons with you and learning together. Please take care of me!¡±


    He gave a polite and humble bow after he finished speaking.


    But his words received no response. All the girls looked at him as if they were admiring a cultural relic. This was called ¡°whatever is scarcer is more precious.¡± When Xiao Luo, a guy who could be considered handsome, entered the ssroom, this group of sophomore girls from the English Language Department stared at him fixedly.


    Xiao Luo was a little embarrassed. Although he had attended some important events¨Che once hosted a product-development conference for 20 or 30 people¨Che was not entirelyposed when being stared at by 40 or 50 girls.


    ¡°Ahem¡­.What are you all waiting for? Please, wee your new ssmate!¡± Counselor Qin Nanyu reminded everyone with a cough.


    The girls finally reacted and weed Xiao Luo with enthusiastic apuse. Some even cheered and called him ¡°ssmate¡±; others called out ¡°hey, handsome,¡± and a few called him ¡°oppa,¡± Korean ng that meant ¡°an older brother or friend.¡± They were not only enthusiastic and considerate but also much more emotional than when they had finished ss just now.


    ¡°Wee, handsome. My name¡¯s An Huanhuan. I don¡¯t have a boyfriend; can you give me your mobile number?¡± A sweet-looking girl with a petite and cute figure approached the podium. She took out her phone and asked Xiao Luo for his mobile number.


    The ss immediately booed¡­..


    ¡°An Huanhuan. Isn¡¯t a big guy from the northeast enough to satisfy you? Don¡¯t be a menace to our handsome Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. You don¡¯t believe we¡¯ll hang you up and beat you to a pulp if you dare to get it on with two guys at the same time?¡±


    ¡°Now that we finally have a guy in ss who¡¯s fit to be seen with, he can be anyone¡¯s boyfriend except yours, An Huanhuan. Hurry and get down from there.¡±


    The girls in the ss mmed her down in unison.


    ¡°Drop dead! This is pure jealousy on your part!¡±


    The girl named An Huanhuan ttened her lips unhappily after saying this. Then she leaned close to Xiao Luo and gave a backhandedpliment, ¡°Handsome, don¡¯t listen to them. Be careful of them, because when they devour men, there¡¯ll be no bones left to spit out.¡±


    Xiao Luo squeezed out a smile with great effort. He didn¡¯t feel that he hade to the English Language department. Instead, he felt as if he had fallen into a den of wolves, a den of she-wolves.


    Without waiting for him to say anything, arge group of girls ran up and gathered around him, demanding his mobile number, WeChat, and QQ. They were enthusiastic and excited as if they were in the presence of a superstar.


    But some girls remained indifferent, like the girl sitting on the left side of the front row.


    She had a clean, sleek bob that fell just below her ears, her hair slightly concealing the enchanting face that blushed shyly. Her delicate and fresh features were intelligent and alluring.


    The white off-the-shoulder dress fell just to her wrists; her chest disyed a natural curve. The pattern ofce followed her lithe waist until it reached the fluffy red hem of the dress, which was covered with tulle and suffused with a pale gold tint. She looked like the archetypal pretty daughter from a humble family. Her figure was not exaggerated, but neither was she thin and small. Her beautiful shoulders and tender, lovely skin were sublime. Her voluptuous figure was full yet reserved with plump breasts and a perky butt.


    She was like a lotus that had just emerged from clear waters: fresh, pure, elegant. But a lollipop in her rosy little mouth added a sense of yfulness and charm!


    ¡°Bai Ling, check his information. I suspect he¡¯s another one sent by my loathsome dad,¡± she said to the girl sitting next to her. But her eyes were fixed on Xiao Luo, who was surrounded by a crowd.


    The girl named Bai Ling immediately entered a series of codes on herptop and infiltrated Huaye¡¯s student management system. She quickly picked out Xiao Luo¡¯s information. Bai Ling nced at her and smiled, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, you guessed wrong this time. Your dad didn¡¯t send this guy. He really is a student of Huaye. He enlisted in the army two years ago while he was still in our school. He¡¯s back to finish college after two years of military service; hence that¡¯s why he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chu Yue delicate brows knitted in a slight frown.


    ¡°It was written very clearly. The results of his various freshman courses are also recorded in detail. He even has a record of receiving a campus schrship.¡± Bai Ling turned herptop around to give Chu Yue a better look.


    Chu Yue looked it over seriously and went silent, agreeing with Bai Ling¡¯s assessment.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such a handsome ssmate to appear halfway through the term. The ss will be a lot more interesting now.¡±


    Bai Ling also expressed her wee at Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival. After all, they were too few boys in their major. They were only two, and both were hopelessly ugly. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little excited when she thought about attending ss with this hot hunk.


    ¡°How is he handsome? Doesn¡¯t he have two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth? He¡¯s dressed kind of dorky, like a country bumpkin. Only this bunch of love-struck fools would think he¡¯s handsome.¡± Chu Yue gave a great harrumph. She hated this kind of guy who was a ma for the opposite sex. Although Xiao Luo was not really like that, this imposter masquerading as a student was just such a person in her eyes.


    Bai Ling didn¡¯t say a word. At this time, she could not possibly insist that Xiao Luo was handsome and tear down her bestie¡¯s soapbox.


    ¡°All right, all right, get back to your seats!¡±


    The girls in the English Language Major only returned to their seats when their counselor, Qin Nanyu, told them to. They chatted andughed as they took out their mobiles and went to Xiao Luo¡¯s WeChat and QQ space, feeling extremely curious. They also discussed with each other in which picture he was the hottest.


    Xiao Luo was feeling embarrassed. He could understand it if the girls wanted to know his contact information, but why was he being groped by a pervert? He felt someone touching him just now; moreover, the ce that they were fondling was the toy that would carry on his family line.


    Were these people college girls?


    Xiao Luo had some serious reservations about them.


    ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai!¡±


    After Qin Nanyu called these two names, the only two boys in the ss ran over obediently from thest row.


    One of them was so chubby his neck was not even visible. He stood less than 5¡¯6¡å tall but weighed more than 187 lbs. He was so rotund he looked like a massive meatball. The other guy? Just the opposite, a bamboo pole. His face was sallow; his body, emaciated body with stooped shoulders. He was about 5¡¯6¡å and weighed less than 110 lbs.


    Short and fat; tall and thin. The two were a sharp contrast when ced together. One couldn¡¯t help giggling.


    ¡°Xiao Luo will be staying with you two in the dormitory. Since there are no sses after this, please show him around and help familiarize him with the dormitory¡¯s environment,¡± Qin Nanyu said to the two guys.


    ¡°Leave Xiao Luo to us. You can rest assured, counselor.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei patted his chest and made a solemn vow. He turned his head and said to Ding Kai, ¡°Kaizi, help me take my books while I carry Xiao Luo¡¯s suitcase.¡±


    ¡°No need, but thanks. I can carry my suitcase myself.¡± Xiao Luo was embarrassed and quickly refused.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Lao Zhu¡¯s very strong. Carrying a suitcase is nothing for him,¡± Ding Kai advised.


    Zhu Xiaofei had already hoisted the suitcase onto his shoulders. He yelled at Xiao Luo, ¡°Bro, Xiao Luo,e along. We¡¯ll be roommates. No need to stand on ceremony with us.¡±


    Xiao Luo reluctantly agreed. He said goodbye to Qin Nanyu and the girls, trundling off with Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai. Before leaving, he intentionally cast a searching gaze around the ss and spotted Chu Yue, who was sitting in the first row, sucking a lollipop.


    ¡°Young Mistress Chu, Xiao Luo seemed to have taken another look at you before leaving. His judgment is perfect!¡± said Bai Ling half-jokingly.


    ¡°What¡¯s so good about that? He looked like a lecher!¡± said Chu Yue disdainfully.


    Bai Lingughed lightly and said quite meaningfully, ¡°Isn¡¯t his judgment good? He doesn¡¯t look at anyone, only at you, our campus belle.¡±


    ¡°Bai Ling, you nasty girl. Are you making fun of me? Do you believe I¡¯ll make you beg for mercy tonight?¡± Chu Yueughed coldly like a little devil.


    ¡°Queen, please spare my life!¡±


    Bai Ling shivered and swiftly asked for forgiveness as she recalled the scene where Chu Yue tickled her¡­

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14: Campus Belle, Chu Yue¡¯s Gaming Time


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo followed Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai to the male dormitory for the English Language Majors.


    Both guys were the talkative type, and it was hardly quiet along the way. They were like a couple of buzzing bees, flying and humming in Xiao Luo¡¯s ears. They were also curious about his past. When they learned that he had enlisted in the army for two years before retiring and returning to Huaye to finish his studies, the two started addressing him as Brother Luo.


    They initially thought he was about the same age as them. Now, it seemed that Xiao Luo was much older, so it wasn¡¯t appropriate to call him Bro or Xiao Luo.


    About ten minutester, the three arrived at the seventh floor of the seventh dormitory.


    ¡°Brother Luo, we¡¯re here!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei put down the suitcase and took out the keys from his pants pocket to open the green iron door in front of him.


    Xiao Luo secretly took his hat off to Zhu Xiaofei for lugging his 20-kg suitcase such a long distance and climbing to the seventh floor. And he wasn¡¯t even panting! So, he wasn¡¯t the puffy sort with weak muscles and drooping fat.


    Coming to this dorm and smelling the strange odor that only existed in a dorm flooded his mind with a long-lost feeling. Who would have thought that after graduating and working for three years, he would end up in university again? Xiao Luo¡¯s heart was filled with emotion.


    They opened the door and entered the dorm room. Two metal-framed beds came into view, followed by a row of desks thatbined a bookcase, wardrobe, andputer table. Like most male dorm rooms, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai¡¯s room was an unsightly mess: Worn clothes and socks were strewn as if an explosion had gone off. A pile of stinky nketsy heaped in a corner.


    Zhu Xiaofei scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. ¡°The room is a bit dirty and messy, Brother Luo Ge, please bear with us!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good,¡± Xiao Luo tittered.


    In his university days, Zhang Dashan was the biggest slob. He would make the dorm room stink to high heaven with billowing smoke. He couldn¡¯t bear it in the beginning but got used to it in the end. He had survived four years of that, so why should he care now when he¡¯d only be here three short months?


    Dingkai tidied a bed and said enthusiastically, ¡°Brother Luo, you can sleep in this bed. There¡¯s some luggage on that bed above, and it has a lot of dust. I can¡¯t clean it for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ s just the two of you in this room?¡± Xiao Luo asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes. The standard dorm room is meant for four people, but there¡¯s only the two of us in the ss. We¡¯re not enough to fill up one dorm room, but students from other majors are unwilling to mix with us, so it¡¯s just us here.¡± Ding Kai spread his hands and said helplessly.


    So that was it!


    Xiao Luo nodded. He opened his suitcase and began to sort out his bed.


    Then he began organizing his personal belongings. Naturally, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai could not help him with that, so they turned on theputer and got ready to y a game.


    ¡°Brother Luo, do you y LOL?¡± Zhu Xiaofei turned his head and asked with anticipation.


    Xiao Luo smiled in return and said, ¡°A little!¡±


    During university, Zhang Dashan was a loyal yer of this game and brought him into the trap. Still, he yed less after graduation when he started working. His rank had always remained at tinum V.


    ¡°Would you like to open up a chat for a game?¡± Ding Kaixing said animatedly.


    ¡°Nah. You guys go ahead. I need to organize my stuff.¡± Xiao Luo refused with a smile. He had no interest in ying this game now.


    Dingkai raised his brows, ¡°Oh, all right!¡±


    The two immediately joined to form a group, proceeding with duo rank mode. While waiting for the queue, Zhu Xiaofei went into the group chat for the English Language majors and cried out in surprise. ¡°F*ck! The campus belle Chu Yue is starting her livestream again. She¡¯s inviting everyone to go to the livestreaming tform to watch it!¡±


    Dingkai howled energetically, too. ¡°Hurry. Ask her to take us along and make us look formidable; let¡¯s fly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a must.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei fired off a reply in the group chat: Chu MM, please let me ride on your coattails!


    Dingkai didn¡¯t resign himself to his fate either. He also replied in the group chat: We want to get on the same ride. I beg you. Please take us on. We can give you a gift.


    He even added a sad and weak emoji at the end.


    Once they posted their replies, the other girls in the English Language Major attacked them.


    Losers. You dragged our Princess Chuyue down so badlyst time. Do you dare ask her to include you? Shameless.


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, form your team and trap others to take you along. It¡¯s best if you¡¯re queued to be opposite Yueyue, then you¡¯ll be cruelly beaten by her, hehe ¡­


    Haha¡­ Don¡¯t be like this. In any case, they¡¯re like the national treasure in our ss. It¡¯s not good to deliver such a blow to them!


    What are you afraid of? There¡¯s the handsome Xiao Luo now. They can get off their pedestal as ¡°national treasure.¡¯


    ¡­..


    Looking at the screen full of remarks attacking them, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai felt like crying but didn¡¯t shed a tear. They wondered why they were hated so much.


    Xiao Luo had already sorted things out by now. Hearing the words ¡°campus belle,¡± he guessed it was Chu Yue they were talking about. His mission was to protect her. Naturally, he was motivated when it came to anything rted to her.


    Hence, he inquired, ¡°Xiaofei, when you said campus belle, did you mean Chu Yue?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Brother Luo. It¡¯s Chu Yue. She was voted campus belle on our school forum; she¡¯s the dream goddess of countless boys.¡± Zhu Xiaofei said with an intoxicated expression. It was apparent he adored her. After all, she was a great beauty. Who wouldn¡¯t be smitten with her?


    Ding Kai added, ¡°She¡¯s not only beautiful, but she¡¯s also a terrific gamer. She¡¯s ranked in the Challenger tier with her official ount. She has a secondary unofficial ount where she¡¯s ranked tinum II. When she¡¯s free, she¡¯ll open up a game chat with Bai Ling and do a livestream. Her livestream broadcast has more than 200,000 fans. The money she gets from the livestreaming tform every month is more than the wages of white-cor workers who¡¯ve been slogging away for years.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Chu Yue¡¯s level of mastery in League of Legends to have reached the pinnacle.


    ¡°She replied!¡± Chu Yue replied. ¡°She promised to take us on!¡± Zhu Xiaofei suddenly yelled in excitement.


    Xiao Luo looked at theputer screen and saw that Chu Yue did reply. She agreed to get queued with Zhu Xiaofei and Dingkai. At the end, however, she added in amanding tone, No dragging us down.


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­ This is great. I can be on TV now too!¡±


    Dingkai was ecstatic. Then he took out a mirror andbed his hair. ¡°No, I want to tidy up my hairstyle.¡±


    ¡°For f*ck? Nobody can see you. Stop being narcissistic.¡± Zhu Xiaofei cursed.


    Dingkai didn¡¯t mind. He flipped the bangs on his forehead. ¡°If the stage is in my mind, there¡¯ll be stages for me to perform everywhere. I want to show my most handsome and coolest side to the audience.¡±


    ¡°Blergh.¡± Zhu Xiaofei dry retched.


    Beep beep beep


    This time Zhu Xiaofei received a message on QQ.


    He selected the message to read it; it was from Chu Yue. There was only a short line, Get one more to make five people!


    ¡°F*ck me. It seems that the great campus beauty is going to show off some real skills this time. We¡¯re starting a team with five people ranking, but it¡¯s easy to meet an enemy team.¡± Zhu Xiaofei frowned.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? She holds the Challenger tier in her faction!¡± Ding Kai waved his hand dismissively.


    ¡°I know, but she asked me to get one more person. This is sost minute. Where am I supposed to get someone of the tinum tier?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei frowned, then he realized Xiao Luo¡¯s existence and asked, ¡°By the way, Brother Luo, what tier are you in?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s tinum,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Zhu Xiaofei was pleased. Then he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the faction code?¡±


    ¡°ck rose!¡± Xiao Luo answered without thinking.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15: ID: Hero Luo


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Xiao Luo said that his faction was the ck Rose, Zhu Xiaofei immediately flew over and held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand tightly. He put on a pitiful and delicate act,¡±Ohhh, Brother Luo, this must be fate. Yes, we are also from the ck Rose faction. Come and join the game chat, you¡¯re the only one left. You¡¯re not allowed to refuse. This is destined, and destiny has the greater power! ¡±


    Xiao Luo felt awkward, he frowned, ¡°But I still need to organize my things¡­..¡±


    ¡°It took a lot of effort for the campus belle to agree to take us on to make us look more formidable, and to let us ride on her coattails to the sky. If you don¡¯t help, I¡¯ll be slitting own my neck andmitting suicide every few minutes.¡± Zhu Xiaofei interrupted, he also made a gesture of shing his neck with his palm.


    Xiao Luo had second thoughts. If he wanted to be an invisible bodyguard, the most important thing was to be friends with Chu Yue first. This was an opportunity.


    He thought about this and nodded in agreement, ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll y a few rounds with you.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­. Thank you very much, Brother Luo, thank you!¡± Zhu Xiaofei was so ovee with emotion that he almost kissed Xiao Luo a few times.


    Dingkai responded to Chu Yue directly by typing in the group, ¡°Chu MM, we can start the queue ranking. The newly arrived Brother Luo in our ss happens to be of the tinum tier from the ck Rose faction, so we¡¯ve gathered five people now.¡±


    Not long after this message was sent out, the group chat of the English Language ss exploded.


    ¡°What? The handsome Xiao Luo also ys League of Legends?¡±


    ¡°Hoho, everyone, go to Princess Chu¡¯s livestream, the handsome Xiao Xiao Luo will be ying League of Legends!¡±


    ¡°Really looking forward to it¡­..¡±


    A series of messages sprung up in rapid session, including various memes, the group chat had never been so lively before.


    In the female dormitory ¡­


    Looking at the enthusiasm by their ssmates in the group chat, Bai Ling said half-jokingly, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, Xiao Luo is very popr in our ss. See, as soon as everyone heard that he¡¯ll be ying the game, they opened up your livestream in preparation to see him.¡±


    Chu Yue sat on a desk chair, her fine ck hair was casually spread and her cheeks were rosy, she looked dazzling. Her delicate brows knitted in a frown and feeling dissatisfied, she said, ¡°He is just a fellow that appeals to the crowds using vulgar ptrap. I¡¯ve had enough of these love-sick fools, it¡¯s as if they¡¯ve never seen a man for decades! ¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­.. pay attention to your words, you are broadcasting live.¡± Bai Ling reminded her by coughing a few times.


    ¡°Why are you nervous, I haven¡¯t turned on the camera yet!¡± Chu Yue said with pursed lips and an indifferent attitude.


    After she put on headphones, her long and beautiful fingers tapped on the keyboard. She sent messages in the groupchat, shouting at Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai, ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t waste my time!¡±


    At this moment, Xiao Luo had just tidied and arranged hisputer, he logged into his ount.


    ¡°The great campus beauty is rushing us, Brother Luo, what¡¯s your ID, I¡¯ll add you as a friend before adding you into our temporary team.¡± Zhu Xiaofei said.


    ¡°Hero Luo!¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Hero Luo?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai turned their heads at the same time, looking at Xiao Luo with astonishment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much of a show-off?¡±


    Xiao Luo was a little embarrassed. He also knew that this ID was too loud and aggressive, which did not fit his style. At the time of registration, he thought about it for a long time but could note up with a good name. Zhang Dashan, who had grown impatient with all that waiting, just typed ¡°Hero Luo¡± and registered for him. The ID was then used until the present.


    ¡°No, no, the name is nice. It¡¯s loud, sounds like someone with a great reputation, hahaha ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the ID doesn¡¯t matter. I have a secondary ount with the ID ¡®Jade Emperor.''¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai teased each other for a few moments, smoothing over the atmosphere of embarrassment. Although, they felt that Xiao Luo¡¯s ID was indeed a little pretious and arrogant.


    After joining the team that had been assembled at thest minute, Xiao Luo learned that Chu Yue¡¯s ID was ¡°Ziyue¡± and Bai Lings ID was ¡°Baiseci doll¡±. Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s ID suited his image, he was called ¡°Gaozhuang Laozhu¡±; Ding Kai¡¯s was humorous and bold, he used the name of the national leader directly.


    When the girls from of the English Laguage major knew what was Xiao Luo¡¯s ID, the words ¡°Hero Luo¡± dominated the group chat. The girls felt that the name was too cool.


    ¡°What? Hero Luo? How egotistical of him, I don¡¯t even know if his skills are worthy of the name.¡± Chu Yue snort disdainfully.


    Bai Ling smiled sweetly and teased, ¡°He might really be an expert.¡±


    Chu Yue disagreed and typed four words in the public chat room of ??the five-man team, ¡°don¡¯t drag us down!¡±


    Xiao Luo knew that she was warning him so he did not reply. He opened the system mall and used two hundred points to redeem the gaming ability. Since he wanted to get to know Chu Yue quickly, his gaming skills must pass muster.


    He had not been ying games for a long time. Although he was of the tinum tier, he would only be able show a standard of gamey more suited to the Silver tier if he did not redeem the gaming ability.


    ¡°Brother Luo, where do you want to fight?¡± Zhu Xiaofei turned his head and asked.


    Dingkai added, ¡°Chu MM and Bai Ling are a foreoverbo of the bottomne, so we are left with only the top, middle and jungle.¡±


    ¡°You guys choose first.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    ¡°My fighting abilities are terrible, it would be better for me to go to the jungle,¡± Ding Kai said. He then chose Xin Zhao to be the jungler.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose the baldie and take the middlene!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei chose Rune Mage Ryze.


    Xiao Luo was on topne. Tryndamere the Barbarian King was his favorite champion, For safety¡¯s sake, he immediately chose it without any hesitation. He was battling against Gnar the Missing Link.


    As soon as Xiao Luo finished selecting his champion, Chu Yue sent a message asking, ¡°A melee champion versus a long-range champion, are you sure you can fight this battle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Xiao Luo said in a neither servile nor overbearing tone.


    Chu Yue did not say more. She chose Twitch the gue Rat as her ADC while Bai Ling was the auxiliary as Janna the Storm¡¯s Fury.


    After a short waiting period, the game officially started.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you chose the wrong summoner spells.¡± Ding Kai was surprised.


    Zhu Xiaofei took a look, it was true. The closer the enemy was, the greater the damage Tryndamere could inflict. Ghost was the most suitable, but the summoner spell that Xiao Luo brought was sh.


    Xiao Luo smiled and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯ll be all right!¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, in any case, no matter what happens, we¡¯ll just develop wretchedly. We¡¯ll wait for our campus belle to carry us through.¡± Zhu Xiaofei was very worried, he was really afraid that Xiao Luo would give the topne to the big boss.


    Xiao Luo nodded, ¡°Rx, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    At this time, the Wuju desman, jungler for the opposing team sent a message. He said with sympathy, ¡°You¡¯ve exploded, Tryndamere!¡±


    ¡°?????¡±


    Dingkai sent a few question marks in return.


    The Wuju desman immediately replied, ¡°We have a Master at the topne, he can beat everything into a pulp.¡±


    ¡°Tryndamere, I¡¯ll burn joss paper for you, have a nice walk.¡± Katarina also sent a taunting message from the opposing team¡¯s middlene.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai could not bear it, they immediately replied, ¡°You think you¡¯re so great because you have a Master? Our Rat at the bottomne is a Challenger. Tremble, you scum.¡±


    ¡°Go on and brag, aren¡¯t you afraid of choking on your bullsh*t.¡± Wuju desman of the opposing team said.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s the King of Bullsh*t, haha..??¡­¡± Middlene Katarina ridiculed.


    Zhu Xiaofei was a little angry and he replied, ¡°Childish losers, just wait for you punishment!¡±


    As soon as the word ¡°childish losers¡± came out, the opposing team immediately became hostile. All sorts of malicious and dirty curses were thrown wildly about. Some curses involved their mothers, some their ancestors; anyway, the chatbox on the lower left corner of the screen were filled with filthynguage unfit for one¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°How did Zhu Xiaofei get into a cussing match with the opposing team?¡±


    Chu Yue banned everyone¡¯s messages; out of sight, out of mind.


    Bai Ling was equally disgusted and activated her ban on the messages.


    Xiao Luo frowned, in the end, he really could not stand the opposing team using the male and female reproductive organs as words of abuse, so he replied, ¡°Do you have to go so far? It¡¯s just a game.¡±


    It was only a simple sentence to stop the ongoing war, but the Wuju desman of the opposing team immediately turned to Xiao Luo as his bombing target.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16: in


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    F*ck your mother! Who do you think you are to act all noble and virtuous? The Wuju desman insulted.


    Click-click-click. Katarina from the opposing team¡¯s middlene sneered coldly. You shamelessly call yourself Hero Luo and are so thick-skinned not even an arrow can pierce you. We¡¯ll make you suffer like dogs in no time. You should change your name to Doggy Luo.


    Haha¡­. Doggy Luo, great name! The Sheriff of Piltover and her auxiliary, Leona the Radiant, who were both at the bottomne of the opposing team, also sent messages mocking them.


    Zhu Xiaofei was frustrated on Xiao Luo¡¯s behalf and typed in reply, Shut your trap; let¡¯s see who¡¯ll be suffering like a dog.


    Gnar from the opposing team who had not spoken at all suddenly piped up. You can try!


    Contempt and supreme confidence oozed from those three simple words.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were getting ready to retort when Xiao Luo spoke up to stop them, ¡°It¡¯s pointless to say more. Just do your best in the game!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhu Xiaofei nodded.


    Ding Kai turned his head and said, ¡°The opposing team¡¯s topne yer is strong. I just checked his battle record. He was MVP (Most Valuable yer) in hisst ten games; he must have paid someone to y on his behalf to level up or earn weapons.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and didn¡¯t speak again, but a chilling light shed across his calm eyes.


    ¡°The minions have spawned!¡±


    Theputerized, synthetic female voice of the League of Legends game floated out. It was dignified, solemn, and old-fashioned. The attacking minions on both sides began to be spawned from their nexus. They rushed toward the link of the other team like a suicide squad.


    I¡¯m battling the red monsters. Chu MM, Bai Ling, help me fight! Ding Kai sent a signal for assistance on the map, hinting Chu Yue and Bai Ling, who were on the bottomne, to help him fight the red monster.


    But he only received a cold response from Chu Yue. Help yourself.


    Haha¡­ I like Princess Yue¡¯s temper.


    Princess Yue, you¡¯ve be pretty again. Muah, my goddess.


    As long as you don¡¯t give up, we¡¯ll always follow you as your fans.


    ¡­..


    Chu Yue¡¯s livestream viewers were increasing exponentially, and many fans were giving her gifts. This moment¡¯s efforts brought her 70 to 80 dors of ie.


    ¡°The poprity of our Young Mistress Chu is amazing. I don¡¯t care; you must buy me that floral dress when you get the money,¡± Bai Ling said coquettishly.


    Chu Yue said irritably, ¡°Okay, okay. Seeing how you¡¯ve been helping me, I¡¯ll begrudgingly buy it for you.¡±


    ¡°What? Begrudgingly? You seem so reluctant.¡± Bai Ling¡¯s cheeks swelled as she panted with rage.


    ¡°Madam Hotshot, your floral dress cost over a thousand dors. It¡¯s more than enough that I¡¯m buying it for you even though I don¡¯t feel like shelling out.¡± Chu Yue took off her headphones andined.


    Bai Ling smiled in embarrassment, then she changed the subject, ¡°Ah, let¡¯s y the game seriously. The five yers on the other team are so arrogant. You need to teach them a harsh lesson.¡±


    Chu Yue rolled her eyes at her and put on her headphones. She concentrated on controlling her champion as she proceeded withst-hitting and poke.


    First Blood!


    At this time, the synthetic female voice of the game rang out, indicating that someone had lost first blood.


    When Chu Yue took a look, the one who lost first blood was Zhu Xiaofei, who yed the rune mage in the middlene. She immediately fired off a bunch of question marks.


    Zhu Xiaofei replied with a bitter expression, Sorry!


    ¡°Seems like the middlene¡¯s gonna explode. If Katarina goes to the bottom, we¡¯ll have a hard time,¡± Bai Ling said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been mentally prepared. This game hinges on us at the bottomne. We can¡¯t hope for anything from the othernes.¡± Chu Yue snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Bai Ling became serious and assisted Chu Yue, poking the enemy¡¯s ADC and support continuously.


    Great teamwork. Little by little, the Sheriff and Leona, the Radiant of the opposing team, lost nearly half their health, especially the ADC, who also paid for Heal and sh.


    Just as they ready to kill the enemy¡¯s Sheriff with a burst of energy, the synthetic female voice sounded again; An ally has been in.


    The one who was in was still the middlener, Zhu Xiaofei.


    Chu Yue immediately shot back a message asking, ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, what are you doing?¡± Behind her words was a tone full of me.


    At this time, livestream fans alsoshed out on the bullet screen in droves.


    Is this Ryze a pig? He was killed by the opponent twice in three minutes, and the opponent didn¡¯t even get any help from his teammates.


    How useless. Princess Yue shouldn¡¯t take on such a useless thing next time.


    Yeah. That guy¡¯s the worst of the worst, only suitable for low-end games.


    The girls of the English Language Major also hurriedly called for Zhu Xiaofei to y more stably and to strengthen himself sufficiently before going for the enemy.


    Zhu Xiaofei was so embarrassed. He weakly exined to Ding Kai, ¡°I could have killed Katarina alone. I was just short of a little health.¡±


    ¡°A little health is a world of difference, Lao Zhu. Keep calm. If Katarina gets up, even 10,000 points of health won¡¯t be enough to withstand a few seconds of her spinning,¡± Ding Kai reminded.


    ¡°Okay. This time around, I¡¯ll strengthen myself steadily first!¡± Zhu Xiaofei nodded solemnly, determined not to fight boldly with the Katarina on the opposing team again.


    Click-click-click. Katarina sent a message. There was only one word ¨C Trash!


    Their jungler, the Wuju desman, didn¡¯t forget to rub salt into his wound. Baldy, does your family know you¡¯re such garbage?


    ¡°Those bastards!¡± Zhu Xiaofei was so furious he gritted his teeth and nearly went crazy.


    ¡°Ignore them; they¡¯re just keyboard warriors. Let¡¯s show them a good game,¡± Ding Kai said.


    Zhu Xiaofei endured the rage in his gut and continued ying in silence.


    An enemy has been in!


    Theputerized, synthetic female voice suddenly rang out. An avatar appeared on the right; it was Tryndamere, the Barbarian King who killed Gnar the Missing Link.


    Eh, Brother Luo had such excellent skills?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai stared at Xiao Luo nkly. What shocked them, even more, was that he had over two 200 health points left after single-handedly ying his opponent in the topne, Gnar, of the Master tier. Gnar had paid someone else to practice and strengthen his champion and was killed single-handedly by Brother Luo¡¯s Tryndamere. Incredible!


    Using the three attributes of Q (Blood lust) ¨C regenerating health,st-hit life steal, and innate life steal. When Gnar of the opposing team got back to the battlefront, Tryndamere¡¯s health could recover above the safety line. Now he could stay at the battlefront and suppress Gnar¡¯s ranking.


    ¡°Brother Luo, be careful. The Wuju desman¡¯s here to catch you!¡± Ding Kai suddenly eximed.


    Sure enough, the Wuju desman circled while preparing to y the Barbarian King, who had low health. The desman even carried a red buff. Although it was a second rank battling against a third rank, without the protection of the minions on the side of the Barbarian King, the probability of Wuju desman ying the Barbarian King was almost 100%.


    Chu Yue also issued two harsh warning signals, indicating that Xiao Luo should quickly return to the turrets.


    Xiao Luo smiled and pressed the button for the health potion. As his health recovered, he used his E key to retreat to the turret quickly. This move was a discement skill that could soon increase the distance.


    Stupid c*nt. You¡¯re using E first. You wanna die? The Wuju desman sneered.


    A Q-alpha surprise attack neared the Barbarian King from the front immediately. Xiao Luo¡¯s health had dropped to hundred-plus points. The desman then used a left-click attack; with the added burn attribute of the red buff, he would be able to take down Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King turned around, struck with his sword. In a full Fury state, the blow was a critical strike. The desman¡¯s health instantly dropped to half.


    After the blow was delivered, Xiao Luo immediately controlled the Barbarian King to retreat from the tower, increasing the distance from the Wuju desman. Because of an insufficient range, the desman¡¯s left-click attack still couldn¡¯t be executed. He could only keep close to the heels of the Barbarian King and shorten the distance between them.


    The Barbarian King carried an attack speed rune; moreover, his rank was one level higher than the Wuju desman. Hence his attack speed was naturally faster than the desman¡¯s. By the time the desman had shortened the distance and could immediately execute a left-click attack, the Barbarian King had turned around again to deliver a blow. Like before, it was a critical hit. The desman¡¯s health dropped to eighty or ny points in an instant, a state of severely low health.


    F*ck!


    Seeing a wave of aggressive minions streaming from the back of the turret, the Wuju desman retreated. Otherwise, even the minions would have attacked him until he died.


    But the moment he shed, Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King also shed to keep up with him. Then, his broad sword fell mercilessly. The Wuju desman let out a desperate scream and died. The synthetic female voice of the game rang out on the interface, sounding solemn and emotional, An enemy is in!


    (If you are not interested in the game, you can skip to Chapter 21. Your reading experience will not be affected.)

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17: Barking Mad


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Did bloodlust kill Master Yi, despite the Red Buff?


    Sh*t. No way this is happening!


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai stared dumbfoundedly at Xiao Luo. Master Yi could have taken out Tryndamere, The Barbarian King, with a ¡®Q¡¯ and an ¡®A,¡¯ but was decimated by Tryndamere? No f*cking way!


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling were shocked, too. When the screen switched to the topne, they both witnessed a fantastic anti-kill, much to their astonishment.


    They used an ordinary attack and moved slowly but still managed to evade a regr attack from Master Yi without sustaining any injuries. And they even attacked Master Yi twice? Very well-handled, especially toward the end, where they both shed almost at the same time. Clean-cut, decisive, incredible reflexes! Bai Ling analyzed.


    Blinking her beautiful eyes, Chu Yue regained herposure. The entire livestream filled with praise for Xiao Luo. She was pissed. Was Xiao Luo trying to steal her thunder?


    Although she acknowledged his skills, she refused to admit it verbally. She feigned nonchnce, saying, ¡°It was blind luck. Master Yi was a fool; he didn¡¯t attack right away, giving him a chance to execute an anti-kill.¡± She then got serious, ¡°All right, let¡¯s not worry about them. It¡¯s about time we started on the bottomne.¡±


    At the other end, Zhu Xiaofei was messaging Master Yi with a taunt: What did I tell you? Wait for it, loser!


    Infuriated, Master Yi typed in response, Tryndamere, I¡¯ll get back at you! Just you wait!¡±


    Xiao Luo just ignored his taunt.


    His Tryndamere bought a pair of Berserker¡¯s Greaves and Brawler¡¯s Gloves. With the Red Buff, his other supplies, and level suppression, Gnar could only CS. But Gnar knew what he was doing and quickly bought a Cloth Armor beforeing back online.


    Gnar wasn¡¯t just skilled at long-range; he also had the Rage Gene, which, when at Maximum, would transform him into Mega Gnar. His Armor/Magic Resistance and attack speed would level up, and using ¡®E¡¯ (hop) quickly put distance between him and his opponent, allowing him to slow down his opponent.


    Xiao Luo was patient. He focused onne freezing, zoning, and blocking. His Tryndamere managed to escape Gnar¡¯s ¡®Q¡¯ every single time, foiling Gnar¡¯s intention of wearing him out from a distance.


    At this moment, Chu Yue and Bai Ling at the bottomne also executed a double kill with Twitch, The gue Rat.


    You¡¯re indeed Campus Queen Chu. The ante has been upped. Haha¡­. Zhu Xiaofei chuckled.


    ¡°With MM Chu, of course, we wouldn¡¯t lose. Besides, our bro here, Xiao Luo, is also great at this. Look how he managed to defeat Gnar.¡±


    Ding Kai turned around and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Bro, the line is almost at the turret. And you¡¯re reaching level 6. How about I help you with a tower dive gank?¡±


    ¡± It¡¯s all right. Just help out the othernes!¡± said Xiao Luo, smiling.


    ¡°Okay, then. Be careful with Master Yi. He might gank you soon.¡±


    Ding Kai ced a ward in the triangle bush, then turned around and ran toward the midne. It was time to deal with Katarina midne.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s Tryndamere finally unlocked the ultimate ability ¡®R ¡®after taking down a wave of minions. Upon activation, Tryndamere would be immune to death for five seconds and gain 50 points in Fury. The crit chance would improve by leaps and bounds.


    His opponent, Gnar, knew he couldn¡¯t take down this wave; there were too many minions. It wouldn¡¯t even do him any good if he attacked below the tower. He¡¯d have to wait till the minions¡¯ inventory ran out before taking on the Barbarian King.


    But Xiao Luo wouldn¡¯t cut him any ck. Under hismand, Tryndamere got closer without any hesitation and immediately attacked him.


    Gnar lost half his HP in the attack, and quickly ¡®E¡¯-ed away, but Xiao Luo followed closely behind with a ¡®W¡¯ and an ¡®E.¡¯ Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t as lucky with the strike this time around. Seeing that Xiao Luo was fighting tooth and nail, Gnar fought back equally hard.


    That¡¯s precisely what Xiao Luo wanted ¨C The damage inflicted by Gnar attracted lots of minions. These minions, who had initially been at the enemy¡¯s inhibitor, started attacking Gnar. Xiao Luo¡¯s Tryndamere then left the AoE, while the inhibitor reduced the HP to about 200 points.


    Sh*t!


    Watching the minions diminish his HP, Gnar panicked and started shing, but to no avail. After a dozen minionsunched themselves at him, his HP was depleted, and hisputer screen faded to gray-white. The system was indicating he¡¯d been killed.


    Xiao Luo calmly circumvented the tower and continued with thest hit. At this moment, a level-5 Master Yi appeared from the bushes, used the Red Smite on him, and rushed over after minimizing the damage taken.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s insane!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled pensively. Tryndamere¡¯s still has a few moves left in him and was still at maximum Fury, so there was no need to fear a level-5 Master Yi. With a terrible scream from Master Yi, the system indicated that there¡¯d been a ¡°double kill.¡± The words appeared on theputer screen.


    A barrage ofments filled Chu Yue¡¯s livestream.


    ¡°Wow, I need to learn from this Tryndamere!¡±


    ¡°96 CS in 10 minutes! That¡¯s even more than Princess Yue. This guy¡¯s a game guru.¡±


    ¡°Barbarian King: Em¡­that¡¯s all basic stuff, guys. Don¡¯t get so excited!¡±


    ¡­


    The entire livestream was abuzz with what just went down.


    And even among the English-speaking pro gamers, thedies were all gushing about him. ¡°Hero Luo¡± appeared so many times in the chatroom; some were also saying, Hero Luo, I¡¯ll ditch my boyfriend for you! Be my boyfriend instead!


    Everyone started calling him ¡°Hero Luo¡± and was full of praise and admiration. They were practically idolizing him.


    Bro, you¡¯re a game guru!


    ¡°If killing Master Yi was a fluke, the double kill should leave no doubt about Xiao Luo¡¯s extraordinary skills,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei in surprise.


    ¡°Nah, it was just because the other party got toocent.¡±


    Ding Kaiughed heartily. ¡°Haha¡­you¡¯re too humble, bro.¡±


    Suddenly he got a snarky message from Gnar: Barbarian King, you¡¯re not from the tinum Division.


    Whoa, this guy was fuming!


    Master Yi also went into a tirade: Muthaf*cka, how dare you pretend you¡¯re from the tinum Division. F*cker.


    His words were expletive-filled and personal.


    Zhu Xiaofeiughed in disbelief. In response, she typed: Stop barking like a mad dog. Your mommy wants you to go home for dinner now.


    My a**. You son of a b*tch. You¡¯re here because I f*cked your mama. I¡¯ll kill your whole family¡­ Master Yi let loose with another barrage of insults and profanity.


    The bast*rd!


    Zhu Xiaofei didn¡¯t have a good temper to start with. After being provoked like this, he pounded the table furiously before jumping up. ¡°If that guy were standing in front of me now, he¡¯d be dead meat.¡±


    ¡°Rx, Lao Zhu. Just mute him. We¡¯re civilized people. Let¡¯s not bother with these childish losers,¡± said Ding Kai in an attempt to calm him down.


    Xiao Luo also patted Zhu Xiaofei on the shoulder. It was just a game; no need to get angry. If one wanted revenge, they ought to do it in the game. There¡¯s no point in getting mad in real life; it¡¯ll ruin your mood.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18: Giving an Address


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiaofei slowly calmed down and conveniently banned the messages from the Wuju desman of the opposing team.


    Ding Kai¡¯s Xin Zhao had always been stationed in the middlene; hence Katarina from the opposing team first killed Zhu Xiaofei twice. After that, there were no more kills.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling subdued the Sheriff and Leona the Radiant on their bottomne. The situation had improved, and the opposing team didn¡¯t send any more taunting messages.


    And like a rolling snowball, Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King had been strengthened to a horrific extent: He single-handedly killed Gnar from the opposing team without any limits. He also pushed away the outer turret, turning the upper half of the opponent¡¯s jungle into his backyard that he could enter and exit at will. The red Buff was all but his.


    In 12 minutes, the Barbarian King¡¯s rank shot up to level ten. His items included a Statikk Shiv, an Infinity Edge, a pair of Berserker¡¯s Greaves, a Doran¡¯s de, and a B. F. Sword. The champion from the opposing team who had strengthened the most was Katarina, who was only at level nine.


    The Barbarian King suddenly proceeded with a move using the E key, ying the desman with a critical strike, who was in the jungle doing a mission. Chu Yue¡¯s livestream burst into an uproar. It was insane!


    F*ck, one for the Barbarian King!


    This is the desman? How in the world is he the desman?


    I took a look at Princess Yue¡¯s Rat and decided to buy a Barbarian King!


    ¡­


    Everyone wasmenting on Xiao Luo¡¯s prowess as if this weren¡¯t Chu Yue¡¯s livestream any more, but his.


    Bai Ling shocked speechless. How could this be happening? In her wildest dreams, she never imagined Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King could be so scary.


    Chu Yue was seething: She was doing a livestream, but Xiao Luo had snatched all the attention, putting her in an embarrassing situation.


    At the same time, she was blown away by Xiao Luo¡¯s skills. The Gnar from the opposing team was of the Master tier, but he was able to beat the crap out of it. This standard was not of the tinum tier. He could have achieved the Challenger tier just like her.


    ¡°He killed the Wuju desman with one sh; what kind of damage is this!¡± Zhu Xiaofei sucked in a breath of fresh air, looking at Xiao Luo, eyes wide in amazement.


    Ding Kai¡¯s eyes were full of worship, ¡°Brother Luo, you and Chu MM are both Challengers, am I right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a tinum!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled in embarrassment.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai did not ask anymore. There was no way that Xiao Luo could deny this. His strength was on disy for all to see. This level was the standard of operation only a Challenger possessed.


    When the Bloodthirster came out, Xiao Luo¡¯s Barbarian King ran across the map, taking a swing at the first champion he saw. Except for the offensive tanks¨CGnar and Leona the Radiant who needed two shes¨C all other champions he met were killed with a single blow. He killed each of those childish yers with one blow.


    An indescribable joy arose in Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s hearts, especially when they saw how the Wuju desman died in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands six times in a row. The grievance they had previously suffered was washed away in an instant.


    ¡°Brother Luo, I wrote a poem for you.¡± Zhu Xiaofei deeply admired Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo said with great interest, ¡°You can even write poetry? Let me hear it.¡±


    ¡°State, family, and world affairs: Those are nothing to me but a sh from a sword!¡± Zhu Xiaofei read.


    ¡°Haha¡­ A good poem, a good poem!¡±


    Ding Kaiughed too. At the same time, his Xin Zhao worked with Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s Ryze to execute Katarina.


    Xiao Luo smiled without saying a word.


    By now, the game had evolved into his unteral ughter. The champions on the opposing team panicked at the sight of the Barbarian King. The used up all of their Teleport and sh spells.


    After 20 minutes, Xiao Luo had his Barbarian King decked out with a full suite of various items and harvested 22 heads. The Barbarian King went straight for Baron Nashor, challenging him to a duel.


    ¡°Oh my god, Brother Luo. Are you going to kill the dragon? Awesome. I¡¯lle over to cover you.¡± Zhu Xiaofei controlled Ryze and walked over excitedly.


    At this time, Chu Yue and Bai Ling sent a signal that the two enemy champions at the bottomne had disappeared.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re alling over!¡± Ding Kai frowned and guessed.


    As soon as the words left his mouth, the Sheriff¡¯s big move of ¡°ace in the hole¡± took the lead in the attack and locked onto Xiao Luo. Then Gnar transformed, shing down from the wall above the dragon¡¯sir, banging into the Barbarian King. Leona the Radiant used her big move via the R key and proceeded with a hard crowd control ability on the Barbarian King with firm control. The Wuju Baldesman circled from the back and used an R key move, rushing over angrily and aggressively. Katerina used the Warding Totem with the W key and came down too, activating the Death Lotus.


    All five of them used their ultimate attacking ability via the R key to fire at Xiao Luo at the same time!


    Xiao Luo used sh, avoiding Leona¡¯s move. Then he executed an E key followed by a left-click attack, taking Katarina¡¯s head. By this time, the Wuju desman had just finished releasing the Q key when the Bloodthirster fell; the desman gave a blood-curdling yell and died.


    Zhu Xiaofei only reacted now, using the Rune Prison ability, binding Leona the Radiant, who was preparing to use hard crowd control on Xiao Luo a second time.


    During this brief interval, Xiao Luo took off Gnar¡¯s head with two shes. It just so happened that the Sheriff was running toward him to deliver some damage. The abilities via the E key had just cooled down, and he burst forth, hacking the Sheriff to death with a swing of his sword. Only Leona the Radiant was left, but she was no threat. With two swings of the sword, she was dead.


    Calm, decisive, and overbearing!


    Penta Kill (Five Kills) !!!


    When a synthetic female voice rang out excitedly, the entire world went silent. People who saw this scene held their breaths for a few seconds.


    In the next second, Chu Yue¡¯s livestream and the group chat of the English Language majors were overflowing with intense emotions like never before. Comments like ¡°So awesome¡± upied nearly the entire screen.


    What a prodigy, this is the real five-second man.


    So blindingly bright. Too much.


    Such was the tempo of five people killing; not only did they not die, they even took a penta kill. F*ck me!


    For a while, Chu Yue¡¯s livestream exploded various proverbs, expletives, and obscenities¨COnly these words could convey their shock.


    Xiao Luo took a penta kill and continued fighting the dragon as if nothing had happened. Although he used a big move via the R key against the big dragon, in the end, he beat the dragon in a one-on-one duel.


    The opposing team¡¯s fighting spirit copsed instantly¡­..


    Do you admit defeat?


    Zhu Xiaofei quickly lifted the ban and sent a message to the other five yers.


    The desman took the lead in responding, F*ck your mother, you bastard. I¡¯ve slept with your family¡¯s women.


    You piece of sh*t. I single-handedly killed you twice. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed to say this? Midne Katarina mocked.


    You won without lifting a finger, so shut your mouth. The Sheriff also sent a message.


    Zhu Xiaofei was no longer annoyed. He knew that the more fiercely the opposing team cursed, the angrier they were. He was thrilled to see that, and immediately sent a line of words, Hahaha¡­ expressing his current mood.


    F*cking c*nt. Give us your address if you dare. I¡¯ll have my guys chop you to death in minutes! The desman roared.


    Did they actually want to kill people over a game?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh. He typed energetically: As I said before, it¡¯s just a game. No need to take it so far, right?


    You lousy, stupid d*ck, acting all noble and virtuous high. If you have the guts, give us your address. If you don¡¯t, acknowledge you¡¯re a wimp and shut up. The desman was extremely arrogant.


    ¡°Brother Luo, these people are childish losers. Don¡¯t argue with them,¡± Ding Kaiforted.


    Xiao Luo smiled and nodded. He wasn¡¯t angry at all. On the contrary, he thought those yers were hrious. But they were taking things too far.


    ¡°Why should you be afraid of someone like that? I¡¯ll see if they¡¯lle here.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei detested the yers of the opposing team. He typed a sentence with disdain, Huaye, Seventh Dormitory, Block 712; I¡¯ll be waiting for you here,e if you have the guts!


    Then he clicked send.


    ¡°Why are you doing this, Lao Zhu?¡± Ding Kai shook his head helplessly.


    ¡°We have to show some backbone and will as human beings. Look how arrogant that bastard is. He¡¯ll think we¡¯re afraid of him if we don¡¯t give him our address,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei unhappily.


    With a helpless expression, Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and end this game already.¡±


    It was a good game that deteriorated, so what was the point of dragging it on?

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19: An Odd Solo Top Hero


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo¡¯s Tryndamere could go against five. There was no suspense to the oue of this match. Xiao Luo¡¯s team got the highest score, and he was naturally the MVP.


    Are you a challenger?


    In the public chat room, Chu Yue¡¯s ID ¡°Ziyue¡± posed a serious question.


    Xiao Luo replied with one word: No.


    If your performance in the next game is as good as this one, I¡¯ll let you join my team, Chu Yue typed.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at Xiao Luo enviously.


    ¡°Brother Luo, Campus Queen Chu said she¡¯d let you join her team,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei.


    Xiao Luo asked, ¡°Is that something to be happy about?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is. If you join the campus queen¡¯s team, you¡¯ll get a lot of chances to hang with her, and you¡¯ll qualify for the nationalpetition, Battle of Glory. If you take first ce, there¡¯s five-million-dor prize money. After divvying it up, everyone can get a million,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei enviously.


    Ding Kai nodded and echoed, ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. That¡¯s a nice chunk of change, Brother Luo.¡±


    Hmm, this is starting to sound good. Joining Chu Yue¡¯s team will give me lots of opportunities to hang with her, making my job easier. Bing eligible to participate in the Battle of Glory is an added plus. I¡¯m no saint. If I can make a million dors by gaming, why the hell not? I¡¯m in!


    Whether it was for Chu Yunxiong¡¯smission or the one-million-dor cash prize, Xiao Luo made up his mind to try to join Chu Yue¡¯s team. He was psyched!


    Two minutester, the second qualifying match began.


    ¡°Brother Luo, your Tryndamere is picked,¡± Zhu Xiaofei reminded.


    Xiao Luo gave him a little smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know a bit about other heroes.¡±


    Whoa. Look at all those system prompts! Because of that one game just now, he gained 4,999 points. Yess! He suddenly felt filthy rich.


    Of course, he was well aware that this was due to Chu Yue¡¯s live broadcast.


    ¡°I never expected the opponent to pick all ADs. Guys, pull out all stops in this game. Even if we screw up, as long as we drag it tote game and stack up against our armor, they won¡¯t stand a chance against us.¡± Ding Kai¡¯s voice pulled Xiao Luo back from his thoughts into the moment.


    After Xiao Luo took a look, it was indeed their opponent who had a solo top Tryndamere, a solo mid-Yasuo, a jungling Master Yi, and a Miss Fortune AD. Their only AP was the support Lulu. Hence, their opponent had a pure AD lineup.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you¡¯ll be better off soloing top. I trust you, bro, heheh¡­¡± Ding Kai said with a cheeky smile. His gaunt face looked just like a monkey.


    Xiao Luo nodded and instantly picked the Armordillo.


    When the hero icon of a hedgehog-looking turtle was locked in, Chu Yue sent him a row of question marks.


    Ding Kai simrly frowned of out puzzlement, ¡°Brother Luo, you¡­¡±


    ¡°The Armordillo counters ADs. He¡¯s the safest pick for this match!¡± exined Xiao Luo.


    After hearing that, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai could neither cry norugh. How would they not know that the Armordillo counter ADs? They had never seen people use it as a solo top. The Armordillo was usually used as junglers. The hero farms in the jungle during the early game, and with a Powerballbined with a Frenzying Taunt, it could easily take down an enemy with the help of a teammate on thene.


    The chat room in Chu Yue¡¯s live broadcast once again heated up¡­


    The hell? An Armordillo solo top? Is he nuts?


    Even if this Armordillo gets fat, it¡¯ll be nothing more than a meat shield. Could they be hoping that it would save the world for them?¡±


    I highly suspect the pro misclicked over there.


    For a while, voices of doubt came from all directions.


    Chu Yue pursed her lips and said indignantly, ¡°Just how confident is he to pick the Armordillo?¡±


    Bai Ling recovered from her consternation and chuckled with squinted eyes, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, let¡¯s not rush to a conclusion. Perhaps Xiao Luo would pull off a great performance.¡±


    ¡°The hell he¡¯ll perform well this game!¡±


    Chu Yue said furiously. She was a challenger. She only had seen people foolishly ying a solo top Armordillo in low elo games. It would never appear in high elo games. An Armordillo solo top was no doubt the strangest among the strangest. The hero¡¯s patheticbat range aside, its ability to burst down an enemy was unusually low. When it wasn¡¯t using its Defensive Ball Curl, the Armordillo¡¯s attributes were way lower than amon tank hero.


    Against Tryndamere, Malphite would be the best choice.


    However, lots of supporting voices came from the English broadcasting room.


    Way to go, Hero Luo. Get the enemy¡¯s asses!


    You¡¯re the best, Hero Luo. I look forward to your performance.


    Massacre them all like in thest game.


    An Huanhuan, in particr, shouted directly to express her affection, Hero Luo, I want to have children with you!


    Pfft


    Looking at An Huanhuan¡¯s words, Xiao Luo almost spat out the water he had just swigged. He couldn¡¯t imagine a college girl saying that. Were the times so different now? Had girls be that aggressive and bold?


    ¡°Wee to the summoner¡¯s rift!


    The solemn femaleputer-synthesized voice sounded, marking the start of a game.


    What the fark. The enemy Yasuo said in the chat. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen an Armordillo solo top!


    Tickle me, please, big god. Haha¡­ the enemy, Tryndamere, also sent a message. There was a sense of irony along all the lines.


    The enemy Miss Fortune reminded with a tinge of sarcasm: Be careful, he deliberately picked an Armordillo, seeing that we are all ADs.


    Hmph. What could the Armordillo do? Before my Sweeping des, he could only tank a few hits!, the enemy Yasuo responded arrogantly.


    Yasuo fired off some trash talk during thest match. Zhu Xiaofei felt triggered seeing those words. He typed and taunted, Stfu, and y the game. Stop your trash-talking!


    The enemy collectively sent hehe, expressing disdain for Zhu Xiaofei.


    ¡°Motherf*ckers, why do we always bump into people like this,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei in a rage.


    ¡°Calm down, bro. You should¡¯ve already gotten used to it after ying LoL for such a long time,¡± Ding Kaiforted.


    Zhu Xiaofei immediately let out a long exhale like a rubber ball that was leaking air. He was right. Themunity of this game was more or less as such. He won¡¯t be able to change anything, no matter how cynical he had be.


    Minions have spawned!


    With theputer-synthesized female voice, minions spawned from both base camps, forming a long line, and dashed toward the other base.


    Everyone was carefullyst hitting and harassing their opponents in thene.


    Some 45 seconds into the game, theputer-synthesized female voice sounded, First Blood!


    The Armordillo at top killed Tryndamere and acquired first blood.


    I f*ucked up!


    The enemy Tryndamere immediately exined. He was preparing to retreat using Sweeping de. With shaking hands, he ended up dashing toward the Armordillo, gloriously feeding the first blood.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai nced at Xiao Luo with surprise as thest vestiges of doubt in their hearts vanished.


    ¡°See? Xiao Luo has it,¡± Bai Ling told Chu Yue.


    ¡°So what if he takes first blood. Armordillo can¡¯t stop Tryndamere from growing, ¡°Chu Yue said disapprovingly.


    As soon as her words fell, the game prompted that the enemy had been killed. With a close look, the level-two Armordillo killed Tryndamere, who had just spawned and took the second kill.


    ¡°Is this Tryndamere a bronze? How could he go against a level-two Armordillo at level one with the creeps hitting him?¡± said Chu Yue in exasperation.


    Bai Ling corrected her, ¡°Young Mistress Chu. Look carefully. The Armordillo dived the tower to kill him and escaped with very little hp. Tryndamere was taunted. As he attacked the Armordillo, he attracted the creep¡¯s aggro. That¡¯s why he died again¡­¡±

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20: An AFK Penta Kill


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After two deaths, the enemy Tryndamere immediately swappednes with Yasuo, lest Xiao Luo began snowballing.


    But when Yasuo came to the topne, he once again gloriously fed a kill. Xiao Luo used Frenzying Taunt in conjunction with Defensive Curl Ball and the Hit and Run technique, smoothly taking down the enemy Yasuo.


    On the next creep wave, when Yasuo respawned, the enemy Master Yi came ganking from behind.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s Armordillo coincidently hit level six. First, he dealt with the level 5 Master Yi, then the level 4 Yasuo. At a one-versus-two situation, he easily got himself a double kill.


    ¡°He¡¯s really good!¡±


    Bai Ling approved Xiao Luo¡¯s skills hands down. She had seen it very clearly. The enemy¡¯s skills weren¡¯t that bad, it was just than Xiao Luo¡¯s was above them. The Yasuo¡¯s Last Breath never oncended on Xiao Luo. Besides, Xiao Luo was good at exploiting the Siege Minion, and his Hit and Run technique was even more impable.


    Chu Yue didn¡¯t say a word this time around. Every skill that Xiao Luo disyed had left her in shock.


    ¡°This Armordillo is really extraordinary!¡±


    ¡°Not only extraordinary, he is sick.¡±


    ¡°This is a tinum game, right? Why does the enemy look like a bunch of Bronzes.¡±


    ¡­


    The chatroom in Chu Yue live broadcast was filled with various replies left by her fans.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were looking at Xiao Luo ecstatically like they¡¯ve scavenged a treasure.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my good old Brother Luo, you are the true master!¡±


    ¡°The topne has be the enemy¡¯s restricted area. I¡¯m impressed that you can y the Armordillo like this.¡±


    The two gave a big thumbs up to Xiao Luo.


    Towards this, Xiao Luo smiled faintly and didn¡¯t say a single word.


    The topne was exactly like what Ding Kai said, it had be the enemy¡¯s restricted area. Whoever that goes to the topne would end up feeding kills. The Armordillo was a tyrant at the topne, performing all kinds of tower-diving, wave-cutting, and aggro-pulling.


    At the 17th minute mark, he already had 190st hits, 13 kills, and had reached a whopping level 12. His items were Iceborn Gauntlet, Thornmail, Hextech Revolver, and Ninja Tabi.


    When the Armordillo morphed into a spinning ball and rushed towards the enemy high ground, everyone was startled. They were thinking, ¡°What is this Armordillo trying to do?¡±


    Chu Yue typed directly, ¡°Xiao Luo, what are you doing?¡±


    Xiao Luo simply replied, ¡°Going for a walk at their high ground!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy. This might be a one-sided match, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you can go feed the enemy with kills,¡± Chu Yue said while being utterly difited.


    Bai Ling echoed, ¡°Quickly, get your Armordillo back! Your head is worth a lot of gold. If your streak is ended, the entire enemy team will be awarded bonus gold.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei was also badly daunted, ¡°Brother Luo, the heck are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Calm down Brother Luo. Our team kills are all on you. If you do not calm down, the oue of this match will be uncertain,¡± Ding Kai perspired in cold sweat out of terror.


    Xiao Luo ignored everyone¡¯s dissuasions while he used the Armordillo¡¯s Powerball to bypass one enemy tower after another and rushed directly to the enemy high ground.


    ¡°You, feeding?¡±


    The enemy Tryndamere immediately sent a message to inquire.


    Xiao Luo ignored the message, got up, and left his seat.


    ¡°Where are you going Brother Luo?¡± Zhu Xiaofei asked in exasperation.


    ¡°Taking a leak!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied and went straight to the dormitory bathroom.


    What?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai¡¯s expression changed drastically. Leaving the Armordillo at the enemy high ground while he goes to the toilet, w-w-w¡­ what kind of international joke is he trying to make?


    ¡°Kaizi, get Brother Luo¡¯s Armordillo back at once!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei immediately ordered Ding Kai, who was near Xiao Luo¡¯sputer, to control the Armordillo to return from the enemy high ground.


    However, at this time, the enemy Tryndamere, Yasuo, and Master Yi already had the Armordillo surrounded, and immediately after, were tossing all kinds of skills and abilities on the Armordillo. On the contrary, the Armordillo wasn¡¯t controlled by anyone, only auto-attacking ording to the defaultmand.


    Next, a scene that Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai would never forget happened.


    Tryndamere, Yasuo, and Master Yi who was attacking the Armordillo had their health bars plunging rapidly. Although the Armordillo¡¯s health was also decreasing, it evidently wasn¡¯t as fast as theirs. When the Armordillo had about 200 health remaining, Yasuo and Master sessively perished following a horrible shriek.


    The only remaining Tryndamere activated his ultimate and continued to wham on the Armordillo. With a five seconds of death immunity, he refused to believe that he couldn¡¯t finish off a low health Armordillo.


    But unbelief was one thing, and reality was another. A 200 health Armordillo was as stubborn as a cockroach, refusing to die no matter what. After sustaining five seconds of damage from the Tryndamere that left it with merely over ten health, the Tryndamere was reflected to death by its passive skill, Spiked Shell.


    ¡°Triple Kill!!!¡±


    Theputer-synthesized female voice sounded.


    ¡°Holy cow, one versus three!¡±


    ¡°What in the world is this?¡±


    ¡°What am I seeing? What the actual f*ck am I actually seeing!¡±


    ¡­


    Chu Yue¡¯s live broadcasting chatroom boiled up once again. Her numerous fans couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. The Armordillo wasn¡¯t fighting back properly and was literally just standing there, taking hits. And the oue was a triple kill, who the f would¡¯ve believed in this?


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling were transfixed. They were deeply impressed by Xiao Luo¡¯s Armordillo and couldn¡¯t sprout a single word for a while.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were like they¡¯ve seen a ghost under broad daylight, opening their eyes and mouth wide while gawking dumbfoundedly at their default positions. They were shocked to the ground, refusing to believe what they¡¯ve just witnessed. It was too illogical and unrealistic. They¡¯ve never seen anyone capable of ying the Armordillo in that way.


    What astonished them even more was, when the Armordillo that had ten health left was attacked by two waves of minions, not only that its health didn¡¯t plummet any further, it was recovering at an incredible speed.


    ¡°Oh my lord. What is this monster? Is he still the meat shield Armordillo I¡¯m familiar with?¡± Zhu Xiaofei gulped his saliva as he was rendered in shock that couldn¡¯t be described by words.


    At that time, the enemy Miss Fortune and support Lulu rushed over, and the two took turns firing at the Armordillo.


    Back when it had some more than ten health left, the Miss Fortune could very well finish off the Armordillo with a shot. But now that some four to five seconds have gone by, the Armordillo¡¯s health had already risen to more than a hundred points. It had 310 armor. The Miss Fortune fired three consecutive shots. Armordillo lost no health, but the Miss Fortune, however, had her own health diving straight down.


    Realizing that the situation wasn¡¯t good, the Miss Fortune immediately halted her attacks, but a bullet was already fired before the stop attackmand could be issued.


    ¡°Clink~¡±


    The bullet struck the Armordillo¡¯s armor with a crisp sound, but the Miss Fortune fell to the ground with a blood-curdling scream as she was killed by the Armordillo¡¯s Spiked Shell.


    The support Lulu seemingly had a linked heart with Miss Fortune and had made up her mind to kill the Armordillo. She exhausted all her mana and mercilessly went ham on the Armordillo. Atst, she followed Miss Fortune¡¯s footsteps and died.


    ¡°Penta Kill!!!¡±


    An agitated femaleputer-synthesized voice sounded. Adding up with the previous three kills, a Penta Kill was attained.


    At this moment, dorm 712 and the girl¡¯s dormitory plunged into silence. Chu Yue, Bai Ling, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Hai held their breaths in for a short few seconds. Their minds were empty as they couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo¡¯s Armordillo achieved a Penta Kill just like that.


    The chatroom in Chu Yue¡¯s live broadcast was boiling in an unprecedented hype.


    ¡°What is that monster? It that still an Armordillo?¡±


    ¡°What the hell? Getting a Penta Kill without moving on the enemy high ground? That¡¯s some true revtion over there!¡±


    ¡°Hero Luo, Hero Luo is his ID, add him to your friend list everyone!¡±


    ¡­


    For an instant, the entire chatroom of the live broadcast was filled with replies. Nobody was talking about Chu Yue. Everyone was hyped up by the Armordillo that acquired a Penta Kill on the enemy high ground.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo came out from the toilet. Seeing Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai¡¯s out of the ordinary gazes, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s¡­ wrong?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei was so agitated that he was almost roaring, ¡°Brother Luo, when you¡¯re peeing, your Armordillo got a Pental Kill!¡±


    ¡°Penta Kill, a friggin Penta Kill!¡± Ding Kai was shouting repeatedly and hopping around like he was on drugs.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21: Company Had Arrived


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    He achieved a Penta kill in auto gaming mode in the time it took to take a pee. Who¡¯d ever believe it if word ever got out? Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at Xiao Luo with a crazed expression.


    The funny thing is, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t expect to achieve a Penta kill. But he was confident that even if the three from the opposing team ganged up and tried to beat him, his Armadillo Rammus would have handled it. That¡¯s why he went to the hignd for a stroll.


    ¡°The innate skill and rune to regenerate health, plus the passive heal of the Hextech Gunde, have conspired to create a monster. Xiao Luo has developed a new way of outfitting Rammus.¡±


    Bai Ling gasped in amazement before turning to look at Chu Yue. ¡°Young Mistress Chu, this guy¡¯s amazing¨Ca genius. You have to give him that!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so amazing about him? He¡¯s just a pretentious d*ck, acting like a sheep to catch a wolf!¡± Chu Yue harrumphed. She was smoldering because Xiao Luo had stolen her limelight.


    ¡°Then, is your previous agreement of letting him join our team still valid?¡± asked Bai Ling.


    Chu Yue snapped, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s still valid. Although I hate him as a person, I acknowledge his skills. Besides, my words have always carried weight, and I never return them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®never take them back!''¡± Bai Ling corrected.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say ¡®never return.¡¯ ¡± What do you care?¡± said Chu Yue self-righteously.


    Bai Ling shook her head and sighed helplessly.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo beat them, one against five. He bagged a Penta kill even in auto gaming mode. When a Randuin¡¯s Omen and Spirit Visage appearedter, the five yers of the opposing team felt defeated. They surrendered collectively in 15 minutes, ending the humiliating game.


    After the game ended, Yasuo from the opposing team sent a message asking: Rammus, you bastard. Did you inject code to cheat your way through?


    Inject code?


    Xiao Luo smiled and ignored him. After redeeming a gaming ability, he had gained a deeper understanding of his fingers, the champions, and the items in the game. Moreover, whenever he met with an attack from the opposing team, he could always avoid it in time. These things exined his remarkable performance.


    He nced at the time. It was already noon, time for lunch.


    Although the purpose ofing to Huaye was to protect Chu Yue, eating on time was his habit, so he stopped ying.


    ¡°Brother Luo, let¡¯s y another round. I want to see you hog their revival point,¡± Zhu Xiaofei begged pitifully.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m excited. Let¡¯s y another round!¡± Ding Kai also wanted to continue the game; he especially wanted to see Xiao Luo subdue the other yers with his skills.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat first; I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±


    ¡°All right, Brother Luo. Please get my lunch too, thank you, hehe¡­..¡± Zhu Xiaofei quickly took out his student card from the drawer, walked eagerly toward Xiao Luo, and shoved it into his hands.


    Ding Kai derided him, ¡°You¡¯re azy pig!¡± However, after criticizing Zhu Xiaofei, he also put his student card into Xiao Luo¡¯s hands and said with a mischievous smile, ¡°Brother Luo, please get my lunch too. Um, I want to add one sausage, and just a little spicy is enough for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was annoyed, but it reminded him of his university days, which were simr to this.


    It wouldn¡¯t cost him an arm or leg to bring back two more portions of lunch. He didn¡¯t dislike the two guys, so he happily consented.


    Bang


    At that moment, the dorm room¡¯s half-closed green iron door was kicked open. A group of well-built male students with menacing expressions stormed in.


    ¡°Who are you? Why did you break into our dorm?¡± Zhu Xiaofei stood up, on the alert.


    The one standing in front was a boy with a face full of e. He nced at Zhu Xiaofei¡¯sputer screen, which was still showing the League of Legends interface, and sneered, ¡°Gaozhuang Laozhu, motherf*cker; it¡¯s you guys!¡±


    ¡°Just who the hell are you?¡± Zhu Xiaofei shouted. Uh oh. He smelled trouble.


    ¡°B*tch c*nt. I said that as long as you dared to give me your address, I¡¯de here to kill you!¡± The boy riddled with e looked ruthless. Then he kicked Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s stool to the floor.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you guys ¡­¡±


    The expression on Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s faces changed dramatically. They never imagined that Wuju desman and Katarina woulde to their door to make good on their threat! There were only three of them while the other side had had six. Moreover, the six were tall, muscr, and sturdy. If a fight broke out, the three of them would have no chance of winning.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s us.¡±


    The boy with e took a step forward and casually patted Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s face with a heavy hand. He smiled proudly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you continue acting all high and mighty? You b*ch c*nt. Weren¡¯t you pretty good at acting all high and mighty in the game just now? I¡¯ll give you a chance now. Kneel and apologize to me, and this will all go away. Otherwise, I¡¯ll beat you up until your mom can¡¯t recognize you. ¡±


    ¡°Apologize, quickly apologize!¡±


    The other five yelled angrily, looking fiendish. They mmed their fists on the desk and even picked up their books and threw them against Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Xiao Luo. They were acting like a bunch of thugs. Their arrogance knew no limits. They seemed to think that they owned the world.


    Under their brutal abuse, Ding Kai was so frightened his body trembled uncontrobly. He turned the matter over and over in his mind for a while, then he finally bowed his head and apologized in a small voice, ¡°Sorry!¡±


    A wise man submitted to circumstances, and most importantly, was afraid of getting beaten up.


    Zhu Xiaofei gritted his teeth. He wanted to fight them, but the other guys had numbers on their side. They would be on the losing end in a fight. Since Ding Kai had already apologized, Zhu Xiaofei also humbled his attitude in the end and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡± ¡®I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ and it¡¯s over? What did I say? Do I have to repeat myself? Kneel!!!¡±


    The boy with e became even meaner. He tore down Zhu Xiaofei¡¯sputer¡¯s keyboard and smashed it on the ground. The stic keyboard shattered, and the keys scattered across the floor.


    ¡°You hear that! Kneel!¡±


    The others also started throwing cups and smashing books, turning dorm room 712 into a mess.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s rage skyrocketed. The things in the dorm room belonged to them. To see his stuff being recklessly thrown and smashed by these guys was more than he could bear. The only thing he felt was total humiliation.


    Xiao Luo stepped out at this time and said calmly, ¡°You¡¯re also Huaye students who are studying in the same school. Is it necessary to be so cruel?¡±


    The boy with a face full of e turned to Xiao Luo. Squinting his eyes, he said coldly, ¡°Why is your tone making me angry? You must be that motherf*cking Tryndamere.¡± He took two or three steps to Xiao Luo, staring at him with a cold and savage gaze. ¡°You were something else in the game, but in reality, you¡¯re a lowly c*nt!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to say to them. I can¡¯t shake off the anger if we don¡¯t give these three a good thrashing.¡± A rather handsome boy came forward, looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s, his eyes full of hate.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°Are you Gnar?¡±


    The boy sneered, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°You lost the game, and now you¡¯re getting ready to lose the integrity of a human being?¡± Xiao Luo chuckled.


    The boy with e suddenlyughed out loud, as if he had heard a funny joke. ¡°B*tch c*nt, you still dare to pretend to be all noble and virtuous? Your brain must be damaged.¡±


    The nice-looking boy whispered to him, ¡°Yuze, stop talking nonsense to this loser; let¡¯s teach him a lesson.¡±


    The e-riddled boy nodded. A savage light bloomed in his eyes.


    When the others saw his expression darken, they took out the metal pipes jammed under their belts and hidden underneath their clothes. The atmosphere became extremely tense.


    Zhu Xiaofei turned pale with fright. He never thought this group would be so bold that they dared to carry metal pipes with them.


    Ding Kai was timider. He so scared his legs were trembling uncontrobly.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Xiao Luo shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote for apologies. I want to beat you up until you¡¯re unrecognizable!¡± The boy with e sneered wickedly.


    Xiao Luo chuckled. ¡°You misunderstood. What I wanted to say is that space here is too small. How about we go to the roof?¡±


    When the six boys heard these words, theyughed loudly, mocking Xiao Luo for being ignorant of the severity of the situation.


    ¡°Okay, since we¡¯re all from the same school, don¡¯t say I was too ruthless. I¡¯ll meet this b*ch c*nt requirement.¡± The boy with e pointed at Xiao Luo contemptuously.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22: Bing Law-abiding through Reason


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    It was very windy on the rooftop. The sky was cloudy, and there was no sun.


    At this moment, six boys with smug faces holding metal pipes surrounded Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I still want to say something ¡ª since you¡¯re students, act like students. Don¡¯t learn from the gangsters in society and act as they do. We¡¯re a society now ruled byw. Your behavior is challenging thew,¡± Xiao Luo patiently advised.


    It was only a game; he didn¡¯t want to take action to teach these guys a lesson.


    ¡°Are you f*cking trying to make meugh myself to death? We¡¯re already at this point, and you¡¯re talking to us about thew? What a fool!¡± The boy with a face full of eughed.


    The othersughed along with him, looking contemptuously at Xiao Luo the way they looked at lunatics and idiots.


    Xiao Luo lowered his head and said helplessly, ¡°There¡¯s another way.¡±


    The facial expression of the boy with e quickly changed. He shouted in a low and heavy voice, ¡°Of course there¡¯s no other way. Go! Beat the sh*t out of him!¡±


    The other five yelled with deep voices and pounced on him.


    Seeing them rush toward him, the expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face slowly congealed. When the boy who was speeding at the forefront flung his metal pipe at him, Xiao Luo¡¯s body instinctively stepped back to avoid it. He calmly avoided two other metal pipes that were brandished at him in session. He dodged nearly every attack by dint of a subtle but effective move.


    The five guys rushing toward him were more than a little astonished; they never expected Xiao Luo to be so agile.


    After fending off their attacks, Xiao Luo retaliated. In his eyes, the actions of any one of these boys were prolonged so slowly that he could see their blue veins and soft hair fluttering on the back of their hands.


    Whoosh


    His arms were like two attacking poisonous snakes, moving at breakneck speed. He grabbed two of the guys by the wrist and sent them flying.


    The two felt as if the pipes in their hands were caught in a speeding truck that was towing their bodies. They fell head first onto the ground, knocking out their front teeth. Blood sshed everywhere. Blood-curdling screams soon followed.


    A boy happened to be holding a metal pipe high above his head at this moment and was about to smash Xiao Luo¡¯s head in, but he realized he could not swing the pipe down. It seemed to be stuck. Looking up, he saw a big hand holding the metal pipe like a steel mp. That hand belonged to Xiao Luo.


    No matter how hard the boy tried, the metal pipe did not budge.


    ¡°Let¡­ Let go!¡± The boy cried in horror.


    Xiao Luo snorted and eased up a little. Then he quickly snatched his opponent¡¯s metal pipe. Stepping forward, he positioned his body as he rammed his shoulder into the guy¡¯s chest.


    Bam


    The guy felt as if a wild bull had hit him. His internal organs trembled violently at this very moment. His body lost control as it was thrown back. He fell with a crash onto solid ground three or four meters away, involuntarily letting out a miserable howl.


    Seeing that three of his guys had copsed in an instant, the eyelids of the e-riddled boy twitched frantically. Another two of his people stood rooted to the spot, terrified. It was impossible to say that they felt no fear; they never expected that Xiao Luo could be so violent.


    Sighing, Xiao Luo said calmly, ¡°I was trying to reason with you all, but you got violent with meYou are pullingng out some metal pipes to frighten people, trying to show me how you¡¯re ruthless badasses. Who doesn¡¯t know how to do that? If you want to y, we should have some real fun!¡±


    He grinned cruelly, speaking in a resounding and powerful voice.


    If Xiao Luo was a smiling angel just now, he was currently an evil, bloodthirsty demon. The three guys, including the one with e, were so scared they took a few steps back. Their hearts beat wildly, and their breathing became fast and short. They were so nervous they broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Chen Jie, go, beat¡­.. beat him up!¡±


    The e riddled boy shouted in a quavering voice at the handsome boy beside him.


    How would Chen Jie dare to do that? He pushed forward another guy who was next to him. ¡°Xie Bin, you go!¡±


    Someone pushed him forward. He instinctively wanted to retreat but felt that would be too cowardly. Atst, he gritted his teeth, bellowed, and braced himself as he rushed toward Xiao Luo.


    Before his metal pipe met Xiao Luo¡¯s body, the metal pipe in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand was already on its way toward his neck. He administered such a fierce and severe blow to his neck.


    Bam


    This guy felt as if his neck had shifted. He staggered a few steps back and copsed on the ground. His body spasmed uncontrobly.


    He was cruel and ferocious, leaving them no leeway!


    Xiao Luo was expressionless; his eyes were as cold and distant.


    Gulp


    The e-riddled boy and Chen Jie couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva with great difficulty. They broke out in a cold sweat and stared at him in shock and horror.


    At first, they were scared. Now they were petrified. Their adversary was almost non-human. Though the six of them were athletes, they were no match for him.


    Xiao Luo took a step toward them.


    The two were so scared they didn¡¯t even hold onto the metal pipes, which fell to the ground with a ng.


    ¡°Why, are you scared now?¡±


    Xiao Luo drew closer to them, step by step, with a mocking smile on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t youe over. Hitting someone with a metal pipe is illegal. Aren¡¯t you afraid the police will arrest you?¡± The boy with e said in a trembling voice.


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes and sneered, ¡°Now you¡¯re telling me that it¡¯s illegal? What were you doing earlier? If you reason with me, I¡¯ll reason with you too. If you want to y at who¡¯s the more ruthless one, I¡¯ll use ruthless methods like payback. There we¡¯ll be even.¡±


    After hearing this, the two wanted to cry. They were majors of Community Sports. They had a very high opinion of themselves in school and acted like they owned the campus. But they never expected that they would meet their match. No, he was not their match; he was a demon!


    ¡°We apologize, you¡­. don¡¯t mess around!¡± Chen Jie cried out in rm.


    ¡°Apologize?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and sneered cooly, ¡°It¡¯s toote!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, the metal pipe in his hand flew toward the two boys without mercy. They both screamed as if they were pigs to the ughter.


    In the dorm room, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai went through a painful mental struggle. In the end, they finally conquered their fear.


    ¡°This disaster was caused by me. I can¡¯t let Brother Luo get beaten up. I¡¯ll go up and fight them with all I have,¡± Zhu Xiaofei gritted his teeth and yelled angrily. He lifted the stool and rushed to the rooftop.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you just hold on, I¡¯m here!¡±


    Ding Kai was timid, he stood in front of therge mirror and pped himself a few times. He pretendedothers delivered the pss, and this bolstered his courage with the help of this rage. Picking up the mop in the bathroom, he too, rushed to the rooftop, shouting and screaming all the way.


    Both of them were dumbfounded when they rushed to the rooftop.


    Xiao Luo stood in the center like a pencil-straight pine tree, the six people who hade hade to make trouble were all lying on the ground, wailing in pain and misery. The metal pipes were scattered all over the ground in a disorderly manner.


    What was going on?


    This couldn¡¯t be the result of Xiao Luo¡¯s actions.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai could hardly believe their eyes.


    ¡°Why did youe up here?¡± Xiao Luo threw the metal pipe onto the ground and walked toward them.


    Zhu Xiaofei subconsciously hoisted the stool. ¡°We¡¯re here to help you!¡±


    Ding Kai nodded in agreement, like a chicken pecking at grains on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. I reasoned with them, and they all becamew-abiding!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and scanned the six people, his face was bright and cheerful with a benign smile, but in the eyes of the six boys, it was no different from the devil¡¯s grin. They immediately lowered their heads after meeting Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. They did not dare to look at him in the slightest.


    They would never forget the fear of being subdued by this guy just now!


    And how could Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai believe that Xiao Luo had ¡°reasoned¡± with them? How did talking reason result in broken bodies?


    ¡°One against six? Oh my god. Is Brother Luo the reincarnation of Yip Man?¡± Zhu Xiaofei muttered to himself, in total shock.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23: Lao Zhu The Scrooge


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo dealt with them appropriately; his actions were well within limits, and the six guys would be okay after resting up for three to five days.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai¡¯s worship of Xiao Luo surged like the Yellow River flood. Once it started, there was no stopping it. He was handsome, a brilliant gamer, and an even better fighter: One person challenging six people to a fight? He was an all-around talent.


    Luckily, Chu Yunxiong had cleverly designed his character as a student returning from the army to continue his university studies. How else could anyone ount for his extraordinary fighting abilities?


    ¡°Brother Luo, those troublemakers aremunity sports majors. They¡¯re in the same year as us. Three of them¨CTang Yuze, Chen Jie and Xie Bin¨Care known for throwing their weight around on campus. That¡¯s because they rely on support from Song Jianan, a third-yearmunity sports major. If you think they¡¯re bad sports at losing aputer game, you should see what happens when they lose a set of basketball. You wouldn¡¯t wanna be there.¡±


    They even had someone lending them support?


    Xiao Luo frowned and asked, ¡°Does Song Jianane from an influential background?¡±


    ¡°Not really. This guy¡¯s a big northeastern jock trained in mixed martial arts and is president of our school¡¯s mixed martial arts club. The dude has some serious skills. Like he can split bricks with his bare hands. Everyone¡¯s afraid of him,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said, choosing his words carefully and slowly.


    ¡°He¡¯s also the boyfriend of An Huanhuan from our ss!¡± Ding Kai added.


    Xiao Luo nodded to show he had a clear understanding of the situation.


    Ding Kai sighed, sick with worry. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll retaliate. What I¡¯m afraid of is that he¡¯ll grab me like a helpless puppy and throw me to ground like I¡¯m nothing. That guy¡¯s a bully and a narcissist.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? Our Brother Luo used to be a soldier; he¡¯s also a trained fighter. Even if Song Jianan dares to darken our door, it¡¯s still debatable who¡¯d be the one meting out a lesson,¡± Zhu Xiaofei raised his voice to give his courage a boost.


    But Ding Kai was still restless. He said apprehensively, ¡°No, I¡¯ll go to An Huanhuan and ask her to put in a word for us. It¡¯s better to minimize the issue until things die down. Hopefully, all this wille to nothing. I came to Huaye to study, not to get beaten up. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll tell the counselor.¡±


    He hurried about, preparing to go out as he spoke.


    Xiao Luo stretched his hand out and put it on his shoulder. ¡°Kaizi, the university is a microcosm of society. You have to deal with all types. Don¡¯t panic when you encounter difficulties. Keep calm and think of ways to solve them.¡±


    ¡°That might work if you¡¯re in elementary school. If you have a problem, you can always go to a teacher or your parents, but that doesn¡¯t work when you¡¯re in your twenties.¡± ¡°Can you be a bit mature and steady?¡± Zhu Xiaofei rebuked.


    Ding Kai was at a loss, he looked at Xiao Luo, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was the one who beat the six people up. If Song Jianan wants to make trouble, he¡¯lle looking for me. You and Lao Zhu will be fine.¡± Xiao Luo patted his shoulders andforted him reassuringly.


    ¡°Brother Luo, I don¡¯t like this. If it weren¡¯t for me, Tang Yuze and his goons wouldn¡¯t have found us. It¡¯s all my fault. I feel so bad about letting you bear this burden alone.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei patted his chest with a vowed solemnly, ¡°If Song Jianan dares toe near us, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll stand by you. I¡¯ll go all out and fight him.¡±


    These words scared Ding Kai. Fight with the president of the mixed martial arts club? Was he crazy?


    But he also summoned up his courage and yelled in trembling voice, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll fight him too!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. He suddenly felt that these two roommates were quite impressive. It was going to be an exciting next three months.


    ******


    That night, the three of them went out to dinner. After mming some beers, they stumbled back to the dorm. Their rtionship was slowly growing closer.


    As Xiao Luoy crashed out on his bed looking at the 10,000 points he had earned in the system, he felt an excitement he could not express. He never expected it to be so easy to earn points. He got a lot of them just by ying two games a day.


    Curious, he suddenly asked, ¡°System, what¡¯s the most expensive ability in the mall?¡±


    Ding! It¡¯s the life-extension ability. One redemption requires 500,000 points! The system responded.


    Xiao Luo was so astonished he turned pale. Could he extend his life? This ¡°cheat code¡± was a little too much.


    ¡°Can I extend my life in any circumstances?¡±


    Ding! You can use this ability for all sorts of factors that endanger the life of the host, such as disease, aging, external and internal injuries, etc.


    Xiao Luo was shocked, ¡°In other words, as long as I have enough points, I can live forever?¡±


    Ding! You can understand this. But each time you extend your life, the points required next time will increase exponentially. That is, you pay 500,000 points to use the life-extension ability the first time. The second time you want to use this ability, you need to spend five million points. For the third time, you need to pay 50 million points and so on. There is no ceiling on the points that you spend!


    Xiao Luo was dumbfounded. Just now, he thought that 500,000 points wasn¡¯t expensive at all. Now it seemed that it was just too darned expensive.


    Forget it. It was better to cherish life and not think about extending it. Whether he had this system or not, life was precious. Besides, he had escaped the Grim Reaper¡¯s clutches once already and, thus, had gained an even greater appreciation of life.


    Early morning the next day, Xiao Luo was awakened by Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s movements.


    ¡°Kazi, where¡¯s your toilet paper? Where did you put it? I need to go to the bathroom right now. Hurry up and get it before I sh*t in my pants!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s In the closet; get it yourself,¡± Ding Kai muttered as he turned on his side, still half-asleep.


    Zhu Xiaofei opened his closet, dug out the toilet paper rolls hidden under a pile of clothes, and ran into the bathroom. After mming the door, he did not neglect toin, ¡°Why hide it so secretively? Isn¡¯t it just toilet paper? You treat it like it¡¯s your baby. ¡±


    It seemed that Ding Kai had kept his resentment bottled up for too long. This was too much! When he heard this, he jumped up from the bed and rushed to the bathroom, scolding, ¡°You have the nerve to say that? We¡¯ve been roomies for almost a year, and you¡¯ve never bought a single roll of toilet paper. You always use mine, and in suchrge quantities. I¡¯m starting to wonder what else you¡¯re doing in there!¡±


    ¡°F*ck. So much resentment. Fine, I¡¯ll buy some today, okay?¡± Zhu Xiaofei replied loudly from the bathroom.


    ¡°Gimme a break. You say this every time.¡± Ding Kai was hopeless.


    Xiao Luo could not help but be amused. He teased, ¡°You mean he hasn¡¯t bought toilet paper in over a year?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s never bought any.¡±


    Speaking of this, Ding Kai was full ofints, ¡°Brother Luo, you don¡¯t know the half of it. Even though Lao Zhu is fat, he¡¯s a total scrooge. He¡¯s a Mr. Miser who loves to stretch a dor to ten dors. Leaving aside the fact that he¡¯s never bought a pack of toilet paper, he never even buys toothpaste,undry detergent, clothes racks. In this one year plus, he¡¯s been using all of mine. ¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s indeed a little too stingy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a little, Brother Luo. Look at his slippers again,¡± Ding Kai pointed at Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s seat.


    Xiao Luo looked at the floorboard at the bottom where the shoes were. A pair of strange-looking slippers came into view. Why were these slippers strange? Because they were made by cutting a stic Sprite bottle down the middle. Using the mouth of the bottle and then the technique of threading a needle manually, he turned the bottle into a pair of flip-flops.


    ¡°Lao Zhu made these?¡±


    ¡°Who else? And to save a few dors that a pair slippers cost. He tinkered and came up with such a lousy pair of slippers,¡± said Ding Kai.


    ¡°How ingenious!¡±


    Xiao Luo had to take his hat off to his friend. He acknowledged that Zhu Xiaofei was brilliant at saving money.


    ¡°Kazi, you bast*rd. Stop dissing me in front of Brother Luo. What I did was art, so don¡¯t talk if you don¡¯t understand it.¡± Zhu Xiaofei opened the bathroom door just a little and yelled indignantly.


    Suddenly, a stinky odor wafted out; the smell was unspeakable.


    Xiao Luo frowned and pinched his nose.


    Ding Kai immediately cursed, ¡°F*ck. Just talk. Don¡¯t open the door, you dumbass. You¡¯re stinking up the room with your sh*t.¡±

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24: Amazing Everyone with One Sentence


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After getting up and having breakfast, Xiao Luo went to the ssroom for lessons ording to the timetable.


    After experiencing therger influence of society for the past three years, it was very torturous for Xiao Luo to return to the ssroom. On the podium, the lecturer talked unceasingly throughout her lesson, but below the podium was him feeling drowsy. His eyelids were like two mas attracting each other.


    He did not manage to ovee the sleepiness in the end; his upper body was sprawled on the table as he snored.


    The tutor who was delivering the lecture discovered a student lying on the table sleeping. She immediately stopped and asked with a serious expression, ¡°Students, is my ss too boring?¡±


    The whole ss was stunned and puzzled for a while, and then they quickly shook their heads in denial.


    ¡°No, Tutor Zhong, your lectures are very exciting, especially the history of currency in various countries. We are all listening with keen interest.¡± The petite and sweet-looking An Huanhuan said.


    Others echoed her sentiment immediately.


    Tutor Zhong Meili pushed up her sses, then she pointed at Xiao Luo, ¡°If it¡¯s really so interesting, why is he sleeping?¡±


    Everyone turned around and looked. Well, it was true, Xiao Luo had his upper body sprawled across the table as he snored and slept soundly.


    ¡°Oh my God, didn¡¯t Zhu Xiaofei tell Hero Luo that he can sleep in any of the sses with the sole exception of Tutor Zhong¡¯s ss?¡± In her heart, An Huanhuan felt anxious for Xiao Luo.


    Chu Yue was wearing an embroidered white shirt and an airy jade-green tulle skirt this time. Her ck hair was tied back in a smart ponytail, a few strands of hair swayed with the breeze flowing in from the window, she looked beautiful in a crisp and refined way.


    Seeing that Xiao Luo was asleep, she could not help but frown, ¡°Is this guy here for the lecture or did hee here to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Tutor Zhong really hate it when someone sleeps in her ss, Xiao Luo is in trouble now,¡± Bai Ling shook her head in sympathy.


    Xiao Luo did not realize that he had be the focus of the ss at this moment. After being woken up by Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai, he even asked what had happened.


    Zhu Xiaofei did not know whether tough or cry, ¡°My dear Brother Luo, you must not sleep in Tutor Zhong¡¯s ss.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not know the reason. When he attended college in the past, he had never heard that he could not sleep during ss. University teachers did not care whether you listened to their lessons or not, they only cared aboutpleting their lectures before letting the ss out and that would be all. Was it not the same case in Huaye?


    Xiao Luo looked up and received a severe shock. All the girls in ss, and even the female tutor on the podium, were all looking at him at this moment.


    ¡°The Director of the Academic Council is a rtive of Tutor Zhong. The Director wields great authority. As long as Tutor Zhong has a word with the Director, she can immediately add a few strokes on your record. Once, a student skipped her ss and she was immediately consigned to repeat a year. She only graduated after five years of university, ¡°Ding Kai said, anxious as a cat on hot bricks.


    Xiao Luo realized the seriousness and smiled bitterly, ¡°This is embarrassing!¡±


    ¡°The me is on me, I forgot about it and neglected to tell Brother Luo the situation in advance, it¡¯s my fault.¡± Zhu Xiaofei smacked the back of his head and said in self-reproach.


    At this time, a girl stood up and shouted at Xiao Luo in a stern voice, ¡°Xiao Luo, didn¡¯t you sleep wellst night, how can you sleep in ss? don¡¯t you know that this is an awfully terrible characteristic?¡±


    This girl had short hair and she was dressed in a straight and narrow manner. She did not wear light makeup like the other girls, she waspletely bare-faced. Her face was oval and the eyes could not be considered small. Her facial appearance was not bad. But she was not the sweet-looking type. She exuded a dignified and solemn air all over. She would be a career woman for sure when she entered society.


    After Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai¡¯s introduction yesterday, Xiao Luo knew that this girl was the ss monitor of the English Language major, her name was Huang Ruoran. She was a very principled girl who was proactive about improving herself.


    ¡°Quickly admit your mistake to Tutor Zhong and promise not to sleep in ss in the future!¡± Huang Ruoran said in amanding tone.


    Xiao Luo might be able to ept it if it was Tutor Zhong talking to him in such a reprimanding tone. But who was doing so now? A little girl several years younger than him. She even criticized him so openly in in front of so many people. She wanted him to admit his mistake and make a promise? Well, he was not having any of this.


    He stood up and bowed to the Tutor Zhong Meili standing on the podium. He said sincerely, ¡°Teacher, it was wrong of me to sleep in ss and I admit my mistake.¡± He nced at Huang Ruoran, and changed the topic of discussion, ¡°I admit it because I realized my mistake. Whether Huang Ruoran spoke up or not, it had no substantial decisive influence on me admitting my mistake. ¡±


    As soon as he said this remark, the whole ss burst into uproar.


    What was Hero Luo doing? Was he dering war against the ss monitor, Huang Ruoran?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were terribly frightened. Huang Ruoran was a girl with a strong personality. Now that Xiao Luo had tore down her prestige, he would probably face a difficult future. One must know, she was the ss monitor. There were many things which had to be done with the help of the monitor. It would be disastrous if she was to frequently pick on someone or to make things difficult for them


    Although she had said that she wanted to add Xiao Luo into her gaming team, Chu Yue was now watching the entertainment. She was not close friends with Huang Ruoran, but she was convinced by and respected Huang Ruoran¡¯s schrly knowledge, personal aplishments and eloquence. Otherwise she would not have recognize Huang Ruoran¡¯s position as the calss monitor.


    ¡°I was right, with Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival, our ss has be much more interesting all of a sudden.¡± Like Chu Yue, Bai Ling was watching the entertainment with no fear of the matter blowing up.


    Huang Ruoran looked askance at Xiao Luo. Her eyes were full of loathing and disgust because Xiao Luo was the first person to challenge her authority and prestige as the ss monitor.


    Tutor Zhong Meili did not show a smile of gratification because of Xiao Luo admitted his mistake. Instead, she looked at Xiao Luo with a sullen expression, ¡°You must be the new student, Xiao Luo, don¡¯t know that Ruoran is your ss monitor? You were sleeping in ss; she criticized you a little for your own good. You should be d to have such a good monitor, but what kind of attitude are you showing now? You have no respect for your superiors at all and you don¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯s admitting his mistake. ¡±


    Xiao Luo felt that his face growing a little hot. He was already so old but this was the first time he was receiving such a torrent of censure.


    The fault was his and it was hard to say anything. He could only act as if he did not hear anything.


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    Huang Ruoran shot a nce at him from the corner of her eye, and scolded him in English before sitting down.


    Xiao Luo could not bear it and immediately responded in a cold voice, ¡°Who was the idiot referring to?¡±


    It was not his style to argue with a girl head on, but it was very unfortunate that Huang Ruoran made him very upset. Moreover, he had never considered himself a gentleman. Since he could not endure it anymore, he retorted. Why bother holding it in and making himself feel ufortable.


    The entire ssroom went silent as soon as he spoke,


    Everyone stared at him with a peculiar gaze, not because he dared to challengeHuang Ruoran, but because his spoken English was just so good.


    If they hadn¡¯t seen Xiao Luo speaking with their own eyes, they would have thought that it was spoken by a foreigner just based on the voice. It was too pure, too regr, a real American ent, which was the level of spoken English they had always wanted to attain.


    Chu Yue took another look at Xiao Luo now. Obviously, she did not expect that Xiao Luo could speak English so well.


    Tutor Zhong Meili was also very surprised. Although Xiao Luo only said a short sentence, she was sure that Xiao Luo¡¯s spoken English was at least a level six. So far, only Huang Ruoran had reached level six amongst all the English Language majors. This was why she was so partial towards Huang Ruoran. After all, all teachers liked students who studied well, this was an innate tendency.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25: An Impable Narrative


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Do you have any opinions about ss monitor Ruoran?¡±


    ¡°If you are unhappy that Ruoran is the ss monitor, you can feedback to the counselor, or, you could offer your own services by rmending yourself to be the monitor. But it¡¯s another matter if the ss will vote for you .¡±


    ¡°That is, don¡¯t think that just because you boys are national treasures, you can be undisciplined, out of control and disrespectful to the ss monitor.¡±


    Four to five girls stood up and bluntly delivered some harsh words in defense of Huang Ruoran.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai felt a headacheing on. For Huang Ruoran to be the monitor, of course she had many supporters in ss. Those who stood up and rebuked Xiao Luo were either members of the ssmittee or girls who had a good rtionship with Huang Ruoran. This was not a result that they wanted to witness.


    Xiao Luo stared nkly before revealing a scornful smile. He felt rather bewildered now. He was merely feeling upset by a girl criticizing him so openly and bossing him around. How did they turn it into a case of him being dissatisfied with Huang Ruoran as the ss monitor? It was really sudden how this offense was pinned on him.


    At this time, Huang Ruoran said to the girl who stood up, ¡°What are you doing when we are having lessons now? Don¡¯t you have any discipline in the ssroom? All of you, sit down and pay close attention to Tutor Zhong¡¯s lesson. Don¡¯t lower yourself to that level.¡±


    She still had authority as the monitor. The four or five girls who berated Xiao Luo red at him, as if in warning, and then sat down.


    They should not lower themselves to that level?


    Xiao Luo felt very annoyed in his mind. Huang Ruoran was obviously mocking him. ¡°That level¡± clearly referred to nobody else but him.


    ¡°Ahem¡­..¡±


    Tutor Zhong Meili coughed a few times and said sternly, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s leave the unpleasantness just now behind and don¡¯t bicker too much about it. Moreover, Xiao Luo has admitted his mistake. He just arrived in our ss and it takes a while to integrate into this group. Everyone should to be more tolerant. Let¡¯s continue the lesson now. Xiao Luo, sit down. ¡±


    She spoke up for Xiao Luo because she saw that Xiao Luo¡¯s level of spoken English was quite high. Otherwise, she definitely would have helped Huang Ruoran to bring him down a peg or two.


    Xiao Luoplied with her words and sat down, but rage churned in his guts. He never thought that he would be so angered by a little girl even though he had been working and living in society for three years, However he thought about it and ultimately put the me on his male chauvinism.


    ¡°My dear, dear Brother Luo, why did you make an enemy out of the ss monitor?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei advised with great patience and sincerity, ¡°Our major has always been female dominated. We may bebelled as a ¡®national treasure¡¯, but well, we¡¯re actually suppressed by them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re the only three boys. They can¡¯t outdo them when they have strength in numbers.¡± Ding Kai said.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°I just don¡¯t like to be so tantly criticized by a girl, don¡¯t worry, the matter is in the past now, I won¡¯t bicker about it with her.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at each other, they did not believe Xiao Luo¡¯s words at all. One must know, when Xiao Luo was ridiculed by the opposing team during the game yesterday, he immediately used his Barbarian King to teach the other parties a lesson that they would never forget with each sh of his sword. They were very sure that while Xiao Luo was someone who would repay a kindness, he also believed in an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. He remained impassive on the surface, but by the time he exposed his fangs, the other party had no time to react at all.


    After the brief disturbance, Tutor Zhong Meili continued the lesson.


    The content she was presenting today was about the world¡¯s various countries¡¯ history of currency. Of course, she conducted the lesson in English. After all, she taught oral English. It would be out of step if she she was to teach in Chinese.


    ¡°Since the time of our ancestors, there has always been a saying that ¡®money is the root of all evil¡¯. So, is money really the root of all evil? Students, what do you think of this?¡± Zhong Meili tossed out a topic.


    ¡°Money is certainly the root of all evil. All kinds of crimes have arisen because of money. From ancient times till today, countless people have died for wealth.¡± An Huanhuan stood up and expressed her opinion in English.


    Others also agree with this statement one after another. After all, there was a saying in the Chinese state that went like this, ¡°Human beings die in pursuit of wealth, and birds die in pursuit of food.¡± This sentence fully illustrated the status of sin that money upied.


    ¡°Do all students share this view? Ruoran, how about you?¡± Zhong Meili looked at Huang Ruoran.


    Huang Ruoran stood up and organized her speech. She answered in fluent English, ¡°The story of ¡®Paradise Lost¡¯ from the Bible and the teachings of our distinguished Chinese predecessor, Mencius, both exined that it is not by nature that man is evil. It is the external temptations that make people lose their conscience.


    I think that money is the root of all evils.


    First, money has the real legitimacy of an equivalent exchange with anymodity. It has unlimited effectiveness, and therefore can arouse infinite greed.


    Second, not only can money control the power of nature in the field ofmodities, it can alsomodify nonmodities. It is not only a symbol of material wealth, it has also be a bargaining chip for spiritual values. Power and status can be purchased with money; chastity and honor can be put up for sale in public. Humanity and dignity can be sold to the highest bidder, even the natural order of things and conscience has been contaminated with the stench of money.


    Third, people¡¯s worship of money has also alienated the rtionship between people and money. In reality, money is regarded as a god that people worship. Because of money, people have lost their bearings in this grotesque and variegated world of material desires. It is also because of money that people have lost their innate sense of right and wrong but remain totally oblivious about it.


    Shakespeare has long ago revealed that money can turn dark to light, ugly to beautiful, wrong to right, and the lowly to noble. It is precisely because money has the boundless power to confound right and wrong, and to turn the universe upside down that it has be the greatest root of the criminal and wanton spread of evil, so I believe that money is the root of all evil. ¡±


    Although they were English Language majors, everyone¡¯s English ability had not reached a certain level. They only half-understood what they had heard. But Huang Ruoran re-stated her point of view in Chinese after speaking, and the entire ss was deeply convinced by her rational and well-evidenced discourse that even made use of quotes from famous people.


    ¡°Indeed, she deserves to be the ss monitor. Her speech is just too good.¡±


    ¡°The ss monitor is right, money is the root of all evil.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, human beings are inherently good. Only external causes can make people fall into crime, and money is the cause.¡±


    For a while, everyone in the ss supported Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Ruoran is really eloquent!¡± Chu Yue said as she pursed her small mouth.


    ¡°Yeah, otherwise our Young Mistress Chu would never have been willing to let her have the position of the ss monitor.¡± Bai Ling nodded in agreement.


    Chu Yue rolled her eyes at her, ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Bai Ling yfully stuck out her tongue and did not speak again.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai stared at Xiao Luo without blinking. They always felt that Xiao Luo would stand up to refute Huang Ruoran, they did not believe that Xiao Luo could really swallow down the anger he felt just now.


    But both of them felt that Huang Ruoran¡¯s narrative was wless, it was impable, even perfect. After listening to Huang Ruoran¡¯s narrative, even they, who thought of money as the greatest treasure, felt as if they had been brainwashed. They now firmly agreed that money was the root of all evil. There was no way he could outdo Huang Ruoran. They feared that Xiao Luo would only make a joke of himself if he stood up to refute her, this was not what they wanted to see.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26: The Power of Language


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When Xiao Luo stood up, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai opened their eyes in astonishment, ¡°Here ites, indeed, Brother Luo wants to meet our ss monitor, Ruoran, in a head-on confrontation.¡±


    It was already toote when they wanted to stop him. Xiao Luo stated his point in English in a generous manner, ¡°I don¡¯t think that money is the root of all evil!!!¡±


    Every word was resounding and powerful, ringing clearly in one¡¯s ears.


    As soon as he said this, the ssroom went silent.


    All fifty to sixty students of the major looked at Xiao Luo with amazement.


    One second¡­


    Two seconds ¡­


    Three seconds ¡­


    Finally, the girl who had just stood up to argue in aid of Huang Ruoran said angrily, ¡°Xiao Luo, just what do you want to do? Do you n to oppose whatever the monitor says? Don¡¯t you know the limits of your abilities? ¡±


    Then, the other girls who had a good rtionship with Huang Ruoran could not sit still any more and they made sarcastic remarks one after another.


    ¡°Who can¡¯t make contradictory remarks? I can even say said that the sun orbits around the earth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just speaking without thinking; convince us if you have the ability to do so.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, your character is so bad. Ruoran merely reprimanded you a little but you¡¯re holding a grudge?¡±


    Not only did the girls with a good rtionship with Huang Ruoran felt that Xiao Luo was of low moral character, at the moment, other girls also felt that he was pettier than a girl. An Huanhuan wanted to say something in defense of Xiao Luo, but ultimately did not speak.


    Zhu Xiaofei pped his forehead, ¡°Oh no, Brother Luo has pissed everybody off!¡±


    Ding Kai also smiled bitterly. They never thought that Xiao Luo was so fierce and unyielding that he actually dared to oppose Huang Ruoran, who was outstanding in all aspects.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling casted sympathetic looks at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°There¡¯s basically no loopholes in Ruoran¡¯s assertion. Really, this guy has the guts to say anything,¡± Bai Ling sighed.


    Chu Yue blinking her pretty eyes and said in disapproval, ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, he¡¯s a fellow that peddles vulgar ptrap to please the crowds. Let¡¯s see how he¡¯s going to put an end to this now.¡±


    Huang Ruoran looked at Xiao Luo in disgust; she did not say a word.


    ¡°Everyone be quiet!¡±


    Tutor Zhong Meili silenced the entire ssroom, then she looked at Xiao Luo with some expectation, ¡°Xiao Luo, since you said that money is not the root of all evil, can you refute Ruoran¡¯s assertion?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not being petty, he truly did not think that money was the root of all evil. In addition to that, since it was Huang Ruoran¡¯s point of view, he was very happy to turn it on its head.


    He said neither hurriedly nor slowly, ¡°I only have four questions. First, there are innumerable evil in the world. Can all the evil be exined solely by money? A robber may murder andmit arson for money, but is the domestic violence and child abuse of today, even genocide, all for money?


    Second, the origins of money is actually very intricate andplex. We cannot ssify it as amon root. Dictators may eliminate dissidents for money, but could they not do it for power or status? Thus, it can be seen that it is generalizing to treat money as the root of all evil.


    Third, the philosopher Sartre had told us this ¨C Man has free will and the right to choose. To me all crimes on money because one must take all responsibility for his actions, isn¡¯t that a direct cover up for the role of one¡¯s free will?


    Fourth, if money is the root of all evil, why would anyone use the root of all evil to do good? In the Great Sichuan Earthquake, the entire Chinese nation was united in their hearts. Many sessful people contributed generously by donating emergency relief money to the disaster area. If money really is the root of all evil, how did this root of all evil produce such good deeds as a result? ¡±


    Xiao Luo also restated his assertion in Chinese after speaking.


    As soon as his voice fell, the entire ssroom was quiet again, not a single voice can be heard. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.


    Everyone could not believe it. Xiao Luo actually refuted Huang Ruoran¡¯s statement. He did not speak without thought and it was not a mess of words. Every word was beautiful and forceful; the four questions were like four heavy punches that instantly crushed and shattered the viewpoint that money was the root of all evil. The logic was so strong, one could not help but be wowed.


    The few girls who stood up for Huang Ruoran and made sarcastic remarks were so astounded they turned pale. They never expected Xiao Luo to be able to list four questions, moreover, they could not find any words to effectively refute his points.


    ¡°This guy ispetent, it¡¯s really surprising.¡± Chu Yue was bbergasted.


    ¡°Yeah, not only is his spoken English very strong, his eloquence is in a league of its own. He¡¯s equally matched with Ruoran. It seems that this will be an exciting battle,¡± Bai Ling said in surprise.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were dumbfounded, they looked at Xiao Luo with admiration. It was a long time before Zhu Xiaofei reacted, he pped his thigh, ¡°Holy sh*t! How is Brother Luo¡¯s brain so good? This is too powerful! ¡±


    Tutor Zhong Meili looked at Xiao Luo with new respect. She found out that this new student Xiao Luo was not like the two guys, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai, who ignorant, ipetent and unmotivated ckers passing their days in a muddle-headed way.


    At this time, Huang Ruoran stood up and sneered: ¡°Your four questions are indeed good, but unfortunately the premise is all wrong. In the Cihai Dictionary, the word ¡°wan¡± has never meant ¡°all¡±. Let me give an example, when we say that a person has gone through all kinds of hardships, does it mean that he really has experienced all the hardships? This is obviously not the case.


    ¡®Wan¡¯ means ¡®all¡¯? Of course not. ¡®Money is the root of all evils¡¯ means that money can produce a great number of evil deeds, the variety of evil deeds are alsoplicated. This has long been proven by history.


    When the Roman Empire was dominating its region, conquest brought glory to the empire, it also brought a steady stream of wealth. But soon, the simple and honest Romans fell on their knees to worship money as they indulged in the wantonness of their sensual and luxurious pleasures. The Roman Empire copsed in this decay and degeneration.


    In the Middle Ages, Catholics once took pride in their clean and honest living, but the charm of money finally broke through where their moral and religious beliefs were stationed. For money, Pope John the twenty-second, openlybelled the crimes in the world with a mary value. One could be exempt from punishment as long as one paid the price of three gold coins. For five gold coins, one whomitted rape and adultery can sit back and rx. Even if one murdered someone, with only seven or eight gold coins, one could have the guarantee that their soul will go to heaven.


    When even an ancient civilization that has existed for thousands of years has been deeply corrupted by money, can¡¯t it be said that money is the root of all evil? There is an old Chinese saying, ¡®Learn from history and you will know the rise and fall of a kingdom¡¯. Money has given birth to so many evil. If money is not the root of all evil, then what is? ¡±


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s words were like bombs that exploded in everyone¡¯s mind.


    Everyone originally thought that Xiao Luo¡¯s four questions had created a deadlock, but by merely quoting the interpretation of the word ¡°Wan¡± in the Cihai Dicitonary, Huang Ruoran managed to overthrew Xiao Luo¡¯s four questions based on the premise. Everyone was thoroughly bowled over by Huang Ruoran¡¯s eloquence and her extremely wide knowledge.


    This was the power ofnguage. Everyone suddenly felt that Huang Ruoran¡¯s silhouette was iparably tall.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27: A Fatal Blow


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Ruoran is right. Money is the root of all evil!¡±


    ¡°¡®Wan¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean ¡®all.¡¯ If you don¡¯t understand, then refer to the Cihai Dictionary.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s see how you refute this time.¡±


    The female students who had a good rtionship with Huang Ruoran jeered at Xiao Luo to express their hostility against him even as they apuded enthusiastically in support of Huang Ruoran.


    Huang Ruoran looked at Xiao Luo quietly with eyes full of hostility.


    Xiao Luo looked at her and chuckled, ¡°No matter how you cut it, one apple can only be one apple after all. It may seem that Huang Ruoran has listed many ¡°evils,¡± but in fact, there is only one, and that is the greed for money. Is the desire for money the only type of evil? The answer is no.


    If you say ¡®wan¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean ¡®all¡¯ or ¡®everything,¡¯ then I would like to ask, if I say that you ¡®must not (wan wan bu ke) agree with my position¡¯ today? Does that mean that you disagree most of the time, but asionally, you may agree? The answer is of course not, so the word ¡®wan¡¯ here means ¡®all.¡¯ ¡±


    ¡°F*ck me!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei couldn¡¯t help but spit out a swear word. The reason is that Xiao Luo¡¯s rebuttal was too convincing, even if someone wanted to be convinced by Huang Ruoran¡¯s assertion, it was impossible now. If Huang Ruoran¡¯s previous statement waspared to a violent storm, Xiao Luo¡¯s counterattack was like a rough and angry sea. The whole world was in a state of turmoil under these two waves ofnguage power.


    Everyone¡¯s ears perked up. They saw that it was not only Huang Ruoran who had a strongmand of English and was highly eloquent but also Xiao Luo. The control the two of them had over spokennguage was freaky.


    Xiao Luo still kept a slight smile on his face. He continued, ¡°Money cannotprehensively cover all the evil in the world. ording to anthropological research, the forms of evil fall into four categories. Three of them are wholly unrted to money. Only one of them is greed.


    I will not talk about greed for money now. I¡¯ll talk about the evil of extremist beliefs. In 1995, some cult members released sarin nerve gas at a Tokyo subway station, killing twelve people. More than 5,000 people were admitted to hospitals for treatment. Also, during the Crusades, it wasn¡¯t only adults who were harmed. Many innocent and unarmed women and children were burned alive even as they hid in churches.


    These cases ount for most of the deaths and injuries. Shouldn¡¯t this be included in the so-called ¡®all evil?''[ And if so, what does it have to do with money?


    Wu Sangui let the Qing soldiers enter the pass. He did it for Chen Yuanyuan, not money. Some time ago, the news reported about an obsessed man who killed his girlfriend and dismembered her body into thirteen sections because she found a new love. Is the cause of this evil deed hatred in his heart or the loathing that already exists in him? Or perhaps it¡¯s because his girlfriend didn¡¯t give him a breakup fee?


    Various examples show that money isn¡¯t the cause of all evil, so I don¡¯t think that money is the root of all evil. At least, it can¡¯t evenpare to many other types of evil at all! ¡±


    The ss gasped as they listened. This technique behind this rebuttal waspelling. It was a direct strike against Huang Ruoran¡¯s point of view.


    Tutor Zhong Meili¡¯s eyes welled up with surprise. Her ss had not been so lively in many years. Not only did the newly arrived Xiao Luo push her students to an unprecedented peak, but he also made her, as a tutor, excited. She never thought that a topic she had thrown out could actually trigger such a fierce verbal showdown.


    At this time, Huang Ruoran spoke up. She met Xiao Luo¡¯s question head-on. ¡°The first question you said is primarily a problem of evil cults. Asahara Shoko solely nned the poison-gas incident at the Tokyo subway station. He was the founder of Aum Shinrikyo. He sold one strand of his hair to his worshippers for 30,000 yen and a cup of bath water for 50,000 yen. He might not have said it, but whatever was going through his mind, wasn¡¯t it ultimately about money?


    If Wu Sangui did what he had done for Chen Yuanyuan, why does he still want to be promoted to a high official position when he had already be the king of Yunnan and had Chen Yuanyuan in the palm of his hand after letting the Qing soldiers through the pass? Why could his mind still not rx? Why does he even want to be the emperor? It¡¯s always because of money.


    The people of Chinapare extreme hatred as ¡®hating someone like they have killed your father and stolen your wife,¡¯ but now, some people who have no money can sell their wives, and when they have money, they can sell out their fathers. Is this still hatred? The greatest hatred is caused by money or the desire for money.


    You previously said that ¡®must not¡¯ (wan wan bu ke) clearly states the meaning of ¡®all,¡¯ but you are mistaken. The word ¡®wan¡¯ in ¡®must not¡¯ (wan wan bu ke) is an adverb, and the ¡®wan¡¯ in ¡®root of all evil¡¯ (wan e zhi yuan) that we are speaking about today is an adjective. You use adverbs and adjectives as analogies. Isn¡¯t this ipatible and irrelevant?


    Honor¨¦ de Balzac once said money squeezes through every crack to prate our society. It controls politics, the economy, and ethics. When everything is controlled by money, what path do we take?


    So my viewpoint is the same as before, I think money is the root of all evil!¡±


    The ssroom fell silent again. Huang Ruoran and Xiao Luo were engaged in a battle of words. There was no gun smoke here, yet it was more intense than a battlefield. This showdown was bloodless.


    The students held their breath and were shocked by the confrontation between Huang Ruoran and Xiao Luo. Every word was beautiful and forceful as it faced the assertion of the other party head-on. They used cases from foreign countries and quoted words of famous people, such a level of knowledge deeply moved their audience. The figures of Huang Ruoran and Xiao Luo now looked like two timeless mountains standing in front of them.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said indifferently, ¡°¡®Wan¡¯ is not only an adverb but also an adjective. What is a ¡®surefire strategy¡¯ (wan quan zhi ce) and is ¡®perfectly foolproof¡¯ (wan wu yi shi)? What is universal gravitation (wan you yin li) and ¡®intelligence of the universe¡¯ (wan wu zhi ling)? Doesn¡¯t this ¡®wan¡¯ mean all? Is it, could it, possibly refer to exceptions?


    The Cihai Dictionary is authoritative, but aren¡¯t you quoting out of context and straying from the topic by just looking at the morpheme ¡®wan¡¯ and not the phrase, ¡®root of all evil¡¯ (wan e zhi yuan)? Also, everyone, ask yourself honestly, do humans not have an evil nature? Is everything induced by money? From where do man¡¯s greed and brutality originate?


    If money is the root of all evil, why were this brutality and greed suddenly not termed as evil before money was invented? So, is it the greed and wicked thoughts in the hearts of humans that is the root of all evil, or is money the root of all evil? Do it still necessary for me to continue exining? ¡±


    Everyone¡¯s soul was impacted by this one narrative.


    This was undoubtedly a fatal blow. Yeah, would there be no evil if money had not been invented?


    There was no way to exin, no way to refute. It was a totally hopeless situation!


    Huang Ruoran couldn¡¯t speak for a while. Even for her, it was beyond her capability to refute Xiao Luo¡¯s statement. She just clenched her teeth and looked at Xiao Luo unhappily, unreconciled with this oue.


    It was now clear who won and who lost!


    Everyone was really convinced by Xiao Luo, especially the final statement, which was simply devastating and crushing.


    The girls who had ridiculed Xiao Luo before could not say a single word now. Xiao Luo¡¯s ability to organize a speech, his ability to rebut, and hismand of English were first-rate. He was superb, yet here they were mocking him for speaking without thinking and for not knowing the limits of his abilities. They suddenly realized that they were actually ying the role of the savage, trouble-making viin who would never amount to anything!


    They could not help but feel their faces getting hot, none of them dared to raise their heads and meet Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze.

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28: Luck with the Ladies


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The after-ss bell rang, to the dismay of both Tutor Zhong Meili and the Englishnguage majors. They hated seeing the lesson end. The verbal sparring between Huang Ruoran and Xiao Luo was exhrating! Not only were their superior English skills on disy, but also their eloquence, logic, and ability to think. They also showed a wide range of knowledge, exuding confidence and charisma.


    ¡°The debate between Ruoran and Xiao Luo was captivating. In your spare time, you can all learn something from the points expressed. As for whether money is the root of all evil, this is a controversial topic that will never be irrelevant.¡±


    Zhong Meili wrapped up the session sinctly. At the same time, she was giving Huang Ruoran a way out of an embarrassing situation. Zhong Meili¡¯s statement could mean that she agreed that money was the root of all evil, or it could mean that she disagreed with this point of view. Her remark, purposefully ambiguous, took both students¡¯ perspectives and feelings into consideration. ¡°Okay, students. That¡¯s it for today. We¡¯ll see each other next time.¡±


    After she finished talking, she picked up herptop and teaching materials before turning to walk out of the ssroom.


    Just before she exited, she looked at Xiao Luo twice more, her eyes shining with unabashed praise. She didn¡¯t expect that this new student would have such in-depth training in the fundamentals of thenguage and such sophisticated cultivation in his knowledge. For a second-year student, this was rare and remarkable.


    After Tutor Zhong Meili left, the ssroom suddenly burst into activity.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you¡¯re my idol from now on.¡± Zhu Xiaofei patted his chest.


    Ding Kai guffawed and said sarcastically, ¡°You mean he¡¯ll turn you into a nauseating idiot, right?¡±


    ¡°Kaizi, do you want to get beaten up? Trust me. I¡¯ll pluck out all your pubic hair.¡± Zhu Xiaofei looked exasperated.


    At this point, An Huanhuan, who was petite, cute and sweet-looking, left her seat and ran happily to Xiao Luo. She said with a worshipful expression, ¡°Hero Luo, you¡¯re so gorgeous and cool. I¡¯m a big fan of yours.¡±


    She was wearing a snow-white, long-sleeved jacket with a pair of navy blue mini shorts. Her legs, fair and delicate, made one¡¯s thoughts wander into the gutter. Her elegant, jet-ck long hair was draped over her shoulders, giving her a soft and beautiful look. A pair of small dimples evenly distributed on both sides of her cheeks made her look lovely as a fairy when she smiled.


    Xiao Luo smiled politely in return.


    ¡°Hero Luo, be my boyfriend!¡± An Huanhuan suddenly grabbed his hand. Her bright eyes shone with expectation.


    As soon as this statement came out, many pairs of eyes in the ssroom turned toward them, shooting daggers at An Huanhuan.


    ¡°Ahem¡­. ahem ¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo felt overwhelmed by the favor immediately, causing himself to choke as he swallowed the wrong way. He coughed involuntarily.


    He shook off An Huanhuan¡¯s hand and gave a bitter smile. ¡°I just met you yesterday. It doesn¡¯t seem right to be your boyfriend!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder: was the girl who sneakily ¡°raided¡± his ¡°toy¡± for carrying on his family line yesterday An Huanhuan, who was standing right in front of him?


    Her behavior was uneptable. Were there girls who directly called out a guy to be her boyfriend? Where was the reserve that only girls had? Especially this girl, who was quite pretty. Xiao Luo was even more perplexed. Perhaps this era had changed and he was the one who was out of step with the times. It was beginning to seem that way.


    ¡°It¡¯s right, it¡¯s right. I like handsome and outstanding guys like you, Hero Luo. Just be mine forever.¡± An Huanhuan was unyielding, and she grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s hand again, which took him by surprise.


    Just be hers forever?


    What the f*ck!


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t imagine those wordsing out of the mouth of a girl.


    ¡°An Huanhuan, can you be a bit more reserved?¡±


    Huang Ruoran had packed her books, and she came over now, reprimanding An Huanhuan.


    As the ss monitor said her piece, An Huanhuan didn¡¯t dare to be so presumptuous any more. She let go of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand and whispered to him, ¡°Hero Luo, you¡¯re mine. I want you for sure.¡±


    After she finished talking, she enticingly batted hershes at him and left.


    Huang Ruoran nced at Xiao Luo coldly, and with obvious displeasure, then turned and left without saying a single word.


    The other girls also left in quick session.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you¡¯re having a lot of luck with thedies!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei said animatedly, ¡°I once wanted to scoop up all the girls in our major and build a harem, but I¡¯m too ugly. So, it was just filthy thoughts running around in my mind. But Brother Luo, you¡¯re different. This debate with Huang Ruoran was so exciting. You¡¯ve captured the hearts of all the girls in the ss. You can be like the emperors of the past. Whichever one you want, you can turn over a token to make your choice, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    To Zhu Xiaofei, that caustic remark was like a harsh kick to his butt. He was about to get angry, but when he turned around, he saw the faces of Chu Yue and Bai Ling. He immediately withered, his temper drained.


    He waved his hands and smiled awkwardly, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, I was joking around with Brother Luo.¡±


    Chu Yue couldn¡¯t be bothered with him. She said directly to Xiao Luo, ¡°Seven o¡¯clock tonight. Wait for me at the school gate. There happens to be a party. I¡¯ll take you with me so you can get to know the other three members of our gaming team.¡±


    Envy and jealousy were written all over Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s faces. To join the Chu Yue¡¯s team was something they had longed for day and night. But in the end, Xiao Luo arrived they were rejected. There was no pointparing oneself to others.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even asked if I want to join your team,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    His arrogant attitude took Chu Yue down a peg or two.


    But she kept her cool. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to?¡± she asked indifferently.


    ¡°To have a chance to win a massive sum of prize money? Sure, why wouldn¡¯t I? ¡± Xiao Luo saidughingly.


    Annoyed, Chu Yue red with her enormous and beautiful eyes. ¡°Then why did you still ask?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one thing for me to join, and it¡¯s another thing for you to ask me if I¡¯ll be joining or not. I¡¯m asking out of politeness,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Pfft


    Looking at him talking in such a pitiful way, Bai Ling, who was standing beside them, tittered. She realized she shouldn¡¯t haveughed and calmed down after coughing a few times.


    But Chu Yue was so furious she stamped her foot on the ground forcefully and raged, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you!¡±


    It just so happened that she stepped on Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s toes. Zhu Xiaofei screamed like a stuck pig whose butt was on fire. He jumped up and down on one foot, unable to keep his bnce, so Ding Kai reached out to support him. But because of the significant disparity in their builds, both of them fell to the ground.


    Since she was the person he was supposed to protect, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t tease Chu Yue anymore. He just smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at the school gate at seven o¡¯clock sharp.¡±


    Then he walked off looking like Mr. Nonchnce. Aargh! He was so annoying!


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai quickly got up and followed him.


    ¡°This guy is really¡­.¡±


    Chu Yue gritted her teeth and stomped her feet. She thought that she was quite arrogant and overbearing, but she never expected Xiao Luo to outdo her!


    ¡°Xiao Luo is quite a character. Young Mistress Chu, you¡¯ve met your nemesis.¡± Bai Ling giggled.


    ¡°How is he my nemesis?¡±


    Chu Yue snorted slightly, ¡°I¡¯ll let Fu Jiawei and the rest of them teach him a lesson tonight. Let¡¯s see if he still dares to be so arrogant in front of me.¡±

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29: Attending a Dance Party


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    At precisely seven o¡¯clock that evening, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of casual ck pants, Xiao Luo arrived at the gate of the Huaye campus.


    He was on time, but Chu Yue was not. Half an hourter, she and Bai Ling finally pulled up next to him. He was in a foul mood.


    Ignoring the BMW 3 Series that Chu Yue was driving, he snapped, ¡°You¡¯rete!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural that we have to dress up since we¡¯re going to a party. And of course, that takes time. You only waited for half an hour. You¡¯re so petty for a man,¡± Chu Yue said in objection. Her hair was jet ck, her skin, as smooth as jade. She had a delicate and perfectly straight nose set in an oval face. Sucking on a lollipop, she looked ravishingly beautiful with a hint of naughtiness.


    ¡°There are thirty minutes in half an hour, and thirty minutes is one thousand eight hundred. The world¡¯s highest rope-skipping record is seven skips per second. Based on this calction, the person canplete twelve thousand and six hundred skips in one thousand and eight hundred seconds. A chef with superb culinary talent can even create a feast in that time.


    A thousand and eight hundred seconds is enough time for a big yer in the stock market to turn everything upside down and set off a storm in the stock market. For me, I can use a thousand and eight hundred seconds to improve the rtionship between my new roommates and me significantly. I can use the time to review the notes from today¡¯s ss. I could have watched an exciting NBA game too.


    I have so many things to do, but because you¡¯re not on time, I wasted one thousand and eight hundred seconds. During this period, I only did one thing, which was to stand here like a block of wood, doing nothing except waiting.¡±


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling were growing impatient. Weren¡¯t they only half an hourte? It¡¯s normal for girls to bete. What in the world was up with Xiao Luo that he would unload this verbal diarrhea on them like that? For heaven¡¯s sake, he was acting as if they¡¯d done something truly egregious.


    Seeing how Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t about to shut up, Chu Yue quickly drew out thirty dors from her bag. ¡°Stop. Here¡¯s some money to buy the thirty minutes you wasted. Oh no, it¡¯s the one thousand and eight hundred seconds. Will this do? ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±


    Xiao Luo wouldn¡¯t stand on ceremony with her. He took the bills from her hand and stuffed them in his back pocket. Then he opened the car door and squeezed into the back seat.


    The anger boiling up inside Chu Yue was not only because of this incident. She never expected Xiao Luo to call her bluff and snatch her money away so rudely. Although it was only thirty dors, she was pissed: she felt as if she had been seriously ripped off.


    Bai Ling couldn¡¯t stopughing, revealing two cute little eye teeth. Her eyes narrowed into crescents, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re quite a character!¡±


    ¡°Nobody in their right mind would hold a thing against money!¡± said Xiao Luo self-righteously.


    ¡°Country bumpkin, do you only have eyes for money?¡±


    Chu Yue was indignant. Then she started the car. Looking in the rearview mirror, she said, ¡°Sit still and don¡¯t move around. These seats are real leather. You won¡¯t be able to afford the repairs if you scratch them.¡±


    ¡°Your car is a BMW 3 Series. The official price is thirty-six thousand dors. You should be able to get it imported for forty-six thousand dors. After spreading out the cost, these real leather seats will cost only about three to four thousand dors. Although I¡¯m not particrly wealthy, I can still afford such a trifling amount,¡± said Xiao Luo cooly.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Chu Yue felt her heart spasm. This guy was going to give her a heart attack.


    Beside her, Bai Ling sighed in her mind, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Young Mistress Chu has met her nemesis!¡±


    In her memory, Chu Yue had never lost a verbal exchange. But since meeting Xiao Luo, she was always so pissed off that she became tongue-tied and had no way to vent. Bai Ling just gave a sympathetic sigh to her bestie.


    Chu Yue gritted her teeth and thought, You think you¡¯re the only one who can talk? Let¡¯s see if you can still say anythingter!


    It was quiet in the car throughout the entire journey. Finally, they arrived at a luxurious vi in Jiangcheng.


    Xiao Luo got out of the car and nced at the vi in front of him, trying to look nonchnt¡­Yeah, it must be nice to be stinking rich.


    ¡°What are you looking at? You can¡¯t afford this vi no matter how many times you look at it. It cost more than a million dors,¡± Chu Yue delivered a timely verbal blow.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a vi that cost more than a million dors!¡±


    Xiao Luo said with all seriousness, ¡°Why do I feel that the trees have be a little smaller? The garden area is minimal, too.¡±


    ¡°The trees here are nted in strict ordance with the feng shui pattern. Don¡¯t you understand anything? Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t.¡± Chu Yue panted with rage. This Xiao Luo was a total bumpkin. Geez.


    Xiao Luo zipped his mouth. He happened to be her bodyguard, so what choice did he have? Although he was an invisible bodyguard, he couldn¡¯t change the fact that as her bodyguard, he shouldn¡¯t keep provoking her discontent for the fun of it.


    ¡°Princess Yue is here. Come on, let¡¯s go in quickly. A lot of people are waiting!¡±


    A well-dressed guy in a slim-fitting suit came out to greet them. He nced at Xiao Luo. ¡°This must be Xiao Luo bro. Princess Yue wants you as part of our team. Wee, wee.¡±


    ¡°Fu Jiawei¡¯s a member of my gaming team and also owns this vi.¡± Chu Yue exined before making further introductions.


    Xiao Luo greeted Fu Jiawei politely, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. Since we¡¯re members of the same team, we¡¯re teammates and brothers. Come in.¡± Fu Jiawei was very enthusiastic.


    Xiao Luo nodded and walked into the vi with Chu Yue and Bai Ling.


    The so-called party was a dance party of those wealthy children who had nowhere to spend their money, so they invited friends around to eat and drink. The dance was on thewn beside the pool. Many handsome men and beautiful women had already gathered there.


    ¡°Princess Yue, Bai Ling!¡±


    Apanying these two excited voices were two girls who lowered their wine sses and ran over, kicking up a fragrant breeze behind them.


    Xiao Luo sized up the two of them carefully. Although they were tall with a bombshell sultriness, they did not have Chu Yue¡¯s fresh and pure vibe. Still, these stunners could make men rise to the asion countless times in desire.


    ¡°Why did you get so drunk?¡± Chu Yue caught the scent of alcohol and wrinkled her nose.


    ¡°Rx, we can¡¯t get drunk on this little alcohol. Even if we¡¯re drunk, we can spend the night here at Jiawei¡¯s ce. Anyway, there are many empty rooms in his house. Jia Wei, am I right?¡± asked one of the girls.


    Fu Jiawei nodded eagerly, ¡°I don¡¯t have much else here, but I do have a lot of empty rooms!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just showing off.¡±


    The girl rebuked. Then she noticed Xiao Luo, ¡°Eh, Princess Yue, is this Xiao Luo?¡±


    Chu Yue nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Fang Shn, and I¡¯m a member of Princess Yue¡¯s gaming team. Nice to meet you!¡± The girl stretched out her hand.


    ¡°My name is Ye Yingying, and I¡¯m also a member of the Princess Yue¡¯s gaming team,¡± another girl introduced herself.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook hands with them one by one. He dropped their hands as soon as possible; there was no reluctance to let go. His manners were very appropriate for the asion.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯d invented a new way of outfitting the Armodillo. The opposite team was a pure AD lineup, yet you got the high ground in a 1V5 in ten minutes. We can swap pointers when we get a chance,¡± Fang Shn said with anticipation¡­..


    ¡°Sure, there will be a chance.¡± Xiao Luo smiled wryly.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30: To Be Targeted


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After getting acquainted with them, Xiao Luo gained a general understanding of Fu Jiawei and his party. They were all rich children like Chu Yue and they were university students too. They were not in Huaye, but in Zhonghua Normal University, which was separated from Huaye by an artificialke.


    When they learned that Xiao Luo came from an ordinary family of farmers, Fu Jiawei, Fang Shn, and Ye Yingying soon lost interest in him. Their enthusiasm towards him suddenly plunged to the freezing point, they pulled Chu Yue and Bai Ling along as they gravitated to other friends for some chitchat and drinking.


    All the people who came to this dance party were the children of Jiangcheng¡¯s richest families. They shouldwork more at this time.


    Contrary to expectation, Xiao Luo was at ease being all alone. He minded his own business as he ate the food.


    He had not had his dinner so his stomach was protesting at this moment. He sat down at a table full of desserts and fruits, and started eating without hesitation. Not to mention, the taste was good, and he couldn¡¯t stop eating once he started.


    Chu Yue, Fu Jiawei and his friends were looking over here from a distance.


    ¡°Princess Yue, why did you introduce such a person into our team? Look at how he eats, how rude. He¡¯s not at all elegant. With him around, our team¡¯s overall image will be lowered,¡± Ye Yingyingined, her eyes were filled with disgust at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°We¡¯re all from the same circle, but he¡¯s a penniless pauper who¡¯s unqualified to be friends with us. If somebody else got wind of this, everyone will certainlyugh at us,¡± Fang Shn echoed in agreement.


    Fu Jiawei did not express his criticism as the master of the house, instead he looked at Chu Yue quietly. He would never criticize the friends brought by Chu Yue before she clearly had expressed her attitude. Although, he felt the same in his heart, that Xiao Luo was not qualified enough toe here.


    Bai Ling argued in defense of Xiao Luo, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the way he eats? I think it¡¯s good. To be able to eat is a very fortunate thing, don¡¯t you know that? Also, my family¡¯s finances are not great either. ording to what you said, do you mean that I shouldn¡¯t be here too?¡±


    ¡°Bai Ling, you are Princess Yue¡¯s best friend, how could you be the same as him?¡± Ye Yingying said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he is he and you are you. How can he bepared to you? Look at how he eats, he¡¯s gorging himself, just like a criminal just released from prison. He¡¯s not cultured at all,¡± Fang Shn said coldly.


    Bai Ling didn¡¯t want to say anything for Chu Yue¡¯s sake, so as to avoid spoiling the rtionship between everyone. But as a child from an ordinary family too, she felt that their attitude towards Xiao Luo really was a bit too much.


    ¡°What¡¯s inside or outside the circle? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it, I brought Xiao Luo here. Do you want to embarrass me by vilifying him like this?¡±


    Chu Yue spoke up now. Although she was a child of a wealthy family, she was very disgusted with the culture of the insider circle. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have Bai Ling as her best friend.


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying were quite embarrassed. They looked at each other and smiled bitterly. They did not expect Chu Yue to have such a big reaction, she actually criticized them because of a penniless pauper.


    Fu Jiaweiughed heartily and broke this awkward atmosphere, ¡°Princess Yue is right, everyone is a student. Things like insider circles are just people messing around. Yingying, Shn, if you talk about Xiao Luo like this again, I would have some harsh words for you. ¡±


    ¡°We said something wrong, Princess Yue, don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we just said those things randomly. You can¡¯t treat it as real.¡±


    Ye Yingying and Fang Shn changed their stance very quickly, they could not afford to have an argument with Chu Yue all because of some penniless pauper.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry with you, what¡¯s with the apology?¡±


    Chu Yue shot an angry nce at Xiao Luo with her beautiful eyes, ¡°I brought him here for two reasons. One, to let you guys get acquainted, and two, for you guys to teach him a lesson for me, so that he¡¯ll stop acting so arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Fu Jiawei, Fang Shn and Ye Yingying looked at each other, they felt a keen interest immediately.


    Chu Yue beckoned them, and the four of them gathered together, discussing in low voices a strategy to make Xiao Luo embarrass himself.


    Bai Ling sighed helplessly and cast a sympathic look at Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    The music slowly started up, and the handsome men and beautiful women attending the dance party put down their wine sses, they went hand in hand to the dance floor and began to ballroom dance. The so-called ballroom dance was a pair of man and woman, holding each other¡¯s waists while each ced a hand on the other¡¯s back. They would gently sway their bodies as they faced each other with loving gazes like a couple and slowly spun.


    ¡°How leisurely and elegant these people are!¡±


    Xiao Luo drank a ss of red wine in one gulp and picked up a piece of butter cake. He lifted his spoon, dug into the cake and delivered it straight to his mouth, ¡°This is good too. You guys do your dancing and I¡¯ll eat my food. We¡± find our own interests, hehe¡­.


    He had no interest in dancing, but was more interested in continuing to be a foodie here.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, why don¡¯t you go dance?¡± At this time, Fu Jiawei came over with a smile on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to!¡±


    ¡°Heheh¡­.. it doesn¡¯t matter, nobody¡¯s born knowing how to dance. How about I get Shn to teach you?¡± Fu Jiawei waved at Fang Shn.


    All these had been discussed early on. The purpose was to make Xiao Luo embarrass himself and thereby realizing Chu Yue¡¯s wish.


    Fu Jiawei added, ¡°Shu Lan is a master of street dance.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I really don¡¯t know how to dance.¡±


    Xiao Luo refused, there were so much delicious food, how would he do some silly dance.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all right, I said that we¡¯ll be good bros in the future, don¡¯t be so reserved. Also, Shn is not an outsider, we¡¯re all on one team, there¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about,¡± Fu Jiaweiughed and said.


    Fang Shn nced at Xiao Luo and shouted, ¡°Come here if you¡¯re a man, don¡¯t be so fainthearted and naggy.¡±


    Previously, she thought that Xiao Luo was also from the same circles, so her attitude towards Xiao Luo was very friendly and polite. Now that she knew he came from an unremarkable background, that he was just a penniless pauper from the countryside, she stopped being polite.


    The question was now gravely linked to the deep question of his manliness. Xiao Luo, a male chauvinist, could no longer let them trample on his dignity as they liked.


    He harrumphed and put down half-eaten cake in his hands. He dusted off the crumbles on his hands, got up and walked towards the dance floor.


    At the same time, the system notification voice sounded in his mind, ¡°DING! Congrattions, you¡¯ve received the dance talent. You¡¯ve used five hundred points!¡±


    ¡°The fish has taken the bait.¡±


    The smile on Fu Jiawei¡¯s face grew even fuller and he sneakily threw an OK gesture to Chu Yue in the distance. Then he signaled the sound engineer to y some high energy music.


    When Fang Shn started to dance on the empty and spacious dance floor, one could see that she had a boy¡¯s strong sense of rhythm and sharpness. Her street dance was very visually pleasing and attention grabbing. With the addition of the dynamic, high energy music, she seemed to have transformed into a dancing queen. All the magnificence was gathered in her body, which attracted exmations and enthusiastic apuse from the guests on and off the dance floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn!¡±


    After a segment of street dancing, Fang Shn panted for air and nodded at Xiao Luo, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t know. It¡¯s street dancing as long as you dance to the rhythm and show the passion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple?¡± Xiao Luo smiled as he considered.


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple,¡± Fang Shn nodded.


    However, she was sneering in her mind, ¡°Hell would freeze over if it was really that simple. Just wave your limbs like a clown and make a disgrace of yourself. You¡¯re a country hick who shouldn¡¯t havee here.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31: Shocking the Audience


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    She revealed a devilish grin.


    Bai Ling¡¯s body quivered. She crossed her hands in front of her chest, feigned a delicate and charming look, and said sweetly, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, I¡¯ve identally spoken out of turn. I beg your forgiveness, for I¡¯ve disyed much sincerity.¡± Then, she quickly diverted Chu Yue¡¯s attention. ¡°Look, Xiao Luo¡¯s going to dance.¡±


    The diversion was a great sess. Chu Yue triumphantly shifted her eyes to the dance floor, her delight evident to all.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo could hardly retain hisposure. Recollecting some of Fang Shn¡¯s simple movements, he slowly began to sway and shuffle his body. But his stiff limbs made his movements all the more ridiculous. He looked like such a dork!


    ¡°What dance is that? Why haven¡¯t I seen it before?¡±


    ¡°This is called cluttered dancing, which means screwing around.¡±


    ¡°Ye-yeah, cluttered dancing it is, hahaha¡­.¡±


    Everyone wasughing at Xiao Luo with malicious enjoyment.


    The grin on Fu Jiawei¡¯s face was even more exaggerated. Contempt and disdain were flickering in his eyes. Sure enough, for him, such an uncool and unrefined person was unworthy of being called a friend!


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying looked at each other, grinning and squinting like an emoji face. In their eyes, Xiao Luo, who to them was nothing more than a yokel, was there to amuse them with his bumpkin ways. They were so mean.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s movements halted, and he transitioned into a robot dance. It was Michael Jackson¡¯s signature move, the moonwalk. It seemed as if he was walking in space with his body freed from the clutches of earth¡¯s gravity. His movements were like moving clouds and water, smooth and mind stirring!


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s mouth was agape. Xiao Luo, who was swaying around in his nonsensical dance moves, abruptly performed a turn-around right at the next moment with some impable footwork.


    The smile on Fu Jiawei¡¯s, Fang Shn¡¯s, and Ye Yingying¡¯s faces froze.


    From far away, Chu Yue and Bai Ling stood there wide-eyed. They couldn¡¯t believe Xiao Luo would have something like that up at his sleeve.


    Xiao Luo became more and morefortable in his movements, performing various unnameable one-handed flips and two-handed backflips. He didn¡¯t look like a human moving his body, but a spirit who was possessed.


    ¡°What the heck? Does he practice the Lightness Skill?¡±


    A guy who was preparing to feast on some desserts was shocked by Xiao Luo, who was randomly performing flips, body waves, and a series of movements that defy human anatomy. He wasn¡¯t even aware he had dropped the cake in his hands! Whoa!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s body flipped rapidly, performing a few jaw-dropping actions mid-air, as he went in the direction of the gourmet table.


    Just when everyone thought he was about to topple the table, Xiao Luo forcefully propelled his body, giving people the illusion that he had stopped in mid-air. Then, he tapped both his feet at the corner of the table, did a 360-degree backflip, andnded firmly on the ground.


    Phew!


    After letting out a long breath, Xiao Luo grabbed a ss of red wine from the gourmet table and guzzled it down with his head raised.


    The entire ballroom plunged into a deathly silence.


    They were gaping at Xiao Luo as they stood in ce, motionless. In their minds, it was still the out-of-the-world robot dance Xiao Luo had performed earlier.


    ¡°p¡­ p p p¡­¡±


    A guy slowly began apuding for Xiao Luo. That single p struck a chord in everyone as thunderous apuse and cheering sounded the very next moment. These guests used their actions to express their approval toward Xiao Luo¡¯s dance moves.


    Fang Shn, on the other hand, felt a tingling feeling in her heart. From a professional point of view, Xiao Luo¡¯s dancing was impressive. Whether his moonwalk or his various body flips¨Chis movements were on point and hugely satisfying to watch. His dancing wasn¡¯t just a little bit better than hers.


    ¡°Young Mistress Chu, your n has failed miserably. Far from embarrassing himself, Xiao Luo earned everyone¡¯s praise,¡± Bai Ling said gleefully.


    Chu Yue fluttered her apricot-shaped eyes as if she had just recovered from the shock. She said while unconsciously gritting her teeth, ¡°This is an ident. This performance is purely an ident. How could someone like him know how to dance so well!¡±


    ¡°I think you should forget about it. I already told you that guy¡¯s your nemesis. You will never win against him,¡± eximed Bai Ling.


    ¡°No. I must and I will take him down. Otherwise, he¡¯ll think that I¡¯m a pushover,¡± Chu Yue clenched her fist and said with utter determination.


    Bai Ling sighed, ¡°Your n has failed. What else do you n to do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have more than one n. I prepared three ns,¡± Chu Yue said proudly.


    ¡°Three ns?¡±


    Bai Ling was startled. Subsequently, she shook her head and said helplessly, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, just how much do you detest Xiao Luo! And why?¡±


    She felt terrible for Xiao Luo. Didn¡¯t he just unintentionally talk back to the young mistress several times? Must she take things to the extreme?


    Xiao Luo glimpsed at Fang Shn and said yfully, ¡°Ms. Fang, my dance moves aren¡¯t bad, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re great. Impressive, truth be told!¡±


    Fang Shn told him this but was cursing him on the inside. That jerk is mocking at me, he thought to himself.


    Xiao Luo snorted faintly but didn¡¯t speak again. He was beginning to feel that he had a target painted on his back. Why else would the sons and daughters of the wealthye forward and offer him dance lessons? So that was it. He was on to them now.


    As he kept pondering his situation, he thought about Chu Yue.


    He turned to look at Chu Yue. He sighed in his heart, ¡°That young mistress is hard to serve. Two million dors ain¡¯t easy money!¡±


    At this moment, Fu Jiawei approached him from behind and held his shoulders as if they were good brothers, ¡°You¡¯re a low-key person, my brother. You can dance so well, but you said you couldn¡¯t, and I ended up calling Shn over to teach you. From what I see, you should be the one teaching Shn.¡±


    ¡°Well, sometimes it¡¯s better to be a low-key person,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    As this sentence had a deep meaning, Fu Jiawei went nk for a moment. His expression was bing unnatural. Later, he once again put on a friendly smile, ¡°Yes, of course, you¡¯re right, my brother. By the way, do you y snooker perchance?¡±

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32: Vilest n Throughout History


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Snooker?


    Xiao Luo was quiet. This n was another one of Chu Yue¡¯s tricks. He unconsciously revealed a smooth arc at the corner of his mouth as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ve only yed pool. Never tried snooker before!¡±


    Fu Jiawei chuckled in his heart: It would be odd if you¡¯d tried something as high ss as snooker!


    His expression was calm as he pointed to a ce not far from the dance floor. ¡°Well, are you interested? I happen to have a snooker table over here.¡±


    Looking in the direction where Fu Jiawei was pointing, an open-air building that looked like a giant white swan came into view. Inside was a snooker table. There were fifteen red balls and six colored balls and holes at all four corners and the center of the two longer sides of the table. The green surface of the table was as smooth as a mirror.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°I can give it a try!¡±


    He doesn¡¯t mind giving these people a lesson and earning some points in the process.


    Ye Yingying came forward, ¡°I¡¯ll y with you, Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°A beautiful girl wants to y with me? I¡¯m raising both of my hands in approval!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and said casually, ¡°But merely ying won¡¯t be that fun. How about we spice things up a little?¡±


    Ye Yingying was surprised. Then, she took out a bank card from her pocket and said, ¡°Sure. There¡¯s 50 grand on this card. I¡¯m not asking you to score higher than me. I¡¯ll consider that you¡¯ve won if you score 10 points, and you can have this card.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Ms. Ye? I must say that I¡¯m not bad at this game. Ten points and I¡¯ll win? Aren¡¯t you going too easy on me?¡±


    The smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face was vibrant. Not only did he get to eat good food by partaking in this party, but he could also even win some money. For a guy like him who didn¡¯t have much cash, happiness came too suddenly.


    Idiot, how is pool the same as snooker?


    A condescending sneer washed over Ye Yingying¡¯s face, mocking Xiao Luo¡¯s ignorance.


    Although pool and snooker were both billiards, there was a big difference between them, starting with the tables. A pool table was approximately 2.5 meters long and 1.2 meters wide. A snooker table, on the other hand, was 3568mm x 1778mm. Thetter was much bigger than the former, and their difficulty was not at all at the same level.


    Second, defending, ball control, and strategizing were important in snooker. Those who hadn¡¯t tried the game before wouldn¡¯t have such concepts in their minds. Their minds would be nk, like a person who had never touched a basketball and was suddenly thrown into a basketball court for a game.


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m going too easy on you, so be it. But if you lose, you¡¯ll have to give me something to make it fair,¡± said Ye Yingying.


    Xiao Luo spread his hands, ¡°I¡¯m not as wealthy as you, Ms.Ye! I don¡¯t carry 50 grand on me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want money. Besides, why would I, daughter of the Ye family, be short of money?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression became curious, ¡°So, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°If you lose, bark a few times like a dog in front of everyone, and clean my heels.¡± Ye Yingying lifted her high heels.


    Ah ha. All the guests knew what was going on here: Ye Yingying was trying to humiliate Xiao Luo.


    His eyes zed over. He never expected Ye Yingying¡¯s heart to be so cold. ¡°This is about my dignity as a man. I doubt it¡¯s worth less than your 50 thousand, Ms. Ye.¡±


    ¡°Then, let me up the ante!¡±


    Ye Yingying went all out and took off the watch she was wearing, ¡°This is a Swiss OMEGA series luxury watch, worth at least 50 thousand.


    ¡°You¡¯re ying pretty big!¡±


    Xiao Luo pretended to be hesitant. He was already giggling in his heart. He was worried about theck of money, and this poor thing just came offering herself to deliver him some cash.


    ¡°Show me some courage and resolution if you¡¯re a man! Can you not be that hesitant?¡± Fang Shn crossed her hands in front of her chest with a mean face.


    When these words dropped, she, Ye Yingying¡¯s partner in crime, and all the wealthy sons and daughters spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, be quick if you want to y, or just admit you¡¯re a pussy.¡±


    ¡°He must be afraid of losing. After all, he hasn¡¯t tried something as high ss as snooker before.¡±


    ¡°But his worries can be justified. He¡¯ll have to bark like a dog if he loses. He can¡¯t possibly humiliate himself like that.¡±


    Fu Jiawei smiled contemptuously. If he got this done, Chu Yue might fall for him. Thinking about his future days with a goddess beside him, he could feel the bliss in his heart.


    From far away, Bai Ling said anxiously, ¡°Young mistress Chu, do you think Xiao Luo will agree to Ye Yingying¡¯s offer?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll proceed with the vilest n in the history of humanity!¡± Chu Yue curled her mouth, resolving to humiliate Xiao Luo.


    Vilest in history?!


    Bai Ling couldn¡¯t help but shudder as she broke into a cold sweat for Xiao Luo.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo craned his neck and proceeded to ask, ¡°Ms.Ye, what¡¯s the password to your bank card?¡±


    What?


    Everyone was stunned, as they had no clue about what Xiao Luo was doing.


    Yee Yingying also looked puzzled.


    Xiao Luo spread his hands and said, ¡°How am I supposed to take money out from this card without the password?¡±


    Pssss


    After he came out with those words, the crowd subconsciously took a deep breath as they thought, ¡°This guy is way too arrogant. How can he be so sure he¡¯ll win?¡±


    Fu Jiawei, on the contrary, only dismissed a sneer as he murmured in his mind, ¡°Games and snooker are Yingying¡¯s greatest hobbies. Even Uncle Da, who had yed snooker at international levelpetitions, recognizes Yingying¡¯s skill. Do you want topete with her in snooker, Xiao Luo? Don¡¯t even think of winning even if you have an extra three heads and six arms.¡±


    Ye Yingying was so agitated she chuckled. Then, she said in a deep voice, ¡°The password is six ones. Win it from me if you can.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Xiao Luo strode toward the snooker table.


    The guests who were initially drinking, eating snacks, and chattering shifted their positions, seeing that an intriguing snooker match was about to begin and moved forward to get a better look.


    Xiao Luo picked a snooker cue and weighed it in his hands. ¡°I haven¡¯t yed in a long time. Let me get the hang of it again.¡±


    As he spoke, he bent over and thrust the white ball with his cue. His movements were rusty and stiff, and his shot lived up to everyone¡¯s expectations. He slipped. Almost all the thrust force from the cue was funneled to the edge of the white ball, causing it only to roll a short distance.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends were rolling in the aisles.


    ¡°He can¡¯t even hit the ball! He must¡¯ve never yed before!¡±


    ¡°He even boldly imed he was good at pool just now. It seems like he¡¯s just bluffing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right, I¡¯ve never seen such an idiot. Is he out of his mind to brag that arrogantly? I wonder how he is surviving in this world.¡±


    From far away, Chu Yue became excited, ¡°That guy¡¯s going to be barking soon! Haha¡­¡±


    Bai Ling was baffled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Luo? He shouldn¡¯t agree if he doesn¡¯t know how to y.¡± But after some thought, she was a little relieved. ¡°But that¡¯s okay. At least Young Mistress Chu won¡¯t get to use her vilest n.¡±


    Since Chu Yue said it was the most vicious n in history, it was by no means an exaggeration. It would be ten times or even a hundred times crueler than this one.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33: A Heavy Thrust


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo ignored the crowd¡¯s taunting, waved the cue stick, and said to Ye Yingying, ¡°Can you let me practice for three minutes? It¡¯s been a while. I¡¯m rusty.¡±


    Ye Yingying sneered, ¡°Three minutes? I can give you ten or thirty minutes if you want.¡±


    ¡°Nah, three minutes will do. And please brief me on the scoring rules in snooker in the meantime.¡±


    Xiao Luo bent over to hit the ball, trying to get the feel of the game even though the system already prompted that he had sessfully redeemed the talent of ying snooker.


    Seeing him slip nine out of ten times, Ye Yingying could hardly wait to do her victory dance. She wanted tough so badly, but she still exined the scoring rules to Xiao Luo unhurriedly, ¡°Each red ball is worth a point, and the yellow ball two points, the brown ball, four; the blue ball, five; the pink ball, six, and the ck ball, seven. When pocketing the balls, you must follow the ¡®one red one-color¡¯ sequence. That means you can only pocket a colored ball after a red one. When all the red balls are pocketed, you have to pocket the colored balls in the sequence of their respective point value from low to high. When you¡¯re supposed to strike a red ball, if the white cue ball doesn¡¯te in contact with any red ball, you will be penalized four points. If you identally hit a colored ball, the penalty depends on the point value of the ball, but the minimum will be four nheless.¡±


    ¡°The rules seem a littleplicated!¡± Xiao Luo scratched his head.


    ¡°As an international sport, snooker will, of course, have many restrictive rules. It is because of these rules that snooker is challenging and fun.¡± Ye Yingying lifted her head as her eyes radiated contempt and condescension.


    Xiao Luo nodded nomittally. ¡°Well, that makes sense!¡±


    ¡°Three minutes have passed. Got your ¡®feel¡¯ back yet?¡± Fang Shn asked.


    Xiao Luo waved his hands and said, ¡°Almost. Let¡¯s begin. Who¡¯ll go first?¡±


    ¡°As you like!¡±


    Ye Yingying casually took a cue ball from the cue bag.


    ¡°Ladies first,¡± Xiao Luo said with a gesture and a smile.


    Idiot. Let me see you bark like a dogter!


    Ye Yingying snorted faintly. Without saying anything more to Xiao Luo, she went to the break-off position, bent her body down, made a groove with her left hand and held the butt cap of the cue with her right. Then sheid her upper body down and aimed in the direction of the cue ball.


    Her right hand, which was gripping the cue stick, remained stagnant. She stood upright, took a small step with her left foot, which corresponded to her shoulder-length, and rotated the tip of her right foot at about 70 degrees, thus positioning herself firmly.


    Then she aligned her chin with the center axis of the cue and leveled her eyes to look forward. Her nose, mouth, and chin were on the same vertical ne with the cue ball and her right arm. She exuded a calm temperament and supreme confidence.


    You can tell if someone¡¯s good at something once they get into action!


    It was not necessary to see Ye Yingying striking the cue ball. From her posture, the crowd could tell she was a pro in snooker. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be emitting such a lofty and cold temperament. It formed a sharp contrast with the stiff and rusty movements Xiao Luo disyed earlier on. The disparity was that of heaven and earth.


    ck.


    Once Ye Yingying thrust her cue, the white ball rolled with a soft impulse toward the red balls gathered in a triangr formation.


    This move was a gentle strike to defend. A match between veterans would typically start in this way. It all depended on who revealed their ws before the other. Ye Yingying naturally did this out of habit. After all, the people who usually yed with her were all pros.


    After the white ball mildly scattered the red balls, it slowly rolled to the short edge of the table and stopped right behind a brown ball. It was both a wless defensive and an offensive move. As long as Xiao Luo didn¡¯t hit a red or colored ball, his turn would end, and she could even score a few points, buttering both sides of the bread.


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends apuded.


    The others also nodded as their eyes zed in praise. From that strike, they could tell that Ye Yingying had an excellent grasp over the white ball¡¯s movements. With skills of this caliber, she meagrely possessed the style of an international-level snooker grandmaster. As a hobby, it was rare andmendable for her to have practiced her skills to this extent.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Xiao Luo. Don¡¯t touch the colored balls!¡± Fu Jiawei said, smiling with his eyes squinted.


    ¡°Rx, I¡¯m not that bad!¡±


    Xiao Luo rubbed the cue tip with chalk to enhance the leather tip¡¯s friction.


    Chu Yue from far away couldn¡¯t bear to watch him. She mocked, ¡°That friggin¡¯ poser, acting cool by rubbing the cue tip with chalk? Isn¡¯t he ashamed of himself?¡±


    Bai Ling kept quiet. She thought Chu Yue was way too critical of Xiao Luo anyway.


    ¡­


    Ye Yingying left her position and stood to the side. Simr to Fang Shn, she crossed her hands in front of her chest and looked at Xiao Luo with disdain.


    ¡°Girls will be girls, powerless even to thrust the cue. Let me scatter all those red balls!¡± Xiao Luo bent down, preparing to strike.


    When the people around her heard that, they were all holding back theirughter. This attitude was the difference between an amateur and a professional. He doesn¡¯t know a thing and thought she couldn¡¯t exert enough strength because she¡¯s a girl. He knows nothing about snooker.


    ¡°You scatter the red balls then!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hurry up and strike the red balls apart. Let¡¯s see your skills.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t slip again, haha¡­¡±


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying smiled as if they were looking at an idiot as they spouted words of mockery.


    Xiao Luo smiled with them, and then forcefully thrust the cue.


    ck


    The while ball gushed out like a thundering beast, hitting the long side of the table, and then rushed toward the clumped red balls with unstoppable impetus. With a tter, the fifteen red balls scattered outward without any art ofposition. But none of them pocketed while many of the red balls stopped at positions not far away from the pocket holes.


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°Well, I thought I could pocket at least one. What bad luck!¡±


    Bad luck?


    It¡¯s you who was stupid, all right. You thought that snooker is the same as pool, where you can get the balls pocketed by just randomly hitting?


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends scoffed, thinking Xiao Luo was way too funny.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you can recede now!¡±


    Ye Yingying moved forward as she revealed a confident smile at the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°Very confident of you, Ms. Ye. But although I¡¯ve scattered the red balls, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for you as well, right?¡± Xiao Luo said disapprovingly.


    Ye Yingying looked at the ck balls clumped together and the white cue nearby that was surrounded by a chain of red balls. She said with a smile, ¡°Open your eyes and watch. Let¡¯s see if this will be easy for me.¡±


    Upon finishing, she bent down and hit the white ball without much aiming.


    The white ball hit a nearby red ball, and the red ball rolled toward the bottom hole and coincidently knocked another red ball that was near the bottom hole, into the hole. A beautiful demonstration of beating the cattle across the mountain!


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    When Fang Shn and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends were apuding, Xiao Luo joined them. ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re quite good at this, Ms. Ye.¡±


    Quite?


    Why would a nitwit in snooker hold on to himself so shamelessly?


    Ye Yingying wanted to yell at him; however, courtesy had been drummed into her since she was a tyke. She simply nced at Xiao Luo with disdain and continued to strike the balls.


    Ka-drrum!


    The blue ball pocketed. Ye Yingying attained six points in an instant.


    Seeing the distribution of the red balls on the table, she intensified her smile, as she felt she could clear the table in one turn, denying Xiao Luo even a single point.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34: Can You Feel It?


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Ka-drrum


    Ka-drrum


    Following the crisp sounds of balls potting into holes, the number of red balls on the table were decreasing at speeds visible to the naked eye. Ye Yingying¡¯s score was also steadily increasing from 10 to 17, 25, 30.


    ¡°Yingying is going to clear the table!¡±


    ¡°Even the veteran in snooker, Uncle Da, almost lost to Yingying. She has to be good.¡±


    ¡°Clear the table, let that guy score a big fat zero, haha¡­¡±


    Fang Shn¡¯s and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends became tinged with irony and teasing.


    Seeing that Ye Yingying had cleared all fifteen red balls and only six colored balls remained, Fu Jiawei felt the urge to look at Xiao Luo¡¯s expression, thinking it would be interesting. But when he turned around and looked at Xiao Luo, he was startled because Xiao Luo was at that time sitting on the chair while holding a ss of red wine that came from nowhere. He had his legs crossed and was drinking ever so leisurely without a hint of anxiety.


    He went over and asked with feigned concern, ¡°Xiao Luo, my brother. Yingying is about to clear the table. How can you even think about sipping wine?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There are still six colored balls left, which hold a total of 27 points,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    What the f*ck? Just how big is your ego?!


    Fu Jiawei, who had always been courteous previously, couldn¡¯t help but spout an expletive in his heart. Then he sneered with a gloating expression, ¡°Well, now, you have only 22 left.¡±


    As he spoke, Ye Yingying had already potted a yellow and a green ball. Immediately after that, she potted a brown ball. She was on fire.


    ¡°Eighteen points left!¡± Fu Jiawei nced at Xiao Luo from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°Ka-drrum~¡± A blue ball went into a hole.


    Fu Jiawei had a yful smile on this face as he lifted his volume, ¡°13!¡±


    Xiao Luo kept silent as he continued to sip on his red wine unhurriedly.


    ¡°Haha¡­ that poser is going to be barking soon.¡±


    Chu Yue was ted. She could finally let Xiao Luo experience some exquisite humiliation.


    ¡°I hope Xiao Luo won¡¯t be angry at you after he finds out you¡¯re behind this,¡± said Bai Ling shaking her head without mincing words.


    ¡°He dares to be angry at me?¡±


    Chu Yue lifted her chin proudly, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t beat him up physically or verbally. I only just let him learn how to bark like a dog. Why would he be angry?¡±


    ¡°Young mistress Chu, guys care a lot about their dignity, all right!¡± Bai Ling rolled her eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°I know, I know. Geez! Didn¡¯t he join my team? As team captain, I need to let him have of a taste of my authority, lest he steps above my head in the future,¡± Chu Yue eximed angrily.


    Pouting, Bai Ling refused to say another word.


    ¡­


    Ye Yingying was knitting her eyebrows as she thought he didn¡¯t estimate her strike well enough,nding the white ball in an awkward position.


    She was confident about potting the pink ball. But at the same time, after the white ball knocked the pink ball, it had more than a 90% probability of falling into another bottom hole. If the white ball were potted, Xiao Luo would gain six points without doing anything.


    This wasn¡¯t the result she wanted!


    What she wanted was an overwhelming victory¨CNot to mention that six points would bring him exceptionally close to ten, and she didn¡¯t want him to gain even one point.


    Hence, Ye Yingying chose to y defensively. She gave the cue a light thrust. The white ball gently knocked the edge of the pink ball, touched the short side of the table at a tricky angle, rebounded, and stopped near the ck ball. The three balls were almost aligned. It could be said that the ck ball had the pink ball blocked, and the white ball could never directly touch the pink ball.


    ¡°Nice ball!¡±


    The guests praised her. This move was a good strike of the outermost defense.


    Subsequently, everyone turned to look at Xiao Luo. What would he do now?


    Would this guy create a miracle, or would he finish with a big fat zero?


    Many were anticipating the oue. After all, Xiao Luo looked calm and serene without a tinge of panic. The pink and ck ball totaled 13 points. If he could pot both balls, he would¡¯ve still won the game.


    But no one was rooting for Xiao Luo. What kind of joke would that be? Why would a guy who slipped nine out of ten times pot the balls? There would be zero suspense regarding the oue.


    ¡°Your turn!¡±


    Ye Yingying turned around and yelled at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t affected. He put down his wine ss and said to Fu Jiawei next to him with a smile, ¡°See? I still have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Ye, yeah! You still have a chance, bud! The ck and pink ball totals at 13 points, which is over ten. Hehe.¡±


    Fu Jiawei was cracking up. What an oddball. Why would he still think he had a chance at this point? No wonder he failed to notice that he had provoked my princess Chu Yue.


    Xiao Luo circled the table, and his eyebrows became almost knitted together.


    ¡°The white ball can never touch the pink ball with one rebound. It will need at least two rebounds. To aplish this feat, not to mention me, I¡¯m afraid that even the internationally renowned grandmasters would have a less than 50% sess rate. That¡¯s an outstanding y, Ms. Ye.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not that big of an idiot after all. Since you are well aware that you will never get to pot the pink ball, you should give up,¡± Ye Yingying, who was holding the winning ticket, said while smiling proudly.


    ¡°Give up?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Ye Yingying said, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re better than the grandmasters that you can pot the pink ball with the white ball being at such a position?¡±


    ¡°Never try, never know,¡± Xiao Luo said while spreading his hands.


    Fang Shn was getting impatient and yelled, ¡°Why are you talking so much nonsense? Are you going to hit the ball or not?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! You are so naggy! You¡¯re nothing like a man.¡±


    ¡°Do it quickly if you so wish to try! And bark if you admit defeat.¡±


    ¡°Aside from barking, you still have to rub Yingying¡¯s heels clean.¡±


    A bunch of people echoed.


    Xiao Luo smiled indifferently. He bent down, made a groove with his left hand, and aimed his cue. He took a deep breath, brewing his strike unhurriedly.


    ¡°Jiawei, can you feel it?¡±


    His words confused Fu Jiawei as he replied while containing hisughter, ¡°Feel what?¡±


    ¡°Me, potting the ball, of course,¡± Xiao Luo said seriously.


    Are you potting the ball?


    Fu Jiawei was taken aback. He couldn¡¯t contain hisughter any longer. He almost cried as he thought, ¡°Your club isn¡¯t even pointing in the right direction and has almost a 180 degrees deviation with the pink ball. You dare im that you can pot the ball?¡±


    You are a weirdo, my brother!


    However, he said, agreeing, ¡°I didn¡¯t feel it at first. But after what you said, I immediately felt it. You can get the ball potted.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The guests burst outughing, amused by Xiao Luo¡¯s ignorant and funny words.


    ¡°Get in, ball!¡±


    At this time, Xiao Luo shouted. His eyes abruptly turned sharp as he forcefully struck the cue on the white ball.


    ck


    The static white ball morphed into a ray of white light, rushing out at an extremely high speed. It randomly spurted across the entire table as if it had lost control, consecutively colliding four times with the edges of the table. Finally, following a ¡°cluck,¡± it knocked on the pink ball.


    The pink ball attained a surge of energy and went rolling directly to the bottom hole. Amid the crowd¡¯s incredible expressions, the ball went into the hole following a ¡°Ka-drrum.¡±


    Clean and neat! Done in a stretch!


    The ttering in the venue abruptly halted.

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35: w


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    All the guests were stunned. Chu Yue and Bai Ling, who were far away, also straightened up their bodies.


    Yikes! The ball went in!


    The pink ball was potted into a hole!


    A brute-force thrust that sent the white ball bumping around like a headless fly hit the pink ball. And not only that, it even knocked the pink ball into a hole.


    Holy moly, how is that possible?


    No one could believe their eyes. It was one in a million. Unbelievable. Uneptable. They never expected something like this to happen.


    Xiao Luo stood upright, walked toward Fu Jiawei, and patted his shoulders, ¡°Jiawei, thanks for your blessing. The ball has been potted!¡±


    Fu Jiawei just stood there, unsure of what to do. He broke out in an awkward smile.


    Ye Yingying, Fang Shn, and the rest of the gang looked as if their mouths were stuffed with fish. Their expressions were as awful as awful could be.


    ¡°Luck, it must be luck. I¡¯ll eat sh*t if this isn¡¯t a lucky ball!¡± A guy who had a great rtionship with Ye Yingying was unconvinced.


    The others also subconsciously nodded in agreement. The white ball rebounded four times before it hit the pink ball. If this weren¡¯t a lucky ball, no one would¡¯ve believed the tale anyway. It couldn¡¯t possibly be that Xiao Luo had mastery over the white ball¡¯s trajectories, right? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t Xiao Luo be better than those internationally renowned grandmasters in snooker? Was that even possible?¡±


    Xiao Luo was impressed by that guy¡¯s hypothesis. ¡°If you say it¡¯s a lucky ball, then a lucky ball it shall be. I can¡¯t possibly say no and let you eat sh*t, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    That guy was gritting his teeth and rubbing his palms. If Fu Jiawei hadn¡¯t given him a dirty look, he would have bolted up to teach that arrogant Xiao Luo a lesson!


    At this moment, Ye Yingying said with a knowing smile, ¡°Don¡¯t get too full of yourself. Pot the ck ball if you can, or you¡¯ll still lose!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, get on with it! I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ll have such great luck this time.¡± It was that guy from just now who was itching to see Xiao Luo fail.


    ¡°It was all luck just now. If he pots the ck ball this time, I will kneel to him.¡±


    ¡°Just kneeling? I will straight up call him daddy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A miracle like that will never happen twice.¡±


    The few people who were close acquaintances of Ye Yingying began taunting him.


    Xiao Luo kept quiet, bent down, and locked his cue on the white ball. The cue, the white ball, and the ck ball were in a straight line. His eyes were sharp, and his body was radiating a unique aura. A gust of wind blew over, sending the fringe on his forehead into a gentle flutter.


    The air condensed as he channeled his focus.


    His foxy grin, his confidence, his evil yet charming morale, and his solemnness were giving off a mysterious air of kingliness.


    For a moment, Chu Yue was taken in by this force in the world. She murmured subconsciously, ¡°That poser looks so¡­ so handsome!¡±


    At this moment, Xiao Luo had already taken his shot.


    ck


    It was still a hard strike. The white ball whistled toward the ck ball like a ray of white light rupturing the fabric of space that it even left an afterimage in the crowd¡¯s eyes.


    As soon as it collided with the ck ball, the white ball immediately substituted the ck ball in its position and spun at breakneck speed. The ck ball, on the other hand, morphed into a ck panther that thundered toward a hole. Without any ident, it perfectly went into the hole following a Ka-drrum.¡±


    The crowd was gazing at the white ball that was spinning wildly in the same spot as if they were idiots, with the word ¡°impossible¡± imprinted on their faces. The guy who said Xiao Luo was blessed by luck earlier, in particr, felt his face burning as if he¡¯d been pped hard by someone.


    ¡°I got 13 points. ording to our agreement just now, I won.¡±


    Xiao Luo put down the cue, walked to Ye Yingying, and extended his hand. He meant, where¡¯s my watch and bank card?


    With so many people around, Ye Yingying couldn¡¯t renege on her promise. But 50 thousand dors was her one-month pocket money, and that Swiss watch was her much-treasured possession. How could she hand them over just like that?


    ¡°I want another match!¡±


    Ye Yingying gritted her teeth while she took off her watch and ced it into Xiao Luo¡¯s hand alongside her bank card.


    ¡°Another match?¡± Xiao Luo frowned.


    ¡°Yes, a rematch.¡±


    Ye Yingying¡¯s eyes were about to spurt fire. She finally understood that this guy had been pretending all along. From the moment she challenged him to a snooker match, she had be an idiot, ¡°If you win, I will give you another hundred thousand dors. If you lose, return me my bank card, watch, and lick my shoe clean.¡±


    She was furious. This was the first time she got cucked so severely. She was proud of her brilliance in snooker. For her, this defeat was a deep, humiliating disgrace.


    Why would Xiao Luo ever say no to free money?


    He replied in a faint tone, ¡°Well, we could, but I don¡¯t like empty promises!¡±


    What he meant was, she had to show her sincerity. She couldn¡¯t just say it with her mouth.


    ¡°There¡¯s fifty grand in here!¡±


    Fang Shn took out a bank card from her pocket and ced it on the snooker table, supporting Ye Yingying till the very end.


    Fu Jiawei was no longer pretending to be good brothers with Xiao Luo. He took out a bank card and said, ¡°I have fifty thousand dors in here as well.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s exactly 100 thousand over here. Okay, fine. I¡¯ll have another match with you.¡±


    Although Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t someone whose eyes would glimmer in the face of money, he never turned his thumbs down to it. Oh yeah, ten points, and I¡¯ll win? Like just now?¡±


    After hearing this, Ye Yingying, Fang Shn, and Fu Jiawei almost vomited blood.


    Fu Jiawei was holding back his vulgar words as he forced a smile on his face. He said, ¡°Xiao Luo. You know how to y snooker. If we go with the previous ten points, it won¡¯t be fair to Yingying.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean we¡¯re going by the normal rules, Jiawei?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Duh! Why must she give you a handicap after we know that you knew how to y snooker?¡±


    ¡°What a shameless person! Aren¡¯t you afraid of being struck by lightning?¡±


    ¡°Taking your underserved gain for granted, why don¡¯t you go to hell.¡±


    The people who were close with Yingying and the girls were ovee by anger, wishing they could go forward and whack him together.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, stop acting. We won¡¯t fall for it,¡± Fang Shn said.


    ¡°Rx, I¡¯m just saying. I already had one easy match. It wouldn¡¯t be great if I get another handicap. Let¡¯s have a normal game. Whoever gets a higher score wins,¡± Xiao Luo looked ever so tranquil, keeping a smile on his face from beginning till the end.


    Ye Yingying took a step forward, took a cue, and thumped it on the ground as she said furiously, ¡°Cut the crap! Break-off!¡±


    Xiao Luo shut his mouth but kept his smile and put on solemn expression. He once again picked up the cue, went to the break-off zone, and started the game with a light thrust.


    It was a faceoff between pros, and the atmosphere was tense.


    Everyone was looking at the table without blinking their eyes, not knowing who would be the victor.


    With the gentle strike that Xiao Luo had taken, the white ball collided with the edge of the clumped up red balls and rebounded to the tiny semi-circr break-off area.


    Most people thought it was a tremendous defensive strike. But from Ye Yingying¡¯s point of view, Xiao Luo had revealed a w in his first shot because one red ball had already detached from the cluster, and it just so happens that it was hittable with the white ball. Even the angtion was just right so that she could get it potted. While doing that, she could seize the opportunity to scatter the red balls, which would be beneficial for her to get more balls potted subsequently and acquire more points.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36: I Will Show You How To Clear The Table


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Without a word, Ye Yingying walked to the table with exceptionally focused eyes.


    In this game, she wanted to showcase all of what she was capable of unreservedly, win back her bank card and watch, and all the more, let Xiao Luo lick her heels clean in front of everyone, so as to vent her hate.


    On the table, the white ball and the red ball that was separated from the cluster was about half a table away. The red ball also had quite some distance with the bottom hole. Such a strike was the hardest to take. Its difficulty factor was immense.


    If she could get the ball potted, she would have the chance to pressure her opponent with that move alone, but if she couldn¡¯t, she could very well be counter-pressured.


    This was undoubtedly a very risky strike!


    Everyone focused their attention and held their breath while they looked at the emerald-colored snooker table, wondering if that ball could be potted into a hole.


    Ye Yingying looked very calm. She bent down and struck the white ball without hesitation.


    ¡°Tuck~¡±


    Being impacted by the cue, the white ball gushed away. After colliding with the red ball, it thumped into the cluster of red balls, while the previous red ball rolled straight the bottom hole. Following a ¡°Ka-drrum¡±, it potted morously.


    At the same time, another red ball from the clump that was scattered was also potted into another hole.


    Two pots in a strike, two points in an instant!


    ¡°Great strike!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best Yingying! A prodigy in snooker!¡±


    ¡°In the face of absolute skill, that contemptible rebel can never get his sh*t together.¡±


    When Ye Yingying¡¯s friends were cheering for her, they didn¡¯t forget st Xiao Luo with mockery.


    The others were also nodding to each other. This was truly a beautiful strike by Ye Yingying. It was done calmly, decisively, and clean, pleasant to look at, and the crowd had to apud for her.


    Xiao Luo, on the other hand, was still at the side while he continued to leisurely sip on the red wine that he had yet finished drinking, enjoying the wonderful pleasures of good wine rolling through, and nourishing his throat.


    After potting two balls in a strike and having acquired two points, Ye Yingying continued her turn. Her choice was the pink ball that was worth six points. The position of the white cue ball was very conducive, and with greater reason, it would beneficial for her subsequent moves. Hence, knocking the pink ball was the best choice.


    ¡°Tuck~¡±


    The crisp melody of the cue strike sounded. The white ball went rolling directly towards the pink ball at a very fast speed. It was a heavy strike. Ye Yingying¡¯s intention was obvious as to position the white ball at a favorable position after potting the pink ball, to continue her turn with the red balls.


    ¡°ck~¡±


    After being knocked by the white ball, the pink ball sprinted towards the bottom hole with uracies at the extreme. The murky opening of the hole was like an opened giant mouth waiting to slurp in the pink ball. However, just when the crowd thought that the ball will be potted for sure, an ident urred. At the moment when the swift-moving pink ball entered the hole, it sped around the hole and was spurted back out.


    ¡°What? How could that be?¡±


    One of Ye Yingying¡¯s friends yelled aloud.


    The scene was in an uproar. No one expected that to happen. That was a confirmed pot. Why did it spin around the hole entrance and spring back out?


    Ye Yingying also had her eyes slightly widened and her face in a startle. This waspletely beyond her expectations.


    ¡°Damn it, why did that happen?¡±


    Fu Jiawei forcefully flung his arms as he reviled in displease.


    ¡°What happened?¡± from far away, Chu Yue blinked her enthralling eyes and asked out of puzzlement.


    With a doubting look, Bai Ling said, ¡°It looks like the unexpected has urred. Ye Yingying didn¡¯t pot the pink ball.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t believe that poser will ever win Yingying in a normal match,¡± Chu Yue was full of confidence in Ye Yingying.


    ¡­


    At this moment, Xiao Luo put down the wine ss, stood up, and said leisurely, ¡°Such scenarios could easily happen when you use too much strength. It¡¯s like a basketball flying towards the hoop at high speed. As long as the uracy deviates just slightly, the speed can produce a big enough centrifugal force to make it rotate along the hoop, and in the end, bounce right out from it. The reasoning behind is the same.¡±


    ¡°What a great speech, you sound like you know snooker very well!¡± Ye Yingying scoffed in disdain.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about snooker. It is simple physics,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    Ye Yingying snorted lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t get too full of yourself. The game has only just begun. Don¡¯t ever think that you can win.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, a tiny mistake is often fatal,¡± Xiao Luo revealed an enigmatic smile.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Ye Yingying sneered, ¡°I might have made a mistake, but the white ball is attached to the edge, and all the more, at the break-off region. You think this will be an easy ball for you?¡±


    ¡°For me, anywhere is the same,¡± Xiao Luo said disapprovingly.


    ¡°Hu-huh¡­ I¡¯ll look forward to your performance then!¡± Ye Yingying dropped a cold sentence, turned around, and backed off.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t strike the ball immediately but ced his cue aside and reached out his hands to pick up something on the emerald-colored table.


    Fang Shn was impatient as she yelled, ¡°Xiao Luo, what are you doing? Can you take your turn?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head and smiled gently, ¡°There is a small piece of dirt on the table. I want to dispose of it.¡±


    ¡°So what if you clear the dirt? Do you think you can really win Yingying?¡± Fang Shn got so pissed off that sheughed, feeling that Xiao Luo was being extremely ridiculous.


    Xiao Luo said ever so tranquilly, ¡°Let me get rid of the dirt. Then, I will show you all how to clear the table.¡±


    Clearing the table?


    The crowd was startled at first. Then, they turned up their noses andughed, feeling that Xiao Luo speech was too biggety and too pretentious.


    ¡°Are you pretending? If you can clear the table, I¡¯ll cut off my d*ck right over here!¡±


    ¡°What a boaster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless and arrogant person.¡±


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying¡¯s friends sneered. That guy who promised to eat shit earlier on even said that he would cut off his schlong.


    Fu Jiawei shook his head as he turned around to look at Chu Yue. He sighed on the inside, ¡°I have absolutely no idea why princess Chu Yue would let such a guy into her team. Is skill really that important that just anyone can be recruited?¡±


    Ignoring the mockeries from all around, after puffing off the dirt in his hand, Xiao Luo picked up the cue, bent down his body, and struck the white ball seemingly without aiming.


    Clean, smooth, and without dy!


    ¡°ck~¡±


    Before the crowd¡¯s attention, the white ball knocked a red ball into a hole and stopped firmly at a corner.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother to look at the crowd. He walked over with the cue, bent his body, and continued to strike the white ball within less than ten seconds from his previous shot.


    ¡°ck~¡±


    With the crisp sound of balls colliding, the ck ball rolled towards a hole and was potted following a ¡°Ka-drrum¡±.


    Eh? What¡¯s going on?


    The crowd was astounded as their movements froze for him.


    Xiao Luo continued without pausing. With the cue in his hands, he changed positions and continued to strike the ball.


    One strike, one pot!


    ¡°Ka-drrum~¡±


    ¡°Ka-drrum~¡±


    Red ball pots, ck ball pots, red ball pots, ck ball pots, and the cycle repeated.


    As known to the crowd, the ck ball held the highest point, which was seven. With it continuously being potted, Xiao Luo¡¯s score continuously soared with two values of one and eight.


    Amidst the crowd¡¯s gazes in awe, with movements as smooth as flowing water, Xiao Luo expressionlessly went one strike after another, potting the balls serenely like a snooker grandmaster. It was like he was performing magic¡­

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37: Let Us Search Your Body


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The Ka-drrum of red and ck balls being potted into holes was like a giant drum beating on everyone¡¯s soul.


    As the referee, the Fu Family¡¯s butler re-spotted the colored balls and said, ¡°He has already potted ten balls in a row!¡±


    Moreover, aside from the ten-consecutive pottings, all the balls potted after every red ball were ck. Xiao Luo¡¯s score was a staggering 40 points.


    Ka-drrum. Ka-drrum.


    Xiao Luo focused his attention on delivering his strikes at lightning speed. He didn¡¯t need to aim at all, yet he potted the balls nearly every single time. Extraordinary!


    Ye Yingying¡¯s eyes were as wide as a copper bell: She could no longer maintain herposure.


    Fang Shn and Fu Jiawei were equally dumbfounded. Who knew that Xiao Luo¡¯s snooker skills were at this level? His movements were elegant. His shots were decisive. His sense of rhythm was impable. Was this even the same guy who slipped up at the beginning? No way.


    Looking on from afar, Chu Yue and Bai Ling didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo to be this good.


    20 consecutive strikes.


    30 consecutive strikes.


    The number of billiards on the table decreased rapidly. Xiao Luo thrust his cue forcefully on thest ck ball.


    Ka-drrum


    It fell into the hole, marking thepletion of his 32nd strike.


    He put down his cue.


    The table was cleared!


    He won without breaking a sweat.


    Total silence. Everyone stood staring in wonder at the table with only a white ball left. Were their eyes deceiving them? Had they just witnessed an illusion?


    Rubbing his eyes Fu Jiawei, said to Fang Shn, his voice shaking, ¡°A¡­ all the balls are potted?¡±


    Fang Shn nodded like a robot with a stiff face. ¡°Yes, all of them!¡±


    Having confirmed the fact, Fu Jiawei looked at Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo bested Fang Shn in street dancing and crushed Ye Yingying in snooker. How could this guy, from an ordinary family of farmers, be this tough to deal with? Sopetent? His performance defied credulity.


    ¡°This is impossible. How is this possible? This can¡¯t be possible.¡±


    Ye Yingying¡¯s face turned ghostly pale. Until this moment, she did ept that she¡¯d lost the match.


    She had only acquired two points. And Xiao Luo? A whopping 141 points, ending the game by clearing the table. She was proud of how she yed. Even when she went against masters, she had never lost so miserably. How could this little nobody triumph over her?


    Her mind went nk, as all thoughts slipped away.


    And the guy who threatened to cut off his manhood if Xiao Luo cleared the table was ttened in disgrace. His face was as red as a baboon¡¯s butt, and he felt like burying his head in the nearest hole.


    Xiao Luo unceremoniously held the two bank cards in his hands and waved to Ye Yingying, ¡°Thanks, Ms. Ye!¡±


    Upon finishing, he turned around and prepared to leave the vi.


    Fu Jiawei¡¯s heart was bleeding, because one of those cards was his. Seeing that Xiao Luo was about to leave, he immediately asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, my brother, where are you going? The party hasn¡¯t ended yet!¡±


    ¡°Gonna do some transfers at the nearby ATM. I only feel secure after the money enters my ount,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    @#&%¡­


    Fu Jiawei wanted to curse so badly after hearing him. Losing money felt f*cking awful. It felt even worse when the guy who won his money gave him an innocuous smile. His blood was boiling. But still, he kept hisposure.


    Fang Shn, however, wasn¡¯t so nice. Unable to bear Xiao Luo¡¯s cynicism, she sneered, ¡°Are you afraid of us reneging and freezing our ounts? Rx, we don¡¯t have to do that. I regard this as chump change to shun off some beggar!¡±


    She was so angry she lost her mind for a moment and shed all pretenses of cordiality.


    When the crowd heard that, everyone frowned. Fang Shn was embarrassing them, the children of privilege. She not only lost thepetition but with that remark, she lost her character, too. On the surface, it might have seemed as if she was humiliating him, but in fact, she was lowering her standards and sshing dirty water on herself.


    Xiao Luo smiled faintly, ¡°Ms. Fang, you were born into a family of wealth and privilege. You¡¯ve never had to want for anything since the day you were born. I bet that what you spent on your branded clothes and luxury essories was enough to open a shop. How fortunate you are. You may enjoy your privileges and creatureforts to your heart¡¯s content, but that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re superior enough to look down on people born into an ordinary family. Life has its ups and downs. I mean, maybe, just maybe, when we meet next time, perhaps you will be the one looking up at me.¡±


    As absurd as it might seem, Xiao Luo¡¯s words prated deep into the hearts of the guests. Their expressions ran the gamut: Some were full of contempt as they regarded his words as a joke, while others knitted their eyebrows and fell into contemtion.


    ¡°Me? Looking up at you?¡±


    Fang Shnughed and scoffed, ¡°You? Really? Whether in terms of resources and connections, everyone here has it better than you. Do you think that I¡¯ll fare worse than you after I graduate?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be sure about that. It all depends on what we do, right?¡± Xiao Luo said humbly.


    Upon finishing, he ignored Fang Shn and headed outside the vi.


    Fang Shn gritted her teeth and stomped her feet in rage.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir!¡±


    At this moment, several security guards approached him and blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s way.


    Frowning, Xiao Luo asked lightly, ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°This is the thing. Just not long ago, the young master lost a few valuable items,¡± said a security guard.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at Fu Jiawei, ¡°You lost some things, Jiawei?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are quite valuable. I must say,¡± Fu Jiawei nodded.


    The security guard continued, ¡°It may be difficult for the young master to say this so we will speak for him. Except for you, everyone here is from prestigious backgrounds. Hence, your suspicion is most significant. Of course, this might very well be a misunderstanding. Would you kindly stand still and allow us to search your person to prove your innocence? Would you consent to that my good fellow?


    The security guard¡¯s disdainful eyes were starring vertically at Xiao Luo.


    Bai Ling gulped as she turned her head and asked, ¡°Young mistress Chu, is this your third n?¡±


    Chu Yue nodded, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°This is beyond the pale. Now, you¡¯re not making Xiao Luo look ugly. You¡¯re humiliating him in front of a massive crowd,¡± said Bai Ling.


    ¡°Rx, I know when to stop. If he gets angry, I¡¯ll ask him out alone at some point and make an apology.¡±


    Chu Yue curled her lips, thinking that maybe she had gone overboard. But at this stage, she couldn¡¯t halt the n. If her ruse were exposed, she would be the embarrassed one.


    ¡°The damage is already done. What¡¯s the point of apologizing?¡±


    Bai Ling nced at her indignantly. ¡°I¡¯m done for. I identally boarded your pirate ship. Xiao Luo will treat me as a bad person who humiliated him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why do you care so much what he thinks of you?¡±


    Chu Yue rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a thought shed through her mind. She took a deep breath, pointed at Bai Ling in terror, and said usingly, ¡°Bai Ling, don¡¯t tell me! Have you fallen for that poser?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve only known him for less than two days. How could that be possible.¡±


    ¡°Not possible, you say? You¡¯re blushing. You even picked on me just now, so you¡¯re the one who likes him.¡±


    ¡°When I say no, it means no. Forget it. I¡¯m not going to talk to you.¡±


    Bai Ling turned around angrily.

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38: He Fears Nothing


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Do you have evidence that I stole something?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the security guard square in the eye and denied taking anything from the vi.


    The other security guards took a step forward in solidarity, bracing themselves for a confrontation. They gave Xiao Luo a cold stare of disdain.


    Gritting his teeth, the head security guard said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you? Except for you, everyone else here is from a prestigious family. You are a poor guy, and that makes you the most suspicious. We don¡¯t want any trouble. We just want to do a search. If we find nothing, you¡¯re free to go.¡±


    ¡°Do the poor deserve to be despised or condemned?¡±


    Xiao Luo said solemnly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a poor guy too? Otherwise, why would you be working here as a security guard?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The other security guards stood there, with clenched fists.


    Xiao Luo snarled, ¡°Go look after your gates! Leave me alone! I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°And what if we don¡¯t let you pass? You will not be leaving this ce until we search you.¡±


    The leader of the guards began raising his voice, attracting the attention of the guests, who stared at Xiao Luo menacingly like ferocious hounds circling their prey.


    Xiao Luo let out a snort and gave him a knee bump.


    Bam.


    The guard went flying in the air and smashed into the food table with a loud bang: all the food came crashing to the ground.


    The guests gasped in horror. Was he hurling someone five to six meters away with a knee bump? What kind of strength was that?


    Xiao Luo continued without pausing. He performed neat and swift turning kicks, rear kicks, and punches and sent the guards surrounding him flying all in all directions, knocking down the guests, the barbeque stand, and anything else in his way. He turned the dance party into a garbage dump. Panic set in. Everyone was screaming.


    They had never seen anyone like him before.


    Xiao Luo cracked his neck and exhaled. Like a general who massacred an entire army, he shouted, ¡°Ah, that feels good!!!¡±


    He scanned his surroundings with a smile on his face, his eyes ultimatelynding on Fu Jiawei.


    Gulp.


    Fu Jiawei trembled as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He never expected Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting skills to be so out-of-the-world ¡ª he was a monster. Fu Jiawei had hired all his security guards through legitimatepanies. They had undergone strict training and were veterans in closebat. Who¡¯d have thought that the five of them would be lying on the ground groaning in pain after being whacked a couple of times by the likes of Xiao Luo? He literally couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    When he was spacing out, Xiao Luo marched up to him and stared him down with a don¡¯t-mess-with-me face.


    Fu Jiawei broke out in a cold sweat. He instinctively stepped backward, but identally tripped andnded on his butt.


    Xiao Luo stared at him from above, ¡°You said I stole something precious from you, right? Fine. Now then, I will turn out every pocket. If you can¡¯t find those valuable things that you mentioned, I will break all your fingers one by one. How¡¯s that?¡±


    This guy wasn¡¯t joking! His threats were severe, and his hostile intent was undisguised. When an angel loses patience, it puts on the face of the devil.


    Fu Jiawei shivered in horror as he quickly exined with a smile, ¡°I-It¡¯s a misunderstanding. Don¡¯t be angry, my brother. I¡¯m just joking with you, i-it¡¯s nothing more than a joke. I have lost nothing!¡±


    He did not doubt that Xiao Luo would break his fingers. This wild beast was emitting a savaging aura from head to toe. Pathetically, Fu Jaiwei he had previously regarded him as a timid sheep that could be bullied and taunted for his amusement and pleasure.


    ¡°A joke? Where can you find jokes like this?¡± Xiao Luo stepped on Fu Jiawei¡¯s chest.


    The force made Fu Jiawei feel as if his lungs and chest were bursting. The pain was so excruciating he began coughing heavily.


    Everyone felt his chilling aversion.


    ¡°Xiao Luo! Let go of Jiawei! Or else!¡± Fang Shn yelled.


    Seeing the absurdity in her words, Xiao Luo turned his head with a mocking smile and said, ¡°Oh? Or else what?¡±


    Fang Shn couldn¡¯t speak for a moment, nor did she have the courage to stare straight into Xiao Luo¡¯s piercing eyes. He was right. He even wiped out all of Fu Jiawei¡¯s security guards. What could she possibly do to him?


    ¡°We¡¯ll call the police and have you arrested for assault and battery. You¡¯ll be sent to prison,¡± said Ye Yingying boldly.


    ¡°The jail is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not only poor¨Cyou¡¯re barbaric. You turned our nice dance party into a big mess and destroyed our property. People like you are called hooligans.¡±


    ¡°Let go of Jiawei!¡±


    Ye Yingying¡¯s close acquaintances criticized Xiao Luo. After recovering from the shock of the altercation, what did they have to be afraid of, given their numbers? At least that¡¯s what they thought initially. Now, all bets were off.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve mentioned calling the police earlier. We¡¯re a society bound byws. Whacking someone is illegal. I don¡¯t wanna break thew,¡± Xiao Luo said while frowning.


    Thinking that Xiao Luo was afraid, Ye Yingying gained some courage and ran to help Fu Jiawei up, ¡°Good that you know. Now, take your ws off Jiawei!¡±


    Fang Shn knitted her eyebrows. Both she and Ye Yingying had an unclear, ambiguous rtionship with Fu Jiawei, and they both loved the man deeply. Hence, when Fang Shn saw Ye Yingying running forward, she followed her and sneered at Xiao Luo, ¡°You bastard. Are you going to lift your foot or not? Do you believe I will use my connections to let you rot in jail until you make a hole on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Hu-huh¡­¡±


    While smiling, Xiao Luo took his foot off Fu Jiawei.


    In the next second, with a cold expression, he smacked his feet on Ye Yingying¡¯s face. Following the sound, Ye Yingying fell to the ground with a clear shoe mark printed on her left cheek.


    Before Fang Shn could react, Xiao Luo flung the back of his hand, pping it hard on Fang Shn¡¯s face.


    p.


    Fang Shn screamed in pain and fell to the ground. There was a touch of blood at the corner of her mouth.


    The two girls turned their heads around and red at Xiao Luo with their eyes wide open.


    ¡°You¡­ How dare you hit me!¡±


    Ye Yingying shrieked. No one had ever treated her this way before, as if she was a lump of dirt, a nobody.


    ¡°Hit you? Did I?¡±


    Xiao Luo spread his hands, innocently, ¡°There are no surveince cameras here. Do you think the police will believe I hit you based solely on your ims?¡±


    ¡°You jerk! You just wait! You¡¯ll regret this!¡± Fang Shn pointed at Xiao Luo as she made a harsh remark.


    ¡°My apologies, the word regret doesn¡¯t exist in my vocabry!¡± Xiao Luo said with a faint smile.


    ¡°Stop right there. Xiao Luo! What are you doing?¡±


    At this moment, Chu Yue and Bai Ling ran over desperately. Chu Yue was the one doing the shouting.


    She only wanted to make Xiao Luo look bad this one time. She never dreamed things would turn out like this. Never in her wildest imagination did she think he would possess such formidable skills and be unafraid of anything or anyone. Aside from beating up all Fu Jiawei¡¯s guard, he even beat up Fu Jiawei and his gang.


    Unexpected. Everything was so unexpected!


    She never anticipated this situation.


    ¡°Oh, you finally decided to show your face, Ms. Chu?¡±


    With a yful smile on his face, he asked, ¡°Do you think of me as a toy? Do you want to get more people and y a few more rounds with me? I will stick it out to the bitter end and do whatever you have prepared for me!¡±

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39: Pretty to See, Foul to Smell


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    So, the cat was out of the bag: Xiao Luo knew all along that Chu Yue was the one who¡¯d cooked up this nefarious scheme. Standing face to face with his stormy gaze and dagger eyes, she felt a pang of guilt, as if she hadmitted a serious crime.


    The other guests were also in on the joke. Fu Jiawei, Fang Shn, and Ye Yingying were targeting a guy from an ordinary family simply because Chu Yue had instructed them to do so.


    Those three most certainly wouldn¡¯t have dared challenge Chu Yue. After all, her father was Chu Yunxiong, one of Jiangcheng City¡¯s most influential figures. Though their families were just as wealthy, they didn¡¯t travel in the same circles. The three students were well aware that a loose tongue could cause them a lot of trouble. Chu Yunxiong was not someone to be trifled with or tested.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t be angry, said Bai Ling. Young Mistress Chu isn¡¯t a bad person. She¡¯s just¡­¡±


    He interrupted her. ¡°If this isn¡¯t bad, then define bad for me. Murder and arson?¡±


    Xiao Luo waved his hands dismissively before turning to Chu Yue. ¡°Let me think about why you¡¯re doing this to me,¡± he said. ¡°Ah, I get it! First, I took all your glory in the match yesterday, right? Second, I didn¡¯t talk to you politely and deferentially as if I were your grandson like everyone else, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Chu Yue kept silent because Xiao Luo was dead-on right about everything. That was the reason she wanted to make him look bad.


    ¡°Ms. Chu, young mistress Chu. Don¡¯t you think your behavior is childish? Why do you think everyone has to dote on you, protect you, tter you, obey you, and put you at the center of their heart? Is it because your family is rich, and you have a pretty face?¡±


    Grinning sarcastically, Xiao Luo continued, ¡°Who do you think you are? Do you think the earth will stop spinning without you? Sorry to break it to you, but you have a grossly exaggerated high opinion of yourself. I, for one, despise you. I will never grovel before you. In my eyes, you¡¯re just like the Stapelia nt: pretty looking, foul-smelling!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Chu Yue unconsciously shed a few tears. Xiao Luo¡¯s words hurt. He used no expletives, but his sentences were like poison needles jabbing in her flesh. No one had ever spoken to her so disrespectfully before.


    The others were startled, too. Xiao Lou described the campus belle of Huaye University as a Stapelia: pretty but foul-smelling. Wow. This guy was running his mouth a little too much. Wasn¡¯t he afraid of being struck by lightning?


    After thinking for a while, Chu Yue came up with a rebuttal, ¡°Do you still want to join my team?¡±


    To her surprise, Xiao Luo said with a contemptuous smile, ¡°Before this, yes. Now, no. Although there¡¯s a chance for me to win a huge sum of money, which I could use, I won¡¯tpromise my morals or integrity. So, thanks, but no thanks! I won¡¯t yield to you over money.¡±


    He exuded an air of indifference.


    Then he turned briskly on his heel and walked away.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, where are you going?¡± Bai Ling called out.


    ¡°Back to school!¡±


    ¡°But there are no taxis in this area. Leave with uster!¡± she shouted.


    Xiao Luo callously waved his hand without looking back, acting like a total nut job.


    Everyone on the dance floor was astounded.


    ¡°That stupid poser. How dare Xiao Luopare me with the pretty but stinky Stapelia! I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Chu Yue wiped her tears, feeling misunderstood. The fact that Xiao Luo didn¡¯t give a damn about her dealt a heavy blow to her pride.


    Bai Ling sighed faintly, unable to console her. She could only repeat what she¡¯d been saying all along, ¡°Xiao Luo is your nemesis. ept your fate!¡±


    After themotion died down, Fu Jiawei felt that the time had arrived for him to sell himself. Enduring the slight pain at his chest, he hobbled over to Chu Yue and said, ¡°Princess Chu Yue, don¡¯t argue with him. Rest assured, I¡¯ll get someone to teach him a hard lesson and make him grovel before you to apologize.¡±


    ¡°He pped me! Can you believe it?¡± I¡¯ll never let this pass!¡± Ye Yingying said furiously.


    Equally exasperated, Fang Shn gritted her teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that basta*rd pays us back in spades!¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s incident ends here,¡± Chue Yu said. ¡°None of you should bother Xiao Lu, or I¡¯ll tear up our friendship.¡±


    Then she wrinkled her nose and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯ll reimburse all of you for the money you lost. After all, it was because of me that you went out of your way to make things difficult for him, only it didn¡¯t work. It backfired.¡±


    Her remarks made the three of them squirm. One was a veteran street dancer; the other was a past master in snooker. But Xiao Luo outdid them both, and they were the ones who were disgraced. If word got out, people wouldugh their heads off.


    ¡°That bast*rd was very good at pretending to be inexperienced. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have lost so badly. He tricked us.¡± Fang Shn was simply pissed off at Xiao Luo.


    Bai Ling decided to add her two cents, ¡°Come on. Didn¡¯t any of you realize that Xiao Luo was more inscrutable than any of us? He ys like a challenger in League. He¡¯s better than Shn in street dancing. And he even outperformed Yingying in snooker. Xiao Luo is a genius who excels in everything!¡±


    Psss


    When she said that, Chu Yue, Fu Jiawei, Fang Shn, and Ye Yingying gasped. Bai Ling¡¯s words made them realize that Xiao Luo was a prodigy in gaming, street dancing, snooker, and brawling.


    Everyone was constrained by time and energy. Talent varied among individuals. It was already extraordinary for someone to excel in one or two fields. But in Xiao Luo¡¯s case, he was a prodigy in at least four. How was that possible? Of what were his brain and body made?


    Could Xiao Luo be that kind of genius who only appeared once in a century, as often seen in movies?


    For a moment, the three of them put their anger aside as they contemted n Xiao Luo¡¯s phenomenal talents.


    ******


    After the disturbance Xiao Luo had created died down, the dance party soon came to an end.


    Fang Shn and Ye Yingying naturally didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity to get it on with Fu Jiawei. Hence, they would be spending the night in the vi.


    The other guests dispersed. Chu Yue and Bai Ling were also preparing to return to campus.


    It was already eleven o¡¯clock at night. The streetlights couldn¡¯t dispel the darkness. The night was as murky as ink, and every streemp looked like the eyes of a sleepy person that would close at any time.


    On the long empty street, the wind rustled through the fallen leaves with a snapping sound.


    ¡°Bai Ling, tell me honestly. Am I as horrible as that loser poser said I was?¡± Chu Yue couldn¡¯t help but doubt herself.


    Bai Ling said, ¡°Young mistress Chu. You earn tens of thousands a month just by streaming yourself ying games. Whether on food, clothes, daily necessities, you spend the money you make on yourself. If this is considered lousy, shouldn¡¯t I be ashamed of myself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. That poser talked about me like I¡¯m good at nothing. Why didn¡¯t I think of using my monthly ie to shut Xiao Luo¡¯s big mouth?¡± Chu Yue said indignantly.


    ¡°I told you not to go overboard. Xiao Luo¡¯s different from other guys.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so different about him? They all have two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth. Or does he have three heads and six arms?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, I don¡¯t know how to describe it. But regardless, I just have the feeling this guy is very different. You¡¯d better y on him less in the future,¡± Bai Ling advised.


    ¡°Who wants to y with him at all? He¡¯s so boring,¡± she snapped contemptuously. ¡°The nerve!¡±


    But when she was saying that, what appeared in her mind were the elegant dance moves, the concentrated eyes, and the devilish yet charming smirk that Xiao Luo had when he was robot dancing and ying snooker.

 Chapter 40

    <b>Chapter 40: The Hunter Strikes</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Just when Chu Yue and Bai Ling were about to open the car door, a man with a dry, raspy voice approached them from behind. He came out of nowhere, and it creeped them out.


    ¡°Please wait,dies!¡±


    His voice sent shivers up their spine. They felt uneasy being alone on an empty street with a stranger sote at night.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling turned their heads around to get a look at this weirdo. Was anyone else with him, or was he alone? Dressed in ck from head to toe, he was wearing a loose ck coat and a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his eyes. It just so happened that the lights from the streemp were shining down at a nted angle on top of his head, making it impossible to see his face.


    Earlier, the girls had checked the street and the area around the car to make sure it was safe. There wasn¡¯t a person in sight. Everything looked okay. So when this stranger came from behind them, walking softly without making a sound, they smelled trouble.


    ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±


    Chu Yue stared at the person vigntly as she discretely slipped her hand into her purse and grabbed the pepper spray concealed inside a lipstick case. If this person was up to no good, she was ready to spray him in the face or eyes.


    ¡°Are you Ms. Chu Yue?¡± the man in ck inquired.


    Chu Yue subconsciously nodded but shook her head immediately after. Panic set in.


    ¡°He-heh. It looks like I didn¡¯t get the wrong person!¡±


    Chu Yue caught a glimpse of the man¡¯s hideous devil¡¯s grin in the shadows.


    Feeling the situation wasn¡¯t right, she went to grab the pepper spray. But it was toote. The man waved his enormous hand and threw a colorless and odorless powder in her and Bai Ling¡¯s faces. It was devil¡¯s breath. After taking a few breaths, the girls started to feel like zombies.


    First, they felt dizzy. Then their vision became blurry and clouded.


    The two of them tottered a few steps and copsed like a couple of wet rag dolls, totally zonked.


    ¡°W¡­ what have you done to us?¡± Bai Ling stammered feebly.


    ¡°Rx, this isn¡¯t poison. It¡¯ll make you fall asleep quickly,¡± the man in ck stepped forward and chuckled as if he was admiring two works of art.


    Chu Yue struggled to hold herself up. ¡°W¡­, who are you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is that you¡¯re Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter. If he pays the ransom, I will avert this disaster for him. Just think of yourself as unlucky,¡± said the man in ck.


    ¡°L¡­ let go of my friend, t-this doesn¡¯t have anything to¡­ do with her¡­¡±


    Despite having the temperament of a young mistress, Chu Yue did inherit some of her father¡¯s traits. She was cool-headed and didn¡¯t get rattled as other girls would during a kidnapping. She was even looking out for her best friend.


    ¡°My apologies. Aside from money, I happen to like pretty girls, especially students like you two who haven¡¯t been, ahem, excavated much.¡±


    The man in ck took a deep breath and said, ¡°The fragrance of your bodies is so¡­so intoxicating.¡±


    Chu Yue¡¯s face was pale. Bai Ling was in despair. For girls, undoubtedly, their bodies were precious. If they were humiliated by this guy who resembled neither human nor ghost, they might as well kill themselves.


    ¡°Do not resist. Be a good girl and follow me, hehe¡­¡±


    With a sinisterugh, the man in ck stretched out his enormous hands that looked like a devil¡¯s w and grabbed Chu Yue and Bai Ling on the ground.


    But at that very moment, he caught a whiff of someone nearby. Years of stalking exclusive prey for amission coupled with living on the edge had granted him a keen sense of smell that alerted him to danger.


    A threat. He felt his adrenalin pumping.


    When he turned his head to see who was there, his chest felt tight.


    Where is he? He was over there just now!


    When the thought shed through his mind, a burst of energy came from behind him.


    His pupils shrank. With no time to think, he immediately leaped to his feet, attempting to avoid the shock.


    But it was toote. A brutal palm forcefully struck his back. The man in ck quivered and spewed a mouthful of blood, feeling as if he¡¯d been hit by a speeding car. He went flying without control and fell into a posture like that of a dog eating sh*t.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling were terrified. Who sent the man in ck flying in the air? They could only see a slender figure in their blurred vision. In the next second, a name popped out in both their minds: Xiao Luo. The character resembled him too much in height and body type.


    But under the drug¡¯s effect, they were temporarily paralyzed and couldn¡¯t utter a word. Atst, the girls passed out.


    The man in ck lifted himself slowly from the ground while he looked in horror at the young man wearing a white T-shirt who had super-human strength. If it hadn¡¯t been for the man in ck¡¯s swift reflexes, that karate chop would have shattered his back.


    Who was that guy?


    ording to the intelligence he received from the person who hired him, there was no one of his caliber guarding Chu Yue. He¡¯d already lured away two of her regr bodyguards. Where did this guye from? Was he Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguard too?


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man in ck shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hired to do a job just like you. The difference is that you were hired to kidnap Chu Yue. I was hired to protect her,¡± Xiao Luo snorted.


    Tonight¡¯s encounter made Xiao Luo detest Chu Yue inexplicably. But since he¡¯d already signed a contract with her father, he wouldn¡¯t renege on the deal. He¡¯d been taught to honor his word; this was a guiding principle in his life. Of course, he had also epted two million dors in remuneration.


    ¡°Talking is useless. Come!¡±


    As soon as the words were spoken, with ghastly eyes, Xiao Luo lunged toward the man like a cheetah. His right palm turned into a w. Taking an artful trajectory like a slithering snake, he went directly to man in ck¡¯s throat against the hissing winds.


    What speed is this?


    The man in ck turned pale.


    With no time to think, he ran off, not wanting to provoke, much less deal with, this monster.


    ¡°Wanna run?¡±


    Xiao Luo kept chasing the man. Since this kidnapper had already endangered Chu Yue¡¯s life, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want him to get away, and this was an excellent opportunity to strike. If he seized him once and for all, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Chu Yue and keep an eye on her at all times.


    But just as Xiao Luo caught up with the man in ck, he threw a white powder into his face like a gust of dust.


    Xiao Luo dodged it instinctively. When he regained his stance, the man in ck had already run more than 20 meters away. This guy was agile. He leaped to a big tree, flipped his body over the walls of a residential area, and vanished into the night.


    ¡°Is his zodiac rabbit? He runs fast!¡±


    Xiao Luo decided not to go after him. God knows if there were other hunters out there! Things would get nasty if he kept chasing this guy while others rushed in to kidnap Chu Yue and Bai Ling, who were lying on the ground unconscious. This whole thing was probably part of a well-thought-out multifaceted n.


    He turned around and went back to check on Chu Yue and Bai Ling. Looking at the two unconscious girls on the ground, he frowned.


    Then he heard urgent footsteps in the darkness.


    Xiao Luo focused his eyes while he thought, there are more of them.


    Able to discern people when they wereing from behind him, without even thinking, Xiao Luo swiped at them in an offhand manner. His five fingers were like knives, making a whizzing sound as they tore through the air.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao,! We¡¯re Mr. Chu¡¯s bodyguards appointed to guard the young mistress!¡± one of the men said.

 Chapter 41

    <b>Chapter 41: I Can Provide For You!</b>


    Wrong target?!


    Xiao Luo halted his attack. His hand that was like an eagle¡¯s talon abruptly stopped a few centimeters from the face of the guy who was talking. Phew! That was a close call.


    The two of them were males in their thirties. Both had a bowl cut and were brawny. Despite not being very tall, their rippled muscles were beautifully defined.


    Now the two of them were standing there in shock, staring in awe at the Xiao Luo¡¯s fists. They felt that they had taken a trip to and from the gates of hell and were happy they identified themselves before things turned nasty¨Cand they got hurt.


    Thinking about this, the two subconsciously quivered as they thought, where did our boss find such a beast?


    Yes, a beast!


    That was their impression of Xiao Luo, though his appearance was at odds with his strength. With his good looks and slim body, he looked like a bookworm or a nerd, certainly not a brutal, outrageously intense fighter.


    ¡°Xiang Gaoyang? Xiang Gaojian?¡±


    Xiao Luo retracted his hand and studied the two guys standing in front of him.


    Before Xiao Luo came to Huaye, Chu Yunxiong showed him pictures of these two bodyguards to prevent any idents from friendly fire, as almost just happened.


    The more wiry guy quickly saluted and said respectfully, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s us!


    The other person also held his fists together and bowed, ¡°Mr. Xiao, thanks for your swift intervention. Were it not for you, the young mistress might have been¡­¡±


    ¡°No need for courtesy. Like you, I¡¯m here to protect Ms. Chu.¡±


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t used to people older than himself bowing to him. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll turn Ms. Chu and her friend over to you.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, one thing, though. Just say that you saved them. Don¡¯t expose me,¡± Xiao Luo exhorted.


    ¡°All right, Mr. Xiao. We know what to say,¡± Xiang Gaoyang nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and left, thinking about the 150,000 on the three credit cards he still hadn¡¯t transferred to his bank ount.


    ******


    The next day¡­ inside the headquarters of the Chongshan House.


    Dressed in casual attire and a golf cap, Chu Yunxiong was hitting the white ball in front of a big screen that disyed a simted golf course. Every time he swung the club, he could see the trajectory of the white ball that flew out. It felt just like a real golf course as it was exceptionally realistic.


    Leng You was standing at the side respectfully in a ck suit.


    He was giving his boss a report at the moment, ¡°The one who assaulted the young mistressst night was Hua Nation¡¯s well-known hunter: the Specter. His real name is unknown because he regrly establishes a new identity every so often. Until recently, he went by Ma Zhengfeng.¡±


    ¡°Hiring such a person to deal with me. It looks like Old Demon Jiang is desperate.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong forcefully swung the club. The golf ball flew out at high speed, and after making a beautiful arc, itnded around three meters from the hole.


    Leng You nodded, ¡°Fortunately, Xiao Luo was there this time, or the young mistress would¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but what he was implying was very clear.


    ¡°That two million is well worth it, is it not!¡± Chu Yunxiong faintly smiled.


    Leng You felt a little awkward because he had previously doubted Xiao Luo¡¯s ability and even said so in front of Chu Yunxiong. He thought that Xiao Luo was only slightly better in fighting than he was and would not necessarily have the ability to protect someone else.


    ¡°Gaoyang and Gaojian miscalcted this time. The enemy¡¯s little tricks easily lured them away from Chu Yue. Tell them I never want to see that again.¡± Chu Yunxiong¡¯s weary eyes shed a wave of chilly anger.


    Leng Zuo and Leng You quickly answered with a nod, ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Chu Yue, dressed in a snow-white outfit, came dashing in.


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    She threw herself into Chu Yunxiong¡¯s arms. Only in her father¡¯s embrace could her heart be calmed.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. It¡¯s all right. Everything¡¯s over now!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong put down the club and gently patted Chu Yue¡¯s back lovingly.


    After Chu Yue calmed down a bit, she let go of Chu Yunxiong and questioned him loudly with sobbing eyes, ¡°You old fox, why must you provoke so many people? I have to live in fear every day as your daughter. Can¡¯t you turn it down a notch for my sake?¡±


    Leng Zuo¡¯s and Leng You¡¯s faces stiffened. Old fox? They had never seen a daughter call her father an old fox in their lives.


    ¡°The field of business is like a battlefield. It¡¯s either they die, or we die. Chu Yue, you can¡¯t possibly expect me to abandon the Chongshan House and sit at home doing nothing all day every day, right?¡± Chu Yunxiong sighed.


    ¡°So be it, lest you can¡¯t sleep at night worrying about it. Look at yourself. You have dark circle¡¯s under your eyes now,¡± Chu Yue said with her tiny lips pouted.


    Chu Yunxiong couldn¡¯t helpugh, ¡°If I abandon the Chongshan House, what would I eat and wear?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can provide for you!¡±


    Chu Yue pursed up her lips, roused up her cheeks, and said confidently, ¡°I can earn 20 to 30 thousand a month just streaming myself ying video games. Excluding my expenses, I have more than enough to provide for you. Besides, an old geezer like you doesn¡¯t have to spend a lot. Won¡¯t it be great for you just to sit back and enjoy your old age? You can y chess with the other geezers when you¡¯re free or hook up with some of those aunties dancing in the square. Mom¡¯s been gone for many years now. Even if you bring home some aunties, I won¡¯t say a word. If you happen to like one, you can just marry her. I will be as respectful to her as I am to you.¡±


    Hooking up with aunties?!


    Leng Zuo and Leng You were struck by lightning! The young mistress was so brazen! How could she say something like that? Was their boss just some ordinary person who yed chess and hooked up with aunties? No. He was a tycoon who single-handedly built a business empire from the ground up. He was a force in the world!


    No matter how calm Chu Yunxiong was earlier, he spoke up at this moment, ¡°Chu Yue. I¡¯ve spoiled you rotten. You feel you can say whatever pops into your mind. Hooking up with aunties? With your father¡¯s charm, the aunties will be the ones who wille to hook up with me.¡±


    ¡°Go on, keep on bullshitti*ng.¡± Chu Yue pouted as she held her head high.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve diverted my attention from something important. I heard that you bullied your ssmatest night.¡± Chu Yunxiong coughed and tried to change the subject.


    ¡°What bully? He¡¯s the one who bullied me! He pointed his fingers at me in front of so many people and made me feel so embarrassed. You can¡¯t imagine what a jerk he is.¡± Chu Yue became infuriated at the sound of Xiao Luo¡¯s name.


    ¡°I heard everything from Gaoyang and the rest. You¡¯re the one at fault. Remember, those who humiliate others will be perpetually humiliated in return. Don¡¯t ever do that again¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Why must you lecture me when I don¡¯te here back to visit that often? Speaking of which, I want to ask you a question. Didn¡¯t you promise not to give me bodyguards? Why did you go back on your promise?¡±


    For once, Chu Yunxiong felt his daughter was unreasonable. He made a stern face and said, ¡°I can agree to anything else, but not this. You¡¯re my precious daughter. Your safety is more important than anything else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not only an old fox, but you are also thick-skinned!¡± Chu Yue was exasperated.


    ¡°So be it.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong gave her a deadpan expression, ¡°Oh yeah. You should stop ying those video games so often. Although you can make some quick cash, it¡¯s not a proper job. If you have time for games, you shoulde to the office and do some managerial ounting. When I get old, the Chongshan House will be yours, sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. Give thepany to whoever you like.¡±


    Chu Yue turned around and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving for school. I still have two periods in the afternoon.¡±


    She ran out before Chu Yunxiong could respond.


    She stopped at the door, turned around, and said teasingly to Chu Yunxiong, ¡°Hey, you old fox!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong lifted his head, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself. You should go for a jog every day and train your body. Don¡¯t just stay in your room all day. I want you to be like a tortoise that lives for thousands of years.¡±


    Feeling his heart swell, Chu Yunxiong smiled ruefully and replied, ¡°Aye, aye!¡±


    Later on, he thought, if I were to live thousands of years like a tortoise, wouldn¡¯t I be a cuckold? How could that girl to him like that?

 Chapter 42

    <b>Chapter 42: The Aggressive An Huanhuan</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After transferring the money from Ye Yingying and the others¡¯ cards into his ount, Xiao Luo wondered what to do with the Omega watch. Although it retailed for around 50,000 dors, luxury watches did not hold their value, and the Omega might not fetch a decent price if he tried to sell it. Nowadays, there were no pawnshops. If he couldn¡¯t exchange it for money, what good was it?


    ¡°Wow, an Omega watch. Its official price is tagged at 59,999. Brother Luo, where did you get it?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei, who had a sharp eye for brands and quality, immediately recognized that the watch in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t some cheapo knockoff. It was a real Swiss Omega series watch. He rolled over like a meatball, almost knocking Xiao Luo to the ground, and gazed at the watch with glowing eyes.


    ¡°Brother Luo must¡¯ve bought it himself,¡± Ding Kai interrupted.


    Zhu Xiaofei instantly held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand with an expression of adoration, ¡°Sir, please be my sugar daddy!¡±


    Xiao Luo was quiet for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Ding Kai¡¯s bullsh*t. I won it in a bet yesterday. I didn¡¯t buy it.¡±


    Won it in a bet?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at each other, shock registering on their faces.


    Xiao Luo told them about the previous night¡¯s incident. But of course, he only mentioned the snooker match. He didn¡¯t go into detail about all the other things that happened.


    ¡°Holy cow. Brother Luo, you¡¯re a living legend. Even at a dance party, you managed to win a 50,000 dor watch. If you attend a bigger event, won¡¯t you be winning yourself a prettydy?¡± asked Zhu Xiaofei in surprise.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and turned to ask Ding Kai, ¡°Kaizi, do you know where I can sell this watch?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s easy!¡±


    Ding Kai put down his book and sat on the bed, ¡°Now, there are lots of second-hand trading tforms on the inte. You just have to register an ount, make a post, and wait for the buyers to contact you.¡±


    Why, of course! Xiao Luo raised his brow, wondering why he didn¡¯t think of that. Now that that inte was so developed, advertising online was, without a doubt, the most economical and efficient way to find a buyer. He immediately turned on hisputer, selected a second-hand trading tform, and posted a description of the watch. He tagged it at 49,000 dors.


    ¡°English ss starts in 15 minutes. Let¡¯s get going, Brother Luo.¡± Ding Kai looked at the time and jumped off his bed.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t interested in attending ss. ¡°I¡¯m not going today. Laozhu, please help me with the attendance.¡±


    When he was in university, he did this more often than not.


    When Zhu Xiaofei heard this, he gasped and held up three fingers.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my good old Brother Luo. We¡¯re the only guys in the ss. How could I possibly help you with attendance? It¡¯ll be so obvious if one of us isn¡¯t there. The girls can skip, but as the only guys, we can¡¯t.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t think of that. He chuckled and patted Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Don¡¯t take it seriously. Why would I want to skip ss?¡±


    He was, however, smiling bitterly on the inside. Of all the majors Chu Yue could have studied, she had to choose professional English, which had only three conspicuous dudes. Now he had to attend every single ss.


    ¡­


    When they got to the ssroom, the ss monitor, Huang Ruoran, was already there. She nced at the three of them and continued wiping down the podium and then the chalkboard. Although college lecturers mostly used multimedia for their lessons, they would sometimes use old-fashioned chalk to write and draw on the board at the side to convey their message better.


    As soon as Xiao Luo sat down, An Huanhuan, who arrived next, shamelessly ran over and sat down next to him.


    ¡°Hero Luo, can I sit here?¡±


    After puckering her lips, An Huanhuan broke into a gleaming selfie smile, giving off a lovely and adorable aura.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you sat slightly farther away, so we¡¯ll each have more space,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Hero Luo. You¡¯re my type of guy. I¡¯m not messing with you.¡±


    An Huanhuan got closer and boldly gave Xiao Luo a sexy wink. Who could resist her velvety eyes and smoldering sultriness?


    Although he had dated Zhao Mengqi for four years, Xiao Luo kept his promise not to have rtions with her since they weren¡¯t married. Hence, his body was still unsocialized, meaning he was a virgin. But one whiff of An Huanhuan¡¯s light fragrance was all it took to get the juices flowing. Xiao Luo gulped as he felt his pants getting tighter. He had to adjust how he was sitting and was afraid the others would notice his arousal. Her power to elicit a response from him was irritating in the extreme.


    What was An Huanhuan thinking?


    Xiao Luo quickly diverted his attention. It was said that even heroes had a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman. He didn¡¯t believe it before, but now he couldn¡¯t agree more. When an alluring temptress with enchanting charms gets close to you, what guy wouldn¡¯t have a physiological reaction?


    ¡°Hero Luo, are you all right? Why are you flushed? Are you ill?¡± asked An Huanhuan.


    A sly smile crossed her face as she reached out to touch his forehead with the back of her hand to see if he had a fever.


    Xiao Luo stood up and waved his hands, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, An Huanhuan. I¡¯m not boyfriend material for you.¡±


    He was unsure of what to do. All he knew is, he desperately needed to move to a different seat.


    Why desperately?


    Because he was embarrassed by his excitement, which wasn¡¯t going away. He didn¡¯t want to be walking around and have the girls in the ss see his bulge.


    When Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai saw Xiao Luo switch seats in desperation, they broke into fits ofughter.


    ¡°Brother Luo, nobody asked you to be so handsome. See? You can never get rid of your love luck,¡± gloated Zhu Xiaofei.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being handsome? Laozhu, I think you¡¯re jealous. Your heart is unbnced because you¡¯re ugly and nobody likes you,¡± Ding Kai said sarcastically.


    Zhu Xiaofei shot back instantly, ¡°Excuse me? Why are you talking like you¡¯re handsome and girls like you? We two are birds of a feather. Let¡¯s not mock each other, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will never be like you, no matter what. You¡¯re fat as a pig.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a son of a whore! You wanna wrestle with me? Have I ever told you you¡¯re as scrawny as a monkey?¡±


    ¡°Monkeys are intelligent animals. I¡¯m proud to be one!¡±


    ¡°And so what if I¡¯m a pig? A pig¡¯s body is full of treasures. Its waist, ears, tail. Which one of them isn¡¯t delicious.¡±


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo was watching them squabble. Aargh! Have they nothing better to do? How can people fight over something as stupid as this?


    At that moment, An Huanhuan approached him again. She sat down and gasped bewitchingly with a coquettish nce, ¡°Hero Luo, I¡¯m sitting in front of you. Any objections?¡±


    Xiao Luo was oblivious to what was going on in An Huanhuan¡¯s head. Of all people, why did she have to fall for him?


    A few minutester, in walked Chu Yue and Bai Ling.


    Although they were told that Xiang Gaoyang was the one who had rescued them from the kidnapper, they weren¡¯t buying the story. Something didn¡¯t feel right. The figure they saw before they passed out resembled Xiao Luo too much.


    ¡°Bai Ling, tell me, is it the poser we sawst night?¡± Chu Yue kept staring at Xiao Luo with her beautiful face sheathed in doubt.


    Bai Ling shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe we were mistaken. The lightning wasn¡¯t that great, plus we were drugged at the time. We very likely mistook your bodyguard for Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think. That poser was so angry at me he probably would have been happy if I¡¯d been kidnapped. I can¡¯t imagine him going out of his way to help or save me,¡± Chu Yue said confidently.

 Chapter 43 - Precious First Time

    <b>Chapter 43: Precious First Time</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    At the end of the ss, Xiao Luo felt like he had gone through a catastrophe. During the break between sses, he quicklyy prone on the table and closed his eyes for a brief while. It was too tormenting. A ss was 45 minutes, and he ended up catching flies for 45 minutes.


    Most certainly, sleeping on the table also meant warding off An Huanhuan¡¯s harassment.


    When he wasfortably sleeping, Ding Kai beside him suddenly shoved him and said with a shaky voice, ¡°Brother Luo, S¡­ Song Jianan¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is Song Jianan?¡±


    Xiao Luo straightened himself and asked subconsciously like someone who wasn¡¯t fully awake yet.


    Zhu Xiaofei almost copsed, ¡°Brother Luo, my good old Brother Luo, how could you forget Song Jianan? Remember Tang Yuze from third year¡¯s Social Studies who came looking for trouble? That¡¯s the guy that backed him up!¡±


    ¡°Oh, the president of the mixed martial arts club!¡± Xiao Luo suddenly remembered and said.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai nodded in synchronism like woodpeckers. Although they said that they will fight it out with him, that was already days ago, and their dauntlessness was already long gone. When they see Song Jianan again this time, their expressions changed drastically, especially Ding Kai. He was looking outside the ssroom with no courage to even let out a gasp.


    ¡°H¡­ he¡¯sing in. He must be here to find trouble with us!¡± Ding Kai suddenly opened his eyes wide as his scrawny body begun trembling faintly.


    Zhu Xiaofei had his jaw clenched as he peered at the entrance of the ssroom with a stiffened body.


    Tracing down their line of sight, Xiao Luo saw a guy who was 1.9 meters tall and wearing a ck sleeveless garment paired with a blue sport casual pants. The muscles on his body were distributed like blocks, stacked up in individual pieces on the surface of this body. He was so brawny that even his singlet was stretched tight. It seemed that If he were to be just a little more muscr, even his singlet would be torn apart.


    He had a square-shaped face, bad skin, and very thick pores. Looking at him from a distance, it felt like he was pitted with craters.


    Sure enough, he was as fit as an ox!


    Xiao Luo could finally understand why Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai used the word ¡°raging bull¡± to describe Song Jianan. With such robustness, he might be able to lift and hurl a 200-kilogram pig all by himself.


    And this guy was An Huanhuan¡¯s boyfriend. One was petite, and the other was all tall and mighty. How in god¡¯s name did these two fell for each other?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but feel a little peculiar.


    Aside from Song Jianan, Tang Yuze and Chen Jie with faces full of pimples also arrived. They were like Song Jianan¡¯scqueys that were following him at both sides.


    When the three people came in, they attracted the attention of everyone in the Professional English ss. But An Huanhuan, who was Song Jianan¡¯s girlfriend, was having a hard time concealing the loathsomeness contained in her eyes. Learning from Xiao Luo, she pretended to be asleep on the table, seeminglyzy even to have a nce at Song Jianan.


    ¡°You three, what is your major? We are going to start our ss soon. If you¡¯re here to do revision, would you please help yourself to another ssroom?¡± having looked at their menacing entry, the English ss lecturer politely asked the three of them to leave.


    Song Jianan halted his steps, turned his head around and smiled calmly, ¡°Sir, we are very interested in English, and hence we are here to listen to your ss. But rest assured, we will not disturb the ss!¡±


    The English ss lecturer was out of words. As an educator, he couldn¡¯t possibly chase away students who came to his ss out of their passion for English.


    Following a dry cough, he said with a severe countenance, ¡°Since you¡¯re here for the ss, find yourselves an empty seat!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Song Jianan nodded. After he nced over the ssroom, he walked towards An Huanhuan in the end.


    ¡°Prettydy, can you please give me this seat?¡± Song Jianan said to the girl sitting beside An Huanhuan.


    That girl certainly was aware that this big and bulky guy in front of her eyes was An Huanhuan¡¯s boyfriend. She immediately packed her books and was about to vacate her seat.


    An Huanhuan stood up and grabbed her, ¡°Don¡¯t give him your seat, who is he to ask you to do this? Lingling, sit here. Don¡¯t be scared of him!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I¡­¡±


    Wang Ling was extremely anxious. It was impossible to say that she wasn¡¯t afraid of Song Jianan. He was colossal, and all the more, fierce-looking. Any girl would¡¯ve been afraid of him.


    ¡°What are you doing Huanhuan? Cut it out already! I already came to you myself. Can we make peace?¡± Song Jianan said with his eyebrows knitted.


    ¡°Make peace? I already broke up with you! Don¡¯t evere to me again!¡± An Huanhuan said straightforwardly.


    Song Jianan said, ¡°Huanhuan, stop joking with me alright? I already said that I and Liang Huili are only ordinary friends.¡±


    An Huanhuan said exasperatedly, ¡°Will ordinary friends hold their hands with ten fingers crossed? Song Jianan, I¡¯ve had enough of you! That¡¯s it between us!¡±


    The lecturer on the podium couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart, ¡°Sigh¡­ students nowadays¡­ how outrageous they have be. Their parents send them here to learn with their hard-earned money, but all they know is to fall in love. I can¡¯t even conduct a ss in peace.¡±


    That girl named Wang Ling quickly slipped away. There was no reason for her to be caught between An Huanhuan and Song Jianan.


    ¡°Never! You are the only one I want in my life!¡± Song Jianan waved his hands dignifiedly.


    At this moment, Huang Ruoran stood up and yelled solemnly facing them, ¡°We are going to have our ss soon, if you have anything, please discuss it among yourselves in private after the ss ends. This is a ssroom, a ce to learn, not for romance!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, who are you to interrupt while Boss is speaking?¡± Tang Yuze shouted at Huang Ruoran while pointing at her.


    As soon as this sentence came out, several girls stood up immediately to criticize Tang Yuze.


    ¡°She is our ss monitor! And who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! This is the ssroom for Professional English! Who are you to talk?¡±


    ¡°If you guys aren¡¯t here for ss, get out! You¡¯re not weed here.¡±


    About one-third of the girls stood up. Although it was a bunch ofdies, they were not at all less imposing when they stood up.


    Song Jianan waved his hands to stop Tang Yuze from speaking and said to Huang Ruoran with a false smile, ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re the ss monitor. Sorry sorry, my friend is a little impulsive. If you feel offended, please forgive us.¡±


    Huang Ruoran was reluctant to argue with the likes of him. But if they went overboard or dare to bully the girls in the ssroom, she would never sit back and just watch.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with An Huanhuan? Why would she agree to be Song Jianan¡¯s girlfriend? What¡¯s so good about that kind of guy? His muscles across his whole body look so disgusting,¡± Chu Yue who was in her seat couldn¡¯t make sense of An Huanhuan¡¯s choice.


    ¡°Young mistress Chu, you can¡¯t say that. Everyone has their own preferences. Besides, Song Jianan isn¡¯t all that bad. At least he can give girls a sense of security!¡± Bai Ling chuckled.


    Chu Yue plucked out the lollipop in her mouth and shook her head, ¡°Girls should give themselves their own sense of security. How pathetic it would be if a girl depends entirely on her boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to say that, but aren¡¯t we girls the weaker gender? We will need the boy¡¯s protection. You will know when you get into a rtionship yourself.¡±


    ¡°Knock it off. I will never get into a rtionship at university. Dating is a waste of time, and I will even have to give away my precious first time.¡±


    Precious first time?!


    Bai Ling blushed instantly and said shyly, ¡°W¡­ why did you suddenly go there?¡±


    ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you going to kiss if you date someone in university? Doesn¡¯t that mean that we will be giving out our precious first kiss?¡± Chu Yue said with a frown.


    Bai Ling was relieved, ¡°So you¡¯re talking about first kisses. I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were saying¡­¡±


    Bai Ling stuck her mouth to Chu Yue¡¯s ears and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear.


    After listening to her, two patches of blush immediately appeared on Chu Yue¡¯s gorgeous face. Even her ears had turned red. She pushed Bai Ling and said, ¡°You little filth. How could youe up with such a thing? How embarrassing of you.¡±

 Chapter 44 - Righteousness Behind Your Back

    <b>Chapter 44: Righteousness Behind Your Back</b>


    Looking like demonic statues, the three of them sat down next to An Huanhuan. Xiao Luo remained unruffled by their threatening vibes, but poor Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were too rattled to even y with their phones.


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s these three dogs behind us!¡±


    Tang Yuze glimpsed at Xiao Luo while whispering to Song Jianan. Although the wounds from his fight with Xiao Lu had healed, his resentment had festered. Backed up by Song Jianan, he was hell-bent on revenge and did not fear Xiao Luo at all.


    We¡¯re doomed!


    Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s faces turned green. They were feeling lucky a few minutes ago because they thought Song Jianan was here for An Huanhuan. But that wasn¡¯t the case. He was here to settle a score.


    Song Jianan was someone who could break bricks with his bare hands, for heaven¡¯s sake. Were their bodies were stronger than bricks?


    What should we do? Flee or not flee?


    If they fled, those goons woulde to their dorm room. If they stayed put, they¡¯d get beaten up after the bell rang. Either way, they were sitting ducks.


    Song Jianan nced disdainfully at Xiao Luo and the other two guys and said faintly, ¡°Ignore them for now. Wait until the ss ends.¡±


    Pssst.


    Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s bodies were trembling uncontrobly, and they felt sick to their stomach. So, Song Jianan was waiting for the ss to end.


    ¡°Wait until the ss ends?¡±


    Hearing this, An Huanhuan turned to Song Jianan and asked, ¡°What are you guys up to? What did Zhu Xiaofei and the others do to provoke you?¡±


    ¡°Pfft. How could those three good-for-nothings possibly do to provoke me? It¡¯s just that these two buddies of mine got beaten up by them, and I need to help them vent their anger. You don¡¯t have to get involved, Huanhuan. I¡¯ll go easy on them since they¡¯re your ssmates.¡± Then Song Jianan ced his thick arms on her shoulders.


    She pushed his hands away, ¡°This is the ssroom. Try touching me again, and I¡¯ll yell!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t touch you in the ssroom? How about when we¡¯re alone?¡± Song Jianan grinned.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    An Huanhuan was pissed. She never thought so before, but looking at him objectively as his ex-girlfriend, she had to admit that he was like a muscle-bound thug or gangster. If she hadn¡¯t been so vain and self-obsessed during her first year and thought that going out with a ¡°bad boy¡± was cool, she would never have agreed to be Song Jianan¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. You¡¯re not attractive when you¡¯re that way. Come on, how about a smile?¡± Song Jianan extended his hands to pinch An Huanhuan¡¯s cheeks.


    An Huanhuan was angered speechless by his boldness. Her eyes were raging. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± she said.


    ¡°Shh, keep quiet. ss is still in session.¡±


    Song Jianan made a keep-quiet gesture and then moved his hands around An Huanhuan, disregarding her warning.


    Unable to tolerate his behavior any longer, An Huanhuan stood up to move to another seat.


    However, Song Jianan grabbed her wrist and forcefully pulled her back to her chair. ¡°Huanhuan, what do you want me to do? Rip my heart out and give it to you on a silver tter?¡± he asked.


    An Huanhuan couldn¡¯t free herself from this raging bull. After struggling a few times to no avail, she grimaced and said softly, ¡°Let go of my hand. Did you hear me? Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°Not unless you forgive me and continue being my girlfriend.¡±


    Song Jianan wasn¡¯t giving up. He grabbed An Huanhuan¡¯s white and tender thigh with his other hand and stroked it wantonly.


    An Huanhuan felt that her lungs were about to explode in anger. It¡¯s not that Song Jianan hadn¡¯t touched her while they were dating. That wasn¡¯t the real issue. What upset her more was that he was acting up in ss. She was embarrassed and wanted to p him on the spot.


    But Song Jianan had good reflexes: When she raised her hand, he grabbed it as if she was about to fan his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, Huanhuan. I love you. I¡¯ll do anything for you.¡±


    ¡°Go and die then!¡±


    Feeling wronged, An Huanhuan stared at him exasperatedly as her eyes turned red. She didn¡¯t understand how she ever got involved with such aplicated guy. He was a thug, a hooligan, a ruffian.


    He frowned and said, ¡°That isn¡¯t nice of you. Huanhuan, you know I can¡¯t live without you. All my friends know of your existence. If you¡¯re not my girlfriend anymore, they¡¯llugh at me behind my back. I¡¯m the president of mixed martial arts. I can¡¯t afford to be ridiculed or to look foolish.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of my business! Let me go!¡±


    An Huanhuan unleashed all her strength in an attempt to break free from Song Jianan¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go! Even if I die, I won¡¯t let you go¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahe-hem¡­ you can lead a horse to the water, but you can¡¯t make him drink. Are you deliberately acting like a d*ck by touching a girl in front of so many people? Did you know that any unwanted physical contact, including but not limited to kissing, holding hands, or touching someone¡¯s butt, is ssified as sexual harassment? You¡¯d better let go of An Huanhuan, or I¡¯ll call the police now and let them handle this.¡±


    The faint voice belonged to Xiao Luo, who was sitting behind An Huanhuan.


    Initially, he was reluctant to interfere. But An Huanhuan was his ssmate. When he looked at her struggling, and on the verge of tears, he knew had to take a stand.


    ¡°Hero Luo!¡±


    An Huanhuan looked at Xiao Luo with surprise. She never expected him to stick up for her.


    After all, Song Jianan¡¯s name was notorious. Everyone was afraid of him. If it weren¡¯t for this very fact, she would have used Xiao Luo as a shield before this.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai gulped as they thought to themselves, it¡¯s over with us. There¡¯s no more room for any form of kindness.


    ¡°Call the police?¡± Was he serious?


    Song Jianan¡¯s expression soured as he then turned around to look at Xiao Luo with hazy eyes, ¡°Hey kid, are you living innd? Do you think the police have nothing better to do? Do you think they give a f*ck about such a minor issue?


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. First, you might have a face that¡¯s desperately aging, but I¡¯m older than you. Hence, you have no right to call me kid. You should be calling me big brother instead. Second, harassing any female is no trivial issue. If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll call the police now, and you¡¯ll see if they care about this.¡± Xiao Luo took out his phone and tapped on two ones without dy.


    F*ck, this dogshit is going to call the police!


    Tang Yuze and Chen Jie¡¯s faces changed abruptly.


    The same happened to Song Jianan as he loosened his grip on An Huanhuan.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t continue to tap zero. He lifted his head and smiled yfully, ¡°See? You think the police care about this ¡°minor issue,¡± too, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a piece of dead meat!!!¡±


    Song Jianan¡¯s face turned deathly pale as he stared down at Xiao Luo with his triangr eyes.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and said to An Huanhuan, ¡°When someone bullies you, you don¡¯t have to put up with it. The police have our back on that score.¡±


    The police have our back? Did I hear him right?


    Although what he said made sense, it would never have urred to her to get involved with the police her lifetime, much less over something like this. When she heard Xiao Luo saying that with a straight face, she knew he meant it. Nodding slowly, she said, ¡°I got it, Hero Luo!¡±


    After that, she looked at Xiao Luo with affectionate eyes, feeling that at this moment, he was very manly and cool.

 Chapter 45

    <b>Chapter 45: Absurd Request</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Seeing An Huanhuan looking at another guy longingly, Song Jianan couldn¡¯t help but widened his eyes and asked, ¡°Huanhuan, what is your rtionship with this guy?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my future boyfriend!¡± An Huanhuan answered.


    Since Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t afraid of Song Jianan, she naturally had nothing to worry about. Moreover, she was actually telling the truth. If one were to say that she was fooling around when he asked Xiao Luo to be her boyfriend earlier on, now, she was dead serious, not because of other reasons, but because Xiao Luo dared to provoke Song Jianan for her sake.


    Xiao Luo clouded up, knowing that he had gotten into big trouble after An Huanhuan said that.


    As he expected, blood veins disseminated across Song Jianan¡¯s eyeballs. He was just like a raging bull, clenching his first and death staring at Xiao Luo.


    At this moment, the air seemingly froze!


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai at the side gasped in chills. In their minds, they have already imagined the bloody picture of themselves being smashed into mincemeat by Song Jianan.


    ¡°A-hem a-hem¡­ please behave yourselves in ss. Don¡¯t chatter among yourselves. Although you are already an adult, you are still a student in essence. Focus on learning and discipline yourselves in ss, or else, leave the ssroom. What I detest the most is students disturbing my ss!¡± the English lecturer abruptly dry coughed a few times and said sternly facing Song Jianan¡¯s direction.


    This remark was obviously directed at Song Jianan and his gang!


    Song Jianan who was about go ham on Xiao Luo gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and held back his impulse. No matter how arrogant he was, he was still scrupulous towards the lecturers at school. The school¡¯s disciplinary actions would be written directly into his file which couldn¡¯t be erased even with an entire lifetime. These were all vital for his future development.


    With a gloomy face, he gave Xiao Luo a big thumbs up, ¡°You even have the guts to snatch my girl. Kudos to you!¡±


    ¡°I need to mention just one thing. I have snatched no one¡¯s girlfriend. Besides, I hate people who snatch other people¡¯s girlfriends the most!¡±


    Xiao Luo said chilling, ¡°I have to tell you another fact. I have both the nuts and the guts because I¡¯m a man. Those with no guts are eunuchs.¡±


    ¡°Hu-huh¡­ nobody has ever talked to me like that in Huaye. Just wait for it. The time where you go boo-hoo will definitelye,¡± Song Jianan was simmering with rage at the moment.


    ¡°You dogshit, just wait until Boss wrecks you!¡± Tang Yuze turned his head around and said smugly.


    Even a saint can get mad, not to mention Xiao Luo who was made of blood and flesh.


    Being called dogshit by this guy with a mouth full of shit really got him triggered this time.


    His pupils contracted as he stared at Tang Yuze, ¡°I dare you to call me dogshit again.¡±


    Facing Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze, Tang Yuze abruptly recalled the terror this guy gave him a few days ago at the dorm¡¯s rooftop and subconsciously shivered. But as he thought of it again, his boss was just beside him, why should he be afraid?


    He looked at Xiao Luo viciously, ¡°You dogshit. And? What can you do? Beat me up if you dare! Whack me in front of your teacher! Do you fucking dare to do so?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled harmlessly. On the next second, his expression changed drastically as he stood up like a ferocious beast.


    ¡°Brrrr~¡±


    The table in front of him was broken by the force of him standing up.


    Before Tang Yuze even had the time to react, the cor of his T-shirt was caught by Xiao Luo¡¯s enormous hand. Subsequently, a barbaric force came propagating through Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, making it difficult for him to resist. Firstly, his entire body was lifted, and then, he flew uncontrobly towards the aisle in the middle of the ssroom.


    Hearing only a bang, he fell to the ground with four of his limbs facing the sky with his back coincidentlynding on the 90-degree angle of the stone staircase. Tang Yuze screeched in pain like that of a pig being ughtered.


    Like a feral tiger, Xiao Luo left his seat and leaped towards him. He bent over and used one hand to drag Tang Yuze on the ground out of the ss with a force that he couldn¡¯t resist like he was lugging a dead dog.


    Everything happened too suddenly. Not to mention that all the girls in the Professional English ss were shocked, even Song Jianan himself was startled. Who would have expected Xiao Luo who was still smiling with a harmless face at the moment before to turn hostile immediately at the very next second and rough-up directly in the ssroom?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what are you doing?¡±


    Wang Ruoran was the earliest to react as she stood up and asked loudly.


    The English lecturer also recovered from surprise after blinking his eyes a few times, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­ you¡­¡±


    He was utterly taken aback. He had been teaching for more than a decade and had never encountered such a bold student who actually dared to hit someone else before him. An absolute disregard of discipline and absurdly outrageous behavior.


    ¡°Sir, this has nothing to do with me. He was the one that requested me to beat him. Such a request may seem absurd and wacky, but he really dide out with such a request. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai,¡± Xiao Luo said seriously.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai werepletely stupefied. Their brains were entirely nk.


    Nevertheless, when Xiao Luo asked them to testify, they quickly stood up and said with a nod, ¡°Sir, Brother Luo¡­ Uhm, no, uhm, what Xiao Luo said is the truth.¡± He pointed at Tang Yuze, ¡°He kept on calling Xiao Luo a dogshit just now and even threatened Xiao Luo to hit him if he has the guts. I heard him loud and clear.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I heard him said that as well. He really did make such a request,¡± Ding Kai was quivering as he echoed.


    Tang Yuze was crying but with no tears as he quickly defended, ¡°I didn¡¯t! They are lying!¡±


    ¡°You never made such a request?¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed him, lifted him up, gave him a p, and stared at him indifferently, ¡°I will give you another chance. Have you asked me to hit you just now?¡±


    Tang Yuze was terrified as his face was all hot and in pain. He nced at Song Jianan to calm himself down, converted all the humiliation into rage, and replied resolutely, ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    ¡°Bonk~¡±


    With a swing at one foot, Tang Yuze who was defenseless slumped on the ground on his knees. The pain caused him to shriek in agony once again.


    ¡°Speak. Have you asked me to hit you?¡± Xiao Luo questioned again with a stern face.


    Ruthless!


    Had a smile on his face, but merciless in conduct!


    Tang Yuze was horrified. His face was simply terrorizing, just like when a sheep sees a wolf. He turned his eyes to Song Jianan in seek of help as he replied sobbingly, ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his head in satisfaction. He looked at the lecturer and said with a smile, ¡°Sir, you heard him. I already told you that he asked me to hit him.¡±


    The English lecturer was stunned.


    The girls in the Professional English ss were stupefied as they gazed at Xiao Luo like he was an alien. Why does it look like someone confessing to false charges under torture? Besides, even if Tang Yuze requested for it, does that allow Xiao Luo to whack him like he was entitled to do so?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, stop fooling around!¡±


    Huang Ruoran yelled at him, ¡°Hurry up and let him go! Don¡¯t let things go out of hand.¡±


    At this moment, Chu Yue stood up like she was a messenger of god and advised, ¡°Hey poser, can you tune down yourself a little? Our ss has never been quiet after you came.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Xiao Luo. Fighting in school is a serious vition of disciplinary acts. You will get informed and lectured if it isn¡¯t serious, and if it is, you will get warned and punished. If it goes further beyond that, you may be forced to drop out of school. Please don¡¯t do foolish things, Xiao Luo,¡± Bai Ling said with her ck eyebrows knitted.

 Chapter 46

    <b>Chapter 46: Fight</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°Hero Luo, stop. You made your point! You¡¯re a superhero!¡±


    An Huanhuan¡¯s plea persuaded him to take his hands off Tang Yuze. After all, they were in ss now. She was worried about Xiao Luo getting kicked out of school or arrested. Maybe it was already toote for that.


    Xiao Luo grabbed Tang Yuze¡¯s cor, pulled him closer, and snarled, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like hitting you with so many people here saying I shouldn¡¯t. So, you apologize to me, and I¡¯ll stop right now. How¡¯s that?¡±


    You son of a f*cking whore! Of course, Tang Yuze didn¡¯t say that, but he felt like it.


    Who ever heard of someone apologizing after being beaten up? This was way over the top.


    ¡°Well, are you going to apologize? If not, I¡¯ll continue!¡±


    Sneering, Xiao Luo pushed Tang Yuze away and channeled a brutal punt toward his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Tang Yuze, who was horrified, eximed, ¡°I¡¯m wrong! I¡¯m at fault! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Whuush


    A forceful wind gusted as Xiao Luo¡¯s right foot barely missed Tang Yuze¡¯s neck. The air whipped up by his feet sted Tang Yuze¡¯s shiny hair into an oily mess. That guy was so scared he almost peed in his pants.


    The other students were too frightened to move. They just stood there in bewilderment, feeling this cold-hearted brute¡¯s murderous aura. Was this the same mild-mannered Xiao Luo who often slept through his sses? He was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!


    ¡°You! How dare you touch my people? Today shall be your end!¡± shouted Song Jianan.


    He had already stomped to the middle aisle of the ssroom, charging at Xiao Luo like a wild animal.


    As frightful as a raging bull; moring like thunder!


    With an unparalleled semnce, the shadow of his shifting palm smashed against Xiao Luo.


    The blow sent a tsunami of adrenalin rushing through his arms. Xiao Luo felt a tingling pain on both sides of his body as he lost his bnce and stumbled backward several steps. Song Jianan¡¯s strength was beyond his estimation.


    Song Jianan, on the contrary, took a few steps backward with a look of surprise on his face. He never expected Xiao Luo to be so strong. Still, the explosive power in his body was no match for Song Jianan, who had been practicing martial arts since he was a young boy. In addition to his excellent Kungfu, he had refined his body to the absolute extreme. With around four percent body fat, he had extraordinary muscle mass. He was a human fighting machine.


    ¡°Do you practice martial arts?¡±


    Song Jianan withdrew his disdainful eyes. People who could take on him by force were worthy of his reverence.


    ¡°Even if I do, what does that have to do with you?¡± Xiao Luo asked callously.


    ¡°Take it as if I didn¡¯t ask then! Come!!¡±


    With a bellowing howl, Song Jianan charged toward Xiao Luo like a crazed beast spewing blood.


    ¡°What an enormous force.¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted in contempt as he went against him. With his right hand clenched into a fist and amanding strength that could pierce the void, he was like a growling like a cheetah, its giant ws ready to grab and choke its prey.


    Boom


    Their fists collided in the air, followed by a sound that prated the abyss.


    The collision between strength and power had anyone scared stiff. With their own eyes, the students were witnessing a fight that previously could only be seen on television. At close range, the erupting field generated by forces shing into each other was tremoring the souls of every single person in the room.


    Three minutes and counting: That¡¯s how long it took for the dispute to degenerate into an all-out brawl that was still going strong.


    Enough! Stop! The English Lecturer snapped back to his senses and tried to break up the fight. He picked up a book and mmed it down on the podium with all his might. BAM. It sounded as if the entire ssroom was sted away by a thunderp, everyone subconsciously quivered, including the brawlers.


    ¡°What in God¡¯s name are you two doing? Shooting a martial arts film? Do you guys want to be practitioners? I¡¯ll have you both expelled from the university and send you back to your home sweet homes!¡± the English Lecturer, his face flushed, was yelling furiously. But the students ignored him. Things were getting ugly.


    Afraid of being expelled from school, Song Jianan was the first to put up his hands in surrender. He said with a grin, ¡°Peace. You¡¯ve misunderstood, sir. Our hands are itchy, and we just couldn¡¯t resist sparring with each other. Everyone who practices martial arts has such a shoring. I hope you can understand, sir.¡±


    ¡°Wipe that smile off your face and get out. You¡¯re obviously not here to learn. Leave! Now! Before I call the school security,¡±


    ¡°No, no. Since you don¡¯t like us, sir, we will leave.¡±


    With a fake smile like a snake, Song Jianan gave the English Lecturer a little bow. Then, he waved his hands and said to Tang Yuze and Chen Jie in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s bounce!¡±


    Upon finishing, he turned around and left.


    Before leaving, he didn¡¯t forget to give Xiao Luo a death stare and an ¡°I love you¡± gesture to An Huanhuan, who was now sitting in the first row.


    ¡°Leave! Now!¡±


    The English Lecturer pointed to the door. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Luo, ¡°What about you, Xiao Luo? Do you want to leave or stay for the rest of the ss?¡±


    ¡°I choose to stay, sir,¡± Xiao Luo smiled with his eyes narrowed.


    He reverted to his gentle Dr. Jekyll demeanor, which was so different from when he was brawling with Song Jianan just now, with the former being gloomy, arrogant, and smug and thetter being sincere and easygoing, and cooperative.


    Everyone in the ssroom was starting to believe that Xiao Luo was two different people. Who was he? The mild Xiao Luo of just now or the brutal Xiao Luo of a few minutes ago?


    ¡°Then why are you still standing there? Sit down!¡± the English Lecturer tugged his face.


    Without saying anything, Xiao Luo found a new seat and obediently sat down.


    ¡°Ruoran, remember to let him report the damaged desk after ss. This is considered vandalism,¡± said the English Lecturer.


    Standing up, Huang Ruoran nodded and said, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Before sitting back down, she turned her head around and shot Xiao Luo a scornful look for his atrocious behavior.


    ¡°All right then. Let¡¯s continue our ss, shall we? said the English Lecturer dryly, picking up where he had left off before the brawl.


    After such a ruckus, the girls couldn¡¯t calm down. Was Xiao Luo good enough to survive a few more matches with Song Jianan, president of the mixed martial arts club, a force to be reckoned with?


    What was Hero Luo up to before he came back to university?


    ¡°Yeah, their disparity in body size is immense, but he was only at a little bit of disadvantage when he went against Song Jianan. What was his diet like while growing up?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s someone with a backstory.¡±


    Everyone started discussing softly among themselves in private.


    ¡°He was a soldier and trained in the army for two years. What¡¯s so strange about him having a little bit of some fighting skills,¡± Chu Yue¡¯s words resolved the doubts of everyone.


    Indeed, Hero Luo came back to university after being discharged from two years of military service. He must¡¯ve honed his skills in the army.


    An Huanhuan passed a note to Xiao Luo: Hero Luo, you were so friggin¡¯ cool just now! Let¡¯s go to the mountain behind the school after ss. I want to sketch your portrait!


    Xiao Luo wanted tough when he saw it. Then, he replied using a pen: Forget about me, the skies and the clouds will do!


    He was still bummed out that he had to pay for the damaged desk after ss.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai became Xiao Luo¡¯s diehard fans, wishing that they could just adhere to Xiao Luo like two suckerfish. They never thought that Xiao Luo was so strong to the extent that he could go against Song Jianan. It was unimaginable.


    Song Jianan weighed at a whopping 250 lbs. of solid muscle, just like the NBA beast, Dwight Howard. He was terrifying even from afar. What¡¯s more, Xiao Luo only weighed around 130 lbs. Compared to Song Jianan, the difference was just like that of a thin arm and a thick thigh. There was absolutely no way to put them intoparison.


    At the same time, the three guys who left the ssroom began to chatter.


    ¡°Boss, are we going to let him go just like that?¡± Chen Jie inquired.


    ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t! Me and Xiao Luo cannot exist together!!!¡±


    Song Jianan said fiercely while he looked at his slight quivering right hand. When their punches collided just now, his hand was knocked out of joint and hurt badly. If it weren¡¯t for his extreme endurance, he would have humiliated himself in the ssroom by crying out in pain.

 Chapter 47

    <b>Chapter 47: Take a Break When You Should</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    As one hunter that posed a threat to Chu Yue had already made the scene, Xiao Luo was in a state of high tension these days. Whether in ss or choir practice, he was exceptionally sensitive to every stranger who had shown up.


    With far-reaching influence and resources, Chu Yunxiong had got his hands on the hunter¡¯s information.


    Hence, not only that Xiao Luo knew the hunter¡¯s name and nickname, he even had his appearance etched in his mind.


    With his eyebrows knitted, he looked at the nearby forest and drifted off in contemtion: If I were him, when and where would I decide to act?


    When he was spacing out, an oval face appeared before him. A pair of zed eyes were staring at him angrily. It was the ss monitor, Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Xiao Luo asked faintly.


    Huang Ruoran rebuked, ¡°Everyone else is focusing on choir practice except you. You are always standing here absentminded. What in the world are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s spare time is precious. Besides, we¡¯ve already practiced for two hours today. My throat is going to burst after all the singing. This should be enough isn¡¯t it?¡± Xiao Luo said firmly.


    When he was in university, he was equally not keen on his school conducting choirpetitions. It had no significance whatsoever. It would be better if students could use the time for choir practice to do what they like to do.


    These remarks resonated with the girls in the Professional English major as they spoke out in session.


    ¡°Yeah Ruoran, let¡¯s call it for today. Not to mention that my throat has be sore, even my legs have be wobbly after all the standing. I can¡¯t even feel them.¡±


    ¡°Two hours is long enough. We have another two weeks¡¯ time anyway. Let¡¯s continue practicing tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°I want to rest so badly. If we continue practicing, our vocal cords will all be crippled.¡±


    Standing while practicing choir was indeed very exhausting. Everyone in the Professional English ss felt like they were about to kick the bucket.


    ¡°No, our cement in the choirpetition will directly affect our course¡¯s collective reputation. We can¡¯t even sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ properly now, how can we possibly go for thepetition? We will definitely make ourselves look ugly on stage. Two weeks may seem long, but there¡¯s not much time left for us to practice. We only have 28 hours at the very most. We must have a sense of crisis,¡± Huang Ruoran said sternly.


    ¡°But even with all the ¡®sense of crisis¡¯, we still have to eat, right? It¡¯s already 11:55. In five minutes, it will be the peak time for lunch. It will be a long queue for everything,¡± Xiao Luo said with a chuckle.


    All this poser would ever know is to eat!


    Chu Yue muttered in her heart. But she did feel that her stomach was a little empty.


    Huang Ruoran took out her phone, looked at the time, then loudly said, ¡°Five more times and we call it a day!¡±


    What? Five more times?


    Oh lord, please help us!


    When the girls who were already tired and numb at their legs heard her, they immediately mourned in sorrow.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t give a damn at all. He didn¡¯te to Huaye to get restricted, let alone participate in this damned choir. He was just a bodyguard in disguise, and it wasn¡¯t necessary for him to be sopetent in being a student.


    ¡°Well, my apologies. You may proceed with the practice. I¡¯m hungry, gonna go grab some food!¡± Xiao Luo dropped a word and left.


    ¡°Brother Luo, wait for us!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai quickly tagged along. They had enough of the girl¡¯s oppression. They felt that now was the time for the boys to mount aeback, bulking up some manliness and be the masters.


    An Huanhuan pouted her lips as she muttered to herself, ¡°Hero Luo is really going against Ruoran!¡±


    The three departed, tantly challenging Huang Ruoran¡¯s authority as the ss monitor. Huang Ruoran ran after them and stretched her arms to block their path. With her teeth clenched and eyes that were about to spurt fire, like a raging leopardess, she said word by word, ¡°I said, we will dismiss after another five times. Do you three hear me?¡±


    ¡°Ruoran, we¡¯re really hungry. See, even my chest is touching my back,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said while patting his chest.


    What he said was ineluctably hrious. Affiliating his round physique with the phrase ¡®chest touching his back¡¯, he was really lying through his teeth.


    Ding Kai echoed, ¡°I¡¯m famished. Ruoran, please be merciful and let us go for lunch. If I faint due to low blood sugar, you will have to take full responsibility. When I go to the hospital, the registration fee, consultation fee, medical expense, nutrition expense¡­ you need to reimburse me everything!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Huang Ruoran was exasperated. With her fist clenched, he red at Xiao Luo ragefully andmanded, ¡°Get back, you may go anywhere you want after we finish thest five practices.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been practicing for two hours. Even a two-period ss should¡¯ve ended by now.¡±


    Xiao Luo continued, ¡°This isn¡¯t how we should practice choir. When everyone doesn¡¯t wish to continue practicing, not to mention five times, even fifty or a hundred times will yield no effect. You are only wasting time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses for yourziness!¡± Huang Ruoran said indifferently.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°I wasn¡¯t finding an excuse. You are the ss monitor. You gathered everyone during our free time to practice choir, and nobody said a thing. We put aside what we were doing and hurried to this pavilion to practice singing. You on the other hand, should you consider for all of us as well?


    He paused for a while and continued, ¡°Now, we have been practicing for two hours non-stop. The fact that we are always standing aside, the singing is already a pain by itself. Since we can¡¯t even sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ properly even after practicing for so long, you should stop and think about whether this training method is wrong instead if insisting everyone to sing for another five times.¡±


    Although Xiao Luo was once again on the opposite side of Huang Ruoran, the girls in the Professional English major supported Xiao Luo¡¯s statement. Even the girls who have always sided Huang Ruoran felt that Xiao Luo was being very logical this time. After all, it had almost been five days since they began training. Since they were still unable to sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ properly, something must be wrong with the training method.


    ¡°After so many days the poser came here, I think he¡¯s right this time,¡± Chu Yue said while pouting


    Bai Ling nodded as she felt the same. Then, she shook her head again as she felt that everything that Xiao Luo said previously was also very reasonable.


    Huang Ruoran felt that she had managed the ss well in an orderly manner. But after Xiao Luo came, everything changed. Her authority as the ss monitor was under an unprecedented attack. Gritting her teeth, she asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Xiao Luo, why are you always against me?¡±


    ¡°You are thinking too much. I¡¯m not against anyone. Believe it or not, I¡¯ve forgone everything in the past, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have hurried to this ce at first time after receiving your message. But you may ask yourselves, is our practice time a little too long? Even if this choirpetition is really that important, we should still take a break when we should. Am I right?¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    He had long forgone the unpleasant events during thest oral ss. He wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge with a girl for so long. This time, he went against Huang Ruoran only because he felt that she was being very unreasonable.

 Chapter 48

    <b>Chapter 48: Strengths and ws</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Huang Ruoran stared at Xiao Luo with eyes full of hate¡­Why is this guy always opposing me? Does he think I¡¯m unworthy to be the ss monitor? Or does he think he¡¯s more qualified to take on that position?


    The girls who were on good terms with her ran over and tried to get Xiao Luo to reconsider.


    ¡°Great Hero Xiao Luo. Just sing five more times. Please. It¡¯s not a big deal, is it¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be out of here in twenty minutes at most!¡±


    ¡°Monitor Ruoran is doing this for the good of our major. Our performance will reflect on our collective honor. If we do poorly, we¡¯ll look bad in front of the students from other majors. They might even poke fun at us.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s intense debate with Huang Ruoran in oral English had won him the approval of nearly everyone in the ss. Moreover, he was merely expressing the unspoken thoughts of some of the students. The good thing is that the girls were now more willing to listen to his ideas and suggestions without feeling threatened. Yeah¡­they had definitely lightened up.


    ¡°Our country encourages leading cadres to integrate with the masses and to listen to their voices. This also applies to a collective like a ssroom or a major in a university. Huang Ruoran is the equivalent of a leading cadre, and we¡¯re the masses. The voice of the masses is saying that we want to take a break. So can I say that her insistence on practicing means that she¡¯s now divorced from the masses and no longer represents our interests?¡± said Xiao Luo with a deadpan expression.


    F*ck me! He brought the level of the argument up to the national realm. Did Brother Luo have to be so freaking cool?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at Xiao Luo admiringly. They loved the way he presented his ideas and arguments.


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck. Stop talking nonsense. Ruoran just wants us to practice singing a little more, but you¡¯ve turned it into an argument about a leading cadre bing divorced from the masses. Stop exaggerating,¡± Chu Yue berated him quietly. Although she wasn¡¯t close to Huang Ruoran, she acknowledged her position as the ss monitor.


    ¡°Exaggerate? Leading cadres should integrate with the masses and hear their voices. This is advocated by the state. Are you saying this is an exaggeration?¡± Xiao Luo feigned shock and surprise.


    Chu Yue was so annoyed she took the lollipop out of her mouth and glowered, ¡°Pretentious d*ck. Geez. I meant that you were distorting Huang Ruoran¡¯s words to further your own agenda. When did I say that what the state advocated was exaggerated?¡±


    ¡°Are my words wrong? Leading cadres and the masses are the big society while we are a microcosm here. What¡¯s the difference between the two? Huang Ruoran isn¡¯t taking our opinions into consideration. She¡¯s just imposing her will on us. Am I not allowed to object? This is a dictatorship, this is ¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop! I¡¯ll give you money!¡±


    Chu Yue gestured at him to stop. She couldn¡¯t stand how he talked. She then took out thirty dors from her pocket. ¡°Thirty dors to buy twenty minutes from you. Listen to Ruoran and sing five more times, okay?¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Xiao Luo snatched the money out of Chu Yue¡¯s hand and stuffed it into his pocket.


    ¡°Do you only care about money?¡±


    Chu Yue asked indignantly as she pointed at him with her lollipop.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the only thing I care about. But I won¡¯t turn my back on money.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at the lollipop that was within reach. It exuded a sweet, tempting smell. He said faintly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t object if you gave me this lollipop to tide me over until lunch.¡±


    ¡°Dream on! This is a limited import from Germany. Why would I give it up so easily when even I can¡¯t bear to eat it?¡± Chu Yue quickly put the lollipop back in her mouth, for fear of it being stolen by Xiao Luo.


    ******


    Huaye cafeteria was bustling with students.


    After the English Language majors finished the fifth rendition of ¡°Yellow River,¡± they all rushed to the cafeteria. They had worked up quite an appetite.


    Xiao Luo, Zhu Xiaofei, and Ding Kai sat together. An Huanhuan came over to join them after getting her meal.


    ¡°Hero Luo, this ss of strawberry juice is for you!¡± An Huanhuan sat down and put a ss of delicious strawberry juice in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not thirsty,¡± Xiao Luo politely refused.


    An Huanhuanughed and said, ¡°You will be after you finish eating. This strawberry juice is delicious.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like strawberry juice,¡± Xiao Luo said a little more seriously.


    ¡°Hehe. Brother Luo doesn¡¯t like it, but I¡¯ll have it.¡±


    Both his eyes and hands were swift: Zhu Xiaofei grabbed the strawberry juice and took a big gulp. He loved to do this kind of cheap, silly thing.


    ¡°Damn pig. I bought this for Hero Luo. Why the hell did you drink it!¡± An Huanhuan said with glowering eyes.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so stingy. Since Brother Luo¡¯s not drinking it, it¡¯s only natural to drink it for him as his bro. If an older bro can¡¯t do something, it falls to the younger bro to do it on his behalf. There¡¯s nothing wrong with this, hehe.¡± Zhu Xiaofei was undaunted. ¡°As the saying goes, a dead pig doesn¡¯t fear scalding water.¡±


    ¡°F*ck your sister. Why the hell would I want you to drink this on his behalf? Besides, has Hero Luo acknowledged you as his younger bro? Stop trying to attach yourself to his name so shamelessly.¡± An Huanhuan gritted her teeth and huffed angrily.


    Ding Kaiughed out loud. ¡°The beautiful Huanhuan is right. Lao Zhu is just shameless; his skin is thicker than the city walls.¡±


    ¡°Get lost. Since even food can¡¯t block that mouth of yours, I¡¯ll pull out all your pubic hair, trust me.¡± Zhu Xiaofei red at Ding Kai without forgetting to take a big sip of that strawberry juice.


    An Huanhuan refused to lower herself to this guy¡¯s standards. She smiled at Xiao Luo and said in a soft and sweet voice, ¡°Hero Luo, what would you like to drink? I¡¯ll buy it for you again.¡±


    ¡°in boiled water!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied unhappily. He didn¡¯t believe An Huanhuan would continue pestering him.


    Sure enough, An Huanhuan frowned, ¡°But I need to go back to the dorm to boil water in an electric kettle. You can¡¯t get boiled water in the cafeteria¡± Her delicate brows rxed and her eyes brightened, ¡°But I can find a way to get you a ss of in boiled water. Hero Luo, you just wait here.¡±


    After she finished talking, she abandoned her meal, got up, and ran out of the cafeteria.


    ¡°Oh my God, the beautiful Huanhuan has set her heart on chasing Brother Luo. Wow,¡± Zhu Xiaofei was astounded.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of our business. Let¡¯s just eat,¡± Ding Kai lowered his head and continued stuffing his mouth.


    Xiao Luo never imagined An Huanhuan would be so stubborn and delusional. Moreover, he made that offhand remark to help her back out of an awkward situation. He also wanted to discourage her from buying a drink for him. Why couldn¡¯t she take the hint?


    An Huanhuan returned after a short time carrying a ss of in boiled water from the security room. She was running so quickly that she became breathless and sweaty. She put the ss in front of Xiao Luo and gave a satisfied smile, ¡°Hero Luo, here¡¯s the in boiled water you just ordered.¡±


    He felt extraordinarily embarrassed and guilty, ¡°An Huanhuan, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What am I doing? I fetched a ss of in boiled water for you.¡±


    ¡°I asked why you fetched it for me?¡±


    ¡°Because I like you.¡±


    An Huanhuan sat down on the opposite side of him and smiled like the sweet, naive young woman she was.


    Xiao Luo was bewildered. ¡°You don¡¯t even know me, so how can you say something like that,¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, but I do know you. You¡¯re handsome, nice, eloquent, and especially good at fighting, hehe.¡± An Huanhuan held up a finger for each quality she enumerated.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about my strengths. You don¡¯t know my ws.¡±


    ¡°ws? Like?¡±


    ¡°For example, I¡¯m a male chauvinist. I¡¯m bad at epting discipline, and I also feel inferior sometimes,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    An Huanhuan shook her head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Those are not ws in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very even-tempered.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s normal for a man with real abilities to have a bit of a temper. It would be abnormal if you were totally incapable of getting angry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m much older than you!¡±


    ¡°I like older guys. They¡¯re mature and stable,¡± An Huan said grinning.


    F*ck!


    No matter how calm and unflustered Xiao Luo¡¯s nature was, right now, he couldn¡¯t help but curse. Even though it was a breach of etiquette, it was an emotional release.

 Chapter 49

    <b>Chapter 49: Notice of Challenge</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    If he were to ask himself honestly, An Huanhuan¡¯s appearance was really good. She had bright eyes, white teeth, and a fairplexion, but she was quite petite. Her short stature could not be considered a w, however. Many guys would instinctively want to protect a girl like her.


    The real issue is that Xiao Luo thought they were unsuitable for each other. There were two main reasons for this.


    First, he wasn¡¯t a student. The sole purpose ofing to Huaye was to protect Chu Yue secretly.


    Second, he¡¯d been working hard in society for three years. He was looking for a girlfriend so they could get married, but undergrads were not within the scope of his consideration.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡± someone called out.


    The voice, which sounded like a resonant bell, disturbed his reverie. Looking up, he saw five or six beefy guys, their faces revealing their cruel and ruthless intentions.


    One guy in a id shirt took a step forward, his brushed-up hair swaying with his movement. ¡°Who¡¯s Xiao Luo?¡±


    Hmm. These students are strangers. So why are they singling me out? Must have something to do with Song Jianan.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± he asked dryly.


    When they saw that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t at all nervous but was even exhibiting an aloof and superior demeanor, their faces hardened. The guy in a id shirt shouted, ¡°Are you motherf*cking Xiao Luo? Just shut up if you¡¯re not; otherwise, I¡¯ll smash your pig brain.¡±


    They were spoiling for a fight. That much was obvious.


    ¡°Uh oh. Xiao Luo seems to be in trouble!¡± whispered Bai Ling.


    She was sitting on the other side of the cafeteria when she noticed the strange goings-on at Xiao Luo¡¯s table.


    Chu Yue pushed her coiffured hair behind her ears and said disapprovingly, ¡°That pretentious d*ck gets into trouble wherever he goes. I¡¯m used to it.¡± She sipped some orange juice through a straw. Then she took a look and said, ¡± It¡¯s the people from the mixed martial arts club. It seems like Song Jianan, and the pretentious d*ck have gotten into a dispute.¡±


    Hearing the raised voices, Huang Ruoran also turned around to see what was happening with Xiao Luo. It was hard to tell from her expression if she was happy or sad about it.


    An Huanhuan stood up and stared angrily at the boy in the id shirt, ¡°Zhao Xinghe, what are you up to? Are you preparing to start something in the cafeteria?¡±


    ¡°None of your business. We¡¯re not here because of a fickle woman like you,¡± Zhao Xinghe warned as he pointed his finger at her.


    Then he mmed the table with his fist and bellowed at Xiao Luo, Zhu Xiaofei, and Ding Kai, ¡°Who the hell is Xiao Luo? Stand up!¡±


    Zhu Zhufei jumped up from his seat.


    Five or six pairs of eyes turned toward him, ¡°Are you, Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Zhu Xiaofei spread his hands.


    Ding Kai also stood up at this time. He was emboldened with Xiao Luo nearby.


    These five or six people stared at him, ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Ding Kai shook his head.


    ¡°Then why the f*ck did you stand up?¡±


    Zhao Xinghe yanked Ding Kai¡¯s cor, nearly lifting him off the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m a civilized student. I¡¯m taking my cutlery and tes back to the collection point to reduce the burden on the cafeteria workers,¡± Ding Kai muttered.


    ¡°Mother*cker!¡±


    Zhao Xinghe was beyond pissed off, and he shoved Ding Kai just for the hell of it.


    He was like fallen leaves blown around by the wind. As he stumbled back a few steps, Zhu Xiaofei caught him; otherwise, he would have fallen on the floor.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? You have no right to push people,¡± Zhu Xiaofei rebuked angrily.


    ¡°Just because my arm is thick, what about it? You want topare?¡± Zhao Xinghe said brashly as he flexed his cannonball biceps.


    Zhu Xiaofei was pudgy¨Cno match for someone like Zhao Xinghe. When he saw his bulging bicep, he immediately shut his mouth.


    Another guy pointed at Xiao Luo, who was eating his lunch. ¡°Brother Zhao, he¡¯s Xiao Luo!¡±


    This boy was from the same group as Tang Yuze. Xiao Luo had beaten him up on the rooftop of the boys¡¯ dormitory. The boy would remember Xiao Luo¡¯s appearance till the day he died.


    ¡°You¡¯re Xiao Luo?¡±


    Zhao Xinghe pped Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder twice and said with a dark and somber face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you respond when I called you just now? You treating my words like farts?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it does smell like someone¡¯s farting, it smells bad!¡± Xiao Luo fanned the air in front of his nose.


    An Huanhuan giggled, ¡°Haha. Hero Luo, you¡¯re so funny.¡±


    Zhao Xinghe¡¯s expression went from amused to horrific. He lifted his foot and stomped it on Xiao Luo¡¯s stool. ¡°You just made fun of me. Are you tired of living?¡±


    ¡°You can just talk, don¡¯t move your feet!¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s expression turned mean. The scene was set for a showdown.


    ¡°Oh, Brother An said you¡¯re crazy. I didn¡¯t believe it at first. Who¡¯d have thought it¡¯s true, I¡­.¡±


    Total silence. All of a sudden, like a tiger, Xiao Luo stood up with his five fingers spread ou and grabbed Zhao Xinghe¡¯s cor. Before he had time to react, Zhao Xinghe felt his feet leaving the ground, his neck bound tightly by the cor. He felt his throat constrict and began choking.


    Besides Zhao Xinghe¡¯s buddies, all the students in the cafeteria stared in silence. He must be freakishly strong to lift a person with one hand!


    Xiao Luo fixed Zhao Xinghe with an icy stare of disdain, ¡°Now, can you tell me why you sought me out?¡±


    Zhao Xinghe nodded, scared sh*tless. He quickly took out a letter from his pocket. Three words written were on it with a brush, Notice of Challenge.


    This is the Notice of Challenge that Brother An is giving you. He¡¯ll be waiting for you at the mixed martial arts club on Saturday night.


    ¡°Challenge?¡±


    Disdain shed across Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, and then he let go of Zhao Xinghe. ¡°Go back and deliver this to Song Jianan. Ask him if his brain has short-circuited. What era are we in now? Yet he¡¯s still doing this!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t ept it?¡± Zhao Xinghe fixed his cor.


    ¡°I have no time for this nonsense!¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    Sneering, Zhao Xinghe nced at An Huanhuan, ¡°You¡¯ve got the guts to snatch Brother An¡¯s girlfriend, but you don¡¯t have the guts to respond to his challenge. Xiao Luo, turns out you¡¯re just a spineless wimp.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, goading doesn¡¯t work on me. Besides, I want to finish my lunch. Stay as far from me as you can, don¡¯t ruin my appetite,¡± Xiao Luo said in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing.


    The corners of Zhao Xinghe¡¯s lips tightened. When had he ever felt so enraged as a veteran member of the mixed martial arts club?


    ¡°Xiao, you should know what¡¯s good for you. We have a total of one hundred and twenty people in the mixed martial arts club. If everyone spits on you, it¡¯ll be enough to drown you. Have you thought about the consequences of rejecting Brother An¡¯s challenge?¡±


    Xiao Luo calmly spat out a word, ¡°Scram!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai knew Xiao Luo had a short fuse. It didn¡¯t take much to set him off. In a matter of seconds, that polite and friendly smile could turn ugly and mean, especially if he felt threatened. The two guys quietly backed away to give Xiao Luo enough space in case he needed it. They also threw a look at An Huanhuan, signaling her to get out of the way, too.


    ¡°Good. You sure are crazy and bold!¡±


    Zhao Xinghe went berzerk. Although he was stunned when Xiao Luo lifted him with one hand, he was giddy with rage. He reached out and grabbed the tes and cutlery. Then he snarled and got ready to smash them on Xiao Luo¡¯s head and shout, ¡°I¡¯ll f*cking kill you!!!¡±


    But just as he raised his hands, Xiao Luo stood up unexpectedly and dealt a swift kick thatnded squarely on Zhao Xinghe¡¯s abdomen.


    He leaped like a crouching tiger, using his momentum to overwhelm Zhao Zinge and frighten off the other goons.


    It was as if Zhao Xinghe¡¯s muscr body was hit by a train, it flew back and mmed onto his buddies standing behind him.


    Hispanions tried to reach out to catch him. But before they even raised their arms, Zhao Xinghe flew into them like a cannonball and knocked them on their butts. Crash! The tes shattered on the floor, sending the pieces and remains of food scattering in all directions.


    What an embarrassment! Before they knew what hit them, the five or six guys were spread out on the floor covered in grease and grime. They were banged up and wailing in agony, but nothing hurt more than their pride. They couldn¡¯t stop panting as they looked at Xiao Luo in terror. Who was this guy?!

 Chapter 50 - Unease

    <b>Chapter 50: Unease</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo stood motionless and exuded an unparalleled power and influence all over.


    He was quiet as the running water on a mountain, but moved like fierce a tiger emerging from a cage!


    All the students in the cafeteria were stunned. Their eyes were wide open and unblinking as they watched him and Zhao Xinghe and his party who were lying on the ground. Some were in the act of holding a spoon with soup in it while some were in the act of using chopsticks to put food in their mouths. Some were even holding up a big bowl as they gulped down soup from it¡­. It was as if all of them were frozen in time.


    0.03 secondster, the whole cafeteria descended into a state of shock and mor!


    ¡°Oh my God, he sent someone flying four or five meters away with one kick. Why is he so violent!¡±


    ¡°He has trained, he has definitely trained.¡±


    ¡°I never expected that there would be such fierce and violent man in our school. Which major is he from?¡±


    Tongues were wagging among the students. The clicks of camera shutters going off rang out continuously. Everyone was busy with their social media ¨C some posted on Moments while some posted on their Weibo ¨C that they even temporarily forgot about eating.


    ¡°Hero Luo is really fierce!¡±


    The girls from the English Language major looked at each other. If they hadn¡¯t seen it for themselves, they would never have believed that Xiao Luo could send a boy that weighed eighty to eighty-five kilograms flying with a kick. At the same time, they felt that Xiao Luo¡¯s kick was very graceful, confident, suave and neat. To sum everything in one word, it was cool.


    Huang Ruoran was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her head and continued to eat as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling really anxious about Song Jianan¡¯s IQ. He clearly knows that pretentious d*ck is very good at fighting, but he still sends small fry like this to let Xiao Luo practise on them,¡± Chu Yue pouted.


    Bai Ling did not reply, merely stared at Xiao Luo like a fool.


    Until Chu Yue shook her hands in front of Bai Ling¡¯s eyes and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Bai Ling recovered herposure and turned around, smiling like a young girl yearning for love. Her eyes were narrowed into crescent shapes and she said excitedly, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, did you see that, Xiao Luo is so handsome now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Chu Yue¡¯s mouth widened in stupefaction. She could understand why An Huanhuan thought that that pretentious d*ck was handsome, but why did her best friend be so smitten with him too, as if someone had cast a spell on her?


    ¡­


    Zhao Xinghe felt ashamed and unable to show his face. With so many mobile phones around them taking photos and videos, it would only take half a day for the news of them getting beaten up to be spread throughout Huaye. At that time, he would be the campusughingstock and the topic of gossip after a meal.


    As soon as he thought about it, he hated it so much that he felt an itch in his gums, but didn¡¯t dare to take any action. Xiao Luo¡¯s kick just now had allowed him to get acquainted with fear. At that very moment, he had thought that he was going to die immediately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie on the ground and pretend to be dead to ckmail me. The floor is dirty so you just stand up now!¡± Xiao Luo shrugged and said lightly.


    Hearing this, Zhao Xinghe was so humiliated that he felt even angrier. He held his throbbing abdomen and climbed up from the ground. The others slowly followed.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll remember this. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll pay you back ten fold,¡± Zhao Xinghe gritted his teeth and said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but want tough. However, he also felt bewildered. What had happened to university students nowadays? They weren¡¯t doing what they should, like studying and falling in love, instead they all liked to brawl?


    Zhao Xinghe was so angry that smoke wasing out of his ears, but there was nothing he could do. When he heard the clicking of the cameras¡¯ shutters, it was like he had found the flood behind a release valve. He yelled fiercely at the students around him, ¡°What are you shooting? Stop motherf*cking shooting, or else I¡¯ll kill you! ¡±


    When they saw his murderous expression, all the students were thoroughly intimidated and they subconsciously put down their mobile phones.


    Zhao Xinghe waved his hand and called out to hispanions, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±. The group then hurriedly left the cafeteria.


    They came with unbridled arrogance, but left with their tails between their legs!


    An Huanhuan became even more worshipful and infutuated with Xiao Luo, ¡°Hero Luo Shen, you are my Mr. Perfect. I want to make your handsome photo into a poster and paste it on my bedroom wall.¡±


    ¡°For what? To guard against evil spirits?¡± Xiao Luo said unhappily.


    An Huanhuan pursed her small mouth and blushed, ¡°No, I¡¯m pasting it on the wall so I can see you every moment of every day.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, if you to do this, I¡¯ll sue you for infringing on the rights to my portrait, I¡¯m serious,¡± Xiao Luo threatened.


    He came to the school to protect one person; who knew that he would cause so much trouble? Compared to Song Jianan, An Huanhuan was an even bigger problem. As the saying went, ¡°One shouldn¡¯t hit someone when they have exined their actions or apologized with a smile.¡± This was girl who kept saying that she liked him, he couldn¡¯t possibly give her a kick.


    ¡°Oh, Hero Luo, you¡­. how can you do this!¡± An Huanhuan said coyly as she threw a tantrum like a spoiled child.


    ¡°Hehe¡­.. Since Brother Luo Ge said that you can¡¯t use his photo, you can take mine and Kaizi¡¯s. With a little photoshop, we¡¯ll definitely look handsome, cool and arrogant like those young idols,¡± Zhu Xiaofei interjected.


    ¡°Who wants your photos. There¡¯s no beauty to a fat pig and a skinny monkey, you can¡¯tpare to Hero Luo at all,¡± An Huanhuan said with her arms akimbo.


    Zhu Xiaofei covered his chest and wanted to cry though hecked the tears, ¡°That was a severe blow!¡±


    Ding Kai nudged him with an elbow, ¡°You can just mention your picture alone, why drag me into this?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, aren¡¯t we bros, will you die if we get humiliated together by Huanhuan?¡± Zhu Xiaofei said with a grave expression.


    Ding Kai looked at him seriously for a while, then cursed, ¡°You stupid c*nt!¡±


    ¡°F*ck your sister!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei thought that Ding Kai would say something that was brimming with philosophy. He never expected these three words, and his face turned green immediately.


    ******


    For these past few days, Chu Yue¡¯s thoughts were in a turmoil and she felt very twitchy. It was because no matter where she went, she would always run into Xiao Luo.


    She went back to her dorm room and threw her bag onto the bed angrily, ¡°I¡¯m so mad!¡±


    ¡°Young Mistres Chu, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Bai Ling, who was ying on theputer, turned her head and asked curiously.


    ¡°What else? I ran into that pretentious d*ck again,¡± Chu Yue gritted her teeth and said.


    ¡°Well, you guys are fated,¡± Bai Lingughed involuntarily.


    ¡°You ass, I¡¯ll strip you if you keep this up, trust me,¡± Chu Yue pursed her red lips. A cunning and devilish light shone in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Young Mistress Chu, it¡¯s broad daylight now, it would so embarrassing to take off my clothes in the dorm.¡±


    ¡°But you still dare to make fun of me.¡±


    Bai Ling smiled sweetly, ¡°I¡¯m stating facts. See, you¡¯ve alreadyined to me six times and this is the seventh time. You seem to run into Xiao Luo even if you¡¯re just going down to receive a package delivery. Isn¡¯t this fate? ¡±


    ¡°Who wants to have any fate with that pretentious d*ck?¡±


    Chu Yue pouted and said with unconcern. Then, she thought of another possibility and a trace of rm appeared on her pretty face, ¡°Bai Ling, do you think that he wants revenge for what happened at the dance party?¡±


    ¡°You think too much, Xiao Luo is not that kind of person,¡± Bai Ling admired her best friend¡¯s wild imagination.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he be that kind of person? I think he is, he even looks at me with a dark and sinister look.¡± Chu Yue became increasingly afraid, she couldn¡¯t shivering as a chill wracked her body.


    Bai Ling shook her head helplessly, ¡°Stop scaring yourself, you¡¯re in the same school, isn¡¯t it normal to run into him?¡±


    ¡°Huaye is neither big nor small, but I was able to run into that pretentious d*ck seven times. How could this be a coincidence? He must be stalking me.¡± Chu Yue still felt that there was something wrong.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t believe it, we¡¯ll test it out in the afternoon. Let¡¯s go to the hills at the back and see if you¡¯ll run into Xiao Luo again. The back hills is a quieter area. If you run into him again, it means that he¡¯s following you intentionally. If not, you¡¯re just thinking too much, ¡°Bai Ling said.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a good idea!¡±


    Chu Yue nodded solemnly. If she did not rify this, her heart would always feel uneasy.

 Chapter 51 - An Unforeseen Event at the Hill

    <b>Chapter 51: An Unforeseen Event at the Hills</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The sky was a clear blue unmarred by clouds; the mountains in the distance were an umber ck and a warm, gentle breeze was in the air¡­.


    ¡°This is sofortable, I¡¯ve only just realized that the scenery of the hills behind our school is so amazing.¡±


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling felt extremely contented as they strolled on the hills that were like a golf course behind Huaye. The view was vast and the grass was green; in the middle was ake surrounded by a dense grove of trees. When viewed from a distance, the surface of theke was t and smooth like a mirror; it was utterly spotless. Such a beautiful and picturesque scene greatly delighted them.


    ¡°Yeah, this is so pretty and the air is fresh.¡±


    Bai Ling took a deep breath and looked around. She suddenly fixed her sight on a particr spot and eximed loudly, ¡°Eh, Xiao Luo!¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Chu Yue beautiful face turned pale and she immediately looked in the direction Bai Ling was staring at. She did see a guy, but he was not Xiao Luo. She suddenly red at Bai Yan and heaved with rage, ¡°Damn you, Bai Ling, are you asking for a beating?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s being too nervous, you had iting, hehe¡­.¡±


    Bai Ling giggled with a gloating expression. She stared at fullness of Chu Yue¡¯s chest before suddenly reaching out and grabbing a handful, then she immediately jumped away with a happyugh.


    ¡°Bai Ling you better watch out, how dare you make fun of me, stop running!¡±


    Chu Yue¡¯s face turned red all of a sudden, and she chased Bai Ling through the vast back hills as they started to frolic. Soon, they ran into the woods. Fortunately, there were few people here, otherwise who knew how many boys would have be hypnotized by the scene of these two beautifuldies frolicking about.


    ¡°Ahem ¡­¡±


    Just when the two women were chasing and y smacking each other as they amused themselves, a man holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand suddenly jumped out of the dense woods.


    He wore a blue hat and a casual sports suit. Although he was dressed in very youthful manner, he appeared to be very old. He had three distinct wrinkles on his forehead and his facial features were not particrly regr. The distance between his eyes was a little wider than that of the average person.


    ¡°You are?¡± Chu Yue asked.


    The man¡¯s expression was a little flustered, ¡°My name is Ma Zhengfeng and I¡¯m¡­. here to court you.¡±


    His eyes took in his surroundings uneasily, he had been lurking for three whole days, it was only now that this most oppotune moment had presented itself. Chu Yue¡¯s two bodyguards who were always sticking to her were standing at the narrow entrance of the hills, which was quite a distance away from here. He was confident that he could capture Chu Yue before the bodyguards reacted. The only thing that worried him was the guy with terrifying skills from that night.


    Chu Yue looked Ma Zhengfeng up and down as she sized him up, then she said straightforwardly, ¡°Sorry, you are not my type. You should court somebody else.¡±


    As the publicly selected campus beauty based on Huaye¡¯s forum, she had so many sutors that if all of them were to form a line, it would extend from the main entrance of Huaye to its back door. No matter who was courting her, she would immediately refuse them. It was not that there weren¡¯t any handsome and outstanding boys, but it was because she felt that being in a rtionship while she was a university student was simply a waste of time and emotions. There wouldn¡¯t be a happy ending.


    Bai Ling chucked rom the sidelines, ¡°Yeah, Young Mistress Chu will not date while she¡¯s in university, besides, it¡¯s not trendy to give roses now, this is so old-fashioned.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh¡­. Is that so? Then I¡¯ll give you something else.¡±


    Ma Zhengfeng was about to make his move and knock the two girls out with a drug again, but a chilling cry rang out through the woods.


    ¡°Ma Zhengfeng, you owe me money, it¡¯s time to pay me back!¡±


    A silhouette dropped down from the murky tree tops like he had been waiting and gathering his energy for this moment. He put on a burst of speed and rushed towards Ma Zhengfeng. Xiao Luo¡¯s left foot mmed onto the ground and using it as a pivot, he spun his body; using the support of the terrifying force of his onward rush, his right leg swept out, making a loud bang.


    ¡°Bam ~¡±


    Ma Zhengfeng was caught off guard by the furious strike of Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg, it struck him forcefully in his lower abdomen. The huge impact force made his body tremble violently and his face turned pale. His saliva, which was mixed with blood, sprayed out towards the sky. His tall body immediately flew backwards.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!?¡±


    Bai Ling¡¯s eyes were opened wide and she regarded Xiao Luo and his sudden appearance with incredulity.


    Chu Yue shivered, ¡°Pretentious d*ck, how are you here? Are¡­ are you really stalking me?¡±


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s stalking you, I¡¯m here to collect my debt.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his head back and said angrily. Then he immediately rushed towards Ma Zhengfeng, his hands turned into ws, the whistling of a strong wind brought with ityers of chill.


    Ma Zhengfeng was overwhlemed with shock and horror. He could not afford to think about anything else at this moment. Escape was of utmost importance. He twisted around and fled into the dense forest, making an all-out effort to run away. Xiao Luo followed closely behind, and his speed became increasingly faster with each step.


    ¡°Miss, what happened?¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian heard signs of activity and rushed over as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Guys, quickly go and catch that pretentious d*ck. He has been stalking me. I suspect that he wants to hurt me.¡±


    Chu Yue could not help getting even more nervous. The unease that she felt these past few days, coupled with meeting Xiao Luo right at this moment, she was sure that Xiao Luo was stalking her.


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck?¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian looked at each other in dismay, they had no idea who Chu Yue was referring to.


    ¡°It¡¯s Xiao Luo from our ss, the guy who just went chasing someone in the woods,¡± Chu Yue pointed at the forest in the distance.


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian had a sudden realization. There was no way they could lie that Xiao Luo intended to hurt Miss, but since Xiao Luo had made a move, it must mean that the ¡°evil¡± Ma Zhengfeng had appeared again.


    ¡°Protect Miss, I¡¯ll go take a look in the woods!¡± Xiang Gaoyang made a decision instantly and yelled at Gaojian.


    Then he turned and ran into the woods.


    In the woods¡­..


    Ma Zhengfeng exerted his footwork to the extreme, he used both hands and feet as much as he could, twisting his body like he was doing a crazy dance. His speed was so rapid that he was like a ghost. However, no matter how he scuttled about in the dense forest, Xiao Luo never stopped nearing him from behind.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s body sprung up abruptly and he pounced like a falcon hunting its prey. His feet were sharp as drill bits as he approached and he aimed straight at Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s back.


    The roaring wind behind him made Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s expression change drastically, his feet twisted wildly, and he spun his body hard. However, Xiao Luo was too fast and fierce. Although he tried his best to avoid it, Xiao Luo¡¯s toes still fell on his shoulders.


    ¡°Snap~¡±


    Along with the crisp sound of several breaking bones, Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s body that was running forward suddenly went out of control. His body was nearly spinning in a circle as he was sted out, he hit the ground more than ten times like a ball before his figure slowly stopped moving.


    ¡°Ah ~¡±


    A loud scream came from beside Ma Zhengfeng. A petite and lovely girl was holding a paintbrush in her hand. She stood in front of an easel and was looking at the blood drenched Ma Zhengfeng with terror.


    Ma Zhengfeng sprang up with a malevolent expression, he held the girl¡¯s throat and controlled her while he screamed at Xiao Luo, ¡°Don¡¯te over, otherwise I¡¯ll kill her!¡±


    The girl was totally stunned, she had not yet reacted to what had happened in a split second. She was just painting here; just what had happened? Who was this guy with blood on his face? Why was there such a person in school?


    She looked forward and stared, her body trembled violently, ¡°Hero¡­. Hero Luo¡­..?¡±


    She saw Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo also saw her clearly at this moment, he frowned immediately as he felt a headacheing on. It was because this girl was not anybody else, it was An Huanhuan.


    His surprise did not affect his movements and his footsteps never stopped. The sharp ws whizzed as it shed through the air.


    ¡°Sorry, threats are uneptable.¡±


    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡±


    Ma Zhengfeng, who had been pressured to the point of anxiety, bellowed with a deep voice. He grabbed An Huanhuan¡¯s arm and shoved her at Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 52 - Taken Down

    <b>Chapter 52: Taken Down</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    When had An Huanhuan ever encountered such a situation? As Ma Zhengfeng flung her, the only thing she could do while her head spun was to shriek.


    Xiao Luo frowned heavily, he stretched out his hand and caught An Huanhuan by the waist as she flew towards him. He turned in ce, and firmly set An Huanhuan down, who was shrieking non-stop.


    ¡°Hero Luo¡­.¡±


    An Huanhuan looked at the man so close beside her with a dazed expression and her heart thundered chaotically. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she had a fright or if it was because the man she liked was holding her in his arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s not safe here. Hurry, get out of here!¡±


    Xiao Luo threw the words at her coldly and let go of An Huanhuan. His body curled slightly and like a cheetah, heunched himself in the direction that Ma Zhengfeng had fled.


    An Huanhuan trembled as she stood rooted to the spot. After a long time, her blown up pupils slowly contracted and she swallowed with much difficulty, ¡°Qing¡­. Qinggong?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s my tenth move. Very good, let¡¯s see how long you can hold out.¡±


    In the depths of the dense forest, Xiao Luo¡¯s hard fist mmed straight into Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s own fist, which was rushing towards him. There was no suspense. Ma Zhengfeng was not his match at all, he vomited blood again as he went flying backwards.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    A killing intent surged violently in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. Twobinations of attacks pounded on Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s chest and abdomen consecutively with precision and ruthlessness.


    Ma Zhengfeng, who had no strength to fight back, felt as if he had been hit by a train. He clung fiercely to a tree and held on for a few seconds before slowly sliding down like a puddle of mud, he sank to his knees on the ground with a thump. Blood gushed from his mouth as his chest rose up and down and he looked at Xiao Luo with horror-filled eyes.


    He had carried out hundreds of missions, but he had never encountered such a situation or such a terrifying opponent.


    He originally thought that the remuneration of seven hundred grand could easily be his, but never had he thought that hidden beside Chu Yue was such a scary monster, which left him no room for resistance.


    Xiao Luo walked slowly to him, and looked down at him from a towering position, ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a question. Besides you, are there any other hunters nning to harm Chu Yue?¡±


    Ma Zhengfeng stared nkly, then he snorted lightly, ¡°Noment!¡±


    He thought Xiao Luo was very amusing and hrious. He even asked such a question. Was he mocking those who worked as hunters?


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t give this sort of answer if I were you,¡± Xiao Luo chuckled.


    His expression turned cold in the next second and he raised his right foot. Then he brazenly stepped on the palm that Ma Zhengfeng was using to support himself from the ground.


    ¡°Snap ~ snap~¡±


    A series of crisp, breaking noises rang out as his bones broke, and with it was a blood-curdling screech that echoed throughout the dense forest.


    From his ten fingers and even his heart, an intense current of pain swept across his entire body. Ma Zhengfeng struggled violently, but Xiao Luo clutched his neck tightly. The tremendous power made his face purple and he almost fainted.


    ¡°If you continue to struggle, I¡¯ll step on the other five fingers and break them altogether!¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s icy and stern voice sounded in Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s ears, getting Ma Zhengfeng, who had almost copsed, to slowly recover his wits. He suppressed the terror and pain with the sheer force of will and stopped struggling.


    ¡°Yes, you did the right thing!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled with satisfaction and released his neck.


    ¡°Who¡­. just who are you? You¡¯re definitely not amongst Chu Yunxiong¡¯s bodyguards!¡±


    Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s voice trembled a little. The man¡¯s skill waspletely beyond his realm ofprehension. He was as strong as a god, but he was also a cruel, evil god. He didn¡¯t even blink when he broke his fingers. One could tell what a ruthless and vicious heart he possessed.


    ¡°It seems that you haven¡¯t figured out the situation yet. I¡¯m the one asking you questions now, not the other way round.¡±


    Xiao Luo removed his foot from the back of Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s hand. Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s five fingers werepletely broken and theyid on the ground irregrly. The broken finger bones punctured his skin and flesh, Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s left hand looked badly mangled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again, are there any other hunters besides you?¡±


    ¡°This¡­.. I ¡­..¡±


    Ma Zhengzheng was in a very difficult position. Although no one else would know, he had his own dignity and pride as a hunter. If he was to answer the other party¡¯s question with all honesty even after getting captured, he was afraid that this would cast a permanent shadow in his life.


    Xiao Luo felt very impatient and a trace of dissatisfaction shed across his face. His left foot stepped on Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s right hand without any ceremony.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A mournful and blood-curdling screech echoed through the forest. Ma Zhengfeng flopped like a fish out of water. The indescribable pain made his eyes bulge and his entire body twitch.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to bepletely handicapped, you better answer my question before I lose patience,¡± Xiao Luo said softly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­ I¡¯ll say¡­.¡± Ma Zhengfeng yelled in fright.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s smile was like the devil¡¯s nasty grin,pletely shattering his psychological fortress. The severe pain from having his ten fingers broken made him burst into tears.


    Xiao Luo leaned leisurely against a tree, he stretched out a hand and plucked a green leaf, fiddling with it in his hands.


    Ma Zhengfeng turned deathly pale face and his body trembled uncontrobly. He did not dare to disrespect Xiao Luo even in the slightest. The fellow in front of him was a devil wearing a smile, he was extremely fierce and vicious.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know if there are any other hunters. The employer maintains isted contact with the employees. Each of the employees is in a one-to-one contact with their respective supervisor. Maybe¡­.. Maybe when the news of my failure reach the employer, he would send someone else.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be talking nonsense, it¡¯s of no practical use at all!¡± Xiao Luo frowned, the movements of his hands stalled.


    Ma Zhengfeng was so frightened that he shivered. He was afraid that Xiao Luo would do something to him again, his brain quickly recollected to see if there was any useful information so that this person would have some mercy for him. Under the effect of fear, he really did think of one thing.


    ¡°I¡­ I remember, when I left the employer¡¯s office, I seemed to have heard him contacting the ckwater Company.¡±


    ¡°ckwater Company?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s frowned became even more severe, ¡°What do they do?¡±


    ¡°They are an organization specializing in training and coordinating mercenaries to carry out missions. ¡®A pool of ck water can swallow Heaven and Earth¡¯, this is the slogan of theirpany.¡± Ma Zhengfeng said truthfully.


    ¡°¡®A pool of ck water can swallow Heaven and Earth¡¯? What a sh*tty slogan,¡± Xiao Luo said scornfully.


    Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s face pressed out a bitter smile. ckwater was the world¡¯srgest mercenarypany. All the people from thatpany were freaks. Only this monster dared to underestimate ckwater.


    Xiang Gaoyang arrived at this moment and shouted to Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Xiao Luo returned from his thoughts, his back left the trunk of the tree and he said, ¡°You came at just the right time, I¡¯ll leave him for you to deal with.¡±


    To Ma Zhengfeng, this sentence definitely sounded like the best and most pleasant words in the world. If he were to continue staying with Xiao Luo, he would not know what kind of abuse he would be subjected to. He was really afraid of Xiao Luo, the fear that he felt originated from deep within his soul.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang nodded in acknowledgement. When he turned his head to look at Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s condition, he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    Ma Zhengfeng¡¯s face was covered with blood, his ten fingers were broken, there was even a clear scratch mark on his neck. A couple of his ribs seemed to be broken too, and his chest was slightly sunken¡­. Even though he was a professionally trained bodyguard, such a miserable-looking Ma Zhengfeng caused him to feel an inevitable chill. Ayer of goosebumps suddenly formed all over his body.


    Looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s back as he left, he muttered a criticism in his heart, ¡°So vicious!¡±


    Xiao Luo was also extremely puzzled. When did he be so fierce and violent? One must know, in the past, he could feel his blood freezing in his veins when he saw someone bleeding copiously. But now, he felt no difort even after beating someone into a pulp and stepping on the other party¡¯s ten fingers until they broke. On the contrary, he actually felt especially excited.


    What had happened to him?

 Chapter 53 - Im Willing

    <b>Chapter 53: I¡¯m Willing</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo had a question and he asked in his mind, ¡°System, does the ability ¡®Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡¯ ¨C affect my nature and temperament?¡±


    ¡°DING! ¡®Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡¯ is to enable the host to quickly possess the mercenary king¡¯s ability, including physical strength,bat experience, reflexes and the understanding of firearms. Naturally, your nature and temperament is included too. Once redeemed, the host is the strongest mercenary. You¡¯ll have a cold-blooded side,¡± The cold and hard female voice of the system responded.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Xiao Luo exhaled softly and shook his neck. He thought that he was experiencing a split personality just now.


    At this time, An Huanhuan who was filled with curiosity, sneaked over and found Xiao Luo. She immediately grabbed her easel and ran up to him, ¡°Hero Luo, were you dealing with the bad guys just now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, after which he thought that An Huanhuan was really acting too calmly, she even dared to run up to him. Shouldn¡¯t a typical girl have been scared witless by now? He asked, ¡°He was clutching your neck just now, weren¡¯t you afraid? ¡±


    ¡°I was very scared, but when I saw you, I wasn¡¯t scared at all. When you held me as I was about tond on the ground, I felt that we were like the male and female protagonists in ¡®Kung Fu Hustle¡¯, the mood was so on point,¡± An Huan giggled.


    Xiao Luo was exasperated. He had to take his hat off at her. It was such a dangerous moment, but An Huanhuan could still think of movie scenes. But when he reyed it carefully, the moment he caught An Huanhuan as she was about tond was indeed a bit like the segment of Xing Ye and the mute girl.


    ¡°Hero Luo, I see Princess Yue and Bai Ling, did the bad guye for Princess Yue?¡± An Huanhuan suddenly said.


    Just when Xiao Luo was about to deny it, An Huanhuan said, ¡°You¡¯re also here for Princess Yue, you¡¯re specially here to protect her.¡±


    ¡°An Huanhuan, you have a really rich imagination,¡± Xiao Luo frowned.


    ¡°Hero Luo, just admit it. I just heard your conversation with that bad guy just now. You even stepped on and broke his fingers. You¡¯re Princess Yue¡¯s bodyguard,¡± An Huanhuan pointed at the direction of Xiao Luo.


    He had nned to pull the wool over her eyes by bluffing his way out, but it seemed impossible now.


    Xiao Luo sighed, said grimly, ¡°Keep it a secret for me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ok, but you have to promise me two things.¡±


    An Huanhuan leaned close and said charmingly as she looked at him expectantly with her big watery eyes.


    Xiao Luo knew this would be the result. He said in a low voice, ¡°What two things?¡±


    ¡°The first thing is that you have to teach me kung fu. I want to be able to fight like you.¡±


    ¡°Teach you kung fu?¡±


    Xiao Luo was astonished, then he realized that he could make use of the time when he would be teaching An Huan Huanhuan kung fu to make her suffer, and he immediately agreed with great joy, ¡°This request is reasonable, I can agree.¡±


    ¡°The second thing, date me,¡± An Huanhuan batted her eyshes seductively at Xiao Luo.


    Dating?


    Xiao Luo shivered all over and then tly refused, ¡°No!¡±


    No way he was dating An Huanhuan, who was a university student. Even if he wanted to date, he would date a woman who had started working in society.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    An Huanhuan pursed her small lips and she stamped her feet anxiously on the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯ve chosen the wrong person for a rtionship. I¡¯m really unsuitable for you. Also, you know that I¡¯m just Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguard. I¡¯m not a student at all. You and I belonged to different worlds.¡±


    ¡°But I just like you.¡±


    An Huanhuan took hold of Xiao Luo¡¯s arm, ¡°Hero Luo, I¡¯ve never been so serious before. When I first saw you, I felt there was a special vibe about you that just attracted me, and then your fierce debate with Ruoran made me fall in unwavering love with you. In my eyes, you are my Mr. Perfect. ¡±


    Xiao Luo gently pushed her away and said sternly, ¡°Trust me, after you graduate from university, you¡¯ll find your present actions to be very childish.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll go around telling everyone that you are Princess Yue¡¯s bodyguard,¡± An Huanhuan started to act unreasonably.


    Xiao Luo was not a master who gave in so easily, especially when it came topromises with a girl. His expression immediately changed and he said coldly, ¡°I really hate it when people threaten me.¡±


    After speaking, he turned away and left with a heavy expression on his face.


    An Huanhuan panicked as soon as Xiao Luo got angry, she caught up to him stopped him in his tracks, ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t threaten you, Hero Luo, don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    Xiao Luo exhaled a long breath and shook his head helplessly, ¡°An Huanhuan, how could you set your heart on a man that you don¡¯t know much about? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being taken advantage of?¡±


    ¡°Taken advantage of? What advantages can I lose?¡± An Huanhuan blinked, not knowing the reasons.


    Xiao Luo was speechless, he straightforwardly said, ¡°What else? The most precious thing for you girls, isn¡¯t it your body?¡±


    Upon hearing this, a flush appeared on An Huanhuan¡¯s face, ¡°Oh, Hero Luo, you¡¯re¡­. you¡¯re so¡­. that¡­.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was totally depressed, he didn¡¯t say any unspeakable words, why was he being used of ¡°that¡±?


    At this moment, An Huanhuan bowed her head and said bashfully, ¡°Hero Luo, if you want, we can wait¡­. until our rtionship is stable. Then, I¡¯ll¡­. I¡¯ll be willing¡­.¡± After that, she quickly turned around with her back to Xiao Luo. She felt so shy that her face had be flushed.


    She¡¯d be willing?


    Xiao Luo eyes were opened wide, he was totally dumbfounded. He thought in his mind, ¡°Just what are you willing to do? Did I ask if you were willing? This was how An Huanhuan understood his sincere guidance?¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to talk anymore, and quickly left.


    An Huanhuan shouted at him. The louder she shouted, the faster he walked. He felt that it was necessary to keep his distance from An Huanhuan.


    ******


    The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhang Dashan called and said that he wanted to have a meal with Xiao Luo on Saturday night.


    When he learned that Xiao Luo was at Huaye University, the receiver on his mobile was nearly broken by his loud voice.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re at Huaye University? I say, old friend, you¡¯re not focused on finding a job, instead you¡¯ve gone to Huaye University for what in the world?¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s tone had a note of exasperation that Xiao Luo was not properly focused on making good in his life


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk about it in detail on Saturday, I can¡¯t say things clearly with just one or two sentences over the phone,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go to Huaye around 7pm on Saturday night.¡±


    After finishing this sentence, the manner of his speech abruptly changed and became vulgar, ¡°By the way, are there any pretty girls? Bring one or two them out, we can find a chance to get them drunk, then take them to the hotel to and have a crazy night, hehe¡­..¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to get a life sentence?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What f*cking nonsense, I have 200% confidence to make that girl fall in love with me after I sleep with her.¡±


    ¡°With just you?¡±


    ¡°Just me. I¡¯m eighteen centimeters in battle mode. Have I shown it off to you before?¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Luo only retorted with two words and hung up the phone. He returned to the dormitory from the rooftop.


    ¡°Brother Luo, Song Jianan has posted his challenge on the school forum, he said that he¡¯ll set up the arena at the mixed martial arts club and wait for you on Saturday night,¡± Ding Kai put the mobile phone near to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t take a single look andid down on the bed, ¡°He can do whatever crazy thing he wants. I¡¯ve got no time to y with him.¡±


    ¡°In addition to Song Jianan¡¯s challenge, Brother Luo, the handsome photos of you kicking Zhao Xinghe and his goons in the cafeteria a few days ago is spreading like wildfire on the forum. You¡¯re famous in Huaye. The taekwondo association, the karate association, the martial arts club¡­. All the clubs and associations rted to martial arts say that the kick you delivered to Zhao Xinghe was fake, they¡¯re waiting for you to be crushed by Song Jianan on Saturday night! ¡°Zhu Xiaofei also added as he roughly browsed through the school forum.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but find it a littleical, what was going on with university students now? They didn¡¯t seem to be particrly diligent about their studies but were extremely meticulous about this kind of trivial matter. They were putting the cart before the horse!

 Chapter 54 - Experience it for Yourself

    <b>Chapter 54: Experience it for Yourself</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    At half past three in the afternoon, it was time for two slots of physical education sses.


    Most girls choose volleyball, table tennis, badminton and the likes. Chu Yue and Bai Ling were two anomalies that chose ser, which directly led to Xiao Luo¡¯s student character choosing ser too.


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck, why are you here?¡±


    When she met Xiao Luo in a small ser field where lessons were specially conducted on, Chu Yue¡¯s beautiful eyes were opened wide in surprise.


    She wore a casual sports suit thatprised of a red jacket matched with a ck shirt, the head of a little anime girl was silk-screen printed on the chest area. Her face was bare of any cosmetics but it was still bright like the moon, her figure was also soft and beautiful. Her entire person appeared clear, attractive and refined.


    As usual, she had a delicious lollipop in her mouth.


    Standing beside her was Bai Ling, who seemed to have a soft spot for white. She wore white trainers, a white sports suits, plus her skin was also exceptionally fair and her facial features exquisite. She had the air of a girl next door, pretty daughter from a humble family. She truly gave off a fresh, clean and beautiful aesthetic.


    The two girls standing on the ser field made a beautiful scenery, attracting the gazes of those around them. Numerous males passing by the football field halted in their tracks like cattle and fixed their attention here.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at Chu Yue, ¡°What¡¯s so strange about my presence here, is it only you, Miss Chu, who¡¯s allowed to do ser for her optional course?¡±


    Just this sentence alone made Chu Yue choke on air.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, Young Mistress Chu actually wants to invite you to join our gaming team again. I hope you can forgive her for the incident at the dance party,¡± Bai Ling smiled helplessly.


    ¡°Indeed, Bai Ling has a way with words.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at Bai Ling, ¡°Joining your team is one thing, I can¡¯t get along with Fu Jiawei and the rest of them. And if I join, I¡¯ll definitely lower the overall strength of your team.¡±


    ¡°This is your choice, it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t invite you. In the future, you can¡¯t say that I¡¯m the one who forced you away.¡± Chu Yue said unpleasantly.


    Xiao Luo shrugged his shoulders indifferently.


    ¡°Bam ~¡±


    At this moment, a ser ball rushed towards them at high speed in a gorgeous arc, the sound of the ball cutting through the air was extremely sharp and the strength of the force was bold and powerful. At a nce, one could tell that a ser expert had kicked the ball. The ser ball whistled through the air as it went straight for the profile of Xiao Luo¡¯s face. If he was hit, he would feel a temporary buzzing in his head. But if his body was weaker, he might spin a couple of times on the spot before copsing and thoroughly losing his face.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    There were quite a few crazy girls on this small football field who had chosen to take this course just like Chu Yue and Bai Ling. When they saw this scene, they subconsciously cried out in fear.


    Beside him, Chu Yue and Bai Ling also felt a tremor in their minds, shouted in rm, ¡°Careful!¡±


    Xiao Luo leaned back, and the angle was just right for him to dodge the ball. The ser ball spinning at high speed swept past his eyes, and kicked up a strong wind that caused the hair hanging across his forehead to flutter.


    ¡°Who kicked the ball?¡±


    Chu Yue immediately spoke up, demanding justice. She shouted in the direction that the ser ball hade flying from, ¡°You almost hit someone, how did you even kick the ball?¡±


    Even she felt extremely bewildered as she shouted these words. Why was she demanding justice for this pretentious d*ck? Was it because she had mistaken him as a stalker who wanted to do her harm a few days ago and now wanted topensate him?


    As soon as the words fell, more than ten agile sports students gathered around them, their faces shone with belligerence and provocation.


    ¡°It seems like they are from the mixed martial arts club again!¡±


    Bai Ling whispered the words. These people wore uniform sportswear. On the chest area of their clothes were printed the words ¡®Mixed Martial Arts Club¡¯.


    The group was headed by a boy who was of a simr strength as Zhao Xinghe. His body was strong and he had a thickyer of hair on his legs. He had a clean face but his smile was very sinister.


    ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t pay much attention just now.¡±


    Although he was apologizing, his tone and expression were full of challenge. There was not the slightest sense of sincerity in his apology.


    Xiao Luo smiled coldly. There was no doubt that the ball was meant for him just now. These guys who insisted on picking a quarrel with him really were everywhere. It seemed that the size of Song Jianan¡¯s mixed martial arts club was passable.


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Xiao Luo the Fiend who had kicked one of our sports student in the cafeteria a few days ago?¡± The leader said with an exaggerated expression as he pretended to be surprised.


    As soon as this remark came out, other students also cast their attention on him. Xiao Luo the Fiend, he was a celebrity in the school forum. Who in Huaye was more famous than him?


    ¡°His physical fitness looks average, does he really have so much power to your feet?¡±


    ¡°It must be those silly asses in our school that exaggerated the incident and boasted about him to the point that he has be a god.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that he can really kick a man and send him flying four or five meters away!¡±


    Another eight or nine sports students folded their arms in front of their chests and they took their measure of Xiao Luo as they spoke belligerently.


    ¡°Would you like to test it on the spot? You can choose a person to be the fat pig, I¡¯ll be in-charge of the kicking, how about it?¡± Xiao Luo said lightly as he patted the clothes on his body.


    ¡°You piece of sh*t, what did you say?¡±


    These sports students immediately became hostile, they rubbed their palms and wiped their fists. They couldn¡¯t wait to tear into Xiao Luo.


    Actually, when they already burning with rage when they saw that Xiao Luo had alsoe to this field. It was because Xiao Luo had pped the proverbial face of the sports students as a whole, which had never happened before.


    In the past, the sports students in Huaye walked like they owned the school, their noses were turned up towards the sky, they made their authority felt and they were so proud of themselves. They were proud of being a sports student, but now, not only did Xiao Luo beat Tang Yuze up, he also sent Zhao Xinghe flying with a kick in the cafeteria. These were all sports students and they were also Community Sports majors. Now, no matter where they went in school, they kept feeling that someone was talking secretly behind their backs, making fun of the sports students.


    ¡°You were making trouble for someone else and were taught a lesson in return. You were asking for it, who can you me.¡±


    Chu Yue argued as she found it really unfair. Although she hated Xiao Luo, they still belonged to the same major. To see him besieged by these sports students, she could not hold herself back any more


    ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s go, ignore these people,¡± Bai Ling directly called out for Xiao Luo to leave.


    ¡°Xiao, do you only know how to stand behind a girl? Letting two girls stick themselves out for you; if I were you, I would have been ¡­¡±


    ¡°Du Pengfei!¡±


    At this moment, a loud and clear voice interrupted the leader¡¯s speech.


    The physical education teacher who taught ser came over, ¡°What are you standing there for? Hurry and get everyone to gather!¡±


    Because Du Pengfei was very good at ser, he was appointed as an assisstant by the physical education teacher to help him teach the ss.


    ¡°Yes, teacher.¡±


    Du Pengfei smiled coldly at Xiao Luo, then he waved a hand and called others over to the center of the ser field.


    ¡°The members of the mixed martial arts club are all basically students of the Community Sports major. Pretentious d*ck, you¡¯ll have much to suffer,¡± Chu Yue sighed and looked at Xiao Luo with pity.


    ¡°Different situations call for different actions. I¡¯m not afraid of them anyway.¡±


    Xiao Luo said indifferently, then he frowned, ¡°Hey, can you stop calling me ¡®pretentious d*ck¡¯? Don¡¯t feel disgusted when such an awful namees out of your mouth?¡±


    Chu Yue took out the lollipop and pouted, ¡°None of your business, pretentious d*ck, pretentious d*ck, pretentious d*ck. I¡¯m saying it. What about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make an expression at you. You can experience it for yourself.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes, then turned and walked away.

 Chapter 55 - Kicking a Person or a Ball

    <b>Chapter 55: Kicking a Person or a Ball</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The physical education ss at university was like that. There wasn¡¯t much quality content. If not for the unexpected presence of some pretty girls in his ss, the PE teacher would have let the students disperse and enjoy their free time after they had finished their warm-up exercises. But even so, after half an hour, the teacher gave the order to disperse, letting everyone y ser on the field however they liked.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t interested in ying ser with a bunch of children, so he minded his own business, walked to a corner of the field, sat down, and yed with his phone.


    ¡°Xiao, who gave you permission to y with your phone!¡±


    Before he had even warmed the spot with his butt, Du Pengfei and his group approached him. Du Pengfei pointed at Xiao Luo and yelled in a firm and righteous voice, ¡°You should be serious in PE. Put your phone away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go looking for trouble. Otherwise, you are the one who¡¯ll regret it!¡± Xiao Luo kept ying with his mobile without raising his head once.


    ¡°Motherf*cker, you can act like an assh*le. Why don¡¯t you go to hell!¡±


    ¡°Poor f*ck. He¡¯s so engrossed even though he¡¯s only ying on a domestic phone!¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending that you¡¯re dead by sitting here. Stand up. Let¡¯s have a ser match. Didn¡¯t you think you were so great? Do you dare to have a match with us?¡±


    The guys in the group were all holding a ser ball as they made sarcasticments. Had they not been in school or PE ss, they would have descended on Xiao Luo in a swarm and beat him up.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head and red at them with threatening eyes that seemed to say, back off¡­for your own good. He was like a bloodthirsty beast.


    Du Pengfei¡¯s group took a step back, as an involuntary shudder ran down their spine. They looked at each other in dismay and saw the horror in each other¡¯s eyes. But they turned their thoughts around; there were so many of them and only one of him. What was there to be afraid?


    ¡°Fine. You sure are crazy and arrogant!¡±


    Du Pengfei beckoned, and the group of them turned and left.


    After walking more than twenty meters away, Du Pengfei and four other guys who were holding ser balls ced them on the ground. The five of them walked a short distance, then rushed toward the ser balls at the same time.


    ¡°Arrogant motherf*cker!¡±


    Du Pengfei roared with fury, ¡°Shoot!¡±


    The five guys pulled their right foot back, exerted some force, and delivered a violent kick¡­.


    Whoooosh


    The balls instantly roared, drawing five fierce arcs in the air as they whizzed toward Xiao Luo. The strength behind the balls was mind-boggling. The sound of the ser balls cutting through the air made everyone on the field feel a sense of suffocation.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling, who were passing a ser ball back and forth, tightened their expressions and shut their eyes.


    Everyone knew that the five guys, including Du Pengfei, weren¡¯t ying ser; they were nning to hit someone!


    The PE teacher also noticed the strange goings-on here. He was so scared he sucked in a breath of cold air and immediately screamed at Xiao Luo, who was still sitting on the ground ying with his mobile, ¡°Hurry, dodge!¡±


    As a teacher who taught ser, he very well understood the power of a ser ball flying at high speed. If any student bled, fainted, or was injured in his ss, he was afraid he would lose his secure employment as a PE teacher.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s instinctively raised his arms in a cross to protect his head.


    Bam bam bam


    Five footballs smashed into him from five different directions. The strength behind the ser balls was too great, and they instantly bounced back after hitting his body.


    ¡°Yesss! All strike, hahaha ¡­¡±


    Du Pengfei and his party shouted excitedly while clenching their fists and pulling their elbows back and forth.


    Everyone else on the field watched Xiao Luo without blinking. He was hit by five ser balls flying at high speed. How could he be totally fine?


    The PE teacher swallowed with difficulty and stared fixedly at Xiao Luo in disbelief. When he saw him casually putting down his crossed arms, the ball of worry that was hanging by a thread in his mind finally fell away. He patted his chest to ease the fear. With trepidation lingering his heart after the near trauma, he ran up and yelled in a stern voice, ¡°Du Pengfei, what do you guys think you¡¯re doing? Are you kicking a ball or a human?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, we¡¯re kicking ser balls. It¡¯s because the balls have no eyes, so they flew toward that guy,¡± Du Haipeng pointed at Xiao Luo and said with a rxed expression.


    ¡°Yeah, teacher, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either. The balls are out of our control once they¡¯re in the air.¡±


    ¡°The ser balls must like that person so much that they just need to be in close contact with him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. The ser balls love that person too much, hahaha ¡­¡±


    They roared withugher to vent their anger.


    ¡°Nonsense! Others may not be able to control the direction of the ball, but do you think I don¡¯t know about you guys or what you¡¯re up to? It¡¯s because of your strong ser abilities that the school has made an exception by lowering the admission scores for you. I don¡¯t care what kind of grudge you have with that student. Don¡¯t make trouble in my ss, or I¡¯ll make sure you have a hard time.¡±


    The sports teacher severely reprimanded Du Pengfei and the others, then he shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°Student, are you all right? Anything wrong? Can you stand up and walk¡­.¡±


    He suddenly stopped talking because Xiao Luo stood up slowly and was walking toward him.


    As he stood up, an intimidating wave of power swept outward from his center. It seemed as if a ferocious beast had broken free from its shackles now and revealed its ghastly fangs.


    The sports teacher smelled trouble, big trouble, and felt as if this bloodthirsty and wild beast was targeting him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is angry!¡± Bai Ling looked at Xiao Luo in a daze.


    Chu Yue also felt that Xiao Luo was very different from usual when he got angry. His face was smoldering and severe. She recoiled in fear.


    Du Pengfei and his people curbed their mirth and looked at Xiao Luo defiantly.


    ¡°Brother Fei, that kid seems to be angry.¡± One of them pretended to be serious.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s angry. I was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be, or we would have wasted five perfectly good ser balls, hehe¡­..¡± Du Pengfeiughed.


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡±


    The others broke out in nervousughter, too. To see Xiao Luo looking so angry made them feel even more deeply how they had stood up for the Community Sports majors as a whole.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo put his mobile phone in his pants pocket and nced at Du Pengfei and his party. Then, he ran like a cheetah to a ser ball on the ground. He raised his right foot and delivered a ferocious kick.


    Whoosh


    The ser ball that had been lying motionless on the ground like a meek littlemb transformed as it turned into a roaring beast. It cut a vicious trajectory through the air and rushed toward Du Pengfei and hispanions with unprecedented force and speed.


    The ball was like lightning tearing through the void!


    rmed, the guy¡¯s instinct was to get away, but the ser ball with its aggressive momentum had already hit him in the stomach when he first thought of dodging it. Without any warning or defense, he toppled backward and went rolling with the ball. He rolled four or five meters away like a winter melon. With a ¡°Blergh,¡± the food he had eaten at noon and had been mostly digested turned into vomit as it came spewing out of his mouth.


    The scene shocked everyone.


    F*ck? What were they looking at? Shaolin Ser? Legs of the Omega Supreme?


    Every one of the onlookers sucked in their breath. They stood with bbergasted expressions at the boy who was retching violently on the ground after being struck by a ser ball.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling also had their eyes wide open; their eyshes were trembling. Did this happen? It didn¡¯t seem real.


    The PE teacher couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, either. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down slowly from his forehead. There were no crafty angles or techniques behind that kick, only insane speed and power. How the hell did a human kick the ball? Wasn¡¯t it shot by a machine?


    Looking at their buddy lying on the ground and vomiting uncontrobly, Du Pengfei and his party froze in terror. They felt a wave of coldness flowing from the top of the heads to the tips of their toes until their entire bodies were icy cold.

 Chapter 56 - Flaming

    <b>Chapter 56: ming</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°DING! Congrattions, you¡¯ve received the ¡®ser talent!¡¯ ¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored the system notification in his mind as he looked askance at Du Pengfei with cold eyes and a dark countenance. The temperature on the field seemed to have dropped several degrees. Everyone shuddered involuntarily.


    ¡°You guys like to y ser, don¡¯t you? Okay. I¡¯ll y with you!¡±


    Licking his lips cruelly, Xiao Luo mentally prepared himself for the game as he walked toward another ser ball and stood silent with his eyes focused on the ball. Then with high concentration, he drew his foot back and struck the ball powerfully,pleting the action smoothly in one go. There was nothing hesitant about his movement.


    The ball soared as it carried a strong wind that whistled and howled. It spun at high speed while tearing through the air, quickly closing the distance of twenty or thirty meters before forcefully striking the forehead of a sports student. The impact did not stop there. The student¡¯s sturdy body flew backward as it spun head over heels like an out-of-control car before finally crashing to the ground three or four meters away.


    The student¡¯s head buzzed, and his brain seemed to have turned into a pot of mush that was being stirred. He tried very hard to stand up. It was as if he¡¯d lost his cerebellum, for he could not maintain his bnce at all and kept falling to the ground again and again like a drunkard.


    Without waiting for the audience to react, Xiao Luo kicked another ball.


    Bam bam bam


    Immediately, four sports students toppled to the ground.


    Hiss¡­.


    The spectators sucked in their breath as they looked on with horror-filled eyes. To crush someone with a ser ball? What kind of skill and power was behind those kids? Perhaps this guy was the Omega Supreme.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling watched Xiao Luo in disbelief; they thought he was one of a kind.


    With people watching with rapt attention, Xiao Luo got into a shooting position with an expressionless face. He lowered his upper body to the point where his face nearly touched the ball. His right foot was raised high up and back, and his body was solely supported by his left foot.


    Oh my God! How can he keep his bnce like this?


    Everyone was staring at him in awe.


    The PE teacher was starting to get nervous. What if someone got hurt? Such a shooting position was unheard of. He had never witnessed anything like it, but he could sense its dominance and power. The purpose of the posture was to concentrate the body¡¯s strength on the right foot. When the raised right foot came down, this power could be maximized to the extreme. Xiao Luo¡¯s usual kicking technique was fierce enough. If he kicked this ball and it hit a person, wouldn¡¯t it¡­. cause serious injury or possibly death?


    When he thought about this, the PE teacher burst into a cold sweat.


    ¡°Stop¡­. Stop right now!¡±


    He shouted and rushed toward Xiao Luo to stop him from shooting this ball.


    But it was toote. Xiao Luo¡¯s right foot had already kicked the ball.


    Roar!


    The ball thundered. Its trajectory was no longer a parab but a line that seemed straight to the naked eye as it clung close to the ground. It flew toward Du Penghei¡¯s three remaining buddies with a whistle.


    The eyes of the three people nearly bulged out from their eye sockets. The ser ball spinning at high speed became bigger and bigger in their vision. Suddenly, they thought they were hallucinating as that flying orb turned into a fireball.


    They blinked, scared witless. No, they weren¡¯t hallucinating. This was real. The ball, burning like aet with a tail of red mes, was rushing at them with a violent, stormy power that would sweep away everything in its path!


    ¡°Help¡­.. help!¡±


    The three of them closed their eyes and screamed, sure they were going to die. Their hearts were shrouded in a red-hot glow.


    Bang


    The burning ball exploded a few inches from the three students, scattering red-hot mes on the ground. A pungent scorching odor filled the air as thick ck smoke rose.


    Total silence.


    The ser field was deathly silent. Everyone stared nkly at the bits of glowing mes. A shiver ran up and down their spine and their hair literally stood on end.


    ¡°The ball is actually¡­. burning¡­.¡± A student said in a trembling voice.


    Another dumbstruck student continued, ¡°It turns out that everything in the movies was real. When the ser ball reaches a certain speed, it can ignite from its intense friction with the air and turn into a ming ser ball.¡±


    Du Pengfeil¡¯s three buddies looked as if they had just escaped from the Grim Reaper¡¯s clutches. They were deathly pale and could no longer stand. They slumped to the ground in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Their bodies shivered uncontrobly. One guy¡¯s crotch was soaking wet: he was so scared he lost control of his dder.


    Chu Yue and Bai Ling were thunderstruck. Was this happening? Xiao Luo had only taken a moment to turn this ser field into a battlefield. This was too scary, way too scary!


    The PE teacher finally exhaled. After the ser ball ignited, it exploded at a critical moment without harming the three students, thank goodness. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened? He shuddered to think of the consequences.


    Du Pengfei¡¯s face was ashen, and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth from anxiety. He could not utter a single word. His ninepanions had copsed in the blink of an eye. Even worse, they were crushed in ser, a sport they prided themselves on. This was surreal. He was so panicked he could hardly breathe. His heart was beating so fast he thought it would beat out of his chest; his legs had turned to jelly.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn!¡±


    Then he heard Xiao Luo¡¯s cold and emotionless words.


    After regaining hisposure, Du Pengfei turned around and ran off like a wolf out of the field. He just kept running, the farther he was from the beast, the better.


    ¡°You think you can outrun a ball?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled in a sneer as he sauntered toward a ser ball.


    No, No! Was he was going to shoot again? Stop him!


    When the PE saw this, he took action.


    ¡°Stop your nonsense!¡±


    He shouted and ran for a short distance before throwing himself on the ground and sliding the rest of the way. The soles of his feet approached the ser ball in front of Xiao Luo. This was a beautiful sliding tackle: its purpose was to intercept Xiao Luo¡¯s ball.


    Xiao Luo nced at him indifferently and lightly kicked the ball up with his foot. He quickly escaped the tackle, and then punted the ball with the back of his foot. The ball slowly rose, drawing a rainbow-like arc in the air. It circumvented one person before rushing toward Du Pengfei. It was as if the ball was alive. It sped up frantically at the critical moment.


    ¡°This is¡­. What did I see? Is this ¡®bend it like Beckham?''¡±


    The PE teacher was so surprised he momentarily forgot that Xiao Luo was using a ser ball to crush someone.


    The others were also shocked, too.


    Du Pengfei, who was running wildly, felt the ball whizzing toward him from behind and tried to avoid it.


    But it was toote!


    Bam


    The ball mmed fiercely against his back, the immense force knocking him to the ground. Du Pengfei rolled for four or five meters with the ball with a petrified look on his face andnded on the grass like a dog, panting heavily. des of grass stuck to the sides of his mouth and swayed with every breath he expelled.


    The audience went silent. The images of the ming ser ball and the arc through the air that was like a rainbow lingered for a long time in everyone¡¯s mind!


    The PE teacher was relieved to see that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t making any more fatal moves. Otherwise, Du Pengfei and hispanions would have been seriously injured or killed.


    Xiao Luo walked toward Du Pengfei and stopped in front of him. He looked down at him from his towering position, ¡°Tell your people from the mixed martial arts club, especially Song Jianan, that my patience is limited. If he doesn¡¯t know how to restrain himself, I¡¯ll go after him and destroy one of his hands. All of you will suffer with him. I mean it, so don¡¯t test me!¡±


    Arrogant. Domineering. Crazy!


    The people present who heard these words felt a deep and real tremor in their souls.

 Chapter 57 - It would be Bad if a Misunderstood Occurred

    <b>Chapter 57: It would be Bad if a Misunderstood urred</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    If anyone on campus had heard someone threaten to destroy one of Song Jianan¡¯s hands and make the other members of the mixed martial arts club suffer, he would have fallen downughing or treated it as a joke.


    But look who was talking. It was Xiao Luo the Fiend, someone who could send a person flying four or five meters away with a single kick, someone who could ignite a ser ball after he shot and turned it into a fireball. A guy like this wasn¡¯t human. Yet some people believed he did indeed possess those extraordinary abilities.


    Looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s back after he walked away, Du Pengfei broke down and cried like a baby. Now he understood why Tang Yuze¡¯s and Zhao Xinghe¡¯s expressions darkened at the mere mention of Xiao Luo¡¯s name¨Cand why the look of terror appeared in their eyes. How was he human? He was a monster!


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name? I told you to stop, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    The PE teacher knew he¡¯d lost face. He ran toward Xiao Luo while pointing is finger at him and yelling angrily; his rage was beyond his control.


    But when Xiao Luo stopped in his tracks, the teacher instinctively stepped back and put his guard up, afraid this beast would reduce him to tears, too.


    Xiao Luo slowly turned his head and said indifferently, ¡°Teacher, I believe you witnessed what just happened. They hit me with the ball first. I simply returned the favor.¡±


    The PE teacher was incensed. Pointing at Du Pengfei and his buddies, he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. ording to your logic, if a dog bites you, will you return the favor too?¡±


    ¡°I agree that they are dogs. But I¡¯ll not bite a dog because I¡¯m a human. If a dog bites me, I¡¯ll only hit it with a stick until it bes afraid of me!¡± Xiao Luo said matter of factly.


    The nerve of this smart ass! Xiao Luo¡¯s viciousness andck of empathy were offensive.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The PE teacher was fuming at Xiao Luo¡¯s audaciousness. In all his years of teaching and coaching, this was the first time he had ever encountered such an arrogant son of a b*tch in any of his sses. As a physical education teacher, he was physically fit and exuded a powerful and dignified presence. Any student who saw him felt at least a little bit of fear and a lot of respect. But, as it turned out, this student in front of him felt neither.


    At this moment, Chu Yue walked. One could not help noticing her soft and beautiful figure. She gently spoke up, ¡°Mr. Wang, you really can¡¯t me him. It¡¯s Du Pengfei and his friends who provoked Xiao Luo first. If you want to me someone, me Du Pengfei. If he hadn¡¯t egged Xiao on, this situation never would have happened.¡±


    Beside her stood the lovely Bai Ling, nodding in agreement.


    Facing these two beauties, the PE teacher¡¯s disapproving frown rxed. Moreover, when Chu Yue and Bai Ling came over, they brought with them a fragrant breeze. As a testosteroneden middle-aged man, he was used to dealing with male students. Now that he was smelling a woman¡¯s fragrance, it was impossible to say that his heart and mind were not running amok. Of course, he had to keep those impulses in check and squelch any inappropriate thoughts that might cross his mind.


    ¡°Well, Chu Yue is right. I was confused for a moment and identally med the wrong person.¡±


    Teacher Wang agreed with Chu Yue. Then he put on his most serious face and yelled at Du Pengfei, ¡°Du Pengfei, considering that you and yourpanions have disrupted ss by attempting to hurt your schoolmates and by disying unsportsmanlike behavior, I will apply to the school to issue you your next punishment. In addition, if you do not attain a passing score in PE this semester, you¡¯ll have to take make-up sses next semester.


    F*ck, was this the charm of a campus beauty? It wasn¡¯t fair.


    Clearly, the ones who were injured were Du Pengfei and his gang. But the person who caused their injuries, Xiao Luo, did not have to take any responsibility for his actions. The punishment fell onto Du Pengfei and his people. They might even have to make up their physical education sses next semester. What a colossal waste of time that would be.


    Everyone looked at Du Pengfei and hispanions sympathetically. At the same time, they also spected about the rtionship between Chu Yue and Xiao Luo, saying that the campus beauty Chu Yue was extraordinarily stubborn, and anyone who pursued her met with a direct refusal. But it seemed that she already had a boyfriend¨Che appeared to be none other than Xiao Luo the Fiend, who burst here from out from nowhere. Why else would Chu Yue stand up for him?


    On the other hand, when Du Pengfei and hispanions heard Teacher Wang¡¯s words, which were like a court sentence, their faces immediately turned gray. They really did have remorse for their actions.


    Xiao Luo nced at Chu Yue, astonished. He was a little surprised that she would speak up for him but kept his thoughts to himself. He turned around and walked to a corner, then took out his mobile phone and continued to y with it.


    After Chu Yue and Bai Ling finished talking to Teacher Wang, they trotted toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck, I helped you. Can¡¯t you say a word of thanks?¡± Chu Yue said, her sweet mouth twisted in a pout.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t look at her at all. He was ying a game on his mobile, oblivious to everything around him. ¡°I¡¯ve said it. If there¡¯s nothing more, you can go away.¡±


    Chu Yue was so angry she stomped her foot, ¡°Can you talk to me nicely? Will you die if you talk in a friendlier tone?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know where this guy¡¯s superiority came from. She took the initiative to chat with him. Still, he acted like a self-important ass, repelling her and putting thousands of miles between them. How could she not get angry!


    ¡°Xiao Luo, Young Mistress Chu wants to be friends with you.¡±


    As besties, Bai Ling and Chu Yue¡¯s confided in each other and shared each other¡¯s secrets. It was therefore only natural that Bai Ling knew how Chu Yue felt about Xiao Luo. No matter how Chu Yue did not allow any boy to get close, he was nevertheless an outstanding guy in all aspects, hence her interest in him. She did have the desire to be friends with him.


    Be friends?


    As for Xiao Luo, he simply wanted to get through protecting Chu Yue in one piece. After that, he did not want to have any contact with anyone from Huaye. Just like Xu Zhimo, he tried to arrive quietly and leave the people from this world in the same manner, taking nothing from them. So, he resisted her offer of friendship.


    Chu Yue did not try to be secretive, ¡°Pretentious d*ck, a lot of unhappy events happened between us, but didn¡¯t those days pass? Let¡¯s bury the hatchet and be friends.¡±


    She then extended her right hand.


    Of course, that was not to say that she liked Xiao Luo. No, she simply admired him. Friendship was the only thing she had on her mind.


    ¡°We can bury the hatchet, but let¡¯s forget about being friends,¡± Xiao Luo stood up and said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Chu Yue was annoyed and puzzled.


    ¡°Because you were born into a wealthy family, and I¡¯m just a country bumpkin who was born into an ordinary family. We don¡¯t travel in the same circles or have the same frames of reference. I seriously doubt we could ever be friends,¡± Xiao Luo found a perfunctory reason and dodged the issue.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m from an ordinary background too, but Young Mistress Chu and I are very good friends,¡± Bai Ling said.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°You¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s different for me.¡± He looked at Chu Yue. ¡°Moreover if I¡¯m too close to you, I¡¯m afraid a lot of people will get the wrong impression. Once that misunderstanding urs, I may be in more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?¡± Chu Yue blinked herrge and beautiful eyes, not knowing the reason.


    ¡°The misunderstanding that I¡¯m your boyfriend,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    As soon as Chu Yue heard this, she blushed and shouted, feeling angry and bashful. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Even if all the men in the world are dead, I¡¯ll never let you be my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s all the more reason not to be friends. It would be disastrous to be misunderstood by others.¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, looking z¨¦.


    ¡°Hmph! Fine. Do you think it¡¯s a loss to me if you don¡¯t be my friend? Bai Ling, let¡¯s go. This guy is crazy.¡± Chu Yue stomped off in a huff, pulling Bai Ling along with her and turning away.


    Xiao Luo exhaled a long breath. He sat down and continued to y with his mobile.

 Chapter 58 - Man and a Rock

    <b>Chapter 58: Man and a Rock</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    One after another, the days flew by.


    On Saturday afternoon, Xiao Luo changed into a more mature getup after getting a call from Zhang Dashan. He needed a breather. University might be a paradise for many, but it wasn¡¯t so great for him. The worst part was having to go to ss. It sucked. Time crawled at a snail¡¯s pace when one was miserable: Every minute seemed like a thousand.


    ¡°Brother Luo, are you going out?¡± asked Zhu Xiofei.


    He considered the possibility and then, visibly rmed, asked, ¡°You¡¯re not going to the mixed martial arts club to respond to Song Jianan¡¯s challenge, are you?¡±


    Hearing the words ¡°Song Jianan¡± and ¡°challenge,¡± Ding Kai, who was lying in bed reading, sat up and looked at Xiao Luo with a pale, terror-stricken face.


    ¡°Lao Zhu, you think too much. I can¡¯t be bothered with that kind of senseless person,¡± Xiao Luo smiled slightly.


    ¡°Then, where are you doing?¡±


    ¡°A good friend ising to meet me, and we¡¯ll be having a meal tonight.¡±


    Xiao Luo inhaled lightly and said, ¡°By the way, do you want toe along? You can eat and drink for free.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re going on a date. We¡¯re don¡¯t want to be a third wheel, hehe¡­..¡± Zhu Xiaofei shook his head and grinned, showing his teeth.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. People who are third wheels are losers.¡±


    Ding Kai echoed, theny back down and continued reading.


    Xiao Luo, who was silent for a moment, said softly, ¡°He¡¯s male.¡±


    ¡°What? A guy?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at each other and saw the shock registered in the other¡¯s eyes. No wonder Brother Luo was unmoved by An Huanhuan¡¯s relentless pestering. So the reason was¡­..


    Zhu Xiaofei coughed a few times and said, ¡°Brother Luo, we understand. You can go with peace of mind. We¡¯ll not gossip about you. We¡¯ll keep our mouths shut tight and keep this secret of yours. Also, we¡¯ll not look at you with peculiar expressions because of this. After all, it¡¯s been a long time since the Reformation. Our minds have been liberated and are as wide as the Pacific Ocean. Leaving aside a man getting with a man, it¡¯s not a big deal for us even when ites to a man with a snake, a man with a ghost, and a man with a rock.¡±


    Holy sh*t! They understood? Just what did they understand?


    Xiao Luo felt a little ill. He knew that a man who got together with another man was gay, but man and snake? And what the hell was a man with a ghost and a man with a rock? Why had he never heard of these? Had he be behind the times again?


    ¡°Lao Zhu, are you talking inte ng? What do you mean by a man and a snake?¡± Xiao Luo was puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s Xu Xian and Lady White Snake,¡± Ding Kai put down his book.


    ¡°Then what about a man and a ghost?¡±


    ¡°Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt that his three fundamental views had been turned upside down. Then he asked curiously, ¡°What do a man and a rock refer to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Monkey King¡¯s dad,¡± Zhu Xiaofei suppressed hisugh and said.


    ¡°?????¡±


    A series of question marks appeared in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Brother Luo, the Monkey King¡¯s dad got a rock pregnant. Isn¡¯t he f*cking capable?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei guffawed. ¡°One slept with a snake, one slept with a ghost, and one even dared to sleep with a rock. So many predecessors have created a new history in their obsessions. Brother Luo,pared to them, there¡¯s nothing strange about you, hahaha ¡­ ¡±


    Xiao Luo was exasperated. In the next second, he sent Zhu Xiaofei, who had thrown his head back and wasughing so hard that tears were flowing, a kick that sent him flying.


    ******


    When Xiao Luo rushed to the school gates, Zhang Dashan and his white Coro were already waiting there.


    ¡°What the hell? How did a bastard like you be better looking since ourst meeting a while back?¡± This was the first thing Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes. He opened the door and hopped in the front passenger seat. ¡°Cut the crap. I¡¯m hungry! Let¡¯s quickly find a ce to eat.¡±


    ¡°What about the hot, pretty girls? Didn¡¯t I tell you to bring some with you?¡±


    Zhang Dashan yelled but didn¡¯t linger at the school gate. He slowly started the car and headed for the city.


    ¡°You seem so thirsty. I think I need to order a doll for you online,¡± Xiao Luo joked.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, but I want one imported from Japan, and it has to be the real thing. I don¡¯t want the intable kind that only costs around twenty dors. It¡¯s too damn shoddy and can never hold up against a few violent thrusts from me,¡± Dashanughed mischievously.


    ¡°Get lost, you bastard!¡± Xiao Luo wanted to kick him.


    ¡°Bwahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan was so excited he deliberately pressed sports mode and stepped on the gas, causing the car¡¯s speed to skyrocket in that instant to match his current excitement. However, he did not dare to speed for too long: speed limit signs and traffic monitoring abounded in Jiangcheng. He couldn¡¯t even count all the traffic light intersections on his ten fingers and toes.


    ¡°By the way, Lao Xiao. You haven¡¯t told me what you¡¯re doing in Huaye,¡± asked Zhang Dasjam curiously at a traffic light intersection while waiting for the light to turn green.


    ¡°I was entrusted to protect someone.¡± Xiao Luo felt had nothing to hide from his bro.


    ¡°What? Protect someone? When did you be a bodyguard?¡± Zhang Dashan was more than a little surprised.


    Xiao Luo then briefly told him the story of how he met Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°Balls! So you¡¯re in Huaye to protect Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter. The same Chu Yunxiong who owns Chongshan House?¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s eyes immediately widened. Whoa. This was some story.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Other than this Chu Yunxiong, there shouldn¡¯t be anybody else who goes by that name in Jiangcheng.¡±


    ¡°F*ck me!¡±


    Zhang Dashan looked at Xiao Luo as if he were an alien, ¡°Bastard, you got to know Chu Yunxiong, a VIP tycoon in Jiangcheng. What a lucky bastard. And you¡¯re the one protecting is his daughter? F*ck, isn¡¯t it evident he wants you to be his son-inw?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Talking bullshit has be your forte,¡± Xiao Luo said, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Who¡¯s talking bullsh*t? Isn¡¯t it just like TV? Right, so what does Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter look like? Is she pretty?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s okay, so-so.¡±


    Xiao Luo propped his chin up, giving a fitting and direct evaluation.


    ¡°An okay from you means very good.¡±


    Zhang Dashan felt pretty confident about things and said like a shameless rascal, ¡°Damn it, bro. I don¡¯t care. You must take me to see her. I happened to dress up tonight, so I look good¡­and cool. If I can captivate her, I¡¯ll immediately ascend to the pinnacle of my life.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a closer look at him. For real, this dude was dressed very pretentiously and looked passably good: A white shirt with ck trousers in the western style. He gave off a strong gentlemanly vibe. His body was passably good, too. There was only one disadvantage¨Chis face was too chubby. Otherwise, his sister, Xiao Ruyi, would have been attracted to him from the beginning.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, I have to tell you something.¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Xiao Luo frowned.


    ¡°Zhao Mengqi was taking the roundabout approach by trying to get some info about your situation from me a few times. She was going to visit you at your home but found that you weren¡¯t there. Based on her tone, I think she wants to get back with you.¡±


    Get back together?


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled, looking at the night scene outside the window. He didn¡¯t say a single word; he had already ended the chapter of his life titled Zhao Mengqi.


    ¡°A random search on the inte will turn up a lot of negative information about that slimeball Hua Haifeng of Huahai Corporation. He sleeps around with lots of women and changes girlfriends about as often as one turns a page when reading. Zhao Mengqi thought she had slept with someone dependable. Ha! In the end, she¡¯ll just get dumped after he¡¯s had his fill.¡± Zhang Dashan said indignantly. He thought that Zhao Mengqi was just a stupid woman.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about her. Let¡¯s talk about happier things,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You two have broken up. I don¡¯t know why I brought it up. Come on, let¡¯s talk about Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter. How old is she? Does she have a nice body? How¡¯s her skin? And most important¨Cdoes she have a boyfriend?¡± Zhang Dashan suddenly became energetic and animated.

 Chapter 59 - Running into a Familiar Face

    <b>Chapter 59: Running into a Familiar Face</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    After parking the car, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan walked into a hot pot restaurant.


    ¡°Wee. Pleasee in, gentlemen!¡±


    A waitress enthusiastically led the two of them to a window seat on the second floor.


    When Zhang Dashan saw that the waitress was a beautiful woman, he became yfully teasing. He raised the pitch of his voice and said excitedly, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you? So you¡¯re working here.¡±


    The waitress was startled by his bluff and seriously examined Zhang Dashan, thinking, ¡°This person seems to know me.¡±


    She carefully asked, ¡°Excuse me, you are?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten me? I¡¯m crushed. We met recently, and you even called me bro. Remember?¡±


    Zhang Dashan put on a sad face. His expression suddenly went from excitement to joy to dismay.


    The waitress was quite embarrassed now, thinking she must have been careless to forget an acquaintance. She went through her memory over and over again, but when she couldn¡¯t find any information about the person in front of her, she became even more panicked, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I ¡­ I¡¯ve forgotten where I¡¯ve seen you¡­.¡±


    Zhang Dashan covered his heart and said with a bitter and distressed expression, ¡°How hurtful, I feel hurt. Forget it; just put down the menu. We¡¯ll take our time ordering.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I honestly don¡¯t remember where I met you.¡±


    The waitress was totally in panic mode. The person in front of her didn¡¯t seem to be joking at all, which meant that she must have known him but had forgotten all about it. Oh well.


    Zhang Dashan waved his hand dismissively and took a deep breath, ¡°I¡¯m very sad now, and don¡¯t want to talk. It¡¯s better for you to remember me on your own, it¡¯lle to you, I¡¯m sure.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The waitress shrugged her shoulders and walked away. She looked back three times for every step she took, struggling to remember just where she had met Zhang Dashan.


    Xiao Luo gave Zhang Dashan a thumbs up, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the number one actor!¡±


    He made a waitress suspicious of life with just a few words and expressions. What else could this be but the work of the number one actor?


    ¡°Number one actor? What balls. This is a technique for picking up girls. Follow and learn more with me in the future,¡± Zhang Dashan preached to Xiao Luo while selecting ingredients on the menu.


    Xiao Luo lifted his cup and took a sip of warm tea. He joked, ¡°Don¡¯t you usually say things like ¡®oh, you look so familiar, have we met before?¡¯ Why did you change the script?¡±


    ¡°Old friend, it seems that you don¡¯t know how to pick up girls at all. Women are very savvy these days. If you ask them where you¡¯ve met, they can be sure that you¡¯re here to pick up girls. They¡¯ll ignore youpletely. But if you use my method, I can 100% guarantee that the girl will inquire about your information in turn. This is what I have tried on WeChat; it works like a charm.¡± Zhang Dashan threw the menu in front of Xiao Luo so he could pick a few more ingredients for the hot pot.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered to prattle with him in this setting. Besides, he wasn¡¯t at all interested in learning how to pick up girls.


    ¡°Do you know why women want to get married?¡± asked Zhang Dashan, suddenly lowering his voice.


    Xiao Luo nced at him, ¡°When fate brings the right people together at the right time, they¡¯ll naturally get married.¡±


    ¡°Wrong,¡± Zhang Dashan pped the table.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that wrong?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Zhang Dashan said seriously. ¡°It¡¯s because marriage has balls.¡±


    Has balls?


    Hmm? Has¡­. balls?


    Xiao Luo quickly understood and cursed, ¡°F*ck you!¡±


    (Trantor note: This pun is based on wordy. ¡°Balls¡± here is not an exact or literal trantion of the Chinese term. It means ¡°useless¡± here but is made up of the characters for ¡°bird¡± and ¡°use.¡± So the literal meaning of Zhang Dashan¡¯s statement means ¡°There¡¯s a d*ck that can be used in marriage.¡±)


    Soon, the hot pot ingredients they ordered filled the entire table. There were few vegetables. It was mostly meat and shellfish, including beef, mutton, pork, shrimp, crab, and more. Zhang Dashan was a meat lover, and so was Xiao Luo. If not for the need to have some vegetables to offset the greasiness, they wouldn¡¯t have ordered any at all.


    When another waitress carried over the ¡°Mandarin duck pot¡± and the hotpot base, Xiao Luo was so surprised. ¡°You?¡±


    Zhang Dashan almost sprayed out the beverage he had just drunk,¡± I say, old friend, do you have to be like this? I just used this trick. Even if you want to giarize it, wait until you go to another ce before trying it.¡±


    ¡°But I do know her!¡± Xiao Luo said very seriously as he narrowed his eyes at him.


    ¡°Balls. You just said I was the number one film actor, but you¡¯re the motherf*cking real deal.¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t stand it and decided to rain on Xiao Luo¡¯s parade. He raised his head and said to the waitress, ¡°Prettydy, just ignore him. He¡¯s talking nonsense because he wants to pick you up.¡±


    But the waitress ignored him. She just stared at Xiao Luo in a daze with her round, wide eyes.


    She had chic short hair and was smartly turned out in a red waitress uniform that perfectly entuated her curvy figure. Her face was oval, and her eyes could not be considered small. With her exquisite facial features, she exuded a dignified and solemn vibe. It was Huang Ruoran, the ss monitor of the English Language majors.


    Xiao Luo was thest person she expected to see here. Her family was not well-to-do, so she found a part-time job. To avoid running into her ssmates, she chose this hotpot restaurant because it was far from Huaye, almost in another district. But she never expected to run into a familiar face here¨Cleast of all her nemesis, Xiao Luo. How would she ever live this down?


    At this moment, she felt the world spin. Three words popped into her mind: ¡°I¡¯m done for!¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, why did hee here?¡±


    Huang Ruoan was about to break down. It would be ten times better to bump into anyone at her part-time job than this bast*rd, but it just happened to be Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo might humiliate her thoroughly. She hoped there was a hole in the ground that could swallow her up.


    ¡°Prettydy, prettydy?¡±


    Zhang Dashan yelled a few times and pulled her back from thinking about her embarrassment.


    ¡°Sirs, these are the dishes you ordered, and this is your receipt. You can match the items and see if all the dishes have been served.¡± Huang Ruoran forced herself to calm down. She added water and the base ingredients into the pot, not daring to look Xiao Luo in the eye.


    Xiao Luo was amazed. This was the Ruoran who spoke so powerfully and carried herself so valiantly in ss? The contrast was extraordinary.


    Of course, he knew that this was part of the regtions at the hotpot restaurant. The waitresses must address the male customers as ¡°sir¡± in a friendly tone and have a respectful attitude. Otherwise, the boss would not keep the employee.


    Xiao Luo also knew that Huang Ruoran was very embarrassed and stressed. He didn¡¯t want to put her in such an awkward position, so he said, ¡°We can do it ourselves, no worries. You can attend to other matters.¡±


    He was not someone who would humiliate others, as Huang Ruoran thought. Moreover, he didn¡¯t believe it was shameful for university students to work part-time. At least, they were self-reliant and understood the workings of society earlier than others. Far from looking down on Huang Ruoran, he respected her.


    But Huang Ruoran didn¡¯t think so. In her imagination, Xiao Luo had a mocking smile on his face.


    She didn¡¯t linger and hurried away after taking Xiao Luo¡¯s suggestion.

 Chapter 60 - Scoot Over

    <b>Chapter 60: Scoot Over</b>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan were enjoying their meal and having a grand old time. Between bites of food, they talked,ughed, and traded vulgar jokes like two old veterans. The scene looked so harmonious. But in Huang Ruoran¡¯s view, Xiao Luo was making fun of her. That was exactly how some paranoid people felt whenever they heard people whispering orughing behind their back¨Cthey assumed they were the subject of gossip.


    ¡°When Xiao Luo goes back, he¡¯ll b to everyone that I work here as a waitress,¡± Huang Ruoran muttered to herself under her breath.


    She nervously knitted her brows together. She had a strong personality and didn¡¯t want anyone to see her side as a waitress, bending and groveling to the customers. But fate was not on her side, and she just had to run into Xiao Luo tonight. By Monday, her secret would be out, and she worried about losing all her hard-earned respect as the ss monitor.


    Unlike Huan Ruoran, however, Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t thinking about her at all. He was simply enjoying the delicious hot pot and a night out with his best friend. The university was as far from his thoughts as the moon.


    He ate his meat and drank his soup. As to life, he found it to be a beautiful thing, at least at the moment.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± said Zhang Dashan. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t Sis Luo attracted to me at that time? Does having arge face negate all that I am? This is too unfair.¡±


    After they were half-full, Zhang Dashan startedining. The Sister Luo he was talking about was Xiao Luo¡¯s sister, Xiao Ruyi, shortened to ¡°Sis Luo.¡± ¡°In what way is that trash Tang Ren better than me? His skin is smooth as a baby¡¯s bottom, and his face is small and fair. Sis Luo wouldn¡¯t have a sense of security with him. What does she see in him? I really don¡¯t understand this.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t me this on anyone. I created a chance for you guys. But in the end, you dragged me into ying Landlord War with her for a whole night. My sisterined to me that you¡¯re a stupid pr*Ick.¡± Xiao Luo put down his chopsticks and berated Zhang Dashan. He didn¡¯t want to talk about this again. He got so angry whenever this subject came up. Aargh!


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face turned green. ¡°You bast*rd. Why do you have to have such a good memory? In any case, weren¡¯t you the one who came up with that rotten idea of ying Landlord War? You know I can¡¯t stop ying once Ie into contact with poker cards.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want this to turn into a long-winded conversation, so he immediately poured arge te of beef meatballs into the hot pot.


    At this time, a group of people sat down at the table behind them. There were four men and two women with tattoos on their bodies. The men had bare arms and wore gold chains; they looked like unreasonable, violent bandits. The women were skimpily dressed, and their nails were painted ck. In addition, they carried a strong smell of perfume. As soon as they finished ordering their dishes, they started talking up a storm as they remained in their seats. Their voices were very loud: They acted as if they had bought the entire hot pot restaurant for the night.


    Of course, Zhang Dashan did not object to their loud voices. But what he couldn¡¯t stand was the stool upied by the man behind him. It severely infringed on his space. Even turning around was a herculean task, let alone standing up. Just when the man was chatting happily, he would shake his stool back and forth, and the back of it kept cramming and bumping into Zhang Dashan.


    At a certain point, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He patted the man¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Hey, buddy, can you move your stool back a little? It¡¯s so ufortable how you¡¯re cramming against me, thanks!¡±


    The man turned his head and gave him a disdainful nce, then he turned back and continued talking bombastically with the others. It was if he hadn¡¯t heard Zhang Dashan¡¯s words.


    F*ck!


    Zhang Dashan cursed in his mind, feeling depressed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Old friend, can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m about to be squished into a lump of sh*t?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was extremely upset. At this moment, he happened to see Huang Ruoran, who was adding water for customers at another table. He immediately beckoned, ¡°Prettydy. Pleasee over here.¡±


    Huang Ruoran came over reluctantly without looking at Xiao Luo. She asked, ¡°Do you want me to add water for you, too?¡±


    ¡°Prettydy, look at the water in our pot. Does it look like we need more?¡±


    Zhang Dashan pointed at the boiling hot pot, then at the space around him. ¡°This hot pot restaurant should have more than this tiny bit of space for guests. I feel very ufortable sitting here now. I¡¯m not even in the mood to eat now. Say, what should be done about this?¡±


    Huang Ruoran saw that it was because the man behind him had moved his stool too far back, thus severely infringing on the space that belonged to Zhang Dashan. The space left for Zhang Dashan was just enough to amodate him. It was already so cramped to sit there, let alone eat his meal.


    She nodded slightly, then walked to the man and politely requested, ¡°Sir, would you please move your stool forward a little?¡±


    The man raised his head and said with an unpleasant expression, ¡°Why should I move the stool forward? I like to sit like this, it¡¯sfortable. What about it?¡±


    Huang Ruoran said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but you¡¯ve infringed on the space of another guest, causing him¡­.¡±


    ¡°Is there a line drawn here? Or is there a rule that says I can only have such a tiny space for my seat and that I¡¯m not allowed to move the stool back?¡± The man had a zing temper.


    Huang Ruoran never expected this man to be so unreasonable. But she also had a lofty and unyielding character. Since the guest was so rude, she immediately straightened her face and took a harsher tone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, please move your stool forward! ¡±


    As soon as the words came out, the man¡¯spanionsughed. They looked like they were enjoying the entertainment and had no fear of things blowing up.


    ¡°Shanzi, since the prettydy asked nicely, just scoot over.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­.. Yeah, give the beauty some face.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that b*tch going to break up with you. This prettydy isn¡¯t too bad. You can be on bad terms with anyone, but you should never be on bad terms with a pretty girl.¡±


    A few peopleughed andmented. One of them even pawed the woman next to him in front of so many eyes. He touched her everywhere, and not only did the woman not mind at all, she even seemed to enjoy it as she snuggled intimately against his body.


    Initially, the man named Shanzi had a ruthless expression. Upon hearing what hispanion said, heughed, and his gaze became vulgar and obscene. He said to Huang Ruoran, ¡°If you want me to move the stool, sure, but kiss my face. I can even give up my entire seat if you ask me to, let alone moving it forward a little. ¡±


    Hispanionughed out loud and coaxed, ¡°Pretty girl, kiss him, kiss him, hahaha¡­..¡±


    They were obviously ying with her!


    Huang Ruoran gritted her teeth angrily. Although she had been working as a waitress here for almost a year, she had never encountered such a situation. For a moment, she was at a loss of what to do.


    ¡°Bro, I told her to ask you to move your stool. Confront me if you¡¯ve got the skills. What kind of skills do you have when you¡¯re only capable of messing with a woman.¡± Zhang Dashan turned his head to the side. He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth with gusto.


    Xiao Luo was also sitting in his seat, and he slowly ate with a slight smile of indifference.


    The man named Shanzi mmed his wine cup down. He stood up, turned around, and looked at Zhang Dashan with an ugly and murderous expression. ¡°I was going to ignore you, but you¡¯re motherf*cking getting cocky with me!¡±


    He moved the stool in the direction of Zhang Dashan by more than ten centimeters. The back of the stool pressed against Zhang Dashan¡¯s arm directly. Then he stomped on the stool with great strength and saidbatively while pointing at the ground, ¡°I¡¯m putting the stool here. Why don¡¯t you try asking me to move it again?¡±

 Chapter 61 - Madness

    <strong>Chapter 61: Madness</strong>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression abruptly darkened. His luck must have really run out for him to be encountering such people at the hotpot restaurant.


    Zhang Dashan prepared tounch an offensive. He lowered his stance and waved his hands about with an awkward smile,promising with the man called Shanzi.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s alright now, prettydy. Go ahead and do your thing,¡± Zhang Dashan said to Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°But your¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have enough room. Besides, we are almost done here. I¡¯ll just put up with it,¡± Zhang Dashan interrupted her with a smile.


    Hearing him, Huang Ruoran nodded, turned around, and left. Her heart, however, was still a little uneasy.


    As soon as she left, the matter came to an end. When the man by the name of Shanzi saw Zhang Dashan ducking out, not only did he be more arrogant, but he viciously spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground right in front of Zhang Dashan. Then, he sat down and said to hispanions in a loud voice, ¡°He¡¯s just a p*ssy. Let¡¯s ignore him and continue our talk.¡±


    ¡°Shanzi, you¡¯re so manly!¡± said ady with a toady smile.


    The man forcefully grabbed her creamy thigh and smiled yfully. ¡°Oh, yeah? Really?¡± he teased.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s because of your manliness that I like you,¡± thedy said, moving nearer to him with a seductive smile.


    ¡°You horny little sl*t. I¡¯ll bang you to death when we get back!¡± giggled the man with exhration while pinching thedy¡¯s pointy chin.


    ¡°You¡¯re so naughty!¡±


    The woman yfully shoved the man¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    The other three men and one woman, who were all sitting at the same table, went along with it,ughing.


    Compared to them, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan¡¯s table was much quieter.


    Xiao Luo knew Zhang Dashan quite well, and he knew that he wasn¡¯t that kind of person who¡¯d just cr*p out on something. He would never let something like this go, especially after being bullied to this extent. As expected, as soon as Zhang Dashan had finished all the meat, he signaled to Xia Luo with his eyes that it was time to get ready.


    Zhang Dashan drank down his cup of beer and stood up suddenly. He lifted the pot brimming with boiling broth, turned around, and sshed it on Shanzi.


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    A horrifying scream rang out. Shanzi felt like his skin was being forcefully torn from his bones as iprehensible pain spread throughout his entire body.


    The faces of the other three men changed immediately. They¡¯d never expected Zhang Dashan, who had cr*pped out just now, to go berserk out of the blue and act without saying a word. His ruthlessness overwhelmed them on the spot, while the twodies shrieked in horror.


    ¡°You son of a bloody wh*re!¡±


    With an atrocious face, Zhang Dashan kicked the man, who was screaming in pain, to the ground. Then, he lifted the stool and brought it down on him, repeatedly smashing while yelling, ¡°I was in a good mood today, you b*stard! Then you went and screwed it up! Do you really believe that I would deny you the privilege of seeing the sun tomorrow?!¡±


    After smashing the man with the stool, he resorted to punches and kicks. He pounced on him repeatedly, and the man could only bellow in agony while groveling on the ground like a pig being ughtered.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows and continue sipping his orange juice indifferently. This was the Zhang Dashan he was familiar with¡ªa good citizen with his zer on and a hooligan with his zer off.


    In college, he had been in his fair share of fights, all provoked by some trivial issue. During their first year, they had even got into an argument because Zhang Dashan liked to smoke in the dorm. Xiao Luo had nagged him somewhat because he couldn¡¯t stand the second-hand smoke, and the two had ended up in a brawl.


    But after they¡¯d fought, not only did they not be estranged, their bond became even stronger. Their rtionship was a perfect example of the phrase, ¡®friendship grows from conflict!¡¯


    ¡°Snap!¡±


    The sharp sound of cracking bones brought Xiao Luo back to reality.


    As he focused his eyes, he saw Da Zhangwei smashing the man¡¯s nose until the bridge was crooked. Following a round of horrifying, non-human screams, the man¡¯s body twitched. Then, his head turned sideways, and he passed out.


    It wasn¡¯t until that moment that the three men who¡¯de with him regained their senses. As they were about to rush forward, Xiao Luo struck out at them, humming lightly as he forcefully kicked their table. His kick literally had the force of two-thousand pounds. The table reacted as if it had been hit by a raging bull. The dense square table mmed the three men hard against the wall.


    The twodies screamed even louder. Their shrill cries immediately attracted the attention of all the customers in the hotpot restaurant.


    ¡°Why the f*ck are you screaming? Shut the f*ck up!¡±


    Zhang Dashan growled at thedies with a fearsome look, pointing at them with his finger.


    Terrified, they stopped right away and gaped at Zhang Dashan in horror.


    From far away, Huang Ruoran clearly saw everything that was going on. Before, she had genuinely thought that Zhang Dashan hadplied. She¡¯d never expected this not to be the case at all. Humans really did gather around their own kind. Those who had close ties to Xiao Luo could never be her kind of people.


    Zhang Dashan had not yet finished venting his rage. He still wanted to whack the man on the ground a few more times. Xiao Luo stopped him with a frown, saying, ¡°Enough! This guy will surely end up in the ICU if you carry on!¡±


    ¡°D*mn, I am so p*ssed. I haven¡¯t been this infuriated in many years. That b*stard is destined to receive a brutal thrashing from me!¡± Zhang Dashan yelled. He was really enraged, and the blood vessels on his forehead bulged.


    Through her peripheral vision, Xiao Luo saw one of the restaurant¡¯s employees make a telephone call while ncing furtively in their direction. He was definitely calling the police. Seeing what he was doing, Xiao Luo picked up Zhang Dashan¡¯s shirt from the stool and thrust it into his hands, saying, ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    Of course, Zhang Dashan was no fool. He wouldn¡¯t stay there like an idiot and wait for the cops to arrest him.


    He immediately threw on his shirt and swept majestically from the restaurant alongside Xiao Luo, just like Stephen Chow exited the casino in his movie. Before he left, Zhang Dashan even waved to the restaurant¡¯s startled customers and said to them, ¡°Please do not admire me, for I¡¯m nothing more than a legend. Don¡¯t stare at me. Please, enjoy your food while it¡¯s still hot!¡±


    What the h*ll? Who was this guy?


    How was he so calm after almost killing someone? He¡¯d even managed to pull off a Stephen Chow-style exit! Exactly how big was his heart?!


    It was only at that very moment that the customers regained their senses. Then, the whole ce plunged into chaos.


    Huang Ruoran was still standing in the same ce. Utterly stunned, she was unable to recover from the shock.


    ******


    After leaving the hotpot restaurant, Zhang Dashan drove all the way to the suburbs. As he scurried down the road, he rolled his car windows down, opened the skylight, and sted the DJ¡¯s music at the maximum volume.


    ¡°Hey, slow down, man!¡±


    Xiao Luo, who was sitting in the passenger¡¯s seat, didn¡¯t feel safe at all. He thought that the car could flip at any moment.


    ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you!¡± Zhang Dashan shouted over the music.


    ¡°I am asking you to slow down!¡±


    Xiao Luo was all fired up. They were flying at 130 miles per hour, and his life was already shing before his eyes.


    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t¡­hear¡­you! Hahaha!¡± Zhang Dashanughed excitedly.


    As the deafening music echoed in his ears, Zhang Dashan sang along to the radio: ¡°Like a G6, like a G6. Nananana! Now I¡¯m feelin¡¯ so fly like a G6¡­¡±


    He screamed the whole time, and venting was his sole purpose.


    Gradually, Xiao Luo came around to resonating with Zhang Dashan. He felt like there was too much sadness in his heart that needed toe out. He no longer cared whether they would end up getting in a car ident and began to move his body along with the rhythm of the music.


    The deafening music vibrated in the air around them. Xiao Luo felt like he was in a dance hall. Amidst such an atmosphere, every cell in his body began to trip in the fantastic light.


    This is the excitement that I want! I want this madness!


    In the end, Xiao Luo joined the party. The two weren¡¯tpeting over who could sing better. They werepeting to see who could push their vocal cords higher. From the look of things, it seemed that neither of them would stop until someone lost their voice.

 Chapter 62 - To Save or not to Save?

    <strong>Chapter 62: To Save or not to Save?</strong>


    The night was dense like ink, and it could not be dispelled.


    Zhang Dashan stopped his car on a hilltop on the outskirts of the city. The two men leaned against the hood as they reveled in the view of Jiangcheng below.


    Shrouded in the dark of night, the city was like a creature with its head on the ground and a glimmering body whose brilliance illuminated half of the sky. The flickering neon lights were ever so enthralling. Sometimes, they cascaded down from the crowns of skyscrapers. Other times, they pursued each other like yful elves or became kaleidoscopes that dazzled the eye.


    ¡°That was a nice beating! It¡¯s been a while since I felt this good.¡±


    Zhang Dashan let out a long sigh, then turned to look at Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, how are you doing? You weren¡¯t injured just now, right?¡±


    ¡°Injured? How could I be injured?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Well, you make a fair point. Surviving that literally made you into Superman. You know, the guy who wore his red underpants over his clothes. Your opponents should be the ones getting injured.¡± Zhang Dashan took out a cigarette, lit it, and pressed it between his lips. He delighted in the pure fun of blowing smoke rings.


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯ste now, so I should get going. Or else, the dorm¡¯s gate will be locked.¡±


    ¡°Bro, do you really still think of yourself as a university student? Are you actually worried about being locked out?¡±


    After ncing at his phone, Zhang Dashan¡¯s face became a little twisted. He said, ¡°This very moment marks the beginning of the nightlife, and you¡¯re actually telling me that you¡¯re going back? What the h*ll, bro?¡±


    ¡°My principles haven¡¯t changed. Go by yourself if you want. Get in the car and take me back to the Huaye campus.¡±


    Xiao Luo sounded very determined. This was the only thing that he was insistent on not doing together with Zhang Dashan because of the education he¡¯d received from his family since he was young. He also wanted to stay pure for his own reasons.


    Zhang Dashan knitted his eyebrows and sighed, ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll leave you out of this. When I get myself a girlfriend in the future, I¡¯ll definitely quit this bad hobby as well.¡±


    ¡°Stop b*llshitting. You have no self-control,¡± Xiao Luo snorted dismissively.


    ¡°You know nothing about it! You have no right to talk since you¡¯ve never tried it bef¡ª¡±


    ¡°F*ck off, man. No more pervy talk!¡± Xiao Luo interrupted with a frown. He grabbed the pillow off his seat and hurled it at Zhang Dashan.


    ******


    At 10 o¡¯clock that night, aside from the gathering ces of night owls, the number of people and vehicles out and about in Jiangcheng¡¯s avenues and streets was significantly reduced.


    ¡°D*mn this dumb a*s app! It took us to a dead-end!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and cursing at the navigation app on his phone. The app¡¯s monotonous voice was still repeating the sentence ¡®go straight,¡¯ which irked him to the extent that he tossed away his phone. ¡°Look at this dumb a*s app asking me to go straight when there¡¯s a d*mn wall in front of us. Ah, I¡¯m so frustrated.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at his phone, then shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not the software. It¡¯s your brain. You¡¯ve gone the wrong way. The street shown on the map is actually at the next intersection, parallel to this alley. It¡¯s not far away.¡±


    Zhang Dashan grabbed his phone in disbelief. He looked at the map again after erging it and finally admitted to the fact that he had gone the wrong way. His face turned red, but his lips, however, remained in a state of denial. ¡°What the f*ck? It¡¯s all because this dumb app failed to distinguish between the street and the alley. It¡¯s really inurate, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Stop b*llshitting, hurry up, and turn around!¡± said Xiao Luo solemnly.


    ¡°I know, bro.¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed and slowly turned the car around.


    Just then, they saw a few figures lurking around the alleyway¡¯s entrance. Taking a closer look, helped only by the light of a nearby streemp, they counted a total of six people. Five of them were men, and the sixth was a woman with a graceful figure.


    ¡°What in the world? Tormenting woman? In broad daylight? Under the bright sun and moon?¡± Zhang Dashan eximed while ncing at Xiao Luo.


    Broad daylight? Bright sun and moon?


    Excuse me? It was nighttime!


    Xiao Luo really wanted to jump on him.


    ¡°Holy moly! How savage and brutal! These beasts are preparing to force themselves on her!¡±


    Zhang Dashan fixed his eyes on the group. Then he looked at Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Save her? Yes? No?¡±


    When Xiao Luo was about to reply when Zhang Dashan answered, ¡°Of course, we should! Good cabbage shouldn¡¯t fall into the hands of those beasts!¡±


    As soon as his voice fell away, he switched the car¡¯s headlights from low to high beam.


    The dazzling headlights were like messengers from a world of light. They illuminated all the filth otherwise hidden by the darkness.


    The five men viting the woman were startled. One pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist and shouted fiercely in Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan¡¯s direction, ¡°Who the f*ck is that? Are you seeking death? Turn off your headlights!¡±


    Then two more men wordlessly took out their knives and ran straight toward Zhang Dashan¡¯s car.

 Chapter 63 - Wear This Shirt for Now

    <strong>Chapter 63: Wear This Shirt for Now</strong>


    Seeing the two men running toward them with atrocious expressions and switchdes in their hands, Xiao Luo was speechless. He turned to Zhang Dashan and mumbled, ¡°So, you¡¯ll go handle them?¡±


    ¡°Why me? You¡¯re the most capable fighter. Of course, it should be you! I¡¯ll cheer you on from the car,¡± Zhang Dashan answered promptly.


    ¡°You said that you were going to save her. I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Xiao Luo shot back disdainfully.


    Seeing the two mening closer and closer, Zhang Dashan became very anxious. ¡°Hey, bro,¡± he said, ¡°don¡¯t p*ss out at this critical moment. If they smash my car, then I¡¯ll kill myself in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead then. Kill yourself. Hurry up!¡± Xiao Luo said with indifference.


    ¡°You are a real as*hole. Are we still brothers or not? Saying something like that can easily get you struck by lightning, you know.¡±


    Zhang Dashan grew heated but then cooled off again, smiled, and said in a friendly tone, ¡°Xiao Luo, everyone is eager to be the hero who gets to rescue a beauty. Now, the chance to do just that has presented itself to us. Give it a go, alright? Maybe, just maybe, she¡¯ll offer us her lifelong devotion. Judging from her figure, she¡¯s definitely a belle. If either of us is thinking about hooking up with her, I can tell you that she¡¯ll definitely be more than enough. You know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Why are you working at a bank since you¡¯re such an expert at making up fantasies?¡± Xiao Luo quipped, rolling his eyes.


    Zhang Dashan was confused. ¡°Where else should I go to work?¡±


    ¡°You should be a screenwriter,¡± Xiao Luo snorted.


    Then, he cracked his neck, opened the door, and walked out of the car.


    One of the men charged at him immediately. However, a momentter, his vision flickered, and a foot wearing a white sneakernded firmly on his chest. The next second, a force of boundless energy surged by. The man¡¯s body, which had been moving forward, suddenly froze as if he¡¯d been suddenly struck by lightning. His chest was in anguish, and it felt as if his heart had stopped pumping. Blood gushed out from the back of his throat.


    ¡°Pfffft!¡±


    As his blood continued to pour out, his entire body flew backward like a broken kite. Then, he crashed onto the ground four or five yards away.


    The other man was startled for a moment. Then, he yelled and viciously thrust the switchde in his hands toward Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo let out a chilling snort, then curled his body slightly and leaped into the air, bouncing like a spring. He pulled a suave 360-degree flip in mid-air, rotated his right foot to dodge the iing switchde, and swung his left foot at his opponent¡¯s temple.


    ¡°Thud!¡±


    There was the muffled sound of impact, then the man flew sideways. He flew over the roof of Zhang Dashan¡¯s Coro and crashed into the alley wall. He was stuck to the wall like mud for half a second before gradually slipping down to the ground.


    ¡°What the h*ll? What is that guy made of?!¡±


    Zhang Dashan stared at Xia Luo nkly from inside the car. His friend had brought down two men wielding knives in a blink of an eye. His moves were straight-up terrifying. ¡°Holy pepperoni, has Xiao Luo be a new person entirely after that car ident or what? He¡¯s literally as ferocious as a tiger.¡±


    However, it could be said that the remaining three men were experiencing the most shock of them all. They¡¯d thought that they¡¯d bumped into an imbecilic bumpkin. They¡¯d never imagined that this kid meant serious business.


    As Xiao Luo walked toward them, the three men¡¯s nerves instantly tensed. With the car¡¯s high beams blinding them, they could not see Xiao Luo face at all. They could only make out a silhouette¡ªboth the face and body werepletely ck¡ªmoving slowly toward them.


    They felt even more depressed and nervous precisely because they could not see clearly who was in front of them. It felt like a devil was slowly approaching them. Looking at their twopanions on the ground groaning in pain, beads of sweat the size of beans tumbled uncontrobly down their foreheads.


    The man who had just been about to unzip his pants regained his senses after blinking repeatedly. He pointed his dagger at Xiao Luo and warned him severely, ¡°Hold it right there! Don¡¯te any closer!¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent but continued to advance step by step. His footsteps sounded particrly ear-piercing in the very quiet alley.


    ¡°Tap¡­tap¡­tap¡­¡±


    For the three men, these footsteps were like the ringing of arge bell. It tapped them right on their souls.


    ¡°I said, stop! Do you hear me?! I¡¯m telling you to stop!¡± the man repeatedly growled. He braced himself and elevated the volume of his voice.


    Xiao Luo sneered coldly, ¡°Come at me all at once. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    His words infuriated the gang¡¯s leader. Through gritted teeth, hemanded the two men holding down the girl, ¡°Go. Kill him.¡±


    The men let go of the girl and charged at Xiao Luo, yelling. One of them maneuvered extremely fast, covering a lot of distance in no time. A sharp de was moving forward at lightning speed,ing for Xiao Luo¡¯s neck. Xiao Luo lifted his right hand and promptly extended his left. Suddenly, the man¡¯s vision became blurry. In essence, he was pped in the face before he had even seen Xiao Luo¡¯s palm clearly.


    ¡°p!¡±


    The crisp tone of skin being pped was heard. The man¡¯s cheeks swelled up, and his entire body was sent flying. With his bloody teeth, he had a miserable look.


    After getting rid of one of the henchmen, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even pause. His giant hands turned into ws, and he grabbed the neck of the remaining man with the ferocity of an eagle. With a forceful swing of his arm, the man shrieked as he was tossed high up into the air. Under the influence of gravity, he smashed back down to the dirt, hard. There was a crack as his right leg broke when it collided with the ground. Howls of suffering, like pigs being ughtered, echoed up and down the alley.


    Strong and unmatched! Domineering and extreme!


    The girl who had almost been vited opened her eyes wide. She hadn¡¯t expected Xiao Luo to be so powerful.


    The leader of the men was utterly flustered. He turned around and ran.


    Xiao Luo looked down and nced at a brick on the floor. Then, using a two-step approach, heshed out at the brick.


    ¡°Phuush!¡±


    The brick, which had initially been lying silently on the ground, suddenly flew out from underneath his feet. It spun at an immense speed, creating a fearsome trajectory like that of a meteor. In the end, it rammed the fleeing man in the back of the calf.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The man fell to the ground, clutching his calf and wailing tragically.


    Without any suspense or pressure, Xiao Luo packed up the five hooligans, who had been about tomit rape.


    Zhang Dashan witnessed the entire process. He was feeling an intense, untruthful feeling. His brother, Xiao Luo, had jumped into a one-versus-five fight. Moreover, he¡¯d gone up against five ruffians armed with knives. In less than a minute, he¡¯d cleaned them up and left them moaning in different postures, scattered on the ground. Who would believe in this tale if he were to tell it?


    Xiao Luo tore the clothes off the leader and walked over to the girl. She was still standing in the same ce inplete shock. When their eyes met, they were both stunned.


    ¡°You again?¡± Xiao Luo frowned deeply.


    The girl¡¯s eyes were wide open. She muttered in disbelief, ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    Her beautiful hair fluttered. She had slender eyebrows, bright eyes, a pointy nose, blushing cheeks, and alluring lips. Surely, this woman was Huang Ruoran. She was simply dressed in her own clothes instead of her waitress uniform. Who else could she be?


    Sure enough, it was Huang Ruoran. She hadn¡¯t expected to run into five hooligans on her way back to school from work. The possibility of bumping into Xiao Luo twice in one day had also not crossed her mind¡ªwhat to speak of saving her from the depths of despair! At that moment, her mind was confused, and her feelings were iprehensibly jumbled.


    Xiao Luo quickly regained hisposure and tossed the man¡¯s clothes over Huang Ruoran¡¯s practically naked body, saying, ¡°Wear this shirt for now.¡±


    Huang Ruoran quickly wrapped herself up in the shirt, raised her head, and looked at Xiao Luo with gratitude. ¡°Than¡ªthank you¡­¡±

 Chapter 64 - Impending Storm

    <strong>Chapter 64: Impending Storm</strong>


    Because Xiao Luo was against her, Huang Ruoran had always despised him. She wished that he was not even in the ss at all. However, when this loathsome boy had appeared at her most desperate moment and rescued her like some sort of savior, Huang Ruoran¡¯s hatred for him crumbled in an instant.


    She had a fairplexion, refined facial features, and slender, arched eyebrows. Then there were those cynical, dark eyes¡­


    Huang Ruoran was sitting in the backseat on the passenger¡¯s side and staring nkly at the man in the front seat. Her heart was unable to settle.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, prettydy?¡± Zhang Dashan asked with a smile while looking at Huang Ruoran in the car¡¯s rearview mirror.


    ¡°Huang Ruoran.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ruoran. My name is Zhang Dashan. I¡¯m Xiao Luo¡¯s trusty old partner. My nickname is Cannon, but you can call me by my real name, Dashan. Although Cannon also works!¡± Zhang Dashan giggled, attempting to lighten up the atmosphere.


    Huang Ruoran could not understand his sense of humor, so she didn¡¯t give him any response. She just sat on her seat without saying a word. The fear she had just experienced still lingered in her mind. The ambiance inside the car instantly plunged into an awkward silence.


    Zhang Dashan wasn¡¯t giving up. He didn¡¯t believe that he couldn¡¯t liven things up. After a couple of dry coughs, he said, ¡°Ruoran, let me tell you a joke. A monkey is sitting in a tree. When a big truck passes beneath the tree, it stops. Guess why?¡±


    Seriously? Such an old school joke?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He refused to believe that this was the first time Huang Ruoran heard this joke. He nced at the back seat out of the corner of his eyes. As expected, Huang Ruoran remained indifferent. She was in a daze as if in some farawaynd.


    Zhang Dashan continued, ¡°Because the truck driver thought that the monkey¡¯s a*s was a red light! Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s stupid? He¡¯s really stupid, right? Hahaha¡­¡±


    As he finished telling the joke, he cracked himself up and even teared up.


    After only four or five seconds, he discovered that Huang Ruoran wasn¡¯t reacting to his punchline at all. Beside him, Xiao Luo studied him expressionlessly.


    ¡°I¡ªisn¡¯t it funny?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Xiao Luo said, not mincing his words.


    Zhang Dashan spread his hands and retracted his neck. ¡°Well, awkward!¡±


    ¡°Just focus on driving. Don¡¯t go the wrong way again,¡± Xiao Luo exhorted.


    Zhang Dashan became agitated and raised the pitch of his voice as he said, ¡°F*cker, if I go the wrong way again, I swear I won¡¯t touch another girl ever again in my life!¡±


    Half an hourter, they were finally back at Huaye.


    Although Huang Ruoran was still badly shaken, she refused Zhang Dashan¡¯s offer to drop her directly at her dorm. When she got out of the car, she bowed deeply to Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then, she turned around and returned to school.


    Xiao Luo understood her very well. She had a strong personality. Unlike the other girls, she wouldn¡¯t so readily ept help and affection from boys.


    ¡°That girl isn¡¯t bad, you know. Look at how small the crack is between her legs. I think she¡¯s still a virgin! Xiao Luo, hurry up and take her down,¡± chuckled Zhang Dashan while looking at Huang Ruoran¡¯s back.


    ¡°Do you have anything else inside your brain besides that one thing?¡± Xiao Luo said directly.


    ¡°C¡¯mon bro. Our ancestors used to say that the desire for food and sex is part of human nature. Can you not be so uptight? In our society today, wolves are abundant, and meat is scarce. So, if you don¡¯t bang a pretty girl, someone else will, sooner orter. Why not take the good stuff for yourself? You shouldn¡¯t restrain yourself too much. YOLO!¡± Zhang Dashan preached earnestly.


    ¡°Dubious nonsense.¡±


    Xiao Luo rubbed his nose, then shifted the topic of conversation. ¡°Oh yeah? Are you really gonna go wh*ringter?¡±


    Go wh*ring?


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s expression changed immediately. ¡°The heck? How can you say that and still look so dignified? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that you¡¯re not after wh*res by going to that night club?¡± Xiao Luo shot him a nce.


    ¡°Bro, stop using the word ¡®wh*re,¡¯ please. It¡¯s not elegant at all.¡±


    Zhang Dashan made his face serious and said solemnly, ¡°Okay, here it is then. Didn¡¯t you eat a pineapple stick outside the clubst time? From now on, we will refer to this ssy and elegant activity as ¡®pineappling.''¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He was a little bit thankful that his sister hadn¡¯t fallen for this guy.


    ******


    Back at the dorm, before Xiao Luo even opened his door, he heard groaninging from inside.


    When he walked in, the room was in a mess. Cups, books, boxes were all over the floor. The chairs were turned over. Xiao Luo¡¯s area, in particr, was chaos. It looked like it had been overrun by bandits.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were lying on their beds with bruises all over their bodies. Their clothes were torn. Zhu Xiaofei was in especially bad shape. The corners of his lips were inmed, and his eyes were so swollen that they looked like two squinting lines.


    ¡°B-brother Luo¡­¡± Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai called to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°It was the people from the mixed martial arts club. They came looking for you but couldn¡¯t find you here, so they beat us up instead,¡± Ding Kai exined through gritted teeth. No matter how timid he may be, he couldn¡¯t hold back his anger after taking such a beating.


    Zhu Xiaofei spat out a mouthful of blood and said with rage, ¡°Those bastards. Wait until I get better. I will make them pay for what they did today. Even if it means getting expelled!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait until then. I will make them pay sooner rather thanter.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned grim. He had tolerated one incident after another. Still, Song Jian and his gang continued to provoke him repeatedly. He had reached thest straw. ¡°Where¡¯s the mix martial arts club?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s heart stiffened. ¡°Brother Luo, what are you going to do? Don¡¯t act recklessly!¡±


    ¡°You and Kaizi should rest in the room. Just tell me where the mixed martial arts club is,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly. However, a terrifying chill could be felting from deep within his eyes.


    Zhu Xiaofei paused for a moment then said, ¡°They¡¯re located at the indoor basketball court next to the swimming pool. That ce is the training ground for the mixed martial arts, taekwondo, karate, and wushu clubs. The school specially approved that site for them.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up, opened the door, and left.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai exchanged nces, and each could see the intense worry in the other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Kaizi, do you think something bad will happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If brother Luo doesn¡¯t return in half an hourter, let¡¯s call the counselor,¡± Ding Kai said.


    Zhu Xiaofei nodded in agreement. Just now, something about Xiao Luo¡¯s expression had chilled them to the bone. Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t someone who wouldpromise. Still, there were more than a hundred people in the mixed martial arts club, and Xiao Luo was on his own. No matter how great of a fighter he may be, he couldn¡¯t possibly take on more than a hundred opponents. If Song Jian and the others failed to hold themselves back for a moment and injured Xiao Luo, then Zhu Xiaofei would feel uneasy for the rest of his life.


    ¡­


    Although it was almost 11 o¡¯clock at night, and the mixed martial arts club was still as bright as day. People were training inside the venue.


    Aside from the members of the mixed martial arts club, there were also many from the other clubs. After all, that night, Song Jian had challenged the school¡¯s fiend, Xiao Luo, to a fight. Although Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t here yet, the others had all arrived with the utmost anticipation. They were eager to see if Xiao Luo was really as brutal as the legends made him out to be. Two members of the mixed martial arts club gossiped at the door during their water break:


    ¡°What a waste of excitement. That jerk doesn¡¯t even dare to show up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. He¡¯s so afraid that he doesn¡¯t dare return to his own dorm. We are only ttering him by saying that he¡¯s ¡®wukong.''¡±


    ¡°I wonder how this piece of trash ended up being a celeb on our school¡¯s forum. Xiao Luo the fiend? More like Xiao Luo the coward.¡±

 Chapter 65 - So It Was You

    <strong>Chapter 65: So It Was You</strong>


    As the two members of the mixed martial arts club were chatting, a colossal hand quietly came to rest on one of their shoulders. The guy¡¯s hair was dyed blonde, and he felt his shoulder sink as if a giant mountain were pressing down on him. His body listed heavily to one side. When he turned his head, his eyes fell on a gloomy profile as chilling as snow.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    The boys¡¯ faces changed in a sh. They couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had appeared in this ce at this moment.


    Xiao Luo dered faintly, ¡°Which of these guys went to beat up my roommates at the seventh dormitory tonight? Please, point them out to me.¡±


    Hearing this, the blonde guy snapped out of his shock. But when he remembered that this ce was the mixed martial arts club¡¯s territory meaning that his allies were all over the ce, his courage surged. The blonde boy shouted, ¡°Who the hell are you? Why should I listen to you? Get your hand off my shoulder!¡±


    He shouted this to the roof so that he could attract everyone¡¯s attention. As expected, the lingering members of the mixed martial arts club, who had initially been sparring with each other and the members of the other clubs, looked over.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, the fiend?¡±


    ¡°Why is he here? Didn¡¯t they say that he¡¯s afraid to ept the challenge and didn¡¯t even dare to go back to his room tonight?¡±


    ¡°Song Jianan just left a moment ago. If he hears about this, he will definitely rush back over. Looks like these two men are going to spar today, after all.¡±


    The members of the other clubs were shocked. Still, the members of the mixed martial arts club slowly gathered around Xiao Luo with disdainful faces.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s bright expression dimmed. He regarded the hostility being directed at him as nothing more than hot air. He spoke again to the blonde guy, ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Are you f*cking sick? Don¡¯t you understand the humannguage? Do you need me to¡ªargh!¡±


    The guy¡¯s normal speaking voice was cut off abruptly and turned into a cry of pain. Xiao Luo¡¯s fingers were about to shatter his shoulders. The blonde boy was in so much pain that the muscles on his face seized up.


    ¡°Let me ask you one more time. Who went to beat up my roommates at the seventh dormitory tonight?¡± Xiao Luo repeated chillingly as the strength in his fingers intensified.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let go of me¡­¡±


    The blonde¡¯s cries became even more miserable. He struggled desperately, wanting to break away from Xiao Luo. However, Xiao Luo was grabbing him with a unique method, much like the ones polices use to arrest criminals. No matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.


    ¡°Let him go!¡± roared the blonde boy¡¯spanion, and he hurled over a clenched fist.


    Xiao Luo snorted contemptuously then mmed his head toward the iing fist. The fist and his forehead collided, making the sound of potato chips cracking. The guy backed off and screamed in agony. He felt as if the punch he had just thrown hadnded on hard rock. Three of his fingers were broken. Gripped by unbearable pain, his right hand couldn¡¯t stop shaking.


    This simple, yet brutal move was very effective!


    The other members of the mixed martial arts club suddenly had the jitters.


    Just then, a guy with a pierced ear came forward and yelled at Xiao Luo, ¡°Hey, are you makin¡¯ trouble here? Do you not really believe that I can disassemble all of your body¡¯s spare parts?¡±


    Undoubtedly, he was a veteran member of the mixed martial arts club. And the reason Xiao Luo figured as much was that Zhao Xinghe, Du Pengfei, and the rest of the gang followed him over.


    Compared to the guy with the ear-piercing, Zhao Xinghe and the rest of his gang were at the opposite end of the attitude spectrum¡ªthey were not emboldened. They didn¡¯t dare act too arrogantly in front of Xiao Luo. When they met Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze, their eyes betrayed how they were very unsettled deep down. They were terrified of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo pushed the stricken blonde away, walked over the guy with the pierced ear, and stood in front of him for a moment. Then, he said in a deep, solemn voice, ¡°You look like someone high up in the club. Maybe you know who went the seventh dorm to beat up my two roommates tonight.¡±


    Seeing the veteran member standing beside the guy with the earring was like seeing a bamboo pole next to a giant tree. The guy with the earring¡¯s physique wasn¡¯t at all inferior to Zhao Xinghe¡¯s.


    The guy with the earring used his thumb to point at himself and said arrogantly, ¡°Of course, I am their leader!¡± Then, he spat on the ground and dered disdainfully, ¡°Looking at those two wastes of space pisses me off. Their faces were just asking for a beating. They got whacked because they¡¯re worthy of being whacked!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. So, it was you!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled then headbutted him the very next second.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Following the impact¡¯s muffled sound, the guy with the earring went weak in the knees. Gradually, he backed off and stumbled to the ground.


    ¡°Yuze!¡± the guy with the earring¡¯s fiveckeys shouted in worry. Then, they surrounded Xiao Luo, looking fierce and nefarious, like they were going to beat him up.


    With a stern look, Xiao Luo punted one of them to the ground. Then, he extended his palm andnded a p on each of the four men¡¯s faces, leaving their ears ringing and their heads spinning.


    All of the men tumbled in an instant. Xiao Luo strode over them and walked right up to the guy with the pierced ear.


    Completely deterred by his aura, Du Pengfei, Zhao Xinghe, and the rest of their gang moved aside to make way for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo grabbed the leader¡¯s cor and lifted him up off the ground, growling, ¡°Who else participated aside from you?¡±


    ¡°Your mom!¡± roared back the guy with the earring, and he immediately greeted Xiao Luo with his fist.


    Again, Xiao Luo knocked him down using his head. The amount of force that he used this time was considerable. The guy¡¯s forehead was ripped open, drenching his entire face in blood.


    ¡°Psss!¡±


    Everyone gasped. Especially the girls from the other clubs, who screamed hysterically the moment they saw blood.


    The members of the mixed martial arts club shivered, but not all of them were white in the liver. Seeing the state of the guy with the earring, one of them charged at Xiao Luo while yelling, ¡°F*ck him!¡±


    Many followed his lead, screaming as they charged at Xiao Luo. They looked like a pack of wolves hunting their prey.


    Zhao Xinghe and Du Pengfei hesitated for a moment. No matter what, as veteran members, they were not allowed to be outdone by the younger members, right? So they gritted their teeth and charged forward.


    ¡°Very well, then! Come, all of you! Let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a trace of panic on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. In fact, an unspeakable excitement shone in his eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up, and he unleashed a sinister grin. Then, he grabbed the cor of the guy with the earring with both his hands, lifted him up, and tossed him at the club members charging at him.


    ¡°Bam ba-dum!¡±


    The guy with the earring, who weighed about 170 pounds, flew off like a cannonball, instantly knocking some seven or eight of his fellow club members to the ground. As they tumbled into a heap, the boys were like bottles being run over by a bowling ball.


    The heck? Is he human?


    When the people from the other clubs witnessed this scene, they were so shocked that their eyeballs almost fell out. Hurling a real person like a toy was literally unimaginable.


    The moment Xiao Luo had finished dealing with the guy with the pierced ear, a dogfight ignited on the spot.


    The hidden power inside Xiao Luo¡¯s body also erupted at the very moment. But, as he thought about the fact that his opponents were students, he held back a little. Otherwise, with a full-power punch, he could have directly crippled or even killed someone.


    Any of the club¡¯s members who were touched by Xiao Luo¡¯s fist¡ªin their elbows, joints, or anywhere else¡ªreeled from the strong impact. What astonished them most was the fact that they couldn¡¯t break into the two-yard radius around Xiao Luo, despite there being so many of them. It was like the area around him was protected. Even if someone were to break through andnd a blow, those attacks would literally do no damage to Xiao Luo.


    Was this guy¡¯s body made of metal or something?


    The group was utterly terrified. It was hard for them to fathom that Xiao Luo, who looked like an ordinary guy on the outside, could possess such terrifying physical strength. He was literally made of cast iron.


    Little did they know that, after Xiao Luo had acquired the constitution of the King of Mercenaries, his physical prowess could not be rivaled by an ordinary human. Only a force of five to six hundred pounds could harm him. The members of the mixed martial arts club were all students. They were still a very long way from delivering blows with a force of five or six hundred pounds. Therefore, Xiao Luo was apparently invincible.

 Chapter 66 - Overbearing Might

    <strong>Chapter 66: Overbearing Might</strong>


    Xiao Luo twisted and charged. Like a beast in human form, he rammed straight into one of the mixed martial arts club¡¯s members and sent him flying. To the man, the amount of force was like being brutally smashed by a car at full speed. Hended heavily in front of Zhao Xinghe, Du Pengfei, and the others. His stomach turned as he retched uncontrobly.


    Zhao Xinghe and Du Pengfei were too shocked to speak, and their palms grew cold and sweaty. It should not have been difficult for more than a hundred people to beat up Xiao Luo. But now that they¡¯d seen the extent of his strength and ferocity, they¡¯d lost all hope of defeating him.


    Xiao Luo stood like a malevolent god, immovable and radiating bloodlust, amid nearly 30 fallen bodies.


    ¡°I treated you like human beings, but you¡¯ve decided to act like dogs. I told you before. When a dog bites a human, I give it a thrashing. I beat it until it fears me, till the sight of me makes it tremble in fear!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s scowl was full of provocation and contempt. Even the air around him seemed to react to his bloodlust, rushing away from him.


    As they experienced pure terror for the first time, ayer of cold sweat formed on the brows of mixed martial arts club members surrounding him.


    The boy with the ear studs lying on the floor grit his teeth. He howled in anger, ¡°What are you guys afraid of? Get him!¡±


    Hearing this, his gang of diehard followers grabbed the wooden staves used by the Taekwondo Association and rushed at Xiao Luo, yelling and screaming.


    Others followed their example. They picked up the tools used by other clubs and used them as weapons. A tide of bodies came at Xiao Luo. They were young and swept up in the moment. Blinded by rage, they could no longer hold back, and they had no qualms beating someone to death.


    ¡°Go to hell, Xiao Luo!¡±


    The two men at the front of the pack wore fearsome expressions. They raised their staves high and brought them down mercilessly toward Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Not waiting for their staves to make contact, Xiao Luo exhaled softly. In a sh, he moved into the space between the two men like a phantom. As he came close to them, he spread his arms wide, which were strong like steel beams. Then, he brought them crashing into the men¡¯s chests like some unstoppable force of nature.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    With a cry, the two men fell away like a kite with cut strings, their backward momentum took down a group of mixed martial arts club members behind them.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled excitedly, like a tiger amidst a flock of sheep. Seeing this, a wave of fear washed over the mixed martial arts club.


    As armed as they were with staves, wooden boards, and nunchaku, none of them posed any threat to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s fist punch had gone straight through a wooden staff, striking the man who had been wielding it directly in the chest with unparalleled force. Xiao Luo had shattered a 2-inch thick wooden board with a single kick, sending his opponent and countless wooden splinters. Xiao Luo had effortlessly disarmed his opponent, who was wielding nunchaku, and returned the blows with a vengeance.


    The young hotshots from the mixed martial arts club were used to strutting around the Huaye campus like kings, but every single one of them was shaking in their boots now. Xiao Luo had systematically demolished their sense of superiority.


    Zhao Xinghe and Du Pengfei were already down for the count. Zhao Xinghe had been whipped in the back by Xiao Luo¡¯s nunchaku. Where he¡¯d been struck, his flesh burned like he¡¯d received ashing. Du Pengfei had taken a kick to his thigh and lost all feeling there, aside from a convulsing pain. His leg shook uncontrobly.


    It did not take long before eighty or ny of the mixed martial arts club members were on the ground groaning in pain. The remaining ten or so huddled together, their faces clearly filled with fear. They pointed their wooden staves at Xiao Luo, but their weapons shook violently, just like the hands that gripped them.


    Xiao Luo was way too fearsome and overbearing. What kind of power did he possess to thoroughly beat down more than a hundred men?


    The people watching from the other clubs were dumbfounded. Their mouths seemed to dry up, and they found it hard to swallow. None of them could have expected this oue.


    ¡°Again! Come on!¡±


    Xiao Luo shot a challenging re at the remaining members of the mixed martial arts club, who were still standing. Although Xiao Luo was not using his full strength, his attacks were still strong enough to draw blood. The blood of his fallen foes was now sttered on his clothes and his face, making him look even more vicious and intimidating. ¡°Just because you have a hundred members in your so-called ¡®mixed martial arts club,¡¯ you¡¯ve be so full of yourselves and think you¡¯re the kings of the school. You act like the scum of society, fighting, brawling, and beating up anyone who crosses you. Does that make you feel aplished? I¡¯ll tell you now, you guys are trash. Beneath the title of ¡®university student,¡¯ you¡¯re all just a bunch of scumbags!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s forceful rebuke echoed across therge training ground.


    The mixed martial arts club members who were still standing dropped their weapons and stiffly looked at Xiao Luo in horror.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to fight anymore. We¡­we admit defeat.¡±


    As though they were actors in a television drama, they raised their hands in surrender, trembling in fear the whole time. Xiao Luo¡¯s monstrous strength had shaken them to their core.


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°You started this fight. What gives you the right to end it?¡±


    With a cry that sounded more like a roar, Xiao Luo hurled the nunchaku that he was holding at the wall. The metal chain connecting the two sticks snapped with a loud crack, and the nunchaku fell to the floor in two pieces.


    This disy of raw power made everyone watching shudder!


    The remaining mixed martial arts club members slumped to their knees. They were pale as ghosts. Xiao Luo was their worst nightmare, and they were terrified.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, that¡¯s enough. They have already conceded defeat, so you don¡¯t have to go this far!¡± a man in white training clothes stepped forward and said.


    Xiao Luo nced at him impassively and remarked, ¡°Are you from the mixed martial arts club too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Wu Yunlong, chairman of the Taekwondo Association,¡± replied the man in white, revealing his identity. ¡°What you did today¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo cut him short with a wave, saying, ¡°If you¡¯re not from the mixed martial arts club, then you have no right to speak here. Stand aside, and don¡¯t tell me what to do!¡± He then strode over to the cowering mixed martial arts club members.


    Wu Yunlong was incensed. As the esteemed chairman of the Taekwondo Association, even the professors at Huaye University showed him some respect. Xiao Luo¡¯s demonstration of tant disrespect irked him to no end.


    ¡°Then I will fight you myself!¡± Wu Yunlong yelled, sprinting toward Xiao Luo. When he was around 3 to 4 yards away, he leaped into the air and aimed a flying kick at Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    The jump had incredible force and speed, parting the air around him like a roaring wind!


    ¡°Another one who wants to act like a dog!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression turned cold. He leaned back, dodging Wu Yunlong¡¯s flying kick. Then, rotating his upper body, he spun sharply to the left and swung his right palm savagely at Wu Yunlong¡¯s chest.


    The impact sent Wu Yunlong flying, and hended on the ground with a thump. Fresh blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.


    Just one move! One move had brought down the Taekwondo Association¡¯s chairman!


    Onlookers from the other clubs felt their hair stand on end. They had previously voiced their doubts about Xiao Luo in the forum. Now, the truth was being pped in their faces.


    ¡°Chairman!¡±


    A few of the Taekwondo Association¡¯s members rushed forward to help Wu Yunlong to his feet.


    ¡°Who else wants a piece of me? Step forward! I¡¯ll ept any challenge!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s fierce gaze swept along the bystanders, who lowered their heads, refusing to meet his eyes.


    Wu Yunlong could only clutch his chest. His earlier bravado was now nowhere to be seen. All he felt was an unspeakable shame.

 Chapter 67 - Power Contest

    <strong>Chapter 67: Power Contest</strong>


    ¡°What? Is Xiao causing trouble at my mixed martial arts club?¡±


    Song Jianan had already returned to his dorm, but upon receiving a phone call, his expression darkened. He left his backpack at the management office and ran off toward the mixed martial arts club.


    By the time he reached the ce, his fellow club members were all sprawled on the floor. Moaning in pain, not a single one of them was able to stand. Meanwhile, Xiao Luo was sitting cross-legged inside the club¡¯s exclusive sparring ring. He leisurely surveyed the scene with his right hand propping up his chin. Seeing Song Jianan arrive, Xiao Luo stood up.


    ¡°Song Jianan, you¡¯re a little toote,¡± Xiao Luo remarked lightly.


    ¡°Xiao, you¡¯re asking for it now!¡± Song Jianan roared, and his voice swept across the training ground. Enraged, he ripped off his ck vest, revealing the strong, well-defined muscture of his upper body. His block-like muscles hinted at his explosive power, which threatened to be unleashed at any time.


    ¡°Nghaa!¡±


    Shooting off as if he werepeting in the 100-yard dash, Song Jianan charged forward, shocking everyone watching. As he approached the ring, he kicked off the ground hard with both feet while leaning forward and flipping around. He sailed right over the ropes of the ring in a magnificently swift 360-degree spin. His outstretched right leg spun down at Xiao Luo like a steel whip, crashing down with violent intent and the force of a giant wave.


    There was no holding back! No mercy to be shown!


    Song Jianan brought to bear his 20 long years of training in that single explosive moment. His moves, vicious yet elegant, stunned the bystanders looking on in horror.


    Xiao Luo slightly lowered his center of gravity and brought up both arms to block the iing attack. A dull thud sounded as Xiao Luo was blown away by the force of Song Jianan¡¯s kick. Xiao Luo fell backward, sliding across the ring on his back some 2 or 3 yards. He almost slipped underneath the ropes and right out of the ring.


    My God. Is this the Song Jianan¡¯s full strength?


    The people from the other clubs held their breath. Xiao Luo, the Fiend, had always seemed to be unstoppable, and this was the first time they¡¯d seen him sent flying by an attack. It was the first time he¡¯d ever appeared to be at a disadvantage.


    The mixed martial arts club¡¯s spirits were lifted by this one move; it was as though they¡¯d been injected with a stimnt. The boy with the pierced ears cheered loudly for Song Jianan, ¡°Nice one boss! Kill that son of a bitch. Kill him!¡±


    Song Jianan bristled with anger, and it seemed like his entire being was shrouded in a burning rage. He pointed at Xiao Luo and spat viciously, ¡°Xiao, if you walk away from this unharmed today, I, Song Jianan, will change my name and follow you!¡±


    He spoke very arrogantly, revealing his strong self-confidence.


    Xiao Luo got to his feet slowly and chuckled, ¡°Are you sure about making such definite statements? You should really watch your words.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch your d*mn grandmother!¡±


    The offensive words exploded sharply from Song Jianan with a booming roar as he charged again like a wild bull.


    The offensive Song Jiananunched was fierce. Fists of iron burst forth at gale-force speed. It was as though the fearsome power of his entire body condensed into his legs and fists and was then unleashed on Xiao Luo, dealing blow after merciless blow.


    With the bodily strength of a ck bear, Song Jianan demonstrated his fearsome explosive power. Swiveling left then right, he rained a storm of punches on Xiao Luo with his iron fists. His assault was not only manic and fierce, but it also contained an exceptional degree of offensive power. His moves were tricky and challenging to read. The sight was unparalleled.


    All who were present stared unblinking at the two men dueling in the ring. Still, their focus was almost entirely concentrated on Song Jianan¡¯s flurry of punches and kicks.


    ¡°I thought that you were an opponent worthy of my full strength, but this is all you¡¯ve got!¡±


    After 40 or 50 consecutive fierce attacks, Song Jiananunched himself up 3 yards into the air andnded on a pir in the corner of the ring. Then, without a moment¡¯s rest, he jumped off the pir and brought his elbow crashing down onto Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    His jumping ability and offensive movesbined into one extreme force. If someone had received that elbow blow while lying on the floor, they would have undoubtedly been killed or crippled.


    Xiao Luo crossed both arms over his head and adopted a wholly defensive stance.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    Song Jianan again descended with the force of andslide or a meteorite smashing into the earth. Like a surging wave, his terrifying power crashed down. It disced the air below him, which elerated and howled out like a roaring gale.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s body shot backward like a cannonball, and his body crumpled into a ¡°C¡±-shape from the sheer speed at which he flew. He slipped through the ropes,nding roughly on the ground 2-3 yards away, like a speeding car crashing to a stop.


    All the bystanders were stunned. They¡¯d always heard that Song Jianan had real skills and was strong as ck bear, but they had never seen him in a fight. Now that they had seen him in action first-hand, they knew how fearsome he could be.


    He was practically a ck bear in human form!


    The mixed martial arts club members were overjoyed. They even forgot their injuries for a while. However, looking at Xiao Luo motionless on the ground, they felt a tinge of worry. They wondered to themselves: Has the boss beaten this guy to death?


    ¡°For the two crimes of hitting my friends and stealing my girl, you were doomed to suffer today, Xiao Luo,¡± Song Jianan taunted coldly. A broad sneer formed on his face as he continued, ¡°I heard you boasting a couple of days ago that you were going to cripple one of my hands. Now that I¡¯ve beaten you halfway to death like a dog, how do you n to maim me?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh heh heh! ¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders quivered almost imperceptibly as the cold, sharpugh emanated from him. It was like the chillingugh of a devil. It made everyone present feel a chill deep in their soul, as though the temperature at the training ground had dropped to freezing.


    Song Jianan was no exception, and the expression on his face promptly froze.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s body moved. He crawled up slowly from the ground, like a bloodthirsty demon breaking out of hell, and his chilling presence filled every corner of the room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡±


    Cracking his neck left then right, Xiao Luo moved back toward the ring with massive strides.


    With every step forward, his bearing increased explosively, and everyone watching felt a crushing pressure. They watched him advance unblinking and in a daze.


    Xiao Luo pulled apart the ropes and put his feet through. Xiao Luo was back in the ring.


    With his shining ck hair, handsome eyebrows, sharp ck eyes, and tall, exquisite figurerge without looking rugged¡ªhe stood there with the cold arrogance of a hawk and looked down at everyone beneath him.


    ¡°You-you¡¯re unhurt?¡±


    Song Jianan paled. It was already a miraculous feat for someone to take one of his full-force blows without fainting. But from the way Xiao Luo had casually walked back into the ring, he did not seem to be hurt in the slightest.


    The others watching were stunned. It was likely that nobody in the whole of Jiangcheng could withstand one of Song Jianan¡¯s elbow strikes. Yet, Xiao Luo had blocked it directly with his arms and waspletely unharmed. How was that possible?


    Was this guy some freak of nature?


    Fear was struck deep in the hearts of everyone present.

 Chapter 68 - Devil

    <strong>Chapter 68: Devil</strong>


    ¡°Your strength is eptable, but your punches are still too light. If you want to hurt me, you¡¯ll need to try a bit harder,¡± Xiao Luo said while shaking his head.


    He had the ability to utterly demolish Song Jianan. He¡¯d only let himself take such a one-sided beating to see how much damage his current body could sustain and urately gauge its abilities.


    Song Jianan¡¯s mouth twitched, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists tight. Xiao Luo¡¯s flippant attitude was a major insult to him.


    ¡°You shut the h*ll up!!!¡±


    With a loud cry that shook the heavens, Song Jianan charged forward toward Xiao Luo with the explosive eleration of a wild bull. It was as if the momentum of his entire body had beenpressed to the maximum before exploding outward all at once.


    With this manic dash, he closed the 2-3 yard gap between them in the blink of an eye and mmed his left foot into the floor with a force that shook the entire ring. He stopped in ce. Extreme movement shifted to intense stillness for one brief moment, generating unimaginable power. Pivoting around on his grounded left foot, he channeled all the force and inertia of his initial charge into a sweeping kick and flung his right leg toward Xiao Luo¡¯s neck.


    Everyone around watched with wide eyes. Even from a distance, they could clearly sense the violence of the force embedded in that one kick. If it made contact with Xiao Luo, he would probably be sent flying out of the ring again.


    To their great surprise, Xiao Luo did something, which nobody could perceive. He made the slightest move but, at the same time, appeared to remain perfectly still. However, Song Jianan¡¯s reaction was apparent. As if colliding head-on with a train, his forward momentum sharply came to an abrupt stop, and his whole body catapulted backward before mming forcefully into the ropes at the side of the ring. He struggled to regain his footing and stumbled a few times before finally stabilizing himself on the ropes.


    What? What happened?


    What in the world just happened?


    Without exception, horror crept into everyone¡¯s hearts. Xiao Luo had definitely done something, so why hadn¡¯t they seen precisely what? Were their eyes deceiving them, or was he simply moving too fast?


    Song Jianan broke into a cold sweat; he also had not clearly seen what move Xiao Luo had made. However, his chest had clearly been struck. It burned with pain, and his cirction seemed to be in disarray. He was winded and reeling, experiencing considerable difort.


    Gasping for breath, he asked, ¡°What did you just do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing special. I just kicked you,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a smirk.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. The motion of a kick is so obvious that I wouldn¡¯t have missed it. You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re lying. Nghaa!¡±


    Song Jianan had always been confident in his own martial prowess. Ever sinceing to Jiangcheng from his hometown, he had felt like a tiger released from a cage. Nobody from the whole of Jiangcheng, let alone Huaye University, was a match for him. As anger and shame welled up within him, he lost all his reason. Like a rabid ck bear, he red with red eyes and attacked Xiao Luo with another roaring charge.


    When he was about one yard away from Xiao Luo, he stamped down hard with his right foot. The floor of the ring squeaked as if it was about to be torn asunder. Then, pouring his whole strength into his tightly clenched right fist, he shot it forward like an asteroid piercing the void of space. Wrapped in the force of a raging wave, his fist plowed toward Xiao Luo.


    Roar!


    It sounded as though a wild beast was roaring inside the extensive training grounds.


    The bystanders stared in unprecedented horror, while the girls shut their eyes, not daring to watch. In their minds, they imagined a scene of considerable bloodshed.


    The mixed martial arts members were either dumbfounded or confounded.


    Was this their boss¡¯s true strength?


    Their hearts stirred withplicated feelings they could not identify. Was this happiness? Excitement? Fear? Shock?


    Maybe they were feeling any one of those emotions or a mix of all of them.


    Song Jianan¡¯s fist continued to roar like a wild beast as he swiped and pounced like an animal. The wind shrieked behind every one of his swings.


    A hand appeared suddenly without warning. As fast as lightning, an open palm urately stopped one of his punches. The violent surging force of the blow was instantly silenced. The hand made no move to attack, but with its seemingly infinite strength, it suppressed Song Jianan¡¯s savage fist.


    Song Jianan looked with fright at Xiao Luo, whose palm now enveloped his fist. He tried to channel more strength into his punch, but Xiao Luo¡¯s hand was like a mechanical vise, refusing to let go. No matter how much he struggled, he could not move his fist one inch.


    ¡°Song Jianan, I will now honor the promise I made!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s re was awfully majestic, and his mouth formed into a toothy grimace. He looked like the wrathful king of wolves, ferocious and feverish.


    The next second, he turned his wrist, hard, twisting it 90 degrees.


    ¡°Crunch!¡±


    With the crisp sound of splitting bone, Song Jianan¡¯s right wrist was folded back in a ¡°V¡±-shape. A jagged white fragment of bone pierced through flesh and skin as fresh blood shot out of the wound. The bloody scene made the girls watching cry out.


    Song Jianan looked at his fractured right hand, stupefied. His mind went nk, and the whole world was silent for a brief moment. He even forgot to feel the pain.


    It¡¯s broken?


    Is this my hand?


    The moment passed, and intense pain and unspeakable panic swept through his body like a rolling wave.


    ¡°AAAH!¡±


    A shrill scream resounded. Xiao Luo let go of Song Jianan, and he sank to the ground, clutching his right hand with his left. The only emotion that could be read in his eyes was a deep murky dread as his otherwise robust body trembled from shock.


    Fear was written on the faces of all watching. Who could have imagined that Xiao Luo would cripple Song Jianan¡¯s hand? How was this even possible? How could anyone have ever conceived of such a thing?


    The mixed martial arts club members¡¯ faces were ashen as they shivered in fear. Xiao Luo was a devil. Why did they have to go and provoke such a horrendous fiend?


    The fierce aura Xiao Luo was emanating chilled everyone at the training grounds. A pin-drop silence prevailed, and nobody dared speak or make a sound. Nobody even breathed too loudly. Xiao Luo, all by himself, had stunned the members of all the various clubs to the point of inaction.


    ¡°You devil¡­¡±


    The Taekwondo Association chairman, Wu Yunlong, broke out in a cold sweat. Hisplexion was already as white as a sheet.


    At that moment, a loud drumbeat of footsteps approaching could be heard.


    The English Language instructor, Qin Nanyu, and several security guards from the campus security department rushed onto the scene. They took everything in, especially the sight of Song Jianan crying out in pain in the ring. They all froze in ce like statues.


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, Teacher Qin.¡±


    Xiao Luo calmly and smoothly stepped out of the ring, as if the act itself was second nature for him.


    Qin Nanyu came to her senses and said in a voice that was close to a shriek, ¡°Take Song Jianan to the hospital now. Quickly!¡±


    Shaken back to consciousness from their stupor, two of the security guards swiftly carried Song Jianan away. The rest of the guards checked the conditions of the mixed martial arts club members who were lying on the ground.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, did you do all this?¡± Qin Nanyu asked. Her face was livid as she stared at the young man in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve caught me red-handed, so you wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I denied it,¡± Xiao Luoughed.


    The security guards who heard his reply inhaled sharply. One man had beaten up more than a hundred mixed martial arts club members. Where had this ruthless guye from?


    Furthermore, they were all well aware of Song Jianan¡¯s abilities. Although he was just a student, his power rivaled that of 5 guards put together. He was undoubtedly a beast in the form of a man. Now, that beast¡¯s hand was crushed. Even if it were repaired, the damage would likely leave severe andstingplications.


    Fearsome! Truly fearsome!


    Horrified, they looked at Xiao Luo, who stood upright like a pine tree, and terror gripped their hearts.

 Chapter 69 - The Depressed Headmaster

    <strong>Chapter 69: The Depressed Headmaster</strong>


    ¡°Boss, I say, you really are the boss. Did you transfer Xiao Luo to my school to protect your daughter or to beat up my students? One hundred and twenty-three minor injuries and 1 major injury¡ªwith a fractured wrist. Now that all of Huaye has heard about this, the consequences will be huge. The heads of the Education Bureau have even called me to ask if I still wish to retain my position as headmaster. If I don¡¯t, they told me to get lost. How am I supposed to reply to that?¡±


    In the headmaster¡¯s office, a man in his fifties was on the phone. He was extremely emotional and tapped on his desk while speaking. With each knock, the desk made loud rapping noises, and as he spoke, spittle flew everywhere.


    ¡°Hehehe! Don¡¯t get so worked up, Old Dong. Things aren¡¯t so bad that we can¡¯t salvage the situation,¡± Chu Yunxiongughed on the other end of the line. ¡°Anyway, I did some investigating for you, and that student from your school, Song Jianan, is a real piece of work. Starting gangs, bullying his fellow students¡ªgenerally really hateful stuff. I¡¯ve heard that Huaye¡¯s students feel relieved that he was beaten up.¡±


    ¡°Relieved! Bollocks!¡± Headmaster Dong scolded. ¡°You can say whatever you like because you¡¯re not in my shoes. Come,e,e. Let¡¯s trade positions. You be the headmaster of Huaye, and I¡¯ll be the boss of Chongshan House. How¡¯s that?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong did not know whether tough or to cry, so he replied, ¡°I can¡¯t be the headmaster. I¡¯m not as capable as you, Old Dong.¡±


    ¡°Quit your b*llshit!¡±


    Headmaster Dong hung up angrily and sank down in his soft armchair. He pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the pain from his migraine.


    ¡°Headmaster, how do we resolve this situation?¡± asked the male secretary carefully. ¡°The injured students¡¯ parents have asked us to punish the culprits severely.¡±


    ¡°What else can we do? We appease those who can be appeased and pay what needs to be paid. I¡¯ll get Chu Yunxiong to reimburse me for future lost funds,¡± Headmaster Dong replied.


    The male secretary said uneasily, ¡°If the parents are not satisfied and report this to the media, I fear that we will be in a difficult position.¡±


    ¡°Difficult position my a*s,¡± seethed Headmaster Dong. He was already furious, but his temper now reached a boiling point. ¡°Without proof on video, do you think they can tarnish our Huaye¡¯s reputation with their unfounded statements? What a joke. I can simply say that their sons suffered injuries because they were training too hard. We¡¯ll see who the public believes.¡±


    The male secretary could not help but wipe away his sweat. He was really beginning to suspect that the headmaster used to belong to the underworld. He was so high-handed that he¡¯d even called the parents¡¯ concerns ¡°unfounded statements.¡± You were the one making unfounded statements, thought the secretary. Trying to cover up a beating by saying the injuries came from training!


    Headmaster Dong suddenly looked up and asked, ¡°Oh right. What happened to that student, Song Jianan?¡±


    ¡°His hand has already been reattached. Thanks to timely medical treatment, he should recover within 2 to 3 months,¡± the male secretary answered. ¡°His mended hand should serve him well for everyday use, but not so much for martial arts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Headmaster Dong sighed in relief. ¡°What about his parents?¡±


    ¡°Song Jianan stubbornly refuses to inform his parents, and the contact numbers in the school¡¯s records are all out of service.¡±


    ¡°Heh. That kid still thinks he can act like a man. I¡¯ll find some time to go visit him!¡±


    Headmaster Dong¡¯s expression showed a shred of appreciation. The members of the mixed martial arts club were all adults, and he felt that adults had to take responsibility for their actions. Deep down, he despised kids who went to their parents for the smallest things. For instance, kicking up a big fuss over minor injuries like a sprained hand.


    ¡°Headmaster, about that Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    ¡°Call him in. I do want to see what kind of magical abilities this beast has,¡± Headmaster Dong fumed.


    ¡°Understood,¡± the male secretary acknowledged then left the office.


    Not long after, Xiao Luo arrived. He was apanied by his instructor, Qin Nanyu.


    Qin Nanyu was apprehensive. She lowered her head, afraid to meet Headmaster Dong¡¯s eyes. Guiltily, she admitted, ¡°Headmaster, this is all my fault for not properly managing the students. I take full me for this incident. I¡ª¡±


    Headmaster Dong cut her off with a wave. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he said. ¡°We can¡¯t me you for this. If anyone is to me, it¡¯s the one next to you, Xiao Luo.¡±


    As he spoke, he took a sip of hot tea.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This has nothing to do with Teacher Qin. I take full responsibility for my actions,¡± Xiao Luo agreed, standing up straighter.


    ¡°And how exactly do you intend to do that?¡± demanded Headmaster Dong angrily. His temper red, and he pped his desk and yelled, ¡°The heads of the Education Bureau, various major media outlets, and the parents of the students who were injured are all looking into this situation. If I let you go out there, they¡¯ll devour you in an instant. And yet, you say that you want to take responsibility. If it weren¡¯t for Chu¡­¡± Here, the headmaster stopped himself. He realized that Qin Nanyu was listening, so he swallowed the rest. Clearing his throat, he continued, ¡°Then, I would not even bother with you. I¡¯d just hand you over to the police.¡±


    Xiao Luo understood intuitively that Chu Yunxiong¡¯s connection here was not Qin Nanyu, but the man before him, Huaye¡¯s headmaster, Dong Zhenwu. It made sense. Getting him into Huaye was something that only the headmaster do easily. A mere instructor could not have pulled it off.


    ¡°I have reflected on my actions. Back in the army, I was kind of rowdy. I¡¯ll pay more attention in the future. I¡¯ll ept any punishment you decide to give me, Headmaster. A warning, disciplinary probation, whatever it is, I ept it.¡±


    Now that he had calmed down, Xiao Luo was quite good with his words. Making up some nonsense based on the background of his student persona, he provided Dong Zhenwu with a few easy options.


    A warning? Disciplinary probation? Do you really think that¡¯s the punishment you deserve after making such a mess?


    Dong Zhenwu was infuriated. This kind of brawl was entirely within the bounds of police intervention. Still, this kid wanted to keep everything within the scope of the school, which could mete out many kinds of punishment. However, Xiao Luo was not even a real student! Wasn¡¯t a punishment from the school the same thing as letting him get away scot-free?


    At this point, Qin Nanyu chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Headmaster, Xiao Luo just got a little rough. Why not¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡®A little rough? One man dueling with more than a hundred? That¡¯s more heated than what you see in the movies, and you¡¯re calling it ¡®a little rough¡¯?¡± Dong Zhenwu harrumphed. Then, turning toward Xiao Luo, he said, ¡°You¡¯re a real arrogant kid. Thanks to you, you¡¯ve brought this bag of old bones into the spotlight in front of the Education Bureau¡¯s leaders. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me, Headmaster, it was my pleasure,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a smile.


    Dong Zhenwu jumped to his feet, ring at Xiao Luo. ¡°You rotten brat. Do you really think I¡¯m praising you?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you?¡± Xiao Luo replied indifferently. He figured out that since Chu Yunxiong¡¯s instructions to Dong Zhenwu were to keep everything under wraps, he had nothing to worry about.


    You! @#£¤*&! Dong Zhenwu almost swore out loud but managed to swallow his profanity. He waved the visitors out impatiently while snapping, ¡°Get out, get out, get out. Submit a full reflective report in 3 days. If it¡¯s less than 5000 words, then I¡¯ll expel you myself!¡±


    If he had to deal with Xiao Luo any longer, he feared that his rage might trigger a heart attack.


    Xiao Luo turned to leave, while Qin Nanyu fled the office in embarrassment as if they¡¯d received some great pardon.


    ¡°You¡¯re letting him off so easily, Headmaster?¡± inquired the male secretary, puzzled.


    ¡°Every student in Huaye is like my own child. I treat them all equally and hope that they will grow and shine brightly as the pirs of our nation. Now that these events have unfolded, punishing Xiao Luo doesn¡¯t help anything. We¡¯d do better to concentrate on cleaning up the aftermath.¡±


    Dong Zhenwu lied through his teeth, making these just and dignified statements. He thought to himself, ¡°If Xiao Luo weren¡¯t a part of Chu Yunxiong¡¯s group, I¡¯d have him skinned alive.¡±

 Chapter 70 - Indiscreet Remarks

    <strong>Chapter 70: Indiscreet Remarks</strong>


    As he left the school¡¯s Administration Building, Xiao Luo heaved a long sigh of relief. He had thought he could be in deep trouble, but he¡¯d been worried over nothing. With Dong Zhenwu here as a backup, so long as he did not do anything drastic like murder someone, Dong Zhenwu would cover for him.


    Without a doubt, this also showed how much Chu Yunxiong valued him. At least, while he was protecting Chu Yue during this period, Chu Yunxiong remained willing to remove any obstacles in his path. In his heart, this reassured him that he had to do his best to protect Chu Yue.


    Ever since they¡¯d left the Administration Building, Qin Nanyu nagged him incessantly. She was trying to instill her principles in him and validate her justifications. Xiao Luo just let her teachings wash over him without any of it taking. As a polite fa?ade, he maintained a modest smile.


    Deep down, Xiao Luo had reason to smile. He had earned a whopping 10,000 points for the genius system and was sitting on a total of 30,001 points. Of course, he had no intention of immediately spending his points to redeem new abilities. While there was no harm in acquiring more abilities, redeeming skills he would not be using any time soon would simply be a waste of points. He also wanted to avoid an awkward situation where he needed a specific skill but did not have the points required to redeem it.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you have to keep in mind that you¡¯re no longer a soldier. You¡¯re a university student now, and sometimes you need to hold back your temper,¡± Qin Nanyu exhorted sincerely. ¡°Study hard, then take the civil service exam, join the workforce, or pursue further studies. You still have a long road ahead of you, so don¡¯t ruin your future during this transition period.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Teacher Qin!¡± Xiao Luo replied and smiled modestly.


    Seeing Xiao Luo¡¯s pleasant attitude, Qin Nanyu did not know what else to say. More importantly, her mouth was dry from all the talking, and she almost felt dehydrated. ¡°You should head back. I hope I won¡¯t be hearing about you getting involved in any more fights after this.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, then stuck his hands in his pockets and left.


    ¡°God, how did I end up having to deal with people like this?¡±


    Qin Nanyu, who was still standing in the same spot, patted herself on the forehead and shook her head, sighing. Her eyebrows were so furrowed that they almost twisted together. She had not gotten much rest over the past two days, thanks to the mess that Xiao Luo had made. She could feel herplexion starting to sallow and pimples popping up.


    ******


    Back at the dorm, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai crowded together closely.


    ¡°Brother Luo, did the headmaster do anything to you? Is the punishment expulsion or disciplinary probation?¡± asked Zhu Xiaofei anxiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s all our fault, Old Zhu. Let¡¯s go beg the headmaster for mercy,¡± suggested Ding Kai.


    Xiao Luo felt awkward, so he said while patting Ding Kai on the shoulder, ¡°Rx, everything is okay. You don¡¯t have to beg anyone for mercy.¡±


    Everything is okay?


    Zhu Xiaofei was sure that Xiao Luo was lying and retorted bitterly, ¡°My good Brother Luo, don¡¯t lie to us. You crippled Song Jianan¡¯s hand. There¡¯s no way the school will let you off without punishment.¡±


    Ding Kai nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice, and his face was full of worry.


    ¡°When have I ever lied to you guys?¡± Xiao Luo shook his head and sighed in exasperation. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m quite tired. I¡¯m going to go get some rest.¡±


    Having said this, he walked to his bed and promptly fell asleep.


    As they watched Xiao Luo nap with a calm andposed expression, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai looked at each other. They almost believed what Xiao Luo had said.


    ¡°Does Brother Luo have some powerful connections or something?¡± Zhu Xiaofei voiced his suspicions.


    Ding Kai rubbed his chin. He was deep in thought like Detective Conan.


    ¡­


    News of Xiao Luo single-handedly defeating the mixed martial arts club and crippling Song Jianan¡¯s hand rolled through the Huaye University campus like a storm. It was all the students had been talking about for the past few days. Many even felt relieved that it had happened. After all, Song Jianan had been too full of himself, and the mixed martial arts club was more like a gang, dishing out violence to whomever they wanted.


    At the same time, interest in Xiao Luo was piqued. The boys wanted to see him in action with their own eyes. Someone had leaked that, not only was Xiao Luo an exceptional fighter, he had a fantastic talent for ser. He was able to turn ordinary ser balls into fireballs like in the movie ¡®Shaolin Ser.¡¯


    The girls, on the other hand, were curious about Xiao Luo for different reasons. Many had abandoned their old celebrity crushes and made Xiao Luo into their new male idol. There were already more than a thousand posts on the thread in the school forum about him, making it the most active of all the threads.


    ¡°What¡¯s the story behind this pretentious d*ck? How did beat up more than a hundred mixed martial arts club members and walk away unharmed?¡±


    Chu Yue sat in her dorm room, staring at herptop screen without blinking and sucking on a lollipop. She had attractive features with a light, dewyplexion. She looked beautiful, no matter her expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m somewhat curious, too,¡± Bai Ling said thoughtfully, then she began her analysis. ¡°The school¡¯s records show that hees from an average family, so there should be nothing noteworthy there. If anything¡¯s amiss, I suppose it¡¯s his time in the army. Still, he served in a military region in Jingcheng, where there should be nothing out of the ordinary, either.¡±


    ¡°This guy is a mystery!¡± Chu Yue pouted, resting her chin on both hands.


    When she¡¯d first heard that Xiao Luo had beaten up all the entire mixed martial arts club, she had not believed it. No matter how strong someone was, there was no way anyone could beat more than a hundred people alone. As Grandpa Mao used to say, ¡®There is strength in numbers.¡¯ If Xiao Luo could thrash that many people, maybe he was the reincarnation of the legendary warrior, Lu Bu?


    Bai Ling nodded in agreement. ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡­


    In this era of explosive information, any talking point quickly bes old news, and Xiao Luo¡¯s fight with the mixed martial arts club was no exception. Soon enough, Huaye¡¯s student body found new hot topics to discuss, like a celebrity¡¯s extramarital affair, or an earthquake that had urred somewhere. In any event, everyone¡¯s attention gradually drifted elsewhere.


    It was time for choir practice again.


    Huang Ruoran was on the verge of tears because her ss of English Language majors still could not sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ in harmony, and thepetition was only a week away. What really crushed her spirits was that the neighboring ss, which consisted of Measurement and Control Technology majors, was also singing ¡®Yellow River.¡¯ While their singing was average, their harmonizing and enthusiasm far exceeded that of her ss.


    Comparing the two was likeparing heaven and hell when, unfortunately, her ss was thetter!


    It would have been fine if there had been no one for them to bepared to. But now, the English Language majors felt humiliated. They wanted to sing well, but no matter how hard they tried, they were not in sync. They simply could not sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ with the oomph it required.


    Just then, the ss monitor from the Measurement and Control Technology majors came over. He was a boy in sses who looked neat and refined.


    ¡°Ruoran, I suggest you choose another song. Singing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ requires men¡¯s roaring voices. It¡¯s not very suitable for girls. It sounds too feminine. If you choose to perform this song at thepetition, then there is no way you can expect a good result.¡±


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s expression instantly sank as she replied, ¡°Zhao Shijie, I don¡¯t interfere with your practice, so don¡¯t interfere with mine. Why did youe over here to disparage me?¡±

 Chapter 71 - I Say Theyre Trash

    <strong>Chapter 71: I Say They¡¯re Trash</strong>


    The ss monitor from the Measurement and Control Faculty, Zhao Shijie, replied in a serious tone, ¡°Ruoran, I¡¯m only telling you this since I know you. You girls are really not suited to singing ¡®Yellow River.¡¯ No matter how hard you practice, you just can¡¯t bring out the song¡¯s true essence.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? It sounds like you¡¯re purposely finding fault with us.¡±


    ¡°Thepetition hasn¡¯t even started, so it¡¯s too early for you to be this cocky.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, you never know what will happen. We might end up ranking higher than you! When that happens, we¡¯ll see who gets thestugh!¡±


    Girls were generally conservative, and these girls, who were majoring in English, all heavily criticized Zhao Shijie when they heard hisments.


    Zhao Shijie felt awkward. Although he had experience making jokes in English, he thought that he had been sincere with hisments. After all, the Measurement and Control Faculty was filled with guys, so he often felt like he was in a monastery. If he could get along well with the girls from the English Department, he¡¯d be able to help many of the guys in this major hook up, including himself!


    He wouldn¡¯t dare dream of winning the heart of the campus belle, Chu Yue. However, he was confident that he could score with the ss monitor, Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Hey, beauties, I¡¯m serious. I really want to help you girls out. How about this. Since you all insist on singing ¡®Yellow River,¡¯ I can get Qiu Liang, a member of the Literature and Art Committee who¡¯s in our ss to coach you? He is a singing prodigy and was the main vocalist in a band that he formed back in high school. If I get him to coach you, then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll master ¡®Yellow River¡¯ in no time.¡±


    Suspicion was written all over the girls¡¯ faces. The Measurement and Control Department was their Department¡¯s rival, and they found it odd that the boys were offering to help them.


    ¡°Your name is Zhao Shijie, right? Just what is it exactly that you¡¯re trying to sell us?¡± Chu Yue couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    She was wearing a white t-shirt and tight blue jeans that showed off her long, slender legs. Her bright and refined face, curly eyshes, delicate nose, and tiny lips were simply unreal.


    Not knowing whether tough or cry when she said his name, Zhao Shijie answered, ¡°Princess Yue, I¡¯m not selling you anything. I simply want to help you.¡±


    Every student at Huaye knew who Chu Yue was and addressed her as ¡®Princess Yue.¡¯


    ¡°Why would you be so kind-hearted?¡± Chu Yue demanded, ring at him.


    ¡°To be honest, it is pretty normal for a guy to help a girl. Besides, I am friends with Ruoran, so helping all of you is as good as helping her,¡± Zhao Shijie said with his arms spread wide.


    Huang Ruoran thought about this for a second then replied, ¡°Alright, ask Qiu Liang toe. If he can solve our singing problems, then I, Huang Ruoran, will owe you a favor.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done. Hehe¡­¡±


    Zhao Shijie was exhrated. He had finally seized an opportunity. The mere thought of the delicate girls from the English Department triggered his inner beast, causing passion to heat up his blood. He signaled to his peers and shouted, ¡°Qiu Liang, get over here!¡±


    A rather handsome guy walked over. His overall appearance gave off a sense of coziness. The only downside to his looks was that he appeared rather snobbish. Looking at him, one felt like he would act all high and mighty.


    As soon as Qiu Liang came over, he spoke as if he were a senior teacher. ¡°I heard you girls singing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ from over there. You¡¯re awful. Your tone is either too high or too low, and you¡¯re entirely out of sync. Pardon me for being straightforward, but you¡¯re all just a bunch of untalented muggles.¡±


    Hearing these words angered the girls from the English Department, but they held it in. After all, their singing was not really up to standard, and they needed all the help they could get.


    ¡°I¡¯ll assist each one of you in improving your singing right now. We¡¯ll start with you.¡±


    Qui Liang stood next to An Huanhuan, who was in at the far-right corner, andmanded, ¡°Sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ from start to finish.¡±


    ¡°Sing?¡± An Huanhuan blinked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes, sing,¡± Qiu Liang replied.


    An Huanhuan didn¡¯t want to be a burden, so she bit the bullet and began singing: ¡°The wind is roaring, the horses are shouting. Yellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop! Your pitch is too high. Lower it,¡± Qiu Liang instructed, interrupting.


    An Huanhuan adjusted her tone and sang on: ¡°The wind is roaring¡­¡±


    ¡°Still too high! Try again!¡± Qiu Liang interrupted again.


    An Huanhuan was furious, but for the sake of the department¡¯s reputation, she held it in, cleared her throat, and sang again.


    After six tries, she finally met Qiu Liang¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°We all took music lessons from Elementary to High School, so what went wrong with you? Did your Physical Fitness teacher teach you to sing or something?¡± Qiu Liang remarked snidely.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    An Huanhuan¡¯s face was red with anger. She gritted her teeth and red at Qiu Liang.


    ¡°Huanhuan!¡±


    Huang Ruoran called out, telling her not to start a fight with Qiu Liang. Though An Huanhuan was angry, she decided to restrain herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s too low. What do you think you are? A subwoofer?¡±


    ¡°What are you singing? Is that how you are supposed to sing this line?¡±


    ¡°You are one of the worst female singers I¡¯ve evere across! Are you singing or just memorizing lyrics?¡±


    Qiu Liang criticized every girl in the English faculty until all their faces went red with anger. Everyone began having their doubts and wondered if their singing was really that bad.


    Zhao Shijie looked at the cocky Qiu Liang. His eyebrows began to furrow. In his heart, he was secretly scolding his peer: Qiu Liang, do you still want to find a girlfriend from the English Department? Just unt your skills a little, and that¡¯s it! Right now, you¡¯re going totally overboard and insulting all thedies. Are you a fool?


    Zhao Shijie coughed a couple of times in an attempt to signal as much to Qiu Liang.


    However, Qiu Liang was wholly oblivious and high on his musical superiority and might. He was sure that he looked really cool and that he had attained the status of a male god in the eyes of these girls. Then, all of a sudden, he realized there were three empty seats. Pointing at the three vacant chairs, he eximed, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Those seats belong to the three guys in our ss,¡± Huang Ruoran exined. For the sake of increasing her department¡¯s singing standards, this was the third time she checked her anger at Qiu Liang.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they here?¡± Qiu Liang asked in a roaring voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the male dorms are quite a long way from here? Surely, it takes them more time to get here,¡± Huanhuan shot back, crossing her arms on her hips.


    Qiu Liang crooned, ¡°Is that a valid reason? No wonder your singing standards are so low. If you can¡¯t even get everyone here on time, then how can you expect to sing well?¡±


    Seeing the girls ring at him, Qiu Liang finally realized he had gone overboard. It was time for him to backtrack and curry favor. Hence, in a reverent tone, he said, ¡°Actually, you girls sang fine. These three ck sheep are the ones whock any sort of responsibility and honor. I say that they are the real trash and rat sh*t here. Does anyone disagree?¡±


    He was afraid to offend the girls but could care less about the guys.


    After hearing this, all the girls were shocked. They were all thinking: Is Qiu Liang from Mars? Doesn¡¯t he realize that he¡¯s referring to the Hero Luo Trio and calling them trash and rat sh*t? Is he asking for a free one-way ticket to hell?


    ¡°ss Monitor, we¡¯re here!¡±


    Just then, Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s voice rang out in the distance.

 Chapter 72 - Fool

    Chapter 72: Fool


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo was at the front, while Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai followed behind. The three of them walked in slowly.


    Xiao Luo the Fiend?


    The faces of Zhao Shijie and the boys from the Measurement and Control Department paled in an instant. In Huaye, Xiao Luo had an even bigger reputation than Chu Yue. It was possible not to recognize Chu Yue, but there was no way anybody wouldn¡¯t identify Xiao Luo. He was a monster who had single-handedly beaten every member of the mixed martial arts club to a pulp.


    Qiu Liang nced at Xiao Luo. Then, he turned to the girls in the English Department and asked, ¡°Are these the three rat sh*ts from your ss who arete?¡±


    Hiss¡­


    As soon as Zhao Shijie and the Measurement and Control Department students heard that, they inhaled some cold air, and their faces turned green. To think that they had called Xiao Luo the Fiend a rat sh*! Were they tired of living?


    As if they were looking at a fool, the girls examined Qiu Liang. A slight, sly smile appeared on Chu Yue¡¯s bright red lips. She asked, ¡°Hey, do you know the guy at the front?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t!¡± Qiu Liang replied, shaking his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s Xiao Luo,¡± Chu Yue answered, putting on a yful smile.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    Qiu Liang frowned. Furrowing his brows, he thought about it for a second then said, ¡°Is he really good at singing or his studies? Why should I know who he is?¡±


    ¡°Are you from the school of ¡®not-browsing-forums¡¯?¡± Even Bai Ling had to say something at this point.


    ¡°I put all my time and effort into writing music. My dream is to be a singer, like Xu Song. When would I have time to browse the school forums?¡±


    Qiu Liang snorted in disdain. He wanted to unt his superiority so that the girls would know that he was doing something noble, and he hoped that this would change their perspective of him. He turned his back on the three guys walking in and shouted, ¡°Why are the three of you taking your sweet time? Come over here, quickly! You have brought down the singing standards of the entire choir!¡±


    The easiest way to look cool in front of the girls was to reprimand others. Qiu Liang felt good about himself. In his mind, the girls were all looking at him with admiration.


    ¡°Qiu Liang, simmer down!¡±


    Zhao Shijie quickly attempted to stop this fool, whispering into his ear, ¡°The guy walking right at the front is Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s Zhang Luo or Ma Luo! Right now, we are in the middle of rehearsal, and everyone has to listen to me,¡± Qiu Liang said, stopping him mid-sentence. He had a lot of confidence and wanted to continue walking down this path of making these girls fall head-over-heels with him.


    Just then, Xiao Luo, Zhu Xiaofei, and Ding Kai finally arrived.


    Zhu Xiaofei dug into his nostrils and asked Huang Ruoran: ¡°ss monitor, who is this guy? Why is he giving us orders?¡±


    ¡°This is Qiu Liang. I invited him to coach us and improve the overall standards of our choir,¡± Huang Ruoran exined.


    ¡°Ah, so he¡¯s here to help us. I¡¯m sorry. My name is Zhu Xiaofei, and I¡¯ll be counting on you,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said. He walked up and gave Qiu Liang a warm handshake.


    Qiu Liang refused to shake his hand, maintaining his cold attitude. Otherwise, the image he had built up would have all been for nothing. Instead, he reprimanded, ¡°Stop being presumptuous! Being in the choir is no joke. Since you¡¯rete, I¡¯ll make you sing the song five times as punishment!¡±


    ¡°Ah? Come on. Let¡¯s not do that. There are so many people here. You¡¯re putting us on the spot,¡± Zhu Xiaofei replied as he looked around his surroundings.


    Ding Kai added, ¡°Let us off this time. We rushed here as quickly as we could. It¡¯s not like we werete on purpose.¡±


    ¡°No way. You have to be punished for beingte. The three of you stand right at the front and face the girls. Sing five things. Nothing less!¡± Qiu Liangmanded in a severe tone while raising his head.


    Xiao Luo giggled a little and said candidly, ¡°Apologies, but I won¡¯t be singing!¡±


    Disregarding the fact that he wasn¡¯t keen on joining thepetition in the first ce, Qiu Liang¡¯s order was way too much. Making the three of them sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ in front of the girls from the English Department was equivalent to was treating them like clowns or national treasures that had to be ced right up front under a ring spotlight.


    He was clearly trying to humiliate them, and Xiao Luo was having none of it.


    ¡°You have to be punished for beingte. If everyone were like you, we may as well just not practice and tell the school you¡¯re dropping out,¡± Qiu Liang responded.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered with him and simply walked back to his seat.


    Looking at Xiao Luo, who waspletely ignoring him, Qiu Liang felt like the bravado he had built up took a severe hit. He was furious and shouted, ¡°Rat sh*t! You are nothing but rat sh*t! If this ss is a pot of soup, you¡¯re ruining it. This pot filled with wonderful students from the English Department!¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Zhao Shijie and the students from the Measurement and Control Department breathed in more cold air while breaking into a cold sweat for Qiu Liang.


    An Huanhuan couldn¡¯t stand seeing Xiao Luo insulted. She stood up angrily and said to Qiu Liang, ¡°Are you done with your scolding? It doesn¡¯t even bother us. So why is some guy from another department getting his panties in such a twist? The emperor is not in a hurry, so why is the eunuch? Are you a eunuch?¡±


    Once An Huanhuan took the lead in pushing back, all of the other girls, who had been burning with anger since earlier, began to revolt.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We invited you here to increase our choir¡¯s overall standards, not to scold us!¡±


    ¡°We might be bad at singing, but we¡¯re all making an effort, so can¡¯t you show us some respect when you coach us?¡±


    ¡°Scolding and reprimanding us as you please. What do you take us for?¡±


    Huang Ruoran did not stop anyone this time around. She felt that Qiu Liang was abusing his authority. If she didn¡¯t be at least a little bit angry after seeing the boys in her ss being unfairly scolded, that would mean that the sscked unity, which would say a lot about the students in the English Department.


    Qiu Liang hadn¡¯t expected all this opposition, so he took out his trump card and shouted, ¡°Do you all still want to sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯?¡±


    Everyone fell silent when he said that.


    They all had the same goal of wanting to sing well, and Qiu Liang, who stood in front of them, was a real-deal musician. If he taught them, there was no doubt their singing abilities would reach new heights.


    After shaking up the English Department, Qiu Liangughedcently as he said: ¡°Seems like you all still want to sing ¡®Yellow River,¡¯ after all. If you want to sing it well, then you have to listen to me. Otherwise, I can leave now, and you all will¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave then! We don¡¯t need you!¡± a faint voice was heard saying.


    Everyone turned their heads, dumbfounded by what Xiao Luo had just said. Although they disliked Qiu Liang, if he were to leave, the entire choir would be in trouble.


    Qiu Liang looked a bit stunned. ring, he said: ¡°Your ss monitor isn¡¯t saying anything. Who do you think you are to speak on behalf of the entire English Department?¡±


    Zhao Shijie was nervous and felt like he was going to have a heart attack. He walked over, trying to knock some sense into Qiu Liang, and scolded him, ¡°Qiu Liang, you fool! That is Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo, the monster who single-handedly beat up everyone in the mixed martial arts club a few days ago. Are you really unaware, or are you just pretending not to know? Can¡¯t you speak nicely?¡±


    He was crazy. If he had known earlier that he was going to make aplete fool of himself, he would never have agreed to help the girls improve their singing.


    The situation looked terrible now. Not only had he failed to foster good rtions between the two departments, but he had also offended Xiao Luo the Fiend. If they upset Xiao Luo to the point that he dealt with the entire Measurement and Control Department the same way that he had with the mixed martial arts club, they would be in big trouble.

 Chapter 73 - Training

    Chapter 73: Training


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThis¡­was this him?


    A chill ran down Qiu Liang¡¯s spine. If he had only heard Xiao Luo¡¯s name, then there would have been no spark of recognition in his mind. But hearing the words ¡®mixed martial arts club,¡¯ he was able to recall a significant incident that had happened a few days before at Huaye. It was said that a particr person from the school had challenged more than a hundred mixed martial arts club members to a fight. Not only had he won, but he managed to cripple the hand of the club¡¯s president, Song Jianan.


    All of a sudden, this guy was now right before his eyes. The very same one who had shocked all of Huaye during that fight. More importantly, all this time, Qiu Liang had been scolding Xiao Luo, calling him ¡®rat sh*t¡¯ and ¡®trash.¡¯


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Qiu Liang swallowed his saliva, hard. Every one of his pores oozed sweat in fear. Gosh, what luck! All he wanted was to act cool in front of the girls, yet he had somehow provoked this dude.


    Jus then, Huang Ruoran stepped out and said to Qiu Liang and Zhao Shijie, ¡°Although I really want to upgrade the standards of our ss choir, I just cannot stand your attitude any longer.¡± ring at Qiu Liang, she continued, ¡°There is no doubt about it. Singing is your forte. But that doesn¡¯t give you the right to chastise us as you wish. We are a ss, and if you scold one of us, then you¡¯re disrespecting us all. We will not allow that, so you can take that attitude and leave. No matter how badly we may sing, we no longer want your guidance.¡±


    What? What was happening? Was Ruoran actually siding with Xiao Luo?


    All of the girls were in shock. Everyone knew that they were rivals, and whenever they met, conflicts were bound to arise. It was unimaginable that, this time, Huang Ruoran would actually side with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and nced at Huang Ruoran with an unexpected look.


    ¡°Go. Just go. I can¡¯t watch this anymore. I can¡¯t believe that you scolded Brother Luo.¡±


    As Xiao Luo¡¯s faithful brainless goon, Zhu Xiaofei had flipped out when Qiu Liang had ordered him around and called Xiao Luo ¡®rat sh*t.¡¯


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Qiu Liang¡¯s reputation hit rock bottom. He was furious. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Wait till youe in deadst in thepetition. You will regret it then!¡±


    After dropping that ruthless threat, he left.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Xiao Luo stepped forward with a cold look on his face.


    Zhao Shijie shivered. He was worried that Xiao Luo would make trouble. Smiling, he said, ¡°Brother Luo, I would like to apologize on his behalf. He didn¡¯t mean to insult you, so please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not trying to stir up any trouble. As the saying goes, ¡®as incense is to Buddha, so dignity is to a person.¡¯ So, he predicts that we will get thest ce in thepetition? But what if we finish higher than his ss? What will he do then?¡±


    Earlier, when An Huanhuan and the other girls had stepped forward and spoken up on his behalf, Xiao Luo had felt a surge of warmth. This was the collective sense of honor, which he believed had been missing for a long time. He kept thinking he wasn¡¯t a proper student. Usually, he excluded himself from student activities. But this time, for the sake of his ss¡¯ pride, he decided to speak out.


    The English major girls were shocked. The students from the Measurement and Control Department¡¯s choir sang ¡®Yellow River,¡¯ and their singing was incredible. It wasn¡¯t just good, it was actually amazing. It was organized, loud, and gave off the feeling of leading an army¡¯s charge forward with fearless momentum. Yet, the English Department couldn¡¯t even sing in tune. What hope did they have topete?


    ¡°He was just joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    Zhao Shijieughed awkwardly, knowing that he had messed with a ruthless guy. This time, they had really done it, and Xiao Luo was ready to deal with them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you. I asked him,¡± Xiao Luo shot back, looking at Qiu Liang.


    It wasn¡¯t that Qiu Liang was holding back. If it had been anyone else, he would have already retaliated. But now, Xiao Luo was the fiercer party, so he didn¡¯t dare talk back.


    ¡°Say something. If our ss ces better than yours, then what are you going to do?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was aggressive. He was not a saint. Anyway, he was already not in the mood to practice singing, and Qiu Liang had only made him even unhappier. Now that Qiu Liang had pissed him off, it was time for him to piss off Qiu Liang right back.


    Qiu Liang gave it his all. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°If you guys ce better than us, then I will run onep around the school naked!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t terrified of Xiao Luo¡¯s threat because he simply did not believe that the students from the English Department were capable of doing better than his ss.


    ¡°Well, now that you¡¯ve said it, it¡¯s been recorded for evidence.¡±


    Xiao Luo proceeded to take out his phone and y a recording of what Qiu Liang had just said.


    Hero Luo was serious about this?!


    The girls from the English Department exchanged nces. They knew where they stood. How could they go up against the students from the Measurement and Control Department and win?


    ¡°I hope you will keep your word,¡± Xiao Luo said,ughing as he walked back to join the rest of the students from the English Department.


    ¡°If you guys lose, there should be a punishment too! That¡¯s the only way this can be fair,¡± Qiu Liang piped up courageously.


    Zhao Shijie really wished he could kick this guy to death. He grabbed him by the cor and shouted, ¡°You idiot! Just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Bargaining with Xiao Luo guaranteed a few days¡¯ stay in the hospital¡ªjust like Song Jianan.


    ¡°Since we are betting, then there should be consequences for both parties. Otherwise, it¡¯s not a real bet!¡±


    Qiu Liang red at Xiao Luo, who was not as unreasonable as he had thought. Instead, he had nothing to be afraid of. Now he felt that, if news of this incident were to get out to the rest of the school, he would instantly be popr.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true too.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and suggested, ¡°If we lose, then how about I run onep around school naked. How about that?¡±


    Eh?


    The girls were in shock. Just the image of Xiao Luo running around the school naked was enough to make them go red.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Qiu Liang got excited. As long as he could make Xiao Luo run around naked, he would definitely be a famous personality on campus.


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°I just want to let you know beforehand. If we win, and you break the deal, then I will make sure you are hospitalized for a few days.¡±


    Hearing this sent chills down Zhao Shijie¡¯s spine. He wasn¡¯t sure why Xiao Luo¡¯s smile looked so much like the devil¡¯s.


    Qiu Liang¡¯s heart thumped, but he knew that his ss¡¯s singing was considerably better than the English Department¡¯s. He assured Xiao Luo once again, ¡°I will definitely not go back on my word. Of course, I hope you won¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled calmly.


    After Zhao Sijie and Qiu Liang left, the girls swarmed together.


    ¡°Hey, pretentious d*ck! You know what our singing standards are, don¡¯t you? You really are a pretentious d*ck!¡± Chu Yue said.


    ¡°Hero Luo, I don¡¯t want you running around naked. Your entire being belongs to me, including your body. I don¡¯t like it when other girls look at you!¡± An Huanhuan said affectionately.


    Meanwhile, most of the girls were thinking that Xiao Luo was very irrational. Wasn¡¯t he just a little bit tyrannical?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you do have a n, right?¡± Huang Ruoran asked out of the blue.


    Everyone went quiet and looked at Xiao Luo eagerly.


    ¡°So, the n is, I¡¯m going to train all of you.¡± At this point, Xiao Luo had already exchanged five hundred points for one point of musical talent.


    ¡°Train?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei smiled frivolously and said, ¡°Right, right, right. Brother Luo¡¯s going to train us all. Hahaha!¡±


    Emphasizing the word ¡®train,¡¯ he seemed to be subtly hinting at something.


    The girls red at him.


    ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, are you asking for a beating?¡±


    Chu Yue kicked, and the other girls quickly followed suit. They were all out of control.


    ¡°Brother Luo, Kaizi. Please, help me!¡± Zhu Xiaofei cradled his face and shouted for help.


    Xiao Luo pretended that he couldn¡¯t see and nced in another direction.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve for being rude.¡± Ding Kai also ignored himpletely.

 Chapter 74 - Conducting the Choir

    Chapter 74: Conducting the Choir


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter around ten minutes, Zhu Xiaofei had been thoroughly beaten by the girls in the English Language major. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were a mess, and he looked like a copy of ¡®Brother Sharp,¡¯ the famous Chinese beggar. Seeming as if he were about to cry, he returned to stand in his original position.


    Xiao Luo redeemed the musical talent ability, and his senses underwent a dramatic change.


    ¡°Ding! Musical talent allows the host to quickly acquire a high standard of musical ability, including but not limited to proficiency ying musical instruments, songwriting, the ability to conduct a band or choir, and so on,¡± sounded the system notification in his mind.


    Xiao Luo began to regret epting Chu Yunxiong¡¯s assignment. If he¡¯d known that the Genius System without Equal was so ridiculously powerful, he would not have toe to Huaye to attend boring sses. With his musical talent alone, he could have made a fortune writing songs.


    However, since he had made an agreement, he would properly carry out his job!


    ¡°Xiao Luo, do you really have a way of improving our singing?¡± Huang Ruoran asked quietly. Ever since Xiao Luo had rescued her from some hooligans, she no longer disliked him. In fact, she felt an inexplicable affection for him. No matter what he did or said, she found it pleasing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. Let¡¯s get everyone to take it again from the top,¡± Xiao Luo said, stepping forward.


    Huang Ruoran nodded, then addressed the ss, ¡°Everyone, in your positions. Let¡¯s sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ one more time.¡±


    With Xiao Luo at the helm conducting, everyone was most cooperative. Even though nobody knew on what basis Xiao Luo had the expertise to train them, he seemed to inspire people naturally, giving them great hope. The girls became much more optimistic and confident about the uing singingpetition.


    Xiao Luo shut his eyes, focusing his attention on what he heard. When everyone finished singing, he opened his eyes again and began to correct them. ¡°Old Zhu, you have a loud, sonorous voice, which is your strong point. Keep working at it. However, you sang one part incorrectly. The verse ¡®the wind is howling¡¯ should be sung neatly and sharply, but you were dragging the note at the end.¡±


    Everybody was stunned. They had all sung together. So, how had Xiao Luo picked out Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s voice from the entire group and his mistakes on top of that?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s attention shifted as he continued, ¡°Kaizi, there should be a rest between each line during the part where you sing ¡®defend¡¯ four times. You¡¯re neglecting to rest, which means that you are rushing, which affects the overall unity of the group.¡±


    For the second time, everyone was shocked. He was also pointing out Ding Kai¡¯s errors?


    Even before the ss regained theirposure, Xiao Luo turned his focus to Chu Yue. He sternly said, ¡°Chu Yue, for the word ¡®roaring¡¯ in the verse ¡®the Yellow River is roaring,¡¯ the first and second instances of the word ¡®roaring¡¯ should be sung differently. The pitch should grow higher and higher, as the song needs to have some ups and downs.¡±


    Having exined Chu Yue¡¯s singing mistakes, Xiao Luo looked at Bai Ling. Without pausing, he said, ¡°Bai Ling, you sang the verse ¡®in the mountains¡¯ incorrectly. Your tone should get more robust here, but now it sounds t.¡±


    ¡°An Huanhuan, the song speeds up at the verse ¡®raising up the rifles.¡¯ Since you aren¡¯t keeping up with the tempo, it affects the group¡¯s overall unity.¡±


    ¡°Wang Lingling, you messed up the line ¡®the hills west of the river are vast.''¡±


    ¡­


    By the time Xiao Luo had finished pointing out the mistakes made by every student in the ss, they were all looking at him like he was an alien. To point out one or two errors from listening to them sing all at once would be rtively normal, but this situation was not that. Xia Luo had actually managed urately and precisely to identify every singer¡¯s ws. How was he doing it?


    ¡°The lyrics of ¡®Yellow River¡¯ use the actual Yellow River as a metaphor to praise the fighting spirit of our revolutionary forefathers. The way we sing it together should also capture the feeling of rolling waves through a robust back-and-forth between the treble and bass singers. Now, the singers with high and low voices are all mixed up, so we need to reorganize the group¡¯s formation.¡±


    Xiao Luo was like a master, carefully offering his guidance. He arranged the treble girls into two rows with Chu Yue as their lead. Simrly, he formed two rows for the bass with Ding Kai as the lead.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s sing it again. This time, as you sing, remember to correct the issues I pointed out earlier.¡± Xiao Luo returned to the front of the formation, and his eyes bright and focused.


    The group subconsciously nodded in acknowledgment, and with a wave of his hand, they started singing again.


    The effects were pronounced. When they sang this time, it was the most in sync the group had ever been. One listening could indeed get the feeling of rolling waves. The shift was slight, but it was there.


    Huang Ruoran was dumbfounded. She could not believe that Xiao Luo had these kinds of skills. If only she¡¯d let Xiao Luo take the reins earlier, then they would not have wasted their time on so many futile rehearsals.


    Chu Yue¡¯s mouth fell open slightly, and she looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief. She hade to see another side of Xiao Luo. She had never recognized anyone as being superior to her. Still, Xiao Luo was the first man whom she saw as her better. From the bottom of her heart, she was filled with admiration for him.


    ¡°Brother Luo! Oh my good Brother Luo, you are truly a genius! From your instructions alone, our choir¡¯s standards have been raised to the next level. It seems like that Qiu Liang will really have to go and run around naked. Hahaha!¡± Zhu Xiaofei guffawed,


    ¡°Stop licking Brother Luo¡¯s boots!¡± Ding Kai shot back righteously. ¡°Is Brother Luo a genius? Of course not. There¡¯s no way he is a genius.¡±


    Just when everyone was wondering why Ding Kai was trying to put down Xiao Luo, he reversed the tide unexpectedly. He spoke with awe, ¡°Brother Luo is a god among men, and he can do anything. Only the title of ¡®god¡¯ is appropriate for Brother Luo.¡±


    Title of ¡®god,¡¯ your mom!


    All the girls ss cursed him silently.


    Zhu Xiaofei immediately retorted angrily, ¡°Get out of here! You call me a boot-licker, then turn around and start kissing his a*s. It looks like I should start calling you ¡®Kiss-a*s Ding¡¯ instead of Kaizi.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    The girls were amused by this exchange and could not hold back theirughter.


    Huang Ruoran pped her hands together to quiet everyone down. ¡°Okay, okay, stop messing around and listen to what Xiao Luo has to say.¡±


    The ss monitor¡¯s authority quickly silenced the room.


    Xiao Luo gathered his thoughts then said, ¡°Singing in harmony as a group is only the first step. The next step is singing in a round. We will sing the four ¡®defend together¡¯ parts in a round with the ¡®wind is howling.¡¯ It¡¯s straightforward, and the back row just needs to start singing one bar after the front row starts. Let¡¯s try it now.¡±


    My God, how many tricks did Xiao Luo have up his sleeve?


    The girls looked at Xiao Luo with respect.


    After they tried singing in a round, Xiao Luo was satisfied. ¡°Every choir needs a conductor, but to perform ¡®Yellow River,¡¯ we also need a narrator.¡±


    ¡°Hero Luo, what¡¯s a narrator?¡± An Huanhuan asked curiously.


    ¡°Before we all start singing, the narrator has a monologue to help the audience to understand the meaning of ¡®Yellow River,''¡± Xiao Luo exined. ¡°How about this. I¡¯ve decided to make Huang Ruoran the conductor. She has a natural air of authority that canmand everybody¡¯s attention, so the role is perfect for her. As for the narrator, I think Chu Yue should do it. A narrator needs to be passionate and expressive to excite the listeners, and her voice has these qualities.¡±

 Chapter 75 - Strong Killing Intent

    Chapter 75: Strong Killing Intent


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioUnder Xiao Luo¡¯s guidance, the English Language majors fully dedicated themselves to singing practice, and they were more enthusiastic than ever before. At the same time, astounded by his talents, they practically began to worship Xiao Luo.


    Since thepetition was only a week away, Xiao Luo made the ss go through intensive training. Aside from attending sses and taking their meals, the rest of their time was devoted to rehearsal. Everyone felt a sense of fulfillment during these few days, which brought them pure joy while also deepening their friendships and strengthening the bonds of their ss.


    ******


    One afternoon, Xiao Luo received a call from a stranger. It was a man who¡¯d seen his listing for a Swiss Omega watch on the inte and wanted to buy it for his girlfriend. The man even arranged a meeting point along the national highway in the suburbs.


    Xiao Luo was uneasy about the meeting point that the man had selected. It was far from the city, about an hour away by taxi. Moreover, the area was a deeply forested, and it had a frightening name ¨C Wild Boar Ridge.


    Meeting in such a ce to conduct business made it feel like they were doing something illegal!


    However, the man has his reasons. He exined that he was a resident in one of the county towns under the jurisdiction of Jiangcheng but did not live in the city district. Hence, the proposed location was apromise so that both parties could meet halfway and show their sincerity in making the deal.


    ¡°This guy is shrewd,¡± Zhu Xiaofei praised the man after hearing the details. ¡°By choosing to meet along the national highway at Wild Boar Ridge, he can save half of his travel expenses.¡±


    Ding Kai furrowed his brow, then voiced his thoughts out loud, ¡°Brother Luo¡¯s watch is going for 59,999. If he can afford that much, why can¡¯t he afford to travel further? I¡¯m afraid he might have bad intentions and is luring Brother Luo there to rob him.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. Kaizi has a point, and we can¡¯t rule out that possibility,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said as his expression tensed up. ¡°Brother Luo, as a precaution, you should ask him to meet at our school.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head as he took out the watch from a drawer. ¡°I finally managed to find someone interested in buying this watch. Since he¡¯s invited me to meet there, I¡¯ll y along. Even if he really does have bad intentions, we¡¯ll see if he can snatch the watch from my hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Brother Luo is so good at fighting. Anyone who tries anything funny will get beaten up,¡± Zhu Xiaofei agreed.


    Ding Kai looked at him disdainfully. ¡°Do you have your own opinions, or are you just going to keep flip-flopping?¡±


    ¡°Piss off! I¡¯m Brother Luo¡¯s die-hard fan!¡± Zhu Xiaofei proudly patted his chest.


    Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly.


    Later that afternoon, Xiao Luo gged a taxi and rushed off to the meeting point.


    Half an hourter, the taxi arrived. The driver was a young man in his thirties. As he took in their surroundings (Wild Boar Ridge was practically a virgin forest), the driver shuddered and asked, ¡°Bro, we are in the middle of nowhere. Why did you want toe here by yourself?¡±


    The man had heard that there were some people targeting taxi drivers. They killed and robbed them, then dumped their bodies in the wilderness. He was beginning to wonder if he were a mark right now and did not engage his handbrake after stopping. He was ready to drive away at a moment¡¯s notice if anything felt off.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet someone. Wait here for me, please. I¡¯ll need you to take me backter.¡± Xiao Luo opened the car door and got out.


    Was he waiting for his aplices?


    Chills gripped the driver as he was filled with tremendous anxiety.


    Soon after, three luxurious ck sedans came speeding up the highway toward them before skidding to a stop not far from Xiao Luo in the middle of the road. The doors opened, and a group of men with a fearsome air dressed in ck suits got out of the cars. There was no trace of anything pleasant in their expressions.


    F*ck!


    Their arrival greatly startled the taxi driver, who immediately put his pedal to the metal, speeding his green taxi out of sight. For him, this whole situation was beyond the pale. If he did not escape now, he might not get another chance.


    Xiao Luo did not look back at the taxi driver who had just abandoned him. He remained looking straight forward.


    The group consisted of nine people, one of whom was a silver-haired youth dressed like a hipster. At a nce, he could tell that it was the young master who was in charge. The group fanned out in front before him and surround him.


    Xiao Luo questioned, ¡°Are you the one who called me?¡±


    The silver-haired youth replied cheerily, ¡°Yep, the call came from me.¡±


    ¡°Show me the money, and I¡¯ll hand over the goods,¡± Xiao Luo replied lightly.


    Hearing this, a yful expression appeared on the group¡¯s faces.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re a real fool,ing out to a ce like this so casually. You know, my little sister really wants you dead,¡± the silver-haired youth cackled wickedly.


    ¡°Your younger sister?¡± Xiao Luo asked, narrowing his eyes.


    As if right on cue, a girl emerged from the car at the front.


    She had a devilishly attractive figure, with a head of wavy blond curls that seemed to sparkle in the light. Her long, slender thighs were wrapped in a light-yellow mini skirt, showing off her perfect proportions.


    ¡°Xiao, long time no see!¡±


    The girl red viciously at Xiao Luo. It was Fang Shn, whom he had met before at a party.


    Seeing her, everything fell into ce in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. Fang Shn must have stumbled upon his watch¡¯s listing on the inte and decided to use it to lure him to this remote location and teach him a lesson with her subordinates.


    Xiao Luo called out to her in a joking tone, ¡°It has been a while hasn¡¯t it? Is Miss Fang nning to give me some spending money again today?¡±


    A sh of anger crossed Fang Shn¡¯s face. Just recalling the shame Xiao Luo that put her through that day made her grit her teeth in hatred. She snarled, ¡°You son of a b*tch. Still putting on airs, are you? Today I¡¯m going to pay you back for all the humiliation I suffered, with interest!¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a soft sigh of contempt. Some people were just like that. They never learned.


    The silver-haired youth let out a weird giggle and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°I heard you were good in a fight, and that you managed to beat up several of the bodyguards at Fu Jiawei¡¯s house. I wonder if you¡¯ll fare as well against these men my family hired. Fair warning, they¡¯re all ex-military and powerful fighters. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°If I were you, I would not have done that,¡± Xiao Luo retorted mildly, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a cruel smirk. ¡°It¡¯s just you and me here. Even if I end up killing you, the police will never trace it back to me.¡±


    At that moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes zed overpletely. His gaze was bleak and emotionless, devoid of any color or feeling. His body exuded an aura of bloodlust. It was so intense that it was palpable, as though the air were instantly chilled to the freezing point.


    He was like a pool of pitch-ck ink, and the clouds of darkness around him were like a gigantic ck hole, engulfing and swallowing everyone around him whole.


    Such a strong killing intent!


    The color drained from the faces of the eight men in suits. Suddenly, they felt like they were about to suffocate.


    Xiao Luo was prepared to kill. ¡®The Constitution of: King of Mercenaries¡¯ ability had not only improved his physical abilities, but it had also changed his temperament.

 Chapter 76 - A Killer Strikes

    Chapter 76: A Killer Strikes


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe silver-haired youth and Fang Shn both felt that something was amiss. But they did not believe that Xiao Luo had the skills to win, let alone kill them.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, don¡¯t make empty threats. The rubbish bodyguards at Jiawei¡¯s vi can¡¯t even bepared to the eight men here,¡± Fang Shn boasted loudly and with considerable bravado, pumping herself up. ¡°They could kill you easily if they wanted to. For them, it¡¯s simple as crushing a bug.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled insidiously. The very next second, he vanished from where he had been standing and reappeared right in front of Fang Shn like a sh of ck lightning. Stretching out his hand, his grip tightened around Fang Shn¡¯s fair neck like a pair of metal pliers.


    The intense feeling of being suffocated rushed to her brain. Fang Shn was lifted up, and her feet barely even touched the ground. Severe pain swept across her whole body. Seeing the indifferent expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face up close, she experienced genuine terror.


    The silver-haired youth was bewildered, and so were the eight ck-suited bodyguards who were with him. Xiao Luo had moved so quickly, snatching Fang Shn in the blink of an eye. The bodyguards had not even had time to react.


    ¡°Let go of my little sister!¡± yelled the silver-haired youth anxiously.


    Xiao Luo did not react. He only lifted his head and stared coldly at Fang Shn. ¡°If I just exert a little more pressure, I can snap your throat and end your miserable existence. Your life is not even under your control, and you say you want to end mine?¡±


    Fang Shn was seized in Xiao Luo¡¯s grasp like amb whose neck was caught between the fangs of a starving wolf. She struggled in vain, and her face turned a dark beet red. She was unable to speak, but her eyesmunicated the fear welling up inside her.


    Her silver-haired older brother was flustered. He shouted at the eight ck-suited bodyguards, ¡°Why are you just standing around? Kill that son of a b*tch. Kill him now!¡±


    The eight bodyguards regained theirposure. As one, they lunged quickly at Xiao Luo.


    At this moment, just when it seemed like a huge brawl would break out, a red BMW 3 Series came barreling over, forcing its way between the two parties. The car screeched to a halt, leaving dark skid marks on the road as it came to a full stop.


    The car door swung open, and Chu Yue stepped out dressed in an embroidered white shirt and cool emerald tulle skirt.


    Her dark ck hair was pulled back in a yful-looking braid, while a few stray strands of hair swayed gently in front of her white jade-like forehead. She looked beautiful and refined.


    ¡°Stop! Everybody stop!¡± Chu Yue shouted.


    ¡°Yo! Mistress Chu has graced us with her appearance,¡± sneered Xiao Luo with an ironic smile.


    Chu Yue stormed toward him, yelling, ¡°Xiao Luo, let go of Shn now!¡±


    ¡°Why should I? Just because you look attractive, Mistress Chu?¡± Xiao Luo asked callously.


    Fang Shn was Chu Yue¡¯s friend, so some of his displeasure at the day¡¯s events was naturally directed toward her. This exined his offensive attitude toward her.


    ¡°You really want her blood on your hands? Xiao Luo, let her go. I¡¯m begging you,¡± Chu Yue said solemnly. At this moment, she was a far cry from her usual image of a carefree young heiress.


    Another car approached quickly and stopped nearby. Two strong men climbed out. It was Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian.


    ¡°It sure is getting lively here today!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Since Mistress Chu has humbled herself to beg me, I¡¯ll let you save some face.¡±


    While saying this, he tossed Fang Shn onto the ground like a piece of litter.


    Freed from his grip, Fang Shn coughed violently. She gasped greedily for air as bruises began to surface on her neck.


    Chu Yue ran over to help her up with eyes full of resentment. ¡°If Yingying hadn¡¯t told me what was going on, I would have still been in the dark. Why did you ignore my warnings and try to go after Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Fang Shn was momentarily speechless as she struggled to swallow her grievances.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. Our friendship ends here. Today.¡±


    Chu Yue had said before that she would not acknowledge anyone who picked fights with Xiao Luo as her friend, and she intended to keep her word. She looked up at the silver-haired youth with a sharp usatory re. For a moment, he lost his cool, and he was unsure how to react.


    ¡°Fang Chongqiang, you brought your bodyguards to assault someone just because Shn asked you to? Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you have a couple of henchmen? Should I get mine to spar with yours?¡± Chu Yue rebuked him.


    ¡°Yueyue, this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Yueyue,¡± Chu Yue interrupted. ¡°I can promise you now that, regardless of how much money your father may be offering, I will not get engaged to you.¡±


    Fang Chongqiang shut his mouth in embarrassment.


    Xiao Luo was slightly surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected to see this wild, strong side of Chu Yue. Then again, she was the daughter of the exceptional Chu Yunxiong. If Chu Yunxiong could bepared to a dragon, did that make his daughter a phoenix? Even if that were an exaggeration, she was not the kind of heiress who got flustered and cried for help at the slightest sign of trouble. That much had been made clear to him from the incident where she and Bai Ling and had been targeted by the hunter, Ma Zhengfeng.


    Hm?


    Suddenly, a strong premonition of danger descended upon him.


    ¡°Whiz!¡±


    Almost simultaneously, two shots were fired. The bullets howled as they tore through the air and mercilessly pierced the bodies of Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian with a spray of scarlet blood. Thankfully, the two men were alert and reacted quickly, dodging with a turn so that the bullets just missed their vital organs.


    ¡°Poof!¡±


    As the bullets moved through their flesh, the immense impact not only shattered the two men¡¯s shoulder des but also sent them up in the air. Theynded heavily on the car behind them. With a loud crack, the windshield ss shattered beneath their weight, and the shrill car rm screamed out.


    Sniper rounds?


    Xiao Luo was deeply shaken. What kind of person brought a sniper rifle into Hua Nation? His mind shed back to what Ma Zhengfeng had said about the ckwaterpany. Mercenaries. Mercenaries were targeting Chu Yue, and they had severely injured her two elite bodyguards with a single move.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    Fang Shn finally reacted. She shrieked in fear, and the color drained from her face as she looked on in horror at the fresh blood pouring out of Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian.


    The eight ck-suited bodyguards were professionals. They sprung into action to form a human barrier with the silver-haired youth and Fang Shn in the middle, ensuring their safety.


    On the other hand, Chu Yue was panicking. This was the first time that she¡¯d ever been in the line of fire, and the sound of the bullets tearing through the air made her blood freeze.


    ¡°Miss, you have to run! Get down and move!¡± Xiang Gaoyang hissed at Chu Yue, urging her to leave. Her safety was his top priority right now. The attacker had a sniper rifle, which meant they were not acting alone. They were definitely from an elite secret organization, and he feared they might already be surrounded.


    Hearing these orders, the eight ck-suited bodyguards also caught on. They quickly escorted the stupefied Fang Chongqiang and Fang Shn away and back into the cars.


    ¡°Yueyue,e over quickly!¡±


    Fang Chongqiang still cared deeply for Chu Yue and remembered not to leave her behind.


    As for Fang Shn, she was frightened to death. Her body trembled terribly, and her entire mind went nk. It was though she had lost all control of herself.

 Chapter 77 - Forsaken by the World

    Chapter 77: Forsaken by the World


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioChu Yue suppressed the fear gripping her heart and ran in Fang Chongqiang¡¯s direction. However, she had not taken more than a few steps when a sniper bullet streaked through the air and struck the road in front of her. There was an ear-splitting bang as arge crater was blown open in the hard road with a spray of concrete chips and dust. Chu Yue staggered back in shock, losing her footing and falling into the street.


    ¡°Yueyue!¡±


    Fang Chongqiang was about to rush out of the car to save Chu Yue but was held back by one of his ck-suited bodyguards.


    ¡°The enemy¡¯s target is Miss Chu. It is very dangerous for you to run out there, Young Master Fang!¡± the bodyguard warned him sternly. His job was solely to ensure the safety of Fang Chongqiang and Fang Shn. The security of others was not his concern.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Fang Chongqiang felt trapped between a rock and a hard ce.


    Before he could continue, a pale-faced Fang Shn shrieked hysterically, ¡°Drive! Go! Get us away from here quickly!¡±


    Her only thoughts were of leaving the scene of carnage, and she could not care less about what happened to Chu Yue.


    The order was acknowledged, and the ck-suited bodyguard signaled with his hand. The drivers took them away in the three ck sedans, zooming out of sight in an instant. The hidden mercenaries had not been firing at them, so their target was obviously Chu Yue.


    ¡°Fang Chongqiang, Fang Shn, you guys¡­¡±


    Chu Yue could not believe that Fang Chongqiang¡¯s group would actually leave her behind and escape. After all, their fathers were very close friends. With her two bodyguards out of action, leaving her here was basically a death sentence.


    As she turned to look, she realized Xiao Luo had also disappeared.


    Despair filled her thoughts at this moment, and she felt forsaken by the entire world.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t you have some incredible skills? Why did you run away too?!¡±


    She did not understand why she felt this way, but being abandoned by Xiao Luo hurt her far more than when the Fang siblings deserted her. She cursed him grudgingly, and her beautiful face was slick with falling tears.


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to sit there and wait to get shot?¡±


    She heard someone calling out to her. As he spoke stiffly, he was clearly a foreigner whose mother tongue was not Chinese.


    Threerge Western men stepped out from the dense forest. Each was carrying a rifle and wearingbat gear that she did not recognize.


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian drew their sidearms from their waists and prepared to counter-attack. Just then, one of the three attackers, a ck man, rested the muzzle of his gun on Chu Yue¡¯s head. In an icy deadpan voice, he shouted, ¡°If you want your miss to live, then drop your weapons now!¡±


    The three gunmen gave off the air of trained killers. Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian recognized this at once, and they immediately stopped and obediently ced their handguns on the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy!¡±


    One of the other burly men walked over to them with a grin then smashed their heads with the butt of his rifle. There was a stter of blood, and the two men sank into the red puddle pooling below them. Their consciousness faded, and their vision blurred.


    ¡°Tsk tsk! This chick is much prettier in person!¡± The ck man lifted Chu Yue¡¯s chin in one hand, ignoring her pained expression and clenched teeth. In a low voice, he chuckled, ¡°Especially this cute little mouth. It¡¯s a real masterpiece.¡±


    Saying this, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and started rubbing her pretty face into his crotch.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian howled with rage like the dying roars of two injured lions. However, before they could get up from the pools of blood in which they were lying, two kicksnded heavily on their stomachs. The tremendous impact made them curl up in pain like prawns. Their faces scrunched up in agony, and they began groaning uncontrobly.


    If they had not been shot, they could have avoided this shameful situation and put up some resistance. Yet, now that they had fallen into enemy hands, what else could they do but feel remorse for their circumstances?


    The ck man took out a walkie-talkie and radioed to his allies. ¡°Scorpion Head, Scorpion Head,e in. This is ck Tail. We have captured the target. I repeat. We have captured the target!¡±


    ¡°Copy that! Good work. Regroup at the rendezvous point two klicks southwest. Eagle is here for extraction. Get over here ASAP,¡± a raspy voice radioed back.


    ¡°Roger that!¡± the ck man replied, then shut off the walkie-talkie. With a yful expression on his face, he joked, ¡°We¡¯re just here to catch a little girl. Isn¡¯t our boss going a bit overboard?¡±


    ¡°We should still stay on our guard. Don¡¯t be careless. Ma Zhengfeng made that mistake and failed his mission. We don¡¯t want to follow in his footsteps,¡± warned the third mercenary, who had a slenderer build.


    ¡°He¡¯s right. Chu Yunxiong is a business tycoon who¡¯s aware that his daughter is at risk,¡± added the other mercenary. ¡°There¡¯s no way he only sent two bodyguards to protect her. There should be more men in hiding somewhere.¡±


    The ck man sneered disdainfully, ¡°If there were more, then they would have shown themselves already. You guys don¡¯t think that the young kid who fled earlier was her guard, do you?¡±


    The slender man looked him in the eyes with his eyebrows raised. He was clearly thinking the ck man was messing around.


    The ck man was, of course, referring to Xiao Luo. Their team¡¯s snipers could have easily killed everyone at the scene. However, their assignment this time was a kidnapping and not a hit, so they¡¯d elected not to murder everyone. In any event, Xiao Luo looked small and weak. He seemed to pose no threat to them, so they had not even considered the possibility that he could be one of Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguards.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move out. We¡¯re regrouping with Eagle!¡±


    The ck man picked up a despondent Chu Yue and headed back into the depths of the forest. As mercenaries, their exfiltration route would not be along the national highway¡ªthey were much more at home in the bush.


    ¡°Miss! Miss!¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian struggled to give chase, but the mercenary nearest to them raised his weapon and gave them two more blows to the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking them unconscious.


    ¡°Let go of me! Let go!¡±


    Chu Yue was screaming in a panic, and her almond-shaped eyes shone with tears. For the first time, she wished she had listened to her father and not stubbornly chased away so many of her bodyguards.


    ¡°Miss, if you keep struggling, then I don¡¯t mind giving you a taste of what I can do. Just as the Great Wall of your Hua Nation is long, my member is also very long and very interested in a fine gal like you. Hehe!¡±


    The manughed obscenely, which scared Chu Yue into silence.


    Noting that Chu Yue was cooperating, the ck man signaled to the snipers hiding in the forest and indicated that they were pulling out.


    However, one of the snipers stayed frozen in ce. His face was full of horror as he stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the bloodstained de protruding from his mouth. Thick, viscous blood poured out in a torrent. It was his own knife, so how had it gotten stuck in the back of his neck?


    His eyes were fully open, taking everything in. But his brain quickly lost any ability to process information. Death was not so charitable as to wait for him, and his final dying thoughts were upied by unanswered questions. He could not understand how he had been killed. He was holding the high ground, so he should have been the first to know if anyone approached from below. How had his assant snuck up to him without anyone noticing?


    It was iprehensible and unbelievable!

 Chapter 78 - : Intruders Must Die

    Chapter 78: Intruders Must Die


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°A CheyTac M200 sniper rifle, with an effective range of 2,500 yards. Yes, this should do just fine!¡±


    Xiao Luo picked up the weapon from the body of the sniper he had just murdered and smiled slightly. The warmth from the gun made his blood boil, and his whole body felt like it was on fire.


    Looking through the scope to scan other potential nearby vantage points, he quickly zeroed in on the second sniper. A bullet was fired, and the sheer force of the impact mercilessly blew open the other sniper¡¯s head.


    Then, he turned and pointed the rifle¡¯s muzzle at the three mercenaries kidnapping Chu Yue and squeezed the trigger.


    ¡°Whiz!¡±


    A bullet took off. Breaking the sound barrier, it screamed toward one of the men.


    ¡°Poof!¡±


    The bullet¡¯s unstoppable force prated the torso of the man at the rear, tearing a bloody hole through his chest with terrifying destructive power. The bullet struck his heart and lungs, which spilled out behind him on the ground in a pulpy mess.


    The man¡¯s eyes widened as he looked down nkly at his own chest. Then, he wordlessly toppled backward onto the ground¡ªanother corpse joining the ranks of the restless dead.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    Seeing such a grisly scene unfold right before her eyes, Chu Yue screamed loudly with her almond-shaped eyes wide open.


    The ck man yelled, ¡°Get to cover!¡±


    The slender man reacted immediately and moved to take cover behind arge boulder, but he was toote. Anyone in Xiao Luo¡¯s line of sight was an easy target. Another bullet burst out from the sniper rifle and bit into the man¡¯s thigh like the sharp fang of a savage tiger.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    His whole thigh came off as if torn apart by a great force. Blood gushed out from the wound with a gurgling sound, and a wretched cry erupted from the slender man¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Thin Monkey!¡±


    The ck man¡¯s face darkened, and he moved closer to the slender man, putting Chu Yue between himself and the sniper as a human shield.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over here. It¡¯s a trap!¡± shouted the slender man. ¡°The enemy deliberately left me wounded but alive to draw you out into his line of fire. If youe over here, you¡¯d be ying right into his hands.¡±


    The ck man stopped where he was. He picked up his inte to radio his sniper, ¡°Vulture, Vulture. Do you copy? Do you copy?¡±


    ¡°Save your breath. Vulture and the others are dead,¡± the slender man shot back hoarsely. He was sweating profusely from the intense pain.


    ¡°F***!!!¡±


    The ck man swore angrily with a ferocious expression, smashing the inte to pieces on the ground. This turn of events was an unwee surprise. This was supposed to be an easy mission, but an expert was lurking in the shadows.


    He put his mouth close to Chu Yue¡¯s ear and shouted roughly in a roaring voice, ¡°Who is the guy that was hiding? Speak up!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    The frightened Chu Yue shook her head vigorously. She really had no idea and was too afraid to think. Her mind had gone nk when she¡¯d smelled the freshly spilled blood. Fear, despair, and anxiety all gripped her heart.


    ¡°Sh*t, if you don¡¯t talk, then I¡¯ll rape you right now!¡±


    The ck man¡¯s emotions were in turmoil. The death of hispanions had made him extremely dangerous, and he was like a rabid starving wolf.


    Chu Yue pressed her lips together, weeping uncontrobly in a panic.


    ¡°ck Tail, take the target and get out of here. Regroup with Eagle,¡± the slender man rasped. He had already lost a lot of blood and seemed exhausted. His face was as pale as a sheet.


    ¡°B*llshit. I¡¯m not leaving without you!¡± the ck man retorted angrily.


    The slender man smiled sadly. ¡°We¡¯ve been living dangerously, life on the edge, and we¡¯re always gambling with our lives. I¡¯ve now lost a leg. Even if I get out of this alive, I¡¯ll just be a useless cripple.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn¡­¡±


    The slender man interrupted harshly, ¡°ck Tail, you know the rules. Don¡¯t do something that will make me lose my respect for you.¡±


    The ck man squeezed his eyes shut. He struggled to push aside his sorrow and hesitation, before clenching his teeth and fleeing with Chu Yue in tow.


    Not long after, Xiao Luo came down from his sniper¡¯s nest.


    ¡°It was you?¡±


    The slender man looked in horror at Xiao Luo. He could not believe that the harmless-looking young man whom they¡¯d spared was capable of causing so much damage.


    ¡°He actually left you behind. Looks like yourpanion isn¡¯t stupid,¡± Xiao Luo remarked lightly.


    The slender man looked up rebelliously. ¡°We members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps are no pushovers. You are going to pay for this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Xiao Luo smiled mockingly. ¡°I wonder if you have heard of our old saying.¡±


    ¡°What saying?¡± the slender man asked.


    ¡°Mercenaries are not allowed in Hua Nation. Intruders. Must. Die!!!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke softly, but his words dripped with seemingly infinite killing intent. He spun around and clenched his left hand into a w. With a rush of wind, he brought his fist shing across the slender man¡¯s neck like a bolt of lightning.


    ¡°Poof!¡±


    With a single, savage sweep, flesh and bone were torn asunder. A bloody gash appeared in the man¡¯s neck from which his warm lifeblood sprayed out.


    Without a backward nce at the slender man, Xiao Luo chased after the ck man.


    Unable to move, the slender man slumped onto the ground with a ssy stare. His blood continued to pour out, staining the ground around him red. He twitched violently, and there was no more hope of survival for him. He could only desperately, painfully wait for the Grim Reaper.


    ¡­


    Wild Boar Ridge was a dense forest. Canopies of countless tall trees blocked out the sun, while the ground was thickly covered in green moss and shrubs. It was very easy to get lost in this forest. Furthermore, many wild animals were roaming around.


    The ck man who¡¯d kidnapped Chu Yue made it about 500 yards before Xiao Luo caught up to them.


    Xiao Luo exerted his full strength. elerating his already rapid pace, he swiftly appeared before the ck man. He exhaled coldly and sent a vicious sweeping kick flying toward the man¡¯s knee. The man¡¯s knee shattered with a loud crack, and his long, straight leg was instantly bent backward. It looked as effortless to Xiao Luo as snapping a bamboo pole.


    Intense agony surged through the ck man¡¯s body as he staggered and dropped onto his good knee. Before he could even cry out in pain, Xiao Luo¡¯s iron leg was soaring through the air straight toward the man¡¯s chest. The roaring wind from his kick¡¯s pressure made the man break out in a cold sweat.


    Desperately, the ck man crossed his arms over his chest to block the blow, so Xiao Luo¡¯s kicknded squarely on his arms.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    As though he¡¯d been rammed by a train, the ck man¡¯s bulk was sent flying backward in a straight line. He only came to a stop when he smashed into the trunk of arge tree. The insides of his chest were turning over violently as thick blood gushed from his mouth. The explosive, terrifying power of his opponent made him temporarily forget the pain. Instead, he tried to discern the identity of this man who had kicked him.


    When he saw that it was Xiao Luo, his face wore the same expression of disbelief as the slender man¡¯s. Who would have thought that a young kid they¡¯d overlooked woulde back to bite them as such a fearsome enemy?


    As Xiao Luo readied the killing blow, his heightened senses picked up on arge group of mercenaries a few hundred yards away. They were quickly approaching. He stopped himself short, turning to pick up the terrified Chu Yue. mming both feet into the ground, he shot off like a bullet and disappeared like a ghost.

 Chapter 79 - Chasing the Escapees

    Chapter 79: Chasing the Escapees


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIt did not take long for the strong one-eyed man from the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps with the code name Eagle to arrive at the scene with ten other members in fullbat gear. Seeing the heavily injured ck man, the one-eyed man sprinted over to deliver emergency first-aid.


    ¡°ck Tail, what happened here? Where¡¯s the target?¡± the strong one-eyed man asked urgently.


    Gritting his teeth, the ck man known as ck Tail answered, ¡°The enemy was hiding an ace up their sleeve. Everyone else in our squad was killed in action.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! How did this happen?¡± Eagle punched himself hard in the thigh in frustration before continuing, ¡°Which way did they go?¡±


    ck Tail pointed in the direction where Xiao Luo had gone. ¡°East!¡±


    Eagle waved to the rest of his men. ¡°Two of you stay behind with ck Tail. The rest of you are with me!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the group replied in unison.


    ¡°ck Tail, you get some good rest. I¡¯ll make him regret ever being born,¡± the strong one-eyed man said, patting the ck man¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Be careful. He¡¯s armed with a sniper rifle, and his aim is impable!¡± ck Tail warned solemnly.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    With a hand signal, the strong one-eyed man gave chase, leading his group of men eastward. At the same time, he took out his walkie, radioing a report to the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps¡¯ leader: ¡°Boss, ck Tail was taken down in an ambush. The target is on the move fleeing east.¡±


    As if gathering his thoughts, the radio stayed silent for a moment. Then, a raspy voice sounded from the speaker, ¡°Hunt them down. No holds barred!¡±


    It was a short phrase, but thick with determination and murderous intent.


    ¡°Sir, yes sir,¡± Eagle acknowledged the order with the hardened gaze of a trained killer. Then, the group of mercenaries fanned out in the dense forest like a pack of hungry wolves, following Xiao Luo and Chu Yue¡¯s trail.


    ¡­


    Chu Yue was a girl who¡¯d born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and this was the first time in her life that she¡¯d ever gone through such a traumatic experience. She did not even realize that she had been rescued by Xiao Luo until she noticed that she could no longer smell the ck man¡¯s body odor anymore. Looking up, she froze.


    ¡°Xiao¡ªPretentious d*ck?¡±


    Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and her mouth opened, forming a small ¡®O.¡¯ She was shocked by this sudden turn of events and could have never imagined that Xiao Luo would rescue her. Didn¡¯t he leave her behind and flee?


    ¡°Mistress Chu, if you don¡¯t want to be sullied by a bunch of burly Westerners, you¡¯d better be quiet. If you don¡¯t cooperate, I¡¯ll throw you to the wolves!¡± Xiao Luo advised coldly. If not for his promise to Chu Yunxiong, he would have dly stayed out of this situation. He did not particrly care for Chu Yue as a girl and had no feelings of affection for her whatsoever.


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck, you¡ªI¡¯ll, I¡¯ll bite you to death!¡±


    Chu Yue was infuriated. She opened her little mouth and bit down hard on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. Two neat rows of silver-white teeth sunk deep into Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh.


    Xiao Luo gritted his teeth, shaking off her bite forcefully with a frigid expression on his face. ¡°You don¡¯t really believe that I would abandon you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you do it!¡±


    Chu Yue¡¯s frail figure shuddered, and panic shed in her eyes. Disregarding any cultural taboos between men and women, she clung tightly to Xiao Luo like an octopus. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you say, pretentious d*ck. Please don¡¯t leave me behind!¡±


    The memories of the ck man and the grisly scenes had deeply traumatized her, and the shock made her feel like the world was ending. Her emotional state was currently close to that of a full meltdown. Xiao Luo¡¯s appearance had been like a lifeline from heaven when she¡¯de close to drowning, so now she held onto him for dear life. She felt like this was the best surprise she had ever received in her life, and being in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms brought her an inexplicable sense of security.


    While sprinting through the forest at an incredible pace, Xiao Luo looked down and remarked, ¡°You should really be grateful that you have such a good father!¡± If Chu Yunxiong had not recognized his worth, he would not have epted this assignment.


    Hearing this, Chu Yue was stunned speechless. Xiao Luo had been sent by her father, Chu Yunxiong, to watch over her?


    So, it was no coincidence that the figure that she and Bai Ling had seen that night so closely resembled Xiao Luo? Was that why Xiao Luo acted so strangely in school? Was he always following her? Everything that had transpired thus far could be exined if Xiao Luo¡¯s purpose here was to ensure her safety.


    Just then, it all clicked.


    A strange emotion welled up from deep within her¡ªan indescribable mix of feelings.


    A low shout brought her back to reality: ¡°Hang on tight!¡±


    Xiao Luo jumped up mid-sprint, leaping like a wild tiger, and bounded over a small stream that spanned three-yards.


    Chu Yue experienced the jumping motion distinctly. It felt like ying on a swing, but far more thrilling and stimting because she could see a 7-to-8-yard drop downstream. The meandering creek in these lofty mountains flowed into a waterfall deep in the forest.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    She could not hold back her scream and tightened her grip on Xiao Luo, afraid she might fall.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you women do anything other than scream?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s expression was unsympathetic as he criticized her.


    Chu Yue was irked to the point of tears. She replied while looking up at him grudgingly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but I can¡¯t help myself. It¡¯s just too scary.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re scared, then just close your eyes!¡± Xiao Luo barked haughtily.


    Biting her lip, Chu Yue burrowed her face into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Target acquired, roughly 500 yards straight ahead. Lock and load. Prepare to engage!¡± Eagle ryed his orders to the squad. He tightened his grip on his firearm and sped up his pursuit.


    Xiao Luo was well aware of the men pursuing them. The mercenaries of the ckwaterpany were tenacious. If he were by himself, shaking them off would be a piece of cake, but it was much more difficult with Chu Yue. Even if he ran at full speed, he could not get away from the lightly equipped members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps.


    He needed to think of a n!


    Xiao Luo looked at his surroundings with a furrowed brow as he brainstormed a way out of this. It would be great if he could deposit Chu Yue in a safe location. Alone, he was fully confident of his ability to kill the mercenaries chasing after him.


    As he ran, he spotted another small river. The banks were muddy due to shrub growth, and anyone walking along it would be quickly covered in dark mud.


    That¡¯s it!


    Xiao Luo had a sh of inspiration. He looked down at the beauty in his arms. He would let her suffer a little and get his revenge for that time when she¡¯d humiliated him at the party.


    ¡­


    ¡°Do I really have to hide here? It¡¯s so cold!¡±


    Autumn had just passed, and the weather was cool. It was neither cold nor hot, but the water from the river that flowed down from deep in the mountains was icy. Following Xiao Luo¡¯s instructions, Chu Yue was lying half-buried in the mud. She was shivering from the cold, as she pleaded piteously to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Unless you want to get chewed up and spat out, you need to stay hidden right here.¡± Then, handing her a hollow reed tube, Xiao Luo reassured her sincerely, ¡°Just give me forty, no, twenty minutes to deal with these mercenaries. Then you cane back out.¡±

 Chapter 80 - Time to Hunt

    Chapter 80: Time to Hunt


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioChu Yue wrestled with her misgivings for a moment, before finally deciding to obey Xiao Luo and hide in the filthy mud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to climb out of here by myself!¡±


    She lowered herself in backward, slowly, and her voice was little as a mosquito, but the words clearly embedded themselves in Xiao Luo¡¯s heart. Perhaps it was normal for a man to feel some sympathy for a beauty like her.


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    Xiao Luo heaped mud on her, concealing her entirely from sight, before wading into the river. The river was neither broad nor deep, and the water only came up to his thigh.


    ¡°Papapa!¡±


    Chu Yue heard the sound of footsteps. It sounded as if they were walking right next to her, and she held her breath in fear.


    The strong one-eyed man codenamed Eagle noticed the muddy footprints near the boulders. There were two sets of prints, one small and onerge, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He boomed in a frosty tone, ¡°They passed through here, after all, the sneaky fellow. If he follows the river, soon we won¡¯t be able to track him. Quickly now, spread out downstream, and whistle if you see any trace of mud in the water. He¡¯s carrying the girl, so he can¡¯t be moving faster than us.¡±


    The row of men hurried along the river.


    Experience was a good thing, but sometimes it backfired. At the moment, they were dancing in the palm of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, as he had nned to make them split up.


    No longer held back by Chu Yue, Xiao Luo doubled his speed. Moving like a phantom through the forest, he began his hunt.


    ¡­


    ¡°This is unbelievable. Where the hell did that guy go? We¡¯ve been following him for so long and haven¡¯t found any trace of him yet!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. To evade us while carrying a girl, this guy must really be something.¡±


    Two members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps searched their surroundings, feeling despondent. Neither of them noticed a vine silently lowering from the tree branch above and closing in on the head of a burly mercenary with a red face.


    The vine tightened around his neck, and the burly man instinctively grabbed at it, but arge force pulled him upward. His neck was caught tightly by the noose, and he was unable to breathe, let alone make any sound. He struggled in a silent panic, trying to reach out and tap his partner. But the man was two paces ahead of him, and his fingers were just a few inches too short.


    His face swelled up with blood, bing beet red, and he watched helplessly as his oblivious partner walked away.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    The burly man was yanked up into the tree canopy. Through the dappled light filtering in through the leaves, he saw a handsome emotionless face. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to suck in air, but it seemed to solidify around him, and none of it entered his windpipe.


    With a face full of agony, the burly red-faced man gaped at Xiao Luo. His hand reached for his inte, but Xiao Luo lightly pressed down on it, so he could no longer move. His struggling became weaker as the noose around his neck tightened as he struggled. He felt death by asphyxiation approaching.


    His partner, who was ahead of him, finally noticed that something was off and turned around. What? Where did he go?


    ¡°Red Ghost? Red Ghost?¡±


    He yelled out his partner¡¯s code name twice. His voice carried through the forest, but there was no reply. As though his voice was swallowed by a monster lurking in the shadows, he could not hear a sound, not even an echo. He began to feelpletely flustered and surveyed his surroundings warily while reporting to Eagle on his walkie.


    ¡°Eagle,e in. Red Ghost is missing. I repeat, Red Ghost is missing!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean missing? He¡¯s right behind you! The GPS shows your positions ovepping!¡± Eagle¡¯s voice came back through the inte.


    As an elite armed mercenary squad, they naturally had ess to top of the line GPS technology. The position of each of his men showed as a red dot on his watch.


    What? Ovepping?


    The man, whose code name was White Ape, broke out in a cold sweat. His gaze drifted slowly upward only to see a man hanging from the tree above him ¨C it was his burly red-faced partner. Red Ghost¡¯s face was drained of blood with a stunned expression. His tongue stuck out of his mouth.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    White Ape felt chilled to the bone, and he let out a scream as he took a few steps back.


    ¡°White Ape, report, what is going on over there?¡± Eagle roared, his voice carrying from the inte.


    ¡°Red Ghost is dead, hanged from a tree. Requesting backup. Requesting backup¡­¡±


    White Ape¡¯s teeth chattered as he spoke, but before he could finish, a razor-sharp dagger pierced his chest. The de was slick with blood as it was pulled back out from behind him in a swift and violent motion. The knife had stabbed straight through his torso, urately puncturing his heart.


    ¡°Poof!¡±


    Hot fresh blood spurted from his wound. White Ape¡¯s expression went stiff, and his eyes opened wide in horror as he copsed into a pool of his own blood.


    ¡°White Ape, do you copy? Respond! Do you copy?¡± Eagle¡¯s urgent shouting echoed from the inte¡¯s earpiece.


    Xiao Luo disyed no visible emotion. He lifted his right leg and stamped down fiercely, shattering the radio into pieces. Tiny electronic pieces scattered all over the ground.


    Lifting his gaze, he stared out into the depths of the forest, mumbling to himself, ¡°Eleven more to go!¡± Then, with the agility of a monkey, he sprang up into the trees, shaking a few branches as he passed by. A few leaves floated down slowly.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡± Eagle swore out loud then ordered his squad, ¡°All men head quickly toward White Ape and Red Ghost¡¯s position. Now, immediately, go!¡±


    A string of replies sounded from his walkie: ¡°Yessir!¡±


    Meanwhile, arge contingent of police was heading to their location, having received the call from Fang Chongqiang. The piercing scream of police sirens rang out as the convoy rushed toward Wild Boar Ridge.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu, the perpetrators are armed with sniper rifles. It looks like they¡¯re not your average criminals. We¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who they are. If they¡¯re stirring up trouble in Jiangcheng, then they have no respect for our police force. Send word that I want each major branch to send their best men ASAP to Wild Boar Ridge. We will surround the area and form a that no man, not even a bug, can escape,¡± Gu Qianlin thundered fiercely from inside one of the police cars.


    Dressed in her police uniform, she had a refreshingly beautiful appearance and cut a lean, handsome figure. Her short hair was neatly tucked behind her ears in a bun, and her elegant, pure eyes shed with righteous fury.


    ¡­


    With part of his squad, Eagle made for White Ape and Red Ghost¡¯sst known position as unidentifiable sounds were transmitted through his inte. It sounded like the raspy cry of ducks having their throats cut as, one by one, the red dots on his GPS stopped moving.


    ¡°D*mnit. What the hell is happening?¡±


    He knew the situation had taken a bad turn, but the strong one-eyed man still wanted to see it for himself.


    When they reached the men¡¯sst known position, they saw White Ape lying motionless in a pool of blood and Red Ghost hanging from a tree. They went pale from fear, unable to tear their eyes away. When they¡¯d all gathered together, there were only eight of them left.


    All of the mercenaries were on edge now, and the forest itself seemed to close in around them threateningly. They felt as though they were surrounded in all directions by enemies lurking in the depths.

 Chapter 81 - Hunting

    Chapter 81: Hunting


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioPanic streaked across Eagle¡¯s face. The matter at hand was simply too evil. These people had silently sacrificed five people without even seeing their faces. He suspected that his opponent was not even human to begin with but a bloodthirsty ghost.


    Arge conglomerate, the crocodile of Hua Nation¡¯s businessmunity, had taken over the hunt for Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter. This time, the bold decision had been made by the Red Scorpion mercenaries. After all, Chu Yunxiong was not just someone influential in Hua Nation. On an international level, he wielded considerable influence. If this operation werepleted sessfully, the Red Scorpion mercenaries¡¯ position within thepany would be significantly improved.


    But nobody could have imagined that Chu Yunxiong had such a crazy guy beside him. More than just ying with them out in the jungle, it was like this guy was the very scythe of the Grim Reaper, relentlessly harvesting lives.


    ¡°I must find him and use the cruelest punishment in the world to torture him to death slowly!¡± Eagle growled with a fierce look. The muscles at the corner of his mouth were twitching, and he waspletely deranged.


    Just at that moment, a sniper bullet sted through space flew right at him. It tore through the air with the roaring sound of the wind.


    ¡°Pew!¡±


    The single bullet pierced the necks of the two brawlers. A bloody mist exploded, and the two men fell into a pool of their own blood without an opportunity to even scream or make a sound. Blood gushed from their necks.


    Killing two with a single shot was a genuinely excellent and terrifying way of shooting!


    ¡°Target acquired. He is at¡­¡±


    After a short pause, one of the squad members finally discovered Xiao Luo¡¯s hiding ce. As he was readying his shot, he quickly reported back to Eagle and the others.


    However, he¡¯d greatly underestimated Xiao Luo¡¯s reactive ability. Just as soon as he¡¯d ryed the message, another sniper bullet came flying urately toward his head, which exploded like a watermelon. Red and white innards spilled all over the ground.


    ¡°Sh*t!!!¡±


    Eagle cursed and stomped around with fury. Raising the weapon in his hands, he fired a blind shot toward Xiao Luo¡¯s hiding ce.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The bullets that had been fired reverberated violently in the air. It brought with it a high temperature that could burn everything, and the naked eye couldn¡¯t see its trajectory.


    This bullet flew and only marginally missed Xiao Luo¡¯s ear, though its whistling sound made his eardrums hum. He had narrowly missed being taken out by the Grim Reaper. No matter how strong one¡¯s heart may be, the shock from such a thing could make anyone break out in a cold sweat. He calmed down quickly and was gone by the time Eagle and the others arrived. He just vanished like a ghost.


    ¡°Come out! Come out, d*mnit!¡±


    One-eyed Eagle roared in anger then changed up his weapons to a submachine gun. He directed a frantic spray of bullets at the surrounding bushes, which swept across everything. Fire snakes, broken branches, and leaves were sent flying, and there was sawdust everywhere. Themotion rmed a flock of birds.


    Until the rounds in the assault weapon were all emptied, Eagle was still depressing the trigger. The submachine made a ¡®click, click¡¯ sound, signifying an empty chamber, and thick white smoke floated out from the muzzle.


    At that moment, the remaining four people were terrified because they felt a pressure unlike any they¡¯d ever known before.


    Xiao Luo bit down on his dagger, and like a ravenous wolf, he rushed out from the tall grass toward a man. The man realized he was being attacked and turned around, but it was toote. The powerful dagger had umted considerable energy, and it slid across his throat.


    ¡°Pew!¡±


    It all happened as fast as lightning, and his flesh was easily sliced open. Fresh blood erupted out.


    Xiao Luo turned around on the spot, twisting backward and suddenly attacking the area in front of him to the left. His movements were like flowing water and clouds. Everything happened simultaneously as if a turning angle was but a straight line.


    Clenching his hands into fists, Xiao Luo conjured up a frightening wind. It seemed to tear the air and hit the big man in front of him.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Click!¡±


    The hard, iron fist was like a steel hammer, and it left an imprint in the big man¡¯s chest. It was a force as scary as a tsunami. The man¡¯s sternum ruptured, puncturing his heart. Scarlet blood spewed forth, and his body flew backward until it collided heavily with the trunk of a tree. The tree was the size of two bodies, and it violently shook as countless green leaves fluttered down. It was as if a beast had wed out the man¡¯s heart, and his life had suddenly evaporated.


    Fierce, tyrannical, and unrelenting shots. A fatal blow!


    ¡°D*mnit. He is here!¡±


    A bald mercenary reacted, then aimed his submachine gun at Xiao Luo and fired sweeping shots.


    Xiao Luo surged forward with full force, running as fast as a cheetah. He didn¡¯t let a single bullet touch him. He kept his body low and hurried forward with a strange feeling of peace.


    Xiao Luo let out another cold snort, and his strong legs made a whistling sound before mming into the bald man¡¯s knee. With a ¡®click,¡¯ his straight, long legs instantly bent backward, and he let out a scream. Before he could react, the dagger in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands slit his throat in a sh.


    ¡°Pew!¡±


    The arteries ruptured, and a fountain of blood fiercely spurted. The bald man¡¯s eyes widened and filled with fear. He dropped his firearm as he reached with both hands to cover his bleeding throat. But no matter what he did, he could not stop the bleeding and copsed to the ground as if his bones had lost all their support. His limbs twitched before death finally imed him.


    In an instant, three men had been killed. And death¡¯s scythe did not stop there¡­


    The blood-stained dagger carried all the vengeance of its master as it crossed a distance of three to four yards before plunging with a ¡®pu-chu¡¯ sound into a square-faced man¡¯s chest.


    Although one-eyed Eagle was the head of this squad, only one of his men was able to urately lock onto Xiao Luo. But he did not dare to shoot because Xiao Luo and the square-faced man¡¯s positions were almost ovepping. Or, put another way, the square-faced man had be Xiao Luo¡¯s puppet. His body was being controlled as it shook side to side.


    ¡°Shan Yao! Shan Yao!!¡± Eagle yelled twice at the square-faced man and raised his weapon to eye-level. He moved to set up the kill even though Xiao Luo was still using the square-faced man as cover.


    The only problem was that no matter how many times he moved, the square-faced man and Xiao Luo always were in a straight line.


    Because of the massive size of the square-faced man, Xiao Luo was blocked entirely. If someone were watching this scene without context, they would think that it consisted solely of the one-eyed brawler and the square-faced man, who was in a weird position and behaving like a puppet on a string. The whole situation gave off a strange and eerie feeling.


    Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down Eagle¡¯s forehead as he screamed at Xiao Luo, ¡°Let him go! Let him go!¡±


    It would be a lie to say he was not panicking. Was his enemy really human? How could one man have killed so many of hispanions in so little time?


    Just then, with the square-faced man¡¯s back to Eagle, his feet were lifted in the air. As if possessed by an evil spirit, the square-faced man quickly approached him¡­

 Chapter 82 - Undressing

    Chapter 82: Undressing


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Stop. Stop now!¡±


    One-eyed Eagle¡¯s eyes widened, and his mind seized up. Based on the swinging of his teammate¡¯s limbs and the hoarse voiceing from his throat, he was sure that the square-faced man had not died yet. But it was precisely because hisrade was not dead that he did not shoot. Although they were cold-blooded mercenaries, there was no need for him to kill one of his ownpanions like this.


    But as the square-faced man came closer, Eagle felt even more threatened. He could feel every hair on his body standing up, and he was sure that he was as good as waiting for death. After fighting his dark thoughts, he gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°Go to hell, you b*tch mutt!¡±


    He pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle.


    At almost the same time, Xiao Luo pulled his dagger out of the square-faced man¡¯s chest and rushed at Eagle. The sniper bullet just barely whizzed by the square-faced man, while the side of Xiao Luo¡¯s face narrowly dodged it. Like a fierce tiger, he pounced on Eagle with his dagger. The de was like a tiger¡¯s exposed fangs, exuding a menacing aura.


    Eagle only saw the knife sh in front of him and felt the powerful impact of his sniper rifle. He staggered backward a few steps before regaining his bnce. He couldn¡¯t help but stare. The barrel of his gun had been cut clean off. The split was smooth and neat as if it had been formed by aser.


    ¡°The gun is broken?¡±


    Xiao Luo put away his knife and stood up. His face revealed a yful smile. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to kill this one-eyed brawler, but so far, he had only allowed his dagger to reach the sniper rifle.


    Eagle looked at this young Hua national in front of him, who was only about four to five inches shorter than him, and the Westerner could not believe his eyes. The one who had been leading them by the nose, the ghost that had harvested a dozen lives, was just a thin, meek kid. Eagle felt like he could lift him up with one hand.


    However, as a member of the team hired to hunt him down, a team that had been fighting for their lives for almost a decade, Eagle quickly calmed down and flung his sniper rifle to the side. He took out the dagger that hung around his waist and adopted a fighting sense. He viciously challenged the boy, ¡°I will make you pay, you Hua pig!¡±


    ¡°So many of you have died by my hand, and so now it¡¯s all down to you?¡± Xiao Luo sneered disdainfully, wiping the blood off his dagger.


    ¡°There is a price to be paid for your arrogance!¡±


    ¡°Ugah!¡±


    Eagle roared loudly as he twirled his feet and mmed into Xiao Luo. There was no fancy technique involved, just one swift motion, wrapped with murderous intent. The dagger stabbed toward Xiao Luo¡¯s neck, aiming to end his life with a single stroke.


    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating yourself!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered. His eyes narrowed, and just as Eagle¡¯s dagger was about to drive into him, his left food staggered backward, and his body twisted forcibly. When the opponent¡¯s de closed in on his chest, at the same time, his own knife danced fancily before its tip plunged into the one-eyed man¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Pew!¡±


    Blood began to flow, and the body of the one-eyed man stopped. His eyes were full of disbelief.


    One move. In just one move, he was defeated!


    How could that be?


    He was Eagle, leader of the Red Scorpion Mercenaries. He was the only one who could kill someone else in a split second. Why was it that now¡­


    Fright clouded Eagle¡¯s eyes. His expression was puzzled, and he couldn¡¯t understand the reason.


    Xiao Luo threw his shoulder back to the left, then thrust forward with his right hand. His posture was as elegant as a swordsman¡¯s, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. This gave him a cold-blooded aura.


    ¡°Allow me to reunite with your brother!¡± With a faint smile, he withdrew the dagger, and the blood that followed was like a damned-up reservoir that had finally found a breach in the one-eyed brawler¡¯s neck.


    Eagle shouted hoarsely and fell back to the ground. His blood flowed out quickly, and his physical strength seeped from his body¡ªas did his soul.


    Xiao Luo tossed aside the bloody dagger and turned away.


    Back at the shore, Chu Yue had dug herself out of the mud like a fish. Her eyes were closed, and her face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Her red lips had turned ck from the cold, and her teeth chattered constantly. Like greenhouse flowers that had been hit by a storm, people¡¯s hearts ached for her.


    Xiao Luo carried her to the river and washed away the dirt from her body with clean water. Chu Yue, who had recovered slightly, opened her big eyes, and there was a pitiful, pitiful light.


    ¡°I¡­I thought you had left me¡­¡±


    While she talked, tears rolled down her face. Today¡¯s experience alone was enough for her to remember him for a lifetime.


    Xiao Luo did not have much to say tofort her. He only had one simplemand: ¡°Undress!¡±


    What?!


    Chu Yue thought that she had heard wrong. The wind blew, and her body trembled even more as she clutched her hands tightly in front of her chest. She dared not move.


    Xiao Luo was toozy to exin and took off her clothes.


    ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Chu Yue screamed loudly, hitting Xiao Luo¡¯s back fiercely like a cat whose tail has just been stepped on


    Xiao Luo ignored her and rudely peeled off her white shirt but did not remove her ck lingerie. Her upper body was almost entirely naked, and her jade-like skin gave off a seductive air. There was no trace of impurity in her eyes. Xiao Luo immediately took off his clothes and put them on her.


    At that moment, Chu Yue felt an unprecedented warmth. All the coldness disappeared. Her body was warm.


    She now knew she had misunderstood this guy. Arge pair of watery eyes stared nkly at Xiao Luo, who was now shirtless. She did not know what this feeling was, but it seemed as though a little deer was running around frantically in her heart.


    ¡°If I were you, I would move around a little to keep my body warm instead of staring at a half-naked man in a daze.¡±


    Xiao Luo lowered his head and said faintly, ¡°People may not get sick immediately after soaking in cold water for a long time. But if they don¡¯t warm up immediately aftering out of the water, then they will get sick within a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Chu Yue appeared to be blushing. She slowly stood up and moved carefully. ¡°Pretentious Di¡ªXiao Luo, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You should call me Pretentious D*ck again. It feels weird for you to call me by my name,¡± Xiao Luo said, frowning.


    Chu Yueughed and said, ¡°I also feel like it¡¯s better to keep calling you Pretentious D*ck. I¡¯m already so used to it.¡±


    Xiao Luo maintained his distant posture and looked at her with a nk expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t be all smiley,¡± he said, ¡°danger is still lurking.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Then should I hide in the mud again?¡± Chu Yue asked, startled.


    ¡°No, just follow me.¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed dryly. He just wanted to scare Chu Yue a little. Even if there were other mercenaries, they had probably evacuated by now. After all, even if Hua Nation¡¯s police were notoriously slow to respond, it was about time for them to arrive.


    The two marched several hundred yards toward the national highway. Soon, arge number of special police came into view in the dense forest ahead. They were all fanned out, searching the area.


    ¡°It¡¯s the police! The police!¡±


    Chu Yue was very excited. There was no time like now to be excited about seeing the police!


    ¡°You are safe now. If they ask you what happened, just say that a stranger saved you. Don¡¯t expose me,¡± Xiao Luo said, urging her as his feet mmed to the ground and charged into the jungle. Soon, he disappeared from Chu Yue¡¯s sight.

 Chapter 83 - Who Can’t Shout a Slogan?

    Chapter 83: Who Can¡¯t Shout a Slogan?


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioWhen Chu Yunxiong found out that his daughter, Chu Yue, had been involved in an ident, he immediately rushed over to Wild Boar Ridge. The cops had just found her when he arrived on the scene.


    Fifty nameless men in suits stood around the perimeter with stern expressions on their faces and their hands behind their backs. Chu Yunxiong was standing right at the front of the group. He wasn¡¯t a tall man, and he was actually a little bit fat. Despite looking and feeling haggard, he put on a youthful smile when he saw that Chu Yue was unscathed.


    ¡°You old geezer! I thought that I wasn¡¯t going to see you again. Huhu¡­¡±


    Chu Yue rushed over to embrace her father and started bawling in his arms. Her slim, fragile body was like that of a deer in shock as she shivered uncontrobly. The events that had taken ce that afternoon had severely frightened her and left their imprint in her psyche. She had witnessed death and experienced what it was like to be caught fighting a brutal battle of life and death. She felt like she had returned from a tour of the very depths of hell.


    ¡°Everything is fine. It¡¯s all over now. Everything is fine!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong patted her back lovingly andforted her. His old, muddy eyes expressed much of the guilt that he was feeling. He was the one who had brought this terrible situation upon his own daughter. If it had been up to him, he would have much preferred that he¡¯d been the one assaulted instead. If something unthinkable happened to Chu Yue, Chu Yunxiong would never be able to forgive himself.


    ¡°Team Leader Gu, we found the bodies of 17 foreigners. Judging by their clothes and equipment, they were most likely mercenaries.¡±


    Meanwhile, Officer Xiao Wang reported the situation to Gu Qianlin: ¡°Our SWAT team isbing the area around Wild Boar Ridge. As soon as there are any updates, they will report back to us at once.¡±


    ¡°Who killed the 17 mercenaries? Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguard?¡± Gu Qianlin asked.


    Officer Xiao Wang shook his head and said, ¡°No, Miss Chu Yue¡¯s two bodyguards took some bullets and were knocked out cold.¡±


    ¡°Who else could it have been, then? Don¡¯t tell me that, besides Chu Yue and her bodyguards, there was someone else we missed at the scene?¡± Gu Qianlin asked. Her face was filled with uncertainty.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, either. Fang Chongqiang called the cops and said that there were a bunch of mercenaries trying to hurt Miss Chu Yue. He never mentioned anyone else at the scene. The SWAT team also has yet to find traces of another person,¡± Officer Xiao Wang was quick to respond to his superior.


    Gu Qianlin knitted her eyebrows and diverted her attention toward Chu Yue. In order to find out what had killed the 17 mercenaries, it would be much easier to ask Chu Yue what had happened since she was unscathed. Gu Qianlin put her n into motion immediately and walked past the fifty nameless men in ck suits, heading for the area up front, where Chu Yue was standing with her father. In a sincere tone, Gu Qianlin addressed the frightened girl, ¡°Miss Chu Yue, can you please tell me who saved you?¡±


    Chu Yue was about to answer automatically, ¡®Xiao Luo,¡¯ but then abruptly remembered how, before leaving, Xiao Luo had emphatically instructed her not to reveal his identity. Although she didn¡¯t know the reason for this, she pulled the brakes just in time. Instead, she shook her head, replying convincingly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡ªI don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Officer Gu, my daughter is still in shock. If you want to question her, then do so another day!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong lovingly scooped up Chu Yue and carried her away on his back. His tone made it clear that there would be repercussions if anyone disobeyed him. Ignoring Gu Qianlin, he said to Chu Yue, ¡°Xiao Yue, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Apanied by two bodyguards, Leng Zuo and Leng You, they climbed into the Land Rover. Like trained soldiers, the fifty nameless men entered their cars in an orderly manner and left the scene.


    ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± said Officer Xiao Wang. ¡°This pattern is clearly unmatched. It really is Boss Chu, huh?¡±


    Officer Xiao Wang and the other cops watched this procession with much awe. They would probably never witness something like this again. There were fifty bodyguards in total, all of whom were retired special forces soldiers. Additionally, these men had received special permission from the government that allowed them to carry firearms. Forget Jiangcheng, just in Hua Nation alone, there were no more than ten businessmen who received such special treatment.


    ¡°If you¡¯re envious, then you can hand me your resignation letter. I¡¯ll approve it at once, and you can go work for Chu Yunxiong. I¡¯ll even offer you my congrattions in advance,¡± Gu Qianlin said with her arms behind her back.


    Officer Xiao Wang hid his envious face and replied with an awkward smile, ¡°Team Leader Gu, I was just joking.¡± Then, with a stern look, his chin up, chest puffed out, and a perfectly straight posture, he proudly eximed, ¡°I, Wang Hanxuang, vow to fight all sorts of crime! Once a police officer, always a police officer!¡±


    Gu Qianlin promptly kicked Officer Xiao Wang in the rear end and shot back firmly, ¡°Anyone can shout out a slogan. It doesn¡¯t mean anything on its own. Stop doing such pretentious stuff in front of me, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Wang Hanxuan replied vehemently, trying to ignore the pain in his butt.


    Just then, the voice of the SWAT team leader could be heard through the walkie talkie: ¡°We have located six armed men, and they¡¯re escaping to the southwest!¡±


    Gu Qianlin furrowed her brow, snatched the walkie talkie, and spoke into it firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t lose sight of them but be careful. Professional mercenariesy mines while escaping, so don¡¯t fall for it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Team Leader Gu!¡±


    ¡°All small teams listen to my orders. Head southeast and surround the area. Don¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    After rying her instructions, Gu Qianlin put on her bulletproof vest and led out her team of reinforcements. She was so tough that watching her left Wang Hanxuan and the other officers speechless. They thought to themselves: She¡¯s like a night-blooming cereus. Pretty and strong at the same time.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo was also surrounded by the police but managed to knock out a SWAT officer and changed into his uniform.


    Once he put on the bulletproof helmet, it would be hard for the other officers to realize that he was not one of their ranks. While all of the cops headed toward the southwest, Xiao Luo snuck out onto a tiny road and left Wild Boar Ridge.


    ¡°I hope Chu Yue doesn¡¯t betray me. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be in trouble!¡± Xiao Luo muttered to himself.


    He worried that if the cops found out that he had killed 17 mercenaries, then they would put him on a list of wanted fugitives. First and foremost, he was not a retired soldier. Secondly, he was not a member of any government organization. Even so, he had these abilities. This meant that the police wouldn¡¯t let him off and might even resort to extorting a confession out of him.


    Catching the police¡¯s attention was one thing. But if the government were to cklist him, then they would watch his every move from then on.


    However, if he ever told anyone about the Genius System, then they would think he was a raving lunatic.


    ¡­


    In a small mountain vige, he was stealing¡ªno, borrowing¡ªa set of new clothes and changing into them before taking a car back to Huaye. This was the first time he¡¯d killed someone, and though he had not noticed it at first, he now felt a little out of sorts.


    ¡°System, what¡¯s wrong with me? Did ¡®Constitution: King of Mercenaries¡¯ change my nature or didn¡¯t it? Why do I feel this ufortable after killing someone?¡± Xiao Luo asked while in bed.


    ¡°Ding! ¡®Constitution: King of Mercenaries¡¯ changes the nature of the host. However, you are still you, so it doesn¡¯t change the fact that this is the first time you have ever killed another human being. Do not worry. It is natural for you to feel like this,¡± the system¡¯s clear female voice rang out in his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m still me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned but let out a sigh of relief. For some time, he¡¯d been worrying that receiving all kinds of abilities could change into a different person. But all these worries now appeared unfounded. He had merely received these abilities without affecting his body, consciousness, or ego. He was still himself.

 Chapter 84 - Passing Through Your World

    Chapter 84: Passing Through Your World


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioZhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai noticed that Xiao Luo headed straight to bed as soon as he came back. Still, neither of them had any idea what had happened. They wondered if something had happened during the watch transaction, but now was not the best time to ask. They thoughtfully turned down the volume of the game and music so as to not disturb Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo slept until 8 o¡¯clock that evening. He was even fast asleep when Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai tried to wake him up for dinner. So, the two of them packed some food for him, but by the time he woke up, it had gone cold.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my good brother Luo, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhu Xiaofei asked in a hurry.


    ¡°I was too tired.¡± Xiao Luo stretched his back, then added, ¡°I feel much better after a good sleep, though.¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, didn¡¯t you just go meet the watch buyer? What made you so tired?¡± Zhu Xiaofei asked, puzzled.


    Ding Kai was equally suspicious as he looked at Xiao Luo. To be honest, they had both been shocked when Xiao Luo first returned because they could sense an evil aura emanating from his body. That was also why they hadn¡¯t grilled him when he¡¯d firste back.


    Xiao Luo waved his hands and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. They stood me up, and I had to wait there all afternoon.¡±


    So that¡¯s what happened!


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai finally understood why Xiao Luo had looked so pissed off when he¡¯de back. He had been stood up and made to wait an entire afternoon. He was surely fuming with anger. It was fortunate that he hadn¡¯t taken it out on them.


    ¡°Speaking of which, do you know the taste of the fried noodles from noodle store outside our school?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He was hungry and needed something to fill up his stomach.


    ¡°The noodles from the first store when you turn right after leaving the school gate are really rich,¡± Zhu Xiaofei replied immediately.


    Ding Kai red at him and said, ¡°Brother Luo, don¡¯t listen to him. He likes the store owner¡¯s daughter. That¡¯s why he thinks they taste so good.¡±


    ¡°Store owners¡¯ daughter?¡± Xiao Luo asked, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°She¡¯s a fifteen or sixteen-year-old Lolita and helps out frequently at the store. She has a sweet, demure appearance and pale skin. Lao Zhu even gave her a nickname, Fried Noodles Girl,¡± Ding Kai said.


    ¡°Shut up, Kaizi! Do you really think that I went to buy fried noodles only because Fried Noodles Girl is pretty? Am I really that sort of guy?¡± Zhu Xiaofei asked anxiously.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°What the heck. Are you asking for a spanking? You always speak badly about me in front of Brother Luo. You¡¯re ruining my heroic image!¡±


    ¡°Big fool!¡±


    ¡°F*ck, I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡±


    ¡­


    They ended up fighting, and they both tried to distract each other by grabbing each other¡¯s balls. The attacker always made some weird noises like he was filled with ecstasy.


    Xiao Luo was covered with goosebumps. Letting out a sigh, he left the room.


    Thanks to Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s influence, he headed for the fried noodle store. It was just as he¡¯d said, and a pretty girl was helping out at the store. Although she was lovely, she was very young, and he was no longer interested in teenage girls.


    He walked over, ordered a serving of fried rice cake with meat, and found himself a seat.


    In Jiangcheng, there were countless stores like this. Though they may not look shy, they could still make several thousand each month. Besides, many great delicacies came from stores like this.


    ¡°Hey, Hero Luo!¡±


    Just then, he heard a sweet voice call his name.


    Xiao Luo detected a light fragrance in the air. Soon after, An Huanhuan was seated directly across from him.


    Boasting fair and clear skin, exquisite facial features, and ck, silky hair, she had an upbeat grin on her face and came off as cute and tiny. White stud earrings adorned her earlobes.


    ¡°Hero Luo, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re eating here!¡± An Huanhuan eximed with a smile.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t find it humorous in the slightest. He thought to himself: Why wouldn¡¯t I eat here?


    But instead, he said: ¡°An Huanhuan, do you need something?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. Have you forgotten, Hero Luo? You once promised me something,¡± An Huanhuan replied, nodding her head.


    ¡°I did? What did I promise you?¡± Xiao Luo said, his eyebrows furrowing.


    An Huanhuan pouted her lips in disappointment and responded, ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to teach me Kungfu back when we were behind the school mountain?¡±


    Oh, so that¡¯s what she was referring to!


    Xiao Luo had a vague recollection of this. He had casually mentioned it back then without being serious, so he had eventually forgotten all about it.


    With an awkward smile, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been so busytely that Ipletely forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. As long as Hero Luo is willing to teach me, then I¡¯m fine.¡±


    An Huanhuan put on her most adorable smile. Just like an elf without any worries, she forgot all her troubles in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s like they say, ¡®there¡¯s no time like the present.¡¯ Right, Hero Luo? Why don¡¯t you teach me now?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brow again and answered, ¡°I have yet to eat my dinner. Why don¡¯t I teach you after I eat?¡±


    ¡°You can pack the food to go and teach me while you eat! Hehe¡­¡±


    An Huanhuan approached thedy boss and packed Xiao Luo¡¯s fried rice cake into a white takeout box before paying for the food.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t reject her and stood up from his seat. An Huanhuan held his hand as if there were no distinction between men and women, and she led him to the school¡¯s rubber field.


    ¡°Cough, cough. An Huanhuan¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Can you let go of my hand?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He wasn¡¯t used to having a girl dragging him around.


    An Huanhuan giggled yfully and said, ¡°Hero Luo, you¡¯re so coy! Holding hands won¡¯t get me pregnant. Don¡¯t let it bother you.¡±


    Xiao Luo could say nothing in return.


    When they arrived at the rubber field, An Huanhuan eximed with much excitement, asking, ¡°Hero Luo, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Run twops for a start.¡±


    Xiao Luo found himself a stone stool, sat down, and began to open his fast-food box.


    ¡°Ah? Run twops? Around the field?¡± An Huanhuan¡¯s face turned pale.


    ¡°Yes. You can¡¯t master Kungfu in a day. You first have to build up your stamina before you can start learning. If you¡¯ve ever watched those special forces shows on TV, you would know that to master a skill, you first have to go through hellish training,¡± Xiao Luo replied as he bit into his piping hot fried rice cake.


    An Huanhuan rolled her ck pearl-like eyes and asked, ¡°Hero Luo, do you have any skills that would allow us to dual cultivate? Shall we dual cultivate?¡±


    After saying that, her face flushed as red as apletely ripened apple.


    Dual cultivation?


    ¡°Cough! Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo choked on his food and began to cough. It was not like he was a nerd or shut-in who only read the Holy Bible. Even if he didn¡¯t know about it first-had, Zhang Dashan had imparted so much knowledge concerning boy and girl rtionships, and he knew what ¡®dual cultivation¡¯ meant. It was not merely sex, but the unification of Yin and Yang to achieve a perfect sense of harmony.


    ¡°Hero Luo, are you okay?¡±


    An Huanhuan saw him coughing really badly and started to pat his back.


    Xiao Luo raised his hands and tried to stop her. ¡°An Huanhuan, just what are you trying to achieve? Have you watched too many martial art dramas?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say that I wanted Hero Luo to be my boyfriend?¡± An Huanhuan responded innocently.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll say this now, once and for all: we¡¯re not suited for each another,¡± Xiao Luo replied in a serious tone as he put his food down.


    ¡°Why? Is it because I talked to Song Jianan, so you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop imagining things. To you university students, dating is normal and almost part of the curriculum. I¡¯m not looking down on you,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted. ¡°You guys and me, we juste from two different worlds. It is unavoidable that we had to cross paths, but I¡¯m just passing through your world and will leave really soon. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you to see me as a potential partner. You still have a long road ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°What, Hero Luo, you¡­you are going to leave?¡± An Huanhuan asked. The smile had left her face, and her body was in shock.

 Chapter 85 - Tons of Injuries

    Chapter 85: Tons of Injuries


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioSince An Huanhuan was already aware of his real identity, there was no need for Xiao Luo to hide from her any longer. He nodded and replied, ¡°Of course I will leave. Anyway, I¡¯m not really here at Huaye to study.¡±


    ¡°Everyone treats you like you¡¯re a part of our ss. If you leave, then we will all be very sad,¡± An Huanhuan replied, teary-eyed. She had really invested in her feelings for this guy, so when she heard that he was going to leave, her heart began to feel really ufortable.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°We all have our own roads to travel. It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t meet up anymore. If fate wills it, our path will cross again at¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± An Huanhuan eximed. All of a sudden, she jumped up, pounced on him, and hugged him very tightly.


    She did this so suddenly that no one could have predicted it.


    Faced with the girl¡¯s unexpected embrace, Xiao Luo was confused. He could not help but notice the subtle fragrance in the air as An Huanhuan began sobbing in his arms.


    ¡°Hero Luo, I don¡¯t want you to leave. I really like you!¡±


    An Huanhuan sobbed as she spoke. She could no longer control her feelings or hold them in. There was no exining it; she just liked Xiao Luo. It didn¡¯t matter if her actions came off as childish or immature. Anyway, wasn¡¯t this how people grew?


    Xiao Luo tried to force a smile. He didn¡¯t hug her. Instead, he tapped her on the back and gently consoled her.


    Young, beautiful, petite, and cute. For most guys, if such a girl took the initiative to hug them, it would hard to imagine that they would not be interested in her too. However, Xiao Luo had note to Huaye to fall in love with university girls, but toplete the mission at hand. To think of anything else would be a vition of his own principles.


    **


    Three days passed, and no police hade looking for Xiao Luo. He felt enormously relieved. It seemed that Chu Yue had kept her word and not betrayed him.


    Chu Yunxiong called specifically to thank him and, at the same time, pay the one million, which remained outstanding of his fee, straight into his bank ount.


    During his conversation with Chu Yunxiong, Xiao Luo realized that the Red Scorpion mercenaries had been annihted. He found out that Gu Qianlin had brought a few thousand SWAT officers and police to engage with them over two days and two nights. This had resulted in the deaths of five of the SWAT team members, with twenty-six of them suffering severe injuries. Only then had they been able to kill off the remaining six members of the Red Scorpion Mercenaries at Wild Boar Ridge. In the end, the leader of the Red Scorpion Mercenaries had leaped off a vast cliff. His chances of survival were extremely low.


    Additionally, Chu Yunxiong¡¯s business rival had dered bankruptcy and been sent to jail. This meant Xiao Luo would be able to drop out of Huayue earlier than expected, and the mission to protect Chu Yue could be consideredplete.


    Or, could it already be consideredplete?


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t feel that this was real but heaved a sigh of relief anyway because he would no longer have to attend sses.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, thank you so much. It is thanks to your help that my little girl came back to me safely,¡± Chu Yunxiong said, expressing his gratefulness once again. Calling on Xiao Luo¡¯s help had unquestionably helped draw them closer together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, Mr. Chu. It¡¯s my job,¡± Xiao Luo answered him politely.


    Chu Yunxiong admired Xiao Luo even more after this. This young man had not taken advantage of the opportunity to get closer to him, and his attitude was humble¡ªa real rarity among young people.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, my chauffeur will pick you up tomorrow. We will talk again then.¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry, Mr. Chu, but I have some things to attend to tomorrow. I do not have time to meet with you,¡± Xiao Luo declined Chu Yunxiong¡¯s invitation for a chat.


    He could already feel that Chu Yunxiong was hoping to involve him in some ongoing ns. However, Xiao Luo no longer wanted to be governed by anyone else. Now that he had the start-up capital of one million, he intended tounch his own ventures, even if he had yet to draw up any concrete ns.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you remind me of myself when I was a young man. I know what you are thinking, so juste along and see what I have to say. I will not disappoint you,¡± Chu Yunxiong pressed with a smile.


    Chu Yunxiong was implying something, and Xiao Luo could not tantly decline him, so he replied, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll think about it!¡±


    ¡°You muste. Trust me. I will provide you with the challenge you want as well as more space for you to express yourself,¡± Chu Yunxiong said.


    Xiao Luo responded with a non-response and hung up the phone.


    Challenge! Space!


    It was obvious that Chu Yunxiong was hinting at something specific, but Xiao Luo could not figure out what it was. It was as if there were a thinly veiled sheet of paper separating him from a room. In the candlelight, only the room¡¯s blurry image could be seen. That is to say, Xiao Luo already knew what it was that Chu Yunxiong wanted, but he had yet to understand itpletely. The not knowing gave him a real itch, and he knew that he simply had to check it out.


    ¡°Does he really know what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Xiao Luo wondered, mumbling to himself. He wanted nothing more than freedom without governance and a career that would challenge him.


    ¡°Forget it. I will go and check it out tomorrow!¡±


    After making up his mind, he walked down the stairs. The English Department students were waiting for him to guide the choir. Thepetition was tomorrow.


    They were still all gathered on thewn behind the school, in the pavilion with the strong scent of books.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is here. Everyone, get into your positions!¡±


    Once Huang Ruoran saw Xiao Luo, she shooed the girls chatting on thewn and prompted them to stand in position at once.


    The girls got into position quickly and weed Xiao Luo with smiles.


    When Xiao Luo had first said that they were going to defeat the Measurement and Control Department, the girls had seriously doubted him. However, over the past few days, under Xiao Luo¡¯s guidance, their singing standards had improved dramatically. Just yesterday, when Qiu Liang from the Measurement and Control Department had heard them singing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ only once, he¡¯d gone into shock. They hadpletely changed their singing technique.


    After hearing the girls sing, Qiu Liang had asked the team leader from the Measurement and Control Department, Zhao Shijie, to request a canction of the bets that they had ced. Just hearing about this gave the girls a huge confidence boost apanied by a wave of relief.


    It could now be said Xiao Luomanded almost as much respect in their ss as Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my dearest Brother Luo, what took you so long? Everyone has been waiting for you for half a day already,¡± Zhu Xiaofeiined.


    Immediately, the girls in the ss began to roast him.


    ¡°Hero Luo can arrive whenever he pleases! It¡¯s none of your business, you stupid pig!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, this stupid pig is just here to give Hero Luo attitude.¡±


    ¡°This stupid pig is so rude. So, so rude.¡±


    ¡­


    Zhu Xiaofei looked so bad in front of the girls that he may as well have just eaten feces. All he had done was voice a smallint, so how had he angered this entire group of girls?


    Ding Kai nced at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! Who the f*ck knows what¡¯s happening in your brain. Out of everybody here, you choose to whine about Brother Luo. You can¡¯t me anyone for your own stupidity and foolishness.¡±


    ¡°Kaizi, don¡¯t you feel like that¡¯s a bit unfair? After all, the three of us are considered the ss¡¯ national treasures. So, why is there such a vast difference in the way we are all treated?¡± Zhu Xiaofeimented.


    Ding Kai chuckled proudly and said, ¡°Hehe! It¡¯s all thanks to Brother Luo that I¡¯m also on Huaye¡¯s forum¡¯s hot searches list. Recently, I managed to win the heart of this junior I¡¯ve been crushing on. Sincest time, the difference between us has grown really huge.¡±


    What?!


    Zhu Xiaofei opened his eyes in disbelief, and he was unable to believe what he had just heard. He and Ding Kai, as the skinny and fat ones, had been given the joint title of ¡°Ugly Duo¡± in the English Faculty. So long as everybody was single together, everything was fine. But what was happening now? Ding Kai had a girlfriend, and yet Zhu Xiaofei didn¡¯t. The amount of pain Zhu Xiaofei felt was unbearable.


    It was really a lot of misery!

 Chapter 86 - Choir Competition

    Chapter 86: Choir Competition


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte. I had to pick up a call.¡±


    Xiao Luo walked over and apologized to the crowd that had gathered. He was very apologetic because the entire ss had been waiting for him for more than ten minutes.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Hero Luo. We don¡¯t have anything to do, anyway. Once in a while, it¡¯s good to breathe the fresh air here at the back of the mountain. Besides, idle chit-chat isn¡¯t a bad way to spend some time, either.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Just ignore what the stupid pig said. He will make trouble with you even if there isn¡¯t any, just like those celebrities on the inte with ulterior motives.¡±


    ¡°No matter howte Hero Luo shows up, we¡¯re all always willing to wait for him. Hehe¡­¡±


    The girls from the English Department had spoken. It was clear they did not care whether or not Xiao Luo wasted their time.


    Compared to the rest of the girls, An Huanhuan, who had just learned about Xiao Luo¡¯s imminent departure, had fallen quiet. She was not as lively as usual.


    As for Chu Yue, who had only recently returned to ss, her attitude toward Xiao Luo had also shifted drastically. Ever since she¡¯dst seen Xiao Luo a few days ago and received that shock, when she saw him now, her uneasy heart felt settled. Xiao Luo provided her with an infinite sense of security.


    ¡°The ck outfit on Pretentious D*ck makes him look so handsome!¡± whispered Chu Yue under her breath as she took out the lollipop from her mouth.


    She was dressed in a white pleated dress. Her short, jet-ck hair rested neatly on her shoulders. Her delicate face was eggshell white, and her eyes bloomed like flowers. With her sharp nose and slightly red-tinted lips, her charm could cause a person¡¯s heart to shudder.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    When Bai Ling, who was next to Chu Yue, heard this, her pretty face suddenly revealed a stunned expression. It was hard for her to ept that she¡¯d just heard Chu Yue sing Xiao Luo¡¯s praises. She asked, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, did you just say that Xiao Luo is handsome?¡±


    ¡°When did I ever say that Xiao Luo is handsome? You must be hallucinating.¡±


    Chu Yue did not dare look directly in Bai Ling¡¯s eyes because she had a guilty conscience. To cover up her uneasiness, she deliberately put the lollipop back into her mouth.


    Hallucinations? Could it be?


    Bai Ling began to doubt her own ears. After all, to hear something like ¡®Xiao Luo is very handsome¡¯e out of Chu Yue¡¯s mouth would be entirely out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Quiet down, everyone. Let¡¯s listen to Xiao Luo!¡± Huang Ruoranmanded suddenly, quieting the girls down.


    Xiao Luo coughed and took one step forward, saying, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have much to teach you. If everyone just performs as per usual tomorrow, it will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Hero Luo, Qiu Liang from the Measurement and Control Department will surely have to run around naked! We definitely sing better than their ss now,¡± said one girl confidently.


    ¡°Confidence is a good thing. Keep it up!¡± Xiao Luo said, chuckling lightly.


    After that, the choir practiced as usual. They sang the song ¡®Yellow River¡¯ five or six times. Once they¡¯d done an excellent job every time, Xiao Luo dismissed them. What they¡¯d aplished was sufficient, and there was no longer a need for practice. All they had to do was wait for tomorrow¡¯spetition to start.


    ¡°Pretentious D*ck!¡± Chu Yue called out, stopping Xiao Luo just as he was about to leave.


    ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Xiao Luo said, stopping and turning to look at her.


    ¡°This is for you!¡±


    Chu Yue stuffed a box of imported lollipops into Xiao Luo¡¯s arms. Then, like a frightened bunny, she panicked and shyly pulled Bai Ling away, blushing. She turned back to nce in Xiao Luo¡¯s direction while leaving, and she noticed tension and anxiety that she could not express.


    ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s up with that situation?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei was stunned and came over, ncing at the lollipops in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands. ¡°Sweet Caroline Vampire Loving Lollipop from America! Each box costs 999. The fact that Princess Yue gave you something like that means that she likes you. Brother Luo, my dear Brother Luo, you have somehow quietly managed to capture the heart of Huaye¡¯s campus belle. If news of this spreads, do you know how many boys at Huaye will be heartbroken?¡±


    Ding Kai was also shocked and unable to put his reaction into words. ¡°There is such a big gap in our poprity now that I don¡¯t think I can even see Brother Luo¡¯s back from where I stand!¡±


    He¡¯d initially thought that pairing up with the junior he had admired for a long time was awesome. However, now Xiao Luo was even more impressive. He had decided straightaway on the most unattainable activity at Huaye, and that was the pursuit of Chu Yue, who had rejected no less than fifty boys. Ding Kai had beenpletely eclipsed.


    Xiao Luo was unable to respond. He was also left speechless by Chu Yue¡¯s actions. If she had wanted to thank him, she could have simply given him some money. Instead, she had given him a box of lollipops. Was a big guy like him expected to eat lollipops like a little kid when he had nothing better to do?


    At the same time, Bai Ling was shocked and dumbfounded. She couldn¡¯t believe that Chu Yue had given that box of lollipops to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Young Mistress Chu, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± she asked, suspecting that Chu Yue hade down with some sort of sickness.


    ¡°Nothing. What could possibly have happened to me?¡± Chu Yue replied.


    ¡°You gave Xiao Luo the lollipops that even you can¡¯t bear to eat!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s just a box of lollipops, and they aren¡¯t worth that much. I can just buy them again. It¡¯s hard for Pretentious D*ck to conduct and direct our ss choir, and I just wanted to give him a little reward,¡± Chu Yue replied. Her mouth curled up slightly, and it was hard for her to act like she didn¡¯t care.


    A form of reward?


    Oh my god! What was wrong? What was happening?


    Bai Ling couldn¡¯t figure out what was behind this change in Chu Yue. It was too sudden andpletely unexpected.


    **


    On Saturday evening at 7 o¡¯clock, the choirpetition officially kicked off.


    Thepetition venue was Huaye¡¯s grand auditorium. Brilliant spotlights shone on the exquisite stage, making it seem like it was daytime. Beyond the stage, the seats were filled with students. In the first row sat a judging panelprised of teachers, and the entire auditorium was packed. At least a thousand people had gathered.


    One professional after another walked onto the stage and stood in line for their turn in the choral performance. Loud, orderly singing echoing in the magnificent grand hall.


    Meanwhile, the English Department choir was in a hurry. Everyone was there except for the most important person¡ªXiao Luo.


    ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, where is Xiao Luo? Where did he go?¡± Huang Ruoran asked anxiously.


    Zhu Xiaofei shook his head and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just saw him here. Did he go to the bathroom? Should I go look for him in the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time left. We are up next,¡± Huang Ruoran said.


    Zhu Xiaofei said, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s eyebrows were almost entirely knitted together. After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind. ¡°We have to forget about him!¡±


    ¡°But what will we do without Pretentious D*ck?¡± Chu Yue said.


    ¡°We have to make it work even if it doesn¡¯t,¡± Huang Ruoran replied stalwartly. It was toote for them to mess around or panic. Otherwise, they would definitely sing abnormally on stage. Huang Ruoran told everyone, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if Xiao Luo is here or not. Just sing well, like we¡¯ve been practicing all this time.¡±


    The girls nodded. Thispetition was not just about ss honor, but also about the bet between Xiao Luo and Qiu Liang. They had to sing well.


    ¡°English Department! Where is the English Department?¡± Just then, a teacher approached from backstage and shouted loudly for the English majors.


    ¡°We are here,¡± Huang Ruoran said, raising her hand high.


    The teacher beckoned, saying, ¡°It¡¯s your turn. Come in and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Huang Ruoran took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She said, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s work hard and sing well together. Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 87 - Departing

    Chapter 87: Departing


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIn the auditorium, the stage lights were bright. Compared to the stage itself, the light shining on the audience was much dimmer.


    Xiao Luo sat in an inconspicuous spot in the auditorium. He would leave Huaye tonight, but before he did, he wanted to appreciate the English Department choir¡¯s performance. After all, he had been the one directing them.


    ¡°A group of girls actually chose to sing ¡®Yellow River.¡¯ In my opinion, they will undoubtedly sing badly. There is no way a group of girls can capture the essence of that song!¡±


    ¡°I think so too. I am afraid that the English Department will be takingst ce!¡±


    Two boys seated next to him whispered. They were engaged in a discussion on the English Department¡¯s uing performance.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t hold back and dered, ¡°The essence of the song is not merely screaming it out from the throat. Many revolutionary songs were first sung by women. They can still convey the essence and vor of the music. There is no such thing as a song that is unsuitable for singing. There are only people who do not know the proper singing technique.¡±


    The two boys looked at him and yfully smirked.


    ¡°Brother, it seems like you know music very well. Are you from the Music Department?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°In that case, are you an amateur and a member of the Music Hobbyists Association?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it, either. I¡¯m just a passerby.¡±


    Hearing this, the smirks on their faces widened.


    ¡°You are not a student from the Music Department, nor are you a member of any literature or arts societies. What qualifications do you have to bementing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just an outsider pretending to be a maestro.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not annoyed by this. Instead, he kept a faint smile on his face and replied with one sentence, ¡°Because I am the director o the English Department choir.¡±


    The two boys were shocked by this. But just then, the student announcer appeared on stage from behind the curtains. Smiling and holding a microphone, he announced, ¡°Next up, please enjoy the song ¡®Yellow River¡¯ from the choir of the English Department¡¯s 16th cohort. They¡¯ll be conducted by Huang Ruoran with a recitation by Chu Yue!¡±


    The big red curtain slowly drew open and revealed the familiar faces of English majors. Everyone brimmed with energy and smiles. They stood in the formation based on the adjustments that Xiao Luo had made.


    Wearing a formal suit and high heels, Huang Ruoran came out from backstage and bowed deeply to the audience. She then turned to face her ssmates. At that moment, the apaniment for ¡®Yellow River¡¯ flowed gently like a mountain stream.


    Chu Yue was in the middle of the formation. When the apaniment began, she recited loudly: ¡°Yellow River, a long, endless historical river. Yellow River, the mother river of the Descendants of the Fiery and Yellow Emperor. Hua Nation¡¯s 1.3 billion sons and daughters are nestled in your heart, and your blood is connected to and of 6.6 million.


    ¡°From the snowy mountains and grasnds to the Dadu River, we look back at history with a solemn song. Beginning with the Japanese invaders and a rain of bullets, we use our voices to fight bravely. We are united as the descendants of the dragon, defending our hometown, the Yellow River, and our great Mothend!¡±


    This simple recitation brought out a burning passion in the audience and aroused emotions thanks to its tenacity and strong imagery. It was as if the audience could see the revolutionary soldiers fighting. They were witnessing the very rise of Hua Nation.


    Xiao Luo let out a satisfied smile. Chu Yue was indeed a suitable narrator.


    Huang Ruoran started conducting with both hands, and the distinct, tidy voices began to sound.


    ¡°The wind is howling, the horses are shouting, the Yellow River roars¡­¡±


    At first, it sounded like a wild horse was galloping across a vast grasnd, followed by many horses, and finally arge group. Soon, many as tens of thousands of horses were running alongside the flowing Yellow River. With their voicesplemented by the musical apaniment, the intense collision of treble and bass made the audience feel like they were watching the rolling waves.


    The two boys who had initially doubted the English Department were stunned, along with the whole audience. They had never heard such a powerful chorus. Wave after wave of sound shocked everyone¡¯s eardrums.


    By the middle of the song, the melody suddenly pulled up like a peal of thunder. It was a gorgeous musical banquet that fed everyone¡¯s minds. The original apaniment was like a bay of fine water that had long since be a vast river. It was unstoppable and rapidly rushing forward.


    The performance was unbelievable and downright incredible!


    When the song was over, Huang Ruoran turned to the audience to bow and thank them. It was so quiet that the sound of a needle falling on the ground could have been heard in therge auditorium. More than a thousand people simply stared, dumbfounded, at the stage. The surging notes still lingered in their ears, and the after tones continued to reverberate and inspire their souls.


    The girls from the English Department looked at each other. They were nervous for a minute, as they had no idea what was going on with the audience. Had they sung that badly?


    ¡°p¡­p, p, p¡­¡±


    At that moment, the teacher judges sitting in the center of the first row stood up and became the first to apuse, breaking the odd silence. Following them, the other judges and students stood up and apuded. The crowd was passionate, and friendly apuse swept over the audience like a storm.


    Everyone expressed their strong recognition of the English Department choir with intense apuse and cheers.


    Up until then, the teachers had not judged any ss¡¯ choral performance with high praise. It was not until the English Department choir took to the stage and performed their vigorous recitation that everyone was conquered by waves of passionate singing.


    ¡°It is simply incredible that a group of girls can sing ¡®Yellow River¡¯ so well!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, full of essence and emotion. Their singing style made me feel like I was listening to a wave!¡±


    The two boys who had doubted the girls were amazed. They looked over casually at Xiao Luo¡¯s seat only to find that it was now empty. They had no idea when he had left.


    Of course, with joy also came sorrow. Qiu Liang, a professional musician from the Measurement and Control Department, was ashamed. He was quite sure that they had lost. From the opening recitation to the conducting of the English Department¡¯s choir, the girls¡¯ overall singing ability was much better than his Department¡¯s. ording to the bet they¡¯d struck, he was going to have to strip naked and streak around campus.


    Just then, Xiao Luo was dragging his suitcase and walking slowly on to the school¡¯s main road.


    He left as quietly as he¡¯d arrived, waving his sleeves and not leaving anything behind. He had no regrets. At least he was leaving with something, for he firmly believed that the English Department choir would wine first ce.


    But in his heart, he felt a little reluctant about this parting and had mixed feelings.


    He would be leaving behind the sloppy and miserly Zhu Xiaofei as well as Ding Kai, who was not good at talking and skinny as a monkey. There were also the overpowering Huang Ruoran, petite and lovely An Huanhuan, and unruly Chu Yue. From there, the list went on¡­


    The days he¡¯d spent at Hua Ye had been bittersweet. He couldn¡¯t leave without any shred of feeling.


    However, all this emotion would be diluted in time. He still had things to do, and Zhu Xiaofei and the gang also had their rose-colored student lives to lead.


    At the school gate, a ck Bentley rolled up and idled.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao?¡± asked the driver, respectfully.


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°Hello.¡±


    The driver opened the door and said. ¡°The Boss has been waiting for you at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion Hotel for a long time. Please, get in the car.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your trouble.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked back at Huaye once more before climbing into the car.

 Chapter 88 - Crying Because Were So Happy

    Chapter 88: Crying Because We¡¯re So Happy


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioOutside the car windowy the familiar scene of Jiangcheng at night. Xiao Luo rxed in the backseat and silently admired the nightscape. His eyes were sullen and filled with sadness. Nevertheless, at the same time, he was looking past the sorrow and boldly getting ready to face new challenges.


    His journey at Huaye had ended, and a new one was about to begin!


    Once he¡¯d checked his longing for Zhu Xiaofei and his other friends, Xiao Luo realized that he was now looking forward to the future. Like a martial arts master returning home from training, he was excited about showing off his skills and building a dynamic career.


    Meanwhile, back at Huaye, the girls from the English Department were all flustered. They were giddy like ants on a hotpot.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get through! Xiao Luo¡¯s phone is switched off!¡± Zhu Xiaofei frowned as he took his headphones out of his ears.


    What was going on?


    Everyone was puzzled. Why had Xiao Luo decided to go missing for no good reason? Even more strange, he¡¯d vanished during the choir¡¯s performance.


    ¡°Have you tried contacting him on WeChat or QQ?¡± Chu Yue asked in a hurry.


    With his hands spread wide, Zhu Xiaofei replied, ¡°I tried reaching out, but there was no reply.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that something¡¯s happened to him?¡± Wang Lingling spected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx him!¡±


    ¡°Hero Luo is so formidable. Nothing bad will happen to him!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. Can¡¯t you think more positively, Wang Lingling?¡±


    Many of the girls began criticizing Wang Lingling. But after a short bout of critical venting, the inevitable question of where Hero Luo had gone was right back on the table.


    Huang Ruoran said to Zhu Xiaofei, ¡°Why don¡¯t you head to our dorm and see if Xiao Luo is there?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei nodded. Just as he was about to head to their dorm, An Huanhuan, who had stayed silent this entire time, suddenly spoke up with swollen red eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Hero Luo has left already.¡±


    Left?


    To everyone else, these words felt like a massive bomb had just exploded. They all turned around and looked at An Huanhuan.


    An Huanhuan lifted her head, bit her lip, and exined, ¡°Hero Luo is different from us. He¡¯s not a student, and the only reason he came to our school was to protect Princess Yue.¡±


    What¡­


    Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief. They were astonished by what An Huanhuan had just said. Not a student? If he was only here to protect Chu Yue, did that make Xiao Luo a bodyguard?


    Thinking about how Xiao Luo had singlehandedly managed the incident at the club, it seemed as if An Huanhuan had not fabricated this story. It was all true.


    One girl, who greatly admired Xiao Luo, walked to the front and eagerly questioned Chu Yue, ¡°Princess Yue, is it true what Huanhuan said?¡±


    However, Chu Yue¡¯s mind drew a nk.


    Left? Did he really leave just like that?


    It felt like her soul had been extracted from her body. She felt empty inside and couldn¡¯t exin this mood that had ovee her. She had yet to express her gratitude toward Xiao Luo, so why had he left? And so suddenly, at that?


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, An Huanhuan. Can¡¯t you stop fooling around?¡± Zhu Xiaofei said. He couldn¡¯t ept the reality that Xiao Luo had already left.


    ¡°I wish I were joking, but it¡¯s the truth. Hero Luo told me himself.¡± Tears began streaming down An Huanhuan¡¯s cheeks as she could no longer hold back her feelings.


    ¡°Man, I refuse to believe it!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei turned around and ran to the bedroom. He refused to believe that Xiao Luo would leave without so much as a word or that Xiao Luo was just Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguard.


    ¡°Lao Zhu!¡± Ding Kai eximed, following him.


    Huang Ruoran raised her head and looked toward the pitch-ck sky. She stretched out her hands, and rainwater dripped on her palms, tickling her like goose feathers. ¡°It¡¯s raining.¡±


    The silent drizzle was like a bunch of elves descending lightly and slowly from the sky.


    At that moment, the English majors¡¯ hearts were extremely heavy.


    A teacher walked out of the auditorium with considerable excitement on her face and announced to the English Department: ¡°The assessment results are out, and the English Department came in first ce in the choirpetition!¡±


    First ce?


    Before, this would have been a triumph worth celebrating. After all, everyone had put in a lot of hard work to achieve this victory. However, the glory had since lost its value because of Xiao Luo¡¯s departure. Everything would have been perfect if only Xiao Luo had been there to celebrate this achievement with them.


    ¡°Jerk!¡± Chu Yue said, swearing as she ran past the crowd to leave the schoolpound.


    ¡°Young Mistress Chu, what are you doing?¡± Bai Ling asked anxiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get that jerk back!¡±


    Chu Yue ran with all her strength. She wanted to get Xiao Luo back, no matter what it took. This glory had to be shared with Xiao Luo, even if it was only for a minute or just a second. How could he leave without saying anything? Why was he so arrogant?


    That teacher was bewildered and thought to herself: What¡¯s wrong with the students in the English Department? They won first ce, so why do none of them look happy?


    At that moment, everyone¡¯s phones lit up with a notification.


    Looking at their screens, they all saw a message from Xiao Luo. He had included everyone in the choir.


    ¡°I think I should congratte all of you. Your performance on stage was incredible. I believe that you will all achieve a good result. I¡¯m sure Huanhuan has probably already told you this, but I¡¯m not like you. I¡¯m not a student. I¡¯m just a bodyguard. I¡¯ve now aplished my mission, so it is time for me to leave. Life is like a journey, and although we all have our own individual pursuits, distance won¡¯t wash away our friendship. Everyone, farewell!¡±


    ¡°Hero Luo¡­¡±


    Girls are sensitive creatures. After reading Xiao Luo¡¯s scheduled message, many of them began to weep.


    Huang Ruoran was no exception. Although her eyes were red, she managed to hold back her tears.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with all of you? You guys took first ce!¡± eximed the confused teacher, furrowing her brow. She had a thousand questions in her head. For the life of her, she couldn¡¯t work out why these students were crying.


    ¡°We won first ce, so we are happy. So happy that we¡¯re crying. Huhuhu¡­¡± An Huanhuan said, giving the first excuse she could think off before she too started bawling.


    Following her lead, the other girls couldn¡¯t help but sob either.


    The teacher was astonished and thought: Oh, what the heck. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s now a trend for kids to start crying when they¡¯re happy?


    Meanwhile, at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion Hotel, in an antique-looking private room, Xiao Luo and Chu Yunxiong sat in front of a big table. The table was covered with various delicacies and wine.


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s personal bodyguards, Leng Zuo and Leng You, were also inside the private room. They put on cold expressions, and their bodies emanated swift, fierce auras. Neither of them was happy with Xiao Luo¡¯s behavior because he had sat in the senior seat as soon as he had arrived. Furthermore, he hadpletely ignored the fact that Boss Chu was present and had started rudely feasting on the food.


    However, to Chu Yunxiong, Xiao Luo¡¯s actions came off as unpretentious. They were admittedly preferable to the impable manners of many hypocrites.


    ¡°I¡¯m full!¡±


    Xiao Luo put down his bowl and chopsticks, took out a napkin, and wiped his mouth. His face was filled with satisfaction.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, do you know what seat you are sitting in right now, ording to manner and custom?¡± Chu Yunxiong asked, looking at him with a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, after which heughed hollowly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that this is the senior seat?¡±


    Although Xiao Luo did not know precisely what each seat represented,ing from the countryside, he had some rough general knowledge. He knew that it was permitted to sit in any ce except for the senior seat. That exquisite seat was reserved for respectable people or seniors, so it would be rude to upy it without an express invitation.


    Chu Yunxiong nodded without saying another word.

 Chapter 89 - Arrival

    Chapter 89: Arrival


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThis was really awkward! Out of all the ces where he could have sat, he just had to take the senior seat.


    No matter how unshakable Xiao Luo¡¯s confidence was, now, he couldn¡¯t stop fidgeting.


    Just when he was about to change his position, Chu Yunxiong waved his hands and stopped him. He said, ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us now, so it doesn¡¯t matter who takes which seat.¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a few dry coughs to calm himself down, then said, ¡°What is the reason for our meeting this time, Mr. Chu?¡±


    He just wanted to be straightforward and not overly polite with Chu Yunxiong.


    Chu Yunxiong seemed to have anticipated this question. He smiled and answered, ¡°Well, I recently bought apany. It just so happens that Ick a suitable person in a certain position, would you be interested?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes brightened up and asked, ¡°Whatpany is this?¡±


    This could be a great opportunity. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have to start over from scratch or climb his way up from the bottom. Most importantly, although he intended to show off and build a stable career, he had not yet made any concrete ns.


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop!¡±


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop? Thepany that makes bread and pastries in Jiangcheng?¡±


    Xiao Luo was shocked. Having hung around Jiangcheng for so many years, it was only natural that he should know of Luo¡¯s Workshop. Thepany had more than 70 franchised bakeries that sold bread and pastries all over Jiangcheng. His ex-girlfriend, Zhao Mengqi, loved the cakes. As a result, he¡¯d often frequented Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    Chu Yunxiong nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s the shop. There¡¯s even ¡®Luo¡¯ in the name. It seems fated for you.¡±


    ¡°But I vaguely remember that the family name of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss was ¡®Fang.''¡±


    ¡°Yup, Fang Changmiao!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, and calmly said, ¡°Around six months ago, Luo¡¯s Workshop experienced an incident regarding food safety. You know about this, right?¡±


    ¡°I vaguely recall something about an old person who ate a piece of bread and died inside one of the bakeries. The media even did an expos¨¦ about it,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Chu Yunxiong reluctantly answered, ¡°As a foodpany, food safety and word-of-mouth are critical. The old person dying in front of the bakery caused word-of-mouth to turn negative almost immediately. They lost arge number of customers. In just half a year, Fang Changmiao, a CEO who had been worth 200 million, became an indebted pauper who owed 10 million.¡± Chu Yunxiong sighed, before continuing, ¡°The business world is just like a battlefield. Many can be rich and popr, but the next minute, they can face defeats so crushing that they don¡¯t even know where their next meal wille from. It¡¯s cruel and insulting.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve taken over Luo¡¯s Workshop, why don¡¯t you just let Fang Changmiao continue to manage thepany? Isn¡¯t he a better fit than someone like me who doesn¡¯t have much experience?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong shook his head, stretched out his fingers, and pointed. ¡°There are two reasons why Fang Changmiao was not chosen. Firstly, from what I understand about him, he is not a reliable person. He¡¯s likely to burn bridges and cause a lot of spection. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t have spent so much money to acquire thepany only to give it straight back into his hands.¡±


    Stretching out his second finger, he continued, ¡°The second reason, which is also the most important, is that customers subconsciously me the boss for Luo Workshop¡¯s food safety issues. Only by changing the boss can the customers change their attitude and try to trust Luo¡¯s Workshop again.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. Chu Yunxiong had unknowingly voiced a point with which he agreed. When the incident at Luo¡¯s Workshop had urred, even Xiao Luo had med the boss, so it was natural that other people would too. If they changed the CEO, although Luo¡¯s Workshop would essentially remain the same, to the customers, thepany would appear to have changed and evolved. Of course, if the food progressed as well, then customers would certainly give Luo¡¯s Workshop another chance.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯ve already told you that I trust you. So, the responsibility of Luo¡¯s Workshop will fall on you. You will take over!¡± Chu Yunxiong said, grinning.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and refused, ¡°Mr. Chu, although this sounds like a pretty good offer, I wish to start my own career.¡±


    A job and a career were two very different concepts. The former was bound by the boss, whereas in thetter scenario, a person was their own boss.


    Chu Yunxiongughed and said, ¡°Outsiders oftenment that my eyes are very good at spotting gems, just like Monkey Sun¡¯s fiery eyes. Well, they¡¯re not wrong. I do agree that I¡¯m a pretty urate judge of character. Your carefree and confident attitude is not something often seen in regr people. You¡¯re young, and you have your own ideas and persistence. I really think quite highly of you.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent. Big bosses had their ways around things. After talking so much, they were able to make people feel like they were in the clouds while still keeping their intentions hidden.


    ¡°As I said earlier, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve told you before, I will give you the challenge and freedom you want. You won¡¯t be reporting to me. If you ept this offer for Luo¡¯s Workshop, you will be thepany¡¯s official owner,¡± Chu Yunxiong said.


    Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s official owner?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart fluttered slightly, and he nced quickly at Chu Yunxiong, waiting for the businessman¡¯s next move.


    ¡°I¡¯m only in charge of sry matters. You¡¯ll just need to give me 20% of the total profit every year, and that¡¯s enough,¡± Chu Yunxiong said, looking at Xiao Luo and smiling.


    ¡°Mr. Chu, then that would make you no different from a shareholder. You singlehandedly took over Luo¡¯s Workshop, and you¡­¡± Xiao Luo reminded Chu Yunxiong, although he clearly already knew this.


    Chu Yunxiong waved and interrupted him, ¡°I¡¯m a businessman, but I¡¯m also a father. You did a good job of protecting my daughter. As repayment, as long as it is within my means, I will try my best to support you. Luo¡¯s Workshop is my way of demonstrating my sincerity.¡±


    Xiao Luo finally understood what Zhang Dashan had meant. Once you were well-acquainted with Chu Yunxiong, your struggles for the next ten years would be severely lessened.


    He then said, ¡°I need some time to think about this!¡±


    Of course, he would need to consider the proposition carefully. Chu Yunxiong had just pushed an enormous slice of cake his way, but he would need to consider whether he had the appetite to eat it. It would be very embarrassing if he could not swallow it.


    ¡°Alright. You have three days to consider my offer.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was very generous and patient with Xiao Luo. ¡°Once you agree, I will remit 10 million to Luo¡¯s Workshop as funds for subsequent operations. As for whether Luo¡¯s Workshop will be able to expand beyond Jiangcheng, that will depend on your ability.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded to show that he was clear on the terms proposed.


    After talking to Chu Yunxiong, Xiao Luo stood up and took his leave. As a huge yer in the shopping mall sector, the fact that Chu Yunxiong looked so highly at him and had confidence in his abilities made Xiao Luo really grateful. He also sincerely admired Chu Yunxiong for being a self-made legend.


    Sitting at the bottom of the steps, Xiao Luo watched the rain and frowned. He disliked rainy days, especially on days like this, which were a little bittersweet. He gged down a taxi and headed for the house that he had rented for around five hundred and fifty per month.


    Just as he was about to step into the taxi, Chu Yue emerged from her red BMW 3 Series.


    Chu Yue saw Xiao Luo climbing to the taxi, so she rolled down her car window and shouted to him loudly, ¡°Pretentious D*ck!¡±


    Why is she here? Xiao Luo whispered to himself.


    He pretended that he had not heard anything and shouted at the taxi driver, ¡°Drive!¡±

 Chapter 90 - Helplessness

    Chapter 90: Helplessness


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Brother, that girl seems to be calling to you!¡± said the taxi driver as he turned back and pointed in Chu Yue¡¯s direction.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and denied it. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken,¡± he said. ¡°I have no idea who she is.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The taxi driver nodded suspiciously and slowly started the car.


    Xiao Luo put his elbow on the car door, clenched his fist, and used it to support his cheek. He stared indifferently out the window. The sound of the rain made it easier for him to calm down and think about things like the past, present, and future. This type of atmosphere generally slowed down the very pace of life itself.


    ¡°Stop! Stop the car now!¡± Chu Yue hissed a few times, but the taxi had no intention of stopping.


    With the taillight on, it slowly drove away. Chu Yue stomped her foot angrily, mmed on the elerator, and chased after the taxi.


    Although the two cars¡¯ performance capabilities did notpare in the slightest, the taxi driver was skilled. Coupled with the fact there were fewer vehicles on the rainy road at night, the taxi moved as very fast. Chu Yue had to chase them for a while before she was finally able to catch up. She red the horn to signal the driver to stop.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The taxi driver was very puzzled as he looked at the BMW 3 Series in the rearview mirror.


    Just when he was about to park to the side, Xiao Luo took out a hundred dors from his pocket and said to the taxi driver: ¡°Lose the car behind us. If you do, then this money will be yours.¡±


    What the f*ck? What sort of situation was this? Why did it feel like they were filming a movie?


    The driver couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself underneath his breath. He was a fan of dramas and had watched various types of television series. The current situation seemed to him to be very simr to the plot of romance show that he had seen before.


    He quickly recovered and, with a sour face, said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible. This is an urban area, and the speed limit is forty. I¡¯m already going seventy, which is the limit. Any faster, and I¡¯ll be fined if they catch me.¡±


    ¡°Five hundred!¡±


    Xiao Luo was toozy to talk to the driver and took out an additional four hundred-dor bills.


    ¡°Okay, brother!¡±


    The driver immediately shifted into high gear and floored the elerator. The engine roared to life, and the taxi¡¯s speedometer jumped from 70 to 100. The fine for speeding was three hundred, at most, and there was no need for any point deduction when paying via the mobile software. This way, the driver would still be able to earn a profit of two hundred. And if luck was on his side and he didn¡¯t end up photographed, then he would receive the full five-hundred profit. Driving with these benefits in mind, he had no reason to care about pointless traffic rules.


    As she watched the distance between her and the taxi grow further and further, Chu Yue gritted her teeth and switched her vehicle to sports mode. The red BMW received a sudden injection of energy. Like a phantom, it caught up to the taxi.


    It took her no more than two or three seconds to overtake the taxi. Then, gliding beautifully at a distance of 50 to 60 yards ahead of the cab, she suddenly parked her car vertically on the road.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The driver was terrified and pulled the emergency brake. The roads were slippery on rainy days, and even with the anti-locking brake system, the car skidded. The drag of the tires left two ck marks on the ground.


    Fortunately, the two vehicles did not collide. The taxi stopped at a distance of five to six yards away from the red BMW. The driver was scared and broke out in a cold sweat.


    Then, Chu Yue pushed open the door of her BMW and ran to the front of the taxi, shouting, ¡°Come out, Pretentious D*ck!¡±


    Pretentious D*ck?


    Who was that? The guy in the backseat?


    The driver was startled. In the rearview mirror, he observed Xiao Luo sitting in the backseat.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo was depressed. The taxi driver pulled on his seatbelt. However, the emergency brake had not only affected the driver. Since Xiao Luo had not reacted in time either, he had whacked his forehead on the back of the front seat. Although there was no redness or swelling, his brow still felt hot and painful.


    ¡°Pretentious D*ck, get out here!¡±


    Chu Yue was still shouting in the rain. She was not holding an umbre, and the rain fell on her, thoroughly soaking her white school uniform. Her ck lingerie was showing, and her clothes clung tightly to her white skin, showing off the outline of her perfect body.


    Her ck hair streaked across her face, which was soaked with raindrops. Anyone who saw her like this would feel heartache.


    The door opened, and Xiao Luo expressionlessly got out of the car with an umbre.


    With the umbre in one hand and his other hand in his pocket, he walked over to Chu Yue as elegantly as any proper gentleman. However, in his all-ck outfit, a ck shirt paired with ck cks, he gave off an evil aura.


    ¡°Pretentious D*ck¡­¡±


    Seeing Xiao Luo, Chu Yue¡¯s face lit up with a smile. Ignoring the fact that she was drenched, she walked up to Xiao Luo and took him by the hands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she entreated him. ¡°Come back with me. Everyone is waiting for you.¡±


    She felt like she had just recovered a precious object. Her panicked heart had settled down slightly after seeing Xiao Luo.


    However, Xiao Luo stood motionless, rooted to the spot. No matter how she pulled, he just didn¡¯t move his golden feet.


    ¡°Go back? Go back where? Huaye?¡± Xiao Luo asked. A mocking smile crossed his face.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t my dad send you to protect me?¡± Chu Yue looked at him, wide-eyed and startled. Her heart felt like it had been pierced with a knife.


    ¡°You are safe and no longer need my protection,¡± Xiao Luo replied softly.


    Chu Yue was utterly stunned. It was as if her soul had been snatched from her body in an instant. Her mind drew a nk. She didn¡¯t know what to say to get Xiao Luo to stay. She didn¡¯t even know why she had dropped everything toe here so desperately. Was it because this man had saved her from those demons?


    No, that wasn¡¯t it. This was the first time that she¡¯d fallen for a boy. But this boy was looking at her with an icy expression and talking to her coldly.


    ¡°I think you should go back. Go back to school,¡± Xiao Luo said, persuading her. In order topletely erase the ripples in her heart, he kept his face cold as ice. ¡°I have my own things to do. And you, as a student, have your own things to do too. Don¡¯t waste your time on an outsider like me!¡±


    After he finished speaking, he turned around and left without showing her any sign of affection. Even if he felt a bit reluctant, he had to cut her off and start a new life.


    However, Chu Yue reached out and grabbed his arm.


    Sobbing and choking, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­together. I beg you, Pretentious D*ck. I was at fault in the past, and I should never have treated you the way I did. I know I¡¯m in the wrong now. I apologize to you, so please don¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t leave us! Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Huang Ruoran¡ªthey are all waiting for you¡­¡±


    Chu Yue did not know what was wrong with her. She was usually so proud, so where was this unspeakable sadness and desperationing from? This was not like her at all. She was crying in front of a boy! Was her delicate makeup already ruined? It was, and without it, her pale and powerless face was revealed.


    Xiao Luo turned his head and looked at her wet clothes and messy hair, but there was no way tofort her.

 Chapter 91 - Fast Fingers

    Chapter 91: Fast Fingers


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo thought that he despised Chu Yue. But when it finally came time for him to leave,pared to the mixed emotions he felt around his departure in general, he realized that the little bit of hatred he harbored against her was actually insignificant.


    Chu Yue was drenched by rain. When a gust of wind blew, her body shivered uncontrobly. She was like a flower amid a violent storm¡ªpathetic, helpless, and pitiful. She, who should¡¯ve been like the moon surrounded by a myriad of stars, was now a miserable worm begging for Xiao Luo toe back. She couldn¡¯t forget the warmth and sense of security that the events at Wild Boar Ridge had caused her to experience. She wanted to grasp him tightly with all her might.


    Xiao Luo, however, wasn¡¯t feeling great on the inside. It wasn¡¯t because of Chu Yue. Even if it been Huang Ruoran, An Huanhuan, or any of the others who had shown up, he would¡¯ve felt the same.


    However, he couldn¡¯t look back. He and the girls were not from the same world. He was merely a passerby who¡¯d just happened to stroll into their world. How could a passerby be so nostalgic for scenery encountered along the journey?


    With a chilling expression, Xiao Luo toughened up his heart and chastised her, ¡°Young Mistress Chu, you¡¯re really childish. Do you know that? I hate you. You¡¯re an arrogant, stupid girl. You¡¯re like a kid who never grows up. No girl your age eats lollipops every day, aside from you. Do you think that you will have good teeth forever? Or do you think that munching on a lollipop makes you cute? Let me tell you, you¡¯re just weird. And do you know what the funniest thing of all is? You gave me those lollipops as a present. Are you sure that you are Huaye¡¯s prettiest girl and not its biggest joke?¡±


    Each and every word was like a dagger stabbing deep into Chu Yue¡¯s heart.


    She widened her big eyes and gaped in amazement at Xiao Luo. Tears woven with rain rolled down her cheeks. Why was this happening? Had she been in a one-sided rtionship all along? Was she really so tiny and insignificant to him?


    ¡°Go back and be the young mistress you were meant to be. Don¡¯te to me ever again. The person whom I want to see least in all the world is you!¡±


    Afraid that he would soften, he shook her hands off and walked back to the cab without looking back.


    ¡°P-poser¡­Xiao¡­Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Chu Yue pursued him with a few tottering steps. Atst, she stopped, gazing helplessly at Xiao Luo¡¯s back as it moved further and further.


    Xiao Luo went back to the cab and told the driver to leave. He grabbed his phone and called Chu Yunxiong, informing him of Chu Yue¡¯s location.


    As he turned around, through the cab¡¯s rear windshield, the driver could see Chu Yue standing in the rain, shivering and bellowing.


    Sigh¡­


    Why did she have toe and find me?


    Xiao Luo sighed deeply. He was had aplished his duty to protect her, so now she should simply continue being the big missy she was. They should simply go about living their mutually exclusive lives. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if they could just part ways and treat each other as total strangers?


    ¡°Young man, thatdy looks pretty great, I must say. Comin¡¯ after you in her car on a rainy day¡­I can see that she really likes you,¡± the cab driver remarked while peering at Xiao Luo in the rearview mirror.


    Xiao Luo smiled, discontinuing the thread of conversation.


    Did Chu Yue like him?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    Did he like Chu Yue?


    No, at least not yet. He only didn¡¯t hate her like he had that time after the dance party.


    ******


    The pattering rain seemed unceasing.


    The moment he returned to his rented apartment, Xiao Luo began cleaning up. Having been gone for almost a month, the surfaces and furniture were covered in a thickyer of dust.


    After bathing, Xiao Luo sat on the bed, took out his phone, and called Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°Hello, who¡¯s calling?¡±


    Zhang Dashan often received calls from anonymous customers. Hence, when he received a call from an unknown number, he greeted the other party courteously.


    ¡°It is me, Xiao Luo!¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo? What the hell? Why did you change numbers?¡± His voice immediately became rough and loud.


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°I¡¯m not using my old number anymore. I also opened a new WeChat ount. Hurry up and add me on my new ount.¡±


    The purpose of changing contact information was to sever every connection he had made back at Huaye.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, bro? Something got ya?¡±


    ¡°Stop the gibberish. Just add me, alright?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s head was a mess because of Chu Yue.


    ¡°Da heck? You eat grenades for dinner or something?¡±


    Zhang Dashan asked him, ¡°Where are you now? I¡¯lle find you. I¡¯m in the city.¡±


    ¡°Ipleted Chu Yunxiong¡¯s assignment in advance. I¡¯m at home now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. See you soon. Oh yeah, prepare some clothes for me. I¡¯m gonna spend the night at your ce.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Dashan hung up before Xiao Luo could reply.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. Subsequently, he sent his new contact information to every contact saved on his phone via mass messaging. But his fingers were too fast, and he identally sent the message to the person whom he least wanted to receive the text, Zhao Mengqi.


    This idiotic move left him speechless. He immediately deleted her contact information, lest something else awkward happened again in the future.


    What he hadn¡¯t expected was an instant reply from Zhao Mengqi, who texted back, ¡°How are you doing these days?¡±


    Xiao Luo facepalmed, recalling the familiar old pain in his neck. He really was making trouble for himself.


    As for her text message, he didn¡¯t feel obliged to reply.


    ¡­


    An hourter, Zhang Dashan arrived along with a case of beer and a ridiculous amount of junk food.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s apartment was on the top floor and consisted of a living room and a bedroom. It ounted for only half of the rooftop area. The other half was a massive open-air balcony with a floor covered in red tiles. He didn¡¯t really need to clean it, as the rain basically tidied the area for him. On sunny days, he could even walk around barefoot.


    Since today it was raining, they had no choice but to ce the table under the roof, which was made of aluminum sheets. After they turned on the lights, the atmosphere felt like that of a super cool spot.


    ¡°Are you nning to drink until you puke tonight?¡± Xiao Luo looked at the case of beer on the floor.


    ¡°Puke my a*s! I never vomit. These beers will quickly be the piss that I¡¯ll piss out.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was munching on a chicken drumstick that smudged oil all over his mouth. His attire today was very casual: tank tops, shorts, and slippers. He looked so impressive that it couldn¡¯t be described in words. He passed his phone to Xiao Luo, encouraging him to take a look at what was on the screen, then asked, ¡°What do you think of this girl?¡±


    The girl¡¯s picture was obviously edited. Xiao Luo nced at the photo and shook his head. Her mouth was too big, and her facial features were mediocre. She gave off a bitter, stinging aura. However, he couldn¡¯t just judge her blindly. If she was going to be Zhang Dashan¡¯s new girlfriend, it would hurt his dignity if he said that she was not pretty.


    ¡°What do you think about her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one asking you, so why are you asking me back?¡± Zhang Dashan gabbed loudly with his mouth full of meat.


    ¡°Who is she to you?¡± Xiao Luo decided that he¡¯d better be more cautious.


    Zhang Dashan answered, ¡°My superior.¡±


    Superior?


    After some thought, Xiao Luo decided not to tell his friend the truth. Judging from his face, Zhang Dashan seemed to be interested in his superior.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said instead, ¡°Well, I think she¡¯s not bad. She has a nose, a face, two eyes, and well, you know, she has the temperament of a regr woman at work.¡±


    Contrary to his expectations, Zhang Dashan immediately heated up after hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s remarks. He mmed the table and shouted, ¡°Temperament your foot! You¡¯re saying that this wh*re has a ¡®temperament¡¯?! Are you blind, Xiao Luo? Can¡¯t you see her big a*s mouth? I think she can take two d*cks at the same time, and you¡¯re telling me that she has a temperament? Holy f*uck head.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why did you startining about your superior right after you got here?¡± Xiao Luo was confused.

 Chapter 92 - Best of Both Worlds

    Chapter 92: Best of Both Worlds


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioZhang Dashan finished five to six bottles of beer and was slightly drunk. At this point, whenever he went to speak, he only knew how to yell.


    ¡°That stupid b*tch is making problems for me every day. If I don¡¯t give her dirt, then who am I supposed to give dirt to? You know, my basic sry is just slightly above three thousand, and I rely on performance bonuses for most of my money. Now that she¡¯s deducting my performance pay, I will be f*cking eating air. Last month, she said that I didn¡¯tplete the task index, so I just let her dock my pay.


    ¡°She also said the bank lost a customer because of me, so she deducted more all over again. I surrendered to that, too. But, this month, not only have Ipleted all the allotted tasks, but I even brought the bank an additional five to six million in deposits. But, at the end of the month, that stupid b*tch forgot to report it for me, and now my performance will be docked until the end of the year. I will f*ck up her entire family.¡±


    Zhang Dashan unleashed all the bitterness that was in his heart on Xiao Luo. Just because he pretended to be thoughtless and looked unrestrained and carefree day after day, it did not mean that he was not also facing difficulties at work and very depressed.


    ¡°If I had known this was the situation, I would have told you the truth just now. Your superior is really and truly iparably hideous,¡± Xiao Luo said as he took a sip of beer.


    ¡°D*mnit, are you trying to dupe me again? If I said that she was my girlfriend, would you lie and say that she looked pretty even though deep down you thought she was ugly? Can¡¯t you just not y along? Next time, when I give you a photo of a girl, can you tell me the truth and not just say empty words?¡± Zhang Dashan said. He was speechless.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what to say and drank quietly.


    ¡°By the way, today in front of my colleagues, I ¡®greeted¡¯ the family of the stupid b*tch and eighteen generations of her ancestors, as they say. It felt so good,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Pui!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Xiao Luo immediately spat out his beer. He opened his eyes in shock, and said, ¡°What are you thinking? Do you no longer intend to work at the bank?¡±


    ¡°Why would I continue? I¡¯ve already stored all my luggage in the car downstairs,¡± Zhang Dashan replied. He opened a pack of seeds and relishing in eating them as he went on, ¡°As of now, I¡¯m an unemployed wanderer. If you hadn¡¯t called me today, I would still havee to you. Obviously, during this period, when I¡¯m looking for a job, I n to stay with you.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly. Seeing that his close brother had lost his job at the bank made him feel uneasy. He knew how hard Zhang Dashan had fought for the role. He had arduously prepared for half a year before finally passing the bank¡¯s recruitment tests and had worked hard continuously for a year before being converted to full-time staff. Zhang Dashan had no connections, and everything he achieved was based on his own efforts. On the other hand, neers who arrived after him converted in just two months thanks to their connections.


    One could say that everything Zhang Dashan had achieved was a result of his taking one step at a time. But in the end, it had all been for nothing. It was impossible to say that Zhang Dashan was not feeling dejected. Otherwise, he would not have brought so much booze.


    Zhang Dashan was drunk as a red-faced General Guan Yu andining non-stop. ¡°This f*cking generation! That stupid b*tch¡¯s dad is the local governor. If not for that, with her intelligence, do you think that she would be able to sit where she does now? Dream on!¡±


    At the end of his rant, he spat on the ground. In his heart, he really wanted to cast this woman aside.


    Xiao Luo sighed and said, ¡°I have something to tell you. I need your opinion.¡±


    Then, he told Zhang Dashan all about Chu Yunxiong¡¯s n to hand over control of Luo¡¯s Workshop to him.


    Zhang Dashan immediately mmed the table and stood up. His face brimmed with excitement as he said, ¡°Whoa, damn! Good news! This is great news! Just like a pie that¡¯s dropped from the sky. Old Xiao, I knew it! I knew you would build a rtionship with Chu Yunxiong. Now there are a few decades of struggling that you won¡¯t need to endure. Look at this! Look at this! In less than a month, you¡¯ve jumped from being a small-time engineer at the Huahai Group to an executive position. You¡¯re a sessful man.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I should ept the offer?¡± Xiao Luo asked, looking up.


    Zhang Dashan waved his hands wildly and firmly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t, then you must have a broken brain!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face darkened. He really wanted to refuse because he didn¡¯t want to owe anything to Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like to be controlled by others, but didn¡¯t Boss Chu say that he would only act as a retired shareholder? All you have to do is give him 20% of your profits at the end of the year. This means that Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s profits will go directly to you and that you will be the real boss. The CEO. Brother, do you still need to think about it? Or should I just ept that the wires in your brain are crossed?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something suspicious about a pie that simply drops from the sky? Chu Yunxiong is a businessman, and what a businessman pursues is the maximization of profit. Do you think that he will really only take 20% of the profits while handing over the rest of Luo¡¯s Workshop to an outsider?¡± Xiao Luo asked, maintaining a rational mindset.


    ¡°Brother, a businessman¡¯s career can generally be divided into three stages. The first is the original umtion. This is an unscrupulous way of earning money where viting their morals is fine as long as they are not breaking anyws. The second stage is guiding the unsessful merchants and maintaining a sense of integrity while not viting basic business rules.


    ¡°Finally, in thest stage, they repay debts to society, engage in charity and donations, etcetera. This is to make up for the damage they caused at the start of the careers and to assuage their consciences. These three stages must be experienced by any sessful businessman and correspond to the three states of being unsessful, finding career sess, and overall life sess,¡± Zhang Dashan exined. Then, he went on patiently persuading Xiao Luo, ¡°Chu Yunxiong is active in all major media outlets. There is one reason for this: he is paying back his debt to society because he has already achieved sess. We are all in the big Hua Nation, but there are probably fewer than ten individuals who are more sessful than him. Right now, he no longer has to pursue the maximization of profits. He just wants to see the young people he believes in achieving sess. This brings him a sense of achievement.¡±


    ¡°You mean he wants to see me seed and will get a sense of achievement through me?¡± Xiao Luo echoed doubtfully.


    Zhang Dashan snapped his fingers and said, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean.¡± He sat down again and with a pleading look, added, ¡°I don¡¯t care why he¡¯s doing it, but I will follow you in the future. If you are the CEO, then let me be the deputy. Let me enjoy the thrill of giving instructions too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much from me. I haven¡¯t decided whether to agree to Chu Yunxiong¡¯s proposal,¡± Xiao Luo replied, pouring a pot of cold water.


    ¡°F*ck! What are you still considering? Does this even need to be considered? What is going on in your brain?¡±


    ¡°I want to do something by myself and be the type of man who doesn¡¯t have to rely on anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Brother, thew of survival in this society dictates that you take advantage of me, and I will exploit you in return. It is an honor to want to be taken advantage of. It means that you have value enough to be used. Even if you take ten thousand steps back and say you want to do something by yourself, have you actually thought about what it is you¡¯d do instead?¡± Zhang Dashan pressed. He wanted to knock hard on Xiao Luo¡¯s head to wake his wooden brain up.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. He had not really thought about it and had no ns.


    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t that your answer? Take care of Luo¡¯s Workshop first and think the rest through slowly. If you still have ns afterward, it won¡¯t be toote to go and make them happen. I will follow you for now, and if you ever leave Luo¡¯s Workshop, I will still help you take care of it. This way, both of us will find fulfillment. It¡¯s the best of both worlds, so why not?¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    He was so excited that he had even sobered up.

 Chapter 93 - Spare My Pride

    Chapter 93: Spare My Pride


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThat night, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Hey awake in bed listening to Zhang Dashan¡¯s thunderous snoring. The opportunity Chu Yunxiong was offering him made him feel uncertain. He didn¡¯t know whether he should seize it or not. No matter how hard he thought about it, he was unable toe to a decision.


    Forget it, don¡¯t think about it for now. Anyway, there are still three days left to think about it!


    He sighed, opened the Genius System, and began to browse.


    The value of his points was not quite 46,000, which allowed him to exchange for most of the abilities in the mall. He adhered to his previous principle of not making exchanges at random. The more points umted, the better.


    The next day, after buying groceries to prepare a table¡¯s worth of tasty dishes for Zhang Dashan, his younger sister, Xiao Ruyi, called.


    The first sentence out of her mouth was: ¡°Brother, you changed your number?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ruyi, your reaction is way too slow. I sent you a messagest night and you only replied this afternoon,¡± Xiao Luo said, slightly exasperated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working the night shifttely. By the way,e over to my ce for dinner. Tang Ren and I both miss you,¡± Xiao Ruyi said coquettishly.


    Xiao Luo was doubtful and said, ¡°Are you sure that you miss me and are not trying to set me up with someone?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! It seems that I can¡¯t hide anything from my brother,¡± Xiao Ruyi replied, grinning.


    ¡°You can introduce her to someone else. I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I swear to the heavens this she a great girl. She¡¯s 22 this year and 5¡¯3¡å tall. Her looks, well, needless to say, if I¡¯ve approved her, then it means she¡¯s a beautiful woman. She¡¯s a good match for you!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re not allowed to say no. Besides, introducing you to someone is not my main goal. I haven¡¯t seen you in a long time, and I miss you,¡± Xiao Ruyi purred, cajoling as she pushed and pulled. ¡°If you don¡¯te, then I will call Mom and Dad and tell them that after I got married, my big brother drifted apart from me and doesn¡¯t acknowledge me as his sister anymore.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled helplessly and submitted to her, ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯lle over, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. That¡¯s my good big brother!¡± Xiao Ruyi chuckled, pleased with her sess.


    ¡°What time should we meet?¡±


    ¡°Eight o¡¯clock tonight. I¡¯ll meet you outside the hospital¡¯s front gate. Big brother, you should sort your hair out. It would be best if you wore a ck shirt. You look really handsome in a ck shirt.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    After hanging up the phone, he walked into the hall, where Zhang Dashan was lying on the sofa ying Honor of Kings, and kicked him in the butt.


    Zhang Dashan turned and loudly shouted, ¡°What are you doing? Do you think my butt is sexy or what? Why are you so annoying? I can¡¯t even y a game in peace!¡±


    Thest sentence reminded Xiao Luo of when Song Dandan yed Baiyun.


    ¡°Ruyi called and told me to go over to her ce, would you like toe?¡± Xiao Luo asked him while sitting on a stool and putting on his socks.


    Zhang Dashan sat up and replied, ¡°Wait, why are you going over to Sister Luo¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time, so I¡¯m going over to see her,¡± Xiao Luo answered calmly.


    ¡°Impossible. Based on my understanding of your sister, she must be introducing a girl to you,¡± Zhang Dashan said, raising his voice.


    Xiao Luo looked at him indifferently and remarked, ¡°Not bad. Even you could guess that.¡±


    ¡°Well, what type of girl have I not seen before? I know how girls think.¡± Zhang Dashan patted his chest confidently. ¡°But I thought you were disgusted by blind dates, so why did you agree?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve already said, it¡¯s mainly to see Ruyi. I haven¡¯t seen her in a long time,¡± Xiao Luo replied feeling anxious.


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Are youing or not? Can you please just give me a straightforward answer?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not? I¡¯ll get a free meal out of it, in any case.¡±


    Zhang Dashan jumped up, took off the shirt which Xiao Luo had given him, and put on one that was more formal. ¡°Since Sister Luo is introducing someone to you, you should pay more attention. What if it¡¯s a pretty girl that you are attracted to, then you can¡­hehehe¡­you know¡­¡±


    His smile was frivolous, his expression lewd, and his voice lecherous. His eyebrows were jumping up and down as he giggled. He was really the best of the best.


    To hell with your understanding!


    Xiao Luo really wanted to kick him in the butt again.


    ¡­


    Jiangcheng was divided into four districts: the Southeast District, the Northwest District, the Guangming District, and the Taihe District.


    Huaye was in the northwest. Xiao Luo lived in the southeast area, less than one kilometer from the border of the Guangming area, where Xiao Ruyi worked at a government hospital.


    The drive from Xiao Luo¡¯s residence to Xiao Ruyi¡¯s workce would take about an hour and a half without traffic, so he set off with Zhang Dashan at six o¡¯clock that evening.


    ¡°Old Xiao, you take the wheel. I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night, so let me close my eyes for a bit on the way there,¡± Zhang Dashan said, throwing his car keys over to Xiao Luo. With a yawn, he walked toward the front passenger seat.


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid that I¡¯ll end up crashing your car?¡± Xiao Luo said jokingly.


    ¡°If you damage it, then you will buy me a new one. Anyway, you¡¯re rich now and have assets worth more than 1 million. You are going to be a CEO soon. I¡¯m afraid that, out of our university ssmates, you will be the one who turned out the best. Hmph, if Zhao Mengqi knew about this, she would definitely cry over the fact she missed out on a huge mountain like you.¡±


    ¡°Hold up, I still haven¡¯t figured out if I should take over Luo¡¯s Workshop or not. Let me consider it over the next few days,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Zhang Dashan really couldn¡¯t figure out what was going through his old friend¡¯s mind. What was there to think about? This opportunity was obviously a pie in the skynding on top of his head. If he didn¡¯t take over the business, was he waiting till someone else did?


    With a sigh, Zang Dashan conceded, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t talk about it anymore. Anyway, I have already decided that no matter what you are doing, I will follow you. Oho! With the two of us working together, imagine that! We will make it in Jiangcheng, no, nationwide!¡± Suddenly he thought of something else and added, ¡°If we can achieve recognition from the country¡¯s leaders, that would make us the pride of our ancestors. That would be enough for me to boast about for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Look at you!¡± Xiao Luo said as he started the car slowly. He really despised him.


    [Guangming District People¡¯s Hospital]


    One man and two women were waiting at the door of the hospital.


    The man¡¯s skin was fair and clean. He had a schrly vibe about him with a baby face that made him look like a 17- or 18-year-old teenager. But his actual age was 24, and he was Xiao Luo¡¯s brother-inw, Tang Ren.


    The girl standing next to Tang Ren was Xiao Ruyi. She had short, clean hair and wore an oversized long-sleeved t-shirt with slim ck trousers underneath. She had distinctive features and exuded the aura of a pretty girl who¡¯de from a humble family.


    Xiao Ruyi was talking to a girl wearing a white long-sleeved hood. ¡°Yuyu, let me tell you this, my brother is much more handsome in real life than in photos. His personality is particrly great. When you see him, you will definitely fall in love.¡±


    The girl lowered her head and smiled shyly, then in a humble way, she said, ¡°Your brother has a degree, so I¡¯m scared that he¡¯ll look down on me.¡±


    ¡°Education is nothing so long as you feel something for each other. Am I right, Tang Ren?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked, ncing at Tang Ren.


    Tang Ren immediately smiled and chimed in his agreement, ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right!¡±


    The way he pronounced the word ¡®right¡¯ was somehow off.


    Xiao Ruyi kicked him and said, ¡°Right your head! You must have watched too many sis. Not only do you not learn anything, but you learn to speak like an olddy!¡±


    ¡°Wifey, it¡¯s okay if you beat me at home, but when we¡¯re in the outside world, can you leave some pride for me, please?¡± Tang Ren said, whispering in her ear.

 Chapter 94 - Big-faced Zhang

    <b>Chapter 94: Big-faced Zhang</b>


    ¡°Face? You¡¯re talking to me about face? The fact that you were able to make me your wife should be enough face for you. Rumors of your reputation (you¡¯re a legendary figure), have long spread around the hospital. Namely, how you came to our hospital and, in less than a year, sessfully chased me into the palm of your hand,¡± Xiao Ruyi teased as she pinched Tang Ren¡¯s ears like a willful girlfriend.


    ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch. Wifey, hurry up and let¡¯s go! If you continue to pinch my ears, then they will fall off,¡± Tang Ren said, pretending to be in unbearable pain.


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s lips curled as she spoke, ¡°This is pain? I¡¯m not even putting in any strength.¡±


    Tang Ren smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Wifey, if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s painful now, then you will definitely pinch me even harder.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d to be pinched by me?¡±


    ¡°d, yes, I¡¯m d. However, if wifey wants to pinch me, then she should just go ahead. Hehehe¡­¡± Tang Ren unwillinglyughed.


    The girl standing next to them was wearing a white long-sleeved hoodie. Smiling, she breathed enviously, ¡°You guys have such a great rtionship!¡±


    ¡°If you can get together with my brother, then your rtionship will definitely be better than ours. My brother is totally a family-oriented guy. He¡¯s graceful in the hall and great in the kitchen. Most importantly, he is very dedicated. As long as he falls in love with a girl, he never strays and treats her right forever. He¡¯s totally devoted,¡± Xiao Luo said, loosening her grip on Tang Ren¡¯s ears. She rted good things about her brother. Although, of course, everything was slightly exaggerated.


    The girl chuckled softly and didn¡¯t say another word. In her heart, she had built up a certain expectation of Xiao Luo.


    Just then, a white Coro stopped in front of them, and the door opened. Xiao Luo got out from the driver¡¯s side.


    He was dressed in a ck track jacket with a slightly opened neckline that revealed a white crewneck undershirt. Two long red stripes on the sleeves gave the jacket a cool look.


    His distinctive facial features were sculpted, resulting in an abnormally handsome face with a strong jawline framed by his thick, jet-ck hair. Under his eyebrows were a pair of deep-set eyes, a tall nose, and perfectly-sized lips with a dazzling smile.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi ran to him like a gust of wind and threw herself into Xiao Luo¡¯s arms. She was like a kitten lying coquettishly in the arms of her master.


    Tang Ren stepped forward and shouted to Xiao Luo with a smile, ¡°Brother.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hug people randomly! Aren¡¯t you afraid that Tang Ren will get jealous?¡± Xiao Luo said tly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care about that. I haven¡¯t seen you in such a long time, and I just want to hug you,¡± Xiao Ruyi replied, hugging Xiao Luo even tighter. In an instant, she had be a docile littlemb, totally unlike the strong, unruly young woman who had just bullied Tang Ren.


    Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly.


    The car door opened, and Zhang Dashan climbed out of the passenger seat, greeting Xiao Ruyi, ¡°Hi, pretty girl! Long time no see!¡±


    ¡°Big-faced Zhang, why did youe too?¡± Xiao Ruyi said as she released Xiao Luo. This was a surprise.


    Big-faced¡­Zhang?


    Xiao Luo was stunned. He didn¡¯t know that his sister called Zhang Dashan by that nickname. A smirk crossed his face. He realized that his sister had used these three words brilliantly¡ªthey were perfect for describing Zhang Dashan¡¯s looks.


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face turned green at once, as though he had been petrified in ce. ¡°Sister Luo,¡± he said, ¡°can¡¯t you be nice? No matter what, I¡¯m still your brother¡¯s bro, so there must be better ways to address me than that, right? For example, ¡®Brother Zhang,¡±Brother Shan,¡¯ etcetera. If none of those work, then you can just call me by my actual name.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. As soon as I saw you, I just blurted out what I was thinking. But your face really is too big!¡± Xiao Ruyi said apologetically.


    Zhang Dashan felt like his heart had been stabbed twice. It was painful. He wondered in his heart: Is this an apology? If so, then what type of apology is this?


    Xiao Ruyi continued to say, ¡°I think you should consider getting a face-lift. Look at all that meat on your face¡ªfat as pork belly. It¡¯s hideous.¡±


    ¡°Pu!¡±


    Every sentence and word was like a knife thrust firmly into Zhang Dashan¡¯s heart. Now, he finally understood what was meant by the expression ¡®tons of injuries.¡¯


    ¡°Sister Luo, are you sure that you¡¯re here to introduce your brother to someone and not deliberately targeting me?¡± Zhang Dashan asked. He was about to vomit blood. All this talk about stic surgery and his face being as fat as pork belly. F*ck! She had no need to go at him like that.


    This time, Xiao Ruyi changed the subject and brought the girl in the hoodie to the front. Smiling, she introduced her: ¡°Brother, this is Sun Yu, a belle from our department.¡± She then proceeded to introduce Xiao Luo to Sun Yu: ¡°Sun Yu, this is my brother, Xiao Luo. Next to him is his good friend, Zhang Dashan.¡±


    ¡°Hello!¡± Sun Yu said. She was a little shy, so her voice was very soft.


    Zhang Dashan looked the girl up and down. Her long dark hair draped over her shoulders, and her skin was as white as a freshly peeled egg. Her big eyes twinkled as she talked, and her small red lips were unmistakable. She had a graceful figure with a small waist. Her entire appearance gave off the impression of a quick-witted beauty.


    Pretty girl!


    He lightly nudged Xiao Luo with his shoulders and gave him a look, hinting that this girl was not bad, and he should grab on to this opportunity.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him, then nodded politely he responded to Sun Yu, ¡°Hello!¡±


    Just like that, the two of them politely greeted one another. Then, they had nothing else to say.


    Xiao Ruyi broke the awkward atmosphere with a smile and said, ¡°So, now that you¡¯re all acquainted, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s time for some food. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get in the car, quickly.¡±


    Zhang Dashan echoed Xiao Ruyi¡¯s words then sat himself down in the passenger seat. He¡¯d thought about this before he came. Tonight, his car belonged to Xiao Luo. Since his friend was on a blind date, having a car would make him seem well-mannered, inspire confidence, and leave a better impression on the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯m driving again?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have any interest in this blind date at all. He hade here to see Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren, so he didn¡¯t have many thoughts about Sun Yu.


    ¡°D*mnit, this car is yours, so if you don¡¯t drive, then who will?¡± Zhang Dashan asked, reprimanding Xiao Lou loudly while continually dropping hints.


    Xiao Luo was speechless, but his mind was clear.


    Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren knew full well that the car was Zhang Dashan¡¯s, but they didn¡¯t intend to expose him. In their materialistic society, a man with a vehicle significantly improved his sess rates on blind dates.


    Five people got into the car. Xiao Ruyi had already thought about what he wanted to eat and acted as a live GPS, showing Xiao Luo the way.


    Sun Yu nced at the car¡¯s interior curiously then asked, ¡°Did it cost a lot to buy this car?¡±


    Although Zhang Dashan had said the car belonged to him, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have much to add. So when Sun Yu asked that question, he was focused on driving and subconsciously thought that her question was directed at Zhang Dashan.


    Zhang Dashan hated Xiao Luo for being unable to meet his expectations and pushed him to reply, insisting, ¡°Brother, she¡¯s asking you a question.¡±


    ¡°What did she ask?¡±


    ¡°She asked you how much this car cost,¡± Zhang Dashan said, anxious for Xiao Luo to get with the program.

 Chapter 95 - Barely awake

    Chapter 95: Barely awake


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioTo be honest, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want to lie. If he had a car, then he had one, and if he didn¡¯t, then he didn¡¯t. However, since Zhang Dashan was insistent that this was his vehicle, Xiao Luo found it hard to reveal the truth in case it made things awkward.


    ¡°I was just asking randomly, so if it¡¯s not convenient for you to give me an answer, then that¡¯s fine,¡± Sun Yu realized that her question had been a little forward. But this was her first time on a blind date, and she did not know what to ask. She was curious, so she had asked the question without giving it much thought. Now, she found it a little embarrassing.


    ¡°Around one-hundred and twenty thousand!¡± Xiao Luo replied. Since he had gone with Zhang Dashan to collect the car, naturally, he knew how much it cost.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s expensive. I wonder if nurses like us will ever be able to afford a car like this,¡± Sun Yu answered, lowering her head a little.


    ¡°I heard that nurses receive considerable welfare and benefits, and your pay can easily go up to about five thousand a month. If you save up, it shouldn¡¯t be too long before you can purchase a car like this,¡± Xiao Luo said. As he chatted with her, he formed a good impression of her overall and didn¡¯t dislike her.


    Sun Yu said with a bitter smile, ¡°Sister Ruyi can earn that much. But as a neer, I only earn enough now to feed myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just take things slowly,¡± Xiao Luo said,forting her.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Sun Yu said, nodding her head.


    Watching the two protagonists chatting away, Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and Tang Ren deliberately kept quiet. This was precisely the result that they had been hoping for.


    Ten minutester, they arrived at their destination, a BBQ buffet restaurant.


    Each person only had to pay 65 dors, and then they could eat as much as they wanted without any time limit. The restaurant served all sorts of meats, seafood, pastry, drinks, and fruits. The d¨¦cor was grand and impressive. Many people were willing to pay 65 dors just for this BBQ experience, so the restaurant was already packed when Xiao Luo and the rest arrived.


    However, they were fortunate as there happened to be an empty table. A group of customers who had just finished their meal was about to leave.


    ¡°Tang Ren, go reserve that table for us. If that other group gets it, then you will sleep on the sofa tonight!¡± Xiao Ruyi hurriedly ordered Tang Ren to take care of it as she realized that another group of people was eyeing the table as well.


    Sleep on the sofa?


    No way that was happening!


    Like a motor traveling at full speed, Tang Ren rushed to the table. Moving as fast as a gust of wind, he risked his life and reached the table before the other group. As he ced his butt on the seat, he lifted his head and giggled, ¡°Excuse me, but this table is upied!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Look at Tang Ren¡¯s speed. What a light-footed runner,¡± Zhang Dashan remarked, praising him with admiration.


    ¡°That¡¯s a given. He is the champion of our hospital¡¯s 100-meter sprint tournament,¡± Xiao Ruyi said with pride.


    Xiao Luoughed without saying anything. All he could remember was his mother¡¯s evaluation of Tang Ren: He doesn¡¯t look like a 24-year-old man, but a high school student.


    Objectively speaking, Tang Ren did have a small and youthful appearance. He looked more like a growing teenager. Based on his face alone, it was hard to tell that he was already 24 years old.


    ¡­


    Since it was a buffet, diners were supposed to pick the food they wanted for themselves.


    Zhang Dashan made a b-line for the seafood. He scooped up the hairy crabs, squid, oysters, and much more, filling their entire table with food.


    ¡°Big-faced Zhang, are you sure you can finish all this food?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked. She had her doubts.


    ¡°Obviously, I can¡¯t finish this all by myself, but that¡¯s why we have your brother here,¡± Zhang Dashan said while patting Xiao Luo on the back.


    Xiao Luo nced at him and remarked, ¡°You took way too much food. Even with my help, I¡¯m afraid there is no way we can finish all of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. You still have me. I really enjoy seafood,¡± Sun Yu said, chuckling.


    ¡°How much can you eat?¡± Zhang Dashan asked jokingly.


    Sun Yu thought about it for a bit, then pointed at the whole pile of seafood on the table and said, ¡°Out of all this food here, I can finish at least half.¡±


    Her reply shocked Xiao Luo. Most girls in this day and age wouldn¡¯t boast about having such a huge appetite, but Sun Yu was different. She was direct and straightforward. She was increasingly making a favorable impression on him.


    ¡°Brother, let¡¯s take a picture!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi took out her phone and walked toward Xiao Luo. She pouted, puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish, and took a selfie with Xiao Luo. Then, she sent the image to her friends, captioning it ¡®My handsome brother and me.¡¯


    ¡°Sister Luo, you¡¯re biased here. Why are you always taking photos with Xiao Luo and not with me?¡± Zhang Dashan asked with grief.


    While also responding simultaneously to her friend¡¯s chat, Xiao Ruyi replied to Zhang Dashan: ¡°I won¡¯t be able to fit your face on my phone¡¯s screen.¡±


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face went ck in an instant. He felt as if there was nothing left to live for. Was she trying to say that his face was too big?


    ¡­


    Just as she¡¯d said, Sun Yu had an excellent appetite for seafood. In just a short while, all the bits and pieces of seafood, including shells and bones, had piled up into a small mountain.


    Just then, an unknown voice shouted out, ¡°The prawns are here!¡± Every customer in the BBQ restaurant, who had been focused on grilling their meat, now rushed to the buffet counter.


    Xiao Luo observed carefully and saw one of the staff bring out a trolley full of river prawns.


    ¡°Tang Ren, hurry and go grab them!¡± Xiao Ruyimanded.


    At his wife¡¯s orders, Tang Ren put down all his food, took an empty te, and transformed into a light-footed runner once again.


    However, someone else was even faster, and that was Sun Yu. As soon as she heard the prawns being announced, she immediately leaped up, dashed over, and started vying for the prawns with the rest of the diners. Shepletely disregarded her image and did not put on airs.


    Xiao Luo was surprised. Although they had barely interacted, Sun Yu seemed like a pretty good person to him.


    ¡°Big brother, what do you think of Yu Yu?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked, taking this opportunity to grill Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo replied approvingly, ¡°Unpretentious and genuine.¡±


    ¡°I agree with that. If this were any other girl, no matter how much she liked seafood, there is no way that she would eat this much in front of two guys she did not know,¡± Zhang Dashan replied while chewing on his seafood.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m introducing Yu Yu to my brother precisely because she¡¯s genuine.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi said with a sweet smile, ¡°Yu Yu just entered the workforce. So, the way she deals with things shows how young and youthful she still is. In many ways, she¡¯s still a small girl in the process of growing up. Big brother, you¡¯re mature and stable. You two would be perfect for one another. You can guide her, and this way, she¡¯ll take one less detour. Don¡¯t be like me. I paid a painful price and took the long road to find out what a perfect guy is actually like.¡±


    At the end of her little speech, the sparkle in her eyes seemed to fade away.


    Xiao Luo knew exactly what his sister was referring to.


    A few years earlier, Xiao Ruyi had been young and rebellious. She¡¯d felt like she was old enough and didn¡¯t need to listen to her family¡¯s teachings. She especially did not need someone telling her what she could or could not do. Therefore, she often hung out with a bunch of guys untilte at night. Her taste in guys was different from that of the other girls. She thought that tattoos, punks, smoking, and guys who casually fooled around all the time were cooler and much more handsome.


    At longst, after having an abortion, she¡¯d finally gotten her wake-up call. Then, she had been fortunate enough to meet Tang Ren. He was ready to ept her for who she was and continuously adored her, loved her. Like a fool, he¡¯d always treated her like a princess.

 Chapter 96 - Casino

    Chapter 96: Casino


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Let bygones be bygones. You and Tang Ren are fine now,¡± Xiao Luo said as he sipped his tea. He could see that Tang Ren treated his sister well. Not every guy could put up with his sister¡¯s princess attitude.


    ¡°To tell you the truth, Tang Ren is definitely much better than big-faced me. After all, he¡¯s a doctor. Even if he¡¯s not treated well at the moment, once his qualifications improve, he can easily earn tens of thousands every month. Even his chances for promotion are considerably better,¡± Zhang Dashan said, reluctantly admitting the truth that was right before him. It was undeniable that Tang Ren was a better fit as Xiao Ruyi¡¯s partner.


    The dim light in Xiao Ruyi¡¯s eyes dissipated. Smacking her lips, she said, ¡°Big-faced Zhang, I¡¯m surprised by what you just said.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be surprised about? Everything I said is the truth. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating.¡± Big-faced Zhang took the tongs, clipped a squid, and grilled it on the iron te. ¡°Oh, by the way, are there any single girls left at your hospital? At least introduce one of them to me. After all, I am your brother¡¯s brother. You have a part to y in my future lifelong happiness as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I see anyone that suits you, then I will definitely introduce you,¡± Xiao Ruyi said, smiling with a squint.


    At that moment, Tang Ren and Sun Yu returned from grabbing the prawns.


    Sun Yu had snatched two whole big tes of prawns, while Tang Ren had gone up with an empty te and returned with an empty te.


    ¡°Wifey, those people are way too fierce. I didn¡¯t manage to snatch anything.¡±


    Tang Ren looked like a defeated rooster with his head down. After a while, he held his head up, stood up tall, and with determination, said, ¡°The next time they bring out the prawns, I will be sure to snatch up at least five to six tes¡¯ worth.¡±


    ¡°That should be enough!¡±


    Sun Yu was in a good mood as she looked happily at the two tes of prawns she had harvested.


    Xiao Ruyi did not me Tan Ren. Instead, she signaled for him to sit down,ughed, and said, ¡°Yu Yu is so amazing. Even those big men couldn¡¯t faze you.¡±


    ¡°In the past, I was unable to snatch any either, but I¡¯m experienced now,¡± Sun Yu said, smiling heartily. You could see that she was thrilled, and her satisfaction was derived from having snatched the prawns.


    ¡°Come, everybody, let¡¯s all enjoy Yu Yu¡¯s victory prawns,¡± Zhang Dashan said,ughing loudly. He helped himself and ced all the prawns on the grilling iron and began to cook them.


    ¡°You guys eat heartily. If there isn¡¯t enough, I will go and snatch moreter,¡± Sun Yu said happily, biting her lip. She was smiling through her eyes, and they turned into crescents.


    ¡°If we let the girls do everything, then what¡¯s the point of having us men around? If there aren¡¯t enough prawns againter, then make Xiao Luo go,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Sun Yu looked toward Xiao Luo only to realize that he was looking back at her. She looked away quickly and blushed.


    It seemed like something was going on!


    Xiao Ruyi was very happy. She was confident in her brother, Xiao Luo. As long as Xiao Luo decided to pursue a girl, he would definitely be able to win her heart. She was already wondering if it was time to call home and inform her Mom and Dad that she had introduced a beautiful girl to her brother.


    As for Xiao Luo, his impression of Sun Yu was still so-so. At the very least, he was able to understand her better now.


    **


    After leaving the BBQ restaurant, Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and Tang Ren went straight home after making up excuses. This gave Xiao Luo and Sun Yu a chance to be alone together.


    Clutching her handbag, Sun Yu broke the silence and said, ¡°It was a delightful meal. Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee!¡±


    Just then, Xiao Luo realized that this was the perfect moment to correct the misunderstanding that had urred previously.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± he said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t actually my car. It was my friend Zhang Dashan¡¯s car.¡±


    He was not used to lying, and it made him feel guilty.


    Sun Yu smiled flirtatiously and said, ¡°Actually, I knew from the start that it was not your car.¡±


    ¡°You knew from the start?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw a crystal ball in the car carved with the name ¡®Zhang Dashan.¡¯ I doubt you would have done that if it was your car.¡±


    Xiao Luoughed and replied, ¡°You¡¯re pretty detail-oriented.¡±


    ¡°I guess. Maybe it¡¯s an upational hazard from being a nurse. I was very careless in the past and often forgot my keys. I was always getting locked out of my house. Such embarrassing incidents have urred more than once,¡± Sun Yu said, chuckling. Herughter was as beautiful as a silver bell.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo was surprised. He couldn¡¯t imagine what it would look like for a girl to be locked out of her house.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how to exin this. Basically, it was just extremely embarrassing. I would squat by the stairs for the whole night then go to work the next day with panda eyes. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t make any mistakes,¡± Sun Yu said. She talked about her embarrassing past light-heartedly.


    ¡°Do you enjoy your job as a nurse?¡±


    ¡°Well, how should I put this? It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not I like it. I don¡¯t actually know what I like to do, so I thought, heck, why not just be a good nurse? What about you? I heard from Sister Ruyi that you are an engineer at the Huahai Manufacturing Corporation?¡±


    ¡°That was true, yes. But I¡¯ve since resigned, and I¡¯m currently unemployed.¡±


    ¡°Did you quit to pursue something you actually want to do?¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s about the sum of it. Except that I don¡¯t actually know what I want to do, either.¡±


    ¡­


    They talked while heading toward the ce where Sun Yu was staying.


    Jiangcheng was a coastal city. It was the only city legally allowed by the state to open casinos. The gambling industry profited well, and each district had variousrge casinos. Of course, these casinos were backed by influential organizations or individuals.


    Guangming District was no different. Just as Xiao Luo and Sun Yu were happily chatting away, a fight broke out in front of the casino, not too far away.


    A soulless middle-aged man with a chin full of stubble was curled up on the ground and being beaten by six to seven men.


    Sun Yu¡¯s expression changed. Disregarding everything, she ran toward the fight. In an attempt to stop it, she shouted, ¡°Stop! Stop now! Why are you beating up my uncle?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your uncle?¡±


    A man dressed in a suit waved his hand to stop, staring coldly at Sun Yu.


    Sun Yu lifted the battered middle-aged man, nodded, and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just dandy. Your uncle owes the casino two million in gambling debts. Since you¡¯re his niece, then you can repay this amount on his behalf,¡± replied the man in the suit.


    Sun Yu turned her head and looked at her uncle with a trembling gaze. She could not believe that her uncle would rack up such a huge debt.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan sighed regretfully and confirmed that the man in the suit was speaking the truth.


    He pleaded, ¡°Manager Geng, can you be generous and give me a few days more? Just a few days and I promise that I will definitely return the money to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already given you a seven-day grace period. If you still don¡¯t pay, then I have no choice but to throw you into the sea as food for the fishes,¡± Manager Geng sneered. ¡°But perhaps I can offer you a way out. If your niece is in good spirits, then she can pay the debt for you.¡±


    ¡°No! Do whatever you want to me, but don¡¯t hurt her at any cost,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan replied, shaking his head vigorously. He endured the pain in his body and shielded Sun Yu.


    ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s pretty brave of you. Well, let¡¯s continue to beat him up and see how long hests,¡± Manager Geng said, waving his finger. His expression became fierce.


    Several men saw the signal and continued to beat up the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Stop it! Stop hurting him. Stop it right now!¡± Sun Yu shouted. She was panicked and whirling with tears.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo walked over and calmly said, ¡°None of you have the right to beat this man up. Whether or not he owes you money¡ªeven if you consider this ¡®debt collection¡¯¡ªyou should not be resorting to such extremes to solve a simple problem. It can be considered illegal.¡±


    Manager Geng was stunned for a moment. Then he sneered and said, ¡°Where did this rash youthe from? Before you meddle in anything, boy, at least know where you¡¯re getting in the middle of.¡±


    ¡°I really want to know where this is. Oh, by the way, just a reminder, I recorded a video of you beating him up. If you don¡¯t stop, then I will have to call the police,¡± Xiao Luo said, taking out his phone and smiling.


    Call the police?


    How refreshing!


    Just the thought of it made Manager Gengugh. This was the first time in more than a decade that someone had dared to challenge the casino.


    ¡°Boy, I was praising you when I called you a rash youth earlier. Now you¡¯re simply courting death. I¡¯ll give you three seconds to delete the video. Otherwise, don¡¯t me us for what will happen next!¡±


    It had been a very long time since there had been such a thing as a kind casino boss. Manager Geng couldn¡¯t figure out where this fellow had found the courage to record a video. He¡¯d even dared to boast of teaching others a lesson.

 Chapter 97 - Win Two Million with One Hundred Thousand

    Chapter 97: Win Two Million with One Hundred Thousand


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe group of men who were assaulting Sun Jian¡¯nan now surrounded Xiao Luo with unkind expressions on their faces. Manager Geng only had to give the word, and they would provide Xiao Luo with a taste of their punches.


    Sun Yu wiped the tears from her eyes, ncing at Xiao Luo in a daze. She felt as though a bottle of five vors had spilled in her heart. Her emotions were a mix of sourness, bitterness, spiciness, and saltiness. Only a trace of sweetness was missing.


    She had just met Xiao Luo today, and to have something like this happen before they¡¯d gotten to know each other better made her feel extremely embarrassed. She was at a loss for what to do. The gambling debt of two million that her uncle owed was far too massive a sum, and she did not have the kind of money needed to pay it off. However, she also could not sit by and watch as her uncle was beaten to death, much less drag Xiao Luo into this whole mess!


    Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s face was bruised and swollen. A trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth. Seeing a young stranger standing up for him, he said, ¡°Young man, I appreciate your help, but this is my problem. Please stay out of it.¡±


    As a regr at the casino, he knew what these men were capable of. They were like devils who devoured people whole, and he did not want Xiao Luo toe to any harm for his sake.


    Manager Geng sneered, ¡°You hear that? The man doesn¡¯t want your help. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. So how about you delete that video now and get out of here as far as you can!¡±


    These people were hardened thugs, and threatening to call the police did not faze them.


    Realizing that he was getting nowhere, Xiao Luo changed tacks and asked, ¡°How much does he owe you?¡±


    ¡°Two million!¡± Manager Geng replied, holding up two fingers. His eyes narrowed in a mischievous smirk. ¡°Why? You want to pay up for him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know this man, so why would I pay his debts? Even if I wanted to, I don¡¯t have that much money,¡± Xiao Luo reasoned, before offering his counterpoint: ¡°I do, however, know this man¡¯s niece. Now that I have gotten involved, I can¡¯t just walk away from this.¡±


    Manager Geng and his seven underlings looked at Xiao Luo like he was an idiot, thinking to themselves, Look at this big-shot talk. Who does he think he is? ¡®I can¡¯t just walk away¡¯? This is just a poor kid talking out of his a*s.


    ¡°Debts must be repaid. We have every right to im what is owed to us. What do you think you can do about it?¡± Manager Gengughed coldly.


    ¡°Give me half an hour. I¡¯ll get you two million in chips and settle his debt,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    He could have used violence to rescue Sun Yu¡¯s uncle. However, the people running the casinos were part of the local underground and would not give up so easily. He might be able to stop them once, but he would not be around all the time. The simplest way to resolve this issue was to clear the debt between the two parties, once and for all.


    Manager Geng was a sharp man, and he regained hisposure quickly. ¡°You mean you want toe to our casino to y a few hands and win two million in chips?¡±


    ¡°What, am I not qualified to enter?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    ¡°Hehe. Of course, you are! As long as you¡¯re not a minor, it¡¯s no problem. However, do you have money to y?¡± Manager Geng¡¯s smile widened.


    At high-end casinos like theirs, every dealer was a specially trained professional gambler. To even consider winning two million from gambling was a nonsensical idea. It was a ridiculous pipe dream.


    The other seven men smiled in amusement. This was the funniest joke they had heard since they¡¯d started working at the casino.


    Xiao Luo pulled out a card from his pocket and said, ¡°There¡¯s a hundred thousand on this card. Is that enough to y at your casino?¡±


    A hundred thousand?


    Manager Geng was slightly taken aback before grinning in glee. ¡°Our minimum bet is ten thousand, so a hundred thousand is more than enough. Please, follow me.¡±


    He made a weing gesture. If someone with money appeared on their doorstep, they had no reason to turn him away.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, don¡¯t go!¡±


    Sun Yu pulled at the end of Xiao Luo¡¯s jacket, and her delicate face wore a worried and troubled expression. ¡°These men are professional casino operators, so you can¡¯t beat them at gambling. That hundred thousand is something you¡¯ve saved up for yourself. The odds are stacked against you. At a casino, the house always wins, so you¡¯re going to lose it all. I¡¯ll ask my family for help in settling my uncle¡¯s debts. We only just met today and barely know each other, Brother Xiao Luo, so you really don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    She could not, in good conscience, let a man she had just met put himself on the line for her.


    Xiao Luo smiled. He had stepped up to help mostly because of his masculine pride, but now he was fullymitted to helping Sun Yu. This girl was sincere, which had helped her find favor in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯tmit to things I¡¯m not sure about.¡±


    As he was saying this, the genius system sounded in his head: ¡°Ding! Congrattions! You¡¯ve received the gambling ability and used up five hundred points.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Oh, so young and heroic! This young man has certainly got guts. This way, please!¡±


    Manager Geng was all smiles. Now that Xiao Luo was a customer, his attitude had taken aplete 180-degree turn. He quietly ordered his men, ¡°Keep watch on Sun Jian¡¯nan. Don¡¯t let him get away.¡±


    To turn one hundred thousand into two million was an increase of twentyfold. Was such a thing even possible? Of course, it was absolutely impossible. Otherwise, he might as well just shut down his casino business. In his mind, he had alreadybeled Xiao Luo a fool. Only a fool would dream of making two million from a hundred thousand at a casino.


    For this reason, it was all the more important to keep an eye on Sun Jian¡¯nan!


    ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯m going with him,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan yelled as he struggled.


    Manager Geng waved at his men, signaling them to release Sun Jian¡¯nan.


    If all three of them came along, that was just what he wanted¡ªkilling two birds with one stone. On the one hand, he could keep an eye on Sun Jian¡¯nan. And on the other, he could watch first-hand as this young man lost a hundred thousand bucks. When he lost all his hard-earned money in the span of a few minutes, the expression on his face would be priceless.


    ¡­


    The casino¡¯s interior was decorated to look like a pce, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was magnificent. The floor was so utterly spotless that you could see your own reflection in it.


    Xiao Luo was actually holding onto slightly over a million. However, he knew not to put all his eggs in one basket, so the rest of the money was not on the card that he took out. Entering his PIN number, he withdrew the sum of a hundred thousand and exchanged it for chips.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll be too ashamed to face you if you do this.¡±


    Sun Yu was full of anxiety. She was very moved, but her sense of unease was overpowering. How could she drag Xiao Luo into the mess her uncle¡¯s debt had created? She was nobody to Xiao Luo, so what right did she have?


    ¡°Young man, it¡¯s not toote to turn back. A hundred thousand dors is a huge sum for normal people like us. Please don¡¯t be hasty. These are my just desserts, and I alone should bear this burden,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan said dejectedly.


    Xiao Luo simply smiled wordlessly.


    Then, he made a beeline for a table where the dice game Big and Small was being yed.


    As he went over, he saw the dice showing 1, 3, and 5. The dealer covered the dice in a box, and they rattled around inside as the box was shaken. Closing his eyes, Xiao Luo¡¯s ears homed in on the frequency of the shaking sound to get a precise sense of how the dice were tumbling inside.


    Having redeemed a gambling ability, with his eyes closed and ears focused, it seemed to him that the box was transparent. He could clearly see every motion of the dice as well as the numbers they were going tond on.

 Chapter 98 - Going All-In

    Chapter 98: Going All-In


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter a while, the dealer put down the box and shouted, ¡°ce your bets! Big or Small?¡±


    The gamblers around the table started cing down their chips. Without stopping to think, Xiao Luo wagered all of his chips worth a hundred thousand on ¡®Big.¡¯


    Hiss!


    Sun Jian¡¯nan sucked in a breath of cold air. As the strength went out of his legs, he almost copsed to the floor. This was a hundred thousand bucks, and this kid just put it all down. If the dice turned up Small, he¡¯d lose it all, just like that.


    My God, where did this young man get his confidence from?


    He looked fearfully at Xiao Luo, who was calm and collected, and he broke out into a cold sweat.


    Sun Yu was so nervous that she did not dare to watch and turned away. She held onto Xiao Luo¡¯s clothes with a deadly grip, feeling as though she and not Xiao Luo was the one betting at the table. When she saw Xiao Luo going all-in with chips worth a hundred thousand, all the blood instantly drained from her face.


    ¡°Three-four-five, Big!¡±


    The dealer¡¯s loud voice boomed as he uncovered the dice. The three dice revealed showed the numbers three, four, and five.


    Just like that, Xiao Luo had won two hundred thousand, doubling his chips.


    ¡°Un-unbelievable!¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s eyes opened wide, gawking in disbelief.


    Sun Yu also turned to look at Xiao Luo in surprise. ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, you won?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Xiao Luo simply nodded without any further exnation.


    Manager Geng had been keeping tabs on Xiao Luo from the second floor. At this turn of events, his brow furrowed deeply, and he muttered to himself, ¡°This kid has some luck. Who wins on the first round with an all-in bet and so easily squeezes two hundred thousand from a hundred thousand?¡±


    The man beside him remarked, ¡°It¡¯s got to be a fluke. If he tries it again in the next round, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to lose everything.¡±


    Manager Geng nodded ambiguously. Lady Luck would not side with anyone forever.


    The second round began. Xiao Luo closed his eyes yet again, focusing his hearing on the movement of the die. As he had won a significant amount in the first round, the dealer had taken notice of him. Seeing him with his eyes closed, acting like an expert, he could not help but softly scoff, ¡°What are you ying at? Are you pretending to be a gambling god?¡±


    Xiao Luo acted he had not heard the dealer. With a small smile, he bet all of his chips once again. This time, he bet all two hundred thousand on ¡®Big.¡¯


    Behind him, Sun Jian¡¯nan and Sun Yu¡¯s hearts skipped a beat each as they were unable to maintain theirposure. This all-or-nothing style of gambling was not for the faint of heart, and they could not help but feel nervous. If Xiao Luo was right, he would double his winnings, but if he made a mistake, he would end up worse than he¡¯s started, and all would be lost.


    The dealer uncovered the box and reluctantly announced, ¡°Four-five-six, Big!¡±


    The casino staff handed Xiao Luo four hundred thousand dors¡¯ worth of chips.


    ¡°You actually guessed right again!¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan swallowed hard. In less than five minutes, the hundred thousand Xiao Luo hade into the casino with had be four hundred thousand.


    Sun Yu was dumbfounded. She stared wide-eyed with her charming eyes at Xiao Luo, suddenly feeling like this man was a real enigma.


    Some of the color drained from Manager Geng¡¯s face as he continued watching from the second floor. He marveled at how fortunate Xiao Luo was to have guessed correctly twice in a row.


    When Xiao Luo ced four hundred thousand dors¡¯ worth of chips back on ¡®Big¡¯ and won again, Manager Geng lost his cool. The gamblers and dealer at the table felt even more shook up.


    Three rounds! He won three rounds in a row! He was too damn lucky!


    ¡°Sh*t! What the hell is that dice handler doing?¡± Manager Geng grumbled testily.


    Meanwhile, on the betting floor, seeing that Xiao Luo was on a roll, the other gamblers held back their wagers. They were waiting to see what Xiao Luo would bet on this time.


    The dealer refused to believe that Xiao Luo¡¯s good fortune would continue, so he poured his all into shaking the dice and rattling them fiercely in the box.


    ¡°ce your bets, Big or Small?¡± Setting the box down, he almost seemed to be yelling directly at Xiao Luo.


    Once again, without a shred of hesitation, Xiao Luo ced his chips worth a total of eight hundred thousand on ¡®Big.¡¯


    Many of the other gamblers followed his lead, but some of them felt that the result had been ¡®Big¡¯ three times in a row already, so chances were that it would be ¡®Small¡¯ this time. After some second-guessing, they ced their bets on ¡®Small.¡¯


    Xiao Luo calmly addressed the dealer, ¡°Open it!¡±


    Seeing how confident he was despite the high stakes, the dealer¡¯s palm was slick with ayer of cold sweat.


    If the dice showed ¡®Big¡¯ again, he feared that he would not be able to work in these parts again. He could even lose his livelihood. Nevertheless, gritting his teeth, he uncovered the box. Seeing the results, he felt like his soul had been plucked out of his body, and his legs buckled without warning. If he had not been using both hands to support himself on the table, he would have crumpled to the floor in a heap.


    The dice showed ¡®three-five-six,¡¯ and it was ¡®Big¡¯ again!


    From the very beginning, Sun Yu¡¯s emotional state had gone through stages of worry, fear, shock, and now incredulity. This man whom she had known for barely three hours was most impressive. In her mind¡¯s eye, Xiao Luo¡¯s image had grown iparably enormous and magnificent. She was in a daze as she stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s profile.


    Her uncle Sun Jian¡¯nan also felt like he was dreaming. Ten minutes ago, Xiao Luo hade in with a hundred thousand, and now he had 1.6 million. In this short time, he had performed a miracle at this casino.


    ¡°What the hell? It turned out ¡®Big¡¯ for four consecutive rounds!¡± the gamblers, who had bet on ¡®Small,¡¯ protested in annoyance.


    On the other hand, the gamblers who had decided to follow Xiao Luo were overjoyed. A few of them even told him, ¡°Bro, your luck is amazing, we¡¯ll just copy your bets. Hehe!¡±


    At this point, the dealer excused himself, saying he did not feel well, and a new dealer took over for him. As he took his seat, he looked at Xiao Luo and asked with a dry smile, ¡°Sir, are you feeling lucky tonight?¡±


    ¡°Pretty average!¡± Xiao Luo replied impassively.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already won four rounds in a row. You call that average, huh?¡±


    As the new dealer spoke, he switched out the dice with a sleight of hand.


    Nobody else saw it, but the move did not escape Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. He did not react or show any sign of having seen what the dealer had done. Now, he finally understood why the house always won. Thinking that one could make a profit at a casino while gambling was delusional.


    The new dealer began to shake the dice, and Xiao Luo shut his eyes to focus his hearing. His ears picked up the faint sound of a die rolling after the dealer had stopped shaking. This meant that the die was loaded, and the dealer would be able to change the results as he saw fit.


    ¡°Bro, are you betting on ¡®Big¡¯ or ¡®Small¡¯? Hurry up and decide!¡±


    The other gamblers saw that Xiao Luo had not ced his bets and were beginning to get flustered.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, if you don¡¯t feel confident, let¡¯s just wait and see for this round,¡± Sun Yu said tenderly.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Xiao Luo nodded. There was no obligation to bet, and no matter what he bet on, the dealer could change the results to force him into a loss.


    Seeing Xiao Luo abstaining from betting, the new dealer felt that he was probably an experienced gambler. The kid must have heard something strange that tipped him off. The dealer tried to agitate Xiao Luo, taunting him, ¡°Sir, you were really manly earlier, going all-in without a second thought. What¡¯s happened now? Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°I think you know what I¡¯m afraid of, don¡¯t you?¡± Xiao Luo chuckled and shot the dealer a pointed look.


    It was a loaded statement, and hearing this, the dice handler¡¯s expression darkened. He was thinking to himself, Has this kid discovered the trap I set?


    Xiao Luo refused to borate further and left it at that.

 Chapter 99 - Born Lucky

    Chapter 99: Born Lucky


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe new dice handler stayed on as the dealer, but Xiao Luo had not ced a single bet since his arrival. The other gamblers were getting anxious, and those who had started to lose money beganying into Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Bro, are you going to y or what? You¡¯ve already sat out five rounds.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he feels like his luck has changed for the worse and doesn¡¯t want to continue betting recklessly.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. And here I thought I¡¯d found my lucky star for today. So much for tagging along and making a killing¡ªthis is all he¡¯s got. What a waste.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned a deaf ear to the other gamblers¡¯ griping and whispered something into Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s expression was troubled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Just do exactly as I say,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    The new dice handlerughed contemptuously. He had full control of how the dice wouldnd. No matter how Xiao Luo ced his bets, he was not winning a single cent from this table.


    ¡°Rattle rattle!¡±


    The dice ttered vigorously in the box as he shook them, and after several seconds he firmly mmed the box back on the table.


    ¡°Big!¡±


    Xiao Luo yelled out in a sonorous and forceful voice.


    The other gamblers, who had been observing Xiao Luo, were delighted. They gleefully wagered their chips on ¡®Big¡¯ without any hesitation.


    On the other hand, Xiao Luo made no move to bet after his outburst. Surprisingly, it was Sun Jian¡¯nan who moved, grabbing one million in chips and rushing to the neighboring dice table. He squeezed in and ced all his chips on ¡®Big.¡¯


    ¡°Four-five-six, Big!¡±


    The dealer at the neighboring table announced, his voice carrying. It was ¡®Big.¡¯


    The new dice handler¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Xiao Luo like he was some kind of freak. He never would have imagined that Xiao Luo was capable of listening to the dice game at the neighboring table and urately guessing the oue.


    ¡°You guys have fun!¡±


    shing a cheeky smile at the dealer, Xiao Luo left.


    Xiao Luo put down two million in chips on Manager Geng¡¯s table. He stared viciously through heavily lidded eyes at Xiao Luo, unable to express the mix of emotions he was feeling. In a way, he was at a loss for words. It was as though the universe had conspired to kick him in the balls. He could not believe that Xiao Luo had actually made two million from his initial hundred thousand¡ªand with a bonus six hundred thousand to boot! How could he ept something so outrageous?


    ¡°The debt he owes you should be cleared now, right?¡± Xiao Luo asked, raising his eyebrows.


    Manager Geng¡¯s mouth twitched, and he pped his hand on his desk violently. ¡°Kid, were you cheating?¡±


    Toe in so casually and take two million off them, did he think their casino was some kind of charity?


    Xiao Luo smiled almost imperceptibly. ¡°The dealer works for you. I¡¯m just guessing the results. If you want to use me of cheating, please, enlighten me, how could I have cheated?¡±


    At this, Manager Geng¡¯s face flushed red. He did not really believe that Xiao Luo had used any underhanded tricks. The casino monitored all their customers with surveince cameras. The staff would have immediately noticed if Xiao Luo had made any overt moves to cheat. Yet, if he was ying by the rules, how did he win five rounds in a row without losing? Was his luck that good? The notion was absolutely preposterous!


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Manager Geng asked with a death stare. He looked like he wanted to take a bite out of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯m just born lucky. See you!¡±


    After tossing out this casual answer, Xiao Luo picked up the remaining six hundred thousand in chips and departed.


    Manager Geng sank into his sofa, gritting his teeth. His hands were tied. He could not dispatch his goons to deal with Xiao Luo here and now. There were guests downstairs, and a brawl would ruin his casino¡¯s reputation and force them out of business.


    ¡­


    ¡°Young man, thank you! Thank you so much!¡±


    Leaving the casino, Sun Jian¡¯nan tearfully knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Xiao Luo in appreciation of his help.


    Xiao Luo helped him back to his feet. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a gambling man, so how did you end up two million in debt?¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan sighed bitterly. ¡°I was a manager at one of the Luo¡¯s Workshop bakeries. When business was good, I had a monthly ie of around twenty thousand. But after Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s food safety scandal, the flow of revenue from customers visiting our store has dropped to an all-time low. There are some days where we get no customers at all. My sry has also gone from twenty thousand to a mere five or six thousand a month.¡±


    Luo¡¯s Workshop?!


    Xiao Luo was somewhat surprised to discover that Sun Jian¡¯nan was a manager at a Luo¡¯s Workshop stall. Digging deeper, he asked, ¡°Your pay cut does not directly exin how you ended up with gambling debts, does it?¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan felt like the words were stuck in his throat, and he struggled to share his misery.


    ¡°Young man, you wouldn¡¯t know this, but I recently bought a house in Jiangcheng. In addition to my car loan, I have to pay fifteen thousand a month. My wife¡¯s sry is currently being used to fund our two sons¡¯ university education. When things were normal, we managed to get by just fine, and we made enough to cover our expenses. However, now that my sry has dropped to five or six thousand, we are really feeling the pinch.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, if you¡¯re facing financial difficulties, then why didn¡¯t you tell us? My parents could have helped you out,¡± Sun Yu said.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°My niece, every family has their own problems to deal with. I could borrow from them once, but if I have to rely on your father every month, I could not bear to bring it up.¡±


    ¡°So, you decided to gamble?¡±


    Sun Yu was somewhat triggered. Even she knew that gambling ruined lives, so why had her uncle not understood this simple fact? Gaming did not improve one¡¯s fate. It only dragged one deeper into a bottomless abyss.


    ¡°I managed to win a hundred thousand at the start, but then¡­¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s voice grew weaker and weaker as he spoke until he finally shut his eyes in remorse.


    Xiao Luo exined, ¡°The dice are rigged. There are microchips and electrodes embedded inside. This allows dealers to fix the games and show the results they choose. Basically, you¡¯re guaranteed to lose if you gamble at the casino.¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ve learned my lesson now. I will never step back into that kind of ce for as long as I live.¡±


    ¡°I hope you keep that promise,¡± Xiao Luo advised.


    Saying his goodbyes, Sun Jian¡¯nan climbed into a taxi and left.


    Xiao Luo and Sun Yu were left alone atst, walking side by side. Xiao Luo was thinking about what he¡¯d just heard about Luo¡¯s Workshop. If a manager was only earning five or six thousand, how little were the other staff getting?


    Just then, Sun Yu ran to a small road-side shop. She bought a pen and paper then scribbled down something quickly.


    Xiao Luo was puzzled by her actions. But before he could ask, she passed the slip of paper with her writing to Xiao Luo.


    He looked down at the piece of paper, which was clearly titled with the header ¡®IOU.¡¯ Written below that was: ¡®Today, Sun Yu owes Xiao Luo the sum of two million dors.¡¯


    Her handwriting was neat and beautiful, just like her.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, I will return the two million to you,¡± Sun Yu said through pursed red lips.


    Return it?


    Xiao Luo shook his head andughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t lose any money. In fact, I ended up five hundred grand richer.¡±


    ¡°No, I must pay you back. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to live with myself,¡± Sun Yu insisted stubbornly. She did not enjoy taking advantage of others, even less so when it was a man she had just met.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to do this. Even if I wanted to be repaid, that should be your uncle¡¯s obligation, not yours.¡±


    ¡°My uncle is family, and his debt is my debt,¡± Sun Yu said, her pretty eyes ame with determination. ¡°Brother Xiao, I can¡¯t pay you all at once, but I can spare two thousand every month. I¡¯ll be able to pay you more when my sry increases. My uncle¡¯s business is also sure to improve. One day, we¡¯ll clear this debt.¡±

 Chapter 100 - Five Savages

    Chapter 100: Five Savages


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo did not expect Sun Yu to be so bull-headed. Unable to convince her otherwise, he decided to ept the IOU slip for the moment and ced it in his wallet.


    He surreptitiously sized up the girl beside him. She had some gentle curves, and she gave off a youthful, lively vibe. The handbag hooked on her shoulder was not branded, but it suited her style. Overall, he felt pretty good about this girl.


    Sun Yu was also secretly observing him. For a man, he had an attractive profile, handsome and charismatic. His eyes were worthy of special mention, as they were deep and dark as the night sky. One could easily get lost in them. At the same time, she was genuinely intrigued by Xiao Luo. To think he could turn a hundred thousand dors into more than two million! She was unable to grasp the full depths of his ability and felt like he was shrouded in mystery.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, at the casino, how did you know what numbers the dice wouldnd on?¡± she asked curiously.


    Xiao Luo brushed off the question, remarking, ¡°I just got lucky.¡±


    ¡°So, if I stick with Brother Xiao Luo long enough, will your luck rub off on me too?¡± Sun Yuughed as her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    The pair looked at each other, breaking intoughter.


    Half an hourter, they had arrived at a residential area dedicated to providing rental housing to workers.


    Most of the apartments had been built by individual private developers, and the overallyout of the buildings was not great and gave off the impression of being messy. The structures were packed tightly together, and various types of telephone and inte cables crisscrossed the area. It was not a pleasant environment to live in.


    ¡°This is my ce.¡±


    Sun Yu turned to face Xiao Luo, feeling warmth in her heart.


    ¡°Mm, you should go up. It¡¯s gettingte. I should be heading back, too,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Stretching out her hand, Sun Yu said, ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, give me your phone.¡±


    Xiao Luo had a favorable opinion of her, so he took out his phone and ced it in her hand.


    Sun Yu lowered her head, using Xiao Luo¡¯s phone to call her own number. Then she hung up, passed the phone back to Xiao Luo, and saved Xiao Luo¡¯s contact in her own phone. Smiling sweetly, she said, ¡°Okay, now we have a way to contact each other.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you again,¡± Xiao Luo said with a light smile.


    Sun Yu nodded then nagged him, ¡°Be careful on the road. Drive slowly.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with a soft, almost imperceptible sound, then turned to depart.


    Sun Yu waited where they¡¯d parted and only entered her apartment building when Xiao Luo was out of sight. She was brimming with happiness and joy like she had just returned from a date with her boyfriend. While making her way back to her apartment, she paused to think. Then, she took out her phone and saved Xiao Luo¡¯s number under the name ¡®Big Creditor.¡¯


    ¡­


    Having left Sun Yu¡¯s neighborhood, Xiao Luo called Zhang Dashan and asked him to drive over and pick him up.


    Just then, a group of seven to eight men approached, looking like trouble. They were holding sticks and clubs while wearing vicious expressions, and they moved to surround Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo recognized them as the men from before, the ones who worked for the casino and had beaten up Sun Yu¡¯s uncle.


    ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Xiao Luo asked quietly.


    ¡°Kid, you¡¯re quite something to win more than ten times your initial bet in less than half an hour,¡± growled a man sporting an undercut hairstyle with a scar on his forehead. ¡°Our manager is not happy, and he asked us boys to make you bleed a little. The lesson to be learned here is to mind your own damn business, or there is a price to be paid.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he replied with a small sigh, ¡°I¡¯m in a good mood right now, and I don¡¯t want to fight. If you guys leave now, I won¡¯t cause you any trouble.¡±


    Hearing these threats, the men were shocked into stillness for a split second before bursting outughing.


    ¡°Brother Bao, it looks like this guy has some screws loose. He¡¯s a nutcase, saying that he won¡¯t cause us trouble,¡± said another man to the first one with the undercut.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± the rest of the guys bellowed inughter.


    The man with the undercut alsoughed along with them before his face suddenly darkened. He threw the cigarette he was smoking down to the ground and ordered fiercely, ¡°Get him!¡±


    The other men steeled their expressions as they raised up metal pipes and wooden sticks, preparing to advance on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Godammit! I can¡¯t stand watching you city folk. You guys have no balls, ganging up on someone like this.¡±


    A rugged voice boomed suddenly, stopping the men in their tracks.


    Xiao Luo looked toward the source of the voice and saw five savage-looking men sauntering over leisurely. They were all over 5¡¯9¡å, and only the man at the front was slightly shorter, around 5¡¯7¡å. The man¡¯s build did not look particrly strong. He was kind of like the character Lu Xiaobu from the TV show ¡®iPartment.¡¯ Even so, he seemed to be the leader of the other four. He was wearing arge gold chain that was just visible under his open shirt cor.


    The man with the undercut saw the imposing mannerisms of the five neers, and decided to act cautiously, asking, ¡°Brother, what group are you with? This is Dragon Gang business, so don¡¯te looking for trouble!¡±


    Dragon Gang?


    Xiao Luo knit his eyebrows, feeling like he had heard this name before. Thinking for a while, the memories came to him. If he was not mistaken, the crime syndicate that had been trafficking child beggars before had also identified themselves as members of the Dragon Gang.


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    The man wearing the heavy gold chain raised his hand and delivered a tight p to the face of the man with the undercut.


    It was a solid p, not watered down in the slightest, and the sound it made was crisp. The blow stunned the man with the undercut, as it hade so suddenly, without forewarning, and he¡¯d beenpletely unprepared. Nobody could have expected the man with the heavy gold chain to suddenly resort to violence.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows with a slight grin and thought to himself: This should be interesting!


    Then, the man with the heavy gold chain yelled out loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t care what gang you are from. Dragon Gang, Horse Gang, I¡¯ve never even heard of it. And what do you mean ¡®don¡¯t look for trouble¡¯? We may be from the countryside, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can scare us away with your bullsh*t.¡±


    The man with the undercut shook his head, regaining his senses. His face burned hotly with pain, and he was practically shooting fire from his eyes. ¡°You dare hit me, a*shole?¡±


    ¡°Heh! So what if I hit you? I hit you because I acknowledge you. I hit you because you deserved to be hit. I hit you because you spied on the Widow Wang from the neighboring vige while she was taking¡­a¡­bath¡­¡± the man with the gold chain began to exin straightforwardly, but his voice trailed off as he went on. He realized that something was wrong. He had gone off topic and started talking about his own vige affairs. He scratched his head, then spat angrily, ¡°Godamnit! Why did I start talking about the Widow Wang?¡±


    ¡°Brother Feng, you were the one peeking at the Widow Wang while she was bathing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother Feng, so why are you exposing your own shameful behavior?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that these people don¡¯t know us, or that would have been so embarrassing.¡±


    Four of hispanionsughed as they made fun of him.


    The man with the heavy gold chain went red in the face. Clearing his throat, he announced loudly, ¡°Bullsh*t. There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. So what if I spied on Widow Wang in the bath? When I was young, I bathed together in the nude with Honghong and even touched her privates. And you know me! When have I ever lied to you guys?¡±


    ¡°Brother Feng, you¡¯re too awesome. I admire you!¡±


    ¡°No wonder Honghong was looking at you differently when we left the vige to start our new lives. You two have had a special rtionship ever since you were young!¡±


    ¡°I can only describe my Brother Feng with one word: awesome. Hahaha!¡±


    The four men looked at the man with the heavy gold chain with unending adoration. They gave him two thumbs up as they praised him.

 Chapter 101 - Traceless Wind

    Chapter 101: Traceless Wind


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo was amused by the provocation. In his heart, he thought the gold-chained big man was somewhat awesome. He had actually been ying rogue since he was young.


    He watched the gold-chained big man and hispanions nonchntlyughing and talking together, bragging about their childhood history. The bullet-headed man could only feel a burst of anger rising within him like an arcade jackpot. He was like an angry bull, and his eyes saw crimson red, his nostrils red, and the veins on his forehead nearly exploded.


    Finally, he roared and shouted, ¡°Damn it! Kill those country bumpkins!¡±


    Seven to eight men loudly shouted all at once at the gold-chained big man then jumped on him.


    The smiles on the faces of the five men instantly turned into cold stares. Just like five tigers, they faced the bullet-headed man and his friends, who were turning their necks left and right. There was no fear in their eyes. Instead, in their excitement, they looked like bloodthirsty beasts who had just spotted their prey.


    ¡°F*ck his mother. It just so happens my hands have been itching for a fight, so let¡¯s use you guys as a warm-up!¡± the gold-chained man said coldly.


    Dodging the steel pipe in front of him, his right foot swung in arge arc like a springpressed to its limits. Then, his foot heavilynded on the chest of the man in front of him.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    With a shrill shriek, the poor guy seemed to have been hit by a bull. He stopped rushing forward and stumbled backward two to three yards. He was not even able to hold onto the steel pipe in his hands and dropped it on the ground.


    Whoa, you¡¯repetent and strong!


    Xiao Luo was a bit surprised. He had not expected this gold-chained big man, who looked meek, to have such explosive power. It was amazing.


    Besides the gold-chained big man, the other four were also extremely fierce. If the bullet-headed man¡¯s group could bepared to wolves, then the gold-chained big man¡¯s group was like lions. They were simply not in the same weight ss. Even though the bullet-headed man¡¯s team also had men, they were utterly incapable of going head to head against the whirring limbs of the gold-chained big man¡¯s team.


    Less than five minutester, all seven men from the bullet-headed man¡¯s group were lying on the ground howling in pain.


    ¡°You people from the city are in inferior physical shape and are not able to fight. My brothers and I were just getting started with our warm-up, but all of you are already down for the count. What d*cks,¡± the gold-chained big man said, grabbing the cor of the bullet-headed man and shaking him unceasingly.


    The bullet-headed man viciously stared at him and answered, ¡°You dare to offend our Dragon Gang! I promise you will die a miserable death!¡±


    ¡°Pui!¡±


    The gold-chained big man pped the other man and snarled, ¡°Speak human words!¡±


    The smell of blood was in his mouth, as the inside of his cheek was now bleeding. The bullet-headed man was startled and angry. He had never expected to meet anyone so ruthless.


    ¡°The five of you shouldn¡¯t even think about leaving Jiangcheng, or else our Dragon Gang¡­¡±


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    The gold-chained big man mmed down on him again with another p, instantly causing one of the bullet-headed man¡¯s teeth to fly out of his mouth. His gums were bleeding, and his mouth was full of blood.


    ¡°I told you to speak inly. Don¡¯t you understand?¡± the gold-chained big man growled like a tiger.


    The bullet-headed man was shaking uncontrobly. This time, he was petrified. It was too painful. Uncontrolled tears began to flow out. He could feel his face quickly swelling up.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. His interest had been seriously piqued, and he was looking for a ce to sit down. The gold-chained big man was fascinating.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t give in, my Brother Feng will beat you till you die,¡± joked apanion of the gold-chained big man, ridiculing the bullet-headed man.


    The bullet-headed man couldn¡¯t speak due to the pain he was feeling. He was sumbing to the agony. He had already been beaten so severely, but he still had to beg for mercy when all he wanted to do was cry. Looking at the gold-chained big man raising hisrge fan-like hands, he was so scared that hisplexion drainedpletely. Closing his eyes, he begged: ¡°I give-I give up, stop¡ªjust stop hitting¡­¡±


    The gold-chained big man¡¯s anger turned into a smile. The harsh hand that had been primed for pping turned into a soft, gentle touch as he patted the bullet-headed man¡¯s face, smiled, and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally speaking human words. Okay, on ount of you speaking human words like I asked, I won¡¯t hit you anymore. Get out.¡±


    He let go and dropped the bullet-headed man to the ground.


    The bullet-headed man didn¡¯t dare utter another word as he struggled to get up. He waved a hand at his underlings, and they all raced away from there.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you want these things?¡± the gold-chained big man shouted at the bullet-head man, pointing at the steel pipes and wooden clubs scattered all over the ground.


    When he shouted, the bullet-headed man and his gang were scared like rabbits and ran even faster. In the blink of an eye, even their shadows were out of sight.


    ¡°The f*ck? They¡¯re even timider than rats!¡± the gold-chain big man eximed and touched the back of his head. His expression showed his hatred for the bullet-headed man.


    ¡°Wow, Brother Feng, you actually used an idiom!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am a cultured person. I must be different from the rest of you uncouth goons. Otherwise, how could I be your boss, right?¡± boasted the gold-chained big man proudly.


    The four of them nodded like chickens pecking at rice.


    ¡°My Brother Feng is awesome!¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop with the ttery,¡± said the gold-chained big man, waving his hand. Then, turning around, he walked up to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Brother, you are really rude. I saved you just now, and you don¡¯t even say thank you? You¡¯re just sitting here like Buddha watching the drama unfold. Brother, even Chairman Mao can¡¯t match up to you. Respect!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, got up, and said, ¡°It¡¯s not toote to say it now, right? Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing worth mentioning. It was just a minor scuffle. Helping someone in need along the road is exactly what a man should do.¡±


    The gold-chained big man patted his chest, smiled, and said in a friendly tone, ¡°My name is Feng Wuhen, but you can just call me Brother Feng.¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out to shake his hand and introduced himself warmly, ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Eh? Xiao Luo?


    Hearing the name, Feng Wuhen and his four friends¡¯ faces changed.


    ¡°What did you say your name was?¡± Feng Wuhen asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t understand what was wrong with these people. Why had they had such a weird reaction when they heard his name? He repeated it once more: ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    A man with slightly-tanned skin, leopard eyes, and a mustache pulled out an old-fashioned cell phone from his pocket. He carefully looked at Xiao Luo as though he were verifying his identity.


    After confirmation, he said to no one in particr, ¡°Brother Feng, he is indeed the Xiao Luo we have been looking for!¡±


    Feng Wuhen was overjoyed, and said, ¡°The f*ck? We¡¯ve been traveling far and wide trying to find him, and he¡¯s been right under our noses this whole time. It¡¯s almost been a month, and we¡¯ve finally found him.¡±


    The others were equally overjoyed. Like a beast who has finally spotted food, their eyes burned with passion.


    ¡°Who are you guys?¡¯ Xiao Luo asked, instantly feeling like something was amiss.


    ¡°Big brother, you must have offended the rich. If not, who would spend 20,000 to cripple your hand?¡± Feng Wuhen said. His mouth revealed a yful smile.


    Twenty thousand yuan? It was still so high?


    Xiao Luo froze for a moment. If these guys had reallye from the countryside, then 20,000 was a lot of money.


    Other than that, he was more concerned that someone was out to cripple his hand and that they had been looking for him for a month.


    ¡°Big brother, on ount of our friendship, I will be as gentle as I can. I will be as clean and tidy as possible. There¡¯s a hospital nearby, so if I injure one of your hands, it won¡¯t endanger your life,¡± Feng Wuhen said, giggling.


    ¡°Who is your employer?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked. He was speechless. When one group of thugs left, another group causing trouble came along.


    ¡°For those of us who mix on the fringe of society, we can speak only of credibility. Do you really think I would tell you?¡± Feng Wuhen answered.


    ¡°Brother Feng, don¡¯t waste time on him. That bounty is still waiting for us. The cost of living in this city is so high. Without any ie, we will have to sleep under the bridges soon,¡± shouted a ferocious-looking man with clenched fists.

 Chapter 102 - Duel

    Chapter 102: Duel


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe five of them stared at Xiao Luo like they were staring at prey caught in a trap. There was a faint trace of bloodlust in the atmosphere.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo thought of someone. With a smile, he asked, ¡°Did Hua Haifeng send you guys after me?¡±


    A month ago, he¡¯d had some friction with a rich man by the name of Hua Haifeng.


    ¡°What Haifeng? I don¡¯t know who that is!¡±


    Feng Wuhen and hisckeys did react much, making it obvious that they did not know who Hua Haifeng was. He stared at Xiao Luo. Revealing a hint of excitement at the corner of his lips, he said, ¡°Big brother, you are the first assignment that we¡¯ve undertaken since leaving home. You can chalk it up to bad luck that we bumped into you today.¡±


    ¡°Are we really going to fight?¡± Xiao Luo sighed. To be honest, he did not know if he should consider his luck good or bad.


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s eyes turned icy. Turning away, he took a few steps and said, ¡°Little Wu, do it!¡±


    ¡°Brother Feng, why don¡¯t you do it?¡± asked the fierce-looking man, puzzled.


    Feng Wuhen was suddenly furious. Smacking the back of the man¡¯s head, he shouted, ¡°I am the boss! How can the boss do it? Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and go fight!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The four men roared and waved their fists at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo remained calm. His face maintained a constant smile from the start to end. The very next second, his body abruptly moved, and his toes silently brushed the ground. Apanied by a quick rush of air, his body shot off the ground. With an elegant 180-degree twist that spanned a distance of two yards, his slender right foot swept out in a trick angle.


    ¡°Peng, peng!¡±


    With two muffled noises, two men were immediately sent flying.


    Eh?


    Feng Wuhen and the remaining two men were startled. They¡¯d never expected a weak-looking kid to actually have such scarily explosive power.


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s lips turned up. Without a pause, he shed toward the other two men like a bolt of ck lightning and shot up again. Spinning like a windmill, he flicked his feet with a whistling sound andnded a hard kick in the two men¡¯s faces.


    The men didn¡¯t react slowly, and they chose to immediately adopt defensive postures by crossing their arms to protect their faces.


    But as Xiao Luo¡¯s feet swept toward them, they felt an earthshattering force. They were utterly incapable of resisting it and retreated. They quickly took four to five steps back but were eventually unable to avoid falling to the ground. Their arms felt like limp noodles, and they were effectively crippled.


    ¡°What the f*ck? How are you so powerful?¡±


    Feng Wuhen was shocked that he had managed to knock out four of his brothers from the group. That was way too much power for a kid.


    It is important to know that the five of them had once visited a mountain to deal with a blind ck man with their bare hands. The blind man had weighed two or three hundred pounds, but they had only needed two people to dispatch him. When they¡¯d recentlye to the big city, they¡¯d thought that they were invincible and on top of the world. Who could have guessed that the first assignment they¡¯d receive would consist of taking on someone so good at fighting?


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not much. Just slightly better than you!¡± Xiao Luo remarked, smiling modestly. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say that bullying people with numbers isn¡¯t good? Then, why are you doing it too?¡±


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s face reddened, and he was forced to defend himself. ¡°We are epting other people¡¯s money to do a job. Our purpose isn¡¯t to bully you. We are different from the group you encountered earlier!¡±


    ¡°Oh, in that case, don¡¯t just stand there and do nothing. Come at me!¡± Xiao Luo challenged, raising his eyebrow. Although these five men were fascinating, they still had to be convinced with his fists.


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll show you just how good I am!¡±


    ¡°Hou!¡±


    The smile on Feng Wuhen¡¯s face disappeared in an instant, and a ferocious bear-like roar exploded out of his mouth.


    The world was silent, and the wind sweeping along the street became thick, deste, and majestic thanks to his roar.


    Feng Wuhen possessed the aura of a wild beast. Advancing madly, he sent a punch flying at Xiao Luo. His simple, wild fist caused the wind to howl. There were no fancy tricks.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a bit scary!¡± Xiao Luo remarked, snorting lightly.


    But he did not retreat. Instead, with his right foot forward, he aimed at Feng Wuhen¡¯s abdomen like a wild whip. He didn¡¯t stop and gave Feng Wuhen no time to react. The crisp yet dull sound caused Feng Wuhen¡¯s body to leave the ground.


    One move. With just one move, the violent, windless attack that had rolled out like a wave was immediately contained.


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s body flew backward like a bomb. He forcibly reversed his center of gravity mid-air to avoid falling on his back and managed tond in a semi-kneeling position. Still, he slid backward about a meter beforeing to a halt.


    Gulp!


    The other men breathed in deeply. Looking at Xiao Luo in his ck shirt giving off a wicked aura, they couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva. Xiao Luo, at that moment, appeared insurmountable to them. He was an outstanding fighter.


    ¡°Are you still going to fight me?¡± Xiao Luo demanded sarcastically as he looked at Feng Wuhen. He hadn¡¯t gone all out. Otherwise, his foot would have injured Feng Wuhen even more.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll fight!¡± Feng Wuhen roared and rushed at him.


    He leaped at Xiao Luo like a cheetah from three to four yards away. His whole body suddenly turned into an artillery shell with a thunderous powerful force directed at Xiao Luo.


    He clenched fists while moving at high speed, and they became his only weapon!


    Zi!


    An ear-piercing whistling sound tore through the air as he came closer and closer to Xiao Luo.


    All four of hispanions straightened up in excitement and almost shouted out. They expected Xiao Luo to be overwhelmed and knocked down by their leader, Feng Wuhen.


    But the reality was cruel and not at all what they¡¯d expected.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    The dull sound fizzled out, and Feng Wuhen¡¯s cannon-like fists fell straight into Xiao Luo¡¯s right palm.


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s pupils dted, and his mouth was slightly agape. He felt like his iron fists were bound by some other power. It felt like he had punched into cotton and was now being gripped by a pair of steel pliers.


    ¡°The force was strong, and the momentum was firm. You should have trained by taking on wild beasts in the forests. The problem is that your move was too dead. It was not flexible enough. Against someone who doesn¡¯t know how to fight, it¡¯s okay. But against someone who knows how to fight force with force, you lose its destructive ability,¡± Xiao Luo exined as he loosened his grip on the man. His body bounced back at once.


    ¡°Bullsh*t!!!¡±


    Feng Wuhen was an irritated beast. He retreated only to get ready to rush forward again. Quickly, he broke into another dash.


    He jumped up high, and his waist was parallel with Xiao Luo¡¯s head. His body flew through the air, and he used the force of the rotation to kick out his foot. This foot was aimed directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    If the blow hadnded, the impact would have been so intense that even a wild bull would have been flipped over!


    ¡°Okay! Alright!¡± Xiao Luoughed. He took one step and dodged Feng Wuhen¡¯s fierce foot. Then, his right hand turned into ws. He grabbed Feng Wuhen¡¯s ankle like an eagle, and his shoulders jutted forward. He spun around 360 degrees then hurled Feng Wuhen.


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s twopanions had no time to dodge their boss, whose body was like an artillery shell rushing their way, causing them to shriek in pain.

 Chapter 103 - The Confidence We Once Had

    Chapter 103: The Confidence We Once Had


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe remaining men regrouped in utter embarrassment. Two guys struggled to get up and rushed forward to help Feng Wuhen while shouting, ¡°Brother Feng!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Feng Wuhen growled as he tried to stand up. His feet were firmly nted to the ground, and he sprung up like a tiger.


    As the strongest guy in the vige, he was a scourge used to being known as the best at fighting. He had his pride, but it had been shattered by Xiao Luo in an instant. He felt humiliated and burned with anger.


    A sharp hiss filled the sky. It was the sound of someone who had been oppressed to the breaking point. He tightened his body and rushed forward like a flying arrow or a caged eagle. He took five steps and pulled himself up. Compared to before, he was now 50 to 60 percent faster and even more determined as he pushed his body to the limit.


    Stomping with both feet, he soared and quickly covered a distance of three to four yards. He flicked his right leg and aimed it directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s neck.


    Xiao Luo squinted slightly and moved his legs to the side.


    Feng Wuhen, hurling with all his full strength, missed his target by a hair. His body broke out in a cold sweat because, for some reason, Xiao Luo suddenly appeared behind him. His facial expression changed, but he managed to react quickly and turned around whileunching a spin kick. As swift as a typhoon, the kick whizzed by Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo retreated three steps and waited for the right opportunity. He stretched out his hands and pushed him forward in a simple manner.


    Feng Wuhen felt like he was being ridiculed. It felt like he was dancing in the palm of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand. As the corners of his mouth began to twitch, he turned on feet and faced Xiao Luo once again. ¡°Die!¡± he roared.


    With both fists out, he struck at Xiao Luo like a rainstorm. His footwork was rather fast. Xiao Luo, on the other hand, was backing off.


    Faced with this dazzling disy of straight punches, uppercuts, t boxing, and countless swings, Xiao Luo maintained a smile on his face. Taking his own time, he kept moving back.


    Feng Wuhen threw dozens of punches, and each one was filled with immense power!


    However, throughout this flurry of attacks, Xiao Luo remained entirely unharmed. He stood right in front of Feng Wuhen and was easily able to avoid all these punches.


    ¡°Time to end this!¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling.


    He made his move in a sh. His right palm was like a poisonous snake about to seize its prey as he sturdily stamped it on Feng Wuhen¡¯s chest.


    The violent surge of power came in contact with Feng Wuhen¡¯s body and spread wildly across it. Like a kite without strings, he lost control and flew backward. He fell on the ground, hard, and his blood cirction was disrupted. He tasted sweetness gushing in his throat. As he opened his mouth, blood trickled out the corners of his mouth, and his two rows of teeth were dyed entirely red.


    Besides that, the gold chain he was wearing on his neck was broken, flung alongside him.


    ¡°Brother Feng!¡±


    The four men shouted and rushed to his rescue. After helping up Feng Wuhen, they rushed at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo knocked them out with a couple of punches and kicks. All of the men were left grabbing their hands and legs and crying in pain.


    Things were looking bad. Things were really looking bad!


    Feng Wuhen was dejected. They had left Big Mountain looking to make a name for themselves in this noisy and bustling city. However, without any qualifications or education, it was hard for any of them to get proper jobs. They had almost used up the couple thousand dors that they hade with, and they still couldn¡¯t find any work.


    When they were at their wits¡¯ end, a stranger had found them and promised to give them twenty thousand if they could break some guy¡¯s arm. However, little had they expected things to go as they had. What should have been an easy twenty grand had be such a difficult task. Xiao Luo was a monster, and he had beaten all five brothers to a pulp.


    Xiao Luo stooped over them and picked up the big gold chain. With a yful smile, he said, ¡°Why did this gold chain break?¡±


    Feng Wuhen got up. Although he was afraid of Xiao Luo, he quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s a counterfeit chain to make me look good. After a blow like that, how could it not break?¡±


    ¡°I see. It was only ted with ayer of gold. Still, the ting is rather exquisite. If I hadn¡¯t looked at it closely, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell that it is fake gold.¡±


    Xiao Luo fiddled with the chain and put it in his pocket, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this. Consider itpensation for failing to deal with me.¡±


    After finishing his sentence, he turned around and left.


    Feng Wuhen let out a sigh of relief, lifted his hands, and wiped the blood from his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, by the way!¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped and turned around.


    Feng Wuhen and his fourpanions were frightened. Their expressions became unnatural.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t put you guys on the spot. I¡¯m giving you a piece of advice. You can be shameless, arrogant, selfish, but it is important to walk on the right path. Nothing in this world is unachievable. There are only people who aren¡¯t willing to work hard and put in the effort. Everything lies within your grasp. The world is your oyster!¡±


    As soon as he stopped, a white Coro pulled up right in front of him. It was Zhang Dashan. Tang Ren and Xiao Ruyi were in the car as well.


    ¡°What the? What happened?¡± Zhang Dashan nced at them and asked.


    ¡°Nothing much.¡±


    Xiao Luo opened the door and got into the car.


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face was filled with suspicion as he slowly started up the engine.


    The guy with round eyes and a well-formed forehead that resembled a leopard¡¯s asked, ¡°Brother Feng, what should we do?¡±


    They had received ten thousand dors from the client as a deposit, but they hadn¡¯t been able to get the job done in the end. Moreover, they had almost used up all of the ten thousand dors. There was no way that they coulde up with that much money if they decided to return it now.


    ¡°What else can we do? We¡¯ll fight him even if it means dying,¡± said a guy while gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Feng Wuhen said, exhaling, ¡°Not even ten of you can match him. I used up all my strength, but he was calm and didn¡¯t feel any pressure at all. There¡¯s no doubt about it, he could kill a ck bear with one punch if he wanted to.¡±


    His eyes were filled with fear. Xiao Luo had left indelible terror in his heart. In fact, he was d! d that Xiao Luo hadn¡¯t been too ruthless. Otherwise, he could have ended up crippling him and his brothers.


    ¡°Brother Feng, we¡¯re going to use up the rest of the money in a few more days. Don¡¯t even mention amodation! By then, even food is going to be a problem for us.¡±


    ¡°When we left the vige, everyone came and saw us off. We promised them that we were going to seed, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone said that it was easy to earn money in the big city. Everywhere is filled with money, they said. So why is it that, ever since we came here, besides densely packed skyscrapers, we¡¯ve seen nothing else?¡±


    The four of them were dejected. They hade to the big with tremendous confidence, but now they were just clueless and helpless. All of this had happened within a mere month!


    Feng Wuhen waved his hands and stopped them, saying, ¡°Stop it. I refuse to believe that there aren¡¯t any suitable jobs for us in this big city.¡±


    ¡°Hm!¡±


    The four of them nodded. As long as Feng Wuhen didn¡¯t copse, they wouldn¡¯t lose hope for their future.

 Chapter 104 - Silly Girl

    Chapter 104: Silly Girl


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Brother, how did things go between you and Yu Yu? Did anything romantic happen after we left?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked in the car with much expectation. Her pretty pupils beamed with excitement.


    Xiao Luo nced at his sister and peevishly replied, ¡°What¡¯s going in that head of yours all day long? Is Zhang Dashan a bad influence? How have you be so corrupted?¡±


    As soon as he heard that, Zhang Dashan replied angrily, ¡°Damn you! I¡¯m getting shot at even when I¡¯m lying down. What do you mean by a ¡®bad influence¡¯? If anyone¡¯s a bad influence, then it¡¯s Tang Ren, your brother-inw, who¡¯s the bad influence.¡±


    ¡°Hey, this has nothing to do with me,¡± Tang Ren said, throwing up his hands and making an innocent face.


    ¡°You brat! Stop trying to act righteously in all of this. I¡¯m sick and tired of seeing you and Sister Luo¡¯s affectionate way of hugging and kissing while shopping. It¡¯spletely inconsiderate. Have you ever thought about how this three-hundred-watt lightbulb feels?¡± Zhang Dashan shouted while looking at Tang Ren¡¯s reflection in his rear-view mirror.


    ¡°What are you saying, Big-faced Zhang? How about I shut your mouth with a pack of Extra?¡± Xiao Ruyi said as he pushed Zhang Dashan¡¯s head.


    Extra?


    Xiao Luo stifled augh. To think that his sister was trying to bribe someone with chewing gum even though she barely had any left on her.


    Zhang Dashan rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m unaware of what you¡¯re trying to do here. You¡¯re only giving it to me because you think I have bad breath.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, then give it back,¡± Xiao Ruyi said, stretching her hands in an attempt to get the pack of gum back.


    Zhang Dashan immediately swallowed his pride and said, ¡°I was just joking. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Besides, you should not take back something you¡¯ve already given.¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡± Xiao Ruyi grunted and ignored him. Then she took out a paper bag from underneath her seat. She gave it to Xiao Luo and, with a grin on her face, said, ¡°Brother, I bought this for you.¡±


    ¡°What did you buy?¡± Xiao Luo said, epting the bag.


    ¡°A wool sweater! The weather is turning cooler, and I don¡¯t want my brother to catch a cold,¡± Xiao Ruyi said.


    Xiao Luo took it out and saw that it was a style that suited him. The sweater was loose, and the chest area was printed with an image of andscape. The texture was good, and it was soft to the touch.


    He asked, ¡°You must have spent quite a bit on this?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t cost that much. No matter how expensive it may have been, guys¡¯ clothes will always be cheaper than women¡¯s.¡± Xiao Ruyi said with a rxed smile, ¡°You canyer this sweater or wear it on its own, and it goes well with anything. However, it¡¯s better not to wash it. If it¡¯s dirty, then just take it to aundry shop. That way, you won¡¯t damage the material, and you¡¯ll be able to wear it for a long time.¡±


    ¡°In the future, don¡¯t spend money on me. I can get things for myself. You and Tang Ren just started a family, so you should save up your money. If a family doesn¡¯t have any savings, it¡¯ll be tough no matter where you go,¡± Xiao Luo said sincerely.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get it. Since when did you be such a nagger just like Mom and Dad?¡± Xiao Ruyi pouted.


    Xiao Luo kept a straight face as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m nagging you for your sake and Tang Ren¡¯s. Since you¡¯re already married, it¡¯s time for you to stop being willful. To get along with each other, there should be a sense of mutual understanding, tolerance, and understanding. So stop being childish all the time.¡±


    ¡°Brother, we¡¯ll listen to your advice and live our lives well.¡±


    Tang Ren interlocked fingers with Xiao Ruyi. He looked at his wife lovingly and said, ¡°I¡¯m fortunate enough to have been able to marry Ruyi, so I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of her. I won¡¯t ever make her suffer.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and fell silent. Though he still thought that his sister was immature, she had to live her life with Tang Ren. That was her journey, and there was nothing more he could say.


    After a short while, they arrived at Tang Ren and Xiao Ruyi¡¯s residence.


    ¡°Brother, if you have a good impression of Yu Yu, then you¡¯ve got to make your best effort and go for it. Many single male doctors at our hospital are secretly after her. If you don¡¯t hold onto her tightly, then someone else will get her,¡± Xiao Ruyi mindfully warned Xiao Luo once she¡¯d gotten out of the car.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll seize the opportunity,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Xiao Ruyi clenched her fist and cheered Xiao Luo on, ¡°All the best, brother!¡±


    ¡­


    When it was just the two of them in the car, Zhang Dashan was proactive and started digging right away. ¡°Be honest with your brother now. How do you feel about little sister Sun Yu? Are there any sparks?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the night view and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I think I can get to know her better.¡±


    ¡°Little sister Sun Yu is not bad at all. She looks fresh and neat and has pale skin. I think she¡¯s an ideal partner for you,¡± Zhang Dashan said, nodding in agreement.


    Xiao Luoughed and tried to change the subject. ¡°By the way, how much did my sister spend on this wool sweater?¡±


    ¡°One thousand nine hundred and ny-nine,¡± Zhang Dashan replied immediately.


    ¡°What? One thousand nine hundred and ny-nine?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯d known that the sweater wasn¡¯t cheap, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to cost almost two thousand dors. It was not like he was unwilling to spend money, but he felt like it was too luxurious and wasteful at the same time. What wool sweater cost one thousand nine hundred and ny-nine dors?


    Zhang Dashan finally realized something at that moment. Feeling distressed, he remarked, ¡°I¡¯m done for. Sister Luo asked me not to reveal the actual price. She told me to tell you that it cost a few hundred dors if you asked. Ugh, this mouth of mine. Why can¡¯t I control it?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t distressed because he¡¯d revealed the actual price of the sweater, but because he¡¯d vowed in front of Xiao Ruyi, and it had really been an intense oath. If he revealed the sweater¡¯s real price, then the appendage that was supposed to help him carry on his family name would shorten by half an inch every day, until there was nothing left!


    ¡°The tag¡¯s still on here, so why didn¡¯t that cross her mind? Even if it wasn¡¯t, I¡¯d only have to go online to find out how much it cost. She can¡¯t hide that sort of thing from me. Silly fool. Since you and Tang Ren were there, why didn¡¯t you stop her?¡± Xiao Luomented. He had gone through a lot of adversity while growing up and found it hard to enjoy such luxurious goods now.


    ¡°How could we stop her? Tang Ren obeys her obediently. As for me, my words are like farts to her, so why would she listen to me?¡± Zhang Dashan grumbled thenforted his friend immediately afterward. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, though, she¡¯s only doing it because she cares about you as her brother. She said that your closet is filled with a bunch of simple clothes that cost one or two hundred dors each. None of them are of good quality, so she bought you this. You¡¯ll look much better if you wear it. There¡¯s a saying that goes, ¡®clothes make the man.¡¯ No matter how good-looking you are, you¡¯ve still got to put on a set of stylish clothes.¡±


    Xiao Luo exhaled and calmed himself down. It was toote to say anything now. Since she had already bought the sweater, getting a refund wouldn¡¯t do.


    Still, he felt bad for his sister. Her sry wasn¡¯t enormous. On the other hand, Tang Ren was still finishing his internship and currently earning even less than his wife. The two of them still had bills to pay. Now that they had spent two thousand dors on this wool sweater, they would barely have enough money left to spend on themselves for the rest of the month.


    ¡°That silly girl!¡±


    Xiao Luo felt a sense of unexinable warmth. What he wanted most in the world was not for Xiao Ruyi to buy him things or give him anything, but for her to spend her days happily with Tang Ren. This was Xiao Luo¡¯s wish for Xiao Ruyi.

 Chapter 105 - Discussion

    Chapter 105: Discussion


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio[Jiangcheng International Hotel]


    A loud piercing ringtone sounded.


    ¡°Old Housekeeper, you better have something proper to report. Otherwise, you¡¯ll get it from me,¡± Hua Haifeng said, furious that he had been interrupted.


    A somewhat old-sounding voice replied on the other end: ¡°Master, that Xiao Luo has appeared!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo? That¡¯s great. I¡¯ve been trying to find him for almost a month. It¡¯s about time he showed up!¡± said Hua Haifeng, suddenly on alert. Anxiously, he added, ¡°I asked you to find someone to cripple one of his arms. Has the matter been attended to?¡±


    ¡°Well, about that¡­not yet.¡±


    ¡°Not yet? What does that mean?¡± Hua Haifeng demanded.


    The housekeeper answered, ¡°So as not to cause any trouble for Master, I intentionally found five strangers. They are very skillful, and twenty of ourpany¡¯s bodyguards couldn¡¯t match their abilities. It¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± Hua Haifeng demanded coldly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that Xiao Luo is even more skillful. Those five guys couldn¡¯t hold a candle to him.¡±


    ¡°Trash!¡±


    Hua Haifeng felt like his lungs were about to explode. ¡°I f*cking gave you two hundred thousand, and yet you found me such trash? Are you f*cking stupid?¡±


    The old housekeeper was flustered and was ashamed after the scolding. Actually, there hadn¡¯t been two hundred thousand. He had only received twenty thousand from his boss, and the remaining one hundred and eighty thousand had been taken from his benefits.


    ¡°Since the job isn¡¯t done, give me back the two-hundred thousand! Not a single cent less. If even one cent is missing, I will skin you alive!¡± Hua Haifeng roared. He hung up the phone, gasping for air.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Three days flew by, and Xiao Luo made his decision.


    ¡°Wait for me here,¡± Xiao Luo instructed Zhang Dashan when they reached Chongshan House.


    ¡°Have you made up your mind yet about whether or not you are epting the offer?¡± Zhang Dashan pressed. He was even more anxious than Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and answered, ¡°Partially yes. But partially no as well.¡±


    ¡°What the heck! I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying at all. Can you not speak in riddles?¡± Zhang Dashan replied, visibly dazed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just wait here for me toe out.¡±


    Then, Xiao Luo turned and walked into the tall building in front of him.


    ¡­


    Chu Yunxiong was already in the office waiting for Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival.


    He had on a suit and leather shoes. His hairline was receding slightly, and he had dark, thick eyebrows above his bright eyes. His chest was broad and gave off a stern demeanor.


    Looking at Xiao Luo, who was sitting opposite him, he chuckled and said, ¡°Well, Xiao Luo, have you decided?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    Xiao Luo took out a piece of paper from his folder. There were a few sentences printed on it, and he passed it to Chu Yunxiong.


    Chu Yunxiong looked at it and frowned. ¡°IOU?¡±


    The paper clearly stated that Xiao Luo had borrowed six-hundred million from Chu Yunxiong, the owner of Chongshan House. The names of the borrower and lender, as well as the date, had all been clearly written out. The term was one year, and the monthly interest rate was also included. Xiao Luo had signed it and provided his thumbprint in bright red ink.


    This was a very detailed IOU!


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chu Yunxiong was puzzled.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Mr. Chu, you bought Luo¡¯s Workshop for five-hundred and fifty million. I now wish to buy it from you for six-hundred million.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was wide-awake now. ¡°You wish to talk to me about business?¡±


    Xiao Luo had aroused the businessman within him.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°ording to my calctions, Luo¡¯s Workshop is currently losing three-hundred-thousand-dors every day. It is a difficult matter to settle, and everyone is ufortable with it.¡±


    While he was speaking, he delivered Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s financial loss report to Chu Yunxiong.


    Chu Yunxiong nced at it briefly, then covered it and said, ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop is experiencing financial hardship, so why do you want to buy it?¡±


    ¡°Because I am confident that it will make aeback,¡± Xiao Luo answered calmly and with determination.


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s eyes narrowed. He had bought Luo¡¯s Workshop merely out of convenience to help the poor man ¨C Fang Changmiao. Even he wasn¡¯t confident that Luo¡¯s Workshop could make a recovery. Additionally, he wanted to use Luo¡¯s Workshop to retain Xiao Luo¡¯s talent and to make use of him as a personal assistant. Whether or not Luo¡¯s Workshop could make aeback was beyond his consideration.


    However, the fact that Xiao Luo believed in the business even though Chu Yunxiong wasn¡¯t optimistic inspired his pride as a businessman.


    ¡°The problem with Luo¡¯s Workshop doesn¡¯t just lie in its reputation. There are many major issues with the factory and thepany¡¯s management. Aside from that, they have a hugepetitor in ¡®Taste Buds.¡¯ Are you really confident that you can restore Luo¡¯s Workshop to its former glory?¡± Chu Yunxiong questioned as he stared at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to answer that now. All I want to know right now is whether you, Mr. Chu, are willing to sell Luo¡¯s Workshop to me,¡± Xiao Luo stated.


    This kid was very ambitious. Since he wanted Luo¡¯s Workshop, then let him have all of it.


    Chu Yunxiong smiled and said, ¡°I spent five-hundred and fifty million to acquire Luo¡¯s Workshop. Now, you want to spend six-hundred million to buy it from me, which means I will have already earned fifty million from it. On paper, it seems like I should agree. Especially given the current state of the business, there¡¯s no reason I shouldn¡¯t. Except that what you¡¯re giving me isn¡¯t six-hundred million. It¡¯s merely a piece of paper, an IOU. It looks like you¡¯re trying to gain something valuable with something worthless.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows slightly. Beforeing here, he had already mentally prepared himself for things to go either way. If Chu Yunxiong agreed, he would ept Luo¡¯s Workshop and take it on as a challenge to stoke his passions. If Chu Yunxiong disagreed, then that was fine too. However, just then, he had yet to think of how to respond. One day, he would realize what it was he was meant to do.

 Chapter 106 - Downcast Men

    Chapter 106: Downcast Men


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°I¡¯m going to add another criterion. If you agree to it, then I will transfer Luo¡¯s Workshop to your name. Hereafter, it will be your personalpany that belongs solely to you. How about that?¡± Chu Yunxiong said with a smile. However, he was hiding too many things behind that smirk, so Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t distinguish his genuine thoughts.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Chu Yunxiong picked up the IOU in front of him. Vibrant lights danced in his turbid, older eyes as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already promise me 600 million dors in profits one year from now? Now, let¡¯s add another term. If you fail to pay back the 600 million after a year, you wille to work at the Chongshan House.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s motive was apparent. He wanted Xiao Luo to remain under his control and work for him.


    Thest thing that Xiao Luo wanted was to be restricted. Otherwise, when Chu Yunxiong had said three days ago that he was going to let him manage Luo¡¯s Workshop, he wouldn¡¯t have given it any consideration. Nheless, Chu Yunxiong¡¯s words had undoubtedly incited Xiao Luo¡¯s will to fight and his desire for challenge.


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    That convincing one-word reply echoed in the vast office hall.


    Chu Yunxiong froze for a moment then asked, ¡°Are you not going to give it any more consideration?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°If you fail, then you will need to work for me for lif¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will not fail,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted with a smile. Deep within his eyes, there was calmness and absoluteposure.


    Chu Yunxiong nodded and said, ¡°Luo, I admire this part of you!¡±


    He pped his hands. Leng Zuo pushed open the door and walked in with a stack of documents. Ge Zhongtian, awyer from the Jiangcheng Law Firm, came in with him. To be legitimate, the transfer of corporate shares had to be conducted by awyer.


    Xiao Luo signed his name and stamped his thumbprint in the bottom corner of each document. Although taking over Luo¡¯s Workshop had been a short-term n, after he signed the papers to transfer the shares, Xiao Luo felt a little bit of pressure in his heart. After all, right now, Luo¡¯s Workshop was like a camel that was starving to death. Everything rested on Xiao Luo¡¯s ability to save this camel from the brink of destruction.


    Luo¡¯s Workshop was going to be his first stepping-stone in the business world!


    ¡°Mr. Chu, if there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    Xiao Luo filed away the signed documents in his briefcase. From this moment on, he was now the master of Luo¡¯s Workshop. The business¡¯ day to day operations would no longer have any ties to Chu Yunxiong. Gain or loss, Xiao Luo would be the one to bear them all.


    ¡°Chu Yue is always asking me about your whereabouts. See¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to do with anyone at Huaye. They have their lives, and I have mine. If we insist on barging into each other¡¯s worlds, then somebody will inevitably get hurt,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    Chu Yunxiong nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I know what to do.¡±


    ******


    ¡°It¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    Zhang Dashan nced at the stack of documents finalizing the share transfer inside Xiao Luo¡¯s briefcase. He couldn¡¯t contain the excitement on his face. Xiao Luo was about to soar high up into the sky. As his good old brother, Zhang Dashan certainly had to follow him. Just the thought itself sent him into a tizzy.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± he couldn¡¯t help but crack up.


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop has nothing to do with you, so why are you so hyped up?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at his friend.


    Zhang Dashan abruptly bottled up hisughter and shot back, ¡°What the heck? What do you mean, big boss? Wanna burn the bridge after crossing it? Or do you wanna kill the donkey the moment it leaves the millstone?¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered at him, ¡°And what exactly would you do were I to give you an in?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you little chicken sh*t. I said I¡¯d be the assistant GM. I didn¡¯t work at the bank for three years for fun, you know? At least mywork is wider than yours, and I know a few of the bosses from various sectors,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Go get your car. Let¡¯s find somece to fill our bellies,¡± Xiao Luo shifted the conversation topic.


    Xiao Luo would definitely not turn his back on Zhang Dashan. Although he was now the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, aside from the shop manager, Sun Jian¡¯nan, he didn¡¯t know any of his staff. Zhang Dashan would have had to be involved in Luo¡¯s Workshop even if he hadn¡¯t wanted to be. With his good old brother there with him, they could keep an eye on a lot of things while taking care of each other.


    ¡°Alrighty, boss!¡±


    Zhang Dashan took the lead and dove into his role as assistant general manager. He chuckled and revved up the engine.


    In a while, they came to a stop in front of a casserole porridge shop. After locking the car, the two friends casually strolled inside.


    They ordered servings of beef, vegetables, and arge dish of casserole porridge and swiftly began eating. When they were halfway through their meal, five men walked in and sat down at a big table nearby.


    Xiao Luo nced at them and was slightly startled. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was a tiny world, for the five men were none other than Feng Wuhen and his gang.


    At this moment, they were nothing like their former selves. They looked defeated, especially Feng Wuhen, who seemed as deste as a tiger who has left his hills and descended to the ins. As they were many other customers in the shop, Feng Wuhen and his gang didn¡¯t notice Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Brother Feng, the windmill factory called. They said that we aren¡¯t suited to work as their security because we don¡¯t even know how to use aputer.¡±


    ¡°The Longfa Supermarket also said that they no longerck manpower. They told us to find work somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°The Tianyang Light Bulb Factory is hiring, but the wages they are offering are too low. They will only be giving us 1.4k, excluding meals and amodation. If we work there, after deducting our expenditures, by the end of the month, we won¡¯t even be left with a single cent.¡±


    Their words in their entirety fell into Xiao Luo¡¯s ears.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but sigh and say, ¡°There¡¯s a saying that goes, ¡®don¡¯t bend your back for five dou of rice.¡¯ But reality is cruel. Humans need to survive and live. Without five dou of rice, people starve to death. Even fivepetent men are unable to escape this fate.¡±


    ¡°Brother Feng, I think we should just go back to the Guangming district. Being a gangster is better than living like this,¡± Xiaowu, who had big round eyes, suggested.


    ¡°And how would we do that? We¡¯ve offended the Dragon Gang. We should be thanking the Heavens that we escaped with our lives and go back, you say? They have thousands of people, and there are only five of us. You wanna go back to suicide?¡± said Feng Wuhen.


    He finally understood how formidable the Dragon Gang really was. They were Jiangcheng City¡¯s most prominent underground organization. With some three to four thousand members, one could say that their influence epassed the entire Guangming district. If the five of them hadn¡¯t fled, they would¡¯ve been dead already.


    Feng Wuhen guzzled down his tea and spoke again, undiscouraged, ¡°Let¡¯s hold out a while longer and find ourselves legit jobs. As long as the pay is decent, it¡¯s fine if we need to suffer a little bit more. Alright, let¡¯s drop the topic and eat. Order whatever you like. I still have some cash to spare.¡±


    The other four men nodded and began browsing the menu.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± asked Zhang Dashan when he noticed Xiao Luo¡¯s strange expression. ¡°Is there a prettydy?¡± Out of curiosity, he turned and looked in the direction where Xiao Luo was staring. He was immediately disappointed. ¡°What the f*ck, bro? What¡¯s so nice about five grown men? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gay now.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Xiao Luo red at him. Zhang Dashan truly exemplified the saying ¡®a filthy mouth cannot utter decentnguage.¡¯


    In a short while, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan left the restaurant after finishing their meal. Once Feng Wuhen and the rest of his gang had wolfed down their food, they too stood up and went to pay their bill.


    However, the shop owner told them, ¡°Your bill has already been paid.¡±


    ¡°Paid?¡± Feng Wuhen was shocked. He looked at the rest of them and asked, ¡°Who paid for us?¡±


    ¡°Your friend. Oh yeah, he left you a note.¡± The shop owner took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Feng Wuhen.


    When Feng Wuhen looked at the note, and his eyes instantly widened in shock. ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    Written on the paper was Xiao Luo¡¯s contact information.


    The other four were equally startled. They had not expected to meet Xiao Luo here. Nor could they ever have imagined that Xiao Luo would pay for their meal.


    ¡°He said that if you really have nowhere else to go, you can seek him out. He will give you all the help he can,¡± the shop owner conveyed Xiao Luo¡¯s message.


    Feng Wuhan felt warmth in his heart. Although it was only a meal, it truly meant a lot to them.

 Chapter 107 - Taking Office

    Chapter 107: Taking Office


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioOn the day of share transfer, Chu Yunxiong and Ge Zhongtian were both present. Additionally, all the middle and upper management personnel, such as the store managers and main store department heads, all attended.


    ¡°I initially thought that Luo¡¯s Workshop would go on forever with Chongshan House¡¯s backing. I never expected someone to take the wheel so quickly.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more. I heard that our new boss is a young kid in his 20s.¡±


    ¡°Yup, the Workshop is done for. Without the Chongshan House shielding us, ¡®Taste Buds¡¯ will gnaw us down until even our bones are gone.¡±


    A few store managers gossiped together. Currently, Luo¡¯s Workshop had absolutely no capital for contending with ¡®Taste Buds.¡¯ Their arms were not even the same size. Now that they¡¯d lost the Chongshan House¡¯s protection, their business would soonpletely crumble.


    Nevertheless, at the same time, they were very curious about this new chairman. How had he acquired the whole of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s shares? Although Luo¡¯s Workshop was now like a dying camel, purchasing it still called for some five to six hundred million dors. For a kid to have so much cash at such a young age, he must be 2G Rich [1].


    Sun Jian¡¯nan was silent as he stared at thepany¡¯s front gates without blinking. He¡¯d already heard that their new chairman went by the name of Xiao Luo. Was the name of his new boss just a coincidence, or was he the very same youngd who had saved his life before? At that particr moment, Sun Jian¡¯nan was more anxious than anyone else because he was eager to discover the new boss¡¯ identity.


    Not long after, a white Coro slowly drove through the front gates.


    The door opened, and Xiao Luo, dressed in a ck tuxedo, was the first to exit the car. Zhang Dashan, on the contrary, was rtively casual in his attire. After all, today was Xiao Luo¡¯s debut. He mustn¡¯t overshadow his friend.


    Xiao Luo had smiling eyes, which were narrow and long like a celebrity¡¯s, a pointy and suave nose, a mouth with the corners slightly lifted, and unruly ck hair. At the sight of Xiao Luo¡¯s appearance, all of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s employees who¡¯de to wee him dropped their jaws. Subsequently, uncontrolled exmations and whispers were stirred up among the crowd and then exploded with furor into a full-blown discussion. The employees buzzed like a swarm of bees.


    ¡°Is that Mr. Xiao? He¡¯s so hot!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his face? Why do I feel like he looks better than the celebrities on TV?¡±


    ¡°His temperament is extraordinary. He muste from some noble family.¡±


    The girls¡¯ cheeks especially felt a little warm as they gazed on Xiao Luo¡¯s cold, handsome face.


    ¡°What the f*ck? While I do acknowledge that your handsomeness surged after you put on this tux, these people are overexaggerating. Look at them! They are drooling all over you like wolves. Bro, you better be mindful of your a*shole.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was jealous. In terms of looks, he¡¯d never felt that he was any more attractive than Xiao Luo. But today, as he stood beside Xiao Luo with everyone¡¯s eyes glued to him, Zhang Dashan felt somewhat imbnced on the inside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk if you can¡¯t talk properly. Nobody will think of you as a mute.¡± Xiao Luo red at him, then walked toward Chu Yunxiong, and the two shook hands ceremoniously.


    ¡°Mr. Luo, Luo¡¯s Workshop is yours from now on. Juste and speak to me if you ever need anything,¡± Chu Yunxiong said. He valued Xiao Luo a great deal.


    ¡°That¡¯s for certain,¡± Xiao Luo casually replied out of courtesy.


    Just then, a middle-aged man with unusual temperament came forward and extended his hands to Xiao Luo with a smile. He said, ¡°Greetings, Mr. Xiao. My name is Xu Guansong. I have been the one in charge of everything at Luo¡¯s Workshop while Mr. Fang has been away.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xu!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook hands with Mr. Xu with a courteous smile. Beforeing to Luo¡¯s Workshop, Xiao Luo had browsed the list of senior management. He knew that this man with the big belly and golden-framed sses was thepany¡¯s deputy manager.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, let me introduce you to the others.¡±


    Xu Guansong didn¡¯t pass up the chance to take the lead. He pointed to the girl next to him, who was about 25 or 26 years old, and said, ¡°Her name is Li Ziming. She¡¯s the head of our sales department, and she¡¯s reallyprehensive in her conduct.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Li Ziming quickly extended her hand with a smile and shook hands with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Xu Guansong then introduced the next person: ¡°This is the head of the human resource department, Lin Chongdong. As his name suggests, his temper is really impulsive.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Lin Chongdong¡¯s tone was a little blunt, and he didn¡¯t look like he wanted to shake hands with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stayed calm and collected. He replied courteously, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Then, Xu Guansong proceeded to the next person, ¡°This is the¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± blurted out a girl about 20 years of age.


    She had big eyes, a little mouth, delicate cheeks, and was giving off an adorable and lively vibe with her entire body. ¡°I¡¯m the head of the R & D department. My name is Luo Qi. Greetings, big boss.¡± As soon as she finished, she saluted Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°Just call me Mr. Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Received, big boss!¡± Luo Qi said with a beaming countenance.


    Xiao Luo could neither cry norugh. However, Luo Qi, who was so vivacious in her presentation, had made a deep impression in his heart.


    ¡°A-ahem. Please be more serious.¡± Xu Guansong coughed, then smiled as he introduced to Xiao Luo to arge man. ¡°Mr. Xiao, please meet the head of our bread processing factory, Zhang Donghai. He¡¯s honest and really ambitious.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao. I have long since heard your name mentioned. Now that I finally get to meet you today, I see that you¡¯re truly a talented person with extraordinary vigor!¡±


    Zhang Donghai held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand tightly with both hands, showing great excitement and enthusiasm.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows, thinking that no business ever had a shortage of tterers. Had he ever so popr that this man would have had asion to hear his name long before now? These statements were too exaggerated.


    Nevertheless, Xiao Luo still replied, ¡°Hello.¡±


    With Xu Guansong in charge of introductions, Xiao Luo greeted Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s senior management team one-by-one. Soon afterward, everyone proceeded to the conference hall, where the official share transfer ceremony would be held.


    ¡°Holy sh*t! It¡¯s really him!¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan¡¯s mind went nk. He was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t even say a single word. How could he have ever anticipated that the youngd who¡¯d saved him that day was the same guy who¡¯d gone on a blind date with his niece? And now, by some sudden metamorphosis, this same guy was also theirpany¡¯s new chairman? This was way too dramatic. It was unbelievable. Sun Jian¡¯nan thought that he was dreaming.


    ¡°The transfer of shares ceremony isplete. Now, let us wee Mr. Xiao, who is going to share a few words with us,¡± the hostess said with a broad smile while holding the microphone.


    Xiao Luo took the microphone, stood up, and said with a smile, ¡°I only have one thing to say to all of you: ¡®Do your work with your minds at peace. Be down to earth. Do not forget the heart, for you and I shall strive together!''¡±


    When he finished, he sat down.


    He was totally different from their other bosses. Anybody else would have gone on for at least half an hour in such a scenario, but Xiao Luo had only delivered a brief statement. This brevity caught those who were prepared to listen to a long speech entirely off guard.


    His speech was already over before the hostess could even finish drinking her water. Although she was taken by surprise, her response was nevertheless impable. She moved forward to mediate the scene with a smile on her face, saying, ¡°Mr. Xiao really does treasure his words like gold. Nevertheless, the aphorism he has given us is worthy. Let all of us ponder it and learn from it.¡±


    Just then, someone ran into the room in a panic. He whispered in Xu Guansong¡¯s ear for a moment. Then, Xu Guansong went over to Xiao Luo and murmured to him, ¡°Mr. Xiao, all of the factory¡¯s employees have gone on strike!¡±


    ********


    (1) 2G Rich = The Second-Generation Rich, referring to the kids of the wealthy.

 Chapter 108 - Collective Strike

    Chapter 108: Collective Strike


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioA collective strike?


    Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows slightly. This wasn¡¯t good news. Striking as soon as he took office implied that the workers were already against him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±


    He stood up and walked toward the factory, following Xu Guansong¡¯s lead.


    Soon after, everyone in the conference hall was informed of the strike.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was intrigued. Luo¡¯s Workshop was presenting Xiao Luo with a tough task as soon as he took office. He wanted to see how Xiao Luo would handle the issue, so he tagged along with Ge Zhongtian.


    At the same time, the various department heads as well the store managers swarmed the factory.


    When Xiao Luo reached the shipping terminal, there were more than 500 protesters gathered. These were all frontline workers, and their protests echoed throughout the colossal nt.


    The security personnel maintaining order let out a sigh of relief and shouted to the crowd, ¡°Mr. Xiao is here! Tell him whatever you have to say!¡±


    Xiao Luo moved forward with both hands behind his back and looked down at the protesting crowd with his slender, piercing eyes. An unseen pressure mmed down on the hearts of everyone present like a mountain, and voices of the heated protest came to an abrupt halt.


    Xu Guansong and the senior personnel were in shock. Even without needing to contend with the strikers below, they were already feeling a considerable amount of pressure. Such invisible stress may be difficult to exin, but it does exist.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes swept over everyone, left to right. Then he asked, ¡°Why are you protesting?¡±


    His tone was ambivalent. Nobody could tell whether he was happy or angry.


    The workers looked at each other. Atst, an unsightly man with a pointy mouth and monkey-like cheeks who was standing at the forefront took a step forward. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°I heard that Luo¡¯s Workshop has a new chairman, so we came here to have a look.¡±


    ¡°Have a look? Fine then. I¡¯m standing here right now. All of you see me, right? Then you are dismissed and may return to your posts. Do not disrupt thepany¡¯s normal operations,¡± Xiao Luo said with an amused smile.


    The man with a pointy mouth and monkey-like cheeks sneered. His expression changed as he said, ¡°Tsk! You¡¯re going to dismiss us just like that? Mr. Xiao, each of us has gathered here today because we feel that our efforts are not matched by our benefits. It shouldn¡¯t be too much for us to demand a raise. Am I right, everybody?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± roared five hundred people together with great strength and determination.


    ¡°We make hundreds of millions in revenue for thepany every year, so why are we given so little? The amount we get is barely enough to satisfy a beggar!¡± the voices of disharmony sounded once again, and many raised their hands in support.


    Chu Yunxiong raised his eyebrows and murmured, ¡°This truly is a tough challenge for ourpany. Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s financial budget is already about to bottom out. Now, with this strike, I feel like we will have even more of a headache.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian echoed, ¡°That¡¯s for sure. These workers are obviously taking advantage of the fire. Why can¡¯t they think about how, if Luo¡¯s Workshop copses, they will be jobless?¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be that straightforward!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong smiled without rifying his assumption. He had already reminded Xiao Luo a long time ago that still waters ran deep with Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s management team. The reasons for the strike could hardly be as simple as what they appeared on the surface.


    Avarice¡¯s wage is death. Under someone¡¯s instigation, these well-paid employees with massive bonuses were suddenly flummoxed by a craving for money.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Lin Chongdong, head of the human resource department, eximed in anger. ¡°Are you people even underpaid? Including OTs and performance bonuses, more than half of you earn over 5000 dors per month. Even the least among you earns about 3500 dors. Thepany is now going through a difficult period. Many of our store managers are only receiving a 5000 to 6000 in sry, and you¡¯re actually telling me that you¡¯re underpaid? Do you still have any conscience left whatsoever?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk about those times when they were receiving some 20 to 30 grand? You know, when thepany was in a good spot. They are the ones whonded thepany in this state, so what does it have to do with us bottom-level workers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve been on pins and needles for thepany. We work overtime every single day. Why don¡¯t you mention that?¡±


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop is almost empty. We don¡¯t even know if thepany will copse tomorrow. If we don¡¯t ask for more now, then should we only ask for what we deserve when thepany is no more?¡±


    The crowd¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t quickly dispelled. They raised their fists in opposition and shouted vehemently.


    Unable to best the crowd with his words, Lin Chongdong¡¯s face swelled in red, and his body trembled with rage.


    Xiao Luo felt a little pissed off and a little amused. These people were probably ves who rode on their masters¡¯ heads during ancient times.


    He waved his hands and said faintly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already said that, may I ask all of you a few questions?¡±


    Upon witnessing their new young chairman¡¯s politeness, many of them instantly felt a surge of courage. They felt that they didn¡¯t have to fear this neer to the business world even though he had only just entered society and had little experience.


    ¡°Since Mr. Xiao is so nice to us, let¡¯s not be too harsh on him, okay?¡± the man with a pointy mouth and monkey-like cheeks shouted to the crowd. Evidently, he was the leader of the strike.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± the crowd echoed.


    Xiao Luo looked at the man and asked, ¡°What is your role? How much are your base sry and monthly bonus?¡±


    Under these circumstances, the man didn¡¯t lie. He answered truthfully, ¡°I¡¯m the leader of a small team. I earn a 3500 base sry with a 2000 monthly bonus. With OTs, I earn an average of 6500 per month. It¡¯s money that I earn with my blood and sweat. Do you have any problems with that, Mr. Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just curious.¡± Then, Xiao Luo crossed his arms and said in a light tone, ¡°Next, can you tell me, what sry and bonuses other people in the same position as you at other factories receive?¡±


    The man¡¯s face turned red instantly. He had worked at other factories before. Even including overtime fees and bonuses, the sry was still far from 6500 dors. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have stayed at Luo¡¯s Workshop and worked so hard to be a team leader.


    He spoke again after quite some time, ¡°I don¡¯t know about other factories, but I know about Taste Buds. People in the same position are earning some five to six hundred dors more than what we are receiving at Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    Although the man was properly addressing Xiao Luo, he was also utterly disregarding him.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the issue!¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s response was t. He turned his eyes to a small employee in the crowd. He pointed at him with his finger and said, ¡°Tell me your position, base sry, and bonus.¡±


    Seeing that everyone had turned to look at him, the man felt nervous all of a sudden. He stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯m a regr employee. My base sry is 2600 dors. The money I can earn per monthes out to about 4500 dors.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you know how much other workers in the same position as you at other factories are earning?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were chilling, like a beast staring at its prey.


    The man shivered. He dared not look directly into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes as he replied, ¡°T-the base sry in other factories is about 2200 to 2300. They may or may not have bonuses. What they receive per month should amount to a little bit over 3500.¡±


    ¡°So, does this mean that Luo¡¯s Workshop isn¡¯t actually treating you any worse than employees are treated at any other factory? On the contrary, we are actually paying you much more than the others. Am I correct?¡± Xiao Luo pressed on.


    The man blushed and replied after a long time, ¡°Y¡­yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Hu-huh,¡± Xiao Luo sneered and mmed his hands on the stainless-steel guardrail of the shipping terminal. The massive force left the rail vibrating. He stared at the employee below, who was still shocked, and questioned him further, ¡°Are the benefits we¡¯re giving you worth less than your efforts?¡±


    Then, he pointed at the crowd in rage and said, ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop is now in a time of crisis. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to go through this with us, but why are you adding insult to injury? You im that Luo¡¯s Workshop is going to close down soon. In which case, I would like to ask you all: since you feel like thepany is about to copse, why aren¡¯t you guys leaving? Why are all of you still here? As humans, learn to be content and grateful!¡±


    His words reverberated in the hearts of many of the employees, making them feel ashamed and embarrassed. In fact, many of their hearts were still with Luo¡¯s Workshop. They¡¯d onlye to make a scene because someone had instigated them into doing so.

 Chapter 109 - Extreme Method

    Chapter 109: Extreme Method


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Bullsh*t!¡±


    The man with a pointy mouth and monkey cheeks refuted Xiao Luo¡¯s statement, ¡°Commodities and housing prices are so high nowadays. Besides, we all have our families to think of. Who¡¯s willing to squeeze into public housing with strangers? Who doesn¡¯t wish to have their own home? Thepany earns hundreds of millions every year, so how does that justify the little we¡¯re being paid?¡±


    Most of the employees with wavering hearts were affirmed of their beliefs and supported the statement by cheering out loud.


    ¡°Yeah, housing prices are so high, and yet our sries are so low. We¡¯ve had to tighten our belts for decades just to buy a house. Who can live like that?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we frontline workers demand anything? Do you think that we, the workers, deserve to be squeezed into public housing?¡±


    ¡°We are firmly against this!¡±


    The crowd was indignant. They felt like they were at a protest rally, continually shouting and raising their fists.


    ¡°F*ckin hell. I¡¯ve seen shameless people before, but I¡¯ve never seen such brazenness!¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer. He rolled up his sleeves and wanted to go after the man with the pointy mouth and monkey cheeks. With his temper, he was incapable of tolerating any of this.


    Xiao Luo reached out to stop him. If he couldn¡¯t handle a spat like this, as thepany¡¯s boss, he wouldn¡¯t be left with any dignity whatsoever. With stern eyes, he looked at the crowd and sneered, ¡°What does real estate have to do with me? Am I a real estate agent or the director of the National Land Resources Administration? Are you really ming thepany because you can¡¯t afford a house? So, if you wish to buy anything in the future, let¡¯s say a car or a vi, is thepany supposed to pay those bills for you as well?¡±


    This chain of rhetorical questions silenced the protestors. They were unable to think of anything to say that would refute these ims.


    ¡°You are dismissed now. Return to your posts, and I¡¯ll let this go. Otherwise, be prepared to bear the consequences!¡± Two rays of frost jetted out from Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. When his temper red, he wasn¡¯t a nice person to negotiate with.


    ¡°Lub-dub.¡±


    Many hearts thumped intensely, and the workers¡¯ resolve gged. After all, the employees at Luo¡¯s Workshop weren¡¯t treated all that badly. If they pulled out, they would have to start afresh, and their sries would again return to the lowest tier.


    The man with a pointy mouth and monkey cheeks shouted hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! We are many in number! He wouldn¡¯t dare fire so many people. Otherwise, Luo¡¯s Workshop will shut down tomorrow!¡±


    His words enlightened the crowd. Yeah, what were they afraid of? Luo¡¯s Workshop was nothing like its former self, and it was struggling at the brink of extinction. If the factory halted production for a day, then it would surely be a fatal blow to the business. Xiao Luo would never dare to do anything like that to them.


    A boisterous voice sounded, ¡°He¡¯s right! There are so many of us here, so why are we afraid of one man?! We will strike unless he raises our sries and bonuses!¡±


    ¡°We are against thepany stealing our hard-earned money!¡± the man with a pointy mouth and monkey cheeks raised his fist and shouted.


    The others yelled in unison, ¡°We are against thepany stealing our hard-earned money!¡±


    The scene abruptly plunged into chaos.


    All of the store managers and department heads were looking at Xiao Luo. The faces of some were eager to watch the show, while others had their eyebrows knitted or were expressionless. The people present disyed various reactions.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan was worried about Xiao Luo. He hoped that Xiao Luo could handle this crisis smoothly and calm the workers down. But judging from the situation, the oue wasn¡¯t looking optimistic at all.


    Xiao Luo snorted and said regretfully, ¡°I¡¯ve given you all an opportunity to do the right thing, but you don¡¯t know how to cherish it. Do you think that I¡¯m not bold enough to act against you? Fine then. Lin Chongdong!¡± Xiao Luo raised his voice suddenly. His tone carried the solemnity of a soldier.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao?¡± said Lin Chongdong.


    Xiao Luo pointed to the crowd below and said, ¡°Dismiss all of these people and never hire them again!¡±


    Each and every word knocked on the workers¡¯ souls like a giant bell.


    What?!


    The department heads and store managers were all startled. They¡¯d never expected Xiao Luo to adopt such an extreme stance. Although the workers were at fault, many leaders would focus on consoling them and tempting them with benefits. Never would they do what Xiao Luo was doing. Namely, dismissing everyone to solve the problem.


    Xu Guansong was anxious as he hurriedly advised, ¡°Mr. Xiao, this action isn¡¯t appropriate. A mass dismissal will upset the bnce of thepany¡¯s workforce.¡±


    Li Zimeng, who had an hourss figure, also strode forward and said, ¡°We just received a big order from an old client a few days ago. If we dismiss all of these workers, we¡¯ll never be able to deliver the order on time. Aside from having to pay a heftypensation, we will also lose an old and loyal customer forever.¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored her and stared at Lin Chongdong chillingly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    Under his gaze, Lin Chongdong shivered instinctively.


    ¡°Yes. I will tell my colleagues in the HR department to dismiss all of them at once.¡±


    ¡°Go. I want to see their dismissal reports within half a day,¡± Xiao Luo deadpanned, denying the strikers any sympathy. Sure enough, those people had crossed a line with him.


    Lin Chongdong felt as awful as he possibly could. Although a chore like this had no technical requirements and was easy, he had to prepare more than 500 copies. Having to settle and write the reports in half a day was indeed stressful. However, he also felt immense satisfaction. Xiao Luo¡¯s vigorous and stern conduct had incited some excitement and enthusiasm in his dull eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, you can¡¯t do this to us! I don¡¯t want a raise! I don¡¯t want a raise anymore!¡±


    Seeing that Xiao Luo truly meant what he said, the workers were flustered. They¡¯d never expected their new chairman, who looked so kind and friendly, to bully them and be so ruthless in his conduct. He was actually bold enough to fire them all.


    The workers were now all scared. Where else would they find such a great job? If they couldn¡¯t work here, then the houses they¡¯d be nning to buy a few years down the line would probably have to wait for another decade. Did they still want to establish families or not?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, he¡¯s just trying to scare us. Without us, how can he keep Luo¡¯s Workshop going? Besides, Luo¡¯s Workshop is already at the edge of copse. It is only a matter of time before Taste Buds devours thepany. We won¡¯t have our jobs much longer even if we stay,¡± the man with a pointy mouth and monkey cheeks said raucously to appease the crowd.


    Xiao Luo looked at the man with a smile. If there weren¡¯t so many people here, he would¡¯ve stepped on that man like an ant.


    He ordered withposure, ¡°Security, expel the fired workers at once!¡¯


    Ruthless and decisive.


    ¡°Yessir!¡±


    The security personnel who had been maintaining order earlier on was infuriated. No matter how he thought about things, he felt that these workers were deliberately provocative. After receiving Xiao Luo¡¯s instructions, the guards uced the ck iron rods at their waists and reformed into a human wall. Then, they pushed the protestors out of the factory through the main entrance. Those who refused to cooperate were instantly greeted with rods.


    The five hundred workers were flustered, utterly flustered. This wasn¡¯t a threat, it was a genuine dismissal and eviction.


    Various bawls pleading to the heavens rang out: ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I¡¯m not on strike anymore. This is all my fault. I want my job back!¡±


    Even though they all felt that the Luo¡¯s Factory was in wasn¡¯t in as good of straights as before, the frontline workers¡¯ treatment was hardly abysmal. Subconsciously, they still had faith in Luo¡¯s Workshop. They did not believe that thepany would crumble.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    Luo Qi, the head of R&D, wanted to plead for the workers but was blocked by a wave of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    ¡°In my estimation, there are only good employees and bad employees. Evidently, these are not good employees. People say that a new broom sweeps clean. Although I¡¯m not getting rid of everyone, some trash still has to go.¡±


    These words undoubtedly pushed the employees into utter despair.


    ¡°He must be trying to scare us! He wouldn¡¯t dare fire us all! He can¡¯t handle the consequences!¡±


    The one who shouted this was again the man with a pointy mouth and monkey-like cheeks. However, now he sounded much less firm.

 Chapter 110 - Begging Is Useless

    Chapter 110: Begging Is Useless


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioNot long after, all five hundred or so workers who¡¯d been on strike were chased away, but they did not leave. The gaunt, ugly man was still loudly proiming his views, arguing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This Xiao fellow wille back crying and begging for us to return to work soon. Without us, Luo¡¯s Workshop cannot produce any goods. We are the ones with the fate of thepany in our hands. We need to stay confident and have the guts to go up against these capitalists to the very end!¡±


    Although the man was speaking spiritedly and loudly, the rest of the workers were shrouded in a general air of dejection. They had sat down, and their heads dipped solemnly. Now that they had calmed down, they felt like something was amiss. They had good jobs, so why had they gone on strike?


    If they were honest with themselves, their pay and benefits were undoubtedly better than what they¡¯d get at other factories. However, in the end, their deep-rooted greed had won out, and they¡¯d chosen to join the strike. Many of them were now regretting their decisions.


    If they were really all fired, their families would lose an ie source. Some of them had to provide for nursing babies, children attending school, and older parents with no ability to work. With so many mouths to feed depending on their earnings, what were they supposed to do? As they contemted this, some of the workers were smoking, and the hands gripping the cigarettes trembled uncontrobly.


    In contrast, Xiao Luo had ordered someone to bring over a table and four stools. He was sitting with Chu Yunxiong, Zhang Dashan, and Ge Zhongtian, leisurely enjoying freshly boiled hot tea. Not a single shred of nervousness could be detected about him.


    Of course, Zhang Dashan was not entirely at ease. He had never dreamed that one day he would be sitting at the same table as Hua Nation¡¯s legendary entrepreneur, Chu Yunxiong.


    Compared to them, the various department heads of Luo¡¯s Workshop were extremely anxious. They all felt the pressure mounting and could not help but worry. If the bread processing factory lost all its workers, then the machinery would be left unmanned and useless. Not only would they be unable to produce anything of value, but thepany would continue to suffer losses, which would only balloon as time went on.


    ¡°President Xiao, we cannot keep waiting like this. Let¡¯s at least try to satisfy some of their requests and get them back in position to work,¡± Xu Guansong¡¯s tried to persuade Xiao with his eyebrows knitted together.


    Xiao Luo made no move to acknowledge him. He only turned to look at Zhang Dashan and demanded, ¡°Are theying?¡±


    Zhang Dashan checked the time and replied, ¡°They should be on their way.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°Around 320 people. All workers from the bread factory. They can start working as soon as they arrive.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and continued sipping his tea slowly.


    As they heard this brief exchange, a wave of surprise swept over Xu Guansong and the other department heads. 320 people? He had actually managed to rustle up 320 people with experience working at a bread processing factory? That was impossible!


    Chu Yunxiong harbored simr doubts. Now was not the prime season for hiring, and being to be able to hire 320 workers at once was bizarre and difficult toprehend. However, he refused to make his concerns known. Besides, Zhang Dashan was Xiao Luo¡¯s trusted friend, so it was definitely possible that he had some unforeseen gifts.


    Just then, Xiao Luo waved to the head of the factory, Zhang Donghai, beckoning for him toe over.


    ¡°President Xiao, what can I do for you?¡± Zhang Donghai asked enthusiastically with a radiant smile.


    Xiao Luo pointed to the main gate, where the gaunt and ugly man was still on his feet, trying to instill courage and confidence in his fellow workers. ¡°What¡¯s that man¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, him. His name is Wang Tiechui,¡± Zhang Donghai hurriedly answered.


    ¡°Lin Chongdong, get me his personnel file.¡±


    ¡°Yes, President Xiao!¡±


    Lin Chongdong had alreadye to admire Xiao Luo, whose earlier actions had left him feeling overjoyed. Therefore, he followed Xiao Luo¡¯s orders unconditionally.


    Xiao Luo was not a pushover, and anyone who tried to take advantage of him had better be prepared to face retribution. Also, he had thought from the start that this conflict did not stem simply from the workers wanting a pay raise. Someone was fanning the mes behind the scenes, and their one lead to find this mastermind was undoubtedly Wang Tiechui.


    ¡­


    An hourter, fiverge buses pulled up in front of the main gate of Luo¡¯s Workshop then parked in a row.


    ¡°Hey, they¡¯re here!¡±


    Zhang Dashan jumped to his feet excitedly and walked at a brisk pace to the main gate.


    Seeing the manpower alighting from the buses, Chu Yunxiong was astounded. Hemented to Xiao Luo, ¡°Luo, your friend over there is not to be sniffed at.¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled back, ¡°He just so happens to know the boss of a bread factory. Taste Buds is currently undergoing expansion, and their boss was forced out of business. He had to dere bankruptcy andy off all his workers. Coincidentally, since we need workers here, Zhang Dashan asked around in his circle of friends. They came to an agreement, and the boss quickly sent his men over to us.¡±


    ¡°It looks like I shouldn¡¯t underestimate any of you,¡± Ge Zhongtianughed, hearing this exnation.


    Xiao Luo had nothing more to add. He had not expected Zhang Dashan¡¯s connections to be so widespread. It was indeed proof of what Zhang Dashan said before; his three years working at the bank were not for naught, and many of his work contacts were leaders of their own businesses. In terms ofworking, hepletely bested Xiao Luo.


    When they saw more than 300 people streaming out of the five buses, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s original workers all went pale in the face. Even Wang Tiechui, who had been keeping morale up and loudly advocating for the strike, went utterly ashen.


    How did this happen?


    How did they find so many workers to rece them at their jobs so quickly?


    No, this could not be happening! This could not be happening! This was their livelihood!


    ¡°President Xiao, we know that we were in the wrong and admit our mistakes. Please, don¡¯t fire us.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t protest. We won¡¯t ever protest again. As long as you don¡¯t fire us, we will agree to anything.¡±


    ¡°President Xiao, please forgive us!¡±


    The cries and wails of their pleading resounded from the main gate. If not for the security personnel, then the massive steel gates would have copsed under the weight of five hundred workers desperately begging.


    ¡°You have balls to beg now,¡± Zhang Dashan cursed at them harshly. ¡°I understand my brother¡¯s temperament, and if he said he was going to fire you, then he meant every word. You all screwed yourselves. You gave up perfectly good jobs to run out here and go on strike. Get out of here, and don¡¯t try to stick around.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, please help me. Plead my case to President Xiao. My family has 6 people in it, and they are all living off what I earn. I can¡¯t afford to lose this job. Please, I¡¯m begging you,¡± a man pleaded tearfully. He grabbed onto Zhang Dashan¡¯s leg like a child as he wept.


    Zhang Dashan let out a long sigh. ¡°Bro, I¡¯m sorry to hear that, but there¡¯s nothing I can do for you. My brother has made his decision, and nobody can change his mind now. You had better start looking for a new job.¡±


    Pushing the man away, he made the security personnel open a small side entrance and let in the new workers.


    ¡°People, you don¡¯t have to bargain with them!¡± Wang Tiechui shouted in a timely fashion. ¡°There are other opportunities elsewhere. Luo¡¯s Workshop is facing imminent copse, and there¡¯s nothing great about working here. If they want to fire us, so be it. We can just find work elsewhere.¡±


    It would have been better if he¡¯d stayed silent. With these words, the workers were reminded that they were in this situation now because of Wang Tiechui¡¯s instigation.


    ¡°Wang Tiechui, go f*ck yourself!¡±


    The man who had been weeping at Zhang Dashan¡¯s feet just a moment ago wiped the tears from his face. He rushed straight at Wang Tiechui with a piece of broken brick, which he picked up off the ground. He raised the brick up high then smashed it down viciously on Wang Tiechui¡¯s head.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of this son of a b*tch and his nonsense that we lost our jobs! Get him!¡±


    The anger of the mob was aroused, and they rumbled toward Wang Tiechui like a raging tide.

 Chapter 111 - Ambition

    Chapter 111: Ambition


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°President Xiao, please get security to save him at once. We don¡¯t want anyone dying at ourpany¡¯s front door,¡± Li Zimeng advised, her delicate features clouded with worry.


    Xu Guansong, Luo Qi, and Zhang Donghai also came forward to side with her. After all, this was happening in theirpany¡¯spound. If someone died, it would be a devastating blow to their reputation. More importantly, the people involved were former employees who had been fired from Luo¡¯s Workshop. If the media caught wind of this, the news reports would not be pretty.


    Even though Xiao Luo had half a mind to stamp out Wang Tiechui¡¯s life, he could see the logic behind their arguments.


    Waving them in, he allowed the head of security to rush into the fray with his men.


    They managed to rescue Wang Tiechui, but he had taken a severe beating. His face was bruised, swollen, and drenched in blood. He was on the verge of death as an ambnce came to take him away. The mob of more than five hundred workers calmed down and gradually regained theirposure. When they saw blood sttered on the ground, they quickly dispersed, afraid of getting into more trouble if they lingered.


    Just like that, the workers¡¯ strike was settled!


    The various department heads and managers of various outlets hade to understand Xiao Luo better through this event. While Xiao Luo looked mild-mannered and peaceable, he was ruthlessly decisive, and this left a powerful impression in their hearts. Some of the store managers withzy attitudes now had to clean up their act. They did not dare show any signs of disrespect in front of Xiao Luo.


    Before leaving, Chu Yunxiong reminded Xiao Luo in front of everyone, ¡°Luo, my offer still stands. If you need anything,e look for me!¡±


    This statement helped reassure everyone that the legendary entrepreneur Chu Yunxiong still vouched for Xiao Luo. At the same time, they also began to wonder who this Xiao Luo was to have gained his trust.


    ¡­


    ¡°In addition to the one million that President Xiao has invested, thepany ount has five million in liquid assets.¡± Guo Fu, head of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s finance department, was sharing thepany¡¯s financial report with Xiao Luo in his office.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s brow furrowed as he listened. Five million may be arge sum to an individual, but to apany, it was a paltry amount. To put things into context, Luo¡¯s Workshop paid out nearly three million dors each month to their employees. Now they were in the red every day. If they did not quickly turn the situation around, Luo¡¯s Workshop would be finished by the end of next month.


    ¡°I get the picture. Please return to your work. Oh yes, and ask store manager Sun Jian¡¯nan toe to see me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, President Xiao!¡±


    Guo Fu bowed slightly and left the room.


    Zhang Dashan got up from the sofa, walked over to Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°This workers¡¯ strike came at a perfect time, huh? It¡¯s allowed you to flex your authority as the boss in front of the wholepany.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a slight smile.


    ¡°You can save your breath when ites to words of gratitude. I want something tangible.¡±


    ¡°What are we talking about here?¡± Xiao Luo asked, puzzled, raising his eyebrows.


    Zhang Dashan brought his teacup down onto the desk, hard, and scolded, ¡°B*stard, stop acting stupid in front of me. I want the position of vice-president, old pal.¡± He made his way to the balcony in the office, looked down at the view below, and stretched his arms out wide. He took a deep breath and said, ¡°I never dreamed that one day I would be a big boss, gazing down on all my employees from my ivory tower.¡±


    He had obviously already embraced his self-ordained role as vice-president.


    ¡°Okay, quit your daydreaming. You can be my assistant for now, and when Luo¡¯s Workshop is back on its feet, I¡¯ll let you have my position,¡± Xiao Luo said in annoyance.


    ¡°What the f*ck? Bro, are you for real? You¡¯re not messing with me?¡± Zhang Dashan eximed excitedly.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°When have I ever messed with you?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. My good brother, Lao Xiao, you really are my good brother.¡±


    An ted Zhang Dashan was cracking up, but he quickly realized that something was amiss. Frowning, he said, ¡°No, something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not right?¡±


    ¡°If you give me your position as president, then what are you going to do?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    Xiao Luo brushed him off, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll move on and develop some other business. It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was taken aback. If he could sessfully helm Luo¡¯s Workshop, he would be satisfied. He¡¯d never thought beyond that, yet his brother fully intended to move on to other businesses. While Xiao Luo spoke flippantly about it, Zhang Dashan knew that he was not kidding.


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re going to be the next Chu Yunxiong.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope to surpass him.¡±


    As he said this, Xiao Luo stood up and patted Zhang Dashan on the shoulder. His body was integrated with a high-tech system. If he only managed to match the standards which Chu Yunxiong had set, he would never be satisfied.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Zhang Dashan swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. This was the first time he discovered that lofty goals and ambition had been lurking in the depths of his brother¡¯s heart all this while.


    ¡°Dong, dong, dong!¡±


    At that moment, someone knocked lightly on the door to the office.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Xiao Luo sat back in his seat.


    The door was pushed open. Sun Jian¡¯nan shuffled in obediently, looking presentable in a suit. He was walking rather stiffly, on ount of his nerves, as he made his way in front of Xiao Luo¡¯s desk. Raising his head to look at Xiao Luo, he inquired, ¡°Pre-President Xiao, you asked for me?¡±


    From the ¡®young man¡¯ he¡¯d first encountered a few days ago to the ¡®President Xiao¡¯ of today, Xiao Luo¡¯s identity was changing too rapidly for him to keep up. He was feeling a bit dazed, as though caught in a dream.


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± Xiao Luo said, gesturing politely for him to sit down.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan nodded, taking a deep breath to stabilize his emotions before sitting upright opposite Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Store Manager Sun, I have been told that the Luo¡¯s Workshop food safety vition transpired inside your store?¡±


    ¡°Mm, yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that there is an issue with the products we are selling?¡±


    ¡°No, there is definitely nothing wrong with our pastries,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan replied, adamantly shaking his head. ¡°I had my eye on that old man the instant he stepped into our store.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan began to recount from memory, ¡°It was because his face looked abnormally discolored. It was pale like he was suffering from an illness. His breathing was alsobored, as though his windpipe was clogged. I even remember specially pouring him a cup of hot tea.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, urging him, ¡°Tell me your theory.¡±


    ¡°I believe the old man did not die from eating our bread, but suddenly passed away from a pre-existing condition.¡± Sun Jian¡¯nanid bare his innermost thoughts as he continued, ¡°However, the medical professionals and the old man¡¯s rtives all insist that he suffocated when our bread got stuck in his windpipe.¡±


    ¡°If that is true, then doesn¡¯t it mean that Luo¡¯s Workshop has been unjustly framed?¡± Zhang Dashan could not hold back his objections.


    ¡°I can¡¯t bepletely certain, but my gut tells me that Luo¡¯s Workshop is not responsible for the old man¡¯s death,¡± Sun Jian¡¯nan conjectured.


    Xiao Luo waved him out, saying, ¡°I understand. Go back to what you were doing.¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯nan got up and bowed, turning to leave.


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°What else do you need, President Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Sun Yu about me,¡± Xiao Luo ordered.


    Sun Jian¡¯nan was slightly surprised by this request, but he nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Mm, yes.¡±


    Then, he pushed open the door and exited the office.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, it seems like you have a thing for the Beauty Sun,¡± Zhang Dashan teased.


    He knew perfectly well why Xiao Luo wanted to hide his identity. It was not because he wanted Sun Yu to let down her guard so that he could take advantage of her. Rather, Xiao Luo wished to meet and understand her on equal footing as ordinary guy and girl. There were too many examples of rich men courting great beauties these days. A simple, pure romance untainted by the stench of money was a rare urrence.

 Chapter 112 - Caught in a Gunfight

    Chapter 112: Caught in a Gunfight


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioMeanwhile, at the hospital, almost every inch of Wang Tiechui¡¯s body was wrapped in white bandages. Hey on the hospital bed like an Egyptian mummy.


    He had taken a beating from more than 500 angry workers and was riddled with broken bones and open wounds. His most grievous injury had been dealt by the man who¡¯d pleaded with Zhang Dashan. He¡¯d smashed open Wang Tiechui¡¯s head with a brick.


    When he awoke from hisa, he saw Xiao Luo standing at the foot of his bed with his arms behind his back. He shivered in fear, withering before Xiao Luo¡¯s frigid stare, which made him feel like he had fallen into an icy crevasse.


    He asked in a panic, ¡°You. What are you do-doing here?¡±


    He had never seen anyone with such a fearsome look in all his life.


    Xiao Luo peered down at him with a domineering gaze then said nonchntly, ¡°I am only going to ask you this once. Answer me honestly, or you die!¡±


    Wang Tiechui could really feel the killing intent behind Xiao Luo¡¯s expression, and it scared him so much that he almost fainted.


    ¡°I-I will answer honestly. I will definitely answer honestly,¡± he managed to force out a reply despite choking with fright.


    ¡°Who ordered you to organize this strike?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s voicecked any shred of emotion and seemed toe from the depths of hell itself.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know his name. He gave me twenty thousand dors to organize a strike. The-then he told me that, when it was finished, he would get me a job at Taste Buds,¡± Wang Tiechui confessed.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°You don¡¯t know his name?¡±


    ¡°I-I really don¡¯t know. It was my first time seeing him, President Xiao. I¡¯m not lying to you,¡± Wang Tiechui insisted fearfully.


    The mouth may tell lies, but the eyes speak the truth.


    Xiao Luo was slightly disappointed. He¡¯d thought that questioning Wang Tiechui would produce a lead for them to follow, but now that seemed impossible.


    Chu Yunxiong had once reminded him that Luo¡¯s Workshop senior management was full of schemers. That is to say, there could be a spy among them working for Taste Buds. Taste Buds had already demonstrated that they had no qualms about doing something so treacherous as inciting the workers of Luo¡¯s Workshop to strike. Arranging for someone to infiltrate Luo¡¯s Workshop or buying off one of the management team executives would be a simple matter for them.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, this is the data on Taste Buds that you wanted.¡±


    Zhang Dashan approached him with a printout as he exited the hospital. ¡°The top dog at Taste Buds is a man called Fang Changlei. He is the step-brother of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s previous president, Fang Changmiao. They have the same father but different mothers. The two of them started their careers in the bread industry together. However, after their father passed away, they split up due to a dispute, and each started their ownpany. Namely, Luo¡¯s Workshop and Taste Buds.¡±


    Xiao Luo skimmed the document, thenmented light-heartedly, ¡°What an interesting pair of brothers.¡±


    Zhang Dashan nodded in agreement, then continued where he¡¯d left off: ¡°While Taste Buds is his main business, Fang Changlei also owns other side ventures, such as the Prosperity Grand Hotel, Phoenix Entertainment City, plus others in approximately ten different industries. He has a son and a daughter. The son¡¯s name is Fang Chongqiang, and the daughter¡¯s name is Fang Shn.¡±


    ¡°Fang Shn?¡± Xiao Luo wore a look of surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Do you know her?¡± Zhang Dashan blinked, asking him.


    Xiao Luo exined, ¡°I had an altercation with her during my time as a bodyguard at Huaye.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve had a conflict with her before, that means that you two are enemies. Now, you have the perfect opportunity to crush her dad¡¯s business, Taste Buds, and vent your frustrations,¡± Zhang Dashan snickered.


    ¡°You think it¡¯ll be that easy?¡±


    ¡°Now that Luo¡¯s Workshop is under your control, Lao Xiao, crushing him is only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Please leave me out of your boasting next time.¡±


    ¡°You b*stard!¡±


    ******


    They climbed into the car, and Zhang Dashan asked Xiao Luo in a joking tone, ¡°Boss, where are we headed today?¡±


    ¡°I need to find someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The reporter who wrote the article that pushed Luo¡¯s Workshop into the abyss.¡±


    Xiao Luo leaned back in his seat with his eyes staring straight ahead. ¡°The footage from our surveince camera shows that the old man did indeed look to be in poor physical condition when he entered the shop. And the hospital files clearly show he had been diagnosed with chronic rheumatic heart disease. The evidence points to a heart attack as the cause of death rather than anything to do with eating bread.


    ¡°The medical practitioner who performed the autopsy has left the country to study abroad. The old man¡¯s family insists that the bread from Luo¡¯s Workshop caused his death and imed 470 grand inpensation. All these facts add up to one thing: conspiracy.¡±


    ¡°Did Taste Buds orchestrate this?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Could there be anotherpany behind it?¡±


    ¡°F*ck him! That old son of a b*tch, Fang Changlei, has no business ethics at all. When I have time, I¡¯m going to find out where he parks his car.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking of doing to his car?¡±


    ¡°What else? I¡¯m going to piss all over the front,¡± Zhang Dashan dered loudly.


    Xiao Luo did not deign to give him a reply.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    As the car approached a crossroads, there was a burst of fierce but concentrated gunfire from somewhere ahead.


    ¡°Bang, bang!¡±


    Another two gunshots sounded. Pedestrians and drivers in the area became flustered and tried to flee. Lest they get shot by ident, they ignored all the traffic lights in the process. This resulted in a series of serious traffic idents, and the shrill sound of police sirens rang out.


    ¡°F*ck, this is some luck!¡±


    Zhang Dashan shuddered and mmed down on the brakes, hard. He had only seen gunfights in the movies, and now that he was in the midst of one, there was no way he could maintain hisposure.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed. His gaze grew more focused, and he stared straight ahead like a hawk.


    A man dressed in ck rode out from a side street on a motorcycle. His head was covered by a helmet, and his hand grasped a short firearm. He rode valiantly, firing as he rode, while two police cars gave chase close on his tail.


    An older policeman, who was extremely bold, stuck half of his body out of the window to take aim at the man.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡±


    The gunshots seemed never-ending as bullets whizzed through the air at high speeds. The bullets tore open holes in the police vehicles, and two shots narrowly missed the man in ck. Finally, with a loud impact sound, a third shot buried itself deep inside the back of the man¡¯s shoulder.


    The man in ck was knocked off his bnce by the shot and tumbled off his motorcycle. The motorcycle skidded more than ten yards away beforeing to a stop under the wheels of a truck.


    The man immediately picked himself up off the ground, tore off his helmet, and revealed his bloodstained face. He looked like a foreigner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. Get down with your hands behind your head!¡±


    Taking advantage of this moment of opportunity, three policemen rushed forward nimbly with their guns up. They pushed through the crowd to try to arrest the man in ck.


    The man in ck grinned ferociously. He flexed all his muscles, which expanded explosively. Leaning forward readily, his coat rolled off his body. As if a ck curtain had been draped before them, his coat blocked the three policemen¡¯s¡¯ view.


    At the same time, the man in ck slid backward, and his strong, sturdy body lithely slipped out of the ck trench coat in one clean motion. He took two steps back, then pushed forward with his right leg, on which his body¡¯s center of gravity rested. He probably weighed over two-hundred pounds yet moved with the dexterity of a cheetah chasing its prey. The instant the ck trench coat obscured the policemen¡¯s sight, he charged at them recklessly.


    ¡°Bam, bam!¡±


    Two of the policemen were hurled backward, colliding squarely with the multi-purpose vehicles parked at the roadside. Rebounding from the impact, they copsed unconscious on the ground.

 Chapter 113 - He is a Newbie Driver

    Chapter 113: He is a Newbie Driver


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioChapter 113 ¨C He Is a Newbie Driver


    The man dressed in ck¡¯s explosive force was immensely powerful!


    The other policeman had a quicker reaction time. He retreated as soon as he saw the opponent charge at him, preparing to fire from a distance.


    The man in ck did not give the officer a chance to take the shot. He pounced on him like a tiger, then he swept his leg out and kicked with unstoppable force. The color drained slightly from the policeman¡¯s face as he hastily reached up to parry the blow.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Arm and leg collided with a dull thud. The policeman felt the full violent force of the kick surging through his body. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and tumbled to the ground with his gun. The man in ck snickered then rolled forward on the ground toward the cop, grabbing him to use as a human shield.


    Several more policemen stormed onto the scene with their guns pointed at the man in ck. They yelled angrily, ¡°Put down the gun!¡±


    ¡°Shoot me. If you have the balls, then fire. Hehehe!¡±ughed the man in ck cruelly. Bloodlust permeated his stiff-sounding Chinese, and his face contorted into a demented grin. He obviously believed that they would not dare fire on him with their fellow policeman in the way.


    The situation proceeded ording to his predictions. The seven or eight policemen who arrived as reinforcements wanted to save their ally and kill their enemy. They were conflicted and unable to take action. They only continued nervously, taking aim at the man in ck while maintaining their positions. Ayer of cold sweat covered their palms.


    Seizing the opportunity, the man in ck pulled a policeman¡¯s sidearm on the ground toward him with his heel. He mboyantly spun the gun in his hand. It made two full revolutions before it stopped with its pitch-ck muzzle pointed directly at the policemen.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    With a hideous sneer, the man in ck mercilessly squeezed the trigger.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡±


    A stream of mes shot out from the muzzle. The policemen sensed the danger but were too slow to return fire. They only managed to get down on the ground or take cover behind the vehicles closest to them. Even then, they were still toote. Bullets tore through the air toward them. In the blink of an eye, five men were brought down, and three vehicles were blown to pieces. Shards of ss and other debris went flying, and clouds of dust billowed. It was a powerful attack.


    Having shot down almost half of the policemen, the man in ck kicked away his human shield and made a dash for Zhang Dashan¡¯s white Coro.


    Zhang Dashan swore under his breath and moved his foot to the elerator, ready to make a getaway. However, the silhouette of a small child shed in front of the car, and he had no choice but to take his foot off the gas.


    In that brief period, the man in ck caught up. He opened the door and slid into the back seat. Pressing his gun to Zhang Dashan¡¯s head, he shouted harshly in stiff Chinese, ¡°Drive, or I will shoot you!¡±


    Xiao Luo thought of making a move. However, he noticed that, aside from the gun, which the man wielded in his right hand, he was armed with a hand grenade in his left, so he abandoned the idea.


    Zhang Dashan, in all his many years of life, had never had a gun to his head before, and he nearly wet himself in fear. His voice quivered as he asked, ¡°B-b-Big brother, where to?¡±


    ¡°Go straight! Go straight quickly!¡±


    The man in ck kept close tabs on the police¡¯s movements, looking to the left and right. He barked a warning, ¡°If I get caught by the police, then I¡¯ll kill the two of you first!¡±


    With his left hand firmly gripping the grenade, he fired two shots from the gun in his right. A policeman giving chase at a distance flipped over. The man¡¯s aim was impable.


    The shots fired caused the rest of the policemen instinctively to get down on the ground, slowing down their advance. The man in ck turned back to Zhang Dashan and shouted, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you driving? do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t be hasty. I¡¯m driving. I¡¯m driving.¡±


    Zhang Dashan started up the car in a hurry, stepped on the pedal, and the vehicle sped off.


    ¡°Faster! You need to go faster!¡± With the gun to Zhang Dashan¡¯s head, the man in ck continued to roar at him, ¡°Go as fast as you possibly can. You absolutely cannot let the police catch me, or you will be the first one I kill.¡±


    ¡°I understand! I understand!¡±


    Terrified, Zhang Dashan was pale as a ghost, but he hurriedly followed the man¡¯s orders, driving faster and faster. He sensed an intense bloodlust emanating from the man. Since he didn¡¯t seem to think twice about killing policemen, the man would have no qualms about killing a small fry like Zhang Dashan.


    At that moment, Zhang Dashan¡¯s mind was racing as he considered whether he was really going to lose his life here. There would be consequences if he did as he was the only remaining son of the Zhang family¡¯s long line. If he expired, there would be no one left to pass down the family name. However, Xiao Luo was next to him in the front passenger seat, so his nervousness began to subside slightly.


    ¡°My friend here just got his driving license,¡± Xiao Luo suddenly spoke up. ¡°He is a newbie and not psychologically prepared to drive. With you pointing a gun at his head, he¡¯ll be even more afraid, and it¡¯s highly likely we will end up in an ident. How about this, let me take the wheel. I¡¯m a racecar driver, and I guarantee that we will shake off the police with my driving.¡±


    The man in ck squinted at Xiao Luo. ¡°You guarantee it?¡±


    Xiao Luo replied confidently, ¡°Of course. If I can¡¯t, you can kill me first.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will believe you this once. You two change seats now, quickly!¡±


    The man in ck did not want any careless slip-ups, and he had indeed noticed that Zhang Dashan¡¯s driving skills were not up to par. The car was unstable, and it felt like they might flip over at any moment.


    Xiao Luo steadied the steering wheel. He snuck a look at Zhang Dashan, who vacated the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Ding, Congrattions! You¡¯ve received ¡®Crazy Driving Skills¡¯ and used up five hundred points!¡±


    In his head, the sound of the system notification sounded, but Xiao Luo was not bothered by it. When Xiao Luo put the pedal to the metal, Zhang Dashan had just sat down in the front passenger seat. The white Coro roared like a wild beast, speeding down the congested road with small sharp turns left and right like a white phantom.


    Zhang Dashan was on the verge of throwing up. He was trying to buckle his seatbelt and feeling sorry for what his car was being put through.


    In the back seat, the man in ck was gleeful. ¡°Not bad. This is how you do it, hahaha¡­¡±


    After a couple of miles, police sirens sounded behind them. The reinforcements had caught up.


    Three police cars with their ear-piercing sirens were gaining on them at an insane speed.


    The man in ck turned around to see what was happening, and a murderous look filled his eyes. ¡°Sh*t. They¡¯re still chasing us!¡±


    Leaning out of the window, he fired a shot and burst one of the van¡¯s tires. With a loud bang, the entire vehicle flipped over sideways, blocking the path of one of the police cars.


    Then, he pointed his gun at a tank truck carrying oil and sneered ferociously, ¡°You can all go to hell.¡±


    If his shotnded, it would cause a massive explosion and probably destroy more than half of the road.


    Xiao Luo realized what he was trying to do, and abruptly elerated. They raced forward more than ten yards. The man¡¯s aim, which had previously tracked the oil tank, was thrown off in an instant. He lost sight of the target and hit something else.


    Looking again at the police cars chasing behind them, the man in ck was enraged. ¡°What the f*ck are you driving so fast for?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to drive fast?¡± Xiao Luo frowned with his eyebrows in a knot. He asked, deliberately provoking, ¡°So, do you want me to drive faster or slower?¡±


    The man in ck was despondent, shouting, ¡°Of course I want you to drive faster!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. He unleashed his driving skills and immediately pulled almost fifty yards ahead of the trailing police cars.


    ¡°Hey, kid, your driving skills are not too bad. Do you want toe to work for me?¡± Seeing that there was some distance between them and the police, the man in ck let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°No, thank you, I have a job.¡±


    ¡°A job?¡±


    The man in ckughed mockingly then said, ¡°How can a man live like cows and sheep? A man should go to battle and discover the joy of conquering the world, walking the thin line between life and death. Go wherever you want to go and do whatever you want to do.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, what kind of work do you do?¡± Zhang Dashan asked curiously.


    ¡°For a fee, I can either kill someone or save someone. I have no religion, no nationality¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a mercenary?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he cut short the man¡¯s speech.

 Chapter 114 - Accidentally Killed Him

    Chapter 114: identally Killed Him


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°You know about mercenaries?¡± The man dressed in ck gave Xiao Luo a shocked look.


    Xiao Luo answered, ¡°I learned a little about them from a TV show.¡±


    ¡°The stuff on television is nonsense. They just make sh*t up,¡± the man in ck said with a trace of smugness. ¡°I can tell you anything you want to know. I¡¯m a bona fide mercenary with more than ten men under me, each of whom is a seasoned gunfighter.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, are you still hiring neers? I would like to learn how to be a gangster like you.¡±


    Although Zhang Dashan had never encountered a situation like this before, he understood what to do to increase his probability of survival. The first step was to keep the gangster appeased, so he started to kiss a*s.


    Unfortunately, he was barking up the wrong tree. The man in ck used the handgun to p him hard across the face. He used so much force that Zang Dashan¡¯s teeth bled.


    The man in ck came down on him, hard, and snapped, ¡°I already said that I¡¯m a mercenary, and you still call me a gangster. A f*cking gangster!¡±


    A cold expression settled on Xiao Luo¡¯s face, and there was a flicker of killing intent deep in his eyes. If it had just been the man in ck and himself in the car, he would not have been so forgiving. But Zhang Dashan was here, so he had to ount for his friend¡¯s safety.


    The p aroused Zhang Dashan¡¯s hot temper, which suddenly started to prevail over his fear.


    Keeping a strong hold over his emotions, he began to speak again, preparing to contend with the man in ck using words. He pointed at the knife hanging at the man¡¯s waist and asked, ¡°Big Brother, is that a knife?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s called a Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri, and it¡¯s part of the standard equipment of the M Nation SEALs.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, is that a grenade you¡¯re holding in your left hand? You didn¡¯t get it from a toy store, did you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a f*cking toy! It¡¯s a real hand grenade that I designed and built myself, and it¡¯s extremely powerful. If I¡¯m backed into a corner with no way out, I just have to pull lightly here, and everything within twenty yards of me will die.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother¡­¡±


    The man in ck¡¯s patience had run dry, so he smacked Zhang Dashan in the face again with the gun. ¡°Stop f*cking chirping with your endless annoying questions, or I¡¯ll shoot you dead.¡±


    Zhang Dashan shut up.


    ¡°Dee woo dee woo dee woo!¡±


    The sound of sirens reached them from behind, and the man in ck put on a severe face. He pressed the gun back to Xiao Luo¡¯s head and ordered, ¡°Shake them off, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth lifted in a sly smile.


    Seeing this, Zhang Dashan subconsciously grabbed onto the car because he knew that Xiao Luo was going to make his move.


    ¡°Kathunk!¡±


    As they rounded a sharp turn, Xiao Luo¡¯s left hand twitched, and the car¡¯s tires drifted to the side, rolling onto a protruding roadblock. The Coro, which was moving at high speed, suddenly tilted, and the front of the car shifted toward a two-yard-tall stone b on the side of the road.


    Inside the car, Zhang Dashan was rtively unaffected by the loss of control. His seatbelt was on, but the man in ck had no way of keeping his bnce.


    In that same instant, Xiao Luo slipped into the backseat from the driver¡¯s seat like a ghost, while Zhang Dashan grabbed hold of the wheel, bringing the car back under control on the main road.


    ¡°sh!¡±


    There was a sh of steel, and the man in ck registered pain in his body. Looking down to see what had happened, he saw that the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri, which used to hang at his waist, was now sticking out of his abdomen. He red up in anger, preparing to counterattack, before realizing that, during the brief confusion, the handgun and grenade had slipped from his hands. On closer inspection, they were now in the hands of the harmless-looking young man in front of him.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    He gulped, hard, swallowing a mouthful of saliva and breaking out in a cold sweat all over. He had just realized that he had stumbled upon an incredibly fearsome reality.


    ¡°You have a scorpion tattoo on your neck, and you¡¯re a mercenary, so tell me how you are rted to the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a smile. He sat in the seat beside the man, calmly fidgeting with the police handgun and grenade.


    The man in ck¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You! How do you know about our mercenary group? Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Looks like I wasn¡¯t mistaken. You are the leader of the group that escaped off a cliff and is still atrge. You¡¯re Red Scorpion,¡± Xiao Luo snorted softly.


    Red Scorpion felt a chill from the cold sweat that covered his body. He asked again in a loud voice, ¡°Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you?¡±


    With a yful smile, Xiao Luo replied, ¡°About ten of yourrades have already died at my hands, so who would you say I am?¡±


    What the¡­


    It was as though a bomb had exploded inside Red Scorpion¡¯s brain. He would have never imagined that the enemy they had been bitterly searching for was the young kid now before him.


    His eyes widened like saucers as he stared in disbelief at Xiao Luo. ¡°It¡¯s not possible. How can it be you? It¡¯s not possible¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo brushed aside his stunned expression and continued talking unhurriedly, ¡°You¡¯re lucky to have survived the jump off the cliff. However, you should have put down everything and fled Hua Nation instead of sticking around and doing whatever you liked.¡±


    As he spoke, he pressed the gun in his hand squarely against Red Scorpion¡¯s head.


    Red Scorpion had a savage expression on his face, and his eyes refused to leave Xiao Luo. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that you have me, but I have one request before I die. Tell me, who are you?¡±


    He could not ept the fact that his mercenary group had been destroyed by an enemy whose identity they could not even grasp. It was too much for him to take.


    ¡°Even if I told you, you wouldn¡¯t have heard of me.¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Xiao Luo squeezed the trigger, and the bullet left the chamber, piercing the space between Red Scorpion¡¯s eyebrows. The bullet tore out the back of his head and flew straight through the car¡¯s ss windows with a high-pitched smash.


    Zhang Dashan, who was in the front passenger seat struggling to control the vehicle, jumped in fright. He turned off the ignition, bringing the car to a stop. Turning around, he looked at the dead body in the back seat of his car in horror.


    ¡°You-you really killed him?¡±


    His voice quivered, and his eyes filled with fear. He could not believe and dared not even imagine that Xiao Luo had it in him to kill a man.


    ¡°He deserved to die.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied impassively, then opened the car door and got out. It was time for Zhang Dashan to witness this side of him ande to terms with it.


    Just then, arge police contingent caught up to them and surrounded Zhang Dashan¡¯s Coro.


    Their leader was a woman with a refreshingly beautiful face, short hair, and eyes as elegant and pure as water. It was Gu Qianlin.


    ¡°Officer Gu, it¡¯s been a while!¡±


    Xiao Luo ced the gun and hand grenade he was holding onto the trunk of the car.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s painted eyebrows knitted together as she walked up briskly. When she saw Red Scorpion¡¯s dead body lying in the back of the car, she looked at Xiao Luo in surprise and asked, ¡°You killed him?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, I identally killed him. He put a gun to my head and ordered me to drive. So, I carelessly snatched his gun, and carelessly ended up killing him,¡± Xiao Luo shrugged as he exined innocently.


    identally killed him?


    What the f*ck!


    This was Red Scorpion of the ckwater Company, an infamous mercenary with an international reputation. He was ridiculously skillful, and more than twenty of her colleagues had been wounded or killed in pursuit of him. Yet, this kid was saying that he had ¡®identally¡¯ killed him?


    The faces of the police officers around them changed. They were utterly shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s understated ount of events.

 Chapter 115 - A Little Cute

    Chapter 115: A Little Cute


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo followed Gu Qianlin back to the police station. After they finished with the inquisition and making a record, Xiao Luo stood up and bid her farewell.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, who are you exactly?¡± Gu Qianlin stared at Xiao Luo with her big eyes as she asked him the same question as Red Scorpion had.


    Xiao Luo smiled then replied, ¡°I¡¯m aw-abiding citizen.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not that I¡¯m asking.¡±


    With pursed lips, Gu Qianlin said solemnly, ¡°ording to the records of Fang Chongqiang and others, you were also present that day when Chu Yue was assaulted and the 17 Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps were killed. You did that, right?¡±


    As soon as she said that, the cops nearby gaped at them with shocked faces. Did the 17 Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps really perish at this kid¡¯s hands? How was such a thing possible? He looked ordinary, and his body was not even sculpted. How could he have possibly killed 17 monsters with specialized training?


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    Xiao Luo made sure that his answer was clear-cut. He wasn¡¯t obligated to confess everything.


    ¡°But you¡¯re the prime suspect. You know Chu Yunxiong, Chongshan House¡¯s boss. And, coincidently, you were there that day. I have my reasons to suspect that you¡¯re the bodyguard whom Chu Yunxiong hired to protect Chu Yue and ensure her safety,¡± said Gu Qianlin.


    Xiao Luo replied with a yful smile, ¡°That¡¯s all just spection. You don¡¯t have any actual proof. Besides, Miss. Gu, why must you find out who did it? Knowing that those mercenaries are dead should be enough, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is my responsibility and obligation as a police officer. I have to get to the bottom of this.¡±


    ¡°So what if you get to the bottom of things and find out who did it? Do you intend to put him behind bars?¡± Xiao Luo asked, his tone tinged with coldness.


    Gu Qianlin was slightly startled. Then, she replied loudly, ¡°I would not send him to jail. The truth is all I seek.¡±


    ¡°The truth is that this suspect guy helped you clean up a group of mercenaries who came into our country illegally,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly then changed the topic. ¡°Oh yeah, your convicts almost got my friend and me killed. My friend¡¯s car is also trashed. Maybe you should be figuring out how much wepensation we will receive. I think that¡¯s all from me. I still have things to do, so I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    When he finished his sentence, he waved and left.


    Gu Qianlin shouted to his back, ¡°Xiao Luo! One day, I will find out who you really are.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t look back.


    As far as he was concerned, everything would be fine so long as the things he did lived up to his conscience. Why should he care what others thought of him, even if that person was a cop?


    Outside the police station, Zhang Dashan was sitting in his car with his soul amiss. He had not recovered from the incident where Xiao Luo had shot Red Scorpion. Although his behavior was ruthless and aggressive, he had never killed anyone. His best pal had, however, pulled the trigger, killing someone who had been very much alive, right before his very own eyes. The scene of the bullet piercing Red Scorpion¡¯s skull looped in his mind like a movie.


    The car door opened. Xiao Luo snuck in and sat down in the front passenger seat.


    Zhang Dashan looked at him without saying a single word. He had the sincere, honest look of a child.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you a few days off. Get that brain of yours moving,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He knew how Zhang Dashan was feeling right now¡ªjust like how he felt after he¡¯d killed someone for the first time. It would take some time to process.


    ¡°Are you really Xiao Luo?¡± Zhang Dashan stuttered while looking his friend up and down.


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°But I suddenly find you very unfamiliar.¡±


    Hearing him, Xiao Luo shook his head andughed bitterly. He sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m still me, your good old brother. Same as always.¡±


    Once, Xiao Luo suspected that the system had altered him. But ultimately, he¡¯d discovered that the system had left his personality intact. The truth was, he¡¯d already had all of these traits concealed deep within him. The system had merely given him strength, which, in return, had given him the power to decide his enemies¡¯ fates.


    ******


    Zhang Dashan needed time to process, so Xiao Luo would give him ample time to do so.


    However, he would still be better off with a partner to help him find the reporter sabotaging Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation. After giving it much thought, he decided that Li Zimeng, head of the Sales and Marketing department, was more fitting. Li Zimeng was familiar with the various storefronts. Most importantly, after the news had first broken, she had followed the thread for some time and was aware of the reporter¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, this is the reporter¡¯s information.¡±


    Li Zimeng came into Xiao Luo¡¯s office and ced a dossier on the desk. She was wearing a ck suit and a white shirt with ace cor. The cuffs were rolled up, revealing her arms and a fairplexion. On her left wrist, she wore a delicate white watch.


    Her hair was shoulder-length with slightly curled ends. She had an hourss figure and facial features with photogenic dignity, and generally gave off the air of a capable and experienced professional young woman.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know the identity of the Taste Buds spy imnted at hispany. For the time being, he did not fix his suspicions on anyone.


    Xiao Luo went through the document under his eyes. There was a picture of a man with tiny eyes and little flesh on his face. He looked somewhat scrawny. The ck wool hat he was wearing, however, was rather fashionable.


    ¡°Miss Li, you¡¯ve been in contact with Chen Jianbai. What do you think of him?¡± Xiao Luo inquired.


    Li Zimeng thought about it seriously and replied, ¡°He¡¯s an unreasonable man. When he heard that I was from Luo¡¯s Workshop, he immediately issued an order to lock me out.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯d like to meet him right now.¡±


    Xiao Luo grinned. He really wanted to know how unreasonable Chen Jianbai was.


    ¡­


    A Tango Red Audi zoomed out of the parking garage. Li Zimeng was driving with Xiao Luo in the backseat.


    In all honesty, chauffeuring her boss stressed Li Zimeng out. Most importantly, Xiao Luo had not uttered a single word since getting into the car, which made the atmosphere during their journey very awkward. She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as she drove.


    Atst, she attempted to break the silence. ¡°Mr. Xiao, how do you intend to deal with Chen Jianbai?¡±


    Xiao Luo answered her directly, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask him why he is ndering Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    ¡°He will never admit to that. He¡¯ll only say that something is wrong with our product and that it caused someone¡¯s death. He¡¯ll insist that he was only reporting the truth. Besides, I heard that he considers himself to be brothers with some ruffians. I¡¯m afraid that if we go to him just like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m just going to chat with him.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and redirected the conversation, ¡°This car of yours cost at least 300 to 400 thousand, am I right? It¡¯s reallyfy and quiet.¡±


    Li Zimengughed a little unnaturally. It was a little strange that her boss was praising her car. ¡°Mr. Xiao, I bet your car cost somewhere in the millions?¡±


    ¡°My car? I don¡¯t have a car,¡± replied Xiao Luo.


    No car?


    Li Zimeng looked surprised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt what I say. I don¡¯t have a car.¡± Xiao Luo knew what she was thinking. He mocked himself, ¡°I have no car, no chauffeur, not even a bicycle.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, why don¡¯t you get one?¡±


    ¡°Given the straights that Luo¡¯s Workshop is in now, do you think I¡¯m in a position to buy a vehicle?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s line of questioning rendered Li Zimeng speechless. She didn¡¯t know what to say, and thought to herself: This can¡¯t be right, can it? He¡¯s the boss of apany, and he can¡¯t even afford a car? Ugh, this is so awkward!¡±


    She stole a covert nce at Xiao Luo in the rearview mirror. Out of the blue, she thought that he was kind of cute.


    Yes, cute!

 Chapter 116 - The Arrogant Chen Jianbai

    Chapter 116: The Arrogant Chen Jianbai


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAt that hour, the night sky was empty, and the neon lights turned Jiangcheng into a sleepless city.


    Li Zimeng parked the car at the corner of the park, looked toward the basketball court, and eximed, ¡°Mr. Xiao, Chen Jianbai is right over there ying hoops!¡±


    Looking in the direction where she indicated, Xiao Luo saw Chen Jianbai. He had small eyes, wasn¡¯t too tall, and wore a jersey over a ck singlet. He was very agile on the court. Although he was moderately short, his jumping ability was astonishing. He managed to aplish several offensive rebounds against his bigger and taller opponents.


    Li Zimeng said, ¡°All of the guys on the court are his friends. They are all shady characters. For someone like him, who is in that field of work, they need these kinds of people to help keep an eye on movements in Jiangcheng at all times. That way, once something that may intrigue the public happens, he is notified at once.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s pretty smart.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as hemented. Then, he got out of the car and moved straight toward the basketball court.


    Li Zimeng quickly got out of the car and followed him. Her heels went clickety-ck, but she still kept up with Xiao Luo¡¯s pace.


    Lights glistened around the basketball court, and a fewrge floodlights shone on the venue, making it seem like daylight. Irons enclosed the court¡¯s periphery, which was painted green. The flooring was made of out rubber, and the surrounding environment was pretty good. For basketball enthusiasts, this was a sacrednd where sporting dreams came true.


    When they were almost at the entrance, Li Zimeng reminded him in a quiet voice, ¡°Mr. Xiao, Chen Jianbai is with his gang now. Let¡¯s speak in a nicer tone when we are asking him questionster. I-I¡¯m afraid that t-they will¡­¡±


    ¡°Beat us up?¡±


    The corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth lifted into a yful crescent as he finished her sentence, speaking her thoughts aloud.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    Li Zimeng nodded. She did have some concerns in this regard. Those people were big and bulky, and some even had tattoos. They looked like rascals. At first nce, one knew that they were up to no good. If friction were to escte, she and Xiao Luo would not end up on the safer side of things.


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows to signify that he understood. Then, he raised his feet and stepped inside the court.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao is still quite approachable!¡±


    Li Zimeng pouted as she considered the situation. Her boss wasn¡¯t as cold-hearted as that time when he¡¯d firste and fired more than 500 employees. He was charming and easy to get along with. At least, to her, he didn¡¯t seem to possess the demeanor of a typical boss.


    However, she changed her mind the very next second, and her expression quickly morphed into one of panic. Xiao Luo had walked onto the court and snatched the gang¡¯s ball while they were indulging themselves in their game. He cradled the ball in his arms, halting the match in this simple, most straightforward manner.


    Oh my gosh! What is he trying to do?


    Li Zimeng was shocked. She¡¯d never expected Xiao Luo to do something so rash. Why wasn¡¯t he afraid of being beaten up by these people?


    Sure enough, as Xiao Luo held the ball in his arms, the eight men who had been ying immediately gathered around him. Another five at the edge of the court also came over. Evidently, they were all part of the same group.


    Chen Jianbai stared furiously at Xiao Luo as he questioned him loudly, ¡°What are you doing? Do you have a problem?¡±


    The others also red at Xiao Luo. They were not happy about being interrupted by him.


    Xiao Luo chucked the ball at someone else and said to Chen Jianbai with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss. I¡¯d like to talk to you,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss?¡±


    Chen Jianbai adopted a yful expression. With a tinge of disdain in his eyes, he sneered, ¡°You wish to talk to me? About what? About your bread poisoning people to death?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m unaware of any evidence you may have that ims our bread has killed someone. That being said, this information in my hands proves that you¡¯re tipping off the press with fake news, negatively impacting Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation. The reason I came to you today is that I hope that you will stand up and rify this matter,¡± Xiao Luo said seriously.


    Chen Jianbai stared at him up and down. He retorted mockingly, ¡°If I rify as you ask, what benefits will you give me?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely none!¡± Xiao Luo answered faintly. ¡°You are in the wrong by default. Correcting your mistakes is your responsibility. I¡¯m already behaving sincerely by not suing you for ndering our reputation.¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Jianbai couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly and say, ¡°That was a serious face you had there when you said this was my responsibility. What an interesting man you are. I suggest you get your brain checked at the hospital. The human brain is a nice thing to have. If it¡¯s broken, you¡¯ll seem like a fool.¡± Then, he shouted to the crowd, ¡°Ignore him. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    The group dispersed and went to continue their match.


    However, Li Zimeng quickly pulled Xiao Luo back toward him from underneath the basketball hoop and said sheepishly, ¡°Mr. Xiao, let¡¯s wait until they finish ying. These aren¡¯t nice people to be messed around with.¡±


    Seemingly agreeing with her, Xiao Luo silently turned around and walked off.


    Li Zimeng quietly let out a sigh of relief. She thought: Thank goodness, nothing awful happened.


    But before she could even finish sighing, Xiao Luo bent down and picked up a basketball, which was beside the iron. He then wordlessly hurled the ball at Chen Jianbai, who was in mid-air with a ball in his hands, performing a jump shot.


    Psss¡­


    Li Zimeng gasped. She was startled. Time slowed down for her as she watched the ball in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands smash right into Chen Jianbai¡¯s head. The force of the impact was undoubtedly colossal. Chen Jianbai, who had been doing a jump shot, mmed onto the ground with a horrible shriek.


    Oh no!


    This was the only thought left in her mind.


    She couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo would do such a thing. Why did he do it? Didn¡¯t he know that they had a whole bunch of people on their side? What, exactly, was he trying to aplish by smashing one of them viciously in the head with a ball?


    Chen Jianbai picked himself up from the ground and shook his head, which was spinning. He looked around for the person who had hit him and ultimately confirmed that it was Xiao Luo because he was waving at him.


    He dashed at Xiao Luo, taking three steps in one, and roared at him with a stern face, ¡°You bastard! What the f*ck do you want?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. I want to talk,¡± Xiao Luo said unhurriedly.


    ¡°Talk! Haha.¡± Chen Jianbai was so irked that he beganughing. The very next second, his eyes became vicious. ¡°Talk your a*s!¡±


    He clenched his right fist and greeted Xiao Luo¡¯s face with a punch.


    Seeing this, Li Zimeng couldn¡¯t help but scream in terror. She covered her eyes with her hands as she was afraid of seeing the picture of Xiao Luo being beaten to a pulp. However, even after a very long time, she didn¡¯t hear Xiao Luo hit the ground. Bewildered, she moved her hands away and slowly opened her eyes.


    Upon getting a more precise look, she was instantly dumbfounded. Her boss had managed to block Chen Jianbai¡¯s blow.


    His left hand was behind his back, and his right was stretched out, holding Chen Jianbai¡¯s fist. Xiao Luo¡¯s movements were elegant, and his posture was rxed. He had done everything with ease.


    Chen Jianbai¡¯s expression changed slightly. He failed to free his fist from Xiao Luo¡¯s palm even after expending a considerable amount of effort.


    Xiao Luo stared at him indifferently and asked, ¡°Can we talk now?¡±


    ¡°Talk your sorry a*s, you bastard! Do you believe that I¡¯m going to utterly destroy Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation and deny you even a single customer?¡± Chen Jianbai was infuriated.


    Xiao Luo released him. He slid his hand into his pocket and secretly clicked on his recording pen. Then, he asked, ¡°Do you mean that you¡¯ve deliberately reported false news to deceive all everyone in Jiangcheng into thinking that our bread poisons people to death?¡±


    Chen Jianbai thought that Xiao Luo was scared. He sneered in disdain while exercising his wrist, saying, ¡°I write whatever I want. When I say that your bread kills people, your bread kills people. If I say the opposite, that will also be the truth. One single news story from us has the power to decide the fates ofpanies like yours. When you¡¯re standing in front of me, you have to respect me like you¡¯re my grandson. Got it? If you make me unhappy, then I¡¯ll publish a story tomorrow saying that one of your employees has an infectious virus and purposely mixed his blood with the flour that you use to make your bread. We¡¯ll see who does business with you after that.¡±

 Chapter 117 - Big Trouble

    Chapter 117: Big Trouble


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°This is nder! Defamation! You will have to ept legal responsibility for this!¡±


    When the panicked Li Zimeng heard Chen Jianbo¡¯s words, his eyebrows suddenly pressed together. They pointed directly at Chen Jianbo in usation.


    ¡°ept legal responsibility? I¡¯ll justugh then!¡±


    Chen Jianbo sneered, ¡°Even a well-known celebrity doesn¡¯t dare talk back to our reporters, let alone you guys. We¡¯re the winding vine of public opinion, and it¡¯s extremely easy for us to ruin your reputation. What¡¯s so great about Luo¡¯s workshop? What¡¯s so great about you guys? However¡­¡±


    A pair of small eyes indecently scanned Li Zimeng¡¯s tall, slim body up and down. Then, with an equally inappropriate chuckle, Chen Jianbo said, ¡°If the beautiful Miss Li agrees to spend a night with me, perhaps I will let Luo¡¯s Workshop off the hook.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Everyone elseughed. Mocking a woman brought them great joy.


    ¡°You b*stard!¡± Li Zimeng ground her teeth in anger and red at Chen Jianbo in frustration and embarrassment.


    Chen Jianbo paid her no mind and continued to tease her, ¡°If I can conquer a bright and intelligent woman like Miss Li, then that would most definitely be a great event in life. Hehe!¡±


    Li Zimeng¡¯s body trembled with rage. This scum, Chen Jianbo, was unfit to be a reporter.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Just then, Xiao Luo suddenly pped in agreement.


    He then slowly pulled out a voice recorder from his pocket and pressed y. The recorder immediately reyed Chen Jianbo¡¯s words: ¡°I write whatever I want. If I say your bread is poisonous and kills people, then your poisonous bread kills people¡­¡±


    The quality of the sound was crystal clear.


    Chen Jianbo¡¯s expression immediately changed as he turned to Xiao Luo with hostility and charged, ¡°You dare to threaten me?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even respond and handed the voice recorder to Li Zimeng, saying, ¡°Sue him for ndering Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation. I¡¯ll let you handle this situation. I just have one small request: that all of Jiangcheng and even Hua Nation must know about this.¡±


    This task was intended as a challenge for Li Zimeng to see whether she worked for Taste Buds or not. Of course, the main goal was to rehabilitate Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation. This was the most urgent task because only a repaired reputation could bring in customers again. Otherwise, the business would forever be damaged.


    ¡°Uh, sure.¡±


    Li Zimeng was overwhelmed by this honor and nodded as she praised Xiao Luo¡¯s meticulous methods. This voice recording pen, which had captured Chen Jianbo¡¯s threats, would be an essential piece of evidence in court. Even Chen Jianbo would not be able to deny its validity. However, would Chen Jianbo really let them leave here with this pen!?


    As expected, dozens of Chen Jianbo¡¯s friends surrounded them with hostile expressions on their faces. They formed a human wall that blocked off all escape routes.


    Chen Jianbo looked at Xiao Luo grimly and said, ¡°You b*stard. You sure have some guts. I just don¡¯t know if you can handle a beating.¡± He waved at his friends and said, ¡°Go ahead, my brothers, beat him until he¡¯s groveling on the ground.¡±


    Before he could finish, Xiao Luo suddenly got up and stepped forward. With the force of a fierce wind, he crashed his shoulder into Chen Jianbo¡¯s chest. A loud thump sounded. As if he had been hit by a moving car, Chen Jianbo flew back as directly as a bullet. He took three men down with him and finallynded on the ground about 3 to 4 yards away.


    This violent attack without any warning stunned everyone.


    Li Zimeng stared, wide-eyed, at the scene in disbelief.


    The few dozen young men who had thrown their fists at Xiao Luopletely froze on the spot. They watched as Chen Jianbo whimpered in pain on the ground and turned their heads back with horror to Xiao Luo. Immediately, they felt cold sweat rolling down their skin. They thought: This guy can throw a man a few yards with just one push. Is he a monster?


    ¡°Do you fellows want to help him?¡± Xiao Luo grinned as he asked the few dozen young men.


    Those on whom his gaze fell all shook their heads and backed down in fear.


    Xiao Luo thenmanded in a cold voice, ¡°Make way!¡±


    The group of young men shivered slightly, and they all moved out of the way because Xiao Luo had utterly overwhelmed them.


    It wasn¡¯t until Xiao Luo had already walked some distance away that Li Zimeng finally dragged herself back to reality. She looked around the field at the young men, who were utterly dumbfounded, and quickly followed Xiao Luo. Because she was running fast in heels, she almost tripped and fell.


    As for that poor guy, Chen Jianbo, he still couldn¡¯t get up from the ground. The pain in his chest was sharp and severe as if all his organs had moved around inside him. Muffled sounds of pain came out of his throat while his entire body remained in a state of spasm.


    ¡ª¨C


    Li Zimeng followed behind Xiao Luo¡¯s right side like a secretary. She studied him, this boss who was around the same age as her. The man was calm and easygoing, and a natural aura of confidence surrounded him. Recalling the situation earlier, she felt like she was dreaming. If he could knock Chen Jianbo down with just one violent push and stun a group of a few dozen young men, how strong must he be!?


    Xiao Luo suddenly stopped and turned around.


    Li Zimeng almost ran into him but stopped herself just in time. She quickly took a few steps back to maintain her distance from Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Miss Li, you can go back first. I still have some business to take care of,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Li Zimeng nodded.


    Xiao Luo added, ¡°Start preparing the court files to sue Chen Jianbo tomorrow. We have the tape from the recording pen, which I¡¯m sure willnd Chen Jianbo in prison for a few years.¡±


    Li Zimeng nodded slowly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure he will. This is him digging his own grave.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, then. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and left with a smile on his face. He didn¡¯t really have any business. He just didn¡¯t want to bother Li Zimeng. Additionally, he didn¡¯t want her to find out that he lived in an industrial area. As for thisst point, that was just his own chauvinist pride acting up again.


    Li Zimeng stood there and watched him leave. It wasn¡¯t until his silhouettepletely disappeared that she walked back to her own car.


    Strong, smart, courteous, but also merciless when necessary!


    These were the impressions that Xiao Luo had made on her. These impressions gave him a special kind of charm that made someone like her, who had various experiences working with different types of people, feel a sort of attraction toward him.


    ¡ª


    Xiao Luo wanted to call a cab to take him back when his cellphone suddenly rang. The call was from an unknown number.


    ¡°Hi. Who is this?¡±


    A desperate and anxious voice came from the other side of the phone: ¡°Are you brother Xiao Luo? I am Feng Wuhen, brother Feng¡¯s young brother, Xiao Wu. The Dragon Gang has ordered around 200 men to kill us, and you¡¯re the only person we know in Jiangcheng. Can you help us?¡±


    Feng Wuhen?


    Xiao Luo frowned and took a minute to recollect who Feng Wuhen was. Then, an image of fiverge silhouettes appeared in his head.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys call the cops?¡±


    ¡°We did, but the JC still isn¡¯t here yet. We¡¯ll probably all be dead by the time they get here.¡±


    Xiao Luo asked in a deep voice, ¡°Where are you right now?¡±


    ¡°Near Jiangcheng Pier.¡±


    ¡°Sit tight. I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡±


    Xiao Luo hung up the phone, quickly called a cab, and made his way to Jiangcheng Pier.


    He felt an inexplicable familiarity with Feng Wuhen and his brothers. Perhaps it was because they were all from rural areas. Or, maybe it was because Feng Wuhen was not good at backing down, and the brothers¡¯ burning desire to start a big business touched Xiao Luo¡¯s heart. This was precisely why he¡¯d left his contact information for them at the restaurant¡ªin the hopes that he could help them out in the future. He just hadn¡¯t expected them to run into trouble so fast. Big trouble, at that.

 Chapter 118 - The End of a Piercing Force

    Chapter 118: The End of a Piercing Force


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio[Jiangcheng Pier]


    Feng Wuhen hadn¡¯t realized that the Dragon Gang still wasn¡¯t finished with them yet. Even after they¡¯d escaped to the Southeastern district, the gang had sent over more than a hundred men to kill them. Currently, they were hiding in a warehouse beside the pier. If he and his four brothers were trapped into fighting, they would be no match for a hundred men with knives, no matter how strong they were.


    The first floor of the warehouse had already fallen into their enemies¡¯ hands. The group had been forced up to the second-floor rooftop and was protecting the only staircase with their lives.


    Feng Wuhen couldn¡¯t remember how much blood had stained his hands, but he knew that he had killed at least a few dozen gang members along the way. He gripped the bloodied knife in his hand.


    ¡°Who did you call?¡± he yelled at the leopard head man, Xiao Wu, with a sharp gaze.


    Xiao Wu answered, ¡°Xiao¡ªXiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Sh*t. Why did you call him?¡±


    ¡°To ask for his help.¡±


    Feng Wuhen kicked Xiao Wu to the ground and shouted, ¡°How shameless are you to ask for his help?¡±


    The group had been paid to take down Xiao Luo, but now they were asking for their mark¡¯s help instead. He felt as if his face were on fire with anger and shame.


    ¡°But we can only rely on him now!¡± Xiao Wu whined with a guilty expression.


    ¡°You dumba*ss. That isn¡¯t asking for help. You¡¯re asking him toe here to die.¡±


    Feng Wuhen was enraged. There were about a hundred goons with knives, so what could Xiao Luo do? Even if he did show up, could he beat up all hundred enemies? What kind of joke was this? Of course, a single person couldn¡¯t win a fight against a hundred.


    Xiao Wu didn¡¯t speak up anymore but still felt that they only had Xiao Luo to depend on right now. Xiao Luo was really strong. Perhaps he did have a way to save them.


    Just then, the crowd of goons barged into the storage area, knives in hand. They split up into two teams like a well-trained army and surrounded the second floor, which was smaller than 500 square feet.


    Feng Wuhen immediately rooted to the spot, guarding the staircase. Despite being drenched in blood, he stood his ground like a nail pinned down to the ground.


    One man, one de. He would stand his ground with an immovable spirit!


    Among the crowd of goons was a half-bald man. Dressed in a ck outfit, he looked like a fiery god of evil. The others brought over a chair for him to sit on. He took his seat, picked his nose, and said, ¡°Is there even any need to fight back?¡± After digging around inside his nose, he flicked his finger like he was flicking a cigarette, tossing aside the dirty thing on his finger. ¡°Give up, and I¡¯ll save a clean corpse for you all.¡±


    The man with the bullet head from earlier stood beside him and stared at Feng Wuhen with great hostility. ¡°Stupid uncultured swine. I¡¯ve already told you that none of you all can escape from Jiangcheng. Now, you know how powerful the Dragon Gang is.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d known that this was going to happen, I would¡¯ve killed you back then.¡± Feng Wuhen looked at him with hatred and gave him a cold sneer.


    The bullet head man shot back, eerily, ¡°Is that so? It¡¯s too bad you lost your chance, then. It won¡¯t be long before you and your four brothers turn into food for the fishes in the ocean.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say!¡± Feng Wuhen grinned back.


    ¡°Hah! Your tongue is still sharp, even on the brink of death. Hey kid, do you know who I am?¡±


    The half-bald man stood up and took a popsicle from one of his men beside him. He bit off arge chunk with his big mouth and strong teeth, and the sound of crunching ice could be hearding from his mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who you are, but if you take one more step forward, I¡¯ll end you with a single blow!¡± Feng Wuhen held up the long knife in his hand and pointed the tip at the half-bald man.


    ¡°You have some guts and are quite bold. You¡¯re like a real man.¡± The half-bald man swallowed the popsicle in his mouth and pointed at himself with his thumb, thenughed out loud. ¡°Remember this, my name is Guo Jianghu. I am the head of the Dragon Gang¡¯sw enforcement. If you want vengeance after your death, then you cane to find me. Go, send them on their way!¡±


    ¡°Kill them!¡±


    After receiving Guo Jianghu¡¯s order, a crowd of about 30 men rushed at Feng Wuhen like a pack of wild dogs.


    ¡°Agh!¡± Feng Wuhen let out a howl as he leaned to the side and violently kicked out a leg with the force of an entire army. The five men swinging on metal poles pressed ahead. They slid forward with their lower bodies, but their upper bodies seemed to hit an invisible wall that sent them ricocheting backward.


    The metal poles flew out of their hands as the five men¡¯s spines mmed onto the ground, knocking them out almost immediately.


    Feng Wuhen took the opportunity to follow up with another round of attacks and pushed forward mercilessly, hitting someone¡¯s chest. That man¡¯s ribcage was crushed from the impact, and he spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward.


    ¡°You want my life? Then prepare toe down to hell with me!¡±


    Feng Wuhen wiped the fresh blood from his face and charged right into the crowd like a mad bull.


    The other four men also guarded the staircase fervently. They refused to let any of the Dragon Gang members crawl up the fence toward the rooftop. All four of them had sustained a lot of injuries, and their clothing waspletely battle-worn and bloodstained. Just then, someone slowly crept up along the fence toward Feng Wuhen.


    Xiao Wu immediately warned him, ¡°Be careful, brother Feng!¡±


    He rushed over, shouting, and pushed down the stealth attacker. At the same time, he took a fresh injury to his back and was gruesomely wounded from his shoulders down to his waist.


    Feng Wuhen went berserk. He picked up the knife and cut down four people to save Xiao Wu from the brink of death. He howled, ¡°Damnit! You go back up and wait. You all can die after I do!¡±


    Xiao Wu clenched his teeth in pain as he scolded himself for being useless. Still, he listened to Feng Wuhen and returned to the second-floor rooftop.


    Feng Wuhen growled as he charged forward a few yards. The glow of his de shed as countless screams ripped through the sky.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The weakest part of the Dragon Gang¡¯s formation fell with a great many cries. With a rush of adrenaline like when a tiger runs into a crow of sheep, Feng Wuhen twisted and flexed his wrist as the two knives blended seamlessly into a single screen of light. Blood sttered, covering a distance of a few meters, as the gang members continued to fall and get back up to fight.


    A man wielding a massive de blocked the way. He roared with rage as he thought that he could stop Feng Wuhen.


    Feng Wuhen jeered while turning his hand to stab directly into the man¡¯s throat. He pulled his de out.


    ¡°Cough¡ª¡±


    Fresh, boiling blood spilled out along with the de. The 400-pound man¡¯s body rotated a full circle before falling to the ground. His lifeblood gushed from his neck like a fountain.


    Guo Jianghu watched as the fierce warriors, Feng Wuhen and his men, neared their end and sneered, ¡°You¡¯re quite strong, kid. I¡¯ll give you a chance since you¡¯re such a man. How about this, you kill all four of your brothers over there then turn yourself over to us. I¡¯ll let you go and even let you live and work under me. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Dream on!¡±


    Feng Wuhen spat on the ground and hissed, ¡°The five of us are brothers. We¡¯ve been through life and death together, so do you really think you can make us turn on each other just like that? Hey, baldy, stop sending your men to their deaths! Don¡¯t you have the guts to fight me yourself?¡±


    ¡°Your physical strength is quite impressive, but you¡¯re still not good enough to be my opponent.¡± Guo Jianghu picked his nose and looked at Feng Wuhen with unspeakable scorn.


    ¡°You can tell me whether I¡¯m good enough or not after we fight!¡± Feng Wuhen howled like a leopard and rushed violently forward at Guo Jianghu.


    He shed through four or five of Guo Jianghu¡¯s men, who tried to stop him along the way. A loud roar pierced the air while the long knives in his hands traced out intimidating, barbarous curves mid-air before shing down toward Guo Jianghu¡¯s head.

 Chapter 119 - Why Did He Come?

    Chapter 119: Why Did He Come?


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioFeng Wuhen was like a wild beast, and Guo Jianghu dared not underestimate him. He grabbed a Nonuple Cyclode from one of the Dragon Gang¡¯s members beside him and charged at Feng Wuhen. Nine iron rings were looped at the back of the de. They gave off the crisp sound of crackling metal whenever the weapon swayed, while a tremor-inducing light shone out from its frosty tip.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The weapons collided mid-air, emitting the deafening screech of metal on metal. The colossal force surged along with their des toward their wrists, propelling them both four or five steps apart.


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s Nonuple Cyclode was an armament made of stainless steel with extremely high tenacity. The de in Feng Wuhen¡¯s hands was a regr one, and he had snatched it from a member of the Dragon Gang. After it collided with the Nonuple Cyclode, a distinct fissure appeared on the edge of the sword.


    ¡°You got me enraged, ya know?!¡±


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s slightly squinted eyes flickered. His countenance intensified as he charged at Feng Wuhen. The tip of his feet tapped the ground,unching his body with a swirling motion. He exerted his right arm, and the Nonuple Cyclode shrieked forward. It rode a boisterous wind, zooming straight toward Feng Wuhen¡¯s neck at a fearsome speed.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    There was a thunderous roar as the two des once again collided apanied by a violent outpour of fiery sparks.


    With his first attack parried, Guo Jianghu proceeded with his second and third strikes. The speed at which he waved his knife was unparalleled, and the afterimage of the de¡¯s motions formed an eerie, razor-sharp curtain before his very eyes.


    Feng Wuhen was stronger than Guo Jianghu but was not so deft with a de. This forced him to adopt a passive defensive state.


    ¡°ng, ng, ng!¡±


    Sparks continued to fly from the des¡¯ point of contact. Within the span of a few breaths, the two exchanged more than 20 blows. Speed is strength, so Feng Wuhen was forced to take on Guo Jianghu¡¯s attacks. The skin between his thumb and forefinger was torn, and blood oozed out. His arms were paralyzed, and he staggered backward more than five steps.


    ¡°Now, you know you¡¯re unqualified to face me!¡±


    Gu Jianghu approached his victim with a sinister grin, further escting the interval of his attacks. Feng Wuhen was unable to block all of them. The attacks that he failed to counter left wounds on his body. In a fraction of a second, Feng Wuhen became a bloody man whose entire body was covered with horrific injuries. Subsequently, hended a kick on Feng Wuhen¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Feng Wuhen was thrown backward like a broken kite and mmed heavily to the ground some three to four yards away.


    ¡°Brother Feng!¡±


    Xiaowu and rest dashed over. They helped up Feng Wuhen, who was drenched in blood, with worry written all over their faces.


    Although supported, Feng Wuhen could barely maintain his bnce, and he even had one knee on the ground. He was in excruciating pain. Blood and saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°Well, I thought that you could ughter another 20 to 30 people. Who¡¯d have guessed that you¡¯d be all crying and little doing? Fight with me? You are way too¡­tender,¡± Guo Jianghu snorted with his head lifted in pride. The Nonuple Cyclode rested on his shoulder.


    Feng Wuhen wanted to respond. However, when he opened his mouth, blood surged uncontrobly from his throat, and he ended up spitting out a mouthful on the ground.


    The Dragon Gang¡¯s regr members had exhausted much of his energy, and he was already wounded in the first ce. Otherwise, Feng Wuhen was confident that he could have taken on Guo Jianghu. No matter how fast Guo Jianghu swung his de, no matter how dazzling his battle experience, Feng Wuhen was absolutely sure that if he¡¯d been given a fair shot, he could have taken this man down.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    Xiaowu and the other three roared and charged at Guo Jianghu. They would not allow anyone else to humiliate Feng Wuhen.


    But they were little more than arrows at the end of their flight. Their stamina was now expended to the extreme. After they charged forward, they received severe injuries and were thrown back by Guo Jianghu.


    ¡°Ipetent trash. I don¡¯t even want to waste my saliva on you.¡±


    Guo Jianghu tossed the Nonuple Cyclode to his underling, turned over, and returned to his seat. He once again took a popsicle from the ice bucket and tasted it. He waved his hand and ordered casually, ¡°Go. Chop off their limbs, toss them into the sea, and let them die alone!¡±


    Dozens of Dragon Gang members closed in around them like wolves and tigers.


    Feng Wuhen and the other four quivered. Everyone was gritting their teeth as they used thest of their strength, gasping on their des on the floor. Once, they¡¯d aspired to make a name for themselves in this very ce. Who could have known that things would end this way?


    Pathetic, miserable, hateful!


    Why had this happened?


    Why hadn¡¯t they been able to find decent jobs? They¡¯d been in the city for more than a month, and they¡¯d lived in the streets the whole time, tasting the bitterness of the world. Despite everything, they¡¯d still nurtured hope in their hearts and looked forward to a brighter future. But, in the end, the future they were yearning for had never arrived. Only death awaited them now.


    At that moment, they suddenly remembered their prey, who was at the brink of death having been hunted down. Now, their roles had reversed. There were no longer the hunters but the hunted with no way out.


    ¡°F*ck. It-it¡¯s shouldn¡¯t end like this¡­¡± Feng Wuhen shed a sad smile.


    One of them gritted his teeth and growled, ¡°Why aren¡¯t the cops here yet?¡±


    Feng Wuhen rebuked him, ¡°Have all those dramas you watched gone to waste? The cops always arrive after the bloodbath has ended.¡±


    After hearing him, everyone lowered their heads wistfully. There was no way someone would save them now.


    ¡°You cursed hillbillies. I¡¯ll send you to the afterlife myself. Hehehe¡­¡±


    The man with the bullet-shaped head was in front of them. He shed a sinister grin as he came forward with a de. He wanted to exorcise all the humiliation he had suffered in one go. Every time he remembered that day when Feng Wuhen had pped him in the face, he was overwhelmed by feelings of hatred that itched him to his gums.


    Just then, a silhouette descended from the sky. Or, more precisely, jumped down from the second floor of the warehouse. The figure entered with a st andnded silently in the middle of the five besieged men and the dozens of aggressors from the Dragon Gang.


    The Dragon Gang¡¯s hundred members and Guo Jianghu were all startled. They thought: Where the f*ck did this guye from?


    Feng Wuhen and the rest, likewise, were stunned. Although the man¡¯s back was facing them, they quickly recognized who he was. It was Xiao Luo.


    Why is he here?


    Why has hee?


    Why did he dare toe?!


    Mixed emotions surged in Feng Wuhen¡¯s heart. After the feeling of shock receded, his eyes went red. They¡¯d caused Xiao Luo trouble, and not only had this boy not sought revenge, but he¡¯d returned good for evil. He¡¯d paid for their meal before. Now, he was rushing to their aid, about to take on more than a hundred members of the Dragon Gang. And it was all thanks to a mere phone call.


    Touched beyond words, Feng Wuhen felt unspeakable shame and unparalleled warmth¡­


    This was the first time that a man who stood seven-feet tall felt the urge to cry.


    Xiao Luo stood still as a pine tree. His bangs gently swayed on his forehead in the breeze. His face was fair and clean, and his eyebrows were raised rebelliously. His eyes were deep and chilling, and his entire person exuded an evil yet charming quality.


    In front of him stood the Dragon Gang. After they regained their senses, they red at him menacingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! The cops found us because he rescued a girl from us. Then he got Brother Baldy and the rest of them arrested, too,¡± piped up a terrified man with chubby cheeks.


    If Xiao Luo still remembered the past, he would surely recognize this man as one of the gang members who had overseen the begging children.

 Chapter 120 - Mighty Like God

    Chapter 120: Mighty Like God


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°So, it is you. I already thought as much. Since you¡¯vee, we will settle our new affairs together with the old ones. You didn¡¯t need to die, actually. But now, you have to, together with your five hillbilly friends. Hehe¡­¡± the man with a bullet-shaped head grinned and stared at Xiao Luo.


    Guo Jianghu, who was sitting on his throne, raised his voice and demanded, ¡°Bao, who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Brother Hu, it¡¯s that lucky bastard Manager Geng told us about. The one who won more than two million at our casino,¡± the man with a bullet-shaped head turned and replied.


    Guo Jianghui took a forceful bite of his popsicle and spoke while chewing, ¡°Ah. It looks like they¡¯re all gathered here!¡±


    Xiao Luo gazed at Guo Jianghu indifferently and shouted, ¡°These five men belong to me now. All of you, scram as fast as you can!¡±


    Scram? As fast as you can?!


    Hearing this, the Dragon Gang¡¯s hundred-plus members were astonished. A man armed only with his bare fists was telling hundreds of them to scram. Was he dumb or what?


    Guo Jianghu couldn¡¯t help butugh so hard that he started coughing. ¡°Are you dreaming, kid? You are telling us to scram all by yourself? Who do you think you are?¡±


    At this, every member of the Dragon Gangughed yfully.


    Feng Wuhen and the other four looked awkward. For them, it was oblivious where Xiao Luo¡¯s courage hade from. It was not surprising that he¡¯d thrown down this threat to more than a hundred bulky men, all with weapons in their hands.


    Xiao Luo stared at the gang members expressionlessly, and his ck hair fluttered even without the presence of wind. All of a sudden, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were engulfed by the cold. His body morphed into a ck sh of lightning, and he dashed toward the man with a bullet-shaped head. At the same time, he used his heels to kick up a machete from the ground. It flew in the air andnded urately into his hands.


    ¡°Shiing!¡±


    The machete carved out an imposing trajectory. Its edge sliced through the air, emitting a murderous buzz. The entire process took ce in the same amount of time as a cycle of breath¡ªas smooth as running water.


    ¡°Pffft!¡±


    The man with the bullet-shaped headughed hysterically, but the heads of the other six men, who were standing in line with him, suddenly bounced off their bodies. Like seven rubber balls, they tumbled to the ground. The headless bodies twitched and copsed. Scalding blood poured from their necks as if they were cracked water pipes. The intense smell of blood abruptly pervaded the colossal warehouse.


    The brutality of this single stroke instantly deterred the crowd!


    The Dragon Gang members who had beenughing were nowpletely petrified. Terror surged on their faces. They¡¯d never once thought of Xiao Luo as such a fearsome character. Just a moment ago, he¡¯d looked like a harmlessmb. But, the very next second, he¡¯d morphed into a bloodthirsty butcher.


    Feng Wuhen and the other four men¡¯s pupils dted as their emotions were thrown into a state of indescribable shock. Who among them could have imagined that Xiao Luo would be so brutal? He had hacked down seven men just because he disagreed with them. This was literally a straight-up deration of war on the Dragon Gang.


    Xiao Luo ignored the six other men who had slumped horrifically to the ground. He lifted his head and looked at Guo Jianghu with provocation.


    ¡°How about now?¡±


    His fair, clean face was covered with blood. Blood rolled down along the edge of the machete in his hands. When thest drop fell from the tip of the de, his body emanated an immense murderous aura, and the temperature inside the warehouse plummeted.


    Guo Jianghu abruptly scrambled to his feet without even a tinge of a smile. There was only solemnness on his face.


    He waved his fingers at his underlings with his eyes still fixed on Xiao Luo. He ordered then, ¡°Twenty of you men, go and kill him!¡±


    Guo Jianghu wasn¡¯t trying to test Xiao Luo, and he truly believed that twenty men were enough to kill Xiao Luo without too much trouble.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    Twenty Dragon Gang members roared and charged at Xiao Luo with their machetes. These weren¡¯t student members of Huaye¡¯s Mixed Martial Arts Club. They were real gangsters who were brave enough to mow down people and kill without mercy. Theirbat ability was on an entirely different level.


    ¡°Xi-Big Brother, be careful!!!¡±


    Feng Wuhen broke into a cold sweat watching Xiao Luo. At first, he wanted to shout his name, but feeling that this was inappropriate, he changed to ¡®Big Brother¡¯ at thest moment.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes remained indifferent as he stared at the twenty men charging at him. His expression was chilling, like that of a dangerous lone wolf. The next second, he stormed toward them with his machete and raised his arm.


    The first gangster to lead the charge only felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. When he turned around, he saw that his left arm was entirely severed from his torso. Blood gushed out of the wound. Before he could even scream, he received a massive kick to the chest. The terrifying force spread vigorously outward from the point of contact at the center.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    His ribs broke, and his body was thrown backward with the force of a speeding bullet.


    Three more of his fellow gangsters, who were behind him, unfortunately, received the full force of the impact. They stumbled and rolled on the ground amid a series of bone-breaking clicks, all the while spurting blood. The man whose arm had been chopped off was dead before he hit the floor. His eyes were wide open, and hey in a pool of blood with evesting regret.


    The vicious men¡¯s countenance changed at once, and the intensity of their advance was immediately weakened.


    Still, Xiao Luo did not hesitate. He rushed forward like a mountain tiger flying downhill with an intent to kill. As if infected by his aura, the machete in his hands buzzed its deration of war. A piercing light reflected from the de and dazzled like never before.


    In a blink of an eye, all twenty men fell. The ground was littered with broken limbs and painted with blood. The scene was as gruesome can be imagined.


    With his body drenched in blood, Xiao Luo stood motionless with the machete in his hands. His long, slender eyes still peered at Guo Jianghu chillingly. His gaze was arrogant and filled with contempt for everything in this world.


    Demon, an absolute demon!


    The Dragon Gang could feel chills originating from their souls. All over their bodies, their hair stood on end. They couldn¡¯t fathom what kind of a person Xiao Luo must be to have killed twenty of their fellow members within five minutes. Adding up the victims from earlier, that brought Xiao Luo¡¯s kill count to twenty-seven.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Feng Wuhen and the other four were startled, and they gulped down their saliva. They knew that Xiao Luo was strong, but they hadn¡¯t expected him to be this powerful. He was literally the god of war descended to earth. His explosive vigor was straight up grisly.


    ¡°More!¡± Xiao Luo demanded solemnly of Guo Jianghu with the tip of his blood-coated machete pointed at the ground.


    Killing made his blood boil, and he finally realized that a devil dwelled within him. This was his natural, bloodthirsty instinct. The Constitution of the King of Mercenaries had awakened this nature in him.


    In the face of Xiao Luo¡¯s taunts, the corner of Guo Jianghu¡¯s mouth twitched badly.


    ¡°I will fight you myself!¡±


    Following a bellowing roar, he grabbed the Nonuple Cyclode. He charged at Xiao Luo, vowing to cut apart his skull and offer it to his deceased brethren.


    When he was some three to four meters away from Xiao Luo, Guo Jianghu elerated forward. Without any fancy moves, the massive Nonuple Cyclode shed swiftly through the air with a violent intent to kill. He arrived in front of his target in a fraction of a second, prepared to end Xiao Luo¡¯s life with a single blow.


    From beginning to end, Xiao Luo was expressionless, but his murderous aura gradually intensified. His bangs swayed in the wind, stirred up by the moving de. The moment before Guo Jianghu¡¯s Nonuple Cyclode came down on his skull, Xiao Luo parried it with his machete.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The crisp sound of steel on steel rang like a giant bel, and a ghastly force swept across the two colliding des.


    ¡°Crack!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s machete broke into two pieces. He took two steps backward to stabilize himself.


    Guo Jianghu rapidly staggered backward as if he¡¯d been struck by a violent cyclone. He kept going until he was stopped by the other Dragon Gang members. He raised his head and looked at Xiao Luo in awe. Then, he lost his senses, as the arm wielding the de couldn¡¯t withstand the intense vibration.

 Chapter 121 - One Man, One Hack

    Chapter 121: One Man, One Hack


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter this single confrontation with Xiao Luo¡¯s de, Guo Jianghu became intensely aware of his opponent¡¯s prowess. He hadn¡¯t fathomed that such terrifying explosive power was hidden within this scrawny body. However, what gave him slight relief was the fact that Xiao Luo¡¯s machete was broken. Faced with a deless Xiao Luo, he was confident that he could hack him to pieces.


    Xiao Luo frowned as he looked at the severed de in his hands. The broken machete was like a person who had lost his life, deprived of its former glory and capacity for terror. It was nowhere near as good as a dagger of the same length. It had to be thrown away.


    ¡°You little brat. I will take your life now!¡±


    Guo Jianghu approached Xiao Luo with a sinister grin, imposingly juggling the Nonuple Cyclode. As its nine rings jingled, the de¡¯s sharp edge seemed like it could slice apart air.


    Xiao Luo was forced to evade the attacks. The intervals between Guo Jianghu¡¯s offensives were too tight, leaving him no chance to pick up a weapon from the ground.


    The de¡¯s chilling edge swung a mere spitting distance from Xiao Luo¡¯s throat several times. It was only an inch or two away froming into contact with his windpipe. Just looking at him, Feng Wuhen and the other four were sweating bullets. They didn¡¯t even dare gasp for breath.


    ¡°Swuush, swuush, swuush!¡±


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s attacks became even faster. He, who was famous for his rapid de swings, was exerting his strength to the fullest. Ultimately, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t evade him and took a blow to the arm. As if he¡¯d been bitten by the fangs of a ferocious beast, the Nonuple Cyclode tore open a bloody wound in Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°Nice one, Brother Hu. Now finish him!¡±


    The morale of the Dragon Gang¡¯s seventy or so remaining members was boosted as they cheered on Guo Jianghu.


    Guo Jianghu savagely licked Xiao Luo¡¯s blood, which stained the Nonuple Cyclode. Staring at Xiao Luo, he said coldly, ¡°How does that feel? Isn¡¯t my Nonuple Cyclode powerful?¡±


    Xiao Luo examined the wound on his arm then turned his head to gaze at his opponent chillingly but did not scowl in the slightest. He uttered not one word and only stared at his enemy indifferent as a silent and deadly beast relishing its prey.


    Being stared at like that by Xiao Luo feel really felt awful. Following a mighty roar, Guo Jianghu¡¯s footsteps thundered wildly. The blood vessels in his forehead bulged as he once again charged at Xiao Luo like a mad bull. The Nonuple Cyclode, which he was holding above his head, shed down toward Xiao Luo with enormous momentum.


    The de was imbued with unparalleled devastation, and it was even capable of inciting a hissing cyclone!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Guo Jianghu let out another thundering roar. He was eager for Xiao Luo to die this very instant.


    Xiao Luo turned up the corners of his mouth in a gruesome grin, focused his vision, and pped his hands upward.


    ng!


    A dull impact sound could be heard throughout the vicinity.


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s eyeballs bulged as he gaped at the scene before him in disbelief. A voice abruptly sounded from deep inside him: ¡°He held the de with his bare hands!¡±


    It was unbelievable and imusible. How was such a thing even possible?!


    Likewise, everyone else watching widened their eyes in shock and shook with tremors. Whether they belonged to the Dragon Gang or Feng Wuhen and his group, all jaws in the room dropped. Taking on a de with bare hands? Was this guy even human?


    ¡°Your knife is impressive! I would like to have it!¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    ¡°Have it your foot!¡± Guo Jianghu roared as he exerted even more strength with his hands, forcing the edge of the de closer to Xiao Luo¡¯s skull.


    Following a cold snort, Xiao Luo abruptly loosened the de from his palm. At the same time, he rolled over, promptly reappearing on Guo Jianghu¡¯s left side. Then, using his left leg as the axis, he whirled his right leg and wailed on Guo Jianghu¡¯s abdomen like an iron whip. The surging force swept out like a tsunami.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s body trembled. His face turned pale, and his body was swept away, shrieking.


    The Nonuple Cyclode detached from his hands. Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Luo snatched it and waved it a few times in the air. Whether due to its weight or grip, the de felt just right. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t resist shouting, ¡°It¡¯s a good weapon indeed!¡±


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s abdomen was in agonizing pain. He felt as if a power drill were digging into his stomach. He was in so much pain that his expression was as distorted as can be.


    He yelled to his underlings, who were startled, ¡°Motherf*ckers, are you guys daydreaming or what?! Go chop him apart!¡±


    He was well aware of the fact that he wasn¡¯t a match for Xiao Luo. It was like sorcery that Xiao Luo was able to defeat him with his bare hands. Now, even his Nonuple Cyclode was in his enemy¡¯s hands. If this didn¡¯t constitute off-the-chartsbat power, what did? If he were to charge at him alone again, he would definitely be suicidal.


    The Dragon Gang¡¯s remaining seventy members fell into a brief silence, exchanging nces. Then, they charged Xiao Luo like a tidal surge, shouting.


    But no matter how manymbs there were, how could they possibly rival a vicious wolf with a mouth full of sharp teeth?


    Xiao Luo cracked his neck and leaped at them with a cold-blooded smile. He waved his de at the sight of anyone,bining both extreme speed and strength. Nobody could evene close to him. Blood sttered everywhere. Severed limbs were flying all around. This was a one-sided massacre.


    Feng Wuhen and the faces of his fourpanions were full of shock and horror. They had never seen anyone with such formidable moves. For one to go against a hundred, what kind of vigor, might, and bravery must one possess?!


    ¡°So, such bullsh*t actually exists in this world. Hu-huh, hu-hu-huh¡­¡±


    Guo Jianghu revealed a maniacal smile. Amidst his hysterical disy, there was also immense terror and a tremendous sense of disbelief. He grabbed a pistol from one of the gangsters beside him. This pistol was meant for emergencies. He¡¯d never intended to use it except as ast resort because gun possession in China carries very serious consequences.


    But now¡­


    He loaded the chamber, switched off the safety, lifted the pistol, and aimed. Xiao Luo was maniacally ughtering his Dragon Gang members, and Guo Jianghu pulled the trigger without hesitation.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    The unloaded bullet whistled toward Xiao Luo in the hopes of putting an end to this terror. It moved so fast that no one could see its trajectory.


    Seemingly aware of it, Xiao Luo lifted the de without even turning his body.


    ¡°ng!¡±


    The bullet collided with the Nonuple Cyclode blocking Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. The powerful impact made Xiao Luo¡¯s arm go numb. No longer able to grip its handle, the Nonuple Cyclode whirled out at high speed. It sliced open one of the Dragon Gang member¡¯s throats with a ¡°splurt,¡± then cut into one of the warehouse¡¯s wooden pirs. Part of the de, which was exposed to air, vibrated intensely and gave off a buzzing noise.


    When the gunshot rang out, the gangsters who were pouncing on Xiao Luo like hyenas were scared witless. Realizing that it was their boss, Guo Jianghu, shooting at Xiao Luo, they all took cover to avoid taking a hit from idental friendly fire.


    When one of them was preparing to retreat, a giant hand silently approached him. All five fingers spread before grabbing the man¡¯s neck and lifting him into the air.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    The bullet originally destined for Xiao Luo struck this man in his back. The pistol¡¯s prative power was clearly not strong enough to clear a human body, so Xiao Luo was safe and sound.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Guo Jianghu cursed loudly.


    Both shots had failed to destroy Xiao Luo. Instead, he had murdered his own men, which made him feel both aggrieved and infuriated.


    ¡°So, you have a gun. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the cops will invite you over for some¡­tea?¡± Xiao Luo asked chillingly while positioning the Dragon Gang member¡¯s corpse to use as a human shield.


    At the same time, without blinking, he gestured with his eyes to Feng Wuhen.


    ¡°The Dragon Gang is never afraid of the cops! You scum, if I don¡¯t kill you today, I¡¯ll call myself a worm instead of a tiger!¡± Guo Jianghu roared with swollen red eyes.

 Chapter 122 - Decision to Eradicate All Evil

    Chapter 122: Decision to Eradicate All Evil


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°A worm, you say?¡±


    Twice, Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°Uh-huh. Interesting.¡±


    At that very moment, Feng Wuhen expended all his remaining strength to hurl the machete in his hands at Xiao Luo. He shouted, ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s benevolence, might, and imposing disposition had caused him to yield willingly. The cry, ¡®Big Brother,¡¯ came from the bottom of his heart.


    The machete twirled in the air toward Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo, who was twiddling around with Guo Jianghu, steadied his face as he channeled all his might into his right leg. He had already acquired the football ability, so he acted at the precise moment when the tip of the machete pointed toward Guo Jianghu to punt the de¡¯s handle with his right foot. Forceful energy surged outward.


    ¡°Swuush!¡±


    The machete instantly morphed into one of those flying swords seen in fantasy worlds. It sliced its way through space like a gleaming lightning bolt, advancing toward Guo Jianghu with intent to kill.


    It moved too fast, so fast there was no reaction time!


    Guo Jianghu subconsciously dodged it to the side. At the same time, Xiao Luo flung away the corpse of the gangster in his hands and dashed toward Guo Jianghu like a gust of wild wind. Then, he backflipped into the air and used his foot to deliver terrifying tsunami-like power.


    This was a sure kill!


    Guo Jianghu¡¯s expression changed immediately. At this critical moment of life and death, he promptly dragged the confidant beside him in front of his body to absorb the blow from Xiao Luo¡¯s feet in his ce.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    The strike came from the tip of Xiao Luo¡¯s feet. His murderous impulse, in addition to his body weight, caused the gangster¡¯s chest cavity to copse inwards. Syrupy blood flowed from the dent as the man¡¯s body flew outwards like a cannonball and smashed relentlessly into Guo Jianghu.


    Guo Jianghu shrieked as he was sent flying. His blood sttered, and he whammed heavily onto the ground some four or five yards away.


    ¡°Bee, boo, bee, boo, bee, boo!¡±


    Here and now, the piercing sirens of police vehicles screamed outside the warehouse. The cops had finally arrived.


    A dignified voice rang out from a loudspeaker: ¡°Everyone inside, listen up! Stop fighting,y down your weapons, and surrender. Come out with both hands in the air!¡±


    Gu Qianlin?!


    Xiao Luo frowned. He really bumped into her whenever he went.


    Someone ran to the door and nced outside only to see some twenty police cars blocking all the entrances. The Dragon Gang members who were out on patrol were arrested by the cops for the first time. Many of them were pressed to the ground like they were being preyed on by starving tigers. They were handcuffed before they could even react.


    Subsequently, three explosion-proof police cars with pulsating lights rammed into the warehouse. Additionally, three special police task forces with approximately two dozen fully armed members also majestically appeared. Snipers conquered themanding high ground. All of them were poised with ammunition loaded. They were prepared to rush in and wipe out everything.


    ¡°Brother Hu, t-the cops have surrounded us!¡± someone reported while helping up Guo Jianghu, the corner of whose mouth was bleeding, and his face was pale.


    As if to instantly affirm his words, outside the warehouse, Gu Qianlin once again shouted through the loudspeaker, ¡°You are already surrounded. Do not attempt any futile resistance. I¡¯m giving you three minutes to decide. If you still refuse to get out and surrender after three minutes, believe me, you don¡¯t want to know what happens next.¡±


    Hearing her, the eyelids of the Dragon Gang members twitched. Anyone could discern the killing intent in her words. The cops must have heard the gunshots just now and spected that the people inside weren¡¯t just fighting with des but also with guns. Otherwise, this certainly would not have happened.


    ¡°Brother Hu, what should we do now? Should we fight our way out?¡± gasped one of the Dragon Gang members in terror.


    Guo Jianghu used his palm to fan his face then roasted the guy, saying, ¡°What the f*ck is wrong with your brain? They have guns, you know, guns! If you show your head, they¡¯ll go pew-pew on you, so how are we supposed to fight our way out?¡± After some thought, he finally made a decision. ¡°Let¡¯s put down our weapons.¡±


    Hearing this, the seventy-plus remaining Dragon Gang members looked at each other, then ced down their weapons.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would never be afraid of the cops? So, you¡¯re going to surrender now, huh?¡± Xiao Luo smiled yfully.


    The corners of Guo Jianghu¡¯s mouth twitched. The remark was a p in his face indeed.


    He red at Xiao Luo and said viciously, ¡°Don¡¯t be too full of yourself, little brat. Just wait. I¡¯ll dig up every bit of information about you. All the women you know¡ªI¡¯ll rape¡¯em then kill¡¯em. And your guy friends¡ªI¡¯ll cripple them all. As for you, kid, I will toss you into living hell!¡±


    His abhorrence for Xiao Luo was unequaled.


    Initially, Xiao Luo had wanted to let him live, but now, sparing him meant sowing seeds of future trouble for himself. At that instant, he remembered his own sister, Xiao Ruyi; her husband, Tang Ren; and, of course, Zhang Dashan. If these three were to get hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.


    His only choice was to eradicate the problem at its root!


    ¡°You won¡¯t have the chance to do that,¡± Xiao Luo answered faintly.


    ¡°No chance? What a joke. Do you think I¡¯ll be locked up for a long time? Let me tell you, I¡¯ll be out in less than half a month. And when that day arrives, it will be the death anniversary of each and every one of your acquaintances. Let¡¯s go, my brothers!¡±


    Guo Jianghu chuckled. He waved his hands, led out his fellow gang members, and strolled out of the warehouse. They were like a team that had won a triumphant victory, bolstered by an unparalleled sense of pride.


    They walked to the outside with their hands in the air. Guo Jianghu put on an innocent look and shouted to the cops opposite him: ¡°Sirs, I surrender. I didn¡¯t kill anyone. I¡¯m only passing by, and I don¡¯t know anyone here.¡±


    In front of the cops, he was rather well-behaved and toned down much of his usual arrogance.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression was as cold as frost. This game wasn¡¯t over. The life-harvesting sickle was being slowly lifted.


    He turned his head and asked Feng Wuhen, ¡°Do you guys know how to swim?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we often yed in the river when we were young. Water doesn¡¯t scare us, no matter how deep or fast. If we dive in, then we can let them think that we¡¯ve drowned,¡± Xiaowu replied.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯ll make things a lot easier!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like sparing any of these people from the Dragon Gang. So as not tond yourselves behind bars, go now. Jump into the sea from the window on the second floor. Wait for me on the rooftop of Block #96 at Gong Vige.¡±


    What? Did he want to kill all of them?


    In front of the cops?


    Feng Wuhen felt that Xiao Luo was crazy, so he immediately raised an objection, ¡°Brother Xiao, let¡¯s go together. Don¡¯t get your head blown off at the spur of the moment.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and just do as I say!¡± Xiao Luo rebuked.


    The five of them zipped their lips immediately. Without another word, they ran up to the second floor and leaped into the sea. They dropped from the window like dumplings being thrown into a pot. Sure enough, they were really good at swimming, and their movements were surprisingly unnoticeable as they moved away in the water.


    ¡°Brother Xiao,e back alive!¡± Feng Wuhen turned around and exhorted before leaving.


    His eyes were red. Xiao Luo could be considered the father of their second lives. He would never forget the great kindness that he had shown him tonight.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xiao Luo replied in a seemingly absentminded voice. It was so soft that it was literally insignificant.


    Feng Wuhen took a deep breath and leaped out from the window. At the same time, he happened to see Xiao Luo picking up Guo Jianghu¡¯s pistol from the ground.


    His heart quivered. What was he trying to do?


    After jumping into the icy seawater, Feng Wuhen¡¯s worry for Xiao Luo reached its zenith.

 Chapter 123 - Block 96, Gong Village

    Chapter 123: Block 96, Gong Vige


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioGuo Jianghu led out the seventy or so surviving members of the Dragon Gang with their hands raised to surrender to the police. A pitch-ck muzzle peeked out sneakily from an inconspicuous window. It rapidly fired three shots at the police outside.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡±


    Piercing gunshots broke the night¡¯s silence. The fired bullets soared through the air and tore apart space, hitting three police officers wearing body armor. They let out deep groans and dropped on the spot.


    This unexpected development urred too suddenly and without any warning. It not only stunned the police but also left Guo Jianghu and his men entirely at a loss. However, Guo Jianghu was smart as a whip and immediately understood that Xiao Luo was intentionally provoking the police. This way, Xiao Luo did not have to do anything directly, and the heavily-armed SWAT team outside would take all of his enemies out.


    He broke out in a cold sweat as he figured all this out. Then, a sense of speechless fear welled up from the bottom of his heart.


    Never had Guo Jianghu thought that Xiao Luo would be bold enough to do something like this. This made him wonder who was the f*cking gangster here. Xiao Luo could even murder with a borrowed knife! And the most unbelievable thing of all was that Xiao Luo was borrowing a knife from the police?


    He immediately swung his arms and shouted with all his might: ¡°Officer! We did not shoot, we did not shoot¡­¡±


    This was his vain attempt to calm the police, as the provoked officers could easily open fire and clear the area in one clean sweep.


    Gu Qianlin also felt that something was odd. As she was about to order the police to hold fire, another bullet soared by. It prated the windshield of the police vehicle beside her with a loud ¡®bang.¡¯ The windshield shattered into countless pieces of broken ss scattered on the ground. She automatically dove to the ground.


    ¡°Fire!!!¡± the SWAT team¡¯s nervous captain finally gave the order to fire with a roaring voice.


    ¡°Pow, pow, pow¡­¡±


    The rain of bullets formed an enormous of light in the air, shrouding Guo Jianghu and his people. The bullets¡¯ trails resembled ming snakes with long tails. ¡°Pow, pow, pow!¡± Guo Jianghu and a dozen of the Dragon Gang members momentarily copsed, with numerous bloody gunshot wounds appearing on their bodies.


    Hey in the pool of blood with his body twitching violently. It was thest struggle before death. His eyes were wide open, and blood oozed from his mouth and nose.


    He stared into the warehouse with panic in an offensive manner, as if Xiao Luo¡¯s cold and cruel face had appeared to mock him from the dark warehouse.


    If he could have stared over again, he would not have belittled Xiao Luo. There would have been none of this snide nonsense. Even if he¡¯d wanted to take revenge, he should have kept it in his mind. However, it was pointless to say anything now. He certainly had run out of chances and felt extreme hatred.


    As Gu Qianlin recovered on the ground, she was confident that Guo Jianghu and his people had not fired. The person who had fired secretly had not aimed at the officers¡¯ vital organs but at their body armor. Besides sustaining some external wounds and a bit of shock, their injuries were not life-threatening. Hence, she concluded that the attack had been nned to force the police to fire at Guo Jianghu and his men and decimate them on the shooter¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Stop shooting! Stop shooting immediately!¡± Shemanded loudly with her hands up.


    The sounds of gunshots ceased gradually, but it was toote. Everyone, including Guo Jianghu, copsed on the ground. None of them survived. Their corpses were littered all over¡ªthey were all dead and gone.


    At the same time, Xiao Luo immediately rushed up to the second floor and jumped into the sea through the open window. His constitution of King of Mercenaries already included the ability to swim. Still, to ensure a fast and efficient escape, he spent another five hundred points to redeem another swimming ability. As Feng Wuhen had done earlier, he dove in with such force that created the impression that he was drowning.


    When Gu Qianlin finally led a squad of police into the warehouse, there was no one left inside. The invisible gunman had vanished into thin air.


    ¡°Gu Squad, the window on the second floor is open. The gunman must have jumped into the sea to escape,¡± reported Officer Wang Hanxuan.


    ¡°First squad, second squad, and third squad¡ªyou guys search along the coastline at once. Do not let any suspicious persons go,¡± Gu Qianlin ordered.


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    The squads had received their orders and started searching both ends of the coastline.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    Gu Qianlin stomped on the ground, and her delicate face was filled with anger. Tricking the police as if they were monkeys was an insult beyond the mark. On the other hand, she was exceedingly terrified by the gunman¡¯s courage and urate marksmanship. This was definitely a calm, wise killing machine. To think that such a person was hiding in Jiangcheng was indeed a piece of extremely frightening news.


    She swore to find out this person¡¯s identity!


    ******


    Although Gu Qianlin had ordered arge number of cops to search the coastline, their search was futile. Xiao Luo and Feng Wuhen had left already.


    Meanwhile,ter that night at Block 96 in Gong Vige¡­


    After Zhang Dashan had personally witnessed Xiao Luo murdering people, he needed some time to unwind. He was watching a violent and gory movie on the sofa to stimte himself. He was a little worried because it waste, and Xiao Luo had not yet returned. Just as he picked up the phone to call Xiao Luo, there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°Dammit. Who forgot their keys again?¡± he swore as he walked to open the door.


    The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by a few bloody faces. The sight made him scream like a pig being ughtered.


    It was Feng Wuhen and his four goons, all severely injured. They had reached their limits to get here, and they all copsed on the ground.


    ¡°Who-who are you guys?¡± Zhang Dashan questioned in a raised voice, but not before swiftly grabbing the broom by the wall.


    It was almost eleven o¡¯clock, and he thought that he was seeing things.


    Feng Wuhen lifted his head to speak with much difficulty. ¡°Brother Xiao told us toe here¡­¡± Then, like the other four, he cked out.


    ¡°Brother Xiao? Old Xiao?¡± Zhang Dashan wondered softly.


    Just then, his phone rang. He picked it up. It was Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What the f*ck, Old Xiao? What¡¯s the deal with these five bs of dead meat here?¡± While he often had nightmares of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps dying, in those dreams, he wasn¡¯t afraid for his best friend¡¯s life.


    ¡°They¡¯re my friends. I am just calling to ask you to help me look after them for a while. I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡±


    ¡°What the f*ck? What¡¯s this all about? How am I supposed to look after them? Hello? Hello? Old Xiao? Hello? F*ck, he actually hung up on me.¡±


    Zhang Dashan unhappily tucked his phone back into his pocket. Before his eyes, Feng Wuhen and his cronies were lying drenched on the ground. They were maimed with knife wounds all over their bodies. He frowned so much at the sight that his eyebrows tangled.


    Admittedly, looking after pretty girls was his element. As for looking after five grown men each seven feet tall, he was stumped. He had no idea where to start.


    ¡°Sh*t. I am not a nurse, how the f*ck do I look after them?¡±


    He rolled up his sleeves as he was cursing, then dragged the men to the sofa. As the couch could not fit all of them, they ended up on the floor in the hall.


    Zhang Dashan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked at the corpse-like Feng Wuhen and his men lying neatly on the ground. He shivered and cursed again, ¡°F*ck, this feels like a scene from a movie.¡±

 Chapter 124 - Roasted Sweet Potatoes

    Chapter 124: Roasted Sweet Potatoes


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIt was almost midnight when Xiao Luo finally returned. However, he did note back alone. He was with a girl.


    ¡°Pretty Lady Sun?¡±


    Zhang Dashan opened his eyes wide in surprise.


    The girl who¡¯de home with Xiao Luo was indeed Sun Yu!


    She wore an exquisite casual outfit in ck and white with a crewneck cut that revealed her beautiful cor bone clearly. Thebination of her short gray skirt and leggings showed off her stunning, slender legs. Her ck hair was tied up simply in a ponytail. She had a small oval-shaped face, a delicate nose, and a cute mouth. One could tell she had dressed up in a hurry. Even so, she was gorgeous.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Shan!¡± Sun Yu greeted politely.


    Then, she walked quickly toward the five men lying on the ground, including Feng Wuhen, who had fainted. She opened the first aid kit that she¡¯d brought with her and started treating all of their wounds.


    As there were so many wounds on their bodies, Xiao Luo came to help to remove their clothes. He could not possibly let Sun Yu, a girl, strip these men naked.


    ¡°What the f*ck? What¡¯s going on? This rtionship is moving way too quickly!¡± Zhang Dashan muttered to himself.


    ¡­


    It was almost 2 o¡¯clock in the morning by the time they finished treating Feng Wuhen¡¯s and the other¡¯s injuries.


    At some point, Xiao Luo changed into a clean set of dry clothes. Fortunately, he had covered his phone with some waterproof tin foil from the warehouse before jumping into the water. Otherwise, his phone would be ruined by now.


    ¡°Have you two done it yet?¡±


    Zhang Dashan pulled Xiao Luo into a corner of the empty field outside. Using signnguage to ask if his friend and Sun Yu had hooked up, he raised both of his thumbs and made them smooch.


    ¡°You are thinking about it the wrong way,¡± Xiao Luo replied and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Then why did you ask her toe along?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anyone else,¡± Xiao Luo answered honestly.


    He could not possibly ask Xiao Ruyi, his sister. She would surely be worried about him if she saw five men with stab wounds. She would undoubtedly want to rify everything. So after careful consideration, Sun Yu was the only choice. As it happened, she was working night shift anyway. After exining the situation to her, she¡¯d agreed toe at once.


    Just then, Sun Yu walked out of the hall. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°I¡¯m done dressing their wounds.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Xiao Luo thanked her sincerely.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Sun Yu smiled shyly. She was thrilled to be able to do something for Xiao Luo. Then, she said thoughtfully, ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, let me take a look at your arm. When you came to see me, I immediately thought it looked weird. Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a small wound that doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Small wound, my a*s! Since Pretty Lady Sun is here, you should let her check it out. A small wound is still a wound. Besides, if it swells up and starts to pus, won¡¯t it just develop into a big wound?¡± Zhang Dashan cut in.


    ¡°Shut your mouth and keep it shut.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned and red at Zhang Dashan as if thetter were putting a hex on him. He was only using unlucky words like ¡®swells up¡¯ and ¡®pus.¡¯


    ¡°Never mind. I¡¯d be better off tending to those five dead pigs inside than third-wheeling you two,¡± Zhang Dashan said. He rolled his eyes and walked into the hall, shutting the door behind him tightly.


    Xiao Luo and Sun Yu were left alone outside.


    Sun Yu¡¯s cheeks turned pink as she blushed. Zhang Dashan was very straightforward. He already saw himself as the third wheel!


    However, she was far more concerned with Xiao Luo¡¯s arm. ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, let me have a look,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal. iI¡¯s just a small wound that will heal naturally in a few days,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a smile.


    He did not wish to show Sun Yu the gash on his arm. Guo Jianghu¡¯s Nonuple Cyclode had been very sharp, and the resulting cut was very deep. If he had not stitched it up with thread and bandaged it crudely himself, he would have bled enough to fill up a pot.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Sun Yun gave up. He was too stubborn to be convinced even by her.


    Xiao Luo could not think of anything else to say, and it crossed his mind that Sun Yu still needed to work. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for bothering you for such a long time. I¡¯ll take you back to the hospital right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay!¡± Sun Yu answered delicately and nodded.


    Xiao Luo knocked on the door and took the car key from Zhang Dashan, ready to drive Sun Yu back.


    It waste at night and tranquil when a white Coro drove down the street.


    ¡°Are you not going to ask me who those men were?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he drove, breaking the silence in the car.


    ¡°They are your friends. So, I¡¯m sure they are good people,¡± Sun Yu answered and shook her head.


    ¡°Good people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Brother Xiao Luo is a good man. So your friends ought to be good people too,¡± Sun Yu answered with a nod. On her delicate face beamed a pure smile.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s smirk, however, was a little unnatural. If Sun Yu knew that he had just murdered more than twenty people, she would not think the same way about him as before. In fact, she should be afraid of him and shun him at all costs.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. Do you have any ns?¡± Sun Yu asked.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have any ns.¡±


    Sun Yu broke into a smile, and her eyes filled with hopes. She said with a pleasantugh, ¡°Thene to our hospital to watch the performances. Our hospital hosts a specially prepared Mid-Autumn Festival party.¡±


    ¡°Will you perform on stage?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yep. I have been preparing a dance routine with my sisters from the hospital. Sister Ruyi seems to be working an act, but I forgot what she is going for.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and agreed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯lle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be amazing. You definitely won¡¯t be disappointed,¡± Sun Yu chirped gleefully.


    Xiao Luo smiled. He had a particr affinity for this girl and felt very rxed around her. Herpany was not stressful at all.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, can you pull over?¡± Sun Yu¡¯s eyes brightened up as she suddenly noticed a food stall by the road.


    Xiao Luo pulled over slowly.


    ¡°Do you like to eat roasted sweet potatoes?¡± Sun Yu asked.


    ¡°Hmm, yeah.¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get some. Look, there¡¯s a stall by the road selling them.¡±


    Before Xiao Luo could agree, Sun Yu opened the car door and ran off excitedly. It was apparent that she was very fond of roasted sweet potatoes.


    Xiao Luo could only get out of the car and follow her. From afar, he smelled an incredibly delicious fragrance, which instantly reminded him of many childhood memories.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯d like two, please!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ten bucks for two.¡±


    The boss took out two round sweet potatoes from the oil tank beside him, which served as an oven. He wrapped them in oil papers and passed them to Sun Yu.


    Sun Yu was about to pay, but Xiao Luo had already handed twenty bucks to the boss and said, ¡°I¡¯d like two more.¡±


    He was a little hungry. Since he was eating roasted sweet potatoes, he should obviously eat enough to feel fully satisfied.


    Sun Yu raised her head to look at him, then smiled joyfully.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo drove to a park in the Guangming District then sat down before a stone table with a Go board engraved on it. The two of them were the only people in the vast park. The lights were slightly dim, and if they looked up, they could see stars. Unknown insects came out from the corners of shrubs buzzing so loudly that it was as if they were flying right beside their ears.

 Chapter 125 - Persist? How?

    Chapter 125: Persist? How?


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAlthough the park was deserted, it was the perfect ce for Xiao Luo and Sun Yu to eat roasted sweet potatoes.


    The potatoes were crusty on the outside and tender on the inside. They tasted quite delicious. In front of Xiao Luo, Sun Yu was usually more mindful of her appearance¡ªfor instance, her posture and smile. However, she didn¡¯t dare exaggerate her behavior too much. So when she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of the roasted sweet potato any longer, she ripped off the skin and gobbled up the entire thing. Meanwhile, the one in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t even half-eaten.


    She smiled at Xiao Luo embarrassedly and asked, ¡°Do I look really awful?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head. In fact, Sun Yu¡¯s directness was what was he found most attractive about her. He said, ¡°Well, in the first ce, you don¡¯t have to worry so much about your looks when you¡¯re eating roasted sweet potatoes. Just like when I was a kid, and I used to wolf them down.¡±


    Sun Yu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You ate roasted sweet potatoes when you were a kid too?¡±


    ¡°Everybody whoes from a vige should,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a light smile.


    Sun Yu nodded and asked curiously, ¡°Xiao Luo, how did you roast the sweet potatoes when you were young? Did you build a stove with stones and bake them like we just did now?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I usually just ced the sweet potatoes underneath the stove when I was helping the adults in the kitchen. Without them knowing, of course.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you let them know?¡±


    ¡°My family thinks that sweet potatoes are no good after they¡¯ve been roasted. They think that they be more ¡®heaty,¡¯ so to speak, and harmful to our bodies. So, the adults banned us from eating them. There were many times when my sweet potatoes just straight-up burned inside the fire. I couldn¡¯t get them out in time with the adults watching, so all the trouble I¡¯d gone through would be for nothing,¡± Xiao Luo recalled when he was little and found it really amusing.


    Sun Yu smiled crisply and said, ¡°It looks like you wasted quite a few sweet potatoes when you were young.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t waste them, actually. I was young and dumb, but I washed those burned sweet potatoes and gobbled them up with their smoky taste.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t your mouth turn ck after that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t care much at the time.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Everybody thinks that roasting sweet potatoes is tasty and fun when they are young. Nobody ever cares about whether it will make them ¡®heaty.''¡±


    ¡­


    The two exchanged amusing stories from their childhood while they savored the hot, scrumptious sweet potatoes. Unknown to them, a lot of time went by.


    When he dropped Sun Yu back at the hospital entrance, it was already 4 o¡¯clock in the morning. Just as they were about to part, a touch of lingering attachment was noticeable in Sun Yu¡¯s eyes. It was only when Xiao Luo¡¯s car disappeared from her field of view that she turned around and went back into the hospital.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s second encounter with Sun Yu deepened his fondness for her a great deal.


    Sure enough, he didn¡¯t know whether Sun Yu was the one for him, but he certainly hoped so. Such a straightforward girl was scarce nowadays. She¡¯d definitely be easy to get along with, and she seemed a rather suitable candidate to spend the rest of his days with.


    ******


    Fresh air came in through the window, apanied by a ray of golden light. Dawn had arrived.


    Feng Wuhen and the rest were awake, but their bodies were still awfully frail. When they saw Xiao Luoing out from the room, the five men wanted to stand up and bow in gratitude.


    ¡°Lie down. Don¡¯t move. Or else, your wounds might reopen,¡± Xiao Luo said while buttoning his sleeves.


    ¡°Brother Xiao, thank you. From now on, you¡¯ll be my boss.¡±


    Feng Wuhen¡¯s heart was full of admiration for Xiao Luo. He shouted to Xiaowu and the rest, ¡°Call him ¡®boss.''¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡± the four men shouted together.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. Boss? Did they think of him as a gangster or something?


    Just then, Zhang Dashan, who had just unloaded a biological bomb in the toilet, pushed open the bathroom door. He said while zipping his pants, ¡°What boss, you f*ckheads? Xiao Luo is the boss of apany, not a gang. Don¡¯t you feel awkward calling him ¡®boss?¡¯ Besides, it¡¯s also really old-fashioned.¡±


    Feng Wuhen awkwardly knitted his eyebrows and responded, ¡°Fine. Then, I think we¡¯ll stick with ¡®Brother Xiao.¡¯ It sounds more intimate that way.¡±


    ¡°Brother Xiao or Mr. Xiao will do,¡± Zhang Dashan replied, patting Feng Wuhen¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Dashan, since you¡¯re on break these next few days, I¡¯ll leave them with you. I¡¯m going to the office,¡± Xiao Luo ordered then turned to leave. At the door, his footsteps halted, and he turned back around. ¡°Oh yeah,¡± he added, ¡°they¡¯ve lost a lot of blood. Go and buy them some healthy food. Maybe get some for yourself, too. I mean, what would be so bad about having a chubby face but a body that¡¯s thin as f*ck? People looking at you from afar will think that your head is Photoshopped onto your body.¡±


    Hearing Xiao Luo, Zhang Dashan felt like a thousand alpacas were galloping through his brain. Xia Luo could¡¯ve stopped at ¡®go buy them some healthy food.¡¯ Why did he have to joke about his face? What a motherf*ker!


    Nevertheless, Xiao Luo was already gone. Even if he wanted to, he didn¡¯t have anyone he could blow up at.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, we haven¡¯t eaten any good food in days. Please, buy us some meat,¡± said Feng Wuhan, drooling.


    What the f*ck?


    Is this how you talk to someone you barely know?!


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t even want to mention how badly was he feeling. Being a nanny for five grown a*s men was going to literally send him over the edge.


    He asked chillingly, ¡°Want some pig whips and bull whacks?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure! My dad says that the groin is the most nutritious part of the animal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, people¡¯s noses even bleed after eating them. How nutritious must they be?¡±


    ¡°If you could get us some elephant shlongs, that would be the best. We¡¯ll definitely be tigers after eating them!¡±


    Xiaowu and the others were very excited. They¡¯d heard that animal penises were rich in nutrition but hadn¡¯t tasted any before because of their notoriously strong vor. They were literally inedible. But, given their current exceptional circumstances, they would eat whatever was nutritious without giving a rat¡¯s a*s about how it tasted.


    Feng Wuhen was even more delighted when he heard this. He said to Zhang Dashan with a smile, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be counting on you, Brother Zhang.¡±


    What in Heavens¡¯ name?!!


    Zhang Dashan felt the urge to go berserk. He thought: Can¡¯t you guys tell that I¡¯m being sarcastic? Elephant shlongs? Why don¡¯t I buy an actual human p*ssy for you dummies to make some soup? Holy sh*tcakes!


    ¡°Seriously, you guys are even more shameless than me!¡±


    He dropped that harsh sentence, put on his clothes, and went out to buy ingredients. Since Xiao Luo wanted him to take good care of these men, naturally, he would not treat them apathetically.


    *******


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I heard that you¡¯ve asked Mr. Li to sue Chen Jianbai, the reporter who published the news about Luo¡¯s Workshop. Is that true?¡± Xu Guansong dove straight into the topic as soon as he entered Xiao Luo¡¯s office. He looked slightly flustered.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Xiao Luo put down the task in his hands and looked up at him, asking, ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. If we win thewsuit, then Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation will be restored, and our previous customers wille back,¡± Xu Guansong said earnestly. ¡°But if we lose, our reputation will plummet. I heard that Chen Jianbai has mobilized all the reporters, and they are prepared to make a fuss if we lose the case.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°He is very confident.¡±


    ¡°Of course, he is. He¡¯s got Taste Buds to back him up. Mr. Xiao, I think we should just let this go. Luo¡¯s Workshop can¡¯t bear another blow. Although we are still losing money, new customers are pouring in every single day. Many of our old customers have also ordered our mooncakes for their employees. As long as we persist, the bad days will definitely be behind us.¡±


    ¡°Persist? How?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t agree with Xu Guansong¡¯s point of view. He said coldly, ¡°There are more than 500 workers at Luo¡¯s Workshop whose livelihoods depend on us. The finance department has reported a debt of four million. If this goes on, we will have to close down in two months. There are now only two paths before us. Live or die!¡±

 Chapter 126 - Is That Zhang Hongda?

    Chapter 126: Is That Zhang Hongda?


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo¡¯s attitude was firm. Xu Guansong would never convince him to drop hiswsuit against Chen Jianbai. Last time, the two had parted at the office on bad terms. This had prompted Xiao Luo to turn his attention to Xu Guansong for the very first time. Could Xu Guansong with the beer belly really be Taste Buds¡¯ spy?


    Indeed, without any proof, doubts still remained!


    After two days, they received a piece of unsettling news.


    One of their loyal customer, apany that ordered mooncakes for their staff during the Mid-Autumn Festival every year, abruptly announced that they would no longer buy from Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    The news was like a bolt of thunder in a clear sky and a fatal blow to the Luo¡¯s Factory!


    The Fuke Group was one of the top 500 process manufacturing enterprises globally. Their factory in Jiangcheng alone had 230,000 workers. Including all domestic and foreign branches, they employed a total of 1 million people. Although Luo¡¯s Workshop had only received the ounts for their nts in Jiangcheng and two other cities, the Fuke Group¡¯s order was at a staggering 8 million dors.


    The Fuke Group was unquestionably Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s biggest customer!


    When they heard this terrible news, Luo¡¯s Factory¡¯s department heads suffered like ants in a hot pan. They swarmed into Xiao Luo¡¯s office, and the rather spacious room was instantly jampacked.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, please hurry up and think of something. If we lose the Fuke Group, then Luo¡¯s Workshop will be¡­sigh¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did they suddenly turn down our mooncakes? What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Is Luo¡¯s Workshop done for?¡±


    The distressed department heads discussed the matter anxiously in Xiao Luo¡¯s office. They were not baseline employees. They, who had chosen to stay at thepany during these uncertain times, were emotionally attached to Luo¡¯s Factory. They really wanted to work through the organization¡¯s difficulties.


    These voices, however, were too noisy for Xiao Luo¡¯s tastes.


    ¡°Quiet, please! Stop babbling! Let the boss talk, alright?¡± shouted Luo Qi from the Research and Development department.


    She was the only department head who didn¡¯t wear formal clothes to work. She believed that people who worked in research and development needed creativity and inspiration, and wearing uniforms considerably reduced their sources of inspiration.


    She was dressed in a vibrant yellow T-shirt, decadent ripped jeans, and sneakers with light green lines. Her shiny ck hair reached her shoulders and was fastened with an adorably shaped blue starfish hairpin. She had a pure and youthful countenance and wore makeup, not even powder. Still, between her eyebrows, there was a hint of flirtatiousness.


    After Luo Qi¡¯s outburst, the entire office swiftly plunged into silence. They turned their eyes to Xiao Luo. The boss sat at his desk, holding his chin with his left hand like he was pondering something.


    ¡°Silence atst.¡± Xiao Luo stood up and said after letting out a long exhale. ¡°Since you¡¯re finally quiet, it¡¯s my turn to speak. Luo¡¯s Workshop and the Fuke Group have a contract signed. How much is the penalty for breach of contract?¡±


    ¡°The penalty for a breach of contract is 10 million dors, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Li Zimeng stepped forward. She was the one who had been personally involved in the signing of the Fuke Group¡¯s contract. She was well aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s intentions. She knitted her eyebrows and continued awkwardly, ¡°But our contract will expire precisely on the date of this year¡¯s Mid-Autumn Festival.¡±


    ¡°The contract is going to expire, you say?¡± Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows.


    Li Zimeng quietly lowered her head and replied, ¡°Yes, and I am responsible. I¡¯d originally nned to renew the contract after we delivered the stock. Still, I never expected that the Fuke Group would¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Li, I only want to know why, for such a huge client like the Fuke Group, a new contract wasn¡¯t drafted in advance before the old one expired?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was somewhat cold, stiff, and critical.


    Li Ziming lowered her head even further and muttered, ¡°My mistake.¡±


    Her voice was as soft as a fly. She honestly hadn¡¯t expected things to turn out this way. A mere few days before, she¡¯d verbally confirmed everything with Mr. Zhang Hongda. He ran the Fuke Group¡¯s Jiangcheng nt. He had assured her personally that the contract would be renewed on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Who could have known that things would change so much in such a short time?


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I think there¡¯s no use ming Ms. Li right now. Our top priority now is to pull back the Fuke Group,¡± Xu Guansong said in awe.


    Luo Qi echoed, ¡°He¡¯s right, Mr. Xiao. Miss Zimeng will never expect the Fuke Group to add insult to injury at this moment. They¡¯re really just¡­bad.¡±


    Xiao Luo regained hisposure soon after. This was the first time that he¡¯d felt like, as the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, he still had a long way to go in shouldering this heavy responsibility.


    ¡°Get in contact with the Fuke Group¡¯s boss. I want to meet him in person. Also, get me a list of Taste Buds¡¯ customers. I want the list on my desk by this afternoon.¡±


    It was almost inevitable that Taste Buds had snatched their client again. Just the thought of it whipped up Xiao Luo¡¯s anger. He wanted to mount a powerfuleback and not only acquire the Fuke Group but also seize all the clients that belonged to Taste Buds.


    As he thought of all this, greed shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes together with rage and danger. They were just like the eyes of a wolf!


    The department heads hovered about the office in fear. They¡¯d never seen such aggressive eyes before. Furthermore, this aggressiveness seemed to be contagious, transmitting from Xiao Luo onto their own bodies. They clenched their fists in a fragmented silence as determination emerged in their eyes.


    ¡­


    After ten o¡¯clock in the morning, Xiao Luo, Luo Qi, and Xu Guansong arrived by car at the Ming Tai golf course to meet the Fuke Group¡¯s boss, Zhang Hongda.


    ¡°As one of the golf course¡¯s investors, Mr. Zhanges here for a few swings almost every day,¡± Xu Guansong exined.


    Luo Qi pouted and said, ¡°Why did you invite him to a meeting at this ce? You want Mr. Xiao to entertain him with golf?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°By promising to see me, he is already showing his sincerity. Bring the contract ande with me to meet him.¡±


    By now, Xiao Luo hadpletely calmed down. He couldn¡¯t always talk business while being infuriated and drenched in a murderous aura, right?


    ¡°Aye-aye!¡± Luo Qi smiled yfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like that. Be more serious,¡± Xu Guansong immediately rebuked her with a stern look on his face.


    Luo Qi stuck out her little tongue at him.


    When they reached the golf course, a staff member led them to the driving range. From far away, they could see a middle-aged man in a white shirt and ck sunsses with shinybed hair. He was sitting underneath an umbre, leisurely sipping his tea and gazing ahead. Beside him stood two bodyguards in ck tuxedos and an assistant. There were also twodies with model-like hourss figures, attentively massaging his shoulders and legs.


    ¡°Is that Mr. Zhang? He really does know how to enjoy life!¡± Luo Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°Oh, sweet lord! Can you just zip your mouth? Don¡¯t screw things up before we even get a chance to talk about business,¡± Xu Guansong shot back agitatedly.


    This was impolite and very rash behavior. If Zhang Hongda were to hear her, his impression of the three of them would definitely crumble. If that happened, then how could they talk about business? There would be nothing left to talk about.


    Who could have guessed that, after he finished criticizing Luo Qi, Xiao Luo asked again, ¡°Is that Zhang Hongda?¡±


    Pssss!


    Xu Guansong gasped. Calling him by his name? W-w-what the hell was he thinking? Did he still want to talk about business or not?

 Chapter 127 - Conflict

    Chapter 127: Conflict


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Mr. Xiao, you¡¯re such an interesting man!¡± Luo Qiughed as she looked at Xiao Luo with adoration.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond to her. He lifted his eyebrows and walked towards Zhang Hongda.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Zhang.¡±


    Xu Guansong disyed an enthusiastic smile as he greeted Zhang Hongda, ¡°My apologies for the long wait, Mr. Zhang. We are caught in traffic just now.¡±


    Despite Zhang Hongda was in his middle-age, he had this prestigious temperament engraved amid his eyebrows although he was not showing any anger. He didn¡¯t take off his sunsses, hence no one could tell whether within his eyes, was delight or irritation. But anyway, he wasn¡¯t smiling, thus perhaps he was just being indifferent.


    He turned his head to look at Xu Guansong and faintly responded, ¡°You¡¯vee.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, Mr. Zhang! We havee especially for our appointment with you.¡±


    The smile on Xu Guansong¡¯s face became even more fervent. He introduced Xiao Luo to Zhang Hongda, ¡°This is Mr. Xiao Luo, the current boss of the Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Zhang!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he reached out his hands to Zhang Hongda.


    Zhang Hongda didn¡¯t shake his hands, nor did he even had the intention to shake hands with him in the first ce. He nced at him and turned away to look at the wide-ranging court ahead of him, leaving Xiao Luo unattended as he stood at the same ce. He said, ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that the Luo¡¯s Factory has weed yourselves a new boss, but I never expect him to be such so young. Given the little amount of experience he has, it is no wonder that the Luo¡¯s Factory is constantly going backward.¡±


    Upon hearing him, Luo Qi immediately became unhappy, ¡°Our boss wants to shake hands with you, but you didn¡¯t even bother to raise your hands, and even went on to belittle him with your speech, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re being very discourteous?¡±


    ¡°Luo Qi, the bosses are talking now, do not interrupt,¡± Xu Guansong rebuked.


    ¡°But he¡¯s being discourteous!¡± Luo Qi rebutted with her hands ced at her waist.


    Xu Guansong scolded, ¡°We are talking about business now. Mr. Zhang¡¯s order alone will decide the fate of Luo¡¯s Workshop. We are in need of their help, so justy down that attitude of yours!¡±


    Before they came, he already advised Xiao Luo to not bring along Luo Qi. Although she was a department head, her behavior was still like a little girl. She doesn¡¯t know how to restrain herself nor observe somebody¡¯s speech and expression. If she were to provoke Zhang Hongda, it would screw things up.


    Luo Qi looked at Xiao Luo. After receiving Xiao Luo¡¯s eye gesture, she kept quiet ever since.


    ¡°Little girl, Mr. Xu knows about things much better than you do. You should learn from him in this aspect, otherwise, you¡¯ll easilynd yourself in unfavorable situations!¡± Zhang Hongda extended one finger as heughingly lectured her with the tone of an elder. Even though he was smiling, it still felt creepy.


    ¡°No unfavorable situations cane to her with me as her boss!¡±


    Xiao Luo retracted his hands. He spoke softly, but with powerful retaliation and directness. He was not at all polite towards Zhang Hongda as he shifted the conversation topic, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about business. Mr. Zhang, you¡¯ve always ordered your mooncakes from us. It has been so for three years. Why have you suddenly decided to not order your mooncakes from us this year? Could you give me a reason?¡±


    ¡°A reason?¡±


    Zhang Hongdaughed coldly, ¡°Our contract has already expired. Why can¡¯t I pick a new supplier? Are you telling me that I need your consent to do this?¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t need our consent. But since both sides have already worked together for three years, I would assume that we already have some emotional attachment. When you suddenly said that you won¡¯t be ordering your mooncakes from us, Mr. Zhang, it is only fair for us to feel that you¡¯re kicking us when we¡¯re already down. Although the field of business is like a field of war, and no friendship, but evesting benefitsts forever, aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll tarnish your reputation by abandoning your original business partner just like that? Won¡¯t the otherpanies need to consider a lot of things before cooperating with the Fuke Group in the future?¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Hongda nced at him and said yfully, ¡°It is indeed that I¡¯ve worked with Luo¡¯s Workshop for three years. But I know Mr. Fang Changmiao. As for you, I¡¯ve never heard your name before, nor am I aware of the extent of your capabilities. For me, you¡¯re just a stranger. Do you think that I¡¯ll handover an eight-million-dor order to a stranger? Just ask anybody, and they¡¯ll tell you that there¡¯s no reason to do that.¡±


    ¡°The reason I¡¯vee today is for you, Mr. Zhang, to get to know me. I hope you could reconsider and re-opt for our supplies.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for reconsideration. I¡¯ve already talked to Mr. Fang of Taste Buds. From today onwards, the Fuke Group will only cooperate with Taste Buds,¡± Zhang Hongda made a clear-cut.


    As soon as the words fell, a burst of heartyughter came from the entrance.


    As they turned towards the sound, there was a middle-aged man in a tuxedo and wearing gold-tinted sses walking towards them with a cigarette in his hand and apanied by several men who seemed like his bodyguards. His hairline was really high, thus exposing his entire forehead. His hair had evidently been dyed. It was so ck that it shined. He had a very blessed face, because it was very fleshy, of course.


    Upon seeing the man, Zhang Hongda stood up immediately, took off his sunsses, and went towards him enthusiastically, ¡°You are finally here, Brother Fang. I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    They shook hands, ¡°Brother Zhang, I¡¯m really sorry. Our country has be prosperous now and everyone owns a car. The roads are really congested. I apologize to have arrivedte.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Come, have a seat and drink some tea. This is high-quality Longjing tea,¡± Zhang Hongda poured tea with a smile.


    Compared to his attitude towards Xiao Luo, it was literally the difference between the sky and the ground.


    ¡°He is Taste Bud¡¯s boss,¡± Xu Guansong whispered by Xiao Luo¡¯s ears.


    Xiao Luo already knew him even without his introduction. Besides, Zhang Dashan had already arranged Fang Changlei¡¯s information for him, alongside his photo.


    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t this Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s deputy manager, Mr. Xu? Why are you here?¡±


    In fact, Fang Changmiao had spotted Xiao Luo, Xu Guansong, and the rest for a long time. He was lifting his head and feigning to be surprised at this moment,


    ¡°They want me back.¡±


    Zhang Hongda was pouring tea with a disgusted face, ¡°But I¡¯ll never work with a trashpany that has food safety problems. It is worthless that they¡¯vee.¡±


    Trashpany?


    Luo Qi couldn¡¯t tolerate any longer. Zhang Hongda was a jerk from inside out. Putting his insulting speech aside, his attitude towards them was straight up horrible. Seeing that Fang Changlei could sit down and have tea with him, her contained rage erupted. She shouted at Zhang Hongda, ¡°You are the trash! Your whole family is trash!¡±


    The air in the vicinity dropped to freezing point. Xu Guansong¡¯s face turned green as a voice sounded in his heart, ¡°We¡¯re screwed.¡±


    Fang Changlei snorted, ¡°What a poorly educated youngdy! Give her a p!¡±


    When a bulky man in a tuxedo heard him, he stepped forward with a solemn face, raised his fan-like palm, and violently waved it towards Luo Qi¡¯s face.


    Luo Qi was terrified that her face turned pale. She never expected that these people would resort to pping when they weren¡¯t on the same page with somebody.


    At this time, a giant hand with fair skin came from aside, stretched apart all five of its thin and long fingers, and grabbed the bulky man in ck¡¯s wrist. His fan-like hand halted mid-air and was hindered of motion.


    Luo Qi took a closer look and couldn¡¯t help being surprised and deeply moved. He gently called out with her lips, ¡°Boss!¡±.


    Xiao Luo grabbed the bulky man in ck¡¯s wrist as he stared at Fang Changlei chillingly, ¡°I think I shall be the one to educate my people, Mr. Fang.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Fang Changmiao looked at Xiao Luo profoundly. He waved his hands, signaling the bulky man in ck to step down. Then, he said with a face full of disdain, ¡°I presume you¡¯re Xiao Luo that took over Luo¡¯s Workshop from Mr. Chu. I heard that two months ago, you were still a regr staff at Huahai Corporation. How lucky you must¡¯ve been to have gained Mr. Chu¡¯s favor and be Luo¡¯s Factory¡¯s boss. The phrase ¡®reach the sky in a single bound¡¯ refers exactly to people like you.¡±


    Following a change of tone into that with deep contempt, ¡°However, reaching the sky in a single bound isn¡¯t a good thing at all. Conversely, one would fall badly, very badly!¡±

 Chapter 128 - I Am Threatening You

    Chapter 128: I Am Threatening You


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°We have you on the ground, Mr. Fang. If I dropped from the sky, then you would definitely be my meat cushion. By then, both our bones would be shattered. Am I right?¡± Xiao Luo nced at Fang Changlei with a false smile.


    The grin on Fang Changlei¡¯s face dimmed in an instant. As he removed the cigarette from his lips, smoke billowed over his face. He said, ¡°It isn¡¯t good for a young man to be so arrogant. I suggest you check that temper of yours. Otherwise, you won¡¯t even know what kills you in the future.¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered back, ¡°Well, everybody has to die sooner orter. But I certainly believe that you¡¯re going to die before I do, Mr. Fang. After all, you are a geezer capitalizing on advanced age. For your information, that is a sickness. You could easily, you know, kick the bucket at any time.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Fang Changlei widened his eyes in anger as he stared at Xiao Luo furiously.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Zhang Hongda mmed the table and stood up. He red at Xiao Luo with maddened eyes, shouting, ¡°Get out of here, kid! You are not wee in this ce!¡±


    It was only now that Xu Guansong regained his senses. He put on an awkward smile and stepped forward to serve as a mediator. ¡°Calm down Mr. Zhang. You too, Mr. Fang. Mr. Xiao is at fault here, so I¡¯ll ask him to apologize. Please don¡¯t let this get to you.¡±


    Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei¡¯splexions softened slightly. They obviously cared about getting an apology from Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, what are you doing? Hurry up and apologize to Mr. Zhang and Mr. Fang.¡± Xu Guansong had utterly surrendered. They hade here to talk about business, and they were in need of Zhang Hongda¡¯s help, so why did Xiao Luo have to pick a fight? It was beyond ridiculous.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, are you still oblivious as to what¡¯s going on here? Mr. Zhang has agreed to see us because he wants to make us look bad in front of Mr. Fang. I will not apologize. Even if I did, he would never renew his contract with Luo¡¯s Workshop anyway,¡± Xiao Luo replied coldly. With his temper up, anyone who tried to intervene, no matter who he may be, he was merely a flea in his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, I support Mr. Xiao!¡± Luo Qi expressed his support for Xiao Luo.


    This wasn¡¯t how people ought to talk about business. Since the very beginning, Zhang Hongda¡¯s attitude toward them had been indifferent. When Fang Changlei had arrived, he¡¯d even gone on to say that Luo¡¯s Workshop was trash. This was a bald-faced insult. No matter how terrible Luo¡¯s Workshop may, it should still be allowed to preserve its dignity and pride.


    ¡°Keep quiet, Luo Qi! Stop fanning the mes! Mr. Xiao isn¡¯t sensible, but must you follow his example as well?¡± Xu Guansong thundered at her, though it mostly felt like he was abusing one over the shoulder of another.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, you are talented. Why have you allowed yourself to be treated so shabbily at Luo¡¯s Workshop? Look at yourpany now. It is full of newbies who can hardly maintain theirposure. Your future will be dim if you stay at Luo¡¯s Workshop. I think you shoulde to Taste Buds. With your experience and capabilities, I believe that Brother Fang will be very willing to take you in,¡± Zhang Hongda stated hurriedly. Persuading Xiao Luo¡¯s people to join anotherpany right in front of their boss was humiliation at the highest level.


    Fang Changlei lifted his eyebrows and seconded, ¡°That is a great suggestion. I treasure talent most of all. If you¡¯re willing to join us, Mr. Xu, I will make you Taste Bud¡¯s deputy manager. That way, I can fully retreat behind the scenes and take a long vacation. Although you¡¯d only be a deputy manager, you would still be paid considerably more than what you earn now at Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    Xu Guansong was extremely ttered. He answered promptly, ¡°Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Fang, but I am deeply attached to Luo¡¯s Workshop. Thispany is like a family to me. No matter rich or poor, a family remains as it is. I have no intention of abandoning my family.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? How very unfortunate!¡± Fang Changlei lifted his teacup and took a sip.


    Xiao Luo began pping his hands with a faint smile. ¡°Mr. Fang, Mr. Zhang, persuading my men to join your ranks right in front of me¡ªI see you¡¯re gleefully gloating.¡±


    ¡°Why are you not scramming yet? Should I ask my men to force you out?¡±


    Zhang Hongda wasn¡¯t polite to Xiao Luo. In his eyes, this kid was not at all qualified to talk business with him. Using his words, he was a boss who didn¡¯t even have fully grown pubic hair. He was literally an ipetent child in a tuxedo with an inted sense of self.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, Mr. Zhang. I¡¯ll leave when I have concluded my business.¡± Xiao Luo always had an enigmatic smile on his face that was impossible to see through.


    ¡°Your business?¡±


    Zhang Hongda sneered, ¡°I suggest you give up. Don¡¯t even think about recouping the Fuke Group¡¯s order. We will not give you a single penny. Trashpanies like the Luo¡¯s Workshop should hurry up and close down, lest you disgrace yourselves in Jiangcheng!¡±


    Not only Xiao Luo, but Xu Guansong also heated up hearing that.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, you will hurt their self-esteem that way. Look at Mr. Xu and that little girl. You¡¯ve made them so angry. Let them save at least a little bit of face, alright? After all, they are still executive members of apany,¡± Fang Changlei said, throwing oil on the fire.


    Not even a tinge of anger showed on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. He sat down by himself, picked up the teapot, and drank directly from it right in front of Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei. When he was finished, he said to Zhang Hongda with a hippie-esque grin, ¡°I think I understand. Mr. Zhang, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯d rather give the Fuke Group¡¯s order to a dog than Luo¡¯s Factory, right?¡±


    Zhang Hongda, who was already fuming, responded without thinking, ¡°Of course! I will not give you any orders, even if it¡¯s only a single penny¡¯s worth!¡±


    ¡°Oh? So, in your eyes, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Fang is a dog,¡± Xiao Luo spoke in a tone as if he was enlightened.


    ¡°You scoundrel, what nonsense are you saying? Do you really believe that I¡¯d let you walk out of here with your back on the ground?¡± Fang Changlei got caught up in anger.


    Simrly, Zhang Hongda was also ring at Xiao Luo. His face flushed and paled alternately. He had never encountered someone as insidious as Xiao Luo before.


    ¡°Mr. Fang, it wasn¡¯t me who called you a dog, so why are you barking at me? Chix, alright? Come, sit down. Let us have a nice chat. Amiability attracts riches, right? Peace breeds wealth!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he poured tea for Fang Changlei and Zhang Hongda. Then, he raised his teacup and said, ¡°Cheers, Mr. Fang, Mr. Zhang. Please ept this cup of tea as my apology.¡±


    The two men stared at him with their faces twitching. They were thinking: You¡¯ve friggin¡¯ drank directly from the teapot, so who wants to drink tea from it now?


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Zhang Hongda asked with a solemn face.


    ¡°Nothing, to be exact. But, you know, I¡¯m rather unhappy that you repeatedly called mypany trash earlier. Based on my usual disposition, you should be on the way to the emergency room by now.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You think you could send me there by yourself?¡± Zhang Hongda replied mockingly with eyes filled with disdain.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded carefully. As soon as his voice dropped, the teacup in his hand could not bear the colossal force of his five fingers. Following a loud crack, it shattered in an instant, scattering debris across the table. The tea, which was no longer hot, dripped down through Xiao Luo¡¯s fingertips, drop by drop.


    This little disy profoundly startled Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei, and they both sat up straight in response to the threat.


    There was a slight change in the expressions of their bodyguards in ck. Just how strong were Xiao Luo¡¯s fingers to have crushed a calcined porcin teacup with his bare hands?!


    Luo Qi looked at Xiao Luo with overwhelming adoration. She felt like her boss was a true hero.


    ¡°Are you trying to scare me?¡± Zhang Hongda forced himself to calm down.


    ¡°My apologies. I¡¯m not scaring you. I¡¯m threatening you. Do not touch my bottom line. You may refuse to sign a contract with us, but do not insult us.¡± The warm smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face vanished and was reced by freezing cold, sending chills through their bones.


    The corners of Zhang Hongda¡¯s mouth twitched. This was the first time that he had been threatened by someone younger than him, which was incredibly infuriating. However, he did not dare make any disrespectful remarks, and only red unwaveringly at Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 129 - Competition

    Chapter 129: Competition


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAs if he were the host, Xiao Luo took another cup and poured himself some tea. He gazed leisurely at Zhang Hongda and asked, ¡°Mr. Zhang, I heard that you visit the golf course often, so I assume that your game is ok-ish. Are you interested in ying one round with me?¡±


    Zhang Hongda couldn¡¯t contain hisughter and cackled as if he¡¯d just heard the greatest joke in the world. He pointed at Xiao Luo as he said to Fang Changlei, ¡°Brother Fang, did you hear him? This kid said that he wants to y golf with me.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, since he wants to be tortured, just let him!¡±


    Fang Changlei looked at Xiao Luo like he was looking at some idiot. Among Jiangcheng¡¯s league of bosses, no one was ignorant of Zhang Hongda¡¯s proficiency in golf. He had once achieved a miraculous hole-in-two at the Masters¡¯ Tournament held in the United States. Competing with Zhang Hongda in golf was a perfect realization of the phrase ¡®new-born calves are not afraid of tigers.¡¯


    Xiao Luo ignored their melodramatic chatter. He extended his hands, took the contract from Luo Qi, and ced it on the table.


    He looked at Zhang Hongda with a smile and then said, ¡°Mr. Zhang, if I win, you will sign this contract. And if I lose, I¡¯ll mortgage Luo¡¯s Factory to you.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Zhang Hongda¡¯s eyes bulged in his eye socket. Although Luo¡¯s Factory was way past its glory days, there was an old phrase that goes, ¡®a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.¡¯ If he could acquire Luo¡¯s Factory, it would be a considerable gain for him.


    ¡°I always mean what I say,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Words alone are not proof.¡±


    Zhang Hongda snapped his fingers and summoned one of his staff, ordering him to record everything that happened from now on out with a camera.


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth raised in a yful arc. ¡°Are you always so conservative in your work, Mr. Zhang?¡±


    ¡°That is my usual style. Since you want a match with me, Mr. Xiao, I will grant you your request.


    If I win, Luo¡¯s Workshop will be mine, and if I lose, I¡¯ll give you the eight-million-dor order. Is that correct?¡± Zhang Hongda was excited and exuded greed from his eyes.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°Since your bet is so bold, I¡¯ll treat you with the best of my sincerity. Aside from the eight million dors, I will also give you the orders from our Nancheng and Beihei City nts. That¡¯s a total of 15 million dors. If you win, this 15-million-dor order will belong to Luo¡¯s Factory,¡± Zhang Hongda said loudly. He tossed out a big piece of cake so that Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t go back on his word.


    15 million dors?!


    Xu Guansong and Luo Qi were shocked. They¡¯d never expected the deadlock situation to soothe itself when they once again returned to the topic revolving around the mooncake order. What¡¯s more, the order amount had doubled from before. But, after remembering that this was merely a wager and that all of Luo¡¯s Workshop was at stake for the 15 million dors, Xu Guansong immediately lost his calm.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, don¡¯t do it. Mr. Zhang¡¯s skill at golf is well known throughout Jiangcheng City. You have no chance of beating him. I think it is a mistake for you to wager Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    ¡°Boss, we don¡¯t want this contract anymore. Please don¡¯tpete with him,¡± Luo Qi also advised.


    Xiao Luo raised his hands to interrupt them. He looked at Zhang Hongda with provocative eyes, ¡°Your words, Mr. Zhang. A 15-million-dor order, is that right?¡±


    Zhang Hongda nodded, saying, ¡°Yes, you heard me right.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so rare that something can make you so happy, Brother Zhang. Why don¡¯t I join you guys in the fun?¡±


    Fang Changlei waved his hands and took a check from his assistant. Then, he scribbled ¡®five million dors only¡¯ on the check and stared at Xiao Luo with sinister intentions. ¡°If you win, these five million dors will belong to you. But if Brother Zhang wins, I don¡¯t want a penny from Luo¡¯s Factory. I want you to kneel before me, give yourself two powerful ps, and say ¡®I am garbage¡¯ loudly.¡±


    ¡°But that would be insulting to our big boss,¡± Luo Qi eximed.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. I¡¯m insulting him,¡± Fang Changlei chuckled menacingly. He did not deny it at all.


    Luo Qi was irritated, but she couldn¡¯t find any words to refute him.


    Fang Changlei squinted his eyes and said to Xiao Luo with contempt, ¡°You may refuse if you¡¯re not bold enough.¡±


    ¡°Since you want to give me money, why would I refuse? I can¡¯t possibly oppose money, am I right?¡± Xiao Luo smiled yfully.


    Fang Changlei snorted. ¡°You¡¯re brave. You justck a little self-consciousness.¡±


    He did not believe that Xiao Luo could ever beat Zhang Hongda at golf. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able just to watch and do nothing as Zhang Hongda wagered the mooncake orders.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond. He turned to look at Zhang Hongda and said, ¡°So, how do wepete?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep things simple. We¡¯ll each do five drives at the teeing area. Then, we¡¯ll sum up the distance of the five balls from the hole. Whoever umtes the smaller value wins,¡± Zhang Hongda said in disdain.


    ¡°Fine, so it is set,¡± Xiao Luo smiled indifferently.


    A little whileter, the caddie handed over the club. Staff dedicated to distance measurement stood in the safety zone, ready to rush out at any time to do their duty.


    Xu Guansong and Luo Qi stood to the side uneasily. Proficiency in golf was umted through years of practice. For one so young like Xiao Luo, who didn¡¯t even seem like he knew how to y golf at all, how could he possiblypete with someone as experienced as Zhang Hongda? The most terrible thing of all was that he had used Luo¡¯s Workshop as coteral. What else was this if not suicide?


    To prevent Xiao Luo from reneging, Zhang Hongda swiftly took a club and strode toward the teeing area. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    He adeptly took his a swinging posture, took a nce at the hole, raised his club, and struck the ball with a ¡®whoosh.¡¯ The golf ball arced beautifully through the air before urately dropping onto the putting green and rolling some distance forward.


    The golf course staff ran over immediately with the measuring tape, urately gauging the ball¡¯s distance from the hole.


    ¡°1.3 yards!¡±


    When the staff reported the result, Luo Qi and Xu Guansong drew in jittery gasps. This was way too scary. He almost sunk the ball in one stroke. Zhang Hongda was undoubtedly a golf pro.


    ¡°Nice shot!¡± Fang Changlei apuded. ¡°With your skills, Brother Zhang, you can defeat anyone in Jiangcheng.¡±


    ¡°You tter me, brother Fang, but this club isn¡¯t very fitting for me. I could¡¯ve gotten the ball closer to the hole.¡± Zhang Hongda was reasonably confident about this. He didn¡¯t feel that he was boasting at all.


    ¡°Haha! Show us a hole-in-one next!¡± Fang Changleiughed.


    Zhang Hongda didn¡¯t say a word. His silence was the best answer, although he did want to pull off a hole-in-one and make Xiao Luo give up altogether.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, it¡¯s your turn now. Remember to take things slowly and don¡¯t swing the club right out of your hands,¡± Fang Changlei waved at Xiao Luo. He was looking forward to Xiao Luo to make a fool out of himself.


    ¡°Rx, Mr. Xiao. This is only the first ball. You still have another four after this,¡± Zhang Hongda said with a smile. No matter how he looked at him, he felt that Xiao Luo was just a doltpeting with him at golf? Wasn¡¯t that seeking death?


    ¡°No pressure!¡±


    Xiao Luo guzzled down thest of his tea, stood up, and headed straight for the teeing area.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    Luo Qi looked at everything anxiously. There was no room for error here, as 1.3 yards was such a close distance. How could Xiao Luo possibly get the ball closer to the hole than that?


    Xu Guansong¡¯s eyebrows knitted together. It looked as though he was seriously pondering something.

 Chapter 130 - Sign the contract and I will tell you

    Chapter 130: Sign the contract and I will tell you


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo did not walk towards his mark immediately. Instead, he motioned for his caddie to ce the golf ball at the ck tee marker, being the point with the longest yardage for that hole.


    ¡°What are you doing, Chairman Xiao?¡±


    Fang Changlei contemptuously questioned the move. He didn¡¯t try to hide his look of belittlement and jocose as if he was watching a jester entertaining his audience. Regardless of what Xiao Luo tried, Fang couldn¡¯t see how Xiao could recover his position against Zhang Hongda¡¯s lead. He found Xiao Luo¡¯s action t hrious!


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother to respond to Fang Changlei¡¯s derision. Stepping into the tee box, he took his driver from his caddie and walked towards his tee.


    Zhang Hongda asked the steward for a change of teapot to brew a fresh round of tea. Zhang was brimming with confidence, sipping slowly from his teacup with a deep sense of satisfaction. Halfway through the course and there was no way Xiao Luo could evene close to his score. What a way to Luo¡¯s Workshop over a game of golf. He couldn¡¯t hide his glee.


    DING. Congrattions! You¡¯ve acquired the Golf Skills, at the cost of five hundred points!¡±


    The system¡¯s digital voice notification spoke in Xiao Luo¡¯s cyber-enhanced mind.


    As the wind started to pick up, the fringe of his hair tossed about in a flurry, and his microfiber golf top billowed like ripples in a fast-flowing stream. The golf club felt natural to him as he closed his hands around the grip with his fingers locked. He looked at the hole a long distance away, the g fluttering furiously. He checked the windage, then keeping his eyes on the ball, he raised his club back, before it came down in a smooth arc to make clean contact with the ball. He held his pose as his weight transferred to his leading foot in his follow-through.


    He was in total control of the shot.


    ¡°PING!¡±


    The sheer speed of his club carried the white ball in a great distance, sailing handsomely over the fairway and high towards its intended target. It narrowly missed the sand bunker as it bounced andnded once onto the green.


    It all happened so silently and unexpectedly but extremely clean!


    The ball rolled with the momentum, and, to everyone¡¯s astonishment, it dropped into the hole. It was a hole in one!


    The caddie was stunned, his jaw-dropping in pure disbelief. The ground staff joined him, wearing looks of astonishment at the sheer audacity of the stroke.


    Luo Qi rubbed her eyes, shouted with uninhibited excitement. She didn¡¯t understand the game, but she knew that he did something spectacr. She swooned, ¡°It¡¯s in, the big boss had sent the ball into the hole with just one swing!¡±


    Xu Guansong, standing just beside her, blinked several times unintentionally, unable to digest what had just taken ce.


    Both Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei Stood frozen. The smile that was so recently on their faces disappeared altogether. In their minds, they seemed to be saying the same thing, ¡°What the f*ck?¡±


    However, this was just a beginning.


    Without breaking a step, Xiao Luo was already on his way to the next hole. Backswing, downswing, contact, follow through. PING. The same thing happened there, another hole in one!


    One shot, one hole!


    Moving down the course, he proceeded to ace the next hole, then the next one, and the next, over and over again. He made it look so easy that it seemed like he didn¡¯t even need to look at the ball.


    Luo Qi was now hysterical and couldn¡¯t stop shouting, ¡°The second ball in the hole, the third ball in the hole, the fourth ball is still in the hole! Oh my gosh, the big boss¡¯s super cool!¡±


    Everyone on the course was astonished and had their eyes and mouths wide open with awe.


    Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei, on the other hand, looked like they had just consumed some ten catty of sh*t. At every shot, Xiao Luo made their hearts beat severely. When Xiao Luo aced his fifth hole in one, the teacup slipped from Zhang Hongda¡¯s hand, spilling the hot tea all over the floor.


    Nobody could tell if it was the sound of shattering teacup that startled Fang Changlei, but his pipe slipped from his mouth fell on the ground almost simultaneously.


    Five consecutive balls, and all aces!


    Was this even possible?


    It was impossible, asmon sense would dictate!


    However, the impossible did happen, and it happened right in front of everybody¡¯s motherf*cking eyes. Were their eyes ying tricks on them? Was this even a motherf*cking game of golf? How was it conceivable that he couldnd the ball right into a hole nearly three hundred meters away, hitting a tiny golf ball with a diameter of just over 40 millimeters? Even the master of the game could not match such skill, surely.


    ¡°All five of the balls, they¡­they were all holes in one?¡± Xu Guansong was still reeling from Xiao Luo¡¯seback. It just seemed surreal to him at that point in time.


    ¡°Yes, they were all in! The big boss¡¯s so cool, haha¡­¡± Luo Qi was so thrilled, hopping around like she was the one who aced all five of the balls. In her heart, Xiao Luo was one super cool dude.


    Xiao Luo returned the club in the bag slung behind the caddie¡¯s back. He then turned around and walked towards Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei¡¯s, a broad smile on his face.


    All eyes were on him!


    He caught everyone¡¯s imagination. A tall mountain of a man, in the minds of everybody present at the course. Everywhere he went, eyes followed.


    He pulled a chair and sat opposite Zhang Hongda. Smiling, he said, ¡°Chairman Zhang, are we stillpeting?¡±


    Zhang Hongda and Fang Changlei kept silent, perhaps at a loss for words. But their faces told a story, it seemed to say, ¡°Stillpeting? You had already f*cking hit all five aces, what was the point in continuepeting?¡±


    They were utterly crushed and had lost any chance of winning!


    Staring nkly at Xiao Luo for an ufortably long time, Zhang Hongda finally gave in and dered. ¡°I concede defeat,¡± he said with a pale face.


    ¡°You little as*hole, did you y dumb and purposely trick me into this?¡±


    Losing his calm, Fang Changlei stood up, spewing a copious flow of invective at Xiao Luo. It was entirely against the run of y. Not only had he now lost the eight million order from the Fuke Group, but he also lost a five million side bet with Xiao. It was too much to bear!


    ¡°You fell right into the trap I set, and this only shows that you¡¯re as dumb as a pig!¡±


    Without any modesty, Xiao Luo took the five million on the table and put it in his pocket. He was here to deal with the Fuke Group, but as providence would have it, he was now leaving with much more than he had expected.


    Fang Changlei¡¯s mouth started twitched a little, his face was dark, and he was grinding his teeth so hard, it made an audible screeching sound.


    Before he could say a word, Xiao Luo taunted and said, ¡°Could it be that the formidable future big boss of thepany cannot afford to lose five million?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Unbridled anger raged within Fang Changlei, making him almost spit out blood.


    At this point, Zhang Hongda stood up and bowed deeply to Fang Changlei. He said apologetically, ¡°Brother Fang, I¡¯m so sorry for this, I did not expect it to turn out this way. I¡­I¡¯m so sorry for this year¡¯s order.¡±


    His face bore the pain of defeat, just like a rooster who had lost a fight.


    It never once urred to him that Xiao Luo who have such talent in ying golf. If he had not witnessed it personally, he would p anyone who dared to say he consecutively aced five holes in one!


    Fang Changleiclenched his fist unconsciously, he had never felt this crestfallen before today. The way the game was going, he was cocksure that Zhang Hongda would acquire Luo¡¯s Workshop in a single stroke. But the oue was unexpected. He could still find ways to make trouble if it had not happened, given countless witnesses and video recordings. To think that he was the instrument behind this folly, convincing Zhang Hongda to bet his orders against Xiao Luo.


    He banged on the table angrily and viciously, and he said to Xiao Luo, ¡°I¡¯ll take back whatever I¡¯ve lost, twice the amount! We shall see!¡±


    With that, he grunted and left with his group of people. He was so infuriated that he was swearing as he walked away. Any sense of dignity, befitting that of a chairman of a sessfulpany, lost with the bet.


    ¡°Chairman Zhang, we should talk about the orders in detail!¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling at Zhang Hongda.


    Zhang Hongda wore an ironic smile, trying hard to hide his resentment. To anyone looking, he looked almost creepy. He had always looked down on Xiao Luo, seeing him as a young and inexperienced child, just finding his way in the business world. He had paid such a heavy price for it.


    ¡°How the heck did you ace all five balls?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t ce a finger on Xiao Luo¡¯s unbelievable performance. Luck was out of the question, but if the skill was the factor, he could quickly take on the likes of Tiger Woods.


    ¡°Sign the contract, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Xiao Luo said with an enigmatic smile.

 Chapter 131 - By hook or by crook

    Chapter 131: By hook or by crook


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioNot only did he sessfully secure Fuke Group¡¯s order book, he even gained an extra seven million. What an unexpected windfall!


    As soon as the contract was signed, both Luo Qi and Xu Guansong felt ted, as if they were in a dream. It was surreal, as Zhang Hongda¡¯s initial attitude was as cold as ice, and he was reluctant to ept the offer from Luo¡¯s Workshop. But Xiao Luo turned the tide at a single stroke.


    ¡°Big boss, were you serious about what you¡¯ve said to Boss Zhang after signing the contract?¡± Luo Qi asked as she walked beside him. She now worshipped Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°You said that as long as he practices swinging for five hours every day for ten years, he can hit the ball into the hole with one swing.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious, practice makes perfect, heh.¡± Xiao Luo raised his brows and chuckled.


    This made Luo Qi even more curious, and she said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the reason why the big boss could hit all five balls into the hole. He must have persevered practicing for five hours of golf daily for ten years.¡±


    Xiao Luo just smiled and chose not to respond. He wasn¡¯t up to exining the technicalities, and besides, he just wasn¡¯t in the mood toe up with white lies.


    Since the trip to the Ming Tai golf course, Xu Guansong had formed a better understanding of Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. On the surface, he looked like a reckless youngster, was always in a daze, and unable to restrain himself. But on the contrary, he was able to seize the advantage the moment he recognized Zhang Hongda¡¯s pride in ying golf. He spotted it in the short time he was with him, no more than twenty minutes. He then manipted that weakness to lure Zhong Hongda into his clever scheme, a step at a time.


    Not only was he a capable tactician with the ability to execute his n of action, but he was also a bright strategist of the highest order!


    Within a short span of two hours, he secured the orders from Fuke Group and got a five-million-dor payout from Fang Changlei. This was evenrger than the profits generated by a casino. He now knew why Chu Yunxiong had ced such high regard for Xiao Luo. Such a character would shine anywhere he went in the world, what more in Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    ¡°Chairman Xiao!¡±


    Xu Guansong came running towards Xiao Luo with some urgency. ¡°Chairman Xiao,¡± He called out again, with deep respect.


    ¡°Do you have business with me, Vice-chairman Xu?¡±


    ¡°Chairman Xiao, have you ever heard of the Dragon Gang before?¡±


    The Dragon Gang?


    Xiao Luo squinted; it was a name he had heard countless times. He had taken the lives of more than a hundred of their Gang members. Hearing that name spoken again, he was once again reminded of their reputation.


    Thinking that Xiao Luo might not have heard of them, Xu Guangsong adjusted his sses and exined, ¡°The Dragon Gang is the biggest secret society around; it runs bars, restaurants, casinos, underground businesses including prostitution and drug trafficking. They have recruited about three thousand members. The Dragon Gang have their headquarters at the Guangming District. But their members are scattered all over the streets of Jiangcheng.¡±


    As soon as he finished, he looked anxiously at Xiao Luo, waiting for his reaction.


    ¡°Keep going.¡± Xiao Luo said with mounting interest.


    ¡°The helmsman of the Dragon Gang¡¯s called Long Sankui, also known as Lord Long, and he has three thousand students under him. Rumor has it that he¡¯s a true master, capable of killing an opponent without spilling blood. He has a fierce face, and he¡¯s so ruthless that even a ghost fears him.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then?¡±


    ¡°Chairman Xiao, do you know why Taste Buds could always suppress Luo¡¯s Workshop? Take the case of the elderly dying from eating contaminated bread at our outlet. Isn¡¯t it obvious that someone was behind it? The purpose was to tarnish our reputation. However, Fang Changmiao, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s ex-boss, didn¡¯t dare even to resist. Instead, he sold Luo¡¯s Workshop to Boss Chu. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned. He couldn¡¯t yet put the finger on the whole sordid affair.


    Xu Guansong looked around and ensured nobody was around, then said softly, ¡°It¡¯s because Fang Changlei and Long Sankui have a special rtionship. It¡¯s said that when Long Sankui had found himself in a most desperate situation in his early years, and it¡¯s Fang Changlei who had saved him. Since then, Long Sankui had been grateful towards Fang Changlei, his benefactor.¡±


    Fang Changmiao, the chairman, was preparing to sue Taste buds on illegalpetition, he ended up getting abducted and almost thrown into the sea to feed fishes. This had terrified him so much that he left Jiangcheng immediately after reselling Luo¡¯s Workshop to Boss Chu. There¡¯s hardly any news about him even until now.


    ¡°Why did I not know about Dragon Gang¡¯s abduction of Boss Fang?¡± Luo Qi blinked and asked.


    Xu Guansong rolled his eyes at her and said, ¡°How could you possibly know? I also knew it through drinking with Chairman Fang who¡¯s depressed, as he identally leaked it when he became drunk.¡±


    ¡°You mean, due to Fang Changlei, Dragon Gang mighte for me just like how they came for Fang Changmiao?¡± Xiao Luo said, making his point.


    ¡°The chance is very high.¡± Xu Guangsong said, nodding.


    ¡°Won¡¯t they worry about being put in the jail by the police?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    ¡°Luo Qi, you¡¯re still as naive as ever. The world isn¡¯t as beautiful as you¡¯ve imagined, all the filth is concealed behind a gorgeous facade. As of now, cruel crimes are taking ce in every corner of the world. There¡¯re two sides of a coin, the ckes together with the white, just like light is to darkness. In such a tiny piece ofnd such as Jiangcheng, Long Sankui represents the ck and the darkness.¡± Xu Guansong said earnestly.


    Xiao Luo smiled, and he agreed with Xu Guangsong¡¯s understanding of the situation.


    He patted Xu Guangsong on his shoulder and said, ¡°Under the present circumstance, we can¡¯t do too much. Let¡¯s roll with the punches!¡±


    With that, he opened the car door and got in.


    ¡°Chairman Xiao, I still think that it¡¯s best if you reconcile with Fang Changlei. Ordinary folks like us can¡¯t deal with Dragon Gang; not even the government can do anything to them. They can only be contained temporarily. Taking out the Dragon Gang would only lead to another gang rising in its ce. The current structure is bnced and stable enough to avoid turf wars breaking out.¡±


    ¡°Reconcile? How to reconcile? By signing unequal treaties with him for a momentary truce just like thetter-day Qing government?¡± Xiao Luo sneered, wondering what Xu Guansong had in mind.


    ¡°We definitely can¡¯t do this, that Chairman Fang¡¯s a vicious person. Even if we were topensate him financially, he¡¯d never let the matter rest and think of every possible way to gradually destroy Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡± Luo Qi said with a serious look on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about Chairman Xiao¡¯s safety. What do you understand?¡± Xu Guansong scolded.


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t believe that Dragon Gang can hoodwink the public in Jiangcheng. It¡¯s just a gangster group. How can it work above the country¡¯sw?¡± Luo Qi snapped.


    ¡°Start the engine, we¡¯re going back to thepany!¡± Xiao Luo waved and cut off their arguments directly.


    ¡­


    After browsing through a list of several dozen key customers prepared by Li Zimeng, Xiao Luo came up with a n of action that would put pressure on Taste Buds. Fang Changlei had pissed him off, so of course, he intended to return Fang Changlei the favor in kind.


    The total amount of mooncake orders that Taste Buds had received from thesepanies were valued over thirty million, just from a single traditional festival. Adding the daily profits from their outlets, the returns from the pastry industry were lucrative.


    Xiao Luo nned to assume control over Taste Buds¡¯ key ounts, using the personal weaknesses of their owners to devise his schemes.


    Being his assistant, Luo Qi, who had been working closely, finally came up to speed with his bag of tricks. These bosses tended to have some unique hobbies, such as car racing, sports, clubbing, and women.


    Xiao Luo would first look for the weaknesses of each of them. They would easily be entrapped in his schemes, just like Zhang Hongda had. For those few who would not sumb to either ckmail or threats, then Xiao Luo would resort to kidnapping their children.


    The n would be carried out, by hook or by crook!


    Nothing would be too extreme!

 Chapter 132 - Zhao Mengqi hospitalized

    Chapter 132: Zhao Mengqi hospitalized


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°There are three phases of being a businessman, and this is phase one. It¡¯s the initial umtion phase by making money unscrupulously, and going against conscience and morals¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was exining the three main phases of being a businessman to Luo Qi, which was told to him by Zhang Dashan before, ¡°I¡¯m right now at phase one. Taste Buds started the unfairpetition, I shall respond to it in the same way they started it, an eye for an eye.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve suddenly be terrifying, big boss!¡± Luo Qi thought out aloud.


    Smart with tricks, courageous, insightful, highly capable, and, most importantly, fierce. One couldn¡¯t tell until one had known Xiao Long for long enough, then his qualities be apparent.


    ¡°Then, would you still want to work for me?¡± Xiao Luo said cheekily, putting on a frowning face.


    ¡°Of course I would, the word ¡°terrifying¡± I¡¯ve just used, was meant to be apliment, not about the big boss being really scary.¡± Luo Qi stressed her point strongly.


    ¡°Apliment?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I can¡¯t understand what you creative people are saying.¡± Xiao Luo chuckled, and his face brightened up.


    Luo Qi grinned.


    ¡°Oh right, how many of them remain?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Luo Qi opened the folder and nced through the list, then raising her head she answered, ¡°Just one more, it¡¯s Jiang Yongchun, the boss of Yingtong stic Factory, this fe seems to be difficult to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yongchun happens to be Taste Buds¡¯ most loyal customer. He doesn¡¯t have any special interests in particr, but only that he¡¯s very fond of cigarettes and fine wine. By the way, he¡¯s still single and doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in women. Someone once sent him women to curry favors, but she ended up getting chased out by him.¡± Luo Qi said.


    Xiao Luo sat on the backseat and was tapping lightly along the frame of the car window. ¡°He¡¯s loaded, he wouldn¡¯t have a problem acquiring any kinds of cigarettes or fine wine, so these aren¡¯t enough to deal with him. However, it surprised me a little that he¡¯s not interested in women.¡± Xiao Luo thought.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you say that?¡± Luo Qi asked with her big charming eyes blinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok for a man not to love cigarettes, fine wine, and even sports cars, but it¡¯s impossible for him not to love prettydies. It¡¯s the nature of man; it¡¯s a code written in our genes. As long as a man is normal, he couldn¡¯t possibly be unattracted to prettydies.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Upon hearing that, Luo Qi blushed and countered, ¡°But aren¡¯t big boss yourself uninterested in prettydies?¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Xiao Luo asked back.


    ¡°Of course, you are.¡±


    Luo Qi thrust her chest up and pouted slightly, exposing her charming and flirtatious side. She meant that Xiao Luo would react simrly, should a woman be sent over to him for such a purpose.


    Xiao Luo blushed unexpectedly, feeling like the young girl was teasing him.


    ¡°Wow, big boss, so you have a shy side.¡± Luo Qiughed infectiously, Overjoyed by her little discovery.


    Xiao Luo pretended to clear his throat with a cough, then sounding like Xu Guansong, he said in a serious tone, ¡°don¡¯t fool around, be more serious.¡±


    ¡°Roger, teehee¡­¡± Luo Qi made a salutation pose.


    Xiao Luo quickly changed the subject, going back to the previous topic, ¡°A normal man wouldn¡¯t be able to resist prettydies, unless that Jiang Yongchun has issues down there.¡±


    ¡°Big boss, you¡¯re saying his willy¡¯s incapable?¡±


    It seemed like Luo Qi was not embarrassed by asking this question at all, and with her big round eyes, she stared directly at Xiao Luo, curious for a response.


    Xiao Luo nodded, affirming what she had just said. He appeared to have found a way to deal with Jiang Yongchun.


    ¡°DING, DING, DING¡±


    Just at that moment, a familiar, monotonous ring interrupted the discussion.


    Xiao Luo took out his phone to check, and it was an unfamiliar number, not saved in his contact list. As he pressed the answer button and about to ask who the caller was, an urgent voice came from the other end of the phone call.


    ¡°Why¡¯s he not picking up, why¡¯s he not picking up¡­Hello, is this Xiao Luo?¡± the speaker Sounded relieved that she got through.


    It was ady¡¯s voice!


    ¡°I¡¯m, who¡¯s this?¡± Xiao Luo asked softly.


    ¡°Come quickly to the city affiliated hospital, Mengqi¡¯s hospitalized.¡± The woman said anxiously.


    Zhao Mengqi?!


    Xiao Luo frowned, and said with a cynical smile, ¡°You got the wrong guy, right?¡±


    He was about to hang up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up, Mengqi¡¯s seriously ill, and the doctor said she might not make it. She¡¯s in aa now and keeps crying your name. I only found your number by checking the contact list on her phone. Pleasee quickly.¡± The woman on the other end of the line was anxious. She almost sounded like she was in tears.


    Xiao Luo stayed silent for a while.


    ¡°What¡¯s the room number?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not a heartless person. Even if he was not in a rtionship with Zhao Mengqi, he could not change the fact that they used to be college mates. She was now critically ill and in aa, and it would be against his nature not to pay a visit.


    ¡°ICU, Room 306!¡±


    After being informed of Zhao Mengqi¡¯s whereabouts, Xiao Luo hung up, and he was speechless. I would not have happened if he had not given his number to Zhao Mengqit so quickly, even if it was unintentional. It was now impossible for him to ignore that Zhao Mengqi was critically ill and in aa.


    ¡°Is there a situation, big boss?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    ¡°A friend¡¯s been hospitalized.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not lie to her as there was nothing to hide. Zhao Mengqi was but one of many who hade into his life and would not be thest. It was time to cut her offpletely. He did not want her to make contact again in the future.


    ¡°You go back to the office first. I¡¯ll take a look.¡±


    ¡°Remember to get a bouquet. That¡¯s the proper thing to do when visiting patients.¡± Luo Qi reminded.


    ¡°What kind of flowers are suitable?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not very familiar with such matters.


    ¡°Bringing flowers when visiting someone in a hospital is meant to cheer them up. It shows care and concern, a wish for them to be safe, and to get well soon. You should choose flowers that are elegant, brightly colored, and fragrant, such as cmus, orchids, kumquats, Peruvian lilies, roses, carnations.¡±.. Luo Qi rattled off the list with ease.


    Xiao Luo felt that it was a little tooplicated, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll go empty-handed.¡±


    Besides, he was just visiting for a while and didn¡¯t want to overplicate a simple visit.


    He arrived at the city-affiliated public hospital by taxi.


    Xiao Luo headed directly to ICU room 306 and knocked on the door lightly.


    A woman appeared at the door, her face framed in wavy hair. She asked, in anticipation, ¡°Are you Xiao Luo?¡±


    Her concerned eyes brightened up when she saw Xiao Luo at the door.


    Xiao Luo nodded and entered the room. There he saw Zhao Mengqi lying on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She looked pale, so unlike the raving beauty he remembered,


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± He asked in a detached tone as if speaking to a stranger.


    ¡°It¡¯s acute appendicitis. The doctor said her appendix was ruptured. It¡¯s life-threatening. She has just undergone emergency surgery, and her condition is stable for now. But the follow-up treatment still requires about seventy to eighty thousand.¡± The woman with the wavy hair replied urgently. She appeared edgy and stressed.


    ¡°What about Hua Haifeng, her boyfriend?¡±


    ¡± He broke up with her when she fell ill. He even called to tell her it¡¯s better to die, as he wouldn¡¯t be paying a penny for her treatment.¡± The woman said, biting her lips in anger.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and sneered. Hearing about what a douchebag Hua Haifeng was infuriated him.

 Chapter 133 - Everything has changed

    Chapter 133: Everything has changed


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo walked towards where Zhao Mengqiy, tucked in her bed, asleep. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was in deep slumber. He peered at her face from where he stood, and she appeared pale in the dim-lit room. There was a look of casual indifference on his face, a look that hardly conveyed how much she used to mean to him.


    Did he resent her?


    To be honest, for a time, he felt bitter. He just couldn¡¯t believe it happened. He kept running it through his mind endlessly. Then the ident happened. That certainly jolted him back to his senses, a new perspective, if you like. He couldn¡¯t keep clinging on to past events that he had no control over. It was time to let go. Perhaps the specter of death does that to a man ¨C it removed the clutter and helped him to see life as it was.


    Fate always ys a fickle hand in matters of love. For some people, it¡¯s like two ships passing in the night, while others it may blossom intosting rtionships, only to break apart at the first signs of trouble. Such things have a way of making one grow up. It makes them stronger in the end.


    ¡°You¡¯re Xiao Lou, aren¡¯t you?¡± a voice came from behind him. It startled him somewhat, he wasn¡¯t expecting anyone else. But, he kept hisposure, turning towards the direction of the voice. It was Zhao Mingqe¡¯s roommate. She recognized him immediately as Mengqi¡¯s ex-boyfriend. ¡°Her condition deteriorated about half a month ago. When she gets back from work, she¡¯ll be sitting at the table in a daze most of the time. Sometimes she even cries to herself.¡± She feltpelled to fill him in with the details, her wavy hair framing her exaggerated expression ofpassion. Without letting up, she chipped in, ¡°Do you know, she said she was so silly to abandon a good man like you. You are so loving and always doting on her.¡± As Zhao Mengqi¡¯s roommate, she felt duty-bound to bring the pair back together again, and she was doing so with such high drama!


    Xiao Luo stood facing the woman, hands casually in his pockets. He kept a kindlyposure, but his face showed no emotions, in a deadpan kind of way. He turned slightly, tilting his head towards Mengqi, and spoke gently, almost to himself, ¡°It¡¯s not toote to start over. Find the love you¡¯re looking for.¡± He sighed quietly before he continued, ¡°Two months is not a long time to find out a man¡¯s true character, please forget about me.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi stirred as she sensed a familiar presence, but she could barely open her eyes. It took a while to find her focus, then a glow returned to her cheeks. She spoke faintly, ¡°Is this a dream? It¡¯s such a beautiful dream¡­¡± she trailed off withoutpleting her sentence.


    She shut both her eyes tightly, as if not wanting her dream to end. She thought she was hallucinating. Was that Xiao Luo standing next to her?


    ¡°Mengqi, this is not a dream, open your eyes, it¡¯s Xiao Luo. He is here.¡± The woman had suddenly positioned herself between the two, voluntarily taking on the role of peacemaker.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    She was incredulous, and said to her friend in an almost pleading tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you lie to me, Linger.¡± As tears rolled down her cheeks, she sobbed, ¡°Even if it¡¯s a dream, it¡¯ll be enough for me. Luo, I¡¯m so sorry for leaving you. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    At a loss of what to do, she kept her eyes shut, not wanting to know if this was all a dream at all. She just didn¡¯t have the courage to Xiao Luo again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be sorry, you just chose your own life and we don¡¯t owe each other anything. I¡¯m here today as your ssmate, and I¡¯m asking you to live your life as how you wanted to. As how you should. Have courage.¡±


    ¡°Luo, thank you. You are right. I was na?ve and I didn¡¯t cherish what I had. It¡¯s toote for regrets now.¡± Her voice breaking, she poured out her feelings openly, ¡°If I could start all over again, I¡¯d hold you tight and never let you go again.¡±


    Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, and she grimaced, struggling to hold back the tears. Memories of happier and simpler times shed by, she almost smiled as she recalled the times he prepared her favorite egg fried rice. It seemed to her the days of innocence were now long past, and she was solely responsible for destroying that love. It was a hard lesson indeed. She hated herself for that.


    ¡°We are no longer the same people we once were, Mengqi.¡± Xiao Luo said gently.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Zhao Mengqi smiled bitterly.


    Squeak.


    The room door opened, and a doctor leaned in from behind it with a stern word, ¡°You two, the patient needs to rest. Don¡¯t talk for too long!¡± Xiao Luo nodded and said to Zhao Mengqi, ¡°Take good care of yourself!¡±


    Then, he turned away and promptly left the room, without so much as a backward nce. He wanted to believe that Zhao Mengqi would be able to start over again after leaving Hua Haifeng. This thought gave him a sense of relief.


    As soon as they stepped out of the room, Xiao Luo passed a UnionPay card to Ma Linger. ¡°There¡¯re ten thousand dors in this card, the password¡¯s 666666, please take care of her.¡±


    Ma Linger raised an eyebrow. 10 thousand dors, just like that ¨C he was indeed rich. Mengqi sure missed out on a fine catch!


    ¡°Just don¡¯t tell her I was here when she recovers. Just tell her she was hallucinating. As for the money, you¡¯ll figure out something.¡± Xiao Luo said inly, meaning every word of it.


    ¡°Ok, Alright.¡±


    Ma Linger nodded quickly in acknowledgment. She suddenly felt the burden of the UnionPay card in her hand.


    ******


    ¡°Hello, Boss Chen, your orders are soon to be¡­ What? You don¡¯t want them? You can¡¯t do this right, Boss Chen? I trusted you so we didn¡¯t sign the contract, but how could you just abandon the orders? They¡¯re worth more than a hundred thousand!¡±


    Fang Changlei was speaking from the general manager¡¯s office at Taste Buds. When he got confirmation that the other party had rescinded the orders, he jumped off his chair, raising his voice with an intimidating tone. Before he could protest, the other party had already hung up. He felt his anger rising even digital tone from his receiver resounded across the room. ¡°beep¡­ beep¡­ beep¡±.


    ¡°F*ck, who¡¯s been messing around behind my back!¡±


    Fang Changlei was livid! He flung the phone hard against the floor. He was infuriated, looking like he was about to tear someone apart. This was the eighth phone call, all of them to regr customers, each one canceling their orders. And these were familiar, old friends and customers that he regrly plied with hostesses in steamy private rooms. They shared very solid business rtionships. So it was indeed vexing that every single of them had called in to cancel their orders. Without a doubt, someone was messing with Taste Buds.


    ¡°Chairman Fang, what did they say? Why¡¯d they cancel the orders so suddenly?¡± The male assistance asked meekly, not at all sure what was going on.


    ¡°I have don¡¯t have the details, but they all said someone has a hold over them and had them sign contracts with some other supplier, ordering mooncakes from another brand¡­Another brand! Damn, could it be Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡±


    Fang Changlei, couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. A few days ago, the orders from Zhang Hongda, of Fuke Group also slipped by from right under his nose. He pulled his pipe away from his mouth, and voiced his thoughts aloud, ¡°Could it be that little a**hole who¡¯s screwing me up from behind?


    The male assistant noticed his expression had turned dark, he stayed as silent as a church mouse, trembling in the corner where he stood.


    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s impossible, that little as*hole never had this kind of muscle.¡±


    Fang Changlei could not stop waving his hand around as he ran through the list of possible suspects in his head. As he cupped his hand across his chin, he said to himself again, ¡°If Boss Chu was involved, it¡¯d be as easy as ABC, Boss Chu regarded that little as*hole extremely highly, after all.¡±


    As he pondered further, he looked more and more perplexed, ¡°So is it Boss Chu who wants to mess with me?¡±


    The more he thought about it, the scarier it got. Even though he had a good rtionship with the Dragon Gang and Long Sankui, yet he was no match to Chu Yunxiong. ¡°If the ck force of Jiangcheng was Dragon Gang, then the white force had to be Chu Yunxiong. If Chu Yunxiong wanted to deal with him, then he might as well¡­¡± Fang Changlei¡¯s head was in a spin, as he explored the possible scenarios, ¡°But, why?¡±


    He had no beef with Chu Yunxiong, going as far as arranging for the marriage of his son to Chu¡¯s daughter. He had treated Chu Yunxiong with respect like Lafayette, there was no reason for Chu Yunxiong to deal with him!


    He couldn¡¯t help feeling like he was groping around in a fog. Fang Changlei broke into a cold sweat, he barked out an order, ¡°Quick, get the car, I¡¯d like to visit Boss Chu.¡±


    ¡°Yessir.¡±


    The male assistant, jumped in response, nodded hurriedly, and left to make immediate arrangements.


    Fang Changlei had to know for certain if Chu Yunxiong was the one behind this whole episode. If not, he would not be able to eat or sleep


    in peace.

 Chapter 134 - Ill Be Waiting At Luos Workshop

    Chapter 134: I¡¯ll Be Waiting At Luo¡¯s Workshop


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe factory director, Jiang Yongchun, didn¡¯t turn down Xiao Luo¡¯s request for a meeting. His men led Xiao Luo to his office. Without even asking him to have a seat, Jiang Yongchun went hard at Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao, so you¡¯re some wise guy, huh? Manipting Mr. Chen and the other buyers into your scheme and forcing them to sign contracts with Luo¡¯s Workshop. Now you¡¯ve even got their orders for Mid-autumn Festival. Awesome strategy, awesome strategy indeed!¡±


    His physical appearance could best be described as full; he had chubby cheeks and small slits for eyes. As he stared at Xiao Luo with displeasure, he looked a mean and vicious figure. Being Taste Buds¡¯ most loyal customer, his hostility was understandable. The only reason he agreed to meet was to insult Xiao Luo in his face. He was venting out his anger on Taste Buds and Fang Changlei¡¯s behalf, on ount of his close rtionship with them.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, you don¡¯t have to be so hostile. I¡¯m here today to talk about business. As businessmen, revenue is our top priority. Let¡¯s set aside all personal matters.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled. He then took the contract from Luo Qi, waving it in front of Jiang Yongchun, and gently ced it on his desk. ¡°What you can get for 500 thousand dors¡¯ worth at Taste Buds, you can purchase with just 450 thousand dors buying from us.¡± Xiao Luo said, appealing to his business logic. ¡°Perhaps 50 thousand may ount for nothing in your eyes, but even a fly is worth something, no matter how small it might be, right? Mr. Jiang, why don¡¯t you consider giving your orders to Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡±


    ¡°Giving you my orders? Ridiculous! I go back a long way with Taste Buds. Friendship is not something to trifle with, in my book. Luo¡¯s Workshop, you¡¯re nothing in my eyes!¡±


    Jiang Yongchun threw a tantrum, yelling, he grabbed the contract and flung it at Xiao Luo. The thick document came apart midair, and for a brief moment, a flight of paper floated dramatically right in front of Xiao Luo, before settling chaotically all over him.


    Looking on, Luo Qi was thoroughly miffed at how Jiang was treating her boss. When she started work at Luo¡¯s Workshop, she¡¯d stay in the back of house researching on all sorts of pastries. Luo Qi seldom had any contact with other bosses in the market. Now that she was following Xiao Luo around, she had gained a more in-depth understanding of the characters of these wealthy bosses. They behaved just like gangsters, insulting others as they like, and getting their way when it suited them.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, this temper of yours will not do you any good!¡±


    Despite having the contract thrown right in the face, Xiao Luo maintained a cocky smile on his face. He hid his chagrin and contained the instinctive urge to kick the old geezer up his behind. On any other day, that would undoubtedly have been the oue, but he was, after all, only there to conduct business.


    ¡°I get heated up just looking at your face, little boy. Do you know what kind of friendship I have with Mr. Fang? You want me to do business with Luo¡¯s Workshop? Who the f*ck you think you are? What makes you think you can challenge Mr. Fang when your pubic hair isn¡¯t even done growing yet? Do you think you can get away with that? Not just Mr. Fang, even I, Jiang Yongchun, can smash Luo¡¯s Workshop up like it¡¯s child¡¯s y! Don¡¯t mess with us!¡±


    Jiang Yongchun pointed his finger aggressively at both of them. ¡°You and your little b*tch, get out of here, now! Don¡¯te and provoke me ever again, or else I¡¯ll let Luo¡¯s Workshop have a taste of my wrath!¡± He warned them with genuine menace.


    It made him feel superior, humiliating Xiao Luo the way he did. It would be something to boast about when the boys got together.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, and said to him in feigned concern, ¡°Mr. Jiang, if I guessed correctly, you¡¯ve passed out three days ago without any apparent reason, am I correct?¡±


    As soon as he said that, Jiang Yongchun drew back, but managed to hide his shock somewhat. ¡°What did you just say? Are you investigating me?¡±


    In truth, Jiang Yongchun was aghast that Xiao even knew about it. He did indeed pass out three days ago. It happened at his home for no apparent reason. He immediately went to the hospital for examination and found nothing. They only said that he might have squatted for too long and that,bined with his low blood pressure, had caused an oxygen deficiency in his brain. These ultimately resulted in him passing out temporarily. Only Jiang and his wife knew about this matter, and there was no way an outsider could¡¯ve learned about that. So, from where did Xiao Luo hear it?


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t provide him with a straightforward answer. He looked at his face and said knowledgeably, ¡°Gassy stomach, fatigued body, deepened voice, short of breath during movements, prone to sweating, palpitations, pale appearance: all of these are indications that you¡¯re sick. What¡¯s more, this isn¡¯t some minor illness. It¡¯s a condition serious enough to kill you.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? I am very much in pink!¡±


    While he was saying that, his disposition betrayed his false confidence. What Xiao Luo had just pointed out were precisely the symptoms he had been showingtely.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°I bet that isn¡¯t the first time you passed out. You would¡¯ve passed out for the first time about a year ago. Since then, you¡¯ve found it increasingly difficult to perform during sexual activities. After you passed out for the fourth time, you were no longer capable of having sex. You desire it, but your body won¡¯t answer, am I right?¡±


    As soon as he said that, Jiang Yongchun burst into a cold sweat. Everything he said was right. This wiseguy seemed like he has been watching him for the past year. How could this even be possible?


    In an instant, shock turned to horror. Xiao Luo had now be a phantom figure in his mind!


    ¡°H-how did you know that?¡±


    Jiang Yongchun¡¯s response verified everything that Xiao Luo pointed out. Luo Qi simply looked at her boss, Xiao Luo, with a sense of amazement. ¡°That was incredible,¡± she thought. Was her boss also a miracle doctor?


    Xiao Luo was undoubtedly a miracle healer, as he specialized in traditional Chinese medicine. He exchanged the talent from the system with 800 points before he came to Yingtong stic Factory, with the sole purpose of dealing with Jiang Yongchun. He had known that he wasn¡¯t interested in women. As a man, there must be something wrong with his body for him to lose interest in prettysses.


    In traditional Chinese medical science: seeing, hearing, asking, and corrting the findings were the basis of finding a path to wellness. Now that Xiao Luo had acquired this talent, the skill he possessed was the top-notch level. It allowed him to tell Jiang Yongchun¡¯s sickness at a nce.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows and said matter-of-factly, ¡°By looking at you, of course.¡±


    ¡°N-n-nonsense! Say another word, and I¡¯ll call security!¡± Jiang Yongchun refused to believe one bit of Xiao Luo¡¯s words.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know whether I¡¯m telling the truth in four days because, at that time, you will pass out again for no reason. The shortening interval between your fainting spells is like a countdown to your life. If you do not hurry up and seek medical attention, you would probably live for another six months at the most, while spending at least half of the time in a sickbed,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Six months left to live?!


    At this moment, Jiang Yongchun felt his soul leaving his body. If Xiao Luo were able to diagnose his symptoms urately, it would be unwise to refute his prediction that he may genuinely have only six months left to live.


    ¡°You¡¯re justf*ckin trying to frighten me. I¡¯ve been to the best hospital in Jiangcheng, and they all say that there¡¯s absolutely nothing is wrong with my body! Y-you¡¯re trying to with me¡­!¡± He pointed at Xiao Luo with a trembling hand, almost hoping he¡¯d take back what he said.


    Xiao Luo stood up, not nning to waste any more of his time there.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to fool you. I¡¯ll be waiting at Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡± He said curtly, and added, ¡°You better keep every piece of the contract on the floor. I will not ept it if any page is stained. Between Taste Buds and Luo¡¯s Workshop, I believe you will make the right choice.¡±


    Upon finishing, he waved his hand and promptly left with Luo Qi.


    ¡°You wanna scare me? Do you think I was brought up eating fear? Scram you little kid!¡±


    Jiang Yongchun yelled out from his office. But after he calmed down, he felt ovee by a growing, impending doom. For a while, he stared nkly at the contract documents scattered on the ground. Atst, he walked over, bent down, picked them up one by one, and ced them together carefully.


    He couldn¡¯t hazard a single mishap. No matter how wealthy he was, he needed his health to live to enjoy his riches. For sessful bosses like him, when it concerned life and death, they would even be afraid of their shadows.

 Chapter 135 - From The Bottom

    Chapter 135: From The Bottom


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioWith adequate rest, Feng Wuhen and the four had recovered well from their injuries. Their robust build and physical conditions also attributed to their quick recovery.


    They had been ufortable with any inference that they were leeching off Xiao Luo and had asked him if they coulde under his employ.


    ¡°Any job will do, Brother Xiao. Please, we aren¡¯t picky.¡± Feng Wuhen had said, with deep respect.


    Xiao Luo sat on the sofa, switching between TV channels absentmindedly, checking for any interesting programs. He asked, ¡°Are your injuries, alright, now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re alright. We healed a long time ago.¡± Feng Wuhen pounded on his firm chest.


    ¡°They eat pig d*cks, cow d*cks, and chicken d*cks every day. I was like this close away from buying real human p*ssy to ¡®nourish¡¯ them.¡± Zhang Dashan held up two fingers close together to make his point. ¡°If their wounds don¡¯t heal up, well, I think I¡¯ll have to readjust the views I have towards this world, won¡¯t I?¡± He continued as he walked towards them.


    Hearing those words, Feng Wuhen and his friends were speechless.


    Zhang Dashan dropped himself down on the sofa, snatching the remote control from Xiao Luo¡¯s hands. He switched to a blind-date reality show. His eyes roamed, then widened as he stared straight at the upper row of girls. ¡°What the heck, number twelve, the one I¡¯ve always been following, she¡¯s taken already? By a friggin n*gga as well? Holy macaroni, she like BBCs so much, eh?¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at him, ¡°Is your head ok? Do you stay at home all day just to watch these dumbass blind-date programs?¡±


    ¡°What do you know about them? You think I¡¯m watching it because I¡¯m¡­ watching it? I am here to study the nuanced style and wit of that bald host, ok? Look at the way he talks. He sounds like a sage. Holy pepperoni, he¡¯s cool as hell. When I take over the Luo¡¯s Workshop from you, I want to have his demeanor,¡± Zhang Dashan refuted.


    ¡°Then, I think you should hurry up and give yourself a bald cut!¡± Xiao Luo stood up and went towards the corner of the room for a drink at the water dispenser.


    ¡°Bald your foot. How can this big face of mine suit that kind of hairstyle?¡± Zhang Dashan retorted, acting pissed.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, I think you got it wrong. How can it be called a hairstyle when you don¡¯t even have hair left?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in our dialect, that is called a ¡®monk-ey cut,¡± which means kinda like a bald donkey.¡±


    ¡°Being a bald donkey ain¡¯t great, they can only be with nuns, and nuns are worst. Whoever marries a nun will be jinxed for three generations. Ling Wu Chung in ¡®The Smiling, Proud Wanderer¡¯ even said that whenever he sees a nun, he loses every bet he makes.¡±


    Xiaowu and the other three men chattered among themselves. Their deadpan faces seemed like they were trying not to ridicule anyone, but it was apparent that they were talking about Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°F*ck off! Go to the side!¡±


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t take too kindly to Feng Wuhen and his friends. He had been nursing them back to health like he was a doting parent over the past few days. Thinking about it made him cringe on the inside.


    Xiao Luo sat back down on the sofa after getting his ss of water, ¡°The six of you shouldn¡¯t be staying here at home. Thepany has just received a ton of orders. The factory is all tied up because of them. Ready yourselves and follow me to thepany. We need to find Lin Chongdong from the Human Resource Department to get yourselves a job.¡±


    ¡°Me included?¡± Zhang Dashan pointed at himself.


    ¡°Duh. Even these guys know how to feel embarrassed, leeching off me. Don¡¯t you feel the same? Even a tiny little bit?¡±


    Xiao Luo sipped on his tea and said unhurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ll handover Luo¡¯s Workshop to you after thepany has stabilized, so you have to understand thepany¡¯s system, alright? I¡¯ve thought about it, and I think you should start from the bottom. You may begin by learning our food processing technology.¡±


    ¡°You shit, actually making me a regr employee. Bro, doesn¡¯t your conscience in here even hurt a little?¡±


    Zhang Dashan acted like he was heartbroken. Of course, he didn¡¯t oppose this arrangement. He already knew Xiao Luo¡¯s abilities were way above him in every aspect. If he didn¡¯t work harder, he would not be able to take up the post of general manager at Luo¡¯s Workshop in the future. He understood the need for him to start from the very bottom.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and continued drinking his tea.


    ¡°Brother Xiao, how much do we get paid every month?¡± Feng Wuhen inquired with anticipation.


    ¡°Basic pay will be 2.2k in the first three months and will rise to about 2.5 to 2.6k after that. If you work overtime every day, given the number of orders we have now, you can earn about five grand every month,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Five grand?


    The five of them were ted, hardly believing what they just heard.


    ¡°Five grand, per person, per month?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Xiao Luo affirmed with a nod.


    Wahh!


    They gasped, dazed from what they just heard. Five thousand dors per month? There were goldmines everywhere in this metropolis, and they¡¯ve finally gotten themselves into one.


    ¡°Hurry up, and thank Brother Xiao!¡± Feng Wuhen quickly prompted hispanions to thank Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Xiao!¡±


    The men sped their fists together in traditional Chinese fashion and expressed their gratitude towards Xiao Luo. Even in their dreams, they never thought they would ever get their hands on a job that paid five thousand dors per month. The bad days were gone, finally gone. Recollecting the harsh times they¡¯d gone through over the past few months, they suddenly felt emotions getting the better of them, and almost teared up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy just yet. As regr workers, yes, your benefits might be ok but, the work itself isborious. You¡¯ll be working in two shifts. Day shifts are better; the night shifts would deplete you. These five grand will not be easy money. You have to be mentally prepared,¡± Zhang Dashan reminded.


    ¡°We are not afraid of hardship!¡± Feng Wuhen said resolutely.


    Xiao Luo stood up and patted him on his shoulders, ¡°Work and learn more. When you have acquired your skills, I¡¯ll get you guys to do some other stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Brother Xiao,¡± Feng Wuhen nodded quickly, with both a tinge of excitement and anticipation for the new job.


    Zhang Dashan quivered in disgust as he teased, ¡°You f*ckhead, you¡¯re acting more and more like a boss now, aren¡¯t you? You e know how to encourage your employees.¡±


    ******


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I have to tell you about our issues. The amount of orders we received is way beyond our factory¡¯s production capacity.¡± Zhang Donghai, a wrinkled face man, spoke to Xiao Luo. ¡°The Mid-Autumn Festival will arrive in half a month. Even if everyone in the factory works overtime,24 hours per day with no sleep, we may not be able to make it,¡± Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s factory director grumbled.


    With the Fuke Group¡¯s order and the orders from Taste Buds, all put together, it was truly overwhelming for Luo¡¯s Workshop, given their production capacity.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to fulfill everyone. Just produce as many as we can,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t we going to breach our contracts? If that happens, we have to pay a huge sum of money,¡± Zhang Donghai said, spreading his hands while frowning.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°Rx, and we won¡¯t be breaching any contracts. Our contracts are all drawn up based on our production capacity. As of the Mid-Autumn festival, they¡¯ll be taking as much as we can produce. There¡¯s no issue.


    For the customers they snatched over from Taste Buds, their contract did not stipte that the Luo¡¯s Workshop had to meet their order requirement. The terms were that they would receive orders based on the quantity Luo¡¯s workshop could produce. He added this item exclusively in consideration of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s production capacity.


    All the bosses of thesepanies had either lost their bets or had some secrets in his hands. They had toply even they did not wish to.


    ¡°Huh? D-does that even work?¡±


    Zhang Donghai was startled. He had never seen such a lop-sided and unreasonable contract. The question was, why did those customers sign on them? What in the world was going on, what had Mr. Xiao done?


    ¡°Knock. Knock. Knock.¡±


    At that very moment, someone knocked on the office door.

 Chapter 136 - The Respectful Jiang Yongchun

    Chapter 136: The Respectful Jiang Yongchun


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioMrs. Liu from the Customer Service Department walked in. She spoke to Xiao Luo respectfully, ¡°Mr. Xiao, Mr. Jiang from Yingtong stic Factory, is requesting to meet you.¡±


    Before the office door had shut, an anxious squeal came from the direction of open office area outside, ¡°Mr. Xiao, Mr. Xiao, it is Jiang Yongchun here! I¡¯m here to talk about the job order for the Mid-Autumn Festival!¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yongchun?¡±


    Zhang Donghai was beyond words. As a veteran in Luo¡¯s Workshop, he was aware of who Jiang Yongchun was. He was Taste Buds¡¯ most loyal customer. He had even once dered that, as long as his stic factory still stood, he would order from Taste Buds. That included all the pastries for their staff for every festival of the year. But what was going on here? Why did Jiang Yongchun suddenlye to their doors himself to talk about a job order?


    Nothing about what he had just witnessed made any sense at all!


    Jiang Yongchun caused a considerablemotion as he made his ay to Xiao Luo¡¯s office. Everyone turned to look at him, including Xu Guansong, Lin Chongdong, and Li Zimeng. When they saw Jiang Yongchun, they all wore a look of disbelief on their faces because he wasn¡¯t someone that would ever show up at theirpany.


    ¡°Mr. Jiang, may I ask if you¡¯re here for?¡±


    Xu Guansong approached him. He couldn¡¯t believe that Taste Buds¡¯ most loyal customer was here at Luo¡¯s Workshop to discuss a job order. He was concerned that Jiang Yongchun was here to make trouble.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Xiao? Mr. Xu, hurry up and tell me where¡¯s Mr. Xiao.¡± Jiang Yongchun was anxiously hopping about, desperate for directions.


    ¡°Calm down, first things first, tell me why you want to meet Mr. Xiao?¡± Xu Guansong said, trying to calm him down.


    Jiang Yongchun shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t talk to you about this, only to Mr. Xiao. Hurry up and take me to Mr. Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yongchun!¡±


    Xiao Luo leaned half his body from behind his room door and shouted over to Jiang.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, l-little brother, I-I¡¯ve finally found you.¡±


    As soon as he saw Xiao Luo, Jiang Yongchun was so relieved that he almost burst into tears. With a ck briefcase between his armpit, he squeezed past Xu Guansong and sprinted right towards Xiao Luo¡¯s office.


    Zhang Donghai and Mrs. Liu from the Customer Service Department were just leaving the office. Jiang Yongchun brushed past them as if they weren¡¯t there and only had Xiao Luo in his eyes. With his body bowed humbly, he entered the office room with a nervous smile on his face.


    ¡°Close the door!¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    With a forced smile, Jiang Yongchun gently closed the office door.


    W-what in the world is going on?


    All of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s office workers were stunned. One must know that Jiang Yongchun had only recently shown his hostility towards Luo¡¯s Workshop. He had never been on friendly terms with them. So what was going on now? He had his body bent and was being as respectful as apdog. Had the sun begun to rise in the west, or had he taken the wrong medication?


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Jiang Yongchun? Why does he look like he¡¯s here to appease Mr. Xiao?¡± Xu Guansong mumbled to himself, his brows furrowed.


    Li Zimeng didn¡¯t say anything. Her delicate face was a picture of surprise.


    Many of the people present were bewildered. Gradually their curiosity got the better of them, and they gathered outside Xiao Luo¡¯s office. They pressed their ears against the office door, hoping to hear what was going on.


    ¡°Ahem. A-he-hem¡­¡±


    Xu Guansong coughed loudly several times.


    They thought he was asking them to get back to work, but when they were about to disperse, they heard him say in a serious tone, ¡°Eavesdropping is fine, but don¡¯t get caught by Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, finding it hard to ept Xu Guansong¡¯s sudden change in office etiquette. They wondered, ¡°ording to the norms, shouldn¡¯t Mr. Xu be reprimanding us?¡±


    Inside the office¡­


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, you have to save me. All those top tier hospitals are garbage. They have no idea about what¡¯s wrong with me. I can only ce my hopes on you now. Mr. Xiao, you mustn¡¯t leave me to die,¡± Jiang Yongchun said, almost weeping.


    Last night, he had passed out again in the washroom for no reason and was awaken by the foul odor from the toilet. What¡¯s more, he could even feel his energy-sapping. What made him panic had been that it happened precisely on the fourth day after he met Xiao Luo. He was now even more convinced that Xiao Luo¡¯s diagnosis was urate. He was close to his death.


    And that was why he rushed over so early in the morning!


    Facing suchplications, he didn¡¯t care anymore about Taste Buds or money. Whoever that could save him would have his eternal debt and unbending gratitude.


    ¡°You are sure that I wasn¡¯t lying to you now, huh?¡± Xiao Luo said mockingly, looking up at him.


    Deeply regretful, Jiang Yongchun nodded in affirmation and said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao. I failed to recognize your talents. A person of great moral stature will not remember the offensesmitted by one of low moral stature. I apologize for my rudeness back then. I¡¯m truly sorry!¡±


    He stood up and gave Xiao Luo a deep bow.


    He then took out the contract that was scattered on the floor at theirst meeting and carefully ced it on Xiao Luo¡¯s desk, ¡°This is the contract from that day. I¡¯ve wiped each of the papers myself. There is absolutely no dirt on it.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at the spotless contract. He leaned by his chair and said with a smile while shaking his head, ¡°This is the contract I prepared for you thest time. It isn¡¯t valid anymore. But since you¡¯re so sincere, Mr. Jiang, I¡¯ll draw up another contract for you. The order quantity will remain intact, but the cost, however, has to be altered.¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish, Mr. Xiao. It¡¯s all up to you,¡± Jiang Yongchun said respectfully.


    ¡°500 thousand on top the original base price,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    An additional five hundred thousand dors?


    Although he was already psychologically prepared, an expression of shock still washed over Jiang Yongchun¡¯s face. Five hundred thousand dors was by no means a small number.


    The office staff who heard the words outside the door were equally shocked. They began discussing quietly.


    ¡°How much does Jiang Yongchun want to order originally?¡±


    ¡°Just half a million, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Adding five hundred thousand dors on the original basics, won¡¯t that be directly doubling the price of every mooncake? Mr. Xiao is too ruthless, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Xu Guansong and Li Zimeng, who learned the situation inside the office from these people, took a deep breath and thought secretly, ¡°Half a million to a million dors. It¡¯s outrageous. Would Jiang Yongchun even agree to that?¡±


    ¡°The terms have changed, Mr. Xiao is demanding an additional one million dors.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Goodness gracious, Mr. Xiao said two million because Jiang Yongchun didn¡¯t agree to him immediately.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh my Heavens, it went up, it went up yet again! The price is at four million dors now!¡±


    Voices that were getting more and more agitated,ing from a line of eavesdroppers pressed against Xiao Luo¡¯s office door.


    Even a money printing machine couldn¡¯t produce that much money in such a short time!


    ¡°Preposterous, Mr. Xiao is doing monkey business right now. Forcefully raising a five hundred thousand dor order to four million, Jiang Yongchun would be insane to agree,¡± Xu Guansong expressed his opinion doubtfully after recovering from the shock.


    ¡°I feel the same way. It isn¡¯t like our mooncakes are made of gold. Jiang Yongchun is dumb if he agrees,¡± Zhang Donghai couldn¡¯t help but add.


    Li Zimeng shook his head in disagreement, saying, ¡°Mr. Xiao must have some hold over Jiang Yongchun. Otherwise, he would never be so respectful towards Mr. Xiao.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡±


    Lin Chongdong nodded and echoed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Jiang Yongchun has to agree even if he doesn¡¯t wish to.¡±

 Chapter 137 - A Good News and a Bad News

    Chapter 137: A Good News and a Bad News


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAtst, the deal was closed at five million dors, which meant that he had to spend an additional four and a half million dors in an order that cost only five hundred thousand dors a few days ago. When the news spread around, the entire office building of Luo¡¯s Workshop erupted in cheer!


    ¡°Five million dors? Oh. My God. That¡¯s a ten-fold hike!¡±


    ¡°And Jiang Yongchun actually agreed to it. He is now signing the contract with Mr. Xiao inside the office.¡±


    ¡°This is just too outrageous. It is unbelievable. Has Jiang Yongchun¡¯s brain hemorrhaged or something?¡±


    The crowd was in a state of euphoria. They couldn¡¯t understand, nor could they believe any of it. Someone who had always been hostile towards Luo¡¯s Factory was making an order to theirpany at ten times the usual price. They would never have believed it had they heard someone else, even with a gun pointed at their heads.


    Xu Guansong stood in a stupor, not moving from his spot for some time. After a while, he snapped out of it and just said, ¡°He¡¯s mad.¡± Then he returned to his own office. He had to process everything he had seen and heard this early in the morning.


    ¡°Is Jiang Yongchun a big friggin idiot?¡±


    Zhang Donghai said, his eyes wide open in disbelief. Shaking his head, he turned around and left as he found it hard to ept that this could be happening.


    Li Zimeng and Lin Chongdong were, likewise, stunned silly as they tried their best to digest Jiang Yongchun¡¯s incredibly high-priced order value.


    ¡°Jiang Yongchun ising out!¡±


    Someone shouted. The crowd that had gathered outside Xiao Luo¡¯s office scattered like a flock of birds from the sound of a gunshot. They quickly returned to their respective posts, feigning ignorance. They appeared to be suddenly very hard at work, acting like they didn¡¯t know what had just transpired. Some were tapping on their keyboards, some were writing on notepads, some were making phone calls. They all looked like they had their tes full.


    The office door opened. As they left the room, Jiang Yongchun held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand earnestly, ¡°Mr. Xiao, from today onwards, I, Jiang Yongchun, will dance to the beat of your drum. All of my stic factory¡¯s orders will now belong to Luo¡¯s Workshop!¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, Mr. Jiang,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    As he smiled, Jiang Yongchun only wanted to sing the blues. Five million dors! In weight, it could even kill someone just by dropping it on them from the first floor. The thought that he had just given in to such an outrageous demand stung deep. However, he still kept up his smile andposure.


    When he was leaving, he even waved his hands to Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s employees, who were pretending that they were working, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, everyone. Remember to follow Mr. Xiao¡¯s footsteps. One day, Luo¡¯s Workshop will beat Taste Buds and be the best in Jiangcheng City. Oh wait, you may even be the best pastry enterprise throughout the entire maind! Go! Go! Go! Fight! Fight! Fight all the way!¡±


    To everyone there, it felt like he was giving an MLM motivation talk, clenching his fist and cheering everyone up.


    What in the name of Heaven?!


    What the heck is going on here?


    Everyone in the office had a big fat, ¡°Huh?¡± in their brains. How could one be so happy after being scammed five million dors? It was like he was on drugs or something. Did Jiang Yongchune after taking the wrong medicine?


    Little did they know, upon exiting Luo¡¯s Workshop, Jiang Yongchun got into his car and bawled his eyes out.


    But after crying for a while, he was reminded of the fact that he could live on, and even f*ck around withdies like in his younger days. He immediately regained his vigor, feeling that all the money was well spent. He had now ced all his faith entirely in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands. Only earlier at the office, Xiao Luo had pricked a needle into a specific part of his body. Immediately, he felt revitalized and rxed. It proved to him that Xiao Luo really knew how to treat someone.


    As he thought about that, he felt the prescription in his pocket getting heavier!


    At that moment, his phone rang. The call came from Fang Changlei.


    Jiang Yongchun knitted his eyebrows and hesitated for a moment, but after a while, he decided to pick up the call. With a grin, he said, ¡°Mr. Fang, I have some good news and some bad news to tell you. So, which do you wish to hear first?¡±


    Fang Changlei, on the other end of the line, was a little surprised, not at all expecting Jiang Yongchun to start the conversation with such a line. He asked, ¡°Jiang Yongchun, is there anything wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just a little excited.¡±


    Jiang Yongchunughed, ¡°I think I¡¯ll start with the good news. The good news is, in half a month, I can get back to banging all thedies with you, Mr. Fang.¡±


    Fang Changlei was at aplete loss. He thought, ¡°What the heck is he saying? Isn¡¯t it a secret that he¡¯s no longer capable when ites to that? He¡¯s a living eunuch, so why did he suddenlye up with that statement? Is he trying to fool me?¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ high on drugs?¡±


    It was reasonable that Fang Changlei would assume so. Being all hyped up and spouting pure fluff, this was precisely how someone high on drugs would behave.


    ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m not high. I¡¯ve met Brother Xiao, and he can treat my illness.¡±


    Jiang Yongchun was getting excited now. He was so excited that his speech became incoherent. He was like someone who had suddenly regained sight after being blind for ten years. The emotions he was experiencing were several times more than being high on drugs.


    ¡°Brother Xiao? Do you mean that bastard Xiao Luo from Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡± Fang Changlei said in utter shock and contempt.


    ¡°Oh yeah! Him!¡±


    Jiang Youngchun smiled, ¡°He can treat me, so I had no choice but give them all my factory¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Is this the bad news you wanna tell me?¡± Fang Changlei ground his teeth, suppressing his mounting anger.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    After answering him, Jiang Yongchun quickly pulled his phone away from his ear, because he was well aware of exactly what was going to happen next.


    As he expected, Fang Changlei¡¯s bellowing voice came screaming out from the earpiece. Every word heard, crystal clear even from that distance.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, your mum! Jiang Yongchun, has your brain been shat on by a donkey or what? Did he say that, and you just believed it? Use your dog¡¯s brain and think about it carefully. He¡¯s fooling you.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not my brother. I¡¯ve experienced it myself. Mr. Xiao is capable in that matter,¡± Jiang Yongchun frowned as he tried to exin.


    ¡°You fool of a donkey. You are a stupid dumb as* donkey from head to toe. Aren¡¯t you clear yourself about whether your junk down there is still functioning? How could you believe in that little bastard? I¡¯m already being reserved here, just calling you a stupid donkey.¡±


    Fang Changlei was infuriated. He had already met Chu Yunxiong, who gave him strong reassurance. Chu Yunxiong made it clear that he wasn¡¯t against him. This would mean that Xiao Luo was the one that orchestrated the entire scheme all by himself. He was also piqued when he surprisingly found out about Xiao Luo¡¯s astounding strategy to scam them all.


    The reason he called Jiang Yongchun was to inquire about whether there were any developments at his end. As it turned out, Jiang Yongchun also canceled his orders like those heartless scumbags before this and turned their orders over to Luo¡¯s Workshop. With that many betrayals, no matter how strong his state of mind was, any man would just fall over and spit out a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Mr. Fang, say whatever you want, but I can only apologize regarding the orders for Mid-Autumn this time.¡±


    Like a dead mouse feeling no cold, Jiang Yongchun hung up the call as soon as he finished his sentence. There was nothing left to negotiate. Between Taste Buds and his health, he had chosen thetter without any hesitation.


    [Taste Buds¡¯ General Manager¡¯s Office]


    After his call with Jiang Yongchun ended, Fang Changlei, looked strangely serene.


    But yet his appearance looked gloomy, and that was terrifying. He was stumped. He really couldn¡¯t figure it out. Without Chu Yunxiong¡¯s assistance, how did Xiao Luo manage to snatch over more than ten of Taste Buds¡¯ old customers?


    Jiang Yongchun¡¯s betrayal, especially. It dealt a massive blow to him!


    Never in his life would he have expected that Jiang Yongchun would betray him. Why did that happen? Just what was Xiao Luo capable of? The information he got only showed that he was originally a regr jobber boy. How did he gain so much influence so suddenly?


    This can¡¯t be. I must get back at him!


    He took out his phone and dialed a number which he marked as ¡°trump card.¡± At that exact moment, somewhere inside Luo¡¯s Workshop, a phone rang.

 Chapter 138 - Blown Up

    Chapter 138: Blown Up


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe job orders for the Mid-Autumn Festival were sufficient to get Luo¡¯s Workshop up and about. They were not far away from actually getting thepany back on its feet.


    At this moment, however, Xiao Luo in a quandary. He was brooding with an intense, downtrodden look on his face. He had just received a piece of really bad news, and they were on the losing end in theirwsuit against Chen Jianbai. The oue of the first trial was not in favor of Luo¡¯s Workshop. The reason behind their sess was none other than the outstandingwyer Taste Buds have appointed for Chen Jianbai.


    ¡°Thewyer that represented Chen Jianbai in his defense went by the name of Fu Heyu. His reputation is up there alongside Ge Zhongtian. He is one of the finest advocates and solicitors in town. With his sharp tongue, he could distort and manipte facts to win his arguments. Aside from that single time where he lost to Ge Zhongtian, he has never lost any other case he took on. As such, he was poprly hailed by the public as ¡°Orator Fu.¡± Head of the Department of Legal Affairs, Zhang Yong, had reported the oue to Xiao Luo. He looked glum and sullen, disappointed that they had lost the high ground in the first trial.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond to him immediately. He only sat on his chair, staring into hisptop. He was watching the proceedings of the first trail intently, and he didn¡¯t even blink his eyes once. His fingers continued tapping rhythmically on the table in a.


    Xiao Luo, acting in this way, created a mood of anxiety in the room. Li Ziming and Zhang Yong, who was standing in his office at this moment, felt very agitated. This uneasiness made them feel like they were in front of a firing squad. They didn¡¯t volunteer to utter a word.


    This was especially true for Li Ziming. Initially, she was convinced that with the recording in hand, Chen Jianbai would be on the losing of the litigation as she felt they had a watertight case. With that, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation could have been redeemed. However, when Fu Heyu cropped up out of nowhere. He cleverly manipted the facts and evidence, utilizing his advocacy skills to the hilt. The court then sided with the defendant, Chen Jianbai, believing that it was Luo¡¯s Workshop that forced him to record the audio. Luo¡¯s Workshop was now faced with a few hundred thousand dors fine for suspected threatening, intimidation, ndering, and defamation.


    Luo¡¯s Workshop suddenly turned from the intiff to the defendant!


    The turnaround had happened so swiftly that it took them by surprise. Nobody would¡¯ve expected this oue.


    ¡°The way he articted his words was nothing short of phenomenal. Even I was almost convinced that Luo¡¯s Workshop was in the wrong after watching the footage,¡± Xiao Luo said, letting out a long breath, as he smiled.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, we still have a chance to win this case. As long as we can engage Ge Zhongtian as our counsel, there will be no need for us to be afraid of Fu Heyu,¡± Zhang Yong suggested.


    After the first proceedings, judging by the situation, only by getting Ge Zhongtian to be part of their legal team would they stand a chance to win thewsuit. Should they fail, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation would inevitably suffer another fatal blow. Even with an unexpected increase in job orders for the Mid-Autumn Festival, it would only keep Luo¡¯s Workshop sustaining itself financially for just a while longer.


    Xiao Luo stared at him with a chilling expression, ¡°You are the head of the Legal Affairs Department. It is your responsibility and your job to go to court for thepany. You shouldn¡¯t be thinking about how to hire a betterwyer. I¡¯d say you should be thinking about how to win thiswsuit.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Zhang Yong remained silent and awkwardly lowered his head.


    At that moment, Xu Guansong stepped forward and said, ¡°I do have faith in Zhang Yong¡¯s abilities, but behind an able man will always be another even more able man. Fu Heyu is one of the topwyers in Jiangcheng City. To be fair, Zhang Yong losing to him is inevitable. It¡¯s just likeparing a high-speed train and a railway train. We can¡¯t possibly be asking a railway train to outrun a high-speed train, can we? If something like that were to happen, it would be against thews of nature, am I right?¡±


    He was obviously making excuses for Zhang Yong to relieve him of his responsibilities. Zhang Yong couldn¡¯t help but eye him with a look of gratitude.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, for you to be so calm, it seems that this is entirely within your expectations?¡± Xiao Luo lifted his head and nced at Xu Guansong as he asked probingly.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, it¡¯s not like I disagree with you, but I¡¯ve already suggested to you not to file awsuit against Chen Jianbai. It was just that you didn¡¯t take my advice.¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s tone of objection was quite harsh, but he had raised some relevant points. It was uncharacteristic of Xu Guansong to react in this way. For whatever reason, he feltpelled to drive home his point, ¡°Taste Buds will never just stand aside and watch as Chen Jianbai gets sued. With their influence, and not to mention Fu Heyu, even hiring Ge Zhongtian to defend Chen Jianbai could be possible. It that happens, then itis destined that Luo¡¯s Workshop will lose. As a reporter, Chen Jianbai has his ownwork of influence. I bet a horde of reporters is already on their way to ourpany to demand an answer from us.¡±


    As if to confirm his words, Mrs. Liu from the Customer Service Department knocked on the office door. She said apprehensively to Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao, there are some 50 to 60 reporters outside ourpany asking to see you. They said they want answers from you about why have you threatened their colleague. They even havee with their interviewing props, iming that they will expose Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s crimes.¡±


    ¡°So, it stilles to this!¡±


    Xu Guansong let out a long sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with them. Their questions will be very tricky, but I should be able to handle them.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and strode out of the office.


    Li Ziming gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Bastards!¡±


    As the one who personally went with Xiao Luo to collect evidence, she felt exasperated and wronged. It was Chen Jianbai who deliberately ndered Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s name. But after the first court session, the tables were turned. Luo¡¯s Workshop was now being used of threatening and intimidating Chen Jianbai instead. How could the truth be easily be twisted? Then, what else in this world could we truly believe?


    Xiao Luo kept his gaze on the wall in front of him, without any expression on his face. Running apany wasn¡¯t easy, and now, he finally got a taste of it himself.


    At this moment, his phone rang. It was a video call from Zhang Dashan.


    He waved his hands, gesturing Li Zimeng and Zhang Yong to leave his office. Talking to Zhang Dashan would ruin the dignified image he had carefully nurtured in thepany. He didn¡¯t want his employees to witness his true colors.


    When the two left, Xiao Luo epted Zhang Dashan¡¯s video call request.


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s chubby, slit-eyed face immediately appeared on his phone, apanied by the sound of chaotic noises in the background. The location Zhang Dashan was at now was right at the Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s entrance. There was not only Zhang Dashan on the screen but also Feng Wuhen and the rest of his gang who were in security uniforms.


    Lin Chongdong of the Human Resource Department had made them security guards based on their strengths. The job was slightly easier than that of regr workers, and their difference in pay wasn¡¯t all at big.


    ¡°Mate, things are gonna blow up here. These moronic reporters are insisting that such a recording exists because the Luo¡¯s Workshop has threatened Chen Jianbai. They are doing a live broadcast now. They are demanding you to show up in person to give them an answer. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll be on the headlines if we don¡¯t deal with this smartly,¡± said Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°What a headache!¡± Xiao Luo rubbed his temples.


    Zhang Dashan scolded immediately, ¡°Headache your as* you fool! Hurry up and think of something! These bastards are getting more and more demanding. I¡¯ll let you hear the mor.¡±


    After he switched to the back camera, Xiao Luo could not only see the annoying and detestable faces of the reporters; he could even hear them screaming.


    ¡°Shamefulpany! You threatened our colleague with despicable methods. We are determined to expose this!¡±


    ¡°We will be staying here until your boss appears for an interview with us. Let¡¯s see how you can keep your production going.¡±


    ¡°Show yourself! Don¡¯t be a coward! Get out here, boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop! You owe the reporters of Jiangcheng City an answer.¡±


    The crowd was roused and behaving aggressively. Each word uttered was more unpleasant than the previous one. Certainly enough, all their verbal abuses were not going to be broadcasted.


    When Xu Guansong appeared, they immediately extended their microphone into the iron gate, booted their cameras, and started the live broadcast.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, in the first trial, the court has used Luo¡¯s Workshop of threatening and forging evidence to defame our colleague. What are your views on this matter?¡±


    ¡°As the weaker party, reporters are prone to be threatened by massivepanies like yours. Aside from threatening Mr. Chen Jianbai, have thepany also threatened some other people before?¡±


    ¡°It is rumored that Luo¡¯s Workshop has a new boss, does your new bosse from a thuggish background?


    Harsh questions were thrown at Xu Guansong out one after another.

 Chapter 139 - Money Monger

    Chapter 139: Money Monger


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio[Chongshan House]


    Chu Yunxiong sat in the office and watched the TV as he casually drank his tea and rxed. He had a smile on his face. Anyone that didn¡¯t know him would assume he was just an average middle-aged man. Yet, to those that do, they would know him as an ambitious businessman that stood at the very top thedder with his unreachable authority and social status.


    Another man was watching the TV in his room. The man was well dressed and wore gold-trim sses; this was the famouswyer Ge Zhongtian.


    The television was currently broadcasting Jiangcheng News.


    Aside from biased reports by journalists that held a grudged against the Luo Workshop, thanks to Chen Jianbo., there were also some neutral reporters. These neutral journalists¡¯ reports ended up on the news of the Jiangcheng channel.


    Did the Luo Workshop threaten and ckmailed Chen Jianbo to fake evidence, or was there indeed another story behind this?


    Chu Yunxiong shook his head and took a sip of tea as he looked at therge headline beneath the screen and said: ¡°Fang Changlei gave Xiao Luo another serious problem to solve.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian nodded: ¡°The head of the legal department of the Luo¡¯s Workshop is no match for Bo Heyu. Even I couldn¡¯t say with confidence that I would be able to win a legal argument with him without having enough time to prepare ahead of time. That the Luo workshop will lose the first trial is expected, but new questions have arisen as a result. These could cast doubts over the counter-charges bought against Luo¡¯s Workshop. It is a question of motives.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian nodded: ¡°The head of the legal department of the Luo¡¯s Workshop is no match for Bo Heyu. Even I couldn¡¯t say with confidence that I would be able to win a legal argument with him, without having enough time to prepare ahead my case. That the Luo workshop will lose the first trial is expected, but new questions have arisen as a result of this trial. These could cast doubts over the counter-charges bought against Luo¡¯s Workshop. It is a question of motives.¡±


    ¡°The first question is regarding the group of reporters. A majority of them were bent on ruining the Luo Workshop¡¯s reputation. This was even if it meant raising unrest in public. In these times where social media ys such an essential role in business and everyday life, the Luo¡¯s Workshop would suffer tremendous losses both in trust deficit and sales if they don¡¯t manage the situation ordingly. The actions of the reporters appear to be instigated. So who put them up to it?


    Next, Fang Changlei could not merely sit and watch his business go down. Xiao Luo took away dozens of his old Taste Buds¡¯ customers. It is clear he held a grudge against the young man for this, so there is a motive to get his revenge. That spy he nted in the Luo Workshop will likely be on the move very soon.


    Finally, if the Luo Workshop doesn¡¯t provide more tangible evidence and witness ounts during the second trial in five days, they will lose thewsuit. They will then have to carry the crimes of threatening and ckmailing the media, which will further agitate the higher-ups of the court and stain the Luo Workshop¡¯s reputation to a destructive end. To whose advantage is this?¡±


    ¡°What do you think Xiao Luo will do?¡± Chu Yunxiaong asked with a grin.


    ¡°This is a game he¡¯s doomed to lose. The 50 to 60 reporters gathered up at the Luo Workshop¡¯s entrance is already hard to deal with, without even considering thewsuit against Chen Jianbo in court. He cannot resort to violence, and the more he exins, the deeper the hole he¡¯ll be digging for himself. And if he makes even the slightest mistake in his witness ounts or demonstrates a falsity in any of these pieces of evidence, it will be magnified by the media. This is something that reporters are good at; it is a known fact that they have a hand in influencing public opinion, so every sentence and every word the Luo Workshop says to them will have to bepletely sanitized with no loopholes. Otherwise, the Luo Workshop will be walking into their graves.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian paused for a moment as he pondered over the whole affair. He then fixed the sses on his face and said, ¡°So I think Xiao Luo wille to ask for your help. This may perhaps be the only option left to him.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s grin deepened as he heard this line. He ced his teacup on the table and waved his hand to say: ¡°No, you don¡¯t interact with him a lot, so you don¡¯t know how he¡¯s like at all. Xiao Luo will nevere to ask me for help. He has his pride and his ambitions; he refuses to bend down before others, nor is he willing to owe anyone favors. He¡¯s the most unyielding young man I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian frowned and asked: ¡°But if he doesn¡¯t ask for your help, how will he walk out of this in one piece?¡±


    ¡°This is also what I¡¯m looking forward to seeing.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong shifted his gaze back onto the television and said, ¡°Xiao Luo is someone that can create miracles. That is why I¡¯m personally such fond of the young man and would give my attention to him.¡±


    Recounting the time Fang Changlei came to visit him recently to test the waters, Chu Yunxiong immediately caught onto Xiao Luo¡¯s n of action. The Fuke Group¡¯s orders and the few dozen orders from former customers of Taste Buds were all in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands now. This was evidence of what a formidable and fearsome young man Xiao Luo was. He had skillset others could only dream of possessing. Even were Chu Yunxiong to be in Xiao Luo¡¯s position, there was no way he would have been able to achieve such a feat.


    He smiled and mumbled to himself. ¡°The golden koi fishes are already in your pond; it will only take a small gust of wind for them to turn into dragons. What kind of surprise will you be bringing me this time?¡±


    Ge Zhongtian stared at him speechlessly. He didn¡¯t think that Chu Yunxiong would have such high regard for Xiao Luo.


    [Taste Buds]


    ¡°That Xiao bastard, I¡¯d like to see what you can do this time. You sure don¡¯t cherish your life now that you made the foolish decision to fight me, hahaha.¡±


    Fang Changleiughed jas he watched the news and released all the frustration that had been building up inside him ofte. This time, he wanted the Luo¡¯s Workshop to be hit badly with no chances of getting back up on its feet.


    The office door opened suddenly, and Fang Shn walked in still in her school uniform. She nced at him quizzically and said: ¡°What¡¯s so funny dad, I can hear youughing down the hallway.¡±


    ¡°A great thing, of course!¡± Fang Chenglei¡¯s eyes were filled with affection as he saw his daughter walk in.


    ¡°¡® Luo Workshop top brass threaten and ckmail reporters and fake evidence to rebuild their reputations through lies.¡¯ Dad, this is another one of your plots again, right?¡± Fang Shn immediately guessed this news had something to do with her father.


    Fang Chenglei only smiled at her and didn¡¯t say a word, implying that he didn¡¯t need to exin.


    ¡°That¡¯s so amazing, dad. The Luo Workshop won¡¯t be a match for you, they¡¯ll go bankrupt real soon, and our Taste Buds will monopolize the market.¡± Fang Shn gave him a thumbs-up, beaming.


    Fang Chenglei lifted his head and said cockily: ¡°That Xiao kid from the Luo Workshop is still too young to be my opponent. It only takes one little trick up my sleeve, and his arms are already tied up.¡±


    That Xiao kid?


    Fang Shn stared nkly for a moment as a name shed across her mind¡ªXiao Luo.


    She recalled the attack on Chu Yue at the Wild Boar Ridge. It took her a long time to get over itpletely. If those mercenaries left such a strong impression in her mind, then her memory of Xiao Luo was no less traumatic.


    So when she heard her father said ¡°that Xiao kid,¡± she immediately associated it with the man that had once controlled her through fear. She would never forget the time when Xiao Luo caught her by her neck. That experience was as if the god of death had walked right by her. It still sent chills down her spine, every she recalled the scene.


    She shook her head as she desperately tried to remove those thoughts from her head and whined to Fang Changlei: ¡°Dad, I¡¯m out of money.¡±


    She finally spoke her mind.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just give you 100,000 half a month ago?¡± Fang Changlei¡¯s expression hardened.


    ¡°I won¡¯t exin where the money went, but I just don¡¯t have money anymore. Deal with it, Dad!¡± Fang Shn turned her head away.


    Fang Changlei shook his head and once again submitted to his daughter¡¯s demands: ¡°Okay, okay, since dad¡¯s in a good mood today, I¡¯ll send another 100,000 over, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay¡±


    Fang Shn immediately hugged him around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheeks andughed joyfully: ¡°Dad, you¡¯re the best in the world!¡±


    Fang Changlei¡¯s heart melted immediately. There was a saying that daughters were all lovers of the father in their past lives, and under the spell of Fang Shn¡¯s affectionate, he had no more heart to worry about money and could only warn her out of habit, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t spend it all in one day!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid since dad has all the money in the world. Even if my brother and I tried, we wouldn¡¯t be able to use it all up in our lifetime. Dad, I¡¯ll head out now, don¡¯t forget to send the money to my ount, I¡¯ll need it tonight.¡±


    ¡°You little money monger!¡±


    Fang Changlei shook his head in resignation but still kept an affectionate smile on his face.

 Chapter 140 - Locking Up the Dogs for a Beating

    Chapter 140: Locking Up the Dogs for a Beating


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio[Luo¡¯s Workshop]


    ¡°We did not threaten or ckmail anyone, nor did we fake any evidence. This is absolutely false. The court will be fair and just, and everyone here from Luo¡¯s Workshop is a good citizen that abide by thew. Nobody here was from that ¡®H society¡¯, so please remain calm and wait for the court¡¯s final verdict. I believe that thew will judge fairly in this case.¡±


    Xu Guansong was fielding questions from a crowd of more than 50 reporters in front of the entrance of Luo¡¯s Workshop. He simply couldn¡¯t be heard over the deluge of questions thrown at him. He raised his voice over the din, to the point his face was turning red from exasperation.


    ¡°Vice-President Xu, your carefully worded response is noted, but you¡¯re not the owner of the Luo Workshop right now. Please let your Presidente out and give an exnation to us and the public.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We reporters work this city day and night around the clock, just to earn a living., We¡¯ve only reported that someone had died eating your contaminated bread. And yet you have threatened and ckmailed us, even bringing us to court; don¡¯t you feel ashamed of your actions? You even lied to rebuild your reputation. How could you possibly expect us to believe you and trust your food quality?¡±


    Angry questions flew from every direction. It was evident that the reporters were holding a grudge against Luo¡¯s Workshop. They were treating this more like an interrogation of a criminal than a piece of investigative reporting.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before; we can continue to debate what¡¯s right or wrong in public. As for what actually happened, the court will give their verdict based on truth and evidence. Kindly disperse and do not gather around the entrance to our office, this is a hindering ourpany¡¯s daily operations.¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s throat was getting dry from all the back-and-forth. He decided it was time to back away from the crowd and return to his office for a drink.


    After regaining hisposure with a quick drink of water, he headed straight to Xiao Luo¡¯s office. As he entered Xiao¡¯s office, he shook his head in resignation, and sighed, ¡°It looks like the reporters outside won¡¯t rest until they see you. All this is happening because I couldn¡¯t convince you to back down.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked up at him and said: ¡°And why does Vice-President Xu need to pay any attention to them? Just pretend they¡¯re a bunch of flies.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ve been gathering outside and blocking the entrance. The trucks carrying our supplies and stock can¡¯t get in and out. We can¡¯t let this continue, or else it will severely affect ourpany¡¯s operations.¡± Xu Guansong said.


    ¡°Do you have any good constructive advice on this?¡±


    ¡°I think you should go out and talk to the reporters, try to calm them down. Don¡¯t confront them with any verbal threats. I suspect these reporters all came here on Chen Jianbo¡¯s instruction to stir up trouble. Any kind of threats you make will only be manipted and turned into nderous reports. It will only serve to help them write something extremely negative article Luo¡¯s Workshop and hurt us even more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Let me be for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I hope you take my suggestion to heart this time. I¡¯ve watched the Luo Workshop slowly grow into what it is today. I¡¯ll never do anything to harm the reputation of Luo¡¯s Workshop. We can put a stop to all of this¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Xiao Luo waved a hand to cut him off.


    Xu Guansong held back from finishing his sentence, nodded, and stepped out of the office.


    As he left, Zhang Dashan once again rang in on video call.


    ¡°Old Xiao, these bastards are way too much, makes me want to whack someone from hearing all of this!¡± Zhang Dashan roared over the phone.


    Xiao Luo could hear everything those reporters were yelling about through the video.


    ¡°Come out, manager of the Luo Workshop! Don¡¯t be a coward!¡±


    ¡°You dare to threaten and ckmail us reporters but yet won¡¯te for an interview?¡±


    ¡°H society. ckpany. The Luo Workshop is a ck factory that won¡¯t even let us report on contaminated bread that killed someone. Do you think you can cover everything up?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s demeanor turned for the worse as he heard the reporters calling his name out. Although he had built his reputation as a businessman, in reality, he was still a wild beast at heart. He found it difficult to ept the nders and humiliation from those reporters.


    ¡°Dashan, inform the security department to bring these reporters to the conference hall.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to ept their interview?¡± Zhang Dashan was shocked.


    ¡°If they were really here for an interview, I will definitely agree. But, it¡¯s clear that¡¯s not the case here.¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled lightly, ¡°remember, don¡¯t do anything and don¡¯t ask anything after you let them in the hall, just tell them to wait there.¡±


    ¡°You¡­what, are you nning on doing?¡±


    Zhang Dashan gulped. Despite being as close as brothers with Xiao Luo, he still felt a moment of fear just looking at the ferocious look Xiao Luo had on right now.


    ¡°Nothing, just make sure you and the security guards do your jobs.¡±


    With a mischievous grin, Xiao Luo added, ¡°also, tell Feng Wuhen and the guys¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s ns got to Zhang Dashan¡¯s ears. He was downhearted from all themotion at first, until the news arrived. His eyes lit up the moment he heard, ¡°Finally!¡± He cheered in excitement.


    ¡°Sh*t, let¡¯s do it. I swear I¡¯ll scare the life out of these reporters! See if they dare mess with Luo¡¯s Workshop again after this.¡±


    Zhang Dashan hung up the call, and yelled towards Feng Wuhen, ¡°Hey old folks, it¡¯s time for work!¡±


    ¡°Brother Xiao gave you a call, right? I swear I¡¯ve had my eyes on them for a while now. Don¡¯t worry; we¡¯ll handle these as the security guards. I can beat their a*ses up all by myself.¡± Feng Wuhen rolled up his sleeves as he prepared himself, beaming from the excitement.


    ¡°That¡¯s too uncouth. Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re cultured men, and we don¡¯t go shing our weapons around.¡±


    Zhang Dashan made a show of his dressing down, and even Feng Wuhen and his brainlessckeys looked at him, then at each other, in confusion. Zhang Dashan grabbed a speakerphone from the head of security. Clearing his throat, he called out to the reporters, ¡°You garb¡­Oh sorry, you guys that represent the public and our hardworking journalists, listen up. I have some good news; our boss agreed to see you guys. Here, please follow us to the conference hall. Please have a seat inside our fully air-conditions room and wait for our boss!¡±


    He almost erred with a monumental slip of the tongue when he called out to the reporters. ¡°Garbage¡± was what he felt about these people, but he thankfully checked himself in time.


    The guards at the building entrance received the notice and duly pressed the remote switch. The automatic door opened slowly. The steel side door remained closed, primarily used as an emergency exit.


    ¡°Now this is what I¡¯m talking about. We¡¯ll just wait for Mr. Xiao in the hall, tell him toe quickly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t y games with us, or we will expose everything Luo¡¯s Workshop does.¡±


    ¡°Looks like your workshop does know how to read the mood of the public.¡±


    The crowd of reporters appeared cheerful as they walked into the airconditioned hall, strutting proudly with their chins up.


    Zhang Dashan smiled as he directed them inside: ¡°This way, please. This way, please!¡±


    Once the reporters had all entered the building, he shot a nce at the security guards. The guards promptly closed the door as if they were locking up dogs in a house for a beating.

 Chapter 141 - I Am a Temp

    Chapter 141: I Am a Temp


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°You¡¯re not going to believe this! Something big is happening! Our security drove that group of reporters into the auditorium, confiscated their equipment and phones by force, and locked them in like prisoners.¡±


    At Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s office building, a gossipy female staff passed around the news to the people upstairs.


    Already filled with a low murmur of voices discussing the disturbance created by the reporters downstairs, the office soon boiled over into amotion.


    ¡°The security department must act on President Xiao¡¯s request. What does President Xiao want to do?¡±


    ¡°Judging by the situation, he may use brutal force on those reporters.¡±


    ¡°But that will only escte the matter with disastrous consequences.¡±


    People¡¯s faces became frightened. This was such a reckless and irresponsible move. Didn¡¯t this reinforce the reporters¡¯ im that Luo¡¯s Workshop was a shadypany with a bad reputation?


    The next instant, all of the department heads walked together toward Xiao Luo¡¯s office. Xu Guansong, in particr, practically sprinted there at full speed. The moment they knocked on and opened the door of Xiao Luo¡¯s office, they burst into a lively discussion. Like ministers advising an emperor in ancient times, everyone was anxious to put in a word. The main message was that they shouldn¡¯t treat the reporters this way. Otherwise, the situation would get even worse.


    ¡°President Xiao, I firmly oppose your way of dealing with this matter. It¡¯s too extreme. People have already referred to Luo¡¯s Workshop as the mob. What you¡¯re doing is undoubtedly going to prove that they are right.¡± Xu Guansong was exceptionally hot with emotion. Even his face turned red.


    Lin Chongdong pursed his lips and said, ¡°Even though I find these reporters detestable, we still can¡¯t resort to violence no matter how we feel about them. I hope you will think things over and consider carefully.¡±


    Xiao Luo closed hisptop and stood up with his hands behind his back. He said emotionlessly, ¡°Your objections are invalid. For anyone whoins about me, I wee your resignation at any time!¡±


    After making his speech, Xiao Luo walked out directly and left his ministers to stare at each other helplessly.


    Ever since he¡¯d taken over Luo¡¯s Workshop, Xiao Luo had wanted to lead the enterprise with a wolf¡¯s spirit. What was a wolf¡¯s spirit? In his mind, it could be summarized in one word, ruthless.


    Instead of shrinking back in fear and being afraid of taking action, he had to be ruthless and make Luo¡¯s Workshop into a wolves¡¯ den. Anyone who dared cause trouble had to pay the price.


    ¡°Vice President Xu, what should we do? Are we really going to let President Xiao carry on regardless of our protests?¡± one employee asked Xu Guansong.


    Before Xu Guansong had a chance to answer, Li Zimeng rushed to reply first, ¡°Please don¡¯t frame the situation that way. I support President Xiao.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. These reporters have gone too far in their bullying of us. They thought that we were pushovers. They will learn their ce if we don¡¯t teach them a lesson today. Sister Zimeng, let¡¯s go watch how President Xiao will deal with these reporters,¡± said Luo Qi, burning with anger.


    Li Zimeng nodded and left with Luo Qi.


    The rest of the group looked at Xu Guansong and waited for him to make a decision.


    Xu Guansong clenched his teeth, exhaled a deep breath, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look as well.¡±


    All of the executives marched toward the auditorium.


    At that moment, the auditorium was filled with sounds of protest.


    ¡°You seized our equipment by force. I will expose this despicable act to the world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re holding us prisoner. I will sue you in the court when I get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Mobpany! You will certainly receive your deserved punishment.¡±


    The loud, cloyingints echoed in therge auditorium, yet no one dared put any of their threats of retaliation into action. A reporter who resisted was beaten and had even lost a tooth. The security guards surrounding them held ck batons and stared at them coldly like a bunch of demons. The reporters could only shout in protest, but they didn¡¯t have the courage to do anything.


    Zhang Dashan followed Xiao Luo¡¯s previous order. He didn¡¯t care about anything else or ask any questions. He just left the reporters out in the cold. He also told Feng Wuhen that he could deter anyone who dared cause trouble. He even authorized him to use violence if deterrence didn¡¯t work. To the end of his order, he added, ¡°this came from Brother Xiao,¡± which dispelled all of Feng Wuhen¡¯s hesitations.


    ¡­


    The reporters gradually quieted down since no one paid any attention to them. But they waited in the auditorium for three hours in extreme thirst and hunger.


    A female reporter finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She stood up from her seat and ran to the auditorium door, wanting to leave.


    Feng Wuhen stretched out his arm and blocked her, saying, ¡°Miss, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way. I want to leave. You have no right to vite my freedom!¡±


    The female reporter mustered her courage and yelled loudly, even though the man in front of her was the hefty fellow who¡¯d knocked out another reporter¡¯s tooth with one punch.


    Feng Wuhen frowned and said, ¡°That can¡¯t happen. President Xiao is not here yet. None of you can leave.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet him anymore. I want to leave. Get out of my way!¡± The female reporter bellowed with her teeth clenched.


    ¡°Hehe! Did you think that President Xiao was some random stray animal on the street thates and goes at your pleasure?¡±


    Feng Wuhen had been called a scourge back in the vige. He was very experienced at ying the hooligan, although he had nevermitted any major crimes like assault or rape. Acting like a bandit, he said, ¡°Since President Xiao has agreed to see you, it¡¯s no longer up to you whether you meet him or not. Get the f*ck back and stay put. I¡¯m a temp who has nothing to lose. Don¡¯t pressure me into using force!¡±


    He stepped forward with a vicious face and scared the female reporter back several steps. Eventually, she was defeated by Feng Wuhen¡¯s gangster-like presence and returned to her seat in haste.


    ¡°Bullsh*t. You¡¯re keeping us waiting here on purpose. To put it clearly, this is illegal confinement. We will sue you once we get out!¡± A male reporter with a full beard stood up and shouted at Feng Wuhen.


    ¡°Sue us?¡±


    Feng Wuhen gave Xiaowu a look. Xiaowu immediately walked over and dragged the man with the beard from his seat to Feng Wuhen like a dog.


    ¡°You! What are you doing? I¡¯m a journalist. What on earth are you doing?¡± The bearded man was frightened.


    Pah!


    Without saying another word, Feng Wuhen raised his hand, which was as big as a cattail leaf, and smacked the reporter in the face. The exceptionally resounding blow made the hearts of all the reporters in the auditorium tremble. They sat bolt upright in all seriousness.


    After pping the bearded man, Feng Wuhen grasped his cor like a punk and spat fiercely, ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m a temp. I could walk away from anything, even if I maimed you. Holding you here is nothing. You shut your mouth as I ordered and go wait for President Xiao quietly in your seat.¡±


    Feng Wuhen shoved the bearded man away. Scanning the rest of the crowd of reporters with his cold eyes, he growled, ¡°Do not cause any more f*cking trouble. Otherwise, I will give all of you a taste. It¡¯s fine if you want to drink water. There is a water dispenser in the corner. But you will hold it if you need to pee. You will not leave this auditorium no matter what before President Xiao gets here.¡±


    Hisst sentence was almost a roar. Matched with his ferocious face, it had quite a deterring effect.


    None of the reporters dared to say anything more. They understood their current situation clearly. They were the fish on the chopping board, entirely at their captor¡¯s mercy. Some of the female reporters were already shaking in fear

 Chapter 142 - You Can Interview Now

    Chapter 142: You Can Interview Now


    More than 50 reporters were locked in the auditorium for a whole day.


    It was seven o¡¯clock at night, and they had spent eight hours there in the auditorium. All of them were extremely hungry and exhausted. Some people were so eager to go to the bathroom that their faces twisted in difort. During the eight hours of confinement, they had suffered tremendously both physically and mentally and were on the edge of a nervous breakdown.


    Some people tried to barge through the door yet were beaten harshly to ck eyes and broken noses. The security guards even showed no mercy to women and pped them on their faces. Feng Wuhen and his people who were wearing the security guards¡¯ uniforms looked no different from a gang in the reporters¡¯ eyes.


    Some female reporters cried. Their will was almost crushed by the eight-hour torture of Feng Wuhen¡¯s cruelness, adding to exhaustion, hunger, and desperation for the toilet. They were like prisoners in a holding cell, dreaming and craving for the free world outside.


    ¡°Good news, good news. President Xiao, the person you want to interview, is finallying!¡±


    The sharp and hoarse voice of Zhang Dashan sounded.


    His announcement was music to the reporters¡¯ ears. They all bucked up immediately as they knew that the tormenting wait was about to be over, and they would be able to get out of here soon.


    Xiao Luo strolled in slowly and walked directly to the podium.


    He was wearing a slim, long sleeve ck sweater with bright red and white stripe. The sleeves were rolled up and showed his forearms. A slight smile was hanging on his smooth and fair face.


    The reporters were all taken by surprise and thought to themselves: Was this the head of the Luo¡¯s Workshop? How could he be so young!


    No wonder they were stunned by Xiao Luo. The president of this type ofpany was usually a middle-aged man. They had never seen a CEO this young.


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re all hungry? I have dinner ready for you!¡± Xiao Luo spoke while looking at the reporters.


    Right after his voice faded, the staff of the Luo¡¯s Workshop pushed in trolleys that were full of pastries and desserts and handed out several freshly baked bread to every reporter in the room. Xiao Luo had a share as well.


    He sat down in a natural and poised manner and started to eat the food with great relish in front of the reporters. He said while eating, ¡°The Luo¡¯s Workshop is apany that produces baked goods. We only have these to serve you. Go ahead and eat it. You need the energy to interview me after finishing dinner.¡±


    A male reporter who was wearing a pair of ck-frame sses snapped. As hungry as he was, the hunger was nothingparing with the humiliation he had suffered today. He grabbed the bread in front of him and threw it on the ground with all of his strength, then stomped on it repeatedly and roared at Xiao Luo, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be such a hypocrite. You have locked us up here for a whole day. Wait to receive summons when we get out of here. More than 50 summons. I don¡¯t believe you can get away from prison!¡±


    The smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned into a gloomy look right away. He said, ¡°I hate people who waste food the most.¡±


    Feng Wuhen put on a vicious face and took a big step forward. He pointed at the ck-frame sses guy and yelled, ¡°Pick up the bread!¡±


    He menacingly enunciated each word.


    The guy with the ck-frame sses trembled slightly. Tamed by Feng Wuhen¡¯s despotic power, he picked up the bread unwillingly.


    ¡°Eat it!¡±


    Two dispassionate words sounded up.


    It was not from Feng Wuhen, but Xiao Luo, who was standing on the stage.


    His voice was soft and quiet, yet enough to make every reporter present feel a quiver with fright from the depth of their souls.


    Xiao Luo initially left a refined, courteous, and amiable impression in their minds. But that image copsed abruptly at the moment. They realized that it was not these security guards who were brutal, but this seemingly harmless young boss.


    The face of the guy with ck-frame sses changed suddenly. Shivering, he looked up at Xiao Luo on the stage and tried to speak, ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡±


    He never expected the polite and good-humored Xiao Luo would be such a callous and cruel person who asked him to eat the dirty bread that was stomped by foot. He was deliberately humiliating him in public.


    ¡°You what? Brother Xiao asked you to eat the bread. Didn¡¯t you hear him?¡± Feng Wuhen said with venom. With his ferocious features, he gave off a fierce look.


    The fear for Feng Wuhen trumped everything else. The guy with the ck-frame sses didn¡¯t dare to defy him and nibbled the dirty bread in his hand. He cried. A grown man was tortured to tears at the moment.


    Xiao Luo put on a smile again and became a vastly different person from his dark self moments ago. The former was sunny and simple; thetter was wicked and merciless.


    Other reporters met his eyes and hurried to lowered their heads to bite the bread.


    ¡°It looks like you are hungry indeed!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up in satisfaction and waved his hand. Zhang Dashan handed a folder of file to him.


    The file documented the reporters¡¯ information in detail. Zhang Dashan gathered those through his connections based on the reporters¡¯ names. He didn¡¯t do anything else all day except for trying to sort through the data here.


    ¡°Ding Xiaozhen!¡±


    Xiao Luo announced a name, then continued to say, ¡°Who is Ding Xiaozhen?¡± ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s me¡­¡±


    A sweet-looking female reporter stood up awkwardly.


    ¡°Your hometown is the county of An in Hu province. Your parents are still alive and you have a younger brother still in school. Did I get it right?¡± Xiao Luo asked her with a smile.


    The female reporter¡¯s eyes widened. She nodded by instinct.


    Xiao Luo ignored her and continued to read out the next reporter¡¯s name.


    ¡°Lu Dehua, your home is at Tian city of He province. You have a six-year-old son¡­¡±


    ¡°Luo Jinyuan, you¡¯re from Tang county of Jiangcheng¡­¡±


    ¡°Gong Lili, you¡¯re from the county of Hehua in Shan province¡­¡±


    All the reporters who were mentioned by name, along with their exact home addresses and family members, turned pale in an instant. Even though Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was not threatening, they felt an indescribable sense of danger and horror.


    Xiao Luo read aloud more than a dozen reporters¡¯ background, then shut the folder close with a bang. His hawk-like eyes swept the room coldly and said, ¡°Now, you can interview me!¡± He turned his head to face Zhang Dashan and said, ¡°Return their equiment to them.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Following the order, Zhang Dashan ran out obsequiously.


    Soon after, he brought back the reporters¡¯ microphones, cameras, and cellphones.


    However, the reporters stood where they were motionlessly, staring at each other vacantly¡­


    Interview? How were they going to interview him?


    Their home addresses and family members were checked out by the other side. It was clearly intimidation!


    At the moment, they were convinced of one thing, which was the Luo¡¯s Workshop was really backed by the underworld.


    The journalists were usually puffed with pride and didn¡¯t care for stars or rich tycoons. They were even confident that they could take down any public figure if they wanted to. But they were frightened from the bottom of their hearts when it came to the underworld.


    The underworld had no principles. They had to be prepared for retaliation if they offended the gansters.


    ¡°No, no. We will not interview you anymore. President Xiao, I promise, there will be no negative news about the Luo¡¯s Workshop on any major media outlets.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. The bread of the Luo¡¯s Workshop is up to standard and tastes delicious. We sampled it ourselves. It¡¯s much better than Taste Buds¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°We are too shallow to recognize your eminence. President Xiao is a magnanimous and generous man. We hope you won¡¯t take umbrage at the likes of us.¡±


    Conceded. The reporters all got down from their high horses and smiled apologetically at Xiao Luo.


    In their eyes, Xiao Luo was the head of a gang who would harm people by underhand means that they could never afford to offend. They were now deeply regretful about listening to Chen Jianbai anding to the Luo¡¯s Workshop to look for trouble. In the end, they fell into a pit of their own digging.

 Chapter 143 - Black and White

    Chapter 143: ck and White


    Some people were contradictory. If you were not in the mob, they kept vilifying you as a mobster. However, when they realized you indeed were in the mob, they became scared stiff at the idea of the misfortunes that might befall them and were too afraid to take any action.


    Apparently, these reporters were precisely such people!


    When Luo¡¯s Workshop opened the door and let them leave, they were like prisoners who had spent years behind bars. They were so excited that there were tears in their eyes. Breathing in the freedom¡¯s air and fleeing from the great torment, they swore that they would never againe to Luo¡¯s Workshop for the rest of their lives.


    Thus, the disturbance created by the reporters calmed down. All of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s executives were dumbfounded and gasped with admiration at Xiao Luo¡¯s tactics.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    Xu Guansong left, shaking his head. He didn¡¯t seem to agree with Xiao Luo¡¯s way of handling the matter, although the result had been beneficial to them.


    ¡°President Xiao always acts so vigorously and resolutely. That¡¯s so awesome. I will stand firmly with President Xiao in the future,¡± said Lin Chongdong, enthusiastically.


    He admired Xiao Luo with his whole heart after witnessing the entire process of dealing with the reporters. What he¡¯d seen confirmed the saying currently circting online: ¡°No one is shrewder than President Xiao. He is relentless and reticent.¡± He¡¯d handled the reporters, who¡¯de looking for trouble, and rendered them obedient and docile. How fierce was he?


    ¡°The big boss was always bold and daring. I find myself fallingpletely in love with him.¡± Luo Qi winked like a young girl first beginning to think of love.


    Standing aside, Li Zimeng shot a re at Luo Qi and said, ¡°A man as outstanding as him probably has a girlfriend already.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I could still be his girl on the side. Hehe!¡± Luo Qiughed.


    Li Zimeng was struck dumb by her reply.


    ¡­


    Even though the tumult with the reporters had blown over, the crisis Luo¡¯s Workshop was facing was not yet resolved.


    The court date was like an enormous, ruthless, and sharp ax hanging above them, ready to chop off Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s head. Once the charges of intimidating Chen Jianbai and fabricating evidence were substantiated, Luo¡¯s Workshop would never get another chance to gain a foothold in Jiangcheng.


    It was a smokeless war!


    However, Xiao Luo had to win. Otherwise, although defeat might wee him, he would in no way ept it


    While he was sitting in the office and pondering in silence how to turn the tide, Zhang Dashan called him on the phone.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, your guess turned out to be correct. Zhang Donghai is indeed sketchy. Who could have thought that he¡¯d want to rig the ovens in the factory? Motherf*cker. Thankfully, I had my eye on him. Otherwise, he might have had his way,¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s disgruntled voice came from the other side of the phone.


    Xiao Luo was not surprised by this news at all. He had been browsing in the system store one night some time ago and redeemed 800 points for the hacking ability. He¡¯d then hacked into the telmunicationspany¡¯s customer management system and monitored all of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s vice presidents¡¯ phones. It was highly effective, albeit immoral.


    The day before the reporters¡¯ uproar, he¡¯d heard the conversation between Zhang Donghai and Fang Changlei. Thus, he¡¯d asked Zhang Dashan to keep an eye on Zhang Donghai. Unexpectedly, Zhang Donghai had put this n into action in such a short time.


    ¡°Where is he now?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s in the factory¡¯s warehouse. Brother Feng and some others are teaching him a lesson right now,¡± said Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute!¡±


    Xiao Luo hung up, put on the jacket hanging on the armchair, and rushed to the factory.


    [The factory¡¯s warehouse]


    The warehouse was dimly lit and gave off a spooky feeling.


    Looking plump in his suit, Zhang Donghaiy on the ground in a very embarrassing state. Both his nose and mouth were bleeding, and his clothes were covered in dust. He¡¯d been beaten up by Feng Wuhen and four others.


    ¡°Superintendent Zhang, I don¡¯t know what to say to you. What¡¯s wrong with working for Lao Xiao? Why do you have to be ackey for Taste Buds?¡±


    With sincere regret on his face, Zhang Dashan crouched in front of Zhang Donghai and said, ¡°Yourst name is also Zhang. We might evene from the same family way back when. My heart truly aches, seeing you beaten up to such an extent.¡±


    ¡°Pooh! Sooner orter, things will not end well for your hired thugs!¡±


    Zhang Donghai spat on Zhang Dashan¡¯s face. Contrary to his usual sycophant image, he looked surprisingly courageous and fearless now.


    Zhang Dashan wiped the spit from his face. His eyelids twitched as his expression turned vicious. He said, ¡°Zhang Donghai, you receive paychecks from Luo¡¯s Workshop yet work for Taste Buds in secret. Do you think you¡¯re the f*cking sensible one here? Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s corporate spying? Thew will make you liable!¡±


    ¡°You think I will be held liable? Haha! Haha!¡±


    Hearing this statement, Zhang Donghai burst into mockingughter, as if he¡¯d just listened to a hrious joke. Then, his face sunk, and he said menacingly to Zhang Dashan, ¡°You¡¯re assaulting me illegally right now. How dare you talk about thew? That¡¯s f*cking hrious.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was tongue-tied for a moment. He could only hold up his thumb and say with admiration, ¡°Fine. You¡¯re too good. I can¡¯t win an argument with you!¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, move out of the way. I don¡¯t f*cking believe that we can¡¯t teach him a lesson!¡±


    Feng Wuhen was furious. He came forward and kicked Zhang Donghai¡¯s abdomen.


    It was a forceful blow. Suddenly Zhang Donghai felt his gut scramble. In excruciating pain, he let out a blood-curling scream.


    ¡°Let it go. It¡¯s enough to give him a scare. Let¡¯s not cause any internal bleeding and bring more trouble to ourselves!¡±


    Although Zhang Dashan had a brutal nature, he did feel a little bit of pity for Zhang Donghai, but only because he still looked like a man with a backbone even after taking a beating.


    Feng Wuhen retracted his foot, turned around, and backed off.


    Soon after, Xiao Luo, dressed in a ck jacket with a white shirt, arrived at the warehouse. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked down at Zhang Donghai, who was on the ground.


    ¡°Give him a stool.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Feng Wuhen waved his hand. Xiaowu fetched a stool from the corner of the warehouse and helped Zhang Donghai get up on and sit on it.


    Seeing Xiao Luo, Zhang Donghai chuckled and said, ¡°President Xiao, you¡¯re finally here. Yourckeys almost beat me to death.¡±


    There was not even a shred of nervousness or fear in his eyes, let alone guilt. He was like a sacrificial man thrown into prison in ancient times who made his torturers lose their much-anticipated sense of fulfillment.


    Xiao Luo smiled faintly and said, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. They¡¯re all my brothers!¡±


    This one straightforward sentence swept away all the unpleasant feelings and grudges that remained in Zhang Dashan¡¯s and Feng Wuhen¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°Is that right? It seems like you guys are the mob¡­¡± replied Zhang Donghai, calmly and unhurriedly.


    ¡°Wrong again. There is no such thing as absolute ck and white in this world. Only absolute interest. Since you¡¯ve infringed upon other people¡¯s interests, you have to be prepared to pay the price,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Donghai sneered in disdain.


    With a solemn face, Xiao Luo said, ¡°I have no intention of talking nonsense with you. Just one question: can you help me testify against Fang Changlei?¡±


    ¡°Testify for what?¡±


    ¡°For unfairpetition.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible? Haha!¡± Zhang Donghaiughed out loud. His face was filled with scorn.


    ¡°Do you refuse?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m indebted to President Fang. There is no way I would betray him.¡±


    With a gentle smile, Xiao Luo spoke in a tone of quiet elegance, ¡°You will ept my offer.¡± Then, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Feng Wuhen, saying, ¡°Go to this ce. Pick up his wife and child and bring them back to thepany.¡±

 Chapter 144 - Court Session Around the Corner

    Chapter 144: Court Session Around the Corner


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioHearing Xiao Luo¡¯smand, a touch of panic appeared in Zhang Donghai¡¯s eyes. His body trembled involuntarily, and he asked in an unsteady voice, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him calmly and said, ¡°I just told you. There isn¡¯t absolute ck and white in this world. ck and white are nothing but a state of mind. I bet my entire future on Luo¡¯s Workshop, so whoever impedes its development is my enemy. I will never be soft-hearted or merciful toward my enemies. Unfortunately, you, Zhang Donghai, are my enemy right now.¡±


    He delivered these remarks in a soft and gentle voice. Yet Zhang Donghai, Zhang Dashan, and others all felt a sense of pure terror that sent chills up the spine.


    Zhang Donghai¡¯s eyes widened. He was scared into a cold sweat and said, ¡°You¡¯re a devil!¡±


    His voice was hoarse. He knew that Xiao Luo was threatening him using his family.


    With his eyes cold and frosty, Xiao Luo smiled and demanded again, ¡°Will you agree to help me to testify against Fang Changlei?¡±


    Zhang Donghai forced a bitter smile and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t. If I testify against Fang Changlei, the Dragon Gang will never let me go. Let alone my family¡­¡±


    This was the thing he dreaded most. Since he¡¯d been caught red-handed by Zhang Dashan, there was nothing to exin. But if he testified against Fang Changlei, he and his family would undoubtedly suffer retaliation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. Your family will be well protected!¡± Xiao Luo said. Then, he added softly, ¡°After everything is over, I will give you two million dors and let you and your family flee to a faraway ce. As powerful as the Dragon Gang may be, they can only operate within Jiangcheng. You don¡¯t need to fear them once you leave the area.¡±


    ¡°You can promise that?¡± Zhang Donghai felt that he¡¯d been handed a straw to clutch at in this desperate situation.


    ¡°I promise!¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Donghai was astonished for a moment. Then, the radiance that had shown on his just face seconds ago dimmed again. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you have that kind of strength. The Dragon Gang is the most powerful underground force in Jiangcheng. How can you fight them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not fighting them. I¡¯m fighting Fang Changlei.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing,¡± replied Zhang Donghai, feeling hopeless and depressed.


    Xiao Luo stared at him for a while and said, ¡°Life is a game of chance. You have to gamble this time!¡±


    ¡°I have no other choice?¡± Zhang Donghai smiled with deep sorrow.


    Xiao Luo nodded gravely and replied in an irrefutable tone, ¡°You have no other choice!¡±


    Zhang Donghai hung his head like a rooster that had lost a cockfight, then raised it once more and asked again, ¡°President Xiao, are you part of a mob or not?¡±


    Xiao Luo had ¡®handled¡¯ the reporters¡¯ turmoil and threatened his family. This conduct made Zhang Donghai believe Xiao Luo was an underworld figure.


    ¡°Whether something is ck or white depends on the opponent I¡¯m facing,¡± Xiao Luo answered in a quiet voice.


    ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Zhang Donghai gave up resisting and chose to get on board Xiao Luo¡¯s boat.


    ******


    Back at the residence, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan stood on the penthouse¡¯s balcony. Facing the wind, they overlooked the nighttime scene of this remote area of Jiangcheng. A train thundered and pulled into the station. In the darkness of night, the long train looked like a giant python glowing brightly as it slithered down the railway.


    Zhang Dashan lit up a cigarette and said, ¡°You¡¯ve really helped me gain an intimate understanding of the first stage of being a businessman.¡±


    Xiao Luo, self-possessed, chuckled lightly but didn¡¯t respond.


    He knew that Zhang Dashan was saying that he might have gone too far by threatening people using their families. This tactic was as unscrupulous as those of the mob. But he¡¯d had no choice. He wanted to seed. It was necessary to use some unorthodox methods when his very existence was at stake.


    Zhang Dashan saw Xiao Luo¡¯s indifferent expression and changed the subject. He said, ¡°By the way, the court session is going to open in two days. Have you discussed things with Ge Zhongtian and asked him to be Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s counsel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, said, ¡°You will defend our case in court.¡±


    What the f*ck!


    Astounded, Zhang Dashan dropped his cigarette on the ground. His eyes widened, and he said, ¡°Have you lost your mind? Asking me to face off with those top attorneys! I¡¯m in no way cut out to do that.¡±


    ¡°What are you panicking about?¡±


    ¡°Motherf*cker, how can I not panic? I may have my ways around thedies, but defending Luo¡¯s Workshop in court like a realwyer? I¡¯ve not that kind of attorney material.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s me who will do the real work,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a smile.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words befuddled Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°What do you mean, brother? Can you exin it to me?¡± Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes.


    ¡°Have you ever watched the animated show, ¡®Detective Conan¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I watched some episodes when I was bored. I¡¯m not interested in it. It¡¯s always the same story: Mouri Kogorou is drugged unconscious. Then, Conan solves the crime on Mouri¡¯s behalf. A couple of times, when the girl started getting suspicious, I was hoping Conan¡¯s trick would be discovered, but nothing happened. Then the same plot structure just restarts. Watching it makes me annoyed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easier to exin it since you¡¯ve watched it,¡± Xiao Luo said with a serious expression. ¡°When our court session opens, you will y Mouri Kogorou¡¯s character. And I will be Conan.¡±


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face was filled with apprehension after hearing this. He asked, ¡°Brother, what on earth do you n on doing?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you will wear an earpiece on the day of the trial. I will tell you whatever you need to say from a distance so that you can defend Luo¡¯s Workshop on my behalf,¡± answered Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Dashan stared at Xiao Luo like an alien and said, ¡°Are you looking for trouble? Are you going to be the attorney? Have you learned how to defend yourself in court?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t. But I¡¯m confident I can do it.¡±


    Xiao Luo gazed into the distance, saying, ¡°Well, we still need to gather some important files and evidence. You should do it together with me so that you won¡¯tpletely nk out in court.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking to you?¡±


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t you appear before the court yourself?¡±


    ¡°I have done things that are both legal and illegal. This kind of public appearance doesn¡¯t suit me. You¡¯re different. You have a clean record.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him with a meaningful smile. Then, he turned around and went inside the room.


    ¡­


    Two days passed by swiftly. Then, at Jiangcheng People¡¯s Court, there was another hearing in the defamation case of Luo¡¯s Workshop vs. Chen Jianbai.


    The trial was open and essible to the general public!


    The public gallery was filled, not only with Fang Changlei and Taste Buds executives, but also Xu Guansong, Lin Chongdong, Luo Qi, and other employees from Luo¡¯s Workshop. It was packed to capacity.


    ¡°Vice President Xu, why hasn¡¯t your President Xiaoe today? Is he already recoiling in fear? Haha!¡± Fang Changlei taunted.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know how Xiao Luo had made the disruptive reporters go awayst time, he was confident and determined to win this time in court. From what he could see, Luo¡¯s Workshop had gone out for wool but came home shorn.


    Xu Guansong¡¯s expression wasplicated. He refrained from talking. Nheless, he was also curious why Xiao Luo would hide. Why would he let Zhang Dashan y the role of the defender in a court hearing vital to the life and death of Luo¡¯s Workshop? In his opinion, even a randomwyer on the street would be better than Zhang Dashan. How could they win this case?


    Zhang Yong, the head of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s legal department, was also in the gallery. Although he was also perplexed by Xiao Luo¡¯s scheme, he felt quite relieved. This would no longer be his job anymore, no matter the oue of the trial.

 Chapter 145 - Doubt

    Chapter 145: Doubt


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Did Luo¡¯s Workshop threaten and force the reporter, Chen Jianbai, to fabricate false evidence to restore their reputation? Or, did Chen Jianbai purposely distort the facts and publish fake news to defame Luo¡¯s Workshop? Jiangcheng TV Station is now bringing you a live broadcast of the public trial to settle this matter once and for all!¡±


    Jiangcheng TV Station was broadcasting the whole public trial, and they were not the only ones. Various other major media news outlets were alsounching their live update pages for the event. The infamy of this incident had not just spread throughout Jiangcheng, but across the entire Hua Nation like a storm. People who had never heard of Luo¡¯s Workshop before were now very much aware of thepany¡¯s existence.


    The discussions on the inte were particrly heated.


    ¡°Needless to say, it¡¯s got to be that reporter, Chen, making up fake news to discredit Luo¡¯s Workshop in a bid for attention. I¡¯m supporting Luo¡¯s Workshop!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullsh*t. I think that Luo¡¯s Workshop has done something bad stuff and now they¡¯re trying to profit from it. This is just like when scandalous female celebrities get caught by the paparazzi sleeping their way to the top, then pretend like nothing happened, and usewsuits to protect their reputations. It¡¯s so d*mn disgusting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to have an opinion in a public discussion, but can you keyboard warriors just stop arguing, chill out, and watch the live broadcast?¡±


    ¡­


    There was vocal support for all sides, as well as many neutral parties. The number of threads in thements section of QQ News was already in the tens of thousands. This event had quickly grown into the hottest topic of the day.


    [Huaye University]


    Huang Ruoran was in her dorm room, staring in surprise at one of her roommates¡¯ptops. The roommate was especially interested in current affairs. The public trial of Luo¡¯s Workshop against Chen Jianbai was being broadcast live on the 16-inch screen.


    Huang Ruoran had beautiful hair, long and sleek eyebrows, and a gorgeous nose. Her jade-like cheeks flushed slightly pink.


    She had never expected to see Xiao Luo¡¯s friend, Zhang Dashan, on a live broadcast of a public trial. Ever since Xiao Luo had left Huaye without a word to anyone¡ªincluding herself, Chu Yue, and their English major peers¡ªthey had been eagerly keeping an eye out for news of his whereabouts. The appearance of Zhang Dashan on the video screen during the live broadcast was undoubtedly the key to finding Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop?!¡± Huang Ruoran whispered the phrase to herself, embedding the two words into her memory.


    [Chongshan House]


    Chu Yunxiong and Ge Zhongtian were sitting on a sofa and sipping tea while watching the Jiangcheng channel.


    Chu Yunxiong turned his head to ask, ¡°Zhongtian, would you like to know how Luo dealt with the group of reporters who were causing him trouble?¡±


    Ge Zhongtian took a small sip of tea then ced his teacup down. ¡°I¡¯d be d to know the details!¡±


    ¡°He epted their request for an interview and gathered all of the reporters in the auditorium. Then, he left them stranded there for an entire day without giving them a second thought. During that time, because they were not employees of Luo¡¯s Workshop, they were barred from entering or leaving the auditorium and forced to wait in their anxiety. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s immoral?¡±


    As he spoke about the steps that Xiao Luo had taken against the reporters, Chu Yunxiong could not stifle hisughter. He would not have expected Xiao Luo to have the audacity to take such drastic measures. Though it had not been a morous move, it was undeniably effective.


    ¡°That is going too far,¡± Ge Zhongtian replied, pale with shock. ¡°But I¡¯m curious about why the reporters didn¡¯t sue him for infringement of their freedom once they got out?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong answered gleefully, ¡°Before he let them go free, Luo had already conducted full background checks on their address and family members. He even read out all this information in front of them, so they were all scared stiff. They didn¡¯t dare write anything negative about Luo¡¯s Workshop after that, so suing Luo is simply out of the question.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo is using threats and intimidation. That¡¯s illegal, you know,¡± Ge Zhongtian pointed out, furrowing his brow.


    Chu Yunxiong shook his head in disapproval. ¡°Oh, listen to you, you¡¯re just too inflexible. Sometimes, to achieve a certain objective, you need to take these kinds of extreme measures. Look, even though they¡¯re not in the clear yet, there have already been some subtle shifts in their favor.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that Luo¡¯s Workshop will emerge victorious,¡± Ge Zhongtian said seriously. ¡°I¡¯ve crossed swords with Fu Heyu before. He¡¯s very good with words, and his ability to turn the truth on its head is something I can¡¯t match. Now that Luo¡¯s Workshop doesn¡¯t even have a properwyer, they will lose thiswsuit.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was all smiles as he picked up his cup of hot tea and took a sip, saying, ¡°Okay, aren¡¯t you just feeling upset because Luo didn¡¯t ask you to represent Luo¡¯s Workshop as theirwyer?¡±


    With his inner thoughts thus exposed, Ge Zhongtian¡¯s elderly face flushed red. He had been doing his homework for this case, waiting for Xiao Luo to ask him to jump on board. After all, Chu Yunxiong regarded this young man highly, so he¡¯d also wanted to lend a helping hand. Moreover, he had something of a personal grudge against Fu Heyu, so the stars were aligned for him, and he just needed an invitation to participate. In the end, however, he had not been invited, so it stood to reason that he was depressed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just watch the proceedings here from the sidelines!¡± Chu Yunxiong sighed deeply as he put down his teacup.


    ¡­


    Just then, Xiao Luo was sitting in a caf¨¦ not too far from the courthouse. He had ordered a coffee, opened up hisptop, and pulled up the TV stations¡¯ website, where the public trial was broadcasting. He wore a slim-fitting casual suit in white and was sitting up straight in his chair. A headset dangled around his neck, connecting him to Zhang Dashan in real-time.


    ¡°Officer Gu, is it okay for you to watch me like this?¡± He adjusted the video quality and the volume of his headset, then lifted his head to look at the woman seated opposite him.


    The woman had a head of short, ck, and lustrous hair that was neatly styled. Her features were elegant. Her eyes were slightly lidded, and her eyshes were slender. When she was not blinking, she almost looked like a painting of a beauty stirring.


    The woman was Gu Qianlin!


    She was not wearing her police uniform and was dressed in a in white top and tight ck jeans. She wore a pendant around her neck, and her delicate corbones were clearly visible. However, that was all that could be seen, as the top she had on was conservative and prevented anyone who wanted to see more skin from doing so.


    She began to question him, ¡°Xiao Luo, answer me honestly. Where were you on the twelfth night of this month from 10 o¡¯clock to midnight? And what were you doing during that time?¡±


    The twelfth just happened to be the day of the bloody incident at the Jiangcheng docks, now referred to as the ¡°Nine One Two¡± incident. Having checked the Sk surveince system, she had discovered a very suspicious figure in the surveince area more than two hundred yards away from the docks. However, she had been unable to distinguish any facial features. The image was too blurry.


    She had suddenly been reminded of the suspicious figure she¡¯d seen in the footage when she bumped into Xiao Luo earlier that day. Whether because of the figure¡¯s height or build, something about it seemed to correspond very well with Xiao Luo. Furthermore, Xiao Luo was armed with powerful abilities, so she seriously suspected that the figure in the footage was Xiao Luo himself. In other words, the calm and calcted killing machine from that night could very well be sitting right in front of her eyes.


    ¡°The twelfth was a pretty long time ago now. I need to think about it.¡± Xiao Luo shut his eyes and thought for a moment, then answered earnestly and assuredly, ¡°I was at home sleeping!¡±


    ¡°Who can verify your alibi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m single, and though I have a friend who lives with me, I think on that particr day he stayed out all night drinking at the bar, so I don¡¯t think anyone can prove I was there,¡± Xiao Luo said, shaking his head.


    Gu Qianlin was feeling a little exasperated. She did not believe what Xiao Luo said, but she could not detect any clues from his micro-expressions to suggest that he was lying. She was unable to determine whether the figure from that day had indeed been Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I still have things to do, so you can do as you please, Officer Gu!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled a little as he said this. Then, he put on his headset. The public trial had officially begun.

 Chapter 146 - Battle of Words

    Chapter 146: Battle of Words


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioInside the magnificent courtroom that was filled with a dignified air, all the people present were very solemn. The presiding judge and two other judges were sitting up high, followed by the clerk and assistant to the judge, and finally the cold and serious bailiff.


    The intiff and the defendant were set up at both sides of the room, their positioning making it clear to everyone in the room that they were in opposition. This hearing would y a pivotal role in determining which way the scales of justice would tip.


    Zhang Dashan, Li Zimeng and another female assistant sat at the intiff¡¯s table¡­


    It was the first time he was in a courtroom, and now he was taking up the role of a legal counsel, so there was no way he would not be nervous. However, he could hear Xiao Luo¡¯s voice in his ear which helped to steady his emotions, and he was taking deep breaths, making an effort to calm himself.


    Fu Heyu was awyer with clear fair skin, and he wore a thin, straight suit over his tall and slender figure. The spacing between his eyes was wider than that of the average person, which gave him a dishonest and slippery look. He sat self-assuredly at the defendant¡¯s table, his eyes looking straight ahead, and radiating a natural confidence.


    Chen Jianbai sat next to him, not looking at all like someone who was being sued. He had a flippant attitude and was still casually humming a tune. When Zhang Dashan looked over at him, he dragged a finger across his throat in a provocative gesture.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    The number one thing Zhang Dashan could not tolerate was taunts like these, and if not for Xiao Luo telling him to stop, he would have stood up to fight back against Chen Jianbai.


    Though, the silver lining was that Chen Jianbai¡¯s provocations had erased all the nervousness he felt.


    ¡­


    Inside the caf¨¦, Gu Qianlin was sizing up Xiao Luo in surprise as she asked, ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    She realised that Xiao Luo seemed to be talking to someone in the courtroom through a long distance call.


    Xiao Luo took down his headset, raising his head to look at her, and rebutting, ¡°Officer Gu, am I breaking thew now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m not, please stop bothering me, okay? Thank you!¡± Xiao Luo replied impassively.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    As an elite member of the police force, Gu Qianlin had some measure of pride, and she felt extremely indignant at Xiao Luo¡¯s aloof attitude towards her. However, she managed to suppress her emotions in the end and waved him off, indicating that he did not need to pay attention to her, but she also had no intention of leaving.


    Ordering a cup of coffee, she took out her handphone and connected to the caf¨¦¡¯s WiFi, then entered the page with the live broadcast of the public trial. She wanted to see what Xiao Luo was doing after all.


    ¡­


    ¡°This court will now begin to hear the case of Luo¡¯s Workshop suing Chen Jianbai for publishing false news to tarnish the reputation of thepany. If the intiff and the defendant have any additional statements to make, you can do so now.¡± The presiding judge¡¯s ceremonious voice boomed out in the spacious courtroom, as the curtains rose on the court trial.


    Fu Heyu was the first to stand up and speak. ¡°Presiding judge, judges, at the first trial, our stance is that the intiff has threatened my client, and made a fake recording in an attempt to deceive the general public and gain back thepany¡¯s reputation. This is a frame-up, it is defamation, and it shows a grant disregard for thews of our Hua Nation.¡±


    He said it as though he was standing firm for a just cause.


    Zhang Dashan received the signal from Xiao Luo, and rebutted loudly, ¡°You cannot distort the truth with your unfounded usations. If you im that we got the recording through intimidating the defendant, then let me ask you this. What evidence do you have that we threatened him, or is it all based on your own assumptions?¡±


    Huh?!


    Xu Guansong, Lin Chongdong, Zhang Yong and the others unwittingly let out a cry of surprise. They thought to themselves that this Zhang Dashan was fairly capable, to kick off this fierce tug-of-war with such a direct battle of words.


    Fu Heyu snorted softly, ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t my own assumption. During the first trial, we have already submitted an autopsy report to the presiding judge. It proves that on the 20th of March, the cause of death of the old man who died in the Luo¡¯s Workshop store was the ingestion of excessive amounts of preservatives, which led to sudden death due to cardiovascr and cerebrovascr lusion. This is indisputable fact.


    ¡°Therefore, the news that my client reported is the truth, and not an empty fabrication, and is most definitely not written to defame the intiff¡¯s reputation, as they im. He is simply performing his duties as a reporter, reporting the truth to the wider public, and is worthy of our respect.


    ¡°Furthermore, my client has also said that the recording was made based on the script provided by Luo¡¯s Workshop after they threatened him. Let me ask, can such a recording really be considered as evidence?¡±


    Hearing this, the presiding judge and the other judges nodded their heads in agreement.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking out of your damn ass!¡±


    Zhang Dashan shot to his feet, expletives bursting out from his mouth. Obviously, this was not what Xiao Luo wanted him to say, but he was just too aggravated by Fu Heyu¡¯s irrational arguments.


    ¡°Dong dong dong~¡±


    The presiding judge hammered his gavel down three times, barking a warning at Zhang Dashan, ¡°Will the intiff please watch hisnguage!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ He¡¯s such a yokel, and he dares to be a legal counsel in court? Ridiculous!¡± Fang Changlei sat with his legs crossed and an expression of contempt, as heughed until his eyes almost watered.


    The audience was starting to get rowdy, and the presiding judge had to call for ¡®order¡¯ three times before they went silent again.


    ¡°Bastard, don¡¯t swear like that!¡±


    In the caf¨¦, Xiao Luo reprimanded Zhang Dashan through the headset.


    Zhang Dashan took more deep breaths to calm down.


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    Fu Heyu quietly criticised Zhang Dashan, not taking him seriously at all. In the whole of Jiangcheng, only Ge Zhongtian was a suitable opponent for him. Against a nameless nobody like this, he did not even have the motivation to exert his full effort in defending his client.


    Zhang Dashan regained hisposure, then let out a few dry coughs before he continued in a gentle tone, ¡°Presiding judge, I apologise for my earlier indiscretion. Now, I would like to request that the contents of the defendant¡¯s recording be reyed here in court.¡±


    The presiding judge nodded in acknowledgement, indicating to the staff in the courtroom that they were to carry out Zhang Dashan¡¯s request.


    Not long after, therge courtroom was filled with the sound of Chen Jianbai¡¯s arrogant words from that day.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write whatever I want to write. If I say that your bread poisoned someone to death, then it means your bread poisoned someone to death¡­ I don¡¯t give a shit about Luo¡¯s Workshop, and I don¡¯t give a shit about you. Although, if the pretty Department Head Li agrees to spend a night with me, I may consider giving you a way out. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Chen Jianbai¡¯s face drained of colour. If he knew this day woulde he would not have been so conceited. To leave behind such a troublesome piece of evidence, he was too damn unlucky.


    ¡°Presiding judge, judges, his tone of voice is arrogant, and he¡¯s making extremely presumptuous statements,¡± Zhang Dashan said persuasively. ¡°He even made sexual remarks about our beautiful Department Head Li here at Luo¡¯s Workshop. The defendant¡¯s counsel ims that he made this recording while under threats, but can this bullshit really stand up in court? Oh, sorry, I identally used some dirtynguage again.¡±


    It was certainly true that the tone of voice in Chen Jianbai¡¯s recording was exceedingly arrogant, and if it the statement was made under duress, it definitely would not sound like that.


    The presiding judge and the others nodded in eptance, seeing the logic behind Zhang Dashan¡¯s words. The audience watching in the courtroom were also in full agreement with his theory.


    ¡°Lawyer Fu, do you have anything to say about this?¡± the presiding judge asked, looking towards the defendant¡¯s table.


    ¡°My client¡¯s tone of voice should not be described as arrogant or presumptuous, but angry. In a fit of rage, a person¡¯s words are unreliable. For instance, if someone insulted me, and I countered with something about his mother, does that mean I really had illicit rtions with his mother? No, this is clearly not the case, right?¡± Fu Heyu raised his slender eyebrows, as his gaze settled on Zhang Dashan, and his lips curled into a mocking sneer.

 Chapter 147 - Could Not Hold Back a Fart

    Chapter 147: Could Not Hold Back a Fart


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioFrom Xiao Luo¡¯s point of view, defending someone in court was like being in a debatepetition. Besides, in addition to having the skills prioritized in a debate ¨C quick, reactive thinking and the ability to express oneself withnguage ¨C one¡¯s defense in court also needed to be able to convince the presiding judge as well as the two other judges.


    To find a way out of the dead-end he¡¯d been forced into, ¡®Orator Fu¡¯ had some real skills. One could not help but be impressed!


    ¡°Find an opportunity to provoke him!¡± Xiao Luo instructed Zhang Dashan.


    When people were angry, it was easier for them to lose themselves and reveal their weaknesses.


    ¡­


    Faced with Fu Heyu¡¯s calcted defense, Zhang Dashan stared at him solemnly, saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say from the start that we were the ones threatening and intimidating him? Now, what¡¯s all this about him getting angry? Are you saying that, when faced our threats and intimidation, Chen Jianbai was in a position to get angry? Attorney Fu, you say some really interesting things, huh.¡±


    Fu Heyu replied calmly, ¡°Why can¡¯t threats and intimidation lead to anger? When a person¡¯s id is dissatisfied and hurt, and pent-up resentment reaches a boiling point, they be angry. Threats and intimidation¡­¡±


    He stopped speaking. His expression had suddenly changed because Zhang Dashan was making a degrading gesture at him. He was giving him the middle finger.


    At first, Fu Heyu did not take it to heart. He chose to ignore the insult and continued speaking. However, Zhang Dashan upped the ante. He did not just raise his left middle finger, but also his right. He even mouthed the words ¡°f*ck you¡± at him.


    Fu Heyu was instantly infuriated, and his face flushed a deep red color. Pointing at Zhang Dashan, he shouted, ¡°Presiding judge, he¡¯s humiliating me!¡±


    Seeing that Zhang Dashan had his middle fingers raised, the presiding judge knitted his eyebrows deeply. ¡°intiff, please cease your vulgar gesture of pointing the middle finger at once!¡±


    There was an uproar from the audience, who were shocked by Zhang Dashan¡¯s behavior. This was the first time any of them had seen the middle finger being given in a courtroom.


    ¡°Is this guy trying to flip the script?¡± Zhang Yong gasped.


    Xu Guansong¡¯s face grew paler by the moment. He was bing apprehensive about the future of Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    ¡°What the hell? This bold guy is awesome. I can¡¯t believe that he pointed the middle finger at the opposing defensewyer in a courtroom!¡±


    ¡°I thought that this would be a boring public hearing. But now, after seeing this, I see it¡¯s no ordinary trial.¡±


    ¡°Haha! He¡¯s really a model for our generation. Powerful!¡±


    This incident created a considerablemotion online, and users left manyments praising Zhang Dashan for his exceptional feat.


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan raised his eyebrows innocently as he replied, ¡°Presiding judge, let me exin myself. Just a moment ago, I identally poked my finger with a splinter on the table and started bleeding. That¡¯s why I raised it. I didn¡¯t mean to insult anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you have both of your middle fingers raised?¡± Fu Heyu roared.


    To be humiliated in this manner inside a courtroom¡ªand by a nameless nobody!¡ªhad enraged him entirely.


    ¡°Well, I felt like raising just one finger was too boring, but raising two was just enough. There¡¯s a bnce between the left and the right, which makes the viewer morefortable,¡± Zhang Dashan remarked as if nothing was wrong.


    At this, Fu Heyu exploded with rage. When it came to who could spout the most nonsense, Zhang Dashan was in the lead, and there was no way he could beat him. Pointing straight at Zhang Dashan, he appealed to the presiding judge directly, ¡°Presiding judge, I strongly suggest we expel this man from the court. Someone like him who tantly challenges the dignity of the courtroom has no right to be here and speak on anyone¡¯s behalf!¡±


    ¡°I object!¡±


    Zhang Dashan raised his hand in objection. ¡°Presiding judge, Attorney Fu is prejudiced. He¡¯s discriminating against me because I don¡¯t have a legal license, but everyone is equal before thew. If he can defend the defendant, then why don¡¯t I have the right to represent mypany in this case? Can¡¯t you be reasonable here?¡±


    ¡°Sustained. Attorney Fu, don¡¯t get so agitated. The intiff has already exined in no uncertain terms that he did not mean to disrespect you and has merely injured his finger, so I will hear no more of this. intiff, do not raise your middle finger again, or I will hold you in contempt of court.¡± The presiding judge continued in a fair and strict voice, ¡°Will the two gentlemen please return immediately to the case at hand!¡±


    Fu Heyu was boiling with anger. His train of thought had been derailed, so he needed a moment to collect himself.


    On the other hand, Zhang Dashan did not need to keep his emotions in check. He just needed to ry whatever Xiao Luo was telling him, so he stood up and announced, ¡°Presiding judge, I have with me here ten news articles that Chen Jianbai has previously published. Please take a look.¡±


    Li Zimeng handed the well-organized documents to the judge¡¯s assistant, who then presented them to the presiding judge.


    ¡°On the 4th of January, Chen Jianbai published a news report about a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Xunyang City with an epicenter longitude at 115.52, epicentertitude at 29.51, and a 10-kilometer epicenter. Following this, the information was also spread on the People¡¯s Daily news app and the NetEase news app. However, this information actually consisted of data automatically recorded in the seismologicwork system¡¯s backlog. When the news editors checked the data, they discovered it was false and apologized to their users.


    ¡°On the 7th of February, Chen Jianbai published a news article entitled ¡®Peking University¡¯s talented alumna returns to her hometown to start an express deliverypany.¡¯ He imed that Ms. Xu, the manager of the Yuantong Express Delivery Company in the Shifang District, had won a ce in Peking University¡¯s journalism course in the year 2000 because of her distinguished examination results. After she married, she gave up her professional life in Jingcheng, choosing to return to her hometown to start her own business.


    ¡°Now, Ms. Xu can not only drive a truck by herself to deliver goods, but she is also a ¡®strong woman¡¯ who can carry around a 100 kilograms worth of parcels. The reality is that Ms. Xu had obtained an adult education degree and did not gain admission to the university through the intake examination in the year 2000. During the interview, she even highlighted that she took the specialized subject undergraduate entrance exams!


    ¡°Presiding judge, I won¡¯t continue reciting the rest of the eight articles, but let it be known that they are all fake news published by the defendant Chen Jianbai. As you can see, he is not an honest reporter who seeks out the truth. On the contrary, he goes crazy for the public¡¯s attention, and will stop at nothing for it, not even caring about the integrity of the news he writes.¡±


    Zhang Dashan spoke in a loud, resonant voice, and his counterattack this time was very powerful. The color quickly left Chen Jianbai¡¯s face as he sat at the defendant¡¯s table.


    In the audience gallery, Fang Changlei¡¯s face changed in the same way. He could not believe that this unassuming small fry could whip up such an enormous wave, speaking with reason and producing evidence in such a convincing way.


    The presiding judge and the other judges quickly skimmed through the materials that Zhang Dashan had submitted. Then they began to confer with one another.


    Fu Heyu saw that the situation was taking a turn for the worse and rushed to interject. ¡°Just because a person has done something wrong, it does not mean that everything he does is wrong, and this fact applies here as well. My client has indeed published several false news articles, but can you reject all the news he has ever published as invalid based on these few examples? Obviously, that is not possible.


    ¡°And, going back to the case of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s bread¡¯s poisoning people, the city hospital has already produced a thorough autopsy report. Here it is in ck and white, exining how the man died from Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s bread. This is an indisputable fact. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It stinks! Pooh, pooh, pooh! Oh, it¡¯s so smelly.¡±


    Zhang Dashan fanned the air in front of his nose then spat on the floor a few times before asking Li Zimeng in a loud voice, ¡°Department Head Li, don¡¯t you smell something stinky? I couldn¡¯t hold back a fart just now, and I almost ¡®sharted¡¯!¡±


    As he said this, the audience was in an uproar, and many people watching burst out in uncontrolledughter. They thought to themselves that this legal representative from Luo¡¯s Workshop was really too amusing!


    On the inte, thementers were getting heated up again.


    ¡°This guy is a living treasure. If not for the public trial live broadcast logo in the top right corner of the screen, I would suspect I was watching theedy channel.¡±


    ¡°What does ¡®sharted¡¯ mean? What does it have to do with farting?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s talking about sh*t. Hahaha!¡±


    Regardless of the trial¡¯s oue, Zhang Dashan was already famous. He could no longer escape his fate as an inte celebrity.

 Chapter 148 - An Incredible Feat

    Chapter 148: An Incredible Feat


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAt the caf¨¦, Gu Qianlin¡¯s heart was already in turmoil from the astonishment she was feeling. She knew better than anyone else that, even though Zhang Dashan was the one showing his face in court, the real representative for Luo¡¯s Workshop was the man in front of her: Xiao Luo.


    How was this even possible?


    He was evenly matched with the greatwyer, Fu Heyu!


    She discovered that Xiao Luo was indeed a man with mysterious unplumbed depths. It was like he was shrouded in ayer of mist that nobody could prate.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo was putting his heart and soul into the public trial. He was entirely focused on theptop screen in front of him, acting as though Gu Qianlin, who sat opposite him, did not exist.


    ******


    ¡°Y-you! You!¡±


    Interrupted by Zhang Dashan¡¯s crudements, Fu Heyu pointed at him, and his entire body trembled with rage. From a young age, he had received a good education, and he never used indecent speech. Even when he was scolding someone, he did not use profanity. He could not tolerate people like Zhang Dashan, who continually used coarsenguage.


    ¡°I-I-I what?¡± Zhang Dashan mimicked Fu Heyu¡¯s stutter. ¡°I just had to let out a fart. It shouldn¡¯t hinder Lawyer Fu¡¯s defense, so get on with it!¡±


    Next to him, Li Zimeng burned with shame. She was ady, after all, and sitting here was way too awkward for her. She could not control her natural embarrassment. Every time she heard Zhang Dashan make a crude remark, her heart beat faster, and her face flushed red.


    The solemn gavel sounded: ¡°Dong, dong, dong!¡±


    The presiding judge warned, ¡°intiff, please respect the rules of the court¡¯s discipline. The next time you say anything vulgar, this court will have you thrown out!¡±


    ¡°Presiding judge, I did let out a fart. Never mind. Let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. As regards the defensewyer¡¯s im that the bread from Luo¡¯s Workshop poisoned a man to death, I have a couple of doubts.


    ¡°Number one: why did Liu Huilong, the one who published the autopsy report, suddenly leave his job as a doctor in Jiangcheng and ensure his whereabouts remain unknown? Was it a deliberate move to avoid this trial and deny us the chance to confront him face to face?


    ¡°Number two: the old man who visited our Luo¡¯s Workshop outpost to buy bread was already in bad condition when he stepped through the door. ording to our investigation, he was already suffering from chronic rheumatic heart disease, a type of disease that can lead to sudden death upon stimtion. Is it, therefore, possible that the old man suffered a heart attack leading to sudden death, so his demise has nothing to do with Luo¡¯s Workshop?


    ¡°Number three: based on the two doubts I¡¯ve just pointed out, doesn¡¯t everyone feel like there¡¯s a huge conspiracy behind this whole incident?¡±


    The doubts that Zhang Dashan threw out were like three huge mountains crashing down. Everyone watching picked up the scent of some kind of earth-shattering conspiracy.


    ¡°Objection. The opposition is trying to throw us off. The topics of today¡¯s hearing are the threats and intimidation of Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    ¡°All of the questions I am asking are all rted to thiswsuit. Why are you suddenly so nervous, Lawyer Fu? Are you feeling guilty?¡± Zhang Dashan snapped, cutting him off.


    ¡°What nonsense. I¡¯m not feeling guilty!¡±


    ¡°Right, right, right. You¡¯re not feeling guilty. You just have a kidney deficiency.¡±


    ¡°You jerk. What did you say to me?¡±


    Fu Heyu was incensed. Zhang Dashan had been hitting all his soft spots, and he could not hold back his anger.


    ¡°Lawyer Fu, don¡¯t lose your temper. Otherwise, you¡¯ll just confirm to everyone that you have a kidney deficiency. Right, right. I also heard that your wife is sleeping around behind your back. Is this also rted to your weak kidneys?¡± Zhang Dashan continued in an annoying tone.


    Although he did not expect his gibberish to be right on the mark, he¡¯d actually found the Achilles¡¯ heel of Fu Heyu¡¯s psyche. Thewyer¡¯s wife really had slept with someone else behind his back, and he had caught them in the act.


    Just then, Fu Heyu lost all semnce of reason and went into a frenzy. His face wore a hideous expression, and his eyes stretched fully open. ¡°You bloody bastard! I¡¯ll f*ck your entire bloodline. You¡¯re a goddamn son of a bitch, @#£¤%¡­¡±


    He was pulling out all the stops, and seeing an educated gentleman ranting and raving left everyone surprised and dumbfounded. It was a sight none could ept.


    When he saw what was happening on the trial¡¯s live broadcast, Ge Zhongtian almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He could never have imagined Fu Heyu outright cursing and swearing in the majestic and hallowed realm of the courtroom.


    Thements section online was also in unprecedented turmoil.


    ¡°The great Lawyer Fu has lost hisposure andshed out. This is hrious. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°I swear on my uncle. This is like a live reenactment of Stephen Chow¡¯s ¡®Justice, My Foot¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Right, right, right. Lawyer Fu resembles the hermaphrodite, who was exasperated. What a ssic.¡±


    Meanwhile, at the caf¨¦, Gu Qianlin stared wide-eyed with a stunned expression at Xiao Luo. Everyone thought that Zhang Dashan was responsible for all this, but the real culprit was sitting right in front of her. To corner the greatwyer Fu Heyu like this, and to do it through a mouthpiece, Xiao Luo had some fearsome tricks up his sleeve.


    Meanwhile, back at the courtroom, Fu Heyu was continuing his endless tirade of expletives at Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, I¡¯ll f*cking [emailprotected]</a>#£¤%¡­¡±


    All kinds of spicy obscenities were pouring out of him in a torrent, casting a ck shadow over the sacred dignity of the majestic courtroom.


    The presiding judge and the other judges¡¯ faces grew darker and darker, and their eyebrows knit together tightly.


    ¡°Dong, dong, dong!¡±


    The presiding judge hammered down hard with his gavel, then he shouted out loudly, ¡°Attorney Fu, please be silent. Silence!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll silence you, motherf*cker!¡±


    Fu Heyu had utterly lost his head. Without thinking, he swore at the presiding judge. As the words left his mouth, his head quickly cleared up, and he realized that he made a grave mistake. As he looked more closely, he saw that the presiding judge¡¯s face was frightfully dark. The two judges nking him stared at him unkindly, as though they wanted to chew him out.


    Fu Heyu¡¯s blood froze in his veins as he felt like the world was copsing around him. With a mournful expression, he said dejectedly, ¡°Presiding judge, I¡­No, I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    ¡°Bailiff, chase this depraved man out of here. He is in tant contempt of court and has insulted the judicial authority!¡± The presiding judge raised a hand to point at Fu Heyu, shouting coldly.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Two solemn bailiffs walked in lockstep toward Fu Heyu. They grabbed him on his left and right and dragged him out of the courtroom with an impassive expression.


    ¡°No, presiding judge, give me another chance. Please give me another chance, presiding judge.¡±


    Fu Heyu began to wail, his face ashen. He knew that he no longer had a future. Having his career ruined by a nobody who did not even have aw license was a tough pill to swallow.


    The presiding judge did not show Fu Heyu any mercy. He merely waved the distraughtwyer away in irritation. The two bailiffs did not dy any further, and they dragged Fu Heyu out of the courtroom like a dead dog.


    Chen Jianbai was left alone at the defendant¡¯s table, and he was utterly panicked, looking anxiously toward the courtroom¡¯s exit. He would never have thought that the greatwyer Fu Heyu, on whom he was relying, would be evicted from the trial!


    In the audience gallery, Fang Changlei¡¯s face was sullen. The public trial was moving farther and farther away from the result he¡¯d hoped for. He gritted his teeth and balled both his hands up into fists.


    On the other hand, Xu Guansong, Lin Chongdong, and the others were smiling with glee. Zhang Dashan had given them a hugely pleasant surprise. Even though hisnguage was crude and vulgar, he¡¯d managed to provoke a skilledwyer like Fu Heyu and get him kicked out of the courtroom. It was an incredible feat!

 Chapter 149 - Witness

    Chapter 149: Witness


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioFu Heyu had been chased out of the courtroom. Now the scales of victory were tipping in Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s direction.


    Fang Changlei stood up and shouted, ¡°I strongly object!¡± while pointing at Zhang Dashan. ¡°It¡¯s reasonable for the frenzied Fu Heyu to be driven out. But as the intiff¡¯s representative, this man, who spouts nothing but vulgarities, has been an even bigger insult to the sanctity and majesty of the court. Shouldn¡¯t he be removed from the room as well?¡±


    ¡°As an observer, you¡¯re not supposed to speak or ask questions. President Fang, aren¡¯t you aware of this simple rule?¡± Zhang Dashan quickly interjected with his questioning. ¡°As the boss of a formidablepany like Taste Buds, it would be surprising if you were so ignorant of thew.¡±


    Fang Changlei felt the mes of rage surge within him, and he red viciously at Zhang Dashan like he wanted to swallow him alive.


    Bang, bang, bang!


    The presiding judge banged the gavel hard a couple of times then said thoughtfully, ¡°Please sit down, Mr. Observer. And, please, remain silent.¡± Then he turned to Zhang Dashan and said, ¡°Representative of the intiff, this is yourst warning. Cursing and swearing are prohibited in court.¡±


    Zhang Dashan bowed slightly. ¡°Yes, Your Honor!¡±


    Now that he had driven Fu Heyu out, of course, he wouldn¡¯t curse anymore.


    ¡°Do you have anything else to add?¡± asked the presiding judge.


    ¡°Yes, I still have a witness to call,¡± he replied.


    Zhang Dashan turned to the main door of the court and shouted, ¡°I call as a witness the widow of the old gentleman who passed away at Luo¡¯s Workshop that day!¡±


    Eh?


    Xu Guansong and the rest were stunned. They thought: how had the old man¡¯s wife suddenly shown up?


    It didn¡¯t take long before the courtroom door slowly opened, and a skinny, white-haired olddy walked in with Feng Wuhen supporting her by the arm. As Feng Wuhen had no right to enter the courtroom, she had to walk the rest of the way alone after she opened the door.


    The old woman was hunched over. She wore a floral blouse with many patches on it. Time had left its traces on her face and hands.


    Despite having lived a long life, this was her first time walking into a courtroom. Judges were seated far above her, and there were well-dressed observers all around. Everything here seemed so unfamiliar. Like a baby who had juste into contact with the world, she acted rather timid. Her steps faltered as if a gust of wind could make her fall.


    She was an elderly woman who couldn¡¯t have been any more ordinary!


    Zhang Dashan hurried over and slowly guided her to the witness stand.


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of the witness?¡± inquired the presiding judge.


    The old woman wore a nk expression, until Zhang Dashan exined to her, ¡°Gram, the judge is asking for your name.¡±


    ¡°Your Just and Incorruptible Lordship, my name is Gao Qingfeng,¡± the old woman answered weakly. Her voice was very soft, but with the microphone, everyone in the courtroom could hear her.


    Just and Incorruptible Lordship?


    There was a smallmotion amid the observers. Addressing the presiding judge as ¡®his lordship¡¯¡ªwas she still living in a feudal society?


    The presiding judge exchanged a look with his fellow judges and then continued asking the old woman, ¡°Gao Qingfeng, who are you testifying for?¡±


    The old woman suddenly lost control of her emotions and shouted in a high voice, ¡°Your Just and Incorruptible Lordship, I want to sue my unfilial son and daughter-inw. It was they who killed myte husband. They killed myte husband¡­¡±


    Her murky eyes turned red.


    She was suing her son and daughter-inw¡ªwhat was happening?


    Everyone was perplexed. Wasn¡¯t the olddy here to testify? Why had she suddenly be another intiff?


    The presiding judge also didn¡¯t understand.


    Zhang Dashan heard Xiao Luo¡¯s message, and hurriedly exined, ¡°Your Honors, please continue listening. This grievance concerns an incident that could clear Luo¡¯s Workshop of the charge of selling poisonous bread.¡± He smiled at the old woman and said, ¡°Gram, do continue. His lordship is listening.¡±


    The old woman nodded, and her aged face was full of sadness and pain. She choked on her sobs as she stated, ¡°My unfilial son, Wang Decai, and daughter-inw, Tian Guihua, heartlessly kicked myte husband and me out of our home. Myte husband had always had a weak heart, and his illness rpsed after our son insulted him that day.


    ¡°But he said to me, ¡®My old woman, I¡¯m fine. You are probably hungry. There is a bakery nearby, let me go and buy you your favorite Songhua cake.¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect that he would leave me behind and then leave this world on his own. It was my son and daughter-inw who killed him. It was they who killed him¡­¡±


    She wiped her tears, and her hoarse voice was extremely infectious with emotion, affecting everyone present sincerely. They could profoundly feel the old woman¡¯s sorrow. How much determination did it take to bring one¡¯s son and daughter-inw to court? The backstory was even more heart-wrenching.


    Even the presiding judge and the other judges furrowed their brows after listening to her tale. ¡°Gao Qingfeng, why did your son and daughter-inw kick you and yourte husband out from your home?¡±


    The old woman let out a long sigh, indescribably forlorn. ¡°When I was cooking, I identally knocked the rice cooker onto the floor. My daughter-inw scolded me loudly, and myte husband answered back in my defense. My daughter-inw then yelled loudly, iming that myte husband had hit her. After my son came back and heard my daughter-inw¡¯sints, he didn¡¯t say anything. He simply pushed and dragged myte husband and me out of our home and even told us to die outside.¡±


    What?


    How could such an unfilial son exist in the world?


    The people in the courtroom were filled with righteous anger. Without needing to see them in person, they could already imagine how unfilial the son and how mean his wife must be.


    Thements fromizens online also all condemned the old woman¡¯s son and daughter-inw.


    ¡°There are all sorts of trashy sons and daughters-inw in this world. If my son behaves like this in the future, I will p him across the face.¡±


    ¡°How detestable. I support the olddy¡¯s decision to sue her son!¡±


    ¡°Filial piety is the virtue held above all else. Trash like him, who are cruel enough to kick their parents out and tell them to die outside, must be losers in life.¡±


    ¡­


    The presiding judge and the other judges looked sad and contemtive, and they seemed to be thinking about these hopeless phenomena in today¡¯s society.


    Zhang Dashan shifted the topic back to the case. Luo¡¯s Workshop was suing Chen Jianbai, after all.


    ¡°Your Honor, the olddy¡¯s testimony should be enough to prove that the old gentleman didn¡¯t die from consuming bread sold by Luo¡¯s Workshop that day. Think about it. The old gentleman went to buy Songhua cake for his wife, so why would he have eaten it by himself without her? So, there is only one possibility. The old gentleman died of a heart attack, and his passing has nothing to do with Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    His words were undoubtedly persuasive, and the old woman¡¯s story supported his main point.


    ¡°But the autopsy report showed that the old gentleman died after consuming excessive amounts of preservatives, which caused him to die of cardiovascr and cerebrovascr blockages. How can this be exined?¡± the presiding judge asked, his brow furrowed.


    Zhang Dashanughed, pointed at Fang Changlei sitting in the audience, and said, ¡°You need to ask Fang Changlei, President Fang of Taste Buds, for that.¡±


    Fang Changlei¡¯s expression was rmingly dark, and the muscle at the corner of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch. He hadn¡¯t expected Fu Heyu to be kicked out of the courtroom, and he certainly hadn¡¯t expected to get involved in the case.


    <span>COMMENT</a>


    He couldn¡¯t fathom where this b*stard with a big round face hade from. How had this kid managed to control the direction of public opinion in court to the extent that even Fu Heyu had been forced to leave in the middle of the trial?

 Chapter 150 - Dangerous Character

    Chapter 150: Dangerous Character


    Zhang Dashan called out Fang Changlei in the same way a thief in a crowd finds himself pointed out. All eyes were drawn to him. However, this thief was rather intense, psychologically. He did not panic in the slightest. Instead, he was incredibly annoyed, and his eyes glowed with viciousness as he gave Zhang Dashan a death stare.


    ¡°Your Honor, allow me to call another witness. His testimony will suffice to prove that all these incidents have to do with Fang Changlei,¡± Zhang Dashan said calmly.


    The presiding judge nodded. ¡°Yes, you may!¡±


    Boom!


    The courtroom door was pushed open forcefully. Dressed in in clothes, Zhang Donghai walked in uneasily, looking slightly panicked. After helping Gao Qingfeng off the witness stand, he walked over.


    The moment he saw Zhang Donghai, a cloud of gloominess flitted across Fang Changlei¡¯s eyes, and his eyelids twitched a couple of times. He hadn¡¯t expected the trusted subordinate, whom he¡¯d so carefully cultivated, to betray him.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, witness?¡± the presiding judge asked.


    ¡°Your Honor, my name is Zhang Donghai. I am from Qi¡¯an,¡± Zhang Donghai answered honestly.


    Zhang Dashan passed on Xiao Luo¡¯s words and bellowed in an authoritative tone, ¡°Zhang Donghai, tell us everything you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the reply.


    Zhang Donghai nodded sheepishly, then looked somewhat timidly at Fang Changlei, who was sitting amid the audience, then said slowly, ¡°On the surface, I am the head of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s factory, but in secret, I work for Fang Changlei of Taste Buds. To defeat Luo¡¯s Workshop, Fang Changlei once told me that he had conducted secret operations to spread the news of the deadly bread incident, which took ce Luo¡¯s Workshop. He aims to tarnish Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation.


    ¡°Other than that, he also spent money bribing workers from Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s factory to go on strike, while I added fuel to the fire from the sidelines. A few days ago, he gave me a firm order to create an incident while Luo¡¯s Workshop was rushing toplete the orders for the mid-autumn festival. He wanted me to force the factory to stop the manufacturing process!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, amotion arose amid the audience, and theizens¡¯ments flooded the inte like bamboo shoots after rain.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! So this is the big boss hidden behind the scenes!¡±


    ¡°Fang Changlei of Taste Buds is the troublemaker behind everything. What a surprising oue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so f*cking surprised! This trial has so many ups and downs. It is more interesting than many tv dramas.¡±


    ¡­


    [In court]


    ¡°Bullsh*t, Your Honor. He is framing me. He is framing me!!!¡±


    Fang Changlei could hardly stay calm anymore, and the flesh on his face trembled violently. His face was grotesque and terrifying as he roared while pointing at Zhang Donghai.


    Bang, bang, bang! The presiding judge banged the gavel and called out, ¡°Silence! Please stay silent!¡±


    Once the entire courtroom returned to quiet, he looked at Zhang Donghai and said, ¡°Mr. Witness, can you promise the court that you have spoken nothing but the truth here today?¡±


    Zhang Donghai nodded forcefully and answered, ¡°Your Honor, I swear that I have spoken no lies. To be safe, I even deliberately recorded my conversation with Fang Changlei.¡±


    As he said this, he handed over a USB drive.


    The bailiff passed the USB drive to the judicial assistant, who then gave it to the presiding judge and the rest of the judges. After checking that there was nothing suspicious with the drive, the judge instructed the courtroom workers to y the recording it contained. When the sounds of Zhang Donghai and Fang Changlei¡¯s conversation rang out in therge courtroom, everyone looked surprised.


    Meanwhile, Fang Changlei gritted his teeth, and his hand on his thigh couldn¡¯t help but shake slightly.


    After everyone finished listening to the recording, Zhang Dashan again called another critical witness, Wang Tiechui, who had been discharged from the hospital.


    Wang Tiechui admitted that a stranger had given him 20 thousand and asked him to organize a strike and protest for the workers of Luo¡¯s Workshop, corroborating Zhang Donghai¡¯s testimony.


    At the same time, Chen Jianbai, who was scared sh*tless, also admitted that he¡¯d only written an article tarnishing the reputation of Luo¡¯s Workshop because Taste Buds had offered him some benefits in exchange. He also exined that Liu Huilong, who had written the autopsy report, had been bribed by Taste Buds and had now left the country.


    This concrete proof left no room for rebuttal!


    From the presiding judge to the other judges and members of the public, everyone present had finally realized that everything they¡¯d seen and heard in court was due to a conspiracy set up by Fang Changlei, Taste Buds¡¯ boss, to target Luo¡¯s Workshop. His goal was apparent: to destroy Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    Fang Changlei¡¯s face was ashen, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead and body. While everyone¡¯s gaze was still on him, he sat unmoving in the audience gallery. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to move, but his legs were no longer his to control. It was if all energy had left his body in an instant.


    He had lost!


    Lostpletely!


    The trial had not been a preceding against Luo¡¯s Workshop, but against him and Taste Buds. But how had this happened?


    He had some troubleing back to his senses. Had he not taken Xiao Luo of Luo¡¯s Workshop seriously enough? Or, in his desperation to destroy Luo¡¯s Workshop, had he just left too much evidence behind?


    In the intiff¡¯s seat, Li Zimeng stared at Zhang Dashan in a daze. She realized that Zhang Dashan was very charismatic today. Besides the cursing and swearing earlier on, when he talked, somehow, she could sense a trace of Xiao Luo in him. More than once, while Zhang Dashan was speaking so eloquently before the court, she had mistaken him for Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    Back at the caf¨¦, Xiao Luo exhaled deeply. He closed the website that was live-streaming the public trial then took off his earphones. For him, it had been a rtively hard battle, but the oue ofplete victory had left him incredibly satisfied.


    He lifted the cup that was on the table, wanting to drink the coffee inside. But he realized that the coffee had turned cold, so he snapped his fingers and asked the waiter to bring him another.


    Only then did he notice Gu Qianlin sitting opposite him. The woman had not left this whole time and was staring at him intently with a weird look.


    ¡°Who on earth are you?¡±


    As if she were sizing a prisoner up and down, Gu Qianlin¡¯s gaze flitted over Xiao Luo¡¯s every characteristic. Xiao Luo surprised her almost every time they met. He was outrageously good at fighting. Even Red Scorpion, the mercenary, had died at his hands. And now, he¡¯d won awsuit by controlling it from afar.


    Such a mysterious man made her tremble from the bottom of her heart. She thought: is he even human? Surely, he¡¯s more like an alien?


    ¡°My name is Xiao Luo. Ie from Xisheng. You¡¯ve probably read my data so many times that the document pages are worn out by now, Officer Gu,¡± Xiao Luo answered her calmly.


    ¡°Is that your real identity?¡± Gu Qianlin asked persistently. ¡°Your abilities are beyond myprehension. To me, you are a dangerous character. If you are indeed a criminal, Jiangcheng probably isn¡¯t even enough for you. You are like a bomb hidden in a crowd, ready to explode anytime and bring about destructive disaster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things!¡± Xiao Luo chuckled.


    ¡°Am I?¡± Gu Qianlin shot back coldly, ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer her. He took a small sip of the hot coffee that the waiter had served, opened an episode of ¡®The Big Bang Theory¡¯ on hisputer, and began watching the show.


    ¡°Join the police. How about that? With your abilities, I think you will be criminals¡¯ worst nightmare,¡± Gu, Qianlin suddenly offered.


    In her eyes, Xiao Luo was a dangerous beast who was going to cause significant harm to society at any moment. She hoped to leverage the police to bind the beast¡¯s teeth and ws or to use them against criminals.

 Chapter 151 - A World of Martial Arts Practitioners and the Jianghu

    Chapter 151: A World of Martial Arts Practitioners and the Jianghu


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Be a cop?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed out loud as if he had just heard a hrious joke. Then, he put down his coffee and said contemtively, ¡°Do you know why I helped Luo¡¯s Workshop win thiswsuit?¡±


    Gu Qianlin blinked and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I am now the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop,¡± Xiao Luo answered somberly.


    While Gu Qianlin was still in shock, he closed hisptop, put it in his bag, rose from the table, and walked out of the caf¨¦. With a cop hanging around, he had lost any interest in drinking coffee.


    Gu Qianlin stayed in her seat, stunned. For a good while, she was unable to ept that Xiao Luo was the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop. However, in the end, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. For the cops, Xiao Luo running a business was something relieving. She couldn¡¯t imagine how difficult it would have been to deal with Xiao Luo if he were a criminal.


    However, she would not give up her investigation into the ¡°nine-one-two¡± incident. Xiao Luo was very suspicious, and anyone who had broken thew must be punished by thew, regardless of their identity!


    ¡­


    Chen Jianbai was convicted of defamation and sentenced to one year in jail and a fine of 20 thousand dors. Fang Changlei of Taste Buds was led directly away from the courtroom by the Anti-Monopoly and Competition Restoration Bureau for investigation purposes. There was concrete evidence, and he would be facing astronomical fines.


    With a single public trial, the reputation of Luo¡¯s Workshop was restored. Not only did the customers they had previously loste back, but many new customers surged in as well. Taste Buds¡¯ reputation, meanwhile, had fallen to a new low. Thepany was spat upon and shamed by members of the public. In the blink of an eye, thendscape of Jiangcheng¡¯s bakery industry changed drastically.


    After a celebration feast, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan returned to the ce where they were staying.


    Feng Wuhen and the other five came up and brought along two six-packs of beer and some barbecued food. Even after the feast, they had yet to satisfy their cravingspletely. They did not intend to return to their hostel at the factory tonight. Instead, they were determined to stay at Xiao Luo¡¯s house, even though it only had a living room and a bedroom.


    Since they could all just about squeeze into the living room, Xiao Luo, naturally, had no objections. However, he would never give up his bedroom.


    ¡°Heck, it is too exhrating. Old Xiao, next time you must find me for asions like this. The ones that require someone to show face!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was still recollecting how he had eloquently represented Luo¡¯s Workshop in court. The more he thought about it, the more excited and at ease he became, even feeling as if he hadn¡¯t had enoughwyering.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were nervous?¡±


    ¡°Nervous, my a*s!¡±


    Zhang Dashan showed Xiao Luo his phone. ¡°See here? The number of fans on my Weibo has increased by 500 thousand in one go, and the number is still surging. Quotes of things I said in court are even circting online. Now, I am more or less an inte celebrity.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°You¡¯re acting so smug.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. I feel that springtime hase for me atst. Manydy fans are asking for my contact on Weibo, and I can see a different one each day without repeating!¡± Zhang Dashanughed.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t reply to this meaningless point.


    To be honest, it was a good thing that he¡¯d had Zhang Dashan to help him out at the trial. Thetter could infuriate people with his words, whereas Xiao Luo¡¯s speeches were more rational, and he could hardly curse. The twobined their strengths for the trial, forging an image for the representative that disyed both of their characteristics.


    ¡°Oh yeah, have you arranged a job for that old woman, Gao Qingfeng?¡± Xiao Luo suddenly asked.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve arranged it. The finance head donated a sum of money to her in thepany¡¯s name. To prevent her son and daughter-inw from robbing it from her, we¡¯ve entrusted the money to awyer. It will be sent to her at the start of each month in the form of an allowance, ensuring that her daily needs will be met. Also, I¡¯ve found awyer to represent her in court. As for what the oue will be in this family matter, that I can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, that¡¯s good.¡± Xiao Luo nodded. He would not treat anyone who had helped him unfairly.


    ¡°What about that, Zhang Donghai?¡±


    ¡°You are going to have to ask Brother Feng for that,¡± Zhang Dashan said. Then, he shouted at Feng Wuhen, who was eating barbecue by the door, ¡°Brother Feng,e over here for a minute. Old Xiao wants to ask you about Zhang Donghai.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Feng Wuhen put down the skewered meat and ran over like a gust of wind. He wiped away the grease on his mouth and reported to Xiao Luo, ¡°As per your instructions, Brother Feng, we took Zhang Donghai and his family to the airport and did not leave until we saw them board the ne.¡±


    ¡°Did you see any suspicious people following you?¡± Xiao Luo asked again.


    Feng Wuhen shook his head. ¡°No, and the Little Five were all secretly overseeing the situation all the time. We didn¡¯t discover anyone else suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you may go,¡± replied Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Brother Xiao,e and enjoy the barbecue with us. We bought too much food,¡± entreated Feng Wuhen.


    ¡°Heck, it is very shameful to waste food. Let me help solve this problem.¡±


    Zhang Dashan rolled up his sleeves and prepared to dig in. With one hand on Feng Wuhen¡¯s shoulder, he walked over to the food. They ate, drank, munched on the meat, and bragged to each other. Their roughughter and shouts rang out in the vast space of the top floor.


    Xiao Luo inhaled deeply, turned to look the outside, and stood fast against the wind. In this rural part of Jiangcheng, the night seemed extremely quiet.


    This time, other than the fact that Luo¡¯s Workshop had won aplete victory, the oue was rather fruitful for him as well. His points in the system had surged by 200 thousand points, all because of the trial. He had been an indirect influence, and the system had automatically identified and collected his points. As the hearing had been live-streamed on various significant tforms, many people were affected by it, earning him 200 thousand points.


    He was much closer to the 500 thousand points required for obtaining the life-extension ability!


    Furthermore, the system had unlocked a high-level shop. To his surprise, Xiao Luo discovered that the shop sold the various martial arts abilitiesmonly seen in wuxia television shows, such as Yijin Jing [1], the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, and Wave-like Subtle Steps, and so on. The points required to redeem them were much more than those needed to redeem the Constitution of King of Mercenaries. For example, to redeem Yijin Jing, he would need to spend a surprisingly high amount of 100 thousand points.


    ¡°System, how can this be?¡± Xiao Luo was puzzled.


    ¡°Ding! The Constitution of King of Mercenaries changes the exterior conditions of the body, while the Yijin Jing is a high-level martial arts ability that increases one¡¯s inner power. Once redeemed, the host obtains an extraordinary amount of inner fortitude. Be it power, speed, or endurance. All of these attributes are permanently strengthened.¡±


    ¡°So, both of them are for increasing one¡¯s capabilities. But one is internal, while the other is external?¡±


    ¡°Ding! Correct!¡±


    ¡°Why does the Constitution of King of Mercenaries require only 1000 points while Yijin Jing requires 100 thousand points?¡±


    This was what puzzled Xiao Luo the most. Wasn¡¯t the difference between 1000 and 100 thousand too big? If one went by the rule that the more expensive something was, the better it was, didn¡¯t that mean that Yijin Jing was much more powerful than the Constitution of King of Mercenaries?


    ¡°Ding! Even 100 people with the Constitution of King of Mercenaries would be no match for someone who has obtained the top level of the martial art of Yijin Jing!¡± The system¡¯s emotionless voice rang out in his mind.


    Xiao Luo inhaled deeply. He¡¯d thought the Constitution of King of Mercenaries was already powerful enough, and he hadn¡¯t expected that something even more powerful even existed. Since the system had the martial arts known as Yijin Jing, did that mean that there were a bunch of martial arts practitioners loose somewhere in the world? A wuxia Jianghu [2]?


    ¡°It seems that the world is quite interesting, after all!¡±


    After his initial shock wore off, instead of being worried, Xiao Luo was filled with anticipation for this new world he was entering. A world of martial arts practitioners, jianghu, would indeed suffice in bringing out one¡¯s passions.


    [1] A martial arts technique that trantes as ¡°The ssics of Tendon Changing.¡±


    [2] A concept in wuxia novels. Essentially, a society where martial arts practitioners live and are governed by their own rules and a strict code of honor.

 Chapter 152 - Inspection

    Chapter 152: Inspection


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe Mid-Autumn Festival was a time to reunite with family, and both Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan called their parents back home. They asked if they had received the mooncakes they¡¯d sent and chatted a little about everyday life. Still, like every other phone call home before, the conversation ended when the boys were asked whether they had romantic partners.


    Luo¡¯s Workshop didn¡¯t get the day off, and most stores were still open because many people came to buy mooncakes and other pastries on the day of the festival.


    Xiao Luo had nothing to do, so he went over to check on the stores with Li Zimeng.


    Most retail employees didn¡¯t recognize Xiao Luo but knew Li Zimeng from the marketing department because she was the boss of all the individual store owners. When they learned that Xiao Luo was the owner of thepany, many employees were shocked to find out their big boss was this young, stereotypically powerful CEO.


    ¡°Luo Workshop¡¯s sales have returned to normal, and the quantity of individual transactions has increased more than two times beyond the peak of our sales in the past!¡±


    Li Zimeng reported the sales figures to Xiao Luo in the car with a smile on her face. It could certainly be said that Luo¡¯s Workshop was back on its feet. Within two days, it had be one of the top suppliers for bread and pastries in Jiangcheng. Their catering orders had been increasing alongside their bakery sales. Growing at this rapid speed, they were almost unstoppable.


    After finishing her report, Li Zimeng carefully studied Xiao Luo in the front seat mirror to see his reaction only to find that Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have any trace of surprise visible on his face. He sat quietly in the back seat with his cheek resting on his right fist, lookingzy and apathetically beyond the window where the crowd of pedestrians and traffic flowed by.


    Li Zimeng pressed her lips together in slight disappointment. She thought that Xiao Luo would be happy about the news and at least reward her with a genuine smile.


    It was silent inside the car for a while until she hesitantly asked, ¡°President Xiao, I have a question. But I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s appropriate to ask right now.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Li Zimeng questioned timidly, ¡°Where did you go during the day of the court hearing?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought about it for a moment and answered, ¡°I had to take care of some business.¡± Then he asked, ¡°What of it?¡±


    Li Zimeng shook her head and said, ¡°Nothing. I just thought that the way Vice President Zhang spoke that day was very simr to your style of speaking.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned and stared at her in shock. Women sure had sharp instincts! She¡¯d even managed to catch onto this!


    Li Zimeng felt a bit uneasy from his staring and chuckled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s not that simr. I think I was just oversensitive¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re oversensitive,¡± Xiao Luo said sternly.


    Li Zimeng saw Xiao Luough in the mirror. Yet, something about his smile was unnatural. Perhaps this was simply awkwardness. Then, she thought: Why did I have to start up such an annoying conversation? Vice President Zhang is Vice President Zhang, and President Xiao is President Xiao, so how could I possibly have mixed them up?¡±


    ¡­.


    Not too long after, they arrived at another store.


    This location was perfect, surrounded by small residential areas in all directions with a steady flow of customers.


    ¡°This was the store where the old man died from a sudden heart attack. The owner¡¯s name is Sun Jian¡¯an. He¡¯s an honest, hardworking man who treats his job very professionally. Look, President Xiao, when his employees are all tied up, he evenes out personally to greet customers,¡± Li Zimeng said.


    Xiao Luo followed her gaze and saw Sun Jian¡¯an greeting customers in his store.


    ¡°Should we go in and take a look?¡± Li Zimeng asked.


    ¡°We probably should.¡±


    Xiao Luo took in a deep breath before exhaling, opening the door, and stepping out of the car.


    Li Zimeng quickly followed him. Her height was already close to 5¡¯6, and her tall figure looked even taller when she was wearing heels. Her hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail behind her head. The skin of her delicate face was egg-white and smooth.


    She wore a white sweater with a fashionable long plush jacketplete with ck stockings. With her legs exposed, she exuded a sense of temptation that earned her a few looks from men as soon as she walked by.


    In contrast to her, Xiao Luo¡¯s outfit was much more straightforward. He wore a ck sweater with casual ck pants. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing his arms. His informal style created a unique sense of aloofness; he was cleanly handsome but cold.


    Usually, anyone who stood beside Li Zimeng would be intimidated by her overwhelming presence, but that was not the case for Xiao Luo. His natural confidence allowed him to retain an aura of authority and a powerful ego. He was like a king standing above everyone else, and Li Zimeng was the loyal retainer who stood beside him.


    The store was busy with customers, so Xiao Luo purposely didn¡¯t bother the busy Sun Jian¡¯an.


    Sun Jian¡¯an¡¯s face was stered with a smile. The store¡¯s business had improved, and the traces of exhaustion and helplessness Xiao Luo had noticed about him the first time they met had utterly disappeared.


    ¡°President Xiao!?¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯an¡¯s voice trembled in excitement when he finally noticed Xiao Luo standing right in front of him.


    Xiao Luo smiled and asked, ¡°Mister Sun, how¡¯s business now?¡±


    ¡°Good, very good! Ever since that court case was settled, business here has exploded. I haven¡¯t seen so many customerse into our store in such a long time.¡±


    Sun Jian¡¯an was very sentimental and thankful. He hadn¡¯t thought that Xiao Luo could take the Luo Workshop to the next level. Now, he was filled with the desire to tell his niece, Sun Yu, about Xiao Luo¡¯s identity so that she could hold onto this perfect man.


    Xiao Luo nodded and remarked, ¡°That¡¯s good!¡±


    ¡°Owner, do you have bread that¡¯s good for the elderly to eat? I need something soft. We old folk don¡¯t have many teeth left and can¡¯t chew hard things,¡± an older woman walked over and asked Sun Jian¡¯an.


    ¡°Of course, we do. It¡¯s right over there. I¡¯ll show you,¡± Sun Jian¡¯an answered the customer¡¯s question enthusiastically. He remembered that Xiao Luo was here just as he was about to walk away. He turned and gave his boss a problematic smile, saying, ¡°President Xiao, I¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo waved him off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just go and do your job.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sun Jian¡¯an answered and went over to help the woman.


    Xiao Luo walked around aimlessly. For a pastry shop and bakery, the environment was the most crucial aspect. A clean, organized store was essential for increasing customer confidence. If the shop were dirty and unorganized, then customers, naturally, would suspect that their products were also unsanitary.


    Even though he hadn¡¯t exposed his identity, many young part-time employees had guessed who he was. Since Li Zimeng was also following behind this man as timidly as a tail, who else could it be other than the new big boss? Of course, this theory was also confirmed by one of Sun Jian¡¯an¡¯s young female workers.


    ¡°Wow, so he¡¯s our big boss? So handsome!¡± The awe-struck girl shot a loving nce at Xiao Luo, adding, ¡°So those TV dramas aren¡¯t all fake. There are really rich and powerful CEO types in this world.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and get a photo. This shop will go down if you miss your chance.¡±


    ¡°I feel like the boss and Department Head Li would make a good couple. A fine man and beauty, we don¡¯t possibly stand a chance here.¡±


    ¡°Such a handsome and sessful boss¡ªI wouldn¡¯t mind being their little third wheel.¡±


    The employees quietly chatted among themselves and attempted to steal a few photos of Xiao Luo while they greeted their customers.

 Chapter 153 - The Wonderful Times in the Past

    Chapter 153: The Wonderful Times in the Past


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo and Li Zimeng sat at the guest bench in front of the store entrance and drank their hot tea.


    After serving the customers, Sun Jiannan walked over enthusiastically and asked with a courteous smile: ¡°President Xiao, do you have any constructive advice for our work?¡±


    If he maintained a suspicious attitude towards Xiao Luo before, he now trusts Xiao Luo¡¯s leadership 100%. If Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have the skills, the Luo Workshop wouldn¡¯t have been able to get back on its feet in such a short time; even the old President of the Taste Buds, Fang Changlei, lost to Xiao Luo. The young man¡¯s ability made him feel as if Xiao Luo was like a god standing above mankind.


    ¡°I only have one advice.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and turned his head to look at Li ZImeng beside him, ¡°it¡¯s also a request for the storefront owner.¡±


    Li Zimeng quickly pulled out some paper and a pen to carefully record Xiao Luo¡¯s next words so that she can bring it up to all storefronts.


    ¡°The owner needs to learn how to manage the store with 5S theory.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    5S theory?


    Sun Jiannan looked at him dumbfounded, and Li Zimeng also expressed confusion.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said: ¡°5S is organization, regtion, cleaning, sanitization and quality control. Organization means to clearly organize pastries based on their shelf life, and anything that is about to expire must not be ced on the product rack and disposed of as soon as possible. Regtion means to always keep everything in the store neatly, properlybeled with name and stock. You must also be able to make three confirmations: naming every item, maintain an inventory, and ce the items properly. Cleaning means to clean the store of all dirt and dust, preventing any contamination¡­¡±


    As Xiao Luo was giving his lecture to Sun Jiannan and Li Zimeng on the 5S theory, two other girls entered the store to shop for pastries.


    They were dressed fashionably with a good figure; one of them had slightly curled hair and looked quite energetic. The other didn¡¯t look too well and had a pale face, but her sweet appearance was enough to make many young men swoon.


    ¡°Mengqi, your surgery wound hasn¡¯t healed yet. The Doctor said you need to be extra careful.¡± The girl with slight curls reminded the other girl.


    It was Ma Linger and Zhao Mengqi!


    Zhao Mengqi shook her head: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I gained some appetite the moment I smelled fresh bread from the oven. Let¡¯s go check out inside.¡±


    Ma Linger pressed her lips down: ¡°Even if you have an appetite you can¡¯t eat them, you can only have some light porridge right now.¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t eat then I¡¯ll just go inside for the smell, I¡¯ll be happy to just smell fresh bread.¡± Zhao Mengqiughed.


    ¡°I¡­alright, I guess I can¡¯t help it.¡±


    Ma Linger made a concession, ¡°But you can only smell it!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi nodded.


    The two walked inside the store and was immediately greeted by a scene of full unique bread and pastries; soft French bread, small roll cakes, shredded bread, pudding, swiss rolls, etc¡­ Everything in the store brings up an appetite and even made Ma Linger, who wasn¡¯t hungry earlier, swallow her own saliva.


    ¡°Look at you drool over them, if you want some then just buy it!¡± Zhao Mengqi gave her a nce.


    Ma Linger waved her hand and said sternly: ¡°I can¡¯t, in order to maintain my body right now I refuse to eat high-calorie foods like these.¡±


    ¡°I used to eat these all the time, and I didn¡¯t gain weight.¡± Zhao Mengqi said.


    The beam on her face immediately dimmed down after she finished. Even though she ate bread a lot in the past, it was because Xiao Luo bought them for her. She could clearly remember one time where she visited a Luo Workshop bakery with Xiao Luo only to find herself with only a few Yuans on hand and could only split arge shredded bread together.


    That was indeed a wonderful and fun time!


    However, she destroyed the wonderful past with her own hands¡­


    Her nose felt itchy and her eyes grew a little red at the thought.


    ¡°Mengqi, what happened?¡± Ma Linger asked in concern.


    Zhao Mengqi took in a deep breath and forced a smile on her face: ¡°No¡­it¡¯s nothing. By the way, Linger, where did the $100,000 for my treatmente from?¡±


    She vaguely recalled seeing Xiao Luo when she was half-asleep on her bed in the hospital, and only now remembered to confirm her suspicion with Ma Linger.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? I got it from my family.¡± Ma Linger¡¯s gaze dodged away with a bit of guilt from lying.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi lowered her head in slight disappointment and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back the money I owe eventually.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, my family isn¡¯t in need of money¡­¡±


    Ma Linger¡¯s voice slowly disappeared as she spoke out ofck of confidence. How could she just let $100,000 go without asking someone to pay back and felt that she will not be able to hide the fire with paper for long anymore? She pondered whether toy it all out to Zhao Mengqi, but after some thought, she decided to test Zhao Mengqi¡¯s thoughts first and quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°We can figure out the money issue after you recover. As your sister, I really must scold you here. Why did you choose that Hua Haifeng as your boyfriend? Those rich second generations have no skills and only a rich father. Look at him, he hasn¡¯t evene over to see you since you were hospitalized, such a scum. Oh, no, even calling him a scum is too generous, he¡¯s just a rock under a pit that¡¯s smelly and hard.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi¡¯s face lifted a difficult smile: ¡°Linger, don¡¯t mention him. Now that it happened, I won¡¯t me anyone else besides myself for being foolish enough to buy into temptation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, very few girls can withhold temptation in front of money. Take myself for example, if a rich boy tries to throw a few hundred thousand dors at me, I might also just walk away with him without hesitation.¡±


    Ma Linger skillfully turned the topic and changed the subject to Xiao Luo, ¡°Alright, enough of that, let¡¯s talk about someone else. Mengqi, who is that Xiao Luo person you were mumbling half-asleep while in the hospital?¡±


    Zhao Mengqi was shocked andughed at her difficulty in her mind: Did I call his name while I was unconscious?


    ¡°He was my ex-boyfriend and my first love. For both of us, it was our first time falling in love with no experiences before. We made a fool of ourselves, suffered, were a mess, and threw lots of attitudes before. But now that I recall everything, it was filled with sweetness.¡±


    She smiled sweetly. Whenever she thinks of Xiao Luo, Zhao Mengqi would feel happy.


    An old scenery surfaced in her mind. She didn¡¯t bring an umbre and could only stand behind a bus stop to wait for the rain to pass. Her monthly was here and it was so painful she couldn¡¯t even walk properly, so Xiao Luo carried her all the way back to her dorm without hesitation. She couldn¡¯t remember why, but the two got into a fight under the tree and ended up walking away in anger¡­


    ¡°Do you still love him?¡± Ma Linger asked.


    Zhao Mengqi¡¯s body trembled a bit, all the memories in her mind will forever remain memories. Sheughed in mock and shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to love him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, maybe you two can still get back together.¡±


    Ma Linger grabbed her hands and said eagerly: ¡°Go find him, maybe he still loves you!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Zhao Mengqi suddenly yelled out uncontrobly and took a step back. As she saw her friend stood there dumbly, her expression began to grow apologetic, ¡°Sorry, I¡­¡± She closed her eyes and said painfully, ¡°I was the one that left him in the first ce. I didn¡¯t like that he was always just a part-timer, I have no more face to go find him again anymore.¡±

 Chapter 154 - Be Happy For Him

    Chapter 154: Be Happy For Him


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioZhao Mengqi¡¯s words wereced with pain and regret. She had tried sending him a text before, but Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond. He kept his distance, even treating her as if she were an unknown stranger. There was no way for her to return by his side.


    Ma Linger sighed in sympathy but didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    Just then, the door to the guest area opened. Zhao Mengqi and Ma Linger were stunned to see Xiao Luo walk out with the store owner, Sun Jiannan, who was escorting him towards the exit. As things came to pass, this confirmed the adage: ¡°Sometimes encounters arepletely unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Xiao¡­Xiao Luo? What is he doing here?¡± Ma Linger thought to herself, letting out a gasp in surprise.


    Zhao Mengqi was utterly dumbfounded. Her mouth slightly open, she was rooted where she stood. She stared nkly at Xiao Luo, walking by with both hands behind his back, her mind empty.


    He came closer as they walked towards the exit, almost within an arm¡¯s reach.


    As he approached, she became more nervous, and she could feel her heart rate rise appreciably, almost to the point her heart would burst out of her chest. Her whole body froze up in anxiety, and she felt a tightness in her chest and a sense of breathlessness.


    Walking right past Zhao Mengqi, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t see her at all as Li Zimeng, walking to his left, was blocking his line of sight. He was there to inspect the store and didn¡¯t pay much attention to the customers milling around.


    ¡°President Xiao, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely study more about the 5S theory and promote it within the store.¡± Sun Jiannan said respectfully.


    Xiao Luo nodded. He had majored in IE at college and specialized in production management. The guiding principles were to operate at the highest efficiency and at the lowest cost in funding andbor to maximize profitability. The 5S theory was the foundation of his major, but it remained very much theory only within academic circles. Globally, the 5S approach hadn¡¯t been fully adopted and implemented byrge corporations and manufacturers, and very few managers were of it.


    As she watched Xiao Luo walk by without even a nce at her direction, Zhao Mengqi was ovee with despair. She felt as if her whole soul being ripped out of her body that very instant. ¡°The most familiar stranger¡­¡±: she finally understood what this phrase meant.


    ¡°Xiao¡­.¡±


    Ma Linger attempted to call out to Xiao Luo but held herself as she suddenly realized that there was a fine looking woman next to him. She was an outstanding beauty with a well-limbed, slender figure, dressed in chic clothes that looked quite expensive and carried herself with an air of self-confidence. She looked like a woman of high status, perhaps even Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend.


    As such, Ma Linger didn¡¯t call out to Xiao Luo for fear of putting Zhao Mengqi in a very awkward situation.


    She turned and looked at Zhao Mengqi, who now appeared ovee with gloom. She looked a pitiful sight! Ma Linger held her gently to console her and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t feel upset. He¡¯s only clinging onto the woman beside him for her wealth. It¡¯s not worth chasing a man like him that¡¯s easily influenced by power.¡±


    ¡°No wonder he was so generous in handing out the $100,000. This character w must be the reason why.¡± Ma Linger reasoned to herself, as she let out a deep sigh. In her mind, she screamed, ¡°Xiao Luo, I was wrong about you!¡±


    ¡°How upsetting, I purposely went to the restroom to fix my makeup, and the big boss didn¡¯t eveny his eyes on me.¡±


    ¡°You should probably stop having unrealistic expectations and get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Right, you¡¯re right. Work hard and try to be a department head so that big boss might give you a look, hehe¡­¡±


    A few part-time girls had gathered at a counter and were discussing aloud as they looked out the storefront.


    Big boss?


    Ma Linger was taken aback for a moment. She then went walked and waved towards the girls, ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    A girl responded enthusiastically with a smile, switching from gossip mode back to her professional, ¡°at work¡± mode. She was courteous and offered Ma Linger a sweet, genuine smile.


    Ma Linger was curious about what they had mentioned about their big boss earlier and asked, ¡°Can I know if the big boss youdies were discussing earlier was that Xiao Luo person that just walked out?¡±


    The girls that had gathered there before came up to her as they heard her. Gossip, after all, was a woman¡¯s nature.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s the big boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡± One of the part-timers answered.


    Ma Linger frowned, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop called Fang?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it used to be Mr. Fang until a month ago. President Xiao, who is now our big boss, bought up Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    ¡°Right, if the big boss didn¡¯t buy out Luo¡¯s Workshop, the whole workshop would¡¯ve gone bankrupt for certain.¡±


    ¡°Big boss sure is amazing. He managed to bring back Luo¡¯s Workshop within just one month and even took down its mainpetitor, Taste Buds.¡±


    The part-time girls were all gooey-eyed and mushy when they talked about Xiao Luo, and their eyes were filled with the most profound admiration for the man.¡±


    Ma Linger was shocked and stood there staring wide-eyed, in disbelief.


    Zhao Mengqi reacted in the same way, but after the initial shock, she slumped into a depression, filled with painful regret that gnawed down to her bones.


    ¡°No way, how did Xiao Luo get the money to buy up Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡± Ma Linger asked without lowering her voice.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, but it seems that he has an excellent rtionship with the boss of Chongshan House, Mr. Chu.¡±


    ¡°Right, I heard about that too. Luo¡¯s Workshop was originally taken over by the Chongshan house, and the big bosster bought it off the hands of Mr. Chu.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, these aren¡¯t important. The most important thing is the big boss is highly skilled and extremely handsome, whoever can be his partner must be the luckiest woman in the world.¡±


    The part-time girls swooned dreamily.


    Does he have a good rtionship with Chu Yunxiong from the Chongshan House? How is that even possible?


    Ma Linger¡¯s mind was a total nk; it was as if a bomb had blown up in her head, leaving nothing behind but an empty void. Chu Yunxiong was an influential businessman who had significant businessworks internationally, and to have someone with his stature be friends of Xiao Luo was simply unbelievable.


    Wrong, it¡¯s all wrong!


    She blushed at the thought of her earlier assumption that Xiao Luo was merely clinging on to the daughter from a wealthy family to gain position and fame.


    As she looked towards Zhao Mengqi, she saw a lonely figure weighed down by her gloom. She just looked out of the store nkly as tears streamed down the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°He did it. Just as he said, he would. One day, everyone will look up to him, and they¡¯ll all say, he did it, hahaha¡­¡± Zhao Mengqiughed cynically, mumbling incoherently to herself.


    Ma Linger frowned, she empathized with her sister Zhao Mengqi and wished she could do something to make her feel better.


    If Zhao Mengqi had not given in to temptation back then, this incredible man would still be by her side. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about that. If it were Ma Linger herself, she would¡¯ve been so remorseful that she¡¯d probably she could run into a wall and smash herself up!


    She walked up and lightly tapped on Zhao Mengqi on her shoulder. She tried to console her friend, and confessed, ¡°Be happy for him. You know, that $100,000 wasn¡¯t from my family. It was from him!¡±


    Paper can¡¯t cover fire, and $100,00 wasn¡¯t a small amount. In the end, she couldn¡¯t hide the lie and decided to confess the truth.


    Zhao Mengqi froze on the spot.


    ¡­¡­


    7:00 P.M., Xiao Luo, and Zhang Dashan was speed on the road heading towards the Guangming area. Xiao Luo would never forget that he had promised Sun Yu that he would be going to watch her at their Mid-Autumn night festival. His sister, Xiao Ruyi, had already called him a number of times to check on his whereabouts. He wished he could immediately teleport to the festival¡¯s location.


    After getting off work, Feng Wuhen and his group were also asked to attend, and they followed reluctantly. But a single car couldn¡¯t amodate everyone, so Feng Wuhen everybody off the vehicle, aside from Xiao Wu. As it turned out, he and Xiao Wu, plus Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan, were the four persons that finally sat in the car. It was to be afortable ride.


    ¡°Zhang bro, your car is prettyfortable to sit in.¡±


    Xiao Wu touched the leather seats and began praising Zhang Dashan, ¡°This must be genuine leather, it feels like it¡¯s a woman¡¯s skin, smooth and beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Can you g*ddamn shut up for a bit, you took all my lines already so what else am I supposed to say!?¡± Feng Wuhen pped him hard at the back of his head.

 Chapter 155 - Smugness

    Chapter 155: Smugness


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe Mid-autumn Festival celebration of the People¡¯s Hospital of Guangming Region was to be held in a popr hotel. As the hotel hosted many weddings regrly, the effort to set up and prepare for any events was kept at a minimum. By installing a temporary stage using steel frames and covering the stage floor with red carpet, it had been converted immediately to the venue for the Mid-autumn Festival celebration g dinner.


    By the time Xiao Luo and his threepanions had arrived at the location, Xiao Ruyi, Sun Yu, and Tang Ren had already been waiting at the entrance of the hotel for a while.


    ¡°Brother, you all are finally here!¡± Xiao Ruyi greeted them.


    ¡°The traffic was congested along the way here, ¡°Xiao Luo exined.


    Xiao Ruyi pouted but epted his excuse in good faith. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Seeing Xiao Luo, Sun Yu smiled joyfully and greeted him sweetly, ¡°Brother Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and returned a smile.


    Zhang Dashan immediately took charge of the other introductions as he called hispanions over. ¡°Come,e, Brother Feng, let me introduce them to you. This is Old Xiao¡¯s younger sister, Ruyi, you can address her as Sister Luo, just like me. This toy-boy beside her¡­ Ahem, I mean this handsome young man here is her husband, Tang Ren. As for thisdy here, I must emphasize to you, this beautifuldy is Sun Yu, the future wife of Old Xiao.¡±


    Sun Yu was shocked by Zhang Dashan¡¯s straightforward introduction, and her pretty face blushed crimson from embarrassment.


    ¡°Hello, sister-inw!¡±


    Feng Wuhen and Little Five shouted in unison, their expressions very serious and their voices very loud.


    This caused Sun Yu¡¯s face to turn even redder, and she was so embarrassed that she would have hidden into any cracks in the ground had there been any ones big enough. ¡°I¡­ I have to go backstage to get my makeup done. Brother Xiao Luo, why don¡¯t you all follow Sister Ruyi. Please go in and find a seat.¡±


    Having said so, she left almost as if she was trying to escape capture, and almost running into several people on her way backstage.


    ¡°Big-face Zhang, look at what you have done, you scared Yuyu away!¡± Xiao Ruyi admonished Zhang Dashan, giving him the evil eye.


    ¡°Well, how was I to know that the prettydy Sun is so shy.¡±


    Zhang Dashan spread his hands in a feigned gesture of innocence. Then he smiled cheekily and said in a more assertive tone, ¡°But judging from the situation, the prettydy Sun, doesn¡¯t mind at all. Old Xiao, congrattions! You¡¯ve sessfully obtained a Maserati and can drive all you want in the future.¡±


    Xiao Luo gruffly kicked him on the butt and reprimanded him, ¡°Speak properly, don¡¯t make such lewd jokes[1] !¡±


    ¡­


    The mid-autumn festival celebration was held on the third floor of the hotel. There were 30 to 40 tables in all, and the attendees were all doctors and nurses of the hospital. The ce was bustling with patrons milling about, and murmurs of continuous chatter filled the air.


    A serving of mooncakes was ced on each table along with several dishes. Upon taking a closer look, Xiao Luo realized that the mooncakes were manufactured by Luo¡¯s Workshop. He felt a sense of aplishment in his heart and smiled with satisfaction


    Of course, Luo¡¯s Workshop was also hosting its annual Mid-summers Festival celebration. Full authority was given to Xu Guansong and Li Zimeng to organize and host the event this year. He had heard that it was also a dinner party It would be without any performances this year, but a lucky draw would be held at the end of the dinner, with the top prize being ten thousand dors. This generated a lot of interest among their workers, and they looked forward to the event with great anticipation.


    ¡°Sister Luo, Tang Ren, don¡¯t you all feel that I am different from before?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    He had been holding in the question for very long. After all, he had more than 800 thousand fans on Weibo now; the live-streamed public trial had made him an inte sensation overnight. He felt like he already had celebrity status, and was disappointed with the reaction from the crowd present since he arrived. Even Xiao Ruyi had not mentioned anything about it till now.


    Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren exchanged nces and then asked, a little puzzled with where he was bringing this to, ¡°Different? What difference? Isn¡¯t your face as big as always?¡±


    F*ck!


    Zhang Dashan almost cursed out loud, but he persisted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Tang Ren watch the public trial that was all the rage recently?¡±


    Tang Ren shook his head and replied bluntly, ¡°Brother Shan, other than work, I spend all my time preparing to sit for the Medical Practitioner¡¯s Qualification Certificate, and I have no time to watch television at all. Besides, I am not particrly interested in court affairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather watch a few more episodes of Korean drama if I have any spare time.¡± Xiao Ruyi agreed.


    ¡°Fine, fine, it appears I¡¯ve been casting pearls before swine.¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed with a hint of disappointment, expecting his newfound reputation to precede him.


    Xiao Ruyi was offended. She put down her chopsticks and red at Zhang Dashan angrily. ¡°Zhang Dashan, who are you calling a swine?¡±


    Zhang Dashan quickly doubled back on his words, then casually pointed at Feng Wuhen and Little Five, who were both digging into the food, and said with disdain, ¡°I said that they are swine, look at them, see how much they can eat, just like two greedy pigs.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, Little Five and I are innocent, we¡¯re notmitting any crimes here!¡± Feng Wuhen lifted his head andughed obligingly.


    ¡°Innocent your *ss, I¡¯m praising how sturdy you are when Ipare you to swine, you bunch of illiterate people.¡±


    Zhang Dashan continued to rebuke him in jest, then changed the topic. ¡°Oh yeah, Sister Luo, I must tell you something. Your brother, Old Xiao, is not how he used to be. He may have been a loser in the past, but has now be a CEO and is among the most sessful people around.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him, ¡°Watch what you are saying!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t about to keep a lid on his recent sess, not his own sister. So he allowed Zhang Dashan to continue saying as he pleased.


    ¡°Am I not talking properly right now, can you not interrupt me?¡± Zhang Dashan shot back.


    ¡°Big-face Zhang, you haven¡¯t even started drinking any alcohol, why have you already started talking nonsense?¡± Xiao Ruyi interjected, assuming that it was all a bad joke.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you believe me! Am I am not telling the truth?¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t help feeling irked. Out of sheer frustration, he suddenly thought to take out his phone and immediately searched for the video footage of the public trial. ¡°Well, after watching this clip, you will then know whether I am telling the truth.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren took the phone from Zhang Dashan, a little surprised with his conviction. They clicked on the clip and started watching.


    ¡°Brother Shan, why are you on the intiff¡¯s seat? You are the representative of Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡± Tang Ren said in surprise.


    Enjoying his moment of fame, Zhang Dashan had his hand on his chin, smoothing out a nonexistent beard like a spiritual sage master that had left this dimension. Then, still stroking his beardless chin and acting the part, he squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Continue watching, I will exin to you all after you¡¯ve finished watching the whole clip.¡±


    Xiao Luo quietly nibbled away at his food. He had noticed that besides establishing the fact that Xiao Luo was now the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, Zhang Dashan was also busy bragging about his exploits in court. He couldn¡¯t help repeating every detail about his bold and impressive performance in court to Ruyi and Tang Ren.


    As expected, after watching the condensed version of the public trial video, Xiao Ruyi saw Zhang Dashan in a new light. ¡°Big-face Zhang, you are quite capable, I¡¯m surprised that you can be the representative of Luo¡¯s Workshop and anger thewyer of the other party so much that he lost his head and was kicked out by the presiding judge directly. I must give you a ¡°like: this time around.¡±


    ¡°I only had to deal with Fu Heyu, easy-peasy, haha¡­¡± Zhang Dashan said as he gestured with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°Fu Heyu? Oh, you mean the guy that you angered so much that he cursed in court, was Fu Heyu? I heard that he¡¯s a topwyer, at par with the likes of Ge Zhongtian.¡± Tang Ren said with a feigned expression of shock. But to be honest, he had his doubts about the video clip¡¯s veracity, thinking it usible that the sound and video feed had been edited with.


    ¡°In front of Brother Shan, Fu Heyu is nothing. It doesn¡¯t matter what jade [2] they send, all of them must kneel on the ground and submit to me, haha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s conceit was thoroughly appeased that day. He sat confidently, looking smug, unconsciously shaking his legs in excitement, as he continued to revel in unending bluster. As to why he mentioned Fu Heyu? It was purely to brag about how he put down one of the top attorneys in the city. And he took particr pleasure in showing off in front of Tang Ren and Xiao Ruyi.


    Amid his ranting, a sharp, angry voice suddenly pierced the air.


    ¡°B*stard, what bullsh*t are you sprouting over there?¡±


    He turned and saw that the voice belonged to a young man with a look of fury that matched his words.


    [1] In Chinese, ¡°driving a car¡± is ng for making lewd jokes or sharing/ creating obscene material, depending on the context.


    [2] ¡®Yu¡¯ means jade in Chinese.

 Chapter 156 - Fu Guisheng

    Chapter 156: Fu Guisheng


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioHe seemed to be a man of culture, wearing a smart suit and an expensive watch. His face was long and clean-shaven. He hadyered, wavy hair with a soft natural bounce, making him seem somewhat artsy. Overall, he gave off the impression of having good taste.


    However, at this very moment, the man¡¯s countenance was anything but! He was bursting with rage. His eyes smoldering, he looked so fierce that he seemed like an enraged wild stallion. His anger was directed at no other than Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°Oh no, Brother Shan, that is Fu Guisheng, a young brain surgeon from our hospital. He is also the nephew of the Lawyer Fu Heyu!¡± said Tang Ren.


    WTF, what were the chances of running into him?


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face immediately turned apprehensive, then said in an using tone, ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier, had I known that Fu Heyu¡¯s nephew is here, I wouldn¡¯t have brought this topic up.¡±


    Tang Ren tried to exin, feeling somewhat wronged, ¡°I was just going to tell you, but¡­ Aiyah¡­ ¡±


    He was totally focused on preparing for the exam for the Medical Practitioner¡¯s Qualification Certificate at the moment and wasn¡¯t keeping tabs with current affairs. He only knew Fu Heyu because of this man, Fu Guisheng. He had just joined the workforce after graduating from university and was still a houseman, so he had worked under Fu Guisheng for a while, and had only heard of Fu Heyu because of that.


    He really did intend to tell Zhang Dashan just now, but he didn¡¯t get the chance to do so. How was he to know that Fu Guisheng was sitting not far away and had by chance heard Zhang Dashan bragging?


    Seeing how things had turned out, Xiao Luo was left speechless. He rolled his eyes at Zhang Dashan and reprimanded, ¡°Can¡¯t you be more low-key next time?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m being low-key enough by not going on stage with a microphone and loudly announcing my glorious history in court.¡± Zhang Dashan retorted in typical fashion.


    By now, the young doctor, Fu Guisheng, and a cohort of some seven or eight people from his table had already surrounded them, ring at Zhang Dashan with deep animosity.


    ¡°What did you say just now, I dare you to repeat yourself!¡±


    Fu Guisheng snarled at Zhang Dashan menacingly, seething with a look that could kill.


    Although Tang Ren still looked like a youngster, he had joined the workforce for more than one year and knew the ways of the world more or less. He immediately stood up and greeted the doctor with an apologetic smile. ¡°Brother Fu, don¡¯t take it to heart. He has been drinking and is just talking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, don¡¯t mind him, Dr. Fu. His personality is such, always boasting.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi followed her husband, Tang Ren, standing up apologetically, and spoke with a smile. Then, she looked at Zhang Dashan and signaled for him to apologize.


    Although Zhang Dashan was fierce, he wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person. The other party was Fu Heyu¡¯s nephew, and to put himself in that person¡¯s shoes, had he caught someone badmouthing his uncle, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to ept it as well. Besides, they were at the mid-autumn festival celebration held by Xiao Ruyi¡¯s hospital, and it would be right to avoid trouble.


    He poured himself a ss of liquor and held it in his hand as he stood up. Turning to face Fu Guisheng, he said, ¡°Brother, it is my fault, I shouldn¡¯t sprout nonsense. Consider this ss of liquor, my apology.¡±


    Having said so, he tilted his head back and finished the ss of liquor in one go.


    Fu Guisheng recognized the man in front of him, as the one who embarrassed his uncle in court on that fateful day. The very d*ckhead that had personally ruined his uncle¡¯s reputation forever. If it was someone else, he might have just let it go, but it was none other than Zhang Dashan, how could he let the matter go.


    He said coldly, ¡°Isn¡¯t one ss too little?¡±


    After he said that, the looks in the eyes of Feng Wuhen and Little Five, who had been eating up to that point, turned slightly cold.


    Xiao Luo paused slightly, and he nced at the young doctor. Zhang Dashan had already apologized, if the other party intended to push his luck, Xiao Luo would not have let him have his way. Of course, he didn¡¯t show it and continued eating his meal as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Brother Fu, do let it go, he is my friend, don¡¯t¡­¡± Tang Ren said.


    ¡°Tang Ren, this has nothing to do with you, get out of the way!¡±


    Before Tang Ren even finished his words, Fu Guisheng pushed Tang Ren to the side roughly. Tang Ren being rather weak, fell to the ground.


    ¡°Fu Guisheng, a gentleman uses his tongue but not his fists, how can youy your hands on Tang Ren!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi reproached Fu Guisheng as she walked over and helped her husband, Tang Ren, up.


    Fu Guisheng ignored her and poured a new ss of liquor, holding it in front of Zhang Dashan and demanded with an impudent tone, ¡°Drink it!¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ You think you are somebody?¡±


    Feng Wuhen threw down his chopsticks and stood up, ring at Fu Guisheng angrily. Zhang Dashan was his benefactor, and he relied on Zhang Dashan¡¯s help during the days when he was recovering from his wounds. He couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch Zhang Dashan get bullied.


    He looked every bit a gangster, and the seven or eight people around Fu Guisheng were taken aback slightly when he stood up.


    Zhang Dashan lifted his hand and motioned for Feng Wuhen to sit down. With a smile, he looked at Fu Guisheng and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll drink, all the liquor on this table. It¡¯s mine anyway, and it¡¯s going to my stomach sooner orter!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t afraid, but he didn¡¯t want to cause trouble and ruin the pleasant atmosphere that was conducive for Xiao Luo and Sun Yu to develop their rtionship.


    s


    But just as he reached out to take the ss of liquor, Fu Guisheng, with no warning at all, sshed the alcohol directly into his face.


    ¡°I forgive you now!¡±


    Satisfied, Fu Guisheng smiled darkly. He turned to go back to his seat.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    A calm, steady voice called out.


    Fu Guisheng snorted, stopping to turn around. Just as he turned, he was greeted by arge bowl of liquor sloshed right into his face. He was totally soaked, intuitively blowing out from his airways as he struggled to keepposure. As a small volume of liquor invariably got taken in, Fu Guisheng couldn¡¯t help feeling like ¡°two worms were desperately trying to make their way up to his nostrils,¡± making him cough uncontrobly.


    As he recovered, he took a good look and saw that it wasn¡¯t the man who had ridiculed his uncle that had drenched him, but the man who had been eating quietly beside Zhang Dashan.


    A man who bore a smooth face, thick eyebrows, statuesque features¡­ It was none other than Xiao Luo!


    Xiao Luo looked at him calmly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I poured the liquor by mistake. I thought it was a rubbish bin I was pouring into.¡±


    Rubbish bin?


    Fu Guisheng was raging inside, and one side of his face twitched insidiously. This man was clearly insulting him.


    ¡°*sshole, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Guisheng, what are you all doing?¡±


    Just as Fu Guisheng was going to flip, a middle-aged man walked over, a ss in his hand. His hair was well-oiled andbed back, to the extent that it was shiny; he had arge belly and a round face, his chin barely visible, but everything about him exuded the carriage of someone in a leadership role.


    Seeing the middle-aged man, Fu Guisheng immediately returned his vicious expression to a cid smile. ¡°Director He, nothing much, it¡¯s just that¡­ ¡°He gazed fleetingly over to Xiao Luo¡¯s table, and said with unbridled scorn, ¡°It seems that some irrelevant people have made their way into our hospital¡¯s celebration. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we asked them to leave?¡±


    Of course, he didn¡¯t exin what was actually going on. He did not wish to make publicly known what had happened to his uncle, especially not to his superior in the hospital.


    ¡°Oh? Irrelevant people?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s gaze fell on Xiao Luo and hispanions.


    Xiao Ruyi hurriedly went over to smooth things over. ¡°Director, they are all my friends. I knew that we¡¯d not have enough people to fill the seats for tonight¡¯s celebration, so I invited them over to join in the fun.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ruyi, the celebration is just for the hospital employees, I¡¯m sure you know that?¡± The middle-aged man spoke in an authoritative tone.


    Xiao Ruyi continued to exin, ¡°Director, he is my brother, my brother by birth, they are not¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man waved his hand and interrupted her. ¡°We can¡¯t have them here even if he¡¯s your brother. It¡¯s against the rules, and you should ask them to leave.¡±

 Chapter 157 - This Is a Rival

    Chapter 157: This Is a Rival


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Sister Luo, who is that b*stard unting his authority!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was seething. Fu Guisheng had sshed beer all over him over an altercation. His temper was not abated despite Xiao Luo immediately returning the deed and dousing the perpetrator with the drink he had in his hand. Zhang Dashan had a hot temper like Xiao Luo, and once angered, he would even dare to challenge the Jade Emperor.


    A middle-aged man stood close by observing them, and his countenance suddenly became dark.


    Xiao Ruyi, standing next to Zhang Dashan, sucked in her breath, and with a cold stare, whispered, ¡°He is the Head of our department, Big-faced Zhang. Can you not stop your nonsense?¡±


    Xiao Luo shot a nce at Zhang Dashan, signaling him not to act rashly. The whole scene was turning out to be an embarrassment for his sister.


    Seeing that Zhang Dashan had now curbed his anger, Xiao Ruyi smiled sweetly and said to the middle-aged man: ¡°Director, please try to be amodating.¡±


    She was exercising her gender¡¯s specialty ¨C womanly wiles.


    The middle-aged man didn¡¯t seem to respond to her charms, and with a stern face, he said stiffly, ¡°No, this is a hospital g. If everyone were to bring their rtives and friends as you did, wouldn¡¯t it turn into a mess? Ruyi, you¡¯re a senior member of the hospital, you should be taking the lead and setting an example for the others. Rules are rules.¡±


    ¡°Oh, director, it¡¯s not a big deal, can¡¯t you just turn a blind eye to this,¡± asked Xiao Ruyi.


    ¡°Say no more, tell them to leave immediately!¡± the middle-aged man said firmly.


    Fu Guisheng, standing by his side, chimed in, ¡°Director He is right. It is our hospital¡¯s mid-autumn g. It¡¯s not for any stray cats or dogs to freelye in.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, are you looking to die?¡±


    On hearing this, Feng Wuhen blew up and grabbed Fu Guisheng by the cor, lifting both his feet off the ground. His shocking actions frightened the middle-aged man and everyone around them.


    ¡°You, you¡­ what do you want? Let go, let go of me!¡± Fu Guisheng cried in panic. He could feel the strength in Feng Wuhen¡¯srge hands, wrapped around his cor like steel pliers. He tried hard he break free but was unable to.


    ¡°What are you going to do if I don¡¯t let go? Do you want me to teach you how to speak like a human being?¡± Feng Wuhen growled, tightened his grip on the cor, and lifted the poor man even higher.


    ¡°You, you¡­¡±


    Fu Guisheng was indignant, but at the same time, ovee with an overwhelming sense of fear. He didn¡¯t dare to make too much of a fuss, not when faced with such a fierce and robust thug like Feng Wuhen.


    ¡°Xiao Ruyi, look at the people you¡¯ve invited. They¡¯re uncouth, and you can see that they¡¯re up to no good. Security, security!¡± the middle-aged man said with contempt, calling for security to drive Xiao Luo and his friends out. He made his disappointment with Xiao Ruyi very clear.


    ¡°Director, please don¡¯t call the security. Aiya, all this is just¡­¡± Xiao Ruyi said, stomping her feet anxiously.


    ¡°Sister Ruyi, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. There stood Sun Yu. She was close by when she had heard themotion and promptly came over. She had just finished putting on her makeup and costume backstage. Apanying her was anotherdy who was also wearing a simr costume. They were going to be performing on the same stageter that evening.


    ¡°Let go of him!¡±


    Zhang Dashan hurriedly called out to Feng Wuhen to let go of Fu Guisheng. As colleagues and part of Xiao Luo¡¯s group, every word and action would be scrutinized by everyone present. He couldn¡¯t afford to let Xiao Luo¡¯s image suffer in Sun Yu¡¯s presence.


    Feng Wuhen nodded and did as he was told, then made his way back to his seat. Before sitting down, he shot Fu Guisheng a dark, threatening look. It meant that to convey that if he dared to insult them again, he would kill him!


    ¡°Little Sun, you¡¯re performing in the first program. What are you doing out here and not preparing yourself backstage?¡± the middle-aged man asked curiously.


    Fu Guisheng fixed his cor and attempted a charming smile: ¡°Yuyu, you¡¯re looking great in that costume!¡±


    Sun Yu ignored Fu Guisheng and walked straight past him. She looked at Xiao Luo, then said to the middle-aged man: ¡°Director He, they are all both mine and Sister Ruyi¡¯s friends. I know it¡¯s against the rules to invite them, but I do hope Director He could help by amodating them this time.¡±


    On hearing this, both the middle-aged man and Fu Guisheng¡¯s expressions changed markedly.


    Not waiting for the middle-aged man to respond, Fu Guishengughed: ¡°Haha, Yuyu, you should have said so earlier they were friends of yours and Ruyi. We thought that they were just a bunch of gangsters here for free food and drinks.¡± He smiled at the middle-aged man before continuing: ¡°Director He, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Since they are Yuyu¡¯s friends, what¡¯s wrong with letting them have a meal here, right?¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his finger at Fu Guisheng without saying a word, and thought to himself, ¡°The person who was asking me to chase them out was you, now the one asking me to let them in is also you. Do you have any opinions at all?


    ¡°Huh, you really¡­!¡±


    After coughing a few times, he assumed the dignity of a director once again, and said in a friendly tone, ¡°Since Guisheng said so, then stay. Ruyi, Little Sun, they are your friends, so on behalf of the hospital, do wee them well!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Director!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi squinted her eyes and smiled, bowing to give thanks.


    The middle-aged man patted Sun Yu on the shoulders, turned, and left.


    However, Fu Guisheng did not leave. He kept ogling at Sun Yu, running his eyes all over her body with a creepy smile on his face.


    ¡°Old Xiao, from my seven to eight years of experience of picking up girls, this dirty little f*cker has some not-so-proper ideas for pretty girl Sun,¡± said Zhang Dashan, whispering into Xiao Luo¡¯s ears.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer him, but he did notice and felt a little ufortable with it.


    The way Fu Guisheng stared at Sun Yu was a little disconcerting. Unless one were blind, it was clear to see that he was obsessed with Sun Yu. Otherwise, his attitude towards them wouldn¡¯t have changed so quickly.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Dr. Fu, don¡¯t you think you guys should return to your tables?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi said, not hiding her disgust. Sun Yu was the girl that she had introduced to her brother, Xiao Luo. She had already regarded Sun Yu as her future sister-inw, and Fu Guisheng¡¯s fawning gaze made her feel ufortable.


    ¡°Yuyu, please sit next to my brother!¡± With that, she took Sun Yu and ced her beside Xiao Luo.


    With Sun Yu reseated at the other end of the table, there was no reason to stay on any longer. Fu Guisheng then returned to his ce but kept turning his head over every so often. He couldn¡¯t help noting that the girl he adored was giving the person that he had sshed his beer on, warm, loving smiles ¡°like the spring that came after winter.¡±


    Something seemed off!


    He realized that Xiao Luo was his love rival!


    He felt a tightness in his chest, realizing that he had allowed his love rival to stay on!


    He seethed with resentment as he stared at the couple, gnashing his teeth incessantly. As he looked towards Sun Yu again, he told himself, ¡°Now there is a girl that qualified to be my girlfriend.¡±. Then, he clenched his fists tightly, as he saw her looking at Xiao Luo with those affectionate eyes. It drove him mad with jealousy.


    ¡°F*ck!¡±


    Fu Guisheng was thoroughly distraught. He sat slumped in his chair with a dark and brooding face.


    ¡°Brother Fu, it looks like you have a seriouspetitor.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, wait until you show everyone what you¡¯ve got on stage, then confess your feelings to her. The early bird catches the worm.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, exactly. We will coordinate with you from our table. Let the audience loudly shout ¡®say yes!¡¯ and Sun Yu will definitely agree. Then you can bring her home share your pillow tonight.¡±


    The men at the same table spoke words of encouragement one after another.


    Fu Guisheng thought for a while, and realizing that what his friends were saying made sense, he drank the ss of wine in front of him and nodded: ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do just as you said!¡±

 Chapter 158 - Anxious for you

    Chapter 158: Anxious for you


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Pretty girl Sun, wow, your costume looks great! It shows off your slim waistline and makes you look terrific.¡± Zhang Dashan said, in tant ttery, then immediately asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the name of the beautifuldy standing next to you? Please introduce her to everyone. Other than Old Xiao, the rest of us are bachelors.¡± Zhang Dashan wiped his face with a paper towel as he took on the role of creating an amicable atmosphere at the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll introduce myself instead.¡±


    The girl cordially introduced herself, ¡°I am Hu Shuirong. I entered this hospital in the same batch as Yuyu.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look as stunning as Sun Yu, but she was the sweet-looking and slender.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good name, ¡®Like a lotus flower breaking the water¡¯s surface.¡¯ I¡¯m Zhang Dashan, what a pleasure to meet you.¡± Zhang Dashan said, standing up and extending his hand to Shuirong.


    Hu Shuirong shook his hand warmly and greeted him with a smile: ¡°Hello, Brother Shan!¡±


    The sound of ¡°Brother Shan¡± pleased Zhang Dashan, appealing to his vanity and ego. He turned ncing over at Xiao Ruyi conspicuously, then said sarcastically, ¡°Look, look how polite she is. She¡¯s unlike some people who give unpleasant nicknames all the time.¡±


    On hearing this, Xiao Luo and Sun Yu couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter.


    Xiao Ruyi reacted [TN: the original phrase is an idiom that means ¡°p the table and stand] by throwing a chopstick towards Zhang Dashan in mock anger, saying, ¡°Big-faced Zhang, it¡¯s like you want to get whacked again, right? What are you in trying to insinuate?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, little sis, I¡¯m just saying this in jest! You know how helpless I am when you act like this?¡± Zhang Dashan said with a long, deliberate sigh, spreading out his hands.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi stomped her feet in a tantrum. As she couldn¡¯t win the verbal joust with Zhang Dashan, she decided to turn to her brother for help, ¡°Brother, look at him, he¡¯s bullying your sister again.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and looked towards Tang Ren: ¡°In such a situation, you should be looking to Tang Ren!¡±


    On hearing his name called upon, Tang Ren put down the crab he was devouring, looking up with a dazed expression, ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong, what happened?¡±


    Everyone at the table broke outughing as they looked upon the bewildered look on his face.


    Xiao Ruyi pouted, sighing, ¡°Look, I can¡¯t count on him at all.¡± Afterward, she red at Tang Ren andmented how he was not up to her expectations. ¡°Continue eating your crab and don¡¯t speak if you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, wifey!¡±


    Tang Ren responded. Without arguing, he buried his head into his crab once again.


    ¡°Pshh!¡± Ruyi sneered.


    Sun Yu was amused at the way Tang Ren reacted and let out a soft chuckle. When Xiao Luo turned to her, she added: ¡°Brother Tang is so cute.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced over at Tang Ren, nodding in partial agreement, and said: ¡°Yes, he is, but just a little.¡±


    As he spoke, he noticed that Sun Yu was staring at him with her big, bright eyes, but he couldn¡¯t tell why.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, you have something on your face. Don¡¯t move; I will help you to remove it,¡± Sun Yu said, slowly moving closer to him and raising her hand towards his face.


    Xiao Luo kept very still. As she reached out, he detected a faint fragrance on Sun Yu¡¯s wrist. He quietly looked at Sun Yu. She looked extremely focused, and her breath smelled like flowers. At that moment, he felt rxed.


    There was a sudden lull at the table. Everyone was watching Xiao Luo and Sun Yu with a smile on their faces as if they were watching an intimate scene in a romance movie with anticipation.


    ¡°Strand of hair?¡± Xiao Luo asked, eyeing the item pinched between Sun Yu¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°Hmm, yeah, looks like a girl¡¯s,¡± Sun Yu said, giggling.


    ¡°Such a short strand of hair is definitely not from a woman. You¡¯re wrong, sister-inw,¡± Xiaowu said, in defense of Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and Hu Shuirong all red at him, annoyed at his reaction.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Xiaowu swallowed hard. He nervously looked at Feng Wuhen: ¡°Brother Feng, did I¡­ did I say something wrong?¡±


    Feng Wuhen pped him at the back of his head and chided him, ¡°Damn it, of course, you¡¯re in the wrong. Brother Xiao and sister-inw are talking about love, why are you interrupting? Not only did you take my line, but you also took Brother Xiao¡¯s lines. Do you think your¡¯ wings have sprouted and you can fly now¡¯? Even when you¡¯re eating, you can¡¯t shut your mouth!¡±


    Xiaowu looked to be almost in tears, not knowing how to react.


    Sun Yublushed again. At this point, there was not much time left, and the g was about to start. Being the first performance of the night, she rushed off backstage to prepare. As they were walking through the hotel lobby, she suddenly pulled at Hu Shuirong¡¯s arm, realizing she had left something behind.


    ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t taken my bag!¡±


    Hu Shuirong quickly returned to the table and retrieved the bag. But before she left, she took the opportunity to say to Xiao Luo, ¡°Yuyu is a good girl. If you love her, take her far away because nursing isn¡¯t an easy profession. She often has to stay upte, and even young girls can turn old very quickly.¡±


    Having said that, she gave everyone a smile, turned, and left.


    ¡°Sister Shuirong is right, though the profession seems to be selfless andpassionate. Only they can understand how hard it is, isn¡¯t that right, Sister Luo?¡± Zhang Dashan said, continuing where Hu Shuirong left off.


    ¡°Right, you are right. From the time you entered this hall till now, it is the most factually urate thing you¡¯ve said!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, even when you¡¯re drinking you have to mock me!¡±


    Zhang Dashan stood up and clinked his ss with Xiao Ruyi, and they both took a shot, downing the drink right down the gullet.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for now. Eat, or else my husband will finish everything on the table,¡± Xiao Ruyi said jokingly to everyone.


    Zhang Dashan said without concern: ¡°How much can Tang Ren eat? Brother Feng,e, show her your appetite, it will scare her to death!¡±


    Spurt!


    After hearing the phrase ¡®scare her to death,¡¯ Xiao Ruyi,ughing, almost spurting out her drink all over the table. Luckily, she turned quickly and directed it to the floor next to her. Otherwise, the food on the table would have all gone to waste.


    Not long after, the g performancemenced.


    Sun Yu and Hu Shuirong, along with four other girls, walked to the center of the stage and began dancing to the soft music.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pay much heed to others. All his attention now solely focused on Sun Yu. Sun Yu danced beautifully to the music, moving smoothly with grace. Her slender form floated across the stage gently, her costume evoking images of shimmering butterflies as tiny petals floated down from above the entire scene. Her beauty was intoxicating.


    Ta-thump. Ta-thump.


    Xiao Luo could almost hear the sound of his heart beating faster. He sensed the blood rising to his head. He froze like an idiot just by watching Sun Yu dancing on stage.


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re moved, aren¡¯t you? What are you waiting for, hurry up and take her, hehe¡­¡± Zhang Dashan had unknowingly crept next to him and urged him on.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him, and said irritably, ¡°Do I need you to teach me?¡±


    ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m just worried about you!¡± Zhang Dashan said anxiously.

 Chapter 159 - Witness

    Chapter 159: Witness


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioDancing elegantly, akin to how a swallow caresses its nest, yet swift like a magpie calling into the night. The beautiful troupe embraced the music in a dance that reflected its beauty and serenity, seeming to flow along with the wind.


    Sun Yu¡¯s group received enthusiastic cheers from the entire audience. When their performance ended, they received thunderous apuse.


    ¡°Brother, that¡¯s not a bad performance by Yuyu, right?¡± Xiao Ruyi said, ncing over at Xiao Luo with no other intentions.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± Xiao Luo said, nodding as he replied.


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s face beamed with a smile. It was as if he had justplimented her. Deep down, she knew that what he meant by ¡°okay¡± was that it was excellent.


    ¡°I heard from her that you have a programme as well?¡± Xiao Luo asked curiously.


    ¡°I had one at the start, but I canceled it in the end. Preparing for a program is cumbersome and tiring, I don¡¯t want to waste my free time on such things.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi said, pouting, ¡°Oh right, brother, I¡¯ve mentioned this to you before, so you must pay heed. For a girl like Yuyu, who has such good qualities, not to mention that she¡¯s single, she has many suitors in the hospital. Fu Guisheng is one of them. He is, without a doubt, the most aggressive in his pursuits, and he gifts Yuyu with flowers once every three to five days.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Dashan pped his thighs and said: ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, that guy definitely has some impure intentions about Pretty Girl Sun!¡±


    ¡°If he dares to fight over sister-inw with Brother Xiao, then I¡¯ll kill him!¡± Feng Wuhen said, fiercely eximing as he took a sip of his alcohol. He turned his head towards Fu Guisheng.


    ¡°Who gave someone like him the right to fight over a woman with Old Xiao?¡± Zhang Dashan said scorning.


    ¡°Brother Zhang is right. That troublemaker is vastly inferior to Brother Xiao in all aspects.¡±


    Xiaowu said, waiting for the right time to jump into the conversation. Then, he took it upon himself to craft a n for Xiao Luo, ¡°To be honest, there is no need for any fancy tricks such as gifting bouquets and jewelry when trying to woo ady. My dad told me that during the ancient times, when a man fancies ady, all he had to do was knock thedy unconscious with a bat and drag her back home to make love to her. Real love is all that is needed, no need for anythingplicated or fake.¡±


    Knocking someone unconscious with a bat and dragging them back?


    Xiao Luo held hisughter and did not say a word.


    On the other hand, Zhang Dashan startedughing until he was in tears. He had been continually raving over Xiao Wu¡¯s talents!


    At that moment, Xiao Luo noticed someone familiar. It was the boss of Yingtong stic Factory, Jiang Yongchun.


    A man with a cheerful disposition apanied Jiang Yongchun. It was Director He, with whom they had the pleasure of meeting earlier.


    ¡°Ruyi, that person isn¡¯t a doctor in your hospital, right?¡± Xiao Luo asked, wondering how Director He had righteously mentioned that no outsiders were allowed in the premises. In the end, he seemed to have broken the rule.


    As Xiao Ruyi traced Xiao Luo¡¯s line of sight, she also saw Jiang Yongchun. She exined: ¡°That is the boss of a stics manufacturing firm that supplies our hospital with stic syringes. That fatty without a chin, He Ruanliang, has received many rebates from the firm, so he treats them as if they were his ancestors.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and thought, so that¡¯s what it is. He also noticed that Xiao Ruyi had addressed her director as a ¡°fatty without a chin,¡± which he thought was quite an apt description.


    ¡°Why are we talking about your director. What I want to ask is that why hasn¡¯t Pretty Girl Sun returned after finishing her performance?¡± Zhang Dashan asked bellowing.


    ¡°Yuyu still needs to remove her makeup and change her clothes. Doesn¡¯t all that need time?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi asked, cing both her hands on her hips and humming. ¡°Tsk, why is the eunuch more anxious than the emperor? Even my brother isn¡¯t rushing, so what are you in a hurry for?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Dashan had no words to say in response.


    ¡­


    One-by-one the performances continued throughout the mid-autumn festival g. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event and agreed that the various acts, dances,ic sketches, and singing, were exceptional.


    Sun Yu was back in her usual clothes, and she sat beside Xiao Luo after Xiao Ruyi gestured for her to sit over there. She had on a loose-fitting pastel yellow blouse along with a tight-fitting dark denim jean that gave off a lovely and youthful vibe, capturing joy with her beautiful, moving smile.


    ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, my uncle mentioned something strange to me,¡± Sun Yu said, initiating a conversation.


    ¡°What¡¯s the weird thing he said?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Taking advantage of the loud music ying, Sun Yu boldly eximed: ¡°He told me to hold on to you tightly!¡±


    Her face immediately blushed a deep red after finishing her sentence.


    Xiao Luo fixed his attention on her, but she turned her head away due to embarrassment and pretended to be appreciating the performances.


    He smiled warmly and said: ¡°Be my girlfriend.¡±


    Sun Yu was taken aback. Her heartbeat went so fast that she couldn¡¯t catch her breath, ¡°racing as to how a little deer would leap wildly around.¡± Was this a confession, was Xiao Luo confessing to her?


    Her lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes were wide open, and her cheeks were flushed.


    Xiao Luo took a deep breath and repeated: ¡°Sun Yu, be my¡­¡±


    He had yet to finish when the emcee on stage excitedly announced with a piercing voice, which drowned out what Xiao Luo had intended to say.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the finale that we were all anticipating is going to be here soon. This is brought to you by our most handsome and youngest neurologist, Dr. Fu, and he will be performing the song ¡®Being Your Man.¡¯ Dr. Fu is multi-talented. Not only is he a core pir of our hospital, but he also taught himself to y the piano.


    Having passed the grade 7 examination of the musician¡¯s association, his musical talent is deemed to be extremely high. So let us wee him with a round of apuse. The Male God of all the nurses in the hospital, Fu Guisheng!¡±


    A loud round of apuse echoed throughout the hall. There were even many female audiences that were shouting ¡°Dr. Fu!¡± loudly. The scene could be described as very lively.


    In the spotlight, Fu Guisheng held the microphone and walked onto the stage. At the same time, a piano was brought out by the backstage crew.


    ¡°What the heck, this kid can even y the piano?¡±


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s face was full of contempt. He looked at Fu Guisheng and said, ¡°Can you believe this?¡±


    Feng Wuhen shook his head: ¡°No shit, I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    Zhang Dashan then turned towards Xiaowu and said: ¡°Do you believe this?¡±


    ¡°If he can really y, then kill me by having someone flick my b*lls till I die,¡± Xiaowu said firmly.


    Xiao Luo said softly: ¡°Didn¡¯t any of you notice his hands just now? His nails are short, and the flesh of his fingertips doesn¡¯t exceed his fingertips. Also, his fingertips are round, and his palms are wide. These are all characteristics of a typical pianist. Furthermore, the sense of self-confidence exuding from him means that he can y. However, whether he passed the grade 7 examination is another issue altogether.¡±


    This certainly gave Xiaowu a shock. If Fu Guisheng could y the piano, his b*lls were about to get flicked till he died!


    Xiao Ruyi giggled and said: ¡°My brother has an acute observation, unlike you old brutes. I¡¯ll be honest with you, Fu Guisheng does indeed have a trick or two up his sleeves. His voice is kind of simr to Zhang Xingzhe. It¡¯s gentle and nice, while his piano ying is also rather proficient. During past mid-autumn festival gs, he yed Chopin nocturnes, which moved the audience greatly.¡±


    ¡°Thump.¡±


    Xiaowu¡¯s forehead hit the table hard, and he showed a lifeless expression. He thought to himself, ¡°Why did I have nothing better to do than to go curse myself!¡±


    At that moment, Fu Guisheng who was on stage put on a charming smile, and said a few words, ¡°Before I begin my song, I would like to say a few words to a certain girl, and I want all of you here to be my witness.¡±

 Chapter 160 - Auditory feast

    Chapter 160: Auditory feast


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioA man holding a bouquet of roses walked briskly on to the stage. Just the audience was wondering what was going on, Fu Guisheng received the bouquet and got down on one knee. His deep gaze adoringly fixed on Sun Yu, who was seated below the stage.


    ¡°Yuyu, when I firstid my eyes on you, I was taken away by your beauty. From that moment forth, I had lost my soul, and you were the one who stole it away. I¡¯ve been yearning to see you every day, and I dream of us walking together hand in hand into the sunset. I love you forever and ever, even until death!¡±


    This emotionally charged confession amplified through the microphone and reverberated throughout the venue.


    The crowd reacted immediately. It turned out to be a confession of love!


    Many apuded with excitement when they saw the scene, some of the girls even screamed wildly without inhibition. They wished they were the target of Fu Guisheng¡¯s affection. The atmosphere in the venue became highly charged.


    Striking while the iron was hot, Fu Guisheng smiled with satisfaction at the response, and continued, ¡°Yuyu, I like you. Will you be the girlfriend of Fu Guisheng and let me pamper and dote over you? I want to make you the happiest woman in the world!¡±


    Sun Yu was stunned and was at a loss. She had never expected Fu Guisheng would pull such a stunt.


    Giving their raucous support and encouragement, Fu Guisheng¡¯s friends roared loudly in unison.


    ¡°ept him, ept him!¡±


    They quickly received support from others. After all, this was both a romantic and significant event, which the crowd had no reason not to join in to support this event. The noise quickly grew louder as wave upon wave of voices boomed across the venue, encouraging Sun Yu to ept the proposal.


    ¡°F*ck him and his love stealing act! That guy actually had such a cheap trick up his sleeve!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was furious. Deep down, he knew how effective this trick could be, and many women out there would sumb to it. Truth be told, it was always going to be difficult with the crowd shouting ¡°ept him!¡± and a man giving confession his love in public. No matter how strong-willed a woman was, they would be ovee with emotions and ept the proposal with open arms, especially when the proposing party was sessful and wealthy.


    Xiao Ruyi fumed and was absolutely disgusted. ¡°Shameless!¡± She said out aloud.


    Feng Wuhen stood up in a loud voice and said: ¡°F*ck his grandmother! He¡¯s obviously trying to steal sister-inw away. Brother Xiao¡­ wait, where is Brother Xiao?¡±


    After recovering from the initial shock, they came back to their senses. The seat that Xiao had upied was now empty, and he was nowhere to be seen.


    With Xiao Luo nowhere to be seen, Sun Yu¡¯s face gradually turned pale as she looked towards Fu Guisheng¡¯s longing, affectionate eyes. As the cheering continued in good voice from the hospital staff, she was at a loss of what to do.


    To ept Fu Guisheng was out of the question. She simply did not like him. The one she was deeply attracted to was Xiao Luo.


    But it seemed cruel to reject him in the presence of such a crowd and cause him to lose face. Nor did Sun Yu want to disappoint everyone during such a festive event.


    What should she do?


    Sun Yu panicked and was close to tears. The situation overwhelmed her, leaving her in a state of deep confusion.


    Even as she grappled with her conflicting emotions, a lingering melody began to serenade the moment, as if timed and choreographed to elicit her final response of affirmation.


    The rousing cheers suddenly came to a lull, and everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to a lone figure sitting in front of the piano. Nimble fingers danced gently across the ck and white keys.


    A passionate melody yed from the piano, echoing softly across the venue. The audience fell silent and listened in rapture.


    ¡°What piano piece is this? Why have I never heard it before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s truly amazing. Oh, I can even feel my ears getting pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and listen quietly.¡±


    In the crowd, music lovers whispered in admiration.


    Even the ordinary folk unfamiliar with the genre was enchanted by the music. It seemed to havee from the soul, evoking emotions both tranquil and joyful.


    Zhang Dashan and hispanions were awestruck. They all sat inplete silence, staring at the stage, with mouths wide open. The lone figure at the piano was none other than his good brother, Xiao Luo!


    ¡°What the f*ck, are my eyes ying tricks on me? Old Xiao can actually y the piano!¡± He muttered in shock.


    Xiao Ruyi echoed his thoughts, asking herself, ¡°When did my brother learn to y the piano?¡±


    Tang Ren, Feng Wuhen, and Xiaowu quickly came back to their senses and eximed excitedly, ¡°Brother (Brother Xiao) is totally awesome!¡±


    It was Xiao Luo! Sun Yu¡¯s emotions went from dazed, too surprised, and then turned to absolute joy!. She looked right into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes and melted with deep affection.


    Fu Guisheng¡¯s face twitched uncontrobly. How could this have happened? He had been careful to orchestrate his performance around his confession of love for Sun Yu. He had meant to take full advantage of the cheering crowd, as he had nned with his friends. This would put her in a position that would make it difficult to reject his proposal. In fact, he had already pictured himself rolling around in bed with Sun Yu that very night. He was only just a step away¡­ but still, just one step too far!


    As it turned out, it was ¡°like a violent stream of water, encountering an unmoving mountain.¡± His scheme was thwarted, and all now seemed lost.


    What had irked Fu Guisheng most was that Xiao Luo had now taken the seat at the piano that was rightly his. When he first realized what had happened, he had immediately stormed towards the center stage. Then as a lingering melody of bright and joyous notes gently resonating across the stage, Fu Guisheng was stopped dead in his tracks. As an aplished pianist himself, he naturally understood the subtleties and nuances in the piece Xiao Luo was ying.


    The arrangement of the piece was nothing short of masterfully.


    This man was actually a very talented pianist!


    Fu Guisheng was in total shock. He couldn¡¯t believe it, and more than anything else, he couldn¡¯t ept it!


    What no one had known was that Xiao Luo had a natural talent for music. Aside from singing, he was proficient in many musical instruments, including the piano.


    As Xiao Luo sat at the piano, he carried himself elegantly with the style and cultured bearing of a professional pianist. He yed with skill, and his nimble fingers evoked beautiful and bright sounding notes from the keyboard. He was indeed a joy to watch and listen to.


    All who listened to his musical piece were transported to another dimension as the melody carried them through a musical journey of deep and personal emotions; The soulful sound of the introduction evoked, for some, old memories of their homnd and of long marches through wintery ins. As the music progressed, the tempo picked up, still slow but livelier, arousing images of cheer and revelry, of ripening fields in yellow and gold, and of newfound hope.


    It was so beautiful!


    Like pristinendscapes and fine vintage wine, it was at once both mesmerizing and intoxicating. No words could describe the magic and mystery of the musicalposition that was yed that night.


    As the music neared its end, it took on a more energetic tempo that seemed to send its listeners soaring through mountains. Then it slowed again, descending to reverberate through the earth and along its running rivers. Then, as it lifted once again, arousing emotions of joy and attainment, it finally flourished into a crescendo, evoking images of a brilliant burst of fireworks illuminating the night sky.


    Thunderous apuse erupted when the music ended in a standing ovation by a very appreciative crowd.


    It was simply, an auditory feast!

 Chapter 161 - A bossy announcement

    Chapter 161: A bossy announcement


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter the music ended, the audience was in rapture, moved by the lyrical melodies, and lingering notes of the virtuoso pianist. Their souls seemed to have been soothed by the tune. For a moment, the entire g was inplete silence, you could hear the sound of a pin drop.


    Xiao Luo stood up, bowed to the crowd, and walked towards the dumbfounded host. He took the microphone from the host, and facing Sun Yu, loudly said: ¡°Sun Yu, from today you are my woman!¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­ what¡­?¡±


    Sun Yu was bowled over. She was trembling, half in absolute joy, and the other half in jitters. She felt a sense of breathlessness as she heard him speak those words. The pleasure hade all too suddenly, and she had been caught entirely off guard.


    Everyone else present was equally in a state of shock. What had just happened here? Why would two people confess their feelings to the same girl at the same time? No, this wasn¡¯t just a proposal toe together as one, nor was it merely a confession of love. It was an announcement, a straight-up, irrevocable deration that Sun Yu was his woman.


    What the f*ck!


    ¡°Old Xiao is just f*cking awesome, hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan said. He couldn¡¯t help himself, swearing was second nature to him. No embellishing or elegant words for him. There was nothing like a choice invective to get the point across. It was more direct, impactful, and efficient!


    ¡°Woah, what the f*ck, no wonder he is my older brother Xiao. Nobody can match his courageous spirit,¡± Feng Wuhen said in his usual straightforward manner.


    ¡°My brother is way too bossy, but I like it, hehe¡­¡±


    Xiao Ruyi said, smiling. Then, looking at Tang Ren, sitting right next to her, she reached out to pull his ear. Naggingly, she said, ¡°Look! See how daring my brother is, why can¡¯t you be more like that?¡±


    Tang Ren put his hand up to his ear, eximing in pain: ¡°Wifey, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Let go, let go! If you don¡¯t, my ears will be ripped off!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi let go, eyeing him with a look of resentment. Her look said it all, could her husband ever meet her expectations?


    ¡­


    ¡°You b*stard! Yuyu is my woman, what are you doing here?¡± Fu Guisheng, now on stage, shouted angrily, snarling at Xiao Luo like a wild dog on a leash.


    ¡°Everyone, listen up. This person is not from our hospital. He is deliberately here to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t have such a person in our hospital.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Fu¡¯s nned confession has been disrupted because of him, everyone, quickly throw him out.¡±


    Fu Guisheng¡¯s cohort of rowdy friends was screaming with raised their fists from their table below.


    Fu Guisheng¡¯s statement surprised everyone. Wasn¡¯t he from the hospital?


    Rising up from his table, Director He Ruanliang, being the man with the highest authority in the hospital, echoed in support: ¡°Colleagues, this person is indeed not an employee of our hospital. I don¡¯t know what his purpose here is. He has disrupted and jeopardized Dr. Fu¡¯s romantic confession, and I urge everyone not to be bought over by his ability to y such fine music. We must stand by our colleague and support Dr. Fu!¡±


    It was apparent that this fat man without a chin was standing on the side of Fu Guisheng.


    The audience listened, and several nodded in agreement. A few of the grumpy male doctors suddenly stood up, pointing and shouting at Xiao Luo, still on the stage.


    ¡°Who the hell are you? What are you doing here, sneaking into our hospital¡¯s g? Is it for free food and drinks?¡±


    ¡°Why have you disrupted Dr. Fu¡¯s nned program? How could you do such a thing after he had confessed his feeling in public?. You better give us a proper exnation. Don¡¯t think that a tramp such as you can get out of here so easily.¡±


    ¡°You better get off the stage now. The stage isn¡¯t a ce for losers like you!¡±


    Xiao Luo had now be the target of the crowd¡¯s wrath and was heckled from every direction.


    Ignoring the din, he took to the microphone. Calmly, he looked directly at Sun Yu, standing just below the stage, then smiling softly he said: ¡°Sun Yu, as long as you nod and agree, I will take you away immediately!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t concerned about anyone else¡¯s opinion, he was only interested in what Sun Yu had to say. Even if the whole world had objected, he would still take her away from all this. She only needed to give him the nod.


    ¡°Yuyu, quickly agree to my brother!¡± Xiao Ruyi shouted eagerly.


    Zhang Dashan, Feng Wuhen, and Tang Ren all looked anxiously at Sun Yu. They anticipated that she would nod and agree with Xiao Luo very soon.


    Sun Yu felt like she were the happiest girl in the world. When she had first met Xiao Luo, he was a man of few words, the strong silent type. His handsome features had left an indelible impression in her heart. Later, when the two of them were eating roasted sweet potatoes and talking about their childhood, she realized that she had unconsciously fallen in love with this man. Every time she thought about moments she had shared with him, she would smile to herself, and at times,ugh dreamily


    She often dreamed of him, snuggling up in his arms, and even holding his hand as they entered a wedding hall together.


    Right here, and right now, this man was reaching out to her and asking her to be his woman.


    It was as though she were drowning in a honey pot full of nectar. Beautiful and sweet.


    ¡°I ag¡­¡±


    Sun Yu nodded in excitement, but before she could even begin to speak, a harsh voice rumbled next to her.


    ¡°Little Sun, have you thought about it clearly? Do you think you can rely on this man for the rest of your life?¡± The statement was a tant warning, demanding she exercises caution on her part.


    Sun Yu was taken aback. Turning around, she was met by a stern face. It was Director He Ruanliang.


    ¡°Director He, I¡­¡±


    Sun Yu became hesitant. He Ruanliang¡¯s words seemed to have stirred her from her little fantasy. Her face now showed signs of doubt and confusion.


    Just then, Jiang Yongchen stepped onto the stage. Without saying a word, he walked up to Fu Guisheng, grabbed his microphone, smiling, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not bash anyone indiscriminately. Love is a fair game for all. Does it mean that just because Dr. Fu had confessed to Sun Yu, then others are not allowed to do so? This is being unreasonable. It should depend on the girl who is being wooed and how she decides on whom she is willing to follow. We have no authority to interfere with this. It¡¯s her right and freedom to choose¡­¡±


    He walked up next to Xiao Luo. ¡°You people still don¡¯t know who he is, right? Allow me to make a grand introduction. He is none other than the current boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop. And the reason why he is here today is that I invited him. It has nothing to do with some of you have said about eating and drinking for free!¡±


    What?


    He¡­ he is the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop?


    Jiang Yongchun¡¯s remarks had the effect of a bomb blowing up right there in the ballroom. Jaws dropped as they stared in disbelief at the tall, lithe figure of Xiao Luo on stage.


    If anyone were to put a name to the most famouspany in Jiangcheng, it would undoubtedly be Luo¡¯s Workshop. Despite having been in the shadow of Wei Lei since its incorporation, Luo¡¯s Workshop had suddenly risen and crushed its mainpetitor, all within a short time. It was rumored that the boss of Wei Lei, Fang Changlei, was now under investigation for unfair business conduct. On top of that, he was also being charged for other shady business dealings. Several hotels that were under his name were caught conducting indecent business. He was now behind bars and was awaiting trial. He probably could not avoid spending a few years in jail.


    News of Fang Changlei¡¯s fall from grace made more people curious about who, and what sort of person the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop was. How could he bring Luo¡¯s Workshop back to life and immediately outperform apetitor as strong as Wei Lei?


    This very man was now present here, standing on stage!


    ¡°Such a young, courageous person, with the ability to y such beautiful music, this¡­¡±


    Everyone was lost for words. They stood rooted to the floor. In their minds, they pictured Xiao Luo as a towering, immovable mountain that could not be passed.


    The few grumpy old male doctors who voiced their dissent earlier now became embarrassed and quickly sat down.


    Free food and drinks? Tramp? Loser?


    Their faces turned red instantly upon being told the name of that enigmatic young man on stage ¨C Xiao Luo!

 Chapter 162 - Rejection

    Chapter 162: Rejection


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioHaving consumed the prescription Xiao Luo had given him for a while, Jiang Yongchun found that his energy had returned. What made him even more ecstatic was that his ¡°little brother¡± who had for a time, not responded to the fairer sex, had finally risen from its long slumber! Although it did not return as gloriously as it had when he was younger, he could at least enjoy the intimatepany with a woman.


    He was very grateful to Xiao Luo and became an avid, loyal supporter of his.


    Therefore, when he saw that those people were creating a scene and were running their mouths off to spurn Xiao Luo, he decided to stand up and disclose Xiao Luo¡¯s identity. His purpose was to put a stop to their evil intentions. He was a partner of the hospital, and many esteemed doctors and leaders recognized him, so whatever he said would carry weight.


    The ones that were most shocked now were Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren.


    ¡°My brother¡­ my brother is the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi looked at Zhang Dashan and asked in disbelief.


    Zhang Dashan shrugged, spread his arms out, and said: ¡°Yeah, I said that before. You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t believe it. Both of us brothers are working for him.¡±


    Feng Wuhen and Xiao Wu nodded in unison.


    ¡°Oh my god, my brother is so powerful!¡±


    Tang Ren was in disbelief. This was way beyond his imagination. He had never expected that he would have close connections with bosses having a worth of hundreds of millions in this lifetime. After all, he was just an insignificant intern and had not even received his doctor¡¯s certification. He was a small fry. He did not expect that such a person, the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, with a worth of a least seven to eight billion, was his wife¡¯s brother.


    Sun Yu was stunned. She felt like she had lost the ability to control her actions and stood rooted to the ground where she stood. Her eyes stared at Xiao Luo, who was on stage. She murmured softly to herself: ¡°So¡­ so he is actually the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡­¡±


    This piece of sudden news took her by surprise and put her in a state of shock!


    She finally understood why her uncle had asked her to hold on to Xiao Luo, but¡­


    Sun Yu¡¯s lips were trembling. She sat on her seat as though she had lost her soul. This wasn¡¯t good news for her. She imagined an ever-widening gap between her and Xiao Luo that would be too broad to bridge. She likened it to Xiao Luo being in the sky, and she on the ground. He was a young entrepreneur and a promising boss of a well-knownpany, while she was merely a nurse from a humble background, holding a monthly sry of 3,000.


    Suddenly, she felt embarrassed to be even associated with Xiao Luo due to the gap in identity and his social status.


    ¡°Beautiful Miss Sun Yu, would you be choosing Dr. Fu there or the young and promising President Xiao next to me?¡±


    Jiang Yongchun¡¯s booming voice brought her back to reality.


    All eyes fell on her at that moment. It felt like a gigantic, invisible wall had formed, and the pressure was crushing her.


    Hu Shuirong¡¯s eyes were filled with hope and anticipation, and she was unafraid to show her emotions. From the corner where she stood, she shouted excitedly to Sun Yu, ¡°Yuyu, choose Xiao Luo quickly! He can definitely take you out of this dirty hell hole!¡±


    With all the attention on her, Sun Yu just sat inplete silence, staring nkly ahead. It seemed like Sun Yu was experiencing dyed stage-fright as a result of having been on stage earlier!


    ¡°I will not choose either!¡±


    She suddenly stood up and announced aloud, before turning and running out the door.


    Choosing neither?!


    Jiang Yongchun was dumbfounded, Zhang Dashan was dumbfounded, Xiao Ruyi was even more so. She was shocked beyond disbelief.


    The was an unexpected end to an eventful evening. Who would have thought that Sun Yu would choose neither!


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Zhang Dashan asked. He looked at Xiao Ruyi, not understanding what had just happened.


    Xiao Ruyi snapped back: ¡°You¡¯re asking me? Then who should I ask!¡±


    She had once asked Sun Yu about her feelings towards her brother in private before. From the way Sun Yu spoke, she was sure that Sun Yu liked her brother, but why would Sun Yu reject him so suddenly?


    She was puzzled.


    Xiao Luo was still staring at the door. Then he shook his head, put down the microphone, and walked straight off the stage.


    Jiang Yongchun stood on the stage, not knowing what to do for a while. He wanted to perform a good deed for Xiao Luo, but who knew it would turn out this way? His n did not turn out as expected, and he had now embarrassed Xiao Luo as well.


    ¡°Jiang Yongchun, what is your business here?¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly stopped as he was walking past the man, turned around, and directed that cold, hard question at him. Then he walked off the stage without looking back.


    ¡°President Xiao, this¡­ I¡­¡±


    Jiang Yongchun really wanted to p himself right then and there. What a situation he found himself in, not only had he not gotten any merits, instead Xiao Luo now bore a grudge against him. Jiang Yongchun was dismayed and at a loss for words.


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡°Brother, are you¡­ okay?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi asked as she looked at Xiao Luo walk towards her coldly.


    Xiao Luo patted her on the top of the head, smiled, and said: ¡°What could happen to me.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, brother, don¡¯t be sad. Yuyu was probably not prepared for everything that went on in there. I can guarantee that she definitely likes you,¡± Xiao Ruyi said.


    ¡°Yeah, based on my seven to eight years of experience picking up girls, Pretty Girl Sun definitely has feelings for you. But I just can¡¯t figure out why she rejected you,¡± Zhang Dashan said. As he thought about this, he was touching his chin once again, stroking his imaginary beard.


    Xiao Luo smiled but did not speak.


    He wasn¡¯t really disappointed. He just thought that Sun Yu seemed to be hiding something, especially after what Sun Yu¡¯s friend Hu Shuirong had said to them; take her far away.


    It seemed as though she was hinting something to him.


    ¡°For me, what Xiao Wu said was right. Don¡¯t overthink these hypothetical possibilities; just knock her unconscious and bring her back.¡± Feng Wuhen blurted out his opinion with a firm conviction.


    Xiao Luo looked at him, speechless.


    ¡­


    Sun Yu walked to a secluded corner, then leaning against a tree, she cried. She cried like a child who was lost at night.


    ¡°Yuyu!¡±


    Hu Shuirong, who had been chasing after her, called out when she spotted Sun Yu.


    Sun Yu began to sob. She tried to cover her pain with her hands, but those restraints were lost when Hu Shuirong rested her hands on her shoulders. She turned around, hugged Hu Shuirong and wept: ¡°Shuirong, what do I do, what should I do? Sob, sob, sob¡­¡±


    Hu Shuirong¡¯s eyes turned red as well, and she stroked the back of her shoulders gently: ¡°Why don¡¯t you agree to go with him? I can tell that Xiao Luo is a good man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he is too good, too outstanding, that¡¯s why I dare not promise him. You know, I am not a clean girl, if that thing [TN: like an asthma attack, but the author seems to be hinting at something more serious and its left vague] were to hit, I¡­¡±


    Hu Shuirong could see the pain in her face and the inner struggle within. Sun Yu bit her lips hard and said: ¡°I don¡¯t deserve him at all!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, this isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s all that b*stard¡¯s fault. He has hurt you, and he hurt me too. I got stuck too deep, I cannot turn back anymore, but you¡¯re not the same. You must strengthen your resolve and push on. You can no longer be controlled by him, so be brave and go together with Xiao Luo. That man can save you!¡± Hu Shuirong said,forting her.


    Sun Yu shook her head and said: ¡°I don¡¯t dare to let him know!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to continue being tortured by that bastard?¡±


    Hu Shuirong¡¯s emotions were out of control at this point, ¡°He is just a beast. He has already harmed many young girls, I can no longer watch you get destroyed by him. So, I promise you, Xiao Luo, can take you away from all this.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I want to think about it properly¡­¡±


    Sun Yu lowered her head, her tears continued streaming down her face.

 Chapter 163 - Appearance of trouble

    Chapter 163: Appearance of trouble


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIt had been seven days since the Mid-autumn G.


    Since then, Xiao Luo had not contacted Sun Yu, nor did she take the initiative to contact him. In all honesty, he had fallen in love with that girl, but after her rejection, he had not been in the right frame of mind, hardly speaking much, unless necessary.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Like Zhang Dashan, he had started to make a habit of watching blind dating programs in the evenings while sitting on the sofa with a can of drink. His mind was cluttered with conflicting emotions. He wondered if there were unspeakable hardships that Sun Yu had suffered, or if it was that he didn¡¯t know how to woo a girl and make a girl happy. The former seemed unlikely, but if it was thetter, he would probably be learning from these blind dating programs.


    ¡°Old Xiao, good news. Fang Changlei was arrested for the prostitution racket in his hotels. He has been sentenced to two years and eight months. Wei Lei ispletely done for.¡± Zhang Dashan said. He was sitting on the living room floor with Feng Wuhen and the rest of them, ying cards as they reported on thetest updates to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Prostitution?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and chuckled softly, ¡°In that case, he is really done for thanks to his own actions.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it exactly like the saying on the, ¡®No do, no die.¡¯ That idiot Fang Changlei really is living proof of this phrase.¡±


    Zhang Dashan slowly opened his three cards, and when he saw what they were, a twinkle gleamed in his eyes. All three cards were hearts, and it was a straight; that meant he held a straight flush. This would beat all the other suits. He then ced the cards on the floor in front of him, before calling his bet.


    ¡°Damn it, I call 500 bucks!¡±


    Shouting loudly, he took out a 500 bill from his pocket and mmed it down loudly.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, you are too scary. We¡¯re only just starting the game, and you¡¯re ying so big,¡± Xiaowu said, his usual nk expression changing slightly.


    ¡°Exactly, our sry isn¡¯t as much as yours, so don¡¯t y this big.¡± The others began toin.


    Zhang Dashan retorted in a loud voice, ¡°Stop talking nonsense, if you want to follow, then follow. If you don¡¯t want to follow, then fold your cards. It¡¯s as simple as that!¡±


    Xiaowu looked at his own cards, his eyebrows knitted together. He said: ¡°Forget it.¡±


    As he folded, the next three were still checking their cards in hand, then all three proceeded to ce their hands face down, one after another. They were out of the game.


    Feng Wuhen, on the other hand, decided to start with a ¡°dark bet.¡± He didn¡¯t even look at his cards before matching Zhang Dashan¡¯s bet. It would seem he had ced his faith entirely on luck.


    ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll follow!¡±


    ¡°Pa da~¡± he chimed as he put in his 500 dor bet.


    ¡°Hehe, little guy, if you want to cross with me, it¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll bet 500 more,¡± Zhang Dashan said, rolling up his sleeves and posturing like he was looking for a fight. Another 500 dor bet was duly ced.


    ¡°I will continue to follow!¡±


    Feng Wuhen was in the chase. He bet another 500, loving the thrill and excitement.


    ¡°Old Bro, you¡¯re too awesome. You¡¯re thinking of crossing swords with me without even looking at your cards?¡±


    ¡°Just putting up a fight, brother. Even a bicycle can beat a motorbike, and just with a simple bet, who knows, a trolley can be a BMW!¡± Feng Wuhen said, licking his lips andughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t end up losing your pants too!¡±


    Zhang Dashan took a thousand from his pocket and threw it down, ¡°A thousand!¡±


    Looking at the red banknotes on the ground that were beginning to pile up like a small hill, Xiao Wu and the rest couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard. Their eyes were glued to the massive pile of cash. In their hearts, they wished that all that money was theirs.


    Feng Wuhen began to hesitate and considered if he wanted to check his cards first.


    ¡°Why are you dilly-dallying, I am asking if you will follow or not?¡±


    Zhang Dashan had no fear. He held a straight flush, and it was a winning hand. He needn¡¯t be afraid.


    At that point, Xiao Luo came over and patted Zhang Dashan on his shoulders, ¡°Why are you ying so big, are you treating my ce like a casino?¡±


    ¡°Old Xiao, it¡¯s just two thousand dors. It¡¯s not as if it¡¯s some big egg, it¡¯s just a small bet. I just felt like making small bets, you know? If you¡¯re not ying, then don¡¯t speak.¡± Zhang Dashan said abruptly, then he pushed Xiao Luo away.


    Xiao Luo smiled, and as he walked away, he stepped close to Zhang Dashan¡¯s cards. With a sleight of his feet, he swapped out Zhang Dashan¡¯s cards unnoticed. His movements were clean and precise. Having carried out the deed, he then promptly walked away, holding on to his drink as if nothing had happened.


    Feng Wuhen had to make a big decision, and he dered bravely, ¡°Alright, f*ck it, I¡¯m going to risk it! One thousand, I want to see whose cards are bigger!¡±


    He flipped his own three cards over. Damn it, a pair of threes and the old K as the extra card. He frowned, looking exactly like an emoji.


    ¡°Hahaha, little guy, that¡¯s what you get for crossing me. Here, let me show you what your brother¡¯s big cards are.¡±


    Zhang Dashanughed endlessly. He picked up his cards from the floor and mmed them down with a forceful fling. ¡°Seven, eight, nine; it¡¯s a straight flush. It¡¯s bigger than you imagined!¡±


    On hearing Zhang Dashan dere his hand, Feng Wuhen and Xiao Wu, leaned back, feeling depressed as the thrill of the chase suddenly left them. Then ncing at the open cards, they burst out inughter!


    ¡°Brother Zhang, what you have isn¡¯t even a straight flush.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a six-eight-nine. Why, even the colors are different. Your high card is only nine.¡±


    Zhang Dashan, still in his victory pose, turned to nce at them in surprise. Then, he looked down.


    What the¡­ his cards really were six-eight-nine! The eight and nine cards were both hearts, while the six-card was a clubs. He stuttered, ¡°This, this, this¡­ what the hell is going on, where¡¯s my seven of hearts?¡±


    Feng Wuhen, ignoring himpletely, reached across for the money and grabbed it gleefully from the floor, ¡°Hehe¡­ Brother Zhang, I¡¯m sorry, but all this money is mine!¡±


    Xiaowu was really heartbroken, ¡°If I had known earlier, he was scamming us. I wouldn¡¯t have folded my cards. Damn it, giving up like this, I really feel like going to eat sh*t.¡±


    ¡°F*ck your sister, I really did have a seven-eight-nine straight flush. I couldn¡¯t be wrong. You guys better hurry up, go to the toilet and eat your shit. I just pooped, and it¡¯s still piping hot.¡±


    Aside from the dissatisfaction of losing that way, something else irked him, and he was utterly at a loss of how to exin it. In the end, he could only think of one possibility.


    Frightened, he ran out to where Xiao Luo seated and said fearfully, ¡°There¡¯s a ghost here, Old Xiao! Your rented house definitely has a ghost. It even changed my cards. Let¡¯s move out tomorrow; you have money now, so you don¡¯t have to squeeze yourself in here any longer.¡±


    Looking at his pale, frightened face, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    [Chongshan Pavillion]


    Chu Yunxiong was walking beside Ge Zhongtian on the main road where theirpany office was located. They were breathing in the night air as they discussed all that had happened recently.


    ¡°Fang Changlei has been sentenced to jail for two years and eight months. Now that Luo¡¯s Workshop is in a stable position, they will be the leadingpany in Jiangcheng¡¯s baking industry,¡± Ge Zhongtian said.


    With a tone of concern in his voice, Chu Yunxiong said: ¡°This Fang Changlei has been unlucky, however, while he has fallen, there is still another foe standing in the way of Little Luo.¡±


    ¡°Boss Chu, are you talking about the Dragon Gang?¡± Ge Zhongtian asked, second-guessing his friend.


    Chu Yunxiong nodded: ¡°Even those hotels that were searched, they were Fang Changlei¡¯s in name only. Their real owner is actually Long Sankui. In addition to that, 30% of Wei Lei actually belongs to Long Sankui. With Fang Changlei¡¯s fall, it will have a direct impact on Long Sankui¡¯s interests. Knowing how petty Long Sankui is, one would not expect him to do nothing.¡±


    Ge Zhongtian exhaled deeply: ¡°Yes, even if it has nothing to do with his interest, he would not let Xiao Luo go because Fang Changlei has helped him out of a predicament in his early years.¡±


    Fang Changlei helped Long Sankui out?


    Chu Yunxiong smiled and said: ¡°Those are merely rumors. Fang Changlei is merely Long Sankui¡¯s proxy. To put it another way, he is nothing more than Long Sankui¡¯s puppet. Losing a puppet won¡¯t hurt Long Sankui, but if his profits are threatened, he would not think twice taking action.¡±


    ¡°It appears that Xiao Luo is in big trouble again,¡± Ge Zhongtian said, expressing his sympathy for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°That might be true, but it¡¯s hard to say who¡¯s the one in big trouble, ¡°Chu Yunxiong said, smiling.

 Chapter 164 - Anger

    Chapter 164: Anger


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAs Xiao Luo was standing on the top floor of his home enjoying the night view, his phone rang. It was his sister, Xiao Ruyi.


    He picked up the call, ¡°Ruyi.¡±


    ¡°Brother, Sun Yu is not worthy of your affection. Don¡¯t contact her anymore. I must have been blind. I just can¡¯t believe that she¡¯s that kind of girl,¡± Xiao Ruyi snarled. Xiao Luo could almost hear her grinding her teeth over the phone.


    Close by, Tang Ren could be heard whispering from the side: ¡°Wife, don¡¯t jump to any conclusions. We might be wrong, or it might not be what we think it is.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, it might not be what you think it is? She already went to the hotel with that fat man without a chin! Will you only believe it when you see them rolling around in the sheets?¡± Xiao Ruyi said. She was unable to control her emotions andshed out at Tang Ren.


    Checking into a hotel with someone else?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mood took a nosedive. He couldn¡¯t believe it, and even more than that, he couldn¡¯t ept it. Sun Yu couldn¡¯t possibly be that sort of girl!


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s her, sister?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 200% sure! I even secretly took a picture of them, I will send it to youter.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi felt heartbroken at the unfortunate turn of events for her brother. She thought it was unjust! At the same time, she also med herself for encouraging them to be a couple. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t be sad, she¡¯s just a flirtatious woman. She¡¯s not worth your sorrow! It¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have introduced you to her.¡± She said, hoping it would somehow make him feel better.


    <span>COMMENT</a>


    ¡°Old Xiao, what¡¯s going on?¡± Zhang Dashan asked curiously. He had just stepped in to catch Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded in response and replied quickly, ¡°Hmm, I got it,¡± and hung up.


    Unable to calm his heart down, he searched for Sun Yu¡¯s contact information on his contact list to call her, only to find that Sun Yu¡¯s handphone was switched off.


    Just then, a notification lit up on his WeChat, alerting him that he had received a new message. After clicking on it, it was the picture that Xiao Ruyi said she¡¯d send over. The photo was taken outside the hotel, showing a man and woman about to enter the hotel. Although it was only a side view, one could tell at a nce that the woman was clearly Sun Yu.


    Looking at the picture, Xiao Luoughed coldly. He squeezed the can in his left hand with all five fingers,pressing it until it made a ¡°clink¡± sound. The remaining fluid squished out through the small opening at the top of the can onto the floor.


    Gulp.


    Zhang Dashan, who was standing beside him, found it hard to even swallow down his saliva. He could feel a chill coursing down his spine then through his entire body. Xiao Luo had a cold, hard smile on his face; if one could call it a smile. But right now, Xiao Luo was in a murderous mood, and if looks could kill, Zhang Dashan felt he¡¯d already been dead!


    ¡°Old Xiao, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going out!¡±


    Saying that Xiao Luo turned to leave, heading straight towards the corridor.


    ¡°Where are you going, Old Xiao? Drive my car there!¡± Zhang Dashan shouted after him.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    A voice that was clearly repressing anger came reverberating back from the corridor, as Xiao Luo stormed off.


    Feng Wuhen and the rest of the blood-brothers came out to check what was going on, hearing the loud voices. When they found out that Xiao Luo had gone out, they expressed their concerns. Feng Wuhan asked, ¡°It¡¯s already 10 pm, where is Brother Xiao going?¡±


    ¡°God knows!¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed, he looked concerned. Feng Wuhen looked at his face, his brows knitted in deep worry. He couldn¡¯t help it thinking it, but he somehow thought Zhang Dashan resembled a crumpled old rag. He kept his thoughts to himself. Zhang Dashan touched the side of his face and suddenly said, ¡°Damn it, my eyelids keep twitching. It feels like something bad is going to happen soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we follow him and take a look too?¡± Feng Wuhen suggested.


    ¡°Follow your head! Didn¡¯t you see the look he had in his eyes earlier? It was as if he was going to kill someone. If you want to go, you can go yourself, but I¡¯m not going!¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Recalling the murderous glint in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the chills run down his spine again. He turned around and walked back into the rented house. In his heart, he prayed silently, hoping that it was just his imagination and nothing more. Nothing was going to happen tonight.


    Murderous eyes?


    The fourpanions and Feng Wuhen looked at each other. They suddenly recalled the incident at the old warehouse at Jiangcheng pier the other night. They now pictured Xiao Luo in the fight against the members of the Dragon Gang. Bringing down his foes one slice at a time, it was like a blood bath. He was ruthless and methodical, like a bloodthirsty Death God. It was a vicious affair, bloody and horrifying!


    At the thought of this, the five trembled and immediately dropped the idea of going out to take a look.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had called for a taxi and was headed to the hotel shown in the picture.


    He tried his best to calm himself down, but no matter how hard, he found it hard to control his bitterness and rising rage. It was like he was in the eye of the storm, swirling chaos around him, and the wall was closing in. It was beginning to overwhelm him, and he found it harder to control. He had a strong urge to smash the world with a single punch.


    <span>COMMENT</a>


    ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Big brother, this is the fastest I can go. Any faster and I¡¯ll get a speeding ticket,¡± said the taxi driver as he looked through the rear-view mirror.


    Xiao Luo swept aside those dissenting words, giving the man a dark stare with wolfish eyes. In a threatening voice, he shouted: ¡°I want you to drive faster!¡±


    The angry,manding voice made it hard for the taxi driver to disobey.


    The taxi driver got frightened and immediately increased his speed. The man was frozen in fear, and he couldn¡¯t help wondering if he was ferrying a dangerous criminal. With his mind in turmoil, he thought of calling the police butter thought against it as he saw that Xiao Luo had an honorable bearing and certainly did not look like a ruthless gangster. He hesitantly took his hand off the emergency police button that was installed on his dashboard.


    He asked: ¡°Brother, did something urgente up?¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent and didn¡¯t say anything.


    The taxi driver continued to question: ¡°Brother, there are no obstacles you cannot ovee in this world. Let¡¯s remain calm. When you reach my age, you wille to realize a lot of things. ¡®Peoplee when they cry and cry when they leave.¡¯ Eventually, wee from dust and to dust we will return. Think positively!¡±


    Xiao Luo continued to remain silent.


    Ahead at the traffic light junction, the red light came on, and the taxi driver stopped the car immediately.


    ¡°Drive past!¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    This shocked the driver. He turned around: ¡°Boss, it¡¯s the red light now!¡±


    ¡°I want you to drive!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his voice menacingly.


    At this moment, the taxi driver was sure that he hade face to face with a gangster. He locked eyes with Xiao Luo, who returned the stare with eyes cold as frost. He had a strong feeling that if he had not followed Xiao Luo¡¯s instructions, he would die on the spot. Gritting his teeth, he geared up and floored the elerator and rushed forward.


    The taxi¡¯s dangerous maneuver angered the other vehicles abiding the traffic rules and keeping within the speed limit. When it stopped, all the other drivers pulled down their windows and began scolding.


    ¡°I know your license te number. So if you don¡¯t want to cause trouble, take your hand off the rm button!¡±


    The taxi driver¡¯s actions did not escape Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. These words put fear into the taxi driver, and he immediately took his hand off, as if he was shocked by an electrical current.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s not easy being a taxi driver, you¡­ don¡¯t make things difficult for me¡­¡± said the taxi driver with a forlorn look.


    ¡°We came from dust, and to dust, we will return. Think positively!¡± said Xiao Luo softly.


    The taxi driver was close to tears. He had uttered those words in goodwill, but he certainly did not mean for them to be applied to himself this night.


    <span>COMMENT</a>


    An hourter, before arriving at his destination, the taxi driver was already prepared for the worst. Death did not seem such a bad thing, after all. The number of red lights he had beaten could no longer be counted with his ten fingers. He was expecting to have to retake his driver¡¯s license, and on top of that, he would have to pay hefty fines on these offenses. It would just feel like going back to living a life in constant debt.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s phone rang.


    He took it out and saw Sun Yu¡¯s name.


    Suddenly, everything changed. It was like gushing torrents of water crashing through a crack in a dam wall. Xiao Luo was taken by a great sense of urgency, but somehow, he managed to restrain himself. Calming himself down, he answered the phone.

 Chapter 165 - Struggle and despair

    Chapter 165: Struggle and despair


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioSun Yu donned a red hoodie and was sitting at the top of the hotel, looking out at the dimly lit urban city.


    The wind blew strong, and it was a very chilly night, yet she didn¡¯t feel the cold. Perhaps her heart had already frozen. Tears poured out from the corner of her eyes and rolled down her delicate face, their trails reflected in the moonlit night.


    She sat leaning against the wall, hugging her knees. She had her phone held against her right ear, waiting for a response. She was sobbing quietly like a lost child.


    Xiao Luo answered the phone. When he heard her crying voice, his anger and was immediately reced by a grave sense of dread.


    He asked urgently, ¡°Are you alright? What¡¯s with you?¡±


    Sun Yu spoke in between sobs, ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, that day when you announced to everyone that I was your woman, I so badly wanted to say aloud that I liked you too. When we first met, I was already strongly drawn to your charm. I am deeply attracted to you. I like your easy smile, I like looking at you, and I like the times I¡¯ve spent with you.¡±


    Sun Yu didn¡¯t sound like her usual self. Her speech was giddy and incoherent, almost child-like. She was crying andughing all at once; there was a touch of destion in her sad voice.


    ¡°How I wish time could stop forever that night. On the night when we were eating roasted sweet potatoes together. You said to me that those times were best, remember? When we were kids with no troubles and no worries. Trying to touch fish in the stream, digging rat holes in the field, folding paper aerones, and ying in the mud. I was always happy then. I still remember that nursery rhyme, Brother Xiao Luo, let me sing it for you if you¡¯re okay?¡±


    Without waiting for Xiao Luo¡¯s reply, she started singing softly, and her sweet voice was pleasant in his ears.


    ¡°You p once, I p once, frequent showers frequent change of clothes. You p twice, I p twice, remember to bring a handkerchief every day. You p thrice, I p thrice, don¡¯t spit everywhere. You p four, I p four, kill the flies and the mosquitoes. You p five, I p five, exterminate bed bugs and mice¡­¡±


    As she continued singing, tears began to flow down uncontrobly. The tears had long blurred her vision. She felt an emptiness within herself, she longed for a ce where she could get away from all this¡­


    By this time, Xiao Luo had arrived at the hotel¡¯s entrance. As soon as the taxi stopped, he immediately pushed the car door open and rushed out. Shouting desperately into the phone, he asked: ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I am at home!¡±


    Sun Yu¡¯s smiled a vacant smile and then took the phone closer to her, ¡°Brother Xiao Luo, I¡¯ve wanted to tell you thesest few days that, in fact, I love you¡­¡±


    ¡°Beep¡­ beep¡­ beep¡­¡±


    The cadence of the busy signal streaming out from Xiao Luo¡¯s receiver sent a sudden rush of panic through his very soul.


    Just then, there was amotion from the crowd on the street.


    ¡°Quick, look! Someone is jumping from the rooftop from above!¡± Sharp piercing cries and screams of panic came from all directions.


    Xiao Luo turned towards the directions they crowd was facing, raising his head to scan the night. He focused his sight, and there, he saw a slight figure in a red hoodie jumping off the roof of the hotel. For a while, she appeared to float in the air like a drifting crimson rose, then suddenly plunged towards the ground at an rming speed. She was falling with her back to the ground, staring up to the heavens, with her arms apart, no signs of fear or struggle, like she had a sincere wish to meet with death.


    Sun Yu!


    Call it intuition, but Xiao Luo knew that was Sun Yu, even without seeing her face.


    There was not a second to spare. This was a matter of life and death!


    In a sh, he bounded over in several powerful leaps with muscr feline grace. As hended on his chosen spot, he nted his feet firmly, bent his strong legs, and leaped forward, high towards the falling body as it neared its point of impact. Stretching fully, he got his arms to her, pulled her into him even as they were airborne. Rotating himself forward while keeping her tucked in his chest, the entangled bodies were thrown in ateral directionnding not far away from where she would have fallen. Xiao Luo broke the fall, rolling off his back, and the momentum caused him to rotate several times more. Sun Yu was flung from his grasp,nding not far away. But he had broken her fall, saving her from certain death. Without even reaching its terminal velocity, the impact still had a violent effect on Xiao Luo. His ¡°Constitution of King of Mercenaries¡± skill was unable to bear the load of such a force.


    Click¡­ At the point of contact, Xiao Luo¡¯s arm had instantly been dislocated. It all happened in an instant. The pain shed through the entire left arm, causing him to ckout for a split second. Intuitively, his body reacted in the way he had visualized, pulling her body into his own, and rolling over as he hit the ground.


    Sun Yu, having been thrown from his grasp, fell a short away and remained unconscious. Fresh blood slowly flowed from where shey.


    Xiao Luo picked himself up and limped over desperately. Endured the pain in his left arm, he picked her up and returned to the waiting taxi.


    Looking at Sun Yu covered in blood, the driver was in shock and turned pale, ¡°Is this your¡­ your friend?¡±


    ¡°Drive!¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t keep calm and roared at the driver to move that very instant.


    Without further dy, the driver quickly put on his seatbelt and drove directly to the People¡¯s Hospital. They arrived within minutes.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The strong smell of disinfectant permeated the hospital air.


    Sitting outside the trauma room, Xiao Luo stared at the dried blood stains from Sun Yu¡¯s injuries, still visible on the ground. He had reset his dislocated left arm himself. As long as he didn¡¯t exert any pressure, it would be fine. A few days of rest would suffice.


    With his hands on his head, he sat there a despondent figure. There was so much going through his mind at the moment.


    He kept recalling everything that happened since that night. From Hu Shuirong¡¯s reminder to Sun Yu¡¯s rejection¡­ everything pointed towards a sinister intrigue that he needed to unravel. What kind of unspeakable suffering would make a girl choose to jump off the building to end her life?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t understand any of it. He only knew that He Ruanliang was involved in this somehow.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    After receiving the news, Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren rushed over immediately. They were breathing hard by the time they got to him.


    ¡°Brother, what happened exactly? Why did Yuyu try tomit suicide?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked anxiously.


    Xiao Luo did not answer her, but he immediately demanded of her, ¡°Get Hu Shuirong over here!¡±


    Despite not knowing what was going on, Tang Ren immediately replied, ¡°I will get her.¡±


    Then, he turned and immediately left.


    ¡°How could this be, how could this be¡­¡±


    Xiao Ruyi looked at the closed door of the trauma room and muttered to herself. Her mind was in total confusion.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Elsewhere, the site where Sun Yu had jumped off had been cordoned off by the Jingcha, specifically its investigation department.


    ¡°Team leader Gu, ording to a certain taxi driver¡¯s ount, the girl who jumped off the building has been sent to People¡¯s Hospital for treatment. He also responded to a situation in which a strange male passenger was ferried from Gong Vige in Taihe District. The passenger¡¯s destination was this hotel. Also, the male passenger kept telling him to drive faster and even threatened him to run the red lights. He seemed to know the girl was going to jump off the building, and the girl was also taken to the hospital by this same male passenger.¡±


    J member Wang Hanxuan reported the situation to Gu Qianlin.


    ¡°Gong Vige?¡±


    Gu Qianlin raised her eyebrows in a dramatic arch. She was quite familiar with the name of that ce. This was because the number one suspect of the ¡°September 12 Incident¡±, Xiao Luo, lived there. She then looked up at the hotel, it was a dozen floors high. She thought to herself, ¡°jumping from the top of this building would have made anyone minced meat. Could it be possible to save anyone?¡±


    ¡°Have you checked the identity of the jumper?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Sun Yu, a guest of this hotel.¡±


    Wang Hanxuan nodded and replied, ¡°She is a nurse in the People¡¯s Hospital. In addition, residual traces of crystal meth and other drugs were found in the room she stayed in.¡±


    ¡°Crystal meth and other drugs?¡±


    Gu Qianlin furrowed her brows intently. Drugs had always been the target of this country¡¯s crackdown. Allw enforcement personnel were extremely sensitive to these words.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct!¡±


    Wang Hanxuan said, ¡°There was also a middle-aged man who had entered the room with her. The investigation team is looking for his information based on what we have picked out in the surveince video. I believe there will be results soon. Something worth mentioning as well is that he has had sexual intercourse with the girl in the room. The woman who jumped off the building had likely exchanged her body for crystal meth and drugs from the middle-aged man.¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Qianlin, who was familiar with simr cases, immediately assumed the reason for the girl¡¯s suicide by jumping off the building.


    The girl must have been addicted to drugs. Addicts usually appear to live a normal life and behave like the average person going about their daily lives, but once the drug craving kicks in, their torment would be unbearable. To satisfy their needs, they¡¯d not only sell their bodies but would not hesitate to even break their arm in exchange for drugs.


    Making the decision tomit suicide!


    This only showed how desperate the girl to break free from her drug addiction. Unfortunately, each time the drug-induced craving came, she would sink again. Each time she fell, she would experience a deeper sense of guilt and shame. It was a continuous path down a dark, living hell.


    No matter how hard they tried, they would not be able to break free from their habit.


    Her eyes teared slightly and turned reddish. She knew the struggle and despair this girl had to endure.

 Chapter 166 - Competition

    Chapter 166: Competition


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioHu Shuirong had just happened to be on the clock when she heard the news of Sun Yu¡¯s attempted suicide. She made her way back to the trauma room as fast as she could. When she arrived at its entrance, she broke down and cried in grief, falling to her knees.


    Xiao Luo took a step up, looked coldly down on her from above, and said: ¡°You should know the reason for this, now tell me!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a casual discussion with room forpromise nor a simple question. It was amand!


    Hu Shuirong looked up, disheveled, and answered with a hiss: ¡°It¡¯s He Ruanliang!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    Tang Ren¡¯s eyes widened, and he couldn¡¯t believe that his own boss He Ruanliang had something to do with Sun Yu¡¯s incident.


    Hu Shuirong lost herposure as tears ran down her face. Seething with hate and remorse, she cried: ¡°He Ruanliang is not human, he¡¯s an animal! He tricked us, purposely got us addicted to drugs, and forced us to be his toys. Yuyu tried fighting back before, but every time her addiction kicked in, she couldn¡¯t help but beg him for more drugs. He hurt Yuyu and me, and he also hurt many young girls in the hospital.¡±


    What?!


    The revtion was shocking, unbelievable. It stunned both Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren. No wonder Sun Yu was willing to get a room with He Ruanliang at that hotel; no wonder Sun Yu started crying after a few words from He Ruanliang at the Mid-autumn festival G, rejecting Xiao Luo¡¯s proposal and running off. No wonder¡­these were the reasons for all her actions.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, that¡¯s how it is¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his head up, smiling darkly, he straightened his posture as he clenched his fists tight.


    He suddenly asked: ¡°Where does He Ruanliang live?¡±


    Hu Shuirong¡¯s whole body trembled, she clearly saw the murderous intent in Xiao Luo¡¯s burning eyes.


    ¡°You should have been to his ce before, right?¡± Xiao Luo questioned coldly.


    Hu Shuirong nodded: ¡°He has a house in Lishui Binjiang that he purchased without his wife¡¯s knowledge for¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the area code, building number, and floor number?¡± Xiao Luo interrupted her.


    ¡°Area C building 9, 7th floor.¡±


    ¡°Where do he and his wife live?¡±


    ¡°Hongqi Park, area B, building 6, 3rd floor.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned and walked away as soon as he received the two addresses.


    ¡°Big brother, where are you going? Don¡¯t do reckless things!¡± Xiao Ruyi called to him while her heart jumped out of her chest.


    Tang Ren added: ¡°Let¡¯s call the police, let the JC handle this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going out for a walk.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned and gave them a smirk before leaving without a second word.


    Deep down, Xiao Ruyi was still concerned. If her brother broke thew because of Sun Yu, she would never be able to forgive herself.


    ¡­.


    ¡­.


    Gu Qinglin arrived outside of the trauma room not too long after Xiao Luo had left.


    After seeing Xiao Ruyi, the sister of Xiao Luo recorded on visitors¡¯ log, and recalling the evidence given by the cab driver earlier, her spection was proven correct; that strange passenger was indeed Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your brother Xiao Luo?¡±


    Gu Qinglin asked Xiao Ruyi directly as she arrived.


    Xiao Ruyi was a little taken aback by the sudden question. She looked at her quizzically, wondering how this female cop knew who she was. Looking at the stern countenance of the JCs standing behind Gu Qinglin, she decided it would be best to cooperate: ¡°He¡­he just left¡­¡±


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Gu Qinglin questioned in a hurry.


    ¡°He went out for a walk.¡± Xiao Ruyi said.


    ¡°For a walk?¡±


    Gu Qinglin didn¡¯t believe this excuse and asked, ¡°How did Xiao Luo act before he left? Anything strange, such as asking for the home address of the hospital director He Ruanliang?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren stood stunned in silence. Their minds raced as they questioned themselves about what exactly was going on. Why is the JC so familiar with their older brother as if they were keeping a close eye on him?


    From the look of their eyes, Gu Qinglin got the answer she sought.


    She immediately issued an order to Wang Hanxuan, ¡°Inform headquarters to locate He Ruanliang¡¯s cellphone and find him as fast as they can.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Wang Hanxuan nodded and took out his phone as he turned around to carry out the order.


    As a precaution, Gu Qinglin had already dispatched the junior officers to head out to He Ruanliang¡¯s residence in Hongqi Park immediately and ordered them to protect He Ruanliang as soon as they find him.


    ¡°What¡¯s your brother¡¯s cellphone number?¡± Gu Qinglin continued to ask.


    Xiao Ruyi quickly found Xiao Luo¡¯s number on her cellphone. She had to do what she could to prevent him from walking down the wrong path, ¡°Here it is.¡±


    Gu Qinglin dialed the number on her cellphone only to receive a notification that the phone was turned off.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    She shoved her phone back into her pocket and left in a huff.


    This was turning out to be a race between her and Xiao Luo to find He Ruanliang. Even though He Ruanliang deserved to die, he was still a key witness for their case. If they capture He Ruanliang before Xiao Luo finds him, they would have the evidence to destroy the entire illegal drug market within Jiangcheng. But regardless of that fact, she could not let Xiao Luo ignore thew and kill a man on a whim.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi rushed over to stop her, and said, ¡°My brother is a good man. If he did end up breaking thew¡­¡± Her voice trembled a little, as she suspected that her brother was already on the JC¡¯s cklist. It was very likely that he had already broken the country¡¯sw in some way. so she pleaded in a desperate tone, ¡°I¡¯m begging you all, please don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Nobody is above thews of the nation!¡±


    Gu Qinglin interrupted her. Even though she sympathized with Xiao Ruyi, she was still aw enforcement official and could never act on personal sentiments and bias. She would not let anyone breaking thews walk free; it was her sworn obligation and responsibility. Nothing could change her mind.


    Xiao Ruyi watched, slumped in despair, as she walked off with her team of JCs. Tang Ren walked up to her. She turned and hugged him tightly, and tears ran as she sobbed quietly.


    ¡°Oh. What should I do? If my brother really breaks thew, what am I supposed to do? Mom and dad, grandpa, and grandma would all be upset and hurt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big brother will be okay, these JCs must be mistaken about the whole affair.¡± Tang Ren patted her back in constion and said out the first thing that he thought would console her.


    He was in a state of confusion and trepidation. He had not felt such a sense of dread and agony for some time. But he knew Xiao Ruyi needed him now, and he had to be strong for her sake. A man couldn¡¯t show his weakness in front of a woman.; he was still a man, and ¡°a man couldn¡¯t show weakness in front of his woman,¡± he used to be told.


    ¡­..


    ¡­..


    ¡°Captain Gu, we¡¯ve tracked down He Ruanliang¡¯s cellphone through the GPS, and we¡¯ve taken a man in. However, this person isn¡¯t He Ruanliang.¡± Wang Hanxuan updated Gu Qinglin on the cop car.


    Gu Qinglin raised an eyebrow: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a petty thief. ording to his ount, he stole the phone from He Ruanliang at a bar.¡± Wang Hanxuan let out a stiff chuckle. What are the chances?


    Gu Qinglin clenched her teeth: ¡°That sure is a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°I know, right? He just happened to steal it at a time when we¡¯re looking for He Ruanliang? It sure is hard to predict what will happen in this world of ours.¡±


    Wang Hanxuan said, ¡°By the way, we¡¯ve discovered something else. He Ruanliang doesn¡¯t only have one property in the Hongqi Park but also another house in Lishui Binjiang. He bought under his father¡¯s name. Apparently, his wife doesn¡¯t even know about this ce, so I think it¡¯s very likely that¡¯s where he¡¯s keeping his drugs.¡±


    ¡°Are teams 1 and 2 heading to Hongqi Park right now?¡± Gu Qinglin asked, a serious look on her face.


    ¡°They¡¯re on their way.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go to Lishui Binjiang.¡±


    Gu Qinglin had a gut feeling that He Ruanliang wouldn¡¯t be returning to his home in Hongqi Park, and instead would head for Lishui Binjiang. She then ordered the driver, ¡°turn around!¡±

 Chapter 167 - The Dragon Gang Again

    Chapter 167: The Dragon Gang Again


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioMidnight, 11:00 P.M.


    A white Mazda slowly rolled along into the Lishui Binjiang residential area. Most of the residents were already in bed at this hour, but a few homes had their lights on. Distant sounds of gay chatter andughter from young men and women could be heard now and then, breaking the lull of the night.


    He Ruanliang driving alone, in a pleasant mood, humming along to the tune of the music ying in the vehicle. He nced over at the bags of powdery substance on the passenger seat. A thin smile shed across his thick face as he recalled his intimate evening. At this time, he had not realized yet, that his handphone had been nicked.


    ¡°This thing sure is great!¡±


    Ever since he got into selling meth, he had not had any problems with finding sweet, young girls to take advantage of. The hospital recruited several batches of young nurses annually; among them, there were many single girls, young and delicate¡­ and those meeting these criteria would be subjected to his phndering ways. One could say that he had single-handedly pruned down the flower of the nursing corp!


    If he failed to seduce these fair damsels, either by favors rendered or coercion, he would simply resort to using a more backhanded option. He¡¯d only need to spike their drinks during the hospital¡¯s social events, and gradually they¡¯d be dependent on the drug without their knowledge. Usually, within a matter of two months, they will be toys in his hands. It was indeed that simple because no matter how strong-willed the victims were, they couldn¡¯t possibly deal with the horrific symptoms of withdrawal when the urge kicked in.


    ¡°A beautiful scenery is no match for a dream, as grasses are scented in the dream¡­¡±


    He Ruanliang swayed his body as he drove along, feeling uninhibited and ted with living the good life. Ofte, he¡¯d hardly gone back home; he didn¡¯t miss seeing the aged face of his wife, or that ugly old hag, as he¡¯d called her.


    Soon, the white Mazda arrived at its destination. It slowed down as it made its way into the underground parking garage¡­


    Being an up-market residential area of Jiangcheng, the residents of Lishui Binjiang were from the wealthy upper crust. The parking garage was filled with expensive luxury cars that cost hundreds of thousands. He Ruanliang¡¯s white Mazda seemed out of ce in this ¡°pond of big fishes,¡± but that would change soon, he thought to himself.


    He Ruanliang was looking around for his handphone after he had parked his car, but it was nowhere to be found. He stepped out of the car, stuck half of his body back in with his butt sticking out, and searched thoroughly again inside the vehicle, but still found nothing.


    He carefully retraced his activities that evening, and suddenly remembered that someone had bumped into him while he was casually moving about in the bar. He recalled, even yelling at the stranger for walking into him. He only realized now that his phone might have been taken by that pocket picker then.


    ¡°Sh*t!!¡±


    His pleasant mood immediately vanished in a puff. He Ruanliang yelled loudly in sheer frustration, kicking the tire of his car. He cursed the thief roundly, ¡°Son of a b*tch, don¡¯t let me see you again! If I see you again, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    He mmed the car door and pressed on his keys to lock his car.


    Click. Click. Click.


    Just then, the lights inside the underground car park went off, one by one. Before he could even take another breath, the entire car park was in total darkness.


    Immediately, the emergency lights at the exits switched on automatically and glowed, allowing him to make his way around in the darkness.


    Yet the darkness was all-pervasive, with the few exit lights appearing like insignificant support actors in a two-bit stage production. The unsteady glow they emitted made it feel like they could be snuffed out at any time.


    In the darkness, an eerie air seemed to permeate across the vast, expansive parking area.


    Gulp!


    He Ruanliang gulped again before getting some of his nerves back. He then cursed once more, this time in annoyance, ¡°The electricity in this garage is having problems again, the service provider is really god*amn garbage, if I don¡¯t send aint to management tomorrow, I¡¯m giving up my family name!¡±


    He did not carry theposure of a hospital director right now, tossing away the fa?ade, and revealing his true ugly nature.


    ¡°He Ruanliang!¡±


    A voice suddenly rang out in the quiet darkness, echoing across the vast emptiness. That cold voice carried no emotions, it was cold and dark, seeming to havee from the underworld!


    ¡°W-who are you?¡±


    He Ruanliang jumped up in horror, turning his head towards the direction of the voice.


    In the dim light, he could make out a person wearing a grey coat, ck pants, and white converse shoes slowly walked towards him. He yed with a knife in their right hand, casually twirling it as the de reflected in the dim glow.


    A murderous intent!


    His hair stood on end, and a cold sweat broke as he felt an overpowering sense of dangering from the approaching figure.


    Was he going to be murdered? He Ruanliang suddenly felt the temperature drop to a freezing point as he shook uncontrobly in fear.


    He called out to the approaching man in a shaking voice: ¡°Who¡­who are you? What are you nning on doing?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t make out the person¡¯s face, still cloaked by the darkness.


    The figure in the grey coat remained silent, but he now picked up his pace. Breaking through the darkness he charged, he came like a hungry wolf chasing down its prey.


    In fear, He Ruanliang lost hisposure, rooted to where he stood and unable to find the courage to defend himself. The swift figure appeared before him like a phantom.


    Bang!


    With a mighty leap, the figure bounded towards He Ruanliang, twisting around midair, and just as hended on his feet, his knife hand swept in an arch, plunging the de deep into He Ruanliang¡¯s left shoulder. In his mind, he pictured a great grey wolf, leaping through the darkness and sinking its foul fangs deep into his flesh. Would he sumb to this mortal wound?


    Gash!


    Fresh, bright red blood poured out of his wound, as an excruciating pain shot across his entire left side. The shock sent bright shes of light to his head, and momentarily he was blinded. Even before he could react, the force of his attacker¡¯s momentum threw him back a long way, crashing into the ground.


    Disorientated, He Ruanliang remained on the ground where he fell, the de lodged in his shoulder. Crying in pain as he watched his assant step slowly towards him. As the man came closer, He Ruanliang looked up, shaking. He tried to make out the man, then with eyes wide in fear and disbelief, his jaw dropped open as he recognized the face: ¡°It ¡­it¡¯s you!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood there, staring at He Ruanliang coldly without a word, his grim face did not hide his intentions.


    He now kneeled next to the prone figure, then grabbed the handle of the protruding knife. He Ruanliang gasped, trying to plead for his life. Xiao Luo stared directly into his eyes as he slowly rotated the de, first clockwise, then counterclockwise.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    The pain shot through He Ruanliang, and it was excruciating and unbearable pain. He kicked around, trying to break away. Xiao Luo grabbed his other hand as He Ruanliang attempted to get to the knife and pull it out. His left arm was frozen entirely from the pain, he could not feel his arm any longer, just the burning pain of his flesh being ripped to shreds.


    As Xiao Luo paused, He Ruanliang, begged for his life, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, I¡­I can give you a lot of money, I can also give your Luo Workshop a lot of business¡­¡±


    He never imagined that the owner of the Luo Workshop could be such a cold-hearted assassin. Had he known, he would never haveid even a finger on Sun Yu.


    Xiao Luo leaned close to his thick, sweaty face, and slowly spoke into his ears, ¡°I only want to skin you alive right now!¡±


    He spoke softly, but every word conveyed his intention that this night would end with a horrible death for He Ruanliang.


    He Ruanliang felt his soul leave him that very moment. His face was pale with terror, and grasping at thest strand of hope, he attempted to speak as calmly as he could, ¡°I¡­I¡¯m part of the Dragon Gang, if you kill me, you¡¯ll be facing the wrath of our gang. You will no longer have a ce in Jiangcheng¡­¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Gang again!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed. A cold, cynicalugh.

 Chapter 168 - Cold-blooded

    Chapter 168: Cold-blooded


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioLying there in the dark, He Ruanliang¡¯s rotund form was a bleeding mess, his wide eyes with fear as sweat ran down his thick, chinless face. He stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s depraved smile in abject terror, to the point he dared not even breathe. Those four short words from Xiao Luo told him everything he needed to know about what was about to happen to him. Wasn¡¯t this the man who single-handedly confronted the Dragon Gang in the September 12th incident? Gang enforcer, Guo Jianghu had led more than a hundred of his fighters against Xiao Luo. But the Red Cudgel was defeated and killed along with all his gang members that fateful night.


    He had heard from an inside source he had in the JC that a single fighter had annihted an entire group of gangsters in that incident. By some providence, he had been helped through certain actions taken by JC.


    Could the twelve-nine incident have anything to do with this man?


    Random thoughts shed through his mind without any logical reason as he shrank in fear from the ominous presence of his tormentor, Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo reached for the knife sticking out of He Ruanliang¡¯s left shoulder, gripped it tightly and yanked it out. As he did so, he said in that familiar cold voice, ¡°Long Sankui gloats about his three thousand fighters. I¡¯ll arrange for him three thousand coffins!¡±


    Without a further word, the de came down and pierced He Ruaing¡¯s open palm, pinning it to the ground.


    Aarrgggh!


    The pain was unbearable! And the screams now unrestrained.


    Xiao Luo smiled cruelly. He once again withdrew the de from the impaled palm. His attention wandered to other parts of He Ruanliang¡¯s shivering body, as the fat man whimpered. Xiao Luo wielded his d¨¦ like a surgeon¡¯s scalpel as he filleted the fleshy parts of his victim¡¯s torso, like a knife through butter. He Ruanliang lost control of all bodily functions, shamelessly discharging his fluids amid cries of pain and anguish. His screams echoed in the empty space.


    In a matter of minutes, He Ruanliang had turned into a bloody mess of flesh and blood. Strips of flesh hung like ribbons where his shirt had been ripped off. Blood flowed copiously from his open wounds. What was left of his garments was stained in a morbid red. A gaping mark was drawn across his forehead, revealing the white bone of his skull. The cut was deep and continued down to the right side of his chin, causing his face to appear like it was falling off to one side.


    He Ruanliang¡¯s body now twitched uncontrobly, as if in hisst throes of death. His body was sooning into a state of shock, and he only stared nkly at Xiao Luo. He was trying to speak. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water, even as choked in his own blood. In his mind, he begging for his life. He couldn¡¯t have imagined he would die such a horrific death.


    Xiao Luo finally stood up. He looked down at He Ruanliang with no emotion, as if admiring a piece of fine art.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t n on taking his life with a single strike, and he wanted to quietly watch this man suffer in pain and grow in despair before he finally died. He had no intention of giving this man a quick death. It would be a long and painful one.


    Bang!


    The high-pitched report of a handgun pierced the silence.


    A single bullet sped through the darkness and found its mark, hitting Xiao Luo on the rear of his left shoulder. The impact from the low-velocity round threw him forward, almost tripping him over.


    Within a split second, he had identified the direction of the shooter, and instinctively he immediately grabbed He Ruanliang off the ground. Xiao Luo pulled him up and held him like a human shield.


    ¡°Release him!¡±


    Gu Qinglin held her piece in both hands aligned with her line of sight, as she quickly made her way over. She stood facing him now, in her shooting stance, her left foot slightly forward, dropping her cheeks close to her biceps lining up the gun with her eyes. With a stern voice, she warned him not to make a move.


    Wang Hanxuan was positioned just behind her, with two other JCs as backups. Xiao Luo now held his knife against He Ruanliang¡¯s neck and faced the rescuers. For a brief, tense moment, there wasplete silence, the officers stared in horror at what they witnessed. They felt their palms get sweaty as an unexinable sense of that they hade face to face with a beast.


    ¡°He-help me¡­.¡±


    As adrenaline surged through his body, He Ruanliang¡¯s instinct for survival returned. He called out weakly for help when he saw the JC team right in front of him.


    ¡°Did you hear us? Release him.¡±


    Gu Qinglin repeated the order firmly. She wasn¡¯t sure if the perpetrator was Xiao Luo but had a reasonable suspicion that it was. If he really was Xiao Luo, then she now had an ID on his real face.


    A chill shot through her spine as she looked at He Ruanliang, his face barely recognizable. He was soaked in blood, and his flesh virtually shredded. Whoever they were facing was a pro, an intelligent and steady, cold-blooded killer. He carried out his assault within such a short time, given that the JC was already on route to apprehend He Ruanliang. The fact that their opponent could react in such a short amount of time and held He Ruanliang hostage proved that this person was a real intelligent, cold-blooded, and calm killer. Even with her experience, Gu Qinglin felt goosebumps rise out of nowhere.


    Xiao Luo kept hid behind He Ruanliang¡¯s body as a shield. Gu Qinglin¡¯s arrival had messed up his n, so he might have to leave the man behind.


    Without another word, Xiao Luo lifted He Ruanliang and carried him off like a beast towards another exit. He kept to the darkness as he made his way there. The pursuing JC team could see the knife pressed against He Ruanliang¡¯s neck as it glistened coldly under the dim light.


    Gu Qinglin followed closely, waiting for a chance to take a shot at Xiao Luo.


    The chance never came as Xiao Luo sessfully reached the exit. The stalemate continued.


    He Ruanliang now felt the knife pressing on his neck and knew that Xiao Luo was about to take his life. In fear and horror, he called out again, in a course guttural voice, ¡°N-no. please don¡¯t¡­.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, I¡¯m telling you to stop, do you hear me?¡±


    Gu Qinglin yelled; she could sense what would soon be happening. She cringed at the thought of a human life brutally taken, right in front of her.


    Then, the sound of a grunt. The knife mercilessly sliced through He Ruanliang¡¯s throat, and blood oozed out in an instant.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Gu Qinglin lost control of her emotions and immediately opened fire.


    Bang. Bang. Bang.


    A volley of shots tore through the exit area. But Xiao Luo had already made his escape, and the bullets lodged harmlessly in the wall.


    When they arrived at the spot, He Ruanliang was already lying dead in a pool of blood, his eyes open, staring nkly at the wall.


    ¡°He¡¯s brutal. A cold-blooded murderer!¡± Wang Hanxuan said, staring chillingly at the corpse.


    Gu Qinglin was furious, clenching her teeth, she ordered, ¡°Send a request to the headquarters immediately, get a warrant of arrest out for criminal suspect Xiao Luo!!!¡±


    Committing a crime right before her eyes was not only an affront to her but more so an insult to thew. He must be captured at all costs; he cannot escape the long arm of thew.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Wang Hanxuan nodded and acknowledged her order.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo arrived at the pavilion on the mountains in the Guangming Park. Even though Gu Qinglin¡¯s shot wasn¡¯t life-threatening, the bullet had lodged deep in his shoulder, causing hemorrhage and massive trauma to the affected area. The loss of blood dramatically affected his physical and mental state.


    He slowly reached his hand back towards the injury and clenching his teeth, pushed his finger into the wound, attempting to dig the slug out.


    A sharp pain shed from the wound the moment his finger reached into the wound, his face to twisted in anguish. After what seemed like a long, agonizing time, he finally managed to extract the bullet from his injury.


    He felt his legs giving and copsed to the ground. The cold-blooded assassin rolled over andy where he fell, his face a deathly pale.

 Chapter 169 - Grade A Dangerous Personnel

    Chapter 169: Grade A Dangerous Personnel


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Ding! Detected severe injury on the host, life energy rapidly decreasing. The system will automatically deduct 100,000 healing points from the host ount.¡± An emotionless, digital notification from the Genius System yed inside his head.


    As Xiao Luo was about to lose consciousness, he could feel a burning sensation from the injury on his back. It felt like it was a fire. However, it didn¡¯t hurt nor itch, but instead, it gradually began to feel quitefortable, like arge and warm hand gently ced on the injury.


    ¡°What? Deduct 100,000 points for healing treatment?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed incredulously as he questioned how the system could forcibly deduct points without even getting his approval. He felt the urge to scorn loud. Though, on the flip side, healing a gunshot wound for only the cost of 100,000 was quite a steal!


    It was way past midnight, and the mountains in the park were cold and silent. Even the path lights on the mountain trails were turned off to save energy.


    Xiao Luoid on the stone bench inside the pavilion with his eyes closed, allowing the system¡¯s healing function to do its job.


    In the city, located a distance away, sounds of police sirens wailed as patrol cars drove by like a gust of wind. This didn¡¯t pose any threat to him because he had already had an escape n even before he carried out his attack on He Ruanliang. The routes he nned to use would remain in the shadow of the Sk system. The JC would not be able to track him from their surveince cameras. His only worry had been the scar left by the bullet wound on his back.


    He was high on the list of Gu Qinglin¡¯s suspects. The shot she fired prevented him from killing He Ruanliang outright, and it was also proof that he had been present at the scene of the crime. Gu Qinglin made the shot at his upper torso, safely away from the body¡¯s kill zone. By avoiding his vital organs, she clearly nned on keeping him alive.


    ¡°Will it leave a scar?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    The question was obviously directed towards the system that had already merged with his body.


    ¡°Ding! Injuries sustained by the host, including but not exclusive to bullet wounds, knife wounds, burns, and near-fatal injuries that do not pose a threat to the host¡¯s life, can trigger the automatic response of the healing function. Points will be deducted to initiate the healing process on the detected wounds. The healing function will result in a permanent recovery and will not leave any scars.¡±


    A permanent recovery that leaves no marks?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help being sarcastic in responding to the notification, he remarked, ¡°You say it like an advertisement.¡±


    The system didn¡¯t respond as if it couldn¡¯t give a proper response to this kind ofmand.


    ¡°What happens if you have less than 100,000 points?¡±


    ¡°Ding! The healing function will not be able to activate.¡±


    Precisely as he expected!


    Xiao Luo stopped talking, losing the urge to continue the banter with like the System¡¯s AI.


    Half an hourter, the treatment process waspleted.


    Xiao Luo recovered fully, feeling energized once again., He moved his shoulder around and couldn¡¯t even feel a hint of pain. He reached over to his back and touched the spot where the bullet had prated. What was earlier, an entry hole pouring with blood, was now smooth as new. Even without seeing it with his own two eyes, he could confirm that no trace of a scar was left.


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave high praise to the system.


    Just as he was getting ready to leave, he saw a couple making their way up the mountain. The man appeared to be leading the woman up the steep path, and then they headed towards the wooded area by the wayside. Not long after, he heard the coital sounds of soft moans and grunts from where the pair wasst seen. They were clearly a young couple who had sneaked out in the middle of the night seeking temporary refuge to share a blissful moment.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t walk in their direction to watch them on purpose, but as his eyes had already grown ustomed to the darkness. There he saw two white bodies in an intimate embrace. They were bare of any items of clothing, and not fearing the night chill.


    Xiao Luo felt ufortable; he was no voyeur, unintentional or not, and turned around immediately. Before he left, he stealthily picked up the clothes the man had left close by and put it on himself. Along the way down, he tossed his grey coat in a nearby trash can.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Captain Gu, we have located Xiao Luo. He¡¯s in the public hospital in the Guangming area.¡± The voice of a subordinate announced on them speaker.


    In the hospital?


    Gu Qinglin immediately responded, ¡°keep an eye on him, don¡¯t let him run, or you won¡¯t need toe to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The JC on the other end of the line realized the urgency of the matter and replied with clear affirmation.


    ¡°Startup the engine, we¡¯re going to the public hospital!¡± Gu Qinglin told the JC on the driver¡¯s seat.


    The driver immediately tossed his half-eaten cup noodles into the trashcan outside the car, started up the engine, and sped towards the public hospital.


    ¡°Captain Gu, this isn¡¯t right. Why is Xiao Luo in the hospital, does he n on turning himself in?¡±


    Wang Hanxuan scratched his head and couldn¡¯t think of a logical reason behind this. The police were actively searching the residences, and keeping a close eye on the hospital as well.


    ¡°Who knows what a cold-blooded killer like him is thinking? Either way, we need to capture him this time.¡± Gu Qinglin said, clenching her jaws.


    Wang Hanxuan nodded in agreement. Recalling the horrific scene of He Ruanliang¡¯s murder at the underground parking in Lishui Binjiang, he shivered. If the criminal really was Xiao Luo, they would be walking into a perilous situation. He was a ferocious beast and not to be trifled with.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Back at the hospital, Sun Yu was still in the emergency room.


    Outside, a group of about seven to eight JCs held up their J guns and kept them pointed at the approaching figure. It was a tense moment, everyone remained on their toes.


    Xiao Luo held a paper cup in his hands and looked at them casually with no sign of panic on his face.


    As Xiao Ruyi, Tang Ren, and Hu Shuirong looked on, they froze in panic, hold their breaths in anticipation of what would ur.


    What happened?


    Why are these JCs pointing their guns at Xiao Luo?


    And why do these JCs look so nervous?


    A host of questions ran through their mind right there and then. They saw this man before them, standing upright, showing no fear, and standing there perfectly calm. While at the other end, a squad of armed JC, on full alert with their guards up, pointing their guns at him! He was like a mystery of secrets waiting to unfold.


    Xiao Luo shook his head,ughing softly to himself. He started to walk towards their direction.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    The leader of the JC squad shouted aloud at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo shook the paper cup in his hands and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going to get a cup of water. It¡¯s in the corner, I won¡¯t leave your sights.¡±


    As he spoke, he continued towards the water dispenser in the corner of the room, not waiting for a response from the JCs.


    The guns followed him as he moved past them. Some of the JCs had visible crops of sweat forming on their foreheads. From the information they received, Xiao Luo was a ¡°Grade A: Dangerous person.¡± To get a perspective of the situation, a bank robber would bebeled as Grade B. Therefore, the JC officers couldn¡¯t imagine just how dangerous this person before them was.


    Xiao Luo ced his paper cup under the hot water dispenser spout and turned it on. As the cup filled, the sound of dripping water broke the monotony of the tense, quiet moment. He filled the cup half full and then brought it to his mouth; it felt a little too hot, so he added some cold water. When it was just right, he began to take sips out of the cup casually.


    The JCs kept their eyes on him the whole time, looking on nervously.


    The squad leader felt a deep sense of fear at the sight of this man, casually sipping his cup of water, even when there were guns pointed directly at him. He thought of what kind of person would have the mental strength to remain so calm. He could feel an aura of invincibility around the man.

 Chapter 170 - Losing Sanity

    Chapter 170: Losing Sanity


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioGu Qinglin arrived at the scene just as Xiao Luo finished the water in his cup.


    She had a fresh and neat look, and her slender body gave away hints of an active lifestyle. She kept her hair short and sassy, framing a pair of the loveliest light brown eyes. Gu Qinglin had a certain allure that drew eyes everywhere she went.


    ¡°Officer Gu, what¡¯s with all the shy act you guys are putting on?¡± Xiao Luo spoke calmly to Gu Qinglin, turned around as he ced the empty paper cup inside the trash can next to him.


    Gu Qinglin sneered in reply: ¡°Xiao Luo, you don¡¯t need to pretend anymore. The person that killed He Ruanliang an hour ago in the underground garage of Lishui Binjiang was you! Admit it!¡±


    What?


    He Ruanliang was killed?


    Listening in, the trio of Xiao Ruyi, Tang Ren, and Hu Shuirong, were shocked. They just stared wide-eyed at Xiao Luo, unwilling to believe that he had killed He Ruanliang.


    Especially Xiao Ruyi. In her eyes, her brother was also an honest man that cared very much for his family, how could he possibly be the culprit? Her worst nightmare seemed to havee true and felt as if the whole world around her falling apart.


    Xiao Luo lifted a faint smile and said: ¡°Officer Gu, as a JC, you should be careful of what you say or be held responsible for your own words. If you don¡¯t have evidence to prove that I am a murderer, I can sue you for defamation.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    Gu Qinglin was furious, ¡°You want evidence? Fine, can you take off your shirt and show us your back?¡±


    The bullet wound on his back would be indisputable evidence. As long as she could confirm that he carried this wound, then Xiao Luo would indeed be the culprit that killed He Ruanliang. Is he trying to wiggle his way out with such threats? That won¡¯t work. She rated the arrest of Xiao Luo for his crimes as a more significant aplishment,pared to losing her chance topletely destroy the entire drug market of Jiangcheng.


    Xiao Luo kept silent. His face was hard and impassioned, he stared at her without a word.


    The cold silence created a rising tension that was felt by every single JC present.


    The tense atmosphere vanished as soon as Xiao Luo smiled.


    ¡°Of course, I can.¡±


    Xiao Luo responded to Gu Qinglin¡¯s request, in a seemingly lightheartedly way, carefully unbuttoned his shirt, and turning to expose his back towards Gu Qinglin¡¯s team. He dropped his shirt down toward his waist and revealed his bareback before the entire group of JCs.


    They were stunned. No sign of any wounds showed on Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    ¡°There¡¯s no injury¡­how, how is that possible!?¡±


    The person that spoke up was Gu Qinglin¡¯s assistant, Wang Hanxuan. He said in disbelief, ¡°We certainly shot him, he can¡¯t possibly be unhurt¡­¡±


    Gu Qinglin was taken aback. She was confident he was the man, and her confused look said it all. She even blinked a few times to make sure she wasn¡¯t dreaming, but there was still no wound to be found. She was absolutely dumbfounded.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I clearly¡­did I run into a ghost?¡±


    She muttered under her breath as she walked towards Xiao Luo and unconsciously reached out to touch his back, then carefully studied the front of his body as well. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of scarring or any marks on him, let alone a bullet wound. She couldn¡¯t help noticing how clean and taut his skin appeared.


    Xiao Luo put his clothes back on and buttoned up his shirt: ¡°Well, I¡¯m sad to inform you that the person you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t me.¡± He readjusted his cor after he had buttoned up his shirt and said in an exaggerated whisper, ¡°This is a hospital, we need to remain quiet. You should probably take your subordinates out of here soon.¡±


    He walked around Gu Qinglin towards Xiao Ruyi as he spoke.


    Gu Qinglin refused to believe it, how was it not Xiao Luo?


    She lost it. Her instinct as a JC told her that there was no doubt, the cold-blooded killer was Xiao Luo. However, if it really was Xiao Luo, how was it possible that he didn¡¯t carry the bullet wound on him?


    There was no logical exnation!


    ¡°Captain Gu, it looks like we made a mistake, the killer isn¡¯t him.¡±


    Wang Hanxuan walked up to her and spoke to her quietly. He was, in a way, slightly relieved that he didn¡¯t see the wound on Xiao Luo¡¯s back. This meant they could clear Xiao Luo off the suspect list for the murder of He Ruanliang.


    It¡¯s not him? How could it possibly not be him?!


    Gu Qinglin could almost feel herself go insane. She had been working in the force for eight years now, and never had she been in a situation where her deductions and theories were so wrong. This had not only hurt her pride and confidence after such a long history of sessfully solving cases, it even made her question her ability to carry on conducting future investigations.


    He Ruanliang, the only person that could give them enough evidence to bring down the entire Jiangcheng¡¯s drug market, is dead. To add salt to injury, their investigation into the murderer had now faltered. Xiao Luo¡¯s rxed silhouette walking away from her now was like a p to her face. Gu Qinglin could feel her blood boiling as anger overcame her good sense. She clenched her fist tightly, and within a matter of seconds, the demure figure had reached Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!!!¡±


    Gu Qinglin screamed as she flew towards him without warning. She was onto him within seconds and threw her fist in a wide arch attacking his nk.


    Xiao Luo reacted instinctively, without even looking. Sensing the oing attack, he instantly leaped away as he elegantly swiveled around, keeping his opponent in his sight. In one seamless motion, he had swept his right foot across the air inplete bnce and control, intending to parry the blow.


    Bang!


    The insole of his foot met with the deadly iing fist, and like ¡°two roaring floods of water suddenly crashing,¡± the fierce sh of threw both the fighters back.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg felt slightly numbed as he fell to the ground after losing his bnce.


    Gu Qinglin staggered a few steps back but stopped herself by stomping her right foot on the ground. Maintaining herposure, she settled into a low stance. She looked every bit like a ferocious predator protecting her young. Turning to a row of heavy-duty stic seats attached to the wall, she stepped forcefully down on a single chair. The retaining bolt flew off, and the chair broke free from the metal brace that held it in ce.


    sh¡ª


    Gu Qinglin lifted the broken chair in the air with a flick of her right foot, then hollering out loud, kicked her right leg out once again with the force of her whole body behind her.


    She sent the chair hurtling towards Xiao Luo with incredible force. As the chair spun forcefully in its trajectory, it created a whooshing sound as it homed in towards its target.


    A disy of speed, power, and unbridled force. Such was the oue of Gu Qinglin¡¯s explosive anger. Wang Hanxuan and the JCs watched in fascination and disbelief that a woman of her stature could generate such formidable force.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression hardened as he tracked the iing flying object, then he released a high roundhouse kick¡­


    Fancy, sharp, and without hesitation!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction was timed to perfection, sending the chair crashing into the wall of the hallway.


    Following up quickly, Gu Qinglin rushed in just behind the flying projectile. Leaping forward directly towards Xiao Luo, she fully extended her right knee outward to strike his upper section.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo had enough. A fierce aura formed around him as his anger rose. He shifted forward towards her left nk, breaking her momentum even as he struck out with his left arm. His striking hand, like cold steel, aimed at Gu Qinglin¡¯s neck.


    Vicious and merciless, unparalleled, and powerful!

 Chapter 171 - A Will to Die

    Chapter 171: A Will to Die


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioSlightly stunned, Gu Qianlin instinctively crossed her arms to block the iing strike.


    ¡°Bam!¡±


    Yet another dull thud resounded in the hallway as the impact exploded through her defense, in an instant sending powerful shock waves right through her body.


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s body flew backward uncontrobly, and a tingling sensation of numbness shot through both arms. Wang Hanxuan and several other police members reacted quickly enough to catch her, preventing the embarrassment of falling to the ground. She was both angry and surprised¡ª she had not expected Xiao Luo to be this strong. Even with a sneak attack, and imparting all her strength, she was unable toe out with yet a slight advantage. Whether it was his reaction speed, fighting instinct, or power, Xiao Luo¡¯s ability exceeded any of the special forces soldiers that she had known.


    He was a monster in human form!


    ¡°This brat assaulted a police officer! Hurry up and cuff him!¡± Wang Xanxuan barked out the orders, seeing that Gu Qianlin seemed to be bruised quite severely.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    A team of tough-looking police officers pulled out their handcuffs and closed in on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Just a minute!¡± Xiao Luo called out coldly, then pointed at a security camera fixed on the ceiling of the hallway, ¡°it¡¯s been recorded here who clearly attacked first. So unless you want to say that our police officers somehow have special privileges to assault citizens, I¡¯d say that would be a bad idea.¡±


    Hearing this, the police members all froze in their tracks, looking at each other in uncertainty, before turning to Gu Qianlin. They were waiting for her orders.


    Gu Qianlin waved a hand and motioned for them to back off. Then, she walked to stand in front of Xiao Luo, her beautiful eyes ring at him with steely determination, ¡°Let me ask you, where were you an hour ago?¡±


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°Taking a walk at the hospital.¡±


    Gu Qianlin pressed on, ¡°Why did you turn off your phone to take a walk?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to be alone and did not want to be disturbed,¡± Xiao Luo replied casually, ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    The corners of Gu Qianlin¡¯s mouth shivered slightly, then issued a cold warning, ¡°That¡¯s all the questions I have, but here¡¯s a phrase for you to keep in mind: ¡®The webs of thew might seem thin, but it never leaves anything out!¡¯ Anyone who breaks thew will receive their due punishment without exceptions!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Xiao Luo said, nodding his head slightly.


    Xiao Luo fixed her eyes on him for a long while before calling out fiercely, ¡°Dismissed!¡±


    Although in her heart, she was sure that Xiao Luo was the one who killed He Ruanliang, and on top of that was a suspect in the ¡®Nine-twelve incident, she didn¡¯t have sufficient evidence. Even if she arrested him, he couldn¡¯t be tried, so it would just be a waste of time and effort.


    Gu Qianlin only turned to leave after the rest of her subordinates had gone out, but after taking only a few steps, she stopped. Turning back around, she said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you, you look absolutely terrible in those clothes!¡±


    Saying that she left without a second nce.


    Xiao Luo let out a small humph and ignored thement.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi ran up and hugged Xiao Luo tightly.


    Tang Ren, on the other hand, stood haplessly without moving, still reeling from the shock from all that had just taken ce. The police were pointing their guns, not at anyone else, but at his wife¡¯s brother! He really didn¡¯t know what to make of any of this.


    ¡°Brother, why were the police looking for you? Did you really kill He Ruanliang?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked worriedly.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and patted her head and said convincingly, ¡°No, they¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡±


    He had no choice but to lie to put his sister at ease.


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao Ruyi was still a little skeptical.


    Xiao Luo gave her a gentle smile, ¡°When have I ever lied to you? I really just took a walk at the hospital and got some fresh air.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Team Leader Gu, if the perpetrator isn¡¯t Xiao Luo, then whom could it be? What if it was He Ruanliang¡¯s associates looking to silence him?¡± Outside the hospital, Wang Hanxuan was giving voice to his own spections.


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed together as she gave him an unpleasant re, ¡°Associates looking to silence him? My intuition tells me that the perpetrator has to be Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo?


    Wang Hanxuan frowned, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have any wounds on his body, doesn¡¯t that clear him of any suspicion?¡±


    Even a bulletproof vest couldn¡¯tpletely block out gunshots. After being shot, there had to be a bruise or wound somewhere on Xiao Luo¡¯s body. This wasmon knowledge.


    This was also precisely what Gu Qianlin couldn¡¯t figure out. She had definitely hit him, so why wasn¡¯t there a wound?


    There was nothing to prove that Xiao Luo was the perpetrator, and on the face of the current evidence had cleared him of any suspicion. But her intuition and judgment as a police officer told her that the perpetrator had to be Xiao Luo.


    The contradiction that the two presented was making her head spin.


    Suddenly, she grabbed hold of Wang Hanxuan¡¯s cor and demanded, ¡°Do you think there¡¯s any kind of medicine in this world that could instantly close a wound?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wang Hanxuan¡¯s mouth gaped open in shock. This question seemed a little childish, how could there be such miracle medicine in the world?


    ¡°What, your foot! Just answer the question!¡± Gu Qianlin barked.


    Wang Hanxuan quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s a prescription of Yunnan Baiyao that could quickly stop bleeding to a wound, but the prescription¡¯s form has been lost for a while now. The Yunnan Baiyao one can find in the market wouldn¡¯t have that effect.¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Then could it be that Xiao Luo just happened to have that prescription?¡±


    ¡°Gulp¡­¡± Wang Hanxuan swallowed hard, wondering if maybe his boss had been possessed by the devil. It seemed that she would not stop until the crime could be connected to Xiao Luo. He shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. And even with the prescription, there¡¯s no way the wound could close in such a short time, not to mention without a single scar.¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Qianlin let him go reluctantly. She took onest look at the hospital behind them, then walked away.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After two full days since the rescue, Sun Yu¡¯s condition had stabilized. The doctors had sessfully pulled her back from the brink of death.


    Sun Yu¡¯s parents had also rushed from their hometown on the day of the ident. Upon seeing her daughter lying with an oxygen mask on the hospital bed, her face pale as a sheet, Mrs. Sun fainted right then and there. When Sun Jiannan arrived, his eyes also turned red, and he could not stop wiping tears from his face.


    After a week, Sun Yu¡¯s condition had stabilized entirely¡­


    However, the doctors had some bad news. Speaking in a concerned tone, he said, ¡°The patient is already out of danger, and her body¡¯s condition has also stabilized. However, her intention to die is too strong. She doesn¡¯t want to wake up. We¡¯ve done everything that we could do, but if the patient insists on dying, there¡¯s nothing we can do to help with that.¡±


    ¡°Why is it like this, what exactly did Yuyu experience?¡± In anguish, Mrs. Sun rushed into the sickroom, tears pouring out, almost on the edge of swooning.


    Mr. Sun also wiped tears from his eyes and walked shakily into the room with grief.


    ¡°Yuyu can¡¯t ept herself the way she is right now, and she also can¡¯t face Xiao Luo. She really just wants to die,¡± Hu Shuirong was sobbing incessantly. As a victim herself, she understood very clearly what was going on in Sun Yu¡¯s head.


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s eyes reddened and pressed herself into Tang Ren¡¯s arms, sobbing softly.


    Tang Ren didn¡¯t know what to say tofort her, and just gently patted her back.

 Chapter 172 - Forgetting Pain

    Chapter 172: Forgetting Pain


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIn the sickroom, Sun Yuid recuperating on the hospital bed, had her eyes shut. Her face was chalky and pale, and even then, she appeared like a tranquil sleeping beauty. The oxygen mask she had on did not, in any way, hide her exquisite beauty.


    Xiao Luo was sitting by the side of her bed, flipping through the pages of a pink covered notebook, a page at a time.


    This was Sun Yu¡¯s secret diary that Mr. Sun and Mrs. Sun had found at her house.


    ¡°I am finally heading off to the big city. I¡¯m both so excited and exhrated. Movie theaters, big shopping malls, beautiful parks¡­here Ie!¡±


    ¡°I came to Jiangcheng filled with bright hopes for the future, but I didn¡¯t expect that this ce would be so cold and vile. In the past half-year, not a single good thing has happened to me. It is like I have been falling into a bottomless pit. I¡¯m struggling, and I¡¯m fighting back¡­ but more and more I feel that I will never be able to get past this.¡±


    ¡°Filth is gradually filling up my body and corroding my soul. It is like there are thousands and thousands of ants crawling across my body, tearing and biting at my skin, and causing me so much pain that I want to die. I want to be rid of the devil¡¯s control, and yet every time I yield to this torment, I sink deeper¡­ this is worse than death.¡±


    ¡­


    It was arge stack of paper, filled with the words of struggle, rebellion, and of drowning. Until, a page that is reached where the ink seemed a little fresher.


    ¡°I am very happy today. I¡¯ve met a really cute guy, his name is Xiao Luo. He is Sister Ruyi¡¯s brother, and also my Big benefactor. He is clean, handsome, mysterious, like a bright ray of sunlight that¡¯s now shining through my dark life.¡±


    ¡°I feel that I¡¯m falling in love with him¡­¡±


    ¡°For him, I have to escape from the devil¡¯s control. I can do it, Big benefactor, you have to wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Big benefactor finally confessed to me, but why did he have to be the owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop? He is so outstanding, and I am, on the other hand, so tarnished¡­Big benefactor, forgive me for rejecting you, but I don¡¯t deserve you!¡±


    ¡°The feeling of being bitten by bugs is swelling back up. What should I do? Big benefactor, what should I do?¡±


    The journal came to an abrupt stop here, leaving Xiao Luo in an unusually dour mood.


    He turned his head and looked at the ailing girl who was silently lying on the hospital bed. It was now clear to him that he was the main reason why Sun Yu had jumped off the building. If it was not for his rash confession and her knowledge of his true identity, even though she had not been able to escape from He Ruanliang¡¯s grasp, she would not havee to the ultimate decision of suicide.


    Looking at her now, she seemed like a flower that was withering away, and Xiao Luo could not help the feeling of guilt.


    ¡°I never thought that my presence would have brought you so much pain. I just knew that, whenever I was together with you, I felt no pressure. In my eyes, you will always be a beautiful, kind, and tender girl. The dance that you performed at the Mid-Autumn party. It was lively, charming, and elegant, and you were like an angel that had descended to earth. At that very moment, my heart was captured, and it belonged to you. I wanted the whole world to know that you were my woman.¡±


    Xiao Luo, who was generally with a man of few words, suddenly flowed with expressions in that instant, as he sat alone with Sun Yu. They were all words from his heart.


    But there was no response from Sun Yu, not even with the slightest twitch of her fingertips. She had sunk into a state of suspended animation. While her bodily functions were all working well, her consciousness continued to die. This was a natural instinct of self-preservation in human beings. When faced with unbearable realities, choosing to fall unconscious, to lie in aa forever.


    ¡°Everything happened because of me, so I should also be the one to finish everything!¡±


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes then came to a painful decision. The only way to save Sun Yu now was to have her forget about what happened in Jiangcheng. Everything, including himself.


    ¡°DING! Congrattions. You have redeemed the hypnotic master talent for 8000 points!¡± In his head, the system notification announced.


    Xiao Luo gently pressed on Sun Yu¡¯s forehead with his index finger between her eyebrows and closed his eyes. Clearing his mind, he began feeling out for Sun Yu¡¯s subconscious world, the Id.


    ¡°Forget this pain. Return to the bright hopes for the future that you had, movie theatres, big shopping malls, parks¡­they are still things you can look forward to.


    Everything that you have experienced was but a dream, and by the time the sun rises tomorrow, you will wake up from this dream. You will forget everything that happened in this dream. Those people and those events will slowly be blurry and nk, and your life will once again be filled with meaning!¡±


    Xiao Luo used a deep, soulful voice to prate through Sun Yu¡¯s subconsciousness, causing significant parts of the memory in her subconsciousness to reform. This continued for a time, allowing her mind to slowly heal, removing those painful experiences of her past struggles.


    It was a long process!


    It was not until midnight that the hypnosis finallypleted. Due to the long period of concentration, Xiao Luo was exhausted, feeling as if he had just recovered from an illness. He stood up, picked up Sun Yu¡¯s diary, and walked with slow, heavy steps to exit the sickroom. It was like he had lost a part of his soul.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°President Xiao!¡±¡±Brother!¡±


    In the corridor outside, Sun Jiannan, Xiao Ruyi, and Tang Ren hurried forward to support him.


    Xiao Luo waved a hand gesturing for them to not worry about him, then turned towards Mr. Sun and Mrs. Sun, ¡°When she wakes up tomorrow, transfer her to another hospital. Leave Jiangcheng, don¡¯t let here back here ever, and don¡¯t ever mention anything about Jiangcheng.¡±


    After saying that, he turned and left without a second nce.


    Zhang Dashan and Feng Wuheng were already waiting outside the hospital.


    Xiao Luo got into the car without saying a word.


    Adjusting his seat to lean farthest back, heid down and closed his eyes. He was slowly recovering his strength, but at the same time, suffering through heartwrenching grief.


    Although hypnosis would allow Sun Yu to forget about everything that happened in Jiangcheng, she could also never meet anyone she had seen in Jiangcheng again, especially him. Otherwise, the hypnosis would quickly lose its effect, and Sun Yu would once again remember everything.


    Which meant that they could never meet ever again. This goodbye was an eternal one.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, are you alright?¡± Asked Zhang Dashan worriedly from the driver¡¯s seat.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Drive.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere.¡±


    Zhang Dashan let out a long sigh. It was the first time that he had seen Xiao Luo in such a depressed mood. He knew that it had something to do with Sun Yu, but there was nothing he could do. After hearing about what happened to Sun Yu, he could only offer his support and sympathies.


    ¡°Brother, you have to get yourself together,¡± Feng Wuheng advised from the backseat, frowning.


    ¡°Yeah, the Dragon Gang is running rampant right now. They keeping to destroy our Luo¡¯s Workshop storefront; you can¡¯t fall right now.¡±


    Xiaowu¡¯s words were like an elixir shot right into Xiao Luo¡¯s veins, making him sit up with a jolt.


    ¡°What are our losses right now?¡±


    ¡°Around 50 million.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know what state Xiao Luo was in and what he was thinking, Zhang Dashan still reported the total losses truthfully.

 Chapter 173 - Using Balls as a Threat

    Chapter 173: Using Balls as a Threat


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Madam Gu, Xiao Luo went to Long Sankui¡¯s Yellow Skies Casino.¡±


    As Zhang Dashan¡¯s white Coro stopped at the Yellow Skies Casino¡¯s entrance, a ck car behind them stopped not far away. The two in-clothes police officers in the vehicle immediately reported the situation to Gu Qianlin.


    To gather evidence of Xiao Luo¡¯s transgressions against thew, Gu Qianlin had ced him under strict surveince, or as her subordinates put it, ¡°the dumbest and most straightforward method.¡± This meant monitoring around the clock; whenever Xiao Luo went or took action, a message would be passed to her immediately.


    Holding the handphone at the other end of the line, Gu Qianlin took a moment to ponder, before giving the order. ¡°Continue monitoring him, report to me at once if he does anything unusual!¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam!¡± came the reply.


    The officer nodded forcefully and hung up the call.


    However, the looks on both of their faces changed instantly as they saw that Xiao Luo and several men headed right their way after they alighted from their car.


    Had they been found out?


    The two exchanged nces and couldn¡¯t help noticing the shock in each other¡¯s eyes. As experienced in-clothes cops, tracking and monitoring suspects were necessary surveince skills they had been practicing for a long time. They¡¯ve never been detected by their targets so far. It was a first for them and was totally beyond their expectations. They could almost feel their hearts leaping out of their throats.


    Knock. Knock. Knock.


    The knock on the car window resounded inside the vehicle. Both the cops turned to look, trying hard to appear disinterested only to see Xiao Luo¡¯s handsome, chiseled face staring indifferently at them. They did their best to appear nonchnt as he approached, as if unconcerned with the goings-on.


    The in-clothes cop sitting on the driver¡¯s seat warily rolled down the window and asked casually, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Xiao Luo said impassively, ¡°You have been following us all the way from the hospital. Gu Qianlin sent you all, didn¡¯t she?¡± He pointed at the handphone in the hand of the in-clothes cop sitting in the passenger seat. ¡°Call her, I¡¯ll have a word or two with her.¡±


    His words seemed to carry a finality in its tone as if something very terrible would happen if they refused. The two cops sat up straight, not even daring to breathe loudly. The in-clothes police sitting in the passenger seat quickly dialed Gu Qianlin¡¯s number and passed the mobile phone over to Xiao Luo¡¯s waiting hand.


    ¡°Any new development? What¡¯s going on?¡± At the other end of the line, Gu Qianlin¡¯s spoke urgently.


    Qiao Luo replied, ¡°Officer Gu, this is Xiao Luo.¡±


    His voice stunned Gu Qianlin.


    Recovering immediately, Gu Qianlin asked loudly, ¡°What have you done to them?¡±


    ¡°They are perfectly fine, I just want to tell you that their surveince skills are about as bad as it gets,¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    His words made the two in-clothes cops lower their heads sheepishly, feeling immensely embarrassed. They had nothing to say, for the undeniable truth that they had been discovered.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin gritted her teeth in anger.


    Xiao Luo snickered. ¡°Officer Gu, you really are neglecting your duties. For the past days, the shops belonging to my Luo Company have been smashed up by scoundrels one after another.¡± He added contemptuously, ¡°I don¡¯t see you arresting them andpensating my losses. Instead, you are fixated on me, what happened to the justice you told me about a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t you dare stickbels on me as you please. There are clear divisions of responsibilities. There are other police departments in charge of the case involving yourpany¡¯s shops being smashed up, I am only responsible for my own,¡± said Gu Qianlin.


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly, saying. ¡°Your duty is to monitor my actions? Madam Gu, you really must have a lot of time on your hands.¡±


    ¡°Stop waffling. We both know why I am monitoring your actions, you don¡¯t need me to exin that to you,¡± Gu Qianlin replied, irked.


    ¡°It seems that there is no way to eliminate your suspicions of me,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow andughed lightly. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t youe over now. I¡¯m preparing to make a scene at the Yellow Skies Casino. And without you, a police officer, to monitor my actions on site, I am worried that I might identally do something illegal.¡±


    Without waiting for Gu Qianlin to reply, he hung up and threw the mobile phone back at the in-clothes cop sitting in the passenger seat.


    ¡°Old Xiao, what are you trying to do, asking the police toe and watch while you create trouble, did your brain just short-circuit?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was both exasperated and puzzled over Xiao Luo¡¯s actions. He thought to himself, ¡°other people would get it over and done with when they smashed other shops. And they would be far gone by the time the police arrived, but no, instead you told the cops in advance. What the heck can we still do?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Do you know why I let you represent Luo Company in court?¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t answer, and he didn¡¯t get why Xiao Luo suddenly changed the topic to the public trial, which he was very proud of.


    He nodded knowingly, humility not being his strong suit. ¡°I know, I know, it is because I am someone you trust most.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, there is one more thing of the utmost importance.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him and said thoughtfully, ¡°It is to build your reputation so that others would have faith in you when you take over Luo Company in the future.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo to make such ns for him.


    ¡°We have taken down Fang Changlei, and now we face Long Sankui. To deal with Long Sankui, we would need to use extreme measures for the most time. You will represent Luo Company¡¯s image in the future, and you mustn¡¯t be tainted by anything negative now. That is why I will be the one to carry out all these extreme measures,¡± exined Xiao Luo.


    ¡°F*ck, what do you mean, you are casting me aside?¡± Zhang Dashan caught on to the hidden meaning in Xiao Luo¡¯s words.


    Xiao Luo patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not casting you aside, it is called task division. Just like how Long Sankui has retreated to the backline and never takes charge of anything other than specifying the representatives for each of the assets under him. I am doing the same here and assigning you to be the representative of Luo Company. You will be in charge of thepany¡¯s affairs, and I will be in charge of the rest, understand?¡±


    ¡°Understand my balls, what the heck¡­¡± Ummph!


    Zhang Dashan was getting emotional as he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Xiao Luo was making arrangements for what would happen after his death. Before he could even finish his sentence, Xiao Luo kicked him in the crotch, making him double up from the agonizing pain. Zhang Dashan clutched at his groin, squeezing his thighs together, with a sorry expression on his face. He swore he heard a testicle pop!


    He shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°F*ck you and your ancestors, why did you kick me in the b*lls?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself that you wanted to understand your b*lls, how is it my fault.¡±


    Xiao Luo said in a deadpan as he cocked an eyebrow, as if what he had told justified his action. Then looking at Feng Wuhen, he said, ¡°Wuhen, from now on, you and Little Five are to monitor Ruyi and Tang Ren round the clock, do not let them out of sight. Bring the boys with you. If there is anything unusual, report to me immediately.¡±


    He had learned this trick from Gu Qianlin very quickly. Since they were going to battle with Long Sankui, naturally, they must get rid of all the trouble back at home.


    ¡°Rest assured, Brother Xiao, leave it to us. ¡°Feng Wuhen promised, patting a hand on his chest.


    After giving the orders to Feng Wuhen, Xiao Luo returned his gaze to Zhang Dashan. ¡°Are you feeling better? Don¡¯t y dead on me, I didn¡¯t use much force.¡±


    ¡°Your ass. Why don¡¯t you let me kick you and see? F*cker, I¡¯m dying from the pain here.¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s face was a dark red, and he felt as if his nuts had been crushed.


    A ck SUV drove towards them at high speed, then skidded a short distance in full control as its driver mmed on the brakes, stopping dead close to them. The door opened, and Gu Qianlin, dressed smartly, got out of the car.


    ¡°She¡¯s here, you all should leave first,¡± Xiao Luo said to Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°You really want to cast me aside?¡± Zhang Dashan said, on hearing his words.


    However, Zhang Dashan¡¯s expression did change, and at the same time, quickly turned sideways, just in case Xiao Luo sneaked another attack on him once more.


    ¡°F*ck, I have to give it to you, Old Xiao.¡± Dashan, always one to have thest word, said before leaving. Then turning to the Feng Wuhen, he added, ¡°Brother Feng, let¡¯s go, leave this b*stard to act all lovey-dovey with the policewoman. If his love affair ends upnding him in jail, I will immediately strike gongs, beat drums, and celebrate the incident by setting off firecrackers, f*ck!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was really dispirited. He really wanted to fight alongside Xiao Luo. Even knowing what they were doing was illegal, they could just break thew and ride out to the sunset ¨C he was that kind of a man. But Xiao Luo directly threatened him by kicking him in the b*lls, and Zhang Dashan had no way of dealing with that.


    F*ck, it was too painful!

 Chapter 174 - Seeking Trouble

    Chapter 174: Seeking Trouble


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioDressed in a white T-shirt and cropped skinny jeans, with a pair of white sports shoes to match, and an orangish-red cardigan draped over her, Gu Qianlin looked nothing like the fearsome, angry police inspector in her stiff uniform. Instead, she was trendy and had the fresh, raw beauty of a feminine young woman.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what the heck are you trying to do?¡± Gu Qianlin asked assertively as she headed towards Xiao Luo in quick, urgent strides


    Giving her nonchnt shrug, Xiao Luo said, ¡°I¡¯m worried that I might get beaten up after winning too much money, so I asked you toe over and protect me.¡±


    ¡°Ask me to protect you?¡± she repeated his words.


    What a joke! Gu Qianlin couldn¡¯t help a sneer, ¡°Pah! You still need someone to protect you?¡±


    Xiao Luo replied, looking very serious, like he meant it, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Having said so, he turned and walked into the Yellow Skies Casino.


    Gu Qianlin stood contemting, she had a bad feeling about this, as if being led into another of Xiao Luo¡¯s schemes. She red at the two inclothes cops in the ck car, cringing as her eyes sending them angry messages, then turned and headed towards the Yellow Skies Casino. What on earth is Xiao Luo up to?


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo exchanged cash for five million dors worth of chips and headed for the dice games area directly.


    ¡°You ask me toe and watch you gamble?¡± Gu Qianlin snorted.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± he replied.


    Xiao Luo eyes her with a raised brow. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I was going to stir up trouble. If you feel bored, you can go, but I might start stirring up trouble immediately after you leave? Don¡¯t regret it if you miss getting the evidence.¡±


    Gu Qianlin hissed through gritted teeth, ¡°Enough of your tricks. Sooner orter, I will personally arrest and handcuff you.¡±


    ¡°Officer Gu, why are you always prejudiced against me?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to answer your question. If you really are aw-abiding citizen, I think we can be friends. But it¡¯s hard to ignore your murderous qualities, and they have given you away. I was in the special forces and had personally subdued many despicable criminals, so I am confident of my intuition and judgment. So, I am sure that I am not misjudging you. You have definitely killed before.¡± Gu Qianlin looked at Xiao Luo with scathing eyes.


    Xiao Luo gave her a cynical smile. ¡°I have indeed killed someone before, have you forgotten that I was the one who identally killed the mercenary you all were after? However, that does not constitute a crime, but on the contrary, I¡¯d thought that the police should¡¯ve awarded me a banner and prize money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pleased with yourself. You will be monitored constantly until you give yourself away someday.¡± Gu Qianlin snickered coldly.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be waiting then.¡±.


    Xiao Luo replied, nodding with a slight smile.


    Before they knew it, the two were already standing in front of a gambling table. As always in casinos, the house was the dealer. Before casting the dice, the dealer would look at the gamblers around the table and wait for them to ce their bets.


    Without a second thought, Xiao Luo bet all five million dors¡¯ worth of his chips on ¡°Big.¡±


    Usual bets are worth a thousand or two, or at most fifty thousand. The fact that someone had suddenly put down such arge sum shocked not just the dealer and the gamblers gathered around them, but also Gu Qianlin. She had personally witnessed Xiao Luo pay for the chips with his card. What he threw down was not just the stic chips they seemed to be, but actually five million dors.


    ¡°You are really betting that?¡± she couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°Surely, there isn¡¯t such a thing as a fake bet?¡± he shot back.


    Gu Qianlin asked again, ¡°You¡¯re throwing down five million dors just like that?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and repeated her words in affirmation, ¡°I¡¯m throwing down five million dors just like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I had forgotten that you are a big shot, and you are rich enough to be extravagant.¡±


    Gu Qianlin retorted coldly in derision. She was determined that Xiao Luo was culpable of the unsolved crimes, and she could only feel enmity towards him. She was obsessed with finding the evidence that would finally expose him for what he was.


    Xiao Luo did not answer her. He turned, his gaze on the dealer who had already shaken the dice, and urged, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you showed us the dice? What are you waiting for.¡±


    The croupier looked horrified, in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, he looked as if he had ¡°eaten a pile of sh*t.¡± On seeing Xiao Luo¡¯s face, he suddenly dared not to reveal the roll of the dice, as a deep sense of apprehension got to him. Xiao Luo¡¯s face was instantly recognizable as it was ingrained in all the croupiers¡¯ minds. He hade here a while back and won two million with just a capital of one hundred thousand dors. Whenever he bet on ¡°Big,¡± that would be the oue, and the same goes for when he bet on ¡°Small.¡± To them, Xiao Luo was a freak. Now that Xiao Luo had ced five million in a single, the croupier was shaking so hard that his legs trembled.


    But, heckled by the gamblers around him, he had to reach out and lifted the top lid of therge bowl slowly. He was clinging on to a thin shred of hope and hoping that Xiao Luo wouldn¡¯t possibly make the correct judgment one hundred percent of the time. However, it was one thing to not believe, but the truth was another matter altogether. After lifting the lid, the three dice showed four-five-six.


    BIG!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s five million had now be ten million in the blink of an eye! The excited crowd began mumbling and gesturing around him, creating a deep, droning sound as more gathered to watch. It fed to the growing awe of the intrepid gambler.


    ¡­


    ¡°Manager Geng, we are in trouble, that fe from thest time is here again.¡±


    Upstairs, in the Yellow Skies Casino, a waiter burst into the manager¡¯s office, causing Geng Qiuxing, busy with ady and fondling her all over, to startle and jump.


    Geng Qiuxing, enraged, picked up the ashtray on the table and threw it hard at the waiter. ¡°F*ck, why didn¡¯t you knock beforeing it!¡±


    The ashtray hit the waiter on the forehead, and he fell onto the floor, seeing stars. It was so throbbing with searing pain, and he almost teared up.


    ¡°Baby, leave us for a moment, I need to deal with some matters first.¡± Geng Qiuxing sniggered lewdly at thedy.


    ¡°Alright, Manager.¡±


    Thedy kissed Geng Qiuxing on the cheeks, then adjusted her wide-open cor, drew up her knickers from around her thighs, straightened her dress, and walked out. When she passed by the waiter, she stomped her feet and snorted angrily to express her annoyance at him. As she did so, the poor waiter couldn¡¯t help thinking about how she gave off incredibly sexy vibes.


    Geng Qiuxing coughed dryly for a couple of times and red darkly at the waiter lying on the floor after the door to the office closed. ¡°Stop ying dead on the floor, get up now!¡±


    The waiter hurriedly got off the floor, picked the ashtray, and put it onto Geng Qiuxing¡¯s table deferentially.


    Geng Qiuxing put a cigar in his mouth, lit it, inhaled deeply, and said, ¡°Go on, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Manager Geng, the fe who had won more than two million in our casino, is here again. At the moment, he had won almost 40 million,¡± said the waiter.


    ¡°What?! 40 million?¡±


    Geng Qiuxing shot up from his chair. The profit of the casino over three months barely hit 40 million.


    How could he possibly remain calm? He quickly strode out of the office to the corridor and looked down from the balustrade. At a nce, he immediately recognized Xiao Luo, who had a crowd gathered around him. Many gamblers and onlookers were loudly cheering him on and calling him the God of Gambling.


    ¡°F*ck, it really is him! I heard Master Long said that the gang had recently smashed up the shops belonging to Luo¡¯s Company. From what I see, he intends to get his own back from our casino.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, manager, this guy is a freak, whatever he bets,es out. If we let him continue betting, our casino would go bankrupt over one night,¡± the waiter said, his face anguished.


    ¡°Follow the old rules, change the dealer, and change the dice, faster, go!¡±


    Geng Qiuxing was anxious and became even more nervous when he saw that the chips in front of Xiao Luo had piled up into a small mountain, and it was at least 50 million as far as he could tell. If they allowed him to continue winning, the casino would face severe cash flow constraints, making it challenging to maintain capital turnover in the short run. Master Long would not show him any pity after knowing about it.

 Chapter 175 - Chaotic Fight

    Chapter 175: Chaotic Fight


    ¡°Three-four-five, BIG!¡±


    When Xiao Luo won again! This time it was a 40 million dor bet on ¡°Big,¡± and he duly received an 80 million dor payout. As the stacks of chips continued to grow into skyscrapers in front of him, the excitement of the crowd had now turned into a carnival-like atmosphere with everyone enthusiastically shouting ¡°God of Gambling.¡± The noise andmotion attracted more and more onlookers, and the table quickly became the center of attention.


    Gu Qianlin was in a state of total shock and awe! Winning four rounds in a row was simply just unbelievable.


    At the moment, the croupier found an excuse to take his leave, and another reced him.


    The corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth curled up in mockery. The old trick, again.


    ¡°Enough, I¡¯ll stop here today.¡±


    Xiao Luo asked a casino employee to cash in the chips and bank in the money to his ount.


    ¡°Wait, since you are so lucky, isn¡¯t it a pity to not continue ying for a couple more games?¡±


    Geng Qiuxing dashed down at almost the speed of a 100-meter sprinter. 80 million dors were at stake. The casino was already making one hell of a loss, if the money was taken away just like that, Master Long would probably cut him up alive. So, it was definitely impossible for him to just stand aside and watch Xiao Luo leave.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I even stop if I don¡¯t feel like ying anymore?¡± Xiao Luoughed coldly.


    ¡°Can, of course, you can. I just feel that you can y a couple more games since you are so lucky. It¡¯s a suggestion, just a suggestion!¡± Geng Qiuxing said with a smile. His face was all smiles, but his eyes were dark and gloomy.


    ¡°Officer Gu, what do you think?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned to look at Gu Qianlin and asked with a smile.


    Officer? Police?


    Geng Qiuxing¡¯s expression changed slightly. With a cop here, it would really be quite hard for him to threaten Xiao Luo. But he couldn¡¯t just let Xiao Luo walk away with 80 million. He was conflicted and at a loss for a while, unable to decide on how to make his move.


    Gu Qianlin was a good reader of vocal and physical expressions. She was immediately aware of the warnings and threats within Geng Qiuxing¡¯s words and gaze. Now, she finally understood why Xiao Luo had asked her toe over, and it was purely to use her for protection. Although she hated the casino¡¯s shady methods, she wasn¡¯t so sure if she now hated Xiao Luo even more for ying her like a fool.


    Clearing her throat, she said, ¡°I think you can y a couple more games.¡±


    Geng Qiuxing¡¯s expression rxed, and heughed sinisterly. ¡°This beautifuldy here is right. Surely it is unreasonable to stop since you are so lucky.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll y a couple more games!¡±


    Xiao Luo shrugged indifferently and sat back down at the table. ¡°I¡¯ll stop when I have 100 million.¡±


    Hearing his words, Geng Qiuxingughed to himself, as he thought, ¡°You would be lucky enough to walk out of the casino with as much money as you came in with, and yet here you are, still wanting to make 100 million, in your f*cking dreams!¡±


    As the new croupier took his position on the table, Geng Qiuxing gave him a meaningful look.


    The croupier nodded in response, then deftly switched the three dice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± He smiled at Xiao Luo, then ced the lid over the bowl and prepared to start shaking.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Xiao Luo directly reached out and grabbed the croupier¡¯s wrist. Before he could react, Xiao Luo had taken off the ring on the other man¡¯s finger. Xiao Luo then opened the dice casting bowl and waved the ring over the three dice. As the ring moved, so did the dice, which would allow the croupier to alter the dice roll at as he wished.


    Xiao Luo gave an innocent, inquiring smile. ¡°Pardon me for asking, is this considered cheating?¡±


    The croupier¡¯s expression changed drastically, as a cold sweat broke out, and he couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo saw through his trick.


    Meanwhile, the gamblers around them, seeing what had happened, reacted immediately. They now understood why they had lost most of the time in this casino. Recalling how much money they had lost in vain, their anger surged all at once.


    ¡°Cheaters, there¡¯re cheaters here!¡±


    ¡°B*stard, you *ssholes, return me my hard-earned money.¡±


    ¡°Everyonee and see this, the casino has cheated, the casino has cheated us of our money.¡±


    The crowd was furious. As more and more gamblers heard themotion, they made their way over. After knowing what happened, they all joined the ranks of protestors against the casino. For a while, the shouts and protests were overwhelming. The offending croupier was beaten up outright by the crowd. A lot of the gamblers who had lost all of their cash and assets began smashing up everything in the casino. It started with only one person and quickly grew into a mob.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin had underestimated Xiao Luo. She knew that Xiao Luo had just intended to stir up some trouble in the casino, but now she realized he actually had a well thought out n from the very start. The Dragon Gang had smashed up shops belonging to Luo¡¯s Company, so he used the fury of the angry gamblers to achieve his goal of smashing up the Yellow Skies Casino. And he got his vengeance without having to actually do it himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting everyone know the truth and help them quit gambling.¡± Xiao Luo said in mock concern.


    Gu Qianlin knew that he could not be reasoned with. Watching hundreds of gamblers madly smashing up the premises and beating up the casino employees, she took out her phone to contact the headquarters to send a team immediately. However, a protester knocked into her in the chaos, causing her handphone to drop, right under the feet of the stampeding gamblers. Broken, it could no longer be used.


    Standing amid the mayhem, Geng Qiuxing was raging in a fury, his face ominous and dark. Xiao Luo had exposed the casino¡¯s hidden scams, and the casino¡¯s reputation would be destroyed, causing its business to plummet. How could he possibly stay calm with his casino being smashed up by angry gamblers?


    ¡°The casino is in trouble, send forty to fifty men over!¡±


    He made the call, and in less than 10 minutes, 5 vans screeched to the front entrance of the casino. A cohort of burly men armed with long knives, axes, and iron rods alighted from the vehicles. In an instant, the doors of the casino burst open, and the armed men charged into the massed crowd of protestors, hacking them down with no mercy.


    ¡°Officer Gu, the viins are here, do hurry and arrest them. Look at them, how ferocious they are, hacking away at people.¡± Xiao Luo said to Gu Qianlin, shing a sardonic smile to her face.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s thoughts were in a whirl. She had long since known that the Dragon Gang members were ruthless, but seeing it with her own eyes, her understanding of ¡°ruthless¡± took on a whole new meaning. Hacking away relentlessly with their weapons, how could these people do it to unarmed folk?


    ¡°Stop hitting me, we dare not continue, we dare not continue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    As the Dragon Gang hacked away, the gamblers in the casino cowered in fear and knelt down to beg for their lives.


    ¡°Everyone, f*cking get out and shut your mouth after getting out. Don¡¯t spread rumors, or I¡¯ll bury you all alive!¡± Geng Qiuxing roared fiercely as he issued his threat.


    The gamblers were grateful to get away with their lives and promptly fled. It didn¡¯t take long before everyone cleared out, leaving only Xiao Luo, Gu Qianlin, and the fierce-looking members of the Dragon Gang in the casino.


    ¡°Little b*stard, don¡¯t you know what ce this is! How dare you misbehave yourself here. I think you don¡¯t know how the devil looks like.¡± Geng Qiuxing¡¯s expression was grotesque, and he bellowed in a cruel voice as if he wanted to swallow Xiao Luo alive.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer him, but said to Gu Qianlin, ¡°Officer Gu, surely you wouldn¡¯t stand aside and watch them hack me to death!¡±


    Gu Qianlin knew that Xiao Luo had tantly manipted her, but at the moment, her sense of duty took precedence, and she suffered her angst in silence. She strode forward and pointed at Geng Qiuxing. ¡°I am a Police Officer Gu, hurry up and ask your men to put down their weapons and plead for leniency, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Else your head! Go and hack this b*tch and that little b*stard into a paste!¡± Geng Qiuxing was raging with fury.¡± I couldn¡¯t care less if she was a cop, they can just f*cking die.¡±


    ¡°You bunch of sh*t!¡±


    As the Dragon Gang members swarmed towards them, Gu Qianlin rushed towards them in measured steps, and with a feint and a p of her hand, she drove off the man at the front of the mob and skillfully snatched away his steel rod¡­

 Chapter 176 - Do you need my help

    Chapter 176: Do you need my help


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioGu Qianlin was a former member of the special force and was highly trained and extremely skillful. As she quickly relieved the mobster of his iron pipe and was now armed for battle. She was fearless and brave as a lioness, but her responsibilities as a police officer discouraged her from being ruthless. Her techniques were wless, and she sought only to knock her opponents back and disarm them, but they took the blows and kepting back at her.


    The Dragon Gang members, however, were no mere street fighters. They were relentless and attacked her incessantly like a pack of jackals. Within a short time, they had gotten through her defenses several times and drew blood. Gu Qianlin has been stabbed and sustainedshes on her back and lower torso. She looked powerless in the face of the concerted attacks, like a cornered tiger fending off a wolf pack.


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s warning to the Dragon Gang to disarm had drawn all their attention and made her the sole target of their attack. No one took notice of Xiao Luo, who was seated at a nearby gaming table, somehow doing an excellent job of keeping him unnoticed. He was enjoying himself to a ss of orange juice he took from a tray left by the fleeing staff workers. He did not show any urgency nor inclination to go to Gu Qianlin¡¯s aid, seeming quite s¨¦ about the goings-on.


    At this point, Gu Qianlin had sustained multiple wounds that were sapping her energy levels, and with it her fighting spirit. The exhaustion and pain were beginning to tell on her, and she couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of regret for being merciful to the gang members at the start. How quickly they overpowered her with their ruthlessness and relentless attacks.


    She was faltering, and her resistance being overwhelmed. Her only option was to retreat to safer ground. Her clothes were now in shreds, and she was soaked in blood.


    BOOM!


    Two senior members of Dragon Gang broke through and struck squarely on her upper body.


    These two were well-trained pugilists and regrly practiced theirbined techniques for close streetbat. The power and force they could unleash with their coordinated attacks were unparalleled. Gu Qianlin stood no chance. Her body was thrown back in the air, crashing heavily on the ground. She was in extreme pain as if her body was broken.


    ¡°Officer Gu, do you need help?¡±


    Xiao Luo put down the empty ss and walked up with a smile.


    Even in her state, Gu Qianlin was terribly infuriated, she only moved her eyes and stared at Xiao Luo clenching her teeth. She was silents, but her eyes burned with extreme hate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to show mercy to these people, the situation you¡¯re in now is the result of mercy. I¡¯m forced to attack now, and you¡¯ll be my best witness. Who else could prove my innocence, right?¡± Xiao Luo smiled innocently.


    To Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes, his smile just seemed inappropriate for a time like this. It looked creepy.


    Xiao Luo turned around and dropped his smiling countenance instantly. He took on a cold and ominous bearing, as he faced the group of armed Dragon Gang members. It sent a shiver down their spines.


    ¡°It¡¯s this son of the bitch, what¡¯re you guys waiting for? Charge, sh him into pieces!¡±


    Geng Qiuxing roared. His casino was as good as gone, and Lord Long would never him go. Having to lose his fingers would be considered a light punishment, and all he could for. But he was afraid that would not be the case, expecting worse punishments and perhaps even slow death through decapitation, multiple stabs, or gunshots. As he thought about that, his hatred towards Xiao Luo grew, and he could not wait to witness Xiao Luo¡¯s death.


    The men from the Dragon Gang pounced on Xiao Luo with murderously and with shing des they charged.


    Xiao Luo did not retreat and instead advanced towards the mob. In a sh, he was in the air, and before anyone could move, a man was sent flying off like a missile from a single kick. The man crashed on the floor just before Geng Qiuxing. He let out a howl before fainting from the blow. The broadsword he wielded had fallen into Xiao Luo¡¯s hands.


    With sword in hand, Xiao Luo gave out a haughty, murderous aura as he stared at across the hall. The Dragon Gang took a step back.


    ¡°Kill him, kill him at once!¡± Geng Qiuxing¡¯s roared loudly with his fists clenching tight.


    Five men with long knives charged in, their des shing towards Xiao Luo in a frenzied manner.


    Without any hesitation, Xiao Luo flicked his wrist and shed horizontally with speed and bnce.


    The sh was swift, sharp, and precise. The five men only sensed a shing arch of light before their eyes, before they realized their right hands had been decapitated cleanly at the wrist. The stumps now left behind had turned a bright red as blood was spurting out before the pain could even reach their brains.


    Chopped off?


    These were their hands, how could it be possible?


    As with all fearsome fighters, the pain would note immediately. The need to survive in a fight kept their minds numb to the pain and alert for new dangers. Then, after a moment, would the realization hit¡­


    Arrgh!


    They broke out in shrill screams of sheer pain, dropped to their knees, and holding onto the bloody stumps in agony.


    Xiao Luo intensified his attack, shing the broadsword in precise attack patterns without respite. He struck hard the nearest man in a single stroke, immediately putting him on the backfoot.


    Taken by surprise at the speed of the attack, he raised his metal pipe to parry the next blow.


    SLASH!


    The metal pipe was sliced into half the broadsword came down hard and swift. As the de cut through it was brought across horizontally and cut through the man¡¯s right wrist. Just like that, another hand was taken.


    Spinning around, his sword in the high ready position, he charged into the mob as his de shed intricate patterns in all directions. Where he passed, hands were taken, and the sword had be a ¡°hand reaper.¡±


    His techniques were wless, and his execution fierce and unrelenting. Stronger than Gu Qinglin and undoubtedly more vicious ¨C there could be no mercy in this fight.


    The mob from the Dragon Gang was beaten. They were retreating in disarray and cowering from his advance. There was no way to retaliate, soplete was his dominance.


    Gu Qianlin swallowed hard as her expression changed from anger to relief and then to terrified. She was first a pawn in Xiao Luo¡¯s scheme when he destroyed the reputation and the very survival of the casino. Then he allowed her to be the bait for the Dragon Gang¡¯s vengeance, where she nearly paid the price. Saving her at the eleventh hour only for her remain incapacitated, leaving her able to observe but not able to act. He finally exacted his revenge on the Dragon Gang by making them pay a bloody price, and he had done that in front of her. He had deliberately made her a witness of his act of self-defense against the Dragon Gang mob.


    Step by careful step, he had cracked down on the casino, countered Long Sankui¡¯s aggressive attacks on Luo¡¯s Workshop assets, and escaped from the jurisdiction of thew.


    Such shrewdness and scheming had her trembling, witnessing Xiao Luo shing the Dragon Gang members like chopping cabbages, convinced her that Xiao Luo was that cold-blooded and cruel killer.


    Ten minutester, there was not a single standing member of the Dragon Gang. They were all moaning on the ground in pain, their right hands were chopped off andy scattered across the halls. It was a shocking scene, and even Gu Qianlin, who was used to seeing bloody scenes, was Mortified.


    The only standing person was Geng Qiuxing, who was now pale with fear and rooted to his spot.


    Xiao Luo walked towards him with the bloodstained sword in hand, he looked just like an evil Asura [1] emerging from hell at this moment.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­I¡¯m the Dragon Gang¡­¡± Geng Qiuxing could not evenplete a sentence.


    ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t do anything to you. If I harmed you, then wouldn¡¯t it be excessive self-defense?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave a soft smile and turned towards Gu Qianlin, ¡°Am I right, Officer Gu?¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s entire body trembled, she was stunned by Xiao Luo¡¯s cruelty.


    ¡°Eighty million. I¡¯ve won eighty million here in total, and your casino cannot repudiate this sum. You have to transfer the money to my ount, understand?¡± Xiao Luo rested the sword on Geng Qiuxin¡¯s shoulder suddenly and said coldly.


    ¡°Understood, understood!¡±


    Geng Qiuxin had lost his arrogance and kept nodding his head, nodding without stopping.

 Chapter 177 - Geng Qiuxings fate

    Chapter 177: Geng Qiuxing¡¯s fate


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioOnce the eighty million was banked into his ount, Xiao Luo threw away the sword and said to Geng Qiuxing, ¡°Tell this to Long Sankui on my behalf. It¡¯s time for a change of the ck representative in Jiangcheng.¡±


    He patted Geng Qiuxing firmly on his shoulder, then turned around and walked towards Gu Qianlin. Geng Qiuxing was fear-stricken and had broken into a cold sweat. He remained standing, without moving an inch, his eyes were filled with despair.


    Gu Qianlin was covered in wounds, as she saw Xiao Luo approaching her, she snapped coldly, ¡°You¡¯re a demon!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just saved you, shouldn¡¯t you thank me?¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    He then squatted down and reached out to give her a hand. ¡°What do you want?¡± Gu Qianlin looking at him cautiously.


    ¡°Bringing you to the hospital. You¡¯re the only eyewitness who could prove that I was forced to retaliate when faced with life-threatening dangers. On top of that, you are with the police force. So I have to ensure that you¡¯re safe and sound, if not I¡¯d be in all sorts of trouble.¡± Xiao Luo said softly.


    He helped her to get up without too much bother.


    ¡°I¡¯ll surely bring you to justice!¡± Gu Qianlin red at Xiao Luo; she was feeling both ashamed and angry.


    ¡°I shall wait for that.¡±


    Xiao Luo still gave her the same response.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Boss, Xiao Luo stirred up some trouble, and a big fight broke out at Long Sankui¡¯s Yellow Skies Casinost night. All fifty-three of the Dragon Gang inner circle disciples had their one hand chopped off. Geng Qiuxing, the person-in-charge of Yellow Skies Casino, had himself escaped with ten million of money in fear of Long Sankui¡¯s condemn.¡±


    At the Chongshan House, Leng Zuo was reporting on thetest situation to Chu Yunxiong, who was seatedfortably with his friend, Ge Zhongtian, and ying a game of Go.


    Ge Zhongtian responded to the report with shock, ¡°Chopping off fifty-three people¡¯s hands, and how would the police be willing to let him go then? What was xiao Luo thinking, he has taken a path of self-destruction!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong ced a stone thoughtfully and spoke softly, with a wizen smile, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Xiao Luo. If he was daring enough to do that, he must have had ample preparation.¡±


    Leng Zuo nodded, ¡°Gu Qianlin, the Criminal Investigation Captain from Jiangcheng Headquarter, was with Xiao Luo. She has given evidence that Xiao Luo¡¯s act was in self-defense. Besides that, the close-circuit television from the casino also recorded that a group of Dragon Gang members was hacking down the gamblers indiscriminately, and they eventually even threatened Gu Qianlin¡¯s life. It was Xiao Luo who came to her rescue at the critical moment. Jiangcheng Headquarter had issued a pennant of honor to Xiao Luo in gratitude of his service to the police force.¡±


    As Leng Zuo finished speaking, he felt ted at the news but, at the same time, felt a deep sense of horror; his expression turned out to an awkward one, seeming tough and cry both at once. He truly admired Xiao Luo from the bottom of his heart. Dragon Gang had a fearsome reputation. They had been smashing up a few outlets of Luo¡¯s Workshop, in retribution for his actions that incurred considerable losses to their organization. But as it turned out, Xiao Luo had just wrecked a profitable casino operation run by Long Sankui, and in the process, even chopped off the hands of fifty-three elite Dragon Gang enforcers. He exacted his revenge by way of blood and iron in protest of Long Sankui¡¯s excesses. He was indeed one fearless hero who was not afraid of anything.


    ¡°Haha¡­Bravo, if Xiao Luo had been born in the thirties a century ago, he¡¯d definitely be an ambitious and famous hero of those troubled times. He has the courage, strategy, and even the ability to carry out his schemes without ws.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong praised Xiao Luo generously, smiling, and then he sighed and continued, ¡°But he¡¯s too visible and exposed, and this could trip him over. There are not many experts around him whom he can count on, and with his current ability, it is difficult to match up to Long Sankui. But he has done exceptionally well to take down Yellow Skies Casino.


    However, I disagree with his approach. Long Sankui is a short-tempered, vicious man, and the Yellow Skies Casino was his jewel in the crown. With his prime asset destroyed and his pride trampled on, his revenge woulde violently and strike across the board like a tsunami. Xiao Luo will not be able to face it at all. Having just recovered, Luo¡¯s Workshop will crumble again under the weight of Long Sankui¡¯s vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Long Sankui is not easy to deal with, and he never acts with his own hands. In Jiangcheng, he¡¯s the living king of the hell, if he wants someone dead by midnight, that person would never live till dawn. As Xiao Long had now annoyed him, he can¡¯t possibly be living much longer.¡± Ge Zhongtian sympathized with Xiao Luo.


    Chu Yunxiong did not say anything but yed another stone slowly with deliberate thought.


    Ge Zhongtian studied the board and said with a surprise, ¡°Triple Ko? It¡¯s a draw then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s count it as a draw.¡±


    Chu Yunxiongughed shrewdly, ¡°I¡¯ll be the peacemaker this time.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Ge Zhongtian lifted his head up and looked into his eyes. Chu Yunxiong¡¯s words may be signaling his intention to support Xiao Luo, may it not? How could it be possible to quell Long Sankui¡¯s anger!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was nightfall, and the outskirts of Jiangcheng was in dead silence.


    Three ck cars drove by and came to a halt in an open area free of vegetation. Their headlights exposed a light mist hanging over the ground and cast long shadows as they hit the nearby brush.


    ¡°Lord Long, I dare not anymore, never ever again, please spare my lowly life!¡±


    A middle-aged man, tied up with thick ropes and was roughly bundled out of the first car by a few big men. His greasy hair was disheveled, and his face bruised from beatings. It was Geng Qiuxing, Yellow Skies Casino¡¯s manager who had absconded. He was no longer in high spirits but now resembled a drowning dog all beaten up and in a sorry plight.


    He was kowtowing repeatedly to the ck limousine, positioned between the other two vehicles. He kept banging his forehead to the ground in deep reverence, even in penance, and each kowtow apanied by a dull thud as it struck the hard ground. His forehead was soiled with dirt and dead grass, and the skin on his forehead was scarred with abrasions, bleeding profusely.


    Standing beside him, tworge, hard-looking men who were digging a hole with shovels. They had no expression on their faces.


    ¡°Geng Qiuxing, Lord Long treated you fairly well and allowed you to manage the Yellow Skies Casino. Instead, you ran away with ten million of his money in the end. Hah, you¡¯ve great courage!¡± A blond-haired individual spoke to Geng Qiuxing, as he stepped out the car. He was appeared to be around thirty years old and was dressed in a white jacket and trousers. He looked cruel, with brows that seemed perpetually raised, and creases on his forehead that added to his vicious countenance.


    ¡°Da Yuan, based on our past friendships, please help me with Lord Long, please help me with Lord Long!¡± Geng Qiuxing begged, his hands sping onto his thigh.


    Da Yuanughed then put on a cold, dark expression. ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    He kicked Geng Qiuxing squarely in the face. A tooth flew out of his mouth as his head spun around from the force of the kick. Blood burst from his bruised mouth and poured profusely down his chin. As hey prone, the dark, viscous fluid dripped steadily to the ground.


    Geng Qiuxing fell to the feet of another man with a hook nose, wearing a ck suit and his hair in a buzz cut.


    ¡°Hei¡­Lang¡­¡±


    Geng Qiuxing looked at him pleadingly and called out his name in a hoarse, croaking voice.


    Hei Lang nced at him nonchntly and hummed lightly, then kicked him to the next man, just like Da Yuan did before.


    The third man wore a pair of gold-rimmed sses and had a hair parted in the middle. His spectacles did not hide the cold and venomous look of his viper eyes, he was a frightening sight.


    He grabbed Geng Qiuxing¡¯s hair tightly and lifted his head up. ¡°I, Leng Bao, hate those who betray Lord Long the most.¡±


    He delivered a powerful kick that sent Geng Qiuxing sprawling to his side.


    Then a man in a neat suit, with his shiny hairbed sleekly back, walked up, and as he adjusted his tie, he spat at Geng Qiuxing, ¡°Trash!¡±


    Grabbing a dagger from an underling, he grabbed Geng Qiuxing¡¯s hair, lifting his face up. And without any mercy, he slowly shoved the de into Geng Qiuxing¡¯s left cheek all the way through until it protruded out from his right cheek. He released the dagger and left it there, making Geng Qiuxing¡¯s face looked just like meat on a skewer.


    Arrgh! Arrgh!


    Geng Qiuxing screamed and shook uncontrobly. He just kept screaming in a weird, throaty howl. There was blood pouring out from his mouth, it was all over his face, his whole body now soaked in blood.


    ¡°Han Mian, this stab was painful to watch even for me.¡± The yellow-haired Da Yuan joked, sniggering heartily.


    The man in suit wiped his hands with a handkerchief and said, ¡°A trash like this deserves such punishment.¡±

 Chapter 178 - A New Beginning

    Chapter 178: A New Beginning


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAnyone from the underworld society would instantly recognize that these four men were the infamous Four Protectors of the Dragon Gang: Da Yuan, Hei Lang, Leng Bao, and Han Mian. They were the most capable of the men under Long Sankui. During the Dragon Gang¡¯s rise to prominence in the early years, these four had rendered him exceptional services time and time again. They were highly trained and skillful pugilists with extraordinary martial strengths.


    Geng Qiuxing had been tortured dreadfully. He groaned in anguish, as deep, gurgling sounds emitted from his throat.


    A hole, about two meters deep and one meter wide, had been dug, and Da Yuan kicked him directly into the waiting hole.


    At that moment, the car door of the sedan in the middle opened. A gentleman dressed like someone from Shanghai in the 1930s walked out of the car. He was about the same age as Chu Yunxiong and wore a pocket watch hanging from the front of his chest. Judging by his demeanor, at first nce, he seemed more like an aplished magnate than the bandit chief who would kill and plunder. He had salt-and-pepper hair and was slightly plump and rounded in shape.


    Wearing a vintage jade ring on his left index finger, the man leaned on a dragon-headed stick and walked toward Geng Qiuxing in thepany of a young woman.


    The four protectors of the Dragon Gang saluted him in deference and addressed him as ¡°Master Long.¡±


    In the hole, Geng Qiuxing stirred when he saw Long Sankui getting out of the car. Unable to utter any words coherently with his damaged mouth, he pleaded with his eyes and beseeched Long Sankui to let him live.


    Frowning, Long Sankui made a face of regret like an elder who was disheartened by the actions of one from the younger generation. He let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°Qiuxing, I¡¯m very disappointed in you!¡±


    Geng Qiuxing heard him, and his face was awash with despair. Crying like a child, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive this.


    Long Sankui knelt down, stretched out hisrge hand and patted Geng Qiuxing on his head, then putting on a sad smile he said, ¡°Don¡¯t me me. Go to die peacefully. Rest assured, I will send your families to you to have a reunion very soon so that you won¡¯t feel lonely.¡± Long Sankui stood up, waved his hand to the two men who were holding the shovels, and uttered two words in a muted voice, ¡°Bury him!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Two men nodded in response. They started to fill the hole with dirt and were burying Geng Qiuxing alive.


    The sound of Geng Qiuxing struggling in panic grew louder as the hole began filling up shovel by shovel. It stopped abruptly when the dirt was high enough to cover his head, leaving only his forehead visible. Eventually, his entire body was buried under the ground with a small mound on top. The two men from the Dragon Gang pressed down andpacted the earth tightly with their shovels, leaving behind a low mound that looked like an unmarked grave.


    The ordinary gang members of the Dragon Gang that witnessed it were shaken by the gruesome act of burying someone alive. The four protectors, however, didn¡¯t even frown. On the contrary, their faces were lit up with excitement as they each looked on with a cruel grin.


    ¡°Master Long, you can let me handle that young guy named Xiao. I will go chop off his head tonight!¡± Cupping his fist in the other hand before the chest, Da Yuan asked for instructions.


    Long Sankui shook his hand and said, ¡°We can¡¯t make a move on him yet.¡±


    The four protectors were all stunned. Da Yuan asked immediately, ¡°Why?¡± Long Sankui waited a moment before he continued, ¡°Based on our investigation, he is very likely to be the backstage maniptor. It was he who caused our enforcers to die at the hands of the police. He even seemed to be rted to the destruction of our beggar¡¯sir, the hideout controlled by Baldie. This guy is our sworn enemy.¡±


    ¡°All you¡¯re saying is bullsh*t!¡±


    Long Sankui knocked his stick harshly on the ground and bellowed, ¡°He smashed my Yellow Skies Casino. I only wished that I could tear him to pieces alive myself. Much to my surprise, however, Chu Yunxiong is determined to protect him.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong?


    Hearing the name, the look on the Four Protectors changed. As the representative of the circle of officials, Chu Yunxiong had significant influence.


    In Jiangcheng, Chu Yunxiong was the de facto overlord!


    They realized that the situation was not as straightforward anymore since Chu Yunxiong was now involved in it.


    ¡°Chu Yunxiong should just mind his own business. It doesn¡¯t seem he is abiding by the society¡¯s rules if he chooses to poke his nose into our Dragon Gang¡¯s affairs.¡± Leng Bao spoke quietly.


    Long Sankui uttered a soft snort and said, ¡°He has a bigger fist. Of course, he will do whatever he wants.¡± Pondering for a while, he continued, ¡°He has set up a banquet at the Maple Leaf Hotel tomorrow night and invited me to attend. It appears that he wants me to reconcile with that young hooligan. Da Yuan, Leng Bao, you two go with me tomorrow night. Remember, take your cues from reading my face.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Long.¡±


    Da Yuan and Leng Bao bowed slightly.


    ¡°When there is someone I desire to kill, even Chu Yunxiong won¡¯t be able to change his fate.¡± Long Sankui squinted with a vicious expression. His eyes were brimmed with menace.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The morning sun rose slowly above the horizon and woke the city up from its repose.


    Zhang Dashan put on his suit and prepared to go to work at the Luo¡¯s Workshop. He had taken over from Xiao Luo and was now shouldering the responsibility of making executive decisions for the Luo¡¯s Workshop. Of course, when it came to matters of importance, he would still consult Xiao Luo, the real head of the Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    ¡°Try to go out as little as possible these next few days. Eat, sleep, and do whatever you need to do inside thepanypound. I¡¯m afraid the people from the Dragon Gang might attempt to harm you.¡± Sitting on the couch and ying with hisptop, Xiao Luo reminded Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°F*ck off. Stop worrying about me. You should pay more attention to your own security.¡± Zhang Dashan replied, somewhat annoyed.


    Xiao Luo raised his head and shot him a nce, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I dare to provoke Long Sankui because I¡¯m confident I¡¯m able to protect myself. The most important thing is Ruyi, Tang Ren, and your safety. Long Sankui will try all means to tackle the people around me since he can¡¯t deal with me. Therefore, you had better listen to me and stay in thepanypound. Don¡¯te home for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know where you got the courage and confidence. But I believe in you, and I will wait for you to crush Long Sankui under your feet.¡± Zhang Dashan started to understand Xiao Luo¡¯s burden. He wasn¡¯t able to help him in any way and could only hide inside like a mouse.


    Xiao Luo nodded and smiled at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to work now. By the way, you can drive my crappy car for now. Do whatever you want with it. It would be best if you can scrap it. I don¡¯t have any outrageous demands. I¡¯m only expecting you to buy a new sports car and when you decide to return it.¡± Zhang Dashan said to Xiao Luo, indulging in a bout of wishful thinking.


    Xiao Luo scowled at him and said, ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Zhang Dashan took to his heels.


    Just then, Xiao Luo¡¯s phone rang with a new message notification.


    He picked it up and saw that it was from Sun Jian¡¯an and had a video attachment. He clicked the y icon. The video panned the balcony of a hospital ward. On the terrace, Sun Yu, awoken, was sitting in a wheelchair and basking in the warmth of the sun. She appeared to have fully regained her faculties. Wearing a hospital gown, she looked as beautiful as an angel when the sunshine poured over her bright face smiling like a blooming flower.


    Xiao Luo beamed with a gratified smile. Looking at Sun Yu in the video, he said to himself, ¡°you can start afresh now. A brand new life now. Even though I¡¯m no longer in your world, I will be most contented as long as you can live a happy life. Farewell, Sun Yu!¡±


    As he ended his words, his voice broke with emotions, he turned off the video and put his phone down.


    All that he had shared with Sun Yu would now be sealed and stored as his most cherished memories.


    Today was the beginning of her new life. As for Xiao Luo, it was the start of another journey. Now he could put aside all other thoughts and deal with the Dragon Gang in a fight to the finish.

 Chapter 179 - The Battle of Internet

    Chapter 179: The Battle of Inte


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo took two eggs out of the fridge and fried them on a skillet. And breakfast was made.


    He knew he couldn¡¯t deal with the Dragon Gang all by himself. He had to get help from somewhere.


    The most potent and capable force in the Hua Nation was the government. That would mean leveraging on the government¡¯s resources was the most effective and straightforward way tobat and suppress underworld organizations like the Dragon Gang. Xiao Luo immediately browsed the official websites of police stations in every district in Jiangcheng. To his pleasant surprise, a small police substation in the Guangming District happened to be recruiting auxiliary police officers.


    Age, education, background¡­ Xiao Luo met all the requirements from the job description. He submitted his resume immediately and was ready to take on a new role.


    After submitting his resume, Xiao Luo suddenly detected anomalies with certain activities on the inte. Heunched his tor browser, typed in a series of codes, and entered the dark web. He stiffened when he realized the inte gateway and all majorworks of Hua Nation were being subject to massive cyberattacks from several foreign hackers.


    At the headquarters of the National Security Agency of Hua Nation, everyone was strenuously typing on their keyboards with unprecedented urgency. The mor of hurried voices echoed across therge room incessantly. Everybody in the room was on edge.


    ¡°The southern inte battlefront is in a critical condition. Request for reinforcement.¡± A distressed voice screamed out a cryptic warning.


    This was a smokeless and borderless war. And the Hua Nation nevercked in enemies. The opposing states wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke Hua Nation in the open. Nheless, they had been building an army of ck hat hackers to sabotage and attack the Hua Nation. With the pervasive adoption of the inte, the inherent risks of cyberattacks were always a thing waiting to happen. As soon as hostiles breached thework center and its gateways, the banking, transportation, national security, and all other infrastructure systems of Hua Nation would bepromised.


    This would lead to a breakdown. The country could not run, its security would bepromised, ultimately leading toplete chaos. It was not hard to imagine: bank ounts suddenly being depleted, traffic lights switched randomly, and worst of all, unauthorizedunching of missiles. The impact was devastating.


    The unsuspecting poption would continue with their daily lives, working hard for their tomorrows and persevering for their dreams, not realizing that a grave threat was looming¡­


    The executives of the NSA looked overwhelmed and were breaking out in a cold sweat. They were swamped and reeling from the offensive.


    All of a sudden, an excited shout pierced the air, ¡°BaiLing¡¯s showed up!¡±


    BaiLing?


    On hearing that name, the head of NSA breathed a sigh of relief and was almost excited to tears. Who was BaiLing? No one knew, and the NSA only assigned a gender by virtue of name. She was a white hat hacker that went by the handle BaiLing. She surfaced unexpectedly three years ago and helped NSA fend off an attack by a foreign entity. For the past three years, whenever hostile powers from overseasunched attacks on Hua Nation, BaiLing had always shown up at the eleventh hour and beat them off. BaiLing was hailed as the protector of Hua Nation.


    BaiLing¡¯s arrival signified doomsday for the attackers. This put the entire NSA back in an exalted mood.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Jiangcheng, Huaye University.


    Bai Ling sat in the study room in the library. Her fingers were clicking away on the keyboards of theptop in front of her. The corners of her lips lifted into a yful smile, a mischievous girl discovering something funny and exciting.


    Her white fingers were like ¡°little dragons dancing and serpents slithering. Sometimes they moved with overwhelming speed of a fierce tiger dashed down from the top of the mountain, yet sometimes they sauntered, meandering in a tranquil garden.¡±


    She had essed the NSA, and their firewalls were quickly reconfigured to block the intrusions. Traffic was rerouted away from key nodes, malware identified and isted, and this continued in a constant ¡°cat-and-mouse¡± as she tried to stay a step ahead of the attackers.


    ¡°Bai Ling, what are you doing?¡±


    Chu Yue took a peek. She craned her head over in curiosity, and all she saw was a screen full of codes, looking like DOSmands in the first few seconds when aputer boots up. As she kept typing, lines upon lines of codes filled her screen, as if being printed out by a printer.


    ¡°I¡¯m just coding.¡± Bai Ling turned her head and smiled at Chu Yue.


    ¡°Coding?¡±


    Pursing her lips, Chu Yue was not entirely convinced. She said, ¡°Alright. I will leave you to it. I¡¯m going to continue cursing the pretentious d*ck.¡±


    She picked up the doll in front of her again, stuck a piece of paper with Xiao Luo¡¯s name on the doll¡¯s chest, then began to mumble in indignation, ¡°Pretentious d*ck, I hope you can¡¯t find a girlfriend all your life. You will have a t tire if you drive; your phone will ring loudly if you¡¯re in an important meeting; you will be stuck in a traffic jam if you¡¯re pressed for time. All the bad luck will keep pestering you¡­¡±


    Bai Ling was at a loss whether to cry or tough at Chu Yue¡¯s curse. Ever since Xiao Luo left without saying goodbye, she found her best friend had been acting strangely. Besides shouting ¡°pretentious d*ck¡± in her dreams from time to time, she had given up on her penchant for sweet things and asionally would use a ¡°voodoo¡± doll to put a jinx on Xiao Luo.


    There was no way that she would believe Chu Yue did not like Xiao Luo!


    But she couldn¡¯t be distracted now. The hostile forces wereunching a massive cyberattack on Hua Nation, and the consequences would be dire if she didn¡¯t stay focused. ¡°Looks like these guys have been well prepared this time!¡±


    Bai Ling¡¯s expression turned grave. The blush on her cheeks made her look like a delicate porcin doll.


    She had rerouted arge portion of the attack to secondary firewalls within the NSA architecture, but the intrusions were overwhelming. She now deployed a library of tools and protocols that she had developed for remotely setting up virtual firewalls. As she now battled the ck hats, she kept setting up these new firewalls, one after the other. Yet time and again, she was overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the attacks. As fast as she could set up firewalls, the intruders would breach them. She was one girl against a well-organized, concerted effort manned by an army of top-notched hackers. The NSA did not stand a chance, and unbelievably left it to her to withstand the offensive alone.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The headquarter of NSA.


    The NSA experts were at their wits end. Theirputers werepromised, and they were shut out of the battle. They could only monitor the situation helplessly.


    These here were the elites in the field of information technology, yet they found no way to counter the massive cyberattacks. They were forced to depend on a mysterious master hacker, BaiLing, to defend Hua Nation¡¯s honor. It wasn¡¯t just embarrassing; it shameful!.


    And yet, they were too busy to be ashamed of themselves. This virtual war was bearing upon the very foundation of the society and nation, and something had to be done. Under these grave circumstances, they did the only thing possible, they rooted for BaiLing in silence.


    The situation, in reality, was turning a dark turn. The firewalls created by BaiLing were breached by wave after wave of relentless attacks across the entirework. The speed with which she could set up firewalls could not match their breaching speed of the intrusions. As this trend continued, it was only a matter of time before BaiLing would lose the rearguard action.


    The nervous tension returned to the executives of the NSA. Even though BaiLing was not an employee of NSA, she was acknowledged as aputer genius. They couldn¡¯t think of anyone else capable of warding off this attack if BaiLing failed.


    Was the eve of chaos upon them?


    Many were now preparing for the worst. The very foundations of their society would be devastated. Life, as they knew, was soon cease to exist. Armageddh!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo put down his unfinished drink and muttered to himself, ¡°Let me help you guys!¡±


    Before his voice even faded, his ten fingers were dancing on the keyboard as a pianist would, the piano. A string of codes was quickly sent into the dark virtual battlefield.

 Chapter 180 - Mie

    Chapter 180: Mie


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio[Inside the study room of the library of Huaye University]


    A sheen of sweat reflected off Bai Ling¡¯s forehead and nose. She had been typing rapidly for quite some time and felt extremely tired. Her fingers were sore and tingling, as though they could turn numb at any minute.


    She was wholly absorbed in the ongoing battle. There could be no distractions in her mind, not even for a split second. As it stood, she was already staring defeat in the face.


    Despite her best efforts to stop the attack, the opposing forces were breaking through, bearing down menacingly across a broad front this time. The coordinated strike of their four top-ss hackers could best be described as an unstoppable tsunami. Bai Ling suffered one defeat after another, steadily losing grounds. Her desperate rearguard action was to no avail. Her face grew grim, and she bit on the lips so hard that her delicate, red lips looked about to bleed.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s over. BaiLing has lost!¡±


    In the headquarter of the NSA, everyone gasped with shock and anxiety. They could not ept that their enigmatic protector of Hua Nation had finally met with failure this time.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the study room of Huaye University¡¯s library, Bai Ling stopped coding, she was utterly devastated and demoralized. She stared nkly in a stupor, unable toe to terms with what had just happened. Her face looked a deathly white as if her soul had left her.


    She was defeated. She couldn¡¯t believe she really lost, not just the battle, but the war!


    She had worked hard over thest three years specifically to prevent such an attack. Studying the attack patterns by opposing hackers, developing new tools and bots, testing her betas, enhancements. She had worked out simtions for future attacks and defense strategies strenuously and had been making continuous progress. All this effort just so that she could have the ability to help her nation ward off the neverending cyberattacks from hostile foreign powers.


    She was raised with the idea of loving and serving her country, and she had taken it to heart. As soon as she realized she was especially gifted in information technology, she felt duty-bound to protect the inte frontier of Hua Nation. No one in the non-virtual, real-world, knew that she had been the key yer in helping Hua Nation ovee more than a dozen cyber crises. Each of these attacks would have brought about catastrophic consequences.


    No one knew, not even her best friend, Chu Yue. She led a double life, and she enjoyed it.


    She was the proverbial silent profession, a covert life of never seeking glory for herself and never seeking public attention. Only she would know about each event, and these would be secrets she would cherish dearly for the rest of her life.


    But in this life, there was only her. There was no one else she could depend on, no one else to seek sce from. When the defeat came, she felt a deep sense of, not just frustration, but emptiness. A void. Her dreams were now dashed, and she was feeling lost.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°BaiLing of Hua Nation has been finally defeated. From now on, Hua Nation will be our back garden where we can stroll in whenever we want. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Somewhere on the globe, a group of blonde-haired men was in celebration. Everyone was exhrated and shouting in excitement. Someone even popped a bottle of champagne. Breaching the inte of Hua Nation meant that they would have ess to itsworks, which means ess to all of the country¡¯s information. She was entirely now at their mercy. It wasn¡¯t just the loss of hundreds of billions from the treasury and trade, but infrastructure,munications, and even defense would immediately bepromised. This was a disaster of biblical proportions!


    As she sat staring nkly, she noticed a series of codes appearing rapidly on her screen. The unstoppable iing flow of digital traffic through the main gateway seemed to have stalled. Packets of malicious data designed to corrupt and steal were being identified and neutralized across theworks. BaiLing switched to a graphic interface. A new firewall appeared to have been set up very quickly and acted like a deep chasm halted the hackers¡¯ offensive.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Astonished, the group of hackers stopped their celebration and immediately started to analyze the event beforeunching another round of attack against the newly identified firewall.


    They switched to graphics. An army of bots zeroed in on the new firewall, finding ways in through its defenses. Wonton and savage destruction everywhere. Much to their disbelief, the firewall had been written with a different set of codes, and their frenzied attack was only able to tear a small corner open. The moment they finally broke it through, another firewall rose up in front of them, ring with red rm and preventing them from advancing.


    ¡°What the f*ck?¡±


    The hackers¡¯ eyes widened in consternation. Not discouraged, they clenched their teeth and continued their attack.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The headquarter of the NSA of Hua Nation was in dead silence; the mood was despondent. Everyone looked dispirited and had their heads lowered. Suddenly, a heart-stirring cry broke out And broke the lull.


    ¡°It¡¯s not breached yet. A new firewall appeared and stopped those bastards outside of the border!¡±


    The excited voice was infectious, and very soon, everyone was alive again. Everybody was either looking at the main screen or focused on theputers in front of them. They were speechless.


    The executives of NSA were glued to theirputers, cheering on incoherently.


    ¡°Haha¡­ God bless Hua Nation. God truly blesses Hua Nation!¡±


    A middle-aged man in a suit jumped up excitedly, crying out, ¡°Look at those bastards! Don¡¯t they look like the zombies who were blocked by the Wall-nut in nts vs. Zombies?¡±


    A wave ofughter filled the room upon hearing hisment. It was indeed an apt analogy.


    Nevertheless, the room quieted down again quickly. The foreign hackers had not given up yet. Gnawing at the firewall that blocked them, unlike the Wall-nut in the game, they were still persisting like a horde of zombies with a single-minded purpose of finding fresh blood and meat.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like to be BaiLing¡¯s firewall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the key feature of BaiLing¡¯s firewall is its ability to be rebuilt speedily. But the current firewall takes a much longer time for reconstruction. But it¡¯s unique for its sturdiness, and that has made it difficult for the attackers to prate the wall.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, this can only mean one thing; someone else has joined in the battle.¡±


    Theputer experts in the hall instantly spotted the new firewalls¡¯ uniqueness and exchanged their thoughts and opinions. They finally concluded that it could not be BaiLing but someone else who was defending Hua Nation against the hostile foreign hackers this time round.


    What? There was another person?


    The news was passed on to the executives of the NSA, and it immediately caused quite a stir. Did it mean that there was anotherputer genius besides BaiLing that was hiding in Hua Nation?


    Most of the people present were shocked, several were excited, and some also felt personally responsible. They med themselves for failing to do justice to such talented people. No effort had been made to find gifted people and to nurture then so far. They came to deeply regret this, while at the same time wondered how many more geniuses were neglected in Hua Nation.


    After convening a special meeting, the senior officials of the NSA reached a unanimous decision to consent to a mission to locate, support, and nurture these brilliant minds hidden among the poption of Hua Nation. They would form the core of a future virtual space force that will defend the country for the next decades. a.


    Five minutester, rousing cheers and apuse broke out from the hall.


    ¡°Retreated. The b*stards have retreated!¡±


    ¡°We won! Those bastards finally realized they couldn¡¯t move forward even an inch more when they went against the third firewall.¡±


    ¡°Good job. How awesome!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the study room of Huaye University¡¯s library, Bai Ling¡¯s wide-eyed expression said it all. She continued to stare at theputer screen in disbelief. All the codes from attackers vanished in a sh. She imagined an impregnable firewallposed of new lines of codes was standing in between like the Great Wall. As she checked theworks, Bai Ling couldn¡¯t find any bugs or loopholes, at least not from the first look.


    ¡°Who is this person?¡±


    Bai Ling was in awe and admiration for whoever had achieved this. It was overwhelming. She saw clearly how this person intercepted the fierce attackers with only three firewalls. The walls served collectively as a defense in depth. As the first wall breached, the second would be formed before the opposing force could breakthrough. As the second wall faltered, the third wall was raised to prevent further breaches.


    How was it possible for a human¡¯s brain to figure out the millions upon millions of permutations needed to set up those firewalls, and code instructions to instantly locate and fix the breaches in the firewalls in such a short time?


    Besides her deep admiration for this expert, Bai Ling¡¯s own ego as a hacker had also taken a blow. Ovee with curiosity and impatient to wait even a moment longer, she sent the person a message.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo received the question and countered with the same question, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°BaiLing.¡±


    BaiLing?


    Xiao Luo chuckled. He thought for a moment, then typed on the keyboard and replied, ¡°Mie!¡±


    The only reason he called himself Mie was that it was his generational name. This was based on the Xiao family¡¯s genealogical tree, and Xiao Luo¡¯s generation happened to have Mie as their name.

 Chapter 181 - The Banquet

    Chapter 181: The Banquet


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioMie?


    A voice eximed in surprise from among a group of executives at the headquarter of the NSA. If it was indeed another person, that would mean that there was anotherputer genius besides Bai Ling in Hua Nation ¨C Mie.


    BaiLing was burning with curiosity about the enigmatic Mie, who had repelled the massive cyberattacksunched by hostile foreign forces. She typed and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your real name?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°Is BaiLing your real name?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything else and logged out of his browser after responding to Bai Ling.


    ¡°You rascal. How dare you drop out of our conversation like this.¡±


    Determined, Bai Ling immediately keyed in several more codes, trying to trace Mie¡¯s IP address. But a firewall instantly appeared and blocked her ess. This same firewall that was used to thwart the massive cyberattacks on the national inte gateway. She couldn¡¯t find any backdoors to force her way through his security measures.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can¡¯t bypass the firewall!¡±


    Pursing her lips, Bai Ling kept trying to get around the firewall when she realized that people from the NSA were spying on her activities. She typed a line of words in vexation: ¡°What are you looking at? Mind I don¡¯t infect all of yourputers with a virus.¡±


    Then, she wiped out her digital footprint and went offline immediately.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The group of executives at the NSA was amused by her antics. A middle-aged man, bespectacled and dressed in a business suit, spoke up first, ¡°This is obviously the temperament of a little girl. I bet you, BaiLing couldn¡¯t be more than 24 years of age.¡±


    ¡°Chief, we already know that. After two years of investigation, our agents¡¯ findings have determined that BaiLing is currently a student at Huaye University. Her real name is Bai Ling, and she¡¯s only 21 years old. I believe the two agents we sent out should confirm if she is the one involved in this battle.¡±


    The person speaking was one of the six who were present in the room that day. The others smile derisively and couldn¡¯t help thinking to themselves how brazen the Chief was. He only made the statement about her age after their agents had already known BaiLing was a college girl. Wasn¡¯t he the wise man here.


    ERRM¡­


    The Chief motioned for everyone to get back to the topic of discussion and assumed a more serious expression, saying, ¡°BaiLing¡¯s ability has been long known to us all. She is definitely aputer genius and one of the best in our Hua Nation. Now Mie is a new find and appears to be someone even more proficient than BaiLing. Both of them are invaluable assets to us. We must locate these two talents. With them, those foreign aggressors would never be able to breach our defenses again.¡±


    They all nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It seems to me that BaiLing is very interested in Mie. If we can confirm Bai Ling from Huaye University is BaiLing, I think we can possibly find Mie through her. She is the only one who is capable of finding Mie.¡± Another person said matter-of-factly.


    He was merely making an assumption, yet no one disputed his opinion, as they would be in no position to trace Mieif even BaiLing couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had not expected to attract the attention of the NSA. He only got involved after detecting some anomalies when he submitted an application form on the government website. But ended up getting involved in an inte battle and easily beat back a massive cyberattackunched by the foreign agents. Otherwise, he would never have got involved. After all, he honestly didn¡¯t want to be in the spotlight.


    After passing the screening test of the police substation at Guangming District that afternoon, he waited for a few hours before he finally sat before the interviewers.


    A cliched but ever-popr question was asked, ¡°Why do you want to be a policeman?¡±


    The auxiliary police reserves were also addressed as police officers; however, their primary role was to provided assistance to the regr police force, and they would remain under themand and supervision of real police officers.


    ¡°Tobat crime and protect justice!¡± Xiao Luo answered with a smile.


    He did not believe that, of course. But these statements were necessary given his n to get into the police force.


    As Xiao Luo expected, the two policemen who were interviewing him exchanged looks, nodded, then made a checkmark on his form.


    After the interview, a political appraisal would be conducted to vet the candidate¡¯s family background and examined if the person had taken part in any anti-social, disruptive activities in the past. Xiao Luo would then be called up for the auxiliary police officer training once he passed this political appraisal. This would take at least five days, and would then be followed the final physical test.


    Wouldn¡¯t it indeed be a form of justice for him to crack down on illegal groups like the Dragon Gang after putting on his police uniform?!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Maple Leaf Hotel, at night.


    It was already eight 0¡¯clock at night when Xiao Luo arrived. He couldn¡¯t refuse Chu Yunxiong¡¯s kindness and good intentions. Besides, he had five more days to go before he could confirm if he¡¯d been epted for the auxiliary police officer training. It was not too bad of an idea to call a truce with the Dragon Gang during this time.


    ¡°Wee!¡±


    Wearing scarlet qipaos, several stunning women were in the lobby of the hotel waiting to usher arriving guests; they were a picture of charm and grace. Their gestures, posture, and even how they walked were exquisite and, along with the posh interior, provided the hotel with a more sophisticated and ssy ambiance.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Xiao Luo?¡±


    Shortly after Xiao Luo walked in and looked around, a slender woman weed him with a warm smile as if she was expecting him.


    Xiao Luo nodded and answered, ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Chu has been waiting for you. Please follow me.¡± The slender woman extended her left hand and led him forward.


    Xiao Luo took the elevator and arrived on the third floor, where the slender woman brought him to the front of a wing-room. She opened the door, bowed slightly to Xiao Luo, then turned around and made her way back to the lobby.


    ¡°Herees Luo. Sit!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was seatedfortably, having a conversation, and drinking tea. He looked a modest and unassuming man. The person he was talking to was none other than Long Sankui, head of the Dragon Gang.


    Leng Zuo and Leng You stood respectfully on either side of Chu Yunxiong, while Da Yuan and Leng Bao stationed themselves just behind Long Sankui. The two camps, ck and white, were strikingly different yet were drinking tea in harmony. It was quite a rare scene.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Chu!¡±


    Xiao Luo greeted Chu Yunxiong, walked in, and closed the door behind him.


    Long Sankui pointed his chubby finger at Xiao Luo and looked over to Chu Yunxiong, said, ¡°Mr. Chu, this is the rascal you want to protect? Such an effeminate boy would have the guts and ability to chop off my 53 people¡¯s hands?


    I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Da Yuan standing behind Long Sankui stared at Xiao Luo with cruel, vicious eyes. He suddenly rushed out like a ferocious beast, striking without warning. Da Yuan moved with incredible speed and dexterity, flowing into his attack with graceful, yet deceptive movements. As he opened up Xiao Luo¡¯s defense, his exceedingly flexible body bent into an uncanny arc and delivered a swift kick towards Xiao Luo¡¯s face, with deadly force.


    Xiao Luo kept his eyes fixed on his opponent and quickly shifted his body to his right, leaning back he shot his hand and struck at Da Yuan¡¯s ankle. The seemingly light tap transferred a prating force that and made Da Yuan lose bnce. Xiao Luo immediately pivoted on his left leg, then snapped his right leg across striking Da Yuan on his arm like an iron whip.


    Staggering back several steps, Da Yuan steadied himself against the wall.


    The quick exchange left several marks on the wooden floor. A testament to the inner power both opponents had called upon.


    ¡°Mr. Long, please control your subordinates. I don¡¯t want to leave the floor bloody and disturb Mr. Chu¡¯s tranquil mood.¡± Xiao Luo spoke coldly.


    His words passed on a hidden warning to Da Yuan and kept him at bay.


    ¡°D*mn rascal, you really know your stuff!¡±


    Long Sankui waved his hand and motioned Da Yuan to step back. He then rolled up his left sleeve and grunted irritably, ¡°Making Mr. Chu and me wait. Who do you think you are? Do you think you have the stature to be so unrestrained and arrogant in front of me? You were still sucking on your mom¡¯s t*ts when I started to make my living!¡±

 Chapter 182 - Good Liquor

    Chapter 182: Good Liquor


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo remained silent. He had taken notice of Chu Yunxiong¡¯s subtle gesture and his meaningful wink signaling for him to restrain himself for now. He walked towards the table, smiled courteously, and took a seat beside Chu Yunxiong.


    The moment Xiao Luo sat down, Long Sankui turned to Chu Yunxiong, saying, ¡°Mr. Chu, let¡¯s not to mince words. I know this d*mn rascal once protected your dear daughter. You intervened and mediated on his behalf because you owe him a favor.¡± He said it in a seemingly harmless yet, in fact, menacing way. Having made his point, he continued, ¡°But he cut off the hands of 53 disciples of mine and totally destroyed my Yellow Skies Casino, which I managed painstakingly for many years. This kind of debt can¡¯t be written off by a few words.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong put his teacup down and smiled calmly, said, ¡°So what does Mr. Long think we should do?¡±


    Long Sankui shot an angry nce at Xiao Luo and said in a threatening voice, ¡°It¡¯s easy. He chopped off my disciples¡¯ hands, so now I want to cut off his right hand. He smashed my Yellow Skies Casino, so I will have to ask him topensate for all of my losses. That is all.¡±


    ¡°If you really wish to cut off his hand, wouldn¡¯t I have set up the banquet tonight in vain?¡± Chu Yunxiong answered with a sardonic smile, looking right into the eyes of Long Sankui.


    Long Sankui backed off slightly, still wary of Chu Yunxiong. Although Chu Yunxiong might seem to be a gentle, harmless type, he had a reputation of being a brutal operator in his heydays. He¡¯d use any means necessary to achieve his goals, and he was not one to trifle with, even to this day. Long Sankui considered himself above everything and everybody here in Jiangcheng, but not Chu Yunxiong.


    Aggrieved by the stance Chu Yunxiong had taken, Long Sankui now vented his anger at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You little rascal, you¡¯re truly a nasty son of b*tch. I would kill you now, if not for the due respect I¡¯m giving to Mr. Chu¡¯s feelings. In Jiangcheng, I can destroy you as easy as squshing a bug!¡±


    Long Sankui¡¯s expression changed abruptly into an angry scowl. He grabbed the bottle of wine in front of him to smash it over Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Xiao Luo promptly raised his arm to parry, and the bottle exploded dramatically into myriad pieces, spilling its contents all over the floor.


    ¡°Hah, you d*amn rascal. How dare you block my blow?¡± Long Sankui bellowed in his rage.


    Xiao Luo looked sternly at Long Sankui, his lips pressed tightly together into a thinly veiled smile, but his eyes remained cold. In an instant, he had a bottle of wine in his hand and smashed it on Long Sankui¡¯s head.


    Long Sankui still retained his reflexes even with his age, quickly raising both his hand up to protect himself.


    ¡ªCRASH!


    The wine bottle broke against his arm, and both its shards and the spilling wine fell upon Long Sankui¡¯s garments.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Mr. Long, is one bottle enough? Do you need another one?¡±


    Wah!


    Leng Zuo and Leng You gasped in shock. They thought to themselves, ¡°This young guy is really fearless. He is definitely the only person in Jiangcheng who would dare to smash a bottle of wine over Long Sankui¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°You rascal, do you want to die?!¡±


    Leng Bao and Da Yuan yelled out, snapping out of their momentary shock, and with fierce looks and their teeth gnashing, readied to rush in to strike Xiao Luo.


    Long Sankui waved his hand and stopped his bodyguards. His eyes stared steadily at Xiao Luo, but could not stop his eyelids from twitching nervously. Suddenly, he burst into a loudugh and said, ¡°Plucky youngster! This d*mn rascal truly has b*lls!¡± He quickly turned to look at Chu Yunxiong and said, ¡°You see Mr. Chu, did you see that? This rascal doesn¡¯t have a conciliatory attitude at all. It¡¯s not about the fact that he doesn¡¯t give face to me, he doesn¡¯t respect you!¡±


    He was implying that while Chu Yunxiong was willing to protect Xiao Luo, yet he had not shown the due respect at all, in appreciation of the favor. Chu Yunxiong¡¯s kindness was instead taken for granted.


    ¡°Luo?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong called out gently, his wizen eyebrows knitted together. He also sensed that Xiao Luo didn¡¯t appear to be interested in making peace. It almost seemed like he came here intentionally to pick a fight with Long Sankui for purposes only known to himself. Chu Yunxiong started to question if he was meddling unnecessarily.


    ¡°Mr. Chu, I have already epted your proposal for conciliation by showing up here tonight. Mr. Long disyed his hostility to me explicitly from the moment I got here. But now this viin is making charges against his victim. Isn¡¯t he the one who really does not respect you?¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What a glib tongue. Why would I be here if I don¡¯t respect Mr. Chu?¡± Long Sankui pounded on the table and roared in rage.


    Chu Yunxiong, seizing the opportunity, quickly articted, ¡°Since both of you havee here to make peace, why don¡¯t you show some good faith? Mr. Long, please alter your previous demand a little bit.¡±


    Hismanding tone left little room for any discussion.


    Long Sankui felt cornered, and the corner of his mouth again twitched nervously. He was not ready to have Chu Yunxiong saving Xiao Luo from right under his nose. As he turned the matter over in his mind, he happened to see two bottles of Moutai on the table. His eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly said, ¡°Ok, Mr. Chu. I will do this favor for you. He can keep his hand and money, as long as he can drink up these two bottles of Moutai right now. I guarantee you that I will write off all the grievances between us once and for all!¡±


    Leng Zuo and Leng You turned pale after hearing Long Sankui¡¯s words. Moutai was a powerful spirit with an alcohol level of 53% proof. Even drinking half the bottle wouldnd a person in the hospital, needing to flush the gut to prevent alcohol poisoning. How would Xiao Luo be able to finish two entire bottles? How was this making peace at all? He clearly wanted Xiao Luo to die this very night.


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s face darkened. He said, ¡°Mr. Long, is your request in good faith?¡±


    ¡°Correct. This is indeed, my good faith. He mutted my people and smashed up my casino. Mr. Chu, I would have to say you¡¯re biased if you cannot even see the fairness in my request.¡± Long Sankui said, pressing the point with a mirthless smirk.


    His y had put Chu Yunxiong on the back foot. Granted, his stature might fall a little short inparison with Chu Yunxiong, but he was still a mafia head and controlled the entire underworld of the Jiangcheng. He was confident that Chu Yunxiong would not dare to start a war with him, especially not over this rascal. After all, they were not young anymore, and there more many other factors to consider.


    ¡°Mr. Long has an excellent point. It¡¯s just two bottles of Moutai. I will drink them up!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and duly opened the caps of the Moutai. Raising his head back, he started to chug the baijiu directly from the bottle.


    ¡°Ding! Congrattions. The Host has mastered the Yi Jin Jing, system redeeming a hundred thousand points from host ount!¡±


    The digital voice chimed in Xiao Luo¡¯s head. The bnce had now plummeted to a little over two thousand after spending a hundred thousand Points.


    Xiao Luo felt a warmth running through his bones and internal passages as qi energy circted throughout his body, rebuilding the cells. A surging wave washed through as the inner force, sequestered the baijiu that had been consumed, preventing it from being absorbed into his vital organs.


    Seeing Xiao Luo gulping down the baijiu, everyone in the room was amazed.


    ¡°This d*mn rascal is really bold enough to drink it all?¡±


    Long Sankui was in a stupor, then an insidious smile slowly formed on his face. So what that Chu Yunxiong was protecting him? He could still have the youngster die a violent death right here and now. Who could believe that Xiao Luo would still be standing even after drinking two bottles of Moutai baijiu? How could he now fend off an attack from his two henchmen?


    Leng Bao and Da Yuan couldn¡¯t help sneering, ¡°Turned out, he is just an arrogant fool!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong remained still and was anxious for Xiao Luo, but he didn¡¯t have any excuse to stop it.


    As soon as a whole bottle of Moutai was downed, Xiao Luo started to work on the next one. Long Sankui looked on, surprised that even after consumingrge amounts of the alcohol, he was not showing any signs of sumbing to the potent baijiu. What was going on?


    Xiao Luo quickly finished the second as well and ced the empty bottle on the table, wiped off traces of baijiu from the corner of his mouth, and exhaled a deep breath in delight, said, ¡°Good liquor!¡±

 Chapter 183 - Fearsome power

    Chapter 183: Fearsome power


    The entire wing-room was in dead silence, one could almost hear a pin drop. Both Long Sankui and Chu Yunxiong were amazed as they stared in disbelief at Xiao Luo. If they had not witnessed it themselves, they would never believe that a man could drink two bottles of Moutai baijiu with a 53% alcohol content, consecutively. Besides alcohol intoxication, his stomach would have been literally burnt through by the alcohol, making it impossible for him to remain standing.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a good liquor, I¡¯ve never tasted such delicious liquor in my entire life.¡± Xiao Luo nced at Long Sankui meaningfully, aware of his devious scheme.


    His words had infuriated Long Sankui to the extent of spitting out blood. If he had not detected the intense fragrance of the potent drink from the two empty bottles before him, he would have thought that Xiao Luo just had two bottles of water.


    ¡°F*ck, what the hell!¡±


    Long Sankui was incensed and mmed hard on the table. Initially, he thought he could take on Xiao Luo with two bottles of liquor easily, but they did not seem to affect him after hefortably poured them down his gullet. This was a monumental p in his face for Long Sankui, especially as Xiao Luo praised the liquor¡¯s quality. He felt his cheeks burn like they were on fire. ¡°You rotten *sshole! You truly are a freak!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong smiled softly, ¡°Boss Long, Xiao Luo had drunk two bottles of Moutai as you asked, so is the hatred between you and him considered¡­¡±


    He did not finish the line and expected Long Sankui to get his meaning.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m keeping my word, the resentment between this rotten *sshole is considered over and done with. My Dragon Gang will nevery a finger on him.¡±


    Long Sankui tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment, then turned back to Leng Bao and Da Yuan abruptly and said coldly, ¡°Leng Bao, Da Yuan, you both are expelled from Dragon Gang from this day on. Cut every tie and connection you have with the Dragon Gang, and from hereon, everything you do has nothing to do with me, do you hear that?¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Both Leng Bao and Da Yuan were stunned. Expelled and to cut all ties with Dragon Gang? This couldn¡¯t be happening.


    ¡°Lord Long, what have we done wrong? Why¡¯d you expel us from Dragon Gang?¡±


    Da Yuan bellowed loudly, deeply agitated. He could not ept the fact that he had been expelled from Dragon Gang. He had been serving the gang loyally for so many years, how was he expelled so suddenly?


    ¡°Da Yuan, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Leng Bao dragged out Da Yuan forcefully, as he was losing hisposure.


    ¡°Why the f*ck¡¯d you drag me, Lord Long¡¯s gone nuts, he actually expelled us from Dragon Gang, and you¡¯re not questioning him?¡± Da Yuan roared continuously.


    Leng Bao adjusted his sses, looking over its frame with his chilling, viper-like eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t you see? Lord Long did not want to let the Xiao off, but he had already given his word to Chu Yunxiong that Dragon Gang would noty a finger on Xiao. If you still cannot make sense of it by now, you¡¯re truly an idiot.¡±


    Since leaving the room, Da Yuan¡¯s face has been contorted with rage. But after hearing those words, he suddenly felt like he had ¡°dispelled the clouds and seen the blue sky.¡± The cold, insidious smirk returned to its rightful ce in his countenance, as he merrily remarked, ¡°He is a sage! Lord Long¡¯s move is unfathomable. So now that we¡¯re not part of Dragon Gang anymore, naturally, we couldy our fingers on that Xiao, hahaha¡­¡±


    Leng Bao nodded and simply stared impassively in silence.


    In the wing-room, Chu Yunxiong looked hard at Long Sankui and said coldly, ¡°Boss Long, this is an excellent y by you!¡±


    Long Sankui sighed in mock innocence, ¡°Boss Chu, you are really joking, there¡¯s nothing such as a y here. Those brats had vited the rules set by me, and they must be expelled from Dragon Gang. This is Dragon Gang¡¯s affair, Boss Chu, you are not going to interfere, right?¡± His tone was enigmatic as he postured to leave, saying, ¡°Alright, since we¡¯re done with the talking, I should be leaving. We meet again, Boss Chu.¡± With that, he finished gulping down the cup of tea before him and stood up.


    He held up his dragon-headed walking stick and stopped briefly beside Xiao Luo, giving him a pat on his shoulder, ¡°You rotten *sshole, ¡®a storm may arise from a clear sky, and a man¡¯s fate remains uncertain like the weather,¡¯ take good care of yourself,haha¡­¡±


    As he finished speaking, heughed aloud and left the wing-room.


    Chu Yunxiong finished drinking thest cup of tea and asked in genuine concern, ¡°Xiao Luo, do you need some medication for a hangover?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no need.¡± Xiao Luo shook his head.


    Fortified by the System¡¯s Yijin Jing, the potency fo the moutai was effectively sequestered and released slowly, avoiding any damage to his vital organs.


    ¡°This did not go as expected, Long Sankui had only pretended to obey.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong held the teacup tightly, squeezing it between his thumb and index finger. Had Long Sankui dared to fool him in his younger days, he would have been strong-armed into epting or faced destruction. However, things were different now. Many people were relying on him for their jobs. His daughter, Chu Yue, was the most important thing to him now, and he would ignore everything else for her sake. His wish was to give her a peaceful and harmonious life.


    ¡°As they say, ¡®The virtue is one span tall, and the devil is ten,¡¯ Long Sankui is exceptionally cunning, but I¡¯m very thankful to Boss Chu for everything you¡¯ve done for me today.¡± Xiao Luo smiled, understanding his disappointment.


    ¡°You should be more careful from here on, both Leng Bao and Da Yuan are extremely skillful fighters.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°By the way, I came here for another important matter today.¡±


    He took out a bank card from his pocket as he spoke, passing it to Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°The money I owed to you, everything¡¯s inside, including bank interest. The password is 888888.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    Standing close by, both Leng Zuo and Leng You were shocked but kept theirposure. The deadline was supposed to be in one year, but Xiao Luo had cleared the debt of six hundred million in under three months. Although they knew Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s operation was in full swing and had captured arge chunk of the market in Jiangcheng, they were still surprised that he could return such arge sum to their boss in so short a time.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I now realize that I have greatly underestimated your capability.¡± Chu Yunxiong said, equally stunned as he stared at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯m just lucky.¡±


    Xiao Luo returned thepliment with a polite smile. Frankly, aside from Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s business performance, the other factors that allowed him to settle his debt so quickly were the indemnity from Fang Changleiand the eighty million he had just won at Yellow Skies Casino.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Perhaps it was the age difference, but Xiao Luo felt cautious when it came tomunicating with Chu Yunxiong. He had always kept a respectful distance from Chu Yunxiong, or perhaps it was his pride that made him not want to owe a favor to a big shot such as Chu Yunxiong. He did not feel that he would cross paths with Chu Yunxiong too often in the future.


    Xiao Luo drove Zhang Dashan¡¯s white Coro towards home after he left the Maple Leaf Hotel.


    The Yijin Jing he had just redeemed felt a little different than what he understood it to be. ording to the system notification, Yijin Jing would give him full immunity to all toxins. Its inner power presence was endless, and he could sense it like a rushing river. He only needed to clench his fist lightly, he could feel a powerful force gushing out.


    ¡°How strong could I be now?¡±


    To find his answer, Xiao Luo increased the pressure of his grip on the steering wheel lightly, and the aluminum-constructed steering wheel immediately shrunk and deformed. His ten fingers were stuck deep within.


    Even mentally prepared for it, he was still taken aback by his newfound strength. He hardly applied all of his power, about ten to twenty percent. Even then, he easily deformed the steering wheel by merely squeezing into it.


    As the car belonged to Zhang Dashan, it would be pretty embarrassing to return it with its steering wheel in such a state, so he immediately went looking for a car workshop to rece the damaged part.

 Chapter 184 - I Am Lei Feng

    Chapter 184: I Am Lei Feng


    When the car slowed down, arriving at the junction, all seemed well. Then unexpectedly and without any warning, a huge truck sped over from its right, colliding with the white Coro Xiao Luo in a horrendous crash. With force equivalent to the weight of a mountain, the ident would surely be fatal.


    BANG!


    Amid a deafening st, the white Coro was smashed entirely, its middle section caving in like cardboard. ss fragments shattered into a thousand pieces littering the crash site.


    The car was thrown about 40 meters from the point of impact, rolling several times beforeing to a rest. A path of destruction was strewn with debris along where the vehicle was thrown.


    On the empty street, the badly damaged carid on its side, with its horn wailing incessantly in mourning, piercing through the quiet of the night.


    The truck came to a stop, and both its doors opened. Two men alighted, hopping down from it. Da Yuan,blonde-haired, and Leng Bao, bespectacled, walked towards the white Coro.


    Da Yuan looked at hispatriot with a cruel smile on his face, ¡°That rascal should be dead, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, not far from it, even if he isn¡¯t,¡± Leng Bao said solemnly while subconsciously adjusting his spectacles.


    ¡°Well, who cares. I¡¯ll go give that rascal another stab!¡±


    Da Yuan chuckled savagely as he unsheathed a dagger from his waist and strode purposefully towards the broken Coro.


    As Da Yuan approached, a loud report came from the crumpled vehicle, just as its right front door flew open, thrust by a tremendous force. Xiao Luo emerged, grabbed the window frame with both hands, climbed out, and carefully hopped to the ground. He was bleeding profusely from cuts inflicted by the shattered sses and soaked in blood.


    ¡°Huh, he¡¯s not dead yet!¡±


    Da Yuan said, with a look of surprise on his face. Almost immediately, he began tough excitedly, ¡°This is great. I can flex my muscles now, hehehe¡­¡±


    From afar, Leng Bao intuitively sensed something amiss and warned, ¡°Do not underestimate your enemies!¡±


    ¡°Rx, that rascal could barely even stand, to kill him will be a piece of cake,¡± Da Yuan replied with a maniacalugh.


    It was true that Xiao Luo was severely injured, and would be in no state to resist. The truck¡¯s impact was devastating, and the force it had generated at that point should have killed anyone in the vehicle. If he hadn¡¯t redeemed the Yijin Jing skill from the system, he would have died instantly. As it turned out, Yijin Ying had shielded his heart and vessels with his inner power in the nick of time.


    As he stood there watching Da Yuan approach, his inner power began circting rapidly. His intent to kill began rising like a colossal tide.


    Like a cornered beast, he gave Da Yuan a deadly gaze, as he said word by word, ¡°You¡­ will¡­ die!¡±


    A raging fury had manifested as he drew himself to his full height, he had only one thing in mind.


    ¡°Die? Huh! Even garbage like you dares to say that?¡±


    Da Yuan flexed his lithe, muscr frame and entered into an attacking stance. In a series of quick, measured steps, he advanced toward Xiao Luo at a good speed. Before reaching striking distance, he suddenly lunged forward, his dagger slicing the air to strike the nk before he pulled it back and thrust the pointed tip of the de to his opponent¡¯s throat in one swift motion.


    As the de was about to pierce its intended mark, a hand appeared out of nowhere. It gripped his hand above the thumb with strong, vice-like fingers. Da Yuan¡¯s striking hand pushed upwards to his left, bringing his right arm across his face, and exposing his upper body to a counter strike. When it came, the blow hit like a sled hammer as it pummeled into Da Yuan¡¯s chest.


    KABOOM!!!


    The deadly force reverberated through Da Yuan¡¯s crumbling body, in waves of excruciating pain.


    NGGHH!


    Da Yuan was thrown back, flying through the air uncontrobly, before crashing to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and stared hard at Xiao Luo.


    But Da Yuan was no ordinary street fighter and retained his fighting mettle. The trained pugilist had quite some moves in his repertoire, and his mind was already working out steps to defeat his opponent. He slowed his breath and blocked out the pain. He shifted his center of gravity and raised himself steadily on one knee. As he attempted to rise, he spat out another mouthful of blood, and an unbearable pain followed, emanating from his chest. He nced down to his chest, his eyes widened, shocked at what he saw. Several ribs were protruding out, and his chest had copsed inwards. Blood that was oozing out from his open wound, soaking his shirt red. From the bloody cavity, he could almost see his own heart thumping rapidly.


    Da Yuan was horrified. He had practiced martial arts all his life and had cultivated his inner power to protect his body. How could his body be broken with a single punch, was this even possible?!


    ¡°Da Yuan, be careful!¡± Leng Bao cried out in panic.


    Da Yuan lifted his head, only in time to see Xiao Luo moving in swiftly, on the balls of his feet, bounding forward a distance of more than 10 meters. Landing within striking distance, his weight was transferred to his left leg, he then executed a quick skip to channel the energy, to a frontal snap kick, extending the same leg upwards right into Da Yuan¡¯s exposed chin.


    Swift, violent, without mercy!


    UMPPH!


    Da Yuan could almost feel the force smash into his brain, turning it to a slurry. His ears were buzzing, and before he could even shriek, he lost consciousness. He crashed into the ground some 20 to 30 meters away.


    Blood oozed out from his nostrils and mouth. His chin was shattered. His left eyeball was dangling out from his eye socket due to the tremendous impact, lolling from side to side against his cheek as hey on his side. He didn¡¯t look human anymore.


    AIYAH!


    Leng Bao gasped in terror as he stared at the bloody mess that was Da Yuan. From the moment Xiao Luo began until the moment Da Yuan was felled, everything happened in less than ten breaths. Leng Bao did not even get the chance to help him.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now!¡±


    His voice was clear and cold, devoid of emotion,ing from the depths of theherworld. Blood was dripping down from Xiao Luo¡¯s face, and his clothes were all torn, but he exuded a fighting intent that was ever so intense. In his burning eagerness to fight, the mes smouldering in his eyes appeared dark and sinister.


    Leng Bao trembled in fear. He saw before him a ruthless beast from head to toe. He wasn¡¯t someone that could be fathomed, still possessing such immense powers when he should have died in the crash.


    He did not answer the call of battle. After a quick moment of thought, he turned around, lifted Da Yuan¡¯s corpse, and hastily left the scene, sumbing to the call to retreat.


    Xiao Luo gasped as he looked at Leng Bao scamper away. When he was no longer in sight, he closed his eyes and slumped onto the ground in a pile.


    Even with Yijin Jing, he still sustained substantial injuries after being hit by a truck traveling at more than 90 miles per hour. His organs and blood vessels were shielded by his inner power, but the wounds inflicted on his outer body were severe. Pieces of ss fragments like parasites embedded in his flesh shimmered against the street light.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo regained consciousness, opened his eyes, and realized that he was in the hospital. He wanted to move but felt as if his limbs restrained. It was at that moment that he realized that there were bandages wrapped all around his body. The white bandage wrapped was around him made him look like a mummy.


    At that moment, a man with arge body and chubby face walked in with a bowl of ravioli. When he saw that Xiao Luo had awakened, struggling on the sickbed, and he was shocked. He quickly put down his ravioli and went forward to calm him down, ¡°Brother, you shouldn¡¯t be moving. You got more than 100 ss fragments removed from your body. The doctors went around the clock to stitch your wounds up. If you move, they¡¯ll crack open easily, and you¡¯ll have to suffer again.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    The chubby-faced man was startled. Then, he grinned, ¡°I¡¯m Lei Feng, remember? I saw you lying unconsciously by the road. Nobody dared to save you, so I called 120 to get you to the hospital. I even took care of you for a whole day and night. Who could I possibly be if not Lei Feng?¡±

 Chapter 185 - Are You His Father?

    Chapter 185: Are You His Father?


    Lei Feng?


    Xiao Luo looked at the man from top to bottom. He was much chubbier than Zhang Dashan. There were evident signs of aging on his skin, especially the three conspicuous lines of wrinkles on his forehead. He put the man¡¯s age at around 45 years. Putting aside his thoughts, he quickly expressed his gratitude, ¡°Thank you, old brother!¡±


    Addressing him as ¡®Old Brother¡¯ wasmon courtesy, but little did he expect the reaction, when the man heard him. He flew into a rage and said, ¡°What old brother? You are the old brother! Your whole family is an old brother! Let me ask you how old are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo was confused. After some thought, he replied, ¡°Twenty-six.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re twenty-six? I¡¯m just twenty-two.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re twenty-two?¡±


    Xiao Luo consciously kept his eyes from opening wide in surprise. He could not believe that this man, with the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties, was still this young.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    The man fumbled for his identity card, and finally, getting it out from the inner pocket of his shirt, held it in front of Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, ¡°See for yourself, am I twenty-two?¡±


    Xiao Luo got a good look at his identity card. He was really twenty-two! He also had rather bumpkin-ish, yet down to earth name: Liu Tieguo. [1]


    ¡°See it now? Don¡¯t just simply call someone¡¯ old brother¡¯. You are four years older than me. I should be the one calling you old brother,¡± Liu Tieguo said with a snort of contempt., keeping his ID back in his pocket.


    Xiao Luo was unsure whether to cry orugh. When he looked at Liu Tieguo¡¯s overly mature appearance, he had to doubt whether his birth date was altered 20 years forward when he applied for his ID.


    Knock. Knock. Knock.


    A nurse appeared at the door, followed by two police officers alongside her.


    ¡°The one on the bed is the car owner that was sent to our hospital after the car crashst night,¡± the nurse introduced to the cops.


    The cops nodded, then stepped towards the bed. The male officer saluted Xiao Luo, ¡°Good day, sir. Are you the owner of the car, C0019, Zhang Dashan?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m his friend,¡± Xiao Luo answered honestly.


    The other female cop hurriedly recorded the information.


    The male cop asked again, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Can you still remember what happened yesterday?¡±


    ¡­


    The two cops asked more than 10 questions consecutively. The scene of the car crashst night was at the blind spot of the surveince cameras. They were unable to observe the entire incident through surveince footage; hence, they could only question the people involved. Besides, based on their preliminary deduction, this car crash wasn¡¯t as simple as it looked. The truck that opened up its throttle from the incident yesterday was reported as scrap one year ago. Someone had deliberately fixed it to be used in the ident.


    ¡°Thank you for cooperating with us.¡± The two police officers once again saluted Xiao Luo.


    ¡°My friend, I heard you said that the car identst night was premeditated. What in the name of Heavens is going on?¡± Liu Tieguo asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t ponder on it. We¡¯ll investigate it thoroughly,¡± the male cop said.


    The other female cop echoed with a gentle smile, ¡°Rest assured. We will definitely arrest the wrongdoers. Are you his father? Uncle, your son, is already past twenty, but you still look so young. You are really blessed.¡±


    As a woman, she was naturally better than the opposite gender when it came toforting words. She was smiling pleasantly, and her words offort were from the depths of her heart. However, for Liu Tieguo, this wasn¡¯tforting at all, this was tant humiliation.


    Liu Tieguo was once again piqued, ¡°What blessed! You are the one who is blessed! Your whole family is blessed! Since when did I have such an old son? Maybe you can make one for me!¡± As he continued, he again took out his ID to show it to the female cop, ¡°Look clearly, I¡¯m only 22, don¡¯t think that you can just simply call other people uncle because you are a cop. You are humiliating me as a person, you know?¡±


    Upon sighting the ID and getting a clear look at Liu Tieguo¡¯s date of birth, the female cop got really embarrassed. Her face immediately flushed liver red. She quickly apologized, ¡°S-sorry, I-I misunderstood¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmph!¡±


    Liu Tieguo angrily returned his identity card to his pocket.


    Xiao Luo was amused. He couldn¡¯t remember thest time he was mistaken for being the son of someone else.


    At that moment, the male cop asked, ¡°Mr. Liu, what is your rtionship with Mr. Xiao?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re totally unrted. I¡¯m just a passer-by. I sent him to the hospital as I saw him lying unconscious on the ground.¡±


    Liu Tieguo raised his chin to the left and snorted, ¡°Oh yeah, since uncle cop, and aunty cop is already here, there will be no need for I, Lei Feng, to remain.¡± He turned to Xiao Luo, ¡°Old brother, the ravioli I bought you is on the table. Eat it while it¡¯s still hot. If it isn¡¯t convenient for you to do it yourself, ask uncle cop and aunty cop to feed you. You know, they are government servants. They should do this kind of stuff. I¡¯m leaving, so bye!¡±


    He had intentionally emphasized the words, uncle, and aunty. He was obviously just being sarcastic. Then, he turned away without looking back. He was in a mood of mncholy. He got called ¡®old brother¡¯ because his face looked like it was in a hurry to age, and what¡¯s worst, he got mistaken as the father of a 26-year-old man. What the hell was going on in his life?


    The two cops took on an awkward expression, but they were thinking, ¡°Well, you looked old, how could you me us?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan rushed over as soon as he received the news. His rough voice preceded his entrance.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, Old Xiao¡­¡±


    He pushed the door open. When he saw Xiao Luo, who was on the bed wrapped like a mummy, he ran over hurriedly, ¡°Are you Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Who else can I be?¡± Xiao Luo replied brusquely.


    ¡°What the f*ck, which quack wrapped you up like this? Aside from your mouth, nose, and eyes, you are all¡­ wrapped up! How to pee and sh*t like this?¡± Zhang Dashan put down his briefcase, making a point to daringly yelled the word ¡®quack¡¯ inside the hospital.


    ¡°Shut up and pay up my medical bills,¡± Xiao Luo said in mock anger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? Let me ask you, did the Dragon Gang did this?¡± asked Zhang Dashan.


    Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°F*ck. I really want those bastard¡¯s dead!¡± Zhang Dashan gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Enough, just take care of Luo¡¯s Workshop for me, alright? Don¡¯t worry about the other stuff.¡±


    Xiao Luo advised him, knowing he meant every word of it. Then he was reminded of Feng Wuhen and hispanions, ¡°Consider Feng Wuhen and rest working for me. You mustn¡¯t mistreat them in terms of wages. When I finally destroy the Dragon Gang, you have to recruit them back to thepany and give them a chance to train and improve themselves. Only in that way can they be given high posts when Luo¡¯s Workshop expands to the other cities.¡±


    ¡°Old Xiao, you better settle these things yourself after you get better. Your priority now should be to take care of your injuries.¡± Saying that Zhang Dashan took his briefcase and went to settle his medical expenses.


    Funnily, Xiao Luo suddenly thought of Liu Tieguo, who had brought him to the hospital.


    If he were to let Zhang Dashan know that there was someone with a bigger and chubbier face than him, he should feel veryforted.


    Then his mind wandered to yesterday¡¯s car crash.


    A cold glint emerged within Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. Da Yuan was dead, and Leng Bao, who got away, had now made his way into his must-kill list.


    [1] Tieguo: meaning metal pot

 Chapter 186 - A Tooth for a Tooth

    Chapter 186: A Tooth for a Tooth


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIn the dimly lit room, Da Yuanid face-up on the ground. His bloodied face was white as a sheet, and he was dead. Han Mian and Hei Lang stood at the side with solemn looks on their faces. They were incensed, deep in anguish.


    Compared to the other two, Leng Bao appeared rtively calmer. He hadn¡¯t recovered from the fact that Da Yuan was kicked to death by Xiao Luo. When he remembered Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes brimming in a fury and on the warpath, an dark, unspoken emotion returned to haunt him.


    Long Sankui was sitting on the master¡¯s chair, holding a cane, shaped like a dragon¡¯s head with his right hand, and ying with two bao ding balls [1] with his left. With aging eyes that were glowing like the stars in winter, he red at Leng Bao, ¡°He was kicked to death by that kid?¡±


    Leng Bao wanted to answer no, but the fact was yes.


    He nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What the f*ck? Is that kid really so extraordinary?¡±


    Long Sankui clenched his left hand. The two bao ding balls made of metal shriveled and deformed instantly like two clumps of sticine being squeezed together.


    Leng Bao adjusted his spectacles, then said, ¡°We hit him with a truck. Even the car he was driving broke apart, but he was unscathed. Master Long, I suspect that he¡¯s a past master in martial arts with a, not at all weak, inner power.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t. Even if his inner power is strong, he would still have suffered some serious injuries under the circumstance. Hence, the purpose of him wrapping up his fight with Da Yuan rapidly was to startle you. If you weren¡¯t startled back then, killing him will be like a cakewalk.¡± Long Sankui quickly deduced Xiao Luo¡¯s thoughts during the incident, in a blink of an eye.


    Leng Bao was slightly stunned. If what Master Long said was true, didn¡¯t he just missed a great chance to kill Xiao Luo?


    After he carefully retraced the incident in his memory, he did indeed find some credence to the idea. When Xiao Luo confronted him, his intent to fight was intense, but he was covered in blood and was clearly not in good physical state. He was most probably an arrow at the end of its flight. Having thought about that, he immediately knelt on one knee, ¡°I beseech your forgiveness, Master Long!¡±


    ¡°Forgive you? Hah! Get 10 of our greatest men and scour every hospital. The kid must be tending to his wounds in one of them. If you find him, chop him into eight pieces at once.¡±


    Long Sankui forcefully bashed the ground with his cane, ¡°This is your chance to redeem yourself. Treasure it!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Leng Bao nodded reverently, while his eyes hidden underneath his sses emanated the cold re of a venomous viper.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo was bandaged from head to toe. This was his fourth day in the hospital. His Yijin Jing was circting unceasingly, and his wounds were healing at an elerated rate. His King of Mercenary¡¯s physique was equally potent. Under theirbined effects, his injuries were treated entirely.


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t stay in the office like he ordered him to do. On this day, he came to visit Xiao Luo again. When he pushed the door open, he was astounded. He had witnessed something unbelievable! Crackling noises came from Xiao Luo, who was lying on the sickbed wrapped up like a mummy. Along with those sounds, the white bandages started to burst apart, and Xiao Luo came out from his cocoon like a butterfly who hadpleted metamorphosis.


    When he saw Xiao Luo jumping down from the sickbed and all the bandages on his body falling off him like goose feathers, Zhang Dashan plopped his buttocks down on the ground out of sheer shock. For him, nothing in this world couldn¡¯t be described with ¡°f*ckin hell.¡± If there were to be something that couldn¡¯t, he would just describe it with two of them.


    Xiao Luo was standing next to the bed, naked. Every inch of his skin was as fair and tender like a baby under the baptism of Yijin Jing. There were no scars on his body. His lines were distinct, just like a masterly carved sculpture.


    ¡°Motherf*cker, can you not point your dick at me?!¡±


    Zhang Dashan calmed himself down and stood up, patting the dust off his buttocks. Now, he was almost immune to the incredible tales that had happened around Xiao Luo. Not to mention all of Xiao Luo¡¯s wounds healing within three to four days, it would have been eptable for him even if Xiao Luo jacked off and shot down an airne from the sky. His good old brother, Xiao Luo, could never be conjectured withmon logic.


    Xiao Luo moved away from the sickbed unhurriedly and put on a jumpsuit.


    ¡°Why did youe again? Didn¡¯t I ask you to stay in thepanypound while I deal with the Dragon Gang?¡±


    ¡°The heck Old Xiao. I¡¯m not even this kind to my own girlfriend. Fools never know when they are well off, you know?¡± Zhang Dashan said disdainfully.


    Xiao Luo buttoned-up one by one. He nced at him, ¡°You ever had a girlfriend?¡±


    This directly pricked on Zhang Dashan¡¯s pain. His face flushed instantly, ¡°You wanna rub it in, huh? Fine, fine. I¡¯m noting ever again! I¡¯ll just stay in the office with thedies, alright?! F*ckin hell!¡±


    He left mumbling to himself.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As night fell, the neon lights turned Jiangcheng into a sleepless city.


    Leng Bao was very dispirited. In thest four days, he had deployed the men assigned to him to every single hospital in Jiangcheng City but had failed to find any patient by the name of Xiao Luo. Who would have expected that Xiao Luo was registered under the name of Liu Tieguo? Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t have gotten anywhere bandying the name of Xiao Luo.


    He was sitting in the car and was feeling anxious, as if in need of a drug fix. When his men came back reporting to him that Xiao Luo was not in any of the hospitals that he had sent them to, he couldn¡¯t tolerate it any longer. He punched the car window, shattering the ss.


    At that moment, his phone rang. It from an unknown number.


    He adjusted his spectacles, forcing himself to calm down. He picked up his phone and answered the call, ¡°Who¡¯s speaking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Xiao Luo!¡± On his phone, a chilling voice sounded.


    Leng Bao immediately sat upright, ¡°How did you get my contact?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t important. You have been busy looking for me, don¡¯t you want to know where I am?¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Look up.¡±


    Leng Bao reacted by raising his head at once. His pupils dted adjusting to the darkened skies, and through the sunroof, he saw a car rolling off the adjacent building, more than ten-story high. It seemed to linger in the air for a while, then plummeted quickly, elerating in speed with the momentum.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    He broke into a cold sweat, momentarily frozen in the clutches of death. Leng Bao was terrified, pale with fear. He instantly regained his senses, and immediately tried to get out. But it was toote. Even as his hand was on the door handle, the falling car plunged straight into the roof of his vehicle, with unimaginable force.


    BOOM!


    A thunderous boom followed, shaking the ground around it and, the ck car was gone, pulverized and crushed in an instant. All four wheels copsed, its tires blown, and debris sted in every direction, sending a wave of terror to all standing close by.


    Leng Bao, trapped inside, was instantly squashed into minced meat. His blood seeped out along the gaps of the car door and dripped onto the ground.


    The surrounding Dragon Gang members were stunned at what they had just witnessed. Their eyes fixated at the ghastly scene as they trembled. Then,ing out of their stupor, they called Long Sankui and reported, stuttering, ¡°Master Long, Protector Leng¡­ protector Leng is¡­ is dead¡­¡±


    Watching the scene from the top of the building, Xiao Luo dusted off his hands, turned, and walked away, like a trivial task had just beenpleted.


    A tooth for a tooth, blood for blood!


    Footnotes:


    [1] bao ding balls: metallic spheres developed to gently stimte the muscles, nerves, and acupressure points of the fingers, hands, and forearms.

 Chapter 187 - Hes My Brother, Xiao Nai

    Chapter 187: He¡¯s My Brother, Xiao Nai


    On the night on the fifth day, Xiao Luo received a call from the Ren Vige police station located in the Guangming district. The caller had informed him to report himself at the branch station at 8 am on the next day. He was to participate in a medical examination and wouldmence the special training program alongside other recruited police trainees. The special training program wouldst for half a month, and it would be entirely based on military training. All activities would be carried out at the branch station¡¯s training base, and all trainees would be isted from allmunication with the outside world.


    How very troublesome!


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. Initially, he thought he could assume the role right after the medical examination, but it seemed that he was overthinking.


    But it couldn¡¯t be helped. Dealing with the Dragon Gang didn¡¯t mean killing all their members. He would only be the Chinese government¡¯s primary target if he did that. He reminded himself that his goal was to annihte all of the Dragon Gang¡¯s business.


    A night of silence¡­


    Xiao Luo woke up at 5 am, packed his clothes, and embarked on his journey to the Guangming District branch station.


    It was already 7 am when he arrived at the branch station. After eating breakfast at a roadside stall, he walked into the police station. In the police stationpound, Xiao Luo saw many prospective auxiliary policemen taking part in the medical examination and special training like him. There were both men and women, totaling about 20 people. Upon arrival, they presented their name seals and turned in theirmunication devices and personal belongings.


    Two officers in uniforms were standing on the stage. They looked at their watches from time to time and regrly checked on the number of people who had arrived.


    ¡°How many haven¡¯t arrived?¡±


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost eight, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, soon.¡±


    ¡°Eliminate that person when the time passes eight o¡¯clock. People without the most basic concept of time aren¡¯t suited to be in the auxiliary police force.¡±


    The two were having a serious conversation, and everyone could hear them clearly. The trainees expressed sympathy for that unlucky person. That person would have gone through a long process before this and was actually going to be disqualified from bing an auxiliary police officer just because he waste for one minute. He would definitely be so remorseful that his intestines would turn green.


    ¡°Bro, where are you from? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Hello prettydies, did you bothe together? What are your names? We¡¯ll be colleagues after this just so you know.¡±


    ¡­


    Seizing this opportunity, those with extroverted personalities became active, getting to know everyone by their names.


    ¡°Ahe-hem¡­ alright, times up, queue up in two lines, and¡­¡±


    Once eight o¡¯clock struck, the middle-aged officer with a square jawline raised his voice and shouted but was interrupted by a loud duck-like voice.


    ¡°Wait! There¡¯s another one here!¡±


    A man with a round face, average height, chubby cheeks, and enormous ears came rushing in from the station¡¯s entrance wearing arge-sized white shirt and jeans with a bootcut. He was gasping for air and perspiring profusely all over.


    Liu Tieguo?!


    Xiao Luo was startled. This man was the very same person who sent him to the hospital a few days ago, Liu Tieguo. It seemed that Jiangcheng City was pretty small for the two to have met again so soon. He initially thought of searching for him via his connections to thank him properly. However, it seemed like it wouldn¡¯t now be necessary.


    ¡°And you are?¡±


    The officer with a square jawline looked at him from head to toe and asked.


    Liu Tieguo saluted him, ¡°Sir, I am Liu Tieguo, an auxiliary reserve policeman who came to attend the medical examination and special training.¡±


    ¡°Is he really a recruit?¡±


    The officer with a square jawline pointed at Liu Tieguo and looked suspiciously at the other officer.


    The other officer looked at the name list, then nodded, ¡°His name is on the list.¡±


    With that being said, he took out Liu Tieguo¡¯s resume and passed it to the officer with a square jawline. After the officer with a square jawlinepared the photo on Liu Tieguo¡¯s resume with the person standing in front of him, he immediately frowned, ¡°Why does your photo not resemble you at all?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, it is because I was smiling in the photo. It will be the same if I smile.¡±


    Liu Tieguo smiled immediately. His eyes squinted into two lines resembling that of a Maitreya statue.


    ¡°But this¡­ it doesn¡¯t feel right either. The man on the photo doesn¡¯t look so mature like you,¡± the officer with a square jawline remained unconvinced.


    Liu Tieguo quickly exined, ¡°I do indeed look older, but my information is absolutely real, especially that photo of me. It is me, 100%. I just beautified myself with MeituPic [1], smoothened my skin, and added a magenta filter to make my appearance fit in better with my real age.¡±


    PFFT~


    A girl couldn¡¯t contain herugher anymore, ¡°Uncle, are you sure that you¡¯re here to be an auxiliary policeman, not aedian?¡±


    Her sentence instantly tickled everyone and brought on waves ofughter.


    Liu Tieguo was annoyed. He had faced the same thing repeatedly, and it really annoyed him a lot. He took out his identity card and said to the crowd seriously, ¡°I am only twenty-two years old. I am not an uncle. I am still a youngd.¡±


    The crowdughed even louder. Even the officer with a square jawline who had always kept a serious face couldn¡¯t help but chuckle for a moment. He immediately regained hisposure afterward and shouted, ¡°Enough, stopughing. You will all be colleagues in the future. Mocking at your own colleagues isn¡¯t a noble thing to do.¡±


    Liu Tieguo was so touched that he almost teared up. He thought, ¡°They are definitely fine servants of our society! They know what¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Liu Tieguo, queue up in line!¡± the officer with a square jawline shouted at him.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Liu Tieguo moved to the end of the first queue.


    As soon as he got into position, he shrieked in bewilderment. Then, he pulled Xiao Luo¡¯s arm in front of him, ¡°Old brother, why are you here? Wait, how did you get discharged so quickly? You were still being wrapped up like a mummy a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°You know about my elder brother being hospitalized?¡± Xiao Luo turned around and asked, feigning to be surprised.


    ¡°Your elder brother?¡± Liu Tieguo was confused. He thought, ¡°Are they not the same person?¡±


    ¡°Yea, the one in the hospital is Xiao Nai, my elder brother. I¡¯m Xiao Luo,¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    Liu Tieguo shook his head resolutely, ¡°That can¡¯t be, he told the cops that he was Xiao Luo thest time around, not Xiao Nai.¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed. He pointed at his head and said whisperingly, ¡°The car ident f*cked up his brain. He doesn¡¯t know how to differentiate his name and my name anymore.¡±


    Oh!


    Liu Tieguo nodded in acknowledgement of the exnation. So, they were brothers. That would exin why they look so simr to each other. Then, he asked out of concern, ¡°Is your brother alright?¡±


    ¡°Yea, he¡¯s fine. He was transferred to another hospital in another city. He should be able to recover in less than two months,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s great,¡± Liu Tieguo sighed out of relief.


    Xiao Luo reached out his hands, ¡°Hello, Brother Tieguo. My name is Xiao Luo. Turning twenty this year.¡±


    Liu Tieguo seemed like a middle-aged man to Xiao Luo, no matter which angle he looked at him from, so he couldn¡¯t just bring himself call him by his name. Besides, Liu Tieguo had saved his life; it was appropriate for Xiao Luo to address him as ¡®brother.¡¯ However, Xiao Luo emphasized that he was 20 to avoid Liu Tieguo from acting like a baby in front of him.


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Liu Tieguo chuckled.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Brother Tieguo, how did you know that my brother is in the hospital? Do you know my brother?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s because¡­¡±


    Liu Tieguo was about to tell him the truth, but then he stopped himself abruptly recalling the phrase ¡°do good deeds without leaving a name.¡± He therefore put on a sagely look and said, ¡°Buddha said, I mustn¡¯t say anything, hehe¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo almost lost it and nearly cracked up. He was trying so hard to contain hisughter and his shoulders from shaking.


    Footnotes:


    [1] MeituPic: An image editing softwaremonly used in maind China

 Chapter 188 - Gu Qian Xue

    Chapter 188: Gu Qian Xue


    After the medical examination, Xiao Luo and the rest of the trainees were transferred to the training base of the Guangming District branch station. The base was located at a remote location at the foot of the mountain in the Guangming district. Although it was a training ground for the auxiliary police trainees to improve their physical condition, it looked more like a military camp.


    ¡°Wow, this is awesome! Look, there¡¯s a shooting range over there!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s also an obstacle course. OMG, this ce is lit!¡±


    ¡°I think this training ground costs tens of millions to build.¡±


    When these auxiliary policemen trainees who were participating in the special training program entered the training camp, they were naturally inquisitive about everything there. The mud pools, sandpits, running fields¡­ everything there got their hearts racing. Scenes of special forces training like those on television appeared in their minds. Thrilling and invigorating, everything was just so exciting for them.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll shed ayer of skin here.¡±


    Liu Tieguo murmured quietly. He was the only person who wasn¡¯t too enthusiastic about the camp.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After changing into their uniforms at the training camp¡¯s dormitory, they regathered at the training grounds.


    When they arrived at the ground, there were already two men in ck singlets, camouge trousers, and ck boots standing inside the training grounds. The two were tall and buffed. Both were over 1.8 meters tall, tanned, had eyes that looked like a torch, and one of them was even wearing sunsses. They seemed extremely grim by appearance.


    The one wearing sunsses had a toothpick in his mouth. He was standing upright with his arms firmly behind his back. He stepped forward and introduced to the crowd, ¡°Let me first introduce myself. Surname, Yan; name, Wang. I am your instructor from today onward, in charge of your special training across a fifteen-day duration.¡±


    Yan Wang? The king of hell?


    The crowd gossiped among each other as they were curious about their instructor¡¯s name.


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    Yan Wang shouted, ¡°Shout ¡®Report¡¯ before you say anything, and you may only speak when I allow you to do so, do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°We heard you!¡±


    The crowd responded in unison.


    ¡°In the future, answer me with only ¡®yes¡¯ or ¡®no.¡¯ I don¡¯t wish to hear any other answers.¡± There was an air of strength and manliness in Yan Wang¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the crowd answered in concert.


    ¡°Good. I believe we will have a great time together.¡±


    Yan Wang looked at everyone with his glistening eyes. He was stern, ruthless, and distant, ¡°Deputy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The other man stepped forward and shouted with his chest out and head high.


    ¡°Let them move their muscles and bones,¡± said Yan Wang.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The deputy instructor turned to the crowd, ¡°Everyone, turn right and start running. Go along the perimeter of the training ground. Do not stop until I give you the order to do so!¡±


    Everyone abided by his orders and began jogging.


    When they left, Yan Wang shook his head, ¡°The requirements for auxiliary police trainees are really getting lower these days. Just look at them, they are as unrefined as homemade soup. None of them have a military background, and none of them are trained with that iron discipline. They are just some regr townsfolks. Making thempetent for maintaining public security with just half a month of hasty training? If this isn¡¯t a joke, what is?!¡±


    Deputy instructor Feng Zixiao offered his opinion, ¡°Now, all stations are in short of active policemen. Besides, with Jiangcheng¡¯s continuous development and construction, our urban area is gettingrger, so naturally, the demand for policemen is constantly rising. The higher-ups are also forced to recruit regr civilians because of that.¡±


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, this isn¡¯t the proper way to recruit candidates. The requirements are too low. It will drag down the overall quality of the auxiliary policemen, and properw enforcement cannot be carried out. Have they not learned from the lessons of the past few years?¡± Yan Wang was very dissatisfied with the higher-ups.


    Feng Zixiao sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right. However¡­¡± He took out a girl¡¯s information sheet from his file and handed it to Yan Wang, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others, but this girl is definitely qualified in all aspects!¡±


    ¡°Gu Qianxue?¡± Yan Wang looked at the name on the resume.


    Feng Zixiao nodded and exined, ¡°She is the sister of Gu Qianlin, head of the Primary Taskforce of Jiangcheng District. Influenced by her sister, she vowed to be a police officer. What makes her different from her sister is that she became the disciple of the Lone Greybeard at Mount Tianshan when she was only ten years of age and has honed a good set of skills. After she left the mountain, she often followed Gu Qianlin to therge training grounds. Her marksmanship is top-notch, and her uracy with rifles and guns cannot be questioned.¡±


    ¡°Listening to what you said, I do feel that we have ourselves a treasure.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Gu Qianxue¡¯s achievements will definitely be greater than her sister¡¯s in the future.¡±


    Yan Wang shed a toothy smile as his eyes settled on the well-limbed and elegant girl running at the front of the group.


    Her expression was solemn. She had a pretty face, though she seemed somewhat aloof. Along with her attractive and confident demeanor, she had fair skin, her body was slender, her countenance was cold yet delicate, and her eyes were deep and gorgeous. Although she was dressed in a camouge uniform just like the others, her appealing disposition made her stand out from the crowd, just like a white swam amidst a flock of ordinary ducks.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Just when can we stop? My legs are falling off!¡±


    ¡°I know, right. We¡¯ve just started, and these instructors are already making it so hard, I think they want us to die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, what we see on television is all fake. There is no thrill or excitement here. If it goes on like this, I¡¯ll copse for sure.¡±


    After running for fiveps, the trainees were beginning to lose their intensity and presence of minds from the fatigue. Everyone was absolutely drained and struggling to carry on. They all had their eyes fixed on Feng Zixiao. At this point, they were earnestly longing for him to shout the word ¡®stop.¡¯


    Xiao Luo, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t feeling any difort. But to be less conspicuous, he had been running unhurriedly beside Liu Tieguo. Liu Tieguo was struggling and was unable to speak. He was totally exhausted and was panting like a dog, lolling his tongue out and desperately gasping for air.


    ¡°Run, speed up! Just look at yourselves, even a girl is ahead of you, don¡¯t you guys feel ashamed? Go faster, and do not stop! Whoever stops will get points docked off immediately!¡± Yang Wang yelled and press on.


    It was only after hearing him that the crowd realized the person running at the front was a girl. Many male trainees, with masculine pride at stake, were gritting their teeth as they motivated themselves by shouting aloud that they would surpass her.


    But each time when they were just about to overtake her, she would always hasten up and keep the lead. After several attempts, everyone was discouraged and gave up. At the same time, they all wondered, ¡°Just who is this girl? Why does she have such great stamina?¡±


    Xiao Luo was quite surprised as well. After carefully observing her, he discovered that her breathing was very stable. After running for five to sixps, she was hardly breaking a sweat, unlike the other trainees who already had their uniforms soaked to the skin.


    ¡°It looks like she had trained at this level before, and definitely not just casually,¡± Xiao Luo evaluated in his heart.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t go on¡­¡±


    Liu Tieguo¡¯s lips were trembling and turning pale as he gradually slowed down to almost a halt. These were the signs of exhaustion.


    Without saying a word, Xiao Luo supported him with his arms, ¡°Brother Tieguo, you better don¡¯t stay upte so frequently. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    When Xiao Luo first saw Liu Tieguo, he could already tell that his body was frail and that his old appearance was probably caused by him frequently staying upte. His frailness would not usually show, but all would be exposed during grueling and intensive activities. Even the other girls were still holding on, but Liu Tieguo, on the other hand, could no longer persist.

 Chapter 189 - Combat

    Chapter 189: Combat


    Feng Zixiao only called in the auxiliary police trainees after 20ps. They were all in sheer exhaustion, sprawling on the ground and gasping heavily for air. When the run ended, several of the girls even copsed and were immediately sent to the dispensary. It was all in all, an eventful start to the special training program.


    But, such was the effect he intended, it was to put the fear of God into every new recruit!


    However, what hade as an incredible surprise to both him and Yan Wang was that other than Gu Qianxue, there was unexpectedly one other, and he happened to be standing right there now, showing no signs of exhaustion. He was looking perfectly fine.


    ¡°What¡¯s the background of this fe?¡±


    Yan Wang turned to Feng Zixiao, taking off his sunsses and pointing at Xiao Luo.


    Feng Zixiao hurriedly flipped through the trainee profiles he had on hand and soon found what he was looking for. He handed it to Yan Wang and answered, ¡°This person¡¯s name is Xiao Luo. His information sheet doesn¡¯t reveal too much about his background. He is from the Xi Province and worked for the Huahai Group Co., Ltd, until a few months ago. He is just a normal wage earner who has traveled south.¡±


    ¡°If so, his physical fitness is impressive, huh¡­ Interesting. It seems that this group of trainees may not be so boring after all.¡± Yan Wang took a look at Xiao Luo¡¯s information sheet, and a conniving smile shed on his face.


    At the same time, Gu Qianxue had also been sizing Xiao Luo up. She was observing him with her curious, bright eyes, keen to know how Xiao Luo was able to push through the run, just like she did. She wondered if he had been through the kind of training that she had, but after a short while, she decided not to specte too much. Still looking somewhat contemtive, she pouted slightly and shifted her gaze elsewhere.


    ¡­


    For the next three consecutive days, the trainees were subjected to a regime of harsh physical fitness sessions. The strenuous and physically testing drills took its toll on everyone. At the end of each day, they had their hands on their knees, panting for breath, and their thighs were numb with soreness. Their legs were so sore that they even needed to hold on to something to squat down for a release, making every visit to the toilet a challenging process fraught with difficulty and pain. They had now lost their passion and the thrill for the military training they had so looked forward to. It now felt like purgatory itself.


    Besides their daily physical fitness training, they had to study and memorize the regtions and guidelines on how police officers should conduct themselves. To add to their woes, Yan Wang would regrly quiz them on how they should handle a variety of situations as members of the auxiliary police force. Those unable to answer would immediately be subject to corporal punishment. For the men, this would mean a well-aimed kick up their rear; and for thedies, a set of 15 sit-ups.


    Usually, when the trainees got the answer wrong, Yan Wang would press them again for another answer, and if they got the next answer wrong as well, they would be punished for both. Earlier, poor Liu Tieguo had failed to answer 10 consecutive questions correctly, and as a result, his buttocks almost burst from Yan Wang¡¯s vicious kicks. The pain had been unbearable, and he howled out miserably a couple of times with tears in his eyes.


    There was nothing Xiao Luo could do about it as well, such were the demands of special training. Surely, he couldn¡¯t rush to the front and send Yan Wang flying with a blow, though he wished it at times.


    After the first few days, everyone hade to know about how ferocious and sadistic Yan Wang could be. He really was as ruthless as his namesake from Hell[1]. His name had now be synonymous with unpleasant things and wasmonly paired with swear words in the trainees¡¯ daily speech at the camp., As an example, they would say something like ¡°If I did indeed badmouth you, may I end up with a significant other exactly like that d*ckhead Yan Wang in the future!¡±


    After five days, everyone had gradually limatized to the high-intensity physical training with, and before they knew it, they were to report to the gym.


    There were many regr police officers in singlets and shorts working out in the gym, and they looked robust, buffed-up, and fit. As they filed in, they heard Yan Wang shouting at Feng Zixiao, ¡°Get up!¡±


    Feng Zixiao nodded and stepped up to the ring. Holding the ropes with both hands, he jumped over with both feet andnded into the ring like a swift swallow, his actions agile and graceful. As soon as he entered the arena, Feng Zixiao took off the instructor¡¯s uniform, revealing the ck singlet and ck shorts beneath. His muscles were well defined and evenly distributed all over his body, and he certainly cut a heroic figure. Although he was 1.8 meters tall, he didn¡¯t seem skinny; on the contrary, he was broad and strong and exuded a formidable aura.


    ¡°Combat is one of your core lessons. Learningbative skills ensures that you all are capable of defeating criminals when you run into them. So today, I will teach you all how to fight your enemies.¡±


    Yan Wang¡¯s steely voice rang out. With his thumb, he pointed at Feng Zixiao on the arena, a cheeky smile on his face. ¡°Who here thinks that they are capable enough can go up and practice with him. If you can exchange 10 blows with him, you can have the day off and go have fun.¡±


    ¡°Sir, can we go outside to have fun?¡± It was Liu Tieguo who asked in a loud voice.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Yan Wang with augh.


    Liu Tieguo¡¯s eyes sparkled, and he replied, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be the first to try.¡±


    Xiao Luo extended a hand and put it on his shoulder, shaking his head and motioning him not to go, because he was totally no match for Feng Zixiao.


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t stop me. My video game addiction is acting up, it¡¯s too ufortable, and I haven¡¯t been sleeping for the past few days. For the sake of my dream of ying PUBG, I¡¯ve decided to go and try. 10 blows, I should be able to withstand it,¡± said Liu Tieguo.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t attempt to stop him any further. After hanging out with Liu Tieguo over thest few days, he had found the reason behind Liu Tieguo¡¯s aged appearance. Liu Tieguo loved to stay upte to y games and smoke. These were had been his habits for some time now, so naturally, they took a toll on him.


    As everyone looked on, Liu Tieguo walked into the ring.


    He gave a Buddha-like smile and bowed to Feng Zixiao. ¡°Instructor Feng, please be kind on me!¡±


    Feng Zixiao returned a smile. ¡°Sure!¡±


    As soon as he said so, he shifted forward, the balls of his feet gliding over the ring floor and dashed towards Liu Tieguo as swiftly as a gust of wind. His right leg swept across from the trickiest angle imaginable, aiming right at Liu Tieguo¡¯s face.


    BOOM!


    Liu Tieguo didn¡¯t even have any time to react. He felt like his face had been struck viciously by a thick metal whip. He spun on the spot, twice, before falling to the ground. His head was rested on the floor, and his ears were ringing. He had lost all sense of direction as his face stung from the searing pain.


    WAHH!


    Everyone drew in a deep breath. Knocking out someone with a single kick was just unbelievable.


    Xiao Luoughed silently to himself, he had expected this to be the oue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that this is cruel, Instructor Feng has deliberately let him off easy, but the ruthless criminals you meet in reality will not hold back at all. If you don¡¯t want to sacrifice yourself on the job, train properly and learn the skills well,¡± said Yan Wang beside them with a reprimanding tone.


    Inspired by his words, several of the more confident trainees challenged Feng Zixiao, but none of themsted 10 blows. The one that persevered the longest endured a mere five blows.


    After everyone¡¯s ambition was humbled, their opinion of Feng Zixiao was one of awe and respect, and they were wary. How could he even be human, he was clearly a machine designed forbat!


    ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing, I¡¯m the only one who didn¡¯t evenst one blow.¡± Liu Tieguo said dejectedly, holding his hand to his cheek, and still feeling an intense burning sensation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not embarrassing, there¡¯s no point for the pot to call the kettle ck, you don¡¯t have to feel ashamed because of this.¡± Xiao Luo spoke up tofort him.


    Liu Tieguo nodded.


    ¡°Any more challengers?¡±


    Yan Wang asked loudly as he scanned the crowd with an intense gaze. Whoever caught his gaze quickly lowered their heads. That creature in the ring was a monster, who would dare to go up there?


    ¡°This alone is enough to intimidate you all? If so, when you start work and run into fearsome criminals, surely you would pee in your pants out of fright!¡± Yan Wang¡¯s voice was loud, and his cocky words echoed in the gym.


    The cops who were practicing boxing and using the various fitness equipment couldn¡¯t help but snicker.


    [1] Yan Wang: the principal leader of the ten kings of Hell, overseer of the underworld, and presiding over the judgment of the dead.

 Chapter 190 - Strong Capabilities

    Chapter 190: Strong Capabilities


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioPee in their pants out of fright?


    Even though those words stung, none of the auxiliary police trainees couldn¡¯t think of any rebuttal, and they simply looked down, their faces red from shame.


    ¡°Let me try!¡±


    A steady and pleasant voice rang out.


    Everyone looked towards the direction the voice came from. Gu Qianxue¡¯s long hair fell to her shoulders loosely. Against the light in the gym, her skin seemed to be glow healthily. With easy steps, she walked towards the ring. Her pretty face wore no makeup, but her cheeks were shiny and reddish, and she exuded a vibrant beauty.


    This was something that Yan Wang was anticipating, and it showed on his face. Although it was only abat training lesson, he badly wanted to find out about Gu Qianxue¡¯s true capabilities. Besides Gu Qianxue, Yan Wang was especially keen to discover more about another trainee, Xiao Luo. By carefully observing him over the past days, he noted that Xiao Luo seemed to be deliberately hiding his capabilities.


    It made him even more curious to know what Xiao Luo was made of!


    What he had observed was indeed true. Xiao Luo¡¯s only objective was to obtain a job as a nondescript auxiliary police officer and had decided that he would only put in a performance sufficient to get him through the training, without drawing too much attention to himself. He had maintained a low-key presence and only did what was absolutely necessary.


    As she approached the ring, Gu Qianxue stepped up and leaped over the ropes in a single motion,nding lightly on the ring floor with feline grace.


    ¡°Why do I have a feeling that she may just beat Instructor Feng!¡±


    ¡°I have that feeling too, it is clear that she is of no ordinary talent from the way she leaped into the ring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she looks she¡¯s skilled in the martial arts, like those kungfu masters who move around lightly in those television dramas.¡±


    All the trainees had their eyes glued to the ring, holding their breaths in anticipation. They all felt that Gu Qianxue could spring a surprise here.


    ¡°Oh, she is indeed pretty. Both her and her elder sister, Gu Qianlin, are so beautiful, a pair of attractive siblings.¡± Liu Tieguo said, his mind veering towards inappropriate thoughts.


    ¡°Her elder sister is Gu Qianlin?¡± Xiao Luo was shocked.


    Liu Tieguo winked. ¡°Yeah, her elder sister is Gu Qianlin, the chief overseeing the whole of Jiangcheng. Everyone has already known about it for a long time. Did you finally get ess to the Inte?¡±


    This came as a surprise to Xiao Luo, and he didn¡¯t really know how to react. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the goings-on ever since he came to the training camp. He found it interesting that the girl standing there in the ring was Gu Qianlin¡¯s younger sister. Upon closer inspection, she did indeed look rather like Gu Qianlin. Butpared to her sister, Gu Qianxue looked more innocent, which would be expecting, seeing that she¡¯s only just starting out in life.


    ¡°No matter where I go, I seem to constantly run into Gu Qianlin one way or the other, could this be my fate?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought to himself and shook his head in resignation.


    Gu Qianlin had put Xiao Luo under constant surveince, and this had caused him unending consternation. This annoyed him so much that he decided to use the Dragon Gang to teach her a lesson at the Yellow Skies Casino not too long ago. At the moment, she was probably recuperating and wouldn¡¯t be harassing him for a while. But he clearly did not expect that her younger sister, Gu Qianxue, would suddenly show up and be an auxiliary police officer just like him, what a coincidence!


    Cheered on by the rousing crowd of trainees looking on, Gu Qianxue stood in a rxed, high stance as wide as her shoulders, evenly bnced with her left foot forward. She kept side-on and moved lightly across the floor, silently closing the distance with Feng Zixiao. Both opponents were sizing each other up, finding the right time to strike. Feng Zixian put his weight forward to draw a reaction, and just at that instant, Gu Qianxue brought her back foot across 180 degrees keeping low in a wide stance. In a sh, she struck out with her right leg channeling power from her core and sending a brutal kick towards Feng Zixian¡¯s left nk.


    Feng Zixiao had been through countless fights, but he felt a considerable pressure in this bout. He had lost his focus, and his timing, and caught t-footed, quickly moved into the kick to minimize its impact. He positioned himself to parried with both palms, aiming for just below her knee to avoid the full force.


    POW!


    Th kick came in a whistling gust of wind, swift and powerful. Feng Zixian was a fraction too slow, and the kick burst into him with a sickening thud, sending him staggering back to the ropes.


    She had beaten Instructor Feng with one kick!?


    Her fellow trainees were shocked, not expecting Gu Qianxue, gentle and demure, to possess such skill and power!


    The regr officers working out in the gym stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. They were quite surprised, and not to mention amazed.


    Yan Wang was taken aback but still pleasantly surprised. He looked on with a thin smile on his lips. ¡°Interesting indeed!¡±


    Feng Zixiao swung his arms around, circting his blood flow to rid the numbness from the kick. He had learned not to take this girl lightly in the slightest. He acknowledged her move, ¡°You are indeed the disciple of Old Man Dugu, you are decently skilled, let¡¯s continue!¡±


    Feng Zixiao assumed a low attacking stance, feinted a kick with his front foot, before prancing forward and throwing his back leg into a roundhouse kick. As she stepped back, he suddenly pulled in his leg into his chest and spun a full circle in a somersault then unleashed a vicious kick downwards into Gu Qianxue. She did not anticipate the move.


    She stepped to her right and parried the forceful kick with open palms.


    BOOM!


    Two tremendous forces mmed into each other, and the brutal impact threw both fighters back. Recovering quickly, thebatants immediately advanced to meet each other, both employing very different fighting styles. Gu Qianxue moved lightly and struck with her palms, and Feng Zixian relied on his strength techniques, smiting with heavy balled fists. As palms met fists, a storm brewed as gusts of wind swirled apanying each blow.


    ¡°They are both masters of inner power!¡±


    Xiao Luo was slightly surprised. Had he not redeemed the Yijin Jing, he would never have realized that the fight between Gu Qianxue and Feng Zixiao involved the use of inner power. Even an instructor at the training camp of a local police station was a master of inner power; would this mean that the country still had countless expert masters who had hidden their identities?


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s fellow trainees were stunned to silence. They already had a measure of how skillful Feng Zixiao was when they faced him earlier. He was abat machine whose every single blow could easily take a man down. But even as they watched, Gu Qianxue, a fellow trainee, had shown everyone she could best him. It was simply unimaginable!


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The bout continued, as Gu Qianxue and Feng Zixiao exchanged more than ten blows in a short space of time. The gym was shaking as the sound of the blows reverberated from the ring.


    Suddenly, Gu Qianxue gave out a piercing scream, for a brief instant, time stood still. A raging force seemed to emerge from within her slender frame, and instantly, the battle rmenced. Her open palm attacks,bined with deadly kicks, appeared like a whirl of arms and legs. They came relentlessly at Feng Zixiao, and he was overwhelmed and pushed back.


    Feng Zixiao twirled his massive arms in an intricate pattern of circles in front of his frame, effectively blocking off the scathing attack, but one strike got through his defense. He was struck in his chest.


    BOOM! It felt like a speeding truck had crashed into him, and his whole body was thrown backward. The force was so great that he would have flown off the floor, had it not been for the ropes to arrest his fall. But, Gu Qianxue did not stop there. In a single, swift motion, she had bounded forward and executed a kick aimed directly at Feng Zixiao¡¯s left temple.


    It was swift, strong, and of unparalleled force!


    When Feng Zixiao collected himself, he realized that Gu Qianxue¡¯s right leg had stopped short to the left of his head, no more than 10 centimeters away. The deadly kick blew a strong gust of wind into his face. He remained still as a shiver ran down his spine.


    ¡°This counts as a win for me?¡±


    Gu Qianxue asked sweetly, her cheeks blushing, and she once again looked pretty and innocent.


    Feng Zixiao had lost face. He had underestimated Gu Qianxue¡¯s ability despite knowing of her skills inbat. He had thought that as she was still a girl, there was no way she could defeat him, regardless of how skilled she was. But in the end, he was proven wrong and paid the price for his arrogance.


    Besides the trainees, the regr officers training at the gym had also watched the bout. The shame was quite a burden to bear as Feng Zixiao tried to salvage what pride he had left.


    CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.


    Yan Wang pped, and with a smile on his face, he said to Gu Qianxue, ¡°Not bad, you have won indeed, you can rx for the rest of the day.¡±


    Gu Qianxue smiled, retracted her slender, long leg from Feng Zixiao¡¯s head, and casually leaped down from the ring. She then gathered her things without saying a word and headed off to go get some rest.

 Chapter 191 - Angered

    Chapter 191: Angered


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°How impressive!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she really is Gu Qianlin¡¯s younger sister, her capabilities are equally strong.¡±


    ¡°She is definitely among the most outstanding in our batch of auxiliary police cadets. She would certainly emerge in the first ce from the training!¡±


    The group of auxiliary police cadets in training looked up to Gu Qianxue, not just with respect, but also fear. Not only did she exchange more than 10 blows with Instructor Feng, thebat machine, she also irrefutably defeated thebat Instructor. This really was a terrifying fact that made her feared among her fellow trainees.


    ¡°I feel like she could kill me with a single blow¡­ ¡°Liu Tieguo put his hands to his blushing face and said sheepishly.


    Xiao Luoughed but didn¡¯t make anyments. In his mind, he also appreciated Gu Qianxue¡¯s skills and thought her capabilities were indeed noteworthy.


    ¡°Is there anyone else who wants the day off?¡± Their attention returned back to training when Yan Wang asked again loudly in his steely voice.


    No one dared to answer. The cadets did not possess the skills of Gu Qianxue, and going up to thebat training area was as good as getting beaten up. None of them could withstand 10 blows from Feng Zixiao.


    Yan Wang¡¯s gazended on Xiao Luo, and he asked him with an encouraging smile, ¡°Xiao Luo, why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±


    Some distance away, Gu Qianxue, who was about to leave, stopped in her tracks. She turned slightly, looking towards Xiao Luo, as her bright eyes seemed to be anticipating something.


    The rest of the cadets all looked at Xiao Luo, their faces looking puzzled.


    ¡°Why did Instructor Yan ask him specifically?¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t understand. Had Instructor Yan not shouted his name, I wouldn¡¯t even know that there¡¯s this person was in our batch of auxiliary police.¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­ Don¡¯t discuss our colleagues behind their backs.¡±


    Some were discussing softly and whispering to each other, while others were advising them not to talk.


    Xiao Luo himself didn¡¯t expect Yan Wang to call him out. He took a step forward and answered, ¡°Sir, I won¡¯t be able to take 10 blows from Instructor Feng.¡±


    There was no need for him to showcase himself in the arena, it was meaningless to him.


    ¡°Oh? Do you not have confidence in yourself?¡±


    Yan Wang looked at Xiao Luo, and said in his steely tone rather teasingly, ¡°My intuition tells me that you can do it. Go up and give it a try.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer him, but simply shook his head.


    ¡°What a coward and a wimp. The rest have all gone up and tried, but you fear for your life, are you sure you are here to be an auxiliary police officer?¡± Yan Wang¡¯s expression turned serious.


    ¡°Sir, one must have a good understanding of oneself, there is no need to try pointless stuff.¡± Xiao Luo answered, showing little interest in proving himself.


    Yan Wangughed coldly. ¡°If you don¡¯t even dare to try, what is the difference between you and a piece of salted fish.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, stop being evasive, if you are a man,e up and fight me!¡± From the arena, Feng Zixiao also spoke, attempting to agitate him.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t want to fight, is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Yan Wang said somewhat regretfully, ¡°Never mind then since you are not willing to fight.¡±


    He put his sunsses back on and turned.


    However, at this moment, Yan Wang suddenly acted. He turned abruptly, his tense body rushing forward, like an arrow let loose and an eagle escaping its cage. Taking five quick steps, Yan Wangunched himself into the air, leaping a distance of four or five meters, andnding next to Xiao Luo. He swung his clenched fist, aiming it directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s face. It happened so quickly, and everyone could only watch with gaping mouths.


    It was abination of speed and force. The punch was strong and forceful, apanied by a whistling gust of wind. If someone were to be struck by it, one could only imagine how severe the injury would be.


    ¡°Careful!¡±


    Liu Tieguo was rmed by the speed and force of the attack and shouted a warning.


    At the same time, Xiao Luo had not expected Yan Wang to suddenly attack. He had no room to maneuver, and his only option was to cross his arms before his face in a hurry to protect his head. Yan Wang¡¯s punchnded squarely on where his arms crossed each other.


    Boom!


    The blownded with a terrifying force. Xiao Luo¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he was knocked forcefully backward like a cannonball, almost mming against the wall of the gym. There, Xiao Luo knelt on the floor on one knee.


    Many people couldn¡¯t make sense of what they had just seen, as some stood wide-eyed in shock, while others were rubbing their eyes in disbelief. As they realized that beyond doubt that Xiao Luo had really been thrown back for four or five meters by a single punch from Yan Wang, they were then genuinely stunned.


    ¡°Old Yan¡­¡±


    In the arena, Feng Zixiao¡¯s expression was one of confusion. He was not against trying to gauge the actual capabilities of Xiao Luo, but the punch that was thrown was too forceful. Yan Wang had even used his inner strength. So how could Xiao Luo withstand it?


    Meanwhile, seeing that Xiao Luo was on the ground on one knee, kneeling in silence, Yan Wang frowned and muttered to himself, ¡°Could it be that I¡¯ve misread you?¡±


    Just as he said that Xiao Luo suddenly wiped the dust off his arm and stood up.


    He¡­ he was fine?


    The expressions of all the auxiliary police cadets in training changed.


    From where she stood, Gu Qianxue also looked surprised.


    ¡°Do you really want to know my capabilities so badly?¡± A dark and cold voice rang out.


    Xiao Luo said coldly, looking at Yan Wang as he lifted his head. His hitherto cultured and calm countenance suddenly took on a different air; he now looked grim and cold. He never wanted to be too visible among his peers, but that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t dare to speak out when pushed to the limit. Yan Wang¡¯s punch was unnecessarily forceful, so hefty was the blow that it could have broken the ribs of anyone else. So what if this man was an instructor? Xiao Luo¡¯s temper was now ring, and in such a condition, he would fight back even if his opponent was the king of heaven or someone of the highest authority.


    Yan Wang¡¯s expression changed, shocked by the dark and cold aura that Xiao Luo now exuded.


    Then he smiled slightly. ¡°Indeed I do, I hope that you can go all out to defeat me!¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Xiao Luoughed coldly.


    ¡°Very sure. I have been staying at this training camp for too long, and I haven¡¯t met a decent opponent for a long time. I hope that you can give me a pleasant surprise.¡±


    Yan Wang removed his sunsses and threw them aside. He had a deep suspicion that Xiao Luo was a beast, and his punch was intentionally meant to anger him. As the hunter, he felt an inexplicable sense of excitement rather than fear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll satisfy you!¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted in reply, then straightening his body. He took four or five quick steps towards his opponent, his feet stomping on the floor violently, then leaped high into the air in his own unique style. He seemed to be moving at the speed of light. His sudden outburst and aggressive posture had surprised everyone present, and they all exchanged looks of shock.


    Boom! Xiao Luo delivered a powerful punch with overwhelming force that bore down on Yan Wang like a mountain.


    It was incredibly powerful and forceful!


    Seeing the iing strike, Yan Wang¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he immediately moved backward to avoid Xiao Luo¡¯s heavy punch.


    His fist struck downwards slicing throughyers of air, barely missing Yan Wang¡¯s chin, then mmed into the floor with great force. To the onlookers, it appeared like a shooting-star striking Earth!


    His fist struck the in a loud crash. The impact threw debris into a cloud of dust and sand, spewing over everyone. The force of the blow pushed Yan Wang back four or five steps before he could steady himself. He took a good look at Xiao Luo, totally stunned. Xiao Luo¡¯s fist had smashed through the tiled floor, punching a hole the size of a bowl on the floor.


    Gulp.


    Yan Wang swallowed hard, a look of terror etched on his face. He thought to himself, ¡°What the f*ck, is he really human?¡±


    Liu Tieguo and everyone else stared, with their eyes and mouths wide open in utter amazement.


    Gu Qianxue looked equally shock. She didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo to be this powerful.


    His punch having missed the target, Xiao Luo lifted his head, his eyes trained on Yan Wang like a predatory beast.


    Yan Wang broke out in cold sweat. He had stayed in Shaolin Temple for some time and learned a set of boxing moves involving inner power. Even with his skills, he was sure that he was no match for Xiao Luo, so he quickly extended a hand to stop the fight. Laughing, he said, ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough, I already have a preliminary understanding of your capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to understand it further?¡± Xiao Luo looked at him coldly.


    Hearing those words, Yan Wang¡¯s face flushed red in anger, but he couldn¡¯t afford to lose face with other trainees around. So he forced himself to stay calm, coughed dryly once, and said resolutely, ¡°No need, I have gainedplete insight of your capabilities.¡±

 Chapter 192 - Too gullible!

    Chapter 192: Too gullible!


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioI! @#£¤¡­


    What was his background? A monster?


    Yan Wang cursed to himself as he witnessed Xiao Luo¡¯s forceful attack that was as powerful as a tiger and wolf. He had not expected this when he tested Xiao Luo, and it had shocked him deeply. Yan Wang regarded himself as skillful but wasn¡¯t a match for Xiao Luo, who had disyed extreme strength and skill. If he really did have to fight with Xiao Luo, he would obviously find himself in apromising situation. His dignity as an instructor would have suffered considerably.


    At this moment, he suddenly wished that he had not done this. Staying in the training camp for too long had made him feel invincible, and he looked down on the people outside the academy. This attitude had caused him to almost embarrass himself on his own territory.


    Xiao Luo gave him a way out by not being overly aggressive. He had vented out much of his anger through that single punch he had thrown out.


    Since he had already revealed his strength, there was no further need to disy his talents. He turned away and left the gym. Nobody stopped him as his show of strength and skill deserved him a day off.


    Gulp!


    Only after he had left for some time, did the group of Auxiliary police reserves recover, blinking as the emerged from their stupor, their eyes still wide-opened in awe, and swallowing their saliva with great difficulty.


    ¡°S-so awesome¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not just awesome, he¡¯s like a beast!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying, he smashed the floor to pieces with just one blow!¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, still horrified as they recovered from their state of shock. Who would have thought that the unassuming guy whose performance had always been mediocre would turn out to be so fierce? Even Yan Wang had not dared to continue the fight and sought a peaceful settlement. They could not make sense of how such a terrifying, explosive force could be unleashed from such a slim and lithe figure.


    Even Liu Tieguo, ss a colleague who was close to Xiao Luo, broke into a cold sweat. As he watched Xiao Luo leaving, he murmured to himself, ¡°This brother¡¯s too fierce!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After he left the gym, he looked out in the distance, scanning the surroundingndscape. Ahead of him, he could see the tall buildings rising from a nearby town,


    one or two kilometers away. The mountain behind the training camp was about six hundred meters above sea level. The air blowing down from the mountain was refreshing, making him feel rxed and joyful.


    Xiao Luo was goofing around when he decided to visit Xiao Ruyi. She was living nearby at the Guangming District.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Someone whispered.


    He turned around and saw Gu Qianxue as she approached him, stepping lightly along the path. She had long, flowing hair that reminded him of a waterfall, she stopped about three to four meters away from him and stared at him curiously with her bright, shiny, without blinking.


    Xiao Luo looked around and realized there was nobody around, so he pointed at himself and asked, ¡°Are you calling me?¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded, ¡°You were amazing, I want to spar with you.¡±


    Xiao Luo stunned, smiled apologetically, ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not in the mood for this!¡±


    He started to walk off as he said those words.


    Gu Qianxue blinked then dashed in front of him, spreading her arms wide apart to block him. She remained silent as she gazed at him.


    Xiao Luo shook his head andughed, ¡°Why must you spar with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re strong and skillful.¡± Gu Qianxue answered, sounding serious.


    I am strong and skillful?


    Xiao Luo wanted tough as her reason made no sense. ¡°Are all martial artists thispetitive?: He thought to himself. Yan Wang acted like this, so did this little girl.


    Hence he came up with a convenient excuse to dismiss her, ¡°I¡¯m in a rush, next time.¡±


    ¡°When¡¯s the next time?¡± Gu Qianxue asked directly.


    ¡°Next time is next time, maybe in the afternoon, or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll inform you if I¡¯m free.¡±


    Although Xiao Luo did not favor Gu Qianlin, he did not want to give the wrong impression of himself to Gu Qianxue, the girl before him. It was hard to give her the cold shoulder, especially with her pair of unusually bright and lovely eyes, that lent to her appearance of inexperience and innocence.


    He started walking back to the training camp dormitory after he had spoken. With Yan Wang¡¯s permission, he was finally allowed to retrieve his personal belongings. He took off his training suit, changed into his own clothes, and then prepared to leave the camp.


    However, he had underestimated Gu Qianxue¡¯s persistence. She was right there in her camouge suit, waiting for him again, as he exited the dormitory building.


    She stood there, tall and upright, looking like a soldier. With a fresh face, she stared at him, cooly with an unflinching calm.


    Xiao Luo chose to ignore her, walking directly towards the training camp gate. And, as he strode away, Gu Qianxue also followed closely, just like a little tail behind him. She kept her distance at about four to five meters, and whenever she saw Xiao Luo stopping, she would stop too.


    After a while, Xiao Luo could not help but asked her, ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    Gu Qianxue remained silent for a moment and then spoke out, sounding quite adamant, ¡°I felt that you were avoiding me and did not want to spar with me at all.¡±


    ¡°You could even realize that? What a good job you have done!¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t ignore the irony and intentionally spoke in a serious tone, ¡°Sparring requires a good physical condition. After I have recovered to a better condition, I¡¯ll spar with you. Can you stop following me now?¡±


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and said, ¡°No. You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Xiao Luo was feeling a little awkward as nobody ever could determine if he was lying or telling the truth by reading the inflections in his tone and nuances of his facial expression. How could this little girl tell?


    ¡°How¡¯d you know that I¡¯m lying?¡±


    ¡°By feeling.¡±


    Gu Qianxue uttered the two words softly.


    Xiao Luo was speechless, then spoke affirmatively, ¡°I can honestly tell you that your feelings are wrong.¡±


    Upon saying that, he turned away and left.


    However, Gu Qianxue was still trailing behind him and had been doing so ever since he left the training camp. She acted like a stubborn little wolf pup that had its eyes on its prey.


    Xiao Luo stopped again, and feeling a little helpless, he said, ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°To spar with you.¡± Gu Qianxue still said the same thing.


    ¡°Out here?¡±


    Xiao Luo finally gave in to the little girl. It would make sense to spar in the camp, but to spar on the main road with this many busy cars passing would make people think that they were both nuts.


    But Qu Qianxue nodded excitedly and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt himself crumbling inside. Gu Qianxue resembled a nk sheet paper, but a very stubborn nk sheet of paper. He couldn¡¯t reprimand her loudly even if he wanted to, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. So, he finally thought of a way to deal with her.


    ¡°Okay, I ept your request. Do you want to spar? It doesn¡¯t have to be martial arts, we couldpete for something else. Let¡¯spete for speed now.¡±


    He pointed at the N-shaped building a fair distance away, and said, ¡°If you reach there first, I¡¯ll spar with you, in terms of martial arts. If you lose, then stop pestering me and go back to the camp immediately, okay?¡±


    Gu Qianxue red at that building and carefully thought about it, then nodded and said, ¡°Fine.¡±


    Xiao Luo got into the running position, ready to start, ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qianxue, without wasting a second, rushed out towards that building like a gush of wind. As she ran past Xiao Luo, he caught a whiff of her fragrance. She was agile like a swallow, swift yet elegant.


    ¡°She¡¯s just too gullible!¡±


    Then it dawned on Xiao Luo, and it surprised him somewhat. It wasn¡¯t just silliness, Gu Qianxue was really like an innocent child, untainted by the ways of the world. She could be easily fooled by a simple trick.


    He gged down a taxi and then left in the opposite direction.

 Chapter 193 - Enemies on a narrow road

    Chapter 193: Enemies on a narrow road


    Arriving at the People¡¯s Hospital of Guangming Region, Xiao Luo met Feng Wuhen and hispanions.


    ¡°Brother Xiao!¡±


    The five of them greeted him respectfully.


    ¡°Has Dragon Gang been trying to create trouble for Ruyi recently?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Not Dragon Gang but a reckless fuerdai[1] has been going after her like a ¡®Salonpas.''¡± Feng Wuhen said.


    Xiao Luo frowned, ¡°Fuerdai?¡±


    His sister was already married to Tang Ren, and as a married woman, anyone who was after her was surely up to no good.


    Feng Wuhen nodded, ncing at the hospital entrance, ¡°Yup, I¡¯ve confirmed that his name is Hua Haifeng. He got into a car ident recently, from driving recklessly. He has been recuperating at the premium VIP ward and has almost recovered fully, but he insisted on staying on in the hospital. He harasses Ms. Ruyi daily.¡±


    He had yet to know that the person who had offered twenty thousand to them to teach Xiao Luo a lesson was actually Hua Haifeng. He was indeed the real employer behind all these.


    Hua Haifeng?!


    Xiao Luo smirked, a cold smile as if he was about to face his enemy on a narrow road. He did not hold any grudges against Hua Haifeng for stealing Zhao Mengqi from him, as it was Zhao Mengqi¡¯s choice. However, Hua Haifeng had his sights on his sister now, and he was literally ¡°probing at his reverse scale¡± [2].


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Good job for now.¡± Xiao Luo gave a pat on Feng Wuhen¡¯s shoulder.


    It was not an easy task to guard someone day and night. In fact, it was a long and tedious task, and would adversely affect one¡¯s sleep quality, among other things.


    ¡°Brother Xiao¡¯s too polite.¡± Feng Wuhen, embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and said graciously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll around today, so you guys can go out to rx. Come back again tonight at 8 pm.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    ¡°Got it, hehe¡­¡±


    Feng Wuhen and his team of four had a twinkle in their eyes when they heard Xiao Luo say those words. It was indeed a time-intensive and challenging job, so having a day off to rx was exciting news.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At the hospital, a man, looking like a modern-day Cassanova dressed in fancy clothes, was strolling casually along the corridor with a bouquet. He had a high forehead, and the sparkling diamond ring on his finger shed so bright, it almost blinded the nurses as he walked passed them. It was a brilliant piece of jewelry, and women who knew about such things naturally knew its worth. As for its bearer, he muste from a wealthy family.


    ¡°Leather wallet from Saint Laurent, trousers from Diesel ck Gold, Shoes from Ferragamo; all these items would cost more than ten thousand, and any girl who had the good fortune to date this man would surely have inexhaustible amounts of money to splurge.¡± Several nurses were whispering among themselves, their eyes were gleaming as if they have discovered a mountain of gold.


    To junior nurses working their way up from the bottom of the pile, such a dream of a man was no less than a Prince charming living in a grand pce. And if that prince fancied them, why, they would be transformed into distinguished princesses immediately.


    However, what they did not realize was that this man was a scourge to countless girls with such sweet dreams, a heartless predator who had already despoiled the morals of many a fair maiden.


    He was none other than, Hua Haifeng, the son of Huahai Corporation¡¯s chairman!


    There was a man who looked to be in his fifties walking beside Hua Haifeng. His name was Guan Zhong, and he was the chambein of the Hua family. He was dressed in a gentleman¡¯s suit. After Hua Haifeng was injured, the chairman of Huahai Corporation sent him to look after Hua Haifeng personally.


    Guan Zhong was greatly disappointed with his young master. Where previously, he used to fancy pretty girls whose cherries were ripe for the picking. These days his tastes favored married women. He let out a long sigh and cautioned him, ¡°Young master, you should learn to grow up. The Huahai Corporation¡¯s bound to fall to you someday. But before that, you must prepare yourself to possess enough ability to carry the weight of its responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°You better shut up, my Pops is not even bothering me, why are you so nosy? Do you really think being the chambein gives you the authority to manage everything in my life? You better always remember that you¡¯re nothing but a dog of the Hua family. You¡¯re a dog that dares to interfere in its owner¡¯s business. Is your brain having a stroke?¡± Hua Haifeng shot back viciously.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Guan Zhong wanted to exin but had he decided it was best to remain silent.


    Hua Haifengpletely ignored him as he approached the nurse¡¯s desk, where Xiao Ruyi worked.


    ¡± Heh heh¡­women in nursing outfits are sexy, they really make me want to conquer them¡­¡±


    He stared at Xiao Ruyi sitting at the nurse¡¯s desk, she was busy at work with her head lowered. Watching her lewdly, Hua Haifeng could not help himself and swallowed his saliva.


    He smoothed out his attire quickly, then acting the perfect gentleman, he walked up to her. ¡°We meet again, Ruyi, my fairdy. These flowers are for you!¡±


    His handsome face exuded with passionate fervor.


    The nurses that were close by looked on in envy and perhaps a tinge of jealousy. A few of them even bit their lips so hard they were literally bleeding.


    Xiao Ruyi looked up and said coldly, ¡°Give the flower to someone else, I don¡¯t want my husband to misunderstand.¡±


    She might have been attracted to the likes of like Hua Haifeng when she was younger, but she was now no longer one of those innocent and demure little girls. She could tell that Hua Haifeng was a wolf in sheep¡¯s skin just by a single look. The unfortunate woman that fell prey to his ways would definitely be exploited thoroughly. If she hadn¡¯t been constrained by the fact that he was a patient there, she would have told him to get the f*ck out.


    ¡°These flowers represent my gratitude to you. When I was confined to my hospital bed, you were the shining light into my dimming world and allowed me to find the hope of living again. You¡¯re not just my angel in white, but the healer of my soul, so please ept this token of my gratitude towards you.¡±


    Hua Haifeng was exceptional when it came to ttering girls, and as he said those, the nurses and female patients swooned, they even began to feel jealous and envious to the point of hating Xiao Ruyi. They wished that it was them that Hua Haifeng was showing his gratitude to.


    Xiao Ruyi looked at him disdainfully and said, ¡°I¡¯m a nurse, it¡¯s my job to look after the patients, you don¡¯t have to be thankful. I still have some work to do, you should get going. Please don¡¯t interfere with my work here.¡±


    ¡°If Ms. Ruyi agrees to dine with me tonight, then I¡¯ll leave. The dinner will be a gesture of my gratitude, I hope you won¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Hua Haifeng said.


    ¡°You better get¡­¡±


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s pretty brows furrowed in chagrin, and she almost shouted, ¡°get lost¡±, but quickly realizing that she needed to keep her excellent image as a nurse, she forcefully shut herself up.


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Ren finally got the opportunity to leave his department after hearing that someone was harassing his wife. When he got there, he understood the situation immediately, seeing the roses in Hua Haifeng¡¯s hand. He grabbed the flower with a smile and replied politely, ¡°You¡¯re here to thank my wife right, then I shall receive your gratitude on behalf of my wife. Hmm, the flower¡¯s pretty fresh and fragrant.¡±


    ¡°Really, hubby?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi purposely leaned towards Tang Ren teasingly, wrapping her arms around his affectionately. She did not think that Hua Haifeng could be so thick-skinned to continue harassing her after seeing this.


    But of course, she had underestimated how persistent Hua Haifeng was. His mind was already twisted. It was at the point where he took pleasure and felt a sense of aplishment by snatching what belonged to others. The more affection Xiao Ruyi showed towards Tang Ren, the more he wanted to obtain Xiao Ruyi excitingly.


    [1]Fuerdai: A Chinese term for the children of the nouveau riche in China.


    [2] ¡°Reverse scale¡±: In Chinese mythology, dragons have one scale growing in the opposite direction to all the others. ¡°Touching the reverse scale¡± is a figurative expression of something forbidden to touch, and meaning ¡°offending the emperor or a man in power.¡±

 Chapter 194 - You Really Want To Die

    Chapter 194: You Really Want To Die


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioHua Haifeng shot a sneering nce at Tang Ren, not in anger or animosity, but with unconcealed disdain. He then spoke politely, ¡°Miss Ruyi is a fairy who should enjoy a true man¡¯s love and affection. A fairy should set herself high above the masses, rather than attending to other people in this ce filled with the smell of disinfectant. I may not be brilliant, nor do I have hundreds of millions of dors to burn, but my financial situation is not insignificant.¡±


    Turning to Ruyi, he dered,¡± Ms. Ruyi, I can offer you a brand new life if you¡¯re so kind as to let me. You won¡¯t have to rush to get to work in time every morning, won¡¯t be a punchbag for patients, and you definitely won¡¯t need to stay in rented shabby rooms that cost a few hundred bucks every month. You will own your house and buy whatever you want. You will never need to consider the price when you shop in the mall. And your bank bnce will never be less than seven digits.¡±


    He painted Xiao Ruyi an enchanting, dream-like life any girl would die for. The young nurses who heard his intoxicating words weakened at their knees, wishing they were the ones to whom Hua Haifeng was dering his love. They would ept him in a heartbeat!


    As mild-tempered as Tang Ren was, he couldn¡¯t ept that Hua Haifeng was professing his love to his woman in front of him.


    Without so much as even a glimpse at Tang Ren, Hua Haifeng continued to pursue her with a wonton smile, ¡°I wonder if Miss Ruyi would like a live a life like that?¡± He then stretched out his right hand like a gentleman inviting his partner for a dance, and said, ¡°Miss Ruyi, you only have to nod slightly and give me your hand, life will open a new door for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Seducing another man¡¯s wife! Have you no shame?¡±


    Furious, Tang Ren roared at Hua Haifeng and raised his hand to push Hua Haifeng away. In an instant, Guan Zhong appeared like a ghost in front of Tang Ren, even before he couldy a hand on Hua Haifeng. His weathered fingers stretched out and grabbed Tang Ren¡¯s wrist like a pair of iron pliers. Tang Ren¡¯s face twisted in pain, and he immediately howled in agony as Guan Zhong locked him with a firm hold.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let him go. Did you hear me, you old fool? Let go of my husband!¡± Xiao Ruyi shrieked, her pretty face turning pale with anguish.


    Hua Haifeng, a born phnderer, quickly took advantage of the opportunity to grab Xiao Ruyi in his arms tightly as she rushed forward. He said to her, ¡°Miss Ruyi, this man doesn¡¯t deserve you at all. He will never be able to give you the life you want. Leave him and be with me. I will make your dreamse true. Even if you wanted the moon in the sky, I would figure out a way to get it for you.¡±


    ¡°Hua, you bastard, what are you doing? Let me go!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi struggled with all her strength and still couldn¡¯t get away Hua Haifeng¡¯s embrace. However, every rose has thorns, and with all her might, she stepped hard on Hua Haifeng¡¯s foot. Hua Haifeng screamed and jumped back in pain.


    Xiao Ruyi didn¡¯t stop there. She dashed towards him, raised her right knee, and promptly mmed up on Hua Haifeng¡¯s crotch.


    Aiyoh!


    The watching crowd winched along with Hua Haifeng, almost like they felt the excruciating pain exploding in their groin areas. An image of breaking eggs and shattered eggshell shed through their heads. It¡¯s too agonizing to picture.


    Hua Haifeng clutched at his crotch, his legs squeezed together, and his body bent in sheer agony. With his face as red as a pig¡¯s liver, Hua Haifeng stomped his feet and shrieked in a screeching high-pitch, ¡°F*UCK!¡±


    ¡°Young Master!¡±


    Guan Zhong released Tang Ren and ran towards Hua Haifeng.


    Hua Haifeng pushed him away frenziedly. He raised his head and pointed at Xiao Ruyi, yelling, ¡°Guan Zhong, take this b*tch. She dared to kick my balls. I¡¯m going to torture her to death!¡±


    Hua Haifeng had lost his refined and courteous demeanor, and his gentleman¡¯s bearing was no more. Crying in absolute pain, his true colors were revealed. Bulging blue veins throbbed on the side of his forehead, stared hard at Xiao Ruyi as if he wanted to kill her.


    ¡°Yes, young master.¡±


    Following the order like a good soldier driven by blind loyalty, Guan Zhong raised his leathery hands, preparing to strike at Xiao Ruyi. The tips of his fingers were as sharp as des, and they would leave frightening streaks where they hit. He turned and looked at Xiao Ruyi with no visible emotions.


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s face was as pale as a ghost, feeling as if she was about to be attacked by a beast. She broke out in a cold sweat with froze with fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my wife!¡±


    Shouting and yelling, Tang Ren threw himself at Guan Zhong,pletely disregarding his own safety. A hand was raised, and a man was down. Without even a blink, Tang Ren was knocked out cold by Guan Zhong.


    ¡°Hee-yah!¡± Right at that moment, a high-pitched screech pierced the air,ing from the distant hallway. Like a sh of lightning striking through the air, it was onto them in a split second. Appearing like a wraith, it spun like a shadow through the air, and without any warning of a foot flew at Guan Zhong¡¯s neck, with a swift and deadly intent.


    The sudden attack took Guan Zhong by surprise. The menacing presence and the fierce strike of his unexpected opponent had put him under tremendous pressure.


    He moved backward quickly. His left hand turned and clenched into a fist; from a low stance, he threw his fist wide, in an arch, towards his opponent¡¯s nk.


    Bang!


    His fist came into direct collision with a powerful and precisely timed kick, so forceful that it crashed through and plowed into the waiting body. The impact reverberated through Guan Zhong, like an angry tsunami. He was thrown in the air, appearing like a kite with a broken string. A mouthful of blood sprayed in an arch. He wasnded hard on the floor with bloodstains on the corner of his mouth.


    The darting figure spun in the air andnded on the ground nimbly. It was a handsome young man, he wore a grim and cold expression.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi was surprised to see Xiao Luo, and immediately felt safe again and ovee with an intense feeling of joy. After helping Tang Ren get up, she flew into Xiao Luo¡¯s arms, soft and demure, like a beautiful butterfly.


    Tang Ren¡¯s shoulder was still aching from Guan Zhong¡¯s blow. He walked over to Xiao Luo and called him ¡°brother¡± affectionately.


    All the onlookers in the room stared, wide-eyed, in astonishment. The scene they¡¯d just witnessed was heart-stirring as if they were watching a wuxia TV drama. The racing pace, spinning, and kicking ¡ª everything happened in a sh. How amazing it was! Adding a twist to the plot, the person even turned out to be Xiao Ruyi¡¯s brother.


    Xiao Lyo rubbed Xiao Ruyi¡¯s on the top of the head affectionately, grinned, and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in days. You seem to be even prettier.¡±


    ¡°Jerk. You¡¯re mocking me again.¡± Xiao Ruyi said while pouting her lips.


    ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Luo?¡±


    Hua Haifeng stared at Xiao Luo, aghast and dumbfounded. The pain in his groin started to wear off, and he slowly stood up straight.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes red at him coldly. A menacing look was pulsing deep inside his eyes like me. He said, ¡°Hua Haifeng, how dare you dally with my sister. It looks like you are really tired of living.¡±


    Guan Zhong sensed the threat in Xiao Luo¡¯s tone. Disregarding his pain, he struggled to get up and came before Xiao Luo. Cupping one hand over the other, in front of his chest, he bowed low to Xiao Luo and said deferentially, ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m ignorant and have no wisdom. I could only wish you would be lenient and give the wrongdoer a way out. I can promise that Hua Haifeng will never show up in front of Miss Ruyi¡¯s ever again!¡±


    Cold sweat rolled down Guan Zhong¡¯s forehead. He had practiced martial arts for many years, and never had he experienced such a strong aura of death on anyone until today. His ominous presence made his soul tremble in fear. Adding to the fact that he was defeated with only one move, he realized that this man was an out-and-out killer.

 Chapter 195 - I Am Your Father

    Chapter 195: I Am Your Father


    A menacing force was crashing through the hallway like raging waves. It was an overpowering, otherworldly force that emanated from Xiao Luo. It was not visible or tangible in any way but could be sensed swirling around, formless, yet omnipresent. Everyone in the room felt the suddenly turn cold dramatically, and they shuddered in fear.


    Even though Hua Haifeng was frightened and terrified by Xiao Luo, he was still the crown prince of the formidable Huahai Corporation and had been raised like an imperial heir to inherit the business empire. He had always been insolent and impertinent as a child. Although he had Guan Zhong, a martial arts master, he mostly counted on his father. Their wealth made them untouchable, and they were adept at securing personal gains. In his eyes, Xiao Luo looked nothing more than a catfish struggling in the slush at the bottom of the society. He had no reason to fear him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I have been looking for you for a long time. What a surprise. This Xiao Ruyi is your sister. I wouldn¡¯t fight for that b*tch Zhao Mengqi if I knew you have such a pretty sister. Your sister here is much hotter than that b*tch.¡±


    ¡°Hua Haifeng, shut the f*ck up!¡±


    Guan Zhong¡¯s face suddenly red with rage. He raised his hand and pped Hua Haifeng on his face for making that offensive remark to Xiao Luo.


    TWACK!


    It was a harsh, heavy p, and it echoed right across the hallway, loud and clear. Hua Haifeng spun back and crashed against the wall, the distinct weals of five fingers visible on his face.


    Hua Haifeng¡¯s eyes widened. He covered his throbbing face and red at Guan Zhong in anger, said, ¡°Guan Zhong, you¡­ you¡¯re f*cking crazy¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe he was pped by his steward.


    Guan Zhong ignored his young master, whom he couldn¡¯t help thinking, was as stupid as a pig. He turned to Xiao Luo and made a profoundly courteous gesture, said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, please spare his life. He only used some badnguage; he doesn¡¯t deserve to die.¡±


    Guan Zhong¡¯s tone was sincere and earnest. He was running out of options, Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting spirit had sapped his vigor even as Xiao Luo¡¯s menacing force was manifested. Even though Xiao Luo might not kill his young master outright in front of all these people, Guan Zhong still feared for Hua Haifeng¡¯s life. After today, who would have the ability to protect him from here on now that he is on Xiao Luo¡¯s list?


    Xiao Luo looked at him casually and said, ¡°Ok. I will let today¡¯s incident go if one of his legs is disabled.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was rigid and cold, full of murderous intent.


    Hua Haifeng was stunned upon hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s remark. He snarled like a crazy dog, ¡°Xiao, who do you think you are. You¡¯re only a d*mn catfish at the bottom of the society. How dare you even think about breaking my leg. Believe it or not, I can put you in prison for a lifetime with one phone call.¡±


    Everyone now saw Hua Haifeng in his true colors. The fawning girls who were fooled by his morous facade earlier now showed nothing but disgust on their faces.


    Guan Zhong still paid no heed to Hua Haifeng. He said with an awkward expression, ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have the heart to do it?¡±


    Xiao Luo uttered a snort with a disdainful look and said, ¡°Then it looks like I have to do it on my own.¡±


    Xiao Luo was aware thatying a hand to Hua Haifeng would bring him trouble down the road. But the young fool had crossed the line, ¨Cthreatening and causing harm to Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren. Xiao Luo could never allow Hua Haifeng to walk out of this unscathed.


    Looking at Xiao Luo moving closer and closer, Guan Zhong broke out into a cold sweat and clenched his jaw firmly he had to quickly weigh the advantages and disadvantages.


    ¡°There is no need to trouble yourself, Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Guan Zhong made up his mind. He instantly turned around and bounded towards Hua Haifeng. As Hua Haifeng watched with startled eyes, Guan Zhong¡¯s right hand chopped on his left shin like a cleaver.


    Crack! Aargh!


    The sickening sound of breaking bone was immediately apanied by a shrill, gut-wrenching cry of pain, making everyone¡¯s hair stand on end. The blow had caused Hua Haifeng¡¯s left shin to copse inward into a V, snapping the shin bone in two.


    Guan Zhong now looked toward Xiao Luo as though waiting for his ruling.


    ¡°You¡¯ve acted ruthlessly enough to save your master¡¯s life. I will let this one slide. If this happens again, I guarantee that you will regret that you have ever been born.¡±


    Xiao Luo said to Guan Zhong coldly, then roared, ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for your mercy.¡±


    Guan Zhong returned a courteous gesture with his hands, then carried the shrieking Hua Haifeng on his shoulders and left the ce swiftly as though they were granted a pardon.


    Although his leg was broken, Hua Haifeng would be able to recover. If he was treated promptly, he wouldn¡¯t even suffer any long term effects. Guan Zhong was very confident of his own skill. He broke the shin bone cleanly to prevent anyplications, so the treatment wouldn¡¯t be tooplicated.


    After Guan Zhong and Hua Haifeng left, everyone stared in awe at the slender figure standing in the middle of the hallway. They couldn¡¯t believe that the arrogant and nasty Guan Zhong would fear him so much that he even chose to break his own master¡¯s leg.


    Who on earth was this person?


    It was a question emerging in everybody¡¯s mind that very instant. With hithes ability to evoke such intense fear, this man was definitely not someone ordinary.


    Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren were also dumb stricken. They were more convinced now that their brother Xiao Luo was as mysterious as he was powerful. For example, they learned that Sun Yu totally forgot everything that happened in Jiangcheng. Her memory of it had been totally erased. Even her drug addiction had disappeared too.


    They knew this wasn¡¯t due to the doctors, because of the dramatic change in Sun Yu only happened after their brother Xiao Luo spending a night in Sun Yu¡¯s ward. They couldn¡¯t believe that it had nothing to do with their elder brother Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Guan Zhong carried Hua Haifeng directly into theirpany car. Howling the whole time, Hua Haifeng was furious and could not forgive Guan Zhong for breaking his leg.


    ¡°Young master, just put up with it for a little while longer. I will take you to the hospital immediately.¡±


    ¡°You f*cking dead dog. I will ask my dad to cut you into pieces when I meet him.¡±


    Hua Haifeng scratched and pounded Guan Zhong like a crazy old woman and didn¡¯t stop yelling, ¡°You dared to break my leg. I will bury your whole family alive!¡±


    ¡°That Xiao Luo was too terrifying. I have never met anyone who could manifest such a lethal force. You would probably have died in his hands if I didn¡¯t do this.¡± Guan Zhong exined with patience and sincerity. He was genuinely distressed for having to break Hua Haifeng¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Haha¡­ Is that right? Looks like I have to thank you now.¡±


    ¡°I would never harm you no matter what I do.¡±


    Guan Zhong was like an old, kindly father giving guidance to his son.


    He was paying attention to the road as he drove and didn¡¯t see Hua Haifeng stealthily taking out a knife. The de, about ten inches long, gleamed coldly under the glow of the street lights outsides.


    Hua Haifeng sneered viciously with these words, ¡°Old Guan, I can¡¯t thank you enough!¡±


    The knife in his hand was thrust into Guan Zhong¡¯s chest, the blood spurted out, soaking Guan Zhong¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°Young Master, you¡­¡±


    Guan Zhong mmed on the brakes and tried to control the car while enduring the pain to avoid the vehicle turning over sideways.


    Hua Haifeng¡¯s angry face looked deranged. His leg had been broken by someone that he had always considered to be ackey. The deep humiliation made him lose all his senses.


    ¡°I was thanking you. What, old dog? You don¡¯t like my way of appreciation?¡±


    As he spoke, he stabbed Guan Zhong a few more times.


    Guan Zhong¡¯s chest was a bloody mess as blood poured out from stab wounds to his heart. It was a fatal attack even for a master of inner force.


    Close to death now, Guan Zhongmanaged to bring the car to a halt safely. With his bulging eyes, and with hisst breath, he grabbed Hua Haifeng by the hand and said, ¡°Child¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m not a dog. I¡­ I¡¯m your father¡­¡±


    Hua Haifeng was stunned and then cursed, ¡°Bullsh*t! My dad is Hua Guoming!¡±

 Chapter 196 - Im Hungry

    Chapter 196: I¡¯m Hungry


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThere was only the tenderness of a father¡¯s gaze in Guan Zhong¡¯s eyes, not a shred of resentment. He looked at Hua Haifeng with dull, opaque eyes as exhaled a deep, long sigh, ¡°Your mother and I were childhood sweethearts. Hua Guoming took her away from me. I was not ready to ept the reality; therefore, I hid my identity and went to the Hua Family to be the family steward. I am your biological father. For the past 20 years, did you not feel my love for you?¡±


    ¡°Stop spewing nonsense, you worthless dog! Do you want to trick me? No way!¡± Hua Haifeng screamed furiously in rage.


    ¡°Kid, you can go back home and ask your mother. She will tell you the truth¡­.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! Don¡¯t believe it! You are buillsh*ting me. My dad is Hua Guoming, president of the Huahai Corporation. How could a lowly dog like you be my father!¡±


    Hua Haifeng was hysterical. He couldn¡¯t ept how he had now fallen from being the crown prince of the mighty Huahai Corporation to be a butler¡¯s son, not to mention an illegitimate son. How ridiculous and ironic. He lunged with his knife at Guan Zhong like a deranged madman and stabbed a dozen bloody holes on Guan Zhong¡¯s chest.


    Bleeding from his mouth and nose, Guan Zhong started to convulse.


    Hua Haifeng came back to his senses and realized he had killed someone. Panic-stricken, he pushed the car door open and ran out limping with his broken left leg.


    A bitter smile formed on Guan Zhong¡¯s anguished face. He was killed by his own son. Could it really be karma?


    He mmed the elerator to the floor. The fancy business car darted forward like a sharp arrow and crashed into a tanker parked by the roadside. With a deafening explosion, the two vehicles were engulfed in mes. Destroying the evidence was thest thing he could do for his son. He couldn¡¯t let the cause of his death to hang over Hua Haifeng.


    Hua Haifeng hadn¡¯t walked too far away. He was startled by the sudden sound of an explosion and fell to the ground. Maybe he could really felt the connection with his father. Perhaps he was only frightened. Tears welled from his eyes as he watched the raging mes shooting up into the air.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo spent the whole day with Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren. They ate and drank and had a good time. Although Xiao Ruyi asked Xiao Luo about certain things, he didn¡¯t reveal too much. He only told her, ¡°Anything at any time would not change the fact that I am your brother!¡±


    These words were very sufficient to reassure Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren.


    It was almost nine o¡¯clock at night when he returned to the training camp. Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao got hold of him and asked him with great urgency, ¡°Xiao Luo, where is Gu Qianxue?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned a little and thought to himself: This young girl was not back yet?


    As Xiao Luo expected, Feng Zixiao continued to say, ¡°The guards saw you went out with her today. Why are you the only one who came back?¡±


    An angry look showed on Yan Wang¡¯s face. He asked straightforwardly, ¡°Did you sell her, you little rascal?¡±


    How could that be possible!


    Xiao Luo smiled bitterly, then rted the story to the two training officers without reservation.


    Yan Wang pointed at Xiao Luo right away and said in a disappointed voice, ¡°You¡¯re in big trouble. Gu Qianxue moved to Mount Tianshan to be a formal apprentice of a teacher and only came out when she was 20 years old. It was clearly written on her file that she has no sense of direction and can¡¯t find her way in a busy city. She is definitely lost.¡±


    ¡°Is that real?¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned. He would have created a big mess if that was true.


    Thinking of Gu Qianxue¡¯s innocent face, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t stand idly by. He turned around and ran out of the gate of the training camp.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Yan Wang shouted behind him.


    ¡°To find her and bring her back.¡±


    Without looking back, Xiao Luo ran out of the door and caught a cab to get to that N-shaped building. He nned to start his search for Gu Qianxue at the building in the center.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not stand here in a daze. Notify all the patrolling officers and ask them to help find Gu Qianxue. If anything happened to her, not only will Gu Qianlin make us feel sorry for it, the Lone Greybeard in Mount Tianshan would also tear us to pieces,¡± Yan Wang said to Feng Zixiao in anxiety.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Feng Zixiao left to follow the order.


    ¡°F*ck, why is everything so crappy every day?¡±


    Yan Wang knitted his brows tightly in deep thought. He truly regretted that he granted the free-to-leave privilege to Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo arrived at the N-shaped building by cab, he immediately saw Gu Qianxue, who was sitting on the marble stairs at the entrance to the door of the building. A fountain was situated right in front of the steps. An array of colored lights had been switched on, and they lit up the water sprays in the hues of the rainbow.


    Xiao Luo paid the fare and got out of the car before walking toward Gu Qianxue.


    Wearing the camouge training suit, she huddled to herself with her head lowered and her eyes staring still at the floor at the front. As beautiful as she was with jade-like skin and delicate eyes, she looked like a runaway kid, lonely and helpless.


    Gu Qianxue raised her head when she saw a pair of foot appeared on the floor that she had been staring at. Her bright eyes were stiff for a moment before gleaming with anger when she discovered it was Xiao Luo. Biting her rosy lips, she grumbled, ¡°You lied to me!¡±


    She might be naive and unsophisticated, but not stupid. She knew Xiao Luo lied to her to get rid of her.


    Before her voice faded, she leaped upward like a small and pretty snow leopard and struck at Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder with her hand.


    An unimaginably powerful impact surged from her seemingly soft palm. Xiao Luo was caught off guard.


    Bang!


    He staggered backward several steps like he had been struck by a thunderbolt. His left shoulder was in excruciating pain.


    Before he realized what was happening, Gu Qianxue advancing towards him again. Every movement she made contained formidable offensive techniques. The most astounding thing was how fast her attack was.


    Xiao Luo understood it was his fault, so he was merely dodging without fighting back. He tried to persuade Gu Qianxue while ducking her punches, ¡°Stop. Stop hitting me. Training officer Yan and Feng are looking for you. You and I should go back as soon as possible.¡±


    Why would Gu Qianxue listen to Xiao Luo? He tricked her intoing here and made her sit here like an idiot all day without even one familiar face around. Right now, she only knew that she hated him with all her heart and wanted to strike him down.


    However, Xiao Luo was able to evade all the punches except the first blow that was thrown at him unexpectedly. This infuriated her, but she was at a loss of what to do next.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, can you not dodge?¡±


    Her words made Xiao Luo chuckle. Was she asking him to stand still for her to aim?


    That was some wishful thinking.


    Gu Qianxue finally stopped after ten more minutes. She sat back on the marble stairs and only spoke after a while, ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m hungry!¡±


    Rumbling¡­


    With impable timing, her stomach started protesting too, right after she spoke.


    With blushed cheeks, the young girl looked at Xiao Luo coyly. She looked at him with an unyielding stare, like an upset child who had to bend to an adult¡¯s will.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She was attacking him just seconds ago. Now she told him she was hungry and probably was expecting him to treat her to a meal. It was pretty awkward, no matter how he thought about it.

 Chapter 197 - Its All Mine

    Chapter 197: It¡¯s All Mine


    Xiao Luo reported back to Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao, who were at the training camp, that Gu Qianxue was with him. Then he took Gu Qianxue to a hotpot restaurant.


    The young girl didn¡¯t even nce at the vegetables on the menu and only ordered meat. It made Xiao Luo feel like the two of them shared somemon interest after all. They were both meat lovers.


    After boiling a te of shaved meat, Gu Qianxue started to eat straight away. She blinked her bright eyes and asked Xiao Luo, ¡°What kind of meat is this?¡±


    ¡°Shavedmb meat,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°This is notmb. I hadmb in the Mount Tianshan. It doesn¡¯t taste like this.¡± Gu Qianxue took it very seriously.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and thought to himself: There was so much shaved meat in hotpot restaurants. They imed those were pork, beef, ormb. But as long as it was edible, who would care what kind of meat it really was?


    He changed the subject and said, ¡°By the way, why didn¡¯t you go back to the training camp after finding out I yed a trick on you?¡±


    Gu Qianxue didn¡¯t respond straight away. She lowered her head and put some meat in her mouth with a fork. After a while, she said to Xiao Luo without raising her head, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the way back.¡±


    It turned out she really didn¡¯t have any sense of direction!


    Xiao Luo exhaled a sigh. How could such a directionally-challenged person be an auxiliary police officer? He couldn¡¯t help but start to feel suspicious about Gu Qianxue.


    He then said, ¡°You could have called your sister with your phone.¡±


    ¡°No way. She would definitelye to take me back if she knew I signed up to be an auxiliary police officer.¡±


    ¡°Even if you can¡¯t tell your sister, you could have asked the police for help. They would certainly take you back as soon as you tell them you¡¯re in the training camp,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s words, Gu Qianlin raised her head and took a brief look at him. A trace of disdain seemed to appear in her sparkling eyes. She said, ¡°We are the police officers.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless. The auxiliary police were indeed part of the police. There was nothing wrong with what she said.


    After the short conversation, Gu Qianxue continued to bury her head in the food. Starving, she didn¡¯t have the psychological burden of a pretty girl who was afraid of disying such poor table manners. She gulped down meat and chugged water with the style of the martialdies in ancient times.


    Even though Xiao Luo had already taken dinner, looking at Gu Qianxue devouring food gave him an appetite once more. He picked up the chopsticks and was about to taste a slice of beef in the hotpot.


    However, as he was about to put it to consume it, the slice of beef was snatched by Gu Qianxue, leaving him with a pair of empty chopsticks. She then duly brought to her own mouth that already looked oily from the food. She started to chew the beef with relish.


    She red at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°These are all mine. You¡¯re not allowed to eat!¡±


    What?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows and thought, ¡°This young girl had gone too far. I treated her with hotpot, yet she has hoarded all the food and wouldn¡¯t even allow me a slice of meat. How was this reasonable?¡±


    He was not in the mood to give in to her ways and picked another slice from the steaming hotpot using his chopsticks.


    Nevertheless, the chopsticks in Gu Qianxue¡¯s hand once again pouched the meat he picked like a snake springing at the prey. Prepared, Xiao Luo dodged immediately and made Gu Qianxuee away empty-handed. Gu Qianxue¡¯s knitted thin arched brows as she twisted wrist, and once again, the chopsticks in her hand shot at the piece of meat.


    The back and forth between them looked like the typical chopstick fighting scene that was frequently shown in wuxia TV shows. Offense and defense. Advance and retreat. Sometimes the slice of beef would be flipped up in the air while their chopsticks fighting against each other. One pair would snatch the meat again when it fell, only to be retrieved by the other.


    It was an excellent spectacle of skill!


    Many guests and waiters craned their necks to watch.


    ¡°Look! A chopstick war!¡±


    ¡°How exciting! Who would think the actions in wuxia TV shows are not entirely nonsense at all.¡±


    ¡°Could this be a performance of the hotpot restaurant for entertainment?¡±


    When Gu Qianxue grabbed hold of the beef and put it in her mouth, the whole restaurant burst into thunderous apuse.


    Awesome!!!


    Shouts of cheers went up as well.


    Gu Qianxue rolled her eyes at Xiao Luo and said in a rude and unreasonable tone, ¡°You¡¯re not a match for me. Don¡¯t waste your time!¡±


    What?


    Xiao Luo had never been dismissed like this in his life. He replied angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t think you won that previous exchange. It was only because I didn¡¯t want to lower myself to your level in front of so many people.¡±


    Gu Qianxue ignored him and continued to eat the meat. The cloud of steam of the hotpot rose up to her face and made her naturally rosy cheeks even more ruddy.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The two left the hotpot restaurant after one and a half hours.


    Xiao Luo was at a loss of whether tough or to cry. This little girl had a much better appetite than ordinary women. The hotpot cost him over 300 bucks, and he didn¡¯t get to eat even a slice of meat. Gu Qianxue finished all the food leaving him to only several cups of tea.


    ¡°Do you eat this much for every meal on the Mount Tianshan?¡± Xiao Luo asked curiously.


    ¡°Master said that a martial arts practitioner has to have a good stomach.¡±


    Gu Qianxue answered. After being treated by Xiao Luo for dinner, she was not as cold towards Xiao Luo as before.


    ¡°What do you usually eat on the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Meat.¡±


    Gu Qianxue thought for a while and added, ¡°Snow deer meat. There is a lot of snow deer in Mount Tianshan.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you spent ten years on Mount Tianshan. Have you ever attended any school?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Gu Qianxue stared nkly in front of her, then clicked her tongue and said, ¡°There is a school in the city at the foot of Mount Tianshan.¡±


    Alright!


    Xiao Luo felt a little bit of awkwardness between them. He was the only one who was asking questions while she never initiated anything and immediately ended the conversation with a dead-end reply. He had to find a new subject just to keep the conversation going, which made it quite difficult for him to continue.


    In the meantime, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh that he had actually met someone as cold as snow and with no idea how to hold a conversation with others. He thought he was terrible enough himself.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    They finally went back to the training camp.


    Yan Wang was fuming in anger, yelling at Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue, ¡°Do you really think the training camp is your home where you cane and go whenever you want? Do you know? You two are the worst auxiliary police candidates that I have ever trained. Motherf*cker. Go run tenps, no, twentyps as your punishment. You¡¯re not allowed to go to sleep before finishing yourps!¡±


    The intended punishment was tenps. But Yan Wang suddenly remembered that both Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue had physical training before, so he doubled it, knowing tenps would be too easy for them.


    The two didn¡¯t exin themselves, nor did theyin; they just started to run on the track.


    They were running fast, maintaining the sprinting speed of the average trainee. Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao were left open-mouthed when they realized that Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue only took 20 minutes to finish the course. Those 20ps were enough to break any other ordinary trainees.


    Onep, twops, threeps¡­


    They didn¡¯t seem to be pressured at all as if they were running for fun. After theps, they walked back to their dorms without saying a word to Yan Wang.


    ¡°Was my punishment too light?¡± Yan Wang took off his sunsses and stood there, staring at them, wide-eyed, in astonishment.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that your punishment was too light. It¡¯s because these two are too sick.¡±


    Feng Zixiao gulped. Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue¡¯s physical condition was much better than his, despite his credentials of being ex-special forces. He could only gasp in admiration.


    Motherf*cker!


    Yan Wang was beginning to feel his authority as the resident training officer slip. Thanks to these two, it was taking a devastating blow. He convinced himself that he needed to take action to restore his status.

 Chapter 198 - Are You Nuts

    Chapter 198: Are You Nuts


    Thin streaks of clouds floated across the blue sky, as the sunlight spread a wee warmth to the ground below.


    In the training camp for the auxiliary police, Xiao Luo and the others formed a two-rank deep line and were maintaining a standing position. Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao stood at the head of the team. Wearing a pair of sunsses, Yan Wang had on a stern expression. Feng Zixiao, on the other hand, was thoroughly inspecting the trainees in front of him with his gentle eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s always this f*cking way!¡± Liu Tieguo muttered to himself.


    Xiao Luo nodded with a smile and answered in agreement, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°What are you whispering about over there? Repeat it out loud!¡± Yan Wang looked in their direction and questioned reprovingly in a harsh voice.


    Liu Tieguo was startled a little, then squared his shoulders, and threw back his head, said, ¡°Sir! I was saying Officer Yan and Officer Feng are very handsome!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Sir! I answered, ¡®they really are handsome¡¯!¡± Xiao Luo also went against his conscience and lied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t punish you guys just because you told the truth. Go. Run fiveps before youe back.¡± Yan Wang ordered, looking very serious.


    Liu Tieguo regretted not being able to keep his mouth shut. He frowned and shot Xiao Luo a nce, trying to tell him that he was sorry for implicating him in this. Then he started to run around the training ground.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t mind at all. Running fiveps was barely an effort for him.


    The other auxiliary police trainees couldn¡¯t help but snigger quietly. They thought Liu Tieguo and Xiao Luo deserved the punishment.


    Yan Wang barked out another order, ¡°All of you, turn right. Fiveps of physical training. Run!¡±


    The auxiliary police trainees turned pale with shock, surprised that they had to be punished with a fivep run.


    ¡°What are you standing there for? How are you going to start the training for today without limbering up and stretching at all? Run now! I will start to kick your butts otherwise!¡± Yan Wang shouted, meaning every word he said.


    The group had no choice but to break into their run, doing it with a degree of reluctance.


    After they ran away, Yan Wang took out his phone from pocket and looked at himself with the selfie camera. Rubbing his stubbly beard on his chin, he said to himself, ¡°Motherf*cker, how could I be more handsome? Don¡¯t I look like this all the time?¡±


    Standing by his side, Feng Zixiao took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The auxiliary police trainees were all visibly excited when a row of firearms was brought up. Both men and women were curious about these high-powered weapons and eagerly anticipating learning to use them.


    Of course, Gu Qianxue and Xiao Luo were not among those.


    Because of her sister Gu Qianlin, Gu Qianxue had experience with firearms a long time ago. Xiao Luo, having the King of Mercenaries Constitution, and not only had the skills of mercenaries but also a thorough knowledge of firearms. He could say without exaggeration that he knew about weapons like the palm of his hand.


    ¡°You probably have guessed the content of today¡¯s lesson. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s firearms.¡±


    Yan Wang¡¯s loud and clear voice rang out, ¡°You will be assigned a gun when you¡¯re on duty. You will make aughing stock of yourself if you don¡¯t even know how to use it.¡±


    He picked up a ck handgun and showed it to the auxiliary police trainees, asked, ¡°Anyone knows what kind of the gun this is?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, but no one was able to answer. After all, as trainees, they had no previous knowledge about guns.


    ¡°It¡¯s a QSZ-92 pistol. It has a polymer grip, and the magazine holds either fifteen 9mm rounds or twenty 5.8mm rounds. The effective firing range is 50 meters.¡± Gu Qianxue spoke in a soft voice.


    Yan Wang looked at her in appreciation and nodded, said, ¡°Correct. This is indeed a QSZ-92 pistol. The design started in 1987 and was officially submitted for production in 1994. The design for QSZ92-5.8mm and its ammunition was finished in 2000. Most of our police force is using this type of gun.¡±


    Yan Wang put down the QSZ-92 and picked up another gun that had a shorter barrel. He looked directly at Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, do you know what this gun is?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and answered, ¡°Sir. I don¡¯t know!¡±


    He really didn¡¯t know. The King of Mercenaries Constitution only gave him knowledge of famous foreign firearms. The native guns of Hua Nation were nameless in his eyes. They were all the same to him anyway.


    ¡°Heh, ignorant, and ipetent.¡±


    Yan Wang scolded Xiao Luo, venting out his disappointment. He then looked at Gu Qianxue, said, ¡°Gu Qianxue, what about you?¡±


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s keen eyes shot a nce at the gun, and with an indifferent tone, she said, ¡°Type 77 pistol. It utilizes a striker-fired single action firing mechanism. The user can single-handedly chamber a cartridge by pulling the trigger guard back or use the traditional manual safety that exists above the left grip panel on the frame. It uses a single stacked nine-round magazine, and the effective firing range is 50 meters.¡±


    Everyone was astounded by Gu Qianxue¡¯s answer and gasped in admiration. Not only did she know the type of each handgun, but she could also describe their functions and features. She was like a walking encyclopedia.


    ¡°Did you hear her clearly? She¡¯s right. This is a Type 77 pistol. Same as the QSZ-92, it¡¯s in widespread use across the country by our police force.¡±


    Yan Wang put down the handgun and walked to a line of rifles, said, ¡°We have gone through these two kinds of the pistol. Now let¡¯s talk about this Type 79 submachine gun. It was designed in 1979 and went into production in 1983. The rate of fire is 1,000 rounds/minute. What does that mean? It means it can shoot a thousand bullets in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a person be smashed by the bullets?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A thousand rounds per minute. How frightening.¡±


    ¡°The power of destruction is unimaginable.¡±


    The trainees kept taking inrge breathes of air every time a new weapon was introduced. It was hard to believe that this was the first time they saw these weapons up close, where before, they could only see them on TV.


    Yan Wang was satisfied that he could intimidate the trainees. He looked at Xiao Luo and asked him sternly, ¡°Xiao Luo, you tell us the other specifications of this submachine gun.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t know.¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°Heh, illiterate, and uneducated. Can you show at least a little bit of promise?¡± Yan Wang admonished him like a school teacher in ancient times.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He was sure that Yan Wang was bearing grudges against him because he scared Yan Wang with a punch in the gym the day before. Otherwise, Yan Wang had no reason to embarrass him in front of others.


    Liu Tieguo showed some sympathy, however.


    ¡°Gu Qianxue, you tell us!¡± Yan Wang¡¯s eyes nced at Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°Type 79 submachine gun. The caliber is 7.62mm. The gun with an empty cartridge weighs 1.75 kg. It has a 20-round box magazine and an effective firing range of 200m.¡± Gu Qianxue replied clearly with everything she knew.


    ¡°Look, Look. You¡¯re worse than a girl. Xiao Luo, you truly disappoint me.¡± Yan Wang wouldn¡¯t let Xiao Luo off so quickly.


    Xiao Luo remained silent. It was just words. Words couldn¡¯t hurt, he kept telling himself.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After introducing the firearms, Yan Wang threw another question, ¡°What should you do if the enemy is pointing a gun at close-range?¡±


    Liu Tieguo immediately raised his hand in excitement and said, ¡°I know, I know. If the bad guy is pointing a gun at us, we should quickly block the muzzle with our fingers. In this way, the bullets can¡¯t get out and will explode inside the barrel and hurt the bad guy instead.¡±


    Everyoneughed out loud upon hearing his answer. If that would work, maybe pigs could fly too.


    Feng Zixiao was also amused. He failed to maintain his somber look and uttered a chuckle.


    Yan Wang¡¯s face was impassive. He bawled out, ¡°Motherf*cker, Liu Tieguo, are you f*cking nuts? Blocking the muzzle with your fingers? Is your head full of sh*t?¡±

 Chapter 199 - Qualification

    Chapter 199: Qualification


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAs expected, Liu Tieguo was given a few kicks in the butt by Yan Wang. It hurt so much that his eyes teared. Deep down, he still wasn¡¯t convinced. He thought to himself, ¡°In those special forces movies, they always said that plugging the muzzle with your fingers could cause the enemy¡¯s pistol to explode!¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless when he heard Liu Tieguo say that. Of course, a finger would never prevent the bullet from discharging. To begin with, keeping a tight seal on the gun barrel itself would be a big problem. The recoil from a fired gun would be immense. Even if the finger could fit into the muzzle and plug it uppletely, it could never keep the integrity of the seal intact after the trigger had been pulled. Hence, blocking a muzzle with a finger was impractical, and it was also, theoretically, not possible.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Many people have an inexplicable fear of firing a gun, but as auxiliary polices, you must ovee this fear.¡±


    Yan Wang told the crowd solemnly, ¡°Now, each of you wille forward one at a time and fire the gun!¡±


    For the male auxiliary polices, although they were some trainees who were quite afraid in their first attempt to fire a gun, they just gritted their teeth and went ahead with it. Naturally, they wouldn¡¯t be scared anymore after that.


    But things were a little different for the female auxiliary polices. They were beyond terrified. Some even had both of their hands trembling after they picked up the gun. Fortunately, under Gu Qianxue¡¯s aid and guidance, they finally pulled the trigger for the first time.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just firing a gun? What is there to be afraid of? Watch me.¡±


    It was now Liu Tieguo¡¯s turn. He strode forward, picked up the gun with one hand, aimed at a distant target in a way that he thought was very cool, and was ready to pull the trigger.


    However, Yan Wang immediately stepped forward and snatched the pistol away from his hands, then giving him a kick. He berated Jiu Tieguo, ¡°You d*mn redneck Liu Tieguo! Who allowed you to hold a gun with one hand? Didn¡¯t I make myself clear enough just now? The recoil force from firing a gun is too massive. You have to hold the gun firmly with both hands. You f*ckin ignored my words like passing wind?¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ what are you trying to say, huh? Are you dumb or what, huh! Are you dumb or what?¡±


    Yan Wang was infuriated, castigating, and going at him even as he ran for his life. It was so exasperating. He had already told everyone to hold the gun with both hands, but what did Liu Tieguo decide to do? He picked it up with one hand right away. He was so annoyed that his soul had literally left his body, wishing that he could rip Liu Tieguo¡¯s butt apart.


    ¡°Bang! A loud gunshot echoed across the firing range.


    As if the rays of hope suddenly shone down upon him, Liu Tieguo, being pursued by Yan Wang, quickly pointed at Gu Qianxue and shouted, ¡°Sir, look, she¡¯s using one hand!¡±


    ¡°The both of you are different! You wish to learn how to run without even knowing how to walk? Are you dumb or what? And what you said earlier? Plugging the muzzle with your finger? I f*ckin wish I could stuff your brain into a toilet bowl!¡± Yan Wang scolded.


    Bang! Yet another ear-piercing shot.


    Liu Tieguo was exhrated. He pointed at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Sir, look! Xiao Luo used one hand as well¡­¡±


    To save himself from Yan Wang¡¯s butt whacking, he betrayed Xiao Luo without much hesitation. He thought, ¡°Yan Wang hates Xiao Luo. Now that he had vited the rules, I can seize this opportunity and get Yan Wang to unleash his fury on him instead!¡±


    As expected, a look of spite and glee washed over Yan Wang¡¯s face. He spared Liu Tieguo for now and zeroed in for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I have already said, use both hands to hold the gun when shooting. Did you hear me or not? Firing with one hand? Who do you think you are? Stallone in ¡®The Expendables¡¯?¡±


    He dashed forward and hurled his leg at Xiao Luo¡¯s butt. But how could Xiao Luo ept such a punishment? He leaned on one side and blocked Yan Wang¡¯s foot with his thigh.


    ¡°Sir, I didn¡¯t see you say anything to Gu Qianxue when she fired the gun with one hand. Why must Liu Tieguo and I be punished for the same feat? Your biasness in treatment is too obvious, is it not?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He hadn¡¯t wished to be conspicuous initially, but he really couldn¡¯t bear to see Liu Tieguo being treated so harshly, so the only thing he could do was to divert Yan Wang¡¯s attention to himself. But at the same time, he couldn¡¯t ept being kicked in the butt by Yan Wang, and that was why he alluded to Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°Have I done that?¡±


    Yan Wang sneered while facing the crowd. He questioned, ¡°Have I ever treat anyone of you differently?¡±


    Persuaded by his authority, the auxiliary police trainees nodded in support. One man even took a big step forward and said in a pretentious and overbearing tone, ¡°Report, Sir. You are fair to all of us! No discrepancy has ever taken ce!¡±


    ¡°You heard him?¡± looking at Xiao Luo, Yan Wang said haughtily.


    Xiao Luo turned around and asked, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t see Gu Qianxue firing the gun with one hand?¡±


    ¡°Guo Qianxue didn¡¯t fire the gun with one hand. She used both hands while pulling the trigger,¡± it was still the same man that said this with his chin up and chest out.


    The other trainees shook their heads, implying that they didn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°What a tterer!¡±


    Liu Tieguo muttered to himself. But then he remembered, his name was Ma Pinjin, which literally means tterer. He really did live up to his name.


    ¡°Ma Pinjin, rejoin the unit!¡± Yan Wang shouted to the man.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Ma Pinjin responded loudly and clearly, took a step backward, and returned to his line. Then, he put his hands behind his back and assumed a standing position.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, do you have anything else to say?¡± Yan Wang said teasingly.


    Xiao Luo shook his head in resignation. He was speechless. He finally knew the man was lying through his teeth.


    Just then, Gu Qianxue stepped up, ¡°Report! I fired the gun with one hand just now.¡±


    When she said that, Yan Wang froze.


    Feng Zixiao, from a short distance away, put his hand on his forehead. He thought, ¡°Wang is so gonna get embarrassed.¡±


    Yan Wang took off his sunsses and stared at her, ¡°Gu Qianxue, are sure that you¡¯re telling the truth?¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded, ¡°Yes, Sir. I fired the gun with one hand.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know how to take a hint; for her, one was one, and two were two. She was even confused about why everybody had said she fired the gun with both hands. She was dead sure that she used only one hand.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°You heard her, sir?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ redneck. You wanna go against me, is it? Gu Qianxue has been trained by her sister. Her proficiency with the gun is on par with mine, so I allowed her to use only one hand. But who do you think you are to fire a gun with one hand? Are you qualified to do so?¡±


    Yan Wang criticized him loudly. For Gu Qianxue, he was willing to overlook anything for the sake of Gu Qianlin. There was also the fact that Gu Qianxue herself, was an attractive belle. As for Xiao Luo, he couldn¡¯t get himself to like him no matter how he tried.


    ¡°I think I am.¡±


    Xiao Luo had to say that. His pride would not allow him to be knocked down by Yan Wang.


    Yang Wang was so infuriated that he beganughing sardonically, ¡°I¡¯ve seen imposters, but I¡¯ve never seen a greater one than you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Xiao Luo, stop boasting about your abilities. Hurry up and apologize to Officer Yan and beg for forgiveness,¡± Ma Pinjin piped in, true to form and once again performing his specialty.


    Xiao Luo ignored him. He looked at Yan Wang and asked, ¡°I wonder what I should do for you to recognize that I¡¯m qualified enough?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, very bold you are! Do you think you are invincible because you some petty skills?¡±


    Yan Wang said chillingly, ¡°Fine then. You want me to recognize you? I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡±

 Chapter 200 - A Hundred Points

    Chapter 200: A Hundred Points


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioYan Wang dissembled the handgun into separate parts, then looked at Xiao Luo, ¡°Assembling a gun is a basic requirement. If you can assemble this gun, I will recognize that you are qualified to fire a gun with one hand.¡±


    Assembling a gun?


    The auxiliary police trainees looked on, wide-eyed. They were all recruited from civilian society, and they knew very little about firearms. Besides, they have never handled a real gun by themselves. Assembling a toy gun may still be possible for them, but a real gun? That would be cracking up as an international joke; it would be absolutely impossible!


    ¡°Is there a time limit?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Upon hearing this, the crowd was somewhat surprised and thought scornfully, ¡°This guy really wants to challenge assembling a gun? He¡¯s hoping for too much, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ma Pinjin coughed and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, stop fooling around. Just hurry up and apologize to officer Yan, and don¡¯t embarrass yourself. This is a real gun. You think it¡¯s a toy for kids or something? It can¡¯t be assembled that easily.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop talking?!¡±


    The one who said that was Gu Qianxue. Every word Ma Pinjin said made her cringe, and she felt so annoyed that she knit her tattooed brows.


    The stature that Gu Qianxue held had been evident to everyone for a while now. Although she was a great beauty, her prowess was not lesser than that of Yan Wang¡¯s. Ma Pinjin shut his mouth immediately, embarrassed.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to take up the challenge?¡± Yan Wang asked Xiao Luo as he squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. To avoid being kicked in the butt and lectured by Yan Wang, he had no other choice.


    ¡°Fine. You may begin now. There¡¯s no time restriction. As long as you could assemble the gun, I will overlook the fact that you¡¯ve fired the gun with one hand.¡±


    Yan Wang¡¯s face was full of contempt. He had validated multiple times that Xiao Luo was someone born to a family of farmers in the Xi Province. His excellent physical abilities might have been nurtured by some past master living a reclusive life. However, he would know absolutely nothing about firearms, and there was no way he could ever reassemble the gun.


    Without saying a word, Xiao Luo picked up the separate parts with both hands and begun assembling them together. The action, barrel, and frame¡­ these parts were put together at rapid speed.


    Yan Wang¡¯s trainees looked on in disbelief as they saw Xiao Luo take all three parts in his hands and assemble them together correctly, all in one motion.. Were they to do in his ce, they would resort to the conventional method which would take three steps. In other words, Xiao Luo¡¯s single-step assembly was equivalent to their three-stepped process.


    Whoosh¡­


    Before anyone present could even react, the crowning moment arrived, when the magazine was slotted into the receiver, all done seamlessly and elegantly. A wholly assembled pistol was duly ced on the table. The total time taken toplete the task was no more than 10 seconds. Xiao Luo¡¯s actions were like ¡°flowing clouds and water.¡± He worked so fast that they couldn¡¯t even keep up with their eyes.


    The group of trainees stood there, startled. Their brains were empty, in their minds, they asked themselves, ¡°H-he¡¯s done with it? How is that possible?¡±


    Ma Pinjin felt his face burning with envy as if a palm had forcibly pped him across his face.


    ¡°Unbelievable!¡±


    Feng Zixiao said in astonishment. He couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo really did know how to assemble a gun and even do it at such astonishing speed.


    Yan Wang was spellbound. He thought to himself, ¡°What in the world am I witnessing? That kid has actually got it done.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing before you came here,¡± he looked at Xiao Luo, still unable to believe what he had just seen.


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly written inside my personal file. I¡¯m unemployed. I came to serve as an auxiliary police officer for a stable life,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    Unemployed?


    Yang Wang was always skeptical about his identity.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I want topete with you in gun assembly,¡± Gu Qianxue said out of the blue.


    She was determined to get the first ce, and Xiao Luo would undoubtedly hinder her path towards that achievement.


    Xiao Luo looked at her and said earnestly, ¡°This won¡¯t be tested in the assessment.¡±


    He had seen through Gu Qianxue¡¯s mind for some time now. She had the attitude of a straight-A student, so she definitely wished to get number one in everything.


    After some thought, Gu Qianxue felt that he was right, and she said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s shoot.¡±


    ¡°Stop fooling around!¡±


    Xiao Luo rejected her challenge without hesitation. He wasn¡¯t keen to mess around with this little girl.


    However, just at that moment, Yan Wang meddled in, ¡°Xiao Luo, I want you topete with Gu Qianxue in a shooting contest. This is an order!¡±


    Xiao Luo really cursed at him under his breath.


    But he was the instructor, and an order was an order, so he had no choice but to follow it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Each one of you will fire 10 shots. Whoever obtains a higher score wins.¡±


    Yan Wang decided to make things more exciting and went on toy out the rules for the contest, ¡°And, since this is a contest, it shall have its rewards and punishment. On second thought, forget about the reward. The loser will be responsible for cleaning the public toilet at the dormitory for one whole week!¡±


    He wanted to brutally bring Xiao Luo down every chance he got, and he would resort to any means at his disposal.


    Feng Zixiao whispered by his ears to remind him, ¡°There¡¯s less than a week before the special training ends.¡±


    ¡°Until the special training ends then,¡± Yang Wang said.


    The rules of the contest Yan Mang set made it difficult for Xiao Luo to go easy on her even if he wished to. Besides, he couldn¡¯t bear having to clean the toilet even more, and that helped him make up his mind in the end.


    ¡°Yan Wang is obviously gunning for Xiao Luo,¡± Liu Tieguo sighed in sympathy for his friend Xiao Luo.


    Gu Qianxue went to the shooting range, picked up a QSZ-92 pistol, and urately shot at the ten targets at 30 meters away. ¡°am! Bam! Bam! Ten consecutive gunshots, clean, precise, and without hesitation. Using her inner power, she shot with only one hand, not even considering the use of both to ensure the best possible results.


    Feng Zixiao walked downrange to check the targets, and despite being mentally prepared for it, he was still shocked when he confirmed the results.


    ¡°100 points!¡±


    When Feng Zixiao announced the results, the crowd went silent. What in the world? She scored a 100 points? That meant that every bullet she firednded right in the bullseye, 10 points for each shot. They looked at Gu Qianxue in telling reverence, absolutely convinced of her talent and abilities.


    Even Yan Wang couldn¡¯t help staring in admiration, even wiping sweat off his brow. To say that she ¡°pierced a willow leaf with an arrow from the distance of a hundred paces¡± was not be an exaggeration because that was what she was capable of.


    Gu Qianxue winked cheekily, her bright eyes fixed on Xiao Luo, and she said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Is there even a need to continue thispetition?!


    In his heart, Liu Tieguo cried out miserably for Xiao Luo. There were 10 points for every single shot, so there was no way that Gu Qianxue could lose this contest.


    The others reacted simrly, and even Ma Pinjin found his voice again, ¡°Xiao Luo, you better admit defeat, there¡¯s no need¡­¡±


    He stopped abruptly, as Xiao Luo raised the gun and pointed the barrel directly at him with clearly murderous intentions.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Redneck! Put the gun down!¡±


    Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao broke out in cold sweat. If an incident were to happen inside the training camp, they would have to bear all the consequences.


    Xiao Luo sneered when he heard Yan Wang¡¯s warning, then turned the gun the other direction, firing 10 consecutive shots at the newly set up targets. He shot with one hand just like Gu Qianxue, seeming like he was shooting to kill.


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    After ten shots, he pushed back the safety lever of the gun and ced it down in front of him.


    ¡°Instructor Feng, please report my score,¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    Feng Zixiao ran over to check the targets. When he had a look at them, he was beyond amazed. His eyes opened so widely that his eyeballs nearly popped off! Like Gu Qianwue, Xiao Luo had hit the bullseye dead center with every shot; none were even a little bit off the mark.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­ Xiao Luo¡¯s result is¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop repeating yourself, are you a parrot? Hurry up and announce his results!¡± Yan Wang shouted impatiently.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡¯s also scores 100 points,¡± Feng Zixiao said, finally getting it out from his mouth.


    What?


    100 points too?


    Yan Wang thought he was hallucinating or having hearing problems. Gu Qianxue getting a result of 100 points was entirely possible, but what was going on with Xiao Luo? How could a mediocred born in an average family from Xi Province get ten consecutive hits without a hint of nerves?


    It wasn¡¯t just Yan Mang; even the auxiliary police trainees were wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.


    ¡°Feng, are you mistaken?¡± Yan Wang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve checked the targets again and again. I confirm that Xiao Luo¡¯s total score is 100. Every shot he fired hit the targets on the dime. There is absolutely no mistake,¡± Feng Zixiao said in affirmation.


    In the lull that followed, only the sound of whispering winds could be heard at the shooting range. Everyone silently looked at Xiao Luo like he was an alien.

 Chapter 201 - He is a Demon

    Chapter 201: He is a Demon


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter the tie with Gi Qianxue in the shooting contest, the twopeted in many other events, including obstacle racing, rock climbing, among a host of other things. The Auxilliary Police trainees were impressed, and even Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao were profoundly taken by the capabilities that these two had shown.


    Whether negotiating the hazards effortlessly in the obstacle race or climbing rock structures of seven to eight meters with the supreme ease of a seasoned free solo climber, these two were literally monsters. Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue were irrefutably the most capable trainees to ever attend the Auxilliary Police training camp.


    In fact, half a month of special training couldn¡¯t be considered long. Strictly speaking, it was really short. Afterpleting the final assessment, the group would now be bidding farewell to a ce that would hold the memories of their very first days in the force. It would forever remind them of their trials and tribtions, friendships, and perhaps even the of the scent of bare earth and toiling sweat. Although they had despised this ce over thest two weeks, when they were finally about to leave for good, an inexplicable feeling of sadness surged.


    ¡°When you leave this ce, please do not resent Feng and me. We trained you strictly because we want to secure you in your path of being an auxiliary police officer. After all, everyone only gets to live once. Therefore, your life is extremely precious. As you leave on both feet, I don¡¯t wish to hear anyone of you bing a martyr in the future. Yes, being a martyr is glorious, but the most important thing is to stay alive!¡±


    Yan Wang¡¯s solemn voice wasforting and caring. This was the first time everyone heard his voice in such a pleasant way. It was not ear-piercing at all, and it even had a sense of empathy.


    ¡°Sir, I can¡¯t bear to leave you, sir!¡±


    Liu Tieguo stepped up and wanted to give Yan Wang a farewell hug.


    Yang Wang ticked him off with absolutely no kindness. He scolded, ¡°Liu Tieguo, lowest score in the assessment, the person I¡¯m most disgusted with is you. Scram as far as you can, and don¡¯t tell people that I¡¯m your instructor, I cannot afford to be embarrassed like that.¡± He promptly delivered a final kick up his posterior to make sure the message stayed in his mind for good measure.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The newly minted auxiliary police officers couldn¡¯t help bursting intoughter, seeing Liu Tieguo falling on his buttocks as he tried to avoid the iing bum ripper.


    Afterughing, however, their emotions returned and got the better of them. They couldn¡¯t bear to leave the training camp, just like Liu Tieguo. They couldn¡¯t bear to be parted from Yang Wang, Feng Zixiao, and everybody else.


    A female officer had red eyes, and choking, she cried, ¡°Officer Yan, Officer Feng, we wille back and visit you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we wille back once we have the time.¡±


    ¡°This ce will forever be our home.¡±


    ¡°Officer Yan, Officer Feng, please take care of yourselves!¡±


    The others echoed.


    Xiao Luo was also feeling some inexplicable frets at this moment. He turned around to find Gu Qianxue staring and winking at him with her bright eyes. As a courtesy, he returned her with a smile. But Gu Qianxue, for some reason, changed her countenance, making a grimace by puffing up her cheeks like a pufferfish.


    ¡°Enough, stop being sentimental! Get your asses out of this ce and report yourselves at your assigned police stations!¡± Yan Wang was issuing an immediate eviction order! If he were to let the nostalgia go on, he was afraid that he would lose his ownposure.


    Get moving!


    The group of auxiliary police officers marched smartly towards the training camp¡¯s entrance with the visions of their future and memories of the training camp in their minds. They would soon begin their career as auxiliary police officers.


    ¡°Salute!¡±


    When there were before the gates, Yan Wang¡¯s loud and prating voice came from behind them.


    The crowd turned around, only to see Yan Wang and Feng Zixiao standing firmly on their feet and giving them a standard salute. Under the sun, they were like two range poles, standing firm against the wind with a passionate sense of patriotism.


    ¡°Strive forward with courage, fight relentlessly against crime, never retreat, for justice will reign!¡± The group subconsciously shouted the training camp¡¯s slogan.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo and Liu Tieguo were assigned to the Liren Police Substation, together with another loathsome figure, Ma Pinjin.


    Upon leaving the training camp, a ck SUV drove over and stopped right in front of Gu Qianxue. The door opened, and Gu Qianlin in police uniform came down from the car.


    ¡°Qianlin¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue was like a child that has done something wrong, lowering her head and dodging Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Get in the car!¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s face was sullen. Evidently, she wasn¡¯t entirely happy about her sister bing an auxiliary police officer.


    ¡°Let me say goodbye to someone, and I¡¯ll leave with you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m giving you three minutes,¡± Gu Qianlin said faintly.


    Gu Qianxue nodded, turned around, and ran towards Xiao Luo.


    Initially, Xiao Luo thought he could avoid Gu Qianlin, but when he saw Gu Qianxue running towards him, he knew that it was inevitable.


    To his expectations, Gu Qianlin seeing that it was him, walked briskly towards him as well. She was understandably surprised.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, why are you here?¡± She spoke before Gu Qianxue in a questioning tone.


    Gu Qianxue blinked her gorgeous eyes, ¡°You guys know each other?¡±


    ¡°I think you can say that we are old acquaintances.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, then greeted Gu Qianlin, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, officer Gu!¡±


    Gu Qianlin nearly went berserk looking at his innocent disy. That man yed her like a fiddle at Yellow Skies Casino,nding her in the hospital for weeks. It was impossible to say that she doesn¡¯t despise him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Gu Qianlin wished to see Xiao Luo through.


    Xiao Luo said with a smile, ¡°I guess you should have noticed that your sister and I are wearing the same uniform, which means that I¡¯m also an auxiliary police officer.¡±


    ¡°You? An auxiliary police officer?¡±


    Gu Qianlin sneered. Boss of Luo¡¯s workshop, a worth of six to seven billion dors, bing an auxiliary police officer? Are you sure that this isn¡¯t a joke?


    Xiao Luo nodded, ¡°Yep, I suddenly gained interest in fighting crime.¡±


    Right after saying that, he wished Gu Qianxue farewell, then left with Liu Tieguo as there was no need for him to get entangled with Gu Qianlin at this venue.


    Gu Qianlin figured everything out in a snap. Xiao Luo intended to deal with the Dragon Gang. Mafias, like the Dragon Gang, had always been the target of police prosecution. But the way they carry out their crimes were very seclusive and well nned. The organization¡¯s modus operandi ensured that core members of the Dragon Gang would never participate in the action directly themselves. And even if they did, the tactics they adopted would not leave behind any trail that could implicate them. All this while, the police have been powerless against the Dragon Gang.


    She had also recently acquired intel on the deaths of the Dragon Gang¡¯s two protectors, Leng Bao and Da Yuan, that urred half a month ago. Da Yuan¡¯s death was still unknown, while Leng Bao was smashed to death by a plunging car that fell from above a building more than ten stories high. What puzzled her was that there weren¡¯t any pathways allowing a vehicle to be driven to the roof. The question of how that car that got up there was still an unsolved mystery.


    In her mind, the prime suspect was Xiao Luo, but she couldn¡¯t imagine how he managed to aplish such a feat.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll go find you when I have time.¡± Gu Qianxue shouted at Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    ¡°You are not allowed to find him!¡± Gu Qianlin warned.


    Gu Qianxue gazed her dazzling eyes at her sister and asked in bewilderment, ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a demon that kills without even blinking his eyes, only that we can¡¯t prove that yet. Once we get evidence, we will arrest him for sure. I don¡¯t care about what bonds you have with him since training camp, but from now on, you must make a clean break with him.


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t seem like a bad guy¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue wanted to speak in Xiao Luo¡¯s defense, but under Gu Qianlin¡¯s unbending gaze, her voice grew softer, first to a whisper, thenplete silence.

 Chapter 202 - Woman Calling for Help

    Chapter 202: Woman Calling for Help


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Good, I can see great potential in you guys. Work hard and earn merits for yourselves. When the timees, I will apply for you to serve as official police officers!¡±


    Inside the Liren police substation, a man in his thirties, a smile on his face, was speaking to Xiao Luo, Liu Tieguo, and Ma Pinjin. The three of them were here reporting for duty. The man was the head of the Liren police substation, Feng Yuqi. He was tall, sturdy, had a macho look, and exuded a strong sense of integrity.


    Including himself, there were only some 20 people in the entire police station. There were less than five regr policemen, while the rest were all auxiliary police officers. The regr policemen that were deployed to this station were all older in age. They did not have the desire to go further in their careers. They were prepared to spend their remaining days as a police officer in this ce, then retire, and enjoy their old age.


    ¡°Report, sir! We do not condone evil, and we will fight crime until the end!¡± Ma Pinjin expressed his vow with an emphatic voice.


    Liu Tieguo wasn¡¯t willing to be outdone. He added, ¡°Yes, we are resolute in fighting to the end against crime!¡±


    Xiao Luo kept quiet. He wasn¡¯t too interested in uttering such clich¨¦s and in buttering up the Chief. Now that he was already an auxiliary policeman, he could begin striking at the Dragon Gang.


    ¡°It is very great for you to have such determination, but if you want to fight crime as a cop, you mustn¡¯t be afraid of doing things. For those who are against thew, arrest those you should and educate them if necessary. Never forget that the country is our strongest supporter, and absolutely nothing can be more important than our nation,¡± Feng Yuqi said withfort.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Ma Pinjin responded loudly.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As neers, they were all assigned an older auxiliary policeman to mentor them.


    The auxiliary policeman assigned to mentor Xiao Luo was a man in his thirties, Sun Haoze. He had already been in this ce for some six to seven years, and one could say that he was an expert in matters such as power distribution in this area, and the figures mustn¡¯t be provoked.


    When night fell, Sun Haoze and Xiao Luo went to patrol the area they were responsible for on their motorcycles. As a neer to Liren, he felt it necessary to appraise Xiao Luo of the area they were responsible for, ¡°The biggest force in the Guangming district is the Dragon Gang. Their businesses are scattered throughout almost the entire Guangming district. Casinos, hotels, entertainment cities, brothels¡­ and many more. This area we are responsible for is the Dragon Gang¡¯s red-light district, operated by the Dragon Gang¡¯s protector, Han Mian!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, prostitution is forbidden in our country. Since you know that such a red-light district exists, why don¡¯t you just sweep it clean?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a frown.


    Sun Haoze sighed, ¡°In this world when there¡¯s light, there will be darkness. Without darkness, how can there be light? This is just like our rtionship with these dark forces. Justice and evil have co-existed since the beginning of time. No ce in this world can justice prevail purely. Likewise, no ce on earth is pure evil. I shouldn¡¯t be saying this as a cop, but this is the truth. What I want to say is that, don¡¯t even think of vanquishing evil. In my opinion, our responsibility as policemen is to maintain the bnce between justice and evil. No matter us, or them, whoever that breaks the bnce should be punished.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t expect that being an auxiliary policeman was also an art.


    Sun Haoze smiled and patted his shoulders, exhorting Xiao Luo earnestly, ¡°You just have to remember that these red-light districts aren¡¯t to be messed with. Just turn a blind eye at them, and only then, you can be an auxiliary policeman in peace.¡±


    ¡°I got it!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, ying along with the older man. But the fact, the sole reason he became an auxiliary policeman was to destroy the Dragon Gang. Since the Dragon Gang was running a red-light district in this area, this would be an excellent opportunity to go after them, naturally.


    To prevent Xiao Luo from inadvertently causing any trouble, Sun Haoze brought him to one of Dragon Gang¡¯s red-light streets.


    The so-called red-light district wasn¡¯t really a ce that had red lights. On the contrary, it was a dimly lit alley a few hundred meters long. The ce was filthy, messy, and simply awful. Litter was strewn everywhere, and on both sides of the alley, prostitutes paraded their wares with mboyant makeup every other distant, exhibiting their thighs on a cold night wearing miniskirts, while their hour-ss figures incited lustful reverie.


    ¡°This is one of them. I¡¯ll bring you to the other two locations. We auxiliary policemen shouldn¡¯t be messing around at these three ces, leave that the regrs,¡± Sun Haoze continued his tutorage.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows and followed him to the next red-light district.


    However, as they were about to depart, he heard a hapless shriek of woeing from behind him. From where he heard the loudmotion, a woman came running out from the street. Although she had heavy makeup on her face, he could tell that she was still young, perhaps about 20 years in age.


    She fell to the ground. There was a massive footprint on her back. Obviously, she was kicked to the ground by someone, and her pretty face was crumpled in pain. Five bulky men strode angrily after her, cursing, and lifted her from the ground.


    One of them took on a cruel expression, punching her in her stomach then grabbed her hair as he shouted, ¡°You f*ckin dare to run, girl? Do you know what this ce is? When youe to this ce, you need to serve your customers and earn money for me! Take this b*tch away!¡±


    The woman howled in agony, desperately calling out for help. It was a tragic cry that pierced one¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, stop looking,¡± Sun Haoze sighed helplessly.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°That girl is obviously being forced to do so. Forcing a fine girl into prostitution is a serious crime even during ancient times. Haoze, are you sure that we shouldn¡¯t be interfering?¡±


    Sun Haoze stared at him, ¡°Interfere? How should we do that? If we interfere, the next ones who¡¯d suffer might be our family.¡±


    ¡°But someone has to stand up to them!¡±


    Xiao Luo got down his motorcycle. From controlling child beggars, to deliberately torturing children into an unbearable state to gain sympathy, to forcing young girls into prostitution, everything the Dragon Gang had done made him bristle with anger. He never thought of himself as a nice person, but what Sun Yu had gone through fired up his determination to go against the Dragon Gang. He refused to believe that he couldn¡¯t vanquish this evil force.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Sun Haoze wanted to stop him but was toote. He could only follow him to prevent him from messing things up to a state of no return.


    Xiao Luo shouted at the five bulky men, ¡°Release her at once!¡±


    The five men turned to look at him strangely.


    Seemingly seeing a ray of hope, the girl cried for help.


    A particrly muscr man with a scar on his face said chillingly, ¡°Hey kid, you have no business here, you better stay out of this!¡± After he noticed Xiao Luo¡¯s auxiliary police uniform, he snorted in contempt, ¡°So you are an auxiliary policeman. Kid, you must be new, right? Didn¡¯t the one that took you here tell you to keep an eye shut?¡±


    ¡°My apologies. I¡¯m a cop. You are suspected of persecuting women for prostitution, and I hereby arrest you in ordance with thew. You have the right to remain silent, but every word you say shall be evidence in court!¡± Xiao Luo took out some handcuffs.


    When the five men heard him, they cracked up.


    The scarred manughed sarcastically, ¡°Hey kid, you watched too many movies, don¡¯t you? Rights to remain silent? You sound like a f*cking fool! Are you doing a movie or what?!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The others broke out in tears.

 Chapter 203 - Astonishing Work

    Chapter 203: Astonishing Work


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°I will repeat, release her at once!¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    ¡°Hah, another little hothead punk! Hey kid, you know to spell the word ¡®death¡¯?¡±


    The scarred man squinted his eyes and looked at Xiao Luo. The scar on his face was like a centipede, adding a touch of gruesomeness to his fearsome bearing.


    At the same time, one of his underlings blew a whistle with his fingers. The whistle served as a re being fired into the skies. Suddenly, a host of burly men emerged from both sides of the alley, holding metal bars and wooden cudgels in their hands. They surged over like a tide of darkness, quickly surrounding Xiao Luo and Sun Haoze.


    Sun Haoze¡¯s expression changed immediately. He quickly pleaded with a skittish smile, ¡°S-Scar, this is his first day on the job, he doesn¡¯t know the rules yet.¡±


    ¡°Haoze, I really don¡¯t know what rules we could possibly have here. We are cops, and fighting illegal crime is our duty,¡± Xiao Luo snorted.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you for real or what. We are just auxiliary policemen, and we don¡¯t even have a proper weapon with us. Our main job is dealing with civil disputes. These things are not within the scope of our supervision.¡±


    Sun Haoze continuously signaled him with his eyes. Their opponent was numerous in numbers, while they were only two. If this conflict were to go on, they would definitely be getting the shorter end of the stick. Even if they had intended to interfere, the correct procedure would have been to leave this ce first, call to inform the substation, then wait for the substation to send some other people. And as to whether the girl could be saved if they had done that, it would remain a mystery.


    ¡°Auxiliary policeman is also a cop. They are forcing a girl into prostitution right in front of us, and they¡¯re certainly are more of those dirty deals going on behind our backs.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression dimmed as he shouted at the scarred man, ¡°Last warning, release her now, or I will bring all of you back to the substation!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by you will bring us all back? You mean your tiny substation is so big, can fit us all?¡± a sloppy looking man said casually while whistling.


    The others allughed out loudly.


    ¡°Hey, little auxiliary policeman. If you could bring any one of us away, I will ept your surname,¡± the scarred man said arrogantly with his nose lifted.


    ¡°Fine then, your surname will be Xiao after this!¡± Xiao Luo said faintly.


    As soon as he ended his words, he greeted the scarred man¡¯s face with his fist, instantly smashing his nose.


    The scarred man fell to the ground. He touched the blood that was oozing out from his nostrils and roared, ¡°F*ck, kill him!¡±


    The battle-horn was thus sounded¡­


    Xiao Luo smirked. Don¡¯t mention these 40 to 50 people before him, he had no fear even if there were a hundred of them.


    Anyone who was struck by his fist, feet, elbows, joints, were knocked down instantly, twitching and shrieking in pain. He would dispatch anyone that came within range of his fist and feet. Simple, efficient, and brutal. Elegant footwork or dodging wasn¡¯t necessary at all when dealing with such ipetent scumbags. The dull sound of fists on flesh echoed through the alley, apanied by the rising and falling moans.


    Sun Haoze gawked in horror, forgetting to even move his legs. He couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had such brutal power and skill within him. He single-handedly put these 40 to 50 Dragon Gang members on the ground with only his pairs of hands and legs. He was literally a raging beast.


    Now that Xiao Luo had Yijin Jing, he could, in fact, not use his hands at all. He could just as easily dash around randomly like a raging bull and instantly knock down five to six people.


    A total rout without any suspense!


    After about ten minutes, no one was left standing in the alley.


    Xiao Luo reached out his hands, grabbed the scarred man by his cor, and pulled him closer.


    The scarred man was suddenly as timid as a mouse. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are a cop. Cops can¡¯t simply hit people.¡±


    ¡°I see that you have a scar on your face, and I thought you were vicious. Turns out that you¡¯re just garbage!¡± Xiao Luo said chillingly, as he dropped him to the ground.


    His words triggered something in the scarred man. When Xiao Luo turned around and was walking to the girl, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a knife from his pocket.


    ¡°Go to hell, you b*stard!¡±


    With a bellowing roar, he dashed at Xiao Luo and viciously stabbed his back.


    However, as if he had eyes behind his back, Xiao Luo turned, pivoting with his left leg, then forcefully thrust his right leg and mmed it into the scarred man¡¯s chest.


    BAM!


    The impact sent a devastating force surging instantly through his body, and the scarred man could feel his internal organs trembling as he flew backward, spitting blood. Then he copsed from the intense pain.


    Sun Haoze was in a stupor. His face was pale with fear, and he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and went to the girl, inquiring her name, age, hometown, and the reason she was forced into prostitution.


    She was still quivering in fear but felt reassured by Xiao Luo¡¯s presence and the uniform of an auxiliary police officer. She answered the questions one by one.


    She was from Shan Province. After graduating from high school, she went looking for a job as she didn¡¯t gain admittance to any university. She came to Jiangcheng via her middleman, but little did she know that her middleman was a nefarious pimp. After arriving at Jiangcheng City, she was ced under his control. To force her into servitude and destroy her will to resist, five to six men raped her day and night, even going as far as to beat her with electric batons. Later on, she was brought to this filthy alley to serve customers.


    ¡°Haoze, don¡¯t you feel anything after listening to her?¡± Xiao Luo turned around and asked Sun Haoze.


    Sun Haoze smiled bitterly. Anyone would have been infuriated listening to the girl¡¯s miserable experience, but he also had his own family. As an auxiliary policeman, how would he dare to fight against a colossal monster like the Dragon Gang?


    Xiao Luo turned back to the girl, ¡°Aside from you, are there any others who are being threatened?¡±


    ¡°No one is willing to be a toy for men. We were all threatened from the very beginning. But after going through despair and struggle, many of them could no longer resist and sumbed to their fate,¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next day, the Liren Police substation was bustling with noise.


    The reason was that Xiao Luo had arrested 20 brothel patrons, 35 people who were controlling the business, and 45 prostitutes who were forced into the trade but whose will to resist still remained.


    ¡°Brother, are you going against the Heavens here?!¡± Liu Tieguo gulped as he was shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s astonishing work.


    Xiao Luo shrugged his shoulders slightly and spread his hands in a silent reply, then followed his instructor into went to Feng Yuqi¡¯s office.


    Before Feng Yuqi could speak, the instructor reprimanded Xiao Luo without giving him a chance to exin himself. He was in a sullen mood, and it showed on his face.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what the hell you think you¡¯re doing? Who told you to meddle with that area?¡±


    ¡°Instructor, could you please answer my question before I answer yours?¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°What is our duty as a cop?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    The instructor snorted, ¡°The police have to maintain social order, protect our citizens safely, freedom, and legal assets, and prevent, stop, and punish illegal and criminal activities.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I saw ady being forced into prostitutionst night. As a policeman, do you think I should interfere?¡± Xiao Luo said coldly. Although it was the Dragon Gang he was dealing with, he didn¡¯t feel that what he did yesterday was wrong.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The instructor was infuriated, ¡°You are an auxiliary policeman, not a criminal policeman, nor a regr police officer. You just have to inform the station, and we will send someone to handle it.¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been toote by the time the station actually sent someone. The girl that was crying for help would¡¯ve already be locked up in somece long before that,¡± Xiao Luo retorted.

 Chapter 204 - The Shrew

    Chapter 204: The Shrew


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio


    ¡°I think Xiao Luo will definitely be disciplined for this. He has arrested so many people, and they¡¯re all at once. Our lockup is almost full. Besides, the instructor¡¯s face was so icy and serious a while ago. He¡¯s probably berating Xiao Luo inside right now.¡± Ma Pijin said to Liu Tieguo outside.


    ¡°They¡¯re all criminals who broke thew. Why can¡¯t he arrest them?¡± Liu Tieguo uttered with a snort, speaking up for Xiao Luo.


    Ma Pijin crossed his arms firmly in front of his chest, unwilling to ept any other opinion. He then exined to Liu Tieguo, like someone with vast experience offering earnest advice, ¡°It¡¯s not that he can¡¯t arrest them. It¡¯s that he shouldn¡¯t overstep his role and create trouble. The district station should be the one to deal with this kind of criminal activity, where so many people are involved. Our substation is only a small ce on a lower level. The main responsibility for us is to solve the ordinary civil dispute. It¡¯s not our part to crack down on serious crime.¡±


    Liu Tieguo snorted lightly in disagreement and didn¡¯t bother to respond.


    Ma Pijin continued to speak, ¡°You just wait and see. Xiao Luo will certainly pay for his action. This could even be the end of his career with the auxiliary police. What a hothead. He¡¯s crazy about gaining some honor but doesn¡¯t realize he has to follow the rules to do the business.¡±


    Ma Pijin was gloating, and it certainly did not sound like he sympathized with or pitied Xiao Luo. He could hardly bear the sight of Xiao Luo, he hated his personality and was envious of his excellence during training camp. And now, he couldn¡¯t wait to see Xiao Luo being punished for his faux pas or better yet, even expelled from the force. Spite, such was often the oue of envy and jealousy.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Inside the office of Feng Yuqi, the station chief, the instructor was infuriated. He couldn¡¯t believe Xiao Luo would have the gall to speak in such a way, not to mention those nasty insinuations. His ears turned red as he was lost for words.


    ¡°When I came to report for duty the day before yesterday, the station chief told us himself that a policeman shouldn¡¯t be afraid of trouble. Anyone afraid of trouble shouldn¡¯t join the police force. I took it seriously and acted strictly by that principle. Now the instructor is criticizing me for provoking people in that filthy ce. Does that mean the instructor doesn¡¯t agree with the station chief¡¯s opinion?¡±


    PHFFT!


    Feng Yuqi was sitting on the chair, listening as theyid out their arguments and drinking tea as he did so. Hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s words, he almost spurted out his tea and was momentarily stumped. Heposed himself quickly and said, ¡°Smartass, it turns out you¡¯ve been waiting to use my words against me. You¡¯re right. I did say that a police officer should not be afraid of trouble. But who would think you are so reckless as to dare encroach into the district station¡¯s jurisdiction!¡±


    The instructor nodded sternly as if he finally caught Xiao Luo¡¯s vulnerable point. He echoed instantly, ¡°Exactly. Do you know what kind of behavior this is?


    Overstepping your authority. You¡¯re only


    a mere auxiliary police officer. Who gave you the power to make arrests? And who gave you the right to talk to your supervisors in this way?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not in a mood to argue further with such a self-righteous and petty official. He decided to remain silent and only offered a deadpan look to anything more the instructor had to say.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you can leave for now,¡± Feng Yuqi said firmly, but not in


    a harsh way.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo saluted his Chief, turned around, and left the room. He didn¡¯t even nce at the instructor on the way out.


    ¡°Old Feng, look at this youngster. He shows no respect for elders and superiors. So haughty and arrogant!¡± Irked, the instructor seemed to be blowing off steams through his nose like an agitated bull before a fight.


    Feng Yuqi casually sipped on his tea,ughing, and he said, ¡°I actually find this young man interesting!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Brother Xiao, how did it go? What did the station chief and the instructor have to say?¡±


    Liu Tieguo hurried forward, concerned, as soon as Xiao Luo came out.


    Standing close by, Ma Pijin sneered, ¡°What else could they say? They definitely told him off and put him in his ce with a stern warning. It¡¯s not like they were going to reward him.¡±


    Xiao Luo red coldly at Ma Pijin then said in a calm but threatening tone, ¡°You better hold your tongue unless you want me to introduce my knuckles to your teeth!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lout!¡±


    Ma Pijin did worry that Xiao Luo would actually beat him up. He threw a quickment before promptly removing himself from harm¡¯s way.


    Liu Tieguo looked at Ma Pijin slinking away, and with a look of disgust and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°He is just an annoying *ss-kisser. You don¡¯t need to be bothered by him. This kind of person is no different from those fat flies that can be found on smelly piles of sh*t.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled. Needless to say, he wasn¡¯t paying any attention to Ma Pijin, and only threatened him to get under his skin.


    ¡°By the way, what on earth did the station chief and the instructor say? They didn¡¯t say they¡¯re going to punish you, did they?¡± Liu Tieguo asked with grave concern.


    Xiao Luo curled up his lips and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, brother Guo. Everything is fine.¡±


    As he was speaking, he couldn¡¯t help noticing that a rude, boorish woman scolding the police officer who was questioning her at his desk.


    ¡°Take out your evidence if you have any. If you don¡¯t have any proof to show I stole anything, you better let me go immediately. Otherwise, I will get awyer and sue you for uwful custody!¡±


    Behaving with unbearable insolence, her harsh voice was so loud and disturbing that it could be heard from all corners of the entire substation.


    After catching a glimpse of Xiao Luo staring at her, she immediately thumped on the table and yelled up a storm, ¡°D*mn you auxiliary police. What are you looking like? Have you never seen a beautiful woman like me?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned, turning to Liu Tieguo, who was next to him, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the deal with this woman?¡±


    ¡°She stole a wallet. The surveince camera caught footage of her. But they couldn¡¯t find the wallet that she took. You see, even Old Zhang is too afraid to speak loudly. This woman is so difficult to deal with.¡± Liu Tieguo whispered to Xiao Luo.


    The Old Zhang Liu Tieguo referred to was the police officer who was questioning the woman. He was counting down his days to retirement and didn¡¯t care to make any slips that would affect his pension. In such a situation, he would instead let the guilty ones go rather than risk making a wrongfully arrest.


    ¡°Turns out to be a female thief.¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, feeling a pang of disappointment, frustrated by the ways of the world.


    The woman thought she could escape from the charge of theft if she behaved churlishly, to add to her fierce and unreasonable personality. She was quite sure that Xiao Luo was a neer who could be pushed around. She had noticed that he was only a young auxiliary police officer, fair inplexion, and had a face she had never seen before.


    Picking up from where she left off moments ago, she vented her anger directly on Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Hey, I was talking to you, you damn auxiliary police. Don¡¯t you pretend to be deaf! How did a suckling of a boy like you be a police officer? Aren¡¯t you afraid of bringing shame to police forces with your stupid look? Hey¡­ still ying dead and pretending you can¡¯t hear me? F*ck your mother and all of your families¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was viciously cursed with such venom for merely taking a nce at her.


    Many other auxiliary police officers in the substation were furious at the treatment he got. Only Ma Pijin took great pleasure and satisfaction from watching themotion.


    But Xiao Luo was no pushover. He walked straight up to the woman and stared down at her from a height. His cold, chiseled face filled with disdain. He said, ¡°Are you a shrew yelling abuse in the street? Unfortunately, this is not the street. It¡¯s the police station. You better behave yourself. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, what? Are you going to lynch me?¡±


    The woman suddenly shot up from her chair, screaming at the top of her lungs, her expression uncouth and ill-bred, ¡°You d*mn auxiliary police, I¡¯m setting myself against you right now! If you can¡¯t find evidence to prove that I stole the wallet, I will definitely hirewyers to sue you and your sh*tty police station!¡±


    ¡°You really think I wouldn¡¯t do anything to you?¡± Xiao Luo said in a cold voice.


    The woman felt an anxious fear creeping upon her. But she was emboldened and confident that the young auxiliary officer in front of her wouldn¡¯t dare toy his hands on her. She climbed on her chair and stared eye-to-eye at Xiao Luo angrily, and sneered, ¡°Good. Come on. Hit me. You¡¯re f*cking bastard if you dare!¡±

 Chapter 205 - Feng Yuqis Plan

    Chapter 205: Feng Yuqi¡¯s n


    Standing on her chair, the woman only rose a little taller than Xiao Luo. She ced her hands aggressively on the hips and cursed at Xiao Luo like a furious witch. The words she spewed were filled with foul invectives and disgusting, inappropriate references to his entire ancestral line; all in all, she was quite a nasty piece of work.


    ¡°Enough. You¡¯re in a police station. I can charge you with insulting police officers if you keep going like this!¡± Old Zhang let out a dry cough and reminded her.


    The woman became even more aggressive and said, ¡°Insulting police officers? Stop talking to me in this bureaucratic tone. How dare this d*mn auxiliary police call himself a police officer? He¡¯s no more than a fart in my eyes!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and turned around without saying a further word.


    Thinking Xiao Luo had given in, the woman was puffed up with arrogance and got carried away. She screamed even louder at Xiao Luo, ¡°D*mn auxiliary police, why did you leave? Come back here! Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re going to hit me? Come on. You bastard, son of a b*tch. If you don¡¯t have the guts¡­¡±


    Bending slightly, Xiao Luo picked up the chair next to him, turned around, and smashed it right into the frenzied woman.


    BANG! It all happened in a split second!


    The vile and incessant curses came to an abrupt stop. The despicable woman with the foul mouth was thrown back several meters,nding hard on the floor. An expression of panic and fear appeared on her wide-eyed face. She let out a blood-curdling scream pointing at the blood in her mouth.


    For a second, everyone froze in the police station lobby. They looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief with shock in their eyes. They never thought Xiao Luo would pick up a chair and attacked a woman in a police station. But despite the excessive reaction, for the most part, the officers actually felt a sense of¡­ delight! She had iting, and they wished they could¡¯ve given it to her as well.


    ¡°Attack! Police brutality! Almost beat me to death!¡± Coming out of her stupor, the woman realized what just happened and started rolling on the ground and acting hysterically.


    Xiao Luo strode toward her and looked down on her with piercing, cold eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ What are you going to do? I- I can sue you¡­ you¡­¡±


    The woman shrunk in terror. She could see now that the auxiliary police officer standing in front of her was not someone to be trifled with. He had a cold, devil-like face when angered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I don¡¯t have the guts to hit you? I¡¯m going to hit you now just to show it to you!¡±


    As Xiao Luo reached out to slowly pick up another chair, his wicked smile convinced the woman what was about to happen next.


    Could he be nning on teaching this woman another lesson?


    Everyone in the room shuddered at the thought. The look of unbridled anger on Xiao Luo¡¯s face frightened them.


    Old Zhang sensed the situation was turning nasty and hurried to stop Xiao Luo. He said, ¡°Xiao Luo. It¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t ruin your career over this kind of woman.¡±


    ¡°Old Zhang, just pretend you didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Xiao Luo forced a smile at the man.


    The smile was quite disturbing in other people¡¯s eyes.


    Ma Pijin stood up at that moment. He pointed at Xiao Luo and said harshly, ¡°Xiao Luo, you have done enough! Do you really think the police station is your house where you can do whatever you want?¡±


    Ma Pijin was waging a tit-for-tat against Xiao Luo. Standing on the legal and moral high ground this time, he admonished Xiao Luo forcefully.


    Finding in Ma Pijin, a straw to clutch at, she dramatically appealed for his help, ¡°Officer! Please stop him! This man is crazy!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,dy. We won¡¯t let him run wild!¡±


    Ma Pijin promised that to her in all sincerity. He then continued to chide Xiao Luo again, ¡°Xiao Luo, you need to stop your abuse right now. Otherwise, I will arrest you and hold you responsible ording to thew even though we¡¯re colleagues.¡±


    ¡°Ass-kisser, I usually don¡¯t bother to pay attention to you. I now find you aggravating!¡±


    Xiao Luo forced out a cruelugh, then deliberately stepped on the woman¡¯s hand. Although he didn¡¯t apply much pressure, the hard sole of his leather shoe made the woman scream like a pig before ughter.


    ¡°Ai! You, you¡­¡±


    Intimidated, Ma Pijin broke out into a cold sweat. He immediately thought about instigating everyone in the room to berate Xiao Luo. He shouted, ¡°Xiao Luo deliberately broke thew. Let¡¯s hurry to stop him. We can¡¯t let him keepmitting crimes!¡±


    To his chagrin, no one responded to him. All the police officers who were looking on simply went back to whatever they were doing before. Answering the phone, writing reports, pretending that they did not hear or see anything.


    ¡°You all¡­¡±


    Ma Pijin felt wronged by his colleagues and not a little embarrassed as well. He wondered why everyone shut their eyes to it when Xiao Luo was clearly doing something wrong.


    ¡°Fine! I will go find the station chief since you all too afraid to act!¡± Ma Pijin said defiantly and ran straight to the station chief¡¯s office.


    After a few minutes, the Chief¡¯s door swung open, and Ma Pijin walked out, disheartened. Not only Feng Yuqi did not support him, but he was also given an earful by the Chief.


    ¡°Do you have to bother me for this kind of trivial matter? What the hell do I need you all for?¡±


    Feng Yuqi made clear where he stood. Ma Pijin didn¡¯t understand what he did wrong. Why did everyone choose to side with that lout Xiao Luo?


    ¡°Hit a snag?¡± Liu Tieguo asked with a chuckle.


    Ma Pijin pulled a long face and red angrily.


    ¡°With the size of our station, how could it be possible that the station chief didn¡¯t know what was happening outside his office? Ass-kisser, your cleverness indeed overreached itself.¡± Liu Tieguo said to Ma Pijin. ¡°Oh, by the way, I need to tell you, the wallet that the woman stole was found. It was hidden inside of her bra and fell out when Brother Xiao Luo grabbed her feet upside down and shook her a little. With the surveince footage and the stolen goods, the woman¡¯s theft charge is now substantiated.¡± Liu Tieguo piped in further, with his hands together under his chin, tapping on his fingers and smiling with glee.


    What?


    She really was a thief?


    Ma Pijin felt devastated and demoralized at the same time when he heard it from Liu Tieguo.


    He turned his head and watched the woman in the chair. She looked dejected and was now making a truthful ount to Old Zhang about what happened.


    As for Xiao Luo, he stuck his hands in the pockets and walked toward Ma Pijin. Almost in reflex, Ma Pijin jumped out of the way for Xiao Luo, with eyes full of fright.


    ¡°Brother Xiao, tell me. How on earth did you find out the wallet was hidden in the woman¡¯s bra?¡±


    Liu Tieguo was fawning and expressing his deep admiration for Xiao Luo. He had found the wallet that even Old Zhang, with his seniority and experience, couldn¡¯t. For anyone looking, it would seem like he was infatuated.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know in the beginning. I only realized it when I hit the woman with the chair.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered honestly. Even though he used a chair, it still felt different when the chair hit on the woman¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ You¡¯re so awesome. I couldn¡¯t admire you enough.¡±


    Liu Tieguo burst out a roar withughter. He then said, ¡°Congrattions. Let¡¯s y video games tonight!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°The boy is quite good.¡±


    Feng Yuqi had understood what had just happened as he watched through the blinds in his office. His praise was naturally for Xiao Luo¡¯s action.


    The instructor scorned dismissively, ¡°He¡¯s quite good? What a typical hothead would strike a blow at a single word of disagreement. This kind of fearless characters will probably get us into trouble someday.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you can¡¯t only look at one side of things. Everything needs to be considered from both sides.¡±


    Feng Yuqi rested his chin on the back of his hands and said with a smile, ¡°This Xiao Luo is a double-edged sword. If we can use him properly, he will be a natural enemy against crime. Didn¡¯t the district station say we¡¯re negligent and have far less achievementpared to other substations? I was very concerned and was just looking into that. By good fortune, this youngster Xiao Luo hase right in time.¡±


    ¡°Station chief, you¡­ Are you saying you want to put Xiao Luo in a key frontline position?¡± The instructor looked surprised.


    Feng Yuqi only responded with a mysterious smile.


    The instructor gulped. He had worked with Feng Yuqi for too long, not to realize what Feng Yuqi had meant. But putting the hothead Xiao Luo in a frontline position?


    It was so reckless and irresponsible! How was he not afraid that the youngster would make a huge mess?

 Chapter 206 - Time For A Change

    Chapter 206: Time For A Change


    Xiao Luo returned home and turned on hisputer. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head when he realized his inte firewall was being hacked. It was that hacker ¡°BaiLing¡± again. For the past few weeks, this BaiLing had been persistent, relentlessly trying to crack his firewall and obtain information from hisputer.


    He typed a message right way, ¡°You really want to break into myputer that badly?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the women¡¯s dorm of Huaye University, Bai Ling replied with pure determination.


    She then thought for a moment and sent another message, ¡°Mie, I want to know you!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled softly and typed to reply, ¡°We already know each other, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No, I meant in real life.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait till you crack my firewall.¡±


    After typing thest sentence, Xiao Luo shut down hisptop and went to the bathroom to shower. He had full confidence in his firewall security and decided to use it to reject BaiLing¡¯s request.


    Bai Ling bit on her lips in annoyance. Xiao Luo¡¯s words stirred up her desire to take him on his challenge. Now she had no choice but to break into hisputer.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Three dayster, a bombshell was dropped at the Liren Police Substation. Feng Yuqi had made an exception and submitted an application for Xiao Luo to be a regr police officer. Through the connections he had, the application was approved by the district station within a short time, which meant, Xiao Luo was no longer auxiliary police, but a full-fledged police officer.


    Ma Pijin was beside himself with jealousy on finding out about this.


    Many people envied Xiao Luo as well. They knew the process for auxiliary police to be a permanent police officer on regr payroll was fraught with difficulty. Some people didn¡¯t have the opportunity to apply even after working for several years. On the contrary, Xiao Luo had already achieved it only four days after arriving at the station. It was simply unbelievable!


    ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯m really excited for brother Xiao Luo. Somehow, he became a permanent police officer. I can follow him and have a good time from now on!¡± Liu Tieguo congratted Xiao Luo loudly on purpose while being next to Ma Pijin.


    With a resentful face, Ma Pijin smashed his fist on the table, said, ¡°Xiao Luo must have pulled some strings. Otherwise, there is no way that he would be put on regr payroll so fast. These kinds of people who abuse connections are so shameless.¡±


    ¡°Look, *ss-kisser, you still don¡¯t get it. Brother Xiao Luo was promoted for his ability. Why don¡¯t you arrest dozens of criminals if you¡¯re so capable? I guarantee the station chief would break every rule and have you promoted as well.¡± Liu Tieguo felt absolutely delighted and derived great satisfaction from looking at Ma Pijin¡¯s frustrated and angry face.


    ¡°Liu Tieguo, why are you always going against me?¡± Ma Pijin asked in an offended tone.


    ¡°No one is going against you. You are doing this to yourself. We all came from the same training camp. Why are you always so jealous of Xiao Luo¡¯s achievement? As we were all ssmates at the training camp, isn¡¯t his promotion beneficial for all of us? Why can¡¯t you understand this?¡± Liu Tieguo answered, feeling annoyed.


    Ma Pijin sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t understand this. I just don¡¯t want to advance by nepotism as Xiao Luo did!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick. Very sick.¡±


    Liu Tieguo had had enough of Ma Pijin, but before he left, he said, ¡°I remind you one more time. Xiao Luo was promoted for his ability. The nepotism you mentioned is only in your head. It¡¯s a fiction of your imagination.¡±


    Ma Pijin ground his teeth and tried hard to contain his anger. He just couldn¡¯t ept the fact that Xiao Luo was an official police officer now.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Do you know why I promoted you?¡±


    Inside the station chief¡¯s office, Feng Yuqi looked at Xiao Luo straight in the eyes, but it was a look associated with the high expectations of one appreciating a precious treasure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hope the station chief can tell me.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and answered candidly. He certainly didn¡¯t anticipate anything good; instead, he was wondering if the station would punish him for the incident at the yard. Much to his surprise, not only was he not censured, he was rewarded with a promotion. It was beyond all expectations!


    ¡°Because you¡¯re resolute and dare to stand up to your opponents, I want you to be the sword of our station and crack down on those filthy criminal activities!¡± said Feng Yuqi.


    Xiao Luo was astounded by Feng Yuqi¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t realize Feng Yuqi was such a forthright station chief who was bold and decisive in action. He had promoted Xiao Luo precisely to grant him more authority and afford him the freedom to carry out his future mission.


    ¡°Chief, do you mean it?¡±


    ¡°I already promoted you. Is that not enough to show my seriousness?¡±


    Feng Yuqi took out a red book from his drawer and handed it to Xiao Luo, said, ¡°Take it and have a look. I prepared this for you as well.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t need to open it at all. The yellow characters were printed clearly on the cover: Firearm License!


    With this firearm license, he would be allowed to carry a weapon when he went out for patrols or other police missions. Of course, carrying a gun did not mean he could act recklessly. The usage of the weapon and the number of ammunition rounds discharged were strictly controlled and monitored. And he would have to prepare a detailed report any time he fired the gun.


    ¡°Besides this, you can pick three auxiliary police officers to be your direct subordinates to assist you. Xiao Luo, you go out there and do a good job. I have confidence in you.¡± Feng Yuqi said keenly, and his eyes showed he meant it.


    ¡°Yes, sir. I will never waste station chief¡¯s trust and guidance!¡±


    Holding up his head and pushing out his chest, Xiao Luo answered in a clear, firm voice. He initially felt that he was hamstrung in the role of auxiliary police. He had finally gotten what he wished for since Feng Yuqi had freed him from those restraints, and now gave him thetitude to carry out his job.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Station chief, to be honest, I¡¯m feeling quite restless. What if Xiao Luo really brings back trouble now that we have given the authority to him?¡± After Xiao Luo left, the instructor was troubled and asked Feng Yuqi in an anxious voice.


    Feng Yuqi casually poured a cup of hot tea, sat down and took a sip, said, ¡°You¡¯re too cautious and have too many fears. How are you going to fight the criminals this way? I admire Xiao Luo¡¯s style. He¡¯s like a fierce tiger. A tiger locked in a cage can¡¯t achieve anything. We can only appreciate its value once we set it free. I have had enough of waiting all these years. It¡¯s time for us to put more pressure on those b*stards.¡±


    ¡°Can Xiao Luo do it? Those are a bunch of vicious killers. If we took any action, all of our families will be threatened by them!¡±


    A fearful look was in the instructor¡¯s eyes. Being a police officer didn¡¯t mean he was not afraid of anything. They had topromise all this time, for the sake of their families¡¯ safety, when dealing with very influential and powerful criminals.


    Feng Yuqi mmed down the lid of the teacup. With a strong sense of justice, he raised his head and said, ¡± Sometimes, we have to choose to gamble.¡± He stood up and walked to the window. A smile formed on the corner of his mouth as he looked at the scene outside. ¡°The weather is changing!¡±


    The instructor widened his eyes and looked at the broad back of Feng Yuqi. Only now did he realize how determined Feng Yuqi was about striking out at the Dragon Gang.

 Chapter 207 - Born With Extraordinary Strength

    Chapter 207: Born With Extraordinary Strength


    As instructed by the police chief, Xiao Luo was to pick three auxiliary policemen to make up his team, and he picked Liu Tieguo, Ye Qiu, and Wang Lihu. He hadn¡¯t nned on pulling Liu Tieguo into this, not since he owed Liu Tieguo a favor, and he really did not want to put him in any danger. But in the end, Liu Tieguo insisted, and Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t dissuade him from being a part of the team.


    As for the other two, Ye Qiu and Wang Lihu were both born troublemakers, and that was well known among the police officers in the station. They had worked for two years, but yet a promotion was nowhere in sight for them. It wasn¡¯t because they did not have the necessary skills and experience, but rather because they would often get into trouble.


    For instance, they were supposed to mediate a dispute between city patrol officers and melon farmers. Not only did they fail to resolve the conflict, they even sided with the melon farmers and beat up the city patrol officers.


    In another incident, Ye Qiu and Wang Lihu chased an alleged thief that got away. However, after they caught him, they didn¡¯t question him at all before hitting him with sticks and knocked out two teeth. Later investigations then revealed that the person was, in fact, not a thief at all. A couple happened to have a fight, and the wife lied to the police about her husband being a thief for them to catch him.


    Therefore, people in the substation put abel on Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, ¡°thugs in uniforms! ¡±


    Xiao Luo chose them because he took a fancy to their character of daring to stand up to criminals, or to anyone else for that matter.


    He did not want to rope in chicken-hearted cowards, but instead, tusked beasts who was not afraid to tear up the enemy.


    As it turned out, Ye Qiu and Wang Lihu deeply resented that a fresh auxiliary police officer had gotten the chance to be a regr officer in next to no time. In addition to that, they also despised Xiao Luo because Ma Pijin had been nting the seeds of discontent among his colleagues to convince them that Xiao Luo was only promoted because of his connections.


    ¡°First, prove you have the ability to be our boss. Otherwise, I would rather spend my time hanging around in the station than being ackey behind your *ss.¡±


    Wang Lihu was standing with his legs spread apart and spoke gruffly to Xiao Luo in the police substation yard. There was not a shred of respect in his eyes, only resentment. He was a tall and sturdy fellow, six feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds, and had stubble on his jaw. Standing in the yard, he looked every bit a conceited and arrogant thug in uniform.


    Ye Qiu also turned up his nose at Xiao Luo and echoed Wang Lihu¡¯s stand. He spoke with a squeaky voice, ¡°That¡¯s right. People who don¡¯t have a kill or two don¡¯t deserve to be our boss!¡±


    He had a smaller build and a thin, angr face. His oily skin was shiny under the sunshine.


    ¡°Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, this is the appointment made by the station, so don¡¯t you try to pick holes in this on purpose. Bring it to the station chief if you have any disagreement.¡± Liu Tieguo spoke up for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°We¡¯re not like someone who has a deep background. How dare we bring anything up with the station chief.¡± Ye Qiu squeaked, making insinuations.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Liu Tieguo was annoyed. He was genuinely happy for Xiao Luo for his promotion. However, people in the station had been gossiping in recent days about how Xiao Luo only became a permanent officer because of his connection. He could hardly contain his anger for these rumors.


    Looking at Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, Xiao Luo smiled slightly and said, ¡°I can see that you two are not convinced.¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu exchanged a look and answered in chorus, ¡°Of course we¡¯re not!¡±


    ¡°You sound very confident. I bet you both have some skills. Tell me, what can you do?¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want to waste words on them. He chose the easiest and the most straightforward way, he would beat them to submission if he had to!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Everyone, stop now! Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu are not willing to take orders from Xiao Luo and are messing with him outside right now!¡± An auxiliary police officer rushed into the office and described the scene in the yard with his loud voice.


    ¡°Even an idiot would know this would happen. Those two are well-known troublemakers in the station. Xiao Luo was asking for trouble when he picked them to work for him.¡±


    ¡°Wang Lihu is endowed with extraordinary strength. He can easily lift a pig that weighs hundreds of pounds. Even five people couldn¡¯t hold him down when he throws his weight about. How would he possibly sumb to Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that Ye Qiu is not an easy one to deal with either. He used to practice hawk¡¯s w boxing. His hands can tear skin effortlessly, almost better than knives. They¡¯re all martial arts practitioners.¡±


    Some people sighed, some sympathized with Xiao Luo, while some thought he had iting and were gloating. Many people were jealous of Xiao Luo being promoted so soon and would have loved to see Xiao Luo being humiliated in public.


    Ma Pijin, for example, had to keep himself from dancing around to express his joy. He stood up with relish and shouted to the crowd, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go out and have a look. Xiao Luo is a skinny guy. I hope he won¡¯t be crushed by Wang Lihu¡¯s fist.¡±


    His words were filled with mockery and derision. Maybe he wanted to witness Xiao Luo being embarrassed so badly that he forgot that Xiao Luo had once fought off Yan Wang back in the training camp.


    Soon after, the crowd went outside and became the audience by the side.


    Xiao Luo had already learned about what Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu could do from their remarks. He pointed at Wang Lihu and said casually, ¡°Make a decision. Do you want a match on strength or boxing?¡±


    Wang Lihu was taken by surprise initially. He snorted and said, ¡°Let¡¯spete in strength. I¡¯m afraid I may beat you to death if we tried boxing.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯spete in strength, as you said.¡± Xiao Luo said with an indifferent shrug.


    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating yourself.¡±


    Wang Lihu sneered, then strode to a police motorcycle parked in the yard.


    He lowered his body in a horse-riding stance. With his left-hand grabbing on the handlebars and the right hand on the rear shock absorber, he took a deep breath and let out a deep howl. The muscles on his entire body were taut, and the veins were bulging. The motorcycle was slowly hefted above the ground. With another roar, the whole bike was lifted over his head.


    At that moment, he looked mighty and fierce!


    Everyone at the station was dumb stricken. Even though they already knew Wang Lihu had great strength, they were still shocked now that they had seen it with their own eyes. It was not a typical motorcycle, but a police patrol motorcycle which weighed more than 500 pounds. Even one person could hardly help it stand up if it fell on the side. Yet Wang Lihu had lifted it over his head. How could they not be astonished by it?


    ¡°Awesome!¡±


    Ma Pijin apuded and cheered for Wang Lihu in great excitement.


    Other people started to apud following Ma Pijin¡¯s lead. Wang Lihu¡¯s performance indeed deserved such apuse.


    ¡°Born with extraordinary strength. It¡¯s such a pity Wang Lihu didn¡¯t join the national weightlifting team.¡± Watching from the office on the second floor, Feng Yuqi couldn¡¯t help joking about it.


    The instructor shook his head and said in frustration, ¡°You need to care more about Xiao Luo. He¡¯s asking for trouble bypeting in strength with Wang Lihu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure. Xiao Luo read Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu¡¯s files before he selected and knew about them already. He must have a way to subdue them since he insisted on picking them on his team. Have a little patience and wait and see.¡± Feng Yuqiughed. He was still very confident about Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Haiyah¡­¡±


    The instructor exhaled a long sigh. He really didn¡¯t understand why the station chief trusted Xiao Luo so much.


    BANG!


    Wang Lihu put down the patrol motorcycle with a loud bang causing the entire ground to tremble slightly.

 Chapter 208 - Hawk Claws Boxing

    Chapter 208: Hawk w¡¯s Boxing


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°It¡¯s your turn now!¡±


    Wang Lihu turned around and looked at Xiao Luo. He spoke to him with a confident smile as he dusted his hands off.


    Ye Qiu also shot Xiao Luo a mocking look and sneered, ¡°Xiao Luo, I would quit if I were you. The game is not worth the candle if you pulled your back.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond. He gave them a soft smile and walked directly to the same motorcycle.


    ¡°He can¡¯t be thinking that he can lift the motorcycle too, can he?¡± Someone said in suspicion.


    ¡°With his built? Stop joking around.¡± Another person snickered.


    Xiao Luo stretched out his hand and pushed the motorcycle gently as if he was estimating its weight.


    Wang Lihu couldn¡¯t help but ridiculed, ¡°I was ttering you when I said you overestimated yourself. You¡¯re simply a sham who is going to make a fool of yourself!¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pay attention to him. He shook his head at the motorcycle and turned away.


    ¡°Looks like you have some self-awareness after all. You know when to give up.¡±


    The grin on Wang Lihu¡¯s face was even broader. He said, ¡°Since you quit, why don¡¯t you talk to the station chief and pick someone else. I have no intention of being your¡­¡±


    His voice ceased all of a sudden, and the smile on his face froze. He was left aghast with his mouth open.


    Everyone else on the spot was staggered and couldn¡¯t believe what they saw with their own eyes. Because Xiao Luo lifted the front of the police car parked in the yard with one hand. Not only that, but he also held the chassis with his left hand and grabbed the front bumper with his right hand. Using the strength from his shoulder, he raised the entire police car up in the air!


    If Wang Lihu was powerful and fierce before, at this moment, Xiao Luo was imbued with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers!


    ¡°This¡­ How could this be possible!¡± Ma Pijin¡¯s face was filled with astonishment.


    Liu Tieguo was knocked sideways. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Oh my god! Brother Xiao Luo is beyond words, he lifted a car that weighs at least two or three tons!¡±


    Feng Yuqi and the instructor were dumbfounded as well in the office on the second floor. The stupefaction dried their mouths. They gulped down saliva involuntarily.


    The entire yard of the police substation was silenced in shock.


    BANG!


    The police car was put down by Xiao Luo and smashed hard on the ground, raising a thick cloud of dust.


    The loud sound brought people back from the daze. They now looked at Xiao Luo in awe and veneration.


    Monster!


    That was people¡¯s assessment of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo turned his head to look at Wang Lihu and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°Are you persuaded?¡±


    Wang Lihu ground his teeth and clenched his fists. He would have tried to lift the car himself before if he had anticipated Xiao Luo to have such powerful strength. However, he would be reaching his limit even if he could actually uplift the car. There was no way for him to do it as effortlessly as Xiao Luo did.


    ¡°I¡¯m not persuaded!¡±


    Ye Qiu suddenlyunched his attack with an angry roar. He rushed forward at full speed and reached Xiao Luo in a split second.


    He stomped the left foot on the ground and stopped abruptly. Using the forward momentum, his hands became ws, and his ten fingers struck at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with iparable power. With a shing sound, Xiao Luo¡¯s uniform was torn apart like a tattered rag, almost as if he was attacked by a hungry wolf.


    Fortunately, Xiao Luo backed up in time and wasn¡¯t injured physically. It was only his innerwear that was exposed.


    Even so, it made the onlookers at the scene gasped in dismay. They thought that Ye Qiu indeed reached the acme of perfection of the hawk¡¯s w boxing. Even without long fingernails, his fingertips were still sharp like knives. How frightening.


    ¡°Ye Qiu, why did you make a sneak attack?¡± Liu Tieguo criticized him loudly.


    However, nothing could register in Ye Qiu¡¯s brain right now. Growling and snarling in a frenzy, he bounded into the air again and thrashed toward Xiao Luo with his hands. With the whistling wind, his de-like fingers fiercely streaked across the air.


    Xiao Luo was moving back while fighting against Ye Qiu. From an outsider¡¯s view, he was the underdog in the race and was suppressed by Ye Qiu. While in fact, he was observing Ye Qiu¡¯s hawk¡¯s w boxing technique. One of the advantages of Yi Jin Jing was that it allowed the practitioner to learn and copy other types of martial arts.


    After studying for about five minutes, Xiao Luo stopped retreating. He moved forward for the first time, jumped up and flipped in the air. Under great risk, he dodged Ye Qiu¡¯s savage fingers as hended on tiptoe. He instantly leaned forward with his right hand forming a stiff w, and grasped on Ye Qiu¡¯s hand as fast as a sh of lightning. The tips of Xiao Luo¡¯s fingers dug in Ye Qiu¡¯s hand and held it in a vice-like grip. He then yanked Ye Qiu¡¯s arm across harshly, throwing him off his bnce.


    ¡°AHH ~¡±


    Ye Qiu howled in pain, his arms shivering.


    ¡°You lost!¡± Xiao Luo gazed at him emotionlessly.


    The table was turned so fast that the people around them didn¡¯t have time to react.


    ¡°Where did you learn the hawk¡¯s w boxing style?¡±


    Even suffering excruciating pain, Ye Qiu was still astounded that he had been defeated by his own boxing style. It was a type of kung fu handed down from the Ye family¡¯s ancestors. How could Xiao Luo know it too?


    ¡°I just learned it from you.¡± Xiao Luo gave an honest answer.


    Did he learn it just now?


    Did he master the Ye family¡¯s hawk¡¯s w boxing in a few minutes? Ye Qiu had practiced studiously for more than 20 years!


    There was no way Ye Qiu would believe that. He was certain Xiao Luo was talking nonsense. Being the troublemakers in the station, he and Wang Lihu had enjoyed unshakable freemasonry. Right now, he didn¡¯t care about anything else anymore. He turned his head and shouted at Wang Lihu, ¡°Laohu, what are you waiting for? Come, help me!¡±


    ¡°HAH!¡±


    Wang Lihu bellowed and rushed toward Xiao Luo, waving his giant fists.


    Xiao Luo kicked Ye Qiu out of the way. His right hand ttened and blocked Wang Lihu¡¯s blow. He smiled while shaking his head, said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you proud of your strength? Even a random martial practitioner could have fended off this punch.¡±


    Wang Lihu looked at his fist in a daze. He knew perfectly about his strength. Even 20% of it was enough to knock ordinary people out. He immediately stepped back from Xiao Luo and spoke in an insolent voice, ¡°I was worried you won¡¯t be able to take it. Since you aren¡¯t satisfied with my hit, I will spare no effort now!¡±


    ¡°Just to my liking!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him calmly, and a smile remained on his face.


    AARRGH!


    Bellowing like a beast, Wang Lihu exerted his strength and stomped on the ground. The strength of his entire body surged toward his right fist and propelled a strike.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s pupils dted. The power in Wang Lihu¡¯s fist made him excited as if his blood was boiling.


    ¡°I will stop you now!!!¡±


    Clenching his teeth, Xiao Luo roared and greeted Wang Lihu with his own fist.


    BANG!


    The fists crashed together. Wang Lihu¡¯s fist was stopped. The force gushed backed to him like a raging river. His shaking body flung away violently as if he was hit by a train. He didn¡¯t stop until hitting the wall of the yard.


    Xiao Luo, on the contrary, maintained his posture, unwavering and upright like a pine tree.


    The yard was so silent that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Everyone stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s slender figure in a stupor. At that moment, Xiao Luo was magnificent and untouchable in their minds.

 Chapter 209 - Sis Huang

    Chapter 209: Sis Huang


    He did not have a massive build, nor was he ripping with muscles, and yet exhibited such tremendous strength and power, which was literally beyond human!


    The crowd in Liren Police Substation yard just stared wide-eyed at Xiao Luo, who stood upright, oblivious to his own superhuman feat. Everyone was awestruck and could barely recover from the tremendous shock.


    ¡°Apletely one-sided victory, this Xiao Luo¡­he¡­¡±


    The instructor watching from the second-floor office was trembling and was in such a state of disbelief that he was mumbling incoherently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said, he¡¯s a fierce tiger!¡± Feng Yuqi said with great excitement.


    In the yard, Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu acknowledged their defeat, and from hereon would not think to ever look down on Xiao Luo anymore. As practitioners of the martial arts, they walked up to show their respect towards Xiao Luo, knelt down with one knee, and bowed with their fists clenched against each other.


    ¡°Boss, I, Wang Lihu, will follow you anywhere and everywhere, you have my service at yourmand.¡±


    ¡°I, Ye Qiu, will do the same. I hope, boss, that you will be magnanimous and not mind our past wrongdoings. Please forgive our disrespect just now.¡±


    Both of them were straightforward fellows. As Xiao Luo had thoroughly won them over with his supreme disy of power and skills. With such capabilities, he was a worthy man to follow.


    ¡°You guys got your *sses whooped and are finally convinced now?¡± Liu Tieguo came over andughed at them.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re convinced, totally convinced!¡± Both Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu blushed and said awkwardly.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Get up and clean yourselves up, then follow me for patrol.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    They got up and saluted smartly with their heads up and backs straight.


    ¡­..


    ¡­..


    Liren was a small town in the Guangming district. Although it was small in size, it was very prosperous; it could even bepared to an affluent provincial city. This wasrgely a result of Jiangcheng¡¯s enormousmitment to its economic development. Liren¡¯s burgeoning sess could be attributed to the multiplerge-scale industrial areas close to its borders. The boom of its industrial parks had attracted countless people from all over the world. And this attracted all sorts of people, not only professionals and skilled workers, but undesirable elements of society also made their way there. This had heightened the need for more visible public security presence as incidents of street crime and gang fights becamemonce.


    Xiao Luo had known that Dragon Gang¡¯s primary operations in this area were the red-light districts. There were three such areas, and all were located close to the industrial zones. It was good business sense, as many of their employees had sizeable disposal ies and could easily afford social escort services. Splurging a hundred yuan or two for a night of fun would not put a dent in their wallets.


    He had only recently cracked down on one of the red-light districts by himself, so there were two left behind for him to clean up!


    Xiao Luo parked his motorbike at a sentry post with a clear view of themercial street, now milling with a crowd of people seeking the thrills of nightlife. He had no business there during the day, as that street would only be filled with people scurrying hither and thither on business errands. However, after dark, it¡¯s true colors would emerge and that street would be transformed into something very different.


    There were flyers on the floor, post-it notes on walls, even the power supply boxes, and they were all little advertisements for sexual services.


    Xiao Luo looked at the small stream that had now turned into a filthy, disgusting sewer and frowned. Everyone was trying every possible way to get themselves a ce in a big city, but they were only drawn to its beautiful fa?ade, neglecting its dark, ugly side.


    Ding. Ding. Ding~


    The familiar sound of a monotonous ringtone brought him out of his contemtion.


    Xiao Luo took the phone from his pocket and checked, it was Zhang Dashan. He epted the call by swiping right.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Dashan?¡±


    ¡°You motherfu*cker, can¡¯t I call you even if I¡¯ve no issues? I haven¡¯t heard from you for a couple of days, can you be more aware that you should give me a call every other day? You haven¡¯t been keeping in contact with me for so long, I almost thought that Dragon Gang had cut you to pieces already.¡± Zhang Dashan snapped.


    Xiao Luo frowned, ¡°Spit it out. If there¡¯s a problem, let me know; if not, I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯m busy and not free to chit chat now.¡±


    It was a rule in the station that a policeman on duty was not allowed to speak on the phone. Being suited in his police uniform to deal with Dragon Gang, he felt that obliged to obey the rules.


    ¡°What the f*ck are you busy with? I¡¯m in charge of Luo¡¯s Workshop, so what else do you have to be busy with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hanging.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t¡­ I have something serious to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Can you cut the crap?¡±


    Xiao Luo wished that he could kick him up the posterior, and said impatiently, ¡°So what¡¯s going on, spit it out.¡±


    Zhang Dashan cleared his throat and said, ¡°What else could it be? It¡¯s your very own romantic debt, sis Huang is here for you.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned even harder, then asked irritably,¡± Who¡¯s sis Huang? You better stop giving me bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t giving you bullshit, it¡¯s Huang Ruoran from Huaye University. The girl who was almost raped by the five gangsters, you¡¯ve forgotten?¡± Zhang Dashan cautioned.


    Huang Ruoran!?


    Xiao Luo suddenly remembered, and had he not been reminded by Zhang Dashan, he would¡¯ve forgotten entirely about the bunch of people from Huaye University.


    ¡°Why¡¯d she look for me? Wait, how did she know my location?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, she saw me! I¡¯m sort of a role model for juniors now since the public trial clip had gone viral, and sis Huang had watched that clip. So, she came straight to the headquarters of Luo¡¯s Workshop. To be honest, sis Huang had visited a few times but was stopped by the security guard every time. She even tried trespassing. I happened to run into her today by coincidence as I passed by thepany¡¯s gate. If not, I wouldn¡¯t have known that sis Huang came all the way to thepany to find me.¡±


    Hearing that gave Xiao Luo a headache. When he had appointed Zhang Dashan as Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s spokesperson, he had overlooked the fact that Huang Ruoran had seen Zhang Dashan before. He had already put Huaye University behind him, but now it seemed that they were back in his life.


    ¡°So what should I do? She¡¯s now waiting in the guest room and won¡¯t leave until she gets your whereabouts.¡± Zhang Dashan said, unsure how he should handle this


    ¡°Tell her I¡¯ve left Jiangcheng.¡±


    ¡°It f*cking won¡¯t work, she¡¯ already asked about your hometown address, it seems like she wouldn¡¯t quit easily until she finds you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re usually so good with your crap, that you could even hoodwink the deceased, why can¡¯t you do it now?¡± Xiao Luo yelled.


    Zhang Dashan could not help himself, and answered,¡± Bro, you¡¯re really being a dick here. Sis Huang ispletely sincere, and you want me to fool her? It pains me to even think about it.¡±


    ¡°F*ck you!¡± Xiao Luo knew where Zhang Dashan was going with this.


    ¡°Believe it, the television soap operas had always contained scenes of the hero saving the beauty, and she ended up repaying her debt of honor by marrying him. Do you really think that these were all just fiction? In my opinion, sis Huang came to repay her debt and wants to bear your children.¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Bear my children?


    It was so thought-provoking that Xiao Luo broke intoughter, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna argue with you, you help me settle Huang Ruoran, that¡¯s it!¡±


    He hung up immediately as he spotted Liu Tieguo rushing over to him with an anxious look on his face. He obviously had something urgent to report.


    He put the phone back and asked, ¡°Brother Guo, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯re two rich women with their bodyguards embroiled a quarrel in the department store, it¡¯s getting out of the hand, and they¡¯re almost close to a fight. Laohu and Houzi are trying to mediate, but it¡¯s no use.¡± Liu Tieguo was panting heavily from his run and was trying to report everything in a single breath. The Laohu and Houzi he had referred to were none other than Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, take a look!¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned as he rode on his motorbike with Liu Tieguo riding pillion, they headed towards the department store.

 Chapter 210 - Conflict

    Chapter 210: Conflict


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAs they entered the department store, they could hear amotioning from the two well-dresseddies, just as Liu Tieguo had described. They both had bodyguards with them and were insulting each other with their fingers pointing aggressively at each other. They quarreled loudly without any regard of those around them and would have started fighting if Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu had not intervened in the argument.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu came over immediately.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not even a big issue, they knocked into each other identally. The woman in yellow had identally bumped into the one in green and her purse fell to the ground, then they started arguing.¡± Ye Qiu said.


    ¡°These women must be bored to death!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and decided to let them be. He intended to be the bad cop and let them continue fighting.


    Thedy in green snapped coldly, ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance, apologize right now and pick up the purse. Then we¡¯ll call it a day, if not¡­¡±


    ¡°If not, what? Do you actually think that I¡¯m afraid of you?¡±


    Thedy in yellow said fearlessly, ¡°You have bodyguards, so do I. If you want to fight, I¡¯ll fight you the end.¡±


    At that very moment, a cohort of some thirty-plus fierce-looking men walked through the front entrance. The one leading them had silver hair, and he shouted fiercely, ¡°Who the f*ck¡¯s bullying our sister-inw, you must be getting tired of living!¡±


    His loud shout immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°They¡¯re from Dragon Gang, let¡¯s get outta here immediately. Don¡¯t look at them, beware of getting into a mess with these troublemakers.¡±


    Many of customers knew about the background of these men, and their expressions changed suddenly. They quickly urged theirpanions to leave the premises as soon as they could.


    Thedy in yellow suddenly felt threatened upon seeing the situation change, especially after knowing that the men were from Dragon Gang. Her earlier bravado immediately turned into meek humbleness, ¡°It¡¯s just a small incident right, do you even need so much backup? Okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She bent over and picked up the expensive purse from the floor, then presented it to thedy in green respectfully with both hands, ¡°My husband runs a textile mill nearby, perhaps we can make acquaintance?¡±


    Thedy in green smirked, ¡°Bitch, now you wanna make acquaintance, huh?¡± She grabbed her purse and had no ns to let thedy in yellow off so easily. ¡°Just keep up with your arrogance, why don¡¯t you keep behaving like a b*tch? Weren¡¯t you being so rude to me just now? I¡¯ll give you two choices now, you either kneel down and lick my heels or be stripped naked and paraded around the mall!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Thedy in yellow clenched her teeth in a rage.


    ¡°Who are you trying to yell at? So do you want to lick our sister-inw¡¯s heels or have us strip you naked? Choose now!¡± The cocky youngster with the silver hair yelled at thedy dressed in yellow, pointing his finger at her.


    Thedy in yellow would not choose either option as they both were too humiliating. She stared at thedy in green with menace and retorted, ¡°You better don¡¯t cross the line!¡±


    ¡°I AM crossing the line, what can you do about that?¡±


    Thedy in greenughed, then ordered with a cold voice, ¡°Go, strip this bitch naked at once!¡±


    ¡°Roger, sister-inw!¡±


    The silver-haired youngster answered and waved his hand forward, and all thirty-odd of them made for thedy in yellow.


    The bodyguards of thedy in yellow did not stand idly by, of course, and the five braced themselves and rushed up to fight. The mall was in chaos with disy racks toppled, and products, of all shapes and sizes, strewn all over the floor. Screaming could be heard everywhere.


    BANG!


    The piercing sound of a gunshot got everyone¡¯s attention, and they all stopped immediately. Several female workers at the mall even squatted down fearfully on hearing the shot fired.


    The silver-haired youngster and the twodies turned and looked towards the direction of the gunshot. They saw a young, handsome but grim-faced man in a police uniform approaching them. He put the gun back in its holster on his waist, with white smoke still wisping thinly out the muzzle.


    Xiao Luo stood before them and asked coldly, ¡°You guys seem to have totally ignored the police¡¯s presence.¡±


    If both parties were equally bnced in strength, he would not have intervened. However, with Dragon Gang was now involved, he had an obligation to do so. And he did not intend to do so half-heartedly.


    The silver-haired youngster was initially taken aback, but seeing it was just a cop on the beat, he looked at Xiao Luo as if looking at a fool and said, ¡°Sir, that was impressive. You even fired a gun, who¡¯re you trying to scare?¡±


    Thedy in green seethed, and wanting to show off to thedy in yellow, how easily she could scorn the police, she sneered, ¡°Such a puny and unimportant local policeman like you would dare to mind our business. Are you too bored with your life?¡±


    Xiao Luo answered impassively, ¡°I understand the situation, and this matter¡¯s not that serious. It¡¯s simply a misunderstanding, and you don¡¯t have to resolve it in such an extreme way. On top of that, thisdy had already apologized, you should be more reasonable.¡±


    Thedy in yellow realized that Xiao Luo was supporting her, so she looked on him kindly.


    ¡°You, ride your motorbike and go patrol somewhere else, don¡¯t be nosy here, or else I¡¯ll make sure you regret your decision.¡± Thedy in green said coldly.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t try to challenge a policeman¡¯s authority!¡±


    ¡°Humph¡­you, a policeman? In my eyes, only the federal investigators deserve the title of police. A local policeman like you better not pretend to be one!¡± Thedy in green said disdainfully.


    Xiao Luo smiled and entuated his tone, ¡°I advice you to call it a day, dismiss your people, and I can take it as nothing happened.¡±


    Thedy in green spat on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoes, raised her head, and smirked at him, ¡°Is your brain full of sh*t? Can¡¯t you understand my words?¡±


    ¡°Very well!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, took the handcuffs from his waist, stepped up to thedy in green, and quickly cuffed both her hands.


    She was shocked, not expecting anyone would darey a hand on her. Her expression changed suddenly, and she yelled at the top of her voice, ¡°Son of a b*tch, what are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°You are arrested, under the charge of contempt of a police officer.¡± Xiao Luo had her cuffed up and then dragged her out.


    ¡°Boy, how about you try arresting the rest of us!¡±


    The silver-haired youngster and his men blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s way and surrounded himpletely. They had formed a human wall that had encircled Xiao Luo and thedy within.


    Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo wanted to help out but held back when they noticed Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes staring at them. Dealing with Dragon Gang had be like a hobby to him, and had now brought on some excitement, a wee change from the drudgery that came along with performing his patrol duties.


    ¡°Let go of our sister-inw!¡± The group of Dragon Gang retainers roared and cursed at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo would not let go, and instead, he merely smiled at them.


    ¡°You better f*cking let go of her, are you deaf?¡±


    The silver-haired youngster was in a rage and threw a furious punch at Xiao Luo.


    However, he froze immediately after raising his fist, as the ck, cold muzzle of a gun was pointing directly at his forehead in a sh of a second. The muzzle was still warm from its previous discharge, and it reeked of gunpowder and metal. The youngster with the silver hair trembled and broke into a cold sweat.

 Chapter 211 - Accidental Discharge

    Chapter 211: idental Discharge


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes slightly as he calmly gazed at the silver-haired young man. ¡°Obstruction of justice is a crime as well, so hurry up and ask your men to back off!¡±


    Gulp!


    Being held at gunpoint, the silver-haired young man couldn¡¯t help but roughly swallow. Cold sweat cascaded down his body. He quickly calmed down. From what he remembered, he had never met a cop who would actually pull the trigger. They all merely used a gun to intimidate people and dared not even put their finger on the trigger.


    Thinking of that, disdain appeared on his face. Furthermore, it was a good opportunity to build a tough reputation in front of his subordinates. He immediately and recklessly said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re badass just because you have a gun? Pull the trigger, I dare you. Do you have the f*cking courage to do it?¡±


    ¡°Dumbass cops, unholstering their guns at any opportunity.¡±


    ¡°They never change their method of intimidating people.¡±


    ¡°Pull the trigger if you dare, dumbass!¡±


    The other people all had mocking smiles on their faces. Someone even blew arge bubble with the bubblegum he was chewing andpletely disregarded Xiao Luo, amunity police officer.


    Xiao Luo calmly smiled and pointed his gun downwards. Without thinking, he pulled the trigger. He was aiming at the thigh of the silver-haired young man.


    Bang!


    With a piercing gunshot, the silver-haired young man¡¯s thigh was prated by the bullet. It quickly formed a bloody hole. Blood gushed out. It was so painful that he howled as he fell to the ground. It was too painful. Along with his thigh being prated, his femur had snapped due to the bullet¡¯s violent impact.


    Hiss¡­


    The expression of everyone present froze. They each took in a deep, cold breath. They hadn¡¯t expected it in the slightest that Xiao Luo would pull the trigger. Was this man, who had pulled the trigger as he pleased, really a cop?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s cold gaze scanned over the others. ¡°I have just joined the police force. I don¡¯t know who you all are and have no intention of finding out. If you dare to hinder me from performing my duties any further, I will send all of you to the police station. Now, get out of the way!¡±


    His final yell shocked the group of minor gangsters so much that their bodies trembled. They instinctively made way for him. Other than being shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s fierce stance, they were more wary of his identity as a newbie cop. F*ck, no wonder he dared to pull the trigger! He is just a total newbie! Anyone who dared to speak up would definitely be shot like their superior.


    ¡°Wang Lihu, handcuff this fe here with his hair dyed silver and take him back to the police station!¡± Xiao Luo shouted at Wang Lihu.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Wang Lihu loudly replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s satisfying to work with our head guy. I haven¡¯t felt so at ease in a long time.¡±


    After Liu Tieguo spoke to Ye Qiu, he immediately ran forward and handcuffed the silver-haired young man.


    The silver-haired young man had been shot once and could hardly bear the pain. After Wang Lihu handcuffed him and helped him up, to not lose face in front of his subordinates, he red at Xiao Luo angrily and yelled, ¡°I have taken note of your serial number! Just wait and see! I will kill your whole family!¡±


    His unharmed right leg viciously kicked Xiao Luo.


    He swore to God that he was only doing that action without any actual intention of kicking Xiao Luo. He just wanted to make himself look tough and unafraid of the cops, that was all. Without warning, Xiao Luo shot his thigh again.


    Bang!


    The burning bullet dug right into the silver-haired young man¡¯s thigh, creating another bloody hole. The intense pain caused the silver-haired young man to shriek at the top of his lungs.


    The two shots had crippled both of the silver-haired young man¡¯s legs andpletely shocked everyone.


    Everyone now knew how vicious Xiao Luo was. At the moment, no one dared to look at Xiao Luo with contempt anymore. How can he be a cop? He was clearly more vicious than them, and they were involved in gangs.


    The silver-haired young man lifted his head and looked at Xiao Luo in fear. ¡°I¡­ I am already handcuffed, you¡­ you¡­¡±


    He had already been subdued, so why did Xiao Luo shoot him again? It was not at all in line with the regtions regarding the police department¡¯s usage of guns.


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow and innocently said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a newbie. The gun identally discharged when my hand trembled. If you continue to behave aggressively, I feel that my gun may identally discharge again!¡±


    idental discharge?


    F*ck you!


    The silver-haired young man wanted to cry. He wanted to curse loudly even more, but he dared not. Even though Xiao Luo was smiling, he knew that the man in front of him was not like other cops. Xiao Luo was able to pull the trigger seemingly without worrying about the rules or anything else. The young man even believed that Xiao Luo was even capable of killing him with a single shot.


    Xiao Luo turned and looked at thedy in green. One look from him scared the woman so much that her body started to tremble.


    ¡°Madam, can you now follow me back to the police station without causing any trouble?¡± he asked.


    Thedy in green dared not say no. Her voice trembled as she said, ¡°I¡­ I will definitely hire awyer and sue you¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, go ahead. It is your right.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled slightly and asked Liu Tieguo and Ye Qiu toe over and take the woman back to the police station.


    Before leaving, he turned to the 30-plus, low-level gangsters of the Dragon Gang and said, ¡°Oh right, my name is Xiao Luo. Tell Han Main, yes, I think he is called Han Mian, tell him that I will being to arrest him soon, so he should hurry up if he has any unfinished business.¡±


    He left the mall without looking back.


    The 30-plus, low-level gangsters of the Dragon Gang stood stunned where they stood. Han Mian was none other than the lord protector of the Dragon Gang. How dare Xiao Luo directly address him by the name! What on earth was the background of this fe?


    Thedy in yellow was secretly relieved that she was the weaker party. Otherwise, it would have been her men who had gotten shot. Of course, she didn¡¯t know the past affairs between Xiao Luo and the Dragon Gang. If she had known, she wouldn¡¯t have thought of it that way. Regardless of whether the Dragon Gang was the weaker party or the stronger one, Xiao Luo would target them.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite an interesting cop. I wonder how long he will stay interesting,¡± she murmured as she watched Xiao Luo leave.


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh no, oh no, this Xiao Luo has caused us trouble!¡±


    After learning that Xiao Luo fired his gun in the mall, the instructor barged into the chief¡¯s office as agitated as a cat on hot bricks.


    ¡°Chill, I¡¯ve already heard about it. It¡¯s not that serious. Our country¡¯sws clearly state that when another police officer, guard, the person or target being protected, or thew enforcement officer is attacked, damaged, or under urgent danger of being attacked or damaged, it is alright for thew enforcement officer to fire a gun. Xiao Luo fired three times. The first time was to stop a fight. The second time was to protect his safety, and the third time was still to protect his safety. All three shots were reasonably fired. How could it be considered causing us trouble? We just need to write a detailed report and submit it to the superiors.¡±


    Feng Yuqi held a cup of hot tea in his hand and slowly sipped it while sitting at his desk. He was very calm and steady.


    ¡°You can continue siding with him, but if we let him continue fooling around, our police station will be dragged down with him.¡±


    The instructor couldn¡¯t remain calm. In his eyes, Xiao Luo was not suited to be a cop. His actions and behavior weren¡¯t simply disobedient. They were as forceful, overbearing, and vicious as gangsters. ¡°I suggest that we revoke his qualification to bear arms and suspend him from the job. Otherwise, we will not be able to justify ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Justify? Justify what?¡±


    ¡°There are a bunch ofwyers down there blocking the entrance of the station, and they are all asking for you and me to go out and provide an exnation,¡± the instructor said. ¡°They are insisting that Xiao Luo fired illegally. They have sent us attorney letters one after another. If we can¡¯t get them to shut up, the district office will have to find a scapegoat. Other than Xiao Luo, you and I can hardly absolve ourselves of the me either.¡±

 Chapter 212 - Ineffective Intimidation

    Chapter 212: Ineffective Intimidation


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Please exin to my client and me the reason why she is being detained.¡±


    ¡°My client has been shot twice and is receiving medical care in the hospital right now. Even when his legs are healed, he won¡¯t be able to move about normally. Who on earth has given you cops the right to fire your guns as you please?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t give us a proper exnation today, Liren Police Station will receive massints from uswyers!¡±


    Feng Yuqi learned about the situation in the main office through his shutters. There was a crowd of high-spiritedwyers demanding an exnation. They were very arrogant. It was as if the police station was their home. They even requested that the employees serve them beverages.


    ¡°What should we do, Chief? Thesewyers havee to look for trouble!¡± The instructor sighed.


    Feng Yuqi frowned and paced about in his office a couple of times. He lifted his head and said, ¡°You go out first to stall them.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the instructor¡¯s face turned green. He resignedlyughed. ¡°Asking me to clean up Xiao Luo¡¯s mess, Chief, is really too unfair of you. Furthermore, I am just an insignificant instructor. I am still capable of helping the staff build a healthy mindset, but do you think I am capable of debating with those impressivewyers?¡± He paused for a while. He sighed slowly and said, ¡°They have made it obvious that they want to get Xiao Luo into trouble. I think the only way to pacify their rage is to sacrifice Xiao Luo.¡±


    Feng Yuqi was lost in thought and indecisiveness. To be honest, it would not have been satisfying to lock this tiger of a man, Xiao Luo, back into a cage just because of troubles at this level.


    There was a suddenmotion downstairs. After looking through the shutters, he realized that it was because Xiao Luo had arrived at the police station for duty.


    When Xiao Luo, Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu entered, all the employees in the police station looked at them in awe. No, to be exact, they were looking at Xiao Luo. He was too f*cking badass firing three shots in one go. And, thest two crippled the other party¡¯s legs. It was their first time seeing such a badass cop after working for so many years.


    Ma Pijin was gloating. He said to the colleague beside him, ¡°See, this fe is a ssic example of ego-intion. He shot at people as he pleased, and he fired two shots in one go. Even if he knows someone in the district office, they can¡¯t save him, let alone our chief.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Xiao Luo is definitely a gone case this time around. No one can save him!¡±


    Ma Pijin was not the only jealous one. There were others like him in the police station. Birds of a feather flocked together, so Ma Pijin had be very close friends and colleagues with them.


    Although she was detained in a temporary detainment cell, withwyers to support her, thedy in green pointed at Xiao Luo and loudly cursed, ¡°It was this assh*le! It was he who arrested me!¡±


    The five or sixwyers all surrounded him and angrily red at him.


    ¡°What crime has my clientmitted? Why did you arrest her?¡± awyer demanded.


    Xiao Luo calmly replied, ¡°She organized a mass-fighting incident. That is why she has been detained.¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu pushed thewyers out of the way and opened up a path for Xiao Luo to pass through.


    Xiao Luo walked to the door of the cell. He took out a key and unlocked the door. ¡°Madam Xin, you may leave, but please keep in mind not to gather in a crowd and cause trouble from now on. Otherwise, I will still arrest, detain, and educate you.¡±


    ¡°Heh, now you finally know how to humble yourself. That is what you should have you been doing all along!¡±


    However, the woman in green had no intention ofing out of the cell. She crossed her arms before her chest and coldly snorted, ¡°Do you think I am a stray cat or dog by the roadside that you can arrest and release as you please?¡±


    She thought Xiao Luo was intending to appease her, but she deliberately wanted to go against his wishes and blow the matter up. She had to make Xiao Luo pay a high price for his actions.


    Xiao Luo inly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to leave?¡±


    The woman in green snickered. Feeling secure because of the backing present, she fearlessly sat on the iron stool embedded into the wall and loudly replied, ¡°Do you think you can arrest and detain people as you please just because you are a cop? If you don¡¯t provide me with an exnation, I will remain seated here and refuse to leave!¡±


    The five or sixwyers timely chimed in, ¡°Officer, may I know what reason you have to arrest my client?¡±


    ¡°Participating in a mass fight, refusal toply with investigations, and insultingw enforcement officers with swear words,¡± Xiao Luo coldly said. ¡°Are these reasons not enough?¡±


    Thewyer slowly replied, ¡°All these are based on your usations. Are there any witnesses to prove your im?¡±


    Anotherwyer stood up andughed. ¡°My client is a gentledy. How could she have participated in a mass fight? Do you think what you are saying is believable?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t participate directly, but she is the direct organizer of the mass-fighting incident at the mall,¡± Liu Tieguo said. ¡°We can all be the witnesses for that.¡±


    Thewyer said, ¡°Just now you said that my client participated in a mass fight, now you are saying that she was the organizer behind the mass fight. I can¡¯t help but doubt your case investigation abilities. Plus, you all are colleagues and friends, so your testimony cannot be counted.¡±


    ¡°The court is a ce that looks at the evidence. We will sue you all for arresting and detaining our client without proper investigation. Then, you all will lose your jobs, and you all will have topensate my client for moral and reputation damages.¡±


    Awyer with sses said in a firm and strong tone, ¡°The two items will add up to at least a million dors!¡±


    A million?


    This considerably shocked everyone in the police station. Even if they had wrongly arrested someone, surely thepensation wouldn¡¯t cost such a terrifying sum of a million dors.


    ¡°How pitiful!¡±


    Ma Pijin expressed his deep condolences toward Xiao Luo, but he was actually very happy.


    Even Feng Yuqi and the instructor in his office were shocked. It was true that regardless of whoever you mess with, never mess withwyers. They could casually demand millions-worth ofpensation. How could people like them, who were doing actual work, defeatwyers in court?


    ¡°One million is too little. He mustpensate me at least $5 million!¡± The woman in green viciously red at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Alright, as you request, Madam, we will get him topensate you $5 million,¡± thewyer in sses said.


    ¡°Also, you fractured my client¡¯s legs with your gun. That was extremely wicked behavior. You have broken thew despite knowing it very well. You will be sentenced to 10 years in prison at the very least.¡±


    ¡°We will follow the necessary court procedures and sue you formally, as well as the Liren Police Station behind you.¡±


    ¡°You must pay for your dumb actions!¡±


    The crowd ofwyers bombarded Xiao Luo with words. Their phrasings were very aggressive.


    Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu wanted to say something. In the end, they didn¡¯t say anything despite having opened their mouths. It was true that people like them couldn¡¯t express themselves very well.


    Xiao Luoughed coldly and said, ¡°You all really think you are a somebody.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± thewyer in sses angrily asked.


    Xiao Luo turned and looked at him with contempt. ¡°You think you can decide the sum I must pay as you please and sentence me to 10 years in prison as you please. You all dumbasswyers are very powerful, huh? If the situation really is in your favor as much as you put it, what¡¯s the point in trying to intimidate people here? You wouldn¡¯t have sent me an attorney¡¯s letter but a court summons.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Thewyer in sses was quite enraged. He had never met a cop who wasn¡¯t afraid ofwyers in the seven or eight years he had been working as one.


    ¡°There are witnesses everywhere in the mall, as well as surveince footage,¡± Xiao Luo said. ¡°Do you think your client can be absolved of responsibility regarding the mass fight? No, you can¡¯t. The reason why you are exaggerating things over here and talking about $5 million worth ofpensation and 10 years in jail is only to intimidate me.¡±

 Chapter 213 - Go and Stir Trouble

    Chapter 213: Go and Stir Trouble


    The faces of thewyers immediately turned red. They had, of course,e with the intention to shake up Xiao Luo. After all, neither Ms. Xin nor the silver-haired youth had an exceptionally glorious background. They would not reap many benefits if this case was escted to court.


    ¡°We will not be negotiating with you! Hurry up and ask your director toe out!¡± shouted thewyer who was wearing sses.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and looked straight at the woman wearing green in the detention room. He softly asked, ¡°Ms. Xin, are you really not going toe out?¡±


    The woman in green gritted her teeth and harshly replied, ¡°I wille out if you are willing topensate me for the loss of $5 million and kowtow to me as an apology. If not, I will have no choice but to blow up the issue. Then, you will see. I¡¯ll even take down the entire Li Ren n with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like a woman whose brain has been filled with water. Alright, in that case, I¡¯ll fulfill your wishes. In view of you gathering a crowd to make a scene and still having yet to repent after spending an entire day in the detention room, I will extend your stay here.¡±


    Xiao Luo heavily closed the cell door and turned to the group ofwyers. ¡°Come back again in 14 days to get her!¡±


    ¡°Would you really dare do that?¡± shouted thewyer who was wearing sses.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare?¡± Xiao Luo coldly asked. ¡°There are witnesses and surveince footage that she gathered a crowd to create trouble. We have a clear conscience in detaining her within our facility. If you are dissatisfied, you can go ahead and bring this matter up to the court. In fact, I want to see which court will be on your side.¡±


    Thewyers¡¯ faces instantly turned ugly. It was as if they were constipated. It was the first time they hade across such a troublesome police officer.


    Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo, all felt awestruck by what had happened. They felt that their Xiao Luo was so mighty, and they loved it. Hehe! Our head guy is mighty! I love it, hehe!


    ¡°You bastard, do you dare to lock me up?¡±


    The woman in green¡¯s expression took a great turn. Having to stay in detention made every fiber of her body ufortable. The torture was beyond words. If she had to stay there for another 14 days, she couldn¡¯t imagine not going insane.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really dare to.¡±


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes as he looked at her until they were nothing more than a line. A cold light emerged as he said, ¡°Your man is Feng Zhiqiang, and his nickname is Cockroach. He¡¯s a small sect leader in the Dragon Gang. The person behind all these indecent dealings is him, am I right?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ How do you know¡­¡± The woman in green shivered.


    A smile appeared in the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth. He took out a USB stick and inserted it into theputer. He searched and yed the video inside the folders. It depicted the main person, who was the silver-haired youth who suffered from two bullet wounds on his thighs.


    He faced the camera in tears and confided that he was guilty. He exined that a few female neers were resisting, disobeying their control, and wanting to escape. They had ended up beating them to death and burying them in the forest while the night sky was darkest. He mentioned that the mastermind was Feng Zhiqiang. For every new woman that came, those who dared to defy orders would first be defiled by him before being handed over to the otherckeys for punishment.


    Xiao Luo coldlyughed. He looked toward thewyer and said, ¡°This person is also your client, and his name is Xu San. He admitted to following the instructions of Feng Zhiqiang and killing these four defiant women before burying their corpses in the wilderness. Can you all grow a brain? Do you all want to be his representative and help defend a murderer?¡±


    Upon hearing these words, the faces of the group ofwyers instantly turned a bright crimson.


    Thewyer wearing sses loudly eximed, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! This is your doing to extort a confession of guilt through torture. How can Xu Sun possibly be a murderer?¡±


    It was bizarre that Xu San suddenly took the initiative and dered the truth behind the murders.


    Xiao Luo opened another video, which showed a barren wilderness. Under Xu San¡¯s directions, they found the four buried bodies that were buried. When they dug them out, the bodies had already dposed into skeletons.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Thewyer wearing sses immediately shut up and did not utter another word.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys want evidence?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a snarkyugh. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve presented it to you. Oh, right, which one of you mentioned that Xu San was their client? Raise your hand and let me familiarize myself with you.¡±


    Nobody in the group dared to respond. These two videos alone were enough to turn Xu San into a convicted murderer. Only people who had their brains kicked by a donkey would dare to defend a murderer. At the same time, they felt that there was something fishy about the situation. Could it be that Xu San really had his brains kicked by a donkey? If not, why would he openly confess to the murder? There was no need for that at all.


    What they did not know was that Xiao Luo had an extremely strong proficiency in hypnosis. He had hypnotized Xu San and urged him to confess the truth about the crime.


    ¡°Do you have anything else to say? If not, I will leave. This is a police station. If you want to make trouble here and disrupt ourw enforcement, I¡¯m sorry, but I will have to lock you up for disciplinary issues. Do not doubt my words.¡±


    The group ofwyers slowly took a step back. They fully understood that the police officer in front of them was fully capable of following up on his words.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what our leader said? Hurry up and leave!¡± Wang Lihu chased them away after speaking.


    Thewyers were reluctant. With no other choice, they left feeling deserted. This was a stark contrast to their conceited and bold attitudes when they had first arrived.


    ¡°Awesome, this is truly awesome, hahaha¡­¡±


    Feng Yuqi couldn¡¯t help but loudlyugh in his office. He thought that he would have had to sacrifice Xiao Luo this time around. He didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo would defeat a group ofwyers and even cause them to flee like flies. Furthermore, he had managed to dig up dirt on that silver-haired youth, Xu San. With the evidence, he could issue an official arrest warrant for Xu Zhiqiang.


    On the other hand, the instructor had his concerns. He thought, How did Xiao Luo make Xu San confess? Regardless of what happened, there was no need for him to confess to the crime of murder at this point.


    Logically speaking, Xu San should have held the advantage with both of his legs crippled. No matter the situation, Xiao Luo would have been the one receiving punishment since he had fired the gun. Now, Xu San willingly confessed tomitting murder. Exactly what kind of situation was this?


    ¡°This is what¡¯s so amazing about Xiao Luo,¡± Feng Yuqi said with augh. ¡°You should hurry up and send people to deal with the scene. Feng Zhiqiang is the leader of the Dragon Gang and is deemed to be a big catch. Once this big fish surfaces, there is no reason to let him dive back into the deep.¡±


    ¡­


    The night arrived. The order to arrest Feng Zhiqiang had been approved.


    Feng Yuqi gave Xiao Luo full authority to handle it. ¡°Xiao Luo, go and stir things up over there. If there is anyone who dares to obstruct you, go ahead and arrest them. The bigger themotion the better. If anything happens, I will have your back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the orders. He had been waiting for that sentence.


    ¡­


    ¡°The bigger themotion the better? Director, what are you trying to achieve with this?¡± the instructor asked. He looked at Feng Yuqi in horror after Xiao Luo had left.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they always say that we have done nothing? Let us now whip up a strong wave of presence in the district and general bureaus!¡± Feng Yuqi smiled as he looked up and drank the tea in his cup in one shot.


    The instructor couldn¡¯t believe that this was the director he knew. Ever since Xiao Luo had returned, he felt that Feng Yuqi had lost his mind. To be precise, he was no longer the careful and calcted old veteran from before.

 Chapter 214 - Ruthless Until the End

    Chapter 214: Ruthless Until the End


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter midnight, the nightlife revved up to full force. It was the time when things became the wildest and people seemed to do whatever they wanted. It was something that decent people avoided. A taxi driver familiar with the nightlife scene once said that if there was anyone not in bed at that time but was instead preparing to head out, he was either nning to cause trouble or going to find some girls. In Liren, which was an area that was not considered either too big or too small, that decadent style of nightlife was about to officially begin.


    Bright lights, feasting, and pleasure-seeking were what it was all about for the people who enjoyed the nightlife. The streets quickly filled with people ready to explore whatever the nightlife had to offer, as well as to make their own kinds of fun. There were many entertainment venues filled with random males. Most of them were high on alcohol and recklessly carrying out a range of less than bing activities. They were either crazily mming bottles of wine or swearing so loudly that others couldn¡¯t hear their own conversations. Some even started fights with one another. Most of them didn¡¯t care if they were trashing the ce they were in or what their behavior looked like. The young men usually gathered closely and formedrge crowds. From the looks of it, they were not people to be trifled with.


    Xiao Luo did not bat an eye to anything the nightlife produced. Along with Wang Lihu and the others, they drove two police vans and headed straight for Hualong Commercial Street.


    Compared to what it was like in the morning, Hualong Commercial Street was just as lively and crowded during the night. Some people were nning on ying mahjong until the break of dawn while others were ying cards or billiards. There was also a group of young women standing on the streets dressed in enticing and revealing outfits. They leaned their delicate backs against the wall as they waited for eager customers to approach them. If a customer was interested in what thedies had to offer, as well as satisfied with the price for their services, the customers were taken into a dimly lit rental room where they would engage in sex with the women.


    ¡°All these mahjong and billiard yers are just peripheral members of the Dragon Gang,¡± Wang Lihu said, exining the situation regarding the men ying games. ¡°Their job here is to keep a close watch on these women and prevent them from escaping.¡±


    Liu Tieguo deeply sympathized with these women. ¡°This is like purgatory for them. They don¡¯t have any freedom at all. All they do is sell their bodies every single day for men to have fun with. The Dragon Gang is f*cking inhumane, especially to women!¡±


    ¡°Did anyone say they weren¡¯t?¡± Ye Qui asked with a sigh. ¡°Many of these poor women eventually end up getting infected with diseases and die at a very young age.¡±


    Xiao Luo had few thoughts or feelings regarding the matter. If it had not been for Sun Yu, he would not have needed to go against the Dragon Gang. Another reason was that he did not see himself as a good person or someone who represented justice.


    He did not say a single word. He took a step forward and walked toward Hualong Commercial Street.


    Wang Lihu and the rest quickly followed behind him. In the past, they had to turn a blind eye to many of the things they witnessed. They only opened one eye while keeping the other one closed to certain matters, especially when it came to the Dragon Gang. They dared not to even fart or make any sudden movements in some situations. However, it was different now. Not to mention the red-light district, but even if it was the Dragon Gang¡¯s headquarters, they now had the guts to swagger their way in and arrest someone because Xiao Luo was around.


    At the entrance of the street, seven or eight tough-looking guys were blocking their way. With an unfriendly expression, one of them gruffly said, ¡°This is not a ce where police officers like yourselves should be at all. You are not wee here. If you want to patrol, you better go somewhere else!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not stop his actions. Instead, he continued to make his way in. He treated them as nothing more than air or some invisible thing that had no effect on him. It was as if he hadn¡¯t even seen them.


    One of the men ced his hands on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest and shouted, ¡°Are you f*cking deaf? I¡¯m talking to you!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not say a word. He suddenly lifted a foot up to the man¡¯s chest and kicked him.


    Bang!


    The majestic strength he possessed was like a turbulent wave as it crashed into the man. It caused the man to fly backward about nine or 10 feet. The man loudly groaned in pain as he fell t to the ground.


    ¡°You are obstructing a civil servant,¡± Xiao Luo said with an expressionless face. ¡°Catch them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, he-he¡­¡±


    Wang Lihuughed as he took out his handcuffs and walked toward the man lying t on the ground.


    Many of the other gangsters werepletely stunned by what had just happened. This was the first time they had encountered a police officer with such a tough attitude. Usually, police officers left them alone or did what they were told. However, they quickly returned to their senses and took out the iron rods hidden in their sleeves. They immediately dashed toward Xiao Luo. They were confident that they would have no problems taking him down.


    Ye Qiu¡¯s eyes seemingly shot out two beams of cold light as his face becamepletely serious. Like an electric wave, he rushed straight into the group of men. Disying the prowess of an eagle, only a little bit of effort was all it took for him to cause them all to lie on the ground screaming and writhing in pain.


    ¡°You guys are all a bunch of useless trash,¡± Ye Qiu said as he spat at them. ¡°Do you think you guys alone have what it takes to injure our head?¡±


    After hearing all themotion, all the people who had been ying mahjong, cards, and billiards gathered in a giant cluster. They formed an encirclement, trapping Xiao Luo and his crew in the center.


    ¡°Officers, you guys are really impressive,¡± a fat guy sarcastically said. His face was covered with e marks. ¡°You havee all the way into our territory to look for trouble. Are you not afraid that you or someone in your family wille across an ident?¡±


    ¡°If I was afraid, I never would have be a police officer!¡±


    Xiao Luo coldly said, ¡°Get your chief, Feng Zhiqiang, out here this instant.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Brother Qiang is somebody you can see just because you want to? Do you think you are that awesome just because you are in that outfit?¡±


    ¡°In our eyes, people who choose to be police officers are nothing more than a bunch ofme dogs. If you were given some bones to chew on, you would have no choice but to be obedient and listen.¡±


    ¡°Let our people go. Otherwise, none of you will be leaving this ce unscathed.¡±


    As more people heard themotion, more gangsters came over. The group encircling the police officers had now grown to around 20 to 30 people. They angrily shouted at the officers,pletely disregarding Xiao Luo and his crew or their positions as police officers.


    ¡°Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu!¡± Xiao Luo hurriedly shouted at two of his men.


    ¡°Yes, Head, we heard you,¡± Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu respectfully replied.


    Xiao Luo waved his hands and faintly ordered, ¡°Beat them up until they obey!¡±


    ¡°Roger that, he-he¡­¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu eagerly licked their lips. Ruthless smiles appeared on their faces.


    Beat them up until they obey?


    The group of gangsters thought they were hallucinating and hearing things. They had around 20 to 30 people on their side while their opponents were but four measly people. Did they really have the nerve to say that they were going to beat them up until they obeyed? Were they brain dead as well?


    The guy with the face covered in e marksughed and said, ¡°With just you guys, you dare to¡­¡±


    His words came to an abrupt stop. Wang Lihu had dashed forward without the man noticing. His palm resembled that of a palm-leaf fan. He instantly pped the man¡¯s face. A pow sound echoed out upon contact. The horrifying strength he unleashed caused an explosion on the man¡¯s face. He had mmed the e-faced guy onto the ground before the man even had time to react. A bloodied tooth flew out of the man¡¯s mouth. The left side of his face began to swell up at an unbelievable speed.


    However, Wang Lihu did not stop there. He dashed a few steps forward, stretched out his hands, and grabbed the foolish-looking man in front of him. Like throwing a sack, he mmed the e-faced man into the wall. A few other guys screamed in fear and fainted on the spot.


    When he released his natural god-like powers, nobody present was his match.


    On the other hand, Ye Qiu¡¯s movements were as agile as a monkey. His hands were like ws. They seemed as if they were as sharp as knives. Anyone who attacked him was bound to have bloody wounds all over their bodies.


    The group of 20 to 30 people was somehow being crushed by only two people. The sounds of people howling in pain were heard all around. It echoed down the streets and into everyone¡¯s ears.


    Xiao Luo walked to the side of the activities and sat down on an empty seat in front of a closed jelly store. Liu Tieguo brought him a bottle of mineral water. The two of them sat there drinking water as they watched Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu teach those Dragon Gang members a lesson.


    ¡°Head, will we get into trouble by doing this?¡±


    Like Wang Lihu and the others, Liu Tieguo had changed the way he addressed Xiao Luo and was now calling him ¡°Head.¡± He genuinely admired the man from the bottom of his heart, especially how overbearing and mighty he was in the way he handled things.


    ¡°When dealing with stubborn jerks like them, the only way to do it is to fight violence with violence, ¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile, shrugging it off.


    Liu Tieguo raised an eyebrow, but he did not raise any objections.


    Hualong Commercial Street was boiling over with frantic activity. The street girls, who were waiting for customers, screamed in shock and immediately ran away in fear. All the restaurants that were still open for business were hurriedly closing their doors, hoping to avoid the troubleing their way.


    About 10 minutester, everyone in therge group had been thoroughly beaten to a pulp by Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu.


    The guy with e marks all over his face had blood dripping from his teeth. He had a bloodied nose and a swollen face. Wang Lihu roughly grabbed him. He dragged him by the cor and took him over to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo waved his hands, indicating for Wang Lihu to let him go and step aside. He looked at the man and asked, ¡°Where is Feng Zhiqiang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Even if I did, I would never tell you where he was.¡±


    The man ferociously stared at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°You stinky cop, just you wait and see. I¡¯ll make sure you pay for what you¡¯ve done today!¡±


    Xiao Luo slightly shook his head. In the next second, he stretched out his hand and roughly grabbed the man¡¯s hair. He proceeded to smash the e-faced man¡¯s head onto the table.


    Bang!


    That man¡¯s head cracked open. The wound was badly bleeding. His brain felt like it was humming. The pain was excruciating.


    Xiao Luo held the man¡¯s head down and coldly said, ¡°It seems like you still don¡¯t know what your current situation is. You are threatening a police officer, so I¡¯m honored to tell you that you¡¯ll be spending some time in the detention center.¡±

 Chapter 215 - A Shot Without Hesitation

    Chapter 215: A Shot Without Hesitation


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioFresh blood flowed from the man¡¯s head and followed the curvature of the table. It flowed down the sides and dripped drop by drop onto the ground.


    The 20 to 30 men, who were lying on the ground after being taught a lesson by Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, suddenly changed their faces upon witnessing this scene. In their hearts, they thought, Are the four of them really police officers? When did the working style of police officers be this fierce?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned frosty cold. He looked icily at the man who¡¯s head was being held in front of him and said, ¡°Alright let me ask you again. Where is Feng Zhiqiang?¡±


    The man no longer had any guts. He felt like he had encountered fake police officers. They showed no mercy in their beatings and even used brutal means. He looked at Xiao Luo in horror and muttered, ¡°He is¡­ He is¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the f*ck are you looking me for?¡±


    A powerful and fierce voice was suddenly heard in the distance.


    Xiao Luo and the other men looked up. Arge group of fierce and evil men came walking in slowly from both sides of the street. They seemed extremely bad and evil. They were led by a fat man in a white top and gold chains. The fat man held a cigarette in his hands. He looked like a big smoker because his teeth had already turned yellow and ck from the constant smoking.


    The group of men walked over like two huge walls of people. They squeezed along Hualong Commercial Street without proper crowd flow. This gave them a menacing sense of oppression.


    Liu Tieguo¡¯s face changed tremendously. Even Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu slightly flinched.


    The man whose head was held by Xiao Luo seemed to have found his gang and excitedly shouted to the fat man, ¡°Boss, these annoying police officers are here to smash up our ce! They even beat up all our brothers! You must stand up for us!¡±


    Xiao Luo kicked the man to the ground and stood up. He faced the fat man in the white top and said, ¡°Are you Feng Zhiqiang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me.¡±


    The fat man calmly spoke. He conveniently took a deep puff from his cigarette.


    ¡°You are suspected of coercing women into prostitution, selling women, and cruelly killing women who vited your brand of discipline, as well as rape and corrupting women,¡± Xiao Luo said. ¡°I am now arresting you based on thew. This is an arrest warrant, please follow me!¡± He followed procedures and showed the arrest warrant to Feng Zhiqiang.


    ¡°Liren Police Station?¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang nced at the arrest warrant and smirked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t your little police station be dealing with some civil disputes instead ofing into my territory and finding trouble? Does this mean that you have no self-knowledge or do you really not have any brains? Oh, by the way, you are the officer Xiao who caught my wife, right?¡± His smile converged. The look in his eyes became fierce. ¡°Release her immediately, or you and your friends are dead meat!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled yfully and replied, ¡°I absolutely hate it when people threaten me.¡±


    ¡°So what if I threaten you?¡± Feng Zhiqiang asked with a grin. ¡°In thisnd, here in Jiangcheng, no one dares to jump in front of the Dragon Gang. You are the first, and you will also be thest.¡±


    After finishing his sentence, he threw the cigarette in his hand to the ground and stomped it out fiercely with his foot. Turning to the crowd, he waved his hands and coldly said, ¡°Hack them to death!¡±


    Arge group of people received their orders. They loudly screamed and rushed up like a ferocious tide.


    Bang!


    Xiao Luo fired a shot into the sky. The sound resonated in their eardrums. It had a great deterring effect. The people from the Dragon Gang simply stopped moving.


    ¡°You have all been arrested. You now have the right to remain silent. Every word you say will be henceforth used against you as a testimony!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang recovered from the deterrent gunshot and jokingly said, ¡°You brainless piece of sh*t. Do you think this is some big show? Do you really n on arresting people from the Dragon Gang just relying on the four of you?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded seriously and said, ¡°I am a police officer. You are from a secret society that disobeys thew. Catching you is my moral duty.¡±


    Looking at his serious look, the members of the Dragon Gang were about to hold their stomachs and burst intoughter. They thought, a sheep just said that he would catch a group of wolves! How ignorant and arrogant is he?


    Feng Zhiqiang was equally amused and said, ¡°Police officer, I sure want to see how you intend to catch us. Go, kill them!¡±


    A burly man with a knife rushed toward Xiao Luo with a smile.


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu prepared to start moving. Suddenly, the piercing sound of a gunshot was heard.


    Bang!


    Xiao Luo pulled the trigger without any hesitation. It was just one shot, but it went directly into the man¡¯s head.


    The burly man was in utter shock as he fell straight down without making a sound.


    Feng Zhiqiang and the other burly men¡¯s smiles instantly froze. Although they heard that Xiao Luo dared to shoot indiscriminately, they had never heard that he actually dared to kill people at will. He had fired shot in the middle of that man¡¯s eyebrows. Even if the Darrow Fairy were toe, he probably couldn¡¯t be saved.


    ¡°You better not force my hand anymore,¡± Xiao Luo said while waving his pistol. ¡°Drop your weapons and obediently follow me back to the police station.¡±


    ¡°As a police officer, firing indiscriminately and killing people can be considered a felony,¡± Feng Zhiqiang coldly said.


    Xiao Luo hummed softly and sighed. ¡°You attacked a police officer. In order to ensure my own personal safety, I had the right to shoot.¡±


    Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo felt a terrible cold pass through them. They understood the situation earlier between Xiao Luo and the big man who had charged toward him with the knife, yet it was the big man who had fallen. There was no threat to Xiao Luo¡¯s personal safety at all. Xiao Luo had fired with the intent to kill.


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Feng Zhiqiang asked. ¡°You of all people should know that there are only nine bullets in your 92-type match gun. Two rounds have already been used, and there are seven rounds left. Just seven bullets. How do you deal with my 200 brothers here?¡± He was the leader of the gang because he naturally possessed extraordinary courage and insight. If more than 200 people were scared by a single broken gun, it would have been quite ironic.


    He worked hard to increase the morale of his team. ¡°Brothers, go forth and avenge your loyal brother who¡¯s now dead!¡±


    Four men were just getting ready¡­


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Xiao Luo raised his hand and pulled the trigger. He immediately fired four bullets.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The four men screamed and fell to the ground. There was a bullet hole in the middle of each man¡¯s eyebrows. Blood was gurgling from their wounds non-stop.


    The 200 men who had originally begun charging toward Xiao Luo immediately withdrew their footsteps. Their intention to fight had dissipated into the air. They stood still, not daring to move.


    Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s face also dramatically changed. Subconsciously hiding behind several men, his right hand reached for the firearm behind his back. This was hisst resort.


    ¡°You have but three bullets left. How can you survive with three bullets? No matter how capable you are, you can only deal with three of us.¡±


    He had begun to y the game of psychological warfare. He was trying to psychologically crush Xiao Luo. At the same time, he was cursing in his heart. Where did this bastarde from? Let¡¯s not even talk about his marksmanship, but he is so f*cking ruthless. After killing five people, he didn¡¯t even blink an eye.


    ¡°Indeed I can only deal with three people. For the first three who rush up, their mortality rate will be 100%. Which of you men would like to be the three who have to die?¡± Xiao Luo smiled with disdain.


    As soon as he spoke, the expressions of the Dragon Gang members became veryplicated. They wanted to hack Xiao Luo to death, but they did not want to be shot in the head. After all, this life was only lived once. No matter who it was, it was an expensive price to pay.

 Chapter 216 - The One You Let Off

    Chapter 216: The One You Let Off


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioFeng Zhiqiang knew how to conduct psychological warfare, but Xiao Luo knew it even better.


    He aimed his gun at Feng Zhiqiang and shouted, ¡°Feng Zhiqiang, if you have balls,e out by yourself! Don¡¯t ask unrted subordinates to die for you!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang gritted his teeth. Suddenly, he kicked one of his subordinates. He sent him flying to attract Xiao Luo¡¯s attention. With a swoosh, he took out the gun he had been hiding behind him and aimed it at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Go to hell, you brainless retard!¡±


    Bang! Bang!


    In an instant, he fired twice. The bullets whistled as they shot out and cut through space.


    Regardless of how good Xiao Luo was in martial arts, he couldn¡¯t possibly move faster than bullets. Furthermore, Wang Lihu and his other men were behind him. Even if he could have dodged the bullets, he could not do it. Otherwise, Wang Lihu and the others might have been killed by the bullets. At the same time Feng Zhiqiang fired, Xiao Luo fired twice.


    Bang! Bang!


    Incredibly, the two bullets urately stopped the bullets fired by Feng Zhiqiang in midair. It was a direct collision of high-speed objects. The four bullets instantly shattered into dust.


    Boom!


    Xiao Luo was a half-beat faster than Feng Zhiqiang. He fired the third shot. The one bullet left in the barrel tore throughyers of air and hit Feng Zhiqiang in the chest. To be exact, it hit his heart. Feng Zhiqiang was seeking his own death from the moment he dared to take out his gun. Xiao Luo was naturally happy to help him with it.


    Poof!


    Feng Zhiqiang spurted blood out from his mouth and nose. He dropped his gun. His plump body was thrown backward about nine or 10 feet. With the help of his subordinates, he stood up.


    ¡°Huh, not dead yet?¡±


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes, appearing rather puzzled. He saw the ck garment inside through the hole in Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s clothes and said in realization, ¡°Oh, so he was wearing a bulletproof vest. He is indeed well-prepared.¡±


    Bearing with the pain, Feng Zhiqiang roared, ¡°He has no more bullets! Hack him to death with your knives! Hack him to death fast!¡±


    His gaze was vicious, and his eyeballs bulging. He wished that he could swallow Xiao Luo alive.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the 200 men pounced toward Xiao Luo like 200 wild wolves. Since he had no more bullets, nothing was holding them back.


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, who had been prepared, roared loudly and rushed toward them. Wang Lihe snatched the baseball bat from a person and began to viciously smash it at people. Due to the powerful strength he possessed, each swing of the bat by him caused a member of the Dragon Gang to fall to the ground with a head bloody. Each fallen man was unable to get up again.


    Ye Qiu didn¡¯t need weapons. His hands were lethal enough.


    His iron-like hands, which formed eagle-like talons, waved about viciously. With terrifying strength, which was enough to tear flesh apart, his 10 fingers attacked the members of the Dragon Gang, forming bloody trajectories all over the ce. One after another, the gang members fell to the ground howling in pain. The wounds on their bodies, which had been torn open by Ye Qiu¡¯s fingers, were incredibly painful. It made their screams extraordinarily shrill.


    Xiao Luo rushed forward in a few steps. His swinging right hand rotated as it moved and abruptly hit the person in front squarely in the chest. The terrifying impulsive force surged like furious waves. The first shattered the man¡¯s ribs and entered his chest. Due to the force and shattered bones, his beating heart ruptured.


    Poof!


    Thick blood spluttered out from the man¡¯s mouth. As if he had been hit by a train, the poor man flew backward. He forcefully smashed into five of hispanions, who were rushing up behind him.


    The body, which had smashed toward them like a cannon, heavilynded on them. After a series of cracking sounds and screams, their arms were left broken. Blood shot out. All of themid on the ground.


    The terrifying outburst shocked everyone present.


    The expressions of Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s subordinates immediately changed. Their momentum weakened as they rushed toward Xiao Luo.


    Liu Tieguo¡¯s capabilities were the weakest, but Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Xiao Luo had attracted most of the firing power. Still, he was capable enough to protect himself. Moreover, he was more far-sighted. Making use of the fact that his existence was rtively less prominent, he carefully inched his way toward the gun that Feng Zhiqiang had dropped on the ground. No matter how good they were at fist-fighting, it was the safest bet to ensure that such lethal hot weapons were in their hands and under their control.


    The few Dragon Gang members who were supporting Feng Zhiqiang by the arm were trembling. Looking at the three attacking figures on the battleground, their gazes turned fearful. They questioned whether those men were humans or monsters.


    Feng Zhiqiang was badly wounded. Even though he had been wearing a bulletproof vest, the huge impact from the bullet exerted on him caused his internal organs to be shaken so badly that he felt as if they had shifted ces. The pain was excruciating.


    With difficulty, he shouted, ¡°Hurry¡­ Hurry up and get my gun back! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Upon hearing his words, one of his subordinates began searching the ground.


    However, Liu Tieguo was one step faster than them. He picked up the gun that had been dropped in a corner on the streets. He rapidly rushed toward them. He aimed it at Feng Zhiqiang from a short distance and announced, ¡°Feng Zhiqiang, you are being arrested!¡±


    Right after he finished speaking, he fired at the sky.


    Bang!


    The sound of a gunshot was always intimidating. The group of people who had been fighting fiercely immediately stopped.


    ¡°Put all your weapons down and squat down! Hands above your heads! You have all been arrested!¡± Liu Tieguo shouted with a strong, thick voice.


    The crowd, which had long since been scared sh*tless by the fighting skills demonstrated by Xiao Luo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu, lost all will to resist after seeing that Feng Zhiqiang had been controlled. They all threw down their weapons.


    ¡°Good job, Tieguo!¡±


    Wang Lihu cheered for Liu Tieguo. He had several wounds. He had been hacked open by knives. Blood was flowing non-stop, but his spirits were high and fearless.


    Ye Qiu began tough. His fingers were covered in the blood and flesh of the members of the Dragon Gang. It was as if he had used his hands to tear people apart alive. He was hurt as well, and his back and shoulders were covered in knife wounds.


    On the contrary, Xiao Luo had very few wounds on him. Although there was blood on his uniform, it was all from the members of the Dragon Gang.


    ¡­


    All the 200 men, in addition to Feng Zhiqiang, were arrested and taken back to the police station. They didn¡¯t have enough handcuffs, so the criminals were tied up with rope.


    That night, everyone on duty at the police station worked overtime to lock up the 200 people. The detention cells were full, so they locked them up in jail.


    With just four men and a gun, they managed topletely uproot Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s business in the sex trade. This significantly shocked the people in the Liren Police Station. One needed to take note of the fact that, generally, only the regional police were able to handle criminals of that level. However, the regional police had failed to do so, yet they managed to seed. It was simply unbelievable.


    ¡°Now, I would like to see whether those fes will still dare toin about us.¡±


    Feng Yuqi was extremely pleased. He felt that the sess this time had helped him vent out a lot of pent-up anger. Not only did they shake up the members of the Dragon Gang within their area, but they also gained face and made their name known at the regional police station and police headquarters.


    The instructor didn¡¯t say anything. He was still immersed in the shock he felt because of Xiao Luo and the other¡¯s actions.


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo returned to the police station, he realized that Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s wife was no longer detained. He only learned that she was released by Ma Pijin after asking around.


    ¡°Did you let her off?¡±


    Xiao Luo walked up to him and stared at him coldly.


    Looking at Xiao Luo, who was covered in blood like an asura soaked in blood, Ma Pijin couldn¡¯t help but tremble. ¡°You¡­ What do you want? Don¡¯t you¡­ Don¡¯t you act recklessly¡­ We are at the police station¡­¡±


    ¡°I will ask you again, are you the one who let that woman off?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s tone turned slightly more demanding.


    ¡°Yes, I am the one who let her off.¡± Ma Pijin forced himself to calm down and exined his actions. ¡°She was only arrested for gathering a crowd to fight and cause trouble, and nothing serious happened. Detaining her for a day was already enough. My release of her is in ordance with the rules. I have done nothing wrong!¡±

 Chapter 217 - Mr. X

    Chapter 217: Mr. X


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he kicked Ma Pijin hard.


    Like a ball, Ma Pijin rolled onto the floor. His teeth bit his tongue. Blood soon filled his mouth. A trace of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, handcuff him!¡± Xiao Luo shouted, pointing at him.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Like two steely warriors, Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu walked up to Ma Pijin and helped him up before handcuffing both of his hands.


    ¡°You d*ckhead surnamed Xiao! What do you want to do?¡±


    Ma Pijin widened his eyes and loudly shouted, ¡°How could you handcuff me? What right do you have to handcuff me?¡±


    ¡°Feng Zhiqiang admitted that his wife, Madam Xin, has also participated in forcing women to prostitute themselves. You have let a crime suspect off, so what right do you think I have?¡± Xiao Luo coldlyughed.


    Hearing his words, Ma Pijin looked as if he had been struck by thunder. He only went against Xiao Luo because he couldn¡¯t stand how dominant Xiao Luo behaved in the police station. He felt that it was very unfair for Xiao Luo to be able to be a full-time police officer. Furthermore, him releasing Madam Xin was perfectly reasonable and in ordance with the rules, so he wasn¡¯t afraid of Xiao Luo. In fact, he was very confident. He wanted to see Xiao Luo suffer a silent defeat. However, he ended up digging a hole for himself.


    There was no way he knew that the woman was a wicked person who had broken thew.


    Cold sweat cascaded down his body. He humbled himself and apologized with a forced smile. ¡°It was¡­ It was a mistake, Brother Xiao. I didn¡¯t know that she was also involved in forcing women to prostitute themselves. If I had known, I definitely wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo waved his hand and interrupted him. ¡°You can exin it to the presiding judge in court. Lock him up!¡±


    Wang Lihu acknowledged his order and pushed Ma Pijin. He snickered and asked, ¡°Ma Pijin, what are you still waiting for? Let¡¯s go. You probably know the way. Surely there isn¡¯t a need for us to resort to force.¡±


    ¡°Usually, if you seek trouble, our head is toozy to respond, but aren¡¯t you seeking your own death by finding trouble with our head at this juncture?¡± Ye Qiu coldly asked.


    ¡°Dumb*ss,¡± Wang Lihu coldly said.


    There was no way Ma Pijin could remain calm. He was panicking. Cold sweat cascaded down his body. He said to Xiao Luo, ¡°I am innocent. I really didn¡¯t know that Madam Xin also participated in forcing women to prostitute themselves¡­¡±


    With the side of his hand, Wang Lihu hit Ma Pijin on the neck. It caused Ma Pijin to immediately faint.


    ¡°He is really noisy and has no sense of self-awareness. It seems that we have to resort to force.¡±


    With a single hand, he grabbed Ma Pijin and lifted him. He walked towards the direction of the jail. Wang Lihu could handle it alone without Ye Qiu¡¯s help.


    Hiss!


    All the other people in the police station inhaled deeply. When they looked at Xiao Luo, their gazes were full of respect and fear. The auxiliary police close to Ma Pijin were so scared that they even trembled. They were deeply worried that they might also get involved.


    ¡­


    ¡°What? The spots where the sex trade is conducted in Liren have all been uprooted? Liren Police Station is behind it? Since when was Feng Yuqi so capable?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it was amunity police officer who did it. Along with three other auxiliary police, he managed to arrest 200-plus criminals who had been forcing women to prostitute themselves. Their leader is Feng Zhiqiang. He is one of the group leaders in the Dragon Gang.¡±


    ¡°He did well. It can be considered a serious hit to the gangs of Jiangcheng. Oh yeah, what¡¯s the name of thatmunity cop? What¡¯s his background?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­ It¡¯s still unclear.¡±


    ¡°Look into it. I want to see detailed information about him within the hour.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Upon hearing that Feng Zhiqiang and therge gang of criminals he controlled had been uprooted, the chief of the Guangming District was so excited that his spit flew everywhere as he spoke. One had to take into ount the fact that the district police had targeted the sex trade in Liren for more than a few days. In fact, it had been almost two years. Even in his dreams, he wanted to annihte those dirty businesses.


    However, the matter was tooplicated. There were spies from the other party in the district police station. Every time they sent a team of police to enforce thew, the other party always received word of it in advance. It made their efforts useless. He had long since considered it a long-term battle, so just he didn¡¯t expect victory toe about so suddenly.


    ¡­


    In the office of the Jiangcheng police headquarters, a middle-aged man in a uniform stood on the balcony. His hands were behind his back. His hair had greyed, but he stood perfectly straight like a mountain. He gave off an air of righteousness. He was Fan Changlong, the Jiangcheng chief of police. He held a concurrent post as the deputy mayor of Jiangcheng. He was a man of power and influence.


    After some time, he suddenly turned and said to Gu Qianlin, who was standing in front of his desk, with a smile, ¡°This Xiao Luo is rather interesting. He is fairly capable of fighting crime and a rare talent. If not for your prior report, even I would be oblivious to it. Who could believe that the boss of a sessfulpany would be willing to go work as a cop.¡±


    Gu Qianlin nodded slightly. ¡°His intention is already very obvious, which is to use his identity as a cop to damage Long Sankui¡¯s illegal businesses.¡±


    ¡°In your report, you mentioned that the first time he came into conflict with the Dragon Gang was three months ago when he saved a little girl forced to work as a beggar by the Dragon Gang,¡± Fan Changlong said. ¡°He had several consecutive shes with the Dragon Gang after that. He was even a major suspect for the 912 incident. Next, it was Fang Changlei from Taste Buds. A conflict finally urred because of a girl named Sun Yu. Did I get anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xiao Luo was the major suspect for all those, but every time, I couldn¡¯t find any evidence pointing to him,¡± Gu Qianlin said ¡°Some of the things that we can confirm were done by him ended up being proven to be unrted to him, but my intuition tells me that he is behind this series of events. Even the fall of the Red Scorpion Mercenaries is likely to be his doing. He must be the ¡®Mr. X¡¯ we have been searching for all along.¡± She was very sure of herself.


    The so-called Mr. X referred to the mysterious criminal behind the fall of the Red Scorpion Mercenaries and the 912 incident. Gu Qianlin had been searching for him all along. In the process, Xiao Luo gradually entered her field of vision.


    ¡°I know that I should not determine the identity of Mr. X based on my subjective judgment before having any evidence, but I will definitely find him.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we must find this Mr. X, but we are in no hurry to draw conclusions regarding whether he is Xiao Luo or not. Just from the fact that he dared to go against thergest gang in Jiangcheng for a girl, this Xiao Luo is definitely a man with balls.¡±


    Fan Changlong loudly asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he want to damage the Dragon Gang? In that case, I will give him a tform to do it. We can see four ourselves whether he is truly capable.¡±


    ¡°Chief, you¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin was shocked and thought that Fan Changlong had gone mad. It was extremely likely that Xiao Luo was Mr. X, yet he still wanted to give Mr. X even greater power. Wasn¡¯t he worried that the situation might go beyond control?


    Fan Changlong waved and interrupted her. He sat back onto his soft chair and said, ¡°You want to find evidence to prove that he is Mr. X. The only way to do so is to let him have his way. If we can annihte the Dragon Gang and find Mr. X, it will be killing two birds with one stone. Furthermore, you have probably seen Old K. His opinion is to let him have his way as well. Xiao Luo will be the bane of Long Sankui.¡±


    Gu Qianlin slowly calmed down. ¡°Will Old K be in mortal danger?¡±


    Fan Changlong shook his head and said somewhat resignedly, ¡°He¡¯s in the special service. How could it not be dangerous? Besides his task is to conceal himself around Mr. X.¡±


    The image of the hospital director He Ruanliang being killed in the basement carpark suddenly appeared in Gu Qianlin¡¯s mind. Mr. X was incredibly cruel and cold-blooded. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver when she thought of the scene.

 Chapter 218 - Appointed by the District Police

    Chapter 218: Appointed by the District Police


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe vigorous crackdown on the sex trade and the gang behind it caused Xiao Luo¡¯s name to be known throughout all major police stations at themunity level, district level, and even at the headquarters. Many cops wanted to meet Xiao Luo in person and see if he had three heads and six arms. They found it simply unbelievable that just four police officers were able to arrest 200-plus people.


    In the vintage study of a vi in the Guangming District, were rows of bookshelves. On the table was a rare and expensive tea set.


    No one would have thought that such a quaint study, which seemed like a ce for schrs to read, belonged to the leader of the Dragon Gang, Long Sankui.


    Long Sankui was standing before his study table. He was holding a calligraphy brush in his hand and writing the Chinese character ¡°Ren,¡± which meant tolerate. He had a serious expression. The news Han Mian brought him made his expression grow uglier. He threw the brush onto the ground hard and shattered the table with a single hit of his palm. He angrily roared, ¡°That mother*cking piece of sh*t became a police officer and uprooted all your businesses?¡±


    Han Mian, who was wearing a suit that looked exceptionally clean and was void of even a speck of dusk, looked rather uneasy. He lowered his voice and replied, ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Long Sankui loudly cursed. ¡°If so, I was right for not showing Chu Yunxiong due respect. Immediately take your men to kill him tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Long, this is inappropriate. Xiao Luo is a cop now. The repercussions might be very serious if we publicly kill a cop.¡± Hei Lang, who was usually quiet, had finally spoken up. His face was expressionless. He was wearing all ck, which made him seem extraordinarily forbidding.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t do it publicly, can we do it secretly?¡±


    Long Sankui¡¯s face was grotesque as he shouted at Han Mian, ¡°Imand that you all wear a mask during the operation tonight! I will give you 100 elite troops! Bring me that little bastard¡¯s head tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Long!¡±


    Han Mian acknowledged his order and turned to leave.


    Hei Lang still felt that it was not a wise move. After all, they had yet to get to the bottom of Xiao Luo¡¯s actual capabilities. Since Mr. Long had made hismand, it was not his ce to say anything else.


    Long Sankui was angered beyond measure. Not only had Xiao Luo destroyed his casino, but he had also uprooted his business in the sex trade. Other than that, there was still his modus operandi of controlling children and forcing them to be beggars, as well as Taste Buds, which Long Sankui was the most upset about. Taste Buds was a steppingstone for him to whitewash himself, but he didn¡¯t expect that it would be taken down before he could use it. All these had to do with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo was like a thorn in his side that he desperately wished to get rid of, so, naturally, he couldn¡¯t tolerate it any further.


    ¡­


    Feng Yuqi sat on a chair in his office. He had a forlorn expression. He wasn¡¯t even in the mood to drink his tea.


    The instructor sighed. ¡°The district police have crossed the line. They are obviously trying to poach our employees!¡±


    ¡°Clearly, but since they have asked for him, we can only obey.¡±


    Feng Yuqi sighed slightly. ¡°Heh¡­ We miscalcted. I was fixated with showing off in front of them and ignored the fact that they might poach him from us. I¡¯m so annoyed just thinking about it. Xiao Luo is like a sharp sword. He can use his talents in our station all the same. Now, he will be using his talents in the district police station and be the ace up someone¡¯s sleeves, helping them with their personal achievements.¡±


    It was like he was about to lose a treasure. He was incredibly sad.


    ¡°Go and ask those four fes toe in. There¡¯s nothing we can do no matter how reluctant we are to let them go.¡±


    The instructor obliged and walked out. Not long after, Xiao Luo, Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu, the entered the room.


    Feng Yuqi cleared his throat and said, ¡°The four of you, listen. The district police station will send a car to fetch you all this afternoon. From then on, you all will be part of the district police.¡±


    What?


    Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu all thought that they were hallucinating. District police? They were joining the district police? The sudden promotion from auxiliary police at a local police station to joining the district police was too fast, wasn¡¯t it?


    Xiao Luo was just momentarily surprised, but he didn¡¯t show much change in his emotions.


    ¡°Chief, after joining the district police, are we still considered auxiliary police?¡± Liu Tieguo hurriedly asked.


    ¡°There are no auxiliary police at the district police station,¡± Feng Yuqi somewhat impatiently said. ¡°You will all be formally employed members of the police force.¡±


    Hearing his words, three of the men cheered in joy and excitement. They were going to be formally employed, which meant that they would officially be part of the police force from now on. How could they not be excited and happy?


    ¡°Do I have to go?¡±


    Just as they were immersed in joy, Xiao Luo suddenly spoke up.


    They all were stunned and looked at him questioningly.


    ¡°Head, it is a good thing, so why not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is my dream to work in the district police station.¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu furrowed their brows and expressed their puzzlement.


    Xiao Luo did not reply to them. He felt somewhat uneasy. It was as if he had been targeted by one of the higher-ups in the police force. This was especially so because Gu Qianlin surprisingly didn¡¯t evene and ask about it after he caused such a hugemotion. It was too out of the ordinary and not in alignment with that woman¡¯s personality.


    Feng Yuqi looked at him intensely for a while before replying, ¡°No, it is a direct order given by the district chief. Unless you quit, you can only obey and report to the district police station.¡±


    ¡°Everyone in this station would fight tooth and nail just to be sent there,¡± the instructor said. His gaze was intense. ¡°Xiao Luo, can you tell me why you don¡¯t want to go?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought for a moment and came up with a perfunctory excuse. Heughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve already developed feelings for this station. I¡¯m worried that I might not be able to get used to the new, foreign environment.¡±


    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re overthinking,¡± Feng Yuqi said. ¡°You four will continue working as a team in the district police station, but there will one additional team member. Thus, you will form a special task force to specifically target the underground drug trade in the Guangming District.¡±


    Xiao Luo was very sensitive, so he asked, ¡°Why us? Aren¡¯t there more suitable people for the job in the district police station?¡±


    ¡°Head, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Wang Lihu asked with augh. ¡°It must be that the district police have approved of our capabilities because we have sessfully arrested 200-plus people in one go. That¡¯s why they made an exception and promoted us.¡±


    Feng Yuqi said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Sometimes I feel that you are quite smart, but sometimes I feel like you have a brain made of wood. See, even Wang Lihu knows the reason, but here you are still asking why. Are you dumb?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I believe that if there¡¯s free lunch falling from the sky,¡± Xiao Luo solemnly said. ¡°There must be a trap on the ground waiting for you to step into it.¡±


    ¡°Where did all these dark thoughts in your minde from?¡±


    Feng Yuqi slightly reprimanded him before earnestly saying, ¡°I can pat myself on the chest and tell you loudly that you can rx. This isn¡¯t a trap. Furthermore, I am the one they are screwing over this time around. You all are the talents in our station. Now that they have poached you, I¡¯m left with a bunch of incapable fools. We won¡¯t be able to handle any major cases next time. We¡¯ll only be dealing with a bunch of trivial civil disputes.¡±


    His words boosted the ego of Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu significantly. So, they were all talents in the chief¡¯s eyes. Without realizing it, they puffed their chests out and held their heads high.


    Xiao Luo said nothing else. He was only able to take one step at a time, and he had to be more careful about it.

 Chapter 219 - Another person

    Chapter 219: Another person


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAfter finishing packing up his belongings in the afternoon, he took a bus to the district office.


    Xiao Luo and his crew of three had been directly summoned by the director of the district bureau. The director was a short and chubby man, about 45 or 46 years old. As he had been raised in the army, so he naturally gave off an aura of military authority.


    ¡°The four of you actually brought all the indecent trading spots in Liren to an end,¡± Hou Zhijie said with a smile. ¡°Putting aside the fact that you have all be famous all over Jiangcheng¡¯s police stations, your name in the Jiangcheng underworld is like rumbling thunder. Well done. I, Hou Zhijie, especially appreciate youngsters such as yourselves.¡±


    The praise brought the trio of Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu to cloud nine. This was the director of the district bureau. Receiving such high praise was better than having tens or hundreds of thousands of dors thrown at them.


    Xiao Luo was very calm. If possible, he did not want to deal with these veterans. Since they had reached such a high rank, it usually meant they were cunning and scheming like a fox. It made them difficult to read.


    ¡°There is only one single purpose in transferring you here to the district bureau, and that is so you will destroy the underground drugwork in Guangming District.¡±


    Hou Zhijie opened the door and said, ¡°Before that, let me introduce you to a person who will be joining you to work on this case.¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    At that moment, someone was knocking on the office door. The door was quickly pushed open. A man with a stern face and shimmering bright eyes entered the room.


    ¡°Speak of the devil. Come, let me introduce you.¡±


    Hou Zhijie came out from behind his desk and gestured to the man entering. ¡°This is Wang Yongjia. He is the captain of our district bureau¡¯s anti-drug team. He has been tracking and cracking down on the underground drugwork in Guangming District, so he is very knowledgeable of the situation here in Guangming District. With his guidance, you will be able to put in half the work and get double the result. He will be a great help.¡±


    ¡°Yongjia, these four courageous youngsters are the ones who took care of the indecent dealings in Liren. Meet Xiao Luo, Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Wee to the district bureau.¡±


    Wang Yongjia smiled as he greeted Xiao Luo and his crew.


    Liu Tieguo immediately turned into a bootlicker. ¡°Hello, Team Leader Wang, your name is familiar. I¡¯ve often heard it back when we were at the Liren Police Station. After meeting you in person, it seems you are indeed as talented and charismatic as they say.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, charismatic and exceptional,¡± Wang Lihu quickly added.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only exceptional, but it is also truly shocking,¡± Ye Qiu said. ¡°Team Leader Wang is the epitome of an upright man.¡±


    Although they were not as proficient as Ma Pinjin, there was still a need to say some praising words.


    Wang Yongjia just shook his head and smiled. He looked a little helpless.


    On the other hand, Xiao Luo was just quietly watching him. Based on Hou Zhijie¡¯s words, he was able to deduce the subliminal message. In this newly formed five-person task force, Wang Yongjia had an absolute leadership position. However, that was not the main point. The most important thing was whether or not Wang Yongjia had been sent to monitor him. He did not believe that Gu Qianlin would not take any action. If Wang Yongjia was there to collect evidence of his illegal crimes, he had to be on guard.


    ¡­


    Upon leaving the director¡¯s office, Xiao Luo ran into a familiar acquaintance.


    He saw the beautiful face that gave off an icy aura and made it difficult to approach. She was wearing a police uniform. She had bright eyes and a cold expression. Her snow-white skin gave off a delicate feeling. This was none other than Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°Are you here too? As a police officer?¡±


    Xiao Luo was slightly astonished. The girl had been as na?ve as a nk piece of paper. She had left a deep impression in his mind.


    Gu Qianxue nodded. ¡°My sister let me stay here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly realized that having a connection was beneficial. Personnel could be mobilized or arranged at will.


    ¡°Xiao Gu, do you two know each other?¡± Wang Yongjia curiously asked.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang, we were from the same training camp, so we know each other.¡±


    Liu Tieguo looked at Gu Qianxue and said with familiarity, ¡°Little Sis Gu, we will be colleagues from here on out.¡±


    Gu Qianxue nced at him and quickly looked away. Her eyes fell back onto Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What are you always looking at me for?¡± Xiao Luo asked. Her constant stares made him ufortable.


    ¡°Because you are handsome,¡± Gu Qianxue seriously replied.


    Huh?


    Wang Yongjia felt that the rtionship between the two of them was rather enigmatic. Since she had arrived at the station, Gu Qianxue was usually cold as an iceberg and basically never took the initiative to talk to people since. Shepletely changed when she saw Xiao Luo. He tactfully coughed and said, ¡°You all can talk first. Let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight and get to know each other better!¡±


    ¡°Head, we¡¯ll wait for you outside.¡±


    Liu Tieguo and the others smiled at him, which seemed to have a hidden meaning, and left.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too,¡± Gu Qianxue suddenly said.


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°The dinner tonight.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t very nice since it¡¯s not my treat. Why not go ask Team Leader Wang first?¡±


    ¡°I want to go.¡±


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s tone was firm. Her bright eyes looked at Xiao Luo without blinking. Sinceing to the district bureau, she couldn¡¯t integrate into the environment and didn¡¯t even have a real friend. Unlike the others, this ce was very foreign to her.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival had made her feel much more secure. Like back in the training camp, she had initiallycked a sense of security until she met Xiao Luo. It was like having a grown-up that a little girl like her could trust and rely on. To her, Xiao Luo was someone she could depend on.


    ¡­


    The wind that night was very chilly. After all, winter was quickly approaching.


    The restaurant that Wang Yongjia had reserved was a Western-style mid-range restaurant with a decent atmosphere.


    Seated in the private room, Wang Yongjia, who took on the role of a host, was enthusiastically asking Xiao Luo to order food. There were no airs of being the task force leader of an anti-drug team. He gave off a very cordial feeling. There was little to no distance between them.


    ¡°Ladies first. Let¡¯s let Gu Xiaomei order first,¡± Liu Tieguo said. Acting more like a gentleman, he handed over the menu and task of ordering food to Gu Qianxue.


    Gu Qianxue showed no restraints. She took the menu and began to flip through it.


    ¡°This, this, and I want this as well!¡±


    Upon finding a picture of a meat product, she ordered it. In the blink of an eye, she had already ordered nine dishes.


    Wang Yongjia¡¯s face was a little awkward. He had clearly seen that the nine dishes were all the restaurant¡¯s signature dishes and very expensive. After adding them together, the price exceeded $400. He was worried that when it was time for the bill, he might have not brought enough money. Furthermore, Gu Qianxue showed no intention of stopping, and she was only halfway through the thick menu.


    ¡°I want this, also this¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue did not understand social asions. If someone was treating, she felt that she should order more. What¡¯s more, money had never been a problem for her, so she didn¡¯t factor money into her considerations.


    ¡°This is sufficient. There is enough to eat!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke and drily coughed to give a reminder. He was worried that Gu Qianxue would order all the meat dishes on the menu.


    Gu Qianxue raised her head and looked resentfully at him. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her and signaled with his eyes that he was not the one treating today. Ordering this much made it seem like it was done deliberately to take advantage of Wang Yongjia.


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Gu Qianxue repeated her words.


    Xiao Luo bitterly said, ¡°OK, it is enough.¡±


    ¡°No, it is not,¡± Gu Qianxue replied.


    It was as if the two were in a reenactment of Uncle Zhao¡¯s ¡°Not Short of Money.¡±


    ¡°No problem, no problem at all. Just let Xiao Gu order what she wants to eat.¡±


    In order to express his magnanimity and generosity, Wang Yongjia spoke with a smile on his face. When he saw Gu Qianxue bury her head in the menu and continue to order like a child pointing at an electronic toy, the smile on his face quickly turned into a wry one.

 Chapter 220 - Still OK

    Chapter 220: Still OK


    In the end, the six of them ordered 15 dishes, all of which were main dishes. The foodpletely filled the table.


    Xiao Luo felt rather awkward. Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo were all excited. On the other hand, Wang Yongjia¡¯s heart bled when he looked at the table filled with food. He initially thought that a thousand dors would be enough for dinner. In the end, a wholemb had already set him back $2,000. He truly felt like crying.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang, you are very generous for using such a feast to wee our arrival,¡± Wang Lihu eximed as he patted his chest.


    Wang Yongjia suppressed his pained emotions. He smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°This is not generosity but nobility,¡± Liu Tieguo said, pouring himself a ss of beer and standing up to give Team Leader Wang a toast. ¡°Which superior would even spend such a huge amount on one meal to treat his subordinates? What else can this be other than nobility? Come, Team Leader Wang, let me give you a toast out of respect.¡±


    What the f*ck? The price of this nobility is huge!


    That was what Wang Yongjia was thinking. Outwardly, he maintained a smile on his face as he returned the toast.


    Whereas the person that started all of this, Gu Qianxue, had not said a single word. She was only focused on eating the food.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He thought, Most people take advantage of their dead, but you took advantage of your superior!


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    There was a knock on the private room door. A staff member walked in with two bottles of coconut juice.


    Wang Yongjia¡¯s eyes turned wide with shock as he said, ¡°We didn¡¯t order this coconut juice!¡±


    He was determined to distance himself from those two bottles of coconut juice. He was afraid he would be charged for them.


    The staff memberughed and said, ¡°Sir, you have misunderstood. These are on the house. As your table has spent a grand total of $2,998, our boss asked us to present these two bottles of coconut juice to you as a token of our appreciation for being so supportive to this restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s free of charge. In that case, just leave it here,¡± Wang Yongjia said, heaving a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Sir, please enjoy the meal.¡±


    The staff member turned and left, leaving the two bottles of coconut juice behind.


    The $2,998 was indeed a bit expensive. Even though Wang Yongjia was the leader of the anti-drug task force, his monthly sry was only about $7,000 to $8,000. After taking the various expenses into ount, what he was left with barely exceeded $4,000.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang, why don¡¯t we go Dutch this time around and you can treat us another time?¡± Ye Qiu, who was better able to read the situation, suggested.


    Wang Yongjia immediately raised his hand to reject it and said in an awe-inspiring tone, ¡°I¡¯ve already said this is a wee dinner. If I let you fork out money, wouldn¡¯t that be like pping my own mouth? It¡¯s just around $2,00, so it¡¯s OK. Just feel free to eat. We can always take the food with us if we can¡¯t finish it. As a police officer of the people, we absolutely can¡¯t be extravagant or wasteful!¡±


    The words ¡°extravagant¡± and ¡°wasteful¡± were emphasized. As expected, his eyes nced over to Gu Qianxue.


    Gu Qianxue sat there like nothing had happened. Without uttering a word, it was like she was on her mission, but her mission was just to eat.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang is right. We should not be wasteful. Let¡¯s quickly eat while the food is hot.¡±


    Xiao Luo shot a re toward Wang Lihu and the rest with a tinge ofmand. In order to absolve Gu Qianxue of her crimes, the least they could do was finish the food on the table.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s eat with our stomachs wide open!¡±


    Wang Yongjia also started to move his chopsticks. Since he had already decided to pay for the food, he might as well eat the food and get his money¡¯s worth.


    This group dinner let Xiao Luo gain a rough understanding of the sort of person Wang Yongjia was. He didn¡¯t have the air of a superior. He was very easygoing and a genuine person.


    After 30 minutes, everyone¡¯s tummy had been filled to the brim. They sat on their seats to rx and let their stomachs rest. The 12 main courses, along with a whole roastedmb, had been entirely finished by the group. Bones had piled up in front of everyone. However, the one with the highest count of bones was none other than Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°Little Sister Gu, don¡¯t tell me you eat this much for every meal?¡± Liu Tieguo asked with astonishment.


    Back at training camp, he had not really noticed Gu Qianxue¡¯s food intake. After all, men and women ate separately.


    Gu Qianxue nodded and lightly replied, ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, other females must be extremely envious when they find out that you can still maintain such a good figure with such eating habits!¡± Liu Tieguo eximed.


    Gu Qianxue furrowed her brows and asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Is my figure that good?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought, Why are you asking me? How does this concern me?


    In the end, he scanned her from head to toe and raised his eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s still OK.¡±


    ¡°When Head says it¡¯s OK, he means it¡¯s excellent,¡± Wang Lihu said with augh. ¡°We all understand.¡±


    One couldn¡¯t tell from Gu Qianxue¡¯s face whether she was happy or upset. She was expressionless, yet she was still so beautiful and moving.


    ¡°You guys can talk. I¡¯ll go ahead and settle the bill!¡±


    Wang Yongjia burped as he got up. He had already said he was going to pay. The dishes had all been finished, so he had no choice but to pay no matter how painful it was.


    ¡­..


    ¡°What? The money in my card isn¡¯t enough?¡±


    Wang Yongjia was in disbelief. He looked at the cashier at the front desk and said, ¡°Try again, maybe it¡¯s awork problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried it three times, and the message shown is that there¡¯s an insufficient bnce.¡± The cashier shook his head.


    Wang Yongjia carefully recalled that a few days ago he had bought some clothes that cost more than $800 to please his wife. His card initially had $3,000 on it. After remembering the $800, it was only natural that he didn¡¯t have enough left. He had enough in savings, but that was on another card that his wife kept. It wouldn¡¯t be nice to call his wife for payment, right?


    This was bad. What was he to do?


    Wang Yongjia furrowed his brows like a piece of kitchen rag. He had treated his subordinates to a meal but did not bring enough money. If such news spread, where would he put his face as the leader of the anti-drug task force?


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    At that moment, a man wearing a suit walked in wondering what was going on.


    ¡°Boss, his card couldn¡¯t proceed with the payment due to an insufficient bnce,¡± the cashier respectfully replied.


    The restaurant¡¯s eyes held a deeper meaning. He was happy because just now Wang Yongjia¡¯s table had ordered more than $2,900 worth of dishes. In the end, he didn¡¯t have enough to pay for it. It was inevitable he was thinking they were nning to dine and dash.


    Wang Yongjia was preparing to exin, but a te of leftover food was brought over from the side and mmed heavily onto the desk. Immediately afterward, he saw a blonde man, who looked pissed off, followed by others with fierce-looking faces walk out of their private rooms and surround the front desk.


    The blonde man mmed the table and shouted at the front desk.


    The restaurant manager quickly turned and greeted him with a smile. ¡°I am the owner of the restaurant. How may I assist you?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are your eyes blind? Didn¡¯t you see that this dish has a disgusting cockroach in it?¡±


    The blonde man pointed at the vegetables on the te and roared, ¡°Damn, our brothers were all having a good time eating all the dishes and suddenly a dead cockroach pops up. Do you expect a f*cking restaurant with such sh*tty hygiene standards to stay open?¡±


    The restaurant owner took a closer look. There really was a cockroach. He could also recognize that this cockroach had been ced after the meal had been served. If it had really followed in with the dish during the presentation, it should have been cooked at a certain point. Taking a closer look, it was obviously raw. Someone had put it there intentionally.

 Chapter 221 - Friction

    Chapter 221: Friction


    The restaurant owner felt that it was better not to escte the situation. It made sense to just ept his losses since the other party had the strength in numbers, and their intentions were clearly hostile. As a foreigner, it wasn¡¯t easy to open up restaurants here, and they were sometimes treated as outcasts. They might even be subjected to harassment if this incident were to be blown out of proportion.


    After pondering a little while, he looked at the blonde-haired man and said: ¡°On behalf of our restaurant, I¡¯m really sorry for this incident. The dish will be on the house,e, everybody, let¡¯s go and smoke a cigarette and cool our heads a little.¡±


    He pulled out a pack of cigarettes as he spoke and passed it around.


    Knowing that the other party had deliberately put the dead cockroach in the dish, yet still having to apologize andpensate them for it, made the restaurant owner feel victimized and helpless.


    The blonde-haired man pushed him away and yelled angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t f*cking pull this on me.¡± He then picked up the dish with some remnants of the food and continued, ¡°We finished the entire dish that had a cockroach in it. What if we were to suffer from food poisoning the next day? How would youpensate us then? You still expect us to pay the bill? Did your brain fucking cramp up, huh?¡±


    After he shouted, he smashed the te on the ground in a show of anger.


    SHATTER!


    The te was smashed to pieces, and the remnants of food were scattered around as well.


    The restaurant owner had a look of horror on his face. He realized now that they wanted more than just a free meal, they also intended to extort money from him.


    Wang Yongjia intervened at that moment, ¡°I clearly saw it from here just now. The cockroach was obviously ced in after you finished the meal. Putting aside the fact that you want to get a free meal, you still want the restaurant owner topensate you? Are you trying to ¡°calcte your wishes with an abacus?¡± [1]


    The blonde-haired man reacted to the intrusion and angrily said, ¡°And who are you? Are you tired of living? This doesn¡¯t concern you, hurry up and scram, or else I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Kill me? Brat, are you sure about that?¡±


    Wang Yongjia forced a smile and took out his police badge.


    The faces on the gangsters changed after seeing the badge.


    The restaurant owner regained some confidence. An outsider couldn¡¯t argue with these hoodlums, but having a police officer around would naturally make all the difference in the world. It gave him a boost of confidence.


    ¡°Yo, I see that you are a police officer. Apologies for the disrespect, but you are off duty right now, so quickly put that police badge away. Don¡¯t take it out, it¡¯s embarrassing,¡± said the blonde-haired man. He was slightly taken aback at first but returned confidently as he was not intimidated by a mere police officer.


    ¡°What¡¯s so amazing about being a police officer? You are the same as us after taking off your uniform.¡±


    ¡°Police officer, don¡¯t put yourself in the position of a judge. People will only think you are a fool.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, why don¡¯t you just enjoy the time you have after work? Instead, youe here, stand up and refuse to mind your own business, going so far as to show off your police badge. Just who are you trying to scare?¡±


    These seven or eight men were all in a group with the blonde-haired man, and they showed no fear when Wang Yongjia identified himself as a police officer. They stared at him cockily and chose to make a mockery out of his badge.


    Wang Yongjia knew the situation in Guangming District very well. He knew that these gangsters were associated with the Dragon Gang, and therefore they dared to act audaciously without care, even in the presence of a police officer. The blond-haired man had also proimed that the underworld rules took effect after midnight, and their hearts would not waver.


    Wang Yongjia shook his head and, with a hint of warning, said, ¡°I advise you not to stir trouble and properly pay for the bill. Or else, I¡¯ll arrest you all and take you to the police station.¡±


    The blonde-haired man gave him an enigmatic smile, ¡°Officer, having a brain is a good thing, so I do hope you have it. Did you not see the dead cockroach in this dish? As consumers, if we find a dead cockroach in our dish, don¡¯t we deserve some rights forpensation?¡±


    ¡°We all know in our conscience what the real situation is. If it really is the fault of the restaurant, then I will certainly stand on your side. However, you are trying to stir shit after you¡¯ve had the meal, and you¡¯re even ckmailing the restaurant owner now. Right, I¡¯ll add one more charge to your offenses, insulting a police officer.¡± Wang Yongjia said.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else to say!¡± the blonde-haired man said, readying his hands.


    At the same time, the other seven to eight men walked towards an empty table and began picking up the beer bottles lying on the table and checking the sturdiness of the stools.


    ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s our restaurant¡¯s responsibility. How about this, let¡¯s just forget about the bill. Let¡¯s treat this as a meal to make friends, what do you think, brothers?¡±


    Seeing that these people were about to fight, the restaurant owner hurried out to calm the situation. He was afraid that his restaurant would be destroyed, and even if it wasn¡¯t, it would definitely scare away the diners who were still eating. Considering the gains and losses, he would willingly give up on collecting payment for the meal this time around.


    The blonde-haired man shoved the restaurant owner aside roughly and started scolding him, ¡°Make friends with your mum¡¯s f*cking c*nt! There¡¯s a cockroach in your dish, and you still expect me to f*cking pay for this meal? Let me tell you this, if you don¡¯t pay at least 700 to 800 for the mental damage we¡¯ve suffered, we will not let this rest. Don¡¯t think you are f*cking big just because you have a police officer on your side. He can protect you now, but can he protect you forever? What¡¯s more, can this garbage police officer even protect you now?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Wang Yongjia said. He was incensed, and his face darkened with rage.


    ¡°Yo, you¡¯re angry? I see you have some bloodlust in you.¡±


    The blonde-haired manughed with a happy-go-lucky attitude, then pointing straight at Wang Yongjia, he said, ¡°I said you are garbage, so what? Not happy? If you¡¯re not happy, thene for me.¡±


    Wang Yongjia cocked his eyebrows fiercely, pped the blonde-haired man¡¯s hand aside, and gave him a crushing kick right to the chest.


    As the captain of the drug enforcement task force, he was well-trained and definitely possessed a set of skills. The kick sent the blonde-haired man straight to the ground. He crashed heavily into the wall, which caused him to immediately bleed on the spot.


    The blonde-haired man wiped off a handful of blood from his forehead, then he shouted at hispanions, ¡°F*ck it, go get him!¡±


    The seven or eight men immediately picked up the beer bottles and stools and began charging Wang Yongjia like a pack of wolves.


    Wang Yongjia was unafraid and started to unleash a series of militarybat style punches towards the hooligans.


    The lobby of the entire restaurant immediately became a mess. The diners who were still having their meals hurried over to the corners as the fight between Wang Yongjia and the thugs began to encroach across the entire restaurant floor. Stools were flung around, and the sound of shattering beer bottles could be heard one after the other.


    ¡°Stop fighting, stop fighting now!¡±


    The restaurant owner felt like crying, but there were no tears, only his desperate screams to stop the brawl. If the fight continued on, his restaurant would bepletely destroyed.


    CLANG!


    The blonde-haired man picked up a wine bottle and mmed against the edge of the table. The broken part of the bottle was rimmed with sharp edges looking like the pointed teeth of a ferocious canine. He pointed at the restaurant owner and shouted, ¡°You shut up! If you talk again, I will kill you!¡± Then he looked over at Wang Yongjia fighting for his life, and continued to scream, ¡°Beat him, beat him relentlessly! This police officer is really tired of living!¡±


    As he looked for an opening to strike, he used his sleeve to wipe the fresh blood flowing down his forehead.


    At that moment, arge hand, vice-like and hard as steel, grabbed him by his cor and tossed out as if he were garbage.


    CRASH!


    The blond-haired man was thrown in an arc across the floor and fell smashing into a table, breaking it apart. The half-broken beer bottle sailed out of his hand in the process.


    Before he could even recover, the big hand grabbed the back of his cor and lifted him up like a puppy with his feet barely touched the ground. He was dumped unceremoniously on the floor, and when he regained his vision, he only saw a man with both hands in his pockets. The handsome young man stared at him with a cold, hard re.

 Chapter 222 - Powerful shock

    Chapter 222: Powerful shock


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe handsome young man staring at him with a cold, hard re was none other than Xiao Luo. The soundproofing in the rooms of this restaurant wasn¡¯t the best quality. But yet, they heard nothing and only came out to take a look since Wang Yongjia had been away for quite a while. They were shocked to see Wang Yongjia being besieged by a group of people.


    Wang Lihu dragged the blonde-haired man and brought him to Xiao Luo. He delivered a nasty kick to the side of the blonde-haired man¡¯s calf, and that made him drop into a kneeling position right in front of Xiao Luo. His kneesnded hard on the floor, causing him immense pain, and he involuntarily cried out in agony.


    ¡°Ask your men to stop!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked down at him while standing up. His voice was soft, but the tone of his voice made it hard for anyone to disobey him.


    The blonde-haired man couldn¡¯t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva because his opponent was no more just a single man, but a group of tough-looking men. Leading them was a tall and muscr man who had, just a moment ago, easily lifted and tossed him about like a pup. He carefully said, ¡°Who are¡­ who are you guys¡­?! Do you know that we are the Dra¡­uugh!¡±


    The voice stopped abruptly. Wang Lihu, bearing a ferocious look, pped the back of the blonde-haired man¡¯s head with an open palm, and yelled, ¡°Ask your men to stop, can you hear me? Believe me, I will cripple you!¡±


    The blonde-haired man was so terrified of the mean look on Wang Lihu¡¯s face that he hurriedly shouted at the seven or eight men that were besieging Wang Yongjia, ¡°Gou Zi, San Tou, stop, stop now!¡±


    Finally, hearing the blond-hair man shouting for them to stop, the men pulled out from the fight and quickly ran over, brandishing their broken bottles and stools, to assist theirpatriot.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening over here?¡±


    ¡°Who are you guys? Are you looking for trouble?¡±


    ¡°If you are here to fight, then we won¡¯t give in so easily and will fight you till the end!¡±


    They stood facing Xiao Luo and hispanions in an aggressive stance armed with their bottle and stools.


    ¡°We¡¯re police officers!¡±


    This one sentence from Xiao Luo silenced the mob. They all looked at one another, and all of a sudden and were at a loss, unsure of what to do next, or what they were supposed to do at all.


    Quickly recovering from the fight, Wang Yongjia walked over cautiously towards the group of men. Although he was a capable trainer, he still did not have the skills to deal with seven or eight local fighters at once. Right now, he was a rather pathetic sight. The shirt he was wearing was torn in several ces, and his sleeves had been ripped to shreds. He looked in bad shape, and his garments resembled used old rags. His hair was all messed as well, and he suffered many bruises andcerations all over his body caused by the broken beer bottles.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang, are you alright?¡± Xiao Luo asked with obvious concern.


    Wang Yongjia nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯m alright, brother.¡± He then turned and stared hard at the blonde-haired man and his gang, ¡°They are all a bunch of scoundrels. We will bring all of them back to the police station. If they¡¯re not sent off to prison, I will refuse to carry on leading the anti-drug task force leader for now on!¡±


    After the injuries he had sustained, he couldn¡¯t help but be furious. He had gone out to have a meal with his colleagues and had the misfortune of meeting up with a bunch of hoodlums that had the nerve to beat up a police officer. He found it hard to contain his rage, especially when this bunch had spoilt his evening out with friends.


    The gangsters became anxious when they heard that they were going to be sent to the police station, and with the likelihood of incarceration. There was simply no way that they would allow such a thing to happen. They were prepared to fight it out.


    ¡°F*ck your mother, you smelly rotten cops!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, get them!¡±


    They raised their weapons and postured for the fight, they were ready to take on the cops. They would beat their opponents in a quick brawl and make their escape, confident that these police officers would never be able to find them afterward.


    Wang Lihu grinned, relishing what was toe, and without a word pounced towards them like a tiger. One punch was all it took, and the man right in front of the group slumped. He was squirming on the floor, retching uncontrobly from the ferocious hook rammed into his mid-section. Without even a moment¡¯s pause, he had already grabbed two more of the men, one in each hand, and mmed them together. They both of them dropped to the floor, wailing in pain. Of the remaining four, two were taken out with swift kicks, one more with a knee thrust in his chest, and yet another was pped senseless. He then dragged all of them and brought them in front of Xiao Luo.


    Wang Lihu had taken out seven opponents without breaking a sweat!


    Wang Yongjia stared in disbelief, and thought to himself, ¡°This Wang Lihu¡¯s skills are awesome. He is no average boxer!¡±


    As a keen practitioner of Army Boxing, Wang Yongjia could quickly tell that Wang Lihu was a formidable master in his own fighting style. Just by his sheer power alone, Wang Lihu would be able to crush his opponents with his ferocious brute force. He was a beast in human guise. He now understood how Xiao Luo and his threepatriots, were able to apprehend over 200 people.


    Seeing his defeated men kneeling in front of Xiao Luo, the blonde-haired man was stunned. He looked fearfully at Wang Lihu, his eyes wide open.


    ¡°You still want to teach us a lesson? Do you think mediocre trash like you lot has what it takes?¡±


    Wang Lihu said in a cold, threatening voice, then grabbed the blonde-haired man¡¯s hair, and pulled his head up so that he was looking directly at Xiao Luo, ¡°This is our leader, do you know who ended the red-light district that was run by the Dragon Gang in Liren Town?¡±


    What?!


    The blond-haired man could not believe his bad luck! Did he actually have the misfortune ofing face-to-face with the infamous demon cop of Liren District?


    The blonde-haired man could feel an overwhelming sense of fear run through his entire body, he pointed shakily at Xiao Luo and mumbled incoherently, ¡°He¡¯s ¡­Xiao Luo, Xiao¡­O-officer Xiao?¡±


    ¡°H¨£o ¡­seems like you can still see properly.¡±


    Wang Lihu sneered, then, still grabbing a tuff of blond hair in his firm hands, he forcefully yanked his head to face Wang Yongjia, ¡°Do you know who he is now?¡±


    The blonde-haired man shook his head, shaking in fear. The other men were equally terrified, their eyes filled with pure anguish after realizing the man standing in front of them was Xiao Luo.


    As Jiangcheng¡¯s ck Force, Xiao Luo had a renowned reputation for his harsh methods. Even an insignificant hooligan would surely have heard of this name. It was said that he was brutal, even worse than the secret society. He had crippled someone by firing two shots into his legs at a Department Store. And at Hualong Commercial Street, his small team of four police officers had taken down 200 people. Someone like him struck fear in the hearts of gangsters because he did not work by the rules. If he said he would cripple someone, that was precisely what he would do. Thus, the moniker, the demonic cop.


    ¡°He¡¯s the superior officer of our leader, you dare to beat the superior of our boss? Are you fools courting death?¡± Wang Lihu said coldly.


    Fearing for his life, the blond-haired man dashed towards Xiao Luo and repeatedly kowtowed, pleading, ¡°Officer Xiao, we have eyes but are blind, please forgive our ignorance. If we knew he was your superior, we¡¯d never have offended him no matter what. I beg of you, just let us off like we are nothing but a fart!¡±


    The others quickly followed suit and bowed respectfully, begging for their lives. No one found the courage to challenge Xiao Luo, their fighting spirit had utterly deserted them.


    The restaurant owner and diners looking on were shocked. The reputation of Guangming district as a gangsters¡¯ haven was no secret to anyone. Hooligans and thugs roamed freely and carried out acts of violence and crime with impunity. They had no fear of the police. Over the years, they had seen police officers giving in to local gangsters. But to now to see this arrogant gangster begging for mercy in front of a police officer, they never thought this could ever happen!


    ¡°Why did you create trouble?¡± Xiao Luo asked softly.


    The blonde-haired man knew better than to lie and promptly exined the truth. They had nned to leave without paying. And, finding out that the restaurant owner was a foreigner, they even put in a cockroach in the dish to getpensation. They knew he was bound to stay quiet to avoid trouble. Free meals and extorting money through ckmail, that seemed like a great n.


    ¡°Ye Qiu, use your handphone and take pictures of their ID card, make sure their faces can be seen clearly, ¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Ye Qiu stepped forward and carried out the instructions with the full cooperation of the trembling men, still on their knees.


    ¡°Team Leader Wang, I believe there¡¯s no need for us to bring them back, the most that we can do is shut them up for 15 days. As this restaurant has been badly damaged, can I propose we must make them pay for ?¡± Xiao Luo suggested. Sentences for such offenses would not discourage hooligans and gangsters like these from repeating their crimes, however, making them pay through their own pockets would serve a more substantial deterrent and be more beneficial to the restaurant owner.


    Wang Yongjia thought it made sense and nodded in agreement. The anger had left, and his mind was now clear and more discerning.


    Xiao Luo turned around and stepped towards the blonde-haired man: ¡°I already have all of your information, make sure you don¡¯t create trouble anymore, otherwise¡­¡± He bent over and continued to whisper four words in his ear: ¡°I will kill you!¡±


    Demonic cop!


    The blonde-haired man turned sheet white and almost lost control of his dder. Breaking into a cold sweat and shaking uncontrobly, he said: ¡°I-I got¡­I g-got it¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo patted him on his shoulders and smiled: ¡°Good that you¡¯ve got it. Foot the bill, and besides that, make sure you pay for the damages as well. Everything that you¡¯ve broken.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. T-thank you, thank you, Officer Xiao!¡± The blonde-haired man teared up, feeling deeply grateful as if he had been granted a stay of execution.


    Xiao Luo smiled: ¡°You should be thankful that you¡¯re not from the Dragon gang.¡±


    He could clearly tell that they were nothing more than street hoodlums and not members of the Dragon Gang. They did not have the dragon-head symbol tattooed on their arm.

 Chapter 223 - A hundred elites

    Chapter 223: A hundred elites


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe blonde-haired man and his group, on their knees, kowtowed repeatedly and paid obeisance to Xiao Luo. Indeed, they had something to report to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Officer Xiao, I have news that the gangsters from the Dragon Gang have gathered a gang of a hundred elite fighters to deal with you.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face was impassive, with a half-smile, and he asked casually, ¡°Oh, is that so? Then do you also know when they will be ready to deal with me?¡±


    The blonde-haired man thought about it carefully then and said, ¡°Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Anyway, it will be these two to three days. I also heard a friend saying that they have an aplice in Han Mian¡¯s bar. I actually overheard by ident.¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Officer Xiao, rest assured we will never do bad things again. We will strive to be good citizens and contribute to the harmony of our society and country!¡±


    Hearing him speak with such a patriotic fervor, Wang Lihu and everyone else burst outughing. Gu Qianxue, however, wasn¡¯t quite so impressed. She stood aloof behind Xiao Luo, elegant as always, acting as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, waving him off rather impatiently, with a big smile on his face.


    The blonde-haired man and his group bowed and made to leave. When they got to the door, they turned and saluted Xiao Luo smartly, and said, ¡°Officer Xiao, thank you for your kindness. And thank you for your hard work.¡±


    Wang Yongjia grinned and tried not tough. His experience told him that these thugs were controlled by a ruthless gang leader, and it was fear that made them do his bidding. But Xiao Luo¡­?


    He pondered and looked at Xiao Luo from head to toe. Fair ofplexion, handsome with a lean body, and somewhat reserved in his demeanor. He didn¡¯t look like a ruthless person, no matter how one looked at him. Unlike Wang Lihu, who showed how terrifying he was when he was angered earlier, a beast.


    ¡°A protector, plus a hundred elites. Boss, it seems that this time the Dragon Gang has spent all their resources just to deal with you,¡± Ye Qiu said, slightly concerned.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be possible. The blonde-haired man must be talking nonsense. No matter how vicious the Dragon Gang is, they would never dare to tantly kill a police officer.¡±


    Wang Yongjia said, waving his hands and strongly disagreeing with the information they were given. He exined, ¡°Killing a police officer is a felony. If Long Sankui was this stupid, then we would have already gotten evidence of all his crimes.¡±


    ¡°Boss Xiao disrupted his ie sources, he is very likely to take such an extreme measure in a fit of anger,¡± Wang Lihu said.


    Liu Tieguo nodded and said: ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t look at Liren Town as if the Dragon Gang only controls three red-light districts. Instead, look at the money-making potential, it¡¯s tremendous, and there are abundant new opportunities. If it belonged to us, Long Sankui would definitely get very furious.¡±


    These words took Wang Yongjia by surprise. The Dragon Gang was the biggest secret society in Guangming District and Jiangcheng. It was impossible to know all of their criminal activities, or what had gone unnoticed, including assassinations. So, who¡¯s to say that they would not dare to kill a police officer?


    Acknowledging the facts, he urged Xiao Luo to be alert over the next few days, and said, ¡°Keep your mobile phone turned on 24 hours. Once you encounter any unusual situation, immediately notify the bureau for an emergency back up.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded nonchntly, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are those baddiesing for you?¡± Gu Qianxue suddenly asked, both shocked and concerned.


    Xiao Luo smiled softly and said, ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Then you cane with me. I can protect you,¡± Gu Qianxue said, in her own earnest way.


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu saw the funny side of what she had just said andughed. With Xiao Luo¡¯s abilities, why would he need the protection of this pretty face? It¡¯d make more sense if it were the other way around.


    Liu Tieguoughed as well, but then coughed dryly twice. He had seen Gu Qianxue shoot, and her skills were unmatched. But it did seem a little awkward to hear her saying that to Xiao Luo. He vividly recalled how Xiao Luo once sparred with Yan Wang, their instructor in the training camp. With only a single punch, he had terrified Yan Wang, who quickly backed off and ended the bout.


    ¡°You want to protect me?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Gu Qianxue nodded firmly, and said: ¡°Yes, I will protect you.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her for a while, then he gently patted her forehead. He didn¡¯t smile but simply said: ¡°This earth is a dangerous ce. You should go back to Mars.¡±


    He borrowed a line from a Stephen Chow movie to reply to her statement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Gu Qianxue said, frowning. She was clearly annoyed.


    ¡°I do believe you, but didn¡¯t your sister tell you to keep your distance from me?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Gu Qianxue said candidly, ¡°She did say so, she said you are a demon, but I¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you should listen to her, stay away from me.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, and his smile appeared again. He did not want this innocent girl to get caught up in the nasty business between him and the Dragon Gang.


    ¡­..


    The restaurant owner was very grateful to Xiao Luo for resolving the problem with the blonde-haired man. He offered them a special discount of 30% for their bill. It was a good thing, too. Wang Yongjia had just enough in his pocket to avoid absolute embarrassment.


    As they walked out of the restaurant, Wang Yongjia let out a long sigh of relief, and smiling, he said, ¡°The owner of this restaurant is so polite. If we have a dinner gathering the next time, we cane here again and give him some business. Oh yes, tonight is my treat, but the next time we are here, it¡¯s your turn to treat.¡±


    He had already decided that they would have toe here for the next dinner gathering. Then, he nned to order a whole roastmb and make Xiao Luo and gang foot the bill.


    ¡°Leader Wang, you don¡¯t have to worry. As long as our bonuses are paid, we will dly invite all our colleagues from the anti-drug task force to a big meal,¡± Wang Lihu swore proudly, beating his chest.


    ¡°Great, I¡¯m happy to hear your words Wang Lihu. Let¡¯s go now. I will take you to the main drug pushing areas in Guangming District, so you know your way around.¡±


    Wang Yongjia was back in high spirits, and he thought cheekily, ¡°Haha, just you wait, kiddo. I will definitely eat till you are broke the next time!¡±


    As they walked along a quiet street, they saw a small group of people up ahead. As they got closer, they were shocked when they saw these men were all wearing ck masks and wielding long knives in their hands. They advanced steadily towards Xiao Luo¡¯s party, and their intentions were clear. This was an ambush!


    ¡°They are already here?!¡± Liu Tieguo cried, looking towards Xiao Luo.


    ¡°These are the elite fighters of the Dragon Gang?¡± Ye Qiuhui asked, unsure if this was the elite fighters they were told to watch out for.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that there were a hundred of them? Why are there only ten?¡±


    Wang Lihu said, ¡°Did they only send a mere ten? Are they here to meet their deaths?¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Gang is truly audacious. It seems like I have to work hard today and show them my true skills.¡±


    As a superior officer, Wang Yongjia could not just sit back, and so stepped forward to take on the assants. On his left, he noticed a pole by the wayside, typically used to correct the growth of a tree. He picked it up, felt for its bnce in his hands, and turned to face the ten men. He roared fiercely, ¡°Hey! You really think you can ¡®walk sideways like crabs¡¯ [1] in the streets of Jiangcheng? All thends here belong to the red soil of China, before stirring up the wind and the waves, ask if the pole in my hand if it will allow it!¡±


    He flexed the pole firmly on the ground, then flicked it in front of him several times, making its tip quiver with his inner force. Indeed, it sent a powerful assertion of his intent.


    Responding immediately to Wang Yongjia¡¯s challenge, the ten assassins in ck rushed in to attack. They came swiftly, like phantoms in the dark. Their feet shuffled in quick, silent steps, hardly touching the ground, advancing in a broad front, all ten in line.


    Suddenly, the ten of them became a hundred!


    Behind each man, nine more appeared, now forming 10 columns of fighters. The hundred ck-d men moved in unison, at the same pace, and created the illusion that just ten men were advancing in a line.


    ¡°What the f*ck is this? Are they the Thousand-hand Buddha?¡± Wang Lihu asked in shock, his face looking grim.


    As the men d in ck closed in, the fighters from behind quickly moved forward, filling the front ranks creating a thick wall of men, all armed with long knives.


    ¡°Hah, what is going on?¡±


    Suddenly losing his mettle, Wang Yongjia could feel the fear run down his spine. His reputation as a superior officer suddenly did not seem all that important. He immediately retreated back to his line, next to Wang Lihu, and stared anxiously at the host of armed men in front of them. He said firmly, ¡°No, we can¡¯t do this, we have to call the bureau for immediate support!¡±


    <span>COMMENT</a>


    There¡¯s no need for that!¡±


    Gu Qianxue said sharply. She moved to the front of the group and drew out a light sword from her sleeve. She twirled the light sword deftly in her hand like a slithering white snake, and a bright, sharp sound rang from its keen, well-honed de¡­ Shing¡­ Shing¡­ Shing.


    Footnotes:


    [1] Walk sides ways like crabs:(h¨¦n¨À x¨ªn¨À b¨¤ d¨¤o): In the context of this sentence, refers to gangsters or mafia operating in an area taking thew into their own hands.

 Chapter 224 - Fight

    Chapter 224: Fight


    With the long, narrow-ded ji¨¤n sword in her hand, Gu Qianxueunched a vigorous and prating attack. She soared elegantly towards Long Sankui¡¯s crack fighters, her lightning-fast sword whirling and thrusting furiously downward in graceful and intricate patterns, as she neatly countered their long shing knives.


    Shing~


    Four ck-d fighters of the Dragon Gang fell on her first pass, howling in pain with deep wounds to their shoulders.


    Then, quickly sliding her front foot forward a full step, she extended her arm in a sh and wristily pped the t of her sword on the neck of a sturdy looking fighter, with a sickening thud. The man was staggered by the enormous power of the blow, it hit like a heavy hammer that appeared out of nowhere. He moved back several steps before his knees went soft, and he copsed to the ground.


    ¡°Is she this powerful?!¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu were both astounded. Both being highly-rated martial artists of the third degree, they could immediately recognize Gu Qianxue¡¯s excellent technique and temperament. They felt a pang of shame for belittling her, recalling how they had mocked and ridiculed Gu Qianxue earlier.


    Wang Yongjia¡¯s jaw dropped, he was at a loss for words. This was a thing he¡¯d only expect to see in wuxia TV shows.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just look. Go help her quickly!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared and rallied his men forward, leading the charge at the enemy.


    Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo reacted without hesitation. They dashed into the host of ck-ds like angry wolves with no regard for their own safety.


    Despite his position as the captain of the anti-drug task force, Wang Yongjia¡¯s fighting spirit faltered when facing a hundred of Long Sankui¡¯s elite men. But seeing Wang Lihu and hispanions joining the fray, he put his fear aside, held his pole aloft, and bellowed loudly, rushing forward. To his credit, he had the presence of mind to quietly call the station for immediate backup beforehand. Before he took another step, more than half a dozen fighters, their menacing eyes staring from behind masks, surrounded him in quick time before he could move.


    ¡± Huh?¡±


    Wang Yongjia broke out in a cold sweat. He felt the pressure of being encircled. He raised his booming voice and shouted, ¡°What are you going to do? I am a police officer. You¡­¡±


    Before he could utter another word, the ck-ds were already onto him, hacking away with their long knives.


    Wang Yongjia suddenly found his mettle and immediately twirled the pole in both hands, striking back using both ends of his weapon. His technique was exceptional and kept his foes at bay for a while. It was a sturdy pole, and he had been well trained in its use.


    Close by, a horde of ck-ds were now besieging Xiao Luo and the other officers inrge numbers, appearing like a dark sandstorm sweeping across opennd.


    It was a cold night, and their movements were restrained, giving the advantage to the side with more fighters.


    The ck-ds were highly-trained and organized in their attack. They advanced in tight formation, the front ranks engaging fiercely to tie down their opponents. Without warning, men would leap from behind to strike down with shing des at their quarry. In this way, they advanced like tidal waves, sweeping all before them.


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu began to realize that these elite fighters were nothing like themon hoodlums of the Dragon Gang. They were extraordinarily well-trained and more skillful than the average streetfighter. As a group, the ck-ds were thoroughly drilled and coordinated their maneuvers wlessly. It was likeparing a heap of loose pebbles, to a bundle of cane tied together.


    Despite dispatching a good number of Long Sankui¡¯s top fighters, Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo had also suffered many injuries over that short period. They hardened their resolve and blocked out the pain, facing their opponents fiercely, and roaring ever louder.


    Over where Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue were engaging the ck-ds, the situation was starkly different.


    Xiao Luo was using the King of Mercenaries Constitution and his mastery of Yi Jinjing. He had quickly snatched a knife from one of the armed men and bore into the attackers, hacking at them as if he was chopping up vegetables. Those that could not get out of his way either lost a limb or were decapitated.


    Gu Qianxue was a highly trained exponent of the Tianshan Sword Style and immediately established herself in an impregnable position. Nevertheless, her kind and gentle nature prevented her from taking anyone¡¯s lives. Every assassin who was pierced by her double-edged ji¨¤n sword had a deep wound on their left shoulder and fell to the ground, incapacitated and in great pain.


    Wang Yongjia¡¯s situation was dire. The pole in his hand had been cut in half parrying an attacker¡¯s knife strike. As the fight raged on, the pole became shorter and shorter until it became nothing more than a stump. With nothing more to defend himself with, he quickly sumbed to a knife wound and screamed out in agony.


    .


    ¡°Wang Lihu, you stay with Captain Wang. Don¡¯t spread out!¡± Xiao Luo yelled. Once isted, they risked being overwhelmed by numbers.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Following Xiao Luo¡¯s orders, Wang Lihu charged to Wang Yongjia¡¯s rescue like a bull on a rampage.


    Ye Qiu disyed the hawk¡¯s w boxing style to perfection, carving a way out of the encirclement with his sharp fingers.


    Roaring and shouting, Liu Tieguo held a long knife with both of his hands and striking violently left and right, barged toward Wang Yongjia¡¯s position.


    The six police officers were now facing the ck-ds on three fronts. Wang Yongjia, Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo held one front, while Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue each held their own. The tactical advantage enjoyed by the elite fighters had diminished.


    The sharp sound of a whistle pierced the air, and to Xiao Luo¡¯s surprise, the ck-ds, some 60 to 70 still standing, retreated immediately. However, about 20 of them, closest to Xiao Luo¡¯s party, split themselves up into two groups. They raised their left arms in the direction of the party and drew back the bowstring of the steel crossbows attached to their forearms.


    Whoosh~


    Twenty small bolts flew out from their crossbows, streaking speedily through the air.


    ¡°Watch out. Those are crossbows hidden in the sleeves!¡±


    Wang Lihu¡¯s face changed. He never expected the enemy to have concealed weapons. Such weapons had been used since ancient times.


    It was a cowardly sneak attack. Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue easily parried the bolts that came their way.


    The others were not that skilled with weapons and were hit in their thighs or shoulders. Fortunately, none were struck in vital areas, but still, the injuries took a toll on their fighting capacities. They would not be able to defend themselves in another wave of attack.


    ¡°Despicable and shameless!¡±


    Wang Yongjia cursed loudly. He then looked around anxiously, muttering to himself, ¡°Why is the backup from the station not here yet?¡±


    The 20 ck-ds were loading another bolt into the flight grooves of their weapons and preparing to release another salvo of the deadly darts.


    Xiao Luo had to act fast to save his colleagues, and he quickly ran to a sedan parked nearby. Focusing on his inner force, he channeled the energy into his arms and hands. Power surged through to his ten fingers, crushing the car¡¯s metal shell and gripping it firmly like a pair ofrge pliers. With a fierce roar, he lifted the car, took a few steps forward, and threw the one-tonne vehicle toward the crossbowmen.


    BOOM!


    The car soared in a dramatic arch and crashed to the ground like a meteorite.


    The 20 elite killers from the Dragon Gang were just about to let fly their bolts. Even with their masks on, the look of terror and astonishment could be seen in their eyes.


    ARRGH~


    The car smashed down directly on the hapless men, and eight perished instantaneously. The ground tremored and the explosive force of the impact threw rocks and part of the vehicle in all directions. The sedan was now nothing more than a pile of junk.


    ¡°Wahhh¡­¡±


    They gasped at the incredible feat they had just witnessed. Wang Yongjia, in particr, was in absolute shock and awe. He always saw Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu as the powerful and brawny ones, and Xiao Luo, as a natural leader, skilled in the fighting arts. How that perception has changed¡­ throwing a car as a projectile. Xiao Luo¡­ was a monster!

 Chapter 225 - Rampant Massacre

    Chapter 225: Rampant Massacre


    ¡°Our boss is so fierce and gant!¡±


    Despite his severe injuries, Wang Lihu voiced his admiration as he watched Xiao Luo in action. He had been shot with three bolts, sustaining injuries to his abdomen, shoulder, and arm. Blood poured from his grave wounds, along with the many other cuts and bruises he suffered on his body, and his face was turned pale from the loss of blood.


    Ye Qiu and Liu Tieguo¡¯s condition was not fairing any better either. Thest thing they would have expected was that the Dragon Gang¡¯s crack troops would use concealed weapons like the crossbows hidden in their sleeves. Considering how skillful the ck-d men were, Ye Qiu and Liu Tieguo were lucky to survive the volley of darts.


    Wang Yongjia was the only one among them who had not been hit by the bolts. The others had protected their superior instinctively.


    ¡°Gu Qianxue, look after them for me!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted out to Gu Qianxue. He then dashed toward the group of crossbowmen at an incredible speed, ovee with rage.


    SLASH!


    The remaining 12 archers only saw a glint of the shing knife sh in front of their eyes for the briefest moment, then felt a warm, viscous liquid around their throats. As they instinctively held their throats and looked down to their hands, eyes widened in disbelief.


    All they saw were blood-soaked hands!


    They dropped the knives and spontaneously held their hands to their necks, as blood continued to ooze from the fatal wounds. They copsed listlessly to the ground, struggling at first, then convulsing uncontrobly in thest few moments before death.


    Xiao Luo stood watching them die, the knife in his hand was stained with blood. A cold, murderous aura emanated from the lone fighter, bristling with menace as he turned toward the rest of the Dragon Gang fighters.


    The remaining troop of elite fighters trembled with fear. The man had just killed 12 of theirpatriots in a blink of an eye. This man was a powerful beast!


    ¡± Hiyah!¡±


    Xiao Luo burst into a harsh and piercing screech. He dashed at the ck-ds and started wielding his de in skillfully executed strokes, lunging and twisting his body in seamless motion like a dance. Wherever his knife shed, limbs were severed, leaving men howling on the ground. It was a rampant massacre, ruthless and cruel, almost seeming like a hungry wolf ravaging a flock of sheep.


    SLASH!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s knife plunged through the chest of one man. As he pushed it in, he twisted the knife clockwise before brutally dragging it downwards to sh open the dying man¡¯s torso, spilling out his internal organs all over the floor. The gory scene sent a cold shiver down the spines of the other men around him.


    Kill! Kill! Kill!


    Possessed with a bloodlust, Xiao Luo had now be ruthless as he turned to face the other men. His face was twisted in rage and fury, giving him the appearance of a mythical beast bathed in blood.


    The crack fighters of the Dragon Gang were now shaking in his wake. The masks they wore could not hide the fear in their eyes, and they froze where they stood as their bodies refused to respond to their instinct to flee.


    ¡°Xiao!!!¡±


    A loud and furious shout thundered from afar, reverberating across the empty street. A man, dressed in ck was dashing in, he wore a different face mask and his zing eyes locked on Xiao Luo.


    This man was Han Mian, and he looked as terrifying as his namesake [1].


    Two axes were already flying fast and furiously at Xiao Luo even as he was closing the distance in a quick time. Before he reached Xiao Luo, he had sent another four through the air. The axes spun viciously and homed in on Xiao Luo with savage force.


    Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.


    Six deadly hatchets flew swiftly in from six different angles, giving Xiao Luo no space to maneuver safely.


    Xiao Luo remained calm and wielding his long knife skillfully as he blocked three axes and dodged the other three. Sparks flew in all directions as his de parried the three axes.


    Even as Xiao Luo was dealing with the axes, Han Mian had alreadyunched himself toward Xiao Luo as the momentum brought him forward quickly. Coming in high and brandishing another two axes in both hands, he chopped down from above. The gleaming axes were certain to strike Xiao Luo on the head.


    Xiao Luo spotted the move and quickly bent his knees, bringing his long knife horizontally above his head to block the twin blows.


    CLANG!


    The grating sound of metals shing echoed in the air as sparks flew like beads of lights in the dark.


    His arms shaking, Han Mian staggered back, moaning in pain. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had been injured by Xiao Luo¡¯s inner force after only a single sh of arms.


    But, Long Sankui had given him an explicit order. He would either kill or be killed, and backing off was not an option, even when he knew that Xiao Luo had superior skills.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Han Mian roared, clenching his teeth. He was enraged and looked like a ferocious beast on a rampage.


    He charged at Xiao Luo wielding both axes with a wless technique, hacking swiftly at Xiao Luo with brutal force. He did not let up as the sharp des flew at him repeatedly like a fierce storm. Han Mian harbored an irreconcble hatred for Xiao Luo and wouldn¡¯t stop until he had chopped Xiao Luo into little pieces.


    ¡°Protector! We¡¯reing to help you!¡±


    The ck-ds of the Dragon Gang had by now regained theirposure, inspired by Han Mian¡¯s fighting spirit, and they rallied to his call. Brandishing their long knives, theyunched another round of violent attack, advancing en masse, and targeting at the vital areas of Xiao Luo¡¯s body.


    ¡°Come on then, all of you. I will offer you one word: Death!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting mettle heightened, and a menacing force within him threatened to burst out like a tidal wave.


    He had channeled all of his inner force into focus, merging that force with his body as his long knife swept across the air¡ªan invisible de of lethal wind formed. Even when it did not make contact with the enemy, the lethal ¡°wind de¡± would wound half a meter away.


    The wind de was now effectively a sword, and neither Han Mian nor the other fighters from the Dragon Gang coulde close to him. The space around Xiao Luo, a radius of some three meters, had be like a forbidden area. Anyone who stepped into this zone would die.


    Astounded, Gu Qianxue¡¯s furrowed her brows. She had witnessed a side of Xiao Luo made her shiver. He was not the man she knew who had always given her a sense of security. This bloodthirsty and murderous man seemed like a stranger to her. Staring at the carnage, she only muttered to herself, ¡°Turns out, my sister was right.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthlessness also shook wang Yongjia, Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguo. It frightened them as they watched wide-eyed in disbelief.


    ¡°We could have just stood by and watch if we knew the boss could handle this all by himself!¡± Wang Lihu forced augh.


    ¡°The boss¡¯s capability is truly unfathomable.¡± Ye Qiu¡¯s eyes filled with admiration.


    Liu Tieguo exhaled, not sure if he was awed or frightened, and he sighed, ¡°No wonder the local bullies and thugs in Guangming District have given him the nickname of Demonic Cop. No one would believe he¡¯s not a devil judging by how cruelly he kills.¡±


    Wang Yongjia, on the other hand, had only one thing on his mind; he hoped the backup team from the district station would arrive quickly to stop this massacre. Despite the Dragon Gang members deserving to die, he still needed to prevent such bloody and heartless act as soon as possible. He did not want this to be a nightmare that could haunt them all for life.


    ¡°Does Xiao Luo bear some grudges against the Dragon Gang?¡± Wang Yongjia suddenly asked.


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu made a gesture indicating they didn¡¯t know anything. Liu Tieguo also said nothing while smiling.


    POW!


    Han Mian was unable to resist Xiao Luo any longer and was lifted off the ground by a powerful kick that sent his sailing through the air. Blood sprayed out from his mouth, and his axes slipped out of his hands even as he fell hard on the ground. The backup team from the district station had finally arrived. Dozens of police cars, siren wailing, surrounded the ce.


    As the police officers alighted the police vehicles, they saw the scene and were left speechless. How was this the Dragon Gang attacking the police? It looked more like a massacre of the Dragon Gang.


    [1] Han Xian: In Chinese, literally meaning ¡°cold face.¡±

 Chapter 226 - Good Devil

    Chapter 226: Good Devil


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe Dragon Gang had grantly sent their people to attack police officers. It did not sit well with the executives in both the district station and even the central police station. The enraged chief of the central police station issued an explicit order: Crackdown!


    Although the Dragon Gang was influential in Jiangcheng, with their members scattered in every corner of the area, they were unaware when the police started to pay considerable attention to their kingpins. Feng Zhiqiang was arrested in Liren County, which was quickly followed by the arrest of Han Mian soon after. These breakthroughs greatly assisted in the rounding up of many more core members of the gang. The city police had started upscaling their operations to curb the underworld activities, resulting in the arrest of even more key members.


    In no time at all, many of Long Sankui¡¯s three thousand disciples were finding themselves locked up in the central police station¡¯s cells.


    The crackdown had a tangible effect on the underworld, and evenmon street thugs and goons were keeping low, were much less brazen in their street criminal activities. It had been unnerving for these criminals to see the visible presence and determination of the police in their frequent raids. Still, they were more afraid of that renowned brutal and ruthless police officer ¨C the Demonic Cop.


    It was the long arm of thew in action. When a government put all its resources to work against crime, any person involved in criminal and illegal activities would have nowhere to hide.


    [Inside a vi in the Guangming District]


    Long Sankui was ying with his four-year-old son. To have a young son at his advanced age was a blessing, and he loved the boy dearly. With a fatherly, kind smile on his face, his heart would simply melt whenever his son ran into his arms, calling out ¡°daddy.¡±


    Hei Lang and a group of core members of the Dragon Gang rushed into his vi in great haste.


    ¡°Master Long, something happened. Our¡­¡±


    Hei Lang was about to report the situation when he took notice of Long Sankui¡¯s warning re. He stopped himself from uttering another word and bowed slightly in acknowledgment. It was an unwritten rule that they should never talk about the gang business in front of Master Long¡¯s families regardless of how serious the matter was.


    ¡°Minghui, take the child away!¡±


    Long Sankui called to an elderly au pair standing close by.


    The woman nodded respectfully and picked up the child. She spoke to the boy with a gentle smile, ¡°Doudou, say goodbye to your dad and uncles.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, daddy. Goodbye, uncles!¡±


    The boy waved his tiny hand, greeting the visitors with his sweet little voice.


    For some reason, the boy¡¯s bright and cheerful smile brought back memories of their childhood days, and the gang members returned the smile. They reminisced the simplicity of that time, a time without trouble and fighting.


    The smile on Long Sankui¡¯s face vanished as soon as his son left the room, and the familiar look of the crafty old fox reappeared again.


    He leaned on the dragon-headed cane and took the tworge ¡°Baoding¡± balls handed to him by his servant, then sat down in an old vintage wooden armchair that two gang members hurriedly carried over. With a grim face, he stared hard at his followers assembled in front of him. He had news of Han Mian¡¯s recent capture and knew the entire police force in Jiangcheng had mobilized and was cracking down on his businesses and core people. The underworld empire he built with his own very hands was now crumbling and falling apart bit by bit.


    Nothing could ay his wrath, and he was dying to tear Xiao Luo into pieces with his bare hands. This man was the sole reason for all their troubles.


    ¡°F*ck, did you find out the background of that young motherf*cker?¡±


    Long Sankui was finding it difficult to remainposed, but as the head of the organization, he had to project the confidence of a man in control. The Dragon Gang would not stand a chance if even he lost hisposure at a time like this.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got it.¡±


    Hei Lang stepped forward and took out a piece of paper from his briefcase, and read it out aloud, ¡°Xiao Luo hails from a remote, small town called ¡®Gushan¡¯ in the Xi Province. His parents are alive and healthy. He has a sister who is a nurse in the People¡¯s Hospital¡­¡±


    ¡°Send someone to kill his parents.¡± Long Sankui gave the order casually.


    Hei Lang nodded and asked, ¡°What about his sister?¡±


    ¡°Do you need to ask? Of course, you will go and catch her for me. I want to see how this young motherf*cker is going to fight with me.¡± Long Sankui said viciously.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hei Lang answered with a slight bow of his head.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Wang Lihu, Ye Qiu, and Liu Tieguofound themselves warded in the hospital. Wang Lihu had suffered the most severe injuries. The three bolts had lodged deep into his body and caused severe tissue and muscle damage. After receiving treatment, Liu Tieguo only needed to rest and recover, as the injuries he sustained were primarily to his tendons and bones.


    The hospital had set up a viewing area for visitors in the hallway.


    It was night, as Xiao Luo stood watching the doctors and nurses running around downstairs.


    Gu Qianxue was next to him. She wasn¡¯t in her police uniform but instead was dressed in an immacte white dress, entuating her natural beauty. She gazed at Xiao Luo with her bright, sparkling eyes, no emotions showed on her pretty face, as she searched for some answers.


    ¡°A young girl came to Jiangcheng with high hopes and dreams. She had set her mind on being an exemry nurse, an ¡®angel in white¡¯ to save people¡¯s lives. She was an innocent soul, beautiful and kind. But this world, unfortunately, is filled with filth and abomination. Nasty people found ways to entrap her mind and body with all sorts of despicable means. She kept fighting and resisting, and finally tried to end her life by jumping off from the tenth floor.¡±


    As he told his story, Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was soft and gentle. Every word was filled with intense emotion as he recalled memories of Sun Yu.


    Gu Qianxue just listened, she could see his pain and did not say a word.


    ¡°I stepped into her life¡­ no, she entered my world. When I saw her falling off the building, just like a swallow with a broken wing, I told myself that I would send the filth of Jiangcheng to hell. I will stop at nothing, not even bing a devil myself.¡±


    Xiao Luo had said more than he intended, turning his head toward Gu Qianxue, he said with a bitter smile, ¡°Your sister warned you to stay away from me. She is right, you know. A kind-hearted and simple girl like you shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with people like me.¡±


    ¡°I am my own person,¡± said Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°But you have to listen to her, don¡¯t you?¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling cheekily.


    Gu Qianxue first shook her head, then nodded, and she exined, ¡°Well, I do have to listen to her on many matters. But I can decide for myself when ites to some things.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡±


    ¡°Being a friend to you.¡± Gu Qianxue said seriously.


    Xiao Luoughed and asked, ¡°Are you sure you can call the shots on this?¡±


    ¡°I am sure!¡± Gu Qianxue¡¯s rosy lips opened in a look of defiance.


    Xiao Luo stretched his hand and gently tapped on her forehead and said, ¡°I¡¯m beginning to like you more and more. I mean, as a friend.¡±


    ¡°Why did you tap my forehead?¡± Gu Qianxue asked with confusion.


    ¡°It represents my approval of you.¡±


    Of course, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t tell her that it was what he usually did when he was kidding around with little kids.


    Gu Qianxue thought for a moment, then, in turn, tapped Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead gently with her hand as well.


    Xiao Luo was a little taken aback, but then shook his head andughed, ¡°You¡¯re very different from your sister. I think I should apologize to her for your sake.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Your sister will know.¡±


    Xiao Luo gave her a warm smile, then from the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Qianlin¡¯s ck SUV turning into the hospital through the main entrance. He said to Gu Qianxue, ¡°Alright, you should get back. I need to check on those three guys. See you tomorrow!¡±


    He turned around and left right after speaking. He had no intention of meeting Gu Qianlin at all.


    ¡°Good devil.¡±


    Gu Qianxue said to herself. Other people viewed Xiao Luo as a bloodthirsty and brutal devil. But that was not how she saw it; he was a good-hearted person who had turned into this devil out of love and a sense of duty.


    Had Xiao Luo known her judgment of him, he would only tell her, ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡±

 Chapter 227 - The Operation

    Chapter 227: The Operation


    ¡°101,000 Points avable for use!¡±


    After checking in with Wang Lihu and the others, Xiao Luo returned home. Laying in bed, he essed the system mall for the first time in a while. Much to his surprise, the umted points bnce had exceeded a hundred thousand again. It was particrly gratifying for Xiao Luo since he could now choose to spend a hundred thousand Points for a speedy recovery if he sustained any serious injuries.


    Using the Help function, he now understood the difference between life extension ability and healing ability. If he suffered a fatal injury, such as a stab wound through heart, sh on the throat, terminal stage cancer, and such, it would take a ¡°life extension ability¡± to recover. On the other hand,mon injuries that could be cured by modern medical means and equipment only needed ¡°healing ability.¡±


    A life extension ability needed half a million points when redeemed for the first time, and thereafter the points required for the following times would increase exponentially. The more times the host chose to use the life-extension ability, the more points it would cost. Healing ability only needed a hundred thousand points. No matter how many times the host redeemed it, the price would remain at a hundred thousand points.


    After returning to work the next day, Xiao Luo made two requests of Hou Zhijie, chief of the district station.


    First, he requested more officers to protect Wang Lihu and the others who were recuperating in the hospital. Also, he wanted the local police of Gushan county of Xi Province to provide a 24/7 protection detail for his parents and grandparents who lived there.


    Hou Zhijie clearly knew how audacious the Dragon Gang could be and how likely they were to be targeting Xiao Luo¡¯s friends and family. As the chief, he felt it was his sworn duty to protect Xiao Luo¡¯s friends and families, and he would not shirk from those responsibilities.


    ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯ve already assigned a team of armed special police to ensure the safety of Wang Lihu and the others. I will make contact in a minute with the police station in Gushan to ask them to send police officers to protect your family 24 hours every day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Xiao Luo genuinely appreciated Hou Zhijie¡¯s support.


    He needed to eliminate all such concerns and have a clear mind before dealing with Long Sankui. His parents lived far away in his hometown in Xi Province, and he felt that Long Sankui would probably not send too many people there to harm his families. With the 24/7 protection from the county police station, Xiao Luo¡¯s family should be safe. He was more worried about any attempts here in Jiangcheng.


    Xiao Luo bumped into Gu Qianxue after walking out of the chief¡¯s office.


    Wearing the police uniform, she looked smart and attractive with her delicate features, rosy cheeks, and wless skin. Xiao Luo could also smell her sweet fragrance when he walked closer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you usually have things to do?¡± Xiao Luo asked her.


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and answered, ¡°No.¡± After a moment of silence, she added, ¡°They asked me to study and get familiar with case files first.¡±


    ¡°Then, can you please do me a favor?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Sure, tell me,¡± Gu Qianxue nodded.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Protect my sister and brother-inw.¡±


    He had not intended to get her involved in the beginning. But, after he witnessed Gu Qianxue¡¯s exceptional disy of Tianshan Sword Style several nights ago, he changed his mind. He honestly felt that even he would find himself in a trying situation if Gu Qianxue used the Tianshan Sword Style against him.


    Long Sankui was a dangerous man and was not to be underestimated. He would not rest until he had killed Xiao Luo and his friends. Just having Feng Wuhen and his fourpatriots in the protection detail would not suffice. It was necessary to ask Gu Qianxue to join them.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The crackdown continued in earnest and now swept across the city. The Narcotics Squad of the district station was right in the thick of the action. Wang Yongjia, in particr, had an ax to grind with the hated Dragon Gang. He returned to work despite suffering some injuries and had now received urate information from his informant. Khun Sa, the drug lord from the Golden Triangle, nned to steal into Jiangcheng. He would rendevous at the wharf tonight.


    ¡°Khun Sa¡¯s real name is Jin Yuanbao. He was from Yun province and traveled to the Golden Triangle in 1990 to pan for gold¡­¡±


    In therge conference room, Wang Yongjia briefed the Narcotics Squad team members about their target before the operation. He said, ¡°He is the main source of drug trafficking in Jiangcheng. We had carried out several operations in an attempt to capture him. But, this man is born fox with a wily nature and has escaped every time. This time, I want him arrested for good. As long as we have him, the narcoticwork in Jiangcheng will certainly copse. Besides, if we have Khun Sa as our witness, not a single b*stard in the Dragon Gang who runs the drug business will be able to escape!¡±


    ¡°Captain Wang, I have a question.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his hand, said, ¡°We have carried out the crackdown in Jiangcheng on a grand and spectacr scale. As a drug kingpin, why would Khun Sa choose toe to Jiangcheng during this special time? Doesn¡¯t he know it¡¯s particrly dangerous now?¡±


    Other team members nodded, echoing Xiao Luo. It was indeed suspicious that Khun Sa somehow chose this particr time toe to Jiangcheng. It did not seem logical and rational.


    Wang Yongjia nodded in agreement, said, ¡°That is a good question. But as I just said, Khun Sa is a wily and slippery guy. There is an old saying, ¡®It¡¯s dark under the light.¡¯ Maybe Khun Sa thinks that the police would be too busy with dealing with the gangs with all of our forces. The most dangerous ce is the safest ce, and the most dangerous time is the safest time for him.¡±


    ¡°I understand now!¡± Xiao Luo was enlightened.


    Wang Yongjia changed his slide, put on a grim expression, and continued, ¡°The chances are that it¡¯s this Hei Lang who will be connecting with Khun Sa. Hei Lang is only his street name. His real name is Qian Fei. The entire drugwork of Jiangcheng points at him. We would have made an arrest a long time ago had we gotten irrefutable and conclusive evidence. But they¡¯re digging their own graves this time. We will only have victory in this operation!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    All the members of the Narcotics Squad stood up together and answered in chorus.


    To destroy the narcoticwork was an objective Xiao Luo had long nned, and this was his best opportunity to make it happen. He would spare no pains to do so.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was dark, two hours after midnight, and the wharf of Jiangcheng was in dead silence.


    At an abandoned dock that was about to be reconstructed, there were many rusty shipping containers stacked along the pier. A container crane was on the side, discolored and corroded harshly. The thick steel chain was hanging like a rope and swinging slightly in the cool coastal breeze.


    The Narcotics Squad was stealthily hiding behind a shipping container and observing Hei Lang and his henchmen sitting on the empty ground on the dock and were waiting to make contact with Khun Sa.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long. Why is Khun Sa not here yet?¡± A member of the Narcotics Squad whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You have to be patient to hook up a big fish.¡± Wang Yongjia lectured him.


    The guyined, ¡°But watching them eating barbecue and drinking beer makes me feel quite miserable!¡±


    They had been hiding here since nightfall without eating and enviously watching Hei Lang and his men enjoying the barbecue. Irked, they only wished Khun Sa would arrive soon so that they could dash forward to arrest them all. And then wolf down what remained of the delicious barbecue.


    ¡°Suck it up. We¡¯re in the middle of the operation.¡±


    Wang Yongjia rebuked him, and thought to himself, ¡°I¡¯m also f*cking starving, smelling the grilled meat. Who am I supposed toin to?¡±


    At the moment, they heard chewing sounds on their side.


    They turned their heads and saw Xiao Luo was holding a scrumptious leg of chicken and gobbling on it with relish as he leaned against the shipping container.

 Chapter 228 - The Contact

    Chapter 228: The Contact


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo had bought the chicken leg from the supermarket, anticipating that they would have a long stakeout, so he came prepared. Of course, the chicken leg wasn¡¯t the only thing that he brought along with him.


    The members of the Narcotics Squad drooled as they watch Xiao Luo gobbling up the chicken leg, and now he had even taken out amb roll from his pocket. They stared longingly at it, only wishing that they could sink their teeth into that deliciousmb roll.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t on familiar terms with the members of his team; therefore, he didn¡¯t feel obligated to share the food with them. Besides, he was still hungry even after eating all of the chicken.


    As if that wasn¡¯t tempting enough, after finishing themb roll, he took out a bag of fries from his other pocket. And he even had a sachet of ketchup with him. Heid the wrapper of themb roll on the ground, squeezed the ketchup on it, and then dipped the fries in the ketchup, continuing to gorge himself.


    ¡°What the f*ck!¡±


    ¡°This is too much. He had gone too far!¡±


    No one said a word, but their eyes told everything. None of the people from the Narcotics Squad could remain calm anymore. They were so hungry that they felt like they could eat up a whole elephant. To make matters worse, the guy next to them was having a pic right in front of them as if nothing was wrong. He was truly testing their resolve!


    ¡°Xiao Luo, we¡¯re in the middle of the operation!¡±


    Wang Yongjia spoke sternly and reminded Xiao Luo, even as he eyed the fries in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Captain Wang, I¡¯m not trying to make an irresponsible and unwarrantedment here. But this operation is probably going to fail.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Wang Yongjia and his other team members looked at him. Some people were confused, some curious, while others felt annoyed.


    Xiao Luo put down the fries and peered at Hei Lang and his men on the dock, and he said, ¡°Look at them. They¡¯re having fun there. They have drunk dozens of beer, yed drinking games, and even sang a few songs. Do they look like they¡¯re here to make contact?¡±


    Wang Yongjia¡¯s brows knitted. It was indeed, abnormal. Drinking would affect their performance in the event of a situation. Besides, it would give a bad impression to Khun Sa, and that would be bad for their business.


    ¡°You mean, my informant got fake news?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, said, ¡°No, it¡¯s a real tip. But they¡¯re only here to make initial contact. Otherwise, Hei Lang would not have toe and wait out here in the middle of the night.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯sments baffled some members of the Narcotics Squad. They heard him first said that those men were not here to make contact, then he said they were here to make contact.


    ¡°Make your point clear,¡± Wang Yongjia responded, not understanding him either.


    Xiao Luoughed lightly and continued to exin, ¡°They¡¯re not here to make contact yet. They will only make contact after we go out there to question them, find nothing and leave. Hei Lang knows that we¡¯re watching them closely in the dark. How would he let Khun Sa show his face without first making sure he has dealt with any police threat?¡±


    The squad members began to see the point now that he had borated on his thoughts.


    ¡°D*mn, how crafty could these people be? However, could these scum of the society really be so thorough and thoughtful with their ns?¡±


    One of the squad members interjected, ¡°Xiao Luo, these are only your words. How do you know that Hei Lang knows we¡¯re here?¡±


    He had a valid point. How would Hei Lang know they were watching them? Was it possible that the informant had lost his cover?


    Everyone looked at Xiao Luo and waited for his response.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°My intuition.¡±


    The team member who had refuted Xiao Luo¡¯s earlier wordsughed scornfully and said, ¡°We¡¯re the police. How can we act on intuition? We will only alert the enemy if we expose ourselves by acting rashly and recklessly. Khun Sa is like an octopus that smells danger and submerges to the bottom of the sea, disappearingpletely.¡±


    Wang Yongjia nodded, then waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright. Quiet down. Let¡¯s wait for them to make contact.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, shaking his head and said nothing. He went back to devouring the fries without bother.


    One hour went by.


    Two hours went by.


    Three hours went by.


    It was already 5 a.m. The sky had turned a greyish white over the horizon in the east. The sun was about to rise.


    The Narcotics Squad had been on the stakeout for a whole night. They were sleepy, exhausted, starving, and miserable in every way. Hei Lang and his men, on the other hand, had a campfire going. Hei Lang hadid down next to the warm fire and slept from 2 a.m. till now.


    ¡°These b*stards. Are they ying us?¡±


    It was the same team member who mocked Xiao Luo¡¯s opinion hours ago. His name was Cheng Chusheng, and he was a senior member of the Narcotics Squad.


    His words instantly drew everyone¡¯s attention to the earlier discussion. They thought: ¡°It looks like Xiao Luo was right, and Cheng Chusheng was wrong.¡±


    Wang Yongjia asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Is it toote to go out now?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, answered, ¡°No. But once we go out, it will prove to them that they have a mole in their midst. If we move in, we won¡¯t be able to ensure his safety. Hei Lang has probably already locked on to our informant. After all, it doesn¡¯t take too long for them to kill someone.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, how are you so sure that is their n?¡± Cheng Chusheng asked.


    Xiao Luo answered honestly, ¡°It¡¯s easy. I put myself in Hei Lang¡¯s shoes and consider everything that might happen from his perspective.¡±


    ¡°Did you study criminal psychology?¡±


    ¡°Only a little bit.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t tell Cheng Chusheng that he had just spent 100 points and purchased the basic knowledge of criminal psychology right before the operation. It was not particrly impressive but was enough to help him think from the suspects¡¯ angle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. Let¡¯s rush out and bring back our informant to ensure his safety. Then we will wheel around and head back.¡±


    Wang Yongjia had had enough. After staking out for a whole night, even an officer with a mild temperament would be grumpy.


    Following his order, the two dozen members of the Narcotics Squad dashed out. They were frustrated and furious with how this operation had turned out and was now eager to beat up those goons who had been enjoying beer and barbecue through the night.


    ¡°Freeze! Put your hands on your heads and squat down!¡±


    ¡°Quickly!¡±


    They barked at the people on the dock, keeping their weapons trained on them.


    Hei Lang woke up and heeding the order, crouched down with hands on his head. But there wasn¡¯t a shred of fear etched on his face. He nced at Xiao Luo, then red at Wang Yongjia and asked impassively, ¡°Officer Wang, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°How dare you ask me questions?¡±


    Wang Yongjia threw him an angry look, and said, ¡°Hei Lang, what are you doing here all night?¡±


    Hei Lang pointed at the campfire and answered, ¡°Officer Wang, isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re having a barbecue and enjoy the sea breeze at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy the sea breeze for a whole night?¡± Wang Yongjia asked in a cold voice.


    Hei Lang smiled derisively and retorted, ¡°Is it illegal to enjoy the sea breeze for a whole night?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Wang Yongjia said, feeling a little foolish with his answer. He then started walking toward his informant, a short man.


    Just when he was trying to find an excuse to take his informant away, Xiao Luo pranced forward and kicked the short man out of the way. He then ced his foot on Hei Lang¡¯s shoulder and bent forward to tie his shoe. It was a show of arrogance that was very disrespectful, and deeply insulting Hei Lang.


    ¡°Xiao, move your dirty foot!¡±


    One of Hei Lang¡¯s subordinates was enraged. He stood up and pointed at Xiao Luo as he shouted.

 Chapter 229 - Fighting Desperately Like a Cornered Wild Beast

    Chapter 229: Fighting Desperately Like a Cornered Wild Beast


    It was total pandemonium. Members of the drug enforcement task force trained their guns on Hei Lang¡¯s henchmen and kept shouting forcefully, ¡°Squat down, squat down! Hands over your heads, do you hear us? Squat down!¡± The henchmen had retaliated when Xiao Luo stepped on their leader, the Dragon Gang Protector, Hei Lang. Members of the task force were initially stunned when Xiao Luo first kicked their informant down, then nted his foot on Hei Lang¡¯s shoulder. But quickly recovered to take control of the situation.


    Tensions rose, the burly men would never allow anyone to humiliate their leader, Hei Lang. They were provoked and bristling with rage. With clenched fists, they gave Xiao Luo a murderous stare and clearly wished to kill him.


    ¡°You lot, squat down.¡±


    Hei Lang calmly gave his men the order.


    ¡°Yes, elder brother.¡±


    The gang of burly men squatted down reluctantly upon hearing Hei Lang¡¯s order. As they got down, they kept ring hard at Xiao Luo, seething with anger and hatred. cing his foot on Lei Hang¡¯s shoulder was akin to forcing Hei Lang to crawl between his leg; it was synonymous with total submission and a great sign of disrespect.


    This did not bother Xiao Luo in the slightest, and he continued to leave his right foot on Hei Lang¡¯s shoulder, making a show of slowly fastening his shoce.


    The Dragon Gang protector had never been treated with such disdain, and Xiao Luo¡¯s actions infuriated him beyond measure. His muscles twitched, and his whole body tensed up as the rage grew within him. Like a cornered wolf, he red at Xiao Luo with daggers in his eyes. He was a dangerous man, and at this point, he looked to have made up his mind to strike out at his tormentor.


    ¡°To be honest, I enjoy seeing you this furious, and yet unable to do anything about it. So always remember, I am the police, and you all are ouws. When the timees, ouws are bound to be hunted and taken down by the police, am I clear?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mockingly. After he had tied his shoce, he kept his foot on Hei Lang¡¯s shoulder and posed like a triumphant contender, cing a hand on his right knee.


    Hei Lang contained his rage and stayed silent, but he red coldly at Xiao Luo, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrobly.


    ¡°We received news that you all are here to meet the drug smugglers from the Golden Triangle. Of course, the information we received could be fake, but could it really be a coincidence since you all are here?¡± Xiao Luoughed derisively at the implication he just made.


    ¡°F*cking bullsh*t, it just so happens that we like to barbecue and enjoy the sea breeze here. So what, are you cops going to arrest us for that?¡± One of the burly men who had attempted to strike at Xiao Luo earlier, roared from his squatting position, snarling with angry eyes.


    ¡°Thank you. You had been chosen!¡± Xiao Luo thought to himself, seeing the opportunity to work his scheme.


    Xiao Luo curled his lips upwards and promptly removed his foot off Hei Lang. He immediately said to Wang Yongjia, ¡°Captain Wang, please handcuff him and take him back to the police station!¡±


    Wang Yongjia was not sure what was happening, but he hade to trust Xiao Luo¡¯s instincts and yed along. He coughed dryly and said, ¡°Cheng Chusheng, you two go over there and cuff him.¡±


    Cheng Chusheng and another member of the teamplied with the order, taking out their handcuffs, they walked towards the burly man. They did, however, question themselves why they were doing it at all.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What right do you have to handcuff me?¡± The burly man shouted loudly, bing aggressive.


    ¡°Behave yourself, or you¡¯ll see what happens!¡± Cheng Chusheng threatened.


    The burly man knew that it would be futile to resist the arrest, so he unwillingly allowed himself to be handcuffed. The task force members had actual guns and bullets, and he wasn¡¯t going to push his luck.


    Xiao Luo walked up and looked down at him, thenughingly said, ¡°Littering and polluting the seawater, is there any problem if we arrest you for this?¡±


    What?


    Littering, polluting the seawater?


    All the task force members were surprised when Xiao Luo mentioned those charges, but no one said a thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not convinced!¡± The burly man shouted.


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not convinced? Come back to the police station with me, I will make sure that you are!¡±


    ¡°You son of a Xiao b*tch, I will kill you!¡±


    The burly man was furious, he leaped up and charged, ramming his head hard into Xiao Luo¡¯s mid-section.


    Xiao Luo staggered back for a few steps, but he showed no visible reaction on his face. Instead, he looked at the burly man with a twinkle in his eyes, and said, ¡°Now there¡¯s one more reason, assaulting the police!¡±


    Hei Lang had been quietly observing the altercation, and his gaze turned cold as he stared hard at the burly man.


    ¡°Bring him away!¡±


    Wang Yongjia was now up to speed with Xiao Luo¡¯s ns, and he quickly ordered Cheng Chusheng to bring the burly man away.


    Before they left, Xiao Luo turned to Hei Lang and had this to say, ¡°Hei Lang, you better not cause trouble, I will always be watching you,¡±


    ¡­


    After they left the jetty with the burly man, Cheng Chusheng, very much in the dark about the n, asked, ¡°Captain Wang, what¡¯s going on, why didn¡¯t we take our informant out? If he stays back, he will be in great danger.¡±


    ¡°He will be very safe and can continue his job as an undercover.¡±


    It was not Wang Yongjia who answered Cheng Chusheng, but Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What Xiao Luo said is correct!¡±


    Wang Yongjia then spoke up in agreement.


    The task force members had their own doubts. Their presence at the jetty had only served to alert Hei Lang to the fact that he had an informant in his midst. How would it be safe to leave their informant there?


    Cheng Chusheng did not have the same confidence that his captain had in Xiao Luo. As he nced at Xiao Luo with a look of contempt, he expressed his reservations to Wang Yongjia, ¡°Xiao Luo is an inexperienced officer, and he is just shooting from the hip. Captain Wang, why are you ying to his tune? if anything happens to our informant, we won¡¯t be able to bear this responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Chusheng, can¡¯t you think with that dumb head of your?¡±


    Wang Yongjia was getting very annoyed with Cheng Chusheng now. He more he thought about it, the more he was convinced about why his team had failed in most of their missions ¨C they were just dumb. It would be a miracle if they could ever seed in anything.


    Wang Yongjia gestured to the burly man detained in the back of the van and chided them all, ¡°We took this fe with us based on a ridiculous charge. Who do you think Hei Lang would suspect the informant is now?¡±


    His words struck everyone, and they recalled what had happened earlier.


    The burly man appeared to be the most agitated of his gang. Granted, he was showing his loyalty towards Hei Lang, but it would still create some doubt in Hei Lang¡¯s mind as his reaction seemed somewhat over the top. Hei Lang would surmise that his aggression was only a ploy to get himself arrested and thereby get out of a dangerous situation, making him the prime suspect of being an informant.


    With Hei Lang¡¯s distrustful nature, he would already have made up his mind that the burly man would have to be neutralized, whether or not he was an informant.


    Had they taken their own informant back with them on the other hand, it would have been as good as telling Hei Lang who the snitch was.


    And why was it critical to have an inside-man nted in Hei Lang¡¯s camp? They¡¯d need someone to give them the details of Khun Sa¡¯s next drop. After the visit to the jetty, Khun Sa would certainly not turn up now. Besides, it was already daybreak. The only other alternative would be to put the ce under surveince day and night. And even then, what if the drop-off point was changed?


    Wang Yongjia patted Xiao Luo¡¯s arm and said appreciatively, ¡°We almost got it all wrong, Xiao Luo. So, many thanks to you this time.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Xiao Luo replied with a smile.


    Cheng Chusheng felt foolish and actually blushed. The others looked at Xiao Luo, with newfound respect.


    ¡­


    They received a message from their informant two dayster and was given the ce and time of the meeting between Hei Lang and Khun Sa.


    Elsewhere, Long Sankui had dispatched his men to go after Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren. Gu Qianxue and Feng Wuhen were on hand to thwart the attack, but it left the couple terrified.


    Troubling news also came from Xi Province. The county police station of Gushan had apprehended five gangsters who had tried to harm Xiao Luo¡¯s parents.


    ¡°They are just fighting desperately like a cornered wild beast.¡±


    Xiao Luo could sense the desperation of Long Sankui as he sat in his chair, sipping tea. Long Sankui had always been the puppet master behind the scenes and had used others to do his dirty work. Now that his Four Protectors had been eliminated, the old fox would have to dirty his own hands. It would only be a matter of time before he slipped up. The moment he obtained evidence of Long Sankui¡¯s crimes, Xiao Luo would confront him directly. There would be every reason for him to do so.


    He had already set the wheels in motion. If all went well the following night, Long Sankui would lose his fourth protector.


    Step by step, he would see to the destruction of the Dragon Gang¡­

 Chapter 230 - You Are Under Arrest

    Chapter 230: You Are Under Arrest


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIt was a dark, windy night, the cold draft bit into their faces, and the numbness made them realize that the ice-cold temperature had quietly arrived with nightfall¡­


    An airne droned as it flew by from above their heads, its beacon lights blinking, bearing away slowly and soon disappearing into the night sky.


    At the abandoned jetty, Hei Lang stood staring out at sea. He was in a ck windbreaker, looking pensive, expressionless. With their torches, his henchmen were signaling with lights seaward into the darkness. It wasn¡¯t long before a fishing vessel appeared, breaking through the choppy sea. As it got closer, the noise of its diesel engine sounded like a cacophony of nking metal parts. But here, at the edge of the sea, that sound would be drowned out by the winds and waves, and wouldn¡¯t travel far.


    ¡°Who would have thought Zhuangniu to be the police snitch! Lord Protector, it was wise that you had taken extra precautions thest time and asked Mr. Khun Sa not to show up. Otherwise, we¡¯d all have been arrested by the cops,¡± a young man said, clearly impressed with his leader¡¯s foresight. He had hair dyed green and wore eyeliner to entuate his eyes.


    Behind them, a man of short stature, stood ill at ease, looking a little fidgety. He was, after all, the informant.


    Hei Lang said nothing, but simply took out a cigarette and put one end in his mouth. The servile green-haired man hurriedly took out a lighter and lit it, with his other hand shielding the me.


    He slowly exhaled the smoke and said, ¡°This time, all the products we¡¯re receiving are grade-A. We must make sure that nothing goes wrong.¡± Hei Lang chose not to respond to the topic of the informant.


    ¡°Rest assured, Lord Protector, our men are keeping their eyes on all the routes leading to and from the jetty, and many other spots. We¡¯ve got them all covered, and we will know immediately if anything goes wrong. The moment we get the word, we will have enough time to dispose of the stash and wipe all traces by the time the cops arrive,¡± The green-haired man said confidently.


    Hei Lang did not say a word and remained impassive, but his eyes looked grim and cold, like a fierce predator hunting its prey.


    ¡°That d*ckhead with the surname Xiao is really too much, I would like nothing else than to strip his bones of his flesh while he is still alive¡­¡±


    Hei Lang stopped him with a wave of the hand and said, ¡°Those words can wait until this operation is over.¡±


    That the Dragon Gang was in such an untenable position was all due to one man. He would like nothing better than to kill Xiao Luo himself, and it would be a slow, painful death as he would slice Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh off piece by piece. But now was not the time. With the police of Jiangcheng cracking down on them, they needed the goods from Khun Sa to get through this challenging period. Too many of their businesses had been crippled, and their cashflow severely disrupted.


    The fishing boat cut its engine, maneuvered slowly towards the jetty, and secured the vessel to a post with its docking line. Seven or eight men disembarked with sacks on their shoulders. They looked like rough and ready folk and had an imposing air about them.


    ¡°Mr. Hei Lang, we are delivering the products you ordered!¡±


    The man spoke to Hei Lang in mandarin, but he was not very fluent. He had messy hair, dark skin, and scary, bulging eyes that looked like that of a dead fish.


    Hei Lang looked at the fishing boat and asked, ¡°Mr. Khun Sa isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Our boss fears that the situation here is still unstable, and it will be too risky to meet at this time. Our boss would also like to know whether there is any progress with what he has asked the Dragon Gang to investigate,¡± the man with the fish-eyes said.


    ¡°Yes, we found out that the Red Scorpion Mercenaries ran into trouble during the kidnapping of Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter at the Wild Boar Ridge. ording to a cop, when they arrived, someone had already killed 17 members of the Red Scorpions. We are told that it was the work of an S-grade bodyguard Chu Yunxiong had arranged to protect his daughter.¡± Hei Lang promptly reported on the incident.


    ¡°A lone bodyguard?¡±


    The man couldn¡¯t believe his ears. A single bodyguard could kill the mercenaries personally trained by their boss? And, not to mention 17 of them all at once?


    Hei Lang nodded, ¡°Yes, he was indeed alone.¡±


    He waved his hand, and the green-haired man handed the sheet of paper to Khun Sa¡¯s man.


    The man nced at an image of a man in the information sheet. ¡°This man?¡±


    Tne picture showed the face of a neat, good looking man and did not look at all menacing. He found it hard to believe that such a man could turn out to be an S-grade bodyguard.


    ¡°It is him.¡±


    Hei Lang assured the man, ¡°This man¡¯s name is Xiao Luo. He has a very close rtionship with Chu Yunxiong. As for the Red Scorpions leader, we know that he survived the fight at Wild Boar Ridge and escaped by jumping off a cliff. But still, he was killed by him in the end.¡±


    Of course, Lei Hang did not have conclusive proof that Xiao Luo was the one who wiped out the Red Scorpion Mercenaries, but there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to make that case. But, it did not matter to him, as Xiao Luo was a significant threat to the Dragon Gang. Instigating the ckwater Company and Khun Sa to target Xiao Luo would be in the interest of the Dragon Gang.


    The man was shocked when he heard that, then gritting his teeth and said, ¡°As they say, don¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡± He carefully folded the sheet, then made a slight bow to Hei Lang with both hands sped in front of his chest. ¡°I will report everything to my boss. I believe my boss will be very grateful for the efforts you all have dedicated to the task.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Khun Sa is a great friend of the Dragon Gang. This is the least we can do to help a friend,¡± Hei Lang returned the gesture and said.


    The green-haired man dragged a hefty chest over. He opened it to show its contents, and it was filled with stacks of red-colored bills.


    One of the man¡¯s subordinates went through the contents and then nodded to confirm the money was all there. On the other end, Hei Lang had his men check the quality of the product in the sacks, and after a short while, they signaled him with a thumbs up.


    ¡°Alright, Mr. Hei Lang, I¡¯ll see you around!¡±


    The man with fish-eyes sped his hands together in front of him and gave Hei Lang a slight bow. It was a gesture of courtesy in their part of the world, as had been done since ancient times. There was no reason for him to stay any longer now that the deal had been concluded, and he made haste.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, you are under arrest!¡±


    A thunderous voice suddenly reverberated through the night air and rmed the men at the jetty.


    The voice issued from a stack of containers nearby, and as everyone stared at the direction, a ck figure somersaulted down,nding lightly on the ground before them.


    Xiao Luo wore a loose, ck hooded sweater, and in the dim light, it resembled a smock worn during medieval times in Europe. He had elegant features, good looks, fair inplexion, deep-set eyes, and perfectly-shaped lips. But yet, as he stood there, a threatening and dark aura emanated from him.


    Immediately he raised his arms and pointed the two guns he held at the group of surprised men. One was aimed directly at Hei Lang.


    It was none other than Xiao Luo!


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve caught you all red-handed, what impable timing!¡± Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help a wisecrack as his lips curled into a cold, confident smile. But his gaze remained intense, he knew what he had to do tonight.


    Khun Sa¡¯s man narrowed his eyes and snarled, ¡°You are a cop of this nation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The man asked again, ¡°It¡¯s just you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered matter-of-factly. He was, of course, the drug enforcement team¡¯s vanguard and had already neutralized all the sentries posted by Hei Lang. Wang Yongjia and the rest of the task force were now making their way to the jetty.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ you as dumb as a pig. Are you here to seek your death?¡±


    The manughed loudly and pulled out his gun to shoot Xiao Luo.


    But Xiao Luo was a step faster. A piercing report issued form the barrel of his gun, and the bullet prated the man¡¯s palm, causing him to drop his piece.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, if you do, I guarantee the next bullet will hit your head!¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled, seeing the man¡¯s shocked expression. Of course, had he known that the man had information on him, he would definitely have killed him with a headshot outright.


    ¡°He is Xiao Luo!¡± Hei Lang screamed at the man.


    The man startled and looked at Xiao Luo intensely. This person in front of him was indeed the same man in the information sheet handed to him. He was now facing someone who had single-handedly annihted a host of well-trained, Red Scorpions Mercenaries. His expression changed, and he knew he would be going up against a very dangerous adversary.

 Chapter 231 - Ghost

    Chapter 231: Ghost


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio¡°Kill him!¡±


    The man with fish-eyes hit the ground and rolled rapidly, getting under a dirt-covered crane to take cover, and kept shouting loudly for his men to take action.


    Seven of his men aimed the submachine guns they had been carrying on their backs and began to fire away at Xiao Luo. Simultaneously, Hei Lang¡¯s henchmen reacted just as quickly. They drew out the pistols from their waist holsters and instantly began shooting at Xiao Luo.


    RAT-TA-TAT¡­


    RAT-TA-TAT¡­


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The air erupted with the sound of gunfire. Hundreds of rounds were expended from the submachine guns and pistols, streaking across space between the gunmen and Xiao Luo.


    His intimidation tactic had failed!


    It wasn¡¯t unexpected. These were hardcore criminals who would undoubtedly receive the death penalty for the smuggling of several hundred kilograms of drugs if caught. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain. These desperadoes would not be so easily intimidated by only a man with two handguns.


    BAM! BAM!


    With his first two shots, he had taken out two of Hei Lang¡¯s subordinates. Xiao Luo then leaped to his side and hid behind an old derelict fishing boat, taking cover from the heavy gunfireing from all directions.


    ¡°You b*stard son of a Xiao-b*tch, I will kill you!¡±


    Mad with rage, the green-haired man kept shooting continually at the derelict boat, holding a gun in each hand as he advanced slowly towards Xiao Luo¡¯s potion. The others fanned out and followed his lead, sustaining their fire on the old boat. Xiao Luo had to keep his head down and was unable to even put his head out for a second to assess the condition.


    The boat was a wreck in a terrible state of decay, its hull was corroded, and there were gaping holes and exposed beams throughout its metal shell.


    ¡°I want him dead. Kill him!¡±


    The man with fish-eyes shouted hysterically. He was hurting from the wound on his palm and wished nothing more than to see Xiao Luo¡¯s body riddled with bullets. He wanted to turn him into a bloody mass of flesh perforated with bullet holes!


    Without the slightest warning, a deafening sound, like a p of thunder, boomed, and tremendous shock waves sted from the direction of the derelict vessel. It seemed like the old boat was hit by a speeding train. It was lifted in the air and thrown towards the group of armed smugglers. It was surreal, and for those facing the iing boat, time stood still for a second or so ¨C a derelict vessel weighing several tons, seeming like it was floating in the air, then in a sh crashing into them at breakneck speed. The green-haired man¡¯s jaw dropped, and he could only manage to shout, ¡°Get out!!!¡±


    Five did not heed the warning in time, and they died where they stood. Fear lingering in their eyes for only the briefest moment before their lights extinguished the moment the boat smashed into them. They were thrown back andy dead, looking like heaps of broken bones and flesh on the blood-soaked ground.


    Gone was the impassive, cold countenance that usually described Hei Lang¡¯s expression. He now stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s incredible disy of force and power with his eyes and mouth wide open. He had just seen an old boat, weighing several tons, scythe through his men. This level of strength was not was something that could be attained through any form of physical training. The only logical exnation he could find was that Xiao Luo was a true master of the martial arts, and had cultivated his inner power to an impossibly high degree.


    ¡°Is this fe a monster?¡±


    The man with dead-fish eyes stared in both horror and awe. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had just seen a human propel a massive boat from a static position. Even pushing it on its side would have been unimaginable.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    From where the derelict boat hade to rest, Xiao Luo emerged like a swift shadow, wraith-like, and rapidly discharged three shots at his adversaries. In the dim light, his ck smock visually evoked simrities to the Grim Reaper, here to collect his debt in lives.


    The three shots were urate to their mark and immediately dropped three of the drug smugglers holding submachine guns, hitting them in the chests. As the bullets thudded into their chests, blood sttered in every direction, and the men grunted as they copsed to the ground.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The remaining four men from the Golden Triangle saw that Xiao Luo taking aim at them, and quickly ducked, firing rapidly at Xiao Luo in return.


    RAT-TA-TAT¡­


    RAT-TA-TAT¡­


    Bullets from their submachineguns sprayed viciously in Xiao Luo¡¯s direction, tearing into everything around him.


    BAM! BAM!


    Xiao Luo hit the ground rolling to his side and assumed a prone shooting position, fired another two shots, and killed two more of them. As bullets hit the ground around him, he dashed, nimbly jinking left and right, towards the two remaining men.


    The men wielding the submachine guns were a more significant threat and would be needed to be dispatched first. He had to take out their superior firepower, which had effectively tied him down and forced him to stay behind cover.


    The two men were panicking, they were unable to train their guns on the fast-approaching target, racing towards them in a deceiving zig-zap pattern. They felt a coldness run down their spines, their bodies involuntarily shook.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡±


    Both men froze at once, their pupils dted, cold sweat cascading down their bodies. Before they knew it, the ck, cold steel of a gun muzzle appeared right in each of their faces.


    ¡°Die!¡± Xiao Luo said coldly and pulled the trigger without any hesitation.


    BAM! BAM!


    The bullets prated their craniums, and both bodies hit the ground in a slump.


    In all, Xiao Luo had killed the seven men armed with submachine guns in the blink of an eye. Every shot he fired found its mark. These were seasoned fighters, each of them cruel and dangerous criminals who had been through countless such situations. Combatants who had long gotten used to gunfights and putting their lives were on the line. Armed with submachine guns, how was it possible that they were taken out so quickly? The man with fish-eyes swallowed hard. He was beginning to truly understand the meaning of fear¡­


    He only knew that this man was no mere mortal. He possessed skills and power that was beyond that of any human. They were no match for him.


    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡±


    The green-haired man cursed loudly and aimed his gun at Xiao Luo. A volley of gunfire followed as everyone in the group all fired at once.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Xiao Luo moved with lightning speed. With bullets ricochetted the ground behind him, he bounded across the field like a hunted wolf. Suddenly, turning around, he pounced towards the men and shot them dead from a short distance. The hunted had be the hunter.


    Hei Lang slowly clenched his fist, he felt his inner power surge within. He had kept count and knew Xiao Luo was running low on ammo. It was time for him to strike, he strode forward and¡­ the cold muzzle of a gun was pressed against his temple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    The short man cast aside his cover and stopped Hei Lang in his track.


    ¡°You betray me?¡± Hei Lang looked towards him, coldly from the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°I did not betray you, I am an undercover cop,¡± the short man said.


    Hei Lang immediately realized why Xiao Luo had put on a show that day. Zhuangniu was intentionally made out to appear like the informant, while the actual snitch was this insignificant toady before him.


    He sneered mockingly, ¡°What a great act, a great act indeed!¡±


    Hei Lang showed no signs of apprehension even with the gun pressed against his head, and the short man suddenly felt nervous. ¡°Hei Lang, you might be skilled in the martial arts, but this bullet doesn¡¯t recognize your skill. I hope you won¡¯t do anything dumb!¡±


    ¡°Why not give it a try?¡± Hei Langughed coldly.


    Hei Lang had by now channeled his internal energy to his right palm, and in a sh, he smacked his open palm into the short man¡¯s abdomen while pulling his head away, all in one quick motion.


    POW!


    The short man reeled, as the force rapidly surged inwards through his body, and he felt his intestines churn from the shock waves. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he sailed in the air andnded hard on the ground.


    BAM!


    He managed to squeeze the trigger, but the shot missed its mark, and the bullet graced Hei Lang¡¯s face. He sustained a superficial flesh wound but was affected otherwise.


    WOOWOO-WOO WOOP WOOP WOO-WOO


    The sound of police siren pierced the air, as the red and blue shing lights appeared from afar.


    Hei Lang stopped walking towards the short man and then turned and looked at Xiao Luo, who was engaging his subordinates. He made an immediate decision and leaped into the sea, and soon disappeared from sight.


    The smugglers panicked when they heard the sirens and saw that the police were upon them. Five or six police cars had screeched into the jetty ground, with task force units jumping out fully armed and ready. They force, led by their captain Wang Yongjia, quickly got the men surrounded. Their fighting spiritspletely deserted them, and they threw down their weapons and surrendered with hands above their head.


    Only the green-haired man still held on to his weapon. He had run out of ammunition and just stood there ring at Xiao Luo, seething with menace.


    ¡°Put the gun down and squat down, hands above your head!¡± Wang Yongjia shouted loudly, pointing his pistol at the man.


    Xiao Luo smiled at the green-haired man. ¡°Do you hear him, put your gun down.¡±


    The green-haired man dropped his gun, but was still clenching his fists tightly, and snarling like a feral dog.¡±If you think you are so capable, fight me alone!¡± He roared at Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 232 - Interception

    Chapter 232: Interception


    As if possessed, the green-haired man screamed at the top of his voice, gritting his teeth as he dashed toward Xiao Luo. He pummeled his clenched fist into Xiao Luo¡¯s unguarded chest with all the force he could muster. But Xiao Luo did not even budge, remaining as stable as a mountain. The punch and no effect on him whatsoever on him!


    ¡°Fight you alone?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him and snickered. ¡°Do you think you can?¡±


    BOOM~


    Releasing a quick breath, Xiao Luo let out a burst of inner power. The energy exploded out from his core, and the air currents around him instantly thrust outwards, mming into the green-haired man. He flew backward for a good two to three meters and crashed heavily to the ground. It did not stop him, he was ever loyal to the Dragon Gang, and he bore a deep hatred for Xiao Luo. He picked himself up and rushed at Xiao Luo again, yelling hysterically. He knew that his punches would be of no use, as he ran in, he slipped out a short knife from his sleeve.


    It was a short and very sharp knife resembling a surgical scalpel, glinting as it caught the light. A quick thrust followed a deceiving feint, as the green-haired stabbed the de into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest!


    The move did not deceive Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes in the slightest. Shaking his head, he instantly extended his right hand and grabbed the hand holding the knife, gripping it at the wrist like a steel vice. He applied force on his five fingers and snapped the wrist back. The green-haired man howled in excruciating pain, dropping the short knife to the ground.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve had your chance to fight me alone. When they execute you with a bullet to the head, just close your eyes,¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    As he said that, he delivered a thumping frontal stomping-kick to the green-haired man, right in the chest.


    POW!


    The green-haired man was thrown back violently by the force of the kick, mming into a derelict fishing boat like a cannonball. He spat out blood and then immediately slumped into a heap as he lost all control of his body.


    Wang Yongjia snapped out of his stupor and quickly reacted by ordering two officers to apprehend the green-haired man.


    When the officers reached him, they found the green-haired man had lost all consciousness. They gulped, then turned to stare at Xiao Luo, terrified. What kind of a monster was he that he could knock someone out with a single kick?


    Cheng Chusheng, the senior member of the squad, was having mixed emotions. All sorts of emotions, except happy ones. He had doubted Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities from the very beginning, even when Xiao Luo volunteered to be the vanguard, he was the first to object. To top it off, Xiao Luo had just taken on more than ten armed men all by himself. Now it had alle back to haunt him, it felt like getting pped him on the face.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is a freak!¡±


    Cheng Chusheng cursed silently to himself, but he could do nothing about it, other than to admit that he was wrong.


    ¡°Hei Lang has escaped?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked around and asked.


    Wang Yongjia nodded. ¡°It seems that the wolf¡¯s sense of smell is exceptional. The moment he saw us arrive, he jumped into the sea without hesitation. It will be difficult for us to find him in the dark. Once we get back to the police station, we will immediately issue a warrant of arrest and get him listed on the Red Notice. I don¡¯t believe he will get far.¡±


    Xiao Luo was slightly disappointed, but it was overall still a good oue. He wasn¡¯tining, as there were bound to be a few that would escape. He had, after all, taken on too many of them all by himself.


    Looking around, he suddenly realized that the man with fish-eyes was missing. ¡°There is another who has escaped.¡±


    Out at sea shrouded in darkness, he could make out the faint outline of a fishing vessel, and it was likely that man¡¯s boat. He had escaped immediately after he realized that the situation was not going in his favor.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t n to chase after him. He was only interested in cracking down on the Dragon Gang.


    Of course, had Xiao Luo known that the man with fish-eyes had detailed information on him and that it would pass on the Khun Sa, he would have acted differently. Khun Sa was one of the higher-ups of the ckwater Company, and they had the means and resources to do real harm.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s one more that escaped.¡±


    Wang Yongjia was not in the best of mood. He had nned and prepared well for the arrest of Khun Sa, but the big fish didn¡¯t even take the bait. Instead, only some insignificant people hade here in his stead. On top of that, Hei Lang had escaped, and that added to his frustration. ¡°Cheng Chusheng, inform the Coast Guard at once to intercept that goddamn drug smuggler, we must arrest him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Cheng Chusheng responded.


    SWOOSH~


    Suddenly, an overpowering sense of fear took hold of everyone on the abandoned dock. An iing projectile! It was a rocket-propelled grenade, and itunched from the very fishing vessel they had spotted earlier. And it was streaking in at horrific speed, as the st of propent from its tail made a terrifying noise as it tore through the air.


    ¡°Get down, hurry, get down!¡±


    Wang Yongjia shouted hoarsely. A rocket-propelled grenade could shoot down a low flying aircraft out of the sky, and it could readily destroy a reinforced bunker. Its effective kill range was a radius of fifty meters. It was a lethal weapon.


    They all heard Wang Yongjia¡¯s warning, and everyone automatically took cover. As Wang Yongjia got down on the ground, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Luo. He had his ck QSZ-92 pistol in his hand, and he flung it hard at the direction of the iing projectile. It rapidly spun as it flew at a shockingly fast speed across the dawning sky. It was traveling in a straight trajectory toward the rocket-propelled grenade that was roaring in toward them. Would it intercept the iing ordinance?


    It did. The two collided.


    KABOOM!


    The rocket-propelled grenade blew up with a deafening roar. A wave of heated air spread instantly in all directions, as the explosion expanded in destructive shock waves across its st radius. The effects were visible to the naked eye, as a fiery ball of me lit up the dim skies and violently disturbed the water¡¯s surface on the calm sea.


    Against the re from the ball of me in the sky, an enigmatic figure stood alone. Xiao Luo.


    Everyone looked on in absolute shock; the police, Hei Lang¡¯s henchmen, and the smugglers were simply stunned to silence. They had all watched war movies with preposterous scenes of its heroes performing impossible feats. Now, to see with their own eyes someone intercepting a rocket-propelled grenade by throwing a pistol at it, was utterly beyond belief.


    The speed of a rocket-propelled grenade reaches 300 meters per second. It would have been next to impossible to track its trajectory with the naked eye, let alone intercept it.


    ¡°He¡¯s a monster!¡±


    On the fishing boat, the man with the fish-eyes stared open-mouthed, in absolute shock. He fired the rocket-propelled grenade confident that it would kill Xiao Luo and those around him, but instead, he had intercepted it with nothing more than a pistol. Was this man even human?


    He put down the smokinguncher and pushed the lever to increase the fishing vessel¡¯s speed, intending to get away as fast as he could. He could not believe that there were still people like Xiao Luo in this world. He made up his mind never to ever set foot in this country again.


    On the dock, Xiao Luo turned and walked toward Wang Yongjia, extending a hand to help him up.


    ¡°Captain Wang, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    Wang Yongjia was still in a state of shock. He grappled with the way he was feeling at the moment. He couldn¡¯t help thinking that Xiao Luo was not from this world!


    ¡­


    In the girls¡¯ dorm in Huaye, after her endless and persistent efforts, Bai Ling finally got past the firewall of Mie and obtained the IP address ¡ª ¡°Destroy.¡±


    ¡°Why, you¡¯re surprisingly in Jiangcheng. Mie, I have finally caught you!¡±


    Bai Ling¡¯s pretty face lit up with a smile of triumph, a smile that carried the sweet satisfaction of finally having things her way.


    Next to her, An Huanhuan, who had been lying on her bed ying games on her tablet, sent a message to the headquarters of NSA: ¡°Bai Ling had located Mie¡¯s IP! ¡°

 Chapter 233 - The Invitation to Battle from Long Sankui

    Chapter 233: The Invitation to Battle from Long Sankui


    The four Lord Protectors of the Dragon Gang were either dead, caught, or on the run; at the same time, many of their three thousand followers had been detained. Xiao Luo was pleased with the results of their efforts so far. But Long Sankui, on the other hand, was furious. He was like a hunted beast making a final stand before its impending death. He would not be going down without a fight.


    Xiao Luo went to the hospital to visit Wang Lihu and hispatriots.


    ¡°Boss Xiao, I will be discharged soon, and will be able to fight alongside you once again then.¡± Although Wang Lihu was in his patient¡¯s gown, he had his sleeves rolled up, showing off his massive biceps.


    ¡°You dumb tiger, there¡¯s only Long Sankui left now, our leader and I will suffice, you¡¯re still recovering from those wounds and can stay in the hospital. That¡¯s your fate.¡± Ye Qiu quipped jokingly.


    Wang Lihu was having none of it and fired back, ¡°You stupid eagle, shut up!¡±


    As he said so, he threw his pillow at Ye Qiu but ended up exacerbating his wounds. It drew a painful grunt, and his expression changed.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! I say, can¡¯t you two learn from me and read some magazines and newspapers? We must have a better understanding of the current affairs and keep up with the times, brothers.¡± Liu Tieguo, who was lying on his bed, reprimanding them with his usual candor.


    Ye Qiu couldn¡¯t help retorting with a wisecrack, and said sniggering, ¡°Brother Guo, we are living in an era of information explosion. Magazines and newspapers are things of the past. If you want to keep up with current affairs, you just need a smartphone.¡±


    As Xiao Luo addressed Liu Tieguo as Brother Guo, Ye Qiu naturally followed suit.


    ¡°F*ck, even the datawork here is 2G, you can forget about the wifi. I can¡¯t even open a damn webpage, how can I catch up with the f*cking current affairs with my phone.¡± Liu Tieguo put down the magazine in his hand angrily. He had long been annoyed about the fact that there wasn¡¯t any inte ess. It was still bearable if no one had brought it up, but now he couldn¡¯t stop himself from feeling vexed.


    Wang Lihu soothed him, ¡°Chill, Brother Guo. Even without the inte, we can still look at the pretty young nurses.¡±


    As he said so, the nurse in the ward who was drinking water from a cup out of thirst cast him a disgusted look.


    Wang Lihu continued to say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you all watch ¡°Drawing Swords¡± where Old Li [1] managed to find himself a wife when he was in the hospital? Although I don¡¯t have the heroic charm of Old Li, I am reasonably handsome, and it is not a challenge to make a prettydy fall for me at first sight.¡± He turned and looked at the nurse, then winked flirtatiously at her. ¡°Am I right, prettydy?¡±


    WEKKK!


    Upon hearing it, the nurse found it so ridiculous that she spat her tea all over the floor. She quickly made her way out of the ward and even rolled her eyes at Wang Lihu before leaving. Her message was crystal clear.


    Ye Qiu and Liu Tieguo couldn¡¯t keep themselves fromughing.


    Wang Lihu did not seem to get the message, as he was by nature what some would term as thick-skinned. He said in a meaningful tone, ¡°See, that prettydy was drooling when sheid her eyes on me. With my looks and physique, it¡¯s not easy for a girl to hold her emotions in.¡± He furrowed his brows and sighed, ¡°Hiyah¡­ how pitiful!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen shameless people, but none as shameless as you are!¡±


    Ye Qiu and Liu Tieguo now couldn¡¯t helpughing their heads off, and Liu Tieguo was even mming his hand on the bed, tearing up from too muchughter.


    Xiao Luo also couldn¡¯t suppress a chuckle either, surprised that Wang Lihu had suddenly be such a jester. ¡°It seems that you three are enjoying yourselves in the hospital.¡±


    Amid their light moment, his phone vibrated, and he received an iing call.


    He looked at his phone but didn¡¯t recognize the iing number. But he epted the call anyway, and then a rough and haughty voice boomed out.


    ¡°You little son of a b*tch, I have underestimated you. I didn¡¯t expect you to be so capable. Now I want to get you, and I¡¯ll cut you up alive, piece by piece!¡±


    Long Sankui!


    He immediately knew the identity of the man.


    He looked at his friends, then without saying a word, he walked out of the ward, still on his phone.


    Heughed, and spoke mockingly, ¡°Mr. Long, it¡¯s been a while. Judging from how powerful your voice is, it seems that you are as healthy as before.¡±


    ¡°Healthy your *ss, you little b*stard, don¡¯t y with words. Come over to my ce tonight at twelve, so I can f*cking kill you!¡± Long Sankui was seething from the wrath he had long harbored.


    Xiao Luo smiled slightly and continued egging him on, ¡°Do you think I will go, knowing that you are trying to kill me?¡±


    If he had wanted Long Sankui dead, he would have gone directly to Long¡¯s house a long time ago, and there would have been no need to join the police force. He aimed to destroy the entire Dragon Gang and to remove this malignant tumor from society altogether. And he would do it throughwful means to avoid bing a fugitive running from thew.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡­ I am confident that you wille.¡±


    Without waiting for Xiao Luo to answer, Long Sankui hung up.


    ¡°This old man must be mad.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help feeling that Long Sankui was getting slightly unhinged, given that he couldn¡¯t even talk properly.


    He turned to step back into the ward.


    BOOM!!!


    The entire hospital building shook violently as the sound of a tremendous explosion tore through the air. Looking out the window, he could see billowing smoke and mesing from another floor.


    Shrill voices and panicked screams echoed in the chaos as a terrified mass of people scrambled about in all directions.


    Incendiary explosives!


    Fire! Xiao Luo strained his eyes, as he made out the level where the explosion urred, he quickly realized that it was where his sister, Xiao Ruyi, was stationed.


    He immediately rushed to find her. When he got to the level, he found the ce consumed by fire, chocking with thick, pungent smoke rising to the ceiling. The explosion had killed many of the nurses and patients, and charred corpses littered the floor. There were still many severely wounded people crawling to safety, screaming out for help.


    Xiao Luo ignored them all and began searching the rooms one after another.


    ¡°Ruyi! Ruyi!¡±


    He felt a rising panic. He feared nothing more than the death of his loved ones.


    The st site was aplete disaster zone, and it was smoke-filled with countless hotspots of angry mes. Xiao Luo stopped his breathing temporarily using his Yi Jingjing technique, but soon his sweating body was covered in ayer of soot, and his skin turned red from the licking mes.


    Many of the severely wounded sumbed to the harsh environment. Even Xiao Luo, who was protected by Yi Jinjing, felt that his body was shutting down after searching for only about five minutes. His body felt like being grilled in an oven on maximum heat. He resisted the urge to escape the fiery hell, and he kept telling himself he couldn¡¯t possibly do so without first finding Ruyi.


    ¡°Ding! Warning, the system has detected a hostile and life-threatening environment. The host must leave at once. Repeat, please leave at once!¡±


    In his mind, the System notification tone sent out the urgent warning.


    However, Xiao Luo paid no heed to it and continued his search for Xiao Ruyi, going room to room. He did not look at the dying victims he passed along the way. He had to save Xiao Ruyi.


    He nced at the singed flesh on his arm through his eyes, now red, swollen and stinging from the smoke and heat. His steps were slow and heavy, but he kept pushing himself forward.


    He had made up his mind and didn¡¯t care if he was cooked alive!


    He ignored the pain and swore to find his sister, Xiao Ruyi.


    At this moment, a figure, mouth, and nose covered with a wet towel, rushed towards him and grabbed him.


    ¡°Ruyi is not here,e out with me, hurry!¡±


    She was Gu Qianxue. She possessed a high level of inner power, but in such a hazardous environment, even one minute was pushing her limit.


    She immediately grabbed Xiao Luo and pulled him out to safety.


    Footnotes:[1] Drawing Swords: A television drama about the Second Sino-Japanese War featuring Li Yunlong, a historical figure, as the main character of the show.

 Chapter 234 - A stormy night

    Chapter 234: A stormy night


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo made it out of the mes covered entirely in ayer of soot. His clothes were singed and still smoking, and he looked as if he had juste out from an earthen stove in a rural vige.


    Gu Qianxue didn¡¯t look any better, her fair skin and pretty face were almost ck, smeared with dirty smudges of ash and soot. Her clothes fared no better and were badly singed and burnt in ces. Her eyes were tearing from the thick smoke, her eyes all red and smarting.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi had just arrived at the scene and ran to Xiao Luo, calling out to him. She was deeply shocked by the condition he was in, covered in ash and soot. She gasped when she saw the severe burns on the back of his hands.


    ¡°Ruyi¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo finally managed a smile as he felt an incredible relief from seeing his sister alive.


    Xiao Ruyi cried, and tears were streaming down from her cheek, ¡°Why are you so silly? There¡¯s a big fire in there! Why¡¯d you rush in like that?¡±


    Of course, she had known that Xiao Luo had rushed in to look for her. But it only took a moment for anyone to be roasted alive in there. She didn¡¯t know how else to react, and she was so overwhelmed that he made it out.


    ¡°Ruyi, I¡¯m d you are safe and sound.¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with his thumb., But he quickly realized that his thumb had left ck soot marks on her face, and he stopped immediately and smiled at her instead.


    ¡°Idiot, you¡¯re a big idiot!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi cried out aloud and hugged Xiao Luo tightly. Ofte, she had her brother had be somewhat distant, and Xiao Luo had be a different man. But after seeing what he had gone through today, she knew that he would always be there for her. He was indeed her dear brother.


    Xiao Luo hugged her tight, patting her back tofort her, and findingfort for himself after the recent trauma of thinking he had lost her forever.


    Feng Wuhen and Wang Lihu lead theirpatriots running toward Xiao Luo. They were terrified when they saw him running off to the burning floor, and were now relieved to see him alive. Xiao Luo was d to see them all and smiled at them.


    The ambnces and fire trucks had just arrived with their sirens wailing. Three of the fire trucks doused the level where the explosion urred with their hoses, and the fire was soon under control.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was a humid afternoon, and the sky was overcast with dark clouds. The temperature was rising, and it made everyone feel unusually uneasy.


    ¡°sixty-nine dead and eleven grievously injured.¡±


    Gu Qianxue reported the on the morning explosion to Xiao Luo in the ward. She didn¡¯t seem distressed with the incident, but if she was, she hid it well.


    The burns Xiao Luo suffered were severe and required him to be wholly wrapped in white bandages to prevent infection. He looked like a mummy once again. Had Zhang Dashan been there to see it, he would undoubtedly havemented that a quack had done it, and what an awful job it was.


    His eyes had sustained even worse damage due to the smoke and heat of the fires, and they were swollen and tearing uncontrobly. He had gauze patches ced over his eyes under the bandages. Gu Qianxue had removed them for a while and was now applying chewed Tianshan Snow Lotus on his eyes with care.


    Xiao Luo sat on his bed and remained silent. While she was treating his eye, Gu Qianxue couldn¡¯t helpshing out at him, ¡°You¡¯re one big idiot!¡±


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t use my sister¡¯s words on me,¡± Xiao Luo joked.


    ¡°well, I wasn¡¯t. I was just stating a fact.¡±


    Gu Qianxue pouted, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t pulled you out, you¡¯d surely be burned alive in there.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°Alright, I owe you a lifetime, thanks!¡±


    At that moment, all wanted was just to find Xiao Ruyi. If he had stayed there just a little longer, then his fate would have inevitably been sealed, and he¡¯d have been another smoldering corpse. So, the truth was Gu Qianxue did save his life.


    His phone on the bedside table vibrated as someone called in.


    Gu Qianxue nced and said, ¡°It¡¯s an unknown number.¡±


    ¡°Pick the call for me and pass over the phone.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    Gu Qianxue did so as was told.


    ¡°You little *sshole, have you received my gift? Was your sister blown up? Hahaha!¡± Long Sankui¡¯s cruel voice came through the phone.


    ¡°Are you testing my limits?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was cold, with no trace of emotion.


    ¡°So what if I¡¯m testing your limits? Are you dissatisfied? Come and f*cking kill me, how about that?¡±


    Long Sankui roared, ¡°I¡¯m telling you that if you dare note tonight, I¡¯ll keep nting the bombs. Next time, maybe it¡¯ll be your friends, your parents or your useless colleagues. You could save them this time, but can you save them every single time? I won¡¯t f*ck with you, I¡¯ll just keep f*cking your friends and families up, I¡¯ll blow them up and give you a taste of losing what is dear to you.¡±


    ¡°You wanna die?¡± Xiao Luo said coldly, as rage began to take hold of him.


    ¡°Hahaha! Are you finally getting mad? You little pr*ck, I¡¯m waiting for you, and I¡¯ll chop your head and kick it around like a ser ball!¡± Long Sankui hung up with the lingering sound of his evilughter.


    Even beneath all those bandages, Gu Qianxue could still feel Xiao Luo¡¯s rage emanating from within.


    Crack~


    The phone was crushed in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, shattering its internal parts and screen. They fell in little pieces to the floor.


    Gu Qianxue was stunned, and for the first time, she feared for him. Immediately she asked in an urgent tone, ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡¯s going on with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Xiao Luo forced out a smile.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    BOOOM!


    A crack of thunder rumbled as a sh of lightning lit the sky up; a colossal storm formed over Jiangcheng bringing heavy rains and strong gusts of winds.


    Gale force winds were driving the rain through the streets, forming a turbulent haze, and blew the trees on both sides with such force that they looked like toppling over. Weaker limbs and branches were torn off and were carried away with the wind.


    A distance away from the hospital, a vehicle parked under a tree. In the fierce storm, a thick branch had fallen on it and damaged the front of the car. Its rm triggered and red incessantly, breaking the monotony of the trashing rain and thunderps.


    It was a rare storm, a tempest that only hits Jiangcheng every once in a long while.


    Xiao Luo was sitting on the sofa in the ward with his legs were crossed. His right hand was on the armrest, which he was tapping on rhythmically, while his left elbow was resting on the left armrest with his hand on his chin.


    He was in his hospital gown, and his eyes were still covered up. But a strange warm glow was surging within his body, revealing his silhouette under the garment when it passed.


    In the dim light of the ward, the whole scene seemed nothing short of eerie.


    ¡°Why are you forcing me?¡±


    Xiao Luo had spent a hundred thousand points to activate the healing ability. Waves of warm light now ran through his body, steadily healing the burns and damage done to his body and eyes. As his body healed, his face took on an expression of rage and murderous intent.


    He would not have chosen this path, but Long Sankui had painted him into this desperate corner.


    He was well aware that Long Sankui had nothing to lose, and he would put all the resources he had to get back at Xiao Luo. What game did he have in mind this time?


    For the sake of his family and friends, he would y Long Sankui¡¯s game. He had chosen this path, and he intended to finish it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A sh of lightning awakened Liu Tieguo. He nced at Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, and they were dead asleep. He decided to get up and check on Xiao Luo. He peeked through the little window and found no one in the dim-lit room.


    ¡°Boss, I hope you¡¯re not up to something silly again!¡±


    Liu Tieguo mumbled to himself and quickly took out his phone, dialing a number urgently.


    Fan Changlong, the chief of headquarter, turned his head when he heard his phone ring.

 Chapter 235 - Meeting Long Sankui alone

    Chapter 235: Meeting Long Sankui alone


    ¡°Gu Qianlin, Ye Wensong¡­ ¡®K¡¯ has just sent word. ¡®Mr. X¡¯ had begun his mission. You guys gather the police brigade, the security squad, and the special force team immediately. Send them to Long Sankui¡¯s mansion right now.¡± Fan Changlong issued the orders to his captains after receiving Liu Tieguo¡¯s call.


    The entire headquarters came alive all of a sudden.


    At the People¡¯s Hospital, Liu Tieguo stood alone in the corridor and stared nkly at the raging storm. A peal of rolling thunder apanied the intermittent shes of lightning. As he stood gazing out of the window, he lit up a cigarette, dragged a deep puff then let it out slowly from his lungs.


    As he pondered on Xiao Luo¡¯s mission, he murmured, ¡°The king of hell beats his death drum, he¡¯s here in the mortal world to im some lives!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The gale was howling like the anguished screams a thousand of evil spirits.


    Long Sankui sat grimly on the Taishi armchair that was ced right at the front gate of his mansion. His ever-present dragon-headed cane was not with him this time. It was a weapon to be used in a fight, not to help him walk. He had no use of that now as he had reced it with an impressive looking guandao[1].


    His weapon was two-meters in length and adorned with intricate motifs of a phoenix. Its forged de was half a meter long and etched with a life-like dragon with ws out, and iid in gold. It was both a finely crafted weapon and a terrifying one.


    Two rows of Dragon elite guards stood, fierce and unwavering in the rain. They kept their eyes on the guandao, and its well-honed de reflected a unique radiance even under the stormy night skies. They subscribed to Lord Guan Yunchang¡¯s principles and values, and this weapon represented the strong sense of justice and loyalty of the famed warrior and bound them all. Lord Long had his ive forged in the likeness of Lord Guan¡¯s legendary guandao.


    The Green Dragon Crescent-moon de! [2]


    The ¡°Green Dragon¡± weighed an imposing hundred and twenty catties, and none of the elite guards could handle that weapon. Only their chief, Lord Long, was able to wield it as his weapon. During the era where Dragon Gang was rising to power, he had used it to chop off countless heads, and it had continuously been washed in blood ever since. This ritual made the weapon possess a fierce and deadly spirit, and it was feared by all who faced it.


    The Green Dragon was not just Lord Long¡¯s weapon, but a symbol of their Gang codes and beliefs. Once drawn, all their followers would rally to it during a battle with fanatical zeal, and none of their foes could resist them!


    Long Sankui had stopped ying with the walnuts in his right hand, and he started to crush them one by one to get the kernel within. He tossed them into his mouth, like how one would eat peanuts. Soon the floor was littered with walnut shells.


    Beside him stood the most wanted criminal in the entire country, Hei Lang.


    He was dressed entirely in ck. He wore a fierce expression on his face that resembled a snarling wolf. His cold, glowering eyes were devoid of anypassion.


    ¡°F*ck, why hasn¡¯t that little *sshole show-up? Is he not afraid of me f*cking the people around him up?¡±


    Long Sankui banged the guandao to the ground in anger and smashed the blue marble floor creating a cavity in the marble tile. Countless cracks started to extend out from the hollow like a web.


    ¡°From my understanding of him, he¡¯de.¡±


    Long Sankui snapped, ¡°Huh! If he doesn¡¯t show up, it¡¯ll be his biggest regret in life! And if he does show up, you men better sh the hell out of him, if he doesn¡¯t get chopped to pieces, I¡¯ll never be able to relieve my hatred!¡±


    He regretted letting Xiao Luo go. Had he known that Xiao Luo would have destroyed so much of his underground businesses, he would not have given in to Chu Yunxiong¡¯s mediation. He would have sent all three thousand of his disciples to chop Xiao Luo into meat sauce. But it was toote now. Although the police had still not obtained any proof of hisplicity in Dragon Gang activities, his hatred towards Xiao Luo was still unabated. To watch Dragon Gang and everything he had built copsed in such a way was unbearable. As its chief, he vowed to drag Xiao Luo along to hell if he were to perish trying.


    Hei Lang nodded and bowed slightly. He, too, believed that regardless of Xiao Luo prowess, if he turned up here tonight, death would be his only fate. With Hei Lang and some two hundreds of Dragon Gang elite guards, Lord Long would be invincible. His inner force was immense, and he had mastered the ¡°Domineering Sword¡± technique, the way of wielding the guandao. The guandao could slice a car in half with a single blow, what more a mere human.


    Right then, Hei Lang noticed that a silhouette was standing before the gate of the mansion. He stared hard at it for a moment, and said calmly, ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­The little pr*ck turned up, and he¡¯s alone? He¡¯s surely a f*cking arrogant son of a b*tch!¡±


    Long Sankui said with a wicked smile forming on his lips as he eyed the lone figure at the gate with a murderous stare.


    The Dragon Gang elite guards turned to meet the threat standing at the mansion gate. Their faces were grim, and their fighting spirit stirred. Every one of them was fanatically loyal to the Dragon Gang, and they took no prisoners. There they stood, two hundred killing gods intent on ughtering Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo wore a military-style olive green coat with a ck undershirt, and he stood there drenched in the rain. In his right hand, he held a giant broadsword. The sword had nine iron-rings on the back of its de. It was Guo Jianghu¡¯s Nonuple Cyclode, forged from refined steel capable of cutting a piece of rebar in two.


    His soaked white canvas shoe made a squishy noise as he stepped through the water-logged ground.


    He stopped some thirty or forty meters from Long Sankui. He stared at Long Sankui coldly with his keen wolf-like eyes.


    ¡°You little pr*ck. You surely are f*cking brave. Since you came as I ordered, I now want you to shove some shit up your throat. Will you do it? Hahaha!!¡± Long Sankui¡¯s face now contorted with a raging fury. He resembled a ghoul from hell that was about to taste flesh and blood.


    Clink. Clink. Clink.


    Xiao Luo raised his Nonuple Cyclode and pointed it at Long Sankui; its nine iron-rings rattled against the forged de in a high-pitched ring. Xiao Luo roared, ¡°Die!¡±


    Xiao Luo swung the de down, and without even hitting the ground, it left a deep gouge that quickly filled up with surface water from the water-logged field.


    Air de?


    The elite guards took a step back, shaken momentarily. Only those who had mastered the way of the sword could form the air de by transferring their inner power through to the swinging sword.


    ¡°F*ck you men, charge, chop the shit out of him!¡±


    Long Sankui stood up in a fury, the veins on his temple were throbbing, and he threw the porcin cup in his hand to the floor, shattering it.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    The two hundred guards roared and charged forward, resembling an army of fierce and angry wolves with a single-minded purpose ¨C to kill their prey, Xiao Luo.


    The guards in the front row had their long swords drawn and swiftly attacked in coordinated moves with skill and precision. They attacked relentlessly, and their shing swords covered every inch of the space around Xiao Luo.


    Clink. Clink. Clink.


    The Nonuple Cyclode was ringing in Xiao Luo¡¯s deft hand as he wielded it with consummate skill and speed, parrying every blow from the guards. The shing sound of des filled the air, and sparks flew where the edges met. After a brief sh, the forward-most elite guards facing Xiao Luo felt the overpowering force of his de, and their sword hands weakened. They broke their formation and were on the retreat.


    Sensing the change in momentum, Xiao Luo continued to push them back before lowering his stance and executing a low horizontal sh at waist height with his air de. He killed eight of the forward-most elite guards instantly, slicing them in two. Spewing blood, and sttering their entrails on the ground.


    Long Sankui, Hei Lang, and the Dragon Gang elite guards were shocked. Xiao Luo had struck fear in their hearts. With one fell stroke, he had silenced the enemy before him.


    Footnotes:


    [1] Guandao: A Chinese pole weapon or ive, also called a yanyuedao (ÙÈÔµ¶; ¡°reclining moon de¡±).


    [2] Green Dragon crescent-moon de: The infamous ive used by the legendary Lord Guan Yu, revered for his fighting prowess and unwavering loyalty. It was also called ¡°Frozen Glory,¡± and weighed at least 82 jin.

 Chapter 236 - Unexpected person

    Chapter 236: Unexpected person


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe Dragon Gang elite guards quickly regained theirposure. They were personally trained by Long Sankui, and they would not back down. Immediately, another line of fighters dashed in to confront Xiao Luo, yelling and thrashing with their long swords.


    Xiao Luo remained still, he had an icy smile on his face, and his fierce eyes tracked every fighter closing in on him. In a split second, he had sidestepped the leading man and shing across, slicing open his torso, his internal organs poured out, dropping to the ground. The smell f blood reeked in the air. The elite guards did not let up and continued the assault.


    SLASH~


    In a sh, he smote the next man, cleanly taking his head off. The headless body stumbled for a few steps, as blood gushed out like a fountain from his open neck. Then the body slumped into a pool of blood, with his headying not far away.


    Before anyone else could react, Xiao Luo was already on one knee, delivering a bludgeoning stroke with his nine-ringed sword. He cut the fighter in half at the waist. And the man fell before he could even let out a scream. His upper body toppled first, and as both parts dropped to the ground. The contorted face on the top half still had a look of shock for a brief second before the light left his eyes.


    ¡°All of you die!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared with ferocity. He dashed up against the line of fighters at a rapid speed, immediately shing at his next victim.


    But this man reacted much quicker and parried his stroke firmly. Sparks flew as his sword deflected off his opponent¡¯s de metal, producing a piercing ring. But Xiao Luo had applied his inner power to the strike, and the elite guard was thrown back as if he were hit by a running train. The force had killed him instantly, and his body flew back, crashing against three other fighters before he finally came to a rest. All three of them were knocked down andid still on the ground in a heap.


    Cruel and merciless! It was a ughter!


    Both Long Sankui and Hei Lang were taken back, their face took on a grim expression. These elite guards were no novices and had been personally trained by them. Every one of the elite guards was certainly more skilled than even the highly-rated special forces squad members. Pitted against the average street fighter, one guard could easily take down five of such opponents without a problem. To see Xiao Luo quickly dispatch their elite guards with such overwhelming force was difficult to ept.


    ¡°Damn it, this rotting pr*ck is a freak!¡± Long Sankui cursed.


    Hei Lang didn¡¯t speak. He drew his long dagger from behind his waist and stepped into the fight. He searched for an opening as he carefully advanced, with a burning desire to plunge his nasty dirk deep into his mark.


    Torn and shredded corpses littered the yard of the vi; it was like a war zone. No amount of rain from the downpour could wash the blood off the soaked ground.


    The ck-d elite guards in the attack were quickly ughtered by Xiao Luo, and now there were only five to six remaining.


    Killing the Dragon Gang fighters was the only thing in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. After almost losing his sister to Long Sankui¡¯s evil schemes, he was determined to smash the Dragon Gang once and for all.


    When he found an opening, Hei Lang rushed up at a rapid pace to Xiao Luo like a ck phantom. It was an opportune moment as Xiao Luo was just at the point of dispatching another elite guard.


    Whoosh~


    The long dagger came in quick and nasty.


    By the time, Xiao Luo gathered himself, he could almost feel the cold steel closing in dangerously to plunge into his neck. He Instinctively pulled his head away and sidestepped to his right. He avoided a fatal wound in the nick of time, but it left a gash on his neck.


    Moving a few steps back, the two adversaries stood about two to three meters apart and stared right at each other.


    ¡°I¡¯ve cut you!¡±


    The cold, heartless protector, Hei Lang, broke into a wicked smile and licked the blood off his de. He stood staring at Xiao Luo in triumph, looking like a demented evil spirit.


    ¡°I can assure you there will be no next time.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled darkly. Then, taking the initiative, he advanced toward Hei Lang.


    Clink, clink, clink.


    The nine-ringed cyclode iled into Hei Lang¡¯s long dagger repeatedly, and the metallic ring of shing des echoes across the yard. After several strikes from Xiao Luo, Hei Lang¡¯s defence began to crumble as he lost his coordination. He had lost his fighting mettle. His pupils dted as he watched the shing nine-ringed Nonuple Cyclode take off his left arm cleanly.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    A frightful howl erupted for the mouth of Hei Lang, as his left arm just fell to the ground right where he stood. Blood spurted copiously like water from a broken pipe, as Hei Lang held on the stump on his left upper arm to stop the heavy bleeding. He was in excruciating pain.


    Without holding back, Xiao Luo immediately smashed his fist into Hei Lang¡¯s chest and sent him sailing through the air. Hei Lang fell hard, blood trailed from his nose and ears, and his chest had caved in from the mighty blow.


    ¡°Grrr~.¡±


    Xiao Luo growled and strode forward like a demon. He swung his nine-ringed sword and cut down several elite guards who tried to block his way. They all fell quickly in a session of dying screams. His intention was clear, and he now pointed his sword at Hei Lang.


    Hei Lang looked up, and his eyes widened. This was the end for him, he could only see the nine-ringed de held above Xiao Luo¡¯s head that was about to be brought down. His mind was stricken by fear, and time stood still as he awaited his fate.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A sharp roar echoed through the air.


    Xiao Luo was stunned as he caught a familiar silhouette from the corner of his eye.


    He jerked his head toward it: white sneakers, white sweater with delicate features and fair skin.


    ¡°Bai Ling?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. What was Bai Ling, all the way from Huaye, doing here?! Xiao Luo stayed his hand, and the nine-ringed sword remained motionless right above Hei Lang¡¯s head.


    The shout did note from Bai Ling. It was a burly man all dressed in ck, and he was holding on firmly to Bai Ling. She had been kidnapped! She had her hands tied behind her back, and her mouth was stuffed with a white cloth. After breaking through Mie¡¯s firewall and obtaining the specific IP address, she checked with its service provider and traced Xiao Luo¡¯s residence to Gong Vige.


    She was immediately confronted when she got to his residence. A group of rough, mean-looking men was already there. They were all dressed in ck. They approached her and questioned her if she knew Xiao Luo. She felt intimidated and could only nod that she did. She was then taken by the men and was brought here. She had been kept locked up in a room, it was only now that she had been let out. Thest person she expected to see here was Xiao Luo.


    Was that really Xiao Luo?


    Bai Ling was beyond confounded, and panic took hold when she looked at Xiao Luo with a blood-stained sword in his hand. Looking at his brutal demeanor now, she wondered if this was the same easy-going, cheerful boy from campus she had known before. But she knew one thing for sure, Mie and Xiao Luo were one and the same.


    Oh my god, h-how could this be possible!


    Bai Ling felt like this was all a bad dream, it was simply too unbelievable. Dead people were lying all over the yard. The one person that these people had been seeking the entire time was Mie, and Xiao Luo was now in conflict with these people. How did that make any sense? What kind of life Xiao Luo was leading? She recalled that Xiao Luo had once told her that the two of them were from different worlds, she now understood what he meant.


    ¡°You little b*stard, do you know this pretty girl?¡±


    Long Sankui asked with a smile as he crushed a walnut. He tossed its kernel in his mouth and chewed it with relish.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know her!¡±


    Of course, Xiao Luo would not be that stupid to admit that he knew Bai Ling. He postured to swing the nine-ringed sword in his hands down to the head of Hei Lang.


    But just at that moment, Bai Ling screamed out in pain. Xiao Luo looked up, rmed. The man holding Bai Ling had just stabbed her arm with a dagger, and Bai Ling¡¯s white sleeve was soaked in blood.


    Bai Ling¡¯s face was twisted in pain, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.


    ¡°Ahh, I thought you didn¡¯t know her? Then why the f*ck did you stop? Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡± Long Sankui said, continuing to eat his walnut casually.


    Xiao Luo remained silent and just returned a cold stare. He could feel deep anger and frustration rising. His mind was racing, he had to do something.


    ¡°Go on, continue to sh, do what you want to, who cares? You crazy fool!¡±


    Long Sankui stared at him angrily. He smashed the coffee table next to him with his palm, and his eyes were red with rage.

 Chapter 237 - Cannot move

    <h2>Chapter 237: Cannot move</h2>


    Xiao Luo was in a dilemma¡ªkill Hei Lang or allow Bai Ling to be killed? This was the ultimatum from Long Sankui.


    Could he put Bai Ling¡¯s life at risk?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t do it. Although the two of them had only known one another for a short time, to watch Bai Ling die because of him was something he could not bear.


    Xiou Luo¡¯s expression changed, and the wrath in his eyes was no more. When Hei Lang noticed this, his fighting spirit instantly returned, and he became fearless once more. A madness took him, and he broke into a burst of derangedughter. Suddenly he did not even feel the pain of losing his arm.


    ¡°Every man has a weakness. I now see that she is yours.¡±


    Hei Lang said in a vicious tone, as he slowly picked himself up. He plodded toward Xiao Luo, staring at him with his dark, cold eyes. Then without any warning, he stabbed swiftly at Xiao Luo with the dagger in his hand.


    Xiao Luo instantly pped the knife-hand aside and grabbed Hei Lang¡¯s wrist, locking it with his fingers like a steel vice. The dagger was still in Hei Lang¡¯s hand, but he could do nothing with it.


    ¡°Arrgh~.¡±


    Just at that moment, he heard another painful cry from Bai Ling. The man that was holding on to her had stabbed the back of her shoulders this time. The intense pain made the girl turn pale, and tears ran down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrobly.


    Xiao Luo pointed his nine-ringed sword directly at Long Sankui. A bright glint reflected off the sword. The de was well forged and honed to a keen edge. Even blood simply slid off its polished surface. Holding the sword aloft, Xiao Luo roared angrily, ¡°Long Sankui, if you are a man, then you will release that girl and get your best men toe for me instead.¡±


    Long Sankuiughed coldly and said: ¡°Hahaha! I am going to kill you. If you don¡¯t want the girl to die, then you better stand still there and not resist!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart was seething with anger. He could only stare back coldly at Long Sankui.


    Xiao Luo let go of Hei Lang. Hei Lang¡¯s face was contorted with raging fury, and he stabbed fiercely at Xiao Luo again.


    Xiao Luo instinctively dodged the dagger but did not strike back.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    He heard Bai Ling¡¯s muffled scream again, more desperately this time. The mean-looking man stabbed Bai Ling once again in her right shoulder. He knew exactly what he was doing and took care not to allow the knife to prate too deeply. His job was to use Bai Ling as leverage to get Xiao Luo to bow to their demands. She would be useless to them if she was dead.


    Although it was a superficial wound, Bai Ling was still in very much pain, and almost lost her consciousness. She was soaked in blood, and her clothes were stained a bright red.


    ¡°You little rotten pr*ck, you must be f*cking deaf. I¡¯m telling you to stand still, but you are still moving around. Do I need to repeat myself again?¡± Long Sankui sneered wickedly.


    All Xiao Luo wanted to do was to cut that man up into seven or eight pieces, but seeing Bai Ling in such a state, he finally gave in to Long Sankui¡¯s demands.


    ¡°Okay, as you wish, then!¡±


    He lowered the nine-ringed sword, pointing it to the ground. But, his intention was not to surrender; he was merely waiting for an opportunity to make his move.


    Hei Lang grinned with malice and stabbed hard into Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder. There was a squelchy sound as the de plunged into his flesh, and blood began to ooze from the wound. Xiao Luo¡¯s eyebrows knitted in pain.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I could not hurt you anymore? Then what is this now, huh?¡±


    Hei Lang wasughing in a sinister way, half in arrogance and the other in a dull pain from his left arm. ¡°Rx, I won¡¯t kill you. Your life will be taken by the Dragon Lord. I will merely torture you slowly!¡±


    Both his eyes widened excitedly with bloodlust. His mind had descended into a dark madness.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth curled up into a half-smile, and he gazed right at Hei Lang, showing no emotion whatsoever.


    The look enraged Hei Lang even more. His face suddenly turned even darker. He tried to pull the dagger out from Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder to continue stabbing him a few more times, but the de would not budge! No matter how hard he pulled, he was unable to extract it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hei Lang growled loudly.


    ¡°Fool, it has grown into my flesh.¡±


    Xiao Luo had used his mighty internal power to hold the dagger in. Hei Lang, having lost an arm, had bled out a lot, but he would not have been able to pull it out even under normal circumstances.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mockery was not lost on Hei Lang. Yet, try as he might, he could not dislodge the de despite countless attempts. In anger and frustration, he kicked Xiao Luo¡¯s abdomen repeatedly.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s shifted internal power toward his abdomen, and when Hei Lang¡¯s right foot mmed into it, it was repelled with great force, like an exploding grenade. Hei Lang howled in pain as his right foot was thrown back violently. The bone on his right leg was broken in several ces, and hey shaking on the floor, screaming in pain.


    ¡°Damn it you little b*stard, do you really want her to die?¡± Long Sankui roared, as he pointed at Bai Ling.


    ¡°F*ck your mother, did I f*cking move?¡±


    No matter how calm Xiao Luo¡¯s temperament was, he couldn¡¯t help but swear when he became furious. But whenever he cursed, he always had on an impassive expression, and seldom gave others the impression that he was cursing.


    Long Sankui was taken aback for a moment, thenughed, ¡°Alright, alright, alright. I have wronged you!¡±


    Long Sankui nced at one of his elite guards. The man then strode towards Xiao Luo, brimming with animosity and his intentions crystal clear.


    ¡°Hiiyah!¡±


    The man, d in ck, yelled aggressively and rushed in. With the long knife in his hand, he shed across Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    SLASH!


    A gaping wound opened up on Xiao Luo¡¯s back. Blood spilled, and a sudden pain shot up to his brain. Xiao Luo¡¯s body trembled, and as he tried to hold hisposure, a painful grunt escaped from his throat.


    ¡°Hmm, hmmph¡­ hmmph¡±


    Bai Ling was desperately trying to say something to Xiao Luo, but her gag prevented any words. She had just wanted to find Mie and did not expect to be the cause of Xiao Luo¡¯s predicament. How did things progress to this instead?


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Another sh and another wound gouged into Xiao Luo¡¯s body. Blood flowed from the injuries, and Xiao Luo¡¯s clothes were soaked red.


    ¡°Yaaaa~.¡±


    Another elite guard now took his turn. He stabbed Xiao Luo in the back, careful not to kill him. Just as Hei Lang had said, Xiao Luo¡¯s life should be taken by Long Sankui, so the blow avoided all the vital spots.


    ¡°Arrgh~.¡±


    Xiao Luo groaned. His face had be pale, and he coughed painfully. Xiao Luo was bleeding badly and losing blood, staggering, he kneeled on the ground.


    ¡°NO!!!¡±


    Bai Ling¡¯s muffled cry was in vain, and no one would help Xiao Luo. Her heart was bleeding out for him as she shed tears uncontrobly.


    ¡°Why was it like this?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, hurry up and fight back!¡±


    So many thoughts were running through Bai Ling¡¯s mind. The trauma to both body and spirit was too much to bear; she finally sumbed, falling to the floor unconscious.


    Believing the threat was over, the man left Bai Ling lying on the floor and did not pay her any more attention. She would not be needed any longer as leverage against Xiao Luo. He wouldn¡¯t be able to resist after what he had just been through.


    Long Sankui could not hide his joy. He gave no attention to Bai Ling, and looking at Xiao Luo, he sneered, ¡°Little rotten pr*ck, look at you now. Just like a dead dog, killing you would be easier than killing an ant. Why do you still bother putting up a fight?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I have to let you down!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head, and a devilish grin shed across his face.


    His internal energy exploded, and the dagger sticking out of his left shoulder was released. Grabbing it quickly, he threw it at the man standing next to Bai Ling.


    Whoosh~


    The dagger flew at an incredible pace in a straight trajectory and thumped into his head. The knife lodged in his forehead, and the man slumped to the ground. He did not even make a sound.

 Chapter 238 - Blood battle

    Chapter 238: Blood battle


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo smiled viciously. His body sun round and a mighty luster shone from the tip of his nine-ringed knife. He shed at the rainy scene and air around him. The dozen or so ck dressed man who were originally surrounding him began to scream and fell to the ground. Their bodies were almost cut into two, and bright red bloodied water flooded the surface of the ground.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The gruesome and cruelughter exploded from the tip of his tongue. Xiao Luo was like a supernatural being as he rushed forth with his nine-ringed knife. The remaining thirty or forty men in ck were like a group ofmbs waiting to be ughtered. All they could see was the knife shing in front of them before their chests or necks were cut open. Fresh blood surged through the air and the pungent smell of blood rushed to their nose.


    In an instance, all the people dressed in ck were no longer standing.


    In the yard of the vi, there were corpses everywhere. The water on the ground had already turned blood red and with the raindrops hitting the ground, the surface began to form blood bubbles. It was like a pool of boiling blood.


    Xiao Luo was covered in blood. He stood motionless in the field with his nine-ringed knife. His eyes were crimson red, like fresh blood, like the eyes of a devil. It was spooky and chilled you right down to your bones. This was the effect of the Yijin Jing technique at its maximum. It instantly improved your power and made you invincible for a short period of time.


    Long Sankui watched till he began to tremble slightly. He didn¡¯t expect that Xiao Luo who was seriously injured would still have such strong fighting power. He was like a wild beast, and his entire aura was filled with vicious murderous intent that people dreaded.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo rushed forward through the pool of blood towards Hei Lang. He raised his knife and with a ¡°pew~¡± sound, he cut off half of Hei Lang¡¯s head. The blood was red, the brain sma was white. It all sttered on the floor. He kicked Hei Lang¡¯s body a few meters away and pointed his blood-stained nine-ringed knife directly at Long Sankui.


    His voice was hoarse but it was filled with an overwhelmingly murderous intent.


    ¡°Damn it,e at me.¡±


    At that point, Long Sankui didn¡¯t care about Bai Ling who had fainted. His pride as the head of the Dragon Gang made him answer the call to fight. His body exploded with his internal force and the falling rainwater was pushed away from him. The old-fashioned Shanghai Tang suit shattered inches by inches and finally turned into small countless pieces that fell. [TN: like he flexing so it ripped apart] Finally it revealed a ck sleeves top and exposed his arms. A dragon tattoo on both arms could be seen.


    With a loud exploding roar, Xiao Luo who had a murderous aura burst into shape. He took ten rapid steps forward and stomped onto the floor, leaping wildly into the air.


    Like a humming eagle, like the descent of the god of Killing!


    The nine-ringed knife apanied with the thunderous thunder fell down like God¡¯s punishment. The murderous air swept through the sky and it was like the world was eclipsed.


    ¡°Little rotten boy!!!¡±


    Long Sankui¡¯s face was cracking and the roar rolled out from his throat. He raised his knife to parry.


    ¡°ng~¡±


    The metals made a resonating sound. The fearsome force resonated around them.


    The surface where Long Sankui was standing suddenly copsed. The gravel split and a terrible power was transmitted onto the ground. The umted water now split and flowed around the surroundings.


    With such a hard force hitting, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t rebound. The second stab, the third stab, continued to follow one after the other.


    ¡°ng ng ng~¡±


    The shing was ferocious. It was so quick it looked like countless sword shadows. The nine-ringed knife and the Qing Long Yanyue Sword [TN: this is Green Dragon Crescent Moon de? I can¡¯t find it in glossary] battled it out fiercely. Sparks were flying and a heavy murderous aura filled the air.


    In the short amount of time, the two of them had made hundreds of move and put in their best. Lord Sankui¡¯s strength was rather tyrannical and he stiffly restrained against Xiao Luo¡¯s violent attacks, shing at the sky.


    ¡°Peng~¡±


    The ground was cut into a huge pit. There were countless stones rolling and flying around. The force from the knife broke through the heavy rain with momentum. The umted water formed a curved arc on the ground. He rushed fiercely towards Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo returned with a crosscut. The crescent-like sword swept parallel to the ground and collided with the vertical curved arc.


    ¡°Peng~¡±


    The two forces shuddered. The raindrops in the sky instantly dispersed into a mist. The invisible impact fell heavily onto Long Sankui and Xiao Luo and both of them took two to three steps back.


    ¡°Pipa~¡±


    The lightning continued streaking in the sky. God was like a slut that had not been moistened for a long time, had suddenly got a man and was venting hard[TN: this is literally what it says lmao sorry].


    The rainwater fell without stopping. The wind was howling. The entire Jiangcheng was drenched.


    Xiao Luo and Long Sankui stood five to six meters apart. They were like a fat and thin two-headed beast who were starting at each other with bloodthirsty eyes. In the fierce fight just now, Long Sankui had taken a knife to his chest. The shocking [TN: to look at] wound was constantly spilling blood.


    ¡°Little rotten boy, I want your life!¡±


    Long Sankui¡¯s anger had been kindled. His anger burst from his head. He rushed towards Xiao Luo like a wild bison. His hand wielded the Qing Long Yanyue Sword and it swept with frightening power, cutting at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face was unexpectedly fierce as he burnt with the same anger. He violently swung his nine-ringed knife and urately intercepted.


    ¡°ng~¡±


    The two weapons collided fiercely with their owner¡¯s power. The violent sound was like a piercingrge bell. The unmatched power swept through the environment like a storm.


    Qing Long Yanyue flew out heavily and hit the ground heavily. The water sshed up several meters high and was flicked away like a wave.


    The nine-ringed knife also left Xiao Luo¡¯s hands and spun, flying far away. The tip of the knife finally lodged itself straight into the ground.


    After losing their weapons, the two of them fought with their bare hands. Their fists and feet constantly hit each other in a short span of time. Long Sankui was badly battered with a bloodied nose and swollen face. The skin of his face had becerated by a punch from Xiao Luo and blood was flowing, while Xiao Luo suffered damages to his body.


    Xiao Luo twisted violently forward. His body twirled and both his hands fluttered. With a loud maddening roar, he entangled with Long Sankui like a hurricane and forced him to retreat backwards.


    Although Long Sankui was retreating, he did not reveal signs of defeat for the time being. Of course he was shocked that Xiao Luo was not seriously injured and his strength had not been diminished. He would definitely lose, this was a monster that couldn¡¯t be surmised withmon sense.


    Like the hissing sounds of a beast, Long Sankui¡¯s retreating body suddenly stopped. His eyes shed a nce and two big fan-like hands flicked like electricity. He mmed into it and contained Xiao Luo¡¯s attack but his entire body exerted force and burst out. It was like the shadows of a w attacking.


    Xiao Luo grabbed the ankle of a corpse from the ground as though it were a bat and moved the corpse to strike Long Sankui fiercely.


    ¡°Chi chi chi~¡±


    In a series of infiltrating sounds tearing up flesh and blood, Long Sankui¡¯s ten fingers resembled the ws of an eagle and tore the corpse into pieces.


    Xiao Luo clenched his right fist and struck through the rain. He hit in to Long Sankui¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Pew~¡±

 Chapter 239 - Asura field

    Chapter 239: Asura field


    CRACK!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tremendous blow immediately cracked several ribs as it mmed into Long Sankui¡¯s nk. The force of the punch sent his body sailing through the air over a distance of seven to eight meters, crashing into his Taishi chair like a cannonball. Blood flowed out of his mouth and nose. The phone that he left on the antique ckwood chair was knocked to the floor.


    Long Sankuiid slumped in an awkward position. The impact from Xiao Luo had damaged most of his internal organs. He was coughing up blood, and his face had turned sheet white.


    Defeated! Long Sankui had actually been defeated!


    But Long Sankui would not ept defeat. He did not single-handedly build an empire just for someone like Xiao Luo to destroy at his whims and fancy. He raised his head with great difficulty and looked out at the yard of his vi. He watched as Xiao Luo picked up his blood-stained, nine-ringed sword and strode across the water-logged ground. In his hand, the nine-ringed sword was thirsting for more blood.


    Suddenly, the phone that had fallen on the floor rang. The avatar on the caller ID was a cute little boy, a bright and cheerful boy, wearing a birthday hat with a bit of cream on the tip of his nose.


    Long Sankui¡¯s grim and vicious expression suddenly changed drastically to show a loving and cheerful countenance. It was as if he was another person. There was no longer any murderous and evil glint in his eyes. His hands trembled now, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was the pain or because he was stirred emotionally. With shaking hands, he eventually managed to swipe it right and connect the call.


    ¡°Hello hubby, we have arrived in America. In fact, we just got off the ne. Doudou is really sleepy now, but he insisted that he would only sleep after talking to you,¡± a woman¡¯s voice could be heard over the phone.


    Long Sankui smiled and said: ¡°Then put my son on the line.¡±


    ¡°Doudou,e talk to daddy,¡± thedy handed the phone over to the little boy.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± came the voice of a child.


    Long Sankui¡¯s smile widened, ¡°Hey, why is my Doudou not sleeping yet? You are not a good boy if you sleepte.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, the sun here is very high up. Doudou can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Haha, is that so? It¡¯s night time here where daddy is, and it¡¯s also raining heavily. Cough, cough¡­¡±


    ¡°Daddy, why are you coughing? Did you catch a cold?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t worry, Doudou, your daddy¡¯s Superman. No matter how cold I am, I won¡¯t ever freeze, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, my daddy is Superman!¡±


    ¡°Doudou, you must always be a good boy over there. You must listen to your mother. And you must sleep on time. Next time when you go to school, study hard, so when you are older, you can take care of mummy and daddy, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As he spoke, Long Sankui¡¯s eyes became wet with tears. His tears trickled down the corner of his eyes, and he seemed to have aged a decade.


    Xiao Luo stood right in front of him now, holding the nine-ringed sword, as blood-stained rainwater dripped from the edges of his clothing. He was in no hurry.


    FLASH!


    A bolt of lightning shed illuminating the night sky, briefly revealing the entire Jiangcheng from its cover of darkness.


    In the sh of lightning, Xiao Luo looked like the grim reaper who hade to earth to fulfill his task. The de of the nine-ringed sword glinted with a cold light.


    ¡°Bye, daddy, Doudou will be a good boy and listen to daddy.¡±


    ¡°Hubby, don¡¯t stay up toote all the time. Remember to rest, okay. Don¡¯t you worry, I will take good care of Doudou, concentrate on your business.¡±


    ¡°I will, Ming-Hui, I will.¡±


    Long Sankui made a long sigh and hung up the phone.


    As soon as he hung up the phone, his eyes changed again, and they burned with hatred.


    After he coughed up five or six more mouthfuls of blood, his body felt better. He red fiercely at Xiao Luo, and cursed, ¡°Little rotten Pr*ck, I feel really unwilling to die in your hands. Just what the f*ck are you, HUH?¡±


    He roared thest word out loudly, releasing his deep anguish all at once.


    Xiao Luo looked at him with dispassionate eyes. The ominous de of the nine-ringed sword fell with a decisive stroke.


    Whoosh~¡­ plop, plop, plop.


    Long Sanku was decapitated with a clean stroke, his head fell and rolled a short distance across the floor. The headless body remained in position, leaning against the overturned Taishi chair, as blood sprayed from its cleaved neck.


    WOO-WOO WOOP WOOP WOO-WOO


    The wail of police sirens filled the air, and the vi was surrounded by bright red and blue lights. As often is the case, police officers hurried on to the scene after everything was already over.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes stared nkly at the scene outside. His ears did not hear the sirens, held only heard the sound of the falling rain.


    He threw the nine-ringed knife on the ground and walked up to the unconscious Bai Ling. He untied her, removed the gag in her mouth, and picked her up, then slowly walked out of the vi.


    His impetuous heart had suddenly calmed, he was unable to exin the feeling, but it felt like everything had suddenly quietened, and a heavy burden was lifted.


    The rain had drenched Xiao Luo¡¯s ck hair and washed away the bloodstains on his body, but he was still bleeding from his severe wounds.


    ¡°Ding, Warning. The host body is in trauma, insufficient points to start the healing ability, please get the host to self-heal immediately.¡±


    In his mind, the system notification had prompted a critical warning. Its digitized voice was ever monotonous and without emotion.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t hear it and continued out of the door carrying Bai Ling, his face without expression.


    A row of police cars was lined up, their lights shing intermittently outside the entrance of the mansion. Fifty to sixty police officers were spread out in front of him, training their guns at him, and the special forces officers in ck uniforms quickly surrounded him.


    Gu Qianlin, who led the team, held a megaphone in her hand and prepared to give orders. Then Xiao Luo spoke.


    He looked directly at Gu Qianlin with defiance, and said: ¡°Officer Gu, can you call an ambnce before arresting me?¡±


    As soon as he spoke, he fell to the ground with Bai Ling in his arms and lost consciousness.


    The blood flowed from both their body and slowly darkened the soaked ground around them.


    ¡°Quick, get them to the hospital!¡± Gu Qianlin ordered urgently.


    An officer of the same rank, Ye Wensong, led another team into the vi. When they saw the scene in the yard, everyone was stunned, rooted where they stood and in absolute shock.


    They held their breaths; before them, they could only see the Asura field [1] strewn with the remains of corpses, in heaps of flesh and blood. They were in disbelief and only hoped that what they saw was an illusion. They did not dare to imagine what had happened here.


    Broken arms and legs, scattered entrails, headless bodies, and severed heads¡­


    The heavy rains could not wash away the blood from the ground or the reek of blood from the air.


    ¡± Hwekk!¡±


    Several experienced police officers immediately vomited when they walked into the vi.


    Gu Qianlin, who came inter, looked at the scene with equal shock. She shook her head and only said: ¡°That¡­ devil!¡±


    To turn a vi into an Asura field, if he was not the devil, then what was he. This was a horrific scene, she swore that she would make Xiao Luo pay during the trial.


    Footnote:[1] Asura: A ss of beings or power-seeking ns rted to the more benevolent Devas, and described in Indian texts as mighty superhuman demigods with good or bad qualities.

 Chapter 240 - Bail him

    Chapter 240: Bail him


    The massacre by Xiao Luo at Long Sankui¡¯s vi shocked all the police officers who were at the scene. These were experienced police officers who had handled many cases and had seen their fair share of bloody crime scenes. But none of those could match the blood and gore of the ughter they had just witnessed here. It was like hell on earth.


    Chong Shange and Chu Yunxiong sat together, looking at the storm raging outside and pondered on the fate of one man. Their faces revealedplex emotions that could hardly be expressed in words. They had already found out that Xiao Luo had killed Long Sankui and over 200 of his men in just in a single night, and that he had also been caught by the police. No matter how they looked at it, they couldn¡¯t ignore the crime.


    ¡°Ahh, Little Luo, why didn¡¯t you control yourself?¡±


    Chu Yunxiong sighed and mumbled to himself. In fact, in recent times, he had been paying close attention to Xiao Luo¡¯s actions. He had known about Xiao Luo breaking up the vice rings, the fights, and the anti-narcotics campaigns. He had monitored Xiao Luo¡¯s every step, and sometimes he even found himself apuding the intrepid hero.


    The Dragon Gang was already slowly heading towards destruction, so why, at this veryst moment, did Xiao Luo have to go directly to the vi to wipe them out? Sooner orter, evidence of Long Sankui¡¯s crimes was bound to surface. And then given enough time with his identity as a police officer, Xiao Luo could arrest Long Sankui. Wouldn¡¯t that have been perfect?


    Chu Yunxiong¡¯s heart was filled with a sense of regret, and how the whole affair had turned out was something he found difficult to reconcile with. Although he had a strong influence on authorities in Jiangcheng, he was just a businessman at the end of the day. Thew was an imposing mountain in front of Xiao Luo, which he failed to negotiate. And once he hadmitted murder, even if he were the emperor, he would still be subjected to the same trials as his fellow citizens.


    However, he was stillmitted to putting in as much effort as he could. He promptly took out his mobile phone and dialed Ge Zhongtian¡¯swyer, requesting that he started preparing immediately and do his absolute best to defend Xiao Luo in court.


    ¡­..


    At the police headquarters, several unexpected guests dropped into Fan Changlong¡¯s office.


    A middle-aged man had visited, apanied by two tall and well-limbed men.


    All three men were well-dressed, looking smart and dapper in their sleek suits. They carried themselves well, with a confident and dignified air. The middle-aged man¡¯s hair was all white, but it did not seem to have affected his rigor and spirit. He stood upright, holding his walking stick directly in front of him and looked directly at the chief with a slight smile.


    ¡°Old Captain?!¡±


    When he saw the middle-aged man, Fan Changlong was pleasantly surprised and immediately put down whatever he was doing. He hurriedly stood up to wee him.


    The middle-aged man smiled slightly: ¡°Changlong, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. I hope my sudden visit here won¡¯t be interrupting your work?¡±


    ¡°No, what are you saying? From the bottom of my heart, I can¡¯t express how d I am that Old Captain hase to visit me. Please, take a seat.¡±


    Fan Changlong¡¯s face was brimming with joy. He cordially invited the middle-aged man to take a seat on the sofa in the office, then turned to pour tea. But, at the same time, he was a little puzzled. The old captain now headed the state secret service, NSA, in Xiahai City. Why was he here, and what¡¯s more, why was he here in the middle of the night? Was it rted to Xiao Luo?


    ¡°Changlong, I came here to bail out a particr person,¡± the middle-aged man said, straight to the point. He gave a respectful smile.


    Upon hearing this, Fan Changlong almost stumbled and spilled the cup of tea he had just poured for the captain.


    He came over with the cup of tea and asked with a smile: ¡°Captain, who do you want to bail out?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    The middle-aged man said the name clearly.


    Fan Changlong was taken aback, and a host of questions immediately ran through his mind. So the old captain had reallye for Xiao Luo. And since when did Xiao Luo have a rtionship with the NSA? Why was he so important that even the old captain hade all the way here in person to bail him out.


    ¡°Old Captain, this¡­¡±


    ¡°I know this will put you in a challenging position, but I have to bail out Xiao Luo no matter what he did or what crimes he hasmitted. He must remain safe. As for why he should be bailed out, this is an NSA secret and confidential matter,¡± the middle-aged man said calmly. He still had a smile on his face.


    Fan Changlong was dumbfounded. This was the first time he saw his old captain being this insistent and persevering.


    ¡°Old Captain, I know that the NSA is higher up the order than the police force, but Xiao Luo is a criminal who killed more than two hundred people in one night. At the crime scene, it looked like a river entirely of flowing blood¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man waved and interrupted, ¡°But what he killed were the social tumors, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°When I left that year, I also instructed you to bring Long Sankui to justice and eradicate the forces of the Dragon Gang. I did mention that, right?¡± the middle-aged man interrupted mercilessly again.


    Fan Changlong bowed his head, feeling the pressure. He could only reply with a single word: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, after so many years that have passed, why hasn¡¯t Long Sankui been apprehended yet? What¡¯s more, he was allowed to establish an underworld empire. Are you to avoid taking responsibility for this?¡± The smile of the middle-aged man had long since disappeared, and his face now carried a stern expression. It was looking like the elders reprimanding the juniors formitting mistakes.


    Fan Changlong¡¯s forehead began to sweat. He realized that the old leader was threatening him. The NSA had the power to sanction corrupt officials, both internally and externally. If they decided to investigate whether he was in cahoots with the underworld gangs and if he was involved in their dealings, then his career would end right then and there.


    The middle-aged man leaned back, and further borated on his point, ¡°What you didn¡¯t manage to do, Xiao Luo has done for you. Although the methods were a little brutal, everything he did has aplished more good than harm.¡±


    His methods were only a ¡°little¡± brutal?


    Was this really only a little brutal?


    Fan Changlong wanted to refute his argument, but this man was his former captain, so he had to choose his words carefully.


    ¡°Old Captain, it is a fact that Xiao Luo hasmitted murder. Furthermore, he is probably the ¡®Mr. X¡¯ we have always been looking for.¡±


    The middle-aged man looked directly into Fan Changlong¡¯s eyes, and said with a tinge of disappointment, ¡°Probably? When did you stop being particr about evidence?¡±


    Fan Changlong stood his ground and sternly said, ¡°As long as he in custody and interrogated, we will surely get the truth out of him.¡±


    The middle-aged man smiled mockingly and responded, ¡°Now that I have left, I have no authority to give you orders anymore. That¡¯s true, there¡¯s no reason for you to listen to me now.¡±


    Fan Changlong¡¯s mind was shaken, and he stood up straight, ¡°Old Captain, I can¡¯t bear what you just said to me. In my heart, I have always regarded you with respect and admiration. I also see you as my mentor. However, this problem with Xiao Luo is not a simple matter. It¡¯s more than two hundred lives. No matter what, he cannot escape thew.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to ask you, what is the purpose of having aw system?¡±


    ¡°To maintain social rtions and public order, to support the country¡¯s stability and sustain long-term development,¡± Fan Changlong answered.


    The middle-aged man nodded, ¡°Since you know that the fundamental purpose of thew is to support the stability of the country and its sustainable long-term development, then I¡¯ll tell you now that the existence of Xiao Luo is to enable to the country to remain stable and sustainable for our long-term development. If you put him in jail or let the court sentence him to death, I can tell you that our country will soon be turbulent, and a devastating catastrophe will soon befall us!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Fan Changlong broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself, ¡°What is it about Xiao Luo that makes him this important to the country?¡±


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Just at that moment, someone was at the door.


    The team leaders Gu Qianlin and Ye Wensong walked in.


    ¡°Dad?!¡±


    Seeing the middle-aged man, Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

 Chapter 241 - Gu Zhanguo

    Chapter 241: Gu Zhanguo


    The middle-aged man was the highest-ranking NSAmander in NSA¡ªGu Zhanguo. He was also Gu Qianlin¡¯s father.


    Fan Changlong quietly let out a sigh of relief. He was in no position to argue with this senior leader. Now that Gu Qianlin was back, Gu Qianlin was able to speak to Gu Zhanguo and the leader of the Interpol Brigade. It was much safer.


    ¡°Qianlin!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo immediately put down the cup of tea and got up from the sofa.


    Gu Qianlin walked over and asked, ¡°Dad, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°There are some things that I might need Changlong¡¯s help with.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo smiled and said, ¡°Take a look at yourself. You¡¯re always so busy with work that you¡¯ve exhausted yourself so much and lost so much weight. Your mom and I aren¡¯t in Jiangcheng, so you¡¯ve got to learn to take better care of yourself. I¡¯m going to be very upset if you exhaust yourself so much that you fall sick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not as serious as you¡¯re making it out to be,¡± Gu Qianlin replied.


    Gu Zhanguo let out a hardyugh and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for a girl to work this hard. It¡¯s about time you start thinking about your future. Oh right, are you seeing anybody right now? Your mom and I can¡¯t wait to have a grandson, so you better put in a little more effort.¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s face turned red with embarrassment. She hastily replied, ¡°Father, we can talk about this sort of stuff when I¡¯m back¡­¡±


    It did not feel good or seem appropriate to have her father question her about her personal life in front of her leader.


    Ye Wensong, who had a crush on her and was constantly chasing after Gu Qianlin, couldn¡¯t help but straighten his body and look straight ahead in an attempt to make himself look tougher. He was hoping that Gu Zhanguo would suddenly pay attention to him.


    In the end, Gu Zhanguo didn¡¯t even look his way. He changed the subject and said, ¡°Alright, I know you can¡¯t rush things like this. It¡¯s all dependent on fate. What about that girl Qianxue? She hasn¡¯t caused you any troubletely has she?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s pretty alright. Dad, let¡¯s talk about family matters like thister. I have some work-rted matters that I have to report to Leader Fan.¡±


    Gu Qianlin immediately stopped him and walked forward. She reported to Fan Changlong, ¡°Leader Fan, Xiao Luo is severely injured. They are taking him to the hospital now to save him. We¡¯ve done a thorough check on the identity of the girl who was with him. She¡¯s a student currently enrolled at Huaye University. Her name is Bai Ling. ording to our preliminary assumptions, she is most probably someone Long Sankui captured in order to threaten Xiao Luo.


    On top of that, ording to the investigations that we have conducted recently, Xiao Luo used to conceal his identity. He attended Huaye while pretending to be a student in order to protect Chu Yunxiong¡¯s daughter, Chu Yue. The target of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps was Chu Yue, so we can basically confirm that the secret guy who murdered the 17 members of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps at Wild Boar Ridge that day was Xiao Luo.¡±


    Fan Changlong nced at Gu Zhanguo and noticed a change in his facial expression. He nodded his head and said, ¡°What about the guy who helped the police deal with ck Gun and Hei Qiang at the pier on Sept. 12? He made use of us to wipe out Guo Jianghu and his gang. Can we confirm his identity as well?¡±


    ¡°ording to the statement provided to us by one of Guo Jianghu¡¯s men, because he injured his leg, he couldn¡¯t take part in the operation on the night of Sept. 12. However, what he knew was the reason why Guo Jianghu went there. He wanted to take care of the five people who were disrespectful toward the Dragon Gang. Through an investigation of the city¡¯s foreign poption, we managed to quickly identify those five people. They are Feng Wuhen, Feng Wubao, Feng Sangui, Feng Banjin, and Feng Butong. They were originally from the Feng Vige, which is one of the viges in the Guang Province. They weren¡¯t familiar with the ce and didn¡¯t know anyone when they came to Jiangcheng, so they identally came into conflict with the Dragon Gang.¡±


    Since this was one of the cases that he was in charge of, Ye Wensong continued on with the report. ¡°Right now these five people are on 24-hour duty and are constantly protecting Xiao Luo¡¯s younger sister, Xiao Ruyi. Their loyalty toward Xiao Luo is very obvious. On the night of Sept. 12, Guo Jianghu brought a bunch of people to find trouble with them and forced them into an abandoned warehouse.


    That was a situation in which they were sure to die, but they somehow managed to escape death. It was all because a mysterious man appeared that the situation was able to be turned around. Looking at all the avable evidence, it is without a doubt that the mysterious man was Xiao Luo. Otherwise, it is impossible to exin this level of loyalty they have toward Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the point of what you¡¯re trying to say?¡± Fan Changlong asked, coughing a little.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is the Mr. X that we¡¯ve been looking for all this while!¡±


    Gu Qianlin and Ye Wensong responded in unison. They had been busytely with all sorts of things and were focused on finding evidence of Xiao Luo being Mr. X. It was fortunate that their hard work was slowly paying off. They could confirm that Xiao Luo was indeed Mr. X. All they had to do now was wait for Xiao Luo to regain consciousness so that they could question him.


    Fan Changlong bit the bullet and said to Gu Zhanguo, ¡°Old Captain, you heard it all. Xiao Luo is an extremely dangerous terrorist. If we continue to let him roam freely, we don¡¯t know when he might cause serious injury to many people. This is a beast that could harm anyone at any given moment.¡±


    After hearing that, Gu Qianlin immediately understood the reason her father hade. She turned around, looked at Gu Zhanguo, and asked, ¡°Dad, did youe here because of Xiao Luo?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had caught her father¡¯s attention. On top of that, it even made her father personally attend to the matter.


    Gu Zhanguo didn¡¯t deny it. Instead, he admitted to it without hiding anything. ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to protect him!¡±


    ¡°You want to protect him? You want to protect a cold-blooded murderer?¡± Gu Qianlin was shocked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to protect him, but this country owes it to him,¡± Gu Zhanguo seriously said. ¡°Without him, not long from now, our country is going to face a serious crisis. He is quietly and secretly protecting this country. He is protecting its 13 billion citizens. No matter what he¡¯s done, he can be forgiven.¡±


    Fan Changlong was puzzled by what he heard, but Gu Zhanguo was not the type to say frightening things like that for no reason. Xiao Luo must have made a major contribution for the country. Otherwise, it was impossible for NSA¡¯s No. 1 superior to personally mention that he wanted to protect him.


    ¡°Old Captain, just what did Xiao Luo do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before that it is a secret,¡± Gu Zhanguo firmly said.


    Despite her emotions being slightly unstable, Gu Qianlin said, ¡°Dad, work is work, and whatever happened in the past happened in the past. Right now, we can¡¯t justbine these things together and talk about it. We have to look at them separately. Xiao Luo turned a blind eye andpletely ignored the existence of thew. He killed people ording to his own will. Just tonight he killed 213 people. There were corpses all over the crime scene. The amount of blood could easily form a river. If we don¡¯t bring someone like him to justice, then we are not worthy of donning the police uniform we are wearing right now.¡±


    ¡°Thew doesn¡¯t concern itself with human emotion. I¡¯m sure all of you know why Xiao Luo killed so many people. He wouldn¡¯t kill the innocent, and he is not a dangerous terrorist. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have let apany that was about to go bankrupt grow so quickly in such a short period of time to beat his opponent and be one of Jiangcheng¡¯s most thrivingpanies.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo seriously responded, ¡°Besides, speaking of the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps, since he was Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguard, what was wrong with protecting Chu Yue¡¯s safety? He had no choice but to kill them when facing those Mercenary Corps with fully loaded guns. Surely he couldn¡¯t possibly have reasoned with them. How could he have convinced them with words alone? Also, the ¡®Nine One Two¡¯ incident you guys are talking about¡­


    Don¡¯t you know what those Dragon Gangckeys are capable of? After saving someone from them, they were bound to take revenge on Xiao Luo¡¯s loved ones. In order to protect his loved ones from getting injured, Xiao Luo had no choice but to kill them all. The cruelty toward his opponents was just to protect the people beside him. If you ask me, I think Xiao Luo is an affectionate and loyal person.¡±


    Since he hade all the way from the head office to protect someone, Gu Zhangmo made sure he had done all his homework. Even if it was his daughter, he wouldn¡¯t give in if there was a difference in principles.

 Chapter 242 - Dispute

    Chapter 242: Dispute


    ¡°No matter how much you say it, the fact that Xiao Luo killed people will never change. What is the point of havingws if a murderous viin can run wild and go unpunished without having to be tried in court? Why are we as police officers even still needed?¡±


    ¡°The countryes first, and then its people. Thew follows that. If the state does not exist, even the basic lives of people cannot be protected. If that happens, for what purpose does thew exist?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd, Dad. I think you are getting more and more muddle-headed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bing muddle-headed. I¡¯m seeing things much deeper and more thoroughly. There are many things police officers cannot handle. This world is a lot moreplex than you can imagine. The reason that peace and prosperity can be enjoyed is because so many people have had to make sacrifices to silently protect this country without any medals or honor. Even their names are a nk. However, their contribution is enormous and cannot be erased.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell me that Xiao Luo is such a person?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He is exactly such a person. To all of you he may be a criminal who vited thew, but for the country and the entire Chinese race, he deserves the worthiest of praises.¡±


    Just talking about Xiao Luo made Gu Zhanguo and Gu Qianlin get into a heated argument. By now, their faces and ears had both turned red. Neither of them was willing to back down ande to apromise regarding this subject.


    In an attempt to mediate the argument, Fan Changlong coughed and gently said, ¡°Old Captain and Team Leader Gu, please calm down. Don¡¯t destroy the feelings between father and daughter because of an outsider!¡±


    ¡°Fan Changlong, stop pushing the problem around!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo was riled up and had be hot-tempered. ¡°As the highest-ranking official in the NSA, I will use my position to bail out Xiao Luo. Whoever dares to touch him will be treated and handled as treasonous.¡±


    Sigh¡­


    Fan Changlong took a deep, cold breath. This old captain was bing more serious. The NSA was under the central government¡¯s jurisdiction. Even members of the provincial departments and partymittees had no authority to interfere with the NSA¡¯s actions, not to mention Fan Changlong as the director of the municipal bureau.


    ¡°Do we, the NSA, need to discuss when we take action?¡± Gu Zhanguo shouted, getting his point across with a bright and authoritative voice.


    The two NSA members in suits responded unanimously, ¡°There is no need!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo stubbornly nced at Fan Changlong and Gu Qianlin. He let out a light harrumph before leaving with his hands behind his back. Through his dominating attitude, he had brought the point that Xiao Luo belonged to the NSA and whoever dared to touch him would suffer across to Fan Changlong, as well as Gu Qianlin.


    ¡°The old captain is so hot-tempered. I didn¡¯t say I was going to decline. Sigh¡­¡±


    Fan Changlong spoke with a bitter smile. He had not been nning to give up until all hope was lost and the old captain was forced to make use of his position asmander of the NSA. It was hard to say whether this incident had offended the old captain. In the end, he had to let Xiao Luo go.


    ¡°My dad is muddle-headed! Xiao Luo has to be prosecuted under thew!¡±


    Gu Qianlin was not nning to give in so willingly. Going back to the scene of the underground parking lot, she had seen Xiao Luo brutally kill He Ruanliang with her own eyes that. The scene often appeared in her dreams and had be a thorn in her heart. If Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t brought to justice, she would never be able to get over that incident. Furthermore, punishing crime with justice was the right thing to do, so what was wrong?


    ¡°We are unable to interfere any further,¡± Fan Changlong said after a long sigh.


    Gu Qianlin anxiously asked, ¡°Why can¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°The old captain¡¯s next step will be to make Xiao Luo a member of the NSA,¡± Fan Changlong said. ¡°As the old leader just said, there is no reason for the NSA to discuss their actions with us. Simrly, NSA members are not what we police officers can manage.¡±


    ¡°How can my dad do this?¡± Gu Qianlin asked while gritting her teeth. ¡°This is as good as covering for criminals. I must appeal, even if it means bringing the incident up to Hua Jing. I must stop him from making a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Calm down. No department has the authority to interfere with the NSA¡¯s actions.¡±


    Fan Changlong patted Gu Qianlin¡¯s shoulders and hoped she would calm down. ¡°The old leader is very dominating and determined to bail out and protect Xiao Luo. Presumably, Xiao Luo must have another unknown identity that is rted to national security. In the eyes of the old captain, national security is more important than the sky, so we must make concessions.¡±


    Gu Qianlin was shocked to her core. She started to feel that the world was bing unfamiliar. Ever since she became a police officer, she had been fighting crime. Her principles were that any vition of thew must be pursued. The truth she had believed in was copsing, and she was not willing to ept that.


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving in. By what means can Xiao Luo, whomitted murder without any impunity, get off scot-free? What is the justice that I have been insisting on all this time? If national security is greater than the sky, does that mean that in the face of national security even murder can be pardoned? In the end, am I feeling prejudiced or have the values of this world been distorted?¡±


    She was shouting so loudly at Fan Changlong that her eyes were red. Meeting with her father was supposed to be a happy asion, but her father had instantly destroyed the perspective that she had built growing up. If a murderer could be pardoned, what else was there that could not be pardoned?


    ¡°Qianlin, don¡¯t be like this,¡± Ye Wenson said. ¡°We are still representatives of justice. It¡¯s just that the NSA belongs to the department of national security and we do not have jurisdiction over them.¡±


    Fan Changlong helplessly sighed. His heart was not able to calm down for two days after letting go of a brutal, murderous guy.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know how long he had been in aa. When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital bed. The sunlight shone through the window, which was particrly dazzling.


    After his eyes cleared, he saw a middle-aged man with white hair sitting on the stool next to him. He was holding a fruit knife and peeling apples.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Gu Zhanguo said with a smile.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    Xiao Luo was sure that he did not know or recognize this middle-aged man.


    ¡°Gu Zhanguo, the highestmander of the National Security Administration, NSA.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo introduced himself in a dignified and poised manner. He smiled and asked, ¡°What about you? Do I call you Mie, or your name, Xiao Luo?¡±


    When he heard him casually mention the name Mie, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes slightly widened. He connected it back to the time when he contacted Bai Ling. He somehow figured out what was going on. Bai Ling had cracked his IP address and had always been secretly watched by the NSA people, which was how they were able to locate him.


    Things were really quite simple, but he could not believe that Bailing was actually Bai Ling.


    Bailing¡­ Bai Ling¡­ He should have made the association earlier.


    ¡°Director Gu, do you need something from me?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo handed the peeled apple to Xiao Luo and smiled before saying, ¡°I came to Jiangcheng to bail you out!¡±


    ¡°Bail me out?¡± Xiao Luo asked with surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m here to bail you out,¡± Gu Zhang said, affirming what he had already said.


    ¡°I killed people,¡± Xiao Luo reminded him with a yful look. ¡°I killed a lot of people,¡±


    ¡°I know, but you are Mie!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo¡¯s tone became ominous as he said, ¡°The country needs Bailing, and the country needs you too. With the protection of you and Bailing, only then can the people of China enjoy peace and prosperity.¡±

 Chapter 243 - Old Gangster

    Chapter 243: Old Gangster


    Xiao Luo was ttered. Even he didn¡¯t know when he had be such an important figure.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be too surprised,¡± Gu Zhanguo seriously said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything too surprising. It was you and Bai Ling who blocked the aggression of the foreign hostile forces. It was a long-nned war. Once we lose the fight, our country¡¯swork will be encroached upon and chaos will reign. That will be followed with social riots, horrific terrors, and a loss of control with no order at all, eventually shaking the very foundation of this country.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at the apple that he had been handed. He took it and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t what you¡¯re saying too serious?¡±


    ¡°Serious?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo shook his head. ¡°When everyone¡¯s bank ount has been emptied, traffic lights are randomly changed, and all the satellites in space get disconnected, the whole country will fall into chaos and panic. It will involve too many things at once. No one country could withstand such chaos, especially our mothend, which is undergoing a rapid development.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not speak. Instead, he took a bite of the apple and slowly chewed.


    As far as he was concerned, all he had done was block a hacker-initiated war. He never thought of defending the mothend because the implication of the word ¡°defend¡± was too heavy and brought with it too much responsibility. In his heart, those bloody sacrifices and brave revolutionary martyrs were the only ones deserving of that word. What was he? He was just an ordinary person who identally got ahold of a high-tech system.


    ¡°Actually, we have been noticing you for a while now.¡±


    After speaking, Gu Zhanguo pping twice. The door of the ward was pushed open. A man and a woman walked in.


    Xiao Luo was taken aback when he saw the two people. They were none other than An Huanhuan and Song Jianan from Huaye. They were wearing their NSA professional suits, which game them an aura of capability and unspeakable coldness.


    ¡°Hero Luo, long time no see.¡±


    An Huanhuan greeted Xiao Luo with a smile. Compared with her previous school uniform, she looked even more beautiful wearing the suit. She was like a rose blooming steadily in the night.


    Song Jianan did not speak. He merely looked at Xiao Luo with a friendly smile on his face.


    Gu Zhanguo said, ¡°These are my soldiers from the NSA. The purpose of their disguise in Huaye was to observe whether Bailing was actually Bai Ling from Huaye. During that period, they were disguised in the form of lovers until you appeared.¡± He momentarily caught his breath before continuing, ¡°The strength you demonstrated attracted their attention. In order to test your true strength, Song Jianan gathered all the members of Huaye¡¯s mixed martial arts club against you. At that time you did not use all of your strength.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled but did not speak. He continued to chew on the apple. He had not expected that he was under a state agency¡¯s observation. The identities of An Huanhuan and Song Jianan, in particr, were unexpected. No one would have suspected the truth.


    Gu Zhanguo looked at him. He smiled and said, ¡°After you left school, you took over apany that was close to bankruptcy. Within two months, it was brought back to life. You were then deeply rooted in Jiangcheng¡¯s fight with the Dragon Gang like a tumor and finally put an end to the reign of the secret society. Your capability made me very sure. That was when I knew you were Mie. I am so excited that I can¡¯t describe it with proper words. Do you know that you are a genius? You are a genius without an equal!¡±


    A genius without an equal?


    He wasn¡¯t sure why but whenever Xiao Luo heard these four words, he couldn¡¯t help but want tough. He quickly ate the remainder of the apple and threw the core into the trash can next to him. With a yful and perky tone, he said, ¡°You speak so highly of me, building my ego up like this, so I¡¯m guessing you want me to join the NSA, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I need a talent like you in the NSA.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo spoke with a wide smile. He didn¡¯t even try to deny his intentions. He looked at Xiao Luo with a rxed expression. It was like he had settled on getting Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be bound by all these rules and regtions,¡± Xiao Luo calmly said. ¡°What I want is freedom, not shackles.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo shook his head and sincerely said, ¡°There is no such thing as absolute freedom in this world. When a person is born, one must abide by thews of this world. Otherwise, all that¡¯s waiting for a person is destruction.¡±


    That statement resonated with Xiao Luo and made him think.


    What is freedom? Is it freedom to live in the present, continue working, and live repetitively day by day?


    ¡°You killed people, which is an indisputable fact,¡± Gu Zhanguo said, throwing out a heavy topic. ¡°When you go to court, the presiding judge will sentence you to death for intentional homicide. You still have family members and friends. Do you want them to bear the fact that you will leave forever?¡±


    Visions immediately entered Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. He saw his father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother. It was almost New Year, and they were all waiting for him toe back.


    ¡°As long as you be a member of my NSA team, that will not happen to you,¡± Gu Zhanguo said. ¡°You will still be aw-abiding citizen and the owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop. There will not be any stain on your personal records. Everything you did in Jiangcheng will be considered as nothing but you performing your tasks.¡±


    From those words, Xiao Luo was able to deduce the position of the NSA. If even him, a criminal who killed and was captured by police officers on the spot could be saved, then their authority was sure to override the police system.


    ¡°Do you still need to consider it?¡± Gu Zhanguo asked.


    Xiao Luo snorted lightly and asked, ¡°Do I even have a choice?¡±


    Gu Zhanguoughed loudly and said, ¡°It¡¯s an honor to serve the country. You should not feel like you¡¯ve done any wrong.¡±


    Heughed, which made Xiao Luo do the same.


    ¡°By the way, I just want to ask, what is your rtionship with Gu Qianlin? The two of you have simr vibes, and your surnames are Gu¡­¡±


    ¡°I am her father.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo raised an eyebrow and jokingly asked, ¡°Do you have a crush on her? Should I be a matchmaker and introduce the two of you?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s her, forget it, but I could consider your younger daughter,¡± Xiao Luo said, chuckling lightly.


    ¡°Oh? Really? I guess I¡¯ll have to call her and see what she thinks about it.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo immediately took out his mobile phone and dialed Gu Qianxue¡¯s phone. Xiao Luo looked on in disbelief as he asked, ¡°Darling Qianxue, Xiao Luo asked me if you would like to be his girlfriend.¡±


    What?! @#£¤%¡­


    Xiao Luo opened his eyes widely and cursed non-stop. He didn¡¯t expect the old man to ask that on the spot, especially in such a straightforward manner. He had just been kidding.


    This was the first time An Huanhuan and Song Jianan saw Xiao Luo lose his cool. Neither of them could help but startughing.


    The content of the call between Gu Zhanguo and Gu Qianxue was also very interesting.


    ¡°Xiao Luo and I are already friends.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I am asking if you would like to be his partner.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Let me rephrase and ask again. If he touched you, would you be angry?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo knew that his younger daughter was like a little girl who was not well adjusted to the world, so he made the question straightforward and easier to understand.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression turned into one of fright. He was beginning to wonder if this old man was really the highest inmand in the NSA or if he was just an old gangster.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t!¡±


    Gu Qianxue immediately replied. She was thinking of Xiao Luo patting her forehead, which she would not be angry about.


    ¡°OK, I got it.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo hung up the phone and looked at Xiao Luo with an unexinable strange expression.

 Chapter 244 - Soldier Level

    Chapter 244: Soldier Level


    Since Xiao Luo epted his offer, Gu Zhanguo leftpletely satisfied.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have any other choice. In the meantime, he was amazed by his fate. Who would have thought that the one time Xiao Luo identally offered a helping hand it would attract the NSA¡¯s attention and make their highestmander act as his shield? It felt like a surreal mix of fact and fiction. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh with wonder at how life was like a drama.


    ¡°Hero Luo, we¡¯ll be coworkers from now on.¡±


    An Huanhuan sat down next to Xiao Luo¡¯s hospital bed joyfully and picked up the pear on the nightstand to eat without feeling even a little bit of awkwardness.


    Song Jianan still didn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t know what to say. As a Level C soldier, he had been defeated by Xiao Luo with ease. He felt like he was always a tiny bit inferior to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Should I thank you?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her dispassionately. He had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was not delighted for being under people¡¯s secret surveince. On the other hand, he might have been finished this time if not for An Huanhuan. He had to pay the price for his killings.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Hero Luo. By the way, you don¡¯t need to feel pressured. It¡¯s quite easy to work for the NSA, especially for a special soldier like you. You can still live like an ordinary person. Even if we have operations for you, we will notify you in advance so you can have enough time to be prepared.¡±


    An Huanhuan grinned yfully and moved closer to Xiao Luo¡¯s ear. She whispered, ¡°Also, I was not joking when we were at Huaye University. You really are my type!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not my type.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    He wouldn¡¯t have felt so repulsed if An Huanhuan was just a student. Nheless, An Huanhuan¡¯s real identity was a member of the NSA, which meant that many seemingly coincidental incidents that happened at Huaye University were actually designed and nned by her. It made him feel icky.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. It¡¯s enough that you¡¯re my type. He-he¡­¡±


    An Huanhuanughed in a simple-minded manner and kept the atmosphere from turning awkward.


    ¡°Can you leave for now?¡± Xiao Luo asked. ¡°I want to have some peace and quiet.¡±


    ¡°Ok. Have a good rest.¡±


    An Huanhuan clearly felt Xiao Luo¡¯s hostility. She decided not to stay in the ward and walked out with Song Jianan.


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes and slowly digested the fact that he had be a member of the NSA while circting his inner force. He had to gracefully ept it since he had no other choice. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t going to be something so terrible.


    ¡­


    Five dayster, Xiao Luo had mostly recovered. The power of the King of Mercenaries Constitution was adequately embodied.


    Gu Qianxue took Xiao Ruyi to visit him. Naturally, how he had carried the knife and went to Long Sankui¡¯s vi to wipe out the enemy was not exposed. Gu Zhanguo had already mobilized his connections and covered it up. No one, except for the police officers who were on call that night, knew about the matter.


    Xiao Luo took off the hospital gown and put on his own clothes. He walked into the next ward. Bai Ling didn¡¯t have a healing ability as good as his. She was still weak and pale, even though she had already woken up.


    Xiao Luo learned from Gu Zhanguo that Bai Ling wouldn¡¯t be recruited by the NSA anytime soon. After all, she was still a college student. She would make her choice after she graduated.


    Bai Ling¡¯s eyes turned red the moment she saw Xiao Luo. She hurried to apologize to him. ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo would not have been so severely injured if not for her. She had put him in this situation.


    Xiao Luo sat down on her bed and shook his head. He said with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel sorry for anything. On the contrary, I need to thank you. Thank you for cracking my IP address. Otherwise, I would have been put into prison by now.¡±


    He knew that Gu Zhanguo only protected him because he was Mie.


    ¡°Are you really Mie?¡±


    Bai Ling still felt it was all unreal and dreamlike.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I said no.¡± He looked at her in admiration. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good. I never thought you would be able to break through my firewall.¡±


    ¡°Any firewall can be breached as long as you carefully identify the pattern of the construction of the codes. You may be Mie, but the most basic elements for building a firewall are still one and zero.¡± Bai Ling was quite pleased with her answer.


    ¡°That means you¡¯re a real genius when ites toputers.¡± Xiao Luo genuinely praised her.


    After sitting in her ward and chatting about some insignificant topics, Xiao Luo got up and said goodbye.


    Out of the blue, Bai Ling shouted at Xiao Luo¡¯s back. ¡°Xiao Luo, do you really not want toe back to Huaye University for a visit?¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped in front of the door.


    ¡°Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and all the other people are concerned about you and hope to see you again, especially Young Mistress Chu,¡± Bai Ling said. ¡°I can tell that she fell in love with you. Even though she never admitted it, she has been talking about you nonstop since you left.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and shook his head as he said, ¡°I already told you, we live in two different worlds and only shortly shared some oveps by coincidence. People from different worlds staying together will only hurt one or maybe even both sides. You¡¯re a perfect example, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Bai Ling¡¯s heart trembled. She recalled the nightmare that happened in Long Sankui¡¯s vi. It was such an awful and terrifying experience that she would probably never be able to forget it her whole life.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t speak anymore. He opened the door and walked out.


    ¡­


    The NSA had a bureau in Jiangcheng. After Xiao Luo¡¯s body was fully recovered, Gu Zhanguo took him to the bureau¡¯s evaluation and assessment department to put in his information.


    Gu Zhanguo introduced the basic structure of the NSA to Xiao Luo. ¡°NSA soldiers are divided into S, A, B, C, and D five levels. S level is the highest, and D is the lowest. The people you¡¯re seeing now are all Level D soldiers.¡±


    Xiao Luo swept his eyes around the room and saw the staff wearing ck uniforms.


    ¡°The two people standing behind me are Level B soldiers,¡± Gu Zhanguo said while folding his hands behind his back. ¡°The higher the level, the fewer soldiers we have. The entire NSA only has two Level S soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Do they have terrifying power?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Gu Zhanguo replied, ¡°Exceptionally terrifying. I will introduce you to them if the chance presents itself.¡±


    While talking, they walked to a delicate machine. It looked very much like an MRI machine only much bigger. There were about half a dozen smallerputers mounted on top of it. The whole set was spotless like some alien technology in a sci-fi movie.


    ¡°This is the equipment for determining level. We will soon know which soldier level you belong to after youy on it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, is it?¡± Xiao Luo asked with some concern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Zhanguo said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s very safe. Every new member who joins the NSA needs to be evaluated. This is what I need to fill in your file.¡±


    Xiao Luo climbed on it andid down. He was still suspicious. Some people from the NSA strapped him on the bed before pushing the buttons on the machine and switching it on. Xiao Luo was slowly pushed into a hollow cylinder. Heid t inside. The blindingly bright lights around him made it impossible to open his eyes.

 Chapter 245 - A Paradox of Good and Eveil

    Chapter 245: A Paradox of Good and Eveil


    The web of green lights slowly scanned Xiao Luo from head to toe. A virtual image of the structure of Xiao Luo¡¯s body soon appeared on the monitor connected to the device.


    Gu Zhanguo stared intensely at the screen. He valued Xiao Luo so much not only because thetter was Destroy, but also because of Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities. Long Sankui¡¯s capabilities were a grade B. Someone who was able to kill Long Sankui definitely had capabilities higher than grade B. In fact, he might even be a grade S warrior, which had a one in 100,000 chance of showing up.


    If Xiao Luo was a grade S warrior, he could be the sharpest knife in the country.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    The device used to determine which grade a warrior belonged to suddenly made a piercing, beeping rm. Garbled text appeared on the monitor of theputer, which had initially been normal.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo hurriedly asked the NSA engineer in charge of the grading device.


    The engineer immediately started tapping on the keyboard with both of his hands and said rather puzzledly, ¡°It¡¯s weird, the device cannot determine his grade as a warrior!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gu Zhanguo shouted.


    The engineer was confused as well and said with a frown, ¡°As long as the party tested is a living thing, this device of ours can determine its grade as a warrior. For some reason, the device cannot determine that of this man¡­¡±


    Gu Zhanguo interrupted him. ¡°Undeterminable? Are you telling me that the man lying over there is not human or cannot even be considered a living thing?¡±


    The engineer was very panicked. After such an anomalous incident happened in front of the suprememander of the NSA, he would probably lose his job. ¡°Maybe¡­ Maybe an error has urred in the device¡­¡±


    ¡°Fool, what good are you if you can¡¯t even maintain a device properly?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo was enraged. He couldn¡¯t wait to find out which grade of a warrior Xiao Luo was. In the end, he was told that the device had encountered an error. It immediately triggered his bad temper.


    All the staff members were so scared that they trembled. The engineer lowered his head. He was so nervous that cold sweat was cascading down his body.


    The beeping rm of the device sounded more and more hurried. It was as if a bomb was ticking down and going to explode at any time.


    Gu Zhanguo was shocked and roared loudly, ¡°Get him out of it, hurry!¡±


    If an ident happened to Xiao Luo there, he would directly go mad.


    The engineer immediately entered themand for the device to open up the cabin, but a red light had already lit up on the device. The rm was deafening. Cold sweat cascaded down the engineer¡¯s body as he discovered that the device gave no reaction after he entered themand.


    The two grade B warriors behind Gu Zhanguo rushed over like a rapid gust of wind and pulled Xiao Luo out of the cylindrical device manually. As they brought Xiao Luo out of the sealed ss room where the device was located, the device exploded with a boom like a bomb.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you alright?¡± Gu Zhanguo asked with concern.


    Xiao Luo pushed away the two grade B warriors supporting him by the arm. He turned back and looked at the exploded device and said with a somewhat ming tone, ¡°Chief Gu, didn¡¯t you say that it was very safe?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo was embarrassed and drylyughed twice. With a dark expression, he roared at the engineer responsible for the device, ¡°Come, you answer this question!¡±


    The engineer was so scared that he trembled and directly sat on the floor.


    Xiao Luo gave a wave of his hand. ¡°Never mind. It is normal for devices to malfunction. I have worked in a factory before, so I know that all too well.¡±


    Actually, he was more or less feeling guilty. The device for determining the grade of a warrior seemed to be able to detect the presence of the system. While he was inside, he felt very ufortable. It was as if his soul had been sucked out of his body.


    ¡°It seems that we can only go to the headquarters to carry out the test,¡± Gu Zhanguo said to Xiao Luo with a smile. ¡°Rest assured, the device there definitely won¡¯t have such a problem.¡±


    ¡°I am already traumatized.¡±


    Xiao Luo immediately rejected him and said, pausing between each word, ¡°I will get mad at whoever brings up this grading device from now on!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo could only lightlyugh. At the same time, he red at the engineer.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo was recorded into the files of NSA and formally became a member of the bureau. A ring was added to his finger.


    The ring seemed ordinary like it was just something off-the-rack that one could buy for 0 by the roadside. After being processed by the NSA¡¯s technical department, it became a tiny tracker created just for Xiao Luo. It was a privilege given to Xiao Luo by Gu Zhanguo. Trackers were normally directly imnted into some part of the body for other NSA members.


    Next, Gu Zhanguo would pair him up with a liaison office, which would be the bridge ofmunication between him and the NSA.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t mind it. He realized that joining the NSA was still quite good. At least, it didn¡¯t require him to clock in and out every day like other jobs. It was more like frencing or a side job more or less. His main duty was to heavily damage foreign enemy forces when they were trying to open up the gates to the inte of the country and stop them from entering the country.


    After leaving the branch of the NSA, Xiao Luo took a cab to the Guangming District police station.


    The enforcement operation that night had been conducted by the headquarters without informing the district station, but word had gotten out. The cops at the district station felt fear and respect toward Xiao Luo. Of course, he didn¡¯t mind it. The Dragon Gang had been destroyed, so it was time for him to take off his police uniform.


    The chief, Hou Zhijie, didn¡¯t say anything.


    Wang Yongjia wanted to say something but held his tongue. After Xiao Luo submitted a letter of resignation, Wang Yongjia told him to take care.


    ¡°Head!¡±


    Wang Lihu and Ye Qiu, who had already been discharged, approached him. They didn¡¯t say much. All their feelings were contained within that shout.


    Xiao Luo patted them on the shoulders and said, ¡°Keep it up. All the best to you.¡±


    As he spoke, he walked out of the district police station.


    At the door, he ran into Liu Tieguo.


    Liu Tieguo was wearing a well-ironed police uniform and a police cap. He had a righteous aura about him. Gu Qianlin and Ye Wensong were with him.


    Xiao Luo walked over and said to Liu Tieguo with a smile, ¡°Brother Guo, it seems that my guess was right. You really are more than 22 years old.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 34.¡±


    Liu Tieguo smiled back. He was Old K. As a member of the special forces, this was the task that had put him in the most conflict.


    He originally thought that Xiao Luo was an incredibly evil man. After being in contact with him, he got to actually know Xiao Luo for who he was. Xiao Luo targeted the Dragon Gang because of a girl who had been harmed by the gang. He was a decisive and resolute man. To his enemies, Xiao Luo was vicious. To his friends and family, Xiao Luo was always enthusiastic.


    If Liu Tieguo had toment on Xiao Luo, he would have said that Xiao Luo was a paradox of good and evil.


    ¡°Actually, Liu Tieguo is not my real name. My real name is¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Guo, as a member of the special forces, it isn¡¯t a wise thing to reveal your real name.¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted a hand and interrupted him. He didn¡¯t want to know Liu Tieguo¡¯s real name. He would always know the man as Liu Tieguo.


    Liu Tieguo didn¡¯t continue and nodded in agreement. ¡°You are right.¡±


    Xiao Luo fixed his gaze on Gu Qianlin. ¡°Officer Gu, surely you aren¡¯t still thinking of arresting me?¡±


    Gu Qianlin gritted her teeth. ¡°If you break thew again, I will definitely arrest you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then keep waiting.¡±


    Xiao Luo asked, ¡°Oh yeah, where¡¯s that girl? I¡¯m leaving, so aren¡¯t you going to let me see her onest time?¡±


    ¡°I warn you, you better stay away from my younger sister!¡± Gu Qianlin shouted. ¡°Being close to you will only affect her ability to distinguish good from evil!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled. He didn¡¯t want to say anything more.

 Chapter 246 - Zhang Dashans Complaints

    Chapter 246: Zhang Dashan¡¯s Comints


    It wasn¡¯t long before Zhang Dashan arrived in a cab. Xiao Luo bid farewell to Liu Tieguo, Wang Lihu, and Ye Qiu, and then hopped into the cab.


    ¡°Hey, Old Xiao, let¡¯s go and buy a car now. Damn, we already have more than one billion dors¡¯ worth of assets, yet we don¡¯t even have a car. If word gets out, the other bosses in Jiangcheng will beughing at us.¡±


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t wait to start bleating about the vehicle issue, which had long been on his mind. He was aware that Xiao Luo had been focused on destroying the Dragon Gang all this while, and that was the reason why he had not been pushing Xiao Luo to buy a luxury car. But, considering that his white Coro was now a pile of scrap, thanks to Xiao Luo, it made every sense for him to invest in another car. In his mind, perhaps something worth several million dors at least.


    As Xiao Luo listened on, he couldn¡¯t help noticing that Zhang Dashan¡¯s skin had gotten much fairer, and his fashion sense had taken a turn for the better. The only thing that had remained the same was his familiar big, fat face. Xiao Luo chuckled to himself. With that prominent face, he could immediately spot Zhang Dashan even among a crowd of 10 million people.


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go to the car dealer.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, hehe¡­ Old Xiao, you are a decisive, clear-minded man!¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t stifle an excited giggle as he patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, then immediately said to the cab driver, ¡°Sir, can you take us to the car dealer. And yeah, it must be a dealer that trades in luxury cars.¡±


    ¡°Alright, no problem!¡±


    The cab driver acknowledged him promptly. But, in heart, he spat and thought, ¡°You two damn posers! If you all really had more than a billion dors, why would you need to take a cab, huh?¡±


    Outwardly, he remained a model of professional behavior; he was responsive to his passengers and kept his eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.


    ¡°Oh yeah, so how is thepany doing? No major issues, I hope?¡± Xiao Luo asked about Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    Zhang Dashan, confident as always, casually chimed, ¡°Old Xiao, with me overseeing it, what issues could there be? Besides, in addition to me, there¡¯s also Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, Lin Chongdong¡­ they all arepetent too. Aiyah, don¡¯t worry, the operation of thepany is just fine.¡± Then his tone hardened, and he added, ¡°It¡¯s just that Xu Guansong. That c*nt is just irritating!¡±


    ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°What else?! He¡¯s still unconvinced about my appointment and feels that he is the most qualified to be in charge while you are away. Now, he has created cliques and factions in thepany, and he¡¯s bent on isting me. Goddamn, that mother*cker!¡± Just speaking of Xu Guansong made Zhang Dashan vent his pent-up anger.


    ¡°Does he not know that I was the one who appointed you?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible that he doesn¡¯t? The entirepany knows that I am the person that you have appointed for thepany to take charge of.¡±


    The more he talked about it, the more worked up Zhang Dashan got. He seethed as he recounted a recent incident, ¡°During thestpany meeting, we had key decisions to make, and my opinion differed from Xu Guansong¡¯s, so I argued with him. Do you know what he said to me in the end, he said that I am part of your boys¡¯ club and only got the job because of you. He even said that I would be nothing without you. He really p*issed me off so much that I wanted to hit him. Anyway, so what if I have you as my brother, I am proud of having such brothers. Who the f*ck does he think he is, and what right does he have to criticize me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not an overly protective person by nature, but he felt agitated when he heard that Zhang Dashan had been bullied. He knew very well that if Xu Guansong hadn¡¯t crossed the line, Zhang Dashan would never haveined to him, otherwise.


    Furthermore, he was the owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop, and it was his prerogative to entrust it to the person he trusted the most while he was away. The fact that the business was still thriving during this period was sufficient to prove Zhang Dashan¡¯s capabilities. While there was some truth to the im that Zhang Dashan was part of his clique, this was mainly because of Zhang Dashan¡¯s abilities, which could clearly be seen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to thepany and have a word with him!¡±


    ¡°Brother, I was just waiting for you to say so. As a temporary employee, I have no right to reprimand him at all, but not for you, as the rightful boss of thepany. That Xu Guansong definitely won¡¯t dare to stir too much trouble in your presence.¡± Zhang Dashanughed mischievously.


    Xiao Luo sighed as he turned to look out of the window.


    It was one month to the new year, and the festive mood was getting into full swing. All along the road, red-colored decorations of all designs and sizes had been put out. At the train station, many outstation workers were waiting in a long queue. Evidently, they were all queuing to buy train tickets to go home.


    ¡°Old Xiao, why didn¡¯t you ask about Sister Huang?¡± Zhang Dashan suddenly said.


    Huang Ruoran?!


    Xiao Luo turned and asked back, ¡°Why would I ask about her?¡± Then he asked again, ¡°Didn¡¯t you properly send her on her way thest time?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, are you doubting my abilities? Of course, I sent her on her way. But Sister Huang is gorgeous, definitely my cup of tea, and more importantly, she¡¯s still in university. If I can¡­ with her¡­ Hehehe¡­ Wahhh, see, my d*ck is stirring with deep passion just thinking of her!¡±


    A longing, but somewhat perverse, look formed in Zhang Dashan¡¯s dreamy eyes. ¡°Thanks to you, brother, I¡¯ve already gotten her contact number. Rest assured, she won¡¯t get anywhere near you. Whenever shees over to find you, it will be a chance for her and me to get to know each other. I believe that as long as I am patient and determined, this delicate flower will one day belong to me.¡±


    ¡°Then you should work hard and make it work. You can date Huang Ruoran for two years and wait until she graduates then marry her.¡±


    Xiao Luo had no objections. Although he was still single, he didn¡¯t wish the same for Zhang Dashan. Of course, Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t really interested in students, preferring someone more mature. And among the adults, other than Sun Yu, only Gu Qianxue had caused a stir in his heart. But he found her a little too innocent, and besides, she was also the daughter of Gu Zhanguo and the younger sister of Gu Qianlin. Theseplications prevented him from pursuing a serious rtionship with her, and it would be best to keep a distance.


    ¡°Wait, your *ss. Two years is too long, I can¡¯t wait. If I manage to be in a rtionship with Sister Huang, I¡¯ll try to get her pregnant quickly. After all, since when did thew prohibit university students from getting married? As long as they are above the legal age, it¡¯s okay. ¡°Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Luo was left speechless.


    After about half an hour, they arrived at thergest car dealership of Jiangcheng.


    ¡°F*ck, there really is no limit to your boasting, is there. What one billion dors¡¯ worth of assets, why settle for a university student? If you¡¯re so capable, you can get any beauty you want, even go to heaven and be a god. What nonsense!¡±


    Eavesdropping on the conversation Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan were having along the way, the cab driver had gotten riled up. He despised such braggarts, always thinking they were so much better than he. When he had dropped them off at the destination, he spat viciously at them after they walked away, before driving away in a dour mood.


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan had long been eyeing a particr car model, the Range Rover SV Autobiography, Long Wheelbase variant. It was sold for almost 1.8 million dors, including tax and some other fees, bringing up the total cost to some two million dors.


    ¡°Gentlemen, are you two looking to buy a car?¡±


    A salesperson walked over.


    Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan looked at her and instantly recognized her. What a coincidence.


    Thedy was none other than Fang Shn, the daughter of Fang Changlei, the former boss of Taste Buds.


    Fang Shn wore a business suit that entuated her slender, well-limbed figure. After Taste Buds had been dered bankrupt and Fang Changlei sent to jail, she had be less arrogant and looked iner.


    When she set eyes on Xiao Luo, she was momentarily stunned, then her shock turned to anger. She had a deep hatred for him because of what her father, Fang Changlei, had gone through. Her father had also told her that Xiao Luo, the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, was the cause of his demise. All she knew was that her father went bankrupt and got imprisoned because of this man.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you are a cruel man. I am the one who offended you, so target me if you must, why did you target my father?¡± Fang Shn demanded. Losing control of her emotions, she revealed her true colors.

 Chapter 247 - Fire

    Chapter 247: Fire


    ¡°Your father is in jail because he deserves it, it has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered her calmly. Fang Changlei¡¯s imprisonment had nothing to do with him. And insisting that it did, would be like saying that Fang Changlei failed in his attempt to frame Xiao Luo. The present demise of Fang Changlei and taste buds was his own undoing. It was he who perpetuated unfairpetition andmittedmercial espionage. He even spent money to bribe reporters and doctors to damage the reputation of Luo¡¯s Workshop. All of Fang Changlei¡¯s crimes could be likened to the ¡°silkworm producing silk, and at the end bound by the cocoon it had spun.¡±


    ¡°Prettydy, don¡¯t simply use people, surely you can¡¯t fault us for defending ourselves when your father was the one trying to harm us. There¡¯s no such rule in the world, so you really can¡¯t me us for what happened to your father.¡± Zhang Dashan spoke up and nodded, in total agreement with himself.


    ¡°Shut up, you are birds of a feather, of course, you would take his side.¡±


    Fang Shn shouted angrily, her glowering stare still fixed on Xiao Luo. She said to him viciously, ¡°Xiao Luo, one day, I will take down your Luo¡¯s Workshop and take back everything that belonged to my father!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled slightly, he had no wish to argue with the woman, as an argument between them was, at the end of the day, entirely pointless.


    A senior salesperson walked over hurried, looking sternly to Fang Shn, and in a voice of reprimand, she said, ¡°Shn, how many times have I reminded you to serve your customers with a smile? How can you not remember my words? Please be more attentive and enthusiastic in your attitude toward customers, make them feel the sincerity of our service. If I ever see you speaking to your customers this way again, you don¡¯t have toe to work anymore.¡±


    She was obviously Fang Shn¡¯s superior, and Fang Shn quickly lowered her head and apologized with a slight bow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, manager, I will definitely give it my best in the future¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will take care of these customers, you may take your leave now and pull yourself together. If you continue to serve customers this way, how will our outlet get any business done?¡±


    The sales manager did not hear what Fang Shn had said earlier, but she had been working in sales for almost a decade. She only needed to take one look at a salesperson¡¯s bodynguage to know if they were providing service genuinely or not, and she was very dissatisfied with Fang Shn¡¯s performance.


    Fang Shn had a reputation for being rude to her customers. Simr incidents had happened several times before. Once Fang Shn had even argued with a customer and brazenly told him to go elsewhere to buy a cheap, locally-manufactured car if he couldn¡¯t afford it, and not loiter at an exclusive Land Rover sales outlet. Was this something a salesperson was supposed to say?


    Fang Shn left, thoroughly embarrassed.


    ¡°Gentlemen, I¡¯m so sorry, she is new here, I hope that her poor attitude hasn¡¯t offended you in any way.¡± With a warm smile, the sales manager said to Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°No, not at all. We are good,¡± Zhang Dashan said, chuckling.


    The sales manager smiled sweetly and pitched her sale, ¡°Are there any particr models you would like to look at? We have theplete range of vehicles, and various models for both the Land Rover and Range Rover are avable. If you buy a vehicle from our outlet today, you can even enjoy a 2% discount.¡±


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan opted for a Long Wheelbase variant of the Range Rover SV Autobiography. When he informed the manager that he¡¯d make the full payment immediately, the entire outlet of the exclusive Land Rover franchise buzzed in low murmurs. There were several of the younger saledies that looked visibly stunned, with the word ¡®tycoon¡¯ clearly registered in their wide-open eyes. The vehicle cost a whopping two million dors, so how rich would one have to be to pay in cash?


    The sales manager didn¡¯t expect to have such prodigal big spenders to walk into her outlet today. It was an unexpected and wee surprise.


    ¡°Old Xiao, aren¡¯t you going to buy one too?¡± Zhang Dashan asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°For now, no.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head. He probably would not be in Jiangcheng next year, so it would have to wait until hepleted his uing ns.


    Zhang Dashan made an attempt to coax him, and said, ¡°Damn, it is easier to get girls if you have such a vehicle. Believe it or not, when I drive this SUV out, pretty girls will definitely turn back to look at me more frequently than before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, sir, why not you pick one for yourself too. If you purchase two cars in one go, you can enjoy even more promotions.¡± The eyes of the sales manager gleamed with hope and anticipation. The two men in front of her were like the gods of prosperity. If she could sell one more car, she would have a perfect new year celebration to look forward to.


    Xiao Luo still didn¡¯t consider it. He definitely needed to buy a car, but not at this time.


    Meanwhile, Fang Shn was standing glumly in a corner, not knowing what to feel. Her father¡¯spany had gone bankrupt, and family friends and rtives that had so often visited them in the good days suddenly stayed away. Even her lover, Fu Jiawei, had dumped her. Strapped for cash, there was nothing she could do but to quit her studies and start working. Her brother had to also find work in a carwash. Everything had changed, and all of a sudden, she had been thrown from heaven into hell.


    She still recalled what Xiao Luo told her at Fu Jiawei¡¯s vi that day. He said that every dog would have its day, and maybe, she would be the one having to look up to others when they met the next time.


    She didn¡¯t give it any thought back then, convinced that Xiao Luo was ridiculous to say such words, and totally unaware of his social station. But now she realized what a terrifying man he was. It didn¡¯t take a couple of decades, but just several months, for her to have to look up to him.


    Life¡­ how ironic!


    As for now, without financial help from Chu Yue, she probably couldn¡¯t even survive.


    ¡­


    The next day happened to be the first of the month, and Luo¡¯s Workshop held their monthly meeting as usual.


    All the managers of their stores in Jiangcheng and the senior management members attended the meeting. Besides reviewing the performance of the past month, they also had to discuss the details and goals of the n for the uing month.


    As the acting president of Luo¡¯s Workshop, the first thing Zhang Dashan said when he called the meeting to order was this: ¡°Xu Guansong, you are fired!¡±


    The people in the conference room were utterly stunned, and there was dead silence for a brief moment. The vice president had been fired, what was going on?


    Then the room was suddenly abuzz with murmurs, and everyone started exchanged shocked looks, not knowing what had happened.


    Recovering from the shock, Xu Guansong stood up and shouted at Zhang Dashan daringly. ¡°Zhang Dashan, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    He raised his voice and even drowned out Zhang Dashan¡¯s, with no regard for his superior position.


    At the same time, several trusted subordinates that Xu Guansong had nurtured also stood up and joined the fray in support of their mentor.


    ¡°President Zhang, surely you can¡¯t just fire Vice President Xu without giving us an exnation? Vice President Xu is one of the most senior employees of thepany, do you really think you can fire him just like that?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that you are the one in charge of Luo¡¯s Workshop and that you can fire whoever you like?¡±


    ¡°In terms of capabilities, Vice President Xu is way above you. Don¡¯t you assume unwarranted authority by unting your connections and forget who you truly are.¡±


    Like Xu Guansong, they had no respect for Zhang Dashan. As far as they were concerned, in the absence of Xiao Luo, Xu Guansong should be leading, with absolute control over all affairs of thepany.


    Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, and Lin Chongdong were unsure of exactly what was happening and were unable to speak up.


    ¡°President Xiao has put me in charge of the entirepany, so I represent him. Disrespecting me is equivalent to disrespecting President Xiao. The way I see it, none of you all seem to want to work here anymore,¡± Zhang Dashan said sharply. With Xiao Luo behind him now, he wanted to turn the tables on Xu Guansong and his clique.


    Xu Guansong responded arrogantly, ¡°Zhang Dashan, don¡¯t use President Xiao to subdue me. My contributions to thepany are evident to everyone sitting here. Even if President Xiao were here, he would think twice before firing me, what more a person of your standing.¡±


    Back when Xiao Luo had been here, he was never this arrogant, but now he considered himself to have the prime mover of thepany, and indispensable. Xu Guansong had no regard for any one of them, especially Zhang Dashan. He believed him to be useless and had only been given the job because of his rtionship with Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 248 - Nothing to Lose

    Chapter 248: Nothing to Lose


    ¡°Think twice? Old Xiao, did you hear that? Vice President Xu here doesn¡¯t have any d*mn regard for you.¡± Zhang Dashan called out to his president and couldn¡¯t suppress a conceited smile.


    As he spoke, the door to the conference room was pushed open, and Xiao Luo walked in his business suit. His smooth, fair, and clean-shaven face had a coldness to it. His features wereely, his angr jaw, poise, and confidence gave off vibes that made others take him seriously.


    President Xiao?!


    Everyone instinctively stood up upon seeing Xiao Luo, who meant something to each and every one of them. He was a legend and had saved Luo¡¯s Workshop, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and closure, from the jaws of theirpetitor, Taste Buds.


    ¡°It really is the big boss!¡±


    Luo Qi was both shocked and ted. After not seeing Xiao Luo for such a long time, she did indeed miss him quite a bit.


    The delight was written all over Li Zimeng¡¯s face as well. Xiao Luo was the kind of boss whom subordinates could quickly take a liking to.


    ¡°Seems that there is trouble here.¡±


    Lin Chongdong was more circumspect, as he discovered that every time Xiao Luo appeared with that expression, someone was bound to pay, and who that unlucky person was this time around, was quite evident.


    ¡°President Xiao, when did you¡­ youe back?¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s expression was troubled, not knowing whether to sit or stand, and he appeared a little tentative.


    ¡°I was worried that if I did not return, Vice President Xu, you were going to overstep me.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at him from the corner of his eyes, then gave a wave of his hand and said, ¡°Sit down, everyone, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Everyone sat down immediately, and unlike earlier, they all sat up straight, looking alert and focused. Several people who were dozing off before Xiao Luo stepped in suddenly had no more trouble keeping their eyes open.


    Respectfully, Zhang Dashan gave up his seat in the middle and sat on the right of the long table.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy over some private affairs recently, and I specifically appointed President Zhang to manage thepany for me. When I left, you all also agreed to give your full cooperation to President Zhang. But some people here think that they have done ourpany great service and are indispensable. They even don¡¯t give a d*mn about President Zhang, defying him publicly. Xu Guansong, you¡¯ve really impressed me.¡±


    Xiao Luo was standing and leaning on the table, with both hands on the table supporting his weight. His words sent a chill down the spines of Xu Guansong and his allies.


    ¡°President Xiao, Mr. Zhang is not capable of running this business, how can you leave thepany in his hands? Thepany would go out of business sooner orter if this continues.¡± Xu Guansong exined himself.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t really capable of running this business?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly. ¡°So tell me. How has the business beentely? Have there been any significant incidents? It seems customers¡¯ orders are increasing, and he managed the operations well, yet you are telling me that he isn¡¯tpetent? Surely you aren¡¯t going to im that he wasn¡¯t the one in charge during this period, and thepany did well because of you, Xu Guansong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that,¡± said Xu Guansong.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t, and you dare not, because you did nothing during this period other than to create trouble for President Zhang and embarrassing him,¡± Xiao Luo growled.


    ¡°President Xiao, I know Zhang Dashan is your ssmate in university and your best friend, but you can¡¯t fire me just because I didn¡¯t obey his orders. At the very least, I watched Luo¡¯s Workshop grow. I was already working here when Fang Changmiao was the boss, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone else in thepany that has worked for more years than I have.


    ¡°If you fire me just for your friend¡¯s sake, let me ask you, who in thispany would be able to feel secure about their jobs from now on? And if they identally offended your friend, you would not hesitate to punish them. Aren¡¯t you worried that thepany would no longer have any spirit of unity and fall apart by doing so?¡±


    Xu Guansong responded in a way that portrayed that he had the interest of the employees at heart. At this juncture, he couldn¡¯t turn back, and his best hope was to plow ahead without fear of Xiao Luo as he had nothing to lose. He needed to be perceived that he had the conviction and courage to argue with Xiao Luo. Doing it in front of all the key employees of thepany would strengthen his standing. So what if Xiao Luo was back. He honestly did not believe that Xiao Luo would really dare to fire him.


    As he had hoped, on hearing his words, a looks of doubt formed in everyone¡¯s eyes. Firing Xu Guansong for only being rude to Zhang Dashan was unreasonable and a disappointing decision. The fear had been seeded in their minds, and it yed to Xu Guansong¡¯s advantage.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Xiao Luo nced at him calmly.


    ¡°I dare not, you are the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, and we are all your subordinates. You can fire whoever you want, I am just reminding you not to disappoint us all. No matter how high a building is, as long as its foundation is unstable, it will copse,¡± Xu Guansong said so in an impartial manner, ying to the sentiment of the crowd.


    His words sounded earnest, from the bottom of his heart, and it touched the souls of the listeners. Even Luo Qi and Li Zimeng felt that Xiao Luo was unreasonable, what more the others.


    ¡°Sir, Vice President Xu is loyal to thepany and has been hard at work all along. If you fire him just because he had been rude to President Zhang a few times, I would be the first to object.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, President Xiao, please do not disappoint us as we are all loyal to thepany.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal to have differing views duringpany meetings. Vice President Xu only voiced out his opinion, he wasn¡¯t deliberately being rude to President Zhang. If this isn¡¯t even allowed, who would dare to speak up in meetings the next time?¡±


    ¡°A good decision requires everyone to work as a team and participate in the discussion actively. If there wasn¡¯t even freedom for us to voice our thoughts, there would be no need for a meeting at all, and President Zhang might as well just make all the decisions himself.¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s trusted subordinates began to speak up in support of him. They firmly believe that Xiao Luo would relent.


    But Xiao Luo just smiled and stared coldly at Xu Guansong, and said, ¡°Xu Guansong, do you really not know why I am firing you?¡±


    Xu Guansong was slightly stunned, and he suddenly sensed something amiss. He coughed a couple of times dryly and forced himself to calm down. It was all or nothing, he spoke with the conviction of one with nothing to hide, ¡°President Xiao, don¡¯t mince your words, just say it out loud. A straight foot has no fear of a crooked shoe. I, Xu Guansong, swear on my dignity and have never done anything detrimental to thepany!¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed in derision, then called out fiercely, ¡°Department Head Guo!¡±


    The door to the conference room was pushed open. Ady in office attire walked in, her face pale and uneasy.


    Guo Fu, the head of the finance department?!


    Only then did everyone realize that Guo Fu wasn¡¯t in the conference room when the meetingmenced.


    Xu Guansong had also just realized it. His expression changed drastically, and he cast Guo Fu with a meaningful stare as if warning her of something.


    ¡°The first thing I did aftering back was to visit the finance department and check the ounts for the period I was gone, and I realized that Department Head Guo had manipted the financial reports,¡± Xiao Luo said very calmly.


    While Xiao Luo was talking, Zhang Dashan turned on the projector in the conference room, promptly clicking on two files and projecting the reports in question on the screen.


    Two financial reports were disyed, one interim and the other external. It showed that the contents of the two were identical, except for the final sums of transaction.


    ¡°Thepany pays taxes ording to this financial report. Under the item of the total transaction, the external report has an amount of five million dors less than that of the interim report. However, the tax expense reported to thepany by the finance department is about 200,000 dors more than the actual amount of taxes we are required to pay. This 200,000 dors didn¡¯t enter the government¡¯s coffers, nor did it enter the pockets of everyone seated here.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his gaze to Guo Fu and smiled mockingly. ¡°Department Head Guo, tell us, whose pockets did it enter? As long as you tell the truth, I will not pursue your case, given that no significant damage has been done yet.¡±

 Chapter 249 - Hot Gossip

    Chapter 249: Hot Gossip


    The entire conference room fell into a sudden lull, awaiting what the Department Head Guo had to say. These were unit managers holding critical roles in thepany and familiar with financial matters. They immediately recognized that someone had siphoned money out of thepany. The amount in question was about 200,000 from tax provisions, channeled elsewhere after adjustments were made to the final report¡¯s ie. The day the government¡¯s tax department found out, and they always do, thepany would face severe penalties and even jail terms for its top executives. Tax evasion and fraud were punishable byw.


    Guo Fu nced at Xiao Luo timidly, she really didn¡¯t know why she told Xiao Luo everything. She simply felt that a voice in her head was guiding her, making her expose every detail on the ounting fraud. Little did she know that she had been hypnotized by Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Department Head Guo, aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    Guo Fu trembled as she spurted out her reveal, ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s Vice President Xu, out of the 200,000 plus dors taken from the tax provision, 150,000 dors went to Vice President Xu, I only took¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you! Shut your mouth!¡±


    Xu Guansong screamed, his eyes turned red with rage, and a vein protruded visibly on his forehead. He red at Guo Fu and continued ranting, ¡°You are making unfounded usations! This is defamation, I will sue you for defaming me!¡± With generous amounts of saliva spraying liberally around him, those seated close to him inconspicuously took cover¡­


    ¡°Xu Guansong, be honest and ask yourself, is she really defaming you?¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    Xiao Luo had all along only wanted to use this case as a severe warning to Xu Guansong. But seeing how things had panned out, he was left with no other choice than to put an end to Xu Guansong¡¯s career. While Xiao Luo was away, this man hadmitted a tant act of malfeasance with the head of the finance department and embezzled money from thepany. No boss should have to tolerate such a breach of trust.


    Xu Guansong put forth his argument without any hesitation, ¡°This is outright defamation. With no evidence, she could simply im anyone as the culprit.¡±


    Fixing his gaze on Xiao Luo, he said, ¡°I know, all these so-called evidence have all been arranged by you, right? You want to fire me. But if you fire me solely because I have offended your brother, this would only create doubt in our employees¡¯ minds and affect the unity of ourpany. So, you¡¯vee up with the perfect excuse, using me ofmitting fraud. This gives you have a good reason to fire me. Xiao Luo, you are really good at these underhanded corporate tricks!¡¯


    He even raised an arm in a rally to action, dering loudly to all the key employees present, ¡°Comrades, please don¡¯t be deceived, I am innocent. Xiao Luo is using conspiracy and trickery to force me to leave. I have already worked in thispany for nearly 15 years, and I have dedicated the best years of my life here. But in the end, is this the oue I deserve? Comrades, in your hearts, don¡¯t you all feel worried? With such a boss, can you all still perform at your jobs with peace of mind?¡±


    ¡°What Vice President Xu has said is right, this has all the makings of a conspiracy. President Xiao¡¯s goal is obvious. He just wants to fire Vice President Xu.¡±


    ¡°It is disappointing to see him use such dishonorable tactics against Vice President Xu, one of our longest-serving employees who has been around for ages. He simply isn¡¯t treating us like humans, despite us toiling and sacrificing so much for thepany.¡±


    ¡°I suggest that we all stand together and oppose this overbearing and unreasonable move by President Xiao. As long as we are united, we have safety in numbers, and he can¡¯t fire us all. If he does, thepany won¡¯t be able to continue operating!¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s followers were vocal, and their attitudes were rebellious and arrogant. They had all been promoted by Xu Guansong and were very loyal to him. Among them were even rtives of Xu Guansong himself, who made up the cliques that gave Xu Guansong their unwavering support in the organization.


    BOOM!


    Those seated at the table nearly jumped out of their seats in fright. Zhang Dashan was furious and shot up from his chair, mming both his palms on the table hard. ¡°Big customers will bully shopkeepers, and bad servants would bully their masters. I once thought that these were nothing more than plot in television dramas, so I least expected that I would have the chance to witness it in real life.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, a stick is soon found to beat the dog with¡­¡±


    Xu Guansong said in deep emotion, then dramatically looked to the heavens, resigned to his fate. It appeared as if a righteous person had been wronged¡­ his performance was wless.


    Many of those who heard Xu Guansong¡¯s impassioned plea earlier, and the voices of support that came after, were swayed. The seeds of doubt had truly been sowed. Those in the room could not cast aside their anxieties and worries for their own wellbeing. That their president, Xiao Luo, could stoop to such an hical level of deception just to get his own way, raised questions on their own future in thepany.


    Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, and Lin Chongdong exchanged nces and chose to remain neutral. Although they were convinced that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t that kind of a person, they found it hard to believe that Xu Guansong would embezzle funds from thepany. After all, he had already reached the level of vice president, and besides a high annual sry, he would also receive significant bonuses at the end of each year. Surely he had no need to plunder from the organization.


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Xiao Luo nced indifferently at Xu Guansong.


    Xu Guansong posed with the demeanor of a man with nothing to hide and held his head high. A guilty man would not act in this way.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother with him, and instead turned to look at Guo Fu, and questioned her, ¡°Department Head Guo, I too want to look at the evidence. Since you said that Xu Guansong has taken the money, you must provide proof to convince everyone. Otherwise, they would think that you are only defaming him.¡±


    Guo Fu bit her lips and hesitated for a while, then she raised the hand holding on to her handphone. ¡°There are bank transaction records on my phone. ording to Vice President Xu¡¯s instructions, I transferred the 150,000 dors into an ount in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The ount holder is a woman named Wang Xueli.¡±


    Wang Xueli?!


    Who was the woman? How was she rted to Xu Guansong?


    Everyone exchanged quick nces, and this time, they were puzzled. Was there another twist to the plot?


    Xu Guansong¡¯s face reddened, but he recovered quickly and confidently said in a clear voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know any Wang Xueli or Zhang Xueli,¡± cleverly throwing in a variation of the name for good measure.


    ¡°Shirley, that¡¯s her English name, don¡¯t you always address her that way?¡± Guo Fu said, and a tinge of jealousy could be detected in her voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. If President Xiao had instructed you to bite me, then you really aren¡¯t doing a good job as a b*tch tasked to do the biting!¡± Xu Guansong snorted.


    Bi*tch?


    Hearing the use of that derogatory term, Guo Fu gave him a pained smile as she replied coldly, ¡°Xu Guansong, so I¡¯m a b*tch in your eyes?¡±


    Tears streamed down her face, and she was incredibly hurt.


    Everyone was shocked. Just what was going on?


    It was at that moment that Guo Fu made up her mind. She opened the private storage in her phone and would expose Xu Guansong for what he was. When the contents were presented to everyone, it caused a stir because the folder was full of the photos of Guo Fu and Xu Guansong together, in bed. In every picture, Xu Guansong was asleep in the nude, looking tired, and Guo Fu had her smiling face in the selfie shots.


    Xu Guansong was ck-jawed with shock, and his expression was somewhat moronic like a boy caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He had never expected Guo Fu to have taken photos of them after having sex in motel rooms.


    ¡°As what you all have seen, I have been maintaining an immoral rtionship with Xu Guansong, or to put it another way, I am¡­ the other woman.¡±


    Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Guo Fu had loved Xu Guansong, but he had heartlessly mistreated her, and now she only felt betrayal and hatred. The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. She sobbed, and said with as much dignity as she could gather, ¡°I took all these photos secretly after he fell asleep. He would never allow me to take pictures of him. I never nned to use them for any purpose other than as mementos of our happy times together. Maybe you all think that I am shameless, or dumb, but which woman wouldn¡¯t after falling in love with a man? Although I knew that this affair would not have a good ending, I was still willing to go with him without hesitation.¡±

 Chapter 250 - The Next Destination

    Chapter 250: The Next Destination


    The effect of Guo Fu¡¯s confession in the conference room hit like a runaway freight train and just blew everyone¡¯s mind. They just sat in dead silence, in confusion, trying to process what had just been revealed. Who would have thought that Guo Fu, the head of the Finance Department, was in a sexual rtionship with Xu Guansong? And by the looks of it, they had maintained this rtionship for quite a while.


    ¡°This is shocking!¡±


    Luo Qi eximed, unable to contain her shock.


    Zhang Dashan grinned and giving the man a thumbs-up, he chirped, ¡°Xu Guansong, you have a wife and children, yet you are still able to have an affair and keep a mistress. Wah, how ¡®man¡¯ of you!¡±


    Everyone knew that he was sarcastic. Thepany¡¯s key employees who had initially backed Xu Guansong now had only contempt for the vice president. If Xu Guansong was willing to have a secret affair in his workce, and without his wife knowing, how much could the man be trusted?


    Xu Guansong ignored Zhang Dashan¡¯s quip, and instead, he pointed at Guo Fu and flew into a rage. He roared, ¡°You wh*re, how much money did you get from Xiao Luo! You are willing to defame me even by ruining your own reputation as a woman? Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t dare to send someone after you?¡±


    He was in deep anguish and humiliation and was almost losing his mind. He couldn¡¯t stay calm any longer.


    Guo Fu couldn¡¯t believe the man was still at his devious game, and she retorted icily, ¡°Defame you? Xu Guansong, are you saying that all these photos are fake?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are fake, that man isn¡¯t me at all, you must have photoshop¡¯d them.¡± Xu Guansong screamed hysterically, refusing to admit what he had done.


    ¡°Photoshop? Fine, our colleagues from the IT department are here, let them look at the photos and see if they have been photoshop¡¯d or not.¡±


    Guo Fu tossed her phone to the senior-mostputer engineer from IT to check the veracity of the images and whether they had been tampered with using any software. Xu Guansong had reacted rashly as he was in too deep and had nothing to lose. But the woman who had had her heart broken would have none of that.


    ¡°I can say with 100% confidence that these photos have not been tampered with.¡±


    ¡°Yep, if an image had been photoshop¡¯d, no matter how well it was doctored, it would leave tell-tale signs, such as chromatic aberration.¡±


    ¡°The photos had only been altered by the enhancement effects built into the phone, but the people and the background in it are all real, and there is definitely no forgery here.¡±


    The IT engineers refuted Xu Guansong¡¯s im that the images had been doctored after closely examining them. They were all employees with Advanced Computing Certificates, and they had the experience and knowledge to determine if the pictures were genuine. Everyone now turned to look at Xu Guansong, some stared stone-faced while others gave fleeting nces of revulsion.


    ¡°Xu Guansong, what else do you have to say?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him with a mocking smile forming at the corner of his lips.


    Keeping a mistress was immoral and uneptable in their society. Now that his actions had been brought to light, his reputation and the image he had cultivated over the years was gone in an instant. Xu Guansong¡¯s expression now turned ugly, he gritted his teeth and red furiously at Guo Fu. Then hisposure returned, he suddenlyughed coldly, and said, ¡°So what if I have an affair with this woman, it was consensual, what does it prove? It just proves that she¡¯s a wh*re willing to be f*cked, that¡¯s all. What does the matter of embezzlement we are discussing today have to do with me? Nothing!¡±


    Guo Fu¡¯s tears streamed down her face, she couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. This was the man who had always referred to her as his sweetheart and promised to love her forever. Or rather, that she had foolishly been willing to believe it.


    ¡°Department Head Guo, can you tell us about this Wang Xueli,¡± Xiao Luo steered the topic back on the right track.


    A worried expression formed on Xu Guansong¡¯s face, but it soon passed as he didn¡¯t think that Guo Fu knew much about Wang Xueli other than her bank details. Even if she did know something, he would challenge them as mere spection.


    ¡°Wang Xueli is his paramour!¡±


    As Guo Fu said so, the entire conference room was abuzz with chatter again. What was going on? Xu Guansong was keeping not only one, but two mistresses? Indeed, this was going overboard!


    ¡°Wh*re, what bullsh*t are you saying here. If you dare to sprout more nonsense, I will send someone after you.¡± Xu Guansong was reeling from the revtion, and he red angrily at her.


    ¡°Xu Guansong, shut up for now, can you?¡± Xiao Luo said tersely, giving him a stare.


    ¡°This wh*re is sprouting bullsh*t, she is defaming me, how can I¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted firmly, and this time he emanated a powerful aura, causing everyone in the conference room to sit up.


    Xu Guansong felt a shiver run down his spine, and even his soul briefly left him. He broke out in cold sweat, slumped back into his chair, and looked wide-eyed at Xiao Luo in fear.


    Having killed so many times, Xiao Luo had long since developed an ominous and intimidating aura. An ordinary person like Xu Guansong could never resist such a force.


    ¡°Department Head Guo, please continue,¡± Xiao Luo motioned for Guo Fu to continue speaking.


    Guo Fu nodded and swallowed a mouthful of saliva, as she recovered from the shock. She went on to exin, ¡°Xu Guansong doesn¡¯t understand how a woman feels. I loved him very much, and I would thoroughly investigate any woman around him. Yes, that Wang Xueli is the paramour of Xu Guansong. To keep her happy, he even bought her a sea-view house at South Lake Bay.¡±


    ¡°The purchase of the sea-view house was the exact reason why a small shortfall appeared in Xu Guansong¡¯s cash flow. To fill the gap, he convinced me to alter the financial report.¡±


    That ounted for it!


    Now that the truth had finally been brought to light, everyone openly gave Xu Guansong a look of revulsion and disgust. As if keeping mistresses wasn¡¯t enough, he even had the audacity to talk Guo Fu intomit fraud so that he could siphon out money and use it to please his second mistress. This man did not have a soul!


    ¡°Then do you have any evidence that Wang Xueli is Xu Guansong¡¯s paramour?¡± Xiao Luo asked Guo Fu.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Guo Fu nodded and pointed at Xu Guansong¡¯s handphone, which he had ced on the table. ¡°Wang Xueli¡¯s Wechat username is her English name ¡®Shirley,¡¯ and they have been sending many suggestive messages. Even though he deletes the chat history regrly, I believe that our colleagues from the IT department can definitely recover them. Furthermore, Wang Xueli¡¯s contact is also saved in his phone contacts, so all we need to do is to call her to find out the truth.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at Xu Guansong and said in a cold, threatening tone, ¡°Xu Guansong, do you still want to continue with the act?¡±


    Xu Guansong¡¯s face had turned white as a sheet, and he was trembling. In a state of great distress, he slid from his chair and then knelt on the floor. He covered his face with his hands in humiliation and hung his head low. Sobbing, he admitted to his wrongdoings, struggling with the right words to say, ¡°President Xiao, I-I¡­ am guilty¡­¡±


    It was a sorry sight, seeing a grown man cry like a child.


    Xiao Luo smiled with contempt, then turned his gaze towards Xu Guansong¡¯s trusted followers.


    They appeared like mice hiding in the dark and suddenly exposed to bright sunlight. They looked self-conscious, panicky, and lost, none daring to look Xiao Luo in the eye.


    ¡­


    It didn¡¯t take long before the police arrived, and they took Xu Guansong away.


    As for Guo Fu, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pursue her case as promised, but Luo¡¯s Workshop could not retain her as an employee.


    All of Xu Guansong¡¯s trusted followers were fired that very day. The key employees of Luo¡¯s Workshop had once again witnessed just how decisive Xiao Luo could be. As they got back to the meeting agenda, they presented the ns for the next ten years, which conclusively determined the nationwide rollout of their outlets.


    The first phase of their expansion n was Xiahai!


    Xiahai was a city located at the border between the southern and northern regions of the country. Its central location made it easy to reach and was favorable to economic growth. The city was prosperous, with excellent infrastructure, and was conducive for business. To develop branches of Luo¡¯s Workshop nationwide, it made goodmercial sense to build their hub in Xiahai. Interestingly, Xiahai was where the NSA was headquartered, and the city where Xiao Luo¡¯s alma mater, Xisheng Aeronautical University, was located. Xiao Luo had lived there for four years and was very familiar with the area.

 Chapter 251 - Goddess Su

    Chapter 251: Goddess Su


    ¡°Big Boss, where have you beentely?¡±


    After all the other key employees of thepany had left the conference room, Luo Qi quickly got to work. Although she was the head of the creative design department, she dressed like a young girl. When she winked with her beautiful eyes, she looked as lively as a 17- or 18-year-old girl.


    ¡°President Xiao went to bathe himself in urine!¡± Zhang Dashan joked.


    Bathe¡­ Bathe in urine?


    Luo Qi, Li Zimeng, and Lin Chongdong were all stunned. They knew what a bath was, but bathing in urine? What did that even mean? Thinking of what they seen meant, they were disgusted.


    Xiao Luo gave Zhang Dashan a menacing re. She thought, What the heck is this fe trying to do?


    Zhang Dashan awkwardly stuttered a few nonsense words before finally saying, ¡°Not bathing in urine but hitting on a girl [1]. I twisted my tongue just now and mispronounced it.¡±


    Ah, hitting on a girl!


    Luo Qi and the others were relieved. It was a good thing that Xiao Luo was hitting on a girl. Had he really gone bathing in urine? How pungent would that smell be?


    Luo Qi pouted and seemed sad as she said, ¡°Big Boss, why are you hitting on girls? What if I let you hit on me?¡±


    Eh, what is going on?


    Lin Chongdong inhaled deeply. The illicit affair between Xu Guansong and Guo Fu had just been exposed. Were President Xiao and Luo Qi also having an illicit affair that was about to be exposed?


    ¡°President Xiao, as the boss of thepany, everything you do represents the image of thepany. I feel that you have taken things too far.¡± Li Zimeng was obviously jealous. After speaking a few words, she turned to leave the conference room.


    ¡°Big Boss, you make us so sad, hmmph!¡±


    Luo Qi also left like a little girl in a fit of pique.


    Damn, what is happening now?


    Lin Chongdong was stunned. Why had the two prettydies in thepany gotten upset after learning that President Xiao had been hitting on a girl? Could it be a love triangle with Luo Qi and Li Zimeng falling for President Xiao at the same time?


    Damn, surely not, right? This is such hot gossip!


    He suddenly realized that Xiao Luo was looking at him.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shiver and awkwardlyugh. ¡°President Xiao, I¡­ I don¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo quickly defended himself. ¡°Lin Chongdong, it is not as you think. Nothing is going on between me and them.¡±


    Lin Chongdong hurriedly agreed. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. There is definitely nothing between you and them. Rest assured, President Xiao, I will take it to my grave and never spread any word about it. I still have work to do, so please allow me to take my leave.¡±


    After speaking, he respectfully left.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mood turned gloomy. He wasn¡¯t sure what had just happened. What did that he mean by bringing it to his grave and never spreading any word about it? There really was nothing between him, Luo Qi, and Li Zimeng.


    ¡°Goddamnit, what is this? How did such a big misunderstanding evene about?¡±


    Zhang Dashan felt that the situation was unfair. He said with a hint of pity, ¡°Old Xiao, I feel that what you have done will soon be known throughout thepany.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him menacingly and thought, Wasn¡¯t it exactly because you were spouting nonsense?


    ¡°F*ck, why are you looking at me like that? I was just talking nonsense to liven up the atmosphere. What the heck do I have to do with you being misunderstood by Lin Chongdong as having a rtionship with the two prettydies of thepany?¡± Zhang Dashan defended himself, feeling very wronged.


    Looking at his expression, which made him seem as innocent as could be, Xiao Luo wanted to send him flying into a wall with a kick.


    ¡­


    That night, Xiao Luo bought a table full of liquor and food. He invited Feng Wuhen and the others to have steamboat in his rented apartment.


    The air on the top floor was very fresh. A slight breeze blew, but they didn¡¯t feel cold since they were eating steamboat and drinking liquor.


    Tang Ren and Xiao Ruyi still had to work, so they didn¡¯te. Xiao Luo had asked them toe to hispany more than once. Although Tang Ren looked rather dumb, he more or less had his own proudness as a man and insisted on working in the hospital. He liked his job as a doctor.


    Xiao Ruyi followed her husband. She was also determined to continue working as a nurse at Tang Ren¡¯s side.


    Xiao Luo sat on the bench and drank a cup of beer. He lifted his head to look at the night sky. The past few months had seemed very surreal. It was as if he was in a dream. Five months ago, he was just an engineer toilingboriously in the Huahai Corporation. Now, he was the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    Even though Luo¡¯s Workshop was nothing when viewed in the context of the entire nation, in the small city of Jiangcheng, it was already among the top 20panies.


    Feng Wuhen suddenly stood up. He held his ss of liquor with both hands and extended them toward Xiao Luo. ¡°Brother Xiao, if not for you, we five would have long since been hacked to death by the members of the Dragon Gang. We wouldn¡¯t have been able to find a living in Jiangcheng anyway, so we would have probably starved to death by now. Brother Xiao, you are our benefactor. I, Feng Wuhen, will never forget about the help you have given us!¡±


    The other four also stood up, holding their sses in both hands. Their expressions were serious, and their gazes respectful.


    Finally, the five of them said in unison, ¡°Brother Xiao, we drink to you!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and patted Feng Wuhen on the shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t like melodramatic people, so don¡¯t act that way with me from now on.¡±


    As he spoke, he tilted his head backward and finished his drink in one gulp.


    ¡°Yes, Brother Xiao.¡±


    Feng Wuhen and the others moved in unison, emptying their sses in one gulp.


    ¡°What the heck! Eat your steamboat. There¡¯s no need for overly affectionate words. If you all really want to thank Old Xiao, you all can take on the task of cleaning up after we finish the steamboat.¡±


    Zhang Dashan ate a slice of beef and asked, ¡°Oh yeah, why didn¡¯t you all manage to buy the beef pizzle I wanted? Didn¡¯t I tell you all that you must absolutely buy that?¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, we visited a few wet markets but didn¡¯t see anyone selling that,¡± Feng Wuhen said with a frown.


    ¡°Duh, the supply for such a nutritious thing as beef pizzle far exceeds the demand,¡± Zhang Dashan said. ¡°I will dly admit defeat if you can buy it without cing an advanced order with the butcher selling beef.¡±


    Feng Wuhen didn¡¯t say anything. Either way, he hadn¡¯t bought it. He continued eating as if nothing had happened. He was totally unconcerned about it.


    Little Five rather sheepishly said to Zhang Dashan, ¡°Brother Zhang, it is not called beef pizzle but bull penis.¡±


    ¡°Bull penis your head. I just feel like calling it beef pizzle or bull balls. Can you do anything about it?¡± Zhang Dashan raised his voice.


    Everyone was speechless.


    Having filled his stomach and drunk enough, Zhang Dashan began scrolling on the friends¡¯ circle on his phone and reading entertainment news. After having spent some time in Jiangcheng, Feng Wuhen and the others had also be addicted to their phones. After clearing the table, they happily took out their phones to just like Zhang Dashan.


    Zhang Dashan suddenly banged the table and yelled in immense disappointment, ¡°Damn, Su Li, the national goddess, hase to Jiangcheng to host a concert. How did I not know about this!¡±


    ¡°Stop being so jumpy. Are you looking for a beating?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave him an angry look. Zhang Dashan¡¯s banging the table had almost caused the teacup he ced at the edge of it to tip over. If it had tipped over, the tea inside would have spilled onto his trousers.


    ¡°Beating your ass,e. Just read this piece of news. Goddess Su came to Jiangcheng for a concert in front of 50,000 people on the 30thst month.¡± Zhang Dashan held the phone up for Xiao Luo to see.


    Xiao Luo sarcastically asked, ¡°Are you giving up on Huang Ruoran?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I want Sister Huang, but I also want my idol,¡± Zhang Dashan said. ¡°Goddess Su is a real goddess, a celestial being that can only be worshipped from afar with no sphemy allowed. I¡¯ve watched all her movies and shows. All the characters she has yed are very memorable. Even my mom is one of her super fans. She told me how to pick a significant order ording to what Goddess Su is like. Last time, she even asked me to be a crowd actor in the movie Goddess Su was filming simply because she wanted an autograph from Goddess Su.¡±


    [1] A Chinese pun. ¡°Pao niao¡± means ¡°bathing in urine¡± while ¡°pao niu¡± means ¡°hitting on a girl.¡± The two sound simr.

 Chapter 252 - Publicity Crisis

    Chapter 252: Publicity Crisis


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He had not expected Zhang Dashan¡¯s mother to be a fan of celebrities as well. After all, she was more than 50 years old. Being the fan of an idol was something trendy and young. It rarely happened with people in her age group, right?


    Feng Wuhen teasingly said, ¡°Brother Zhang, it seems that your mom is very trendy, hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan pped his thigh with his hand. ¡°Yeah, ever since I taught her to use a smartphone, she has be addicted to it. She uses it to watch shows, listen to music, make new friends, and so on. She knows all of its functions. Do you all know what my mom¡¯s username is?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Brother Zhang? Do tell us!¡± Little Five was extremely curious about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Highly Talented Eighteen-Year-Old Girl¡¯!¡± Zhang Dashan showed them his mother¡¯s WeChat profile on his phone.


    Poof!


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t hold it and spat out the water in his mouth.


    Feng Wuhen and the othersughed out loud. It was too amusing for a 50-something woman to pick the username Highly Talented Eighteen-Year-Old Girl.


    ¡°Laugh all you like. I couldn¡¯t stopughing when I first saw it either. It¡¯s alright for my mom to have such a username, but she also deliberately found the photo of a pretty young girl online to use as her profile picture. It attracted countless jerks looking for sex. My dad even fought with her over it. He gave me a hard scolding, telling me that I have corrupted my mom.¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed and said, ¡°F*ck, what can I say. My initial intention was to be able to video call my mom. Who knew that my mom was still a girl at heart. Other than bing a fan of celebrities, it seems like she also wants to seek the thrill of an extramarital affair.¡±


    ¡°Dashan, I finally know why you are so lewd,¡± Xiao Luo suddenly said.


    ¡°Lewd your ass,¡± Zhang Dashan said with agitation. ¡°As a man, so what if I am a little lewd? F*ck!¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Little Five suddenly eximed loudly.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to shout about? Did your dick get chopped off?¡± Zhang Dashan shouted at Little Five in exasperation.


    Little Five flipped his phone over. His expression was rather anxious. ¡°Brother Xiao, Brother Zhang, Luo¡¯s Workshop is in the headlines!¡±


    What?


    Zhang Dashan quickly calmed down and snatched Little Five¡¯s phone. He started viewing the article. The more he read, the more serious his expression became. He passed the phone to Xiao Luo. ¡°Motherf*cker! That Xu Guansong posted a long article iming his innocence. For some reason Jia Zhengyi reposted it to his Weibo, causing a hugemotion online.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the phone and roughly scanned through it. Indeed, Xu Guansong had posted a long article iming that Luo¡¯s Workshop was immoral. They had fired a senior employee like him as they pleased and forcibly framed him for siphoning the tax expenses of thepany just to find a good reason to do so. They had even spent money to get a female department head to falsely im to be involved in an illicit affair with him, thus defaming him and ruining his reputation. In the end, they even went to the lengths of using personal rtionships to get the cops to detain him.


    Every word was well-crafted and contained deep feelings. It seemed sincere and earnest. One could see that Xu Guansong had a way with words, causing people to pity him after reading it and believe that he had indeed been wronged and maliciously suppressed.


    Looking at how many times the Weibo post had been shared andmented upon, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but frown. It had been shared 7 million times and had 90,000-plusments. Moreover, thements were one-sided. All of them said that Xu Guansong was innocent andined about Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    ¡°Who is this Jia Zhengyi?¡±


    Xiao Luo was instantly curious. Given that so many people followed him on Weibo, this person had some background. Yet, Xiao Luo had never heard of him.


    ¡°F*ck, don¡¯t you know him? He is the host of Old Jia¡¯s Talk Show. It¡¯s extremely popr. He has gained many fans. Look at the number of followers on his Weibo. It has reached a terrifying number of 10 million. While still not a superstar perhaps, he can definitely be considered an A-list celebrity.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was extremely anxious. The reputation of thepany was very important. If that reputation took a downfall, it would directly affect the sales of their cakes. ¡°F*ck, that Xu Guansong is a vicious and ungrateful person. We weren¡¯t going to really pursue his case due to his contributions to thepany in the past. We only asked him to return the 00,000 he siphoned, and it would be done after detaining him for like 10 days or so. Now, look at what he has done. He directly posted a long article ming us and got a nationally influential host to support him. What the f*ck is he trying to do?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression darkened. Luo¡¯s Workshop was going to start opening branches all over the country at the start of the next year. Now that such an incident had urred, Luo¡¯s Workshop was instantly pushed to the cusp of public opinion. Not only was it going to significantly affect Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s progress regarding its advancement to the entire nation, but the drop in reputation might also cause the sales in the Jiangcheng headquarters to hit rock-bottom. Thepany would have to return to the state it was back when it was almost bankrupted by Taste Buds suppressing it.


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s phone kept on ringing. After receiving a call, he said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Li Zimeng and Luo Qi have all seen the post. They are as anxious as a cat on hot bricks. They are asking us what thepany should do.¡±


    ¡°Ask Zhang Yong, the head of the legal affairs department, to sue Xu Guansong. In front of absolute evidence, this long post of his will just p him in the face in the end.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked very calm, but there were fires of rage deep within his eyes. Xu Guansong¡¯s ignorant provocation had made him determined to make that many pay a heavy price.


    ¡°OK, we¡¯ll do that. Even if we can¡¯t get that son of a b*tch to be reduced to poverty and ruined by the fines imposed andpensation demanded, we must at least let him get seven or eight years of jail. F*ck, what a jerk.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was very angry. Xu Guansong could not have been more clear about the truth, yet he still dared to twist the truth online and defame his ex-boss. He was indeed a bastard.


    ¡­


    In Chongshan House, Chu Yunxiong¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look too good either. Looking at the public opinion online, he sighed. ¡°Xiao Luo is in trouble again!¡±


    ¡°What trouble has he gotten himself into now?¡±


    Ge Zhongtian, sitting opposite him, pushed his sses back. He had a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Take out your own phone and look at the news.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong didn¡¯t want to say much. He poured himself a hot cup of tea and began sipping it slowly.


    Ge Zhongtian unlocked his phone and scrolled through the news. His expression quickly changed as he said, ¡°Xiao Luo is used of nepotism by the original vice president of thepany and of casting senior key employees aside. That Jia Zhengyi even reposted it, pushing Luo¡¯s Workshop instantly to the cusp of public opinion. What is this even? Is Jia Zhengyi too free and proactively seeking trouble?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Jia Zhengyi has be popr for being bold and critical. He relied upon gossiping about celebrities in the beginning. Recently, there hasn¡¯t been much going on with celebrities, so it is reasonable for him to repost a long article full of emotions like this. In many people¡¯s eyes, he is being approachable. It is a tacticmonly used by celebrities to get famous.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong immediately exposed the secret within the situation.


    Ge Zhongtian was surprised and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°He is based in Xiahai, so he doesn¡¯t know how capable Xiao Luo is. If he knew what kind of person Xiao Luo was, he probably would never have had the courage to seek trouble with Xiao Luo. He wouldn¡¯t have done it even if he had 100 times more courage.¡±


    ¡°Some people need to learn a lesson before they understand what kind of person they shouldn¡¯t seek trouble with.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and slightly smiled. ¡°I am very curious to see how Xiao Luo handles this publicity crisis.¡±

 Chapter 253 - Boos

    Chapter 253: Boos


    In a residential area in Jiangcheng, Gu Qianxue, who was wearing snow-white pajamas, was sitting on the sofa watching television with her legs curled up. She paid Gu Qianlin, who was beside her, no heed. She was clearly upset.


    ¡°Qianxue, can you stop behaving like a child?¡± Gu Qianlin earnestly asked. ¡°I told you that Xiao Luo was a devil. If you be friends with him, you will lose your ability to determine right from wrong. You must stop all forms of contact with him and never see him again.¡±


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s lively eyes looked toward her. There was a trace of me in them. ¡°I am already an adult. I can decide for myself regarding a lot of things. I know Xiao Luo well, and he is not the devil you say he is. There is justice in his heart. It¡¯s just that the way he shows it can be rather extreme.¡±


    ¡°Rather extreme?¡±


    Gu Qianlin slightly harrumphed and shook her head, saying, ¡°He dares to fire at us cops from behind, yet he used us cops to kill more than 90 people, even though those 90 something people were all vicious criminals.¡±


    Gu Qianxue said nothing but looked at her without moving.


    As if she was naming Xiao Luo¡¯s crimes one by one, Gu Qianlin said, ¡°He directly used a knife to slit the throat of hospital director in front of me. His methods are extremely cruel. I still dream about that bloody scene almost every day. He is a cold-blooded creature. One should fear him from the bottom of one¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Plus, in the stormy night on the 25th, he massacred the people in Long Sankui¡¯s vi alone. That night, more than 200 bodies wereying in the garden of the vi. Blood flowed like a river, and Long Sankui got his head chopped off. No matter what reason he had, it cannot change the fact that he is a murderous devil. Other people want to get as far away as possible from this monster, whose hands are covered in blood, so why do you still want to go near him?¡±


    Gu Qianxue was no match for Gu Qianlin verbally. Since she couldn¡¯t say anything, she turned back and angrily watched television.


    ¡°Qianxue, I am your sister. I will always act in your favor, and I will never harm you!¡±


    Being the eldest sister, Gu Qianlin was like a mother. When their parents were not with them, Gu Qianlin was strongly protective of Gu Qianxue like a mother. In her eyes, no matter how old Gu Qianxue was, she was just a kid that needed the correct guidance.


    Gu Qianxue covered her eyes in protest.


    Gu Qianlin shook her head in resignation and didn¡¯t continue. She knew Gu Qianxue couldn¡¯t take in whatever she was to say. She could only let time do the job.


    Out of habit, she took out her phone and opened the news hub. When she saw that the headlines were about Luo¡¯s Workshop, she couldn¡¯t resist. She held the phone in front of Gu Qianxue¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop is Xiao Luo¡¯spany. The person who posted a long essay denouncing Luo¡¯s Workshop angrily is the original vice president of thepany. This vice president had worked for thepany for more than 10 years. Even if he didn¡¯t make any worthwhile contributions, he at least put in a lot of effort, yet he has been fired just like that.


    ¡°Xiao Luo even used lowly tactics to defame him for having an illicit affair with a female colleague in thepany and for siphoning money from thepany¡¯s tax expenses. He used those excuses to justify his firing. Even the A-list host, Mr. Jia Zhengyi, has reposted it and caused a stir online. Everyone is denouncing Luo¡¯s Workshop. We can clearly see from this that Xiao Luo¡¯s character is totally not like what you think it is.¡±


    Gu Qianxue stared at the news in shock for a while. She shook her head and said in disbelief, ¡°Xiao Luo is not such a person. the vice president must be twisting the truth.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always take Xiao Luo¡¯s side? In your eyes, is he really that good?¡±


    Gu Qianlin was incredibly frustrated. What the heck did Xiao Luo do to win over her sister, causing her sister to support him so loyally?


    Gu Qianxue thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°He really is a very good person!¡±


    She remembered the scene in which Xiao Luo treated her to steamboat. The two of them even fought yfully with their chopsticks in the steamboat restaurant. Thinking back, it felt so fun and worthy of reminiscing about.


    ¡°Time will tell everything. The boos now targeting him will soon disappear.¡± Gu Qianxue had incredible trust in Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Alright, let time tell everything. If the vice president has wronged Xiao Luo, I will not stop you from finding him anymore.¡± Gu Qianlin took back her phone and made a bet with Gu Qianxue.


    ¡­


    Luo¡¯s Workshop was at the center of public attention. It was a lie to say that Xiao Luo was in a good mood. Furthermore, he found that the host of the talk show seemed to have be addicted to posting on social media. After reposting Xu Guansong¡¯s long essay, perhaps it was because he had experienced theizens taking over thements section, he posted a few statuses consecutively to angrily denounce Luo¡¯s Workshop. One of them was enraging.


    [We have verified that the previous boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop is named Fang Changmiao. He only sold Luo¡¯s Workshop to the descendant of a rich family, or what wemonly refer to as someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth, because he was having problems with cash flow.]


    [We can all imagine how a person of the second-generation of a rich family behaves, always relying on their parents and treating life like a game. Vice President Xu must have gotten fired just because he offended the boss. Thispany is too ck-hearted, and their products can¡¯t be too good. I propose that everyone boycott Luo¡¯s Workshop and let this ck-heartedpany go bankrupt. The faster the better.]


    Thements section of the status was soon taken over by theizens.


    [What Teacher Jia has said is right. What a trashpany, Luo¡¯s Workshop is just trash!]


    [From that long essay, I saw the helplessness of a wronged vice president. The boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop really is too ck-hearted.]


    [This is simply authoritarianism and dictatorship! Such a terriblepany should just go bankrupt!]


    Thements were one-sided, as usual. All of them took Xu Guansong¡¯s side because Jia Zhengyi was great at creating hatred and had linked the concept of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss to that of a second-generation descendant of a rich family. Netizens were generally from normal families, so they had an ingrained dislike toward such people. Furthermore, with Xu Guansong¡¯s emotionally heavy long essay denouncing Luo¡¯s Workshop, no one thought that Xu Guansong was misrepresenting the truth.


    ¡°Motherf*cking piece of sh*t! This bastard Jia Zhengyi is obviously throwing shade at ourpany to maintain his fame and poprity.¡± Zhang Dashan was so angry that he kicked the bench. His mind was filled with indescribable rage.


    Feng Wuhen was simrly furious. ¡°Brother Zhang, where is Jia Zhengyi? I will go and kill him!¡±


    ¡°Kill your ass,¡± Zhang Dashan said. ¡°He is in Xiahai. That¡¯s more than 1,500 miles from here. It¡¯s very far away.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll take a ne, find him, and beat the sh*t out of him,¡± Little Five indignantly said.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The other three stood up and agreed in unison.


    ¡°Yes, your ass. Do you all even know where that bastard stays in Xiahai?¡± Zhang Dashan loudly replied.


    Hearing his words, Feng Wuhen and the others immediately changed turned gloomy. They were like deted balls.


    ¡°Learn from Old Xiao and be chill.¡±


    Zhang Dashanforted them, seemingly having forgotten that he was the first one to freak out.

 Chapter 254 - Surging Points

    Chapter 254: Surging Points


    No matter how calm Xiao Luo was, he was infuriated to some point. He sneered as he signed into his previous Weibo ount with the ID name ¡°San Qian Luo Shui.¡± He replied to his wall post, [Jia Zhengyi, have youe to Jiangcheng to investigate the matter yourself? What do you even know about Mr. Xu? Are you certain that Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s current boss is a nouveau riche? If you haven¡¯t got anything investigated, as a public figure, you shouldn¡¯t be misleading people!]


    If Jia Zhengyi wasn¡¯t far away in Xiahai, with his temper, he would not be arguing with him online. Toward this talk show host, who split dirty water at Luo¡¯s Workshop to maintain his poprity, he would¡¯ve gone straight to his doorsteps to teach him a lesson.


    However, within five minutes after he posted hisment, he promptly received thousands of replies from theizens.


    [Oh? Where did thispdoge from? Has Luo¡¯s Workshop paid you to talk in their defense?]


    [His ID was registered three years ago, and he hasn¡¯t been posting normenting all the while. He was obviously hired by Luo¡¯s Workshop to havee out at this point.]


    [Uncivilized swine. Are you even worthy of calling Mr. Jia by his full name? Has your mom not taught you to be courteous to your elders?]


    All of them were criticizing replies. Their profile pictures were nothing but the mainstream. Even their names were made up of a bunch of weird symbols. Xiao Luo faintly smiled. He had long heard that the inte was full of keyboard warriors. Now, he finally got a taste of it. They blindly followed the trend without getting to the bottom of things, and they amused themselves by insulting the others. This was truly pathetic.


    To be frank, this had instantly calmed him down. He even wanted tough. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with this society. Have their nine years ofpulsory education all gone to waste?


    [Ding! Congrattions! You¡¯ve earned 23,000 points!]


    The system prompt sounded in his mind.


    Xiao Luo was slightly startled. Initially, he only had a few thousand points left. Now, he was suddenly given 23,000 points. He quickly realized what was going on. He must have earned those points because hemented on Jia Zhengyi¡¯s post and was attacked by theizens.


    Is this even a thing?


    This was entirely out of his expectations. He carefully recalled what the system said about earning points. For any host-induced surprise, incitement, shock, anger, or other human emotional reactions, the system automatically absorbed and ssified them and, ording to their intensity, converted them into corresponding integral values.


    His phone suddenly buzzed from a message prompt. Someone replied to him again.


    When he tapped on the notification, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. The person who replied to him was the talk show host, Jia Zhengyi.


    [As theizens have asked, who are you? And, why have you stood up in defense of Luo¡¯s Workshop? Didn¡¯t you see that lengthy post made my Mr. Xu of Luo¡¯s Workshop? He stated very clearly that to have a valid excuse to dismiss him, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss, a nouveau riche, ndered him about having an affair with a female colleague and embezzling thepany¡¯s taxes. He is thepany¡¯s veteran, a person who dedicated more than 10 years of his life to thepany. If it wasn¡¯t that he had given up in despair, why would he post a thousand-word article to criticize his oldpany?]


    Xiao Luo instantly replied, [I¡¯m still asking the same question. Have you personally been to Jiangcheng to investigate the topic?]


    With a bulged attitude, Jia Zhengyi replied, [Of course, my team has investigated and confirmed the authenticity of the lengthy article posted by Mr. Xu.]


    [Since you have investigated, you should know the name of Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s current boss, right? What is his name? From what background does he actuallye from to deserve to be called a ¡®nouveau riche¡¯ by you?] Xiao Luo chillingly replied.


    However, Jia Zhengyi instantly shifted the conversation topic. [You must be Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s nouveau riche, am I right? Otherwise, why would you be supporting that garbagepany?]


    [Garbagepany? Do you actually feel that your talk show is really ssy? In my knowledge, what your show likes the most is to gossip about the scandals of some celebrities. Your show even roasts about things such as a celebrity¡¯s attire. Don¡¯t you think that your show is extremely boring and aplete jerkoff?] Xiao Luo replied.


    Jia Zhengyi used the most contemptible and disdainful reply on the inte. [Huh huh¡­]


    ¡°What the freak? Why the heck are you arguing with that bastard?¡±


    When Zhang Dashan discovered what Xiao Luo was doing, he was startled. He had just told Feng Wuhen and the rest of them to learn to be calm like Xiao Luo. No one expected that Xiao Luo would be the least calm person and had logged into his Weibo ount to openly confront Jia Zhengyi. Amidst the swarm of hatements, thatment was like a clear stream echoing within thements section.


    Xiao Luo smirked and said nothing.


    ¡°What the heck bro? How can you stillugh? What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was confused. This didn¡¯t match Xiao Luo¡¯s usual style at all.


    Feng Wuhen and the others looked at each other. They were puzzled by Xiao Luo¡¯s actions.


    ¡°I realized that it is quite interesting to debate with Jia Zhengyi.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head, grabbed his tea from the table, and took a sip. Most certainly, he wasn¡¯t implying that arguing with Jia Zhengyi was interesting. He was referring to his system points, which were surging at unbelievable speeds. It was still at over 20,000 points earlier on. Now, it had soared to 40,000. How could this not make him feel happy?


    Another few thousandments cropped up underneath the argument he was having with Jia Zhengyi.


    [San Qian Luo Shui? What a dumb ass name.]


    [Mr. Jia¡¯s talk show is the most interesting program I¡¯ve ever seen. Apologize to Mr. Jia at once.]


    [This must be Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss¡¯s ount. He¡¯s defending Luo¡¯s Workshop while everybody else is scolding them. What apdog.]


    [Don¡¯t insult dogs. He¡¯s just a pile of dog poop, barking around to gain favor from his master.]


    [This guy has no personal values at all!]


    [My heart is at ease seeing so many people thrashing at you.]


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fans were constantly bombarding Xiao Luo. Some even went to follow Xiao Luo¡¯s Weibo and left somements. [Do you know why I followed you? It makes it easier for me to me you!]


    [When everyone is against you, you should reflect on yourself @San Qian Luo Shui!]


    Jia Zhengyi specifically mentioned Xiao Luo, leaving a reply as if he was a saint.


    ¡°F*ck, I really wanna f*ckin choke that bastard right now!¡±


    Zhang Dashan gritted his teeth in anger. He had watched that talk show before, and he considered himself half a fan of Jia Zhengyi. However, Jia Zhengyi had sided with Xu Guansong without doing any investigation, ndered Luo¡¯s Workshop just to maintain his poprity, and even incited verbal warfare on the inte. He was a stark-naked despicable, shameless, and selfish man,


    ¡°It is not worth to be triggered by this. When Xu Guansong¡¯s final sentence is published online, all the gossips and rumors will vanish.¡±


    ¡°Bro, you sure are acting calm, but you wouldn¡¯t be arguing with him if you were truly calm.¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons to argue with him. You people shouldn¡¯t be worried about this issue. Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation will not be affected. On the contrary, after this incident has passed, I bet only a few across the entire nation will be unfamiliar with Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled gently. This really wasn¡¯t a bad thing. From the looks of it, Jia Zhengyi seemed to be defaming Luo¡¯s Workshop. When Xu Guansong¡¯s sentence was published, everything would move downwind on the side of Luo¡¯s Workshop. So to speak, this was actually a wave of free advertisement.

 Chapter 255 - Verbal Warfare

    Chapter 255: Verbal Warfare


    On Weibo, the hatred toward Xiao Luo continued.


    Jia Zhengyi had quite a number of fans. Via the reports of other media about the verbal warfare, many others learned about it and became involved. Some people were just following the trend blindly as they med Xiao Luo. Others criticized him as they felt sympathy for Xu Guansong. After reading his lengthy post, they believed he had been shunned and oppressed by Luo¡¯s Workshop. Most certainly, there were some that remained on neutral grounds and were just there to watch the show.


    [Why are you not talking anymore? Are you out of words, perhaps?]


    [Garbage. Arguing with Mr. Jia? Are you seeking death?]


    [If Mr. Jia¡¯s fans all spit on you, even our saliva can drown you to death.]


    Insults flew across the board. Even if some of them sided with Xiao Luo and expressed their views that people shouldn¡¯t be judging Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss as being evil and malicious just because of a lengthy post made by Xu Guansong, and how people should be looking at the issue with a calm heart, they ended up being med just like Xiao Luo.


    [F*ck off bootlicker!]


    [I think Luo¡¯s Workshop must¡¯ve spent a lot of money to hire so many people.]


    [Get lost from Weibo, you idiots.]


    The outrage was intense, and the insults were harsh. Amidst the voices of condemnation, those who called out for people to look at the issue rationally and not blindly follow the trend were powerless and quickly annihted by the billowing mes of reproach.


    Jia Zhengyi was very satisfied with the oue. He didn¡¯t need to verify if the contents of Xu Guansong¡¯s post were real. He only wanted to make himself the topic of discussion. In that way, his poprity was maintained, and his talk show gained arger audience. He imagined himself being a powerful influencer.


    [These are the people¡¯s voice. No matter whether you are Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss himself or someone they specially hired, I would suggest you leave Weibo. We don¡¯t wee you here @San Qian Luo Shui.] Jia Zhengyi made an earnest post.


    Immediately after, manyizens echoed his words as they asked Xiao Luo to get out of Weibo.


    Although his points in the system were growing rapidly, Xiao Luo was still infuriated and had to reply. [Jia Zhengyi, you have all things but righteousness. Time will prove everything. By the time the post is proven to be a fraud and a deliberate action to tarnish the Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation, I hope you can hold out against my anger. As a public figure, you have incited the public to condemn apany without any investigation. I bet thepensation you have to pay for defaming Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s reputation will more or less make you feel a little heartache.]


    The voices calling for people to look at the problem rationally re-emerged. Xiao Luo was evidently their leader since they supported him beneath hisment.


    [Retard, are you finally admitting that you¡¯re Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s nouveau riche?] Aizen by the alias of ¡°Legend of the Cloud¡± rebuked.


    Even saints have anger, not to mention Xiao Luo. Besides, this ID of ¡°Legend of the Cloud¡± had appeared a plethora of times and was focused on reprimanding him.


    Xiao Luo faintly replied, [Life flourishes with your existence. With you beside me, nothing shall be feared. You are the sole reason I¡¯m in glee. Without thee, where would the fine swills be?]


    After this reply was posted, thements section immediately exploded.


    [What the heck? There are no bad words, but it does the job perfectly. Now that¡¯s some serious damage!]


    [San Qian Luo Shui is such a cultured man. Gotta be his fan!]


    [Hahaha¡­ ming someone without using a single bad word. I¡¯m impressed.]


    There were still many people who viewed this issue rationally. They all appeared in support of Xiao Luo.


    Jia Zhengyi picked up the cudgels for his fans. [Arrogant just because you¡¯re better in literacy? Who do you think you are? A poet? Do you know that you¡¯re just a nouveau riche who can only cling on daddy and mommy forever?!]


    [I support Mr. Jia!]


    [Garbage nouveau riche, garbage Luo¡¯s Workshop.]


    [Hurry up and shut down your business, trashpany.]


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fans backed him up.


    Xiao Luo peacefully replied to Jia Zhengyi, [Jia Zhengyi, can you act more like a human when I¡¯m still treating you like one? Oh, I forgot, you are an ipletely evolved living body, a gically mutated alien!]


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face turned red in anger. His fans were, likewise, barking around exasperatedly.


    [San Qian Luo Shui, I f*ck your mom!]


    [Trash nouveau riche, who are you to insult Mr. Jia?]


    [Believe it or not, I can really kill you IRL.]


    Xiao Luo smiled indifferently. He didn¡¯t stop replying to those insultingments one after one. Most certainly, replying to those hatements was not to vent his anger but to earn himself points in the system.


    [A high-school student at the kindergarten level. A frog head with Down Syndrome.]


    [When you like to be a dog but don¡¯t have enough IQ, you just have to thicken your face!]


    [I¡¯ve never seen someone so disgusting before. Do you have hemorrhoids in your mouth?]


    Theizens following the verbal skirmish were startled. They never expected thebat power of ¡°San Qian Luo Shui,¡± who appeared out of nowhere, to be so powerful. The usual keyboard warrior ganged up on someone, while he, on the other hand, went against hundreds of thousands of keyboard warriors singlehandedly. It was simply astonishing.


    [Let just ignore this f*cktard. It will only drag our IQs down!] ¡°Legend of the Cloud¡± was again active.


    Xiao Luo replied, [Nothing good cane out from your b*tch mouth. Look at your face, you look even scarier than Sister Feng. Just go to hell alright. The sooner the better. Aside from defecating, what else do you pursue in life?]


    With this one reply, ¡°Legend of the Cloud¡± quietly went offline.


    Subsequently, manyizens who were ming Xiao Luo also vanished under the barrage of Xiao Luo¡¯s savage replies. He really pulled off a one against a hundred. Oh, no, it was one against a million.


    [What the freak. What is thisbat power? San Qian Luo Shui is too powerful, isn¡¯t he?]


    [The mers went offline one by one. He¡¯s literally a god.]


    [We kept on saying that San Qian Luo Shui is Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s nouveau riche. From the looks of it, even if he¡¯s a nouveau riche, he¡¯s a 2-Gen rich with a stomach full of literalpetency.]


    Voices that support Xiao Luo sprung up like mushrooms after the rain. The number of Xiao Luo¡¯s followers on this ount exceeded the 20,000 mark.


    At the same time, Xiao Luo was feeling thrilled. He was also feeling an uncontroble excitement as his umtive points in the system already breached the 500,000 mark. All of them were gained that night.


    Not bad, not bad at all!


    He was very satisfied as his umted points had reached its highest in history.


    ¡°Damn, you can even speak a dead man to life!¡±


    Zhang Dashan gave Xiao Luo a big thumbs up as he watched the entire process of him trash-talking on Weibo.


    ¡°I followed you, Brother Xiao. I¡¯m your diehard fan from this moment onward,¡± Feng Wuhen said with augh.


    ¡°We followed you too.¡±


    Xiao Wu also piped up. Never once had they expected that the Brother Xiao in their eyes was not onlypelling in fighting, but his power level in verbalbat was also off the charts. He was way too impressive.


    Jia Zhengyi got so pissed that he irrationally replied, ¡°You scumbag, don¡¯tment on my Weibo post. You¡¯re dirtying my territory.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he typed, [I wish to look at you as I speak, but why have you buried your face inside your asshole? Oh. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that is your face. In that case, where¡¯s your asshole?]


    Jia Zhengyi was about to vomit blood. He was used to being revered by people and was never once humiliated like he had been that day. He wanted to hurl all kinds of curses at him, but he had to take care of his image as a public figure. Atst, he held his breath and replied, [I don¡¯t wish to talk to uncivilized people¡­]

 Chapter 256 - Another Billow

    Chapter 256: Another Billow


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s weak response to Xiao Luo¡¯s post was telling. It clearly showed who had won and who had lost their joust on social media.


    Chu Yunxiong couldn¡¯t helpughing, ¡°Xiao Luo¡­ he really surprises me!¡±


    He had never expected that Xiao Luo would throw down the gauntlet. Jia Zhengyi was a celebrity in his own right, and taking him on one-on-one was no mean feat. And on top of that, to toy with the rest of his followers with such witty remarks was utterly brutal, and really a treat to all who followed them on Weibo.


    Ge Zhongtian was equally impressed, andughing along, he said, ¡°Yes, he has a way with words. Even I would admit defeat.¡±


    ¡°Able to trample over a talk show host, now that¡¯s what I call power.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong was amused. This young man, Xiao Luo, had never failed to surprise him. Even now, he had already caught wind that Xiao Luo had been roped in by the NSA¡¯s topmander. In the days toe, he would be destined to achieve extraordinary feats.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Jia Zhengyi and San Qian Luo Shui¡¯s ¡°verbal war¡± had been trending on Weibo, and Gu Qianxue had been following the episode closely. When she learned that ¡°San Qian Luo Shui¡± was actually Xiao Luo¡¯s Weibo handle, she couldn¡¯t helpughing out in sheer excitement. She was adorable when sheughed, she just seemed so much livelier. Gu Qianxue didn¡¯t expect that Xiao Luo would have such a different side to him.


    Gu Qianlin, on the other hand, never liked Xiao Luo, and only sneered, ¡°What a vulgar person!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo is only responding to those who have insulted him. This isn¡¯t being vulgar,¡± Gu Qianxue responded, defending Xiao Luo.


    ¡°The entire thing is filled with expletives. If this isn¡¯t vulgar, what is?¡±


    ¡°They hurled insults at Xiao Luo first.¡±


    Gu Qianlin pursed her lips, ¡°Qianxue, I¡¯m not gonna argue with you. I¡¯m just gonna wait for Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s VP¡¯s trial in three days. Don¡¯t forget about our bet.¡±


    Gu Qianxue thought about it seriously, then nodded, ¡°I have not forgotten.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Aizen with the Weibo ID ¡°L00king for a Sunny Day¡± posted: ¡°Today, I¡¯ve witnessed a true past master in action. San Qian Luo Shui, please ept my grovel. The respect I have towards you is unceasing like a raging river.¡±


    Comment posted by ¡°Popr Apple¡±: ¡°San Qian Luo Shui is way too domineering. During ancient times, we have the phrase ¡®triumph against a group of learned men in a verbal battle,¡¯ and now, we have ¡®one against ten thousand.¡¯ He¡¯s absolutely my idol!¡±


    Comment posted by ¡°Cry Baby¡±: ¡°La,, I¡¯m San Qian Luo Shui¡¯s die-hard fan. He takes trash-talking to the next level. He is invincible, even fought against a million people. He viciously twisted down the dog-head of justice[1]!¡±


    Even after the ¡°verbal war¡± on Weibo ended, many people still enjoyed leavingments for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s ount,¡± San Qian Luo Shui,¡± now had more than one hundred thousand followers. His points in the system have also reached a staggering six hundred thousand.


    ¡°What in the f*ck, you actually beat them. The people that have been criticizing Luo¡¯s Workshop previously are all gone! Old Xiao, that¡¯s a really nice one, you b*stard! Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan cracked up and then passed his phone for Xiao Luo to look, ¡°Even our university chat group has fired up. Everyone is talking about you now.¡±


    ¡°No way, they know it was me?¡± Xiao Luo was a little embarrassed. He didn¡¯t enjoy being in the limelight and shied away from publicity.


    ¡°Of course, they don¡¯t. You sneakily registered this Weibo ount, even I just got to know about it.¡±


    Zhang Dashan took back his phone and tapped on Xiao Luo¡¯s profile. When he looked at it, his eyes widened in surprise, and he said, ¡°What the f*ck is going on here? You gained more than a hundred thousand followers just because of this? Even I, an inte celebrity, only have 500 thousand! I had enough of this!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless, he wasn¡¯t after the followers, but only needed points. Fortunately, he had not posted any videos or pictures of himself on his Weibo ount. Had he uploaded photos of himself in the past, he may not have been so adventurous going up against Jia Zhengyi.


    When Luo Qi and Li Zimeng learned from Zhang Dashan, who ¡°San Qian Luo Shui¡± really was, they were both shocked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for Boss¡¯s cool and collected image, but I really like him this way too. The way he jumped on Jia Zhengyi was legit awesome. I bet that talk show host can¡¯t even tell left from right now. Boss, I love you to the max, hehe¡­¡± Luo Qi expressed her admiration for Xiao Luo with candor.


    Just when Xiao Luo thought that things were going to settle down, Zhang Dashan suddenly jumped up and shouted in his phone like he had seen a ghost, ¡°Holy, holy, holy pepperonis!¡±


    The fact that he had not used an expletive and had mentioned ¡®holy¡¯ three times in a row meant this was something out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Feng Wuhen asked, his curiosity piqued by Zhang Dashan¡¯s strange reaction.


    Xiao Luo nced at him, ¡°Are you having a seizure?¡±


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t hear any of it and just hurried over to Xiao Luo with his phone, and a silly smile on his face. With an irrepressible excitement, he blurted out loudly, ¡°Old Xiao, Goddess Su Li is following your Weibo! And she even liked your reply right under that b*stard Jia Zhengyi¡¯sment. Haha!¡±


    What?!¡±


    ¡°Goddess Su Li is following Brother Xiao? And even liked hisment?¡±


    When Feng Wuhen and the rest heard him, they quickly went for their phones and tapped into Xiao Luo¡¯s profile. A few months ago, they were still noobs, but they had quickly adapted to the use of mobile applications and social media. They naturally knew what a big celebrity Su Li was, earning a fee of 50 million to star in a movie! Being followed by a superstar like her on Weibo was simply unheard of, especially for the average person.


    Xiao Luo was staring at his Weibo page and spotted her avatar, a cartoon rabbit. He tapped on it and essed Su Li¡¯s profile. He was expecting it, but he was still shocked by the number of followers Su Li had.


    70 million followers!


    All of her posts were shared at least three million times, and they each generated over 200 thousandments. Even a simple ¡°Good night¡± had a record number of shares and likes.


    Su Li following and liking his ount had the same effect like a stone being thrown into a calmke, setting off waves in all directions.


    Many other celebrities came on and followed ¡°San Qian Luo Shui,¡± even liking all hisments countering Jia Zhengyi. An actress who was once offended by Jia Zhengyi¡¯s poisonous tongue also posted a direct message to rebuke Jia Zhengyi: ¡°What someone only knows is to be arrogant. Getting all inted just because he has a talk show. Inciting arguments on the inte, and ming others without even getting to the bottom of things, I just want to tell that person ¨C enough is enough.¡±


    Another female celebrity by the surname of Lee also spoke out: ¡°Those who humiliate others will only be humiliated themselves. I think someone has to reflect on himself.¡±


    Several male celebrities took the opportunity to reprimand Jia Zhengyi. One of them posted a few extremely satirical cartoons where the protagonist was named ¡°Jia Zhengyi¡± or ¡°fake justice,¡± a pun in an apparent reference to Jia Zhengyi.


    Jia Zhengyi had suddenly be the target of countless attacks. With Su Li and the other celebrities participating in it, almost half of the people in the country got into the act. Very quickly, the number of followers on Xiao Luo¡¯s ount had reached an incredible four million. What made it even more unbelievable was that his ount wasn¡¯t a verified one, and it certainly was not a celebrity¡¯s ount.


    Zhang Dashan was dizzy from seeing the number of flowers increasing rapidly, and he whined, ¡°What the f*ck. Even I only, an inte celebrity, only have 500 thousand followers. And it is the result of my hard work over a long time. What the f*ck, you already got yourself four million followers in less than four hours. This is too f*ckin¡¯ crazy.¡± He only wished that Xiao Luo¡¯s ount was his own.


    [1] Justice (Zh¨¨ngy¨¬): A pun referring to ¡°Jia Zhengyi,¡± the name of the offending talk show host.

 Chapter 257 - A Turn of Tides

    Chapter 257: A Turn of Tides


    As a talk show host, Jia Zhengyi had arge following of fans, but it was nothingpared to Su Li¡¯s legion of fanatical followers. She wasn¡¯t known as the nation¡¯s Goddess for nothing, and Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fan base stood no chance at all in a head-to-head. Once, a person going by the handle ¡°Legend of the Cloud¡± had posted a negativement about Su Li, and his ount was immediately swarmed by tens of thousands of her fans. In the end, Weibo had to even suspend his ount.


    Simrly, in the ongoing assault, sh crowds ofizens were drowning out Jia Zhengyi¡¯s own followers and pushing them to the brink, with no room left to maneuver, and their counteraction was in total copse.


    A rumor started going around that ¡®Legend of the Cloud¡¯ was, in fact, Jia Zhengyi¡¯s alternate ount, and it was explicitly used to stir up issues and boost his poprity. Each of itsments was always made immediately following Jia Zhengyi¡¯s posts. Severalizens proficient in IT had imed that the ount shared the same login IP address with Jia Zhengyi¡¯s verified ount.


    When the rumor went viral, the entiremunity of Weibo users was up in arms. An overwhelming surge ofments criticizing Jia Zhengyi flooded his page. In the beginning, Jia Zhengyi countered the allegations in his typical fashion. But as it went on, he finally got agitated and lost hisposure under the weight of the endless insults he kept receiving. While he met the challenge like Xiao Luo did in the beginning, his mettle and artiction were far inferior. In the end, his responses became more irrational and spiteful.


    ¡°You guys are a bunch of garbage and trash. Keyboard warriors who only know how to hurl out insults on the inte. You should all go and eat shit and scram back to your mother¡¯s centa!!!¡±


    In an outrage, Jia Zhengyi posted this without the slightest consideration of its consequences.


    The image Jia Zhengyi had established over the years crumbled in an instant. Even many of his own fans who closely followed his shows left in protest.


    ¡°Mr. Jia, you disappoint me too much. As a public figure, do you think it¡¯s okay to insult others like this?¡±


    ¡°Very disappointed. Never thought that the TV host I¡¯ve fancied for so long is of such low quality. What a loser.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t ept Mr. Jia in his current form!¡±


    The entire home screen was filled withments expressing disappointment towards Jia Zhengyi. Jia Zhengyi¡¯s follower count on Weibo was declining rapidly. In mere hours, he lost more than two million followers.


    An army ofizens stormed into the Xiahai TV station¡¯s Weibo page, the TV station that produced Jia Zhengyi¡¯s TV show, and inundated thements section with expressions of anger and disappointment.


    ¡°Is this Xiahai TV station¡¯s TV host? Firing insults at everyone, saying ¡®trash,¡¯ and ¡®garbage¡¯ whenever he opens his mouth, Xiahai TV has really low requirements for their own TV hosts.¡±


    ¡°It is really sad for your TV station to have a TV host like Jia Zhengyi.¡±


    ¡°I strongly advise you to sack Jia Zhengyi!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to watch your TV programs anymore. I bet you people in the TV station are as bad if you can tolerate someone like Jia Zhengyi among your ranks. Bird of a feather flock together.¡±


    ¡°Boycott Jia Zhengyi! Boycott Xiahai TV station!¡±


    The celebrities that had castigated Jia Zhengyi earlier once again joined the fray¡­


    ¡°Before you judge others badly and make unreasonablements about their affairs, please ask yourself first, is it really right for you toment on someone else? It seems that someone has revealed the ugly side of himself very quickly!¡±


    ¡°You should just stay at home with that poor character of yours. Even the TV station behind you is caught in your mess. I think it¡¯s really time for you to reflect on yourself.¡±


    ¡°San Qian Luo Shui¡¯s responses were fantastic and admirable, but someone like you can only vomit out a mouthful of shite, it makes people feel sick!¡±


    The chairman of Xiahai TV Station was sleeping soundly in thefort of hisvish home when he was urgently awakened and informed of the fiasco. Upon being notified about the incident, he became concerned with the negative public opinion their TV host was attracting. It was mounting steadily and was having an adverse effect on the station. Faced with immense pressure, he quickly phoned Jia Zhengyi and furiously ordered him to instantly delete all thements, or he¡¯d be cklisted.


    Jia Zhengyi felt betrayed as the station represented hisst safe haven. He felt so anguished that he was close to vomiting blood. His purpose of hyping up Xu Guansong¡¯s lengthy article was to remain visible to his fans, and of course, to maintain his presence and poprity. But who¡¯d have known that ¡®San Qian Luo Shui¡¯ would stir up such a social media storm? He had to delete all his posts from his insults toizens and even Xu Guansong¡¯s lengthy article, under the explicit instructions of his senior management.


    Add to his woes, he had to appease the public and calm the situation by publicly apologizing to theizens. It worked to a certain extent, and the hate messages slowly abated.


    Unfortunately, screenshots of his inappropriate posts had been saved and wereter circted. Netizens who were oblivious to the goings-on were attracted by the trending chatter in social media and caught on after going through the screenshots. The second wave of attacks again inundated Jia Zhengyi¡¯s Weibo page and left many offensivements about his personality. Most of the posts alluded to him being of low caliber and unqualified to be a TV host. It was so severe that Jia Zhengyi was forced to disable thements section.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ this feels f*cking great! That fool Jia Zhengyi won¡¯t dare to squeak anymore now! Lao Xiao, whoever dares to offend you, will meet their karma quickly.¡±


    Zhang Dashan could finally vent out the long-held anger in his heart. Seeing Jia Zhengyi first deleting his status, then posting a lengthy apology, and eventually disabling hisments section, was truly gratifying. Even more satisfying than bashing him up until even his mum could not recognize him!


    ¡°That¡¯ll teach him not to mess with Brother Xiao. He bit off more than he can chew there,¡± Feng Wuhen said in agreement, then added, ¡°Oh yeah, Brother Xiao, since you¡¯re going to Xiahai City next year, you should find an opportunity to let him eat some sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is a great suggestion. Let that bastard know why roses are red,¡± Zhang Dashan echoed, eager to blow the matter up even further.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait until next year. When the results of Xu Guansong¡¯s trail is disclosed, immediately instruct Zhang Yong to send a legal letter to Xiahai TV station to sue them of damaging ourpany¡¯s reputation. Demand them forpensation and a public apology.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a knee-jerk reaction or something that Xiao Luo just happened to think of. It was a n he had decided on the moment he took on Jia Zhengyi on social media. Since Jia Zhengyi dared to provoke him, he naturally would have to face the music.


    But still, Xiao Luo had to thank Jia Zhengyi for his folly. His points in the system had now exceeded two million. He would no longer need to worry about having insufficient points whenever he required an ability in the days toe.


    Nheless, he knew that it was mainly because of the female celebrity, Su Li, who had given him a follow and like, that it all ended well.


    He found himself developing an interest in this celebrity. In fact, he knew quite a lot about Su Li. She was a popr and talented performer, and singing and acting were her forte. A campus drama propelled her to stardom as the character she had portrayed struck people¡¯s hearts. She was able to make her audience happy when she smiled and sad when she cried. When the campus drama was released, it dominated all the inte tforms and TV stations and shot to the number one spot that season.


    In the drama, she would always be remembered for her long ck, silky hair, and a graceful, slender body wrapped in a white corset skirt. Sitting by the balcony with a book in her hands, with her delicate, alluring face glistening as the sun rose. She was gorgeous, and that scene captured the imagination of a nation.


    Su Li!


    Looking at a picture on Weibo, Xiao Luo quietly read her name in his heart.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if Su Li had given him a follow and like because of a grudge with Jia Zhengyi, or because she really appreciated his words. It was difficult to tell, as the entertainment industry was chaotic, and poprity was its primary currency. Many had tried to make a name for themselves but were buried under the exhaustive demands of the industry, and never made it to the top. It was ironic that those who were in there wished to get out, while those who were not broke their backs wanting to get in.


    Suddenly remembering the matter, Zhang Dashan said, ¡°Old Xiao, just so you know, Lao Guo is calling for a gathering of all our ssmates from back in Guang province in four days.¡±


    Lao Guo? Guo Qinghe?


    Xiao Luo was a little surprised. Guo Qinghe was their ss monitor in university. Now that he had taken the initiative to call for a gathering, Xiao Luo felt obliged to attend. Guo Qinghe had gone out of his way to help him during his time in university. He would never forget the time Guo Qinghe helped him in his appeal to procure financial subsidies for low-ie families.


    ¡°Where would it be held?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not set yet, but probably in Jiangcheng since most of our ssmates moved out to neighboring cities. Jiangcheng is in the center, and it will be the most convenient ce for the gathering to be held. Lao Guo is in Xiahai. I think he¡¯ll be fine to make the journey to Jiangcheng,¡± Zhang Dashan replied.

 Chapter 258 - Bullsh*t Logic

    Chapter 258: Bullsh*t Logic


    As the ss reunion approached, a sense of apprehension grew on Xiao Luo, and the truth was he wasn¡¯t really looking forward to it. From his perspective, those who genuinely wished to gather and reconnect with each other were few, and the majority were just keen to let others know about their aplishments. For some others, it was just a convenient way to explore the likelihood ofworking and looking for new opportunities that could be exploitedter on. That, in his mind, was what a reunion represented.


    A survey was once conducted online regarding reunions. The data showed that people taking the initiative to propose and organize reunions were usually those who had attained a measure of sess among their peers or in theirmunity.


    Xiao Luo decided not to give it further thought. Since he had nothing else to do, he would attend the reunion anyway.


    There was incessant chatter in university chatgroup, with messages sounding in the phone every few minutes. Many were looking forward to the reunion. With their former ss monitor, Guo Qinghe, as the group administrator, a discussion thread was posted to lock in a time and ce, and the number of people that could attend.


    Of the 34 students that were in his ss, half were now working in Guang Province itself. After reaching out to everyone, Guo Qinghe finally confirmed that ten from the alma mater would be attending. They would meet up at eight in the evening in four days at Jiangcheng City¡¯s Maple Leaf Hotel. Xiao Luo then confirmed his attendance and Zhang Dashan¡¯s, making it a total of 12 people.


    Xiao Luo turned around to let Zhang Dashan know about the n. He had just walked in and hadn¡¯t checked his phone. Zhang Dashan gave him a quick nce and asked with slight concern, ¡°Zhang Mengqi will also be attending, you alright with that?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be not alright?¡±


    Xiao Luo threw the question back to him. Zhao Mengqi meant something to him, but that way back in the past. Now, he only had one form of rtionship with her, and that they were former university mates.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll feel awkward during the reunion,¡± Zhang Dashan patted his shoulders and chuckled.


    ¡°You think too much.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled in mock scorn.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    There were no twists or suspense in the run-up to the trial of Xu Guansong. Given the indisputable evidence presented, Xu Guansong was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. He was, at the same time, ordered to issue a public apology to Luo¡¯s Workshop. When Zhang Dashan went to visit him in prison, Xu Guansong was in tears and appeared terribly dispirited, he looked like he had aged another ten years.


    ¡°The evils we bring upon ourselves are the hardest to bear. Before I came, I thought I¡¯d feel gratified and happy to see you in this state. Now, I only feel pity for you,¡± Zhang Dashan sympathized with the man, and feltpelled to say those words. He continued, ¡°Believe it or not, Lao Xiao, and I never wanted to report for this. After all, you¡¯re a senior in thepany and have contributed a lot to its growth. Even if you had made one big mistake, we would never have driven you to the edge. You know, as humans, we often make mistakes, but it¡¯ll be okay as long as we can correct them. But if you do it again and again, even the Heavens could not save you.¡±


    Zhang Dashan spoke through the tempered ss window separating the two, looking on withpassion at Xu Guansong, who was weeping uncontrobly and ovee with deep emotions.


    Xu Guansong lowered his head despondently, he regretted ever posting the lengthy article. He said in remorse, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m sorry to thepany, I really didn¡¯t expect that it¡¯ll incite such a big public outcry¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no use crying over spilled milk.¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed, ¡°Alright, I should be going. Stay in there and elevate yourself, strive to get released as soon as possible. One more thing, don¡¯t worry about your wife and kids. Thepany will send them some money every month during your time in jail. They will be able to carry on their normal lives.¡±


    Tears burst out from his tired eyes. Despite what he had done to thepany, these people were still willing to support his wife and children. He couldn¡¯t help wondering what meritorious deeds he had done in his past life, to have met such honorable folk.


    Thud! Xu Guansong dropped to his knees, knocking his head on the floor, performing a kowtow in deep deference to Zhang Dashan. He cried as he said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Zhang, thank you!¡±


    He was choking in tears, and his voice trembled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, you shite. These are Old Xiao¡¯s orders. You should be thanking him instead!¡± Zhang Dashan, not one to ept merit for the deed of others, turned around and promptly left.


    Xu Guansong, who was still kneeling on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly and kept saying in tears, over again, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Xiao, thank you, Mr. Zhang.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As for Jia Zhengyi, he sent someone to Jiangcheng City by flight that very night. His representative arrived at the Luo¡¯s Workshop headquarters with an amicable smile on his face. He appeared very humble, almost like somebody¡¯s grandson begging to see the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    Xiao Luo had no ns to meet the man. The entire operations at Luo¡¯s Workshop had been handed over to Zhang Dashan, who did receive the visitor. Zhang Dashan immediately made his intentions clear, and he would not settle the matter privately. He nned to take Jia Zhengyi to court and would seekpensation for defamation and demand a public apology.


    Many of Jiangcheng¡¯sizens had taken part in that ¡°verbal warfare¡± that revolved around Xu Guansong¡¯s long article that Jia Zhengyi had posted. With the verdict in their favor, Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s management was instantly absolved of any wrongdoing. The fact that Jia Zhengyi had distorted the truth to defend a criminal, under the pretense of justice, set off a considerable firestorm on social media again. Despite having disabled hisments section on his Weibo page, Jia Zhengyi¡¯s number of followers was still declining rmingly. Very soon, he was left with only about five million followers.


    The Xiahai TV station had also taken the TV program, ¡°Old Jia¡¯s Talk Show,¡± off the air, and without his tform, this proved a fatal blow for Jia Zhengyi.


    On the fourth afternoon, Jia Zhengyi held a press conference. Like Xu Guansong, he looked like he had aged for more than ten years over this short period. His face was now drawn and sullen, a distinct departure from the sharp-tongued and plucky personality in the talk show that everybody hade to admire. The change was not unlike making aparison between the sky and the ground, they seemed to be two entirely different persons.


    In the press conference, Jia Zhengyi was contrite, repeatedly apologizing to Luo¡¯s Workshop and the massive following of ¡°San Qian Luo Shui¡± fans. He dered remorsefully that he had disappointed everyone and would ept any form of punishment. He expressed his repentance with red eyes and an emotional, choked voice.


    ¡°F*ck, he looks so pitiful, I can¡¯t bear to sue him.¡±


    Behind that brutish and hard-nosed persona, Zhang Dashan was, in reality, rather soft-hearted. But when he needed to, he could be absolutely brutal.


    Xiao Luo was sitting on the sofa, drinking his hot ck-wolfberry tea while watching the TV. After hearing Zhang Dashan¡¯s words, he turned his head and chuckled, ¡°He should still pay thepensation!¡±


    Zhang Dashan grabbed a bottle of beer and took a mouthful, ¡°That is for certain. Who told him to provoke Luo¡¯s Workshop when it did not concern him? If he doesn¡¯t pay the price for that, he¡¯ll really think that Luo¡¯s Workshop is easy meat.¡±


    Xiao Luo cocked his eyebrow and remained silent.


    Ofte, he seemed to be following more of Su Li¡¯s performances. He realized that, as long as she was starring in any movies or songs, they would all suit his taste.


    Zhang Dashan noticed it too and couldn¡¯t help from giving him some friendly advice, ¡°Brother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m mean but, although you¡¯re apany¡¯s boss, you are still far from being a tycoon. For a woman like Goddess Su Li, just keep her in your mind. Don¡¯t ever think more than that, it¡¯s not realistic.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that you have in your mind again?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him.


    ¡°F*ck, we¡¯re all men. Would I not know what you are thinking up there? I never seen you pay any attention to goddess Su Li before. Now, you like the songs she sings, the movies she ys, do you dare say that you don¡¯t have this fantasy about being with her, even a tiny bit?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Xiao Luo said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Like I¡¯ll ever believe that. As your good brother, I got to be candid and make it clear to you. Goddess Su Li herself is loaded as hell, she¡¯s rich and famous. Unless you get yourself higher up, say in the ranks of Chu Yunxiong or Jack Ma, don¡¯t expect her ever toy eyes on you, okay.¡± Zhang Dashan put his point across sinctly.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother to respond. He didn¡¯t understand why listening to Su Li¡¯s songs or watching her movies was even a big deal. Did Zhang Dashan think that he had improper thoughts of Su Li in his mind?


    What kind of bullshit logic was that!

 Chapter 259 - Day to meet

    Chapter 259: Day to meet


    Time flew by, and before they knew it, D-day had arrived. It was time for the reunion.


    As Zhang Dashan was very conscious about his image, he nned to wear a formal suit and even groomed his hair with styling pomade. He then sprayed some cologne on his underarms, and struck a pose for Xiao Luo, excitedly asking, ¡°Old Xiao, look at me, what do you think?¡±


    His brows quivered as he spoke.


    ¡°I only have one word for you.¡±


    ¡°Handsome, right? As I¡¯ve said, I can be pretty handsome if I take the trouble to dress up.¡± Zhang Dashan was in good humor, admiring himself.


    Xiao Luo only shook his head.


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s cool?¡±


    ¡°Neither, you look like a pimp!¡± Xiao Luo answered tongue-in-cheek.


    Zhang Dashan frowned and looked a little hurt with thatment, he yelled back, ¡°What absolute nonsense, don¡¯t let me make you sh*t your pants okay!¡±


    Xiao Luo shrugged indifferently, then made to the door to put on his shoes. Compared to Zhang Dashan, his dressing was casual, and he had on a pair of dark cks and a in shirt. As Jiangcheng¡¯s weather was slightly chilly, he had only put on an undershirt for some instion and pulled over a ck sweater toplete an understated but smart look.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan had a different personality altogether, and unlike Xiao Luo, he was a little showy. He looked forward to driving up in his brand new Range Rover so that his former ssmates would know he owned one. He could already imagine how they would be admiring him, and that pleased him to no end. Walking towards the SUV, he was already in a dopamine-induced state and was humming tunes while grooving to the beat.


    Xiao Luo had gotten used to this behavior, Zhang Dashan would not be his true self if he did not show off every chance he got.


    ¡°It definitely feels good to drive a car like this, such sensation and eleration, it¡¯s orgasmic!¡±


    As Zhang Dashan was driving, his hands caressed the steering wheel like stroking a woman¡¯s soft skin. He was totally in his own world when he suddenly said, ¡°Old Xiao, since I¡¯m taking care of the headquarter, I¡¯ll definitely have to purchase a house here next year. With our worth, we could have moved out of Gong Vige a long time ago. It¡¯s so rural!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too arrogant, and don¡¯t forget what your primary mission is.¡± Xiao Luo cautioned him with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°What the heck are you saying. It¡¯s totally reasonable that I, as the CEO of thepany, need to purchase a house. You can¡¯t be too stingy, just handing out donkey¡¯s ration, if you want the business to go far, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and quipped, ¡°Comparing yourself to a donkey, hmm, a very nice metaphor.¡±


    ¡°What the heck, can you be more serious? Cos¡¯ I¡¯m serious about what I¡¯ve just said,¡± Zhang Dashan retorted in his usual bluster.


    ¡°You can make the call without my approval.¡± Xiao Luo replied. He was always generous to his brothers.


    Zhang Dashan picked his nose as he replied nonchntly, ¡°You regard yourself too highly, I¡¯m not seeking your approval, just reporting it to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes and didn¡¯t bother to reply.


    All of a sudden, a van appeared speedily from an alley and turned dangerously into the main road, right in front of them.


    ¡°F*ck¡±


    Zhang Dashan was shocked and immediately hit the brakes hard and swerved past the van to avoid hitting it.


    Coming from just behind Zhang Dashan, the van then sped past the Range Rover with barely 10cm between both vehicles, almost crashing.


    Zhang Dashan wound down his car window and screamed toward the van, ¡°F*ck you, can you drive? Don¡¯t you even know that you need to slow down at a junction?¡±


    This was his brand new Range Rover, and it was as beautiful and expensive as a new wife to him. If it had been scratched or knocked, his heart would have bled with sorrow.


    The people in that van had evidently heard Zhang Dashan, so the driver mmed on the brakes and pulled over. Four burly men alighted from the vehicle, and they had rebars in their hands.


    They walked up aggressively with ferocious looks on their faces. One of them, a square-faced man,ughed nastily and roared at Zhang Dashan, ¡°You think you¡¯re awesome because of your Range Rover? Try swearing one more time, and I¡¯ll smash your car!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was equally enraged, and he stared back angrily at the man. He thought to himself, ¡°You¡¯ve almost scratched my car, yet you¡¯re still being arrogant and looking for trouble? This is f*cking interesting.¡±


    ¡°Stay in the car. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not wish to see Zhang Dashan¡¯s car getting smashed up, so he hopped out of the vehicle immediately.


    He went to the roadside and taunted the guy with the crazyugh, gesturing with his index finger, he called out, ¡°You. Come over.¡±


    It riled them up, but suddenly the four burst into a peal of loudughter instead. The man with a square face said, ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s weird, did we run into two airheads?¡±


    They all stepped toward Xiao Luo even as the square-faced man spoke.


    ¡°Were you threatening to smash my friend¡¯s car up?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the squared-face man calmly, as if he no threat at all. The fact was, the moment the men had alighted the van and threatened Zhang Dashan with their rebars, he had already made up his mind that he would deal with them.


    The four of them suddenly looked at each other awkwardly, wondering if they might have run into a trap. How could this man remain so calm when he saw that every one of them was armed with a bar?¡±


    ¡°F*ck you, don¡¯t you dare to be mysterious with us. Brothers, bash these b*stards to death, then smash their Range Rover!¡± The squared-face man bellowed.


    Three of the men rushed at Xiao Luo intending to teach him a good lesson. They looked like the bold type who would always settle issues with violence. This time, however, they were destined to fail.


    One of them was already swinging his rebar into Xiao Luo¡¯s nk when it was suddenly snatched away forcefully. Before he knew it, the rebar was already in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face was cold and expressionless, and with a flick of his wrist, he mmed the rebar directly into the man¡¯s head.


    POW!


    He was momentarily blinded by a shing light in his brain as pain exploded from the blow to his head. Blood gushed from the wound and streamed down his forehead.


    His friends quickly gathered around to check on him, and their expressions changed suddenly.


    The man held his hands to his head, his eyes were wide open in shock, he never saw the blowing. Then as he looked down at his hands, he realized that he was bleeding profusely.


    ¡°Arrgh~¡±


    The man screamed like a pig before ughter and quickly backed off, staggering until he fell and sat by the roadside, staring at Xiao Luo in fear.


    The other two men who had also rushed at Xiao Luo were stunned and stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°You¡¯re shocked just by this? Didn¡¯t you want to hit me with your rebars? Come, let¡¯s continue!¡± Xiao Luo smirked.


    He abhorred hoodlums who thrived on bullying the weak. These men were clearly at fault, yet behaved with such haughtiness. Had he not controlled his rage, he would have easily killed the man with that blow.


    ¡°You die!¡±


    The squared-face man rushed up, swinging the rebar in his hand ferociously, aiming to bludgeon Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Xiao Luo evaded him easily and shifted outside the swinging arch in a sh as he grabbed the man¡¯s forearm in a smooth motion and pulled his arm over his shoulder and jerked downward.


    ¡°AIYAH!¡±


    He screamed in pain as his elbow joint snapped against Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, the rebar in his hand falling with a metallic thud on the road.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make your head blossom too!¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked, and with the rebar in his hand, he smacked the squared-face man on his head.


    TOK!


    Blood streamed down his face as he screamed dreadfully in terrible pain, holding on to his throbbing head.


    The two remaining men looked at each other, then at Xiao Luo in abject fear, they would be foolish to think that they could take this man on.


    When Xiao Luo red hard at them, they sumbed to their instincts and quickly turned around to flee.


    ¡°They actually abandoned their friends just like that, surely they have no sense of loyalty.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned with a shake of his head, then he dropped the rebar. In a quick dash, he caught up with the two men, grabbed them by their cors, and smashed their heads together forcefully.


    BANG!


    Their heads collided like two bumper cars, throwing both off their feet. They hit the ground hard, bleeding profusely, and after a few moans, both fell unconscious.

 Chapter 260 - A loli

    Chapter 260: A loli


    The squared-face man was shaking, staring at Xiao Luo in absolute terror. Thest thing they would have expected was to run into such a beast. It was for good reason that the old adage had been spoken to many a man: ¡°Do not bully the weak and fear the strong.¡± If one behaved haughtily and constantly preyed on the weak, inevitably one day, he would run into someone more able than himself. Fate has a funny way of biting one in the behind when least expected.


    Zhang Dashan had now gotten out of the vehicle and was heading over to Xiao Luo.


    As he walked, he picked up a bar lying on the ground then roared at the squared-face man, ¡°F*ck, you wanted to smash my car? Let me smash yours first!¡±


    He strode to the van, then swung the bar back and brought it down heavily onto the windscreen.


    SHATTER!


    As the bar smashed into the tempered windscreen, it visibly cracked the surface, producing a webbed pattern around where the bar struck. Another hit punched a hole in the windshield, shattering it into little mosaics of ss that littered the front seats before the screen fell apart.


    Zhang Dashan was so enraged that he repeatedly thrashed the van, breaking windows and causing dents all over the vehicle. Thumps and screeches resounded from the thrashing and sounded like painful screams of an abuse victim.


    ¡°You *sshole stop it, if you dare to hit one more time, I¡¯ll kill your whole family!¡±


    The square-faced man yelled loudly at Zhang Dashan. His blood-shot eyes bulged with rage, and he looked a grim sight with blood running down his face. Some say that a car is equivalent to a man¡¯s mien and even his ¡°other wife,¡± so seeing Zhang Dashan smashing his van up, the squared-face man reacted angrily despite being in such dire circumstances.


    As the words left his mouth, Xiao Luo walked up and stomped hard on his left hand with his right foot.


    Crack~ crack~ crack~


    The grisly sound of cracking bones could be heard as all five fingers in his left hand were mangled under Xiao Luo¡¯s right foot. Splintered bones protruded from the broken skin, and the hand trembled as blood oozed out, contrasting starkly with the exposed bones.


    The squared-face man howled, his face twisted in agony. He was now lying on the ground writhing from the excruciating pain.


    He raised his head and stared at Xiao Luo from where hey, and his eyes were filled with dread. The rest of the men could not stop trembling and tried their best not to attract his attention. They had always thought themselves as fearsome characters, but in the presence of this man, their courage left them, and they felt like helpless little girls.


    Xiao Luo did not have to say a word, he just smiled at the squared-face man and shook his head, suggesting that he had better stay put, or be greeted with more pain.


    The squared-face man, of course, hardly dared to breathe, nodding to acknowledge that he understood. In his eyes, Xiao Luo was a demon in human form.


    ¡°Old Xiao, we have a situation,e over here!¡±


    Zhang Dashan had stopped bashing the van and called out to Xiao Luo.


    As the squared-face man and his gang watched, their faces changed all of a sudden. They looked pale and panicky as if they had been exposed for doing something illegal.


    Xiao Luo frowned and walked over.


    Zhang Dashan was pointing at the backseat of the van, and when he nced over, he saw that there was a sack lying on the floor of the vehicle. The sack was moving about, and evidently, something alive was within it. Then, they heard a faint crying sound.


    ¡°What do you think is inside?¡± Zhang Dashan looked very serious.


    ¡°We¡¯ll know it once we¡¯ve opened it.¡±


    Xiao Luo slid the door of the van open and was about to untie the sack.


    Zhang Dashan hurriedly stopped him and said with caution in mind, ¡°Old Xiao, don¡¯t be so brash, what if there¡¯s a bunch of venomous snakes inside? If you open it, wouldn¡¯t you be at risk?¡±


    ¡°You think it could be snakes?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him as it was obvious from the shape of the sack, whatever was inside would surely not be like snakes.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not snakes, what if it¡¯s a beast? These four guys surely don¡¯t look like decent people, and it¡¯s possible that they could be exotic-animal traffickers. Anyway, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. Let¡¯s be careful in every task we do.¡± Zhang Dashan was still concerned as it was his nature to fear the unknown.


    ¡°Stay away if you¡¯re scared.¡±


    Xiao Luo could not understand Zhang Dashan¡¯s fear. It was just opening up a sack, was it even necessary to be that careful?


    He reached out his hands to undo the retaining knot that tied up the sack. Both their jaws dropped as they stared wide-eyed at its contents.


    These were neither venomous snake nor ferocious beasts but a beautiful and cute little ¡°loli.¡± [1]


    She looked about three to four years old, with a pair of beautiful, clear eyes so bright that stars seemed to reside within. Her hair was ck and soft, just like a waterfall that flowed down to her shoulders. She had a soft fringe in wispy bangs, a tiny delicate nose, fair skin,, and long eyshes. She looked like an adorable little fairy that had descended to the mortal world by chance.


    However, the hands of this little angel were tied up, and her mouth was gagged with a piece of white cloth. She looked helpless and stared at Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan, frightened. She had calmed down nevertheless after she had a good look at Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    ¡°These motherf*cking bastards actually kidnapped a little girl!¡± Zhang Dashan was very pissed.


    Even though Xiao Luo had never considered himself to be a decent person, memories of that little girl who was forced by Dragon Gang to beg for a living made his blood boil with rage. This adorable girl was undoubtedly kidnapped and had they not chanced upon her, she would ultimately be living a wasted life in a bottomless abyss.


    He remained silent as he untied the rope that had restrained her and took out the piece of white cloth from her mouth.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback.


    Zhang Dashan said in a kind voice, ¡°Little girl, you¡¯ve mistaken him for someone else, okay. This is not your daddy.¡±


    He knew better than anyone that Xiao Luo, his own brother, cannot possibly have a daughter. He did not even have a girlfriend to begin with, let alone a wife.


    The loli looked up timidly and remained silent, then she hugged Xiao Luo tightly as if he would vanish into thin air the moment she let him go.


    Xiao Luo knew that she had suffered from a traumatic experience, which caused her to behave strangely.


    He carried her out from the van as she clung onto him tightly like an octopus. She chirped, ¡°Daddy, Bei Bei has finally found you. Mommy did not lie to me, daddy¡¯s really in this city.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at her, then turned to Zhang Dashan, and said, ¡°Call the police, let the police handle the case!¡±


    Zhang Dashan immediately nodded in agreement. Even though they had saved a kidnapped child, they couldn¡¯t possibly be taking care of her for the rest of her life. In addition to that, they had a reunion to go to, and that didn¡¯t give them much time to clean up the mess.


    After the interrogation, the squared-face man and his gang provided all the details. They were not kidnapping but trafficking. The four of them earned a living through child trafficking. This loli, whose name was Bei Bei, looked as divine as a little fairy, so she would naturally be worth a lot of money. They had been tracking her for a while, and when they had the opportunity, they snatched her from her parents and sped off in their van.


    ¡°We¡¯re wrong, and we apologize. Big brothers¡­ please let us go¡­¡±


    The squared-face man was now broken, all traces of his earlier arrogance gone, as he begged Xiao Luo for mercy. If the police were toe, he and his men would be jailed for a long time. They hadmitted this crime multiple times; if they were to be prosecuted, they would probably be spending the rest of their lives in jail.


    ¡°Let you guys go? Don¡¯t dream about it, scumbags like you guys deserve a death penalty, f*ck!¡± Zhang Dashan screamed at them. He hated human traffickers terribly, he was greatly influenced by the movie, ¡°Lost and Love.¡±


    [1]: Loli: in this chapter, refers to a cute, pre-school girl with exceptionally beautiful features.

 Chapter 261 - Beibei

    Chapter 261: Beibei


    Not long after, the police arrived. The square-jawed man and four others were handcuffed. Their expressions were desperate. Had they known earlier that Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan were not people they could mess with, they would have held their tempers in. However, there were no what-ifs in the world. Everything was toote. Karma had caught up with them.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to give a statement, and we have told you everything necessary.¡± Zhang Dashan declined the police¡¯s invitation. He pointed at the young girl beside Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Oh yeah, this little girl is the one they kidnapped. Please help her find her family.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    There was basically no cop in Jiangcheng that didn¡¯t know who Xiao Luo was. His name was like a religion, instilling wariness, fear, and respect in them. How could they dare force Xiao Luo and hispanion to give their statements at the police station?


    A policewoman walked up to Xiao Luo. After nodding at Xiao Luo as an acknowledgment, she bent down and waved at the girl. She gave the girl a friendly smile and said, ¡°Little girl, I¡¯ll take you to your parents, alright?¡±


    The little girl wrapped her arms around Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs and shook her head forcefully. She hid behind Xiao Luo and warily looked at the policewoman.


    Xiao Luo smiled resignedly and looked down to persuade her. ¡°They are the police, and the police are the good guys. They will help you find your parents. You can go ahead and follow her.¡±


    ¡°You are Beibei¡¯s father.¡±


    The young girl lifted her head as she seriously spoke. Her big, shining, onyx-like eyes blinked.


    Hmm?


    The look in the eyes of the policewoman and the other cops immediately became contemtive. Xiao Luo the devil cop has a daughter? How could they not know?


    Xiao Luo quickly exined, ¡°I am not your father.¡±


    ¡°You are Beibei¡¯s father.¡±


    The little girl spoke in a very sure tone. Her childish voice was very pleasant to the ears.


    ¡°Little girl, you have recognized him wrong. Maybe he just looks like your father, but he definitely isn¡¯t your father. He doesn¡¯t even have a wife yet.¡± Zhang Dashan spoke up and agreed with Xiao Luo. What is happening? He¡¯s even getting pestered by a little girl?


    The little girl looked at him sheepishly but didn¡¯t reply to him. Her tiny hands were still holding on tightly to Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs. She pressed her porcin-doll-like face closely to Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh. Her face looked t as the muscles were beingpressed. She pouted and looked very cute.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the man before her was Xiao Luo the devil cop, even the policewoman would have failed to suppress her liking of the girl and go forward to pat the girl on the head. She was too cute. She made one feel an impulse to hug her and show her some love.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t argue with the little girl any further, but he said to the policewoman, ¡°Take her.¡±


    Regardless of whether the cops were able to coax her away or take her forcefully, they had to take the little girl with them. It had nothing to do with him.


    At Xiao Luo¡¯s behest, the policewoman walked up and tried to coax or trick the girl. ¡°Little girl, do you want to have some cotton candy? How about I bring you to buy some fluffy and sweet cotton candy?¡±


    The little girl was slightly tempted, but she thought of Xiao Luo, so she shook her head.


    The policewoman took out her phone. ¡°Then, do you want to watch clips of Logger Vick, Briar, and Bramble? I have some here.¡±


    As she spoke, she directly clicked on the video clips of Boonie Bears and yed it for the little girl.


    The little girl was tempted. Most kids were unable to resist cartoons. She walked out from behind Xiao Luo and took the phone from the policewoman. She stood where she was looking down and started watching the show with pleasure.


    ¡°Is it nice?¡± The policewoman tried to get the girl to trust her more.


    The little girl nodded. Not shifting her eyes off the phone, she replied, ¡°It¡¯s nice!¡±


    ¡°How about youe with me? I still have a lot of nice cartoons at my ce.¡± The policewoman smiled.


    Unexpectedly, the little girl immediately exited the state of beingpletely focused on the cartoon. After warily ncing at the policewoman, she once again hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs tightly. ¡°Beibei doesn¡¯t want to leave Dad!¡±


    Eh?!


    The policewoman was momentarily shocked. Obviously, her tactics of coaxing and tricking had failed.


    There was no other way but to take her by force. She grabbed the little girl¡¯s hand. ¡°Little girl, he isn¡¯t your father. I will help you find your actual parents.¡±


    The little girl began wailing. ¡°I won¡¯t go! My dad is here! He is my dad, boohoo¡­¡±


    The policewoman, who was afraid of hurting her, didn¡¯t dare tug at her forcefully now that she was crying, so she let go of her hand.


    The little girl immediately hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs firmly and tightly, hiding behind him.


    ¡°Damn, what¡¯s going on? Old Xiao, be honest to me, surely this girl can¡¯t really be the daughter of you and some woman?¡±


    It was the first time Zhang Dashan had encountered something like this throughout his life. Saving a little girl by chance and having the little girl im Old Xiao as her dad was surely only something that happened in novels, right?


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him and reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything if you don¡¯t have anything to say.¡±


    The little girl was at least three years old. He would have just graduated from university when she was born. He was in a rtionship with Zhao Mengqi, so why would he have sex with other women and have a daughter?


    When he saw the little girl crying, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know why, but he felt indescribably sorry for her. Even though it wasn¡¯t a very strong feeling, it was clear as day.


    He squatted down and extended a hand to wipe away the tears on her face. He patted her on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, you will look like a tabby cat if you keep on crying.¡±


    ¡°Beibei has finally found Dad! Beibei doesn¡¯t want to leave you!¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes were red. Drops of tears were pooled on her eyshes. She looked so pitiful that even God would have been moved.


    Xiao Luo drilyughed. ¡°You are Beibei?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    The little girl nodded quickly like a chick pecking at rice.


    ¡°Why are you calling me Dad?¡±


    Xiao Luo was very curious about it. ¡°Is it that I look like your dad?¡±


    The little girl shook her head. ¡°You are Beibei¡¯s dad.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He realized that he couldn¡¯tmunicate with the girl. How could he be her dad? There was no chance of it being true at all.


    The policewoman sheepishly suggested, ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Luo, since she relies on you so much, let her follow you for now. I will bring her family over to find you when they report her missing. Is that alright?¡±


    She was actually thinking that the girl would be a huge trouble if she kept on wailing loudly and making noise after they took her away.


    ¡°It is your duty as cops to help her find her family,¡± Xiao Luo calmly said. ¡°What does it have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    The policewomanughed awkwardly but did not say anything more. She feared Xiao Luo, this devil cop, from the bottom of her heart.


    Suddenly, the little girl, whose tears had stopped, began crying again. Tears streamed from her eyes. As she pouted she wailed, ¡°Dad, Beibei has finally found you, why don¡¯t you want Beibei? Boohoo¡­¡±


    Seeing her cry, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t describe what he felt. He even subconsciously frowned.

 Chapter 262 - A Piece of Cake

    Chapter 262: A Piece of Cake


    With soft, silky hair draped around her shoulders,rge eyes like the moon, a small nose with a high bridge, slightly flushed cheeks, and tender skin as white as snow and frost, the little girl was like a small fairy or a doll carved out of jade. She looked incredibly innocent and beautiful.


    Xiao Luo hadn¡¯t said anything yet.


    Zhang Dashan was the first to give in. He said, ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s take her with us. It¡¯s too heart-wrenching to see such a cute little girl cry. After all, it won¡¯t be for long. Her family wille and fetch her tomorrow.¡±


    Xiao Luo was uncertain. He didn¡¯t want to be put in charge of this little troublemaker, but he felt that his inner peace was disturbed when he saw her cry. It felt as if there was an electric drill forcefully drilling away in his heart, making its way inside. It made him very upset.


    Could it be that he had a thing for little girls?


    He was unable but to make such a guess. Who would believe that the devil cop would feel upset over a little girl crying?


    ¡°Dad, Dad¡­¡±


    The little girl was wildly crying. Her teary eyes were red as she kept on shouting.


    Xiao Luo sighed. He held the little girl¡¯s small, pale hands andforted her softly. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. You can stay with me until your family finds you.¡±


    ¡°OK, Beibei will be a very good girl!¡± The little girl nodded obediently and finally stopped her tears.


    Xiao Luo smiled slightly and lifted his head. He asked the policewoman, ¡°Do you have any tissue on you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The policewoman quickly took out a packet of tissues from her pocket and handed it to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo opened it and took out one sheet. He gently wiped away the tears on the little girl¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s your full name?¡±


    ¡°Beibei,¡± the little girl answered.


    Xiao Luo smiled in resignation. Beibei was definitely a nickname. He asked for her full name, which would include her surname and name, but it was obvious that the little girl couldn¡¯tprehend the concept. He dismissed his intention to continue asking.


    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The little girl opened her big, charming eyes wide, as she innocently and curiously asked the question.


    Given that she didn¡¯t even know Xiao Luo¡¯s name, the police officers present realized that the little girl wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter. But why was she so reliant on Xiao Luo? Was it simply because Xiao Luo had saved her?


    Everyone was puzzled and confused.


    ¡°Your Dad¡¯s name is Xiao Luo. As for me, you can just call me ¡®Brother Dashan.''¡± Zhang Dashan walked over and chuckled.


    ¡°Can you not be so shameless?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and admonished him. Zhang Dashan was almost 30 years old, yet he still asked a 3- or 4-year-old girl to address him as ¡°Brother.¡± He was incredibly thick-skinned.


    Zhang Dashan immediately defended himself. ¡°F*ck, what¡¯s wrong with getting her to address me as ¡®brother?¡¯ Any single guy should always be addressed as ¡®brother,¡¯ you know?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense your ass!¡±


    Zhang Dashan jumped around furiously like an angry bull ring hot air from its nostrils.


    Seeing the two fight verbally, the other police officers chuckled. It seemed that Xiao Luo, who was known as the devil cop, was not so cold after all!


    ¡­


    After about 10 minutes, Xiao Luo, Zhang Dashan, and the little girl, Beibei, arrived at the location of the ss gathering¡ªMaple Leaf Hotel.


    It was a famous hotel in Jiangcheng. Itbined dining, leisure, entertainment, and housing in one location, and it had many branches in Jiangcheng. Each of them was in a strategic location within the surrounding urban areas. One easily identified the main consumer group there from the various mid-to-high-level cars in the parking lot.


    Xiao Luo also knew that Maple Leaf Hotel was owned by Chongshan Court, which meant that the boss behind it was Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°It seems that we arete, so we will have to drink a few sses of liquor as punishment.¡± Zhang Dashan looked at the time and signaled with his head.


    ¡°You still need to drive,¡± Xiao Luo reminded him. ¡°It¡¯ll do to just drink a few sses of a beverage. Don¡¯t get pulled over for drunk drivingter when we go home.¡±


    Zhang Dashan waved his hand. ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? You are here, right? Which cop in Jiangcheng doesn¡¯t know you now? One word from you is enough to make them pee their pants. They wouldn¡¯t dare pull us over even if they had a hundred times their courage.¡±


    ¡°If you get caught for drunk driving, you will have to settle it yourself. I won¡¯t help you. ¡± Xiao Luo made it clear that there was no rtionship between those two events.


    ¡°F*ck, are you still my brother?¡± Zhang Dashan cursed.


    The little girl suddenly tugged at the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s shirt and softly said, ¡°Dad, I want to pee.¡±


    ¡°You go up first. I¡¯ll take her to the bathroom.¡±


    After speaking to Zhang Dashan, Xiao Luo guided the little girl to the bathroom.


    ¡°We¡¯re in room 508! Don¡¯t go to the wrong one!¡± Zhang Dashan shouted.


    Xiao Luo waved without turning back, signaling that he knew.


    When they reached the bathroom, Xiao Luo was at a loss. The men¡¯s toilet was on the left, and thedies¡¯ on the right. Which one was he supposed to take the little girl to?


    He looked down at the little girl and sighed. He thought, You are really giving me a difficult problem.


    The little girl lifted her head. Her big, sparkling eyes innocently looked at him. She didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of what he was thinking.


    Xiao Luo thought for a moment. He made up his mind to bring the little girl to the men¡¯s bathroom. If he went into thedies¡¯ bathroom, he would likely be viewed as a pervert.


    The little girl was unwilling.


    ¡°Dad, Mom said that I must go to the ce with the dress sign when I need to pee.¡±


    The little girl pointed at thedies¡¯ sign outside the toilet and dragged Xiao Luo toward that bathroom. ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. He forcibly said, ¡°Little girl, you enter from that door when you are going to pee with your mom, but you enter from this door when you are with me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The little girl tilted her head and looked like she was thinking hard. Her brows were furrowed.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    An attractive woman suddenly shouted his name. Her wavy golden hair glimmered brightly as the light shone upon it. She wore a light-yellow super mini skirt, which showed her slim thighs, and she was wearing nude-colored stockings, which disyed her perfect body shape.


    ¡°Tang Wantian.¡±


    Xiao Luo immediately said the woman¡¯s name out loud. She was the first to voice her support when Guo Qinghe suggested that they meet up. Back at the university, she was very active and the Communist Youth League branch secretary in their ss. She was in charge of the Communist Youth League branch matters and showed an extremely strong ability ofmunication back then.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three years, Xiao Luo, and you¡¯ve gotten more handsome.¡±


    Tang Wantian approached them with a bright smile. ¡°Oh yeah, what are you working¡­ Eh, who is this little girl? Is she your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Sister, my name is Beibei, I am my Dad¡¯s daughter.¡±


    The little girl boldly introduced herself still holding on tightly to Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    Being addressed as ¡°Sister¡± made Tang Wantian extremely happy. Her smile got even brighter. She reached out and touched the little girl¡¯s face. ¡°How cute. Not bad, Xiao Luo, you¡¯ve had a kid without anyone knowing. Mengqi was the one to name her Beibei, right?¡±


    She thought that the little girl was the daughter of Xiao Luo and Zhao Mengqi.


    Xiao Luo smiled resignedly and didn¡¯t know what to say. It seemed that things were getting more and moreplicated.


    The little girl lifted her head and said with puppy eyes, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m close to peeing myself.¡±


    Xiao Luo was worried about her peeing herself, so he said to Tang Wantian, ¡°This little girl is not who you think she is. It¡¯s ratherplicated. Can you do me a favor and take her into thedies¡¯ bathroom?¡±


    Seeing the troubled expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face, Tang Wantian immediately understood. She smiled slightly and said, ¡°Sure. That¡¯s a piece of cake.¡± She extended a hand to the little girl. ¡°Little girl, your name is Beibei, right? Come, I¡¯ll take you to the bathroom.¡±


    The little girl looked at Xiao Luo. She extended a pale hand to Tang Wantian only after Xiao Luo signaled for her to do so with his gaze.

 Chapter 263 - Grand Master

    Chapter 263: Grand Master


    Before long, the little girl came out of the bathroom and ran directly to Xiao Luo. She tightly held his hand as she stood by his side.


    After washing her hands, Tang Wantian came over and said with some envy, ¡°Xiao Luo, your daughter is so close to you. It seems that you must be a loving father.¡±


    Xiao Luo still didn¡¯t know what to say, so he shrugged and smiled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should go up first. Everyone must be waiting.¡± Tang Wantian changed the topic.


    Xiao Luo nodded.


    Taking the lift, they soon reached the fifth level. The server led them to room 508.


    As they pushed open the door, the first things in sight were arge round table and a crystal chandelier hanging high from the ceiling. The floor was covered in red carpet. The d¨¦cor was rather vintage. The ce was magnificent, pursuing perfection in every decoration. It made one felt as if one hade to a pce.


    Around the round table were their ssmates.


    ¡°Damn, Old Xiao, how did you run into our prettydy Tang? With this little girl alongside, you two look like a couple here for a banquet.¡± Zhang Dashan had drunk some liquor, so he couldn¡¯t help but start spouting nonsense.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, Wantian, you two are sote. You must drink three sses of liquor as a punishment.¡±


    At the head of the table, aely and cultured looking young man stood up and smiled. He was Guo Qinghe, the ss head. With a pair of sses and a suit, one thought of the phrase ¡°sessful person¡± just by taking one look at him.


    ¡°Three sses are not enough. It must be at least five sses, ha-ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, five sses. It can¡¯t be any less.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo and Wantian never got drunk at ss gatherings back when we were in university. It shows that they have a high capacity for liquor. If you ask me, five sses are not enough. They should directly drink from the bottle and finish it.¡±


    The other people cheered them on. The atmosphere in the room immediately warmed up.


    ¡°You bunch of jerks are still behaving so badly after three years. Alright, let me eat something first. I¡¯ll y Finger Spoof with all of youter and see whether you all can still be so smug.¡± Tang Wantian rolled up her sleeves like a tomboy.


    This scared the bunch of people cheering. ying drinking games with Tang Wantian was like seeking one¡¯s death.


    They changed their target to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡¯s going on with you, huh? Why did you bring such a cute little girl over?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she looks so cute. I really want to hug her and show her some love.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still single. I booked this little girl in advance. She will be my future wife, so don¡¯t you all try topete with me.¡±


    Several men and women left their seats and walked over to the little girl. Some squeezed her cheeks, and some touched her nose. They all liked her very much.


    The little girl hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs and sheepishly hid behind him.


    Zhao Mengqi was all dressed up and wearing a long tunic dress and light makeup. After going through much heartache and the torture of sickness, she no longer looked as bright and beautiful as before, but she was still a rather good-lookingdy.


    She sat in her seat, not moving. Ever since Xiao Luo entered, her gaze was always on him. It was indescribably bitter, regretful, and embarrassed. This outstanding young man once belonged to her, but now they were like strangers. Thinking of that, her heart ached. It was as if someone was stabbing it with a knife. She wished for nothing more than to turn back and return to the past. Without realizing it, her eyes became slightly red.


    ¡°Ah Shui, if you want to marry this little girl, you must now address Xiao Luo as Father-inw,¡± Tang Wantian joked.


    Address Xiao Luo as Father-inw?


    Everyone in the room was momentarily shocked.


    The man she called Ah Shui was Hu Shuiping. He was rather short and looked fairly in, but he was a quick thinker. He pointed at the little girl hiding behind Xiao Luo, who was only showing half of her face, and asked Tang Wantian in surprise, ¡°Are you saying that she is Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter?¡±


    Tang Wantian looked at Zhao Mengqi and spread her hands, saying in puzzlement, ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t Mengqi here? Didn¡¯t she tell you all?¡±


    Everyone exchanged silent looks. Their expressions were awkward.


    Hu Shuiping drylyughed twice and said in a soft voice by her ear, ¡°Old Zhang told us just now that Mengqi and Xiao Luo parted ways a long time ago. Mengqi had also confirmed it.¡±


    ¡°What? Xiao Luo and Mengqi parted¡­¡±


    Tang Wantian was visibly surprised. Xiao Luo and Zhao Mengqi were a couple they were all optimistic about. They had promised to marry each other and spend their whole lives together during the graduation dinner, so why would they part ways? She realized that she had spoken inappropriately and hurriedly stopped herself. She looked at Xiao Luo with a questioning gazed.


    Xiao Luo smiled and calmly said, ¡°Fate is difficult to understand. There are a lot of things that cannot be changed by sheer willpower.¡±


    He casually brushed it aside with a sentence and didn¡¯t exin the reason behind their separation. It was better to show more respect for one¡¯s ex-lover.


    Zhao Mengqi felt ashamed and grateful. She knew that Xiao Luo was trying to avoid embarrassing her. He was such a good man, so why did she get blinded and abandon him back then?


    ¡°You are right. Come, sit down. Waiter, you may serve the food now.¡±


    Guo Qinghe smoothed things over. He didn¡¯t want to make the atmosphere of the gathering more awkward.


    Zhang Dashan spoke up in agreement. ¡°Right, right, right. It¡¯s our ss gathering today, so let¡¯s not talk about unhappy things. Let¡¯s talk more about happy memories.¡± He looked at Hu Shuiping. ¡°Ah Shui, you are more humorous,e, tell us a joke so everyone can have augh.¡±


    ¡°That is far from the truth. When ites to telling jokes, you are the grandmaster in ss. Who could possiblypete with you, Old Zhang?¡± Hu Shuiping gave a wave of his hand and admitted defeat willingly.


    ¡°Yeah, Old Zhang, you start first. We love your jokes the most.¡±


    ¡°I still remember the ¡®hehehe¡¯ joke you told. It really is a ssic. I can remember it perfectly even now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, chase after me. If you manage to catch me, I will make you go hehehe, hahaha¡­¡±


    Recalling their times back in the university, everyone was cheerful. Laughter constantly rang out.


    Guo Qinghe was also very happy. With a serious expression, he said, ¡°Dashan, everyone is praising you, just tell us one first!¡±


    ¡°Tell you all a joke?¡±


    Zhang Dashan had been eager for the chance for a long time. He had barely suppressed his urge to tell a joke.


    ¡°Tell us!¡±


    Everyone, be it men or women, pped and cheered enthusiastically.


    ¡°OK, I will tell a joke.¡±


    Zhang Dashan coughed twice and stood up. He cleared his throat and began speaking. ¡°It¡¯s about a married couple. The wife loves watching television dramas. One day, she says to the husband, ¡®Love, for so many years, you have been apanying me and watching dramas with me. I know that it must have taken a lot of patience, and I shouldn¡¯t be so selfish. I won¡¯t watch my drama today, so you can do anything you want. Give me a chance to make you happy.¡¯


    Upon hearing so, the husband said, ¡®So, you know that I have been bored watching dramas with you every day for so many years, and you have finally sumbed to your conscience today. I see that you have been watching a lot of period dramas with words like ¡®your humble servant,¡±Your Majesty,¡¯ and all of those pedantic dialogues, right? I don¡¯t want you to do anything for me. I¡¯ll just give you a test.¡¯


    ¡®Love, what do you want to test me about?¡¯


    The husband said, ¡®Just say a sentence to me. It must make me very happy but also make me very angry.''¡±


    ¡°Guess what the wife said?¡±


    ¡°Old Zhang, stop with the suspense,¡± Hu Shuiping said. ¡°If we could guess the punchline of your jokes, how would you still be the grandmaster of jokes in our ss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tell us,¡± a young woman eagerly said. ¡°What on earth did she say to make her husband both happy and angry?¡±


    Zhang Dashan took a sip of tea. In a moderate speed, he said, ¡°The wife said, ¡®Love, your cock is thergest among your friends.''¡±

 Chapter 264 - Dickhead

    Chapter 264: Dickhead


    Your cock is thergest among your friends!


    Poof~


    Many of the people drinking tea spat their tea out upon hearing Zhang Dashan¡¯sst sentence. Tea was spat out everywhere. It was as if a bomb had been ignited in the room. The men wereughing loudly, pping their thighs in excitement, whereas the women shyly blushed.


    ¡°Damn, you are indeed the grandmaster. Old Zhang, you are the only person I admit defeat to in this regard.¡±


    ¡°The husband would indeed be both happy and angry. He had been cheated on so many times.¡±


    ¡°Old Zhang, was it your girlfriend who said that to you? Hahaha¡­¡±


    Everyone joked around.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m still single. If I am to be involved in cheating, I would be the one cheating on the wife.¡±


    Zhang Dashan patted himself on the chest. He looked at Hu Shuiping. ¡°Oh yeah, Ah Shui, do you have a girlfriend that loves watching drama? Do introduce me to her if you do.¡±


    Hu Shuiping rolled his eyes at Zhang Dashan and reprimanded him, ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Everyoneughed wildly again.


    Xiao Luo quietly sat in his seat, shelling sunflower seeds for the little girl to eat.


    ¡°Dad, Brother Dashan said a whole lot of things just now. Why did all the uncles and auntiesugh?¡± The little girl widened her big, sparkling eyes. Her face was full of innocent puzzlement.


    ¡°You will know will you grow up.¡± Xiao Luo gave a casual excuse.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The little girl nodded, not entirely understanding what he meant. She pouted and said, ¡°Dad, I am thirsty.¡±


    Xiao Luo poured her a cup of tea. He was worried that she might lose her grip and shatter the teacup, so he asked the waiter to bring him a straw. He held up the teacup. The little girl used to straw to drink the tea in the cup. She was very thirsty and gulped down the tea in big mouthfuls.


    ¡°This girl is really too cute.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it seems like she has inherited your excellent genes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, look at her eyes. They are bright and sparkling. She already looks pretty at such a young age. After she grows up, she will be a stunning beauty.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s attention was attracted by how cute the little girl looked while drinking water. All their gazes were on Xiao Luo and the little girl.


    Seeing that Xiao Luo was mistaken as the father, Zhang Dashan was terribly amused. He added fuel to fire. ¡°Right, right, right. This little girl can definitely conquer loads of men when she grows up. Guys, look at her brows, eyes, nose, and mouth. They are all exactly the same as Old Xiao¡¯s. It is as if they have been carved out of the same mold. She is most definitely his daughter.¡±


    He said so deliberately for fun, hoping that the rest would mistake her for Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter.


    As expected, Hu Shuiping immediately pped a hand on the table and leaped up. ¡°What do you mean by most definitely? She is of course his daughter. Daughters all look like their fathers. Look at how closely they resemble each other.¡±


    ¡°Ah Shui, you are so right, hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t stopughing, even though he knew the truth. She was just a little girl they happened to rescue. It was impossible for her to be rted to Xiao Luo. However, misled by him, everyone agreed with conviction. As a bystander, he was incredibly amused.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He red at Zhang Dashan. He coughed dryly and said, ¡°Actually, this little girl is not¡­¡±


    He had to clear his name and stop the misunderstanding from getting out of hand.


    Before he could finish his sentence, a woman beside Zhao Mengqi stood up and red at Xiao Luo, shouting loudly, ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t you feel guilty in front of Mengqi?¡±


    After she spoke, the entire room became silent.


    The woman continued to demand answers. ¡°We just graduated three years ago, and you were in a rtionship with Mengqi back then. Now, you have a daughter. Your daughter is at least 3 years old, which means that you cheated on Mengqi three years ago. Xiao Luo, are you a man? Can you bear the responsibilities of a man?¡±


    It was Qin Guiyue admonishing him. She had been Zhao Mengqi¡¯s roommate back in university. They were very close back then. She was one of the people most optimistic about the couple. Ever since she saw Xiao Luo bring his daughter to the gathering, she was filled with pent-up anger for the way Xiao Luo must have treated Zhao Mengqi. Now, she had erupted in fury, unable to hold it in any longer.


    ¡°Qin Guiyue, do you know why Old Xiao and Zhao Mengqi broke up? If you don¡¯t, stop spouting nonsense.¡± Zhang Dashan was the first to stand up for Xiao Luo. The atmosphere had been great before, but she had to voice her dissent. What a wet nket!


    Qin Guiyue shouted, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? He even brought his daughter. The story is basically telling itself. Mengqi must have realized that Xiao Luo had been lying to her all along and toying with her feelings! That¡¯s why she chose to break up with him!¡±


    ¡°What the heck do you even know? This little girl isn¡¯t Old Xiao¡¯s daughter at all1¡± Zhang Dashan shouted, somewhat losing control of his emotions.


    The moment he said so, everyone¡¯s gaze fell on him. They thought, Didn¡¯t you just say with your own mouth that the girl looked exactly like Xiao Luo? Why were you saying that she isn¡¯t Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter now?


    Qin Guiyue was momentarily shocked. Sheughed coldly and said, ¡°Zhang Dashan, we all know that you are close with Xiao Luo, to the extent that you all could wear each other¡¯s clothes. To forcibly clear Xiao Luo¡¯s name of being a dickhead, now you can even tell such tant lies!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying. The little girl really isn¡¯t Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter. She was lost and we ran into her on the way here.¡±


    Zhang Dashan had to swallow a bitter pill in silence. He constantly led them on and deepened the misunderstanding for fun. The result was that Qin Guiyue used it to build her case. F*ck! He felt more upset than if he had gotten f*cked by a dog.


    ¡°Ran into her?¡±


    Qin Guiyue was smiling even more mockingly. ¡°A girl you just ran into would be so reliant on Xiao Luo? Zhang Dashan, do you think we are fools?¡±


    ¡°Motherf*cking hell, believe whatever you want!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was incredibly angry. How was it that he just couldn¡¯t exin it to her? The little girl was indeed someone they had just run into on the way. As for why she was so reliant on Old Xiao, one had to ask the gods.


    Qin Guiyue red at Xiao Luo and shouted, ¡°Xiao Luo, be honest in front of all of us. Did Mengqi break up with you because you are a shameless dickhead?¡±


    ¡°Guiyue.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi tugged at her, motioning for her to stop speaking.


    ¡°Mengqi, what are you afraid of?¡± Qin Guiyue confidently asked. ¡°Everyone is here at the moment. This is the chance to show everyone what kind of man he actually is so that other girls from our ss won¡¯t get fooled by his looks and lose out next time!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as you think,¡± Zhao Mengqi weakly said. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in this.¡±


    She did not want everyone to know the real reason. Otherwise, she would be too ashamed to stay there.


    ¡°Mengqi, you are too nice,¡± Qin Guiyue righteously said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t give in to dickheads like Xiao Luo. If I were you, I would make him pay a high price.¡±


    ¡°Have you said enough, Guiyue? Everyone came here happily to attend a gathering. Let Xiao Luo and Mengqi resolve their own matters in private and stop meddling blindly here, alright?¡± Tang Wantian reprimanded her with a frown.

 Chapter 265 - Plesantries

    Chapter 265: Plesantries


    As the Communist Youth League branch secretary back at the university, Tang Wantian still more or lessmanded some authority. Qin Guiyue might not have shown Xiao Luo due respect, but she definitely wouldn¡¯t do the same to Tang Wantian. She pouted and sat down.


    Meanwhile, Xiao Luo paid no attention to Qin Guiyue and simply continued shelling seeds for the little girl. The way he saw it, there was no need to exin anything. After all, he wouldn¡¯t have any interaction with Qin Guiyue after this gathering.


    Guo Qinghe smiled and said, ¡°Wantian is right. Everyone came here happily for the gathering, so let¡¯s not talk about unpleasant things. Guiyue, I heard that your boyfriend is a department manager of the Haid Group Co. Limited?¡±


    He changed the topic so that the atmosphere wouldn¡¯t descend into awkwardness.


    Speaking of her boyfriend, Qin Guiyue showed a joyful smile. ¡°Yeah, he is the manager of the publicity department. He earns a yearly sry of $300,000.¡±


    When she said that, her expression was proud. It was as if she was earning $300,000 a year and not her boyfriend.


    A yearly sry of $300,000?!


    Everyone was shocked. Since these people had just graduated three years ago, $300,000 was a big sum of money that they could only dream of.


    ¡°Guiyue, you have found yourself a rich man,¡± Hu Shuiping jokingly said.


    After he spoke, many of the women expressed their envy, saying that Qin Guiyue was fortunate to meet such an excellent man.


    Qin Guiyue enjoyed it very much. She said with a smile, ¡°Nah, he¡¯s just meh, nothing much. Moreover, the prices of houses along the coast are sky-high. With his sry, we need to work hard for two years before we can afford a house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just two years. For people like us, we might not even be able to afford it after working hard for 10 years.¡± A female ssmate was both envious and jealous.


    Qin Guiyue was incredibly happy. She loved the feeling of being the center of attention.


    They ate the food served and drank liquor. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, or because what Qin Guiyue had said provoked them, they all began talking about their own lives. Some were happy, and some were not so much.


    Some hated their bosses for being incredibly stingy, always asking them to work overtime yet paying them a pitifully low sry.


    Another said that his fianc¨¦e was the daughter of an upper-level manager at a well-knownpany. He was about to open the door to the peak of his life by marrying the rich and pretty girl.


    More of them were going through difficulties in their lives, using alcohol to numb themselves. They readily shared their stories with their ex-ssmates.


    Compared to them, Xiao Luo was rather quiet, silently helping the little girl eat.


    Like him, the little girl loved meat. She shook her head vigorously when Xiao Luo gave her vegetables. As for the meat, be it beef, pork, mutton, or anything else, she never said no to it. Instead, she immediately opened her mouth and ate, quickly getting grease all over her mouth. She quietly sat behind Xiao Luo, unlike other children who made a lot of noise.


    Zhang Dashan initially wanted to say that he was in upper-level management at Luo¡¯s Workshop, but he dismissed his intentions to do so after seeing how Qin Guiyue showed off. He agreed with what Xiao Luo had said earlier. One shouldn¡¯t make a ss gathering the ce to show off.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t stop him from asking the other people about work.


    ¡°Old Guo, what are you doing in Xiahai?¡±


    ¡°Just toiling away. My life isn¡¯t as vibrant as you guys.¡± Guo Qinghe lifted his cup and took a sip. He shook his head and humblyughed.


    Hu Shuiping immediately made fun of him. ¡°Enough of that. You came here on a first-ss flight. For ordinary people like us, we would have to consider it before even buying an economy-ss ticket, let alone first-ss.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you all, our ss head is a lecturer, teaching sses about entrepreneurship specifically in Xiahai. He is the teacher for many entrepreneurs and receives at least $50,000 for a lesson.¡± Ady who knew Guo Qinghe well told them the truth.


    $50,000 for one lesson?


    Hearing that, everyone gulped instinctively and was deeply shocked. Most of them had a fixed sry that hardly exceeded $10,000 per month, yet their ssmate was earning $50,000 from a single lesson. How had money ever been so easy to earn?


    Guo Qinghe pretended to be angry and gave thedy a look. She said with a smile, ¡°I can only say that I¡¯m lucky to have gotten into the right industry. If anyone here is having difficulties or feel that their job right now isn¡¯t a good fit, feel free to visit me in Xiahai. I will definitely help you all to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, Old Xiao is going to develop his business in the city of Xiahai next year, so you can help each other out,¡± Zhang Dashan casually said.


    ¡°Help each other out my ass. He is just a dickhead. How can he even help our ss head out, heh?¡±


    Qin Guiyue angrily looked at Xiao Luo and softly mumbled to herself.


    Zhang Dashan put down his chopsticks and angrily said, ¡°Qin Guiyue, Old Xiao has a good temper, but you know me. If you continue to spout f*cking nonsense, don¡¯t me me for breaking old friendships!¡±


    He was a badly-behaved student back in university, giving the teachers headaches. It wasmon for him to get into fights. When he put on an angry expression, Qin Guiyue didn¡¯t dare say anything more.


    Guo Qingheforted earnestly him, saying, ¡°Alright, Dashan, don¡¯t be angry. We have been ssmates for four years. It isn¡¯t easy to get everyone to meet up.¡±


    ¡°I know it isn¡¯t easy to meet up, but some people just love to spout bullsh*t,¡± Zhang Dashan said. ¡°It¡¯s very annoying to the ears.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Dashan, you¡­¡±


    Qin Guiyue was extremely angry and red at him.


    ¡°Alright, both of you need to take a few steps back,¡± Guo Qinghe reprimanded them. ¡°Guiyue, you are partially at fault too. It¡¯s a gathering, so it would be great if you could stop gossiping.¡±


    Qin Guiyue pouted and angrily turned her head.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s wrong? Come,e, everyone, cheers.¡± Hu Shuiping raised his ss and invited everyone to a toast.


    His suggestion immediately received everyone¡¯s support and response.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,e, cheers, drink away all the unpleasant stuff.¡±


    Everyone rose and clinked their sses of liquor, tilted their heads back, and downed it in one shot.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you reallying to develop your business in Xiahai city next year?¡± Guo Qinghe asked.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Which industry are you nning to join?¡± Guo Qinghe enthusiastically asked.


    ¡°The baking industry,¡± Xiao Luo honestly answered.


    Guo Qinghe seriously said, ¡°Alright,e and find me. I am quite well-connected in Xiahai, and I think I can help you.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Guo Qinghe waved and righteously said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal about it. We are all from the same ss. It¡¯s only right for us to help each other.¡±


    ¡°ss Head, I also want your help!¡± Hu Shuiping pretended to look pitiful.


    ¡°ss Head, me too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so broke I¡¯ll have to eat grass soon! ss Head, is yourpany still taking in people?¡±


    ¡°I also want to fly first-ss!¡±


    Everyone cheered each other on. Of course, they were the only ones who knew whether they were actually telling the truth or lying.


    Guo Qinghe waved and confidently said, ¡°Alright, as long as you alle over to Xiahai, I promise that you can all be winners in life.¡±


    ¡°See, this is how a sessful person would speak. ss Head, I¡¯ll drink to you.¡± Hu Shuiping sucked up to him.


    ¡°ss Head, we¡¯ll drink to you too.¡±


    The rest of the people also hurriedly drank to Guo Qinghe.

 Chapter 266 - Life-costing

    Chapter 266: Life-costing


    Guo Qinghe received a minimum fee of fifty thousand for each lecture he delivered. Even if he were to give only one lecture a month, his annual ie would amount to at least six hundred thousand. Guo Qinghe¡¯s ie was certainly envied by many, but the fact was that he had long been admired for his talents and capabilities. He held the position of ss chairperson since his undergraduate days, and he was also actively involved in WeChat business and stock investments. In his fourth year at college, he managed to buy himself a foreign car, which he paid for with his own money.


    So, it was quite natural for everyone to look up to Guo Qinghe, and in their hearts, nobody felt peeved about what he had deservingly achieved. In fact, most people would expect Guo Qinghe to do better than them in life, and if he wasn¡¯t, that would indeed be very unusual.


    ¡°Beauty Tang, howe you don¡¯t look excited? You haven¡¯t said a word at all since we¡¯ve sat down, is there something that¡¯s bothering you?¡± Zhang Dashan directed his attention to Tang Wantian, and that quickly changed the topic of conversation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Wantian, you¡¯re the party secretary of our ss and the right-hand person,¡± someone said. And another followed up with a question, ¡°What are you working now as?¡±


    Tang Wantian sighed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m an author and a journalist, but my main work is in writing news articles. It¡¯s a shitty life, and I need to submit one news article before the weekly deadline.¡±


    ¡°News articles? You¡¯re not referring to the pop-up news from mobile web browsers and chatting apps, right?¡± A girl asked.


    Tang Wantian took a sip of her fruit juice and nodded, ¡°Yup, it¡¯s that kind of news.¡±


    ¡°Starting with only two pictures and edit the way through to a full story, so you¡¯re the editor that everyone¡¯s talking about, eh?¡± Hu Shuiping was quite surprised.


    Tang Wantian rolled her eyes but charmingly, ¡°Shui, are you asking for a p on your wrist? What do you mean by starting with two pictures and then editing them all the way to a full story? I¡¯m not that low in taste, everything I¡¯ve written is based on facts and evidence, and there¡¯s certainly no fabrication.¡±


    ¡°Then what have you been writing on recently?¡± Zhang Dashan asked jokingly.


    Tang Wangtian thought for a moment and answered honestly, ¡°It¡¯s a piece about San Qian Luo Shui, the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop.¡±


    When he heard that, Zhang Dashan almost spat the beer in his mouth out. Could this really be another coincidence?


    He threw a quick, meaningful nce at Xiao Luo.


    An expression of surprise did register on Xiao Luo¡¯s face a little as well, but it was hardly obvious as he was kept busy feeding the loli while having a bite himself.


    Zhao Mengqi knew, but she was well aware that Xiao Luo disliked being the center of attention, so she decided to stay mum on the subject.


    ¡°Talking about that San Qian Luo Shui, it is still a hot topic even now.¡±


    ¡°I agree, the way he talked was fascinating, how he faced up to Jia Zhengyi, and he even managed to beat millions of Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fan to silence just by his witty remarks.¡±


    ¡°Even more impressive was the press conference that Jia Zhengyi was forced to make. He had to publicly apologize to Luo¡¯s Workshop and even seek forgiveness from the masses. He was allegedly made to pay apensation of thirty million. It was so satisfying to follow it, the whole plot had even more suspense than a soap opera.¡±


    When the topic of conversation shifted to San Qian Luo Shui, everyone had gotten excited and wouldn¡¯t let up discussing the ¡°verbal war¡± that had taken ce only recently. It actually fired up the atmosphere of the entire room immediately.


    ¡°Wantian, do you have a picture of San Qian Luo Shui? He¡¯s really my idol, and I¡¯ve been following him on Weibo. If you write a piece of news about him, I¡¯ll marry you right now!¡± Hu Shuiping said nonsensically.


    Everyone immediately jeered at him.


    Someone chirped, ¡°Don¡¯t continue to bullshit, Shui. The difference in height between you and Wantian may not work in your favor. When you stand next to Wantian, you really do resemble ¡®Tu Xingsun¡¯ [1] in the ssic novel, ¡®Fengshen Bang¡¯ [2].¡± And that got everyone in the roomughing.


    Tang Wantian immediately patted Hu Shuiping on the head as if she wasforting a child and smiled, ¡°There, there, be a good boy, and sister would buy you some candiester.¡±


    ¡°Big sister, I¡¯d also like some candies.¡±


    The little loli, Bei Bei, could not resist it and shouted out to Tang Wanlian when she heard the word ¡®candies¡¯.


    Everyone burst into peals of joyfulughter as they looked at her cute and demure expression.


    But poor Hu Shuiping wore a long face. Not only was he the butt of the joke, but to be spurned by a pat on his head dealt a blow to his ego. He was terribly upset, but he could not express it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After they were done with eating and drinking, they all headed for the Karaoke room in the box.


    The karaoke equipment was installed with an auto-scoring system, and it would show the scores every time a patron finished singing a number. The passing mark was 60, while really good crooners could sometimes get the full score of a hundred.


    Qin Guiyue started the session with ¡®Yi Sheng You Ni¡¯ by Shui Mu Nian Hua. As the song echoed around the room, Zhao Mengqi lost herposure and broke into tears. This song had reminded her of everything about her past rtionships with Xiao Luo. Each piece of memory shed back so vividly, and it touched her very soul.


    As the song ended, everyone tried tofort Zhao Mengqi, who was beside herself in sorrow. Qin Guiyue red at Xiao Luo with daggers in her eyes, convinced that it was Xiao Luo who had hurt her.


    Guo Qinghe sensed that the situation was bing awkward, so he quickly suggested a singingpetition to liven up the situation. He promptly said, ¡°I¡¯m proposing a singingpetition where everyone gives it a shot with their best songs. We¡¯ll determine the winner by the system¡¯s highest-scoring contestant, what do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°That is a great idea, but there have to be some incentives for the winner. It¡¯d be boring if we didn¡¯t have a prize topete for.¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Guo Qinghe thought for a moment and responded as he adjusted his sses, ¡°How about this, each of us contributes two hundred to the prize pool, so that makes it two thousand four hundred bucks. The winner gets one thousand two hundred, the first runner-up gets eight hundred, and the second runner-up gets four hundred. How about that?¡±


    ¡°Chairperson, you can just be honest with me, if all you want is two hundred bucks, then you really don¡¯t have to go by this singingpetition trick.¡± Saying that Hu Shuiping pped the two hundred bucks on the table, pouting and acting as if he was offended.


    He was a barrel ofughs, and they all knew that Hu Shuiping was tone-deaf. His singing was so terrible that it would be more entertaining to listen to a monk reciting the scriptures. Some people could earn a living by singing, but in Hu Shuiping¡¯s case, listeners could get so agitated it would likely cost him his life.


    ¡°Shui, don¡¯t so upset about it. Who knows this scoring system may not recognize you are tone-deaf, then you would definitely be the champion.¡± Zhang Dashan gave a pat on his shoulder and said sarcastically.


    ¡°F*ck, you¡¯re always screwing me up like this, is it so difficult to stop hurling insults at me? F*ck off!¡± Hu Shuiping shot back.


    The prize money has been collected, and the bundle of notes was ced visibly on the table to stir up theirpetitive spirit. The singingpetition was about to begin.


    Everyone encouraged Hu Shuiping to sing first, and they anticipated moreughs.


    Hu Shuiping seemed to be quite happy to entertain everyone, so he confidently chose to sing ¡°Si Le Dou Yao Ai.¡± So horrible was his rendition of the popr song, that it made everyone cover their ears up.


    Xiao Luo had his hands over the little loli¡¯s ears, but he ended up suffering, as Hu Shuiping murdered every aspect of the song. It was difficult to put the finger on any particr w, but besides being off-key, he also got every line of the lyrics wrong. Still, he was so engrossed that he was singing it out loud with his eyes closed.


    He sang his lungs out and even bowed at the end of the song. But when the final score shed on the screen, everyone burst outughing hysterically.


    ¡°What the f*ck, the execution was fierce as hell, but the result was like f*cks. 11 points, hahaha¡­¡± Zhang Dashanughed uncontrobly, with his hands on his belly.


    Hu Shuiping was pouting again and actually looked genuinely dejected. He had expected a much better score than that.


    The entire room was in stitches, and even the karaoke staff couldn¡¯t help themselves.


    Qin Guiyue was up next, and she was known for her awesome singing voice. She chose an English song, ¡®it¡¯s Amazing¡¯. She was indeed skillful and enunciated every word well, and she had a beautiful voice that made everyone fall in love with her singing. When she ended her song, the system shed the score: 98 points!


    ¡°What the heck! No point topete anymore, the champion¡¯s Guiyue, without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you expect that, have you forgotten that Guiyue was the main vocalist in the band when she was in college?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d I forget that. I just thought that the results might be different this time, since the score is produced by a machine, instead of a human.¡±


    Everyone was surprised as a tally of 98 points was an extraordinary score to them.


    ¡°My throat isn¡¯t in the best condition today, on any other day, I would¡¯ve hit a full score with this song.¡± Qin Guiyue said, not satisfied with what she got. As conceited as she seemed, she wasn¡¯t simply blowing hot air. She indeed was a true songbird who frequently patronized clubs, and she was particrly confident with this song.


    Everyone apuded with a look of amazement on their faces. Hu Shuiping even dered aloud, ¡°Chairperson, give the first prize to Guiyue at once, I can¡¯t handle any more of this psychological trauma.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    And everyone once again tore up withughter as they saw the look on Hu Shuiping¡¯s expressive face.


    Footnotes:


    [1] ¡°Tu Xingsun¡±: An extremely short character in the Investiture of Gods who is skilled at earth-style spells, who abducted, and married a beautiful and talldy named Deng Chanyu.


    [2] ¡°Fengshen Bang¡±: In English, ¡°The Investiture of the Gods,¡± a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacr Chinese works in the gods-and-demons genre written during the Ming dynasty.


    [3] ¡°Si Le Dou Yao Ai¡±: A popr Chinese rock song by Xin Yue Tuan that features extremely high notes and growling in the chorus.

 Chapter 267 - Presence

    Chapter 267: Presence


    No one in the room disputed Qin Guiyue¡¯s position as the frontrunner after she tallied up 98 points, and she thoroughly deserved to be the winner. However, there were still first and second-runner up positions topete for, so everyone continued to sing with great enthusiasm.


    Some sang love songs, some inspirational songs, and some even performed duets.


    Zhang Dashan was a down-to-earth guy, so he chose ¡°Give Me A Hug, Brother.¡± He had a rough voice, and that quality was very suitable for this song.


    ¡°Give me a hug, brother, tell me your mind,


    Tell me all about your sad past and changes of vicissitude all these years.


    Give me a hug, brother. If you want to cry, cry it all out,


    Cry it all out for all the deep-buried hardships you¡¯ve had all these years.¡±


    When he belted out the song, all the men listening recalled their younger days when they were both frivolous and fearless in pursuing rtionships. It reminded them of the quote from the movie, A Chinese Odyssey: ¡°the longer one lives, the more dog-like he bes.¡± There was some wisdom in that, as time was a great leveler, and social norms would gradually smoothen the rough edges.


    Xiao Luo was of a different mind altogether, and shaking his head, he murmured to himself, ¡°I¡¯m so sick of hearing this song from you!¡±


    Zhang Dashan habitually selected this song to sing at the karaoke, and sometimes he would even sing it twice. Xiao Luo was sick of hearing it. To hear it again, it was merely noise to him, regardless of how well Zhang Dashan delivered the song. However, whenpared to Hu Shuiping, his voice was heavenly.


    The little loli, Bei Bei, sat obediently beside Xiao Luo, with her two tiny hands on his thigh. Her big eyes were staring at the screen, and she seemed to be very interested in the music videos¡¯ content.


    ¡°Girl, can you sing?¡± Xiao Luo asked her jokingly.


    The loli nodded and replied eagerly, ¡°Bei Bei knows how to sing the nursery rhyme mommy taught.¡±


    Xiao Luo patted her head affectionately and nodded silently.


    Zhang Dashan finished his song with a flourish, and the system gave a score of 96 points!


    What the heck!


    It surprised everyone and nearly caused a riot. When did Zhang Dashan ever disy any musical talents even from his college years? They couldn¡¯t believe that he had gotten such an outrageous high score. They could ept Qin Guiyue receiving 98 points, being the main vocalist of the band during her college years, but Zhang Dashan?


    ¡°I¡¯m very much humbled, hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan received the apuse with utmost modestly butughed out loud as he stepped back to his seat.


    ¡°F*ck, this system has a definite problem. Even you could get 96 points, while I only score 11! And I even hit the high notes!¡± Hu Shuiping was all riled up. He always believed that he was on par with Zhang Dashan, in terms of singing ability, so he felt very dissatisfied when Zhang Dashan¡¯s score shed on the screen.


    Zhang Dashan patted his shoulder and rubbed it in, saying, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve sung it well, you don¡¯t know shit.¡±


    Hu Shuiping rolled his eyes, and turning to Guo Qinghe, he said with firm resolve, ¡°Chairperson, I demand a re-match!¡±


    ¡°Re-what? No, once is more than enough, I¡¯d rathermit suicide than listen to you sing again!¡±


    ¡°My earwax almost flew out just now. Shui, please don¡¯t sing again.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll drag you out and kill you by humiliation if you dare to sing again!¡±


    Everyone was firmly against it, and the thought of it made them want to throw up. Earlier, they had encouraged Hu Shuiping, but only forughs, and even then, they struggled to sit through his horrible singing. Once was enough!


    Guo Qinghe tried to notugh and simply advised him with all sincerity, ¡°Shui, everyone¡¯s only got one chance. Since the score¡¯s out, then you should ept it wholeheartedly, don¡¯t feel embarrassed, people won¡¯tugh at you.¡±


    However, those words only made the others burst into moreughter.


    Hu Shuiping put up his signature sympathetic face: frowned eyebrows, pouting lips, and droopy eyes. And this brought about even moreughter, and everyone was rocking in their seats, unable to contain themselves.


    Tang Wantian had been texting her colleagues about the investigation of San Qian Luo Shui, but she didn¡¯t cocoon herself from the crowd. She chose a song by Feng Huang Chuan Qi. Her score turned out pretty high at 92 points, which also gained everyone¡¯s praise.


    Guo Qinghe then chose an inspirational song.


    ¡°Nothing could stop, your longing for freedom,


    unlimited and unrestricted life, your heart has no worries¡­¡±


    His voice was both gentle and maic, and he lifted everyone¡¯s spirit with his fine rendition.


    Even though he only received a score of 86, he had won everyone¡¯s admiration nheless.


    ¡°The score doesn¡¯t matter. Chairperson, you nailed the song.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s very obvious that he had been through a lot, or else he can¡¯t bring out that sense of emotion.¡±


    ¡°Come, let us cheer for the chairperson!¡±


    The cheers and apuse went on non-stop.


    Xiao Luo frowned. Now, as working adults climbing their way up the socialdder, everyone had changed so much since their university days. This was nothing more than a simple singing contest among friends, and yet they were already trying to tter and bootlick their way around. The once simple and genuine friendship they had as ssmates no longer existed.


    After Guo Qinghe¡¯s number, everyone looked at each other, checking if they had had their turn at the mic. It looked like they all had.


    ¡°Old Xiao hasn¡¯t,¡± Zhang Dashan pointed out.


    The crowd only realized that Xiao Luo had not sung after Zhang Dashan mentioned it.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you don¡¯t have a presence, it¡¯s been like this since college times. How could you remain the same after three years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, one must learn to change to adapt. If you¡¯re too low-key, people won¡¯t be able to discover your talents, and that¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to lecture on you. I know, ording to custom, it¡¯s important to form a family first before you strive for a career. It has its virtues, but it has be redundant in our current society. Starting a family when young is a burden that would restrict you and weigh you down you. You¡¯re the only one that has a child among us, right? It¡¯s even more stressful with kids, and it¡¯d make doing business harder.¡±


    Most of them were giving Xiao Luo a lecture.


    ¡°You guys have gone too far, we¡¯re talking about singing here.¡± Zhang Dashan was feeling annoyed and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Exactly, we¡¯re talking about singing. Xiao Luo is unfamiliar with socializing and has always remained too introverted. This doesn¡¯t work if he wants to keep with today¡¯s social values, especially when hecks a presence. If you had not mentioned him, I¡¯d have forgotten he ever came for this gathering.¡± A girl chimed.


    Qin Guiyue rested her hands on her waist and said in a cold, sarcastic tone, ¡°If I were him, I¡¯d not have the courage to show up for this gathering too, let alone try to make my presence felt. Especially not after cheating on Mengqi and toying with her feelings, huh!¡±


    When everyone heard it, they did ept that as truth, though they did not go for Xiao Luo like how Qin Guiyue did. Perhaps that exined why Xiao Luo had remained quiet throughout the gathering, he was clearly trying to stay low-key.


    ¡°Cough¡­You guys have gone way too far again!¡±


    Guo Qinghe interjected with a cough and quickly changed the topic, ¡°Xiao Luo, have you thought of what song to sing?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°Chairperson, I am forfeiting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forfeiting?¡± Guo Qinghe frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not good with singing, and I won¡¯t want to be hurting your ears.¡± Xiao Luo nodded.

 Chapter 268 - No need to endure anymore

    Chapter 268: No need to endure anymore


    There was a polite smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. He was there mostly because Zhang Dashan had tried so hard to convince him to attend, and besides, he had some time to spare. Had he known how little his former ssmates valued the simple and genuine friendships they used to have in the past, he may not havee here. All he now saw were people willing to bootlick and ingratiate themselves to the more sessful, or brag about their jobs and spouses. Not forgetting those who thought too highly of themselves and freely gave out unsolicited advice without even understanding the truth.


    To be honest, he had stayed out of respect for their past friendships. He could not just leave the ce, as that would be disrespectful to everyone there.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡¯re you talking about? You must sing, this is apetition, let¡¯s be serious about it!¡± Hu Shuiping was the most agitated of all. He had a vested interest, of course.


    He was the butt of everyone¡¯s joke as he was the only one who sang and got below the par of 60 points ¨C had only gotten a tally of 11 points! It was so humiliating to him that he felt even his grandmother would not have approved of it. As he rarely witnessed Xiao Luo¡¯s singing during college days, he hoped that Xiao Luo would be tone-deaf too. That way, his 11 points would not stand out as prominently. It would be fine even if Xiao Luo¡¯s score was slightly higher than his, as then, he wouldn¡¯t be the only one with such a low score.


    ¡°That¡¯s right Xiao Luo, speaking of which, we haven¡¯t heard you singing before, now¡¯s the chance, you better don¡¯t chicken out.¡± Tang Wantian put down her phone and ncing over at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Quick, sing a song. Show some spirit and presence!¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s your turn, you should put up a good show, Xiao Luo. You should change your character, don¡¯t be so shy.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all ssmates, even if you don¡¯t sing it well, we¡¯ll just take it, nobody is here to mock you. Look at Shui, we didn¡¯t judge him even after he sang so terribly.¡±


    Everyone was trying their best to persuade him.


    Hu Shuiping frowned at the girl who said that he had sung terribly and put on his sympathetic look again. But this time, everyone only ignored him this time.


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to sing, then forget about it. Why should we impose on him, huh!¡±


    Qin Guiyue, in an ironic tone, chirped, ¡°It¡¯d be such a shame if his singing is on the same level as Shui since he¡¯s a good-looking kid.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi pulled Qin Guiyue¡¯s arm and said softly, ¡°Guiyue, can you stop targeting him?¡±


    She was already feeling very guilty, as the main reason she was at this gathering was to see Xiao Luo again and look at the man that had once belonged to her. She didn¡¯t even know why she did it, as she had no illusions that there would be any chance of getting back together. And now, she was curious about the little girl named Bei Bei. She was quite convinced that she was not Xiao Luo¡¯s daughter, there must be some misunderstanding.


    ¡°I¡¯m not targeting him, I¡¯m just being brutally honest. He¡¯s a handsome guy, but if his singing is terrible like a ghost howling, it¡¯d naturally affect his image. And that¡¯s by no means belittling.¡± Qin Guiyue crossed her arms in front of her chest and argued.


    ¡°I want to f*ck you, may I?¡±


    Zhang Dashan replied with a double entendre, intentionally using an expletive.


    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about, Zhang Dashan?¡± Qin Guiyue¡¯s expression changed immediately.


    ¡°I said, I want to f*ck you, it¡¯s not belittling you but an appraisal for you. I¡¯m praising you for your beauty, if not why¡¯d I want to f*ck you.¡± Zhang Dashan said tauntingly.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Qin Guiyue was so enraged that her face turned red, and she started to hyperventte.


    Xiao Luo stood up at this time and put his hand on Zhang Dashan¡¯s shoulder, then said with a serious tone, ¡°Dashan, don¡¯t insult our female ssmate; if you¡¯re really that desperate, just spend a bit of money at the club and bring a pretty one back to have fun with.¡±


    What?!


    Everyone was shocked as they initially thought Xiao Luo stood up to reproach Zhang Dashan, but no one expected him to viciously suggest that Qin Guiyue was a prostitute. He even he badmouthed her without uttering a single expletive.


    Before Qin Guiyue could erupt, Xiao Luo told the male ssmate who was sitting before the karaoke machine, ¡°Pick the song ¡®Ugly Hag¡¯ for me, thank you!¡±


    Ugly Hag?


    Well, it was another hidden dig targeted at Qin Guiyue!


    Everyone could not believe what they had just witnessed, was this person really Xiao Luo? Was this still that Xiao Luo, the silent, low-key, and average kid in college?


    Only Zhao Mengqi knew that Xiao Luo was just being himself. He could endure insults for the sake of past friendships once or twice, but beyond that, he would not hold back. The others had all forgotten their old friendships, so why should he care?


    Flustered, Qin Guiyue clenched her jaw and glowered angrily at Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°¡­If you¡¯re fake enough, you can even beat the demon¡­


    If you¡¯ve plotted it well, who¡¯s gonna be nobler¡­¡±


    The moment Xiao Luo got through the first verse of the lyrics, the crowd was immediately taken with his clear and melodious voice. He expressed the lyrics with a perfect artiction of its subtle inflections, which drew the listener in, as if in a conversation. And as he hummed the tune in the chorus, the crowd joined in and hummed along. They were beside themselves with admiration.


    Here was a voice that could converse with their souls.


    Tang Wantian stopped her texting and immediately looked at Xiao Luo as she listened to his captivating voice.


    ¡°Did someone turn on the original mode?¡±


    A man raised this question softly, but he shut up as soon as he saw that the system screen on vocal mode.


    This was a very popr song, and anyone would immediately recognize whether it was the original track. It was a testament to Xiao Luo¡¯s talent that anyone even thought that this was the original.


    ¡°F*ck my life!¡±


    Well aware that he would best in ce, Hu Shuiping sat gloomily watching Xiao Luo¡¯s performance. It was bad enough to be in thest ce, but to be relegated to that spot with a score of only 11 points was both embarrassing and hurtful.


    ¡°Daddy, Bei Bei wants to sing too!¡±


    The little loli wanted to join the fun and immediately jumped off the sofa and ran excitedly over to Xiao Luo, begging him by hugging onto his thigh.


    Seeing her so excited, Xiao Luo smiled and decided to let her have a go. He knelt down and passed the mic to her.


    ¡°Can the ugly hag keep the lights off, the love I wanted only exist in a pitch-dark stage.


    In these times of ambiguity, my existence is not much of a surprise.¡±


    It was by sheer coincidence that this was also the highlight of the song, and even though she was only three or four years old, she could sing really well. Her innocent voice had produced a rather special effect on this song, she was like a nightingale that sang with a very pleasing voice. This made everyoneud her excellent singing with encouraging apuse.


    Xiao Luo was a little surprised, as he did not expect that she could sing so well, and she made no mistake in enunciating the lyrics. She had mentioned to him earlier that she only sang nursery rhymes, but this song was nothing like that.


    He patted the little loli on her head to express his admiration and encouragement.


    The duet by ¡°father and daughter¡± had elevated this song to a new height, and the listeners were enraptured with their fabulous performance.


    Everyone remained mesmerized for the song¡¯s duration, enthralled by their beautiful voices and the exceptional rendition of the song. The fusion of both the voices of father and child had produced harmonics with dramatic ups and downs, which captured everyone¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Congrattions, your score is: 100 points!¡±


    The high-pitched female announcer from the karaoke sound system echoed in the room, and the giant screen showed: 100. The entire screen erupted with bursts of fireworks, and the disco ball in the room started to shing at a vigorous tempo. At the same time, the whole room was filled with strobes of different colors, apanied by thunderous apuse and cheers from the sound system.

 Chapter 269 - Mr. Xiao

    Chapter 269: Mr. Xiao


    What? 100 points?!


    How was that even possible!


    Everyone in the room was astounded. This was an amazing score, and it was virtually impossible to obtain that with a karaoke system. One would imagine that even its inventor couldn¡¯t rig the system to get himself such a score. Perhaps for a singer with the skill of Qin Guiyue, a maximum score may have been possible, but only for a song or two that she was particrly good with. Her earlier score 98 points was already a superb tally, so for Xiao Luo to get a perfect 100 points was simply incredible.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s rendition of the ¡°old hag¡± was unbelievable and dazzled each and everyone in the room.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s such a huge shame you didn¡¯tpete in The Voice of China with your talent in singing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re usually so low-key, and nobody would have expected you to have so much talent in singing.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter is a fantastic singer too, and she is so cute!¡±


    Everyone was magnanimous with theirpliments despite the song being sung as a dig at Qin Guiyue for her sarcasm. In fact, they all seemed to have totally forgotten about it altogether.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m acquainted with an agent from a recordpany in Xiahai, and I could introduce you to him. With your evident talent, maybe you could achieve something great in this field.¡± Guo Qinghe said with genuine appreciation.


    ¡°Chairperson, thank you, but I¡¯m not very interested in a singing career. But thanks all the same.¡± Xiao Luo turned him down politely.


    Guo Qinghe sighed, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re really good at singing, why don¡¯t you think about it first before giving me an answer?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled, ¡°I really appreciate your kindness, but I¡¯ve got my own business to take care of. And I don¡¯t wish to be a public figure, so bing a singer is really not suitable for me.¡±


    ¡°If that is so, then it¡¯s a little unfortunate.¡± Guo Qinghe replied, somewhat disappointed.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, since the chairperson had connections to a recordpany, you should take full advantage of it. Look at your mediocre life now, why don¡¯t you try to push yourself harder for once? If you be popr, many of us will support you.¡± A man tried to persuade him.


    A girl chimed, ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m not trying to be nosy, but you¡¯ve always acted this way since our college days. You don¡¯t know how to take advantage of thework and the resources around you. And now you¡¯re still acting this way even after we¡¯ve graduated. How do you expect to be sessful? A great opportunity like this is doesn¡¯te every day.¡±


    Xiao Luo still had a polite smile on his face, but he was terribly disappointed with this gathering. It had only been three years, and yet he could already see the drastic change in his former ssmates. Gone was the sincerity in their friendship, reced now with hypocrisy and ulterior motives behind their every word and action. He was truly disappointed as he did not think they would be such people, but perhaps it was he that hade with such high expectations, to begin with.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have some urgent business to attend to, so I¡¯ll need to leave first.¡±


    He made a random excuse, grabbed Bei Bei¡¯s hand, and walked out of the room. He could not bear to stay for another moment.


    ¡°Old Xiao, wait for me.¡±


    When he saw that Xiao Luo was leaving, Zhang Dashan immediately stood up, not intending to hang around. He smiled and told everyone, ¡°I have something on too. You guys have fun, okay.¡±


    He then picked up his jacket and followed after Xiao Luo.


    Everyone was surprised, but it didn¡¯t take them too long before they started discussing the sudden departure of the two.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these two, how could they leave just like that?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be. Xiao Luo¡¯s pissed off and Zhang Dashan being very close to him, of course, would do the same.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just a bit of sarcasm from Guiyue? Aiyah, if he¡¯s pissed off by a little thing like that, then it¡¯s not very manly of him.¡±


    Hu Shuiping was a little peeved at all the talk and put his own thoughts across, saying, not too loudly, ¡°Are you all serious? You guys have been so condescending to Xiao Luo, giving him lectures without even knowing how he was actually doing in real life. And every single one of you was acting so high and mighty, how could anyone tolerate it?¡±


    No one caught what Hu Shuiping said except Guo Qinghe, sitting beside him, who heard it clearly.


    Guo Qinghe shook his head and let out a long patronizing sigh, ¡°Shui, you can¡¯t say just that, everyone was thinking in Xiao Luo¡¯s interest. Since we¡¯re all ssmates, nobody would want him to do badly in life. If anyone faces any difficulty in life, we are all here to take care of each other.¡±


    ¡°But none of us know anything about Xiao Luo¡¯s life, do we? He has always been a low-key guy, so what if he¡¯s doing way better than us? Wouldn¡¯t it be a big, fat joke on us for trying to lecture him?¡± Hu Shuiping said matter-of-factly.


    The room fell into an ufortable silence after hearing that.


    Qin Guiyue spoke with a sneer, ¡°With his arrogant attitude, how well could he do in life? Don¡¯t forget he toyed around with Mengqi, and for that, he¡¯s no more than a jerk. He¡¯s the equivalent of a rat on the street, so I¡¯m d he¡¯s left!¡±


    A girl who was close to Qin Guiyue pitched in angrily, ¡°That¡¯s totally right! And that no-good Zhang Dashan is shamefully uneducated and full of obscenities. I¡¯m ashamed to have anything to do with such a ssmate!¡± She did not dare to say it in Zhang Dashan¡¯s face, but since he had already left, she was going on about it.


    A man agreed, ¡°Right, right, he¡¯s damn uncouth. If we¡¯re ever holding any more gatherings in the future, let¡¯s leave the two of them out. It¡¯d just spoil our mood.¡±


    Zhao Mengqi felt a deep sense of disappointment with some of her ssmates for belittling Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan. Some of theirments were uncalled for, especially when they knew nothing about them. They had such high opinions of themselves, quickly jumping to their own conclusions, simply to rationalize their contempt of the two. But the reality was that they were blindly ignorant, only judging Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan by what they remembered from college. Weren¡¯t they aware of the Chinese adage: ¡°after a schr¡¯s absence of three days, one will see a man changed for the better?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s not talk about them. Let¡¯s continue.¡± Guo Qinghe waved his hand in an attempt to shift away from the unsavory topic.


    A gentle knock came from the door, as it was pushed open, several waiters came in with tters of fruit and snacks, along with various drinks and two bottles of wine. The spread was decent and was expected in a ce like this, but the bottles had given everyone a big shock.


    ¡°Roman¨¦e-Conti!¡±


    A man familiar with wines named the two bottles of Burgundy on the table immediately, ¡°the retail price is around eighty thousand per bottle!¡±


    Huh!


    Everyone gasped in disbelief, and they couldn¡¯t believe a bottle of red wine could cost eighty thousand! And now they¡¯ve actually seen it with their own eyes.


    Hu Shuiping stood up immediately, a little concerned and asked, ¡°Prettydy, we did not order anything, did you bring this here by mistake?¡±


    The senior wait staff, an attractivedy, smiled and said, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no mistake, these are with thepliments of our boss, Mr. Chu. And oh, by the way, all of your expenses tonight will be on the house. Everything will be covered by the Maple Leaf Hotel.¡±


    What?!


    What was going on?


    Everyone was in a stupor. Why the sudden mention of a Boss Chu, who is he?


    Guo Qinghe asked curiously, ¡°May I ask if the Boss Chu you¡¯re talking about is Mr. Chu Yunxiong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Maple Leaf Hotel is part of Chongshan House¡¯s property group.¡± The charming waitress smiled politely. Having been through extensive training in service excellence, her smile was genuine and warm.


    Guo Qinghe was lost for words, and asked, ¡°But none of us has any rtionship with Mr. Chu Yunxiong, so why would he gift us such expensive red wines?¡±


    ¡°Oh, allow me to exin. As you are ssmates of Mr. Xiao, Boss Chu has instructed us not to bill for any of tonight¡¯s expenses.¡± The beautiful waitress answered honestly.


    Mr. Xiao?


    Xiao Luo?


    Hearing the surname Xiao, everyone was suddenly shocked. As none of them had the surname Xiao, thedy must then be referring to Xiao Luo.


    A prominent business leader in this city had actually paid their bills, and even presented them two rare bottles of vintage red wines, all because of Xiao Luo? What was going on?

 Chapter 270 - The height to look up to

    Chapter 270: The height to look up to


    Everyone looked absolutely astonished. Exactly how did Xiao Luoe to know Chu Yunxiong? And what kind of rtionship did he have with such a distinguished figure, a man who was at the very top of the business hierarchy? And for Chu Yunxiong to make such a grand gesture on ount of Xiao Luo came as aplete shock!


    The very people who had earlier lectured Xiao Luo on his perceived shorings, suddenly felt rather awkward as they realized that they might have made themselves look a tad silly.


    Guo Qinghe¡¯s expression was hard to decipher, but he almost looked dejected. He found it jarring that someone else in the group had done better than him. Due to his long history of sess and as the epted leader of their alma mater, he took this as a slight to his dignity.


    He asked, very eagerly, ¡°Ermm, may I ask if you know anything about the rtionship between our ssmate and Boss Chu?¡±


    As he asked this question, everyone had their ears peeled, and all attention was focused on the charming waitress, eagerly awaiting her response.


    The senior waitress smiled apologetically and replied, shaking her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, I¡¯m not too sure about this.¡± However, being trained to always provide the highest level of service to her customers, she helpfully gave them a suggestion and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao is having a conversation with Boss Chu downstairs. Would you like to see him? Perhaps you could ask him directly.¡±


    When they heard that, they exchanged quick nces, and stepped out to the corridor overlooking the hotel lobby, trying their best not to appear to be storming out of the room.


    Just outside the main entrance of the lobby, they saw a Range Rover parked next to a Rolls Royce on the spacious ground in front of the hotel. Besides the cars, two persons stood together, having a conversation. One was aely young man, dressed casually, and the other a dignified looking man with silver hair in a formal suit. They were chatting enthusiastically.


    The two men were none other than Xiao Luo and Chu Xunxiong.


    As for Zhang Dashan, he was close by, ying with the little girl, Bei Bei. Behind Chu Yunxiong, stood two men in ck suits, grim-looking, and alert. They were obviously the bodyguards.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is actually chatting so casually with such a distinctive figure like Chu Yunxiong, my¡­my eyes aren¡¯t lying to me, right?¡±


    ¡°Chu Yunxiong¡¯s Rolls Royce is custom-made and costs thirty-million. That Range Rover is the SV Autobiography model, the retail price is about one million and seven hundred thousand, with all the processing fee, it should cost about two million.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, are Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan doing that well in Jiangcheng? Are they actually rich enough to afford such a luxurious car?!¡±


    That¡¯s the strange thing about themon man and how they measured sess. Most people could ept sess in a person that they deem to be better than themselves, and even if he were a stranger, they¡¯d assume that he was capable and deserved it. And, perhaps they would also feel the same way for someone older than themselves, having been through many trials and tribtions in their long years. But they could never ept looking up to someone whom they deemed lesser than themselves. And Xiao Luo was such a man, a mediocre all his life, quiet and unassuming, and not even able to make it into the ss executivemittee during his time in university.


    As it turned out, those who had lectured Xiao Luo earlier could only gaze in silence, with a look of embarrassment on their faces. They now felt nothing but shame.


    After recovering from the shock, Guo Qinghe was very agitated and was left speechless. He clenched his jaw involuntarily as he questioned how Xiao Luo could have found such sess. How could Xiao Luo be doing better than he was? How could he be better?


    ¡°Ha! What did I tell you guys? Just because Xiao Luo has always been low-key and humble, doesn¡¯t mean that he is not doing well in life.¡± Hu Shuiping¡¯s words stung, and it resonated quite well with the wise sayings of old.


    Qin Guiyue was filled with envy and felt exasperated that Xiao Luo could be at a higher station in life than the rest of them. She hated him and could never ept what she had just seen. She snapped, ¡°So what? Does it mean that he¡¯s sessful just because he¡¯s chatting with Chu Yunxiong? And being able to drive a Range Rover means that he¡¯s rich? It¡¯s absolute nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Hu Shuiping asked.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Qin Guiyue answered boldly, ¡°Who knows what they¡¯re talking about? Maybe he¡¯s just reporting about work to his boss. And what¡¯s so precious about a two million Range Rover anyway? My boyfriend can also afford one anytime, the installment payments are nothing to him. For all you know, this car might not even belong to Xiao Luo. Who¡¯s to say that he had purposely borrowed this car just to show off in front of us.¡±


    Everyone agreed with what she said: they just could not ept the fact that Xiao Luo could afford a luxury car after working in Jiangcheng for only three years. Nor could they believe that he was so sessful that he could be on such good terms with Chu Yunxiong.


    ¡°If that Range Rover really does belong to him, then very likely he has be a sugar baby to a rich woman and is living off her wealth.¡± Another man said, adding fuel to the discussion.


    ¡°Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, and this could exin the presence of that little girl, Bei Bei.¡±


    Everyched on that thought and was more than willing to ept that conjecture.


    ¡°For him to abandon Mengqi for a rich woman and her money, Guiyue was absolutely right¡­ Xiao Luo¡¯s nothing but a jerk.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by his well-to-do appearance. A handsome jerk like that usually tries to live off a rich b*tch. All I can say is that a woman like this can torment him whenever she pleases, and he¡¯s actually living a terribly unhappy life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s see how long his fortune canst.¡±


    At this point, Xiao Luo had be ¡°public enemy No. 1¡± to his former ssmates. For no other reason than that he appeared to have achieved something in life. Most of them refused to believe that Xiao Luo was doing well and was a sessful man. They didn¡¯t think that he deserved to do better than them and must have taken an undignified route to get to where he was now. It was human nature, simply the way of themon man.


    ¡°Well, you guys might be disappointed.¡±


    Tang Wantian, who had remained silent all along, said sarcastically, then she read off a phone number and asked, ¡°Are any of you familiar with this phone number?¡±


    Hu Shuiping thought for a brief moment then quickly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Xiao Luo¡¯s phone number during university days?¡±


    Everyone was confused and unsure of why had Tang Wantian had mentioned that phone number.


    ¡°Mengqi, you of all persons should remember Xiao Luo¡¯s phone number during that time, so is this number correct?¡± Tang Wantian looked at Zhao Mengqi.


    Zhao Mengqi nodded and answered promptly, ¡°Yes, it did belong to him.¡±


    ¡°Wantian, what¡¯s going on?¡± Guo Qinghe frowned, unsure where this was all going.


    Tang Wantian smiled. What she was about to reveal had been a mystery to everyone on social media for quite some time, and it would certainlye as a shock to those present here tonight. She coolly said, ¡°This phone number was used to register for the Weibo ID, ¡®San Qian Luo Shui.¡¯ One of my colleagues bribed an executive from Sina Corporation and got ess to it.¡±


    When they heard that, everyone just stared nkly at Tang Wantian, wide-eyed and with gaping mouths.


    The phone number used to register the Weibo handle ¡®San Qian Luo Shui¡¯ belonged to Xiao Luo. So what did that imply?


    It implied that Xiao Luo and ¡°San Qian Luo Shui¡± are one and the same. This very man started a heated ¡°verbal war¡± on the inte with the popr talk show host, Jia Zhengyi, a Tier-A TV personality. Xiao Luo convincingly cut down his opponent in the exchange, and he also silenced a million of Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fans with the witty ripostes that made him a hero to allizens. In the end, Jia Zhengyi was forced to hold a press conference and apologize publicly to Luo¡¯s Workshop. Xiao Luo was also the man behind Luo¡¯s Workshop that was now a very sessful business operating in Jiangcheng!

 Chapter 271 - Hes Not a Scumbag

    Chapter 271: He¡¯s Not a Scumbag


    ¡°Xiao Luo is the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop?!¡±


    Everyone gasped, it was unbelievable, and they were all in awe of what Xiao Luo had achieved. They, on the other hand, were merely employees and working for somebody else. Going through the daily grind of checking in and out from work every day and living a mundane and monotonous life. asionally, they would be overwhelmed by their work, which made them feel like giving up. They desired to change their lives, but they were helpless to do so. Sometimes they felt like a small fish in a drying pond, fighting for what little opportunities that came along and with no hope of a decent future in their sight.


    Only they knew what plights they faced in their own lives. No one else could guess the suffering and depression they each had to go through.


    No one could imagine how they felt at this very moment. Seeing a former ssmate who never stood out in ss, who was considered a mediocre, suddenly bing the head of a sessfulpany. So sudden was his rise that even luminaries like Chu Yunxiong, a titan in the business world, would befriend him. How was it possible to ept such a thing?


    Without saying another word, Tang Wangtian quickly headed downstairs. She wasn¡¯t concerned about Xiao Luo¡¯s good fortune, she was only going after her story about Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss, ¡®San Qian Luo Shui,¡¯ and now, that person was right there. What made it even more interesting was that he was her old ssmate. She wanted to get herself right in front of Xiao Luo that very instant. What providence!


    Qin Guiyue blushed. She had earlier boasted that her boyfriend¡¯s annual sry was 300 thousand dors, but whenpared with Xiao Luo¡¯s, it was really insignificant, like an average man in the presence of a giant, and she, nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well. She had thought so highly of herself,paring her lot with her colleagues, but now she had been made to look arrogant and conceited.


    She couldn¡¯t ept it and refused to let up on her condemnation of Xiao Luo. She cried spitefully, ¡°So what if he seeded?! That only shows that he got lucky, but he can never change the fact that he¡¯s a scumbag. He yed with Mengqi¡¯s feelings and cheated on her with another girl. He is a jerk through and through!¡±


    She had been persistent from the very beginning and was bent on finding anything bad that she couldy on Xiao Luo, even exaggerating them to suit her purpose.


    But this time around, the crowd wasn¡¯t swayed by her words anymore. No matter what she said, the truth was that Xiao Luo was now sessful, and his achievements were higher than any of them. They were not worthy to judge such a person.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Zhao Mengqi couldn¡¯t take it any longer. She yelled at Qin Guiyue to stop, and her eyes were red, welling up in tears. She said, ¡°Please, stop it! Xiao Luo didn¡¯t y with my feelings. We broke up because I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation of money. I fell for a rich guy, and I was the one that abandoned him. He isn¡¯t a scumbag, not in the least.¡± She choked when she said that, the memories were too much to bear. She then continued saying, ¡°Even when I got hospitalized and underwent surgery, Xiao Luo overlooked the fact that I dumped him, and he paid for my hefty medical expenses. It is all my fault that things have ended up this way, okay?!¡±


    She screamed thest part of what she said, the hurt was unbearable. She was lost in endless pain and regret.


    Zhao Mengqi wept in deep anguish. She had kept this dark secret, too ashamed to let anyone else know. And she had endured in silence all this while, but Qian Guiyue¡¯s constant ranting about Xiao Luo had been eating at her, pushing her to speak out the truth, and finally forcing her to reveal her ugly side to everyone. She couldn¡¯t bear to see Xiao Luo being judged so maliciously any longer.


    That¡¯s the truth behind their breakup?!


    The crowd was dumbfounded, and they had horrified looks on their faces. No one expected such a sudden turnaround.


    Qin Guiyue was shocked, she just stood there staring at her friend in a stupor. Then she quickly collected herself, and with a reassuring smile, she asked in a somewhat protective manner, ¡°Mengqi, you¡­ you are lying to me, right? You are speaking up Xiao Luo because of your old feelings for him, right?¡±


    If what Zhao Mengqi had just said was true, what had she done to her friend tonight?


    She always imed she and Zhao Mengqi were sisters, but on this very night, she had done nothing but tear down the veil of her sister¡¯s modesty. Every word that she had said to criticize Xiao Luo had returned like flying daggers, stabbing deep into her sister¡¯s heart. Why else would Zhao Mengqi have blurted out the truth, and shed such bitter tears, even willing to destroy her own image in front of everyone?


    Zhang Mengqi red at Qin Guiyue, her teary eyes filled with hurt and anger, ¡°You want to know the truth? Although you used such harshnguage to describe Xiao Luo, he doesn¡¯t even pay any attention to all of you. No, it¡¯s not because he¡¯s arrogant, it¡¯s because you are nothing in his eyes.¡±


    She kept shaking her head and said tearfully, ¡°But I understand him. The reason he left was that he was disappointed with us all. Maybe he had high expectations before he came. He was looking forward to seeing us and rekindle the sincere friendship we once had as ssmates. But what he saw was this ¨C only people talking about others and looking down at others with judgmental eyes.¡±


    Her words prated deep into everyone¡¯s heart.


    Every one of them had mixed feelings. And when they thought about it, they realized that it was true, the three years since they graduated had changed them all. They were all in a rat race trying to get ahead in society. They had at first been looking forward to seeing their former ssmates and reestablishing the old friendships they once had between them. They were so fed up with the daily grind of work, of pressure from their managers, and of office politics with all the devious plotting going on among their colleagues. They thought that a ssmate¡¯s reunion may have been a nice getaway from all the stresses of daily life. It would almost be a temporary paradise they could run to, just to escape from their hell, but now the very paradise they sought had been contaminated by them themselves.


    It should¡¯ve been full ofughter and reminiscing the good times that they had in college, but in the end, it became a gathering to show off and brag about their careers, sries, and rich partners.


    So, were they truly happy at this gathering?


    No, not at all. On the contrary, as former ssmates, they all felt exhausted, because it had be an effort to really connect with each other, as they tried to put on airs and thought of how to seem better than what they actually were. None of those heart-to-heart talks they used to have in the past happened, but instead, it was all about exploitation, wealth, and power.


    Guo Qinghe responded to Zhang Mengqi, speaking out in defense of his ssmates, ¡°Society is like arge dyeing tank. It has been three years now, and you¡¯d expect people to change, to adapt to new conditions, and evolve to fit into the environment they live in. If Xiao Luo thinks that everybody should remain as simple and innocent as they were in college, then he¡¯s a fool. If we don¡¯t change ourselves, how can we survive and keep a foothold in this society? So, we are not wrong. I think he has a problem.¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s sess had made Guo Qinghepletely stand on the opposing side of Xiao Luo.


    The crowd fell into dead silence¡­


    [At the ground floor of the Maple Leaf Hotel]


    Xiao Luo and Chu Yunxiong were still chattering away in an animated conversation. They had been at it from the moment they met earlier, and they seemed to be discussing many matters close to their hearts.


    Xiao Luo was well aware that he wouldn¡¯t have achieved sess so quickly without the support of Chu Yunxiong, and it was something that he would always be grateful for. Chu Yunxiong, on the other hand, had expressed his eternal gratitude to Xiao Luo for saving his daughter¡¯s life. She was the most precious thing in his life, and he cared for her dearly. And Chu Yunxiong¡¯s gratitude was not something that could be measured in terms of money.


    At one point, Chu Yunxiong even sinctly yed the matchmaker for his daughter. As a father, he was very aware of what was going on in Chu Yue¡¯s mind. Besides, he also had great admiration for Xiao Luo, and if Xiao Luo were to be his son-inw, he felt his life would beplete.


    Xiao Luo respectfully turned him down with the excuse that Chu Yue was still young, and it was too early for her tomit to love. He thought that her feelings for him were more of infatuation, and he believed she should be given time to explore her emotions and find true happiness. But although Chu Yue was devastatingly beautiful, she was definitely not his cup of tea.


    Most certainly, the two ended their conversation in good spirits as theyughed with their heads thrown back. It was a telling tribute to their friendship despite their disparity in age.


    Just when Xiao Luo was about to leave, Tang Wantian ran over.


    ¡°San Qian Luo Shui, I had such a hard time finding you!¡±


    Tang Wantian was out of breath from all the running. She was gasping as sweat rolled down her forehead.


    Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan nced at each other, and they both saw the looks of surprise in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Miss. Tang, are you high on something?¡± Zhang Dashan said, deliberately testing her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb with me, Zhang Dashan. I already know through Sina Corp that the ount ¡®San Qian Luo Shui¡¯ was registered with the number Xiao Luo had in university. So that means that San Qian Luo Shui is actually Xiao Luo,¡± Tang Wantian said, looking really pleased with herself.


    When things came to light, it was impossible to conceal regardless of how much they wished to.


    Xiao Luo could only force a smile, ¡°Wantian, for the sake of our friendship, can you keep it secret for me? Please?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Don¡¯t expose Lao Xiao on the inte, alright, or else he¡¯ll be in big, big trouble. And he hates being a public figure as you know,¡± said Zhang Dashan.


    Tang Wantian rolled her eyes at them, ¡°Do I look like someone who¡¯d betray my old ssmates for the sake of personal benefits?¡±


    ¡°Nope, haha¡­ maybe not!¡± Zhang Dashan said,ughing.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®maybe not?¡¯ It should be ¡®absolutely not,¡¯ alright! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here to find you both either.¡±


    Tang Wantian defended herself, then giggled, ¡°Wow, you guys are having such a great life now. If one day, I happened to seek you both when I¡¯m down and out, don¡¯t buckle up your belts and disown me, alright?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked a little embarrassed with herment. He thought, ¡°What does she mean by ¡®buckle up our belts¡¯ and disown her? What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°Holy f*ck. Can you be more conservative, like how prettydies should be? You think you¡¯re a tomboy, is it?¡± Zhang Dashan responded with his usual candor.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a tomboy at heart. Not convinced? You want to have a fight with me?¡± Tang Wantian lifted her nose at Zhang Dashan and snorted with her fist raised.

 Chapter 272 - Misunderstanding

    Chapter 272: Misunderstanding


    Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan chatted briefly with Tang Wantian before bidding her farewell, and then they left for home. Of all the people who attended this ss reunion, only Tang Wantian and Hu Shuipin made him remember the genuine friendship they used to share back in their university days. As for the others, Xiao Luo could only scoff at the thought. If he were ever to bump into any one of them in the future, he certainly wouldn¡¯t go beyond a courteous greeting.


    It was almost 10 p.m. when they arrived back at Gong Vige. The little girl, Bei Bei, who had fallen asleep on Xiao Luo¡¯s thighs during the ride, woke up as she was being carried up the stairs.


    ¡°Daddy, where are we?¡±


    The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked.


    Zhang Dashan chuckled and said, ¡°This is where your daddy lives.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so dark in here.¡±


    The little girl felt a bit uneasy as she held tightly to Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    Zhang Dashan puckered his lips and tried to change the subject to cheer her up. ¡°Girl, was the food tonight tasty?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± she replied and smiled at him adorably.


    Zhang Dashan smiled back and said, ¡°Hehe¡­ you are just like my good old brother here, you don¡¯t eat veggies, and like to eat meat only.¡±


    ¡°Mommy said that I¡¯m still growing up, so I need to eat more meat.¡±


    ¡°Then, did mummy tell you not to call just anyone your daddy?¡± Zhang Dashan said that on purpose, just to tease her.


    His words stumped her, and she didn¡¯t know how to respond to the question.


    Zhang Dashan pointed at Xiao Luo, then looked at Bei Bei and said, ¡°I must be honest with you, little girl. He¡¯s not your father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing! He is Bei Bei¡¯s father!¡± she cried. The little girl was adamant and pulled a face.


    ¡°Why are you so sure that he¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°Because he looks the same as my daddy, the one that I saw in my dream,¡± she said. Her innocent words werepelling, and she said it with a solemn expression.


    Upon hearing that, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan were both stunned. Daddy in her dreams? What was going on here? Could it be that this little girl didn¡¯t have a father, and her understanding of her daddy was all based on an illusionary dream?


    What astounded Xiao Luo even more, was that the father that Bei Bei had dreamed of looked exactly like him. Wasn¡¯t that highly unusual?


    ¡°Old Xiao, I think I can now believe in this thing we call fate.¡±


    Zhang Dashan sighed, then patted Xiao Luo on the shoulder and said, ¡°If it isn¡¯t fate between you and this kid, then I don¡¯t know how to exin any of this anymore.¡±


    Xiao Luo agreed. This unique situation, where a little girl he had never met before, insisted that he looked exactly like the father in her dream, was tough to fathom.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Back at their apartment, Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan had to face a serious issue: how to bathe the little girl.


    Both of them were novices at this, with absolutely no experience taking care of a child. They were tripping over each other in the bathroom, especially when they were cleaning her head. Bei Bei had already promised to open her eyes only when she was told. But while they were washing her hair, she couldn¡¯t resist opening her eyes, and in the end, shampoo got into them, and the burning sensation in her eyes made her cry out loudly.


    Xiao Luo quickly rinsed her eyes with clean water and coaxed her, gently calming the little girl down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want Dashan to bathe me!¡±


    The little girl didn¡¯t me Xiao Luo but instead had ced all the me squarely on Zhang Dashan.


    Seeing her stare at him with her big using eyes, Zhang Dashan felt hurt inside.


    They finally finished bathing the little girl. Without any clothes that could fit her, Xiao Luo gave her one of his shirts as her pajamas. The white shirt with its rolled-up sleeves made Bei Bei look like a little ragamuffin, though she didn¡¯t look half as bad, all scrubbed up and clean.


    ¡°Hey, hurry up and dry her hair. The weather is cold now. You¡¯ll be in a ton of trouble if she catches a cold!¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo had his hands at his waist and stared at him, looking overwhelmed. ¡°So, you¡¯re just gonna sit there with your legs crossed, sipping on your drink and acting as amander with your eyes glued to the TV?¡±


    He meant to say that Zhang Dashan should help out instead of leaving everything for him to do by himself.


    ¡°Tsk, that little girl doesn¡¯t like me. I¡¯m not going to stick my nose into this childcare business,¡± Zhang Dashan replied, then turned his eyes back to the TV.


    Xiao Luo shot back, and he said, ¡°Are you seriously having a tantrum with a little girl?¡±


    As he was bantering with Zhang Dashan, he had already taken out the hairdryer from the drawer. He now sat on the stool, with Bei Bei standing between his thighs, and was carefully blowing her hair dry.


    ¡°Daddy, is Dashan angry?¡± the little girl asked, lifting her head with her lips pursed.


    Xiao Luo smiled at her and said, ¡°No, he isn¡¯t, he¡¯s just feeling a little wronged. Just leave him alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Bei Bei nodded her head obediently. She ced both her hands, as white as snow, on Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh and lowered her head, quietly allowing Xiao Luo to dry her hair. She looked to be thoroughly enjoying the interaction with her ¡°daddy.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­ Why should I be feeling wronged? What does Old Xiao think? I¡¯m into lolicon too?¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t help frowning and muttered to himself as he looked at Xiao Luo drying the little girl¡¯s hair.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Before going to bed, Bei Bei begged for Xiao Luo to tell her a story.


    Without a choice, Xiao Luo told her about a story he had once been told in elementary school: ¡°The Thirsty Crow.¡±


    She enjoyed the story and cooed, ¡°Daddy, the crow is so clever.¡± Bei Bei¡¯s eyes were filled with delight.


    Xiao Luo ruffled her hair and smiled. ¡°Yep, so when you run into something difficult in the future, you should try to figure out a good way to solve the problem, just like this crow,¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay, Bei Bei understands,¡± the little girl said, nodding her head obediently.


    ¡°All right, it¡¯s time to sleep.¡±


    Xiao Luo switched off the lights and slept beside the little girl.


    Bei Bei turned sideways and hugged his arms as she said, ¡°Goodnight, daddy.¡±


    ¡°Good night!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his head. The bright moonbeam shone through the window, and he could see Bei Bei¡¯s eyes were closed, and she had fallen asleep. Illuminated by the moonlight and sleeping peacefully under a nket, she looked just like a little fairy.


    When he recalled the encounter with this little girl earlier in the day, he couldn¡¯t imagine it hade to this; it was more like a dream!


    Who¡¯d believe that a little girl he had never met before, would suddenly insist that he was her daddy right after meeting him? She was now even depending on him to take care of her needs as she would with her birth parents.


    As he reflected on the events that had taken ce, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help smiling. Whether by fate or otherwise, he was now a father for a night. But, he didn¡¯t have anyints as he was beginning to like the experience. It seemed as though this little girl, Bei Bei, was born with some mysterious powers that made people like and want to take care of her.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Daddy, I wanna pee!¡±


    The next morning, when the first light was just breaking in the eastern skies, Xiao Luo was awakened by the little girl.


    When he opened his eyes, he saw her cute little face staring at him. Bei Bei was pushing at him, trying to wake him up.


    Xiao Luo shook off his sleep, got up, and brought her to the toilet.


    When he got out of the toilet, he saw Zhang Dashan lying sideways on the sofa, snoring with his prominent posterior sticking up in the air. There were also many crumpled pieces of paper towels on the floor, and they seemed to be stained with dried thick fluid.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and angrily kicked Zhang Dashan¡¯s buttocks.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Zhang Dashan jumped off the sofa, shrieking like a pig being ughtered.


    Realizing that it was Xiao Luo, he yelled at him, ¡°What the f*ck, why did you kick me? You¡¯re not jealous of my big booty, are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo was fuming, and pointing at the paper towels littering the floor, he asked him sternly, ¡°Exin to me what¡¯s going on with these?¡±


    ¡°Exin your *ass, exin! I caught a cold yesterday, and I had to wipe off my snot constantly. What, you thought I jacked off? How could you!¡± Zhang Dashan shouted back.


    ¡°Oh, err¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo rued his haste in judging what he saw and felt a little embarrassed. He thought that Zhang Dashan had pleasured himself right in his living room and did not even take the trouble of properly disposing of his indiscretions, just tossing the paper towels all over the floor.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t easy to read, and Zhang Dashan had no way of knowing if he still harbored such a sick thought. He immediatelyshed out at him again and said, ¡°You better get those dirty thoughts out of your head. Otherwise, you¡¯ll never have the end of it, okay! F*ck, hurry up, and go buy me breakfast to appease my wounded soul!¡±


    He felt much better after letting off some steam, then heid down again and went back to sleep.


    All credit to Zhang Dashan, for in a single stroke, he had turned cmity into a fortune. Not only was he vindicated, but he also found a way for Xiao Luo to get him breakfast.

 Chapter 273 - The Nations Goddess

    Chapter 273: The Nation¡¯s Goddess


    Xiao Luo had earlier used Zhang Dashan of a lewd act, only to find out that he was wrong. To make up for irking Zhang Dashan, Xiao Luo was now on his way to get him breakfast. It was the least he could do.


    He headed for the usual ce where he always had his morning meals, and the shop served typical Chinese breakfast offerings of wontons, steamed buns, fritters, soy milk, and such.


    When he returned to his rented apartment, three visitors were waiting for him. One was the female policewoman that he had met the previous evening, another, a woman in her thirties, and one other that made Xiao Luo¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    It was none other than the nation¡¯s goddess ¨C Su Li!


    Su Li was wearing a white pleated dress, sitting delicately perched on the sofa, and looked exceptionally beautiful. Her silky ck hair was pulled back into a sleek ssic chignon, entuating her high forehead and fairplexion, and giving her a chic, yet dignified appearance.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    The cute little girl sitting beside Su Li jumped off the sofa. She ran, spreading her arms out and threw herself into Xiao Luo. She hugged on to him tightly and gave him a big happy smile.


    As Zhang Dashan took the pack of breakfast off Xiao Luo¡¯s hands, he was so thrilled that he couldn¡¯t speak coherently, but somehow he managed to blurt, ¡°Holy sh*t, jackpot! Bei Bei¡¯s mom is Su Li!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Despite making the connection the moment he saw Su Li, Xiao Luo was still a little startled. Who would have guessed that the nation¡¯s goddess, Su Li, had a daughter who was three years old?


    Surprised by how the little girl had addressed Xiao Luo and by her show of affection, Su Li hurriedly walked over toward them. It was rather embarrassing that her child would call a total stranger her ¡°daddy.¡±


    Xiao Luo caught a whiff of her fragrance as she lowered her head to the little girl, she feigned a stern face and said, ¡°Su Xiaobei, how can you simply call anyone your daddy?¡±


    Su Xiaobei raised her head, looking quite adamant and replied, ¡°He is Beibei¡¯s father.¡±


    ¡°No, he isn¡¯t,¡± Su Li said, feeling a little awkward now.


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°I said he isn¡¯t!¡±


    Su Li was exasperated and spoke sternly to Bei Bei. She was still bent forward slightly, eyeing the little girl, and she appeared a little tense. Her chest heaved as she struggled to remain calm.


    Su Xiaobei was hurt and kept quiet, biting her lips. Tears formed in her eyes, but she kept herself from crying out. She had never been scolded this harshly before, especially not by her mother.


    Xiao Luo felt a little sorry for her and rubbed her head to console her. He said, ¡°Be a good girl Bei Bei, don¡¯t cry, okay. You must be hungry now? Here, we¡¯ve got a bun for you.¡±


    He reached out and grabbed a steaming xiaolongbao from Zhang Dashan, and brought it toward Bei Bei¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Excuse me! You shouldn¡¯t give that kind of food to Bei Bei.¡±


    The woman that looked in her thirties spoke in an unkindly tone as she hurried over.


    She wasn¡¯t what you would call a beauty, but she was fairly attractive with an appealing, oval-shaped face. Her glossy ck hair was swept back into a tight bun at the back of her head, and she was dressed in ck business attire.


    Xiao Luo immediately recognized her from her photos online. She was Su Li¡¯s manager.


    She immediately pulled Su Xiaobei behind her back and spoke harshly to Xiao Luo. ¡°Do these buns even meet the quality standard for health? The environment here is quite unhygienic, and I saw piles of garbage strewn all over,¡± she said, unnecessarily condescending in her tone, ¡°How could you even feed that to Bei Bei? What if she ends up with food poisoning, are you going to be responsible for it?¡±


    ¡°We eat the buns here every day, and we¡¯ve never gotten even a stomach ache,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Maybe for you both. But don¡¯t you know that kids have lower immunity?¡± she said, intent on making her point.


    Zhang Dashan just waved his hand and did not bother to reply to her. She came across as the kind of person who thought she had all the answers, and he wasn¡¯t going to waste his time arguing.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a word. He just stuffed the xiaolongbao into his mouth and ate it.


    Seeing that the situation was not going well, the female policewoman quickly intervened and introduced the little girl¡¯s rescuers. ¡°Err, Miss Su, this gentleman here is Xiao Luo. It was him and his friend over there who saved your daughter from the traffickersst night,¡± she said.


    Su Li merely nced at Xiao Luo, gave him a quick once-over, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She bowed slightly, she had an air about her, almost aloof one could say. But she was graceful in expressing her appreciation.


    To Zhang Dashan, any expression of gratitude from the nation¡¯s goddess was literally a dream. He smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re wee, you¡¯re wee, we were only trying to do the right thing, weren¡¯t we, Old Xiao?¡±


    He put his arms around Xiao Luo, patting his shoulders.


    Xiao Luo nced at him, then turned to Su Li and smile, he said, ¡°Your daughter is really adorable. We had a great time looking after her.¡±


    Su Li didn¡¯t seem too keen on responding to what Xiao Luo said, and replied, ¡°Well, we have to go. I¡¯m going to take her away now.¡±


    ¡°Sure, please go ahead!¡± Xiao Luo said, as he politely forced a smile.


    ¡°Since you saved her, allow me to give you a reward as a gesture of my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Your daughter and I get along very well, so that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    Xiao Luo courteously rejected her offer. He had never wanted anything in return and had grown very fond of that cute little girl. Despite knowing each other for only a day, they really bonded.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Su Li nced around the shabby rented apartment, and what she saw convinced her that the people who lived here were really in need of money. Thest thing she expected was that they would reject her offer of a reward.


    ¡°Miss Su Li, getting to see you in person is already a great blessing. We don¡¯t need any money as a reward. But if you really want to thank us, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could sign me a few autographs, hehe,¡± Zhang Dashan said, unable to contain his excitement.


    The manager frowned and unconsciously clicked her tongue, a look of disdain written all over her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s all, just a simple autograph?¡± Su Li said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.


    Zhang Dashan said jokingly, ¡°This isn¡¯t simple at all, Miss Su Li. If I were to sell your autograph, I could definitely make myself a lot of money, haha.¡±


    ¡°Huh, greedy. The poor are all the same!¡±


    The manager mocked Zhang Dashan, ¡°And I thought you guys didn¡¯t want anything in return.¡±


    ¡°Miss, can¡¯t you tell that I¡¯m just joking? If I have Goddess Su Li¡¯s autograph, I will keep it close to me forever. My mum is also a big fan, and I will bring it back to her as a Lunar New Year gift,¡± Zhang Dashan said, feeling slightly peeved with her arrogant attitude.


    ¡°Really? Hah!¡±


    The manager sneered, she had already made up her mind on the kind of people they were and did not believe a word he said.


    ¡°Hah, your mom!¡±


    The words almost burst out from Zhang Dashan¡¯s lips, but in the presence of the nation¡¯s goddess Su Li, he held his tongue.


    ¡°Miss Chai, please, they are Xiaobei¡¯s benefactors!¡± Su Li chided her manager.


    The manager stiffened visibly and refrained from making any more remarks.


    Su Li looked proud and tall, a lifted chin gave her an air of slight arrogance. She gazed kindly at Zhang Dashan and said, ¡°Do you have a pen?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was startled for a moment. Then, he nodded excitedly, ¡°Yes, yes, of course!¡±


    He hurriedly ran back into the house, and when he returned, he had a ck marker in his hands, along with a bundle of other things: new shoes, new clothes, new pants, and even a new basketball.


    ¡°Goddess Su Li, please autograph all these items. I¡¯ll be very grateful,¡± Zhang Dashan with a silly smile on his face.


    Standing face-to-face with the country¡¯s biggest star and an international celebrity, it was hard for him to remain calm.


    Su Li didn¡¯t say a word. She took the marker and began signing on each of the items.


    The policewoman looked on excitedly. She couldn¡¯t contain her own desire to get an autograph from someone that she absolutely adored, and that the whole country worshipped. ¡°Miss Su, could you please give me your autograph too?¡± she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she immediately took out a notepad from her uniform.


    She had purchased the notepad in a hurry after learning that the little girl rescued by Xiao Luo was Su Li¡¯s child. This was an opportune moment to get an autograph from Su Li, and she couldn¡¯t wait to brag to her friends after she got off from work. Many of them were also big fans of the celebrity.

 Chapter 274 - Youre Making Fun of Me

    Chapter 274: You¡¯re Making Fun of Me


    Su Li patiently signed on all the items ced before her, as Zhang Dashan and the policewoman stood eagerly waiting for their items to be marked. Su Li¡¯s strokes were artistic and elegant, and her signature¡¯s aesthetic beauty could be considered an art in itself.


    ¡°Thank you, Goddess Su Li!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was ovee with joy. His eyes zed dreamily as he stood admiring the items with Su Li had autographed. It was if he was staring at a heap of priceless treasure.


    The policewoman was ted when she was handed back her signed notebook, carefully cing it back in her pocket.


    When she finished the task, Su Li looked up with her bewitching eyes and gave them both a polite smile. She did not say a word but only took Su Xiaobei by the hand and made ready to leave.


    Although Bei Bei was only three years old, she was undoubtedly much more mature than an average girl of her age. But when she realized that she was about to leave for good, the little child within emerged. She gazed at Xiao Luo, and suddenly burst into tears. She stretched her arms out toward Xiao Luo, and she was unwilling to leave.


    ¡°Daddy, daddy¡­!¡±


    She cried miserably as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had to catch her breath in between sobs, and her eyes were all red and puffed up.


    Su Li stopped at the door, turned around, and nced at Xiao Luo, a look of surprise showed on her face. Su Xiaobei was an adopted child, and she was very sure who the biological father was. This person standing in front of her was definitely not him! What surprised her, even more, was that Su Xiaobei did not easily attach to anyone, especially a stranger. What made this man so different? She knitted her brows at the thought, feeling a sense of frustration.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, I just told you, he isn¡¯t your father,¡± Su Li said. She appeared a little agitated.


    ¡°No! I know he¡¯s Bei Bei¡¯s daddy, he¡¯s my daddy in my dream. Mommy, you said that daddy lives here, you said so. Bei Bei has found him, why do you say that he¡¯s not my daddy?¡±


    Su Li felt the blood rush to her head, and her thoughts were cluttered. Su Xiaobei absolutely refused to budge, and Su Li, for the first time, was at a loss of what to do. She had coaxed the little girl intoing to Jiangcheng by convincing her that her father was here. It was bad enough she had to lie to get the child toe along for the trip, but it all turned into a nightmare when she was abducted while out for a walk with Su Li¡¯s assistant. She was miraculously returned after a day, but now Su Xiaobei was insisting that aplete stranger was her father. Who could even believe that things could turn out the way it did?


    Xiao Luo walked up to Bei Bei and gave her a big, warm smile. He yfully rubbed Su Xiaobei¡¯s nose with his finger and said, ¡°Bei Bei, you have to go home with mommy now. But I¡¯ll go to see you when I have time, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Su Xiaobei stopped crying immediately. She was pouting as she looked at him with teary eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, really. I won¡¯t lie to you,¡± Xiao Luo said, looking at her with reassuringly.


    ¡°Pinky promise?¡±


    Su Xiaobei raised her little hand to Xiao Luo with her pinky sticking out, still sniffling.


    A pinky promise?


    Xiao Luo smiled, shaking his head and gently hooked his own pinky with her tiny finger.


    ¡°Our promise willst until the end of the world. Whoever that breaks this promise will reborn as a puppy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei spoke softly with a solemn expression, taking the oath very seriously. In the eyes of an adult, it was no more than a childish act. But not for Bei Bei, as far as she was concerned the moment they hooked their fingers, this promised would be fulfilled.


    And after they both hooked their pinkies, she wiped her tears away and smiled. She said, ¡°Daddy, you must bring me to the fun park next time, okay.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your mother to bring you?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He spoke gently, still holding on to her pinky.


    Su Xiaobei lowered voice and replied, ¡°Mom¡¯s always busy. Only Aunt Luo takes me out.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know how to react to what she said and could only offer a weak smile, feeling a bit awkward.


    Su Li felt very hurt on the inside. Su Xiaobei wasn¡¯t her biological daughter, but regardless, she had always treated her like her own. At times when she was busy at work, It was true that it was that she didn¡¯t get the chance to spend quality time with Su Xiaobei. Even when they first arrived in Jiangcheng, Su Xiaobei pleaded for Su Li to apany her out. But instead, Su Li asked her assistant, Luo Pingxiang, to take her, which ended in her being abducted.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As they were leaving, Su Li nced at Xiao Luo again, he was different from the others. He hardly reacted to seeing her when he returned to his residence earlier. For the duration she had been there, he had remained as calm throughout, and she could tell that he wasn¡¯t putting on an act. He seemed to have a good temperament and was not easily rattled, he was at one with himself.


    How could he remain so calm?


    Su Li couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it.


    Miss Chai, the manager, remained behind. She had another issue to resolve with Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan. Her job was now to ensure that both the men kept silent about this incident involving Bei Bei and Su Li. The world of entertainment is a fickle business, and the slightest scandal could cause a celebrity¡¯s reputation to plunge drastically. If word got out that Su Li had a daughter, the entire nation could react unfavorably, and Su Li could stand to lose a considerable chunk of her fan base in the course of a single night. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration, but lessons learned from a painful history. As her manager, it was Chai Zhiying¡¯s role to mitigate any such risks to Su Li.


    Tap!


    The manager unceremoniously ced a bank card on the table.


    Chai Zhiying looked down her nose at Xiao Luo and Zhang Dashan, she said, ¡°Let me introduce myself. My name is Chai Zhiying, and I am Su Li¡¯s manager. I¡¯ll make it quick and simple. As a reward for saving Beibei, we express our deepest gratitude.¡± She paused then said, ¡°There are eight million dors in this card. The password is six ¡°one¡±s. Each of you will get four million dors. It is enough for you to live a great life in any city you wish.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve already said that we don¡¯t need your money, right?¡±


    Zhang Dashan said it mockingly. He did not have a good impression of her and disliked her overbearing attitude, acting as if she were above others.


    Xiao Luo took a sip of his tea and asked, ¡°Is this at Miss Su¡¯s insistence?¡±


    ¡°No, this is on my insistence.¡±


    ¡°Please be clear, this money is not to thank you for rescuing Bei Bei. I believe you should know what I mean,¡± she said, as she stood looking down at them with her arms folded together.


    ¡°Nope, not clear at all. Get to the point, stop beating around the bush,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Chai Zhiying reacted curtly to Zhang Dashan¡¯s blunt reply and snorted, ¡°I want you both to zip your lips, and from hereon, you are not to mention anything about Su Li having a daughter.¡±


    Zhang Dashan smiled derisively and looked her in the eye, he said, ¡°We have no intention of telling anybody anything, so you don¡¯t have to worry. You¡¯re the one who seems to be talking about it right now.¡±


    Xiao Luo cocked an eyebrow. He remained silent and just continued to sip on his hot tea.


    ¡°Whatever. Just keep this money, remember, not a single word, or face the consequences. I guarantee you that!¡± Chai Zhiying retorted.


    Intimidation and enticement were two elements that Chai Zhiying regrly employed to deal with any potential threats and risks to Su Li. It had proved effective so far in keeping Su Li free from any scandals that could ruin her reputation.


    ¡°We got it. You may leave now.¡±


    Xiao Luo was abrupt and made it clear that she had overstayed her wee. Like Zhang Dashan, he disliked arrogant people.


    ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll keep the money, haha. Rx, we won¡¯t say anything,¡± Zhang Dashan said, as he picked up the card with a wry smile.


    When money is offered, there is no reason to turn it down. In this respect, Zhang Dashan and Xiao Luo shared the same philosophy.


    Chai Zhiying felt uneasy. They had already epted the money and had readily agreed to keep silent on the matter, yet she still felt something amiss. The way they reacted to her didn¡¯t give her the confidence that they would fulfill their end of the bargain. In fact, it seemed like they were teasing her.


    She was consumed with these thoughts as she stood ring darkly at the two. ¡°Are you guys making fun of me?¡± she said.

 Chapter 275 - Time to Go Home

    Chapter 275: Time to Go Home


    Xiao Luo continued eating his breakfast, ignoring the presence of Chai Zhiying, who stood there staring at them both in exasperation.


    Zhang Dashan raised his head, smiling as he nced at her and said, ¡°How would we dare to fool you? Didn¡¯t you just say that the consequences would be too dire for us to bear? We are timid people, and we have epted your money, so we will definitely keep our mouths shut, okay. We are having our breakfast now, so if there¡¯s nothing else, you may leave. I¡¯m sure Goddess Su Li and the rest of them are waiting for you downstairs.¡±


    He grabbed a xiaolongbao and ate it heartily, his cheeks swelled up, looking like an egg had been stuffed into his mouth.


    Chai Zhiying gritted her teeth, not taking kindly to how Zhang Dashan had spoken, and how Xiao Luo was totally ignoring her. She had a bad feeling about how this was turning out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t believe us, take your money back.¡±


    Without hesitation, Zhang Dashan took the card from his pocket and flicked it back at her. It sailed the short distance like a frisbee and startled Chai Zhiying, who appeared to be trying to avoid being hit and catching it at the same time. It fell on the floor next to her.


    Chai Zhiying was incredulous and could not believe that they had just throw away 8 million dors without blinking an eye. Were these two men even sane?


    She quickly regained herposure, picked the card up, and ced it back on the table. She put on a cold, intimidating look and said, ¡°The money is yours! But I wish to warn you again, if information about Bei Bei leaks out, I¡¯lle for you!¡±


    She quickly turned around and left, not giving them a chance to reject her offer this time. At she stepped out, she took out her phone and made an urgent call. She instructed the person at the other end of the line to find out all the information on a man going by the name of Xiao Luo, who lived in Gong Vige. She couldn¡¯t wait to get her hands on the official report from her source. But little did she know that Xiao Luo would have a cover as a member of the NSA. He retained his regr identity as an employee at Luo¡¯s Workshop, but she would find out little else about him.


    ¡°F*ckin¡¯ hell. What a highly-strung woman. She must¡¯ve beencking nourishment from men,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help smiling and quipped, ¡°Why not you go nourish her then?¡±


    ¡°Wekk! Nourish her your head! She looks like a butch, my willy won¡¯t even respond even if she stands nude in front of me,¡± Zhang Dashan said, and made a face like he was puking.


    Xiao Luo just shrugged his shoulders as he fixed his eyes on the ravioli and fritters he had especially bought for Bei Bei earlier. A pang of deep emotions weighed down on him, and he felt a sudden and inexplicable emptiness within his heart. Xiao Luo had only known Bei Bei for a day, and yet it felt like a lifetime. Now, he had to try adjusting to life without a little girl tottering around the house and yelling his name in his ear to wake him up. He missed her dearly.


    ¡°Aiyah, that Miss Su Li too. Why couldn¡¯t she let little Bei Bei have something to eat before leaving.¡±


    Zhang Dashan didn¡¯t seem to have an appetite, and that would be a first. He couldn¡¯t get used to the sudden quiet as well. Without the little girl, their apartment felt like an empty shell, something was missing, and it felt very strange. She only stayed for one night, yet it left an indelible impression in his heart.


    Su Xiaobei¡¯s every word, every smile, and even her bawling when she used him of getting shampoo in her eyes stayed deeply etched in their minds.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Miss Su will take good care of her.¡±


    Xiao Luo unconsciously said that perhaps tofort Zhang Dashan, but probably to also calm himself. He pulled himself together, it was time to move on. He promptly changed the topic and said to Zhang Dashan, ¡°You should quickly settle the affairs at thepany within these few days. It¡¯s time to go home. The New Year will be in about 20 days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Zhang Dashan nodded. ¡°By the way, will you be attending thepany¡¯s annual party?¡± he inquired.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°Nope. You¡¯re now in charge of everything at headquarters, so you must establish your position and be seen as the head. For me to appear too many times wouldn¡¯t benefit you in any way,¡± he said, ¡°and for the annual meeting, you should give out bonuses to outstanding employees, this will encourage more enthusiasm.¡± He added, ¡°Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, Lin Chongdong ¨C these three should be given special awards. But of course, this is just a suggestion. The final decision is entirely yours.¡±


    The three persons mentioned had always been supportive of his ns from the moment he took over Luo¡¯s Workshop. He never failed to remember those who had supported him, and it was his practice to reward any employees who deserved it.


    Zhang Dashan looked at Xiao Luo with a questioning look on his face. ¡°What the hell? The boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop will always be you, and I¡¯m only the second boss¡­. Err, hang on, I¡¯m not even the second boss, I¡¯m just the assistant to the boss, so I¡¯ll award whoever you want to award,¡± he said.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t argue with him.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    With Zhang Dashan handling thepany¡¯s affairs, Xiao Luo finally found himself with some time to spare.


    He decided to go over to the People¡¯s Hospital in Guangming District to visit his sister. Although the new year was just around the corner, the work in hospitals never ceased. People still get sick and run into idents regardless of the time of the year.


    Xiao Luo and Xiao Ruyi were chatting at the hospital¡¯s rooftop terrace. She was in her white uniform and stood against the breeze.


    ¡°Brother, when are you going back home?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°Probably in a few days. I¡¯ll be going back with Dashan. What about you? When will you and Tang Ren go home?¡±


    ¡°After New Year, perhaps. We nurses have to take our breaks in shifts. Hospitals can¡¯t be left without nurses for even a day. Tang Ren has to work until after New Year too.¡±


    For no apparent reason, Xiao Luo suddenly broached a subject that he had had long kept to himself, and he felt now would be a good time to say it. ¡°To be honest, I wasn¡¯t supportive of you marrying Tang Ren. Even though our families are from the same province, it¡¯s still a great distance between our viges, and it would¡¯ve been inconvenient for you toe home. If you were to marry someone in our vige or the nearby, you coulde home more frequently. But anyhow, Tang Ren is a good man. He¡¯s nice to you, and that¡¯s all I ask for,¡± he said.


    Xiao Ruyi pouted, yfully giving him an angry stare then smiled.


    ¡°Stop giving me that whimsical smile. You should seriously think of having a child with Tang Ren so that I can be an uncle,¡± Xiao Luo said, making a serious face and speaking in a tone like an elder.


    Xiao Ruyi only blushed and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, you can¡¯t rush something like that. It¡¯lle when it is time and will never when it is not. You have to go with the flow.¡±


    ¡°Well, continue trying. It has been almost a year since you got married, and there¡¯s still nothing in here,¡± Xiao Luo said, tapping her belly. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that you can recover your figure better after giving birth the younger you are?¡± he said in jest.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about these things, alright? You are the one that should hurry up and find me a sister-inw. Oh, the nation¡¯s goddess, Su Li, is a great candidate. She held a concert recently in Jiangcheng. Some of my colleagues were there, and they took lots of photos of her. She doesn¡¯t look different from her photos on the inte. She¡¯s a real beauty!¡±


    ¡°You think too highly of me,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Ruyi wouldn¡¯t let up, she said so in jest, but she undoubtedly had a high opinion of her brother and said, ¡°My brother is an outstanding man, what¡¯s wrong if he makes the nation¡¯s goddess his wife?¡± Then, she chuckled, ¡°Xiao Luo, if you can really bring her home as your wife, it will definitely bring glory to our ancestors. Why, even green mist [1] will rise out of our great grandfather¡¯s grave.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stumped for a moment, then smiling, he said, ¡°Nonsense, utter nonsense!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi stuck her tongue out and made a face.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t bug you any further about the baby. Come home with Tang Ren when you can, it¡¯ll be good to pay a visit to your grandparents,¡± Xiao Luo said, then let out a long sigh.


    Xiao Ruyi nodded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll certainly go back as soon as I can and fulfill my filial duty.¡±


    ¡°So, yep, that¡¯s it. Just say hi to Tang Ren for me. And, oh, I didn¡¯t give you anything when you and Tang Ren got married, so here¡¯s my bted gift,¡± Xiao Luo said, then showed her a card, ¡°There¡¯s four million in it, the password is six ¡®one¡¯s. Spend it wisely as I won¡¯t be in Jiangcheng next year. Have a good life with Tang Ren, and if you face any difficulties, tell me. I¡¯m your brother, and I¡¯ll never judge you.¡±


    Xiao Luo ced the bank card into Xiao Ruyi¡¯s hands.


    Xiao Ruyi was moved, and her eyes turned red instantly, she said, ¡°Xiao Luo, you are the best brother in this world!¡±


    She hugged him tightly. As she thought about her brother no longer being in this city next year, she was suddenly ovee by a deep sadness, and tears flowed from her eyes.


    *****


    Footnote:


    [1] Green mist: a metaphor that alludes to a deceased person ascending to heaven as a Daoist Immortal.

 Chapter 276 - Xiao Qiudong

    Chapter 276: Xiao Qiudong


    Xiao Luo had already packed his bags in anticipation of his journey back home with Zhang Dashan and was about to leave his rented apartment at the Gong Vige. They had nned to head back to their respective viges after the annual meeting at Luo¡¯s Workshop.


    They both hailed from the West District, in the same city, but from different counties. The counties were more than a hundred kilometers apart. The two had visited each other¡¯s home quite frequently back during university, and their family members were quite acquainted with the other.


    ¡°How much f*cking longer will this d*mn traffic jamst?¡±


    Their car was caught in the highway crawl, and Zhang Dashan was getting very annoyed. ¡°And they call this a highway, huh! Even walking would be faster,¡± heined.


    Xiao Luo was much calmer as he reclined his seat, leaned backfortably, and said, ¡°It¡¯s the peak of the Spring Festival travel season, everyone¡¯s returning home, isn¡¯t it expected?¡±


    ¡°Old Xiao, I was just pushing my luck, but had I known that there¡¯d be so many cars on the highway like this constipated shit, I would definitely have taken the ne. Anyway, I wanted to drive this car back to show off, let my neighbors know that I¡¯m doing well, and feed my ego a bit, hehe. But now I really regret it,¡± Zhang Dashan replied. It was typical of him, and being an impatient man by nature, he couldn¡¯t tolerate such a long, endless wait in traffic.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother with a response, so he closed his eyes to get some rest.


    After waiting for four to five hours, the cars finally started moving again.


    Zhang Dashan cursed all the way, and when he got to the next toll station, he opted to get off the highway to take the country roads.


    And it proved to be a wise decision. The next stretch of highway was choked entirely for more than ten kilometers. As Zhang Dashan drove along at a leisurely pace, he couldn¡¯t help casting a sympathetic nce at the poor souls stuck on the elevated bridge.


    ¡°Old Xiao, look at those fes, they are stuck like poor dumbasses, hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan seemed sympathetic at first, but eventually, he couldn¡¯t help gloating. As he continuedughing, it helped keep him in a cheerful mood.


    But when he turned to look at Xiao Luo, he realized that his friend was fast asleep. It aggravated him so much that he brought his hand down hard on Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh. ¡°F*ck, sleep your head! It¡¯s your turn to drive now. I¡¯ve already driven for more than six hours, it¡¯s a long way past the threshold for driving fatigue,¡± he cried.


    Only Zhang Dashan would ever treat Xiao Luo this way.


    Xiao Luo opened his eyes and stretchedzily, then asked Zhang Dashan to pull over to the side so that they could switch seats.


    Xiao Luo intended to arrive sooner thanter to their destination and hit the gas, making the Range Rover surge forward with a roar and maintained that speed. The country roads were in no wayparable to the highway, and many sections of the roads were full of potholes. On several asions, he drove overrge potholes without even braking, causing Zhang Dashan some frantic moments. In the end, he could take no more and asked Xiao Luo to stop. It was too heart wrenching for him to watch his vehicle subjected to such a grueling test. Although it was sturdily built, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be driven this way.


    ¡°F*ck, stop now, stop now! You really don¡¯t care about the car just because it¡¯s not yours! Believe it or not, I will beat you up cruelly,¡± Zhang Dashan hollered, unable to contain his exasperation.


    Xiao Luo just shrugged, he didn¡¯t disagree.


    Zhang Dashan refused to let Xiao Luo drive for the rest of the journey. The next afternoon, feeling just like they had gone through a journey depicted in the ssic tale, Journey to the West [1], they finally arrived back at Zhoukou City of the West District.


    Xiao Luo did not want to trouble Zang Dashan any further and decided to find another a ride back to his home vige.


    They duly parted ways and promised to meet up after the new year celebration.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo dismissed the idea of taking a bus back as the station was already crowded, and the ride on the bus was not something anyone looked forward to. Xiao Luo then opened the application in his phone to check if he could hitch a shared ride back to his county. He was in luck, there was indeed one, so he quickly booked it.


    After about twenty minutes, a white Chevrolet stopped in front of him. He looked at the license te and confirmed that it was the ride he had booked via his phone.


    As the window rolled down, both the driver and Xiao Luo were pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Winter melon!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    They both shouted out each other¡¯s names at the same time. The driver was a young man about the same age as Xiao Luo. He wore a checkered shirt and kept short, neat hair. He had thick brows, a rather long face, and a rather unique characteristic ¡ª a short neck; he truly appeared like he did not have one. Because of this, everyone gave him the nickname ¡°Winter Melon.¡±


    The young man¡¯s name was Xiao Qiudong, and they were both from Luo Vige. Growing up together, they could be considered childhood friends.


    They were both very close, from the time they attended primary school all the way to lower secondary school. They were epted into different upper secondary schools but still kept in close touch. But after Xiao Luo attended university, they contacted each other less frequently. Xiao Qiudong had entered the workforce by then, and every time they reached each other, he would end the call after a brief conversation saying that he was busy at work or was pressed for time.


    After Xiao Luo graduated from university and joined the workforce, they effectively lost contact with each other. He tried to call Xiao Qiudong several times before that, but thetter had changed his phone number and didn¡¯t provide Xiao Luo with the new one. Then the previous year, when Xiao Luo had returned to celebrate the new year, they met again at a gathering. For no apparent reason, he made fun of Xiao Luo in the presence of everyone, and Xiao Luo could still remember those words vividly.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve gone to university, what¡¯s the big deal? At the end of the day, you still have to work for others once you graduate, and maybe receive a fixed sry of four to five thousand dors per month. That can¡¯t even afford you a house or a car. It¡¯s better to join the workforce earlier on, job experience is more important than any degree.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong had already bought himself a car back then, and having just graduated, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯tpare to him. He seemed fixated on questioning the real value of an education in terms of material gains, but it was apparent that he was indirectly belittling Xiao Luo to raise his own esteem.


    Xiao Luo had always thought that Xiao Qiudong was someone he could form a deep connection with, but after the incidentst year, he realized that their friendship would never be the same again.


    For a brief moment, Xiao Qiudong was startled when he saw Xiao Luo again, but he promptly hid it with a warm smile. ¡°So, you are the one hitching the ride! Well, it¡¯s such a coincidence. Have you just returned from some other city?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, forcing a smile and responding with a nod. The rtionship between them had cooled, but he still wanted to keep it friendly enough.


    He nced at the passenger¡¯s seat, which was upied by a woman. She was ratherely, and in her arms, she held a child three to four months old.


    Xiao Qiudong made the introductions in a forthright manner. ¡°This is my wife, Li Honglian. Darling, this is my childhood friend, Xiao Luo. We grew up together, and we are very close,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    Li Honglian greeted Xiao Luo politely.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and nced at her quizzically because Li Honglian¡¯s ent was unique, and she sounded somewhat coquettish.


    Seeing his expression, Xiao Qiudongughed and said, ¡°My wife is from Taiwan, such is their ent, you¡¯ll get used to it after a while, Haha.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, get in,¡± Xiao Qiudong said, ¡°eh, you brought a lot of stuff for your family, how filial. Okay, just put them all in the trunk.¡± He bent forward, reaching for thetch to unlock the trunk.


    Xiao Luo opened the trunk and starting stowing the gifts one by one.


    ¡°Can it fit?¡± Xiao Qiudong asked.


    ¡°It should be alright, I just need to rearrangement some of the items here.¡±


    Xiao Luo rearranged the items that had already been in the trunk, cing them to one side, and finally managed to fit everything in.


    Then he pulled open the door to the backseat and got in the car.


    Other than checking if Xiao Luo was done stowing his things, Xiao Qiudong remained in his car the whole time, whistling and ying with his child.


    Footnote:


    [1] Journey to the West: a Chinese novel published in the 16th century based on the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the ¡°Western Regions¡± to obtain Buddhist s¨±tras and returned after many trials and much suffering.

 Chapter 277 - Luo Village

    Chapter 277: Luo Vige


    The moment he saw the Chevrolet Cruze, Xiao Luo instantly knew it sold for a price tag of about 130,000. He was able to call up any relevant information on any make of cars because he had spent 100 points to redeem the car information package. He could obtain any information that he required about the price, specifications, dynamic performance, and the security technology of any car sold on the market.


    The condition of Xiao Qiudong¡¯s car was excellent, with the heavy scent of car fresheners permeating the cabin air. He also detected a whiff of milk in the car and then realized that the baby was still being fed on breast-milk.


    As they drove through the city, Xiao Qiudong began to make conversation to while away the hours. ¡°Xiao Luo, are you still working as a product engineer for Huahai Corporation in Jiangcheng?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m no longer working there, I¡¯ve resigned.¡±


    ¡°Then, I assume you have been job-hopping?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was smiling as he looked at Xiao Luo through the rearview mirror, and continued asking, ¡°I hear that you can get double the sry if you move on to otherpanies after working for two to three years with Huahai Corporation. So, I guess your monthly sry is probably more than 10,000 dors now?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t feel it was necessary to respond to the question, so he just smiled and changed the subject. ncing at the child in his wife¡¯s arms, he asked, ¡°Is the child your a boy or a girl?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong had a big smile on his face and was beaming with pride. ¡°The one with a willy, of course, hahaha. His name is Xiao Zile, and he was born and registered in Taiwan. When he¡¯s older, he will go to school there and be with his grandparents,¡± he said.


    ¡°Congrats, your wife has given you a boy! Have you hosted the feast yet, I mean, it¡¯s the custom for a boy, right?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll host it as soon as we get back. Since you happen to be around, make sure you don¡¯t forget to give my son a red packet,¡± Xiao Qiudong replied. It was amon thing to say as red represented luck and prosperity, and would certainly help with the cost of hosting the feast.


    ¡°Rest assured, for such an auspicious asion, I¡¯ll definitely give Zile a red packet!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, then the sum must also be auspicious. Otherwise, I¡¯m not going to let you off, that easily,¡± Xiao Qiudong said, seemingly in jest but in a tone that said he meant it.


    Xiao Luo cocked his brow and chose to remain silent.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong fiddled around, then suddenly took out his iPhone from his pocket. He handed it to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°I can¡¯t use my phone while driving, so can you save your number into my contacts? Look at you, why didn¡¯t you tell me when you changed your contact number, don¡¯t you see me as a brother anymore.¡±


    Xiao Luo was a bit surprised because, as far as he could remember, Xiao Qiudong changed his contact number without telling. So it felt a little sneaky for him to have put it that way.


    But he didn¡¯t bring it up, and instead, he just unlocked Xiao Qiudong¡¯s iPhone and added his name and number to its contacts. He then used the iPhone to call himself and saved Xiao Qiudong¡¯s contact number on his own phone.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    He handed the device back to Xiao Qiudong.


    Xiao Qiudong took back his phone and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, what brand is your phone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a big brand, just locally manufactured,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°The locally manufactured phones are all trash, they startgging after you use them for some time, and the batteries have a short lifespan. From what I know, after using it for about half a year, you have to recharge it at least twice a day.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was very brand conscious and had a prejudice against locally manufactured products in general. ¡°Try to switch to an iPhone when you have the money, the user interface is superb, and so is the processing speed. Although it¡¯s slightly pricey, it¡¯s worth the investment,¡± he advised.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll just support our local goods.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was good with words and continued to convince Xiao Luo. ¡°It¡¯s good to be patriotic, but you should still go for high-quality products when ites to personal items like a handphone. After all, it is also a status symbol and will give you a better image. Locally manufactured phones represent plebs, and now that your monthly sry exceeds ten thousand, you really should carry a more decent phone,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo only smiled in response, saying nothing.


    ¡­


    It took them about two hours by car to get from Zhoukou City to the district town. And it would take a little longer to get from the district town to Luo Vige, as it was a smaller road and was rather tricky to negotiate. In fact, before arriving into Luo Vige, the way would be nothing more than an unpaved dirt trail. Fortunately for them, it was drizzling, so the car didn¡¯t stir up too much dust as it drove by.


    Xiao Qiudong¡¯s wife, Li Honglian, didn¡¯t say anything throughout the journey. To be exact, she didn¡¯t say anything to Xiao Luo, though she was happily chatting with Xiao Qiudong the whole way.


    Sitting at the back of the car, Xiao Luo noticed her disparaging gaze earlier, especially when he responded to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s questions. When asked if he owned a car or a house, or if he even had a girlfriend, he candidly dered he didn¡¯t, to any of them.


    But, it didn¡¯t matter to Xiao Luo. Li Honglian was nothing more than a stranger to him, and it seemed that Xiao Qiudong was also fast bing one. He recalled the happy times when they were young and yed together often, but now he just couldn¡¯t reconnect with those feelings again. The fault may have been his own, or it may very well have been Xiao Qiudong¡¯s, but regardless, the truth was that their rtionship had grown distant. They were now merely giving the appearance that they shared a close rtionship.


    At around 9pm at night, they finally arrived at their hometown ¡ª Luo Vige.


    Xiao Qiudong¡¯s son suddenly started crying and wouldn¡¯t stop. Li Honglian tried to pacify him without much sess, and both parents appeared to be getting stressed up.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you going back home directly or to your dad¡¯s farm first?¡± Xiao Qiudong asked.


    Xiao Luo thought for a moment and said, ¡°To my dad¡¯s farm first, please.¡±


    His parents had worked in another city, and after they returned from their previous jobs seven years ago, they contracted a piece of abandonednd and set up a farm. They were in the business of breeding livestock and poultry, with crops nted as supplementary sources of ie. His parents had been managing the farm for seven years, and it was located in a rural area, some 10 minutes by motorcycle from the nearest homestead.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, the farm is out of the way, though.¡±


    A troubled expression showed on Xiao Qiudong¡¯s face. ¡°You see, my son is crying so hard, he must be feeling sick, so I need to rush back and get someone to look at him. It¡¯s alright if you wanted to go back to your grandparents¡¯ home, but you want to go to the farm first instead,¡± he said, then added, ¡°furthermore, the condition of the road to your dad¡¯s farm is awful, and my car is not an SUV, the chassis can¡¯t handle the bumpy road, and the body will be badly scratched.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay then. I¡¯ll get off here and call my dad to pick me up,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was already aware of what Xiao Qiudong meant, so he cut to the chase.


    Xiao Qiudong exined and was quick to apologize. ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to drive you over, it¡¯s just that my son¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I totally understand. I hope your son will be alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo offered some words offort, then opened the car door and alighted the car. It was still drizzling.


    ¡°Okay then, thanks. Oh, and don¡¯t forget your stuff in the trunk,¡± Xiao Qiudong said, as he reached for the lever to open the trunk again.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t reply. He walked to the back of the car and retrieved his things from the trunk, and he then left a packet behind.


    He closed the trunk and walked up to the driver¡¯s seat and knocked on the window. The car window opened slightly, and Xiao Luo said, ¡°Winter Melon, I left you a packet, consider it a token of appreciation for sending me back.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong had rolled his window down by a tiny crack, worried that the drizzling rain might ruin his car¡¯s interior. A surprised look shed across his face, then he smiled and said, ¡°Thanks brother, I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    He then quickly rolled up the window and drove off, the red tail lights gradually disappearing from Xiao Luo¡¯s sight.


    After the car had left, the entire area was nothing but darkness. But Xiao Luo could adapt to low light conditions well, his senses enhanced by Yi Jinjing and the Constitution of the King of mercenaries. As his eyes got ustomed to the dark, he could see thendscape around him. He saw as clearly as one would when wearing sunsses during the day.


    It continued to drizzle, and the ground had turned muddy. A thick fog was forming and rolled across the valley.


    It was great to be back home. The familiar sight of hills, the country smell, and most importantly, the sprawling farnd¡­


    Xiao Luo breathed in the fresh air deeply.


    He was in the middle of nowhere, and the ce was dark and wet. His thoughts suddenly wandered back to Xiao Qiudong. He didn¡¯t fault the man for dropping him off there, as he was under no obligation to help. Xiao Qiudong had driven him back all the way from the city to Luo Vige without even charging him a thing. Besides, in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, while Xiao Qiudong had once been a friend back in their schooling days, they were basically strangers now, so what more could he ask of a stranger?

 Chapter 278 - Father and Mother

    Chapter 278: Father and Mother


    Located in a mountainous area, the temperature in Luo Vige shifted drastically between the day and night. This was especially so when it drizzled, where the temperature would drop significantly, making anyone exposed to the elements shiver from the biting cold.


    With his inner power to protect his body, Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t affected by the cold. Waiting alone in the dark, he called his father and told him the location to pick him up. After speaking to his father, Zhang Dashan happened to call him, he had just gotten home too.


    Xiao Luo was d to hear from him, and the first thing he said was: ¡°So, were your parents proud of you when they saw you drive a Range Rover back home?¡±


    ¡°F*ck, let¡¯s not talk about that. The roads in the vige are simply awful, I washed my car thoroughly before driving home, but when I reached home, it was covered in mud. Ahh, I feel so sorry for my car,¡± Zhang Dashanined.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t helpughing and continued to make fun of him. ¡°Then wash it all you like some other day, after all, water doesn¡¯t cost anything at home, you can use as much as you want,¡± he said.


    ¡°Of course, what do you think I¡¯d do? Oh, right, have you reached home?¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either a yes or a no, what do you even mean by sort of?¡± Zhang Dashan quipped.


    Xiao Luo gave augh and replied, ¡°I mean that I haven¡¯t reached my home yet, but I¡¯ve reached the outskirts of the vige, and now I¡¯m standing by the roadside.¡±


    ¡°D*mn, what the hell? It¡¯s raining heavily over here, so I guess it¡¯s probably raining at your ce as well? I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t bring an umbre, are you standing in the rain?¡±


    ¡°I see that you¡¯re quite perceptive.¡±


    ¡°Perceptive your *ss, can you stop trying to be such a hero, what are you doing out there in the rain?¡± Zhang Dashan reprimanded him and said, ¡°are you trying to be like one of those dumb teenagers, seeking to be a non-conformist? Please, you are too f*cking old for that.¡±


    Xiao Luo was feeling a little exasperated and said, ¡°Do you think I want to? The driver left me here, so all I can now is to wait for my dad to fetch me in his trishaw.¡±


    Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard, and said, ¡°D*mn, which dumb*ss driver just left you there like that? With your temper, I¡¯d expected you to throw a fit and give him a good beating!¡±


    ¡°Never mind, I was in a good mood!¡±


    Xiao Luo heard the distinctive rumble of an old two-stroke engine approaching, and as it turned the corner, an intense beam of light shone in his direction.


    ¡°Oh, I think my dad is here. I¡¯ll hang up first, talk to you next time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, remember to help me say hi to Uncle Xiao, okay.¡±


    Having said so, he hung up.


    An old motored trishaw meandered through the dirt trail and stopped in front of Xiao Luo. A sheet of steel had been welded on posts and served as its roof. It provided some protection to its upants from the elements, so it could be driven regardless of the weather. The beam of the motored trishaw threw some light on the driver; he was a man that looked around fifty years old. Xiao Luo could see that there were wrinkles on the man¡¯s face, and his ruffled hair was all white. He donned a ck leather jacket that seemed to have been with him for a very long time, and the skin on his hands looked incredibly coarse from doing hard manual work.


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    Xiao Luo greeted the man with a shout. He felt sorry seeing his father looking so aged.


    Xiao Zhiyuan looked at him and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you met that fellow, Winter Melon, when you arrived in the city? You took a ride in his car, right? Why, did he just leave you here in the rain?¡±


    ¡°He had something urgent, so he left first,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    ¡°Urgent? What nonsense, no matter how urgent it is, couldn¡¯t he at least drop you off at the farm? It¡¯s not that far from here.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan was very aggrieved, seeing his son having to wait all alone in the rain. ¡°I think that that little fellow has be arrogant, and he¡¯s looking down on you despite you two having grown up together as close friends.¡±


    As he spoke, he was loading Xiao Luo¡¯s belongings into the trishaw.


    Xiao Luo hurried over to help.


    They soon loaded up the things Xiao Luo had bought into the small storage space of the trishaw.


    Then, Xiao Luo hopped on and squeezed into the single-seat with his father, and they turned around, heading toward the farm.


    The road to the farm was indeed in bad condition, and there were big potholes everywhere. It would definitely take a toll on a small car with a low chassis, but an SUV could still negotiate the trail without much effort. Somehow the motored trishaw was managing, but with its worn-out shock absorbers, it was a jarring and bumpy ride all the way.


    ¡°Dad, why didn¡¯t you spend the one million dors I transferred to youst time?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was maneuvering the motored trishaw with some effort and said, ¡°That¡¯s your money, son, I¡¯ve put it in fixed deposit for you.¡±


    ¡°But I transferred it to you so that you can pay off the debt and do some upgrading for the farm. For starters, you can have this road totally paved with cement, it¡¯ll be more convenient for vehicles to enter and exit the farm.¡±


    Xiao Luo had not expected his father not to even touch one cent of the money and continue leading such a frugal life. There was really no need for that, as he had already mentioned to his parents a long time ago that he was now the boss of apany. He was doing well enough and was not short of money.


    ¡°The farm is a career that I want to develop for the second half of my life. The cost of construction, investment, and production are my responsibilities, how can I burden you with my responsibilities?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan said.


    ¡°Dad, the money is for you and mum, as a token of my appreciation. I don¡¯t want you both to have such a difficult life,¡± Xiao Luo said, as he tried to keep his emotions in check. ¡°I still remember you telling me about your ideal retirement life, it was to take leisurely walks in the park and y chess with other people. I can help you realize all your dreams now.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan looked at him with a smile and said, ¡°These can wait for a few more years. Your mum and I are not that old yet, we¡¯d beughed at for retiring so early.¡± He paused for a moment and continued, ¡°I just want to put in these efforts for the sake of my dignity, I must prove this to the people that had criticized me for choosing this new career.¡±


    Xiao Luo knew what his father meant. He remembered when his father first got back to the vige, he had mentioned that he intended to start the farm. His family and friends, and even fellow vigers were pessimistic about such a venture and felt that this industry had no future. They started talking behind his back, and his father was subjected to much ridicule. So Xiao Luo could appreciate his insistence on developing the farm and making it a sess for them all to see; it was his way of getting his own back.


    ¡°Your mom used to be weak and always in poor health, feeling dizzy and tired every now and then. Since she started working on the farm, her health has improved visibly. Not only has her appetite improved, but her long-term spinal problem has also stopped bothering her,¡± Xiao Zhiyuan raved, a smile forming on his face. ¡°It¡¯s like what the old people say, humans are born to work. If one justzes around the whole day without doing anything, one gets sick easily, and wouldn¡¯t be able to lead a long life.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan looked contented, and he was never one to shy away from a challenge; he was an optimist.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and sighed. ¡°Dad, you always have your reasons.¡±


    He had wanted to persuade his father to give up on the farm and retire peacefully, but he was well aware of his father¡¯s character, and it would not be an easy task to persuade the old man.


    The farm was located between two mountains that stood close together, but the valley in between was rtively t and wide. The edge of the farm gradually got higher in altitude as it got closer to the foot of the mountains.


    The plot ofnd was previously abandoned and had been overgrown with weeds and shrubs everywhere. To set up the farm and operate it properly, his parents had invested all their savings into it. They even borrowed money from his two aunts and mortgaged the farm for a 200,000 dor loan from the bank.


    His father had a lot of entrepreneurial experience and understood the challenges of running the business.


    Tucked in the farm, a single two-story building was built at the foot of the mountain. As the motored trishaw made its way into the farm, dogs began barking, but as soon as they recognized the sound of his father¡¯s vehicle, they immediately stopped. The dogs ran up, with their ears ttened and tails wagging as they greeted their master.


    They had three dogs at the farm, and although they hadn¡¯t seen Xiao Luo for a whole year, they certainly remembered him as they came up to him and whined excitedly.


    ¡°Son, you¡¯re back!¡±


    A inly-dressed woman came running out, rubbing her hands together.


    ¡°Mum!¡±


    Xiao Luo jumped off the trishaw and walked over toward her.

 Chapter 279 - Home

    Chapter 279: Home


    Having not seen Xiao Luo for almost a year, Hua Heying couldn¡¯t stop gazing lovingly at her son from head to toe. As usual, she was always concerned about his well-being, and she said, ¡°Son, you¡¯ve be thinner. You haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you? Hurry,e in and have some warm food, I¡¯ve saved it for you.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he looked at his mother. Compared to only a year ago, she had gotten a lot older, with more freckles on her face. This was the very woman who had raised him, and he still remembered his impression of her as a child, he always thought she was as pretty as a flower. Even now, he still felt that his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world.


    ¡°Why are your clothes wet?¡±


    Hua Heying touched Xiao Luo¡¯s clothes, then shot Xiao Zhiyuan a re, expecting an answer.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was still very annoyed about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s all because of Xiao Qiudong, that little jerk just left our son alone by the road and went off. There¡¯s no shelter at the junction to our farm, so Little Luo had to wait for me standing there in the rain.¡±


    What?


    Upon hearing what her husband had just said, Hua Heying was furious. ¡°That¡¯s too much! What¡¯s wrong with that short Winter Melon, leaving my son there in the rain. I will definitely scold him when I see him the next time.¡±


    ¡°Mom, just drop the matter. His son wasn¡¯t well and was crying a lot. Anyway, the road to our farm is in poor condition. If he really had driven me here and got his car damaged in the process, I¡¯d feel bad about it.¡± Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want his family to be troubled over such a little matter; there was no need for it.


    ¡°You are too kind, still defending that short Winter Melon even now. Never mind, let¡¯s not talk about him, go take a hot shower and change into dry clothes before eating,¡± she said. Hua Heying was always worried about Xiao Luo¡¯s health, so she had already prepared a clean towel, filled a bucket with hot water for Xiao Luo to shower.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt a warmth in his heart, being with the family was always best.


    The vige got its supply from the mountains, which provided natural spring water, and it was potable too. By connecting the pipes to the stream, the households had ess to continuous running water.


    When he got out of the shower, Hua Heying already had a scrumptious meal prepared, and the dishes wereid out on the dining table in the living room.


    The table was spread with a variety of red meat, chicken, duck, fish, and vegetable dishes, prepared especially for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo gulped down three bowls of rice in no time. For him, his mother cooking was the best, and he really enjoyed her delicious dishes from his heart.


    Xiao Zhiyuan, who was sitting beside him, looking stern as always, lighted a cigarette, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just eat the meat, eat more vegetables, it¡¯s good for your health.¡±


    ¡°Husband, let our son eat whatever he likes, why do you nag so much.¡±


    Hua Heying chided Xiao Zhiyuan, then smiled happily at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Son, don¡¯t mind your dad, eat more meat, all of these are from our own livestock. The quality of the meat is much better than what you can get outside.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and continued eating the dishes and rice in big gulps.


    Xiao Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow and wisely decided to change the topic to avoid another broadside from Hua Heying. ¡°Little Luo, you said that you are the boss of apany in Jiangcheng now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yup, thepany specializes in product development, production, and sales of bakery products like bread, cake, mooncake, and Chinese desserts.¡± Xiao Luo looked up at his father and answered.


    ¡°My son is doing great. See, Zhiyuan, I told you that our son would definitely be sessful in life.¡± Hearing what Xiao Luo said about hispany, Hua Heqing couldn¡¯t stop smiling.


    Although Xiao Zhiyuan was happy and very proud of Xiao Luo, it wasn¡¯t his nature to show it. He still kept a stern face and spoke to Xiao Luo earnestly. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too overconfident, it is easy to start apany, but difficult to maintain it. You have probably received help from a benefactor to be the boss of apany so fast, so don¡¯t ever forget about your benefactor.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and nodded, then lowered his head again and continued to eat.


    ¡°Oh yes, how¡¯s Ruyi doing over there?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan suddenly asked.


    Hua Heying sat up. She had had a strained rtionship with her daughter for many years. Back then, Xiao Ruyi was rebellious and would always argue loudly with her mother. Now that Ruyi was married, their rtionship had mended and was getting much better with time. After all, she was her own daughter, and regardless of what had gone wrong, Hua Heying would never stop caring for her.


    ¡°Her rtionship with Tang Ren is quite good, she is working hard in the hospital. She has grown a lot more mature and sensible. These days she doesn¡¯t act as rashly and willfully as she didst time,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Zhiyuan signed with relief and wasforted. ¡°Good to know!¡±


    Hua Heying smiled, looking very contented and said, ¡°As long as she is leading a good life, as parents, we can rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore, everyone needs to grow up and change, and Ruyi has now grown up. I met her beforeing home, she bought clothes and shoes for you, dad, grandpa and grandma, and asked me to bring them back,¡± Xiao Luo said, pointing at the pile in the living room.


    Hua Heying was so touched that she shed tears, then she walked over and took a cursory look at the gifts. ¡°There¡¯s so much stuff, it probably cost her a lot. I must remind that girl not to spend so much money again. She¡¯s already married and should start saving up, how could she spend so much.¡±


    As she said that, she took her phone out and called Xiao Ruyi, then mother and daughter began to chat.


    ¡­


    After a satisfying meal, Xiao Zhiyuan sent Xiao Luo home with his motored trishaw.


    Although Luo Vige was located in a rural mountainous area, surprisingly, every family here had a new house. For thest twenty or so years, the people of Luo Vige had gone to the south to find work and earn money. Over the years, they¡¯d saved up the money they earned and raised new houses. Any family that had yet to build one would be derided by others, and couldn¡¯t hold their heads up with pride.


    Xiao Luo was amazed by what his parents had achieved. Ten years ago, with just a monthly ie of several thousand dors a month, they had managed to build a four-story house for the family. The first floor was in and unadorned, but the second floor was well furnished, and his aged grandparents lived in that house.


    It was almost 11 pm by the time he arrived, and Luo Vige was dead silent except for the asional bark from afar. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the city, the nights here were quiet and would take some getting used to.


    His grandparents usually went to bed at around 9 pm. But as they knew he would being home today, they watched television on the first floor while waiting for him to get back.


    Hearing the sound of the trishaw, his grandparents immediately turned on the lights in the living room and opened the door.


    ¡°Grandpa, grandma!¡±


    ¡°Little Luo, you are back!¡±


    It was his grandmother who spoke. Her hair was naturally curly, and her kindly eyes had a smile in them. She held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand tightly with her rough hands. ¡°It¡¯s raining outside,e in, quick.¡±


    The first thing Xiao Luo noticed when he saw them was that they had grown older. Time had left its indelible mark on their wrinkled faces, and their hair had turnedpletely white.


    His grandmother poured two cups of hot tea for Xiao Luo and Xiao Zhiyuan. She missed Xiao Luo dearly and had so many questions for him. She wanted to know how he was keeping, why he was now thinner, and whether he was having proper meals in the city. She also asked about his work and how he was coping.


    Grandfather was taciturn by nature, it was just part of his personality, not being good with words. Xiao Zhiyuan had probably inherited the trait from him, and likewise, Xiao Luo, in turn, inherited it from Xiao Zhiyuan.

 Chapter 280 - Neighbors

    Chapter 280: Neighbors


    After staying to chat for a short while, Xiao Zhiyuan bade everyone a good night and left for the farm.


    They had a lot of local specialties back home, and Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparents had prepared a selection of his favorites and ced them in Xiao Luo¡¯s room. There were chips, peanuts, and fried rolls.


    After he finished tidying up the room, Xiao Luo made himself a cup of hot tea and stood by the window.


    It was pitch dark outside, still drizzling, and everything seemed remarkably tranquil. Xiao Luo felt the stark difference here as if this was another life,pared to the city. Standing by the window, everything he had experienced in Jiangcheng was like a dream: protecting Chu Yue, bing the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, annihting the Dragon Gang.


    Everything just seemed surreal at that very moment, like he was living two different lives.


    One was a world full of killings,mercial maneuvers, and the treacherous underworld¨Clike an exciting and dramatic TV series. And the other brought him right back to ordinary life in the vige!


    Ding. Ding. Ding.


    A handphone ringtone brought him back to the present.


    Xiao Luo picked up the ck handphone on the table. The caller ID showed a string of asterisks, and he immediately knew that it was a call from Gu Zhanguo of NSA. His handphone was also NSA-issued and specially customized with an ¡°8848¡± code. All their phone calls were channeled through a dedicated encrypted line, ensuring confidentiality, and preventing phone tapping and tracking.


    His NSA phone could only be unlocked with face recognition and fingerprint detection protocols, without which neither of the special functions or even basic functions could be essed. The phone would be useless to anyone except Xiao Luo.


    Gu Zhanguo¡¯s authoritative voice spoke over the line. ¡°Mie, your contact has set off and will meet you the day after tomorrow. Codename: Night Sparrow.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Roger that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing that you need to know. Our spy in the ckwater Company has sent a message. Khun Sa has ess to your basic information and knows about your part in the Red Scorpion Mercenaries¡¯ massacre. He is enraged and has dispatched a team of his Cobra Mercenaries to infiltrate into the country. Their task is to neutralize you at all costs,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    Cobra Mercenaries?!


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes, and a fierce expression washed over him. ¡°Let theme, I will be waiting. Whatever number he sends will all be killed.¡±


    His cavalier attitude concerned Gu Zhanguo, and he said, ¡°As far as we know, there are eight men in the Cobra Mercenaries strike team. All of them are rated grade B operators in the NSA grading system, and they are highly experienced in military tactics. Do not take them lightly, they are far superior to the Red Scorpion Mercenaries. You must not underestimate them.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo took note of the warning, then made a request to Gu Zhanguo. ¡°Can you arrange for some men to protect my parents.¡±


    He would be staying with his grandparents in Luo Vige, so he needn¡¯t have to worry too much about their safety. But his parents were living on the farm, and that was a concern. He needed to arrange for a protection detail to ensure their safety round the clock.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already dispatched 20 grade C fighters. They¡¯re being rushed to your location together with Night Sparrow. As for how they are to be deployed, the decision is yours,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    Xiao Luo was grateful for Gu Zhanguo¡¯s sincerity in making the arrangements to mobilize his NSA resources.


    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± Gu Zhanguo asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered without hesitation; he wanted to get to the bottom of this. ¡°Why would Khun Sa have my information?¡±


    ¡°Other than being one of the leaders of ckwater Company, Khun Sa is also a major drug dealer in the Golden Triangle. He had close ties with the Dragon Gang of Jiangcheng. After the Red Scorpion Mercenaries got into trouble, he asked the Dragon Gang to help him investigate,¡± Gu Zhanguo said, ¡°and you happened to be in their sights during that period, creating many problems for their gang operations. So the Dragon Gang identified you to Khun Sa as the one who destroyed his Red Scorpion Mercenaries.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned, and he couldn¡¯t imagine how he could¡¯ve gotten himself entangled in an internationalwork of crime.


    ¡­


    The next morning, Xiao Luo got up early and started cleaning the house.


    His grandparents had lived in the house since it was built and maintained it, but as they were getting on with age, they couldn¡¯t clean the house as thoroughly as they wished.


    He started by first wiping the ss windows, the tables, the cabs, and mopping the floor.


    For the whole morning, Xiao Luo was kept busy, carefully wiping every nook and cranny that was usually overlooked during cleaning.


    When he went out to refill the bucket of water, a middle-ageddy living just next door looked surprised when she saw him and said, ¡°Hello, aren¡¯t you Little Luo? You are back for the new year?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and greeted thedy. ¡°Hi, Aunt Taoxiu, yes. Thepany is closed for the holiday season, so I¡¯vee back for the new year.¡±


    All the men in Luo Vige shared the surname Xiao, as they were descended from amon ancestor. Their middle names were determined by their generation in the family tree, and funnily enough, many of his peers were of the same generation as his own father, so he had to address them as ¡®uncle¡¯ ording to custom. This was something that Xiao Luo had been eating at Xiao Luo for quite a while now.


    Xiao Luo had no idea what the middle-ageddy¡¯s maiden surname was, but he remembered her well because she often visited them ever since he was a youngd. His grandma addressed her as Taoxiu, so he just called her Aunt Taoxiu. At the same time, Xiao Luo used to be close friends with her son, Xiao Ping, when they were young. Xiao Ping was two years older than him.


    Aunt Taoxiu had a rather loud voice, so when the neighbors heard that Xiao Luo had returned, they all came out to greet him. Very soon, there was a small crowd outside his home.


    Xiao Luo was raised to be courteous, and he was a patient man by nature, so he greeted all the seniors that hade to greet him.


    ¡°Little Luo, you have gotten a lot more handsome in the one year since Ist saw you. I heardst year that you had a girlfriend, why didn¡¯t you bring her back to meet your family?¡± a dark-skinned woman said.


    A thin middle-aged man smiled and agreed. ¡°She is right, it¡¯s about time you start a family. Back when I was your age, my son was already seven or eight years old.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled warmly at him and replied, ¡°Such matters all depend on fate. When the time is right, everything will sort itself out.¡±


    ¡°Fate is a vague concept that cannot be exined easily, it still depends on you to make an effort to seek the right women out. Our country carried out a census recently, and there are 30 million more men than women. In other words, there will be 30 million men without a wife. Little Luo, you must try harder. Even if you are in no hurry, think of your parents and your grandparents, who will all be worried.¡± The thin middle-aged man shared his opinion, which got the crowd nodding their heads.


    The dark-skinned woman who was now munching on sunflower seeds concurred and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, look at Xiao Qiudong, he is the same age as you, and he has a son now. He¡¯s hosting a feast at home tomorrow, and his wife is from Taiwan. The whole Luo Vige knows about it. If you don¡¯t put in more effort, he will outshine you.¡±


    Xiao Luo merely forced a smile and nodded his head, as he knew they meant well. But he didn¡¯t intend to stand there and continue getting bombarded with more questions and suggestions, so he informed them all that he still had to clean the house and hurried back inside.


    ¡°You people shouldn¡¯t pressure him like this, I¡¯m sure that deep down inside, Little Luo must be anxious as well. You all should know that he is the only one of his age that hasn¡¯t gotten married in our vige.¡± Aunt Taoxiu felt for Xiao Luo and came to his defense.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t scold him or anything, but this Little Luo has set too high expectations for himself. It¡¯s not good for him, and he may find himself in an unfavorable situation outside,¡± the thin middle-aged said, standing with his arms folded, confident in his assessment of Xiao Luo.


    The dark-skinned woman sighed heavily, weighing in on what the thin middle-aged man had said. ¡°Huh, Xiao Qiudong didn¡¯t even go to university, now he is getting project contracts at the city of Zhoukou. He is earning so much over the past two years, and he even bought himself a house in the city of Zhoukou. Now look at Little Luo, he has been to a second-tier university, but in the end, he is just working for other people. Despite having studied so much, he can¡¯tpare to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s little finger.¡±

 Chapter 281 - Argument

    Chapter 281: Argument


    Although Xiao Luo went on cleaning on the second floor, the content of their conversation still went into his ears with not even a single letter being dropped. Regarding this, he onlyughed it off. It couldn¡¯t set off even the slightest ripple in his heart. This was the way the older generation in the countryside thought. What¡¯s more, they were his uncles and aunties. He wouldn¡¯t bother to argue with them. As long as they were happy, he¡¯d let them talk. However, his life belonged to him. It was up to him to decide how should he live it.


    His grandmother felt sorry for him. When she saw the people wagging their tongues outside, she ran out and asked them to go away as far as they could and stop spouting gibberish at her door.


    ¡°If you¡¯re too bored, go and clear your fields. Stop talking nonsense at other people¡¯s doors. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the Heavens will punish you to be mutes for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°Dengfeng, we aren¡¯t talking badly about Xiao Luo,¡± the dark-skinned woman said with a face full of displeasure. ¡°We are just concerned about his most important affair in life. Is it really nice for you to curse us like that?¡±


    ¡°My grandson is a fine-looking man,¡± his grandmother said. ¡°He is also very capable in his career. You don¡¯t need to worry about his business!¡±


    She was done with it. Her neighbors were constantly asking about whether her grandson, Xiao Luo, had a target of when he would get married and subsequently had some sarcastic remarks. This wasn¡¯t just concerning behavior. It was straight out mockery. These people were ridiculing Xiao Luo right in front of him. She was unable to tolerate any of it.


    ¡°Ye-ye-yeah, fine-looking he his, finer than everyone else,¡± the dark-skinned woman with a temper coldly said. ¡°But it turns out that he can¡¯t even find a wife.¡±


    Everybody aside from Aunt Taoxiu revealed a smile of varying degrees on their faces. They yearned to watch a drama unfold. They were simply too bored. It just so happened that something like that could relieve them from their boredom and be a topic of discussion during their leisure time.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandmother got so angry that her face turned red. She pointed at the dark-skinned woman and angrily said, ¡°An Yuan, you can¡¯t even discipline your own son. He drinks, gambles, goes whoring, and was even locked up in the police station a few times. What right do you have to talk about my grandson?¡±


    When An Yuan, who had dark skin, heard that, she immediately fumed up. Her face became ashen. She looked even darker.


    She stared at her in rage. ¡°What a fine son you have as well. He smashed all his belongings into the ravines hoping for gold to grow out from that pile of mud. He has been busy as a dog all year round, but I didn¡¯t see him earning any significant amount of money. Meanwhile, your grandson, well, he¡¯s already not little, but not to mention a wife, he doesn¡¯t even have a target. No matter how useless my son is, he got himself a fine wife and bore a fine son. So, what has your family achieved? If word spreads, everyone willugh at your family for being incapable of marrying a granddaughter-inw into your doors.¡±


    Incapable of marrying a granddaughter-inw into our doors?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandmother felt as wronged as she could have ever felt when such abel was being mmed upon her family.


    ¡°You vicious woman, you¡­ You¡­¡±


    His grandmother was so upset that her chest was thumping up and down. She was unable to breathe smoothly.


    When Xiao Luo¡¯s grandfather saw this, he hurried forward and patted her back to straighten out her breathing. Although he didn¡¯t usually like to speak, now that his beloved wife was pissed off to such an extent, he couldn¡¯t just stand by. He shouted at An Yuan, ¡°Leave! Don¡¯t stand at our door! You are not wee here!¡±


    ¡°Lianfa, be reasonable,¡± An Yuan dignifiedly said. ¡°We didn¡¯t say anything bad. We were only expressing our concern for Xiao Luo, and Dengfeng came out cursing at us. Tell me, what kind of logic is this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Uncle Lianfa, Aunt Dengfeng went overboard this time,¡± a scrawny middle-aged man echoed.


    ¡°Xiao Luo is our grandchild. There¡¯s no need for you to concern yourselves about him. If you simply gossip about him again, do not me me for disowning you!¡± Although his grandfather was old, he still had a tough character.


    An Yuan put her hands on her waist and sneered, ¡°Lianfa, that isn¡¯t a nice thing to say. After all, we Xiaos are one big family. If you put things so harshly, aren¡¯t you afraid that nobody will give you a hand if something were to happen to your family in the future?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparents were no match to their sharp-mouthed opponent. They were both instantly defeated.


    Aunt Taoxiu stepped forward and said, ¡°Alright, all of you should speak a few words less. All of these are trivial matters. Don¡¯t let them ruin the harmony between us.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if that were to happen, they are the ones who started it!¡± An Yuan turned her head away and yawned.


    ¡°Are you guys done? You may leave if you are. Our temple is small, and it can¡¯t hold so many deities.¡±


    Xiao Luo walked out of the house, drying his hands with a clean towel while Xiao Luo conveying his sentence. He had not wanted to get involved in these contemptible matters in the countryside. Given that so many people were bullying his grandparents, he couldn¡¯t tolerate it.


    An Yuan red at him and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, what do you mean? Are you ying with words to scold your aunt?¡±


    Xiao Luo faintly said, ¡°No, of course. As the younger generation, how would I dare to foul-mouth an elder? It¡¯s just that, don¡¯t ever bully my grandpa and grandma. To whoever that bullies them, I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re my uncle or aunty or whatnot, just get lost as far as you can!¡±


    Doesn¡¯t he have a temper? Of course, he did.


    Does he have a good temper? Most certainly, but with the prerequisite that his bottom line was left intact. At home, his family was his bottom line.


    The neighbors were all stunned. No one expected Xiao Luo to have such a forceful side.


    In an enigmatic tone, An Yuan said, ¡°Ai-yow, you grown up with some temper there. You are a good-for-nothing little bastard who can¡¯t even find a wife. Who do you think you are showing that face of yours?¡±


    Her words were very unpleasant and harsh. Everyone present knitted their eyebrows.


    ¡°An Yuan, that was too harsh. It¡¯s almost the New Year. You shouldn¡¯t be ridiculing someone like that.¡± Aunt Taoxiu always had a good rtionship with Xiao Luo¡¯s family. At this moment, she expressed her severe disdain toward An Yuan.


    ¡°Xiao Luo has been out there working hard for a whole year. It isn¡¯t easy for him. The Luo Vige is a big family, and we bump into each other regrly. You really shouldn¡¯t be talking about Xiao Luo like that.¡±


    ¡°Every one of us watched Xiao Luo grow up. We all saw the incident that took ce. Although Dingfeng had a huff, we are the younger generationpared to her. You ought to humor her. How could you pick a fight with her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, An Yuan, I think you should apologize to Xiao Luo and Dengfeng.¡±


    A few who had a better rtionship with Xiao Luo¡¯s family stood up to speak for Xiao Luo. Of course, some people remained neutral with ¡°none of my business¡± hung up high above their heads.


    ¡°Apologize to them? No way!¡±


    An Yuan was infuriated. She fiercely spat on the ground. ¡°It is true that that little bastard has juste back, but does that mean he can give no respect to his elders and talk back to them as he likes?¡±


    There was a scrawny middle-aged man by the name of Xiao Chai. He was brothers by blood with An Yuan¡¯s husband, Xiao Chaofa. When it came to him, the proverb ¡°help reason not to help dear¡± became ¡°help dear not to help reason.¡± He stood up and reprimanded the crowd, ¡°A little brat who is still wet behind his ears is being disrespectful toward his elders. Are you guys clear about who should be apologizing to who? If you haven¡¯t figured it out, please try to smooth things over. In my point of view, we should have Xiao Luo apologize to my sister-inw!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Chai, are you sure your brain is alright?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s grandfather shouted.


    Xiao Chai red up and roared, ¡°Why are you yelling at me? Do you want to see who¡¯s louder?¡± He calmed himself down chillingly said, ¡°It has been almost seven years since your son went to work on some rotten farm, but he hasn¡¯t achieved anything yet. As for your grandson, he¡¯s almost bing an old fart, but he hasn¡¯t gotten himself a wife. Putting it in nicer terms, your grandson is picky. To put it in an unpleasant way, all of your family¡¯s money was smashed into that pile of mud, and you have no money left for him to get a wife.¡±

 Chapter 282 - The Five Brothers

    Chapter 282: The Five Brothers


    Xiao Chai¡¯s words were like a sharp dagger stabbing deep into Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparent¡¯s hearts.


    Xiao Zhiyuan had returned home to set up a farm, so a lot of money was invested in it. Over the past few years, life had been very hard for the family. It was not only hard on Xiao Zhiyuan. Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparent¡¯s also had been enduring skepticism from the people around them. In the Luo¡¯s vige, Xiao Chai was one of the most prominent figures who spurned Xiao Zhiyuan by Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparent¡¯s ears from time to time.


    ¡°Xiao Chai, you¡­ You¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandmother was extremely mad. She grabbed a broom to shun off the crowd. ¡°Scram! Every one of you, get lost! Don¡¯t be at my gates!¡±


    An Yuan looked slightly panicked. She took a few steps back, fearing that she¡¯d be hit by the broom.


    Xiao Chai immediately red at her with dted pupils and hideously shouted, ¡°Try touching me, you old fart! I¡¯ll dig a hole and bury you alive!¡±


    As soon as his words fell, an enormous hand approached him without prior warning and grabbed the cor of his shirt. A powerful force burst forth from its five fingers. Xiao Chai felt his feet detach from the ground. His cor was gripped so tightly that it strangled his neck. An intense feeling of suffocation promptly surged to his brain.


    Xiao Chai looked at Xiao Luo with his eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo was so powerful that he could lift him off the ground with one hand.


    Everyone else waspletely startled. Xiao Luo being so strong was genuinely unexpected.


    With a cold expression, Xiao Luo solemnly said, ¡°Uncle Chai, I think I¡¯ll still address you as ¡®Uncle¡¯ for the time being. I already said that whoever bullies my grandpa and grandma should scram as far as they can. Have you let my words flit by like a breeze?¡±


    Faced with Xiao Luo¡¯s re, Xiao Chai subconsciously quivered in fear. This was a kind of perilous aura given off by an angry beast. When he was young, he had gone hunting in the mountains. These were the very eyes of a relentless wolf. There was no way he could have mistaken that.


    Xiao Luo squinted his eyes. He had a contemptuous smile at the corner of his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say about me, whether at my back or right in my face. I will only everugh it off. But my family members, especially my grandpa and grandma, aren¡¯t people that any of you can humiliate. Consider this a little punishment. If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll cripple one of your legs!¡±


    The voice was gentle but filled with a chilly aura.


    Upon finishing his sentence, he flung out his arms. Xiao Chai was thrown away with absolutely no room for resisting. He heavily fell in the paddy field right in front of the grain-sunning grounds. Following a loud ssh, he was like a chicken in soup. What¡¯s more, it was a soup full of mud.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Everyone uncontrobly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Aside from being terrorized by Xiao Luo¡¯s strength, they were even more startled by the hostility he had disyed. They only now realized that they didn¡¯t understand this kid, who had grown up under their watch, at all.


    When An Yuan realized that Xiao Luo had his eyes fixed on her, her body shivered. She panickily asked, ¡°Little bastard, w-w-what are you nning to do?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a word. He silently advanced toward her step by step with a countenance as cold as snow and eyes that emitted streams of chills.


    He had killed a lot of people. With him infuriated, his foul semnce erupted from his body. An Yuan was only a regr woman in a rural vige, so how could she possibly hold herself against such a powerful tension? Her legs immediately turned wobbly. She fell bottom down to the ground.


    Xiao Luo stood in front of her and stared at her condescendingly. ¡°Can you leave our grain-sunning grounds?¡±


    It may have seemed like a request, but his tone rendered his words undefiable.


    An Yuan had burst into a cold sweat. She rolled and crawled away from the grain-sunning grounds of Xiao Luo¡¯s house.


    Xiao Luo looked at her yfully and said, ¡°ording to your seniority, I should be calling you ¡®Aunt.¡¯ In fact, that¡¯s the way I addressed you. I¡¯ve always respected you, but what about you? Little bastard here, and little bastard there¡­ Do I owe you something? Or, is that we are well-deserving of you making us a target of mockery and criticism for things like my dad setting up a farm or me not finding a wife?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    An Yuan was rendered speechless. She was unable to find the words to refute him.


    ¡°A woman opening her throat to rambunctiously spout obnoxious words is the behavior of a shrew,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile. ¡°It will only devastate your image in a person¡¯s perspective. Tell me, what exactly are you after? I¡¯ll give you a piece of advice. Try practicing the silent chant. It will be good for you!¡±


    Subsequently, he turned to face the crowd and unhurriedly said, ¡°To all my uncles and aunties, we all call ourselves Xiaos, and peace is what we should value. May there be less sarcasm and more sincerity. I, Xiao Luo, still respect every one of you. You are still wee at my house!¡±


    Those who were there to watch the drama unfold with a neutral stance couldn¡¯t help but feel their faces turn hot. Xiao Luo was indirectly criticizing them for not being kind to his family.


    Xiao Luo said nothing more. He turned his head around and smiled gently. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    His grandmother promptly put down her broom and revealed a kind smile, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go to cook at once. I¡¯m going to make you your favorite veggie taros.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown up, Xiao Luo!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandfather patted his shoulders with praise as he followed his wife into the house to assist her in cooking lunch.


    Xiao Luo had no desire to linger outside any longer. He turned around and walked into the house.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, this isn¡¯t over. If you don¡¯t apologize andpensate me a couple of hundred bucks for throwing me to the ground, I¡¯m telling you, Chaofa and the rest will being back for the New Year soon. You will be bawling when the timees.¡± Xiao Chai had already climbed out from the paddy field. He was drenched and covered in dirt. Unable to contain his anger, he rambled some harsh words at Xiao Luo.


    Upon hearing him, Xiao Luo halted his steps. He turned around and sarcastically asked, ¡°If I remember correctly, you have four other brothers, right?¡± He pointed at Xiao Chai and An Yuan. ¡°You have more in numbers. May I assume that is why you are emboldened when talking about the others and fearless of everything?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Xiao Chai snorted and arrogantly lifted his nose, silently admitting to the statement.


    That was indeed the truth. With five brothers and their respective sons, they had a big bunch of people. No family in the Luo Vige had more men than them.


    Although they had never beaten up someone from the same vige, they had a history of doing so at another vige. The reason was that one of their son¡¯s wife insisted on a divorce, so the five brothers went to wreak havoc at the girl¡¯s house. They had beaten up her family. It was even said that they hoisted up the girl and beat her.


    It was precisely because of these glorious deeds that they had built prestige within the vige. Only a few people in the vige dared to disobey them.


    For instance, there was a boulder used to pray for protection from the gods, which was transported back from the river with the entire vige¡¯s effort. After using it, the five brothers shifted it in front of their own house, making it their private property. People in the vige only dared toin in private. No one dared to stand up and call out that it was unreasonable.


    It was public property, and everyone had made their contributions. How could it be privatized?


    The five brothers were just bold enough to do so. Xiao Chai even spouted some arrogant words when he was drunk, saying that the boulder belonged to their family and they¡¯d beat up whoever disagreed.


    ¡°Uncle Chai, I have to remind you, we are now in a society ruled byw,¡± Xiao Luo said with a yful smile. ¡°You can¡¯t be king because you have bigger fists orrger numbers. Everything goes by the word ¡®reason.''¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t been from the same family, Xiao Luo wouldn¡¯t have wasted his saliva. If he was a gangster, he would have whacked him until he submitted.

 Chapter 283 - Banquet

    Chapter 283: Banquet


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    Xiao Chai coldly asked. His slightly squinted eyes showed nothing but full of arrogance.


    ¡°Scared?¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked and softly said, ¡°Excuse me for beingpletely fearless. I just don¡¯t want to make our rtionship too awkward. We¡¯re all from the same family and share the same bloodline. However, if you insist on making a scene, I¡¯m totally down. I just hope that you can take on my anger when it falls on you!¡±


    Xiao Chai felt unreasonably insecure as he listened to Xiao Luo¡¯s firm and calm response. The sense of calmness and leisure on Xiao Luo¡¯s face seemed innate, which made him feel minor and insignificant. However, as he thought that he was backed by four of his brothers, he realized that he had no reason to hold fear toward Xiao Luo. He arrogantlyughed and yelled, ¡°Fine, you do have some balls!¡±


    He turned around and walked toward his home. As he walked, he loudly shouted, ¡°All of you better listen up, whoever tries to help Xiao Luo¡¯s household in the future will mean that he or she will be the foe of Xiao Chai and his four brothers. Don¡¯t you dare think about living a peaceful life in Luo Vige!¡±


    An Yuan scoffed at Xiao Luo before she turned around and left.


    The people who were closer to Xiao Luo¡¯s household were wryly smiling.


    Aunt Taoxiu worrisomely approached Xiao Luo and sighed. ¡°Xiao Luo, why would you even provoke Xiao Chai? All five of them are nothing butplete jerks. You know better than anyone that they are not reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Taoxiu, he was already stirring sh*t at my front door and even said that he wanted to bury my granny alive. If it was Brother Ping, he also would have gotten all worked up like me.¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    Aunt Taoxiu deeply frowned and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, but how could you act so recklessly toward him? It¡¯s like you¡¯re hitting a stone with an egg. It¡¯s never wrong to endure for the sake of yourself.¡±


    ¡°There ought to be a limit of how much I can endure, right?¡± Xiao Luo shook his head.


    Aunt Taoxiu sighed and said, ¡°Child, I wish I could¡¯ve convinced, but just remember one thing from me. If the five of them reallye for you in the future, just call the police. Once the police have arrived, they won¡¯t be daring enough to do anything to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°Hmm, OK!¡±


    When he was a toddler, Aunt Taoxiu used to hug him a lot. His most vivid memory of her was at her ce having dinner with her son, Xiao Ping, on the same bench. Their mouths were stuffed full of greens. It was a mess to look at. Speaking of which, although Xiao Luo was two years younger than Xiao Ping, they had never grown distant during his annual return to the hometown.


    ¡°By the way, when is Brother Pinging back?¡±


    ¡°He should be back by the Preliminary Eve. Ping usuallyes back during that time. He will be backte.¡±


    Aunt Taoxiu smiled. ¡°Are you brats keeping in touch during normal days?¡±


    Xiao Luo honestly answered, ¡°Sometimes we chat online.¡±


    ¡°You guys have been such good buddies since you were young. Don¡¯t grow distant, even if you have grown up. You guys should keep in touch often. Even brothers who are rted by blood grow distant if they don¡¯t keep in touch at all.¡± Aunt Taoxiu sighed.


    Xiao Luo could not have agreed more and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It should be that way.¡±


    The thought of Xiao Qiudong instantly entered his mind.


    ******


    It was nighttime. Xiao Luo called Zhang Dashan. He wasining about his family constantly forcing him to go on blind dates. He had gone for two blind dates the day he returned, once in the morning and another in the afternoon. Neither of the women were his cup of tea, so he rejected them. Those two women, however, were very satisfied with him upon seeing him with a Range Rover. One of them even actively asked him out.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that pretty good? It means you¡¯re popr,¡± Xiao Luo joked.


    ¡°For f*ck sake, she¡¯s just eyeing my Range Rover,¡± Zhang Dashan said. ¡°I¡¯d never date a gold digger like her. Actually, I still think that Sister Huang is perfect. She¡¯s pretty and demure. After I¡¯m done with the New Year celebration, I¡¯ll return to Jiangcheng and date her.¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed a piece of spring roll. ¡°Well, I wish you the best of luck.¡±


    He hung up and did not talk the rest of the night.


    In the afternoon of the second day, he went to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s banquet per invite.


    Every household in the vige sent a representative to attend the banquet. They were expected to present a red packet for the sake of tradition. The other banquet attendees were Xiao Qiudong¡¯s rtives and friends. Those who came to the banquet were basically elderly and children as it was still some time away from the New Year celebration. Most of the youths who had ventured out for jobs were still working outside the vige.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s red packet contained 666. Three sixes represented that everything would take ce smoothly ording to their will.


    Xiao Luo walked up to Qiudong, who was chatting with his guests, and passed him the red packet. ¡°Donggua, congrattions on having a child!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, my bro, you¡¯ve finally arrived.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong smiled as he received the red packet. He put it in the inner pocket of his suit. He gave Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder a brotherly pat and said, ¡°We¡¯ve underestimated the number of guests today, and we couldn¡¯t amodate everyone. Bro, do me a favor by moving the dining tables over here from my uncle¡¯s house next door. Thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, OK!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and immediately agreed.


    Under Xiao Qiudong¡¯s rally, a bunch of kids, who were about 7 or 8 years old, showed up. He gave every one of them a huge stash of candies and asked them to help Xiao Luo with moving the benches.


    So, Xiao Luo was like the big child amongst them. He led the kids next door to move the dining tables from the neighbor¡¯s house. With Yijin Jing and the Constitution of King of Mercenaries, Xiao Luo would not have even broken a drop of sweat from moving just a dining table. However, just after he had positioned the table and was preparing to get seated, Xiao Qiudong appeared out of nowhere and patted him from behind.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bro, we¡¯re severely understaffed for banquet servants. Why don¡¯t you lend me a hand and get going to the kitchen and serve some dishes? Thanks a lot!¡±


    Before Xiao Luo could react, Xiao Qiudong left to enthusiastically tend to other guests immediately after he said those words.


    Xiao Luo was a little pissed off and thought, Was I invited to attend the banquet or serve at the banquet?


    He wryly smiled and decided to ept it. He put on an apron and went to the kitchen to help with serving the dishes. The rest of the guests were all seated and ready to dig in.


    ¡°Luo, you¡¯re back and helping Qiudong serve dishes. You guys are so close.¡±


    ¡°Yep, Luo and Qiu were ssmates since elementary school, and they lived pretty near each other. Of course, they would be close.¡±


    ¡°Most of the dishes have been served. Luo,e get seated and dig in.¡±


    Since they were all from the same vige, they all recognized Xiao Luo. Some uncles and aunts greeted Xiao Luo with great enthusiasm.


    Xiao Luo smiled and humbly replied, ¡°Uncles and aunts, you guys should dig in first. I¡¯m fine. Dongguo gave me some food beforehand.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it. You guys are so close.¡± An aunt smiled.


    An Yuan was seated near the dining table. She noticed that Xiao Luo was serving dishes and drinks. She immediately screamed, ¡°Xiao Luo, we¡¯re out of tea here! Bring a fresh pot here now!¡±


    Xiao Luo took a deep breath and adjusted his state of mind. He turned around to get some hot tea and delivered it to An Yuan¡¯s table.


    When he was leaving, he could hear An Yuan¡¯s sarcasticment. ¡°Indeed a good-for-nothing brat who can¡¯t even eat at a banquet and needs to serve instead.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not someone who was easily angered, but he was genuinely feeling humiliated and enraged.


    The inner force in his body started to run uncontrobly. It had affected the air in the entire atmosphere. With him as the center, a hurricane was about to be formed. The dust on the ground was all blown into the air.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Bro?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was tending to other guests, but he came over in a hurry to check on Xiao Luo after seeing that his face was weird.


    Xiao Luo forced out a smile as he thought about their close rtionships when they were younger. He quelled the fire within him and answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, then keep helping me with serving the dishes. Look at those tables. They¡¯re allcking a te of fish balls. Go check up on the kitchen and see what¡¯s wrong. You must not mess up the number of dishes!¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was not being courteous to Xiao Luo at all. He had stuffed so much food in his mouth that there was grease all over his mouth, and he could not stop burping. However, he still took Xiao Luo¡¯s assistance for granted and was bossing him around.

 Chapter 284 - ou Are My Brother

    Chapter 284: You Are My Brother


    Xiao Luo had a major issue with his behavior and asked, ¡°Donggua, did you invite me over to dine at the banquet or serve the banquet?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was stunned and replied with great disappointment, ¡°Xiao Luo, we¡¯re childhood friends and even shared the same underwear. Nobody could match up to us in terms of closeness, right? But your words have hurt me deeply. Are you actually ming me for making you the servant?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you making me your servant?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave an ironic smile. He surely knew that he was doing all the jobs of a servant. He was ordered to serve the dishes and tea. He passed around bowls and poured drinks to the point of having to act immediately upon themand of the banquet guests.


    He was not so selfish that he would not help out with such a small issue, but they both knew the status of their friendship. They were not as close as brothers like how others had described. If he was helping Zhang Dashan, he would have nothing negative to say or hold any grudges even he was tasked with thoroughly cleaning the house from the inside out. However, Zhang Dashan never would have treated him that way. He treated him a whole lot better than everyone else.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I shall notment on things any further,¡± Xiao Qiudong sternly said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you once. Are you my brother?¡±


    Xiao Luo felt suffocated. He wanted to blurt out expletives like Zhang Dashan always did. This felt worse than someone pping him in the face.


    Xiao Luo kept quiet. Xiao Qiudong was secretly happy about it, which showed in his eyes for a fleeting moment.


    He patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. With a gentler tone, he said with all his heart, ¡°I did not want to seek help from others since they are all outsiders. I¡¯m afraid of owing favors to them. Xiao Luo, I would never be discourteous to you since you are my brother. Of course, you don¡¯t have to be discourteous toward me. If you ever encounter any difficulties, tell me and I¡¯ll help you with everything I have!¡±


    Brother?


    Xiao Luo only wanted tough. Real brothers never needed to mention that word. If he was an immature boy who had yet experienced the rough sides of life, he would have been convinced by Xiao Qiudong¡¯s words. But he was not an innocent boy. He had entered society to work and seen people from all walks of life. Xiao Qiudong was nobody. He was one of those people who always paid lip service about being brothers and never treated anyone truthfully as a brother. In other words, he was just a fair-weather friend who excelled at putting up a good show and saying all the good words.


    He shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°Donggua, you are treating me like I am an idiot!¡±


    When it came to who was making who feeling disappointed, even the earth and the sky served as witnesses.


    Xiao Qiudong reacted with a face full of surprise. His browns turned into a from as he harshly replied, ¡°An idiot? Xiao Luo, how could you take me this way? I¡­¡±


    ¡°Qiudong, where is your son? Show him to everyone else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Qiudong, let us have a look at the baby with a Taiwanese mother and decide if he¡¯s more handsome.¡±


    ¡°They say the farther the parents¡¯ birthces are, the smarter their offspring is. Your wife¡¯s from Taiwan, and that¡¯s far enough. Your son will definitely grow up to be a genius.¡±


    A bunch of drunk men came over and started talking to Xiao Qiudong.


    Xiao Qiudong immediately ditched Xiao Luo and turned over to tend to them with a bright and smiling face.


    ¡°Uncle Dizhang, give me a moment, and I¡¯ll bring him out right away.¡±


    He turned around and said to Xiao Luo with a stern face, ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll leave those tables without fish balls to you!¡±


    He immediately left and did not give Xiao Luo a chance to reject his order.


    However, Xiao Luo was not going to buy that. He took off the apron and mirthlessly smiled, ¡°Xiao Qiudong, I¡¯m sorry. I have something urgent and won¡¯t be able to help you. Get someone else to serve the remaining dishes.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong stopped and looked at him with aplicated look. He had not expected that Xiao Luo would defy his order. He always thought that he could be bossy toward Xiao Luo whenever he wanted.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you have been serving dishes and tea for a while,¡± a man middle-aged man said. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten anything, right? Get some food before you leave.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright Uncle Dizhang. I have an urgent case and need to leave right away.¡±


    It waspletely fine to not eat at this banquet. Xiao Luo had been interacting with Xiao Qiudong with all his heart. He had hoped to rekindle the friendship they had as kids. However, Qiudong¡¯s actions were like leaving him alone on the road during a rainy night. He had invited him to a banquet in celebration of the birth of his son, which turned out to be a joke. Instead, he was treated like a servant who needed to do all the chores. He was not even granted a sip of tea, let alone any food.


    He suddenly realized he had done it wrong. He was wrong about treating Xiao Qiudong with honesty, which was returned with nothing from Xiao Qiudong. He even used the perfunctory way of dealing with things to handle him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Xiao Qiudong wanted to say something but kept quiet. He let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to help. I¡¯m so selfish and didn¡¯t consider your feelings. I can understand that you¡¯re holding grudges. Could you please have some food before you go?¡±


    Have some food before you go?


    Xiao Luo smiled bitterly as he nced at the banquet on the enormous field that was used to sundry the grains. Every table was a mess, and the dining was about to end. Many people were picking their teeth with toothpicks. What would it mean if sat down and dug in? Was he just a pig that cleaned up the junk or a stray dog that fed on leftovers?


    Xiao Dizhang was the secretary of the Luo Vige. He was a smart man with a quick mind. He had quickly understood the entire matter upon hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s words. Xiao Luo was probably unhappy with Xiao Qiudong¡¯s bossy attitude toward him, as well as him ordering him to serve food and tea. He wanted to leave with the excuse of having something else to take care of.


    He seriously tried to persuade Xiao Luo by saying, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re so close to Qiudong, so don¡¯t fall into bad blood with such a small issue.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Dizhang, I¡¯m not falling into bad blood with him. We¡¯re very close.¡± For once, Xiao Luo pretended their rtionship was more than it was.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still close to him, have some food before you leave,¡± Xiao Dizhang said.


    Xiao Qiudong excelled at seizing the opportunity. He had brought over two sses of Chinese white wine. He spoke to Xiao Luo with a smiling face. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m at fault today since I didn¡¯t consider your feelings. Come, let¡¯s have a toast and forget every unhappiness tonight!¡±


    In Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, regardless of how he viewed it, that smile was fake. By showing how he was being very reasonable and generous in front of the seniors, it smoothed the contrast of him being unbearable. Xiao Qiudong had already mastered the ability to trick people into corners. He could make one feel extremely enraged, yet one could not burst out due to the circumstances he had created. He was more than double-faced. His words were very different from his actions, which was also different from what he did de facto.


    Xiao Luo decided to y along with this forced script and acted as an antagonist.


    He smirked and replied, ¡°Fine. We shall do as you say but not this way.¡±


    He grabbed a tube of horseradish and wasabi pastes from the table beside as he spoke. These were all new things that Xiao Qiudong had brought back with him. He squeezed out half a tube into Xiao Qiudong¡¯s ss and stirred it with a chopstick.


    With a beaming smile, he said, ¡°We shall drink it this way, Donggua. You aren¡¯t against it, right?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong¡¯s face changed a little. His eyes were wide open. He replied, ¡°Xiao Luo, do you actually think that this is meant for human consumption?¡±


    ¡°This is definitely meant for consumption. It is very helpful making one feel refreshed. Donggua, we¡¯re brothers, so I wouldn¡¯t harm you. Besides, horseradish and wasabi are great things. Is that what you told everyone before the banquet started? Didn¡¯t you say mixing them with soy sauce could greatly enhance a person¡¯s appetite?¡± Xiao Luo wore a bitter smile the entire time he spoke.

 Chapter 285 - Ji Siying

    Chapter 285: Ji Siying


    Xiao Luo swiftly chugged his ss of liquor and showed Xiao Qiudong his empty ss. He jokingly said, ¡°Donggua, it¡¯s your turn. Bottoms up and we will still be brothers!¡±


    His words were hyper-aggressive. Upon hearing them, Xiao Qiudong realized that unlike the others, Xiao Luo was uncontroble and would not sumb to his usual tricks. This made him feel very defeated. He usually had things his way solely from his persuasion skills, regardless if he was facing the bosses or grassroots workers. He almost always capitalized on his subject¡¯s weakness. The cases of outright defiance were very rare.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s weakness, for example, was the sentimental feeling he had for their childhood friendship. As long as he used that as the basis of his requests, it was difficult for Xiao Luo to reject them. Of course, that was his understanding of the situation, at least before all of this had happened.


    Xiao Dizhang smiled and hurriedly asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡¯re you doing? You¡¯re good brothers with Qiudong!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re good brothers that he should drink this ss of liquor!¡±


    Xiao Luo was now truly enraged since his sincerity was returned with dishonesty. There was no point in being sentimental about the past friendship they had.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you being serious?¡± Xiao Qiudong willfully stared at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I shall notment on other stuff but one thing. Are you my brother?¡±


    Xiao Luo decided to give Xiao Qiudong a taste of his own medicine. ¡°If you¡¯re my brother, then finish this ss. I don¡¯t have any other intentions. Since we¡¯re at a banquet, let¡¯s just do it for fun!¡±


    He had a soft smile on his face.


    Xiao Qiudong almost lost control of hisposure. ¡°Have you heard of moral kidnapping?¡±


    Moral kidnapping?


    Xiao Luo mirthlessly smiled. He was impressed by Xiao Qiudong¡¯s wittiness. He had even brought up moral kidnapping.


    His smile suddenly faded as he and shouted, ¡°I am telling you to drink it right now!¡±


    Hisst two words sounded like thunder. Xiao Qiudong¡¯s pupils instantly contracted. In his mind, Xiao Luo¡¯s words struck him like a voice of divine punishment. It felt as if all the other background noise had suddenly disappeared, and that he had been sent into a light trance. Those words made him subconsciously chug down the drink in his hand.


    Xiao Luo lightly patted his shoulder and smiled with satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s my brother.¡±


    After that, Xiao Qiudong finally regained hisposure. He did not know that he was temporarily hypnotized by Xiao Luo. All he could taste in his oral cavity was a ball of burning me that epassed spiciness and the bitterness of the liquor. It was churning and dancing in his mouth like a poison dragon. It brought tears to his eyes. He was unable to stop dry-coughing. His face had also turned a shade of red that resembled a pig liver.


    Brothers?


    Xiao Luo let out of light yet disrespectful sigh before leaving with both of his hands behind his back.


    Was Xiao Qiudong even worthy to be considered that word?


    At this moment, a white luxury car emerged from the dirt road that cut through Luo Vige. One could tell from the brightness of the color and the overall appearance of the car that it was quite pricy.


    Xiao Qiudong had a few sips of water. After he was feeling better, he blurted out, ¡°An Alfa luxury car worth nearly 00,000!¡±


    Gasp¡­


    After hearing about the price of the car, everyone at the banquet uncontrobly gasped. They werepletely shocked. Luo Vige was a very rural and poor location. There were barely any cars passing by all year-round. Only Xiao Luo owned a car in the entire vige. A car was a rather distant luxury item to everyone else, let alone a car that cost 00,000. That truly impacted their mental capacity. They never fathomed the existence of a car that had that high of a value. It was almost equivalent to an astronomical figure.


    ¡°Qiudong, does that car really cost around 00,000?¡±


    Although Xiao Dizhang was the vige secretary, he was not too well-informed. It was considered a feat that he owned a tractor that cost around ,000 or so. He never expected to see such an expensive car in the vige with his own eyes.


    Xiao Qiudong nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a super famous brand. The 00,000 is just the price of the car alone. With all the processing fees, it would have easily gone up to million.¡±


    ¡°A million?¡±


    Xiao Dizhang was so surprised that he had lost someposure. The rest of the attendees had the same reaction. A million was a sum of money they could never umte, even if they were given two lives.


    ¡°Who is driving that car? He¡¯s surely noting to our vige, is he? Secretary Dizhang, go take a look. He¡¯s probably just lost.¡± An Yuan was curious, but she did not want to be the outlier to approach first. Instead, she hurried Xiao Dizhang to take action.


    ¡°I know what I need to do, so keep your nosy mouth shut!¡±


    Xiao Dizhang scolded her because he was sick of and disgusted by An Yuan. She always stirred up sh*t in the vige, and she was backed by her many brothers and husband. This unhappiness had been umting for a long time in his heart.


    An Yuan intended to p back with some ugly words, but she was quick enough to consider that Xiao Dizhang was the vige secretary. She had many things at his mercy, so she forcefully swallowed back her words.


    ¡°Look, the car door opened, and someone is getting out!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a very pretty girl.¡±


    ¡°Eh, that girl seems to know Xiao Luo! She¡¯s chatting with him!¡±


    Everyone at the banquet nced over at the dirt road¡­


    She was a pretty girl. She looked like she hade right out of the television as the female lead actor. Her long ck hair was untied, and her skin was fair as snow. She had clear and bright eyes. Her brows were thin and curvy like willow leaves. Her lips were thin and plump like two rose petals.


    She was so beautiful and resembled a holy fairy.


    Such a girl hade to Luo Vige. It was beyond their imagination.


    Everyone had their eyes fixated on her. They werepletely stunned by the presence of such a beautiful girl in a poor and rural area like Luo Vige. In their knowledge, a girl of such quality would nevere to such a ce.


    ¡°What is she talking about with Xiao Luo?¡± a woman asked curiously.


    An Yuan replied, ¡°What could they be talking about? Of course, she¡¯s asking for direction. Do you think that little useless jerk could know such a beautiful girl?


    Many people frowned upon hearing her words. They all felt that she was too vicious. Besides, her harsh words were uncalled for since they were all from the same family.


    Xiao Dizhang stared at An Yuan. He approached Xiao Luo with a smiling face. Xiao Qiudong and the others curiously followed behind him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, who¡¯s this girl?¡± Xiao Dizhang asked with a smile.


    The girl smiled sweetly, grabbed Xiao Luo by his arm, and introduced herself. ¡°Hello Uncle, my name is Ji Siying. I am Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend?


    Upon hearing that, everyone was stunned and stared at Xiao Luo in shock. Nobody thought that a girl who was beautiful as a fairy would be Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend. It was simply too surprising.


    An Yuan¡¯s face turned red. She had justmented that Xiao Luo was a useless jerk and the girl probably just lost. She been immediately proven incorrect and was very ashamed of that.


    Xiao Qiudong¡¯s face started to be quite weird. He did not hide his surprised expression at all. At the same time, a sh of envy and jealousy shined. Although it quickly faded from his eyes, he thought this girl, Ji Siying, was really beautiful. She was much more beautiful than his wife. Her features and figure were top-notch. The fact that such a girl was with Xiao Luo made his heart feel imbnced.

 Chapter 286 - Special mission

    Chapter 286: Special mission


    The Luo Vigemunity was rtively small, so it only took several hours for word to get around that Xiao Luo has a girlfriend, and a pretty one too. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also rich and drove around in a luxury car worth several million dors.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Xiao Luo¡¯s so handsome and hardworking, how could he not find a girl for himself?¡±


    ¡°That girl looks just like a celebrity on TV! She¡¯s so gorgeous that even ten of my daughters-inwbined could not match up to her alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiao Luo is just a low-key guy, and he¡¯s humble, so he¡¯s not the type to go around boasting about such a great girlfriend even if they¡¯re dating officially.¡±


    In no time at all, Xiao Luo had be the topic of everyone¡¯s discussion in Luo Vige. And they were all happy for Xiao Luo and proud of him too. To them, there was no one else in Luo Vige capable enough to date a beautiful and rich girlfriend. So far, Xiao Luo had been the only one able to achieve that.


    Of course, not everyone felt the same way, and some people even felt extremely envious and bitter when they heard the news.


    And these people included An Yuan and Xiao Chai, and Xiao Qiudong.


    Xiao Qiudong had always been the most outstanding of the youngermunity members in Luo Vige. He was the person that everyone looked up to and praised, and not only did he do very well in businesses, he was also a winner when it came to affairs of the heart, as he found himself a Taiwanese wife. As far as everyone in the vige was concerned, he was a winner in all aspects of his life. Whenever people spoke about him, nods of approval would follow, and on the other hand, heads would only shake when the name of Xiao Luo was mentioned.


    Xiao Qiudong could not help noticing how effused everyone seemed as they kept giving praise to Xiao Luo, and that certainly took the shine of his own ster reputation, making him truly unhappy. And to make matters worse, his wife, Li Honglian, had gained a fair amount of weight after her childbirth, making her extremely obese. He could not even recognize her anymore, and he felt repulsed by the sight of her grotesque form, which added to his woes.


    ******


    ******


    Back in his home, Xiao Luo sat on the wooden sofa with his left hand under his chin, while the fingers on his right hand were tapping rhythmically on the armrest, judging the person before him, Ji Siying.


    Ji Singyi was dressed in a high neck sweater and a pair of ck jogger pants, entuating her slender and graceful figure. She just stood there and stared back at Xiao Luo, looking a little out of ce like a person who had yet to experience much in life.


    ¡± So, you¡¯re Night Sparrow?¡± Xiao Luo coughed lightly and broke the silence in the room.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao Luo. I¡¯m your liaison for the NSA. I¡¯m in charge of conveying NSA¡¯s orders and facilitatemunication between you and the NSA. It¡¯s my honor to be able to work with you, sir. As your liaison officer, I hope we¡¯ll get along in this mission and others toe!¡±


    Ji Siying was in awe of Xiao Luo, and her voice was gentle and confident, which was delightful to the ears. She bowed low after she had finished speaking.


    Xiao Luo found this woman interesting, and what she had said did not irk him in the least. ¡°Why did you lie about being my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°As Mr. Xiao Luo¡¯s liaison, I¡¯d need to stay connected to you 24/7, so I used the cover of being your girlfriend as it would allow me to perform my duties and work with you closely. It would prevent unnecessary gossip about us.¡±


    Xiao Luo could not help breaking into a smile as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve been pretty thoughtful, but this cover you came up with has made my life very difficult.¡±


    It was true that the whole vige now believed that he had found himself a girlfriend from elsewhere who was beautiful and rich. So curious were the vigers that even the threshold of his front door was almost worn down from the frequent visits by vigers who wanted to catch a glimpse of Xiao Luo¡¯s new girlfriend. Fortunately for him, his grandparents were keeping them corralled on the ground floor, or they would undoubtedly have invaded the second floor and turned it into a wet market.


    When Ji Siying heard Xiao Luo say that, it seemed like a knife had plunged into her heart, and she trembled inside. Bowing again, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Xiao Luo, I did not know that¡¯d make your life difficult, I¡­ let me exin to them.¡±


    She turned about to make her way downstairs after she spoke.


    ¡°Come back, you don¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    Xiao Luo was lost for words. The situation was alreadyplicated as it was, and there was no point for her to exin and make matters worse.


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    Ji Siying stopped immediately, and now she just stood there noticeably wringing her hands, looking just like a child who had done wrong.


    ¡°You can be at ease. Rxed, just be yourself.¡±


    Xiao Luo poured a cup of tea for himself and another for her. He then passed it to her and said, ¡°Please have some tea.¡±


    Ji Siying was shocked by the gesture, and she immediately marched toward him to ept the cup of tea with both hands. ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, thank you!¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo tilted his head slightly, confused by her constant use of ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo,¡± questioning himself if she was his liaison or his subordinate. She was unbearably polite, and it was getting to him.


    ¡°Gu Zhanguo said you came along with twenty Level C soldiers?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°They have been deployed around Mr. Xiao Luo¡¯s parents¡¯ farm and have covertly prepared defenses around its perimeter to protect them. In the event of an attack, they will escort Mr. Xiao Luo¡¯s parents away the moment any signs of the Cobra Mercenaries are detected,¡± Ji Siying said.


    Xiao Luo nodded and was pleased to hear it, and his mind was now freed from the worry of his family¡¯s security. Twenty Level C soldiers might not be able to defeat the Cobra Mercenaries, but they were sufficient to guarantee his parents¡¯ safety.


    He looked directly at Ji Siying again and asked, ¡°What is your level?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I am a Level C soldier,¡± Ji Siying replied, bowing slightly with respect.


    ¡°Level C soldier?¡±


    Still seated on the wooden sofa, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes squinted as he continued to eyeball her. Without any warning, he darted at Ji Siying, striking with his right hand, now formed into a w with fingers as sharp as des. His w-fingers shed through the air swiftly and locked on Ji Siying¡¯s exposed neck.


    Ji Siying¡¯s reflexes were sharp, evading the strike by a whisker, then shifting back to assume a counter-attacking stance.


    However, Xiao Luo shadowed her movements closely, not allowing her any space to maneuver. His w-hand followed through as he shifted his stance, making her evasive effort futile. She dropped the teacup in a hurry and used her left hand to parry Xiao Luo¡¯s strike, as her right hand simultaneously drew a dagger from her waist. Swiftly moving to her right, she thrust the de into Xiao Luo¡¯s exposed chest.


    Her mind remained calm throughout, and her reactions were intuitive and swift, the result of her excellent training and conditioning.


    But before her dagger had reached its intended target, Xiao Luo struck first with a push-kick into her belly, which immediately broke her attack. She was forced back several steps before she regained control of herself.


    It was all over before she knew it. Had this been an actual fight with an enemy, the exchange would have resulted in death.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, you¡­?!¡±


    Ji Siying held her abdomen in pain and stared at Xiao Luo with a questioning look.


    ¡°Just testing your skills level.¡±


    Xiao Luo handed Ji Siying the teacup, which she had dropped to draw out her knife, and not a single drop of tea was spilled. Ji Siying was stunned to silence and could not believe that Xiao Luo could catch her teacup so steadily in that brief moment they exchanged strikes.


    ¡°Your skills level as a Level C soldier is excellent, please spend more effort to ensure my grandparents¡¯ safety. I might live here, but I can¡¯t be sure I¡¯ll always be there to keep them safe.¡±


    Ji Siying took the cup from Xiao Luo and nodded. ¡°Roger!¡±


    The truth was that Ji Siying had not been totally honest with Xiao Luo, and providing protection to his family was only part of it. ording to the NSA¡¯s own investigations, Xiao Luo had led an average and ordinary life since his youth until about half a year ago. NSA was convinced that there was a secret to how he obtained his strength. And this was the other part of her special mission, to find out Xiao Luo¡¯s secret. Ji Siying was embedded to dig it out from Xiao Luo slowly but surely.

 Chapter 287 - Pointing out

    Chapter 287: Pointing out


    Before arriving at Luo Vige, Ji Siying had studied Xiao Luo¡¯s data profile thoroughly. She was well aware of everything Xiao Luo had done at Jiangcheng, especially the massacre at Long Sankui¡¯s mansion on that fateful, stormy night. The report sent a chill down her spine and made her believe that he was a demon in human guise. She had wondered why and even asked her superior about the reason that NSA was recruiting such a person, but she received nothing more than the word ¡®secret¡¯ in response.


    Although Xiao Luo appeared like an ordinary person, Ji Siying knew that everything she saw was nothing but a facade. The real Xiao Luo had both of his hands drenched in blood.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, may I ask you a question?¡±


    Xiao Luo was reading the current affairs and news on his phone while sipping on the tea. Smiling, he lifted his head and said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Why did you want to destroy Dragon Gang?¡±


    She was a curious person by nature and the kind of girl who would relentlessly seek answers, and if she could not find the answer, it would always remain on her mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s because the people that ought to have carried out their duties didn¡¯t. When I happened to appear then, I stepped up and dealt with the matter,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling smugly.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded as if she understood.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s dinner time!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s granny called for them from the first floor.


    Xiao Luo put down his phone and teacup, got up, and turned toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go down for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Ji Siying immediately got up as she answered.


    Xiao Luo was already half-way down the stairs, and before she left the room, Ji Siying took out a notebook and jotted down swiftly: Mr. Xiao Luo regrly drinks Tieguanyin tea and reads about current affairs and news.


    ******


    ******


    Both of his grandparents were fond of Ji Siying. Since her arrival, they have been smiling non-stop, and his grandmother was especially enthusiastic whenever she was around. She always showed great concern for Ji Siying, and they spoke a lot. She had already asked about her family and how many siblings she had.


    Ji Siying was well-prepared for such questions, so she answered them happily.


    Aunt Taoxiu from next door came to visit with arge te of fried purple sweet potato. This was an opportunity for her to take a closer look at Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡°Hello, aunt!¡± Ji Siying greeted her politely.


    ¡°Good, good, Siying¡¯s very polite, and she¡¯s so beautiful. Hah, Xiao Luo, you¡¯re so fortunate.¡± Aunt Taoxiu felt genuinely happy for Xiao Luo.


    How was Xiao Luo to reply? Ji Siying was nothing more than a fake girlfriend.


    ******


    ******


    It was near the end of the year, and traditionally it was time for farm-reared pigs, fishes, and ducks to be sold. Pigs and fishes were collected by the buyers themselves, so it didn¡¯t demand much effort from the farmers. But the ducks were a different proposition altogether, and they needed to be transported to the town market to be sold.


    The south of Luo Vige was known to have higher rainfall during the winter season.


    It was the market day, and Xiao Luo chose not idle at home like a loafer, but instead, he went to the market to help his parents out. Pilferage was inevitable during busy times when the business was brisk, and it would definitely help to have an extra pair of eyes and hands to ease the burden.


    The skies were overcast, and it was drizzling, but the market was still bustling with a myriad of people. Not even the cold and rain could not snuff out the enthusiasm of the vige folk looking for good deals.


    ¡°Son, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re dating a wealthy girlfriend, and she has evene to our house?¡± Hua Heying asked.


    Xiao Luo exined, ¡°Mom, she¡¯s not my girlfriend, she¡¯s just a friend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you y the fool here, she¡¯s taken the initiative toe to our house, you better be responsible towards her.¡± Xiao Zhiyuan, stern as always, cut in out of the blue.


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking, I¡¯m not going to marry her, surely.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, you¡¯re not nning to be another ¡®Chen Shimei,¡¯ [1] are you?¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan was provoked, and he stared at Xiao Luo with wide eyes as a warning to him. ¡°Boy, if you dare to cheat on her with another woman, I will not go easy on you!¡±


    Xiao Luo felt a little troubled, but he didn¡¯t know how he could exin the situation without breaking her cover.


    ¡°Boss, how much does this duck cost?¡± A customer asked.


    ¡°Sixteen bucks per catty.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan grabbed a duck from the wire cage with a smile, and enthusiastically showed it to the customer. He said, ¡°Take a look, it¡¯s gorgeous, nice and plump. And I guarantee that it has molted fully, so the feather plucking process will be straightforward and simple. Get yourself one.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s too expensive.¡± The customer frowned upon hearing the price and shook his head repeatedly.


    ¡°What have you been feeding this duck with, paddy or provender? Another customer approached.


    ¡°Uncle, if anyone ever tells you that his duck has never been fed with provender, he must be lying. The amount of paddy required for a duck to reach maturity actually costs twice that of the duck¡¯s cost. And duck dealers have to earn a living, if we aren¡¯t making any money, then we¡¯re working for nothing literally.¡± Xiao Zhiyuan was an honest and straightforward man, and he would never lie to customers.


    That customer shook his head and said, ¡°I want to buy a duck that¡¯s been fed with paddy only, I don¡¯t want any that¡¯s been fed with provender.¡±


    ¡°Boss, why is the feather on the head of this duck white, I¡¯m buying one to offer as sacrifice during the new year for a fortuitous year ahead. But it¡¯s a bad omen to sacrifice a white-headed duck.¡±


    ¡°Your ducks are all too fat, I don¡¯t want such a huge one.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all male ducks, I wanted to buy a female duck.¡±


    ******


    Many customers were picky, and some evenined, but Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying continued to respond to them with enthusiastic smiles.


    Xiao Luo was observing from the side. This man and woman were the two people that had raised him. They were not educated but had borne the burden of raising the family through sheer hard work. Their clothes were drenched in the rain, but they were still standing there without even being conscious of it.


    It would be an understatement to say that he didn¡¯t feel sorry for them. Xiao Luo could immediately provide for them and offer them a better life now, but his father rejected the idea outright. Everyone had their dream, and his father, Xiao Zhiyuan, was no different, and he wanted to realize his dream through his own effort.


    ¡°Dad, let me handle the farm after the new year,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    When he heard that, Xiao Zhiyuan turned and stared at him with a bewildered look. He said, ¡°Husbandry and crop nting aren¡¯t your forte, don¡¯t take on more than you can handle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, I do not wish that you and mom are living such a tough life. You know it, I can afford a better life for you both, and you won¡¯t have to worry about anything else,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was a proud man, and his dignity would not allow him to ept such an offer. ¡°You have your own business, and so does your father, don¡¯t mix them up,¡± he said.


    ¡°The son will ultimately inherit his father¡¯s business sooner orter, and it¡¯s the same in my case. Isn¡¯t it better to leave it to me early?¡±


    He had a point, and Xiao Zhiyuan was quite convinced. But as he thought about it, selling ducks was such a demanding job, and the owner needed to be prepared to continue selling through any condition, even on such a rainy day for the sake of the business. He decided that he did not want Xiao Luo to get into such a challenging trade, and he said, ¡°You continue to be a boss and stay away from this, you have soft and fair skin, you can¡¯t possiblyst long in this business.¡±


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve only sold four ducks since we¡¯ve arrived at the market. Leave this to me, and I promise you that I can sell all fifty ducks in half an hour,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was slightly offended, as it was quite a feat to be able to sell four ducks in an hour, and he felt quite proud of it. However, Xiao Luo had actually said that he could sell fifty in half an hour, which sounded like a silly dare to him.


    Even though those words came from his son, Xiao Zhiyuan still felt that his pride was being challenged. ¡°Are you sure you can?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try, and if I can achieve it, then we¡¯ll run the farm using my operating model. Of course, you¡¯re still the owner,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was annoyed and didn¡¯t take kindly to what he considered an affront. He bellowed, ¡°Do you mean that my operating model is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily wrong, but there¡¯re some problems,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    The farm had been running for seven years but still remained at the primary phase of business, yet both of his parents were always constantly busy since the farm began. It indicated to Xiao Luo that the operating model of the farm definitely had a problem. He wanted to help his father, but his father absolutely refused any financial help. Therefore, the most effective way to do it was not to give him money but to change the farm¡¯s operating model.


    Footnote:[1] Chen Shimei is a Chinese opera character and a byword in China for a heartless and unfaithful man.

 Chapter 288 - A Guess

    <h2>Chapter 288: A Guess</h2>


    The marketce in the town had a corner for buying and selling livestock. It was more of an alley that ran for approximately 200 meters. Both sides of the aisle were cluttered with cages containing chickens and ducks, as well as little puppies, rabbits, and even pigeons. They were all stacked against the walls of and from where buyers would pick and choose from. The chickens and ducks defecated, and their droppings were everywhere on the ground. This caused the entire alley to permeate with a horrible, pungent smell.


    Standing on the top of a building, Ji Siying was holding an umbre while looking at Xiao Luo beneath. She couldn¡¯t help but knit her lovely brows from the awful stench that got to her. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiao Luo being down there, she would have left at once.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was deeply affected by Xiao Luo¡¯s words. Others may criticize and mock at the things he believed in, he was able to simplyugh them all off. But when his own son actually said the same thing to him, it did him twice the hurt.


    ¡°Dad, it has been seven years. Both of you have persisted for that long, but your hard work has not paid off. Whenever I see you guys being busy and getting worn out at the farm, my heart really hurts. You¡¯ve to wake up early regardless of the weather, mom needing to feed the pigs and clean up their feces every day.¡±


    He knew that he would hurt his own father with those words, but Xiao Luo had to say it now. His parents were busy all year round, especially during the holidays where they¡¯d be up to their ears in farm work, be it rain or shine. He didn¡¯t wish for his parents to always be so exhausted. Having a dream wasn¡¯t wrong, but if one was heading down the wrong direction, they would only stray further and further from their goals.


    ¡°Dad, you can refuse my help, but you cannot refuse my wish to provide you both with a better life as your son!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Every word came from the bottom of his heart. How could he feel at ease when his parents lived their lives no better than the farm animals they raised? Every year when he returned home, he could see the signs of their struggles etched on their faces. He was in no position to help before, but now that he could, all of these had to change.


    Hua Heying¡¯s eyes turned red when she heard him speak. She wiped off the tears at the corner of her eyes. Seven years of toil, but when did she everin? For Xiao Zhiyuan¡¯s dream, she bore hardship withoutint and worked from dusk till dawn.


    When Hua Heying had trouble carrying the shoulder-pole, she¡¯d move the load slowly, and even when she didn¡¯t know how to farrow a birthing sow, she¡¯d learn right on the spot. The same went for harvesting seaweeds, plowing the field, fertilizing the ground, growing vegetables, it was an endless journey of hardship.


    She did the kind of work that a woman in a rural farm would do¡ªdirty, tiring, and even bitter. Such chores constantly stiffened her shoulders, but they made her stronger. But they also made her skin rough and blemished, and she looked older than other women her age.


    Was she tired?


    Most certainly. But a loyal wife would follow her husband no matter what his lot was. Her husband¡¯s dream would be her own. Not only was she willing to live a life of toil, but she would also have no regrets even if she were to lose ten years of her life for the sake of his dream. But now hearing her son bring up the subject so bluntly, gave her an unspeakable sense of bitterness and pain, and tears flowed uncontrobly from her reddened eyes.


    When Xiao Zhiyuan saw his wife tearing up, his eyebrows drooped, as sympathy reced his anger. In fact, he had long realized that he had been selfish, unwilling to be belittled, and bent on proving himself. Now, he couldn¡¯t deny how cruel and unjust his decision was for his own wife.


    It had been seven years, and his farm business was still in its development stage, generating a profit of only 50 to 60 thousand dors per year.


    Perhaps his son was right. The way he operated his business might indeed be wrong!


    ¡°Fine, if you can sell these 50 ducks within half an hour, I¡¯ll follow everything you say,¡± Xiao Zhiyuan said.


    Hua Heying nudged Xiao Zhiyuan and stared at him, she said, ¡°Even at the best of days, you only managed to sell 50 ducks in an entire day. Asking our son to sell 50 ducks within half an hour? Are you purposely making things difficult for him?¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan imed innocence, pointing to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°I didn¡¯te up with the idea, he did.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know the market here, so his assumptions can¡¯t be taken literally. I¡¯d say selling one duck within half an hour, will do. That will be enough for our son to prove his abilities,¡± Hua Heying said, intent on giving her son every chance of winning the wager.


    ¡°Huh? That is too easy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan said, looking incredulous.


    ¡°Is it? He doesn¡¯t know as many people like you over here, being able to sell one within half an hour is already much better than you, is it not?¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan felt offended after being belittled by his own wife.


    ¡°Hmph, I will not argue with a woman.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, smiling and said, ¡°Dad, mum, stop arguing. We¡¯ll stick with what I said just now, 50 ducks in half an hour.¡±


    He wanted to get his father to finally reflect on his stubborn refusal to ept his help.


    Xiao Zhiyuan looked at him with an appreciative nod.


    On the other hand, Hua Heying looked worried and said, ¡°Son, don¡¯t over-rate yourself!¡±


    ¡°Mum, I¡¯m not. Trust me, alright.¡±


    With his usual stern-looking face, Xiao Zhiyuan looked impassively at Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°Having confidence is a good thing, but blind confidence isn¡¯t. That¡¯s how the market here is. The ducks from our farm are matured ducks with a rtively lengthier growth cycle. They are only avable when their feathers fully regrow after molting, so naturally, our prices are higher. Many people agree that our ducks are good but are scared away by its price. It¡¯s not like they can¡¯t afford it, but people here tend to be thrifty. They rather spend less to buy ducks that are still in the maturing stage than to spend more on matured ducks with better meat texture. Selling 50 ducks within half an hour is absolutely impossible.¡±


    ¡°Let me try, dad. Help me mark down the time.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he stepped over one of the cages and stood on the aisle.


    The middle-aged woman who said that it was bad luck to buy a white-headed duck had turned back at that very moment. However, she still couldn¡¯t seem to decide. Perhaps she still needed more time to consider.


    Xiao Luo extended his hands and halted her, ¡°Miss, are you going to buy ducks for the New Year?¡±


    The middle-aged woman was startled briefly, then she said, ¡°Yes, I want to buy ducks. But you have too many white-headed ducks, so I¡¯m not considering buying from you.¡±


    ¡°Miss, white-headed ducks aren¡¯t inauspicious. On the contrary, it symbolizes purity and prosperity. ck ducks are the ones that are not good.¡±


    ¡°White represents funerals, which is rted to death. Why has it suddenly be ¡®prosperity?¡¯ Step aside, I don¡¯t want to listen to your gibberish,¡± the middle-aged woman said, admonishing Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Although white represents funerals, what is the purpose of funerals? Isn¡¯t it to allow those who have passed on to protect their offspring still in the world of the living so that they can live a better life?¡±


    The middle-aged woman was infuriated and said, ¡°You are literally inverting ck and white. What makes you qualified to say that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a fortune teller, and I can tell fortune by reading one¡¯s facial features as well, so of course I¡¯m qualified to say so. If you don¡¯t believe in me, I can show you what I¡¯m capable of. Let me predict what you were in your past life, how about that?¡± Xiao Luo kept a confident smile on his face all the time.


    ¡°You want to read my past life?¡±


    Contempt was written all over her face, and it was evident that she didn¡¯t trust him one bit.


    ¡°Alright, let me try. You may be a¡­ government servant?¡±


    Xiao Luo observed the woman, and when he saw her hold back a snicker, he changed his prediction immediately and said, ¡°But more superior to government servants. Such an upation¡­ ah, you were a teacher. You were a teacher in your past life, am I correct?¡±

 Chapter 289 - Auspicious Ducks

    Chapter 289: Auspicious Ducks


    The middle-aged woman suddenly straightened up in shock, she stared at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°H-how, did you know that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. I¡¯m a fortune teller, and I can read facial features,¡± Xiao Luo said, knowing he now had her within his grasp.


    In fact, it was straightforward to tell what the middle-aged woman had worked as in the past because her right palm was rougher, and it could only be caused by repetitive use. She either worked at a desk job or had wiped ckboards for long periods. In addition to that, the middle-aged woman dressed neatly in a prudish sort of way. Naturally, she could only be a teacher.


    ¡°You must realize that as a teacher, you have developed your self-confidence over your long years of service. But central to your creed of teaching is your habitual practice of ¡®I say, you listen; I do, you learn,¡¯ and this habit makes it difficult for you to ept other¡¯s advice. So, when I said that white-headed ducks symbolize good fortune, you immediately disagreed with me. But ma¡¯am, as I¡¯ve mentioned, I¡¯m a fortune-teller. I suggest you buy white-headed ducks, it will be good luck for your family, and that¡¯s all I have to say. The decision is yours.¡±


    After he spoke, Xiao Luo turned around and left without saying another word. This only added to his aura of mysticism.


    Something that triggered in the subconscious of the middle-aged woman made her feel like she had encountered a living deity, and that he was giving her divine directions. Her mind made up, she immediately went after him with an enthusiastic smile. ¡°Young man, I¡¯ll listen to you and buy white-headed ducks, could you tell me what else I have to do?¡± she asked.


    Although she was formerly a teacher, an ideology of old cultural beliefs was still deeply rooted within her; otherwise, she would not have rejected the white-headed ducks. She just happened to be having issues at home with her son, who had suddenly be very disobedient and was continually causing her much trouble. She felt that this was a bad omen for theing year. It came to pass that when Xiao Luo guessed her profession correctly, she was convinced that Xiao Luo was a minor god put in her path to provide her with the guidance she needed.


    ¡°It is best if you buy two. Good thingse in pairs, just so you know.¡± Xiao Luo lifted his chin as he spoke and ced his hands behind his back, giving himself a sage-like demeanor.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll go buy them right now. Thanks for your advice, young man.¡±


    The middle-aged woman was thoroughly convinced and thankful to the gods for their divine arrangements. She immediately made her way to Xiao Zhiyuan and said, ¡°Give me two of your fattest white-headed ducks!¡±


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying gasped. They were absolutely awed that he had managed to sell two ducks within a minute, and that was simply unbelievable.


    The middle-aged woman was now certain that Xiao Luo was a living deity. After buying the two ducks, she began yelling loudly, asking everybody to get their ducks from this ce. A middle-aged man who had apanied her to the market hastily came over. She excitedly recounted her experience to him, but upon hearing her ount, an expression of disbelief washed over his face.


    ¡°How is that possible? That just a wild guess, nothing more.¡± The middle-aged man spoke as he pointed at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo approached him with a smile, ¡°Do you doubt me, sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting. I totally do not believe it at all. You¡¯re just trying to hoodwink the people into buying your ducks.¡±


    The middle-aged man felt that the woman had been cheated. She actually bought two white-headed ducks, which, ording to their custom, was highly inauspicious. Unhappy with that, he protested and created a scene: ¡°Come and have a look here, my fellow townsfolk. There¡¯s a con artist over here, and he¡¯s using trickery to fool us into buying his ducks.¡±


    The shout drew many people from the alley, and soon there was a crowd moring around Xiao Luo¡¯s stall.


    Xiao Luo smiled calmly and said, ¡°Sir, you earn quite a lot of money, don¡¯t you?


    ¡°That¡¯s for certain!¡± The middle-aged man replied haughtily, lifting his chin up proudly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go to work at your unit, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter is married, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo kept the smile on his face and was observing him all the while, remaining silent.


    The man¡¯s expression immediately changed, and he thought to himself: ¡°How did he know all that?¡±


    From the crowd, someone randomly asked a question, ¡°Friend, how do you know that?¡±


    ¡°This young man is a fortune teller, and he can read facial features as well. Of course, he can tell everything.¡± The middle-aged woman was now a believer. She had be Xiao Luo¡¯s loyal follower and had no more doubts about his ability to foretell the future.


    Xiao Luo looked at the man who raised the question. He was in his thirties and had a friendly expression on his face. He was smiling and seemed keen to connect with Xiao Luo, like a long lost brother. Gazing at his face, Xiao Luo immediately guessed his profession.


    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re in sales, and I know what products you¡¯re selling.¡±


    Xiao Luo scrutinized the man¡¯s face like he was consulting some mystical forces and said, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re selling something¡­ useful, but people don¡¯t recognize its use. Hmm, do you sell insurance?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    That man was stupefied. He hadn¡¯t realized that Xiao Luo was actually asking and not stating his profession, but he immediately nodded animatedly and cried out, ¡°Yes, my brother, you¡¯re truly amazing. I do indeed sell insurance!¡±


    The entire alley buzzed with excited murmurs of amazement. Getting one or two guesses right could still be considered as pure luck, but getting three correct, surely there had to be something special about this man¡¯s ability.


    After Xiao Luo correctly guessed the profession of two other men, everyone was convinced that Xiao Luo was capable of telling fortunes and reading faces. Dabbling in supernatural and spiritual matters were beliefs innate to the rural folk. At this moment, everyone was looking at Xiao Luo with newfound respect, especially the middle-aged woman. To her, she was in the presence of a living deity.


    He was simply amazing!


    He could actually divine everyone¡¯s profession just by reading their faces.


    Of course, no one knew that Xiao Luo was using psychology and the micro-expression observation skills that he purchased from the system. The answersid within their eyes as the eye was the window to the soul. Through this window, those with knowledge could pierce into anyone¡¯s soul.


    When Xiao Luo was guessing their professions, he did not immediately arrive at the answer. He tested their responses gradually with subtle questions, and once he got the correct one, the corresponding changes in their micro-expressions would show on their faces.


    ¡°My fellow townsfolk,e and buy our ducks. They grow so big and plump because they are auspicious ducks that I have blessed myself. Yes, they are top quality ducks and sold at a higher price. Get yourself these auspicious ducks for the New Year, and your following year is bound to prosper. The flesh of auspicious ducks is delicious, eat them, and your health will improve, your wishes wille true, and everyone in your family will be safe!¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡±


    ¡°We trust you, young man.¡±


    ¡°Give me two, no, four!¡±


    The buyers were almost in a trance, following every word uttered by Xiao Luo. The fully mature ducks fed with provender had now be ¡°auspicious ducks,¡± fulfilling the auspicious symbolism of the New Year, just by the word of an ¡°all-knowing living deity.¡± How could the sale of these ducks be called a scam when they gave the buyers a sense of belief and peace of mind that their own families would enjoy an abundant year ahead?


    Everyone was trying to buy Xiao Zhiyuan¡¯s ducks for themselves, and all fifty ducks were sold out in a blink of an eye. Many buyers who didn¡¯t get the chance to buy an auspicious duck were reluctant to leave. But once they were assured that more would be avable the next day, they went with their hearts at ease.


    Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying were startled with the sellout. Xiao Luo was given half an hour, but he sold all 50 ducks within 15 minutes. If they didn¡¯t feel the thick wads of money in their pockets, they would never have believed that this was real. Today¡¯s brisk sale was the best that they ever had.


    ¡°Son, you are so amazing!¡±


    Hua Heying was so thrilled that she couldn¡¯t contain herself, and ran towards Xiao Luo to hug him tightly.


    Then, turning her head and looking pridefully at Xiao Zhiyuan, she said, ¡°Zhiyuan, do you recognize that your son is better and more capable than you are now?¡±


    ¡°I have to, even if I don¡¯t wish to. But¡­¡± Xiao Zhiyuan said,ughing at her remark, then sighed with a contented smile on his face, and said, ¡°he¡¯s my son. It is thews of heaven for a son to be better than their father.¡±


    Wisely quoting an old adage, he eluded her remark with his dignity intact.

 Chapter 290 - Seekong Altar

    Chapter 290: Seekong Altar


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo is good at selling ducks!¡±


    Ji Siying made another entry in her diary. Since she arrived at Xiao Luo¡¯s vige, her diary was now filled with entries, jotting down every minute details of Xiao Luo¡¯s daily activities. She overlooked nothing and even noted down mundane activities such as what Xiao Luo liked to eat, or what kind of TV programs he preferred.


    After noting everything she observed, she made a habit of summarizing them afterward when time allowed. Her purpose was to understand Xiao Luo¡¯s daily habits and see if she could discover any leads or clues to unravel the secrets of his unique powers.


    It would certainly have been awkward if Xiao Luo had found out that she was taking detailed records of his daily activities.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The morning was a lively affair with the crackling din of firecrackers weing the New Year¡¯s Eve.


    On this very morning, it was the tradition of the people from Luo Vige to present their offerings at the main altar of the Seekong Shrine. Sacrificial offerings of chicken, burning of incense, setting off firecrackers, and the re of trumpeting suona[1] horns rendered the atmosphere ever so festive.


    Seekong had been a notable elder of Luo Vige, having served as the vige¡¯s shaman during his time, and the Seekong Shrine was a memorial erected in his honor. And as far as vige traditions went, it was equal, if not even more significant than the Xiao n ancestral temple.


    ording to local folklore, Seekong possessed mystical powers and was adept at preparing fulu talismans and divine water. It was also said that he was invulnerable to swords and spears, and would not sumb to fire or drowning. War had once broken out in the past, and after men of the Xiao n consumed the divine water, their fighting mettle was unrivaled. Their bravery and skills inbat were enhanced while thrusting spears and shing des could not prate their bodies. The enemy became terrified and was driven into panic and disarray, fleeing in all directions. And in this way, they defended thend of Luo Vige.


    Seekong¡¯s ability to prepare Fulu and divine water was passed down over the generations, and his sessor was an old man by the name of Xiao Quanren. He was now Luo Vige¡¯s shaman, and it was still customary for him to be invited to every funeral and wedding in the vige. To this day, even when vigers had fish bones stuck in their throat, they would request a fulu from Xiao Quanren and drink it down. Without exception, the fish bones would be dislodged upon swallowing the fulu and flushed harmlessly into the stomach.


    This was not an isted case, there had been multiple cases, and yet, none could be exined scientifically. The locals believed that the miracle was a manifestation of Seekong¡¯s spirit.


    It was because of Seekong Shrine¡¯s long history in healing and solving the vigers¡¯ problems that it had secured its ce in their hearts.


    Then there was the divine water, prepared with mountain spring water mixed with the ashes of Fulu and chicken¡¯s blood before it was sealed for seven weeks. This sacred water was stored in a massive wooden barrel and was ced in the innermost part of the shrine. The barrel was secured with a lock, and its key was held by the old man, Xiao Quanren himself.


    The divine water was as clear as the spring water it was derived from, and even gave off a refreshing fragrance. On the fifteenth day of every other month, the altar would be open to receive offerings. The shrine would be packed with people from the Vigeing to consume the divine water, pray for immunity against sickness, and be blessed with longevity.


    ¡°What time will people be able to drink the divine water today?¡±


    After learning about its unique qualities from Xiao Luo, Ji Siying was very curious and longing to try the divine water.


    Xiao Luo put down his teacup and nced at her teasingly. ¡°You wish to drink the Divine Water as well?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, this is a long-practiced tradition here, so I would like to experience it.¡±


    Ji Siying responded, nodding her head, then added, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to drink it too, Mr. Xiao?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve had too much of it growing up. It doesn¡¯t have any special taste; it tastes just like in water. But if you wish to drink it, I can take you to the altar after dinner tonight to have a look. Who knows, you might just get the chance to taste it?¡±


    Since he had nothing to do at home anyway, taking his liaison officer to familiarize herself with the customs of Luo Vige seemed like a good idea.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    It suddenly urred to Ji Siying that Xiao Luo may have acquired his prowess and strength from consuming all that divine water when he was growing up. She now felt an urge to try drinking some of it herself.


    At dinner, Xiao Luo¡¯s grandmother told him that Aunt Taoxiu¡¯s son, Xiao Ping, had returned to the vige. Things had not gone very well for Xiao Ping as the clothing business that he and his wife had started had suffered losses, and they were left with nothing.


    They lost their 100 thousand-dor capital, but on top of that, they also borrowed from loan sharks to shore the business and now owed another 200 thousand dors. Aunt Taoxiu¡¯s family was a low-ie household, and their primary source of ie depended entirely on Aunt Taoxiu and her husband, Xiao Youfu, mixing cement and stacking bricks to build houses for other vigers. Xiao Ping already had the burden of caring for his three children, and the failure of his business would undoubtedly make things worse for his family.


    ¡°Ping and his family went over to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s house earlier,¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s grandmother said.


    ¡°For what reason?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°To borrow money, I suppose.¡±


    His grandmother sighed as shemented, ¡°They could onlye up with 80 thousand dors even after taking out all their savings. If they don¡¯t pay off the 200 thousand dors in the next few days, it will be 300 thousand or even 400 thousand dors.¡±


    Ji Siying paused, still holding her chopsticks, and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t loan-sharking illegal?¡±


    Xiao Luo answered, ¡°Yes, it is illegal. But this is a remote mountainous area, so the authorities do not have much of a presence here. Loan-sharks flourish in a ce like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded then continued with her dinner.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandfather then spoke, ¡°Xiao Luo, our family has close ties with your Aunt Taoxiu¡¯s family. Ping¡¯s great-great-grandfather and your great-great-grandfather are brothers by blood. Over the years, Aunt Taoxiu has also been rather caring towards your Grandma and me. If you can help, then do so, alright?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I got it, Grandpa,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a smile.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At precisely eight o¡¯clock that night, the Seekong Shrine burst into life. The ce was bustling with visitors amid a cacophony of gongs, drums, and cymbals being struck and the distinctive report of firecrackers being set off. A bonfire raged in front of the shrine¡¯s entrance, adding to the mystical ambiance of the event. Many youngsters who had returned out of town joined the festivities and sounded the ox horns and conch horns. In front of the altar, incense and candles were lit, and people were kneeling in worship.


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying¡¯s appearance immediately caught everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, your girlfriend is here with you too!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, get your girlfriend, and pray to Seekong together. She is going to be Luo Vige¡¯s future daughter-inw.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    The crowd said excitedly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a smile.


    Under the flickering glow of the candle-lit altar, Ji Siying¡¯s cheeks took on a scarlet shade, giving her an alluring blush like someone flushed after having several drinks. She stared at the Seekong Altar with a deep curiosity. The building itself was ancient, with its two pirs showing signs of having outlived the vicissitude of times. The rhythmic beat of gongs and cymbals filled the air, and the old shaman, Xiao Quanren, was drawing fulu symbols in the air with a burning paper talisman in his hands while reciting Taoist chants.


    This was an old traditional ceremony carried out countless times over the centuries, and what she saw made her feel like she had been transported back to ancient times!


    Caught up in the moment, she was most certainly unaware that many of Luo Vige¡¯s young men were ogling. Her beauty made them all somewhat envious of Xiao Luo, none more so than Xiao Qiudong. When heid eyes on Ji Siying, he couldn¡¯t help thinking how she resembled those female lead actresses in the movies. On the other hand, his wife, Li Honglian, had unfortunately not taken care of her looks after childbirth, and all he saw now was a grotesque and obese woman whom he kept at home. Comparing her to Ji Siying left him feeling depressed.


    ¡°Luo!¡±


    A young man with a round, smiling face came over and gently punched Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. He said, ¡°Wow, Xiao Luo, you found yourself such a beautiful girlfriend.¡±


    It was Xiao Ping. He was only two years older than Xiao Luo. However, the stress from having three children showed on his wrinkled face, adding quite a few years to his countenance.


    ¡°Ping!¡±


    Xiao Luo greeted him. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t looking gloomy, he assumed that Xiao Qiudong had lent him the money.


    ¡°Are you not going to introduce me to your girlfriend? You must know that all the single men in this vige are envious of you,¡± Xiao Ping said with a smirk.


    ¡°Haha, stop teasing me.¡±


    Xiao Luo forced a smile, in a sense wishing that it was true, but unfortunately, he and Ji Siying were merely colleagues.


    He duly introduced Xiao Ping and Ji Siying.


    ¡°Miss Ji, wee to Luo Vige, and I hope you will enjoy your stay here. Let me take this opportunity to tell you that Xiao Luo is a good, honest, and dedicated man. He is without a doubt the most outstanding man in our vige,¡± Xiao Ping said.


    ¡°A-he-hem¡­¡±


    Just when Xiao Ping had finished speaking, a faint cough drew their attention. Xiao Qiudong stepped over.


    Footnote:[1] Suona: Chinese double-reeded horn


    ¡­

 Chapter 291 - Drinking The Divine Water

    Chapter 291: Drinking The Divine Water


    Xiao Qiudong wasn¡¯t pleased with what he had just heard, and it showed on his face. Seeing his reaction, Xiao Ping smiled awkwardly and immediately tried to salvage the situation. ¡°But of course, Dong Dong over here is also a very outstanding man. He¡¯s an engineer and married ady from Taiwan. He¡¯s well known in all the nearby viges,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who are you calling Dong Dong? What are you implying? Are you saying my neck is short? From now on, address me by my name: Xiao Qiudong. Call me Dong Dong again, and I¡¯ll not give you face!¡± Xiao Qiudong rebuked Xiao Ping soundly.


    Xiao Ping was startled, but all he could do was offer a conciliatory smile, and repeatedly nod his head and bow to Xiao Qiudong. ¡°Oh, okay, okay.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong¡¯s impertinence was not lost on Xiao Luo, who quickly deduced the situation. Xiao Ping was older in age and was always like an elder brother to Xiao Qiudong. So, it was unusual that he acted so humbly like he did today and had to even keep a respectful smile on his face after being humiliated by Xiao Qiudong. How could Xiao Luo not know what was going on between them?


    ¡°Miss Ji, is it? Hello, my name is Xiao Qiudong. I¡¯m really close to Xiao Luo¨Cback then, when he was little, he even wore my underpants when his hadn¡¯t dried. Speaking about that, I think we really grew up wearing the same pants, haha.¡± Xiao Qiudong extended his hands to Ji Siying and changed his expression immediately. Just a moment ago, he was infuriated with Xiao Ping, but in the next instant, he was shing a charming smile on his face.


    ¡°What a phony!¡±


    Xiao Luo thought to himself with a sigh of disgust as he just stood there, speechlessly. He just could not understand how his childhood friend had be so pretentious and overbearing. From what he had seen, there wasn¡¯t even an ounce of sincerity in him.


    As a courtesy, Ji Siying responded to the gesture and shook hands with Xiao Qiudong. She gave him a smile and said, ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Miss Ji, I would assume that you¡¯re from Jiangcheng? For you to own such a luxurious car like an Alphard, I am sure your family has a worth of over ten million or even a hundred million dors. So, I¡¯m very curious, what is it that made you choose Xiao Luo? This brat doesn¡¯t belong in the same ss as you,¡± Xiao Qiudong teased, his tone was derisive and totally out of line.


    Ji Siying¡¯s expression immediately changed as she dropped her smile. She instantly retracted her hand, and her eyes glowered with a look of hostility. How could she be oblivious to the intentions of this man who was deliberately whipping things up?


    ¡°Huh¡­ please don¡¯t misunderstand me, Miss Ji. I¡¯m just curious, that¡¯s all, haha. After all, you and Xiao Luo appear to be just like those happy-ever-after fairy tales, you know, where a princessnds up with a poor boy,¡± Xiao Qiudong said, chuckling heartily.


    Xiao Ping scowled and keeping the tone of his voice polite, he said, ¡°Qiudong, that isn¡¯t a nice thing to say. It feels like you are casting a bone between Luo and Miss Ji.¡±


    ¡°Casting a bone? Who is doing that! I¡¯ve already said that I¡¯m just curious. Do you have a problem with understanding simplenguage, or is your brain dead?!¡± Xiao Qiudong turned and chastised him loudly.


    The sound of gongs from within the Seekong shrine muted Xiao Qiudong¡¯s nasty words. Otherwise, his loud voice would undoubtedly have caused everybody to look in their direction.


    Xiao Ping was indignant but dared not to speak out. He clenched his fist in frustration, but he loosened up and calmed himself, not wanting to risk Xiao Qiudong going back on his words and not lending him the money. Earlier, Xiao Ping had to plead for his help and was close to getting on his knees before Xiao Qiudong finally agreed to lend him the money. At this point, he didn¡¯t dare to provoke and upset Xiao Qiudong.


    ¡°Qiudong, do you need to be so arrogant?!¡± Xiao Luo said, clearly annoyed with his insolence.


    ¡°Arrogant?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise, andughed aloud like he had just heard an excellent joke. ¡°Xiao Luo, my good brother, exactly what did you see that gave you the impression I¡¯m arrogant? I¡¯ve just exerting my voice a little, but that has absolutely nothing to do with being arrogant. Isn¡¯t that so, Ping?¡±


    As Xiao Ping was in dire need of his help, he promptly nodded with a forced smile on his face and said, ¡°Qiudong is right. He wasn¡¯t arrogant. Luo, I think you are mistaken.¡±


    ¡°You heard him? Even your Brother Ping says you¡¯re wrong,¡± Xiao Qiudong snorted, taking dubious pride in manipting the situation.


    Xiao Luo shook his head without smiling, feeling annoyed with Xiao Qiudong¡¯s overbearing and childishness behavior.


    Confidently, Xiao Qiudong now switched his gaze back to Ji Siying, and with a snicker, he said, ¡°Miss Ji, can you satisfy my curiosity? Which part of Xiao Luo attracted you?¡±


    Ji Siying nced at Xiao Luo, then turning back to Xiao Qiudong, she stared him in the eyes and said, ¡°He is exceptional!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xiao Qiudong wasn¡¯t expecting such a response and pretended to be surprised.


    Then Ji Siying added, ¡°He¡¯s more excellent than you, he¡¯s better looking than you, and by the looks of it, he¡¯s a tier above you in everything!¡±


    Although her rtionship with Xiao Luo was merely a cover, she simply couldn¡¯t stand seeing hypocrites like Xiao Qiudong bullying others and making fun of Xiao Luo.


    Her scathing response almost made Xiao Ping burst outughing from sheer satisfaction.


    The smile on Xiao Qiudong¡¯s face froze, and his lips unconsciously drooped downwards, giving him a rather vague expression. But with his pride at stake, heughed out loud and said, ¡°Hahaha¡­ what an interesting person you are, Miss Ji. There¡¯s a phrase that goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It seems that it is true.¡±


    Behind his rambunctiousughter, his eyes were burning with rage, as Ji Siying¡¯s words had literally trampled on his dignity. It was immensely humiliating to Xiao Qiudong that Xiao Luo could be rated as ¡°better than him in everything.¡± Deep inside, he felt the urge to call out Xiao Luo as a gigolo and nothing more than the garbage that wasn¡¯t qualified to bepared with him. But he kept hisposure and decided that he would maintain his pretense of cordiality with Xiao Luo for now.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a word but merely nced at Ji Siying with smiling eyes. He admired her feistiness and thought to himself, ¡°Hmm, this liaison officer is not bad, not bad at all!¡±


    The truth was he found Ji Siying interesting. She was certainly attractive and well-limbed and had a great personality. But more importantly, his grandparents really liked her. If by chance, something were to spark between them, he would likely consider it.


    The gong and drums were now struck with more urgency, expressed in a rubato, taking on a quicker tempo then slowing down repeatedly. The chanting of old man Xiao Quanren was getting faster, and so was his hand movements, scribbling with the fulu. The ceremony wasing to a climax.


    All of a sudden, old man Xiao Quanren opened his eyes. His piercing, old eyes were forbidding and deterred the people from looking into them.


    The sound of the drums and gong halted the moment his eyes opened. Then his old gravelly voice echoed with a dynamism that belied his age. ¡°Spirits of blood, shower thy divinity upon us! Give the Xiao n thy blessing, grant us health and our bodies the ability to resist all illnesses!¡±


    All the Xiaos present stood up immediately and positioned themselves in three rows before him, gazing with deferent eyes at the Seekong altar. Old man Xiao Quanren then held up a rooster, severed its head, and drained its blood. He held his index and middle finger together, dipped them in the blood, and drew a red mark between the eyebrows of every Xiao present. He brought forth a bowl of divine water, filled from the barrel located in the innermost section of the shrine.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, are we about to drink the divine water?¡± Ji Siying whispered.


    Xiao Luo nodded, ¡°From between our eyebrows, we will receive the blessing from the divine water.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to finish it?¡±


    ¡°You may if you can finish it, but if you can¡¯t, take three small sips and ssh the rest on the wall. Don¡¯t pour it on the ground,¡± Xiao Luo exined. These were rituals that had been instilled in him since he was a child. The divine water should never be poured onto the ground; otherwise, one would be reproached by the crowd.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded her head eagerly.


    ¡°And who could thisdy be?¡±


    Old man Xiao Quanren stood in front of Ji Siying, a questioning look showing on his aged, wrinkled face.


    ¡°Wise One, she is Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend,¡± Xiao Dizhang said.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Xiao Quanren was advanced in age and was hard of hearing.


    Xiao Dizhang came up close to him and roared in his ears, ¡°She is Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend. She especially came to pay homage to Seekong. She will be married into the Xiao family soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Xiao Luo¡¯s girlfriend, you are. Very good. How capable of Xiao Luo to find himself such a beautiful girlfriend.¡±


    Old man Xiao Quanren looked at Ji Siying with a smile, extended his hands and tapped his finger between her eyebrows. The crimson blood sshed down between Ji Siying¡¯s eyebrows like vermillion, making her look almost like a deity. ¡°Child, as I smear this blood on your forehead, Seekong shall bless you with life-long peace. Now, drink the divine water, and Seekong will grant you a blessing to deter all illnesses!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 292 - Parkinsons Disease

    <h2>Chapter 292: Parkinson¡¯s Disease</h2>


    Although born and raised in Luo Vige, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t particrly believe in Seekong¡¯s spirit, though he deeply respected Seekong for his great deeds to the vige in the past. He was an icon of themunity, and over the generations, the people of Luo Vige had revered him and sought his spiritual protection. The cult of Seekong was sacred to the vigers of Luo.


    Ji Siying drank a bowl of the divine water. It was refreshing and sweet, with a faint fragrance to it that ddened the heart. After drinking it, she felt revitalized. She nced at Xiao Luo, and when he wasn¡¯t paying attention, she quickly filled the remaining divine water in a small bottle she had brought along with her. She intended to take it back to the NSA for research and to analyze its contents, hoping to discover something about this water.


    After the memorial ceremony, several middle-aged women of Luo Vige went into the kitchen by the side of the shrine to prepare servings of chicken congee for the congregation.


    Old man Xiao Quanren remained at the altar, preparing to write auspicious couplets for the Seekong Altar. He was a notable calligraphist, and his skill was renowned in the entire vige. With a brush in his hand, he produced characters that were magnificent and elegant in style.


    ¡°You youngsters should learn calligraphy for it is a precious treasure that had been passed down by our ancestors. It is a profound art form, and in capable hands, one can instill life into characters. If it is not continued, the art will be lost one day,¡± Xiao Dizhang said, addressing the youngsters present at the shrine.


    Some nodded in agreement, some scoffed at the suggestion like it was a joke, while others remained unresponsive as if it had nothing to do with them.


    ¡°Is the Wise One really good in calligraphy?¡± a boy around seven or eight asked curiously.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    With a look of pride, Xiao Dizhang said to thed, ¡°The Wise One was a schr back in the Qing Dynasty. He is well versed in the ¡°four books and five ssics¡± [1], canpose poems in seven steps, and is even more excellent in calligraphy. Even the other calligraphists in the county praised his beautiful work.¡±


    ¡°Wow, the Wise One is awesome!¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes instantly shone with adoration and respect.


    ¡°Shh¡­ be quiet. Master Xiao Quanren is about to begin writing.¡± Someone called for the crowd to remain silent, gesturing with his index finger against his lips.


    Two red-colored xuan paper sheets were spread out on the table. Xiao Quanren put on his pair of worn-out reading sses, picked up the brush, and was just about to begin writing. The entire Seekong shrine fell into dead silence as everyone had their eyes fixed on him. For many of them, watching him work his brushstrokes was a pleasure unto itself. He wrote his characters elegantly, and the couplets heposed were superb and carried the allusion and grandeur of the old ssics.


    But something didn¡¯t seem right that night, as old man Xiao Quanren¡¯s hand suddenly halted in mid-air before he even began writing his first character. He stayed that way for an ufortably long time, and the brush was shaking uncontrobly in his hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Wise One?¡± the boy asked once again.


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t speak. The Wise One is contemting what to write and will only begin after he¡¯s done thinking,¡± the boy¡¯s father whispered to him.


    But after ten minutes, old man Xiao Quanren had yet to move his shaking brush. Finally, a drop of ink dripped from the brush¡¯s tip onto the red calligraphy paper, smearing it with a massive splotch.


    This was an absolute taboo in calligraphy!


    ording to the ts of calligraphy, a situation like that should never happen and was simply uneptable.


    Everyone in the crowd looked at each other. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Wise One?¡±


    ¡°Parkinson disease. The wise one is suffering from a neurodegenerative disease that is verymon among the elderly.¡± Xiao Luo figured it out at a nce.


    Despite the belief that divine water protected one from all illnesses, it was really the cebo-effect that worked wonders for the believers. No one could ever be immune to all diseases. Hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s words, Xiao Dizhang turned to him with a look of concern and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, are you sure that he is sick?¡±


    ¡°Come off it, Xiao Luo. The Wise One is as healthy as can be. Don¡¯t jinx the old man!¡± Xiao Qiudong chided him,ing across in a smugly self-righteous way.


    Xiao Luo ignored his remark and responded to Xiao Dizhang¡¯s question. ¡°Parkinson¡¯s symptoms include resting tremors, slowness in his actions, increased muscle tone, and resistance to limb movement caused by involuntary muscle contractions. The Wise One is unable to move while his hands are shaking, which characterizes Parkinson¡¯s disease.¡±


    ¡°How are you so sure about that? You¡¯re not a doctor!¡± Xiao Qiudong shouted.


    The others shared his doubts as they thought that only a doctor had the right to give that prognosis.


    Then, Xiao Quanren put down the brush, smiled weakly, and said, ¡°Xiao Luo¡¯s right. I went for a medical checkup at the county hospital some time ago. The doctor said that I contracted a disease whose name is tough to remember. It hase back to my mind now that Xiao Luo had mentioned it. Pump-kin-son, it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Parkinson, Wise One,¡± Xiao Luo corrected him with a smile.


    Xiao Quanren smiled with squinted eyes and said, ¡°Ah, yes, yes. Par-kin-son, it is. Sigh, that¡¯s what you get when you grow old. My memory worsens as the days go by.¡±


    After hearing Xiao Quanren¡¯s affirmation, the crowd looked upon Xiao Luo with deep regard.


    Xiao Dizhang asked further, ¡°Xiao Luo, since you know what illness this is, you should know how to treat it, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°This is aplication due to old age, and as far as I know, there¡¯s no way of treating it. But, it won¡¯t affect his lifespan; it¡¯s just that when he is focused on doing something, some parts of his body will tremble uncontrobly, unable to stay still.¡±


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief, all was good as long as it wasn¡¯t life-threatening.


    ¡°Xiao Luo looks like your days in university were not in vain. You have knowledge in so many areas.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t heard of this Parkinson¡¯s Disease before. You taught me something new today.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we still need to get our child to further his studies. It wille in handy after all.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was incensed, and his awful expression said it all. He never made it to university and had resorted toparing his career to that of Xiao Luo, intending to prove his theory that studying was overrated. As it turned out, he had just been proven wrong, and that had made him hate Xiao Luo even more.


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure, Luo is the only person who had gone to university in our vige. His qualification is the highest, so of course, he knows a lot more,¡± Xiao Ping gushed, praising Xiao Luo unreservedly.


    Xiao Qiudong couldn¡¯t contain himself anymore and directed his hostility toward Xiao Ping. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about! Who said that if one attends university, that would mean one will know a lot? University students nowadays are nothingpared to those in the past. They aren¡¯t learning anything during their four years in university, they are busy dating, fooling around, and wasting their time. Anyway, university graduates are just a bunch ofzy people.¡±


    He directed those remarks at Xiao Ping, but his intention to criticize Xiao Luo was very obvious to the crowd.


    ¡°Dong Dong, that¡¯s too strong of an opinion, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Xiao Luo can¡¯t be that kind of person. Otherwise, Miss Ji wouldn¡¯t have liked him.¡±


    ¡°It is still better to study more and widen your field of knowledge.¡±


    Xiao Ping dared not respond to Xiao Qiudong, but the crowd, however, didn¡¯t take kindly to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s outburst at all. Besides, Luo Vige was a smallmunity, and everyone knew about Xiao Ping¡¯s predicament. They were well aware that Xiao Ping had borrowed money from Xiao Qiudong, and they didn¡¯t appreciate how rudely Xiao Qiudong acted toward Xiao Ping. To take advantage of someone else¡¯s ill-fortune was despicable.


    Seeing how everybody reacted, Xiao Qiudong wisely kept quiet.


    But there was a rather urgent problem that they had to deal with. Now that Xiao Quanren was unable to write the couplets for the Seekong Altar, who else could do it?


    Xiao Dizhang threw the question to the crowd, but everyone only shook their heads. Most of the vigers were farmers. They could carry out any kind of farming work expeditiously, but handling a calligraphy brush was beyond them. Even the characters they wrote with pencils looked like scratch marks made by chicken ws.


    Footnote:


    [1] The four books (The Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, Confucian Analects, and The works of Mencius) and the five ssics (The book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Changes, The Book of Rites and The spring and autumn Annals)

 Chapter 293 - A Couplet

    <h2>Chapter 293: A Couplet</h2>


    It was customary to adorn the Seekong altar with a new couplet written in calligraphy on the eve of every New Year. However, this year, the Wise One, Xiao Quanren, had taken ill and was unable to write the couplet. What were they supposed to do?


    Xiao Dizhang knitted his eyebrows in a quandary as this was an important custom and would affect the good fortune of the vige for theing year.


    ¡°I heard that someone from Chen Vige is good in calligraphy as well. Why not invite him over?¡± a viger suggested.


    But someone else immediately refuted his proposal. ¡°Preposterous! The Seekong altar belongs to the Xiao family. If we invite people from the Chens to write the couplet for us, wouldn¡¯t we be mocking ourselves? We can¡¯t do that, absolutely not!¡±


    The statement was spot on, and it gained the support of everyone as the Seekong altar had a great significance to the Xiao n. On many important asions, people with other surnames were even not allowed to set foot in the Seekong shrine. Therefore an outsider writing the couplet for the altar was out of the question.


    ¡°Why not go to town and get someone to print a copy of a couplet using aputer?¡± someone else suggested.


    Xiao Dizhang shook his head and said, ¡°The couplet must be raised before 12 o¡¯clock tonight. We won¡¯t have enough time for that. Besides, it¡¯s already sote, and the shops in town are all closed. Which shop would be willing to open and do that for us?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The predicament put the crowd in a somber mood, and many wondered how they would be able to resolve such a significant problem, if at all. Recalling what Xiao Dizhang had said earlier, they realized the importance of continuing the practice of calligraphy. The Wise One would not be with them forever, and when the time came, they couldn¡¯t just alter the traditions at the Seekong altar ording to their whims and fancies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone, since Xiao Luo has been to university, he should know how to do everything, and that surely includes calligraphy. Let¡¯s ask him to write a couplet in ce of the Wise One. That¡¯ll solve the problem, won¡¯t it?¡± Xiao Qiudong said.


    Xiao Qiudong was a vindictive sort, and his motive was simply to put Xiao Luo in a tight spot and embarrass himself in front of everyone. He was fixated with the idea of proving to everybody that attending university was nothing to shout about. It irked him that the crowd had so many good things to say about Xiao Luo and how knowledgeable he was. Now he saw the opportunity to prove them all wrong.


    ¡°Yes, how did we forget Xiao Luo?!¡±


    The crowd came alive again, filled with a sense of hope. They turned to Xiao Luo with a look of anticipation in their eyes.


    Xiao Dizhang looked at Xiao Luo doubtfully and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, can you do calligraphy?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Dizhang, are you intentionally mocking Xiao Luo? He is a glorified university graduate, the most educated person in our vige. If he doesn¡¯t know calligraphy, who else does?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong deliberately raised his voice above the crowd and patted Xiao Luo on the shoulder. ¡°My brother, don¡¯t conceal your talents in such a moment like this. The n needs you now,¡± he said.


    Xiao Ping gritted his teeth, knowing what Xiao Qiudong was up to. Since when were university graduates supposed to be all-rounders capable of doing everything? Didn¡¯t he call Xiao Luo out so that he would embarrass himself in front of his nsman?¡±


    Xiao Ping tried to find a way out for Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t know calligraphy. Very few people know calligraphy these days, so this isn¡¯t something to be embarrassed about.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong glowered at him and shouted, ¡°What do you mean by that, Xiao Ping? Do you think that I¡¯m embarrassing Xiao Luo on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Are you not?¡± Xiao Ping nervously mumbled his reply, but Xiao Qiudong had heard what he said.


    Enraged, Xiao Qiudong sneered at poor Xiao Ping, ¡°What kind of attitude is that?! Do you still want the money?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    His stinging statement was deeply humiliating, and Xiao Ping couldn¡¯t find the words to reply. He only raised his head and red at Xiao Qiudong in anguish.


    Old man Xiao Quanren coughed. ¡°A-he-hem¡­ Qiudong, don¡¯t talk like that in front of the Seekong altar. We are all like family, and Seekong will be very displeased if he watches this from above,¡± he said.


    Xiao Dizhang echoed him and added, ¡°Yes indeed, please settle the personal affairs between you in private. Right now, we should be only be talking about the couplet.¡± He turned his head to look at Xiao Luo and asked again, ¡°Xiao Luo, can you do it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Xiao Luo stepped forward with a wry smile on his face.


    Xiao Qiudong wasn¡¯t done, and in a tone of contempt, he said, ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t force yourself if you can¡¯t do it, I only spoke randomly just now. Forget it if you can¡¯t do calligraphy, no one will mock at you okay. The Seekong altar is sacred to the n, and the couplet has to be properly written. If ites out twisted and crooked like it¡¯s been bitten by a dog, it will absolutely not go on the altar.¡±


    As soon as he said that, everyone stared at him in disgust. They saw in him a vile, loathsome insect, nothing more than an annoying housefly.


    Xiao Luo totally ignored him as if he did not exist, then he picked up the brush, and begun dipping it in ink.


    The brush felt strange and unfamiliar in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand as he assumed an awkward posture when dipping the brush in ink, and it amused Xiao Qiudong no end. Trained calligraphists such as Qiao Quanren, were particr about every aspect of the art. It was all about the elegance and grace with which one held the brush, that gave a distinguished bearing to the calligrapher. A mere nce at how Xiao Luo held it was enough to tell any onlooker that he was a novice.


    Old man Xiao Quanren was observing him by the side and couldn¡¯t help grimacing as doubt formed in his thoughts. ¡°I guess Xiao Luo is only forcing himself!¡±


    Xiao Dizhang was also concerned and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, are you really up to this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes as he contemted what to write, and at the same time, he expended 500 points in exchange for calligraphy skills. Suddenly, the brush in his hand felt natural to him, like it became a part of his body, and many characters and phrases shed in his mind.


    He wasn¡¯t doing this to get back at Xiao Qiudong at all. On the contrary, he just wanted to ensure the Seekong altar¡¯s traditions could carry on, and in that way, contribute something back to themunity.


    Xiao Luo put brush to paper and wrote the first character: ¡°Zu.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that the ¡®semi-cursive script?¡¯ That isn¡¯t the typical ¡®semi-cursive script,¡¯ perhaps its ¡®standard script?¡¯ But it still looks different from the conventional ¡®standard script,''¡± Xiao Quanren muttered to himself, as his eyes lit up. These were evidently no ordinary characters.


    Xiao Qiudong, who earlier had a smug look on his face, suddenly froze with an expression of disbelief. ¡°This brat can actually write in calligraphy?¡±


    Ji Siying appeared a little anxious, feeling the need to add another entry into her little diary again.


    Xiao Luo was fully absorbed with the task as the brush in his hand slithered around like a serpent. His novice¡¯s demeanor was reced by a dignified bearing of a calligraphy master. He wrote the entire couplet in clean and elegant strokes without the slightest pause.


    The first line: ¡°The virtue of our ancestors endures in the splendor of the sun and moon.¡±


    The second line: ¡°The merits of our n sparkle across thend and rivers.¡±


    Heid down his brush and admired his work, while the vigers around him were enchanted with what they saw. They didn¡¯t know what calligraphy truly meant, but they felt a profound sense of awe at its beauty and majesty.


    Xiao Quanren nced at Xiao Luo, and his old, wizen eyes were filled with admiration. He was overjoyed and said, ¡°A very well written couplet¡ªthe sun, the moon, thend, and the rivers; how majestic it is. And the style of your writing, smooth as the flowing water, yet full of vigor and grace. To be so skillful in the arts at such a young age¡­ not bad, not bad at all, hahaha.¡±


    Xiao Quanren was not only the vige shaman but also an aplished schr, so naturally, hisments carried with it some authority.


    ¡°You¡¯re without a doubt, a university graduate, Xiao Luo! Impressive work!¡±


    ¡°Brilliant calligraphy!¡±


    ¡°Son, you need to be admitted to the same university as Uncle Xiao Luo when you grow up. Do you hear me?¡±


    Everyone was full of praise for Xiao Luo. His excellent effort earned him praise from the Wise One, and such amendation literally elevated him the status of a demi-god among the vigers.


    Xiao Qiudong was looking a sorry sight, with his n gone awry and the entire crowd turning against him. He didn¡¯t know what went wrong this year, he was outdone by Xiao Luo at every turn. How he missed thest several years when he was the one that outssed Xiao Luo entirely.


    ¡°Wise One, can this couplet be attached to the altar?¡± Xiao Dizhang asked.


    Xiao Quanren gazed at the couplet like someone admiring a precious relic, and the appreciative smile on his face said it all. ¡°If this couplet does not meet our expectations, then the couplets that I had written in the past will be even less qualified.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 294 - Storm in a Teacup

    Chapter 294: Storm in a Teacup


    When the crowd heard Xiao Quanren¡¯sments, they were startled. What did the Wise One mean? Was he saying that the couplet Xiao Luo had written was even better than his own? The Wise One had been a schr since the time of the Qing Dynasty, and what¡¯s more, he had spent most of his life practicing calligraphy. Xiao Luo was just a shade over twenty, so how could his skills in calligraphy possibly be better?


    ¡°You tter me, Wise One,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    ¡°Neither haughty nor humble, neither conceited nor rash. Xiao Luo, a great future awaits you!¡± old man Xiao Quanren held Xiao Luo¡¯s hands tightly, giving him considerable praise.


    ¡°The Wise One is right. Xiao Luo is bound to attain great achievements in the future.¡±


    ¡°It is said that sharpening a chopper will not hold up the work of cutting firewood. Xiao Luo¡¯s few years in university has given him an entirely different temperament.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. It is the reason why Miss Ji took a liking to Xiao Luo.¡±


    Everyone heapedvish praises on Xiao Luo.


    That didn¡¯t sit well with Xiao Qiudong, who stood seething silently in the crowd, gritting his teeth and shaking in anger. He felt his sense of superiority crumble and that he had lost his position as the most outstanding youth in Luo Vige. All the glory and limelight had now shifted to Xiao Luo.


    All the praises he heard gradually made him lose his mind, and in a spiteful voice, he uttered, ¡°He just a gigolo who gained his status all because of some richdy. Is he that worthy of your high praises?¡±


    It was in a moment of sheer frustration that he said those words. But he said it precisely when the crowd went silent, and hence, it was audible to everyone gathered at the Seekong altar. The instant they heard that they turned and red at him.


    Old man Xiao Quanren¡¯s expression changed, and he was displeased. ¡°Qiudong, what are you mumbling about?¡± he said.


    Murmurs of discontent and criticism could be heard from the crowd.


    With all eyes on him, Xiao Qiudong felt the heat and panicked for a moment. But, he quickly regained hisposure, seeing that what had said was already spoken, the time for fear had passed. Instead, he puffed his chest, keeping his chin up confidently and said, ¡°Wise One, I¡¯m telling the truth. Xiao Luo is just a sryman who only earns about 80 thousand dors every year. With that ie, even being able to save up 50 thousand dors at the bank is already considered good. It has been four years since he graduated, is it not? Only capable of saving up 50 thousand dors a year at this point in his life is nothing to unt and be proud of.¡± Then gesturing to Ji Siying, he added, ¡°The only thing he can show off now is his girlfriend, Miss Ji. But to Miss Ji, I have a piece of advice for you. Those fairy tales you read will never happen in reality. You might believe in love, but what about your family? Would they allow you to marry a poor brat like Xiao Luo, born from a mediocre family and who can¡¯t even afford a house and a car? The answer is definitely, ¡®No.¡¯ I am convinced that you both will break up sooner orter. Marriage can only happen between people of matching social status, but what you have is¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!!!¡±


    A booming voice thundered from within the crowd, causing Xiao Qiudong to halt abruptly.


    Xiao Qiudong turned his head, and he saw it came from Xiao Ping. Xiao Qiudong was puzzled, doubtful, and angry all at once. He stared at Xiao Ping coldly and yelled, ¡°Xiao Ping, what did you have for dinner, explosives?!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, what are you saying? The three of us have been friends since we were young. We yed in the mud, stole the Wise One¡¯s loquat, and even snuck out swimming in the river together. Luo is now living a great life, and I¡¯m genuinely happy for him, but why are you not? What are you implying now? Can¡¯t you bear to see Luo doing better than you? Are you only happy when Luo is inferior to you in every single thing? Xiao Qiudong, do you have a mental problem or what?¡± Xiao Ping rebuked him loudly, unable to tolerate his antics any longer. Xiao Qiudong had crossed the line this time.


    ¡°I have a mental problem? Hu-huh¡­¡±


    Xiao Qiudong scoffed, ¡°Isn¡¯t what I said true? If he hadn¡¯t gotten his hands on a rich girl, he¡¯d just be nothing more than a fart!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, what has gotten into you? What is this insanity you¡¯re showing in front of the Seekong altar?¡± Xiao Dizhang shouted, clearly angry and disappointed in Xiao Qiudong.


    ¡°Uncle Dizhang, I¡¯m not insane, I¡¯m just presenting the facts. Why does everybody think that I¡¯m insane? Okay, so Xiao Luo can write calligraphy, he¡¯s good looking and has caught the eye of a rich girl, but these aside, he¡¯s nothing! Graduating from a university means he can only be a sryman. I didn¡¯t attend university, but I own a house, a car, have a wife, and everything Xiao Luo doesn¡¯t have! Compared to me, what does he have to be proud of, and what can he unt?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong had thoroughly lost his mind, convinced that he wasn¡¯t crazy, but everyone else was. As far as he was concerned, Xiao Luo was just the garbage who had managed to seduce a rich girl, so was he worthy of all the praise? Why didn¡¯t anyone look into his sess and excellence instead? In his mind, the people here were just a bunch of fools.


    He pointed at Xiao Ping maniacally and sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not lending you the 120 grand anymore. Do whatever you want. Even if the loan sharks chop your hand off, it has nothing to do with me! Trash like you who failed in doing business deserves it. If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t even have the face toe back for the New Year!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Xiao Ping was humiliated, and his entire body trembled in rage.


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, what a terrible friend you are.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has their ups and downs. Xiao Ping is one of our own, but you refuse to help him when you can do so. Aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution from Seekong?¡±


    ¡°How arrogant. No matter how much money you make, no one in our family will be happy for you.¡±


    The crowd roundly denounced him.


    Xiao Qiudong was adamant, and he responded, ¡°Lending money depends on sentiment; since when is it a duty? As you are all so warm-hearted, I suggest you collect 120 thousand dors among yourselves and lend it to Xiao Ping!¡±


    His insensitive remark silenced everyone.


    Xiao Dizhang sighed, shaking his head and said, ¡°Qiudong, why have you be like this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t change one bit. I am still me.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong red at Xiao Ping and scowled, ¡°When you borrow money, you should have the appearance and attitude of someone who is borrowing money. You need my help, and yet you have the cheek to speak to me in that way. In that case, why should I help you? You are acting so high and mighty even when you have to borrow money from me. By the time when you pay me back, should I have to treat you like a prince or what?¡±


    Xiao Ping was humiliated, and he epted the shame, but on the inside, he was devastated. Even after returning to his vige, he still had to endure being trampled upon by his childhood friend and nsman, and eat humble pie. What he was facing now felt even worse than what he had experienced out there.


    ¡°Ping, I¡¯ll lend you the money!¡±


    Xiao Luo said, stepping forward. Hearing his faint words made Xiao Ping¡¯s eyes widen in surprise. ¡°Give me your bank ount number, and I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right now.¡±


    When his grandfather had asked him to help aunt Taoxiu¡¯s family, he already made ns, but the chance didn¡¯t present itself. Besides, Xiao Ping hadn¡¯t approached him but went to Xiao Qiudong for help instead. Since Xiao Qiudong was willing to lend him the money, he couldn¡¯t just tell Xiao Ping not to ept the help from Xiao Qiudong. But things were different now, and he was determined to give Xiao Ping a helping hand.


    ¡°Luo, you¡­¡±


    Xiao Ping looked a Xiao Luo, then looked at Ji Siying.


    Xiao Ping was conflicted as thest thing he wanted was to burden Xiao Luo. If Xiao Luo¡¯s career were like Xiao Qiudong¡¯s, he¡¯d undoubtedly have borrowed the money from him, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Listening to what Xiao Qiudong had said, Xiao Luo could only have saved 50 thousand dors per year, at the most. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to borrow 120 thousand dors from Xiao Luo, and he had to be considerate of Ji Siying¡¯s feelings. If Xiao Luo was to borrow him Ji Siying¡¯s money, won¡¯t that make it more difficult for him to face the Ji family?¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 295 - You Asked For It, Xiao Qiudong

    Chapter 295: You Asked For It, Xiao Qiudong


    Xiao Luo could guess what was worrying Xiao Ping, and smiling calmly, he said, ¡°Rx, this is my own money. Give me your ount number.¡±


    Although Luo Vige was in a remote area, it still had 3G signal coverage, and thus performing an online bank transfer was not an issue.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Xiao Ping hesitated, then he took out the bank card in his pocket. As he had nned to borrow the money from Xiao Qiudong today, he had brought along his bank card. After all, 120 thousand was by no means a small amount, and he couldn¡¯t be receiving the money in the form of cash, so it had to be a bank transfer.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he keyed in Xiao Ping¡¯s bank ount number and name, andpleted the fund transfer.


    Xiao Ping had his transaction alert activated for his bank card, so when the 120 thousand dors had been transferred into his ount, he immediately received a message on his cell phone. On seeing the amount reflected in the text message, his eyes became a little teary, and he sniffled, ¡°Luo, have you lent me the money that you need to marry Miss Ji? If that¡¯s the case, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking, Ping. I still have more than enough for that!¡±


    Xiao Luo cut in with a light smile, and he finally knew for sure why Xiao Ping chose not toe to him. Firstly, Xiao Ping must have thought that he wasn¡¯t earning as much money as Xiao Qiudong. And secondly, that he wasn¡¯t married yet, and a wedding would cost at least 150 thousand in the vige. Xiao Ping obviously had considered these two matters before he chose not to borrow money from him.


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re not lying to me?¡±


    Xiao Ping was a little hesitant as he was afraid that Xiao Luo was only lying to him to ay any feelings of guilt he had.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t lying!¡±


    Ji Siying stepped next to Xiao Luo, and in a gentle voice, she said, ¡°Take the money and pay off your debt, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    It was at this moment that Xiao Ping finally felt at ease. He nodded continuously and thanked them both profusely. ¡°Luo, thank you, and to you too, Miss Ji. I¡¯ll write an IOU.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped him with a simple word. He patted his shoulder and said, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary between us.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, Xiao Ping, since Xiao Luo already said so, you don¡¯t have to do that. Besides, there are so many of us here as witnesses, why should Xiao Luo be afraid of you not paying back.¡± Xiao Dizhangughed heartily.


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help butugh when they heard that.


    ¡°Luo, my good old brother!¡±


    Xiao Ping and Xiao Luo gave each other a brotherly embrace.


    The crowd gathered before the Seekong altar was ddened, and they shared in a warm, genial atmosphere. Everyone aside from Xiao Qiudong that is. Nobody showed any concern for him, nor did anybody even look at him. It was like he did not exist. His face turned red, and he felt less than human as if he did not belong there. As he stood there all by himself, watching everyone¡¯s joy andughter seemed like mockery to him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, why are you always against me?¡±


    Humiliated, he flew into a rage, consumed with a deep hatred. Without warning, he picked up a wooded club leaning at the entrance door and smashed it directly on Xiao Luo¡¯s skull.


    CRACK! The wooden club struck the top of Xiao Luo¡¯s head, instantly breaking apart. Xiao Qiudong struck the blow with all his might, venting all his anger.


    Oh, no!


    Those two words shed in Ji Siying¡¯s mind, and her expression changed immediately. No one could¡¯ve known better than her the kind of person Xiao Luo was. He was a wild beast, and that strike with the club would definitely bring out the worst in him.


    The crowd at Seekong altar gasped, wide-eyed in horror as they watched the scene unfold. They couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Qiudong would hit Xiao Luo with a club, and more so, right on his skull!


    ¡°What are you doing, Xiao Qiudong!¡±


    Xiao Ping was the first to snap out of the shock as he quickly pushed Xiao Qiudong away and went to check on Xiao Luo. ¡°Luo, are you alright?¡±


    Xiao Dizhang and Xiao Quanren looked aghast, both very worried about Xiao Luo¡¯s condition. Xiao Dizhang pointed at Xiao Qiudong and shouted, ¡°Hold him down, lest he goes mad again and harms somebody else.¡±


    On hearing that, four to five strong-looking men standing close by leaped on him and held him firmly against the wall. As they did so, Xiao Qiudong maniacallyughed like he had gone mad.


    ¡°This lunatic! Bring him to the police station!¡± Xiao Dizhang said, enraged.


    ¡°Hold up!¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped them.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    As the crowd looked on, Xiao Luo stepped forward ominously and stood in front of Xiao Qiudong.


    Is he about to reveal his fangs?


    Ji Siying felt her heart stop for a moment. She could feel the rage emanating from Xiao Luo¡¯s body. Even with the heating from the mes of incense candles warming the altar area, her body shivered uncontrobly.


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, please give me an exnation,¡± Xiao Luo said, looking right at Xiao Qiudong.


    It was beyond his expectations that Xiao Qiudong would get physical on him. He felt disappointed with himself for not being more alert and taking a hit on the skull, but with his inner power protecting his body, that strike was nothing more than an itch and caused him no pain.


    ¡°Exin?¡±


    Xiao Qiudong sneered, his face contorted with a hideous expression. ¡°I just felt like smacking a superficial piece of garbage like you hanging onto a rich girl for a good life. That¡¯s my exnation! Don¡¯t like it? F*ckin bite me then!¡±


    He had entirely lost his ability to reason. He felt immensely humiliated, and he med it all on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, I think you¡¯ve gone mad!¡± Xiao Ping walked over and berated him.


    ¡°Even if I¡¯ve gone mad, you are the ones who have forced me into madness. Xiao Luo is just a useless fart, why are you guys treating him like he¡¯s some genius? Being able to lend you 120 thousand dors just like that, if it isn¡¯t that rich girl¡¯s money, then whose money can it be? If a damned sryman can have so much money, I¡¯ll chop off my head, and you can all kick it around like a ball!¡± Xiao Qiudong said.


    Old man Xiao Quanren shook his head quietly and sighed. ¡°A heart of jealously mustn¡¯t exist; to exist, a heart of jealously mustn¡¯t be!¡± he said.


    ¡°Jealousy? Wise One, I think you¡¯re old and confused as well. I, Xiao Qiudong, jealous of Xiao Luo? Pfft, what a joke!¡± Xiao Qiudong responded,ughing out loud.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luoughed along with him, and it was a terrifying, sneeringugh. Then he grabbed the half-broken wooden club from one of the men holding Xiao Qiudong down.


    Xiao Qiudong quivered, and the smile on his face froze abruptly.


    The crowd was shocked. ¡°Is Xiao Luo going to hit him back?¡±


    Xiao Dizhang, as Luo Vige¡¯s secretary, couldn¡¯t just stand aside and watch the fight escte. He quickly shouted, ¡°Xiao Luo, get a hold of yourself!¡±


    With Xiao Dizhang backing him up and aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s calm temperament, Xiao Qiudong continued goading Xiao Luo. ¡°Stop your act. You won¡¯t dare to hit me, even if you have ten times the courage, you will still¡­¡±


    His voice suddenly stopped¨Cthe wooden club in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand smashed right across his skull.


    KAPOW!


    The half-broken wooden club splintered into pieces and flew in all directions.


    Xiao Qiudong felt his head spin, and a stream of warm blood flowed down copiously over his face.


    When the men holding him saw him bleeding, they unconsciously let go of him and stepped back. Without their support, Xiao Qiudong dropped to his knees in front of Xiao Luo, his body upright, and his head lolling. He who was already shorter than Xiao Luo and kneeling on the floor now made him seem even more so.


    He raised his head with a look of disbelief as he gazed at Xiao Luo in terror. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I what?¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him, a cynical smile formed as he curled up the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°Han Shang once asked Shi De: ¡®Some people in the world nder me, bully me, insult me,ugh at me, belittle me, look me down, hate me and deceive me. What should I do about it?¡¯ My answer to him will be ¡®whack him up¡¯!¡±


    As soon as his ended words, he hurled his foot through the air and kicked Xiao Qiudong right in the face.


    The crowd could almost hear the howling wind and feel the billowing force of the kick.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    The kick sent Xiao Qiudong flying out from the Seekong shrine, shrieking horribly in pain beforending heavily onto the hard ground outside.


    ¡­

 Chapter 296 - Brothers of five looking for trouble

    Chapter 296: Brothers of five looking for trouble


    In a blinding sh, Xiao Qiudong felt a searing pain when Xiao Luo¡¯s kick smashed into his face, striking below his forehead. It immediately swelled up rmingly, making his nose and mouth a mess of red as he bled profusely. A tooth visibly flew out of his bloodied mouth, and in the next instant, Xiao Qiudong was lying on the ground, moaning in agony. The pain was unbearable, and he didn¡¯t stop whimpering for a while.


    Gasp!


    Everyone gathered at the Seekong altar inhaled sharply, stunned at the ferocity of Xiao Luo¡¯s aggression. Several of the children who witnessed the gory scene fell into a silent shock.


    Xiao Luo turned to nce at the crowd with a face as cold as ice, then trudged away to leave the Seekong altar. Nothing would have happened had he been able to keep his calm. But he was enraged by Xiao Qiudong¡¯s sneak attack, who ultimately had to pay the price in blood to quell Xiao Luo¡¯s anger.


    Just as Xiao Luo was leaving, nine men approached the shrine, five were middle-aged men, and the other four were unfriendly-looking young men. They were stunned when they saw Xiao Qiudong lying on the floor in pain and moaning. Then, spotting Xiao Luo, all nine of them red furiously at him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, so now that you¡¯re all grown up, you have found the b*lls to beat your seniors? I heard from Chai that you roughed him up and even assaulted my wife! If you cannot exin yourself tonight, I will break one of your legs in front of the altar to teach you a lesson on behalf of Seekong!¡±


    The middle-aged man who shouted at Xiao Luo sported a crew cut and had a pair of intimidating eyes that looked fearsome even when he was not angry.


    This middle-aged man with a crew cut was known as Xiao Chaofa, the eldest of Xiao Chai¡¯s brothers. The four younger-looking men were their sons.


    Hearing themotion outside, everyone from the Seekong shrine came out to check what was going on.


    ¡°Uncle Chaofa, we swear to god that Xiao Luo did not beat up An Yuan!¡±


    ¡°We were all present that day, and Xiao Luo did not go after Chai, but only beat him after Chai said that he was going to bury Deng Feng alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And we all can vouch that Xiao Luo did not touch your wife at all.¡±


    The people who were at the Seekong shrine that night were all speaking out for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Chai, did Xiao Luo beat up my wife?¡± Xiao Chaofa turned around and asked Xiao Chai.


    Xiao Chai patted his chest convincingly and replied, ¡°I was there, and he did assault her! How could anyone of you not see that he gave a big tight p to An Yuan¡¯s face!¡±


    ¡°Chaofa, you must stand up for me. I was only nagging at him over a small, irrelevant matter, and that jerk suddenly pped me. My face swelled up immediately, and it has only just started going down.¡± An Yuan had just made her way there from home. She had a dark mark on her skin and pretended to be traumatized. She was even tearing up to make her case morepelling.


    When Xiao Chaofa heard it, he instantly flew into a blind rage, and pointing his finger at Xiao Luo he roared, ¡°You little jerk! you must have gotten bored of living, how dare you to p my wife!¡± He then red at the crowd and threatened, ¡°Nobody is allowed to interfereter on, or I¡¯ll beat to death anyone who tries to help him. Since he dared to p my wife, I¡¯ll teach him how to respect the seniors!¡±


    Everyone quaked in their shoes, intimidated by his imposing manner. He was the person who had once strung up the brother of his nephew¡¯s wife and brutally beat him up using a whip. It was an extreme act of cruelty as his nephew¡¯s brother-inw was almost beaten to death. Xiao Chai was jailed for three years because of the incident and had since been cklisted. As such, no one dared to get in his way for any reason.


    Xiao Dizhang coughed dryly and stood up to try to resolve the situation. ¡°Chaofa, we should settle things peacefully; we¡¯re all family, so let¡¯s not harm the harmony within the family,¡± he pleaded.


    Even though he was the secretary of the shrine, he spoke gently to Xiao Chai, who, on the other hand, acted like a barbarian.


    ¡°Settle things peacefully? Secretary, if your wife was pped by someone, can you just talk things out peacefully with the offender?¡± Xiao Chai asked coldly.


    Xiao Dizhang blinked nervously and replied, ¡°Chaofa, everyone here is well aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s personality, so you can¡¯t be relying on An Yuan¡¯s and Chai¡¯s baseless usations that Xiao Luo pped An Yuan, right?¡± He tried his best to diffuse the situation and added, ¡°I wasn¡¯t there on that day, but many people were present, and they all witnessed the entire incident. They all said that Xiao Luo clearly did not p your wife, so why not just calm down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that my wife is purposely framing this little jerk?¡± Xiao Chaofa pointed at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You should know best about An Yuan¡¯s personality and behaviors, it¡¯s not beyond her to make such an usation against Xiao Luo,¡± Xiao Dizhang said.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    An Yuan screamed and threw a fit. ¡°What do I get for using him of assaulting me? It¡¯s the truth, that little jerk pped me, and if Chai did note to my rescue, he would have continued to beat me up.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you son of a b*tch, do you think you¡¯re some big shot now? How dare you to beat my mom. You better make up your mind which hand you used to hit her as I¡¯m going to f*cking chop it off right now!¡±


    A youngster dressed in a punky attire and with studs in his ears was shouting at Xiao Luo angrily, waving a knife in his hand. He was Xiao Dihong, the son of Xiao Chai and An Yuan.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, chop him up! This jerk is very arrogant these days, and he¡¯s not even giving the five of you any consideration at all!¡±


    Xiao Qiudong, painfully picking himself up from the ground, was adding fuel to the fire as he hoped to stoke the mes of anger that would eventually lead to Xiao Chaofa and his brothers getting rid of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°nsmen swearing and assaulting each other; if Seekong could see this from heaven, he¡¯d be totally disappointed!¡± Xiao Quanren bemoaned, shaking his head with a sigh.


    ¡°Old man, there¡¯s nothing you can do here, go home and get some early rest.¡± Xiao Chaofa was still courteous towards Xiao Quanren.


    Xiao Quanren retorted, ¡°As the eldest of the vige, do you think that I could rest in peace knowing that so many of you are ganging up on Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­you old geezer, we are just trying to be polite calling you old man okay. So, don¡¯t think you are actually a ¡®somebody¡¯ around here,¡± Xiao Dihong hissed, showing no respect to an elder.


    Thwack!


    Xiao Chaofa pped the boy and gave him a scathing rebuke. ¡°Who said you can talk to the old man like this? If you ever dare to scold the old man again, I¡¯ll p the hell out of you!¡±


    Xiao Dihong feared his father, and he quickly retreated, holding his hand over his throbbing face.


    An Yuan felt sorry for her son and nudging Xiao Chaofa, she said, ¡°Why did you p our son? Xiao Luo is the one that beat up your brother and wife; you should go whack him right now. How does it help to p our son?¡±


    What a shameless and evil woman!


    A hatred towards An Yuan formed in everyone¡¯s heart, and they were convinced that she was the one responsible for Xiao Chaofa being imprisoned.


    Xiao Chaofa turned to Xiao Luo and bellowed, ¡°You little jerk, bettere over right now, and kneel on the floor. I want you to bow to your aunt and uncle Chai three times, then p yourself twice, and I will let this pass. If not, I¡¯ll break one of your legs!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo shrugged andughed mockingly, and his eyes were filled with disdain.


    He kept his hands in his pockets and walked down the temple steps slowly. As he passed An Yuan, he asked her, ¡°Did I truly p you?¡±


    As she looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, An Yuan suddenly felt intimidated. But realizing that her husband and his brothers were with her, she regained her confidence and cockily responded to Xiao Luo. Putting on a cynical face and biting on a pumpkin seed, she said, ¡°Aiyoh¡­now you¡¯re giving in? Are you afraid of admitting now? Where¡¯s the arrogant attitude you had back then? I thought you were pretty capable and even stole yourself a richdy¡¯s heart, weren¡¯t you so proud of that?¡±


    Her voice was annoyingly shrill, and those who could make out what she was saying clenched their jaws and fists, cursing this vile woman in their hearts.


    ¡­

 Chapter 297 - Cleaning up

    Chapter 297: Cleaning up


    An Yuan was looking down her nose as she munched on the pumpkin seeds, eyeing Xiao Luo arrogantly. Knowing that she had the advantage of numbers with nine of her family members alongside her, she was bent on teaching Xiao Luo a lesson. She intended to send a clear warning to every person in the Luo vige that her family was not to be trifled with. Nobody was allowed to bully them.


    ¡°Uncle Chaofa, Luo is not that kind of person, there must be some kind of misunderstanding,¡± Xiao Ping said, stepping forward to defend Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Qiudong, his head bathed in blood, still found the cheek to direct a sneering remark at Xiao Ping. ¡°Hey, Xiao Ping, did you be so loyal to him because of the money that he lent you? Do you know that you¡¯re acting like a dog!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, are you f*cking asking for a beating?¡±


    Xiao Ping was infuriated, and he red at Xiao Qiudong.


    Xiao Qiudong, satisfied that he had annoyed Xiao Ping, gave him a disdainful smile.


    ¡°Xiao Ping, do I have to repeat myself? I know that you¡¯re close to Xiao Luo, but honestly, you better stay out of it. If not, I will beat you up as well!¡± Xiao Chaofa scowled, his face filled with nothing but anger, and he stared at Xiao Ping menacingly.


    p, p, p.


    Suddenly a surprising round of apuse drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    Xiao Luo was pping away with a sarcastic smile on his face. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. Your words and gestures were very poignant, what a fantastic show!¡±


    Xiao Chaofa and his brothers were slightly taken aback at the sight of Xiao Luo apuding and a little confused by his words.


    ¡°What the f*ck are you trying to do? Believe me; I will sh you right now!¡± Xiao Dihong pulled out his knife and taunted Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luoughed with contempt and lowered his head, then without any warning, he darted toward Xiao Dihong in a sh, and in the next moment, he was next to him. Before Xiao Dihong could even react, Xiao Luo¡¯s right legshed at his torso. The tremendous power that he unleashed was like a loaded spring being suddenly released.


    Oomph!


    A spray of blood burst out of Xiao Dihong¡¯s mouth as the energy from the powerful kick ravaged through his entire body. He flew backward like an artillery shell spiraling out of control andnded heavily some six or seven meters away. His body doubled over into a ¡®C¡¯ shape, and after twitching uncontrobly for a moment, he fainted andy slumped with blood all over his nose and mouth.


    Gasp!


    Everyone watching from the Seekong altar was utterly shocked, as none of them had expected that Xiao Luo was so highly skilled in fighting. His movements were indeed out of this world and unbelievable, and even Ji Siying was genuinely awed by Xiao Luo¡¯s explosive power.


    An Yuan threw away her pumpkin seeds and dashed toward Xiao Dihong in deep anguish. She was crying out her son¡¯s name repeatedly, ¡°Dihong, Dihong, Dihong¡­¡±


    Whoosh~


    Xiao Luo moved like a ghost, and he suddenly appeared right in her face, blocking the way.


    ¡°Y-you¡­What do you want? Move!¡±


    As she looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, An Yuan felt a shiver run down her spine, and her arrogant look disappeared altogether.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I pped you?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were piercingly cold. Without another word, he raised his right hand and pped An Yuan across her dark face with a hefty blow.


    Thwack!


    It sounded like a loud p, and a tooth flew out of her bloodied mouth as An Yuan spun on the spot, before copsing.


    She let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream as her face burned with unbearable pain. She held her hand to the left side of her face, which was swelling up rmingly. Blood was oozing out from her mouth as she looked at Xiao Luo and trembled in fear. In her eyes, she saw Xiao Luo as a demon in the guise of a man.


    ¡°Now, I can say that I have indeed pped you!¡±


    Xiao Luo stared coldly at her with a disdainful smirk.


    ¡°You son of a b*tch, I am taking your life!¡±


    Xiao Chaofa howled in rage. He loved his wife very much, and he went into a frenzy as he witnessed An Yuan getting pped to the ground by Xiao Luo. He let out a roar and lifted an angr granite rock used toy the foundation. He then rushed towards Xiao Luo, mercilessly smashing the rock at Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Xiao Luo reacted instinctively, and he turned around to counter with a punch.


    Crash!


    His fist met the iing rock, and a loud resounding thud echoed in the air, The tremendous power of the impact pulverized the heavy mountain rock that weighed some tens of catty. It shattered into countless pieces, sending them flying in all directions. Still recovering from the shock, Xiao Chaofa was even more surprised and in no position to defend himself, when Xiao Luo suddenly struck a high kick directly into his face.


    URGH!


    Xiao Chaofa¡¯s head was thrown back, and he copsed with a painful groan as blood gushed out from his mouth.


    Everyone was ck-jawed and lost for words, only their ¡°oohs¡± and¡± aahs¡± were audible as they witnessed a scene that ordinarily could only happen on the Wuxia television programs.


    Xiao Ping was alsopletely stunned, looking on like a paralyzed chicken.


    A tremendous sense of fear now overcame xiao Qiudong. He could not believe that this was the same ¡°weak¡± Xiao Luo that he had known all his life.


    Xiao Chai and his six other kinsmen were equally stunned as they saw Xiao Luo¡¯s outrageous skills. They suddenly lost their courage, and none dared to rush at Xiao Luo to take him on.


    ¡°What, are you scared?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and sneered at them.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, y-you¡­you better not overdo it!¡± Xiao Chai shouted, anxious, and stricken with fear.


    ¡°I am overdoing it?¡±


    Xiao Luo could not helpughing and said, ¡°Everyone in the vige witnessed the deeds of your brothers, and we are all very aware of who the culprits are that is overdoing it. Come, let¡¯s continue, didn¡¯t you all want to teach me a lesson? Didn¡¯t you all want me to kneel on the ground to apologize? You were so arrogant earlier, so why are you all shivering now?¡±


    Xiao Chai and his kin were indeed shivering and experiencing shortness of breath. They couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had be so powerful, he was like a monster, and they feared him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re noting for me, then I¡¯ming for you!¡±


    Xiao Luo shed a sinister grin, and his eyes glowered for a brief moment. He whooped and flew at them before they knew it, thrashing three men and sending them flying in the air. They howled in excruciating pain, feeling as if the force of the blows shifted their internal organs. And just like Xiao Chaofa, they all ended up t on the ground, vomiting blood.


    One of them reacted in time and swung his wooden cudgel at Xiao Luo.


    But, Xiao Luo¡¯s fist smashed through it like a culm of young bamboo, and the punch continued tond heavily on his chest, causing him to copse and spew blood.


    Another two men tried to resist, but Xiao Luo used a knife-hand chop on their necks, and they slumped to the ground, passing out immediately.


    Xiao Chai was thest man standing, and as Xiao Luo approached him ominously, there was no escape. He cringed from Xiao Luo¡¯s cold stare.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now!¡±


    His words were cold as steel and heartless, a voice from the hell of Novnd [1].


    Xiao Chai broke out in a cold sweat and instantly dropped to his knees, begging for mercy. He was so terrified that he wet his pants, and the air was rank with the pungent smell of urine.


    ¡°N-no, I-I¡¯m wrong, Xiao Luo, I admit that I¡¯m wrong¡­please,¡± Xiao Chai pled for his life, he was pale as a ghost and ovee with dread.


    ¡°You now know you¡¯re wrong? What did you do wrong?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression was stern and wrathful, seeming like he¡¯d go through the roof at any time, and Xiao Chai couldn¡¯t help feeling that he was facing a bloodthirsty demon.


    ¡°I-I shouldn¡¯t have instigated An Yuan to use you of pping her, and I shouldn¡¯t have instigated my brothers to deal with you. My mouth is evil, and I deserve to be punished by you.¡±


    Xiao Chai kept pping himself and was in such fear of Xiao Luo that he blurted, ¡°A-and I shouldn¡¯t have slept with An Yuan, sob, sob. I even had an affair with my brother¡¯s wife!¡±


    The fear he had towards Xiao Luo drove him to lose hisposure entirely, and he inadvertently spilled every single dirty little secret he had.


    Everyone heard and was in aplete state of shock as they looked over at An Yuan. Only then did they realize why the two of them were always together, even going up the mountain together to get firewood. Nobody would have suspected that they had an extramarital rtionship!


    Footnote:


    [1] Novnd (Chinese: ¾ÅÖÝ; pinyin: Ji¨³zh¨­u), is a fictional universe, with a world made up of three continents and nine provinces.


    ¡­

 Chapter 298 - Origins of Ruthlessness

    Chapter 298: Origins of Ruthlessness


    ¡°Such a shameless woman, she¡¯s really a woman who has zero sense of shame!¡±


    Xiao Quanren dered with grief and resentment, as such a scandal of younger brothermitting adultery with his sister-inw actually happened in the Xiao n. If this had happened in ancient times, they would be dipped into the river in a pig cage for punishment, it was way too shameful.


    Everyone looked at An Yuan with an enormous and deep sense of disgust, as not only this woman was vicious, she alsomitted adultery with his husband¡¯s brother, which was nearly unbearable.


    Against everyone¡¯s eyes and Xiao Quanren¡¯s rebuke, An Yuan looked panicked. When she saw the same questioning expressioning from her husband¡¯s face, she became flustered, aplete state of panic. Then, she pointed at Xiao Chai and scolded loudly, ¡°Chai, are you nuts, who had a rtionship with you, you¡­you better stop spitting nonsense!¡±


    Although her voice was loud, everyone could tell that she was feeling guilty and scared.


    Xiao Chai calmed down and realized that he had spilled out the biggest taboo in his life, now the entire Luo Vige would probably look down on him. He intended to exin but Xiao Luo¡¯s demonic voice came about at that moment.


    ¡°She said you¡¯re spiting nonsense, aren¡¯t you going to rebut that?¡± Every word he said was extremely chilly.


    Xiao Chai shivered as he understood what Xiao Luo wanted him to do, to prove that everything was real and sensible. He was setting him and An Yuan up to be utterly discredited, which was really ruthless.


    ¡°Say it, I¡¯ll let you go if you say it.¡± Xiao Luo smiled at him eerily suddenly.


    Xiao Chai lifted his head and looked into his eyes, his pupils erged and his consciousness was gone for a moment. Xiao Luo had hypnotized him and made him spoke subconsciously, ¡°She bought my pillowcase and had sewn the character ¡®Lai¡¯ at the front and ¡®Feng¡¯ at the back. ¡®Lai¡¯ represents me and ¡®Feng¡¯ represents her.¡±


    Chen Xifeng, this was An Yuan¡¯s real name!


    Everyone frowned upon hearing that and that was way too shameless and disgusting. She was way past her fifties and yet still hooking up with another man, who was her very husband¡¯s younger brother, this had shamed the entire Luo Vige altogether.


    An Yuan looked pale like a pile of ash and her dark face was almost crying, she knew that she could never raise her head up high anymore in Luo Vige since such scandal was exposed.


    ¡°Bitch!!!¡±


    Xiao Chaofa was infuriated and bellowed with his coarse voice. He resembled an extremely angry ox, his eyes were fully bloodshot and finally under the rage, he vomited a huge gush of blood and copsed.


    ¡°What an interesting story you¡¯ve told us!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly as he wanted to break a leg of Xiao Chai, but he quickly realized that it was more painful for Xiao Chai to be exposed of his adultery act with his sister-inw than breaking merely a leg.


    Although everyone was shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthlessness, they all were cheering for him in their minds. Xiao Chaofa and his brothers finally got the taste of justice this time as not only they were taught a lesson mercilessly, their scandalous act was even made known publicly. Certainly, whates around goes around, it was just not a criminal¡¯s time yet if he has not reaped what he sowed.


    The blood on Xiao Qiudong¡¯s face has dried up and blood has stop flowing out from his gum. He stared nkly at Xiao Chaofa and his brothers on the ground, who were still moaning from Xiao Luo¡¯s beating. He felt nothing but chillsing down from the top of his head and that made his entire body felt cold.


    Out of a sudden, a giant hand appeared in his vision and grabbed his cor abruptly.


    He tried to focus but only met against Xiao Luo¡¯s slightly ferocious yet handsome face.


    ¡°Xiao Qiudong, I¡¯ve tolerated you for a very long time, every time I¡¯d remind myself that you and I are childhood friends, but you are always trying my limit every single time. Do you think that I deserved to be bullied by you? I¡¯m sorry, this might give you a sense of aplishment, but I am very unhappy, pretty unhappy!¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed Xiao Qiudong¡¯s cor and swung him up in the air mercilessly, then threw him towards the wall of Seekong Altar like a gunny sack.


    ¡°Bump¡­Crack¡­¡±


    With a deep percussion and a bone-cracking sound, excruciating pain came through his legs to his brain and Xiao Qiudong screamed with his face painted full of fear. His screams were so piercing that resembled ghost cries and wolf howls, while his body was struggling violently.


    It was hard to provoke Xiao Luo usually but if he was, there ought to be pain and blood to quell his anger. He really did not want to care about Xiao Qiudong, but ignoring him had led him to be looked down and thrashed upon, which was intolerable to him.


    Everyone felt nothing but fear as they have finally witnessed both the angelic and demonic sides of Xiao Luo. He was such a perfectbination of angel and demon, but at this moment, the most ferocious and demonic side of him has manifested.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯ve done enough.¡±


    Although Xiao Qiudong was atplete fault, Xiao Dizhang as the secretary could not let Xiao Luo beat Xiao Qiudong to death in his presence.


    ¡°Uncle Dizhang, I know when to stop.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at him and continued approaching Xiao Qiudong.


    ¡°Oomph~¡±


    A noisy motor sound could be heard approaching from afar, it was a trishaw that raced through the road towards here.


    ¡°It¡¯s Zhiyuan!¡±


    ¡°Zhiyuan¡¯s finally here, Xiao Luo would have beat Xiao Qiudong to death if he¡¯s still not reaching.¡±


    ¡°Who informed Zhiyuan, it¡¯s such a brilliant choice.¡±


    Everyone sighed out of relief, so was Ji Siying. Nobody but Xiao Luo¡¯s parents could probably stop Xiao Luo.


    The trishaw stopped at the public grain sunning area, Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying came down from the trishaw. They ran towards Seekong Altar quickly and looked slightly confused upon seeing Xiao Chaofa and his brothers on the ground.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, Xiao Chaofa and his gang were going to mess with you, are you injured?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan asked caringly.


    Hua Heying just checked on Xiao Luo¡¯s body thoroughly to see if he has sustained any injury, ¡°Son, are you wounded? If those jerks had hurt you, your dad and I would seek justice to the end even if we would be jailed.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled, ¡°Mom, dad, I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Everyone was speechless as Xiao Zhiyuan had a machete on his waist and a rifle in his hand, he did note to stop the fight but end the war with more violence.


    Xiao Dizhang had no choice but approached them and sighed, ¡°Zhiyuan, I had asked you toe to stop the fight, why did you bring a rifle? What do you want to do?¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan then realized he had a rifle in his hand, then tried to hide in behind him and exined, ¡°Secretary, there¡¯re many wild boars at night and this is for self-defense.¡±


    ¡°For god¡¯s sake, Xiao Chaofa and his brothers think that they could bully my son just because they had more people, we brought this to hunt them like how we hunt wild boars.¡± He Huaying answered firmly, Xiao Luo was her dearest darling and she would risk her life fighting against anyone who could have threatened his life.


    Everyone there felt shocked and thought, ¡°Well maybe Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthlessness was not nurtured but inherited from the two of you.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 299 - A vision

    Chapter 299: A vision


    ¡°Uncle and aunt, rest assured, Luo isn¡¯t hurt at all. However, uncle Chaofa and gang were all beaten up by Luo.¡± Xiao Ping approached them and exined the whole story to Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying clearly.


    Xiao Chaofa was actually beaten to the ground by Xiao Luo?


    Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying looked at each other and they were obviously not expecting the event to turn out like this.


    ¡°Xiao Luo must have been blessed by Seekong, after drinking the divine water, he had gained endless power and became a ferocious warrior. This was Seekong¡¯s divine wrath on Xiao Chaofa and his brothers, to punish them for their brutality in Luo Vige over these years!¡± Xiao Quanren shouted loudly with full of emotion.


    Xiao Chaofa and his brothers felt guilty and they looked at Seekong¡¯s statue subconsciously, his smiling face looked as if there was a deeper meaning behind.


    Everyone also bowed at Seekong¡¯s statue sincerely as they believed that Seekong had just intervened this matter through Xiao Luo¡¯s hands to punish Xiao Chaofa and his four brothers.


    It did not take too long for the ambnce to arrive, which eventually sent the gang of Xiao Chaofa to the county hospital.


    ******


    ******


    It was in the hall on the second floor at home, Ji Siying felt very uneasy facing the stares from both Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying. Although she had greeted them, saying ¡°Nice to meet you, uncle and aunt¡±, they still just looked at her with smiles only.


    ¡°You¡¯re Siying right, how could our Xiao Luo date you possibly, he¡¯s really fortunate.¡±


    Hua Heying was taking a stance of mother-inw, ¡°Our Xiao Luo¡¯s very honest and loyal towards his partner, but he has some machismo traits and likes to look good, these are inherited from his dad.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan was nodding with approving attitude initially but he was startled by thatst line, he then widened his eyes and said rebelliously, ¡°What do you mean by inherited from me, since when I disy traits of machismo.¡±


    Hua Heying sneered, ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth, why are you widening your eyes, do you think that you the only with big eyes here?¡±


    ¡°Right right right, he inherited those from me, it¡¯s all me!¡± Xiao Zhenyuan conceded defeat.


    ¡°Meticulous, serious and loyal are all traits given to my son from me, they have nothing to do with you, don¡¯t get too cocky over a little appraisal.¡± Hua Heying continued to criticize.


    Xiao Zhiyuan did not how to rebut and he showed a sad face and turned to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo shrugged and spread his hands, meaning he cannot help him too.


    ¡°Haha~¡±


    Ji Siying could not help but burst out ofughter as she felt that Xiao Luo¡¯s parents were very interesting.


    ¡°Siying looks very pretty when she smiles.¡± Hua Heying held her hands tightly.


    ¡°Aunt looks even better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m old and full of wrinkles now, my skin is no longer dewy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not old at all, aunt still looks very young.¡± Ji Siying smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m one year to being fifty years old, isn¡¯t that old. You¡¯re such a sweet talker, by the way, do you use any skin care product? Your skin is so soft and nice.¡±


    Ji Siying stunned for a while as she did not know what He Huaying was trying to imply.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand aunt, Siying, I just wanted to check if you are a skincare expert. Myplexion is terrible and I don¡¯t know what kind of products to purchase.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, your skin type is oily, so you should not emphasize on the oiliness of your skincare products. I know of a brand called Qo, its perfect for oily skin treatment.¡±


    ¡°Qo? There¡¯s such a brand?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I can order one for you onler. Besides using skincare products, you should take more rest and refrain from burning midnight oil as it is very harmful to women¡¯s skin.¡±


    ¡°Yup, Siying¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t sleep before 11 p.m. all these years.¡±


    ******


    The two women quickly made acquaintance and started chatting enthusiastically, which left Xiao Zhiyuan and Xiao Luo idling aside.


    The father and son decided to shift to the balcony and chatted under the dark sky.


    ¡°That girl¡¯s pretty decent, you should keep her.¡± Xiao Zhiyuan said.


    Xiao Luo felt awkward to answer him, so he nned to y dumb by keeping quiet.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, how could you manage to beat up Xiao Chaofa and his brothers all on your own?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan asked curiously, he knew better than anyone about his own son, since when he became such a ferocious fighter?


    Xiao Luoughed fakely, ¡°I had practiced free boxing over the year while I¡¯m out of the vige.¡±


    Of course he would not say that he had been fused with a system, his father would think that he had went nuts had he said that.


    ¡°What kind of free boxing is so powerful, you could shatter a boulder with just a punch?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan was still unconvinced.


    ¡°Everyone was exaggerating, I am not that almighty.¡± Xiao Luo scratched the back of his head and smiled unnaturally.


    Xiao Zhiyuan nodded and agreed, the people in the vige must have overexaggerated the issue. So he did not continue this topic further, but changed to regarding the farm, ¡°What¡¯s your n for the farm after the new year?¡±


    ¡°I n to build a small farmhouse that epasses leisure, dining and amodation altogether.¡± Xiao Luo spoke about his n seriously.


    ¡°A farmhouse?¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan shook his head, ¡°Who would want to visit such a rural ce like ours.¡±


    ¡°There are people from big cities as the general trend of developments is leaning towards the rural area. As long as we advertise, we¡¯ll receive customers from every corner. Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s an expressway toll station three kilometers away from the farm, the transportation would be convenient as long as we fix the dirt road into wide cemented road.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Zhiyuan frowned, ¡°If we¡¯re really running a farmhouse, your mom and I would not be able to take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°Dad, listen to me, since we are moving towards a farmhouse, then we ought to reduce on what we are rearing now, such as pigs and ducks. These two kinds of livestock are tiring yet their profitability is uncertain. If the market rate is good, we could earn more; else we might even make losses. This is the main reason why our farm has been running for seven years but it¡¯s not sessful.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan could not help but nod, even though he would not like to admit, he had to ept this truth. It was indeed like what Xiao Luo said, the market rate for ducks was good this year, it could be sold for seventeen bucks per catty. However, there was a major influx of foreign ducksst year, so the market rate took a huge plunge to ten bucks per catty or even nine bucks per catty, which had made their hard work went down to the drainpletely.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s for leisure purpose, we would need some attractive programs, I have thought of a few, the first one would be hiking.¡±


    Xiao Luo said slowly, ¡°The farmhouse is located right at the foot of Mount Luo, which is known for its beautiful scenes. It¡¯s also full of primitive and lush forest, we could attract the hiking enthusiasts by fixing a hiking path on the mountain. Secondly, we could widen and deepen our existing pond and add some fishing podiums to its surrounding, it would be a very suitable ce to fish. Thirdly, we could make fishing lobsters our selling point. The lobsters could reproduce easily and they require very little effort to keep, we just have to buy a few hundred of them and leave them in the water source of the farmhouse, we could get a ginormous amount of lobsters within half a year, the fourth program would be¡­¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan became more mesmerized as he listened, he realized that his son¡¯s vision was far more perfect than his expectation, he had covered the details and operations fully. He was also very ambitious as he nned to cover the entire city or even nationwide, aspared to his own n that only covered the small town.


    ¡­

 Chapter 300 - What was going on

    Chapter 300: What was going on


    Xiao Luo¡¯s vision was giant as he intended to run a recreational farmhouse, he wanted to restructure the farnd of a thousand acres entirely, besides setting up some recreational programs, he still needs to build a basketball court, badminton court, pool, hotel¡­it would be aplete makeover to the farm.


    Of course, this farmhouse still required Xiao Zhiyuan, his father to manage, as Xiao Luo did not want to be tied down by such fixed assets. He would take charge of investment and envision, but Xiao Zhiyuan would lead the rebuilding, operating and advertising in the long run.


    Xiao Zhiyuan took out a notebook humbly and recorded every Xiao Luo¡¯s vision, as it was far superior to his current model. The profit derivation was shifted to service-based, rather than the original livestock product-based.


    ¡°I have estimated roughly that the total investment sum is around eight million, if we run it well, we could earn back within three quarters. We would start to profit from the fourth quarter, which means that from the next year-end, the farmhouse would start to render profit.¡±


    Xiao Luo went an extra mile on this matter as it concerned his parents¡¯ lives, he cannot possibly be letting his parents stay that way and always be busy all year round. They did not even have time to rest at all. By turning the farm into a farmhouse, his parents would be the real bosses. His parents would be less toiling once the operations of the farmhouse settled downpletely, and they could even travel the world.


    ¡°In terms of recruiting, there has to be one person-in-charge for every program. There are also hotel managers, chefs, support staff, security personnel and et. Cetera. Dad, the farm is your dream, you can take care of all of these and I won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    Xiao Zhiyuan nodded and became very determined suddenly, ¡°Rest assured, there¡¯re many youngsters in Luo Vige who aren¡¯t willing to venture out to work, when we have rebuilt the farmhouse, let¡¯s recruit all of them to work for us.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned slightly, ¡°Dad, we¡¯re starting a business, not a charity, even though we¡¯re all from the same big family, we cannot recruit every single of them without screening. We have to acquire people with the qualities of being practical, down to earth and hardworking.¡±


    Although these words were harsh, they were very reasonable words. Xiao Zhiyuan also woke up from his sweet dream and realized the cold hard truth, if his new employees werezy andcking themitment to fight, smoking through every day at work would only be detrimental to the operation of the recreational farmhouse.


    ¡°Oh right, you¡¯ve whooped the shortie¡¯s ass, his family¡¯s probably gonna mess with you shamelessly, just ignore them if you could, don¡¯t get down to the mud with them.¡± After discussing about the farm, Xiao Zhiyuan changed the topic to what had gone down today.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a deep breath, he would not want to stand opposite to Xiao Qiudong¡¯s parents if possible.


    He was really close to Xiao Qiudong when he was young and he visited his house very frequently. Xiao Qiudong¡¯s parents were very decent to him and they would always leave him with pockets full of snacks when he leaves. However due to Xiao Qiudong now, the two families had officially gone bad blood and to be honest, he was not prepared to face the two seniors.


    Xiao Zhiyuan did not speak too much as his son was a grown man, he needed to face the consequences of his actions. He would not want his son to live under his wings of protection forever. It was harmful to his son and it was not love at all. Hence, he had always only provided opinions to Xiao Luo when it came to decision-making, he would never decide everything for him. Everyone has his own path to take and to each his own dream, not even parents have the right to interfere.


    ******


    ******


    Hua Heying and Ji Siying hit off really well, before they go back to the farm, she took out her heirloom jade bracelet from a secret corner in the house to give her as she was very fond of Ji Siying as her daughter-inw.


    This gave Ji Siying a big surprise and she tried to return it to her immediately.


    Xiao Luo also agreed that it was too early to present the jade bracelet, but Hua Heying was very insistent on this matter. In addition, she was supported by the grandparents and her husband, this heirloom jade bracelet had finallynded on Ji Siying¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, what to do¡­¡±


    When there were only Xiao Luo and Ji Siying in the hall of second floor, Ji Siying was really anxious. She wanted to return this jade bracelet to the Xiao family, her role as Xiao Luo¡¯s fianc¨¦e was fake, it was not authentic. Even if she was authentic, she could not have received such a precious gift.


    ¡°Just wear it first.¡±


    Xiao Luo was conflicted, although this jade bracelet was not pricey, it carried a substantial meaning to the family since it was inherited from his great grandfather. They used to be a family ofndlords, who had some jewelry and ornaments more or less. Although the family had declined and it only managed to keep that bracelet, so it was inherited generation after generation, which was equivalent to the heirloom of the family.


    If he was to take it back, he would be in a difficult position if his parents question himter, since they were the ones who gave it away. If he let things be, Ji Siying was not his real girlfriend and this bracelet was meant for his real future wife since it was an heirloom.


    ¡°When we leave Luo Vige after the New Year celebration, return the bracelet.¡±


    Xiao Luo added, ¡°You shall take care of it for my family during this period.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded seriously.


    ¡°Luo, Luo¡­¡±


    Xiao Ping¡¯s calling came about from downstairs.


    Xiao Luo walked to the window, ¡°Brother Ping, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Come to my house, Luo, my parents have some words for you.¡± Xiao Ping said.


    Some words for me?


    Xiao Luo was suspicious but he informed Ji Siying about it right after and left shortly after switching his shoes.


    Xiao Luo only got to know that aunt Taoxiu and uncle Youfu intended to express their gratitude to him. They kowtowed to him and Xiao Luo could not stop them totally, they had let their emotion get better of them. Xiao Ping had experienced a business failure and he was in a huge debt of two hundred thousand, this was a gigantic impact on his family. In their eyes, Xiao Luo was sending charcoal on snow days and that had made him their benefactor.


    Xiao Luo spent a great amount of time tofort them, then escaped back to his home in a hurry as he really could not deal with the expression of gratitude


    He opened his room door¡­


    ¡°Ah~¡±


    A crisp and panic voice was heard and Xiao Luo was shocked immediately after raising his head.


    Ji Siying had used his washroom to bath and she was just done with bathing. She was fully naked at the moment when Xiao Luo pushed the door and her ck lush hair was flowing down from her head to her waist.


    Even though Xiao Luo was far calmer than usual folks, he too felt a gush of warm wave rushing up to his brain and then throughout his entire body as the scene was really seductive and aesthetic.


    He remained speechless and retreated immediately while closing the door. He also checked if he had entered the wrong room simultaneously, but that was indeed his room. Why was Ji Siying using his room to bath? There was a washroom in the room that he had prepared for her, what was going on?


    ¡­

 Chapter 301 - Embarrassing Matter

    Chapter 301: Embarrassing Matter


    He waited quietly in the living room, sitting on the sofa, somewhat apprehensively. It was a while before Ji Siying got dressed and came out, slinking with her head hung low, blushing up to her ears.


    ¡°Err, about this¡­ I¡¯m, err, sorry.¡±


    Xiao Luo just didn¡¯t know what to say, but he thought he should just apologize first.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Ji Siying attempted a barely audible reply, then exined, ¡°the showerhead in my room¡¯s broken, Mr. Xiao Luo. Err, so I went to the bathroom in your room instead¡­¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in realization. ¡°I¡¯ll go to town for a new one and get it fixed by tomorrow. It¡¯s gettingte, and you should get some rest.¡±


    He rose and walked into his room rather awkwardly.


    Ji Siying nodded, and stood silently with her shoulders hunched, looking like a hurt littlemb. Suddenly, she stiffened and instantly cupped her hand over her mouth as she let out a yelp. She had just realized something¨Cher undergarments were still drying on the rack in the Xiao Luo¡¯s bathroom! She was frantic when Xiao Luo saw her in the shower, and with her head in a whirl, she forgot all about it. Things just couldn¡¯t get any worse than this.


    ¡°Oh no, what am I supposed to do now?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t go through another embarrassing episode and felt like she was going mad. Flustered, she stood where she was and repeatedly stamped her foot on the ground in frustration.


    Meanwhile, Xiao Luo had just walked into his bathroom to take a bath and was stunned by what he saw. Ji Siying¡¯s white panty and ck bra were hanging on the rack, and the image of her showering in the nude earlier instantly shed in his mind again. In this respect, he was like any other ordinary man, and strong-willed as he was, at that moment, he was close to getting a nosebleed, and his heart was racing.


    Outside Xiao Luo¡¯s room, after racking her brains on what to do, Ji Siying finally made up her mind to wait until the moment Xiao Luo left the next day before she would sneak in quietly to collect her undergarments. She felt quite sure that Xiao Luo would pretend not to see them as well, and they would both conveniently forget the whole affair after that.


    Suddenly, the room door swung open, and Xiao Luo walked out, looked at her, and gestured at the bathroom inside the room with his thumb. ¡°Ji Siying, you seem to have left some things in there.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­?¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s cheeks immediately turned a bright red, and her eyes bulged from sheer embarrassment.


    ¡°Err, I¡­ I¡¯ll go take it now!¡±


    She almost cried but forced an awkward smile and ran into the bathroom desperately. She quickly stuffed her drying undergarments in her blouse, and hugging them tightly, ran back to her room like a frightened rabbit.


    ¡°Hmm, I seem to have done the wrong thing here.¡±


    Xiao Luo thought to himself with a tinge of guilt. He had tried his best to act nonchnt like it didn¡¯t matter so that she wouldn¡¯t feel embarrassed, but as it turned out, it was awkward for them both.


    Just then, his phone rang, and the call was from Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°Old Xiao, happy new year in advance! So, do you miss your brother already? Meaning ¡®me,¡¯ haha.¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s gruff voice came over the line.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t really in the mood and was abrupt in reply. He simply said, ¡°Get lost!¡±


    ¡°F*ck, what did you swallow, some explosives? Why are you in such an irritable mood, what happened?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    Xiao Luo thought about it for a moment and then told Zhang Dashan everything about what happened that night.


    ¡°D*mn, brother, you are the king of posers, no matter where you go,¡± Zhang Dashanmented.


    ¡°Can you speak in proper human speech?¡± Xiao Luo responded, a sense of exasperation creeping upon him.


    ¡°You did a great job of teaching them a lesson. I think you should have beaten them up even more, like maybe breaking their arms and legs.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°We¡¯re from the same n, I can¡¯t bear to treat them so harshly.¡±


    ¡°True, if that¡¯s the case, then the way you handled it is good enough, and you¡¯ve sent them a clear message. They wouldn¡¯t dare toe to bother your family again, even if they had ten times the courage,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°And one more thing¡­ you are quite well-versed in this area, so I need your opinion on something.¡±


    Xiao Luo kept no secrets from Zhang Dashan, and they were very close, to the extent that they wouldn¡¯t feel awkward showering naked together.


    Then he told Zhang Dashan how he had identally walked into the bathroom while Ji Siying was having her shower, and how he hadter asked her to retrieve the undergarments she left behind. Zhang Dashan couldn¡¯t stop howling inughter at the other end of the phone. Heughed so hard that he was tearing up.


    ¡°Old Xiao, you have some problems with your EQ. Couldn¡¯t you just have pretended that you didn¡¯t see anything and give an excuse to leave home for a while tomorrow? Then Ji Siying could quietly retrieve them while you¡¯re away, and after that, you both would have an unspoken understanding, just keeping it to yourselves. It would be the perfect way to handle the situation, but of all the things to do, you had to bring the matter up into the open. Why are you so bold, brother, I¡¯m not trying to be sarcastic, but you very are bold, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°I take it that you must find it pretty funny that you can¡¯t stopughing?¡± Xiao Luo said, feeling rather foolish.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ brother, let meugh for a bit more first. Help, I just can¡¯t, haha. Oh, I must post this in my Wechat Moments and share the joy with everyone, hahaha,¡± Zhang Dashan teased, he couldn¡¯t stop cackling the whole while.


    ¡°I¡¯ll whack you if you dare to expose me there!¡± Xiao Luo warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll not expose your name, I¡¯ll just say that it¡¯s my brother,¡± Zhang Dashan replied, still keen on posting the story.


    Xiao Luo swore that if Zhang Dashan were right in front of him now, he would kick him so hard it would split his buttocks. He and Zhang Dashan had many mutual friends, and these people would immediately know that Zhang Dashan was referring to him merely by the mention of ¡°his brother.¡±


    ¡°I mean it, if you dare to post about it, the next time I see you, I will stick your headfirst into the paddy fields!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. F*ck!¡± Zhang Dashan was a little rmed and even felt a chill run down his spine.


    He knew what Xiao Luo meant, and he¡¯d literally grab someone and push them headfirst into the wet paddy soil like piling post.


    ¡­


    At dawn the next day, a forlorn wail came from the street below, drawing out the neighbors who crowded around the front of his home.


    Xiao Luo shook his head when he saw that it was none other than Xiao Qiudong¡¯s mother, Madam Dongzhao. Xiao Qiudong¡¯s father wasn¡¯t around, and he had probably gone to the hospital to take care of Xiao Qiudong. Even though Xiao Luo didn¡¯t beat him up too badlyst night, Xiao Qiudong would still have to spend a day or two in hospital.


    Xiao Ping and many of the Luo vigers who were there when the incident took ce yesterday were consoling and advising her downstairs. But Madam Dongzhao paid them no heed at all. She was lying prone on the ground, crying and moaning in deep anguish. She as so infuriated that she cursed at Xiao Luo to die young and die like a dog. She used him of being so cruel that he¡¯d beat up his childhood friend that badly, andmented how blind she had been to give Xiao Luo so much food, calling Xiao Luo an ingrate and a beast.


    Her words were sharp and mean. Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparents, who were trying hard to calm her downstairs, also became the subjects of her ridicule.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, shall I go and knock her out?¡¯ asked Ji Siying.


    Xiao Luo nced at her.


    Ji Siying suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness and nced at the floor in a hurry, recalling the embarrassing incidentst night, and her cheeks blushed immediately.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I¡¯ll go down myself.¡±


    Xiao Luo said calmly. When he was a kid, Madam Dongzhao had indeed treated him well. Whenever he visited, she would bring out any delicious snacks she had in her house, and he remembered some of them vividly: potato chips, airne-shaped biscuits, and mint sweets.


    Whatever snacks Xiao Qiudong had, he would receive a serving too.


    In his heart, he had always respected her, and he genuinely didn¡¯t want the matters between them to get any worse. However, he didn¡¯t regret beating up Xiao Qiudong the slightest. If he could rewind the times and have another chance at it, he would still ferociously beat up Xiao Qiudong.


    It was for no other reason than the fact that Xiao Qiudong deserved a good beating!


    ¡­

 Chapter 302 - The Righteousness of a Benevolent Person

    Chapter 302: The Righteousness of a Benevolent Person


    When Xiao Luo walked down to the first floor and showed himself, the Madam Dongzhao immediately pounced on him as if she was mad. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiao Ping and a few women holding her back, she would have scratched Xiao Luo with her fingernails.


    ¡°Luozi, what are you doing out here? Go back, quick!¡±


    Xiao Ping shouted urgently, it was the worst time possible for Xiao Luo to appear. Let Madam Dongzhao cry all she wanted, after a good while, she would definitely leave in shame.


    Xiao Luo smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°I must still face what I have to face. Let go of Madam Dongzhao, you all.¡±


    Let go of this mad woman?


    The crowd was stunned, what kind of international joke was this, she looked like she was all set to rip you apart.


    Madam Dongzhao aunt stared at Xiao Luo viciously, shouting with all her might, ¡°Xiao Luo, you unthankful ingrate, how dare you hit my son Dongzi, has your conscience been eaten by a dog? He has always treated you like a brother, how could you beat him up so badly? You guys, let go of me, I¡¯m going to fight this ingrate with my life!¡±


    Xiao Ping looked at Xiao Luo with a questioning look, which meant to ask whether thetter was sure about them letting go.


    Xiao Luo nodded and waved his hand, indicating that it was fine. He even asked Ji Siying to persuade his grandparents to go back into the house. Elderly people could not take such conflicts and their health was more important.


    As motioned by Xiao Luo, Xiao Ping and the group let go of Madam Dongzhao.


    With no one stopping her anymore, Madam Dongzhao rushed towards Xiao Luo in big strides. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death, you ingrate!¡±


    She roughly shoved and punched Xiao Luo, and she became so emotional that she actually ended up pulling off the silver hair stick on her head and stabbed it down ferociously on Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder.


    ¡°Pfft~¡±


    The hair stick was very sharp, about one centimeter of it pierced into Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh, and blood immediately seeped out from the wound.


    Not only was the crowd stunned, even Madam Dongzhao¡¯s heart thudded as she looked at Xiao Luo with widened eyes: ¡°You¡­ Why didn¡¯t you avoid it?¡±


    ¡°Are you less angry now?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and asked, he could have avoided it, but he didn¡¯t. Just like Aunt Taoxiu, this Madam Dongzhao had a high status in his heart.


    Looking at his sincere and clear eyes, Madam Dongzhao panicked and subconsciously took a few steps back.


    Xiao Luo pulled out the hair stick from his left shoulder and handed it back to her, but when she saw the blood on the hair stick, she didn¡¯t take it back immediately, instead hesitating for a moment before taking it back. She suddenly felt ashamed and wanted to tell Xiao Luo to go and tend to the wound.


    ¡°If your anger has subsided, I¡¯ll have a good talk with you, Madam Dongzhao.¡±


    Xiao Luo slowly said, ¡°You said that Winter Melon has been treating me like a brother, but did he really? Ever since he enjoyed sess in his career, he has been stressing that I, who had gone to college, is not as sessful as him, who hadn¡¯t gone to college, publicly iming that I¡¯m worthless person and causing other people to criticize me behind my back. I put up with it and didn¡¯t bother to fight it out with him.


    ¡°This year, when I came home, I just happened to run into him in the city, so I took his car back. It was alreadyter than nine o¡¯clock in the evening when we reached the vige. He simply left me alone by the roadside before the bend, in the middle of nowhere, when it was still raining. I do not have an umbre with me, so I stood there in the rain the whole time, waiting for my father to pick me up. This I have also put up with, and simrly I did not bother to pick a fight with him.


    ¡°His wife has given birth to a son, and he held a feast at home, inviting everyone over to celebrate. Everyone else could take a seat and enjoy their meal and drinks, but what about me, what was I doing? I was serving food, tea, water, and afterwards I even had to exin to other people that Winter Melon had treated me to a special meal. This is how Winter Melon, whom you said treated me like a brother, behaves. I just want to ask if this is how one is supposed to treat a real brother?¡±


    Initially he was going to bring everything to his grave, but he really couldn¡¯t keep it to himself at this point of time. Brother? Xiao Qiudong didn¡¯t even deserve to mention the word.


    ¡°It¡¯s really too much, actually leave Little Luo out in the rain by the roadside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that day I thought that Winter Melon had really treated Little Luo to a special meal, after all, they were so close. But it turned out to bepletely false. Everyone¡¯s had enough to eat and drink, but Little Luo was still busy helping out, not even having time to drink a sip of water, let alone enjoy the food.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s always talking about them being brothers, but didn¡¯t treating Little Luo as a brother at all, s¡­ this Xiao Qiudong.¡±


    Everyone felt unworthy for Xiao Luo, what Xiao Qiudong did was too chilling.


    Madam Dongzhao was stunned, murmuring to herself, ¡°Dongzi¡­ why didn¡¯t he mention these things to me¡­¡±


    She really did not know about it. After Xiao Qiudong married Li Honglian, Li Honglian despised her and her husband, often badmouthing them, and it eventually evolved into a family war. She was once pped by Li Honglian, yet Xiao Qiudong did not take his mother¡¯s side. She was very sad and finally moved back into the old house with her husband. She did not even show up for the feast, for fear of incurring Li Honglian¡¯s displeasure.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been tolerating him, but what I got in return for my tolerance was Winter Melon wanting to take an ell after I¡¯ve given him an inch. Perhaps I did not do well enough, perhaps my actions hurt his ego. Last night, he picked up a stick and came at me, at the Seekong Altar, in front of the elderly chief and Uncle Dizhang. He aimed straight for my head and brought the stick down hard. If not for my improved physical fitness, the blow yesterday would have smashed me into unconsciousness, and I would suffer from serious head injury.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s emotions were getting more and more difficult for him to control, and every sentence he spoke came right from the heart, ¡°Madam Dongzhao, Winter Melon is your son alright, and it is only natural for you to protect him, but it¡¯s also only natural for me to fight back, I never owed him anything. I, Xiao Luo, is not at fault!!!¡±


    He shouted thisst rebuke as if it was an ironw, and the words carried a sense of justice and a tremendous momentum.


    Everyone present was deeply affected, and Xiao Ping was the first to raise his fist high in agreement. ¡°Xiao Luo is not at fault!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo is not at fault!¡±


    The others also raised their fists in unison and shouted for Xiao Luo.


    The shouts were unified, as if they could shake the mountains and rivers.


    On the second floor, Ji Siying was dumbfounded, her beautiful eyes looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s not so broad figure in shock. She suddenly realized that she seemed to have misjudged Xiao Luo. He was not a murderous demon, on the contrary, she saw that Xiao Luo had a benevolent and righteous spirit, and the open and honest heart of a gentleman, with a clear conscience.


    Madam Dongzhao stepped back step by step, and finally squeezed through the crowd and walked away with her head hanging low in shame. It was understandable for one or two people to take Xiao Luo¡¯s side, but everyone was on Xiao Luo¡¯s side, which meant that the problem was definitely with her son Xiao Qiudong. She wanted to go back and ask, ask Xiao Qiudong why had he treated Xiao Luo so badly, why would he abandon even his childhood ymate?


    ¡°Luozi, how¡¯s your injury?¡± Xiao Ping greeted him and asked Xiao Luo with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Xiao Luo shook his head andughed slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s bleeding, and furthermore it¡¯s pierced by a silver hair stick, which has a weak toxicity. The wound must be treated as soon as possible,e in with me.¡±


    Ji Siying walked out, actually giving off some vibes of the mistress of the house. She tugged at Xiao Luo¡¯s hand and walked into the house.


    Xiao Ping was stunned for a moment, and finally scratched the back of his head, saying somewhat enviously, ¡°Ah, damn, she even knows how to treat wounds, give me a dozen of such a girlfriend too!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, his ear was pulled at and twisted by a hand, pulling it upwards with such force that he screamed out in pain like a pig being butchered.


    The one who twisted his ear was, of course, his wife, and as he kept begging for mercy, all the people around him couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.


    ¡­

 Chapter 303 - Friend Request from Su Li

    Chapter 303: Friend Request from Su Li


    If he chose to do so, Xiao Luo could have spent 100,000 points to activate his healing ability and immediately heal the wound. But it was a minor injury, so he didn¡¯t see the need to waste points. Besides, his body could recover much quicker these days, and such a wound would heal in less than four days.


    Rinse, disinfect, and bandage.


    Ji Siying treated the wound on his left shoulder with a skilled hand, and she probably had experience tending to the wounds of others during her time in the NSA.


    ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s no need to bandage it, it¡¯s just a shallow wound.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not used to such enthusiasm, not to mention the attention he was receiving.


    ¡°Although the toxicity of the silver hairpin is mild, if left untreated, the wound will begin to fester. Mr. Xiao Luo, you must still pay attention to it, and don¡¯t let the wounde into contact with water for the next five days,¡± Ji Siying said, as she picked up the first aid kit.


    Xiao Luo nodded and put his shirt on.


    ¡­


    How time flew, it was already Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve.


    Many startling incidents had urred in Luo Vige throughout the day. Thetest breaking news was that Xiao Chaofa had beaten up Xiao Chai after being discharged from the hospital for his tryst with An Yuan. Xiao Chai was beaten up so severely that his right leg was broken. But life was no easier for An Yuan either, she was insulted and spat on everywhere she went and even beaten by Xiao Chaofa when she got home. In the end, she ran back to her family.


    But when her family members heard about her adulterous rtionship with Xiao Chai, her father, a violent man, grabbed a broom and drove her out. He was distraught that she had brought shame to their family and ruined their family¡¯s reputation. An Yuan became the object of everyone¡¯s ridicule.


    In an ironic twist of fate, Xiao Chaofa paid a visit to Xiao Luo, surprisingly bearing a hefty bag of about 12 catties of prime pork. He came to apologize for his reckless behavior earlier, and also to thank Xiao Luo for exposing the truth about his wife. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiao Luo, he would have been kept in the dark about the affair between An Yuan and Xiao Chai. His actions could bepared to Lian Po[1], who once proffered a birch switch to Lin Xiangru[2], whom he had wronged.


    It was a tradition that on Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve, families all over would reunite for a family meal.


    Every year, they would cook up a feast with a variety of dishes, but this year Xiao Luo¡¯s family decided to try something different and chose to go with a hot-pot dinner instead.


    They bought the soup base and the ingredients from town, then Hua Heying and Ji Siying got down to preparing the meal together¡ªboiling the soup, cutting up the potatoes and chinese yam into slices, and washing the vegetables clean. The two enjoyed the experience, happily working together, and they finallyid the table with a sumptuous spread for the hot-pot dinner.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s grandparents and Hua Heying kept praising Ji Siying for her culinary skills, and they treated her as one of their own.


    Enjoying their hot-pot dinner, they looked every bit a happy and harmonious family.


    A flood of New Year¡¯s messages popped up in Xiao Luo¡¯s phone. They included those from Li Zimeng and the others from Luo Workshop, as well as the one from Feng Wuhen, and needless to say, from Zhang Dashan¡ªwho sent him a picture of a naked girl with the caption: ¡°New Year, new ride!¡±


    It was a good thing that he had fast hands and closed the meme before Ji Siying, sitting just next to him, had seen it.


    Then, a video call invitation came from Xiao Ruyi, and she talked to their grandparents, Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying, one at a time.


    After the video call ended, Xiao Luo found that he had received a friend request on WeChat, and to his surprise, the request came from none other than, Su Li.


    An image of her beautiful face immediately shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. How did Su Li know his WeChat ID? And why did she add him?


    He tapped on the ¡°ept¡± button, and immediately received a short message from Su Li: ¡°Little Bei is crying and wants to see you, is it convenient for you right now?¡±


    Su Xiaobei?


    Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised, but surely that little girl couldn¡¯t have grown so attached to him.


    He was about to reply with a ¡°no,¡± but then Su Li sent him a video call request.


    Xiao Luo coughed once, then told everyone he was going to take a phone call and ran upstairs, swiping on the screen to answer the call. A cute little angel of a girl appeared on-screen, but she was wailing. Tears the size of beads streamed down her face, and her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and she kept screaming out, ¡°Waahh, waahh¡­ I want daddy, I want daddy!¡±


    It was Su Xiaobei!


    Seeing her crying so sadly, Xiao Luo felt his heart suddenly ache for no apparent reason.


    Su Li did not appear on the screen, but Xiao Luo could hear her voice. ¡°Su Xiaobei, don¡¯t cry anymore, he is on the phone, take a look if you do not believe me.¡±


    Her voice sounded pleasant, but there was a hint of helplessness in her tone. Perhaps she didn¡¯t know what else to do with Su Xiaobei, and could only ask Xiao Luo for help.


    Su Xiaobei saw Xiao Luo on the phone screen and stopped crying all of a sudden. ¡°Daddy, why are you inside the phone? ¡±


    Looking at the excitement in her cute and innocent face, Xiao Luo wanted to reach out to pat her head and wipe the tears from her eyes.


    ¡°Daddy is not in a cell phone, I¡¯m in a faraway ce. This cell phone is just like ¡®irvoyance and iraudience[3],¡¯ they let us see and talk to each other, Bei Bei.¡±


    Xiao Luo, who had never had much experience with children, tried his best tofort the little girl, and it felt incredible the moment the words flowed from his mouth.


    ¡°Daddy, didn¡¯t you say you wereing to see Beibei? Why haven¡¯t youe, sob, sob¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei cried again but tried to contain her tears, and it was a heart-wrenching sight. Even after returning to Xiahai, she remembered the promise that Xiao Luo had made her. She had looked forward to seeing Xiao Luo ever since and counted the days until Chinese New Year arrived. Finally, she exhausted her patience and started throwing a tantrum. Su Xiaobei insisted on seeing Xiao Luo, and no amount of persuasion could help. Su Li was at a loss of what else to do.


    Hmm, Bei Bei actually remembered the promise?


    Xiao Luoughed, he had just been trying to fool her, and he hadn¡¯t expected Su Xiaobei to take it seriously.


    ¡°Bei Bei, don¡¯t cry, I¡¯lle to see after the Chinese New Year.¡±


    ¡°Really, promise?¡±


    Su Xiaobei sniffled and rubbed her tiny nose, choking as she spoke.


    ¡°Really. And if I break my promise and don¡¯t toe to find you, I will turn into a puppy.¡±


    Xiao Luoforted her with his gentle. ¡°Now, eat well and be with mommy, okay? Be a good girl, and soon we¡¯ll be able to meet again.¡±


    ¡°But Beibei wants to see daddy right now! Waahh, waahh¡­¡± And she burst into tears once again without warning.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you seeing me now? You can see me, and I can see you, and we can even chat together.¡±


    It worked and she slowly stopped crying. On the screen, Su Li¡¯s hand appeared holding a tissue to wipe away the tears on Xiaobei¡¯s face. ¡°Alright now, didn¡¯t you promise to eat your meals properly and not cry anymore after seeing him? Su Xiaobei, have you forgotten everything I taught you before?¡± Su Li could be heard saying.


    Su Xiaobei shook her head and said, half crying, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. Mommy said I must keep my promise.¡±


    ¡°Good that you remember, now quickly go and eat your meal.¡±


    ¡°But, I want to talk with daddy for a bit longer.¡± Su Xiaobei was reluctant to end the call with Xiao Luo.


    Su Li said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cry when you talk to people, you must always smile and be polite.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Su Xiaobei held back her tears, then slowly smiled, obeying Su Li¡¯s words.


    Xiao Luo was so tickled that heughed out loud, this little girl was simply adorable.


    ¡°Daddy, when are youing over to see Beibei?¡± Su Xiaobei asked again for the umpteenth time.


    ¡°Soon, I¡¯lle over very soon,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Xiaobei said in her tender voice, ¡°Daddy, Beibei misses you.¡±


    ¡°I miss you too.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at her. He really missed her, and what he had told her was no lie. He had even dreamed of this little girl several times.


    Footnotes:


    [1] Lian Po: a military general of the Zhao state in the Warring States period of Chinese history. Named by Chinese historians as one of the four greatest generals of that period.


    [2] Lin Xiangru: the enlightened chief minister of Zhao, whose meteoric rise to the top created enmity with Lian Po. Putting his nation¡¯s needs before his own, Lin¡¯s act of humility shamed the general who duly sought his forgiveness by offering to be flogged the birch rod he proffered.


    [3] irvoyance and iraudience: two fictional characters in the ssic Chinese novel ¡°The Investiture of the Gods.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 304 - Appeared

    Chapter 304: Appeared


    After Xiao Luo spent some timeforting Su Xiaobei, the little girl finally calmed down and smiled happily. She was no longer crying and was once again like the little angel she was, bringing cheer into the hearts of the people around her. At no time did Su Li show up during the video call, and all Xiao Luo had seen of her was her hand wiping Bei Bei¡¯s tears away.


    After hanging up, Su Li sent a message to Xiao Luo. ¡°Are you in Jiangcheng or at home in the Western Province?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Chinese New Year, so naturally, I¡¯m at home.¡± Xiao Luo responded to her message as he descended the stairs to rejoin his family at dinner.


    Su Li: ¡°Have you ever thought of quitting your job at Luo Workshop anding to Xiahai to pursue your career?¡±


    Xiao Luo was surprised by her question, why would he think of even quitting his job at Luo Workshop?


    He gave it some thought before he came back to his senses. How did Su Li know where he worked? The only information about his status in Luo Workshop was that he was an employee of Luo Fang. Perhaps it Su Li had gotten someone to investigated him.


    Ding. Ding.


    A notification from WeChat showed him that he had received a new message, and it was again from Su Li. ¡°Can I hire you to be Su Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father? I don¡¯t need you to do anything else, just take care of Su Xiaobei when I¡¯m busy. I¡¯ll pay you 50,000 a month, plus amodation. Are you up for it?¡±


    Xiao Luo was astonished, a monthly sry of 50,000, and including amodation? She certainly acted in the style of the rich and famous, and knew how to unt her wealth. Xiao Luo was beginning to get an idea of what a superstar was truly like. No wonder Zhang Dashan had said that this woman was a ¡°jackpot.¡± Not anyone could offer such generous terms and conditions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Xiao Luo had initially intended to go to Xiahai anyway, and if someone was willing to give him 50,000 a month and provide him housing, why not? Xiao Luo didn¡¯t think the work would be too taxing either, so it was as good as a free lunch. Although he didn¡¯t need the money, any extra ie would always be wee. Besides, he had an inexplicable fondness for Su Xiaobei. It was just impossible to put into words, they somehow shared a natural bond.


    Su Li: ¡°I¡¯ll pay you a hundred thousand a month!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes widened. He wondered if she was trying to buy him over with money.


    Getting no response from Xiao Luo, Su Li continued to double the offer: ¡°Two hundred thousand.¡±


    Xiao Luo quickly replied: ¡°Okay, I agree.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t say no, and with 200,000 dors being offered to him, he had no reason to refuse.


    Su Li: ¡°When can youe?¡±


    Xiao Luo wrote: ¡°Not sure yet, will contact you when I get to Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Finally, with a single word, she ended themunication.


    Just then, Ji Siying came walking up the stairs to take an iing call as well.


    ¡°Hi, Lin Dong, what¡¯s wrong? Is anything the matter?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ji, we have found traces left behind by the Cobra Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ji Siying furrowed her brows and looked up at Xiao Luo, who also heard Lin Dong on speakerphone. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Ji Siying asked.


    Lin Dong was the leader of the twenty Grade C soldiers assigned to the mission, and they had covertly been conducting patrols around the farm and the Mountain Luo region.


    ¡°In the forest of Mountain Luo, coordinates 0600. All eight of them are there, they¡¯re around a campfire and having their meal. You and Mr. Xiao Luo should hurry over. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, copy that!¡±


    Ji Siying hung up the phone and turned to look at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo frowned, he couldn¡¯t help feeling that there was something amiss, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.


    Meanwhile, in a dark, gloomy location somewhere in the forest of Mountain Luo, a forlorn figure was slumped on the ground, and arge man had just taken a phone away from his lips. Illuminated by the flickering mes of a campfire, the man¡¯s face was unrecognizable, his face was a bloody mess, and his body broken and blood-soaked. Hoarse, guttural croaks escaped his lips as he tried to speak. Then in a quivering voice, Lin Dong spoke his final words, ¡°Kill me¡­ quick¡­¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    The huge man replied in fluent Chinese andughed cruelly. Kneeling next to Lin Dong, he pulled out arge, curvedbat knife and shed it across Lin Dong¡¯s throat, honoring his promise of a quick end.


    Two hours earlier, Lin Dong and his squad were quietly celebrating the Chinese New Year¡¯s Eve in the field. They shared their rations and had a little alcohol for the asion. It was a small constion for being away from their families. Before they knew it, they were set upon by the Cobra mercenaries. The attackers had stealthily encroached their perimeter, and 19 of Lin Dong¡¯spanions were quickly ughtered. But Lin Dong, being theirmander, was captured alive.


    For two long hours, Lin Dong was subjected to the worst forms of torture: his nails had been pulled off, his skin was torn off and sprinkled with salt, and his limbs were broiled over the fire. When he still didn¡¯t sumb to their interrogation, they blinded him by gouging his eyes out. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, the blistered flesh of his legs was sliced off and thrown in the fire, leaving the white of his bones visible.


    He was tortured to the point where he resembled neither human nor ghost, and in the end, he sumbed¡ªin exchange for a quick death.


    The man who killed Lin Dong was enormous in size and had a thick beard. He wore a camouge smock without any emblems. His seven-man team sat around the campfire, having their fill of roasted wild boar meat when the huge bearded man issued amand in English: ¡°The target is going to show up soon, prepare forbat!¡±


    The seven men gobbled down the remaining roasted meat in their hands, then picked up their weapons and headed off to their positions, spreading out like phantoms in all directions of the forest. They hid under cover of night and blended in with the forest, like a giant web waiting for their prey to spring the trap.


    *****


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying were in their darkbat gear and had arrived at the foot of Mount Luo to deal with the mercenaries. Under a shroud of darkness, they slowly crept towards Mountain Luo.


    The crescent moon hung in the sky, illuminating their way as they navigated through the thick, dark forest. The weather was chilly, cold enough to form a mist when one exhaled. It was dead silent in the forest, with the sound of running mountain streams and the asional call of night birds.


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s a fire!¡±


    Ji Siying was the first to see the faint glow of the campfire halfway up the mountain and made haste to get there, but Xiao Luo stopped her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked, looking puzzled.


    ¡°Wait. Something is not quite right here.¡±


    Xiao Luo took on a stern expression as he eyed the site. ¡°Lighting a campfire does not make any sense. Why would they give out their position? Experienced mercenaries of this level are unlikely to make such a basic mistake when on a mission.¡±


    ¡°But Lin Dong said¡­¡±


    ¡°Contact him again now,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Ji Siying nodded, took out hermunicator, and tried to contact Lin Dong, but there was no response. ¡°Hismunicator is turned off.¡±


    ¡°Turned off?¡±


    Xiao Luo considered the possibilities as he scanned the area leading to the campsite. ¡°Something has happened to them.¡±


    ¡°They probably turned off theirmunicators for fear of exposing themselves.¡± Ji Siying said.


    ¡°No, there was something about Lin Dong¡¯s voice during the call earlier, he seemed to be trying to suppress¡­ pain.¡±


    Ji Siying couldn¡¯t disagree, Lin Dong¡¯s voice did sound somewhat unusual.


    ¡°Then are we going up or not?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No hurry, let me think about it.¡±


    Xiao Luo stroked his chin in contemtion. He was aware that this had to be a trap, and the Cobra mercenaries were just waiting for them to step into it. Once they exposed themselves, snipers would take them out in an instant.


    He looked at Ji Siying¡¯s backpack. ¡°Do you have the res with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ji Siying replied with a nod.


    That should make his job a little easier.


    Xiao Luo pointed to several points on the opposite hill. ¡°You go up that hill andunch a re from there. After that, move to that vantage point over there andunch another one. And then head to that location, andunch a third one.¡±


    He needed to confirm the positions of all eight Cobra Mercenaries, and once he knew where they were, he would find a way into the area.


    ¡­

 Chapter 305 - Fierce Battle

    Chapter 305: Fierce Battle


    Ji Siying made her way to the adjacent hill, as instructed by Xiao Luo. She was a Grade C soldier and had undergone intensive specialbat training, therefore negotiating the climb across the mountain terrain in the night posed no challenge to her. She reached the first location without much effort, then unscrewed the re¡¯s cap and pulled hard on the firing cord to discharge the device. It shot out with a muffled burst and rose high into the air, emitting a dazzling light as it slowly floated down to the ground. For half a minute, it illuminated the ground below over a radius of several hundred meters. As Ji Siying headed for the second location, she couldn¡¯t help thinking how the parachute re resembled the Golden Crow[1] of legend.


    The Cobra Mercenaries were positioned halfway up Mount Luo, and seeing the re go off, they immediately tried to work out the point from where it was discharged. Despite staying hidden, Xiao Luo was able to detect their subtle movements.


    ¡°Three confirmed.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were as sharp as an eagle¡¯s, being fortified by the abilities of the King of Mercenaries and the Yi Jinjing.


    Then, as suddenly as the re illuminated the surrounding area, the ground fell into darkness. At this point, Xiao Luo began to advance under cover of darkness toward the halfway point of Mount Luo.


    Soon, Ji Siying arrived at her second location, and she quicklyunched another re.


    Seeing another re shot from a different direction, the Cobra Mercenaries shifted in their positions once again to make an assessment.


    ¡°Five confirmed.¡±


    As soon as the second re was fired, Xiao Luo hit the ground andy prone, hidden by the tall grass. As he scanned the area, the corners of his mouth lifting to form a smile.


    When thest re was fired, the positions of two more mercenaries were confirmed. Xiao Luo had now located seven of them, but he knew they had eight men. He pondered his next course of action if he should wait for the next re to establish the eighth man¡¯s position or strike.


    It was time to make his move!


    Moving stealthily like a phantom, Xiao Luo crept toward the Cobra Mercenaries unseen.


    The seven Cobra mercenaries were deployed in two-man fireteams, with one of the teams carrying an additional man. After about ten minutes, Xiao Luo had quietly crawl through the tall grass and was now positioned not far away from the first team. This was the team with the additional man, and they were well camouged, scanning the surroundings through their night-vision goggles. Xiao Luo kept still, only his eyes moved as he stared at the soldiers, like a stalking predator waiting for the right time to strike.


    ¡°Have you spotted the target?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing over here.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m getting goosebumps. Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    The three whispered through their headsets, oblivious to the shadow lurking in the darkness close by.


    Then, without warning, two ck daggers came from behind two soldiers and were quickly pressed against their throats. They were highly-trained Grade B mercenaries, with well-honed skills and heightened senses beyond ordinary men¡¯s limits. But before either of them could even react, the des shed across their throats.


    ¡°Croak¡­¡±


    There was no scream, but just a faint wheezing sound as the daggers sliced deeply and severed their windpipes. Their zed eyes stared nkly, and they died without another sound.


    The third mercenary, a burly man, hissed in shock when he realized his twopanions had been attacked. Instinctively, he turned around and fired off continuous bursts with his submachine gun, spraying the area with an indiscriminate hail of bullets.


    RAT-TA-TAT¡­ RAT-TA-TAT


    mes shed from the muzzle, and the piercing sound broke the silence of Mount Luo.


    The burly man panicked, horrified to find nothing behind him, except for the two dead bodies of hisrades lying still on the ground. He gathered his nerves andposed himself.


    He immediately contacted the other fireteams over the headset. ¡°No. 3 to Cobra, target located, target located!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the target now?¡± A cold voice responded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    No. 3, the burly man, broke out in a cold sweat as he scanned the immediate area with his night-vision goggles. There was no sign of the target at all¡ªwhere was he? ¡°He¡¯s a phantom, incredibly quick. He¡¯s just disappeared after taking down No. 1 and No. 2.¡±


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    A voice cursed over the headset and immediately ordered the others to head toward No. 3¡¯s position with haste.


    The burly man stayed alert, but he was bing very nervous and jumpy, imagining every de of grass and tree to be his enemy. He felt the strong presence, an overwhelming aura of a predator waiting to strike. He was sweating profusely, and suddenly, his hair stood on end as he felt a chilling presence right behind him. He swung around and pulled the trigger, sweeping the area in an arch.


    Then, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Luo!


    Xiao Luo was taken by surprise, and he immediately knew he had underestimated the burly man. He was about to deliver a mortal blow, but the Cobra mercenary reacted instantly and fired his submachine gun. He was barely able to dodge the iing rounds, and had he been a split second too slow, he would have taken more than a dozen bullets in his chest.


    ¡°B*stard, I¡¯ll kill you!!!¡±


    The burly man gritted his teeth and yelled, firing controlled bursts at the quick moving target, as Xiao Luo darted about like a phantom.


    When he depleted the clip, the burly man immediately switched magazines, but while as he was loading the clip, he heard a loud snap followed a creaking sound. Xiao Luo had just smashed the trunk of a pine tree with a hefty kick.


    CRACK!


    The pine tree snapped into two and came crashing down, rustling through the foliage as it fell toward the burly man.


    And as he tried to avoid the crashing tree, he found his head caught in a vice-like grip. The strong hand that held his chin snapped the head sideways, breaking his neck. The man lost all control of his body, and as he slumped to the ground, all he saw was a young man attired in darkbat gear staring at him¡ªXiao Luo.


    ¡°Since you havee here, then stay forever!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood there to watch the burly man die. Blood was flowing out of his nose and mouth as his life force slowly slipped away.


    BANG!


    A high-velocity round whistled through the trees and almost hit him. It grazed his face and cut him like a sharp dagger, leaving a scar on his cheek.


    Following the shot, an intense barrage of bullets flew in his direction.


    Evidently, the remaining five of the Cobra mercenaries had arrived, and they were well-armed, with every man equipped with night vision equipment.


    Xiao Luo could not stay in one ce for too long to avoid being hit. As he constantly changed his position, he slowly led the mercenaries further into the Mount Luo forest.


    As a child, he had spent a lot of time running all over Mount Luo, and he was thoroughly familiar with the trails and terrain of the mountain. As he kept leading them in circles, the Cobra Mercenaries began to feel the strain of keeping up.


    Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.


    Several rocket-propelled grenades streaked through the air and sted into the ground close to where Xiao Luo wasst seen. The entire mountainside shook, and the air reeked of explosives.


    Unaware that Xiao Luo had already circled behind them, they stood looking at the direction of the sts, trying to assess the situation. Suddenly, in a single attack, three of the mercenaries howled in pain and fell immediately, forming a pool of blood around them.


    Before the remaining two men could react, Xiao Luo vanished from sight again.


    ¡°Come out! If you are truly capable,e out, and we¡¯ll have a duel!¡±


    The two men dropped their firearms and drew out theirbat knives, as they yelled into the darkness.


    Their firearms were useless against their swift and silent adversary, and they chose to take a more direct approach¡ªa duel.


    ¡°Very well, I ept!¡±


    A voice echoed eerily around the forest, then, moving silently about like a phantom, Xiao Luo pounced from behind arge tree and attacked the men.


    He instantly pushed them back with his extreme speed and overwhelming power.


    He saw an opening and delivered a stinging blow with his right palm through the defense of one man, thumping him directly on his chest. The force of the blow surged through the man¡¯s body, and the man went limp instantly as his chest copsed.


    Crack!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s palm broke his ribs, and the palm went through his chest cavity, fully exposing the ruptured heart.


    Footnote:


    [1] The Golden Crow: a tripedal creature in Chinese mythology, usually depicted as a three-legged crow. Legend has it that ten of them lived in the Sun, and during a cmitous period when all ten descended on Earth, the famed Celestial Archer, Houyi, shot all but one, thus saving the world.


    ¡­

 Chapter 306 - Completely Outclassed

    Chapter 306: Completely Outssed


    ¡°Arrghhh~¡±


    He took a tremendous blow, and his body sailed back some distance before smashing into a pine tree that was as thick as a man¡¯s thigh, uprooting it. He was struck so forcefully that it felt like he¡¯d been hit by a freight train. He was thrown back like a doll, with his back facing upwards, and crashed into the ground, with the tree falling next to him. A stream of blood flowed from his opened mouth.


    The man¡¯s arms were both broken and bright, and fresh blood was sttered everywhere. His disfigured bodyid motionlessly in a pool of blood, a lifeless corpse.


    Another member of the Cobra mercenary corps now faced Xiao Luo, and his expression changed drastically. He looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s fearsome demeanor and blood-drenched palms, and thought to himself, is that a man or a beast? How can he have such terrifying explosive powers?


    ¡°Looks like the NSA has slightly overestimated you!¡± Xiao Luo said, giving him a chilling re.


    As far as he was concerned, these mercenaries weren¡¯t even at level B, as Long Sankui, who was rated a level B, was a much more formidable opponent.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Despite knowing that he was no match for Xiao Luo, this member of Cobra mercenary corps roared viciously and leaped at Xiao Luo, delivering a series of attacking maneuvers with only abat knife in his hand. Every sh and thrust was delivered with killing force. These mercenaries had lived on the edge all their lives, and they all shared amon trait¡ªthey had dignity, and their pride would not allow them to flee in defeat.


    Xiao Luofortably dodged his attacking moves, and then, in a quick counter-attack, he parried a strike with his own ck dagger.


    nk!


    The distinctive ring of shing steel des echoed across the open ground, and an immense force recoiled back into the Cobra mercenary¡¯sbat knife. The Cobra mercenary was suddenly unable to firmly grip his weapon as he watched it slip from his hand and drop to the ground. He saw blood oozing between his fingers and felt the pain as he realized the entire webbing between his thumb and forefinger had been ripped open by the wave of energy that surged from the shing des.


    As he froze, still in shock, Xiao Luo delivered a swift punch, snapping his neck immediately.


    Xiao Luo did a mental headcount of the Cobra mercenary corps and determined that one man still remained. And right at that moment, a chilling voice came from behind him.


    ¡°I have always been in awe of the Hua Nation as it is remarkably mysterious. I¡¯m well aware that many past masters willingly disguised themselves as mere mortals, and remain hidden in many parts of this vastnd. I never expect that our target this time to be one of them.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned over and saw a huge bearded man. A sturdy-looking Caucasian standing at about 2 meters tall strode towards him from a distance. He was a giant of a man and held a hostage firmly next to him, and as Xiao Luo squinted to make out who it was, he realized that it was none other than Ji Siying.


    Needless to say, this bearded man was the eighth member of Cobra mercenary corps. That was why Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t find him earlier on, as he had quietly sneaked up onto Ji Siying.


    ¡°Release her!¡± Xiao Luo shouted, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Release her?¡±


    The bearded man looked at Ji Siying, her hands were bound firmly with a rope, and with hisrge hand, he sped her by the cor. Heughed, shaking his head, and said, ¡°No, no, she is my bargaining chip. If I release her, how can Iplete my mission?¡±


    ¡°Release her, and I¡¯ll let you die in one piece. If you don¡¯t, I will rip you into eight pieces!¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s icy voice carried across the field, and his eyes glowered with a dangerous glint that looked like he meant every word he said.


    The bearded manughed out loud, sounding like he had just heard a hrious joke and said, ¡°It seems that you haven¡¯t figured out what the situation is now. Do I need to exin¡­¡±


    His voice stopped abruptly. Without any warning, Xiao Luo rushed directly at him at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Luo was right in front of him, poised for a strike. And suddenly, the ck dagger was in his hand, aiming for the bearded man¡¯s throat like the fang of a wild beast.


    The attack happened so swiftly that the huge bearded man could not even parry the strike if he intended. Flustered and in a panic, he let go of Ji Siying and jumped back, opening up a distance of five to six meters between him and Xiao Luo.


    Ji Siying was disoriented, and her vision was hazy. One moment a firm hand was grabbing her by the cor, and at the next moment, she was cuddled safely in a warm, protective embrace.


    ¡°Get back!¡±


    Xiao Luo told Ji Siying as he let go of her.


    The bearded man snorted in disdain, and hisrge frame bore toward Xiao Luo. He wielded a broad steel de, and he suddenly shed downward at Xiao Luo at an incredible speed, intent on taking Xiao Luo¡¯s life in a single stroke. Aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s prowess, he had no choice other than the advantage of a preemptive attack to disable his opponent.


    Clink! Clink! Clink! Within a matter of several breath cycles, the two adversaries had exchanged dozens of consecutive blows. Xiao Luo parried the attacks with his short ck dagger as sparks flew from the shing des.


    After the intense exchange, they stood a few meters apart. The bearded man was gasping for air, but Xiao Luo was a picture of calm, and he breathed easily like someone on a stroll.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need this to deal with you.¡±


    Xiao Luo flung the ck dagger to the ground. This man was supposedly rated at a level B soldier but was not worthy of his respect. Having just fought the other two men, he had aprehensive understanding of their techniques and this man¡¯s capabilities.


    The corner of the huge bearded man¡¯s mouth twitched as he felt his dignity being trampled upon.


    ¡°You will pay a hefty price for your arrogance! Hiyahhhhh!!!¡±


    The veins on his forehead bulged, and a deep, deafening roar rumbled from his throat. He charged at Xiao Luo like a raging bull with a terrifying aura, intent on killing his foe. In five quick steps, he leaped high into the air, and the broadsword in his hand sliced across in an arch aimed directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s skull.


    Keeping his eyes on his attacker, Xiao Luo faintly snorted and pped his hands above him.


    CLANK, BAM!


    A crisp explosive sound erupted from the impact, both a ringing of metal and a dull thunderous p. The huge bearded man¡¯s eyes protruded as he stared at the sight before him in disbelief. Xiao Luo had the steel broadsword sandwiched between his bare palms!


    Ji Siying, observing the fight from a short distance away, was wide-eyed in shock. To be able to trap a swinging broadsword wielded by a Level B soldier¨Cwhat level would he be in, Level S?


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°You wish toplete with me? You are a little far behind!¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡±


    The huge bearded man suddenly regained his senses and exerted all his strength, forcing the edge of the sword down towards Xiao Luo¡¯s skull.


    Xiao Luo inhaled slowly, and then in a sudden burst, he swiveled while shifting to his left, instantly releasing his grip on the de and positioning himself beside the bearded man. Then pivoting on his left leg, he snapped his right leg across the bearded man¡¯s abdomen like a whip.


    POW!


    Xiao Luo delivered the kick with an overwhelming force, surging across like a tsunami. The energy exploded into the body of the huge bearded man, and he turned pale and trembled before he was thrown back.


    He was blown away like a cannonball, bringing down three pine trees before finally crashing hard. The broadsword left his hand and sailed away to fall into some bushes near the trees.


    Ji Siying was in a stupor. The bearded man was a Level B mercenary, but he appeared so frail before Xiao Luo, just how was this possible!


    If she had not witnessed this with her very own eyes, she would never have believed it.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a word as he strode ominously toward the fallen man. He raised the huge bearded man, now drenched in blood, from the bushes like he was lifting a puppy, and dumped him on the open ground.


    He asked, ¡°I suppose you can put me in touch with Khun Sa?¡±


    The bearded man clenched his jaw, giving a look that he would rather die than submit.


    ¡°It looks like you have really tough bones. But it¡¯s alright; I like to deal with tough guys. I hope you can continue to maintain your toughness.¡± Xiao Luo stepped away to pick up his ck dagger, then walked back unhurriedly.


    ¡°Wh¡­ what are you trying to do?¡± the huge bearded man muttered, almost whispering as he winced in pain.


    ¡°Rx, you¡¯ll knowter.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he held the man¡¯s head with his left hand. He dragged the sharp tip of the dagger quickly around the top of the bearded man¡¯s forehead. It was a surgical incision, seeming just to scratch the bone of the skull. The huge bearded man didn¡¯t feel the pain, and it was no more than a sting. But, at the very next moment, he felt like he had been plunged into hell¡¯s depths.


    ¡­

 Chapter 307 - Kill Him With Your Own Hands

    Chapter 307: Kill Him With Your Own Hands


    Xiao Luo stared hard into the eyes of the huge bearded man, and with a smile of contempt, he peeled apart the sliced flesh, loosening it from the skull. Then with a violent jerk, he tore off the right half of the man¡¯s scalp.


    RIP~


    Half of the bearded man¡¯s scalp was ripped off, and the bloody piece of flesh and hair was flung to the ground. Blood flowed down over his anguished face, and the bone-white skull was visible under bits of red tissues that remained attached to the right side of his head. An excruciating pain shot through his entire body like a bolt.


    ¡°AARRGH~¡±


    The bearded man was going into a state of shock, trembling uncontrobly, and screaming in agony. His miserable cries resembled the howls of evil spirits being thrown into the fiery pits of hell, echoing in the silent night.


    With half his scalp torn off, he was already ovee with pain, but there was a primal fear in his heart that exceeded everything else. The huge bearded man struggled to free himself, but Xiao Luo had what was left of his hair in a firm grip, and both his hands were pinned to the ground under the weight of Xiao Luo¡¯s feet. The immense force he exerted turned his face purple, and he was on the verge of fainting. Blood oozed copiously from the head wound.


    Ji Siying stood close by, witnessing the gory scene, and gasped in horror. Her face turned pale, and she shook as she saw once again, Xiao Luo¡¯s devilish side at work.


    ¡°So, can you help me contact Khun Sa now?¡± Xiao Luo asked, shing the man a derisive smile.


    The bearded man nodded his head, his expression distorted by the overwhelming pain. He suddenly realized how the leader of the NSA squad felt when he had been tortured earlier, and couldn¡¯t help seeing its irony. Was this divine retribution?


    Xiao Luo took his foot off the man¡¯s hand and passed him amunication device.


    The huge bearded man endured the pain as he keyed a series of numbers with his trembling hand.


    ¡°Cobra, have you seeded in your mission?¡± a hoarse voice came from themunication device.


    ¡°Boss, I-I¡¯m¡­¡±


    The bearded man¡¯s voice was trembling. It was hard to ept that Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities were far beyond his own, and his frenzied attacks seemed like a child¡¯s y going against such an opponent. As the chill breeze blew across his exposed flesh, it bit like a knife cutting through his wounds. The unbearable pain left the seven-foot-tall bearded giant whimpering in tears.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? What happened?¡± The voice from themunicator sounded anxious.


    Xiao Luo snatched themunicator from the bearded man and answered, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong at all. It¡¯s just that your Cobra Mercenary Corps has failed in its mission.¡±


    There was a pause, as Khun Sa, on the other end of themunicator, was startled by the remark. Then a chilling voice came through. ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Hearing his reply, Khun Sa sighed heavily. He was shocked that the elite mercenary squad he had deployed did not seed in eliminating its target. This was far beyond what he had expected, anticipating that the Cobra mercenary corps would be capable enough to get rid of Xiao Luo.


    Unwilling to show any weakness, he kept hisposure and said, ¡°Well, well, congrattions on being alive!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Then I¡¯ll have to break some bad news to you. Only one of your Cobra mercenaries remains, and he is a man with a thick beard,¡± Xiao Luo responded, raising his eyebrows as he said that.


    ¡°You scoundrel!¡± Khun Sa said in rage.


    His standing in the ckwater Company was already sliding, and now with the loss of Cobra Mercenary Corps, his position was bound to plummet to a new low.


    Xiao Luo was unruffled, and he continued goading Khun Sa. ¡°You are a citizen of the Hua Nation as well, so I would assume that you¡¯re aware of the Hua Nation¡¯s NSA? I¡¯ll leave this bearded man with the NSA, and if you¡¯re bold enough,e and retrieve him. Oh, and by the way, I¡¯ll be going to find you myself when I have the time. You can¡¯t be sending me gifts all the time, the least I can do is to return the courtesy, right?¡±


    These remarks left Khun Sa¡¯s mind racing, and his heart palpitated wildly. Since when was Xiao Luo a part of the NSA?


    @#£¤%!¡­


    He almost let loose a torrent of expletives. If he had known Xiao Luo¡¯s identity as an NSA agent, he would never have deployed the Cobra mercenary corps to the Hua Nation. It was a momentary slip that resulted in significant losses, and he would need at least another two to three years to raise another elite squad. To add to his woes, he would have to bear the losses himself and would undoubtedly be challenged by thepany¡¯s senior executives.


    ¡°Kid, I¡¯m right here in North Carolina. I hope you have the courage toe over,¡± Khun Sa was trying his best to contain his emotions, delivering his words in a cold, impassive tone.


    ¡°Oh, rest assured, I shall be standing before you sooner thanter!¡±


    Xiao Luo finished his sentence with a chilling smile and then ended the call.


    Ji Siying stared silently at Xiao Luo, and her eyes were filled with a deep sense of trepidation. This was the side of Xiao Luo that terrified her, and she never knew what to expect next.


    The bearded man was now even more horrified. In his eyes, he saw a demon. Xiao Luo was a demon who could rip off a living person¡¯s scalp without a second thought.


    ¡°Where are the 20 NSA soldiers? Are they dead or alive?¡± Xiao Luo asked him.


    ¡°T-they¡­ all dead.¡±


    The huge bearded man dared not tell a lie, not knowing what this demon would do next.


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s eyes widened when she heard that. Although she had long guessed that the men had been killed, a part of her still harbored a sliver of hope that they may have survived. After all, these were 20 well-trained level C soldiers they were talking about. Were all of them really dead?¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed the bearded man by the cor and barked, ¡°Lead me to them!¡±


    He then pulled him up like a puppy and pushed him forward into a march.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they found the bodies of the 20 soldiers. 19 of them had their throats cut open, and thest man, captain Lin Dong, was tortured beyond recognition. He no longer looked human, as every bit of skin on his body was shredded. His legs were stripped of flesh, leaving the bones exposed, looking like they were gnawed away by a school of piranhas, and his eyes were gouged out with daggers. It was a gruesome sight.


    He was tortured while he was still alive and suffered an unspeakable death.


    Staring down at captain Lin Dong, Ji Siying¡¯s eyes turned red immediately as she wept for him.


    He had been her partner at NSA, both hailing from Xiahai City, and he had taken great care of her during their journey there together. And she couldn¡¯t believe that he was now dead, suffering a long horrible death by torture.


    Xiao Luo turned and red at the bearded man, slumped on the ground next to the corpse, exactly where Xiao Luo had dumped him. ¡°You pulled out all of his nails and sprinkled salt on his wounds, then you sliced off the flesh from his legs, a piece at a time, and grilled them in fire like having a barbeque. Not bad, you really do know how to have fun!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    The bearded man cowered, repeatedly apologizing with tears forming in his eyes. He knew from Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, what was toe.


    Xiao Luo was oblivious to his pleas, he squatted down beside the corpse and ced his dagger in Lin Dong¡¯s stiff, lifeless hand. He closed the dead man¡¯s fingers over the knife¡¯s handle, and speaking to the dead captain, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that what you wish to do the most is to kill him with your own hands.¡±


    When he had spoken, with one hand on the shoulder, he turned Lin Dong¡¯s body to its side, and with his other, he held on to the dead man¡¯s hand that gripped the knife. Then, the dagger was thrust toward his tormentor, now lying paralyzed next to him.


    ¡°Urrgh~¡±


    The de prated the bearded man¡¯s heart slowly, as blood instantly sttered from the wound. The bearded man¡¯s eyes bulged, and blood streamed from the corner of his mouth. Lin Dong¡¯s lifeless face was staring at his tormentor, less than 20 centimeters away. As the bearded man died slowly, with a look of repentance on his face, thest thing he saw alive was the tortured face of Lin Dong¨Cand poetic justice was served.


    ¡­

 Chapter 308 - Cousin Ding Zhenyun

    Chapter 308: Cousin Ding Zhenyun


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying kneeled by the mountain stream to wash off the bloodstains on their bodies. Ji Siying made a call to the county police department, and using her the NSA credentials, requested a team to deploy to Mount Luo that very night. They would have the task of covertly disposing of the Cobra mercenaries¡¯ bodies strewn around the mountainside. With all the necessary arrangements made, they both headed back to Luo Vige.


    Back at the house, no one realized anything amiss. Earlier, both Xiao Luo and Ji Siying had gone into the room together, and once inside, the volume on the TV was turned up to the maximum, before they stole out the window.


    And, no one¡ªnot Grandpa, Grandma, Xiao Zhiyuan, or Hua Heying¡ªsuspected anything even after they returned. In fact, they all thought that Xiao Luo and Ji Siying had been making out in the room, especially when they both came out looking drained from rigorous activity. Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying even beamed at each other, and quietly gave Xiao Luo an encouraging thumbs-up.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough nor cry, and the misunderstanding seemed to have deepened.


    New Year¡¯s Day was a very lively affair. Leading up to the new year, gongs and drums had been sounding over thest three days at the Seekong shrine, the new couplet had been mounted at its altar, and rednterns hung at the front of every household. Kids were gaily dressed in their brand-new garments, and joy andughter pervaded the vige, celebrating the start of the festive season.


    ¡°I guess you are disappointed that you cannot spend the New Year in your hometown.¡±


    Standing at the rooftop of the three-story building and watching the people of Luo Vige setting off fireworks, Xiao Luo smiled and asked Ji Siying, standing beside him.


    Ji Siying¡¯s long, silky hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing her captivating face that glowed with natural beauty¡ªshe had fair, smooth skin and delicate facial features that seemed to give her that alluring look. Ji Siying was slender and well-limbed, neither too voluptuous nor too scrawny, and she had good posture and carried herself well. She had the attraction of the ssic country belles from the canal towns in the south, famed for their unblemished beauty and even temperament.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a hometown.¡± Xiao Luo turned and nced at her, a little confused. She stared back at him, nkly with a half-smile and said, ¡°I grew up in an orphanage.¡±


    For a brief moment, Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know how to react, then he blurted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s expression suddenly became very somber, and the smile on her face seemed to fade. This was the one part of her life that was a void; she had never known who her parents were or what they looked like. Spending time with Xiao Luo¡¯s family, indulging in their affairs, and the festive season¡¯s delights was a new experience. As they watched the Spring Festival G together, one could only guess how envious she was.


    She pondered how it would feel to have grandparents who doted over her and to have parents who were kind and gentle. If she could trade ten years of her life in exchange for that, she would agree without any hesitation. Often, she wondered if her biological parents had abandoned her at the orphanage because she was a girl.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Can you lend me your shoulder?¡±


    It was unusual for Ji Siying to be so emboldened, but sensing the joys of families reuniting for the New Year, and caught up in the moment, she gave in to her vulnerability and emotions.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiao Luo nodded and said.


    Ji Siying leaned gently against him, and no longer able to hold back, she began sobbing quietly.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a word, nor did he try tofort her. He just stood there in silence and gazed serenely into the night sky. Fireworks rose high into the air, bursting into dazzling blooms of colorful lights and patterns. It was a beautiful sight to behold.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    On the fourth night of the New Year, Ding Zhenyun, the son of his father¡¯s eldest sister, suddenly sent him an urgent messaged: ¡°Luo, please lend me 2000 bucks. It¡¯s an emergency, so, please!¡±


    Xiao Luo was somewhat concerned and frowned. His rtionship with Ding Zhenyun had always been good, and he had never before asked to borrow money from him. Besides, he was only a young man in his early twenties, and if he had needed money urgently, his aunt would undoubtedly have helped him. So, asking for money out of the blue was a little peculiar.


    In obvious desperation, Ding Zhenyun called Xiao Luo directly moments after sending the message. ¡°Luo, are you tight on budget? Can you lend me 2000 bucks? It¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    Listening to Ding Zhenyun¡¯s desperate plea, Xiao Luo agreed without asking for any details. And, after hanging up the call, he immediately transferred 2000 dors via WeChat pay.


    However, within just a few days, Ding Zhenyun called him again. ¡°Luo, can you lend me some more money?¡±


    Xiao Luo was a little puzzled, and this time around, he did ask, ¡°What are you going to do with the money? How much you want this time?¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand.¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand?¡±


    ¡°Five thousand will do if you don¡¯t have ten thousand. Please help me, Luo,¡± Ding Zhenyun pleaded.


    Xiao Luo was convinced that something wasn¡¯t quite right and said, ¡°What exactly are you up to?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, Luo, I¡¯ll be honest with you. I¡¯m involved in this project. As long as I can funnel in 30 thousand dors, I¡¯d be able to earn back the capital within half a year. And after that, I¡¯ll be making tonnes of money. I already have 20 thousand dors. I¡¯m just short of another ten thousand. Please help me if you¡¯re okay at the moment,¡± Ding Zhenyun said.


    Pyramid scheme?!


    These two words immediately appeared in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind. He asked, ¡°What project is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about developing a program that will be used in the billing system of high-speed rails and buses. It¡¯splicated, I can¡¯t exin it to you in such a short time, but what I¡¯m sure of is that it¡¯s very profitable. My friend is already driving a BMW and even visits the hot chicks at the club very often.¡±


    Ding Zhenyun sounded agitated, and he spoke dreamily about the project like he was high on drugs. ¡°Luo, do you want to invest some money too? The more you invest, the more you will get back. If you invest, say 100 thousand, it¡¯ll turn into 300 or 400 thousand dors in the following year. I¡¯m only telling you this because you¡¯re my cousin. This is one hell of a way to get rich.¡±


    Xiao Luo was sure that this kid had been brainwashed. Every investment came with its own inherent risks. There was no such thing as a risk-free project that could give one a considerable profit from a small investment sum. ¡°Zhenyun, where are you now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Xiahai,¡± Ding Zhenyun said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you return home for the New Year?¡± Xiao Luo said with surprise.


    ¡°Well, I used to go home every year, but I¡¯m experiencing New Year away from home this year. I want to work hard and earn money for my parent¡¯s sake. It¡¯ll only be a year. When I get myself a car, I¡¯ll go home every year.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and sighed. ¡°Aunt must be anxious about you not going home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already over twenty. I¡¯m not a kid anymore, so what¡¯s there to worry? Luo, let¡¯s leave that aside. Please lend me five thousand dors, I¡¯ll pay you back when I start earning money,¡± Ding Zhenyun said, seeming to be a little impatient.


    ¡°I can lend you the money, but you muste home. There¡¯s a direct trainway from Xiahai to our city. It¡¯ll just take you eight hours to make a trip home.¡±


    ¡°Luo, I have things to do here, I don¡¯t have time to go back,¡± Ding Zhenyun responded.


    ¡°Come back, and I¡¯ll help you go through your project proposal. If your proposal can convince me, I¡¯ll invest 100 thousand dors in your project,¡± Xiao Luo said, casting a bait too attractive to ignore.


    Ding Zhenyun was silent for a moment, thenplying with Xiao Luo¡¯s condition, he replied, ¡°Fine, I will go back tomorrow.¡±


    After the call ended, Xiao Luo immediately phoned his aunt, Xiao Jianying, to find out more about Ding Zhenyun.


    Xiao Jianying was in a jovial mood when they first spoke, but when the subject of Ding Zhenyun was raised, she lost control of her emotions and began crying. ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s like he has changed into a different person now. He is forcing your uncle and me to give him money to make some investment. I said that we don¡¯t have money, and we still have lots of debt to pay off, but he just won¡¯t listen. He insisted that we transfer 30 thousand dors to him. Your uncle and I are almost going mad.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 309 - Its Complicated

    Chapter 309: It¡¯s Complicated


    As Xiao Jianying continued talking to Xiao Luo over the phone, it became harder for her to control her emotions, and she suddenly broke down. She recounted to him what had been happening ofte. Whenever she received a call from Ding Zhenyun, he would ask her for money to make an investment. It started with a sum of 100 thousand, andter it came down to 30 thousand. It hade to a point where she was now afraid of receiving any calls from Ding Zhenyun.


    Aunt Jianying¡¯s family wasn¡¯t wealthy, and even the house loan they made a few years ago had not been entirely paid off. They simply didn¡¯t have the money for Ding Zhenyun to make an investment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why he has be like this¡ªhe¡¯s gone mad! If we don¡¯t give him money, he¡¯ll go borrow it from his friends and rtives. Your uncle said that he¡¯s gotten into referral marketing and has been brainwashed, so he won¡¯t listen to anyone. If we try to talk to him about it, he¡¯ll get angry and scream at us. Even your uncle¡¯s rtionship with him has soured,¡± Xiao Jianying said.


    Xiao Luo frowned with mixed feelings, as he recalled that his cousin, Ding Zhenyun, was a filial son with a very gentle personality, and he was likable as a person. He could not imagine Ding Zhenyun yelling at his uncle; that would certainly be out of character. What made him change so drastically, was his freedom being restricted somehow? Was someone in front of him and guiding him when he made the call? Was his irascible disy merely a disguise to obtain help from his family?


    It wasn¡¯t surprising because some MLM organizations would use extreme methods to get results from their recruited members.


    He asked, ¡°Have you called the police?¡±


    ¡°We did, but the police can¡¯t do anything and told us that since he can still be contacted, there is no way for them to record it as a case. The police told us that if we truly suspect that he has gone into referral marketing, we should just stop sending him money and then just go and get him back. But he won¡¯t tell us where is he exactly in Xiahai,¡± Xiao Jianying said, calming down a little, but her words were filled with sorrow that reflected her sense of helplessness.


    ¡°Aunt, he said he¡¯ll make a trip back tomorrow,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Jianying shook her head and said, ¡°No, he won¡¯t. Previously, your uncle tried to entice him by saying that he can apply for a loan if hees back. He agreed at first, butter on, he asked your uncle to help him with the application and transfer the money to his ount when the loan was approved.¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a long sigh. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry, Aunt. I have ns to go to Xiahai this year. Leave Zhenyun to me. If he¡¯s really gotten into MLM, I¡¯ll get him out for sure.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, thank you, aunt will remember this forever,¡± Xiao Jianying thanked him profusely.


    After ending the call, Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. He thought to himself: It seems like I have a lot of things to do in Xiahai when I get back there!


    Turning to Ji Siying, he asked, ¡°Are there a lot of MLM organizations in Xiahai?¡±


    Ji Siying considered for a moment and replied, ¡°Yes, it seems that their numbers have been on the rise in recent years. Every once in awhile, there will be news of police raiding the bases of MLM organizations.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Looks like I¡¯ll have to refresh myself on thetest developments in Xiahai.¡± Xiao Luo smiled gently.


    If Ding Zhenyun had been brainwashed, then saying anything to him now would serve no purpose. Ding Zhenyun would only see that person as someone getting in the way of his sess and fortune. To save him, one had to get Ding Zhenyun to realize himself that this was a scam. Such things couldn¡¯t be hurried, and locating him was all that mattered for the time being.


    The next day, as Aunt Jianying had predicted, Ding Zhenyun gave the excuse that he didn¡¯t have the time to go home. He told Xiao Luo to go and seek him out whenever he was in Xiahai, and that he would take Xiao Luo along on a path to get rich together.


    While Xiao Luo¡¯s first reaction was to scoff at such a hrious suggestion, he sympathized with his cousin. Ding Zhenyun graduated from a polytechnic college and worked as a machine operator in a factory, earning around three thousand a month. He was filial, driven to find sess, and eager to alter his destiny to give his parents a better life. Unfortunately, this was precisely the kind of mentality most prone to being manipted by multi-level marketing agents.


    Xiao Luo was in no position to help out before, but now that he was able to, he would certainly do what he could for his aunt¡¯s family.


    When they had just begun rebuilding the farm, he had discussed the business n at length with his father, Xiao Zhiyuan. Then, Xiao Zhiyuan invited two of his aunts to join the venture and came up with a name for the farm project: Mount Luo Ranch.


    As soon as Xiao Luo¡¯s fund was in ce, excavators, bulldozers, concrete mixers, and a team of engineers were mobilized. An army of personnel and equipment converged on the vige to begin the construction work.


    The entire Luo Vige rippled with excitement, and in every household, stories about Xiao Luo were frequently told with enthusiasm.


    ¡°How much is Xiao Luo actually earning out there? He¡¯s transforming his father¡¯s farm into a leisure farm.¡±


    ¡°That is truly a generous sum of money!¡±


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve all underestimated Xiao Luo. He¡¯s the most excellent youth in your vige.¡±


    Everyone in the vige praised Xiao Luo. To be so bold as to carry out arge-scale project to transform his father¡¯s isted farm signified his true capability and courage, as it was located at a deserted piece ofnd that was thousands of acres wide. When the news of the Mount Luo Ranch project and Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities spread, their family¡¯s reputation soared to new heights, not only in their own but in all viges within ten miles of Luo Vige. Instantly, Xiao Luo became a local celebrity in Gushan, and people delighted in talking about his achievements and exploits.


    But, there were some voices of dissent as well. Xiao Qiudong, who had already been discharged from the hospital, was among those who were perpetually bad-mouthing Xiao Luo. He kept telling everyone that Xiao Luo had managed to ensnare a rich girl, and it was her wealth that paid for the farm construction. Xiao Luo was nothing more than a gigolo.


    It came to the point that many of Luo¡¯s Vige vigers had had enough of him, and they simply told him off in his face.


    ¡°So what if Xiao Luo¡¯s a gigolo? If he has what it takes to be one, then good for him. If you¡¯re capable enough, you should try and get yourself a rich girl as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your mouth is so full of crap, you jealous sod!¡±


    ¡°In the past, I felt that Xiao Luo was inferior to you. But now, I realize that it is you that¡¯s inferior to him, you can¡¯t even bepared to even a single strand of his hair.¡±


    Xiao Qiudong was shocked by the support given to Xiao Luo and left speechless. He left his home at Luo Vige, along with his wife and kids, to returned to Zhoukou City. Before leaving, he let loose his rage and shouted at everyone in the Vige, ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of imbeciles! Go ahead then, continue sucking up to Xiao Luo. Let me see if their family will reward you with even a spoonful of grain.¡±


    As soon as he said that, a sudden realization smacked him right back in his face.


    Thend, spanning across a thousand acres, was a consolidation ofnd plots belonging to the vigers. And after it was converted into a leisure farm, every household would be a shareholder in the venture, and enjoy dividends from the farm¡¯s year-end performance. Not surprisingly, only Xiao Qiudong was excluded¨CXiao Luo made no ns to include thend that belonged to his family.


    Finally, realizing what was happening, Xiao Qiudong almost vomited blood¡­


    The n to make every household a shareholder wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo¡¯s way of getting back at Xiao Qiudong; he wasn¡¯t such a petty man. His motives were much more than that: to drive the enthusiasm and garner the Luo vigers¡¯ support, thus preventing possible conflicts and making it easier to develop the leisure farm.


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s legacy spreading far and wide, visits to his grandparents¡¯ home now became more frequent. Many of them, friends and rtives who had not been in contact for several years, suddenly emerged like wild mushrooms after the rain.


    This certainly gave credence to an old saying: When you are poor, even if you live in a crowded city, you will be alone. But when you are rich, even if you live in the uninhabited mountains, the most distant rtives wille flocking to you!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s uncle, who had once humiliated his father in his presence, also appeared one day to pay them a visit. He came with his son Hua Xiaorong, and they brought along some fine wine and other gifts. However, his uncle had barely spoken a few words before asking about a loan from Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, now that you¡¯re rich, could you possibly lend me 400 thousand dors? I have my eyes on a second-hand house in the county. I¡¯ve already settled the deposit, I¡¯m just waiting to pay off the full amount now.¡± His uncle, Hua Dexing, spoke with great enthusiasm as he tried topel his nephew into making the loan.


    His cousin, Hua Xiaorong, leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed, acting like he was in his own home. His shifty eyes kept roaming fleetingly to Ji Siying, who was sitting gracefully beside Xiao Luo.


    ¡­

 Chapter 310 - Clap

    Chapter 310: p


    Chapter 310


    Hua Dexing was attired in a blue shirt with his hair neatlybed, and he looked an imposing man, with wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and streaks of white hair that told his age. His son, Hua Xiaorong, was dressed more casually, looking a little sloven, and he carried himself with the air of a yboy.


    At the precise moment that Xiao Dexing mentioned the loan, Hua Heying stepped into the house, having just gotten back from the farm. She looked like she¡¯d been working at the farm and even had some mud on her clothes.


    ¡°Brother Dexing, Xiaorong!¡±


    Hua Heying greeted Hua Dexing and Hua Xiaorong warmly.


    ¡°Heying, why have youe back alone? Where¡¯s Zhiyuan?¡± Hua Dexing asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a group of people working on the farm right now, he wants to be there to watch over them so that they do not cut corners. So I came back alone,¡± Hua Heying replied, smiling.


    Hua Dexing chuckled and said, ¡°Does he still hate me?¡±


    ¡°No, no, why should Zhiyuan hold a grudge against you?¡± Hua Heying responded.


    ¡°Haha, Aunty, you are so hypocritical. Uncle definitely hates my father for not lending him the money before. Did you say that he wants to be there and watch the workmen? It¡¯s not like uncle knows anything about construction, I can guarantee you that even if they were cutting corners, uncle would not realize it,¡± Hua Xiaorong said. He then took a banana from the table, peeled it, and began devouring it inrge bites.


    Hua Heying red at him. ¡°What nonsense are you talking about, Xiaorong. Your uncle is just tied up at the moment.¡±


    No matter how her husband had been treated before, the fact was that they were a family, and that wouldn¡¯t change.


    Hua Dexing stared at Hua Xiaorong and rebuked him, ¡°Just keep quiet and munch on your banana. You¡¯re almost 30, but you still talk without using your brain.¡± He turned to Hua Heying with a smile and said, ¡°Heying, you and I are siblings, so I¡¯ll just be direct with you. Actually, I¡¯m here to borrow some money.¡±


    ¡°Borrow money?¡±


    Hua Heying nced at Xiao Luo, her expression changed as she asked, ¡°How much do you wish to borrow?¡±


    ¡°Not much. Should be a drop in the bucket for Xiao Luo. Just 400 thousand dors, that¡¯s all,¡± Hua Dexing replied, taking a sip of his tea then grinning.


    400 thousand dors?


    Hua Heying gulped and thought bitterly, if 400 thousand wasn¡¯t considered much, then what was? He was making light of the loan.


    Hua Dexing spoke casually and squinted his eyes a little, giving off a kindly look. ¡°I got my sights on this second-hand house in the county, which I found through my connections. It sits in the north while facing south, and the balcony in the master bedroom faces a river. Its a 100-square-meter house and only costs 600 thousand dors. I¡¯ve already paid the 50-thousand-dor deposit, and I have to pay off the bnce within 3 days, so I¡¯m just short of 400 thousand dors.¡±


    ¡°Brother, this¡­ 400 thousand dors is a lot, we¡­¡± Hua Heying said with a troubled expression on her face.


    ¡°Is 400 thousand dors a lot? I¡¯ve already heard everything and that the leisure farm you¡¯re setting up now involves a total investment of 8 million dors. So, 400 thousand dors is just an insignificant sumpared to that,¡± Hua Dexing interjected, slightly agitated, and not allowing Heying toplete what she was about to say.


    ¡°It is because we¡¯ve already made an 8-million-dor investment that it¡¯ll be difficult for us to lend 400 thousand dors now all in one go!¡± she responded.


    Borrowing 400 thousand dors, wasn¡¯t this asking for too much? She knew that her son Xiao Luo was good for it, but why should he lend them his hard-earned money? It wasn¡¯t like her son¡¯s money grew on trees.


    ¡°Heying, by saying that, you¡¯re making it like our rtionship is meaningless. Remember, I¡¯m your brother,¡± said Hua Dexing.


    ¡°You¡¯re all my brothers, but some matters have to be dealt with separately, we can¡¯t see things only from that perspective.¡± Hua Heying was adamant and stood her ground.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Hua Dexing angrily waved his hand, and his expression changed in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m just going to ask you one question. Are you going to lend me the money or not? If I can¡¯t pay off the remaining bnce within three days, the 50-thousand-dor deposit will be gone! So, are you really not going to help me with it?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°No!¡±


    A firm answer came in reply¨Cfrom Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth. Putting down his teacup, Xiao Luo looked directly at Hua Dexing and said, ¡°Uncle, you are wee to visit us anytime. But if you wish to borrow money, please leave.¡±


    Hua Dexing was startled as he didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo to be so resolute and to dare speak out.


    He stared back with a sinister grin and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, should this be the tone when you talk to your own uncle?¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his head again and snorted faintly. ¡°My own uncle, you say? Do you remember how you treated my father back then when he came to you asking for help? He brought you a load of gifts, and you threw everything out and asked him to get out. I will never forget my father¡¯s disappointment, and he even forced himself to smile while he looked at me. You say you¡¯re my uncle, but when did you ever treat me like your nephew? And when did you ever treat my father as your brother-inw? You can choose to not lend money, but why must you insult my father and destroy his dignity as a man?¡±


    With these words, Hua Heying¡¯s eyes turned red. Although she wasn¡¯t present when it happened, from her man¡¯s sullen expression after returning home, she could guess what had taken ce. This incident had always haunted her, and the pain never left her heart.


    Hua Dexing was infuriated, and showing his vindictive nature, he beganughing. ¡°Did I say anything wrong? What good can possiblye from that farm of his? Gold won¡¯t surface from that pool of mud, he¡¯s just stupid, like those pigs he rears. Of all the things he can do, he insisted on doing that farming nonsense. It has been seven years, yet he¡¯s still where he started. Has he made a name for himself? No, right?¡±


    Ji Siying frowned and knitted her brows. Thest thing she expected was that Xiao Luo¡¯s own uncle could turn out to be such a lowly person.


    ¡°Outsiders have no right toment on my father¡¯s affairs,¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    ¡°Since he tried to borrow money from me, I am qualified to speak.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to talk further. Goodbye!¡± Xiao Luo said, gesturing toward the door.


    Hua Xiaorong suddenly stood up, pointed his finger at Xiao Luo, and scowled, ¡°Xiao Luo, you don¡¯t even respect your own uncle, you damned disrespectful piece of sh*t. Who do you think you are!¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him and warned, ¡°Put your finger away!¡±


    Hua Xiaorong scoffed, ¡°So what if I point at you? Do you think I don¡¯t know about your story? All you ever did was to win the heart of this rich girl beside you. If not for her, you will be worth less than a pile of dung in my¡­ arrgh!¡±


    A horrible shriek filled the room. In the next instant, Hua Xiaorong was whimpering on the ground, holding his finger in pain, as beads of sweat streamed down his forehead.


    Having seen it happen, Ji Siying was wide-eyed and in awe. In a split second, Xiao Luo¡¯s hand shot out and snapped Hua Xiaorong¡¯s offending index finger, before swiftly retracting. His actions were so fast that no one saw happen.


    ¡°Xiaorong!?¡±


    Hua Dexing called out to his son, then looked up and red at Xiao Luo. ¡°What have you done?¡±


    Xiao Luo grinned as if nothing had happened. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t like people pointing their fingers and scolding at me. His finger is broken. If you bring him to the hospital in time, he¡¯ll get better in about ten days, maybe half a month.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Hua Dexing helped Hua Xiaorong up, and they promptly left. Seething as he walked past by Hua Heying, he stopped and said, ¡°What a great son you¡¯ve brought up!¡±


    Hua Heying remained silent. To have such a brother was bad enough, but to be caught between him and her son, she didn¡¯t know how to react.


    ¡°Hold up, take these things away, we don¡¯t need them.¡± Xiao Luo pointed at the wine and gifts on the table.


    Hua Dexing turned his head around and eyeing Xiao Luo viciously, said, ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary, I¡¯ll just treat it like I¡¯ve given them to a dirty swine!¡±


    ¡°A dirty swine, huh?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, then before Hua Dexing could even react, Xiao Luo was right in front of him,nding a searing p on his uncle¡¯s left cheek.


    Thwack!


    Hua Dexing stood in a state of shock before he suddenly slumped to the floor, fainting from the blow.


    Hua Xiaorong was on the floor next to his father, sweating in terror, as he stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s fierce bearing.

 Chapter 311 - Motion Sickness

    Chapter 311: Motion Sickness


    Grabbing Hua Dexing and Hua Xiaorong by the scruff, Xiao Luo dragged them out and hurled into the minivan they arrived with. He then went back into the house, retrieved the gifts they brought along, and dumped them into the vehicle. This was precisely how his father had been treated back then, and Xiao Luo wanted his uncle to know how it felt being humiliated. He couldn¡¯t understand how Hua Dexing could still have the gall to borrow money from him and even castigate him when he refused. It was as if he was in the wrong for not lending Hua Dexing the money.


    ¡°Son, have we been a little too harsh?¡± Hua Heying said, a look of worry written all over her face.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s true that he¡¯s my uncle, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he can just swagger in here and step on our heads, yelling at us as he pleases.¡±


    While Hua Yeying nodded, her brows were still knitted as she was feeling very uneasy about the affair.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As for the Mount Luo Ranch project, Xiao Luo had initially thought that he would have to do everything himself. But after some observation, he realized that his father was more than capable of handling the work. The farm was graduallying to shape ording to the n. He was somewhat relieved knowing that he could rely on someone else to oversee the project.


    At the same time, Luo Workshop was also restarting its operation for the new year.


    Zhang Dashan hade to Luo Vige, and couldn¡¯t help unting his image of prosperity as he drove in with his Land Rover SV Autobiography. After he picked Xiao Luo up, they set off for Jiangcheng City. Before expanding thepany to Xiahai, Xiao Luo had to tie up loose ends at the Luo Workshop headquarters so that he could wholeheartedly focus on thepany¡¯s development in Xiahai without worry.


    The New Year mood was slowly fading, and Xiao Luo came back in time for the festival ofnterns, after which he bid farewell to his family then embarked on his journey to Xiahai.


    Ji Siying¡¯s business vehicle was on loan from the NSA¡¯s Zhoukou City branch. She was to return it upon her arrival at Zhoukou City as she wasn¡¯t expected to go to Xiahai anytime soon. Seeing that the entire Cobra Mercenary Corps had been wiped out and that 20 NSA fighters had perished at Luo Mountain, she had much to report to the authorities at NSA, Zhoukou City.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, see you in Xiahai!¡±


    At the branch station entrance, Ji Siying parted with Xiao Luo and gave him a warm smile.


    She seemed to have developed an inexplicable feeling toward Xiao Luo. When she first met him, she only saw him as a devil who would kill without the slightest provocation. But having been around him for a while, she saw a different man. Xiao Luo was a filial son and a responsible man with a strong sense of honor and integrity. She couldn¡¯t help finding herself fascinated with him and attracted by his charm. Standing there with him at the entrance, there was a strong draft, and it was cold, but as she vividly remembered the night when she leaned on his shoulder, her heart warmed at the memory.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, then turned and left.


    As Ji Siying stood alone now, a tinge of disappointment showed on her alluring face. She was expecting him to say a little more, after what they had been through together. But as she nced at the jade bracelet she wore on her wrist, she smiled with the innocence of a young girl who had just met her first love.


    It wasn¡¯t that she had forgotten about the bracelet, she intentionally chose not to remember it. Now that she thought about it, she pondered if Xiao Luo had also intentionally done the same, and in doing so, would the jade bracelet now belonged to her? When she thought of that, her face flushed, looking as sweet as she had just eaten honey.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At six in the evening, Xiao Luo arrived at the airport. He heard the boarding call for passengers bound to Xiahai City announced, requiring passengers to proceed to the departure gate immediately. Before he picked up his luggage to make his way there, he sent a message to Su Li: ¡°Miss Su, I¡¯ll be arriving at the Xiahai City Airport at around 8pm tonight!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send my men to pick you up at exit A.¡±


    Su Li only replied with a single sentence, nothing more.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t send any more messages out and switched his phone to airne mode.


    After queuing through the gate, he walked along the aerobridge into the ne. At the cabin door, the purser and a flight attendant greeted each boarding passenger.


    ¡°Yo, prettydy, why don¡¯t you give me your contact? You look like my girlfriend!¡±


    A male passenger flirted with the flight attendant as he boarded the ne. Indeed, it was a cringe-worthy, tacky pickup line.


    The flight attendant pretended not to hear him and continued weing the other passengers.


    She was an attractivedy, and even Xiao Luo took several nces at her. She was possibly in her early twenties, her dark silky hair was pulled back neatly into a bun, revealing her fairplexion. Delicate wisps of hair at the nape of her neck added a captivating allure.


    She had a light fringe which entuated her high forehead and seemed to be the vogue among flight attendants.


    She had a delicate face and exquisite features of unrivaled beauty, and she wore a light gloss on her lips. She had a slender figure and was dressed in a well-fitting uniform, slightly opened at the neckline and gracefullyplemented by a silk scarf. She was quite a bewitching sight to behold.


    When Xiao Luo went through the cabin door, she greeted him with a smile and a courteous nod. A name was engraved on her tag pinned on her chest: Tan Ningfu, First ss Flight Attendant.


    ¡­


    This was the first time Xiao Luo had boarded a ne, and the way he saw it, it would be no different from riding a bus. He would just have to get to his assigned seat, and that was it.


    After the cabin door was closed, a pre-flight safety demonstration was carried out in the cabin. Xiao Luo sat in the first-ss cabin. The flight attendant, Tan Ningfu, demonstrated the use of the life jacket and oxygen mask.


    The ne was then towed back from the bridge, and leaving the tarmac, slowly taxied to the end of the runway. After getting its clearance for take-off, the aircraft began to roll down the runway, quickly elerating to reach its take-off speed. Then, the nose of the ne lifted, and the colossal frame of the aircraft was airborne, soaring into the darkening sky.


    Xiao Luo felt a difort, making him feel dizzy and nauseous, and he immediately knew that he was suffering from motion sickness.


    ¡°Are you alright, sir?¡± Seeing his reaction, Tan Ningfu hurried over and checked on him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Xiao Luo reclined his seat and leaned back, closing his eyes. His Yi Jinjing quickly went to work, forcibly suppressing the difort. His forehead began perspiring, and his brows were knitted, making him look rather unwell.


    ¡°Let me get you a cup of water.¡±


    Tan Ningfu was a very experienced flight attendant, and she quickly affirmed that Xiao Luo was suffering from motion sickness.


    With the help of his Yi Jinjing ability, Xiao Luo gradually recovered, and the difort left him like a receding tide. He opened his eyes and was greeted by a beautiful smile.


    ¡°Sir, this water is for you!¡± Tan Ningfu ced a cup of clear water on the chair-table in front of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in gratitude as he was really in need of a ss of water.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Tan Ningfu smiled and turned away as she went to see if other passengers needed service.


    Xiao Luo took a sip of water and looked out the window. He saw the fiery red glow of the sunset in the distant sky. Hidden behind a sea of thick clouds, it was a majestic sight. It felt like he had arrived in paradise and would catch a glimpse of the heavenly pce at any time, somewhere deep within the clouds.


    But in ten minutes, there was nothing but darkness outside the window.


    On the other hand, it was full of excitement in the cabin. Copying the style of male leads flirting with women in Korean soap operas, the tall and thin young man who flirted with Tan Ningfu during boarding kept hitting the call button to get her attention. Instead of ordering food or drinks, he would pester Tan Ningfu for her contact number. He wasn¡¯t interested in ordering anything at all.


    ¡°Sir, this is thest time. Please stop fooling around!¡± Tan Ningfu told the man, saying it firmly but not harshly.


    ¡­

 Chapter 312 - Old Man and a Riddle

    Chapter 312: Old Man and a Riddle


    Tan Ningfu was exasperated and duly reported the situation to the purser, who then confronted the passenger concerned. The tall, scrawny young man was firmly asked to refrain from further harassing the cabin staff as it prevented them from carrying out their inflight duties. When the other passengers in the first-ss cabin heard what was going on, they made sneering remarks and expressed contempt towards his behavior. One woman even spoke out loudly, ¡°The moral degeneration of the world is getting worse by the day. Trying to flirt with a girl on board a ne even when she¡¯s busy working? Who does he think that he is, Wu Yanzu[1]?¡±


    The tall, scrawny young man felt a little uneasy, and he thought, is wooing a girl even a sin?


    But evidently, he wasn¡¯t a person who could tolerate boredom. A short whileter, he started introducing himself to Xiao Luo from across the aisle, acting as if they knew each other.


    ¡°Hi, brother, it must be destiny that brought us together on this ne. My name is Wang Yanzu, what¡¯s yours?¡± Then turning to a female passenger, he said, ¡°Hey, miss, why are you looking at me like that? My name really is Wang Yanzu. I¡¯ve had this name since I was born. If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show you my ID now.¡±


    When Wang Yanzu mentioned his name, thedy who had scorned him earlier turned her head around and looked incredulous. Wang Yanzu immediately took his identity card out of his wallet and showed it to her. Several passengers stole a fleeting nce and were quite amused when they realized that it was truly his name.


    The name somehow created a more genial atmosphere in the first-ss cabin, and many of the passengers couldn¡¯t help chuckling and had smirks on their faces.


    Wang Yanzu?!


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled as well, thinking that it was a rather unique name.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s your name? Let¡¯s be friends,¡± Wang Yanzu said.


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with some reservations. He didn¡¯t feel like making conversation and was rather hoping for some peace and quiet during the flight.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really nice name, notcking in eloquence or significance, and it has a very pleasant ring to it. This suit you¡¯re wearing goes perfectly with your build and makes you look elegant. You have great taste in your dressing. One look at you, and I can tell that you¡¯re no ordinary man. You have a goodplexion, a pleasant countenance, and you take good care of yourself. I¡¯d say that you¡¯re someone with a very sessful career,¡± Wu Yanzu said, as he gave Xiao Luo a thumbs-up.


    ¡°Are you a salesman?¡±


    Wu Yanzu was startled and replied, ¡°Wow! How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because you have a nimble tongue, and you¡¯re good at boot-licking. These two qualities tell me that you are most certainly a salesman,¡± Xiao Luo said, not mincing his words.


    The passengers seated around them heard this and sniggered.


    But, Wang Yanzu was steadfast and quickly corrected Xiao Luo¡¯s choice of words. ¡°Brother, I believe you are mistaken. What I¡¯m doing is called ¡®praising.¡¯ The ability to offer praise is an artform unto itself, and it is also a form of self-cultivation. How could you simply describe that as ¡®boot-licking?''¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes, deciding not to respond and encourage further conversation. Wang Yanzu was a ¡°talkaholic.¡± Besides, he suspected this was all leading up to a sales pitch for a product he was trying to sell.


    And precisely as Xiao Luo had expected, Wang Yanzu went on to say, ¡°Brother, this is my business card. I¡¯m in insurance. Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to buy a policy from me, let¡¯s just be friends. However, there¡¯s something I must tell you. In your lifetime, there are three kinds of insurance where no matter how much you buy, you will never suffer any losses: First, the endowment insurance¡ªas everyone gets old, it will definitelye in handy one day. Second, medical insurance¡ªeveryone gets sick, and if one doesn¡¯t, they probably have died because of idents, and so they couldn¡¯t buy a medical insurance n in time. Andstly, the idental death and dismemberment insurance¡ªso that you don¡¯t lose both your life and your wealth. With this insurance n, if anything happens, you will be leaving behind your money and love, not your debts.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need them!¡±


    Xiao Luo rejected him bluntly.


    Seeing that this prospective client had a high level of resistance, Wang Yanzu changed the subject for now. ¡°Rx, I¡¯m just trying to give you some knowledge about insurance. I¡¯m not forcing you to buy them.¡± Without waiting for Xiao Luo¡¯s reply, he said, ¡°Brother, can I give you a riddle? ¡®A man with long legs, guess the name of a dessert.''¡±


    When it came to riddles, Zhang Dashan was the true grandmaster. And having spent a significant amount of time with Zhang Dashan, Xiao Luo naturally remembered many of them. The riddle that Wang Yanzu had just given him was one that Zhang Dashan had mentioned before.


    ¡°Dan gao!¡± Xiao Luo gave the answer to the riddle instantly, which meant ¡°cake¡± in Chinese.


    In fact, Xiao Luo was hoping that by giving the answer, Wang Yanzu would have nothing more to say.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re good in this,¡± Wang Yanzu said, looking pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Why is it ¡®Dan gao?''¡± The girl seated next to him was listening in and asked out of curiosity.


    Wang Yanzu smiled cheekily and exined, ¡°When a man has long legs, his eggs will be higher up, that¡¯s what ¡®Dan gao[2],¡¯ means, hahaha.¡±


    The crude exnation instantly made the girl blush. And as the first-ss cabin was fairlypact, flight attendant Tan Ningfu also heard it, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks as well.


    Having attracted the attention of Tan Ningfu, someone he fancied, Wang Yanzu became bolder and spoke even more loudly. Patting Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Brother, since you know the answer to ¡®men with long legs,¡¯ then you should also know the answer to ¡®women with long legs,¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°Ch¨²n Gao¡ªthat¡¯s easy.¡± Somewhere in the cabin, a male passenger shouted the answer, which meant ¡°lipstick¡± in Chinese.


    ¡°Ch¨²n Gao[3]?¡±


    Oh, my goodness!


    Such filthy jokes made the faces of all the female passengers go red.


    Wang Yanzu enjoyed being the center of attraction, and once he got going, it was difficult to stop him. The other male passengers were even responding to his obscene humor.


    Xiao Luo finally found some peace and quickly plugged his earphones on and closed his eyes. If he could, he would¡¯ve also put up a sign that said: do not disturb!


    It wasn¡¯t that he was against such humor, but to share obscene jokes around with someone he had only known for less than 10 minutes was another matter.


    An elderly man got up and was heading toward the toilet. Suddenly, after just a few steps, he copsed on the aisle, and his wife quickly went to him and called out, ¡°Help! Anyone, please help my husband!¡±


    Tan Ningfu immediately ran over and attended to the emergency. After assessing the old man¡¯s condition, she put him in a recovery position and promptly reported it to the purser. ¡°A passenger has passed out!¡±


    The purser, along with the safety officer, hurried to the first-ss cabin.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the purser asked the old man¡¯s wife.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know¡­ Please help my husband, I beg you¡­¡± the olddy was sobbing, and held the old man¡¯s hand tightly as she pleaded for someone to help.


    The purser immediately said to Tan Ningfu, ¡°Get on the PA and ask if they are any doctors on board!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Tan Ningfu grabbed the handset from her station and spoke into the mouthpiece, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. We have a medical emergency, are there any doctors on board? I repeat, are there any doctors on board? Please identify yourself with any of the crew. Thank you.¡±


    The announcement was repeated several times, but no one came forward.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there any doctors on board?¡±


    The purser who was giving the old man first aid, and she sighed when she got the news. She looked at the safety officer and said, ¡°Get in touch with flight control. Inform them about the medical emergency, and request fornding at a nearby airport. Go, hurry!¡±


    The officer left in a hurry and returned soon after, shaking his head. ¡°The nearest airport is Xiahai. It will take us another hour and a half to get there. Flight control has already contacted the Xiahai airport, and a medical team will be ready on arrival.¡±


    ¡°Do we have enough time?¡±


    The purser looked at the old man, he had his eyes shut tightly, and he was in apparent agony. Her heart was racing with anxiety.


    *****


    [1] Wu Yanzu: Chinese American actor, Daniel Wu.[2] ¡°Dan Gao¡±: a pun in Chinese, ¡°Dan,¡± meaning ¡°egg¡± or ¡°testicle,¡±; and ¡°Gao,¡± meaning ¡°tall,¡± hence ¡°egg-tall,¡± a reference to a man with long legs.[3]¡± Ch¨²n Gao¡±: a simr pun as in [2] above,¡± ch¨²n¡± meaning ¡°lips,¡± resembles the female private part, hence ¡°lip-high,¡± a reference to a woman with long legs.

 Chapter 313 - Life-saving

    Chapter 313: Life-saving


    Even when he had his earphones on listening to some music, Xiao Luo was well aware of what was going on in the first-ss cabin. Someone, from across the aisle, made sure of that. The moment the old man fainted, Wang Yanzu was already prodding Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, keeping him updated. He even said that the old man would die if he did not receive prompt medical attention from a doctor.


    ¡°By the looks of it, he¡¯s done for. If he really dies on the ne, the airlinepany will have a lot ofpensations to make,¡± Wang Yanzu said.


    Xiao Luo chose to ignore Wang Yanzu. He was more concerned about the old man and was considering whether he should try to save him. ording to a Buddhist parable, to rescue one person from death is greater than to build a seven-storied pagoda for worship; but deep down inside, a voice kept telling him to stay out of it. If Xiao Luo seeded in saving the old man¡¯s life, he¡¯d be hailed as a savior, but if he didn¡¯t, and the old man died in his hands, he¡¯d be considered a sinner and spurned. Was it worth the risk of getting involved in this matter?


    But as he looked into the helpless old woman¡¯s desperate eyes, Xiao Luo clenched his fists and immediately made up his mind. He then took off his earphones, got up from his seat, and walked over to the old man.


    ¡°I¡¯m a doctor, let me have a look at him!¡±


    Several people in the way immediately moved aside to let Xiao Luo through.


    Tan Ningfu looked at Xiao Luo rather dubiously and asked, ¡°Sir, are you really a doctor?¡±


    She had her doubts as Xiao Luo looked too young to be one.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m an intern.¡±


    Xiao Luo kneeled next to the old man, held his eyelids opened briefly, and took his pulse.


    Everyone was startled. An intern? Is he up to it?


    The purser gestured for everyone to stay silent as they were doing everything they could with only a doctor-in-training on hand to do the job.


    Suddenly, Wang Yanzu walked over to Xiao Luo, and without any regard for the passengers around him, he said, ¡°Brother, this old man looks like he¡¯s in pretty bad shape, please think twice about this.¡±


    His meaning was clear, this wasn¡¯t something he should be meddling with. Being just an intern, he would be putting himself at risk should something go wrong.


    ¡°Doctor, please save my husband, I¡¯m begging you. I¡¯ll kowtow¡­ let me kowtow to you!¡± the old woman pleaded, weeping uncontrobly.


    Like a drowning man clutching desperately to straw, the old woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Xiao Luo. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she pleaded unceasingly.


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Xiao Luo was no god, and despite having had purchased the healing ability from the system previously, not all illnesses could be cured. And especially so in a ne, where medical facilities werecking.


    He fixed the band from the blood pressure gauge over the old man¡¯s arm to monitor his blood pressure value regrly. He looked up at Tan Ningfu and said, ¡°Pay attention to his blood pressure readings. Let me know when they are lower than 70 or higher than 150.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Tan Ningfu nodded.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Wang Yanzu let out a long sigh. He felt that Xiao Luo¡¯s decision was rash and irrational. He should¡¯ve known that if he couldn¡¯t save the old man, he might be held responsible by his family. It was simply a thankless task.


    The passengers in the first-ss cabin became anxious and were paying close attention to the situation. While, the old woman was distraught, trembling as she held her palm together in prayer. She was murmuring in silent prayer for the Heavens to keep her husband safe.


    ¡°Do you have a syringe?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned to the purser and asked, after putting the oxygen mask over the old man¡¯s nose and mouth.


    ¡°Yes, we do,¡± the purser replied, then nodding at a flight attendant, she said, ¡°bring him the syringes.¡±


    When he got them, Xiao Luo quickly tore one of the sealed packets, and unbuttoning the old man¡¯s shirt front, he prepared to push the syringe into his lungs.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The purser was shocked. Was he trying to save him or kill him? Piercing through the lungs with a syringe, could the old man survive that?


    The purser had never heard of such a procedure, and the passengers felt apprehensive too, watching the scene with trepidation.


    ¡°His blood pressure is too high, and the pressure in his thoracic cavity is also rising fast. If the pressure isn¡¯t normalized, it will lead to internal hemorrhage.¡±


    As he spoke, Xiao Luo pierced the syringe through the old man¡¯s chest. ¡°The patient has cerebral thrombosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and acrophobia. These problems were exacerbated by the aircraft¡¯s low cabin pressure, which caused him to lose consciousness,¡± he continued to exin.


    As the crowd listened to what Xiao Luo said, they felt relieved and thought that the young intern seemed quite knowledgeable.


    But after the first needle was inserted, the old man coughed violently and spat blood, spraying the inside of the oxygen mask red. The old man¡¯s face went pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Old man!!!¡±


    The old woman shrieked in anguish, losing control of her emotions.


    The atmosphere in the entire first-ss cabin was tense. And doubts once again emerged in the eyes of those observing Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo ignored them all and removed a second syringe from its air-sealed packing. He found another point and slowly inserted the needle.


    ¡°Blood pressure is at 150,¡± Tan Ningfu said.


    Then, the old man¡¯s body trembled and twitched violently, once again coughing out several mouthfuls of blood.


    ¡°Oh god, you¡¯re in big trouble, my friend.¡±


    Wang Yanzu was anxious for Xiao Luo, and he kept on stomping the cabin floor. After some thought, he felt that he¡¯d be better off severing all ties with Xiao Luo. He slowly backed away to avoid being dragged into the incident.


    ¡°Blood pressure is at 160, and it is still rising!¡± A hint of panic was detected in Tan Ningfu¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Is he going to recover or not?¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t be happening if he is. Look, the old man has vomited blood.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s just a trainee doctor.¡±


    Voices of doubt came from everywhere, and despite being mere whispers, Xiao Luo¡¯s ears picked up every word.


    Xiao Luo ignored thempletely and concentrated on depressurizing the old man¡¯s chest cavity. Sweat trickled down his forehead, as this work was more exhausting than any other, requiring long periods of full concentration. After the third needle was inserted, the old man¡¯s condition gradually stabilized. His blood pressure was steadily dropping and finally stabilized around 100. The old man¡¯splexion improved substantially, slowly regaining a liveliness to his skin.


    Huh? He did it!


    Everyone was startled. It was only a moment ago when the old man looked like he was going to kick the bucket. How did his condition suddenly stabilize? What happened?


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t feel the need to exin, and he just wiped the sweat off his forehead and stood up. ¡°The patient¡¯s condition has stabilized. When we arrive at Xiahai Airport, get him to a hospital immediately. He will receiveprehensive care there,¡± he told the purser, ¡°and, by the way, try to give him as much space as possible. Keep the air flowing around here.¡±


    The purser nodded. ¡°Okay, and thank you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Old man, you¡¯re awake, you really scared me there.¡±


    The old woman held the old man tightly in her arms, she had nearly lost him. Then, she looked kindly upon Xiao Luo and expressed her deepest gratitude, ¡°Thank you, doctor, thank you so much.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, then turned around and returned to his own seat.


    p! p! p!


    The purser took the initiative to lead a round of apuse for Xiao Luo.


    The apuse carried on for a while, and all passengers in the first-ss cabin had nothing but admiration for the young intern, and broad smiles on their faces.


    Suddenly, Wang Yanzu appeared again. He looked cheerful as heughed and said, ¡°This is my brother, my good old brother, Xiao Luo.¡±


    Shamelessly, he stood by the hero of the moment and shared in the adtions.


    ¡­

 Chapter 314 - A Shocking Turn of Events

    Chapter 314: A Shocking Turn of Events


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t one to revel in adtion and ttery, but he appreciated the apuse and praises from his fellow passengers. It gave him a sense of gratification, knowing that he had saved someone today, and it put him in a pleasant mood. He returned to his seat, plugged on his earphones, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind to enjoy a moment of tranquility.


    Wang Yanzu, on the other hand, enjoyed sharing every bit of the attention as he stood next to Xiao Luo, and felt thoroughly invigorated. He suddenly noticed that Xiao Luo had left his side when the apuse died and quickly returned to his seat. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re really brilliant. Let¡¯s add each other on WeChat after we get off the ne!¡±


    ¡°Can you stop talking to me, please?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t tolerate him any longer and abruptly put a stop to any further conversation. Wang Yanzu had been buzzing in his ear like a housefly from when he boarded the ne, denying him even a moment of peace and quiet. To have been able to put up with him till now could already be considered quite an undertaking.


    Wang Yangzu just had a door mmed right in his face and had to sit quietly, twiddling his thumbs¡ªhow awkward was that! However, Wang Yangzu, the kind of man he was, just couldn¡¯t endure the boredom. Soon he began striking up conversations with the passengers seated around him. But, most of them did not respond to him with the enthusiasm he had hoped for, as very few people were inclined to have meaningful conversations with absolute strangers. It wasn¡¯t that they particrly despised him or were aloof, but it was merely their normal reaction toward a stranger.


    After the old man¡¯s condition had stabilized, the flight attendants returned to their respective stations. Tan Ningfu once again served Xiao Luo a ss of water.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, thank you very much for what you did just now,¡± she said with a charming smile.


    ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s my duty.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and spoke modestly. He thanked Tan Ningfu as she had poured him two sses of water, and noted that they were both precisely when he needed a drink. There was something about this girl, and Xiao Luo liked her.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with duty. I think it¡¯s more than that, you¡¯re a good person, Mr. Xiao. Only a good person will take on the responsibility to act in situations like that,¡± Tan Ningfu said.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t consider myself a good person, but I¡¯m certainly not a bad one,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Tan Ningfu smiled, she thought it was rather profound. ¡°You¡¯re funny, Mr. Xiao. By the way, which hospital in Xiahai are you working?¡±


    When he heard her ask that question, Wang Yanzu could hardly sit still. He thought Tan Ningfu must be trying to make something happen between them. He wanted to intervene somehow, but he found that he had nothing worthwhile to say.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t got a cement yet,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Would you mind giving me your contact then, Mr. Xiao?¡± Tan Ningfu asked. It did sound a little brazen, and Wang Yanzu nearly choked.


    Xiao Luo raised his head and gave her a quizzical look.


    Tan Ningfu was a little embarrassed, realizing how that came across. ¡°I live with my grandmother, and she¡¯s always been in poor health, often fainting without any symptoms. She has been to the Xiaohai Hospital, but they couldn¡¯t find any problems with her,¡± she rified, ¡°so, if you have time, Mr. Xiao, could youe and have a look at her, please?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. But I honestly can¡¯t assure you that I can cure your grandmother,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just try your best. Regardless of whether you can or not, I¡¯ll be grateful to you, Mr. Xiao,¡± Tan Ningfu said, bowing slightly.


    Since she had already brought it up, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t refuse her request, and he duly gave his contact information to Tan Ningfu.


    After Tan Ningfu walked away, Wang Yanzu felt envious, and as he sighed in disappointment, he couldn¡¯t helpmenting, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re going to have the time of your life! Sigh¡­ how unfortunate, such a beautifuldy cannot be mine. If I could find a girl of her ss, I¡¯ll be willing to even trade 10 years of my life for it.¡±


    Xiao Luo pretended not to hear him. Being a ¡°talkaholic¡± wasn¡¯t a good thing at most times, and right now was a good example. Wang Yanzu was beginning to annoy him to bits.


    Suddenly, the ne jolted and shook violently, then the cabin lights flickered for a moment before it came back on.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    There was an anxiety in the entire cabin, and some of the passengers began to panic. They were 8,000 to 9,000 meters above the ground level, and any mishap would undoubtedly be fatal.


    The purser quickly spoke through the PA to calm the passengers, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. We are experiencing air turbulence, and this is a normal phenomenon. Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened. Thank you.¡±


    A normal phenomenon?


    As Xiao Luo looked out the window, he saw bolts of lightning shing around, and he immediately felt a sense of impending doom. The aircraft had flown directly into a storm cloud, and he could even feel the electrical charge permeating the atmosphere. Shouldn¡¯t nes be avoiding thunderstorm clouds?


    Xiao Luo had a bad feeling about this, especially when he saw the purser rushing through to the first-ss cabin with several safety officers. They headed for the cockpit and kept knocking on the door, calling for the flight crew to respond.


    Things went from bad to worse, after they did not get any response from the cockpit, the purser instructed the safety officers to breach the cockpit door.


    The passengers in the economy-ss were oblivious to what was happening, but passengers in the first-ss cabin witnessed everything. It was beyond a doubt now that something was definitely wrong. Fear began to set in, and everyone sat quietly, looking pale and terrified. A few passengers even checked to see if there were lifejackets under their seats. The turbulence came back once again, more violent than the first, and the frightened cries of children could be heard from the aft cabin.


    Suddenly, a voice came on the PA again. It was a man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, this is your first officer, Lao Cui. Congrattions! You have all been given the privilege to go to heaven with me, hahaha¡­ Yes, you¡¯re not mistaken. You and I, and this Boeing 747, will be going to heaven, where there¡¯s no pain, no conflict, no pressure¡ªonly bliss and joy. Do not fear, do not panic, and keep a smile on your face as we¡¯re going to meet God. I, Lao Cui, will lead you to him, hahaha¡­¡±


    It was the voice of a deranged man, a psychotic man who intended tomit suicide by crashing the aircraft.


    Their co-pilot, Cui Jihou, had just dered his intentions to kill everyone on board; the aircraft was shaking wildly as it flew into a thunderstorm, and lightning shed incessantly. They will all die without a final resting ce.


    There was pandemonium in the cabin as passengers were assailed by an over-powering sense of dread and began to panic¡ªwhat were they supposed to do? The sounds of people crying, screams of anguish, and desperate prayers filled the air.


    ¡°We¡¯re doomed! The co-pilot has gone crazy, he wants to kill us all! No, please, no! I haven¡¯t gotten a wife yet! I haven¡¯t lived enough!¡± Wang Yanzu was wailing in tears. But there was no way out of this, he couldn¡¯t just jump off the ne like jumping off a car.


    ¡°Hurry up, I need a few men here to break through the cockpit door!¡± the purser shouted urgently.


    A few men responded immediately and tried to smash down the cockpit door. They rammed against the door with their shoulders and tried to kick it open, but to no avail. The cabin reverberated with the sound of each impact, but the door remained in ce.


    ¡°Gentlemen out there, please stop wasting your energy. You can never break down an armored cockpit door. I suggest you sit down, rx, and prepare to meet God.¡± The co-pilot came on the PA again with a sinister message to the passengers.


    ¡°Cui Jihou, what the hell are you thinking?¡± the purser yelled.


    ¡°What am I thinking? Why don¡¯t you go and ask ourpany directors? I¡¯ve toiled for more than 10 years, but yet those who joined after me had all been promoted, but what about me? I¡¯m still a damned co-pilot,¡± Cui Jihou responded, ¡°I¡¯m very upset, and I want revenge; I want thepany to pay a painful price, hahaha, hahaha¡­¡±


    The first officer had gone mad¡ªhe intended to destroy the aircraft and everyone along with it. As his maniacalugh echoed through the cabin, everyone fell into despair.


    ¡­

 Chapter 315 - Fear and Despair

    Chapter 315: Fear and Despair


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    The din of men frantically trying to knock down the reinforced cockpit door added to the mounting despair among the frightened passengers. Over thest two decades, cockpit doors had been manufactured to prevent unauthorized entry and were bullet-proofed. They were constructed withminated armor and had multi-point strengthened deadbolts. It was next to impossible to breakthrough.


    ¡°Mr. Cui turned off the autopilot, and he¡¯s diverted the ne off course to fly through the thunderstorm clouds. The aircraft will take severe damage if hit by lightning, hail or strong winds, and if the airframe or controls are damaged, that¡¯ll be the end for us,¡± a crew member familiar with the situation exined, his face as white as a sheet and perspiring heavily.


    As soon as he said that, the crew and passengers seated close by paled, never thinking they¡¯d be so close to death. The ne flew through a raging storm, pealing with thunder and the shes of lightning¡ªalmost like a deathly dance with the devil himself, and one slip was all it took before he devoured them all.


    ¡°Step aside!¡±


    Xiao Luo got up his seat and strode toward the cockpit door with a purposeful gait.


    ¡°Yes, with more people, we have a better chance of ramming the door down!¡± the purser said, nodding with a glint of renewed hope in her eyes.


    ¡°You misunderstand me, I¡¯m asking all of you to step aside,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°This¡­huh?¡±


    Everyone looked shocked as they asked themselves exactly what n this man had in his mind. Did he really think that he could knock down the cockpit door all by himself?


    ¡°Listen to him, step aside!¡±


    Tan Ningfu had an inexplicable trust in Xiao Luo, and she quickly helped to move the crowd away from the entryway to the cockpit.


    Xiao Luo gazed at the cockpit door, then slowly channeled his Qi flow to his arms, fixing his eyes on two points. He breathed in deeply then blew out forcefully as he thrust both his palms against the reinforced cockpit door.


    Waves of energy surged back from the impact like a howling wind, sending the onlookers a step back.


    BOOM!!!


    The door was blown off from its frame and hurled into the cockpit like it was hit by a speeding train, and numerous instruments and operation buttons in the cockpit came into view.


    ¡°Holy cow! he blew open the cockpit door all by himself!¡±


    All the passengers in the first-ss cabin and the flight attendants were startled, and their spirits were lifted, temporarily forgetting the dire situation they were in.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ brother, I love you so much! Hurry up, and let¡¯s drag that sh*tfaced co-pilot out here and whack him to death!¡± Wang Yanzu cheered, and finally seeing a glimmer of hope, he was ted.


    Xiao Luo instantly stepped into the cockpit.


    The captain was slumped on his seat, he had been battered and was drenched in blood, appearing to have been struck by a blunt object over the head. The co-pilot, Cui Jihou, an obese middle-aged man, was seated on the right pilot seat, looking stunned.


    Xiao Luo grabbed Cui Jihou by his cor, lifted him from his seat like a puppy, and tossed him out of the cockpit.


    The hostile crowd immediately jumped on him and assaulted him with countless kicks and punches.


    The purser kept her cool, and sensibly stopped the crowd from beating up the man. She got in front of the co-pilot and said, ¡°Stop hitting him, he¡¯s the only one who knows how to fly this ne. If he¡¯s injured, we won¡¯t be able to make a safending!¡±


    Gasp!


    Their anger dissipated instantly, and the mob stepped back, there was a general disorder in the cabin. Some of the passengers stared at Cui Jihou, who was on the floor, hoping that he wouldnd the ne. In their fury, they had all rushed at him intending to kill.


    Cui Jihou was badly beaten up, and his nose and mouth were bleeding profusely. Yet, he stillughed maniacally and goaded the crowd with a scowl, ¡°Go on, hit me! Let¡¯s go and meet God together, hahaha, hahaha¡­¡±


    He sat on the cabin floor facing the passengers, shing two rows of bloody teeth as he chortled away in glee.


    The purser kneeled down next to Cui Jihou, held his shoulders firmly and said, ¡°Mr. Cui, I don¡¯t know what you are going through, but you must put your grievance aside. You can¡¯t direct your anger at these passengers, they are all innocent. Please, pull yourself together and make sure that the nends safely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s right, we are innocent, please don¡¯t take out your anger on us.¡±


    ¡°We are sorry for beating you. Captain Cui, please hurry up, get back in there and pilot the ne.¡±


    ¡°We have no quarrels with you, even if you wish to die, please don¡¯t drag us down with you.¡±


    The passengers spoke one after another, doing their best to coax Cui Jihou to fly the ne.


    Wang Yanzu was holding a fan, waving it at Cui Jihou and smiling like apdog. ¡°Mr. Cui, hear me out. No obstacle in life is impossible to get through. No matter how big it is, it will turn small tomorrow, and until the day after tomorrow, it¡¯ll ount for nothing,¡± he said, ¡°and I can see that you have a wife and kids, right? If they learn that you¡¯vemitted suicide this high up in the sky, how do you think they¡¯ll possibly feel?¡±


    Cui Jihou suddenly lost control of his emotions and became aggressive. With his bloodshot eyes bulging in anger, he grabbed Wang Yanzu¡¯s cor and yelled at him, ¡°My wife had an affair with another man, and the son I¡¯ve raised for more than ten years is not mine! I killed them both and hid them behind a wall in my home¡­¡±


    Wang Yanzu froze, petrified by his horrifying, psychotic expression. The others were stupefied, dropping their jaws in disbelief. Who could¡¯ve expected that Cui Jihou would actually murder his own wife and son?


    Then reality hit¡ªwhy would a murderer want to pilot the ne andnd it safely? There was only one thing this man had in his mind now, and it was to die!


    ¡°I advise you all to stay in your seats and wait for the doors of heaven to open. It¡¯s toote now, toote for anything. I¡¯ve disengaged allmunication and tracking devices. We¡¯ve lost all contact with air traffic control. Now, the ne is just flying blind, and it¡¯ll just keep flying ahead. Even if I return to pilot the ne, I won¡¯t be able to find an airport,¡± Cui Jihou said, and added, ¡°a Jumbo needs a long and spacious runway, this ne cannotnd anywhere. So, we¡¯ll end up either getting breaking up in this storm cloud, or the ne will run out of fuel and plummet to the ground like a meteorite. Bang! We¡¯ll all turn into ashes, hahaha¡­ hahaha¡­¡±


    Cui Jihou looked unhinged as he gave a vivid ount of what would happen in the end.


    Pilots would establish their flight routes before departure to avoid bad weather, and all civil aviation aircraft was tracked closely by the control tower on the ground, which would advise the flight crew on everything from bad weather and wind patterns, to the direction of runway tond the aircraft. The captain and co-pilot merely had to monitor the flight ording to the flight n, and make nominal alterations to the course in unforeseen weather changes. But without serviceable flight instruments and the ability tomunicate with ground control, the crew would have no way of knowing where the ne was heading. This was the situation they now found themselves in¡ªthey had to locate an airport and find a way to safelynd the aircraft.


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    A male safety officer lost his mind. He grabbed Cui Jihou by the hair and pummeled him with a volley of punches.


    ¡°Arrgh, ummph¡­ what¡¯s the use, let us all die together, hahaha¡­.¡±


    Despite being beaten to a pulp and soaked in blood, Cui Jijou was stillughing insanely.


    At that point, everyone on board knew that they were about to die. Some trembled uncontrobly, while others appeared reconciled with their impending deaths. Some even put pen to paper and wrote notes to leave behind to their loved ones. Adults with children were holding onto their kids tightly. Everybody dealt with death in different ways.


    The entire cabin was in dead silence, while in the frigid conditions outside, lightning shed incessantly, only meters from the fusge. The crackling sensation of static electricity numbed the senses, as hairs stood on end in the charged atmosphere. The aircraft¡¯s power supply system had been disrupted, and lights were flickering intermittently, intensifying the heavy air of despair that fell upon the passengers and crew.


    ¡­

 Chapter 316 - Propel out

    Chapter 316: Propel out


    ¡°Ding. Congrattions, the host has acquired the Piloting ability¡ªeight hundred points have been deducted!¡±


    The cabin was thick with an air of trepidation, as the passengers sat quietly, panic-stricken and in despair. The captain had sustained a severe head injury and was bleeding profusely, and nobody knew what condition he was in. Having just acquired the piloting ability, Xiao Luo dragged the pilot out from the cockpit and took his seat. He ced his hands on the yoke and now intended to steer the ne out of the thunderstorm.


    Tan Ningfu was the first to notice that Xiao Luo had taken control of the flight deck, and she was startled. She promptly informed the purser about it.


    The crew and passengers seated in the first-ss cabin had a clear view of the cockpit, and when everyone saw who the man in themander¡¯s seat was, their eyes widened as they dropped their jaws in absolute shock. What business did Xiao Luo have flying the aircraft?


    ¡°What the heck, what¡¯re you doing, brother?¡±


    Wang Yanzu let out a holler in surprise. ¡°This is not a toy ne nor a car, don¡¯t touch anything in there, brother, it¡¯ll cost lives!¡± he screamed. He could ept that Xiao Luo just happened to be on board during a medical emergency and was on hand to save a life, as doctors were quitemon. But knowing how to fly a ne was a totally different skill set altogether, so what were the chances that he¡¯d also be a pilot?


    Was it possible that Xiao Luo could also fly a ne? Many people had not even boarded on a ne before, let alone flying one. It was aplicated and highly technical skill, and it would only take one tiny error on Xiao Luo¡¯s part to lose control of the ne and plunge all the way down to the ground.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t touch the controls, you have no idea how to operate it.¡±


    ¡°Stop it right now, don¡¯t put our lives at risk.¡±


    ¡°Purser, please stop him, don¡¯t let him touch anything.¡±


    The passengers came out of their momentary shock, calling for Xiao Luo to immediately stop what he was doing. Like Wang Yanzu, none of them believed that Xiao Luo could fly a ne, and he seemed to be hitting switches and pressing buttons without any knowledge of piloting.


    CRACK!


    A bolt of lightning shed just outside the cabin windows, snaking across the sky like a fiery serpent a hundred miles long. It was too close forfort and had the lightning bolt struck the fusge, it would have likely caused the ne to crash. The thunderstorm swirled with high winds and battered the aircraft like a kite, and as the ne shook violently, several passengers were thrown off their seats. It sent a wave of terror through the cabin as everyone screamed in panic.


    ¡°He must have hit the wrong buttons, stop him immediately. What nonsense is this?¡±


    ¡°Stop him, someone, stop him!¡±


    ¡°B*stard, if I die because of this, I will haunt your family as a vengeful spirit!¡±


    The passengers started to panic and lost allposure, believing that Xiao Luo had flown too close to the lightning bolt by mistake. Everyone was cursing in the cabin and was demanding that Xiao Luo stop what he was doing, but as the ne was shaking violently, it prevented them from entering the cockpit.


    Xiao Luo ignored their screams and hit several buttons, then he pushed the yoke forward, and the airspeed immediately picked up significantly. By pushing on the control column, he had sent the ne into a controlled dive, propelling it out of the thunderstorm like the descending end of a rainbow.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, faster!¡±


    Xiao Luo counted down in his mind, expecting that they would be flying out of the thunderstorm anytime. They needed to get out as soon as possible to avoid any damage to the aircraft or risk crashing to the ground.


    ¡°One thousand meters, five hundred meters, three hundred meters¡­¡±


    Finally, they were now approaching the edge of the thunderstorm.


    RRRRRRRrrrrrrr¡­


    As the engines groaned, the ne propelled out of the thick, dark mass of clouds like a dragon emerging from the sea, and leveled off safely, once again in clear weather.


    As the ne settled into a cruise, some passengers realized that they were out of the storm, and the skies were devoid of howling winds and angry shes of lightning. The cabin looked like it had just been through an earthquake, and passengers began to pick themselves up and breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°We¡¯re out, we¡­ we¡¯re out!¡± Someone yell.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re out of the thunderstorm.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re safe, we¡¯re safe!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone in the cabin was overjoyed and started to cheer¡ªthey were hugging each other with relief, some were excited, while others even shed tears of joy.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, you really do know how to fly a ne!¡±


    Tan Ningfu ran into the cockpit, and she could hardly control her excitement.


    Xiao Luo had a serious expression on his face and remained silent for a while as he contemted what needed to be done next. All contact between the aircraft and air traffic control had been cut, and there was no way to reactivate the equipment. As Cui Jihou had said, they were flying blind, and if they couldn¡¯t get to an airport that couldnd arge B747, then they would still crash. In other words, once the fuel ran out, they would still end up dying.


    What could he do?


    What should he do?


    He frowned and cursed his rotten luck. Nobody would be smiling if they encountered such an emergency on their very first trip on a ne.


    ¡°Cheer up, everyone, cheer up! The ne will never reach the airport, and it will just keep flying in the air until it runs out of fuel. Even if we¡¯re not struck by lightning, the results would still be the same. We¡¯ll meet God together, hahaha, hahaha¡­¡±


    Cui Jihou¡¯s face was covered in blood, and as heughed maniacally, his face looked demented and evil, making those who saw him shiver in fear.


    His words put everyone in despair as the reality once again sunk in. The inflight crew was well aware of the situation, and they looked pale and despondent.


    ¡°B*llshit! Don¡¯t believe him. If my brother knows how to fly a ne, then he can surelynd it safely.¡±


    Wang Yanzu tried to convince himself and everyone around him. Then, refusing to hear another word from the co-pilot, he swung a punch right at Cui Jihou¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ugghh¡­ ahh, don¡¯t worry, everything will end, let us all dive into God¡¯s embrace.¡± Cui Jihou continued tough insanely, and this time he actually gave them an empathetic look.


    ¡°Dive and embrace your head, your f*cking idiot!¡±


    ¡°Saboteur, you¡¯re seeking death, but why have you dragged us along.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll beat the hell out of you!¡±


    The enraged passengers all flocked around and beat up Cui Jihou.


    Xiao Luo was distracted by themotion in the cabin, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Shut up!!!¡±


    At this very moment, he was the most important man in the aircraft, and his roar had a surprising effect on the passengers, who immediately obeyed him and returned to their respective seats.


    Xiao Luo shouted, ¡°Purser!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao?¡± she responded immediately.


    ¡°Keep the passengers calm and make sure they wear their seatbelts, they must remain seated. Also, keep an eye on that co-pilot and do not let him move around.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    The chief flight attendant left to carry out Xiao Luo¡¯s instructions right away.


    Without a doubt, Xiao Luo was now unanimously recognized as themander of the aircraft.


    Xiao Luo nced at Tan Ningfu and said, ¡°Ms. Tan, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao. Please let me know if you have any task for me, I will do my best to assist you,¡± Tan Ningfu said.


    ¡°Take the co-pilot¡¯s seat and assist me.¡±


    ¡°What? I-I¡­ but I¡¯m not trained to fly a ne,¡± Tan Ningfu replied, shocked as she was merely a flight attendant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll tell you what to do.¡±


    Xiao Luo said it with conviction and finality, as the ne required two pilots to operate for a safending. Had he four arms to work with, he would not have required her to assist.


    ¡­

 Chapter 317 - Time to land

    Chapter 317: Time tond


    ¡°I have two tasks for you now. First¡ªinform Xiahai Air Traffic Control to clear its runway and clearly mark the end for an emergencynding. Second¡ªswitch on your phone and go to maps, then and mark out Xiahai airport¡¯s location. I need to get our bearing right to ensure that we fly towards Xiahai and not any other city.¡±


    Tan Ningfu sat in the co-pilot¡¯s seat, as Xiao Luo calmly gave her instructions for the two tasks. The aircraft¡¯smunication system had been disengaged by Cui Jihou, so they could only rely on the smartphone¡¯s GPS and location services to serve as the ne¡¯s navigation system.


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    Tan Ningfu took out her phone immediately, but she quickly found out that there she couldn¡¯t get a signal.


    Xiao Luo handed her his device and said, ¡°Use my phone instead.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s phone was issued to him by the NSA. Before he handed the phone over to Tan Ningfu, he unlocked it and turned off the flight mode. Regr phones would not be able to receive a signal this high up in the air, but the NSA-issued phone was an enhanced version of smartphones, and could not only receive signals from terrestrial transmission towers but could alsomunicate via satellite. In effect, it could operate literally in any corner of the world at any time.


    Tan Ningfu promptly contacted the Xiahai Airport ATC and conveyed Xiao Luo¡¯s message clearly. The moment they received the mayday call, Xiahai Airport Authorities immediately mobilized for an emergencynding.


    Tan Ningfu then opened the Map app and marked out the location of Xiahai airport.


    ¡°We are flying off-course by forty-five degrees, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at the location on the phone map and then started to alter the aircraft course.


    ¡°Brother, wow, what¡¯s the brand of phone? It¡¯s really powerful, it¡¯s getting a full bar of signal strength at this high altitude!¡±


    Wang Yanzu was standing outside at the cockpit door and was very impressed by the phone. He had thought that the phone signal was supported by the mobile base stations on the ground. The usual coverage of a single base station was about five thousand meters, and he wondered how it was possible for Xiao Luo¡¯s phone to get a signal nine thousand meters up in the air.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and concentrated on keeping the ne on a course heading to Xiahai airport.


    The purser, her crew, and the passengers in the first-ss cabin looked at Xiao Luo in awe. He was an enigma¡ªnot only was he a doctor who had just saved a life, now he was at the helm of the aircraft attempting to fly to the nearest airport andnd safely. Even his phone was different from everyone else¡¯s, being able to receive a signal at such a high altitude. Everything about him suggested that this man was extraordinary!


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, may I¡­ may I ask you a question?¡± Tan Ningfu could not contain her curiosity any longer.


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    Xiao Luo was much more rxed now as he had made the necessary adjustments and kept the aircraft heading on course to Xiahai airport. They were only within forty minutes of their destination, barring any mishaps.


    ¡°Where did you learn to fly a ne?¡± Tan Ningfu asked.


    Xiao Luo thought of a random excuse. ¡°By reading books.¡±


    ¡°What? So, you have never flown a real ne?¡± Tan Ningfu was shocked.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, and he was being honest as this was indeed his first time being in a ne.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, you¡¯re incredible! You have done such a good job on your first try.¡±


    Tan Ningfu was an optimist, and she could only see Xiao Luo¡¯s strengths. Had any other person been sitting in that seat, they would have undoubtedly been worried. Even first-time drivers would be nervous about driving a car, what more aplete rookie flying a ne. If this had been made known to the passengers, those who had just calmed down would start to panic once again.


    The purser did her part to calm andfort the passengers. After briefing the passengers on emergency evacuation drills, everyone knew that they were on course to Xiahai airport. And to keep them upied until then, she and her crew had even organized singing sessions. It certainly helped to keep everyone rxed and prevented them from bing too anxious.


    Before long, Cui Jihou was again screaming messages of doom. ¡°Do not be fooled, that man will never be your savior, there¡¯s no way that the ne cannd safety regardless of what he does. You should all embrace the end of your lives in your seats.¡±


    Needless to say, he was driven to madness by the stress of murdering both his wife and son and his problems at work. He wanted to take his revenge on this disgusting world, and he only sought nothing but death.


    A muscr safety officer was provoked by his words and hit him with a few punches until Cui Jihou passed out, and his ranting came to an abrupt stop.


    As a result of Cui Jihou¡¯s despairing words, the passengers became agitated again as it made them realize that they were soon to make an emergencynding. The final approach andnding were critical, and any errors here would mean certain death. Forty minutes wasn¡¯t a long time, soon the aircraft would be descending to a lower altitude, and they¡¯d be approaching Xiahai airport.


    Everyone was seated upright, and no one even dared to make a sound.


    ¡°Mommy, will wend safely?¡± A girl asked as she hugged tightly to her mother.


    ¡°Yes, we will, we surely will, and we¡¯ll see daddy soon,¡± the mother said as sheforted her frightened child.


    When the other passengers heard that, their hearts went out for all parents traveling with their children. At the same time, they couldn¡¯t help hoping that everything they were experiencing now would turn out to be like those scenes from disaster movies, where things would turn out well when there were kids around.


    ¡°Everyone, have faith in my brother, he willnd the ne safely for sure,¡± Wang Yanzu shouted out loud.


    A flight attendant went on the PA: ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we havemenced our descent, please ensure your seats are upright and fasten your seatbelts. We will inform you again just before we make thending. Please believe that God is with us, and have faith in Mr. Xiao. We will surelynd safely at Xiahai airport!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ll be fine, some fortune-teller told me that I will live to the age of 100, so I can¡¯t possibly be passing on at such a young age!¡± a middle-aged man in his fifties said loudly to cheer everyone up.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Everyoneughed at the irony, it was interesting to hear that dying at the fifties was considered dying at a young age.


    More people started to crack jokes, and the cabin¡¯s atmosphere had lightened up, keeping the gloom at bay.


    In the cockpit, a call came through from Xiahai Airport ATC., and it was the voice of ady air traffic controller. ¡°Attention Boeing 747, attention Boeing 747¡ªwe have cleared the runway. The approach end has been marked with emergency lights. Your approach is good,nding is achievable. Good luck!¡±


    ¡°Copy that. Roger!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded and adjusted the trim as they approached Xiahai airport.


    Tan Ningfu was visibly nervous, and her legs were shaking slightly, but Xiao Luo had given her a much-needed sense of security, this man seemed to have an innate ability to calm others down and trust him.


    The ne was in its final approach to Xiahai airport and was decreasing in speed and altitude. The city lights could be seen from afar, resembling a sea of stars in the sky. The rows of edge lighting clearly outlined the boundaries of the runway, and a pair of white blinking lights at the approach end of the runway looked like they were guiding the two hundreds of ¡°lost sheep¡± on board the aircraft to find their way home.


    Wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo at nervous at all?


    Yes, he was certainly very nervous, he may have obtained the piloting ability to fly the ne, but it did not mean that he was equipped with the necessary experience to fly andnd the aircraft. Most of the meters were damaged by the strong electromaic field in the thunderstorm, resulting in the malfunction of the ne¡¯s autonding function. He could only attempt thending by sight.


    ¡°When we¡¯rending, make sure you hold that yoke steadily and keep an eye on those two sets of lights on the left side of the runway, do you see it? Ensure that they are two red lights and two white lights; inform me immediately when there¡¯s any change.¡± Xiao Luo reminded her.


    ¡°Yes. Okay, I got it.¡±


    Tan Ningfu answered, and her eyes were fully fixed on the two sets of PAPI lights.


    That was a precision approach path indicator that provided guidance information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct glideslope to the runway. When it¡¯s changed, it meant that the approach was wrong and required immediate adjustment. Too high, and the force onnding may break the ne¡¯snding gear. If thending gear waspromised, it was equivalent to having a tire bursting on a speeding car, resulting in serious consequences.


    ¡­

 Chapter 318 - Landed

    Chapter 318: Landed


    Xiao Luo concentrated hard as he gazed through the heavy shroud of mist, and he could already see the two shing lights that marked the approach-end of the runway. He began his final approach, with the array of lighting systems at the threshold of the runway as his target. Beyond the two shing lights, there were three lines of white lights on either side of the center that extended for a thousand meters¡ªthis was the touchdown zone and where Xiao Luo intended tond.


    The aircraft was equipped with an altitude warning system that automatically activated an aural warning and beep in the cockpit to alert the pilot of his altitude.


    Five hundred meters¡­


    Three hundred meters¡­


    Two hundred meters¡­


    The aircraft shook violently as it began to descend sharply, and the passengers felt a sense of weightlessness. Had they not been buckled down to their seats, they would definitely have been thrown off during the turbulent approach.


    ¡°God bless us, God bless us¡­¡±


    Some passengers had shut their eyes tightly and were in desperate prayer.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, the lights have turned red!¡± Tan Ningfu, who had been paying close attention to the PAPI lights, suddenly shouted out in rm.


    Double red lights indicated that the aircraft wasing in too low and would touchdown before the runway threshold.


    ¡°Up!¡±


    Xiao Luo grunted, as he tightened his grip and forcefully pulled back on the yoke with both hands, lifting the nose of the aircraft marginally.


    BOOM!


    The aircraft hammered into the touchdown zone with an ear-shattering bang as it made contact with the runway.


    The cabin jolted and shook violently as the ne screamed down the runway, making the passengers feel like they were inside a runaway bus. As the aircraft screamed forward swaying, the passengers braced themselves¡ªsome of them kept their eyes tightly shut while others muttered silent prayers feeling like they were awaiting a death sentence. Thending was the riskiest phase of a flight, and it was this decisive moment that would determine whether they survive or perish.


    ¡°Hold on to the yoke firmly, and don¡¯t let go!¡± Xiao Luo shouted to Tan Ningfu as he engaged the reverse thrust levers and carefully engaged the brakes.


    Although Tan Ningfu was terrified, she kept her poise and did as she was told, holding on to the control column firmly. Outwardly she possessed a sweet and gentle demeanor, but beneath, she was made of sterner stuff. Not once did she panic or scream like many would.


    As the aircraft surged down the runway, the heated tires groaned and screeched, and sparks flew as the brakes were engaged. The massive airliner roared like a raging beast as smoke billowed from itsnding gears, not looking like it could stop before the end of the runway.


    The main reason for the hardnding was that the aircraft hade in too low and had to pull up again before making the touchdown. As its mainnding gears mmed heavily onto the runway, it took more effort to keep it rolling down a straight path, causing the aircraft to sway and shake violently. Still, it was an exceptional effort to have performed a nightnding without instruments and solely relying on sight and perception.


    Xiao Luo held on firmly to the yoke making every effort to keep the massive aircraft in the middle of the runway. The panicked cries of passengers reverberated from the cabin aft and Xiao Luo could imagine their fears as they stared death in the face. All he could do now was to keep his gaze fixed on the runway.


    It was barely a minute into thending roll, but it already felt like a century to everyone in the ne.


    Suddenly, the shaking and rumbling ceased and the roar of the engines quietened. The gigantic jumbo jet slowed to about 80 m.p.h. and gently rumbled forward until it finally came to a stop just before the end of the runway.


    ¡°We havended, we¡¯re safe and sound!¡±


    The passengers were ovee with joy and disbelief, each one of them crying out in tears and offering prayers of thanks for their deliverance, for they had journeyed to hell and back. As they stared out the windows, they saw fire trucks and the airport rescue crews dashing over urgently.


    ¡°We¡¯re back on the ground!¡±


    ¡°We¡­survived, we¡¯re alive!¡±


    ¡°Greatnding, this is just unbelievable¡­¡±


    Despite many people throwing up violently, they could hardly conceal their emotions of joy.


    The purser, the crew, and safety officers were dumbfounded. It felt like a bizarre dream¡ªfirst, the captain was incapacitated by the co-pilot, who was determined to bring the aircraft down and everyone along with it, then he set the ne on a course to nowhere, only for an enigmatic young hero by the surname Xiao, to save the day. The entire experience was surreal, and they couldn¡¯t believe they were still alive to tell the tale.


    Xiao Luo felt a deep sense of relief, he was sweating profusely and leaned back in the pilot¡¯s seat. Had it not been for the genius system, they would have be lost souls roaming the clouds for eternity. And had Zhang Dashan been there, he would not have heard the end of it¡ªall the drama on his very first flight!


    As he wasposing himself, he caught a glimpse of Cui Jihou and felt a sudden urge to murder the man had there been no one else around. Cui Jihou had recovered and was conscious when he realized that the aircraft had alreadynded at Xiahai airport. What were the chances? His face was ashen, and he kept repeating to himself, ¡°How could it be? How could it be¡­¡±


    Precisely, how could it be? How could the aircraft possibly havended safely on the ground?


    The rescue crews had already positioned boarding steps at the open cabin doors, fire trucks surrounded the aircraft, and fire and medical teams were already making their way into the cabin to assist with the evacuation. The airport rescue teams were thoroughly trained in emergency drills and had already anticipated the worst when they observed the forcednding. Noting the Boeing 747¡¯s approach speed and the orientation of its glide path, they knew that they would encounter many injured passengers. When the doors were opened, they were quickly on hand to provide immediate medical treatment to many passengers who sufferedcerations and broken bones to various parts of their bodies.


    The purser and her crew organized the evacuation from the cabin and ensured orderly disembarkation. ¡°Follow the instructions of the flight attendant in front of you. Let the injured passengers off the ne first.¡±


    Good order was maintained in the cabin, and everyone kept calm. The evacuation was carried out efficiently as the injured were brought out of the ne first to receive medical care.


    Several senior directors of the Airport and Civil Aviation Authorities also rushed over and were briefed on the incident by the purser.


    ¡°Cui Jihou really will pay for this!¡± One of the directors cursed during the brief.


    The director then smiled andmended the purser and crew, ¡°You have all done a good job under tremendous pressure. To havended the ne in such conditions and preventing the loss of life and injury ismendable. For this, you all deserve recognition and appreciation, and on behalf of thepany, I sincerely thank you.¡±


    ¡°We were only doing our job, but if it wasn¡¯t for a passenger on board who happened to know how to fly the ne, we wouldn¡¯t have been able tond safely,¡± the purser said.


    The other crew members nodded in agreement. Xiao Luo was the hero who saved the day, and they would not take any credit away from him.


    The two directors looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Passenger? What passenger?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Old Ma thatnded the ne?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t Old Ma, he had already been incapacitated by Cui Jihou,¡± the purser said, shaking her head.


    As she spoke, the captain was carried down from the ne on a stretcher, which immediately verified what she had just said.


    ¡°What was going on here?¡±


    The directors were shocked. How then could the aircraft havended safely without captain Ma in the flight deck? This was an emergencynding that involved a ne that had experienced catastrophic equipment failure¡ªthey had noms, no navigation, and virtually all the meters had been damaged. Thending was unassisted with no support from ATC, and could only rely on ground visual aids. Even an experienced pilot like Old Ma would have found it extremely challenging. But yet, here it was parked at the end of the runway with barely any structural damage. It was a near-perfect forcednding.


    The directors were still in a daze and could not believe that a passenger hadnded the aircraft. How could this be? How could a passenger be more skilled than an experienced and thoroughly trained airline captain?


    ¡°Where is he?¡± the directors asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s still on board with Little Fu, and he should being down soon,¡± the purser replied.


    The two directors looked toward the cabin door, they were curious to see who he was. Perhaps one of their own men from the civil aviation services? Whoever he was, kudos to him!

 Chapter 319 - Scalpers and Sasaeng Fans

    Chapter 319: Scalpers and Sasaeng Fans


    The directors were still waiting for a glimpse of the hero that saved the day. Tan Ningfu was already getting off the ne, but there was still no sign of Xiao Luo. So, where was he?


    The two directors from the Airport and Civil Aviation Authorities gave the purser a questioning look, and they were getting a little impatient. Where was the man who single-handedly piloted the ne to a safending?


    The purser hurried over to Tan Ningfu, who had just disembarked and was joining the rest of the waiting crew members. ¡°Little Fu, where is Mr. Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t he disembarked yet?¡± Tan Ningfu replied, blinking in surprise.


    ¡°Huh, when did you see him disembark?¡± the purser asked, speaking with some urgency.


    ¡°As soon as the door opened, he collected his baggage and walked down the ramp.¡±


    The purser cringed, knowing this wasn¡¯t going to go down well with those two.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here, where¡¯s the man?¡± A firm voice came from where the two directors stood.


    The purser looked embarrassed as she turned around and said, ¡°Sir, it seems that he disembarked along with the other passengers as we were talking earlier.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The two directors frowned. Such an able pilot walking away right under their noses, and to think that they were going to hire him as a pilot and offer him an attractive remuneration package.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? Can¡¯t you even keep track of your passengers, let alone the very person that saved everyone¡¯s lives?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, I take full responsibility, I¡­¡± the purser responded, lowering her head.


    The other director waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not your fault. Who could guess that he would just sneak away? But it¡¯s okay; we can check the passenger manifest, and besides, all the flight information will be updated in the system, so it won¡¯t be a difficult task to locate him.¡±


    Listening in, Tan Ningfu quickly stepped forward to assist where she could. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve got his contact information.¡±


    The directors were delighted to hear that. ¡°Then contact him quickly, and tell him we want to get to know him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Tan Ningfu nodded and made the call, but Xiao Luo¡¯s phone could not be reached.


    At that precise moment, both the cell phones of the directors rang simultaneously. They both had a nce at their screens, and when they saw the caller ID, their faces took on a solemn expression. The call came from a superior, and they were both instructed not to investigate the case or find out the passenger¡¯s identity any further!


    When they ended the call, they both looked bewildered. This person had just safelynded a Boeing jet in an emergency, so why did his identity have to be kept confidential? Was the information so sensitive that their superior had to give a direct order for them to desist?


    ¡­


    As he exited Gate A at Xiahai airport¡¯s main concourse, Xiao Luo was on the phone, dragging his suitcase.


    ¡°Director Gu, thanks a lot for your help.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not want to attract undue attention, and so he immediately informed Gu Zhanguo about the incident the moment he touched down. Gu Zhanguo promptly used hiswork of connections to get through to the top man of the ACAA to ensure that nothing involving Xiao Luo would be exposed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so polite to me, too much attention is bad for the organization. But here you are, impressing me again¡ªwhy, you can even fly a civilian ne! I¡¯m now wondering if there is anything in this world that you can¡¯t do, haha.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo was bing even more interested in Xiao Luo now. From all the information he had received on Xiao Luo so far, it was apparent that he possessed an impressive array of skill sets, and each of these skills seemed to be honed to a high level of excellence. For example,puter technology was just one of the skills that Xiao Luo possessed. Gu Zhanguo found this man to be a genuine all-rounder, capable in every way. He wondered if Xiao Luo was blessed with a highly developed brain that could unlock the human mind¡¯s true potential.


    ¡°I just happened to read a book on how to pilot airnes.¡± Xiao Luo said, attempting to make light of the situation.


    ¡°You managed to fly a ne just by reading a book? Mie, you must be a genius.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo was generously appreciative in his assessment of Xiao Luo and added, ¡°By the way, I will make time to bring you to meet those so-calledputer wizzes in NSA. They aren¡¯t evenparable to your little finger if you ask me, so do help me provide some guidance.¡±


    So It seemed that Xiao Luo had a debt to pay after all.


    Xiao Luo cocked an eyebrow and smiled wryly. He never for a minute thought that Gu Zhanguo had freed him from imprisonment for nothing in return, and this was turning out to look like a convenient arrangement between him and Gu Zhanguo. Certainly, Xiao Luo did not want to remain in prison, and Gu Zhanguo, on the other hand, wanted a de to serve his country, so it was a quid pro quo.


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    After the perfunctory pleasantries, the two ended the call.


    Xiao Luo put the phone back in his pocket and breathed in the air of Xiahai as he scanned the night view of the city. He had spent four years living here, and not much had changed since then, at least the airport still remained the same.


    Then a woman walked over to him. She had sassy, shoulder-lengthed hair and a petite figure.


    She smiled and asked, ¡°Are you, Mr. Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°I am, and you are?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao. I¡¯m Miss Su¡¯s assistant, Luo Pingxiang, but you can call me Little Luo. Miss Su asked me toe over to pick you up,¡± she said as she bowed slightly.


    Xiao Luo returned the smile and replied, ¡°Oh, great, thank you!¡±


    ¡°Not at all, Mr. Xiao, I should be the one thanking you,¡± Luo Pingxiang said as she reached out to help Xiao Luo with his suitcase.


    Xiao Luo politely declined her assistance. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll handle the luggage myself, just lead the way.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t the type to willingly trouble others, and especially not by having a woman help him with his luggage. That was something he would feel awkward about, regardless of the circumstances.


    Luo Pingxiang didn¡¯t push the matter, as being an experienced personal assistant, she had learned to be sensitive to people and was quick to pick up subtle cues. She knew that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t just trying to be polite.


    ¡°This way, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    She gestured with her hand, then continued with where she had left off earlier. ¡°When I was in Jiangcheng, I was the one who lost Bei Bei, but luckily you rescued her, or I would be in a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not to me for that, those thugs were,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°If I had been brave enough to resist, maybe Bei Bei wouldn¡¯t have been snatched away,¡± Luo Pingxiang replied, evidently, the incident was still fresh in her mind, and she med herself for it.


    Xiao Luo smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they came to a ck vehicle parked by the road. Luo Pingxiang opened the rear door for Xiao Luo, then she got into the driver¡¯s seat and started to drive slowly. Suddenly, a white van shed passed them and swerved in front of their vehicle.


    Luo Pingxiang screamed in fright and quickly mmed on the brakes.


    The ck vehicle came to a hard stop, barely avoiding a collision with the white van by several centimeters.


    ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s a scalper,¡± Luo Pingxiang said.


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s a scalper?¡±


    ¡°Scalpers are illegal ticket sellers, and they spy and keep track of the undisclosed daily schedules and jobs of all celebrities, and hound them relentlessly,¡± she said, ¡°they make a living out of this and have even formed a chain with those crazy fans, known in our circle as ¡®sasaeng fans.¡¯ They must have thought that Miss Su was in this vehicle and forced us to stop.¡±


    As she was speaking, four or five men could be seen alighting from the white van with cameras in their hands, and they began shooting and taking pictures of the ck vehicle.


    ¡°Goddess Su, please let us have a look at you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been squatting here at the airport for over ten days to see you with our own eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a huge fan of yours, Miss Su, please let me have a look, I¡¯ve been dreaming of standing face to face with you.¡±


    The small mob surrounded the vehicle and kept thumping on the windows, screaming out for their idol.


    ¡­

 Chapter 320 - Crescent Bay

    Chapter 320: Crescent Bay


    By the looks of it, living the life of a celebrity was no easy task at all.


    The thought instantly urred to Xiao Luo as he watched the group of people moring outside their vehicle. A celebrity had to be wary of constantly being tailed by diehard fans and the paparazzi, as their lives were continually being pried upon. Being a celebrity was hard, and Xiao Luo wondered if they ever missed an ordinary person¡¯s life.


    Luo Pingxiang rolled down the car window slightly and hollered at the crowd outside the car, ¡°You¡¯re all mistaken, this isn¡¯t Miss Su¡¯s car!¡±


    She then proceeded to put the car in reverse gear to back away and then tried to go around the white van obstructing them.


    But she had wholly underestimated this group of scalpers and fanatical sasaeng fans. Seeing that the ck vehicle was about to negotiate around the white van, some people got behind it and prevented Luo Pingxiang from reversing. The crowd was swarming around and banging on the windows with their palms, screaming for Su Li to appear.


    ¡°Oh dear, we¡¯re done for, they won¡¯t let us leave!¡±


    Luo Pingxiang was reeling from anxiety, and she quickly reached for her cell phone to make a call to the police. The situation was getting out of hand with these crazy fans acting with absolute disregard for their safety and preventing her from driving away.


    And things began to take a turn for the worse, as a big man was now approaching their vehicle holding a hammer!


    ¡°Goddess Su, please let me have a look at you!¡±


    As he screamed for his idol, he tried to smash a window with a wild swing of the hammer. This crazy sasaeng fan was consumed with having a glimpse of her and would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.


    ¡°Aaahhhh!¡±


    Luo Pingxiang screamed and trembled as she struggled to make the call to call the police. She was visibly terrified as this was the first time that she had encountered such a fanatical sasaeng fan, and it almost felt as terrifying as an encounter with a robber.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo pulled open the rear sliding door, and before anybody knew what was happening, a phantom-like figure had exited the ck van and, in a sh, disabled the man holding the hammer. A nasty knife-hand chop came down hard against the side of his neck, and the man dropped to the ground, passing out without even making a sound.


    Having dispatched of the man, Xiao Luo got behind another two men as swift as lightning and quickly knocked them down with another two well-aimed blows.


    Thest man blocking the rear had his sight obstructed, and all he heard were the door opening and gruntsing from the other side of the vehicle. And when he stepped from behind the van to take a look, he only saw a vicious fist flying right into his face. Xiao Luo punched him squarely on the chin, and as his eyes crossed slightly, he lost all control of his body and dropped to the ground.


    With the job done, Xiao Luo immediately hopped back into the vehicle and pulled the door shut.


    The entire action did not take more than ten seconds!


    Luo Pingxiang¡¯s jaw dropped, stunned by what she saw, and she hadn¡¯t even noticed that her phone had slipped from her hand. She turned her head and stared at Xiao Luo¡ªshe did not see precisely how it all happened, but she knew that in the blink of an eye, all four men were taken down.


    ¡°We should be able to leave now, I think.¡±


    Luo Pingxiang nodded her head and repeated herself like a hen pecking at rice. ¡°Okay, okay, we can go, we can go¡­¡±


    She quickly reversed the vehicle a little, then drove around the white van in front of her, and they were finally on their way out.


    She was still in a state of shock, and she kept ncing at Xiao Luo from her rearview mirror from time to time. Who really was this man that she only knew as Mr. Xiao? How was it his martial arts techniques were so exceptional?


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, you must have practiced martial arts before, you¡¯re incredible!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed, ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    He really didn¡¯t know what else to say. To prevent anyone from finding out that the genius system had be one with him, he had to continually make up white lies.


    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so good at fighting, you knocked down the scalpers and sasaeng fans in one go. With you by her side, my sister¡¯s safety can be guaranteed,¡± Luo Pingxiang said.


    Her sister?


    She was probably referring to Su Li!


    Xiao Luo thought to himself, then he shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, I¡¯m not here to be her bodyguard.¡±


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re here to act as a father for Bei Bei,¡± Luo Pingxiang said, giggling.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything else after getting his answer, and just sat back in his seat and made himselffortable. He looked out the window at the passing streets and recognized familiarndmarks¡ªthe bus stop where he used to wait for the bus, the karaoke parlor where he once visited with his ssmates, and the subway station he used regrly.


    Fond memories from the time he was in university shed in his mind, and he never expected to return to this familiar city again. The first person he thought of was his former ss president, Guo Qinghe, but at the ss reunion at the end ofst year, Xiao Luo had a poor impression of him, so he did not intend to contact Guo Qinghe. They had nothing inmon and certainly walked different paths, so it was best he kept his distance.


    ¡­


    Half an hourter, the ck vehicle arrived at the Crescent Bay Hotel.


    ¡°Miss Su lives here?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Luo Pingxiang nodded. ¡°Yes, the security here is superb, and the hotel also ces great emphasis on protecting the privacy of her customers. Sis spent nearly 100 million to buy her condominium here.¡±


    100 million?


    Xiao Luo was quite impressed, and she undoubtedly lived the lifestyle of a superstar.


    He recalled seeing many people on the inte frequently posting photos of luxurious amodations belonging to the rich and famous. It seemed to him that these celebrities preferred to live in hotel-style luxury apartments, so he didn¡¯t find it strange for Su Li to live in such a ce.


    The Crescent Bay Hotel was impressive and had the grandeur of ssical European styling, both in itsyout and d¨¦cor. Upon entering the hotel grounds, one could immediately sense the scale and elegance of its architecture.


    Luo Pingxiang drove directly into the car park, and after parking in her designated bay, she brought Xiao Luo to an elevator, which they then took to the 52nd floor. ¡°Here we are, this is where sis lives.¡±


    After ringing the doorbell, the massive mahogany door swung open, and they were weed by a woman wearing an apron. She looked slightly aged, perhaps fifty to sixty years old.


    ¡°This is Auntie Li, she¡¯s the nanny.¡±


    Luo Pingxiang cheerfully made the introductions. ¡°Auntie Li, this is Mr. Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Hello Mr. Xiao, pleasee in, Miss Su has been waiting for a while,¡± Auntie Li said, bowing courteously.


    Xiao Luo walked in and looked around. The ce was tastefully furnished with snow-white leather sofas, mahogany furniture, and a three-meter tall bonsai stood imposingly in the corner by the stairs. The condominium upied at least six hundred square meters and was equipped with a full suite of modern appliances.


    ¡°Are Miss Su, her daughter, and Auntie Li the only ones living in such arge apartment?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Luo Pingxiang answered.


    ¡°What about the rest of her family?¡±


    ¡°Sis has a mother and brother, but neither of them stays here. It¡¯s not that Sis doesn¡¯t want them to, but it¡¯s to protect them from being bothered by the fans, so this way, they can live normal lives.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was!


    Xiao Luo nodded his head in acknowledgment, and he could appreciate why Su Li chose to do so.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    An excitement, happy voice of a child came from the floor above.


    Xiao Luo turned instantly and saw Su Xiaobei running down the stairs barefooted. She looked like a little doll¡ªsnow-white skin, a pair ofrge bright eyes, an impish upturned nose, and smiling lips. She was his little angel.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, don¡¯t run!¡±


    A slender figure dashed out of the room, calling after Su Xiaobei.


    She was a stunning beauty, her hair was tied up loosely in a half-bun, entuating her long slender neck¡ª who else could it be but Su Li.


    ¡­

 Chapter 321 - Agreement

    Chapter 321: Agreement


    ¡°Daddy, you came to see me!¡±


    Su Xiaobei hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh, then lifting her head, she looked at Xiao Luo gleefully with her big eyes. Her face lit with a smile full of joy and excitement.


    ¡°Bei Bei! Haha, yeah, we made a promise, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave her a warm smile as he reached out and rubbed her little head.


    ¡°My daddy, give me a hug! I want a hug!¡±


    Su Xiaobei stretched her little arms toward Xiao Luo, waiting for him to pick her up.


    Xiao Luo simply could not resist, and he was beaming from ear to ear as he bent down and lifted Su Xiaobei into his arms. There was something magical about this little girl, she had an innate charm that somehowpelled him to love and protect her like his own.


    As they watched how the two got along, Luo Pingxiang and Aunt Lee were both dumbfounded. They very familiar with Su Xiaobei¡¯s introverted personality, she was usually wary of strangers, and aside from Su Li, they had never seen her being so attached to anyone else before. What they witnessed right now came as a big surprise to them.


    Su Li came hurrying down the stairs, elegant in the way she carried herself, but she did not seem pleasant at all. Instead, she appeared agitated, and her expression was cold.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, if you dare run down from upstairs again, I¡¯ll ground you from watching cartoons for a week.¡±


    Su Xiaobei clung on to Xiao Luo¡¯s neck tightly and buried her face in Xiao Luo¡¯s chest as if seeking his protection. ¡°I won¡¯t do that again,¡± she said, almost in a whisper.


    Seeing her pout her little lips, Su Li couldn¡¯t bring herself to remain angry. She softened her tone and said, ¡°Get down now. Hurry up and let Aunt Lee bath you. I have important things to discuss with him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave daddy.¡± Su Xiaobei held on tightly to Xiao Luo¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Listen to me!¡± Su Li said, raising her voice.


    ¡°Bei Bei, listen to your mummy and be a good girl, alright. I won¡¯t leave ever again. I¡¯ll be staying by your side now.¡± Xiao Luo coaxed the little girl, speaking with a kind, gentle voice.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and gently put Su Xiaobei down.


    ¡°Bei Bei, let¡¯s go for a shower.¡±


    Aunt Lee came forward to take Su Xiaobei by the hand and brought her upstairs for a bath.


    Su Li nced at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not act any differently in the presence of such a celebrity, and he casually took a seat on the leather sofa in the living room.


    Luo Pingxiang brought them a pot of hot tea, served them both a ss each, then stepped away to a corner and left them to discuss matters.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Su, before we get into the main topic, may I ask you a question?¡± Xiao Luo interjected before Su Li couldplete her sentence.


    ¡°What question?¡± Su Li responded, her eyebrows slightly knitted.


    ¡°When I promised to be Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father, you said that you¡¯d arrange my amodation. I would like to know where I will be living,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li sat looking poised andposed. ¡°It¡¯s the apartment opposite this one,¡± she said.


    ¡°Opposite this one?¡±


    ¡°It has a built-up area of 130 square meters, and it¡¯s luxuriously furnished. For your information, it is worth more than 30 million¡ªwhich is probably several hundred times better than that house you rented in Jiangcheng City,¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo was surprised by her condescending tone, but he ignored it. Was the 30-million-dor apartment really for him? Wasn¡¯t she too generous in spending a fortune on him?


    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve hired me to y the role of Xiaobei¡¯s father, but I¡¯m not her biological father, nor do I have any experience in being one. I may not be able to provide her with the fatherly love she needs growing up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got people looking for Su Xiaobei¡¯s real father, so for now, you just have to apany her as much as you can,¡± Su Li said.


    Su Li then gestured to Luo Xiangping, who came running with a pile of books and ced them in front of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I especially selected these books for you. Read them when you have time. For you, this is a job; and since this is a job, you have to work hard and do it well,¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo took a quick nce at the pile of books and did know how to react. All of these books were on parenting andmunication skills for toddlers and preschoolers.


    ¡°I hope you can adapt to your role as soon as possible. I do not intend to interfere with your personal life, nor will I expect you to keep Su Xiaobeipany every day. You may go and work on your own career. After all, this job I¡¯m giving you will notst for long, perhaps six months or a year. Anyway, it won¡¯t be a lifelong career,¡± Su Li said, sipping on her cup of hot tea impassively.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. He didn¡¯t appreciate Su Li¡¯s attitude, and neither did he detest it¡ªthis was just a job. But things were different with Su Xiaobei, and many a time, Xiao Luo would forget himself and think Su Xiaobei as his own daughter. If it wasn¡¯t for the little girl, he would¡¯ve rejected Su Li¡¯s offer, even with her generous terms.


    ¡°Alright? Is that all, don¡¯t you have anything else you want to ask?¡±


    Su Li was slightly disappointed, as she¡¯d expected Xiao Luo to have a lot of questions regarding Xu Xiaobei.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t the type to dig too deeply into others¡¯ affairs, it¡¯d just feel like gossiping to him, something he absolutely abhorred. He already figured there was more than a 90% chance that Su Xiaobei wasn¡¯t Su Li¡¯s biological daughter, but none of that was his concern. The only thing he cared about was the well-being of his little angel, Su Xiaobei, and he¡¯d do anything to take good care of her.


    ¡°Sign on the agreement then.¡±


    Su Li took a pen and a document from the table¡¯s drawer and ced it in front of Xiao Luo. ¡°ording to what we¡¯ve verbally agreed previously, I will pay you 200 thousand dors per month. But I expect you to do your best in your role as her surrogate father. If I¡¯m not satisfied with your performance, yourmission will be deducted as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the agreement and quickly ran through its terms¡ªitid out the standard uses covering sry, confidentiality, termination, breach of contract and such. Xiao Luo duly wrote his name and signed it at the bottom of the agreement.


    Su Li red at Xiao Luo with disdain as he signed the document. She had formed the opinion that he had no self-esteem and was the kind of person who would do anything for the sake of money. But on the bright side, there¡¯d be no emotional baggage when the day came, and it would be easier to sever all ties with Xiao Luo the moment she located Su Xiaobei¡¯s father.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After having the meal that Aunt Lee prepared, Xiao Luo left for the amodation that had been made for him. Entering his apartment, the white sheer-curtains that dressed the French window swayed as it caught a light breeze. His room was furnished with a generous two-meter-wide bed, a 42-inch LED television was mounted on the wall, and there was even an Appleptop ced beside the bed. Ornatemps and a well-polished floorplemented the d¨¦cor, and a built-in double wardrobe was located at the far corner of the room.


    Xiao Luo smiled at the irony of it¡ªdespite her icy demeanor, Su Li hadmissioned an interior designer to bring such warmth into the apartment, which suited his style.


    After taking a shower, Xiao Luo received a call from Zhang Dashan.


    When he found out that Xiao Luo was staying on the same floor as Su Li, and that he would be living there for some time, Zhang Dashan was so envious that a slew of expletives burst from his mouth.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, you really have some dogsh*t luck! To think that you¡¯re actually staying with goddess Su Li¡­ WTF! Do you want me to die of jealousy?¡± Zhang Dashan screamed.


    ¡°Calm down, we¡¯re not staying together, just on the same floor. Besides, what¡¯s there to envy?¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and threw the question back at him.


    ¡°Oh, please, don¡¯t show off! Stop unting with me, you motherf*cker!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find you when I have time. I f*ckin¡¯ wanna stay with goddess Su too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was at a loss for words.


    ¡­

 Chapter 322 - MLM Nest

    Chapter 322: MLM Nest


    Early the next morning, Xiao Luo went to the open window and drew the curtains aside. As he breathed in the fresh air, birds could be heard chirping away in the trees beyond the window. What a delightful day to wake up to, he thought.


    ¡°Daddy, daddy¡­¡±


    Before Xiao Luo could even freshen up, Su Xiaobei was already outside his door, knocking on it and calling for him.


    Xiao Luo promptly went to the door and let her in.


    ¡°Daddy, have you eaten breakfast? Have you brushed your teeth? Mommy said that you must brush your teeth every morning and night so that worms won¡¯t grow,¡± Su Xiaobei told him, looking very solemn as she gave Xiao Luo a short lesson in oral hygiene.


    ¡°Is that so? Okay, daddy will go and brush my teeth now!¡±


    Xiao Luo touched her head affectionately then headed for the bathroom.


    The little girl followed him in and held the edge of the sink with her tiny hands. She stared at Xiao Luo with unblinking,rge eyes.


    ¡°Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you staying with mommy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy has to work at night. I will disturb you and mommy if I¡¯m staying with her,¡± Xiao Luo said, randomlying up with another white lie.


    The little girl frowned. ¡°But you can work during the day,¡± she responded.


    ¡°I have other things to do during the day.¡±


    Xiao Luo put down his toothbrush and gently pinched her cheek.


    After washing his face, he picked Su Xiaobei up and walked out.


    At Su Li¡¯s apartment, a sumptuous breakfast had beenid on the dining table¡ªat a quick nce, he saw that there was a selection of bread, poached eggs, corn, pastries, milk and cereals. Aunt Lee was still busy in the kitchen, and when she saw Xiao Luo walking in carrying Su Xiaobei, she greeted him warmly, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Xiao, breakfast¡¯s ready!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and smiled. Su Li was already at the table, and as Xiao Luo took his seat opposite her, he wished her a good morning.


    Su Li only lifted her head and nced at him.


    Her hair was worn loosely, cascading over her shoulders, and as rays of the morning sun streamed in from the balcony windows, her exquisite features glowed with a fairy-like luster that entuated her beauty.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, now that he has woke up, can you be a good girl now and eat up?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    The little girl nodded cheekily and beamed at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smiled back at her and ced her on the high chair next to him.


    As Su Xiaobei ate her breakfast heartily, she kept smiling sweetly at Xiao Luo all the while, and Xiao Luo, likewise, smiled back.


    Watching the two of them share such a strong bond as father and daughter, Su Li felt an inexplicable sense of envy and jealousy, perhaps to the extent of even hatred. She was the one who had brought up Su Xiaobei, yet she couldn¡¯t evenpete with an outsider. Seeing how her daughter was reacting to Xiao Luo, she felt like the outsider instead. But what could she say? Wasn¡¯t she the one who hired Xiao Luo to be Su Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father in the first ce? In any case, Xiao Luo seemed like he was doing a great job, and wasn¡¯t that precisely what she wanted?


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go out after breakfast,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I already said it before. While you have to y your role, you are free to do your own things.¡± Su Li replied curtly without even looking at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo did speak further, and he realized that this woman seemed very reluctant to have any conversation with him. Which, in a sense, suited him well, as he wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed making small talk.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After leaving the Crescent Bay Hotel, Xiao Luo contacted his cousin, Ding Zhenyun. He had promised his uncle and aunt that he¡¯d look into it, and his mission was now to get Ding Zhenyun out of those MLM dens.


    As soon as he heard that Xiao Luo wasing alone, Ding Zhenyun immediately agreed to meet him.


    The rendezvous was to be a subway station. When Xiao Luo arrived, he didn¡¯t see Ding Zhenyun anywhere, but he was instead picked up by two young men that he wasn¡¯t acquainted with.


    Sallow faced and haggard, they looked terribly undernourished.


    ¡°You are Zhenyun¡¯s cousin, right? We are his friends, he asked us toe and pick you up.¡± The two youths who approached Xiao Luo, shook his hand enthusiastically when he said he was.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t hee?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t free. He has a ss to attend. Pleasee with us.¡±


    Xiao Luo could only guess what ¡°attending ss¡± meant¡ªit could only be another brainwashing session.


    He followed behind them as they made their way through several busy streets bustling with people before they finally turned into a grubby, filthy-looking alley. It looked forbidding¡ªthere were bills posted haphazardly on the decaying walls, and every house and shopfront were in a dpidated state. The people he encountered there were mostly elderly, but he also heard the sound of children crying emanating from some of the houses.


    The ce was evidently teeming with low-ie workers, and a number of them seemed to havee from other parts of the world. In such tenements, they would be living in densely packed, squalid conditions.


    The two men led Xiao Luo through a dark corridor, and from there, they made their way up to eight floors, before finally arriving at their destination.


    It was a modest-sized unitprising of a living room and three smaller rooms. As soon as Xiao Luo walked in, the musty smell of mildew overwhelmed his senses. In one of the smaller rooms, seven to eight men were sitting on the floor holding notebooks, and they were attentively listening to a man giving a talk. The speaker was attired in a sharp suit worn over a spotless white shirt. He was about 27 or 28 years of age and was very animated and high spirited, talking vigorous without pause since the time Xiao Luo arrived.


    His cousin Ding Zhenyun was sitting on the floor along with the others, listening to every word the man uttered.


    ¡°Brother Lu, Zhenyun¡¯s cousin¡¯s here,¡± one of the men called out.


    The speaker broke off immediately and approached Xiao Luo. He was amiable and as he held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand firmly, he said, ¡°Coming early is not as good asing on time. We are just in the middle of an entrepreneurship course, and you should take a seat and listen too. Zhenyun, hurry up and bring your cousin in.¡±


    Ding Zhenyun was short in stature and had a tannedplexion, and although already in his twenties, he still looked like a teenager going through puberty. As they shared amon bloodline, he did resemble Xiao Luo in appearance.


    ¡°Xiao Luo,e, let¡¯s sit down and finish this ss before catching up.¡± He came out and brought Xiao Luo inside.


    ¡°You¡¯ve be skinny.¡±


    Xiao Luo empathized with Ding Zhenyun. He had some understanding of MLM organizations and knew what he must be going through. Having seen the cabbage and radish in the kitchen sink outside, the youths here must¡¯ve been poorly fed and so it wasn¡¯t unexpected that they looked undernourished.


    ¡°No pain, no gain. Suffering now is nothing. When I get rich in the future, everything will be worth it,¡± Ding Zhenyun said.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond but just shook his head, feeling sorry for his younger cousin.


    ¡°Okay, everyone, let us continue. You only have to invest 3,800 dors, and you will immediately get a ce in the chain. Then, all you need to do is to find three downlines¡ªso simple. Then each downline just acquires another three downlines, and so on. Now just multiply this, and you will see that a profit of 112 thousand dors will be generated! Isn¡¯t that wonderful? Ourpany has a very fair five-level and three-tier system¡ªthe five levels and three tiers are represented by the letters ABCDE. You will work your way up from intern salesman to senior salesman, business leader, business manager, and finally to the director of operations.¡±


    When the speaker, Brother Lu, was delivering the most exciting part of his pitch, he drew a chart with a multiplying factor on the tiny ckboard and exined it in detail.


    Xiao Luo almost cracked up. That was a typical MLM organization with an unmitigated pyramid structure, and no attempt was even made to gloss over the scheme.


    ¡°When you personally sell one or two products for thepany, you will be an intern salesman. When you and your downlines sell an umted 64 products for thepany, you are already a business manager. So, is it really so tough? As I exined earlier on the board, the difference between D and E is just over 700 dors, and the difference between C and D is about 4,000 dors. This means that when your team expands to 16 people, you¡¯ll begin to see big money. In short, you just have to sit tight while others to earn money for you¡ªand all you need to do is find three downlines for yourself. Now, you tell me, doesn¡¯t that sound interesting?¡±


    The group of listeners broke into spirited apuse. The loudest and most enthusiastic endorsement came from the most engaged person in the session¡ªwho else, but Ding Zhenyun.


    ¡­

 Chapter 323 - Breaking dream

    Chapter 323: Breaking dream


    ¡°The millionaire-making business model that will take over the world, the financial n that will be our key to wealth, the novel n that will shake the industry!


    ¡°Evesting and ever-popr!


    ¡°Enter an idiot and leave a genius!


    ¡°Enter a poor man and leave a millionaire!


    ¡°The fantastic automatic money-making machine that is our key to sess!¡±


    Brother Lu, the speaker at this seminar, led the people in shouting a slew of slogans, using both passionate words and positive body gestures. By injecting this energy into the speech, he encouraged the audience to be more enthusiastic and excited about the business. As a recruiter, his job was to emphasize the money-making method and how the model could multiply indefinitely. Every listener who was there gave him their undivided attention and looked up to him as their messiah.


    Xiao Luo was sitting next to Ding Zhenyun and tried to talk some sense into him. ¡°Zhenyun, this is a scam and aplete lie. No business can give you such profits by merely investing some three thousand bucks, they¡¯re fabricating this fairy tale to entice you.¡±


    Ding Zhenyun immediately became upset. ¡°Cousin, how can you say that? Brother Lu is a sessful businessman and the cream of the crop in this industry. His annual ie has already surpassed millions. He¡¯s only willing to help us because he has been through it all, and now it¡¯s his time to give back to society and make more people seed in life. He¡¯s walking the talk.¡±


    ¡°Any business model with no actual product, and that relies purely on downline sales to profit, is considered multi-level marketing. You¡¯ve been working for so long, haven¡¯t you heard of the word MLM?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said countless times that this is not MLM, why do you refuse to believe me? We have a product, and it¡¯s a kind of software,¡± Ding Zhenyun said, clearly agitated.


    ¡°Software? Do you really believe that you are in any way associated with the IT sector?¡±


    Ding Zhenyun tried very hard to convince Xiao Luo, whom he saw as an unenlightened man, and said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re selling software, and we run the sales. Cousin, if you do not know anything about us, keep quiet and listen to Brother Lu. You might actually learn something and discover the path to wealth through this business model. Just listen to his speech.¡±


    Xiao Luoughed when he heard those words. Ding Zhenyun¡¯s silly attitude of taking everything he was told for granted was why he had fallen into the trap without even being aware of it.


    There were both men and women present in the room, and they immediately turned and stared at Xiao Luo for disrupting the seminar. Brother Lu also gazed at Xiao Luo and smiled. ¡°It seems like brother Xiao Luo doesn¡¯t agree with our path to wealth. Why don¡¯t I preach to you now so that you can understand us in-depth? I want to build mutual trust and hope that you eventually join us,¡± he said.


    ¡°Join you guys? I¡¯m sorry, but first, I have two questions based on your lecture content.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what are your questions?¡±


    Brother Lu was taken aback, but he maintained his calmposure and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us? Our team values freedom of speech the most and the individual¡¯s opinion. Everyone, let¡¯s wee Brother Xiao Luo to point out our shorings.¡±


    The men and women had by now been entirely conditioned by brother Lu, and they pped spontaneously the moment he spoke those words.


    Xiao Luo nced at Ding Zhenyun and decided that he had to burst his delusional bubble and wake the poord up.


    He stood up to address brother Lu and the crowd. ¡°My first question is a pragmatic one¡ªfor every dor that you make, how many did not earn a thing? Let¡¯s not look at how much a sessful member can earn personally; instead, let¡¯s count those who did not receive anything. From level two onwards, when you¡¯re promoted to tier D, the difference between tiers D and E would result in four individuals having no ie. In level three, the difference between tiers C and D would result in thirty individuals¡­


    ¡°And, when ites to the difference between tiers B and C, it only gets worse. Three hundred and ny-four individuals would have no ie. Which means to say, the wealth in your hands does not increase in value but only stream towards the highest rank, so the people at the top of the food chain earn the most money.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s summation was quick and concise, and it made Brother Lu frown and red at him with a little apprehension. Xiao Luo had listed out the number of people from each tier that would not make any money. As the base grew, the numbers would multiply exponentially, and this meant that the joining fees from people at the bottom were simply enriching the people at the top of the pyramid.


    Xiao Luo continued and said, ¡°My second question is based on this story¡ªa mountain is one hundred meters high, and one day someone climbs up to reach a point at fifty meters, and then, every subsequent day he would climb half of what he had climbed the first day. So, can you tell me, in reality, when would this person ever reach the peak?¡±


    Brother Lu started to panic. The crowd of brainwashed members became confused, and they kept looking at both brother Lu and Xiao Luo. Doubt began to form in their minds as they questioned the n¡¯s veracity that offered them a quick path to wealth.


    ¡°Are you guys are starting to form doubts? It¡¯s getting confusing? Actually, it¡¯s straightforward. This has nothing to do with the ¡®multiplier theory¡¯ that you have been told, but it¡¯s a ssic MLM model that will lead you to prey on your friends and families. How can anyone guarantee you a hundred percent sess in business? Look around you¡ªthere¡¯s no operation, no profit, and no value-adding. So, how is the ie generated? This is solved by recruitment that will continuously increase the people at the bottom level. And, the people who have just joined are all the mountain climbers I¡¯d just mentioned, they will never reach the top.¡±


    When he finished, Xiao Luo had a smirk on his face.


    The room fell into dead silence as thest thing that Xiao Luo had said struck a nerve¡ªthey could never reach the top!


    Brother Lu¡¯s was enraged, his eyes bulged, and his mouth was in spasms. It has never crossed his mind that any person could debunk his ¡°multiplier theory¡± with just two points. He had to do something, or all would be lost. Standing up suddenly, he roared at Xiao Luo, ¡°This man is insulting our great business! He is in the way of our road to wealth and prosperity, get him out of here!¡±


    The two men who had picked Xiao Luo up and brought there, suddenly showed their true colors as they quickly rolled up their sleeves and went after Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo dispatched them with just two swift kicks before he turned his attention to brother Lu. Xiao Luo grabbed him by his cor and lifted him off the ground. ¡°You should be grateful that you have not messed with my cousin. If not, I would¡¯ve squashed every single of you up like bedbugs!¡±


    The air was heavy with fear and trepidation, and ovee with fright, brother Lu wet his pants.


    The members who hade to brother Lu¡¯s aid were stunned by Xiao Luo¡¯s tremendous power, and they stopped in their tracks, staring at him with a terrified look on faces.


    Xiao Luo threw brother Lu aside and turned to Ding Zhenyun, noticing the bench in his hands, he said, ¡°What, even you want to attack me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand me at all, you keep thinking that I am doing MLM, why do you all think that I¡¯ve been cheated?¡± Ding Zhenyun was furious with Xiao Luo and had been quite upset with his family for not understanding and supporting him.


    Xiao Luo sighed and empathized with Ding Zhenyun. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re really cheated¡­ let¡¯s go home. Take some time to think about this, and you¡¯ll realize eventually that this is a scam, an illegal MLM operation.¡±


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, the door of the rented apartment burst open.


    A squad of policemen rushed in, ordering everyone to stay down. Brother Lu and his two subordinates that were beaten by Xiao Luo panicked, and their faces turned pale and white as a sheet.


    ¡°You called the cops here?¡±


    Ding Zhenyun red at Xiao Luo with a glint of hatred in his eyes, he now saw him as the enemy.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If this is really a proper business, as you said, then the police will drop all charges and release them. Now, it¡¯s time for you to wake up from this fantasy world.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 324 - Too Intoxicated

    Chapter 324: Too Intoxicated


    After the apartment raid, it was established that brother Lu¡¯s full name was Lu Yuanbo and that his two subordinates were also employees of the cklisted MLM organization. Now that they had been caught red-handed, they would be facing criminal charges. As for the others, they were released on the spot, and those of them who were penniless were offered free train tickets to go home.


    Still, many of them did not wake up from the fantasy that Lu Yuanbo had nted in their heads¡ªone of them being Ding Zhenyun.


    When they both stepped out of the police station, he pushed Xiao Luo away, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was screaming like a madman. ¡°Xiao Luo, why are you standing in my path to wealth? Are you not my cousin? You just can¡¯t stand that I¡¯ll be sessful, right?¡±


    He was hysterical¡ªhis voice sounded angry and desperate, and he was throwing a fit.


    Xiao Luo was annoyed and couldn¡¯t understand why Ding Zhengyun was still blind to the scam. ¡°Use your damn brain to think, will you! Ask yourself, if brother Lu was a legitimate businessman like you say, why is he being detained by the police? I understand that you want to seed very much, but it is not going to be this easy. You can¡¯t achieve it by merely taking some notes in front of your brother Lu¡¯s eyes¡­


    ¡°All of you were only a part of his money-making tree, he was just waiting for you guys to attract more people to be his downline and pay tribute to him. How can you not understand such simple reasoning? Besides, if the n was really that lucrative to them, why didn¡¯t they seek investments from big bosses, but instead chose you guys? Did you not think about this?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, you know nothing. Just look at Jack Ma and the challenges he faced when he started his business. Nobody could understand him, and not a single person saw the potential in him, many evenbeled him a liar, but he made it, and his life story is a legend now.¡± Ding Zhenyun refused to give up his dream.


    Jack Ma?


    Xiao Luo just shook his head. ¡°If you want to use Jack Ma as an example, I¡¯ll tell you more about him. On top of being able to seize the opportunity in the era of big data, you must realize that he has excellent soft skills. He is an extraordinary speaker and can influence others easily. He also speaks fluent English, which allows him to converse and negotiate with English-speaking businessmen effectively. Most importantly, he possesses great wisdom, and his business acumen is unparalleled.


    ¡°Have you ever seriously done a self-appraisal? If you want to be sessful like him, what sort of skills do you need to possess? Are you an influential public speaker, or can you get many people to follow your lead? ¡®To forge iron, one must be strong¡¯¡ªdon¡¯t you understand that? If you really want to be sessful, then improve yourself and develop the right skills and attitude, only then can you grab the opportunity when it presents itself.¡±


    ¡°Are you done lecturing me!¡±


    Ding Zhenyun yelled and pointed his finger at Xiao Luo. ¡°You took so long to just tell me that! You¡¯ve always looked down on me and think that I¡¯m not capable and uneducated, you¡¯re just saying that I¡¯m trash. I don¡¯t need your lecture, and you are not qualified to do that!¡±


    He was very aggressive toward Xiao Luo and now saw him as the enemy.


    Xiao Luo gave him a cold stare, and without mincing words, he said, ¡°Had aunt not pleaded with me, I¡¯d be too busy to care about you!¡±


    ¡°I know very well what I am doing, just mind your own business!¡±


    Just as Ding Zhenyun turned to leave, Xiao Luo grabbed him by the shoulder. Ding Zhenyun froze, he felt an incredible weight on his shoulder, and he found it impossible to break away, as much as he tried.


    He yelped, ¡°W-what are you doing? Let go, let me go!¡±


    Xiao Luo had a mind to beat thed up, flustered with his stubborn refusal to learn his lesson, and still dwelling on his far-fetched dream. ¡°Right now, every one of our rtives is wary of you, and they see you as no better than a burr, while your parents are worried sick about you every day. So, how can you still think that you¡¯re on the right path? Your original intention was to give your parents a better life, but all you¡¯ve done is to make them worry about you. Do you know that your mother cries all the time, is that what you mean by giving them a better life?¡±


    ¡°Stay out of my business¡­ y-you better let go!¡±


    Ding Zhenyun struggled furiously as he attempted to turn around and throw a punch at Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    Never mind!


    Xiao Luo sighed and let go of him. He was resigned to the fact that Ding Zhengyun was too intoxicated with this get-rich-quick scheme that he saw as his path to sess. Sending him home in such a state would only create more heartache and trouble for his aunt and uncle. It was difficult for Ding Zhenyun to ept the reality now, and it would take some time for the truth to prevail.


    Ding Zhenyun red at Xiao Luo and left, massaging his aching shoulder.


    ¡°When you¡¯re ready to go home,e find me at Crescent Bay Hotel if you need cash¡­ and you take care!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke as Ding Zhenyun turned his back. Although Ding Zhenyun was only his cousin, he had always treated him like his own brother. Seeing Ding Zhenyun so influenced by this MLM scheme only made him feel downhearted.


    Ding Zhenyun paused for a second and nced back, then walked off without further hesitation.


    Xiao Luo took out his phone and made a call. ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ve met Zhenyun.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, how¡¯s Zhenyun? Did any bad guy mess with him, is he hurt?¡± Xiao Jianying was frantic when she received the call and was eager to find out about her son¡¯s wellbeing.


    ¡°Nope, he¡¯s fine. He¡¯s a little lean, but he absolutely refuses to go back for now.¡±


    ¡°Why? He doesn¡¯t even listen to you now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone too deep into this MLM mindset, he won¡¯t listen to any of us now, so we can only wait until he realizes it himself,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°How can he be so dumb, he would rather believe in strangers than his own kin, why is he so dumb¡­¡±


    Xiao Jianying started to cry uncontrobly, her only son had been brainwashed by an MLM organization to this state, and it broke her heart.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t find the words tofort her, but he said, ¡°Aunt, for him to realize what MLM is doing to him, you must not send him any money regardless of what he tells you. He¡¯ll leave the MLM organization eventually once he cannot sustain himself. Don¡¯t worry too much, when that timees, he¡¯ll definitelye to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Xiao Luo, thank you so much!¡± Xiao Jianying felt a sense of relief and clung on hopefully to Xiao Luo¡¯s words.


    ******


    ******


    When Xiao Luo got back to Crescent Bay Hotel, he threw himself on the bed and massaged his temples to ease his stress.


    Within minutes, he received a message from Su Li.


    ¡°Are you back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    Xiao Luo had to get up again. But he wasn¡¯tining, he was delighted with the luxurious apartment arranged for him, and besides, he was genuinely happy with his role as Su Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father. On top of that, he did not need to do anything other than y ¡°daddy.¡± So, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to decline the monthly remuneration of two hundred thousand. He didn¡¯t desperately need money, and although Su Li was a superstar, her cash was hard-earned too.


    He freshened up and left for Su Li¡¯s apartment.


    He saw an unfamiliar woman with Su Li when he entered the apartment.


    She was tall and decked in a long ck dress thatplemented her full, voluptuous body. She wore a light eyeshadow and had a pair of alluring eyes. Her long wavy hair, highlighted with streaks of red, tumbled in tresses framing a charming face with snow-white skin.


    The slit in her dress exposed her long, slender legs adorned in silk sheer stockings and a pair of crystal-colored heels. She was the manifestation of ss and grace.


    ¡­

 Chapter 325 - Yang Hongzhi

    Chapter 325: Yang Hongzhi


    ¡°Li, so, is this the guy you¡¯ve asked to be Xiao Bei¡¯s daddy? Mmm, he looks pretty decent and quite handsome, to be honest. Such a fine man, why, I might even want to have a taste of him!¡± The woman tilted her head slightly as she stole a nce at Xiao Luo, and gave him an affectionate smile.


    Xiao Luo ignored her tease and kneeled to hug Su Xiaobei, who had just run up to him.


    ¡°He¡¯s Xiao Luo.¡±


    Su Li mentioned his name to the charming woman but did not introduce the two. In her mind, there was no need for Xiao Luo to make acquaintance with any of her friends as his job was to be with Su Xiaobei.


    The charming woman did not introduce herself to Xiao Luo as well and changed the topic. ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s been a while since Ist yed tennis with you, I¡¯m getting really rusty!¡±


    Su Li nodded.


    After checking with Xiao Luo for his avability, she asked him toe along with them as she nned to bring Su Xiaobei with her to the tennis court.


    They went in a ck limousine, and Luo Pingxiang drove with Xiao Luo, Su Li and Xiao Bei aboard, while the charming woman drove herself in a Ferrari sportscar.


    ¡°Oh, Sis, did sis Qingyan get a new car again? I haven¡¯t seen this Ferrari before,¡± Luo Pingxiang asked.


    Su Li was hugging Su Xiaobei in the backseat, and she replied, ¡°She¡¯s very passionate about cars, there are twenty limited edition cars in her garage, this 599 GTB Fiorano is just one of them and thetest model.¡±


    ¡°Sis Qingyan¡¯s surely wealthy, I¡¯d be satisfied to have even a thousandth of her wealth,¡± Luo Pingxiang said, her words full of admiration and respect.


    Xiao Luo sat in the front passenger seat and was utterly disinterested in the conversation. After it ended, he turned around to face Su Li and said, ¡°Ms. Su, I¡¯ve thought about it, the monthly sry of two hundred thousand¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s too little?¡±


    Su Li frowned and cut him off coldly. Her first thought was that this man was a money-grubbing jerk who actually thought that two hundred thousand was too little.


    ¡°You misunderstand, I was about to say that you can take back my sry.¡±


    ¡°Take back? You mean you don¡¯t want to be remunerated?¡± Su Li asked. She was a little confused, and a frown was forming on her face.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yes. The apartment you¡¯ve arranged for me would cost at least three thousand a day if rented out so that totals up to about ny thousand bucks every month. I would think that is sufficient remuneration already, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Su Li looked dubiously at Xiao Luo as she contemted his motives. Why would a man who used to live in a filthy slum in Jiangcheng reject a two-hundred-thousand monthly sry? Shouldn¡¯t he be merrier if there was more, and how does waiving his remuneration make any sense?


    She made up her mind. ¡°There¡¯s no such need, and everything shall proceed asid out in our agreement, you don¡¯t have to feel guilty about it. I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to do this if Su Xiaobei had not grown so fond of you, let alone offering you such a high sry.¡±


    ¡°It seems that I should be very grateful for Su Xiaobei then!¡±


    ******


    ******


    The two cars reached Eden¡¯s Garden at the same time. The ce was located in an upmarket part of Xiahai.


    Xiao Luo knew the area like the back of his hand. It was a haven for the rich and famous, and everywhere one went, vis worth hundreds of millions stood majestically. The vis were spaced at least one mile apart, which guaranteedplete privacy and for the owners, a retreat from prying eyes and the daily grind.


    Shen Qingyan had a vi here, and her home address had the number 88.


    This vi itself had a built-up area of at least six hundred square meters and wasplemented by a private pool, a tennis court, a basketball court, and an expansive and well-manicured garden. There were red sandalwood trees, red maple trees, and silver firs¡ªthe cost of all these transnted trees alone came up to five million in total.


    It went without saying that Shen Qingyan was indeed affluent!


    When they got out of the car, Luo Pingxiang intimated some information about Shen Qingyan to Xiao Luo. Shen Qingyan was the president of Huayao Corporation, whose investments were primarily in the medical field, which included medical appliances and the R&D of new therapeutics. The Huayao Corporation headquarters was located in Xiahai, but they had branch offices nationwide, and their products were even sold overseas. Huayao Corporation was, without question, a leading organization to be reckoned with.


    Shortly after, another person arrived to join them.


    He was a young man, and he came with two bodyguards.


    He was fair ofplexion and sported a short-cropped hair with a fade. He was a handsome man with refined features and exuded natural confidence that gave him a touch of ss. Such a man obviously belonged to a wealthy and reputable family.


    ¡°It¡¯s Yang Hongzhi.¡±


    Luo Pingxiang did not look very pleased when she saw him. ¡°He has been chasing after sis Li, but she¡¯s not too fond of him and even rejected him a few times. He¡¯s still shamelessly trying for her, but sis can¡¯t do much about it. She can¡¯t afford to offend him as his father is the biggest shareholder in the corporation, and offending them would not be a good idea. She might be treated coldly in thepany and even lose her position.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not too interested in such trivia, so he took Su Xiaobei¡¯s hand and brought her for a stroll in the garden close to the tennis court.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, sis wants us to go over there,¡± Luo Pingxiang called out to him when she saw Su Li waving them over.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Su Xiaobei reached out with her little arms, beckoning to Xiao Luo, ¡°Daddy, carry me on your back!¡±


    Xiao Luo kneeled and let the girl hop on his back, then started running with her clinging on tightly. She could not stopughing all the way to the court.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Yang Hongzhi asked, giving Xiao Luo the once-over.


    ¡°He¡¯s my daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei answered cheerfully before anyone else could.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yang Hongzhi turned to Su Li and looked somewhat confused.


    Shen Qingyan smiled and said, ¡°Li just hired him.¡± Then leaning toward him, she whispered in his ear, ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s wrong with Xiaobei, she seems to be very attached to this guy and thinks that he¡¯s her daddy. Li hired him to be Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father for her sake.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Yang Hongzhi nodded, mentally striking Xiao Luo off his greeting list, and immediately gave his attention to Su Xiaobei instead. ¡°Hello again, Xiaobei!¡±


    Su Xiaobei hid behind Xiao Luo, appearing a little timid and shy.


    ¡°Say hi to uncle Yang.¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Hi, uncle Yang,¡± Su Xiaobei said, her voice no louder than the buzz of a mosquito.


    ¡°Oh, Xiaobei, you¡¯re such a good girl!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi patted Su Xiaobei¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west met, do you miss uncle Yang?¡±


    Su Xiaobei shook her head and made no attempt at eye contact.


    Her reaction made Yang Hongzhi feel a little hurt.


    Su Xiaobei tightened her arms around Xiao Luo¡¯s neck as she pulled herself to his ear and whispered, ¡°Daddy, can we y over there?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xiao Luo agreed.


    Seeing how close the two were, Yang Hongzhi was dumbfounded. He had given Su Xiaobei everything a girl would want and frequently bought her toys and sweets, yet this little girl was still very distant. Seeing Su Xiaobei show so much affection to Xiao Luo made him feel quite upset.


    ¡°Xiaobei, you are mistaken, he¡¯s not your daddy.¡±


    He nned to marry Su Li one day, and it wouldn¡¯t do him any good if Su Xiaobei kept calling someone else daddy. He was extremely agitated when he heard her call Xiao Luo daddy.


    ¡°He is!¡± Su Xiaobei suddenly found her voice, and she was adamant.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know which slum he came from, so how can you call him daddy? Xiaobei, I understand that you want to have a daddy, uncle Yang will treat you like my own daughter. And in the future, you can treat uncle Yang as your daddy, okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo could sense that she was going to cry and thought it best that he spoke up. ¡°She will understand that when she grows up eventually, correcting her now will confuse her.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 326 - Humble

    Chapter 326: Humble


    ¡°I am speaking to Xiaobei, who are you to cut in!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was curt, and he red at Xiao Luo with undisguised loathing. His angry voice frightened Su Xiaobei, who was still clinging on to Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    Xiao Luo was quite stunned as he did not expect that his word of advice would have agitated Yang Hongzhi to such a degree. But Xiao Luo brushed it off with a chuckle and decided to ignore him.


    ¡°Yang Hongzhi, you¡¯re scaring Xiaobei!¡± Su Li chided.


    The scowl on Yang Hongzhi¡¯s tensed-up face vanished instantly as he pped his forehead dramatically and said, ¡°Oh, Li, it¡¯s my bad, it¡¯s my bad¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He then attempted to make a cute face and waved at Su Xiaobei, shing her a broad smile. ¡°Xiaobei, uncle Yang was too loud; you must be scared, right? Here, here¡­ Uncle Yang is very sorry. Don¡¯t cry, okay?¡±


    As he spoke, he bowed like a gentleman in a rather fawning manner, which didn¡¯t seem to impress Xiao Luo or the little girl.


    Su Xiaobei hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s neck more tightly and looked frightened.


    ¡°Ms. Su, why don¡¯t you all continue ying, and I¡¯ll take Xiaobei for a stroll nearby.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not joining us?¡± Shen Qingyan asked, toying with the racket in her hands.


    ¡°You guys carry on, don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned and left with Su Xiaobei on his back, and Luo Pingxiang followed the pair.


    Yang Hongzhi looked at Xiao Luo as he walked away and sneered, ¡°Hah! To think that this catfish really thinks he¡¯s Xiaobei¡¯s real father!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing his job very well!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s terse response told Yang Hongzhi where she stood on the matter in no uncertain terms.


    ¡°Li, I know you love Xiaobei very much and want to give her a happy childhood. However, is this really appropriate? Xiaobei might be happy for the time being, of course. But what about the future, how long do you think that catfish over there will stick around? When he¡¯s had enough and leaves, wouldn¡¯t she be heartbroken? I think this whole arrangement is detrimental to her, and I urge you to reconsider,¡± Yang Hongzhi said.


    ¡°If it turns out that Su Xiaobei wants to treat Xiao Luo as her father forever, I will never allow him to leave her. Even if it means I have to pay an enormous sum of money, I¡¯ll make sure to keep Xiao Luo by her side.¡±


    Shen Qingyan, seeing that this was going nowhere,ughed sweetly and said, ¡°Li, don¡¯t you understand where young master Yang ising from? If Xiao Luo remains Su Xiaobei¡¯s ¡®father,¡¯ then wouldn¡¯t it mean that you¡¯re technically married to Xiao Luo. Young master Yang is expressing his concern about this.¡±


    ¡°Qingyan knows me too well!¡± Yang Hongzhi chimed in.


    ¡°Li, you know that, in this life, my heart yearns for no one else but you. I can¡¯t allow you to suffer from any stain that will tarnish your reputation; even if his title of ¡°father¡¯ is just a job, I cannot tolerate it. Get rid of that catfish, give me time, and I¡¯ll make Xiaobei ept me as her father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time on me, I¡¯m sure you have better choices. Okay, that¡¯s enough, let¡¯s y. Qingyan, you¡¯re serving first.¡± Su Li promptly walked toward the other end of the tennis court and did not allow Yang Hongzhi to pester her any further.


    Shen Qingyan gave Yang Hongzhi a shrug and walked to the opposite side to serve.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Yang Hongzhi felt a little awkward. ¡°Errm, may I join you guys?¡±


    ¡°Sure, whoever scores fifteen points first wins the round, and the loser takes a break¡­ this is much more fun,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Su Li did not object.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan changed into their sportswear, and they were both wearing a simr design¡ªpink short-sleeved top and a short white skirt¡ªwhich made them look like twins. The outfits generously revealed their perfect figures and fair skin to a pair of predatory eyes perched on an armchair¡¯s side nearby.


    Intently watching thedies twisting their waists and buttocks as they swung the tennis racket, Yang Hongzhi could not contain himself, and his thoughts wandered to dark ces. He kept swallowing his saliva as he indulged in fantasizing about being in bed with these two sexydies. However, he knew that this could only happen in his imagination as he was well aware that they no easy game to be stalked and taken down.


    He had been rejected by Su Li countless times, which took a toll on his ego, but as they say, patience is a virtue, and he had now found the key to unlock the door to her heart¡ªSu Li¡¯s mother, possessing a character full of weaknesses, would be easy to manipte.


    After half an hour of thrashing it out on the court, both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were drenched in sweat and decided to take a break.


    Yang Hongzhi, who had thoroughly enjoyed watching them y, was reluctant to let them rest. ¡°Li, Qingyan, why don¡¯t we y a few more rounds?¡±


    ¡°No, no, our stamina is no match for you. You practice kickboxing regrly, you¡¯re fit,¡± Shen Qingyan said, waving him off.


    Yang Hongzhi smiled, ¡°What¡¯s the use of having stamina when I keep losing every round to you? My tennis skills are horrible.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I know that Young Master Yang went easy on us. Who doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re a sports fanatic? Be it golf, tennis, basketball, or ser, you are unrivaled.¡±


    Shen Qingyan received two clean face towel from her maid and handed one to Su Li.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tter me, Qingyan. You guys are really better than me in tennis,¡± Yang Hongzhi said, feigning humility.


    ¡°Ho, ho, ho¡­¡± Shen Qingyan chortled.


    As Su Li dabbed the towel on her face and neck, she asked the maid, ¡°Where¡¯s Su Xiaobei and Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Su, they are at the basketball court,¡± the maid replied.


    Su Li put the towel down and made for the basketball court. As she walked past Yang Hongzhi, he detected her sweet scent, and his nostrils unconsciously followed its trail.


    Shen Qingyan and Yang Hongzhi decided to tag along, and it didn¡¯t take too long before the trio arrived at the basketball court. There, they saw Xiao Luo ying basketball with Su Xiaobei.


    Xiao Luo was shooting at the hoop, and the little girl was giggling and gleefully retrieving the ball and passing it back to him for the next shot. She would cheer every time Xiao Luo made the shot. ¡°Yay! Daddy¡¯s so awesome!¡±


    A small basketball may not seem heavy for an adult, but to Su Xiaobei, it weighed a ton. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was drenched from running and carrying the ball around the court. The mirth and excitement in herughter filled the air as father and daughter indulged in their ytime.


    ¡°Li, this guy¡¯s not bad, he¡¯s really good with Xiaobei,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Su Li was delighted with Xiao Luo¡¯s performance, she had not seen Su Xiaobei this happy in a long time.


    Yang Hongzhi sulked when he saw them ying together. He was livid at the thought of some low-born catfish winning the child¡¯s heart. He had to think of something and fast; keeping a smile on his face, he said, ¡°That Mr. Xiao seems like he¡¯s good with basketball, I feel like having a game with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Young Master Yang wants to have a match with him?¡± Shen Qingyan gave him a knowing smile.


    ¡°Indeed, I want to y with him, I was just getting warmed up with tennis,¡± Yang Hongzhi said.


    ¡°Then go y with him, but don¡¯t overdo it and make a fool out of himpletely.¡±


    Shen Qingyan knew that Yang Hongzhi just wanted to show off his skills to Su Li, and she wasn¡¯t going to object that. After all, in her eyes, they were a matchings couple, and if they got hitched, she¡¯d be very happy for her sister, Su Li.


    ¡°Haha¡­ perhaps he¡¯ll make a fool out of me,¡± Yang Hongzhi responded.


    ¡°Young Master Yang, you¡¯re only revealing your arrogance by being overly humble. Others may not know, but we¡¯re well aware that you hired a CBA coach and underwent intensive training. How could he match up to you? So, you better show him some mercy and let him save some face, alright,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡­

 Chapter 327 - Whats the rule

    Chapter 327: What¡¯s the rule


    Yang Hongzhi nodded andughed at Shen Qingyang¡¯s words, but as he approached the basketball court, the smirk on his face told otherwise. He had no intention of showing Xiao Luo any mercy whatsoever and would do his best to make Xiao Luo look like aplete fool.


    On the court, Su Xiaobei had just picked up the ball and ran back with it toward Xiao Luo, screaming, ¡°Yay! Daddy¡¯s so awesome¡­ here, Daddy, throw the ball again.¡±


    Xiao Luo patted her head affectionately as he received the ball.


    However, when he turned around to shoot, Yang Hongzhi was right in front of him, waving his arms and poised to block it. He wore a wry smile on his face as he stared confidently into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you seem to be quite good at ying basketball, why don¡¯t we have a one-on-one match?¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I¡¯m not interested!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied curtly and turned away, holding Su Xiaobei¡¯s hand as they walked to the other corner of the court, where Xiao Luo shot the ball into the hoop from within the three-point arc.


    ¡°Yay, my daddy¡¯s so great!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was jumping for joy as if she were the one who made the basket. She yfully skipped toward the baseline to retrieve the basketball before running back with it to Xiao Luo¡ªshe was his exclusive ball girl.


    ¡°Let¡¯s y another round, and then we¡¯ll stop, okay?¡±


    The little girl nodded obediently and replied, ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡±


    Xiao Luo eyed the hoop and aligned the ball to his dominant eye, he jumped and extended his shooting hand straight at the basket as he made the shot. The ball left Xiao Luo¡¯s right hand and sailed in the air with a slight backspin on its way to the hoop.


    Suddenly, the ball was pped out the court¡ªYang Hongzhi moved like a prowling tiger, dashing swiftly across the ball¡¯s trajectory, and he jumped up high before smacking the ball down with his right hand.


    That was, by any standard, a clean and perfect block!


    If such a block had been executed during a match, it would undoubtedly have had an impact on the shooter¡¯s state of mind and morale, even sending him into a daze.


    ¡°Bravo!!!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s two bodyguards pped and cheered loudly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a great block.¡±


    Shen Qingyan, who was standing a short distance away with Su Li, gave an approving nod.


    ¡°Taking advantage of others, what a shameless man!¡± Su Li scoffed.


    Shen Qingyan thought for a while and arrived at the same conclusion. ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re right, young master Yang surely is a shameless man.¡±


    Su Xiaobei was jolted with shock as the basketball that was aggressively blocked by Yang Hongzhi.


    Xiao Luo remained expressionless without even the slightest bit of agitation on his face.


    Yang Hongzhi picked the ball up, then walked toward Su XIaobei and smiled at her. ¡°Xiaobei, how about Uncle Yang shoots a ball for you?¡± he said.


    Before the little girl could respond, Yang Hongzhi was already dribbling the ball toward the hoop, then in three steps, his body spun 180 degrees, andyed-up with his right hand putting the ball into the basket lightly. His movements were fluid, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing to watch.


    Yang Hongzhi picked up the ball again and nced fleetingly at Su Li to see her reaction. Although it seemed like he demonstrated his basketball skills for Su Xiaobei, he was actually showing off to Su Li.


    ¡°Xiaobei, now watch Uncle Yang¡¯s next move!¡±


    Once again Yang Hongzhi dribbled toward the basket andyed-up in three steps, but this time changed his movements mid-air, he passed the ball through his legs and sent the ball upwards by the other hand lightly, it cleared the rim andnded inside the basket sessfully again.


    He then proceeded to performed ¡°reverse windmill¡±y-up, ¡°switch between hands¡±y-up, and he evenyed-up the final one by looping the ball from under his leg. Each technique was harder than the previous one, and his execution was very sharp and precise, which was a stirring sight to behold.


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s two bodyguards gushed and heaped unending praise, and even Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t help butmend his performance. ¡°Young Master Yang is so dashing¡ªif he had done that in a university, he probably would have charmed a bunch of girls.¡±


    Su Li did not say anything, but although she did not want to admit, she was impressed with Yang Hongzhi¡¯s basketball skills.


    After proudlypleting his exhibition ofy-ups, Yang Hongzhi was panting and was sweating profusely. He went up to Su Xiaobei with the ball, smiled at her, and said, ¡°Xiaobei, was is nice watching uncle Yang y basketball?¡±


    As the saying goes, ¡°kids don¡¯t lie,¡± and reluctantly, she nodded slightly and whispered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you want to y with Uncle Yang?¡±


    Su Xiaobei looked up at Xiao Luo, then hugged his thigh and shook her head without hesitation, ¡°No, I want to y with my daddy.¡±


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s eyes froze for a fleeting moment, and just a glint betrayed his pique, but he smiled again and said, ¡°Then would you want to know if Uncle Yang or your daddy is better at ying basketball?¡±


    The little girl did not speak as she hid behind Xiao Luo timidly.


    Yang Hongzhi straightened his back and looked at Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao, let¡¯s have a game. It doesn¡¯t matter who wins or loses; most importantly, we should have fun.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you, find someone else.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have the time for him, and taking Su Xiaobei¡¯s hand, they left the court.


    Yang Hongzhi clenched his jaw, and the expression in his face turned dark and cold. He wound up and flung the ball viciously at Xiao Luo.


    Whoosh~


    The basketball was thrown hard and t and flew directly at the side of Xiao Luo¡¯s head at a searing speed.


    Xiao Luo detected the iing ball in his peripheral vision and instantly reacted. He intuitively raised his hand up with his five fingers syed open and caught the ball cleanly in one hand like glue.


    ¡°Woah¡­ you¡¯re pretty quick!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was quite stunned, but he hid it with a smile.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned cold, and he emanated a chilling aura that radiated outward.


    Even Shen Qingyan shuddered and muttered to herself, ¡°What¡¯s with the god damn weather, why is it cold all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Xiaobei, go to mommy.¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke gently and patted Xiaobei¡¯s head lightly.


    ¡°Daddy, are you ying basketball with uncle Yang?¡± She looked excitedly at him with her blinking eyes.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Yang Hongzhi couldn¡¯t hold back his smirk, his time hade finally, and he wouldpletely annihte this catfish and impress Su Li.


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s fighting!¡±


    Su Xiaobei cheered for Xiao Luo, then quickly ran back to Su Li.


    Xiao Luo held the ball and approached Yang Hongzhi, they had a simr height, both were around one hundred and seventy-seven centimeters.


    He looked at Yang Hongzhi calmly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the rule?¡±


    Xiao Luo was not easily provoked when he was subjected to insults or even when he was bullied. But he had his limits, and when he was pushed beyond that threshold, the agitator beware! Yang Hongzhi had certainly provoked him¡ªand had Zhang Dashan been present, he would have said that Yang Hongzhi had hit the¡± jackpot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, whoever scores ten points first, win,¡± Yang Hongzhi said, oozing with confidence.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a guest, so after you.¡±


    Yang Hongzhi made a go sign, and he looked incredibly calm and confident with his ever-present smile.


    Xiao Luo stood outside the three-point line, he passed the ball to Yang Hongzhi, who duly passed it back to him. This was a one-on-one duel, and the match would start after the opponent returned the ball to him.


    ¡°F*cking catfish, I¡¯ll destroy you with a 10-0 score!¡±


    The thought shed in Yang Hongzhi¡¯s mind, and he smirked gleefully, then keeping his feet apart, he bent his knees slightly and stretched out his arms to get into a bnced defensive stance.


    However, before he could even react with a block, Xiao Luo jumped up high and made his shot from outside the three-point line.


    The ball sailed majestically through the air in a beautiful arc, and Xiao Luo scored his first basket with the ball going through the hoop cleanly. As the ball cleared the, it bounced several times, and in the silence of the moment, the sound of bouncing ball reverberated across the court¡­ BOP, BOP, BOP.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    Yang Hongzhi stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Xiao Luo actually scored, and he was at least half a meter outside the three-point line. How could he score the basket so effortlessly?


    ¡­

 Chapter 328 - Strength Is Shoot To Score

    Chapter 328: Strength Is Shoot To Score


    ¡°Li, he¡¯s actually managed to score from shooting that far away!¡±


    Shen Qingyan, who was watching the game with Su Li from the courtside, was pleasantly surprised to see the ball passing cleanly through the hoop. She had obviously not expected that Xiao Luo could have scored the basket with a jump-shot half a meter outside the three-point arc.


    ¡°It¡¯s pure luck,¡± Su Li said.


    Luo Pingxiang and Su Xiaobei, who was standing next to them, were cheering excitedly.


    Back in the court, Yang Hongzhi had just retrieved the ball, and smiling, he swaggered toward Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve got a good start¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him impassively and didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Okay, then, Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Yang Hongzhi passed the ball to Xiao Luo, then resumed a defensive stance, he did not believe that Xiao Luo would actually score another one from outside the three-point line. He was convinced that the previous shot was purely luck and not made with skill.


    The moment Xiao Luo had received the pass, he bent his knees and jumped on the spot again. He held the ball with his left palm supporting the side of the ball and right hand behind the ball, just above his shoulder, and his elbow bent a ny-degrees. He kept his eyes fixed at the hoop as he transferred the momentum from the leap to drive the ball through, then straightening his elbow and his wrist straight over the top in the follow-through to the shot.


    It was a perfectly executed shot¡­


    Despite anticipating the shot, Yang Hongzhi could still not get to the ball in time and watched helplessly as the ball left Xiao Luo¡¯s hand. The ball traveled in a precise arc once again and scored with that familiar thud.


    Another three-pointer right into the basket!


    This time, both Shen Qingyan and Su Li were visibly shocked, but they wondered if this shot was another lucky one.


    Yang Hongzhi wasn¡¯t impressed. In fact, he was vexed, and the expression on his face showed¡ªhe looked like he was forcibly fed with prison gruel.


    One of his bodyguards picked up the ball and passed it to him. He held the ball with both hands and forcing a smile, said, ¡°well, well, a consecutive three-point shot, Mr. Xiao, seems like you¡¯ve been practicing a bit.¡±


    Xiao Luo could not be bothered to respond; as Yang Hongzhi had tried to humiliate him, Xiao Luo was now mentally prepared to return the gesture¡ªhe would utterly destroy him. Xiao Luo did not have to redeem the system¡¯s basketball skill as he was already above average yer. However, both King of Mercenaries Constitution and Yi Jinjing did enhance his abilities and pushed his skill level to a whole new height. In his current form, he¡¯d be able to even take on NBA yers, let alone Yang Hongzhi.


    ¡°If you can score another, you¡¯ll have my respect!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi threw down the gauntlet, he wasn¡¯t going to allow himself to make the same mistake. He was a little more aggressive now and forcefully passed the ball to Xiao Luo.


    He put the second basket down to his ownpse rather than Xiao Luo¡¯s ability, and this time he did not lower his stance as much, staying slightly upright to make the jump quicker for the block.


    And just as he read it, Xiao Luo was again going through the same motions as expected, jumping immediately after receiving the ball to shoot. Yang Hongzhi smirked, stomped his feet, jumped high in the air, and mmed his right hand down at the ball. His intention was to block the shot as hard as possible¡ªpartly to quell his anger and because he knew it¡¯d undoubtedly look impressive.


    He may have been too ambitious and fixated with looking impressive, as his blocking hand was just shy of a few centimeters as the ball sailed over him. And before he could even turn, he heard the familiar thud; just like the previous shots, it went through the hoop cleanly once again.


    Three tries, and three baskets, and all taken from outside the three-point line!


    As Yang Hongzhi cushioned hisnding with bent knees, he still couldn¡¯t believe what had happened. He timed his block to perfection this time, and yet, Xiao Luo still got the shot through, how was that even possible?


    The two bodyguards were equally stunned as this was the first time that they had seen anyone score three consecutively shots, let alone three-pointers when ying against their young master.


    ¡°Li, where did you find this man, he¡¯s quite interesting!¡±


    Shen Qingyan started to take notice of Xiao Luo more seriously for the first time. Initially, she expected Xiao Luo to be absolutely destroyed by Yang Hongzhi, but the opposite seemed to have held true.


    ¡°I met him at Jiangcheng during myst concert.¡±


    As Su Li spoke, her eyes were on trained on Xiao Luo, and she was surprised by what she saw. She knew better than anyone that Yang Hongzhi was a genuine sports fanatic, and he had even hired renowned coaches from CBA to train and mentor him in basketball. Besides, he was very active in kickboxing and went to the gym regrly, making him extremely fit, physically. One could say that, when it came to basketball across the Xiahai area, Yang Hongzhi was virtually invincible.


    ¡°Yay! Daddy¡¯s the greatest¡­ fighting, daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was jumping up and down excitedly, pping her tiny hands and cheering for her daddy, Xiao Luo. Standing next to her, Luo Pingxiang was equally animated.


    But to Yang Hongzhi, hearing that cheer was a mortal stab to the heart. His mouth twitched in spasms, and he could no longer retain his smile. Furiously, he snapped at Xiao Luo, ¡°Do you only know how to shoot?!¡±


    ¡°Shooting is my strength, that¡¯s how you win a game!¡± Xiao Luo retorted, clearly intending to get under his skin.


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s face darkened with rage, and he no longer smiled. ¡°Fine, continue then! Let¡¯s see if you cannd every single shot!¡±


    His bodyguard threw him the ball¡­


    Yang Hongzhi had now pushed Xiao Luo further toward the mid-court, and Xiao Luo was now nearly one and a half meters from the three-point arc. At such a distance, the probability of scoring a basket was much lower, even for a professional yer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi took a deep breath and passed the ball to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smirked at him, then without any hesitation, he jumped immediately to shoot after receiving the ball, just like how he had done it in thest three.


    Despite the longer distance, Xia Luo¡¯s shot was an exact repeat of the previous three, and it almost seemed like the basketball had grown a pair of eyes and was guiding itself toward the basket.


    Then, the fifth shot scored¡­


    The sixth shot scored¡­


    The seventh shot scored¡­


    And even the eighth shotnded! Both Shen Qingyan and Su li could not believe what they had just witnessed and were now truly awed, to the point they had to catch their breath. All eight shots were executed with the same technique¡ªall scored by a jump shot taken outside the three-point line. Although there were no exciting passages of offensive and defensive y nor the sh between bodies, the perfect execution of Xiao Luo¡¯s technique was more than a treat to watch.


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s two bodyguards kept rubbing their eyes in disbelief.


    Only Su Xiaobei was cheering out loud for Xiao Luo¨Cshe knew in her heart that her daddy was awesome and would score every ball consecutively.


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s state of mind was a rollercoaster ride that started off with disdain, then he was surprised, shocked, and finally driven to anger. At that moment, Yang Hongzhi looked like he could swallow Xiao Luo up alive. From the third shot on, he had been trying to block Xiao Luo¡¯s attempts, but each time it floated only centimeters from his fingertips, before going through the hoop.


    The score was now, eight to zero, and Yang Hongzhi was seething, what a humiliation it was to him.


    ¡°Damn catfish!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi muttered a curse and stared hard at Xiao Luo; if he did not hate Xiao Luo before, he did now.


    Xiao Luo chuckled at Yang Hongzhi¡ªhere was a man who readily insulted others but was not mentally tough enough to be abused himself.


    ¡°There are two more shots!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi hissed through clenched teeth, and he gripped the ball hard in his hands and stared viciously at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo had a faint smile on his face. He raised his index finger at Yang Hongzhi and then gestured by curling it back to signal for him to pass the ball.


    ¡­

 Chapter 329 - Anger

    <h2>Chapter 329: Anger</h2>


    The score was ominously in Xiao Luo¡¯s favor¡ªit was eight to zero, to be exact¡ªand it had already been agreed from the onset that Xiao Luo would always start off the game. Yang Hongzhi was under immense pressure with that scoreline, and he was absolutely frustrated. Increasingly, Yang Hongzhi was getting enraged¡ªon his forehead, blue-colored veins bulged like they were about to burst, and every strand of hair on his brows was on ends. Thoroughly outssed in the game, he was being humiliated right in front of the woman he was trying so hard to impress. It made him want to skin Xiao Luo alive!


    Xiao Luo ignored his vicious expression, and again, the moment he received the ball, he jumped immediately to take the shot.


    But this time, instead of going for the block, Yang Hongzhi roared and charged into Xiao Luo like a wounded beast. He did not even get a hand on thest eight balls, and unable to ept the shame, he decided to directly hurl himself at Xiao Luo.


    CRASH!


    The impact reverberated across the court as Yang Hongzhi barged his shoulder into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest while still making the shot in the air. Xiao Luo lost his bnce, and he had to take two steps back to regain himself, and he felt a dull pain in his chest.


    Before Yang Hongzhi could even turn to look, he heard the familiar thud as the ballnded through the hoop.


    ¡°Sh*t!!!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was ovee by anguish, and as his eyes glowered in frustration, he threw a tantrum, stamping his feet on the ground repeatedly. He ripped off his jacket and flung it on the court.


    ¡°Are you ying basketball or ¡®Street Fighter?!''¡±


    Xiao Luo was piqued, and he grabbed Yang Hongzhi¡¯s shoulder as he walked off.


    Yang Hongzhi was outraged and immediately pped Xiao Luo¡¯s hand away, then grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s by his cor. He roared, ¡°I am going to whoop your *ss, so what! Are you unhappy about that?¡±


    His body check was totally intentional, but yet he couldn¡¯t ept it when Xiao Luoid a hand on his shoulder. He still had some semnce of self-control despite his fury, or he¡¯d have ordered his bodyguards to deal with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stared coldly into his eyes and, in no uncertain terms, said, ¡°You better let go!¡±


    The glint in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes made Yang Hongzhi shiver, he quickly let go of Xiao Luo¡¯s cor¡ªfor some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt like a frog that was being hunted by a venomous snake and on the verge of being struck; and had Yang Hongzhi not let go, he would have been killed that instant.


    Seeing the confrontation, Yang Hongzhi¡¯s bodyguards, Su Li and Shen Qingyan, rushed into the court.


    ¡°Young Master Yang, it¡¯s just a friendly match, don¡¯t take it too seriously.¡± Shen Qingyan said, attempting to calm him down.


    Suddenly noticing Su Li¡¯s presence, Yang Hongzhi quelled his anger, unwilling to tarnish his image in front of her, and forced a smile. ¡°Huh, what are you saying, Qingyan? Since when was I angry? I noticed Mr. Xiao Luo¡¯s cor was unbuttoned, and I¡¯m helping him with it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Really? Then I have misunderstood you.¡±


    Shen Qingyan smiled wryly, and she knew Yang Hongzhi well enough. She decided to de-escte the situation and said, ¡°Young Master Yang, you must have worked out enough by now;e, let¡¯s get freshened up as I¡¯ve prepared some delicious dishes for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not in a hurry, there¡¯s onest ball.¡± Yang Hongzhi responded.


    The two bodyguards looked at each other awkwardly, wondering to themselves why their young master would not ept the offer when Ms. Shen had just given him a way out. Why did he not go along with it? Did he actually think that he could turn this defeat into a victory? The score was now nine to zero!


    But when they saw the viciousness in Yang Hongzhi¡¯s eyes, they knew he would teach Xiao Luo a hard lesson. They got themselves ready.


    ¡°Are you sure that you still want to continue?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°Haha¡­ there should be an end to every beginning, it¡¯s only one more ball, and it¡¯ll be done in no time.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s finish it!¡± Xiao Luo spoke up suddenly.


    There was a fierce glint in Yang Hongzhi¡¯s eyes for a fleeting moment, and then heughed and said, ¡°Li, you guys can leave first. It seems like Mr. Xiao wants to make me go home with a big zero, hahaha. I¡¯d also like to know if it ends up that way.¡±


    Su Li did not respond to him but walked to Xiao Luo and whispered, ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback as he did not expect Su Li to show any concern. Su Li was well aware of what Yang Hongzhi had nned, and he certainly was going to y by the book.


    He nodded and walked towards the basketball that had already rolled to the far side of the court.


    ¡°Win, Daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei stood by the courtside, clenching her tiny fist and excitedly cheering Xiao Luo on.


    Xiao Luo winked at her and smiled, then gave her an ¡°OK¡± sign.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, if you¡¯re going to score thest ball with another jump shot, then it¡¯ll be an anti-climax, just like a sissy. Come, y ball like a man, show me your dribbling skill,¡± Yang Hongzhi sneered, trying to provoke Xiao Luo.


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked and started dribbling toward Yang Hongzhi¡¯s end of the court.


    ¡°This stupid catfish is finally taking the bait, I¡¯ll change my surname if I don¡¯t destroy you today!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi said to himself andughed before he got into a defensive stance. There was a vicious glint in his eyes, and he wanted nothing less than causing him serious injury. The coaches Yang Hongzhi had hired taught him many basketball skills, including several dirty tactics and how to dish out different levels of damage to his opponents in a game. He could sprain their ankles for starters, break their bones or cause an internal injury if he wanted to.


    ¡°Li, things aren¡¯t looking good, it seems like young master Yang is going for his killer moves.¡±


    Shen Qingyan expressed her concern to Su Li as they watched the game unfold from the courtside. If Yang Hongzhi really decided to y dirty, she would certainly not forgive him for it, as he would¡¯ve not only lost the match but also his dignity as a sportsman.


    Su Li listened but remained impassive, but after a brief thought, she said, ¡°Call an ambnce, just in case!¡±


    The one reason that made her despise Yang Hongzhi was that he was simply a spoiled kid from a wealthy background. He refused to ept any rejection or failure in life, what he wanted, he got. He was the one who initiated the match, but he couldn¡¯t take the fact that he was totally outyed. Had he not been the son of thepany¡¯s biggest shareholder, she would not even respond to him.


    Shen Qingyan concurred and decided to make the call, as she too was now aware that Yang Hongzhi was not a dignified person.


    Back on the court, Xiao Luo advanced speedily toward Yang Hongzhi, dribbling with ir and control. He made a feint to his right, then swung to the left, suddenly broke the ball back to the right again, and charged forward to get underneath the basket. He moved like a gust of wind and reached the basket in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Wow, what a move! Is Xiao Luo going to dunk?¡±


    Shen Qingyan, still on the phone, but her eyes were fixed on the court action as she was a basketball fan and regrly watched basketball matches. From Xiao Luo¡¯s body position, it was evident that he was about to execute the Tomahawk dunk.


    Su Li simply stared in a stupor, absolutely bewildered at how high Xiao Luo had jumped, and how easily he had dribbled pass Yang Hongzhi.


    ¡°Got you!¡±


    ¡°AARGH~¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was beaten, but he would not give in¡ªhis intentions were clear, and in a desperate attempt to take his opponent down, heunched himself, crashing hard into Xiao Luo. A determination showed in his blood-shot eyes, and he expected to see Xiao Luo tumble out of the backline aplete wreck.


    The horrifying sound of a brutal, bone-crunching thump filled the air, and everyone cringed in horror. Would Xiao Luo be alright? But, the expression on Yang Hongzhi¡¯s face drastically at the moment of impact. An explosion of irresistible power surged from Xiao Luo¡¯s body, and Yang Hongzhi felt he had just crashed into an immovable mountain.


    ¡­

 Chapter 330 - Bearing Grudges

    Chapter 330: Bearing Grudges


    ¡°You overestimate yourself!¡±


    Xiao Luo said coldly¡­ and a strong surge of internal energy exploded from his body.


    A shrill scream pierced the air as Yang Hongzhi was thrown right out of the court, looking like he was hit by a speeding car. Xiao Luo was still hovering in the air, his right arm winding up behind his head before dunking the basketball through the hoop. The ball was mmed fiercely into the basket, like a cannonball, and the swung back upwards as it swished through.


    Afterpleting the dunk, Xiao Luonded softly with both feet slightly apart. The ball was bouncing right under the basket going BOP, BOP, BOP¡ªas if bowing to Xiao Luo in deference, and it eventually stopped bouncing and rolled towards his feet in total submission.


    Yang Honzhi¡¯s two bodyguards, Shen Qingyan and Su Li froze, staring with their mouths wide open, absolutely shocked by what they had just witnessed. Shen Qingyan, who was still on the phone, unknowingly dropped it on the ground. Su Xiaobei¡¯s eyes lit up in awe¡ªshe was cheering gleefully and jumping for joy when she saw Xiao Luo gloriously m the dunk through the hoop with such power.


    Nobody even dreamed that Xiao Luo was capable of a m dunk, and it wasn¡¯t just a regr dunk, but an imposing and powerful m dunk. His timing, explosive power, and jumping prowess was simply dominating!


    Yang Hongzhiy slumped on the ground, staring nkly at the slender figure under the basket. His humiliation wasplete¡ªthe final score was 10 to 0. He had initially nned to beat his opponent 10 to 0, but instead, he ended up on the receiving end of that scoreline. As if that wasn¡¯t humiliating enough, he was totally outssed by his opponent, unable to touch the ball even once. Now, his confidence and self-esteem were crushed entirely, something that he had never experienced before.


    ¡°Ah San, Ah Si¡­ what are you waiting for?! Cripple that b*stard!¡± Yang Hongzhi roared.


    ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡±


    The bodyguards snapped out of their shock and rushed toward Xiao Luo, snarling with cruel intentions.


    ¡°Yang Hongzhi, what are you trying to do?!¡± Su Li yelled. She was furious with Yang Hongzhi, furrowing her brows as she walked over briskly to confront him.


    ¡°Li Er¡­ I, ermm¡­¡±


    ¡°You were the one who suggested having this match with Xiao Luo, yet now you are trying to beat him up after you¡¯ve lost. Are you such a sore loser?¡± Su Li said, her eyes ring coldly at the vanquished man.


    Yang Hongzhi attempted to respond, but nothing came out when he opened his mouth, he didn¡¯t know what he could say to exin himself. But, when he gazed into Su Li¡¯s beautiful eyes, he immediately came to his senses and got back up. He tried tough it off casually and said: ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­ just a misunderstanding, that¡¯s all. Hahaha¡­ I was just fooling around with him.¡±


    He waved his hands and signaled for his two bodyguards to stand down.


    Su Li no longer had any interest in continuing the conversation. She turned to walk away.


    ¡°I could tell right from the start that Young Master Yang was just fooling around. Why would a magnanimous person like Young Master Yang behave like a sore loser, am I right?¡± Shen Qingyan said, walking over and trying to make peace.


    After hearing bothdies mention the words ¡°sore loser,¡± he almost vomited blood. He¡¯d just been thrashed 10 to 0, and right was in front of the woman he fancied. Who would be able to ept such a loss, especially after being totally outyed in every aspect of the game?


    However, outwardly Yang Hongzhi nodded his head, and he even attempted augh to show how magnanimous he was. ¡°As usual, only Qingyan knows me best. Oh, and by the way, Qingyan, I won¡¯t be able to have lunch with you all. I suddenly remembered that I have something urgent to attend to, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Then, he beckoned to Su Xiaobei, who was looking at him. ¡°Xiaobei, say goodbye to Uncle Yang!¡± She instantly hugged Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh and timidly hid half her face behind him.


    ¡°Bye, Uncle Yang¡­¡± Su Xiaobei spoke in the faintest of whispers.


    ¡°Good girl!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi turned to Su Li and smiled. ¡°Li Er, I wille and find you again some other time.¡±


    He turned around and left without any further ado.


    It wasn¡¯t that he had any urgent matters to attend to, but rather because his muscles were aching badly and he might even have sprained his lower back, and if he stayed any longer, he would only make a fool of himself. When he turned around, his smile dissipated instantly, and a cruel and dark expression appeared on his face.


    ¡°Ah San, Ah Si.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master, what are your instructions?¡±


    With a nasty scowl on his face, Yang Hongzhi said, ¡°Find an opportunity to teach him a lesson, but remember this¡ª do not leave any evidence that will point back to me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The two bodyguards nodded respectfully.


    As she watched them walking off, Shen Qingyan shook her head, then turned to told Xiao Luo and said, ¡°You better be careful for now, that young master Yang is not a forgiving person. You¡¯ve made him lose face, and he is bound to take revenge on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the warning,¡± Xiao Luo said, nodding his head slightly and giving her an appreciative smile.


    ¡°You seem to be a pretty calm fellow¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan responded as she gazed at him with fascination. She had earlier seen him as just an ordinary guy, but that all changed after the one-on-one game with Yang Hongzhi¡ªhe yed rings around his opponent and delivered a resounding 10 to 0 thrashing, but the crowning moment was, without doubt, the tomahawk dunk that sealed the match.


    From what Shen Qingyan had observed, this man had some decent skills, in terms of basketball, at least. He was neither humble nor arrogant in his speech and came across as a person with strong abilities and innate confidence. He seemed to have gone through a lot in life, someone familiar with magnificence at the very top, and grueling hardship at the very bottom. But it didn¡¯t matter who he was, she now found herself bing interested in Xiao Luo, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, let¡¯s go and eat.¡±


    Shen Qingyan snapped out of her lingering thoughts and responded, ¡°Hahaha, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard the goddess Su say to me that she¡¯s hungry!¡±


    ¡­


    Lunch at Shen Qingyan¡¯s was a sumptuous meal, which was expected as all wealthy families employed their own professional house chefs. There was a spread of delicious dishes, and the main dish was presented on arge tter with magnificently carved vegetables, making for an inviting and heavenly gastronomical experience. Chateau Lafite was served with the meal, and for those that did not indulge in wine, Plum Garden¡¯s orange juice was offered. Even the water they drank was a premium spring mineral water sourced from deep underground, a bottle costing 300 dors.


    Here, dining in Shen Qingyan¡¯s home, Xiao Luo finally understood what luxury really meant!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s current wealth could notpare to Shen Qingyan¡¯s, but it did not mean that he was unable to afford such a luxurious lifestyle¡ªit just wasn¡¯t his way, as the diligent and frugal mindset that had been inculcated from a young age was profoundly ingrained and had an impact on his character.


    That night, Xiao Luo received a call from Li Zimeng, who informed him that several of Luo Workshop¡¯s key personnel had arrived at Xiahai and had started working on developing the branch office there. Xiao Luo did not have to personally manage the nning and sourcing of equipment and talents for the new branch, it was delegated to Li Zimeng and his other core managers. He yed an oversight role, and only when significant issues arose with thepany¡¯s expansion effort would he step in to resolve them.


    On the second day, Xiao Luo decided to visit his alma mater, Xisheng Aeronautical University.


    He was a nostalgic person by nature, and since he was back, he wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to do so. He certainly missed the bouncy noodles from the third canteen located on the second floor. The noodles were soft and chewy and were a perfect match to the dollops of minced meat sauce that was generously slopped over it. Back in his university days, the bouncy noodles stall was always packed with crowds, and unless he went early, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get it. This ensured that the ce was perpetually swarming with customers, and perhaps the perfect marketing strategy for the humble food stall.


    The Arterial Road was still the same, the English Corner still existed, and even the Star Anise pond remained unchanged. Yet, the mood, as he walked through the campus, was different. Passing the old dormitory, he stopped and gazed up at the balcony on the seventh floor. One of the ss panes still had a hole with a web of cracks around it.


    Xiao Luo vividly remembered that day when he was fooling around with Zhang Dashan and had identally broken the pane with the end of a broomstick. It had been five to six years since, and he did not expect that it had not been reced. Looking at it now, he couldn¡¯t help but have mixed feelings.


    ¡­

 Chapter 331 - Eight Years of University

    Chapter 331: Eight Years of University


    It was almost noon when Xiao Luo arrived at Xisheng Aeronautical University, so he decided to head directly to the stall selling bouncy noodles at canteen No.3. It was crowded by then, with customers swarming around the stall window. No one thought to form a queue but instead chose to jostle into position in front of the window. There were many incidents of foot-stamping and shoving going on, and not surprisingly,ints and curses were rife.


    When it came toining and cursing, one particr man stood out. He had a shrill voice and was arge man of rather a full stature, in that he was short and round.


    ¡°Hey! Stop squeezing in; if you squeeze any closer, you¡¯ll get pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Oi, you¡¯re stepping on my foot, you blind fool!¡±


    ¡°Those servings of bouncy noodles are mine, don¡¯t try to steal them from me.¡±


    Sporting a middle-parted hairstyle, attired in a ck traditional Chinese suit, and with a chubby, round face, he was the mirror image of Kim Jong-un.


    Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face. The Kim Jong-Un look-a-like was none other than Guan Tong, a former ssmate in college. Guan Tong had a bit of a dubious reputation¡ªhe had to repeat his sophomore year in college due to his poor academic performance, and despite repeating it, he still couldn¡¯t obtain the modr credits required, so Guan Tong decided to suspend his studies. Xiao Luoter heard from Zhang Dashan that after a two-year break, Guan Tong applied to return to school again. He had always thought that Zhang Dashan made it up forughs, but now that he saw Guan Tong here, it turned out to be true.


    Meanwhile, after grabbing three bowls of bouncy noodles with meat sauce and squeezing his way out of the crowd, Guan Tong stepped right in the path of Xiao Luo. He blinked his small eyes slit before he finally ascertained the identity of the man before him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?!¡±


    For a brief moment, on seeing the familiar face of Xiao Luo again, Guan Tong was transported back in time. But upon seeing the faces of the many young students around him, he quickly woke up and returned to the present.


    ¡°Guan Tong. It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Xiao Luo greeted him warmly.


    ¡­


    Ten minutester, the two were sitting down on a table catching up on old times.


    Xiao Luo ate bouncy noodles as well, but Guan Tong was the one who helped him order his bowl of noodles. He wasrge and fat, so no one dared to say a word when he cut through the crowd to buy a bowl of bouncy noodles. Besides, he also had a vicious-looking face.


    ¡°I thought my eyes were ying tricks on me when I saw you, I didn¡¯t think it was really you. Aren¡¯t you working in Jiangcheng? When did youe back, surely it can¡¯t be another story simr to how Hu Hansan came back?¡±


    Guan Tong was a chatty person, and he talked unceasingly as he gulped down his bouncy noodles. He was excited to meet his former ssmate again after all these years.


    ¡°I just came back this year, I¡¯m going to develop my future career here in Xiahai.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a bite, and the bouncy noodles still had the same familiar taste, which instantly reminded him of many things from the past.


    ¡°Wee back. At least now, I won¡¯t feel lonely, and I¡¯ll have someone to harass when I get bored, haha,¡± Guan Tong said.


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow. ¡°How can you be feeling lonely when our ss president has been in Xiahai all along?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even mention Guo Qinghe. He is now a top-tier recruiter of an MLM organization, I¡¯ve not been in contact with him,¡± Guan Tong replied, unconsciously looking around as he shook his head.


    A top-tier recruiter of an MLM organization? Guo Qinghe?


    Xiao Luo was totally shocked, and Guan Tong¡¯s words caught him off guard.


    ¡°Guo Qinghe dresses well, but it¡¯s only toe off as a sessful person. He does this to deceive those poor people who want to get rich overnight, and theynd up spending their hard-earned money on his schemes. The locations he chooses are all in counties or small towns to the south of Xiahai City, and he specializes in scamming outsiders.¡±


    ¡°How do you know all this?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°The first down line distributor he found when he first joined the MLM was me, how could I not know that? It¡¯s a good thing my mind was sharp enough, or I¡¯d also have fallen in his trap.¡±


    Guan Tong sighed, and by then, he had already finished a bowl of bouncy noodles and was starting on his second bowl. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talking about him; it isn¡¯t good to talk about others behind their backs. I didn¡¯t go to the ss reunion he organizedst year for this reason. Oh, by the way, you and Zhao Mengqi¡­ have you both tied the knot?¡±


    ¡°We broke up.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Guan Tong¡¯s reaction was calm, and he didn¡¯t seem to find it strange or pursue the matter.


    Xiao Luo changed the topic. ¡°Have you gotten your graduation certificate and degree?¡±


    Guan Tong gave his chopsticks a rest and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t even remember how many subjects I failed. I feel like I can¡¯t even count them with my ten fingers, and it¡¯s hard to pass even the trial exams. In my opinion, the graduation certificate and degree are just pieces of paper¡ªacademic qualifications are not important, but what is important is one¡¯s talent. I have long given up on the idea of getting a graduation certificate and a degree.¡±


    Given up on the graduation certificate and degree?


    Although having these two certificates did not guarantee one of sess, still, when seeking for a job, it gave the bearer an added advantage over those that did not have it. These days, one really couldn¡¯t do without them, and it made perfect sense to obtain them.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t agree with Guan Tong¡¯s point of view. ¡°So, you¡¯re working now?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m at home most of the time, but I bike to the school library every day to read books, increase my knowledge, and be a talented person.¡± Guan Tong had by now started on his third bowl of bouncy noodles.


    ¡°How are you going to support yourself if you don¡¯t work?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°By relying on my family, of course. My father and my mother both work in public institutions, and now the two of them have abined sry of almost 20,000 dors, even if they retireter, they could receive seven or eight thousand dors just by sitting at home. I¡¯m their only son, so their money is my money. I¡¯m spending it in advance, andter after I be a talented person, I could easily earn back tens of millions to honor them.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help wondering what was going through Guan Tong¡¯s mind, but if it were him, he would not be at peace with himself living this way. He was curious to know what Guan Tong meant by talent. Would he be able to ept it when he was 27 or 28 and doing nothing but stay home and live off his parents?


    He couldn¡¯t understand the talent that Guan Tong was referring to, but of course, it was none of his business, and as an outsider, he wasn¡¯t qualified to judge.


    ¡°Guan Tong!¡±


    A voice called out.


    Guan Tong and Xiao Luo both turned to the direction of the voice¡ªit was a kindly, middle-aged man wearing a ck suit and a pair of sses. He had very little hair and a receding hairline that made him look a bit bald.


    ¡°It¡¯s Old Yu!¡± Guan Tong said, finally putting down his chopsticks.


    Xiao Luo knew who Old Yu was, of course. His full name was Yu Jiangu, and he was their homeroom teacher in college.


    He hurriedly got up and greeted Yu Jiangu, who had just walked over. ¡°How are you, Mr. Yu.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo? What are you doing here?¡±


    Yu Jiangu was quite surprised to see Xiao Luo, who was a student from thest batch he had taught. He had a rather bad impression of that rascal, Zhang Dashan, and as Xiao Luo spent a considerable amount of time together with him, he naturally remembered Xiao Luo as well.


    ¡°Old Yu, you needn¡¯t be surprised, he¡¯s nning to work in Xiahai. He¡¯s just returning to his alma mater for a visit.¡±


    Guan Tong said as he tilted his head, drank the soup from thest bowl of the bouncy noodles, and then burped. It had been so many years, Yu Jiangu was both like a mentor and a friend to Guan Tong, and they spoke very casually to each other.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, wee back then, hahaha¡­¡±


    Yu Jiangu smiled and patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, then gave him a piece of advice. ¡°Don¡¯t get too close with this b*stard for the sake of your own future, he doesn¡¯t care about progress, wasting his life away all day. The second batch of students under me is about to enter the workforce, yet this b*stard is still in the same ce. Other people go to college for four years, but he has been studying for eight years. You can win a war in eight years, yet he can¡¯t even get two certificates.¡±


    He looked pained when he spoke of Guan Tong. As his teacher, he couldn¡¯t remember the number of times he had been teased by his colleagues because of Guan Tong¡¯s poor performance. He was a disgrace and a blight to Yu Jiangu¡¯s reputation.


    ¡­

 Chapter 332 - Exchanging Thoughts

    Chapter 332: Exchanging Thoughts


    ¡°Hey, Old Yu¡ª¡¯b*stard¡¯ is my catchword, don¡¯t steal it!¡±


    Guan Tong¡¯s shrill voice had a strange ring to it, it was ear-piercing and had a duck-like quality¡ªlike the loud squawking and hissing of a male duck being strangled.


    Yu Jiangu red at him severely with a look of exasperation. ¡°You rotten brat, don¡¯t you dare be a bad influence to Xiao Luo, I tell you, otherwise I will castrate you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a false usation, he doesn¡¯t need me to be a bad influence, that rascal, Dashan, hasmitted all sorts of sins, and as Xiao Luo is so close to him, I¡¯m afraid that he has long been rotten to the core,¡± Guan Tong retorted, casually picking his nose.


    [¡°Achoo!¡± Thousands of miles away, at the headquarters of Luo Workshop, Jiangcheng¡ªZhang Dashan, in his office reading through some documents, sneezed and muttered to himself, ¡°Sh*t, which pretty girl is thinking about me?¡±]


    ¡°¡­?¡± Xiao Luo was speechless.


    Yu Jiangu knocked Guan Tong with a knuckle to his head. ¡°You think Xiao Luo is as unmotivated as you are, only knowing how to waste his life away all day long? I remember him well, he was at the top of the ss and won a university-level schrship once. Am I right, Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, I didn¡¯t expect Mr. Yu would still remember it.¡±


    Xiao Luo was amazed by Yu Jiangu¡¯s memory, never expecting that he remembered the schrship award. He did indeed get it during his freshman year, and it had been for the highest tier awarded at the university level. But the following year, as he was diligently working while studying at the same time, he only achieved moderate grades and no longer became a recipient of the schrship.


    ¡°For us, teachers, students with good grades, and those with poor grades are the ones we remember well. By the way, how is that fellow, Zhang Dashan, doing now? ¡°Yu Jiangu asked, remembering him well¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s doing okay, he has just started apany in Jiangcheng,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Although Xiao Luo was actually thergest shareholder of Luo Workshop, he had nominated Zhang Dashan as its director, while he chose to remain behind the scenes.


    Yu Jiangu was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Not bad, that¡¯s amazing! I¡¯m impressed Dashan was able to open apany in a developed city like Jiangcheng. Since you¡¯re so close to him, I¡¯m sure you also have a good position in thepany?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, yes, I do have a little influence within thepany.¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Not bad, I was very optimistic about the two of you back in college, and you both did not let me down,¡± Yu Jiangu gushed, patting Xiao Luo on his shoulder and nodding his approval.


    Guan Tong quipped, ¡°Old Yu, you seemed to say the same thing to every ex-student you meet.¡±


    Yu Jiangu once again rapped him on the head. ¡°No one will take you for a mute if you don¡¯t talk!¡±


    ¡°Old Yu, I will draw a circle to curse you and make you bald soon.¡±


    As soon as he heard the word ¡°bald,¡± Yu Jiangu went red-faced and jumped like a fox that had its tail stepped on, unleashing a stream of invective at Guan Tong. ¡°You young b*stard, I wondered why my hair has been falling outtely, so it¡¯s you who¡¯s been cursing me. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll castrate you!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, calm down, that much anger will only make you lose more of your thinning hair¡­¡±


    ¡°You little upstart, I¡¯ll really kill you if you mention hair loss again!¡±


    Yu Jiangu was livid, wholly losing the gentle demeanor he had just a moment ago.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Yu!¡±


    Three girls happened to pass by and greeted him warmly.


    Yu Jiangu immediately calmed down and smiled broadly, quickly adjusting his cor and nodding his head to acknowledge the pretty youngdies. ¡°Oh, hello, girls.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless, how did he not notice before that his ss teacher Yu Jiangu was such an amusing person.


    ¡­


    After lunch, Yu Jiangu had a favor to ask of Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s been almost four years since you left the school, you must have umted much experience in society. We¡¯re having a ss meetingter, please do share your experiences with your juniors so that they can prepare themselves early to step into the world, it¡¯s theirst semester in school.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yu, this¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo felt ufortable, as he never enjoyed talking much to people; the less he had to say, the better. To suddenly ask him to give a talk to fifty or sixty students was somewhat a challenge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel stressed, it¡¯s just getting to know your juniors and telling them about some of your experiences in society, to let them know that engineering management is not some obscure major, but that it¡¯s very well-received out there.¡±


    Yu Jiangu smiled as he looked at Xiao Luo with eyes that were genuine and sincere. cing his hand on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Just do me a favor, those kids are too wild. They don¡¯t listen to much of what I have to say, even as their ss teacher. But if a senior with a sessful career were to speak to them, the effect would certainly be different. I am sincerely hoping that they can make a great career out of it so that I can have some pride and not be like someone who is just pulling us down.¡±


    He nced meaningfully at Guan Tong, sitting next to him with a dumb smile on his face.


    It suddenly hit Guan Tong, who then red back at him. ¡°Old Yu, what are you looking at me for, what exactly do you mean, are you trying to say that I¡¯m the one embarrassing you?¡±


    ¡°Guan Tong, my long-time student¡ªas your teacher, I¡¯m very relieved that you have this realization.¡± Yu Jiangu patted him firmly on the shoulder twice and said it in a sardonic way.


    ¡°You B*stard, Old Yu!¡±


    Guan Tong frowned.


    Xiao Luoughed, and at this point, it was tough for him to refuse. After all, Yu Jiangu had been his ss teacher at university for four years.


    ¡­


    It was 2 pm, as Xiao Luo and Guan Tong followed Yu Jiangu to the engineering management school to meet the ss that would be graduating this year.


    Guan Tong was an ¡°old¡± student who had had his name registered under the engineering management major for quite a while now, and he was obliged to attend the ss meeting.


    After Yu Jiangu updated his students concerning other relevant matters, he invited Xiao Luo to the front of the ss and made the introductions. ¡°Students, this is your senior from four batches before you, and his name is Xiao Luo. He is one of the founding members of a pastry-makingpany in Jiangcheng. He hase to Xiahai this year in anticipation of establishing a branch in Xiahai.¡±


    Listening to his introduction, the boys and girls in the ss reacted in all sorts of ways¡ªsome stared adoring, some were curious, some looked surprised, and of course, some were snickering.


    ¡°Now, he will be sharing his experiences and give some pointers for the benefit of everyone here, so please wee him¡ªXiao Luo!¡± Yu Jiangu led the apuse.


    The fifty or sixty students of the engineering management major followed his lead and apuded enthusiastically.


    After the apuse, a few students were whispering among themselves.


    ¡°Four batches before us, wouldn¡¯t that mean that he was in the same batch as ¡®Eight Years¡¯?¡±


    Many people nced toward Guan Tong, sitting in thest row browsing on his mobile phone. ¡°Eight Years¡± was the nickname students had given him, mocking him for taking eight years to finish college, but of course, it might just as quickly change to ¡°Nine Years¡± or ¡°Ten Years¡±ter.


    Xiao Luo stood on the podium and looking at the young faces below, his heart was filled with emotions. He once also sat below watching Yu Jiangu standing at the exact spot he was at present, and the experience was out of this world.


    He smiled slightly, very much at ease, and said, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know what to tell you, so I guess I¡¯ll tell you about the things that I¡¯vee to regret in my years of hard work.¡±


    ¡°Senior Xiao, aren¡¯t you a sessful person? Howe you have regrets too?¡±


    Everyone turned to look, and it was none other than the top student of the ss, Guan Yilin, who asked the question. It seemed to be just a simple question, but the way she emphasized the words ¡°sessful people¡± wasced with sarcasm.


    ¡­

 Chapter 333 - Finding Fault

    Chapter 333: Finding Fault


    Yu Jiangu considered telling Guan Yilin not to interrupt Xiao Luo, as he was well aware of her overweening attitude. Guan Yilin had a very high opinion of herself and often asked loaded questions to make her teachers look ipetent. She was a handful as far as Yu Jiangu and all the teachers were concerned. In their eyes, she was an excellent student, but at the same time, also a b*tch of the highest order.


    But he held back on second thought since Xiao Luo had the floor, and wanted to see if Xiao Luo could subdue this conceited and arrogant student.


    Everyone in the ss stared at Xiao Luo, many with wry smiles on their faces, waiting to see how he would respond.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Of course I have regrets, everyone has regrets more often than not, and a life without regrets is not aplete life.¡±


    ¡°And what are your regrets?¡± Guan Yilin pressed further.


    ¡°My regret is that I didn¡¯t choose to go to graduate school or take the civil service exam in my senior year.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°In today¡¯s society, there are too many college students entering the workforce, and there¡¯s fiercepetition for jobs. Even many of the graduates from 221-tiered and 985-tiered colleges [1] are facing a crisis in the current climate of high unemployment. To get a better start and a strongerpetitive edge, you must try to pursue postgraduate studies. But I didn¡¯t do so and have lost that opportunity to improve myself.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t opt to take the civil service exam either. Many people are dismissive of the civil service, believing that while it offers stability, it¡¯s at best a middle-ie profession. But it represents an invaluable career for a new graduate, offering you a tform you to settle down and think carefully about a new career path before you embark on what you wish to achieve in the future.¡±


    These were indeed his two regrets; if it wasn¡¯t for the fortuitous integration of the genius system, he would still be toiling away as a hard-working, nine-to-five product engineer in some factory and would often have to work overtime.


    Yu Jiangu agreed with Xiao Luo¡¯s view, and as a senior teacher, he hade to the same conclusion for some time now. Nowadays, there were hundreds of thousands of college students graduating every year, and while the number of job applicants increased on an annual basis, job avability did not grow at the same rate. Hence a more significant number of graduates were nowpeting for a limited number of jobs.


    Under such circumstances, choosing to pursue postgraduate studies or to take the civil service exam was a smart path. As a testament, one of Yu Jiangu¡¯s students who pursued his postgraduate studies got into argepany with a starting sry of 10,000 dors and often traveled on business trips abroad¡ªalthough he had ate start, he quickly ran ahead of everyone else.


    ¡°Senior Xiao, what you mean is that there are only two paths for us graduates to take, one is to pursue postgraduate studies, and the other is to take the civil service exam, right?¡± Guan Yilin scoffed.


    Xiao Luo shook his head as he replied, ¡°No, this is just from my personal experience. It¡¯s not suitable for everyone, it¡¯s just information that you can use to form your own decisions. It¡¯s for your reference only.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Then ording to Senior Xiao, what should I do after graduation?¡±


    Guan Yilin absolutely disagreed with Xiao Luo¡¯s viewpoint, and with a smirk on her face, she said, ¡°I am now a regional manager of CITIC Credit Services, and CITIC Bank has also offered me a position. As soon as I sign the contract, they will put a lot of resources behind me, and I will be able to develop quickly into a sessful career woman. But, Senior Xiao, ording to what you¡¯ve just said, do you think I should turn down their offer and go to graduate school instead, or take the civil service exam?¡±


    ¡°Yi Lin¡¯s sry now is already 8,000 or 10,000 dors, at least, she must be crazy to give up on CITIC Bank.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought he could preach some useful life lessons, but then he starts talking about going to graduate school and taking civil service exams, this guy is really something else.¡±


    ¡°Haha, looks like he¡¯s just here pretending to be street smart!¡±


    Guan Yilin posed her mocking questions and drewughter from the ss, as to everyone¡¯s eyes, Xiao Luo was making a fool of himself. As students who had sessfully gotten through the challenging entrance exams to enter such a leading university, the students prided themselves as elites; therefore, they were not inclined to listen to anyone they thought was inferior.


    Xiao Luo now understood that the overly confident girl sitting in the first row right below him was deliberately trying to undermine anything he said. Xiao Luo was usually a soft-spoken, amodating person, though somewhat chauvinistic, once his temper red up, it did not matter if the other party was a man or a woman, he would make them kneel down and admit defeat.


    ¡°I have to emphasize it again, that¡¯s just my regret, and one must adapt ording to one¡¯s needs rather than blindly following what I have to say.¡±


    ¡°I see that Senior Xiao is cautious with his words, and I like it,¡± Guan Yilin said, ¡°By the way, I wonder if Senior Xiao has read the book ¡®Three Kingdoms,¡¯ one of the four famous novels?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve read it.¡±


    ¡°Then which one of the characters in the novel do you admire most, Senior Xiao?¡±


    ¡°Zhuge Liang.¡±


    ¡°Senior Xiao, I presume that you admire Zhuge Liang because of his loyalty, bravery, and wisdom? ¡®Exerting himself to the utmost, carrying out his duty until his dying day¡¯ is the perfect portrayal of his life. I actually like him too, but I like the wily and cunning Sima Yi even more.¡±


    Guan Yilin dramatically stood up and presented her arguments, taking delight from the attention she was getting from everyone.


    ¡°Here we go, this girl¡¯s old habits are acting up again, and she¡¯s starting to find fault with Xiao Luo like how she does with the teachers!¡±


    Yu Jiangu muttered under his breath, not pleased with how things were going at the moment. He had called Xiao Luo to share his experience about society to these students who were about to embark on their own careers. He hoped that they could get something out of it, and in some way, help prepare themselves in advance, but it now seemed unlikely. With Guan Yilin in the crowd, what hope did Xiao Luo have to showcase himself?


    But just when Yu Jiangu was about to stop Guan Yilin, Xiao Luo gestured to him, indicating that he did not interfere.


    Another student who had no qualms about stirring up trouble deliberately asked in a pretentious manner. ¡°Yilin, why do you like Sima Yi? Wasn¡¯t that the guy who was afraid of Zhuge Liang during the time he employed the ¡¯empty city¡¯ ruse?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Sima Yi had actually figured out Zhuge Liang¡¯s ¡¯empty-city¡¯ stratagem. The reason why he didn¡¯t storm the city and capture Zhuge Liang alive was that he was smart¡ªhe knew the truth that ¡®when all birds have been shot, the bow would be set aside, and when all hares have been killed, the hounds would be stewed and eaten.''¡±


    Guan Yilin¡¯s eloquent rhetoric not only caused a stir among her peers, but even Yu Jiangu was also swayed by herpelling argument, and he questioned his own understanding of the historical ssic. He thought to himself, surely he had not read an adulterated version of the Three Kingdoms? Was Sima Yi ever more formidable a figure than Zhuge Liang?


    Guan Yilin continued, ¡°As we know, Sima Yi experienced many ups and downs in his career, and his path was filled with hardships. He was often the target of countless conspiracies as he had many political enemies that had been jealous of his sesses. When Cao Cao was still alive, he was always wary of Sima Yi and once told Hua Xin, that ¡®Sima Yi is eyeing the nation like a hawk or a wolf, he cannot be orded military power,¡¯ as Cao Cao wary that Sima Yi would be a significant threat to his own reign eventually.


    ¡°After Cao Pi eded to the throne, Sima Yi was valued by his new lord and rose up the rank of the Great General, and when Cao Rui waster installed as emperor, Sima Yi led his troops against Zhuge Liang and became Zhuge Liang¡¯s most formidable foe on the battlefield. In several confrontations, Zhuge Liang felt the full force of Sima Yi¡¯s power.


    ¡°Zhuge Liang used the strategy of sowing discord among the enemy and spread rumors that Sima Yi nned to usurp the throne, and Cao Rui fell for it. But for General Cao Zhen, who loathed to lose a rare talent like Sima Yi and earnestly dispatched memorandums to the court defending him, Sima Yi would have lost his life.


    ¡°During a period when the situation was constantly evolving, Zhuge Liang marched from Mount Qi for the conquest of northernnds and repeatedly defeated Cao Cao¡¯s army. No one in the imperial court could oppose him, and the reign of the Cao n was in danger. Sima Yi was once again recalled at that time, for he was the only one who could hold off Zhuge Liang¡¯s campaign.


    ¡°Being the talented person that he was, Sima Yi, having experienced countless ups and downs in his life, intimately understood the intricacies of politics. He could be useful again only because his arch-enemy Zhuge Liang remained a threat, for their rtionship was a symbiotic one. The moment he eliminated Zhuge Liang, he would serve no purpose anymore, and the Cao family would undoubtedly have him killed.


    ¡°Therefore, the empty-city stratagem seeded not because of how clever Zhuge Liang was, but because Sima Yi was way cleverer. People inter generations all have a deep misunderstanding and feel that he made such a ridiculous error in judgment because he was too paranoid.¡±


    Footnote:[1] 985-tiered universities are considered the best in China, closely followed by 211-tiered universities.


    ¡­

 Chapter 334 - Rebuttal

    Chapter 334: Rebuttal


    ¡°Sima Yi appeared to have fallen for Zhuge Liang¡¯s empty-city stratagem, but in reality, he only pretended to fall for it, and this proved his superior wisdom beyond doubt. What do you think, Senior Xiao?¡±


    Having presented her argument eloquently, Guan Yilin posed the question to Xiao Luo. She had her unique insight into the story of the Three Kingdoms, and she was confident that Xiao Luo would fail to counter it with apelling riposte. She expected him to make a fool of himself and be ridiculed by everyone. As she awaited his response, she could already anticipate getting some satisfaction and a sense of aplishment from it.


    Her convincing arguments swayed the students of engineering management ss.


    Guan Tong said, ¡°What you said is reasonable and very convincing, but, hey, this is a ss meeting, what do you mean by switching the topic to the Three Kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°The Three Kingdoms is one of the four great works of our country and the Chinese people¡¯s valuable cultural heritage, so what¡¯s wrong if we discuss it?¡±


    Guan Yilin said, ¡°Why, ¡®Eight Years,¡¯ haven¡¯t you been boasting that you want to be a talented person, then you must have familiarized yourself with this book, right? You should give us your own opinion about it too.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Guan Tong choked, unable toe up with a good reply. He had read a variety of random books in the library. Still, he just never read the Three Kingdoms, and his understanding of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi came primarily from the TV series, so he was hard-pressed to give any opinion on the subject.


    ¡°It looks like ¡®Eight Years¡¯ stillcks the talent to support his ambitions!¡± a fellow student mocked.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The whole ss burst intoughter. It had be a daily routine for everyone to joke at Guan Tong¡¯s expense.


    Yu Jiangu felt that the situation was going out of control, as what was supposed to be a sharing of experience and insights ended up being a discussion on the Three Kingdoms. The top student, Guan Yilin, had been up to her old tricks again, stirring up trouble, and Yu Jiangu couldn¡¯t see how it could continue from here.


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s be quiet and listen to what our sessful Senior Xiao has to say. Senior Xiao, so, do you agree with me that Sima Yi was the one with the superior wisdom and therefore should be regarded as the foremost talent of the Three Kingdoms?¡± Guan Yilin said, tilting her head back and eyeing Xiao Luo with an overbearing gaze.


    Xiao Luo smiled. ¡°What you have just said is based on a high degree of spection. There¡¯s insufficient conclusive evidence to substantiate your argument; it¡¯s nothing more than subjective spection.¡±


    ¡°Subjective spection?¡±


    Guan Yilin had a dismissive smile on her lips. ¡°Since Senior Xiao here says that I am making subjective spections, could I ask you to answer the following questions? Firstly, why didn¡¯t Sima Yi dare to attack? The only logical reason is the fear of being lured into a trap or ambushed in the city, right? But how many people could they have concealed in a city of that size? Back in that era, it¡¯s not like they could have buried a Scud missile or some other secret weapon, so would it have been so risky to send in a reconnaissancepany just to scout around?¡±


    The ss burst intoughter once again, as they found Guan Yilin¡¯s choice of words rather humorous, using terms like the Scud missile and reconnaissancepany.


    Yu Jiangu was inwardly surprised by her line of questioning. Had it been him up there on the podium, he would have failed to provide an answer as well. This girl was indeed a b*tch, he thought.


    ¡°Secondly, Sima Yi had walked up to the city wall and saw Zhuge Liang ying the zither at the gate tower, looking at ease. He even heard the sound of the zither enough to notice that it was not out of rhythm, and he also greeted Zhuge Liang, saying that he hade to the city to hear him y the zither. Therefore, we can see that the distance between them was not far. Couldn¡¯t he have ordered a skilled archer to shoot him down with an arrow?


    ¡°Thirdly, ording to Guo Chong¡¯s anecdote, there was a huge disparity in strength between the two sides. Sima Yi had over 100,000 troops, couldn¡¯t he haveid siege to the city for three days without having to attack? Why did they turn around and run?¡±


    Amazing!


    Guan Tong had to confess his admiration for Guan Yilin, such eloquence and such talent made him feel ashamed of himself.


    It was true that in light of the three points raised by Guan Yilin, the empty-city stratagem seemed riddled with holes. It was evident that Sima Yi did not flee for fear of an ambush as wasmonly believed, but that there was a hidden reason. And it was as Guan Yilin had exined earlier¡ª¡±when all birds were shot, the bow would be set aside; when all hares were killed, the hounds would be stewed and eaten.¡± Sima Yi understood this, and he only pretended to be tricked. Therefore he was never fooled by Zhuge Liang¡¯s ruse.


    All the students had their mocking eyes on Xiao Luo, amused by how this man who was being totally outssed by Guan Yilin. Was he really a sessful person who has already been working for four years?


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t at all annoyed or angry with Guan Yilin, and he had this to say, ¡°I happen to have studied the Three Kingdoms as well, and the doubts you¡¯re talking about seem to be very reasonable, but your points of contention are selective, and do not take certain critical factors into consideration, as such they don¡¯t hold water.¡±


    A look of scorn washed over Guan Yilin¡¯s face. ¡°Really? I wish to hear more about it!¡±


    ¡°Certainly, I shall start with your first point. Now let¡¯s say you¡¯re Sima Yi, there are two consequences you¡¯ll have to consider if you send in a reconnaissancepany. First, you have failed to consider ¡®time¡¯¡ªentering the city would invariably cause a dy, then what if Zhuge Liang really did have an ambush prepared? You must know that time determines everything in warfare, and hence determines life and death. Perhaps you can disregard your own life, but what about the lives of over a hundred thousand troops?


    ¡°Next, you have failed to consider ¡®terrain¡¯¡ªalthough Zhuge Liang had fewer troops, he had favorable terrain and crossbowmen, so it would not have been hard for his forces to wipe out a reconnaissancepany. So, after onepany is wiped out, do you send a second one in or withdraw? I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s yet another point you have to consider: Zhuge Liang was always thorough with his ns, which resulted in a high sess rate. At the same time, he never attempted particrly risky undertakings, so would you dare to take a risk against such a capable tactician?¡±


    As soon as Xiao Luo delivered his first counter-argument, Guan Yilin¡¯s expression changed, and the look of contempt faded slightly from the faces of the other students. No one had expected Xiao Luo to refute Guan Yilin¡¯s strong arguments with such astuteness.


    ¡°Regarding your second point, I would like to emphasize that it was customary for people to parley beforemencing battle in ancient times. If a siege wasid, we would have one side on the wall and the other side below it. The Chinese have an old saying: ¡°Gentlemen settle a dispute through negotiation rather than a brawl.¡± But some people do not abide by the rules and would sneakily fire an arrow even as they are talking politely, iming that there can never be too much deception in war. This is as you suggested.


    ¡°But take note that you are talking to Zhuge Liang, is he someone that you can easily shoot down as you wish? Furthermore, would Zhuge Liang have dared to stand on the wall to parley when there was a risk of getting shot? If I were Zhuge Liang, I would definitely have considered this factor and taken the necessary precautions. So, in short, you can¡¯t fool Zhuge Liang with such a petty trick.¡±


    Another point rebutted!


    The crowd was amazed, they had initially thought that Xiao Luo was a fool who knew nothing and was being led around by Guan Yilin, but he turned out to be a consummate debater, and they were deeply impressed by what he said.


    Yu Jiangu¡¯s face lit up in a smile, amazed by Xiao Luo¡¯s rhetorical ability.


    ¡°As for the third point you made, you suggestedying siege to the city. Firstly¡ªthe disparity in strength between the two sides was only known to Zhuge Liang then, and to those like you who read the book centuriester. But as for Sima Yi, he did not know at that time. Secondly¡ªwhat if Zhuge Liang really had prepared an ambush to attack from both inside and out? Do not forget that Zhuge Liang was highly resourceful, and an expert at formations and inventions. What if he had used theplex terrain to stage an attack by water or fire? Don¡¯t we all know that when forces are in disarray, a rout will follow? Should the ambush result in a catastrophic setback, the whole army will panic and run amok, so what good would numbers be then? If you were Sima Yi, would you employ a sound strategy that provided stability and safe retreat, or would you throw it all on a desperate gamble against a dangerous foe like Zhuge Liang?¡±


    There was a sudden lull, and even the drop of a pin could be heard!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s arguments were too convincing and could not be rebutted.


    Guan Yilin furrowed her brows, biting her lips as she stared at Xiao Luo. She stood crestfallen and red-faced, unable to find any words to refute him.


    ¡­

 Chapter 335 - Talented Person

    Chapter 335: Talented Person


    ¡°You are unreasonable!¡±


    In utter exasperation, that was all Guan Yilin could say in response to Xiao Luo¡¯s astute counter-argument.


    ¡°I¡¯m only presenting the evidence, and therefore, I am reasonable. But, even if what you say is true that Sima Yi saw through Zhuge Liang¡¯s empty-city stratagem, it would only mean that Zhuge Liang had expected Sima Yi to recognize his ruse, thereby forcing Sima Yi to obediently withdraw his troops¡ªthis showed his deep understanding of Sima Yi¡¯s predicament; that is ¡®when all birds are shot, the bow will be set aside, and when all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten.¡¯ From this perspective, Sima Yi was already at a disadvantage. So, it is inurate to say that Sima Yi was the foremost strategist during the Three Kingdoms period,¡± Xiao Luo said indifferently.


    No one really expected Xiao Luo to be so eloquent and knowledgeable about literature, and he made the top student of their ss look like a fool inparison.


    Guan Yilin was speechless and could only stare nkly at Xiao Luo with wide eyes. She quickly sat back down in her seat, unable to believe that Xiao Luo¡¯s study of the Three Kingdoms was profound. Her childish scheme to ridicule Xiao Luo had backfired.


    ¡°Sorghum, beans, wheat, and millets; out of these hybrids, which one are you[1], sir?¡± A girl who was very close to Guan Yilin suddenly challenged Xiao Luo with the first part of a couplet.


    D*mn, this kid is actually cursing Xiao Luo with a couplet!


    Yu Jiangu was galled with his students¡¯ behavior, but at the same time, he was somewhat amazed at the talents on disy.


    The ss was stunned at her audacity, and everyone drew a deep breath. The one who posed the derogatory couplet to Xiao Luo was a gifted girl, Shen Shiya, who excelled at poetry, painting, and literature. Without exception, everyone felt that she was taking the wrong major and should have pursued Chinese Arts instead. The couplet tantly called Xiao Luo out for having no self-awareness, and shamelessly regarding himself as a sess on ount of minor achievements.


    Xiao Luoughed lightly and replied, ¡°Poetry books, I-Ching, the Book of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals; with myriad scripture on hand, why the need to ask Lao Tzu [2]?!¡±


    When Xiao Luo furnished the second half of the couplet with aplomb, everyone was astounded and gazed at Xiao Luo with dropped jaws. His second line not only matched the first part of the couplet but he also cleverly countered Shen Shiya with a rhetorical question that contemptuously ced her status beneath his. It had the makings of an exciting battle of wits and captured everyone¡¯s undivided attention. They no longer dared to mock Xiao Luo.


    Shen Shiya was slighted and delivered a scathing riposte. ¡°Mice consider themselves to be ¡®old¡¯ regardless of their size[3]!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head andughed. ¡°Turtles consider their surname to be ck regardless of their gender[4].¡±


    Neatly matched up again!


    The entire ss was enthralled and found it hard to believe how sharp Xiao Luo was, he was simply amazing. Sitting at the back of the ssroom, Guan Tong gawked at the unfolding scene and blinked a few times.


    ¡°People without their face will certainly be invincible[5]!¡± Shen Shiya fired in a particrly nasty one.


    ¡°Trees without their bark will certainly be withered[6].¡± Xiao Luo doused her fiery line with consummate ease.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    Shen Shiya¡¯s face was flushed, and she felt like she was just being toyed with. She gritted her teeth and red at Xiao Luo with angry eyes. Inwardly, she was stunned by how easily he had responded to those verbal attacks of hers.


    Grudgingly, she conceded that Xiao Luo was the better schr, there was noparison when it came to literature knowledge.


    ¡°F***king cool!!!¡±


    Guan Tong¡¯s eyes were watery and filled with deep admiration. He had always wanted to be a talented person, and now, he¡¯d found a role model in Xiao Luo. The kind of vigor and innate self-confidence, and the kind of aura of that made others cower in his presence¡ªthe qualities that made him wish he was like Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Senior Xiao, you¡¯ve really enlightened us, and I greatly admire your literary prowess.¡±


    Guan Yilin stood up as sheplimented her opponent and said, ¡°I wonder how well you¡¯ve mastered the requisite technical skills, shall wepare our AutoCAD skills?¡±


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth lifted into a smile. He originally intended to just say a few words casually, but he didn¡¯t expect these people to continually provoke him. Since he had already participated in the battle, there was absolutely no reason to stop midway.


    Calmly, he asked, ¡°How shall we go aboutparing it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do the engine that¡¯s specified in the textbook. All the engine design parameters are provided in the book, so we just have to use the AutoCAD software to draw the model.¡±


    Guan Yilin appeared very confident as her AutoCAD skills were the best in the ss. She was very familiar with thisputer-assisted design software, and it was a skill that had to be mastered by engineers in her field. She knew it like the back of her hand, and she didn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo could match her skills.


    ¡°Draw the engine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an engineering drawing with a four-star difficulty factor!¡±


    The students, being all from the same major, appreciated the difficulty of this challenge¡ªthere were various curves and slopes, the intersections of circumscribed circles and inscribed circles, and the scale of work was nothing short of intimidating. Were they really going topete on this task?


    ¡°Yilin, I invited Xiao Luo to share his experiences and insights, not topare drawing skills with you. Sit down and stop making a scene. I suggest you listen to Xiao Luo¡¯s opinions with an open mind. He is your senior and a pioneer who¡¯s already forged his way ahead of you. His opinions may prove valuable, and it¡¯d only do you good.¡±


    Yu Jiangu intervened and did not want Guan Yilin to continue making a scene, and besides, he was afraid that Xiao Luo would lose. It was kind of Xiao Luo to ept his invitation to be there, but if this challenge were to cause his rtionship with Xiao Luo to sour, then it¡¯d be toote for regrets.


    ¡°Master Yu,paring technical skills, is also considered a kind of sharing. Senior Xiao, am I right?¡± Guan Yilin¡¯s overweening attitude was on full disy again at the moment. Despite being younger, she saw herself as an equal to Xiao Luo, priding herself with her ability to get an invitation from CITIC Bank while still in her senior year.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. ¡°I agree.¡±


    Yu Jiangu coughed several times dryly and advised Xiao Luo not to y to Guan Yilin¡¯s tune. It would be fine if he won the contest, but he would be ridiculed by the whole ss if he lost.


    Xiao Luo gestured with his hand to say that it¡¯d be fine, and he actually felt that these juniors were quite an interesting lot, especially this Guan Yilin, who was brimming over with self-confidence. It was a quality he quite admired but certainly didn¡¯t like. Being constantly challenged by his juniors, he had to continually prove himself to maintain his dignity and pride as a senior.


    ¡­..


    Xiao Luo had to use Yu Jiangu¡¯sptop, while Guan Yilin worked her ownputer.


    The data sheets of two engines were ced in front of them, and Guan Yilin immediately started drafting the engine design in AutoCAD ording to the parameters described.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t do it right away but instead read the datasheet thoroughly. Having had several years of experience working in the Huahai Group, his use of AutoCAD had reached a much more advanced level. He opted to use a holistic approach in his integrated workflow process, rather than working ording to how the data was presented in the engineering datasheet.


    Such an approach would be haphazard and would cause mistakes to be made as the designing process went on, hence, increasing his workload and forcing constant corrections. Xiao Luo¡¯s approach considered the overall scope and the steps and factors required toplete the task before defining the workflow process. Thus, he mitigated any risks of errors when he started drafting.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, hurry up! she has already drawn a third of the engine!¡±


    Seeing the engine taking shape on Guan Yilin¡¯sputer screen, Guan Tong felt anxious for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Surely it couldn¡¯t be that he doesn¡¯t know where to start drawing from, right?¡±


    ¡°Auto CAD is the required design software that we must master for our major, it¡¯s the most basic thing.¡±


    ¡°Haha, if the senior doesn¡¯t know how to do it, it¡¯ll be a big joke!¡±


    Some of the students began mocking Xiao Luo him, inwardly eager to see him embarrass himself.


    Footnotes:


    [1] a Chinese phrase that could mean ¡°hybrid,¡± in the context of the couplet, a pun that implies ¡°b*stard.¡±


    [2] ¡°Lao Tzu¡±: the Taoist sage who wrote the Tao Te Ching, or a swear word meaning ¡°your father.¡± In the couplet, Xiao Luo applied a double entendre to elevate his status and swear at Guan Yilin.[3] ¡°Lao Shu¡±: in Chinese o,¡± meaning ¡°old¡± and ¡°shu,¡± meaning ¡°mouse.¡± Here, Shen Shiya implies that Xiao Luo attempted to use his age to his advantage, even when his knowledge was no better than his juniors.


    [4] ¡°Wu Gui¡± is the Chinese word for ¡°turtles.¡±¡±Wu¡± also means ¡°ck.¡± Here, Xiao Luo implies that Shen Shiya and Guan Yilin were ¡°behaving like turtles,¡± meaning they were cowards. (Turtles being a metaphor for cowardice among Chinese as they withdraw into their shells in times of trouble.)


    [5] in Chinese, literally, ¡°Without face, one will be invincible,¡± implying that one is shameless.


    [6] in Chinese, literally, ¡°Without bark, one will die,¡± implying that ¡°Keeping a good reputation is as essential as the bark is to a tree,¡± hence if one is not careful with one¡¯s actions, then be prepared to lose one¡¯s reputation. It can also be construed as an insult, as the word ¡°bark¡± has a direct reference to her ¡°face.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 336 - Perfection

    Chapter 336: Perfection


    Guan Yilin was hastily working on the engine blueprint. When she caught a glimpse of Xiao Luo¡¯s screen, she couldn¡¯t resist a snort and even shot him a look of contempt.


    Looking on, Yu Jiangu was worried about Xiao Luo and broke out in cold sweat. He muttered, ¡°What the hell is he trying to do? Does he really not know where to start?¡±


    ¡°Guan Yilin has alreadypleted one-third of the drawing.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s indeed our schr-queen. That speed of hers is incredible!¡±


    ¡°Haha, looks like our senior is going to lose to Guan Yilin.¡±


    The ssroom was abuzz with murmurs, and many there felt that the writing was on the wall. There would be no head-to-head finish to this race, Guan Yilin would definitelye out ahead.


    Finally, Xiao Luo began to start on his design blueprint. He started ying around with AutoCAD¡¯s interface, randomly drawing nothing but some dotted lines and curves. They appeared to be done haphazardly with the lines running across one another and without any shape or form.


    What¡¯s he trying to draw? Is that seriously an engine?


    The crowd stared at his screen incredulously, then shook their heads andughed. No matter how they looked at those lines, they could not even remotely associate them with the appearance of an engine. It was a collection of disorganized curves and circles that made no sense at all.


    Shen Shiya crossed her hands in front of her chest disdainfully and asked, ¡°Senior, are you sure you are drawing an engine blueprint?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer and continued working on it.


    Suddenly, Guan Yilin was looking anxious. She was in a dilemma, noticing that there were several errors in her design. She now realized that the engine¡¯s curved surfaces had to be drawn first using the tangent method. This forced her to delete her previous seven or eight steps and redraw them. As she went on, the furrows between her eyebrows were getting more pronounced as she began to detect an increasing number of issues as a result of her drawing sequence. As she proceeded, her work was hampered by the frequent actions of deleting and rebuilding, causing her progress to slow down considerably.


    ¡°The shorings of not nning the work ahead are now exposing themselves.¡± Yu Jiangu shook his head and let out a faint sigh.


    When he turned his attention to Xiao Luo¡¯s drawing, he was somewhat concerned. He couldn¡¯t visualize how those scattered curves, circles, and dotted lines would ultimately represent the blueprint of an engine. And if he couldn¡¯t see it, what more the rest of the students?


    What exactly is he doing?


    Yu Jiangu was baffled by what he saw on Xiao Luo¡¯s screen, which actually looked like the work of like a child who was holding a pen and doodling on a clean sheet of white paper. But despite his concern, he believed that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t just drawing lines and circles randomly.


    Yu Jiangu turned to look at Guan Tong. Guan Tong was equally bewildered, as he spread his arms and was at a loss for words.


    Xiao Luo let out a long sigh. Then, resting his cheek against the palm of his left hand, he controlled the mouse with his right, and casually moving the cursor over the toolbar to ess an interface, before clicking a series ofmands in AutoCAD¡¯s interface box. With every click, the redundant lines vanished one after another, until only a small section was left behind. With the removal of the excess lines, the flywheel of the engine miraculously appeared. It looked like a block of sculptured artwork after the desired shape was hewn out of a giant b of stone.


    ¡°Huh, this looks like¡­¡±


    Everyone standing around Xiao Luo¡¯sptop was stupefied. This was the first time they¡¯d seen someone draw all the lines before proceeding to modify the drawing, leaving behind only the drawing of the engine. It was a breathtaking and ingenious technique.


    ¡°There¡¯s the inlet manifold now.¡±


    ¡°Now, the cylinder head is done.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s working on the engine block now. Holy crap, he¡¯s fast.¡±


    As they saw the engine model rapidly take shape on Xiao Luo¡¯s AutoCAD drawing area, the engineering management students gasped in awe. They had just seen a four-star engineering blueprint drawn with unbelievable ease without unnecessary and incorrect steps.


    Yu Jiangu couldn¡¯t contain his excitement anymore. He squeezed through the crowd and found himself an excellent spot to watched Xiao Luo with his keen observant eyes. The more he looked, the more he was impressed. The process of removing each line or curve was precise and seamless, without even the slightest pause. That implied that Xiao Luo had already worked out the drawing in his mind and was now merely tidying up thepleted steps using AutoCAD.


    Is this ¡°The Brain[1]?!¡±


    Unbelievably, Xiao Luo actually constructed such aplicated engineering blueprint wlessly by first visualizing every step in his mind.


    Guan Yilin was struggling, and her drawing speed had already slowed to that of a snail-like crawl. In everyponent she constructed, she came across a plethora of problems that were directly linked to the wrong sequence of her drawing. By skipping over specific steps in the sequence, she could not continue constructing the rest of the parts. She had to delete those parts she had drawn and redraw them in the correct sequence. From thereon, every step was a struggle.


    When she saw that Xiao Luo already got two-thirds of the engine drawn out, she gave up. She knew that she had lost miserably. Guan Yilin lost because she couldn¡¯t see the big picture, unable to work out an urate and error-free drawing sequence in her mind like what Xiao Luo had done. Although she would eventually be able toplete it, it would undoubtedly take her more than 4 hours.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡¯s finished!¡±


    Guan Tong suddenly screamed out in excitement.


    Xiao Luo took his hand away from the mouse and on theptop screen before him, was apleted 3D engineering blueprint of an engine. All its dimensions were automatically marked, and every detail was in ce. It was precisely the same as the engine diagram depicted in textbooks except, in this case, the colors may even be more refined than the pictures in books.


    Yu Jiangu looked at the drawing in admiration and couldn¡¯t refrain himself from apuding. He had been teaching this subject for a long time, but even he wasn¡¯t sure if he could have finished the task in the amount of time that Xiao Luo took. It may have taken him at least three hours toe out with this an engineering drawing of this quality, but Xiao Luo only took 45 minutes, and what¡¯s more, he did such an extraordinary job that left everyone in awe.


    p! p! p!


    The engineering management students all apuded with enthusiasm, and their impression of Xiao Luo instantly rose. He was truly remarkable, and they had no more doubts about his abilities.


    Guan Yilin no longer had the arrogance in her eyes but instead looked humbled as she reflected upon her actions.


    ¡°Senior Xiao, you¡¯re amazing, please guide us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, senior. We were wrong to doubt you just now. I hope you don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    ¡°Senior, do you have a girlfriend?¡±


    The crowd¡¯s attitude swung180 degrees as they addressed him as ¡®senior¡¯ with genuine affection. There was even a girl who coyly asked Xiao Luo if he had a girlfriend and blushed as she did so.


    Xiao Luo could only shake his head and smile at her.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After he finally got to share his thoughts and experience with a very attention ss of students, Yu Jiangu insisted on buying Xiao Luo a meal as a gesture of thanks. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t wiggle out of this one and went along.


    They didn¡¯t sit too far away from the ssroom, and Guan Yilin came running over and stood in front of them.


    ¡°Yilin, what are you trying to do now?¡± Yu Jiangu scowled, expecting Guan Yilin to insist on another challenge with Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Mr. Yu, I wish to apologize to senior.¡±


    Without waiting for Yu Jiangu¡¯s response, Guan Yilin gave Xiao Luo a deep bow and apologized sincerely. ¡°Senior, I was wrong just now. I was too full of myself. I¡¯m very sorry!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, everybody has gone through that.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at her. It was true that he didn¡¯t take it to heart. After all, they were his juniors from the same school that he had attended, and they reminded him of his own college years. It made him feel like he was back home after a long absence.


    ****[1] The Brain: a Chinese science reality and talent show that originated in Germany, intending to discover people with exceptional talent and intelligence.


    ¡­

 Chapter 337 - Peculiar Occurance

    Chapter 337: Peculiar urance


    Pleased with how Xiao Luo was conducting himself, Yu Jiangu nodded his head,uding his magnanimity¡ªhe had disyed great forbearance, which showed that he possessed a noble character, neither humble nor overbearing. He felt a strong urge to get to know Xiao Luo better, for having taught such a student gave him a sense of gratification and made him feel incredibly proud to be a teacher.


    ¡°Senior, is yourpany recruiting?¡± Guan Yilin asked suddenly.


    ¡°Yes, our Xiahai branch has only just started, so we are in urgent need of talents,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling at her.


    Guan Yilin bit her lips and said, ¡°Can¡­ can I work there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in charge of recruitment. If you have the intention, you can send your resume to mypany online. If the HR department feels that you are a suitable candidate, then they¡¯ll notify you for an interview,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°May I ask, what¡¯s the name of yourpany?¡± Gu Yilin took out her notebook to take down details of Xiao Luo¡¯spany, intending to do some online research before submitting her resume.


    ¡°Luo Workshop.¡±


    Luo¡­ Luo Workshop?!


    When they heard the two words, Yu Jiangu, Guan Tong, and Guan Yilin were shocked beyond description. The way they stared at Xiao Luo seemed like they had just seen a being from another dimension.


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop, you mean the very samepany that caused such an uproarst year, the one that appeared in the headlines countless times¡­ it belongs to you?¡±


    When Xiao Luo first mentioned that he was running a pastrypany, Yu Jiangu never thought to associate it with such a sessfulpany as Luo Workshop.


    ¡°I¡¯m just one of the shareholders, thepany is run by Dashan,¡± Xiao Luo said, keen to keep a low profile.


    Yu Jiangu was in utter disbelief.


    Luo Workshop was a giant in Jiangcheng City¡¯s food and beverage industry. How it rose to prominence and how thepany crushed its mainpetitors in a matter of months was the stuff of legend. And to think that the architect behind the sess of this legendary organization was his very own student was simply out of this world.


    ¡°I feel humbled, and I have to say that you and that b*stard Zhang Dashan are freaks!¡± Guan Tong was thoroughly impressed with the two of them and expressed it in his own unique way.


    Guan Yilin¡¯s respect for Xiao Luo was now through the roof. Here he was, the very person who set off a frenzy in Jiangcheng City¡¯s business circle, turning out to be her senior. Just hours earlier, she had actually seen herself as superior Xiao Luo in every way, only to realize that she was nothing more than the proverbial frog in the well. She was now determined to be a part of his team.


    ¡°Senior, I will work hard and be one of Luo Workshop!¡±


    ¡°I look forward to that.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in encouragement.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo enjoyed a meal of hotpot with Yu Jiangu and Guan Tong before returning to the Crescent Bay Hotel at about 9 o¡¯clock in the evening.


    Sitting in the cab, he immediately thought of Su Xiaobei; already, he missed her and was just thinking of getting some supper back for her when his phone rang. He checked the screen and saw that it was Su Li.


    He wondered if she was going to reprimand me for returning toote; he rolled his eyes heavenward.


    Furrowing his brows, Xiao Luo answered the call: ¡°Miss Su.¡±


    ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡±


    What? All he heard were those two words, then a short pause, before the sound of a dull thud told him that the phone had been dropped on the floor. He strained his ears¡ªhe could make out to the pitter-patter of hurried feet. Someone was approaching the phone, and suddenly the call ended. Xiao Luo immediately called back, but Su Li¡¯s phone was unreachable, it had already been turned off.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Help me? Something¡¯s very wrong!¡±


    Xiao Luo took a deep breath, he had to do something and quick!


    ¡°Mister, please pull over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see¡­ that will be 20 dors.¡±


    He paid for the taxi fare and rushed into an inte caf¨¦ by the roadside. He quickly got to aputer,unched his tor browser, and then hacked into the telephonepany¡¯s back-end to locate Su Li¡¯sst coordinates.


    Herst call was made from the Hilton Hotel!


    ¡°Does this mean that she¡¯s been kidnapped?¡±


    With that thought in his mind, Xiao Luo frowned¡ªSu Li was Su Xiaobei¡¯s only kin, and nothing must happen to her.


    His fingers ttered urgently on the keyboard, and he quickly essed into Hilton Hotel¡¯swork system. Su Li¡¯s name wasn¡¯t on the list of guests, but from the surveince footage, he saw Su Li entering room 2011 with a well-dresseddy who appeared to be of high station. Su Li seemed to be draped in a scarf to avoid being recognized.


    He promptly left the inte caf¨¦, then hailed a taxi and rushed to Hilton Hotel.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The Hilton was a five-star rated hotel and one of Xiahai¡¯s most luxurious¡ªthe lodging of choice for the rich and famous.


    Xiao Luo found his way to room 2011 in no time. There was a ¡°Do not Disturb¡± sign hanging on the doorknob, but that didn¡¯t stop him. With a thrust of his palm, the thick sandalwood door flew open, and there he found Su Li sprawled on the bed. The well-dresseddy he had seen on the surveince cam was undressing her.


    ¡°W-who are you?! Why are you here?¡± The well-dresseddy was shocked as she stared at Xiao Luo in terror.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking the question here! Who are you, and what are you doing to Miss Su?!¡± Xiao Luo red at her chillingly, then glimpsed at Su Li.


    The well-dresseddyposed herself, then she stood up confidently and said, ¡°I¡¯m her mother!¡±


    ¡°Really? Would a mother drug her own daughter?!¡± Xiao Luo growled as he stepped toward her.


    ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, get out now! Security! security¡­¡±


    The well-dresseddy started screaming but suddenly stopped¡ªshe took stock of the situation and realized that If what she did was exposed, the consequences would be dire.


    Xiao Luo did see some simrities in their features, so perhaps thisdy was indeed Su Li¡¯s mother, as she imed. But this was not his concern at the moment, for all he cared was to make sure that Su Li was safe.


    He went over to Su Li and checked her vital signs; she was breathing and had only passed out. There was an almost-empty teacup on the bedside table, so the drug must¡¯ve beenced in her drink.


    Without saying another word, he lifted Su Li off the bed, carried her, and walked toward the door.


    ¡°B*stard, who the hell are you? Let go of my daughter right now!¡±


    The well-dresseddy screamed as she rushed forward and attempted to pull Su Li away from Xiao Luo.


    Before she could eveny a hand on Su Li, Xiao Luo kicked her down. He didn¡¯t use much force, just enough to push her off. But the well-dresseddy flew and crashed on the floor next to the bed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you are Su Li¡¯s mother or not, but you better stay down for your own good. Otherwise, my next kick will not be so light.¡±


    When she looked into his eyes, the well-dresseddy shuddered. His eyes glowered as if a wild beast lurked within, and it sent a chill down her spine.


    With Su Li safe in his arms, Xiao Luo strode out the room.


    As he walked through the lobby carrying Su Li in his arms, the front desk staff were rmed and immediately alerted security. He was confronted just when he exited the hotel entrance. Several guards converged on Xiao Luo, preventing him from leaving as they needed to question him.


    Xiao Luo was simply too tired to exin. He delivered a few kicks and dispatched them all in a quick time. They fell on the floor, clutching their mid-sections and groaning in pain.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    He quickly found a cab, and they were now on their way back to the Crescent Bay Hotel. The taxi driver couldn¡¯t refrain himself and said, ¡°Brother, is she your girlfriend? Wow, she really looks a lot like the Nation¡¯s Goddess, Su Li!¡±


    ¡°Drive. Don¡¯t talk.¡±The cabin fell into an awkward silence. The driver dropped them off at the Crescent Bay Hotel and watched as Xiao Luo carried Su Li in. ¡°Sigh, why do beautiful women always belong to others¡­¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 338 - A Wild Night

    Chapter 338: A Wild Night


    When they got into the elevator, Su Li awoke from her drug-induced slumber. Her eyes were watery, and she appeared a little disoriented. But it strangely added to her allure¡ªit was appealingly sensual, and she exuded a raw, uninhibited quality to a face that couldunch a thousand ships.


    ¡°You are awake!¡±


    Xiao Luo let her down, ced her arm over his shoulder, and held her at the waist.


    Su Li was still in a drunken stupor, moaning softly, and suddenly, she casually grabbed his cor, pulled him close, and kissed him.


    Xiao Luo froze, and his eyes widened, startled by this unexpected kiss.


    ¡°Huh¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Xiao Luo gently pulled himself away. When he looked at her again, Su Li was in a semi-conscious state, and even the breath she exhaled was hot.


    Thatdy drugged her!


    Having acquired the healing and medical skills from the system, Xiao Luo immediately sized up Su Li¡¯s condition by merely ncing at her. He knew what he had to do¡ªthe method to detoxify the drug quickly came to mind.


    When they got to the 52nd floor, he carried Su Li back to his own apartment. Xiao Luo did not want either Su Xiaobei or Aunt Lee to know about Su Li¡¯s condition, for he knew she would be embarrassed for them to see her in such a state. And he certainly didn¡¯t want her to take it out on him for that after she regained consciousness.


    Xiao Luo gentlyid her on the couch and went to the kitchen to fix a remedy.


    He diluted a bit of salt into a ss of warm water and infused several green tea leaves. He wrung the towel he had soaked in cold water, and together with the concoction, he headed back to the living room. But when he returned to Su Li, what he saw nearly made him jump out of his skin¡­


    Su Li was moaning and doing things, and it took all of Xiao Luo¡¯s resolve to suppress any dark thoughts. Xiao Luo quickly covered her up and helped her up, poured the remedy into her mouth, thenid him down again and ced the cold towel over her forehead. But the drink did not take immediate effect, and instead, Su Li stirred into semi-consciousness, and without any warning, grabbed Xiao Luo, maniacally tearing off his clothes.


    For the first time in his life, Xiao Luo felt helpless. He had no idea what to do until a thought suddenly urred to him¡ªhe would use the Yi Jinjing to draw out the toxins! He had no fear of absorbing the poison from Su Li¡¯s body into his own and believed that this would work.


    He immediately pulled Su Li up from her repose and sat her down with her legs crossed. He sat behind her, pressed his heated palm tightly against the soft skin of her back, and then focused hard as he channeled his energy to absorb the toxins from Su Li¡¯s body. But Su Li suddenly turned around and pushed him back, then ripping the rest of his clothes off, she threw herself at him¡­


    ¡­


    It was a wild night¡­


    Early the morning, a weing ray of warm light filtered in from the balcony.


    Xiao Luo had already woken up, and he gazed dreamily at Su Li, who was snuggled cozily in his arms. He had never thought that his first time would be like this.


    Suddenly, from the corner of eyes, he caught a glimpse of several daubs of stain on his white bedsheet¡ªthey were the color of red plum flowers¡­


    Xiao Luo took a deep breath, and he felt a strange emotion that weighed heavily in his heart. He couldn¡¯t describe the feeling, it feltplicated, and his mind seemed cluttered and confused. Xiao Luo was a conservative man by nature, having been brought up in the traditional way of thinking. He felt a profound responsibility to do the right thing, especially after taking away a girl¡¯s maidenhood.


    Soon after, Su Li stirred from her sleep.


    She stiffened and sat up, gazing at Xiao Luo as her eyes became watery, realizing what had happened. She knew that Xiao Luo did not force himself on her, but she was ovee by an inexplicable sense of loss¡ªshe had given him what was most precious to a girl, and her tears flowed uncontrobly.


    ¡°Miss Su¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was thinking of an exnation.


    Su Li turned away, got out of his bed, found her clothes and dressed, and then hastily left the room.


    She appeared calm the whole time but did not say a word from when she awoke until the time she stepped out the door.


    Xiao Luo stared nkly at the door in a stupor, and then shifted his gaze to the stains on his bedsheet. He never had a woman before, and being the first time, it was a profound experience for him, something he would always remember.


    Perhaps other men would feel excited and satisfied after the first time, but he felt a strange sense of guilt. Somehow, he didn¡¯t feel any joy or excitement, and he did not think this was how he was supposed to feel.


    But, one thing he did find out; Su Xiaobei was undoubtedly not Su Li¡¯s biological daughter.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t really matter; what mattered most now was¡ªhow would he face Su Li after this?


    ¡­

 Chapter 339 - What Are You Doing Here?

    Chapter 339: What Are You Doing Here?


    After Su Li left his room, Xiao Luo immediately cleared all traces of the previous night. He then stepped into the bathroom to bath, but as he saw himself in the mirror, he was shocked to notice the love marks Su Li had left on his neck. She had been under the influence of the drug and acted wantonly, and in her interest, Xiao Luo would have to make sure that no one found out about this.


    ¡°These would take at least two to three days to wear off.¡±


    Xiao Luo would have to think of a way to conceal them for the next few days.


    Before leaving for Su Li¡¯s apartment, he turned up the cor of his shirt and pulled over a ck woolen sweater. Satisfied that the marks were properly concealed, he headed over for breakfast.


    It was part of the arrangements that Aunt Lee would be responsible for preparing his daily meals, allowing Xiao Luo to focus on his role as Su Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father. When he got there, only Aunt Lee was present, and she was busy setting the table. He was expecting Su Xiaobei to run down any time to greet him, but there was no sign of her.


    ¡°Xiaobei was waiting for you and Miss Su to returnst night. She waited a long time and slept reallyte. She hasn¡¯t woken up yet,¡± Aunt Lee said.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo acknowledged with a nod, then sat down on the dining table, and as the breakfast had prepared, he helped himself.


    As he was having his breakfast, Aunt Lee went to him, looking like she had something on her mind. She took a nce at the second floor and keeping her voice low, she asked, ¡°Mr. Xiao, do you know what happened? Miss Su doesn¡¯t look in good condition. She went back to her room after she came to my room to check on Xiaobei, and I think she has been crying a lot. She hasn¡¯te out since, and she didn¡¯t respond when I called her for breakfast. I¡¯m quite worried¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe something bad happened to her?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what else to say, and that just blurted out¡­ he couldn¡¯t possibly be telling her the truth aboutst night, could he?


    Aunt Lee shook her head and said, ¡°That can¡¯t be it. I was once a young maiden too. Miss Su looks like¡­¡± After looking around to make sure that no one else was around, she whispered, ¡°¡­it seemed to me like her first time¡­ you know, her maidenhood?¡±


    Xiao Luo swore he felt his spirit leave his body for a brief moment. The older they are, the wiser indeed. Aunt Lee had even figured that out¡­


    ¡°A-hem¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed and put on his best expression of a solemn face. He then said, ¡°Aunt Lee, I think it¡¯d be better if we don¡¯t gossip about Miss Su¡¯s affairs.¡±


    Aunt Lee visibly stiffened and nodded her head several times. ¡°Err¡­ you¡¯re right, Mr. Xiao. I¡¯ve spoken too much.¡± She felt the blood rush to her face, realizing that it was taboo to gossip about her employer¡¯s personal affairs. She looked at Xiao Luo nervously with guilt written all over her face. ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it happens¡­ I won¡¯t mention it,¡± Xiao Luo said, he smiled then returned to his breakfast.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    A look of relief washed over Aunt Lee¡¯s face, and she was smiling once again.


    Shortly after, Luo Pingxiang walked in, and she was apanied by Su Li¡¯s manager¡ªChai Zhiying.


    She had an oval-shaped face with well-proportioned features, not what you would call beauty, but she was reasonably attractive and appealing. Her short ck hair was slicked back, giving her an imposing demeanor, and she was dressed in ck business attire.


    The moment she saw Xiao Luo, Chai Zhiying red at him with a loathsome expression. Of course, she had known that Su Li intended to hire Xiao Luo as Su Xiaobei¡¯s surrogate father. As it was Su Li¡¯s insistence, she couldn¡¯t interfere, but that didn¡¯t stop her from hating Xiao Luo.


    She couldn¡¯t refrain from a vicious sneer. ¡°As neatly dressed as you try to be, you¡¯re still a bumpkin as far as I¡¯m concerned. So, don¡¯t try too hard!¡±


    In her eyes, Xiao Luo was nothing more than a penniless slug struggling at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, a hanger-on trying to fit into their level in society.


    ¡°Who farted so early in the morning? It sure stinks. Miss Luo, do you smell that awful stench?¡± Xiao Luo retorted, waving his hand in front of his nose.


    Luo Pingxiang froze in shock. She was terribly afraid of Chai Zhiying, who was a stern and domineering woman. She was often reprimanded by Chai Zhiying and sometimes felt like she was a mere handmaiden serving an ill-tempered empress. So, when Xiao Luo spouted those words, her eyes nearly popped out, and she was giving him the faintest shake of her head, as she inconspicuously tried to signal for him to not provoke Chai Zhiying.


    Chai Zhiying was so infuriated that she shouted back at him, ¡°You better believe that I will get you, and I¡¯ll kick your sorry *as out of Xiahai, you hear me!¡±


    Xiao Luo calmly turned to face her and said, ¡°My apologies, I don¡¯t believe you can¡­ but you can try.¡±


    ¡°Grr, You¡­¡±


    Chai Zhiying snarled, gritting her teeth with clenched fists.


    A door opened on the second floor, and Su Li came walking down the stairs. She was in a white pleated skirt, and her hair was neatly pulled back in a ssic chignon. She was elegant as always, but she looked slightly fatigued and unwell.


    ¡°Sis, are you alright, is there anything wrong with you?¡±


    Luo Pingxiang was concerned and quickly went to support her.


    Xiao Luo held himself back, feeling the urge to rush over and help her as well. The first time was always special to a girl, and so too for Xiao Luo. Although they were not in a rtionship, it was an indisputable fact that Su Li was his first, and there was a natural instinct for him to protect her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, there¡¯s no need to help me.¡±


    Su Li gestured to Luo Pingxiang as she slowly walked down the upstairs. She kept herposure well, but she sat down at the dining table, a cold sweat broke out, and her face turned pale.


    ¡°Maybe you should get more rest?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li red at him, and there was a hint of resentment in the way she looked. But she said nothing and quietly ate her breakfast.


    ¡°Su Li, are you feeling unwell?¡± Chai Zhiying looked at Su Li with some concern.


    ¡°Caught a cold, that¡¯s all,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°About the event today¡­¡±


    ¡°Drop it.¡±


    Su Li cut her off with just two words.


    Chai Zhiying frowned. ¡°Drop it? But this is Mr. Lee¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, drop it!¡±


    Su Li raised her head, and her tone made it clear that she would tolerate no objection.


    Chai Zhiying was stunned, unsure why Su Li was reacting this way, but she backed off with a nod. ¡°Okay, then.¡±


    Chai Zhiying duly called Mr. Lee to informed him, and she expressed her sincere apologies. She offered to pay the default and assured him that they would make it up to him, ensuring opportunities for future events.


    The doorbell rang.


    And, when Aunt Lee opened the door, it was none other than Yang Hongzhi.


    Yang Hongzhi walked in hurriedly, but he tried to appear that he wasn¡¯t. Last night, he had persuaded Su Li¡¯s mother to spike Su Li¡¯s drink with a potent drug he had shipped in from abroad. He had vile intentions as the drug could turn even the most devout nun into a harlot. But his wellid ns went awry as after all the arrangements were made, someone showed up unexpectedly and took Su Li away. Based on Su Li¡¯s mother¡¯s description, he immediately suspected it was Xiao Luo.


    He had wanted to show up evenst night, but he would¡¯ve given himself away if he had done so. As such, he had to endure until now before he coulde over to find out more, and he¡¯d not be able to ept it if his bride-to-be had already been tarnished by someone else.


    Now that he was here, his heart was thumping wildly. He felt restless, hoping that Su Li was still untainted¡ªand praying for that the aphrodisiac would not be as effective as advertised.


    ¡°Yang Hongzhi, what are you doing here?!¡±


    Su Li screamed and mmed her hand on the table.


    Yang Hongzhi shuddered as guilt yed on his mind. But he pulled himself together, attempted a nervous smile, and said, ¡°Ah, look at yourself, Su Li, so unweing, haha¡­ I was just passing by on my morning run, so I got you breakfast¡­¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 340 - Responsible To You

    Chapter 340: Responsible To You


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    Su Li screamed, and she did not disguise her unbridled fury and her loathing for Yang Hongzhi.


    How could she possibly not be aware of what happenedst night? Her mother was fawning over Yang Hongzhi like he was already her son-inw and yed the matchmaker. But she hadn¡¯t expected Yang Hongzhi to resort to such a despicable act, actually using a drug to subdue her. And to think that her mother wasplicit, it was an abomination.


    ¡°Su Li, I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    In her fury, Su Li grabbed the milk pitcher in front of her and hurled it angrily at Yang Hongzhi, shattering right at his feet, and it made him hop a step backward in shock.


    ¡°Fine, fine¡­ I¡¯ll leave. I¡¯ll leave, alright.¡±


    Yang Hongzhi decided it was best to leave for the time being, and he walked out crestfallen.


    ¡°Su Li, what in the world happened?¡±


    Chai Zhiying asked, her eyebrows knitted in a frown. Yang Hongzhi was the son of thepany¡¯srgest shareholder, and treating him in such a way was not a wise thing to do.


    Luo Pingxiang didn¡¯t say anything, and she promptly went over to help aunt Lee clean up the floor, now strewn with broken pieces of ss and spilled milk.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Su Li red at Xiao Luo when she said that, with a cold glint in her eyes.


    It was the first time Xiao Luo could not return a person¡¯s gaze. He looked away guiltily.


    ¡°You should leave too¡­¡±


    Su Li¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°I don¡¯t wish to see you now.¡±


    How did Xiao Luo turn out to be the man to take her the first time? He wasn¡¯t someone she wanted to be in a rtionship with, and he wasn¡¯t even someone who had a sessful career. What¡¯s worse, she was even the one paying him a sry. When she thought of it, she felt the urge to cry, and this was certainly not how she had envisaged her life. It wasplicated and painful for Su Li to ept that this man had taken her maidenhood, a stain that could not be washed away¡ªand it would remain a sordid part of her life.


    ¡°Just get some rest¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and left quietly; he was well aware of Su Li¡¯s emotions.


    As Xiao Luo left, Chai Zhiying spotted the marks on his neck¡ªshe was startled! As she rted what she¡¯d just seen, and considered Su Li¡¯s attitude toward him and her depressed state of mind, a detestable thought urred. Her eyes widened in horror, and she strode to the dining table and asked Su Li directly, ¡°Su Li, did that penniless slug¡­¡±


    Su Li did not answer, but tears streamed from the corner of her eyes.


    When Chai Zhiying saw the tears, she decided that the worst had happened; it was Xiao Luo, and he had ravaged Su Li! Chai Zhiying felt her mind going nk¡ªSu Li was an artist under her care, and she would not tolerate anyone messing with her superstar. Her eyes turned red, and she hissed, ¡°I¡¯m going to get someone tond that b*stard in jail. Let him rot in there until he dies!!!¡±


    ¡°Come back!¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with him. Stay out of it!¡± Su Li screamed. Chai Zhiying stopped in her track and turned back to face Su Li.


    ¡°But, that bastard, he¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to repeat myself¡­¡±


    Su Li bit her lips, she was tormented, and beads of sweat now formed on her forehead.


    Chai Zhiying ground her teeth as she turned her head to the door and red indignantly. Her hatred towards Xiao Luo had reached its zenith, and in her eyes, they had unwittingly invited a wolf into the house, even worse, a white-eyed wolf[1]. As far as Chai Zhiying was concerned, all men could only think with the lower half of their bodies. She had reminded Su Li many a time, and yet it had still happened in the end. She was so infuriated that she wanted to shred Xiao Luo into little pieces.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo stepped out the door, Yang Hongzhi, his eyes red, was still lingering around the corridor. He immediately noticed the marks on Xiao Luo¡¯s neck¡ªhe was a veteran yer who had seduced countless girls, and such things would not escape his eagle-eyes, nor would the implication of what had taken ce between Xiao Luo and the object of his affection, Su Li.


    s, his worst fear was now realized. The goddess he had fantasized himself thrusting beneath him countless of times, had been humped by another man, robbing her of her virtue. It felt no different from marrying a wife but sending her into the bridal chamber of another man. Even more hurtful, the man was nothing more than a mud loach struggling at the very bottom of society.


    Yang Hongzhi felt a rage rising, an unbridled rage¡­


    Yang Hongzhi was seething, and his face was distorted with a hideous expression. Then, he howled and threw a punch at Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    He roared like a lion and put everything he had into that punch as it whizzed through the air on its way to its mark.


    But the blow was easily intercepted by Xiao Luo, who stopped it with the palm of his hand right before his face and instantly followed up with a kick to Yang Hongzhi¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°OOFFH!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was thrown back, crashing to the floor and clutching his abdomen. As he cowered, his face turned red, blue veins bulged visibly, and his lips kept puffing like a fish out of water. His body was trembling uncontrobly from the excruciating pain.


    ¡°You are the one who nned the druggingst night, am I correct?¡±


    Xiao Luo walked over and kneeled down, and then stared at Yang Hongzhi with a stern face.


    ¡°You, filthy¡­ you ruined it!¡±


    Although Yang Hongzhi was aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s strength and was wary of it, his anger had helped him transcend fear, and even now, he was consumed with the wish to cut Xiao Luo into pieces.


    ¡°So, you admit it¡­ what a man you are!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and stood up, and without the slightest warning, he kicked Yang Hongzhi on the chest, as hey on his side.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi shrieked as he tumbled in the air and crashing heavily at the end of the corridor. He clutched at his chest but felt all his organs shifted, and he whimpered in immense pain.


    Xiao Luo stepped toward him ominously, grabbed his cor, and then lifted him like a rag doll.


    Yang Hongzhi¡¯s feet were off the ground, and he was kicking aimlessly in the air trying to find a foothold, while he kept pping on Xiao Luo¡¯s arms to free himself. But there was no escape, Xiao Luo¡¯s hands were like a pair of steel pliers, and Yang Hongzhi was going nowhere.


    ¡°Let me go¡­ let me go!¡±


    ¡°Do you know, if this had been me back in Jiangcheng, you would already be a corpse now!¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled and red at Yang Hongzhi, recalling his days in Jiangcheng, but that was history, and he had since been much more restrained, unwilling to kill unless he absolutely needed to. If this had happened in Jiachengst year, he would¡¯ve crushed Yang Hongzhi to a pulp without hesitation, and it¡¯d been no harder than squishing a bed bug.


    He then mmed Yang Hongzhi against the wall.


    ¡°OOFFH!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi had the wind knocked out of him. When Xiao Luo released his grip, Yang Hongzhi slowly slid to the ground and copsed in a pile.


    Xiao Luo then turned around and returned to his own apartment.


    The marks on his neck made it difficult for Xiao Luo to leave his ce, but he didn¡¯tin since he did not have any pressing issues. Besides, there was a benefit of living inside a luxurious hotel apartment, and ordering a delicious meal, specially prepared by the hotel chef, was only a phone call away.


    On the first day, he didn¡¯t hear from Su Li, but Su Xiaobei ran over often to look for him.


    On the second day, still, no word from Su Li and Su Xiaobei ran over often to look for him.


    On the third day, Su Li¡¯s mother dropped in to see Su Li, they had a fallout, and her mother left, downhearted.


    On the fourth day, Su Li came to look for him herself.


    There were only the two of them, a man and a woman, sitting alone in the living room.


    As Xiao Luo was the host, he did the needful and courteously poured her a cup of hot tea.


    But Su Li didn¡¯t even take a sip. She hadn¡¯t said a word since she entered the apartment and only stared at Xiao Luo like she was in a daze.


    Xiao Luo had always felt Su Li¡¯s animosity toward him, and he felt it was best to justy his cards on the table. As he braced himself for the worst, he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Miss Su, I know you hate me for what happened, but it was beyond our control. Of course, I will take full responsibility for it. ident or not, the fact is that we¡¯ve slept together, and I will not renege on my responsibility.¡±


    Being a conservation man with a traditional mindset, Xiao Luo was wallowing in guilt and felt a duty to protect Su Li¡¯s honor. He couldn¡¯t act as if nothing had happened after taking her for the first time.


    ***[1] White-eyed Wolf: in Chinese idiom, used to describe a cruel person.


    ¡­

 Chapter 341 - Just A Spare Tire

    Chapter 341: Just A Spare Tire


    ¡°Marry me!¡±


    Su Li had not said a thing since she arrived, but when she finally did, Xiao Luo was shocked into silence. It took a while for Xiao Luo to digest those words, and for a time, he simply gazed at Su Li in a stupor. She was wearing a white-colored dress with blue polka dots, which gave her a girl-next-door look. It was a well-cut outfit that entuated her slim waist and slender legs, and a pair of yellow-colored high heelsplimented the look. Her long ck hair fell loosely, cascading down over her shoulders, and it gave her a youthful vibrance¡ªbut she retained that unmistakable quality that Xiao Luo hade to recognize, the frosty gaze of a woman who always got what she wanted.


    ¡°Marry you?¡±


    Xiao Luo blurted out, finally finding his voice. He still couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Su Li looked right at him, and there was a momentary glint in her eyes, but she kept an impassive expression on her face. She sat impablyposed as she asked, ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say that you were going to take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I did say that I was, but not in this way.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stumped, feeling unsure how to react, and he was a little exasperated as well. To Xiao Luo, marriage was one of the most important milestones in life, a sacredmitment. Undoubtedly, the girl standing right in front of him was a rare beauty. Some would even say that she was one in a million, however, as a person, Xiao Luo found her to be cold and hard, and he felt that to marry a person with such a personality would not be the right match for him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t marry me, then how are you going to take responsibility? Are you going to give me marypensation? Do you think that¡¯s what I need?¡± Su Li was beginning to lose some of her calm demeanor and began to sound somewhat anxious.


    Xiao Luo did not know how to respond to that and decided to say nothing. All he knew was that he would take responsibility, but not by marrying Su Li.


    Su Li gave Xiao Luo a strange look, and he could feel her doubts about the promise he had just made to take responsibility, and how he had now wronged her. He avoided eye contact but knew she was looking right at him, and the weight of guilt began to bear down on him. Suddenly, her eyes turned red, and tears began to roll down her cheek.


    Xiao Luo sighed, and said, ¡°Miss Su, you and I are just two strangers. And marriage is a big thing; it¡¯s something you have to think through and consider carefully before making a decision.¡±


    Su Li red at him with a hint of resentment in her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought it through and considered it carefully!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not like being forced into something he wasn¡¯t ready for, and he thought that this was the time to make a stand. He unconsciously straightened his back and pushed out his chest as he said, ¡°You might have thought it through, but what about me? I haven¡¯t thought it through yet, and marriage is no child¡¯s y, not the kind of ¡®ying house¡¯ make-believe game that we used to y as kids. It¡¯s a big responsibility and something that you have tomit to for the rest of your life. I am not going to ept it¡­ no, I will not agree to this.¡±


    ¡°So, this is what you meant when you said you were going to take responsibility?¡± Su Li said. The edge was missing from her voice, and in its ce, a tone of disappointment. Tears streamed from eyes once more, and Xiao Luo¡¯s heart went out to her. But he had to remain firm.


    ¡°I mean it when I say that I¡¯m going to take responsibility, and there are many other ways of doing so. But marriage is out of the question,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my virtue to you. I didn¡¯t think you would be this unkind¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo looked aggrieved, and said, ¡°Miss Su, there is something I have to tell you. That night was my first time too. I didn¡¯t even ask you to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! You¡¯re shameless!¡±


    Su Li was incredulous! She could understand if a man was not going to take responsibility, but for him to go so far as to say something like this! How could a man¡¯s ¡°first time¡±pare to a woman¡¯s? Su Li got so upset that she started getting heart palpitations.


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m shameless then so be it, what can I do?¡±


    Su Li wiped away her tears, ring at Xiao Luo with reddish eyes, then she stood up and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you onest time¡­¡± she said, pausing at each of the following words as she continued, ¡°are you going to marry me?!¡±


    Xiao Luo gulped, he had a bad feeling about this but couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. He wondered if this woman was nning to argue with him until she got what she wanted.


    He coughed, and shaking his head, he said: ¡°If you came to find me today with this in mind, then I¡¯ll have to apologize¡ªmy answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Fine then!¡±


    Su Li red at him, and tears of pain and sorrow ran down her cheeks. She sniffled as she fought to hold back her tears and said, ¡°When I am a ghost¡­ I¡¯m going to haunt you for the rest of your life!¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help feeling like she was pointing an using finger at him, and every word she uttered cut deep.


    When Su Li finished her sentence, she suddenly turned around and ran toward the balcony. Xiao Luo went after her and panicked when he saw her climbed over the balustrade¡ªthis was the 52nd floor, could he stop her in time? Then Su Li threw herself off the balcony as she could take no more; she was emotionally distraught and had decided to free herself. In that instant, time stood still¡ªshe closed both of her eyes, a smile of despair formed on her face¡ªand a myriad of memories shed through her mind.


    Perhaps the headlines tomorrow would report that she hadmitted suicide due to depression. But, she didn¡¯t care; all she wanted right now was to put an end to her life. She had faced so much despair in her life, and she could no longer bear it anymore. There was no one she could rely on; she could never trust her mother again, and all her younger brother ever did was to ask for money all the time. Her only regret was not being able to see Su Xiaobei again. She wondered why she and her sister shared such a simr fate, but perhaps it was destiny and meant to be.


    In that brief moment, as she jumped off the balcony, her entire life shed before her¡­


    Then, out of nowhere, a strong arm caught her around the waist and stopped her from falling.


    What just happened?! Her eyes shed open, and all she saw was the gaze of a man so different from all others¡ªXiao Luo. They were like two trapeze artists hanging precariously off the balcony on the 52nd floor.


    Their eyes met¡­


    Su Li stared into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, and she sensed a hidden pain. For, at the very instant when Su Li jumped, Xiao Luo was reminded of Sun Yu¡ªsomeone he loved dearly, a person so innocent and pure. But fate had dealt her a cruel hand, and when she sumbed, she threw herself off a roof. But Xiao Luo had been there to save her. When she healed, she no longer had any memory of her past, and Sun Yu moved on to find a new lease on life. She would forever have a special ce in Xiao Luo¡¯s heart.


    Xiao Luo saw visions of Sun Ya as he gazed at Su Li, never expecting how determined she was to take her own life¡­ he truly empathized with her, but he could not allow it.


    Suddenly Xiao Luo was overtaken by a fit of inexplicable anger. ¡°Did you even think of Xiaobei before you jumped?!¡±


    ¡°I had no other choice!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s mind was in turmoil, and she burst into tears. Destiny had arranged that she met Xiao Luo¡ªwho could¡¯ve guessed that they¡¯d be so deeply intertwined, but fate makes a fool of everyone. She had given her virtue to him, and over the past four days, she tried hard to reconcile with her actions and had finally epted Xiao Luo as the man with whom she¡¯d spend her life.


    ¡°Foolish woman!¡±


    Xiao Luo was exasperated. He then let out a deep breath and said, ¡°Alright¡­ I promise that I will marry you.¡±


    Su Li stiffened when she heard those words, and she could only gaze silently at Xiao Luo as he pulled her toward him and lifted her over the balustrade.


    As she watched Xiao Luo effortlessly pull himself over the railing, Su Li was still in a daze; she felt as if a divine wind had lifted her and ced her back on the balcony.


    ¡­


    It took some time for Su Li to recover, and finally, she was now seated in front of Xiao Luo with a document in her hand.


    Xiao Luo looked through the document, and it was a marriage agreement that contained aprehensive set of terms and conditions. Some of them were rather bizarre¡ªnamely, restrictions on publicizing their rtionship, engaging in a rtionship with other men or women, and interfering in the private lives of the parties; these were just some of them.


    ¡°Are you sure this is a marriage?¡±


    Xiao Luo yfully threw her a wry nce, for this was a marriage in name only¡­


    Su Li sipped her tea and didn¡¯t reply to his question directly; instead, she said, ¡°Once I meet a man that I like, I will return your freedom to you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, let me try to understand what you¡¯re saying¡­. this means that I¡¯m just a spare tire?¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡±


    Su Li assumed her frosty celebrity demeanor once again, but it was just a front. How could she let him off so easily? She intended to make him feel unimportant and then urged him to improve and better himself.


    ¡­

 Chapter 342 - An Intertwined Fate

    Chapter 342: An Intertwined Fate


    Xiao Luo had only agreed to marry Su Li after her attempt to take her own life. In truth, he only saw it as a temporary measure and was convinced that Su Li would soon get tired of this game and eventually end their sham marriage.


    Xiao Luo felt that Su Li was a little over-the-top on how she viewed her ¡°first time,¡± to the point that she was willing to end her life. He wanted to tell her that there were many married couples today that did not share their ¡°first time¡± together, as the times have changed, and society was much more liberal these days. After some thought, he decided against it, especially when he saw Su Li¡¯s stern gaze.


    In the afternoon, they both went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to apply for a marriage certification. Xiao Luo brought along a separate household registration book.


    As Su Li had a special status, a trusted staff was assigned to process the application on their behalf, and they duly received their certificates after pulling some strings. The marriage certificate was duplicated, and a copy was handed to Xiao Luo while Su Li kept the other. Xiao Luo had mixed feelings when he looked at the marriage photo on their certificate.


    With the marriage certificate in hand, wouldn¡¯t that mean that he was now a married man?


    It was surreal, and it felt nothing like a marriage¡ªthere was no banquet or a pledge of love to one another, and in fact, there was hardly any affection between them. Yet, they were now joined in holy matrimony, all because of a piece of parchment.


    ¡°Miss Su, I hope that one day, you won¡¯te to regret your silly behavior today,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li did not reply to this statement, but as he turned and walked towards her limited-edition pink Mini Cooper, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to see my mother,e with me.¡±


    Xiao Luo made a face and drew in a quick breath through his nostrils. He slipped the marriage certificate into his folder and got into the back seat.


    Two persons in the same car, one in the driver¡¯s seat while the other sat in the back, and neither had said a single word so far. They were just like two icebergs, one trying to be colder than the other.


    Su Li was the first to break the silence. She looked at Xiao Luo through the rear-view mirror and said, ¡°Have you found a job yet?¡±


    Her tone was cold and authoritative, akin to a manager questioning a subordinate.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with little enthusiasm. He was leaning back in the soft leather seat with his arms crossed over his chest and rested his chin in his palm as he casually looked out the window at the passing streets.


    In Su Li¡¯s judgmental eyes, Xiao Luo behaved like a slob and showed ack of motivation to do better. Though she and Xiao Luo did not share an affectionate rtionship, he was officially her nominal husband. Su Li did not hide her disappointment at what she observed and said: ¡°As a man, you should have a decent career, so please make some effort to look for a proper job. If you really can¡¯t find any, you can go to my friend Shen Qingyan¡¯spany. I can help you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry!¡±


    Xiao Luo cut her off abruptly. He already expected that it was going to be this way, knowing that Su Li was an outstanding and sessful person, and such a woman tended to have strong ideas and opinions of her own. She was undoubtedly going to use her status and achievements to get her way with Xiao Luo.


    Su Li didn¡¯t say anything else for the duration of the ride and stayed focused on her driving.


    The pink Mini Cooper drove the journey at full speed, arriving at Silver Dragon Vi in a good time. There, each residential apartment was individually separated, and although not be as luxurious as Shen Qingyan¡¯s condominium, the architecture was elegant, and the environment peaceful and quiet. It provided for a trendy and affluent outlook.


    Xiao Luo followed Su Li into one of the residential apartments. The door opened, and a nanny of slight stature let them in.


    When they entered the living room, thedy of the house sat on the sofa watching TV, holding onto a bowl of melon seeds. She looked like ady of leisure, used to a life of material wealth. Her frizzy hair was brushed back and styled into a voluminous hairdo, and she had a prominent mole on her cheek. Oddly, the facial mark gave her the appearance of being shrewd and calctive, while the way she carried herself did suggest that she had a mean streak in her.


    ¡°So, it really was her mother?!¡±


    Xiao Luo was sure that thedy who had drugged Su Li that fateful night was indeed her mother, and Su li did not make up the story. He couldn¡¯t help sighing in disgust when he realized that such a mother actually existed.


    As soon as thedy saw Su Li, she bolted upright on the sofa. She put her melon seeds away and stood up immediately and looked at Su Li nervously with overwhelming guilt.


    Su Li sat down at the sofa beside her mother and looked directly into her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be nervous, I¡¯m not here to question you about the things you¡¯ve done. I¡¯m only here to tell you one thing, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m now married!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re what¡­ you¡¯re married already?¡±


    Thedy¡¯s jaw dropped, and she was wide-eyed with shock. The news of Su Li¡¯s marriage was so sudden and hade out of nowhere. ¡°W-when did this happen, and with whom?!¡±


    Su Li threw the marriage certificate on the sofa, and as she did so, she red at her mother with a cold, frosty expression.


    Su Li¡¯s mother snatched the certificate, and as she gawked at the document, her eyes trembled. She pointed her shaking finger at Xiao Luo, and losing control of her emotions, she turned to Su Li and said, ¡°What? Daughter, how could you marry someone like him?! In this world, only Hongzhi is worthy of you, you¡¯re both well-matched, how could you marry some unknown scoundrel like him?¡±


    Thedy was aggrieved, holding her chest like she had been stabbed in her heart. How could her precious daughter marry this trash with no money or status?


    ¡°This is all thanks to you, Mother!¡±


    Su Li could not contain her fury anymore, and she screamed. ¡°Wang Wanjing, you are my biological mother, how could you drug me and allow that man to humiliate me? How could a mother like you even exist in this world?!¡±


    Wang Wanjing¡¯s eyes turned red, but still convinced that her actions were justified, she responded, ¡°Daughter, listen to me¡­ I did it for your own good, the Yang family is wealthy and powerful, they have influence. Your marriage to Yang Hongzhi is a match made in heaven, thebination between you and him will be perfect¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Su Li shrieked in anguish, and her eyes turned red and watery, but she was a woman of strong fortitude and fought back the tears. Then, she stood up to her full height and lifted her chin as she said, ¡°You gave me life, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to follow your ns. Sister is where she is now because she listened to you, don¡¯t you realize that, have you not sinned enough?!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    Wang Wanjing was at a loss for words¡­ the mention of Su Li¡¯s sister struck a raw nerve, and a sudden wave of anguish and guilt weighed down. She dropped to the floor, slumped against the sofa in a daze.


    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t ever look for me again, I never want to see you. I will transfer the funds into Su Canye¡¯s and your ount every month, you better make sure you manage your spending properly. If you spend it all in advance, then you go and find the money somewhere else!¡±


    ¡°Daughter, why are you doing this to me, I¡¯m your mother,¡± Wang Wanjing whimpered.


    ¡°The moment you decided to drug me, you cut off our mother-daughter rtionship.¡±


    Inwardly, Su Li felt hurt, but it had to be done. If this had not been her biological mother, she would surely have pressed charges.


    She had made her decision, and there was no turning back. She collected the marriage certificate, held on to Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, and they left together. By the time she stepped out of the house, her face was covered in tears, and she looked pale and tired.


    Xiao Luo sensed her grief and was beginning to understand what she was going through. He handed her a piece of tissue. ¡°Wipe your tears.¡±


    Su Li nced at him and epted it. She then turned her back toward Xiao Luo and wiped her tears.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to keep it a secret, why did you tell your mother about our marriage?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°She won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    Then, furrowing her eyebrows, Su Li turned to face Xiao Luo and remarked, ¡°Please be clear, the protocol is only there to restrict your behavior, and it doesn¡¯t apply to me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so, you have the final say and authority in everything.¡±


    Xiao Luo just wasn¡¯t in the mood for an argument. He had his name printed on the marriage certificate, but it didn¡¯t feel like he was married. It was precisely this attitude that prevented him from even trying to treat Su Li as his wife¡ªhe just hoped that this game would end soon.


    He failed to realize that the moment the certificate was issued, his fate with this woman was already intertwined. He could not discard it away, nor could he avoid it. The wheels of fate were already in motion¡ªfrom the initial rejection to the gradual mutual attraction, and eventually bing each other¡¯s ¡°one and only,¡± would this all happen in due course?


    ¡­

 Chapter 343 - Ring

    <h4>Chapter 343: Ring</h4>


    It was just like the game of ¡®ying House,¡¯ where once the newly-weds received their marriage certificate, that was the end of it¡ªand they were then a married couple and lived happily ever after. But this was the real world; Xiao Luo certainly did not want to tell his family about it, and it wasn¡¯t because he was bound to the pre-nuptial agreement. He had spent thest couple of days furrowing his brows in contemtion¡ªhe could barely ept such a dubious arrangement himself, so he was sure that his family would not be able to either.


    Out of the blue, Ji Siying contacted him, and Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised as it had been a while since hest heard from her. Strangely, a sudden thought shed in his mind, and he couldn¡¯t help thinking to himself how she¡¯d be more suited to be his wife.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Hi, have you already returned to Xiahai?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m now outside the Crescent Bay Hotel. I¡¯m here to fetch you to NSA headquarters,¡± Ji Siying said. In a way, Xiao Luo missed her soft, gentle voice with the ethereal quality of a songbird.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be down really soon.¡±


    Xiao Luo quickly freshened up and changed his clothes. As a member of the NSA, of course, it came as no surprise that Ji Siying knew where he lived. The ring that he was wearing had a GPS tracking function, and the NSA would be able to quickly triangte his exact location.


    Xiao Luo headed out decked in a ck jacket, a pair of marine-blue slim fit jeans and hiking shoes.


    The cost of his outfit was no more than two thousand dors, and it was highly unlikely that anyone who saw him would believe that he was the boss of Luo Workshop. For a boss, this outfit was a little too shabby.


    His ck hair was casually brushed back, and a pair of eloquent eyebrows and intense ck eyes added dimension to his handsome face. And although he was wearing a casual outfit, it was hard to suppress Xiao Luo¡¯s natural appeal and confident demeanor.


    ¡°Daddy, open the door! Daddy, open the door¡­¡±


    Just as he was about to leave, he could hear Su Xiaobei¡¯s affectionate voice from beyond the door.


    Xiao Luo smiled to himself, little Bei Bei was always the highlight of his day. When he heard Su Xiaobei call him ¡°daddy,¡± it dawned on Xiao Luo that he was, in fact, officially her father now. But as he thought about it, he merely shrugged his shoulders, for whether by name or byw, he had always felt like Su Xiaobei¡¯s father.


    When he opened the door, and he saw her big bright eyes staring up at him. Su Xiaobei had the sweetest of smiles on her cute little face, and she was blinking her eyes with a sense of anticipation. In her hands, she held a small but impressive-looking box. And as soon as she saw Xiao Luo, she lifted up the box toward him and said, ¡°Daddy, mummy said this is for you!¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Xiao Luo asked, squatting down.


    Su Xiaobei yed coy, but she couldn¡¯t contain her excitement as she quickly urged him on and said, ¡°Daddy, open it up and take a look, and you will find out!¡±


    Xiao Luo ruffled her hair with affection before epting the small box, and when he opened it, he froze instantly. Inside the ring box was an exquisite ring adorned with a glittering diamond. The hallmark of its inner shank was engraved with several Latin alphabets: KELA.CN. It was a KELA diamond ring, and by the looks of it, it was clearly a ring that was worth a lot.


    ¡°Put it on¡­¡±


    A cold voice came from the hidden side of the door frame. Xiao Luo tilted his head towards its direction¡­


    Su Li walked into view. She wearing a burgundy windbreaker, and he wondered if she was on her way out or had just returned. Regardless of what she wore, she always brought elegance to it, and he caught a whiff of her fragrance as she stepped through the doorway. Xiao Luo immediately noticed a ring on her left ring finger, and it looked exactly like the one that Su Xiaobei had just handed him.


    He stood up, frowning somewhat, and asked, ¡°So, what is this about?¡±


    The corners of her mouth raised in a sardonic smile as Su Li said, ¡°We need a ring now since we¡¯re married,¡± and after a short pause, she added, ¡°I can¡¯t seriously count on you to go buy one that costs a few thousand from a street vendor, can I?¡±


    Xiao Luo fixed his eyes on her, and furrows appeared as he cocked an eyebrow. He just couldn¡¯t understand what was going on in her this woman¡¯s head. Wasn¡¯t it evident that the two of them had no feelings for one another? This marriage was nothing more than a sham and only happened because of an ¡°ident.¡± So, was the ring¡¯s purpose only for the sake of appearance?


    ¡°Daddy, put it on, you will look good with it!¡±


    Su Xiaobei raised her head to look at Xiao Luo, a look of innocence and excitement written all over her face.


    Xiao Luo undoubtedly wouldn¡¯t have worn it to please Su Li, but he had no second thoughts doing it for this little girl. He smiled at her as he kneeled down and said, ¡°Okay, can you help me wear it?¡±


    ¡°Alright, Daddy.¡±


    Su Xiaobei eagerly held the ring after Xiao Luo handed it to her, then she frowned and asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Hmm¡­ Daddy, which finger do you want to wear it on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, any finger is fine, as long as it fits you can put it on,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li was quick to correct him and said, ¡°Who said you can wear it on any finger, you have to put it on the ring finger on your left hand.¡±


    Ring finger?


    Su Xiaobei had absolutely no idea which the ring finger was, and she stole a nce at Su Li, almost like she was afraid she¡¯d be reprimanded, and asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Daddy, which is the ring finger?¡±


    Xiao Luo stuck out his ring finger on his left hand. ¡°This one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei nodded her head, and with a solemn expression on her face, she proceeded to put it on for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo gave Su Xiaobei a peck on the cheek as he feigned a thrilled expression while admiring the ring on his finger. But, inwardly, he was a little surprised that the fit of the wedding band was perfect. It wasn¡¯t tight or loose, and in truth, it looked pretty good. The inner shank of the gold ring was in a satin finish, and the outer shank was buffed to a high sheen and embedded with a sparkling diamond on its crown. The mounted diamond was not excessivelyrge, and its head rose just above the ws that held it in ce. It was not too shy, but neither was it understated, retaining its extravagance for all to see.


    He raised his hand and asked Su Li, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you the same question that I asked before. By doing this, aren¡¯t you afraid that everyone will figure out our rtionship?¡±


    Su Li looked at him indifferently and said: ¡°Well, wearing a ring doesn¡¯t mean a thing.¡± As she spoke, she suddenly noticed that Xiao Luo was wearing another ring on his index finger. ¡°That ring that you¡¯re wearing, where did you get it from? It¡¯s so ugly, you should get rid of it.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied bluntly, and he had no intention ofplying with such an unreasonable request. He couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d even raise such a thing, and she wasing across like those women of means who insisted on having things their way. Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t going to allow her to dictate terms and control every aspect of his life.


    It wasn¡¯t how he was raised, and his pride as a man wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    He brushed Su Xiaobei¡¯s hair with his hand and said, ¡°Xiaobei, daddy is going to head out now, so you stay home and be good, okay.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Daddy. Bei Bei will wait for you toe home,¡± the little girl said, nodding her head obediently.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t look at Su Li and, without a word, got up to walk toward the elevator.


    Su Li didn¡¯t say anything, either. Xiao Luo was free to go where he pleased, and she was only hoping that he could build a career for himself in Xiahai, instead of lounging at home all day and living off of her.


    ¡­


    As soon as he reached the hotel lobby, he spotted Ji Siying sitting on the sofa, waiting for him.


    She had kept her eyes peeled on the elevator, and as soon as Xiao Luo appeared, she was already on her feet. She greeted him respectfully, and the joy of seeing him again showed on her face. ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders alluringly, framing her pretty face, entuated by her bright eyes and curved eyebrows. She glowed as she gave Xiao Luo an enchanting smile with her delicate lips.


    ¡°My apologies, I must have kept you waiting a long time,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright, Mr. Xiao Luo is the boss. There¡¯s nothing wrong for a subordinate to wait on her boss,¡± Ji Siying replied.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t quite agree with that but chose not to pursue the matter, and simply nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Ji Siying followed Xiao Luo, and as she gazed at him from behind, she somehow felt a sense of exhration and joy at the same time. It felt like reuniting with someone after a long period of separation, and it gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling.


    ¡­

 Chapter 344 - King Kong and Drug Lady

    Chapter 344: King Kong and Drug Lady


    Ji Siying drove Xiao Luo to the NSA headquarters, and the drive took about an hour. When they arrived, Ji Siying stopped in front of a building at the easternmost point of the city center.


    The building was surrounded by high, thick walls and massive gates. Xiao Luo did catch glimpses of the impressive building as they drove past the gates earlier, and now, as he stood right in front of it, he saw the full majesty of the structure up close with the national g fluttering proudly in front of it. Armed guards manned the entrance, and Xiao Luo had no doubt that, if they needed to, they would fire upon anyone trespassing without any hesitation¡ªhe had to admit that there was an imposing air of authority about the ce, which wasn¡¯t surprising as this was the hallowed ground of the nation¡¯s security agency.


    ¡°This is the NSA headquarters?¡±


    Xiao Luo surveyed the building and its surroundings with some consternation; it was perfectly normal for a person to be wary of unfamiliar ces.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ji Siying responded matter-of-factly as she looked at the main entrance, then turning to scan the sprawling grounds, she added, ¡°It covers an area of six hundred and eighty acres, there are tech buildings, training grounds, office buildings, recreational grounds, and several other facilities. Many soldiers live here and have devoted themselves to improving their skills and strength to serve the country better.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the rtionship between the NSA and the police? So, is one in charge of the other?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Ji Siying smiled slightly. ¡°Neither is in charge of the other, but if the two missions ovep, the police will make way to the NSA, as national security takes precedence over all else. Our rtionship is quite simr to the security brigade and the army during the chaotic times of the Warlord Era in the early 1900s.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the NSA is a prominent warlord?¡± Xiao Luo teased.


    A prominent warlord?


    ¡°Pfft~¡±


    Ji Siying chuckled and dimples formed at the edge of her charming smile as she said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, you are so funny.¡±


    As they both stepped through the main entrance, the armed guards saluted them smartly.


    They passed by a ground where there were many soldiers in training. Their drills were simr to the army¡¯s, but Xiao Luo could tell that these were not ordinary soldiers. Every muscle on their lean bodies was well-toned with hardly any excess body fat, and while they didn¡¯t look ripped withrge muscles, their explosive power was extraordinary. It was a joy to watch them training¡ªXiao Luo observed a man punch through a sandbag with a single blow, another shattered a boulder with a strike of his palm, and several were pulling a big truck behind them effortlessly. These gant men were continually working on their strength and physical fitness, and they were tanned from spending hours in the sun.


    The ground was divided into two training camps based on gender and was separated by high barbed wire. Both the men and women training with enthusiasm, and shouts resounded from the grounds, which Xiao Luo found inspiring.


    ¡°They are all elite soldiers selected from the various special forces groups across the country. You see only a small portion of them, as many more have gone on secret missions for the NSA. These missions include security detail for VVIPs, intelligence gathering, and other covert operations. Perhaps it won¡¯t be long before the NSA assigns missions to Mr. Xiao Luo as well,¡± Ji Siying said.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, but, in truth, he was already mentally prepared for this.


    Changing the topic, he posed a question to Ji Siying, ¡°ording to Gu Zhanguo, the NSA has two S-grade soldiers?¡±


    Ji Siying nodded, ¡°Yes, their code names are ¡®King Kong¡¯ and ¡®Lady Poison.''¡±


    King Kong? Lady Poison?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help feeling that these two code names were rather strange.


    Ji Siying scanned the two training grounds to see if the S-grade soldiers were present. ¡°They are not on the training ground, but, honestly, with their abilities, they don¡¯t need any additional training. If they are not out on a mission, I¡¯m sure that Director Gu will introduce them to youter, Mr. Xiao Luo. You don¡¯t have to be on your guard against King Kong, but you must definitely be wary of Lady Poison.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xiao Luo was very curious to know.


    ¡°Every part of Lady Poison¡¯s body is highly toxic¡ªfrom her blood, bodily fluids, and even the breath she exhales. Anything she touches will sumb to her poison. Mr. Xiao Luo, when you meet her, please remember not to get too close.¡± Ji Siying stared directly into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes to emphasize her point.


    Hearing this, Xiao Luo was incredulous. ¡°Her body is poisonous?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve always thought that they existed only in wuxia television shows before this, but after seeing it with my own eyes, I now believe that there are such people in this world. It¡¯s difficult to exin scientifically.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head in disbelief at the thought that even such strange phenomena like toxic bodies could exist.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I must remind you not to get too close to her, the poison she carries in her body is deadly. Researchers once experimented with the toxins in her body andpared it to the venom of Africa¡¯s deadly ck mamba. One drop of the ck mamba¡¯s venom can kill a two-hundred-and-sixty-pound pig in forty-five minutes, but the poison in her body is even stronger than the ck mamba¡¯s, taking only fifteen minutes to kill a pig of the same size,¡± Ji Siying cautioned.


    Xiao Luo drew in a breath of air, and even with his usually steady demeanor, he felt a sudden chill. No wonder Gu Zhanguo mentioned to him once that S-grade warriors were terrifying, and now he understood why. With the Lady Poison¡¯s abilities, killing someone would be as simple as breathing.


    ¡­


    When they arrived at the tech building, Xiao Luo finally met Gu Zhanguo.


    Gu Zhanguo still looked as fit as he¡¯d ever been. His upright posture gave him a look of authority, his eyes were bright and observant, and he perpetually wore a wizen smile. His silver hair didn¡¯t make him seem old at all, but instead, it lent him a dignified air.


    Next to him was a middle-aged man, who was perhaps a little younger than Gu Zhanguo. He seemed to have kept himself in good shape, with significantly fewer wrinkles on his face than Gu Zhanguo, and his hair waspletely ck, without a single strand of white hair visible.


    They were both dressed in dark suits, and the only contrast being that one had a head of white hair and the other ck.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡¯ve heard of your name for a long time now, and it¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.¡± The man with ck hair smiled warmly and shook Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    Ji Siying introduced him to Xiao Luo. ¡°He is our Deputy Director, Mr. Dongfang Shuoyu,¡± she said.


    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Xiao Luo said and nodded politely.


    ¡°ording to the results of the investigation, Mr. Mie, you are very skilled inbat. You haven¡¯t been evaluated and graded yet, so I¡¯d like to conduct the evaluation now.¡± Having heard so much about Xiao Luo, Dongfang Shuo Yu was eager to see how he¡¯d do in the evaluation.


    ¡°This¡­.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at Gu Zhanguo. When he was recruited at the NSA branch in Jiangcheng, he hade to an understanding with Du Zhanguo that he would not be assessed. He was concerned that the machines used would be able to detect the presence of the system, and should theye into conflict, it would possibly harm his body.


    Gu Zhanguo coughed dryly and said, ¡°Dongfang, it is not urgent, it can be der. Let us first take Mie to meet ourputer engineers. The priority is to enhance their skill levels; otherwise, our nation¡¯s virtual gateways will continue to be at risk. What¡¯s the point in paying them if they can assure our security, we might as well disband the department.¡±


    Thepulsory assessment was part of the NSA protocol, and without exception, everyone had to be assessed. Gu Zhanguo personally felt that Xiao Luo could forego the evaluation, but Dongfang Shuoyu was in charge of NSA¡¯s disciplinary matters and a stickler for rules. Everything had to be done ording to protocol. Even Gu Zhanguo, as a director, was reluctant to tantly circumvent these rules and set a precedent. Hence, he decided to dy the process for the time being to see which side he could convince first, and one party had topromise when the time came.


    Dongfang Shuo Yu thought for a while and said, ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go meet them first.¡± Patting Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Mr. Mie, you must help them improve and enhance their skills, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡­

 Chapter 345 - An Opportunity to Prove Oneself

    Chapter 345: An Opportunity to Prove Oneself


    The two directors led the way, and together with Xiao Luo and Ji Siying, they arrived at the Computing and IT Department a few minutester. The department was located in arge hall that resembled the shared office space inrge ITpanies, and rows upon rows of desks were neatly positioned within a grid. As Xiao Luo stepped into the workspace, he could hear the ttering of keyboards as the engineers were busy working on theirputers.


    There were about a hundred or so personnel in the hall at that time, and they all had their eyes fixed on their screens, busy developing various programs.


    ¡°Siying, please inform the engineers I will need a moment of their time,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    Ji Siying nodded and walked to the front of the hall. There was a low tform where presentations and briefings were conducted, and it was equipped with arge screen and audio-visual equipment; it was dubbed the ¡°stage.¡± Ji Siying turned on the microphone and announced, ¡°Everyone, can I have your attention, please. Director Gu has a few words to say, and there¡¯s someone that he¡¯d like to introduce to you. So, kindly stop your work for a moment. Thank you.¡±


    One by one, their heads began to turn toward the stage, and on seeing their directors, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu, the hundred or so engineers immediately stood up and saluted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for formalities, please, you may all sit down,¡± Dongfang Shuoyu said, waving a hand.


    With everyone seated, Dongfang Shuoyu smiled and nced at Gu Zhanguo. ¡°Well, Old Gu, are you going to do it, or shall I?¡±


    ¡°You do it.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯d be impolite of me to decline.¡±


    Dongfang Shuoyu chuckled; it would be an honor to introduce Mie to these IT engineers. He looked at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Mr. Mie, could you please join me on stage.¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed; the time hade to pay off the debt.


    Dongfang Shuoyu cleared his throat before he spoke, ¡°Comrades, you have all been raving about wanting to meet Mie and Bailing, am I correct? Unfortunately, Bailing in unable to be here for security reasons, but I¡¯d like to introduce the person standing in front of you, this is Mie.¡±


    Standing on stage, Dongfang Shuoyu could have passed for a VIP delivering a speech and presentingmendation awards to the students.


    The entire hall was abuzz with murmurs as soon as Dongfang Shuoyu introduced Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What? He¡¯s Mie?!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, how is this possible? Mie can¡¯t actually be so young.¡±


    ¡°This is the same ¡®Mie¡¯ who fended off the cyber-attacks on the national virtual gateways and single-handedly turned the tide in our favor against foreign intruders?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s gaze was on Xiao Luo, and their faces were filled with shock and disbelief. For some time now, they had been specting about how Mie actually looked like¡ªsome thought he¡¯d be an enigmatic man dressed in ck, and some others even imagined an older man, pale and sickly-looking, with a full beard. But none had ever guessed that Mie would be so young.


    ¡°Everyone, please be silent.¡±


    The reaction of these engineers had been expected, and Dongfang Shuoyu inwardly enjoyed the rude shock they received. ¡°I think the reason why Mie is here should be self-evident. He is here today to share his insights and also discuss his methodologies and techniques. I hope that you can all learn from this and enhance your knowledge and skills in this area.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo nodded in support, for both he and Dongfang Shuoyu hoped to create more ¡°Mie-clones¡± to improve the defense of the national virtual gateways andworks, making them impregnable to hostile intrusions by foreign forces in the future.


    ¡°Director Dongfang, is he really Mie?¡±


    A bespectacled man in a gray shirt and asked, looking quizzically at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Team Leader Zhou, are you doubting our NSA agents¡¯ ability to do their jobs?¡± Dongfang Shuoyu replied in a stern and forbidding tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m not questioning their abilities; I just feel that he¡¯s too young, much younger than most of us. The level ofputing and IT skills that we¡¯re talking about cannot be acquired overnight; it takes experience and time to nurture. I really can¡¯t believe that he is Mie.¡±


    Another man stood up to voice his support for team leader Zhou, ¡°I agree with the team leader; he¡¯s too young¡ªhe can¡¯t be more than 25 or 26 years old, how can this man be Mie!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo snickered to himself, wondering how shocked these engineers would be if they knew that Bailing was only in her early twenties. Wouldn¡¯t they be so ashamed that they¡¯d be looking for a ce to bury their heads?


    Of course, he was well aware why these people doubted that Xiao Luo was Mie¡ªit was because to be challenged by one much younger to themselves was a slight to their dignity.


    Each of them prided themselves as experts in their specificputing and IT technology fields, the best the country had to offer. And yet, the enigmatic Mie outdid the entire force of elite engineers during thest cyber-attack crisis. How could they ept that a man ten years younger saved the day and reduced them to mere spectators? That would be disgraceful.


    So, it seems these engineers want to redeem their dignity, and that is a good thing!


    Gu Zhanguo now walked up to the mic to address the assembly and said, ¡°Who else questions Mr. Xiao¡¯s identity as Mie? Stand up, let me see how many there are.¡±


    One after another, the engineers hesitantly stood up, and they were mostly male engineers, aged around forty years old. If Mie was indeed a man much younger to them, it would insult each of them. And it¡¯d a particrly painful one at that, as they were national-level IT experts, selected from all over the country through a rigorous screening process before being epted by the NSA.


    It was an honor to be in such an elite outfit, but now that their reputation was being trampled upon, they would naturally close ranks to defend it.


    Gu Zhanguo smiled and said, ¡°Hmm, I didn¡¯t expect there to be quite this number, more than half of you here challenge Mie¡¯s identity.¡±


    ¡°Director Gu, we are defending our honor!¡±


    The team leader, Zhou, lifted his chin and responded, ¡°Please give us a chance to prove ourselves, Director Gu.¡±


    ¡°A chance to prove yourselves?¡± Gu Zhanguo thought he had misheard the man.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The team leader nced at Xiao Luo, who had remained silent since arriving on stage, and he didn¡¯t hide the hostility in his eyes. ¡°And this also gives him a chance to prove that he¡¯s Mie,¡± the team leader said, pointing at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Zhou Yuhang, what are you saying? Why are you jumping to conclusions when you¡¯ve not even heard the man, where¡¯s your discipline?!¡± Dongfang Shuoyu roared.


    Gu Zhanguo waved his hand and gestured for Dongfang Shuoyu to stand down. He then turned to Zhou Yuhang and said, ¡°Team Leader Zhou, how do you want to prove it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s straightforward, five minutes of defense building, once the five minutes is up, wemence to attack each other. If this man is Mie, then he will be able to withstand our attack. Please give us a chance to prove our point, Director Gu,¡± Zhou Yuhang replied.


    ¡°Please give us a chance, Director Gu!¡±


    The others urged their director in one reverberating voice, which echoed across the hall. Although they were civilian personnel serving in the NSA, they had received systematic training and had adopted the strict military discipline of a soldier.


    Gu Zhanguo looked at Xiao Luo. ¡°Mie, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Xiao Luo shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Okay, Team Leader Zhou, I¡¯ll give you all a chance to prove yourselves, but I must tell you that this may not turn out to be the opportunity you seek, but humiliation at your own request,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    ¡°Thank you, Director Gu, if it¡¯s proven that he is Mie, we will apologize for questioning him. But, if he is not Mie, I hope that you severely punish the NSA agents who got his identity wrong, as it is a slight to our dignity.¡±


    Although Zhou Yuhang was responding to Gu Zhanguo, his eyes were fixed on Xiao Luo. He refused to ept that Mie could be a person more than ten years younger than him. It was like someone telling him that his high school teacher was a kid from grade school.


    How could he ept that?


    ¡­

 Chapter 346 - Cyber Battle

    Chapter 346: Cyber Battle


    It was only moments before the challenge got underway in the cavernous hall of Computing and IT Department, and more than a hundred grim faces were positioned in front of theirputer stations. Some of the engineers were running through algorithms in their heads, while others had their eyes on Xiao Luo¡ªwho was calmly standing in front of his station without a care in the world. It was a battle for honor, no less, and sess would redeem the engineers¡¯ reputation and proved that Xiao Luo was not the hacker, Mie, as imed. The atmosphere was getting intense¡­ even the directors and Ji Siying felt suffocated.


    ¡°You may begin!¡±


    With that, Gu Zhanguo got the challenge underway.


    The ambiance was immediately transformed as the hurried sound of hundreds of personnel scrambling into their seats resounded across the hall, quickly followed by the incessant tter of keyboards.


    Ji Siying had never interacted with the IT personnel before today, and while she had absolutely no familiarity with programming, she was impressed by what she saw. These engineers seemed to be working by rote, hitting the keys on their boards with speed and precision. They appeared very focused, and it was evident that they knew exactly what they had in mind, as lines of codes appeared on the blue screen at an incredible speed. Ji Siying estimated that a string of codes would be written every two seconds.


    She simply could not believe the speed with which these engineers were churning out such a volume of codes, and began to wonder if they had mechanically-enhanced hands.


    In her mind, Ji Siying saw the use of mechanical hands as the only logical exnation for typing with such precision and speed!


    When she turned to see how Xiao Luo was doing, she found that he had only just begun taking his seat and appeared to have no urgency whatsoever. But in the next second, as Xiao Luo ced his hands on the keyboard, Ji Siying¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, for Xiao Luo was furiously striking the keys with the nimbleness of a pianist as he typed the codes at speeds much faster than the IT engineers. Some lines of codes were keyed in at the rate of two lines a second, while others were even quicker at four or five lines a second.


    Gu Zhan Guo and Dongfang Shuoyu were equally shocked at Xiao Luo¡¯s speed, but it did not surprise them that a top-notched hacker like him could achieve this.


    Building a 64-bit attack and defense program¡­


    Xiao Luo mused, and what he had in mind was a radical concept¡ªa program that mirrored intrusive malware by rewriting its code and redirecting the virus to its source, thereby instantly changing defense into offense. He was now entirely focused on finishing up the codes for the program.


    Team leader Zhou Yuhang and his engineers were equally focused, and their eyes did not once leave theputer screen in front of them. They were fighting for honor and would use all their knowledge and experience to defeat Xiao Luo.


    The participants were given only five minutes to prepare themselves, and once that time passed, the real showdown would begin. A cyber battle was tactically different from an actual fight in that as long as a single virus struck sessfully, the opponent¡¯sputer would bepromised, and the other party would immediately be defeated. Therefore, defensive systems were set up to deal with attacks, such as intrusion detection, active defense, and even ess authentication requiring random key reconciliation.


    As the team leader, Zhou Yuhang had his own set of core skills. He set up a ¡°honeb system,¡± which lured intruders to unknowingly step into his ambush. Once detected, he only needed to click a function key to immediately ¡°kill¡± the attackunched by Xiao Luo. Afterpleting the setup, he gave the other three team leaders a nce and made an ¡®OK¡¯ sign to signal that he was done. Now all they had to do was wait for the prey to fall into their trap.


    The sullen faces of the team leaders finally showed some vigor, and they gazed toward Xiao Luo with expressions that could best be described as nasty and devious, somewhat like the look on the face of a molester just before ravishing a victim¡­


    ¡°Time¡¯s up!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo shouted into the microphone the moment his stopwatch sounded.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    All four of the team leaders roared in unison, and their respective teams rallied to them, sending their attacks through cyberspace¡ªthey resembled a group of warriors with spears and swords, screaming and charging towards Xiao Luo.


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth lifted into a smile. Against such an attackprising of numerous hackers, he seemed to be like the Great Sage in the ssic novel, Journey to the West, using monkey¡¯s hair to create countless friendly troops to defend himself. In this case, his friendly forces were, of course, viruses¡ªhe immediately hit the Enter key, and numerous viruses surged from hisputer into cyberspace to swarm the IT engineers¡¯ machines. Xiao Luo¡¯s viruses almost seemed to be emitting a demonic screech as they raced toward their quarries.


    Before long, both sides were battling it out on the server, as for this smokeless war, the server was the forward edge of battle!


    ¡°A piece of cake!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang and the other three team leaders sneered contemptuously as their fingers continually tapped across the keyboard, and an antivirus program was activated in a few seconds. One could picture virus-swallowing behemoths in the virtual space of thework, gobbling up any virus within range, and then assimting them, and just like the ¡°event horizon¡± of a ck hole, there was no escape.


    Both sides were locked in a fierce battle, and the strain showed on their grim faces. Xiao Luo was much worse for wear, as he was one man facing the entire department of the nation¡¯s eliteputing engineers. But Xiao Luo was resolved to not just win, but also defeat these engineers in a resounding victory.


    ¡°Old Li, what¡¯s wrong with you, why are you going against me?¡±


    ¡°What, weren¡¯t you the one who attacked me first? I thought it was a virus.¡±


    ¡°What are you attacking myputer for, Brother Song?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I¡¯m attacking Mie¡¯sputer.¡±


    Suddenly, the entire hall was in an uproar, as the IT engineers found themselves actually being attacked by one of their own.


    Something is not right¡­ what¡¯s going on?


    Zhou Yuhang was suddenly rmed and convinced that a counter-attack was beingunched, he immediately checked his status.


    He then realized what was happening¡ªan active defense program installed in Xiao Luo¡¯s port was rewriting their intrusive malware and diverting all their attacks to theputer ports of their own colleagues¡ªit was an immediate counter-offensiveunched by Xiao Luo¡¯s program!


    ¡°Stop the attack!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang immediately gave out the order to desist and consolidate.


    Their indiscriminate attack would not achieve the desired oue if allowed to continue, but instead, it would cause disarray among his own teammates.


    Xiao Luo was calm as he continued refining his active defense program. He got the opening he had been waiting for, as the previous virus attack was just to buy him time toplete his application. Now that his active defense program had its full range of capabilities, it was time to deploy.


    Ji Siying looked at Xiao Luo in awe, and as he sat in front of theputer fully engrossed in the battle, she found that he exuded a unique charm¡ªhe was mysterious, confident, and calm in times of crisis. She had already taken a liking for Xiao Luo since her mission in Luo Vige, and at this moment, she just couldn¡¯t stop staring at him.


    The chaos of the battle seemed to have died down, and some normalcy had returned. Only a few remaining viruses scoured theworks, like patrol ships, and no one cared to pay much attention to them.


    Zhou Yuhang coordinated with the other three team leaders, and began a probing attack on Xiao Luo again, but gained no ground. The program protecting Xiao Luo¡¯sputer was imprable, as immovable as a mountain. In its current form, the program was only defending against unauthorized ess, keeping the engineers¡¯ attack at bay.


    ¡°Fight it out with him!¡±


    One of the team leaders lost his head and ordered a full assault, refusing to allow the status quo to persist and knowing that they would lose when the time was up.


    Zhou Yuhang gritted his teeth and was the first tounch his attack.


    The hundred or so engineers became boisterous as they concentrated their collective firepower on their target. They attacked with everything they had, continually typing out strings of codes, andunched a mad attack on Xiao Luo¡¯s program. It could be likened to a siege, with battering rams trying to breach gates, scalingdders to go over the top of walls, and even artillery attacks¡­ nothing was spared, and the enemy was intent on storming Xiao Luo¡¯s domain.


    ¡­

 Chapter 347 - Offensive and Defensive Program

    Chapter 347: Offensive and Defensive Program


    Xiao Luo sat back and allowed the engineers¡¯ attacking forces to exhaust their resources against his defense. An army of viruses swarmed the firewall in relentless waves of attacks, but Xiao Luo¡¯s defenses held. Then, Xiao Luo hit a function key, and his program divided into 64 sub-programs with offensive and defensive capabilities. These sub-programs continued to self-replicate, almost like stacking one brick on top of another, building a massive and intricate multiyered program.


    ¡°All done!¡±


    Xiao Luo muttered to himself in satisfaction as he keyed in thest line of code, and with a wry smile, he hit the function key to concurrently run all the applications.


    In the virtual battlefield, Zhou Yuhang and his cohorts used all of their experience and resources toe up with a solution to breach Xiao Luo¡¯s ports. Try as they might, the defenses were imprable, but giving up was not an option. Suddenly, they found that their applications were not responding tomands. There was no warning, they only detected anomalies in how their programs were running¡ªit felt like the firewall had surged outward, overwhelming the malware files they had directed to Xiao Luo¡¯sputer. The firewall defense surged unimpeded, smashing everything in its path, and the virus programs that came into contact with it had their codes stripped bare.


    ¡°Huh, what¡­ what kind of program is this? H-how can this be happening?


    Utterly shocked by the dominance of Xiao Luo¡¯s active defense program, Zhou Yuhang¡¯s eyes were filled with apprehension. To an ordinary person, theputer screen looked like nothing more than numerous lines of code, but to an IT expert like Zhou Yuhang, these multiple lines ofplicated instructions presented him with a vastly different picture¡ªthey filled with terrifying aggression and a warning of doom.


    ¡°Everyone, stop attacking. Hurry up and withdraw!¡±


    One of the group leaders roared, sensing that a catastrophe was imminent.


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu looked at one another. They couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads, and it seemed to them like ¡°Mie¡± now had the upper hand.


    In the ranks of the IT engineers, one by one, they began to stare nkly at theirputer screens with astonished faces. Xiao Luo¡¯s had sessfully prated their port security andpromised theirputers¡¯ integrity¡ªon their blue-colored screens, all they saw were the word ¡°MIE¡± made up with strings of scrambled codes.


    ¡°Defend, hurry up, defend!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang was in a daze and sweating profusely. Xiao Luo had already seized control of the server, and all Zhou Yuhang could do was to retreat behind his machine¡¯s firewall¡ªand here, in this redoubt, he would make his final stand.


    The other three group leaders also recovered in good time, providing rearguards for the other in turn and making it back safely behind their defensive lines. Once again, secure behind their defenses, they started to coordinate with Zhou Yuhang¡¯s honeb system to lure Xiao Luo. They intended to give their opponent a taste of his own medicine.


    The other IT engineers were dropping like flies as more withdrew from the battlefield. They were crestfallen but tried their best to stay calm, waiting for Xiao Luo, the ferocious tiger, to step into the lure and spring the trap.


    It was a tense moment, as the rank of fallen engineers awaited in trepidation, even Gu Zhanguo, and the rest could feel that something was about to ur in this fierce battle that would be decisive.


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    To the defenders, it seemed like a ferocious tiger had bounded through the ming walls, roaring fiercely and on a violent rampage, leaving a zing trail of destruction.


    The virtual defenders, the army of warriors created from the engineers¡¯ codes, were no match for the intruder and simply disintegrated back into broken source codes when attacked. In this way, slowly but surely, each and every one of the defenders¡¯puters werepromised. Once again, the structured codes that made up their programs were turned into scrambled strings of characters that formed the word ¡°MIE.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯sing now¡­ it¡¯s heading towards us!¡± a group leader nervously warned the others.


    ¡°Come on then! We¡¯ll make sure it dies without a proper burial ce!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang scowled, gritting his teeth. The honeb system was aplex application and the most powerful program that he had developed. It was capable of hack-back and instant file deletion, and could also be set up as a booby trap, where it would immediately sequester an intruding malware and render it useless.


    But what Zhou Yuhang was unaware of was that Xiao Luo already knew of his strategy right from the start. Xiao Luo hit another key on his board, and a deluge of coded instructions was sent to overwhelm Zhou Yuhang¡¯s machine¡ªthe prowling tiger roared in the virtual battlefield as it set its sight on the defensive of its adversaries before it leaped in for the attack. And there it was¡ªthe attempted breach!


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang yelled, and the engineers looked ted as they scanned their screens to check on its oue¡ªin the virtual battlefield, the ground suddenly copsed into a bottomless abyss, a gaping sinkhole engineered to swallow whole the onrushing tiger.


    The team leaders worked in tandem to preventing Xiao Luo¡¯s program fromunching subsequentmands while attempting to break into the program file. It was working¡ªin the abyss, the team leaders were coding tons of rocks and piling debris into the trap to hold the ferocious tiger. In cyberspace, they were like the gods, making their creationse to life at the touch of a key.


    BOOM!


    Finally, the intrusion was stopped, and everything came to a standstill. It was like a gigantic mountain had been formed using codes and dropped into the abyss, forever sealing the ferocious tiger in its prison. Zhou Yuhang shot up from his chair, yelled in exhration, and pointed at Xiao Luo as he roared, ¡°He¡¯s been defeated! He is not ¡®Mie,¡¯ he is not ¡®Mie!''¡±


    His joy was absolutely justified. He had proven his skills and had redeemed the pride of the IT department.


    Gu Zhanguo, Dongfang Shouyu, and Ji Siying all looked at Xiao Luo, and a frown formed on their faces as they wondered if they got it wrong. Wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo the real ¡®Mie?¡¯


    However, at that moment, the other three group leaders gasped, their faces paled, and they looked horrified. They kept repeating the same words over and over again, ¡°How could this be¡­ how could this be?¡±


    Zhou Yuhang noticed his colleagues¡¯ distress and could tell something was amiss. As he looked at his own screen, his eyes opened wide, his lips couldn¡¯t stop trembling, and he found himself in an extreme state of shock. Xiao Luo¡¯s program had reactivated; it had broken free¡ªthe ferocious tiger was no more, but in its ce was a humongous creature lifting the mountain and crawling out of the abyss.


    ¡°Now, the game is finally over!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed as he entered a series of code before hitting the Enter key.


    It resembled a shockwave as the creature revealed its two massive savage fangs and let out a long terrifying howl that shook heaven and earth¡­


    Zhou Yuhang and his remaining forces in the virtual battlefield were wiped out in an instant. A piercing sound of beeps emanated from theirputers, and on their screens, scrambled codes began to form the word ¡°MIE.¡±


    The entire hall fell into shocked silence.


    The cyberspace battle was over, leaving a field of hundreds lying in defeat.


    Zhou Yuhang was stunned. He had his hands on his head and could only stare nkly at the word, ¡°MIE,¡± emzoned on his screen. He was defeated but gradually came to terms with the loss as he closed his eyes with grief and let out a long sigh. He then slumped back in his seat, totally spent.


    Swallowing his pride, he walked up to the microphone on stage, and said: ¡°Congrattions! Now, no one will question if you are ¡®Mie¡¯ anymore,¡± then turning to his colleagues, he said, ¡°am I right?¡±


    All the IT engineers nodded their heads, and not a hint of doubt showed in their eyes any longer, but instead, there was only worship, respect, and admiration. And why not? A hundred assants attacking in unison against a lone swordsman, and yet they were soundly beaten. How could they dare to not ept it?


    ¡°Teacher, please enlighten us. What program did you create? I¡¯ve never seen a program this effective before!¡±


    Zhou Yuhang had regained his soul again and was thirsty for knowledge of these abilities he had experienced first-hand. He would try to seek Xiao Luo¡¯s advice, and already he had begun to address Xiao Luo as ¡°teacher.¡±


    ¡°I name it the ¡®sixty-four offensive and defensive program.¡¯ It¡¯s designed for massive scale deployment and has a unique active defense capability. It dynamically alters the ess key and masks the port address, essentially it passively tracks the source of intrusions and diverts malware back to that source. It also has self-learning capabilities, plots virus patterns, and rewrites its codes before redirecting it to its source location. Therefore, it can handle massive attacks, and unless you can disable the program quickly, it will continue to learn and counter any attempts with devastating results.¡±


    Xiao Luo patiently exined the concept of his radical program to the IT engineers of the NSA. It wasn¡¯t because Zhou Yuhang had addressed him as ¡®teacher¡¯ that he did it, instead, it was that this program was capable of strengthening the nation¡¯s gateways and cyberworks. Xiao Luo was just d that he could contribute to enhancing the defenses of his country in any way he could.


    ¡­

 Chapter 348 - Don’t go and provoke him

    Chapter 348: Don¡¯t go and provoke him


    In the eyes of all the Computing and IT department¡¯s engineers, Xiao Luo was a highly regarded IT expert, and they honored him as a respected teacher. They were undeniably impressed with the ¡°Sixty-four offensive and defensive Program¡± developed by Xiao Luo and were very interested to understand more about it. The application was highly advanced and capable passively interrogating and studying patterns of intrusive malicious programs, and replicating its codes before redirecting the malware back to its source location.


    The engineers had countless questions for Xiao Luo about the architecture and programming protocol for the ¡°Sixty-four offensive and defensive Program,¡± which he patiently exined in full detail. Xiao Luo¡¯s program utilized every aspect of hisputer knowledge, and the information he provided the engineers were so meticulous that it was as good as giving them a textbook. It would undoubtedly help them understand his program, innovate, and apply it in myriad ways.


    Watching Zhou Yuhang and his colleagues enthusiastically posing questions and taking notes, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu shared a sense of satisfaction with how things had turned out. They were in a jovial mood when they left the premises.


    ¡­


    What had initially been nned as a brief introduction of ¡°Mie¡± to the IT department, turned out to be a full-blown programming workshop, and itsted almost two hours. Xiao Luo was unstinting in providing information and guided the engineers on the various applications of his program. On their part, the engineers were eager students, and they tested and analyzed the program thoroughly. They quickly realized that the coding was moreplicated than expected, consisting ofyers of inter-dependent sub-programs, which replicated theplexities of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. Hence, the deeper they delved, the more convoluted the structure seemed. This only served to spur the engineers on to the point they were obsessed with mastering the many facets of the program.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming this part of the code analyzes and rewrites the codes? But if that is so, then what about this portion of the code¡­ what is it used for?¡± an engineer inquired.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not it¡­ it¡¯s this portion of the code that¡¯s used for that purpose,¡± another engineer said.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re both wrong. These sets of codes here are the ones that perform the primary function, they act like the mastermind, and it¡¯s the core of this entire program, without which the program will not function,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    ¡°But, how can the core be there, isn¡¯t this set right here?¡± another person asked.


    There were a vast number ofbinations that could be derived from the 64 sub-programs, and understandably, none of the engineers couldprehend the program in its entirety. Based on the different insights that each engineer had gathered, they were collectively able to re-construct an independent, active defense program. But, even so, it only encapsted a tiny portion of Xiao Luo¡¯s design.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, thank you for the support and your hard work!¡±


    Ji Siying walked over with a ss of water.


    ¡°Oh, thank you, I needed this.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head politely as he took the ss of water from Ji Siying. It was a wee drink after the long exhaustive session of continuous exnations to the IT staff. After quenching his thirst, he looked around and asked, ¡°Where did Director Gu, and Director Dongfang go?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already informed me to bring you to them as soon as you¡¯re done with the work here,¡± Ji Siying said with a smile on her face.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help noticing her enchanting smile, and every slight expression she gave made his heart skip a beat.


    Xiao Luo finished the ss of water and stretched his muscles as he looked at the group of engineers pouring over his ¡°Sixty-four offensive and defensive Program.¡± Raising his eyebrows, he chuckled and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go, I think we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, okay.¡±


    Ji Siying replied with a nod of her head.


    ¡­


    ¡°Siying!¡±


    As soon as they stepped out of the Tech Building, a man with a buzzcut called out to Ji Siying. He held on to a bouquet of roses and started running toward them with a broad smile on his face. He looked muscr and robust, and his movements exuded a vigor that came from regr training and exercise. However,pared to his well-built body, he had a disproportionate head and an ashen face. He had dark bags under his sunken eyes, and honestly, if one just looked at his face, he appeared like a sickly man stricken with an incurable disease. He was breathing rapidly; presumably, it was because of the excitement of seeing Ji Siying.


    ¡°Ren Maohua?¡±


    Ji Siying muttered under her breath, and a look of disgust washed over her pretty face.


    Ren Maohua walked up to Ji Siying and dramatically handed her the bouquet of flowers. ¡°Siying, this is for you,¡± he said, suddenly getting down on one knee, ¡°be my girlfriend!¡±


    Ji Siying took a quick nce at Xiao Luo, then shook her head without hesitation, instantly rejecting his proposal. ¡°The flowers you have here are lovely, but they aren¡¯t suitable for me. I think it¡¯d be better if you gave it to another girl.¡±


    ¡°Siying, don¡¯t tell me you do not understand my feelings? The first time I saw you, it was love at first sight for me. Your smile, your beauty, your everything¡­ they¡¯re all deeply imprinted in my mind, and my love for you is beyond words. Please ept me, I¡¯ll take care of you for the rest of my life,¡± Ren Maohua confessed, ovee with deep emotions.


    Standing beside Ji Siying, Xiao Luo felt a little awkward as he watched the man profoundly expressing his love to her, right in front of him. He did the only decent thing he could think of; he coughed dryly and said, ¡°Well¡­ Miss Ji, I will wait for you up ahead.¡±


    Xiao Luo then hurriedly walked ahead. It was all a little too much for him, and he was d to be out of the way.


    Ji Siying was getting exasperated and furrowed her brows as she said, ¡°Mr. Ren, I¡¯ve already made it really clear that I don¡¯t like you. Stop wasting your time on me!¡±


    Without waiting for Ren Maohua¡¯s reply, she walked past him and caught up with Xiao Luo. She glimpsed to catch Xiao Luo¡¯s expression from the corner of her eye, afraid that he would misunderstand the rtionship between her and Ren Maohua.


    It was said that suitors could recognize their rivals at a nce, which was precisely the case with Ren Maohua. When he noticed Xiao Luo and Ji Siying walking closely together, he squinted his eyes and immediately set off on a brisk walk after them. In no time at all, he was right in front of Xiao Luo, blocking the way.


    He pointed the bouquet of roses at Xiao Luo, as he looked at Ji Siying and asked: ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ren, you don¡¯t have to know who he is, please make way.¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s tone was cold. As a liaison, although her level was only Grade C, in many circumstances, she had a higher status than a field agent, especially one who did not adhere to the rules.


    ¡°If you are not going to tell me, then I¡¯ll ask him myself!¡±


    Ren Maohua was brusque, he stared at Xiao Luo and snarled, ¡°I¡¯ll give you to the count of three to tell me your name and your warrior level. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to make you kneel on the ground and sing the national anthem until I¡¯m satisfied. Out with it!¡±


    Ren Maohua allowed his emotions to get the better of him and had overstepped his authority.


    ¡°Ren Maohua let me remind you, you¡¯re not going to like it in the little ck house!¡± Ji Siying warned.


    ¡°Siying, if you¡¯re willing to go to the little ck house with me, then I¡¯d willingly stay there for the rest of my life. Even our child could be conceived there,¡± Ren Maohua sneered.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s face turned red, she felt absolutely disgusted with what he had just said and found his behavior uneptable. Ji Siying did not have the slightest interest in Ren Maohua, who was now getting on her nerve.


    Ren Maohua red at Xiao Luo, his face inches away, and the smile left his face as he started the countdown down. ¡°One!¡±


    Xiao Luo wiped off the droplets of saliva that Ren Maohua had copiously deposited on his face and said, ¡°It is your right to chase any girl you want, but picking on someone else to make yourself look good is overdoing it.¡±


    ¡°Am I overdoing it? Well, that¡¯s just the way I like it, so, what are you going to do about it?¡±


    Ren Maohuaughed maniacally. ¡°Two!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and continued to walk past Ren Maohua, unwilling to stoop to his level.


    ¡°Ren Maohua, I¡¯m warning you not to provoke him. Even if you¡¯re a grade-A soldier, don¡¯t provoke him, I¡¯m warning you for your own good,¡± Ji Siying said.


    Ji Siying walked away from Ren Maohua to go after Xiao Luo. She had seen Xiao Luo in a rage with her own eyes, and once provoked, he took no prisoners. She could still remember the screams from the head of the Cobra Mercenary Corps that fateful night. This man was a beast!


    However, Ren Maohua made light of her warning. He would not be made to lose face in front of the girl he fancied¡­ ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 349 - Do it again

    Chapter 349: Do it again


    Ren Maohua¡¯s lips quivered in anger, and he clenched his fist so tightly that the joints in his fingers made a cracking sound. Ovee by rage, he flung the bouquet of flowers to the ground and dashed madly toward Xiao Luo screaming. The moment he got in range, he immediately attempted to strike Xiao Luo¡¯s back with his right hand, adopting the deadly eagle w style.


    A fierce aura emanated from his hand, and the five fingers gleamed¡ªthey were as sharp as a well-honed knife!


    Xiao Luo sensed the cold, hostile energy behind him and was alerted. He reacted purely by instinct, turning around with his right hand, ready to defend himself. Everything happened within a split second¡ªto Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, Ren Maohua¡¯s movements slowed considerably, but his intent to cause injury remained. With his right forearm defensively positioned in front of his body, he swept aside Ren Maohua¡¯s w hand attack.


    POW!


    Two powerful forces shed against one another¡ªthe attack as fast as a raging gale and the defense equally swift, resulting in an explosive impact that shuddered bothbatants.


    The force of the blow forced Xiao Luo to take a step back, but he steadied himself by nting his right foot. So heavy was the blow that Xiao Luo¡¯s foot submerged several inches into the bare ground.


    Ren Maohua was slightly caught off guard as he had not expected Xiao Luo to disy such strength and ability. He was thrown back almost ten steps before he finally managed to steady himself, looking rather surprised.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a fight, then you are picking on the wrong person!¡±


    Xiao Luo snarled at his attacker, infuriated as he nced at the cuts on the back of his hand caused by Ren Maohua¡¯s ws.


    Ren Maohuaughed and swaggered as he strode toward Xiao Luo again. Casting a nce at Ji Siying, who looked stunned, he said, ¡°Siying, I¡¯ve got to admit that his strength is rather impressive, but if you think he¡¯s so strong that I should not be provoking him, then I¡¯ll have you know that he¡¯s far from my level. Today, I¡¯ll show you what it means to be a real man!¡±


    His eyes turned cold as he readied tounch another attack, staring ominously at Xiao Luo. Suddenly he lunged forward and got right in front of Xiao Luo again and immediately aimed a blow at Xiao Luo¡¯s neck with his right fist, striking so fast that it made a whistling sound.


    BOOM!


    Xiao Luo barely had the time to evade the attack, and all he could do was bring his arms up to intercept Ren Maohua¡¯s fierce punch. The force of the blow was tremendous, and the crunching impact of the fist resulted in a thunderous report. Ren Maohua was attacking like a raging bull, and Xiao Luo¡¯s expression changed instantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t force me!¡± Xiao Luo warned.


    ¡°So, what if I force you? You are a coward! What makes you think you deserve a woman like Siying?¡­ PTUI!¡±


    Ren Maohuaughed and sneered with contempt, spitting on the ground. He charged forward again, executing a series of strikes with his fists, and went at Xiao Luo like a furious storm. Ren Maohua was throwing at least seven to ten punches per second, aiming for Xiao Luo¡¯s head, chest, and abdomen; every punch was packed with unrestrained power. Each punch that was directed at Xiao Luo was apanied by a howling wind, and the air around them was stirring up in eddies like a small tornado.


    There was no expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face as he kept his focus on dodging and parrying as many of the strikes as he could. Xiao Luo chose not to retaliate as he was reluctant to draw any unnecessary attention to himself, being the first time he was visiting the NSA headquarters. Of course, that depended very much on how much the other party was trying to provoke him.


    KAPOW! POW! POW!


    Cracks started to appear on the dry ground underneath their feet, and dust was stirred up like a sandstorm was about to brew. The battle was heating up, and the scene was attracting many onlookers.


    Arge number of NSA soldiers, both men, and women had now gathered around the fighters forming arge circle. When they first realized that a fight was going on, they immediately took a keen interest and headed over from the training ground. They were not there to stop the fight but were excited to watch the contest between Xiao Luo and Ren Maohua.


    ¡°This dude doesn¡¯t look familiar¡­ I think that he¡¯s on par with Brother Hua. With his abilities, I¡¯m sure he is Grade-A as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never seen that face before, probably just been transferred here by headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Brother Hua has always been chasing after Miss Ji, and they¡¯re likely fighting over her by the looks of it. This is the first big show of the year!¡±


    Everyone was just casually exchanging notes amongst themselves, and by the looks of it, they were just there to enjoy the show.


    Ji Siying was livid, standing by the side and urging the men to withdraw. ¡°Stop it, both of you stop fighting! Stop right now!¡±


    As a Grade-C soldier herself, Ji Siying was not equipped with the necessary skills to intervene in a battle between Grade-Abatants.


    Xiao Luo had no wish to prolong such a meaningless fight and chose not to counter-attack, but Ren Maohua, on the other hand, was relentlessly trying to take him down simply to prove himself in front of Ji Siying.


    ¡°Hey, brat, did you hear that? Siying is telling us to stop. You just have to kneel down in front of me and kowtow three times, call me grandpa once and I¡¯ll let you off. Because of her request, I¡¯m willing to stoop to your level, how about that?¡±


    Ren Maohua sneered even as he continued his assault, taunting Xiao Luo to retaliate. Of course, his main aim was to make Xiao Luo lose his face with the intention that Ji Siying would cast him aside.


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±


    Xiao Luo was losing his patience, and he shifted his stance to break Ren Maohua¡¯s momentum, then thrust both palms to push him back.


    Ren Maohua appeared to stumble backward but made a breathtaking recovery, twisting his body suddenly and getting under Xiao Luo¡¯s palm thrust. Before Xiao Luo could react, Ren Maohua suddenly appeared on Xiao Luo¡¯s right side, and with a sinister grin, he shed his right hand toward Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    SLASH!


    His w hand swiftly found its mark, and he drew blood.


    The force of the blow threw Xiao Luo back, and he fell onto the hard ground about two meters away.


    ¡°Hah, you are pathetic! I have yet to use my full strength, and you¡¯re already on the ground!¡±


    Ren Maohua deliberately raised his voice and berated Xiao Luo. He wanted to embarrass and degrade Xiao Luo¡¯s in the presence of Ji Siying.


    ¡°That was a strong blow. Hopefully, it didn¡¯t scratch his face.¡±


    ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t scratch it, I¡¯m afraid there will be a permanent scar.¡±


    ¡°Brother Hua is so cruel with the way he does things, is he not afraid that the higher-ups are going to me?¡±


    The NSA soldiers watching the fight were whispering among themselves, but none of them came to Xiao Luo¡¯s aid or attempted to stop the brawl. Despite being highly disciplined NSA agents, they were first and foremost, warriors and admired strongpetitors with fighting mettle. They appreciated watching a fight like this.


    Seeing Xiao Luo lying on the ground, Ji Siying was starting to get apprehensive, and she had a bad feeling something really bad was about to happen. Ren Maohua was intent on provoking Xiao Luo, and Ji Siying was afraid that Xiao Luo had probably run out of patience¡­


    Crack. Crack. Crack.


    Xiao Luo clenched both his fists tightly, and the sound of his cracking knuckles was ominous.


    He stood up to his full height and stared at Ren Maohua. The expression on his face was cold and threatening. He limbered up, turning his neck from left to right and shrugging his shoulders, then he snarled, ¡°Do it again!¡±


    Those three faint words seethed with a raging fury.


    The NSA soldiers stared in silence and had a strange feeling that something nasty would soon happen.


    Ren Maohua froze for a moment, but in the next second, heughed and said, ¡°Interesting¡­ interesting. It seems like you can take a beating. Alright, your grandpa here shall fulfill your wish!¡±


    His face turned dark with malice and clenching his fists, he dashed at Xiao Luo once again, unfurling a hefty blow directly into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. One strike was all it would take to end the bout.


    But, momentster, Ren Maohua was shocked. Xiao Luo had vanished right in front of him, just like a ghost, and his fist only connected with thin air. In the same instant, his pupils dted, and a cold sweat broke out because Xiao Luo suddenly appeared right beside him.


    What kind of speed was this? Why wasn¡¯t he able to track Xiao Luo¡¯s motion?


    These two questions popped up in Ren Maohua¡¯s head.


    Before Ren Maohua could react, Xiao Luo was already swiveling on his left leg and delivering a tremendous kick with his right, which mmed heavily into Ren Maohua¡¯s neck.


    POW!


    Ren Maohua felt like his neck was broken. All he heard was a dull thud before he was thrown by the force of the kick into the crowd of onlooking NSA soldiers.


    ¡­

 Chapter 350 - Woman in Black

    Chapter 350: Woman in ck


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tremendous kick had sent Ren Maohua¡¯s body soaring toward them like a speeding car. Caught unawares and rooted where they stood, several NSA members braced themselves, keeping their hands ready to cushion the impact. But when Ren Maohua¡¯s body smashed into the NSA soldiers, they were thrown off in several directions like a bowling ball crashing into tenpins.


    After plowing through like a cannonball, Ren Maohua hit the ground and continued to tumble out of control for another three to four meters beforeing to a halt. The hard, bare surface of the field was unforgiving, and Ren Maohua¡¯s clothes were tattered, sufferingcerations all over his body. He looked a sorry sight as hey slumped on the ground and panting hard.


    Ren Maohua was a highly trained Grade-A agent, and he was tough and hardy. Had it been any other average fighter, Xiao Luo¡¯s blow would have sent them to kingdome.


    The onlookers, all trained NSA fighters themselves, could not believe what they had just seen and were stupefied. Only moments ago, Ren Maohua clearly had the upper hand and had Xiao Luo on the defensive. Ren Maohua was about to deliver the coup de grace with a powerful strike to Xiao Luo¡¯s chest when suddenly, a single kick to Ren Maohua¡¯s neck threw him more than ten meters away.


    How did the tide turn so abruptly? Who was this guy? Was he also a Grade-S Soldier?


    All eyes were on the motionless figure standing alone in the ground. Everyone was still in a state of shock for Ren Maohua was a notable Grade-A Soldier, and fighters like him did not get beaten easily. Doubtlessly, this man was a Grade-A Soldier, what else could he be?


    Watching intently from the fourth floor of the office building, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu were staggered.


    Behind them, another man, well-built and rippling with muscles, stood watching the fight silently. He had short hair, eyes that brimmed with self-confidence, and a healthy glow to his skin, which had the color of yellow jade. His physique was intimidating, and he emanated the unmistakable aura of a man who feared nothing.


    ¡°Mr. Gu, Mr. Dongfang, where did this mane from? He¡¯s quite impressive¡ªbeing able to send that fool, Ren Maohua, flying through the air in that way is no mean feat. Although Ren Maohua isn¡¯t really a full-fledged Grade-A Soldier, he has already been fully trained as one. So, for this man to deal with Ren Maohua in such a way means he¡¯s nomon person.¡±


    The well-built man spoke unhurriedly in a deep, hoarse voice. There was innate confidence in the way he spoke¡ªa slurred, monotonous speech that made it seem like he wasn¡¯t trying to be heard¡ªbut expected to be listened to.


    ¡°He is Mie!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo said while keeping his gaze at Xiao Luo in the ground below, his eyes filled with uncontained excitement. Xiao Luo, yet again, surprised him with another incredible performance. From Ji Siying¡¯s field report, Gu Zhanguo had long spected that Xiao Luo could belong to the Grade-S category. From what he had just witnessed, Xiao Luo had entirely proven that he was indeed a Grade-S operator, which implied that the NSA had now found themselves another top-ranked soldier. This was an extremely weing piece of news.


    ¡°What¡­ he is ¡®Mie?''¡±


    The well-built man had a look of surprise in his eyes as he nodded appreciatively. Being one of the NSA¡¯s top agents, he was, naturally, privy to highly sensitive information that was not disseminated to the other ranks. In fact, ¡°Mie¡± was known only to a select few, and Gu Zhanguo had only mentioned this name to him on his return to headquartersst year. He was briefed on Mie¡¯s impressivebat capabilities in dispatching Long Sankui, of Jiangcheng City. Mie had single-handedly ughtered the notorious crime boss and an army of his bodyguards in a horrific massacre.


    A smile broke on the well-built man¡¯s face, and he said, ¡°How interesting¡­ I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting him for some time. Now, I finally get to see his true form.¡±


    ¡°King Kong, get down there and do not let the situation spiral out of control,¡± Dongfang Shuoyu said to the well-built man.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    King Kong acknowledged Dongfang Shuoyu and turned to leave immediately, giving Gu Zhanguo a nod as he did so.


    After King Kong stepped out, Gu Zhanguo smiled wryly and said, ¡°Dongfang, can I assume that we don¡¯t need to evaluate Mie anymore?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it isn¡¯t necessary anymore¡­ Mie will be rated a Grade-S soldier!¡±


    Dongfang Shuoyi was already convinced, and there was simply no need to knock on an open door. He motioned to his assistant and said, ¡°Pull out Mie¡¯s file and update his profile as Grade-S.¡±


    His assistant saluted him, then about-turned smartly, and left to execute his orders.


    Gu Zhanguo sniggered and quipped, ¡°There you go, Dongfang¡­ I¡¯ve already told you that is wasn¡¯t necessary, and now you finally know that I¡¯m right now, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t say that¡­ everything has toply with rules and regtions. As an organization, we can¡¯t aplish much without standards. Don¡¯t forget, we are the NSA, so we must pay even more attention to this,¡± Dongfang Shouyu responded.


    Gu Zhanguo raised his eyebrows, nodding in concurrence, and deftly turned the topic of discussion to something more agreeable. ¡°So, how many Level-S soldiers do you think we have in the country?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but with our poptioning up to about 1.4 billion, I¡¯d say definitely more than the three we have now in the NSA. With sorge a poption, there might be even more powerful fighters just waiting to be discovered. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s only a matter of time before we uncover quite a number of them,¡± Dongfang Shouyu said.


    ¡°I must agree with you. It would be wonderful if a good number of these talented people chose to join the NSA and serve the country,¡± Gu Zhanguo mused.


    At the thought of such a scenario, both men drew in a deep breath, relishing the possibility of expanding their elite fighter force.


    As both men were pondering over the possibilities, a lingering waft of sweet fragrance suddenly carried through the air¡­


    They nced at each other, the expression on their faces immediately changed¡­


    They both shouted out in unison, ¡°Get the gas mask!¡±


    Their staff in the room scrambled for the emergency, apparently well-drilled for the just such an eventuality, and they quickly handed gas masks over to their two directors. It wasn¡¯t the first time such a situation had urred, and they have had many opportunities to practice from the countless experiences from the past.


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu donned the gas mask, looking like the pea shooters in ¡°nts vs. Zombies,¡± except that, in this case, their gas masks werepletely ck in color.


    ¡°Directors, why, you are both just as adorable as always¡­ you never fail to wear an ugly mask every time Ie to visit!¡±


    A slender woman, fully dressed in ck, sauntered lightly in through the door. Her very fairplexion contrasted starkly with the dark hue of her clothing, and her hair was adorned with a dragon and phoenix hairpin made of jasper. She had a seductive smile on her lovely face, and dimples added to her sensuality. But her most captivating features were her alluring eyes, which captured one¡¯s soul with an unfathomable enchantment.


    She wore a pair of ck silk gloves with her fingers bejeweled in stunning gemstones, and even concealed within the gloves, one could immediately tell that she had beautiful hands and long, slender fingers.


    As she gracefully approached Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu, they both appeared apprehensive, while several of the NSA staffers in the room who did not have their gas masks with them, had already moved some four to five meters away. Of course, she was none other than the Drug Lady¡ªthe Grade-A agent whose particr skill was poison. Every part of her body was toxic, including her scent, and just a sniff of her fragrance was deadly.


    Anyone who unknowingly inhaled an excessive amount could die immediately if treatment wasn¡¯t sought on time. Even inhaling small amounts over time could endanger one¡¯s life, and one¡¯s internal organs would slowly deteriorate, making one prone to various infections.


    She was unique among the agents of the NSA, a freak of nature. At least a hundred people had already sumbed to poison-rted afflictions through negligence, and hence, she was feared by every NSA member for a good reason.


    ¡°Drug Lady, when did you return?¡± Gu Zhanguo asked, coughing nervously, as he strived to maintain an appearance of calm.


    The Drug Ladyughed softly and said, ¡°Mr. Gu, it isn¡¯t courteous to address someone by their code name.¡±


    Suddenly, she reached out to touch Gu Zhanguo¡¯s shoulder.


    Gu Zhanguo was terrified and quickly jumped back several steps, reproaching her, ¡°Drug Lady, what are you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 351 - Well Said

    Chapter 351: Well Said


    ¡°Calm down; it¡¯s just something on your shoulder.¡±


    The woman in ck raised her delicate eyebrows and pursed her lips, reacting to Gu Zhanguo¡¯s tone of voice.


    Gu Zhanguo had a quick look at his shoulder, and there was indeed a small piece of fluff sticking on to his garment. He coughed and brushed it off quickly, then issued a stern reminder to Lady Poison: ¡°Fu Yiren, you are an avatar of poison, so, please do not touch anyone while you¡¯re here. You have already identally harmed more than a hundred of our NSA members, and I don¡¯t wish to be one of them.¡±


    ¡°I will take note of it, Mr. Gu!¡± Fu Yiren replied, but her mischievous eyes betrayed herck of earnest concern for their safety. She just smiled wryly and stuck her tongue out yfully.


    ¡°So, have youpleted your mission?¡± Dongfang Shouyu chimed in.


    Fu Yiren tossed her head, smiling as she said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Dongfang. This mission is not challenging at all. Those spies are all wimps and had fallen even before I even needed to do anything. I used some Corpse Powder on them, and I¡¯m d to report that they¡¯ve now been converted to useful nourishment for the flowers and nts on the hill. Next time, please remember to assign me to more challenging missions. I get so bored with these menial assignments.¡±


    She reported on her mission in such a light-hearted manner, making it seem like the killings were nothing more than a daily chore. However, for the NSA staff members present, now hiding a safe distance away, hearing this made their faces turn pale, and a chill ran down their spines. They had all witnessed the power of the Corpse Powder with their very own eyes. It was even more potent than concentrated sulphuric acid, but mysteriously, it only acted on the flesh, turning it into a slurry, while the corpse¡¯s clothes and worn watch remain untouched.


    When applied, white smoke would arise apanied by a putrefying stench, and the effect to the flesh was too appalling to describe.


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu nced at each other and smiled nervously. Those spies that Lady Poison had dispatched were elite fighters trained by an enemy state, each a well-honed killing machine the equivalent of a Grade-A soldier and experts in jungle warfare. The directors certainly did not believe it when Fu Yiren mentioned that those spies were all low-level operatives. Instead, what shed through their minds was Fu Yiren as the grim reaper, gleefully harvesting the lives of those soldiers.


    ¡°Hullo¡­ what is that fool, King Kong, up to?¡±


    Looking out the window, Fu Yiren noticed that King Kong was at the ground below. She cast her gaze on Gu Zhanguo with a hint of doubt in her seductive eyes that beckoned for an immediate answer.


    Gu Zhanguo regrly shared information with both King Kong and Fu Yiren, so he quickly pointed at the lean figure walking towards Ren Maohua on the ground below. ¡°That stranger is the one I¡¯ve been telling you about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he must be ¡®Mie¡¯ then. The man behind the carnage at Long Sankui¡¯sir in Jiangcheng City?¡±


    Fu Yir ced the tip of her slender finger to her lips as her curiosity piqued andmented, ¡°He looks weak, are you sure he is the one?¡±


    ¡°Ren Maohua, a Grade-A soldier, was taken down with a single kick by this man. How could we possibly be mistaken?¡± Dongfang Shouyu said. He was somewhat annoyed that this question kepting up. Earlier in the day, a group of IT staff questioned Xiao Luo¡¯s identity, and now, Fu Yiren was doing it again.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Fu Yiren responded as she continued to observe Xiao Luo below.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As Xiao Luo continued to step ominously toward Ren Maohua, Ji Siying was panic-stricken with no idea what to do. She knew that he had been provoked to the breaking point and feared that he was about to unleash his unbridled wrath on Ren Maohua.


    Ren Maohua was in severe pain, especially in his neck, where he was kicked, and his body was in spasms feeling like his spine had been broken.


    As Ren Maohuay convulsing on the ground, he sensed a shadow cast over him. When he looked up, he stared into Xiao Luo¡¯s vicious cold eyes; he looked like a judge who was about to pass sentence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll now give you a choice¡ªyou can kowtow and apologize to me, or I shall make you regret what you have done!¡±


    Those were the same words that Ren Maohua had uttered to Xiao Luo earlier, and Xiao Luo had now been repeated them in return. Ren Maohua stared at Xiao Luo and gritted his teeth with indignation. How could he ept such a demand when the object of his affections, Ji Siying, was standing right there watching him? Even if she were not, he could never bring himself to epting such humiliation, he held his reputation as a Grade-A soldier in high regard and would rather die than be subjected to this insult.


    He yelled at Xiao Luo, ¡°Y-you want to make me regret what I¡¯ve done? Hah, I would rather die than disgrace my¡­¡±


    Ren Maohua¡¯s voice trailed off abruptly¡­ because Xiao Luo had ced his foot on the side of his head, pushing it against the hard ground.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s actions cause deep consternation among the NSA fighters who had gathered around, for no one expected that Xiao Luo to act in such a cruel and ruthless way.


    With his head caught between Xiao Luo¡¯s foot and the hard ground, Ren Maohua lost all sense of pain, his mind was numb, and all he felt was the depth of humiliation to which his honor and dignity as a Grade-A soldier were subjected.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­ Mr. Mie, don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ji Siying tried to intervene, but when she looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, she froze and was lost for words.


    Xiao Luo stared down at Ren Maohua, who was now struggling to hold his dignity under Xiao Luo¡¯s foot. ¡°This is yourst chance, are you sure you are going to turn it down?!¡±


    ¡°Scr*w you!¡±


    Ren Maohua¡¯s eyes were red and teary as he gritted his teeth and squirmed around trying to break free, but struggle as he might, he was unable to get Xiao Luo¡¯s foot off. Xiao Luo¡¯s foot was like a colossal mountain, pressing heavily onto his head.


    Ren Maohua was alternating between frantic howls and snivels and looked a pathetic sight. In his heart, he only wished he could tear Xiao Luo apart.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and snarled, ¡°I made it very clear to you earlier, your intention to chase after women is none of my business. But, why did you have to step on me to elevate your own ego? I warned you to stop again and again¡­ but you didn¡¯t listen, and you took my courtesy for granted. Do you think that as a Grade-A soldier, you are invincible? Don¡¯t you understand that beyond each mountain, there are greater ones? You deserve to be punished this way, and you only have yourself to me for it!¡±


    p! p! p!


    The crowd moved aside as a well-built man walked toward both the victor and the vanquished, pping his hands in a deliberate fashion. He had short hair, eyes that brimmed with self-confidence, and he emanated the unmistakable aura of a man who feared nothing.


    Upon seeing this man, there were suppressed gasps then a dead silence among the NSA soldiers. Everyone unconsciously took several steps back to make way for this man. Even Ren Maohua was startled, and he seemed to have forgotten about his pain and predicament for the briefest moment.


    ¡°King Kong?!¡±


    Ji Siying was taken by surprise, and she wondered if King Kong¡¯s arrival was a good or bad thing, or was it perhaps a directive from above for King Kong to mediate matters?


    King Kong nced at Xiao Luo with a look of appreciation in his eyes, before he finally stopped pping and said, ¡°I absolutely agree with you, very well said. Heartfelt words, and they speak the absolute truth¡­¡± Then, he bent forward and red at Ren Maohua with disdain. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ Ren Maohua, do you feel invincible just because you¡¯ve be a Grade-A soldier? Got pped right in the face, didn¡¯t you? Well, you asked for it, and you need to be taught a lesson so that you learn to humble yourself!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 352 - King Kongs Intention

    Chapter 352: King Kong¡¯s Intention


    No one in their right mind would be bold enough to disagree with King Kong; besides his intimidating power, he was, after all, at the very top of the hierarchy. Therefore, Ren Maohua did not dare to even whimper in response to King Kong, but he did put up a show of resistance for his NSA colleagues¡¯ benefit, attempting to show them all that he was still fighting for his dignity despite King Kong¡¯s reproach.


    ¡°You must be King Kong, one of the two Grade-S agents of the NSA?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes, indeed, I am!¡±


    King King turned toward Xiao Luo, straightened up, and looked at Xiao Luo impassively. ¡°Long have I heard of your name. You single-handedly vanquished the Dragon Gang, a malignant tumor of the underworld in Jiangcheng City, and more than a few hundred have already perished either directly or indirectly through your hands. I have to say that you¡¯re undoubtedly a devil, and thankfully, the NSA provides shelter to devils. So, no matter what horrific acts you may havemitted, in this ce, all of us are only called by one unified name¡ªwe are fighters, defenders of the nation.¡±


    His deep, hoarse voice thundered across the open field, and he spoke with an innate confidence that put fear into those who heard him.


    The NSA fighters in the crowd straightened their backs with pride on hearing those words, but at the same time, broke out in cold sweat as they looked at Xiao Luo in awe. ¡°What, he killed a few hundred people all by himself¡­ is he really such a dangerous man?¡±


    Then King Kong smiled and softening his tone, he said, ¡°You may let go of him now. He has already paid the price for his foolish behavior. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Xiao Luo eyed Ren Maohua, whose head was still trapped beneath Xiao Luo¡¯s foot and struggling to break free. At that very instant, much of Xiao Luo¡¯s anger had already passed and adhering to the principle of ¡°the less trouble, the better,¡± he decided not to go overboard with Ren Maohua.


    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll spare you.¡±


    Xiao Luo took his foot off Ren Maohua¡¯s head, and as Ren Maohao tried to storm off, Xiao Luo suddenly delivered a kick directly to his chest.


    Ren Maohua¡¯s eyes bulged from the excruciating pain as he felt all of his internal organs shift violently. The force of the kick caused him to slide and tumble along the hard ground for some six to seven meters before he crumpled into a heap. He gasped for air once, then spurted out a mouthful of blood before passing out cold.


    ¡°GASP!¡±


    The crowd gasped in horror, as after King Kong had intervened, they had all expected Xiao Luo to release Ren Maohua without further incident. Who would¡¯ve thought that Xiao Luo would actually kick Ren Maohua again so heavily that he passed out?


    He¡¯s a barbarian! An absolute barbarian!


    Many of the shocked soldiers made it a point to etch Xiao Luo¡¯s image deep in their minds, for were they to run into this person in the future, they would do well to walk around him.


    Unlike her colleagues, Ji Siying felt a great sense of relief, for no one understood Xiao Luo¡¯s temper better than her. Once Xiao Luo was provoked beyond a certain point, it did not matter who, but that person would have to pay a painful price for the transgression. And, given that Ren Maohua had initiated the conflict and infuriated him, Xiao Luo was already benevolent by not resorting to more extreme measures. Ji Siying could say this with certainty as she had witnessed how Xiao Luo had dealt with the leader of Cobra Corps¡ªso, this was not harsh at all.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, let¡¯s go and meet the directors.¡±


    In the presence of NSA personnel, Ji Siying only addressed Xiao Luo, as ¡°Mie.¡± She had hurried over to Xiao Luo after arranging for the NSA¡¯s paramedics to treat Ren Maohua and was hoping that this incident would end without further incident.


    Xiao Luo nodded, with his anger now appeased he did not wish to escte the situation as well. Xiao Luo ran his fingers over the wound on his face, inflicted by Ren Maohua. While it was merely a flesh wound, it was somehow causing searing pain like a wound inflicted by sharp fangs.


    Ji Siying quickly took a sheet of clean paper towel from her pocket and handed it to him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo used the paper towel to gently cover the wound like a piece of gauze. Fortunately, it would not leave him disfigured, or else, he would certainly have crippled Ren Maohao.


    They both now started to make their way to the office building to meet the directors.


    Suddenly, King Kong lifted his left arm to block Xiao Luo¡¯s way. He wore a grim expression, gone was the smile and gentle demeanor, as King Kong lifted his chin and stared intensely to a distant point without blinking. His tone of voice was harsh and cold, and he scowled, ¡°I asked you to release him, not kick him!¡±


    King Kong emphasized thest three words as he menacingly turned his head toward Xiao Luo, ring directly into his eyes with a glower.


    Xiao Luo, looking a little confused, stared back into King Kong¡¯s angry eyes and deep furrows formed between his eyebrows¡ªhe had mixed emotions; on the one hand, he preferred that this conflict would be ended quickly, while on the other, he was ready to take on any further threats.


    The crowd of NSA fighters murmured in fear and trepidation as they noticed King Kong¡¯s sudden change in expression, and expected that he would strike out at Xiao Luo.


    None of them had witnessed a fight between two Grade-S agents, and they could only imagine the mayhem and chaos that would ensue in such a conflict. Would there be a need for the Bureau guards to intervene? Would they have to strafe the field in a hail of machinegun fire?


    Undoubtedly, all of the soldiers understood King Kong¡¯s sudden change in behavior, for, aside from Lady Poison, no fighter within the NSA would dare to disrespect King Kong, and his word was thew. So, for this man, going by the name of ¡°Mie,¡± to attack Ren Maohao after King Kong had asked for his release, was an affront to his reputation and pride; a provocation as far as King Kong was concerned.


    ¡°Mr. King Kong, Mr. Gu, and Mr. Dongfang want to see us¡­¡± Ji Siying said.


    King Kong immediately waved his hands and stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t use the directors¡¯ names against me. My very presence over here is by their order, and I came to resolve this conflict.¡±


    ¡°Sir, isn¡¯t the conflict already resolved now?¡±


    Ji Siying tried her best to find a way out for Xiao Luo, but even as a liaison officer, she had to be very cautious when dealing with King Kong. He wasn¡¯t a mere Grade-A fighter like Ren Maohua; there was an enormous gap between their levels. A single Grade-S operator could crush more than a dozen Grade-A soldiers with little trouble. She had gone through King Kong¡¯s files before, and whenever he went into a rage during a mission, he would smash his enemies together and turn them into a pile of mincemeat. He could be very cruel when he was in an enraged state.


    ¡°Resolved?¡±


    King Kong snorted, pointing angrily at Ren Maohua, who had passed out, and yelled, ¡°Look at him, you call this resolved?¡±


    ¡°So, what do you actually want now?¡±


    Everyone was shocked to silence, while Ji Siying froze instantly and felt like her soul had left her body. The one who spoke was Xiao Luo, and his voice was calm as he continued to gaze steadily into King Kong¡¯s eyes without flinching.


    ¡°I want nothing!¡±


    King Kong¡¯s voice thundered as a hideous expression suddenly washed over his face, and his eyes were filled with rising fury. ¡°I just want to beat you down¡­ or maybe, it is you who wants to beat me down?!¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned¡ªit would seem that there would be no end to this conflict. Initially, he had thought this man was neutral, but now, he couldn¡¯t help thinking that King Kong had already decided the moment he arrived on the scene. It would not have mattered whether Xiao Luo kicked Ren Maohua or not, as this man would stille up with a reason to fight him. Xiao Luo could tell from the look in this person¡¯s eyes¡ªhis desire to fight had been hidden earlier, but at the moment, his intention was unmistakable.


    ¡°Mr. King Kong, please do not cause any trouble. Don¡¯t force the NSA to deploy the guards¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really noisy!¡±


    King Kong was incensed. He yelled to shut Ji Siying up as he raised his hand to p her in the face.


    King Kong¡¯s p was only delivered at a slow speed, but it would still have been a hefty blow. Ji Siying could sense the aura of his power as the lethal hand headed toward her, making her hairs stand on end, and instinctively, she raised her arm to block it. But Xiao Luo was one step faster than her, and in a split second, he stuck his left palm out to intercept the blow, sping King Kong¡¯s wrist firmly before any damage could be inflicted.


    ¡°If you wish to fight, I¡¯m willing to keep youpany. There¡¯s no need to go rough on ady!¡± Xiao Luo snarled.


    ¡°Interesting, I¡¯m starting to like you a little bit more.¡±


    King Kong chuckled, no longer concealing his true intentions. From the moment he saw Xiao Luo¡¯s disy of strength, he had already made up his mind topete with Xiao Luo. It had nothing to do with Ren Maohua at all, for an opponent like Xiao Luo gave him an inexplicable sense of thrill and excitement¡ªfor, like all true champions, there was a constant need to prove that he was still the best.


    ¡­

 Chapter 353 - Wild Duel

    Chapter 353: Wild Duel


    ¡°What the heck is Jin Gang doing?! He¡¯s supposed to stop the fight, why is he confronting Mr. Mie instead?¡±


    Watching from the fourth floor of the office building Dongfang Shuoyu was livid, but his reaction was hidden under the gas mask and remained unseen by others.


    Fu Yiren chuckled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this pretty obvious, that fool wants to test out Mr. Mie.¡±


    ¡°What the heck, what¡¯s the point inparing skills when we¡¯re all working for the NSA!¡±


    Dongfang Shuoyu was fuming and turning around to his assistant, he ordered, ¡°Quick, alert the guards. I want the fight to be stopped immediately!¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Gu Zhanguo raised both his hands at Dongfang Shuoyu.


    ¡°Gu?¡±


    Dongfang Shuoyu looked at him quizzically. Those were the NSA¡¯s top warriors, and any injuries sustained by any of them would have a considerable impact on the NSA¡¯s operational capabilities.


    Gu Zhanguo was unable toe up with a good reason and let out a long sigh, but there was a sparkle in his eye when he said, ¡°Let them spar for a while, shall we?¡±


    ¡°What?! Gu, I hope you are very aware of what you are asking me!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo smiled calmly and replied, ¡°You know that Jin Gang will not let him off easily. If you stop him now, he will simply find another opportunity to have a go at Mie. Anyway, I too want to know how long can Miest facing Jin Gang¡¯s attack.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, are you looking down on that guy? Don¡¯t be surprised he turns out to be way better than that fool, Jin Gang,¡± Fu Yiren chimed, covered her mouth as she burst outughing.


    ¡°The ¡®Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill¡¯ will render its user invulnerable to bullets and shes. In a full-on collision, even a heavy armored tank would be disabled. Based on this, Jin Gang is already unbeatable,¡± Gu Zhanguo opined.


    Fu Yiren mused, ¡°Hmm, you could be right¡­ anyway, let me go and have a look down there. Mie seems quite interesting, and I¡¯d like to get a little more acquainted with him.¡±


    Without another word, Fu Yiren turned toward the door and left the room.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo and Jin Gang had now moved to the training ground.


    The training ground resembled a small patch of the Gobi, a dust bowl by any description, where even a slight breeze would send wisps of fine dust and sand swirling over its dry surface.


    Xiao Luo and Jin Gang stood ready, facing off at a distance of more than ten meters. The crowd could already sense both of their auras, even before the fighters had engaged in battle. The air was crackling with rising levels of their internal energy, and the pressure was building up before the fight.


    ¡°Are they going to spar? They are both Level-S soldiers, won¡¯t this get out of hand?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s only sparring and not a life and death duel, so I doubt they would go all out.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just sparring, Jin Gang would surely be the winner! Don¡¯t forget, neither bullets nor des can harm him, there¡¯s no way to beat him.¡±


    The spectators decided to gather by the road a safe distance away, but they still continued their discussions in whispers, reluctant to draw the twobatants¡¯ attention and ire.


    Ji Siying was getting very anxious, and knowing that she could not stop this duel if she tried, she wholly depended on the guards to arrive. But it had been a while since she alerted them, yet there was still no sign of the guards. Inwardly, Ji Siying suspected that the chief might have had a hand in arranging this duel. Was there another purpose Jin Gang had been sent down, and could it be that the chief wanted to test Xiao Luo¡¯s limit?


    ¡°I hope you can surprise me!¡±


    Jin Gang roared and bounded toward Xiao Luo in a fierce charge. His roar reverberated across the field, intimidating the onlookers gathered by the road, and they could even sense his aura surged like energy waves in all directions. Jin Gang advanced swiftly in quick, measured steps, and as he closed in, he twirled his massive arms in an attacking pattern like an unstoppable beast.


    POW!


    Xiao Luo had remained still and only reacted just before the iron fist struck him, he stopped the iing punch with his right palm, shifting forward slighted and channeling his internal energy to his right hand. The tremendous force of the impact was deafening, and they were like two ferocious dragons locked in battle; their energy could even be felt by the onlookers afar.


    The ground where they stood tremored from the impact, and dust and sand swirled around them.


    Jin Gang¡¯s brutal attack was stopped, but it pushed Xiao Luo back for about two to three meters, leaving two deep furrows in the ground. Xiao Luo stomped his right foot into the ground to regain his bnce and stayed ready in a low wide stance.


    ¡°Hmm, not bad at all, hahaha¡­¡±


    Jin Gang wasughed maniacally, and instantly pounced at Xiao Luo like a tiger on the hunt. This time heunched a series of relentless attacks.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s defense was up to the challenge. His excellent footwork kept him away from Jin Gang¡¯s furious strikes as he danced around his adversary, and anticipated his attacker¡¯s moves with astute judgment. Jin Gang swarmed Xiao Luo with a series of quick low strikes, but Xiao Luo reacted by spinning away and countering his attack with a flurry of kicks.


    Both fighters now exchanged violent strikes with their fists,nding blows with the force of a hammer, and as the fight went on, their breathing became morebored. But the fight raged on, and the ground shook from the constant battering of the twobatants, with clouds of dust hovering across the entire field.


    As the duel continued, the swirling dust now appeared like a fog and visibility was reduced drastically¡ªit was literally a fog of war. The onlookers could not see either of the fighters and only heard the sounds of blows and grunts, as both Xiao Luo and Jin Gang werepletely shrouded in a cloud of dust.


    For the NSA soldiers observing the duel from the roadside, they were in awe of the two fighters who were relentlessly battling it out in such difficult conditions. It did not seem to be a duel between men, but rather a fight between two ancient beasts!


    Ji Siying was ovee by anxiety, and she looked pale, fearing for Xiao Luo¡¯s safety. She was aware that Jin Gang was a formidable opponent.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The intensity of the duel was reaching fever pitch as resounding blows reverberated from within the dust cloud like a peal of thunder. Something had to give as there was no way the fighters could keep this up any longer.


    Suddenly, a figure flew out from the swirling dust storm like a cannonball and crashed onto the ground some ten meters away. The momentum caused Jin Gang to tumble along the bare ground like a drifting car out of control, stirring up a trail of dust and sand in his wake.


    Was that¡­ Xiao Luo?


    Everyone blinked then squinted to get a better look at the person, but the visibility was so poor that none could make him out immediately.


    Suddenly, a lone figure strode out of the dust cloud, taking slow and steady steps¡ªit was Xiao Luo! He looked grim, and his clothes were in tatters, but his body did not appear to have sustained serious injuries.


    Everyone gasped¡ªthat would mean that the man who was sent flying off earlier was none other than Jin Gang. They were suddenly in awe of Xiao Luo as no one could even begin to believe that Jin Gang could be defeated by a single opponent.


    ARRRHH!


    Without warning, a deafening roar echoed across the training ground¡ªJin Gang had picked himself up and regained his senses. Seething with unbridled rage, he charged at Xiao Luo, leaving a trail of dust swirling behind him.


    Jin Gang had ripped his shirt off, and his exposed skin had turned a golden hue, exactly like the monks of the ¡°Shaolin 18 Bronzemen,¡± for Jin Gang had called upon the special powers that gave him invulnerability and immense strength.


    ¡°He¡¯s using the ¡®Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill!''¡±


    Someone from the crowd shouted when he saw Jin Gang¡¯s golden-hued skin.


    ¡°Mie, this is getting very interesting¡­ take this!¡±


    Jin Gang was closing in onto Xiao Luo, and a strong aura was emanating from his clenched iron fists as he prepared to smite his opponent.


    Before Xiao Luo could even react, Jin Gang was suddenly onto him, and all Xiao Luo saw was a shing streak of golden light. Xiao Luo kept his eyes honed and spotted Jin Gang¡¯s punch at the veryst second, and with no way to evade the blow, he crossed his arms in front of his body to protect his vital points.


    POW!


    It was a mighty punch and shook Xiao Luo violently, blowing sand and dust in all directions.


    Xiao Luo felt like he had been smashed by a runaway train, and his body was thrown off violently. Like Jin Gang earlier, hended on the ground hard and continued to tumble for another twenty meters beforeing to a rest.


    ¡­

 Chapter 354 - The Release of Power

    Chapter 354: The Release of Power


    POW!


    It was a ferocious blow, and Xiao Luo was thrown back violently,nding hard then continuing to tumble along the sandy ground for several meters, leaving a trail of sand and dust in his wake.


    Everyone watching from the roadside was both in awe and horrified with the savage disy of sheer power. Considering the number blows both fighters had thrown at each other, even an armored vehicle would have been smashed to a pulp.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    Ji Siying screamed in anguish as she stared nervously at Xiao Luo, who had been knocked down and was now lying still on the ground. Although she was well aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s prowess and his ability to take a hit, even a superhero like the ¡°Ironman¡± would have been seriously injured after taking such a crushing blow.


    ¡°Mie, you better get up, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re done for the day!¡±


    Jin Gang sneered at his fallen foe, standing proud like a divine sculpture glittering in gold. His well-defined and muscr body was beaming with golden light, and an aura of raw power radiated from within.


    Xiao Luo clenched his teeth, mming his fist into the ground, he slowly picked himself up. Blood streamed from the top of his head down the left side of his face, and his eyes glowered with unrestrained fury. A dark aura of malice emanated from deep within his soul, sending a chilling wind across the field.


    Xiao Luo looked grim and fearsome, and a bloodlust glowed in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, no, the beast in him has awoken!¡±


    Ji Siying gasped, and she was shaking, as she knew better than anyone else that when Xiao Luo was provoked, he would turn into a wild beast. She still had vivid memories of how Xiao Luo transformed when he annihted the Cobra Mercenaries in Luo Mountain, and the demon she had encountered then still scared her to this day. But, despite her fear, there was something about Xiao Luo¡¯s taciturn nature that appealed to Ji Siying.


    ¡°Awoken? What has awoken?¡±


    Fu Yiren¡¯s curiosity was piqued by the mention of the word. She stepped gracefully toward Ji Siying with her hands behind her back, looking stunning in her ck suit, whichplimented her fair skin and slender form. Her eyes were fixed on the duel as she spoke to Ji Siying.


    Ji Siying was startled, and her expression suddenly changed when she caught a waft of sweet fragrance. She instinctively covered her nose and jolted back, staring at Fu Yiren with abject fear.


    The other NSA soldiers paled when they suddenly noticed Fu Yiren¡¯s presence and backed away helter-skelter, trying to keep a safe distance from her. Fu Yiren, Lady Poison, was the most dreaded among the Grade-S agents, and even Jin Gang did notpare when it came down to fear-factor. She was a biological anomaly, a freak of nature, and every part of her body contained powerful toxins. Even being in her proximity could cause a person to shed ayer of skin and sumb to her poison. In appearance, she was a beauty in every sense of the word, but to those who knew her, she was a fell and terrifying angel of death.


    Fu Yiren maintained her casual demeanor and disregarded the crowd¡¯s panicked reactions. Switching her attention from the duel to Ji Siying, she said, ¡°I asked you a question, what has awoken in him?¡±


    ¡°N-no, nothing¡­ I¡¯m just saying that Mr. Xiao¡¯s angry.¡±


    ¡°Angry?¡±


    Fu Yiren looked down her nose and frowned. ¡°Well then, it might just make this duel a little more interesting,¡± she quipped.


    She then strolled off and took a seat on arge b of stone nearby. She sat with her legs crossed elegantly, and as she slowly raised her arms, two small green-colored serpents crawled out from her voluminous sleeves and coiled around her arms, flicking their blood-red tongues. As Fu Yiren yed with the snakes like pets, she kept her eyes on duel as it unfolded on the training ground.


    Fu Yiren¡¯s pet serpents did not escape the notice of the horror-struck NSA soldiers, as those little green snakes were bamboo pit vipers, an extremely poisonous species. If a person was bitten by one, the wound would cause excruciating pain, quickly swell up into a blister, and experience nausea and headaches. And, without an anti-toxin serum, the bite could be life-threatening.


    On the training ground, Jin Gang had an excited smirk on his face as he finally found a worthy opponent to face off with.


    Staring at Xiao Lu with an air of contempt, he bellowed, ¡°Very well then, let¡¯s continue the fight like there¡¯s no tomorrow!¡¯


    Xiao Luo gave his adversary a cold re as he stretched out his right arm and gave a thumbs up. For a moment, Jin Gang thought that Xiao Luo was acknowledging his prowess, but then Xiao Luo rotated his wrist to point his thumb downward, and his meaning was evident¡ªyou die!


    GASP!


    An audible gasp from the crowd was followed by a dead silence as a deathly chill set upon the entire training ground. No man could insult Jin Gang in such a way and get away with it. It seemed that the fight was about to get out of control!


    As the crowd had expected, Jin Gang¡¯s expression immediately darkened, and his face was distorted with a hideous scowl.


    Without warning, Xiao Luo let out a deafening roar and dashed across the ground toward Jin Gang. Xiao Luo took ten rapid steps forward, then suddenly, he leaped and spun his body just before he came into Jin Gang¡¯s range, and struck downward using all of his inner power.


    Everyone was on edge, trembling at the fearsome power that Xiao Luo had unleashed. They now realized that Ren Maohua did not lose his fight to just anybody, for this man was indeed a level-S exponent.


    Even Fu Yiren was taken aback by Xiao Luo¡¯s show of strength and nodded appreciatively.


    The speed and power of Xiao Luo¡¯s execution were unsurpassed, and Jin Gang could not react in time.


    As Xiao Luo leaped and spun before he was within Jin Gang¡¯s strike range, he twisted his body and delivered a devastating kick with his right leg, smacking his opponent¡¯s neck.


    BOOM!


    The explosive force of the kick resounded across the ground, and a st of energy blew a swirling cloud of dust around the fighters.


    Even Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu, watching from the office building, were left breathless. As they stared at the training ground, they saw images of a battleground littered with bomb craters.


    As the cloud of dust began to clear, another unbelievable sight was unveiled. Incredibly, Xiao Luo¡¯s leg was still lodged against his opponent¡¯s neck, struggling to free himself with his other leg, while Jin Gang was standing firm, upright and tall, with no sign of being injured. As the dust finally settled, everyone suddenly realized that the ground that Jin Gang was standing on had sunk a meter deep!


    ¡°Hahaha, well done¡­ you¡¯re good, really good.¡±


    Jin Gang¡¯s sinisterugh was chilling. He stared at Xiao Luo with bloodshot eyes, and he had both of his hands mped around Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg like a pair of steel pliers. In control of the fight now, Jin Gang grunted as he spun his body around twice like a hammer thrower and flung Xiao Luo away with a mighty heave.


    Xiao Luo sailed through the air for a distance before crashing into a two-meter high training wall like a bombshell, smashing the sturdy brick wall into smithereens. The force of the throw sent him flying another three meters through the wall before hended on the brick-strewn ground beyond.


    The NSA soldiers cringed, as they could not imagine how they would have felt had they been in Xiao Luo¡¯s shoes.


    They had all finally witnessed a battle between two Grade-S fighters.


    Everyone had mixed feelings¡ªthey were undoubtedly in awe, and at the same time, there were moments of excitement, shock, and fear. Regardless of the oue of the duel, Xiao Luo had earned their respect and approval.


    From a short distance away, Fu Yiren stood up immediately. She stared at Xiao Luo intently with a look of concern. Not many people could have survived Jin Gang¡¯s attack, and although she was here as an observer, she did not intend to allow this duel to escte.


    ¡­

 Chapter 355 - Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms

    Chapter 355: Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms


    CRASH!


    The brick wall crumbled as Xiao Luo smashed through it violently andnded several meters beyond, sprawled in a cloud of dust. Xiao Luo¡¯s clothes were all torn and tattered, and he suffered grievous injuries. But, this only served to stir him up and heighten his fighting spirit. He stumbled off shakily some fifteen meters away from Jin Gang and sat down, then using the restorative powers of Yi Jinjing, he calmly healed his internal wounds.


    ¡°We cannot let them continue the fight anymore, send the guards to stop them!¡±


    In the office overlooking the ground, Dongfang Shuoyu was getting very anxious. He could see that matters were getting out of hand between his two prized Grade-S agents. It would have been fine if this had stayed as a sparring match, but it had now evolved into a life and death contest, and he had to put a stop to it. Otherwise, it would incur a huge loss to NSA if either man was killed or suffered a permanent injury.


    Gu Zhanguo frowned and chose to ignore the order.


    In exasperation, Dongfang Shuoyu shouted, ¡°What the heck are you thinking, Old Gu? Mr. Mie has already proven his capability, if they were to keep fighting, they might just end up maiming each other permanently. Do you wish to see two of our precious Grade-S warriors be handicaps?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo stiffened, and letting out a long sigh, he relented. ¡°Okay, get the guards to stop them¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait for a second!¡±


    Suddenly, an old and husky voice came from behind them.


    Both Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu turned in surprise, and their expressions changed the moment they saw their visitor. Instantly, they bolted upright and saluted the man as they would a superior officer.


    ******


    ******


    Back on the training ground, Xiao Luo was looking much better after the healing process and some rest. He got up steadily and stared at Jin Gang, bristling with renewed energy and fighting spirit. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to business!¡±


    Jin Gang was visibly stunned, finding it hard to believe that Xiao Luo could recover within such a short period by merely resting. But Jin Gang was notining, and it was a very good thing as far as he was concerned; he had not met such an aplished opponent in quite a while. He missed the opportunity to fight without holding back, so this was more than a wee change.


    He rotated his neck and rolled his shoulders several times, then he was ready. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s continue.¡±


    The moment he ended his reply, he charged fiercely at Xiao Luo, leaping into the air after a short sprint of five meters, poised with his clenched fists ready to attack. Jin Gang depended on his overwhelming power and made no effort to conceal his moves as he unleashed his right fist, intending to strike Xiao Luo down in a single blow.


    Jin Gang struck with the terrifying force of a crashing mountain.


    As Jin Gang charged in, Xiao Luo snarled like a ferocious wolf baring its fangs and bellowed as he rushed in to meet the challenge. The crowd gasped in awe and admiration as the opponents shed in mid-air.


    BOOM!


    Xiao Luo was lightning fast, and his striking hand resembled a streaking meteor smashing into the heavy fist of Jin Gang. Their fists met in a thunderous explosion, and a powerful wave of energy ripped through the air.


    Both fighters were thrown back instantly as the force surged through both of their trembling bodies. They managed to absorb the blow and broke their fall,nding on all fours.


    The crowd gasped once again, as a chill ran down their spines. They were amazed by the techniques and prowess disyed by the two peerless fighters. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they¡¯d not have believed that such feats were humanly possible.


    ¡°Such power, such strength¡­¡±


    Ji Siying gulped, and her eyes were wide open in disbelief. She had already known what capabilities Xiao Luo possessed, but this exceeded her own expectation by a mile. She was amazed at how Xiao Luo had conditioned his body to battle head-on with Jin Gang without sustaining serious injuries.


    She did not know that thebined effect of ¡°Constitution of King of Mercenaries¡± and ¡°Yi Jinjing,¡± protected Xiao Luo and quickened his healing process. Even being shed by a broad sword would only result in an insignificant wound.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s not too bad and pretty handsome too.¡±


    Fu Yiren muttered to herself coyly as she gazed at Xiao Luo with a hint of attraction.


    Xiao Luo was on all fours, like a prowling beast ready to pounce. Both fighters were posturing and staring into each other¡¯s eyes, neither blinking. The air was thick with deadly intent.


    ¡°Ding! Congrattions on purchasing the ¡®Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm,¡¯ one hundred and fifty thousand points will be credited from your ount!¡±


    The System digital notification yed in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, and he could read several lines of the skill introduction disyed in his mind: ¡°The most formidable ¡®Yang¡¯ martial art technique and is considered invincible when applied correctly. This style is adaptable and requires abination of both hard power and soft power in each strike. With the proper channeling of inner power, this technique can increase your strength and ability rtive to your opponents.¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly found himself executing every move of ¡°Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm¡± as if he had trained in those techniques for a lifetime.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m ready to fight till the end of the day!¡±


    Jin Gang roared in excitement, and he bounded toward Xiao Luo in a sh. He surged forward like a tempest and stirred up a cloud of dust in his wake.


    In the blink of an eye, Jin Gang had covered a span of fifteen meters!


    ¡°Very well, I shall test it with you!¡±


    Xiao Luo stood to his full height and channeled power through his hands, his right arm bent inwards in a circr motion, then pushed out forcefully.


    ¡°Hahhh!¡±


    An unstoppable earth-shattering force sted through the entire training ground with a deafening roar, and amid the chaos, a stream of energy resembling a fast-moving river emitted from Xiao Luo¡¯s palm. It mmed into Jin Gang with unbridled force, and the st caused a cloud of sand and dust to swirl around him.


    Jin Gang¡¯s expression suddenly changed as he realized he could not evade the oing stream of energy, and he instantly braced himself to take it head-on.


    BOOM!


    The force flowing out from Xiao Luo¡¯s palm hit like an angry tornado ravaging across opennd and destroying everything thaty in its path.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s hair was tossed about in the blustering wind, but his body stood its ground as a pir piled deep into the bedrock. Right at that moment, Xiao Luo was an unmovable and unassable mountain.


    ¡°ARRGGH!¡±


    Jin Gang could no longer resist the force and finally let out a tortured groan before he was carried off like a kite on a broken string, crashing some twenty meters away. His clothes were ripped off, and he was left with only his briefs to shield his modesty.


    But, no one mocked Jin Gang, for he had fought with courage and fortitude. Everyone there, including Fu Yiren, could only stare in awe at the incredible disy of power and skill as the dust gradually settled on the battleground.


    ¡°W-what¡­was that? Did we just hear the roar of a dragon?¡±


    Everyone was absolutely shocked and were frozen in a stupor, finding it hard to process what they had just witnessed; it seemed to only exist in Kungfu movies.


    ¡°Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm?¡±


    Jin Gang struggled to stand up as blood streaming out from his mouth, and the golden hue that shrouded his body had faded¡ªhis ¡°Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill¡± had been ovee. Nothing mattered to him anymore, and as he stared at Xiao Luo with a look of bewilderment, he stuttered, ¡°Y-you¡­you¡­ know¡­ Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm!?¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 356 - Lady Poison Strikes

    Chapter 356: Lady Poison Strikes


    The ¡°Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill¡± originated from Shaolin, and therefore, Jin Gang could be considered half a Shaolin disciple. Before he studied the ¡°Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill,¡± his master had warned him that there was a Chinese martial arts technique, known as the ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm,¡± that he had to watch out for. This technique was a nemesis to Jin Gang¡¯s hard qigong style, as it did not rely purely on physical strength, but instead, on inner power. The ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm¡± could direct energy across the air, prate through flesh and damage the inner organs.


    ¡°So, what do you think of it?¡± Xiao Luo snapped as he lowered his guard and red at Jin Gang.


    ¡°Impressive! The ¡®Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm¡¯ is not a simple technique to master. The art was lost to the martial arts world, so where did you learn it from?¡± Jin Gang replied as he slowly picked himself up. It was extremely rare to find one person out of hundreds of thousands who were suitable to practice this unique art. Even the present master of the Beggars¡¯ Sect could only get a passing grasp of its principles as he only had an unfinished book to study from. If even such a renowned master could not fullyprehend the intricacies of this art, Jin Gang wondered how Mie knew every single move.


    ¡°That¡¯s for you to find out!¡±


    Xiao Luo waved the question off and replied, ¡°Do you still want to fight?¡±


    Jin Gang¡¯s face twitched in response to the challenge, and he eyed Xiao Luo, discreetly assessing his condition. It appeared that both of them had sustained simr injuries, albeit minor ones, but with the ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm,¡± Xiao Luo still had an effective weapon against him. His assessment did raise some doubts in his mind, leaving him feeling conflicted, but after further thought, he clenched his teeth and responded, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it!¡±


    He intended to test the ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm¡± to its limit against his ¡°Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill,¡± discovering ways to ovee his inherent weaknesses.


    And, without another word, he made a quick dash toward Xiao Luo, taking care to guard against Xiao Luo¡¯s ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm.¡± In an aggressive frontal attack, Jin Gang shed his iron hands left and right, spinning his body and striking high, then low. He broke Xiao Luo¡¯s outer defense like a violent gust of wind and brought the fight into close-inbat. In a series of explosive blows, he threw countless punches, ps, and wed-hand strikes. But, at no time did Xiao Luo call upon the ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm.¡±


    Xiao Luo backed away steadily, parrying the blows and countering the attack whenever he found an opening. Both fighters exuded an impressive martial bearing, and their fighting mettle was unsurpassed. But Xiao Luo appeared the steadier of the two, looking calm and genuinely excited by the exchange of strikes and counter-strikes.


    The fight was turning out to be an all-out battle, and it was a sight to behold!


    The ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palm¡± technique was extremely powerful, but it took a heavy toll on one¡¯s inner power. As this was not a life and death battle, Xiao Luo did not see any reason to utilize it for the time. His state of mind had strangely altered¡ªfrom where there was a reluctance to fight in the beginning, he now found a sense of tion he had never experienced before.


    POW! BANG! POW!


    As Jin Gang continued with his relentless closebat tactics, Xiao Luo suddenly stopped retreating, and in a quick counter-attack, his hands struck out with lightning speed, instantly breaking Jin Gang¡¯s offensive. Jin Gang was taken by surprise, and as he stepped back, he was goaded by Xiao Luo¡¯s mirthlessugh.


    The initiative was now with Xiao Luo, and he increased the ferocity of his attack, striking at Jin Gang with countless punches that immediately put him in full defensive mode.


    But, Jin Gang would not be subdued, and both fighters went back and forth in attack and defense. Every exchange was punishing, but in the heat of battle, neither could feel the pain. As the duel intensified, the dry sandy surface showed emerging cracks, and a cloud of dust once again swirled around the fighters¡ªevoking images of two fiery dragons locked in a fierce battle in the celestial heavens.


    The NSA warriors who were watching from the roadside felt their throats dry up, and they could barely gulp down their saliva. Someone in the crowd asked, ¡°Are they men or beasts?¡±


    No one could answer him for that same thought had urred to them. It was hard to say that the two were ordinary humans when they fought like feral beasts.


    ¡°Is that the true side of Xiao Luo?¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s lips trembled as she pondered the question. She could tell that Xiao Luo was thoroughly relishing the blood and gore, like a man addicted to violence.


    Fu Yiren, stroking her green vipers as she observed the duel, suddenly stood up from the stone b. ¡°It¡¯s about time I put a stop to this fight.¡±


    At the very moment that Fu Yiren stood up, she vanished in a puff of mysterious vapor that coalesced into the form of a dark phantom. And in the next instant, she appeared between the two fighters as if carried by a strong gust of wind. She raised her hands at both men, unleashing her inner power, and a gush of purplish fumes emanated from her palms.


    ¡°Lady poison? What the¡­!¡±


    Jin Gang yelled out, and he instinctively jumped back, like a cat with its tail caught, for he knew better than anyone about the effects of her poison.


    Seeing Jin Gang¡¯s panicked reaction, Xiao Luo erred on the side of caution and backed off, holding his breath to avoid ingesting the strange fumes.


    After the fumes dissipated, the three remained standing in a straight line with Fu Yiren in between the two of them. The fire in their eyes cooled, and along with it, their battle frenzy.


    ¡°Lady poison, just what are you doing here?!¡± Jin Gang scowled.


    ¡°The director does not wish to see either of you getting injured, so it¡¯s time for you both to stop,¡± Fu Yiren said, in no uncertain terms, then she smiled cheekily and quipped, ¡°I dere this match as a tie!¡±


    ¡°This is a matter between the both of us, stay out of it¡­ leave!¡±


    Xiao Luo snapped as he still felt the lust for battle, and he would not allow this woman to intervene.


    Jin Gang gasped, for fearless as he was, and despite being a Grade-S warrior, he was still afraid of Fu Yiren¡¯s ability with poisons. She had once beaten him up in the past, and despite the embarrassment, he never once considered taking revenge as he had no effective way to counter her toxins.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Jin Gang winked at Xiao Luo discreetly, signaling for him not to provoke Fu Yiren.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch you¡­ what did you say?¡± Fu Yiren responded, riled up over Xiao Luo¡¯s curt remark.


    Fu Yiren gave Xiao Luo a coy smile when she spoke, but her glowering eyes told a different story¡ªshe would not take no for an answer.


    Suddenly, Fu Yiren¡¯s green viper appeared from Xiao Luo¡¯s back. It hissed with jaws wide open baring its venomous fangs and looked like it was about to strike Xiao Luo¡¯s exposed neck.


    Jin Gang gasped and immediately checked his body for the second snake, and only after he determined there was none did he let out a sigh of relief.


    The crowd turned pale and was aghast at the sight of the venomous serpent crawling behind Xiao Luo¡¯s neck. They had not expected Fu Yiren to drop her pet viper on Mie.


    Ji Siying panicked, and without a second thought, she ran up to plead with Fu Yiren. She shuddered at the sight of the snake coiled up on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, and hurriedly turned to Fu Yiren, begging, ¡°Ms. Yiren, we are all part of the NSA, please spare him and retrieve your snake.¡±


    Fu Yiren smiled coldly and replied, ¡°Well, it¡¯s none of your concern, so you should get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Yiren, please, this is Mr. Mie¡¯s first visit to headquarter, and he is still learning many things, please don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Fu Yiren¡¯s face took on a dark, grim expression, and she suddenly waved her left arm at Ji Siying, releasing a cloud of toxic fumes.

 Chapter 357 - An Old Man

    Chapter 357: An Old Man


    As Fu Yiren channeled her inner power through her palm, a stream of noxious fumes sted out, and Ji Siying was sent sprawling. There was no way a Grade-C soldier like Ji Siying could withstand a single blow from Fu Yiren without sustaining severe injuries. Ji Siyingnded hard on the ground and was in extreme pain, vomiting a mouthful of blood. The st of Fu Yiren¡¯s inner force and effects of the toxins immediately caused beads of sweat to stream down her forehead.


    Ji Siying was dear to Xiao Luo, who considered her a true friend, and he was enraged by the attack. He despised what he saw, and it was in his nature to stand up for the weak.


    Fu Yiren turned around and smiled at Xiao Luo. ¡°Stay where you are if you wish to remain alive!¡±


    Jin Gang saw Xiao Luo poised to react and immediately shouted out, ¡°Listen to her, don¡¯t move! That viper¡¯s venom can bring down an elephant. If it strikes, you will be paralyzed.¡± Despite their differences, Jin Gang had a grudging respect for Xiao Luo as a fighter and did not wish him to sumb to a snake bite.


    But Xiao Luo did not respond to Jin Gang, instead, in a burst of inner energy, he suddenly darted like an arrow toward Fu Yiren without any warning, and aimed a powerful palm strike to her left shoulder like a swooping eagle.


    No one had expected Xiao Luo to attack, especially with a venomous serpent on his shoulder ready to strike. And to think that he would actually have a go at Lady Poison was beyondprehension as it was a path to certain death.


    The NSA warriors had their hearts in their throats, seeing Xiao Luo move in to attack despite the apparent dangers he faced.


    Fu Yiren was caught t-footed, never expecting Xiao Luo to attempt to strike her, and she could immediately sense the powerful auraing from his right palm that was about to smash into her left. She shifted back hurriedly and countered with her own palm, meeting Xiao Luo¡¯s in a tremendous st of inner power.


    BOOM!


    A thunderous p echoed across the ground as waves of energy surged forth from the impact, creating a rippling effect in the surrounding atmosphere. Instantly, Fu Yiren was thrown back, sailing through the air and crashing heavily about eight meters away. As she tried to pick herself up, she trembled and vomited a mouthful of blood.


    Fu Yiren¡¯s core ability was her use of poisons, hence, her moniker, ¡°Lady Poison.¡± But, in terms of fighting skills and inner power, she was no match for Xiao Luo.


    Jin Gang¡¯s eyes nearly popped out¡ªhe saw Xiao Luo crushing the viper¡¯s head and suddenly noticed two puncture marks on Xiao Luo¡¯s neck. He was dismayed, and a sense of frustration got the better of him as he screamed at Xiao Luo, ¡°You stubborn fool! Why the f**k are you so hotheaded?!¡±


    He had high regard for Xiao Luo and had just warned him not to make any sudden movements. Despite his earnest warning, Xiao Luo not only moved, but he actually attacked Lady Poison. No mortal could survive after making physical contact with any part of Lady Poison¡¯s body, And, Jin Gang was sure that Xiao Luo would drop dead anytime soon, having been exposed to both Lady Poison and her pet serpent¡¯s deadly venom.


    ¡°G-g-get¡­ the¡­ d-doctor¡­ now!¡±


    Despite her severe injuries, Ji Siying endured the pain and called out desperately to the NSA warriors.


    Several warriors reacted quickly; one immediately took out his phone while another dashed towards the NSA medical center. Even a Grade-S agent would die from Lady Poison¡¯s toxins if medical treatment was not promptly administered.


    Xiao Luo stood shakily, and his face was pale. His right palm, which came in contact with Fu Yiren, had turned ck from necrosis and reeked with a toxic miasma. The snake bite on his neck caused an extreme burning sensation, like a piece of ember had been ced on his skin, and was swelling with pustules forming around the puncture marks. Soon, the dark tissue coloration in his palm rose up to his arm and toward his heart.


    Xiao Luo immediately sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes, summoning his inner power to activate Yi Jinjing to detoxify in his body.


    Xiao Luo soon entered a transcendental state, and although his eyes were shut, he could sense everything that was going on around him. His body produced a high level of heat, and wisps of steam evaporated off his skin and the top of his head.


    The Yi Jinjing was purifying his body, and toxins were eliminated through his sweat. His recovery was underway at a remarkable pace, and the dark tissue coloration in his arm and swelling in the neck was fading gradually. Even the dark viscous blood oozing from his wounds had returned to a normal bright red.


    This was a clear sign that the detoxification process was sessful.


    The crowd was mystified, for Xiao Luo had discharged Lady Poison¡¯s lethal toxins from his body by himself, and they wondered how a mere mortal could perform such a feat.


    The NSA soldiers gulped in utter disbelief as Xiao Luo¡¯s miraculous recovery hadpletely shattered their understanding of the martial arts world.


    Ji Siying was in a stupor; she thought she had seen it all, but Xiao Luo surprised her yet again.


    Still slumped on the ground, Fu Yiren gazed at Xiao Luo with a look of both shock and admiration, as she knew better than anyone about the potency of her poison. Any other person struck by her palm would have surely lost the arm, while the green pit viper she raised could easily bring down a dozen grown men.


    ¡°He¡­ he has recovered so quickly?¡±


    For the first time in her life, Fu Yiren had encountered a person who waspletely immune to her toxins.


    Jin Gang scratched his head. When he first enlisted in the NSA, he was considered an exceptional and invincible fighter, until he met Fu Yiren, who overpowered him with her deadly poisons. Now, another superhero had turned up¡ªa monster that defied the logic of science, and even both he and Fu Yiren together would not be able to take him on.


    After a brief rest, all the toxins had beenpletely eliminated from Xiao Luo¡¯s body.


    Xiao Luo opened his eyes, then stretched his neck and rotated his right arm to ensure that their function was retained.


    When Xiao Luo saw the look on everyone¡¯s faces, he realized that there would be many questionsing his way, but he had already decided that he was not going to exin anything to them.


    ¡°You¡¯re truly a genius! You have mastered both Yi Jinjing and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the most powerful of all martial arts!¡±


    A mysterious voice, deep and hoarse, resonated through the air. It was chilling, and everyone started looking around to find the source of the voice, and it seemed to have been spoken by someone on the ground, but he was nowhere to be found.


    WHOOSH~


    Suddenly, a silhouette flickered from the direction of the office building, flowing in motion like a timepse of after-images, and traversing space in seconds. The fast-moving shadow was difficult to make out but looked like a man with his hands on his back, but while he looked unhurried, he was moving incredibly fast.


    Xiao Luo blinked to clear his vision, and when he found his focus, a gaunt old man appeared before his eyes.


    He had wispy hair and a long beard that waspletely white, and his leathery face was wrinkled with age. He was dressed in a simple Chinese tunic, and smiled at Xiao Luo, squinting his eyes.


    Despite having the demeanor of a humble elderly man, his mysterious ways struck fear into everyone¡¯s hearts.


    Xiao Luo took a step back in trepidation and stared nkly. He stayed on the alert as he could sense the inner strength that emanated from the old man, and he was not a person to be trifled with.


    When Jin Gang and Fu Yiren saw this old man, they both saluted without hesitation. The other NSA warriors were not thoroughly familiar with him, but they knew that he was a veteran and had been in the NSA since the victory of the resistance army and formation of the New Hua Nation. He was the old guard, and his reputation as a terrifying force to be reckoned with had preceded him. He was a senior member of NSA who was respected by all the leaders of the Hua Nation.


    ¡­

 Chapter 358 - Made For Each Other

    Chapter 358: Made For Each Other


    ¡°Who is your master, young one?¡±


    The old man asked kindly, holding his hands behind his back as he looked at Xiao Luo with his gentle, wizen eyes. He exined, ¡°Yi Jin Jing and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are both secrets of the Shaolin. There are very few people who can study either technique, let alone master both of them simultaneously. Your master should have roots with the Shaolin style. Tell me his name, perhaps I may be old acquaintances with him.¡±


    Xiao Luo almost regretted his actions as, for sure, he had now attracted more attention than he had intended. The old man standing before him had a humble disposition, but he carried himself with a certain self-assurance and otherworldly presence that intimidated Xiao Luo. This was the first time that he had encountered an individual who gave him such a sense of being overwhelmed.


    ¡°I do not have a master, Sir.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a master?¡±


    The old man slightly tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in a frown, but then he chuckled and remarked, ¡°It seems that your master is not keen for people to know his name. Very well then, I shall not question you further on it.¡± He smiled warmly and patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You have done well to master two peerless techniques at such a young age. Prodigies like you onlye about every one hundred years in the martial arts world. Your master has certainly chosen wisely.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not know how to respond. His newly acquired skills had nothing to do with being a prodigy or having a master, but he felt that it wasn¡¯t necessary to rify himself. As he thought about it, having others believe that he had an unknown master was quite a good cover in itself, and, this way, he did have to worry about the system getting exposed.


    ¡°A fine young man indeed. Now that you are in the NSA, I hope that you will do your best to work for the country. It is a great honor to serve, and I have high hopes for you!¡±


    The old man was full of praise, and having offered Xiao Luo his words of encouragement, he then turned around and headed back to the NSA¡¯s entrance gate. He was walking slowly with his hands behind his back, but the distance seemed reduced to mere inches, as the old man appeared to be covering ten feet with every step he took, then vanishing before the crowd in the blink of an eye.


    Xiao Luo sighed in relief, and only then did he realize that he had broken into a cold sweat. He now understood that the world wasn¡¯t as he had imagined. If the NSA had such a terrifying martial arts exponent within its ranks, how many more actually existed elsewhere? His mind wandered to Gu Qingxue¡¯s master, the old man from Mount Tianshan, who may very well be another one at the same level.


    The other NSA soldiers let out a sigh of relief after the old man left the ground. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that such a powerful master had been with them here in the NSA.


    Momentster, Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu arrived in a hurry. They both reprimanded King Kong and Fu Yiren and expressed their apologies to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Enough, stop pretending! Didn¡¯t you n for me to fight them so that you could gauge my fighting abilities? Don¡¯t be such hypocrites!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Guo Zhanguo was stumped for words and had an awkward expression of guilt on his face knowing that he had been called out by Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like people plotting against me behind my back. I will let it go it this time, but don¡¯t do it again. If this ever happens again, rest assured, I will withdraw from the NSA.¡±


    ¡°Rx, rx, there will be no next time, I promise!¡± Gu Zhanguo pledged, hurriedly raising his hands to appeal for calm.


    Dongfang Shouyu chimed in, ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Mie. If Mr. Gu dares to do so again, I will kill him first.¡±


    King Kong and Fu Yiren, standing next to the three men, looked on in awe. What was it about Xiao Luo that made the directors behave so obsequiously? The fact of the matter was that Xiao Luo had exactly what it took to make them behave so.


    A lingering fragrance wafted through the air as Fu Yiren walked toward Xiao Luo. Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shouyu quickly backed away, careful not to get too close to Fu Yiren.


    ¡°Fu Yiren, you¡¯re injured. Why don¡¯t you go back and get a good rest?¡± Gu Zhanguo said after coughing dryly.


    ¡°Thanks for your concern, Mr. Gu, but I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Fu Yiren stared at Xiao Luo with her bewitching eyes and said, ¡°Your name is Mie, am I right? I¡¯ll keep that in mind and will look you up when I have time. You have to pay for what you did to ¡®Greeny.''¡±


    ¡°Greeny?¡±


    Xiao Luo figured it would be that little green snake he squashed.


    He red back coldly, shaking his head, and said, ¡°I have not even made a fuss about your vile pet biting me. Are you sure you want to make me pay for your snake?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. If you can¡¯t afford it, then¡­ make a pledge to marry me!¡± Fu Yiren suddenly melted, giving Xiao Luo an adoringly innocent smile.


    GASP!


    The crowd took a deep breath when they heard her demand. There was nothing unusual about pledging to marry a woman, but when she happened to be the Lady Poison, that statement would border on the absurd, regardless of how enchanting and elegant she was. But then, seeing that Mie was immune to poison, perhaps he truly had what it took to be a suitable match.


    ¡°You see, I was born this way and have never had thepany of a man before. In my eyes, it is not that I¡¯m unworthy of men, but that no man is worthy of me. But you¡¯re different as you have mastered Yi Jin Jing, which gives you immunity against all poisons. You and I¡­ we are made for each other!¡± Fu Yiren pursed her lips and smiled charmingly, her heart was set on winning her man, and she was oblivious to the crowd listening in.


    ¡°What the¡­ I¡¯ve seen men wooing women, but this is the first time I see a woman shamelessly going after a man,¡± King Kong muttered to himself, scratching his head.


    Fu Yiren¡¯s face darkened as she turned and red at him. ¡°Mind your words, you fool!¡±


    King Kong shuddered. ¡°What, can she hear me even when I¡¯m whispering to myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can hear you! So, stop muttering over there, or suffer the consequences, you idiot!¡± Fu Yiren yelled.


    ¡°Yikes!¡±


    Jin Gang jolted and felt a thousand needles poking him. It was embarrassing being told off in front of the NSA soldiers, but it wasn¡¯t a good idea to get mad at Fu Yiren. He cleared his throat and shouted at the crowd of soldiers, ¡°What are you all looking at? Do you want me to practice my strikes on you?¡±


    The NSA fighters scattered like birds hearing a gunshot, fleeing to all directions in fright.


    Fu Yiren once again cast her gaze on Xiao Luo seductively and said, ¡°Well, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I already have a wife.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his left hand and showed her the wedding band on his ring finger.


    Hmm?


    Both Fu Yiren and Ji Siying were shocked, as neither expected that he was married.


    Ji Siying, especially, couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard. During the recent New Year visit, Xiao Luo¡¯s family had weed her as one of their own. They had even said that she and Xiao Luo were a perfect match, and she had grown very fond of him. How did Xiao Luo get hitched so suddenly? Ji Siying had actually noticed the diamond ring on Xiao Luo¡¯s finger, but she didn¡¯t give it much thought at the time.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t mind at all!¡± Fu Yiren said.


    ¡°But, I do,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill her!¡± A murderous look appeared on Fu Yiren¡¯s face.


    ¡°You may try¡­¡±


    There was no anger in Xiao Luo¡¯s cold voice, but the aura that emanated from his body was enough to warn Fu Yiren against trying.


    Fu Yiren remained silent as she stared at him hard without blinking her eyes.


    The air around the two seemed to suddenly freeze¡­


    ¡­

 Chapter 359 - Trouble at the Parking Space

    Chapter 359: Trouble at the Parking Space


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu immediately intervened to defuse the confrontation by separating the two, or to be exact, they separated Xiao Luo from Fu Yiren. They were not immune to her poison and wisely kept away from her.


    ¡°Mie, you and I are made for each other. Our fate is decided by the Heavens, and you will be my husband sooner orter.¡±


    Fu Yiren pined, refusing to ept that Xiao Luo had declined her proposal. As he walked away, she was already lost in whimsical thoughts as she pictured them walking down the aisle in holy matrimony, and she beamed an innocent and blissful smile.


    King Kong couldn¡¯t help mocking her again, ¡°What in the world is she doing? They were just fighting a moment ago, and all of a sudden, she¡¯s wants him to marry her and tells him that he can¡¯t decline. I will never understand women!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he shuddered. He raised his head slowly, only to see Fu Yiren¡¯s glowering re that made him feel that she was about to murder him.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At the entrance, Xiao Luo was about to leave the NSA when Gu Zhanguo showed him the vehicle that they had prepared for him¡ªit was a brand new a Trumpchi GS8.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you provide me with a better one?¡± Xiao Luo said, looking at a ck SUV in front of him with a frown.


    Gu Zhanguo coughed and replied, ¡°Ahem, for your information, this car has a retail price of 160 thousand dors, and it¡¯s one of the best domestic cars avable. It looks great, and its power and performance are both top-notch. The NSA has been on a tight budget ofte, so you should be grateful that we can even get you such a decent vehicle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, just to get you a car, Old Gu and I had to eat dirt for one whole month,¡± Dongfang Shouyu added.


    He couldn¡¯t help thinking how these two directors resembled an old couple with the wife singing to her husband¡¯s tune. In any case, he was already nning to buy himself a car, but as the NSA had now provided him one for free, he decided not to pursue the matter. Having a car as a means of travel was better than having none, and after all, the car¡¯s aesthetics agreed with his personal taste.


    ¡°By the way, is Miss Ji alright?¡±


    ¡°Night sparrow is fine, don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯ll get in touch with you after she is properly rested. By the way, I have a small mission for you,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    ¡°Small mission?¡± Xiao Luo responded, frowning somewhat.


    ¡°Yes, just a small mission.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo nodded, then he sighed. ¡°Xiahai¡¯s economy has been improving rapidly over thest several years, but unfortunately, this has also caused many new problems to arise. Take MLM organizations as an example¡ªthey are flourishing in Xiahai like maggots feeding on a carcass,¡± he exined, ¡°and while the police have raided many of their nests, the people arrested have all been low-level members. In fact, most of them were victims that had been brainwashed. The MLM¡¯s mastermind and top managers have yet to be arrested so far. The chief of Xiahai City¡¯s police department has already reached out to the NSA many times, and I think this is a suitable mission for you to look into.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent. When MLM was mentioned, he immediately thought of his own cousin, Ding Zhenyun.


    Dongfang Shouyu added, ¡°The strategy employed by MLM operators is that downlines have to pay ¡®tributes¡¯ to their uplines. The more downlines there are, the higher the ie the uplines will receive. These get-rich-quick schemes are ssified as economic fraud and are not some trivial issues. If left to carry on, I wonder how many victims will turn against their own families and how many youths will waste their precious time and resources chasing a pipe dream. This is a big issue that is threatening our country and our people. It is about time we eradicate it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m up for this mission, but I¡¯m assuming that some of my methods would not be eptable to the police,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. The way the NSA operates is certainly different from the police. If necessary, you may resort to extreme methods, I leave it to your discretion. I¡¯ll inform the police station about this before your mission,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Xiao Luo was satisfied with the response he got. To sessfully get the desired results in his mission, naturally, he couldn¡¯t be restrained in employing methods that he judged would be the most effective.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was already night when he arrived back at the Crescent Bay Hotel. Along the way, he had spotted a cotton candy stall by the roadside. He wasn¡¯t sure if Su Xiaobei would like it, but he got her one all the same. Don¡¯t all kids love this kind of snack?


    His ck Trumpchi GS8 had not been registered at the Crescent Bay Hotel yet, and he was denied entry. Xiao Luo had to contact Su Li, being the property owner, to authorize his ess. Soon, her assistant, Luo Xiangping, came down to look into the matter. She told Xiao Luo that Su Li had been filming amercial for a whole day and was exhausted. ording to her, that was the reason why Su Li had asked her toe down.


    ¡°The five parking lots in the front row all belong to Su Li. She said that you can pick any of them for your car.¡±


    Luo Pingxiang was sitting in the front passenger¡¯s seat and pointing out the five parking bays in the underground parking area.


    Xiao Luo nodded and proceeded to park his car in one of the bays.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, have you just gotten this car today?¡± Luo Pingxiang asked as she touched the genuine leather seat.


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s easier for me to move around,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    Luo Pingxiang was very impressed by the new car¡¯s appearance and gushed, ¡°It¡¯s quitefortable to sit in, and there¡¯s hardly any noise as well. From its appearance, it looks very high-end and elegant. You have great taste, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled without continuing the conversation. He opened the door and got out of the car.


    Suddenly, two intimidating-looking men, dressed in ck, appeared at the entrance of the parking area and walked briskly toward them. The had nasty scowls on their faces, and their intentions were clear.


    ¡°Those are young master Yang¡¯s bodyguards, but what are they doing here?¡±


    Luo Xiangping noticed the men he moment she got off the car and identified them as Yang Hongzhi¡¯s bodyguards at a single nce. Her hair stood on ends as fear crept over her.


    ¡°To find trouble with me, I guess.¡±


    He caused Yang Hongzhi to lose face during the one-on-one basketball challenge by thoroughly thrashing him ten to zero. Shen Qingyan had warned Xiao Luo that Yang Hongzhi was a vindictive person, and Xiao Luo was not in the least surprised that he had sent his bodyguards to settle the score.


    The two bodyguards stood ominously in front of Xiao Luo. Their tall and muscr physiques allowed them to look down at Xiao Luo in a condescending way. Then one of them said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, pleasee with us!¡±


    Despite using the word ¡°please,¡± there was absolutely no politeness in his tone¡ªit was, rather, an instruction.


    ¡°I have a question, what will happen if I refuse to go with you?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    The two guards looked at each other andughed contemptuously. They red at Xiao Luo like he was a fish on a cutting board waiting to be filleted.


    ¡°If you refuse toe, we will have to beat you up and drag you away,¡± the other bodyguard sneered as he cracked his knuckles.


    ¡°Just like dragging away a dead dog¡­¡± his partner chimed in, grinning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make any trouble, this is the Crescent Bay Hotel. If I shout, the security guards wille immediately!¡± Luo Xiangping yelled, and she was panicking.


    ¡°Miss Luo, you stay out of this. Thisd over here has infuriated our young master, and he has to pay the price for his arrogance. Forget about the security guards, even the Jade Emperor can¡¯t save him now.¡±


    Ahsan growled at Luo Xiangping, then turned his gaze back to Xiao Luo. ¡°Well, do you wish to follow us willingly, or should we¡­huh?!¡±


    His voice ended abruptly because Xiao Luo suddenly delivered a powerful kick to his partner¡¯s chest.


    Ahsan only felt the wind brush against his face and heard a miserable shriek. His partner, Ahzee, flew right past him like he was hit by a heavy truck and crashed into the ground some five to six meters away. With a painful grunt, Ahsee threw up his dinner as blood streamed copiously from his nose.


    ¡­

 Chapter 360 - Moved

    <strong>Chapter 360: Moved</strong>


    Ahsan was terrified! He had just seen his partner, Ahsee, whizzing past him like a bullet from a single kick to the chest. He cringed at the thought of the incredible power behind that kick, for Ahsee was a strapping man weighing at least 160 kilos. What kind of a monster were they facing?


    Even as Ahsan was still frozen in a state of shock, Xiao Luo¡¯s second kick was alreadying right at him. In a reflex response, Ahsan instantly pushed his palms out to defend himself, but the moment they came into contact with the sole of Xiao Luo¡¯s shoe, he regretted his actions. He immediately pictured his intestines turning green as the force of the blow was overwhelming. It felt like a charging bull had mmed into him, and his body flew backward, trembling uncontrobly.


    THUMP!


    Ahsan crashed onto the floor, not far from Ahzee, screaming in pain and agony.


    Seeing how easily Xiao Luo had dispatched the two bodyguards, Luo Pingxiang was wide-eyed in absolute amazement. She stared at the two huge men writhing on the floor with disbelief. This was the second time she had seen Xiao Luo in action, but it was just as remarkable.


    ¡°Hold on to this for me, please.¡±


    Xiao Luo nonchntly handed the cotton candy to Luo Pingxiang, as he still had unfinished business to take care of.


    Luo Xiangping snapped out of her shock and blinked her eyes at Xiao Luo. Without thinking, she immediately took the cotton candy with both hands and held it close to her chest.


    Her eyes were now fixed on Xiao Luo, grim-faced, and striding menacingly in the direction of the bodyguards. He held nothing in his hands, but when he reached the two bodyguards, she heard their terrified shrieks echoing right through the parking area. Then she saw Xiao Luo bending over them and heard the sickening thumps of repeated punches¡ªfor every blow that Xiao Luo delivered, she got goosebumps all over her body and quivered in horror. After only a brief while, she saw the condition the bodyguards were in, and she couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer. They were badly bruised, and their faces had swelled to the size of a pig¡¯s head.


    ¡°S-stop¡­ hitting us, please, we¡­ w-we give up¡­¡±


    Ahsan, a giant of a man standing seven feet tall, could not take anymore and was in tears, begging for his life. He pleaded with Xiao Luo, ¡°M-my ribs are almost¡­ b-broken, please¡­ please stop.¡±


    Close by, Ahzee was lying on the ground, gasping desperately for air. His face was bruised and swollen beyond recognition, and he was beaten to the point of passing out.


    ¡°me it on your bad luck!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered and then threw another punch right into Ahsan¡¯s face. He then stood up and straightened his clothes, appearing calm once again.


    That felt much better!


    Xiao Luo felt a sense of relief, especially after all that had happened during his visit to the NSA headquarters. It was unfortunate for Ahsan and Ahzee to havee looking for him at this time, as they found themselves bing Xiao Luo¡¯s punching bags just when he needed to vent his anger. Thankfully, Xiao Luo did not hit them with the intent to kill, and they only suffered some external injuries, with no ruptured organs or broken bones. They would probably recover in four to five days.


    ¡°Go back and tell your young master to send over others who can fight better the next time. It¡¯s best if he sends them when I¡¯m in a bad mood so that I can use them as my punching bag. In this way, he will have my eternal gratitude. Otherwise, I will get very upset, and once that happens, I will go to his home myself and use him as my punching bag. Tell him that!¡±


    Xiao Luo was sending a clear warning to young master Yang through his bodyguards as he red at them fiercely. A spoilt kid from a rich family like Yang Hongzhi did not earn the right to infuriate him; such a person was nothing more than a housefly buzzing around. And, as long as this housefly didn¡¯t annoy him, he would pay him no attention.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ okay¡­¡±


    Filled with fear, Ahsan held his hands to his swollen face as he repeatedly nodded to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo then walked back to his car and took out a bottle of mineral water to wash his hands. Only then did he take the cotton candy back from Luo Xiangping. He smiled at her and said, ¡°thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ oh, no, you don¡¯t need to thank me.¡±


    Luo Xiangping replied and smiled nervously. She was still recovering from the trauma of seeing Xiao Luo deal with Yang Hongzhi¡¯s two bodyguards in such a savage manner. She looked at the two men lying on the ground, moaning in pain and thought how simple he had made it look, and yet how brutally the bodyguards were beaten up.


    As Xiao Luo walked toward the elevator, Luo Xiangping scurried to keep up with his pace. She suddenly felt unsafe in the car park, but funnily, she felt safe being next to Xiao Luo, the very one who created the scene.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t return to his own apartment immediately but headed to Su Li¡¯s ce instead.


    When he walked through the door, he immediately saw the slender and elegant form of Su Li recumbent on the living room sofa. A ¡°Tom and Jerry¡± cartoon was ying on the giant TV screen in front of the couch.


    Su Xiaobei was there with Su Li, leaning against her and totally absorbed in the show. As she stared at the TV with her big unblinking eyes, they looked like a pair of ck gemstones. Then, as if by telepathy, Su Xiaobei immediately turned her head in the direction of the door when Xiao Luo entered. When she saw Xiao Luo, she immediately hopped off the couch, extended her little arms, and dashed towards him, screaming ¡°daddy¡± excitedly.


    Xiao Luo squatted down, waiting for her toe him for a hug.


    ¡°Daddy, is this for me?¡± Su Xiaobei quickly noticed the cotton candy in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy.¡±


    The little girl gleefully took the cotton candy, opened her little mouth, and tasted it. Her eyes brightened as she continued to savor it without another word.


    Su Li walked casually over, nced at Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°Try not to buy these unhealthy snacks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be too often,¡± Xiao Luo replied, stroking Su Xiaobei¡¯s head affectionately.


    Su Li didn¡¯t make any further issues about Su Xiaobei eating cotton candy, and she changed the subject. ¡°I heard you bought a car today?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered Su Li absentmindedly, with his focus still on Su Xiaobei.


    Su Li asked again, ¡°What car is it?¡±


    ¡°A Trumpchi. The performance is not too bad, and its appearance looks pretty ssy and high-end,¡± Luo Xiangping pitched in.


    ¡°It¡¯s a domestic product, isn¡¯t it? Hmm, it makes sense, with his current ability, he can only get cars of this price range.¡±


    Su Li deliberately made a sarcastic remark, but when she noticed that Xiao Luo did not react in the slightest, it riled her so much she grit her teeth. She was incensed that this man who took her the first time and was now her husband, showed not an ounce of self-motivation. Was he already contented with just an average car?


    After spending time with Su Xiaobei, Xiao Luo got up to return to his own apartment.


    Naturally, Su Li did not ask him to stay but only asked if he had taken dinner. When he answered that he had, she went back to the sofa and continued with her reading. As a celebrity, she had to constantly keep abreast of the trends in society.


    After returning to his own apartment, Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised. Every corner of the house had been mopped clean and tidied up. The clothes he left in the washing machine, which he intended to hang at the balcony after returning, had already been hung up. His massive two-tiered wardrobe was now filled with brand-new clothing, ties, and leather shoes; the formal wear and casual wear had even been organized into two sections.


    Undoubtedly, Su Li must¡¯ve prepared all these for him.


    For some inexplicable reason, Xiao Luo felt a sudden warmth just from being home. The apartment didn¡¯t feel cold anymore but now had a rather cozy ambiance.


    He immediately tried on a few of the clothes. They fitted well, and they were all in his favorite styles too. Xiao Luo was certainly moved, and although Su Li had never shown him warmth and kindness, what she had done touched him deeply. He wondered if Luo Xiangping¡¯s statement about Su Li¡¯smercial shoot was nothing but a fib, and Su Li probably went shopping at the mall for a whole day instead.


    ¡­

 Chapter 361 - Su Canye

    Chapter 361: Su Canye


    After his shower, Xiao Luoid down in bed, and his mind was flooded with conflicted thoughts. He felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it had anything to do with that first night that he shared with Su Li. The scenes from that sensual night kept ying in his mind¡ªfrom the sofa in the living room to the bed in the master bedroom, he remembered everything vividly, just like it had only happened the day before.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Early the next morning, Su Xiaobei came knocking on his front door, right on the clock, calling him for breakfast.


    He opened the door and saw his little princess, Su Xiaobei, smiling brightly and looking charming in her adorable outfit.


    Su Xiaobei was with someone else¡ªbehind her, stood a young man who Xiao Luo was not familiar with. His hair was dyed an electric yellow, and he wore ear piercings. He was decked in a ck leather jacket that had its shoulders adorned with intimidating spiked studs. He had somewhat effeminate features with smooth fair skin, and his eyes were entuated with eyeliner, but he had a rascally edge in the way he dressed and carried himself, he would certainly stand out in a crowd.


    ¡°Are you Xiao Luo?¡± the young man asked, looking disinterested and standing with his left hand in his front pocket.


    ¡°Yes, and you are?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    The boy rolled his eyes and sneered, ¡°What?! You don¡¯t even know who I am, didn¡¯t you just marry my sister? Your brain must¡¯ve short-circuited¡­¡±


    ¡°You are Su Canye?¡± Xiao Luo recalled Su Li mentioning his brother¡¯s name when he went with Su Li to her mother¡¯s house.


    ¡°Huh, looks like your eyes are still okay after all!¡±


    Su Canye was lolling his head around as he looked at Xiao Luo, giving the impression that he¡¯d rather be somewhere else. Then, he frowned after taking a good look at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°You don¡¯t look that great, and I don¡¯t see that your temperament is any better than mine. I just wonder why my sister ever chose you¡­ Oh, well, at least you¡¯re better than that scum, Yang Hongzhi.¡±


    Was that apliment?


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what to make of it. No matter how he looked at Su Canye, all he saw was an arrogant little lout standing right there in front of him.


    ¡°So, what are you good at anyways?¡±


    Su Canye asked curiously out of the blue. ¡°Clubbing? Car racing? Kendo?¡±


    As he asked Xiao Luo the question, he suddenly got himself in a spritely and exciting mood, dancing around and making gestures.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°No!¡±


    Even if he was into any of those pastimes, he would have still said no as Su Canye just wasn¡¯t the type of person he wanted to associate himself with.


    Su Canye immediately frowned in disappointment, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue. ¡°Tsk¡­ looks like you and I don¡¯t belong in the same circle. Shouldn¡¯t you take the initiative to have somemon interests with your little brother-inw? I¡¯d thought that since you married my sister, you could¡¯ve said yes. And, even if you didn¡¯t know of them, you could go learn from somewhere,¡± hemented, ¡°by the way, don¡¯t think too highly of yourself; I wouldn¡¯t even have bothered to talk to you if it wasn¡¯t because my sister told me to get acquainted.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, don¡¯t say that. Daddy knows how to do many things!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was perturbed. She immediately raised her head, pouting her lips, and spoke up for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Little princess, his face tells me that he¡¯s unpolished, just amon person. He doesn¡¯t belong in our social circles and only knows how to hump my sister.¡± Su Canye squatted down next to Su Xiaobei, and he spoke a little too candidly for Xiao Luo¡¯sfort.


    Hump his sister???


    What the @#$%¡­


    Xiao Luo¡¯s immediate reaction was to cover Su Xiaobei¡¯s ears, but it was toote. He almost had the urge to give Su Canye a kick up his behind. This youngster was exactly like Zhang Dashan, bold enough to say just anything.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The moment they arrived at Su Li¡¯s apartment, Aunt Lee had alreadyid breakfast on the table.


    ¡°Sis, the brother-inw you got me doesn¡¯t fit in my circle. I don¡¯t want to be embarrassed, so it¡¯ll be impossible to get along with him. I think we¡¯re better off doing our own stuff and not get into each other¡¯s way.¡± Su Canye was bbering aloud as soon as he walked through the door.


    Su Li blushed as she had not wanted Xiao Lo to know that she had instructed Su Canye to get acquainted with him. She red angrily at her brother and said, ¡°What are you babbling about so early in the morning? I take it that you do not want your pocket money for this month?¡±


    That silenced Sun Canye immediately, and his whole demeanor changed as he meekly found himself a seat and began eating breakfast without saying another word.


    Xiao Luo followed from behind carrying Su Xiaobei, and he ced her in her high chair securely then sat down beside her.


    He looked up at Su Li and smiled. ¡°Oh, thanks for the clothes.¡±


    Su Li nced at him impassively. ¡°No need for that,¡± she said, then immediately changed the subject of conversation, ¡°hurry up and dig in. I have work to do after breakfast. I¡¯m leaving Xiaobei with you both today.¡±


    ¡°We¡­ you mean, the both of us? Sis, are you out of your mind? I don¡¯t know how to take care of children, and besides, I have Kendo training to attendter. I don¡¯t have time,¡± Su Canye said, franticallying out of his silence.


    ¡°I only need daddy to take care of me, I don¡¯t need my uncle.¡± Su Xiaobei retorted as she slurped down a spoonful of congee, splotching the sides of her mouth. Since Su Canye showed a reluctance to apany her, she struck back immediately by saying that she didn¡¯t need him to keep herpany.


    Su Li fumed, showing her displeasure at Su Canye and said, ¡°There¡¯s no room for discussion. I don¡¯t care whatever you have, just put them all aside. Besides, don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know why you are attending Kendo sses. You¡¯re only after those perverted things¡­ I¡¯m ashamed to even say it out loud.¡±


    ¡°What perverted things? Aren¡¯t I searching for a sister-inw for you? This is a serious business, okay? Fine, I¡¯ll agree to do it, alright? It¡¯s just taking care of the little princess, isn¡¯t it? But I have one condition,¡± Su Canye responded, extended his index finger to make his point.


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    Su Li lowered her head and continued with breakfast, waiting to hear Su Canye¡¯s demand.


    ¡°I lost my car in thest Wild Wolf Racing Championship. You need to ask Shen Qingyan to help me win it back,¡± Su Canye said.


    Su Li immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks in exasperation, and she stared at him, trying hard to stay calm. ¡°Canye, when are you going to learn! How many times has this happened?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ t-three times.¡±


    Su Canye answered in a barely audible voice, and if he could have hidden his head under his cor, he would have.


    ¡°She had already helped you win it back two times previously. How could you have not learned your lesson? You actually went back to race again, just what were you thinking?¡±


    Su Li was really riled up now. By the looks of it, this was the main reason why he came looking for her. Her friend Shen Qingyan¡¯s was a top-ss ace in car racing. With her excellent driving skills, she had managed to help her ipetent brother win back his sports car on two previous asions.


    ¡°Sis, it stops at three times, I swear, and, as long as she helps me win it back this time, I will never race again,¡± Su Canye pleaded, sping his hands in front of his bowed head to show his sincerity and seriousness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. You¡¯ve already lost it away, so be it. And don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll give you the money to get a new one, you can take the subway or the public bus in the future.¡± Su Li refused to discuss any further and continued with her breakfast.


    Xiao Luo acted like he didn¡¯t hear anything at all, eating his own breakfast and interacting with Su Xiaobei between bites.


    After Su Li ended the discussion, Xiao Luo asked, ¡°Why do you need the both of us to take care of Bei Bei? I can handle it by myself.¡±


    Su Li raised her head and looked askance at Xiao Luo with eyes that told him that she wasn¡¯t going to exin, and he should ept her arrangement with a question.


    Trying to score some brownie points with his sister, Su Canye immediately chided Xiao Luo, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? My sister¡¯s wish is ourmand, why do you have so many questions? What, do you think you¡¯re reading ¡®One Hundred Thousand Why¡¯?''¡± Of course, Su Canye was referring to that very poprpendium series of science books for children.


    ¡­

 Chapter 362 - Seriously Bullshitting

    Chapter 362: Seriously Bullshitting


    Xiao Luo did not have an issue with Su Li¡¯s request. Besides, he had nothing to do for the day and was nning to make good his promise to Su Xiaobei that he would take her to the theme park. It was the perfect day to do it¡ªgiven the beautiful weather. As for why Su Li wanted her brother to tag along, he couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    Su Li did seem like she wanted him to get acquainted with his brother-inw, Su Canye. But, was that even possible?


    It was already decided, and he didn¡¯t bother to overthink it. Besides, he didn¡¯t find Su Canye that repulsive, but on the contrary, he was quite an interesting character.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. Get out of here¡­ why are you so pathetic, driving such a low-end car that is not even worth 200 thousand dors? How can I pick up girls with this? This won¡¯t cut it. I need to ask for the keys to my sister¡¯s Ferrari.¡±


    One look at Xiao Luo¡¯s car in the parking lot, a Trumpchi, and Su Canye immediately turned around and headed back to the apartment. The only reason he was attending Kendo sses was that a girl he fancied was also training there. Previously when he still had his Bentley, he would drive over every day, just to show off. And now, having to arrive in a low-priced domestic car, he suddenly couldn¡¯t find the courage to show up at the Kendo Gym.


    But, he stopped only after a few steps and walked back to the car. He suddenly had shes of Su Li waving her index finger in his face and giving him an earful. Having just lost his Bentley, if he were to ask for the keys to her Ferrari, he would undoubtedly be dragged over a bed of burning coal.


    ¡°Forget it, the Trumpchi will have to do. Ice Face, I must say, your outlook in the family is exceedingly low, and it almost feels like my sister had just adopted a gigolo. You need to work harder, mate. You have to rise up one day and earn your dignity as a man. But, I have high hopes for you.¡± He patted Xiao Luo¡¯s back earnestly. ¡°Ice Face¡± was the nickname he gave Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and rolled his eyes.


    Su Xiaobei didn¡¯t understand a word her uncle was saying, and here head kept switching between Xiao Luo and Su Canye. In the end, she simply rubbed her cheeks with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Ice Face, let¡¯s go the Kendo Gym first, then we can take the little princess to the theme park in the afternoon,¡± after getting in the car, Su Canye exined his n for today.


    ¡°You may go ahead and do your stuff. I can keep Xiaobeipany myself,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Su Canye immediately objected, ¡°No. A real man never goes back on his words. I¡¯ve already promised my sister, and besides, although Lil¡¯ princess calls you daddy, you¡¯re still an outsider at the end of the day. You¡¯re not bonded to her by blood, and Lil¡¯ princess is so cute, what would I do if you decided to sell her away?¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    ¡°You only talk nonsense, uncle. My daddy will never sell Beibei away!¡± Su Xiaobei protested.


    ¡°Silly girl, you¡¯re still a kid, and you still don¡¯t understand society¡¯s dangers yet. Do you remember how you almost got kidnapped by the bad guys in Jiangcheng City?¡±


    Su Xiaobei didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, and all she could do was to stare at Su Canye nkly and pout her lips.


    ¡°Listen to uncle, I¡¯m always right. This is also the reason your mummy asked me to tag along. She is afraid of you getting abducted again. If that happens, then the earth will go ¡®kaboom,¡¯ you get me?¡± Su Canye patted Su Xiaobei¡¯s head as he looked into her eyes and spoke solemnly.


    The little girl was utterly confused and shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Uncle, will exin to you then. If you were abducted, your mummy would have to search all around the world to find you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Xiaobei replied, nodding her head.


    ¡°So, if your mum goes looking for you, that would mean that she will not have time to star in movies, record albums, shootmercials, or even post her status on Weibo. Do you know that your mummy has more than 70 million followers? If your mummy¡¯s fans don¡¯t get to see any of her new projects and receive any updates for a long time, what do you think will happen? Yes, they¡¯ll go crazy¡ªand once that happens, they will lose heart to work, go on strikes, take to the streets in thousands and cause social disorder, you get me?¡± Su Canye spoke with absolute conviction, and Su Xiaobei was swayed, keeping her eyes on him and listening to every word he uttered. He carried on exining, ¡°And, once our society is in unrest, the country will be in turmoil, and then our enemies will seize the opportunity tounch attacks on us. Once two countries get into a war, their allies will join in, then they¡¯ll be fighting all over the world, and finally, this will bring on the third world war. And, when some countries be desperate, they will be forced to use their nuclear weapons. If every country uses its nuclear weapons, Mother Earth will ultimately be destroyed, bing a dust particle. As you can see, it¡¯s terrifying! So, for the sake of earth¡¯s safety, please do not get yourself abducted.¡±


    Su Canye was spewing pure drivel¡ªhe was seriously bullshitting! But Su Xiaobei was soaking it all in, nodding her head solemnly and actually listening to every word.


    As he drove and listened in, Xiao Luo thoroughly was amused. Su Canye¡¯s skills at churning out gibberish could match Zhang Dashan¡¯ s¡ªthe only difference was that with Zhang Dashan, it woulde across as banter, while in Su Canye¡¯s case, he delivered his bullshit a lot more seriously.


    ¡°Ice Face, since you are already married to my sister, you should arrange a grand wedding reception. My sister may be a celebrity who has everything she wants, but she is also human. You can¡¯t be sloppy in matters as important as a marriage,¡± Su Canye said, suddenly switching the topic to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo only smiled and remained silent. This was one topic that he would not be expressing any opinion on. His marriage with Su Li wasn¡¯t mutually consensual, and not only did they not have an engagement, but even their marriage certificate was also applied through a third party, so, he¡¯d dly pass on having a wedding. Maybe one day, Su Li would meet a man who loved her, and they could then get a divorce and walk their own paths.


    ¡°At least my sister¡¯s foresight is pretty good, and she didn¡¯t choose that scumbag, Yang Hongzhi. I bumped into Yang Hongzhi several times in the nightclub, and he was hiding in a corner, throwing money to girls in exchange for their services¡ªwhat a pure-bred pervert! Only my mum was stupid enough to be deceived by his appearance, think that he was an excellent man. How could she even allow herself to be convinced into drugging her own daughter with an aphrodisiac? It¡¯s fair to say that he¡¯s worse than a beast!¡±


    Su Canye said a lot. He had learned about the incident from her mother. Although he found it ridiculous that his sister was married to an unsessful man from an entirely different social status, at least she wasn¡¯t ravaged by that beast, Yang Hongzhi.


    ¡°Just so you know, your sister and I will end our rtionship one day,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Canye stayed silent for a moment then said, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. She has a traditional mindset regarding this, but once she figures out that this marriage won¡¯t work, she will sever it herself. Anyway, from my point of view, you are not worthy of my sister, and for someone as excellent as her, I think only a few men in this country can match up to her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thoughts are pretty profound, I must say,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling derisively.


    ¡°Nah, not really¡­ whatever thates out of my mouth is nonsense. I say this one day and something else, the next. Sometimes, I don¡¯t even understand my own logic,¡± Su Canye replied.


    ¡°I can see that.¡±


    Xiao Luo carried on driving without continuing the conversation as Su Canye was already chatting with Su Xiaobei and dishing out humorous jokes and brain teasers.


    Su Canye was someone who couldn¡¯t rest his mouth. The cabin of the car was filled with Su Xiaobei¡¯s gleefulughter.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t dislike someone that Su Xiaobei liked. On the contrary, he thought of Su Canye as a funny and talkative guy.


    ¡­

 Chapter 363 - Pursuit

    Chapter 363: Pursuit


    They stopped at a zebra crossing. Su Canye was still at it, outdoing himself with even more oundish drivel. Xiao Luo tried hard to detect anything at all that from what he heard that was logical, but in the end, he found nothing. Su Canye was garrulous by nature, and he loved to talk for talking¡¯s sake. He was just on the subject of entertainment, and before that, he was going on about his trips abroad, and now, he was suddenly talking about the universe¡ªthis was living proof that the fastest thing in the universe wasn¡¯t light, it was the human thought.


    Xiao Luo kept quiet as he had already decided that he was not going to say anything that would encourage Su Canye to continue with his self-absorbed monologue.


    BRUP-BRUP-BROOMM-BROOOMM


    A ck Harley-Davidson rumbled by with the distinctive sound of its big twin-V engine and stopped on the left of Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi, revving impatiently as it waited for the lights to turn green.


    As the motorcycle was a ssic, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help taking several nces at it. The rider was a bearded man with sunsses. He was Caucasian and looked rather fashionable in his riding gear, and the leather jacket he was wearing was simr to Su Canye¡¯s.


    ¡°He¡¯s wearing the same style as me, see, looks like this foreign friend of ours has good tastes too,¡± Su Canye gushed, praised himself indirectly.


    Most foreign visitors generally gave a good ount of themselves, being friendly and courteous, but this particr man was not one of them. He turned his head sideways and spat a gob of phlegm right on the Xiao Luo¡¯s car window. It was not clear if the biker had done it intentionally or not, but either way, a generous dose of phlegm and spittle sticking to one¡¯s car window was a disgusting sight.


    Xiao Luo immediately grimaced and tried to catch the biker¡¯s eyes, but the man turned the other way and started whistling, oblivious to what had just happened.


    Su Canye was incensed and immediately wound down the car window, yelling at the biker, ¡°Hey, you spat on our window!¡±


    Hearing the voice, the biker turned around with an exaggerated expression of surprise, spread his hands, and asked in English, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You spat on our window!¡± Su Canye said again.


    ¡°What are you talking about, I can¡¯t understand Chinese.¡± The biker raised his eyebrows and feigned ignorance.


    Su Canye was a little annoyed but cleared his throat, and this time he spoke in English, ¡°You spat on our window, you must apologize to us.¡±


    ¡°I spat? I can¡¯t understand what you are talking about, man. When did I spit?¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you ying the fool with us? We have three pairs of eyes in the car that saw it very clearly. That disgusting thing on our window came from you!¡± Su Canye scowled. He had only just mentioned that the biker had good taste, and in that very instant, that impression had dissipated.


    ¡°Hey, kid, don¡¯t wrong me. Where wee from, we don¡¯t just spit anywhere we like, we are civilized people, man,¡± the biker responded, pointing at Su Canye aggressively with his forefinger and absolutely denied any wrongdoing.


    Su Canye could feel the weight of ten thousand hooves trampling on his head, and he nearly exploded in rage. He had seen shameless people before, but he had never seen one as such shameless as this man. He clearly spat, yet he was now denying it vehemently with such a straight face and made it seem like the other party was the one at fault.


    Su Canye was boiling mad, and with a stern voice, he said, ¡°You need to apologize to us now, don¡¯t you even try to leave without doing so!¡±


    BRRR-RROOM-BROOMM


    Another three big bikes came from behind them and stopped at both sides of the Trumpchi. The riders were foreign men as well, and they were tall and burly. As if that wasn¡¯t threatening enough, they were also staring into the car with very unfriendly looks, like hooligans.


    Su Canye suddenly felt nervous for a good reason. He could immediately tell that these weren¡¯t people that should be messed around with.


    The biker who spat earlier now appeared emboldened and shed his pretenses of cordiality. He took off his sunsses, red at Su Canye, and snarled, ¡°Hey, kid, do you think I should still apologize?¡±


    It was ironic that the biker said this in fluent Chinese and yet couldn¡¯t understand Su Canye earlier.


    Su Canye was exasperated, but he didn¡¯t know how to react. He now knew that the biker was toying with him, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t want to get himself in any trouble.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo wound down the window and said, ¡°You must apologize!¡±


    The four bikers were startled at first, and then they broke outughing. The biker who spat tried to hold hisughter and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll apologize. I¡¯m so sorry¡­ babe!¡±


    The biker said it mockingly, and there was no sincerity in his apology.


    When the lights turned green, the biker who spat gave them a wry smile and cursed, ¡°Damn chinks, go feast on shit!¡±


    Then he spat again on Xiao Luo¡¯s window and sped off on his Harley. As he left, he gave Xiao Luo the middle finger.


    ¡°Those four b*stards! Okay, now I¡¯m pissed!¡±


    Su Canye was so angry that he was having palpitations, and his lungs felt like they would explode from the rage. He had always found foreigners to be decent folk, but this was the first time he had bumped into such uncivilized ones.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like them,¡± Su Xiaobei said, looking upset and pouting angrily.


    Xiao Luo turned over and said to Su Canye, ¡°Quick, help Bei Bei fasten her seatbelt.¡±


    ¡°Ice Face, what are you gonna do? You can¡¯t be thinking of chasing them, right? Those four men don¡¯t look like people that we should be offending. If we chase them, we might be the ones who will suffer in the end. I better warn you beforehand, I¡¯m not good at fighting. I get beaten up in every fight I get into.¡±


    Su Canye went on about some parable he read¡ª¡±the man who can recognize the exigencies of a situation is a paragon among men,¡± to convince Xiao Luo that there was no need for him to find trouble for himself just because of a moment¡¯s anger. But of course, as he spoke, his hands were busy buckling up Su Xiaobei¡¯s seatbelt.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond to his words. After seeing that Su Canye had secured Su Xiaobei¡¯s seatbelt, he activated the car¡¯s sport mode and mmed his feet on the elerator.


    VROOMMMmmm


    The ck Trumpchi SUV screeched forward like a roaring beast, and Su Canye, who was caught off guard, was thrown back into his seat.


    ¡°Ice Face, are you for real? You going to get us killed!¡±


    Su Canye never expected Xiao Luo to be bold enough to pursue the riders. In a panic, he quickly fastened his own seatbelt and screamed, ¡°You are not the only one in this car, there¡¯s also the little princess and me. Don¡¯t do silly things in a moment of anger, if this car crashes, that¡¯ll be three lives lost. Please, think about it carefully!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Uncle. Daddy¡¯s really good at driving, so we won¡¯t crash. Faster, Daddy, fasterrrr!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was giggling excitedly, thinking of the chase as nothing more than fun and games. Beside her, Uncle Canye was turning green.


    Xiao Luo nced at Su Xiaobei through the rear-view mirror to make sure she was okay, then he stepped on the elerator all the way down to the floor.


    The engine began to roar as it was pushed to the limit, and the car elerated sharply like a speeding bullet. The car was traveling so fast that they could hear shrill winds howling from outside the window. When Su Canye nced at the speedometer, he saw that the car had soared to 140 miles per hour. He was so terrified that he felt his soul leave his body, and in a final attempt to talk Xiao Luo out of it, he said, ¡°Ice Face, I know there are very few cars on this road, but we¡¯re in a city, okay. Don¡¯t do this, aren¡¯t you afraid of your car falling apart?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know what this car is capable of.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered calmly. He never wanted to make a fuss with those bikers, but their nasty behavior triggered something inside him, and with Xiao Luo, once he was provoked, there was no stopping him.


    The ck Trumpchi SUV overtook one car after another, and soon, the four hooligans on motorbikes were once again in Xiao Luo¡¯s sight.


    ¡°There¡¯s a sharp turning in front¡­ slow down¡­ quick, slow down!¡±


    The moment he saw the road sign with the sharp turn warning, Su Canye could no longer hold hisposure and screamed hysterically.


    But the car wasn¡¯t showing any signs of slowing down. Instead, it was getting faster as the speedometer was clocking almost 150 miles per hour!


    ¡°Aaghhhh!¡±Su Canye was so horrified that his face turned pale. He shut his eyes and screamed his lungs out, expecting to crash. Maneuvering into a sharp turn at such high speed would definitely cause such arge car to oversteer. Then, it would lose control and hit the guardrails on the right before flipping and turn into a pile of junk. His petty life was about to end here.


    ¡­

 Chapter 364 - Principle of Behavior

    <strong>Chapter 364: Principle of Behavior</strong>


    ¡°YAAAY¡­ the car is flying! Daddy, you¡¯re so awesome!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was beside herself with excitement and cheering on Xiao Luo without the slightest hint of fear on her face, and was thrilled to be a part of this high-octane car chase. In sharp contrast, Su Canye, seated next to her, had his eyes shut tight and wore an expression full of terror and despair.


    Xiao Luo was in the zone, entirely focused on his driving. Nervelessly, he negotiated the car into the sharp turn then pulled the handbrakes the moment the car was about to enter the bend, swinging the rear of the car to align with the direction of the corner, while simultaneously controlling the foot pedals with his ¡°heel-and-toe¡± to maintain the revs in his engine, and then controlled the slide with the steering wheel into the opposite direction. The front wheels of the ck Trumpchi SUV skidded close to the double yellow line, still going at the same speed, but the car was in total control as Xiao Luo maneuvered it, sliding smoothly into the turn like it was on a sheet of ice.


    Despite his eyes being closed, Su Canye could feel the excellent control the vehicle was being driven with. As a racing enthusiast, he was thoroughly familiar with this exhrating technique of driving, and the word immediately popped up in his mind¡ªdrifting.


    He opened his eyes slightly at first, then his eyes widened in bewilderment. The tires were screeching as the nose of the car aligned with the bend.


    Holy shaite¡­


    He¡¯s really drifting!


    This was no sports car, but arge 5-door SUV. How can he possibly be drifting, and what¡¯s more, doing it so brilliantly?


    Su Canye¡¯s eyes were watery, and his lips quivered as if he had witnessed something magical.


    With its all-wheel-drive engaged, the front of the car kept within with the double yellow line. If this was a race on the Wild Wolf Mountain, the car would easily be drifting along the inner circle.


    The SUV negotiated the sharp bend safely, and Xiao Luo immediately lowered the handbrake lever, turned the steering wheel back, and then mmed on the elerator.


    The revs kicked in as Xiao Luo shifted gear and was bearing down the straight road at an incredible speed. The SUV streaked forward like an arrow without any stutter, and Su Canye hardly felt the change in gears. It was all aplished in one smooth and steady transition.


    Su Canye was astounded that his brother-inw was such a driver of the highest caliber. His driving skills were unsurpassed, and he was literally a drifting god!


    Another sharp turn wasing up ahead. This time, Su Canye was as cool as a cucumber, and he was eager to watch Xiao Luo¡¯s handling in every detail.


    100 meters¡­


    50 meters¡­


    15 meters¡­


    Here ites!!!


    Su Canye was silently working out the car¡¯s distance from the next bend. At the instant Xiao Luo prepared to negotiate the sharp bend, Su Canye was in full concentration.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face was a picture of calm, like the surface of a stillke with barely a ripple. He pulled the handbrake, stepped on the foot pedals, and controlled the steering wheel with great skill, first, into the turn, then in the opposite direction. The SUV held its speed, and once again, its rear swung across as it glided sideways into the drift.


    The graceful arc of motion¡­


    The consummate control¡­


    And perfect execution of the drift!


    Su Canye couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes, and who would have thought that this ice-faced brother-inw of his could actually control the drift of his car so well. The vehicle was a front-wheel-drive SUV, and what¡¯s more, it had not been tinkered with, but yet it could drift into a sharp bend without spinning out of control. Xiao Luo¡¯s skills in handling the car were nothing short of godly.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t this guy say that he can¡¯t race?¡±


    Su Canye muttered to himself as he nced fleetingly at Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After an incredible chase through the winding road that included two sharp corners, the ck Trumpchi finally caught up with the four bikers.


    Xiao Luo sped up to go alongside the bearded biker who spat earlier and wound down the car window.


    When the biker realized who it was, his eyes widened in shock as if he had just seen a monster. He cursed and wondered if he had just seen a ghost.


    The thrill of riding a motorcycle was to experience the sensation of freedom, and speed¡ªthe ease with which a biker could overtake other vehicles was exhrating. Except for supercars, no other vehicles could easily catch up with them even on the straight, let alone on this road with many cars.


    ¡°Pull up to the side,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Bloody chink, are you crazy? Who do you think you are screaming at me, are you thinking of racing me? Do you have what it takes?¡± the bearded biker yelled.


    Within moments, the biker found a nasty-looking muzzle pointed at his head. The man holding the gun had a chilling look in his eyes that quickly ryed his intention to kill if his instructions were not followed.


    Xiao Luo raised his voice and warned, ¡°Pull up now!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, take it easy,¡± the biker responded, he quickly slowed down his motorcycle with fear written all over his face.


    The bearded biker was not the only one in fear, for Su Canye was shuddering next to Xiao Luo, equally frightened. Never did he expect to see Xiao Luo pulling out a gun from underneath his seat.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Swallowing down his saliva with some difficulty, Su Canye suddenly realized that his ice-faced brother-inw was an enigmatic man, not one that could be judged by appearance alone. He had arge mean-looking gun in his hand and waved it around like he was about to kill someone. Private possession of arms and ammunition was illegal in their country and was a jable offense. So, just where did he get his hands on one?


    ¡°Yay, Daddy, you caught up with the bad guy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei didn¡¯t think much of the gun; she only felt the excitement of the chase and probably thought this was all a game of Police Pursuit. Now that they¡¯ve caught the ¡°thief,¡± it was definitely worth a cheer.


    The four bikers pulled up by the side of the road, and Xiao Luo stopped his car behind them.


    He opened the door and got off with the gun in hand. It was a Desert Eagle handgun that the NSA had assigned to him and was chambered forrge caliber rounds.


    The expressions of the four bikers changed instantly, and their eyes were filled with terror as they looked at Xiao Luo, especially the bearded biker who caused the trouble in the first ce. He was in a state of utter shock and trepidation as he sat on his bike, devoid of his earlier arrogance.


    ¡°Hey, Mister, calm down, okay. He didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I will apologize on his behalf. Sorry, man, we¡¯re really sorry¡­¡±


    An older man came forward to speak to Xiao Luo, and he was rtively calm. He quickly greeted Xiao Luo humbly with a low posture and was constantly bowing and apologizing to calm him down. No one would¡¯ve believed that this was the same group of arrogant people who had behaved like hooligans a while ago.


    ¡°Can one man¡¯s apology be made by another?¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke in fluent English. He stood motionless as his wrathful eyes swept across ominously to the bearded biker who spat on his car window.


    The older man was shaken, and he had no doubt that they¡¯d bumped into a formidable character. This local standing before him looked like he was bold enough to shoot them without a second thought. Even from a distance, he could feel the bloodlust given off from his aura.


    The older man gestured to the bearded biker and said, ¡°Johnny,e over here and apologize to this gentleman.¡±


    The bearded biker immediately ran over with a bent posture and bowed deeply to Xiao Luo. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir. It was my fault, please forgive me!¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him impassively, then ced his hand on the biker¡¯s shoulder and squeezed.


    The bearded biker shrieked in agony and fell to his knees with a thud, and so forcefully did he hit the ground, that he felt like his kneecap had fractured. His face was distorted by the intense pain and took the shade of pork liver as sweat poured from his forehead.


    Xiao Luo snorted and said, ¡°In my country, you need to be on your knees when you apologize. It makes it more sincere.¡±


    The other three bikers dared not to say a thing and shuddered as they thought about their friend¡¯s bad luck provoking such a frightening person.


    The bearded biker lifted his head and looked at Xiao Luo in terror, and he was almost weeping, but no tears fell.


    Xiao Luo tapped his shoulder with his gun and then pointed toward the car. ¡°Go wipe off your spit from my car,¡± he said, ¡°wipe it clean with your hands.¡±


    ¡°Mister, this is not Chinese hospitality. We were wrong, and we have already apologized. What you¡¯re asking is outrageous, I have the right to report you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,¡± the older man said, expressing his strong dissatisfaction.


    Xiao Luo red at him and snarled, ¡°You are living in your dreams. I¡¯m giving him two options, either he takes my bullet or wipes that disgusting thing off with his bare hands.¡±


    A man of honor would know what must be done and what must not be. Xiao Luo never once thought of himself as a man of honor, nor a good person. These four men had upset him, and he intended to return the favor.


    ¡°I oppose it!¡±


    BAM!


    Xiao Luo kicked the older man without hesitation, and he was left wailing miserably on the ground.


    It seemed this was the only way to educate these hooligans on behaving like a human being. He nced at the bearded biker, who instantly shivered in fear, burst out in cold sweat, and repeatedly nodded like a chick pecking on grains. ¡°I¡­ I-I¡¯ll wipe it off with my hands. I¡¯ll wipe it clean with my hands, please¡­¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 365 - Keep Up With The Trend

    Chapter 365: Keep Up With The Trend


    The bikers dutifully wiped the filth off the Trumpchi¡¯s window and even checked to make sure it was done thoroughly. Xiao Luo didn¡¯t make it any more difficult for them, but he left he advised them that they were in a foreign country and should be sensitive to local culture.


    Su Canye was in absolute awe by what he had seen and he asked, ¡°Err, Ice Face, about¡­ about that gun of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fake. It¡¯s a prop gun for filming purposes.¡±


    Xiao Luo casually tossed the Desert Eagle in Su Canye¡¯s hands. There were no bullets in it, so there was no need to worry about the gun going off by ident, and, moreover, he didn¡¯t expect Su Canye to be able to distinguish the difference between a fake and genuine gun.


    ¡°A prop gun?¡±


    Su Canye held the gun in his hands hesitantly and felt its weight several times. ¡°Are you sure? This thing is all metal, and its weight seems very real. It looks exactly like a real gun.¡±


    ¡°Have you held a real gun before?¡± Xiao Luo asked, forcing a smile.


    ¡°Nope. I ain¡¯t from the army, I¡¯ve no reason to hold a real gun.¡± Su Canye shook his head and answered in his usual candor.


    ¡°There you go¡­ prop guns are used in filming, so of course, they have to be made to look and feel as realistic as possible,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Su Canye nodded, seeing the logic behind Xiao Luo¡¯s exnation, and he asked, ¡°So, why are you carrying a prop gun with you then?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it in action just now?¡± Xiao Luo threw the question back at him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I did. Haha, that felt freakin¡¯ great. Those four bikers were so arrogant at first, but after they saw you pulling out the gun, they all turned into cowardly dogs. Looks like I have to carry a prop gun with me from now on,¡± Su Canye said. Thinking back on the incident earlier, Su Canye felt both relieved and ted. At first, he had looked down on his brother-inw. But after this one incident, he felt a lot closer to Xiao Luo now. ¡°By the way, brother-inw, why not you give me this prop gun. This way, I¡¯ll never have to be afraid of people finding trouble with me ever again.¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed and said, ¡°Not this one!¡±


    This was a real gun. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t just hand it over to this kid.


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°This prop gun is my¡­ my¡­¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡±


    ¡°My love token¡­ my love token with your sister,¡± Xiao Luo replied. It was the first thing that came up in his mind.


    ¡°This prop gun is your¡¯s and my sister¡¯s love token?¡±


    Su Canye was dumbfounded as he held the Desert Eagle in front of his eye and looked at it carefully. ¡°What the heck. I¡¯ve seen people use nes, hairpins, and rings as their love tokens, but I¡¯ve never seen people take a prop gun as their love token, you guys are too intense,¡± he said, ¡°but, wait¡­ didn¡¯t my sister marry you because you slept with her? So, howe you have a love token?¡±


    Xiao Luo felt his head spin. It was indeed true that by telling one lie, it would lead to telling a hundred more. He quickly decided to put a stop to it and said, ¡°I would rather not have to exin this so explicitly.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ as if I¡¯m willing to listen. Here, you can have it back.¡±


    Xiao Luo handed the Desert Eagle back to Xiao Luo, and instantly, he was back to his cocky self. He had his hands crossed in front of his chest with his legs spread apart as he leaned back on the seat like an old master.


    Throughout the entire conversation, Su Xiaobei switched her gaze between Su Canye, one moment, and then to Xiao Luo, the next.


    Xiao Luo put away the Desert Eagle and stole a nce at Su Canye through the rearview mirror, wondering why he had talked so much with this kid.


    Su Canye, who was fidgeting out of boredom, suddenly thought of something, and his facial expression brightened up. He poked his head to the front seat and said, ¡°Brother-inw, can I ask you for something?¡±


    ¡°Win back your car?¡± Xiao Luo said, seeing through his thoughts with a single nce.


    ¡°Hell, ¡®niubility.¡¯ I¡¯m seriously impressed that you guessed it. Yeah, that¡¯s it¡­ so, can you please?¡±


    Xiao Luo tly refused with a stern: ¡°No!¡±


    There was no way he would get involved, and besides, it was not like it would do him any good. He thought to himself, am I even that well acquainted with this kid?


    ¡°Please, brother-inw. Look, I¡¯m even calling you ¡®brother-inw.¡¯ Just do me this one favor, can you please? I saw you drifting today, and you¡¯re a pro, I tell you. You¡¯ll have absolutely no problem in winning back my Bentley for me,¡± Su Canye pleaded, lowered himself in a gesture of begging.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy. I don¡¯t have time,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing. I¡¯ve been checking you up, and you haven¡¯t even got a job yet. You¡¯re leeching off my sister every day so you can¡¯t be freer than this. You certainly can¡¯t be associated with the word ¡®busy.''¡±


    Su Canye decided to hard on Xiao Luo when he discovered that the soft approach didn¡¯t work. ¡°Are you gonna help me or not? If you refuse, I¡¯ll be giving you hard nuts to crack.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you wish.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Su Canye was stumped. He didn¡¯t expect that his ice-faced brother-inw could neither be enticed by the carrot nor beaten by the stick. But he wasn¡¯t going to stop there. It was a Bentley that he had lost, and it was worth more than 6 million dors. The thought itself would make his flesh crawl. He frequently had nightmares about that fateful night he lost the car and would wake up in a cold sweat. It was horrible.


    But, true to his nature, Su Canye had a n. He began giving hints to Su Xiaobei with his heart-rending puppy eyes, prompting her to plead for Xiao Luo¡¯s help as well. The innocent little girl was fooled by her maniptive uncle, and she went along with him. And, before he knew it, an incessant chorus of unbearable whines pierced Xiao Luo¡¯s ear.


    Xiao Luo got to experience how Sun Wukong must have felt in the novel, ¡°A Chinese Odyssey.¡± They were really like a pair of flies buzzing by his ears to the point where it drove him mad. It was unbearably annoying, but he didn¡¯t have the heart to shout at Su Xiaobei. So, in the end, hepromised and agreed to help Su Canye.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Su Li was on the phone with Shen Qingyan,ining to her about Su Canye losing his Bentley and asking her for help.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Li, that brother of yours is really naughty. This is already the third time, is it not?¡± Shen Qingyan¡¯s joyfulughter came across the line.


    Su Li held her forehead and let out a gentle sigh. ¡°This brother of mine really lets me down,¡± she said.


    ¡°You made him this way. He has such a doting sister who gives him everything, it¡¯ll be good if he can¡­ you know, grow up. Rx, leave the Bentley to me. In four days, those people will gather at the Wild Wolf Mountain again. Come with me and be my co-driver.¡±


    Su Li knitted her elegant eyebrows and eximed, ¡°What, I should go too?!¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯ll be night by then. Pull something over your clothes, and no one will recognize you. Besides, no one would ever guess that our big star will even visit a ce like the Wild Wolf Mountain,¡± Shen Qingyan said, smiling at the thought of having Su Li as her co-driver.


    ¡°Alright, then. It¡¯s been a while since I let my hair down.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, let¡¯s leave your brother aside and talk about you. Li, what¡¯s going on between you and that Xiao Luo guy? Did you seriously just marry him because you lost your virginity to him? That¡¯s a little old fashioned, isn¡¯t it?¡± This was one matter that had always puzzled Shen Qingyan.


    When Xiao Luo¡¯s name was mentioned, Su Li¡¯s eyes suddenly lost its sparkle. A bitter smile appeared on her face as she groaned, ¡°What should I do then? Aside from having eptable looks, he¡¯s literally a good-for-nothing. Since it¡¯s already happened by ident, I can only ept my fate and hope that he will gradually be a better man.¡±


    ¡°Li, I don¡¯t even know what I should say to you. We are in the 21st Century, and our mindsets have to keep up with the times. Why are you still being so virtuous like the women in ancient times who married the man they lost their virtues? If your fanse to know of this, won¡¯t they be stalking you and trying to rape you at all costs?¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Su Li¡¯s pretty face blushed, speechless.


    ¡­

 Chapter 366 - Kendo Gym

    Chapter 366: Kendo Gym


    It took another 15 minutes before they arrived at their destination¡ªthe Star Cloud Kendo Gym.


    The kendo gym was located on the third floor of amercial building. It was a spacious and open space with wood flooring and arge scroll on the wall facing the entrance. Along the sidewalls, countless banners were disyed extolling the ¡°Way of the Sword¡± and its virtues, and included many meaningful proverbs such as: ¡°find your true self within your sword,¡± and, ¡°Be strict with yourself and exercise patience.¡± The dojo was steeped in traditional kendo heritage, and they sensed it from the moment they arrive.


    Xiao Luo had nned to take Su Xiaobei directly to the theme park after dropping Su Canye off, but she had insisted on going up to have a look.


    Before they had even found a ce to sit, Su Canye immediately dashed toward an attractive girl who was sitting at the edge of the fighting area and watching a duel. Su Canye was like a busy bee picking pollen as he hovered around her doing his best to please her. He looked rather pathetic, bowing, and fawning over her, and he even offered her the imported chocte that he discreetly kept in his pocket.


    However, the girl did not seem the least interested in Su Canye and hardly gave him any attention other than returning a bow to him whenever he made one. She was undoubtedly more focused on the duel that was ongoing and literally regarded him as thin air.


    In the end, Su Canye returned looking dejected, unpacked the chocte, and ate it by himself. It was only a brief moment of silence, though, because he suddenly nudged Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Did you see her? That girl over there¡­ she¡¯s my girlfriend. Isn¡¯t she really pretty?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh¡­ yeah, she sure is.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded as he nced across to where she was seated and said, ¡°But she doesn¡¯t act like she¡¯s your girlfriend, and from what I saw, she clearly despises you. Are you sure you¡¯re a couple?¡± The girl was attractive¡ªshe had delicate facial features and a fairplexion, and although she was seated, one could tell that she had a slender and well-proportioned body.


    The problem with Su Canye was that he was spoilt and was constantly on an ego trip; he lived in a make-believe world, and that was something that Xiao Luo abhorred. So, when the opportunity arose, he decided not to hold back with his sarcasm. But, in reality, what he said was the truth, for, at a single nce, one could tell that this was a one-sided love affair. From the very moment they arrived, the girl did not once cast a nce at Su Canye.


    Su Canye immediately frowned. Suddenly losing his appetite, he gave the remainder of the chocte bar to Su Xiaobei, who had been looking at it longingly for a while now. He then turned to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Ice Face, you¡¯ll get yourself beaten up if you talk like this, you get me? Of course, she¡¯s my girlfriend; it¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t epted me yet. But, rest assured, she will ept my love sooner orter.¡± Then his expression softened, and he gushed, ¡°Just look at how gorgeous she is¡ªoval face, peach blossom eyes, small cherry lips, pointy nose¡­ she makes me cry just by how beautiful she is.¡±


    And then, he went on and on, intoxicated by his self-created fantasy.


    ¡°You¡¯re so shallow.¡± Xiao Luomented.


    Su Canye waved hisment off contemptuously with the sage expression of a venerable guru and responded, ¡°I am not going to argue with you, it¡¯s pointless. Let me give you some advice¡ªyour state of mind needs to be elevated, my friend. Come back and converse with me on this topic when you¡¯ve attained the same level that I have.¡±


    It would have been more urate to say that Xiao Luo was the one who¡¯d rather not have the discussion, and he quickly decided to focus all his attention on the ongoing duel in the middle of the gym.


    The two kendo practitioners, known in the gym as ¡°kend¨­ka,¡± wore protective training armor over their indigo kendo uniforms, which looked very much like a suit of traditional Japanese samurai armor. The protective gear consisted of fourponents¡ªthe ¡°men¡± face shield cum shoulder guard, the ¡°do¡± chest protector, ¡°kote¡± mitten gloves, and ¡°tare¡± groin protector. They were not wielding the ¡°shinai,¡± the traditional bamboo swords used for kendo practice, but were instead using the ¡°bokuto,¡± a heavy wooden sword that resembled the Japanese katana in weight and dimensions.


    The two men were almost simr in height and stature, and with both kitted up in the same ck kendo protective suits, it was difficult to tell them apart, and each man could only be identified by the character emzoned on their ¡°tare.¡± One of them had the character ¡°Crane,¡± while his opponent had the character ¡°Fly.¡±


    TAK! TAK! TAK!


    The two kend¨­kas were engaged in a fierce duel, and the wooden swords they held with both hands quivered with each sh of des that resounded across the gym.


    The man who had the character ¡°Crane¡± was evidently the better exponent. He struck his opponent on his ¡°men,¡± his wrists, his body armor, and even stabbed at his throat once. After each scoring strike, he¡¯d push his opponent away, this went on for the next few rounds, and soon the LED scoreboard was showing 6-0 in his favor, in an overwhelming testament to his skill.


    ¡°Awesome!!!¡±


    Every time he scored against his opponent¡¯s body, the members of the kendo gym would cheer ecstatically and apud loudly.


    ¡°He¡¯s really good, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Su Canye was seated next to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°That guy is amazing. He¡¯s already the fifth level in kendo. Aside from the kendo master, he holds the highest rank. Every time hees, he will definitely show off his skills in front of everyone and wees anyone to challenge him. Many confident guys have tried to challenge him, but they all ended up just like this guy¡­ totally buggered!¡±


    This was so unlike Su Canye, who typically would be bragging or putting others down, but the way he gushed about this particr fighter was enough to tell Xiao Luo that this person with the character, Crane, on his ¡°tare¡± was highly respected in this kendo gym.


    Xiao Luo appreciated the man¡¯s prowess for what it was, a skillful disy of sword technique and concentration. But the reality was that, with his Yi Jinjing, the constitution of the King of Mercenaries, and the eighteen dragon subduing palms abilities, it could bepared to an adult watching a pair of kids sparring¡ªwhile other children would worship the better fighter like a champion, an adult would merely smile appreciatively.


    Su Xiaobei was munching on her chocte and at her best behavior, standing beside Xiao Luo without making a sound as she attentively watched the sword duel in the center of the gym.


    Soon after, the duel ended, and the kend¨­ka with the character ¡°Fly¡± was beaten miserably with a score of 0 to 10. His opponent pulled him up from the ground, and when he took off his ¡°men,¡± his face was sullen as he despondently red at his opponent. The audience apuded heartily and gathered enthusiastically around the winner to congratte him. That the scene looked like a fight club did not escape Xiao Luo¡¯s attention, and he realized that this gym wasn¡¯t run like the traditional kendo dojo. He kept his thoughts to himself.


    ¡°Your girlfriend is on her way to hand someone a sweat towel,¡± Xiao Luo said, intentionally trying to stir up Su Canye¡¯s sentiments, and convinced that someone needed to open his eyes to the truth.


    Su Canye was already a step ahead of Xiao Luo, for he had certainly noticed the apple of his eye running out with the towel, and had a ready answer. ¡°That man is her gym senior and as a junior sister, shouldn¡¯t she be doing just that right after her senior brother has prevailed in a duel? I should do exactly the same too.¡±


    And with that, he immediately picked up a towel and sprinted across the floor like he was in a 100-meter dash and called out, ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯ve got a sweat towel for you here!¡±


    He made sure to give his senior brother the sweat towel before anyone else. In this way, he could prevent the girl of his dreams from showing her affection to another.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ this kid is quite cunning.¡±


    Xiao Luo had apletely new impression of Su Canye after seeing how quickly he hade up with such a devious but effective method to ay his concern.


    Su Xiaobei started tugging at the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s shirt and pouted her little lips as she had just finished eating her chocte. ¡°Wipe my mouth, please, Daddy,¡± she said.


    Seeing the chocte smudged all over her mouth, Xiao Luo chuckled and took out a soft tissue from his pocket, and carefully wiped her mouth clean.


    ¡°Daddy, where is uncle going to?¡± Su Xiaobei asked as she blinked her big eyes curiously.


    ¡°To give someone a sweat towel.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with a wry smile, folded the tissue, and looked around the gym, before walking toward a trash can.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    Su Xiaobei was extremely excited to be at the gym, and seeing her uncle running off like a hare, and being the little child that she was, she promptly started hopping forward after him.


    But at this moment, the man with the character ¡°Fly¡± pushed the crowd aside and was stomping angrily toward the exit with an awful expression on his face. He was clearly upset at losing the duel, showing no respect to the victor, and it was a poor disy of martial temperament. It was evident that this particr gym did not pay much attention to the ts of martial arts, but rather glorified fighting skills and winning.


    Su Xiaobei was happily skipping along and did not notice the angry man barging through. She identally cut through his path, and a powerful force bumped into her.


    Before the little girl could figure out what had happened, she tumbled heavily to the floor.


    ¡­

 Chapter 367 - Its You

    <h2>Chapter 367: It¡¯s You</h2>


    Su Xiaobei was sprawled on the floor, and tears were forming in her anguished eyes, threatening to spill at any time.


    Xiao Luo was still at the trash can saw this, and he immediately dashed toward Su Xiaobei like a gust of wind and helped her up from the floor.


    ¡°Daddy¡­sob, sob¡­¡±


    The little girl¡¯s face was twisted in pain, and tears kept on rolling down her cheeks.


    Su Canye also saw Su Xiaobei fall on the floor and immediately turned around, abandoning his task of delivering the sweat towel. Feeling anxious for the little girl, he asked, ¡°Little princess, are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°My knee, my knee hurts¡­¡± the little girl said, sniveling.


    Xiao Luo quickly rolled up her trousers to check, and there was a little bruise and some abrasion on her delicate skin. There was a thickyer of serum and traces blood where her skin had been scraped off, and it wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. The pain inflicted by such a wound would give Su Xiaobei a burning sensation. Xiao Luo often suffered from such injuries when he was young, and so, he knew what she was going through.


    ¡°Ice Face, stay here and take care of her. I¡¯ll go get some anti-septic cream from the pharmacy.¡±


    Su Canye¡¯s conduct was a revtion¡ªhe was extremely concerned about her injury and showed he cared very much about this niece of his. After checking on his niece, he hurriedly ran out of the gym. It was the first time Xiao Luo had seen him behave this way.


    Suddenly, the man who knocked Su Xiaobei down shouted, ¡°Hey, little girl, don¡¯t you look where you¡¯re running? And you¡­ you must be her father. Who allowed you to take her into the kendo gym? How can you allow her to run around, do you think this is a children¡¯s yground? Luckily, I pulled back in time, or else she¡¯d be badly hurt. Don¡¯t you know how to raise a child?!¡±


    Not only did he reprimand Su Xiaobei, he even went on to rebuke Xiao Luo haughtily.


    Su Xiaobei was traumatized, and she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears any longer. She had been careful not to run into anyone as she skipped down the gym; after all, everyone wasrger than her. Su Xiaobei knew for certain that she did not cross his path, so she couldn¡¯t figure out how she bumped into this man.


    Su Xiaobei was confused, and distress was written all over her tiny face as she teared up. Seeing the little girl in such a pitiful state was heart-wrenching.


    Xiao Luo felt provoked, and his anger was rising. He saw the entire incident from where he was disposing of the tissue. Su Xiaobei was a safe distance away from this man¡¯s path, and even if he did not notice Su Xiaobei, there was absolutely no way that they could¡¯ve bumped into each other. He could only have done it deliberately. This wasn¡¯t a kend¨­ka he was looking at; the man was behaving more like a thug.


    ¡°Venting your anger on a three-year-old child after losing a sword duel? Is this what you understand by the kendo way?¡± Xiao Luo sneered, intent on making an issue as he stood up and questioned the man harshly.


    When he heard that, the man became furious. The muscles on his face twitched as he scowled, ¡°What did you say, kid? I dare you to say that again!¡±


    He was already infuriated from the humiliating loss, and he wasn¡¯t about to let some youngster still wet behind the ears question his kendo way. How could he possibly tolerate this?


    ¡°Daddy, let¡¯s go, please¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei whispered to Xiao Luo as she held back her tears and tugged at his shirt. The angry man looked intimidating, and she was frightened just by looking at him. She didn¡¯t wish to stay there even for a second longer.


    Xiao Luo turned around, giving her a kind, gentle smile, and said, ¡°Wait, Daddy still has a few things to do.¡±


    When the man saw Xiao Luo turning to Su Xiaobei and speaking in a soft tone, he thought that Xiao Luo was being meek and backing off in fear. He suddenly became more boisterous and yelled, ¡°What, you wish to leave? You are not going anywhere until you apologize for that rude remark you made about me!¡±


    He was deeply embarrassed by his loss and saw this as a means to regain his dignity in the kendo gym. His haughty voice reverberated through the entire kendo gym.


    The crowd that was gathered around the victor, the kend¨­ka identified as ¡°Crane,¡± was attracted by themotion and cast eyes in their direction.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    A startled voice came from someone among the crowd¡ªthe man, ¡°Crane,¡± took off his head protector to reveal a decent-looking face with a gentle countenance. He was sweating, and his head was drenched from the vigorous sword fight, and he was, unmistakably, someone that Xiao Luo knew¡ªGuo Qinghe.


    Xiao Luo was a little startled, but he quickly regained himself and nodded with a half-smile. ¡°So, it¡¯s you, ss head.¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly recalled that Guo Qinghe was a keen kendo practitioner even back during university days and had the character ¡®Crane¡¯ embroidered on his tasset. He should¡¯ve expected to see Guo Qinghe in a ce like this.


    ss head?


    Senior brother Qinghe knows this guy?


    The kendo students were surprised, and those who initially wanted to express their opinions immediately held back. They wanted to know Senior Brother Qinghe¡¯s stand before they decided for themselves which side they would take.


    ¡°Yes, of course. You didn¡¯t tell me that you¡¯reing to Xiahai; it seems like you have no intention to see me.¡±


    Guo Qinghe patted Xiao Luo¡¯s arms as he made the snide remark. It seemed like he was chiding Xiao Luo for not contacting him¡ªlike it was ragging during university days. When he saw Xiao Luo, he had mixed emotions, and he was not happy about meeting him again. He turned to look coldly at the man, ¡°Fly,¡± and asked, ¡°Liu Fei, what happened just now? Why are you shouting?¡±


    Liu Fei had a nasty scowl on his face and was gritting his teeth, but from the look in his eyes, it was apparent that he was in awe of Guo Qinghe. He was feeling miserable after losing the duel 0 to 10, but, at the same time, he feared Guo Qinghe for the very same reason. He cautiously recounted the incident, albeit with some embellishments to justify his innocence. ording to his version, Su Xiaobei wasn¡¯t looking as she ran wildly about the gym, and she was the one who bumped into him. Taking the moral high-ground, he even raised Xiao Luo¡¯s part in not exercising his responsibility as her guardian.


    ¡°It¡¯s a child¡¯s nature to be active. If she wasn¡¯t looking at where she was running, couldn¡¯t you avoid her? Liu Fei, you can¡¯t be shirking away from the me now, have some sense and take more responsibility!¡± Surprisingly, the girl whom Su Canye liked, stepped forward, and criticized Liu Fei. But of course, her reaction was an emotional one, as she was merely taking Guo Qinghe¡¯s side on the matter. She expected that Guo Qinghe would know how to defend Liu Fei.


    The others nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re too petty, Liu Fei. How can you argue with a child?¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness, she¡¯s fine. Had you hurt her, Senior Brother Qinghe should punish you.¡±


    ¡°Just because you lost the duel, that doesn¡¯t mean you can vent your anger on a child.¡±


    Liu Fei was red-faced as the crowdunched into a tirade condemning his actions. Even his ears were flushed a deep red, and his nostrils were steaming up.


    Guo Qinghe frowned, waved his hand, and said, ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s not Liu Fei¡¯s fault.¡±


    When he said that, the students of the kendo gym, and especially Liu Fei, were taken aback. Wasn¡¯t Senior Brother Qinghe and the man before them ex-ssmates? Why was he siding with Liu Fei instead?


    Xiao Luo was dumbfounded, and he snorted audibly.


    Guo Qinghe smiled and said aloud, ¡°The kendo gym prohibits the entry of children under the age of five. This rule aims to allow our kend¨­kas to train with peace of mind and avoid idental injuries. Since a child had been brought in here, her parent should be responsible for looking after her and not letting her run around. Therefore, from this perspective, Liu Fei wasn¡¯t at fault; it is the fault of this old ssmate of mine.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 368 - I Need No Permission to Whack You

    <h2>Chapter 368: I Need No Permission to Whack You</h2>


    Guo Qinghe spoke with a tone of righteousness that came across as frank and unbiased. He appeared to disy no intention whatsoever of shielding his friend.


    The crowd was quiet for a few seconds, then the girl, whom Su Canye fancied, broke the silence. Sheughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Senior Brother Qinghe is right¡­ err, yes, the opinion I made earlier did not consider this important factor.¡±


    Although the others didn¡¯t echo her thoughts, their silence was deafening.


    Guo Qinghe smiled and patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders, ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t me me for not taking your side, but the kendo gym has its rules, and your daughter ran around in the training area. So, I express my most sincere apology that she was identally hurt, but, as you know, friends are friends, and business is business. The root cause of this incident is that you didn¡¯t look after your daughter well enough. Therefore, you have to take responsibility for that.¡±


    Liu Fei didn¡¯t expect that Guo Qinghe would take his side. But of course, he wasn¡¯t blind, and neither were the others. From the bodynguage, they could sense that, despite being former ssmates, Guo Qinghe and this young man seemed to have some kind of a misunderstanding.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he stared chillingly at Guo Qinghe, and mocked, ¡°So, then what should I do, ss head?¡±


    ¡°Business is business,¡±¡±friends are friends,¡± with such phrases being bandied around, he finally saw through Guo Qinghe¡¯s true nature. He was a hypocrite, posing as a person of high morals¡ªwhat he said was in contradiction with his actions. As Guo Qinghe had revealed the kind of person he was, Xiao Luo now felt that he did not have to give him any face, nor did he have to be mindful of their past rtionship as ex-ssmates.


    ¡°Do what? It¡¯s nothing, actually, just an ident. There¡¯s no need to amplify the issue. Let¡¯s just forget about it,¡± said Guo Qinghe.


    ¡°Forget about it? We can¡¯t just forget about it! He just insulted my dignity as a kend¨­ka. He must apologize to me!¡±


    Liu Fei shouted as he aggressively pointed his fingers at Xiao Luo. Now that he knew Guo Qinghe¡¯s stand on the incident, he decided that the path was clear for him to take matters into his own hands and insisted that Xiao Luo apologize to him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, did you humiliate him just now?¡± Guo Qinghe feigned to be surprised.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I think I did.¡±


    Xiao Luo said wryly. He was restraining himself for the moment and was just waiting for Su Canye to return.


    Guo Qinghe didn¡¯t notice the change in Xiao Luo¡¯s face at all. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°Then, I must say that you are the one who is responsible for all this. You shouldn¡¯t have insulted Liu Fei¡¯s dignity as a kendo practitioner, sigh¡­ I think you should apologize to him!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Did you hear that, kid? Hurry up and apologize to me!¡± Liu Fei had a smug expression on his face as he looked down his nose at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smirked derisively, raising one corner of his mouth. Then, he slowly shook his head as he eyed Liu Fei with a steady re.


    Su Canye came running into the gym, looking short of breath as he waved the tube of medication above his head. Panting heavily, he called out to Xiao Luo, ¡°Ice Face, I got it! Hurry up, bring the little princess over, I¡¯ll apply the cream on her.¡±


    Su Canye was already squatting down by the wooden bench next to the wall and was hurriedly unpacking the anti-septic medication.


    Xiao Luo immediately picked up Su Xiaobei and walked over, then carefully ced her on the bench. He stroked her head gently and said, ¡°Daddy needs to seek justice. Sit here and let uncle treat your wound.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The little girl was rmed and looked at Liu Fei, then back at Xiao Luo. Her eyes were filled with fear and anxiety.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Su Canye was treating the abrasion on Su Xiaobei¡¯s knee and didn¡¯t pay much attention to Xiao Luo. He assumed that Xiao Luo was just saying something tofort Su Xiaobei, but had he known that Xiao Luo was dead serious in what he said, he wouldn¡¯t have remained calm.


    After speaking to Su Xiaobei, Xiao Luo turned around and walked directly toward Liu Fei.


    Liu Fei heard what Xiao Luo had said to Su Xiaobei, and he sneered, ¡°Kid, have you taken the wrong medicine? Seek justice for her? You better stop dreaming and quickly apologize to me, or else, things will get ugly here.¡±


    ¡°If you are not on your knees to kowtow and apologize before I reach you, be prepared to bear the consequences!¡±


    Xiao Luo had a sinister smile on his face as he steadily stepped toward Liu Fei. He never considered himself a forgiving man, to begin with, and if anyone dared to bully him, they should be prepared to get down on their knees and repent.


    Suddenly, a strange aura emanated from Xiao Luo and a chill spread across the entire kendo gym, making everyone shudder in trepidation.


    Even Liu Fei sensed it, giving him the illusion that the young man who was walking towards him wasn¡¯t human, but a terrifying demon. He shook the thought from his head andughed maniacally. ¡°Hahaha¡­ so, it does look like you¡¯ve taken the wrong medicine. You want me to get on my knees? You better wake up; you must be talking in your sleep!¡±


    Guo Qinghe had no intention of stopping this spiraling conflict. When he learned that Xiao Luo was Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s boss during their alma mater reunion in Jiangcheng, inside him, he felt aggrieved that Xiao Luo had overshadowed his achievements. It was because of this that he had a deep-seated resentment toward Xiao Luo in his heart.


    ¡°HIYAH!


    Having lost miserably in the sword duel, then to be now taunted by some kid who did not know his ce, was too much for Liu Fei to bear. Infuriated, he finally lost his mind and charged at Xiao Luo with a deafening roar. He attacked with the wooden sword held high in both hands and intended to show Xiao Luo exactly how powerful a kendo exponent he was.


    Liu Fei¡¯s roar sounded like a p of thunder and reverberated across the gym. He dashed forward like a leopard and used the roar to gain the element of surprise, giving him a momentary edge in momentum and speed of attack. His raised wooden sword immediately stuck downward viciously on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. Even the strike of a wooden sword could still inflict damage and unbearable pain and was no different than by being hit by an iron rod.


    ¡°Nooooo¡­Daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was so frightened that she screamed and covered her eyes with her hands, not daring to look.


    THWACK!


    A loud, sickening thud followed as the wooden sword found its mark on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder.


    Xiao Luo snorted as he channeled a powerful wave of inner power outward, sending it surging through the wooden sword like a raging current.


    Lio Fei couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, and his face suddenly paled as he felt an overwhelming force flowing through the wooden sword that sted out, sending a shock of immense pain to his hands. He was thrown back even as the sword flew from his grip.


    What just happened?


    Liu Fei stared at his trembling arms inplete shock, and he was unable to grasp what had happened. He only knew that he hit the young man on his shoulder with the wooden sword, and the next thing, he was the one who was thrown back falling to the ground. How was this possible?


    The partisan crowd, including Guo Qinghe, gasped at what they saw. What had just happened made no sense at all.


    Xiao Luo nced at the wooden sword lying on the gym floor and extended his arm in its direction and spread his fingers wide. And, unbelievably, by employing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms¡¯ attraction force, the wooden sword flew into his hands through the air.


    ¡°GASP!¡±


    Everyone gasped again, this time in horror, and their jaws dropped as they stared at Xiao Luo in shocked silence. How was this even possible¡ªdid he use telekinesis?


    They felt like they were hallucinating, but no matter how many times they blinked their eyes, the wooden sword that had been lying on the floor was truly in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ what magic is this?¡±


    Liu Fei had forsaken his demeanor of self-righteousness and arrogance, and his face looked sallow, with his entire body breaking out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°No, this is martial arts!¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a wicked smile on his face, then, without any warning, he smashed the wooden sword across Liu Fei¡¯s right leg.


    ¡°AARGH¡­¡±


    Liu Fei howled miserably as the crunching blow instantly broke his right leg.


    ¡­

 Chapter 369 - Intensify

    Chapter 369: Intensify


    When Liu Fei¡¯s mournful wail reverberated across the vast kendo gym, the crowd was petrified, and their hairs stood on end. It was a gut-wrenching sight as his broken right leg was bent at an unnatural, awkward angle.


    Everyone in the kendo gym was terrified as they looked at Xiao Luo with fear in their eyes. To break someone¡¯s leg just because of a misunderstanding was simply vicious. Just who was he, a gangster? Perhaps only gangsters would behave so cruelly in their conduct.


    Guo Qinghe was astounded, and he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. He always saw Zhang Dashan as the troublesome one who yed the bad guy¡¯s role, endlessly engaging in fights and brawls, literally unafraid of anything. On the other hand, Xiao Luo was on the exact opposite¡ªhe had a restrained personality and wouldn¡¯t cause trouble unnecessarily, nor would he be willing to do so. But what was going on now? He broke Liu Fei¡¯s right leg right without a second thought and seemed to have mastered some form of martial arts to have gained such unfathomable powers.


    Had Zhang Dashan been there, he would definitely have told Guo Qinghe that his understanding of Xiao Luo was all wrong. It was true that Xiao Luo would never cause trouble, nor would he be willing to do so, but the one critical factor that Guo Qinghe had overlooked was that there was a limit to Xiao Luo¡¯s patience, and once that line was crossed, even if one was the Jade Emperor, Xiao Luo would not back down until he had that person groveling before him.


    ¡°You whacked me once, I whack you back once¡ªso, it is fair and square.¡±


    Then, Xiao Luo gave Liu Fei a chilling re and said, ¡°But you intentionally knocked down my little girl, that¡¯s uneptable. So, you¡¯re still going to have to get a kick for it, and after that, I shall call it even.¡±


    When Liu Fei heard that, his soul almost jumped out of his body. Even a blow from him with a wooden sword had broken his leg, what would a kick do to him, would his other leg be broken too? He shook his head in terror, raising his hands in supplication to plead with Xiao Luo and said in a shaky voice, ¡°No¡­ no¡­ I apologize, I¡¯m sorry, please¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s viciousness and strengthpletely broke Liu Fei¡¯s will to resist, and he broke down in tears.


    ¡°Toote for that,¡± Xiao Luo snarled, shaking his head and giving Liu Fei a grimacing smile.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Guo Qinghe shouted then quickly ran towards Xiao Luo to stop him. He stared sternly at Liu Fei on the floor and said, ¡°Enough is enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at him impassively, and with the smile still on his face, he delivered a fierce kick right into Liu Fei¡¯s face. A stream of blood gushed from Liu Fei¡¯s mouth, and, along with it, a tooth flew out as well. Liu Fei passed out before he could even scream.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Guo Qinghe¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and bulging like they¡¯d burst as he stared at Xiao Luo with unrestrained anger. Having been ustomed to the prestige that went along with the post of the ss head, he prided himself on having a great reputation among his university ssmates. Xiao Luo¡¯s actions, undoubtedly, told Guo Qinghe that his words now meant nothing.


    ¡°This is between him and me, so stay out of it.¡±


    Xiao Luo warned him with an air of indifference. Guo Qinghe¡¯s response had been unreasonable and callous toward the incident, so Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t too concerned about how he felt. Besides, he was already certain that Guo Qinghe was no more than a hypocrite who was hoping that he¡¯d embarrass himself by getting beaten up. It was no longer necessary to be polite to such a devious serpent.


    ¡°He is a member of our kendo gym, and as the kendo gym¡¯s senior, your actions are making it difficult for me.¡±


    Guo Qinghe spoke loudly and seemed somewhat flustered. He then appeared to lose control of his emotions and said, ¡°Besides, you are the one at fault. You should not have brought your daughter here in the first ce, let alone allow her the run around inside the kendo gym. Luckily, she only hurt her knee, but even if she ended up being severely wounded, you are the one who asked for it, and no one else should be med. You also shouldn¡¯t be giving the excuse that she¡¯s still a little kid, and instead, that you should admit that you¡¯re wrong. Learn from this and don¡¯t make the same mistake again!¡±


    ¡°Admit my mistake? Was I wrong?¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    ¡°Most certainly. You shouldn¡¯t have brought your daughter into the kendo gym!¡± Guo Qinghe kept harping on that point, knowing he had little else to go on.


    Xiao Luo responded, ¡°You mentioned that the kendo gym prohibits the entry of children below the age of five, but I¡¯ve looked around the gym, so why haven¡¯t I seen a single sign that says that? Since it is prohibited, as you say, then it has to be put up somewhere. My guess is that this is just a rule you made up, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go judging others by your own low morals. Everyone knows that the kendo gym prohibits the entry of children. Senior Brother Qinghe is a righteous man, so I don¡¯t understand how he can have such an unreasonable and delusional ssmate like you! You are tarnishing his image,¡± the girl, whom Su Canye fancied, came forward and ranted at Xiao Luo.


    After her tirade, the other students of the kendo gym followed suit and criticized Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I did sympathize with him at first, but I didn¡¯t expect him to be such a cruel person. I don¡¯t have any pity for his daughter anymore.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Senior Brother Qinghe is always righteous, and his skill in kendo is also excellent. How can someone as brilliant as him have such a contemptible ssmate with such a foul attitude?¡±


    ¡°An adult is not necessarily at fault when a child is knocked down, and he looks like he¡¯s making a case for moral coercion. We reject it!¡±


    All of a sudden, everyone was pointing their fingers at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Wait a minute, I have been here for almost two months now. How is it that I never knew such a rule existed at all?¡±


    Su Canye¡¯s unique shrilling voice pierced the hubbub of rants. Although he was frightened by Xiao Luo¡¯s act of assault, at the moment of truth, he stood by Xiao Luo¡¯s side without hesitation.


    The girl he fancied shouted, ¡°Are two months really that long? There are still a lot of things that you don¡¯t know. Su Canye, you have no business here. Shut up!¡±


    She somehow seemed to have an instant effect on Su Canye as he zipped his lips immediately.


    ¡°Tuyun, hurry up and dial 120 for an ambnce. Liu Fei can¡¯t wait too long,¡± Guo Qinghe said to her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Wang Tuyun quickly took out her phone and dialed 120.


    Xiao Luo nced at Su Canye meaningfully and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Time to wake up, buddy,¡± he said.


    It was obvious that Wang Tuyun was into Guo Qinghe. No matter how much Su Canye put in, he could notpare to even Guo Qinghe¡¯s little finger. The point Xiao Luo was making was, why waste time and feelings on such a girl?


    Xiao Luo had seen enough. He tossed the wooden sword aside and walked back to Su Xiaobei, preparing to leave with her.


    ¡°Stand right where you are!¡± Guo Qinghe shouted.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Xiao Luo responded, turning around to face Guo Qinghe.


    Feeling disgruntled, Guo Qinghe snarled, ¡°What, you want to leave just like that after breaking someone¡¯s leg?¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to even offer a response and turned to walk back toward Su Xiaobei.


    Guo Qinghe became infuriated, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrobly. ¡°Stop him!¡± he shouted.


    Immediately, more than 20 students of the kendo gym descended on Xiao Luo, dashing to the exit and forming a fan-shaped barrier to block Xiao Luo¡¯s path.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can just leave after you¡¯ve injured someone. You have to follow us to the police station,¡± Wang Tuyun hissed.


    Xiao Luo ignored her but, instead, he turned around and looked at Guo Qinghe with questioning eyes.


    Guo Qinghe stepped forward pompously and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, although you and I were ssmates, you have really gone overboard this time. I must hand this matter over to the police.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already called the police, and they will be arriving soon,¡± Wang Tuyun added, eyeing Xiao Luo indignantly.


    ¡­

 Chapter 370 - Why Not You Try

    <strong>Chapter 370: Why Not You Try</strong>


    Xiao Luo nced contemptuously at the rank of kendo students blocking his way and said, ¡°And, what if I insist on leaving?¡±


    ¡°Then we will all subdue you and hand you over to the police!¡±


    Wang Tuyun said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what demonic martial arts you have mastered, but although we are no match for you alone, collectively as a group, we can drown you just by spitting on you. We also have Senior Brother Qinghe here to back us up, so there¡¯s no way you can walk out of this kendo gym.¡±


    She had her chest puffed up, and she was very confident.


    ¡°Sure, you can try¡­ why not?¡±


    Xiao smirked, and his eyes gleamed with a cold light.


    When Xiao Luo stared at the kendo students, they unconsciously took a step back as their hearts shuddered for a moment in unease. The prowess of this stranger in front of them defied logic. He had the inner power that their master had once told them about and was even capable of using some kind of telekinesis-like force. With such powers, he could very well go against their master himself. With such thoughts in their minds, they couldn¡¯t decide what to do and nced nervously at their master¡¯s favorite disciple, Guo Qinghe, hoping for some guidance.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you really going to force me to attack you?¡± Guo Qinghe said.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and remarked, ¡°Guo Qinghe, stop pretending to be a gentleman. I bet you had wanted to put me in my ce even during our gathering in Jiangcheng, only you couldn¡¯t find a chance to do so. Now that opportunity has presented itself to you, how could you possibly let go of it? I don¡¯t remember there being any bad blood between us, so if there¡¯re any issues, it could only be caused by your inted ego. For our ssmates that are doing worse than you, you¡¯d treat them as friends. For those more sessful, they would be your rivals. Am I correct?¡±


    With his true character revealed by Xiao Luo so urately, Guo Qinghe felt like he was standing naked before everyone¡¯s watchful eyes and became self-conscious. He was suddenly ovee by a sense of indignation and humiliation, and he sumbed to his rage. Ominously, he gritted his teeth and called for his sword.


    Wang Tuyun responded and hastily ran to fetch the weapon. When she returned, she held a western-style sword in her hands.


    It was not a wooden one, but a real sword that could cut through the human flesh. It was a rapier, a slender dueling sword with a straight de about 100 centimeters in length. It had an borate hilt, and its single-edged de was made of tempered steel, fullered and tapered to a sharp pointed tip. The de gleamed under the indoor lighting, revealing a well-honed edge that looked razor-sharp. It would easily pierce or slice through flesh, causing a terrible wound and great loss of blood.


    Guo Qinghe looked fierce as he pointed his sword at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°I¡¯m asking you onest time. Do you wish to leave or stay here and wait until the police arrive?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯ve decided to use a real sword, but why not a katana, I wonder?¡±


    As far as Xiao Luo was concerned, this sword effectively wiped off thest vestiges of their friendship. Henceforth, Guo Qinghe would be excluded from the list of the people that he considered friends.


    Suddenly, Su Xiaobei squeezed her way through the crowd and ran to Xiao Luo. He clung on to his thigh and holding back her tears, she pleaded, ¡°Uncles, aunties, please don¡¯t hurt my daddy. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have run around in this ce.¡±


    Her voice was that of a child, but her mind was much more matured than other children her age. Seeing so many angry people surrounding Xiao Luo and fearing for his wellbeing, she did the only she could to save her daddy.


    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re not supposed to be here, go away!¡± Wang Tuyun snapped.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t¡­ he¡¯s my daddy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. These people can¡¯t do anything to Daddy.¡±


    Xiao Luo ruffled her head affectionately and then gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. Su Xiaobei¡¯s concern for his safety made his heart melt, and he couldn¡¯t help feeling that they were truly father and daughter.


    These words riled up the kendo students, and their expressions darkened. They were outraged that even with their senior brother armed with a sword, he dared to look down on them with impunity.


    ¡°Su Canye,e and take Xiaobei away.¡± Su Canye was still in a daze, standing not far away, and Xiao Luo had to shout to get his attention.


    ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ okay, okay.¡±


    Su Canye quickly made his way there by squeezing through the crowd, then promptly took Su Xiaobei away.


    As soon as Su Xiaobei left, the aura on Xiao Luo¡¯s body suddenly intensified. A demon had broken free from its shackles, and his cruel, brutal side was revealed to the people.


    He raised his head and shed a devilish smile. ¡°Guo Qinghe, you may begin¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s taunt riled up Guo Qinghe, and he was provoked to action.


    Guo Qinghe seethed with a burning hatred and dropped all pretenses. Calling on his students, he shouted, ¡°Attack him, all together! Bring him down and hand him over to the police!¡±


    But no one took a step forward, they were all waiting or someone else to make the first move. After Xiao Luo¡¯s merciless disy of strength earlier, they were deterred for a good reason.


    In a show of loyalty and affection, Wang Tuyun hollered and led the charge to take down Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You, with the surname Xiao! Our kendo gym isn¡¯t a ce for someone like you to run rampant!¡±


    Charging in, she raised her wooden sword high and smashed it down to strike Xiao Luo¡¯s head with great force.


    Xiao Luo showed no concern and didn¡¯t appear to even take guard or evaisve4 action. Suddenly, he thrust his palm outward, and a wave of energy surged from within and sted outward to send Wang Tuyun sailing back through the air for some three to four meters. Without even making any contact with her body, he had easily dispatched her. She spat out a mouthful of blood as shey sprawled on the floor, and her wooden sword was broken in half; such was the force of Xiao Luo¡¯s inner power.


    ¡°GASP!¡±


    The crowd was stunned and appalled that Xiao Luo would go so hard on a delicate girl like Wang Tuyun.


    Wang Tuyun herself couldn¡¯t believe it either, and her eyes wide open with shock as she looked at Xiao Luo in horror. An overwhelming sense of anger and shame followed, as, while she was no match for him, she had thought that with her fair looks, Xiao Luo would at least show some mercy. This was far from the truth, for Xiao Luo did not think so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and looke at me, all of you. How are you going to subdue me and hand me over to the police if you don¡¯t make a move?¡± Xiao Luo mocked.


    The kendo students looked at each other, found their courage, and roared in unison as they descended on Xiao Luo. With wooden swords in their hands, they applied what they had learned in the kendo gym and put it into an actual fight. They still had a firm belief that they could ovee Xiao Luo with the advantage of numbers.


    Xiao Luo met them with his bare fist. The scene looked like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep, no matter how many sheep there were, their only fate was a ughter.


    The kendo students were knocked to the ground one after another¡ªsome were holding their stomach, while others were clutching their chests or legs, and they were all groaning in agony. Xiao Luo had only used three-tenths of his inner power to perform the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. There were now only five or six students remaining, he struck them all at once, and they were thrown back, shrieking in pain, beforending heavily on the floor and vomiting blood.


    Guo Qinghe was thest to attack. He had sent his students into the skirmish first to observe Xiao Luo¡¯s movements, and he finally found an opening. Just when Xiao Luo dispatched the remaining five or six people, he unleashed his sword attack. It was the way of the sword that he had learned all his life, and as he became one with his sword, he swept across space like a ray of cold light.


    SHING~


    The rapier whizzed through the air in intricate patterns of lunges and shes that were fast, urate, and ruthless. With lighting speed, the sharp tip of the de suddenly thrust toward Xiao Luo¡¯s chest in a disy of consummate skill.


    Xiao Luo kept his eye on the de and smiled contemptuously as he easily evaded the strikes. When the final thrust was executed, Xiao Luo raised his right hand and concentrating his inner power between his index finger and middle finger. Just before the de pierced into his chest, Xiao Luo caught the tip of the rapier, mping tightly between two upright fingers, and it was unable to move another centimeter forward or back.


    Guo Qinghe¡¯s eyes bulged in horror, and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat, staring at his trapped sword in disbelief.


    Xiao Luo had just stopped a full-blooded sword thrust by clipping it between his two fingers. How was that even possible?!

 Chapter 371 - Cruelty

    Chapter 371: Cruelty


    The de of the rapier was still lodged fast between Xiao Luo¡¯s two fingers.


    It was a shocking sight, and no one had expected a scene simr to a martial arts movie to y out right before their very eyes. The kendo students, sprawled on the floor after being beaten down by Xiao Luo, were all struck dumb. The sword thrust by Senior Brother Qinghe, a level five kendo exponent, was deadly and not to be trifled with. Even their master would not have dared to attempt to face such an attack head-on without his sword in hand.


    ¡°Oh, Gawd, Ice Face is a grandmaster in martial arts!¡±


    Su Canye was dumbfounded as he watched Xiao Luo confront his attackers. He knew about Inner Power and was aware that such people existed in the martial arts world, and one of them being the master of this very kendo gym. Their master had once performed a stunt of slicing apart a stack of wooden nks using the qi energy of the sword. Su Canye did not just join the gym to woo the girl he fancied, he was, in fact, willingly attending kendo training as he aspired to be a grandmaster himself one day.


    Su Xiaobei was seated on the bench behind Su Canye, and like him, her pair of big round eyes were gazing at Xiao Luo in astonishment.


    As Guo Qinghe tried to dislodge his trapped de, the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth once again lifted into a wry smile. With a quick twist of his wrist, the tip of Guo Qinghe¡¯s sword snapped off, apanied by the sound of a metallic clink. An immense force immediately surged along the de to Guo Qinghe¡¯s hands.


    CLINK!


    Guo Qinghe¡¯s arm immediately went numb, and the sword dropped from his hand. He stumbled off four or five steps before he regained his footing. As he looked up, he saw Xiao Luo ring at him and tossing the broken tip of his sword aside.


    ¡°So, do you still want to fight?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was cold and murderous. His words sent a chill down everyone¡¯s spine and left them shaking in fear.


    Guo Qinghe was very afraid, and it was then that he suddenly realized that he had never understood Xiao Luo. However, as frightened as he was, he couldn¡¯t ept that Xiao Luo had be so powerful to the extent that he could snap his sword with his bare hands. There was only one thing that he was more concerned with, and it came down to his perceived dignity. With a grim expression on his troubled face, he lunged forward with a ferocious cry, intent on taking Xiao Luo down even without his sword.


    ¡°Arrogant fool!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth formed into a scornful smirk as he moved in like a phantom, throwing Guo Qinghe off momentum, and smashed his clenched right fist into his opponent¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°OOOFPH!¡±


    Guo Qinghe grunted in agony as blood spurted from his mouth. He was winded from the body blow, and this time, he flew backward and was left slumped on the floor, his body bent in spasms as he held his stomach in pain. His face became distorted from the excruciating pain, and he let out several guttural groans as he felt like every organ in his body had ruptured.


    In a way, Xiao Luo felt somewhat vexed that Guo Qinghe had disregarded his warning, so he no longer felt the obligation to go easy on him.


    He stepped across to where Guo Qinghey and looked at him with no emotions on his face. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect our first meeting in Xiahai to be like this, did you? Well, me neither. You were our ss head, and you¡¯ve even helped me apply for bursaries when we were in university, and I really respected you. Ask yourself why things ended up this way. The problem isn¡¯t me, I never wanted to be your enemy. But, what you¡¯ve done is disappointing¡ªand as for who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong, that is something we already know.¡±


    Guo Qinghe struggled to get up, his body quivering and half-bowed as he endured the intense pain. He winced but managed a grin and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, s-stop pretending¡­ if I knew that you were such a cruel person, I wouldn¡¯t h-have helped. You ingrate! Trash like you b-belong to the bottom of society and d-deserve to be spurned forever. C-curse you!¡±


    ¡°Ungrateful? Trash?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled devilishly and thenughed aloud, acting that he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. ¡°You said it so profoundly that I even believed in it. But, please realize, you are not qualified toment on the kind of person I am.¡±


    After he said those words, his expression turned icy cold, and he mmed his foot into Guo Qinghe¡¯s chest.


    ¡°AAARGH!¡± It was like being hit by a speeding car, and Guo Qinghe was lifted off the ground and sailed back a distance. This time, it was a heavier blow, and Guo Qinghe¡¯s chest exploded in searing pain with blood trickling from his nose.


    Xiao Luo once again walked up to him like he was taking a stroll. He lowered his head and asked again, ¡°Do you submit?¡±


    Guo Qinghe¡¯s mouth twitched, and a look of terror filled his eyes, but his pride and anger prevailed. Being the former ss head, he always felt that he was above any of his ssmates in every aspect. But, in Xiao Luo¡¯s case, not only did he have a more sessful career, he was even more capable in martial arts. Guo Qinghe simply refused to ept it.


    ¡°I¡­ I will never be afraid of you¡­ I will never submit!¡±


    ¡°Then I shall keep whacking you until you do.¡±


    Without further warning, Xiao Luo immediately sent Guo Qinghe flying in the air once again.


    The kendo students were in despair as they watched Guo Qinghe being kicked back and forth like a football. Screams of anguish would follow every sickening blow, and everyone cringed in horror. He was badly bruised all over his body, and even his kendo gi was now torn and tattered.


    ¡°This is cruel. Isn¡¯t Ice Face afraid that the cops will invite him over for tea?¡±


    Su Canye muttered to himself as he formed a fresh new perspective of Xiao Luo. The man may look gentle but became terrifying when provoked. He vowed to himself that he would never make Xiao Luo angry again, as he didn¡¯t want to end up like Guo Qinghe.


    Suddenly, a shrill voice pierced the air: ¡°Stop, or this little girl will have it from me!¡±


    Su Canye turned to the direction of the voice, and he was stunned. The girl whom he fancied, Wang Tuyun, had sneaked around the crowd and now held Su Xiaobei captive. She had Su Xiaobei¡¯s neck in a chokehold with her right hand and appeared to be using some force as the little girl¡¯s face was flushed, and she was crying in pain.


    ¡°Wang Tuyun, release her now!¡±


    Su Canye yelled in a panic. He would never allow anyone to hurt Su Xiaobei, regardless of whether Wang Tuyun was the girl of his dreams.


    ¡°Shut up, you have no ce to speak here!¡± she hissed.


    Wang Tuyun wore a deranged and frightful expression as she red Su Canye. Then, she turned to re at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Do you hear me? Stop right now!¡±


    ¡°D-daddy¡­sob, sob.¡±


    Su Xiaobei¡¯s anguished voice wasced in pain as tears rolled down her face copiously.


    A raging fury welled up Xiao Luo, and he red ominously at Wang Tuyun. ¡°Release her now, and I will let you go. If you don¡¯t, I will kill you!¡±


    A murderous aura emanated from his body, and a chill permeated through the entire kendo gym. Suddenly, there was a deathly lull.


    The crowd cowered as they could sense his overwhelming intent to kill.


    ¡­

 Chapter 372 - : No Hoots Given

    <strong>Chapter 372: No Hoots Given</strong>


    Despite standing a distance of seven or eight meters away, Xiao Luo could still see the marks made on Su Xiaobei¡¯s tender neck by Wang Tuyun¡¯s sharp fingernails. This made his heart boil and put him on the edge of insanity.


    Wang Tuyun was trembling, but for the sake of the man she loved, she was willing to do everything she could. She kept her grip firmly on Su Xiaobei¡¯s neck and shouted, ¡°Hold Senior Brother Qinghe up, tie your own hands and feet with that rope over there, and then I¡¯ll release her. Otherwise, do not me me if anything happens to this girl!¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she exerted more pressure on her grip. Su Xiaobei¡¯s face swelled up and turned red in agony. She tried her best to struggle, wanting to free herself from Wang Tuyun¡¯s restraint, but she was only a four-year-old child, and there was little she could do against an adult.


    ¡°You bitch, let go of her!¡± Su Canye shouted; he was furious and was pacing back and forth, unsure of what to do.


    Wang Tuyun screamed back in response, ¡°Shut up, you good-for-nothing. Don¡¯t you think I know that you¡¯re trying to pursue me? Get a mirror and look at yourself! You are nothing than a filthy mud loach, and you can¡¯tpare to senior brother Qinghe, not even to a strand of his hair. What makes you qualified to woo me?¡± Wang Tuyun was deranged and had lost her ability to reason. Her beautiful countenance was now distorted by anger, and she no longer looked that pretty.


    Su Canye¡¯s face darkened, alternating between shades of purplish and green. He finally understood what Xiao Luo meant by ¡°wake up.¡± This woman wasn¡¯t worthy of him at all, and no matter how much time and money he invested, he would still be inferior to the beckoning call of Guo Qinghe¡¯s index finger.


    ¡°You with the surname Xiao, You better¡­¡±


    Wang Tuyun was about tosh out a few more harsh words, but when she turned her head toward Xiao Luo again, she nearly jumped in fright, because Xiao Luo was suddenly standing right before her eyes like he had used teleportation, and he was staring at her with a terrifying look on his face.


    In a sh, Xiao Luo had his hand around her throat, pressing on her critical pressure points. His hand had grasped her neck as quickly as a striking viper.


    The chokehold was immensely strong, and Wang Tuyun was suffocating instantly!


    Wang Tuyun released Su Xiaobei instinctively, as she tried to force Xiao Luo¡¯s hand off her throat, thumping and scratching at his arm. But her efforts were futile, and she suddenly felt her feet being lifted off the ground, and even when she tried to go on tiptoes, her feet could no longer touch solid ground. She felt like her windpipe was being ripped out, and her lungs were about to burst at any time. The pain was excruciating, and she couldn¡¯t breathe or say a word.


    Su Canye quickly ran up and grabbed Su Xiaobei then took her aside before he carefully inspected her neck.


    Xiao Luo saw the bruise marks on the little girl¡¯s neck, there were abrasions, and parts of her skin were punctured by the sharp nails with a bit of blood oozing out.


    Xiao Luo smiled at Su Xiaobei gently and said, ¡°Bei Bei, close your eyes, and don¡¯t look.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡±


    The little girl nodded and whimpered sadly, but she still obeyed as she duly closed her eyes.


    ¡°Take care of her. Do not let her be held captive again.¡± Xiao Luo turned to Su Canye and spoke.


    Su Canye nodded resolutely as he knew that it was his own negligence that led to this. He would never let anyone hurt Su Xiaobei again.


    Xiao Luo then gave Wang Tuyun a sinister stare and broke into a terrifyingugh. Wang Tuyun was still struggling to escape his hold, as Xiao Luo extended his hand in the direction of a distant object, and once again, and the broken tip of Guo Qinghe¡¯s sword flew into his hand incredibly.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡­ what are you going to do?¡±


    A short distance away, Guo Qinghe, lying on the ground like a dying dog, was in a panic and shouted, ¡°She is the kendo master¡¯s daughter. If you dare to hurt her, he will never let you off that easily! Don¡¯t do anything silly!¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored his pleas, and before anyone realized what was happening, the broken tip of the sword was brought down in a sh, and there was blood everywhere. Xiao Luo had taken off one of Wang Tuyun¡¯s limbs, and blood spurted like a fountain from the stump that was once her arm. A thick scent of blood permeated throughout the entire kendo gym.


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡±


    Wang Tuyun wailed miserably as she struggled with the realization that she had lost her arm, and tears of fear and anguish poured out from her eyes uncontrobly. She stared at Xiao Luo in horror¡ªhe was a demon, a terrifying bloodthirsty demon. She could feel pain down to her core, and the scent of death added to her endless despair.


    The other kendo students were horrified, and their faces turned a ghostly pale as they trembled uncontrobly.


    This young man had brought mayhem to their gym. First, he broke Liu Fei¡¯s right leg, then he thrashed their senior Guo Qinghe, and now, he chopped off Wang Tuyun¡¯s arm without a second thought. Such a bloody scene left everyone shaking in fear, and Su Canye was no exception. Su Canye now knew why Xiao Luo had asked Su Xiaobei to close her eyes. But what he couldn¡¯t understand was that they were living in a society under the rule ofw, then, why wasn¡¯t he afraid of getting sentenced?


    ¡°Y-you¡­!¡±


    Guo Qinghe spat out a gob of blood. He was inconsble, for Wang Tuyun was his lover. They had had an adulterous rtionship for some time now, and, despite having a wife, Wang Tuyun¡¯s ce in his heart was something that even his wife couldn¡¯t substitute. Xiao Luo¡¯s cruel actions exasperated him, and Wang Tuyun¡¯s critical condition rendered him heartbroken. Despite being daunted by Xiao Luo, he wished he could dismember him right now.


    SWISH~


    Suddenly, the same broken de streaked like a flying sword across the hall and stabbed Guo Qinghe deep in his shoulder. The inner power that sent the broken de flying through the air also carried him backward and impaled him firmly on the wall.


    Guo Qinghe howled dreadfully.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Xiao Luo released his choke on Wang Tuyun, who was only half alive and hurled her across to Guo Qinghe like a sandbag. Wang Tuyun simultaneously gasped from being able to breathe again and shrieked miserably from her horrific crash into his impaled body. The entire kendo gym turned into purgatory, and Guo Qinghe and Wang Tuyun were like two lost souls being tortured.


    ¡°So, once again, what did I do?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked Guo Qinghe with a cruel smile on his face. For the crowd looking on, his smile was no different to a devil¡¯s sinister grin, leaving them horrified and trembling in fear.


    Guo Qinghe finally understood what fear really meant. Xiao Luo¡¯s cruelty had smashed his resilience and any resistance he had left in his heart.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I was ungrateful? Didn¡¯t you use me of being cruel? Well, since you were convinced that I was, I had to show it to you. So, are you not nning to say anything else to me? I can ept anything, even if I¡¯m not that kind of person, I can be like him immediately,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You¡­ m-monster¡­!¡±


    Guo Qinghe was quivering with rage and fear, but he managed to utter those words.


    ¡°I like that nickname,¡± Xiao Luo remarked.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t give a hoot¡ªit didn¡¯t matter who was right or wrong, whether he was being cruel or not, or whether his actions contravened thew. He only knew that he loved Su Xiaobei like his own daughter, and whoever harmed her would be seen as his enemy and would have to bear with his rage.


    At that moment, a bespectacled man in his fifties walked through the kendo gym entrance dressed in a Japanese kimono. His hair was almost white, and he stood at about 1.6 meters tall, but he had an imposing demeanor, the kind that was borne of power, and was capable of instilling fear in people.


    The middle-aged man looked around, scanning the kendo gym¡¯s chaotic condition and suddenly shouted, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened here?!¡±


    He spoke haltingly, precisely like how a Japanese person would speak in Chinese on TV dramas, and, as it turned out, he was Japanese.


    His eyes widened in shock, for he suddenly noticed Guo Qinghe impaled on the wall and Wang Tuyun on the ground next to him with blood all over her body and her arm severed. He dropped the katana the was holding, and for a moment, he felt his soul leave his body.


    ¡°F-father¡­¡±


    Wang Tuyun reached out with her good arm to him and called out in a frail voice. She had lost a lot of blood, and her face was ghostly pale.


    ¡­

 Chapter 373 - The Asou family

    Chapter 373: The Asou family


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    The middle-aged man screamed in agony and ran towards Wang Tuyun, he knelt on the ground and immediately tore a strip of cloth from his clothes to make a tourniquet around her severed arm, bleeding profusely.


    The moment the ambnce arrived, paramedics frantically rushed out with the stretcher. When they got into the kendo gym and saw the scene inside, they looked at each other in shock. One of them said, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that there¡¯s only a person with a fractured right leg? There two more grievously wounded casualties here and the youngdy even has her arm chopped off, what the heck is going on?¡±


    ¡°Save my daughter now!¡±


    The middle-aged man was distraught and roared anxiously at the paramedics.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll get to it immediately, sir.¡±


    Wang Tuyun had been inflicted with the most severe injury, and she had lost a lot of blood; this was life-threatening, and she could lose her life if not treated right away. The paramedics were aware of priorities and immediately attended to Wang Tuyun first.


    The paramedics stabilized Wang Tuyun¡¯s condition as best they could and stretchered her to the ambnce as quickly as possible. The ambnce could only transport two stretcher-cases, and Guo Qinghe was to be moved next, but he refused and, instead, asked the paramedics to give the remaining spot on the ambnce to Liu Fei as he had passed out earlier. Before the paramedics left with the casualties, they urgently called for another ambnce to rush to Star Cloud Kendo Gym.


    ¡°Who did this?¡±


    After Wang Tuyun had been taken away to the hospital, the middle-aged man pulled out the broken sword shard that had impaled his senior student to the wall. He questioned Guo Qinghe with his halting Mandarin, his every word was burning with wrath.


    ¡°It¡¯s him¡­ h-he did this!¡± Guo Qinghe groaned, pointing at Xiao Luo, and despite his severe injuries, he was so furious that he wanted to see Xiao Luo torn to shreds.


    ¡°Who¡­ him? Very well, then!¡±


    The middle-aged man growled as he stared murderously at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°You heartlessly severed my daughter¡¯s arm, so now, I shall cut off all four of your limbs and make you into a human seal!¡±


    He picked up Guo Qinghe¡¯s rapier with the broken tip and felt for its weight and bnce. He got into the En Guarde position with the sword hand around the height of his chest, and the sword tip was pointed slightly upward above the height of his shoulders. His stance was thoroughly rxed, but he emanated an overwhelming intent to kill.


    Xiao Luo nced at him calmly and said, ¡°You¡¯re no match for me.¡±


    ¡°Bakayarou!¡± [1]


    The middle-aged man lost hisposure and became extremely angry as bulging veins protruded on his forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak to me in that tone. I do not care who you are, and I will make you pay a hefty price today!¡±


    When he was done speaking, he roared and lunged like a striking viper, lunging at Xiao Luo. The wooden floor tiles he had been standing on cracked as he used his inner energy to propel himself forward.


    The gym master switched from his ssical fencing attack midway through, and suddenly leaped up high with the sword over his head and shed down ferociously at Xiao Luo, wielding the de like a saber.


    The rapier was both a thrusting and shing weapon, and the gym master¡¯s unique attacking technique was dominating.


    Xiao Luo erred on the side of caution and carefully evaded the blows. He chose to make this a battle of attrition for now, for his opponent had incredible inner power, and the energy that flowed from the fencing sword was vastly different from when Guo Qinghe was wielding it. In his hand, the sword was cold and sharp, like a zing divine weapon, while in Guo Qinghe¡¯s, it felt dim and lifeless, and far from life-threatening.


    The gym master shed his sword downward at Xiao Luo, who managed to evade the blow at the veryst second. The strike barely missed, and countless wooden tiles from the floor were sent flying every direction in a tremendous bang, stirring up a cloud of dust. The view was obscured, but when the dust settled, a three-meter long crack appeared on the floor, looking like a furrow had been gouged out in a field. The sword in the gym master¡¯s hand had everyone in the kendo gym gasping as the remaining aura de glowed in the haze.


    Su Canye was stunned to silence and wondered if a man would be sliced in half had the swordnded on its mark.


    At that thought, he could barely swallow his saliva and broke into a cold sweat. Asou Yanagi, the gym master, was indeed a very aplished swordsman. Su Canye remembered the day when Asou Yanagi introduced them to his school of fencing, and as he recalled, it was referred to as Shindo Anatta Style. It was a sword fighting style that had been passed down in the ind country from a long time ago.


    The disciples in the kendo gym were also shocked, and everything they had witnessed today hadpletely unraveled their understanding of swordsmanship.


    Guo Qinghe was familiar with his master¡¯s prowess, and his reaction was markedly different. He was looking on with excitement andughing hysterically. When he saw Xiao Luo on the backfoot, he shouted, ¡°Master, chop off his limbs and avenge Little Yun!¡±


    In his twisted mind, he could not wait to see Xiao Luo¡¯s arms and legs getting chopped off, and his limbless squirming on the floor, dying like a clubbed seal.


    Xiao Luo observed the damage on the floor carefully and concluded that it was the result of Asou Yanagi¡¯s de aura. Evidently, the gym master had already perfected the art of swordsmanship, and his immense inner power had been channeled through the sword. Whenever he exerted that force through his weapon, the aura would be formed. With his skill level, the de aura could even reach out for an impressive thirty meters.


    ¡°You fiend, now die!¡±


    Asou Yanagi let out a fearsome yell and swiftly charged at Xiao Luo, taking less than ten steps to reach him.


    BOOM!


    The kendo gym reverberated as Asao Yanagi stomped his left foot on the floor and suddenly swiveled around, sweeping his sword across in a horizontal sh to slice Xiao Luo¡¯s body in two. It was an unstoppable blow as the force of his inner energy gathered like a storm behind the de¡¯s leading edge.


    Light and agile in his movements, Xiao Luo was able to react quickly, like a dragonfly skimming on the water¡¯s surface. He shifted back two steps, then tumbled in a reverse somersault, and at the point when he was upside down, he deftly picked up the samurai sword that Asou Yanagi had dropped on the floor earlier.


    SHING~


    Xiao Luo unsheathed the katana in a sh and immediately assumed a guard position.


    As Xiao Luo held the sword in front of him, he saw the character ¡°Asou¡± engraved on the sword¡¯s hilt, and he gave his opponent a wry smile. Speaking fluently in formal Japanese, he said, ¡°The Asou family? It appears that you are a famous n back in your homnd.¡±


    ¡°We, the Asou family, are royalty!¡±


    Asou Yanagi dered proudly, but he did not allow himself to be distracted, as he charged forward with the sword trailing behind him, dragging it along the floor. The broken tip of the sword produced a piercing, screeching noise as it scraped against the floor surface, and when he was in striking range, he shed the sword at Xiao Luo with incredible speed and power.


    CLANK!


    Xiao Luo parried the blow, and as the rapier shed with the de of the katana, it produced a deafening ng. A tremendous force surged through Asou Yanagi and Xiao Luo, and they stumbled back, taking a few steps to regain their bnce. The wooden floor was once again shattered by the st of inner energy.


    Asou Yanagi was quite surprised by Xiao Luo¡¯s resilience, but he charged again after a short pause and bellowed even louder. He aimed attack at Xiao Luo¡¯s head, delivering three quick shes.


    DANG! DANG! DANG!


    Sparks flew from the exchange as Asou Yanagi attacked relentlessly. His attack was getting increasingly faster and more powerful, for he had mastered every technique, and each one was now on full disy. In the brief moment that they had fought, they had crossed for more than sixty times.


    ¡°Heart Piercing Blow!¡±


    Asou Yanagi suddenly leaped in the air and let out a roar, striking at Xiao Luo with great force, and a menacing de aura was clearly visible.


    Xiao Luo parried the strike in front of his chest, but Asou Yanagi suddenly retreated, and in a split second, he spun and delivered a scathing high kick with his right leg.


    BAM!


    The force of the impact rumbled across the hall. The kick was aimed at Xiao Luo¡¯s neck, and he reacted instantly by raising his left arm, blocking the attack effectively.


    Xiao Luo was thrown back a few meters before he regained bnce, and Asou Yanagi, who had been attacking relentlessly like a storm, was panting heavily. He was showing signs of exhaustion and was taking his time to recover.


    There were looks of shock and awe all around, and everyone was shaken by the intense battle. The kendo gym looked like a war zone as de auras were used with no inhibition, leaving a trail of devastation.


    Footnote:[1] Bakayarou: in Japanese, it can be written as ¥Ð¥«Ò°ÀÉ. The word ¥Ð¥«Ò°ÀÉ (bakayarou) is an insult. It means ¡°Stupid¡± in English.


    ¡­

 Chapter 374 - Returning A Favor

    <strong>Chapter 374: Returning A Favor</strong>


    Amid the devastation in the kendo gym, a storm was brewing. Xiao Luo¡¯s fringe was tossing lightly as the two master swordsmen confronted each other, and the space that separated them was thick with a deathly chill.


    ¡°I do not wish to fight you, stop!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke to Asou Yanagi in Japanese. Although he did not have a reasonable opinion of the man, he respected his courage and did not want to cause more bloodshed for any better good reason.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think of stopping before you cut off my daughter¡¯s arm?¡± Asou Yanagi bellowed.


    Calmly, Xiao Luo replied, ¡°She¡¯s crossed the line.¡±


    ¡°Bakayarou, I don¡¯t care about your limit! I will take your life for what you¡¯ve done to my daughter, and this kendo gym shall be your graveyard!¡±


    Asou Yanagi was still enraged, but he was panting heavily as he roared, ¡°First Form: God yer!!!¡±


    He raised his sword and chopped down ferociously, and the de aura that he produced came down at Xiao Luo with a terrible force like it was a god-ying attack.


    Xiao Luo was stunned, and he hurriedly used the samurai sword to parry the vicious stroke. With his inner power surging through the katana, its de formed an invisible barrier in the air. Asou Yanagi¡¯s de aura swished through the air, slicing into the barrier.


    BANG!


    As soon as it connected with Xiao Luo¡¯s barrier, an overpowering force smashed through it, the floor gave way, and Xiao Luo¡¯s legs sunk into it. He now realized that this swordmaster was indeed very powerful, and if Xiao Luo was to categorized him by NSA¡¯s ranking of warriors, he would at least be at Grade-S+. Xiao Luo backed off a few steps as he felt the effects of the blow, like a storm ravaging within his body.


    The aftershock from the God yer¡¯s terrifying impact sent a raging wave of energy that swept through the kendo gym, blowing like a strong wind that made everyone¡¯s hair flutter. The crowd looked stunned, and everything that had yed out before them was beyond their understanding¡ªit was almost like witnessing two martial arts masters dueling in a kungfu movie.


    Blood welled up in Xiao Luo¡¯s throat and flowed from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Ice Face!¡±


    Su Canye called out in apprehension, and, for a brief moment, he feared that Xiao Luo had been killed on the spot.


    ¡°No, Daddy¡­!¡±


    Su Xiaobei had been very obedient and kept her eyes shut throughout the fight, but she too felt something amiss. She called Xiao Luo¡¯s name anxiously and held tightly to Su Canye¡¯s shirt with her tiny hands.


    ¡°I am fine!¡± Xiao Luo shouted back as he raised his hand to them to ease their concerns.


    ¡°Fine? Haha¡­you¡¯re already vomiting blood, and you telling me you¡¯re fine?¡± Despite his grievous injuries and being covered in blood, Guo Qinghe was ted when he saw that Xiao Luo was injured. Heughed hysterically, and it made him look twisted and maniacal.


    ¡°There are ten forms to my God yer technique. That was merely the first form, and it will only get progressively stronger. Boy, break all of your limbs yourself, and I will promise to keep your corpse intact. If you do not, you will perish and be turned into dust by my God yer forms!¡± Asou Yanagi gloated.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luoughed mirthlessly, and it was theugh of the devil, for it was cold and malicious.


    He wiped the traces of bloodstain from his mouth and said, ¡°I am afraid that your God yer technique is nothing to me, and since you¡¯ve delivered your blow, I shall return the favor right now!¡±


    A strong surge of inner power started to build up within his body, and Xiao Luo directed the energy flow into the katana before he raised the sword and shed it down forcefully.


    A raging storm suddenly swirled in the kendo gym, and a terrifying de aura formed in front of Xiao Luo, resembling a lightsaber some 12 meters long. To the crowd of onlookers, they saw a long luminous arc of rainbow cutting through the void and striking down Asou Yanagi like divine retribution.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s attack almost tore the ce apart, and all the training equipment in the kendo gym was blown away. Even the kendo students who were trapped within the storm were stumbling and rolling around desperately.


    Asou Yanagi was totally surprised by it, but he held his nerve and parried with the fencing sword in his hand.


    BOOM!


    The 12-meter long lightsaber struck, and the entire kendo gym shook. Ceiling panels came crashing down, and broken pieces of stone fell off the walls, while debris was tossed around on the floor and dust swirled in the air. There was pandemonium as screams were heard even from the lower levels of the building as Xiao Luo¡¯s sh had cut through the entire upper level and caused chaos and panic for the residents down below.


    Asou Yanagi¡¯s fencing sword was broken, and his clothes were ripped entirely away, leaving him with only his briefs. He failed to defend himself against Xiao Luo¡¯s horrific attack and was thrown back by the immense force generated. He was in extreme pain as he vomited blood and felt as if his internal organs had all shifted. He remained on the floor and was unable to recover.


    The vast kendo gym was suddenly in dead silence, and one could almost hear a pin drop. Everyone stared in awe at the slim silhouette with the long sword standing in the center of the gym. They could not believe what they had just witnessed and wondered if they were dreaming. What was the possibility that such a monstrous being existed in the mortal world? How could he sh through an entire level of a building with just a sword?


    It was impossible to fathom, and they were terrified beyond words.


    ¡°Wow, what kind of dude is my sister married to?¡±


    Su Canye muttered under his breath, and the newfound respect he had for Xiao Luo now came from his soul. In only half a day, his impression of Xiao Luo had changed from the disdain that he felt in the beginning, to awe and confusion. He now learned that he not only mysterious and powerful but could be extremely cruel when provoked.


    Guo Qinghe was totally stunned, and the smile on his face disappeared, leaving him frozen in fear.


    When the police finally arrived, they were shocked by the kendo gym¡¯s condition and could not imagine what had happened in this ce, wondering if it was visited by the Hulk.


    Guo Qinghe, who was still in shock and traumatized, exined the situation to the police immediately.


    Breaking a person¡¯s leg? Chopping a person¡¯s hand off?


    This meant that he was an extremely dangerous person!


    The police were afraid, and they instantly drew out their pistols and took aim at Xiao Luo. The policeman in charge shouted, ¡°Drop the sword and keep your hands in the air!¡±


    Xiao Luo dropped the sword nonchntly, but he did not raise his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re a goner¡ªyou¡¯ll be spending at least ten years in the jail, and when you¡¯re finally there, I would definitely pay you a visit, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Guo Qingheughed like a maniac, but when Xiao Luo nced at him, he quickly hid behind a policeman quaking, for he was still very fearful of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo did not bother with Guo Qinghe anymore and turned to Su Canye,pletely ignoring the pistols pointed in his direction.


    ¡°Take Xiaobei to the amusement park first, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Ice¡­ I mean, brother-inw, are you sure you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± Su Canye responded and frowned, for, what Xiao Luo hadmitted was abominable, and it would be challenging to even get bail for such offenses.


    ¡°Of course. What has happened here, stays here¡ªunless you don¡¯t want your car anymore,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Canye nodded like chickens pecking grain.


    Xiao Luo looked at Su Xiaobei, she still had her eyes closed, and her longshes were trembling slightly. She slowly opened her eyes when he gave her permission to do so. She looked as if she had just woken up from a good nap as she had her eyes shut for a prolonged period.


    ¡°Daddy¡­¡±


    The little girl had tears welling in her eyes as she knew everything that had happened there was because of her, and she felt a little guilty about it.


    Xiao Luo smiled at her gently and said, ¡°Bei Bei, go to the amusement park with your uncle first, daddy¡¯s going to settle some stuff then join you.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, you muste, okay. Bei Bei wants to take the spinning ne ride with you,¡± Su Xiaobei said, wiping the tears from her eyes.


    Xiao Luo assured her, ¡°Okay, I promise!¡±


    He wanted to pinch her cheeks but realized that his hands were covered in blood, so he winked instead.


    ¡­

 Chapter 375 - Ten Minutes

    <strong>Chapter 375: Ten Minutes</strong>


    ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Age?¡±


    ¡°Birthce?¡±


    ¡°Why did you harm those people?¡±


    Xiao Luo was sitting with his hands in cuffs inside the interrogation room of the police station. Two policemen with very cold expressions on their faces were seated opposite him and questioning him thoroughly, They were very experienced, and the way they conducted the interrogation seemed routine to them and as natural as breathing. They quizzed him about his personal details and his version of what transpired in the kendo gym.


    Xiao Luo duly provided the answers to his background, but when they asked why he had assaulted the three victims, his response was simple¡ªthese people clearly deserved it!


    BAM!


    One of the policemen, a horse-faced officer, mmed the table angrily and shouted, ¡°Xiao Luo, let me remind you that this is the police station, and I¡¯d advise you to leave your arrogant attitude at the door! If you think you cane in here and sh head-on with us, you¡¯ll have something elseing your way! Tell us everything we need to know, the more detailed, the better. If you refuse toply again, you will be found guilty. I promise you¡¯ll regret it!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°I have served as a cop for some time, so don¡¯t fool me with these tricks. It is the court which has the power to make the conviction, not you people.¡±


    With that response, the policemen looked at each other, realizing that they might be dealing with a wily old fox. However, the information they retrieved from the database on this man showed that he was clean, and they found no previous criminal records. Even so, with his implication in the multiple assault case, how could he be dealing with them so calmly?


    ¡°You guys can stop trying. In ten minutes, at the most, you will receive orders from your superior to release me,¡± Xiao Luo added.


    ¡°Boy, are youpletely nuts? You have broken a man¡¯s leg and chopped off a woman¡¯s arm, your actions were abominable and cruel. And you think you can just walk out of here? Keep your dreams to yourself!¡±


    The horse-faced officer snapped and then banged on the table again. He was getting impatient and snarled, ¡°you better cut your crap and stop dragging your feet, I have seen a lot of your kind. If you cooperate with us, maybe you can get a more lenient sentence in court, but if you don¡¯t, you might just find yourself in jail for at least three years.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent as he did not see the point in arguing with these police officers.


    Seeing him being so fearless, the horse-faced officer blinked and said to the other policeman, ¡°turn the video camera off.¡±


    The other policeman was stunned as he quickly realized the intentions of the horse-faced officer. During interrogation, it wasmon to encounter criminals who were hard-nosed and uncooperative. To get the job done, sometimes extreme measures were called for. The officer got up and turned the video camera off, and so, anything that urred next in the interrogation room would not be recorded.


    The horse-faced officer took out an aluminum bat from the drawer and twirled it in his hand in a threatening way. ¡°Boy, this will be thest time that I am asking this question, why did you harm them?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo looked at this horse-faced officer cockily and chuckled, as such strong-arm tactics were precisely what he had employed during his tenure as a police officer in Jiangcheng. Obviously, he was very aware of what the horse-faced officer¡¯s intentions were, so he said, ¡°As I told you before, your superior will be asking you guys to release me in less than ten minutes, it¡¯ll be best for both parties if we just wait it out for a little while more.¡±


    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re really asking for it!¡±


    The horse-faced officer lost his patience and held a thick book against Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, then mmed it hard with the bat.


    If an ordinary person were to take such a hit, it would shock his internal organs without leaving any traces, perhaps reducing his lifespan by half.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s hands were cuffed and body secured to the chair, but when the blownded, he kicked out in reflex and popped the horse-faced officer on his knee. It was not a hard kick, but it was still hard enough to bring this man down, making it evident that he did not train regrly.


    ¡°Umpfh¡­ how dare you?!¡±


    The horse-faced officer picked himself up, but when he lifted his head, he saw Xiao Luo delivering another kick again, and, terrified, he groaned even before itnded.


    Xiao Luo was not someone who could be easily threatened, and this time, the kicknded on his forehead; it hit so hard that he dropped back on the floor immediately and passed out momentarily.


    ¡°Ma Lu!¡±


    The other policeman rushed up and kneeled down to check on the horse-faced officer, who began to stir back to consciousness.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ s-son of a b*tch, you dare to kick me!¡±


    Ma Lu regained hisposure and stood up with his colleague¡¯s help, clenching his teeth as he stared at Xiao Luo furiously.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s a bit scary, maybe we should seek advice from our superior?¡± the other policeman said.


    ¡°For f*ck¡¯s sake, what¡¯s there to worry? Just based on what he¡¯s done, he¡¯s going to be behind bars!¡±


    Ma Lu had always dealt with the criminals this way, but for the very first time today, he had been embarrassed by this particr one, and it irked him. Heughed mirthlessly as he went behind Xiao Luo and put his head close to Xiao Luo¡¯s ear. ¡°I have said it before, when you are here, learn to abide by our rules. Since you don¡¯t know the rules, I will personally teach them to you now,¡± he hissed.


    ¡°I suggest you not to do this, even though you are a policeman, you have no rights to mete out personal punishment!¡±


    Xiao Luo was only reminding out of kindness as he would rather wait for the NSA to negotiate a peaceful settlement, but it seemed like the horse-faced officer had different ideas.


    ¡°Really, I don¡¯t? Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ma Luughed again. He was so enraged that he wanted his revenge and said, ¡°Your hair looks nice and healthy, but I am not sure if it¡¯s strong enough.¡±


    Ma Lu suddenly grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s tightly and pulled it back forcefully.


    When he did that to the other criminals, their heads would be forced back, putting severe pressure on their necks, and their scalps would feel like being ripped off. But, Xiao Luo appeared unaffected, still sitting up straight, and his head barely moved an inch.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you again¡­ let go!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    The temperature in the interrogation room suddenly dipped, and the two police officers began to shiver uncontrobly.


    Ma Lu was stunned, but with his dignity challenged so tantly, he was still seething as he scowled, ¡°Son of a b*tch, looks like you won¡¯t shed a tear until you see your own coffin!¡±


    He then pulled back Xiao Luo¡¯s hair back, even harder this time.


    ¡°I am warning you to let go!¡±


    Xiao Luo was now provoked, and, in a rage, he broke the steel handcuff right in front of the police officers. The interrogation chair broke asunder as Xiao Luo released a wave of inner power and instantly stood up like a ferocious tiger. The other policeman standing right in front of him, trembled and looked horrified.


    BANG!


    Ma Lu was thrown against the wall, and he felt like he was hit by a moving train. He groaned painfully as blood gushed out from his mouth and nose, then fainted where he fell.


    The other policeman broke into a cold sweat. When he saw Xiao Luo ncing at him, he unconsciously tried to grab the pistol on his waist belt out of fear. But he was off duty and did not have his gun with him. In a panic, he immediately picked up the bat from the floor and held it shakily in front of him, almost in tears as he faced Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Do you want tond up like him as well?¡± Xiao Luo said, ring disdainfully at the policeman as he reigned in his inner power.


    CLANG~


    The other policeman immediately dropped the bat, shaking his head in total fear, for in front of him, he saw a monster who had broken the steel handcuffs and the interrogation chair in no time at all, and without any visible strain.


    ¡°Pour me a cup of water.¡±


    Xiao Luo reversed the positions of guest and host, taking the seat on the officer¡¯s side of the interrogation table.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    The police went to a corner immediately to pour Xiao Luo a cup of water.


    ¡°I want warm water.¡±


    As he nned to wait, he thought it would be better to drink warm water.


    The policeman fetched the cup of warm water, and respectfully presented it to Xiao Luo.


    ¡­

 Chapter 376 - It Does Not Belong to Me

    Chapter 376: It Does Not Belong to Me


    Xiao Luo sat in the interrogation room, sipping water from a disposable cup as he waited for someone from the NSA to arrive.


    The policeman was in a cold sweat as he felt like being trapped in a cage with a ferocious beast. He hardly dared to even breathe and did his best to remain inconspicuous, staying perfectly still and quiet in the corner until it almost gave him pins and needles. He knew that his life would literally be snuffed out if anything went wrong. He kept looking at his watch, seeing the seconds tick away, and the ten minutes felt like a century to him. He prayed hard that his colleagues outside would realize that something was amiss inside the interrogation room ande in to check on him.


    Xiao Luo paid no heed to the cowering policeman and drummed his fingers on the table rhythmically to pass his time.


    It did not take too long before someone from the NSA walked into the interrogation room¡ªit was Ji Siying. Her slender figure and appealing looks instantly made the policeman forget about his fears for a brief moment.


    ¡°Your wounds have healed?¡±


    Xiao Luo put down the cup and walked toward her.


    Ji Siying nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao Luo, I am fine now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Then, a middle-aged pot-bellied man walked in, and ncing at the unconscious horse-faced officer on the floor, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Ma Lu?¡±


    ¡°He¡­he was knocked out b-by this man.¡±


    That police pointed shakily at Xiao Luo and stuttered, ¡°D-director, he broke free of the handcuffs¡­ t-this man is very dangerous. N-no, no¡­ he¡¯s a monster, he should be put behind bars!¡±


    A very dangerous man? A monster?


    The director looked around the room and saw signs that a scuffle had broken out as the shattered remnants of the interrogation chair were strewn on the floor, and Ma Lu, out cold, was sprawling next to it. He nced at Xiao Luo and observed that the chain that held his handcuffs together had broken in two. The shackles, meant to restrain him, still remained around his wrists and were now looking like a pair of bracelets.


    ¡°Director Lee, thank you, we are very grateful for your cooperation. Can we go now?¡± Ji Siying said.


    The middle-aged man blinked and smiled as he turned to face her. ¡°Yes, of course, you can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ji Siying bowed slightly to express her gratitude and then proceeded to leave with Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Director, who are those people?¡± the policeman asked after the two left the interrogation room. He was dumbfounded, and his intelligence would be questioned if he did not already figure out that Xiao Luo was somebody connected.


    ¡°Who they are doesn¡¯t concern you, what is important now is that you must forget everything that you saw in this room today. Nothing gets out of these four walls, understood?¡±


    The director stared nkly at the door, thinking to himself, how many of these monsters have the NSA groomed?


    ******


    ******


    ¡°Lady Poison¡¯s toxins are very potent, and you should have rested more.¡±


    Xiao Luo took off the handcuffs and ced them under the front seat in Ji Siying¡¯s car.


    ¡°Do you care about what happens to me, Mr. Xiao Luo?¡± Ji Siying asked, with a slight insinuation.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied, then he quickly added, ¡°You are my point of contact.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡±


    Ji Siying forced a smile, and she thought about the time she visited Luo Vige and how Xiao Luo¡¯s parents had taken care of her, and even raised the issue of their marriage. When she found out that Xiao Luo was married to the superstar, Su Li, she was suddenly ovee by a sense of despair and loneliness. She couldn¡¯t exin it, and at times, she even wanted to cry, unsure if her feelings for Xiao Luo were one-sided. How had this man be the possession of another in such a short time?


    She smiled, keeping her emotions in check, and said, ¡°By the way, Mr. Xiao Luo, I think this should be returned to its rightful owner.¡±


    She took off the jade bracelet that Hua Heying had insisted on giving her and handed it back to Xiao Luo.


    Had this happened earlier, Xiao Luo would have taken it without any hesitation, but after spending some time with Ji Siying, she had left an impression in his heart. While it was not as intense as love, but it was still quite deep and hard for him to let it go.


    He pressed the bracelet back into her hand and said, ¡°No, it looks good on you, I think you should keep it.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t belong to me.¡±


    Tears were welling up in Ji Siying¡¯s eyes as she dreamed of all the good times she could have experienced with Xiao Luo. She truly had hoped to be the rightful owner of this bracelet, but when the news of his marriage to Su Li broke out, all those beautiful dreams she had were shattered to pieces.


    ¡°I want you to wear it,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Ji Siying was stunned, and she braked hard, stopping the car suddenly. She looked at Xiao Luo with deep affection, hoping for an answer, as she did not understand why he was saying this to her.


    As she gazed at Xiao Luo, she sensed that he was facing some difficulties that he could not divulge.


    Xiao Luo did not continue speaking on the matter and immediately changed the subject. ¡°Have you settled the issue with Star Cloud Kendo Gym?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The owner of Star Cloud Kendo Gym, Asou Yanagi, had actually been on NSA¡¯s cklist for some time now. We have long suspected that he is a spy, but we have no proof so far, as his movements are secretive,¡± Ji Siying said, then added, ¡°His kendo gym is merely a cover for his mission, and he has attracted the likes of Guo Qinghe and his friends to start a chain of MLM-rted activities in Xiahai city. His purpose is obvious¡ªto disrupt our society by harming our citizens through economic means. If we do not do anything about it, this problem will continue to grow and impact our people¡¯s livelihood.¡±


    ¡°So, I suppose this was why NSA ordered me to look into the MLM activities?¡± Xiao Luo cocked his brows.


    ¡°Yes, Asou Yanagi is one of the main culprits, but he¡¯s a powerful adversary, and our ordinary agents are incapable of taking on this mission. So, it would have only been a matter of time before you confronted him, but it looks like you have already done so in advance,¡± Ji Siying replied.


    Xiao Luo held his chin in his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t stir the grass and startle the snake, I would like to make use of Guo Qinghe.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Mr. Xiao, we will not interfere and have also informed the police that if anyone asks about you, they¡¯re to exin that you have been transferred to NSA headquarters for detention, and awaiting the trial.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Qiu Yuanjie, the captain of Headquarters¡¯ First Division, will get in touch with you soon and assist you in your work.¡±


    ¡°I will transfer his information to your handpher. He has been on the watch for the MLM-rted activities in Xiahai city and is very familiar with the situation here. You can get twice the results with half the workload with his assistance.¡± Ji Siying turned the ignition key and slipped the jade bracelet back on her wrist. She would wait for the day when Xiao Luo finally decided to tell her about his difficulties and clearly exin everything to her.


    As they started moving again, Xiao Luo asked, ¡°What is his personality like?¡± If he had to work with someone he couldn¡¯t get along with him, he¡¯d rather not have that assistance.


    Ji Siying shook her head and replied, ¡°I am not too sure about that, so far, I¡¯ve not had the opportunity toe into contact with him. But, based on his profile data, it appears that he is a very outstanding police officer and has many impressive achievements.¡±


    ¡°Right, got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent for the rest of the journey and observed the street view outside the car.


    ******


    ******


    Ji Siying dropped Xiao Luo off at Chang Mangu Amusement Park before proceeding to her next destination.


    Su Canye was waiting anxiously with Su Xiaobei at the entrance. He was troubled and unsure if he should inform his sister about the incident at the kendo gym, but the conflict in his conscience did notst very long as he promptly took his phone out and called Su Li. ¡°Sis, we¡¯re in big trouble, brother-inw has been arrested by the police!¡±


    Xiao Luo was standing behind Su canye and heard everything. Earlier in the gym, Xiao Luo had said to him: ¡°What has happened here, stays here.¡± Su canye was quick to agree then, yet had betrayed him in a blink of an eye, as he told Su Li everything that had happened.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t see through brother-inw, he¡¯s a weirdo ¡ªhe can speak Japanese and English fluently, and he¡¯s also an excellent fighter. You should¡¯ve seen himpletely demolished the kendo gym.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 377 - Learn to Appreciate Your Man

    Chapter 377: Learn to Appreciate Your Man


    ¡°Tsk¡­ Su Canye, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Over on the other end of the line, Su Li frowned as she listened to Su Canye¡¯s far-fetched ount of the incident, which sounded like a movie plot. She was well aware of Su Canye¡¯s propensity for sensationalizing anything he saw or heard.


    ¡°Sis, he¡¯s a weirdo ¡ªhe can speak Japanese and English fluently, and he¡¯s also an excellent fighter. You should¡¯ve seen himpletely demolished the kendo gym. And he¡­¡±


    Du¡­ Du¡­ Du¡­


    Su Canye stopped talking as Su Li abruptly hung up on him, and all he heard was the disconnected tone on his receiver.


    ¡°What the f*ck!¡±


    Su Canye swore and was tempted to throw his phone to the ground.


    ¡°Daddy¡­ yay, you¡¯re here!¡±


    Su Xiaobei suddenly cheered joyfully.


    Su Canye froze. He slowly turned around and shivered as Xiao Luo was standing right behind him and coldly ring at him.


    He somehow managed to squeeze out an innocent smile and asked, ¡°Oh, Ice¡­ err, B-brother-inw, when did you reach?¡±


    ¡°A long time ago.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied sternly and added, ¡°I caught every word you said to your sister.¡±


    CRACK!


    Su Canye¡¯s phone slipped from his hand to the ground as he trembled in trepidation, and he suddenly felt the world copsing around him.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s handphone rang, and when he nced at the screen, it was Su Li.


    He swiped and answered the call.


    ¡°Where are you, Xiao Luo?¡± Su Li asked, curt and cold, as usual.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Bei Bei at the entrance of Chang Mangu Amusement Park.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it. And, tell Su Canye, on my behalf, that his allowance would be cut by half if he ever tells me that kind of nonsense again,¡± Su Li responded, letting out a sigh of relief though she was sure that the police did not take Xiao Luo away at any point.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo acknowledged.


    The conversation ended there, and there were no exchanges of any pleasantries whatsoever.


    ¡°Err, did my sis call you?¡± Su Canye asked.


    ¡°Of course, that was her.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked askance at Su Canye, and he really felt like sending him flying with a kick for breaking his promise to remain silent on the incident.


    ¡°So, what did she say?¡±


    ¡°She said that if you were to spew such nonsense about me again, you wouldn¡¯t be getting any more allowance from her, and you will have to survive on your own,¡± Xiao Luo replied, increasing the severity of her threat intentionally.


    ¡°Oh, no, without sis¡¯s allowance, I will starve to death within three days! Brother-inw, I am sorry for reporting on you to my sister, I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Su Canye kneeled on the ground and clung on to Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh, groveling unashamedly without even considering his image as a man.


    ¡°Canye, let go, please.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned as everyone at the amusement park entrance was staring at them, and while Su Canye had no qualms about his dignity, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help feeling ashamed for him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t, not unless you forgive me and defend me in front of my sister; if not, I will not get up,¡± Su Canye pleaded, hugging Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh even more tightly and crying like a baby, even wiping his snot on Xiao Luo¡¯s pants.


    Unable to tolerate such behavior any longer, Xiao Luo pushed him away with his leg, but it still sent him flying like he was kicked.


    Su Canye tumbled a short distance away, and weirdly, he let out a moan of pleasure. Xiao Luo cringed, and it sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly grabbed Su Xiaobei, and they made their way into the amusement park.


    ******


    ******


    Su Xiaobei was still a toddler, her age on the Lunar calendar was four, but in fact, she was a month shy of turning three. Therefore, she could not get into most of the instations at the park.


    Xiao Luo brought her to the merry-go-round, the ¡°Little choo-choo Train¡± ride, the bumper car rink, and even the giant horse ride. The little girl was thrilled and instantly forgot about everything that had happened in the Star Cloud Kendo Gym. Herughter could be heard everywhere they went around the amusement park.


    When they got back to Star Cloud Bay Hotel after an eventful day, the little girl had fallen asleep in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms. Su Canye went back to Silver Dragon Vi instead, and, of course, he went back obediently on condition that Xiao Luo would go to Mountain Wolf to win back his Bentley. Had Xiao Luo not promised him, he would definitely have continued to grovel before Xiao Luo, like a sticky piece of discarded bubble gum.


    Upon entering the house, he saw Su Li reading on the sofa with the giant LED television turned on.


    She was in a brilliant white shirt with a patterned cor,plemented by a ck mini skirt and white stockings, and they showed off her long legs clearly. When she realized that Su Xiaobei had fallen asleep in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms, she put down the book and took Su Xiaobei from Xiao Luo, giving her an affectionate hug. The little girl greeted her mother sweetly and went back to sleep in her arms.


    Xiao Luo did not utter a word and was about to leave.


    ¡°Wait a minute, I have a task for you.¡±


    Su Li stopped him before she quickly brought Su Xiaobei to the bedroom located on the second floor, then ced her on the giant bed gently.


    A task for me?


    Xiao Luo felt very surprised as this request was very unusual.


    It did not take too long for Su Li toe down, and she had a hundred bucks in hand that she duly passed to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Xiao Luo was quite confused, and a thought suddenly shed in his mind about an online meme he¡¯d seen¡ª¡±you won¡¯t even give me a hundred bucks[1].¡±


    ¡°Get me a pack of Yangzhou Fried Rice downstairs.¡±


    It was an awkward situation for Su Li, who somehow felt embarrassed about asking Xiao Luo to buy her fried rice.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    As if answering the question on her behalf, her tummy suddenly growled.


    She blushed and tried to ignore the moment and exined, ¡°Aunty Lee is on leave today. I was too busy with work and forgot to have my meal earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and did not ask further, and all he knew was that had she any other options, Su Li would not have asked him to help. Evidently, Su Li did not know how to cook, or she would not have starved herself until thiste.


    He asked, ¡°Are there any ingredients left in the fridge?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Aunty Lee is in charge of everything in the kitchen,¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo was speechless and rolled his eyes.


    He went to the kitchen to check the fridge for himself. The chiller was filled with a variety of perishables such as tomatoes, pak choi, yam, and much more. Without dy, he took out some of them and started washing them in the sink.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m cooking you something.¡±


    Su Li was stunned, but still unconvinced, she asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    She doubted if Xiao Luo could actually cook well, that was for sure.


    ¡°Just give me about half an hour,¡± Xiao Luo replied. He got right to work and did not even look up, for Su Li had bought him a cupboard full of clothes, and it was totally justified to make her a dish or two.


    Su Li thought about it and concluded that anything freshly prepared would be better than a pack of fried rice, so she decided to let him cook in the kitchen. With her doubts out of the way, she promptly went back to the sofa and continued reading.


    However, curiosity got the better of her, and she started to check on Xiao Luo from time to time. He looked veryfortable in the kitchen, appearing rather skilled and experienced, which fascinated her somewhat. She stood there watching for some time, and at that moment, he was more attractive than reading a book.


    It¡¯s pretty good to have a guy who can cook, at least he¡¯s useful for something, she thought with much relief.


    As she watched him, the final line of thest page in the book she was reading shed in her mind: ¡°learn to appreciate your man, discover his other side.¡±


    [1] you won¡¯t even give me a hundred bucks: a phrase in a 2014 meme that went viral over an incident of two people having a dispute over payment of the booking fee for a hotel room in China.


    ¡­

 Chapter 378 - Chatting

    Chapter 378: Chatting


    Soon, Xiao Luo cooked up a dish made up of chopped mixed greens and diced yam, which resembled a very thick rice porridge in texture. He also prepared a Chinese-style fried tomato omelet, and both dishes would be served along with rice.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Su Li asked, pointing at the porridge-like dish.


    ¡°It¡¯s a specialty from my hometown, it¡¯s what we call ¡®green taro paste.''¡±


    Su Li scooped a small portion of the gruel with a spoon and wondered if it was ptable, or even edible!


    She had never seen such dishes before, but she saw that he prepared this dish by chopping up the greens, mixing it with boiled yam, and allowing it to simmer in a pot, before mashing them into a paste.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it? It goes pretty well with rice,¡± Xiao Luo said. He did not say too much and went back to the kitchen to clean up.


    Growl~


    Su Li¡¯s stomach seemed to beining again, and she was promptly reminded of how hungry she really was.


    She decided to dig in and worry about it after the meal.


    She scooped herself a bowl of rice and tried the tomato omelet first, which looked more familiar than the green taro paste.


    She was a little skeptical initially, expecting the food to taste terrible, but she was mistaken and immediately realized how wrong she was the moment she took the first bite. She had had plenty of Chinese-style tomato omelets before, but the one Xiao Luo had prepared was quite special. It had a unique vor, and although it didn¡¯t look as appealing as those made by restaurant chefs, it had a silky smooth texture and its taste was heavenly.


    She couldn¡¯t stop after the first bite and soon gorged herself indulgently.


    Before she knew it, she had polished off the entire te of fried tomato omelet.


    When Su Li realized it, she was astounded as she had not expected to finish everything. She certainly felt somewhat embarrassed by it.


    She looked at the empty te in disbelief, for, regardless of the circumstances and no matter how delicious the dishes were, she would usually leave a portion behind as etiquette, and for the sake of her image.


    She put it down to the hunger¡­ yes, that was it, she was famished!


    At least, that was what she kept telling herself¡­


    Then, her eyes shifted over to the green taro paste. Su Li held her spoon ready to scoop a portion, then she hesitated, unsure if she should eat it. But, as the fried tomato omelet tasted delicious, she decided that this dish may not disappoint.


    She scooped some of the green taro paste tentatively and put it into her bowl of rice. But, as she was about to try the dish, she felt a wave of excitement from its aroma, and, in her anticipation, even her pinky was sticking upward.


    The moment Su Li put the spoon in her mouth, it almost seemed like she was about to frown, but within moments, a look of pure ecstasy formed on her face. The green taro paste was divinely delicious, it was fresh and light, and a treat on the pte. She enjoyed the dish immensely and continued scooping more of the taro paste from the bowl.


    After Xiao Luo had cleaned up in the kitchen, he returned to the hall and saw that Su Li had finished herte dinner. She was already gracefully wiping her mouth with a serviette.


    She looked contented, and the two empty dishes sat conspicuously in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished everything?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked slightly surprised as the portions he had prepared were quiterge, even for an adult male; therefore, he had not expected Su Li to finish everything.


    Su Li blushed, feeling a little embarrassed, and felt a tinge of regret that she¡¯d been unable to resist her temptation to finish every bit of the delicacy. But, she suppressed the thought, and she was curious about how Xiao Luo had managed to cook so well. As she neatly ced the serviette on the table, she asked, ¡°How did you make this green taro paste? Did you just mix chopped greens and yam together put it to a simmer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo said and nodded slightly.


    ¡°I must say, the fried tomato omelet was superb too. Did you attend any cooking lessons before?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°No, I am a self-taught cook.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered in candor as he used to do much cooking during his stay in Jiangcheng, and was quite experienced in preparing these everyday dishes.


    ¡°It does seem like you know a thing or two about life,¡± Su Li said and broke into a rare smile.


    Xiao Luo returned her smile and said, ¡°You can clean up the utensils, I¡¯m going back.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Su Li stood up, paused for a moment, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s chat.¡±


    ¡°Chat?¡±


    Xiao Luo was caught off guard as he had never expected that this ice queen would even want to chat with him.


    ¡°About Su Xiaobei.¡±


    Su Li blinked, and she blushed again as she was reminded of that night. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that you know Su Xiaobei and I are not rted by blood.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded as he vividly recalled Su Li¡¯s first time that fateful night, which was irrevocable proof that she was not Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological mother.


    ¡°She is the daughter of my sister, Su Meiling.¡±


    When Su Li mentioned her sister¡¯s name, she suddenly looked dejected, and the light in her pretty face, the envy of countless women, seemed to dim. ¡°Two months after giving birth to Su Xiaobei, my sister discovered that her husband had cheated on her,¡± she exined, ¡°and they had a big row over it. Things got physical during their argument, and that man identally pushed her off from the top level of a fifteen-story high building.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that. So, that¡¯s why you¡¯ve taken the role of Su Xiaobei¡¯s mother?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li nodded and said, ¡°I only hope she can have a meaningful childhood and grow up to be a happy and healthy person.¡± She looked at Xiao Luo and continued, ¡°I¡¯m still not sure why she¡¯s so close to you and even consider you to be her father, but I have to believe that, sometimes, fate ys its hand in such arrangements.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling welling up inside him when he thought of Su Xiaobei, and it was indeed a wonderful feeling.


    Su Li was unsure if Xiao Luo understood what she actually meant for the ¡°fate''¡± that she was referring to was not only confined to father and daughter but also to husband and wife.


    However, Xiao Luo did not seem to get it, which frustrated her slightly, and she chose a more direct approach by changing the topic. ¡°By the way, have you found a job?¡±


    What? Why did she change the topic so suddenly?


    Xiao Luo was a little stumped, and he just shook his head and replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You remember my friend, Shen Qingyan, don¡¯t you? Herpany happens to be recruiting sales personnel, and you will be meeting her for an interview tomorrow,¡± Su Li said, in no uncertain terms.


    Xiao Luo did not appreciate being ordered around, and he rejected the suggestion outright. ¡°I¡¯ve said before that you should stay out of my work-rted business, I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°You have no choice, as I have already sent in your resume. Be at Huayao Corporation for the interview tomorrow at 9 p.m. sharp. If you really wish for what happened before our marriage to repeat itself, then you can choose to not go.¡±


    Su Li was a very determined person. Since she had been dealt such a hand in life, then Xiao Luo should face the same fate as her. She needed to make Xiao Luo develop himself as fast as possible, and while she¡¯d not be able to achieve everything in one day, getting him a proper job would be a good start.


    Xiao Luo was speechless, and he knew very well that this woman would always live up to her words. She jumped off the balcony without hesitation after their first time, which gave him a big scare. He was really tempted to tell her to suit herself, but, in truth, he did not have the heart to do so. He did not feel any particr connection between them, and she was undoubtedly different from all of the other women that he knew. He could not really make sense of it, but perhaps it was due to her being his first.


    ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t you hold hopes up too high as I can¡¯t promise you how I¡¯ll do in this interview,¡± Xiao Luo responded, and already had a trick up his sleeve, which was to intentionally fail in the Huayao Corporation interview.


    ¡°Just do the best you can, that¡¯s all I ask.¡±


    Su Li said it casually, as she had already informed Shen Qingyan beforehand and was promised that, unless Xiao Luo performed terribly, he would definitely pass the interview.


    Their eyes met briefly¡ªthey were hiding something from each other, and who the final victor would be in this duel of minds was still uncertain.


    Xiao Luo then left, and Su Li remained at the table, staring at the empty dishes, feeling warm and fuzzy inside as she thought about him.


    ¡­

 Chapter 379 - A Ghost

    Chapter 379: A Ghost


    Sadly, it was a dysfunctional rtionship, with only a marriage certificate binding two people who had no feelings for each other. Xiao Luo had no idea how Su Li felt about the marriage. Still, it was a strange union to him, and he only hoped that Su Li would meet someone that she fancied and end this rtionship with him as soon as possible.


    He had always believed that they would drift apart ultimately and be mere strangers with no strings attached, and therefore, he never took the trouble to tell Su Li more about himself.


    He called Zhang Dashan after he got back to his apartment.


    Zhang Dashan had not been very busytely, so he frequently tried to get a date with Huang Ruoran. Unfortunately, Huang Ruoran showed no interest in him and even told him in his face that for them to date was simply out of the question.


    ¡°F*ck, I¡¯ve sent her flowers a dozen times and even asked her out frequently, but she just won¡¯t give me a chance. What should I do, bro?¡± Zhang Dashanmented.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°What¡¯s the point of asking me? I thought you¡¯re more experienced in dating girls.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, should I really do as what the Inte says? Rape her if you like her, and if that doesn¡¯t work, then just drug her. What¡¯s the worst scenario, end up in jail?¡± Zhang Dashan cried, feeling dejected and gloomy.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and joked, ¡°Go to jail then, I¡¯ll visit.¡±


    ¡°For f*ck¡¯s sake, can we just chat in peace? I¡¯m hurting here¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed, not sure what he could say to Zhang Dashan to lift him. Then, another call came in, and it was his cousin, Ding Zhenyun.


    ¡°Just move on, okay. Anyway, I¡¯ve got another calling in.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Zhang Dashan ended the call on his end.


    Xiao Luo swiped right on the calling button and picked up Ding Zhenyun¡¯s call.


    ¡°Cousin¡­ help me, please¡­ help me.¡± Ding Zhenyun¡¯s anxious and frightened voice came through from the other end of the line.


    Xiao Luo stood up immediately and asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ******


    ******


    A forlorn figure dashed out from a dark alley into the quiet street at a corner of the Dongcheng area. He wore a gray leather jacket with a pair of ck pants, the shirt he was wearing was hanging out, and his buttons were misaligned, making him appear unkempt. His face was severely bruised, covered with blood, and his mouth was slightly swollen. It was evident that this man had taken a beating¡ªhe was none other than Ding Zhenyun.


    ¡°Ding, you bettere back with us obediently, if not you¡¯re going to get beaten up real bad!¡±


    Behind him, there were four rascally-looking youths, and the one who had shouted at him was a well-built youngster with a knife scar across his face. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his firm and muscr arms, and there was a scorpion tattoo on the back of his left hand.


    Ding Zhenyun was trembling and trying his best to get away from them, but, as often was the case, when a person panicked, they made mistakes. Unfortunately for Ding Zhenyun, this applied to him as well, as he tripped over a hump on the street and fell hard on the ground.


    Before he knew it, the four youths were on him, and he found himself encircled with his adversaries looking down at him fiercely.


    ¡°Keep running then¡­ why don¡¯t you keep running, huh?¡±


    The leader, a muscr youth thumped Ding Zhenyun in the stomach with a powerful kick, and Ding Zhenyun screamed in agony, his face twisted from the excruciating pain.


    The muscr youth squatted down and grabbed Ding Zhenyun¡¯s hair, pulling his head up roughly, as the remaining three youths stepped on Ding Zhenyun¡¯s hands and leg. There was no way Ding Zhenyun could struggle free.


    The muscr youth grinned and snee

 Chapter 380 - The Price of Growing up

    Chapter 380: The Price of Growing up


    It was uncanny how the shadowy figure suddenly appeared right behind them without making any sound, when hardly a second ago, he had been at least a dozen meters away. Had anyone else recounted such a tale to them, they would never have believed it themselves. The muscr youth and his three aplices were frozen in fear, and their faces turned as white as a sheet.


    When the muscr youth swung around, the shadowy figure was revealed to him¡ªhe had a clean-cut, fair and handsome face, with a pair of piercing ck eyes and thick angr brows. However, behind that fair countenance, he exuded a chilling aura that sent a shiver down his spine.


    ¡°Who are you, w-what do you want?¡± the muscr youth asked, trembling slightly.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and set his gaze on Ding Zhenyun, who looked severely bruised and bleeding, and barely able to speak.


    ¡°C-cousin¡­?¡±


    Ding Zhenyun cried, ovee by a deep sense of remorse, as he regretted not taking Xiao Luo¡¯s advice before. Only now, after working with these despicable rogues, did hee to realize that this was all an MLM scheme. First, they had gained his trust and made him their downline agent, then they encouraged him to borrow money from friends and rtives to invest further into his scheme. It was all a tant act of deception, for, as it turned out, he was merely finding money for these scammers, and the more he got, the more they wanted.


    Cousin?


    The youths were stunned, and the three who were dragging Ding Zhenyun away, immediately let go of him.


    Badly beaten up, Ding Zhenyun was unable to support himself and fell to the ground the moment the youths released him. Ding Zhenyun was ted when he saw Xiao Luo, and waves of relief washed over him, for finally, he knew he was saved. Tears formed in his eyes as he tried to speak, then he passed out.


    Xiao Luo squatted down and ced a finger under his nose to check for breathing, then assessed the other parts of his body, and saw bruises all over from beatings.


    The muscr youth gave his aplices a signal to subdue the man Ding Zhiyun had addressed as his cousin. Although they were filled with doubts about this mysterious man, what they were doing with Ding Zhenyun had to be kept secret, especially from the police. They had no choice but to take down Ding Zhenyun¡¯s cousin.


    The three youths were his underlings and had to force themselves to calm down after receiving his order. They carefully began to approach Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo, who was still squatting beside Ding Zhenyun, suddenly moved at a tremendous speed, appearing like a shadow in the dark alley, and charged into the three youngsters before they knew what was happening. He struck each of them with only a single blow¡ªone on the head, one in the throat, and the third youth was hit in his chest, and all three instantly copsed in a heap.


    The muscr youth barely saw what happened, and all he knew was that his three men suddenly copsed. The first had his skull crushed, the second, a broken neck, and thest youth was bleeding from his nose and mouth, as his internal organs were crushed. In just a fleeting moment, they had lost their lives before any of them could even scream.


    The muscr youth was shocked with fear, for standing right in front of him now was the incarnation of the devil himself!


    When Xiao Luo turned to face him, the muscr youth nervously took out a dagger and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ d-don¡¯te over; if not, I¡¯ll stab you!¡±


    Even with the dagger in his hand, he did not feel any sense of security, and his entire body was quivering uncontrobly.


    Xiao Luo stared at him, and his eyes glowered with murderous intent. He never sought trouble, but nor did he fear it. When he saw his cousin, Ding Zhenyun, getting beaten up so terribly, he was possessed with raging fury and bloodlust.


    In a sh, Xiao Luo moved against the muscr youth, now shakily holding a dagger in front of him.


    So swift was Xiao Luo¡¯s movements that the muscr youth lost sight of him for a brief second, and when Xiao Luo reappeared again, his open palm had already mmed down on the youth¡¯s forehead, and his stretched fingers were gripping it like a pair of steel pincers. Xiao Luo then snapped his head around.


    CRACK~


    The muscr youth slipped to the ground slowly, his eyes were wide open, and he looked unconvinced that he had been killed even before he could react. When death befell him, there was only one thing on his mind: ¡°This thing is not human!¡±


    Only a demon could possess such terrifying speed and strength.


    Xiao Luo did not have any sympathy for the four corpses on the ground. He casually took out his phone and exined briefly to Ji Siying what had happened before sending her the location. Then, he carried Ding Zhenyun and left the ce without uttering another word.


    As a chill breeze blew, four corpses nowid on the empty street, but, when seen from afar, passersby would mistake them as drunken men sleeping off the binge.


    ******


    ******


    When Ding Zhenyun woke up, he realized he was lying on arge soft bed. The spacious room looked luxurious, with snow-white colored walls, and the ce was furnished tastefully.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Xiao Luo walked in with a ss of warm water.


    ¡°W-where are they?¡± Ding Zhenyun squeaked, still in fear of being pursued by that muscr youth and his minions.


    ¡°They have been arrested by the police, and their hideout was raided. Your friends and other victims had been rescued and sent home.¡± Xiao Luo replied. In fact, the hideout had not been handled by the police, but by the NSA, overnight.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s so great!¡± Ding Zhenyun cried, he was relieved.


    ¡°Cousin, I¡­¡±


    He was ashamed of himself and disappointed that he berated Xiao Luo for his earlier intention to advise him on the MLM trap. The words he had uttered to Xiao Luo were inappropriate, and he just couldn¡¯t understand why he had been so abusive to Xiao Luo then.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over, it¡¯s good that you have learned your lesson now,¡± Xiao Luo said, passing him the water with a warm smile.


    Ding Zhenyun epted it with both his hands, and suddenly, his eyes became watery, and he started to snivel slightly. Everything he had experienced in Xiahai City was a nightmare, and even now, he was still having frightening shbacks. ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m so sorry for not listening to you. I don¡¯t know what was wrong with me, I was probably lost in my greed to make more money. Now that I think about it, I must have gonepletely nuts.¡±


    Ovee by guilt, he lost hisposure and started to weep.


    ¡°Cousin, do you know that these people are demons, not humans. When we realized that it was an MLM scheme, we all wanted to leave. But they wouldn¡¯t let us leave, and even forced us to attend sses every day by imprisoning us in a small rental t like criminals.


    They caught a man trying to escape, and he was held on the floor, and, right in front of us, his finger was chopped off; that man was bleeding profusely and screaming. There was another woman, she couldn¡¯t take such a depressing life, so she hid in the toilet and bit herself to sever an artery andmit suicide. When we finally broke in, she was drenched in blood, but she had gone nuts, she grinned at us, and I even saw pieces of flesh in her mouth. The entire toilet was reeking of her blood.¡±


    Ding Zhenyun recalled the trauma he had encountered recently, and he was still in deep anguish. His eyes turned red, and he stared nkly as he knew that he would forever be haunted by these horrible experiences.


    Xiao Luo felt equally guilty as he thought that the MLM organizations were usually gentler with their employees. However, he realized how naive he was to think that these people would not turn to violence after their employees chose not to continue to contribute to the scheme.


    Had he known that it would turn out this way, he would have abducted Ding Zhenyun back then. Fortunately, Ding Zhenyun only suffered from some physical torture and did not sustain any psychological damage. If not, he would have a hard time exining to his aunt, Xiao Jianying.


    ¡°I have booked a train ticket for you, and I¡¯ll send you to the train station tomorrow. You should go back home now, and spend some time with your folks. Once you¡¯re well-rested, and if you¡¯re willing, go help out at the farmhouse.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Ding Zhenyun wiped off his tears and nodded obediently, his attitude towards Xiao Luo had nowpletely changed. This experience had made him grow up, and he now understood a lot more in life. Although having the ambition to seed is good, one should be pragmatic and achieve it step-by-step. Tying to get rich overnight was nothing but a pipe dream.


    ¡­

 Chapter 381 - Interviewer

    Chapter 381: Interviewer


    Early the next morning, Xiao Luo drove Ding Zhenyun to the train station. He didn¡¯t just drop Ding Zhenyun off but personally escorted him all the way to the train, and it was only after he had seen the train depart that he felt reassured.


    His cousin¡¯s dreadful episode had finallye to an end, and he could finally face his great aunt, Xiao Jianying. The trauma that was inflicted on Ding Zhenyun and the pain that he had put his parents through was etched in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, and he despised MLM organizations for that. When he walked out of the train station, Ji Siying was already waiting there next to his parked car.


    Her grace and appeal were a wee sight to Xiao Luo, and he couldn¡¯t helpparing how she looked to those smart and beautiful heroines who appeared weekly on the syndicated TV drama series!


    Ji Siying reported, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Xiao Luo, I¡¯ve already disposed of the bodies and taken care of the other people fromst night.¡± She was a soft-spoken person, and her tone was gentle, even somewhat alluring.


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work,¡± Xiao Luo responded, ¡°I still have things to do and will be leaving now.¡± He then looked at his watch and saw that it was already 8:30am, he needed to get to Shen Qingyan¡¯s Huayao Corporation before 9 o¡¯clock. That woman, Su Li, was threatening him with another suicide attempt, and so, missing the interview wasn¡¯t an option.


    As Xiao Luo was about to get into the car, Ji Siying called out.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, please wait¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped and turned to look at her.


    There was some doubt in Ji Siying¡¯s eyes, and she appeared hesitant. It took her quite some time to settle her emotions, and she was evasive at first, but then she looked Xiao Luo in the eye and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, in the future, can you please stop killing people indiscriminately?¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback, but he retained a calm expression, and he asked, ¡°Orders from the higher-ups?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Ji Siying shook her head and biting her lips nervously, she said, ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s from me.¡±


    It was always wrong to kill¡ªto Ji Siying, killing was an upational hazard, something that had to be done to meet a specific objective. She didn¡¯t want Xiao Luo to be a demon who would one day lose his moralpass and kill anyone at the slightest provocation. For, she had fallen for this man, and deep inside, she knew he was innately a decent person.


    Xiao Luo looked at her for a while, then his eyes softened, and he smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try my best!¡± he said.


    As soon as he said that, he got into his ck Trumpchi SUV and headed for his next appointment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At around 8:50, he arrived at the Huayao Corporation for the interview that Su Li had arranged for him.


    Xiao Luo was seated in the lounge along with another seven or eight others. They were all dressed decently in office attire, and their suits and ties gave them a rtively confident look. Xiao Luo was the only person who wore casual clothes, and in thepany of the other candidates, he looked starkly out of ce.


    Of course, it was intentional as he did not want this job in the first ce, and he had already made up his mind to give it his worse performance. As far as he was concerned, if he managed to rile up the interviewer so much and got thrown out of the room, then he would really have achieved his objective. Hence, the reason he was dressed casually.


    In the waiting area, the atmosphere was somewhat tense, and no one was saying a word. Perhaps, as the candidates knew that they would bepeting against each other for the limited number of positions, they were all somewhat nervous and on their guard.


    The interview was scheduled for 9 o¡¯clock, and as expected, everyone hade earlier with time to spare. There were already seven or eight prospects present when Xiao Luo stepped in, and they had arrived 30 minutes earlier. Absolutely no one would be so irresponsible as to arrive only minutes before an interview like Xiao Luo did, and he expected that he¡¯d be thest person to show up.


    All of a sudden, the ss auto-door slid open with a ¡°woosh,¡± and everyone suddenly perked up, looking sharp and sitting up bolt straight.


    A man with a chubby physique, round face, and a stern expression walked in. His hair was greased up and parted in the center, he had so much fat around his neck that his chin was barely visible, and he bore a close resemnce to Supreme Leader, Mr. Kim Jong-un, of DPRK. Holding a briefcase in his right hand and decked in a suit as straight as a ramrod, he walked with purpose toward the main seat.


    Xiao Luo was stunned because he knew this man¡ªhe was none other than his old ssmate, Guan Tong! When Xiao Luost met him, he was still goofing around in the Xisheng Aeronautical University, in the eighth year of his studies. Was he here for the interview too?


    Guan Tong looked around the room, giving each candidate a critical once-over. When he saw Xiao Luo, he was startled, but he didn¡¯t greet him or even acknowledge his presence. Instead, he gave Xiao Luo a baffling look, and his eyes seemed to be indicating to Xiao Luo to act like they didn¡¯t know each other.


    Then he coughed lightly, and in a crisp and clear voice, he said, ¡°Good morning, everyone. My name is Guan Tong¡ª¡¯Guan¡¯ as in ¡®person in charge¡¯ and ¡®Tong¡¯ as in ¡®Phoenix Tree.¡¯ Many of you will hate me because I¡¯m your interviewer today.¡±


    Interviewer?


    Xiao Luo was at a loss as a deluge of doubts flooded his mind that very instant. Didn¡¯t Guan Tong tell him before that he wasn¡¯t working? How was he suddenly serving in Huayao Corporation as an interviewer?


    He naturally wanted to ask these questions, but Guan Tong¡¯s gestures had deterred him, and he decided to opt for the wait-and-see approach.


    When the others found out that he was the interviewer, they presented their most charming and friendly smiles and nodded their heads respectfully in greeting.


    ¡°This is the initial part of the selection process, and I have only one policy, that is, those who are qualified will stay, and for those who are not, my apologies, but I will ask you to leave right away.¡±


    Guan Tong smiled wryly. He then took on a solemn expression as he sat down and pointed at the man sitting on the far left. ¡°Let¡¯s begin with you. Please briefly introduce yourself,¡± he said.


    The man stood up, smiled confidently, and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Guan Tong, my name is Shao Cailiang. I graduated from Ninghe University with a master¡¯s degree¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    Before Shao Cailiang could even begin introducing himself, Guan Tong raised his hand and unceremoniously stopped him from going any further, then added, ¡°Huayao Corporation does not only want people with high academic qualifications but people who are truly capable of doing the work. For you to have unted your academic qualifications right off the bat, well, it tells me that this is the thing you are most proud of, and how you will perform in your work. The term, ¡®fastidious but ipetent,¡¯ refers precisely to pedantic people like you. You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Guan Tong, I¡­¡±


    Shao Cailiang was dumbfounded. He muttered to himself, ¡°What is the meaning of this? I¡¯ve never had an interviewer like him before.¡±


    Guan Tong waved his hand again and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to tell people that I did not give you a chance, so I¡¯m offering you the job for 3.5k per month. Are you up for it?¡±


    3.5k per month?


    Shao Cailiang didn¡¯t say a word and immediately turned around and left. Fresh graduates with a master¡¯s degree were usually paid 6 to 7 thousand dors per month, and 3,500 was the rate for fresh college grads. He could not ept it.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    Guan Tong leaned back on the chair, which creaked as it bore the extra load from Guan Tong¡¯s stocky frame. It looked like it would fall apart at any time from the strain of supporting his weight.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Interviewer.¡±


    The second candidate greeted Guan Tong with a charming smile on her face. She was a graceful youngdy with a slender figure and delicate facial figures. Learning from the failure of the first candidate, she did not emphasize her academic qualification. ¡°My name is Qin Qiaoli. I have four years of working experience. Hence, I can quickly adapt and get into the job. I hope that you will give me this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really can¡¯t give you this opportunity,¡± Guan Tong responded, drooling like a pervert as his beady eyes wandered to the girl¡¯s thigh.


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Qin Qiaoli was disheartened and in a daze. Mostpanies would have preferred to hire people with working experience, and as she had been in sales for 4 years, she could be considered a veteran in the field. She needed a reasonable exnation as to why she was unqualified for the job.¡±


    Calmly, Guan Tong exined, ¡°With 4 years of working experience, your mind has already been conditioned by your previouspany. Companies, especiallyrge ones like the Huayao Corporation, have a well-established corporate culture. Your working experience will only cause you to be in conflict with our corporate approach. So, I am sorry, please see yourself out. I hope you find a job elsewhere, good luck.¡±


    Qin Qiaoli was speechless, but she didn¡¯t go quietly, as she felt she had the right to make her opinions heard. Therefore, before she left, she snorted and had this to say to Guan Tong: ¡°You must be dumb!¡±


    Guan Tong was unmoved, twirling his pen in his hand nonchntly.


    The remaining candidates were now really nervous. Thispany did not want high-achieving students, nor did they choose people with working experience¡ªso, exactly what sort of talent was the Huayao Corporation looking for?


    Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows as he stared at Guan Tong, seated pompously on the main seat, and wondered if he was really the job interviewer for Huayao Corporation.


    ¡­

 Chapter 382 - Doing It Herself

    Chapter 382: Doing It Herself


    The third candidate, a bespectacled man, walked forward in a most servile manner.


    Guan Tong immediately gave his verdict and promptly announced, ¡°You, with the sses, you are not qualified!¡±


    The bespectacled man¡¯s jaw dropped in dismay. ¡°But, Mr. Interviewer, how can I be disqualified before I could even introduce myself?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The spectacles you are wearing looks like they have thick lenses. I¡¯d say your lenses are at least 500 degrees. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m against short-sighted people but, I only wish to select the elites among elites for the Huayao Corporation,¡± Guan Tong exined.


    The bespectacled man¡¯s face flushed, and he gritted his teeth but didn¡¯t say a word in the end. He took his resume, turned around, and left.


    Another two interviewees who were also wearing sses decided to leave together with him. They were clearly disappointed with how the interview was being conducted and did not see much hope in getting employed.


    Subsequently, one after another, the others were rejected outright for the most bizarre of reasons and left in a huff.


    Guan Tong looked at his phone and let out a long sigh of relief. ¡°9 o¡¯clock, just in time!¡± he chirped.


    Guan Tong and Xiao Luo were the only ones left in the waiting lounge.


    When Xiao Luo was just about to say something, Guan Tong stood up smiling and triumphantly walked over to him. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve shooed away all ourpetitors, there¡¯s a lot less pressure. There¡¯s only the two of us now, and Huayao Corporation is only hiring two to three sales consultants this time. So, we¡¯ll definitely get the job, hehe¡­¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo immediately realized that this ¡°interview¡± was a fake one, and Guan Tong had deceitfully yed the role interviewer to drive away theirpetition for the sales consultant position.


    Had Xiao Luo been asked about the time in his life when he had been the most bbergasted, he would have answered without hesitation¡ªright now! To describe this with a phrase often used by Zhang Dashan, it would be: ¡°This is friggin¡¯ 666!¡± [1]


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I really didn¡¯t expect to see you here. Why, we¡¯re even being interviewed for the same position, as if we¡¯d nned for it in advance. It sure feels like it¡¯s fate, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Guan Tong said, cing his hands on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders like there were the best friends.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to umte knowledge and develop your talent in university? Why did you suddenly decide toe out here and find a job?¡±


    Xiao Luo was genuinely curious, and there was not a trace of sarcasm in his question.


    ¡°Because of you,¡± Guan Tong replied, patting Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was baffled. What did this have to do with him?


    ¡°Yeah, because of you, you b*stard.¡±


    Guan Tong looked at Xiao Luo with admiration and said, ¡°I was impressed by your performance during the ss meeting that day. I have to admit that you¡¯re a man of many talents¡ªyou can recite the four forms of poetry without preparation, you¡¯re well-versed in the history of the Three Kingdoms, and you even have a brilliant grasp of the technical skills required in our major. You are a literal genius, you b*stard! You clubbed me right in the head and woke me up. From that very day, I realized that staying in school is far from enough to be a talented person. I must jump into society and gain experience to toughen myself.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know what to say. An impromptu recital of the four forms of poetry and his being well-versed in the Three Kingdoms¡¯ history was only possible because he was integrated with the genius system. The system was now set to automatically procure new abilities, and when he required any kind of knowledge or skill, it could be redeemed instantly, provided that he had sufficient points. Presently, he still had a bnce of 2.1 million points in his system, and it was more than enough to get by.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, aren¡¯t you Luo Workshop¡¯s boss? Why are you here for the interview?¡± Guan Tong asked.


    Xiao Luo sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, I had to do this. I don¡¯t n to pass this interview, I¡¯m just going through the process.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so great to be rich and do whatever you wish, isn¡¯t it? Let me guess, you must¡¯ve taken a liking to Huayao Corporation¡¯s beautiful chairman, Shen Qingyan. As her name suggests, she can crush an entire nation solely with her beauty. Just look at that hourss figure she¡¯s got, so your n is to get close to her before making your move, am I right?¡± Guan Tong asked excitedly, shing a perverted smile on his face.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t really know how to exin. He couldn¡¯t just tell Guan Tong that he and Su Li were married, and she was the one who forced him to attend this interview. It would take too much effort to exin it, and it¡¯d be better if he just went along with Guan Tong¡¯s assumption that he had an intention to win Shen Qingyan¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s a bingo!¡±


    When Xiao Luo hesitated, Guan Tong immediately assumed his guess was spot on and went further to say, ¡°I¡¯m so frigging jealous of you. When you take down Shen Qingyan, you must send me a red packet.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes heavenward.


    The lounge¡¯s ss door was once again slid open with a ¡°woosh,¡± and a talldy walked in, dressed fashionably and wearing high heels. She had an oval-shaped face and was wearing ck-rimmed spectacles. Her lenses were not at all thin, and it implied that she was also acutely short-sighted.


    Upon seeing that, Guan Tong quickly took out his sses from his jacket¡¯s inner pocket and put them on.


    ¡°Why are there only two of you?¡±


    The talldy was visibly surprised and immediately flipped through the documents she carried with her. She confirmed that there were supposed to be eight candidates today. But it was already 9 o¡¯clock, and yet, there were only the two of them in the lounge. Naturally, she felt something was amiss.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There were only two of us when I arrived. I don¡¯t think the others turned up,¡± Guan Tong got up and said.


    Guan Tong¡¯s response made Xiao Luo cough dryly. For all the years that he had known Guan Tong, he never once realized in the past that this man was so skilled in telling lies. Guan Tong put on a straight face, and he looked persuasive¡ªhe wasn¡¯t blushing, his heart didn¡¯t appear to be thumping any faster, and if Xiao Luo had not witnessed what had happened himself, he would¡¯ve believed every word Guan Tong just said.


    ¡°They didn¡¯te? How is that possible!¡±


    The doubt on the talldy¡¯s face became more pronounced as Huayao Corporation was one of the toprge enterprises in the country, and it was evenparable to Jiangcheng City¡¯s Chongshan House. Countless job seekers dreamt of joining them and would scramble at such an opportunity, so how would they not show up?


    Then, the talldy¡¯s phone rang.


    She quickly took her phone out, and on seeing the caller¡¯s information, she immediately perked up with an expression of deference and was continually nodding her head. ¡°Mmm, okay, I got it, I got it!¡±


    However, after the call ended, she looked at Xiao Luo and Guan Tong with a troubled expression. She didn¡¯t know what was going on today, but Miss Shen herself wanted to interview this batch of candidates. But herees the problem, of the 8 jobseekers, only 2 remained, so, should she be taking only the two of them to her boss?


    ¡°Pretty interviewer, may I inquire, what¡¯s happening?¡± Guan Tong asked, as seeing the unusual look on her face, he wanted to probe further.


    ¡°Miss Shen wants to interview all of you herself,¡± the tall woman answered.


    Guan Tong was shocked, ¡°Miss Shen? Chairman Shen Qingyan?¡±


    The tall woman nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Mother of Heavens, Miss Shen wants to interview us herself? This¡­ t-this¡­¡±


    Guan Tong was overwhelmed. This was just like ying dou dizhu [2], where the opponent had put down the strongestbination before anyone could even y a card. It really blew his mind, and his head was abuzz.


    Xiao Luo frowned. He was a 100 percent sure that Su Li had already made prior arrangements with Shen Qingyan. Why else would she have personally engaged herself in such trivial matters as the recruitment of employees?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A whileter, the talldy had led Xiao Luo and Guan Tong to an opulent office at the end of the floor and gently knocked on the door. Immediately, a clear and refine voice came from within. ¡°Come in.¡±


    The talldy pushed the door open, and there, seated on her a plush chair in a gray business suit, was Shen Qingyan. She had a very full and appealing figure, and her natural beauty was entuated by only light eyeshadow.


    ¡°Miss Shen. We have a total of two interviewees today. They are waiting right for you outside,¡± the talldy reported.


    Shen Qingyan raised her head, put down her pen, and furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°What? Why are there only two? Go, find out what happened. I want an answer in 5 minutes,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Shen.¡±


    The tall woman answered nervously then quickly stepped out.


    ***Footnotes:[1] 666: a Chinese inte ng, meaning, ¡°You¡¯re doin¡¯ amazing, sweetie!¡±[2] Dou dizhu: is a Chinese card game in the genre of shedding and gambling.


    ¡­

 Chapter 383 - Life is a Roller Coaster

    Chapter 383: <strong>Life is a Roller Coaster</strong>


    ¡°Xiao Luo, we meet again!¡±


    Xiao Luo had been invited into the office alone, and when he stepped in, Shen Qingyan stood up from her chair and weed him with a charming smile.


    Xiao Luo returned her smile and said, ¡°You have a good memory, Miss Shen. You can even remember a ¡®nobody¡¯ like me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t at first, but now that you¡¯re my BFF¡¯s husband, don¡¯t you think I have to?¡±


    Shen Qingyan stepped away from her desk. She looked alluring with her tall, slender figure, and the way she moved gave her a noble air. She looked at Xiao Luo from head to toe, then said, ¡°Well, to be honest, I had an excellent impression of you at first, and I even somewhat admired you. But now, I despise you for no other reason than the fact that you¡¯ve slept my best friend!¡±


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t sure if she had said it in jest, but he felt himself breaking a sweat all the same. This woman may have a beautiful face, but her speech was direct, uncluttered, and brutal!


    ¡°Your marriage with Li is an unfortunate ident, and although you can¡¯t really be med, a mistake is still a mistake. With your identity and social status, you are undeserving of Li. My words might hurt you, but this is the truth. The difference between Li and you are like the sky and the earth. If it wasn¡¯t because of how attached Xiaobei was to you, you both would never have known each other,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    CLAP¡­ CLAP¡­ CLAP¡­


    The silence in the office suddenly resounded with Xiao Luo¡¯s deliberate apuse as he looked at Shen Qingyan with a faint smile on his face.


    Shen Qingyan gazed at him with questioning eyes. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have said it any better, and I think that was worthy of some apuse,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you upset?¡±


    Shen Qingyan was surprised as what she had just said was nothing more than to address her best friend¡¯s miserable luck, losing her virtue in such dastardly circumstances. Were the perpetrator a man of fame and prestige, or even someone who had attained some form of achievements to boast of, she could have epted it. However, he turned out to be just some poor fool from the countryside who came to Xiahai looking for a job, and she felt despondent for her friend.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°Every word you have said is reasonable, and I am truly undeserving of her. When you have the time, I hope that you can speak to her so that we can end this false rtionship as soon as possible. If you do seed in convincing her, I¡¯ll be very grateful.¡±


    Shen Qingyan was stupefied as she didn¡¯t expect such an attitude from Xiao Luo. Shouldn¡¯t he feel thankful that he had such a beautiful woman as his wife?


    She asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re a little conceited?¡±


    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±


    Xiao Luo hurled the question back to her and said, ¡°Being conceited is better than groveling oneself before another person like an ant.¡±


    Shen Qingyan fixed her gaze at him for a moment, then immediately smiled and responded, ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll always maintain such an attitude towards life.¡±


    She was baffled and couldn¡¯t figure out this man before her. Outwardly, he was evidently not a sessful person, nor did he appear to be someone with much experience either. Yet, his eyes showed a deep, profound understanding that only came to those who had experienced the ebbs and flows of life.


    Xiao Luo only smiled, and getting to the point, he said, ¡°I¡¯m just here to go through the motions, and I¡¯ve never considered working for Huayao. If Su Li asks you about it, just say that I¡¯m unqualified in all aspects and unsuitable for this job.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Shen Qingyan felt a tightness in her chest. There were countless people out there who were smashing their heads just to get a job in Huayao, and even if it meant they had to start from the very bottom, people still flooded in. And, here he was, telling her that he was just there to ¡°go through the motions¡± with no interest tond the job. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn¡¯t help seeing it as an affront to Huayao Corporation.


    Suddenly, the office door opened, and the talldy walked in flustered.


    Pointing at the open door, she said, ¡°Miss Shen, I¡¯vepleted the investigation. The other candidates were all driven away by that man outside, his name is Guan Tong, and he pretended to be the interviewer.¡±


    She was seething as she reported her findings. It was unbelievably audacious for someone to undermine their recruitment process under the guise of being an interviewer. This act was uneptable, and it could be brought to court to seekpensation for bringing disrepute to its corporate image, not to mention the act of trying to deceive prospective employees within thepany¡¯s premises.


    ¡°Call him in!¡±


    Shen Qingyan returned her seat. There were no emotions on her face, and Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t tell how she felt.


    Xiao Luo was worried about Guan Tong, for, if something simr to this were to happen at Luo Workshop, he would surely not take it easy on that person.


    ¡°Guan Tong,e in!¡±


    The tall woman shouted for Guan Tong through the open door, making no effort to conceal her displeasure toward him for daring to y such tricks with the Huayao Corporation.


    Guan Tong had been waiting anxiously outside the office. Hearing his name being called, he meekly stepped through the door with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Good day, Miss Shen. My name is Guan Tong, ¡®Guan¡¯ as in ¡®person in charge,¡¯ and ¡®Wu¡¯ as in ¡®Phoenix Tree,¡¯ oh, wait¡­ it¡¯s ¡®Tong¡¯ as in ¡®Phoenix Tree,¡¯ hehe¡­¡±


    Guan Tong introduced himself pompously, as he had practiced many times before the interview, but this time, his nervousness was betrayed by a Freudian slip, and he ended his introduction with an awkward smile.


    ¡°My day isn¡¯t good at all!¡±


    Shen Qingyan responded with a sardonic smile and said, ¡°You drove off all the other candidates by ying your petty tricks right here in mypany¡¯s premises. I¡¯m in a terrible mood right now!¡±


    Gulp¡­!


    Guan Tong froze. When he nced at the talldy, he found her ring at him, too, in the most hostile way. Guan Tong began to feel an immense pressure building up inside and started breaking out in cold sweat. ¡°Miss Shen, I-I, err¡­¡± he stuttered.


    Shen Qingyan waved her hand impatiently and asked him, ¡°Tell me, how did you drive them away? The more detailed, the better!¡± Then turning to her assistant, she said, ¡°Miss He, get me a ss of water.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Shen.¡±


    The tall woman responded and immediately walked to the water dispenser at the corner of the office.


    Guan Tong wiped off the sweat running down his forehead and did not dare not utter a word until the talldy had returned with the ss of water. By, then he had organized his thoughts, and only after Shen Qingyan had taken the ss of water from her assistant and began sipping on it did Guan Tong recount everything that happened in the lounge.


    When Shen Qingyan heard about how Guan Tong had impersonated the interviewer and how he rejected the candidates with the most ridiculous reasons she had ever heard, she couldn¡¯t contain herughter. Then, she stood up, looked at Guan Tong with a sparkle in her eyes, and said, ¡°What a true talent you are! You¡¯ve eliminated all yourpetitors with this little trick of yours¡­ very suited for our sales consultant position.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Guan Tong was ted and cried, ¡°Huh, Miss Shen, do you mean that I¡¯ve passed the interview and can now work for Huayao?¡±


    Shen Qingyan smiled and shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she replied, then turning to the talldy, she said, ¡°Miss He, notify the Legal Department at once. Sue him for interrupting thepany¡¯s business activities and damaging our reputation for 5 million dors.¡±


    Huh?!


    Guan Tong¡¯s eyes nearly popped out, and in that very instant, he finally understood the quote, ¡®life is a roller coaster.¡¯ Feeling like he was about to lose control of his dder, he pleaded with Shen Qingyan, stammering, ¡°M-miss Shen, w-why¡­ you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m¡­¡±


    BAM!


    Shen Qingyan mmed her desk as she looked sternly at him and said, ¡°A jobseeker like you resorting to such shameless trickery, pretending to be an interviewer and driving off the other candidates, your actions are despicable and indefensible. This cannot be forgiven; you have treated mypany with disrespect!¡±


    The talldy was delighted to hear that as she couldn¡¯t stand the sight of Guan Tong, whom she found revolting and felt he had to be punished.


    ¡°Miss Shen, don¡¯t do this, please! It¡­ it¡¯s only because I want to join Huayao so badly, please¡­¡±


    Guan Tong knew he had gone overboard, and he now found himself in a quagmire of his own making. He never thought that he¡¯d get pped with awsuit, and even worse, sued by apany asrge as the Huayao Corporation. He felt that the sky falling, and to him, it was the end of days.


    ¡­

 Chapter 384 - Retaliate

    Chapter 384: Retaliate


    ¡°Call the police, and don¡¯t let him leave the premises!¡±


    Shen Qingyan seemed to be perpetually smiling, but her response was harsh and swift, and she acted decisively. Her inscrutable and unpredictable nature made her someone to reckon with, and it was never wise to take such a person lightly.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Shen.¡±


    The tall woman responded and promptly made the call to the police from her handphone.


    Guan Tong was ashen-faced, and he plopped on the floor, trembling¡ªhe had just dug a pit to start a fire and then jumped into it.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Xiao Luo called out to the talldy as he strode toward her. When she looked up at him, he suddenly seized her phone and canceled the call before handing it back. Guan Tong and he had been university ssmates, and he couldn¡¯t just watch as his friend wallowed neck-deep in trouble. Xiao Luo then turned around to Shen Qingyan and said, ¡°Miss Shen, he didn¡¯t intend to trouble your organization. I think there¡¯s no need to make such a big fuss over it.¡±


    Shen Qingyan raised her eyebrows and sat down once again. She began ying with her pen as she asked, ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship?¡±


    ¡°A ssmate and a friend.¡±


    ¡°Oohhhh¡­ I see.¡±


    Shen Qingyan nodded, dragging her voice slyly as she raised a corner of her mouth to form a mocking smile.


    Xiao Luo had said certain things that she couldn¡¯t agree with, and he even dared to grab the phone from her assistant. Now was her opportunity to strike back, and she relished the chance.


    She smiled yfully and said, ¡°So, you want me to let him go?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t answer but only gave her a slight nod.


    ¡°Very well then, if you can impress me andnd the sales consultant job, I will not hold him ountable,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Xiao Luo frowned as things just got moreplicated. His n to merely go through the motions had now gone awry, and this sudden turn of events had caught him off-guard.


    Guan Tong jumped off the floor and ran to Xiao Luo, holding his hands with a woeful look. ¡°Xiao Luo, please help me, you must help me, although my parents have some money, it¡¯s certainly much less than 5 million. If I¡¯m required to pay thepensation, my family will lose everything we have,¡± he pleaded in tears. This time, he had indeed gone overboard and gotten himself into quite a predicament. Shen Qingyan didn¡¯t look like the type to forgive, and she sounded dead serious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Xiao Luo tried to console his friend though he didn¡¯t quite know what he should do. It was only a while ago that he had thought how cool Guan Tong¡¯s little ruse was, but now, he was somewhat speechless with how things had turned out.


    Then, something else urred to him. If Su Li could set an interview for him at Huayao Corporation, she could very well arrange for more interviews with otherpanies. For every day he didn¡¯t have a job, he would know no peace. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea tond the sales consultant job here after all, and it did seem there wouldn¡¯t be much for him to do anyway.


    Shen Qingyan was enjoying every moment of watching Xiao Luo grapple with the situation and found it thoroughly amusing. She had decided to teach him a good lesson for daring to look down on herpany, or her surname wasn¡¯t Shen, she told herself.


    She coughed dryly and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to try your best, Xiao Luo. As far as I¡¯m concerned, you don¡¯t qualify. This job is not for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think it is,¡± Xiao Luo said, shaking his head and giving her a wry smile.


    ¡°Oh? Do you think you have some special qualities that could impress me andnd you the job?¡± Shen Qingyan sneered as she took a sip of tea.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond to her, but nodded his head, looking smug.


    Shen Qingyan was amused. ¡°You are pretty confident about yourself, aren¡¯t you? I want to know where your confidence came from?¡± she said.


    ¡°From her.¡±


    ¡°Her?¡±


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Yes, her. Before I came, she would¡¯ve already spoken to you about it, and you¡¯ve probably promised her that no matter how bad my performance turned out to be, you¡¯ll make an exception and hire me. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have personally conducted this interview, am I right?¡± He spoke matter-of-factly, neither humbly nor overbearingly.


    As soon as Xiao Luo uttered those words, both the tall woman and Guan Tong looked at him in total shock. They immediately realized that there was more to this man than met the eye, and his status suddenly took on a whole new level.


    As much as she tried to suppress it, Shen Qingyan¡¯s expression changed instantly. If she had a word to describe him, it would be¡ªdespicable! How could he even imply that Su Li had spoken to her? What kind of a man was he to even say such a thing?


    Xiao Luo continued, ¡°You and she are the best of friends, and you will do whatever you can to help her. Undoubtedly, I am to be one of yourpany¡¯s sales consultants. Miss Shen, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need to continue this charade, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Marche ¨¤ l¡¯ombre! (Walk in the shade!)¡±


    Shen Qingyan jumped to her feet, pounding the table and rebuked Xiao Luo in French, angrily pointing her finger at him. She had alluded to Xiao Luo not to get too cocky and to stay out of the limelight. She couldn¡¯t contain herself and had never known such a shameless man before.


    ying on her phrase, Xiao Luo replied in French, ¡°Je suis d¨¦sol¨¦, il n¡¯y a pas d¡¯arbres ici (I¡¯m sorry, there are no trees here!)¡±


    Huh?¡±


    Shen Qingyan was taken aback as she didn¡¯t expect that Xiao Luo could speak French.


    Not to be outdone, she continued speaking in French, ¡°It is regrettable when a mancks knowledge and knows not self-restraint, and you, Sir, fit the description of such a miserable man.¡±


    ¡°I know not if I can be considered to be such a miserable man, but I do know that I¡¯m a person who loves to think. Honor¨¦ de Balzac once said that ¡®men of thought believe in a divine providence,¡¯ therefore I¡¯d surmise that a person who can think is a person with limitless strength,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Shen Qingyan was stunned after hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s articte riposte in French. She had studied for more than two years to have acquired such proficiency in the Frenchnguage, yet, Xiao Luo, a country bumpkin as far as she knew, had just conversed with her like he was a native speaker.


    She wouldn¡¯t have been so surprised if he had just spoken English, but French? Was French the foreignnguage that he studied during university?


    Shen Qingyan refused to ept defeat. She uttered in Russian, ¡°§á§à§ê§Ö§Ý§ß§Ñ§ç§å§Û, §ã§í§ß§ê§Ý§ð§ç§Ú!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyebrows furrowed deeply because the sentence meant: f**k you, son of a wh*re.


    He thought that it was unbing of a woman of culture to utter such that such obscenities.


    ¡°Miss Shen, please respect yourself,¡± Xiao Luo responded in fluent Russian.


    What, he knows Russian as well?!


    Shen Qingyan was speechless. She was already surprised that Xiao Luo could speak French, but now, she was aghast that he knew what she had said in Russian. Exactly who was this man?


    Shen Qingyan blushed a bright crimson, and as strong-minded as she was, right now, all she wanted to do was find a hole and stick her head in it. Fortunately, only Xiao Luo understood what she had said, and that was a slight relief.


    The talldy and Guan Tong were dumbfounded. Although they could not understand the banter between Xiao Luo and Shen Qingyan, they knew enough to recognize that two foreignnguages had been spoken, and the speakers both seemed very fluent in them; even their ent sounded like foreigners.


    Guan Tong gawked as he wondered how much more talents Xiao Luo still had hidden in the closet.


    CLAP¡­ CLAP¡­ CLAP


    Shen Qingyan stood up and apuded, looking at Xiao Luo with admiration. ¡°A talent¡­ what a talent, I¡¯ve wholly misjudged you!¡±


    Oh no, that¡¯s the same thing she said to me!


    Guan Tong¡¯s heart thumped rapidly.


    As he had expected, Shen Qingyan¡¯s tone changed, and she said, ¡°However, even though you¡¯re very talented innguages, you still did not impress me.¡±


    ¡°At times, it pays to humble oneself, for bountiful is the inheritance of the meek. Hence, never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you,¡± Xiao Luo replied, this time he spoke in the Queen¡¯s English.


    Shen Qingyan was startled as she immediately knew that Xiao Luo was referring to Su Li. Xiao Luo was insinuating that if she went overboard, he would no longer y along, and she would be hard-pressed to answer to Su Li.


    What a shameless guy!


    Shen Qingyan was exasperated and once again felt a tightness to her chest. Xiao Luo had run circles around her leaving her no room to articte a suitable response.


    BAM!


    Suddenly, the office door swung open loudly, jolting everyone in the room, except Xiao Luo.


    ¡­

 Chapter 385 - Dubais Princess

    Chapter 385: Dubai¡¯s Princess


    A man in his fifties barged in. He had a haughty demeanor with a head of white hair with gray streaks underneath, and three deep frown lines stretched across his forehead, giving him the appearance of a fearsome tiger. He was casually dressed in a white T-shirt and was apanied by a small entourage of snooty-looking men and women trailing behind him.


    Among this group of people, stood an olive-skinned woman who was dressed inly. She had a straight nose, long wavy hair, healthy white teeth, perfectly arched eyebrows, and a lovely pair of eyes. She was obviously a foreigner, and although she was garbed in local streetwear, she looked natural and carried herself with a noble bearing that seemed to exude from within her.


    Shen Qingyan glowered and looked the uninvited visitor square in the eyes. Somewhat unkindly, she said, ¡°Third Uncle, could you have the decency to knock before you enter?¡±


    Third Uncle?


    Wouldn¡¯t this man be Huayao Corporations¡¯ number two, Shen Xingqing?


    Xiao Luo recognized the man immediately, and his interest was piqued. Despite his reluctance to be part of the Huayao Corporation, Xiao Luo was quite familiar with the history of one of thergestpanies in the city of Xiahai. The corporation was wholly owned by the Shen family, and due to Shen Qingyan¡¯s outstanding abilities, she took over the reins from her father to lead the organization. All the shareholders were members of the Shen family, and after Shen Qingyan, her third uncle, Shen Xingqing, was thergest shareholder and wielded immense power and influence.


    Shen Xingqing ignored her brusque remark and said, ¡°Qingyan, my niece, I came here to see you on an urgent matter.¡±


    He smiled cockily at Shen Qingyan and showed no regard for her position as thepany¡¯s chairman. He had known Shen Qingyan since she was a little girl and watched her grow, and for her to now be seated above him in rank was something he couldn¡¯t reconcile with readily. He didn¡¯t see the need to treat her any differently now, even after assuming the chairman¡¯s office.


    ¡°Regardless, it is onlymon courtesy to do so.¡±


    Evidently, there were no holds barred when it came to Shen Qingyan and her uncle. There had been a long history between the two, and it was no secret that Shen Xingqing coveted her position. Had it not been for her father¡¯s support and her own capabilities, she would already have been forced to step down from her position a long time ago.


    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so adamant, I¡¯ll make up for it right now!¡±


    Shen Xingqing scowled, then promptly walked back through the open door and dramatically knocked on it once again, or rather he pounded heavily on the door. He came across like ruffian out to create a scene.


    Shen Qingyan had to dig deep to suppress her annoyance but got him back in a subtler way. In her most condescending tone, she said, ¡°Yes, you maye in now.¡±


    Shen Xingqing stomped in like the ss bully as one of his subordinates hurriedly brought a chair to him. He dispensed with any further courtesies, duly dropped himself into the chair, and crossed his legs, giving off an air of supreme authority.


    ¡°Uncle, please get to the point,¡± Shen Qingyan said. She was curt and had no wish to prolong the conversation if she could help it.


    ¡°Fine with me!¡±


    Shen Xingqing gestured at the foreign woman with his hand. ¡°Thisdy over here came to us with a list of medical supplies, but she speaks in a weirdnguage, sounds more like a chirping bird if you ask me. She must need something,¡± he said, disdainfully, ¡°but none of ourpany¡¯s trantor can understand a word she¡¯s saying. I wanted to tell her to f**k off, but then I thought that maybe my brilliant niece, who¡¯s such a talented linguist, might understand her, so I brought her here.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, I know you, so, let¡¯s cut through the chase, what are you trying to do here?¡± Shen Qingyan was tired of his games, and she knew that his intention was to put her in a spot and see her embarrass herself.


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m here to sincerely ask for your help. This woman might very well be a VIP, and should that be the case, ignoring her will be a big loss for thepany.¡±


    Shen Xingqing said it with a cunning smile, shaking his legs impatiently. He couldn¡¯t wait to see Shen Qingyan make a fool of herself. Didn¡¯t she proim that she was well-traveled and unafraid to fly anywhere around the world? Didn¡¯t she say that there was no client that she couldn¡¯t handle? He was now keen to see how she would handle this client, and if she failed, then, as her uncle, he had every right to put her in her ce. That would be the perfect way to take the edge off her spirit, he thought. But Shen Qingyan was on to his devious n and decided to fire the first broadside. ¡°Uncle, if you have the time to y these games, why not you use it more productively for thepany instead?¡±


    ¡°Qingyan, my niece, you measure the stature of great men by the yardstick of a midget. I¡¯m really not as bad as you think,¡± Shen Xingqing said, breaking into a chuckle and shaking his legs even more vigorously.


    Shen Qingyan simply ignored him. She turned to look at the foreign woman and smiled warmly. Speaking in English, she said, ¡°Hello, Ma¡¯am. I¡¯m Shen Qingyan, the person in charge. Wee to Huayao Corporation. Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    English, being the lingua franca of the business world, was naturally her first option.


    The foreign woman stared at Shen Qingyan nkly, unable to understand what was said. She looked anxious and began to gesticte with her hands as she replied, ¡°.???????. ??????????????,¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    At no moment in her life did Shen Qingyan feel more helpless than she was right then. Having mastered three foreignnguages, she had often bragged about traveling around the world, but never was she aware that such anguage existed. In a sense, her third uncle was quite right, for, when she first heard it, she wondered if it was really anguage.


    The foreign woman continued to speak for some time, desperately using gestures to help exin herself.


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s head was in a spin. In the end, she smiled apologetically and decided to throw in the towel. ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯m so sorry, but I don¡¯t understand what you mean. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Now, who would¡¯ve thought, even my talented niece, Qingyan, would have helpless moments. Uncle always thought that you were so knowledgeable and all-knowing, but it seems that I¡¯ve overrated you, how sad. So, it looks like no matter how brilliant a person might be, one can¡¯t excel in everything, am I right?¡±


    Shen Xingqing stood up energetically, looking smug and feeling quite pleased with himself. He proceeded to dust off his pants in a deliberate manner, and when he thought he had everyone¡¯s attention, he looked at his niece and sneered, ¡°Qingyan, you¡¯re too young, and still need much guidance from people much older and more experienced than you. So, be careful, don¡¯t turn our family business into an unachievable dream.¡±


    Shen Qingyan had no response, and her face reddened. She was seething inside but as disdainful as Shen Xingqing was, she had to admit that he got the better of her this time around.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo spoke up. He stood casually by the far side and spoke to no one in particr. ¡°Thisdy says that she¡¯s Princess Sma from Dubai, and she wishes to order a shipment of medical supplies worth 8 million dirhams.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Then was a sudden lull in the room, and everyone there¡ªbe they Shen Xingqing, Shen Qingyan, Guan Tong, or the talldy, turned to look at Xiao Luo all at once, with looks of disbelief.


    ¡°You can understand what she¡¯s saying?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    Xiao Luo nodded as he replied, ¡°She¡¯s speaking Arabic, but in her tribal dialect, so it sounds a little strange.¡±


    ¡°Kid, where are you from? Please don¡¯t talk nonsense around here, or else I¡¯ll kick you out!¡±


    Shen Xingqing scowled, questioning the veracity of Xiao Luo¡¯s trantion. ¡°What dirhams? I haven¡¯t heard of it before. And a princess? Judging by the cheap street clothes she¡¯s wearing, it¡¯s not even worth a little bit over a hundred dors, could she possibly be Dubai¡¯s princess? If you are making things up, pleasee up with something better!¡±


    ¡°Just because you have not heard of it, does not mean it doesn¡¯t exist. Dirham is the currency of the UAE. Please don¡¯t show everyone your ignorance,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Only moments ago, Shen Xingqing was feeling pleased with himself for putting Shen Qingyan in her ce. He had long felt outdone by Shen Qingyan and had an ax to grind. But, much to his chagrin, Xiao Luo hade out from nowhere and stolen his moment, even daring to insult his intelligence. He pointed furiously at Xiao Luo and screamed, ¡°Do you know who I am? Get the hell of out here! You don¡¯t seem too keen to continue working in Huayao!¡±


    He naturally assumed that anyone in Shen Qingyan¡¯s office was an employee of the corporation.


    ¡­

 Chapter 386 - Translate

    Chapter 386: Trante


    Shen Qingyan walked from her desk toward Xiao Luo, pushing Shen Xingqing aside. She stared hard at him and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, can you really understand her?¡±


    ¡°What benefit do I get by lying to you?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Shen Qingyan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°Nothing, I guess. I want you to ask her what a princess is doing all alone in a foreign country?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, but I need to discuss the benefits first,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Shen Qingyan raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Alright, if you can facilitate this discussion, then your friend over there will not be charged, fair enough? On top of that, you both will be employed by Huayao Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Just to add one more condition¡ªI get to decide my working hours as well.¡±


    Decide his own working hours?


    What? Didn¡¯t he realize that he was going to be a sryman? And, since when did a sryman enjoy such perks, wouldn¡¯t that give him more leisure time the animals in a zoo?


    Guan Tong and the talldy were stunned that a jobseeker could be so bold to make such a demand.


    ¡°Hey, what do you think the Huayao Corporation is, a night club?¡±


    Shen Xingqing roundly rebuked Xiao Luo for what he thought was an absurd demand. But when he looked around and saw everyone else¡¯s reaction in the room, he suddenly wasn¡¯t so sure of himself and decided not to pursue the matter.


    Shen Qingyan did not even bother to respond to his outburst, but instead, she smiled at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Well, if she really turns out to be the princess of Dubai, and shemits on that 8-million-dirham deal with us, then, yes, I will agree to your terms.¡±


    Xiao Luo snickered and quipped, ¡°Miss Shen, it seems to me, you win either way.¡±


    ¡°That is for certain, I am a business person. I only do things that will benefit myself.¡± Shen Qingyan smirked, not feeling annoyed in the least; on the contrary, she took Xiao Luo¡¯sment as apliment.


    Xiao Luo now saw Shen Qingyan in a different light, she was quite an interesting character.


    He turned around, walked up to the foreign woman, and said, ¡°???????????????????????. ???????????¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke in the Arabic dialect that the woman had used earlier, and she was startled at first, then responded immediately, looking relieved and grateful that she could finally speak to someone who understood her needs. She was so pleased that she even gave Xiao Luo a hug as if she had found a long lost rtive.


    What? Does this freak actually know how to speak thatnguage?!


    Shen Xingqing¡¯s eyes almost popped out. He did not understand a word of what was being said, but he could tell it was the same tongue.


    The foreign woman was now in deep conversation with Xiao Luo, she was animated and spoke at length about many things, which, to the other listeners, sounded like an unending spell chant. Xiao Luo kept nodding and asking questions in between.


    Everyone was astounded as they watched the twomunicating and making gestures between themselves. Who¡¯d have imagined that Xiao Luo could even understand an Arabic tribal dialect of the UAE?


    ¡°That b*stard, how many more such talents does he still have that¡¯s hidden away?¡±


    Guan Tong was silently gazing at Xiao Luo with respect, and the admiration he had for his hero was beyond measure. He vowed to follow in Xiao Luo¡¯s footsteps, but Xiao Luo would reveal a new talent to set the bar higher whenever they met. It was undoubtedly challenging, but he was a man overflowing with talents, and he was still the perfect role model for him to emte.


    It was some time before Xiao Luo was done conversing with the foreign woman. ¡°Why did she say?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    ¡°Princess Sma said that she had traveled to our country to personally make a purchase for a batch of medical supplies. She arrived at Xiahai City yesterday with her guards and trantor, but her trantor was hit by a car when they went shopping and was hospitalized. As she was feeling bored being in the hotel, she decided toe herself with the list of medicines.¡±


    Xiao Luo exined the circumstances of why she hade alone and added, ¡°She was actually nning to approach Renhe Medicines, but as she wasn¡¯t familiar with the city, she decided toe to Huayao Corporation.¡±


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s face darkened the moment she heard the name ¡°Renhe Medicines.¡± They were Huayao Corporation¡¯s no.1petitor. Even before bothpanies had expanded abroad, they were already fiercepetitors. With bothpanies now vying for the international market, no effort was sparedpeting for international customers. Presently, Renhe Medicines monopolized the market in the UAE.


    Shen Qingyan saw the opportunity immediately and said, ¡°Tell her that I can fulfill all her order requirements.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around to Princess Sma and ryed Shen Qingyan¡¯s offer.


    When Princess Sma was informed of the offer, she looked ted and let out a garble of words in her ownnguage. She immediately gave Shen Qingyan a traditional Arabic embrace, kissed on her cheeks, and repeatedly bowed to express her satisfaction.


    Xiao Luo tranted, ¡°She said that if you could fulfill her order without dy, she will help Huayao establish a branch in the UAE. This will be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties. As Renhe Medicine¡¯s monopolizes the market in her country, they control the market price, causing her people to pay a premium for medicines. There are also many cases of the medicines being adulterated. Among the benefits of leveling the ying field in the UAE market would be ensuring that the quality of medicines is notpromised and market prices remain fair.¡±


    It took a bit of effort for Shen Qingyan to maintain a calm demeanor, but she gave it away when she excitedly said to her assistant, ¡°Miss He, hurry up and get Princess Sma a seat!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Shen.¡±


    The talldy pulled up the chair Shen Xingqing had just sat on earlier for the princess and graciously invited her to sit.


    ¡°Xie xie!¡±


    Sma bowed and thanked her politely. Many foreigners who came to the country made an effort to speak in Mandarin, and she was no exception.


    Shen Xingqing suddenly burst out, ¡°Qingyan, my niece, you¡¯re really too young and naive. Do you really believe that a foreign woman dressed in such ordinary clothes could actually be a princess from Dubai?¡±


    When Shen Qingyan heard that, she felt slightly dampened. Although Shen Xingqing was a detestable man, what he had said did make sense. Dubai was a ce where every inch ofnd was gilded in gold. As a princess from Dubai, why would she dress so shabbily?


    ¡°Huh, if you ask me, I¡¯d say that this kid is just talking nonsense!¡±


    Shen Xingqing said as he pointed at Xiao Luo, totally unconvinced. ¡°Only God knows what he was uttering, and we are now supposed to believe it is some kind of tribal dialect? He¡¯s definitely ying you for a fool. If you chose to believe in him, I do not know where you¡¯ve put your brains. This is a joke!¡±


    By ndering the princess and Xiao Luo, he also took the opportunity to humiliate Shen Qingyan and question her acumen.


    Shen Qingyan red at him nastily, then cast an inquiring nce at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo spread his hands, and with a shrug of his shoulders, he said, ¡°I¡¯m just the trantor!¡±


    Whether or not Sma was truly the princess of Dubai, had nothing to do with him. He was merely conveying her words across.


    ¡°Trante your head! Are you telling me that a low-down bullsh*tter like you can understand Arabic? I am inclined to suspect that you and this woman are aplices, and you are both in collusion to scam the Huayao Corporation,¡± Shen Xingqing carped.


    He simply refused to ept that she was a princess from Dubai, or that Xiao Luo could understand and speak Arabic. If it turned out to be true, he would have personally handed over such a huge order to Shen Qingyan for nothing.


    Xiao Luo tranted his words to Princess Sma.


    Sma was so infuriated that she took out a ck bank card and mmed it on the table, cursing at Shen Xingqing in her ownnguage.


    A Swiss Bank Centurion Card?!


    Shen Qingyan and Shen Xingqing¡¯s pupils dted at the sight of the card. The card symbolized status and wealth, and ownership of such a card was by invitation only, which meant it was the card of choice for the rich and famous and people of nobility.


    Xiao Luo duly tranted what the princess had said to Shen Xingqing. ¡°Princess Sma would like you to know that she thinks you are an insignificant maggot crawling on a heap of stinking feces, and she¡¯d also like to say that you are so disgusting that it makes her want to throw up.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Shen Xingqing¡¯s face immediately darkened to the hue of a pig¡¯s liver. He quivered with rage as he pointed at Xiao Luo, but he couldn¡¯t find the words, for the Swiss Bank Centurion card on the table felt like the weight of a mountain bearing down on him, rendering him breathless.


    ¡­

 Chapter 387 - Just A Wage Earner

    Chapter 387: Just A Wage Earner


    Fickle is themon man¡¯s mind, for the moment Princess Sma revealed her Swiss Bank Centurion card, any doubt of her eminent status was instantly cast aside. Despite being dressed in everyday streetwear, her currency skyrocketed to exalted heights, and suddenly, no one thought of her as an ordinary person any longer.


    Princess Smaposed herself for a brief moment, then she stood up and garbled in her own tongue to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo listened attentively and duly tranted her words to Shen Qingyan. ¡°The princess says that she¡¯s changed her mind. She no longer wishes to ce her order with Huayao.¡±


    Shen Qingyan red spitefully at Shen Xingqing and hissed, ¡°Uncle, you better hurry up and apologize to her. If this deal goes down the drain, not only will I, but the entire board will have much to say about this. Do not force me to disown you!¡±


    She did not mince her words, and there was no doubt that she would make good on her threat. She was now convinced that thisdy was a princess from Dubai and that this was an opportunity for thepany to enter the UAE market andpete with Renhe Medicines on a level ying field. Therefore, regardless of whom, she would not allow anyone to disrupt this deal.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind? Do you really believe that she¡¯s a princess from Dubai? It¡¯s just a Centurion card, it could easily be forged¡­¡±


    In the midst of Shen Xingqing¡¯s uncontrolled burst of emotions, he abruptly stopped, as a realization dawned on him, and he carped, ¡°Ahh, I understand now, you are all colluding against me. You¡¯ve put together this brilliant show to entrap me and humiliate me. Well done, my niece, I have underestimated how far you¡¯d be willing to go!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m like you, with nothing better to do?¡±


    Shen Qingyan was indignant and rued the fact that she had such an uncle. She no longer cared about Shen Xingqing felt and screamed, ¡°I demand that you apologize to Princess Sma now! Do it, or else¡­!¡±


    Shen Xingqing was sullen-faced, and seeing that he had no choice, he said, ¡°Fine, I fell for it!¡± He reluctantly walked over to Princess Sma, and showing no remorse on his face, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Xiao Luo tranted his words to the princess, in the tone that he said it.


    Sma nodded to Xiao Luo as a courtesy, then she spewed a lengthy diatribe in her ownnguage at Shen Xingqing, before finally spitting at his feet. She looked furious as she stood ring at him with her arms on her hips.


    ¡°What? How dare you dare spit at me, are you tired of living?!¡±


    A hideous expression formed on Shen Xingqing¡¯s face as he rolled up his sleeves, intent on teaching Sma a lesson.


    Xiao Luo was ready for this, and without a second thought, he took a step forward and kicked Shen Xingqing right in the gut. The blow was harder than he had anticipated, but he did not regret it, as he abhorred such an arrogant and self-serving man; and it was exactly such people that gave his countrymen a bad name.


    Shen Xingqing sailed through the air, letting out a horrible shriek like a pig being ughtered, before mming heavily against the wall. And, as he slumped to the floor, he twitched uncontrobly and whimpered. His aides were startled for a moment before one of them rushed over to help him.


    The others, including Shen Qingyan, Guan Tong, and the talldy, simply stared wide-eyed at Xiao Luo in total shock. They couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo would dare kick Shen Xingqing and marveled at how powerful the kick was that sent the man flying in the air like a cannonball.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It wasn¡¯t long before a stately convoy of three ck vehicles came to a halt at the towering Huayao Corporation Building entrance. They were luxury cars and the one in the middle was a stretched Lincoln Limousine, it was plush and impressive, certainly fit for royalty.


    These vehicles were escorted by a motorcade of police cars dispatched by the Xiahai police department.


    The top official from the UAE conste in Xiahai hade to fetch Princess Sma in person. The atmosphere in Huayao Corporation boiled up with excitement as it wasn¡¯t every day that a foreign dignitary would visit them.


    ¡°What¡­ she¡¯s really a princess¡­?¡±


    Shen Xingqing was crestfallen, and his dejected expression could only be likened to someone who had inadvertently consumed a pile of dung. Sma had initiallye to see him, and she should rightly have been his ount, but he judged her by appearance and made light of her inquiries. He even used her as a tool in his scheme to make aughingstock out of Shen Qingyan. In the end, he had gifted away an unrivaled key client, and had he been the one to strike the deal, his status would have been elevated, and his suppression of Shen Qingyanplete.


    After seeing off Princess Sma, Shen Qingyan smiled as she passed him and said, ¡°Uncle, I totally misjudged you. Little did I realize your benevolence and sincerity in bringing such a client to me. This really secures my position in thepany, and I¡¯m really thankful. I¡¯m sorry I gave you a hard time.¡±


    Her sarcasm wasn¡¯t lost on Shen Xingqing.


    Shen Xingqing felt his chest tighten and almost vomited blood. He made every effort to salvage his pride as he red at her coldly and said, ¡°Qingyan, there¡¯s still a long road ahead, don¡¯t be too full of yourself!¡±


    Shen Xingqing cobbled together what dignity he had left, snorted, and left in a huff.


    ¡°A long road is ahead for me, indeed¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan stood at the same spot and pondered as she muttered to herself, for this sentence had a profound significance. She then looked around for Xiao Luo and saw him talking face-to-face with a police officer, one that belonged to the group escorting the three limousines.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re conducting an operation tomorrow, will you being, Mr. Xiao?¡± the officers inquired.


    The officer had handsome features, and his poise and bearing reflected an upright quality about him. This man was no other than Qiu Yuanjie, whom Ji Siying had mentioned to Xiao Luo before. The police department had received a report that Princess Sma of Dubai had gone out alone and was now at Huayao Corporation. Thest thing he had expected was to bump into the very agent that he was supposed to work with from the NSA, Xiao Luo. His superiors had long requested him to get acquainted with Xiao Luo, but Qiu Yuanjie was reluctant as he felt that the NSA¡¯s assistance was redundant, as sooner orter, he was confident in his own team¡¯s ability to eliminate the scourge of Xiahai City¡ªthe MLM organizations.


    ¡°Sure thing. The timing is perfect for me.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. As he had epted this mission, he would certainly do his best as that was his attitude in anything task that he undertook.


    ¡°Very well, then. Come to the headquarters at 10 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said.


    Qiu Yuanjie turned around and joined his squad, but he wasn¡¯t enthusiastic about working with another agency. In his opinion, he and his team were on top of the problem, and the high-ups had made an unnecessary move to involve people from the NSA.


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    Shen Qingyan made her way over to him and asked, ¡°What were you talking about to that policeman?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, really,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Shen Qingyan didn¡¯t pursue the matter and got back to the issue about the Dubai deal instead. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you that we secured the order from Princess Sma. You will get yourmission for the sale, I¡¯ll see to that.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that I¡¯ve passed the interview?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Of course, Huayao Corporation is always in need of talents like you. You, and that friend of yours, will be assigned to the sales department.¡±


    Shen Qingyan nced at Guan Tong, who was nervously standing some distance away from them. ¡°He dared to impersonate an interviewer and drive off hispetitors. For that, I¡¯ll consider him an ordinary genius of sorts, but the additional condition you requested will only apply to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo knew that she was referring to the flexible working hours he mentioned. Getting hired for the job wasn¡¯t such a bad deal after all, as not only was Su Li appeased, but he would also receive a sry every month. Giving Shen Qingyan a big grin, he said, ¡°You¡¯re not wishy-washy at all in your decisions, Miss Shen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been so.¡±


    Shen Qingyan smiled delightedly and said, ¡°Although you will be determining your own working hours, I hope you clock in daily. At least, make sure that you show up at thepany regrly.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    After Miss He led Xiao Luo and Guan Tong to HR to process their employment formalities, Shen Qingyan immediately called Su Li.


    ¡°Li, I think you¡¯ve underestimated this man you¡¯re married to.¡±


    There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Su Li finally spoke, ¡°Huh, he got you into trouble?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m not sarcastic here. That guy, Xiao Luo, he seems to have a lot of hidden talents¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan proceeded to tell Su Li everything that happened at her office.


    ¡°What, can he really speak so many foreignnguages?¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Yeah, he spoke French, Russian, and Arabic. The Arabic he spoke was a tribal dialect, not everyone understands it. If I hadn¡¯t heard it for myself, I would never have believed it too. He even speaks them better than me.¡±


    Shen Qingyan rarelyplimented anyone, so for her to shower Xiao Luo with praise was highly unusual. She went on to ask, ¡°Li, are you sure that this man was just a wage earner when he was in Jiangcheng?¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely. The first time I met Xiao Luo was in his dpidated apartment, and he was just renting it.¡± Su Li felt a rush of blood to the head, and her heart jumped a beat, she began to ask herself exactly who this man actually was.


    ¡­

 Chapter 388 - Team Leader of Group Three

    Chapter 388: Team Leader of Group Three


    Afterpleting the administrative forms for new employees, Xiao Luo and Guan Tong were taken for a brief visit to the sales department by the talldy, Wu He, as part of the onboarding process. When they got there, everyone in the department was raving about the order ced by the princess from Dubai valued at eight million dirhams. The atmosphere was almost a festive one, and the sales staff were in high spirits.


    Miss Wu gently knocked on the office door of the head of the sales department. When she heard him respond, she pushed the door open and walked in with the two new hires in her charge.


    Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man with a bald pate. He was dressed smartly in a suit and tie, wearing sses, and polite in manner.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Mao, how are you? Miss Wu greeted him.


    He raised his hand to her while still on the phone. ¡°Mr. Zhao I got something to go now, let¡¯s talk again next time.¡±


    The middle-aged man then put down his phone, stood up smiling, and greeted her, ¡°Miss Wu, what brings you here? Come in,e, and have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright, I still have a few other things to do so I¡¯ll just be quick. I¡¯m here to introduce these two people to you, they¡¯re the new hires for your department. This is Xiao Luo, and this is Guan Tong,¡± Wu He said, giving him a courteous bow with her head, and added, ¡°By the way, Xiao Luo has been given dispensation from regr working hours and will be arranging his schedule himself.¡±


    Mao Jianyi was somewhat taken aback and inquired, ¡°What does it mean when you say that he will arrange his own working hours?¡±


    ¡°That means he¡¯s not be bounded by thepany¡¯s schedule and cane in or leave work whenever he wants to,¡± Guan Tong pitched in, forgetting himself.


    Wu He nced at him then back to Mr. Zhou, nodding her head and added, ¡°Miss Shen approved it.¡±


    Miss Shen approved it?


    Mao Jianyi couldn¡¯t believe his ears! The Huayao Corporation had strict rules and regtions, and the rules applied to all sales personnel¡ªeven heads of departments like him had to report to work on time; otherwise, they would be penalized. It was really bizarre that such a condition could be allowed.


    Seeing doubts stered all over Mao Jianyi¡¯s face, Wu He exined, ¡°He was the one who secured the order with Dubai order earlier.¡±


    What?!


    Mao Jianyi bolted upright in his seat with a look of absolute shock and just stared wide-eyed at Xiao Luo. ¡°Huh¡­ he¡¯s the one who secured the order?¡± he stuttered.


    Despite this deal being made no more than half an hour ago, news of therge order had spread across the organization like wildfire. Everyone in the sales department had been talking about the deal since then, specting on the person who had closed it¡ªand to find that person now standing there right before him was unbelievable.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. Wu He¡¯s single-word response spoke volumes.


    Then, she promptly turned around and left without saying another word.


    Mao Jianyi came from behind his desk and fervently shook Xiao Luo¡¯s hand. ¡°Xiao Luo, what a pleasure, wee to the sales department!¡± he enthused, then introduced himself, ¡°My name is Mao Jianyi. Just call me Old Mao.¡±


    Old Mao?


    Xiao Luo was somewhat amused by his moniker, which made him think immediately of the great man who founded the country.


    After he weed Xiao Luo heartily, Mao Jianyi did the same with Guan Tong. He came across as a fair and trustworthy leader, showing his subordinates that he treated them equally.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the office area, and I¡¯ll introduce you to everyone,¡± Mao Jianyi said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Mao,¡± Guan Tong said.


    Guan Tong was very enthusiastic about the job. He knew he had a lot of catching up to do as he¡¯d inevitably bepared to Xiao Luo, who¡¯d just closed a record deal, but this only served to motivate him to do his best.


    Mao Jianyi duly led the two of them to arge office area; it was approximately 100 square meters and furnished with some 30 to 40 desks. When they stepped in, the sales personnel were still busy discussing the order from the princess Sma.


    ¡°Everyone, can I have your attention, please. Stop your work for a moment, I¡¯d like to introduce you to your new colleagues joining the sales force today.¡±


    Mao Jianyi pped his hands a couple of times to get their attention, before he continued, ¡°Everyone, this is Guan Tong, Aeronautical University graduate, please wee him.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much interest shown except for some unenthusiastic apuse.


    This was especially so from the female sales executives, who judged Guan Tong by his appearance. Seeing that he had neither the looks nor the physique, they instantly lost their interest to find out more about him. As for their male counterparts, the Dubai order was now the current hot topic, and a new colleague wasn¡¯t enough to excite them.


    Guan Tong took a step forward and loudly introduced himself, ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Guan Tong, it¡¯s very nice to meet you!¡±


    There was some sporadic apuse, nothing too intense.


    ¡°Ah Ler, I¡¯m assigning Lil¡¯ Guan to your team. Bring him around and help him familiarize with our work environment,¡± Mao Jianyi said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    That man, going by the name of Ah Ler, walked up to shake hands with Guan Tong and said, ¡°Hello Lil¡¯ Guan, feel free to ask me anything you need to know, I will help you as much as I can.¡±


    Guan Tong graciously greeted him with both of his hands and replied, ¡°Sorry for troubling you, Brother Ah Ler.¡±


    ¡°You are a member of my team now, and it is my duty,¡± Ah Ler said, patting Guan Tong on his shoulder.


    Subsequently, Guan Tong followed Ah Ler to his group¡¯s section of the office. There was already an empty table reserved for him.


    Before introducing Xiao Luo, Mao Jianyi coughed a few times to clear his throat, then with a little more enthusiasm, he said, ¡°And now everyone, this is Xiao Luo, also a graduate from the Aeronautical University. He has worked in Huahai Corporation and Luo Workshop in Jiangcheng City. He came to Xiahai at the beginning of this year to develop his career and is now joining us here in Huayao. Please wee him!¡±


    There was another sparse round of apuse, though with a little more enthusiasm than previously, especially among the female sales executives.


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s good looks, he appeared to be getting a more receptive response as one of the girls asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, may I ask, what was your position in Huahai Corporation and Luo Workshop?¡±


    ¡°I was a product engineer,¡± Xiao Luo replied, consistent with the description on his resume.


    ¡°You¡¯re an engineer? That should be technical work, am I right? Why did you suddenly switch to sales?¡±


    ¡°Sales is not as simple as entertaining and chatting with customers. A lot of knowledge is required in this line.¡±


    ¡°Yup, you will have to learn from scratch. Finding customers, getting customers, establishing your own customer base¡­ there¡¯s a lot for you to learn at every stage.¡±


    The girls in the sales department begun talking excitedly, for, with a handsome male colleague, they somehow showed more interest in training him.


    The only reason Xiao Luo had taken up the job with Huayao Corporation was because of Su Li, so it didn¡¯t matter to him what others had to say.


    Mao Jianyi coughed several more times again and said, ¡°Xiao Li, you girls may have misjudged him. Do you know who the person who secured the Dubai order is?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Mr. Mao, are you saying that he is the one?¡± the girl who first spoke said in jest.


    The others all had a coy smile on their faces. Evidently, no one believed that Xiao Luo was capable of doing so.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right¡­ Xiao Luo is the one. Whether you believe it or not, it is the truth. In fact, Miss Shen has approved special conditions for his working hours, and he is allowed to schedule his own time,¡± Mao Jianyi replied, specifically to the girl named Xiao Li.


    Huh?


    Everyone was shocked to silence, realizing what they had thought was a joke turned out to be true. Even then, a few were still unconvinced.


    ¡°Mr. Mao, is this a joke?¡± Xiao Li said, giving Old Mao a doubtful look.


    Mao Jianyi didn¡¯t respond this time but simply turned to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, that seat over there will be yours.¡±


    Looking in the direction he was pointing, everyone was even more stunned, because that position belonged to the former leader of Group Three and he had just resigned not long ago.


    ¡°You will be the team leader of Group Three. Do you best, I have high expectations of you, Xiao Luo,¡± Mao Jianyi said.


    What! Promoted to team leader on his first day of work?


    Does this mean that it¡¯s true, after all?


    With his post as the group leader and his special working conditions, it became apparent that this had to be the person who secured the Dubai deal. With that, their perception of Xiao Luo took on a whole new meaning, and nobody was slouching around anymore, but sat attentively and looked alert.

 Chapter 389 - Sales Department

    Chapter 389: Sales Department


    He¡¯s making me the team leader?


    Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows. The script he had in his mind didn¡¯t go like that.


    Before he could turn down the position, two women with enchanting figures smeared in perfume came to greet him on their own initiative.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Luo. My name is Liu Yiyao, a member of your team.¡±


    A woman with shoulder-length hair and delicate facial features introduced herself. She tucked her hair behind her ears. Her right ear that she revealed looked very seductive.


    The other tall woman with neat short hair also introduced herself, ¡°My name is Si Yueting. I am also a member of your team. From now on, you will have to cover us, Brother Luo.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded courteously, then turned to look at Mao Jianyi, ¡°Mr. Mao, can I not be the team leader?¡±


    As soon as he came out with this remark, everyone in the entire office was shocked. The sry of team leaders was at least quadrupled, and the better the performance of their group members, the higher their sry would be. A neer being promoted to a team leader was an excellent thing that even the Heavens would rejoice. Why would anyone refuse such a good thing?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, group three originally had more than a dozen people. Due to poor performance and being unable to withstand the pressure, even their team leader resigned a few days ago. Only Yiyao and Yueting are left. If you can even secure an order with Dubai¡¯s Princess, I believe you can make group three rise. Work hard, I am waiting for the day when group three regain its glory.¡±


    Mao Jianyi said with a smile. Upon finishing, he turned and left in the direction of his office before Xiao Luo could say anything. Aside from the fact that Xiao Luo secured the order with Dubai¡¯s Princess, it was also because of Shen Qingyan¡¯s favor that he made Xiao Luo a team leader. Xiao Luo was someone that Shen Qingyan made an exception to open the door of convenience to, so how would he dare to let Xiao Luo remain as a small salesperson?


    Xiao Luo was toozy to say anything. Anyway, it was just a nominal position. If he wanted him to be a team leader, a team leader he shall be.


    He walked to his seat and sat down. Like servants that were constantly at service, Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting helped him to sweep the dust off his desk and even poured him a cup of hot water.


    He asked curiously, ¡°Since all the others have left, why didn¡¯t you two leave as well?¡±


    ¡°We just graduated from university not long ago, and this is our first job. We haven¡¯t even worked for a year. We don¡¯t dare to leave,¡± Liu Yiyao sighed.


    Si Yueting echoed, ¡°Yeah, Brother Luo. It¡¯s all about working experience nowadays. Without a 2 to 3 year working experience on your resume, the otherpanies will just pass on you. It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to leave, it¡¯s because we can¡¯t afford to do so.¡±


    Two girls who have just came out to society indeed!


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and smiled lightly. He could be regarded as their superior, but they have unreservedly told him the genuine thoughts that resided deep within their hearts. How could they bring up this taboo of a topic as to leave thepany in front of their superior?


    At this moment, other people came to greet Xiao Luo to get themselves acquainted with him.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m Xu Ler, team leader of group two.¡±


    The man whom Mao Jianyi addressed as Ah Ler just now generously introduced himself. He was bespectacled and gentle in behavior. Due to staying in office in the long term, his skin was very fair and tender. Although he was already 35 to 36 years in age, he still looked really young, ¡°I wee you on behalf of group two.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with a smile, but his heart was feeling a little blue. He came to buy soy sauce but ended up bing the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. It felt strange no matter how.


    A gust a fragrant wind streamed over. A tall woman, about 31 or 32 years in age walked over. Without any superfluous words, she extended her hand to Xiao Luo and said neither excited nor unenthused, ¡°Ling Fei, team leader of group one!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out to shake her hand, releasing almost immediately aftering into contact without lingering at the slightest.


    Subsequently, the tall woman turned around and walked away on her high heels without saying anything else.


    After everyone was gone, Liu Yiyao told Xiao Luo about Ling Fei.


    ¡°Sister Ling is the top gun in our sales department. Group one which she¡¯s leading is always in the first ce in performance. There¡¯s a huge gap between her group and Brother Xu¡¯s group two. Of course, group three is way further behind, otherwise, our former team leader wouldn¡¯t have resigned under pressure,¡± Liu Yiyao said.


    ¡°Yeah, and Sister Ling is dead gorgeous as well. I¡¯m so jealous of her.¡±


    Si Yueting was very envious. Just how much she wished she could be a woman with outstanding abilities like Ling Fei.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you have to withstand the pressure, we sisters are counting on you to cover us, please,¡± Liu Yiyao turned the topic to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Yeah, as long as you cover us, Brother Luo, we¡¯re okay with everything, even if you want us to warm up your bed, hehe¡­¡± Si Yueting winked, unleashing her charm at Xiao Luo. She deliberately changed her leg crossed on the top. The light of spring within her miniskirt shimmered and vanished in an instant as if it was sending out a tempting invitation.


    ¡°You girls should work harder yourselves.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled yfully. They didn¡¯t learn how to speak but instead had learned how to use their bodies to seduce their superior. He was speechless.


    Upon finishing, he stood up and head towards the outside.


    ¡°Brother Luo, where are you going?¡± Liu Yiyao asked hurriedly.


    ¡°Off work.¡±


    Xiao Luo left without looking back. He would rather stroll around aimlessly outside than stay in this closed office. During his years in Huahai Corporation, he had enough of such a working environment.


    Everyone in the sales department looked at him incredulously, thinking, ¡°Xiao Luo can really go on and off work at will!¡±


    After taking a nce, Ling Fei continued to work, sorting out her client¡¯s information. There were no ripples on her face.


    At this moment, Xu Ler walked to her, leaned on her desk and asked jokingly, ¡°Ling Fei, what do you think is the rtionship between this guy and Miss Shen? I have never heard of anyone in thepany who can decide their working hours freely.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it shouldn¡¯t matter. Miss Shen gave him the privilege because he secured the order with Dubai¡¯s princess,¡± Ling Fei raised her head and said.


    ¡°None of us saw if he really won the order with Dubai¡¯s princess. It is what Miss Shen said it is. Look at that cocky look he has, he definitely has an extraordinary rtionship with Miss Shen, perhaps he¡¯s her rtive who is just gonna walk through the sales department and be promoted sooner orter,¡± Xu Ler said assertively.


    Ling Fei tapped on herputer keyboard, ¡°Stop gossiping and do your work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bad at all? We became team leaders after working steadily and making solid progress. Only we know the bitterness that we have gone through. What is Xiao Luo capable of? He is merely a neer, and he¡¯s promoted to a team leader as soon as he came in. I thought this kind of nepotism will never take ce in Huayao. Looks like I¡¯m too na?ve,¡± Xu Ler said helplessly with a smile.


    Ling Fei¡¯s tapping on the keyboard halted, and then she repeated, ¡°Xu Ler, do what you should do, these things are none of our concern.¡±


    ¡°Fine fine, consider me bbering too much. I¡¯m just afraid that he will rob your first ce. Being surpassed by someone in performance after working hard for a month, really is too much of a pity,¡± Xu Ler said with profound meaning.


    Ling Fei clouded up¡­


    At this time, Guan Tong walked over and asked politely, ¡°Brother Ler, who do you think I should do or learn now?¡±


    Xu Ler took a faint nce at Guan Tong and said indifferently, ¡°Go and fumble around yourself for now, then ask me if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    His attitude waspletely different from when Mao Jianyi was around just now. He seemed very impatient. He hated training new people, especially those who came in by nepotism.


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Guan Tong nodded and walked away.


    ¡­

 Chapter 390 - Luos Workshops Store Manager

    <h2>Chapter 390: Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s Store Manager</h2>


    As soon as Xiao Luo walked out of the Huayao Edifice, his phone rang.


    He took it out and saw that it was from an anonymous number. After some thought, he answered the call.


    ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Xiao Luo?¡± A honeyed female voice sounded, pleasing to the ear like an oriole¡¯s song.


    ¡°Yes, I am. And you are?¡± Xiao Luo asked faintly.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I am Ningfu, Tan Ningfu.¡± She seemed a little excited.


    Tan Ningfu?


    Xiao Luo carefully went through his mind for the name and realized that he doesn¡¯t quite remember.


    As if she perceived it, Tan Ningfu said hurriedly, ¡°We¡¯ve met before, on the ne you took to Xiahai.¡±


    With this reminder, Xiao Luo remembered, ¡°Are you the flight attendant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you finally remember, Mr. Xiao,¡± Tan Ningfu said with joy.


    ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s about my grandma¡­¡±


    Tan Ningfu said somewhat embarrassedly, ¡°My grandma often passes out without any signs. She had gone for check-ups in Xiahai¡¯s hospitals, but they couldn¡¯t find any problem with her, so I hope you can give her a look.¡±


    Hearing this, Xiao Luo recalled everything. Tan Ningfu did ask him for a favor back then, and he seemed to have agreed to check out her grandma if he had time.


    ¡°Are you free now, Mr. Xiao?¡± Tan Ningfu asked cautiously.


    Xiao Luo smiled bitterly and thought, ¡°I¡¯m really good at finding work for myself.¡±


    ¡°Send me your location. I¡¯ll go over immediately.¡±


    Since he had made a promise, he would fulfill it. This was his principle in doing things.


    Tan Ningfu was ecstatic, ¡°Alright Mr. Xiao.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Xiao Luo received the location information from Tan Ningfu after a short while.


    About half an hourter, Xiao Luo arrived at Tan Ningfu¡¯s house on his car. It was a middle-ss area, a little remote in location, butpensated with its quietness. The area was also well polished with greenery.


    There was a Porsche parked downstairs, worth about two million dors.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t look much. He pushed his car door open and walked down with a set of acupuncture equipment. What he exchanged was the ability to practice Chinese and Western medicine, mainly Chinese medicine with Western medicine as the supplement. In addition to the four ways of diagnosis, what Chinese medicine does best was acupuncture.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Mr. Xiao. Come in!¡±


    Tan Ningfu was already waiting downstairs. Her ck hair was rolled up, revealing her neck with fairplexion. The few strands of hair lingering at her roots was making her exude a seductive ambiance. A wisp of diagonal bangs was lightly touching her bright and plump forehead.


    Pointy nose, cherry little lips, upright waist which made the curves at her perfect chest even more attractive, orange T-shirt on top, slim fit jeans underneath, and a pair of high-soled white sneakers on her feet. Paired with her held up ponytail, she was a perfect representation of cuteness and purenessbined.


    Xiao Luo nodded to express his greetings, and then followed her into the house.


    Stopping on the third floor and going into the living room, he saw a young man and a middle-aged man ying chess. There was also a middle-aged woman watching their game from aside, smiling as she was talking about something.


    ¡°Dad, mom, Mr. Xiao is here,¡± Tan Ningfu spoke.


    Upon hearing her, the three swiftly stopped and came to greet him with a smile.


    The middle-aged woman greeted him, ¡°Come here, Mr. Xiao, please have a sit. I will pour you a ss of water.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    Xiao Luo refused directly, then turned to look at Tan Ningfu, ¡°Where is your grandma?¡±


    He just wanted to quickly aplish what he had promised and leave. He didn¡¯t want to be entangled with Tan Ningfu, let alone with his family.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I think you should take a drink and rest for now,¡± Tan Ningfu said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I still have other things to do,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°But¡­ okay then, this way.¡±


    Tan Ningfu was a little disappointed. She didn¡¯t expect Xiao Luo to keep her a thousand miles away. She thought she and Xiao Luo could be considered friends. After all, the two flew the ne together andnded it safely.


    Xiao Luo followed her to the innermost room, opened the door, and saw an olddy lying on the bed covered in a thick quilt. Her eyes were tightly shut, very peaceful in looking.


    ¡°My grandma passed out again. Before this, she¡¯ll wake up in a while. But she¡¯s kinda different this time. She has been in aa for one day and one night. I¡¯m worried about her,¡± Tan Ningfu said wistfully.


    She has been in aa for one day and one night?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but nce at Tan Ningfu¡¯s parents. Their elderly mother in the family had been in aa for a day and a night straight, and they were still in the mood to y chess. How big their hearts must be?


    The middle-aged woman walked over at this moment and said nonchntly, ¡°Ningfu, don¡¯t worry about it, it is not once or twice that your grandma has fallen into aa. She¡¯s the same every time, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯ll wake up in no time, and even if she does not, she¡¯s already so advanced in age, it¡¯s just about time for her to go.¡±


    ¡°Mom, how could you say that? Grandma will wake up, she¡¯ll live a hundred, no, a thousand years.¡±


    Tan Ningfu responded while biting her scarlet lips. She was brought up by her grandma since she was a child. She loved her grandma more than her parents. When she thought that her grandma might be leaving her forever, tears immediately rolled in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, grandma can definitely live until a thousand.¡±


    At this time, the young man who had just yed chess with Tan Ningfu came over and echoed.


    Grey short sleeves, neatlybed hair, fair and clean face, 1.8 meters in height; he looked just like a model and a rich kid from a wealthy family.


    Tan Ningfu did not respond to him. She turned her head and looked at the olddy lying on the bed unconsciously with a heart burdened with disquietude.


    Xiao Luo entered the room, sat down on the edge of the bed, and extended his hand to read the pulse of the olddy. Sometimes, Chinese doctors could tell sicknesses that Western doctors couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Ningfu, are you sure he¡¯s up to it? Does he know how to take pulses at such a young age? Isn¡¯t it that only old Chinese doctors excel in reading pulses?¡± the middle-aged woman expressed her doubts towards Xiao Luo¡¯s ability.


    Tan Ningfu picked up the cudgels and said, ¡°Mom, how many times must I tell you, Mr. Xiao rescued an old man who fell unconscious on the ne. There is absolutely no problem with his ability.¡±


    ¡°Ningfu, society is aplicated ce. I¡¯m afraid that you might be cheated. What if he did it on purpose just to get a chance to approach you? You must always be vignt towards the people around you,¡± The middle-aged woman whispered.


    Tan Ningfu was toozy to talk to her mother who kept on twisting things up with her words. She curled her lips bitterly.


    ¡°A-he-hem¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man coughed a few times to remind his wife to be mindful of the situation. After all, Xiao Luo was right here with them at this moment to treat his mother. Even if she were to gossip about him, she still had to pick the right time for it.


    The middle-aged woman turned aside from the topic of discussion. She nced at the young man and smiled, ¡°Ningfu, your father and I are very satisfied with Xiao Lee. What¡¯s more, you two were ssmates in high school. This is something predestined by the Heavens. Look at how well Xiao Lee is doing. He even got himself a Porsche. Now, he is a store manager of apany in Jiangcheng and has his own sessful business. By the way, Xiao Lee, whichpany are you working for as a store manager in Jiangcheng City?¡±


    The young man lifted his chest with pride, ¡°It¡¯s Luo¡¯s Workshop in Jiangcheng, auntie.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes, Luo¡¯s workshop. Look at this memory of mine, I forgot it immediately after you said it.¡±


    The middle-aged woman pped her own forehead, and then preached to Tan Ningfu, ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop is at the top amongrgepanies in Jiangcheng. Last year, a few pieces of news about thepany made it to the headlines. Thepany has more than 50 billion dors in total assets. The sry of a store manager in Luo¡¯s Workshop is something that others couldn¡¯tpare to. It just so happens that Xiao Lee likes you so much. He has alreadye to our house a few times now. It would be great if you two could make a couple.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 391 - This Is Nothing

    <h2>Chapter 391: This Is Nothing</h2>


    A store manager at Luo Workshop?!


    When Xiao Luo heard his ownpany¡¯s name mentioned, he couldn¡¯t resist looking at the young man. He didn¡¯t have any opinion of him yet at that point as there were so many store managers in the organization, and it wouldn¡¯t have been possible to remember them all. But, for this person to not recognize his president, it would either mean he had just been recently promoted, or he was faking it.


    Tan Ningfu was extremely agitated when the matter was brought up. She frowned at her mother and said, ¡°Whatever it is, can we talk about it after grandma wakes up?¡±


    Seeing that she was distraught, her mother sucked in her lips and did not say another word.


    The four of them stood by the door and watched Xiao Luo intently as he took a reading of the old woman¡¯s pulse. After about ten minutes, Xiao Luo gently ced her hand on her side and stood up.


    Deeply concerned, Tan Ningfu hurriedly went forward and asked, ¡°Mr. Xiao, how is she?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, it¡¯s just that she has umted a lot of pent-up negative qi throughout the years and it has not been vented properly. It affected her flow of qi and blood quality, causing her blood pressure to rise. This condition caused the pressure within her skull to buildup sharply, and that¡¯s why she fainted.¡±


    Xiao Luo made his assessment based on her pulse reading and said, ¡°I can only assume that your grandma must¡¯ve been stressed in some way before she passed out.¡±


    Tan Ningfu looked at her mother unconsciously, for it was true. Her mother would often scold her grandma for the most trivial things, and she wouldn¡¯t even allow the old woman to sit together at the dining table during meals. At mealtime, her grandma would carry a stool with her food and sit by the bathroom door, munching all by herself. And, despite being in her eighties, she was treated like a hired maid, having to mop the floor, do theundry, cook, and wash the dishes.


    Forcing back her tears, she turned around and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, do you have a way to treat my grandma?¡±


    ¡°I can give her acupuncture, but it¡¯ll only serve as a temporary solution. If you want her to recoverpletely, treat her well, and don¡¯t let her get stressed up. The most effective prescription for her right now is to feelfortable and happy,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, please hurry up and do it then. I will remember your words and do my best to keep her happy, so please, I¡¯ll be very grateful!¡±


    The middle-aged man pleaded with genuine concern. Even though his wife had always ridiculed and spurned the old woman,ining about her in his ear, blood was still thicker than water. The fact that the one lying on the bed was his own biological mother would never change.


    Xiao Luo nodded, opened his acupuncture kit, and performed acupuncture on the old woman.


    The practice of acupuncture involved inserting acupuncture needles of various lengths into specific acupoints. This would serve to help channel pent-up qi to travel along a particr route and discharge naturally from her body through the tip of her index finger, using the blood-dripping technique.


    Tan Ningfu and the others cringed as they saw the long, hair-thin needles inserted into the old woman¡¯s body.


    In a while, dark-colored blood dripped from the old woman¡¯s index finger, and everyone looked amazed.


    ¡°Get me a washbasin,¡± Xiao Luo said to Tan Ningfu.


    Tan Ningfu ran out immediately and returned, holding a washbasin. ¡°Here, Mr. Xiao,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo ced the washbasin on the ground. Drop after drop, blood flowed out from the old woman¡¯s index finger and dripped into the washbasin. Still, the old woman did not regain consciousness.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, when will she wake up?¡± the young man asked, expressing his concern.


    ¡°Very soon.¡±


    Xiao Luo only replied with those two words, then, he walked to the head of the bed, reached out gently, and held the old woman¡¯s head. Slowly, he inserted a long needle through the side of her skull.


    Tan Ningfu¡¯s whole family shuddered at the sight for that was her skull he was plunging the needle into, wouldn¡¯t it damage her brain?


    Swiftly, all their fears were ayed as the old woman started moving her fingers and slowly opened her eyes. The intracranial pressure within her skull was reduced, and her condition was gradually relieved. Although she looked a little tired, at least she had woken up and was aware of her surroundings.


    ¡°Grandma!¡±


    Tan Ningfu ran toward the bed, relieved. She sat by the edge and held her grandmother¡¯s hand tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks.


    The olddy opened her mouth with some effort, and in a dry, hoarse voice, she called out, ¡°Ning¡­ Fu¡­¡±


    ¡°It will take some time to discharge all the pent-up Qi.¡±


    Xiao Luo took out his phone to check the time and said, ¡°Remind me to remove the needles at 11:30.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan Ningfu replied, nodding in acknowledgment, then stood up and gave Xiao Luo a deep bow. ¡°Thank you!¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt very relieved now that he had at least fulfilled his promise to her.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Later, in the living room, the middle-aged man brewed a pot of Tieguanyin. After a brief conversation, Xiao Luo got to know their names; the middle-aged man¡¯s name was Tan Jianbai, and the young man was Lee Yueze.


    ¡°Which hospital do you work in, my brother?¡±


    Lee Yueze questioned Xiao Luo in a rather high-handed and condescending manner. Xiao Luo was a good-looking man, and it did give Lee Yueze a sense of insecurity, especially during the moment when Tan Ningfu was expressing her gratitude toward Xiao Luo after her grandmother awakened. He wasn¡¯t sure if Xiao Luo was apetitor, and so he felt that it had set him back slightly in his pursuit of Tan Ningfu.


    ¡°I¡¯m not working in a hospital,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not working in a hospital?¡±


    Lee Yueze was surprised and said, ¡°Do you have your own clinic?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not practicing medicine.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t even have a medical license?¡±


    Xiao Luo agreed with a silent nod.


    Lee Yueze took on a more solemn expression and said, ¡°If the ministry of health learns that you¡¯re practicing medicine without a license, they¡¯ll certainly have a few things to say about that, and could even take you to court.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, reluctant to continue this conversation. To be frank, he felt that this was a rather silly point to raise as he wasn¡¯t selling a service. Was this young man trying to tell him that saving a person was wrong?


    ¡°Little Xiao, you have to be more careful in the future, or you might get yourself into trouble,¡± Lee Yueze advised, presumptuously addressing him as ¡°little brother¡± and elevating himself to a senior position.


    ¡°A-hem, a-hem¡­¡±


    Tan Jianbai coughed several times before saying, ¡°Lee, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore.¡± He turned to look at Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you saved my mother, and I¡¯m really grateful. Please ept this money.¡±


    As he spoke, he held out a sheepskin-colored envelope bursting with red banknotes, easily five thousand dors and handed it to Xiao Luo.


    Since when did Xiao Luo not ept money?


    Who in this world doesn¡¯t like the money? But this time, he was here to fulfill a promise he had made, and his principles demanded that he carried them out to the best of his ability. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t get rewarded at all. By treating the olddy, his system points had increased by 20 to 30 points¡ªthat was his payback.


    When he declined to ept the money, Lee Yueze grabbed the envelope and pushed it back into Tan Jianbo¡¯s hands. He waved dismissively and said, ¡°Uncle, I will pay for it.¡± Then, he told Xiao Luo, ¡°Little Xiao, turn on your Alipay. I will transfer 20,000 dors to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo was well aware that this youngster only wanted to put on an impressive performance in front of the girl he fancied. If he really was Luo Workshop¡¯s store manager, his monthly sry would be in the region of 30,000 and 40,000 dors. Adding his performance reward that was disbursed quarterly, 20,000 dors was not really a big dent to the wallet. But Xiao Luo had no intention to take advantage of the situation.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and responded, ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is not a difficult task.¡±


    ¡°No, please, Mr. Xiao, this is something that must be done, it¡¯s only proper,¡± Tan Jianbo said, ¡°Lee, you sit down, you can¡¯t do this on our behalf.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, 20,000 dors is really nothing to me. I once met a beggar, and I gave him 5,000 without any question, so¡­ Oh, Little Xiao, I didn¡¯t mean it that way. It¡¯s just an analogy, don¡¯t be offended,¡± Li Yueze said.


    ¡­

 Chapter 392 - Unlicensed Doctor

    Chapter 392: Unlicensed Doctor


    The words from Lee Yueze stung, and it made Xiao Luo frown. Tan Jianbai¡¯s expression changed immediately. Whether Lee Yueze had said it on purpose or not, his words were too harsh and unkind.


    Mrs. Tan, who was washing vegetables in the kitchen, overheard their conversation. She walked out and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you should ept Xiao Lee¡¯s money. Oh, and we thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you uttering? Go and wash your vegetables, and don¡¯t interrupt us when you don¡¯t know anything!¡± Tan Jianbai admonished. He was a very principled person and would never allow Lee Yueze to pay the money on his behalf.


    ¡°What do you mean that I don¡¯t understand anything? Xiao Lee will be one of our own sooner orter. Spending his money ispletely justifiable,¡± Mrs. Tan retorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t it, Xiao Lee?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Auntie. I have had a good rtionship with Ningfu since high school. I am certain that with my sincerity, I will be able to win Ningfu¡¯s heart.¡±


    Li Yueze did his best to respond as elegantly as he could in a schrly manner. He was ecstatic that Mrs. Tan was already leaning toward his cause. Mr. Tan was still neutral, but sooner orter, he was convinced that, with Mrs. Tan¡¯s support, he¡¯d get Ningfu¡¯s father to ept him with open arms. As things stood, he felt that he was already holding the winning ticket, and it would only be a matter of time before he would get to embrace the beauty herself.


    Tan Ningfu had just walked out of her grandmother¡¯s room when she heard it. ¡°Lee Yueze, I already made it very clear that you and I can only be friends. Besides, I have no ns to get married for the time being,¡± she said.


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want to get married, you both can still date for the time being. For such an excellent boy like Xiao Lee, if you miss the chance, you may not find another one like him,¡± Mrs. Tan chided, annoyed at her daughter¡¯s reluctance.


    Lee Yueze tried to put Ningfu at ease and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Auntie, she can take her time. I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sorry, Lee Yueze, I don¡¯t want to keep it from you anymore. The truth is, I already have a boyfriend.¡±


    Tan Ningfu suddenly walked up to Xiao Luo, who was drinking tea, and leaned against him affectionately. ¡°He is my boyfriend!¡± she said.


    What?!


    Mrs. Tan and Lee Yueze were stunned to silence, and even Tan Jianbai was a little taken aback. A deluge of questions starting popping up in their minds¡ªdidn¡¯t she say that he was a doctor she met on the ne? Why did he suddenly be her boyfriend?


    Xiao Luo almost spurted out the tea from his mouth. Tan Ningfu was obviously using him as a shield. He had wanted to immediately rify the matter, but when he saw Tan Ningfu¡¯s pleading eyes, he held back and remained seated in his ce without saying a word. He decided that he¡¯d do his part to act the role and see it through to the end with a sigh.


    Lee Yueze stood up in utter disbelief and was unable to keep hisposure. ¡°Ningfu, you¡­ you must be lying to me, right? How could he be your boyfriend? Didn¡¯t you only meet each other on the ne not long ago?¡± he asked, as he pointed at Xiao Luo.


    Equally anxious, Mrs. Tan also pitched in and said, ¡°Huh, what is this, girl? What nonsense are you talking about?!¡±


    In her heart, she had already epted Lee Yueze as her son-inw, and she couldn¡¯t take her daughter having a serious rtionship with any other man.


    ¡°Mum, I¡¯m not lying, Miste¡­ Xiao Luo here is really my boyfriend,¡± Tan Ningfu responded. To be more convincing to her family, she purposely sat down next to Xiao Luo and held his arm tightly.


    Lee Yueze¡¯s eyelids twitched as he stared at Tan Ningfu and Xiao Luo sitting intimately together, and his eyes burned with anger. Whether Xiao Luo was Tan Ningfu¡¯s boyfriend did not matter, he had long regarded Tan Ningfu as his own. This was unforgivable in his eyes as he couldn¡¯t stand the woman that he fancied being so close to another man.


    ¡°Ningfu, you¡¯ve wasted my love for you!¡± Lee Yueze scowled.


    As soon as he said that, he red fiercely at Xiao Luo and stomped away.


    ¡°Xiao Lee¡­¡±


    Mrs. Tan chased after him to dissuade him, but as Lee Yueze felt thoroughly humiliated, there was no way that he was inclined to listen to her. He opened the door angrily and marched off without looking back.


    Seeing her favorite ¡°son-inw¡± leaving in a huff, Mrs. Tan walked back in, pointed her finger angrily at Xiao Luo, and shouted, ¡°You, get out of here!¡±


    Xiao Luo put down his teacup, raised his head, and looked at her. He couldn¡¯t help looking at her with a sense of bemusement. Havinge here with the kind intention of helping to treat Tan Ningfu¡¯s grandmother without asking for any reward, it was ironic that he was being thrown out for it.


    BAM!


    Tan Jianbai was infuriated. ring at Mrs. Tan, he mmed the table, stood up, andshed out, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Mr. Xiao is our guest, and he came here to treat my mother. Did you just ask him to leave? Don¡¯t you know simple manners? And you dare call yourself a teacher, have all your morals gone to the dogs?¡±


    ¡°Tan Jianbai, why are you yelling at me? We¡¯ve just lost such an excellent son-inw, just like that. Do you want our daughter to go out with this man with the surname Xiao instead? He can¡¯t evenpare to a single strand of Xiao Lee¡¯s hair. How can our daughter get to enjoy a blissful life with this type of man?¡± Mrs. Tan screamed, raising her voice by several decibels.


    ¡°Huh, you still dare to call yourself Ningfu¡¯s mother, when you can¡¯t even tell if Ningfu was telling the truth or not? She was only using Mr. Xiao to reject Lee; she doesn¡¯t like him, can¡¯t you see that? You can take a horse to the water, but you cannot make it drink. Lee is indeed an excellent person, but since Ningfu doesn¡¯t like him, that means the two are not meant to be,¡± Tan Jianbai retorted, ¡°Do you think we are still in an ancient feudal society where you get to arrange your child¡¯s marriage? Besides, in what way is Mr. Xiao inferior to Lee? He is a man of striking appearance, has superb medical skills, and has an extraordinary temperament; I¡¯d say he is definitely a sessful person. He is even willing to humble himself,e to our home, and treat my mother. That is the most truthful, kind, and beautiful act I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    Tan Jianbai¡¯s emotions were a little heightened, for he had been feeling very ufortable seeing his mother being cast aside by his wife for a long time. But for the sake of harmony in his household, he chose to remain silent at the expense of his mother¡¯s wellbeing. But, now the cause of his mother¡¯s ailment had been determined, and it was evident that it was due to his own inaction over his wife¡¯s mistreatment of her. It had finallye to a head, and he vented all his frustrations umted over the years.


    ¡°You stubborn old fart, are you cracking a joke or what? If it wasn¡¯t for our daughter¡¯s beauty, do you think he¡¯de?¡±


    Mrs. Tan sneered in reply and said, ¡°He¡¯s only pretending to act calm from the time he got here. Why do you think he showed up here in person? If this isn¡¯t him trying to catch his prey, what else could this possibly be?¡± Feeling resentful toward Tan Ningfu for failing to meet her expectations, she red at her daughter and said, ¡°But of all other tricks, this girl chooses to fall for this. You don¡¯t even know how to cherish a good man such as Xiao Lee; I¡¯ll wait and see your intestines turn green from regret!¡±


    Tan Ningfu bit her lips and did not speak. It was not that she didn¡¯t know how to refute her mother¡¯s allegations but more because this woman was her mother. She didn¡¯t want to argue with her.


    ¡°Hah, a women¡¯s opinion! Such stupidity!¡±


    Tan Jianbai sighed heavily and turned to Xiao Luo to express his regret, ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m really sorry, I apologize to you on her behalf.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just here to treat a patient. We won¡¯t meet again after the treatment is over,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    After his reply, he got up and walked toward the old woman¡¯s room. It was time to remove the needles, and he didn¡¯t want to stay in this ce even for a second longer.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­¡±


    Tan Ningfu hurriedly scampered after him. She felt remorseful, especially after Xiao Luo had already been benevolent and kind enough to havee to treat her grandmother. Seeing her mother ridiculing Xiao Luo in such a way, she simply had no idea how to deal with the situation.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pay her any attention. He walked into the room without saying a word and then removed the slender needles he had inserted into the old woman¡¯s body.


    As Xiao Luo was removing all the acupuncture needles, the doorbell rang. Tan Jianbai went to see who it was and when he opened the door, he was somewhat surprised to see four people standing before him¡ªtwo men in suits and two policemen in uniforms.


    ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡±


    ¡°We are from the Public Health Bureau. We have just received an anonymous report from the public that an unlicensed person is practicing medicine here illegally. We are here to investigate this, so please cooperate with us.¡±


    The chubby man leading the party shed his authority card and then barged in without an invitation.


    ¡­

 Chapter 393 - Demonstration of Power

    Chapter 393: Demonstration of Power


    When the four officers stepped into the home, they immediately saw Xiao Luo, who appeared to be practicing acupuncture on an old woman in her room. The chubby man walked in, then gestured his hand toward Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Sir, please show me your Medical Practitioner¡¯s Qualification Certificate.¡±


    Xiao Luo was nonchntly packing his acupuncture kit, and without looking up, he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have such a document.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll have toe with us,¡± the chubby man responded.


    After the chubby man spoke, two uniformed policemen approached Xiao Luo in a brusque manner, and one of them was even pulling out his handcuffs.


    Only then did Xiao Luo look at the chubby man. He grinned in a way that looked more like a grimace and said, ¡°Is saving a life deemed illegal?¡±


    ¡°Practicing medicine without a license is prohibited byw. So, you have toe with us. Please cooperate, we are only doing our jobs,¡± the chubby man retorted.


    ¡°Yes, yes, he mentioned to us before that he didn¡¯t have a medical license. So that means he¡¯s actually practicing medicine illegally. You should arrest him quickly,¡± Mrs. Tan chimed.


    When Tan Jianbai heard this, he was enraged, and pointing at his wife, he reprimanded her, ¡°Are you crazy? Mr. Xiao just saved my mother. How can you wrong him like this?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s wronging him? He said earlier that he doesn¡¯t work in the medical field, and it means that he is practicing medicine without a license, am I wrong?¡± Mrs. Tan countered.


    ¡°Why am I married to such an ignorant, rotten person like you!¡± Tan Jianbai cried.


    ¡°Mum, how could you do this¡­!¡±


    Tan Ningfu was grieved and indignant at her mother¡¯s actions. She had called Xiao Luo, and he hade all the way to treat her grandmother with kind intentions. It was bad enough that her mother didn¡¯t thank him, she was now even testifying against him to the Public Health Bureau people. How different were her actions to the phrase, ¡°returning kindness with ingratitude¡±?


    ¡°So, it¡¯s Mr. Xiao, is it? Okay,e with us now!¡±


    The chubby man raised his voice several decibels higher and put on an air of authority.


    Even a y idol would have been driven to anger, let alone a living person¡­


    Xiao Luo always believed he had an even temperament, but regardless of how good it was, Tan Ningfu¡¯s mother had poked and goaded him to the extent that his temperance was now frayed. He hade to their home only to treat their elderly mother without expecting anything in return. The irony of it was that not only did he not receive any thanks, but he was even reported for practicing medicine without a license and was now being apprehended the Public Health Bureau for further investigation.


    ring at the chubby man with cold eyes, he said, ¡°And, what if I refuse?¡±


    The four officers were stunned, and they suddenly felt a strange, disturbing sensation¡ªjust like a frog being in the gaze of a poisonous snake about to strike; it was an rming sense of danger as if they would die at any moment.


    ¡°Tsk! Just look at how arrogant he is, behaving so cockily even without a medical practitioner¡¯s license,¡± Mrs. Tan taunted, ¡°You are from the Public Health Bureau, right? Please hurry up and take this awful man away. It¡¯ll best if you keep him locked up for a year or two to change his bad attitude!¡±


    Hearing that, the chubby man became encouraged by her words and was convinced that such an arrogant man should be taught how to behave. He bellowed out the orders, ¡°Seize h¡­ huh?¡±


    His voice halted abruptly because Xiao Luo had suddenly appeared in front of him and stomped on the toes of his right foot.


    Despite wearing a pair of leather shoes, the force exerted was so immense that it came down like a guillotine. There was a gruesome sound of bones cracking as all five of the chubby man¡¯s toes were immediately crushed. The excruciating pain instantly rushed to his brain, and after a momentary silence from the shock, he screamed like a pig being ughtered, and those who heard it had their hairs standing on ends.


    The other three officers from the Public Health Bureau and police department could not even react. Xiao Luo shed past them like a phantom, and before they knew it, all the toes on their right feet were smashed. It was done with ferocious strength, ttening their toes into paper-thin tissues of flesh clinging inside the surface of their shoe uppers as blood seeped out from the torn seams of the soles.


    ¡°Aargh! My toes, my toes¡­¡±


    The four men fell to the ground grimacing in pain, rolling and screaming miserably.


    Tan Jianbai, Tan Ningfu, and her mother were all stunned and were ovee with a sense of trepidation. Who¡¯d have expected Xiao Luo to have such terrifying moves? What¡¯s more, he even dared to attack people from the Public Health Bureau and police department.


    Xiao Luo stepped over the four men groaning on the floor as if he was taking a stroll in a garden and ominously stepped toward Mrs. Tan. His eyes were as cold as ice, sending a shiver down her spine.


    ¡°W-wait¡­ w-what are you trying to do¡­ huh?¡±


    Mrs. Tan shuddered in fear as she stuttered in a trembling voice.


    Tan Jianbai returned to his senses, and rushed in front of his wife, extended his arms to shield her. After all, she was his spouse, and although Tan Jianbai meant every word he had said when he hurled those insults at her earlier, he still couldn¡¯t bear to watch her toes getting smashed. That would be too much for him to handle.


    Nervously, he pleaded, ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t discipline my wife well enough. If you feel angry, take it out on me.¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you!¡±


    Xiao Luo jabbed his right index finger swiftly, tapping Tan Jianbai¡¯s chest, specifically on his center acupoint. Suddenly losing strength and control of his entire body, Tan Jianbo slumped to the floor. His limbs felt weak, and he was unable to move.


    An acupoint attack?!


    Despiteying on the floor howling in pain, the four officers immediately recognized the technique and were taken aback. They had a profound understanding of the human body, and these acupoint strikes that were often described in martial arts novels and believed to be mere fiction existed. The acupoints of the human body were asplicated as a night sky full of stars. If adequate force was applied urately on the acupoint, it was possible to immobilize someone for a specific time.


    So far, all their research was limited to theory and had not been practiced in reality. Now that these officers themselves had witnessed a genuine acupoint attack, how could they not be surprised?


    Tan Ningfu was in a stupor despite knowing all along that Xiao Luo was an enigma. Why else would the higherups of the airport authorities have cked out news of the Boeing 747 incident, if not to prevent the media from learning about this man?


    Know how to fly an airne, being extremely skilled in medical practice, and seemingly a past master in martial arts like those from legend. To have all these characteristics packaged into one single person could only mean that this man was extraordinary.


    ¡°D-don¡¯te any closer¡­ do note any closer!¡±


    Mrs. Tan screamed in panic, fearing for her life.


    Tan Ningfu watched in dread as Xiao Luo steadily approached her mother in slow, deliberate steps, as her mother retreated in fear. Suddenly, Mrs. Tan tripped over herself and fell to the floor, but she still continued using her hands to push herself backward.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­¡±


    Tan Ningfu ran toward Xiao Luo, but before she could say another word, Xiao Luo instantly tapped on her acupoint, and just like her father, she copsed as her body lost all its strength.


    Now that he hadpromised everyone else¡¯s ability, Xiao Luo stared at Mrs. Tan with a maniacal smile. Swirling his body on his left leg as its axis, he rotated his body, swung up his right leg, aiming a kick toward Mrs. Tan¡¯s head. The winds howled as he unleashed it, and Mrs. Tan¡¯s brain would soon be turned to mush¡ªit would be a fatal blow.


    Right at that very moment, something sh in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind¡ªhe was reminded of Ji Siying asking him not to kill again.


    WHOOSH~


    His devastating right foot stopped inches from the left side of Mrs. Tan¡¯s head. A strong wind swept into her, causing the flesh on her face to ripple. Mrs. Tan went pale in horror, and suddenly a dark patch appeared on her crotch¡ªshe had wet herself in fear!


    Xiao Luo frowned, and with total control over his body, he withdrew his foot from her face and said, ¡°You are now exempted from death, but not from the punishment that you justly deserve! Your husband dotes you, spoils you, and will turn a blind eye whenever you misbehave. You only receive a token reprimand for your vile deeds. But unfortunately, I¡¯m not familiar with you and will not let you trample on my head!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 394 - Nice Things That Await

    Chapter 394: Nice Things That Await


    Tan Jianbai and the four officers from the Public Health Bureau and the police department could only stare at Xiao Luo in shocked silence. Compared to only a moment ago, Xiao Luo hadpletely transformed into another person, wrapped in wrath and possessed with an evil streak. Wasn¡¯t he a doctor who treated patients for free? Why did he suddenly turn into a merciless butcher?


    Tan Jianbai was aware that all of this had only happened because his wife had offended him, but still, to find two diametrically contrasting temperaments in one person left everyone in shock.


    One was of kindness, and the other of pure evil; literally, it was an unholy union of an angel and a demon!


    Xiao Luo squatted down and nced meaningfully at Mrs. Tan¡¯s hands. ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve taken care of your hands well. You still apply nail polish even at this age. This means that these hands are the part of your body that you are most proud of,¡± he said.


    Mrs. Tan saw Xiao Luo staring at her hands, and a cold sweat broke out. She had always been proud of her beautiful hands, and she loathed if anything were to happen to them. Ovee with anxiety, she said, ¡°What¡­what are you going to do? Don¡¯t do anything foolish, otherwise¡­ otherwise the police won¡¯t let¡­ won¡¯t let you go¡­¡±


    Her voice was trembling, and when she looked at Xiao Luo, he was every bit a devil in her eyes. She rued her decision to provoke such a ruthless person.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t bother to talk anymore. He opened his acupuncture kit, selected a range of the slender needles, and began sticking them into Mrs. Tan¡¯s hands. In a short while, Mrs. Tan¡¯s hands were covered in needles and appeared just like a porcupine.


    When applied in regr practice, acupuncture wasn¡¯t painful at all, but Xiao Luo used a different technique. Mrs. Tan could feel a heart-piercing and lung-tearing pain from her hands rushing up to her brain in every prick. It felt as if they were ced on top of a brazier and slow-broiled. The pain was unbearable, and she screamed right through the process, and after all the needles had been inserted, she was suddenly immobilized.


    ¡°Wah! Old Tan, save me! Hurry up and save me¡­ sob, sob¡­¡±


    She screamed for her husband, Tan Jianbai, but he couldn¡¯t move at all, and only watched his wife tortured with untold grief.


    The four incapacitated officers turned pale in terror and regretted their decision toe here and look into the matter. They had received a report that someone was practicing medicine without a license. Under normal circumstances, they would have just turned a blind eye to it. But, in this case, the 40-thousand-dor bribe from the informant was too tempting, and they sumbed, swiftly making their way to this location and using their authority for personal gain.


    Had they known that the target was such a cruel person, forget 40 thousand dors, even if it were 100 thousand or 200 thousand dors, they still would not have been bold enough to do it. This man was not human at all, but a monster. Otherwise, how could he squash their toes with a single stomp, just like in the movie, ¡°Kung Fu!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After Xiao Luo removed all the needles, the severe pain remained in Mrs. Tan¡¯s hands. But, at least she was able to move about now, and she began rolling around on the floor crying out in pain.


    ¡°Watch as your fingernailse off clean. Your hands will also age more quickly than the other parts of your body. Just imagine them drying up like a withered branch. I think it will be fascinating,¡± Xiao Luo said as he looked at her and exined matter-of-factly. This woman had provoked him relentlessly, and, as far as he was concerned, he felt that he was already merciful by giving her such a light punishment.


    When he finished, he lifted his foot, stepped over her, and left the house.


    Downstairs, the Porsche was still parked and its engine running with Li Yueze sitting inside the car.


    He was looking forward to enjoying the sight of Xiao Luo being dragged out in cuffs. He was infuriated with Xiao Luo and kept telling himself that this man must be tired of living to be so bold to get close to the girl he desired.


    Seeing Xiao Luoing down alone, Lee Yueze was surprised. He opened the car door, walked out, and called out, ¡°Hey, howe you didn¡¯t get arrested by the Public Health Bureau?¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t respond to his words, only looked at him, andughed.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Li Yueze unconsciously took a step back and felt the hair on his back stand on ends. He started to shiver slightly for Xiao Luo¡¯s smile seemed ominous no matter how he looked at it.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo lunged at him, spreading his five fingers wide and grabbed him before he could even react. He felt himself being drawn into Xiao Luo, and he simply could not resist it, nor did he have any idea how he came to be standing so close to Xiao Luo. When he regained his senses, Xiao Luo¡¯s fingers were already around his neck, and he was being chocked. It felt like he was gripped in a steel vice as he was lifted in the air with his toes barely touching the ground.


    How did this guy do it?


    Lee Yueze was shocked, unable to believe what he had just experienced, and the situation he was now in.


    ¡°Answer whatever I ask. If you dare to lie, I will kill you immediately,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t need to make a guess or ponder, for he already knew that the person who reported him for illegally practicing medicine was, without a doubt, Lee Yueze. He would feel no sympathy for killing off such a despicable person.


    Lee Yueze was in no position to argue and indeed attempt to lie. He was so terrified that half his soul left his body. His mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water and his head nodding incessantly like a hen pecking at rice. Xiao Luo¡¯s ferocity made him feel that he was about to die at any moment.


    ¡°Are you really working as Luo Workshop¡¯s store manager?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Lee Yueze nodded his head and squeaked, ¡°Yes¡­ I am¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here in Xiahai instead of being in Jiangcheng? Are you here just to see Miss Tan?¡±


    ¡°N-no, Luo¡¯s Workshop expanded to Xiahai. I am the first batch of people deployed to Xiahai,¡± Lee Yueze gasped. Due to theck of oxygen, Lee Yueze¡¯splexion turned as red as a pig¡¯s liver, and agony was written all over his face, but he still managed to answer Xiao Luo¡¯s question, fearing for his life.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Xiao Luo threw a leg forward then swept his heel inward to knock Lee Yueze behind his knees and released his neck at the same time.


    Lee Yueze fell heavily on the ground in a kneeling position. As his knees struck the floor, a cracking sound came from his knee cap. It was so painful that he shrieked horribly, and his entire body started trembling uncontrobly.


    Xiao Luo took out his cell phone and dialed a number. ¡°Miss Li, please make a trip to the Zhongshan District!¡± he said.


    He hung up, looking confident, and calm.


    Whether Lee Yueze was a really a store manager or a fake was still uncertain to Xiao Luo. He would need Li Zimeng toe over and confirm it. If he was really the store manager of Luo Workshop, he would be terminated immediately and never be hired again. If he wasn¡¯t, it¡¯d make things lessplicated. He would just cripple him and walk away.


    Xiao Luo was still waiting for Li Zimeng to arrive when the police pulled up with sirens ring.


    There were three police cars. They received a call from someone from the Public Health Bureau alleging that someone was behaving violently in the Zhongshan district in broad daylight. This was totally uneptable, and hence, they immediately rushed over in their vehicles.


    The four officers injured in the Tan residence had heard the sirens and helped each other down the stairs. Tan Jianbai, Tan Ningfu, and Mrs. Tan also came down as the effect of Xiao Luo¡¯s acupoint attack had worn off by then.


    ¡°Who called the police? Who¡¯smitting violence here?¡± the chief police officer snarled.


    ¡°I made the call.¡±


    The chubby man from the Public Health Bureau showed his authority card and then pointed at Xiao Luo, who was nonchntly sitting on the Porsche¡¯s bo. ¡°It¡¯s him. He¡¯s the one who conducted violence. He practiced medicine illegally without a license, refused to cooperate with our investigation, and even crushed our toes! His behavior is too much, and people like him must be arrested and punished severely. Please give us justice!¡± the chubby man cried.


    When the chief police officer looked down at the four men¡¯s right feet, he immediately shuddered. Their toe area was badly mutted as if they were crushed by a hydraulic machine. Even their flesh and their leather shoe seemed glued together.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one who found it gruesome as all the other policemen cringed as well. They could only imagine how cruel and wicked he must be to have done this. They quickly drew their guns and pointed them at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Hands in the air and squat down right now!¡± the chief police officer shouted.


    Xiao Luo showed no signs of nervousness. He turned over and waved his hands at the chief police officer with his phone in his left hand, indicating that someone wanted to speak to him.


    The chief police officer was taken aback. This was the first time he encountered such a situation. Could it be that this man was the child of a high-ranking official and therefore had the protection of his superiors?


    After hesitating for a moment, he decided to take the phone. After all, with so many guns pointed at the perpetrator, he did not worry too much.


    ¡°Who¡¯s on the phone?¡± he asked, walking over to Xiao Luo with a straight face.


    ¡°Answer it, and you¡¯ll know,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    The chief police officer became nervous for no apparent reason. He gave Xiao Luo a fierce re and roared, ¡°If you dare to fool me, there will be some pleasant things waiting for you!¡±


    The chief police officer took the phone and ced it next to his ear.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Wang!¡± a booming voice came from the phone.


    ¡°C-chief Ma?¡±


    The chief police officer was shocked as he didn¡¯t expect it to be his immediate superior. He recognized his voice immediately, and the way he spoke was also familiar; it didn¡¯t take long for him to ascertain that the person on the line was Chief Ma.


    ¡°Take your men ande back. Do not interfere,¡± Chief Ma said.


    ¡­

 Chapter 395 - Fire Him

    <h2>Chapter 395: Fire Him</h2>


    What?! When the chief police officer heard his superior¡¯s instructions, he was stunned for a moment. Doubts crept into his mind, and he wondered to himself if Xiao Luo was really the child of a high-ranking official. But still, is it permissible for him tomit violence in broad daylight and defy thew?¡±


    Emboldened by a deep sense of righteousness and justice, he challenged his ranking officer and said, ¡°Chief Ma, this man has assaulted several people here; his behavior is uneptable. He broke the toes of four officers from the Public Health Bureau and local police station. If I do not arrest him, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop being so hard-headed. Just leave the scene as instructed; this is an order!¡± Chief Ma interjected before the office to finish his sentence.


    The chief policeman stood stiffly at attention and responded, ¡°Yes, chief!¡±


    ¡°Give the phone back to Mr. Xiao; I still have things to say to him,¡± Chief Ma said, and he seemed to have immediately calmed down.


    A higher rank meant absolute authority, so how could the chief police officer object? He handed the phone back to Xiao Luo. Within seconds, his eyes opened wide in shock as he clearly heard Chief Ma expressing his sincere apologies to Xiao Luo in a most ingratiating manner. It was hard for him to imagine Chief Ma being so servile to anyone.


    What the¡­? Who exactly was this guy?


    The chief police officer looked at Xiao Luo as if he was an alien. He just couldn¡¯t picture Chief Ma, who had always carried himself with dignity and an air of authority, behaving so respectfully toward this man. It wasn¡¯t far from the deference that the ancient eunuchs gave when they were serving the emperor. Chief Ma had lowered himself so humbly when speaking to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo hung up the phone, then turned and said, ¡°You have no business here anymore. You can leave before you be an eyesore.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The chief police officer seethed, feeling indignant, but aware that this man in front of him was someone that even his superior had to treat with respect, he chose not to overstep the boundary. After his men helped move the four wounded officers, he left with an ashen face.


    They came snarling and growling but departed with tails between their legs. They did not even bother to sound their sirens this time.


    Tan Jianbai, Mrs. Tan, and Tan Ningfu watched in disbelief as the scene unraveled. In their eyes, the young man, Xiao Luo, sitting on the Porsche¡¯s bo, was as tall as a mountain. He was someone that even the cops had to give way to, so, just how powerful a background did he have?


    As for Lee Yueze, his face was as white as a sheet. He was quivering, and it was evident he knew that he had just messed with the wrong person.


    ¡°W-who¡­ are you?¡±


    Lee Yueze asked, raising his head and looking quizzically at Xiao Luo in fear. His voice was shaky, and he was trembling, for there was a deep sense of trepidation in his heart and the sharp pain in his knees was unbearable.


    Xiao Luo looked askance at him, choosing to ignore his question, and instead, threw him a random question. ¡°This Porsche costs 2.6 million, and with the other costs put together, it¡¯d cost you 3 million, am I right?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s statement sent a shiver down Lee Yueze¡¯s spine, and his pupils dted. The first thought that came into his mind was that Xiao Luo would smash his beloved car.


    ¡°Full payment or installment?¡± Xiao Luo asked again.


    ¡°In¡­ installment¡­¡± Lee Yueze replied, careful to stick to the truth and not daring to y any tricks.


    ¡°The down payment is about 1.6 million, and the monthly installment is about 24 thousand, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Yueze nodded and answered spontaneously, suddenly realizing that Xiao Luo was very knowledgeable about his car¡¯s cost. He could barely do anything else other than to respond truthfully.


    ¡°Did you borrowed money to buy this car?¡± Xiao Luo asked, sitting with his legs-cross, propping his chin up casually with his left hand.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°How much did you borrow?¡±


    ¡°One million.¡±


    ¡°From your rtives or your friends?¡± Xiao Luo pressed on.


    ¡°I borrowed 500 thousand dors from a friend. The other 500 thousand is a special bonus given by thepany. Thepany paid me my sry plus one and a half yearsmission in advance.¡±


    Lee Yueze felt very anxious now as these questions seemed like an imaginary that would soon be cast over him. ¡°Lil¡¯ Xiao¡­oh, no, Big Brother¡­ Big Brother Xiao, what are you nning to do to me? P-please, be the bigger person¡­ I beg you, just forgive me this time,¡± he pleaded, then pointed at Tan Ningfu, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between Ningfu and me, I swear. It was her mother¡¯s one-sided wish for us to be together. I didn¡¯t know that she¡¯s your girlfriend, Brother Xiao. If I knew, even with all the courage in this world, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to woo her.¡±


    He had now learned to fear Xiao Luo, a person who looked harmless in appearance and restrained in character, but when enraged, ruthless as a beast. How could he not be afraid?


    His words caused Mrs. Tan¡¯s face to turn red in anger. Tan Jianbai instantly gave her a hard stare, a look of disgust that was clearly meant to remind her that this was the ¡°son-inw¡± that she had chosen.


    Xiao Luo shook his head at Lee Yueze and said, ¡°This is between you and me. It has nothing to do with Miss Tan!¡±


    In the beginning, Xiao Luo did not intend to make things difficult for Lee Yueze, but when he actually made the report with the Public Health Bureau about his unlicensed practice of medicine, Xiao Luo decided to teach him a lesson. Lee Yueze¡¯s behavior was despicable, and it made him feel he had been wronged. It certainly wasn¡¯t a good thing for Luo Workshop to have such a store manager. He may appear to be outstanding when working in thepany¡¯s store, but his actions only told Xiao Luo that he was a vindictive man. Lee Yueze would have to be dismissed, for if he did not get what he wanted, he would harm thepany¡¯s interest one day.


    About five minutester, Li Zimeng arrived in a Tango Red Audi.


    Li Zimeng, nearly 1.7 meters tall, looked impressive when she got out of the car. She was wearing a white sweater and a stylish, plush long coat. Her slender legs were d in enticing ck stockings, and her high heels made her look even taller. She had a delicate face with smooth and fair skin, and her hair was neatly tied back in a ponytail.


    She exuded the aura of a businesswoman from head to toe. Most men would admire her from afar, but none would dare approach, for they understood that such ady wasn¡¯t someone they could conquer.


    ¡°M-miss Li?!


    Lee Yueze looked aghast as he couldn¡¯t believe that he would see Li Zimeng standing there right in front of him. Looking at her, his eyes were filled with respect, and it was because of Li Zimeng¡¯s support that he had been able to rise to the rank store manager. She was the one who had discovered him, and in that respect, he¡¯d always consider her his superior.


    ¡°Lee Yueze?¡±


    Li Zimeng was shocked when she saw Lee Yueze kneeling on the ground. She knitted her eyebrows slightly as she walked over to Xiao Luo, nodded courteously, and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Mr. Xiao¡­?


    Lee Yueze¡¯s eyes widened when he saw how respectfully Li Zimeng addressed Xiao Luo.


    The legend of Luo Workshop¡¯s aplishmentsst year suddenly popped up in his mind. Mr. Zhang was now in charge of Luo Workshop, but he knew that Mr. Zhang was merely a front and a good friend of the actual boss, the man behind the scene. Through his sources, he knew that Luo Workshop¡¯s real owner went by the surname Xiao, and it was precisely this person who led Luo Workshop from the brink of failure to rise again strongly. He was the man that engineered the defeat of their powerfulpetitor, Taste Buds, to be the number one pastry giant in Jiangcheng City!


    Is he that Mr. Xiao?


    Li Yueze looked at Xiao Luo nervously. When the thought crossed his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but gulp anxiously. Cold sweat suddenly broke out all over his body, for he never thought to associate this young man who was simr in age, with being Luo Workshop¡¯s real boss. It was simply unimaginable!


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Xiao Luo said, giving Li Zimeng a smile as he hopped off the Porsche.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been half a year, I believe. You look a lot smarter, Mr. Xiao,¡± Li Zimeng replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider that as apple-polishing.¡±


    Xiao Luo joked then nced at Lee Yueze as he said, ¡°By the way, is this guy thepany¡¯s store manager?¡±


    Li Zimeng nodded her head and replied, ¡°Yes, his name is Lee Yueze. I noticed his ability during an inspection, and since we share the same surname, I decided to give him a little push and made him the manager of our new store.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­ fire him,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Li Zimeng was briefly startled before sheplied without hesitation. ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 396 - No one on Earth could save you

    <h2>Chapter 396: No one on Earth could save you</h2>


    Li Zimeng took her phone out immediately to call Luo Workshop¡¯s head of human resources, Lin Chongdong, ¡°Mr. Lin, can you please terminate Lee Yueze.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why? Didn¡¯t you just promote Lee Yueze? He¡¯s also one of the pioneers in the Xiahai City venture; why are you firing him?¡± Lin Chongdong asked.


    ¡°This is an instruction from President Xiao,¡± Li Zimeng replied.


    ¡°Ah, roger that, his termination letter will be sent to Luo Workshop¡¯s managers¡¯ group within five minutes.¡±


    Upon learning that it was Xiao Luo¡¯s instructions, Lin Chongdong did not hesitate and immediately processed it.


    Li Zimeng ended the call and repeated what Lin Chongdong had said to Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Lin said that he¡¯ll settle it within five minutes,¡± she said.


    It was barely five minutes when she received an iing e-mail on her phone, and as expected, the letter was issued within the timeframe.


    A copy also reached Lee Yueze¡¯s phone via e-mail, and when he opened the mailbox to check, it was from Luo Workshop¡¯s human resource department. It was shocking, but there was no doubt about it¡ªthest line in the letter carried a hard-hitting message: ¡°You are hereby terminated¡±!


    What¡­?!


    Lee Yueze¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, and he felt giddy like he had just fallen from heaven down into an abyssal hell. Everything suddenly appeared gray and blurry to him.


    He didn¡¯te from a wealthy family. On the contrary, they were below average when it came to their finances. Everything he had was achieved through his relentless efforts and never-say-die attitude. The day he became Luo Workshop¡¯s store manager was the proudest day in his life, giving him great confidence.


    And, just like that, he was no longer Luo Workshop¡¯s store manager anymore, which meant that all his efforts had gone down the drain along with his financial independence. His recent purchase of a Porsche had put him millions in debt, and, in the blink of an eye, everything would be lost.


    Oh, no¡­ no!


    He was desperately screaming on the inside, and suddenly, he went on his knees and clung on to Xiao Luo¡¯s thigh, pleading. Without any thought of his image, he cried, ¡°President Xiao, please give me a chance¡­ please give me one more chance, I am begging you, I am begging you, please¡­¡±


    This job meant the world to him, and it was slowly crumbling right before his eyes. He felt nothing but fear¡ªa cold, desperate fear. He had to protect it at all costs, even if it meant giving up his dignity as a man.


    ¡°Give you a chance?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly. He was never a bad-tempered person, to begin with, but when he was provoked, someone would definitely have to pay the price. Unfortunately for Lee Yueze, he made the mistake of doing so. Had it been someone else other than Xiao Luo treating the old woman, that person would have been taken away by the Health Bureau¡ªwhich was ridiculous for saving another person¡¯s life.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, someone deserves this chance much more than you.¡±


    He nudged Lee Yueze away as he did not fancy a man clinging on to his thigh.


    The Tan family were still looking at him in shocked silence.


    He¡¯s the boss of Luo Workshop?


    For a moment, Mrs. Tan even forgot the pain in her hands. After knowing Xiao Luo¡¯s real identity, she felt suffocated by a great weight of shame for her earlier opinion of him. She had said that Xiao Luo did not even match up to a strand of Lee Yueze¡¯s hair. Finding out that he was actually Lee Yueze¡¯s boss, her cheeks were now blushing red, as if someone had just pped her hard in the face.


    Tan Ningfu¡¯s eyes widened, and she could hardly cope with all the new discoveries about Xiao Luo¡¯s true identity. She had always known that Xiao Luo was quite extraordinary, but she did not expect him to be this special. She had heard about Luo Workshop from Jiangcheng as it was in the headlinesst year, and at least half the nation knew about it. That was thepany that created a miracle, and the boss of thatpany was standing before her now.


    How was that possible?


    This was surreal!


    She could not believe that she had actually made the acquaintance of such a famous person.


    Lee Yueze, who was sent sprawling earlier by Xiao Luo, began to crawl up to Xiao Luo and kowtowed relentlessly. As his forehead struck the ground, the sound it made was frighteningly loud, and his forehead started bleeding. After a while, his entire face was covered in blood.


    ¡°Please give me one more chance, please give me one more chance, I am kowtowing to you, president Xiao, please¡­¡±


    Lee Yueze pleaded desperately, with his face was covered in blood, tears, and snot. He could not afford to lose this job as it meant everything to him. He knew that losing this job would be equivalent to permanently tearing away a part of him.


    He continued to kowtow and did so with great force each time. After a while, his forehead was aplete mess, stained with dust and blood, and he was a sorry sight. Li Zimeng could not help frowning when she saw him in such a state.


    Tan Ningfu wanted to stop him, but she was held back by her father, Tan Jianbo. He told her to not get involved with this matter as Xiao Luo would not appreciate a nosy woman.


    ******


    ******


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty ruthless!¡±


    Xiao Luo squatted down and stared at the blood-soak figure of Lee Yueze.


    Lee Yueze looked at him pleadingly, a stark contrast to his confident poise before this. Beyond shame and not feeling any more pain, Lee Yueze made ast attempt to seek Xiao Luo¡¯s forgiveness and croaked, ¡°President Xiao, I¡­I cannot lose this job; my family sees me as their pride and joy; I cannot afford to let them down. I¡¯m sorry, and I know my mistake, can you please forgive me¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that we have such a history, how can I be assured that you¡¯ll always stay loyal to thepany? How can I be convinced that you will not have any intentions of taking vengeance should the opportunity present itself to you?¡± Xiao Luo posed the question as he got up.


    Anxiously, Lee Yueze crawled forward on his knees and responded, ¡°I will sign a ten-year contract with thepany that if I ever cause any harm to thepany, I will bear the full responsibility for it, and all of my assets will serve as coteral topensate thepany.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him with interest but remained silent.


    Lee Yueze was very anxious and started to kowtow again, leaving traces of blood on the ground with every bow. It was a gory scene and looked like a blood bag had spilled.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped him with a firm word, then turned to Li Zimeng and said, ¡°Revoke that order. Lee Yueze will remain employed in Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    Li Zimeng did not ask anything further, and it was quite apparent to everyone there that she would carry out Xiao Luo¡¯s order unconditionally. She wasn¡¯t the only one; every single senior member of Luo Workshop would do the same. Xiao Luo¡¯s order preceded everything else as far as they were concerned.


    She immediately contacted Lin Chongdong again and repeated Xiao Luo¡¯s words.


    Like her, Lin Chongdong did not ask any questions and carried out thetest order ordingly.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, president Xiao¡­ I will never forget your mercy, thank you!¡±


    Lee Yueze cried like a child, relieved that he had gotten back the job that he had fought so hard for.


    ¡°Remember what happened today, and I hope that you can put this ruthless energy into your work. Also, I am warning you that should you evermit any act that harms thepany, no one on Earth can save you!¡± Xiao Luo said, putting his hands in his pocket as he looked down his nose at Lee Yueze.


    ¡°I will remember, I will remember it¡­¡±


    Lee Yueze was eternally grateful and could not stop bowing to Xiao Luo for his mercy.


    ¡­

 Chapter 397 - A White-haired Beggar

    <strong>Chapter 397: A White-haired Beggar</strong>


    After leaving Zhongshan District, Xiao Luo and Li Zimeng caught up for a bit. Having a cuppa in a downtown caf¨¦, Li Zimeng reported to him that Luo Workshop¡¯s factories in Xiahai City were still under construction, and they had engaged dozens of engineering teams to expedite itspletion. She expected that all the factory buildings would bepleted within half a year should everything go as nned without any hitches.


    Li Zimeng also added that the procurement of their bakery equipment and renovations for the outlets were also underway and that everything was progressing on schedule.


    Her only worry was that the bakery industry in Xiahai City was dominated by Sumir, a locally established business. When Luo Workshop started moving into the Xiahai City market, they would definitelye face-to-face with Sumir sooner orter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve done your investigation; do you know who the boss of Sumir is?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked Li Zimeng after listening to her updates.


    Li Zimeng handed a document to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Yes, I have. The person behind Sumir is the A-list star, Su Li.¡±


    Su Li!?


    Xiao Luo almost spat his coffee out, and he quickly looked at the document to find out more about Su Li¡¯s involvement. The information sheet was quiteprehensive and even included her biodata¡ªher age, height, weight, hobbies, and her professional work, which amused Xiao Luo somewhat, as it had never crossed his mind that Su Li, his titr wife, wouldnd up being Sumir¡¯s boss.


    Xiao Luo could not make sense of it; a pop star getting involved in the baking industries?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t umon as many celebrities leverage their brand to start new businesses. I know a male celebrity who started a nationwide hotpot franchise, and with his celebrity status, the business is doing extremely well,¡± Li Zimeng said, ¡°However, Su Li is more low-key, preferring not to expose herself as the boss of Sumir. Barely anyone knows that she is the owner.¡±


    Li Zimeng passed another document to Xiao Luo and said,¡± President Xiao, have a look. This information is the footprint of all Sumir¡¯s branches across the country. They¡¯re a big name and very well established in the market.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the document and immediately felt some pressure. His Luo Workshop setup was, at most, the king of Jiangcheng, but Sumir, on the other hand, had outlets in every major city in the country. The scale of their business was significantlyrger than Luo Workshop¡¯s, which was like a child¡¯s ypared to Sumir.


    No wonder that woman was always strutting and acting like she was above everyone else¡ªwith such assets, she certainly earned the right to do so!


    Xiao Luo cocked his brow and reflected on how little of Su Li he actually knew.


    ¡°Li Zimeng, thanks for the hard work you¡¯ve put in, getting things up and running.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job, but you should know that my male colleagues have it tougher. They are always with the engineering team and work like horses, haha¡­¡± Li Zimeng responded, giggling and evidently delighted to have received Xiao Luo¡¯s praise.


    ¡°Then let them work, they could use a little more physical exercise for their health¡¯s sake.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a sip of coffee and said,¡± I want you toe with me to visit Sumir¡¯s outlets. I n to check out their products and what advantages they have over us. Then. Let¡¯s see what we can do with our products to create a more level ying field for our operation here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, will do.¡±


    Li Zimeng nodded as she added some sugar to her coffee, before stirring it and lifting the cup to her lips gracefully.


    ******


    ******


    It was almost 8 p.m. when they were done visiting every Sumir outlet in Xiahai City. Xiao Luo and Li Zimeng had dinner together and shared their thoughts and opinions on assessing Sumir¡¯s critical sess factors. They now had a better idea of Sumir¡¯s products and operation, and how they¡¯d positioned themselves in the market.


    If Luo Workshop wanted to remainpetitive in Xiahai City¡¯s market, it had to outdo Sumirpetence, service standards, better product offerings, and in every aspect of marketing and promotions.


    Xiao Luo felt that the road to Luo Workshop¡¯s sess in Xiahai City was a long and challenging one. Firstly, Sumir is already well-established with reliable operational capabilities and arge customer base; and, secondly, Su Li was the boss! With Luo Workshop¡¯s entry into the Xiahai City market, he would inevitably be forced to start a war with Su Li, and it made him feel rather ufortable.


    After parting with Li Zimeng, he drove to the river to chill out.


    The night had veiled the sky, muting the gay colors of daylight in its darkness, but the twinkling stars and a full moon made fairpensation, illuminating the cityscape with its subdued light and adding charm to the scene by the river-side.


    Xiao Luo took in the sights and the fresh air as he ambled along the river walk. The reflection of lit-up buildings on the river¡¯s rippling surface gave the impression that there was another world beneath.


    Then, Xiao Luo caught a waft of a terrible putrid scent, resembling dposing garbage, emanating from close by.


    Xiao Luo grimaced at the stench, and when he turned around, he saw an old man approaching him. He was wearing a pair of slippers and dressed in rags, with his shoulders and calves unclothed. He had a full head of disheveled white hair; even his brows and long beard were all white. But his eyes looked alert¡ªvery bright and piercing.


    The stench evidently emanated from this man, as he looked terribly filthy. Xiao Luo nced at his feet, and they looked as if he had danced barefooted on a bed of charcoal. They appeared so dirty that were he to put them in a pot of clear water to wash, it would undoubtedly turn brackish.


    The old man walked toward Xiao Luo nonchntly, then gave him a smile and said, ¡°Little brother, may I sit next to you?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ no!¡±


    Xiao Luo reacted without any hesitation as the stench was simply overbearing, and he could hardly breathe.


    But the old man ignored Xiao Luo and proceeded to sit down beside him, and even tted loudly as he was about to sit.


    Xiao Luo was annoyed and really felt like telling him off, thinking to himself this old man deserved a good walloping.


    As the old man settled on the bench, he sighed in relief, as if he had just passed motion after suffering from severe constipation. His body even quivered a little, giving the impression that he had derived great pleasure and satisfaction from that fart!


    He reached out to Xiao Luo with his hand and said, ¡°Hmm, nice to meet you, little brother. My name is Hong Ji, people just call me Brother Hong!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please¡­!¡±


    Xiao Luo was getting agitated. It was already bad enough that a beggar he never met before suddenly approached him out of the blue and even broke wind most disgustingly; he was even now introducing himself as if that was the norm. Xiao Luo had a good mind to knock some sense into him.


    ¡°You, young people, shouldn¡¯t be so hot-tempered, I¡¯m just making friends with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Old man, before I really get annoyed, just take the money and get out of here, as far as possible!¡± Xiao Luo took out a hundred dor note and handed it to him angrily.


    The white-haired beggar was stunned for a moment, then smiled, and responded, ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re so young but have not learned anything good; all you do is insult a man with money. Hah, even though I am a beggar, I have my professional code of conduct too, and I don¡¯t take handouts,¡± he said. His words sounded righteous, but it didn¡¯t stop him from taking the money. He then held it up against light from themp post and checked it for authenticity. With a stern look on his face, he returned the money to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Give me another note, little brother, this doesn¡¯t feel right, and I suspect that it is forged.¡±


    Xiao Luo was so infuriated that he actually startedughing out of sheer frustration. ¡°I think you¡¯re asking for it!¡±


    As Xiao Luo spoke, he reached out to grab the old man by his cor, intending to teach him a lesson.


    Unexpectedly, the white-haired beggar was quick to react, leaning back before Xiao Luo¡¯s hand could reach and easily evading his attempted grab. Effortlessly, he moved in a bnced and controlled manner and kept out of Xiao Luo¡¯s range.


    Hmm, so, he¡¯s a martial artist, it seems¡­


    Xiao Luo focused his eyes on the man, convinced that this man hade looking for trouble, and decided he would not hold back. Xiao Luo instantly pushed his right hand to the ground, and his body swirled into action, bringing his left leg swing across at the old man¡¯s chest with fearsome power.


    ¡­

 Chapter 398 - Dog Beating Staff Technique

    Chapter 398: Dog Beating Staff Technique


    The white-haired beggar crossed his hands to protect his chest, Xiao Luo¡¯s powerful leg struck at the center of his crossing arms precisely, with a loud bang, a gush of ferocious power coursed through from Xiao Luo¡¯s leg like a raging river. The white-haired beggar backed off while trying to stand up and regain bnce, which he finally was able to do so after backing off for a few meters.


    He looked at Xiao Luo, who was half-kneeling with both of his hands on the ground andughed, ¡°Little brother, are you practicing the Secret Art of Toad? Your stance is pretty simr to the people from the Ouyang house.¡± Xiao Luo was looking tense with his eyes focused like a beast in its hunting mode.


    The old manbed his beard while making jokes about Xiao Luo, which made him looked very at ease and nonchnt.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and stared at him with hostility.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just said, my name is Hong Ji, people address me as Brother Hong and I am also the current sect master of the Beggar Sect.¡±


    The white-haired beggar kept the hundred dor note in his pocket and picked his nose, ¡°Considering the fact that you¡¯ve insulted me with some good moh, I can tell you one thing, you¡¯ve offended somebody, so he had hired me to teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Xiao Luo stared at him.


    ¡°There, he¡¯s right over there!¡±


    The white-haired beggar pointed at the embankment and his face was full of smiles.


    Xiao Luo looked over to where he pointed at and saw a ck car there. The door was opened and two bodyguards in ck suits were standing by the door. Xiao Luo could recognize these people, they were Yang Hongzhi¡¯s bodyguards, San and Si. Obviously, the man sitting beside the driver¡¯s seat was Yang Hongzhi.


    Yang Hongzhi got off the car and waved at Xiao Luo and shouted loudly, ¡°F*cking catfish, aren¡¯t you pretty good at fighting,e, start your show, if you can win him unharmed, I¡¯ll gulp on piles of shit!!!¡±


    He was almost bellowing towards thest line as his precious woman was taken by Xiao Luo, which made him feel extremely angry and hateful, if he had the opportunity, he would definitely skin Xiao Luo alive.


    Xiao Luo snapped as this clown hade for trouble yet again. However, it was timely as he was quite moody now and needed some outlet for venting.


    He turned around and smiled, then told the white-haired beggar, ¡°How much did Yang Hongzhi pay you?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot at all, merely three hundred thousand.¡±


    The white-haired beggar smiled even more, ¡°I took his money to help him rid of the trouble. Little brother, I suggest that you to stand still and let me break an arm of yours, with this we can avoid the awkward situation where I identally kill you from the beating. Rest assured, it won¡¯t be painful and I¡¯ll be careful. If you go to the hospital soon enough, there¡¯s a ny percent chance that you can link it back without any sequ, what do you think?¡±


    Xiao Luo was so pissed that he startedughing, ¡°Are you here to jest?¡± He extended his arm and opened his palm, taunting the old man, ¡°Let me see what you¡¯ve got, we will do as you suggested, one arm!¡±


    ¡°Little brother, you¡¯re asking for it.¡±


    The white-haired beggar sighed and kept his smile, ¡°Then, pardon my abruptness.¡±


    His eyes became focused gradually and started radiating storms of aura de, engulfing the entire area. He dashed at Xiao Luo like a gust and his traces sped through the night sky and his stance was powerful like a raging tsunami.


    ¡°Humph~¡±


    Xiao Luo snapped and started gliding, striking swiftly with a hysteric and ruthless stance. he had perfectedbining the styles of ferocious and wily together.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    His spinning legs shed with the white-haired beggar¡¯s palm head-on, Xiao Luo rolled with his punches and pounced on him like a jaguar, using his powerful kick to attack the white-haired beggar.


    The white-haired beggar looked very serious after seeing Xiao Luo¡¯s movements, he dashed forward like a spectral, his hand ws had turned into deadly scythes under the veil of darkness, slicing through the space and approaching Xiao Luo instantly.


    Xiao Luo bursted away and flipped his body midair without any support, with an exaggerating spin, his kicks turned into countless shadows and struck relentlessly at the beggar. They looked slow but were actually swift, blocking the white-haired beggar¡¯s palms with precision and uracy.


    ¡°What the f*ck, are they filming an action movie?¡±


    Yang Hongzhi, who was spectating widened his eyes and dropped his jaws upon seeing Xiao Luo and the white-haired beggar sparring, even he was physically present from thirty meters away, he could still felt the frightening crossing of punches and kicks.


    San and Si were in awe and they thought, ¡°Are these people monsters? Even martial arts film with special effects cannot achieve this level of intensity.¡±


    They originally thought that the white-haired beggar was ying a buff, but did not expect that he was actually a formidable man and this made the three hundred thousand well spent.


    At this point in time, Xiao Luo and the white-haired beggar had exchanged hundreds of moves and the grass patch they stood upon had be an utter mess. Large amounts of grasses and soil were sent flying by their inner power. Had their battle urred in the day time, people would definitely notice that their battle had caused a whirlwind and all the dead leaves were flying. Those leaves that were closer to them were shattered into powder directly by their inner power.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    Both Xiao Luo and the white-haired beggar struck out their palms with each other, the ferocious power resembled a mighty roar of a beast, which raged through towards both of them. Both of them backed off for a few steps and regained bnce, feeling the internal upwelling of qi and blood, as if a gigantic dragon was churning within their chest.


    They both used their inner power to quell this upwelling!


    ¡°What ad, you¡¯re somebody, seems like Brother Hong has to use some real techniques!¡±


    The white-haired beggar became serious as he could tell from the crossfire just now that Xiao Luo was extremely wild and spontaneous, his fighting style was totally random yet beast-like, if he continued to withhold his true strength, he would definitely end up losing.


    He spat at his palm and grabbed the air, a stick that was used to support a small tree flew towards him like how Thor grabs Mj?lnir. He had infused the stick with his inner power and it became hard like cold steel.


    ¡°I shall let you have a taste of our Dog Beating Staff Technique!¡±


    The white-haired beggar swung his wooden stick and pounced at Xiao Luo. Under his swinging, the stick multiplied and it looked as if he had thousands of sticks in his hand.


    At the same time, the stick also stirred a whirlwind that was sharp and prating!


    Yang Hongzhi and his gang werepletely stunned by that and it was unbelievable that a swinging stick had actually created the illusion of a thousand sticks swinging.


    Xiao Luo was forced to back off but the white-haired beggar was approaching very quickly, so he had to face him head-on. However, he had yet to figure out this technique¡¯s pattern and he sustained fiveshes at the moment he moved up. Theshing of the inner power-infused stick was burning painful, it felt like his skin and flesh were torn but it was soft tissue injury in fact and the pain was unbearable.


    ¡°Stick on the head, watch it!¡±


    With that, the white-haired beggarshed at Xiao Luo¡¯s head mercilessly.


    ¡°Dip the hip!¡±


    The stick struck at Xiao Luo¡¯s hip.


    ¡°Quash the shoulder, hehe¡­¡±


    The stick stuck out suddenly with the head pointing downwards, pressing down at Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder elegantly but with a weight of thousand pounds, making Xiao Luo kneeled on the spot.

 Chapter 399 - Witnessing a devil

    Chapter 399: Witnessing a devil


    ¡°The Dog Beating Staff Technique is created for all the bad guys and the evils guys. Little brother, how does it feel like?¡± The white-haired beggar pressed Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders with his stick andughed.


    Xiao Luo lifted his head and his eyes were fuming with fire. This felt like an insult and aplete joke to him instead of getting a taste of the Dog Beating Staff Technique.


    The white-haired beggarughed like a naughty kid and then kicked at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. The kick was empowered with his inner power, so even Xiao Luo could not resist but was sent flying out like a broken kite. Hended heavily on the grass patch a few meters away.


    ¡°Nice, very nice, beat the hell out of this f*cking catfish!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi, who was watching from afar could not help but pped his hands with excitement.


    San also felt that justice was served and extremely satisfied. He then frowned again, ¡°It was indeed well done, but not enough.¡±


    ¡°Not enough?¡± Yang Hongzhi asked jokingly.


    ¡°Not enough.¡± Si nodded and agreed.


    ¡°Then let the old jeez beat him up more.¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was in a pretty good mood, he approached the white-haired beggar and shouted, ¡°Brother Hong, beat that f*cking catfish up more and I¡¯ll pay you double!¡±


    A Double pay?!


    Upon hearing that, the white-haired beggar¡¯s eyes shined and said, ¡°Rest assured, young master Yang, your request will be satisfied.¡± He lifted his right leg to pick the dirt off in between his feet, then put on his slippers again. He walked towards Xiao Luo joyfully while humming to some tunes and told him, ¡°Little brother, I have no choice as I need a really huge sum of money, so the only way out is to sacrifice you. Rest assured, after this, I will repay you.¡±


    ¡°Repay my a~ss!¡±


    An extremely suppressed voice came from Xiao Luo, as if the roar came from his soul.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s palms pped on the ground and the power was so strong that trembled the earth. With the force of recoil, he sprung up from the ground and spun full circle mid-air, thennded on one knee powerfully, his then made circles with his arms before his chest and then push out forcefully at the white-haired beggar.


    ¡°Roar~¡±


    With a deafening dragon roar, an overwhelming palm force raged through the entire space and the tremendous power was relentless like a raging tsunami.


    ¡°Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms?¡±


    The white-haired beggar was dumbfounded and there was nothing but shock in his eyes. At this moment, he too pushed out his palms with all his might, which also resulted in a dragon roar, crashing on Xiao Luo¡¯s palms with fierce power.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    An earthshaking sound exploded and the gigantic force had sunken the ground between them and created a three meters deep hole. Countless grass was sent flying and then shattered into powder, the pine and cypress trees behind them were also broken as they could not withstand the raging power.


    Yang Hongzhi was shocked and the smile he had on his face vanishedpletely as he felt nothing but absolutely terrified.


    The white-haired beggar was utterly stunned and he stared at Xiao Luo like he was an alien, then burst out uncontrobly, ¡°Brat, where did you learn the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms?¡±


    He could not help but lose hisposure as although every martial art originated from Shaolin, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms has always been passed down only in the family of Hong. It was equivalent to seeing a ghost under a bright sunny day after seeing aplete stranger who knew how to use the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.


    Xiao Luo had a trace of blood near his mouth and his face was cold like steel, after fully running his inner power, he dashed like a phantom and turned into a tornado, striking a palm at the white-haired beggar.


    ¡°Die, you old jeez!¡±


    A terrible force was exploding and the roar was so loud it could be heard everywhere.


    This was Dragon Ascend?!


    The white-haired beggar was shocked thoroughly but he reacted quickly with the same technique as it was impossible to evade by that time.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    Two palms crashed at each other and terrible energy exploded in the entire area, intangible pressure was coursing outwards like stormy waves, Yang Hongzhi and his gang from afar were thrown off to the ground.


    ¡°Bang bang bang~¡±


    The calmke was bombarded like there were numerous bombs being detonated underneath, tons of water were blown off to a height of ten meters, then poured down like heavy rain.


    ¡°Oh my god, what happened there?¡±


    ¡°Why is there an explosive sound, is someone blowing up fishes there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so weird!¡±


    Passersby from afar all stopped to spectate but they did not discover anything under the veil of the night sky, so they all thought that someone was blowing up the fishes and then left shortly after. Some of the people were still looking back curiously while they were leaving.


    The white-haired beggar shook his body andnded on the ground, backing off for a few steps before he regained bnce. He felt that qi and blood were raging in his body, then vomited a mouthful of thick blood shortly after.


    Xiao Luonded on the ground smoothly and still looked cold.


    ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡±


    The white-haired beggar was terribly scared and shocked as neither did he expect that Xiao Luo could actually defeat him nor master the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. On top of that, the power of Xiao Luo¡¯s technique was way stronger than his as he waspletely crushed in the showdown of the same technique.


    Xiao Luo dashed before him like a phantom, he looked like a fiend as he was emitting an evil vibe.


    He remained silent as grabbed the white-haired beggar¡¯s left arm with his right hand, his fingers were sharp like daggers and torn the white-haired beggar¡¯s clothes easily, sinking into his flesh and causing blood to stream out.


    ¡°Ah~¡±


    The white-haired beggar let out a loud scream that could cause goosebumps to anyone who had to hear it. He then tried to m on Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead with his right hand to force him to let go of his hand.


    Xiao Luo reacted by kicking him.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    The white-haired beggar flew back like a bombshell, as if he had sustained a hit from a lotive, breaking three pine trees beforeing to a stop, which way a dozen meters away. His left arm however was still grabbed tightly in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, as it was torn out forcefully at the moment he flew out and remained on Xiao Luo¡¯ hand.


    The pain intensified and the white-haired beggar¡¯s scream became more terrifying, rolling on the ground out of pain as an enormous amount of blood was gushing out from the open wound on his left arm.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was so scared that he sat on the ground, both San and Si also turned pale, shivering as if they had witnessed the arrival of a devil.


    Xiao Luo threw away the white-haired beggar¡¯s arm and turned to them.


    His eyes were dim but filled with coldness, making anyone who he stared at feeling chill from their souls, Yang Hongzhi and the gang then hurried back to their ck car.


    ¡°Fire the engine, leave here at once!¡±


    After taking the seat beside the driver, Yang Hongzhi roared with a frightened voice and broke into a cold sweat.


    Si fired the engine and sped off, after leaving the embankment for a hundred meters, they then dared to look back and sighed in relief after realizing that Xiao Luo did note after them.

 Chapter 400 - Im sleepy

    <h2>Chapter 400: I¡¯m sleepy</h2>


    ¡°Young Master, that guy is a demon, don¡¯t bother with him anymore.¡±


    Ah San, who was in the back seat, had never been this frightened before, no words could describe his fear, and he was still shaking as he spoke, having lost allposure.


    Yang Hongzhi did not answer him as he stared nkly ahead, still in awe as he recalled what he had just witnessed, and even his teeth were chattering uncontrobly. When Yang Hongzhi hired the master of the Beggar Sect, he was convinced that he could finally teach Xiao Luo a lesson he¡¯d not forget, but nobody expected that things would turn out this way.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let him go like that, he stole my woman, and I want him dead, chopped into tiny pieces!¡±


    In a while, Yang Hongzhi regained hisposure, and he clenched his teeth again, using his hatred of Xiao Luo to suppress his fear of him. ¡°I¡¯ll call the police and inform them that f*cking catfish assaulted an old beggar, we can leverage the police against him. That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll call the police!¡± he cried.


    With his mind made up, he frantically took out the phone from his pocket to make the call.


    Suddenly, right in front of them, a man miraculously descended from the sky, just like Iron Man from the Marvelics,nding heavily on their car¡¯s bo in a half-kneeling position.


    BOOM!


    His fingers pierced into the sheet metal like it was butter, and the bo crumpled like it was tinfoil¡ªit was none other than Xiao Luo!


    Yang Hongzhi and his bodyguards literally jumped off their seats in fright and screamed hysterically like little girls watching a horror movie.


    Xiao Luo red mirthlessly at Yang Hongzhi, and scorn was written all over his face. The terrified driver, Ah Si, tried to keep the car on the road, but Xiao Luo had blocked his vision, and as he lost control, the car skidded into amp post. Ah Si tried to step on the emergency brakes, but it was just toote.


    BANG!


    The car smashed into themp post and wrapped itself around it as car parts and debris flew in every direction. ck fumes billowed from the enginepartment, and themp post was deformed in the impact, leaning over the vehicle, forming an angle some thirty-degrees with the ground.


    Before the car plowed into themp post, Xiao Luo had leaped off like a phantom. But, Yang Hongzhi and his bodyguards were not so fortunate. In the back seat, Ah San was thrown forward by the impact, flying like a projectile right through the windscreen, and his life was hanging precariously by a thread. Yang Hongzhi and Ah Si were saved when their airbags activated, and they only sustained some minor wounds, none of which were life-threatening.


    They both crawled out of the car in a frightful state, bleeding and covered in tiny pieces of ss and debris. Bits of ss shards were embedded in their flesh like parasites, giving them a ghastly look that was terrifying to look upon. After they got out of the car, they copsed onto the ground.


    Xiao Luo approached them and lifted them up like they were roadkill.


    Despite their injuries, Yang Hongzhi and Ah Si remained conscious when Xiao Luo walked up to them and lifted them up. They then realized that Xiao Luo was carrying them over to a public toilet nearby.


    ¡°W-what¡­ do you want¡­ let¡­ let go¡­!¡±


    Terrified, Yang Hongzhi screamed desperately, but he could not break loose of Xiao Luo¡¯s powerful grip.


    Ah Si did not even attempt to struggle as he was frozen in fear and had lost all strength.


    A couple of minutester, Yang Hongzhi and Ah Si were dumped onto the toilet floor by Xiao Luo. Although the toilet¡¯s flushing system had malfunctioned, many people still used it right through the day, and the ce stank to high heaven! The putrid stench of urine and feces was unbearable and repulsive.


    ¡°W-why¡­ did you bring us here? W-what do you want?¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was trembling in fear as he asked Xiao Luo the question. Coming from a wealthy and dignified family, he had never visited such a filthy ce in his life, and undoubtedly, he would have puked had he eaten more for dinner.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled cruelly, and without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Yang Hongzhi by the scruff and forced his head into the filthy toilet bowl.


    Yang Hongzhi gagged as his head was being forced in, and when he saw the flotsam of human feces swirling in a pool of putrid, murky liquid, he retched. It was a punishment worse than death itself; even breaking his limb would not have been so bad. As his head plunged into the foul-smelling wastewater, it filled his orifices, and he felt like he was drowning.


    Not only was it disgusting and agonizing for Yang Hongzhi, but he was also thoroughly humiliated!


    In a panic, Yang Hongzhi screamed and struggled with all his might, but Xiao Luo held him firmly by the scruff of the neck, and as he gasped of air, he inadvertently swallowed some feces into his mouth.


    ¡°Enough, no more, please¡­!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was crying desperately as his head was stuck in a toilet bowl, and he was being force-fed with human feces by Xiao Luo. Whenever he got the chance to gasp for air, he cried out in a hysterical voice like a tortured spirit in hell.


    Ah Si, watching from the side, was in a state of shock and had goosebumps all over him. When Xiao Luo looked over at him, Ah Si shook in fear, and before Xiao Luo could take a step toward him, he ran to the next toilet and cried, ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself, I¡¯ll do it myself¡­¡±


    His fear of Xiao Luo had surpassed everything else, and he started scooping the feces up into his mouth, but he vomited immediately after having a mouthful. At that moment, he envied Ah San for being unconscious.


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting!¡±


    Xiao Luo said nonchntly and finally released Yang Hongzhi, who was given a hearty feast of the stuff. Before leaving the public toilet, he cleaned his hands thoroughly.


    The experience had proven too traumatic for Yang Hongzhi to handle; something just snapped in his brain. He had gone mad, and he sat on the floor with feces all over his face and hands and beganughing strangely.


    Ah Si rushed over to the sink to rinse his mouth, then dragged Yang Hongzhi over to thoroughly wash him.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo drove his car and rushed back to Crescent Bay.


    As he had sustained some internal injuries, he went back to his own apartment and immediately sat on his sofa in a lotus position.


    Were his actions toward Yang Hongzhi and the white-haired beggar excessive and cruel?


    Of course, they were, but he always kept to his words, and he never allowed himself to be bullied easily, to begin with.


    ¡°An eye for an eye, I will repay anyone twice what I receive!¡±


    That was Xiao Luo.


    Ding Dong¡­ Ding Dong~


    The doorbell rang¡­


    Xiao Luo got up from his recovery position and went to answer the door.


    To Xiao Luo¡¯s surprise, it was none other than Su Li. She lookedely, wearing a pair of crystal heels and d in a ckced skirt that generously revealed her slender legs.


    She wore a smart beige-colored form-fitting top thatplemented her fine figure, and her long hair was tied back neatly, exposing the fair and unblemished skin of her graceful neck¡ªshe simply looked exquisite.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your clothes?¡±


    Su Li looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s shirt and asked.


    A little moody, Xiao Luo did not answer her, but instead, he asked, ¡°Do you have anything for me?¡±


    He sounded cold and distant as if he was talking aplete stranger.


    Su Li was slightly offended and began to feel like she was losing her leverage with this man. Was there anything of value to him that she could offer? Su Li could sense that there was ack of concern in his eyes.


    She hesitated for a moment but decided to ask him, ¡°I wanted to ask you how to cook the green yam paste.¡±


    Xiao Luo was slightly taken aback and said, ¡°You like it?¡±


    Su Li nodded.


    ¡°Not today, but I can teach you tomorrow.¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied and then shut the door up.


    ¡­

 Chapter 401 - The Aggressive Lady Poison

    Chapter 401: The Aggressive Lady Poison


    To have a door shut in her face was not something that Su Li was used to, and she felt a little slighted. She hade over to see him and have a chat, and to be turned down is such a brusque manner was unthinkable. She could imagine a long line of men just dreaming of getting an opportunity such as this; even getting a nce or a smile from her would make their day. Yet, for this man, none of that matter¡ªhow could he be so cold?!


    There were many things that she had wanted to ask him, and his interview at Huayao Corporation was undoubtedly one of the items on the agenda. After hearing about Xiao Luo¡¯s proficiency with several foreignnguages, she was curious to learn more about it. She reached for the doorbell again, but something stopped her. Her finger was still on the doorbell when she decided to abort the idea of barging in on him and turned around to return to her apartment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After Xiao Luo returned to his unit, he immediately settled into a lotus position and regted his breathing. The prowess of the white-haired beggar in using his techniques could not be underestimated, and he was already suffering a severe internal injury from the kick that his adversary had delivered. Xiao Luo chose not to expend any more points on the system¡¯s healing function, knowing that he could resort to his breath regtion technique to heal the injury. And this was precisely why Xiao Luo declined to teach Su Li how to prepare the vegetable taro paste.


    Besides, it wasn¡¯t too long ago that Xiao Luo had been in a public toilet to make sure that Yang Hongzhi kept his word about eating a pile of excrement¡ªand when he beat the white-haired beggar, he made sure that Yang Hongzhi and his bodyguards had a feast! Although he didn¡¯t get anything filth on his body, he seemed to detect a lingering stench; therefore, it just really wasn¡¯t a suitable time for him to teach someone how to cook.


    Suddenly, he caught a waft of a peculiar fragrance¡­


    Xiao Luo took a whiff, trying to recall memories of the scent. Then, he abruptly opened his eyes and ceased his breath regtion exercise, for the fragrance was etched deeply in his mind.


    Before he could move a muscle, a dark figure streaked from the bedroom and came up behind him like a ck sh of lightning. A slender hand d in ck silk gloves was pressed against his back, and Xiao Luo suddenly felt his whole body go numb, as he was struck urately on the acupoint with the index and middle finger.


    ¡°Mie, you¡¯re now mine!¡±


    A husky and seductive voice whispered in his ear¡ªthe woman in ck strut from behind Xiao Luo with feline grace, swaying her slender hips provocatively. Standing right in his front of Xiao Luo, she exuded charm and charisma. Her beautiful, delicate visage was framed by silky ck hair, worn in a loose chignon, and adorned with a jasper hairpin with a dragon-phoenix design. Her eyes were alluring, almost flirting, and it would have been difficult for any man to resist her gaze.


    Standing before him like a Greek goddess, she looked like she had just stepped out of a ssical painting of the old masters!


    ¡°Lady Poison, what are you doing?¡± Xiao Luo gasped.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, we are made for each other.¡±


    Fu Yiren suddenly bent down and gently ced her quivering lips on Xiao Luo¡¯s, the lightest of touch, like a dragonfly skimming the pond¡¯s surface.


    Her cheeks blushed, and in the dim light of the nearbymp, she looked remarkably captivating and enchanting. In a very suggestive way, she purred in a longing voice, nibbling on her scarlet lips invitingly.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mind went nk for a moment, but he found his voice in typical fashion and said, ¡°Find someone else, I have no interest in you.¡±


    ¡°Other men mean nothing to me, in my eyes, I only want you.¡±


    Fu Yiren held Xiao Luo¡¯s face with both hands. In her passion, she exerted more strength than she had intended, squishing Xiao Luo¡¯s face and making it look pressed against a ss window.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were cold. A male chauvinist like him could never allow a woman to hold his face like a child. ¡°Take your hands away,¡± he fumed.


    ¡°Mie, I hope you understand the position you¡¯re now in¡ªyou are my prey, and I can do whatever I want with you. I can¡¯t fault you for not having any feelings for me now, but such things can be cultivated over time. And, as I do not have any assignments now, it¡¯s the perfect time to start. I can stay with you here every day to nurture our rtionship.¡±


    Fu Yiren¡¯s voice was enticing, and it possessed the quality that could bring a man to his knees. After saying that, she kissed Xiao Luo forcibly.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes widened in shock, not expecting Fu Yiren to be so bold. Despite being resistant to Fu Yiren¡¯s poison, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help feeling like he was being molested. As he was totally unable to move, he used what strength he had left to clench his teeth together.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Fu Yiren, who was lost in her passion, suddenly pulled away and jumped to her feet, bolt upright, sping her mouth. Xiao Luo¡¯s bite hurt, and she immediately revealed her brutal nature.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    She shouted angrily, raising her right palm, intending to m it on Xiao Luo¡¯s skull. But when she gazed into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, her murderous thought immediately dissipated. Dejectedly, she dropped her right hand and just stared emotionally at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Lady Poison, you and I both work for the NSA. I do not want to have any unpleasantness between us. I¡¯m sorry, I cannot fulfill your wish, but I¡¯ll rmend a few to you if you really want to have a man. I can assure you that you¡¯ll be satisfied,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I said, I only want you. I will not even look at another man!¡±


    Then, Fu Yiren¡¯s expression suddenly softened, and she said, ¡°That was my first kiss. Whether you ept it or not, it was given to you, so you must be responsible for me.¡±


    What the~! @#$%¡­


    Xiao Luo felt his chest tighten as he immediately wondered why he was once again being held responsible for a rtionship he did not ask for. Were all girls this way?


    He knew he had to take a firm stand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Fu Yiren was an impetuous person by nature. Although she had said earlier that she wanted to slowly nurture her rtionship with Xiao Luo, Fu Yiren lost it when she got that response from Xiao Luo. Resentfully, like a jealous little girl, she said, ¡°Your wife, Su Li, is a popr star, and she lives just next door, am I right? She¡¯s so beautiful, and even I¡¯m jealous of her beauty whenever I see her. But she has married the man I want, and now she must die!¡±


    ¡°I dare you!?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned red with rage as a murderous aura instantly emanated from his body.


    Seeing his reaction, Fu Yiren became even more jealous, and her chest heaved noticeably in resentment. ¡°Sleep with me, and I¡¯ll leave her alone,¡± she cried.


    Xiao Luo was really getting riled up. There were so many men in the world, but she had to choose him. Ignoring the fact that he was now Su Li¡¯s nominal husband, even if he were single, he would still not casually go to bed with any woman, let alone one whose whole body was filled with poison.


    Fu Yiren saw the determination on Xiao Luo¡¯s face, but she couldn¡¯t care less. She needed this man, and she was going to get him.


    ¡°I do not believe that I can¡¯t change your mind!¡±

 Chapter 402 - Crazy Woman

    Chapter 402: Crazy Woman


    Rip¡­ rip¡­ RIIIP~


    Aroused, Fu Yiren wantonly tore the shirt off Xiao Luo, lewdly ogling his body as she did so. Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have a well-build frame, but his body was lean and well-conditioned with a beautifully defined muscle tone.


    ¡°Lady Poison, please, you don¡¯t want to continue doing this¡­¡±


    ¡°We are a match made in heaven¡ªif you are the Adam of God¡¯s creation, then I¡¯ll be the Eve that he created from one of your ribs. Mie, our fate is destined by the Heavens¡­ do not resist it.¡±


    Huh? Xiao Luo cringed at her words, unsure exactly what kind of drivel was she prattling about!


    Xiao Luo calmed his mind as he kept his focus on his acupoint and made an effort to release them from Fu Yiren¡¯s pressure point technique.


    Fu Yiren intertwined herself with Xiao Luo¡¯s body, slithering intimately like a copting serpent, then gently pushed him down on the sofa and her lustful hands began to unfasten his belt. Incredibly, she was reversing rapist and victim roles, as the situation here was that it was the girl who was attempting to rape the overlord!


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo managed to unlock the acupoints that were sealed by Fu Yiren. A burst of internal force surged out from Xiao Luo like a raging storm. Fu Yiren, who was entirely unprepared for this, was knocked back, painfully crashing onto the living room floor. She tried to pick herself up, but she coughed a mouthful of blood.


    As she focused her vision, she could see that Xiao Luo had already freed himself and stood up, looking at her with his hands casually behind his back.


    ¡°You¡­ you released your acupoint yourself¡­?¡±


    Fu Yiren stared at Xiao Luo in disbelief, for she had great confidence in her abilities, and she knew that her acupressure skills were formidable. She had once experimented with her technique, where she attacked the acupoints of her opponent, a martial artist, and raised his body temperature to an extreme. His body literally lit up, and the end, the martial artist, sumbed without even moving. This was enough to show the level of her prowess in carrying out acupoint attacks, which was even more effective than binding someone up using a rope. But here, Xiao Luo managed to release his acupoint himself, and Fu Yiren was just unable to understand how he could have achieved the feat this quickly.


    Before Fu Yiren could react, Xiao Luo appeared before her like a phantom and kicked her in the abdomen. In his mocking eyes, she could see that he recognized her confusion.


    BOOM!


    A muffled grunt followed the sickening sound of a heavy thud as Fu Yiren was blown back some two to three meters along the floor, and only stopped after colliding with the living room wall. The pain she felt in her abdomen was unimaginable, feeling like an electric drill was wreaking havoc within it. The striking beauty left her face, distorted and reced by the agony of pain.


    Xiao Luo stalked up to her once again, and as he stared at her with no sympathy, he said, ¡°This is a just a little punishment for sneaking up at me. If this happens again, I will kill you!¡±


    A murderous aura emanated from Xiao Luo as he spoke, and it caused Fu Yiren to shudder uncontrobly in fear.


    Fu Yiren struggled as she picked herself up from the floor. Despite the traces of blood at the corner of her mouth, Fu Yiren¡¯s beauty was still undiminished, though she looked somewhat pitiful. ¡°Mie, if I sneak up on you again, could you really bear to kill me?¡± she said.


    ¡°Try it, and you¡¯ll find out!¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    A great sadness filled Fu Yiren¡¯s broken heart, for when she saw Xiao Luo at the NSA¡¯s headquarters, she fell in love with him at first sight. But Xiao Luo did not respond and showed no sympathy to her plight¡ªeven if she was the fearsome Lady Poison of the NSA, she had feelings. Her heart was like any woman¡¯s, and she was deeply hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to try.¡±


    Fu Yiren responded, as she dejectedly put on her clothes and made to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, do not do anything to harm Su Li; otherwise, I won¡¯t let you go!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s threat came just when Fu Yiren reached the door, and she paused for a moment as her heart was once again mauled callously. Her situation was no different from a young girl trying to show her love to the boy she liked, but instead, what she got was the boy¡¯s rejection and warning.


    Bitterly, she turned around and said, ¡°Mie, we are both members of the NSA. Do you think I will actually kill the innocent?¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback as he met her gaze. Suddenly, he felt inexplicably guilty, his eyes softened, and his gaze dropped to the floor. When he looked up at the door again, he only saw it slightly ajar, and Fu Yiren had disappeared, leaving a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.


    ¡°This is just crazy!¡±


    Looking at the mess on the ground, Xiao Luo shook his head and sighed. He walked over and closed the door.


    The episode cast a pall of gloom over Xiao Luo, and he chose not to regte his breath anymore. He decided to just allow the internal injury to recover gradually. He walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and rinsed his whole body. He frowned when he saw a few hickeys on his neck and lipstick marks on his face through the mirror.


    He felt very dispirited, and having almost being raped by a girl just made him feel tainted.


    Suddenly, the phone he had ced on the sink rang. He took a nce and saw that it was from Zhang Dashan. He turned off the faucet and answered the call.


    ¡°Oi, what happened today? You fired a store manager by the name of Lee Yueze and then hired him again. What the hell were you doing?¡± Zhang Dashan¡¯s booming voice came through the phone speaker.


    Xiao Luo was not in the mood for banter just then, and when he heard that, his immediate riposte was to say, ¡°With your IQ, it¡¯s kinda difficult for me to exin it to you.¡±


    ¡°What the p***k? We haven¡¯t chatted for so long, and you have to me me on such a rare asion. What happened? Got raped by a woman?¡± Zhang Dashan shot back.


    Zhang Dashan had inadvertently struck on a raw nerve, for he had no idea what had just happened to Xiao Luo; but thetter, having almost been such a victim, was not in the best of moods and did not take kindly to the jest.


    ¡°F**k off!¡±


    Reacting poorly, Xiao Luo hung up the call without a further word. Had Zhang Dashan been at the front door that moment, there was no doubt that he would¡¯ve greeted him with a kick.


    When the line was cut, Zhang Dashan, calling from Jiangcheng, looked at his phone and was dumbfounded. He scratched the back of his head and muttered to himself, ¡°What the heck, has Lao Xiao eaten a bomb or something?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next morning, Su Xiaobei called Xiao Luo for breakfast, and he cheerfully carried her as they left for Su Li¡¯s apartment.


    Su Li didn¡¯t have a bite and waited for Xiao Luo to arrive before digging in.


    Xiao Luo ced Su Xiaobei in her high chair then walked over to Su Li¡¯s side. He coughed drily before saying, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to learn how to make vegetable taro paste?¡±


    Su Li raised her head, and there was a look of surprise in her beautiful eyes. ¡°It¡¯s morning now,¡± she said.


    Su Li had assumed that the dish was something eaten at noon or in the evening, and it was now the time for breakfast.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°Vegetable taro paste is usually eaten in the morning and goes perfectly with steamed eggs and chili with soy sauce.¡±


    ¡°Then eaten with milk and bread?¡± Su Li asked, giving Xiao Luo a dubious look.


    ¡°No, with rice, it¡¯s a side dish,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li looked at him incredulously and said, ¡°Huh, can rice be eaten at breakfast?¡±


    This was the first time in her life that she had heard someone suggesting having rice for breakfast.


    ¡°In my hometown, it¡¯smon to have rice for breakfast.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with a nod as the breakfast he had back home regrly consisted of rice and some side dishes; it was rarely bread, noodles, or anything else. This was especially so during his childhood when there weren¡¯t many shops offering breakfast in rural areas. Every morning, his grandfather and grandmother would get up early to cook, and the dish they ate the most were vegetable taro paste and steamed eggs.


    ¡­

 Chapter 403 - : Foodie

    Chapter 403: Foodie


    Su Li did not continue to eat what Aunt Lee had prepared for breakfast. Instead, she followed Xiao Luo to the kitchen area. This time, she intended to carefully observe the way Xiao Luo prepared vegetable taro paste.


    Aunt Lee was also watching from the side, keen to learn more about Xiao Luo¡¯s recipe and how he cooked it.


    ¡°Daddy, what are you making?¡±


    Su Xiaobei ran over and went on tiptoes. Her tiny hands were just high enough to grab the edge of the marble kitchen top as she looked at Xiao Luo excitedly with her enormous jewel-like eyes.


    Xiao Luo smiled and patted her on the head, and he said, ¡°You¡¯ll knowter. Be a good girl, go and stay over there with your mum.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Su Xiaobei was very obedient. She turned around and ran behind Su Li.


    First, Xiao Luo ced some taro in a pot of water and left it to boil. Then, he started preparing the steamed eggs¡ªhe chopped a generous helping of cabbage, beat two eggs in arge bowl, added a little water and salt to taste, whisked them together with chopsticks, poured the lot into a casserole, and ced the dish in a steamer.


    After the taro was cooked, he turned off the heat, drained out the boiling water, refilled the pot with cold water, and peeled the boiled taros with his hands.


    ¡°These taros are of fine quality. See, they soften up immediately after cooking, and their skin is easy to peel off as well. If you buy taros that are as hard as a stone, they will never be soft no matter how long you cook them, and it¡¯ll affect the taste of this dish considerably,¡± Xiao Luo exined as he continued peeling away.


    ¡°Do you mean that we must use this kind of ¡®easy-to-boil¡¯ taro to make vegetable taro paste?¡± Su Li asked, her desire to learn evident in her bodynguage.


    Xiao Luo nodded, ¡°Yeah. Only this kind of ¡®easy-to-boil¡¯ taro can be mashed into a paste and cooked with vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Su Li took a mental note of it.


    Aunt Lee was the person responsible for purchasing ingredients, and she said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, ¡®easy-to-boil¡¯ taros, and the ¡®not-easy-to-boil¡¯ taros are all mixed together when they are sold in the market. We have to pick them ourselves. Sometimes, it is challenging to pick taro that is easy to boil.¡±


    ¡°Those that are tter in shape and the smaller ones are generally easier to cook, while therger and full ones are usually harder to cook. They¡¯ll remain hard no matter how you cook them. If you peel off the skin and eat it, you¡¯ll feel as if something is stuck in your throat, which gives the dish a bad texture,¡± Xiao Luo said, pointing at his throat to stress his point.


    ¡°I see, so there¡¯s even such knowledge as this. You¡¯re really amazing, Mr. Xiao!¡± Aunt Lee responded, giving Xiao Luo a thumbs up and not at all stingy with her praise.


    Xiao Luo was humble and said, ¡°It¡¯s just the experience I gathered through years of making this dish.¡±


    ¡°Way to go, Daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei didn¡¯t understand a word of it, but when she heard Aunt Leeplimenting Xiao Luo, she followed suit and cheered for him.


    Xiao Luo smiled back at her and then continued preparing the vegetable taro paste.


    This guy looks more and more pleasing!


    Inwardly, Su Li was beginning to appreciate Xiao Luo. While she was paying full attention to how he was making of vegetable taro paste, at the same time, she was also having a good look at him. And, the more she looked, the more positive things she saw in him. She started noticing how handsome he actually was, neatly dressed and giving off a good impression of himself. For the first time, she didn¡¯t feel disgusted about giving her body to such a man.


    Out of the blue, she asked, ¡°So, I heard that you did very well in your interview yesterday?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    Xiao Luo glossed over it.


    Su Li made a dry cough and said, ¡°Qingyan said that you know several foreignnguages. Is that true?¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback; he nodded and replied, ¡°Yup.¡±


    Although she was mentally prepared for it, when Xiao Luo confirmed that he did, Su Li still felt astonished. It took her a lot of money, time, and effort to be proficient in two foreignnguages; English and French. But Xiao Luo actually mastered three, and as he most probably spoke English as well, making it a total of fournguages. A single person being able to master four foreignnguages all at the same time was simply unimaginable, or at least, she had never encountered such a talent, aside from the man in front of her.


    ¡°How did you master so many foreignnguages?¡±


    Su Li was very curious as learning anguage was not something that could be achieved overnight. It was true that diligence makes up for one¡¯s dullness, but the talent was still a prerequisite. Otherwise, one would already be in his 50s or 60s by the time he mastered four foreignnguages. Xiao Luo was only two years older than her. She really wanted to know how Xiao Luo had learned hisnguages this quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Listen more, speak more, read more, and write more,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Su Li knitted her highlighted eyebrows, thinking it¡¯d be great if learning a foreignnguage was as simple as that.


    ¡°Xiao Luo raised his head to look at Su Li and asked, ¡°Since you¡¯ve asked me so many questions, I¡¯ll also ask you a question. Are you Sumir¡¯s boss?¡±


    Hmm?


    Su Li was stumped for a moment; how did the conversation topic suddenly jump to her pastry shop chain? Besides, she felt that she had hidden it really well, and no one knew that, behind the scenes, she was Sumir¡¯s boss. So, where did Xiao Luo get his information from?


    She answered truthfully, ¡°Yes, so what about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just asking.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled gently but couldn¡¯t help thinking that with Luo Workshop¡¯s entry into Xiahai, the first opponent they¡¯d encounter would actually be his nominal wife. If that was the case, he couldn¡¯t possibly deal with Sumir like how he did with Taste Buds in Jiangcheng.


    Su Li was skilled in observing facial expressions and detected the signs; she said, ¡°Your eyes tell me that you seem to be hiding something.¡±


    Surprised, Xiao Luo decided to y along. ¡°Wow, you got me there,¡± he responded, ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t understand. Since you are Sumir¡¯s boss, why didn¡¯t you let me go to Sumir, instead of asking me to go to Huayao?¡±


    ¡°Do you enjoy being a kept man?!¡± Su Li retorted.


    Huh?


    A little sweat broke on Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead as he didn¡¯t expect Su Li to react to his jest in such a snide way.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Finally, breakfast was ready andid on the table were arge bowl of steaming vegetable taro paste, a bowl of orange-colored steamed eggs, and a small dish of chili with soy sauce. Su Li couldn¡¯t resist digging in, and she asked Aunt Lee to taste it as well with the intention that she¡¯d prepare them in the future.


    As for Su Xiaobei, she had been eagerly waiting since a long time ago. She put on her neckerchief and spooned dollops into her mouth.


    This was the first time they had white rice for breakfast,plemented by the two dishes of vegetable taro paste and steamed egg. Su Xiaobei¡¯s appetite was surprisingly good, and she quickly finished arge bowl of rice.


    ¡°This is so delicious, really, really delicious. I never thought that vegetable and taro could be made into such a fresh-tasting and delicious soup.¡±


    Aunt Lee was giving her utmost praise, and from her bodynguage and excited expression, one could tell that she wasn¡¯t trying to please Xiao Luo, but that the food was genuinely delicious. It was a praise that came from the bottom of her heart.


    Su Li¡¯s, as usual, ate elegantly, and whenever the corner of her mouth was stained a little, she would immediately wipe it clean with a napkin, then continue to eat in small bites. But she seemed to have also eaten a bowl of rice.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good for people in the city to asionally taste food from the countryside.¡±


    Xiao Luo offered his opinion as he sat there, quietly nibbling on his toast.


    ¡°Are you not going to eat these?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I can eat anything,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    With that, Su Li ignored him and continued to eat her fill.


    Xiao Luo looked at Su Li, who was eating nonstop, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°What a foodie!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 404 - Before Operation

    Chapter 404: Before Operation


    [In the VIP ward of City Hospital]


    A middle-aged man in a suit was seated by the hospital bed, with a bowl of bird¡¯s nest soup in his left hand and a spoon in his right. He was holding the posture of reaching out to feed someone, but the hospital bed in front of him was empty.


    Yang Hongzhi, who was supposed to be lying in bed, was like a six-year-old child. He was drooling at the corner of his mouth, hopping around in the ward in a patient¡¯s gown and shouting, ¡°I want to eat buns, I want to eat buns.¡±


    There were another three people in the room, two solemn-looking bodyguards in ck and Yang Hongzhi¡¯s personal bodyguard, Ah Si.


    Ah Si was on his feet, trembling in fear and drenched in a cold sweat. The person in front of him was one of the shareholders of a top-ten managementpany in the country, ¡°Royal Shore,¡± and what¡¯s more, itsrgest shareholder, Yang Yuanzhong. He was none other than the father of his young master, Yang Hongzhi. He was rich, powerful, and highly influential in both legal business and the underground mafia. Now that Yang Hongzhi had gone insane and turned into a fool, he was utterly devastated¡ªhe felt a suffocating depression like the heavy air before a raging storm.


    Yang Yuanzhong put the spoon back into the bowl, and then gently ced the bowl on the bedside table next to the hospital bed. His cold pair of eyes red at Ah Si with a chilling threat as he said, ¡°You failed to protect your young master, how should you be punished?¡±


    There was an unmistakable threat that Ah Si read between the lines, forceful and clear like the toll of arge bell, and rung with a deathly note.


    THUD!


    Ah Si lost the strength in his legs, dropping to the floor on his knees, as a look of abject fear emerged on his face, ¡°Old Master, I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°You and Ah San were just two stinking beggars when you were young. When I first saw you two, you were fighting for food with dogs. It was I who brought you back, provided for you, and taught you martial arts. My request was simple, and your job was only to protect my son. But look at Hongzhi; he has been scared into a fool. Even toddlers know about basic living skills, but he is now even worse than a three-year-old. He pees on himself and doesn¡¯t even know how to find what he needs when hungry or thirsty. Is this you and Ah San¡¯s requite for my goodwill?¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s voice was chilling. His body exuded an imposing aura, striking fear into everyone¡¯s hearts in the room like a giant mountain, especially Ah Si, who couldn¡¯t even move.


    Bathed in a mmy cold sweat, Ah Si couldn¡¯t stop shivering as he raised his head and stuttered, ¡°Old Master, he¡­he is powerful, he is not a human, h-he is a monster¡­¡±


    His voice was desperate, and he looked frightened.


    SWOOSH~


    In a howling gust of wind, Yang Yuanzhong appeared before Ah Si in an instant, then he bent over and stared right into his eyes. Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s face was wrinkled, a sign of his experience and the countless challenges he had faced in life, but his eyes were cold. His presence was formidable, and he had the martial bearing of a monster.


    Ah Si gasped, and his eyes widened in absolute terror.


    ¡°Is this your only excuse?¡± Yang Yuanzhong said as a chilling, murderous aura emanated from his body.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Ah Si¡¯s face turned pale, and his body shook uncontrobly, almost like a cow that was beaten by an electric baton on its journey to the ughterhouse. Knowing that he was about to be killed, he was terrified and in utter despair.


    ¡°Death will be your apology.¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong snorted and mmed his palm on the top of Ah Si¡¯s skull.


    BAM!


    The immense power of the blow was channeled from Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s palm into Ah Si¡¯s skull, causing his brain to mash up like fruit inside a mixer. Death was instant as before he could even wail in pain, he fell to the ground with his eyes wide open and upper body stiff as a nk.


    A short whileter, blood bled out from his nose, ears, and mouth, and he was, undoubtedly, deader than dead.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Yang Hongzhi, who had been ambling about aimlessly, screamed in shock when he saw Ah Si copse in a heap. He ran to a corner and curled up, trembling in fear, all the while gazing at Ah Si¡¯s lifeless body.


    Yang Yuanzhong looked impassively at the two ck-d bodyguards at the door and said, ¡°Bury his body with Ah San¡¯s. Clean this ce up properly, and don¡¯t let anyone discover any trails leading back here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The two ck-d bodyguards heeded his orders promptly. One of them took out a ck stic bag from his pocket, while the other broke Ah Si¡¯s limbs, rolled him up like a ball, and stuffed him into the bag.


    They were efficient in how quickly they carried out the work, and it was evident that they have done these many times before.


    Yang Yuanzhong turned and walked over to Yang Hongzhi, who was still shivering in the corner. Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s weathered face rxed as he looked at his son with a loving father¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Hongzhi. I will find the best doctor in the world to treat you, and as for that person who hurt you, I will never let him go. He will pay a painful price!¡± he said.


    Yang Hongzhi seemed to recognize his father and calmed down somewhat, feeling a little safer. Then, he suddenly grabbed Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s arm and held it firmly. Heughed strangely and cried, ¡°Hahaha, I want to eat buns, eat buns, give me buns¡­¡±


    He wasughing and pleaded like a child.


    Yang Yuanzhong was heartbroken. He clenched his fist in rage, then raised his head and bellowed, ¡°You, who goes by the surname Xiao, I will definitely break you into pieces!!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo was at the Public Security Bureau¡¯s gate, he stopped to have a look. He stared at the ten-story building before him, and just above the entrance,rge characters were installed on the exterior of the building with the words: ¡°Serving the People.¡± The gigantic characters shone like gold characters in the sunlight, and just below these characters, the blood-red, five-starred g of the nation fluttered proudly.


    Dignity, prestige, justice!


    Xiao Luo stepped into the bureau¡¯spound, where a row of police cars was parked in an orderly fashion.


    It just so happened that the police officer named Qiu Yuanjie was about to take his team members out for an operation. There were about 20 people, all of whom were armed with guns, and they were making preparations at the moment.


    ¡°So, you¡¯vee.¡±


    Seeing that Xiao Luo hade, Qiu Yuanjie greeted him out of courtesy, though he was not enthusiastic about it.


    Xiao Luo nodded in response to his greetings. ¡°Yup,¡± he said, as he looked at his watch, ¡°9 o¡¯clock, right on time!¡±


    ¡°Captain, he¡¯s just someone from the NSA, and he looks more or less like any of us. I don¡¯t think his participation will enhance our operation in any way at all. Why did the higher-ups send him over? Is he someone with special connections who wants to leech onto us for some merit so that he can get promoted?¡±


    The woman standing at the front of the ranks looked at Xiao Luo from head to toe and expressed her thoughts without any reservations or regard for Xiao Luo¡¯s feelings.


    She was in in clothes and had bright eyes, graceful eyebrows, and well-maintained skin¡ªone could immediately tell that she took pains to take care of herself well.


    Qiu Yuanjie coughed dry and feltpelled to reprimand her, ¡°Luo Shuang, this is the superior¡¯s arrangement. Do notment on it.¡±


    Luo Shuang stuck her tongue out yfully and kept silent from that point on.


    Then, a booming voice came from behind Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You must be Mr. Xiao Luo. Hello, my name is Tian Zhenxing, and long have I heard about you. I hear that you are an ace with the NSA. Sending you over to battle the MLM menace is truly like using a steam-engine to crack a nut.¡±


    He was a chubby middle-aged man with an affable disposition. He enthusiastically held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    Luo Shuang was stunned for a moment before sheined, ¡°See, even the chief hase out to greet him personally. If this guy isn¡¯t here because of his connections, then cut my head off and kick it around like a ball.¡±


    The other team members shared her thoughts. Even if he was a member of the NSA, what was the big deal? Their chief also served as the deputy mayor, and for him to evene out and greet him personally was a little too much to bear.


    ¡­

 Chapter 405 - What Is He Capable Of

    Chapter 405: What Is He Capable Of


    There was no way that Xiao Luo could not have heard what Luo Shuang said. It had been a while since his hearing ability had been enhanced to such a heightened level, way beyond ordinary people¡¯s abilities. He could even hear mosquitoes beating their wings three meters away. With calm confidence, he amicably greeted Tian Zhenxing, ¡°Nice to meet you, Chief Tian!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, not bad, neither obsequious nor arrogant. People from the NSA are indeed different. Your temperament is extraordinary.¡±


    Tian Zhenxing¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration. He turned to smile at Qiu Yuanjie and said, ¡°Yuanjie, this is a joint operation between the police force and the NSA. As this is cooperation, there will be no difference in rank. You and Mr. Xiao are of the same position, but if the team encounters a critical situation, Mr. Xiao¡¯s orders must be given priority, do you understand?¡±


    What?!


    All the team members thought they had misheard the chief. Already, they didn¡¯t raise any issues about someone from the NSA being included in their operation for no discernable reason and disrupting their usual rhythm, but now, when encountering critical situations, they even have to obey hismand? Had the chief gone nuts or something?


    Qiu Yuanjie, likewise, couldn¡¯t hide his pique on hearing the chief¡¯s order. It was a known fact that he had been watching over Xiahai for some two to three years by deploying watchers all over the city and had a deeper understanding of the MLM organizations in Xiahai than anyone else. The bureau should have stood unswervingly in making himmander, but why was the power tomand suddenly shared with the NSA?


    ¡°Chief Tian, I think your decision is biased.¡±


    Luo Shuang took a step forward boldly, saluted Tian Zhenxing, and voiced her dissatisfaction without fear of consequences.


    Shocked by her unguarded candor, Qiu Yuanjie hurriedly reprimanded her, ¡°Chief Tian has his own intentions and reasons for such an arrangement. Luo Shuang, do not talk any nonsense!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie was somewhat dissatisfied, but, as it was Tian Zhenxing¡¯s instruction, he epted it unconditionally. Even if he had objections, he would keep it to himself.


    Then, Luo Shuang revealed her stubborn nature. ¡°Chief Tian¡¯s decision is inherently biased,¡± she said, pointing at Xiao Luo, ¡°Allowing him to join us is already causing us trouble, and now he¡¯s even allowed to give us orders? If we really bump into a critical situation, I am afraid that all of us will die because of his wrong decisions.¡±


    ¡°Luo Shuang¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie was about to rebuke her, but Tian Zhenxing interjected with a wave of his hand.


    Tian Zhenxing smiled as he looked at the other team members and asked, ¡°Do the rest of you think the same thing?¡±


    Out of respect for his position as their chief, none of the others dared to admit it. They shook their heads.


    ¡°What I want now is what you truly have in your mind,¡± Tian Zhenxing said.


    Everyone looked at each other, then nodded, acknowledging that their thoughts were the same as Luo Shuang¡¯s.


    Luo Shuang became even more emboldened. She puffed her chest confidently and said, ¡°Chief Tian, we all know that he is from the NSA, but none of us knows what he is capable of. In other words, his capability is still questionable, so how can you allow him tomand us?¡±


    In her eyes, Xiao Luo was merely someone who had good connections and had no unique ability whatsoever¡ªhe was just here as a freeloader. She could ept it if all he wanted was to gain some merit at their expense, but giving him the authority tomand simply wasn¡¯t right.


    Tian Zhenxing nodded calmly and responded, ¡°Mmm, makes sense. Okay, so here is what I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll give you all a problem to test your inferentialprehension. If you can answer it, then I will put Mr. Xiao under yourmand for the mission. How about that?¡±


    These words aroused the fighting spirit of the team as they were all veterans in crime investigation. For them, logical reasoning was as easy as ABC, and there was nothingplicated about this test.


    Luo Shuang answered with conviction, ¡°Fine, we agree.¡±


    With hands behind his back and unhurried in his speech, Tian Zhenxing said, ¡°A precious diamond was stolen from a jewelry store. After investigation, it was found that the perpetrator must be among A, B, C, and D. Hence, the four main suspects were interrogated. Their statements are as follows.


    A said: ¡®I did not do it,¡¯ B said: ¡®D is the perpetrator,¡¯ C said: ¡®B is the perpetrator who stole the diamond,¡¯ and D said: ¡®It wasn¡¯t I who did it.¡¯ It was verified that only one of the four confessions were false, so¡­¡±


    ¡°A is the perpetrator!¡±


    Luo Shuang replied as if she was racing to be the first to answer, and presented her own rationale, ¡°Assuming that A is telling the truth, then the other three will be telling lies. From those few sentences, we can presume that A is false, B is false, C is false, and D is true. The second sentence contradicts the fourth sentence. Thus, the hypothesis does not hold. If B is telling the truth, it can be presumed that¡­¡±


    Tian Zhenxing waved his hand to stop her and said, ¡°No, no, no, I am not asking whomitted the crime. What I want to ask is, in the narrative, what are the twenty-first and thirty-fifth word that I said?¡±


    As soon as the intended question was asked, all the team members were stunned, including Qiu Yuanjie. They never expected that Tian Zhenxing would ask such a problem.


    Luo Shuang was even more dumbfounded, and her brain wentpletely nk. She had been focusing on the critical points of Tian Zhenxing¡¯s description just now, and there was no way that she could possibly remember his entire statement. What was the twenty-first and the thirty-fifth word? She carefully recalled in her mind several times, but she couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°Answer in 5,¡± Tian Zhenxing said.


    Subsequently, he began the countdown.


    ¡°5¡­¡±


    ¡°4¡­¡±


    ¡°3¡­¡±


    ¡°Chief Tian, you are deliberately making things difficult for us, this problem is not right,¡± Luo Shuangined.


    ¡°Do you think no one can answer?¡± Tian Zhenxing said, looking at her with irony.


    Luo Shuang was a little unsure of herself, but after some thought, she said, ¡°It is absolutely impossible for anyone to answer that question.¡±


    As soon she said that a faint voice responded, ¡°The twenty-first word and the thirty-fifth word are ¡®A¡¯ and ¡®are¡¯ respectively.¡±


    Eh?


    The crowd looked at Xiao Luo all at once.


    ¡°¡®A precious diamond was stolen from a jewelry store. After investigation, it was found that the perpetrator must be among A, B, C, and D. Hence, the four major suspects were interrogated. Their statements are as follows.¡¯ These are the exact words that Chief Tian said just now,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°¡­???¡±


    Everyone widened their eyes as if they were looking at a monster. What a freak, how could this NSA agent even remember all the wordings?


    Luo Shuang felt her face burning like she had been pped in the face. She couldn¡¯t ept the fact that Xiao Luo had immediately proved her wrong and sneered, ¡°Who can prove that this is the chief¡¯s original statement? It merely has the same meaning, so he is free to say whatever he wishes to say.¡±


    ¡°Luo Shuang, Mr. Xiao really remembered my question without missing a word.¡±


    Tian Zhenxing took out the recording device in his pocket and yed it for everyone to listen to, which was the content of the inferential problem he earlier gave. He thenpared it with Xiao Luo¡¯s sentence and noted down the twenty-first and thirty-fifth word separately. It was indeed the words¡¯ A¡¯ and ¡®are,¡¯ that was to say, Xiao Luo had memorized his narrative without missing a single word.


    What the¡­ is this guy ¡®The Brain¡¯ [1]?


    The team members suddenly looked at Xiao Luo through a different lens, and even Qiu Yuanjie dared not look down at Xiao Luo anymore. He no longer felt offended about Xiao Luo being given the authority to takemand. If the question was told in advance, everyone would be able to answer it. But the psychological hint everyone got in advance was to determine the criminal, and so everyone¡¯s focus was not on the original words. That made it even more incredible that anyone was able to answer that question.


    Having been figuratively pped in the face, Luo Shuang dared not utter another word. Indignantly, she returned to her position.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll be leaving them in your hands,¡± Tian Zhenxing said, patting Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°With Captain Qiu here, I should have nothing to worry about.¡±


    Xiao Luo wisely handed back the responsibility of the personnel to Qiu Yuanjie. His task was to eradicate MLM organizations, and there was no need for him to be responsible for these people. For him, such responsibility was a constraint.


    Footnote:[1] The Brain is a Chinese scientific reality and talent show originating in Germany. The show¡¯s aim is to find people with exceptional brainpower.


    ¡­

 Chapter 406 - Business Controller

    Chapter 406: Business Controller


    At precisely ten o¡¯clock, the task force set off from the police station. Due to this operation¡¯s covert nature, they drove in ordinary sedans, not police cars, so as not to alert the target.


    ording to Qiu Yuanjie, the MLM operation that they would be striking this time was in Yu District, a subsidiary of their primary group in Xiahai City. The information was provided by an undercover agent, and their malefactor was Yao Baishan, a Business Controller at the top of the MLM hierarchy.


    ¡°In an MLM organization, the ranks from top to bottom are general manager, regional manager, business controller, team leader, and intern salesman. ¡®Tribute¡¯ is channeled up through theseyers. Yao Baishan is a business controller, a big one that earns about 100 thousand dors in tribute every month. Of course, our goal is not only the business controller, but we also have to arrest the regional manager, general manager, and the speakers involved in these brainwashing seminars, bringing each of them to justice, and finally uproot the entire MLM group.¡±


    In the car, Qiu Yuanjie briefed Xiao Luo on the operation and expressed his determination to bring down the organization. In fact, the reason he did this was essentially to introduce Xiao Luo to the overall situation of MLMs. After all, everyone in his team was a veteran in the war against MLM and needn¡¯t be told.


    ¡°Are there a lot of MLM organizations in Xiahai?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°No. There are many MLM groups, but there¡¯s only one MLM organization. It goes by the name of ¡®Fog,''¡± Qiu Yuanjie replied.


    ¡°¡®Fog¡¯ is also the head of this MLM organization, ns all MLM activities, and is the mastermind above the general managers. Our ultimate goal is to catch ¡®Fog,¡¯ because no matter how many general managers or regional managers we arrest, it will not change the situation at all. As long as ¡®Fog¡¯ is still there, new general managers will be developed, and the operation will take root again, and in a short time, the MLM groups will return,¡± Qiu Yuanjie further borated, ¡°But ¡®Fog¡¯ is very cautious and secretive. He never participates in MLM activities directly, and despite nting our undercover agents in this organization for the many years, the highest they cane in contact with were the regional managers. Even the general managers are as secretive as ¡°Fog,¡± and ordinary members don¡¯t have the chance to meet any of them.¡±


    Listening to Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s exnation, Xiao Luo gradually realized that the MLM organization and its subsidiaries were a well-disciplined and well-structured criminal group. It was not surprising that so many people were deceived. It was rtively easy to attract victims who desired to get rich overnight, but the mostpelling factor for MLMs to thrive was that they had a well-honed system for converting and retaining members¡ªfor once a person fell into their hands and had gone through a series of brainwashing seminars, they readily fell into the trap.


    If he wanted toplete the task that the NSA had assigned to him, he had to arrest ¡®Fog¡¯ as well.


    ¡°Regarding ¡®Fog,¡¯ do you have any clues on him?¡± Xiao Luo inquired.


    Qiu Yuanjie chuckled wryly then shook his head. ¡°So far, there has been no progress in the investigation of the mastermind. He is too cunning and only works behind the scenes; he never shows up. I also suspect that he ever keeps a one-waymunication with the general managers,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Cunning indeed.¡±


    In a cynical tone, Luo Shuang said, ¡°I heard that all of you in the NSA are powerful people. Since the arduous task of uncovering the true identity of ¡®Fog¡¯ depends entirely on you, make sure you don¡¯t smash the NSA¡¯s signboard.¡±


    Her words were heavilyced with sarcasm and sounded offensive to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo did not respond to her, but instead closed his eyes and leaned back in his seatfortably to rest.


    ¡°This bastard¡­¡± Luo Shuang muttered to herself.


    Luo Shuang didn¡¯t take it too well being ignored by Xiao Luo and felt slighted.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The highways were multi-leveled, and they were like a densework covering the mothend.


    The journey from Xiahai to Yu District was only one and a half hours by car. After a further bumpy ten-minute ride, they arrived at the destination¡ªYefeng Hotel.


    Usually, Yefeng Hotel only catered to banquets and other such events. As a three-star hotel, it had a grand appearance and was luxuriously decorated.


    The MLM organization rented one of the banquet halls for their so-called lectures, which was, in reality, a brainwashing seminar. The grandeur of Yefeng Hotel and the presence of MLM personnel in smart suits were part of the image that was designed to make an excellent first impression. It then became more conducive to convince people that these were motivational lectures that would lead them to sess without even suspecting that they had already set foot in the trap.


    ¡°ording to our agent, there are more than two hundred people in the ss. All of them are young people working at the lowest level and are motivated to improve their current situation. They have no hesitation whatsoever in joining Yao Baishan, who has turned up in this ce. They feel that he is saving them and guiding them along to get rich.¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie ordered the inspection of weapons and equipment as the operation was about to get underway. Exchanging some opinions with Xiao Luo, he said, ¡°The two hundred people in there are all victims. Before arresting Yao Baishan¡¯s gang, I would like to ¡®reverse-brainwash¡¯ them to make them realize this is illegal and not a regr business.¡±


    ¡°Just proceed with your n.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and had no objections.


    Qiu Yuanjie nodded and then gave orders to Luo Shuang and others. ¡°Tu Lei, Wu Di, take some men and guard every hotel¡¯s exit to prevent MLM personnel from escaping. Bai Ying, Long Ye, get every room checked,¡± he said, ¡°Yao Baishan should be in one of them. We must bring the big fish in custody first. The rest of you follow me into the hall. If you encounter a checker, tell them Wang Ruilin invited you here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    With the order issued, everyone went off to perform their own tasks.


    Xiao Luo went into the hall that was right on the first floor with Qiu Yuanjie. The hall was massive, and presently, it was crowded with people. More than two hundred seats were upied, and people were even standing in the aisle, listening to the ss carefully with notebooks in their hands. At a nce, they all had young faces, most looking around the age of twenty years.


    There was a banner on the rostrum that read: ¡°Unleash your dreams and let them be a reality.¡± And, surprisingly, the speaker who was giving the speech was an old acquaintance.


    Guo Qinghe!


    Fair and neat in appearance, dressed impably in a tuxedo and a pair of matching leather shoes, along with his eloquent speech and natural style of delivery, made him look every bit a winner, and his image conformed to the public¡¯s perception of sessful people.


    As Guo Qinghe was passionately instilling the idea that everyone could be a shareholder after paying ten thousand dors and gain the right to recruit members, Qiu Yuanjie stepped up to the rostrum, handcuffed Guo Qinghe, then took over the microphone and addressed a startled crowd.


    ¡°If one day, when the lowest downlines can¡¯t find any downlines for themselves, how can those people make money? After all, there are only one billion people in the country. Even if they all participate in this project, there will always be an end to it. What would happen to thest group of people who paid but didn¡¯t have any money to earn when that day arrives? They¡¯ll go to their uplines and surround your homes, and if they can¡¯t find you, they¡¯ll go for your families, your friends, and that¡¯ll be when the pyramid scheme copses. If you have only 3 downlines, you¡¯ll have to pay 30 thousand dors. When your three downlines multiply into 9, it will be 90 thousand dors. And nine will multiply into 27, and when this goes on and on, by the time you have more than 200 downlines, you¡¯ll have to pay 2 million dors. What will you be using to pay them? Your life?¡±


    These words came from the bottom of his heart, highlighting the MLM system¡¯s inherent weak points. It caused a stir among the roomful of pathetically brainwashed listeners, and it was an obvious sign that they were waking up from their pipe dream of instant riches.


    ¡°That was really something.¡±


    Xiao Luo expressed his agreement with Qiu Yuanjie. Being able to reverse-brainwash the crowd with a few choice statements, it was evident that he was a cop who had been focusing on cracking down MLM organizations for many years. This worked out really well for Xiao Luo, and he could just go ahead and arrest the perpetrators straight up.


    ¡­

 Chapter 407 - Beyond Reach

    Chapter 407: Beyond Reach


    As Qiu Yuanjie was in the hall ¡°reverse-brainwashing¡± the two to three hundred MLM victims present, Bai Ying, responsible for arresting Yao Baishan, urgently ran up to him and told him that something serious had happened. Never did they expect that Yao Baishan would have a gun, and when they barged into the room, there was a woman with him, a sex worker. Yao Baishan took the woman hostage, and the situation was now desperate as he was acting like a cornered wild beast in the hotel room.


    ¡°Damn it, guns too? This MLM organization is getting more and more audacious.¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie was furious when he heard this. ¡°Hurry up and contact the local police. Tell them to dispatch their special task force to assist us. We must ensure the safety of the hostage!¡± he barked.


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    Bai Ying nodded in response and promptly left to execute Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Captain, nothing can go wrong this time, right? We can¡¯t let this big fish, Yao Baishan, slip away,¡± Luo Shuang said.


    ¡°Unless he can fly through the air or crawl into the ground, he can never escape!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie snorted in response as his hatred for MLM organizations was deep. He suddenly looked around the vicinity and asked, ¡°Where is Xiao Luo?¡±


    Luo Shuang immediately scanned the premises thoroughly, but when she could not spot Xiao Luo either, she said, ¡°Who cares if he¡¯s from the NSA. That bastard is not reliable at all; maybe he went to ck off somewhere. He obviously just wants the credit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. All of you weren¡¯t able to answer the chief¡¯s question, but Xiao Luo could. That is enough to exin everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Chief didn¡¯t y his card in the normal way,¡± Luo Shuang retorted.


    ¡°A lot of things don¡¯t happen in a normal way. If you bump into such a thing, would you me your failure on your superiors too?¡± Qiu Yuanjie reprimanded her.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Luo Shuang was suddenly lost for words.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink, just do your job,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said as he patted her shoulder.


    He then hurriedly headed off to the floor where Yao Baishan was located.


    It was on the eighth floor. One of Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s subordinates was armed with a gun and stood guard in the corridor keeping eyes on Room 808. There was a bullet hole in the wooden door, and evidently, Yao Baishan had already fired a shot to deny the policeman entry.


    ¡°Captain, Yao Baishan¡¯s emotions are high, and he¡¯s a little out of control. We must act quickly. If this drags on for too long, I fear that he will harm the hostage,¡± Long Ye said.


    In fact, Qiu Yuanjie was already aware of what was happening even without Long Ye¡¯s report as he could hear Yao Baishan yelling inside from where he stood in the corridor. Yao Baishan was threatening to shoot the woman he held if the police refused to withdraw. He even said that he would jump off the balcony tomit suicide if they attempted to break in. He did not intend to divulge any information to the police.


    ¡°How long until the taskforce arrives?¡± Qiu Yuanjie asked, turning to look at Bai Ying, who had just hurried back from liaising with her associate unit.


    ¡°10 minutes at the earliest,¡± Bai Ying answered.


    ¡°Long Ye, try your best to calm his emotions andply with his demands within the allowable limits. Without my order, you are not allowed to act, nor should you forcibly barge in to arrest him,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said.


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    Long Ye nodded respectfully in acknowledgment.


    After giving the order, Qiu Yuanjie hurried to the first floor with Luo Shuang and a few others. Standing at the hotel¡¯s rear entrance and looking up, they could clearly see the balconies protruding by more than one meter from each room.


    ¡°There lies the breach,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said, pointing at the balcony of Room 808.


    ¡°The balcony?¡± Luo Shuang said.


    Qiu Yuanjie nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Yao Baishan¡¯s full attention will be on the room¡¯s door. When the special taskforce arrives, get a team to quietly rappel down with a rope to 808¡¯s balcony and sneak in. In this way, we can take him by surprise and bring him under control.¡±


    ¡°Great idea, the special task force is equipped for this job. They do rock climbing and abseiling as part of their training; this will be a piece of cake for them. Besides, as long as they get close to him, they can easily knock down even two Yao Baishan¡¯s armed with guns.¡± Luo Shuang opined.


    Qiu Yuanjie did not respond as he rubbed his chin and pondered the various issues that might arise.


    ¡°Captain, look, there¡¯s someone on the rooftop,¡± Bai Ying cried, pointing at the hotel¡¯s roof in shock.


    Qiu Yuanjie immediately gazed up and was stunned by what he saw. There was indeed a figure on the building¡¯s rooftop, which was more and a dozen floors high. And even more surprising was the fact that the person standing on the parapet with his back facing outward.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bastard from the NSA. What is he going to do, jump off the building?¡± Luo Shuang hissed. She was the first to identify him.


    Bai Ying and the other team members were equally shocked. Xiao Luo stood at the edge of a building¡¯s rooftop, more than a dozen floors high, with his back facing outwards. What was he trying to aplish? Was he really going tomit suicide? Was the pressure in the NSA so great?


    Qiu Yuanjie took out hismunicator and dialed a number¡­


    At the same time, Xiao Luo, standing on the hotel¡¯s roof, heard his phone ringing. He took it out and took the call.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, why are you standing on the top of the building? It¡¯s dangerous,e down!¡± Qiu Yuanjie growled. He just couldn¡¯t understand the purpose of Xiao Luo¡¯s action and the risks he was taking.


    ¡°Helping you to arrest your criminal!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded indifferently and ended the call, then put the phone back in his pocket.


    In the next second, Xiao Luo jumped down from the top of the building to the gasps and startled gazes of Qiu Yuanjie and his team.


    He¡­ he jumped down!


    For a moment, every one of them had their hearts in their throats, but their shock quickly turned to amazement because Xiao Luo did not fall straight from the top of the building to the ground. He dropped from one floor to the one below, almost at the rappelling speed, except that he was using his hands to hold each balcony¡¯s outer edge to slow his descent.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie, Luo Shuang, Bai Ying, and the other team members were stunned silent as they never imagined that such a thing could be done. Was he even human? How can the joints of his arms and hands take the stress and load?


    ¡°Oh my gosh, what am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°Is he shooting a movie? Why don¡¯t I see the safety rope and cameras?¡±


    ¡°Jesus, this is a live Hollywood action blockbuster.¡±


    People passing in the street below stopped to watch, one after another, and many took out their mobile phones to video Xiao Luo swiftly making his way down the building with his bare hands. Without exception, everyone was bewildered and in disbelief.


    ¡°This guy is too reckless!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie worried about Xiao Luo and broke out in cold sweat. There was no safety rope, and he was relying only on his hands to slow his descent. In the event of a slip, he would fall all the way and be smashed into a pulp.


    ¡°He¡¯s a madman!¡±


    Bai Ying and the others were equally appalled as beads of sweat trickled down their foreheads. Only a madman would dare to descend quickly from such a high building without any safety devices in ce.


    Luo Shuang remained silent as she felt equally shocked and apprehensive, but at the same time, she felt a sense of dissatisfaction. The person she thought was here to take credit was as fearless as the cops in Hong Kong movies and was now taking the most unusual path to arrest the criminal. This was as good as a p in her face.


    ¡°Why would that bastard dare to jump? What was he thinking, this is a building more than a dozen stories high!¡±


    But, in the same instant, the NSA¡¯s image, of which she initially had a low opinion, suddenly rose in her eyes. Such skills were absolutely beyond the capabilities of regr police officers like them.


    ¡­

 Chapter 408 - You Dont Have Much Value

    Chapter 408: You Don¡¯t Have Much Value


    Xiao Luo¡¯s hands and arms were like mechanical devices, operating with phenomenal gripping power and endurance. With hardly any effort, he withstood the load generated by the force of impact created by his body weight each time he dropped down, a floor at a time. His movements were light, and his swift descent did not cause too much noise.


    Soon, he was about to reach the 8th floor!


    It was a stirring disy of sheer courage. Qiu Yuanjie and his party on the street below could only stare in trepidation, unblinking, and hearts in their throats. Every time Xiao Luo dropped a floor down, their hearts thumped anxiously, fearing that Xiao Luo would slip and fall. To plummet from such a height, the human body would immediately turn into a heap of flesh and slush. Just thinking about it made one¡¯s scalp tingle with numbness.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo paused when he reached the balcony on the ninth floor, and from there, he swung into the balcony on the eighth floor like he was ying on a swing. Hended on one knee in absolute silence, like a weightless wraith.


    ¡°Listen up, you out there, clear a path, and prepare an off-road vehicle for me; otherwise, I will shoot this woman. Do not doubt me, I will do as I say!¡±


    As soon as hended on the balcony of Room 808, he heard a booming voice yelling at the door, urgent and desperate, and the person seemed that he would lose himself and his ability to reason at any time.


    Xiao Luo stood up and reached out to gently push the curtains aside, giving himself a clear view of the room¡¯s situation.


    A man in shorts was sitting facing the door, holding a pistol in his hand. His right arm was tightly locked around a woman¡¯s neck, and the gun muzzle was pressed against her temple. He was staring at the door. If the police officer dared to break in, he would indeed shoot the woman.


    Needless to say, this man was Yao Baishan, and that woman was the sex worker.


    Sensing something behind him, Yao Baishan suddenly turned his head and looked back. And that was when Xiao Luo took advantage of his momentarypse and moved in at lightning speed. Before Yao Baishan could even react, Xiao Luonded a hefty punch directly in his face. The force was of the blow was tremendous, and it sent him sprawling to his side, taking out two of his front teeth that sailed alongside him as he crashed to the floor.


    BAM!


    As the beer-bellied Yao Baishan crashed to the floor with a sickening thud, the pistol flew out of his hand and slid to the corner of the room. Disoriented, Yao Baishan tried to focus his eyes, but all he could make out was a ck-d young man standing not too far away from where he was, staring at him impassively.


    He had dashing features and fairplexion, dark, enigmatic eyes, and an elegant and calm carriage from head to toe.


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you? How did you get in here?¡± Yao Baishan cried. He was shocked and confused, seeing that someone had entered his room without his knowledge. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.


    Xiao Luo appeared indifferent and did not respond to his question. ¡°You are under arrest!¡± he snarled.


    A cop?


    Yao Baishan¡¯s pupils dted as a panic set in, and as he immediately deduced Xiao Luo¡¯s identity, he knew his time hade. He couldn¡¯t care less anymore about the taste of blood in his mouth. Hurriedly, he picked himself up from the floor and scrambled towards his pistol at the corner of the room on all fours. He knew that only by holding this pistol in his hand could he be in a better position to negotiate with the police.


    3 meters, 2 meters, 1 meter¡­


    He was getting close¡­ the gun was right there before his eyes!


    There was nothing else in Yao Baishan¡¯s mind except to go for his weapon. The pistol was well within reach, but just at the moment he stretched out his hand, a foot came down from above and stepped on the gun. He raised his head, only to be greeted by that dashing young face.


    Xiao Luo smiled contemptuously at Yao Baishan before kicking him hard around his waist.


    Yao Baishan¡¯s body was sted across the floor like a hockey puck and only stopped after colliding violently against the wall. It appeared like all the bones in his body had broken as he wailed and whimpered in excruciating pain.


    Xiao Luo sighed as he bent down to pick up Yao Baishan¡¯s pistol. Such an opponent was too weak for him, and he lost interest in abusing him any further.


    ¡°Luo, is¡­ is that you?¡±


    It was just when he was about to open the door to let Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s subordinate in that he heard the woman¡¯s voice.


    It was a familiar voice!


    Xiao Luo turned around instantly. And, now that he was looking at her from the front, he could recognize her¡ªthe woman in this room turned out to be an old acquaintance, Zhao Mengqi.


    Under Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze, Zhao Mengqi suddenly felt self-conscious and very embarrassed. She curled her legs and folded her arms around her chest, covering her exposed parts.


    Xiao Luo was in a slight daze, and when he found his voice, he said, ¡°So, It¡¯s you. Why are you in this field now?¡±


    His tone was distant and detached as if he was greeting a stranger.


    Zhao Mengqi lowered her head in shame, not daring to look directly into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I know that society can be ruthless, but it doesn¡¯t prevent hardworking people from seeding. I don¡¯t know where your moral code is, but from the looks of it now, perhaps you have lost it.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help saying how he felt about it, especially when this woman was his first love and former ssmate. Seeing her fall to such a degrading level, it was impossible for him not to feel the way he did. Had he been a family member, she would definitely have been pped in the face without hesitation.


    Unsure what to think and having mixed emotions about her, Xiao Luo went on to say, ¡°Zhao Mengqi, tell me, why did I like you in the past?¡±


    His bitter words were like daggers, and they pierced deep into Zhao Mengqi¡¯s hearts. She was no longer able to hold back her tears, and looking away, she broke down sobbing. In her mind, Xiao Luo was like a deity perched on a pedestal, while she was nothing but filthy sewage in a stinking ditch.


    Zhao Mengqi desperately wanted to leave Jiangcheng, which was for her, a city of sorrow. It was the reason she had returned to Xiahai. By coincidence, she met her ss monitor, Guo Qinghe, who threw her a lifeline. She thought she could aplish something in Xiahai, but little did she expect to find herself in an MLM organization. Shended up being made into a sacrifice, a tribute offered by inferiors to their superiors.


    Had her virtues been intact, she would have resisted to the end, but the truth was that it wasn¡¯t. She was just a dirty woman who had been ruthlessly abandoned by a second-generation rich kid. Therefore, she sold herself short and sumbed to such a life. In her spare time, her only joy was to walk in the streets and alleys of Xiahai, reminiscing the little things that she used to do with Xiao Luo in the past. In reality, Zhao Mengqi knew that she could never return to Xiao Luo again, and all she wanted was to recall those beautiful memories that she still cherished.


    For Zhao Mengqi, nothing could prepare her for this moment, seen for what she was, before the man she had cherished with all her heart.


    The shame and degradation of the moment were too much to bear, and she suddenly felt that she had no right to even recollect the memories of the times they shared together.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Zhao Mengqi mumbled, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Police officers are everywhere, and they¡¯ll being in soon. Put on your clothes, then go with them.¡±


    Xiao Luo found it hard to look at her for even another second. He turned around, walked towards Yao Baishan, red at him contemptuously, and asked, ¡°Yao Baishan, can you tell me anything about ¡®Fog?''¡±


    Yao Baishan shook his head, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, then you don¡¯t have much value to me.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied without a hint of emotion before he stomped on Yao Baishan¡¯s crotch.


    Yao Baishan howled miserably. His face was twisted into an ugly grimace as the surging pain shot through his entire body. The whole lower part of his body below the waist was crushed beyond recognition, and a momentter, he passed out from the shock to his body.


    ¡­

 Chapter 409 - Old Times

    Chapter 409: Old Times


    Xiao Luo opened the door of Room 808 and walked out nonchntly. Qiu Yuanjie and his team, who had been waiting outside, were too shocked to even utter a word. They only looked at him in a stupor. He had descended so quickly from the hotel¡¯s rooftop to the eighth floor using only his bare hands. Such a man was nothing less than a god, and no one dared to belittle him anymore.


    Xiao Luo spoke to Qiu Yuanjie briefly, describing what had taken ce in a rtively rxed tone. ¡°Yao Baishan resisted with a gun, so I stunned him. I¡¯ve spoken to the woman inside. She¡¯s not a prostitute, but a victim of the MLM organization,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Qiu Yuanjie asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded to Qiu Yuanjie before left and didn¡¯t look back.


    Qiu Yuanjie quickly led his people into Room 808, and when they found Yao Baishan with his lower body crushed and his crotch area soaked with blood and body fluids, they cringed, and their hairs stood on end.


    ¡°That guy from the NSA must¡¯ve done it on purpose!¡±


    Luo Shuang immediately thought the worst, believing that there were many ways to stun a person, but Xiao Luo chose this method instead, which was hard to exin other than it was intentional.


    Bai Ying, Long Ye, and the other team members shuddered at the thought. If Xiao Luo had intentionally disabled Yao Baishan and prevented him from having any offspring, that would certainly be cruel.


    With a lot on his mind, Qiu Yuanjie took a nce at Zhao Mengqi, now fully dressed, and said, ¡°Take her away.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In this operation, a total of eleven MLM personnel had been arrested. When he saw Xiao Luo, Guo Qinghe simply couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Had nothing been done to him after the heinous crime hemitted at the Star Cloud Kendo Gym? Xiao Luo had beaten everyone up, broke someone¡¯s leg, and even chop off Wang Tuyun¡¯s arm. He felt a great sense of injustice and seethed with wrath.


    When Qiu Yuanjie arrived at the hall, Guo Qinghe pointed at Xiao Luo and yelled, ¡°Officer, hurry up and arrest him! He¡¯s a criminal who hadmitted atrocious acts of violence at the Star Cloud Kendo Gym! He¡¯s a demon and a menace to society. Arrest him quickly! Put him into jail!¡±


    Guo Qinghe was yelling his lungs out, and it was a testament to just how much he wished for Xiao Luo to be arrested and put behind bars.


    ¡°Guo Qinghe, as a great speaker for an MLM group, you¡¯d stop calling someone else a thief when you¡¯re the biggest one,¡± Qiu Yuanjie sneered.


    ¡°Officer, please believe in me, he really is a criminal, maybe he escaped from a detention center, hurry up and¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep quiet, he¡¯s one of us! Do you wish to add more crimes to your list of charges by ndering a police officer?¡±


    Before Guo Qinghe could finish, Bai Ying interjected and shut him up immediately. The MLM organization¡¯s ability to brainwash the masses was primarily due to the skills of these great speakers. She felt a deep hatred for these despicable great speakers who controlled their victims using a mental approach. If these great speakers did not exist, MLM organizations could never have entrenched themselves so deeply in society.


    A police officer?


    For a moment, Guo Qinghe¡¯s brain went utterly nk, and his jaw dropped in bewilderment as he stared at Xiao Luo like he was from another.


    Xiao Luo walked over to him and asked, ¡°You tricked your own ssmate into MLM. Don¡¯t you feel bad at all?¡±


    Guo Qinghe was taken aback, then immediately let out a maniacalugh. ¡°Hahaha¡­ you must be talking about Zhao Mengqi. I heard that she was the one who abandoned you and went into the arms of a second-generation rich kid. That kind of girl is no more than a b*tch,¡± he ranted, ¡°Since she came to Xiahai looking for me, I thought that I would help you take your revenge and grant her the reputation as a whore who is f*cked by tens of thousands. What is it now? Do you feel bad for her? Shouldn¡¯t you be thanking me instead? This is a well-deserved ending for a slut like her, hahaha¡­¡±


    Since reconnecting with Xiao Luo during the alma mater reunion in Jiangcheng, Guo Qinghe felt that he was always being bested by Xiao Luo at every turn, losing to him in every possible way. Now, finally, he found something that he could beat Xiao Luo with¡ªZhao Mengqi. To him, degrading and humiliating Zhao Mengqi was equivalent to doing the same to Xiao Luo, and at that moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.


    Zhao Mengqi just happened to be escorted out by the police when she heard what Guo Qinghe had said. Her face instantly turned pale, and her body quivered as she felt all eyes on her. It was a heavy blow to what little self-esteem she had left, and if a police officer had not been supporting her, she would have slumped on the ground as her legs turned wobbly.


    Is this all retribution for my sins?


    Just when she thought that she had chosen a new path in Xiahai and was about to wee herself a brand-new life, reality pped her harshly in the face. It proved to be a path to hell. From the moment she abandoned Xiao Luo, she had been plummeting into an inescapable abyss of her own making.


    There was no reaction on Xiao Luo¡¯s face, and he nced at Guo Qinghe as if he was looking at a clown, and said, ¡°Wearing a suit doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are a scumbag. In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter to me no matter how big of a scumbag you are, but there¡¯s one thing, you shouldn¡¯t have humiliated Zhao Mengqi. She is my past, which makes her a part of me. Insulting her is equivalent to insulting me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ of course, I know that I am insulting you. I want to insult you. Do you know that that bitch has been ridden by more than a dozen men? I have had my share of her too. And, since she is your past, I can¡¯t wait to turn her into a real bitch and let all men in this world fondle her as they desire,¡± Guo Qinghe raved.


    ¡°What a pervert!¡±


    Luo Shuang and the other team members felt disgusted when they heard Guo Qinghe incoherent rant. It was confirmed that the longer one lived, the more one saw.


    ¡°This gold speaker has lost it; he¡¯s a certified lunatic.¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie frowned as he made his remark. Based on his understanding of MLM organizations, speakers who brainwashed others were, in principle, suffering from a mild form of a mental disorder themselves. By brainwashing others, Guo Qinghe ultimately destroyed his own brain as well.


    As Guo Qinghe cackled insanely, Xiao Luoughed along as well.


    ¡°What are youughing at?¡±


    Guo Qinghe stoppedughing, but Xiao Luo continued. It was a sinisterugher that sent a chill down Guo Qinghe¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Laughing at your silly n to provoke me.¡±


    Without any warning, Xiao Luo swung his foot into Guo Qinghe¡¯s abdomen.


    Guo Qinghe was knocked back some three to four meters before mming heavily onto the floor. Before he could react, Xiao Luo rushed up like a gust of wind, raised his right foot, and mmed it down hard on Guo Qinghe¡¯s left calf.


    CRACK!


    The gruesome sound of bone snapping filled the air as Guo Qinghe¡¯s entire left shin snapped into two. It was a ghastly sight, shards of shin bone pierced through flesh, and thepound fracture was sttered with thick, oozing blood.


    Guo Qinghe was in a daze as he looked down at his left leg. For the briefest moment, his mind was a nk as a surge of adrenalin rushed through his body, and he felt no pain.


    Was it broken?


    Was that his leg? How was that possible?!


    Who could ever ept their own leg being broken?


    Suddenly, reality returned, and Guo Qinghe went into a state of shock as an excruciating and agonizing pain overwhelmed his senses.


    ¡°AHRGH!¡±


    Guo Qinghe howled miserably like a pig being ughtered as he fixed his eyes on his broken shin that was gushing blood like an open faucet. His eyes were filled with terror, as his body twitched and trembled violently where hey.


    Qiu Yuanjie and his team did not expect such a thing to happen, and although they shared amon contempt toward Guo Qinghe, they still rushed over to render assistance.


    Qiu Yuanjie shouted, ¡°Xiao Luo, stop!¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you, back off!¡± Xiao Luo roared.


    Qiu Yuanjie stopped in his track, for, all of a sudden, the look in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned nasty and evil.


    Xiao Luo took a step toward Guo Qinghe, and once more, he raised his right foot ominously. As Guo Qinghe raised his hands to plead for mercy, Xiao Luo stomped his foot right into his chest. The blow broke Guo Qinghe¡¯s sternum and several ribs along with it, leaving him gasping for air as he spurted out a mouthful of blood. It left Guo Qinghe badly mutted and barely alive.


    ¡­

 Chapter 410 - Su Canye’s Affair

    Chapter 410: Su Canye¡¯s Affair


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioWith barely any effort, Xiao Luo had Guo Qinghe sprawled on the ground wailing in pain, bleeding profusely from his nose and mouth, and clinging on for his life. Qiu Yuanjie and his subordinates were shocked as they stared at Xiao Luo in horror. This NSA-trained man was literally a killing machine, was he even human? Before they met Xiao Luo, they had never thought that crippling a person would be this quick and simple.


    Was he getting justice for me?


    Zhao Mengqi was startled, and Xiao Luo¡¯s actions left her pondering. Suddenly, she couldn¡¯t contain herself any longer and burst into tearful sobs as she became weighed down by an unspeakable sadness and grief.


    Xiao Luo nced at her impassively, then turned and walked away without lingering any longer.


    ¡°Luo, thank you¡­¡±


    Zhao Mengqi whispered softly as she gazed at Xiao Luo, striding away in the distance. In her heart, she made up her mind to start afresh, meet better people, and live her life with dignity¡ªit was time to move on. It was as Xiao Luo had said, she was his past, a part of his forgotten days. Whether it was for herself or Xiao Luo, she had to live out her life with integrity.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Back at the Crescent Bay Apartment, Xiao Luo was a little tired, and he fell asleep right after he got back home.


    That night, a phone call from Zhang Dashan woke him up.


    ¡°Zhang Dashan, you better have something important for me. Or else, the next time I see you, I¡¯ll greet you with my foot,¡± Xiao Luo growled.


    ¡°Whadda¡­hey, bro, don¡¯t be like this. We¡¯re good pals, what¡¯s wrong with me giving you a few calls? Are you afraid that people will suspect that we¡¯re a pair? But they shouldn¡¯t have any doubt about it either; there is surely something special between us. Hehe¡­ you have to admit that,¡± Zhang Dashan teased, chuckling away in his usual style.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Hanging up now¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t hang up, I¡¯ve got something for you,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Then say it quickly. Hurry up and just fart it out!¡±


    Xiao Luo was still a little drowsy, and the business of Zhao Mengqi¡¯s misfortune had made him feel somewhat depressed. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to banter with Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll get right down to business then. Turn on yourputer, get on YouTube, and search for ¡®Crazy Man Quickly Descends from Building with Bare Hands.¡¯ Have a look at that video¡ªalthough it was taken from afar and didn¡¯t capture your face upfront, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s you, right?¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows, dashed to the living room, and turned on theputer to search for the video that Zhang Dashan mentioned. What he saw instantly woke him up! That was footage of him descending from the hotel¡¯s rooftop in the morning when he was stealing into Yao Baishan¡¯s room. Not only was it had been recorded by someone, but it was also even posted online and had gone viral. In just one afternoon, the video already amassed more than 800 thousand views.


    Quickly, he mentally opened the system¡¯s mall and looked at his umted points. His ount bnce, initially a little over 2 million, was now at 3 million, and what¡¯s more, it was still on the rise. Without a doubt, these gains could be attributed to the same video he was now watching.


    ¡°How do you know it was me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was very curious. This distance was really far, and his figure in the video little more than a smudge. No one would be able to recognize him.


    ¡°Tsk, just take a look at that unsightly figure of yours. Not to mention your back, I¡¯ll know it¡¯s you just by the sight of any part of your body,¡± Zhang Dashan bragged.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was left speechless.


    He scrolled to the bottom to look at theizen¡¯sments. Many people were surprised, but one of them expressed disbelief with a logical argument, saying that there was a suspension wire, and as the video was shot from a long distance away, it was likely edited; that was his rationale as to why they couldn¡¯t see the suspension wire hanging on that person. Thisizen had expressed his careful analysis and made it as the topment. Everyone said that he was a professional.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help chuckling, then decided to give him a ¡°like.¡±


    ¡°Anything else other than this? If not, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±


    ¡°B*stard. You only want to hang up on me all day long. Since when did chatting with me irritate you so much?¡±


    Zhang Dashan scowled and decided to throw Xiao Luo a teaser. ¡°A fine chick is looking for you, so I guess you don¡¯t want to hear any more?¡± he mocked.


    Xiao Luo helplessly let out a long breath before asking, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A police officer by the name of Gu Qianxue. She¡¯s a cute one. She came to ourpany premises, barged into my office, and inquired about your location. She was ferocious, and I was afraid that she might be seeking you out for revenge, so I didn¡¯t tell her. But who would¡¯ve guessed that she¡¯d actually pull out a sword and put it against my neck? F*ck, she really scared the sh*t out of your old daddy here!¡±


    ¡°Then, you told her?¡±


    Xiao Luo pressed his palm on his forehead in resignation. Before he came to Xiahai, he specifically told Gu Zhanguo not to reveal his whereabouts to Gu Qianxue. Xiao Luo would not hear of it, for she was as pure as white snow while he was stained red with blood on his hands, reeking with the scent of death. He was quite reluctant to get himself entangled with Gu Qianxue for her sake.


    ¡°What else could I do? That sword was imposing. If you knew how dangerous the situation was, you wouldn¡¯t me me for telling her your whereabouts. Besides, how can you me me for that? It was you who left the debt of love in Jiangcheng, but I was the one who had to face the burden on your behalf. Where is your sense of ethics?¡± Zhang Dashan cried.


    ¡°Hmm, tell me the truth. Did you bang her? Otherwise, why would she take out a sword right away when I refused to tell her?¡± Zhang Dashan mused.


    Having to listen to Zhang Dashan and his innuendos, Xiao Luo felt his head throb, and he was lost for words. Was he saying that he slept with Gu Qianxue? All Xiao Luo knew was that his virtues were very much intact until that episode not too long ago, with the woman living opposite his apartment.


    Of course, this was something personal that he¡¯d only keep it to himself, and it wasn¡¯t for anyone else to know about.


    ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. Enough of your bullshit!¡±


    Xiao Luo was exasperated and ended the call without ceremony, then flung the phone aside.


    It troubled him that Gu Qianxue had been trying to trace him, and he expected her to be there soon.


    Why was she looking for me? F*ck it. So be it, be my honored guest!


    Having reconciled with the inevitable, Xiao Luo began to gradually feel at ease.


    Then, the doorbell rang.


    Xiao Luo got up and opened the door. A young man with his hair dyed an eye-catching electric-yellow, wearing ear studs and with ck eyeliner smeared under his eyes stood at the door. His clothes were very trendy and gave a telling impression of his personality. His pants had holes in them, and for anyone from the older generation unfamiliar with the trend, they¡¯d immediately think that he was penniless and unable to afford a new pair.


    ¡°Brother-inw, you¡¯re at home. I was just going to call you,¡± Su Canye said, shing his trademark smile.


    ¡°Anything I can help you with?¡±


    Xiao Luo had some reservations about Su Canye, and with the mood that he was in, Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t at all enthusiastic, and it showed in his tone of voice.


    ¡°Brother-inw, you¡¯re so forgetful. It¡¯s only been a few days, and you¡¯ve forgotten what you promised me.¡±


    ¡°What did I promise you?¡±


    ¡°You promised to go to Wild Wolf Mountain and help me win back my Bentley.¡±


    ¡°Did I agree to that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You mustn¡¯t go back on your promise, brother-inw. A real man never goes back on his word,¡± Su Canye said, thumping his chest.


    Xiao Luo tried to recall the incident¡ªit happened in the car, and Su Xiaobei also pitched in to convince him to help Su Canye win his Bentley back. For the sake of getting some peace of mind, he relented, but he never meant to fulfill the promise. So, Xiao Luo decided to y hardball¡­


    ¡°I won¡¯t admit to anything that I did not promise.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, don¡¯t force me to unleash my ultimate weapon, brother-inw,¡± Su Canye retorted, puffing up his chest with the unmistakable hint of a threat.


    Xiao Luo nced at Su Canye contemptuously, making him question his ability to make good his threat. Xiao Luo then brushed past him and headed directly for Su Li¡¯s apartment.


    ¡°Brother-inw, I know that you are no ordinary man; otherwise, why would you own a Desert Eagle, am I right?¡± Su Canye taunted as he leaned against the doorframe with his hands across his chest. He appeared extremely confident, like a detective who had discovered something of the truth.

 Chapter 411 - Wild Wolf Mountain

    <strong>Chapter 411: Wild Wolf Mountain</strong>


    Su Canye eyed Xiao Luo steadily, keeping his voice calm and collected, and giving the impression that he had seen through Xiao Luo¡¯s charade.


    Xiao Luo stopped in his track, turned around, then cocked his head, and gave Su Canye an intimidating re.


    ¡°Brother-inw, I¡¯m not a three-year-old child. I can tell the difference between a real gun and a fake one. When I was younger, my sis forced me to train with the army for three months to build up my physique. Needless to say, during training, I learned to handle guns. And, I¡¯ve done a little research on that pistol of yours, the Desert Eagle. It was first introduced as a hunting pistol and released in 1980 by the MRI. It has a shooting range of more than a 100-meter, and its formidable stopping power is renowned worldwide. A gun tester once suggested that only people weighing more than 80 kilograms could handle such a handgun due to its tremendous recoil.¡±


    Su Canye slowly walked toward Xiao Luo with a knowing smile on his face and said, ¡°The Desert Eagle is hailed the King of Pistols, and people who own such a piece are undoubtedly not ordinary folk, tell me if I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled coldly and snarled, ¡°You know too much already¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo had always thought that Su Canye was a just babbling airhead who could be misled by mere guile and duplicity. But evidently, this matter was not going to go away that easily, and Xiao Luo was even now considering whether he should use hypnosis to contain Su Canye.


    Under Xiao Luo¡¯s intense gaze, Su Canye shuddered and hurriedly assumed a more submissive posture. ¡°Brother-inw, why do you look like you want to murder me,¡± he said, ¡°Look, I¡¯m sincerely asking you for your help. As long as you help me, this secret of yours will never be divulged; I will never tell my sister, I swear. Upon my word, should I ever tell her, with God as my witness, I will be struck down by lightning and never find a suitable girl in my lifetime.¡±


    ¡°The problem here is, your creditworthiness with me is a big, fat zero!¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t mince his words, as memories of Su Canye spilling the beans to Su Li after the Star Cloud Kendo Gym incident was still fresh in his mind. Had Su Canye been able to keep his word then, perhaps Xiao Luo would have been willing to help the kid get his car back. But now, coupled with the fact that he was now even threatening to tell Su Li about the gun, Xiao Luo just didn¡¯t feel like doing it.


    ¡°Brother-inw, you¡¯ve hurt my feelings!¡±


    Su Canye clutched at his chest dramatically and put on a look of distress on his face.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t amused and refused to speak to Su Canye any further, considering him nothing more than a goofball. Ignoring him would be the best way to deal with it.


    At that moment, the door to Su Li¡¯s apartment opened, and there she was, looking splendid with her hourss figure, and staring at the two of them strangely. ¡°What are you two doing out here?¡± she asked.


    Irked with Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction, Su Canye smirked as he approached Su Li and said, ¡°Sis, I made an important discovery today, you see, it¡¯s about brother-inw, he¡­ ouch, my foot!¡±


    Su Canye stopped abruptly and howled in pain as Xiao Luo discreetly stepped on his foot, making him hop around on one leg, trying to relieve the soreness in his foot.


    Xiao Luo coughed and said in a hushed tone, ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡±


    When Su Canye heard this, he instantly forgot about the painughed in joy, rushing over to Xiao Luo to give him a bear hug. ¡°Brother-inw, I knew that you still dote on me! Muak! I love you so much, hahaha¡­ okay, let¡¯s go and eat now!¡± he cried.


    He was over the moon and so overwhelmed with emotion that he actually gave Xiao Luo a peck on the cheek. He was getting his car back! And, with that thought in mind, he pranced jauntily into the apartment.


    A dark cloud hung over Xiao Luo, and if it wasn¡¯t for Su Li being there, he undoubtedly would¡¯ve taught Su Canye a good lesson.


    Su Li looked at Xiao Luo quizzically for a while, wondering when these two had suddenly be such pals.


    ¡°Time to eat!¡± she said.


    Su Li went back into the apartment, but Xiao Luo stayed a minute, quickly wiping off traces of saliva Su Canye had disgustingly left on his face.


    He strangely felt a little dismayed about the whole episode, wondering why he even felt nervous that Su Canye would tell Su Li about the gun. But precisely what was he afraid of? That Su Li would find out about his true nature¡ªa butcher with blood on his hands?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After dinner, Su Canye didn¡¯t allow Xiao Luo to leave his sight, and he patiently waited in his apartment until 12 o¡¯clock midnight. Finally, it was time to head off with Xiao Luo, and they got into his Trumpchi SUV and made their way to the Wild Wolf Mountain.


    Of course, there were no wolves on the Wild Wolf Mountain. It was just arge hill with an altitude of more than 800 meters located on the outskirts of Xiahai City. It had five to six peaks and a long, winding road that ran through them. The terrain provided a challenging drive as the road was made up of stretches of serpentine bendsplete with countless sharp corners and hairpin turns. It wasn¡¯t surprising that the mountain had be a ma for racing enthusiasts all over.


    Road racing was a trendy sport in Xiahai, but the fact was, it was an underground activity, and none of it was legal. There was no way that the traffic police would allow such scenes in movies like ¡°Speed¡± to happen on public roads, so these events were always held in the middle of the night. And, besides, many stringent conditions had to be met for such races¡ªfor one thing, the race could not be impeded by oing traffic, so the entire stretch of road had to be sealed off.


    When they arrived, there were already many racing enthusiasts gathered at the foot of the Wild Wolf Mountain. The ce burst with excitement, illuminated by tworge petrol drums burning with mes leaping some three to four meters high. There were also multiple arrays of modified racing lights that added to the highly-charged atmosphere, lighting up the area and making it look almost like daytime.


    Xiao Luo scanned the surrounding, and it wasn¡¯t hard to notice that all the racing vehicles were sports cars with price tags in the millions. Even the least exotic vehicle was worth at least 700 thousand dors. Of course, were his Trumpchi to be included, it would undoubtedly hold the dubious honor of being the least expensive vehicle there.


    When Xiao Luo found an avable space, he parked the car there, then turned to look at Su Canye and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the one that¡¯s got your Bentley?¡±


    ¡°There, he¡¯s the one!¡±


    Su Canye pointed his finger at someone.


    Following the direction Su Canye was pointing at, Xiao Luo saw a burly baldheaded man who was about 1.8 meters tall and well-stacked with muscles. He was wearing a tight short-sleeved shirt and wide jeans and had his beefy arms around a sexy girl, a lovely foreign woman with blond hair and blue eyes.


    ¡°His name is Lei Shijian, and he¡¯s known as the ¡®Wolf King.¡¯ He is the captain of the Wild Wolf Mountain racing team. He¡¯s why the Wild Wolf Mountain race has be so popr; he single-handedly built its reputation and a whole gambling industry around it. Besides taking regr bets, they also entertain special bets with amounts ranging from 500 thousand to 5 million dors, so for drivers with remarkable racing skills, it is not impossible to be rich overnight in the Wild Wolf Mountain.¡±


    Many of the wealthy in Xia Hai was simply hooked on its thrills and excitement. The moment they learned that there was a racing event in the Wild Wolf that very night, they joined one after another. There was even a dedicated forum about the Wild Wolf Mountain on the Inte, and its members were all racing fanatics. As soon as Lei Shijian released news that a race was to be held, everyone would turn up in droves.


    But, many racing enthusiasts couldn¡¯t make it to the Wild Wolf Mountain to watch the race. To meet the demand, a team was set up to record the races and was equipped with a fleet of high-end camera drones covering the entire stretch of road. The videos were edited and post-edited intoplete segments and posted online, ensuring that fans did not miss a thing and shared in the event¡¯s excitement.¡±


    Su Canye gave Xiao Luo a quick rundown on the brawny baldheaded man and points of interest about the Wild Wolf Mountain race.


    ¡­

 Chapter 412 - Mine Doesnt Deserve to be Called a Car

    Chapter 412: Mine Doesn¡¯t Deserve to be Called a Car


    Xiao Luo gazed sternly at Su Canye and did not utter a word.


    Su Canye began to feel a little ufortable with Xiao Luo was staring at him, so he smiled sheepishly and asked, ¡°Err, Brother-inw, what are you staring at me like that? You¡¯re not t-thinking of¡­ r-raping me?¡±


    Su Canye had a genuinely frightened expression on his face, and he even crossed his hands to protect his chest, believing that Xiao Luo was going to do it.


    What? Such a damn fool!


    The expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face said it all. He was that close to actually cursing Su Canye.


    Taking a deep breath, he said, ¡°Su Canye, do you still want your Bentley back, or not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even in my dreams! That¡¯s my magic weapon to pick girls up,¡± Su Canye replied, nodding like a chick pecking grain.


    ¡°Then get down from the car and start negotiating for that race with Lei Shijian. I don¡¯t have the luxury of wasting my time with you here at Wild Wolf Mountain. We¡¯ve got to end this early and head home,¡± Xiao Luo growled.


    ¡°Hey, calm down, alright? Hold your horses, racing requires a special car and also gambling money. Let me give my friend a call. The car and gambling money is with him. Otherwise, what do I have to qualify us topete with Lei Shijian?¡±


    Su Canye responded, and couldn¡¯t help adding a snide remark. ¡°Brother-inw, it¡¯s not that I want to talk bad about you, but it¡¯s not good to be impatient. They say that impatient people will notst long in sex. Listen to my advice and change for the better, okay?¡± he said.


    What the~! @#$%¡­


    Xiao Luo felt the urge to dress him down with a deluge of expletives. Had they not been sitting in the car at that moment, he would have dly shown Su Canye how it felt like getting his bum wrecked.


    ¡°Hurry up then and call your friend. Ask him toe quickly!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Su Canye casually took his phone out and dialed a number. ¡°Hey, Short Life, where are you now? I¡¯m already at the foot of the Wild Wolf Mountain. Hurry up and get your *ss over here,¡± he said.


    In the next second, Su Canye¡¯s expression changed abruptly.


    ¡°What, you can¡¯te? Gawd, you got caught by your father for doing drugs! What, and now you¡¯re grounded? What the heck, what kind of coincidence is this?!¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t spare your car, then hit me with the money, or else, what can I use topete with Lei Shijian if I have no money?¡±


    ¡°What the freak, Short Life, you¡¯re so f*ckin¡¯ unreliable. How can you choke up at such a crucial time like this?¡±


    He then ended the call after a few snarls. After hanging up, Su Canye¡¯s expression was awful, and he looked like he had eaten a dozen kilos of dung.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and looked at him ironically. ¡°So, everything alright, I suppose?¡± he mocked.


    Xiao Luo intentionally raised his tone to see how Su Canye would react and expected him to make a fool of himself.


    ¡°I got stood up by that *ssh*le.¡±


    Su Canye dropped the phone in despair, and he was seething. ¡°He¡¯s grounded by his dad. He can¡¯t drive his car out, and his pocket money is frozen. The two million dors he promised to lend me has just gone up in smoke,¡± he cried.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­¡± Xiao Luo rubbed it in and enjoyed every second it. It just went to prove that Su Canye was unreliable, so his friends would naturally be the same. It was true that ¡°birds of a feather flock together.¡±


    ¡°Brother-inw, why don¡¯t we do it next time. I¡¯ll call you when I get the money and the car,¡± Su Canye said.


    What choice did they have? Without a suped-up car and enough funds for the bet, he wasn¡¯t qualified topete with Lei Shijian and get a chance to win his Bentley back.


    ¡°I¡¯m noting back to this ce. Since I¡¯m already here, let¡¯s settle this right now, just so you won¡¯t bother me again. But I¡¯m warning you, you better remember our agreement; otherwise, I will make this gear shift grow out of your butt,¡± Xiao Luo said, meaning every word of it.


    Su Canye nced at the gear lever in the car, and his eyes nearly popped out; he even had difficulty gulping down his saliva. This thing ¡°growing out from his butt,¡± didn¡¯t it mean that he¡¯d shove the gear stick up his b*tthole? Thinking about this, his rectum unconsciously tightened, and the hair over his entire body stood on ends. With a hurried and nervous smile, he said, ¡°Brother-inw, don¡¯t worry, alright, I will never tell my sister that you have a gun.¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored him, released the seat belt, and got off the car.


    ¡°Brother-inw, where are you going?¡±


    Su Canye felt his heart thumping as he wondered how Xiao Luo would negotiate the bet without the gambling money or a race car.


    Xiao Luo disregarded the din around him and walked directly toward Lei Shijian.


    Lei Shijian had his arm ced around the blonde girl¡¯s waist, rubbing her up and down. He was sitting on the bo of a Porsche sports car, chatting andughing with hispanions, surrounded by an admiring crowd of avid fans who kept a respectful distance. Evidently, Wild Wolf Mountain was their home ground.


    As Xiao Luo walked into the circle, his entry caught everyone¡¯s attention¡­


    Before he could reach Lei Shijian, two grim-looking burly fellows stepped in front of him and extended their hands to block his way.


    ¡°This area is exclusive to the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsports!¡±


    One of them said sternly, implying that the area was out of bounds to the likes of Xiao Luo, and he was not allowed to go any further.


    Xiao Luo took a bank card from his pocket and said, ¡°I want to race with your captain, Lei Shijian.¡±


    Hearing this, a look of sheer mockery appeared on their faces.


    The burly man who had spoken earlier said, ¡°Well, topete with our captain, the bet is at least one million. Do you have one million in this card?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m here to make fun out of you?¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted and raised his chin. ¡°Tell Lei Shijian to talk to me. Let alone one million, even ten million won¡¯t be a problem,¡± he retorted.


    Ten million dors?


    The two burly men took a deep breath and suddenly took Xiao Luo more seriously. Xiao Luo was not a familiar face in the Wild Wolf Mountain, and they presumed that he could be some rich guy from elsewhere that decided to have fun after hearing about their famed road race.


    ¡°A moment, please!¡±


    The contemptuous expressions of the two burly men changed, and the person who had spoken turned and walked towards Lei Shijian. He could be seen whispering into Lei Shijian¡¯s ear.


    Su Canye came rushing over to Xiao Luo¡¯s side and asked, ¡°Brother-inw, are you out of your mind? We have no car and no gambling money. Lei Shijian will never agree topete with us unless his brain has short-circuited.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t my car a car?¡± Xiao Luo hurled a question back at him.


    Su Canye looked incredulously at Xiao Luo with his eyes wide open like he had just seen an alien, and his mind was a total nk, wanting to cry, but he had no tears. ¡°Brother-inw, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re gonna use this Trumpchi topete with him, I will beat you to death if that¡¯s the case. ¡®Xiao Ye¡¯ here can be really cruel just so you know,¡± Su Canye cried, thumping himself on the chest, referring himself as the ¡°Little Young Master.¡±


    Could a Trumpchi be used topete with him?


    Wasn¡¯t that just pure tripe?


    It would only take 3 seconds for Lei Shijian¡¯s sports car to elerate from a standstill to a hundred miles per hour¡ªit was a modified supercar. That local-made Trumpchi, on the other hand, would need at least ten seconds to do that, so the difference was significant. Even with Xiao Luo¡¯s superb racing skills, just being able to see his opponent¡¯s taillights would possibly be the best-case scenario!


    As Su Canye stood there pondering all the things that could go wrong in their face-off against Lei Shijian, Xiao Luo gave him a kick in the butt and didn¡¯t hesitate this time. It was so painful that Su Canye almost bawled in tears, as it felt like getting spanked hard, and it hurt more than a penicillin shot. The message to Su Canye was clear¡ªstop addressing himself as ¡°Little Xiao Ye¡± to him again!


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that Young Master Su? So, you¡¯re Young Master Su¡¯s friend. And I thought who¡¯d be sovish to not even care about millions of dors. What brings you here today? n to win back your Bentley?¡±


    It was Lei Shijian, who¡¯d just walked over with the blonde girl in his arm and a cigar in his mouth.


    ¡­

 Chapter 413 - Two Helpers

    <strong>Chapter 413: Two Helpers</strong>


    It wasn¡¯t the position Su Canye wanted to find himself in, but when Lei Shijian approached and spoke to him, he put up a brave front, despite a sore bum and not having a suitable racing car nor any cash to speak of. ¡°I had indeed intended to win back my Bentley today, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I¡¯ll ask you, Wolf King, to continue to take good care of it for me a little longer,¡± he said.


    Su Canye did his best toe off with a lofty bearing and acted like he was expecting to win back his Bentley at any time.


    Lei Shijian¡¯spanions couldn¡¯t helpughing as they all knew about Su Canye, a frequent visitor at the Wild Wolf Mountain. Initially, he only participated in races in the 100 thousand to 500 thousand-dor range. Later, when he got obsessed with racing, it led him to even wager his Bentley, worth more than 2 million dors. He was seen as a spendthrift, a typical good-for-nothing from a wealthy family. Most of them despised such people from their hearts, but they still liked to engage with this lot for obvious reasons. For, without their participation, the Wild Wolf Mountain wouldn¡¯t have be so lively.


    After all, many people came not only to enjoy the highly-charged, death-defying races, but they were also attracted by the variety of bets they could make. The wagers could be money, cars, gold, jewelry, or even women. These bets created a certain madness among theirrge following of fans, much like those who liked violent sports such as a boxing match, enthralled by the thrill and excitement of fists pummeling the human body.


    ¡°Your Bentley is right over there. I¡¯ve been maintaining it regrly. I¡¯ve never treated something as gently and carefully as that car, not even my women.¡±


    With a look of total satisfaction on his face, Lei Shijian pointed to a row of luxury cars some distance away, and there, parked conspicuous, was the silver-white Bentley. Then, as if to express the pleasure he felt in having custody of the Bentley, he squeezed the blonde girl¡¯s derriere next to him.


    Su Canye could see that his Bentley was being taken care of very well, which was enough for him. Feeling ted seeing his car again, he thumped Lei Shijian on his chest. ¡°Wolf King, that¡¯s really kind of you. You have my admiration,¡± he dered.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Lei Shijianughed as he pulled the cigar from his mouth and exhaled an impressive column of smoke. ¡°For this racing industry tost, we have to uphold our promises. But I still have to remind you, Young Master Su, there¡¯s a half-month period for you to win it back, after which I can do whatever I want with your Bentley. You still have six days before the deadline.¡±


    ¡°Rx. I know the rules. Later!¡±


    Su Canye chuckled along, but as he had no car and no gambling money, the chance to win it back would have to wait.


    Just when Su Canye turned around and was about to leave, Xiao Luo put his hand on his shoulder with a firm grip,tching on to it like steel pliers, and stopped him from walking away.


    ¡°Who allowed you to leave?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Brother-inw, don¡¯t be like this. We can¡¯t get it back this time, if we force the issue, then any hope we have will turn to dust.¡±


    Su Canye turned his head and smiled bitterly, then whispered in Xiao Luo¡¯s ear, ¡°Even if you¡¯re gonna use your Trumpchi, we don¡¯t have enough money. My Bentley is worth 2.5 million dors. We¡¯ll need at least 2.5 million to be eligible topete with Lei Shijian¡­ huh? Why is it 2.5 million?¡±


    Su Canye started getting somewhat confused and couldn¡¯t help scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a two-hundred-and-five[1]!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned on him unceremoniously before he nced at Lei Shijian and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. The wager will be his Bentley. If I win, I¡¯ll take it away. If I lose, you keep the 2.5 million dors.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ okay, I¡¯m up to it.¡±


    Lei Shijian agreed enthusiastically and beckoned someone over. A man immediately walked over to Xiao Luo with a POS machine and said, ¡°Swipe the card, the money goes into the Wild Wolf Mountain¡¯s public ount first.¡± When he noticed Xiao Luo¡¯s strange expression, he exined, ¡°This may be the first time you¡¯re here, so you unaware of the rules at the Wild Wolf Mountain. This is how it works here; we do this first to avoid unnecessary conflict. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t risk tarnishing our reputation as we intend to run the show for a very long time. Our credibility is guaranteed. As long as you win the game, the money you have swiped into our ount will be fully refunded, and you get to drive away Young Master Su¡¯s Bentley.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, handed his bank card to the man, and then entered the password.


    When the 2.5-million-dor receipt was printed out, Su Canye was dumbfounded. He stared at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Brother-inw, you¡­ you are actually a tycoon in hiding, how blind I must be!¡±


    Su Canye was suddenly full of admiration for Xiao Luo, whose image was now etched in his heart, as mighty and unattainable as a mountain.


    ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t wish to get kicked in the *ss again!¡± Xiao Luo scowled, getting tired of his incessant gibberish.


    Su Canye instantly shut his mouth. He didn¡¯t want to risk getting kicked again by Xiao Luo. It hurt too much the first time, and his b*tthole was still feeling the pain.


    Lei Shijian smiled and asked, ¡°What is your name, my brother?¡±


    Anyone who could swipe 2.5 million dors from his bank card at one go was definitely worth getting to know.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know my name. We will not meet again after this,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Wah¡­ you¡¯re quite a character, my friend!¡±


    Lei Shijian didn¡¯t pursue the matter. He waved his hand, and a member of his team immediately handed over two sets of documents. ¡°This is the agreement. The details of our wager are clearly stated in it. There are two copies. Stamp on it with your thumbprint, and it will take legal effect,¡± he exined.


    As he spoke, he had already stained his thumb in the red ink pad and stamped it at the section designated for the second party on both documents.


    Xiao Luo nced through the two agreements¡¯ contents, and after confirming that they were correct, he duly applied his thumbprint.


    That¡¯s it. 2.5 million dors going down the drain, right into the wolf¡¯s den just like that!


    Su Canye was cursing in his heart, and instead of giving so much money to Lei Shijian for no good reason, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just buy him another Bentley? He stared at Xiao Luo like he was a muttonhead and a circus clown.


    Lei Shijian retained one of the agreements for safekeeping, thenughed and said, ¡°Hahaha, Young Master Su, inviting two helpers at once to challenge me is certainly a great honor.¡±


    The other Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsports team members snickered and looked at Su Canye and Xiao Luo as if they were looking at fools.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Su Canye looked clueless, and he asked, ¡°What do you mean by that? I only called my Brother-inw, when did I call someone else?¡±


    Lei Shijian smiled enigmatically and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Young Master Su? That can¡¯t be¡­ she¡¯s here¡ªthe woman who helped you win back your car thest two times. All the pomp you see tonight has been specially prepared for her.¡±


    The woman who helped me win back my car for thest two times?


    Su Canye was at aplete loss, but his eyes lit up suddenly. Could it be his sister¡¯s BFF, Shen Qingyan?


    What the heck, what¡¯s going on?


    Didn¡¯t sis say that she wouldn¡¯t help me out this time? Why did she ask Shen Qingyan toe?


    As Su Canye was still recovering from his stupor, the roaring sound of a high-performance engine rumbled by. He looked up and saw a red sports car with its two headlights on, driving by like the silhouette of a phantom shing through the night sky, before stopping at the foot of the Wild Wolf Mountain.


    ¡°Maserati GranCabrio, it¡¯s the Queen!¡±


    ¡°She has finallye. The Wolf King has already lost to her twice. I wonder if he can redeem his reputation this time.¡±


    ¡°He definitely can. In their previous two encounters, the Wolf King was driving a sports car with lower performance than this GranCabrio, but even then, he only lost by a whisker. This time, the Wolf King is driving a supercar hailed as the ¡°Hell Devil¡± powered by a twelve-cylinder engine and turbocharger. Its top speed can easily hit two hundred miles per hour, so he can absolutely defeat the Queen.¡±


    The crowd was getting excited now. The drivers they came to watch were present now, which meant that the race was about to begin. Speed and fury were about to rouse their senses to their limits.


    Footnote:[1] Two-hundred-and-five: in Chinese ng, meaning ¡°stupid.¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 414 - Five Million

    <strong>Chapter 414: Five Million</strong>


    A voluptuous, hot woman stepped out of the Maserati sports car, d in a white strapless T-shirt that she paired with ck slim-fit pants. If the word ¡°sexy¡± needed a poster girl, she was undoubtedly it.


    She had glittering wavy golden hair,ely features entuated by her lovely arched eyebrows, and liveliness in the way she moved.


    Shen Qingyan?!


    Su Canye recognized her at once. That was his sister, Su Li¡¯s good friend, and chairman of the Huayao Group, Shen Qingyan.


    Although the boss of argepany, Shen Qingyan was not as well-known as Su Li, and few knew who she was, even among racing hobbyists. As such, she had no qualms about being her natural self and felt totally uninhibited being in such a crowd.


    Su Li also came along this time. She was sitting in the front passenger¡¯s seat, but she stayed in the car.


    She was wearing a ck blouse paired with skinny ck pants and an orange jacket on top. To avoid being recognized, Su Li put on a pair of sunsses; although it was night time, her shades were a variety that still allowed for perfect vision in the dark. Although her sunsses covered arge portion of her face, her skin still showed, and it was fair and radiant. Her sensuous lips were mesmerizing, and slightly parted, showing glimpses of pearly-white teeth that sparkled like the white snow on the peaks of Tengri Tagh. She was the embodiment of a sacred lotus flower that had just blossomed¡ªonly to be admired from a distance, not to be touched.


    Thest thing that Su Li had expected was to meet her younger brother and Xiao Luo there. She knitted her brows, asking herself what the two were doing at Wild Wolf Mountain.


    Shen Qingyan hadn¡¯t expected it either. She nced at Xiao Luo, then turned to Su Canye and said, ¡°What are both of you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Qingyan, I should be asking you this question. You and my sis¡­ Ahem, didn¡¯t you both tell me to settle this by myself? Why are you here?¡± Su Canye deliberately raised his voice to make sure that Su Li heard him in the car.


    ¡°Do you think that your sister prints money for a living? Should she be doing nothing while you throw away a Bentley, worth more than two million dors, all on a silly bet?¡±


    Shen Qingyan scowled at Su Canye as she gave him a noogie on the head on Su Li¡¯s behalf. ¡°I will help you onest time. If you do it again, we shall see how your sister deals with you,¡± she said.


    When she finished speaking, Su Canye noticed Su Li ring at him from the car. Although she had her sunsses on, Su Canye could still feel the intense stare she was giving him, and it sent chills down his spine, making him shudder involuntarily.


    ¡°Queen, it¡¯s good to have confidence, but being conceited is unbing!¡±


    Lei Shijian had just walked up to them, and upon hearing Shen Qingyan¡¯s statement, he feltpelled to say a few words. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled, and at the same time, pushed the blond girl aside, suddenly losing interest in her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know if I¡¯m conceited after the race,¡± Shen Qingyan quipped as she pushed her hair behind her ears and offered him an enchanting smile that he found hard to resist.


    ¡°Very well, then. But let¡¯s change our wager this time. If you win, you may take Young Master Su¡¯s Bentley. But, if by some good fortune, I win, you spend a night with me. How¡¯s that?¡± Lei Shijian responded. His shifty eyes pored lewdly over every inch of Shen Qingyan¡¯s body, and he looked especially wretched.


    After hearing Lei Shijian¡¯s shocking proposal, a cacophony of cheers and wolf whistles immediately erupted among the spectators gathered around, as it aroused their darker, wild sides.


    The smile on Shen Qingyan¡¯s face vanished as she stared at Lei Shijian coldly.


    But, Lei Shijian, oozing with self-confidence, didn¡¯t flinch at all. ¡°Two and a half million for one night of euphoria. While it¡¯s at a great expense to me, it¡¯s the deal of a lifetime for you. Let me ask you, is there any other woman in this world who is worth more than two million for a night? I can assure you, there are none!¡± he argued.


    ¡°Qingyan, go for it. Show him what it¡¯s like to make something from nothing,¡± Su Canye said.


    He had absolute confidence in Shen Qingyan¡¯s ability to win again, as her racing skills were phenomenal. In thest two races, she showed she could handle the pressure, and he believed that this time would be no exception.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Shen Qingyan yelled at Su Canye, making him jolt back a couple of steps in fright. Then, smiling coyly at Lei Shijian, she said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s worth it, indeed. Fine, then. We will do as you say. If I win, I¡¯ll walk away with Su Canye¡¯s Bentley, and if I lose, I¡¯ll sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°I like your straightforwardness, Queen. Hehe¡­¡±


    Lei Shijian felt his spirits lift, and he promptly gestured for someone from his team to prepare the agreements. Soon, two copies were brought over. The terms were per the agreement that had been reached between him and Shen Qingyan, and they duly endorsed it.


    The Wild Wolf Mountain race fans cheered rambunctiously, and just thinking about what was being wagered fire them up more than usual.


    ¡°Hah, Wolf King, you can stop drooling, cos¡¯ something like that ain¡¯t never gonna happen.¡±


    Su Canye waved his hand in a somewhat overbearing manner and said, ¡°By the way, since my helper is here, my earlier agreement with you is rescinded.¡±


    Lei Shijian and his team members cracked up as if they had just heard the world¡¯s funniest joke.


    ¡°Young Master Su, you¡¯re talking nonsense. That agreement took effect the moment our thumbprints were stamped on it. The show must go on; otherwise, it will be considered as a forfeit, so if you withdraw from the race, the 2.5 million dors will not be refunded,¡± Lei Shijian said, spreading his hands to imply that there was nothing that could be done, since rules were rules.


    ¡°What? How can you do that? Return the money to my brother-inw. We¡¯re notpeting anymore!¡±


    Su Canye suddenly became very anxious. Now that Shen Qingyan was here, he could win his Bentley back for certain. But if she won the car back, then wouldn¡¯t Xiao Luo lose his 2.5 million dors? For he didn¡¯t think that Xiao Luo could beat Lei Shijian driving a Trumpchi; in fact, Xiao Luo was guaranteed to lose. Now, everything suddenly made sense¡ªno wonder Lei Shijian so readily agreed topete against them, for he had evidently regarded Xiao Luo as a juicy pig that was ripe for the ughter.


    Lei Shijian shed a confident smile and wagged his index finger. ¡°There is no such rule on Wild Wolf Mountain!¡± he said.


    Su Canye was exasperated and protested, ¡°I don¡¯t care about whatever rules you have. Hurry up and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Su Canye, you mean you both agreed to have a race with him?!¡± Shen Qingyan cut him off and grabbed him aggressively by the cor, appearing like she was about to clobber him.


    Su Canye was stunned and stiffly nodded in fear of getting a good beating. ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± he exined. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you toe, and it was actually my brother-inw who insisted onpeting with him. It¡­ it was not my decision!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a useless jerk, unable to achieve anything but spoiling things!¡±


    Shen Qingyan shoved him away. Had Su Canye been her younger brother, she would definitely have whipped him in the face until it swelled like a pig¡¯s head. He hadn¡¯t even won the Bentley back yet, but he¡¯d already risked another 2.5 million dors, which would be lost by the looks of it. She felt really bad for Su Li for having a brother like Su Canye.


    Su Canye lowered his head, unable to say another word.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯llpete in our race, and youpete in yours. This doesn¡¯t affect anything.¡± Xiao Luo finally spoke up. He had been staring at Su Li, who was still in the car. It wasn¡¯t that he chose to look at Su Li, but rather, she was staring at him. Even with her sunsses, he knew it was her, and as a man, how could he avoid her eyes? He pointed at the Bentley and said to Lei Shijian, ¡°But both my target and her target is the same car. So, if we both win, how would youpensate us?¡±


    When she heard Xiao Luo, the blonde girl beside Lei Shijian burst outughing. The other members of the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsports team chuckled and smirked mockingly.


    Lei Shijian pped Xiao Luo on his shoulder as heughed derisively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my brother. If you can really win against me, I will pay you twice the money,¡± he said, stretching out five fingers. ¡°Five million dors!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 415 - Start

    Chapter 415: Start


    ¡°You mean it?¡±


    Xiao Luo cocked an eyebrow and was intrigued by Lei Shijian¡¯s terms.


    Lei Shijian looked down his nose and confidently pointed his thumb to his chest. ¡°Of course, I mean what I say!¡± he said.


    ¡°And, if I win, what if you can¡¯t honor your promise, then what?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Lei Shijianughed and shook his head. He had a good look at Xiao Luo, patted him on the shoulder, and said, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much, my brother. Reputation is the most important thing in this business, and it doesn¡¯t make sense to ruin our reputation for a mere 2.5 million dors. If the word spreads, who would want toe and race at the Wild Wolf Mountain in the future? I¡¯ll be smashing my own rice bowl that way, won¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying ¡®what if,¡¯ that¡¯s all,¡± Xiao Luo asserted.


    The members of the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsports team and the spectators had mocking smiles on their faces. It was obvious to them that Xiao Luo did not know who he was up against, and even dared to dream of winning the race. Many of them were wondering where he got his courage and confidence.


    ¡°My brother, if I fail to honor my promise, cripple my hands so that I can¡¯t drive anymore. Is that good enough for you?¡± Lei Shijian said.


    ¡°Good enough,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°By the way, after so much talking, where¡¯s your car?¡±


    Lei Shijian looked around, keen to see what supercar Xiao Luo would be driving.


    When the question popped up, Su Canye cringed and facepalmed. Not only did he feel stressed, but he was also thoroughly embarrassed by it. Everyone else was driving highly modified supercars, while their vehicle was a sub-200-thousand-dor locally made Trumpchi. It was like the difference between a fully equipped yer in pay-to-win gear against a bare-handed newbie wearing only a pair of shorts.


    Without batting an eyelid, Xiao Luo gestured with his head toward his car and said, ¡°That¡¯s my car.¡±


    Everyone turned in the direction where Xiao Luo gestured, but all they saw was a ck Trumpchi and wondered if this was the car he meant. Its appearance and curvy design looked very high-end and wouldn¡¯t look out of ce driven on the road. But in a racing venue like the Wild Wolf Mountain, it looked miserably shabby alongside the supercars used here.


    ¡°You¡¯re using this Trumpchi topete against him?¡±


    The question came from none other than Shen Qingyan. Looking at her incredulous expression, no one would me Xiao Luo for not daring to nod and say yes, for Shen Qingyan looked like she would brutally beat Xiao Luo to death.


    But, of course, Xiao Luo responded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The air was thick with anxiety, and the moment he confirmed it, the entire crowd fell into a sudden silence¡­ but, the next second, peals of raucousughter broke out across the ground.


    ¡°What the heck, he actually came with a domestic car? Is he trying to defy the Heavens or what?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, he¡¯s not trying to defy the Heavens; he¡¯s trying to burrow into the ground!¡±


    ¡°What a mule,ing here to race without knowing anything. This is hrious, hahaha¡­¡±


    Some people even burst into tears, while Lei Shijianughed so hard he could be seen pping his thighs and jabbing his co-driver¡¯s shoulder, so much so that hisughter alone drowned out those around him.


    ¡°Are you stupid or what?¡± Shen Qingyan hissed as she red at him, and she actually looked mad.


    She pointed her finger at Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi and said, ¡°How can this toy car of yourspare with his supercar? Are you living in a dream?¡±


    Su Li looked out toward Xiao Luo from the red Maserati, and even behind her sunsses, her anxiety showed.


    Xiao Luo ignored Shen Qingyan and turned to Lei Shijian. ¡°When will the race begin?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Soon, hehe, hehe¡­ soon!¡±


    Lei Shijian¡¯s shoulders were still shaking fromughter, and he could hardly speak normally. It was like someone had tapped his acupoint that controlled the urge tough.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In a short while, the three cars were lined up at the foot of the mountain, with the two burning gasoline drums marking the Start/ Finish line. Positioned from left to right were the Porsche Supercar, followed by the Maserati GranCabrio, and, finally, the Trumpchi.


    All the drones assigned to the various road sections had lifted off into the air. A huge screen was mounted on the sidewall of the cargopartment of a truck, and as video signals were received from the drones, they were yed on the screen, keeping the spectators aware of the race situation at each road section.


    Everyone had their eyes fixed on the huge silver screen, hardly blinking. The match-up between Wolf King and Queen, which had been long-awaited, was finally here, and the race was about to start. The spectators were thrilled and extremely excited, especially about the wager. If Queen lost, she would have to sleep with Wolf King¡ªand, being the stunning beauty that she was, just the thought of it made their imaginations run wild and their blood vessels dted.


    On the inte, the Wild Wolf Mountain¡¯s forum was also boiling over as millions of its members were waiting for this thrilling race to start online.


    ¡°Likes for the Queen, how many of you support Queen?¡±


    ¡°Likes for Wolf King! Let¡¯s see how many of us brothers here support Wolf King?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that guy in the Trumpchi? Why is he even getting into the race between Wolf King and Queen? Doesn¡¯t he feel ashamed?¡±


    All sorts of posts would incessantly pop up on the Wild Wolf Mountain forum, but most followers would check the top posts dedicated to the live streaming footage, which they considered as good as a live broadcast.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The rules were simple¡ªthe drivers were to race for threeps around the Wild Wolf Mountain circuit, and the first person who crossed the Start/ Finish line between the gasoline drums would be dered the winner.


    When Shen Qingyan got into the Maserati, she turned to Su Li and said, ¡°Li, if I tell you that your husband¡¯s an idiot, I suppose you won¡¯t feel too upset, right?¡±


    Su Li had already taken off her sunsses and was ncing over at the Trumpchi next to them. ¡°Compared to his IQ, I am more concerned about where they got the money from,¡± she said.


    ¡°That brother of yours has a wholework of evil associates, so he can easily gather 2.5 million just by asking around. Hah, it looks like they¡¯re both ¡®two-hundred-and-fives.¡¯ I help him win back 250, and they¡¯re going to toss 250 right back out again. No one can be dumber than these two,¡± Shen Qingyan ranted, ring angrily at the Trumpchi.


    ¡°You better keep your mind on the race. Let¡¯s not discuss this now, I will settle the ounts with them after the game,¡± Su Li responded.


    Shen Qingyan retracted her gaze from the Trumpchi and started focusing on getting into the mental zone.


    ¡°How confident you are in winning against Lei Shijian?¡± Su Li asked.


    Shen Qingyan thought for a while and answered, ¡°Seven to eight out of ten. His skills aren¡¯t bad. It was his overconfidence that lost him the previous two races. This time, he has even reced his car with a really good one, so I think he¡¯ll be going all out this time. Seven or eight may even be an overestimate.¡±


    Su Li frowned at the odds. ¡°Then why did you agree to that disgusting condition he proposed just now?¡± she asked.


    Shen Qingyan smiled and said, ¡°This is nothing. I had agreed to conditions worse than this when I was abroad; it just happened that the person wasn¡¯t so honored to let me serve him.¡±


    When she heard that, Su Li¡¯s frown intensified as she couldn¡¯t imagine anything more disgusting than the conditions proposed by Lei Shijian.


    In the Trumpchi, Su Canye was sitting in the front next to Xiao Luo, and he looked depressed and was in abject misery. He was even considering suicide and looked as distressed as a person who had lost a five-million-dor lottery ticket.


    ¡°Calm down, it will turn out fine. Everything in the present turns into the past,¡± Xiao Luo said, trying tofort him.


    ¡°How can I, when you¡¯re f*ckin racing against supercars with a Trumpchi? This is absolutely the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever do in this world. After the race, my sister will definitely kill me. Why are youughing? Do you think she¡¯ll let you go too? She can even kill me, her own brother; do you think she¡¯ll not be bold enough to kill you, her cheap husband? You underestimate my sister¡­ Oh, God, why is this happening to me now? Which ghost did I have the misfortune to bump into?¡±


    Su Canye was already having visions of what was toe and anticipated being hung up and beaten by Su Li. The scene in his mind was absolutely terrifying! When Xiao Luo stole a nce at Su Canye, his face was covered in tears¡­


    ¡­

 Chapter 416 - Exciting Competition

    Chapter 416: Exciting Competition


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the long-awaited contest between Wolf King and Queen is about to begin! And I am very honored to be yourmentator tonight. Now, allow me to fill you in on this race¡­ Oh, wait, actually two races are running concurrently¡ªbut let¡¯s just forget about the other one, since that race is already over before it has even begun, so there¡¯s no suspense in it at all¡­ but, still, let¡¯s apud the driver and show our appreciation of his courage. Common everyone, let¡¯s give him some encouragement!¡±


    Standing in front of the huge screen, a tall, skinny young man held on to a microphone and providedmentary with a rather impassionate tone.


    He knew his crowd and exactly how to entertain them. He already had the crowd in stitches in his openingmentary, just with his wit and dry humor. Hisments prompted a rousing response from both the live crowd and the online forum, and many fans apuded the Trumpchi for participating. But, in truth, the belittling nature of hisments made it all seem rather disrespectful.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Young Master here thinks that this is the biggest humiliation he¡¯s ever felt in his entire life, nothingpares to this. Lil¡¯ Young Master has lost all face; this is like being dumped into the Pacific Ocean!¡± Su Canye moaned.


    The shame was unbearable, and if he could find himself a hole somewhere, he¡¯d immediately just jump in. Or, even better, if there was a pit that he could fit into, he¡¯d just bury himself alive. To him, dying from suffocation could not be worse than having people mock him to death.


    Xiao Luo looked calm as he readied himself in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Don¡¯t be affected by such things, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve not seen my skills before,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is particrly because I have seen the skills that I dared to call you here. If it was my friend¡¯s supercar, we¡¯d have a 50 to 60 percent chance of beating Lei Shijian, but instead, we¡¯re driving this Trumpchi topete with them. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact you put up the money, then Lil¡¯ Young Master here wouldn¡¯t have let you off that easily,¡± Su Canye responded.


    Xiao Luo turned and looked sternly at Su Canye. ¡°You need to correct that statement. I lent you that money¡ªif we lose, you have to return it to me,¡± he said.


    What¡­?!


    Horrified, Su Canye stared wide-eyed in disbelief, and his jaw dropped. ¡°You b*stard!¡± he cried.


    At that moment, the blonde girl, who had been with Lei Shijian earlier, strutted provocatively to the front of the three vehicles with two small gs in her hands. She looked great d in a miniskirt and corset, and her long legs were further augmented with a pair of ten-centimeter-high high-heeled shoes. Her voluptuous figure and seductive face left little to the imagination and would¡¯ve prompted unspeakable fantasies to form in the spectators¡¯ minds.


    She counted down in English¡­


    ¡°Five¡­¡±


    ¡°Four¡­¡±


    The three cars at the starting line suddenly rumbled to life as their drivers revved their engines. Their bodyshells shook as the power beneath their hoods roared, waiting to be unleashed¡ªlike a snorting bull ready to charge at any given moment.


    ¡°Baby, wait for me, I¡¯ll be visiting you tonight, hehe¡­¡±


    Lei Shijian, in his suped-up Porsche, snickered lewdly, as if victory was already within his grasp and that Shen Qingyan was nothing more than a delicious meal just waiting to be savored at his pleasure.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    ¡°Go!!!¡±


    As soon as the blonde girl dropped the gs, the drivers, with their engines on high torque, released their clutches and their machines took off like thunder. Like the wind, the three cars whizzed past the blonde girl, and her hair fluttered and danced wildly as streams of fast-flowing air swirled in their wake.


    The drones started to do their work as the precision cameras mounted on them started tracking the three cars and rying images back to the giant screen, instantly giving the spectators the race status.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­ the three cars got off to a furious start, and, oh, wow¡­ the Trumpchi is definitely living up to its reputation and is falling behind¡­ right in thest ce. Wolf King, who is in second ce, has pulled away a good fifty meters¡ªthat¡¯s the difference between a supercar and a tractor! No matter how fancy a tractor is made to look, there¡¯s no way it can outrun a supercar,¡± thementator said, ¡°Oh, sorry, we¡¯re getting off-topic, let¡¯s get back to thepetition at hand. Hmm, Queen is leading right now¡­ oh, yes, she is indeed the track¡¯s queen. She took the lead right from the start of the race. Now let¡¯s see if she can keep her lead all the way till the end.¡±


    The tall and skinny youngmentator kept the audience engaged with the use of exciting and interesting points. Whenever he mentioned the Trumpchi, thementator always put on an exaggerated expression on his face. Without fail, it got someughs from the audience, who all agreed that thismentator was funny and interesting to listen to.


    He did not deviate from the truth of the situation but merely embellished it with his brand of dry humor. The vehicles that Shen Qingyan and Lei Shijian drove were undoubtedly much better than Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi in terms of performance. When the cars were on the straights, the Trumpchi didn¡¯t stand a chance, as very quickly, even its headlights disappeared from the screen.


    For the spectators watching the race on the screen, it quickly evolved into a two-driverpetition between Shen Qingyan and Lei Shijian.


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s Maserati took the lead, with Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche was tailing right behind her, and the distance between them was barely three meters apart. The speed she was driving, Shen Qingyan¡¯s eyes looked fierce and determined; she seemed like a different person, appearing as if her body was possessed by another soul who had dominated her entirely.


    She charged into the first corner with nerves of steel, turning the steering wheel one way then the other, while pulling up the handbrake, and controlling the throttle and brake pedals with her ¡°heel-toe,¡± holding its drift line. As the Maserati began to drift into the sharp bend, the front of the car faced the mountain wall, as if it would crash into it. But, of course, the Maserati was actually sliding past the wall and into the bend. In the co-driver¡¯s seat, Su Li shut her eyes and grabbed on tightly to the upper handrail for dear life.


    Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche was just behind Shen Qingyan, and he initiated the drift at almost the same time as her as if they were drifting in tandem, and their movements were precisely the same!


    ¡°Oh, wow, a beautiful drift. Wolf King¡¯s car got very close to the queen, and he matched her every movement in the chase; what skill! It¡¯s simply stunning, and these are all inside drifts with the front fenders almost scrapping the inner guardrail. They¡¯re really pushing the limits here¡­ it¡¯s way too thrilling and exciting¡ªif you¡¯re sitting in the car right now, you¡¯d be so scared that you¡¯d be peeing in your pants,¡± thementator said, giving an in-depth exnation as he kept his eyes peeled on the action unfolding on the screen.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone in the crowdughed, but their eyes were glued to the huge screen and followed the race without blinking, mesmerized as the two frontrunners fought for the lead.


    ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s look at the Trumpchi, in third ce. Oops¡­ let¡¯s forget it, we can¡¯t even spot its headlights anymore. We might as well conserve the resources of the drones, so let us just focus on Queen and Wolf King¡¯spetition.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Another burst ofughter broke out among the crowd once again, several of them couldn¡¯t stop and said: ¡°Thismentator is too bloody funny!¡±


    The Maserati was still in the front and the Porsche right behind it, tailing it closely like a shadow, constantly pushing for an opportunity to overtake. Thepetition was fierce and the driving wild, but there was an order to the chaos, underscored by the drivers¡¯ sublime skills and cool heads.


    Shen Qingyan was concerned when she caught a glimpse of Su Li, who had turned pale. ¡°Li, have you not gotten used to this yet?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Su Li shook her head. Although she had ridden shotgun in Shen Qingyan¡¯s car many times before, even duringpetitions, she had yet to adapt to this kind of race, which required the car to be almost out of control when taking bends at extremely high speeds.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just motion sickness. If you ride a few more times, you¡¯ll get used to it. Okay, here ites, another corner, hold on tight!¡±


    Shen Qingyan prompted Su Li to get her ready for the next drift as she changed down a gear mid-bend and threw the Maserati into oversteer. The rear-end swung into the drift, the tires screeched, momentarily losing traction with the road, and white smoke billowed as the rear wheels continued spinning under high torque.


    Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche followed closely, locking his rear wheels and sustaining his drift around the bend, right behind the Maserati.


    Lei Shijian¡¯s co-driver, the medium-sized young man, was anxious as they continued to trail behind Shen Qingyan. ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t keep inhaling her exhaust, you have to overtake her and let her have a taste of your fumes,¡± he said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? I know what I¡¯m doing, I¡¯ll only use my secret weapon when we get to the tenth corner!¡±


    Lei Shijian scowled. As he had already lost to Shen Qingyan twice, he studied the clips of their past two races and had worked out his move when they made the tenth corner. He knew Shen Qingyan would drift on the outside, so he would be taking the inside drift, and he was 90% confident that this was enough to beat her.


    ¡­

 Chapter 417 - Devil’s Corner

    Chapter 417: Devil¡¯s Corner


    ¡°Oh, wow, thepetition between Queen and Wolf King is way too intense. Look at those two supercars¡ªwell, the Maserati is still leading right now, but the Porsche is following closely behind it, trying to put it under pressure. Look at them go, they are streaking through the track at high speed, just like two phantoms in the middle of the night. These two drivers are showcasing the best of Wild Wolf Mountain racing¡ª what a race! And, don¡¯t forget that on one side is the cliff, and the other side is a mountain wall. This is incredibly thrilling, and every minute, every second of it keeps you on edge!¡±


    Thementator, a tall and skinny young man, spoke with passion, and he had an intimate knowledge of the circuit. His high-pitched voice was amplified through the speakers, and it echoed across the Wild Wolf Mountain valley. And on a silent night such as this, the sound traveled far and wide.


    ¡°Do your best, Queen, keep this lead till the very end!¡±


    ¡°Do your best, Wolf King, defeat Queen tonight and conquer the queen, haha, haha¡­¡±


    At the foot of the mountain and in the online forum, fans of Shen Qingyan and Lei Shijian were cheering them on.


    Everyone had already forgotten about the Trumpchi, the thirdpetitor in this race, for it was nowhere to be seen.


    Even the video team did not take the trouble to get a single shot of the Trumpchi from the start. As far as they were concerned, a car that was trailing behind by several hundreds of meters was not worth recording. Giving it screen time would not change its fate in any way, so they focused all their attention on the exciting head-to-head between Queen and Wolf King.


    VROOM~


    The red Maserati streaked along the Wild Wolf Mountain¡¯s winding roads like a red sh; its low chassis meant that it had extremely strong traction and hugged on to the road as it surged forward at top speed. Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche refused to give up, and he stayed close, keeping the pressure on and waiting for the moment to snatch her lead. Barely a meter apart, the two supercars resembled two parts of the same serpent, as they snaked through the winding circuit at full speed.


    Just as they were about to approach a sharp bend, thementator got on the mic again. ¡°We¡¯re about to approach the Devil¡¯s Corner of the Wild Wolf Mountain in just a bit! This is the nightmare of countless racers and has already imed the lives of three of our racers. It really is the Devil¡¯s Corner''¡± he screamed, ¡°If Wolf King intends to overtake Queen, the Devil¡¯s Corner will be the perfect opportunity to do so. But it will be extremely dangerous. Can Wolf King ovee his fear and overtake Queen? Let us wait and see!¡±


    ¡­


    Lei Shijian smirked as they came into the Devil¡¯s Corner; this was the tenth corner he had been waiting for. ¡°Queen, my baby, I¡¯ming for you!¡± he said, with a sly leer.


    Then, he immediately turned his steering wheel sharply, and the Porsche swung from the outer into the innerne. The usual approach going into such a tight turn would be to keep to the outerne working with the oversteer, and this line provided for better drift control due to the centripetal force.


    ¡°What is he trying to do? Is he nning to take the innerne and overtake me from there? He is courting death!¡±


    Shen Qingyan checked on the Porsche behind her from the rear-view mirror, and she was perturbed by the risk he was taking. As a veteran racer, she understood that when taking the turn in this particr corner, one had to take the outerne; otherwise, the car would lose traction, roll out of control, and fly off the cliff. A driver could avoid losing control only by slowing down, but that effectively negated the reason for taking the insidene, to begin with, as precious seconds would then be added to make the corner. It was precisely for that reason that she had chosen to take the outerne. Taking unnecessary risks just wasn¡¯t her style at all.


    ¡°Perhaps he has other ways to prevent from rolling out of control,¡± Su Li said, looking paler than ever.


    ¡°Frankly, I couldn¡¯t care less. Lei Shijian can¡¯t solely rely on this corner if he wants to defeat me.¡±


    Shen Qingyan put aside her thoughts, and her mind went back to winning the race.


    As the Maserati came screaming into Devil¡¯s corner, she threw the car into a power slide, controlling the steering wheel in a sustained drift, and positioning its nose into the bend. The Maserati was a joy to watch and looked in total control as if it were sliding on ice. At that point, Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche was trying to overtake from the innerne, but due to theck of centripetal force, the left wheels lifted off the ground, and the car was about to roll over.


    Suddenly, the Porsche¡¯s tailpipe emitted a blue-colored me that looked just like a st from a rocket, creating a strong torque on the Porsche that provided sufficient traction to keep the car stable through its inside drift.


    Shen Qingyan was shocked, and she couldn¡¯t believe that she had underestimated Lei Shijian and allowed him to pass her. ¡°That b*stard actually installed a nitrous oxide injection system for his car. No wonder he had the nerve to overtake me from the innerne!¡± she cried.


    Thementator saw the pass from the screen and shouted excitedly, ¡°He¡¯s done it! Wolf King has overtaken Queen with a hair-raising maneuver at the Devil¡¯s Corner! Oh, my, this is way too awesome, simply crazy!¡±


    ¡°Do your best, Wolf King, you¡¯re the best Wolf King!¡±


    ¡°Overtaking Queen from the innerne and stabilizing the car using the NOX injection¡ªit seems like Wolf King had been nning to overtake Queen at the devil¡¯s corner right from the start.¡±


    ¡°Wolf King is well-prepared this time, it looks like the winner of this match is going to be no one else but him, hahaha¡­¡±


    The audience at the foot of the mountain and online forum became excited and fired up as if they had just been injected with adrenalin.


    As the Porsche was overtaking the Maserati, Lei Shijian turned to Shen Qingyan and smile lewdly at her through the window. No matter how anyone looked at it, the smile was nothing less than creepy¡ªlike telling Shen Qingyan to be obedient and wait to be conquered tonight.


    All of a sudden, a fierce din of screeching tires and tortured suspensions came from behind the two supercars¡­


    When Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan looked through their rear mirrors, they were both shocked beyond words.


    ¡°What the hell! Are my eyes ying tricks on me? Is that the¡­ what is the Trumpchi doing here?¡± Lei Shijian screamed.


    Shen Qingyan was in absolute bewilderment because, in her mind, Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi had long been out of the race. How was it possible for him to still catch up? What was happening here?


    Could it just have materialized out of thin air?


    Shen Qingyan was bamboozled, and she simply couldn¡¯t think of any other possibility.


    Back at the foot of the mountain, thementator was equally shocked and looked as if he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight. Quivering as he held on to his microphone, he screamed, ¡°Oh¡­ oh, my God! What did I just witness, is that¡­ is that the Trumpchi?!! How¡­ how did it catch up? It¡¯s doing precisely what the Wolf King did, it¡¯s drifting in the innerne at the Devil¡¯s Corner! But Wolf King had a NOx injection system, so did he install it as well? If not, how could he have the nerve to drift in the innerne without decreasing his speed? That is equivalent tomitting suicide!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just the tall and skinny youngmentator who was stunned; the entire crowd at the foot of the mountain and the fans following closely through the forum were all in a stupor. The Trumpchi that they all had given up on was now catching up like a ghost¡ªit was in eerie, and this almost seemed supernatural!


    ¡°How in the world did he manage to catch up?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s more like, how is it even possible for him to catch up!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Trumpchi is also a modified supercar? Perhaps, it¡¯s only the shell of the Trumpchi on the outside, but underneath, it¡¯s a suped-up race engine!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible, just from the sound of the engine, you can tell that it¡¯s a production car. And, besides, it had a very slow start, so there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s a modified car.¡±


    ¡°Then exin to me how in the hell it can catch up with Wolf King and Queen?¡±


    ¡°Absurd, this is absolutely absurd!¡±


    It was explosive! Everyone at the foot of the mountain and the fans who had been following through the forum was amazed. They were all trying to figure out what happened. How was it possible for the Trumpchi to catch up? Could it have received help from the spirits, and did the Devil¡¯s Corner finally live up to its name?


    ¡­

 Chapter 418 - Godly Car

    <h2>Chapter 418: Godly Car</h2>


    The sudden appearance of the Trumpchi surprised everyone and left many puzzled about how it actually caught up, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason it caught everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone had their eyes glued to the screen without blinking, for just like the Wolf King in his Porsche, Xiao Luo chose to use the innerne at the Devil¡¯s Corner, and on top of that, he had gone into the drift at a significantly higher speed than the Porsche. If the Trumpchi wasn¡¯t equipped with the NOx injection system, as many had spected, it would undoubtedly lose control due to the absence of centripetal force.


    Losing control at this speed meant that the car would roll over the side and crash, and if that happened, then there was a hundred percent guarantee that people were going to die!


    ¡°He¡¯s a lunatic! What is he trying to do, is he trying tomit suicide?¡±


    Lei Shijian, behind the Porsche¡¯s wheels, was absolutely shocked and horrified with Xiao Luo¡¯s reckless actions.


    Shen Qingyan took a fleeting nce at the Trumpchi from her rear mirror as she steered her Maserati through the drift. ¡°Xiao Luo, you fool, hurry up and reduce your speed already!¡± she cursed.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Su Li screamed and wentpletely pale as she lost all control of her emotions. There was no way she could remain calm, knowing that her younger brother was also in that Trumpchi.


    However, none of their screams would matter. The Trumpchi charged into the innerne at a speed of more than two hundred kilometers per hour. After initiating the drift, the rear end of the SUV swung forward and skiddedterally, precisely as Lei Shijian¡¯s Porsche had done earlier, butpared to him, Xiao Luo was driving a lot closer to the innerne¡¯s edge. The distance between the front of the car and the innerne guardrail was less than fifty centimeters apart.


    They were pushing the innerne drift to the limits, and just like that, it was back to a three-car race!


    ¡°Would you believe it¡­ the Trumpchi has also made the drift from the innerne¡­ and, h-he¡­ he drifted through the Devil¡¯s Corner at a speed of more than two hundred and ten kilometers an hour! The distance between the car bumper and the guardrail was no more than the width of a palm. Oh, my God, this is way too extreme, and it didn¡¯t roll over! That¡¯s right, you are not dreaming, that¡¯s exactly what I said¡ªand it¡¯s not even equipped with a nitrous oxide injection system. Wow! How did he drift across the Devil¡¯s Corner at speeds much faster than the Wolf King, and still keep his car under control? Is something funny going on here¡­ is he cheating, somehow?¡±


    Thementator¡¯s voice trembled as he described the scene. He was overwhelmed by the Trumpchi¡¯s performance, and so deeply shocked was he by Xiao Luo¡¯s audacious maneuver that it stirred his soul.


    Entering the Devil¡¯s Corner at that speed was undoubtedly going to cause the car to flip over from loss of traction and excessive centrifugal force, but how was it that the Trumpchi sustained a controlled drift? This was simply going against thews of physics¡­


    All the racing fans viewing from the foot of the mountain and forums had their hearts in their throats. Suddenly, there was dead silence as all eyes were on the ck Trumpchi. The proverbial Dark Horse had turned up, fighting its way through, getting everyone¡¯s support, and drawing all the attention to itself.


    The Devil¡¯s Corner stretched for more than two hundred meters, but it didn¡¯t take too long for a car to drift that distance. Although the exhration of the Trumpchi¡¯s drift was only short-lived, it was good enough to send shockwaves and leave asting impression on everyone.


    When the drivers came out of Devil¡¯s Corner, the positions had changed drastically¡ªand, Queen, who was initially in front, had dropped back to thest ce, while the Trumpchi, which wasst, was currently in second ce, and leading the pack, was the Wolf King.


    The current positions in the race were unbelievable, no less a miracle!


    The silent crowd slowly began stirring at first, and soon loud cheers broke out as the people got fired up once again. Their reactions this time were even more intense than the first twops, inspired by the romping exploits of the two unknown underdogs riding in the lowly-rated Trumpchi SUV. In fact, many of the fans now were squarely behind them, supporting and cheering them on.


    ¡°Unbelievable, this domestic car is simply unbelievable! It looks like it¡¯s going to do God¡¯s work!¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s already doing God¡¯s work!¡±


    ¡°This Trumpchi is like a ghost, and I¡¯m rooting for it from now on, do your best, Trumpchi!¡±


    Rousing cheers for Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi were beginning to be heard among the crowd, one after another, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was about to stop any time soon. While, in the forum, a deluge of posts regarding the Trumpchi had already exploded, with countless messages flowing in rapidly like bamboo shoots sprouting after a spring rain. It was apelling ¡°David versus Goliath¡± match-up, and being able to catch up with the two modified supercars instantly cemented the Trumpchi¡¯s status as a ¡°Godly Car.¡±


    Compared to the driver of the Trumpchi, Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan both appeared dull and lifeless in the fans¡¯ eyes. The fact that a domestic car could catch up to their supercars was every bit a sharp p across their faces. This was as good as admitting that, had Xiao Luo been driving a supercar, he would already have been streets ahead of them.


    ¡°Where did this b*starde out from? This is way too ridiculous!¡±


    Lei Shijian had a bad feeling about this, and his earlier self-confidence had all but disappeared. His opponent had caught up with him just by driving a Trumpchi; if he had not witnessed something like this with his own eyes, he would have refused to believe such a thing was possible, even with a gun pointed at his head.


    ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t have a breakdown now. If you lose, you¡¯ll have topensate five million dors to that man,¡± his co-driver said.


    ¡°Scr*w your mum! If you say something that unlucky again, I¡¯m going to throw you out of this vehicle while going at full speed!¡±


    Lei Shijian fumed when he heard thosements, for he was rather superstitious, and there were many things that you couldn¡¯t say to him before or during a race. To mention something as bad as this was basically a jinx as far as he was concerned.


    The man shut his mouth immediately.


    Trailing in the Maserati, Shen Qingyan looked at the tail lights of the Trumpchi, still in shock. ¡°I¡¯ve underestimated this jerk once again. Li, your man, is not a simple guy. If you have a chance, you should properly investigate him,¡± she said, ¡°The first time I saw him, I knew he was different, and I even heard that Yang Hongzhi is now mentally unstable and going crazy. I don¡¯t know what the reason might be, but you never know, it could be rted to him.¡±


    Su Li didn¡¯t say anything, and she stared right in front without blinking, deep in thought¡ªhe possessed unbelievable basketball skills, had mastery over four foreignnguages, and now he had just disyed god-like driving skills; no matter how one looked at it, there was no way Xiao Luo was an ordinary person. Su Li suddenly felt that she hardly knew anything about Xiao Luo and realized that whatever she knew about him was merely the tip of the iceberg.


    In the Trumpchi, Su Canye¡¯s face was as white as a sheet, he looked terrible, and he felt even worse. Being apetitive racer himself, he should already have gotten used to drifting at high speeds, but in the little time that he had spent riding in this Trumpchi with Xiao Luo, he finally had to admit that he couldn¡¯t handle it at all. To be more precise, it wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t used to drifting, but rather, it was the death-defying way that his brother-inw, Xiao Luo, drove that he couldn¡¯t get used to, and his head was in a perpetual spin.


    There was no way Xiao Luo could catch up to Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan on the straight course, but on the winding roads of Wild Wolf Mountain, the Trumpchi was like a dragon entering its domain. There was no let-up in speed, whether Xiao Luo was driving on a straight course or driving on the winding road sections, and he seemed topletely ignore the principles of centripetal force and traction.


    Terrified, Su Canye endured the harrowing ride and kept himself from vomiting. ¡°Brother-inw, you¡¯re practically a monster!¡± he said as he stole a nce at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled and looked straight ahead, not wanting to be distracted.


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright, folks¡­ we¡¯re heading towards the serpentine bend now, a tricky, continuous S-shaped section of the course, so let¡¯s see what kind of performance this Dark Horse can put up,¡± thementator said, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please do not blink, because, at the uing S-shaped course, we can see for ourselves how the Trumpchi was able to catch up earlier. Okay, let us all stay alert and have a good look¡­¡±


    Thementator, a tall and skinny young man, was now suddenly giving more attention to the Trumpchi. For, like everyone else, he was extremely curious how this Trumpchi had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and how it was able to catch up despite falling so far behind in the early part of the race.


    Everyone had their eyes on therge screen, paying full attention to the race and hardly daring to breathe or blink an eye. They had a strong hunch that this Trumpchi would reveal its true potential soon and would charge all the way to the finish line.


    ¡°Keep dreaming, as long as I drift towards the innerne every single time, he can forget about overtaking me!¡±


    Lei Shijian was getting updates through his co-driver¡¯s phone and was aware of everyone¡¯s sentiments. The posts wereing in fast and furious, and he wasn¡¯t pleased with what he heard. As a right turn came up, Lei Shijian immediately took the rightne to initiate his drift, thereby negating any chance Xiao Luo had of overtaking him.

 Chapter 419 - Supernatural

    <h2>Chapter 419: Supernatural</h2>


    At Lei Shijian entered the turn, his primary intention was to prevent the Trumpchi from taking the insidene. He moved his Porsche to the rightne and changed down, locking his rear wheels momentarily to initiate the drift. But, before Lei Shijian could even get back on the gas to power through the drift, Xiao Luo instantly made use of the split-second opportunity to pass the Porsche on its left.


    ¡°Oh, my, oh, my God! What do we see here? The Trumpchi has overtaken the Wolf King from the outside! The driver deliberately took the leftne and shot past Wolf King, but he¡¯s pretty close to the exit point, so I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s in a good position to initiate the drift safely. Can he still make it in time now, or will the rear end of his car bump into the outer guardrail?¡±


    Thementator, a tall and skinny young man, raised his voice in excitement as he described the action. But, anxiety was written all over his face knowing the precarious position the Trumpchi was ining into the right turn.


    The crowd viewing the race from the giant screen broke into a cold sweat as they watched the Trumpchi passing the Porsche without initiating drift. The point that Wolf King had chosen to slide into the drift was undoubtedly the optimum spot, as he sustained the drift through the corner, making sure that he wouldn¡¯t lose control of the car. Had he done it any time earlier or eventer, there was a good chance that he would not be in full control of the car resulting in a possible crash. The Trumpchi had passed the optimum point to initiate the drift, and with that, exposed itself to a very high risk of not making a proper entry at the exit point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll change myst name to his if he doesn¡¯t roll over this time!¡±


    Shen Qingyan was incredulous and, at the same time, furious at Xiao Luo¡¯s reckless actions, for it went against everything that she knew about racing here in Wild Wolf Mountain. Forget the Devil¡¯s Corner earlier on, for what he was doing now was next to impossible to pull off, and itpletely ignored the principle of centripetal force. How could he expect to get away with it every time?


    Right after Shen Qingyan said that she saw the Trumpchi power-slide into a drift. It did so without reducing its speed at all, and in a low gear, the rear wheels were loaded up, spinning hard, and momentarily losing traction to power the car through sideways. Xiao Luo modted the throttle and counter-steered the wheel to keep the drift going. It was like a beautiful skating performance on the ice, and the Trumpchi strained to hold its drift position on the outerne as the oversteer pushed it wide, and the back bumper kept getting closer to the guardrail.


    ¡°1 meter, 0.5 meters, 0.3 meters¡­


    ¡°20 centimeters, 15 centimeters, 10 centimeters, 5 centimeters¡­¡±


    There was tension and dread in thementator¡¯s nervous voice as he gripped his microphone tightly with his eyes peeled onto the huge screen. He was paying close attention to the distance between the back of the Trumpchi and the guardrail, for, the moment they bumped, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what would happen considering the speed the vehicle was going at right. It was very likely that the Trumpchi would spin out of control and crash, breaking up into hundreds of pieces.


    From the crowd at the Wild Wolf Mountain to the online forum¡¯s followers, everyone watched the action without blinking an eye, reluctant to miss such an epic moment. The atmosphere was thick with anxiety and a lingering sense of foreboding.


    As Lei Shijian was mid-way through the drift, counter-steering and keeping the nose of the Porsche toward the exit point, he glimpsed at his rear mirror to check on the Trumpchi, which had only now initiated its drift. As a racer himself, Lei Shijian was fully aware of the Trumpchi¡¯s predicament and knew this was a matter of life and death.


    ¡°Oh, my God, I¡¯m never ever racing again!¡±


    In the Trumpchi, Su Canye shut his eyes in fear and screamed wildly as his mind went nk. While people raced for thrills and excitement, his brother-inw, Xiao Luo, pushed the envelope and seemed to be living life on the edge, putting the lives of people at stake. Each time the Trumpchi powered into the drift, Su Canye felt like the car was about to flip over, and every single time it almost did. Su Canye could take no more, the psychological toll it was taking on him was wearing him down, and he was losing it.


    Xiao Luo kept his cool and his eyes on the bend. He had powered in and went into shift lock mode to initiate the drift, quickly counter-steering to keep the nose in line as the high torque helped to sustain the slide into the exit point. Xiao Luo¡¯s hands and feet working instinctively to prevent the car from fishtailing into the guardrail.


    ¡°Oh, no, the Trumpchi has scraped the rail! The back of the Trumpchi had knocked into the guardrail!¡±


    Thementator screamed into the mic, and as his voice carried across the foot of the mountain, everyone¡¯s heart thumped with trepidation. Some looked away from therge screen or had their hands over their eyes, unable to bear watching the Trumpchi crash to its fate. Their minds were already ying out the crash and the casualties as a result of it.


    Everyone cringed in dread as they waited for the imminent crash, but, lo and behold, the Trumpchi did not smash into the guardrail. Instead, Xiao Luo had powered the SUV into the drift, causing massive oversteer, but he counter-steered and bnced the throttle smoothly to keep it under control. And, as the rear wheels gained traction once more, he gassed the pedal to correct the slide into the exit point and steadilypleted the drift out of the bend. The Trumpchi was now in the first ce!


    The P.A. system boomed across the ground, and thementator was ecstatic. ¡°Oh, my God, it didn¡¯t crash¡­ this is absolutely exhrating! The Trumpchi made the drift and did not bump into the guardrail, missing it with barely a few centimeters to spare. Unbelievable, is this ¡®The God of the Mountain¡¯ himself driving the Trumpchi? What a driver!¡± he screamed.


    All the fans were so immersed in the race that they cheered heartily. Whether at the Wild Wolf Mountain or in the forum, everyone was filled with an indescribable sense of euphoria.


    On the huge screen, the Trumpchi maneuvered itself like a ghost in the middle of the night¡ªdrifting, skidding as it fought to align itself, and powering through the exit point of the right-bend. It entered the bend like a tiger and exited like a dragon, flying down the road with no hesitation or any signs of slowing down. As a result, the Trumpchi had widened its distance with the Porsche and Maserati.


    When everyone suddenly realized that the Trumpchi was now leading the race out of Devil¡¯s Corner, another rousing cheer went up. They watched in awe as it managed to catch up by making use of the multiple sharp turns in the Wild Wolf Mountain, and, what a supreme effort it was, making small gains after exiting each bend. Eventually, the Trumpchi caught up by the time they had reached Devil¡¯s Corner. As there were many more bends up ahead, everyone backed the Trumpchi to widen its lead.


    ¡°He¡¯s the ¡®God of Racing,¡¯ this guy is a god!¡±


    ¡°What they say is true, you can¡¯t judge a person by their appearance, just as you can¡¯t measure the sea with a pint pot. Who would have thought this guy would be this formidable¡ªhe caught up with Wolf King and Queen, and he was just driving the Trumpchi. This kind of driving ability is super cool!¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who can tell me what that guy¡¯s name is? I want to be his apprentice!¡±


    The image of the Trumpchi¡¯s superb drifting technique passing through countless bends had been firmly imprinted into the minds of the fans, and everyone was interested and curious to know more about Xiao Luo, and some even worshipped him.


    Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan werepletely stunned as their supercars suddenly seemed insignificantpared to the Trumpchi.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, we¡¯ll have topensate the five million dors!¡±


    The co-driver of the Porsche cried out, looking dejected and even appeared to be losing his voice. ¡°That guy pretended to be weak just to take advantage of us, to think that he could overtake us when he¡¯s just driving a Trumpchi. We¡¯re bound to have topensate this time around,¡± he croaked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know sh*t, it¡¯s not like all the roads of Wild Wolf Mountain are filled with corners like this. There¡¯s a straight road up ahead that is two kilometers long, and that¡¯s more than enough for me to overtake him!¡±


    Lei Shijian snarled, but inwardly, even he was very worried. It was undeniable that Xiao Luo¡¯s driving skills were above both his and Shen Qingyan. If Xiao Luo had been driving a supercar, he would have already won the race by now. Even driving a Trumpchi, it was still hard to determine who was going to win it.


    Desperately, Lei Shijian red at the taillights of the Trumpchi right in front of him, and as it started weaving through the bends and was about to leave his sight, he scowled: ¡°Bloody, who the hell is this kid? That is way too odd!¡±


    In the Maserati, Shen Qingyan was equally baffled and regretted her earlier words. ¡°F*ck looks like I¡¯ve to change my surname to his now,¡± she said.


    Su Li looked pale as she sat quietly in her seat in a state of shock, though her eyes glinted when she saw how capable Xiao Luo was atpetitive racing. It was simply unbelievable, but wasn¡¯t he previously just a worker at Jiangcheng? Lots of questions started to pop up in her head!


    ¡°Ah, forget it, I¡¯m going to ignore that jerk for now. I can¡¯t afford to lose to Lei Shijian no matter what!¡±


    Shen Qingyan stopped thinking about Xiao Luo and put her mind back into winning the race. She had to find an opportunity to overtake Lei Shijian.


    ¡­.


    ¡°Oh, wow, the Trumpchi¡¯s performance at Devil¡¯s Corner was incredible. He has increased the distance between himself and Wolf King, but this is a threep race, so there¡¯s still a way to go to the g. The question is, can the Trumpchi maintain its lead right through to the end? Up ahead, there¡¯s a straight road that is two kilometers long. Can he withstand the pressure from the supercar with that engine of his?¡± thementator said.


    God of Racing! God of Racing!! God of Racing!!!


    Loud cheers broke out at the Wild Wolf Mountain, as everyone raised their fists and cheered for the Trumpchi. The underdog hadpletely won over the crowd, and many of them mentioned that they were going to go back, get a Trumpchi and try driving in the Wild Wolf Mountain race with it.


    ¡­

 Chapter 420 - To Put What You Have just Learnt into Practice

    <h2>Chapter 420: To Put What You Have just Learnt into Practice</h2>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi continued to maintain its lead through the winding sections of Wild Wolf Mountain until finally, they hade to the stretch just up ahead. It was a two-kilometer straight section of the course. This was where it¡¯d start getting a little challenging for the Trumpchi as it had its limitations, both in the power output its engine and the drag coefficient of the car. Therge SUV had a top speed of two hundred kilometers per hour on the straight and could go no faster than that.


    This was where the supercars of Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan would have the advantage, and they immediately floored their gas pedals the moment they got into that portion of the course. They were both going at roughly three hundred kilometers per hour, almost as fast as the high-speed rail.


    The two supercars streaked along the straight like a couple of phantoms, one in the front of the other, and quickly chipped away at the Trumpchi¡¯s hard-earned lead.


    ¡°The supercars are showing us what they¡¯re made of at this moment. We can see that Wolf King and Queen are chasing down the Trumpchi like two wild beasts. The lead that the Trumpchi fought so hard to get is quickly diminishing, and they¡¯re now getting closer, barely twenty meters away¡­ oh, alright, forget I even said that¡­


    ¡°When they got to the gasoline drums, Wolf King and Queen had overtaken the Trumpchi, one after the other, and once again, they¡¯re back to the same situation they were in during the previousps. Oh, the Trumpchi isgging far behind now; that didn¡¯t take too long! There¡¯s no way that it canpete with a supercar. But, we never know; there is still a possibility that it might snatch the lead position again as the race progresses. After all, wouldn¡¯t you all agree that a ¡®God¡¯ is driving the Trumpchi?¡±


    The tall and skinny young man provided a runningmentary on the mic, keeping the crowd well informed. His entire face was dripping with sweat from all the hard work of shouting, and blue veins were bulging visibly from his neck and forehead. He had been screaming excitedly into the mic since the race began, and his voice was slowly getting hoarse.


    Nobody in the crowd cheered along with him any longer. The Trumpchi was now more than fifty meters behind the supercars, and this distance would only keep increasing from hereon. Although the Trumpchi had managed to catch up in thestp, nobody was sure that it would be able to catch up again this time around.


    ¡°Oi, you got to give the Trumpchi some screen time thisp, I¡¯ll break your damn car if you don¡¯t give it some.¡±


    ¡°Right, you have to give it some screen time. I want to watch the Trumpchi drift, I really admire its technique.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t care if you skip Wolf King and Queen¡¯s screen time, but you have to give the Trumpchi some coverage. Otherwise, I don¡¯t care what kind of support or backing your video team has, I¡¯ll go get myself a machete and chop all of you to death.¡±


    Suddenly, a sizeable group of fans became aggressive. Clenching their fists, they ran up to the tall and skinny young man shouting at him. They were diehard fans of the Trumpchi now, and there were also countless posts appearing in the forum, many of them threatening to do something drastic if the Trumpchi was not given more air time.


    Under pressure from the crowd, the video team had no choice but to track the Trumpchi using the drone. When the huge screen disyed the Trumpchi¡¯s daring maneuvers to enter and exit corners at unbelievable speeds, drifting while ignoring thews of the centripetal force, even members of the video team were stunned. They immediately used the drone to shoot a 360-degree coverage of the Trumpchi.


    To cheers from the crowd, the huge screen was now showing multiple perspectives of the Trumpchi. There were shots from above, both the side views and even from the front. The live feed provided detailed views of every stage of the Trumpchi¡ªat the point of initiating the drift, sustaining the slide, and powering through the exit points of each corner. Not only was the Trumpchi speeding through the Wild Wolf Mountain course, but It was also capturing everyone¡¯s hearts and imagination, bringing to the event a unique and aesthetically pleasing performance that stirred the soul.


    ¡°Wow, this is way too beautiful¡­ his drifting skills are just way too beautiful!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no wavering or hesitation at all; afterpleting the drift, he powers through at full throttle. The transition between the drift and the straight-ahead position is superb.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is saying that the Trumpchi has ovee gravity and the centripetal force. No, it¡¯s more urate to say that, when ites to the Trumpchi, these factors don¡¯t apply to it!¡±


    Everyone found the Trumpchi amazing and admired the beauty of its elegant drifts and speedy, high-risk maneuvers. The Trumpchi was now a legend; it was like it was possessed by the spirit of Wild Wolf Mountain.


    As Lei Shijian and Shen Qingyan were racing against one another, they were also constantly checking their rear-view mirrors, fully aware that the Trumpchi was capable of catching up at any given moment.


    As soon as they arrived at the Devil¡¯s Corner, a ring light came up from behind them once again!


    ¡°Damn it, I knew he was going to be able to catch up!¡±


    A tone of agitation could be detected in Lei Shijian¡¯s hoarse voice, for the Trumpchi was like a nightmare that refused to leave him. And, no matter what he did, he just couldn¡¯t seem to get rid of it.


    ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡± the medium-built man in the passenger seat asked. With a five-million-dor wager hanging over their heads, Lei Shijian¡¯s co-driver was frantic as it was arge sum of money topensate.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? There¡¯s still a long way left to go, and as long as I don¡¯t make any mistakes, it¡¯s going to be really hard for him to overtake me. Even if we take ten thousand steps back, and, on the off-chance, he does overtake me, I can easily reim the lead on the straight course right up ahead. There¡¯s no need to panic at all!¡±


    Lei Shijian said with great confidence, and he was convinced that he had everything under control. He wasn¡¯t very concerned about the Trumpchi, but he knew he had to pay close attention to Shen Qingyan. Now that he was in the lead, he only needed to ensure that Shen Qingyan could not overtake him, and he was going to make it impossible for her to do so. Considering the disparity in the skill levels between Shen Qingyan and him wasn¡¯t significant, the NOx injection system that he had installed before thispetition would have a crucial part to y. It was put in there precisely for him to use against Shen Qingyan at the Devil¡¯s Corner. Without installing an injector of her own, there was virtually nothing Shen Qingyan could do to overtake him.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve once again arrived at the thrilling Devil¡¯s Corner. We can see that Wolf King and Queen will be entering the corner soon. And, right now, the Trumpchi is roughly sixty to seventy meters behind them, so it is almost impossible for it to be able to do anything at the Devil¡¯s Corner this time. But, let¡¯s pay close attention to Queen¡¯s car¡ªshe seems to be trying a maneuver¡­ is it possible that she mighte up with something incredible here?


    Here it is, without engaging his nitrogen injector, Wolf King has chosen the outerne to negotiate Devil¡¯s Corner. We can see that he¡¯s drifting into this bend now¡­ yes, very swift and good control there. Wolf King is definitely not bragging about his skills. He¡¯s worthy of being hailed the King of the Wild Wolf Mountain. Oh, no¡­ no, no, no, oh, my God, what do I see here? Queen has actually taken the innerne, and she¡¯s initiated her drift. What is she¡­ she can¡¯t possibly be having thoughts about trying to overtake Wolf King from the inside, can she?¡±


    Thementator¡¯s words immediately stirred the crowd up, and everyone was on the edge of their seats. The fans following the race were not amateurs and were very knowledgeable about the course. They knew how terrifying the Devil¡¯s Corner was, and many were convinced that drifting at this speed, and without the NOx injection system topensate for the centripetal force, Shen Qingyan was going to lose control of the car. Of course, the Trumpchi was an exception since a ¡®God¡¯ was driving that car.


    Did Queen have god-like skills as well? Well, they¡¯d soon find out¡­


    Everyone had their eyes glued to the huge screen, watching in trepidation as the Maserati negotiate Devil¡¯s Corner. They were really curious to know if Queen could do what the Trumpchi did and manage an inside drift at this notorious bend. If she seeded, she would beat the Wolf King at the turn ande out on top.


    ¡°She¡¯s entering the corner now. Queen chose to take the corner using the innerne, and she has initiated the drift now¡­ that¡¯s the power of a supercar, just look at that¡ªthere¡¯s a lot of torque spinning those wheels. She¡¯s powering in on a shift lock, and she¡¯s caught up to Wolf King now¡­ but she¡¯s oversteered, one side of her car is already off the ground! Oh, no¡­ don¡¯t tell me a tragedy is about to ur, is Queen done for here? Don¡¯t tell me we are about to witness something terrible to this prettydy?¡±


    Thementator was yelling into the microphone with his voice gone hoarse, and everyone was feeling the rising tension.


    ¡°Is this woman crazy as well?¡±


    Lei Shijian muttered, ncing at the Maserati in horror. There was only one driver who had sessfully made the innerne drift at the Devil¡¯s Corner without using a nitrogen injection system, and that guy was now behind the wheels of the Trumpchi, catching up on them from astern. Out of all the myriad possibilities, he never imagined that Shen Qingyan would be tried to overtake him from the inside. Was she losing her ability to think clearly because she refused to lose?


    At that precise moment, Shen Qingyan shouted, ¡°Stabilize now!¡±


    She released the handbrakes and counter-steered the wheel vigorously. The Maserati was about to flip when it suddenly regained stability, and Shen Qingyan managed to keep the car on the track.


    ¡­

 Chapter 421 - A Tornado

    <h2>Chapter 421: A Tornado</h2>


    ¡°Incredible! Queen has kept her car under controlled¡ªshe has managed to stabilize her Maserati at the veryst second; she has not lost control of her car, folks! The car did not flip over¡­ it did not flip over¡­ it did not flip over¡­ I¡¯m even repeating this three times¡ªit¡¯s just unbelievable! Okay, the car is still on the track, and Queen has taken the same approach as the Trumpchi, mimicking it to every detail. Did Queen closely observe the Trumpchi taking the Devil¡¯s Corner in the previousps? She must have figured out from there the best way to power slide into the innerne drift. If that is the case, then our Queen is a true master racer in her own right!¡±


    Thementator, a tall and skinny man, was ecstatic as he enthusiastically screamed in the mic, keeping the crowd abreast with the ongoing action and sharing his insights on matters of interest. ¡°Look, the Queen has overtaken Wolf King and regained the first ce! Well, well¡­ what can we say here. If there¡¯s one phrase to describe Queen right now, it would undoubtedly be¡ªpick yourself up from where you¡¯ve fallen,¡± he waxed, ¡°Mastering the Devil¡¯s Corner is the key to winning in this circuit, and as long as the queen makes no major mistake from hereon, and just maintain her lead, then she will win this race hands down.¡±


    ¡°Nice one, Queen!¡±


    ¡°She is absolutely fantastic!¡±


    Although many people were behind the Trumpchi as a result of its amazing performance, many of them were still happy to see Shen Qingyan do well, so they all started cheering loudly for her.


    ******


    ******


    ¡°You picked it up from observing him?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°Yup, that b*stard is quite a freak! To be honest, nobody ever tries to go on the inside at the Devil¡¯s Corner, and I wouldn¡¯t have tried until I saw him do it. After watching him closely, I figured out how.¡±


    Shen Qingyan openly admitted how she managed to pull it off. At such a sharp and narrow bend, most drivers would¡¯ve preferred to shift down to initiated the drift, but Xiao Luo chose to power over instead and induce the oversteer right at the turn. This required a sudden and quick increase in power, and it had to be just the right level, or his car would have gone into a spin. That was what she had observed in Xiao Luo¡¯s perfect drift through the innerne, and she applied it precisely as he had done.


    Su Li listened but remained quiet. She looked back, hoping that Xiao Luo woulde roaring behind them in his Trumpchi. Her expectation of Xiao Luo was naturally higher now, with the recent revtion of his many talents.


    Lei Shijian was seething in his Porsche as he couldn¡¯t believe that Shen Qingyan had passed him, and refused to ept that she had. ¡°That b*tch actually pulled off such an advanced technique! I thought I had this race in the bag with the NOx injection system, but she still managed to pass me at Devil¡¯s Corner¡­ what the f*ck!¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s okay. Even if Queen wins, so what? It¡¯s the Trumpchi that we can¡¯t allow to win, or else it will cost us five million dors to settle the bet we made,¡± his co-driver moaned.


    ¡°Damn, didn¡¯t you see that even when he caught up at Devil¡¯s Corner in thestp, I still managed to overtake him before the end of it. In thisp, we¡¯ve already passed Devil¡¯s Corner, and I don¡¯t even see him yet. He¡¯s still far behind, and he can¡¯t catch up, fat chance he¡¯s going to pass me!¡± Lei Shijian scowled.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ but please just be careful, boss, that dude¡¯s freaky as f*ck.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so noisy, you¡¯re f*cking annoying me!¡±


    Lei Shijian red hard at his co-driver, and that was enough to shut him up immediately.


    In the Trumpchi, Su Canye was pouting and throwing up a tantrum like a crybaby. ¡°We can¡¯t win at all, the difference between those sportscars and this domestic Trumpchi is like heaven and hell. You can¡¯t possibly make up therge difference even with your skills,¡± he cried.


    ¡°Can you keep that useless mouth of yours shut for once?¡±


    Xiao Luo snarled at Su Canye as he kept his eyes on the road, feeling vexed and finding the incessant whining from Su Canye unbearable. The Trumpchi was now heading towards Devil¡¯s Corner, and Xiao Luo was once again taking the innerne at breakneck speed as he prepared to make the turn.


    Su Canye didn¡¯t stop whining as he found something else to carp about. ¡°Brother-inw, you¡¯re going too fast, it wasn¡¯t this fast thest time¡­ slow down, slow down! If we take the curve at this speed, we¡¯re done for. Please, slow down, I don¡¯t want to die at such a young age!¡±


    It didn¡¯t stop Xiao Luo at all, and as Trumpchi continued to elerate, the engine started to roar like a beast at it homed in on the innerne.


    ¡°Please, God¡­ and Gods of all faiths, please bestow upon me your divine protection and save this poor soul!¡±


    Su Canye shut his eyes and gritted his teeth in terror. He held on tightly to the handrail, and just like most men in the face of extreme danger, he started to pray to the Gods he so often neglected.


    Back at the foot of the Wild Wolf Mountain, therge screen showed the Trumpchi speeding into Devil¡¯s Corner. Thementator could immediately guess what it was trying to do. ¡°Here¡¯s our Dark Horse, the Trumpchi, once again! It¡¯s literally flying into Devil¡¯s corner, look at that speed¡­ and it looks like it wants to repeat that beautiful maneuver again, drifting through the innerne, but it seems to me this time the speed is a tad too quick. Can he make it?¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, the Trumpchi¡¯s rear swung forward as it initiated the drift¡­


    Thementator got back on the mic, his voice louder this time as he spoke with more urgency. ¡°Okay, the Trumpchi has started to drift into the curve now. He powers over and uses his clutch to induce drift, that¡¯s how he does it. Look at that control¡­ it¡¯s sliding perfectly, and he needs quick hands to control the steering wheel, very little room for error there,¡± thementator exined, ¡°What a beau¡­ oh, wait, there¡¯s a situation here. Oh, no, the left wheels are off the ground! Oh my god, how could this happen? Did he steer into the turn too early? Didn¡¯t thest time go pretty smoothly?¡±


    Suddenly, everyone¡¯s attention was on the screen, and they all held their breaths in trepidation.


    The left wheels of Trumpchi started to lift higher off the ground, then without any warning, the entire car flipped over the outer guardrail and flew off the cliff.


    ¡°Oh, my God! It¡¯s bad, the Trumpchi has flipped over the cliff, and it¡¯s at least a four hundred meters fall; even an immortal would not survive if he fell from there. Oh my God, let¡¯s pray for the best¡ªmay our legend be safe tonight!¡± Thementator grieved, for when he saw the Trumpchi flying off the cliff, he could hardly control the emotion in his voice. Even as amentator, he somehow had a strong personal attachment to the Trumpchi.


    The Trumpchi is done for!


    Falling off the cliff meant instant death, and nobody could save them, not even a legion of immortals.


    But, things took a shocking turn, for the Trumpchi did not plummet to the bottom as everyone thought, but started spinning like a tornado towards the other side of the road. It seemed like it had spun off by leveraging on the rotational force of the flip.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I¡­w-what did I just witnessed here? The Trumpchi is flying in the air; it¡¯s like something out of an anime flick¡ªlike ¡®Bakus¨­ Ky¨­dai Let¡¯s & Go!¡¯ It¡¯s like Victory Magnum¡¯s ¡®Magnum Tornado!''¡± thementator raved. He was hysterical, screaming excitedly into the mic with his voice trembling from shock and disbelief.


    The crowd was in a stupor and waspletely dumbfounded. Whether at Wild Wolf Mountain of following through the online forum, no one could believe what they saw, and they all just started cheering hysterically. They had all just witnessed a miracle!


    ¡°What did I just see, the Trumpchi¡­it was leaping over the cliff!¡±


    ¡°A divine being must have taken control of the steering wheel of this Trumpchi, it must be!¡±


    ¡°Is this actually an acrobatic car show?¡±


    When they all witnessed could only happen in the movies, or so they thought, until tonight. This was unprecedented and simply unbelievable.


    Thementator quickly regained his senses and got on the mic again. ¡°There¡¯s a U-shaped curve right after the Devil¡¯s corner, and the road after the bend is only twenty meters away from where the Trumpchi went over. If the Trumpchi can somehownd on that road, it would find itself at least two hundred meters ahead of Queen and Wolf King¡­ fromst to first ce. Oh, my gosh, this is insane!¡±


    ¡­

 Chapter 422 - As Everyone Hoped

    Chapter 422: As Everyone Hoped


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioTo see the Trumpchi lose control and fly off a cliff was a horrifying sight, but who would¡¯ve imagined that the race would take such a strange twist? To the fans who were following the race, the Trumpchi¡¯s miraculous escape from the brink of disaster was simply unbelievable, and many were still asking themselves what had actually happened and how on Earth the Trumpchi had pulled it off.


    ¡°What the heck is that?¡±


    Lei Shijian had just brought his Porsche around the U-bend, and when he looked up ahead in the distance, he saw the shing headlights of a vehicle crashing over the cliff at Devil¡¯s Corner. Incredibly, it was spinning across the ravine toward the stretch of road that Lei Shijian was now driving on¡ªhis jaws dropped, and he was shocked beyond words!


    ¡°B-boss¡­ Trumpchi, it¡¯s that Trumpchi! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s flying across from the cliff¡­¡±


    Lei Shijian¡¯s co-driver was equally shocked and stuttered as he pointed the Trumpchi spinning across the ravine, like a tornado in the air. Had he not witnessed it first hand, he would never have believed it.


    In the Red Maserati, both Shen Qingyan and Su Li were astounded, and their eyes bulged as they stared incredulously at the Trumpchi, which was flying across the ravine. Its trajectory seemed like it would bending in the road up ahead.


    And, true enough, a momentter, the Trumpchinded on the same road that Lei Shinjian and Shen Qingyan had just turned into after going through Devil¡¯s corner. Clearing the 20-meter gap over the ravine, the Trumpchinded perfectly at a low angle and immediately started skidding out of control from the spin. Xiao Luo counter-steered, controlling the drift, and soon, the Trumpchi found its traction and zoomed toward the finish line.


    Incredible, it soared some twenty meters across the ravine!


    Shen Qingyan gasped and muttered, ¡°Is that bastard some kind of a god?¡±


    She had always regarded herself as an excellent racecar driver and tended to look down on everyone else. However, when she saw Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi flipping over the guardrail at Devil¡¯s Corner, and then soaring over the ravine tond safely in front of her, she had to admit to herself that the gap between Xiao Luo and her was as wide as the distance of that jump. She may have been able to learn his inside drift technique, to replicate the ¡°tornado¡± stunt at Devil¡¯s Corner would be simply beyond her.


    The ¡°tornado¡± technique went beyond technical skills¡ªit needed extraordinary mental fortitude and raw courage to sessfully pull off this move, and she possessed neither of those.


    ¡°He¡¯s recklessly gambling with his life!¡±


    Su Li had just recovered from the shock, and she disproved of Xiao Luo¡¯s risky maneuverpletely. It was pure luck that he hadnded safely, and had anything gone wrong in the process, both her husband and brother would have died right there and then. She could not bear to lose either of them.


    A raucous cheer broke out at the foot of Wild Wolf Mountain, and thousands of ecstatic fans following the feed in the forum were posting raves¡ªall the people cheered wildly for Xiao Luo¡¯s incredible heroics. Screams and shouts resounded across the ground as everyone paid homage to that special and unique maneuver from the Trumpchi. Thementator came on the mic once again and said, ¡°He made it¡­ the Trumpchi made it! this is absolutely the most breathtaking moment at the Wild Wolf Mountain challenge since we started racing here¡­ it was simply majestic, an incredible performance, I¡¯m sure you all agree!¡±


    ******


    ******


    With the Trumpchi¡¯s maneuver, the race was approaching the final stretch before the finish line¡­


    At the point of the jump, Trumpchi had a lead of over two hundred meters, and he pushed through several more bends after Devil¡¯s corner to extend the lead to five hundred meters.


    Shen Qingyan was right behind Trumpchi, while Lei Shijian was training behind the Maserati. However, the two supercars were now going at breakneck speed and beginning to catch up with the Trumpchi after they cleared thest of the winding sections of Wild Wolf Mountain. Back at the foot of Wild Wolf Mountain, a chorus of cheers and incessant shouts of encouragement for the Trumpchi reverberated across the ground. It was the same on the forum as everyone was rooting for the Trumpchi to win this race.


    Thementator came back on the air, and his voice was amplified by the sound system and echoed across the valleys of Wild Wolf Mountain. ¡°It¡¯s the finalp, we¡¯re here at the finalp¡­ let¡¯s see if the Trumpchi can keep its lead right to the finish line! Keep going, Trumpchi, keep going, my God of Racing!¡± he enthused. He even clenched his fist as he cheered for the Trumpchi.


    The three vehicles were speeding like demons toward the two ming oil barrels right at the foot of Wild Wolf Mountain.


    The ck Trumpchi was still in the lead, with the red Maserati following closely behind, while the silver Porsche wasst and desperately trying to catch up.


    ¡°First ce is mine; nobody can take it away!¡±


    Filled with anxiety, Lei Shijian clenched his teeth and floored the gas pedal.


    This was equivalent to thestp in a marathon race where the runners would push themselves and expend every ounce of their remaining strength to sprint to the endpoint, and undoubtedly, the three cars were also at their limit.


    ¡°We¡¯re very close, two hundred meters¡­ one hundred meters¡­ fifty meters¡­ twenty meters¡­ they¡¯re too fast, it¡¯s a photo finish! We can¡¯t tell; all we saw was that three of them had crossed the finish line at the same time. Come, let us view from the slow-mo video yback.¡±


    Thementator requested the video team for yback, and it was soon the footage was projected on therge screen. And only after reducing the speed of the video by twenty times did they finally confirm the winner¡ªthe Trumpchi prevailed! It held its lead right to the tape and was followed by the red Maserati in second ce. Lei Shijian, in his silver Porsche, unfortunately, came inst.


    ¡°The first ce goes to the Trumpchi! Ladies and gentlemen, the Trumpchi had won this race, and I¡¯m sure that was what everyone had hoped for. Come on, let¡¯s give our Trumpchi, the Dark Horse, an enthusiastic round of apuse. He has won our utmost respect!¡±


    Thementator, a tall and slender man, was ted as he roared and waxed lyrically for the Trumpchi.


    God of Racing! God of Racing! God of Racing!


    A cadence had started at the foot of Wild Wolf Mountain, and all eyes were on the Trumpchi as it approached them. There was nothing but respect and worships in their eyes. It was ironic that one race was all it took to totally change their opinion about a guy they had totally ignored initially. Right now, this guy had transcended into a god-like being and worthy of their worship.


    Bang. Bang.


    The Trumpchi¡¯s front doors were kicked open, and both Xiao Luo and Su Canye hade out. The former stepped out, as calm as ever, while thetter stumbled out and immediately started to vomit vigorously.


    ¡°Useless!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around and said in a hushed voice.


    I~! @#$%¡­


    Su Canye lifted his head intending to react to Xiao Luo¡¯s sneer, but instead, he continued to vomit away. He had traveled to hell and came back to this race. The worst part was flipping off the cliff and spinning like a tornado¡ªduring that amazing leap, he felt like he was inside a washing machine and saw the world spinning around weirdly. While, for the spectators, their view was that of the majestic aerial maneuver. Even after leaving the car, he was still dizzy and seeing stars, the same sensation one got from spinning around for a few hundred rounds, then trying to remain standing up.


    Like a reporter, thementator came over to Xiao Luo with a mic and interviewed him, and there was another team recording them with a video camera.


    ¡°God of Racing, you¡¯re my idol! Can you share with us your feeling of winning this race?¡±


    ¡°P**s off, don¡¯t shoot me.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied coldly and covered the video camera with its lens cap.


    He turned around and walked over to the silver Porsche that had just tottered back.


    Thementator felt very awkward, and all he could was to say, ¡°Our God of Racing is very unique!¡±


    With everyone staring at Xiao Luo, he approached Lei Shijian and the rest of the Wild Wolf Mountain motorsports racing team, who had gathered around them.


    After looking at Shen Qingyan¡¯s red Maserati, Xiao Luo walked up to Lei Shijian and eyed him. He then gestured with his hand and said, ¡°Return my deposit, and don¡¯t forget, you now owe me five million!¡±


    Lei Shijian looked at Xiao Luo in terror and asked, ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡±


    This man had beaten him with a locally manufactured Trumpchi. And on top of that, he intimidated Lei Shijian and gave him an unforgettable and terrifying impression in his heart.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, and send me the money now, I don¡¯t have much time to waste with you,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Five million dors was not a small sum, and it was more than enough to cover the racing team¡¯s expenses for half a year.


    Should he y dirty?Lei Shijian had some dark ideas in his head, but he could not afford to do so at present. This race was being streamed live and under the scrutiny of thousands of eyes. He would have to pick a suitable time to not ruin their entire underground racing industry at the Wild Wolf Mountain.

 Chapter 423 - : Men in Black

    Chapter 423: Men in ck


    In the end, Xiao Luo not only got back his money, but he also earned an extra five million dors for himself. Su Canye also had his Bentley returned to him, and he was thrilled beyond words. He rediscovered his mojo and immediately started giving cat-calls to thedies at the ground, unable to refrain from showing off.


    As a mega-celebrity, Su Li had a reputation to protect, so she stayed in the red Maserati throughout to avoid being seen. Her eyes, however, were always on Xiao Luo, and she began to notice that this man had a mysterious yet maic charm about him. Xiao Luo was only garbed in nondescript, all-ck clothing, but his neat appearance, fairplexion, and smoldering dark eyes gave him a self-assured and extraordinary persona.


    Su Li had never taken the time to actually observe Xiao Luo before this, but now that she had, she realized that there was no way she¡¯d be able to see through theplexities hidden within this man. Not too long ago, she believed that Xiao Luo was simply a shallow, unambitious person, but from what she saw now, he was, in fact, a man that possessed many hidden talents; and, one had to peel off ayer at a time to find them. She only recently found out that he could speak four different foreignnguages, and today, she saw for herself what a talented racer he was, possessing even better racing skills than her best friend, Shen Qingyan. How could such a person be a mere sryman?


    Shen Qingyan got out of her car and approached Xiao Luo. She shook her head in disbelief and giving him a wry smile, she asked, ¡°Tell me, where did you learn how to drive a car like that?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her with a straight face. ¡°I¡¯m self-taught,¡± he replied.


    Xiao Luo then opened his car door, and before he got in, he nced at Su Li but did not greet her, knowing that she did not wish to be exposed. With that, the Trumpchi roared to life, then surged forward a short distance before Xiao Luo did a 360-degree spin and drove away.


    ¡°That was so cool, is this the charm of a god?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not charm but the attitude of a god.¡±


    ¡°What confidence and courage to go off a cliff and jump over a ravine¡ªhe is the rightful God of Racing of our Wild Wolf Mountain!¡±


    As Xiao Luo made his stylish exit from the Wild Wolf Mountain, he left the crowd there and those following in the online feed, in a state of awe and worship. Nobody could forget his impressive driving skills and the near-death maneuver he performed at Devil¡¯s Corner, now known to the fans as the ¡®Leap of Faith,¡± and, overnight, Xiao Luo had be a legend in Wild Wolf Mountain.


    ¡°Brother-inw, wait for me!¡±


    Su Canye shouted and hurriedly jumped into his Bentley car and took off after Xiao Luo.


    Although the whole affair was harrowing and even painful for Su Canye, the result was gratifying, and everything worked out for him in the end¡ªhe got his Bentley back. Xiao Luo had earned his most profound respect for his skills and physical capabilities, which he thought were extraordinarily superhuman, and he had now made up his mind to follow Xiao Luo from hereon.


    ¡°Su Canye, that b*stard! I am the one who won his car back for him, and he didn¡¯t even bother to thank me.¡± Shen Qingyanined, feeling very unhappy about it.


    ¡°Alright, just forget about them, drinks are on me tonight!¡± Su Li responded, feelingpelled to speak up for Su Canye.


    ¡°Li, I¡¯m only sparing him because he¡¯s your younger brother. If it wasn¡¯t for that, I would definitely have pped him until his face swelled up like a pig¡¯s head!¡±


    Shen Qingyan was still piqued when she got into her car. With typical mboyance, she then left the ground with a shy drift, leaving a trail of dust clouds behind as her red Maserati sped off like a crimson phantom.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo stopped by a small stall by the road along the way home and ordered a bowl of souped rice-noodles. It was just like what he used to have when he was in Jiangcheng. He liked the smooth texture of the noodles and the fragrance and lightness of this slurpy soup dish.


    Su Canye, who was right behind him, pulled over before making his way to Xiao Luo¡¯s table and plonked himself on the stool beside him. However, before he sat down, he first took a napkin to wipe the table and the chair three times. He had a disgusted look on his face as he said, ¡°Brother-inw, why do youe to such a ce to eat? I mean, look at the stall¡ªit¡¯s so dirty and located just by the roadside where there¡¯s dust everywhere. I¡¯m quite sure that you¡¯ll suffer from food poisoning if you keep eating in ces like this.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°Did I ask you along?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ err, you¡¯re right, I am the shameless one who decided to follow you here.¡±


    Su Canye coughed awkwardly, and to fit into the scene, he promptly ced an order with the stall owner, for the sake of having something inmon with Xiao Luo. ¡°Waiter, serve me the same thing as my brother-inw ordered,¡± he called out.


    Waiter?!


    The stall owner was quite amused when he heard that, but he smiled politely and responded, ¡°Alright, please wait for a moment.¡±


    It was fortunate that it was in the middle of ate-night, and nobody else was around. Otherwise, people would definitely haveughed at Su Canye. The stall owner was a hardworking man, and he was not offended at all by Su Canye.


    Xiao Luo broke intoughter and said, ¡°Haha, you¡¯re funny¡­ the way you addressed him is inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve been watching a lot of ancient TV programs, and that¡¯s where I picked it up. Anyway, brother-inw, let¡¯s note to such roadside stalls to eat again for the sake of hygiene. If not for you, I will definitely not¡­ oh wait, your humble younger brother-inw isn¡¯t trying to be patronizing here, but it¡¯s not like we are too poor to afford to go to restaurants, right? Any random restaurant in the city is better than this, isn¡¯t it?¡± Su Canye said.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and offered his own take on the culinary world as he saw it. ¡°The delicacies of our country can be found in themon street food. And you won¡¯t find them by going to the fancy restaurants that you alluded to,¡± he said.


    Su Canye was evidently not convinced. ¡°Really?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not respond to Su Canye and sat in silence, waiting for the food.


    It did not take too long before the stall owner walked over with a tray to serve them the two bowls of steaming hot souped rice-noodles. It looked and smelled delicious with condiments and portions of bak choy on top of the noodles.


    Xiao Luo started to dig in with his chopsticks.


    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t get food poisoning from eating this?¡±


    Su Canye muttered aloud, frowning deeply as he hesitated on whether to eat it or not. But his stomach was growling, and after getting a whiff of the fresh fragrant of the souped rice-noodles, he decided it was worth the risk and started to dig in. He needed to have something inmon with his brother-inw, for what it was worth, and if he actually got food poisoningter, that was a small price to pay.


    He psyched himself up and started to dig in¡­


    Little did he expect that once he started eating, he could not resist finishing the entire bowl.


    ¡°Man, it¡¯s friggin¡¯ yumz¡­ it¡¯s so friggin¡¯ yumz!¡±


    Su Canye ate heartily and was generouslyplimenting the food in between bites, for the texture of the rice-noodles was excellent, it was chewy and fresh, and something he had never had before, which instantly gave him an appetite.


    Sitting next to him, Xiao Luo smiled and shook his head. He was familiar with the Xiahai ng used by Su Canye, by which he meant that the food was ¡°yummy.¡±


    As they were enjoying their bowl of noodles, a ck car was fast approaching from afar, and without warning, it screeched to a halt right in front of the stall. A group of muscr men in ck tees alighted from the car armed with baseball bats and iron pipes.


    They appeared to be following the orders of someone¡ªand that person was none other than Lei Shijian from the Wild Wolf Mountain!


    ¡°What¡¯s the team from Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsports doing here?¡± Su Canye asked, scratching the back of his head.


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°They have a menacing aura, definitely up to no good, by the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that they want the money back?¡±


    Just as Su Canye spoke, Lei Shijian pointed aggressively at Xiao Luo with the baseball bat in his hand. ¡°Boy, if you don¡¯t want to live the rest of your life as a handicap, then you better hand over the money right now. Otherwise, I¡¯ll beat the hell out of you,¡± he said.


    One of his minions stepped up to Xiao Luo and threw the POS machine on the table. Wanting to appear fierce and threatening, he threw it down really hard. Lei Shijian immediately turned to him andshed out, ¡°F*ck you, what are we gonna do if you broke it?¡±


    ¡°Shhhh¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo raised a hand, indicating for Lei Shijian to keep silent.


    Instantly, a cold and dark chill crept across the ground, and everyone felt it. Not only did Xiao Luo and Lei Shijian sense it, but even Su Canye could also feel the strange sensation of impending danger, the feeling one got when being targeted by a prowling beast.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around suddenly and looked over to the east side of the street.


    Lei Shijian and Su Canye and everyone else followed the direction Xiao Luo was looking at, and what they saw made their hairs stand on ends. Two men, dressed in ck and armed with gleaming machetes, were approaching them under the veil of the dark night. They did not make the slightest noise, and nobody would have noticed the assants if Xiao Luo did not alert them to it.


    Shocked, Su Canye blurted out, ¡°F*ck, are they ying assassins like in those ancient dramas?¡±

 Chapter 424 - Non-human

    Chapter 424: Non-human


    It was a dark, quiet night, and two men, d in all-ck garments, were stealthily approaching with evil intent. The unsheathed machetes in their hands glimmered chillingly in the light from the roadmp, and their intentions were evident.


    ¡°Boss, this doesn¡¯t feel right. Should we get out of here?¡±


    A member of the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsport race team whispered to Lei Shijian.


    ¡°Retreat your *ss!¡± Lei Shijian screamed as he gathered himself from the initial shock and smacked the back of the guy¡¯s head. Then, he stared at Xiao Luo and roared, ¡°Boy, do you think you could actually intimidate us by hiring some two-bit actors pretending to be assassins? You¡¯re taking us too lightly. Jin Ying, Ku¡ª I want you to go beat the hell out of those two*ssholes and don¡¯t stop until they kneel before me and beg for my mercy.¡±


    ¡°Okay, boss!¡±


    The two of them, burly men from the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsport team, nodded and made their way to confront the two men in ck, armed with their steel pipes. Confidently, they approached the ck-d men with a cocky swagger, twirling their pipes, and looking down their noses at their adversaries as if they had already beaten them.


    At that moment, Lei Shijian was more concerned about dealing with the men in ck than collecting the money from Xiao Luo, so he prioritized dealing with them first. ¡°Huh, let¡¯s see what kind of dirty tricks you¡¯re pulling¡­ this is f*cking interesting, I¡¯ve heard of police impostors but never of assassin impostors!¡± he blustered.


    ¡°Bid farewell to your brothers, you might have just sent them off to a journey of no return,¡± Xiao Luo quipped.


    These men in ck garb were evidently professional assassins. They were armed, and the way they moved were portents of their evil intentions. Therefore, the order Lei Shijian gave to his brothers was as good as a death sentence. But Xiao Luo did not feel obligated to save these ignorant men who were destined to perish, for their lives had nothing to do with him.


    Lei Shijian did not buy it, and he had already made up his mind that this was one of Xiao Luo¡¯s tricks. ¡°Yo, yo, yo¡­ you¡¯re a pretty good actor yourself. Keep ying, and let¡¯s see how much time you can buy. Were the circumstances different, I would totally nominate you for the Oscars, what a waste,¡± he sneered.


    Xiao Luo smiled and did not respond to his taunts.


    The men in ck garb started to increase their pace like a gust of wind, and strangely, they hardly made a sound even when they appeared to be quickening their steps. They moved in purposefully with murderous intent, machetes held firmly in their hands, and they seemed to be ready to strike at the two members of Lei Shijian¡¯s team, Jin Ying and Ku.


    The two Wild Wolf Mountain team members suddenly turned pale and trembled with fear. Before they could even react, they already felt that the machetes against their throats, and in the next instant, death had already befallen on them as the men in ck raised their machetes sliced through the bodies of Jin Ying and Ku. With their synchronized and precise movements, the men in ck appeared like a single assassin and his shadow.


    sh! sh!


    The bodies of Jin Ying and Ku members literally disintegrated in an eruption of blood and gore. Their torsos were split open and almost cut in two, and as the light left their eyes, their internal organs spilled out to the ground. It was a morbid scene as blood spurted copiously from open cuts and soaked the ground red.


    ¡°Gasp¡­!¡±


    At the sight of the gruesome carnage, Lei Shijian, the Wild Wolf mountain gang, and Su Canye all choked, wide-eyed in fear, and their bodies started trembling uncontrobly. The two men were alive and kicking not moments ago, and just like that, they were now a heap of bloody flesh and body parts. It was a cruel way to die as the ground where their bodiesy was soaked and reeking with the thick scent of blood.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­ murder, murder¡­ someone¡¯s been killed!¡±


    The stall owner fell to the ground in a panic, screaming in horror, then he scrambled up and bolted off without even bothering to close his stall.


    Staring at the bodies, Su Canye also screamed aloud, but before he could even utter a word, he felt his body go cold and sensed a sourness at the back of his throat¡ªthen, without warning, a slurry of undigested rice-noodles and soup surged upward from his stomach, and he vomited the gruel right back into the bowl.


    ¡°B-boss, Jin Ying, Ku¡­ they¡¯re dead¡­ cut in half!¡±


    A member of the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsport team whimpered in a tearful voice. What they had just witnessed was too much to bear, and they had mentally broken them from inside.


    Lei Shijian was in a daze, and all he could do was to stare nkly at the bodies of his deadpanions. He still couldn¡¯te to grips with the fact that they had perished right before his very eyes. They were still talking to him seconds before; how could they just die all of a sudden?


    He could not ept the fact that they were dead.


    He stared at the men in ck and trembled¡­


    ¡°You were right when you said something about a pig on the chopping board waiting to be ughtered¡­¡± Xiao Luo mocked.


    Xiao Luo then nced at the two ck-d men who were staring at him with murderous intentions. Grabbing the side of the table with his right hand, Xiao Luo suddenly flung the square-shaped table at them. Even without using all his strength, the table flew, spinning at its intended target at great speed.


    The two assants in ck stared but did not evade. Calmly they stood their ground and shed at the table.


    The table instantly broke into several pieces, and even the metal legs of the table were sliced cleanly in half.


    ¡°Try this!¡±


    Xiao Luo jumped up and dashed to the stall, which was mounted on a trishaw, including a set of gas stoves, chopping boards, and other cooking items. Swiveling around, Xiao Luo kicked one side of the trishaw forcefully.


    BANG!


    The entire stall, weighing some one hundred kilograms, was sent sailing toward the assassins.


    Oh, my gosh, is that even possible for a human do?


    Every member of the Wild Wolf Mountain boys had their jaws dropped open and eyes wide, and they all stared at Xiao Luo in shock. In their eyes, he was now as terrifying as the assassins, for how can a human kick produce the force to send a stall flying like a car at a high-speed smashing into it?


    Su Canye was equally stunned, and even though he had seen the monstrous side of Xiao Luo at the Star Cloud Kendo Gym, he still could not get used to it no matter how many times he saw it. Xiao Luo was simply terrifying.


    As the stall flew at them like a meteor, the men in ck again shed in a synchronized pattern. Their swordsmanship was of the highest degree, and the stall was cut into pieces just like the table earlier.


    When the assassins turned to attack Xiao Luo, they were taken by surprise, as he had dashed up like a streak of lightning, his palms raised for a strike.


    Even as the two assassins were shing downward with their machetes, Xiao Luo had already timed his attack, sending his palms were already thrust into their undefended chests, sending a flow of inner power surging through his opponents like waves of a raging tsunami.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    The men in ck were thrown backward, sailing uncontrobly like broken kites andnded hard on the ground a few meters away. They instantly vomited blood, which soaked their ck face masks.


    ¡°Who are you guys?¡±


    Xiao Luo took a step forward, and, standing over their fallen bodies, he questioned them harshly.


    The two of them looked terrified and nodded at each other, exchanging nervous nces. Suddenly, they took out two ck balls that had a wrinkled surface.


    nning to escape?


    Xiao Luo squinted his eyes and immediately moved in, but it was toote, for the men in ck had already smashed the ck balls into the ground.


    BOOM!


    There were two loud bangs, and instantly, two thick clouds of thick smoke filled the area and obscured its visibility. It was tear gas, and Xiao Luo was forced to leave the immediate area swiftly. When the smoke cleared, the men in ck were nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 425 - Tell Me about You

    Chapter 425: Tell Me about You


    Xiao Luo grimaced; it was negligence on his part that they managed to escape from right under his nose; he should have seen iting. The two ck-d assassins were evidently highly skilled and trained regrly, but they didn¡¯t present too much of a problem for him. Xiao Luo reckoned that they were on par with NSA¡¯s level A agents at least, for they were quick, and despite being injured, they used the tools of their trade well. They were so close to being captured, yet managed to create a diversion with the smoke bomb and escape.


    Xiao Luo wondered where they came from.


    The MLM organization?


    If there really were such superbly trained and fierce fighters in the MLM organization, then it made sense that the NSA had assigned him to the MLM mission in Xiahai. With such skilled assassins around, the regr police would find it hard to deal with them.


    The boys from the Wild Wolf Mountain Motorsport team were still reeling from the traumatic experience of seeing two of their colleagues killed most viciously. And, just when they thought they¡¯d be killed by the two assassins, Xiao Luo came and defeated the killers in mere seconds. It was unbelievable, for, if the ck-d assassins were demons, then what would that make Xiao Luo, the King of Demons?


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Trembling in fear, Lei Shijian suddenly felt thirsty, and he could barely swallow his saliva. He broke into a cold sweat when he realized that Xiao Luo was approaching him, and even his breathing wasbored.


    He unconsciously hid the baseball bat behind his back, while several of his boys even dropped their bats and pipes on the ground in a sign of surrender. The Wilf Wolf Mountain boys shook as they looked at Xiao Luo, expecting the worst. As they recalled just a moment ago, they had boasted about teaching Xiao Luo a lesson and beat up if he didn¡¯t hand them the money.


    Xiao Luo stood with his hands on his hips, staring at them. He then eyed Lei Shijian and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ¡­¡±


    ¡°B-brother, please spare us, pardon our foolishness¡­ we are ignorant fools, please spare our lives!¡±


    Almost in tears, Lei Shijian dropped the bat and went down on his knees before Xiao Luo, pleading for mercy.


    Pale with fear, the Wild Wolf Mountain boys immediately dropped to their knees behind their leader. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they¡¯d never have believed that such terrifying human beings actually existed in this world. These men were total monsters, demons that could cut a man in half with a single sh, or send a massive trishaw stall flying with one kick. What they had seen tonight had frightened them and changed the way they understood the world.


    Frowning, Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°You have mistaken my intention, I did not¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother, I beg you, there¡¯s a hundred thousand in this bank card. Please ept it aspensation for the trouble we caused, the password is 888888.¡± Lei Shijian implored, respectfully handing over a card with both hands.


    Hmm?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression changed a little, for he had only intended to ask Lei Shijian to call the police, but seeing how things had panned out, he didn¡¯t mind at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty street smart, I like that!¡±


    He gave Lei Shijian a pat on his shoulder and kept the bank card, for it was his policy not to reject money offered.


    Xiao Luo then walked over to Su Canye, who was still stunned and brought him back to his senses with a kick up his rear-end. ¡°What are you doing here? Let¡¯s go,¡± he said.


    ¡°Brother-inw, it¡­ it¡¯s a murder, they¡¯ve killed people!¡±


    Trembling Su Canye choked as he pointed at the ghastly bodies that had been hewn in half, his face pale with shock and fear.


    ¡°Take it as you¡¯d just watched a free kungfu performance.¡±


    Xiao Luoforted him as they walked toward their cars.


    Su Canye hurried to walk alongside Xiao Luo, but still feeling weak at the knees, he almost stumbled. When he got back into the Bentley, he leaned back in the plush leather seat and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had hardly recovered when he was startled by a knock on his window. He nearly jumped off his seat, but it turned out to be Xiao Luo, who was gesturing for him to wind down his window.


    Relieved, Su Canye brought the window down, but before he could even speak, he felt himself going into a trance and everything around him be hazy¡­ Xiao Luo had hypnotized to him!


    A little whileter, things seemed to have be clear once again. Looking at Xiao Luo in surprise, he asked, ¡°Brother-inw, why are you looking at me like that? Oh, my gawd, where are we, how long have we been here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve cked out, I asked you out for supper, remember?¡± Xiao Luo replied, coughing dryly.


    ¡°Really? Why do I feel so dizzy?¡±


    Su Canye scratched the back of his head, nced at the stall by the road with a disgusted look on his face, and said, ¡°Brother-inw, you can¡¯t seriously be thinking of having supper here, right? Look at this ce¡ªit¡¯s so unhygienic, you¡¯ll surely suffer from food poisoning if you eat here¡­ Oi? Why does it feel like I had said this not too long ago?¡±


    ¡°Alright, since you said so, let¡¯s go back then.¡± Xiao Luo said, raising his brows with a shrug.


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Lei Shijian? What are they doing here?¡± Su Canye asked.


    ¡°They are here for supper, of course.¡±


    Hypnotized, Su Canye had no recollection of the gruesome killings by the ck-d assassins. Xiao Luo felt a little guilty, but he thought it was for the best.


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t know that the Wild Wolf Mountain boys had such poor taste. I despise them already!¡± Su Canye responded.


    Xiao Luo pursed his lips as he found it hard to continue making up stories. He decided that enough was enough and promptly walked back to his car and drove off.


    Su Canye had be Xiao Luo¡¯s shadow, and anywhere that Xiao Luo went, he was sure to follow.


    As Xiao Luo drove off, he saw the Wild Wolf Mountain boys still sitting on the ground like their souls have been ripped away, looking at each other helplessly with no idea what to do next.


    ******


    ******


    Along the way, Xiao Luo wondered why he decided to erase those terrible memories from Su Canye¡¯s head. He wasn¡¯t too fond of him initially, but as Su Canye started to follow him around like a puppy, it grew on him. Seeing how traumatized Su Canye was, Xiao Luo feltpelled to act.


    Hypnosis was a skill he had acquired from the system during the Sun Yu saga. It was useful for people without a strong will or catching people off guard, but its effect was not permanent unless the subject chose not to consciously recall such traumatic events. Xiao Luo was unsure if Su Canye would ever remember those memories, but he had to at least try something.


    When he had returned to Crescent Bay Hotel, he found Su Li sitting on the sofa in his living room.


    She looked trendy in an aqua blue suspender skirt, which contrasted nicely with her snow-white skin andplimented her long slender legs. Lush, wavy back hair framed her delicate features, which looked like they had been painted carefully with ink, endowing her with exquisite yet ssical grace. A pair of shiny silver earringspleted the look, giving her the vibes of a western supermodel.


    She oozed confidence, and her beauty was striking and breathtaking.


    When Xiao Luo stepped through the door, Su Li closed the book she was reading¡ª King Lear, the tragic Shakespearean y. She turned, looked at him with her sparkling eyes, and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally back.¡±


    ¡°I stopped for supper on the way back.¡±


    Xiao Luo took off his jacket and hung it on the clothes rack next to the door. He then poured some tea for himself and Su Li and said, ¡°Ms. Su, although this apartment belongs to you, I am its upant now. So, would you mind asking me first before you barge in every time?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t me me for that, you didn¡¯t change the passcode on the smart lock,¡± Su Li responded.


    ¡°And, that¡¯s the reason you have for barging into my room?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Su Li replied matter-of-factly.


    Xiao Luo smiled and shrugged; he did not want to further pursue the argument and changed to a pair of slippers before proceeding to his bathroom for a shower.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Su Li asked, suddenly getting to her feet.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯m off to shower,¡± Xiao Luo replied, pointing at the bathroom.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to tell me?¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo cocked his brows. ¡°Tell you what?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Tell me about your history at Jiangcheng and what you really do for a living,¡± Su Li responded, staring at Xiao Luo with a knowing look as if she could see through him, and she looked determined to get the answers.

 Chapter 426 - A Plethora of Talents

    Chapter 426: A Plethora of Talents


    Xiao Luo smiled, a little surprised with Su Li¡¯s question. ¡°Didn¡¯t you investigate what I did for a living at Jiangcheng?¡± he replied.


    ¡°Of course, but I don¡¯t believe that you are as simple as what the information I got suggests.¡±


    Su Li came closer, and Xiao Luo caught a whiff of her sweet scent. ¡°You are extremely talented innguage studies as you can speak French, Arab, and Russian. On top of that, you are a pro-racer with amazing skills,¡± she said, ¡°However, the report also shows that you are just an ordinary employee of Luo Workshop. Judging from the range of abilities you have disyed, you are definitely someone more than that; it can¡¯t be that simple.¡±


    ¡°Then, what does Ms. Su think about me? Or should I say, what kind of identity suits me?¡± Xiao Luo said, throwing the question back to her in jest.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Su Li had no answer to that question. Yet, she was still convinced that Xiao Luo was not an ordinary person, nor was he just employed in a mundane job at Luo Workshop. At that moment, she simply could not think of any usible careers that he could likely be involved in that required such proficiency innguages and extreme driving skills.


    Su Li bit her lips, and after a brief silence, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then it must be you overthinking, I¡¯m just an ordinary guy.¡±


    Xiao Luo certainly did not want Su Li to find out about everything that happened in Jiangcheng. He only wished that what had happened in Jiangcheng could be erased from his life as quickly as tearing away a chapter from a book. A chapter that was filled with rage, blood, and gore.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, Xiao Luo added, ¡°I learned those skills in my free time.¡±


    ¡°Learned in your free time?¡± Su Li scoffed.


    ¡°How else can I develop these skills? Dream about it and make it happen?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    Well, that made some sense¡­


    Su Li reluctantly bought his exnation, but Xiao Luo¡¯s talents truly impressed her. To be thoroughly proficient in three foreignnguages, and likely with English as the fourth, was not something one could self-learn through books. Then, there were the incredible racing skills that were simply out of this world; how did one exin that? In the end, Su Li decided that the simplest exnation was to ept that Xiao Luo was a genius, in and simple.


    ¡°You should go back if you have no other questions. Remember to lock the door and try to rest early, it¡¯s quitete.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He¡¯s chasing me off!?


    Su Li felt deeply offended, as Xiao Luo had taken no notice of her charm. Was she that unappealing?


    Su Li was also a little hurt as she intended to work on their rtionship, which was never really much, to begin with, even from the first day of their marriage. She had been trying very hard to get closer to him, but he kept her at arms¡¯ length. She would be busy with work soon, and it could well be a few months long of work. She feared this would only worsen their rtionship, and she had been worrying about this for some time now.


    ¡°Spend some time with Su Xiaobei and me tomorrow night,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to start work soon?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Su Li nodded and looked at Xiao Luo, anticipating more questions about her work scope and location.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Su Li was a little disappointed with his response. ¡°That¡¯s it then, get some rest,¡± she said.


    As she finished speaking, she turned around and left his apartment.


    Su Li wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of it, to think that she was actually vying for a man¡¯s attention. Since Su Li debuted as a celebrity, she had always put up a strong front as there was no one she could trust emotionally, no shoulder to lean on during the hard times, and therefore, she never saw any point in showing anyone her tender side.


    If she was sick, she would visit the hospital herself; if she was depressed, she would hide in solitude; if she was in pain, she would clench her teeth and get through it herself.


    She had already taken the knocks and learned the hard way in the world of showbiz. She had be way too independent to simply rely on any man, so how could she yearn for one to lean on now?


    She felt herself suddenly wallowing in self-pity, and as she thought about her marriage to Xiao Luo, she couldn¡¯t help reminding herself that, in a sense, something fake will never turn out to be true.


    A look of perplexity washed over Xiao Luo¡¯s face as he watched Su Li walking away. This was a woman who jumped off her balcony without any hesitation when he refused to marry her, then bought him an impressive wedding ring and filled his closet with new clothes and shoes. He was touched by her gesture, but he felt she was simply too aggressive, prideful, and also image-conscious. Her overbearing attitude was undoubtedly a result of her overwhelming sess in the entertainment world. Xiao Luo could appreciate her need to be tough, but he could never get used to the idea of being the passive partner in a rtionship.


    It always seemed that they were rarely ever on the same page for one reason or another; perhaps it was because both of them had, by nature, aggressive personalities!


    Xiao Luo decided not to think any further about the matter and grabbed his pajamas before getting into the bathroom.


    The next day, Xiao had a quick breakfast at Su Li¡¯s apartment and then rushed off for work.


    When he got to the lobby, there was already an Audi parked by the road outside. Ji Siying alighted from the car when she saw Xiao Luo heading out of the hotel.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    Her voice was pleasant and sweet, even affectionate, and perhaps this was how a female subordinate with a crush on her superior would sound like.


    Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders alluringly, framing her pretty face with fair unblemished skin entuated by her bright eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows. She looked smart and trendy in a casual pink jacket paired with slim white pants.


    ¡°Siying, have you found anything about what I had told you to investigate?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Ji Siying replied, shaking her head, and borated, ¡°I¡¯m guessing those assassins fromst night were possibly the MLM organization. One of the main reasons you were assigned to the MLM case was that it¡¯s closely connected with Japan¡¯s anti-Chinese underground movement. The Asou family is very much a part of this group, and they constantly find ways to cause turmoil in our country.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment, and it makes sense that the NSA had tasked him to deal with it. These were no ordinary crimes involving the MLM, but something more sinister.


    ¡°One more thing, regarding the old beggar, Mr. Hong Ji¡­ I¡¯ve found out his real identity. He is the president of Heaven¡¯s Blessing Welfare Home.¡±


    ¡°The president of a welfare home?¡±


    Xiao Luo was quite surprised as he was under the impression that Hong Ji was the master of the Beggar Sect, so just how did he be a president of a welfare home out of a sudden?


    Ji Siying could see the confusion in Xiao Luo¡¯s face. ¡°Hong Ji is indeed the current master of the Beggar Sect, but as the average standard of living here has improved significantly, there aren¡¯t many traditional sect beggars anymore. Most of the ones we see on the street are either conmen or handicapped people. Genuine beggars do not possess any ie-earning skills,¡± she exined,


    ¡°so, they¡¯re forced to beg for a living. Gone are the days when the Beggar Sect had abundant resources. Unfortunately, today they¡¯ve lost most of their talents, and Hong Ji is the de facto one-manmander of the entire sect. He takes care of orphans, the elderly, and the handicapped in his welfare home. He was trying to find some money to sustain the home and took on the job as a hitman, but he did not expect to run into you and ended up getting badly injured.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt terrible when he heard this. ¡°Bring me to this welfare home,¡± he said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded in reply, and she knew that Xiao Luo was not going to find trouble with Hong Ji. She understood this man more than anyone, and while he was indeed bloodthirsty, but inwardly, he had a deep sense of justice and kindness.


    ******


    ******


    ¡°There are a plethora of talents in our country, and although the NSA has taken in many talented people, there are still a bunch of them living in seclusion within our bustling cities, and Hong Ji is one of them.¡±


    As they drove along, Ji Siying spoke in a serious tone, intending to impress upon Xiao Luo the need to be on his guard at all times. The Hua nation was not as peaceful as it appeared to be on the surface. The assassins in ckst night were extraordinarily well-trained and skillful and could be rated as Level S or perhaps even higher. There was always a possibility that Xiao Luo would one day face such adversaries, and Ji Siying was concerned.


    Xiao Luo missed her the underlying intention as he was staring nkly out the window, feeling slightly remorseful about the cruel punishment he dealt on Hong Ji.

 Chapter 427 - Old Naughty Boy

    Chapter 427: Old Naughty Boy


    About half an hourter, Xiao Luo and Ji Siying arrived at Tianci Children¡¯s Home in Xiahai City. It appeared to be a children¡¯s home only in name, as, in reality, it was just a fenced-up yard about the size of two basketball courts, with a three-story building inside the perimeter.


    The home was dpidated and looked like a relic of an earlier period of the city. Time had taken its toll on the premises, and there were many cracks on its walls, and a section was even totally overgrown with thick vines.


    A group of children was sitting on the stone benches in the courtyard under the sun, having a meal of the porridge. On closer inspection, they were all girls, and they seemed to have some disabilities. Some of them had deformed hands or feet, and several others appeared to have mental disabilities. Their clothes were ragged, but overall, they looked neat and adequately cared for.


    ¡°These little girls are orphans abandoned by their families. They were all born with cerebral atrophy, some of them were born with cataracts, and some required blood transfusions to survive. Their parents couldn¡¯t afford to bear the heavy financial burden, so they decided to send them here. Besides these children, the home also caters to several dozen adults afflicted with many forms of physical illnesses or cannot survive independently. Many of them are basically disabled and unable to walk, and they only stay in bed all day long,¡± Ji Siying said, giving Xiao Luo a brief description of the home¡¯s activities.


    Furrows began to form between Xiao Luo¡¯s eyebrows. Looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction, it was hard to imagine the cold-blooded killer that he was. Of course, when he was going against his enemies, he could kill without batting an eyelid, but when it came to certain situations such as this one, he showed deeppassion.


    As they stood in the courtyard, an old man with a head of white hair suddenly came out from one of the rooms. His hair, brows, and beard were all white, his tunic was unbuttoned and sewn up with many patches, his shorts reached to his knees, and he was wearing a pair of flip flops. Most of his upper body and calves were exposed.


    The old man turned out to be the white-haired beggar, Hong Ji, that Xiao Luo had confronted at the riverside that day!


    When Hong Ji saw Xiao Luo, his expression suddenly changed. His eyes were filled with horror as he stared at Xiao Luo with hostility, and said, ¡°How did you find me? You¡­ what do you what?¡±


    This was in contrast to the calm and confident demeanor that Hong Ji had disyed the other day. He could never forget the night when Xiao Luo ripped off his left arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I did note with malicious intent.¡±


    Xiao Luo walked up to him and nced at his left shoulder where his arm should have been, and in its ce was just an empty sleeve. Xiao Luo dropped his gaze with a heavy heart and said, ¡°About your left arm¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    After speaking, Xiao Luo bowed deeply to Hong Ji.


    If Xiao Luo had not visited this home himself, he would not have seen what Hong Ji was striving to achieve at the children¡¯s home. Xiao Luo was ovee with remorse and began to regret his actions and even med himself for causing such grievous injury to Hong Ji. Xiao Luo had no qualms about harming wicked people, but he refused to hurt people who were kind and loving. There was a saying that went¡ªyou can choose not to do good, but do not do evil to a righteous person!


    Hong Ji was taken aback by Xiao Luo¡¯s actions. He stared at Xiao Luo for a long time, then smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. I provoked you first, so the fact that you did not kill me was already a form of kindness. The person that has to apologize should be me because I sought material possession and was willing to attack someone. Losing an arm was the wake-up call that I needed, and it has prevented me from straying down the wrong path. I think it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Old man, your realization only makes me feel more guilty,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Hong Ji smiled at Xiao Luo, for he was genuinely willing to forgive and forget. ¡°Young people should not allow themselves to be entangled in the past. Instead, they must look to the future,¡± he said, ¡°Some things that happened have already happened, entangling yourself won¡¯t change it. If you¡¯re always thinking about the past, how will you look toward the future? How will you make your career?¡±


    ¡°Had we first met under different circumstances, I think we would be good friends,¡± Xiao Luo said, and he meant every word of it as he felt he could see eye-to-eye with this old fellow.


    ¡°For you toe here already makes us friends,¡± Hong Ji said.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Hong Ji smiled, and his whole face brightened up. He gestured toward the door and said, ¡°Come in, even though this is a humble ce, but there is still tea that I can offer to our guests.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate me?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Hong Ji shook his head, and with a sigh, he said, ¡°What¡¯s the use of hating? Can hate give me back my arm? Can hate help all these people here in this home, provide them with food and clothing?¡±


    ¡°Old man, you are certainly an interesting person. Regardless of whether you are telling the truth or lying, this card is for you. The password is six eights, take it as a form ofpensation,¡± Xiao Luo said, as he took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it over to Hong Ji.


    ¡°Young man, you have to think of your own career path, you don¡¯t have to do this. Take it back,¡± Hong Ji said, waving his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need it? The one million dors in here could help this home out for a long time, ¡°Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Huh? There is one million?¡±


    Hearing this, Hong Ji gasped, and he instantly grabbed it with speed so fast that the card disappeared in a sh, like a conjuror¡¯s sleight of hand. Before anyone knew it, he had already hidden it in his pocket. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier that there was so much money here? I almost made a mistake and lost a million dors!¡± he cried.


    Huh¡­?


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying looked at each other, speechless and barely able to suppress augh. Hong Ji was quite a character¡ªonly a moment ago, he expressed the lofty ideals of a virtuous man, but they were cast aside for an offer of money in the next instant.


    Xiao Luo cracked up, for it seemed that his mouth said one thing while his hand did another. ¡°Old man, you could at least uphold your honor and maintain that image as a virtuous person,¡± he said.


    ¡°Having the image of a virtuous person image doesn¡¯t bring in the money. I thought you were some working-ss guy and didn¡¯t have much money on your hands. But if you can offer a million dors, then surely, it¡¯d seem you are the big boss. Did you mention aboutpensation earlier? Give me another few million. When ites to money, the more you give, the better, and I will never refuse. If possible, you could invest in the reconstruction of the entire home,¡± Hong Ji said, rubbing his index finger and thumb together with a mock look of grimness on his face.


    Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, rebuilding the home?


    Xiao Luoughed lightheartedly as the feeling of guilt began to fade. ¡°Old man, aren¡¯t you being a little shameless here?¡± he teased.


    ¡°Ah, Look at the way you young people speak¡­ that is really not a nice thing to say. You can¡¯t do that in society, or you will lose many opportunities in this world,¡± Hong Ji responded.


    Xiao Luo smiled without replying. He was just an old naughty boy, Xiao Luo thought, serious for a moment, then cynical the next.


    ¡°Old Ghost Hong, I am here today to determine the winner. It¡¯s to be a fight to the death!¡±


    Suddenly, a booming voice thundered across the courtyard. It was delivered with an internal force so powerful that it caused their eardrums to hurt.


    Then, a figure dashed in through the gate like a gust of wind, so swift that it appeared like a timepse of after-images, reaching the courtyard in a fraction of a second. He was a tall man with a dignified mien and was dressed in white robes. He had very fair skin andpletely white hair and a beard, with a high pointy nose and deep-set eyes that looked sharp and alert.


    ¡°Old Poison, you havee at the right time. I was feeling frustrated, and I didn¡¯t have an outlet for my anger!¡±


    Hong Ji said, cast his yfulness side, and locked his eyes on the ominous-looking visitor.


    ¡°Come on, then, I¡¯m d to be of service! It¡¯s now time to fight¡­ wait a minute, what happened to your left arm?¡± the white-robed old man asked. He was surprised to see Hong Ji¡¯s condition and immediately restrained the inner power within his body.


    ¡°Ah, I thought it was getting in the way, so I cut it off¡­ why do you care about this? Are you my son too?¡±


    Hong Ji sneered at the white-robed old man. He turned to Xiao Luo and then took out the bank card. ¡°Young man, I will return this card to you. Since you want topensate me, promise me one thing. If I am unfortunately killed by him, you must help me to continue maintaining this home,¡± he said, ¡°Don¡¯t let all the people from this home have nowhere to go except back to the street to beg. Even though I am the master of the beggar sect, I hope our sect will cease to exist one day. When it¡¯s gone, that means that our countrymen will be living good lives!¡±

 Chapter 428 - Battle

    Chapter 428: Battle


    Xiao Luo did not take the bank card from Hong Ji, but instead, he asked in return, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Ouyang De, the present Head of the Ouyang family!¡±


    ¡°We, of the Hong family, and the Ouyang family, are ipatible and have been in conflict for generations. This old poison and I have also been fighting ever since we were young, and I have beaten him every time. But, now that he heard about the loss of my arm, he eagerlyes over to redeem his reputation,¡± Hong Ji said.


    ¡°Bullsh*t, you old fart¡­ stop talking nonsense and ndering me in front of the younger generation. Boy, don¡¯t listen to him. Every time hepetes with me, all it takes is just half a step, and he¡¯s beaten. As for his arm, I swear to the heavens that I had no idea, and if I am lying, then may I be struck by lightning,¡± Ouyang De eximed.


    ¡°You still dare to talk about lightning? Old Poison, you better not make such an oath, or who knows, maybe one day God will really drop a bolt right on top of you and take you to heaven!¡±


    ¡°Enough of your nonsense, just stop this chatting. It¡¯s time to fight!¡± Ouyang De scowled.


    Hong Ji chuckled and mocked in reply, ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve nothing to be afraid of, so if you want to fight, let¡¯s do it now.¡±


    Hong Ji promptly returned into the home, and in a short while, he was back in the courtyard holding his familiar dog-beating stick. It was a sturdy bamboo rod, purplish in color, and scarred with traces of sword cuts all over its surface¡ªa testament to the long years it had served him and the countless battles it had been used in.


    Xiao Luo stopped Hong Ji just as he was about to step forward. ¡°You really want to fight him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, I do. It¡¯s time to end this feud once and for all,¡± Hong Ji replied.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll fight in your stead.¡±


    Xiao Luo could not allow Hong Ji to take on the challenge without the use of his left arm. Feeling responsible for it, Xiao Luo feltpelled to stand in as Hong Ji¡¯s champion in the fight.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Ji Siying felt a deep sense of admiration for Xiao Luo and unconsciously called out his name under her breath.


    Hong Ji adamantly waved him away. ¡°I appreciate your kind offer, but this is a long-standing conflict between our two families, and no outsiders should interfere,¡± he dered.


    Right after he spoke, he dashed toward Ouyang De without further hesitation and let out a fierce roar.


    ¡°Hong¡­ you, old ghost, I will not take advantage of you. I will not use my left arm either!¡±


    Ouyang De bellowed as he tucked his left arm behind him. With his right hand, he raised the Ghost Head Divine Snake Rod and advanced to meet Hong Ji¡¯s attack.


    As soon as the two adversaries shed, a ferocious fight ensued. Intense bursts of internal energy began to surge forth, causing a strong wind to sweep across the courtyard, and the ground cracked under their feet.


    It was almost like a scene taken out from a martial arts movie, and it captured everyone¡¯s attention.


    Ji Siying was shocked and at a loss for words, for she was just a Level C fighter, and she was nowhere close to the level of these two old men. From her observation, Hong Ji and Ouyang De¡¯s capabilities would ce them in the Level A rating, or possibly even close to Level S. To Ji Siying, it was inconceivable that such powerful and skillful fighters were not roped in to be part of NSA. If she could meet two of such legends in Xiahai alone, wouldn¡¯t there be more hidden masters scattered across the country?


    Xiao Luo observed the fight with a keen eye, and he could tell that Hong Jia and Ouyang De were using all their inner strength and at no time were they holding back. Yet, they were obviously confidants and friends, as Xiao Luo could tell from their earlier verbal exchange and the fact that Ouyang De chose to fight on equal terms, keeping his left arm behind his back.


    The children remained seated in the courtyard with a casual indifference to the goings-on and continued holding their bowls and slowly eating their porridge.


    ¡°Hong, you old ghost, take this stick!¡±


    Ouyang De red fiercely at Hong Ji and whipped his wrist, channeling a powerful surge of energy through his weapon to strike at his opponent.


    Hong Ji reacted immediately, swirling his waist in mid-air and twisting his body to avoid Ouyang De¡¯s strike. At the same time, Hong Ji struck out with his dog-beating stick, targeting Ouyang De¡¯s abdomen. In his hand, the stick was as sharp as a knife.


    Ouyang De instantly spun around and parried with precision, and in one swift motion, the Ghost Head Divine Snake Rod was back on the attack again¡ªa disy of just how lethal Ouyang De¡¯s rod was.


    ¡°Old Poison, you are just slightly short!¡±


    Hong Ji sneered, as he was well prepared for the counter-attack from Ouyang De¡¯s rod.


    CRACK!


    When the rods smashed together, a burst of energy exploded outward around them. The ground under Hong Ji¡¯s feet sank, and his face strained with a grimace as he was pushed back by the force of the blow. Suddenly, Hong Ji skipped and kicked out with his left foot directly at Ouyang De¡¯s chest.


    At that precise moment, Ouyang De kicked out as well.


    BAM! BAM!


    Both men received devastating kicks to their chests and staggered back five or six steps before they managed to steady themselves.


    They were now gasping heavily and their bodies soaked in sweat as they stood staring at each other.


    ¡°Hong, you old ghost, your wounded arm has started bleeding,¡± Ouyang De cautioned.


    ¡°I have too much blood, is it wrong to release a little?¡± Hong Ji responded. While he did not even look at his arm, the excruciating pain caused his forehead to break out in beads of sweat.


    Ouyang De was infuriated. ¡°Why do you keep blowing your own trumpet? Forget it, stop fighting in this condition, or else I¡¯m afraid you will kill yourself. If you still insist, then let¡¯s resort to using our special skills¡ªyou use your Palm of the Eighteen Dragons, and I will use my Toad Power. Then we resolve this feud once and for all, how about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good idea¡­ a great idea. Come on, then!¡± Hong Ji snarled.


    ¡°Okay, here Ie!¡±


    Ouyang De let out a roar and cast his Ghost Head Divine Snake Rod aside. He got down on all fours and assume a position like a toad.


    Ouyang De inhaled and exhaled deeply in a rhythmic pattern, and the surrounding air began to churn and tremble, sending out ripples of shockwaves. Soon, Ouyang De¡¯s chest began to swell and expand until his clothes were torn apart.


    Hong Ji also dropped his stick and took a deep breath. He then slowly moved his right palm and channeled his inner force toward his hand to deliver the Palm of the Eighteen Dragons.


    Suddenly, the atmosphere became thick with a crackling charge of energy, and the temperature fell drastically, sending a chill across the ground.


    Ji Siying¡¯s heart sank, and she was bing very nervous. It was evident that this was a fight to the finish, and it was not something that she personally wanted to see.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, can¡¯t you stop them?¡± Ji Siying cried.


    Xiao Luo said nothing in response, but his eyes continued staring intensely at the duelists, and he remained very calm.


    At that point, Hong Ji and Ouyang De had alreadypleted summoning their inner force and were ready to execute their respective techniques.


    ¡°Toad opens its mouth!¡±


    ¡°Dragon with its regret!¡±


    Both roared in unison as they violently unleashed their ultimate moves causing the wind to howl like a tornado. The courtyard and the surrounding structures seemed to shake and sway as these two forces collided.


    Ji Siying screamed and covered her eyes with both her hands, unwilling to see what would happen next.


    BOOM!


    The moment the fighters made contact, the ground beneath them started cracked, and energy surged outward like waves.


    Hong Ji and Ouyang De were suddenly stunned because their strikes did not connect on each other, but instead, on another person. Xiao Luo suddenly appeared out of thin air and took their attacks on his chest and back.


    ¡°Young man, you¡­ what¡¯s this¡­¡± Ouyang De was shocked.


    Hong Ji¡¯s face changed immediately. ¡°Young man¡­ you¡­ you¡­¡± he said.


    Hong Ji was deeply concerned.


    Ji Siying put her hands down and peeked. Her jaw dropped when she saw who the person that had been struck was¡ªit was none other than Xiao Luo.


    He nced coldly at the two old fighters and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you two old men who something better to do?¡±


    And when he finished saying that, he pped both their heads with lightning speed.

 Chapter 429 - Sales Department

    <h2>Chapter 429: Sales Department</h2>


    Hong Ji and Ouyang De immediately lost consciousness and slumped to the ground at once. Xiao Luo grabbed both of them with each hand and dragged them toward the doorway of the children¡¯s home.


    ¡°They¡­¡±


    Ji Siying ran up when she saw the two old men copsing in an unconscious state. A worried expression showed on her face.


    In a hushed voice, Xiao Luo said to her, ¡°They¡¯re alright. They¡¯ll just be two ordinary men once they regain their consciousnesster.¡±


    He had made a purchase in the system mall earlier for a technique to remove both the old men¡¯s fighting abilities. When he pped them on their heads, he had instantly blocked Hong Ji and Ouyang De¡¯s abilities to channel their inner power ever again. He had turned them into two ordinary men, and this way, there was nothing much either of them could do, even if they chose to continue their long feud.


    Ji Siying sighed with relief after moments of suspense, and her heart was finally at ease. She smiled warmly as she rushed toward Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, you are truly a great person!¡±


    A great person?


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Xiao Luo had heard someone praise him like that. And although he knew that there was no underlying meaning to what Ji Siying had said, still, he listened to those three words with a tinge of irony.


    Suddenly, he felt uneasy as he felt a great difort welling up within his chest, and soon, he tasted blood at the back of his throat. He tried to hold it in, but fresh blood started to flow out from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°You¡­ you are you injured?¡±


    Ji Siying asked, quickly holding on to him, and her eyes were filled with anxiety.


    Xiao Luo forced a smile as he took a nce at Hong Ji and Ouyang De, and in an attempt to change the topic, he said, ¡°These two old men have been rivals from the day they were born and were determined to fight each other to death today. Yet, they still showed deep concern toward one another. When Ouyang De saw that Hong Ji had lost an arm, you could see that his eyes were filled with pain. And when Hong Ji stared at Ouyang De, it wasn¡¯t the look of hostility when one saw an enemy, but rather, a look of wee to an old friend.¡±


    Ji Siying had no interest in what Xiao Luo said at the moment and was more concerned about his wellbeing. ¡°Are your injuries severe? Let me take you to the hospital,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious, I¡¯ll be fine after a little rest,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    It was true that this kind of injury wasn¡¯t anything too serious, and with a little exercise and rest, he would fully recover in two to three days without lingering pain.


    ¡­


    About half an hour after Xiao Luo and Ji Siying left, Hong Ji and Ouyang De finally regained consciousness. The children from the home were the ones who woke them up.


    ¡°Ah, my partner, why do I feel like my body is extremely hollow?¡±


    Ouyang De asked, shaking his head. He slowly sat up and, for the moment, was unable to tell what had actually happened.


    Hong Ji, still dizzy, slowly pulled himself up and sat on the floor. ¡°Are your kidneys overdrawn? Hurry up and take your kidney pills, they¡¯ll be good for you and your kidney!¡± he bbered, still in a half-conscious state.


    ¡°Old ghost Hong, your bloody kidneys are the ones that are overdrawn. You better believe that I¡¯m going to p you to death right here and now,¡± Ouyang De snarled, suddenly noticing that Hong Ji was right beside him, and instantlying to, with his eyes wide open.


    ¡°Come, try and p my head here. You¡¯re damn coward, there¡¯s no way you have the guts to follow through,¡± Hong Ji retorted.


    ¡°You make the first move if you think you¡¯re that good.¡±


    ¡°Old Poison, I¡¯ll do it if you think I¡¯m scared of you.¡±


    ¡°Try to strike me first, if you dare to. This old man here will chop you to death!¡± Ouyang De responded.


    ¡°Hit me first if you have the guts to. I¡¯ll use the Palm of the Eighteen Dragons and crush you with it.¡±


    ¡°Palm of the Eighteen Dragons, my a*s! Let me show you this old man¡¯s Toad Power. There¡¯s no one that I can¡¯t beat with it.¡±


    ¡°Bragging again! All you can do is brag. You¡¯re nothing but a load of hot air,¡± Hong Ji sneered.


    ¡°Old ghost Hong!!!¡±


    ¡°Old Poison, why are you shouting like a grandpa?¡±


    Their bickering grew louder and louder, both fuming with anger as they stared at one another with daggers in their eyes. Their faces came to within inches of each other, like a pair of raging bulls staring each other down.


    ¡°Damn it, when are you going to start hitting each other? If you can¡¯t do it, then stop whining like little girls. I¡¯m beginning to feel agitated just listening to you guys, and it makes me feel like beating someone up!¡±


    A stern, nasty voice called out from the second floor. It came from a North-easterner, and he was an old man, physically disabled, but still looked like he had some vitality left in him. He had witnessed the entire quarrel and was so irritated that it caused him to feel tightness in his chest.


    ¡°Which b*stard said that, stand up and show yourself?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re eating my food, wearing my clothes, and living in a ce that I provide. You have the nerve to spout such nonsense? You bloody b*stard, I¡¯m going to give you a good beating today!¡±


    All of a sudden, Hong Ji and Ouyang De had amon enemy. They got up and were about to summon their internal energy and jump up to the second floor, but all that happened was they were only able to hop barely half a meter high off the floor, beforending right back.


    ¡°What is happening here? Where did all my internal power go?¡± Hong Ji asked. His face turned pale, and he was in total shock.


    Ouyang De was equally shocked. ¡°All of this old man¡¯s martial arts abilities are gone as well!¡± he said.


    Both of them looked at one another, and they saw the astonishment in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s him, it¡¯s that brat. It has got to be that son of a b*tch!¡± Ouyang De said, more convinced of it with each passing statement.


    ¡°Our abilities have been removed¡­ he must have used an ability removal technique.¡±


    Hong Ji suddenly opened both his eyes wide and trembled. ¡°That is a really evil technique passed down from the underworld. Where did he learn it from?¡± he said.


    Ouyang De grabbed on to Hong Ji¡¯s shoulders and shook him. ¡°Old man Hong, stop spouting a bunch of nonsense. Quickly tell me where this guy is, I want to kill him!¡± he cried.


    ¡°Calm down, you have to calm down!¡±


    Hong Ji roared, pushing him away.


    ¡°How can I calm down? The skills that I¡¯ve practiced for over fifty years are all gone. This is a fate worse than death.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m feeling any better here? I have no idea where he lives either!¡±


    Ouyang De scowled in reply, ¡°Bullsh*t. Do you think I¡¯m blind? I can see everything. The rtionship you have with him is not simple at all. He was even nning to fight for you, so you can¡¯t fool this old man.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to lie to you, you bloody old b*stard? If I say I don¡¯t know, then, I really don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Fool, you dare to scold me again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll scold you all I want, what can you do about it? You, old b*stard¡­ old b*stard¡­¡±


    ¡°Scr*w your granny. This old b*stard here will kill you!¡±


    Ouyang De rolled up his sleeves and got ready to fight. It was like a cockfight as the two of them got into a messy scuffle.


    ¡°They¡¯re finally fighting, damn this feels good!¡±


    The North-eastern old man from upstairs finally looked satisfied and satfortably to watching them fight. While they were just talking and not fighting, he somehow felt constipated, as if he had obsessivepulsive disorder, but as soon as they started fighting, he felt relieved all of a sudden.


    ¡­


    After leaving Tianci Children¡¯s Home, Ji Siying dropped Xiao Luo off at the Huayao Corporation Building.


    Had he been just a mere salesman, then it would have been fine if he didn¡¯t appear in the office for a good ten and a half days. But he had somehow be the third group¡¯s leader, and as much as he didn¡¯t want to admit it, he had no choice but toe to terms with it. He could feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, especially now that he also had two subordinates to take care of, but the two were nowhere to be seen. Even though he didn¡¯t care about getting a promotion himself, he didn¡¯t expect those two members to just follow him and go hungry.


    As Xiao Luo didn¡¯t report to the office often, his leader¡¯s title felt pretty hollow, and his sudden appearance today caused quite a bit ofmotion in the sales department.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, we¡¯ve been praying to the stars and the moon, and finally our prayers have brought you here.¡±


    Two of the members from the third group, Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao, came up to him and burst into tears. They were finally meeting the team leader again after a long absence. They wondered where he had been all this while and looked like two kids who finally reunited with parents that had cared for them.


    ¡°Team Leader Xiao, we never saw you again since you came and reported that one time. You¡¯ve finally found some time toe and visit thepany; what brings you here today?¡±


    The second group leader, Xu Le, smiled as he walked over and conversed with Xiao Luo. He turned and waved with his hand, and Guan Tong, who had been assigned to his team, came running up to him. ¡°Xiao Guan, go now and bring me a cup of tea!¡± he said.

 Chapter 430 - Big Order

    <h2>Chapter 430: Big Order</h2>


    Xu Le wore a pair of sses. He looked gentle and decent, and although his skin was rather pale, it was not the kind of sickly paleness, but rather a typical kind of paleness. He had the qualities of a white-cored executive, and to many girls out there, he woulde across as a charismatic man.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Guan Tong eagerly ran off to pour some tea for Xu Le.


    ¡°Xiao Guan, pour a cup for me too.¡±


    ¡°Me too, sorry to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Guan, I¡¯m busy with something here, and I¡¯ve run out of the water on my table too; pour a cup for me as well.¡±


    Members from the first and second groups made Guan Tong run their errands for them. As soon as they realized that their thermos cups were empty, they all made Guan Tong fill them up for them.


    ¡°Alright, leave it all to me.¡±


    Guan Tong nodded his head, smiled, and bowed. He held onto several thermos cups and walked toward the water dispenser located at the office¡¯s corner.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even have the time to say hello to Guan Tong. He hadn¡¯t seen him in a while. This old ssmate was no longer as high-spirited as he used to be and had be a lot more submissive. All sorts of feelings started to well up uncontrobly, and he was reminded of the days where he went to Jiangcheng to work after he graduated. His low-key attitude back then was pretty much like how Guan Tong was now.


    Why did Guan Tong stay in school for eight years?


    Perhaps it was because he knew that society would wear people out, so he chose to escape instead, but in the end, some things could not be avoided, and you had to stand up and face them. He really wanted to help Guan Tong, but this was a process. This was a process that one had to experience. Everyone started off as a grandson and had some growing up to do. Regardless of who it is, you had to learn to adapt. You could only be a grandfather once you had learned how to adapt.


    ¡°Team Leader Xiao, what are you thinking of? Your mind seems to be in deep thought, I was talking to you,¡± Xu Le said, waving his hands in front of Xiao Luo.


    Although there was nothing he could do to help Guan Tong, Xiao Luo was unhappy over Guan Tong being bullied by many people. Xu Le was assigned as Guan Tong¡¯s master by the head of the sales department, Mao Jianyi, and the fact that Guan Tong was being mistreated had to be Xu Le¡¯s responsibility. Besides, Xu Le was the first one who ordered Guan Tong to fetch him some water, so he was sure that Xu Le took advantage of his position as a leader.


    ¡°This area here belongs to the third group, your seat is over there!¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t hide his contempt for Xu Le and showed him no face, and his voice was harsh and cold when he scowled and pointed at the seat for the second group leader.


    Xu Le froze. He wasn¡¯t expecting Xiao Luo to give him an attitude and was visibly offended.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were stunned and immediately asked themselves if XiaoLuo was falling out with Team Leader Xu because he had just witnessed Guan Tong getting bullied.


    Xu Le showed someposure and shed a fake smile at Xiao Luo as he adjusted his sses. ¡°Team Leader Xiao, what is the meaning of this? I¡¯m sincerely trying to be friends with you here,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo offered him a single word in reply: ¡°Scram!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke firmly but not loudly, but as the sales department office was neither too big nor too small, his voice traveled, and many people could still hear what he just said.


    All the sales department members who had initially been busy with their work all raised their heads and looked up. They were all looking towards their direction. Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with questions as they had no idea what happened between Xu Le and Xiao Luo in the past and were curious why it seemed like they were in some sort of argument.


    Xu Le put on a forced smile after the initial shock, and said: ¡°Team Leader Xiao, surely you aren¡¯t doing this to me because of Guan Tong? If that was the reason, then I¡¯d have to look down on you. Guan Tong might be your friend, but he¡¯s a newbie at the end of the day¡ªand a newbie has got to do what a newbie has to do. It¡¯s the same for any upation out there; this is an unspoken rule. Don¡¯t tell me, Team Leader Xiao doesn¡¯t understand this practice?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to understand anything, you can crawl back to your seat over there now,¡± Xiao Luo shot back.


    Xu Le smiled coldly and said: ¡°Hehe¡­you might be a team leader, but I, Xu Le, as a team leader as well, and I¡¯m on equal in rank to you. What rights do you have to tell me to leave? Besides, I¡¯m standing in amon area, and I can stay here for as long as I want to.¡±


    Xiao Luo intended to say a few more words but was dissuaded by Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao.


    ¡°Brother Luo, he is indeed standing in themon area.¡±


    They both furrowed their eyebrows and gestured with their eye, signaling to him not to get into a heated argument with Xu Le, since they were all colleagues. Besides, the third group was being pushed around because they only have three members. So, if they really fell out with the other to groups, the three of them would be outnumbered and could be most likely be pushed somewhere else. For the sake of their jobs and future, it was better to hold it in and put his friendship with Guan Tong aside for now.


    Common area?!


    Xiao Luo calmed himself down and red at Xu Le with a hard, cold look as he sat down. He then turned around to Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao and asked, ¡°Why is the first group leader, Ling Fei, and our department head not around?¡±


    ¡°Well, Brother Luo, they went to discuss a massive order,¡± Si Yueting replied.


    ¡°Massive order?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Si Yueting nodded her head and quickly gave Xiao Luo a heads-up. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Women & Children¡¯s Health Care Hospital is relocating. They¡¯re looking for new medical equipment and medicines, like the fetal monitoring equipment, electrocardiograph, pelvic floor rehabilitation equipment, ultrasound, x-ray machine, and many more,¡± she exined, ¡°These are things that they are nning to purchase. I think this will all add up to roughly 170 million; it¡¯s a massive order indeed. Otherwise, our department head wouldn¡¯t be there to meet them in person. On the other hand, Sister Ling is like the sales department¡¯s top manager, so of course, she went with him as well.


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Brother Luo, we¡¯re approaching the end of the month soon; I¡¯m afraid that the third group¡¯s performance result is going to end up inst again. At the next monthly general meeting, they might drag you to the podium and criticize you, you better be mentally prepared for it,¡± Liu Yiyao said, changing the topic to something more pertinent to what that they were going to have to face soon.


    Si Yueting clenched her fist and gave Xiao Luo some encouragement. ¡°Brother Luo, you have to withstand the pressure. We are like grass and can only enjoy the breeze under a big tree like you. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in thispany for much longer,¡± she said.


    ¡°Since you know your performances are poor, there are still so many more days left, shouldn¡¯t you guys work a little harder and try to contact as many customers as you can? As much as you can, don¡¯t give up on any customer, work harder, and who knows, maybe our performance result won¡¯t be as bad as the other groups by the end of the month,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was speechless with the attitude of these two women. Were they reallycking that much confidence? Were they really looking down on the third group?


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao looked at one another, forced a smile, and said nothing afterward. They definitely couldn¡¯t agree with what Xiao Luo just said; in fact, they were tempted to tell him that he was way too optimistic!


    It hadn¡¯t been just one or two days since the third group was right at the bottom; it had been that way since they both joined thepany. There were only them both left, and despite learning as much as they could, and with their improved working abilities, no matter how hard they worked, there was still no way they could make a radical change and prevent the third group froming in thest ce.


    ¡°Yueting, Yiyao, if you can¡¯t take it anymore, then you cane over to my team. The third group basically only exists in name. There¡¯s no need for it to continue running. If you¡¯re willing to, when the department heades backter, I¡¯ll tell him I can ept the both of you. I, Xu Le, am a hundred percent sure that both of you have the working capabilities, so the second group is more than happy to wee you in.¡±


    Xu Le, loitering around the corner, interrupted Xiao Luo all of a sudden. It was a contemptuous attempt to poach Xiao Luo¡¯s staff from right under his nose. Xu Le was undoubtedly trying to provoke Xiao Luo on purpose. For he nced at Xiao Luo from time to time as he was speaking.


    Hearing what Xu Le had just said, the two women were overjoyed, and this was a good thing for sure. They were assigned to the third group from the day they joined thepany, and after the third group had ended up this way, they were ashamed to ask Mao Jianyi for a change of group. They can barely survive, clinging on to the third group, which was a sinking ship. But as Xu Le was now giving a lifeline to them, this was indeed the best solution.


    But the girls knew much better, and such seemingly attractive offers onlysted for a moment, for they were no longer ignorant students like they used to be when they first graduated. They could clearly tell that Xu Le was only saying that to provoke Xiao Luo. And, nor would he so generously offer this to anyone else, for they¡¯d have to share the cake with every new member they recruited. If Xu Le had genuinely appreciated their working capabilities, he would have offered them the transfer right from the start.

 Chapter 431 - Barbarian

    Chapter 431: Barbarian


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Team Leader Xu, but regardless of what the performance result of the third group is, I am still a member of the group at the end of the day,¡± Si Yueting said, rejecting Xu Le¡¯s offer. She would not ept an offer that was based on provoking their current team leader.


    Liu Yiyao smiled, nodding her head in concurrence and said, ¡°I¡¯m the same as Yueting. Since it is fated for me to be a member of the third group, I¡¯ll die as a member of the third group as well.¡±


    Hmm?


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows, and his eyes became a little brighter. It wasn¡¯t like he was very close to these two members, yet they stood by him and defended his reputation. He was somewhat surprised by their actions.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s a real shame then.¡±


    When Xu Le realized that he had failed in his attempt to humiliate Xiao Luo, he twitched his lips and cursed the two girls in his heart. As far as Xu Le was concerned, they were two b*tches that he was trying to help save some face, but they rejected him. He would make sure to make them pay one day!


    ¡°Brother Le, here¡¯s your water.¡±


    At that moment, Guan Tong came back with everyone¡¯s drinks and cheerfully handed Xu Le his mug of water. There was much respect on his face, and he did so with a smile.


    Xu Le took his anger out on Guan Tong and shouted at him, ¡°Why are you giving it to me now? Are you trying to scald me to death?¡±


    ¡°Then this water¡­¡± Guan Tong frowned and felt awkward all of a sudden.


    ¡°Do you have the brain of a pig, can¡¯t you just put it on my table? Do you really have to hand it to me?¡± Xu Le yelled. He refused to give Guan Tong any face and scolded him in front of the entire sales department.


    Guan Tong gritted his teeth, a hint of anger shed across his face but quickly vanished, and heughed it off with good humor. ¡°Yes, Brother Le!¡± he replied.


    He turned around and walked towards Xu Le¡¯s seat.


    The attitude of each and every person in the sales department was utterly different. Someughed, some felt sorry, while some disapproved of what he had just done, but no one sympathized with him. The more afraid Guan Tong was, the more people disliked him. Although they felt that Xu Le was crossing the line, Guan Tong seemed to ept this kind of treatment, which made them despise him.


    ¡°Idiotic fatso, I just can¡¯t feel good without scolding him at least once a day.¡±


    Xu Le said that as he stared at Guan Tong, walking away to ce the mug on his table. He then nced at Xiao Luo fleetingly, with an ugly scowl on his face. ¡°Birds of a feather flock together, that idiotic fatso¡¯s friend isn¡¯t any better either. He merely got lucky and picked up some big order from god knows which princess andpletely forgot who he was. He is just garbage that is clueless about his own limitations,¡± he mocked.


    When he heard that, Xiao Luo put his pen down and got up. He walked toward Xu Le, who was still in the corridor and looked him right in the eye. ¡°Team Leader Xu, I couldn¡¯t hear what you just said, could you repeat what you just said again?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo had a smile on his face, but anyone could tell that he was threatening Xu Le.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao looked at one another and wondered if their Brother Luo was nning to beat Xu Le up.


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze bearing down on him, Xu Le did not panic at all, and besides, everyone in the office was looking at them. If he allowed Xiao Luo¡¯s intimidating presence to overwhelm him, he was not going to look as formidable to the staff anymore. Right at this moment, he straightened his back, puffed up his chest, pointed at Xiao Luo¡¯s nose and said, ¡°So, you want me to repeat it, alright¡ªthat idiotic fatso¡¯s friend isn¡¯t any better either, he¡¯s just lucky to receive an overseas order, and he thinks he¡¯s some big shot now. He iscent and is oblivious to the fact that he¡¯s just garbage!¡±


    ¡°You sure have some guts.¡±


    Xiao Luoughed and nodded his head. The next second, his face turned dark, and his foot mmed hard into Xu Le¡¯s chest.


    POW!


    Following a dull thud, Xu Le¡¯s body was thrown back some two to three meters. He fell heavily onto the ground and howled in excruciating pain as he felt as if every bone in his body had broken.


    Before Xu Le could even get up, Xiao Luo picked up a potted cactus nt on the desk next to him and instantly dropped it on his head.


    It was over in seconds without any sort of hesitation!


    CRACK!


    The potted cactus nt¡¯s porcin pot shattered instantly, scattering the sand on the floor, and the cactus rolled and rested on the side. Xu Le¡¯s head was bleeding profusely, and there were also many cactus thorns stuck in his forehead. The pain just kept getting worse as his screams intensified.


    Everyone in the office pretty much stood up simultaneously and stared in shock at the badly battered Xu Le, who got utterly beaten up by Xiao Luo in the corridor. As they looked fearfully at Xiao Luo, a chill ran from the top of their skulls all the way to their toes, their bodies turned cold, and their hairs stood on ends.


    Ruthless!


    Merciless!


    No one would have imagined that a regr and handsome-looking guy like Xiao Luo would be this ruthless when he got angry. He was very much just like an evil wolf; if it wasn¡¯t provoked, it was fine, but as soon as it was stirred, it became as scary as hell; and for Xiao Luo, he was the scariest.


    ¡°Why you a*shole, what are you doing now? You dare hit me, do you still n on staying in Huayao Group?¡±


    Guan Tong hurriedly ran up at this moment and quickly held Xiao Lu back. Although he knew that Xiao Luo was the boss of Luo Ventures, creating trouble in Huayao Group might result in him receiving awsuit for this. Even if CEO Shen didn¡¯t pursue this matter, he would still be a public enemy, and this was totally not worth it at all.


    ¡°Guan Tong, stay out of this!¡±


    Xiao Luo pushed Guan Tong to the side and looked down at a Xu Le, who was really tenacious and still fully aware despite having a bruised head. Xiao Luo knelt down next to Xu Le, raised his hand up to his ears, and made a gesture to listen to something. ¡°Come, repeat what you just said again, my ear here isn¡¯t functioning too well these days, and I didn¡¯t quite catch you,¡± he said.


    ¡°You barbarian, I¡¯m going to sue you, I¡¯ll sue you for sure!¡± Xu Le screamed, frowning at Xiao Luo in both shock and anger.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not what you said earlier on. Come, let me hear that sentence again.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    There was no way Xu Le had the guts to repeat it. He did it once just now and got a kick right in his chest, and a potted cactus nt dropped on his head. If he repeated it once more, he was unsure what kind of beating he would receive this time around.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the guts anymore? Are you really that useless?¡± Xiao Luo provoked him.


    Xu Le was filled with anger but couldn¡¯t say anything. All he could do was to continuously stare at Xiao Luo, his eyes filled with horror.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xiao Luo!¡±


    ¡°What are you treating this office like your own house, where you can juste and go as you wish?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and apologize to our group leader now!¡±


    In a show of their loyalty, all the second group members came forward and angrily reprimanded Xiao Luo for what he had done.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with all of you at all. If you don¡¯t want to get beaten up, then return back to your seats and continue with your work,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was not exactly a good guy, to begin with, and now that Xu Le has triggered him, his temper wasn¡¯t all that good at all.


    One of the guys who was quite close to Xu Le got agitated and sneered at Xiao Luo, ¡°Who do you think you are? I can¡¯t believe you think you¡¯re going to beat us up, if you think you¡¯re that capable, then why don¡¯t you try beating one of us up?¡±


    He had just finished his sentence when Xiao Luo rushed up this guy. On the way, he grabbed a flower pot that of prosperous bamboo from the top of an office desk and smashed it right on his head.


    CRACK!


    The effect was as punishing as smashing a beer bottle onto someone¡¯s head, and just like Xu Le, that guy ended up with a bruised skull and was bleeding profusely. He let out a painful scream and copsed on the floor.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Everyone in the office gasped¡­ Xiao Luo was too cruel; he was just way too brutal.


    Everyone in the second group was so scared that they were as quiet as mice, and no longer dared to say anything else. While this was going on, someone had already quietly dialed the security number. Since something so violent had just happened in the office, they needed security toe and handle this situation.

 Chapter 432 - The Big Order that Flew away

    <h2>Chapter 432: The Big Order that Flew away</h2>


    The atmosphere in the office felt really intense, in a suffocating kind of way. Everyone looked at Xiao Luo in horror, and their eyes were filled with fear, while Xiao Luo continued to keep a smile on his face. The impression one got of him based on his appearance and based on his actual personality were on opposite ends of the pole. When he said he would do something, regardless of how improbable, he would make it got done. He sent Xu Le flying for a good two to three meters, with just one kick. It was unbelievable.


    As soon as Xiao Luo was provoked and lost his temper, he would not consider anyone¡¯s feelings and vent his anger without holding back on his emotions. That was just the way he was.


    Xiao Luo walked toward Xu Le, stepped on his chest with a heavy foot, and red down cruelly at him. ¡°Make yourself clear, who¡¯s the garbage?¡± he scowled.


    It was like having a massive mountain resting its weight on him, and Xu Le could feel his chest tightening and found it hard to breathe.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­you will pay for the things you did today!¡±


    Xu Le spoke out in anger and attempted to salvage some of his own face to prevent himself from looking soft and not lose the authority he had. People would then only think he was not as physically strong as Xiao Luo and would believe that he bravely refused to surrender himself to Xiao Luo.


    However, this little pride that he tried to salvage in front of his co-workers would soon be utterly destroyed¡­


    Xiao Luo increased the force and pressure on Xu Le¡¯s chest, and it made him feel like his rib cage was about to crack open, and the more he tried to withstand the torment, the worse it got. In the end, it was simply too much to bear as the excruciating pain flowed through his entire body, and Xu Le couldn¡¯t help but scream in agony.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one more time, who¡¯s the garbage?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the garbage, I¡¯m the garbage¡­¡±


    Xu Le could no longer take the pain. The agonypletely destroyed his will to resist, and he yielded immediately.


    ¡°Hmm, very good!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head with much satisfaction, took his foot off his chest, turned around, and went back to his seat.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xu Le breathed heavily and began to cough violently. Some members of the second group reacted hurriedly and ran over to lift him up. Xu Le no longer dared to provoke Xiao Luo, nor did he try to bother Guan Tong. Xu Le quickly asked for him and his other colleague with the bruised head to be sent to the hospital for a check-up and to treat their injuries.


    After he and his unconscious colleague left, the office began to return to some normalcy once again.


    But after what had just happened, the atmosphere in the office became really awkward. Everyone stole nces at Xiao Luo from time to time, still very much in fear of him, because of his unpredictable and frightening nature.


    Xiao Luo was clearly not bothered by the looks people gave him and casually yed the minesweeper game on the officeputer.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao walked over cautiously.


    ¡°Brother Luo, this is the list of information about the third group¡¯stest customers, do you want to take a look at them?¡± Si Yueting asked, handing a stack of documents over to him.


    ¡°Put them down there, I¡¯ll take a look at themter,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was focused on the minesweeper game and did not even bother to lift his head up at all.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll ce them here then.¡±


    Si Yueting ced the documents on Xiao Luo¡¯s desk, didn¡¯t walk away, and tried to probe a little. ¡°Brother Luo, did you use to practice martial arts in the past?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo lifted his head with a frown and said, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Just one kick and you sent Team Leader Xu flying. We all saw that,¡± Liu Yiyao replied.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, right, right, right¡­¡±


    Like a little chick pecking for grains, Si Yueting nodded her head in agreement.


    Xiao Luoughed but didn¡¯t say anything and just continued ying the minesweeper game. He had no intention of beating anyone up, but Xu Le decided to mess around with him and provoke him, so he had no choice but to do what he did.


    Seeing how Xiao Luo had responded, Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao stopped disturbing him and quietly returned to their seats.


    ¡°Brother Luo is a little too violent, I¡¯m a little bit afraid of him now.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of? This is called having a personality. If you ask me, I think Brother Luo is a real man.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a North-eastern girl, of course, you¡¯d think Brother Luo is a real man. I¡¯m a weak girl, so of course, I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you this, Brother Luo is definitely from the north-east. The trait of cutting the talk and getting straight to the fighting is so apparent.¡±


    The two women quietly whispered into one another¡¯s ear as they discussed Xiao Luo¡¯s personality.


    Guan Tong was from the second group, and it was not appropriate for him to talk with Xiao Luo at this moment. Otherwise, there was no way he could stay in the second group anymore, so all he could do was wait till after office working hours before he could have a good chat with Xiao Luo.


    Not long after, a few security guards ran in and asked about what just happened.


    Everyone in the second group, besides Guan Tong, stood up and pointed at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°This guy beat someone up, he beat them up so badly that he injured one of our colleague and team leader¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°Yes, this man is a barbarian and is not suited to stay in this office. Look at all the bloodstains on the floor, it¡¯s from our colleague and the team leader.¡±


    ¡°You guys should hurry up and throw him out of here!¡±


    Fuming with indignation and speaking in the name of justice, everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with vengeance and retribution.


    After hearing those words, a few of the security guards changed their expression. Beating someone up in the office and injuring them on the head was not something they could just let slide.


    ¡°Buddy, sorry to bother you, but we¡¯ll need you toe with us!¡±


    The head of security walked towards Xiao Luo and spoke politely.


    Just at that moment, a tall and stylish woman in high-heels walked in. She had an oval-shaped face, simr to that of a melon, and the thick lenses on her sses showed that she was short-sighted as well. It was Wu He, the woman from the Human Resource Department that he met on the day of the interview.


    With her crystal-clear voice, Wu He said, ¡°Xiao Luo, CEO Shen has asked for you to see her in the office.¡± As soon as she realized Xiao Luo¡¯s ying minesweeper, her eyes widened, and she said, ¡°We¡¯re approaching the end of the month already, how is it that you¡¯re still wasting your time on boringputer games like this? As a team leader yourself, you¡¯re not properly taking charge of things, and way too irresponsible!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure CEO Shen asked you to invite me to her office, not reprimand me.¡±


    Xiao Luo ced thest grid and finished the round of minesweeping. He stood up, ignored the look on Wu He¡¯s face, and walked out of the sales office.


    Everyone in the sales department was incredulous at the thought of Xiao Luo being unafraid of anything, and it was somewhat infuriating. Didn¡¯t he know that Wu He was CEO Shen¡¯s secretary and was the human resource department¡¯s assistant director? In Huayao Group, besides the executive leaders, who else would have the guts to talk to Wu He like that?


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    Wu He cursed softly while ring at Xiao Luo¡¯s back, with an arrogant look on her face, she turned around and walked away.


    ¡­


    In Shen Qingyan¡¯s office, besides Shen Qingyan, Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei from the sales department were also there. Both of their expressions looked really awkward, and it was quite evident that they were being reprimanded.


    Shen Qingyan sat on the office chair. She wore a ck business suit that showed off her voluptuous and shapely body. Her eyes were sparkling, as usual, and entuated with the lightest of eyeshadow.


    ¡°A big order of million and we just gave it to Renhe Pharmacy. Department head Mao, I hope you can give me a reasonable exnation,¡± Shen Qingyan said. She had a cold-looking expression, and she looked really furious. million was not a small purchase, and such an order was something others would kill for.


    Mao Jianyi wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked down. ¡°CEO Shen, all of this is my fault and my responsibility. We arrived a little toote, and Renhe Pharmacy got the deal because they were a step ahead of us,¡± he exined.


    ¡°CEO Shen, that¡¯s not the case, Director Guo from the Women¡¯s Hospital was already leaning towards Renhe Pharmacy right from the start. Before the relocation n, he already took the initiative and contacted Renhe Pharmacy. He never intended to work with Huayao Group at all,¡± Ling Fei pitched in, unwilling to ept the me.


    Shen Qingyanughed. ¡°Ling Fei, you¡¯re the top sales performer for the department. Words like these should not being from your mouth. What does sales mean to you? Sales is the ability to turn unwilling customers into willing customers. If this order could be clinched that easily, why would I have sent you and Department Head Mao? I could have just sent anyone as a representative to sign the deal with Director Guo, and it¡¯d be as simple as that, no?

 Chapter 433 - Youre Pretty Quick

    <h2>Chapter 433: You¡¯re Pretty Quick</h2>


    Ling Fei was dumbstruck by the questions and lowered her head. Indeed, if all clients were that easy to please, there would not be a need for a salesperson. As a salesperson, it was part of their job to identify and get new clients.


    ¡°Ms. Shen, it¡¯s all my fault. If you need to hold someone responsible for this mistake, then it¡¯s me,¡± said Mao Jianyi self-reproachfully.


    ¡°Hold you responsible? How should I do it? Dock off money from your sry?¡±


    Shen Qingyan mmed her hands on the table and cried, ¡°Even if I took away all the sry you earned in your entire life, it wouldn¡¯t make up for that 170 million!¡±


    Mao Jianyi has never seen Shen Qingyan this angry before. He understood the gravity of the situation and realized that his job could be on the line. He was unsure what he should do and could only stand there with a sullen face.


    [Door knocks]


    A gentle knock came from the door, and anky Wu He walked in and nodded politely. ¡°Ms. Shen, Xiao Luo is here,¡± she said.


    ¡°Let him in,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Shen.¡±


    Wu He walked out to bring Xiao Luo in.


    Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei were confused by what was going on. Why did their boss call Xiao Luo here? Perhaps he was here to salvage the situation?


    Xiao Luo soon walked in confidently with a faint smile on his face. His shirt¡¯s top button was undone, and he exuded an unrestrained yet charismatic vibe. He nodded at Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei, acknowledging them before turning to Shen Qingyan and asked,¡± Ms. Shen, is there something I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°I need a big favor from you.¡±


    Shen Qingyan came to the front of the table and stood right in front of Xiao Luo. He caught a waft of her light fragrance; it was just like Su Li¡¯s. It was hard to tell what the scent was, but it sure was a nice and refreshing one.


    Xiao Luo did not say anything and waited for her to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about the city¡¯s Women and Children¡¯s hospital relocation and that they¡¯re buying arge amount of medical equipment and medicine,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just heard about it,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s voice was full of passion and brimming with hope. ¡°Jianyi¡¯s contract negotiations with the medical director of the hospital, Guo Tai Ning, has failed, and he is now more inclined to work with Renhe Medicines,¡± she said, ¡°As they have yet to sign the contract, I want you to meet Guo Tai Ning and convince him to work with us instead.¡±


    So, it was about getting Xiao Luo to salvage the situation after all!


    Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei wondered to themselves just how much faith Ms. Shen had in Xiao Luo, now that Guo Tai Ning had already expressed his firm decision to procure from Renhe Medicines. Although Xiao Luo had secured a deal with the Princess of Dubai previously, the current situation was different, and it seemed unrealistic to expect Xiao Luo to convince Guo Tai Ning otherwise.


    Xiao Luo was taken aback and chuckled in response. ¡°You think too highly of me, Ms. Shen. What more could I possibly do to make him our client, when even the both of them have failed to achieve it?¡±


    He had no confidence whatsoever in securing this deal as he was not familiar with Guo Tai Ning. Besides, Guo Tai Ning had already decided to purchase from Renhe Medicines, indicating that there was little room for negotiations to begin with.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t say that, Luo. You managed to secure the deal with the Princess of Dubai previously. Who knows, perhaps you¡¯ll be the one who¡¯s able to get through to Guo Tai Ning,¡± Mao Jianyi said, offering a wry smile.


    ¡°You heard that? Even Jianyi thinks you can do it. You have to at least try,¡± Shen Qingyan enthused as her eyes glistened with hope.


    Shen Qingyan had an inexplicable trust in Xiao Luo. She had always felt that he had an endless amount of drive and energy that made him seemed formidable, and with him, nothing was impossible. They had to go all out for that contract as it was worth 170 million.


    Xiao Luo frowned. If he had handled this ount from the start, he would¡¯ve gone for it, but it wasn¡¯t his. The client had been managed by Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei, and they could not close the sale. If he seeded, thepany as a whole would definitely be happy, but both of them would feel embarrassed or even be too ashamed to stay on in thepany.


    Xiao Luo joined Huayao Corporation to pass his time. As long as no one tried to provoke him, he would just focus on doing his job and would never do anything to hurt anyone¡¯s interest. As Team Three¡¯s leader, he was responsible for meeting the sales target for his entire team, but closing the Women¡¯s and Children¡¯s Hospital¡¯s case was not one of them.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°You should ask someone else. There¡¯s nothing I can do for this case!¡±


    ¡°Should I make a call to Li to tell her that you have no ambitions in thispany and are merely killing your time here?¡± Shen Qingyan threatened Xiao Luo, believing that was his Achilles¡¯ heel.


    Xiao Luo scoffed, ¡°Go ahead!¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan was rendered speechless but was somewhat appeased. She felt that Xiao Luo was a genius, and there was nothing he couldn¡¯t aplish if he put his mind to it. However, he was not going to just listen to her.


    The next moment, she humbled herself and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, please help us with this. If you¡¯re able to close this sale, I¡¯ll give you 10 percent of the sales asmission. How does that sound?¡±


    Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei¡¯s faces turned dark instantly. Not only was it because Shen Qingyan begged him to take the case, but it was also that 10 percentmission. Usually, the sales team only received 5 percent, half of what was being offered to Xiao Luo! For a big client, in this case, the Women¡¯s and Children¡¯s Hospital, he would potentially earn amission of 17 million.


    It was 17 million! That¡¯s an amount that others can only dream about!


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo felt tempted. He might be the owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop and have a worth of approximately 50 billion, but he was still interested in getting more money.


    BAM!


    Suddenly, the room door was swung wide open.


    A man in his fifties with grey hair barged in. He was wearing a white shirt and has three deep lines on his forehead. The lines resembled the stripes on a tiger¡¯s head, giving him a fierce and domineering countenance.


    He was Shen Qingyan¡¯s third uncle, Shen Xingqing!


    Other than Shen Xingqing, Xu Le and his other friend were also there with their heads in bandages. At the same time, two well-built bodyguards stood nearby, showing no expression.


    ¡°Uncle, you don¡¯t seem to have learned to knock beforeing in, do you?¡± Shen Qingyan reproached.


    ¡°I have something important to say.¡±


    Shen Xingqing pointed at Xiao Luo and scowled, ¡°That¡¯s him. Get him and bring him to the police station.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Both the bodyguards acknowledged and started approaching Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Shen Qingyan snapped, putting a stop to any further action. She turned to her uncle and said, ¡°Uncle, what did he do? Why are you taking him to the police?¡±


    Shen Xingqing pushed Xu Le and his colleague in front of him. ¡°He did this! Fighting in the office and causing grievous injuries to his colleagues! Is he a gangster? This cannot be condoned!¡± he barked.


    Xiao Luo did this?


    Looking at the injuries on both Xu Le and his friend, Shen Qingyan. Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei were utterly shocked. They looked like they have been injured on a battlefield, and even the bandages were soaked in blood. This was some merciless beating.


    ¡°You did this?¡± Shen Qingyan asked, reeling from the shock.


    Xiao Luo did not answer her and turned to Xu Le smiling, ¡°Wow, you look pretty quick in bandages. Also, you look clear-headed; it seems like your skull is hard enough, and you¡¯ll probably be fine!¡±

 Chapter 434 - Stupid

    Chapter 434: Stupid


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s now time to pay for your reckless action!¡±


    Xu Le red at Xiao Luo, seething with mes of anger in his eyes, and, given half a chance, he would skin Xiao Luo alive if he could. As he had the backing of Shen Xingqing, he felt reassured when meeting Shen Qingyan to report the incident. ¡°President Shen, I had a disagreement with Xiao Luo in the office earlier, and he suddenly assaulted me using his martial arts training. He even broke a pot of cactus over my head and caused me to bleed non-stop. I seek president Shen¡¯s judgment for appropriate action to be taken against him!¡±


    This was nothing but a show as he already had Shen Xingqing¡¯s support. However, the person-in-charge of Huayao Corporation was Shen Qingyan, so Xu Le still had to go through the process of formally exining to her.


    Shen Qingyan looked at Xiao Luo with grave concern as nopany could tolerate such abusive conduct and behavior, going so far as to even harm fellow employees within the office premises. But, what was actually on Shen Qingyan¡¯s mind was that she could not understand why Xiao Luo had such a savage streak, and what made him so ferocious? He wasn¡¯t a hooligan; in fact, he looked like a decent, gentlemanly sort of person. Could Yang Hongzhi¡¯s case be really rted to him?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, did you assault him?¡±


    Mao Jianyi questioned Xiao Luo with an using tone.


    ¡°I did, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an utter disappointment, no matter what reason youe up with, assaulting your colleague in the office is definitely wrong!¡±


    Mao Jianyi interrupted him and chose to side with Xu Le without hesitation, he pleaded to Shen Qingyan, ¡°President Shen. Mr. vice-president is right about Xiao Luo being aplete hooligan. If we don¡¯t enforce severe punishment for such behavior, it would surely harm thepany¡¯s bonding and working environment!¡±


    Such a drastic change in stance caught Xiao Luo off guard. However, after he saw Mao Jianyi, Xu Le, and Shen Xingqing making dubious eye contact, he realized that these people were birds of the same feathers, which gave him a better idea of what to do about it.


    Shen Qingyan was at a loss and could not arrive at a suitable resolution, so she asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, what do you have to say in your defense?¡±


    ¡°Whatever this little jerk says does not matter! Niece, let me handle this matter entirely¡ªI shall order the HR department to fire him, then file a police report and send him behind bars for a good month.¡±


    There was a look ofplete satisfaction in the way Shen Xingqing smiled mirthlessly. He then stared coldly at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ever think that you can walk out of Huayao Corporations unharmed after causing such a mess. Hah, you have clearly overestimated your capabilities!¡±


    ¡°Shen Xingqing, how dare you take such action without clearing with my office! Does my opinion not matter, or do you wish for me to call for a board meeting and force you to step down?¡± Shen Qingyan screamed. She clenched her jaw in fury as it was evident that Shen Xingqing was aiming to annoy her through this incident. Although outwardly, it seemed like he was messing with Xiao Luo, Shen Xingqing was actually targeting her, which was the only thing he was good at.


    Shen Xingqing shrugged, returning her the authority to handle this matter. He then sat down and crossed his legs to wait for Shen Qingyan¡¯s decision.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, go on,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say. Yes, I did assault Xu Le, and should the same thing happen again, I would still do it,¡± Xiao Luo replied, smiling.


    Shen Qingyan did not press him further and turned to Xu Le, ¡°Mr. Xu, why did Xiao Luo assault you?¡±


    ¡°It was due to some difference in our opinions,¡± Xu Le answered.


    ¡°What kind of difference in opinions? Be specific, recount every single detail of what happened in the office earlier¡ªclearly andpletely!¡± Shen Qingyan ordered.


    Shen Qingyan had climbed to the position of president Huayao Corporation through sheer tenacity and her very own unique capabilities. So, when she took on a serious demeanor, she would exude an overpowering dominance over others. Xu Le shivered where he stood and felt that his career was at stake.


    ¡°Your turn!¡±


    Shen Qingyan looked over to Xu Le¡¯s best friend.


    That man may have been close to Xu Le, but he did not side with Shen Xingqing, so he was rtively neutral. He did not dare to lie in front of Huayao Corporation¡¯s president, so he recounted every single detail of the incident in the office.


    After listening to him, Shen Qingyan smiled wryly and red at Xu Le. ¡°That was not a case of difference in opinion, but rather, you purposely taunted him. You insulted him first, and he reacted aggressively, so what¡¯s your problem?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Xu Le was stunned, and he could not understand how this had all suddenly turned against him.


    ¡°You are also a group leader yourself, but instead of working with your colleagues, you went around insulting and mocking them on purpose. Do you have so much free time on your hands, Mr. Xu? Did thepany not assign you any task at all?¡± Shen Qingyan chastised Xu Le, and every point she made hit home.


    Xu Le broke into a cold swear and turned to Shen Xingqing and Mao Jianyi for help.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Niece, your words are too strong. Mr. Xu has been a diligent employee of thepany and worked tirelessly for a long time. He once was even hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning from drinking with a potential customer to secure a business deal. Mr. Mao was the witness, right?¡± Shen Xingqing said.


    ¡°Yes¡­yes¡­¡±


    Mao Jianyi answered in a somewhat unnatural tone as even though he was on Shen Xingqing¡¯s side, he was also very fearful of Shen Qingyan. It did not feelfortable sitting on the fence and get pulled apart by two forces.


    ¡°Mr. Xu is an exemry employee of ourpany and the one that others should emte for his spirit of service. Also, thepany ought to hire more talents like Mr. Xu, as this would allow him to take a break from time to time, am I right?¡± Shen Xingqing spoke very highly of Xu Le, and he had almost described Xu Le as the perfect employee.


    Xu Le felt a little insecure about the appraisal and wondered if he was really that good.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo could not help but burst out inughter, and when he realized everyone was looking over, he tried to contain himself and waved his hand in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, so sorry¡­ this is just hrious. Usually, I would notugh inappropriately, but this is too much. I really can¡¯t control myself,¡± he said.


    Xu Le¡¯s face blushed a livid red as he stared at Xiao Luo with his jaw clenched. The more perfect Shen Xingqing had described him, the more embarrassed he felt when Xiao Luoughed. Xiao Luo had practically dragged him down from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds.


    Shen Xingqing was infuriated and yelled, ¡°You little jerk, you¡¯re too much! Get him to the police station now!¡±


    ¡°Vice-president Shen, aren¡¯t you afraid of being asked to step down?¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    Shen Xingqing was caught off guard as Xiao Luo sounded very confident, so he immediately stopped his security guards from apprehending Xiao Luo. He walked up and questioned Xiao Luo, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not care to address him and turned to face Shen Qingyan instead. ¡°President Shen, I¡¯ll take care of the contract with the maternity and child health care center, but you have to keep your promise. If I can secure this contract, I would draw a ten percentmission,¡± he said.


    ¡°How confident are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°About seventy to eighty percent,¡± he responded.


    Mao Jianyi stared coldly and said, ¡°What an arrogant fellow, you¡¯re going to pay for your arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not going to pay for anything, but I am sure that some people are paying for their wrongdoings,¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    He was more than happy to prove these people wrong and, at the same time, earn an extramission of seventeen million.


    ¡°Little jerk, you¡¯re just trying to y the fool, go tell that to the police!¡± Shen Xingqing signaled the security guards, and they moved toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I finally understand why the Shen family only appointed you as the vice-president. It is because you are essentially¡­ stupid. I am sure the entire board of directors would not be too happy to hear about losing the maternity and child health care center deal. And when they learn that you were the main reason for losing this deal, do you actually think that they will let you go unscathed?¡± Xiao Luo questioned.


    Shen Xingqing was so angry that he startedughing, ¡°Little jerk, you think too highly of yourself. Do you actually think that you can take the meat right out of Renhe Medicines¡¯ mouth and secure that deal? Don¡¯t be absurd!¡±

 Chapter 435 - A misunderstanding

    Chapter 435: A misunderstanding


    Guo Xingqingughed so loud that it could be heard from every corner in the office.


    Mao Jianyiughed along, for it was an epted fact was that Guo Taining would undoubtedly sign the contract with Renhe Medicines. What Mao Jianyi had just done was merely to give Xiao Luo some encouragement, for Shen Qingyan¡¯s sake. And, in truth, he had no faith in Xiao Luo securing this contract at all.


    ¡°I believe in him!¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    There were firm convictions and determination in Shen Qingyan¡¯s eyes, and her words immediately stunned Xiao Luo¡¯s disparagers and silenced the office in an instant.


    Shen Xingqing smiled condescendingly and said, ¡°Niece, don¡¯t be fooled by the likes of him. Uncle will take care of this hooligan, and I¡¯ll make sure he goes behind the bar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not being fooled by him, and if he cannot secure the contract with the maternity and child health care center, then nobody else in thispany can.¡±


    Shen Qingyan had a strong faith in Xiao Luo ever since the Wild Wolf Mountain race, where he won the race driving only a Trumpchi. That particr scene of Xiao Luo taking the Trumpchi over the cliff and across the ravine was etched deeply in her memory, and it was something that she could never forget. This man was enigmatic and had some superb skills; he always looked calm andposed, and he was definitely someone who had been through a lot of things.


    Ling Fei was slightly stunned and stared enviously at Xiao Luo. She could not understand why president Shen had such high trust and confidence in that man. Was it just because he had secured the business with the princess of Dubai?


    The office atmosphere was thick with intrigue and became somewhat tense before it was suddenly broken by Shen Xingqing¡¯s mockingughter. ¡°Niece, I really cannot understand you. Why are you so fond of this little jerk? Could it be that you and he had¡­Uhm?¡± he implied.


    Hisst line was very suggestive, and it was actually very obvious to everyone in the room.


    They looked at Shen Qingyan for Shen Xingqing¡¯s words did indeed made sense. In their minds, Shen Qingyan was always overprotective of Xiao Luo, and it was evident that something was going on between them for her to act this way. It clearly did not take too much for one to arrive at such a conclusion.


    Shen Qingyan was enraged and mmed her table hard. ¡°Shen Qingxing, save your dirty-minded tactics and stop insulting my personal rtionships with the others, you¡¯re in no position to do that!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty obvious that you are having affairs with this little jerk? We don¡¯t even need to make a second guess. If you guys don¡¯t have an unusual rtionship, then why are you siding him?¡± Shen Xingqing said in nder.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan clenched her teeth and red at Shen Xingqing, infuriated beyond words. She was trembling with rage all over, but quickly regained herposure and rebutted, ¡°I am siding him because he can secure this contract. Shen Xingqing, since you think that I have something unusual going on with him, I dare you to make a bet with me.¡±


    ¡°A bet on what?¡±


    As things stood, they were already openly hostile to each other, and Shen Xingqing could not care less about ying nice. They had been office enemies for years now, and it was already an open secret in thepany.


    ¡°The bet will be based on this¡ªwhether or not Xiao Luo can secure the contract with the maternity and child health care center.¡± Shen Qingyan nned to risk everything on this bet as she had reached her tolerance limit with Shen Xingqing. This battle for power should have been made a long time ago, but she had been postponing it for the sake of their rtionship as niece and uncle. The words uttered by Shen Xingqing today had honestly disappointed her.


    Shen Xingqing smirked and asked, ¡°So, what are we betting for?¡±


    ¡°If Xiao Luo fails to secure the contract, I¡¯ll resign and let you take over my position. But, if Xiao Luo seeds, I¡¯m sorry¡­ then, you better jolly well get the hell out of thispany and go back to your hometown!¡± Shen Qingyan hissed.


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you be packing your stuff already?¡±


    Shen Xingqing replied with such confidence as if he had already won the bet. He strolled to Shen Qingyan¡¯s table and slowly eased himself into her chair, a reminder that this seat belonged to him initially.


    Shen Qingyan was incensed and said, ¡°Cut the crap, are you ying this game, or not?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ and, why not!¡± Shen Xingqing banged the table and stood up assuredly.


    They both stared at each other with anger smoldering in their eyes¡ªjust like that, the battle had begun. The entire office had now turned into the battlefield.


    Xiao Luo appeared calm as if this had nothing to with him. ¡°Bosses, you guys are making a bet based on my performance, and none of you seem to have asked for my opinion. How can this be right?¡± he said.


    ¡°Little jerk, you¡¯re in no position to speak, shut the hell up if you don¡¯t wish me to send you to the police station!¡± Shen Xingqing yelled, pointing a shaking finger at him.


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°You have misunderstood; what I meant was that I will dly chip in for the bet.¡±


    ¡°you want to chip in? Do you think you are qualified?¡± Shen Xingqing riposted.


    ¡°I am a mere sales officer in Huayao Corporation, and I am indeed not qualified to bet with you in terms of the influence we have in Huayao Corporation. However, since we are both humans, doesn¡¯t that allow us to bet with our bodies? Since president Shen has ced her position on the line, I will ce one of my hands on this bet. If I do secure the contract, I¡¯ll take one of your hands, and if not, I¡¯ll pay you with one, how about that?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    GASP¡­!


    Everyone took a deep breath, for even though Xiao Luo had said it calmly and casually, but the message in his words came with an ominous portent and sent a chill right down their spines.


    Shen Qingyan was clearly shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s proposal, and she muttered to himself: ¡°Giving up a hand for the bet? Is that guy so savage, actually?¡±


    Shen Xingqing was a little shaken, but he kept staring at Xiao Luo.


    Xu Le spoke up in defense of his boss. ¡°Xiao Luo, who do you think you are? You are nothing but a nobody who¡¯s struggling at the bottom ranks of our society; how can your hand have the same value as our vice-president? The vice-president could make thousands of millions by just snapping his finger, can you do that?¡± he rebuked.


    ¡°What a barbaric man, I was so wrong about your promotion, you should have never been promoted to bing a group leader.¡±


    Mao Jianyi looked very remorseful for promoting Xiao Luo to be the group leader of Group Three, but in actual fact, he had only done so because Xiao Luo was highly regarded by Shen Qingyan. The truth was, he did not know that Xiao Luo had pissed Shen Xingqing off.


    ¡°What, do you guys want to participate in the bet too? Are you guys putting your hands on the bet?¡± While Xiao Luo did not feel too good about this wager, still, it was an excellent opportunity to get rid of all these snakes all at one go.


    Mao Jianyi could not be bothered, ¡°I don¡¯t argue with barbarians.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a timid rat, so just shut up if you are afraid,¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Mao Jianyi looked like a fox that had its tail stepped on; his eyes widened, and he looked visibly angry.


    Xiao Luo then turned to look at Xu Le. ¡°What about you? Mr. Xu? Are you man enough?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You, little jerk, stop trying to intimidate me with your dirty tricks. It won¡¯t work on me¡­ yes, I¡¯m in with my one hand!¡± Shen Xingqing responded.


    Xu Le was backing up Shen Xingqing, and seeing that he had already made a bet, there was no reason for Shen Xingqing to back off. In any case, he was confident that the contract could not be obtained by Xiao Luo. ¡°I am in too, there¡¯s no way you can secure the contract with the maternity and child health care center,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, the bet is official now. I have to remind you all that I will not ept any amendments or excuses for this bet,¡± Xiao Luo warned.


    ¡°Agreed, whoever turns back on his word shall be damned,¡± Shen Xingqing pledged.


    Xu Le was a little more insecure; however, he still stood with Shen Xingqing and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, whoever turns back on his words shall be damned.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    And he then gave them both a confident smile.


    Shen Qingyan was intimidated by this man¡ªhe resembled the devil who lured people to sign evil contracts in exchange for their desires, enjoying the sight of people selling their souls and bodies with his sinister smile.

 Chapter 436 - The Difficult Deal

    Chapter 436: The Difficult Deal


    ¡°Did you hear? The newly appointed Team Three leader of the Sales Department was bragging in President Shen¡¯s office, saying that he wants to secure the contract from the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from Renhe Medicines.¡±


    ¡°Hah, really? A new guy like him has such confidence? The director of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Guo Taining, is an old acquaintance of the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines. To make Guo Taining give up the deal with Renhe Medicines and buy the medical appliances from Huayao Corporation is harder than going to heaven.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, the Team Three leader sealed a deal with a princess from Dubai, like a blind cat catching a dead rat, and he got it on the same day that he came for his job interview. Perhaps that is why he is so confident that he can get the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital contract. Besides, I also heard that President Shen and Vice President Shen are going to take this opportunity and slug it out for the leadership this time.¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What I meant was if the Team Three leader can seal the deal with the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Vice President Shen will have to step down from his position and retire. On the other hand, if he doesn¡¯t, then President Shen will be the one to step down.¡±


    ¡°No shit, this is too big a gamble.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that, the Team Three leader was also in on the bet, he is also betting with Vice President Shen and the Team Two leader of the Sales Department¡ªfor one of their hands!¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, why do I sense that another great bloodshed is on the way? What kind of a person is that Team Three leader? He has only been working in the Huayao Corporation for less than a month but is already wreaking havoc?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, but rumor has it, he is President Shen¡¯s lover.¡±


    ¡°No sh*t, this is huge!¡±


    What transpired in Shen Qinyan¡¯s office was like a vicious hurricane, ravaging through the whole Huayao Corporation. Within two hours, almost everyone knew about the incident. The people who were already curious about the salesman who got the contract of a princess from Dubai tried everything to dig out Xiao Luo¡¯s information, wanting to know who this legendary guy was.


    ***


    At this very moment, the atmosphere in the Sales Department was tense and awkward, to say the least.


    All the employees were pretending to be busy, but their eyes were fixed on the Team Three leader. Xiao Luo had been at his desk ying the Minesweeper game on hisputer ever since he returned from Shen Qingyan¡¯s office.


    Didn¡¯t this guy just say that he would get the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital contract?


    How could he still be yingputer games in such a carefree manner? Is he really that easygoing?


    Everyone was quite confused, especially Guan Tong, he was so anxious that he wanted to storm towards Xiao Luo and p him in the face.


    Xu Ler, who had a massive bump on his head and was all wrapped up in a white bandage, looked at Xiao Luo dolefully, and whispered through gritted teeth, ¡°Idiot, still ying games here, I¡¯ll wait and see how you die.¡±


    Mao Jianyi nced at Xiao Luo through the window blinds and called Shen Xingqing to report the situation, ¡°Vice President, he has not taken off, still sitting at his desk and yingputer games.¡±


    ¡°yingputer games? Is that little bastard crazy? Hahaha ¡­¡± Shen Xingqing was amused by Xiao Luo¡¯s action.


    Mao Jianyi¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, he hesitated for a short while before spilling his worry out, and said, ¡°Vice President, nothing is absolute in this world, what if he ¡­¡±


    ¡°What if? You think that there¡¯d be a ¡®what-if¡¯?¡± Shen Xingqing sneered.


    Mao Jianyi did not react; his experience told him that there would be no what-ifs, but, deep down, he was still anxious.


    ¡°I have done business with Guo Taining before; he is a stubborn and unyielding man. Money, woman, and power, the three things that would cause a man to lose his head, do not move him. Guo Taining doesn¡¯t have any weaknesses. If he had, you and Ling Fei would note back empty-handed. Plus, he and the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines are buddies, and they used to work in the same hospital when they were young. The director was his assistant back then, and because of the history between them, he chose Renhe Medicines without hesitation. Shen Qinyan, that little bitch, didn¡¯t even know about this and sent you guys to deal with Guo Taining, no wonder you failed.¡±


    Shen Xingqing sat, unperturbed on the couch, holding his phone with a smile on his face. ¡°That little bastard chose the wrong side and went against me, he¡¯d still think that the sky would always be blue if I don¡¯t crush him into ashes,¡± he gloated.


    After hearing what Shen Xingqing had said, the trace of insecurity in Mao Jianyi¡¯s mind vanished entirely as if he had taken a benzodiazepine.


    ***


    ¡°Brother Luo, this is the information of Guo Taining, the director of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital.¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao put together a pile of Guo Taining¡¯s files andy them in front of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo frowned and said, ¡°I wanted his basic information. Why do you guys give me so many files?¡±


    He scanned through the files; they were about Guo Taining¡¯s social circle, hobbies, food preferences, the ces he frequented, and such. It seemed the only data they missed was about when he went to the toilet.


    ¡°I only need this page.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a piece of paper with Guo Taining¡¯s necessary information on it, including Guo Taining¡¯s age, height, photo, life experiences, and the like.


    Nervously, Si Yueting asked, ¡°Brother Luo, are we really going to get the contract of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo carefully read the information sheet in his hand and nodded.


    ¡°The end of the month is around the corner. I understand that Brother Luo wants to increase your sales, but this contract is too huge. Would we really be able to get it?¡± Si Yueting thought that she could hear buzzing in her head. She could never imagine that she would one day bump into a deal worth 1.7 billion dors, not even in her dreams.


    A chill shot through Liu Yiyao¡¯s spine, ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t even got ourselves familiar with all the newbie¡¯s tasks, and now we need to go up against the big viin, even the thought of it scares me.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not reply. He only went through Guo Taining¡¯s personal information meticulously, which was almost the same as the information he found in Baidu Encyclopedia, detailing the critical events in Guo Taining¡¯s life.


    ¡°Sister Ling?!¡±


    Si Yueting called out suddenly.


    Xiao Luo also sensed that someone close by was staring at him. He looked up and saw a familiar heart-shaped face with a frigid and arrogant expression. She was the best salesperson in the Sales Department, Ling Fei.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it is still not toote to give in to Vice President Shen, you don¡¯t have to stick your nose into the battle between President Shen and Vice President Shen. Nobody can get the contract of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital. Guo Taining will only do business with Renhe Medicines; no one can change that,¡± Ling Fei said.


    Xiao Luo snorted and replied, ¡°You are on Shen Xingqing¡¯s side, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not representing anyone, I just don¡¯t wanna see my colleagues end up being sacrificed in the battle between President Shen and Vice President Shen.¡±


    ¡°You think that I¡¯d fail?¡±


    ¡°You absolutely will fail.¡±


    In a calm, solemn tone, Ling Fei exined, ¡°Guo Taining is exceptionally firm, and nothing can change his mind, not even kickbacks or discounts. ording to what I have found out, he is very close to the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines. Otherwise, he would not be so impervious to those special discounts that we, Huayao Corporation, had offered, and kick us out without any consideration.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-Hmm, thanks for your sincere information.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not say anything else after that, and he continued going through Guo Taining¡¯s information.


    A deep frown furrowed Ling Fei¡¯s eyebrows; she then turned around and walked away in silence. She had said enough, and whether Xiao Luo would listen to her or not was none of her business. Furthermore, she was not that close to Xiao Luo, and she only warned him out of courtesy to her colleagues. ¡°Did you hear? The newly appointed Team Three leader of the Sales Department was bragging in President Shen¡¯s office, saying that he wants to seize the contract from the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital from Renhe Medicines.¡±


    ¡°Really? A new guy like him has such confidence? The director of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Guo Taining, is an old acquaintance of the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines. To make Guo Taining give up the deal with Renhe Medicines and buy the medical appliances from Huayao Corporation is harder than going to heaven.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, the Team Three leader sealed a deal with a princess of Dubai, like a blind cat caught a dead rat, on the same day he had his job interview. Perhaps that is why he is so confident that he could get the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital contract. Besides, I also heard that President Shen and Vice President Shen are going to take this opportunity and slug it out this time.¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What I meant was if the Team Three leader could seal a deal with the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Vice President Shen would have to step down from his position and retire. On the contrary, President Shen would be the one to step down.¡±¡±No shit, this is too big a gamble.¡±¡±It¡¯s not just that, the Team Three leader was also in on the bet, he is betting Vice President Shen and the Team Two leader of the Sales Department one of his hands.¡±¡±Oh my god, why do I sense that great bloodshed ising? What kind of a person is that Team Three leader? He has only been working in the Huayao Corporation for less than a month but is already wreaking havoc?¡±¡±Who knows, but rumor has it, he is President Shen¡¯s lover.¡±¡±No shit, this is huge!¡±What happened in Shen Qinyan¡¯s office was like a hurricane, ravaging through the whole Huayao Corporation. Within two hours, almost everyone knew about the incident. The people who were already curious about the salesman who got the contract of a princess from Dubai tried everything to dig out Xiao Luo¡¯s information, wanting to know who this legendary guy was.***At this very moment, the atmosphere in the Sales Department was filled with extreme awkwardness.All the employees were pretending to be busy, but their eyes were fixed on the Team Three leader. Xiao Luo had been ying the Minesweeper game on hisputer at his desk ever since he returned from Shen Qingyan¡¯s office.Didn¡¯t this guy just say that he would get the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital contract?How could he still be yingputer games in such a carefree manner? Was he really that easygoing?Everyone was quite confused, especially Guan Tong, he was so anxious that he wanted to storm towards Xiao Luo and p him in the face.Xu Ler, who had a massive bump on his head and was all wrapped up in a white bandage, looked at Xiao Luo dolefully, and whispered through gritted teeth, ¡°Idiot, still ying games here, I¡¯ll wait and see how you die.¡±Mao Jianyi nced at Xiao Luo through the window blinds and called Shen Xingqing to report the situation, ¡°Vice President, he has not taken off, still sitting at his desk and yingputer games.¡±¡±yingputer games? Is that little bastard crazy? Hahaha ¡­¡± Shen Xingqing was amused by Xiao Luo¡¯s action.Mao Jianyi¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, he hesitated for a short while before spilling his worry out, ¡°Vice President, nothing is absolute in this world, what if he ¡­¡±¡±What if? You think that there¡¯d be a ¡®what-if¡¯?¡± Shen Xingqing sneered.Mao Jianyi did not react; his intellect told him that there would be no what-ifs, but, deep down, he was still anxious.¡±I have done business with Guo Taining before; he is a stubborn and unyielding man. Money, woman, and power, the three things that would cause a man to lose his head, could not move him. Guo Taining doesn¡¯t have any weaknesses. If he had, you and Ling Fei would note back empty-handed. Plus, he and the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines are buddies, and they used to work in the same hospital when they were young. The director was his assistant back then, and because of the history between them, he chose Renhe Medicines without hesitation. Shen Qinyan, that little bitch, didn¡¯t even know about this and sent you guys to deal with Guo Taining, no wonder you failed.¡±Shen Xingqing sat imperturbably on the couch, holding his phone with a smile on his face, ¡°That little bastard chose the wrong side and went against me, he¡¯d still think that the sky would always be blue if I don¡¯t crush him into ashes.¡±After hearing what he said, the trace of insecurity in Mao Jianyi¡¯s mind vanished entirely as if he had taken a benzodiazepine.***¡±Brother Luo, this is the information of Guo Taining, the director of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital.¡±Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao put together a pile of Guo Taining¡¯s files andy them in front of Xiao Luo.Xiao Luo frowned and said, ¡°I wanted his basic information. Why do you guys give me so many files?¡±He scanned through the files; they were about Guo Taining¡¯s social circle, hobbies, food preferences, the ces he frequented, et cetera. They almost wanted to collect the data about when he went to the toilet.¡±I only need this page.¡±Xiao Luo took a piece of paper with Guo Taining¡¯s necessary information on it, including Guo Taining¡¯s age, height, photo, life experiences, and the like.Si Yueting asked nervously, ¡°Brother Luo, are we really going to get the contract of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital?¡±¡±Mm-Hmm.¡±Xiao Luo carefully read the information in his hands and nodded.¡±The end of the month is around the corner. I understand that Brother Luo wants to increase your sales, but this contract is too huge. Would we really be able to get it?¡± Si Yueting thought that she could hear buzzing in her head. She could never imagine that she would one day bump into a deal worth 1.7 billion dors, not even in her dreams.A chill went down Liu Yiyao¡¯s spine, ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t even got ourselves familiar with all the newbie¡¯s tasks, and now we need to go up against the big viin, even the thought of it scares me.¡±Xiao Luo did not reply. He only went through Guo Taining¡¯s personal information meticulously, which was almost the same as the information he found in Baidu Encyclopedia, detailing the critical events in Guo Taining¡¯s life.¡±Sister Ling?!¡±Si Yueting called out suddenly.Xiao Luo also sensed that someone close by was staring at him. He looked up and saw a familiar heart-shaped face with a frigid and arrogant expression. She was the best salesperson in the Sales Department, Ling Fei.¡±Xiao Luo, it is still not toote to give in to Vice President Shen, you don¡¯t have to stick your nose into the battle between President Shen and Vice President Shen. Nobody can get the contract of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital. Guo Taining will only do business with Renhe Medicines; no one can change that.¡± Ling Fei said.Xiao Luo snorted, ¡°You are on Shen Xingqing¡¯s side, aren¡¯t you?¡±¡±No, I am not representing anyone, I just don¡¯t wanna see my colleagues end up being sacrificed in the battle between President Shen and Vice President Shen.¡±¡±You think that I¡¯d fail?¡±¡±You absolutely will fail.¡±Ling Fei said calmly in a solemn tone, ¡°Guo Taining is exceptionally firm, and nothing can change his mind, not even kickbacks or discounts. ording to what I have found out, he is very close to the Sales Director of Renhe Medicines. Otherwise, he would not be so impervious to those special discounts that we, Huayao Corporation, had offered, and kick us out without any consideration.¡±¡±Mm-Hmm, thanks for your sincere warning!¡±Xiao Luo did not say anything else after that, and he continued going through Guo Taining¡¯s information.Ling Fei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown as she then turned around and walked away in silence. She had said enough, and whether Xiao Luo would listen to her or not was none of her business. Furthermore, she was not that close to Xiao Luo, and she only warned him out of courtesy to her colleagues.

 Chapter 437 - Time Is Precious

    Chapter 437: Time Is Precious


    After carefully reading through Guo Taining¡¯s personal information once, Xiao Luo, along with Si Xueting and Liu Yiyao, headed to the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital with thepany¡¯s contract document.


    The hospital was located near a wet market. Its surroundings were filthy and inconvenient for cars to pass through since the streets were too narrow. Additionally, there were always stalls selling fruits and vegetables on both sides of the roads, making the whole ce congested and thronging with people. When there were emergencies, even ambnces found it hard to pass through, and this was why finding a new location for the hospital was an urgent matter to consider. With support from the government, funding would not be a problem.


    ¡°Brother Luo, will we really be able to get this contract?¡±


    Standing in front of the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Si Yueting was not optimistic about their chances, for how on earth could Team Threend the deal which even Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei could not seal it?


    Liu Yiyao did not say anything, but her expression clearly showed that she was very nervous and anxious. Evidently, she was just like Si Yueting, utterly unprepared for their mission.


    ¡°Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way!¡±


    Xiao Luo quipped as he smiled and walked into the building.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao exchanged nces and smiled nervously as they followed him into the hospital. However, they were trained professionals, and they started wearing smiles as soon as they stepped into the premises. No one could see through their facade and know the anxiety that was buried deep in their hearts. Outwardly, they were brimming with confidence.


    As in all the other hospitals, the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital was filled with the fumes of disinfectants as sterilization was a daily routine, but when they reached the inpatient care area, the scent eased off, and, from time to time, they could hear the cries of babies in the wards ahead. On their way to the administration building, they saw many parents with their children in their arms, and they looked worried and anxious.


    Out of the blue, Liu Yiyao suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Luo, are you married?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought for a bit and said, ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    ¡°And do you have kids?¡± Liu Yiyao asked again.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Instantly, Su Xiaobei¡¯s innocent, charming smile that turned her eyes into little crescent moons shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I heard that giving birth to a baby is like going into a torture chamber. Brother Luo, how did you feel when your wife was in thebor room?¡± Liu Yiyao asked yet again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that yet,¡± Xiao Luoughed. Well, he couldn¡¯t tell her what he hadn¡¯t been through.


    ¡°So ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yaoyao, why do you have so many questions? Have you forgotten what we¡¯re here for?¡± Si Yueting interjected.


    ¡°Well, this ce stirs up some feelings, and I was just curious about giving birth. Plus, it relieves my anxiety a little when we¡¯re talking about things like that,¡± Liu Yiyao exined.


    Si Yueting thought that what Liu Yiyao said made some sense. She sighed, shaking her head, and said, ¡°My sister told me that when she gave birth to her baby, the pain was so intense that she wanted to kill herself. It felt like her soul was torn into two halves, and she could hardly bear the pain. She also said that thebor room was filled with piercing screams of other mothers, and she thought she was in hell. So, having a child is not an option for me, I will never give birth to a child in this life.¡±


    ¡°That is only because you haven¡¯t met a guy whom you really love. Once you meet him, you would be willing to have a baby with him,¡± Liu Yiyao responded, sounding like she was speaking from experience.


    ¡°Forget it, I wouldn¡¯t want to suffer that pain, I¡¯ll just adopt one from an orphanage someday,¡± Si Yueting said, waving her hand to make her point.


    Xiao Luo could only arch his eyebrows at how the two of them were soothing their nerves and didn¡¯tment on anything.


    In the midst of chit-chatting, the trio arrived at the administration building, and Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao promptly ended their conversation.


    A well-dressed woman came up to them with a smile on her face. ¡°Hi, this is the Administration Department, if you are here to see a doctor or to visit a patient, you should go to the building upfront,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo wasted no time and was upfront with their purpose there. ¡°We¡¯re not here to see a doctor or visit a patient, we¡¯re here to see Director Guo,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re here for our director?¡±


    Startled, she then asked, ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re from the Sales Department of Huayao Corporation. We came here to see Director Guo for a business deal. ¡±


    Xiao Luo answered truthfully, for he knew from what he read that Guo Taining was an honest man, and he certainly would not appreciate half-truths or gimmicks. If Xiao Luo didn¡¯t tell the truth about who he was, Guo Taining would undoubtedly dismiss Xiao Luo as soon as they met, and the long-term impact on Huayao Corporation would be dire.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t yourpany send someone this morning?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°They were in a hurry, and there are still some things that need to be rified,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Please wait here, I will notify the director.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, expressing his appreciation.


    ¡°Would Director Guo agree to hear us out? Why do I get the feeling that we won¡¯t even be able to see his face this time?¡± Si Yueting muttered to herself when the woman left.


    ¡°He will see us. Guo Taining is a gentleman, he may refuse to meet with salespeople who y petty tricks, but he certainly won¡¯t turn down any visitors who show sincerity,¡± Xiao Luo said. This was the conclusion he arrived at from reading Guo Taining¡¯s information sheet, and he was quite confident he read Guo Taining¡¯s personality urately.


    Just as Xiao Luo inferred, the woman came back a short whileter and told them that Director Guo had invited them to his office.


    Xiao Luo thanked the woman and led the startled Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao to Guo Taining¡¯s office.


    The office was at the end of the hallway on the third floor. As soon as they set foot in the office, they saw a middle-aged grey-haired man engrossed in reading a medical book. He looked kind and friendly.


    The office was not very big; it was about 30 square meters. The office was equipped with a desk, book rack, and a bonsai at each office corner. There was noputer on the desk, but a globe and a stack of files.


    ¡°Director, they¡¯re here!¡± the woman said as she knocked on the door.


    The middle-aged man nodded, and with his eyes still gazing into the medical book, he asked Xiao Luo without looking up at him, ¡°I have made myself perfectly clear with your Sales Director, why did he still send you?¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke in a tone that was neither aggressive nor conciliatory. ¡°Director Guo, we, representing Huayao Corporation, would like to discuss a business deal with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t use me of not giving opportunities to the young; if you can persuade me with less than a hundred words, I¡¯ll give Huayao Corporation the contract.¡± Guo Taining still did not lift his head to look at them.


    With less than a hundred words?


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao frowned, showing the worry lines on their foreheads. Sales Director Mao and the team leader, Ling Fei, had spent the whole morning trying to persuade him and failed. Now, the three of them were supposed to convince Guo Taining in less than a hundred words, how would that be possible?


    ¡°Director Guo, we sincerely want to do business with you, no matter how good are the discounts Renhe Medicines offered you, we, Huayao Corporation, can offer you twice that,¡± Si Yueting said.


    ¡°Yes, Director Guo, please consider Huayao Corporation, the twopanies produce medical appliances and drugs with the best quality, and if you can get the same products at a lower price, isn¡¯t it a good thing for you? You can use the money saved on the construction of the new hospital, which will be beneficial,¡± Liu Yiyao pitched in.


    ¡°Time is precious, so stop wasting my time. And don¡¯t waste yours as well.¡±


    Guo Taining gave them the cold shoulder, and he didn¡¯t seem like he would give them a chance at all. His eyes were fixed on the medical book in his hand the whole time they were there.

 Chapter 438 - Three Stages of Pain

    <h2>Chapter 438: Three Stages of Pain</h2>


    With Guo Taining¡¯s curt response, the enthusiasm in Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao immediately vanished into thin air. There didn¡¯t seem to be even a glimmer of hope, for Director Guo was set in his ways and circumspect by nature. The girls believed that it was impossible to change his mind. They nced at Xiao Luo dejectedly with looks of defeat on their faces.


    ¡°A regr person speaks 300 words in a minute, so 100 words would take approximately 20 seconds. Director Guo is only allowing me to speak for 20 seconds. Are you sure that this is an opportunity?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Hmm?


    Guo Taining, who was still focused on his medical book, looked up and shot a nce at Xiao Luo. ¡°You¡¯re a rather interesting young man. I can change the rule since you think that it is too unfair,¡± he said, ¡°Recently, one of my friends purchased a batch of men¡¯s socks, where each pair costs a thousand dors. Most people flinched at its price, and the socks were left unsold in the shopping mall. Since you are a salesperson, you must be good at promoting things, do you think you can solve this problem for him?¡±


    A thousand dors for a pair of socks?


    God, how was it possible to sell them? No matter how wealthy a man was, he would not spend a thousand dors on a pair of socks.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were vexed; this was even more challenging than the hundred-word challenge. It appeared that Guo Taining was deliberately making things difficult for them.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t say that out loud. The two of them were not able toe up with an answer even after racking their brains because, ording to their knowledge, regr guys could buy three pairs of socks for just ten dors. Whoever willing to spend a thousand dors on a pair of socks must be crazy.


    Guo Taining shifted his gaze back to his book indifferently and said, ¡°A few of my former ssmates who are now professors helped analyze the situation and concluded that the only solution was to write this batch of socks off.¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao both thought to themselves, who would be stupid enough to spend a thousand dors on a pair of socks?


    ¡°Director Guo, I have an idea, and your friend could give it a try,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Oh? What is that idea?¡± Guo Taining asked, looking up again.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Since no man would buy those socks, why not sell them to women?¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao¡¯s hearts sank when they heard what Xiao Luo said. Si Yueting reminded him in a hushed tone, ¡°Brother Luo, those are men¡¯s socks, not women¡¯s, why would any woman want to buy them?¡±


    Guo Taining kept silent for a moment, then smiled at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Just like this youngdy said, those socks are for men, women buying men¡¯s socks, don¡¯t you find it weird?¡±


    ¡°Weird? Actually, not at all.¡±


    Calmly, Xiao Luo exined, ¡°Disy this batch of expensive socks beside some high-end cosmetic products. After a woman spends thousands or even tens of thousands of dors on cosmetics, feel a little guilty for splurging on herself. And if she has even a teensy bit of affection for her husband, she would, deep down in her heart, feel anxious for not thinking or caring about her husband enough. And, at this very moment, when she turns around and sees the socks that cost a thousand dors, her anxiety and guilt will immediately drive her to get a pair of those for her husband. And, undoubtedly, she will now go home with pride and be more open with her husband about having gone shopping. This is how you can sell the socks.¡±


    Oh, my God!


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were astonished after hearing what Xiao Luo had said, and they looked at him as if he was an alien. His way of thinking was awe-inspiring, selling men¡¯s socks to women; just how did hee up with that idea? How was he able to think of that?


    Thedy who led them into the office was so astounded that she had her mouth wide open. Xiao Luo¡¯s idea was so amazing, and although they had yet to try it out, she already agreed with him.


    A twinkle appeared in Guo Taining¡¯s eyes, and he finally put the medical book down and nodded as he said, ¡°Interesting¡­ interesting, young man, your director couldn¡¯t answer the same question.¡± He turned to the woman who was standing beside him, ¡°Xiao Yun, bring us some tea, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the woman, Xiao Yun, immediately took the tea kit out and started preparing some tea.


    Guo Taining stepped out from behind his desk and gestured them over. ¡°Come this way!¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo nodded and followed Guo Taining to the couch where the tea kit had been set. He knew that he had already earned himself the right to have a deep conversation with Guo Taining.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao exchanged looks, and they were over the moon. They saw a glimmer of hope now and inwardly apuded Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Young man, I did consider Huayao Corporation, but everyone is bound to some moral obligations. I worked with the Sales Director in Renhe Medicines, Cui Yongsheng, for many years, and we are very close, so nothing can change my decision to give the contract to Renhe Medicines. However, I admire young men like you, and today will be the beginning of our friendship; if we need any medical equipment in the future, I will contact you.¡±


    Guo Taining was a simple man who had returned to the natural path. He calmly poured some tea for Xiao Luo with a smile on his face.


    What he had just said made Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao feel like they had fallen from heaven down to hell, and the glimmer of hope they saw just now was suddenly gone.


    Xiao Luo did not rush to the main topic, but instead, he sipped some tea and shot a nce at the medical book on the desk. ¡°That book is about how to reduce the pain that a parturient suffers during thebor, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the book is written by Lin Qiaozhi, the founding mother of our country¡¯s obstetrics and gynecology. It seems that you have some knowledge about the medical field, why don¡¯t you share what you know about women inbor?¡± Guo Taining replied.


    ¡°Yes, sure, I¡¯ll share a thing or two, but forgive me for showing off in front of Director Guo, who is the expert in this field. The process ofbor is divided into three stages, as you know. The first stage includes contractions of the uterus that result inbor pains, which are simr to menstrual cramps, like boiling the frog in warm water. Therefore, the pains would generally not be such a big deal for women who have experienced menstrual cramps.


    In the second stage, the contractions intensify, and when the cervix dtes until it is big enough to fit three fingers, thebor pains will be more and more intense. This is where many parturients shiver at the thought of having to experience the pain once every few minutes, as it is a pain that increases in its intensity each time. This is when thebor room is filled with their endless piercing screams.¡±


    Xiao Luo discussed the process ofbor with Guo Taining in a logical order.


    ¡°Hmm, pretty good,¡± Guo Taining said, beginning to admire the young man in front of him.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were again shocked, as they couldn¡¯t believe that their team leader, Xiao Luo, knew so much about the subject. He was awesome!


    Xiao Luo smiled and went on to exin, ¡°The babyes out of the obstetric canal in the third stage, there¡¯s actually nothing much to talk about in this stage. After the baby is born, all the pains will slowly fade away, the mother will feel relieved as nature takes its course. I would like to emphasize on the second stage¡ªas this stage which brings the most suffering to the would-be mother, both physically and mentally. Some women remain in this stage for more than ten hours, and some for three days and nights, and it can be unbearable, as they¡¯d feel as if they were in hell.


    Every minute and every second would feel like a century to them. Some women evenmitted suicide by jumping off buildings because they could not take the pain. Although there are techniques that achieve so-called painlessbors nowadays, the effect of anesthesia is still limited, the pains are only reduced but not eliminated. Director Guo, am I correct?¡±


    Guo Training had a rather awkward look on his face as he nodded sullenly. ¡°What you said is correct,¡± he said.


    ¡°Director Guo, ten years ago, there was a woman who jumped off the building from the inpatient department on the fifth floor of your hospital because she could not stand the pain from the second stage of thebor process. She passed away together with her child in her uterus, and that woman was your ex-wife, am I right?¡±


    CRACK!


    Guo Taining¡¯s hand suddenly twitched, and the teacup in his hand slipped to the floor, shattering into pieces.

 Chapter 439 - Weakness

    <h2>Chapter 439: Weakness</h2>


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao both shivered simultaneously when they heard what Xiao Luo said. Only two words appeared in their minds ¨C it¡¯s over!


    As a salesperson, they had a moreprehensive understanding of the customer Guo Taining¡¯s information. For example, it was not a secret to them that Guo Taining¡¯s ex-wife chose to jump off the fifth floor of the inpatient ward to end her life because she could not bear the pain from childbirth. Of course, they would definitely not mention this incident. Any normal person would know that this topic was like a minefield. It was Guo Taining¡¯s trigger and when it was brought up, the person would die a horrible death.


    What was Brother Luo doing?


    The both of them were anxious. They could not understand the intention of Xiao Luo¡¯s words. How was this talking considered a negotiation? It was clearly just to make Guo Taining upset.


    Just as expected, Guo Taining¡¯s face darkened in an instant. The eyes of a person who always looked kind suddenly became dark and sharp and his expression became extremely unpleasant.


    Xiao Luo did not rush and continued saying: ¡°Director Guo, for the past 10 years you have always been studying how to let women give birth painlessly. In addition to wanting to do something meaningful in your lifetime, it is also about the memory and guilt of your ex-wife, right?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean?¡±


    Guo Taining stared at Xiao Luo. Not a shred of goodwill was left on his face and it was all deep hostility.


    Xiao Luo raised his teacup and took a sip of tea. With a smile, he said: ¡°I know a way that mothers can give birth truly painlessly. As long as you and Huayao Group sign a contract, I will tell you this method.¡±


    What?!


    Not only Guo Taining, Si Yueting, Liu Yiyao and even the women called Xiao Yun were all in shock.


    A normal person would know that theing of life must be apanied by pain. Some people say that this pain was equivalent to breaking twelve rib bones. Unless it was a C-section, but even then the recovery process was also painful. Afterall, you were opening a hole in the stomach and that would take time to heal. How could there be a way to deliver painlessly in this world? It was impossible. The degree of pain just varied between person to person.


    ¡°Absurd!¡±


    Guo Taining¡¯s facial expression changed in an instant. Coldly, he said: ¡°Originally, I thought you were someone open-minded, but I didn¡¯t think you were some sly viin out for petty gain. You are not even a doctor, you¡¯re merely a salesman. Yet, you are unashamedly telling me that you know a way to let mothers deliver painlessly. What a joke, you are totally ridiculous. Xiao Yun, see this guest out!!!¡±


    He stood up and turned his back.


    He was very angry. He wasn¡¯t just angry that Xiao Luo had brought up his ex-wife, but even more angry that Xiao Luo lied. He had studied hard for more than ten years and there was no progress. He had even begun to wonder if there was such a thing called painless delivery in this world. In the end, this person who wasn¡¯t even qualified was confidently telling him that he knew a method. It was utter nonsense. Such a person made him disgusted and angry.


    In the end it really failed!


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao lowered their heads like a deted ball. At the same time, they were extremely puzzled by Xiao Luo¡¯s behaviour. He was obviously just a salesperson, so why did he say that he knew how to help women during childbirth give birth painlessly? Even if they wanted to secure this sale, they couldn¡¯t just speak without thinking. Besides, the way Xiao Luo had said it was a little too far-fetched.


    ¡°Three of you, please leave!¡±


    The woman named Xiao Yun gestured for them to leave, her tone turning cold as well.


    Xiao Luo ced the teacup down and chuckled gently: ¡°Director Guo, this is the maternity center. Most families would send women here expecting to give birth. I believe your delivery room won¡¯t be empty at this time. If Director Guo doesn¡¯t believe me, I can prove it to you right this instance in the delivery room.¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao¡¯s faces turned pale in an instance upon hearing this. The two of them hurriedly dragged Xiao Luo to the side.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you¡­ you¡­¡±


    The two women were not even able to finish their whole sentence in that instance. They only felt that Xiao Luo was ying with fire. They would understand if he knew a little knowledge about childbirth, but to say you understood the painless delivery was merely a fantasy. There were so many experts and professors who had yet to discover this, so how could Xiao Luo? This was totally cheating Guo Taining. This con had gone way too far.


    Guo Taining turned around this time, pointed at the office door coldly, and shouted: ¡°I have seen a lot of people like you. You¡¯re just a salesperson with no bottom line or principles. Get out right now. I don¡¯t want to see you for another moment. Get out!¡±


    ¡°Director Guo, if you don¡¯t believe me then I¡¯ll make you a believer!¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. His right index finger and middle finger pinched a thin needle and at the speed of light, pierced into a spot above the eyebrows on Guo Taining¡¯s head.


    Guo Taining could only feel his head numbing, then a stiff sensation spread from his head to his bottom torsos and limbs. Within two seconds, he could feel that his body was too rigid to even move. His limbs were attached and he could feel their presence, but he couldn¡¯t move them. It was like he had lost control of his body.


    This¡­ this¡­


    He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked, and eximed: ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Director Guo, don¡¯t worry. I just caused your brain to lose control of your body temporarily,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling.


    Guo Taining tried several times but still couldn¡¯t move his body. The thin needle that was pierced in the acupuncture point above his brows was like a curse that pinned him down.


    Si Yueting, Liu Yiyao and the woman called Xiao Yun couldn¡¯t help but stare nkly. This was too magical. With just a thin needle he had stopped a person from moving?


    Of course they knew that Guo Taining was not acting. He was really unable to move.


    ¡°You, what sorcery did you do to me? Quick, release me!¡± Guo Taining said, panicking.


    Xiao Luo smiled slightly and removed the needle. Guo Taining fell back down on the sofa with a plomping sound.


    Xiao Luo showed the slender needle in his hand to Guo Taining: ¡°This is Nine Needles. It has been used since ancient times to treat various diseases and its anesthetic abilities are much better than that of painless delivery drugs. With just two needles you would let the patient feel no paint at all, and as long as the patient doesn¡¯t feel pain, their body and muscles will rx. It will not affect the delivery process either, it will just promote the smoother opening of the vagina and ensure the third stage advances earlier, thus ushering in new life sooner.


    At that point, Guo Taining did not dare to underestimate Xiao Luo and with a bit of apprehension, said: ¡°For real?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said this before Director Guo. If you don¡¯t believe it then we can go to the delivery room for confirmation now.¡±


    Xiao Luo calmly continued, ¡°I will pass this method on to you on the condition that you sign a contract with Huayao Group.¡±


    This was the real killer move for Guo Taining. The impact of the death of his ex-wife was huge on Guo Taining and he vowed that he would develop a truly painless delivery method during his lifetime. Xiao Luo was now prescribing the correct medicine to the wound with the Nine Needles, and Guo Taining could use it as a channel to benefit society.


    ¡°If you are telling the truth, then I will sign a contract with Huayao Group,¡± Guo Taining said seriously. He held on to his sses.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled. He had managed to take Guo Taining down. Everyone had their weaknesses and Guo Taining¡¯s was too obvious. It was recorded down in his basic information yet no one else had been able to make use of it.


    [TN:


    Para 2 ¨C¡±Guo Taining¡¯s trigger¡± the actual word ÄæÁÛ used was which is a metaphor for the inverted scales underneath a dragon¡¯s neck that when touched would make the dragon angry.]

 Chapter 440 - Two Magical Needles

    Chapter 440: Two Magical Needles


    The old hospitalpound of the City Women¡¯s Hospital was rtively old. The delivery room was on the fifth floor, andpared to the other hospitals, it was considered somewhat rundown. The sound instion was not particrly good and standing outside the delivery rooms, one was able to hear the bursts of cries from expectant mothers inside.


    In present times, the national policy encouraged natural birth, and a C-section would usually be avoided, barring exceptional circumstances. Besides, people also knew that natural delivery would be better than that of C-section. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the economic view, policy view, or viewed from the child¡¯s health perspective, natural delivery was the mainstream method, and the result would be a nightmarish pain during childbirth.


    Guo Taining and Xiao Luo put on their sterile gowns, donned gloves and caps, and then changed into surgical gowns and slippers before entering the delivery room.


    This drew a lot of attention. When the delivery room¡¯s doctors and nurses saw the Director himselfing in, they came up to wee him. Guo Taining greeted them and allowed the doctor on duty to lead them into the delivery room.


    Upon arrival into the delivery room, there was an overbearing din of howls from the expectant mothers. Even Xiao Luo had trouble coping, and his facial expression became slightly diforted because of the incessant cries. He could feel the first-hand soul-tearing pain.


    ¡°What, how can this work, isn¡¯t that nonsense?¡±


    After hearing what Xiao Luo was there for, the doctor on duty in the delivery room objected immediately, ¡°Giving birth to a child is not ying house. How can he be allowed to do as he pleases? What if something happens to the mother? Who will be responsible for that? Director, don¡¯t make such a mistake.¡±


    Guo Taining showed signs of reluctance and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, do you have¡­¡±


    ¡°Director Guo, if anything were to happen to the expectant mother, then I will take full responsibility for it. We¡¯ve already signed it in ck and white on paper just now,¡± Xiao Luo said, interrupting immediately.


    Words were easy to say, but Guo Taining still felt uneasy. After all, the expectant mother was equivalent to two lives. It was not like a mouse in theboratory. If anything were to happen, the responsibility was not something that Xiao Luo could just bear; the hospital would still have to take the primary responsibility.


    ¡°Doctor Liu.¡±


    Guo Taining raised his hands and signaled for the doctor on duty to remain calm. ¡°Go and call the nurse over. Get ready for any emergency situations. Once the mother shows any signs of abnormalities, she should be sent to the delivery room immediately,¡± he instructed.


    ¡°Director¡­¡±


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡±


    Guo Taining was determined. As long as he remembered his ex-wifemitting suicide from the fifth floor because of the pain that she could not bear, it was as though he were tranquilized. He didn¡¯t want this tragedy to repeat itself, so he had an unimaginable desire for this painless delivery method.


    Doctor Liu had no choice but to agree and proceeded to execute Guo Taining¡¯s orders.


    Soon, many nurses came over to the waiting room carrying various equipment for emergency treatment. Once there were any indicators from the expectant mother, they would immediately take the corresponding measures.


    ¡°You can start now,¡± Guo Taining said to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded in response. He stopped in front of an expectant mother lying on the nearest hospital bed and slowly removed the fetal monitor on her body. He asked a nurse to take off the pants and expose her lower back.


    ¡°What is this person doing?¡±


    ¡°He said he could help the expectant mothers achieve a truly painless delivery.¡±


    ¡°Could he be just some conman who picked it up from the inte? There is no such method in this world. How dare he say he can eliminate the pain of expectant motherspletely?¡±


    The young nurses started talking in hushed voices. Everyone was skeptical and did not believe that Xiao Luo had such an ability.


    ¡°Stop talking and standby for any emergency treatment!¡±


    Doctor Liu coughed dryly as a reminder. She had authority in the delivery room, and her cold voice caused all the nurses to shut their mouths and stop talking.


    Xiao Luo pretended not to hear her as he pulled out a 10 cm needle as thin as a strand of hair. He slowly pierced it into the position of the Chang Qiang acupuncture point with a gentle, soft force. Then, he twirled the needle with his thumb and index finger.


    The expectant mother, who had initially been howling in pain, immediately stopped.


    ¡°To apply this needle, you need to measure the depth of the cyx of the pregnant woman. This needle has to be pierced urately into thest section of the cyx without any error, and during the application, it has to be light but not too light. If it is too light, then the effect will not be felt, and conversely, it will cause more pain to the expectant mother if it is too heavy. Just a little strength would be great,¡± he said, ¡°The first needle will test the skills of your fingers; if Director Guo wishes to master this method, then more practice will be required.¡±


    Xiao Luo exined the process to Guo Taining while performing the acupuncture. He was not a selfish person, nor was he the living embodiment of Buddha. If permitted, then he would not hold back from giving something back to society.


    ¡°After the first needle, the second needle has to be pierced a the Yang Guan acupuncture point on the back¡­


    ¡°This needle is about speed. It has to be inserted quickly and will sustain the pain relief,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    As soon as Xiao Luo stopped talking, the thin needle was already pierced into the Yang Guan point at the parturient mother¡¯s back. Everyone who was watching was dumbfounded. It was too fast that their eyes could hardly follow the procedure. The needle was as though he had plucked it from thin air before inserting it into the back of the pregnant woman.


    From that point on, no one dared to look at Xiao Luo with indifference. Even Doctor Liu was stunned. The speed of his hands was shocking, and the technique was very professional. After the two needles were ced, the expectant mother was no longer screaming, and in the end, she could even open her eyes to look around the environment.


    Guo Taining was feeling a strange excitement in his heart. He quickly called out, ¡°Doctor Liu, quickly ask her how she¡¯s feeling!¡±


    Doctor Liu took over immediately, then walked up and said, ¡°Liang Qiaoli, do you still feel any pain now?¡±


    ¡°Not painful. It doesn¡¯t hurt at all, doctor. What is wrong with me? Is this normal?¡± the expectant mother asked, a little panicked, now that the pain had dissipated.


    ¡°Quickly give her a fetal monitoring test and check the degree of opening of her cervix.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    A few nurses promptly ced the fetal monitor back on the expectant mother, and in a short time, the results were obtained.


    ¡°Doctor Liu, the fetal monitor shows that the mother¡¯s condition is normal, and the contractions of the uterus are also very regr.¡±


    ¡°The opening of the cervix is normal, and it has dted to 5 inches.¡±


    The two nurses reported the situation of the expectant mother.


    Doctor Liu hurriedly asked the expectant mother, ¡°Liang Qiaoli, do you feel like you want to take a sh*t?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the feeling is getting stronger,¡± the expectant mother replied.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to give birth, quickly send her to the delivery room!¡±


    Faced with such a scenario, the experienced Doctor Liu quickly made a decision.


    What? Almost giving birth?


    Not feeling any pain from giving birth?


    Everyone in the delivery room was shocked. Guo Taining widened his eyes, and his jaws dropped. He looked at Xiao Luo incredulously. The problems that mainstream medicines could not solve had actually been solved by the young man in front of him with just two needles. Once this news got out, the whole medical profession would definitely be shaken by it.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m here now, let¡¯s just help all the expectant mothers ease their pain. Director Guo could also use this chance to practice the technique,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Great, great!¡±


    Guo Taining nodded excitedly. Suddenly his eyes were filled with tears. If he had met this young man ten years ago, then histe wife would not have died.

 Chapter 441 - Can I Be Your Mistress

    <h2>Chapter 441: Can I Be Your Mistress</h2>


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao waited anxiously outside. They couldn¡¯t stand still and were pacing back and forth, like ants upon a hotpot. Their faces revealed a look of nervousness and apprehension, more than the family members gathered there to wait for the arrival of their babies. It seemed they were still in shock because Xiao Luo had only used one needle to convince Guo Taining, but was still in disbelief that it would trante to a painless delivery method.


    ¡°Tingting, listen¡­ listen, the women inside have all seemed to stop wailing,¡± Liu Yiyao gasped, nudging her colleague in surprise.


    Si Yueting listened attentively and couldn¡¯t help but feel bbergasted as there were indeed no more heart-wrenching screams. ¡°Could it be that Brother Luo¡¯s method really works?¡± she eximed.


    The two looked at each other, and right at that moment, the cry of a baby came from inside.


    The delivery room door opened slightly, and a nurse stuck her head out. She asked: ¡°Who is Liang Qiaoli¡¯s family member?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Here I am.¡±


    A man who had been waiting outside hurriedly walked over. He had an anxious look on his face.


    ¡°Liang Qiaoli has given birth to a son, congrattions! It was a smooth delivery,¡± she said.


    The nurse congratted the man and exined, ¡°Both mother and child are safe, but we still need to observe them in the delivery room for another two hours, so please continue to wait here a while more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you, nurse, thank you so much,¡± the man cried, bowing and thanking her profusely.


    Given birth?


    The sound of a baby crying could be heard loud and clear, but why had there not been a single cry from the mother during delivery? Wasn¡¯t the pain supposed to be unimaginable?


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were in a daze as their brains tried to process what was actually going on¡ªbecause it seemed as if their leader, Xiao Luo, had actually done it!


    At that point, the doors of the delivery room opened once again. Guo Taining and Xiao Luo walked out, the former enthusiastically holding on to thetter¡¯s hands with a sincere smile on his face. ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯ve really given me a big surprise. A problem that has gued the medical field for hundreds of years has been solved by just your two needles. It¡¯s just amazing, and when we report this method, this year¡¯s Nobel Prize will surely go to you. You¡¯ve brought glory to our country, and we can proudly showcase the efficacy of this traditional method and promote it to our friends in the west to benefit all peoples in the world.¡±


    With just two needles, all the pain the parturient mothers were feeling had dissipated, and it had not affected the delivery process at all. Even the delivery process was painless, making it a straightforward process as if going to the toilet. If he had not seen this with his own eyes, he wouldn¡¯t have believed it even if he had been beaten to death.


    Yes, this was a miracle!


    There was a fire in Guo Taining¡¯s eyes for the young man in front of him had really given him a big surprise. The oath he swore in front of histe wife¡¯s grave had finally been realized, and even though it was not something he had personally developed, at least he knew a method existed that could help mothers deliver painlessly.


    ¡°Director Guo, this is the result of your own research; it has nothing to do with me!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not want to get the attention and be the focus of the world. Before revealing this technique, he had already figured out the next step, which was to impart the knowledge and practice to Guo Taining, a person who had spent a decade trying to make up for histe wife. Xiao Luo intended for Guo Taining to be the person who discovered the technique to change the world.


    Guo Taining was taken aback and could not believe that Xiao Luo said he intended to proffer this technique over to him.


    He quickly waved his hand to decline and said, ¡°No, no, no, this won¡¯t do. This method is yours, and I cannot im the credit.¡±


    ¡°Director Guo, have you forgotten the contract you made with me?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I will sign the contract with you, but I cannot be involved in this technique. Just knowing that such a method exists in my life already means that I will be at ease even if I were to die now,¡± Guo Taining said.


    ¡°This is not the right ce to have such a conversation, let¡¯s go to your office to talk,¡± Xiao Luo said, changing the topic.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go to my office¡­ after you!¡±


    Enthusiastically, Guo Taining graciously invited Xiao Luo to the office, and all was now well. Hereon, forget just signing a contract with Huayao Group; even if he had to give up his position as Director, he would do it.


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were in a stupor. They looked at each other in disbelief, and both asked at once, ¡°It¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    An hourter, Xiao Luo and the two walked out of the administration building together with the contract that had just been signed by Guo Taining, who had personally escorted them out himself.


    A mutual agreement had been reached on the use of the method for painless childbirth. It would be promoted and used by Guo Taining for his center and was not to be used topete for some Nobel Prize in Medicine. Guo Taining also promised to apply for a patent for Xiao Luo, but these were of no importance to him.


    ¡°Oh my god, am I dreaming. We actually managed to get the sales for the City Women¡¯s Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Even Chief Mao and Sister Ling could not manage to secure this, yet we did it! It feels so surreal.¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao both felt like they were in a dream. It was a sale worth 170 million yen, and it had been secure by their team of just three members.


    They looked towards Xiao Luo with adoring eyes.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you are so amazing! Do you feel alone and cold at night? I can help you warm your bed,¡± Si Yueting said, winking flirtatiously.


    ¡°If you are missing a bed warmer, then one is definitely not enough, add me in too, hehe¡­¡± Liu Yiyao pitched in, fawningly tucking her hair behind her ears.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry and responded, ¡°I¡¯m married!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can be your mistresses. As long as the first wife doesn¡¯t find out about us.¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, you have captured our hearts with your ability, what is there to be afraid of?¡±


    The two women flirted boldly with their words.


    Xiao Luo knew they were joking, so he yed along and said, ¡°Sure, sure¡­ wait for me tonight in an open room.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Brother Luo. We will wait for you in bed after washing up our bodies for a threesome.¡±


    Xiao Luo quivered¡­ these were two alluring spirits who had been raised in the hell pits of the sales department.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop joking around. Now that the sales have been closed, I will buy you guys a meal to celebrate,¡± Xiao Luo said. As the leader, he couldn¡¯t be stingy. He knew the rules of life.


    ¡°Alright, I want to eat a bear¡¯s paw.¡±


    ¡°Muack! Brother Luo, I want to eat shark¡¯s fin!¡±


    The two women chirped, excitedly throwing looks at Xiao Luo.


    Bear¡¯s paw? Shark¡¯s fin?


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    At that point, a group of people in suits were walking towards him. They were led by a man who was almost the same age as Chief Mao and brimming with confidence and enthusiasm.


    ¡°It¡¯s Cui Yongsheng, the head of sales from Renhe Pharmaceuticals,¡± Si Yueting said, recognizing the man immediately.


    ¡°They are definitely here to sign a contract with Director Guo. Luckily, we came much earlier,¡± Liu Yiyao said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, let¡¯s go,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Just as the two teams passed each other, Cui Yongsheng yelled, ¡°Stop there!¡±


    Xiao Luo and the two girls stopped and looked back.


    ¡°You guys are here from Huayao Group, aren¡¯t you? Why, was it not enough in the morning that they had to send someone here again? You guys at Huayao are really shameless!¡±


    Cui Yongsheng walked over with a contemptuous expression on his face and said, ¡°However, you can¡¯t take the sales of the City Women¡¯s Hospital. Director Guo and I have a deep friendship. He will never let sales to Huayao Group, so go tell that Shen Qingyan to forget about this. Speaking of which, she hasn¡¯t even shown up in person and just sent a bunch of ¡®rubbish¡¯ over thinking that she can secure the sales? Are you belittling Renhe Pharmaceuticals or underestimating the friendship between Director Guo and me? This is just hrious!¡±

 Chapter 442 - Shake

    <h2>Chapter 442: Shake</h2>


    Cui Yongsheng¡¯s face was full of contempt and mockery, and one of his subordinates even ridiculed them a few times. They did not see Xiao Luo and his colleagues as a threat at all.


    In the face of Cui Yongsheng¡¯s cynicism, Si Yueting raised the bag in her hand and said, ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re toote because Director Guo has already signed a contract with us.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, just who¡¯re you trying to bluff? You can continue to be delusional all you want, do you think I will believe it?¡±


    The cheeky smirk on Cui Yongsheng¡¯s face made it evident that he did not take them seriously at all. ¡°If you can¡¯t eat cake, draw a big pie, and it will fill your hunger¡ªthis phrase is referring to you. Little girl, you need to practice a few more years; you¡¯re just too childish trying to y such a trick,¡± he sneered.


    ¡°Yes, she is too childish, pitifully childish, Minister Cui, you¡¯re so correct!¡± Liu Yiyao said, agreeing with a smile. She had deliberately raised her voice.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Si Yueting gave an effortless smile.


    Cui Yongsheng suddenly lost interest in mocking them and snorted, ¡°It seems that not getting this sale has made you all crazy. You¡¯re just two crazy women. Let¡¯s go, boys, we¡¯ve got a contract to sign with Director Guo!¡±


    With that, he turned and walked off with his subordinates toward the administrative building.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go too!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Brother Luo, why don¡¯t we wait here? I am very curious to see what kind of expression Cui Yongsheng will haveter,¡± Si Yueting said, giggling to herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel it¡¯s pointless?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s boring. Brother Luo said that he will buy us a big meal, so why should we waste any more of our time here,¡± Liu Yiyao said.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    Si Yueting shrugged her shoulders and let it go. In fact, she was really looking forward to seeing Cui Yongsheng¡¯s twisted face.


    The three of them walked to the City Women¡¯s Hospital gate, but a shout came from behind as soon as they got there. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Looking back, Si Yueting couldn¡¯t help but break into a bright smile. ¡°Brother Luo, it¡¯s Cui Yongsheng and his lost boys!¡± she chirped.


    It seemed as if Cui Yongsheng and his subordinates were trying to catch up.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Don¡¯t pay them any attention. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡±


    However, Cui Yongsheng and the others still managed to catch up and promptly blocked their way.


    Because he was running, Cui Yongsheng was so out of breath that he was panting like a dog in heat. He bent over and gasped desperately for air.


    ¡°Chief Cui, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Si Yueting asked sardonically.


    ¡°Shut up, you b*tch!¡±


    Cui Yongsheng straightened up and yelled at her without any care for his image. He had just lost 170 million in sales, and it was impossible topare that with any other deal he had. He red at Xiao Luo with daggers in his eyes and said, ¡°You a*shole, what dirty scheme did you use to make Director Guo sign the contract with you? Out with it!¡±


    Thest part of his diatribe was said forcefully, and he actually looked like he was about to vomit blood. His fat lips were quivering, and his heart was racing as he appeared to be working himself up into a frenzy.


    Xiao Luo frowned: ¡°Chief Cui, please be careful with your words. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind teaching you how to speak politely.¡±


    ¡°Speak politely, your mother, you b*stard! You little c*nt, human trash, f*ck your mother and ancestors, f*ck you¡­¡±


    Cui Yongsheng lost all reason and used all the swear words he could think of to insult Xiao Luo. He was dressed in a suit but was shamelessly spewing out vulgarities from his mouth.


    But his voice stopped abruptly because, without any warning, Xiao Luo kicked him hard in the chest.


    POW!


    Cui Yongsheng flew back like a cannonball and mmed into the trash bin on the far side of the road. It caused a racket, as the lid flew off and Cui Yongshengnded with his butt inside of it. He found himself stuck fast in the smelly and dirty trash bin and unable to get out.


    Xiao Luo had delivered the kick with his right foot, and he held his pose with his leg extended fully, even after Cui Yongsheng had been sent flying toward the bin.


    Si¡­


    Frightened and staring in shock, Cui Yongyuan¡¯s subordinates sucked in their breaths and hurriedly ran across the to where their leader had been so unceremoniously dumped.


    After being initially startled, Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao gazed longingly at Xiao Luo in worship.


    ¡°You are so handsome, so cool!¡±


    The two women were once again starry-eyed. No matter how they looked at him, they felt their leader was super handsome.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiao Luo said to the girls, finally retracted his leg.


    ¡°Okay, hehe¡­.¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao giggled and followed Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    ¡°Did you hear that the new head of the sales department secured the sales at City Women¡¯s Hospital?¡±


    ¡°What? How is that possible? Xiao Luo actually snatched that big order of the City Women¡¯s Hospital from Renhe Pharmaceuticals?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. The contract has been signed in ck and white, and they¡¯re now handing it over in President Shen¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Scary, that¡¯s just too scary. Just where does this Xiao Luoe from?¡±


    ¡°Yes, first it was Dubai, and now he¡¯s even got the sale to the City Women¡¯s Hospital, and all it took was a few hours. Even if I stretch my imagination, I can¡¯t believe how that guy did it.¡±


    ¡°President Shen has won, Vice President Shen has to step down. Xiao Luo also had a bet with Vice President Shen, right? There¡¯s a lot of excitement in store.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a gamble, they won¡¯t take it seriously. How can the Shen family let Vice President Shen step down? And, it¡¯s even more unlikely that Xiao Luo will really demand Vice President Shen¡¯s hand. Doesn¡¯t this vite thew?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but it looks like a lot of interesting things will be happening in thepany in the days toe.¡±


    When the news that Xiao Luo and Guo Taining had signed a contract spread throughout the Huayao Group, thepany was in a frenzy. A most unlikely sales order had suddenlye to the Huayao Group, and many of the senior management felt like it was surreal or a dream. At 170 million¡ªthis was definitely thergest sales order ever achieved by the Huayao Group, and the sales had been snatched right from the jaws of its number onepetitor, Renhe Pharmaceutical. This was such a rarity; it was simply incredible!


    [Sales Department]


    Xu Le¡¯s face was ashen and as gray as death. He sat on his seat with his eyes wide open in bewilderment, and kept muttering, ¡°How could this be¡­ how could this be¡­¡±


    Mao Jianyi stared nkly at an imaginary point on the office wall, still in a daze, then shook his head and sighed. He picked up a pen and a paper and started to write a letter. In its heading field, he entered the words¡­ Resignation Letter.


    The group leader of the first group, Ling Fei, also had difficulty maintaining herposure. Even though she was busy with her work, she couldn¡¯t help but look up to see if Xiao Luo had returned from Shen Qingyan¡¯s office.


    She put away her previous arrogance. From now on, she was no longer the champion of the sales department. The sales of the City Women¡¯s Hospital was enough to make Xiao Luo the new star of sales. After being shocked, she had only one question on her mind, and that was, how did that guy do it?


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy¡­ it¡¯s crazy, Xiao Luo really broke Vice President Shen¡¯s right hand!¡±


    The chubby girl in the sales department, who was the office Gossip Queen, a specialist role, suddenly tumbled in like a human ball and shouted out the news in her high-pitched voice.


    Everyone shrank away as they unconsciously nced at Xu Le.


    Xu Le was horrified, and his hands trembled involuntarily. He tried to calm himself down and shouted at everyone, ¡°What are you looking at, don¡¯t you have work to do?¡±


    As he yelled, he was quickly packing his valuables from his desk, like a defeated soldier who had lost his armor and preparing to flee. He was in a panic and did not know where to go. His legs were wobbly, and he bumped into several desks before he finally found the right direction.


    Just as he was about to walk to the gate, he happened to run into Xiao Luo, Si Yueting, and Liu Yiyao, who were on their way back to the office.


    THUD!


    Xu Le dropped to the floor, hurting his knees as he knelt in front of his nemesis. Cold sweat poured from his forehead like a waterfall, and trembling, he pleaded: ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Luo¡­¡±

 Chapter 443 - Depends on Mood

    <h2>Chapter 443: Depends on Mood</h2>


    Everyone in the sales department was distraught, and they all stood up and looked over at the door. Xiao Luo had truly kept to his word and had already broken the vice president¡¯s hand. If that was the case, does that mean that the group leader, Mr. Xu, will be facing the same fate?


    Guan Tong couldn¡¯t remember feeling this way about Xiao Luo before, as he was never a cruel person in school. The truth was, back then, he actually did not have a deep impression of Xiao Luo, and all he knew was that this person existed in his ss, and they were merely acquaintances. Nobody would have expected Xiao Luo to be such an aggressive and high-handed person after graduation, which was really frightening.


    ¡°Mr. Xu, where are you rushing off to? Are you going to the hospital to get treated?¡±


    With an evil smirk on his face, Xiao Luo red ominously at Xu Le, who was kneeling on the floor and shaking.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±


    Xu Le slowly lifted his head, and his eyes were filled with fear when he looked upon Xiao Luo, and at that moment, Xiao Luo seemed like the devil¡¯s incarnation to him.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, we had a bet, and the wager was your hand, do you remember that? I guess you are already aware that I have won the bet, so you have to pay the corresponding price. Come, which hand would you like to offer?¡± Xiao Luo mocked.


    When Xu Le heard that, he dropped andy on the floor, waving his hands pleading for mercy, then in the next second, he sprang up and got to his knees and started kowtowing to Xiao Luo. ¡°I concede defeat, I truly concede defeat, Xiao Luo. Please don¡¯t break my hand, I will never stand against you anymore, please¡­¡± he cried.


    In absolute fear, he broke into tears and stammered in a trembling voice.


    Suddenly, an intense smell filled the space, and it made Xiao Luo, Si Yueting, and Liu Yiyao back away, frowning and holding their noses. Xu Le was so frightened that he lost control of his dder.


    ¡°Get the f*ck out right now!¡±


    Xiao Luo felt disgusted, decided not to touch him, and just told him to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­¡±


    As if he was saved by God, Xu Le scrambled off on all fours from the sales office. He did not even bother to retain any dignity as he had probably lost his courage and decided to never revisit Huayao Corporation.


    Xiao Luo returned to his seat, and the entire office went utterly silent. Everyone pretended to be busy with something, but their attention was always on Xiao Luo, just like when a superior was present for work inspection.


    ¡°Brother Luo, here¡¯s some water!¡±


    Si Yueting poured Xiao Luo a warm water cup and handed it to him with a big smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°Brother Luo, let me massage your back.¡± Liu Yiyao, too, wanted to bootlick.


    Xiao Luo replied quickly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to just deal with your own tasks.¡±


    ¡°Alright, brother Luo, we¡¯re always with you.¡±


    ¡°Please inform us if you have any orders, for instance, warming up your bed, hehehe¡­¡±


    The girls continued to tease their young, handsome, and powerful group leader.


    Xiao Luo could only sigh¡­


    Guan Tong then approached Xiao Luo and sat beside him.


    ¡°You b*stard, are you still the same Xiao Luo that I knew from school?¡±


    Guan Tong gave Xiao Luo a severe once-over from head to toe and still could not believe that he had suddenly be so capable. Not only did he secure the deal from the maternity and child health care hospital, but he also broke the vice president¡¯s hand, which was really terrifying.


    ¡°Why, do I look like someone else?¡± Xiao Luo joked.


    ¡°No, no, no, you are still you. Never mind that, let¡¯s move on from this. Have you heard about Guo Qinghe? He was arrested for his involvement in MLM activities, and he will be charged in the court soon,¡± Guan Tong said, shifting the topic to Guo Qinghe out of the blue.


    ¡°Oh, when will that be?¡±


    Xiao Luo pretended that he was totally unaware of the case and took a sip of water, feeling a little guilty. After all, he knew better than anyone about Guo Qinghe¡¯s arrest.


    Guan Tong replied, ¡°It¡¯s pretty recent, probably a few days ago. I also heard that he had lured your¡­ahem¡­Zhao Mengqi into the MLM organization. That b*stard truly deserves the hammer of justice.¡±


    He was infuriated by Guo Qinghe¡¯s evil deed.


    ¡°Yup, he totally deserves it!¡± Xiao Luo agreed and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am so relieved that the police is finally going to deal with the MLM organizations in Xiahai city head-on.¡±


    Guan Tong was smart about not bringing up Zhao Mengqi anymore. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s about it, I¡¯m off to work,¡± he said, after seeing Ling Fei walking toward them.


    He promptly got up and left for his ce.


    Ling Fei approached Xiao Luo, and she stared right at him with her pretty eyes, with a somewhat quizzical look.


    She did not speak, and neither did Xiao Luo. He wasn¡¯t inclined to and was not intimidated by Ling Fei¡¯s stare, so he looked right back into her eyes.


    They both kept silent and stared at each other for some time.


    Everyone in the office looked at each other and were stunned, then they discreetly started their discussions unseen.


    ¡°Sis Ling was initially our star employee in the sales department, now that Xiao Luo has snatched the title so soon after joining us, so I guess Sis Ling must be very pissed now.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t actually start a fight, will they?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s always a possibility, but they would definitely get into it if they continue their stare-off.¡±


    Everyone became very nervous once again.


    Ling Fei finally spoke, ¡°Congrattions, Xiao Luo. I have underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied graciously.


    ¡°I will reim my title next month!¡± Ling Fei said, showing grit and determination.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ well said, I¡¯ll be expecting that.¡±


    Xiao Luo was never interested in this title in the first ce. He would not have bothered to get involved in the deal with the maternity and child health care hospital if Mao Jianyi and Shen Xingqing had not messed with him, regardless of how well-paying the reward was.


    Ling Fei did not continue the conversation and left just like that.


    Xiao Luo nned to continue ying his Minesweeper game. It was not the time to knock off yet, since he was already present at thepany, he might as well clock in some office time, and a few games would serve as the perfect way to kill time.


    Si Yueting had seen Mao Jianyi packing his stuff in his office earlier, and she came over to Xiao Luo and murmured, ¡°Brother Luo, Mr. Mao seems to be resigning, then his position will be yours for sure.¡±


    ¡°Wow, brother Luo, we have indeed chosen the right leader to follow. You are so impressive and attractive, I would follow you everywhere, for anything, including¡­ to your bed, hehe¡­¡± Liu Yiyao purred. She was bing more flirtatious, perhaps even promiscuous, and it did help that she was well-endowed with a beautiful face and sexy body.


    Xiao Luo did not react to her flirting as he replied, ¡°The president had indeed said that she would like me to rece Mao Jianyi, but I have rejected.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Both girls were confused as they felt Xiao Luo had wasted the chance for an easy promotion, and one never knew when such an opportunity woulde around again.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I just want to have an easy life here.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not mind that his subordinates wouldugh at his reply. After all, working in Huayao Corporation was Su Li¡¯s idea, and he was simply here for her sake.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Both Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao gave him an incredulous look, and they were totally dumbfounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m knocking off, I shall excuse myself now, if I may,¡± Xiao Luo said, ncing at the clock. He switched off hisputer and gathered his things to leave the office.


    ¡°Brother Luo, when will youe to the office again?¡± Si Yueting called out after him.


    ¡°That depends on my mood.¡±


    Xiao Luo waved back and left.


    Depends on mood?


    What on earth!!!


    The entire office was shocked! For who didn¡¯t want toe to work depending on their mood? Undoubtedly, Xiao Luo¡¯s privilege had indeed ruffled some feathers.

 Chapter 444 - Huijin Tower

    Chapter 444: Huijin Tower


    It was seven o¡¯clock, and the sky has turned dark. Xiao Luo kept his promise of going out with Su Li and Su Xiaobei, and Su Li¡¯s personal assistant, Luo Pingxiang, also went along.


    As they wanted to avoid any potential paparazzi¡¯s attention, they traveled in Xiao Luo¡¯s Trumpchi.


    Su Li wore a white puff-sleeved top, which made her look young and charming. She sat quietly in the backseat, observing the passing scenes through the window.


    Luo Ping Xiang was also in the back with Su Xiaobei squeezed in between them. Her tiny rosy cheeks were soft and delicate. She had a braid on one side of her head, and the air bangs across her forehead, making her looked really cute. With her white skirt andced-socks, she resembled a Disney princess from the world of fairytales.


    She was brimming with excitement and feeling ted about this family outing.


    ¡°Where shall we head to for dinner?¡± Xiao Luo asked Su Li for her suggestion.


    ¡°Up to you!¡±


    Su Li answered with her usual cold voice.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows as he knew that he would end up having to make the call, then he asked Su Xiaobei, ¡°Xiaobei, what would you like to eat?¡±


    ¡°Xiaobei would eat whatever daddy eats,¡± Xiaobei replied joyfully.


    Xiao Luo shrugged as he was still not getting any answers.


    When he turned to Luo Pingxiang, she was smiling and seemed like she had anticipated it, and spoke to him first, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo can make the call, sis and I will follow your ns today.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be paying for the expenses tonight. Qingyan told me that you just earned amission of 17 million,¡± Su Li said.


    When she mentioned it, she was clearly beaming with pride as her man had finally achieved something significant, and he was worthy after all. With his first bucket of gold, there would be more toe, and that gave her a great sense of gratification.


    ¡°17 million? Oh my gosh, Mr. Xiao Luo, you¡¯re making a fortune now!¡± Luo Pingxiang was quite shocked, and her face was awash with envy.


    Xiao Luo was speechless as he thought that Shen Qingyan was pretty gossipy. But when he thought about Su Li and Shen Qingyan¡¯s rtionship, he could understand why.


    Su Xiaobei frowned and used her fingers in an attempt to count seventeen million, which failed unsurprisingly. She scratched her head and asked Su Li, ¡°Mommy, how many packets of seaweed can daddy buy with his sry?¡±


    Su Li considered for a moment and replied, ¡°Probably as many as a mountain.¡±


    ¡°How tall is a mountain?¡±


    ¡°As tall as the apartment we stay in.¡±


    ¡°Wow, we can buy so many¡­ Daddy¡¯s awesome!¡±


    Su Xiaobei could finally visualize the concept of 17 million, and she praised Xiao Luo with a big smile.


    Xiao Luo was very amused by Su Xiaobei¡¯s joyful outburst as he looked at her from the rear-view mirror, and he did feel good hearing her praises of him.


    ******


    ******


    About half an hourter, they have arrived at one of the busiest towers in Xiahai city, Huijin Tower.


    Huijin Tower is located at the center of the central business district, and it offered a mix of dining, recreational, and shopping facilities all in one building. It provides everything one could ask for, and the average expense here was naturally rtively high. The patrons here include the rich, students, white cors, gold cors or ordinary sryman. People alsoe here to window shop, but not everything in this building was expensive, so the average spending here was still pretty eptable for ordinary folk.


    Xiao Luo had reserved a table at Three Sauce Simmer Pot, which was uniquely fresh and delicious. On top of that, it was also a nutritionally bnced meal with both meat and vegetable ingredients.


    After they parked at the underground car park, Su Li wore a baseball cap and a face mask to avoid being recognized in public. Her long, lush hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her ears were hidden under her locks, which made her looked rather seductive.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t helpmenting on Su Li¡¯s dressing. ¡°You look quite odd,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    Su Li was offended as this was the attire that she had specifically selected for the asion to remain discreet. How could it be odd? Shouldn¡¯t it be fashionable? ¡°You know nothing about looks,¡± she retorted.


    Xiao Luo smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°I just thought that you might attract more unwanted attention, and that¡¯s counter-productive.¡±


    Su Li thought about it and said, ¡°Never mind that, remember to pick a quiet corner at the restaurantter.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment. However, he was intrigued by Su Li¡¯s look as he recalled her wearing sunsses that night at the Wild Wolf Mountain. He really wanted to ask if she could see at all.


    At Three Sauce Simmer Pot, Su Li had purposely lowered her cap and covered her eyes, so nobody would pay her any attention. The waiters in the restaurant only thought that her look was rather unique.


    After getting seats near the window, Su Li looked at Xiao Luo triumphantly, as if saying: Look, I didn¡¯t attract any attention, right?


    Xiao Luo chose to ignore her taunt and prompted the girls to have a look at the menu. He asked them to order first, and Su Li did not go easy on his wallet at all. She had ordered every single most expensive side dish avable.


    While waiting for the food to be served, Xiao Luo surprisingly started chatting with Su Li for once. He asked, ¡°Ms. Su, you said that you¡¯ll be busy soon. Will you be filming or going for a publicity tour?¡±


    Luo Pingxiang was very smart, and she chatted and yed with Su Xiaobei to not interrupt Xiao Luo and Su Li¡¯s conversation.


    Su Li was pleasantly surprised as Xiao Luo was finally asking about her work.


    ¡°A new film, we will start the filming at the end of the month,¡± she replied.


    ¡°How long would it take?¡±


    Xiao Luo took a sip of the malt tea and asked. He was actually concerned as he would have to be Su Xiaobei¡¯s primary caretaker during the period that Su Li would be busy.


    ¡°About two months, I would be back on Mondays if I¡¯m free. I¡¯ll leave Su Xiaobei to you, and please take good care of her.¡±


    Su Li took a sip of the lemon-infused water and said, ¡°If I ever discover that she has lost weight or be sick, you¡¯ll get a pay cut depending on the situation.¡±


    She realized that this did not sound appropriate the moment she said it, as her man was probably rich enough to forego her tiny pay.


    Sure enough, Xiao Luo coughed dryly and said, ¡°I think we¡¯ve discussed before, you don¡¯t have to pay me every month actually¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think, I don¡¯t want to owe you any favor.¡±


    Su Li said, ¡°On top of that, you¡¯re a man, and you need your own career. You cannot dwell on your 17 million and stay there forever, I would look down on you if you ever do that.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and did not reply.


    At this moment, a group of boys and girls sat down at the table near them. They were young and bursting with energy.


    Xiao Luo frowned as these people were none other than his juniors. He had talked to them when he when back to his alma mater, under Yu Jiangu, his ex-form teacher¡¯s relentless persuasion. The girl sitting right opposite him was Guan Yilin, who had a debate with him about whether Sima Yu or Zhu Keliang from the Three Kingdoms was the wiser.


    Why were they here too?


    Xiao Luo was a little troubled; if these people were to recognize him, they would definitelye over to greet him. There were a few of them, and they would definitely make amotion, then Su Li would be exposed, and chaos would ensue.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Su Li asked, noticing the change in Xiao Luo¡¯s expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m feeling a little sick. I¡¯m borrowing your mask.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied awkwardly as Guan Yilin looked over to his side. He took Su Li¡¯s ck mask on the table quickly and put it on.

 Chapter 445 - Watching a Movie

    <h2>Chapter 445: Watching a Movie</h2>


    Seeing that Xiao Luo had conveniently put on her mask so quickly, with the reason of feeling a little sick, Su Li blushed after a short pause. Then she was a little flustered as it was a mask that she had just used, so it was a rather personal item as it hade into close contact with her lips and nose. However, it was being worn by Xiao Luo now and sticking onto his lips and nose directly.


    If another person had done this to her, she would immediately snap it off and give that person a big tight p. It seemed he was clearly taking advantage of her. Although it was Xiao Luo who had done this, she still found it very difficult to ept. Even though they were supposed to be a married couple, Xiao Luo was still an unfamiliar man to her after all.


    Luo Pingxiang was also stunned, but she only chuckled, covering her mouth and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, you look great with that mask!¡±


    ¡°What on earth are you talking about? Are you lying through your teeth?¡±


    Su Li reproached Luo Pingxiang, then she turned to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Give it back!¡±


    Her entire face was blushing, and even her ears were red. She obviously did not want to admit that there could be droplets of her saliva left on the mask.


    Xiao Luo coughed and said, ¡°Ms. Su, don¡¯t be so petty. I¡¯m just borrowing it, not destroying it.¡±


    Borrowing it?


    Could a person you borrow a face mask?


    Su Li was a little annoyed as she assumed that Xiao Luo did this on purpose. He definitely was not feeling sick and just wanted to use her mask. But why did he want her mask? Did he have some fetish for face masks? Simr to how pedophilias would have some fetish for children?


    As she thought of that, the words came right out of her mouth, unfiltered. ¡°Do you have some sort of fetish for face masks?¡± she hissed.


    Xiao Luo was shocked and wondered what the heck she was thinking about in that head of hers!


    He gave up trying to deceive Su Li and exined, ¡°The students over at that table are known to me, and I am wearing a mask to prevent them from recognizing me anding over to greet me, get it? I don¡¯t mind that, in fact, but what about you? They will definitely recognize you, the famous superstar. So, if they start to make amotion, do you think that we can still enjoy tonight¡¯s dinner free of fuss?¡±


    Su Li looked over to Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder and saw a bunch of young faces. There were college boys and girls who probably eat out once in a while. Knowing that he was speaking the truth, she returned her gaze at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare leave your saliva on that mask!¡±


    Although it was against her will, she had no better solution than letting Xiao Luo wear her mask.


    ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯ll get a brand new one for youter,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Su Li thought that it was reasonable as buying a new one makes more sense indeed. She could not be possibly wearing the one Xiao Luo had used, which was quite unhygienic. On top of that, how was that different from kissing indirectly?


    ¡°Pingxiang, get a new mask from the nearby shops now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright, Sis.¡±


    As her personal assistant, Luo Pingxiang was very familiar with this sort of errand. When they were out, on top of meeting Su Li¡¯s daily needs, a part of her job included preventing Su Li¡¯s identity from being exposed to the general public and attracting unnecessary attention.


    Once Luo Ping Xiang left on the errand, Xiao Luo thought that it would be wiser to face away from Guan Yilin and her friends.


    With that thought, he stood up and took Luo Pingxiang¡¯s seat. Now he was sitting next to Su Li. Both Su Li and Su Xiaobei were stunned, and Su Xiaobei whined, ¡°Daddy, Beibei is sitting alone now.¡± She sat on her seat and stared at Xiao Luo with her big baby-doll eyes.


    She meant to say that Xiao Luo had ditched her and sat with her mummy.


    ¡°Sweetie, don¡¯t be afraid, Daddy and Mummy are right here. When sister Pingxianges back, she¡¯ll sit with you,¡± Xiao Luo said, trying to coax her.


    The little girl started to throw a tantrum and was even about to cry. ¡°Does Daddy no longer love Bei Bei?¡± she whimpered.


    Xiao Luo felt very stressed, and he tried tofort her and said, ¡°No, Daddy will love Xiaobei always. Daddy is just ying a game with Mummy, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei nodded and stopped crying, but her big eyes looked still looked rather red.


    Now that he had settled the little one, there was still a big one.


    Xiao Luo tried to beposed and took off his mask without responding to Su Li¡¯s stare. ¡°Our food has been served,¡± he announced.


    However, the waiter holding the tray of food walked past their table, and he was evidently not serving their table yet.


    Ugh¡­


    Xiao Luo felt so foolish, and he promptly decided to y with Su Xiaobei. He rubbed her tiny nose and cheeks, then patted her head, and she appeared to be enjoying that.


    ¡°Humph.¡±


    Su Li looked away from Xiao Luo as she wasn¡¯t veryfortable with him sitting so close to her. Although it was not very natural, she could smell the scent that belonged to a man from such close proximity; she was not too resistant to it at all.


    When Luo Pingxiang returned from buying a face mask, all the side dishes and ingredients had arrived and simmered to perfection.


    Upon opening the lid, a fragrant aroma exploded from the pot and stirred their appetites. Xiao Luo picked some prawns, beef slices, and a chicken thigh for Su Xiaobei and said to her, ¡°Xiaobei is growing up, so you have to eat more meat.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡±


    Su Xiaobei nodded obediently. She had arger napkin tied around her neck, which made her look really adorable.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious and nutritious, a perfectbination of meat and vegetables that is so refreshing. It¡¯s truly a tasty dish. Mr. Xiao Luo, your rmendation is great.¡± Luo Pingxiang praised Xiao Luo¡¯s decision after tasting the food.


    Xiao Luo smiled and did not speak.


    ¡°Why are you praising him? He didn¡¯t cook this, it¡¯s this shop that deserves the credit,¡± Su Li carped, raining on Xiao Luo¡¯s parade.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ******


    ******


    After they were done with dinner, they walked around in Huijin Tower to help with digestion and booked four movie tickets. It was a foreign movie with an educational theme, and it was suitable for families. They did not see Guan Yilin and the rest of her friends again.


    Once they were at the cinema, Su Xiaobei became very excited, and she stared at the gigantic screen with her eyes wide open. She had virtually no resistance to any form of animated films.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, do not yell and cheerter regardless of how excited you are, alright?¡± Su Li reminded Su Xiaobei to be well-behaved in the cinema.


    ¡°Why, Mummy?¡± Su Xiaobei asked, feeling a little confused.


    ¡°You should always consider others¡¯ feelings when you are in public and not only care about yourself. If you are the source of nuisance to other people who are watching the movie, then you are at fault, and you ought to apologize to others,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Hmm, okay, I got it, I will not yell,¡± Su Xiaobei replied. She took Su Li¡¯s advice to heart, although she seemed to be still confused.


    Xiao Luo patted her head and praised her.


    When the movie just started ying, there was amotion in the front row. A man was speaking on the phone loudly, then he started munching on his popcorn andughing loudly. He also called again and took a snapshot of the silver screen, probably uploading it to his social media. His selfish act was very inconsiderate to the people around him, and some started toin.


    ¡°Daddy, didn¡¯t Mummy say that we should not be noisy in the cinema?¡± Su Xiaobei whispered at Xiao Luo¡¯s ears.


    Su Li coughed, and had the lighting in the cinema been brighter, anyone could tell that her cheeks were blushing red. She was feeling awkward and angry at that man in the front row.


    ¡°Maybe he had forgotten about it, Daddy shall remind him.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and touched the back of the seat that man was sitting on lightly; his inner force prated through the seat and flowed to a specific spot on the back of that man. The noisy man who was yelling andughing earlier was suddenly in a state of silence and stasis. He was leaning forward slightly and seated upright, a posture typical of movie-goers. Nobody noticed if anything was odd.

 Chapter 446 - Roller Skating Rinks

    Chapter 446: Roller Skating Rinks


    Su Li witnessed the entire scene, but she could not tell if something was wrong. One moment the man at the front row was boisterous and distracting, and the next, the man had suddenly quietened down and be as quiet as a corpse. How did that happen?


    Xiao Luo seemed to have just casually touched the back of his seat, and she could not figure out what was so special about his action, but it worked!


    Su Xiaobei snickered and chuckled a lot during the movie¡¯s funny segments, but she remained pretty quiet most of the time. So, in essence, she had kept her promise and behaved very considerately.


    When the movie ended, it was already 10:30 pm.


    The little girl was still very excited and full of energy, so Su Li decided to check out the site map for ces of interest in Huijin Tower. ¡°Oh, let¡¯s go skating; we¡¯ll book the entire rink!¡± she said.


    She spoke directly to Xiao Luo and meant for him to book the entire rink.


    Xiao Luo had no objection since money was not a concern at all. On top of that, Xiaobei seemed to be excited about skating too. He wouldn¡¯t break a sweat booking the entire mall for her, let alone just a skating rink if that was her wish.


    The skating rink was located on the fifth level, and it was an indoor rink. It was very spacious with a wave-like runway in the middle, where many skilled skaters showed off various eye-catching stunts.


    There were many skaters in the rink. Some of them were skating backward, some skated in a line holding hands, while some were just trying to learn to skate¡­ The entire rink was bustling and lively with upbeat music in the background, and it was quite a sight to behold.


    The rink owner had received a substantial sum of money from Xiao Luo and was instantly servile in his manner toward Xiao Luo. After receiving the money, he hurried to turn the music off and shouted urgently into the mic, ¡°There¡¯s a fire in the mall! Everyone, clear the premise, hurry, run before it¡¯s toote! The emergency exit has been opened, run for your lives!¡±


    His urgent announcement was full of emotion and anxiety, which made it sound like a genuine emergency.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and eximed, ¡°Impressive!¡±


    He gave the owner a thumbs-up as he would not have thought of such a ploy himself and dubiously rated him somewhat a genius.


    As a result of the rink owner¡¯s announcement, the crowd dispersed like uncaged animals, and every single of them had disappeared within a minute. Thankfully a stampede did not ur, but there were many pairs of roller skates left on the rink, and it was a rather sad scene.


    ¡°Please excuse me for a moment, sir. I¡¯ll grab some new roller skates for you.¡± The rink owner said to Xiao Luoisantly.


    ¡°Okay, do not allow anyone toe in within this hour, including you and your staff.¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    The rink owner nodded non-stop and said, ¡°Sure thing, sure thing¡­¡±


    Whoever paid the most money got the final say as far as he was concerned, so he would justply with whatever was asked of him.


    CLANK!


    After handing over four pairs of new roller skates, the rink owner rolled down the rink shutters and stood guard at the entrance with a few staff members. They turned down anybody who wanted to skate for various reasons and told them toe againter.


    The empty skating rink was now exclusively reserved for Xiao Luo and his threepanions. With the shutters down, the outside noise was insted from the rink area, and it became so quiet there that one could hear echoes of his own voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re not skating?¡±


    Su Li frowned as Xiao Luo did not attempt to put on the roller skates.


    ¡°You guys can start first, I need to use the washroom,¡± Xiao Luo replied. He got up, looked around the rink, and walked towards the washroom.


    When he had returned to the rink again, Su Li, Su Xiaobei, and Luo Pingxiang were already skating happily on the rink. It was understandable that both Su Li and Luo Pingxiang could skate well, but Su Xiaobei was surprisingly skating very well too. She had put on the protective gear and was dashing about on the rink like a little fairy. She was even skating with Su Li hand-in-hand and was asionally spinning around her.


    That was a breathtaking moment!


    Su Li resembled a graceful dancer from the celestial realm, and she was incredibly stunning. She would surge forward and skate backward randomly, sometimes putting her hands behind like a goddess taking a stroll in the garden. Her interaction with Su Xiaobei was even more mesmerizing.


    Xiao Luo could not help smiling as he watched them, as he was suddenly impressed by this woman¡¯s beauty for the first time.


    ¡°Daddy,e, let¡¯s y together!¡±


    Su Xiaobei saw him and started to dash at him as she called out to him.


    However, she was still young and suddenly lost her bnce as she impatiently raced toward him and fell down with a loud bump.


    ¡°Xiaobei!¡±


    Xiao Luo rushed to her and helped her up.


    The little girl did not cry but smiled at him when she got up.


    ¡°Was it painful?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daddy, it was not painful!¡± the little girl said.


    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t skate too fast,¡± Xiao Luo reminded her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Su Xiaobei nodded obediently, pulled Xiao Luo¡¯s hand, and said, ¡°Come, Daddy, let¡¯s race with Mummy and sister Pingxiang.¡±


    Xiao Luo rubbed her tiny nose and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    He put on a pair of skates and started skating. He thought it was simple, but he fell unexpectedly after walking for a few steps,nding hard on his bum.


    ¡°Daddy, are you okay?¡± Su Xiaobei ran over and looked at him.


    ¡°I am fine.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied with an awkward smile. It was really embarrassing and made worse as he had screwed up in front of thedies. He felt terrible about himself.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, have you skated before? Luo Pingxiang came over and asked in concern.


    Xiao Luo stood up with her help and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s my first time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then falling can¡¯t be avoided. If you fall again, don¡¯tnd with your hands sticking out, you will hurt your wrists easily,¡± Luo Pingxiang said, sharing her experience.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and nodded.


    SWOOSH~


    Su Li approached gracefully to take a short break, stopping right before him. Her curves were divine, like a goddess, and sheughed, ¡°Yournding was a cool move!¡±


    That was obviously sarcasm.


    Xiao Luo was left speechless and did not respond to her.


    ¡°Keep practicing, even Su Xiaobei is better than you. How can you lose to her as her father? That¡¯s so embarrassing. By the way, this is only Xiaobei¡¯s second time skating.¡±


    Su Li smiled as the opportunity to smack down on this arrogant guy had given her unparalleled joy. As she finished speaking, she pulled Su Xiaobei away and started gliding out on the gigantic rink, leaving beautiful trails on the rink.


    ¡°Good luck!¡±


    Luo Pingxiang also cheered for Xiao Luo and then followed Su Li.


    Phew¡­ to think that she was looking down on me!


    Xiao Luo let out a long sigh and felt awkward.


    However, he would not waste points on exchanging the skating skills with the system as it waspletely unnecessary. He nned to learn it gradually.


    He observed Su Li¡¯s moves closely and processed it mentally, dissecting them into minute parts. When her left leg moved forward, her right leg was propelled her forward and vice versa. When she stopped with one leg, her calf acted as support, and she would then use it to push herself forward.


    To prevent herself from losing bnce, she would bend forward slightly to lower her center of gravity to obtain a more stable posture.


    As he mimicked her moves closely, he suddenly worked out the method to skate well rather quickly. He could catch up to Su Li after skating around the rink three times, and it only got easier as he progressed. And, just like that, he was suddenly in his element and could skate however he liked.

 Chapter 447 - An Insane Learning Ability

    Chapter 447: An Insane Learning Ability


    Su Li and Luo Pingxiang noticed Xiao Luo¡¯s rapid progress, and both of them were surprised when they saw his natural movements that appeared to be as smooth as the flowing water.


    ¡°I must say, Mr. Xiao Luo¡¯s ability to quickly learn something is just impressive. In just a few rounds, he¡¯s already mastered the essential skills needed to roller-skate. The progress he has made is simply incredible.¡±


    Luo Pingxiang watched Xiao Luo skating in disbelief, and his sudden improvement was actually quite shocking. If she hadn¡¯t known that Xiao Luo was just a beginner who fell t on the floor earlier on, she¡¯d have assumed that he was a professional skater.


    Su Li¡¯s eyes were filled with a different kind of emotion. When she recalled the snide remarks that she had directed at Xiao Luo earlier when he had taken a fall, her cheeks instantly turned red. But still, she was filled with an unwillingness to admit defeat. She could ept that Xiao Luo was better than her in many other areas but not in roller-skating, for it was one of her strengths, as she had been skating since high school. If she couldn¡¯t even beat this man, then it would all turn out to be rather embarrassing for her.


    ¡°Help me take care of Su Xiaobei!¡±


    Su Li said to Luo Pingxiang before she pushed out toward Xiao Luo.


    As Xiao Luo was still trying to figure out the essential skills needed to properly skate, Su Li suddenly shed past and overtook him. On top of that, she turned around and shot him a provocative re. It was just like when you were driving on the road, and another driver overtook you, provoking you to overtake her.


    The chauvinistic streak in Xiao Luo did not allow him to let this slide. She had looked down on him earlier on, and now in the face of this provocation, Xiao Luo decided that enough was enough. He thought to himself, so you want to challenge me, well, I¡¯m not scared of you!


    He instantly dashed after Su Li, putting all his strength into his legs and pushing off, bringing his center of gravity slightly forward. In that instant, just like an arrow, his speed increased tremendously!


    Su Li noticing that Xiao Luo had taken up her challenge and decided to put up a confident and superior look on her face. She didn¡¯t want to lose. Her legs moved in a swift criss-cross action, and her gliding speed increased drastically. She was just like a white fox in the wild, and her movements were stunning.


    The two of them moved at speeds as fast as the wind, with one in front of the other.


    In the end, both of them were moving in line with Xiao Luo taking the outerne. They were like a skating duo, and their movements were elegant and totally in sync. It wasn¡¯t just their left and right legs; even the swinging of their arms was in sync as well. It was beauty in motion, no matter how you looked at it.


    Su Xiaobei was right beside Luo Pingxiang, watching the pair in the rink. ¡°Sister Pingxiang, are Daddy and Mummy racing?¡± Su Xiaobei asked, blinking herrge eyes in excitement.


    ¡°Yes, it seems like that is the case. Look at their chemistry, even their movements are so in sync,¡± Luo Pingxiang eximed.


    The little girl was eager to join them and said, ¡°I want to go as well.¡±


    ¡°Bei Bei, don¡¯t go, we¡¯ll just watch them from here and see if your Daddy or Mummy is better, alright?¡±


    Luo Pingxiang, who was afraid that Su Xiaobei might injure herself if she went, tried to stop her.


    The little girl was an obedient child and was easily convinced to stay back. In any case, she was more interested in finding out who would win the race instead of joining the race. So, she nodded her head and said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    She then clenched her little fists and shouted with all the breath she could muster, ¡°Daddy, do your best, Mummy, do your best¡­ but Daddy, try to do a little better!¡±


    Luo Pingxiang didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. It was so apparent that she was more biased toward Xiao Luo.


    Both of their speeds were evenly matched in the rink. Su Li suddenly made a 180-degree turn and started to skate backward while maintaining the original direction, and she did this while maintaining the same speed.


    ¡°Can you do this too?¡±


    She said, pouting her lips and rushing towards Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo slowly recalled the actions she did earlier on, chuckled, and said, ¡°I can give it a try.¡±


    After saying that, he made a wrong 180-degree turn, and he stumbled for a few steps,ing off like he was performing Michael Jackson¡¯s moonwalk. But after a short while, he managed to reverse-skate like Su Li and skated at the same speed as well. Though he did make some mistakes while making the turn, it could still be considered to be rtively smooth.


    Su Li opened her mouth wide, visibly shocked. Xiao Luo was, only moments ago, still learning the basics of skating, but in just minutes, he was already performing like a professional skater. How was it that this guy could learn something that quickly?


    All she knew was that Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t putting on an act, for there was no reason for him to pretend to be a beginner.


    She pursed her lips, swiveled around, and continued to skate in a forward-facing position. Then, she made a 90-degree turn and banked into the wavy track in the center part of the rink without warning.


    The wavy track had three ridges and two troughs. A beginner who tried toplete this track was bound to lose bnce and fall over. That being said, even a skater who was at a higher level might not have a hundred percent chance ofpleting this course either.


    But Su Li clearly didn¡¯t belong to such categories, for she didn¡¯t feel any pressure at all and was able to maintain her bnce perfectly well, clearing the wavy track in one try. She then made a dead stop at the other end of the wavy track, turned around, and looked at Xiao Luo, implying that it was his turn to do it.


    When she looked at a Xiao Luo attempting to rush forward without much thought, she warned him, ¡°Don¡¯t rush if you¡¯re not confident enough; otherwise, the fall is going to be very painful!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed a little. The skates he was wearing now felt like any regr shoes to him. Although he was not thoroughly used to it yet, he was at least eighty to ny percentfortable with it.


    He moved both of his legs really quickly, sped up, and rushed towards the wavy track. Leaning towards one side, hepleted the wavy track in one try as well, and just like Su Li, he stopped dead at the end of the track and maintained his posture really well.


    ¡°Daddy is really impressive!¡± Su Xiaobei screamed, pping happily and cheering.


    Luo Pingxiang muttered to herself, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo is way too scary.¡±


    Xiao Luo was already much better than her because even she couldn¡¯t safelyplete the wavy track.


    Su Li furrowed her eyebrows, and her delicate face wore an expression of bewilderment. This guy was good at basketball, could speak multiple foreignnguages, could drift race, and was now mastering roller-skating. Could it be that he was a genius?


    ¡°Miss Su, are there any other techniques you¡¯d like to show me?¡± Xiao Luo said. His intentions were genuine, as since he was already learning it, he might try to master all the techniques while he was at it.


    As soon as Su Li heard that, her face turned dark as she misread his candor and felt like he was trying to show off. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll show you the techniques that I¡¯ve been practicing for five years,¡± she replied. Then, she called out to Luo Pingxiang and said, ¡°Pingxiang, go see the boss and ask him to bring me 20 identical cups.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sis.¡±


    After receiving the request, Luo Pingxiang rushed toward the front door.


    Not long after, the skating rink boss and a few of his staff members brought 20 cups and ced them in a straight line, each of them equally apart from one another.


    ¡°Is she trying to perform figure skating?¡±


    The boss didn¡¯t leave immediately but stood nearby to watch.


    Figure skating was a level above regr roller-skating. The shoes that their rink provided were inline skates, simr to ice-skating shoes, and therefore they allowed one to perform figure skating with them. On an international scene, there were evenpetitions for this. Some of thempeted in terms of speed, while others contended based on form and technique, to see who performed better. With the use of twenty cups as markers, thispetition was obviously a technique-based challenge to see who demonstrated a higher level of performance.


    ¡°Mummy is going to dance soon!¡±


    Su Xiaobeiughed happily and then obediently sat at a small stone stool at the skating rink side. Just like how she excitedly waited for the movie to start earlier on, she now stared ahead without blinking her eyes and gently swung both of her legs.


    This was obviously not the first time she watched Su Li perform figure skating, and she undoubtedly had high expectations of Su Li¡¯s prowess in figure skating; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be this excited.

 Chapter 448 - What Did You Eat while Growing up?

    <h2>Chapter 448: What Did You Eat while Growing up?</h2>


    Su Li took out her handphone, chose a song, and then ced her phone on the rink floor. A soothing melody started to y, and it evoked beautiful images of the mountains and flowing streams, and with the acoustics of an empty skating rink, it was melodious immersive, and stirring.


    As Su Li nced at Xiao Luo, she glided gracefully on her skates, almost as if she was floating, and started to sway elegantly like a white butterfly performing a dance. She ced her hands behind her back first, as she slid through the gates between the twenty cups like a dragon following the path of a winding river. Su Li moved with the elegance of a ssical nymph who had stepped out from a painting.


    ¡°This is interesting indeed, so she¡¯s really doing figure-skating!¡±


    The skating rink owner was very keen to observe her figure-skating and hid in an inconspicuous corner to watch quietly. He was quite familiar with figure-skating, and the movement he had just seen was a level-one technique¡ªthe forward snake, where you moved forward in a snake-like pattern while passing through the markers.


    ¡°Next should be a forward-cut, followed by the backward-snake, and then the backward-cut, and double-S. These are movements that are of a level-one difficulty,¡± the rink owner muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin.


    And the situation was as to how he had predicted it to be. Afterpleting the forward snake movement, Su Li turned around immediately, and after weaving through the gates with her legs still facing forward the first time, she now switched to the backward-snake movement and slid through the course with her legs facing backward. Mid-way, she kept her feet together to form an S shape and weaved through the gates toplete the secondp.


    She performed two different actions in one round trip, and they were executed in a smooth, natural, and aesthetically appealing style!


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Su Li said, as she skated back toward Xiao Luo. She refused to believe that he could do this as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this kind of videos on the inte before, what are these kinds of movements called?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Figure skating, there are internationalpetitions like this,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Oh, right, I got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head, and then pushed off, gradually increasing his speed, as he tried to recall all the movements that Su Li had just done. Xiao Luo weaved through in a serpentine pattern, hands behind his back as if he was taking a stroll in a garden.


    Was this not enough to stop him as well?


    Su Li refused to believe what she was seeing. She initially thought Xiao Luo would back out, knowing that this was way too tough for him, but she was quite taken aback when Xiao Luo actually started moving forward. On top of that, he weaved through the gates in what seemed like a well-practiced forward-snake movement. It was hard to believe that this was possible unless he was naturally born with this kind of skating ability?


    ¡°Wow, Daddy can perform this kind of ¡®dance¡¯ as well,¡± Su Xiaobei said, blinking her eyes and looking really surprised.


    Luo Pingxiang, like-wise, was utterly shocked. It felt like she was looking at a legendary genius that only appeared once in a hundred years. It had only been ten minutes at most, and Xiao Luo had turned from a bungling novice to a ¡®professional¡¯ who could even perform figure-skating. His ability to learn was simply out of this world. It was as if he could just imitate another person¡¯s movements.


    After finishing the forward-snake, Xiao Luo did all the other movements that Su Li had done earlier.


    Not surprisingly, the twenty cups remained in exactly the same position. This could only mean that Xiao Luo passed through the gates without touching a single one at all. Although they were all just level-one movements, it was enough to surprise everyone.


    ¡°Miss Su, my movements were all correct, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked, and it was merely because he had developed a strong interest in figure-skating that he did. And since Su Li was a veteran when it came to figure-skating, she naturally became the someone he would ask questions and seek advice. His conscience was clear, and he was not doing this to provoke her on purpose.


    But Su Li felt otherwise and believed that he was trying to show off. She turned around and was rather curt. ¡°All the movements were executed perfectly, but all of them are just level-one movements, next I¡¯ll increase the level of difficulty,¡± she said.


    She wanted to see to what extent this man could follow her movements.


    After looking at the twenty cups arranged in one straight line, Su Li took a deep breath and then skated towards them. After passing the first one, she kept her heels closed together and weaved through the gates in an S-shape pattern as she leaned on one side.


    ¡°Passing the gates using the crab-steps, the movements have reached level-two.¡±


    The rink owner raised his eyebrows slightly and muttered the technique that Su Li had just performed.


    Next, there were five more movements: passing through the gates in criss-cross crab-steps, in a criss-cross horizontal-feet, with one-foot-forward, with the X-horizontal and X -shape, and with the one-foot-backward techniques.


    As the level of difficulty increased, the viewing experience increased proportionally as well. Su Li¡¯s figure skating was undoubtedly top notched. In her white shirt, she looked like a surreal dancer, and the performance that she had put on virtually defied thews of physics.


    ¡°Mummy¡¯s dancing is way too beautiful, Bei Bei really likes it!¡±


    ted, Su Xiaobei¡¯s eyes were mere slits as she grinned broadly, pping while cheering with gusto. She narrowed her eyes so much that they looked like a pair of cute crescent moons.


    Next to Su Xiaobei, Luo Pingxiang pped her hands excitedly and cheered for Su Li, ¡°Sister, you¡¯re way too impressive!¡±


    Deep down, Luo Pingxiang knew that she could never perform something like this. While figure skating had its own unique charm, the most she could do was skate around on the rink. Of course, she had always wished to skate freely in the rink and perform various movements like a dancing butterfly but knew that she could never do something like that. She was neither talented nor did she have the time to practice and learn.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Su Li straightened up, turned her head, and stared at Xiao Luo. She had a nk expression on her face, but it was rather obvious why she reacted in this manner.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything as well. He tried his best to recall Su Li¡¯s movements and skated towards the twenty cups without much hesitation.


    The first movement, passing through the gates using the crab steps;


    The second movement, passing through the gates using the criss-cross horizontal-feet pattern;


    The third movement, passing through the gates; with the one-foot-forward pattern;


    ¡­


    Like Su Li¡¯s shadow, he performed all the different sets of movements that Su Li had done to perfection. Su Li¡¯s technical execution highlighted her flexibility and showcased a soft beauty, while Xiao Luo brought forth a firmer and more masculine appeal, at the same time, evoking a simr beauty to the movements.


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s really so impressive¡­¡± Luo Pingxiang was stunned by the performance and muttered softly to herself.


    Su Xiaobei had no idea what that meant but only knew that her father was very impressive, so she cheered for Xiao Luo.


    Su Li could no longer maintain herposure as she had lost to Xiao Luo this time round. She refused to admit defeat and increased the difficulty level of the movements once again. With her white shirt fluttering in the wind, she fully expressed the beauty of figure skating through another inspired performance. Like a soulful dancer, she exuded an unparalleled charm that reached out and touched the soul.


    ¡°Passing the gates using the ¡®horizontal-bracket pattern¡¯ and the ¡®forward-windmill pattern.¡¯ This is a level-three movement. The ¡®horizontal-X shape jump¡¯ and the ¡®backward-feet criss-cross pattern¡¯ is a level-four movement. Wait, the difficulty level increased again¡ªpassing through the gates while squatting on one leg, and jumping with one leg while making a turn; that is a level-five move!¡±


    The rink owner was stunned. He was convinced that this was a professional figure skater in his rink right now, and there was not just one, but two of them. To put on such a stunning performance, skaters had to control their bnce and movements really well. This was very much like those figure skating videos one saw online. No, it was even more stunning, inspiring, and beautiful aspared to those online.


    Luo Pingxiang was the one who was the most shocked. She clearly knew that Xiao Luo was a beginner, but from what she saw, Xiao Luo was performing figure skating just like her sister, Su Li. And all Su Li had to do was perform once, and he was able to repeat those moves to perfection. It was unbelievable; in fact, it was ridiculous.


    Su Li was just as shocked as her. She was sure that Xiao Luo¡¯s learning ability could match that of a devil. Who could believe that this guy was just a beginner who fell t on the ground ten minutes ago?


    ¡°Just what did you eat while growing up?¡± Su Li couldn¡¯t help but ask. It was almost as if she wanted to see through his entire body.


    Xiao Luo did not know whether tough or cry and replied, ¡°Rice, of course, what else could I have eaten?

 Chapter 449 - Exposed

    Chapter 449: Exposed


    Su Li was utterly shocked. She looked at Xiao Luo with her eyes wide opened and she didn¡¯t blink at all. She thought this guy¡¯s learning ability was through the roof. Just twenty minutes ago, he was merely a bumbling novice at skating, but now he¡¯s suddenly even performing figure-skating. What else could she say¡ªhe was basically a demon!


    ¡°Are you always able to learn everything so quickly?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°No, not really,¡± he replied.


    ¡°But all it took for you was ten minutes, and you¡¯re already a very aplished figure-skater.¡±


    Su Li couldn¡¯t hide her shock. Just thinking of the fact that she had taken a good five years to master all of her techniques got her exasperated, so much so that her face start to turn red and hot. All this guy took was ten minutes, and he could already match all the hard work that she had put in over the five years.


    ¡°I suppose, maybe, I have some kind of talent in this area.¡±


    Xiao Luo offered an exnation andughed bashfully. It was all thanks to his ¡°The physique of the King of Mercenaries¡± ability and the constant conditioning of his mind and body. These undoubtedly provided him with half the skills required to skate well, as it was an activity that required bnce and co-ordination of the different parts of his body.


    Su Li was dumbfounded, and she had to admit that there was no other exnation for it.


    Suddenly, a staff member of the roller-skating rink could be seen running toward the rink owner, who had been hiding at a corner, admiring the figure-skating. ¡°Boss, things are not looking good. Some of the customers that we tricked have returned. Now they¡¯re outside, and they¡¯re shouting and threatening to destroy our skating rink. They have a whole bunch of people out there, and we¡¯re no match for all of them,¡± the staffer cried.


    ¡°What did you say? They¡¯re threatening to destroy our skating rink? Did they all eat bear¡¯s heart and leopard¡¯s gall for them to have the courage to do that?¡±


    The rink owner became really angry when he heard this, pulled out the cigarette from his mouth, threw it onto the floor, and stepped on it. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll go and meet them. Let¡¯s see who these people are to have the guts to destroy your big brother¡¯s rink. I¡¯ll scr*w them up alive!¡±


    He unbuttoned his cor, revealing a blue dragon tattoo that could be partly seen emzoned on his chest. As he was a gang member in the past, he had a bit of a quick temper.


    Su Li could sense that something was not right and told Xiao Luo about it.


    Xiao Luo then rushed toward the boss and shouted, ¡°Boss, we¡¯re done with the rink, we¡¯re leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry about it, you just enjoy yourselves. It has barely been half an hour. People like us who do businesses take our promises seriously. I can¡¯t let you waste your money like that. I¡¯ll just go shout at those noisy brats outside, and they¡¯ll leave immediately. I promise they won¡¯t annoy you and ruin the fun you¡¯re having,¡± the rink owner responded, patting his chest as he stormed toward the front door.


    This boss had morals, indeed!


    Xiao Luo thought to himself, cocking an eyebrow as he nced at the man walking off.


    ¡°Change your shoes, let¡¯s leave this ce,¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. Since he was here today to apany Su Xiaobei and Su Li, he left all the decisions for Su Li.


    Just as they were changing their shoes, one of the emergency exits of the roller-skating rink was barged open. Six or seven boys and girls started rushing in.


    ¡°There, you see! They were lying to us, what renovation are they doing here? There¡¯s barely a few people in here!¡±


    ¡°Is the boss of this ce a dimwit or what? We are trying to give him business and money, but he doesn¡¯t even want it?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, I think these people here must have booked the entire rink.¡±


    These boys and girls barged in without any fear, and they were even were brazenly makingments loudly without much respect.


    The moment he had a closer look at the group of boys and girls, the look on Xiao Luo¡¯s face changed. He thought to himself how small the world indeed was, for these kids were no strangers to him. They were the schoolmates of Guan Yilin that he had seen earlier at the Three Sauce Simmer Pot restaurant. It was already thiste, and yet these kids were still hanging out in the mall. He sighed, thinking just how much they were really just like him back in the days.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Senior Xiao Luo?¡±


    One of the girls noticed Xiao Luo and shouted with surprise.


    Her shout drew everyone¡¯s attention to Xiao Luo. Guan Yilin, who was right in front of the group, shouted, ¡°Yes, it is Senior Xiao Luo!¡±


    Guan Yilin was a self-professed follower of Xiao Luo, and if she said it was Xiao Luo, then it had to be him. She would never mistake Xiao Luo for someone else. Instantly, everyone rushed toward Xiao Luo without any hesitation.


    ¡°Senior Xiao Luo, it is you indeed, I¡¯m so happy, I¡¯d never imagined that I would be able to meet you here!¡±


    Guan Yilin was really excited. After Xiao Luo¡¯s lecture, her attitude and temperament had changed quite a bit. She was no longer that arrogant and had learned that, no matter how strong one was, there would always be another out there stronger. She was having dinner with her ssmates because she¡¯d be graduating after this semester and was taking the chance to improve her rtionship with ssmates that she could get along well with.


    One of the boys suddenly screamed, ¡°Senior Xiao Luo, this must be our sister-inw, she¡¯s so pretty!¡±


    ¡°That goes without saying, Senior Xiao Luo is such a talented man, of course, our sister-inw will be pretty. I hope you¡¯re doing well sister-inw, we¡¯re Senior Xiao Luo¡¯s juniors. My name is Gu¡­oh sh*t, Nat¡­ National Goddess Su Li, you¡­ you are the Goddess Su Li, right?¡±


    The other guy was going to introduce himself, but after taking a closer look at Su Li¡¯s face, he became so shocked and excited that he started to stutter.


    W-what?!


    Guan Yilin and the rest turned their heads and looked towards Su Li. After taking a look at her, all of them were stunned. One of the guys could not even hold on to his drink, and it slipped from his hand.


    Su Li looked every bit a goddess in her white outfit and with her luscious ck hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Her fair skin was unblemished and as pure as snow, and her exquisite and beautiful face exuded a beauty that made one¡¯s heart pound.


    A superstar that could only be seen on TV and on the covers of magazines now stood there right in front of them. She was just within touching distance, and these students were thrilled. They felt like they were in a dream and could hardly breathe.


    Xiao Luo felt overwhelmed, coughed a bit, and said, ¡°She¡¯s not Su Li, she¡¯s just someone who looks just like Su Li.¡±


    ¡°Senior Xiao Luo, look at you lying without batting an eyelid! We¡¯re all Baking Sodas[1] and are avid fans of Goddess Su. Standing right in front of her, there¡¯s no way we can¡¯t recognize our idol!¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, to think that our Goddess Su is already someone¡¯s wife, and they even have such an obedient daughter. My heart hurts.¡±


    ¡°Senior Xiao Luo, you¡¯re way too ferocious. You¡¯re a role model that I have to look up to. I¡¯ll watch and learn from you, and hopefully have the chance to marry a superstar in the future.¡±


    A few of the boys looked at Xiao Luo and worshipped him. They were this close to kneeling down in front of him.


    ¡°Ahem, hem¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed a little in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.


    ¡°Goddess Su, my idol, I finally get to meet you in real life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited!¡±


    ¡°I must have gotten the right date on the almanac, to think that I can meet Goddess Su today! I¡¯m so lucky!¡±


    Needless to say, Guan Yilin and her friends turned all of their attention to Su Li. This was a superstar, after all. This was probably the only chance they would have in their entire lives to interact with a celebrity up close.


    Su Li really wanted to leave, but she couldn¡¯t. She had to make sure to take care of her own public image, so sheughed and waved at them, ¡°Nice to meet you all!¡±


    BANG!


    Suddenly, the main door of the ice-skating rink was crashed open. The roller-skating rink owner flew in and fell onto the ground. Like a soldier in pain that had yet to fulfill his mission, he shouted towards Xiao Luo, ¡°Brother, I really respect you, but the people outside are way too fierce, I can¡¯t stop them at all!¡±


    Soon after, a swarm of people rushed in like bees.


    ¡°Oh my god, what am I seeing, National Goddess Su Li!¡±


    ¡°It is indeed Goddess Su, so it was she who booked the entire rink.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯ve finally met my dream girl, I want to get her signature, I want to get her signature!¡±


    Like boiling water, a whole bunch of people started bubbling in.


    Footnote:


    [1] Baking Soda: the name of Su Li¡¯s fan club.

 Chapter 450 - The Black Shirt Guys Appear Again

    <h2>Chapter 450: The ck Shirt Guys Appear Again</h2>


    The look on Su Li and Luo Pingxiang¡¯s face changed. They had experienced this sort of situation many times before, and instinctively ran toward the emergency exit. If this horde of frenzied fans surrounded them here, then the consequences would be dire, and they couldn¡¯t even imagine what would then happen. While making their escape, Su Li quickly carried Su Xiaobei in her arms.


    ¡°You guys go first, I¡¯ll be right behind you!¡±


    Xiao Luo ran together with Su Li, and as soon as Su Li and Luo Pingxiang passed through the emergency exit, he immediately closed the door. As there was no lock on the door, he had to use both of his hands to bar the exit.


    ¡°You must be mad. There are so many people in there, there¡¯s no way you can hold all of them back by yourself. Let¡¯s go together!¡± Su Li, with Su Xiaobei in her arms, turned around and shouted.


    Right then, everyone in the skating rink scrambled after them and crowded around the emergency exit. Driven mad by the sight of their idol, the fans banged on the door without a care in the world. They were trying their very best to knock down the barrier that prevented them from meeting their idol. But Xiao Luo held the door firmly, and acting like a colossal lock, he managed to stop them from getting through. All the banging and knocking was for naught.


    Su Li and Luo Pingxiang were shocked when they saw what happened. The strength of one man was enough to block the surging force of hundreds of people; what kind of national joke was this?!


    ¡°Stop looking, hurry up and go!¡± Xiao Luo urged.


    ¡°Okay then, you be careful, we¡¯ll wait for you in the underground car park,¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°Daddy, you should hurry up ande find us too, Bei Bei will be waiting for you!¡± Su Xiaobei, safely in Su Li¡¯s arms, cried out as well, nervously staring at Xiao Luo without blinking.


    ¡°Alright, go now,¡± Xiao Luo said, giving her an encouraging smile.


    Her eyes looked like ck gemstones as she stared at him, and every single action and smile was enough to touch his heart. This little girl was like a tiny elf that resided inside his heart.


    Su Li carried Su Xiaobei, and together with Luo Pingxiang, they immediately headed toward the staircase, which led them to the underground car park. As they made their way, they pulled down the peaks of their caps and kept their masks on to hide their identities. They didn¡¯t want to risk anyone stopping them along the way.


    ¡°Seems like it isn¡¯t easy being a celebrity at all.¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, and his brows furrowed into a frown. Su Li had earned the privilege of being a morous superstar but had lost the fundamental rights of leading an everyday life. She had to always keep her guard up and be wary of crowds, even for simple activities like having a meal or skating.


    ¡°Senior Xiao Luo, please open the door. We won¡¯t do anything that will harm sister-inw. All we want is just an autograph from her,¡± a junior screamed, looking at Xiao Luo through a small viewing port on the door.


    When Xiao Luo heard that, he felt like just punching the guy to death. This junior clearly had a screw loose in his head, or why would he say something like that at such a chaotic time? He was clearly trying to create a scandal for Su Li.


    Indeed, that statement was like throwing a rock into theke and sending waves across its calm surface, and as expected, with just that one sentence, a storm had stirred¡­


    ¡°What, sister-inw? You mean Goddess Su has married already?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? There¡¯s no way Goddess Su is married.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, this is huge news. Quickly contact the media; this will definitely dominate the headlines of major media websites tomorrow.¡±


    There was a hugemotion among the crowd, and some even took out their phones to contact the media outlets. Others were even more absurd and tried to take Xiao Luo¡¯s picture through the viewing port¡¯s ss pane.


    Xiao Luo hurriedly moved to one side and kept his body flushed to the door to avoid the cameras, but both of his arms were still firmly on the door to prevent them from barging in.


    He had underestimated how crazy these fans could get, as soon, a guy somehow managed to find a fireman¡¯s ax. He roared, ¡°make way for me,¡± and pushed his way toward the emergency exit. He took aim and smashed the ax into the small viewing port on the door, shattering the ss pane.


    ¡°My~! @#!%.¡±


    Xiao Luo cursed from behind the door. He was not afraid of the fans but was fearful that they did not even fear death when they went crazy. Xiao Luo figured that Su Li and Luo Pingxiang would have already made it to the underground car park by now. There was no reason to hold the door any longer, so he immediately decided to make his getaway.


    In just a short while, he arrived at the underground car park and quickly located his car.


    When he got there, he could only see two forlorn figures¡ªone big and one small. Luo Pingxiang and Su Xiaobei were both crying, and Su Li was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Daddy, some bad guys took Mummy away, Daddy quickly go and save her!¡±


    As soon as Su Xiaobei saw Xiao Luo, she quickly ran to him and hugged his thigh. She looked up, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.


    Xiao Luo knelt down to hug her, then turned to Luo Pingxiang and asked, ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°We¡­we just came down, and two guys in ck shirts suddenly appeared from nowhere. They popped up right in front of us, knocked sis out, and carried her away; they were really fast, in just the blink of an eye, they were gone! They were quiet and stealthy¡­ like they were like a ghost¡­¡±


    Luo Pingxiang was trembling uncontrobly from the trauma as the two ck-shirted men terrified her. The way they abducted Su Li was unbelievable, and she was still in a state of shock and waspletely disoriented, at a loss of what to do.


    ¡°What kind of ck-shirted guys?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Luo Pingxiang shook her head, still trembling, and said: ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, they covered their faces¡­ their outfits resembled those ancient assassins you see on TV¡­¡±


    Assassins?


    Xiao Luo grimaced. Memories of the two ck-d assassins he confronted after the racingpetition at the Wild Wolf Mountain instantly shed in his mind. Based on Luo Pingxiang¡¯s description, especially the ¡°quiet and stealthy¡± part, Xiao Luo was ny percent sure that they were one and the same.


    Were theying after him?


    There was a look of contemtion in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Daddy, please go and save Mummy, Bei Bei is really scared, sob, sob¡­¡± Su Xiaobei cuddled in his arms, crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You go and have a good rest, and when you wake up, Mummy will be back,¡± Xiao Luo reassured her.


    ¡°Really?¡± Su Xiaobei said in between sobs and wiping her tears with her sleeves.


    ¡°Yes, I promise!¡±


    Xiao Luo put his finger to her forehead and lightly touched her eyebrows. The little girl fell asleep immediately in his arms.


    He took out the car keys, opened the doors, and lightly ced Su Xiaobei in the backseat. Then, he passed the car keys to Luo Pingxiang, and said, ¡°Bring her back first. Leave Su Li to me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his hand and cut her off. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything else, just do as I say and wait for me at home. Take good care of Xiaobei,¡± he said.


    Luo Pingxiang nodded her head, took the car keys from him, and opened the door to the driver¡¯s seat.


    Xiao Luo took out his handphone and dialed Ji Siying¡¯s phone number.


    ¡°Siying, are there any updates regarding the two assassins that I wanted you to investigate for me?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I can confirm that it has nothing to do with the MLM Organisation. The two assassins seem to be linked to Yang Yuanzhong from ¡®Huangpu Entertainment,''¡± Ji Siying said.


    ¡°Yang Yuanzhong?¡±


    Xiao Luo tried to recall where he¡¯d heard that name before.


    ¡°He is the father of Yang Hongzhi, the guy who went crazy because he was scared by you, Mr. Xiao Luo,¡± Ji Siying pointed out.


    Xiao Luo finally understood what was going on here. He would never have imagined that Yang Hongzhi¡¯s father would have an identity like this. With two such subordinates, he must have a high level of power and authority as well. It just seemed like this world was very much like a martial arts society, where many powerful fighters and leaders remained incognito.

 Chapter 451 - Villa

    <h2>Chapter 451: Vi</h2>


    [Suburb of Xiahai City: Bode Vi]


    In the silent night, the mansion evoked a sense of grandeur and tranquility under the enchanting light of a bright full moon.


    The craggy rocks that formed the gardenndscape, the ripples of the artificialke, and the calm surface of the swimming pool¡ªthey all just seemed so much more serene under the illumination of the bright night sky.


    It was Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s Bode Vi!


    Besides the watchdogs located inside the vipound, at least a dozen bodyguards patrolled the perimeter. They were separated into two shifts, and regardless of day or night, they were constantly patrolling the premises and were responsible for the vi¡¯s security.


    At the far end of the expansive garden, thergest vi was well lit among a cluster of buildings, sending streams of light across the quietpound. The word ¡°happiness¡± was conspicuously posted everywhere, and it gave off a festive feel to the surroundings. A strange buzzing noise emanated from within the vi, echoing across the open space in the dead of night.


    Su Li was stirred by the piercing sound, and she awoke from her state of unconsciousness. She had a painful expression on her face when she awakened,ing from the throbbing pain and soreness she could still feel around her neck. She took a closer look at where she was and realized that she was in the middle of a cavernous hall. The hall was extensively adorned with red decorations, and it appeared like the ce was bathed in a zing fire to her. The setting itself was reminiscent of an ancient marriage ritual hall. When she looked down, she realized that her outfit had been changed to a red bridal gown, and she was wearing a weighty headdress. To her horror, she also realized that she was also tied to a chair.


    She wondered just where on earth she was at that moment.


    Unlike many other girls, she did not scream immediately. She could clearly recall in her head that someone had knocked her out and taken her away. In her stupor, she felt like all the things she was experiencing right now felt more like a dream and surreal.


    ¡°Poop¡­ Hehehe, I want to eat poop¡­¡±


    The sound of a giggling man could be heard, and Su Li felt a shudder. She turned her head to take a look. Her pupils started to dte in abject shock, and she unintentionally called out the man¡¯s name. ¡°Yang Hongzhi?¡±


    Yang Hongzhi was dressed in a traditional groom¡¯s outfit that was in ck. He wore a groom¡¯s wedding hat, and a corsage of fiery red-colored flowers adorned his vest. Yang Hongzhi was sitting in a chair next to her and holding a lollipop and happily licking it. His eyes were unfocused, and he had a foolish smile on his face¡ªwith just one look, one could tell that this man was in a mentally unstable state.


    This jerk had really gonepletely mad!


    Su Li opened her mouth slightly, and she found it quite hard to believe what she was seeing. She had heard something regarding Yang Hongzhi but just brushed them off as mere rumors. Besides, it was not like she really cared about Yang Hongzhi, so she didn¡¯t take the trouble to go and find out more about it. But now that she was looking at Yang Hongzhi right in front of her, she was convinced that Yang Hongzhi had really turned insane.


    She instantly thought to herself that it must mean this was the Yang family¡¯s Bode Vi.


    Then, she suddenly realized that there were two men dressed in ck shirts standing in the hall. They stood there imposingly still without even moving an inch, like statues. And it even seemed as if they weren¡¯t breathing at all, for they made no sound and were like two inanimate objects. If it wasn¡¯t because they happened to be right in front of her, there was no way she would have noticed them at all.


    ¡°So these were the men who captured and brought me here. Are they even human, or are they ghosts?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s face was filled with much horror. In all her years, she had never once met people who were like them. They were creepy and exuded a bizarre and mystical aura, just like ghosts out of hell.


    ¡°Just who in the world are you guys? Why did you kidnap me and bring me here?¡±


    She tried her best to maintain herposure and asked with a stern look on her face, ¡°Did Yang Yuanzhong make you guys do this?¡±


    The two ck-dressed men just stood there motionlessly and did not reply to her question at all. It was as if they were trapped in two stone statues and unable to smell or speak or respond to any questions from the outside world.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re correct. I was the one who made them do this.¡±


    A hoarse, gritty voice could be heard. Then Yang Yuanzhong, donning a suit, walked down from the spiral staircase in deliberate steps. His hair was neatlybed backward, with three deep wrinkle lines visible across his forehead. His eyes looked really sharp, and even without any trace of anger, an aura of foreboding rage could be sensed emitting from his entire body.


    The moment they saw himing down the staircase, the two ck-dressed men reacted in an alert and synchronized way, cing their left hands on their chest to show their respect toward him.


    ¡°CEO Yang, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    Su Li forcefully calmed herself down and attempted to talk to Yang Yuanzhong, like how she would normally speak. Since she was an artist signed under ¡°Huangpu,¡± Yang Yuanzhong could be considered her boss.


    Yang Yuangzhong did not reply to her question directly, but instead walked toward the memorial tablet and burned three joss sticks before sticking them in the altar urn. A framed ck-and-white photograph of a woman was ced before the memorial tablet. Yang Yuangzhong turned to Su Li, and in a soft voice, he spoke, ¡°Let me introduce you. This is Zhi-er¡¯s mother. Thirteen years ago, she cheated on me with another man. I killed both her lover and her, and I built a wall to ce their dead bodies in there.¡± Then, he pointed toward the wall that was right behind Su Li. ¡°That¡¯s correct. It¡¯s that wall right behind you,¡± he dered.


    Yang Yuangzhong spoke casually, in a matter-of-fact way, but what he had mentioned cast a frightening light on the kind of man that stood in front of Su Li.


    Su Li gasped, and a chill ran down her spine instantly. Her entire body turned cold, and a cold sweat started to break out on her forehead as she breathed heavily all of a sudden.


    Yang Yuanzhong appeared as if he was living in his own world. ¡°She was Zhi-er¡¯s mother after all, so it¡¯s not like I left no room forpassion. I have made sure her memorial tablet has been well taken care of for the past thirteen years, and since today is Zhi-er¡¯s happy day, I invited her to this hall so that she can also witness the most important event of Zhi-er¡¯s life,¡± he said.


    Su Li¡¯s body began to tremble uncontrobly as she finally understood why Yang Yuanzhong had her kidnapped and brought here. ¡°CEO Yang, it is impossible between Yang Hongzhi and I. I can¡¯t¡­¡± She cried.


    ¡°Hush¡­¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong gestured, signaling for her to keep quiet.


    Under Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s menacing gaze, with stern-looking eyes warning her to abide, Su Lipliantly kept her mouth shut. He was a terrifying person, and those eyes of his were too frightening.


    Yang Yuangzhong nodded his head in satisfaction, patted her shoulders, and walked back and forth in the hall. ¡°Miss Su, all the sess that you have now, apart from your own personal hard work and effort, was due to thepany. I think you have to admit that thepany has been treating you exceptionally well. You have a pretty-looking face and a really sexy body, and when you pick up a microphone and sing, there are barely any guys out there who won¡¯t fall for you. The spark that you ignite is not merely idental. It is inevitable,¡± he said.


    ¡°You must be very familiar with the rules of the entertainment industry. Women, especially women who are good-looking and aiming to climb higher, have to give up something equivalent of value if they wish to seed. These include giving up your body since there is no shortage of sleazy men in this world, which is even more prevalent in the entertainment industry. But in your case, since your debut till now, nobody has even hinted at these unspoken rules. Have you never wondered why this was so?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s heart thumped a little more as she unconsciously turned her eyes toward Yang Hongzhi.


    Yang Yuangzhongughed and said, ¡°Seems like you are clear that it was all because of Zhi-er. Zhi-er has been desperately in love with you all this while. He has been protecting you from the rules of the entertainment industry. Take a look at the entire country. How many out there will not do things for the Yang family¡¯s sake. I guess you could say that, on your path toward sess, Zhi-er was the one who was escorting you along that road.¡±


    His eyes turned cold, and his facial expression became ferocious. ¡°If that were not the case, do you think you could still have a pure and innocent body? A good-looking leather bag like you would have already been worn and torn by thousands of people out there. Zhi-er has done so much for you. Forget marrying him. It won¡¯t be too much to ask for you even to be his ve for the rest of your life!¡± he roared.


    Su Li was surprised and filled with fear from within. The version of Yang Yuanzhong right in front of her now was unfamiliar and frightening. Like an evil spirit ripping through human skin, he was rude and vulgar, and his tone was really aggressive. It was as if he could devour someone and leave no bones behind.


    But Su Li¡¯s innate self-esteem and arrogance did not allow her just to take things lying down. She lifted her head and sneered in response. ¡°If Yang Hongzhi was really that in love with me, then he wouldn¡¯t change girlfriends that quickly just like he was changing clothes. I can¡¯t deny that the fact that I have never faced any trouble thanks to the Yang family, but the one who really protected me all this while wasn¡¯t the Yang family, but my best friend Shen Qingyan!¡±


    These words werergely true, for when some male directors or investors showed interest in her, Shen Qingyan came out and helped her reject all of them. Shen Qingyan even personally invested in her and paved the road to her sess. The amount of help that Shen Qingyan had given her was iparable.

 Chapter 452 - Where is Yang Yuanzhong?

    Chapter 452: Where is Yang Yuanzhong?


    SLAP!


    Yang Yuanzhong pped Su Li hard across her exquisite looking face.


    A trace of blood started trickling out from the corner of Su Li¡¯s mouth, and his p left vivid red marks on her face. She could feel a slow-burning pain issuing from her cheeks, but she gritted her teeth and stared at Yang Yuanzhong with anger in her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I must have underestimated my strength. Ah, look, I have injured your face, if Zhi-er were in a proper mental state now, he¡¯d be in pain to see you like that.¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong furrowed his eyebrows, and there was a look of guilt in his expression. But in the next second, he started tough, and suddenly bellowed, ¡°Miss Su, you better understand what kind of circumstances you are in right now. So, you better keep your arrogance. Otherwise, I won¡¯t hesitate to injure the other half of your face as well!¡±


    ¡°Yang Yuanzhong, what is it that you want from me?¡±


    Su Li was furious, but she was also fearful of this Yang Yuanzhong, who looked just like a madman capable of doing anything right now. ¡°What you¡¯re doing is kidnapping, are you not afraid of the police at all?¡± she cried.


    ¡°Afraid of the police?¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong had a mocking look on his face. He shook his head andughed entrically. ¡°It seems like you still have yet to properly grasp the current situation that you¡¯re in right now. From today onwards, the national goddess Su Li is going to vanish from this world. You will only be my son¡¯s wife, and there will only be one thing you need to do for the rest of your life. That is, to take good care of Zhi-er and continue the Yang family line for us,¡± he said.


    Su Li looked at Yang Hongzhi, smirking andughing abnormally, and she suddenly felt a sense of helplessness and trepidation. It was going to be really scary if her life was going to end in the manner that Yang Yuanzhong just described.


    Yang Yuangzhong walked and stood in front of Yang Hongzhi, lovingly touching his head. ¡°Do you know why Zhi-er ended up like this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know, because that has nothing to do with me at all,¡± Su Li said, defiantly changing her gaze to somewhere else and trying to remain calm.


    ¡°No, you have to know.¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong shook his head, the smile on his face turned cold, and he said, ¡°Someone violently pushed him down at a public toilet and forced him to eat the dirtiest excrement of a human body. He became crazy because this person drove him into this current state.¡±


    What?!


    Su Li was stunned. How could that be? Who would have the nerve to do this to Yang Hongzhi? Besides, such a method of punishment was so cruel.


    Yang Yuanzhong suddenly shouted, ¡°The one who made Zhi-er turn mad is the guy with thest name Xiao!¡±


    Last name, Xiao?


    What, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s¡­ Xiao Luo?


    Su Li¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Yang Yuanzhong in shock. Qingyan hinted to her back then that the reason why Yang Hongzhi went crazy could have been because of Xiao Luo. But she ignored it, thinking that it was just a joke. Looking at it now, it seemed like it was indeed rted to her man.


    ¡°Seems like you have already guessed who that guy is. That¡¯s right, and it¡¯s that b*stard Xiao Luo who is in aplicated rtionship with you right now!¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong was practically roaring at this point. At the mere mention of the name Xiao Luo, the kind of hatred that he had for him could be likened to an invisibleser beam that shot out of his eyes. He was crazy, angry, and murderous, and one couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear when they saw this.


    How could it be him?!


    Su Li began to tremble uncontrobly as she realized now that she barely knew anything about Xiao Luo.


    Instinctively, Su Li spoke out in defense of her husband and refuted Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s usation. ¡°Xiao Luo would never harm someone for no good reason. It must be your son, Yang Hongzhi, who provoked him first. In that case, then he deserved it!¡± she cried.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s face turned cold. He lifted his hand, intending to give her another p, but brought his hand down after barely lifting it. With theughter of a madman, he said, ¡°Today is a happy day for you and my son Zhi-er. If I injure your face so badly by pping you, then your face won¡¯t be pretty anymore. Besides, I have to tell you something. Today is the day of Xiao Luo¡¯s death as well. I¡¯m going to use his blood as the drink for the wine-sharing ceremony between the both of you¡­¡±


    WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!


    The incessant sound of hounds barking could be heard on the outside.


    Yang Yuanzhong turned his head and looked down the hall. His eyes were cold as he said, ¡°It must be him; he¡¯s here!¡±


    Su Li stared at the darkness of the night beyond the massive doors of the hall, and her heart sank.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At the massive door in front of Bode Vi, two hefty-looking guards were staring down at a young man standing at the stairs. He appeared to be looking up at the sign, ¡°Bode Vi.¡±


    The young man was wearing a ck-colored denim jacket and a pair of casual trousers. His fair and bright-looking face looked a little grim, and he had slightly nted eyebrows and sharp, ck eyes. He had a demeanor of aloofness like someone whose mind was a thousand miles away¡­


    It was indeed Xiao Luo!


    ¡°Are you deaf? Hurry up and tell us what the hell you are doing here in the middle of the night?! Otherwise, we¡¯ll catch you and hand you over to the police,¡± a guard shouted, flicking out his telescopic baton.


    Xiao Luopletely ignored them, and without changing the expression on his face, he asked, ¡°Is Yang Yuanzhong living here?¡±


    The two guards looked at one another. They thought that this guy must be here to create trouble at the back of their minds. To think that he had the nerve to mention their boss¡¯s name directly!


    ¡°Brat, did you drink too much, or have you gone crazy? Who do you think you are for you to call our boss¡¯s name like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten seconds for you to get out of my sight! Otherwise, I¡¯m going to whack you so hard that your teeth will be strewn all over the floor!¡±


    The guards spoke fiercely, issuing him a stern warning.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems like I came to the right ce.¡±


    Xiao Luo mumbled to himself and continued to walk toward Bode Vi.


    ¡°Stay there! Do you hear me? I said, stay there!¡±


    The other guard realized that something was not right and drew out the telescopic baton from his waist, getting ready to attack.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t slow down his pace at all and nonchntly continued walking ahead.


    The two guards gave each other a nervous nce, raised their telescopic stick, and made ready to strike at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I told you to stay there, did you not hear¡­¡± one of the guards shouted.


    His voice stopped abruptly as Xiao Luo instantly took action, thrusting his steely fingers towards both their chest at an incredible speed. They were petrified, unable to say a word, they couldn¡¯t move their limbs and were stuck on the spot like two stone statues.


    The rming scene left many of the vi¡¯s security guards, stationed not too far away, stunned. They were within visual distance, and they could clearly see what had happened at the front door.


    Along with a pack of ferocious, barking guard hounds, dozens of security guards in ck stood in a fan-shaped barrier to block Xiao Luo¡¯s path. Three brown-colored guard dogs shed their fangs and couldn¡¯t stop barking as they strained against their leashes, attempting to charge at Xiao Luo. It seemed like they were about to break the chains that held them back. The prominent muscle definitions on their limbs were a clear indication of how strong they were.


    One of the security guards had a yful smile on his face. ¡°Boss said that there would be a VIP tonight. It¡¯s a guy called Xiao Luo. I assume it¡¯s you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Where is Yang Yuanzhong?¡± Xiao Luo asked coldly.


    The security guard sneered, ¡°Our boss is not someone you can see whenever you like. Forcing your way into Bode Vi, I bet you don¡¯t know how many eyes Ma Wangye[1] has!¡± He waved his hand forward and called out, ¡°Let the dogs loose, tear him into pieces!¡±


    Three of the subordinates who heard themand released the snarling dogs, baying for flesh and blood.


    The three dogs growled fiercely and rushed towards Xiao Luo like hungry wolves in a night hunt. Their fangs gleamed in the moonlight, sharp as knives, and while they were running, their mouths frothed and reeked a rancid smell. If it was a normal human being facing these ferocious dogs, it was highly likely they would have their souls eaten.


    Footnote:[1] Ma Wangye: the Chinese god of horses.

 Chapter 453 - Courting death

    Chapter 453: Courting death


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t move at all, and there was a confident look in his eyes as he silently gazed at the three ferocious guard dogs.


    The fearsome dogs rushed towards him, baring their sharp fangs, but suddenly slowed down when they were roughly two meters away. It was like they were running on ice and couldn¡¯t control their bnce aftering to an emergency halt. They eventually stopped at a distance of barely half a meter away from him.


    Dogs are intelligent animals, and it was evident that they could detect dangers that a normal human being couldn¡¯t.


    They sat on the ground and looked fearfully at Xiao Luo. Being under the gaze of those human eyes was simr to being in the sight of some ferocious prowling beast, and they could readily detect his dangerous aura.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Luo growled in a voice like thunder.


    ¡°Yelp!¡±


    As if being boiled in water, the three dogs let out panicked and fearful howls and fled back toward their respective handlers. There was a clear distinction between how the dogs behaved now and before, growling ferociously and baring sharp fangs earlier. Now, they were whining and scuttling away like scared puppies!


    What was going on here?


    The head of the security guards was stunned. All the other security guards wide-eyed and equally shocked after witnessing what just happened. These were the ultimate breed of all fighting dogs¡ªthey were pit bulls. When enraged and hungry, even their handlers could turn out to be a target. Strong and ferocious, these three dogs had even been specially fed dead human bodies before this to heighten their killer instincts. But, just what was happening now? They retreated with their tails between their legs in a single shout from the brat standing right there. This was turning out to be some kind of international joke!


    The handlers who took care of these three dogs went to them and tried to calm them down. They then ordered the dogs to attack Xiao Luo once again. However, the three dogs didn¡¯t budge an inch and could only stare fearfully at Xiao Luo. They let out a small bark but did not find the courage to charge at him anymore.


    ¡°A good dog doesn¡¯t block the path, and it seems like these three dogs are good dogs indeed, but what about you guys? Are you going to learn from them and move out of the way or are you going to continue blocking my path?¡± Xiao Luo asked, shing an evil smirk from the corner of his mouth.


    The head of the security guards faltered momentarily, then after making up his mind, he ordered his subordinates to attack. ¡°I have no idea why these three garbage mutts did not have the guts to attack, but you will surely die here! Go, give this guy a good beating!¡± he cried out.


    More than a dozen ck-shirted security guards charged toward Xiao Luo bare-handed, believing that this would be more than enough. They thought they could easily drown him with just one spit from each of them with their numbers. They were already overestimating him by sending a dozen security guards to attack at once. Besides, each of them had excellent closebat skills, and they were confident enough that they could beat the hell out of this arrogant jerk in the shortest amount of time possible.


    However¡­


    ¡°Even dogs are smarter than you!¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted as he moved his body forward and simultaneously extended his right hand out. He thrust violently toward the chest of the frontmost security guard, and the strong impact spread out towards their surroundings.


    CRUNCH!


    His fist smashed into the chest ribs of the guard, but he was careful not to thrust it into his chest.


    ¡°Oomph!¡±


    Fresh blood spurted out from his mouth, and he was winded by the tremendous blow. His muscr and robust body sailed in the air as if it had been mmed by a train. The body was thrown toward the five or sixpanions that had initially been behind him, crashing into them heavily like a cannonball. There was a ghastly report of cracking sounds, like bowling pins being knocked over by a bowling ball. Blood started oozing out of their mouths and noses, and the lot of them let out painful screams as theyy on the ground.


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    The head of the security guard and his cohort were stunned and gasped in horror. No one could imagine that a young man with a seemingly weak-looking body had that much power and strength. He was very much like a humanoid monster!


    As they stared at Xiao Luo, they saw a dark and fearsome expression form on his face. He rushed forward, and like a tiger, charging toward the ck-shirted security guards who were still in a stupor.


    Screams could be heard wherever he went, and under the ferocity of his attacks, the security guards seemed at a loss. One kick and one punch were enough to knock them to the ground. Xiao Luo chose not tond any fatal blows, but they all screamed in unbearable pain as they fell one at a time.


    Eventually, only the head security guard was left, and he looked at Xiao Luo nervously and stood very still. His face had turned pale, and he began sweating like a waterfall. His entire body was trembling uncontrobly from the fear of facing such a monster, for Xiao Luo had taken out all of his subordinates in less than two minutes.


    As Xiao Luo switched his attention over and looked at him, the head security guard bit the bullet¡ªhe gritted his teeth and roared, taking out his ck baton and rushed madly at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo looked at him with mockery in his eyes, and just as the head guard rushed toward him, his right hand, like a knife, mmed into his neck at the speed of light.


    ¡°Ahrrg!¡±


    The head security guard dropped as if he had been struck by lightning, and the ck baton slipped from his hand, falling next to him.


    ¡°This must be an electric baton, why don¡¯t I try and see how powerful it is?¡±


    Xiao Luo bent over, lifted the electric baton, and switched it on. The top of the rod let out a crackling sound with a strong surge of electric current. Then, without any hesitation, he ced it on the head security guard¡¯s chest and kept it there for a couple of seconds.


    The head guard let out a painful scream until he eventually started to foam at the mouth and lost consciousness in no time.


    As this was going on, the three dogs were watching from the side.


    Xiao Luo stood up, looked down at them, and with a sinister smile, said, ¡°You three livestock want to give this a try as well?¡±


    Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!


    The bursts of electric current at the tip of the electric baton crackled insanely.


    The three dogs shrank back and ran away in fear. Of course, the electric baton wasn¡¯t the thing that scared them off, but rather it was the hostilitying from Xiao Luo¡¯s body that caused it.


    ¡°Hmm, it seems like I might have forgotten to ask which house here belongs to Yang Yuanzhong¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo mused and looked at the head of the guards who was unconscious and frowned a little. He raised his hands out as if to grab something, and suddenly, a security guard who was bent over in pain some two meters away ended up being drawn into his hand.


    Was this man some kind of monster with supernatural abilities like those you saw in the movies?


    All the other security guards were so shocked that they quickly pretended to be dead. What they saw terrified them.


    The guard who was pulled in mid-air by some strange force was now being grabbed by his cor. Needless to say, he was so scared of Xiao Luo that he was about to wet his pants.


    ¡°Where is Yang Yuanzhong?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°There¡­ he¡¯s there, the biggest and lighted-up house¡­ that is where he is at¡­¡±


    The shaking security guard could no longer think properly and pointed toward the luxurious vi situated by theke.


    ¡°Why is it so brightly lit up, and what¡¯s with the word ¡°happiness¡± posted all over the ce?¡± Xiao Luo asked again.


    The security guard did not dare to lie, and said, ¡°Boss brought Goddess Su here. It¡¯s for¡­ for her to be our young master¡¯s wife. Today is the wedding day for our young master and Goddess Su¡­¡±


    What?


    A fire started burning in Xiao Luo¡¯s heart after he heard this. A rage started spreading across his entire body, and a murderous intent glowered from both of his eyes. The ease andposure he bore earlier on disappeared and was reced with a sense of coldness that was so intense it seeped into his soul.


    He thought Yang Yuanzhong caught Su Li so that he woulde after him, force his way into the vi, and with that, Yang Yuanzhong would have sufficient reason to kill him. But it seemed like that was not the case anymore. Yang Yuanzhong was not only baiting him to find him but was also trying to force Su Li to be the wife of his son, Yang Hongzhi.


    ¡°He¡¯s courting death!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s glowering eyes became even more intense. He dumped the security guard on the ground, and like ck lightning, dashed toward where he knew Yang Yuanzhong was waiting for him.

 Chapter 454 - Fire Palm

    Chapter 454: Fire Palm


    His speed was incredibly fast, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. The ck-shirted security guards thaty on the ground trembled once again, and a chill ran down their spines. In their heads, they could only ask themselves¡ªis this guy even a human?


    ¡­


    The hall was fully illuminated, and Su Li was tied to a chair. She was wearing a bright red wedding gown, and her lips were painted red, like the color of blood. Despite the finger marks on her cheeks, it didn¡¯t change the fact that she was still gorgeous, and in his mind, she was undoubtedly the prettiest girl in the entire country.


    Next to her was Yang Hongzhi, who was screaming and giggling as he licked a lollipop. From time to time, he kept on repeating, ¡°I want to eat poop,¡± over and over again. He looked like a fool and was evidently mentally unstable.


    There were only five persons in the hall: Yang Yuanzhong, the two sturdy men in ck shirts, Su Li, and Yang Hongzhi. On the floor, therey three dead bodies¡ªthe men who yed the suona earlier on. After they performed the ceremonial music, Yang Yuanzhong pped them from the top of their skulls and instantly killed them, leaving blood and brain fluids all over the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that b*stard is really quite strong. That rabble of trash out there won¡¯t be able to stop him; I¡¯m sure he will be able to get here.¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong started praying in front of his wife¡¯s memorial tablet, and on the surface, it looked like he wasforting Su Li. Still, there seemed to be another sinister meaning behind his voice, which was enough to make her tremble¡ªfor it was as if he also meant to say, ¡°I¡¯ll rip his head off right in front of you!¡±


    ¡°You are a madman¡­¡±


    Su Li stared right back at him. Her voice was somewhat shaky as she was feeling a deep sense of panic. No matter how arrogant and strong she was on other days, this was enough to scare her, for Yang Yuanzhong was a devil who could quickly kill someone without blinking an eye.


    ¡°After tonight, you ought to change and call me ¡®father¡¯ just like Zhi-er,¡± Yang Yuanzhong said. He was not annoyed at all but had a weird smile on his face.


    Su Li could no longer reply to anything he said¡ªthere was an awful stench of blood in the air, next to her was a crazy fool, and the wall behind her was a tomb that had dead bodies in it. Yang Yuangzhong was a terrifying madman, and the two men in ck shirts that were standing not too far away exuded a cold, threatening aura. It really sent chills down her spine.


    Being in a ce like this, if it weren¡¯t because she was mentally strong, she would have most probably already copsed right from the start. Deep down, she really wished that all of these were nothing more than a nightmare!


    ¡°Boss, he¡¯s here!¡±


    The two guys who had initially been standing as still as two inanimate objects started to move their eyes. It was one of them that had spoken, and there were no emotions in his voice at all. It was just a low-pitched drone, which sounded sinister and cold.


    Su Li immediately turned her head and looked towards the door. A figure started to emerge from the darkness, walking in deliberate steps slowly. The bright lights fell onto his handsome face, and as his image became more apparent, her heart stirred. She felt a rush of emotions¡ªshe was happy, a little excited, but at the same time, a little worried.


    Sitting on the chair, Yang Hongzhi was licking his lollipop with a silly smile on his face when he suddenly got a shock and fell to the ground. He fearfully looked at the man who had just stepped into the hall, and in a shrill voice, he screamed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat poop anymore, I don¡¯t want to eat poop anymore¡­¡±


    Although he had already gone crazy and turned into a fool, he could never forget the horrifying things that Xiao Luo did to him that day. He even dropped the lollipop that he was holding on to.


    ¡°Zhi-er!¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong rushed over like a gust of wind and tried to calm him down, gently holding on to the back of his head. But Yang Hongzhi could no longer remain calm and fell into a panicky state. Yang Yuanzhong had no choice but to quickly gave him two taps on his chest to put him to sleep. ¡°Have a good sleep, for tonight, your father here will definitely kill this guy, rip his heart out and soak it in wine for you to drink. Then you will be able to recover your mind and body.¡±


    ¡°Yang Yuanzhong, this feud is between the Yang family and me and has nothing to do with Miss Su at all. You better let her go!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred. A raging fury started to rise from within when he saw Su Li¡¯s hands tied to a chair and that she was dressed up in bright red bridal makeup and attire. Xiao Luo had never considered himself to be Su Li¡¯s man, but he couldn¡¯t help it and felt really angry. He was not going to allow anyone to hurt this woman.


    ¡°Let her go?¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong walked towards her and stood beside Su Li, and as if admiring some exquisite looking item, he lightly touched Su Li¡¯s smooth chin with his fingers. Suddenly, he grasped onto Su Li¡¯s neck. He made sure to hold it really tight, using a lot of power. Su Li¡¯s face turned red instantly because she could no longer breathe properly. Yang Yuanzhong smirked and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll let her go if you immobilize both of your arms!¡±


    ¡°Everything seems to be really well calcted, but what a shame you have to continue dreaming!¡± Xiao Luo said and smiled.


    As soon as he finished his sentence, he moved and went into action without any warning. He rushed towards Yang Yuanzhong with his palm attack. Apanied by a loud crackling sound, the inner power that surged from the striking palm flowed throughout the entire hall, dancing wildly. Regardless of where Xiao Luo moved, the tiles on the floor started to crack and lifted off the floor.


    ¡°Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?¡±


    Yang Yuanzhong opened his eyes wide in surprise. His opponent¡¯s palm strength was exceptional. If he did not dodge this quickly enough, he would suffer severe injuries. At the same time, he also felt that he had to hold onto Su Li so that Xiao Luo wouldn¡¯t kill him. Xiao Luo¡¯s right palm was getting closer now, and that terrifying palm caused all the pores in his body to open up. He no longer hesitated and abandoned Su Li immediately, taking evasive action by moving to one side.


    As he dodged the blow, he looked over and was sure that Su Li would be smashed to smithereens with the palm attack. But instead, something that he could have never have imagined happened.


    As if having a conscience of its own, the surging energy from the palm strike made a turn as it came close to Su Li. Like a raging torrent smashing into a huge boulder, it dispersed to either side of Su Li, and instead, crashed into the memorial tablet that belonged to Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s wife, destroying it. After executing his move, Xiao Luo grabbed on to Su Li, tied to the chair, and returned to his previous position like a gust of wind while maintaining a distance between him and Yang Yuanzhong.


    Xiao Luo undid the rope that bound Su Li and positioned her safely behind him. With a caring smile, he said, ¡°Stand right behind me.¡±


    From behind, Su Li looked at Xiao Luo, and her eyes were filled with surprise and astonishment.


    How did Xiao Luo do what he just did? Is this considered martial arts?


    It was the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Does this kind of martial arts technique actually exist in this world?


    At that moment, the impression that she had of Xiao Luo climbed several notches all of a sudden. She could have never imagined that Xiao Luo was this strong and had this god-like martial arts ability, like those one watched in movies.


    After realizing the error of her ways, she felt a warmth in her heart all of a sudden. It felt like someone actually cared for her.


    At that moment, Yang Yuanzhong regained his senses and scowled, ¡°You little b*stard, no wonder you had the guts to be this arrogant. It is because you know martial arts!¡±


    ¡°And, like-wise, you are this arrogant as well because you possess the fire palm technique, am I wrong?¡± Xiao Luo responded with a smirk.


    ¡°You did a check on me?¡± Yang Yuanzhong asked, giving away his shock with an awkward look on his face.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t reply to his question, but looked into Yang Hongzhi¡¯s eyes and mocked, ¡°Your son hired people to beat me up, and said that he¡¯d go eat shit if they didn¡¯t cripple me, so I just fulfilled his wish for him, but I never expected him to be this weak and turn into the fool that he is now.¡±


    After listening to him say this so casually, Yang Yuanzhong twitched his mouth angrily and yelled, ¡°You b*stard, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    There¡¯s no way he could hold it in anymore. He roared and charged towards Xiao Luo immediately.


    Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s technique was known as fire palm, but that didn¡¯t mean mes would surge from his palms. It was rather more of building up the energy in his palm before he unleashed it. Each fire palm strike could destroy the internal force in his opponent¡¯s body, and the impact would leaving a burning effect, and that¡¯s why it was called the fire palm.

 Chapter 455 - Furious Battle

    Chapter 455: Furious Battle


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you take my life!¡±


    Xiao Luo twisted his body like a cat and dodged the attack. His eyes began to turn cold as he positioned both of his hands in preparation to receive the attack.


    Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s violent and aggressive attack pattern began to increase in tempo. The fire palm that he executed created a burning scent in the air, like the aftermath of a firestorm.


    His attack was simply too fast, like the force of a gale!


    It was as if there was a hurricane within the hall, twirling and roaring like a raging beast.


    Su Li gradually widened her eyes and opened her mouth in astonishment. The two figures looked as if they were entangled together despite being four to five meters away. Even then, she could still feel the intense exchange of power between both of them.


    Just who in the world was this guy called Xiao Luo?


    And just who the hell was Yang Yuanzhong? No one could probably experience this sort of scene even with all theputer-generated graphics used to produce a martial arts film.


    She was utterly shocked. Everything that she witnessed today wiped away her understanding and knowledge of what was logical. It was hard to believe that martial arts masters actually existed in this world.


    The two ck-shirted men suddenly realized that something did not seem right. They exchanged nces with one another and then tried to go for Su Li. They couldn¡¯t take any risks, and only by holding this woman hostage would they be guaranteed a chance of victory.


    Their pale hands were like the ws of a ghost, and in the ongoing confusion, they went straight for Su Li¡¯s neck!


    ¡°Trying to harm her, you guys better not even think about it!¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled coldly as he pulled away from Yang Yuanzhong, turned around, and went to confront the two men. He then charged toward the men like a runaway train and disyed his terrifying power.


    One of the men received a direct kick that smashed his ribcage. An immense amount of force was delivered, crushing all the bones in his body and causing him to double over in excruciating pain. It was as if he had been shot by a shotgun. The ck-shirted man lost a lot of blood, and his life was about to end here. Xiao Luo then mmed into the other man and sent them both flying through the air, before crashing hard onto the floor.


    It was over in a matter of seconds, and the entire sequence of actions appeared like a single move, as Xiao Luo charged forward and tore into the two men like a ferocious tiger.


    One of the men could sense the danger that was approaching him, and without thinking at all, he steadied himself by mming his palm onto the floor. Like a spider, he made use of his arms and legs, spun around, and backed off immediately, mming his feet into the ground after shuffling four to five steps away. He managed to maintain his bnce before pulling out the moon-shaped scimitar from the front of his waist.


    SHING~


    The ck-shirted man drew his scimitar as quick as lightning, and as the well-honed de sliced through the air, it emitted a cold aura apanied by a sharp metallic ring.


    Xiao Luo could still clearly remember the Wild Wolf Mountain Racing team member, who died in the hands of these two assassins that night. He was cut in half with just one stroke, which was more than enough to prove that this sword was a deadly weapon. Xiao Luo¡¯s body has been altered by the system¡¯s skills, and although most des that his regr foes used could barely injure him, this particr adversary did not fit into the same category as a ¡°regr¡± foe.


    Quickly shifting his body to one side, he managed to evade the deadly stroke of the moon-shaped scimitar. Instantly, he slid his palm along the back of the sword like a snake and moved closer and closer towards the ck-shirted man¡¯s chest.


    The ck-shirted man¡¯s eyes widened as he rmingly saw the terrifying palm closing in on his chest. In a panic, his scalp felt a numbing sensation even as he stumbled back to avoid being hit.


    ¡°You little bastard, I¡¯ll take your life!¡±


    Suddenly, Yang Yuanzhong roared. He shaped his palms in a circr motion drawing forth his power and rushed toward Xiao Luo in a fierce attack.


    Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s action caused a slightg in Xiao Luo¡¯s movements, and the ck-shirted man managed to retreat from his fatal attack, avoiding serious injury. Instantly, Xiao Luo turned around. Without avoiding the oing blow, he counterattacked instead with his dragon palm that crackled audibly with energy.


    The sh between the fire palm and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm!


    BOOM!


    It was no less terrifying than a sh between a power that could break a mountain and a raging tsunami. The sheer amount of energy expended caused the floor beneath their feet to crack. The tremendous flow of inner force surged through the entire hall, causing it to shake like an earthquake was urring that very second.


    ¡°T-this¡­this¡­¡±


    In fright and absolutely shocked by what she was seeing, Su Li took a step back, and then another step until she finally withdrew all the way back into a corner. This tremendous disy of raw power that was happening right in front of her eyes hadpletely overwhelmed her, numbing her scalp, and made her tremble in fear. Her heart started to thump rapidly, and had she not witnessed this in person, she would not have believed that martial artists such as these two still existed in this world. And to think her nominal husband was actually one of them made it even more unbelievable.


    BOOM!


    Yet another exchange between Xiao Luo and Yang Yuanzhong, which saw them both stagger back. Xiao Luo stopped after two or three steps, while Yang Yuanzhong flew backward like a cannonball towards his wife¡¯s memorial tablet that was already smashed into pieces. The memorial tablet was broken entirely, sawdust and ashes were strewn all over the ground, and it was a mess.


    A burning sensation rushed up to his head, and as Xiao Luo looked down, he saw that his right hand that he had used to meet Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s fire palm earlier been turned ck. The skin on his palm was singed and reeked of the acrid smell of burnt flesh. Xiao Luo could feel his organs churning as the energy from his opponent¡¯s strike prated deep, and there were signs that he was starting to lose control of his body. Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and knew that this was all due to Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s fire palm.


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    A growl could be heard as Yang Yuangzhong emerged from the debris and ash-covered floor. His entire body was coated in ashes, and blood could be seen dripping from the corner of his mouth. He looked somewhat mentally unstable as he continued to grind his bloody front teeth. Like a ferocious wild beast, he red angrily as he approached Xiao Luo. His fire palm, like angry waves about to hit the shore, aimed for Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    An overpowering intent to kill surged from deep within Xiao Luo¡¯s body. His eyes turned blood-red, and his wrath was about to be released.


    ¡°Old man!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared ominously as he thrust his iron fist like a thunder strike, smashing right into Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s fire palm.


    BAM!


    The immense force generated from the impact engulfed both fighters in a fiery sphere of heat and energy.


    ¡°Oomph!¡±


    Blood started spurting out from Yang Yuanzhong¡¯s mouth as his body quivered. Instantly, he was thrown back forcefully, knocking arge hole in the wall behind him. When the dust settled, Xiao Luo realized there was another room hidden behind that wall. Within it, bricks were scattered all over the ce and covered in fine dust.


    As Xiao Luo took a deep, heavy breath as the anger gradually subsided, and his blood-red eyes returned a familiar hue. He had lost his mind momentarily and could not control himself. It was as if another spirit was living inside his body, and it was bloodthirsty, cruel, and took hold of his mind.


    Was that his true nature?


    Xiao Luo lost some focus¡­


    Suddenly, the ck-shirted man saw the opportunity to take advantage of the moment and dashed forward. But the aura emitting from Xiao Luo¡¯s body affected him, and he could only attempt to strike with his sword even though he wasn¡¯t within the proper range.


    WHOOSH~


    The stroke cut open a deep wound on Xiao Luo¡¯s back, and blood sttered copiously, soaking his shirt.


    The rage that he managed to gradually suppress began to erupt again like that of a volcano. Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned blood-red again, and he immediately reacted by striking out with his palm.


    Hiya!


    Xiao Lo roared as his palm struck like a thunderstorm directly on his assant.


    BOOM!


    The ck-shirted assassin sailed in the air like a broken kite in a storm and spat out a mouthful of blood, just like Yang Yuanzhong did.


    With a cold expression on his face, Xiao Luo rushed forward like a beast and caught up to the assant while he was still mid-air. Pivoting on his left foot as an axis, he swiveled his body even as his right foot smashed into the assant¡¯s chest like a massive iron rod.


    The ck-shirted assassin died instantly before his dead body flew from the hall like a cannonball before he evennded. A great ssh could be heard when it fell into the man-madeke in front of the mansion.

 Chapter 456 - Put me down

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


    ¡°Fire Palm!¡±


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


    ¡°Humph!¡±


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


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


    Who is this guy?


    Didn¡¯t hee from a small vige in the West District town of Gan?


    How could he have such incredible power?


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


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


    BANG!


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


    CRACK!


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


    ¡°Your biggest weapon, the Fire Palm, is gone!¡±


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


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


    How could he move at such a tremendously high speed?


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


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


    RIP!


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


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


    BANG!


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


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


    ¡°You¡­little¡­b-bastard¡­¡±


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


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


    He was cruel and ruthless, and undoubtedly decisive!


    CRACK!


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


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


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


    ¡°What¡­¡±


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


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


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


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


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


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


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


    ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s okay to put your guard down,¡± he said.


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


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


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


    ¡­


    ¡­


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


    ¡°How is the wound on your back?¡±


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


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


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


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


    She changed the topic quickly and asked, ¡°Your martial arts¡­¡±


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


    ¡°Is there really real martial art in today¡¯s world?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiao Luo affirmed.


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


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


    ¡°Yup.¡±


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


    ¡°Miss Su, I am giving your honest advice¡ªlet¡¯s end this confusing rtionship and part ways from hereon,¡± Xiao Luo said, with a wry smile on his face.


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


    ¡°Put me down!¡± she cried.

 Chapter 457 - Enormous and daunting

    Chapter 457: Enormous and daunting


    Xiao Luo frowned as he could not understand why she would say that all of a sudden. ¡°Are you sure that you can walk by yourself?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Put me down!¡±


    Su Li bit her lips and raised her voice. She seethed, thinking about how she could never get used to this man¡¯s indifferent eyes. She had initially believed she was closing the distance between them, but it was all turning out to be in vain after all. And now, he was even suggesting to end their rtionships¡ªhad she not fought the overwhelming urge to give a big, nasty bite on his neck, Xiao Luo would definitely be bleeding now!


    Xiao Luo did not say another word and put her down, wondering what was going on in her mind.


    Su Li stormed off in a huff but suddenly came to a halt after a few steps when a thought urred to her. She doubled back and walked past Xiao Luo, stopping right behind him. She took a look at his back and was aghast¡ªher body instantly shivered when she saw the horrendous wound on Xiao Luo¡¯s back. Shaken, she stared at Xiao Luo helplessly and asked, ¡°Y-you said you were fine, this¡­is this what you mean by fine?¡±


    The deep gash was a grievous one, longer than thirty centimeters, and looked like it was ripped open by a beast¡¯s w, leaving the flesh heavily exposed. How could this even be fine?


    ¡°Why are you so stubborn!¡±


    Su Li screamed at Xiao Luo, still trembling, and her eyes were now red, a far cry from her coldness just a moment ago. Tears welled up suddenly as she imagined what Xiao Luo had to endure, and the man was going through all this pain only because he had saved her from the dire situation she was in.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal.¡±


    Xiao Luo tried to contain her anxiety by ying it down, and besides, he had even survived gun injuries before, so such a minor wound wasn¡¯t such a bother to him. Xiao Luo did not even deem it necessary to spend points to heal himself and nned to dress it when he got home, knowing that it would bepletely healed in a few days. However, when he saw Su Li crying, he got a little confused and could not understand why she would shed tears for him. Somehow, it did not seem possible to him that she was.


    Su Li did not argue with him any further, and hurriedly went over to one of the unconscious security guards lying on the floor, retrieved a phone from his pocket, and called for an ambnce. She described the situation and Xiao Luo¡¯s wounds and provided the address of the vi.


    ¡°You called the ambnce?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li tried topose herself and held her tears back. ¡°You¡¯re so badly injured, how can I ignore it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about your identity being exposed? If those doctors see youing to the hospital with a man, then it probably would take less than a day for some scandalous news to crop up and go viral,¡± Xiao Luo said, shaking his head and offering Su Li a wry smile.


    Su Li staggered a moment, as she had not considered such a matter. This could indeed be a huge problem, but when she looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s wound again, she clenched her teeth and was determined to do the right thing. ¡°Then let the world know!¡± she cried.


    Huh?


    When Xiao Luo looked upon Su Li¡¯s grave countenance, she seemed to glow in the moonlight as if she wore a veil of hallowed light, and it stirred him. She was very fair, her skin soft and unblemished, her eyes were clear and bewitching, and her forehead was smooth and ample, like white jade. She was alluring¡ªeverything a man would want, and, simply put, a delicate work of art by god.


    He was surprised by Su Li¡¯s reaction, and he pondered how he had suddenly be this important to her or was it because he had risked his life to save her today?


    ¡°Never mind that, this is really not a big deal.¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled all of a sudden and then tapped Su Li between the eyebrows lightly. Su Li instantly fell asleep like Su Xiaobei had, and fell into his arms. He did not wish to see this woman losing her celebrity status because of him and suffer in the vortex of public chatter as a result.


    He carried Su Li and walked out of Bode Vi slowly.


    Ji Siying happened to reach the site with the police and seeing that Xiao Luo wasing out with Su Li in his arms, she felt heartbroken for a moment and unconsciously looked at the bracelet on her right arm. She soon quelled her emotions and approached Xiao Luo respectfully. ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo,¡± she said.


    Ji Siying detected the scent of blood and promptly checked on Xiao Luo before noticing a nasty wound on his back. She was taken aback and said, ¡°You¡­you¡¯re injured?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just a minor wound,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this mess to you¡­ and there aren¡¯t many corpses this time; most of them are still alive,¡± he said, smiling at her meaningfully.


    If not for Ji Siying reminding him not to tantly kill, and Su Li¡¯s presence in the vi, they would probably have another massacre on their hands.


    The policemen who arrived were shocked when they heard Xiao Luo speak so casually about the carnage in the vi. What the heck¡ªdoes NSA allow one of their own to act above thew?¡±


    Of course, these were only thoughts in their mind, and they were smart enough to keep it to themselves. The NSA was indeed above thew, and it could easily charge one for treason if anyone decided to get in their way.


    ¡°Okay, leave it to me. Yang Yuanzhong hadmitted the crime of kidnapping, so he will face the appropriate punishment,¡± Ji Siying responded.


    ¡°Alright, then I shall excuse myself,¡± Xiao Luo said, not wanting to linger as he still needed to tend to the wound on his back.


    ¡°Please, wait for a moment, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Ji Siying took out a small snuff bottle from her pocket, which looked like a bottle one would use to store medicine in ancient times. ¡°This is a Jinchuang potion concocted by the department and it¡¯s extremely effective for external wounds.¡±


    Xiao Luo was carrying Su Li and could not take it from her, so she just stuffed it into his pocket.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xiao Luo said, giving her an appreciative nod.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not speak again and walked away into the night with Su Li.


    ¡°Sigh, it seems like I¡¯m having a conflict.¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s face was full of despair as she stared at the bracelet in her hand. ¡°This is a gift from Xiao Luo¡¯s mother and he must have thought that it was too troublesome to ask for its return. Oh, Ji Siying, you¡¯re in such a mess!¡± she murmured.


    She kept her sadness in check and put herself in the right frame of mind before entering Bode Vi with the police.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was already after 2 a.m. when Xiao Luo finally returned to the Crescent Bay. Su Xiaobei was fast asleep, and Luo Pingxiang was still in panicked anxiety. She even called Su Li¡¯swyer, Chai Zhiying, over.


    ¡°Hey, what did you do to Su Li?!¡±


    Chai Zhiying had been unreservedly hostile towards Xiao Luo since they first met, so upon seeing Su Li asleep in his arm, she shouted angrily at him.


    Xiao Luo red at her coldly. ¡°If nobody ever taught you to speak politely to others, I really don¡¯t mind being your teacher. Ms. Su has always been polite but herwyer is unfortunately an old hag in early menopause. What a disaster,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Chai Zhiying choked on hearing his words, and one could almost detect steam rising from her head, like her soul leaving her body in anger. Xiao Luo¡¯s use of the term ¡®menopause¡¯ was the final thrust, and it made her bleed non-stop.


    Xiao Luo was bothered to entertain her any further and promptly carried Su Li upstairs, where he put her down on therge, soft bed.


    When Luo Pingxiang and Chai Zhiying saw the wound on his back, they both gasped in fright.


    He actually did not even wince even after sustaining such a severe wound?


    He even carried back (sis) Li Li as if he wasn¡¯t wounded; is he made of steel?


    They were both shocked beyond words, and when Xiao Luo returned, Chai Zhiying remained totally silent, not daring to utter a word.


    ¡°Ms. Luo, I¡¯ll leave Ms. Su and Xiao Bei in your hands.¡±


    Xiao Luo said to Luo Pingxiang before leaving the apartment.

 Chapter 458 - Public Discussion

    Chapter 458: Public Discussion


    Mysterious, powerful, steel-like body!


    In Luo Pingxiang¡¯s mind, suchbels to describe Xiao Luo immediately came to her!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After returning to his own apartment, Xiao Luo cleaned his wound immediately and applied the potion that Ji Siying had given him.


    This potion¡¯s effect was pretty good as he felt as if there was arge, gentle hand caressing his wound after applying the potion. It was a soothing and cooling balm and made him feelfortable and rxed. He sat down and went into deep concentration, running the Yijin Jing. Qi started to course through Xiao Luo¡¯s body in a circr motion.


    On top of fortifying one¡¯s body, the strength of Yijin Jingid in its ability to increase the recovery speed of internal and external injuries.


    Xiao Luo did not sleep for the whole night, but he was still in good spirits the next day. The wound on his back had already dried up, and it would not tear as long as he refrained from doing strenuous exercise. He expected that it would recover fully within three days.


    Suddenly, the door was pushed open without any warning.


    It was Su Li who barged in. As she knew the passcode to the door, she coulde in whenever she wanted.


    She must have been asleep for the entire day. She did not change her clothes and was still in yesterday¡¯s attire, so it was apparent that she had rushed over immediately after she woke up. Her fair arms were exposed, and she had a thin tinum ne around her neck, which made her looked demure yet gorgeous. However, her calm look could not hide her anxiety.


    ¡°Ms. Su, your habit of barging in without knocking on the door is really bad, what if I was undressed when you came in? Wouldn¡¯t that be very awkward?¡± Xiao Luo chided, as he had just finished putting on the white shirt and was buttoning it up slowly.


    Su Li ran over, and with a serious expression, she said, ¡°Take off your clothes!¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned momentarily and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need, my wound has healed up considerably.¡±


    ¡°Take off your clothes now!¡±


    Su Li came even closer, and her face was within inches of Xiao Luo, as she showed her dominant side at that moment.


    Xiao Luo could not convince her otherwise, but since he knew that this woman was only concerned about him, he just took off his shirt again.


    Su Li walked behind him, and when she saw that wound had already dried up, she could not hide the surprise on her face at all.


    ¡°How could this happen? It was such a deep wound only yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°I am a martial artist, so naturally I recover faster than an ordinary man. In addition, I have applied a special potion, of course I would heal up faster,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    Su Li took a brief moment to recover, then she became her usual cold self again and said, ¡°Since your wound is okay now, then let¡¯s go to the police station together.¡±


    ¡°To the police station?¡± Xiao Luo asked, frowning and wondering if Su Li intended to report him to the police.


    ¡°Of course, we have to go, we have to exin to the police clearly about what happened in Bode Vi. If Yang Yuanzhong made up stories, then we might have a hard time.¡± Su Li said.


    So, that was her purpose!


    Xiao Luo was relieved as he was worried that Su Li would backstab him even though he had saved her. Honestly, he would be speechless if Su Li was still pissed off about what he saidst night.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. While you were sleeping, I have gone to the police station for recording and told them about the entire incident. Yang Yuanzhong has been brought away by the police and he will be facing charges for kidnapping.¡±


    Su Li was a little surprised. ¡°You have gone there already?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yup, I have,¡± Xiao Luo replied with a nod.


    ¡°Oh, then I have no more business here, I¡¯ll go back and rest.¡± Su Li turned around to leave.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°Why? You have something for me?¡±


    ¡°Yup, about the topic we had discussed yesterday on ending our confusing rtionship. What is your take?¡±


    ¡°Our marriage is wrong fundamentally and now you also know what kind of a man I am, so we better end this. You and I would both get our freedom back once again, and as you have said before, you would end this rtionship when you found a suitable man,¡± Xiao Luo said, ¡°Since it will be terminated anyway, we might as well end it now, what do you think¡­ huh? Err, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    He realized that Su Li¡¯s eyes had reddened, and Xiao Luo felt confused even as he was speaking.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard of the line ¡®the organizer reserves the right of final decision and interpretation¡¯ before?¡± Su Li riposted, containing her tears and smiling mirthlessly.


    Xiao Luo was shocked and a question popped into his mind immediately¡ªwhat did she mean?


    ¡°I will terminate it when I deem it suitable, so before that moment arrives, please do not speak about the termination ever again.¡±


    Su Li answered with much anger and then left right after. As she turned around, tears streamed down her cheeks, and she could not understand how this man could be so cold to her. Did he not even consider spending the rest of his life with her at all?


    In fact, the thought never urred to Xiao Luo. Since Su Li had told him that she would terminate the rtionship after finding an appropriate man, he naturally did not attach any emotions to her. Although he had feelings for her from time to time, he had intentionally suppressed those emotions.


    He sighed, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how long can youst in this game!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was another day, and the inte broke out with news on Su Li with sensational headlines in various media.


    ¡°Shocking! National Diva Su Li married a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°Su Li has cheated everyone!¡±


    ¡°The mysterious man behind the National Goddess, Su Li!¡±


    ¡°The copsing of her character¡ªthe National Diva Su Li¡¯s scam!¡±


    These eye-catching headings had taken the inte by storm, and moreizens began getting involved in the discussion. Every media tform had over a hundred thousandments, and there were different voices.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, it¡¯s showbiz. Many celebrities dere that they are single even when they¡¯re married, this is not umon.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that man, sh*t, how can he be so lucky. On top of that, f*ck you, why didn¡¯t you get a clear picture of that man, is your handphone camera resolution that low?¡±


    ¡°So my goddess had already married someone and be a wife? Oh, my god, she had lied to all of us!¡±


    ¡°When I think of my goddess moaning under some random dude, all I want to do is to blow up a bomb in a crowded ce for revenge!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all gone, I¡¯m done watching her movies and films, no more of her songs for me. I have officially turned from being a fan to a stranger.¡±


    This public discussion had a very negative impact on Su Li, and her Weibo fan-following had dropped from seventy million to fifty million within a day. The numbers were still falling, and her social media was inundated by many fans, all iming that they were disappointed in Su Li.


    Chai Zhiying was as anxious as the ants on a boiling pot; she kept walking back and forth in the apartment, and so did Luo Pingxiang. Su Li¡¯s mother, Wang Wanjing, and Su Li¡¯s brother, Su Canye, were also present.


    To be a superstar was never easy, and the climb was an arduous one, slowly umting the number of fans bit by bit, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to plummet from that position. Staying on top was always harder.


    This public discussion had threatened Su Li¡¯s standing with her fans, and it could very well be the catalyst that would end her career!


    ¡°What? President Zhang, how could you do that, Li Li is the backbone of ourpany¡­ hello? Hello¡­¡±


    Chai Zhiying threw the phone aside in disappointment and looked at Su Li. ¡± Li Li, thepany just notified us that they intend to terminate our contractual rtionship. Every film making and song recording would be aborted, and this is the board¡¯s final decision,¡± she said, looking entirely at her wits¡¯ end.

 Chapter 459 - Scolded off

    Chapter 459: Scolded off


    ¡°Terminate the contractual rtionship? Doesn¡¯t that mean that you will be fired? How could this happen, how could this happen¡­?¡±


    Wang Wanjing was terrified as she was well aware that Huangpu Entertainment Group was the key reason for Su Li¡¯s sessful career today. Without thepany, Su Li would be as good as a phoenix with its wings clipped, and she would never be able to soar in the showbiz world again.


    ¡°Sis Ying, can you please talk to thepany one more time and get them to make an exception? My sister cannot afford to be fired, or I cannot live the carefree life that I am so ustomed to,¡± Su Canye said. He was worried, but for a very selfish and abhorrent reason.


    Just like Shen Qinyan, Chai Zhiyang also looked down on Su Canye from the bottom of her heart. Needless to say, they both felt that he was nothing but a burden to Su Li. When she heard his words, it added fuel to her already smoldering temper, and she screamed, ¡°Shut the hell up, do you think I have time to deal with your bullshit?¡±


    If not for Su Li, she would have treated Su Canye as a useless piece of scrap.


    Su Canye was intimidated, and he quickly realized that Chai Zhiyang was a fiery old hag, so he wisely distanced himself from her. However, he felt the need to do something for Su Li, so he logged into his Weibo ount and did his part in dismissing the social media¡¯s overwhelmingly negative and angryments of Su Li.


    Su Canye wasn¡¯t alone, for there were many more who were vigorously defending Su Li. They were Su Li¡¯s hardcore fans. There are two sides to a coin, and those who defended Su Li were as many as those attacking her. These two groups of people had started a nasty argument on the inte, and the public discussion spiraled toward a destructive direction and soon got out of hand.


    Despite being the subject of the discussion, Su Li appeared to be very calm, as if nothing was happening. She still looked her usual cold and otherworldly self as she casually fed Su Xiaobei porridge.


    The little girl still had no idea about what was happening, so she stared at Su Li with her puppy-doll eyes and asked, ¡°Mommy, what happened? Why did aunt Zhiying scream at uncle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small matter; you don¡¯t have to know about it,¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei pouted, then opened her mouth as Su Li moved the spoon to her, slurping up the porridge and chewing on it for a bit before swallowing it quickly. However, she, too, felt that the issue might be too much, so she said, ¡°Mommy, tell daddy about this. Daddy is very powerful; he surely can protect mommy well.¡±


    Su Li was quite taken aback by Su Xiaobei¡¯s remarks. It suddenly reminded her of how Xiao Luo had saved her from Bode Vi two days ago, and it inexplicably made her felt warm and safe. But when she suddenly thought of Xiao Luo wanting to terminate their rtionship, it made her felt cold and disappointed. She used to harbor thoughts of a meaningful rtionship with him, but not anymore.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you? You don¡¯t have to worry so much about adults¡¯ affairs. When you are a grown-up, mommy will naturally tell you more things.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay!¡±


    The little girl nodded obediently and continued eating her porridge.


    ¡°Li Li, this whole matter is getting out of hand, and to make things worse, thepany is trying to cut all ties with us. We¡¯re facing a tough situation now; how can you remain so calm?¡± Chai Zhiying cried. She was so anxious that she could not bear to stay idle and do nothing. She was in charge of Su Li¡¯s legal affairs and had witnessed her rise as a superstar. Now that such an unfortunate situation had arisen, it might very well be the fall of Su Li, and that worried her more than anything else in the world.


    ¡°So, what do you think I should do?¡±


    Su Li asked as she had expected that Huangpu Entertainment Group would pull such a stunt with Yang Yuanzhong being behind bars now. The rest of the shareholders were very close to him, and they would still side with him even if they knew that he was at fault. On top of that, the negative publicity was a convenient reason to take her down, so naturally, they would not let such a perfect opportunity slip.


    ¡°Maybe you can go to thepany and bow down to president Zhang and the rest of them, and this crisis would be¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not going to bow down!¡±


    Before Chai Zhiying could finish her lines, Su Li cut her off abruptly with a fierce determination.


    She could foresee the oue of backing down to them as those jerks were the ones who created and normalized the casting couch in showbiz. Many new celebrities in Huangpu had entered into private deals with them, and if she went to seek help from them now, she could not think of any other oue besides being asked to offer her body in exchange.


    But Chai Zhiying was adamant and still tried to convince Su Li. ¡°Li Li, we¡¯re in a tough situation now. Without their support, you will be annihted in this ongoing public discussion,¡± she argued.


    ¡°Forget it. There¡¯s no room for discussion in this matter.¡±


    Su Li replied as she put down the bowl and spoon and stood up defiantly.


    Chai Zhiying wanted to say something but decided not to speak in the end. Instead, she let out a long sigh as she did not know what else to do now. She knew Su Li¡¯s personality better than anyone¡ªshe was incredibly stubborn, which was her bane. As far as Chai Zhiying was concerned, without thepany¡¯s support, it was akin to ending her career with her own hands.


    ¡°Daughter, let¡¯s listen to Zhiying. After all, she¡¯s your¡­¡±


    Wang Wanjing tried to persuade Su Li, but her voice trailed off when she met with Su Li¡¯s cold eyes, and she did not finish her sentence.


    Su Li had already made efforts to forgive her gradually, and allowing her to stay was proof of that. For a mother who drugged her daughter, what right did she have in trying to educate her?


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang.


    ¡°It must be daddy,¡± Su Xiaobei cried.


    Aunt Li went to answer the door, and as Su Xiaobei had guessed, it was none other than Xiao Luo.


    Su Xiaobei was thrilled and shouted out, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    As Xiao Luo smiled and approached her, two individuals were ring at him, and their hatred of the man was evident. Chai Zhiying was one of them, and Wang Wanjing was the other.


    Xiao Luo chose to ignore them and sat down beside Su Xiaobei, yfully touching her tiny nose. He looked at Su Li and said, ¡°You guys are talking about what¡¯s going on online, right?¡±


    Had Zhang Dashan not told him during their phone call, he would not have known that such chaos was stirring on the inte.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Su Li whispered as she nodded her head.


    Su Canye, ustomed to the good life, felt the need to pitch in. ¡°Brother-inw, what a coincidence that you¡¯re here. Ah, it looks like my sister probably cannot ovee this challenge on her own. I think you¡¯ll have to start taking care of her money matters in the future,¡± he said, ¡°If she can no longer make any more money, it would be unimaginable¡ªmy mom and I will starve to death!¡±


    BANG!


    Su Li could not tolerate it anymore and mmed the table. She pointed at the door and yelled, ¡°Su Canye, you have ten seconds to get the hell out of here with your mother!¡±


    ¡°Sis, I am joking, really, you have no sense of humor at all. Look, I just scolded an idiot online who was defaming you¡ªI even scolded every single ancestor of his, and he couldn¡¯t take it. I had scolded him off the inte! This is really relieving, just like howst year there was an online ming between Sanqian Luoshui and Jia Zhenyi.¡± Su Canye said as he put the phone before her eyes to unt his victory.


    ¡°Cough¡­¡±


    With the mention of the handle name, ¡°Sanqian Luoshui,¡± Xiao Luo choked, for he was the ount owner after all.

 Chapter 460 - Touched

    <h2>Chapter 460: Touched</h2>


    When he recalled ming Jia Zhengyi on Weibost year, Xiao Luo blushed. Although he did not use any expletives, online ming was still not something he¡¯d brag about to anyone. Thinking of that now only embarrassed him, and Xiao Luo decided never to do that again. Of course, he only did that to earn as many points as possible from the system then.


    ¡°Have you thought of how you¡¯d counter these people?¡± Xiao Luo asked, shifting the topic back to the public discussion.


    ¡°Time will resolve many things,¡± Su Li said, as she brushed back her tousled hair.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and said, ¡°So you¡¯re really not going to do anything?¡±


    ¡°Duh,¡± Su Li responded, mocking him with a snicker.


    ¡°You can hold a press conference to exin our rtionship, and as long as you insist that you are still single, I think most of your fans will believe you and continue to support you,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li was stunned for a moment.


    Chai Zhiying, on the other hand, was thrilled, and her eyes brightened up instantly. ¡°That¡¯s right, how could I have missed out that angle. Seems like I was so worried that I had totally lost my ability to think,¡± she cried, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a press conference right now. Li Li, wait for my news. Now that thepany had abandoned you, I¡¯ll make sure that they beg you to go back on all four this time!¡±


    As she finished speaking, she got up to leave, and she was in high spirits. She took a nce at Xiao Luo as she walked away with one thought on her mind¡ªthis jerk was finally bing useful! She suddenly found him less annoying.


    ¡°Your agent is pretty dense and frankly I don¡¯t think she¡¯s doing her job. You should consider changing her for a new one,¡± Xiao Luo said, pointing at his head when he remarked on Chai Zhiying. He despised her arrogant and demanding attitude and thought that she resembled a woman with premature menopause syndrome.


    ¡°That¡¯s very right, I totally agree with brother-inw. Sis, Chai Zhiying is useless as an agent, why don¡¯t you just fire her,¡± Su Canye pitched in.


    Su Li had not noticed Su Canye¡¯s presence but for his sudden remarks, and she immediately red at him coldly. ¡°What are you people still doing here, do I need to get the security to escort you out?¡± she hissed.


    Su Li¡¯s tone and coldness made Wang Wanjing lose hope of getting back to the good old times with Su Li, and she realized that Su Li would never forgive her. She tried to speak but could not even manage to utter a word, as hard as she tried.


    Wang Wanjing put on a smile and said, ¡°Daughter, take care of yourself, Mom is leaving.¡±


    But Su Li had already shut her out of her worldpletely, and her response was icy. ¡°Go, and nevere here again, no matter what happens. I can take care of myself. Everything about me has nothing to do with you anymore, you are nothing but a burden,¡± she snapped.


    Wang Wanjing felt hurt, but she only took a deep breath to calm herself down, then she proceeded to leave the apartment. Tears of agony rolled down her cheeks the moment she faced away from everyone, and she left the room a forlorn figure.


    ¡°Sis, that¡¯s too much!¡±


    Su Canye chided her. He spoke with his usual yful attitude, but his words were dead serious. He then left and caught up with Wang Wanjing.


    Was I too much?


    Su Li stared at the open door and looked a little confused. She did try to forgive her mother, but whenever she recalled how her mother had tried to drug her that night, she would always get into a rage and lose herposure.


    ¡°Pingxiang, you should go back too,¡± Su Li said.


    She looked sympathetically at Luo Pingixiang, who was caught in between and appeared not to know what to do.


    ¡°Sis, let me stay and apany you,¡± Luo Pingxiang replied. After all these arguments, she knew that Su Li would be in a terrible mood, so she wanted to stay and care for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I want some time alone,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Alright, let me know if you need anything, I¡¯lle over,¡± Luo Pingxiang said.


    ¡°And, don¡¯t be sad, we can ovee this!¡±


    Su Li did not respond to her.


    Then, Luo Pingixang also left, and only Xiao Luo remained in the apartment with Su Li.


    ¡°Zhiying is a great agent. I would not be here today without her care and effort in managing my public rtions. Besides, she¡¯s been running Sumir on my behalf, so the stress from two jobs does make her a little hot-tempered, so go easy on her,¡± Su Li said, in a dyed response to Xiao Luo¡¯s earlier statement.


    Hmm?


    It was beyond Xiao Luo¡¯s expectation as he did not think that Chai Zhiying was behind the operation of Sumir. He was quite surprised that, just like him, Su Li did not run the business herself.


    ¡°Regarding this matter, how can I help you?¡± Xiao Luo said, getting back to the topic.


    Su Li was slightly stunned and then smiled wryly. ¡°Like how Su Canye mes others online?¡± she quipped.


    ¡°Forget it, then.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned. His intentions were genuine, but they were being taken for granted and even ridiculed. Su Li did not appreciate his efforts, so he did not see the point in helping and thought it best to forget the matter.


    Su Li suddenly realized that her words were too harsh, so she quickly added, ¡°I can handle it. Even if I can¡¯t, the worst scenario is to just retire from showbiz.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, I shall excuse myself.¡±


    Xiao Luo patted Su Xiaobei¡¯s head affectionately and got up to leave.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute.¡±


    Su Li stood up and walked into her bedroom.


    ¡°Daddy,e¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei gestured to Xiao Luo to put his ears close to her mouth.


    Xiao Luo was quite amused, so he bent over and drew close to her.


    ¡°Mommy bought a gift for you yesterday,¡± the little girl whispered.


    ¡°A gift?¡±


    Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised. ¡°What did she buy for me?¡± he asked.


    Su Xiaobei shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mommy left it on a very high ce and Beibei could not reach it even on tiptoes.¡±


    It did not take too long for Su Li toe down, and she had a small bag in her hands. She stood before Xiao Luo looking rather ufortable and spoke curtly. ¡°For you,¡± she said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you open it at home,¡± Su Li muttered.


    ¡°I like to open it before the person who gave me the gift.¡±


    Xiao Luo promptly took out the box and ced it on the table. He opened it and discovered that it was a ck men¡¯s watch. It was a ck-strapped watch with a white casing, and the dials were embedded with diamonds.


    It was from the Swiss-made Omega Constetion Series collection!


    Xiao Luo was shocked as this watch cost at least two hundred thousand. Although Su Li was wealthy, and this was nothing much to her, her thought of buying such a luxurious gift meant a lot to him. No mature man could resist a good watch, and that went for Xiao Luo as well. He was quite touched when he saw the watch.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to open it after you go back?¡±


    Su Li was a little flustered for when she had checked before, giving watches to a man carried a hidden meaning of expressing one¡¯s love.


    Xiao Luo smiled. ¡°Does it matter?¡± he said.


    ¡°It does.¡±


    Su Li retorted and turned away as she came up with a silly justification for the gift. ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, you saved me and this is my token of appreciation.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not speak and continued to examine the watch in great detail. The more he looked at it, the more he was in love with this watch as it was man¡¯s nature to covet ssy things.


    ¡°Daddy, wear it now, it¡¯ll look fantastic on you,¡± Su Xiaobei said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not a sentimental person, so he put on the watch immediately.


    Su Li took a fleeting nce at him and felt relieved. She was d it was the correct size. It looked great on him and undoubtedly made him look ssier.


    Of course, she did not buy this watch for Xiao Luo to thank him for saving her. She only wanted this man to have a decent watch he could wear with pride.

 Chapter 461 - The Super Hacker

    <h2>Chapter 461: The Super Hacker</h2>


    Su Li presented Xiao Luo with a men¡¯s watch¡ªit was a branded Swiss watch. Xiao Luo didn¡¯t lose his mind entirely from excitement, but he was very moved. It was the most expensive gift he had ever received in all his life, and also the gift he loved most. When he was in a romantic rtionship with his ex-girlfriend, Zhao Mengqi, he was the one who was always giving, he never missed a birthday, an anniversary, or a Valentine¡¯s Day, but Zhao Mengqi had never given him anything proper.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite get this woman!¡± When he got back to his apartment, he sat on his bed and looked at the watch on his wrist; he couldn¡¯t help murmuring to himself. Truth be told, if Su Li had not said to him that things would be over between them sooner orter, he would undoubtedly have thought that this woman had fallen in love with him.


    ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve epted an expensive gift like that, I should do the right thing!¡±


    As the saying goes, gifts blind the eyes, and he had precisely that feeling right now.


    He got out of bed and walked to the living room. He made himself a cup of tea and sat in front of hisptop. Soon, his pale fingers were ttering swiftly across the keyboard like those of a pianist ying a soulful piece of music, inputtingmands aftermands into the notebook.


    Suddenly, the rm went off in the backend of a news and media tform that was currently very popr¡ªthe Penguin Net.


    ¡°Hacker¡¯s intrusion detected, activate the defense system now!¡±


    The manager responsible for inte security immediately set off the rm to alert the staff members to operate in defense mode.


    ¡°ck, ck, ck, ck¡­¡±


    There was some furious typing going on in thepany¡¯s inte security department, and it sounded like a scatter of shots were being fired¡ªeveryone was gawking at theputer screen in front of them, building a firewall after a firewall, and trying to stop the hacker¡¯s intrusion.


    ¡°How dare you piece of sh*t hack into our system? You must be looking for trouble. Trace his IP address right away, zero in on the suspect; I¡¯ll not rest until I throw him into prison.¡±


    The security manager thumped the office desk with his fist, he abhorred any hacker that dared breach into thepany¡¯s system, and it showed visibly on his face, as an expression of disdain and scorn glowered in his eyes. In his opinion, the hacker was like nothing more than a mayfly trying to shake a tree, charting a course to its own ruin.


    ¡°Oh no, the first firewall is down!¡± An urgent voice cried out.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Panic was painted on the security manager¡¯s face, for the staff members responsible for theirpany¡¯s inte security were all top-notch. They had fought off countless hackers who had tried to hack theirpany¡¯s system many times before this, and they were very experienced and proficient with excellentputer skills. Therefore, the hacker would have to be exceptional to breach the first firewall in such a short period.


    ¡°Hold out! He must be stopped, do not let him get through!¡± The security manager yelled.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The messenger turned around and passed on the manager¡¯smand to the staff members.


    The staff members became more nervous as they were busy hitting the keys on the keyboards, and some of them were already soaked in sweat, appearing like they were about to copse from the strain.


    ¡°The ¡­ the second firewall has also beenpromised!¡±


    When the security manager heard the report, a shudder ran through him.


    Who was that?


    Was he some foreign master hacker hired by their businesspetitor?


    Two of thepany¡¯s firewalls were torn down within five minutes. The speed of the intrusion was simply terrifying and beyond human.


    ¡°The third firewall is down; the enemy ¡­ the enemy, has gotten in!¡±


    Another situation report came in, and the security manager¡¯s face went as white as a sheet.


    The security team had no means to fight back at all, and they were utterly crushed. They had never seen nor heard of this kind of hacker before, an all-powerful nemesis to inte security teams everywhere. Thepany¡¯s system had already be the enemy¡¯s backyard, and they could do nothing but helplessly watch the enemy wiping their background data.


    ¡°Boss, what he deleted was the news about the national goddess, Su Li. All of the ten thousandments are also gone!¡± One of the staff members looking at the background data said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not blind!¡±


    The security manager yelled furiously at him. The hacker was probably not sent by theirpetitors, but by the national goddess, Su Li, to remove the negative news.


    After a block of Su Li¡¯s data was removed, a window suddenly popped up on the system¡¯s interface, and a string of block letters began to be typed in: Do not publish any more of Su Li¡¯s bad news, or face the consequences!


    The bold red letters radiated an eerie and cold message, no matter how one looked at it.


    The security department staff members of Penguin Net felt a chill run down their spine as they looked at each other in horror. A dead silence fell upon the whole department, and even the sound of a needle dropping on the floor could be heard.


    An unstoppable breach and a calm exit¡ªthis kind of enemy was precisely their worst nightmare!


    ¡°I totally did not expect that Su Li would be able to hire such a master hacker ¡­¡± The manager of the security department eximed.


    ¡°Boss, we just heard from ifeng, China, Sina and ten other news tforms, they were also attacked by the hacker. They experienced the same thing, and the hacker only removed the negative news about the national goddess, Su Li, and left the same warning before he left.¡±


    ¡°He invaded more than tenpanies¡¯ systems by himself at the same time?¡±


    The security manager was shocked to the core, his whole body was suddenly covered in a cold sweat, and he copsed into his office chair. This was not some master hacker; this was t-out a monster of a hacker!


    ***


    ¡°Done!¡±


    Satisfied, Xiao Luo closed his notebook. He took the cup of tea from the table, walked to the balcony, andnguidly enjoyed the tea.


    Two hourster, the Weibo tform, unaffected and operating as usual, was astir with breaking news of the hacking.


    ¡°Did you hear, more than ten news tforms including the Penguin Net, ifeng, China, Sina News et cetera were hacked, all the negative news about Goddess Su were wiped clean? Everypany also received a warning.¡±


    ¡°Shit, is it real? I¡¯ll go and have a look if all Goddess Su¡¯s negative news is really removed.¡±


    ¡°No shit, Goddess Su is really so powerful, huh? She has the power to make a super-hacker attack those influential new tforms¡¯ backend.¡±


    ¡°This is not just extreme; this is one in a million! He¡¯d need to have real b*lls to hack into those inte giants¡¯ systems. He got in sessfully, this is too awesome!¡±


    ¡°The expression on Old Ma¡¯s face must have been fascinating when he got the news about his tform being hacked, hahaha ¡­¡±


    All kinds ofments about the new tforms being hacked filled all the pages in Weibo. In seconds, tens of thousands of them appeared on Su Li¡¯s Weibo profile page, and everyone was discussing the hacking incident.


    Su Li¡¯s phone rang. It was Shen Qingyan calling her.


    ¡°Li, tell me who the super-hacker is, I want him to be my teacher!¡± As soon as she picked up the phone, Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t wait to cut to the chase.


    Puzzled, Su Li frowned and asked, ¡°What super-hacker? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°God, you still don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± Shen Qingyan cried.


    Su Li only got more and more confused. ¡°What should I know?¡± she asked.


    She was with Su Xiaobei the whole time. She knew that the entire intemunity was talking about her, so she decided to go offline to find peace of mind.


    ¡°A super hacker hacked into all the popr news tforms and wiped all the bad news about you,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Su Li bolted up from her sofa abruptly, and astonishment was written all over her cold face. ¡°When did it happen?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was two hours ago.¡±


    Shen Qingyan continued, ¡°The CEOs of the new tforms blew their top, they threw the inte security managers in theirpanies out. They have also called in the police and imed that they want to catch the super hacker. Li, you really have no idea who the super-hacker who helped you is?¡±

 Chapter 462 - The Hopping Jia Zhengyi

    <h2>Chapter 462: The Hopping Jia Zhengyi</h2>


    When the call ended, Su Li couldn¡¯t calm herself down. She logged into a few popr news websites and found out that those negative news about her had indeed been removed, along with the ten thousandments, without leaving any trace, proving that what Shen Qingyan said was true.


    Who did this?


    Hacker? Do I know a hacker like this?


    Su Li searched her memory for the information on just such a man like this, but she couldn¡¯te up with anything after a long time. Other than a few friends like Shen Qingyan, her circle of friends was actually very small. She only had a nodding acquaintance with most people in her life, and her knowledge about them was very superficial. She didn¡¯t know any super-hacker who could hack into the backend of the giant intepanies.


    Suddenly, her heart jumped, she looked in the direction of Xiao Luo¡¯s apartment, ¡°It wasn¡¯t¡­ him, was it?¡±


    When that thought popped into her mind, she was somewhat dumbstruck, but she quickly dropped the idea after brief consideration.


    She thought that it couldn¡¯t possibly be Xiao Luo, for he didn¡¯t look like a hacker at all. Besides, those abilities he had shown were already unbelievable enough; if he had also masteredputerworking, then he would be way too terrifying. There was simply no such all-round genius in the world.


    At the same time, many of her celebrity friends in the entertainment industry tagged her on Weibo, saying that Jia Zhengyi had posted something to denounce her, and he even included a link.


    Su Li quickly clicked on the link and came to Jia Zhengyi¡¯s Weibo main page right away. And, there it was, he was already insulting and mocking her from his first post.


    ¡°No matter how powerful or how rich you are, you have always been merely an actress, a singer, and you always will be. However far you go, you shouldn¡¯t forget that the public is your bread and butter, you are nothing without your fans. The same knife that slices bread will cut fingers. You deceived the public and tricked your fans. You havepletely forgotten what you really are. There¡¯s only one word that can describe you¡ªlow!¡±


    Even though there was no mention of Su Li¡¯s name, but the post was clearly directed at her, anyone could see that at first nce, and that had tempted countless people toment on it.


    ¡°Jia Zhengyi, your act of cloud-chasing blew me away, but no matter how hard you try, the management still won¡¯t stop ckballing you. So, just shut up, wash up and go to bed¡ªjust stop tormenting people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he was cloud-chasing, what he said was right! Su Li is a b*tch, she lied to us, the fans, she¡¯s scum.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Old Jia took the words right out of our mouths. Youreback is supported, please dig out all the scandals in the entertainment industry,y them bare.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for it. Old Jia did something wrong previously, but he has already served his sentence. Now, it¡¯s the b*tch, Su, who breaks our hearts, we should support Old Jia, he shoulde down hard on that b*tch.¡±


    Although somebody criticized Jia Zhengyi for being a cloud-chaser, almost everyone else supported Jia Zhengyi, and no one ever mentioned the nging match between him and San Qian Luo Shuist year again. The deeper the love for Su Li once was, the deeper the hatred for her now.


    Su Li was furious. It was obvious that Jia Zhengyi was just trying to get back at her for merely liking San Qian Luo Shui¡¯s postst year. Looking at theizens¡¯ disgustingments, she couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to return Jia Zhengyi¡¯s fire.


    ¡°Jia Zhengyi, please remove your post immediately, or mywyer would prosecute you for libel!¡± She typed the sentence in the reply section as she gritted her teeth.


    Jia Zhengyi soon replied to herment: ¡°Whoa, what is happening to our national goddess, why is there so much rage? I did not include a name on my post, why are you making it about you?¡±


    Coldly, Su Li typed her reply: ¡°Remove it now, and apologize!¡±


    ¡°Apologize? For what? Just because you are a celebrity? Let¡¯s not forget about the current situation, there are tens of millions of people in this country who would be more than happy to tear you to pieces, and you wanna sue me? Are you sure you want to be seen in public?¡±


    Su Li was about to explode, she called herwyer, Chai Zhiying, right away and then replied to Jia Zhengyi: ¡°I have already called mywyer, Jia Zhengyi, you can be expecting a subpoena soon.¡±


    ¡°Aww, I am so scared, b*tch, you are going down very soon, when you lose your national goddess¡¯ halo, I¡¯ll buy you and f*ck you until you¡¯re dead, hahaha ¡­¡± Jia Zhengyi¡¯s reply was vindictive, and he didn¡¯t spare the vulgar words.


    Su Li¡¯s face reddened. Jia Zhengyi was like a rabid dog, she really didn¡¯t want to waste her time on him, but she was already caught up in it the moment she replied to his post. She lost it when she couldn¡¯t help herself, and now she regretted it.


    She wrote a stern reply: ¡°I¡¯ll give you two hours to write a post to apologize to me, or you will pay!¡±


    ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    ¡°A whore is a whore; you should be kept under the table. You must have slept with countless men to get to this position.¡±


    ¡°Huh, national goddess? I think the title, ¡®National Whore¡¯, suits you better. Anyone can f*ck you as long as they pay some money.¡±


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s frenzied responses were getting more and more unbearable as if they were just a way for him to let off steam.


    There was no way Su Li could tolerate that. She blocked his ount straight away, but she couldn¡¯t tame the fury that raged within her even after a long time. She had never been this mad in years.


    Hundreds of thousands ofizens saw the nging match. Although Jia Zhengyi used vulgarnguage throughout the whole squabble, all the so-called ¡°heartbroken¡± crowd threw their support right behind Jia Zhengyi.


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­ Good job. That b*tch, Su Li, was asking for it.¡±


    ¡°Old Jia is ¡®Master Jia¡¯ again in my heart. If your ¡®Old Jia¡¯s Talk Show¡¯ is back on TV again, I will be a supporter!¡±


    ¡°Old Jia is a real man, he is genuine, you should curse like that when you¡¯re mad, all the manners and self-control sh*t can f*cking go to hell.¡±


    Voices of support filled Jia Zhengyi¡¯s Weibo main page, and the number of his Weibo followers also surged.


    Some of the people hated Su Li, but many people were still absolutely loyal to Su Li. Although they thought that Su Li had lied to them, they were still very much behind her. When they heard that Jia Zhengyi was insulting Su Li, and there was a record of those unbearable insults, they became furious. They logged onto Jia Zhengyi¡¯s Weibo main page and started to argue with those who were abusing Su Li.


    All of a sudden, a one in a million nging match was set in motion on Weibo again!


    ***


    Zhang Dashan was indignant at Su Li¡¯s treatment at the hands of Jia Zhengyi and feltpelled to call Xiao Luo on the phone. ¡°Old Xiao, that Jia Zhengyi who had a war of words with youst year is out making trouble again, he is giving Goddess Su both barrels this time around. I have screenshoted his insults of Goddess Su and sent them to you. Motherf*cker, he¡¯s way out of line, that scumbag must have a zodiac sign of a rabid dog. Even I, an outsider, am so mad that I wanna rush to Xiahai City to chop him into pieces!¡± he cried.


    When the call ended, Xiao Luo received a few screenshots on his phone, and the details of Jia Zhengyi¡¯s insulting posts were on those images.


    After reading them, Xiao Luo went into a fit and was seething in rage.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. Xiao Luo heard the little girl, Su Xiaobei, calling out urgently from the other side of the door, ¡°Daddy, open the door! Open the door, Daddy, quick!¡±


    Xiao Luo put down the phone and hurried to open the door. The little girl was looking up at him, tears welling up in herrge eyes, the color of ck obsidian.


    ¡°Bei Bei, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Come, quick! Mummy passed out¡­ Bei Bei tried to wake her but she won¡¯t wake up! Boo-hoo-hoo¡­¡± Su Xiaobei cried. She was scared and sobbing desperately with her mouth puckered up.

 Chapter 463 - Secret Conversation

    Chapter 463: Secret Conversation


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioWhat? Su Li has passed out?!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart jumped. He quickly picked Su Xiaobei up and carried her in his arms as he ran into Su Li¡¯s apartment.


    As soon as he stepped in, he saw that Su Li lying unconscious on the carpet. There was a ss beside her, knocked over with its contents spilled all over the floor. He rushed over to Su Li and turned her over.


    Her lustrous ck hair fell across her face before it slipped, spreading out on the floor. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help noticing how lovely Su Li looked as the light shone on her rosy cheeks.


    ¡°Miss Su, wake up! What happened to you?¡±


    Xiao Luo tried waking Su Li up, but when she did not respond, he promptly lifted her up from the living room floor and gently put her down on the couch.


    Mrs. Li had already left by that time, and had he not been in the opposite apartment, he couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened to this woman and Su Xiaobei.


    He quickly examined Su Li¡¯s condition and soon determined that her blood pressure had spiked because she was experiencing emotional stress, causing the pressure in her cranial cavity to increase suddenly, hence, why she passed out. He took out a long silver needle from his jacket. He gently inserted it into the Shuaigu Acupuncture Point on Su Li¡¯s head. Su Li¡¯s eyes started to quiver slightly, then she gradually came to.


    ¡°Mummy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei flew into Su Li¡¯s arms. Her long eyshes were still drenched in tears, and it was a sight that would touch anybody¡¯s heart.


    Su Li reached out, stroked her sad face, and said, ¡°Mummy¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry¡­¡±


    Although herplexion appeared rosy, for the most part, her face was rather sallow. In fact, she looked sickly pale.


    ¡°Boo-hoo-hoo ¡­¡±


    Su Xiaobei¡¯s mouth puckered up, and she was still sobbing, and tears were streaming out of her eyes.


    Xiao Luo retrieved the silver needle, and making an informed guess, he said, ¡°You passed out because you were too mad about Jia Zhengyi¡¯s filthy words, huh?¡±


    Su Li gave him a dirty look as if to say, why ask if you already know?


    ¡°Don¡¯t go onto the inte for a while. As you know, people are talking about you in all the media now. It¡¯s not worth the trouble, you¡¯re better off turning a deaf ear to all that¡¯s going on up there; just pretend that the problem doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Xiao Luo thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to educate Su Li on stress management. ¡°If you look at it another way, you now have a lot of free time on your hands and you can go shopping with Shen Qingyan, or go on a vacation in other countries¡­ it should be very rxing,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll consider your suggestion!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s response was rather curt, and her nature was impervious to others¡¯ suggestions. Without lingering further on the subject, she said, ¡°Can you get me a cup of water?¡±


    ¡°One second.¡±


    Xiao Luo turned around, headed toward the water dispenser to get some, and walked back.


    Su Li slowly sat up on the couch and took a sip.


    Su Li remained silent for a while, then she looked up and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, if it were you, wouldn¡¯t you be mad?¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled. He did not answer her question directly but said,¡± Remember this: ¡®A heart as cool as ice, would not tremble even if the sky falls.¡¯ Repeat this phrase over and over again, it helps a lot when you need to calm down.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like something from the Spell of Frozen Heart,¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was indeed from the Spell of Frozen Heart, and one could simply find the full-length poem on the inte. When he was working at Huahai Corporation, he would recite the phrase whenever he felt down, and it served him pretty well.


    Su Li started to recite the phrase silently as she sipped on the water.


    ¡°I still need to run some errands. You should call Miss Luo toe here and take care of you,¡± Xiao Luo said. He ruffled Su Xiaobei¡¯s hair and walked out of the apartment.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, the person who hacked into those popr news tforms and wiped the negative news about me, was that you?¡± Su Li asked him as he was walking out the door.


    Xiao Luo stopped, turned around, and smiled. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t have that kind of skill,¡± he said.


    He denied it outright. Thosepanies had already called the cops, and undoubtedly, they would soone to Su Li with questions. So, keeping Su Li out of the loop was for the best.


    Su Li sighed faintly. ¡°Seems like I am overthinking, how on earth could he be the super-hacker?¡± she mumbled to herself.


    Xiao Luo saw Su Li lowering her head, so he didn¡¯t say anything else and left without looking back.


    The moment he closed the door on Su Li¡¯s apartment, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared and his body gave out a cold, icy aura. When he saw Su Li sprawled on the floor unconscious, he hit the roof.


    ***


    ¡°This conflict on the inte is really juicy, let¡¯s see how that bitch, Su Li, pulls through this time!¡±


    A middle-aged man was sitting in front of a coffee table in a private residence, scrolling through Weibo while drinking tea. He wore a pair of golden frame sses and had a center-parting hairstyle. He was wearing a loose mandarin jacket, looking like a trantor working for a foreign devil.


    The man sitting across the coffee table was quite skinny. He was rat-faced, had sunken, shifty eyes, and a cunning look¡ªthe word, ¡°sly,¡± immediately came to mind when one saw him. After listening to what the middle-aged man said, heughed and said, ¡°Oh, dear Old Jia, what did Su Li do to piss you off, why did you corner her like that?¡±


    The middle-aged man was Jia Zhengyi!


    ¡°Do you know about the war of words between me and someone with the handle, ¡®San Qian Luo Shui,¡¯ on Weibo?¡± Jia Zhengyi appeared agitated as he raised his voice in response.


    ¡°Of course, everyone in the entertainment industry knows about that.¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that ¡®San Qian Luo Shui¡¯ is the CEO of the Luo¡¯s Workshop in Jiangcheng, he monopolizes the baking industry of the Jiangcheng,¡± the skinny man said.


    ¡°We¡¯re now talking about Su Li, that bitch, why are you changing the subject to Jiangcheng? You have no idea what happened,¡± Jia Zhengyi said, ¡°I was doing fine at first, gonna use the momentum of public opinion to gain in poprity, but then, that bitch suddenly popped up and liked San Qian Luo Shui¡¯s post.¡±


    And because of that, those retarded fans of hers started to attack me, causing the nging match to escte. I was subsequently benched by the tform. If I didn¡¯t have some savings, I might already be out on the streets, begging for food!¡±


    Enlightened, the skinny man nodded. ¡°Ah, I see, then it all makes sense now,¡± he said.


    Jia Zhengyi gulped down his tea in a somewhat exaggerated way and sneered, ¡°That b*tch is my nemesis. Now that the tables are turned, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s in big trouble, and I am so thrilled, or else I wouldn¡¯t be inviting you over for tea today.¡±


    ¡°Old Jia, you are not asking me toe all the way here only for tea, are you? Don¡¯t you have something else to say?¡± The skinny manughed as his sly eyes nced around fleetingly.


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s eyes were red with vengeful fury as he clenched his wrist and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re already on that topic, I¡¯ll quit beating around the bush. I¡¯d like to ask your team to write some negative articles about that bitch, I¡¯m gonna make her life a living hell, and I want this whole affair to blow up!¡±


    The skinny man was startled briefly, but he then chuckled and said, ¡°This is what my team and I do best. Within a day, the mobile social media service, socialworking sites, and other tforms on the inte will be flooded with Su Li¡¯s scandalous articles. But this is business, you gotta show some good faith when you¡¯re doing business, right?¡±


    There was an evident look of greed in his eyes.


    BAM!


    Jia Zhengyi took out a heavy envelope from his jacket pocket and threw it on the coffee table. He raised his hand, stretching out his five fingers, and said, ¡°This amount is in that envelope; it is the down payment, and when you get the job done, you¡¯ll get another payment of the same amount, what do you think?¡±


    The skinny man took the envelope, opened it, and scanned through the content. Heughed and said, ¡°Old Jia is generous, as usual. Great, consider it done!¡±

 Chapter 464 - Writing an Apology Letter

    Chapter 464: Writing an Apology Letter


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioThe thin man raised his cup of tea, a faint smile on his face. ¡°Come, let me toast to you, Old Jia, with tea in ce of wine. Here¡¯s to a pleasant partnership,¡± he said.


    ¡°To a pleasant partnership!¡±


    Jia Zhengyi raised his teacup as well, breaking out into boisterousughter.


    Their teacups clinked in the air, and then they both tilted their heads back, downing the tea in one go as if they were drinking wine.


    But when they put their teacups down, they got the shock of their lives! They both shrieked in fright and fell off their seats for, out of nowhere, someone had suddenly appeared sitting in the chair beside them. It could only have urred when they tilted their heads back to drink their tea, yet there wasn¡¯t a sound or sign that pointed towards how this person could¡¯ve appeared so suddenly.


    ¡°You¡­who are you?¡± Jia Zhengyi asked, choking on his spit as he tried to repress the fear rising within him.


    The person was dressed in white, and the cor of his shirt was slightly open. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow to reveal tanned skin. There were depth and divinity in his eyes, and his nose bridge was high; his eyebrows were long and willowy. He was blessed with a handsome face, and his charming, yet aloof countenance had an evil yet cold air to it.


    And who was this, if not Xiao Luo!


    He moved about with no concern for the others, turning over an inverted teacup and filling it with tea. He looked to Jia Zhengyi with a nk face, then slowly savored his tea. As he looked at Jia Zhengyi, he said, ¡°This is Pu¡¯er tea. You¡¯re quite good at enjoying the finer things in life, huh, Jia Zhengyi. Pu¡¯er has the effect of lowering fat levels in your blood, weight-loss, inhibiting bad bacteria, aiding in digestion, as well as to warm your stomach. This tea seems to have been tailor-made for you.¡±


    The thin man felt an invisible bout of oppressive force hit him from Xiao Luo¡¯s calm and collected demeanor. He chose to remain on the ground where he fell, not daring to move in the least.


    Jia Zhengyi was both frightened and enraged. This was his home, and a stranger had suddenly barged in, drinking his tea as if he owned the ce. Fury overcame fear as he picked himself up from the floor, whipped out his phone, and screamed, ¡°Who the hell are you? This is my home; how did you get in here? Tell me, or I¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get all riled up. Sit down, and let¡¯s have a chat!¡± Xiao Luo said, gesturing with his hand.


    Jia Zhengyi was infuriated and shouted, ¡°What the f*ck are you doing treating me like I¡¯m your dog? Listen¡ª¡±


    Whoosh~


    The teacup Xiao Luo was holding suddenly flew from his hand and smashed into Jia Zhengyi¡¯s kneecap with a bone-shattering crack. Jia Zhengyi instantly dropped to the floor, crashing knee first onto the floor. He let out a scream from the excruciating pain, and his phone ttered to the ground.


    At the sight of this, the thin man gasped in fright. In a panic, he picked himself up and dashed toward the front, scrambling off without a care for anything else.


    ¡°Hmm~¡±


    Xiao Luo extended his hand as if grabbing at thin air.


    Suddenly, the thin man felt a powerful force pulling him back. Before he could even react, he felt a strong hand grasping him on firmly to the scruff of his neck, and was instantly dragged back to where he had been earlier. He was unceremoniously dumped, butt-first, and the overwhelming pain caused him to squeal like a pig at ughter.


    Grabbing something through the air?!


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at Xiao Luo in abject fear.


    Did this man know sorcery?


    Jia Zhengyi could not think clearly as a chill ran down his spine, and his hair stood on ends.


    Xiao Luo squinted at the thin man with an evil glint in his eyes. ¡°Did I say you could leave?¡± he asked, as he casually poured himself another cup of Pu¡¯er tea.


    The thin man kneeled on the ground for a few beats before his face scrunched up, and he wept unashamedly. ¡°Hey man¡­ oh, no, I mean, Big Brother. Your issue is with Jia Zhengyi; it¡¯s nothing to do with me. Just¡­ just treat me as if I¡¯m nothing and let me be,¡± he cried.


    Upon hearing these words, Jia Zhengyi was so incensed that he spat at the thin man. ¡°Scaredy-cat, bloody coward!¡± he hissed.


    ¡°What do you know? This is what it¡¯s like to keep up with current affairs. This Big Brother here obviously isn¡¯t a regr person, and killing us will probably be like squashing a couple of ants to him. You offending him is your own problem to deal with, and I have no wish to be buried beside you,¡± the thin man retorted, immediately distancing himself from Jia Zhengyi¡ªhe was the kind of person that people referred to when they say ¡°all smiles one second and treacherous the next.¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Xiao Luo bellowed.


    ¡°Good man¡­ err, Big Brother,¡± the thin man responded.


    The corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled up into an evil smirk, and his assessment of the thin man was that it was always better to deal with an honest viin than a hypocrite.


    ¡°Thank you for the kind words, Big Brother,¡± the thin man gushed.


    ¡°I told you to keep quiet just now. Why are you disregarding my words?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression changed, and his face cracked a cold, heartless smile. The thin man froze, and before he even knew it, Xiao Luo mercilessly shoved the teacup he was holding into the thin man¡¯s mouth.


    The ceramic cup and smashed into the thin man¡¯s front teeth and shattered into numerous razor-sharp fragments. The pieces tore through his mouth with several reaching his throat, and as the thin man swallowed involuntarily, the shards lodged in his throat.


    ¡°Ah¡­Ack¡­Hurh¡­¡±


    The thin man squirmed on the ground in pain, grunting with a mouth full of blood. He could not say anything for quite a while, as he had a finger in his throat attempting to dislodge the fragments.


    This scene filled Jia Zhengyi with fear, and he was sweating bullets. This was just too cruel and terrifying. He hurriedly turned to look at Xiao Luo but what he saw frightened him¡ªfor Xiao Luo now looked no different from a demon.


    ¡°You¡­just who are you? H-have I offended you somehow?¡± he whimpered, his voice was trembling as he humbly lowered his body as far as he could go.


    Xiao Luo red at Jia Zhengyi and said nothing else. He extended his hand again and grabbed at the air, and Jia Zhengyi¡¯s mobile flew through the air into his hand. Ominously, Xiao Luo ced it in front of the man. ¡°Open up Weibo and write up an apology to Su Li!¡± he barked.


    Su Li?!


    Jia Zhengyi was so shocked that all the blood drained from his face. ¡°Y-you were sent by her?¡±


    Xiao Luo was running out of patience at this point and was bing agitated. He yanked Jia Zhengyi up by his hair and dragged him down towards the tea table, before mming his head on the tabletop and holding him there.


    BANG!


    Jia Zhengyi reeled from the impact as forehead smashed violently on the tea table, as the sturdy wood it was made of was much denser than a human skull. Jia Zhengyi¡¯s head was bleeding profusely, and his sses shattered instantly.


    ¡°Do as I say. You have no right to question me, do you understand?¡± Xiao Luo growled as he maintained a firm grip over the man¡¯s hair, dragging Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face across the tabletop and closer to him.


    Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face was covered in blood, and his head felt light. He was so frightened that all he could do was nod. ¡°Understand, I understand¡­¡± he cried.


    At this moment, he did not even have the energy to cry. The court¡¯s subpoena had not even been served yet, but such a ruthless executioner had already been dispatched. Undoubtedly, he would very much rather have dealt with a warrant than a scary person like this. At this time, Jia Zhengyi was terrified and began to wonder if Su Li came from such an exceptional andplex background. Not only could she hire a super hacker, but she could also summon a monster like this.


    ¡°You used to run a talk show, so you¡¯re probably good with words, no? Put that talent of yours to good use and write this apology well. Make sure that it¡¯s moving and touching. It has to move me, at least,¡± Xiao Luo said. He spoke matter-of-factly, making the demand with a nk face, and then went back to leisurely sipping his tea.


    Jia Zhengyi took his phone. Obviously, he did not dare to call the police. This man, right in front of his eyes, was a vicious person. If he even tried to call the police, he would be walking a path to death. He opened up his Weibo page and started clicking on his screen, sincerely penning his apology letter.

 Chapter 465 - Havent Found A Lawyer

    Chapter 465: Haven¡¯t Found A Lawyer


    Not long after, Jia Zhengyi prepared a draft for his post that expressed his apology to Su Li.


    Xiao Luo read through it grumpily, and he could not help but sneer. ¡°This is thenguage standard of a professional talk show host? A middle schooler could write this!¡±


    Then, in the next second, a palmnded squarely on Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face.


    Smack!


    The palm was not as big as a palm-leaf fan, but it still packed quite a punch! A sharp, crisp sound apanied the p as itnded hard on the soft, sensitive skin of Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face, sending him crashing to the floor as he screamed in pain. One could tell with just one nce that the left side of his face was swelling up quickly.


    Xiao Luo tossed the phone back to him. ¡°Rewrite it. Make it more vivid this time,¡± he barked.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    Jia Zhengyi was on the verge of tears, but he did not dare decline. He promptly held the phone and continued to write once again.


    The thin man by the side looked on in fear. There were still teacup fragments aplenty lodged in his mouth, and the blood was flowing freely, but they did not dare make another sound or move.


    After 10 minutes, Jia Zhengyi finally and painstakingly managed to draft another apology letter.


    Smack!


    Xiao Luo looked over it again and thennded another p on Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face. ¡°Not meaningful enough. Write it again!¡± he roared.


    After that, Jia Zhengyi wrote a whole chain of apology letters, but not a single one of them made it past Xiao Luo¡¯s inspection. His face had taken quite the number of ps by then.


    Every p was delivered with immense force, and the strength behind each blow only got stronger and stronger. The thin man¡¯s face was drained of blood, and he started quaking violently. Cold sweat was pouring out from the millions of pores on his body, out of his control, when he saw that both sides of Jia Zhengyi¡¯s face had swollen to an extreme state¡ªeven his eyelids were swollen. He looked every bit like a decapitated pig head. Strewn on the floor were several bloodstained teeth that had flown out from Jia Zhengyi¡¯s mouth.


    Too vicious! Too cruel!


    The thin man¡¯s soul was trembling. How he wished that he had never stepped foot into Jia Zhengyi¡¯s house on this day, that this experience was nothing more than a hyperrealistic nightmare. When he looked at the enigmatic young man who sat by the side elegantly sipping tea, all he saw was a demon who came straight from hell.


    Jia Zhengyi drafted yet another apology letter with trembling fingers, and then he shakily handed the phone to Xiao Luo.


    When Xiao Luo took the phone for inspection, Jia Zhengyi kneeled on the ground in front of him, kowtowing pleadingly. ¡°Big Brother, please, I beg you¡­ Please don¡¯t hit me anymore. I¡¯ve learned my lesson. I really have¡­¡± he begged.


    He could not bear it any longer. He was being tortured, both physically and mentally, and it was utterly destroying his psychological state. He howled and cried pitifully, snot and tears alike pouring down his face, and from his mouth flowed a nasty-looking mixture of saliva and fresh blood. This pain was just too much to bear¡ªany more, and he would not be able to feel his face.


    Xiao Luo paid him no mind as he sipped his tea leisurely with one hand, picking up the phone to read the post with the other.


    ¡°To the beautiful Miss Su Li, I express my deepest apologies to you regarding the rude incident on Weibo of the 7th. In the past few days, I have been tormented by my rash behavior. Those vulgar and unbing words had sufficiently exposed me as barbaric, uneducated, and uncultured. Those were the words and actions of an animal.¡±


    ¡°As a public figure, I failed to set an example. On the contrary, I had led the mob against you, and the numerous insults had made me realize the extent of my atrocities. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, and I seek the apologies of everyone as well!¡±


    After reading this apology letter, Xiao Luo¡¯s lips slowly curled up in a cold smile.


    Jia Zhengyi and the thin man did not dare make a single peep. They were so nervous they could barely breathe. The two of them looked exactly like ghosts who had fallen into the afterlife, waiting for the king of theherworld to pass his judgment and decide whether they would be reincarnated into animals or people. They were beside themselves with fear.


    ¡°Publish this as it is!¡±


    Xiao Luo threw the phone back to Jia Zhengyi. It was not to say that this letter was exceptionally well-written, but rather, it was because he thought that he had punished Jia Zhengyi sufficiently.


    Upon hearing these words, Jia Zhengyi felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He kowtowed twice again, overwhelmed with relief and gratefulness. ¡°Thank you! Thank you¡­¡±


    Then he hurriedly sent the post.


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut about everything that happened here today. If a fourth person learns about whatever happened today, I wille looking for you two again. By that time, I won¡¯t let you off with a light punishment like this time. I¡¯ll being after your head!¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    Jia Zhengyi and the thin man met eyes with Xiao Luo, and then they felt a chill run down their spines.


    Xiao Luo knocked his ss back, downing the tea in one go, and then he pped the sturdy wooden tea table with his palm.


    Crack!


    The teacup in his hand instantly shattered into a million pieces flying in every direction, as if it had exploded. Jia Zhengyi and the thin man huddled together and shaking, now copsed into a heap on the floor. By the time they sat up and looked around the hall, Xiao Luo was nowhere to be seen. The chair he had been sitting on was empty. It was as if there had never been another person in the hall with them.


    After experiencing such a terrifying incident, the two of them were so shocked that they remained sitting on the floor, paralyzed in fear, with their eyes and mouths wide open. They were so traumatized that it was difficult to return to their senses. Neither of them called for the police. There was no point in calling the cops against someone as terrifying as Xiao Luo. On the contrary, they would only endanger themselves.


    After ten or so seconds, the two of them started crying. Tears of terror poured down from their faces!


    ******


    ******


    After Jia Zhengyi published his apology letter, Weibo quickly came alive with chaotic chatter.


    ¡°F*ck! Wasn¡¯t he just saying yesterday that he wasn¡¯t afraid of a subpoena or something? Why is he already making a public apology today?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s given up. He¡¯s thrown in the towel!¡±


    ¡°Why is this cracking me up? Jia Zhengyi, did you stage all of this as an borate joke?¡±


    ¡°This is amazing. As expected, thew is the best weapon.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a good boy. Make your apology, and our Goddess Su will forgive you! Haha¡­¡±


    Below his post were thousands ofments, and many people had shared this post via its link. This apology letter had swept through Weibo¡¯s space like a hurricane and filled Su Li¡¯s diehard fans with glee. The people who were insulting and ridiculing Su Li were thoroughly disappointed, and those who were sitting on the fence and were just here for the show had been treated to quite the wild ride.


    Su Li, who was still in quite a frail condition, had heard from Luo Pingxiang about Jia Zhengyi¡¯s apology¡­


    ¡°Sister, that Jia Zhengyi seems to be afraid of a subpoena after all, and now he¡¯s apologizing to you publicly on Weibo. He insulted you like that yesterday, but he¡¯s apologizing to you today. What a joke!¡± Luo Pingxiang said gleefully as she kneaded Su Li¡¯s shoulders.


    Su Li had a book propped open as she read carefully. When she heard the news, she felt a lot better.


    At this moment, Chai Zhiying pushed open the door and stormed in. Paying no mind to anything else, she poured herself a cup of water and released the fatigue from her body before she said, ¡°Lili, the press conference has been arranged. It will be held in the Venice Hotel tomorrow afternoon, and all the reporters from the big media outlets will be in attendance. We¡¯ll start preparing now and do our best to brainstorm and think of what questions the reporters might ask. And then we¡¯ll move forward with the least impactful questions.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Su Li nodded and then followed up quickly by saying, ¡°Since Jia Zhengyi has already apologized, then let¡¯s withdraw thewsuit we filed against him. These days, it¡¯s better to avoid trouble.¡±


    ¡°Sue Jia Zhengyi? But I¡¯ve been so busy with organizing the press conference the past few days that I haven¡¯t contacted thewyers yet,¡± Chai Zhiying said.

 Chapter 466 - Let go

    Chapter 466: Let go


    What! You mean you haven¡¯t found awyer yet?


    Both Su Li and Luo Pingxiang were stunned. Then whatpelled Jia Zhengyi to make a public apology? Was it because he felt remorseful and sumbed to his own conscience?


    ¡°Have you really not found awyer to sue Jia Zhengyi yet?¡± Su Li asked again, just to confirm the matter.


    Chai Zhiying nodded her head and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. Preparing for the press conference has kept me so busy that I barely had time to do anything else. Look, I even have toe over here just to take a sip of water.¡±


    ¡°Then why did Jia Zhengyi apologize to sis Li?¡± Luo Pingxiang asked.


    ¡°What? Jia Zhengyi has already apologized to Li Li?¡± Chai Zhiying eximed with an incredulous look on her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Sis Zhiying. He posted it on Weibo. He even wrote an apology letter that was more than a hundred words long to publicly apologized to sister. It has gone viral on the inte already,¡± Luo Pingxiang replied.


    On hearing that, Chai Zhiying quickly took out her phone and logged in to Weibo. After scrolling through the posts, she looked even more surprised and said, ¡°My, he really did that! So, what in the world happened to Jia Zhengyi? Why did he suddenly change to be a different person overnight?¡±


    Chai Zhiying was as surprised as everyone else to find out that Jia Zhengyi had even made a public apology, and she was curious. How was it that only yesterday, he was abusing Su Li with rude and vulgar words like a mad dog, but suddenly he decided to apologize? It all seemed like a ridiculous joke.


    ¡°All the things he posted did have a bad influence on society, so perhaps the relevant department gave him some sort of warning,¡± Luo Pingxiang opined.


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s put this issue aside for now and not talk about that b*stard any more.¡±


    Chai Zhiying put the empty teacup down and took a deep breath. ¡°Li Li, the press conference tomorrow is crucial. It¡¯s going to determine whether you can get out of this public rtions crisis. No matter what kind of tricky questions the reporters ask, you should not admit that you¡¯re married at all costs. Grit your teeth and just say that both of you are just good friends, got it?¡± she said.


    ¡°You should know this well. Being married or not does have a significant impact on the poprity of a female celebrity. As long as the public is convinced that you are not married, or don¡¯t have a boyfriend, and are still single, then I assure you, this public rtions crisis will disappear really quickly.¡±


    Su Li did not reply to her. She looked unfocused, and her mind was a thousand miles away.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had been wandering around Xiahai City aimlessly after leaving Jia Zhengyi¡¯s residential area.


    Whether it was the giant LED advertising screen in a shopping mall, a newspaper kiosk by the roadside, or people walking by in the streets, he would constantly see and hear news rted to Su Li everywhere he went¡ªand almost all of them were negative. It was as if the entire world felt cheated by Su Li, and they were all scolding and reprimanding her.


    Well, since you¡¯ve worn the crown, then you ought to know how heavy it is!


    Although it was all a mistake and they seemed to be an odd couple, he couldn¡¯t change the fact that she was his nominal wife. Xiao Luo was deeply affected by this and had an overwhelming impulse to destroy this entire world.


    As Xiao Luo was wallowing in sorrow, Ji Siying suddenly called him.


    Xiao Luo immediately picked up the call. ¡°Siying,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I can tell you seem troubled just listening to your voice. Is it because of all the things happening to Ms. Su Li?¡± Ji Siying asked.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Xiao Luo said, sighing, ¡°have you eaten already?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go have a meal.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    Ji Siying put down the phone, drove her orange beetle car, and arrived at Xiao Luo¡¯s location in twenty minutes. Xiao Luo¡¯s ring had a GPS function, and she could quickly pinpoint his exact location at any time.


    Ji Siying wore an aqua blue skirt. She had fair, white skin, long and slender legs, and a fabulous figure, which wasn¡¯t too full, nor too slight. She applied light makeup on her face, making her delicate facial features appear like they were outlined with ink. The edges of her long ck hair were slightly curled up, looking both chic and elegant. She wore a pair of silver earrings and gave off an aura like a celebrity as she sauntered down the street toward him.


    It was evident that she had put in much effort to dress herself up.


    To be honest, when he was at Luo Vige, Xiao Luo¡¯s heart did skip a beat for this woman, and for a while, he thought he liked her. But he began to slowly withdraw from any illusions he had after that fateful night with Su Li. Now that he was tied him down by Su Li through a marriage certificate, he finally realized that if Su Li and Ji Siying fell into the sea at the exact same time, he would rush toward Su Li without any hesitation.


    After taking a good look at Ji Siying, Xiao Luo suddenly realized that the jade bracelet that she always wore on her right wrist was missing. Without thinking, he asked, ¡°Siying, where¡¯s the bracelet?¡±


    Ji Siying was shocked, and her body trembled a little. Her first thought was that Xiao Luo had only met her to take back the bracelet.


    In a panic, she hurriedly replied, ¡°I took it off.¡±


    She immediately took out an ornate-looking box from her pocket and opened it in front of Xiao Luo. The box contained the ancestral jade bracelet that belonged to the Xiao family.


    Ji Siying did her best to force a smile and said, ¡°It is time to return this to its owner.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned, and after shaking his head, he said, ¡°Siying, I only asked you out today to have a meal with you. This is not the reason why I called you.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but it is also about time for me to return this bracelet to its owner,¡± Ji Siying said, putting up a brave front.


    As Xiao Luo¡¯s liaison officer, she was well aware of all the things that Xiao Luo had done over the past few days and what that meant. Xiao Luo was protecting Su Li and was also upset to see that she has been pushed to a corner by the public. It was clear that Xiao Luo really liked Su Li, and she no longer stood a chance anymore.


    She ced the box in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands, hid the reluctance that showed on her face, and turned it into a smile of blessing for Xiao Luo.


    With the box in his hands, Xiao Luo felt a heaviness in his heart. It was already heavy, to begin with, but it had just gotten worse now. It was inexplicable, everything just feltplicated at the moment, and he just didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Looking at the man right in front of her, Ji Siying remembered that the first impression she had of him was when she read about his exploits from the NSA files. After reading all the things he did in Jiangcheng, she pictured him as an extremely dangerous man¡ªcruel, bloodthirsty, and ferocious. But during the times they spent at Luo Vige, the impression she had of him quickly changed. He was filial, responsible, and a guy who took charge of things. Despite being a brutal killer at times, he was always trying to do the right thing.


    On the night of the Lantern Festival, she could never forget how she rested her head on his strong shoulders. If she could, she wished time would stop so she could live in that night for eternity.


    But right now, she knew she had to do all she could to give up on this guy. All of a sudden, her heart ached in pain, and her vision became blurry as tears began swirling in her eyes.


    ¡°Siying¡­¡±


    Looking at her eyes turning red, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but call her name out of concern.


    Ji Siying turned around, quickly wiped off the tears in her eyes, and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, the wind blew some dust into my eyes earlier on. Mr. Xiao Luo, I suddenly remember that there¡¯s something important that I have to attend to, so I won¡¯t be able to have a meal with you this time round. I¡­ I¡¯ll be making a move¡­¡±


    After saying that, she dashed back to her car, got into her seat, and drove off without looking back.


    She couldn¡¯t stay there any longer. She couldn¡¯t stay beside Xiao Luo any longer because she would not be able to stop herself from crying. She didn¡¯t want Xiao Luo to see her fragile side, but after driving for a distance, she took a nce in her rearview mirror. When she saw Xiao Luo still standing there, her tears started falling, and they fell like rain.

 Chapter 467 - Number one paparazzi in Xiahai

    Chapter 467: Number one paparazzi in Xiahai


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioIt was alreadyte at night when Xiao Luo returned to Xingyue Bay after having a simple meal by himself. He ced the box that contained the jade bracelet on his bedside table. He just couldn¡¯t tell what was going on in his heart. Both Su Li and Ji Siying seemed to be in his heart. He was feeling confused as they continued to linger in his heart, and he couldn¡¯t erase the thought of them.


    After entering the bathroom, he took off his clothes and showered in cold water. He tried his best to suppress these disturbing emotions he was feeling.


    After hearing the sound of the door opening, he turned off the shower, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and walked out. As he exited the bathroom door, he saw Su Li, who happened to be walking into the hall at the exact moment.


    The woman was dressed in a light bluepel tunic dress. As soon as she saw that Xiao Luo was only wrapped up in a bath towel, her face turned red with a look of awkwardness.


    ¡°Why are youing in again without ringing the doorbell at all?¡± Xiao Luo asked, speechless. It seemed like it was useless reminding her, for no matter how many times he said it, she¡¯d stille in unannounced.


    Su Li came back to her senses, calmed herself down, and asked, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you reset the password on the door lock instead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m way toozy to do it,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m used to justing in without ringing the doorbell,¡± Su Li said.


    Not knowing tough or to cry, Xiao Luo waved his hands: ¡°Alright, it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    After he said that, he turned around, walked into the kitchen, and poured a ss of water.


    Su Li had a frown on her face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me about what is going on?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m toozy to ask.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a sip of water. Being wrapped in just a bath towel and having a conversation with a woman seemed to be nothing to him at all. He didn¡¯t feel ufortable at all and took it for granted. This was his residence, after all. Surely, he could wear whatever he felt like wearing.


    After hearing that, Su Li bit her lips angrily. She had an overwhelming urge to rush forward and bite down hard on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders.


    But eventually, she held back and walked over to pour herself a ss of water instead, acting as if this was her house as well. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°The press conference is going to take ce tomorrow, do you think this entire situation is going to get better or do you think it is going to be worse?¡±


    Xiao Luo was a little surprised. To think that this woman was asking him for his opinion! It was as if the sun was going to rise from the west.


    He thought about it briefly then said, ¡°As long as you can convince and make your fans believe that you¡¯re not married, I¡¯m sure this public rtions crisis will naturally go away really quickly.¡±


    Su Li looked at him mockingly with her bright-looking eyes. ¡°All of you people say the exact same thing,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is that not going to be the case?¡± Xiao Luo said,ughing.


    ¡°Maybe, you could all be right.¡±


    Su Li sighed and put the cup down. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to leave Su Xiaobei in your care for the whole afternoon,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Xiao Luo replied, nodding his head.


    Su Li pursed her pink lips and said, ¡°Right, I¡¯m sure you know that Jia Zhengyi has already made a public apology to me on Weibo?¡±


    Xiao Luo avoided eye contact, drank a sip of water, and said, ¡°Hmm, yeah, I just went online and saw it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think he decided to apologize to me?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I am him, there¡¯s no way I would know,¡± Xiao Luo said, calming himself down.


    Su Li furrowed her eyebrows. She agreed with him and wondered why she asked him such a foolish question. It¡¯s not like this guy had anything to do with the reason why Jia Zhengyi decided to make a public apology, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s all then, you rest early, good night!¡±


    Her tone wasn¡¯t too cold, and she left the apartment immediately after saying that.


    Good night?


    Xiao Luo was amazed. Was this something Su Li would say?


    This woman was certainly acting rather odd today. Somehow, she didn¡¯t seem so distant, like she was a thousand miles away. Her behavior was a lot more civil today.


    Suddenly, Su Li twisted her leg, struggled to maintain her bnce, and was about to fall to the floor.


    Xiao Luo reacted in that instant and dashed over like a gust of wind. He held on to her with his right arm around her slender waist. But as he held on to her, the bath towel he wrapped around his waist started slipping off.


    It was as if time has slowed down as they both stared at the bath towel as it slowly fell onto the floor.


    Her pupils dted, and with a horrified look on her face, she instantly turned red, screaming and trying to cover her eyes.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned red as well, but he handled the matter much better. He coughed a little, trying to appear calm, and said, ¡°What are you screaming for? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you slipped and were about to fall, the bath towel wouldn¡¯t have slipped off.¡±


    He only said this to lighten the situation, but it had the reverse effect on Su Li.


    ¡°You pervert!¡±


    She started scolding him without any restraint, ignoring her demeanor as a cultured woman.


    She then turned around and left in a hurry, feeling so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole and jump into it.


    Oh my God!


    The more she thought about it, the more she cringed, and it drove her crazy. After closing the door, she leaned her back against it. She was panting and in a stupor like a flower deer after experiencing some kind of shock. Her heart started thumping really quickly, and she was almost hyperventting.


    ¡°What the heck are you screaming for? Am I not the one who is naked here?¡±


    Xiao Luo muttered to himself as he walked back, grabbed the bath towel, and wrapped it around his body once again. Then, to be safe on the safe side, he decided to put on his pajamas. God knows if that woman was going toe in without knocking on the door again.


    ¡­


    In the middle of the night, Xiao Luo woke up, startled by a phone call.


    After taking a look at the iing call, he noticed it was Su Li.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked immediately after picking up the call.


    ¡°You better note to my ce for the next couple of days. There is someone secretly taking pictures from the opposite building. If youe to my ce, they¡¯ll surely be able to photograph you,¡± Su Li said.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows: ¡°Is it the paparazzi?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± Su Li responded.


    ¡°This is an invasion of privacy. I should think the police can take care of it,¡± Xiao Luo suggested.


    ¡°If calling the police is of any use, I would have done it a long time ago. The guy opposite is Zhuo Wei, the number one paparazzi in Xiahai. Theirwork is really wide, and they have a dark background,¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over here for the next few days. If they somehow take a picture of you, the public is going to push you into a corner as well,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±


    After putting down the phone, Xiao Luo got up, changed his clothes, and prepared to leave his house.


    He was keen to know just who this number one paparazzi in Xiahai was¡­


    He couldn¡¯t see the other building from his own apartment, but since he had lived in this area for quite some time now, he was quite familiar with the generalyout of the entire Xingyue Bay. Photographers could only take pictures of Su Li¡¯s apartment from the office building that was being rented. It was roughly two to three hundred meters away from Xingyue Bay.

 Chapter 468 - Pay for what you do

    Chapter 468: Pay for what you do


    The tall office building was about sixty to seventy stories high, and it was roughly the height of the Xingyue Bay hotel. As the building was currently being rented out, the floors that had been leased were still undergoing renovation. Therefore, all the floors above the 10th story were pitch ck, as not a trace of illumination could be seen.


    The view from the 52nd floor was at the same level as Su Li¡¯s apartment, and it offered a broad field of vision of the surroundings. On its vacant floor, some twenty to thirty figures were scuttling about sneakily. They were ¡°cats,¡± as they liked to call themselves, a euphemism for the dastardly paparazzi that celebrities all feared. Seeing how they sneaked about and hid here to snap pictures, it was an apt name for this creed. In teams of two, regardless of the time of day, they were always taking pictures and making sure they knew what was going on in Su Li¡¯s apartment at all times. They were equipped with thermal imaging cameras, so even with all the curtains drawn, they could still determine the number of people in the apartment.


    To avoid being detected, the ¡°cats¡± only used really dim lighting at night and basically relied on their ears to identify one another.


    ¡°Brother Wei, we can confirm that there¡¯s another child in the apartment with Goddess Su.¡±


    A man looking into the thermal imaging camera whispered excitedly to the guy next to him¡ªthe man had a square looking face and was wearing a pair of sses.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no mistaking it. This child must be the child she had with that guy.¡±


    Another person was less restraint and offered his views in a more colorful remark. ¡°Hah, what national goddess¡­ someone else already h*mped her, and they even had a child together. If the tens of thousands of fans in the country find out that this woman that they¡¯re a fan of is already a mother, they¡¯ll most probably give up on m*sturbating,¡± he sneered.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that for sure, some people might have different tastes. Besides, she has the best figure and face, and having a child hasn¡¯t affected her figure at all. I¡¯ve m*sturbated to her sexy photos before. Don¡¯t hold back, just look at her face!¡± another said, evidently in jest as he put the monitor in his hands down.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The entire floor was filled with the creepy snickers of these perverts.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop talking and pay more attention. If that guy appears now, we might be able to even take a passionate video of them. That video is going to be much better than any sort of photos you can find out there,¡± Zhuo Wei said. His voice was professional and calm, but what he had just said was nothing shy of disgusting.


    ¡°Brother Wei is like a bull; he drives the car without any warning at all.¡±


    ¡°Man, he can definitely match our ancestors. He¡¯s talking about a bunch of lewd stuff with a serious look on his face.¡±


    ¡°All of you better listen to Brother Wei. Stay focused. The action scene is about to start, you better be prepared so that you can have a good view.¡±


    All of themplimented him. They were not Zhuo Wei¡¯s subordinates but were paparazzi, just like Zhuo Wei was. They specialized in covertly taking pictures of celebrities, and they earned their living by exploiting celebrities¡¯ private lives. Zhuo Wei was like a mentor of this industry, and they could only earn a share of the profit if they followed a guy like him around.


    Zhuo Wei feltpelled to say a few words to his junior peers. ¡°You guys are still very young and not as patient or experienced as I am. If I did not employ sophisticated techniques, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to discreetly take pictures of theplicated rtionship between the female celebrity with the surname Yao and a married man. Or the intimate actions between female celebrity Zheng and her boyfriend,¡± he said, ¡°and also, there¡¯s the kiss between a guy and female celebrity Zhang, the kiss between female celebrity Dong and male celebrity Wang¡ªthe list goes on! I can¡¯t be bothered to mention them all anymore. All of these clips are saved inside my personal hard drive.¡±


    ¡°Brother Wei, please share them with us!¡±


    ¡°Yes, please share the semen¡­ oh no, I mean the videos.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve taken so many pictures and videos of the private lives of so many celebrities; no wonder everyone calls you the discipline inspector of the entertainment industry!¡¯


    Zhuo Wei was like a role model to them. Everyone had an expression of deference on their faces, and in their worship of his dark methods, they revealed in themselves the nature of a wolf.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in these celebrities at all, I¡¯m only looking to pick out all their scandals,¡± Zhuo Wei said, lifting his chin and stared down his nose. He was evidently enjoying all the respect and admiration that he was receiving.


    p, p, p.


    Everyone apuded Zhuo Wei in the most ingratiating manner and gushed, ¡°Well said, well said¡­ your words are simply way too sophisticated!¡±


    Suddenly, an intense light shone in from the direction of the staircase. Having been in the dark for a long time, the ¡°cats¡± had be ustomed to the low light conditions; hence, they were blinded by the sudden illumination. They hurriedly shielded their eyes with their hands to block the re, but all they could make out was a blurry figure standing right behind the light.


    Zhuo Wei became really angry, and with a hideous look on his face, he roared, ¡°Who the hell is there? You better switch off the lights now!¡±


    His first thought was that it was a new paparazzi among them who turned on the lights without knowing the ground rules.


    ¡°Switch off the light, hurry up¡­ switch off the light!¡±


    ¡°Hey, did you not hear what Brother Wei just said? I bet you won¡¯t be hanging around in this industry for long!¡±


    ¡°Who is that clown? Oi, are you deaf or mute? Hurry up and respond!¡±


    Everyone else was giving the neer a piece of their mind and pointing in the direction of the light, acting nastily like gangsters.


    ¡°Brother Wei? Yes, you in the sses, are you the number one paparazzi in Xiahai, Zhuo Wei?¡± A calm voice came from the neer¡¯s direction, and he was now shing the light at Zhou Wei.


    What? It was a stranger!


    Everyone was shocked. How did anyone manage to find them hiding here?


    Was there a traitor among them? Or, did someone sell information to the celebrity¡¯s manager to earn a corresponding reward?


    ¡°I am Zhuo Wei, who are you?¡± Zhuo Wei responded.


    The neer said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I am, what¡¯s important here is that you better leave all the tapes behind and get the hell out of here. Otherwise, you¡¯re going to pay for what you all are doing.¡± Of course, it was none other than Xiao Luo!


    ¡°Pay for what I do?¡±


    Zhuo Wei gave him a venomous re from behind his sses and snarled, ¡°Since you know that I am Zhuo Wei, then you should know what kind of backing I have! Are you sure you¡¯re going to continue talking to me like that with that kind of tone and attitude?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself again,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Damn it, where did this rascale from, he must be crazy!¡±


    ¡°You are all alone. Are you not afraid that you¡¯re not going to crawl out of here alive?¡±


    ¡°Huh, threatening Brother Wei, are you tired of living?¡±


    The other paparazzi began screaming at Xiao Luo.


    Zhuo Wei¡¯s face turned dark with rage. He pulled out a pistol from behind his waist and pointed it at Xiao Luo. ¡°Do you know this, brat? Nothing¡¯s going to happen to me even if I kill you here today. I have friends in the political and legal world. As long as they speak up for me, this will be seen as an act of self-defense!¡± he hissed.


    Xiao Luoughed and replied, ¡°Holding a gun, and it can still be judged as an act of self-defense¡­ are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ let¡¯s try it then!¡±


    Zhuo Weiughed cruelly and proceeded to squeeze the trigger. He was like a smiling tiger with a dagger hidden behind the smile¡­ this phrase was the perfect description for people like him.


    BANG!


    The piercing report of a gunshot resounded across the 52nd floor.


    Xiao Luo instantly made his move. He threw the shlight up in the air, easily dodged the iing bullet, and like a phantom, dashed toward the gathering of paparazzi in a sh. His hands were like knives as he aimed for their necks.


    Zhuo Wei didn¡¯t have the time to react and slumped to the floor with a thud. He had a stunned expression on his face, as everyone else was knocked out cold by Xiao Luo without even having a proper look at him. When the shlight finally ttered on the floor, all the twenty to thirty paparazziid unconscious around Zhou Wei.


    ¡°To think that you have no qualms about shooting someone. It seems like you have some really strong backing indeed, no wonder the other celebrities can¡¯t do anything to you!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Xiao Luo walked across and stood over Zhuo Wei, now half-conscious, and looked down at him impassively. He then lifted his right foot, stomped on Zhuo Wei¡¯s right arm, instantly crushing it with an awful crunching sound. Sharp-edged bones pierced his flesh and muscles, and the Zhuo Wei let out an ear-shattering howl before losing consciousness once again.


    Xiao Luo took a good look at the surroundings and found a stack of ropes in a corner. He suddenly came up with a wonderful disposal method and chuckled to himself as he walked over. The sole of his shoe was covered with blood from Zhuo Wei¡¯s badly damaged arm, and as he walked, it left bloodied footprints on the floor.

 Chapter 469 - The Distance Between the Two of Them

    Chapter 469: The Distance Between the Two of Them


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioAs the sun rose from the eastern horizon, Xiahai City stirred like a giant monster waking from its slumber.


    It was likely due to the excruciating pain emanating from his mangled arm, but Zhuo Wei was the first to wake up from hisa. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked! The view in his vision entirely disoriented him, and he needed some time to find his bearings.


    Why was the sky beneath and the ground above his head?


    Two to three secondster, he finally regained his senses and realized that someone had tied his legs up, and he now hung him upside down on the outer face of a 52-story high building! Besides him, everyone else had also been hung upside down on this high-rise building. Even if one didn¡¯t suffer from a fear of heights, it was more than enough to cause all the hair on one¡¯s body to stand on ends at this kind of elevation.


    ¡°Help me¡­ help me¡­!¡±


    Zhuo Wei started to panic and scream in abject fear. Being hung upside down in such a precarious way was undoubtedly frightening and very dangerous. Zhuo Wei felt like his life would end at any given moment.


    The other ¡°cats¡± started stirring from their state of unconsciousness as well, and the moment they realized the situation they were in, they began screaming in terror just like Zhuo Wei did.


    Being strung up 52 stories high was thest thing they¡¯d expected, and the fear was too much for them to bear. Several of them who had a fear of heights had already wet their pants.


    ¡­


    ¡°Sister, hurry up and look at that, it seems like there are a whole bunch of people being hung outside that building!¡±


    After drawing the curtains to the balcony at the Crescent Bay hotel, Luo Pingxiang was the first to notice the incredible scene at the opposite office building. She immediately pointed at it and called out to Su Li.


    Su Li was in the midst of feeding Su Xiaobei breakfast, and as soon as she heard that, she turned her head towards the balcony to take a look. The scene she saw startled her¡ªthere were indeed 20 to 30 people strung upside down outside the 52-story building.


    ¡°It has got to be Zhuo Wei and his bunch of b*stards!¡±


    Chai Zhiying eximed in surprise, but she was puzzled. ¡°Who in the world could have hung them upside down outside the building?¡± she asked.


    Su Li immediately thought of Xiao Luo, for she had informed him justst night that people were secretly taking pictures. It couldn¡¯t have been just a coincidence that the next morning, Zhuo Wei and his crew were suddenly hanging hung upside down outside that tall building. That would be very unlikely, and she was sure that Xiao Luo was the one who did it.


    As she was pondering over the matter, the doorbell rang.


    Luo Pingxiang rushed over to open the door, and Xiao Luo walked in, dressed in a white shirt. He strode toward the dining table and sat right next to Su Xiaobei.


    ¡°Good morning, Daddy!¡± The little girl said,ughing as she raised her crescent-shaped eyes and shed two rows of perfectly formed teeth at him.


    ¡°Good morning, Bei Bei!¡±


    Xiao Luo patted her on the head and then began to tuck into his breakfast.


    ¡°Are you the one who did it?¡± Su Li asked, as she got up from her seat and pointed at the office building opposite them.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the one who did it.¡±


    Xiao Luo decided to be upfront as it would be pointless for him to hide it anyway. Su Li very likely already knew it was him by now.


    Luo Pingxiang and Chai Zhiying were stunned and look at Xiao Luo in shock. They thought that this man was simply too violent. To think that he tied up the legs of Zhuo Wei and his group of photographers and just hung them upside down precariously outside a building. And it was likely that they had been hanging there for an entire night too. Just thinking of it made one shiver. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that the rope might just snap or loosen and cause them to fall to their deaths?


    ¡°Who allowed you to do something like this?¡± Su Li screamed.


    She was furious and reacted rather emotionally. ¡°You think you¡¯re all that great just because you¡¯ve learned some martial arts, and can do whatever you want? Not everything in this world can be settled using violence,¡± she cried, ¡°What are you going to do if someone over there dies, and you be some wanted fugitive by the police? Will you only be satisfied when you¡¯ve ruined your entire life? You¡¯re too full of yourself! Next time, just stay out of my business!¡±


    Xiao Luo, who was in the middle of his breakfast, raised his head and smiled wryly. ¡°Excuse me, are you taking my kindness as ill intentions?¡± he asked.


    Su Li opened her eyes wide and was speechless. ¡°Taking his kindness as ill intentions?¡± She was worried about him, afraid that something horrible would happen to him, why couldn¡¯t he understand this?


    Luo Pingxiang interposed to mediate on Su Li¡¯s behalf, and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, sister didn¡¯t mean it that way. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I meant!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s unreasonable temper showed again as she sighed and said, ¡°He is always full of himself, reckless as usual. He¡¯s just arrogant, and does what he likes without considering thew!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°So, it looks like I did something that I should not have done.¡±


    After he finished this sentence, Su Li, Luo Pingxiang, and Chai Zhiying immediately realized that something was not right with Xiao Luo. His vibrations were terrifying and scary.


    ¡°Full of myself? Reckless? Lawless? Barbarian?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed and sneered, ¡°Hahaha, so, deep down I¡¯m this kind of person to you, and here I thought¡­ I thought you actually had feelings too. Nevermind, the next time, regardless of how overwhelming the negative perception is of you, or the insults that people are hurling at you, or even worse, letting others openly view your private life, I will not care anymore!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s words had deeply hurt him. Xiao Luo had only done it in her interest, and to receive such a response from her was nothing short of an insult.


    Su Li stood at the same spot without moving, and she stared right at Xiao Luo, no longer hearing anything else. What did he mean by that? Was hacking into every single major media outlet and forcing Jia Zhengyi to apologize to her, all done by this guy here?


    Had he done so many things for her before without mentioning them to her even once?


    She was suddenly really touched, but as soon as she realized what she had just said to him, she felt ashamed of herself.


    Just what in the world did she say earlier on?


    Su Li was mad at herself for everything she had said.


    ¡°Just bring Xiaobei over to my apartment in the afternoon,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He sounded cold and just turned around and left.


    ¡°Wait¡­ w-wait a moment¡­¡± Su Li stammered.


    ¡°Wait for what? For you to continue insulting me?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Su Li¡¯s body shook a little. The look that Xiao Luo gave broke her heart. How did this happen? She was really concerned about him; why was it that he just couldn¡¯t seem to understand that at all?


    Chai Zhiying rushed towards Xiao Luo. ¡°Hey, you with thest name Xiao. You stay right there and exin yourself clearly. What in the world is going on here?¡± she barked.


    Xiao Luo was in a terrible mood, and Chai Zhiying¡¯s action was no different from taking off his muzzle. He suddenly stopped, and without any warning, swiveled his body around. Whizzing through the air, he swung his right leg toward the side of Chai Zhiying¡¯s head in a split second.


    He was filled with rage and looked like he would kill someone!


    Chai Zhiying froze. All she felt was a gust of wind as Xiao Luo¡¯s right foot stopped right at the left side of her head. The immense power that was behind that kick caused her scalp to turn numb.


    ¡°Daddy, no! Please, Daddy, don¡¯t hurt her!¡±


    Xiao Luo nced over at Su Xiaobei, and he suddenly calmed down. He red at Chai Zhiying and said, ¡°I¡¯ve tolerated you long enough, just listening to your voice gets me very agitated and angry. You better thank Bei Bei this time round. If it wasn¡¯t for her, this leg would have taught you that not everyone is going to allow you to scream and shout at them!¡±


    After saying that, he retracted his leg, opened the door, and left without looking back at all.


    After he left, Chai Zhiying slumped to the floor. She sat in a daze, and cold sweat started to pour like a waterfall as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. It was as if she had just walked past the gate of hell.


    Su Li, on the other hand, felt as if she had just lost her soul. She was drowned in her own sorrow and guilt. She wished she could turn back time. If she could, she would never say such words that would hurt him again.

 Chapter 470 - Im Married

    Chapter 470: I¡¯m Married


    In the afternoon, Su Li brought Su Xiaobei over to Xiao Luo¡¯s apartment before heading for the press conference.


    ¡°I was at fault for what happened this morning, I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± Su Li tried to apologize.


    However, Xiao Luo did not even look at her. He picked up Su Xiaobei and cut Su Li off in the middle of her exnation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize, you did nothing wrong, you were just showing your true nature that¡¯s all,¡± he said.


    What did he mean by showing my true nature?


    Su Li became annoyed all of a sudden. She had already put aside her pride to apologize to him. In truth, this was something she would never do, and it was a first for her, so it wasn¡¯t easy. It was bad enough that her apology had no effect whatsoever; she was even given the cold shoulder¡ªit was like sticking a warm face into a cold b*tt!


    ¡°How narrow-minded!¡±


    She fumed, turned around, and immediately left his apartment. Along with Chai Zhiying and Luo Pingxiang, they headed for the press conference.


    Xiao Luo stared at her and then closed the door. He smiled as he turned his attention to Su Xiaobei and asked, ¡°Is Daddy narrow-minded?¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of narrow-minded?¡± the little girl asked, blinking her huge eyes.


    ¡°It means being ungenerous, shallow, short-sighted, and always being having a suspicious mindset. It also means being a chauvinist when ites to handling trivial matters and many more,¡± Xiao Luo said, waffling as he tried exining to her.


    The little girl shook her head and asked, ¡°Daddy, what does ¡®ungenerous¡¯ and ¡®shallow¡¯ mean?¡±


    There were not many words that she could understand, and she was utterly overwhelmed by those.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go watch some cartoon instead.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I want to watch Logger Vick, Briar and Bramble from Boonie Bears!¡±


    As soon as he mentioned watching cartoons, Su Xiaobei became very animated and started to cheer excitedly.


    ¡­


    At Su Li¡¯s press conference, the hall was packed and bustling with a crowd of people. Personalities from Xiahai Satellite TV and online programs were ready and eager to broadcast the press conference live.


    Xiao Luo was sitting on the sofa, as Su Xiaobei sat on hisp watching cartoons. Xiao Luo, on the other hand, was on his phone watching Su Li¡¯s press conference.


    The woman wore a long orange dress. The slit of her dress reached her thigh, and she tied a red strap around her waist. On her feet, she wore a pair of ck sneakers. They were a casual match, but she looked stylish and was still elegant enough to suffocate any man who looked at her. Especially those pair of slender legs that were long and fair, so enticing it made one have the urge to give it a tiny pinch.


    She stood on the stage covered in red carpet, and there were all kinds of lights beaming down toward her. Reporters were continually taking pictures, causing their cameras to sh non-stop.


    ¡°If any of you have any questions, you can start asking them. Please do so one at a time and I suggest that those of you with questions, please raise your hands for the sake of good order. The girl in the red shirt, you can ask the first question,¡± Chai Zhiying said, as she stood on stage with a microphone in hand. She would ensure that the press conference was run in an orderly manner.


    The girl in the red shirt stood up, looked at Su Li on stage, and asked, ¡°Ms. Su, ording to reliable sources, Huangpu has already terminated their contract with you and they n to drop youpletely. What are your views regarding this matter?¡±


    Su Li thought briefly before she said, ¡°To Huangpu, I¡¯m always grateful for all the things that they¡¯ve done for me. Without them, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am at today.¡±


    Chai Zhiying was really satisfied with the reply Su Li gave and quietly gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Huangpu cut you off when you were at your lowest, and anyone with eyes can tell that something fishy is going on here. I heard that Yang Yuanzhong, one of the shareholders of Huangpu, is in jail now. Does Ms. Su have anything to do with the reason why he¡¯s in jail? Or should I say, is Ms. Su the main reason why he¡¯s in jail, and that¡¯s why Huangpu decided to cut you off and block you in the midst of this public rtions crisis?¡±


    The girl was clearly an experienced reporter. She never asked Su Li if she was married because she knew that some other reporters would eventually ask her this question, which was evidently the most significant topic of this press conference. She was much more interested in digging out other useful and sensational stories.


    When asked those questions, Su Li¡¯s expression turned cold. ¡°I¡¯m not someone who¡¯s really good at pleasing the leaders, and I¡¯ve unintentionally offended many people along the way. I¡¯m still going to say the same thing, that I¡¯m always grateful towards Huangpu,¡± she said, ¡°I only found out not too long ago that Mr. Yang Yuanzhong went to jail. As for what the reason was, I really have no idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather clever reply.¡±


    Xiao Luo murmured to himself, acknowledging that Su Li¡¯s reply was really well thought out. In public, she couldn¡¯t express the hatred she had toward Huangpu. Otherwise, no one from this industry would want to work with her in the future. And all the more, Su Li could not reveal the actual reason why Yang Yuanzhong was in jail. She had to take care and maintain her image at all times, and she just had to keep her head down and see her way through all these questions.


    After the girl in the red shirt finished asking her questions, a tall male reporter was next in line.


    ¡°Ms. Su Li, what are you looking forward to, and do you have any ns for the future?¡± the male reporter asked.


    ¡°To continue acting, continue singing, and do my best to give the audiences a better performance,¡± Su Li replied.


    The other questions were just an assortment of trivial ones, and Su Li answered all of them one by one. Perhaps because the girl in red set the expectations, it seemed everyone took the hint and understood that someone else would ask that most crucial question next. Hence, as they went along, no one touched on that most important topic, but instead, chose to ask about a variety of other issues to dig out more items to report on.


    Chai Zhiying coughed a little and went on the microphone again. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. Su Li will be answering one more question from thest reporter here. It¡¯s about time for Li Li to attend to other matters.¡± She looked around and spotted a male reporter. ¡°Let¡¯s have the guy in the ck color shirt ask his question!¡± she said.


    The reporter stood up, took the microphone a media crew member handed to him, and asked, ¡°Ms. Su, this question is regarding the hot topic that¡¯s on everyone¡¯s mind and has been ongoing with some insane discussions on the inte. What I want to ask is, are you really married? Or are all those discussions just rumors that were spread because some people out there have an ulterior motive?¡±


    This was the question everyone was waiting for, and all the reporters in attendance suddenly went silent and stayed focused.


    Chai Zhiying did not seem to be nervous at all. Although this question was going to determine if Su Li could get out of this crisis, she had already reminded herst night to grit her teeth and deny it, no matter what the consequences. As long as she kept denying it, she would be able to get out of this crisis.


    As soon as the question was asked, Su Li was visibly stunned and could no longer hear anything else inside the venue.


    To admit or to deny¡ªthis was a tough choice for her!


    For her own future promotions and activities, she should deny this without hesitation and maintain the status that she presently had. But now that she was faced with the moment of truth, she started to waver. Because as soon as she denied it, this would mean that she was telling everyone, especially the person in Crescent Bay hotel right now¡ªthat Su Li had been ying the kind of game that kindergarten children yed and that she had no intention to spend the rest of her life with him.


    In her head, she recalled all the things that Xiao Luo has done for her recently and was really touched. Su Li had assumed a cold and aloof demeanor right through the press conference, but when it came to this question, she suddenly eased up and smiled.


    The entire crowd gawked at Su Li and looked at one another, wondering what had happened to her. For Su Li¡¯s reaction seemed odd¡ªshouldn¡¯t she be nervous and perturbed? Why did she suddenly have such a sweet and happy smile on her face?


    ¡°Ms. Su, did you hear my question?¡± the reporter repeated.


    Su Li snapped out of her momentary trance and replied, ¡°I¡¯m married!¡±


    As soon as she gave this reply, the entire venue went dead silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. No one expected such an answer from her.


    On the stage behind Su Li, Chai Zhiying stumbled a little and almost fell. With an incredulous look on her face, she stared at Su Li and just couldn¡¯tprehend why Su Li would have said that.

 Chapter 471 - Competitor

    Chapter 471: Competitor


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioXiao Luo shuddered, and the phone fell from his grasp. He was momentarily shocked but he quickly and picked up the phone again. His brows were furrowed as he watched the live stream of the press conference, with waves of confusion swirling within himself.


    What was this woman up to?


    Was she actually aware of what she was saying, or not?


    Like Chai Zhiying, he could not understand why Su Li chose to say what she did. It was clear that all she needed to do was deny everything, and this scandal would have resolved itself. Instead, she insisted on confirming everything, but to what end? Was she nning on retiring from the entertainment industry?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The press conference fell into a dead silence, and after about four or five seconds, there was a rumble of droning murmurs. The reporters were all whispering to one another, for it was difficult for them to keep calm¡ªthis was just too big a scoop. They were regr people before they became reporters, so, like their readers, it wasn¡¯t unusual that they were deeply invested in the private lives of mega-celebrities like Su Li. They had initially thought that it was impossible to extract any sort of firm statement from Su Li. But as it turned out, as they actually discussed that most critical issue¡ªthe scandal, and Su Li¡¯s response were quickly seen as scandalous.


    It waspletely unexpected, and it was as if they were in a game of ¡°Landlord War,¡± where someone had thrown out a King Bomb just as the game had begun. Everyone¡¯s heads were ringing!


    The male reporter was still in a daze. In a tone thick with disbelief, he asked, ¡°Miss Su, did you just say that you¡¯re already married?¡±


    ¡°You heard right,¡± Su Li acknowledged.


    ¡°Miss Su, do you mind telling us more about your husband?¡±


    ¡°Is he from a rich family from Xiahai?¡±


    ¡°He must be really outstanding to have caught your eye, no?¡±


    The entire crowd suddenly got out of control¡ªit was pandemonium! The reporters did not care if they had already asked their questions, and everybody stood up at the same time, screaming for answers. They threw a relentless barrage of questions at Su Li, question after question.


    Although she did not know why Su Li would confirm the news, Chai Zhiying quickly returned to her senses and quietened the ce. Many of the reporters backed down and cooperated with her, and some order was restored.


    Su Li still held on to the microphone as she stood on the red-carpeted stage, facing the crowd with a rxed smile on her face. ¡°He¡¯s just a regr person, but then, he¡¯s not all that regr, either. I apologize, but I can¡¯t reveal too much about him.¡±


    ¡°Miss Su, I hear that there was a young girl about four or five years of age with the both of you while you were ice-skating at Huijin Building. Was that your daughter?¡± The male reporter who had already asked a question earlier posed another¡ªone that got everyone¡¯s undivided attention.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who gave birth to her, but she¡¯s my daughter!¡± Su Li responded.


    Everybody present in this space had brilliant minds, so how could they not understand the hidden meaning of her response? There was a great scoop here to be had, and it was putting them all on edge.


    But Su Li¡¯s next words had quashed any hope that had begun to grow within them. ¡°I apologize, but I¡¯m unable to reveal anything about her either!¡±


    That was it!


    Chai Zhiying¡¯s face was pale as a sheet. She had called for this press conference to quell the public uproar, but not only had Su Li confirmed that she was already married, but she had also acknowledged the existence of Su Xiaobei. All the rehearsal they had done yesterday had all been for naught.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The press conference finally came to an end, but Xiao Luo could not calm his heart. Su Li¡¯s words and actions had far exceeded his expectations, and the inte was thrown into chaos yet again. Manyizens expressed their dissatisfaction and no longer had any love for her; the Inte was rife with posts andments by people swearing to leave the fandom.


    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m thirsty,¡± Su Xiaobei said. She was lying with her head on hisp and pulled him back from his thoughts with her endearing voice.


    Xiao Luo stroked her tiny face, helping her sit up gently before he went to get her a ss of water.


    The little girl was transfixed by the animated cartoon on the television. She glugged the water, emptying the ss in a few gulps.


    When Xiao Luo sat down on the sofa, shey down once more using hisp as her pillow.


    Not long after, Su Li returned. Seeing Su Xiaobei watch the television as shey on her side, irritated her. She scooped Su Xiaobei up in her arms and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Lying on her side and watching TV isn¡¯t good for her eyes, don¡¯t you know something as simple as this? Are you going to be responsible if she grows up to be short-sighted?¡±


    ¡°She only does this once in a while; it¡¯s not such a big problem,¡± Xiao Luo replied, unperturbed in the face of her criticism.


    ¡°What would you know? Bad habits always start with ¡®once-in-a-whiles,¡¯ and then it¡¯ll be difficult to fix them once the habit is formed,¡± Su Li huffed. She then turned to Su Xiaobei and chided her, ¡°Su Xiaobei, who said you could lie on your side and watch TV? Haven¡¯t I told you before that you have to sit with your back straight when you watch TV? You can¡¯t sit too closely, and you have to take regr breaks so your eyes won¡¯t dry up or be tired. Did you forget everything I¡¯ve said?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again. Don¡¯t be angry, Mommy, and don¡¯t me Daddy anymore,¡± the little girl responded. She spoke in a soft voice and kept a stiff upper lip.


    Su Li could not bring herself to be angry anymore, not at the sight of such a well-behaved and sensible child. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to lie on your side and watch the TV anymore in the future, do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± Su Xiaobei responded and nodded obediently.


    Su Li said no more as she embraced the child tightly in her arms before making their way back to her own residence.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo asked, ¡°Why did you confirm your marriage?¡±


    Su Li froze, stopping in her steps, then she turned and rebuked, ¡°What¡¯s it to you?!¡±


    Then, she walked away without turning back, with Su Xiaobei in tow.


    Xiao Luo sat on the sofa with his brows raised. She had a point; why should he have to know, anyway?


    Suddenly, his phone rang¡ªit was Zhang Dashan calling him.


    ¡°D*mn it man, I have crazy news, really unbelievable news. Dude, have you seen it? Goddess Su is married!¡±


    The instant the call connected, Zhang Dashan¡¯s loud voice rang out. He sounded excited, agitated, and in disbelief¡ªhe was crowing like a rooster.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Xiao Luo said, ¡°You called just to tell me this?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was somewhat taken aback, but he quickly got back to the matter. ¡°Hey, did you hear what I just said? This country¡¯s Goddess Su Li is married, she¡¯s married! Big boss, this is the scoop of the year,¡± he cried.


    ¡°Celebrities are human too, getting married is a normal thing. What¡¯s there to be surprised about?¡± Xiao Luo responded, sounding a little harsh and stern.


    ¡°F*ck, man, what¡¯s going on with you? I leave you for a bit and already we¡¯re not on the same page anymore, you c*nt!¡± Zhang Dashan shot back, running his mouth carelessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop beating around the bush and get right to it.¡±


    Xiao Luo changed the topic. He couldn¡¯t tell Zhang Dashan that he was the one that Su Li was married to, knowing that both of them would part ways in the future. So, informing Zhang Dashan would just be a waste of time. Instead, Xiao Luo changed the subject. ¡°Manager Lee reported to me about the situation of the factory¡¯s construction. It¡¯s half-built and the equipment has already been purchased as well. Each store¡¯s renovation can bepleted within a month, which means to say that Luo¡¯s Workshop will be able to officially set up shop in Xiahai City,¡± he said, ¡°There are no funding issues with Jiangcheng, are there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, things are stable on my side. I might as well just go whore myself out if I can¡¯t even get something like this done,¡± Zhang Dashan replied, patting his chest as if to assure Xiao Luo on the other end of the line.


    ¡°That settles it then!¡±


    Xiao Lu heaved a sigh of relief, but then frowned again at the thought of Su Li being hispetitor in Xiahai City.

 Chapter 472 - Gathering

    Chapter 472: Gathering


    The next day, when Xiao Luo was browsing through the major news websites with his phone, he was surprised to find a public opinion poll published that was swaying in favor of Su Li. There were more and more voices supporting her, and they were drowning out the negativements.


    ¡°Good of Goddess Su, unlike certain celebrities who are already married but will never admit it. Goddess Su is different, she¡¯s honest to fans like us. She really treats us like we¡¯re her friend, and not like we¡¯re a bunch of monkeys she can manipte like puppets. I support you, my goddess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Goddess Su is still our ¡®Goddess¡¯ even if she¡¯s married because she treats us sincerely.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Celebrities are also people, and they have to get married too. Goddess Su is at that age where marriage is a natural next step. She was brave enough to admit it honestly, and this is praiseworthy.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, I wish Goddess Su all the best!¡±


    ¡°Please be happy, dear goddess, we¡¯re waiting for your little baby to be born, hehe¡­¡±


    The main page of Weibo was flooded with positivements, and her number of fans surged to 80 million overnight, which was a million more than the number of fans Su Li had at her peak.


    Xiao Luo was stunned¡ªthis was unbelievable! He had initially thought that this would be Su Li¡¯s fall from grace, one that was impossible to recover from, but instead, this issue had turned out to be a blessing and not a cursed. She was even more popr now than ever.


    Xiao Luo decided to head over to Su Li¡¯s apartment that very moment. Chai Zhiying and Luo Pingxiang were already there, and they were excited beyond measure because of how the opinion poll had swayed. But Su Li was aloof as always as if she could not care less. There was not a shred of emotion on her face.


    Xiao Luo could not help himself. ¡°When you publicly confirmed your marriage in front of the crowd yesterday, you didn¡¯t know that something like this would happen, did you?¡± he asked.


    Su Li took a bite of the breakfast that Aunt Lee had prepared. ¡°I wasn¡¯t 100% certain,¡± she replied.


    Huh?


    Indeed, this woman had thought things through!


    Xiao Luo was startled. Suddenly, the impression he had of Su Li had morphed into one that waspelling beyond what words could describe. Both he and Chai Zhiying had thought that the act of denying these rumors would reap the best oue, but Su Li had insisted on doing just the opposite. And, now that the truth was out, her method had been proven right.


    ¡°I thought about denying it, but there are too many precedents that have proven that denying has nosting effect. Sooner orter, someone will manage to discover proof of my marriage, so I might as well just confirm it.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s red lips parted slightly as she exined, ¡°It¡¯s precisely because too many people have denied their marriages that my candor was like a breath of fresh air that took people by surprise, and subsequently gained their favor. I wasn¡¯t 100% sure it would work because of the same reason you guys brought up¡ªmarriage was definitely something that would cost female celebrities their poprity.¡±


    ¡°So, you were taking a gamble?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li nodded. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and inquired, ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared of losing this gamble?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prepared myself for the worst-case scenario. At worst, I¡¯ll just focus on managing Sumir in the future,¡± she replied.


    Xiao Luo could not help butugh when he heard this. He mulled over it for a while, and then said, ¡°When I was in Jiangcheng, I heard that Luo Workshop, based there, would be moving into Xiahai City this year. Luo Workshop and your Sumir are both in the same bakery business, so both houses will definitely be inpetition. Have you ever thought about¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about whether Sumir will be defeated by Luo Workshop?¡± Su Li interjected.


    Xiao Luo coughed drily. ¡°More or less,¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh, if Luo Workshop dares barge into Xiahai City, I guarantee they¡¯ll suffer a crushing defeat!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Su Li who spoke; it was Chai Zhiying. Thetter had her hands balled up tightly into fists, brimming with confidence as if victory was already in her grasp.


    Su Li nced at Xiao Luo, then added, ¡°I¡¯ll admit that Luo Workshop is the biggest bakery in Jiangcheng, but they won¡¯t have a market in Xiahai City.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Xiao Luo asked, probing out of curiosity.


    Su Li sipped her ss of warm milk, then set the cup down and picked up the napkin to elegantly dab at her lips. ¡°The people of Xiahai are loyal customers. They¡¯re used to spending their money on Sumir and have epted my brand. In the past, there had been apany like Luo Workshop who tried to stick a finger into the pie. However, two months after their entry, they packed up on their own ord, closing down all their stores and leaving. I didn¡¯t even lift a linger.¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that even if Luo Workshop dares to enter, they¡¯ll definitely fail?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°If the pastry they produce is novel enough and the taste unique enough, then I think they¡¯llst longer than the previouspany had.¡± There was a trace of cold indifference to Su Li¡¯s expression.


    Xiao Luo could not decide if he shouldugh or cry; he thought this woman was a little too confident. ¡°Oh, I see. Hmm, let¡¯s finish up our breakfast.¡±


    As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and snagged a sunny-side-up to munch on.


    ¡°Why are you suddenly asking me all these questions?¡± Su Li asked, somewhat puzzled.


    ¡°No reason in particr. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    Xiao Luo changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why you got me to work at Shen Qingyan¡¯spany when you have Sumir under your name.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s face morphed into an expression of displeasure when she heard what he said. ¡°Do you want people to think of you as a sugar baby?¡±


    She was livid. So, this man was still hung up over herpany¡ªwhat an unambitious and useless man he was! Why could he not start up a booming business of his own and stand on his own two feet as a decent man should?


    ¡°Enough of all that, let¡¯s eat!¡± Xiao Luo chuckled awkwardly as he continued eating.


    ¡°Mommy, but Daddy and I both love sugar. Being a sugar baby is nice, and much better than being a bitter baby,¡± Su Xiaobei pitched in, blinking innocently at the two of them.


    Xiao Luo almost spat out his mouthful of food. He stroked her little head as he corrected, ¡°Darling, next time you can say that Daddy is a sweet baby if you want, not a ¡®sugar baby.¡¯ Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, isn¡¯t a sugar baby the same thing as a sweet baby?¡± The child could notprehend.


    ¡°Eh¡­no, no it isn¡¯t,¡± Xiao Luo replied, giving her a mock look of anxiety as he waved his hands about in disavowal.


    Su Xiaobei scratched her head and had confusion written all over her little face.


    ¡°A sugar baby is a sugar baby, and a sweet baby is a sweet baby. The first one has a bad meaning that degrades the person you¡¯re talking about, and the other refers to babies like you,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    ¡°Pft~.¡±


    Su Li could not help but giggle as she watched him seriously exin the difference to Su Xiaobei. When Xiao Luo looked over, she quickly stoppedughing and regained her usual cold edge.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo headed out in the evening, but only because Guan Tong invited him for a gathering.


    The two of them used to be ssmates and were now colleagues, in name, at least, so there was no reason for Xiao Luo not to allocate some time for him. Besides, he had wanted to head out for some fresh air anyway.


    He quickly drove to the pin location that Guan Tong had sent him. Immediately, Xiao Luo caught sight of Guan Tong standing outside the bar. The man was dressed rather fashionably this time. Though he had a thick waist and was quite plump, dressing up a little made him look rather dashing.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you b*stard, you¡¯rete!¡± Guan Tong ranted as he immediately headed over to greet Xiao Luo when he spotted him.


    Xiao Luo knew this was just how he spoke, and the man was not really cursing at him at all. He looked up and saw the bar in front of them. ¡°You didn¡¯t call me down here to go bar hopping with you, did you?¡±


    ¡°You b*stard, why else would I be standing here if not to bar-hop?¡±


    Guan Tong smacked Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, then said, ¡°You¡¯re all chummy with Old Zhang and he¡¯s quite the experienced man himself, so both of you must have gone round picking up girls at bars regrly. Stop ying dumb with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless. In all honesty, he did have a good rtionship with Zhang Dashan, but he did not indulge himself with the other man¡¯s sordid interests.

 Chapter 473 - What Was She Doing Here?

    Chapter 473: What Was She Doing Here?


    No. 88!


    That was the name of the bar. It was quite a unique name, one that wasn¡¯t easy to forget.


    The blue stonewalls and dark brown wooden furniture created a grand ambiance, not unlike that of old European castles, and it was more than enough to attract arge crowd of patrons willing to spend their money here.


    The moment Xiao Luo and Guan Tong stepped into the bar, a wave of soothing music filled their ears. It was not deafening rave music but a soft piano melody; the piece was a Western one, too, and it quickly soothed frazzled hearts.


    ¡°Life, in this day and age,es with way too much stress. You¡¯ll go crazy if you don¡¯t find a way to unwind during your free time,¡± said Guan Tong.


    Xiao Luo begged to differ. ¡°There are a lot of ways to de-stress. You could try jogging, listening to music, and watching a movie, things like that. Must you choose a ce like this?¡± he said.


    Guan Tong shook his head. ¡°The wise Ji Gong once said that wine and meat could pass through your body as long as you kept Buddha in your heart. What it means is that anything will work out as long as you stay true to yourself. We¡¯re here at the bar to reduce our stress, not to pick up girls. Of course, it¡¯s great if we do manage to pick up one or two of them,¡± he opined.


    ¡°Not every girl whoes here is a bad girl, but a decentdy would absolutely note to a ce like this. Are you sure you want to meet somebody here?¡±


    Xiao Luo sat in front of the bar and asked for a cold drink from the bartender. He had to driveter, and besides, he was not particrly fond of alcohol and hated the taste of it, really. So, he settled for a cold drink instead.


    ¡°You b*stard, there you go saying things that I can¡¯t dismiss just because you¡¯ve read a little more,¡± Guan Tong said, ¡°Bartender, a whiskey for me.¡± He sat beside Xiao Luo, ordering his usual.


    Xiao Luo said nothing more. He sipped on his drink and looked around the room. The air around him was saturated with a blend of perfume and alcohol, and the chatter of dirty talk and forcedughter lingered in his ear. Such an environment was making him somewhat ufortable.


    Were it not for Guan Tong, he would not want to say here a second longer.


    At this moment, he received a message on his phone. It was from team leader Qiu Yuanjie, the officer-in-charge of the anti-MLM task force. There were but a few rows of text which read: ¡°A Managing Director-level figure will be at No. 88 at 9 p.m. My team¡¯s already gathered and ready to move out. Mr. Xiao, will you be working with us this time?¡±


    At the level of Managing Director?


    That meant that they were quite close to finding ¡°Fog¡± already.


    Xiao Luo was pleasantly surprised when he realized that No. 88 was this very bar, and he could not help but think that arriving at the right moment was better thaning ahead of time. He replied immediately: ¡°I¡¯m already at No. 88, send the information on the Managing Director to my phone.¡±


    Guan Tong frowned, showing his displeasure. ¡°You addicted or something? We¡¯re here at the bar to de-stress, why are you still messing around on your phone, you b*stard?¡± he scowled.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You think our stress levels are gonna go down just because we listen to a little music and drink a little here?¡± he rebutted.


    ¡°Wrong. We have to pick up girls as well. Watch!¡±


    Guan Tong shook his head defiantly, and then turned around and whistled at ady with a killer body. ¡°Hey, beautiful, you here alone?¡±


    Thedy huffed in derision at him, then turned away and walked off without looking back, swaying her hips as she strutted off.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face looked incredulous. ¡°This how you seduce girls?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah, picking up girls is not so much about the results as it is the thrill of the chase. I enjoy the process of flirting with them. Look at me, I¡¯m all game for whistling at any random beautifuldy. Are you?¡± Guan Tong dered. Then he promptly downed a mouthful of whiskey.


    Xiao Luo was stunned. A single word popped up in his head, and it was undoubtedly apt for his boisterous friend¡ªsucker!


    Guan Tong was just like Zhang Dashan with his crude personality, but he was still a far cry from thetter in this respect. At least the other man was bold enough to actually pick up girls at the bar. Guan Tong was only doing this for self-entertainment and amusement. He even found himself thinking that Guan Tong¡¯s actions made him look like an idiot, much less what other strangers thought!


    ¡°Then, you continue seducing them.¡±


    Xiao Luo heaved a sigh, then paid him no attention as he continued sipping on his drink.


    And Guan Tong really did carry on with his so-called ¡°seduction,¡± whistling at passing girls and throwing out the same line, ¡°Hey beautiful, you here alone?¡±


    He was met with a lot of eye-rolling. One of the girls he tried to pick up had even told her friends that she had ¡°run into an idiot.¡±


    Xiao Luo put his hand on his forehead. He desperately wanted to stick abel to himself that read, ¡°I don¡¯t know this guy!¡±


    This was embarrassing!


    Could the guy do something more practical?


    Like bringing a drink over to ady, then sitting down and having a friendly chat about life. Wasn¡¯t this was much better than whistling?


    Guan Tong was not the least bit perturbed, and all the rejection was not making bored of his attempts. Every time someone rolled her eyes at him, his heart was filled with immense satisfaction, and he became excited.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you bastard, this fairy of a chick is walking towards me. She must¡¯ve been blown away by my charm and my handsome face, probably taking the initiative to make friends with me. Wow, to think I¡¯m actually going to be seduced for a change. Wait¡­what should I say? If I sleep with her tonight, then what are the specifics of it gonna be like? Bastard, you and Old Zhang are so chummy so you¡¯d have learned a trick or two, right? Quick, teach me something.¡±


    Guan Tong suddenly grew excited. His gaze was fixed on her, but his hands were clutching tightly onto Xiao Luo, looking squirmish and nervous¡ªlike ady stepping onto a litter for the first time.


    Xiao Luo really wanted to say, ¡°You think a woman¡¯s gonna make a move to seduce you when you look like this? Are you really this dense?¡±


    Of course, Xiao Luo was afraid of hurting his friend¡¯s feelings and did not speak his mind. He only asked, ¡°So, where is she?¡±


    ¡°D*mn, are you blind or something? She¡¯s right there.¡± Guan Tong pointed towards her.


    Xiao Luo followed his finger and looked in the same direction, and he could not help but freeze¡­


    She was a stunner¡ªshe had a neat short cut that fell to her ears, slightly obscuring her mesmerizing and delicate countenance. She looked flushed somewhat, likely the effects of alcohol, but it didn¡¯t take away anything from her charm and attraction.


    F*ck¡­


    What was she doing here?


    Even someone as cultured as Xiao Luo would be hardpressed not to curse in a situation like this.


    Because the girl he saw was no ordinary person¡ªshe was none other than Chu Yue, daughter of Chu Yunxiong, who was currently studying at Huaye University in Jiangcheng!


    Her white off-shoulder dress hugged her in all the right ces, entuating her slender her arms and ample chest;cy patterns traced the curves of her graceful waist and extended down to re into a puffy skirt. The skirt was covered with ayer of chiffon, which glittered a pale gold, making her look every bit like the daughter of a magnate. She had perfume in her hair and powder on her cheeks, and her chest and hips filled the dress well.


    She looked elegant and pure, like a lotus drifting on clear water!


    What kind of situation was this? Why was she here all the way in Xiahai city, much less in a bar?


    Xiao Luo felt like he was really down on his luck today. He hurriedly turned away, in case Chu Yue recognized him.


    But it was already toote. The reason Chu Yue hade over was that she had seen him, and she had be even more certain that this was the boy she had been pining over the moment he turned away. She quickened her steps.


    ¡°She¡¯sing over, she¡¯s walking over really quickly. My God, what¡¯s the hurry? Is she really that smitten with my dashing face and charming personality?¡±


    Guan Tong¡¯s heart was about to leap out of his chest. It was like a dreame true. He hade to the bar just to try his luck and did not expect that he would really be meeting such a girl here, much less one who was making a move on him. And to top it all, she was a girl of such unparalleled beauty.


    ¡°Hey there, beautiful, my name is¡­¡± He extended a hand out to Chu Yue to introduce himself.


    Chu Yue did not even spare him a nce as she strode past him. All he could smell was a passing waft of her fragrance, which dissipated as quickly as it hit his nostrils.

 Chapter 474 - Love Confession

    Chapter 474: Love Confession


    Hell, what is happening? Isn¡¯t she here to get to know me?


    Guan Tong found himself in a very awkward situation and felt rather self-conscious when his face visibly flushed to a brilliant red. The pretty, innocent-looking girl he had been eyeing walked right up to Xiao Luo and stood next to him, gazing at him with goo-goo eyes.


    Oh, my fr*ckin¡¯ god, this is so embarrassing!


    He absolutely did not expect that the girl was going for his friend, Xiao Luo¡ªwhat a scumbag he is!


    He quickly pretended like he was taking a call, and inwardly, he patted himself on the back for his shrewdness.


    Chu Yue took a hard look at the man in front of her. Yes, she was sure it was him and was pleasantly surprised, never expecting she would meet him here. ¡°Preten¡­ Xiao Luo, it is really you! It¡¯s great. I¡¯ve finally found you!¡±


    If Bai Ling saw this, she¡¯d be shocked beyond words¡ªwasn¡¯t this the same Princess Yue who was always sticking pins into a voodoo doll to curse Xiao Luo? How did she suddenly transform into such a littlemb?


    Did they know each other?


    Guan Tong was startled, but he then kept hisposure and listened in closely, trying to figure out what was really happening.


    Since Chu Yue had already seen him, Xiao Luo decided there wasn¡¯t any point in pretending any further. He turned around and shot a nce at her, feigning surprise. ¡°Miss Chu, why aren¡¯t you staying put in Jiangcheng, and what are you doing here in Xiahai?¡± he asked, ¡°Besides, this is a bar, don¡¯t you know that this kind of ce is a little sleazy and dangerous for you?¡±


    ¡°You ¡­ so, you care about me after all.¡±


    Chu Yue nuzzled against him and ced her hand on Xiao Luo¡¯s arm, stroking it lightly, and staring at him with adoring eyes.


    ¡°I am quite close to Mister Chu, and you are his daughter. Since we happen to bump into each other in this city, it¡¯s only normal for me to express my concern, right?¡± Xiao Luo did not want her to get the wrong impression.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Chu Yue muttered a response, and disappointment washed over her face.


    Suddenly, two heavily-built men wearing suits and ties marched toward them. When they saw Chu Yue standing so close to a man, a look of concern showed on both their faces, but when they realized that the man was Xiao Luo, their expressions changed instantly, and they looked at him in bewilderment.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao?¡± The two men called out simultaneously.


    ¡°Messrs Xiang, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Xiao Luo greeted them warmly.


    The two men were the bodyguards whom Chu Yunxiong had hired to protect Chu Yue¡ªXiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian.


    ¡°Yeah, I did not expect that Mister Xiao wouldnd up in Xiahai to further your career.¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang sighed. It was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise to see Xiao Luo again, as they used to protect Chu Yue together. They were once colleagues, yet now Xiao Luo was the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop, and he was still a bodyguard. He had mixed feelings, for although he was satisfied with his current job, he was amazed by how different two men¡¯s fate could be.


    ¡°Just trying to get by.¡±


    Xiao Luo said humbly, then he asked, ¡°What brings you guys and Miss Chu to Xiahai? And, of all ce, to a bar like this? It must be because the capricious Miss Chu wanted to have a look at what a bar looks like, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Hearing what he said, Chu Yue pouted her lips and retorted, ¡°You pretentious d*ck, I am not capricious. I¡¯m here to meet with a venture capitalist!¡±


    Being annoyed brought out her true nature, and she immediately addressed Xiao Luo the way she used to.


    ¡°A venture capitalist? So you¡¯ve taken over Mister Chu¡¯spany? Xiao Luo asked, smirking with an incredulous look on his face.


    Chu Yue lifted her chin defiantly. ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t want that old fool¡¯spany; I¡¯m not interested in the catering industry,¡± she said, ¡°I know a guy who knows a lot about venture capital; he once emptied a small country¡¯s treasury with just a hundred thousand yuan. After hearing about his story, I¡¯ve decided to invest the two hundred thousand yuan I earned from my live broadcasting business in him, and he will run the operation for me.¡±


    Venture capitalist? Investment? Operation?


    Xiao Luo frowned. Why was it that he couldn¡¯t help feeling that Chu Yue had fallen into a marketing scam from what he heard? Besides, a multi-level marketing executive, supposedly at a manager level, would be here shortly. Was he the venture capitalist mentioned by Chu Yue, perhaps?


    ¡°Does Mister Chu know about it?¡± Xiao Luo asked, turning to Xiang Gaoyang.


    Xiang Gaoyang bowed his head slightly and replied, ¡°Yes, Mr. Xiao, our boss knows about this, but ¡­¡±


    He did not finish the sentence but smiled wryly, and his subtle expression spoke for itself. Evidently, Chu Yunxiong must have already known that it was a trap. Perhaps, he did not stop Chu Yue from attending because he wanted her to learn a lesson and realize how dark the world could be.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he took a sip of his cold beverage. ¡°Miss Chu, this is a dangerous ce; you should go back to Jiangcheng,¡± he said.


    ¡°Humph, I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    Chu Yue moved closer and sat right next to him in front of the bar.


    The young bartender smiled and asked, ¡°Pretty girl, what can I get you?¡±


    ¡°Champagne, please,¡± Chu Yue said.


    ¡°Coming right up.¡±


    The bartender poured the sparkling wine into a fluted ss and served it to Chu Yue.


    After taking a sip, Chu Yue turned to look fawningly at Xiao Luo, and her eyes sparkled with passion. ¡°Pretentious d*ck, everyone misses you, why wouldn¡¯t youe back to visit?¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo chuckled. ¡°I have things that need to be done on my own, and you guys have to finish your studies too. Anyway, what can I do if I go back?¡± he replied.


    ¡°No matter how you define yourself, you would always be a member of our ss. Do you know? The day you left without telling us, everyone cried. Even though we won first ce in the choirpetition, everyone was very sad because you left, the first ce didn¡¯t give us any joy, not even a little bit!¡± Chu Yue said. Once again, she gently ced her fair, soft palm on the back of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand in an intimate way.


    Xiao Luo moved his hand away, took a sip of his cold beverage, and said, ¡°Time will heal everything.¡±


    Chu Yue articted her cherry lips, finding courage from the effects of the drink. ¡°No, time will never erase you from my heart,¡± she mumbled.


    Shut the front door! Was this innocent girl confessing her love to the scumbag, Xiao Luo?


    Guan Tong, sitting next to Xiao Luo, was burning up with jealousy and envy.


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian exchanged nces, giving each other wry smiles. Their young mistress had already rejected more than thirty other guys, and she was evidently devoted to Xiao Luo. They inwardly identified with Chu Yue¡¯s pick because Xiao Luo was indeed a very outstanding man.


    Xiao Luo stared nkly at Chu Yue¡¯s blushing cheeks and changed the subject. ¡°You can¡¯t hold your liquor, huh, already drunk after a few sips?¡± he teased.


    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m not drunk!¡±


    ¡°Normally, a drunk person wouldn¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m not drunk. Can you not change the subject?¡±


    ¡°Err, sure.¡±


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck, do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say at all?¡±


    Chu Yue felt that she was about to lose it¡ªshe was already very straightforward; why wouldn¡¯t Xiao Luo give her any response?


    At that moment, a heavily-built man swaggered up to the bar counter and sat right next to her.


    ¡°Miss, can I buy you a drink?¡±


    He ogled at Chu Yue, and his lecherous eyes pored over every inch of her body, astounded by what he saw. What a big surprise running into such a stunning girl in a bar like this. Without waiting for Chu Yue to respond, he immediately told the young bartender, ¡°A ss of Margarita for this beautifuldy, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. A moment please.¡± The bartender replied.


    ¡°Miss, let¡¯s get to know each other. You can call me, Johnny!¡±


    This licentious man was obviously a skilled pickup artist, a regr in bars like these. He obviously had a lot of practice in presenting himself as a very cultured man. ¡°Do you know why I ordered a Margarita for you? That¡¯s because it suits an innocent, beautiful girl like you the best. It has a rich taste,ced with the unique fragrance from fruit and tequ. It has a sweet and sour taste, and it is very refreshing. I promise you¡¯ll definitely like it.¡±

 Chapter 475 - You Bully Me

    <h2>Chapter 475: You Bully Me</h2>


    Chu Yue was immediately turned off by his cheesy pick-up line, and her gut instinct told her to brush him off. But an idea popped up in her mischievous mind¡ªshe could use the man to test Xiao Luo, she thought. Chu Yue could not believe that Xiao Luo didn¡¯t feel for her.


    ¡°Oh? Does it really taste that unique? I must try it then.¡±


    Chu Yue moved closer to the man on purpose, lifted the ss of margarita, and took a sip. ¡°Mmm, it is really good!¡± she eximed.


    The man was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. He was visibly delighted with Chu Yue¡¯s reaction. He did not expect that the attractive girl in front of him would take the bait so readily. His brazen eyes pored over Chu Yue licentiously and asked, ¡°This is your first time in a bar, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Chu Yue said, surprised.


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt chuckled. ¡°Because I am good at physiognomy,¡± he replied.


    He moved his chair closer to Chu Yu, and he was literally all over her. Chu Yue furrowed her brows as the man¡¯s breath reeked of alcohol, and she felt the urge to push him away. However, when she caught sight of Xiao Luo out of the corner of her eye, she was utterly disappointed. There was no expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face; in fact, he looked disinterested and seemed to be unconcerned that she was cozying up to another man. Chu Yue seethed and started to hold a grudge against Xiao Luo.


    Watching closely, Xiang Gaojian became agitated and had rage written all over his face. He was ready to step in to teach the guy a lesson, but Xiang Gaoyang raised his hand and stopped him.


    Xiang Gaoyang was good at observing people, and he was much more aware of the chemistry between a man and a woman than Xiang Gaojian. It was evident that their young mistress was putting up a show for Xiao Luo. The only person who needed to step forward and stop her was Xiao Luo and not either of them. It wasn¡¯t a wise move on their part to hold Miss Chu back, or she would most definitely make their lives a living hellter on.


    Chu Yue put up with the suggestive signals that the man in the Hawaiian shirt was giving her and pretended to act curious. ¡°Oh, you can perform physiognomy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m not only good at physiognomy, but also palmistry.¡±


    The man boasted and sniggered excitedly. ¡°How about you let me have a look at your hand? I can tell you about your love life and your future luck, they¡¯re urate,¡± he said.


    ¡°Great, then tell me about my love life!¡± Chu Yue replied, extending her palm to him.


    Chu Yue stole a nce at Xiao Luo, sitting beside her, as she held her fair and delicate hand out.


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt took her hand, ran his thumb across her palm, and chuckled. ¡°You have a very long heart line, and it has lots of thin branches that are intertwined with the fate line, that means your Mr. Right has arrived, and he is in this bar,¡± he dered.


    ¡°Who is it? Who is it?¡±


    Chu Yue asked excitedly and seemed totally taken by the trickster in the Hawaiian shirt. Of course, what she really hoped for was rather for him to mention Xiao Luo¡¯s name.


    ¡°Seemingly far away, but close at hand!¡±


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt threw his head sideways, flicking the bangs covering his forehead. ¡°Miss, your Mr. Right is me, it could only be fate that brought us here together in this sea of faces. The moment Iid eyes on your beautiful face, you captured my heart,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡± Chu Yue smiled nervously as soon as she heard that. She immediately lost interest in pursuing her charade and pulled her hand away. Then, she sheepishly continued sipping on the margarita.


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt suddenly put his hand on Chu Yue¡¯s shoulder and pulled her into his arms.


    Chu Yue bolted up in shock. She couldn¡¯t pretend any longer and screamed, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt did not let Chu Yue go but pulled her even closer. Heughed and became more obnoxious. ¡°Miss, do you know what it means by ¡®putting seven fishbones on a leaf?''¡± he uttered sciously.


    Chu Yue was shocked and exasperated. ¡°I don¡¯t know, let go of me now,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you if you don¡¯t know.¡±


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt gave her a lewd smile and exined, ¡°I¡¯m sure you enjoy a good pun. ¡®Leaf¡¯ and ¡®night¡¯ have the same sound, and so does ¡®fishbone¡¯ and ¡®times.¡¯ This phrase means that I can nail a girl seven times on the same night,¡± he said, ¡°So, let¡¯s go get a room, I can make you fly all night, hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a shameless scumbag! Let go of me, get your hands off me¡­ Xiang Gaoyang, Xiang Gaojian, what are you standing there like idiots for? Come and teach this lecher a lesson!¡± Chu Yue cried. She struggled with all her might, but her tormentor refused to release her and was even now groping her. How could she put up with that?


    Xiang Gaoyang realized that the situation had gone out of hand, and he had to act.


    He hurriedly stepped up and grabbed the man in the Hawaiian shirt by the shoulder. As his fingers tightened, the man started crying out in pain. Then, Xiang Gaoyang kicked him on his chest, sending him flying some two or three meters and falling hard on the floor.


    Chu Yue was badly shaken, and she quickly hid behind Xiang Gaoyang.


    ¡°Miss, don¡¯t be scared, we are here!¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang quicklyforted her and, at the same time, looked quizzically at Xiao Luo, who was still sitting in front of the bar, drinking his beverage. He thought to himself, does Xiao Luo not like Miss Chu at all? Miss Chu is being molested, and yet he doesn¡¯t care.


    Chu Yue red at Xiao Luo furiously and yelled, ¡°Pretentious d*ck, you ¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why is it about me, who asked you to provoke him?¡± Xiao Luo responded, giving her a puzzled look.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ that was because ¡­¡±


    Chu Yue was miserable. She could not articte her intentions, and finally, all that she coulde up with was: ¡°You bully me!¡±


    When she said that, her eyes began to turn red as they started to well up.


    Xiao Luo frowned. He shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°Who¡¯s the one bullying you? The one who did is lying on the floor behind you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, you bully me!¡± Chu Yue screamed. In her fury, she became unreasonable and made a scene. She resolved to put all the me for the trauma she¡¯d been through on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Luo did not know what to say.


    Guan Tong, who was sitting by his side, was dumbfounded. He wondered what the hell was going on. A cute girl was openly flirting with Xiao Luo, and that *sshole just shunned her. Oh, my god, does he always need to be so bad*ss? Where does it leave me then? Are people really so different?


    At that very moment, Xiao Luo was like a god to him.


    ¡°Brother Ping!¡±


    Suddenly, more than a dozen heavily-built men surrounded them, and they helped the man in the Hawaiian shirt up.


    ¡°You guys are here just in time, I want those two *ssholes¡¯ hands and legs chopped off. And take the girl with us, I¡¯m gonna make her cry tonight!¡± The man in the Hawaiian shirt yelled. He was furious, and since she couldn¡¯t be persuaded, then he¡¯d use brute force instead. The pretty young girl in front of him would be his.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give a fair warning, don¡¯t look for trouble!¡± Xiang Gaoyang said.


    ¡°You motherf*cker! Everyone, go kick their *sses!¡± the man in the Hawaiian shirt shouted.


    Seven or eight men pounced on Chu Yue¡¯s bodyguards, and some even took knives out of their pockets. They looked cruel and dangerous and meant to do grievous harm.


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian were not intimidated at all. Instead, they charged toward their assants, and soon, fists were flying everywhere. The thugs were no match for the military veterans, and they were all bashed up in no time. Within thirty seconds, those men were all lying on the floor, crying out in pain.

 Chapter 476 - Got drunk

    <h2>Chapter 476: Got drunk</h2>


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt soon realized he had gotten himself into trouble. He broke out in a cold sweat, lowering his posture, and said cringingly, ¡°I am terribly sorry I offended you. P-please, be the bigger person¡­ I beg you, forgive us for our rudeness this time.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, you can f*ck off!¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang thundered. He¡¯d had enough with this sort of rogues.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­ I¡¯m leaving right now!¡±


    The man in the Hawaiian shirt repeatedly nodded. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief, having escaped from a tense situation, and ordered his men who were sprawling on the ground to leave the ce quickly.


    After they walked out of the bar, one of his men, indignant at being beaten up, said, ¡°Brother Ping, are we just going to let them off after what they¡¯ve done to us?¡±


    ¡°What, let them off?¡± the man in the Hawaiian shirt sneered.


    ¡°Huh! Do you think that even crossed my mind?¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m contacting my cousin right away and will ask him to bring over 30 men. I will not stop until I score that chick tonight!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. With your cousin giving us a helping hand, we¡¯ll surely kill those two guys.¡±


    ¡°Of course! My cousin was formerly the hall master of the Dragon Gang in Jiangcheng. Once, when the Dragon Gang was still making a name for itself, he shed his way from the dock to the customs building all by himself. He killed so many people that even the edge of his machete became blunt. If hees, those two bast*rds are going to die for sure!¡±


    Whenever he spoke about his cousin, the man in the Hawaiian shirt felt immensely proud. If it weren¡¯t for his cousin backing him up, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to recruit so many followers, nor behave like an overlord bullying whoever he wished.


    ¡­


    ¡°Pretentious d*ck, I hate you!¡±


    Chu Yue was miserable, and she continued to sip on her cocktail to ease her broken heart. She had dearly missed Xiao Luo, and he was ever in her heart. Yet, when Chu Yue finally found him again, he did not even care that she was cozying up to someone else, which really cut deep. Chu Yue had been pining for him endlessly, and she had dearly looked forward to meeting Xiao Luo again. But when the moment finally came, it was not the oue she had sought, and she was aggrieved and discouraged.


    ¡°Miss Chu, you¡¯ve had enough already. No more, please. Or, you¡¯ll get drunk. You don¡¯t want to be carried home, right?¡± Xiao Luo warned her.


    ¡°Huh! It¡¯s none of your business!¡±


    Chu Yue was fuming, and she just carried on drinking. It was evident that she was going to get herself drunk.


    Xiao Luo looked at Xiang Gaoyang and his colleague. ¡°Gentlemen, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?¡± he said.


    Xiang Gaoyang sheepishly gave him a wry smile. Of course, they wanted to stop her, but they both knew that Miss Chu was throwing a tantrum now. If they dared to say anything, it would be nothing short of suicide.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, could you please help us to persuade her?¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang handed the challenging task of convincing their young mistress to Xiao Luo. Smiling and justifying his request, he said, ¡°Miss Chu only listens to you.¡±


    Chu Yue curled her lips in defiance. ¡°What nonsense! I hardly visit a bar¡­ I will drink my fill! Don¡¯t you guys try to prevent me!¡± she slurred. Her cheeks turned red after consuming a fair amount of drinks, and her eyes looked a little unfocused.


    Xiao Luo looked at her, somewhat agitated. ¡°You want an answer, right?¡± he asked.


    In response, Chu Yue did not speak but only pouted her lips and looked at him ruefully.


    ¡°Okay. Let me tell you then¡ªI¡¯m already married. That¡¯s my answer, so are you satisfied?¡± Xiao Luo said. He then showed the ring on the third finger of his left hand to Chu Yue.


    He was married?


    Chu Yue, Xiang Gaoyang, Xiang Gaojian react to his revtion in shock¡ªeven Guan Tong was stunned since no one ever thought Xiao Luo was married.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! You¡­ you¡¯re just bluffing me, aren¡¯t you? Yes, you must be lying to me!¡± Chu Yue cried. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Why should I lie to you?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not so silly as to do that.¡±


    He decisively cut off Chu Yue¡¯s affections. She deserved a man who would love and dote on her, and it wasn¡¯t going to be him.


    ¡°No way, how could you get married? Don¡¯t tell me that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yup, I just got married this year,¡± Xiao Luo interjected.


    Chu Yue¡¯s body was quaking as she fought back the tears. She crinkled her nose as the tears she struggled to hold back flowed from her eyes. She hadn¡¯t expected that it would turn out like this. To think that he was now married, how could this pretentious d*ck get married, how could he get married?


    At that moment, all the joy of finally meeting Xiao Luo again was gone. How she imagined it would turn out, and suddenly, all her expectations burst like bubbles¡­ Her heart was hollow with nothing left inside. She was left with an emptiness that felt like she had just lost a very precious thing.


    ¡°Waiter, give me a drink! I need a drink¡­ give me a drink now!¡± Chu Yue screamed at the young bartender in frustration.


    ¡°What kind of wine do you want, Miss?¡± the bartender asked.


    Chu Yue slurred, ¡°Give me the strongest one¡­ I¡¯m gonna get drunk. Hurry up!¡±


    The trip to Xiahai City did not yield any silver linings but instead, only hurt her deeply. Chu Yue¡¯s head was spinning in a daze.


    The bartender didn¡¯t dare to go against her wishes. Still, when he saw Xiao Luo and Xiang Gaoyang¡¯s ring eyes, he immediately took a bottle of red wine with low alcoholic content.


    Chu Yue downed ss after ss of the wine in deep sorrow. Actually, she wasn¡¯t a good drinker and even hated the bitter taste of alcohol, but right now, she just wanted to get drunk, with a hope that what she heard was only a dream.


    ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t drink anymore.¡± Xiang Gaoyang feltpelled to speak out.


    ¡°Leave me alone! Let me drink, or I¡¯ll tell Father to fire you!¡± Chu Yue screamed as she pushed Xiang Gaoyang away.


    Xiang Gaoyang could only turn to Xiao Luo for help. ¡°Mr. Xiao, please do me a favor,¡± he pleaded.


    His tone was slightly more urgent. After all, it was because of Xiao Luo that Miss Chu had behaved this way, so whether he liked it or not, Xiao Luo had to share some responsibility.


    Looking at Chu Yue, already in a state of drunken stupor, Xiao Luo took her ss away and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to humiliate yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my prerogative! Let me alone!¡±


    Chu Yue screamed at him with tears flowing down her face, and Xiao Luo could detect the strong smell of alcohol from her breath. Suddenly, Chu Yue grabbed the bottle of wine and started taking swigs from it.


    Well, just let her get it out of her system, and time will heal, he thought. It was the immediate pain that really hurt, and she¡¯d get over it.


    Xiao Luo sighed in his heart and gave up trying to stop her anymore.


    Even Guan Tong couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Xiao Luo, you bast*rd, how could you hurt a girl who liked you so much? Lightning will strike you!¡± he scowled.


    Xiang Gaoyang and Xiang Gaojian totally agreed with him and nodded unconsciously.


    ¡°So what do you mean? I should lie to her and give her hope?¡± Xiao Luo retorted. He was speechless.


    Guan Tong frowned. ¡°Of course not, but you can¡¯t do this either. It¡¯s so cruel,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo grinned. Even if it seemed cruel to her now, there¡¯s no other way. What else could he do? Say that he liked her too? He had not even gotten out of the mess with Siying yet, and he wouldn¡¯t allow himself another episode with the likes of Chu Yue.


    Although the red wine¡¯s alcohol content was low, for someone like Chu Yue, who couldn¡¯t drink, it was still potent stuff.


    After she finished the bottle of red wine, Chu Yue fell asleep drunk on the bar counter. Her cheeks were red under the light, like a ripe apple, and there were still traces of tears on her face, which was a pitiful sight.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your car?¡± Xiao Luo asked Xiang Gaoyang.


    ¡°Carry her away.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­.¡±


    Xiang Gaoyang was a little reluctant as they were bodyguards, and he felt it was not proper to do that. It seemed a bit too intimate to him.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, please help us carry her to the car,¡± Xiang Gaojian pleaded.


    Xiao Luo understood their apprehensions and decided to assist them.

 Chapter 477 - Arrest Operation

    <h2>Chapter 477: Arrest Operation</h2>


    Xiang Gaoyang¡¯s vehicle was parked in a nearby parking lot.


    Chu Yue¡¯s body was really light, only weighing about 90 jin. Xiao Luo hardly felt her weight, and carrying her was effortless. Her body still had a faint fragrance that was pleasant to the senses, and Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but feel excited as he carried her to the parking lot. Wasn¡¯t this the response of any normal man?


    ¡°When she wakes up, let her know that she was the salesperson for whatever investment there was. Her backer will be arrested tonight barring any unexpected developments. If she doesn¡¯t believe it then just tell her that I said so,¡± Xiao Luo said to Xiang Gaoyang after cing her carefully in the backseat.


    Xiang Gaoyang nodded and replied, ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Xiao. To be honest, Boss Chu already knew it was a scam, but he didn¡¯t want to kill off Ms. Chu¡¯s enthusiasm. Well, at least Ms. Chu¡¯s visit to Xiahai wasn¡¯t entirely wasted since she got to meet you.


    Xiao Luo could only reply with a smile as he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    At that moment, Chu Yue, who was still asleep, started stirring and mumbled in a drunken slur, ¡°Pretentious a*s¡­ Xiao Luo¡­ you idiot¡­ I like you¡­¡±


    It was as though she were talking in her sleep, except her sleep-talking came along with tears.


    Have a good sleep!


    Xiao Luo looked at her and sighed in his heart. Whatever that had to be cut off should be cut off. He couldn¡¯t be entangled with her.


    ¡­


    ¡°B*stard, you b*stard! I realized I didn¡¯t give you this nickname wrongly. You¡¯re really a big b*stard!¡±


    After returning to the bar, Guan Tong was in a frenzy and confronted Xiao Luo. ¡°Look at how you¡¯ve hurt such an innocent and beautiful girl. It¡¯s too cruel,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pay him any heed. He finished his cold drink in one gulp. ¡°Is it time to go?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Where to? Isn¡¯t it only 9 p.m.? It¡¯s still so early,¡± Guan Tong said, rolling his eyes at him.


    9 p.m.?


    This reminded Xiao Luo of something, and he nced at a document on his phone that Qiu Yuanjie had sent him. It was information that included a name, age, and some photographs. He nced through the bar and found the target sitting on the ring-shaped sofa in the northeast corner. He was a gentle-looking man in his thirties who wore a pair of sses and gave off the aura of a very sessful person. Next to him was a group of lostmbs who looked like they were invited to invest their money.


    Shi Deben. This was the name of the MLM leader who was at the general manager level!


    As Xiao Luo looked around the ring-shaped sofa once more, he spotted Qiu Yuanjie, dressed in in clothes, lurking discreetly with a dozen of his team members. An arrest operation was about to begin.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Guan Tong asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Waiter, give me another cup of iced tea,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was not in a hurry to leave as he wanted to see what was about to happen first.


    After ten minutes, Qiu Yuanjie issued the order. A dozen team members came out and quickly approached Shi Deben, who was in the middle of his pitch. They were like tigers who had been released from their cage.


    Shi Deben seemed to have sensed it and ran away immediately like a scared rabbit. He was thrown to the ground by a neatly dressed in-clothed cop nearby, and then another came to handcuff his hands to his back.


    Such an arrest immediately caused an uproar in the bar. The guests who wereughing, chatting, and joking were suddenly frightened by the appearance of Qiu Yuanjie and his team. They were all shocked. Shi Deben had sessfully brainwashed his victims, and after his arrest, Qiu Yuanjie and his team were immediately surrounded.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of Teacher Shi!¡±


    ¡°Where did youe from? Why are you acting like this toward Teacher Shi?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t let go, we will call the police!¡±


    More than 20 people were already brainwashed and were very supportive of Shi Deben. They were even more protective of him than a parent would their child, as they stared fiercely at Qiu Yuanjie and the others with cold faces.


    Luo Shuang showed his police card to the people and said, ¡°We are the police. This Shi Deben is engaged in MLM scams. You have all been deceived by his lies.¡±


    The twenty of them looked at each other, obviously unwilling to believe him.


    ¡°What nonsense! You must be fake policemen and investigators. Everyone, don¡¯t be fooled by them! You can¡¯t let them take Teacher Shi away,¡± a boy shouted.


    ¡°Yes, Teacher Shi did not vite anyws. How could the police arrest him? You must be fake police!¡±


    ¡°Tell us, why are you all pretending to be police and trying to take our Teacher Shi away?¡±


    ¡°Teacher Shi, don¡¯t worry! We will never let these people take you away!¡±


    The crowd rose up in anger, and more than twenty of them began rolling up their sleeves one by one. It was as if they were trying to fight Qiu Yuanjie and his team.


    ¡°A bunch of fools!¡±


    Luo Shuang angrily gritted his teeth and said, ¡°You don¡¯t even know that you have been deceived! To think you¡¯re still helping the MLM leader by speaking up for him. It¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say another word, let me try to talk some sense into them,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said, asking Luo Shuang to back off to de-escte the situation.


    He shed a smile, and with a chuckle, he said, ¡°Friends, we¡­¡±


    POW!


    A fist came flying right at Qiu Yuanjie, and he was caught off guard. The sucker punch hit him directly on his nose, and he could detect the sour taste of blood. The blow caused him to stumble back two or three steps.


    ¡°Brothers and sisters,e save Teacher Shi! You must not let these wicked people take him away!¡± the man who punched Qiu Yuanjie said, raising his arms.


    The others rushed up in a frenzy and scuffled with the anti-MLM police.


    ¡°My friends, don¡¯t get agitated, listen to me¡­ listen to me¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie said, trying hard to resolve the conflict peacefully. But as he was talking, he took another fist to his nose and suddenly became angry. He drew his pistol, pointing it to the ceiling, and pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    The deafening sound of gunfire was like a thunderbolt, and it took a toll on everyone¡¯s eardrums in the confined space.


    The bar instantly went into a hushed lull. The background chatter stopped, the people who were drinking looked over in a panic, and the guys who had been brainwashed were rooted where they stood, in absolute fear.


    ¡°Hands on your heads and squat down! Hurry up, put your hands on your head, and squat down!¡± Qiu Yuanjie shouted, and he now had an expression of rage on his face.


    Luo Shuang and the other team members also drew their guns and instructed the mob to hold their hands up and squat down.


    Surrounded by armed policemen, the mob had toply and gave up any thought of resistance. Toote did they finally realize that these were really cops!


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s happening here? Why did someone fire a shot? Are they preventing us from enjoying our drinks? Is there any morality anymore around here?¡±


    A strange, entric voice filtered in from the direction of the gate. Then, arge group of fierce-looking men swarmed in like a school of fish swimming into a. They had snarling faces and looked hostile. The voice came from the mouth of a fat man lumbering right at the front of the mob. He wore a white shirt, and around his neck was a thick gold chain. The fat man had a cigarette in his hand. He was a heavy smoker, and his teeth had yellowish and ck nicotine stains from excessive smoking.


    ¡°It seems like the top boss is here!¡± Guan Tong said. His voice trembled, and he could feel his throat suddenly bing dry.


    Xiao Luo frowned when he looked at the fat man wearing the gold chain. This person was familiar to him; it was as if he had seen him somewhere before.


    If Xiao Luo had recalled, he would have immediately known that this was the head, Feng Zhiqiang, a man he had once met when he was sweeping out the Dragon Gang¡¯s red-light district back in Jiangcheng. It was a pity that such a small person did not register in his mind, and all Xiao Luo felt was a sense of Deja Vu.

 Chapter 478 - Fear of Domination

    Chapter 478: Fear of Domination


    Feng Zhiqiang walked in with 40 to 50 scoundrels, all of them muscr men garbed in ck workout tank tops. Most of them sported tattoos on their bodies, and it made them look fierce and intimidating. The vibrations they gave off immediately warned the others that they were not people to be trifled with, which caused the bar¡¯s atmosphere to be tense. Almost instantly, the men and women who hade seeking fun looked distressed. No one not dared to make a sound out of fear.


    Pointing at Feng Zhiqiang, Luo Shuang shouted, ¡°The police are investigating this case. I warn you not to cause trouble, or we will take all of you back to the station!¡±


    ¡°Madam, you can eat anything you want but you cannot talk nonsense. We are just here to have fun and you¡¯re already painting us in such a bad light! I have half a mind to sue you for nder!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang said, taking a hit from the cigarette in his hand. Then, with a nasty grin on his face, he threw the butt to the floor and stamped it out with his foot. Then, his tone suddenly changed, and he bellowed, ¡°But I have never in my life been given a warning by a woman. Although you are the police, you are also a gal. Are you not afraid that I may kill you for your insolence?¡±


    He stared straight at Luo Shuang. He was like a wild beast eyeing his prey. He thought about how mighty his Dragon Gang empire had been back in Jiangcheng, and how, when he first came to Xiahai, he had worked hard to make a name for himself. If it wasn¡¯t for the police having guns in their hands, he would have ordered his men to rush in and chop their hands off for daring to yell at him.


    As soon as those words came out, Qiu Yuanjie and the other team members were immediately piqued.


    ¡°What did you say? Say it again?¡±


    ¡°I think you want to go to jail.¡±


    ¡°You better quickly apologize to officer Luo!¡±


    At the same time, the forty to fifty men behind Feng Zhiqiang stepped forward. They each pulled out a machete hidden behind their backs, and the nasty-looking des shimmered under the indoor lighting. The crowd was stunned, and their scalps turned numb from fear. The dozen or so anti-MLM police officers stood frozen, unsure how to react.


    ¡°Officers, you have guns in your hands, while we have machetes. Which side do you think stands a better chance of winning if we fought, huh?¡± Feng Zhiqiang said. He smirked yfully as he red at Qiu Yuanjie.


    F*ck, to think that this group of thugs were bold enough to threaten the police!


    Everyone¡¯s nerves were on edge. To think that these underground societies were so bold as to take out their weapons in the face of policemen armed with guns. It was no different from what one watched in Hong Kong movies¡ªexcept this wasn¡¯t a movie, it was real life. It was shocking!


    Qiu Yuanjie clenched his fists. As a police officer, it was his duty to arrest the uwful, but at that moment, the criminals certainly had the upper hand. In a sh, the lives of his team members would likely end there. It was not inconceivable that this group of people would have no qualms about killing the police. Their fierce bearing and fearlessness told him that they were not the same as local hooligans.


    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie asked angrily, lowering his posture.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything. I came here to do something, but I just happened to run into you guys handling this case and felt very upset, especially because of that female police officer who dared to shout at me. It really upset me!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang pointed at Luo Shuang and furrowed his brows. In a loud voice, he yelled, ¡°B*tch, don¡¯t think that you are so great just because you are a police officer. So, what if you have a gun in your hand? Do you dare to shoot me right in the forehead? Believe it or not, for making me upset I will f*cking kill you and your family and feed you all to a dozen ck pigs. I¡¯llpletely ruin you!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­!¡±


    Luo Shuang gritted her teeth in anger and pointed her muzzle at Feng Zhiqiang. Her hands were shaking. She really didn¡¯t dare to shoot. Feng Zhiqiang¡¯s aggressiveness had allowed him topletely dominate her mentally.


    ¡°Remember this. My name is Feng Zhiqiang. I¡¯m already giving you some face by calling you a police officer. If I didn¡¯t, then I¡¯ll say that you¡¯re nothing more than a b*tch in my eyes. Who the f*ck do you think you are?¡± Feng Zhiqiang roared.


    The anti-MLM police officers dared not respond. Qiu Yuanjie wanted to shoot the b*stard, but he knew that he couldn¡¯t. He could only shoot under certain circumstances, and even if they all fired, there was the chance that his officers would still be hacked to death by these hooligans.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too arrogant.¡±


    A faint voice came from the direction of the bar. When Qiu Yuanjie heard the familiar voice, his eyes shone like he had been touched by a savior. He turned to look, and there was Xiao Luo, sitting in front of the bar.


    Feng Zhiqiang swung around as well, and the moment he caught sight of Xiao Luo, his face suddenly changed. His eyes blinked several times as if confirming if what he saw was real. Then, when it hit him that the man sitting by the bar was Xiao Luo, memories immediately shed in his mind. The bloody scenes of his brothers from Dragon Gang being killed in Jiangcheng came flooding back. Xiao Luo had taken out hundreds with only a party of four before packing them off to the police station with cuts and bruises.


    The demon police officer!


    The fear of being dominated instantly overwhelmed him¡ªit was as if he had just returned to the scene in Jiangcheng. Feng Zhiqiang broke out in cold sweat, and his breathing becamebored.


    ¡°Boy, you came at just the right time. Where is that little girl? Where did she go? Aren¡¯t you in the same group as them?¡±


    A man in a floral shirt swaggered from behind Feng Zhiqiang and looked down his nose at Xiao Luo. ¡°You b*stard! You better exin yourself or I¡¯ll hack you to death, you understand me?¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang shuddered. He knew that the girl his younger cousin was trying to hook might have angered this demon.


    F*ck! @!#%


    He suddenly regretted not checking the almanac beforeing out today. He stepped forward and pped the man across his face.


    THWACK!


    It was a crisp and heavy smack. The man spun around and fell to the floor, holding his face. He had a surprised look on his face, and the visible marks of five fingers showed on his face immediately.


    The scene absolutely confused everyone, and they wondered just what was going on.


    The man was even more shocked. Still clutching his throbbing face, he asked, ¡± Cou¡­ cousin, why did you hit me?¡±


    ¡°Damn it, of course, I have to hit you! Who said you could talk to Mr. Xiao like that? Believe it or not, I will tear you apart!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang was so agitated that he stepped toward his cousin and continued to punch and kick him.


    ¡°Huh, what the f*ck¡¯s happening?¡±


    Guan Tong, sitting next to Xiao Luo, was utterly at a loss. ¡°Mr. Xiao?¡± Since when did these people know the little b*stard Xiao Luo?


    Qiu Yuanjie was also taken aback. The other party obviously had a change of heart when they saw Xiao Luo. Why was he so afraid of Xiao Luo?


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± Xiao Luo asked, squinting at Feng Zhiqiang.


    Feng Zhiqiang hurriedly wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. He turned around and had a smile on his face. Respectfully, he lowered himself and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­ err, I used to belong to the Dragon Gang¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he broke out in a sweat. Even if the others did not know Xiao Luo, how could he not? This was the demon police officer who was responsible for the bloody carnage at Longye Vi.


    Dragon Gang?


    ¡°No wonder you look so familiar. Did you juste to Xiahai?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Xiao. I couldn¡¯t stay in Jiangcheng, so my only choice was to return to my hometown,¡± Feng Zhiqiang replied.

 Chapter 479 - Can’t blame me

    Chapter 479: Can¡¯t me me


    The customers at the bar were all stunned, while Qiu Yuanjie and his team were equally dumbfounded. Guan Tong felt that the situation was like a dream. Who would have imagined that the arrogant and seemingly invincible gang leader would have humbled himself as if he were Xiao Luo¡¯s subordinate?


    Not only was it incredible, but also it was unimaginable!


    Was Xiao Luo really that scary?


    A brash gang leader who did not even show any fear toward the police suddenly acted like a mouse who had just seen a cat.


    Xiao Luo frowned slightly. ¡°I thought all the Dragon Gang members were in jail. I didn¡¯t expect that there would still be some fish that slipped through the,¡± he said.


    Feng Zhiqiang trembled with fear. He smiled nervously and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, I was caught by you and got out afterward through some rtionships.¡±


    Cold sweat was streaming out of the pores in his body. He was terrified that the demon police officer would suddenly attack him and send him on his way to see Master Long.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. He pointed to the man wearing the floral shirt on the floor and said, ¡°By the way, how is this person rted to you? He seemed to have called you¡­his cousin?¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang was now sweating like a waterfall. He swallowed hard before he replied, ¡°He¡¯s a distant rtive who is not actually a rtive.¡± He turned around and red at the man, kicking him again. ¡°A***ole, who said you could offend Mr. Xiao? Quickly, apologize to Mr. Xiao!¡± he screamed.


    ¡°Cousin, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Who the f**k are you calling your cousin? Don¡¯t mess around here and quickly apologize to Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang kicked him again harder. The kick caused the man to bleed from his nose and mouth.


    Looking at Feng Zhiqiang in such a rage only made the man feel like his cousin had suddenly disowned him. What had happened? Did something go wrong with his cousin¡¯s brain?


    ¡°What are you doing there staring around like a fool? Did you not hear me asking you to apologize?¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang was even contemting killing this kid. If Xiao Luo were really unhappy, then all of them would die anyway. This was a threat to his life. Compared to a devil who could kill without blinking, this was nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize! I¡¯ll apologize! Don¡¯t hit me again!¡±


    The man struggled to get up and walked closer to Xiao Luo. Bowing deeply, he said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    His voice was choking up, and he was tearing from the pain.


    ¡°Damn it! Kneel down and say it!¡± Feng Zhiqiang shouted angrily, kicking behind his knee.


    The man immediately dropped, with his knees mming on the floor. The pain was unbearable, causing ears and snot to flow out copiously from his nose and mouth. He dared not even talk back as he kowtowed to Xiao Luo, saying, ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry¡­¡±


    He repeated his apology with regret and bitterness in his voice.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, are you¡­are you satisfied?¡± Feng Zhiqiang asked, forcing a nervous smile.


    Xiao Luo put his hand to his forehead. He had initially wanted to teach the man a lesson for daring to take advantage of Chu Yue. But he couldn¡¯t raise his hand¡ªthe man was already pleading for his life and looking so miserable. Xiao Luo waved him away and said, ¡°Forget it. There is nothing for you guys here. Don¡¯t hinder the police investigating this case and quickly take your people away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, understood. We¡¯ll go now!¡±


    Feng Zhiqiang quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been saved from a tense situation and asked his men to bring along his cousin before quickly leaving the ce.


    Who the hell was this guy?


    How could he make the gang leader leave with all of his men in such an undignified manner?


    Everyone stared at Xiao Luo, and nobody dared to treat him as someone ordinary.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie walked over to greet Xiao Luo. His greeting was more respectful than ever.


    The other members also paid their respects with admiration, especially Luo Shuang. She remembered the scene when she first saw Xiao Luo and thought he had gotten involved in the case because of family connections. She felt hot in her cheeks as if she had been pped. What she¡¯d just witnessed was enough to convincer her¡ªan arrogant gang leader who did not fear the police clipped his tail and ran off upon seeing Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Captain Qiu, since this situation is under control, take them away. Don¡¯t forget to ask about the ¡®fog¡¯ during the interrogation,¡± Xiao Luo reminded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This matter will not be forgotten. I will report to you as soon as possible if there is any progress,¡± Qiu Yuanjie said, nodding his head.


    Xiao Luo acknowledged and said, ¡°Okay, this task has been ongoing for a long time. I would like to end it as soon as possible.¡±


    After hitting out at Xiahai¡¯s MLM organization, he was now prepared to meet Kun Sha from ckwater Company. The fact that Kun Sha still roamed free hung over him like a sharp sword. No one could guarantee that Kun Sha would not suddenly send mercenaries to mess with his family again. Although there were people from the NSA back home to help him keep watch, there was always going to be negligence, so it was better to solve this problem earlier to be safe. All it would take would be a singlepse in a cycle of 10,000 times.


    ******


    ¡°B**tard Xiao Luo, are you with the police?¡± Guan Tong asked with shock after Qiu Yuanjie and the others left.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°Is your brain flooded? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m the boss of Luo¡¯s Workshop? How can I be a policeman?¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t a policeman, then how could you be so familiar with those inclothes?¡±


    ¡°I know their captain.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Guan Tong nodded doubtfully and then asked, ¡°No, wait. How could the gang leader also be so afraid of you? Just who are you?¡±


    ¡°Do you only know how to ask a hundred or thousand whys? Why do you have so many questions? Go and drink!¡± Xiao Luo retorted, deliberately using a drink to stop Guan Tong from asking too many questions.


    The bar¡¯s music started to y again, and everyone slowly found their way back to their previous mood. The only difference was that there were always beauties who woulde up to talk to Xiao Luo. They were very interested in the person who scared away the gang leader, but Xiao Luo chased off all of them away.


    Then, another woman with thick makeup and wearing only a rose-colored bra and an ultrashort ck leather skirt stumbled over with a ss of wine in her hand.


    ¡°Hey, handsome. Can you buy me a drink?¡± she asked. She was so coy it was enough to cause the sp**m in a man¡¯s t*sticle to go numb!


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested in drunk and easy women. You can ask my friend here if he would like to buy you a drink,¡± Xiao Luo responded, throwing thedy over to Guan Tong.


    Guan Tong quietly gave him a thumbs up as if to say, ¡°You¡¯re a good brother!¡±


    Drooling, Guan Tong immediately asked, ¡°Miss, can I buy you a drink?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m only interested in this handsome guy!¡±


    The woman quickly sobered up and suddenly did not appear drunk. She nced at Guan Tong in disgust and left, but she blew Xiao Luo a kiss in the most charming manner before leaving.


    ¡°B**tard! You b**tard! Why is the gap between different people so wide? I just want to pick up a girl, but these beautiful women don¡¯t want to be picked up. Yet girls take the initiative to hook up with you. God, please quickly kill me with a strike of lightning, now,¡± Guan Tongmented, deeply hurt by the rejection.


    ¡°Sorry. I can¡¯t help you much there. You can¡¯t me me if you don¡¯t get a girl,¡± Xiao Luo said tly.

 Chapter 480 - Impress you

    Chapter 480: Impress you


    Xiao Luo offered Guan Tong a ride after they left the bar, but he declined. He said that his house was a short ten-minute walk away, and he would take this opportunity to take a stroll. The conversation ended there.


    Although Xiao Luo got home ratherte, Su Li did not interfere too much into his private life.


    The next day, Xiao Luo learned from Luo Pingxiang that Su Li nned to start her own entertainmentpany. It had already been registered under the name ¡°Liyue Media.¡± She had been busy nning for it recently.


    ¡°Why do you suddenly have this thought of starting your ownpany?¡±


    Xiao Luo was curious, and he asked Su Li, who was drinking coffee elegantly on the sofa.


    He viewed Su Li from her side profile, and with her snow-white skin, she was beautiful. Without looking up from the book in her hand, she replied, ¡°I just felt like I wanted to take destiny into my own hands.¡±


    Xiao Luo shed a dumb-looking smile at her. This woman was really independent. He figured it was probably the public rtions crisis and her trouble with Huangpu that gave her the idea of starting an entertainmentpany of her own.


    He nodded in agreement. ¡°You do have that capability, so that¡¯s good,¡± he said, ¡°By the way, where is Xiaobei?¡±


    ¡°Su Canye took her to Yinlong Vi. She will live there for a while.¡±


    Su Li responded as she slipped a bookmark into the book¡¯s page before closing it. She put her coffee aside, got up, looked at Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°There is a banquet this afternoon. Apany me there. There¡¯s a senior I met when I was studying abroad. He is interested in bing a shareholder.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked a little confused. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have any problems in terms of funding, why are you letting a foreigner take up shares in yourpany?¡± he asked.


    Su Li pursed her lips and replied, ¡°His family has a deep influence in the North American entertainment circle. If Liyue Media wants to prate the American market, then he would definitely be of help. Manyplicated things can be made simpler.¡±


    So, that¡¯s why!


    Xiao Luo suddenly realized that this woman¡¯s foresight was excellent. She was actually thinking of prating the American market.


    ¡°Qingyan is also one of the shareholders,¡± Su Li added.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, but in my opinion, your foreign senior might not be so forthright in his intention to join yourpany.¡±


    Su Li frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrow, and with a chuckle, he said, ¡°The heart of a wine lover is not in the ss.¡±


    Su Li obviously knew what he meant, and her cheeks turned slightly red. Who¡¯s to say that person did not have ulterior motives? ¡°Which is why I asked you to apany me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Me, to be your shield?¡±


    ¡°So, are you going to do it?¡± Su Li said.


    Su Li shed her beautiful eyes at Xiao Luo, looking somewhat agitated. ¡°He used to pursue me when we were studying abroad,¡± she dered.


    Xiao Luo initially wanted to say that he would not attend if he didn¡¯t see any benefit in it, but he inwardly felt slightly ufortable after hearing what she said. He coughed slightly and said, ¡°I have no reason not to since there¡¯s a free meal. How about this, I¡¯ll head back to take a rest first. Let me know when you¡¯re heading over.¡±


    Xiao Luo then left for his apartment.


    What arrogance! Was it so hard to admit that I was in his heart?


    Su Li snorted as she watched him leave. Still, she felt his attempt at face-saving was rather cute and couldn¡¯t help letting out a chuckle.


    ¡­


    Su Li called Xiao Luo and asked him to be ready by four in the afternoon.


    Shen Qingyan drove a Jaguar to pick them up. As soon as the two got in the car, she said, ¡°Li, you and this guy really give off the married couple look. Huh, even your clothes are in the same style. It¡¯s a bit like a couple¡¯s outfit.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°What nonsense! Hurry up and drive,¡± she said.


    ¡°How can I drive the car? This guy here is an employee of mypany and I am in his boss. There is no reason for the boss to drive the employee around.¡±


    Shen Qingyan got out of the car and opened the door of the backseat. With her finger, she gestured towards Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, what are you doing sitting there like Buddha? Quickly go and drive.¡±


    ¡°Are you not afraid that I will crash your luxurious car?¡± Xiao Luo quipped.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking nonsense to me. I know your driving skills. Besides, if you really crash the car then you can pay for it with themission you earned previously,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless and had no choice but to drive to the meeting.


    Shen Qingyan and Su Li sat side by side. The former was in a blue dress while thetter was in a white dress. At first nce, the two beauties were really eye-catching. They were like a pair of lovely flowers¡ªone, an orchid blooming in the night, and the other, a snow lotus that had been carved by ice crystals. Their beauty was beyond what mere mortals could attain.


    After sitting in the driver¡¯s seat for a while, Xiao Luo looked in the rearview mirror and asked, ¡°At least tell me the destination.¡±


    ¡°Hengshan North Resort Hotel!¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know where that is then turn on the navigation.¡±


    After saying that, she started chatting with Su Li on a woman¡¯s favorite topics¡ªbags, jewelry, cosmetics, clothes, and such.


    Xiao Luo sneered at this and drove off gloomily.


    They arrived at their destination after half an hour.


    Hengshan North Resort Hotel was located to the north of Xiahai. It was regarded as a suburb, but the environment and itsndscape were stunning. Not only did it have a vast golf course, but it also boasted a beautiful artificialke. It was simr to the Bode Mountain Vi, which had a mountain on one side and a water feature on the other. This created a very inviting ambiance for visitors.


    Xiao Luo saw a foreigner in a private room.


    He had green eyes and blond hair. He wore a white shirt and looked self-assured, exuding a regal bearing.


    ¡°Sabrina!¡±


    The foreigner smiled at Su Li and walked over to give her a hug. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to see you again. I haven¡¯t seen you in a few years, it seems you are getting more and more beautiful and sexy.¡±


    He spoke fluent Chinese with an ent. He was tall, bearded, and had a glowingplexion. He was definitely prince charming in the hearts of many women.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Su Li said.


    She then introduced Shen Qingyan and said, ¡°This is Shen Qingyan, the CEO of Huayao Group. You can call her by her English name, Demi. She is also one of the stockholders in Liyue Media.¡±


    ¡°Hello there, my name is Leon. I am d to meet you, beautiful Miss Demi,¡± Leon said, stretching out his hand toward Shen Qingyan like a gentleman.


    ¡°Hello Mr. Leon, you¡¯re better than what I heard through the grapevine. You really look extraordinary!¡± Shen Qingyan said, smiling and taking his hand.


    ¡°Miss Demi, you sure are good with words.¡±


    Leon nodded with appreciation. He then looked at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Sabrina, who is this gentleman?¡±


    Su Li walked up to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°He is my husband, Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo was shocked and looked at Su Li with amazement. For the first time, he heard her speak with such a gentle tone telling others about their rtionship. But since he was here as her shield, he quickly got over it and tried to act natural.


    ¡°Oh? He is your husband?¡±


    Leon looked very surprised. His expression changed, and there was a fleeting moment of hostility before he smiled again and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied politely.


    Leon didn¡¯t¡¯ even bother shaking his hand. He turned his gaze away and said to Su Li, ¡°Sabrina, I chased you two years ago and couldn¡¯t capture your heart, yet this Mr. Xiao seeded. Can you satisfy my curiosity and tell me what he did to impress you?¡±

 Chapter 481 - Jealousy

    Chapter 481: Jealousy


    Su Li couldn¡¯t help but looked at Xiao Luo when Leon asked that question. All the things that he had done for her slowly started to sh in her head. Hadn¡¯t he been the one protecting her all this while?


    She turned around and replied, ¡°Leon, there¡¯s no single specific instance that I can pinpoint, but rather, it¡¯s a kind of an instinctive feeling. I think you will only understand what I mean when you¡¯ve finally met the person who is meant to share your life with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? If it¡¯s a kind of feeling, then I think I¡¯ve already met that person. Because the person who is meant to be in my life¡ªis you!¡± Leon said. He then grabbed Su Li¡¯s hand, lowering his head, and kissed the back of her hand.


    Nobody could have imagined that he would¡¯ve done something this bold. Su Li was stunned, but she quickly regained her senses and pulled her hand away. Her pretty face was flushed. She looked troubled but kept herposure and said, ¡°Leon, please be careful of your actions and the things that you say. I don¡¯t want my husband to have any sort of misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ there is no misunderstanding. I¡¯m merely speaking the truth. Sabrina, I¡¯ve always liked you,¡± he said, ¡°If I were to use two Chinese phrases to exin this, then we¡¯re like a perfect match¡ªyou and me, we¡¯re like a match made in heaven.¡±


    Leonpletely ignored Xiao Luo¡¯s existence and brashly confessed his feelings for Su Li in his presence. He pointed at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Before stepping foot in your country, I¡¯ve already done an investigation and checked out all the high-status individuals in Xiahai. There are a whole bunch of incredible people in Xiahai, but Mr. Xiao here isn¡¯t on that list. So, please do not tell me that this guy is just some ordinary Chinese man, because if that¡¯s the case, I will not be able to ept this truth. I simply cannot and will not be able to ept the fact that I¡¯ve lost you to such a guy!¡±


    He got increasingly agitated as he spoke, and by the end of his sentence, he was almost yelling his lungs out.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and instantly developed an intense hostility toward his romantic rival. He did not have a good feeling about this guy from the point they met, and now that Leon had been so condescending as to deride him in his face andpletely underestimated his abilities, the matter had now be very personal.


    ¡°Leon, it seems that my husband was right about you. You¡¯re not sincere about discussing business or being a shareholder. It seems like I¡¯ve wasted my time here.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s response was cold and bitter. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she said to Xiao Luo.


    Leon was utterly shocked by Su Li¡¯s hostile reaction. He quickly rushed over to stop her and promptly checked his poor behavior. With a smile on his face, he said, ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯m really sorry. I should not have said what I said. Allow me to apologize to you. I¡¯m really genuine and sincere about bing a shareholder of ¡®Liyue Media.¡¯ I would not have flown all the way from my country to China just for this meeting if I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    Su Li didn¡¯t respond, and Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything, either.


    Shen Qingyan intervened to ease the rising tensions, hoping to salvage the situation. ¡°Mr. Leon, if we¡¯re discussing business then let¡¯s stay focused on it. We can talk about our private lives some other time. I¡¯m pretty sure any good businessman would not be talking about their private life during a discussion about business. Besides, you¡¯ve already let your own emotions take control and affected the tone of our meeting. How can we have a proper discussion about our partnership after this?¡± she said.


    Leon nodded his head in agreement, ¡°Yes, yes, I agree¡­ Ms. Demi, you are correct. It¡¯s all my fault. I wasn¡¯t able to properly control my emotions at all.¡±


    No matter how much he wanted to pull Su Li toward him, he knew that right now, he ought to contain his urge for the time being.


    ¡°Li,e back and have a seat. Mr. Leon is willing to be a shareholder, and this can only be a good thing for ¡®Liyue Media.¡¯ We should just sit down and have an open discussion about the partnership,¡± Shen Qingyan said. She took on the mediator¡¯s role, for she knew the kind of temper her best friend had. And, she believed that it wasn¡¯t right to sumb to one¡¯s temper when discussing business.


    Su Li gave it a thought and eventually decided to return to her seat.


    ¡°Sabrina, your personality is still the same, you¡¯ve not changed at all,¡± Leon said, breathing a sigh of relief as he tried to reconcile the awkwardness between them.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve changed,¡± Su Li said.


    Leonughed and said, ¡°How have I changed? Have I be a lot cooler?¡±


    Su Li wasn¡¯t in the mood for jest or banter. ¡°The skin on your face is a lot thicker now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Haha¡­haha¡­¡±


    It was as if the atmosphere around them suddenly became stagnant, and as Leon attempted tough it off, it felt awkward.


    Shen Qingyan pitched in to lighten the situation. ¡°Li, you¡¯re not going to be able to make any friends if you¡¯re always going to be this straightforward with the things you say,¡± she said.


    ¡°No, this is Sabrina. She¡¯s real, kind, beautiful, and doesn¡¯t have the kind of hypocrisy that most Chinese people have.¡±


    Leon immediately jumped to Su Li¡¯s defense with the most outrageous remarks. Then, he switched the topic to Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Right, I¡¯ve still yet to know what kind of job you do, Mr. Xiao?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in sales. Ms. Demi here is my boss,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    F*ck, how was it possible that he¡¯s just a salesman?


    How was it possible that Sabrina actually married a salesman?


    Leon was a little shocked when he heard that, but he merely smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you must be really capable in sales; so what is your annual sry like?¡±


    ¡°I only receive a monthly sry, not an annual sry,¡± Xiao Luo replied. He was not very happy with these questions as Leon was evidently finding ways to make him look bad in front of Su Li.


    ¡°So, you receive a monthly sry, and here I thought¡­ ah, it¡¯s nothing, nothing. So¡­ just continue to work hard and I¡¯m sure things will get better for you in the future. Anyway, you can¡¯t be all that bad since you¡¯re the guy that Sabrina has chosen,¡± Leon said.


    Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t bear to watch this anymore and spoke out for Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Leon, Mr. Xiao is already a really capable and impressive person. He just helped mypany secure a huge order not too long ago. Hismission alone was seventeen million,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s really not all that bad. It¡¯s about one-tenth of how much I usually invest in a movie. Considering how Mr. Xiao is just an ordinary guy without argework, it¡¯s really impressive to be able to secure such an order. Come, here¡¯s a toast to show my respect,¡± Leon said, smiling as he raised his ss of wine.


    ¡°I have to drive, so I can¡¯t drink,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    His response was cold, for he had already formed a poor impression of Leon.


    ¡°This is a 1988 Lafite, the alcohol content isn¡¯t that high. You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Leon said.


    ¡°It is illegal to drink and drive in our country, Leon. I think we should just cut all this small talk. Let¡¯s just stick to our discussion about you bing a shareholder,¡± Su Li said. She did not like the fact that Xiao Luo was being looked down upon by someone else.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s eat as we discuss then!¡±


    Leon put his wine ss down, called for the waitresses waiting outside the room, and had them bring in the food.


    While the three of them were discussing business, Xiao Luo was focused solely on the food. It went without saying that the quality of food served in a luxurious ce like this was nothing short of superb. Besides, the timing was perfect as he was famished then, and he wasn¡¯t going to hold back. He gobbled everything down and, in his indulgence, ate noisily.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s poor table manners made Leon, Su Li, and Shen Qingyan turn toward him and stare.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, you guys just continue!¡±


    Xiao Luo shamelessly grabbed a scrumptious piece of braised wild boar meat and chomped on it like a peasant as the three of them stared at him, horrified. Xiao Luo was oblivious to their stares.


    ¡°Sabrina, pray, tell me your husband wasn¡¯t just released from prison?¡± Leon eximed, deliberately teasing her.


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks started to turn red, and she red at Xiao Luo with a murderous look in her eyes. She hoped that he would stop this kind of boorish behavior, but it was obviously not working at all, and she started feeling a little embarrassed. This was shameful, and there was simply no excuse for this. Regardless, one always had to show a little courtesy when having meals, yet she could feel that something wasn¡¯t right that day. Xiao Luo usually didn¡¯t eat that way, so why was he eating this way now? Could it be that he was perhaps¡­ jealous?


    Shen Qingyan was annoyed as well and coughed a little. ¡°Xiao Luo, have you gone mad? You¡¯re eating as if someone¡¯s going to steal your food,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo raised his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You guys just continue discussing your work,¡± he said.


    He was indeed a little angry, especially after noticing that Leon and Su Li were actually quite close. It was as if a w was lightly scratching his heart, and it made him feel troubled. The purpose of him gobbling down all the food could only be seen as a childish ploy to emotionally force Su Li to her distance from Leon.

 Chapter 482 - Let’s Play a Little

    <h2>Chapter 482: Let¡¯s y a Little</h2>


    The shareholder discussionsted for half an hour, and in the end, both parties signed a contract. They were able to establish a long-term working rtionship with one another.


    ¡°Sabrina, Ms. Demi,e! Let¡¯s toast to our long-term partnership that begins from this moment forth!¡±


    Leon stood up and raised the wine ss in his hand, and he conspicuously chose to ignore Xiao Luo. Such a scenario undoubtedly put Xiao Luo in an awkward position. It would have been weird for him to stand up and raise his wine ss, and at the same time, it would also have looked strange for him to just sit there without doing anything.


    This was a celebration for ¡°Liyue Media¡± as they had just established a partnership, and Su Li couldn¡¯t decline outright, so she stood up and joined the toast as well. Leon was deliberately trying to put Xiao Luo in a tough spot.


    Shen Qingyan stood up as well, and the three of them had a toast.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    With a satisfied expression on his face, Leon looked at Xiao Luo, sitting there eating the food on the table. He raised his head back and finished the wine in his ss. In his heart, he had already formed an opinion of Xiao Luo¡ªhe was nothing more than an uncouth low-ss lout!


    ¡°It¡¯s about time for us to go.¡±


    Su Li no longer wanted to stay as she could sense that Xiao Luo was not himself today.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush back. It¡¯s still early. This resort hotel has an underground casino. Sabrina, let¡¯s go there and y a little. We can see how lucky our partnership is,¡± Leon suggested.


    ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m not interested,¡± Su Li replied icily. She red hard at Xiao Luo, who was still eating, and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiao Luo tossed aside the remaining bones, took a tissue, and wiped off the grease on his hands and the corners of his mouth. He stood up, looked at Leon, and said, ¡°There¡¯s a casino here?¡±


    Leon was initially taken aback, and then he smiled and replied, ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°But based on what I know, casinos are not allowed to operate in Xiahai,¡± Xiao Lu said, showing an inordinate amount of interest.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s an underground casino. It doesn¡¯t see the light of day. As far as I know, the boss of this resort hotel has some backing,¡± Leon said. ¡°The police turn a blind eye to the operation here. It¡¯s been opened for around five or six years now, and nothing has happened to it so far.¡±


    ¡°You want to y?¡± Su Li asked Xiao Luo quietly.


    ¡°I want to y a little,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Sabrina, since Mr. Xiao wants to y, as a wife, you should be a little bit more open and let loose the ropes in your hands.¡±


    Leon smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. In order to avoid making too much noise, I will go and open a separate private room just for the four of us. A little bit of gambling is good for the spirits.¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave Leon a thumbs-up and spoke in English. Since Leon had p*ssed him off so much, Xiao Luo decided he would return the favor twice.


    ¡°Yeah! Wow, Mr. Xiao¡¯s English is pretty good,¡± Leon said. He smiled condescendingly and praised Xiao Luo heartily, but inwardly, his heart was cold. He was nning on making Xiao Luo lose everything he had and make him look bad in front of Su Li.


    ¡°Li, a battle just for you is about to begin soon,¡± Shen Qingyan whispered softly into Su Li¡¯s ears.


    Su Li was confused as well and didn¡¯t know if she should be happy or angry. This was obviously a trap that Leon had set, so why was Xiao Luo still falling for it? But it was also true that Xiao Luo¡¯s actions were really abnormal today. Was it really because he was jealous?


    ******


    Not long after, they all headed over to the hotel¡¯s casino.


    The casino was located on the first floor. It was often said that gambling was human nature, and true enough, many people made their way there to gamble. When Xiao Luo entered the casino, it felt as if he had just returned to the Jiangcheng casino that belonged to the Dragon Gang.


    ¡°You need to exchange twenty million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips before you¡¯re allowed to open a private room. Sabrina, you guys make yourselffortable first. I¡¯ll go change the chips,¡± Leon said. He then walked toward the counter.


    Twenty million!


    This number was just a small bet to Su Li and Shen Qingyan, but in Leon¡¯s eyes, Xiao Luo¡¯s total assets were most probably only worth that much. It would be perfect if he won them all today.


    ¡°Are you serious about ying?¡± Su Li asked. She was concerned and wanted to confirm again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Do you have that much money?¡±


    ¡°The card that I have with me right now has exactly that much money,¡± Xiao Luo said. Then, like Leon, he made his way toward the counter as well.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not toote to turn back now. Leon¡¯s family business involves opening casinos in North America. In the art of gambling, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to stand a chance against him. Twenty million is not a small amount to you, so don¡¯t risk losing it all because of a rash decision,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiao Luo. It wasn¡¯t easy for you to secure such a huge order all the time. It will be toote for you to cry in regret if you lose it all!¡± Shen Qingyan pitched in.


    Shen Qingyan feltpelled to persuade Xiao Luo to back down. ¡°I know you¡¯re going against him because of Li, but there¡¯s really no need for you to do this,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo smiled cheerfully and retorted, ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m just ying a little. Besides, there¡¯s no guarantee that I¡¯m going to lose.¡±


    ¡°How can you be this stubborn!¡± Su Li said.


    Her tone was resentful. She could not understand what Xiao Luo had to prove by gambling against an expert like Leon. There was no difference between doing this and just giving the money away.


    Xiao Luo did not say anything and continued to walk toward the counter to exchange the gambling chips.


    Shen Qingyan looked at Su Li and sighed. ¡°Forget it. Just let him be. This is a battle between two guys. We¡¯ll just stand byter,¡± she said.


    Su Li furrowed her eyebrows in worry and said, ¡°But if he loses twenty million to Leon, wouldn¡¯t that be¡­¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I know about that man, it¡¯s that somehow or rather, he is always able to surprise us,¡± Shen Qingyan said with a smile.


    ******


    The room was brightly lit, and a rtively expensive-looking gambling table sat in the middle of it. There were wines and various beverages by the side.


    This was the private room that the casino provided for their customers. As soon as the door closed, all noiseing from the hall was immediately shut out. It was so quiet it seemed like an isted world. The casino had also specially provided a dealer for this room.


    ¡°Poker. I¡¯m sure Mr. Xiao knows how to y this, right?¡± Leon asked Xiao Luo deliberately. He was obviously treating Xiao Luo like he was some country bumpkin.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s moremonly known as Golden Flower, if I¡¯m not wrong,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Leon was a little surprised, but he justughed and said, ¡°Hehehe¡­ Mr. Xiao sure doesn¡¯t hide his true feelings. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s how the Chinese people pronounce poker.¡±


    But deep down, what he actually wanted to say was, ¡°You country bumpkin, how dare you even touch my Sabrina! Don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s not talk anymore. Come on,¡± Xiao Luo said, giving Leon a wry smile.


    ¡°Deal the cards!¡±


    Leon gave a signal to the dealer, indicating that he could deal out the cards.


    The dealer nodded his head in response and took out a new pack of poker cards. He spread out the cards and duly showed it to the four of them. This was to prove that he hadn¡¯t tampered with any of the cards.


    After handing out three cards and another card faced down, the dealer then exined the rules. ¡°The starting bet is a hundred thousand, and each subsequent bet cannot be below five hundred thousand. Mr. Leon, you have the biggest hand, please start first.¡±


    Other than the one card facing down, everyone could see the other three cards on the table.


    Leon had an ace of spades, a six of spades, and a six of clubs. Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Xiao Luo had smaller cards, so of course, Leon was the first to call.


    ¡°One million!¡± Leon threw out gambling chips equivalent to the value of his bet without much hesitation.


    Xiao Luo looked at all the cards he had¡ªseven, eight, and nine, a mini straight. As for Su Li and Shen Qingyan, there¡¯s no need to even look at their cards.


    For poker, besides looking at the cards, it was also testing how courageous and daring one was. This was where the skill of pokery.


    ¡°I fold!¡± Shen Qingyan dered, closing her cards.


    Su Li was about to bet, but Leon persuaded her otherwise. ¡°Sabrina, I don¡¯t have just a pair of six. I have a pair of six and aces. Your cards are too small, so you better not bet. I¡¯m doing this for you,¡± he said.

 Chapter 483 - Poker

    Chapter 483: Poker


    ¡°If I lose, then so be it. It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Su Li replied.


    She had her own opinion about her chances, so there was no way she would listen to what Leon had to say. She ced her bet of a million-dors.


    ¡°Sabrina, are you trying to gang up on me along with your husband?¡±


    Leon snickered before looking towards Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    ¡°Raise, five million!¡±


    Xiao Luo pushed several stacks of gambling chips out to the middle. From one to five million¡ªhe had instantly raised the bet five-fold.


    Although five million was hardly a dent to the other people sitting at the table, losing would definitely not feel good at all regardless of the sum.


    Leon, Su Li, and Shen Qingyan were all stunned. They immediately nced at Xiao Luo¡¯s opened cards and wondered to themselves, does this guy have a straight? Otherwise, why in the world would he be so confident with raising the bet?


    ¡°Hmm, Mr. Xiao seems to be really bold. It appears that you have a straight,¡± Leon said. He was deliberately attempting to read the man and analyze any signs he could detect from his bodynguage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, Leon. You won¡¯t be able to gain anything from it. Call or no call, just make your decision,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Call. Of course, I will call.¡±


    Leon forced a smile and pushed five million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips out. He looked confident and put on a face that looked like he had already won. ¡°Hahaha, I bet you¡¯re trying to fool me,¡± he said.


    It was time for Su Li to make her call, and she looked at Xiao Luo. She just couldn¡¯t imagine where Xiao Luo got his confidence from. How did he have the guts to throw in five million without batting an eyelid?


    ¡°Li, this battle will be between both of them. We¡¯re better off just looking on from the side.¡± Shen Qingyan bent over and whispered into Su Li¡¯s ear.


    Xiao Luo turned his head around and smiled at Su Li. ¡°Listen to what she said and fold your cards,¡± he said.


    Su Li gave him a meaningful look and said, ¡°You better not be rash and do things without thinking, don¡¯t let your¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo shed her a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve already been through this. Win or lose, no one knows; this is gambling. It¡¯s all about luck,¡± he said.


    Su Li could tell that Xiao Luo¡¯s mind was made up and realized that he was nning to go all out against Leon, ¡°Alright then, I will fold.¡±


    She decided to take Shen Qingyan¡¯s cue and just be a bystander watching from the side.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s being obedient,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Obedient?


    Su Li¡¯s face turned red, and she felt a little embarrassed. She thought, was this jerk trying to own me by treating me like Su Xiaobei?


    She was initially a little angry, but then, it felt quite touching at the same time.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, it¡¯s your turn. Are you going to call or not?¡± Leon was very agitated when he saw them flirting with one another in front of him. If they were now in the States, he swore he¡¯d already have hired several wiseguys to teach this brat a good lesson. This country bumpkin evidently did not know where he stood.


    ¡°All in!¡±


    Xiao Luo leaned forward as he pushed all the stacks of gambling chips in front of him to the middle of the table. He smiled, looking very confident, and emanated an aura like a royal used to getting what he wanted. His confident smile never waned from the time they started the game.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The dealer¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and he had a hard time swallowing his saliva. Oh, my god, what are these people ying? It was simply too bold for a yer to be throwing twenty million out just like that, and to think that he did so without any hesitation at all, he thought.


    But he didn¡¯t forget to do his job and promptly dealt out thest card to both yers.


    Leon had an Eight, and Xiao Luo got an Eight as well.


    ¡°Are you going to call or not?¡±


    Leon started to hesitate a little. He tried his best to read the game by looking at Xiao Luo¡¯s expression, but all he saw was the same unreadable smile on his face. Leon couldn¡¯t figure anything out at all. He had a two-pair hand of Aces and Sixes, and his fifth card was an Eight, while Xiao Luo¡¯s opened cards showed a pair of Eights, a Seven and Nine. Leon knew that Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t have a straight in his hand, and to win, Xiao Luo needed to have an Eight in his face down card¡ªonly a ¡°three of a kind¡± would beat Leon¡¯s two pairs.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, your face down card can¡¯t possibly be an Eight. Three Eights have already been opened. The odds of you having thest Eight is very slim,¡± Leon said.


    ¡°If you really want to find out, then throw all your money in,¡± Xiao Luo replied. Then he turned to the staff in the private room and asking for a cup of water to drink.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan stared at him without blinking their eyes. They were breaking out in a cold sweat on ount of him. This was a bet where one could instantly lose twenty million. No matter how rich they were, losing twenty million so suddenly was never a good feeling.


    Leon took another look at his face down card. It was indeed an Ace, but he just couldn¡¯t figure out what Xiao Luo¡¯s face down card was. Leon also considered that if he called and it really turned out to be an Eight, he would lose in front of Su Li¡ªand losing twenty million in just the first round would be very embarrassing. He chose to fold.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, you win this round.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo put his hands around therge pile of gambling chips and pulled them in toward him.


    Sitting beside him, Su Li was very curious and couldn¡¯t help flipping over his face down card. She screamed in shock, ¡°How is it a Ten of clubs?¡±


    Leon almost vomited blood as soon as he saw the card! He was a veteran gambler, and yet he had allowed himself to be fooled by a guy like Xiao Luo.


    Shen Qingyan smiled a little and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re quite the poker yer. You even managed to fool Mr. Leon with just a pair of Eights although he had a double pair with Aces.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t manage to get a good look at it. I really thought that the face down card was an Eight,¡± Xiao Luo said, ying dumb and waving his hands innocently.


    ¡°Yeah, right, you didn¡¯t get a good look, indeed!¡± Leon sneered.


    He almost shouted at Xiao Luo and felt that his pride was at stake here. He had lost six million, just like that. Looking at Xiao Luo now, his perception of the man had changed, and he no longer despised him. He would never have imagined that his guy had the kind of guts to y the bluff with so much at stake.


    ¡°Su¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was initially going to call her Ms. Su, but since he had a romantic rival right in front of him, he decided to address Su Li differently. ¡°Wife, CEO Shen, you guys can rest from here on. I¡¯ll finish this poker game with Mr. Leon,¡± he said.


    Wi¡­ wife?


    Su Li was utterly shocked. Her face turned red like a bashful bride, and she felt her heart thump rapidly in her chest.


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re not really interested in gambling anyway. In that case, we¡¯ll just watch the both of you gambling,¡± Shen Qingyan responded. She understood what was going on between the two men, and it was best to stay out of the fray.


    Su Li didn¡¯t say anything, and it seemed like she had just epted it. Still ringing in her ears, the term ¡°wife¡± kept repeating itself over and over again against the rhythm of her thumping heart.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, are you sure you want to y poker with me?¡±


    Leon said with a yful smile. He had once won a billion USD in just one night, and his opponent was one of the most renowned gamblers in the whole of North America. He would be ying against a nameless guy that he would never have even heard of, but for Sabrina. It would feel like using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.


    There was a glint in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have the guts?¡± he taunted.


    ¡°Why would I not have the guts? Deal the cards!¡±


    The dealer duly dealt out five cards to each of them; four were facing up, while thest card was facing down and hidden.


    It was interesting. By some coincidence, they both had cards that were remarkably simr to the previous round. Leon¡¯s four cards were two pairs of Sevens and Aces, while Xiao Luo had a pair of Eights, a Six and a Seven.


    Leon took a look at his face down card and saw that it was an Eight. If Xiao Luo¡¯s hand was going to be bigger than his, then his face down card would have to be an Eight as well, to make a ¡°three of a kind.¡± But of course, there were only four Eights in a deck. One was in his hand, and two in his opponent¡¯s. This meant that the chances of thest Eight being in his opponent¡¯s hand were low.


    ¡°Bet¡ªfive million!¡± Leon bellowed, pushing out several stacks of his gambling chips.


    ¡°Call!¡±


    Xiao Luo followed with five million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips as well, and then added, ¡°And, I raise another nine million.¡±


    CRASH!


    The air was thick with nervous emotions as Xiao Luo raised the bet, and several stacks of gambling chips fell over like skyscrapers.


    Leon¡¯s face looked dull and gloomy. He only exchanged twenty million, and he had already lost six million earlier on. He only had a total of fourteen million left now, and with Xiao Luo¡¯s raise, the bet was now fourteen million. He was obviously being forced by Xiao Luo to throw in everything he had.


    Leon stared at Xiao Luo with a casual smile on his face and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you should only use the same trick once. I¡¯d be a fool to fall for it again. Do you really think I¡¯m going to fall into the same trap twice?¡± He then pushed out all the gambling chips he had into the pool.

 Chapter 484 - Bold

    Chapter 484: Bold


    Is Xiao Luo going for the same bluff again? This guy really has the guts!


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan nced anxiously at Xiao Luo. He was lucky enough to fool Leon in the previous round, but wasn¡¯t he just kidding himself if he tried it again? Leon was not that dumb and would undoubtedly not fall for the same trick twice.


    ¡°I have an Ace and a pair of Sevens. For you to beat me, your face down card has to be an Eight,¡± Leon said.


    Then he eyed Xiao Luo confidently as he flipped his face down card over and shouted, ¡°Show me your card! I refuse to believe that you have an eight!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and responded, ¡°Mr. Leon, the odds of the final Eight being in my possession might be very low, but it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s entirely impossible.¡±


    After saying that, he slowly turned over the face down card that he had.


    And, there it was¡ªhe actually had an Eight of Clubs!


    At the sight of Xiao Luo¡¯s face down card, Leon¡¯s eyes opened wide in bewilderment. He could not believe what he saw and literally sprang up from his seat bolt upright.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan were equally shocked by the looks of disbelief on their faces.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    Shen Qingyan muttered to herself as a wry smile formed on her face. She could never have imagined that Xiao Luo actually had the card and was not ying a bluff. An opponent who could effortlessly shift between being real and fake was always the toughest customer. Xiao Luo was just amazing, no matter what he did.


    BAM!


    Leon mmed the table, pointed at Xiao Luo, and shouted, ¡°Out with it, did you cheat?¡±


    ¡°I can assure you that this gentleman here did not cheat!¡± the dealer intervened.


    ¡°Are you a senior here? Who are you to guarantee he didn¡¯t cheat?¡± Leon sneered.


    The dealer took out his certificate, ¡°Mister, you can insult me, but don¡¯t insult my professional ethics. I¡¯m a gold-tier dealer. No one can cheat, and nothing escapes my eyes.¡±


    ¡°You little sh*t, you better¡­¡±


    ¡°Leon, if you¡¯re nothing but a sore loser, then I¡¯ll have my husband return you all that money.¡±


    Annoyed, Su Li bluntly delivered her scathing remarks to Leon.


    Leon suddenlyughed as he came to his sense and calmed down. ¡°Sabrina, are you mocking me on purpose here? It¡¯s just twenty million. This small amount of money is nothing to me at all,¡± he said, ¡°Since I¡¯m ready to gamble, then I¡¯m ready to ept my losses as well. There¡¯s nothing more I can say.¡±


    But in reality, he was fuming deep down. In just ten minutes, he had already lost twenty million, and he had lost it to a nameless brat from some godforsaken countryside. If the people back in America were to find out, they would surely beughing their *sses off.


    ¡°Mr. Leon is wealthy enough. Twenty million to him is insignificant and just small change. It¡¯s just like a strand of hair on a cow¡¯s back, am I right?¡± Xiao Luo chimed in.


    ¡°Right, right, right. It¡¯s a small bet, just a small bet. A little bit of gambling is good for the spirits.¡±


    Leon outwardly agreed with everything Xiao Luo said, but deep down, he was crying his pain, and it was a wonder that he was still able to say something like that.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and smiled at Leon¡¯s response. ¡°Mr. Leon, you are really good at conversing in Mandarin. That being the case, why don¡¯t you raise your spirits a little bit more?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only yed two rounds. This is nothing at all. Let us continue.¡±


    Leon handed his ck card over to one of his subordinates and told him, ¡°Go, exchange a hundred million dors¡¯ worth of chips for me.¡±


    One hundred million?


    Su Li furrowed her eyebrows a little. One hundred million was no longer just ¡°a little gambling.¡± Was Leon trying to make Xiao Luo lose everything he had right here and now?


    When that thought urred to her, Su Li red coldly at Leon.


    ¡°Mr. Leon, you said ¡®small gambling,¡¯ but the amount that you¡¯re throwing in is bing a lot bigger now,¡± Shen Qingyan teased.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ Nah, just small gambling. This is really just small gambling to me.¡±


    Leon looked at Xiao Luo with a devious smile on his face and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯m betting a hundred million here, but at most, you would only have forty-five million in your hands at most right now. You¡¯re still short of fifty-five million in order to have the same amount as me. I wonder if you have that much money with you?¡±


    He was obviously mocking his opponent in the way he spoke. He wanted to show Xiao Luo and remind him of his position and where he stood¡ªand that he had no right to be arrogant in his presence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you mine!¡± Su Li pushed all the gambling chips she had toward Xiao Luo.


    Shen Qingyan smiled when she saw Su Li do that and said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve already exchanged so much but am not ying, then I shall also lend you all of mine. I think highly of you.¡±


    Saying that she handed all her gambling chips over to Xiao Luo.


    With their contributions, Xiao Luo now had a total of eighty million!


    Leon¡¯s face turned bluish purple. He could ept Shen Qingyan helping Xiao Luo out, but he found it difficult to swallow when Su Li actually sided with Xiao Luo as well. She was the goddess that was deep within his heart, and it hurt him deeply. He initially thought that the marriage between them was fake, to begin with, they were doing it for others to see, but looking at it now, Su Li seemed to really like this piece of trash!


    He raised his voice on purpose and said, ¡°You¡¯re still short of twenty million.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I have that amount here with me.¡±


    Xiao Luo handed his card over to one of the wait staff in the room and said, ¡°May I trouble you to go and exchange twenty million dors¡¯ worth of chips for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± the staff responded, nodding his head and bowing respectfully before he turned around and left.


    ¡°Howe even I didn¡¯t know you had that much money?¡± Su Li said, staring at Xiao Luo suspiciously.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°You¡¯ve never asked me about it before.¡±


    Su Li repeated herself. ¡°So, where is it from?¡±


    ¡°I earned it when I was in Jiangcheng,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Jiangcheng?


    Su Li was stunned and wondered to herself, why was he living in a shanty area then if he was that rich?


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re bing more and more mysterious. Now I¡¯m really curious to know what you did when you were in Jiangcheng,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    From the first time she saw Xiao Luo, she knew something different about this guy. When he first met Yang Hongzhi and her, he was neither humble nor arrogant and was always calm and steady. This was not a trait many people out there had. If it wasn¡¯t because he had experienced many things in life, then it had to be because he was of equal status. But it was quite evident that it was most probably the former. She was really interested and curious to find out just what in the world Xiao Luo had been through in Jiangcheng.


    Xiao Luoughed a little but didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Not too long after, his gambling chips were brought in.


    A hundred million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips was sitting right in front of each yer. They were neatly stacked, looking just like two pyramids.


    ¡°Deal the cards!¡± Leon said. He couldn¡¯t wait to win all of Xiao Luo¡¯s money and was steadily staring at Xiao Luo.


    The dealer raised both of his hands, ¡°May the two yers here, please ce your bets first.¡±


    Leon smiled broadly and winked. ¡°Since I have a hundred million, let¡¯s raise the bet a little bit. One million. I don¡¯t think Mr. Xiao has any problem with that,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo casually threw one million dors¡¯ worth of chips out.


    This piece of trash! I shall see how much longer you can act so cockily like this!


    Leon gritted his teeth and threw a million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips out as well.


    The dealer started giving out the cards. He dealt the first card face down card to both of them, and then the second card. Leon had a Nine of Diamonds, while Xiao Luo had an Eight of Diamonds. ording to the rules of poker, the one with the bigger card would start first.


    Leon took a look at his face down card and realized that it was a two of clubs, and then with a smile that no one could read, he said, ¡°Five million!¡±


    As he said that, he threw five million dors¡¯ worth of gambling chips out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call¡ªfive million as well.¡±


    Xiao Luo pushed out five million dors¡¯ worth of chips, and then added, ¡°I¡¯ll raise ny-five million as well.¡±


    What?!


    Like a mountain, multiple stacks of gambling chips were pushed out without any hesitation at all.


    What the f*ck!


    The dealer and everyone watching in the room was stunned. This was the first time they were witnessing such an aggressive approach to gambling. The way he was ying this was unbelievably high-risk.


    Leon twitched his lips. Xiao Luo¡¯s action had really shocked him for sure.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan were in a stupor. Only two cards had been dealt, and Xiao Luo had the smaller face up card. Where did this guy find the kind of courage to go all in like that? This was not only one or two dors¡ªit was one hundred million. If he lost this, then one hundred million would be gone just like that!

 Chapter 485 - Oh f*ck

    Chapter 485: Oh f*ck


    As they watched anxiously, Su Li and Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t help thinking that Xiao Luo was only pushing his luck and trying to gain a psychological edge against Leon. They remained silent and did not want to distract Xiao Luo in any way, so they just stood there and watched.


    ¡°Just what kind of gambling style is this?¡± Leon asked, staring at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°The kind of gambling style where you burn your bridge! We¡¯ll decide this in a single round. If you¡¯ve never tried this before, then I shall let you have a taste of it.¡±


    Leon clenched his fists tightly. A hundred million was definitely something to him, especially since it was gambling. He would definitely not sleep in peace for a good three days and nights if he were to lose a hundred million just like this.


    As he took another look at his face down card, he rxed his clenched fists¡ªit was a Two of Clubs. With a smile, he said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you are really daring. I¡¯ll let you have this round. I shall not call.¡±


    After he said that, he folded his cards.


    The next round began, and the dealer gave each of them a face down card. For the second card, Leon had a Seven of Clubs while Xiao Luo had a King of Spades.


    As Xiao Luo had the bigger face up card, the dealer raised his hand and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you shall go first!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say anything else, all in,¡± Xiao Luo said. He once again pushed out the whole heap of gambling chips that were as tall as a mountain without any expression on his face.


    What the f*ck!


    The dealer and all the other staff in the room stared at Xiao Luo with their eyes opened wide. Just who in the world was this guy? Even the world¡¯s richest man wouldn¡¯t y like that. Only two cards had been dealt, and he was ready to throw money away so recklessly?


    Leon was perplexed. The psychological warfare that he took pride in had suffered a considerable blow. Xiao Luo was not giving him any chance to show himself at all by forcing him to bet. He really wanted to go all out against Xiao Luo, but looking at his face down card, a three of diamonds, he realized it couldn¡¯t get any smaller than that. There was no way he was bold enough to do this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you have another round,¡± he said, reluctantly folding his cards again.


    All the betting chips went to Xiao Luo, and the staff in the private room once again neatly stacked up all the gambling chips that Xiao Luo had.


    The trend continued for the third, fourth, fifth, all the way up to the tenth round¡ªXiao Luo, without even bothering to look at his face down card, continued to push his entire pile of gambling chips out o the middle. His stacks of chips had grown even higher, and his mountain of cash ever more imposing. And he repeated the same move every time¡ªhe would always open the bet right after the second card had been dealt. Sometimes, Leon would not even have the time to properly look at his face down card before Xiao Luo made his bet.


    Leon was furious, and he could barely take it anymore. But unfortunately for Leon, right through all these rounds, the value of his two cards had been lower than Xiao Luo¡¯s, and he just couldn¡¯t get a pair, so he ended up folding all his cards in sessive rounds.


    Frustrated, Leonughed mockingly and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, are you trying to see who¡¯s luckier here? Are you just not afraid that in the end, your cards will end up being smaller than mine?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why don¡¯t you just call?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Leon was stumped for words. All he felt was only frustration and depression. To think that he was a master gambler from North America, and yet here he was being treated roughshod by a nameless country bumpkin. It was simply too insulting.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan also realized what Xiao Luo¡¯s aim was. Though it might be hard to believe, Xiao Luo had indeedpletely thrown Leon right off his rhythm at the moment.


    When it came to ying poker, gamblers werepeting with both luck and courage!


    After ten rounds, Leon had already lost ten million as he had to fold every single round.


    The eleventh round began, and the dealer dealt out the cards. This time around, Xiao Luo once again pushed out his whole heap of gambling chips out as usual.


    Leon looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s card¡ªhe had an Ace. Leon had a Queen of Hearts and proceeded to peek at his face down card. It was a King of Hearts. Thankfully, his cards were much better¡ªthere was a chance for a flush here, and there was also a possibility that he might get a straight flush. This round, he chose to call. It was uneptable that a nameless guy like Xiao Luo could get away with such arrogance.


    RATTLE~


    He pushed out the entire heap of gambling chips in front of him. This time around, he was found his confidence back, and it felt satisfying.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll decide the winner in this round!¡± Leon roared.


    ¡°Sure, but I have a hundred and ten million. You¡¯re still short of a bit there,¡± Xiao Luo reminded him.


    ¡°You think you have that much more than me?¡±


    Leon handed his ck card to his subordinate and said, ¡°Go now. Go and exchange another two hundred million.¡±


    Two hundred million?


    Everyone in the room was stunned, especially the dealer and all the staff in the room. It was as if they were destined to be here today only to witness this shocking duel of cards. It was true that the more youpare yourself to others, the more you would be killing yourself, for they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to earn this much money even in two lifetimes.


    ¡°Young master, this¡­¡±


    The subordinate was troubled. Adding the hundred and twenty million earlier on, the total now added up to three hundred and twenty million. This was still a really huge sum of money, even if it was not in USD.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem here?¡± Leon said coldly.


    ¡°The family is keeping a close watch on all the young masters. Now is the most crucial period. If young master Leon loses three hundred million, the family will be very disappointed with you. Then, they most probably won¡¯t hand over the family business to you in the future,¡± the subordinate exined, appealing for Leon to err towards caution.


    Although he spoke in English, everyone could understand what he just said.


    ¡°You shut your mouth!¡±


    Leon bellowed and silenced his subordinate with a ferocious scowl on his face. ¡°My words are orders. Just do as you¡¯re told. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have you disappear from this world for good,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That subordinate trembled and no longer dared to say anything else. He quickly took the ck card and went to exchange for more gambling chips.


    Leon turned around and faced Su Li. He changed his expression and put on a smile on his face. ¡°Sabrina, actually, I have absolutely no idea what he was saying,¡± he said.


    ¡°Leon, I think it¡¯s better to give up. We were schoolmates; I don¡¯t want this to end up in conflict because of small things like this,¡± Su Li said, making apelling point.


    ¡°No, no, no. I¡¯ve already said it before. This is just ¡®small gambling.¡¯ It¡¯s good for the spirits. Even if I lose all my money, it will not affect the friendship between you and me, and all the more won¡¯t affect the partnership that we have already established,¡± Leon replied. He was doing all he could to hold on. He had the advantage in this round, and there was no way he would give up and let Xiao Luo off that easily.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Well said, Mr. Leon! A little bit of gambling is good for the spirits!¡±


    He had already learned a secret gambling trick when he was in Jiangcheng and had the ability to memorize all the cards in a poker deck. No matter how the dealer shuffled the cards earlier on, he never looked away from this deck of cards. He had perfectly memorized the cards¡¯ order in this deck and already knew what card Leon had. Xiao Luo also knew what card he would be receiving next. It was as if he had X-Ray eyes. He had already seen through it all and knew how this round was going to end.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I¡¯ve already asked my man to exchange two hundred million, shouldn¡¯t you go and exchange a little bit more as well?¡± Leon said, insinuating with a cheeky smile on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not like you, Mr. Leon, I¡¯m not that wealthy. I don¡¯t have that much money.¡±


    What Xiao Luo just said was true. While Luo Workshop might have the money, and it was possible to transfer billions of dors over, the amount of money he had from in his own savings wasn¡¯t a lot. Besides, he was also currently investing in the farm back at home.


    Su Li took out her gold card without any hesitation and handed it over to the staff. ¡°Please do exchange two hundred million for me, thank you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright, please give me a moment, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    The staff took the card, turned around, and left. All of them recognized Su Li, but there was a rule in this casino, and that was to pretend you didn¡¯t know who they were, even if that person was a national leader. Only people with money and status woulde to this casino. Poor people would nevere to an exclusive ce like this.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at Su Li nkly. Xiao Luo still could not consider themselves as husband and wife, yet this woman was so supportive of him right now, and it felt unreal.


    ¡°I¡¯m lending it to you. If you lose it, you will have to somehow or rather find a way to return it for the rest of your life,¡± Su Li said. She had an awkward look on her face.


    Shen Qingyanughed and said, ¡°What do you mean by return? You¡¯re one family; after all, what¡¯s yours is his as well.¡±


    ¡°What kind of rubbish are you saying¡­¡±


    Su Li rebuked her friend for those remarks, but after listening to what Shen Qingyan had said, her face started turning red.


    [emailprotected]</a># (*¡­


    ¡°Oh f*ck!¡±


    Leon¡¯s lungs were about to explode. After holding back all this while he finally cursed using a ng word on the inte. It felt like he was being forced to consume a bowl of dog food, except that the dog food he ate belonged to the girl he liked. The taste of it was horribly wrong.

 Chapter 486 - Four of a Kind

    Chapter 486: Four of a Kind


    ¡°Mr. Leon is indeed proficient in Mandarin Chinese. You can even apply our popr inte ng appropriately, impressive!¡± Xiao Luo said, giving a thumbs up to Leon to provoke him.


    Leon was so outraged that his face turned blue, but he forced a smile and replied, ¡°You are speaking too highly of me, for the cultural roots of Hua nation are profound and fascinating. I am so mesmerized by them¡ªit is such a waste that I wasn¡¯t born in this country.¡±


    ¡°You can always consider migrating here. The Hua nation would always wee an outstanding talent like Mr. Leon with open arms,¡± Xiao Luo said, still trying to get under his skin.


    ¡°With open arms?¡±¡ªoh, for gods¡¯ sake!


    Leon was infuriated to the point that fumes of anger were steaming out of his body. He had prestigious social and financial status in the States and a significant influence on shaping their society. Even the election of the current president was determined through a rtionship with his family. To ask him to migrate to Hua nation was downright insulting¡ªdid Xiao Luo think that he was that foolish?


    Leon hit back immediately and said to Su Li, ¡°Well, if Sabrina decides to divorce Mr. Xiao and marry me, I will dly migrate to Hua nation without any hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Then you might as well keep staying in the States,¡± Su Li replied.


    Shen Qingyan chuckled. ¡°Mr. Leon is very humorous; how could Li and Mr. Xiao divorce when they already have a child,¡± she said.


    Already have a child?


    Leon widened his eyes in disbelief. It struck him like a bolt from the blue; the goddess he admired had married another, and she even conceived a child¡ªthis was too much for him to ept!


    Then, the gambling chips they exchanged were brought in on two gigantic trolleys and were stacked before the two yers, forming pyramids of impressive size. The two piles consisted of tokens of various denominations¡ªfifty thousand, a million, and five million.


    ¡°Deal the cards!¡±


    Leon yelled at the dealer. He had a dark scowl on his face and was clenching his teeth as he stared at Xiao Luo, clearly seething with anger.


    On the other hand, Xiao Luo was taking little sips from his teacup in a rxed manner, ignoring Leon altogether.


    The dealer continued dealing out cards. Leon got a Jack of Hearts while Xiao Luo got the Ace of Spade for the third card; then, Leon got Ten of Hearts while Xiao Luo got Three of Diamonds for the fourth card.


    What?!


    Leon confidently pushed out all the chips stacked before him¡ªit was a two million bet! He then stared at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, are you raising?¡±


    Leon had a sinister smile on his face and coupled with his ever-present scowl, and he wore a savage and terrifying expression.


    Combining the previous hundred million with this two hundred million, he had now ced a total of three hundred million on the bet. The atmosphere in the room was thick with anxiety and apprehension. Everyone, including the dealer, the casino staff, Su Li, and Shen Qingyan, felt slightly breathless as they followed the game.


    ¡°Mr.Leon¡¯s pocket card should be King of Hearts, and if you get another Nine of Hearts, you would have gathered a straight flush. Then, I wouldn¡¯t be able to match up to you even with four aces,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Leon couldn¡¯t help smiling. ¡°Good analysis, but it¡¯s all bullshit. I am asking if you dare to raise the bet?¡± he responded.


    Xiao Luo smiled calmly and said, ¡°Why not?¡±


    After Xiao Luo finished speaking, he too pushed out his the chips into the pool, and the stacks of tokens came crashing down like copsing towers.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were petrified as the probability of Xiao Luo getting four aces was very low. As for Leon, even if he didn¡¯t manage to get a straight flush, he would still beat Xiao Luo¡¯s ¡°three of a kind¡± with any regr flush. With a quarter of the deck having the suite of Hearts, Leon¡¯s probability of getting a flush was significantly higher. Logically speaking, Xiao Luo was in a rtively disadvantaged position this round.


    Seeing that Xiao Luo had called him on his bet, Leon felt a little insecure as three hundred million was no small amount. His subordinate had already cautioned him that if he were to lose that sum, the higher-ups in his family would be extremely disappointed in him. It would undoubtedly prevent him from inheriting the enormous family estate consisting of properties and businesses.


    Leon stared at Xiao Luo coldly and said, ¡°Well, Mr. Xiao, if you ever lose this three hundred million, you probably would have to work your *ss off the rest of your life to repay the debt.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just a little money. It¡¯s not a lot!¡± Xiao Luo quipped.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan almost faint when they heard that. If three hundred million was just a little, then what was considered a lot?


    Leon smiled mirthlessly as he thought to himself¡ªkeep boasting¡­ you can keep bragging, and we shall see what happens when your bubble bursts!


    He then shouted at the dealer, ¡°Cards!¡±


    This was thest card, and it was as crucial as the pocket card; the dealer slid the yers their cards across the table facing down.


    Leon covered the fifth card with another card and peeked as he slowly rubbed the cards together, exposing the bottom one. As he did so, beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead, and he did not even dare to breathe. When Leon saw that the exposed corner of the card, he knew it was a Seven. His heart sank. But when he revealed the card further, he was somewhat ted as it turned out to be Seven of Hearts. He let out a sigh of relief and flipped the card over slowly.


    ¡°Although it¡¯s not a straight flush, it¡¯s still a flush. It¡¯s more than enough to beat you. By the way, what¡¯s yourst card? Why don¡¯t you flip it over?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t like it.¡±


    Having said that, Xiao Luo opened his card with a confident smile, and it was none other than Ace of Spades. He had now gathered three aces, and if his pocket card turned out to be the Ace of Diamonds, it would constitute a ¡°four of a kind,¡± which was bigger than a flush.


    Leon was stressed out, suddenly feeling thirsty, and he broke into a cold sweat. He wondered how this b*stard could be so lucky to havended three aces. If his pocket card was also an ace, then¡­ no, it couldn¡¯t possibly be happening; there¡¯s no way a man could be that lucky to gather four aces at one go, for the probability was too low. No, he wouldn¡¯t have it.


    He flipped his pocket card over. To cover up the fear in his mind, he shouted, ¡°Stop being dodgy, show your hand! I don¡¯t believe you have that ace!¡±


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan stared at Xiao Luo with trepidation as the moment hade to show his hand. If it were really Ace of Diamonds, then it would be Xiao Luo¡¯s victory. Otherwise, Leon would win in every other scenario. Although they were not the yers, they felt more even nervous than anyone else!


    ¡°The probability of gathering four aces is indeed very low, but I stick to what I have said before¡ªa low probability doesn¡¯t mean an impossibility.¡±


    Xiao Luo seemed like he knew what the result would be, and he flipped the pocket card with high confidence. Lo and behold, it was the Ace of Diamonds! ¡°Four of a kind, and it happens to be bigger than your flush. Good game, Mr. Leon,¡± he said.


    Impossible, how is this even possible!


    Leon leaned back on the chair and looked utterly miserable, his eyes empty and forlorn. He gazed at Xiao Luo in disbelief like he was staring at a monster, and on his face, there was nothing but shock.


    ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Leon?¡± Shen Qingyan asked. Leon¡¯s face had turned a dreadful pale, and she wanted to make sure that he did not copse on the spot.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your concern, Ms. Demi¡­¡± Leon responded. He looked down with his eyes reddened as he realized the magnitude of his loss.


    Xiao Luo felt very much at ease, and he did not forget to mock Leon for his predicament. ¡°Mr. Leon is indeed from an affluent house. A mere three hundred million is like nothing to you. Yes, isn¡¯t this so recreational, Mr. Leon?¡±


    Recreational?


    F*ck you $%@%^$¡­


    Leon almost vomited blood from anger, for it had never crossed his mind that things would turn out this way. All he wanted to do was to win over Xiao Luo¡¯s savings and give them to Su Li to fulfill his aim of belittling Xiao Luo and, at the same, elevating his own image to impress her. However, with the awkward situation he suddenly found himself in, he couldn¡¯t help spewing out a barrage of expletives at Xiao Luo to vent his anger.

 Chapter 487 - Kungfu

    <h2>Chapter 487: Kungfu</h2>


    Xiao Luo exchanged the tokens into money and deposited them into his bank ount again. Of course, he had returned the money he borrowed from Su Li and Shen Qingyan. They did not want a single cent for interest, so his trip to the resort hotel had put an additional three hundred million into his bank ount.


    ¡°Mr. Leon, I appreciate your iparable hospitality. On top of the sumptuous banquet, you even presented me with three hundred million, and that really made me felt embarrassed.¡± After leaving the casino, Xiao Luo patted on Leon¡¯s shoulder and smiled at him.


    Leon winced. F*ck, just give me back the money if you are really that embarrassed, he thought!


    No words could fully describe Leon¡¯s anger and frustration, and had Su Li been not here, he would definitely have ordered his subordinates to beat the hell out of Xiao Luo.


    However, he could not afford to lose his image of being a good sport after losing all that money, so he just waved magnanimously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel that way, Mr. Xiao Luo. I absolutely y by the rules, and three hundred million is no different from three bucks to me. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Right, right, right, I have forgotten that Mr. Leones from an extremely affluent family. This is indeed a small sum of money, a little appetizer for entertainment¡¯s sake.¡± Xiao Luo replied, sniggering gleefully.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan, just by his side, was very amused, and she broke out inughter. Then she suddenly stopped as she realized that it was thoroughly inappropriate tough at that moment.


    When Leon heard the words ¡°for entertainment¡¯s sake,¡± he almost went nuts, for indeed, just for that sake, he had lost three hundred million in a mere hour. It would not have mattered to him usually, but he was now in a crucial phase where his family was observing him closely, so to mess up at such a critical moment would mean that he had lost far more than three hundred million.


    ¡°Mr. Leon, if you ever want to be entertained again, please call on me,¡± Xiao Luo said, feigning enthusiasm.


    Inform you? Why you son of a b*tch!


    Leon gave Xiao Luo a smile and replied, ¡°Okay, I surely would, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Leon, if there¡¯s nothing else, we shall excuse ourselves. I will hire a professional to tabte the documentation of Liyue Media and estimation of various budget into a detailed report for you,¡± Su Li said. She had no intention of talking to Leon about meaningless sweet-nothings here.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early, Sabrina. I would still like to get acquainted with your husband,¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, there is a special practice in the culture of Hua nation called ¡®Kungfu,¡¯ one could walk on the wall and fly over roofs with it, which is incredible! The people of Hua nation had invented many Kungfu styles based on animals, such as Mantis Boxing, Snake Boxing, Tiger w, and I have been mesmerized by Kungfu for a long time. I would like to know if Mr.Xiao Luo had practiced any of them?¡±


    Xiao Luo was slightly stunned, but he soon shook his head and replied, ¡°Oh, not at all!¡±


    He was pretty sure about Leon¡¯s purpose, but having won a whole three hundred million from him, he really felt reluctant to beat this fool up.


    ¡°Kungfu is the quintessence of Hua nation, and Mr. Xiao Luo had never practiced it? This is very unusual,¡± Leon said, and he raised his voice disdainfully.


    Shen Qingyan chuckled. ¡°Mr. Leon, maybe you have some misunderstanding towards Hua nation because not everyone here practices Kungfu,¡± she said.


    Leon showed a disappointed face and expressed himself in no uncertain terms. ¡°Oh? Really? It¡¯s such a shame that I thought I could spar with Mr. Xiao using Kungfu,¡± he said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you should really pick up Kungfu. As Sabrina¡¯s husband, you should be in the position to see to her personal safety.¡±


    As he spoke, he dashed towards Su Li and carried her up¡ªjust like how a prince would carry a princess.


    Leon shook his head as he stared at Xiao Luo. ¡°Look, this is what happens if you don¡¯t know Kungfu. If someone attempts to harm Sabrina, you can¡¯t even retaliate but can only stand there helplessly,¡± he sneered.


    ¡°Leon, what are you doing? Put me down!¡± Su Li screamed. She was p*ssed off.


    Leon responded, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, Sabrina. I¡¯m just pointing out to your husband a fact. As a man, he ought to be powerful, not a weakling, and useless trash. Should an incident ur, how can he even protect himself, let alone protect you?¡± He put her down and took the opportunity to grope her buttocks in the process.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Su Li was enraged and immediately tried to p Leon¡¯s face.


    However, Leon was too quick for her and grabbed her hand before it reached his face. He winked and gave her a cunning smile. ¡°Forgive me, Sabrina, I did not touch your buttocks on purpose!¡± he said.


    Su Li was so exasperated that she clenched her teeth hard, stared at him coldly, and said, ¡°Is this the conduct of a gentleman?¡±


    ¡°Sabrina, I really did not do it on purpose, I swear!¡± Leon put on a sincere look and swore with his fingers raised like a boy scout.


    Xiao Luo interjected and said, ¡°I believe that Mr. Leon didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡±


    Leon was slightly surprised by Xiao Luo¡¯s response. He smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo is right¡­ so he understands me after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do because you obviously did it intentionally.¡± Xiao Luo retorted, staring at Leon coldly as any protective man would. He could never tolerate his wife being taken advantage of.


    Hmm?


    Leon frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean, Mr. Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, by the way, about the Kungfu thing¡­ you wanted to spar, right?¡± Xiao Luo posed the question as he pulled Su Li behind him.


    Leon nodded as he raised his brows and said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, but you have never practiced it before, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, but I have practiced some form of mixed martial arts before.¡± Xiao Luo said. He had not intended to give this fool another lesson, but he was really asking for it.


    ¡°Mixed martial arts?¡±


    Leon was slightly shocked, but he soon broke into a deep smile. ¡°I have practiced mixed martial arts too. Why don¡¯t we spar on thewn?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled back at him. ¡°That would be a good idea,¡± he replied.


    This smile in Leon¡¯s eyes looked like a jester¡¯s smirk before getting a good beating, but in Su Li¡¯s and Shen Qingyan¡¯s eyes, it was a rather eerie grin. They both knew that Xiao Luo was extremely good at fighting, and the memories of Bode Vi were etched in Su Li¡¯s mind forever.


    As for Shen Qingyan, she would never forget that after Xiao Luo had secured the deal with the maternity and child care center, he had barged into the room of her uncle, Shen Xingqing, and broke one of his arms. Thankfully, he was admitted to the hospital on time for treatment and saved his arm. This revealed to her Xiao Luo¡¯s dark side.


    This was one cruel dude who¡¯d always stick to his word!


    ¡°You guys are really sparring?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    This was Su Li¡¯s question too. She felt good that Xiao Luo was attempting to stand up for her, but what if he injured Leon grievously? It wasn¡¯t what she wanted to see.


    ¡°As the host, how can we disappoint our special guest? Am I right, Mr. Leon?¡± Xiao Luo quipped, smiling broadly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s just a simple sparring session. It could be counted as a form of bteral cultural exchange,¡± Leon pitched in, fully agreeing with Xiao Luo. But inwardly, he wasughing mirthlessly. Such a dumbass! You are literally setting yourself up for your own demise, he thought to himself.


    Su Li reminded Xiao Luo, ¡°Since you have made up your mind, then don¡¯t overdo it. Don¡¯t forget, he is our business partner, after all.¡±


    Leon actually misunderstood that it was for him, so heughed and said confidently, ¡± Rest assured, Sabrina. I won¡¯t hurt your husband.¡± He then yelled at his subordinate, ¡°Go to the car right now and get my boxing gloves.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    The subordinate turned around and sprinted toward the direction where Leon had parked the car.

 Chapter 488 - One move to knock you out

    Chapter 488: One move to knock you out


    It did not take too long before the subordinate returned with two pairs of red boxing gloves.


    Leon continued to exin to Su Li, ¡°These boxing gloves are 284 grams each, and with their protective padding, Mr. Xiao will never get hurt. So, you can totally rest assured, Sabrina.¡±


    Su Li did not rify to Leon that her words were meant for Xiao Luo and decided against saying anymore.


    Xiao Luo smirked. ¡°But, if we are sparring with mixed martial arts, we can¡¯t possibly avoid the urrence of idents. If we do hurt each other identally in the process, this is perfectly reasonable. Am I right, Mr. Leon?¡±


    Leon was stunned but reacted immediately withughter and said, ¡°That¡¯s absolutely right, Mr. Xiao is indeed a professional. Punches and kicks do not care about feelings, and nobody could promise that the sparring would not cause any casualty.¡±


    However, he was actually swearing in his heart¡ªyou dumb ass, I was still trying to find an excuse to put Sabrina¡¯s mind at ease before I break your limbs. It seems like I don¡¯t have to find one now. Your exnation was perfectly reasonable.


    As he thought about it, heughed even louder.


    Xiao Luo did not say anything but simply put on the boxing gloves he was given by Leon¡¯s subordinate.


    They both moved over to thewn beside after putting on the boxing gloves.


    Shen Qingyan smiled with her eyes squinted. ¡°Li, how long do you think Mr. Leon canst in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I hope he would not overdo it.¡± Su Li bit her lips. Although Leon was pretty rude, it was not to the point of being unforgivable. All he needed was a lesson, and there was no need for extreme measures.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet on it. After seeing Leon taking advantage of you, Xiao Luo is obviously mad, which is a terrible thing,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Then she pouted her lips as she pondered further and said, ¡°Let¡¯s observe a silence tribute for Leon for three seconds!¡±


    Mad?


    Would he really be mad because she was taken advantage of?


    Su Li was shocked.


    Xiao Luo stood opposite Leon at a distance of three meters. Thetter took off his coat and threw it to his subordinate. He also unbuttoned his shirt¡¯s first button and exposed a little of his hairy chest. He rolled up his sleeves and showed his muscr arms, looking very intimidating with his tall figure of some 1.8 meters. As he went into an attacking stance, it made him looked even more formidably aggressive.


    Aspared to him, Xiao Luo was a little shorter by two centimeters; he was also not as ripped and jacked. Putting them together only made Xiao Luo looked weak, and those who were unfamiliar with Xiao Luo would think that Xiao Luo was overrating his own abilities. It was the case of a mayfly trying to shake a tree up.


    ¡°Are you ready, Mr.s Xiao Luo?¡±


    Leon smiled coldly, and his eyes resembled a beast that had set its sights on its prey.


    Xiao Luo smiled. ¡°We can start anytime,¡± he replied.


    ¡°With that?¡±


    Leon looked confused as he stared at Xiao Luo, who was in neither defending nor attacking stance. It was weird to him that Xiao Luo did not get himself into an appropriately defensive posture.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiao Luo scratched his chest with the boxing glove he put on.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing at all, hehe¡­¡±


    Leon smiled coldly, and his whole face tensed up and twisted into a scowl the next second, exploding forward afterpressing his entire energy into one point. He let out a deafening roar and shot out like a sharp arrow towards Xiao Luo¡¯s direction.


    He dashed swiftly and closed the gap within three steps. His left foot stomped on the ground and shook the entirewn, as the sudden change from apletely static position to a sudden explosive start brought about an unimaginable force on impact. He started spinning with his left leg as support; his right leg was swinging in using the powerful inertia, aimed at Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    It was as hard as a tiger¡¯s strike¨Cstrong enough to part the sea and move the mountain.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were slightly stunned as they finally understood why Leon was so confident to spar with Xiao Luo. He undoubtedly would not have many rivals in Xiahai city from the explosive impact and stance he disyed.


    A simple low kick had produced a world-ending momentum!


    However, Xiao Luo only leaned back at a certain angle and dodged it effortlessly. Leon¡¯s foot had swept near above his face, and the kick even sent his fringes flying.


    Hmm?


    Leon was a little surprised, but his leg merely stayed for a moment after the initial kick had failed. He rushed up to attack with his fists immediately. His punches were extremely fast, like a hail storm. He had performed uppercuts in all directions in a short amount of time.


    However, no matter how ferocious his attacks were or how fast his punches went, Xiao Luo could still dodge his attacks effortlessly. All he did was tilting his head, shifting his body, leaning back, or turning aside¡­He could quickly avoid Leon¡¯s huge fist with simple yet straightforward moves every single time.


    Leon¡¯s two subordinates were no rookies. They had sensed urately that Xiao Luo was skillful. Their master had gone all out in leashing out powerful strikes at the expense of recovery time, but it still could not harm Xiao Luo a single bit. This was definitely problematic, for they were mistaken about Xiao Luo. This man, Xiao Luo, was a terribly powerful fighter.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.


    Leon was getting faster and faster, and his fists were leaving explosive sounds. None of the strikes were able tond on Xiao Luo¡¯s body, and they all ended up swishing through thin air, no matter how powerful they were. This had made him feel more agitated and apprehensive.


    ¡°Do you only know how to f*cking dodge?¡±


    He roared desperately and kicked at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    Xiao Luo guarded his chest with both of his arms, and the kicknded right at the center of his crossed arms. He merely backed off for a step and regained his bnce. On the other hand, Leon lost his bnce and stumbled backward for a few steps, even though he initiated the attack. He stumbled back after heshed out the kick, as a strong recoil hit him along his striking leg.


    They both faced off at a distance of five meters. Xiao Luo was still as calm as ever, whereas Leon was panting heavily after rounds and rounds of ineffective attacks, and he was sweating profusely.


    ¡°They are indeed not in the same league!¡±


    Shen Qingyan was amazed as she could tell that Xiao Luo was toying with Leon, but Leon had already given all he had. To his disbelief, he still could not even touch Xiao Luo¡¯s body once.


    Su Li did not speak but stared at the man who stood up tall and straight like a pine tree on thewn. Since the event at Bode Vi, she felt that this man was tremendously powerful, but she still could not figure out the source of his strength.


    At this moment, both of Leon¡¯s subordinates took the opportunity to approach Leon.


    ¡°Master, let¡¯s call it a day. You are no match for him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a powerful opponent!¡±


    Both of them tried to convince Leon with all sincerity. Being his bodyguards, they were confident about their judgment, and they could see that this man called Xiao Luo was the dominant fighter.


    ¡°Get the f*ck out. I¡¯ll destroy you two if you guys stay here!¡±


    Leon¡¯s rage had totally lost hisposure. He pushed off the two subordinates and roared at Xiao Luo, ¡°Mr. Xiao, what do you want to prove by just dodging? Are you mimicking a tortoise? Come at me, fight with me, unless you want to be called a son of a b*tch!¡±


    ¡°One move, I just need one move to knock you out!¡± Xiao Luo retorted, smiling.


    Leon was infuriated and started thrashing on his chest like a gori. He bellowed, ¡°Come, show me how you do it, if you can¡¯t, get the f*ck away from Sabrina!¡±

 Chapter 489 - Bullet-proof Vest

    <h2>Chapter 489: Bullet-proof Vest</h2>


    When Leon took advantage of Su Li and groped her, Xiao Luo had already decided that the matter would not end mildly. His expression suddenly turned cold, and he started to charge at Leon with a fierce cry.


    Leon had to focus hard as a terrifying aura emanated from Xiao Luo, and he resembled an uncaged beast that was now thirsting for blood and eager for a good fight. His charge was as powerful as a tiger and as fast as a cheetah¡ªand Leon was a shivering prey unable to flee.


    Whoosh~


    Xiao Luo threw his right fist out with immense power, and as he did so, the 284-gram boxing glove could not handle the force of the punch and started ripping from the middle, exposing Xiao Luo¡¯s fist. The opening resembled a cut that was shed by a wind de.


    ¡°Young master, dodge!¡±


    Leon¡¯s subordinates were in anxiety and frightened for Leon as they could tell that the power of this punch was absolutely devastating. They could detect Xiao Luo¡¯s intent to cause maximum harm.


    Die!


    Xiao Luo had an evil smirk on his face. As Leon dared to tantly take advantage of Su Li in his presence, that also meant that he had knocked on the door to hell.


    Leon turned pale with fright, and his eyes were getting wider as Xiao Luo¡¯s fist becamerger andrger as it homed in toward him. He could barely react to it and took the iing blow on his chest.


    POW!


    A thick gush of blood exploded from his mouth, along with a cracking sound as his ribcage fractured. Leon flew back like a broken kite for several meters, leaving a trailing red arc in the air as he vomited blood.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan shivered as if they had been electrocuted. They watched the ongoing fight in trepidation as the worst-case scenario they had earlier imagined was now happening. Once again, Xiao Luo had overdone it, and this could only bring about unnecessary trouble.


    The two subordinates rushed over to Leon to check him. After a quick inspection, they both stood up and yelled angrily at Xiao Luo, ¡°Dude, were you intending to kill him?¡±


    ¡°As I said previously, injuries are bound to happen in any sparring contest. Could it be that your young master is a sore loser?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly as he removed the torn boxing gloves. His punch had shattered Leon¡¯s ribcage, which pushed against his heart. Leon would remain unconscious for a while, but if he was not treated in time, that would be life-threatening.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking for it!¡±


    One of the subordinates dashed up and threw a punch at Xiao Luo, intending to teach him a lesson. Although his blow was powerful, Xiao Luo remained where he was without moving an inch and ignored it.


    BOOM!


    This subordinate¡¯s punchnded forcefully on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, but it did not send Xiao Luo flying away. Instead, he was thrown back by an incredibly strong recoil force the moment he struck Xiao Luo.


    CRACK!


    The subordinate¡¯s arm broke immediately, and he let out a nerve-racking scream as he stumbled back. He finally fell and sat on the ground, holding his broken arm. He stared nervously at Xiao Luo, who was still smiling at him. All he could think at that moment was, what kind of monster is this man? Is his body made of steel?


    ¡°Do you want to spar with me as well?¡± Xiao Luo asked mockingly.


    The man could not help but shiver as Xiao Luo had frightened him from the bottom of his heart. He thought to himself how formidable the people of this nation were, and neither he nor colleagues had expected the presence of such a powerful being.


    ¡°The Kennedy family would not let you off so easily¡­!¡±


    Hisst resort was to use the Kennedy family name as a threat since he dared not spar with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo reacted to the threat with a calm smile as he did not care about it. He would even beat up an emperor should hee, let alone a mere family from their nation.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    A painful rasp was heard from behind the subordinate, and it was Leon. He had regained consciousness and was starting to vomit dark-colored blood as he panted heavily.


    Xiao Luo frowned deeply as he could not figure out how Leon could even get up.


    He then stepped toward Leon, but Su Li was faster and quickly grabbed his hand. For a moment, their eyes met.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve done enough already,¡± Su Li chided, eyeing him with a concerned look.


    ¡°Stop it, Xiao Luo. Leon is indeed a jerk, but he has been punished enough,¡± Shen Qingyan said. She joined Su Li in an effort to stop him.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Well¡­fine!¡± He then nced at Su Li nonchntly and added, ¡°I¡¯m not the one who got groped anyway.¡±


    Su Li blushed again and let go of Xiao Luo as she stared at him angrily.


    They both walked towards Leon, and he immediately felt terrified. There was nothing but fear in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Mr. Leon, so you had a bullet-proof vest on you. Seems like it¡¯s a top-ss quality vest too.¡±


    Xiao Luo was suddenly relieved when he found out that Leon was wearing ayer of protective ck innerwear underneath his shirt, which absorbed most of the impact. He still managed to break one of Leon¡¯s ribs, but it would not be life-threatening.


    ¡°I¡­I am a candidate who could inherit the entire property and business of the Kennedy family, so my personal safety is of utmost importance¡­¡± Leon exined with much difficulty as he tried to endure the pain in his chest.


    ¡°Sounds about right. Your country allows its citizen to own guns legally. If someone plots to harm you, it makes sense to wear a bullet-proof vest when you¡¯re out,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Leon showed a hideous smile that looked worse than a crying face. It was an utter humiliation to be so servile after getting beaten up.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough then. Mr. Leon, go to the hospital at once, and don¡¯t die!¡± Xiao Luo decided to let him go since he was quite lucky.


    Leon¡¯s two subordinates were very grateful, and they escorted Leon away from the scene as quickly as possible.


    When they were leaving, Leon cried, and he had been so unlucky today. On top of losing three hundred million, he was thoroughly beaten up and could not even afford to be mad about it. He had never experienced such a humiliating day ever in his entire life. At that moment, all he was thinking about was to get out of Hua nation as soon as possible, and he had no intention to date Su Li anymore.


    ¡°Did Mr. Leon cry?¡±


    Shen Qingyan heard a faint cry and asked curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to let it out. He has gone through a lot today.¡± Xiao Luo said, then he shed an innocent smile.


    Su Li stared at him angrily as she felt he was the primary cause of this entire farce but was suddenly acting innocent.


    BOOM~


    A p of thunder rumbled as dark clouds formed over the sky, indicating that it would soon rain heavily.


    Xiao Luo looked up and said, ¡°It¡¯s gonna rain soon.¡±


    ¡°Seems it¡¯ll be a heavy downpour.¡± Shen Qingyan opined.


    ¡°Stop wasting time, and let¡¯s go back now.¡± Su Li said.


    ******


    ******


    Just as Xiao Luo drove Shen Qingyan¡¯s Jaguar out of North Hengshan Resort Hotel, it started to rain heavily. It was a heavy downpour, and although it was no gale, the sheer magnitude of the rain was still challenging. The rain caused a veil of white mist to form, and that made driving hazardous.


    ¡°Drive slower, and be careful!¡± Su Li reminded.


    The visibility in such a heavy downpour was terrible, and the road slippery. No one could afford to be careless even when they were excellent drivers.


    Xiao Luo slowed down and activated the windscreen wipers, but visibility was still low. He could only drive at thirty miles per hour, which felt like a snail¡¯s pace for a car such as this. But for the sake of everyone¡¯s safety, that could not be helped. And since nobody was in a rush, there was no need for speeding.

 Chapter 490 - Stop it forcefully

    Chapter 490: Stop it forcefully


    BOOM¡­ BOOM¡­ BOOOM~


    There was a frightening peal of thunder, and lightning shed incessantly, lighting up the sky. A rolling sea of threatening dark clouds churned like a raging tsunami, as shes of lightning streaked from within, making them appear to glow angrily. It only took a moment for a heavy downpour to make the entire Xiahai city¡¯s temperature drop. The neon lights in this stormy weather looked fuzzy and made the whole city seemed rather hazy.


    The city streets were still bustling with people and cars, and the city looked lively and busy. There were many pedestrians without umbres hiding under any building they could find shelter in. But, those who had raincoats or umbres chose to brave through the storm. However, the cars had slowed down on the road due to safety concerns and to avoid potential idents with other vehicles and pedestrians.


    ¡°Can you stop being so barbaric in the future? We can settle all these things through a proper legal procedure. Violence cannot be the answer to every problem.¡±


    Su Li tried to convince Xiao Luo in the car for this was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She really disliked his usual way of solving a problem using the most extreme means he could. No sane women in the world would prefer a man with a predisposition toward violence.


    ¡°Ms. Su, I admire your magnanimity even though you were taken advantage of. It was amazing that you could remain so calm and unaffected,¡± Xiao Luo responded, keeping his eyes on the road.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Su Li was offended and frustrated that Xiao Luo chose not to even consider her words at all. He didn¡¯t get¡ªit was not about her being taken advantage of. Seriously? What did he mean by ¡°unaffected?¡±


    She felt hurt as this man could never get what she meant, even once!


    ¡°Alright, you two are like Tom and Jerry¡ªyou guys clearly are fond of each other, but you¡¯re just stubborn as hell. As an outsider, I have a fair and objectivement to make. None of you guys are willing to take the initiative to break the deadlock. You two would have lived together a long time ago had either of you chosen to do that. Instead, you¡¯re living in your apartment separately.¡±


    Shen Qingyan chuckled as she finally understood the situation now. ¡°Su Li, you alwaysin to me about how Xiao Luo does not have a sessful career, and you see him as a total loser. This could be interpreted from another perspective¡ªthat you¡¯re was very concerned about Xiao Luo,¡± she said, ¡°And, Xiao Luo, as for today¡¯s little sparring session with Leon¡ªyou would not have done that if you did not have a thing for Su Li as you¡¯re essentially a gentle person. To make things clear, your feelings for each other are mutual.¡±


    She used to look down on Xiao Luo, but she found him quite charming after some time of hanging out with him. She did find him quite charming, actually!


    ¡°Huh, who wants to stay together!¡±


    Both Xiao Luo and Su Li responded simultaneously as if they had been practicing it together.


    They stared at each other and then looked away immediately. Su Li was blushing while Xiao Luo was expressionless.


    ¡°Tsk! You can keep denying it. I¡¯ll see how long can you guys live in denial. If you guys ever decided to live together someday, text me, and I¡¯ll take Su Xiaobei with me. So you guys can have a sweet and hot honeymoon to yourselves.¡± Shen Qingyan said, smiling cheekily.


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!¡±


    Su Li vehemently denied any such thing. She stared out of the window into the night sky, trying to calm herself down. She stole a fleeting nce at Xiao Luo as she thought, if only this man were not so barbaric and had a sessful career, it would be so wonderful. He was the man who made her heart flutter, and she had already set her mind on living with him for the rest of her life¡ªfor now, at least.


    Xiao Luo suddenly decided to take the attention off himself, and said in jest, ¡°President Shen, I think you would make a perfect match for a friend of mine, if there¡¯s ever an opportunity, I would like to introduce him to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So, now you¡¯re trying to matchmake your boss? Fine, I don¡¯t have a high standard, but he cannot be less handsome and shorter than you. Most importantly, he needs to give me that special feeling of connection. That¡¯s all, and I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s rich, as I already am,¡± Shen Qingyan replied, ying with her long hair.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo choked. He had intended to refer Zhang Dashan since he was unable to date Huang Ruoran. A woman like Shen Qingyan was every man¡¯s dream, and it would be a nice thing to matchmake them. However, Shen Qingyan¡¯s selection criteria had totally discouraged him.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got to see him for yourself,¡± he said.


    Shen Qingyan smiled as she was obviously uninterested and ced little faith in such arrangements.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    The tiny car behind them was honking incessantly and shing its headlight to force Xiao Luo out of its way.


    ¡°Is that dude blind or sick? Can¡¯t he see that we can¡¯t give way?¡± Shen Qingyan hissed, and she was pissed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother; the driver probably has road rage syndrome!¡± Su Li said.


    Road rage syndrome?!


    Xiao Luo smiled as this was his first time hearing such a term, but it was very apt nheless.


    He continued to drive at their current speed. He turned on the car¡¯s music app to shield their ears from the honking from behind them. When the music yed, it turned out to be one of Su Li¡¯s greatest hits, ¡°Twice Blooms the Flower.¡±


    ¡°Two kinds of life, like a wilting flower, reminiscing the memories of blooming, many moons ago¡­awaiting here in patience, to let time returns, with eyes full of petals¡­¡±


    The song was soothing, and the lyrics were beautiful¡ªit sounded like a song that could purify one¡¯s soul. Both Xiao Luo and Shen Qingyan were mesmerized by the singing.


    ¡°Li, let me ask you a question. What does it feel like to listen to your own song?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    ¡°Lame!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s answer was short and straightforward.


    She had actually be popr because of this song in the past. Of course, her focus now on the film industry and not music. She had not sung for a really long time.


    Then, the car from behind them suddenly caught up but did not overtake them. Instead, it ran alongside them.


    The window on the far side of the driver seat was wound down, and a weird-looking man with ear studs yelled, ¡°What the f*ck, you f*cking donkey, don¡¯t you know how to drive? We¡¯ve been honking a gazillion times¡ªare you deaf? I would kick your ass if I wasn¡¯t in a rush, f*ck you!¡±


    He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the bottom of his seat and threw it at the window of the Jaguar. That man even put up a middle finger as he let out a barrage of expletives, then wound up his window. Immediately, he sped up and overtook them.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were shocked as they did not expect to run into such a gangster. It was impossible to give way as there was clearly no extra room for them to give way!


    ¡°What kind of jerk is this? How rude can he be?¡± Shen Qingyan hissed. She was furious as those people now spoiled her mood.


    ¡°Tighten your seatbelts!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not break a sweat, and he only said it once as he looked at them through the rearview mirror.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan grabbed the handrail unconsciously as they knew very well what Xiao Luo intended to do.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo stepped on the elerator pedal hard. The Jaguar started to charge forward like a beast, overtaking one car after another and finally catching up to the Audi when they came to the gigantic bridge between the river. He then mmed the elerator pedal entirely and overtook the car like a fire arrow before he braked in front of the Audi, preventing it from moving anywhere.

 Chapter 491 - Foolish Lady

    <h2>Chapter 491: Foolish Lady</h2>


    ¡°Is there an umbre in the car?¡± Xiao Luo turned his head to ask Shen Qingyan, seated in the backseat. It wasmon practice for car owners to leave an umbre in the car in case of unexpected bad weather.


    ¡°Yeah, in the glovepartment,¡± Shen Qingyan replied. She nced towards the glovepartment in front of the passenger seat.


    Xiao Luo immediately opened the glove box. There was an umbre there¡ªbut its edges were lined withce, and it was pinkce, at that. He furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Err, never mind¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo got out of the car shortly after he spoke.


    The rain poured down relentlessly, and he was immediately soaked from head to toe the moment he stepped out. At the same time, four young men descended from the ck Audi sedan that had been tailing them. There looked like hooligans, grimacing with unfriendly scowls on their faces.


    ¡°D*mn you, b*stard! Are you looking to die?¡±


    ¡°F*ck him, let¡¯s beat the hell out of that guy!¡±


    The four young men drew strength from their numbers and charged towards Xiao Luo.


    One of them, the one who yelled at Xiao Luo, was swaggering as he led his men from the front. Xiao Luo preempted his attack, and without any warning, sent him flying a few meters back with just one kick. The young man clutched his stomach as he threw up everything he ate for dinner, groaning as hey on the road in unimaginable pain.


    The other three men were shocked, and they held back for a beat. Suddenly, they rushed at Xiao Luo with fierce roars.


    Xiao Luo huffed lightly. Hended a clean and urate right hook on the face of a silver-haired young man. It sent flying the young man with a pathetic scream and left him with a row of bloody front teeth. The young man reeled back and crashed heavily on the wet ground. Hended into arge puddle of rainwater with a ssh, kicking up sprays of water a meter high.


    There were now two of them left, and they were so terrified that they froze, suddenly unsure of themselves. When Xiao Luo turned and red at them, they nervously pulled out their switchdes and exchanged nces before they charged wildly toward Xiao Luo at the same time.


    Xiao Luoughed with a sneer and stepped forward to meet them head-on. He weaved between the two of them and spread out both arms like two metal rods and struck at their chests. There were but two dull thuds before the two young men spat out thick blood, and they found themselves sailing back in the air as if struck by a speeding sports car.


    It had barely been a minute, and the four young men had already been dispatched and lying sprawled on the ground!


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan were shocked as they took in the scene. This was too brutal, too barbaric. Had it not been for the fact that they had seen all of this with their own eyes, it would be too difficult for them to imagine that someone like Xiao Luo, who did not seem imposing or menacing in the least, had such terrifying moves up his sleeves.


    Xiao Luo raked his gaze over the four people who were writhing on the ground and crying pathetically. There was not a trace of emotion on his face. Then, he walked over to the front section of the ck sedan.


    Crack!


    It was like his left arm was a machine. He effortlessly smashed the front window and then snatched the car key from the ignition.


    In debonair fashion, Xiao Luo turned around and strode over to the Jaguar. As he did so, he tossed the car key off the bridge. A river of raging waters ran beneath the bridge, and but not a single one of the four men dared make a sound. They were lying on the road and groaning miserably. It was clear that they had messed up here today.


    When Xiao Luo got back in the driver¡¯s seat, he brushed his wet hair with a hand. He looked at Su Li indifferently through the rearview mirror and said, ¡°You say that I¡¯m barbaric and violent. Well, I guess you¡¯re right. That¡¯s exactly the kind of person I am. If I were to consider this some illness, then I think I¡¯m already at death¡¯s door, and there¡¯s no hope left for me!¡±


    There was a deeper meaning behind his words, and his message was¡ªthink as you wish! Xiao Luo had no ns of changing; that was for sure.


    After he said that, he stepped on the gas without waiting for Su Li to respond, speeding through the bridge and getting them to the other side of the river.


    Su Li bit into her scarlet lips. In a scarcely audible voice, she hissed, ¡°Barbarian¡­¡±


    Although Shen Qingyan thought that Xiao Luo was excessively barbaric and violent, she was, on the other hand, muchforted by his ability to protect them. ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far this time, Xiao Luo. On top of beating them to a pulp, you also threw their car keys into the river. I think they¡¯ll remember this encounter for as long as they live,¡± she said.


    ¡°Some people need to be taught a lesson before they see reason,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re hinting at something?¡± Shen Qingyan quipped, ncing at Su Li, who was sitting beside her.


    Su Li red at Shen Qingyan. ¡°What are you looking at? Leave me out of your conversation.¡±


    She was, in fact,shing out at Xiao Luo.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    By the time they made their way back to Crescent Bay, it was already ten in the evening.


    Not only did it seem like the rain would not be stopping anytime soon, but it appeared to be getting heavier. More puddles were forming on the ground, and when the raindrops hit them, the bubbles that were formed seemed to light up like tiny bulbs.


    ¡°Huh, why is there someone standing there in the rain? It looks like a girl?¡± Shen Qingyan eximed.


    Xiao Luo followed the direction of her gaze. Indeed, he saw a girl curled up, folding her arms around her chest. She sat unmoving in the pouring rain by the streetside next to the main gate leading to Crescent Bay, with her head lowered. Although she was some distance away from the car, she seemed familiar to him at first nce.


    Gu Qianxue?


    He took a harder look, and he was about 80% sure that it was her¡ªnot everybody had that simple yet elegant air about them.


    Xiao Luo immediately pushed open the door and bounded over.


    ¡°Gu Qianxue?¡± He stood in front of the girl and called out to her.


    When she heard him, the girl immediately raised her head. She had a beautiful face with a cold demeanor, giving her an aloofness that made it difficult for anyone to approach her. She had a pair of exquisitely beautiful eyes and glowing pale skin. Who could it be if not Gu Qianxue? She was as naive as a nk sheet of paper.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you, Xiao Luo.¡±


    Gu Qianxue stood up. She was drenched from head to toe. Her face seemed unusually pale, and her hair was soaking wet as well, with some strands clinging to her face. At the sight of Xiao Luo, the coldness in her eyes vanished, reced by warmth and glee.


    ¡°Since you know I live here, why didn¡¯t you just let yourself in? Why did you have to wait here in the rain?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    There was a trace of an uneasy smile on Gu Qianxue¡¯s face. ¡°Umm, they wouldn¡¯t let me in. So I had no other option but to wait here by the gate for you,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo really could not understand why the girl was so foolish. ¡°Your older sister is so smart, so how are you this dumb? Don¡¯t you know to find shelter when it¡¯s pouring like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, my body¡¯s real tough. A little rain like this can¡¯t hurt me,¡± Gu Qianxue responded, shaking her head.


    Xiao Luo was shocked. He did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°If your dad knew the kind of situation you were in, he¡¯d probably call me out for a cup of tea in the middle of the night,¡± he said.


    Gu Qianxueughed sweetly. ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s great that I managed to find you¡­¡±


    As soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes fluttered slightly, and she copsed in a heap.


    Xiao Luo jumped in shock, instantly helping her up. ¡°Gu Qianxue, Gu Qianxue¡­¡± he called her name several times, but she did not respond. He put his hand on her forehead, and he nched. ¡°What was all that nonsense about having a strong body? You¡¯re burning up!¡± he muttered.


    He gathered the foolish girl into his arms and sprinted into Crescent Bay. There was some medicine to treat fevers and flu in his apartment, and he had to treat her immediately.


    In the Jaguar, Su Li and Shen Qingyan sat frozen in shocked silence.


    It was Shen Qingyan who came back to her senses first. ¡°Li, they seem to know each other. The girl seems rather innocent, probably in her early 20s. The girls that Xiao Luo are acquainted with are all so pretty. Is this what it means to be blessed?¡± she said.


    There was a conflicted expression on Su Li¡¯s face when she heard those words. She was a woman, and her sixth sense told her that the girl was her love rival.

 Chapter 492 - You Dont Need to Explain

    Chapter 492: You Don¡¯t Need to Exin


    Shen Qingyan drove the car into the underground car park. The rain was pouring down in sheets that night, so obviously, she was not going back to her own home. She would stay in Su Li¡¯s apartment.


    When they returned to the apartment, they ran into Xiao Luo, who was justing out of his own unit.


    ¡°President Shen, Miss Su. Could I trouble you both with something?¡± Xiao Luo asked, looking a little anxious.


    ¡°You need us to help change the youngdy¡¯s clothes?¡± Shen Qingyan probed.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ You¡¯re quite the honest guy, aren¡¯t you? This is such a good opportunity for you to take advantage of her, and yet you¡¯re letting it pass.¡±


    There was a hint of approval in Shen Qingyan¡¯s gaze. She immediately shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t help you with this. Call an ambnce and have her sent to the hospital.¡±


    She was looking at it from Su Li¡¯s perspective. This was a love rival that had appeared out of the blue, and if she were Su Li, she would definitely be feeling terrible. It was already taking a tremendous amount of effort for her to not fly into a rage, let alone help the other girl.


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just a mild cold. There¡¯s no need to send her to the hospital. She¡¯ll be fine once she takes some medicine for the fever.¡±


    Shen Qingyan was growing anxious on his behalf. ¡°Why don¡¯t you understand, Xiao Luo? Does this seem like a problem that can be solved with flu medicine?¡± She couldn¡¯t help thinking to herself, his rtionship with Li was finally progressing somewhere, and now something like this had to happen. Did he want their rtionship to be doomed?


    Su Li looked at him with her beautiful eyes. ¡°Who is she?¡± she asked. She had been quiet the entire time until now.


    Xiao Luo immediately blurted, ¡°We¡¯re just friends!¡±


    He and Gu Qianxue were obviously friends. Although men¡¯s very nature would urge him to think fondly of such an innocent girl, that was about as far as he would go. In his eyes, Gu Qianxue was no more than a little brat who needed guidance.


    ¡°Just friends?¡± Su Li questioned a second time.


    ¡°Yeah. We met in Jiangcheng.¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Su Li sensed his candor and did not continue questioning him. There was a contemtive look in her eyes as she cast him a final nce, and then she walked into her apartment. At the same time, she nced at Shen Qingyan and said, ¡°Qingyan, please go to my room and get her a set of clean clothes from the closet.¡±


    ¡°Yours?¡± Shen Qingyan asked, shocked. She thought, was she really going to be this magnanimous?


    ¡°Of course. She¡¯s more or less my size, so my clothes should fit her.¡±


    Su Li turned around and said, ¡°Oh, right, get a few bath towels and washed clothes as well. There are new ones in the closet.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Shen Qingyan heaved a sigh. If the person involved wants to pretend nothing was wrong, who was she, an outsider to get involved?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Drying Gu Qianxue¡¯s hair, feeding her flu medicine, and changing her into a set of clean clothes¡ªSu Li did all of this. After doing all of that, she returned to her own apartment without another word. Naturally, Shen Qingyan would not stay in Xiao Luo¡¯s apartment, so she left with Su Li.


    ¡°Li, are you just going to remain this calm? The girl came all the way from Jiangcheng, so she¡¯s obviously thinking of him differently, even if he doesn¡¯t think of her that way. Now that they are both confined in the same space, they¡¯re just like dry wood and a raging fire. It¡¯s really dangerous that both of them are together,¡± Shen Qingyan said to Su Li, who was sitting on the sofa opposite her, quietly reading a book. Shen Qingyan just could not stay calm.


    ¡°I trust him,¡± Su Li said without lifting her head from the book. ¡°If he really crosses the line, I¡¯ll dissolve our marriage and return him his freedom,¡± she said.


    Huh¡­?


    Shen Qingyan was quite shocked by that response, but she responded with augh. ¡°If you really think like this, then it puts my heart at ease, but I know for certain that you don¡¯t,¡± she said, ¡°Perhaps both of you shared a strange moment when you went to collect the certificate, but you can¡¯t fool me any longer. You¡¯ve fallen in love with him.¡±


    Su Li froze when she heard those words, and her gaze got out of focus momentarily.


    Seeing Su Li¡¯s reaction, Shen Qingyan brushed the matter off with a wave of her hand and said, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll stop talking. Talking too much is only going to make me seem like a gossiper. I¡¯m going to shower. I need to check my pher to see if there are any documents thepany needs me to sign.¡±


    After speaking, she headed up to the shower.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo ced a hot towel on Gu Qianxue¡¯s forehead. She had taken the flu medicine, and as she was trained in the martial arts, her body recovered after half an hour or so, and she awoke.


    ¡°Xiao Luo,¡± she called out.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand in the rain like that next time. You¡¯re ady, and your body isn¡¯t made of steel,¡± Xiao Luo chided her. His tone was not unlike that of a family elder.


    ¡°But, Mount Tianshan¡¯s much colder than this ce, and I¡¯ve never once fallen sick from the rain there,¡± Gu Qianxue replied.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Then it seems that your body has grown weak from being in a bustling city for too long.¡±


    Gu Qianxue thought about it rather seriously for a beat, and replied, ¡°Hmm, I guess that must be it.¡±


    ¡°Drink up,¡± Xiao Luo said, handing a cup of hot tea over to her.


    Gu Qianxue reached out for the cup and took a sip, and then looked out the window. ¡°It¡¯s raining really heavily,¡± she eximed.


    ¡°It is, and it doesn¡¯t seem like the rain will stop any time soon. It¡¯s a good thing I returned tonight. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo did not continue speaking. Had the foolish little girl actually stayed out there in the rain for an entire night, there was no way Gu Zhanguo would forgive him. Even that despicable Gu Qianlin would probably make her way over to Xiahai all the way from Jiangcheng just to give him grief.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m hungry!¡± Gu Qianxue cried, lifting her head, staring up at him.


    An image suddenly formed in his head. It was the memory of the little girl who had lost her way and when he found her sitting alone in front of arge building. At that time, she had said something simr to him.


    ¡°Hold on, let me make you something.¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and decided to head over to Su Li¡¯s apartment. He had no kitchen utensils here and no food, so there was no way he could cook in his own apartment.


    But at this moment, Gu Qianxue tugged at her clothes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiao Luo said as he turned around and smiled.


    Gu Qianxue looked miserable. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone,¡± she said.


    Gu Qianxue did not tell Xiao Luo how much she had endured when she went against Gu Qianlin¡¯s wishes and headed to Xiahai all by herself, much less the fact that she had run into a lot of trouble. She had gotten her phone and purse stolen, and by the time she reached Crescent Bay, she had been so hungry she was on the verge of copse. She did not have a single cent on her, and she did not know what she would have done if Xiao Luo had not appeared. This was the main reason she wanted to wait by the main gate despite the rain¡ªshe couldn¡¯t afford to miss him if when he returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to the apartment opposite to make something for you. I won¡¯t leave you.¡± Xiao Luo gently pried her hand off his shirt.


    And then he turned to leave.


    He walked into Su Li¡¯s apartment and found her sitting on the sofa, quietly and elegantly reading a book. Xiao Luo walked over to her. ¡°Thank you for earlier,¡± he said.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Su Li responded. She seemed unaffected by the entire matter.


    ¡°Her name is Gu Qianxue, and she¡¯s a rather close friend of mine from Jiangcheng, but I can promise you¡ª¡± Xiao Luo tailed off before finishing his sentence, but his message was evident. He did not know why he felt like this, suddenly worried that Su Li might misunderstand.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin this to me. Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re married, but only in name,¡± Su Li cut him off.


    She was intentionally riling him up in a desperate attempt to see him fly off the handle and make clear that their rtionship was more than a contract. She even wanted to see him fiercely dere that she was his, and his alone.

 Chapter 493 - Theres Something I Need to Tell You

    Chapter 493: There¡¯s Something I Need to Tell You


    A contract?


    So their rtionship was nothing but a contract?


    Xiao Luoughed sardonically. It seems like he had been too invested in his role as a husband that he had forgotten this woman saw him as nothing more than a back-up n. He was quickly reminded that their marriage would immediatelye to an end when she met a suitable man.


    ¡°I know,¡± he replied and then headed straight in the direction of the kitchen.


    Su Li was understandably glum. She had really expected the man to show a little more emotional response¡ªeven rage would have put her more at ease. But hisck of emotion only made her think that he did not care about their marriage at all.


    She heaved a sigh, then asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s hungry, so I came over to make her something.¡± Xiao Luo had already started busying himself in the kitchen.


    Su Li put aside the unease in her heart. Her face devoid of expression, she said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, too, so please make me something as well. Thanks!¡±


    She immediately turned her attention back to the book after she spoke, as if she did not need Xiao Luo¡¯s response.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, helpless. It was no trouble making an extra set, actually. Plus, he was using her kitchen and her ingredients, so making it for her was the right thing to do.


    Herrder was packed with foodstuff; there was every sort of meat and vegetable one could think of, all thanks to the hard work that Aunt Lee had put in.


    He made Gu Qianxue steak and a sunny-side up. For Su Li, he prepared some bananas, oatmeal, blueberries, kiwi. He had explicitlyposed the meals ording to their tastes. After all, the former loved meat, while thetter paid more attention to maintaining her figure. On top of that, the mix of fruits he had prepared for Su Li was also abination he had frequently seen Aunt Lee prepare, so he had naturally memorized it as time passed.


    ¡°Why is mine a kiwi banana smoothie?¡± Su Li put down her book and looked at the supper in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this what you like?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised a brow. ¡°Would you like this steak instead? I don¡¯t remember you liking meat.¡±


    He actually knows what I like to eat!?


    Su Li felt her heart jump, but she could not let her emotions show so tantly. ¡°Who said I liked this? I like taro paste,¡± she said.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m very sorry, but I guess you¡¯re going to have to make do with this.¡±


    Xiao Luo left after saying that. He did not want to keep Gu Qianxue waiting for too long.


    She had been quite moved at first, but Xiao Luo¡¯s actions left her speechless, and she was so infuriated that she was no longer hungry.


    ¡°Huh, a kiwi banana smoothie? Who made this, was it Xiao Luo?¡± Shen Qingyan said. She had juste down after taking a shower and had already changed into Su Li¡¯s pajamas. The moment she saw the supper on the table, her eyes started gleaming.


    ¡°What makes you think I wasn¡¯t the one who made it?¡± Su Li asked sharply.


    Shen Qingyanughed. ¡°Li, you¡¯re pretty much an idiot when ites to cooking. You sure you¡¯re not joking with me?¡± she said.


    Su Li wasn¡¯t in the mood for conversation. She bit her ruby red lips and went back to reading her book again.


    ¡°Are you drinking it? I¡¯ll drink it if you don¡¯t.¡± Shen Qingyan was a little peckish.


    ¡°You have it. I don¡¯t want it.¡± Su Li red at her.


    Shen Qingyan did not stand on ceremony. She scooped up a spoonful. ¡°Wow, this is pretty good. Xiao Luo¡¯s not too bad a cook; this is better than the stuff your nanny makes. It seems like I have him in the wrong ce. He shouldn¡¯t be in sales; he should be in the kitchen in thepany cafeteria,¡± she gushed.


    ¡°You¡¯re using my man as a mess cook? Are you looking to get whooped?¡±


    Su Li picked up the cushion on the sofa and hurled it towards Shen Qingyan.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo remembered that Gu Qingxue loved eating meat, but he had forgotten that her appetite was much bigger than the average girl.


    So after a serving of steak, he returned to Su Li¡¯s apartment. There was mutton, pork, and chicken¡ªhe braised a serving of each. Xiao Luo felt somewhat awkward when he saw how Su Li and Shen Qingyan were looking at him, so he exined to them that he was hungry.


    ¡°Is that enough?¡± Xiao Luo asked Gu Qianxue, eyeing the empty tes beside her that had stacked up quite a bit.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Gu Qianxue took a piece of tissue paper, dabbing away the grease around her lips.


    Xiao Luo heaved a sigh of relief. He cleared his throat lightly and asked, ¡°You said that you were doing alright in Jiangcheng, so why did you suddenlye over to Xiahai? It¡¯s a dangerous world out there. At least you have your sister to look out for you back in Jiangcheng. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a smart move for you to head out here to Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°I can look out for myself,¡± Gu Qianxue said, ¡°besides, you can look out for me too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know I¡¯m nothing more than a maniacal murderer whose hands are stained with blood.¡±


    Gu Qingxue shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo was relieved. He knew that, if word about what he had done in Jiangcheng were to get out, there would only be one response from society, and that would be a crusade against him. They would eliminate such an evil murderer like him.


    In all honesty, he did not really care about what other people thought about him. Everything was alright as long as his conscience was clear.


    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°So why did youe looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    At this moment, Gu Qianxue could not give him a straight answer. There was no particr reason why she was looking for Xiao Luo, only that she had missed him.


    Xiao Luo saw through Gu Qianxue, and it was easy to know what she was thinking. She hid nothing¡ªany and every emotion she felt was clearly written on her face. She was not like Su Li, who he could not understand at all.


    ¡°If the skies clear up tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring you around the famousndmarks of Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯d like that.¡± That made Gu Qianxue happy, and she smiled a little.


    ¡°Oh right, how many days off did you request from the central police station?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Gu Qianxue shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t? So, you snuck out, then?¡± Xiao Luo sucked in a breath.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Qianxue replied, nodding like a little girl who had just made a mistake.


    Xiao Luo hurriedly handed his phone over to her. ¡°Call your sister right now and tell her you¡¯re in Xiahai. Otherwise, she¡¯ll tear through the whole of Jiangcheng.¡±


    He obviously did not care whether Gu Qianlin was worried or not. He was more afraid that Gu Qianxue might be investigated as a missing person case. Should that happen, wouldn¡¯t there be a likelihood he¡¯d be suspected of being a criminal who had abducted a na?ve girl who did not know better?


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Gu Qianxue thought about it for a while, and then took the phone and dialed Gu Qianlin¡¯s number.


    After a few beats, Xiao Luo could hear Gu Qianlin¡¯s hysterical voice screaming through his phone. She was most likely reprimanding Gu Qianxue for leaving without a word and making them worry.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, my sister wants to talk to you.¡± After the ferocious dressing-down from Gu Qianlin, Gu Qianxue silently handed the phone to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo knew better than to avoid Gu Qianlin, so he plucked his courage and took the phone.


    ¡°Officer Gu, what can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I don¡¯t care what kind of potion you¡¯ve drugged my sister with to make her so head-over-heels for you, but you¡¯re absolutely forbidden from taking advantage of her or bullying her. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make you pay¡ªto hell with my status as a police officer!¡± Gu Qianlin screamed. She was very protective over her younger sister, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it if a murderous demon like Xiao Luo ruined her younger sister¡¯s virtues. She would surely go insane.

 Chapter 494 - Zhuo Yuze

    <h2>Chapter 494: Zhuo Yuze</h2>


    The one thing Xiao Luo hated the most was being threatened, especially by a woman. To begin with, he already had a great dislike for this woman, and now this verbal assault was just making it worse. Irked, Xiao Luo got up and walked to the balcony to get out of earshot. When he got there, he suddenlyughed into the phone and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you, Officer Gu. It seems you haven¡¯t changed one bit¡ªyou¡¯re still as charming as ever!¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I¡¯ve changed isn¡¯t any of your business. I¡¯m warning you to leave my younger sister alone, do you hear me?¡± Gu Qianlin screamed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave her alone just because you tell me to. Wouldn¡¯t it be an insult to my manhood if I just do as you say? Mmm, just so you know, we¡¯ll be having a showerter, then we¡¯ll probably not put our clothes on when we go to bed. Yes, she¡¯ll spend the night with me,¡± Xiao Luo said with a cruel smile.


    ¡°B*stard, I dare you to do that?¡± Gu Qianlin threatened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have any qualms about killing. Do you think I wouldn¡¯t have the guts to bed a woman?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    Over the phone, all that could be heard was Gu Qianlin¡¯s heaving and puffing. She was outraged and about to explode. But, she couldn¡¯t think of anything to say.


    This was precisely the oue Xiao Luo had hoped for, and he still didn¡¯t let up. Heughed and said, ¡°Your younger sister is much more feminine than you are. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be gentle.¡±


    Having formed a nasty mental picture in Gu Qianlin¡¯s mind, Xiao Luo immediately put the phone down without giving Gu Qianlin a chance to say anything. Shallow as it may seem, it still made him feel so much better afterward. He was quite sure that he had gotten under her skin and hoped that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sit still. Ideally, she would not be able to even get a wink tonight.


    When he turned around, he was shocked to find Gu Qianxue standing right behind him. Her face was slightly red with embarrassment. ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­ you were deliberately trying to make my sister angry, right?¡± she said.


    Oh-oh, did she hear all the things that he had just said?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned lobster red. He had only said those things to Gu Qianlin to rile her, but now Gu Qianxue had heard all of it. This had suddenly be terribly awkward.


    He coughed in embarrassment and tried to calm himself down. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. I won¡¯t do anything to you,¡± he said.


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried about that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It¡¯s gettingte, you should rest early. You can sleep in the bedroom, I¡¯ll sleep outside, just call me if anything happens,¡± Xiao Luo responded, quickly changing the subject.


    ¡°Hmm, alright!¡± Gu Qianxue said, nodding her head.


    ¡­


    It rained the entire night without respite, but the next day the sky cleared up. It turned out to be a sunny day, and the air was exceptionally fresh.


    Gu Qianxue had recovered well and felt a lot better now, especially after having a good night¡¯s rest. She had woken up very early and was already all dressed by six in the morning. She was naturally wearing Su Li¡¯s clothes, and they fit her like a glove.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s n was to apany her and bring her on tour around Xiahai City before sending her hometer. He still had many things to do and couldn¡¯t be by her side every single day. Besides, it was already kind of weird that they were both were living together.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s head out now,¡± Gu Qianxue said. She was excited to go out and have some fun and seemed to be really looking forward to it.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. After recalling what Su Li had said about their contractual rtionshipst night, he dropped the idea of informing her and headed out with Gu Qianxue.


    ¡°Stand right there!¡±


    As soon as they arrived on the ground floor of Crescent Bay Hotel, a booming voice called out.


    From the sofa in the lobby, a man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties stood up and walked toward Xiao Luo at a brisk pace.


    The man had a strong military bearing, and it caused Xiao Luo to furrow his eyebrows. ¡°Is there a problem here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Let me introduce myself. I¡¯m themander of the Xiahai Military Region, Zhuo Yuze. I have heard that you¡¯re strong and skillful, and I¡¯m here to enlist you on behalf of the country,¡± he said.


    ¡°Commander of the Xiahai Military Region?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave the man a critical once over. Then he noticed two rows of soldiers in military fatigues filing in purposefully. sping onto their assault rifles, their faces looked grim but not angry. Still, their appearance intimidated the staff of Crescent Bay Hotel.


    Suddenly, a familiar-looking man wearing sses walked in behind the troops. Xiao Luo immediately recognized that he was the very guy who was known as the number one paparazzi in Xiahai¡ªZhuo Wei. The arm that Xiao Luo had broken the other night was now in a cast and slung across his chest. Xiao Luo immediately realized what was going on here.


    Xiao Luo red at themander. ¡°What¡¯s the rtionship between you and him?¡± he asked.


    Zhuo Yuze¡¯s eyes glowered, and he replied, ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He gave the man a mocking smile and said, ¡°As amander, you should be around the rank of senior colonel, correct? You should be about 34 this year. To already achieve the rank of senior colonel when you¡¯re only 34¡­ hmm, I bet you climbed your way up through some family connections? Have you ever attended military school? You don¡¯t even know how to sit or stand properly, so it seems to me like you got in through the back door.¡±


    ¡°You b*stard, so cocky when you¡¯re about to die. Is your brain filled with nothing but sh*t?¡± Zhuo Wei snarled.


    Zhuo Yuze raised his hand, signaling his brother not to say anything. He stared at Xiao Luo with glowering eyes and scowled, ¡°You want to know something? You¡¯re the first person who has the guts to speak to me like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also the first person who has the guts to talk to Xiao Luo like that,¡± Gu Qianxue said, suddenly joining the fray.


    Hmm? What an innocent and beautiful looking young girl!


    Zhuo Wei¡¯s anger-filled eyes glinted when he saw Gu Qianxue. Just you wait, you little girl, once I get rid of this Xiao Luo, I¡¯m going toe and conquer you, he thought to himself.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me? Look at me again, and I will gouge your eyeballs out!¡±


    Gu Qianxue hated the lewd look in Zhuo Wei¡¯s eyes. She was definitely not the kind of girl who shied away meekly.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Zhuo Yuzeughed crudely and said, ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re a savage horse! My younger brother loves savage horses because it¡¯s going to be so much more enjoyable to ride on one.¡±


    Hearing themander speak in such a scious manner, a cold light gleamed in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. He discreetly scanned his surroundings and analyzed the situation. He took note that there were two toons of armed soldiers, and they were undoubtedly carrying live ammunition. He decided to hold back as this was not a suitable ce for him to take action now.


    Gu Qianxue might be innocent, but it was not like she didn¡¯t understand what was happening, and her face turned red in anger. As long as Xiao Luo gave her some sort of signal, she would make sure she beat these bunch of people up.


    Zhuo Yuze looked at Xiao Luo once again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m representing the country, and I¡¯m here to recruit you!¡±


    Themander spoke in a casual tone that sounded like there was only one path that Xiao Luo could take.


    As long as he recruited Xiao Luo, he could make life difficult for him at any given moment. Themander had been through thick and thin with Zhuo Wei since they were kids and were really close to one another. Since Zhuo Wei was assaulted so severely, he swore that he would make the other person pay a hefty price for it.


    ¡°Can I refuse?¡± Xiao Luo asked, looking at themander without any defiance. There was no need for him to show anger toward someone who was about to die.


    As if he just heard a joke, Zhuo Yuzeughed like a madman and said, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Zhuo Wei was incensed. ¡°B*stard, to be so cocky just because you¡¯re a little capable¡­ You must be the husband of that slutty Su Li. You can¡¯t fool me. I¡¯ve already told you, I¡¯m not someone you should mess around with. You better move while you still can. Otherwise, we¡¯ll just drag you along,¡± he said, and gloated, ¡°The moment my brother gives the order, that slut Su Li upstairs right now will be thrown off the building. It¡¯ll be in the headlines tomorrow, and the public will read that the national goddess Su Li hadmitted suicide after jumping off the building due to depression, hahaha¡­¡±


    Evidently, someone had already entered Su Li¡¯s apartment and was in control of Su Li right now!


    Xiao Luo read between the lines and understood this from Zhuo Wei¡¯s words. He slowly clenched his fist tightly, and a murderous intent formed from this provocation.


    Xiao Luo contained his urge to murder these people outright byplying with themander¡¯s demand for the time being. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°A wise man submits to their fate; I look up to people like you.¡±


    Zhuo Yuze sniggered and said, ¡°Tie him up for me!¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± Gu Qianxue could no longer hold it in. The anger in her body was about to explode.


    Xiao Luo checked her aggression. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll go with them. Please go and have a look at the apartment just opposite of mine. If you happen to see anything dirty, get rid of it for me,¡± he said. Of course, he meant for her to make sure that Su Li was safe first.


    ¡°Yes,e back quickly and bring me out to have fun,¡± Gu Qianxue said, understanding his intentions.


    Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei were not expecting Gu Qianxue to be a martial arts expert and were naturally unaware of the threat she posed. At that moment, all they did wasugh at how innocent she was. To think that she even thought that Xiao Luo would being back! But what they didn¡¯t know was that they were getting closer and closer toward their own deaths.

 Chapter 495 - : Breaking Free From the Shackles

    <h2>Chapter 495: Breaking Free From the Shackles</h2>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s hands were tied behind his back, and they brought him into a six-seater military vehicle. Two fully armed soldiers were in the back guarding him, along with Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always respected soldiers because they¡¯re a group of people who contribute without asking for anything in return, and they silently protect this country and its citizens. But you guys are the ck sheep of the military,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    The faces of the two soldiers beside him changed a little. They knew what they were doing, and all the more understood what theirmander Zhuo Yuze¡¯s motive was. There was nothing to be proud of having mobilized a fully armed toon just to deal with a mere citizen, as well as taking his girl as a hostage. It was just despicable and shameless. But as soldiers themselves, they didn¡¯t have a choice either as following orders was something they had to do.


    Zhuo Yuze, who was sitting in the middle, immediately got up. He gave Xiao Luo a good p across his face.


    SLAP!


    It stung. Zhuo Yuze red at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Brat, when you¡¯re with me, you better remember, if I do not allow you to say anything, then you better keep your mouth shut!¡± He then nced at Zhuo Wei feeling good about himself. ¡°Brother, what kind of dog sh*t is this? Are you sure he was the one who broke your arm? Why did he turn into a dog all of a sudden?¡± he mocked.


    Zhuo Wei giggled. ¡°No matter how cocky or arrogant he is, he won¡¯t have the guts to jump and hop around in front of you, brother,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo sneered in his heart. He closed his eyes and tried his best to suppress the urge to kill them where they sat.


    There were another two vehicles behind their military truck. They headed directly toward the Xiahai Military Region headquarters located in the suburbs. Soon, they were passing through Wild Wolf Mountain. The road was narrow with the mountain wall on one side and on the cliff on the other. The route was sure to make any newbie driver tremble in fear.


    Zhuo Yuze handed a piece of paper to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Sign your name here. You will then be inducted into the military system and shall be a glorious soldier from then on.¡±


    After listening to the word ¡°glorious,¡± the faces of the two soldiers who were sitting beside Xiao Luo turned a little red.


    Xiao Luo kept his eyes closed and ignored him. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer a guy who was going to die soon.


    Suddenly, the handphone inside his pocket started ringing.


    He opened his eyes, turned his head toward one of the soldiers beside him, and said, ¡°Please help me pick up the phone!¡±


    The soldier hesitated a little, and although he was within Zhuo Yuze¡¯s sight, he still took out the handphone from Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket nheless and went ahead to receive the call.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, where are you right now?¡± Su Li¡¯s anxious voice could be hearding from the handphone.


    ¡°I¡¯m inside a military vehicle right now.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a look at the documents that Zhuo Yuze handed over. Heughed yfully and said, ¡°Seems like they¡¯re trying to recruit me into the military.¡±


    ¡°You try to hold them off for now. I¡¯ll think of something ande save you. What these people are doing is kidnap! I¡¯ll be sure they send you back in one piece,¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. I¡¯ll be back in just a bit. Right, I¡¯m guessing Gu Qianxue must have taken care of the hooligans who barged their way into your apartment?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s already dealt with them,¡± Su Li replied.


    A smirk could be seening from the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth. A murderous intent started exuding from his body. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    The next second, the rope that bound him burst apart, and he was suddenly free.


    The two soldiers right beside him were shocked. With just his brute strength alone, he had managed to rip the coir rope that would easily keep two adult men restrained. What kind of monster was this?


    Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei were equally shocked as well. They refused to believe what they had just witnessed.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn.¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered. He was like a devil that had broken free from his shackles. His entire body was filled with a murderous aura.


    The two brothers, Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei, didn¡¯t even have the time to react as Xiao Luo grabbed them by their necks. His five fingers were so strong that they felt like steel pliers. He held tightly onto their trachea and esophagus. Forget screaming; even breathing became difficult all of a sudden! Their faces turned red immediately, like a pig¡¯s liver.


    The driver was surprised and stepped on the brakes immediately. At the same time, he shouted into the walkie talkie that was equipped inside the vehicle: ¡°There¡¯s a problem here, there¡¯s a problem here, the target has broken free, he¡¯s grabbing themander¡¯s neck and choking him now.¡±


    The two soldiers who were beside Xiao Luo were about to take action.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget yourmander is in my hands now, just a light pinch, and he is going to die!¡± Xiao Luo warned, giving the soldiers a grim smile.


    The two of them were stunned, and in that moment of hesitation, Xiao Luo let go of Zhuo Yuze and Zhou Wei¡¯s neck. He decided to take care of those two soldiers before he had some fun with Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Weiter.


    Thump! Thump!


    He smacked their shoulders with open-handed strikes that hit them like a blunt knife, and the two soldiers fainted immediately. Xiao Luo decided not to kill them since both of them didn¡¯t really do anything too cruel.


    The driver was so scared that he had already opened the door and ran out of the truck. The soldiers in the other two vehicles behind seemed to be aware of what was going on. A troop of soldiers got out of those vehicles and pointed their assault rifles at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Let go of ourmander. Otherwise, we¡¯re going to shoot!¡± The soldier at the front shouted with a loud and clear voice.


    Xiao Luo looked at Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei, who were both coughing violently. He opened the door and strolled out of the vehicle.


    Just when Zhuo Yuze thought he would surrender himself, Xiao Luo surprisingly charged toward his toon like a cheetah.


    The soldier right in front was shocked. The murderous auraing from Xiao Luo¡¯s body indicated that danger was imminent. He screamed and shouted loudly: ¡°Open fire, shoot and kill this guy!¡±


    Bang, bang, bang!


    All of a sudden, sparks were flying in all directions. Bullets were all over the ce, and like me moths, a countless number of shots scattered in the path of Xiao Luo as if he was inside a zone of shells.


    ¡°Just die! I was worried I wouldn¡¯t have to chance to kill you. But not anymore. Attacking themander who tried to recruit you on behalf of the country, this crime alone is enough for you to die, hahaha¡­¡± Zhuo Yuze howled derisively and startedughing.


    Zhuo Wei said, ¡°That fool, he actually walked right into those bullets! Brother, thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re brothers. Whoever has the guts to bully you is just courting death!¡± Zhuo Yuze said, his eyes gleaming with pride.


    The gunshots stopped after a couple of seconds. Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei got out of the vehicle and was sure that no matter how capable Xiao Luo was, he would surely be dead this time. His body was going to be riddled with holes like a honeb, thanks to the hail of bullets. But they were dumbfounded as soon as they got out of the vehicle to take a look. All the soldiers were lying sprawled on the ground; not a single one was on his feet.


    Huh?


    The two brothers gasped. This was a toon of soldiers, and they were armed with assault rifles. How was it possible that all of them were lying on the ground? What in the world happened here?


    Xiao Luo was the only guy standing, and Zhuo Yuze was staring at his back, dumbfounded. He mumbled to himself in trepidation, and his face was pale with fear. Cold sweat started dripping like spring water, for he realized a problem here¡ªthis guy was an extremely terrifying person.


    ¡°Commander Zhuo, are you still thinking of recruiting me?¡±


    Zhuo Yuze suddenly heard a voice right next to his ear, and a hand was resting on his shoulder. He took a good look, and it was Xiao Luo! He was standing beside Zhuo Yuze, and he somehow got there without making a single sound at all.


    Oh, God, how¡­ how was this possible¡­


    He looked at the spot where Xiao Luo was just moments ago and took another look at Xiao Luo, who was standing right beside him now. His face turned pale.


    Zhuo Wei was so scared he was already sitting on the ground, and he looked at Xiao Luo with trembling eyes.

 Chapter 496 - Senior Official

    <h2>Chapter 496: Senior Official</h2>


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­ What k-kind of sorcery are you using?¡±


    Zhuo Yuze was horrified. Only moments ago, the guy who was standing in front of him suddenly appeared next to him in a sh. Did he teleport himself across more than ten meters? He was like a scary phantom, and just like that, all the knowledge and understanding that he had of this world turned topsy-turvy.


    ¡°Commander Zhuo, did you have a lot of fun hitting me earlier?¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked in a chilling tone. Instantly his hand went up, and he delivered a scathing p across Zhuo Yuze¡¯s face.


    SLAP!


    The blow was enough to knock out one of Zhuo Yuze¡¯s teeth, causing blood to stter from his mouth. The force of the p made him rotate half a turn before he slumped to the ground in a heap.


    Feeling the burning pain on his face, Zhuo Yuze let out a scream. Despite the distress, he kept his chin up, trying to maintain some semnce of pride and authority as amander. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you pay for what you have done today, and I¡¯ll make sure you¡­¡± he growled.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Ministry of State Security?¡±


    Xiao Luo cut him off immediately. His fierce, cold eyes looked as if he were staring at someone as good as dead.


    Ministry of State Security¡ªdid he mean the NSA?


    Zhuo Yuze¡¯s eyes opened wide. How could he not have heard of this special department? He heard that everyone in there was exceptionallypetent and that they possessed the country¡¯s best fighters. Forget the police, even those in the military were only second to the NSA.


    A horrified expression washed over Zhuo Yuze¡¯s face. ¡°You¡­you are from the NSA?¡± he asked, trembling.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Xiao Luo replied. A sinister-looking smirk was forming from the corner of his mouth.


    Huh?


    Zhuo Yuze gasped in shock and had a hard time swallowing his saliva. He turned around and red at his younger brother, Zhuo Wei, with using eyes. ¡°You sure havended me in deep trouble this time around¡­ Bloody hell, I¡¯ve justnded myself in a ho¡¯s nest,¡± he thought!


    He quickly put on a nervous smile and said, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re one of us. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s the NSA or the Xiahai Military Region Command. We¡¯re both under central jurisdiction, so we¡¯re all part of the same organization. It seems like I¡¯d failed to realize that we¡¯re part of the same family¡ªwe¡¯re part of the same family, but yet we didn¡¯t recognize one another, that¡¯s all. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    His put-onughter was awkward, and Xiao Luo continued to eye him indifferently with no expression on his face.


    ¡°The same family?¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°You sure are good at pulling strings. No wonder you hold this rank at such a young age. But I¡¯m sorry to say this¡ªboth of you will have to die today!¡±


    It had been quite a while since he had the urge to kill someone, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t kill them. Both Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei had made a couple of unforgivable mistakes. The first was to threaten him using Su Li as the leverage, and the second was to have given him a p across his face.


    He turned around to face Zhuo Wei and instantly threw him a sidekick. It was like a strong wind blowing up a bunch of leaves and as fast as lightning.


    POW!


    Zhuo Wei was blown away, flying in the air like he got hit by a running train. His stomach started to churn, and he was suddenly unable to control his bowels. Zhuo Wei screamed in agony as he sailed in the air for a distance, his mind disoriented and wondering where he was. And when he looked down, Zhuo Wei was shocked, ovee with a fear he¡¯d never felt before, for he was heading over the edge of a bottomless cliff.


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s over!¡±


    Those words shed in his head. There was a desperate scream as he fell beyond the cliff¡¯s edge, his anguished cry trailing off until a sickening thud ended it some three to four secondster.


    It was hard granite at the bottom of the cliff, and there was no need for second-guesses. Zhuo Wei was now a bloody heap of flesh and bones.


    Even though they were brothers, in the face of death and the bad fortune of encountering a terrifying killer like Xiao Luo, Zhuo Yuze cowered in fear.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m doing you both a great favor by making this ce your grave,¡± Xiao Luo said. He sighed as he lifted his head and looked at the surrounding scenery of Wild Wolf Mountain.


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m themander of this entire military region. You don¡¯t have the right to do this just because you¡¯re from the NSA. If you even touch me, the authorities will punish you!¡± Xiao Luo was glowering with murderous intent, and it caused Zhuo Yuze¡¯s body to tremble in fear. He no longer felt the stinging pain in his swollen face.


    Xiao Luo raised his hand, and as he stretched out his five fingers, an assault rifle instantly came flying into his hand. He swiveled around and took aim. Zhuo Yuze barely had time to react before Xiao Luo pulled the trigger.


    RAT-TAT-TAT


    The assault rifle was on automatic mode and spat out a continuous barrage of shots. Xiao Luo emptied the entire clip, and when the shooting stopped, what was left of Zhuo Yuze was only a pile of mashed-up meat. It was impossible to even differentiate between flesh and bone any more.


    Looking at what remained of Zhuo Yuze¡¯s body, now strewn in little pieces, Xiao Luo took a deep breath. Without any expression on his face, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve already killed you, but so what?¡±


    Just like kicking a can, he went over and kicked the heap of flesh and bones off the cliff. It had be the burial ce of the Zhuo brothers.


    After finishing the job, Xiao Luo took out his handphone and dialed Ji Siying¡¯s number, exining the entire situation that had taken ce.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll report it to the superiors and send people there to clean things up. Investigating corrupt senior officials is one of the NSA¡¯s core roles, ensuring the country¡¯s safety. Zhuo Yuze has already been on our cklist for quite a while. He has used his authority, embezzled military funds, and privately got a gun license for his younger brother, Zhuo Wei. The reason why we never took action before this was because of the people he had behind his back, but since Mr. Xiao Luo has already taken care of him, it¡¯s about time we take care of his backers as well,¡± Ji Siying said.


    ¡°The people behind his back?¡±


    Xiao Luo said suspiciously, ¡°Is it a senior official?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the Bai family from Jingcheng. He¡¯s the son-inw of the Bai family. There¡¯s a national deputy officer from the Bai family standing on an equal footing as our director.¡±


    ¡°That strong an influence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t have to worry about anything, Mr. Xiao Luo. Our director will negotiate with the Bai family. I believe with all the notorious things that Zhuo Yuze has done, the Bai family will prefer to stay on good terms with us.¡±


    ¡°All right, understood.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. He finally understood why Zhuo Yuze was able to get promoted so quickly and why Zhuo Wei could freely go about exposing the private lives of so many celebrities without any repercussions. Nobody would dare offend them on ount of his backing from the Bai family.


    ¡°Right, please let the director know that his younger daughter is in Xiahai now, and she¡¯s with me.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Ji Siying replied.


    Xiao Luo realized that the conversation he was having with her sounded rather cold. It was as if he was speaking to an online trantor who had no emotions. ¡°Is something wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my job as a liaison. Why does Mr. Xiao Luo ask me such a question?¡± Ji Siying said.


    She sounded frigid; in fact, she was like a total stranger.


    Xiao Luo was not a clueless person, and he knew the root of the problem. ¡°I think we need to have a good talk. I¡¯ll go and find you when I have the time,¡± he said.


    Ji Siying kept quiet for a while, and after what felt like half a day, she replied with one word, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Then she put down the phone.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and was feeling a little bit distressed. He was having mixed feelings about how he felt about Ji Siying.


    ¡­


    ¡°Xiao Luo, how should we deal with both of them?¡±


    Gu Qianxue asked the moment he stepped into Su Li¡¯s apartment in Crescent Bay. Zhuo Yuze had sent two of his soldiers, but Gu Qianxue had already knocked them out cold and dumped them into a corner.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan were pretty shocked. Neither could have imagined that the petite and cute-looking Gu Qianxue could deal with two muscr-looking men that quickly. On top of that, she was incredibly powerful, and with each hand, she threw the two burly men and sent them crashing into the corner. If they had not witnessed it in person, they would have never believed that she could do that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just throw them outsideter,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile on his face. Gu Qianxue had never disappointed him. Back in Jiangcheng, she had been responsible for the safety of his younger sister and brother-inw.


    ¡°Are you injured?¡± Su Li asked. She looked at Xiao Luo with caring eyes.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Su Li asked again, ¡°Was it Zhuo Wei?¡±


    ¡°Yup, but I¡¯ve settled the problem, so you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing anymore,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.

 Chapter 497 - Hot Spring

    <h2>Chapter 497: Hot Spring</h2>


    Xiao Luo dumped the two soldiers who had broken into Su Li¡¯s apartment by the road just outside Crescent Bay. Other than Zhuo Yuze and Zhuo Wei, he had not killed any of the soldiers who came along with them. Later, Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue headed out to the city as he promised that he¡¯d show her the sights.


    The main attractions in Xiahai were the Old City wall, the ss Path, and an amusement park, among many other popr sites. The county town also had a couple of scenic spots that were rated for five stars.


    Xiao Luo spent the next three days apanying Gu Qianxue and bringing her around to have fun. She learned how to use a handphone to capture pictures, and in many of the ces that she thought were beautiful, she made sure to take a picture with Xiao Luo as a memento. Gu Qianxue tried many different poses when taking selfies. In some, she pouted her lips, while in others, she pulled multiple ugly faces or shing her white teeth¡­ she made sure to take them all regardless of whether they looked elegant or silly. She snapped roughly five hundred pictures of her and Xiao Luo on her handphone in just three days.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, why do you put on the same expression in every single picture?¡±


    Gu Qianxue asked, puzzled after looking through all the pictures in her gallery. Next to her, Xiao Luo looked like a part of the background and had the same unchanging look in every single shot.


    Xiao Luoughed awkwardly and said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about how I should look when taking pictures.¡±


    There will always be people like that in this world who are ufortable taking pictures. They will always have the same expression and look on their faces in every single shot, and Xiao Luo was one of them.


    ¡°Let me teach you.¡±


    Gu Qianxue set up the selfie stick. She made a scissor gesture with her hand, pouted her lips, which made her look all cute and cheeky. Mostly because she had a cold looking expression, to begin with, she looked even prettier after putting on this expression for this picture.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help chuckling and said, ¡°Are you sure you want me to put on this kind of expression?¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded her head and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn it from?¡± Xiao Luo was dumbfounded.


    ¡°There are many girls on the inte who take pictures like this. I thought they all looked pretty good,¡± Gu Qianxue said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Looks like society is a dying vessel, and it¡¯s slowly painting colors on the youth. You used to be just a piece of white paper.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows a little. Since he was out to have fun, then he might as well just do as she said, he thought. He looked around to ensure that there were not too many people about before pouting his lips like Gu Qianxue did and disyed the scissor hand gesture.


    ¡°Pft!¡±


    This time around, Gu Qianxueughed. Her eyes were shaped like crescent moons, and she covered her mouth as sheughed.


    ¡°What are youughing at, hurry up and take the picture!¡± Xiao Luo cried, rushing her. He didn¡¯t want to stay in this pose for too long, that was for sure!


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and had a mischievous smile on her face. ¡°I was just teasing you! This expression is obviously not suitable for you, but you look pretty cute in this expression nheless,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo felt embarrassed all of a sudden. It was as if the autumn gale had just swept away the fallen leaves. He had tried his best to learn and put on this expression, but it turned out that she was just teasing him. He used his fingers, flicked Gu Qianxue¡¯s forehead, and said, ¡°This is a small punishment for you.¡±


    ¡°My master would punish me just like that whenever I made a mistake,¡± Gu Qianxue said.


    ¡°Your master would flick your forehead too?¡± Xiao Luo thought this sounded a little weird, and in his head, he pictured an entric and dirty old man.


    Gu Qianxue nodded her head, ¡°Mm-hmm, my master¡¯s forehead flick is much stronger than yours. It hurts a lot.¡±


    ¡°Maybe your master loves you a lot,¡± Xiao Luo came up with an excuse for the Tianshan old man.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that master really loves me. When we used to take the hot spring baths back at the top of Tianshan, Master would frequently transfer internal energy over to me,¡± Gu Qianxue said, reminiscing the days that she used to spend at Tianshan.


    What? Taking a hot spring bath together?


    Xiao Luo was no longer sure about this anymore. A dirty old man and a youthful girl taking a hot spring bath together, are you sure that was her master and not a sly old beast?


    He asked, ¡°Does your father or sister know about the fact that you used to take hot spring baths with your master?¡±


    ¡°Nope, they don¡¯t know about it,¡± Gu Qianxue said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better for you to let them know about it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I think it¡¯s extremely inappropriate for you and your master to be taking hot spring baths together. Just think about it, both of you are naked. Have you never ever felt embarrassed or shy about it at all?¡±


    ¡°A little bit in the beginning, but afterward it was fine,¡± Gu Qianxue answered truthfully.


    Xiao Luo was having a headache now. This just sounded really ridiculous to him. He made up his mind and has decided that he was going to tell Gu Zhanguo about this. The Tianshan old man was obviously nothing more than an old pervert.


    ¡°My master really loves putting on red makeup as well, although she¡¯s already seventy-two years old, yet age has never left its mark on her face and she doesn¡¯t look her age at all. She looks really good whenever she puts on the red makeup,¡± Gu Qianxue said, recalling the makeup her master used to put on her face.


    Putting on red makeup?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s head is finally clear now, and he asked, ¡°Is your master a man or a woman?¡±


    After hearing that, Gu Qianxue red angrily at Xiao Luo as if looking at an idiot, and she said, ¡°Of course, she¡¯s a woman!¡±


    ¡°The Tianshan old man is a woman?¡± Xiao Luo was shocked.


    ¡°Hmmph, I¡¯ve never said my master is a man,¡± Gu Qianxue said, pouting her lips.


    ¡°My mistake, I was the one who overthought this matter.¡±


    Xiao Luo scratched his head and had an awkward smile on his face. He was the one who initially thought that the Tianshan old man was a male. No wonder Gu Zhanguo was not even worried about leaving his beautiful younger daughter at Tianshan and never bothered to ask if they took hot spring baths together.


    ¡°My master said that the hot spring at the top of Tianshan was formed naturally. Taking a bath there frequently is good for the body. Xiao Luo, when will you have the time? I can bring you to Tianshan and you can take the hot spring bath there.¡± Gu Qianxue looked at Xiao Luo and said this with a sweet voice.


    Was thisss not taking any precautions against him at all?


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t exin what he was feeling right now. He was not worthy of the excellent treatment that he was receiving from this graceful young girl.


    ¡°Has your master ever taught you that you should maintain a distance when you¡¯re with a guy?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded her head and then said, ¡°But you¡¯re not the same.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled bitterly. He was already troubled enough by the fact that he was caught between Su Li and Ji Siying. Now there was thisss as well. It felt like if he didn¡¯t handle this correctly, his entire world would crumble in front of him.


    ¡°Hello, beautiful youngdy, can you take a picture of me and my wife?¡±


    At that moment, a polite voice interrupted his thoughts. It was a man in a blue shirt and ck trousers. The first impression that this man gave off was that he was clean, neat, and bright. He was asking Gu Qianxue for her help and was holding onto an Apple phone.


    Gu Qianxue looked at Xiao Luo, seeking Xiao Luo¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re just taking a picture for him, that¡¯s fine,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Gu Qianxue then took the phone and agreed to take the picture for them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The man smiled and turned around to walk towards his wife. His wife was standing in front of a huge wood carving. After seeing him walking towards her, she hugged his arm lovingly, and affectionately leaned her head on his shoulder.


    Her long ck hair draped over his shoulder. Her white skin was as smooth as an egg that just had its shell peeled off. Herrge eyes blinked as if they could speak, entuating her small red lips and fair skin. Her figure was beautiful, her waist was slim, and she carried herself with an aura of elegance.


    After looking at the man¡¯s wife, Xiao Luo¡¯s head felt like it had just exploded. He was in a daze of a sudden. Because that wasn¡¯t just any random girl. It was the girl who left a deep scar in his heart that he would never erase¡ªshe was Sun Yu!

 Chapter 498 - Incompetent Teammate

    <h2>Chapter 498: Ipetent Teammate</h2>


    Just when he thought that he¡¯d never meet that certain someone ever again, she suddenly appeared right in front of him and caught himpletely off guard.


    Xiao Luo was stunned and rooted to the spot. He could not believe what he was seeing and stared at the loving couple standing right in front of the wood carving. The husband was a good-looking man, and his wife was, undoubtedly, as beautiful as a blooming flower. The man¡¯s right hand and Sun yu¡¯s left hand were intertwined, and she affectionately leaned her head against the man¡¯s shoulder, smiling as they looked into the camera.


    What was she doing here?


    Was she¡­ was she already married?


    Those two questions popped up in Xiao Luo¡¯s head all of a sudden. He looked at Sun Yu, a little fuller than before, which made her look much prettier now. For a moment, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯te to his senses.


    Gu Qianxue took the picture for them really quickly, and then they both walked over to look at the shot she just took and seemed quite excited.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s very well taken,¡± Sun Yu said, smiling as she looked at the picture on the phone. She tucked her hair behind her ears.


    The man was also delighted with the picture. He looked at Gu Qianxue and said, ¡°Thank you, Miss.¡±


    Without any expressions on her face, Gu Qianxue replied with an ¡°mmm¡± and walked back toward Xiao Luo after returning the phone to the man.


    ¡°Darling, let¡¯s go there, I think the view over there is even better than the view here,¡± Sun Yu said, pointing in the direction she meant a distance way.


    ¡°Sure, whatever you say. This is our honeymoon, no matter where you want to go, I¡¯ll go with you,¡± the man said, looking at her with much affection.


    Sun Yu, with a blissful smile on her face, grabbed onto the man¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Yunfeng, you¡¯re the best!¡±


    The two of them walked past Xiao Luo, and out of courtesy, the man nodded his head as he walked past. Sun Yu¡¯s eyes stayed on Xiao Luo for a little longer, and even after some distance, she kept turning around and looking back repeatedly after each step.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, darling?¡± The man could tell something was wrong and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yunfeng, I have no idea why, but that guy looks really familiar for some reason. It¡¯s like I have met him somewhere before,¡± Sun Yu said.


    The man looked at Xiao Luo again, patted her shoulder, smiled, and said, ¡°Maybe this is not the first time and we¡¯ve met them at some other attraction spot before. It was just that we didn¡¯t think too much about it then, so that¡¯s why you think he looks familiar to you.¡±


    ¡°No, it feels like he¡¯s a very familiar person but yet he feels very distant at the same time. I frequently dream about someone, but in my dreams, I just can¡¯t get a good look at his face. I have a very strong hunch that he¡¯s the guy that I frequently dream about,¡± Sun Yu said. He was so familiar that it really felt weird.


    ¡°I feel you must be imagining things. Don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯re on our honeymoon, it¡¯s more important to have fun and be happy. Just put away all these negative feelings for now, alright?¡± the man said,forting her.


    Sun Yu nodded her head, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll head over there,¡± the man held her hands intimately.


    Xiao Luo watched the couple walk further and further away until theypletely disappeared from his view.


    He then turned around and put on a genuine smile on his face. Sun Yu had gained a new lease of life and received the happiness that she really deserved. He was sincerely happy for her.


    ¡°The look in your eyes is really weird,¡± Gu Qianxue said, looking curiously at Xiao Luo with her huge eyes.


    Xiao Luo smiled a little and said, ¡°Do you still remember that I used to tell you about this girl?¡±


    ¡°The one who jumped off from a ten-story building? The girl who chose to end her life?¡± Gu Qianxue said, furrowing her eyebrows.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve met her again, but she no longer remembers who I am. She haspletely forgotten all the things that happened back in Jiangcheng and is now living a new life. She has finally found the happiness that she truly deserves,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling.


    Gu Qianxue didn¡¯t say anything. She was a little surprised, and she looked toward the direction of the couple. Gu Qianxue would never have imagined that the girl that Xiao Luo had told her about would suddenly appear standing right in front of him, well and alive.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time we head back. Your sister is here to pick you up,¡± Xiao Luo said, heaving a sigh.


    ¡­


    It was already around 8 pm when they drove from the county town¡¯s scenic spot back to Crescent Bay at Xiahai.


    A ck SUV was already at the entrance of Crescent Bay. The car door opened as soon as they saw Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue stomped over. Gu Qianlin, in a ck colored T-shirt, denim cropped pants, and a pair of police boots, walked over aggressively, and she was fuming mad.


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    She scowled at Xiao Luo and gritted her teeth. She clenched her fist and immediately threw a punch at Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    Xiao Luo opened his palm and stopped it without much bother. ¡°Officer Gu, what are you trying to do?¡± he cried.


    ¡°What am I trying to do?¡±


    Gu Qianlinughed despite her anger and said, ¡°Where did you abduct my younger sister to this past couple of days?¡±


    ¡°Please mind the words you use. I don¡¯t think the word ¡®abduct¡¯ is appropriate here.¡±


    Xiao Luo hated this woman to the core. If it wasn¡¯t because of the fact that she was Gu Qianxue¡¯s sister, he would have already taught her a lesson just from the mere act of her clenching her fist and trying to punch him.


    ¡°Sister, I was the one who requested Xiao Luo to bring me around for some sightseeing,¡± Gu Qianxue said,ing to his defense.


    Gu Qianlin used all her strength and pushed Xiao Luo¡¯s hand away. ¡°How many times do I have to remind you, this guy is not the same as us. He¡¯s a murderer, do you not understand that people are easily influenced by their surroundings and the people they hang out with?¡± she screamed, ¡°Besides, you¡¯re a girl! Coming here from thousands of miles away and living in the same apartment with another guy¡­ are you not worried that he might take advantage of you? Why are you so foolish and stupid!¡±


    Gu Qianxue didn¡¯t say a single thing and kept her head down. Although she might be more skillful than Gu Qianlin, her older sister was a very important person in her life. She was like a mum to Gu Qianxue, and she always listened to whatever her sister said.


    ¡°Since you already know that I¡¯m a murderer, then you better watch what you do when you¡¯re in front of me. Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll kill you?¡± Xiao Luo sneered, ring at her coldly.


    Gu Qianlin could feel a sense of chill running down her spine. Was she really not afraid of Xiao Luo? No, she was terrified. She would never forget the scene at the underground parking lot where Xiao Luo murdered the hospital director right in front of her. It was cruel and bloody, so much so that even when she thought about it now, she could still remember it vividly as if it had just happened yesterday.


    ¡°This is between me and my younger sister, it has nothing to do with you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Gu Qianlin, you better stop talking to me with that kind of tone. I¡¯m only tolerating you because of Gu Qianxue, so you better stop unting that kind of attitude in front of me from now onwards. Don¡¯t show me the kind of face that you¡¯d show to your subordinates. It pisses me off when I see that. I¡¯ll make sure you regret it,¡± Xiao Luo warned her.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin was furious but dared not say anything else.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be arrogant! I¡¯ve been a policeman in Xiahai for so many years but never have I met a gangster that can be as arrogant as you.¡±


    Suddenly, another person got out of the ck SUV. It was a man. He was really tall, about 1.8 meters, and had a muscr body as well. The man swaggered over and said, ¡°Officer Gu, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem with arresting this guy here just from the fact that he was threatening and intimidating a police officer, right?¡±


    As if he was looking at an idiot, Xiao Luo stared at him and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not qualified to know who I am, but just based on the fact that you were threatening and intimidating a police officer, I have the right to arrest you.¡±


    The muscr man said with a smile, and then skillfully restrained Xiao Luo¡¯s hands together with a handcuff. ¡°Brat, you¡¯re under arrested, I¡¯ll need you toe back with us!¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned, then smile at Gu Qianlin and said, ¡°Officer Gu, are you sure he¡¯s not as ipetent as he looks?¡±

 Chapter 499 - No

    <h2>Chapter 499: No</h2>


    Did he just say that I was ipetent?


    The muscr man felt very offended, for he was the Criminal Investigation team leader in Xiahai Police Headquarters. He had graduated from the same police academy as Gu Qianlin, and that was why she called him to assist her. She was unfamiliar with Xiahai City and needed a local guide.


    Although he had been married for some time and did not have any inappropriate thoughts towards Gu Qianlin, he still tried harder than usual to impress her. He wanted to let her know that he was somebody in Xiahai with reputation and power. But he was irked that this young man he had just apprehended did not feel threatened or remorseful, and even spoke to him with such arrogance despite knowing that he was the police. It was simply intolerable for a distinguished officer like him.


    Furiously, the muscr man grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s cor with a powerful grip that almost lifted him off the ground. ¡°What the hell are you talking about, boy? Do you think that I am someone you can joke around with? You¡¯re asking for a good beating!¡± he yelled.


    Xiao Luo stared at him coldly and said, ¡°Let go!¡±


    The muscr man had now gotten even more provoked and started tough. ¡°I have seen countless arrogant and fearless jerks the likes of you before, but you, boy, are surely the most¡­ ahrrgh!¡±


    Before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a tremendous impact on his chest that caused him to react with a painful howl. His whole body flew back for a few meters and crashed hard into the back of Gu Qianlin¡¯s ck SUV before he slumped to the ground.


    In shock, Xiao Luo stared at Gu Qianxue by his side, still in her boxing pose, and raised his brows.


    Quickly recovering from her initial shock, Gu Qianlin shouted angrily at Gu Qianxue, ¡°What are you doing? Who told you to throw that punch?¡±


    Then Gu Qianlin hurriedly ran over to help the muscr man up.


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s expression remained the same throughout, and she shrieked reply, ¡°Nobody told him to be rude to Xiao Luo, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Gu Qianlin was so exasperated that she clenched her teeth. ¡°You are too obsessed with him,¡± she cried.


    The muscr man was coughing non-stop now, and he stared at Gu Qianxue in great shock and was thoroughly embarrassed now. Had he not experienced it personally, he would not have believed such a soft-looking girl could send him flying with just one punch. The kind of terrible power and impact she had delivered even shook his internal organs and made him felt the pain and breathlessness in his chest.


    ¡°Sis, you won¡¯t ever understand. Xiao Luo is very important to me,¡± Gu Qianxue replied, frowning as she looked at her sister.


    ¡°What do you understand? There¡¯s a ton of women around him, and you are not his only one. You are throwing yourself at him, but he may not reciprocate your feelings. You don¡¯t know anything about men, so how do you know that you will not get hurt if you insist on pursuing this crazy obsession of yours? I am your sister, and I am doing everything for your own good; why can¡¯t you understand that?¡± Gu Qianlin shouted as her emotions got the better of her.


    ¡°I am well aware of my own actions, and I also know that Xiao Luo has many other women around him.¡±


    Gu Qianxue looked at Xiao Luo with calm eyes and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t care. I like to be with him, and I would always be happy as long as I can see him. For me, that is enough.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, you¡¯re beyond help, really beyond help!¡± Gu Qianlin cried.


    She shook her head in frustration and sadness as she had been trying very hard to suppress Gu Qianxue¡¯s feelings for Xiao Luo, but the harder she tried, the stronger those emotions grew. It came to a point where Gu Qianxue couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and actually came to Xiahai to look for Xiao Luo without even telling Gu Qianlin at all.


    As far as Gu Qianlin was concerned, this was her only sister, and she had fallen to a murderous devil!


    She found it ironic that God had chosen to deal with them an unfair hand for all her efforts to protect her younger sister, and she could not ept it.


    Xiao Luo felt really confused as he thought that Gu Qianxue only saw him as a brother, but looking at how things were unfolding, he was shocked. He did not want to hurt this innocent girl, but he knew he had to disappoint her like he did Chu Yue.


    SNAP!


    He merely applied some force to break the handcuffs that were restricting his hands.


    What the¡­how could that be possible?!


    Seeing that happened, the muscr man was utterly shocked and stared in disbelief. He thought, who the f*ck are these people? A young girl could send himself flying with one punch, and a man just the handcuffs in two¡ªare they monsters?¡±


    When he recalled grabbing Xiao Luo by his cor, he broke into a sudden cold sweat.


    Xiao Luo faced Gu Qianxue. ¡°Qianxue, I have always thought of you as my little sister, just like how I think of Ruyi, besides that¡­¡± he said, then showed his wedding ring to Gu Qianxue, ¡°I am married, and you have also seen my wife; she even gave you this set of clothes.¡±


    Gu Qianlin was stunned as she did not expect that Xiao Luo would say this, so her impression of Xiao Luo improved a little.


    However, Gu Qianxue did not react to his words at all and just stared at him innocently. It seemed like she was waiting for Xiao Luo to finish speaking.


    ¡°You¡­ do you understand what I am saying?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Gu Qianxue nodded. ¡°Yup, I got it,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo sighed in relief and thought that this girl was pretty tenacious, for she did not break down from the pain of rejection. ¡°That¡¯s great. There are many outstanding boys in the world, and you can find them effortlessly¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s get married too.¡±


    Before he finished his words, Gu Qianxue came up, and she brought her face really close to Xiao Luo¡¯s, no less than ten centimeters away.


    Xiao Luo was as surprised as Gu Qianlin, and even the muscr man gasped as Gu Qianxue¡¯s remarks were unthinkable. Somehow, Guo Qianxue never failed toe up with the most ridiculous ideas that could catch people off-guard.


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? I am married, so how can I marry you again?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Why not? If you can marry other women, why can¡¯t you marry me?¡±


    Xiao Luo was so exasperated that he gave her a knock on her head and chided her, ¡°Did you spend your time in Jiangcheng idling away? Do you know that the marriage norm in our country is monogamous?¡±


    Inwardly, he was quite amused by this girl.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Qianxue replied,pletely unaware of that.


    ¡°Alright, go back with your sister. Since you are a police officer, read more; if not, you will really make a fool of yourself,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Gu Qianxue responded, ¡°Xiao Luo, I will apply to be moved here so I can see you every day.¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed and said, ¡°What a big blockhead!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Gu Qianxue reacted calmly like how she usually would to Xiao Luo.


    Suddenly, she dashed into Xiao Luo¡¯s arms, which surprised him, and hugged him tightly.


    Gu Qianlin widened her eyes and stared at them in disbelief, ¡°Why? Why do you have to choose him?¡±


    Xiao Luo patted Gu Qianxue¡¯s back and said, ¡°Are¡­ are you done?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Gu Qianxue nuzzled her head further deeper into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest and closed her eyes. She hugged him even tighter now as she had always wanted to hug him. Now that she was about to leave, she could no longer control the desire to give Xiao Luo a huge hug.


    Xiao Luo was left speechless.

 Chapter 500 - : The Surprising Informant

    Chapter 500: The Surprising Informant


    Gu Qianxue finally left, and that gave Xiao Luo some relief. However, he also felt an emptiness within and found it hard to describe how he was feeling at the moment. He seemed to enjoy Gu Qianxue¡¯s hug, and he had to admit that, sometimes, he dide across as quite a Cassanova.


    When he was back to the Crescent Bay Condominium, Xiao Luo received two calls. The first call was from Qiu Yuanjie, and he said that his informant had reported to him that there will be an unprecedentedrge-scale operation by the MLMpany in Xiahai City. The funds they expected to generate were three hundred million, and the venue of the event would be at the Trade Building¡¯s main hall. This was the perfect chance to destroy the MLMpany in Xiahai City once and for all.


    The second phone call was from Zhang Dashan. Luo Workshop would be opening in Xiahai City in some twenty days¡¯ time, and he had called to catch up with Xiao Luo and seek advice.


    ¡°The business in Jiangcheng has been improving steadily and is stable. After your side kicks off operations, I¡¯ll fly over to manage thepany with you at Xiahai,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo poured himself a cup of hot tea and sat on the sofa. ¡°You should havee a long time ago, I want to introduce you to a woman,¡± he said.


    ¡°Save it, I don¡¯t n to marry anyone else besides Ruoran. If I really cannot date her, I would rather spend the rest of my life with my right hand,¡± Zhang Dashan replied.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    Xiao Luo took a sip of the hot tea and asked, ¡°By the way, how are Feng Wuheng and the rest?¡±


    ¡°As you suggested, they have signed themselves up for the factory management sses and have been upgrading their skills and are progressing well. Now, their public speaking skills have been polished and refined, and they even sound quite intellectual,¡± Zhang Dashan said, ¡°When they are in high spirits, they evene up with a few English phrases. They would always show off to me and damn it, it really drives me crazy! But thinking that I couldn¡¯t face them all at once, I decided to swallow my unhappiness and continue to put up with them.¡±


    ¡°Let theme to Xiahai after they are done with the learning, I am going to let them take over the factory here.¡± Xiao Luo saw Feng Wuheng and the rest as his own brothers. Since they decided to follow him and he was really close to them, he would not mistreat them for sure.


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Zhang Dashan then expressed his most profound views and said, ¡°Damn it, I havee to realize that studying is still quite useful after all, just like the five of them, or the prostitutes offering their bodies for service. Those who only had middle school and high school education, they could at most earn a hundred bucks per customer. If they have at least a university degree, then their prices would skyrocket, it would cost five hundred bucks to pick them and minimally two thousand bucks to buy their nights. Studying is such a useful skill.¡±


    ¡°You went to them again?¡± Xiao Luo asked, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°F*ck, can you be more civilized in your choice of words? They are my escort, do you even know what is an escort? It means that she can apany me for my emotional and physical needs. On top of that, this is a normal matter of bodily needs, what is so surprising,¡± Zhang Dashan retorted.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°You better cut down on the number of times you patronize the escorts, if you ever contract any disease, then you are doomed for life.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, as you wish. Look at you, aren¡¯t you quite fluent with the term ¡®escort¡¯ now, instead of prostitutes, hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    Xiao Luo ended the call.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo went to the Trade Building in the afternoon the following day.


    Qiu Yuanjie and his teammates had been waiting for him for some time, and he briefed Xiao Luo on the n. ¡°This operation is a joint-initiative with different departments such as the Provincial Public Security Bureau and the Trade and Commerce Bureau. All the MLM guys are present in the hall and there are already more than three thousand members from all around the country in there with them. These are the middle-tier members and are mostly retired orid off middle-age or elderly victims. They have some savings but are unwilling to fall back and be a burden to society¡ªanyway, that¡¯s what the MLMpany told them as part of their brainwashing process. Each of them nned to invest one hundred thousand and the MLM speaker will be brainwashing them for thest time.¡±


    ¡°These people here are the officers who will arrest the people inside, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at the countless undercover police officers who had surrounded the Trade Building. These people looked very sharp and alert, and it wouldn¡¯t have been too difficult to guess their identities even when they were in in clothes.


    ¡°Yep, this is a perfect opportunity to get rid of the entire MLMwork in Xiahai City. Nobody here is going to let this slip by easily.¡± Qiu Yuanjie said.


    ¡°Have you found out who the Fog is?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Qiu Yuanjie shook his head and said, ¡°About this¡­ nope. But I am sure that the people inside will know, so we just have to interrogate them one by one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the only way.¡±


    Xiao Luo had quite some respect for the Fog as he could execute such arge-scale MLM event without even showing himself at all. He was indeed a genius.


    ******


    ******


    The MLMpany was not aware that it was being surrounded by the government departments. Both Xiao Luo and Qiu Yuanjie had attended the gathering as ordinary civilians, so the MLM staff did not detect anything suspicious. Instead, they had very passionate smiles on their faces when greeting them.


    ¡°They promoted and built the image of the speaker as a sessful world-ss public figure and even photoshopped him with the leaders of various countries for authenticity. There are twenty-six MLM people who are involved in this scam here and they are all at managerial levels. If we can arrest them, we will be able to trace their downlines and arrest every one of them. After today, there will not be any more MLM personnel in Xiahai City.¡± Qiu Yuanjie said to Xiao Luo with high confidence.


    ¡°Hopefully.¡±


    Xiao Luo found a spot to sit down.


    At this time, a group of men in suits emerged from backstage to the podium.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce everyone to this very special man¡ªhere he is, Mr. Guan, the managing director in charge of the Southeast Asia branch of the Antic Business Investment Group. Now, we are honored to have Mr. Guan to give us a few words and you can ask him any questions that you have. He is the expert of this industry when ites to investments,¡± the master of ceremony made the introduction to the three thousand people in the hall.


    Some apuses were heard, but they were not too enthusiastic. It could be due to Mr. Guan, who looked rtively young, making the audience feeling unconvinced. After all, there were many stories about self-made millionaires these days, so it was difficult to tell if these people were telling the truth or not. Some people had already started to question if they have been scammed.


    As for Xiao Luo, he was utterly shocked because Mr. Guan was none other than his old ssmate, Guan Tong.


    He donned in a suit and wore a tie, looking very sharp like a genuinely sessful member of society!


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± Xiao Luo questioned.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, do you know him?¡± Qiu Yuanjie was caught off-guard.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°I do,¡± he said.


    Qiu Yuanjie looked around briefly, and after ensuring that nobody was looking at them, he whispered into Xiao Luo¡¯s ears, ¡°Actually, he is our informant. He started the anti-MLM operations eight years ago. He told us that his parents had divorced because of MLM activities, so he hated them very much. He even gave up the opportunity to attend a university and became our informant directly. He had infiltrated into the core of the MLMpany sessfully and have be their star speaker, which enabled him to provide information for our every operation.¡±


    Xiao Luo was thoroughly stunned. Was this the same Guan Tong, who once imed that he was only interested in talents instead of education, who started this anti-MLM operation eight years ago? He actually managed to rise up his ranks to be thepany¡¯s star speaker and provide insiders¡¯ information and evidence to the police.


    This was totally out of his expectation!


    No wonder Guan Tong could acquire the news of Guo Qinghe getting jailed so quickly. And it was also how he knew that Zhao Mengqi was manipted by Guo Qinghe.


    This was the actual reason how he knew. Guan Tong was the police¡¯s informant, the star speaker of the MLMpany!


    ¡°This dude is really good at disguising.¡±


    Xiao Luo muttered as he stared at Guan Tong in bewilderment. He was on stage and looking sessful and energetic at the podium. Xiao Luo could only smile to himself.

 Chapter 501 - Indoctrinating

    <h2>Chapter 501: Indoctrinating</h2>


    ¡°Since you have already known that these guys are all MLM members, why don¡¯t you arrest them at once?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Qiu Yuanjie said with a wry smile, ¡°It is true that MLM an illegal activity, but it is unique since the victims who had been indoctrinated do not realize that they are being cheated. Instead, they think that we prevent them from getting rich, so it is impossible to expect them to use the MLM members independently. The only way to implicate them is to catch them in the act and seize anypelling evidence we find.


    ¡°And the evidence you¡¯re referring to is the defrauding money?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Qiu Yuanjie nodded and replied, ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°But the gold star lecturer who is convincing them to invest is also your informer. Can¡¯t this sort of illicit money be used to charge them legally?¡± Xiao Luo said wonderingly.


    ¡°Yes, the materials that the informer was provided with for his lectures were provided by the MLM members. So the informer, who is also a witness, can appear in court to use those MLM members, along with the huge illicit money. So, that¡¯s enough to convict them.¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped saying anything else and cast his eyes over the tform.


    Guan Tong, who was holding a microphone, acted like he disdained to be there. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to their babbling, everyone,¡± he said, referring to the MLM master of ceremony who introduced him to the public. ¡°There are a lot of exaggerated descriptions of the stories you have heard about me. The marketing pitch is one thing, but the reality is quite another. Just like advertising, the selling point is the most crucial.¡±


    Humm?


    Interesting!


    Xiao Luo was a little surprised. The audience here was doubtful about Guan Tong at the beginning. Still, when that statement was uttered, he naturally broke down any emotional barriers and made them feel much warmer, which brought their rtionship to the next level.


    ¡°It is simply ridiculous to make 10 million in six months unless we are the children of power and wealth, holding a strongwork of venture capital connections. But then again, if you guys are the children of power and wealth, there¡¯s no need for all of you toe here and invest in what I¡¯m selling you, right?¡±


    The audience burst intoughter since they thought that his words were both funny and also trustworthy. They warmed further toward Guan Tong, and he now had them exactly where he wanted.


    Guan Tong continued and said, ¡°To be honest, the most important thing for all of you to take note of¡ªall business activities are inherently risky. It is said in business that ¡®same industry, different profits.¡¯ In the same kind of business, while someone can make a lot of money, somebody else can also lose the shirt off his back. It is actually a reality that none of us can ignore, so when we are going to invest in a particr industry, we must have the ability to identify the risks!¡±


    His tone was firm and serious, and his words were convincing.


    The more than 3,000 people in the audience immediately perked up. They felt that this guy, Mr. Guan, was trustworthy since he was unlike others who would vow that they¡¯d definitely make a lot of money. Instead, he clearly mentioned the potential risks involved, and it was more like a sharing of experience with everyone, allowing them to feel his sincerity.


    ¡°Secondly, you have to consider your own abilities when making a particr investment. In other words, you have to assess your own knowledge and skills. Do not try to do more than you can. You should be concerned about these two things¡ªthe first is whether the investment is safe enough, and the second is whether you can make money. About the security of investment, as I just said earlier, any investment will involve an element of risk; however, risks and opportunities in the market exist simultaneously.¡±


    ¡°So can we earn money? The answer is, of course! But 10 million would be too much; earning millions is still possible. However, that depends on one prerequisite, and that¡¯s what connections you have. After several years of expansion, myworkprises of people ranging from foreign presidents to the owner of a shopping mall in a small town in our country, allowing me to ess people on different levels easily. And that¡¯s the reason why I can achieve such sess today. But, in my opinion, some of you are not suitable to invest in my project. Even if you do, you won¡¯t make any money at all because your connections don¡¯t work.¡±


    When Guan Tong¡¯s words came out, the crowd in the venue were looking at each other with judging eyes, as if they were trying to ascertain who didn¡¯t have the qualifications, or in other words, they were wondering if they¡¯re qualified enough. But after looking around, they still failed to find the answer, which made them a little uneasy, since none of them wanted to be the one who didn¡¯t have the qualifications.


    Xiao Luo was amazed. Guan Tong has been saying that he wanted to be a talented person for years, and now Xiao Luo thought this guy already was.


    The statements he made were full of traps. In the beginning, he bonded with the audience, telling everyone the truth to gain everyone¡¯s trust. And then he stated that the investment project was profitable, but not as much as 10 million as they imed before. Instead, he lowered the standard to mere millions, which strengthened his credibility again. Finally, he judged everyone on whether they were qualified or not, which stirred something in their subconscious and convinced them that they were well-connected and qualified to invest.


    He worked on the audience step by step, deepening and solidifying the determination of over the 3,000 who were present to invest!


    If Qiu Yuanjie hadn¡¯t told him that Guan Tong was their informant, he would have believed that the guy was a real gold medal lecturer in MLM!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Time and tide wait for no man. Seize the opportunity!¡±


    ¡°Take the initiative! Take preemptive steps to make opportunities!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make money together and be sessful together!¡±


    After half an hour of speeches, the whole audience got very excited. Guan Tong stimted the greed, desire, and ambition of more than three thousand people eager to earn money. With fists high over their heads, they kept chanting slogans with him, rhythmically and massively.


    ¡°They have beenpletely indoctrinated!¡±


    Even Xiao Luo admired him inwardly, let alone the whole audience, and he was convinced by Guan Tong¡¯s words. If he didn¡¯t know that it was actually an MLM activity in advance, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the temptation of such an investment as well, if he had 100,000.


    ¡°Not only Guan Tong is an informant, but he is also an expert in indoctrinating. Fortunately, he¡¯s on the same side as the police. I can¡¯t even imagine how dire it will be if he is on the opposite. He has made more than 3,000 people mad like crazy in such a short time.¡± Qiu Yuanjie said, both in admiration and relief.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Xiao Luo said, totally agreeing with him.


    When Guan Tong¡¯s speech ended, more than 3,000 people were scrambling to pay up and invest. Since the MLM members had POS devices, it was very convenient to settle payments online.


    Some people did not pay just 100,000, but 500,000 and even 1,000,000. These investors spent almost all of the money they had believing that the more they invested, the more they¡¯d get back.


    Looking at the audience scrambling to pay up, Xiao Luo and Qiu Yuanjie shook their heads and sighed. If the police hadn¡¯t gotten involved this time, over 3,000 people would¡¯ve lost all the money they invested. And those who had invested all their money would possibly end up ruining their families.


    After all, money is not everything, but without money, one couldn¡¯t do anything. A lot of problems would be caused when there was ack of it.

 Chapter 502 - He is Fog

    Chapter 502: He is Fog


    ¡°Move in!¡±


    At Qiu Yuanjie¡¯smand, the undercover officers positioned outside the hall rushed in. There was even a detachment of fully-armed special forces participating in this operation with the Chief of Bureau, Tian Zhenxing, overseeing the entire process personally.


    It was a joint operation by several government departments, including the bureau of public security and trade andmerce bureau. The MLM agents who were busy collecting the payments did not even have any time to react before they were all arrested within seconds, and all they heard the next moment was the ng of cold steel as they were restrained with handcuffs.


    A smile of satisfaction formed on Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s face as, one by one, the key personnel in the MLMpanies were arrested.


    However, something didn¡¯t seem right, and thoughts started to form in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind for Guan Tong¡¯s performance was simply too perfect. Although he was an undercover officer, he was also a core member of the MLMpany. Therefore, his role as a lecturer was indispensable to the proliferation of MLM activities. On top of that, he had quit school eight years ago to involve himself directly in the war against MLM.


    One could say that it was legendary but also highly questionable at the same time. Eight years were undoubtedly more than enough for anyone to learn about an industry thoroughly. What if Guan Tong was involved in MLM activities under the guise of an undercover police officer?


    A sinister thought urred to Xiao Luo¡ªcould he be the mastermind behind the scene known as the ¡°Fog?¡±


    Xiao Luo was deeply troubled by his suspicion of Guan Tong being the Fog, but the facts were all there. He was always in contact with MLM personnel, and the police would never be suspect him even if he was plotting against them. With his undercover identity, he also had ess to police ns, and that would undoubtedly give him an advantage when he needed to n his MLM activities.


    Suddenly, there was news of another shocking development¡ªfour hundred million that had been collected from the three thousand investors had already been transferred to an overseas ount! The police tried to track the transfer of funds, but after a few rounds ofundering the money, they lost the money trail. The chances of tracking them down and retrieving the funds were bleak.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie was shocked, and the smile on his face vanished in a sh. Arge sum of funds, some four hundred million, had just been swiped under his watch, and that was uneptable.


    Xiao Luo suddenly stood up and roared, ¡°Where¡¯s the informant?¡±


    ¡°To ensure his safety, I assigned someone to escort him when he left,¡± Qiu Yuanjie answered.


    ¡°He should be equipped with recording equipment and detectaphone as your informant, right? Where¡¯s the tape of him after the lecture ended, and when he went backstage?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°In the car outside,¡± a police officer beside Qiu Yuanjie said.


    Xiao Luo immediately started to head outside. ¡°Show me now!¡±


    Several of the three thousand victims went into hysteria and started crying and screaming when they realized their investments had been transferred to an unknown ce.


    The police were handling them, and Xiao Luo avoided talking to them. He was only interested in getting the Fog, and this MLM event finally gave him a lead on who the Fog was¡ªhis old pal, Guan Tong, was the prime suspect.


    It did not take long for them to reach the minivan, where the police had their surveince equipment.


    The video footage of Guan Tong returning backstage was crystal clear. His footsteps were audible, and Guan tong seemed to have entered a location that looked like a financial office of some kind.


    Then, he started talking, and he appeared to be giving a brief to the people there.


    ¡°All of you sit up straight! You can¡¯t face our customers with such a lousy attitude!¡±


    ¡°Why did you guys throw your belongings around? Do you know that every action and detail of how you act and conduct yourselves reflect on ourpany?¡±


    ¡°I want all of you to go and clean up your surrounding and then ssh your faces with cold water in the washroom. You must keep your heads clear and spirits high at all times¡ªthese are the keys to sess.¡±


    The severe pep-talk resulted in a dozen of the MLM personnel cleaning up all the rubbish in the bins and washing their faces with cold water without any objection. They then took out the POS machine and started to organize all the signed bills while Guan Tong supervised them calmly, as they began transferring the money through theirputers. Of particr to Xiao Luo, he noted that the MLM personnel who returned all addressed him respectfully as Mr. Guan.


    Xiao Luo was very concerned as Guan Tong acted more like an MLMpany¡¯s mastermind than an undercover police officer!


    He turned around and asked the policeman beside him, ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something wrong here?¡±


    The police shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s nothing wrong. The informant was merely doing this to keep his cover. It¡¯s just a show.¡±


    ¡°A show?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly and said, ¡°Yes, he had certainly put a show¡ªand just made four hundred million vanish!¡±


    Huh¡­?


    His words seemed to have removed the clutter in their minds, and they gasped in horror. The policemen suddenly looked horrified as they looked at each other.


    Qiu Yuanjie rushed over urgently, and he looked worried. ¡°Mr. Xiao, did you find out anything?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Luo could not be bothered to respond to him and grabbed him by his cor. ¡°Where is Guan Tong¡¯s location now?¡± he scowled.


    Qiu Yuanjie was shocked and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you¡­what happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! Just tell me, where is he now?¡± Xiao Luo bellowed.


    ¡°He is on his way to Wild Wolf Mountain,¡± Qiu Yuanjie replied.


    ¡°Wild Wolf Mountain? Why is he going to Wild Wolf Mountain?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know; he said he was going for a ride.¡±


    ¡°What car did he take? What¡¯s the car te?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a ck Volkswagon, and the car te is Shanghai N0926.¡±


    After getting that information, Xiao Luo jumped into his Trumpchi and sped towards Wild Wolf Mountain.


    Guan Tong was undoubtedly the prime suspect now, but there were still gaps in the overall picture that could not be exined.


    ¡°Are you truly the Fog?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t believe that Guan Tong had deceived him so easily. Had he not witnessed Guan Tong¡¯s brainwashing ability today and his familiarity with movingrge sums of money, he would never have suspected Guan Tong.


    Was that guy hiding so much?


    Xiao Luo frowned as the ck Trumpchi overtook yet another car as he rushed toward Wild Wolf Mountain.


    The forest around Wild Wolf Mountain was lush and dense, and there was only one meandering road that ran through it. One side of the road was the sheer cliff, while the other the rock face of the mountain wall. This road had terrified countless drivers and prevented them from using Wild Wolf Mountain.


    THUD!


    As Xiao Luo drove the Trumpchi and climbed the peak through the meandering road, a human-shaped object dropped in front of him. Indeed, it was human, and it fell from the elevated road about a dozen meters above him andnded right on the road ahead.


    Xiao Luo mmed on the emergency brakes and had a good look. It was a man, moaning and badly injured.


    He was in a smart suit, and he had arge body with an almost non-existent neck¡­


    He opened the car door and ran toward the man, kneeling to help him up and was shocked. ¡°Guan Tong?¡± he cried.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you jerk, how¡­how could it be you¡­?¡±


    Blood was oozing out from Guan Tong¡¯s mouth and nose, his limbs were broken¡ªespecially his right leg, as his bone had snapped and protruded through skin and flesh. It was a terrifying sight, and a pool of blood had soaked the ground around him.


    ¡°Why did you fall from above?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°¡­ someone pushed me¡­cough, cough¡­you jerk, I am actually an undercover cop. I started eight years ago and have been involved in anti-MLM operations ever since¡­¡± Guan Tong spoke as he coughed out mouthfuls of blood.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s head went nk¡ªhow could this be? How could he have misjudged the situation? Was Guan Tong not the Fog?


    He soon regainedposure and said, ¡°Stop talking. I am sending you to the hospital!¡±


    ¡°No, my friend¡­it¡¯s fine, I fell from such a great height, not even Jesus can save me now¡­¡± Guan Tong smiled, showing his blood-stained teeth.

 Chapter 503 - Beast

    Chapter 503: Beast


    Guan Tong had sufferedminuted fractures, injuries to every internal organ and was bleeding severely internally. Although Xiao Luo was a gifted doctor, he could do nothing to heal Guan Tong. He forced himself to calm down and asked, ¡°Who pushed you down?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Qiu¡­Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s people. They brought me here and imed that there¡¯s a good view. These bastards ended up pushing me from above, cough, cough¡­¡± Although Guan Tong was coughing copious amounts of blood and looking pale, he was still smiling at Xiao Luo and seemed fearless as he stood at death¡¯s door.


    ¡°Qiu Yuanjie?¡±


    Xiao Luo was utterly shocked when he heard that name.


    Tears streamed down from Guan Tong¡¯s cheek, and he forced a wry smile. ¡°F*ck, I finally got it now, he¡­ he is the Fog. He had always used his identity as the police to cover himself as he nned all the MLM activities behind the scene. I h-have fallen into his trap. He told me to transfer all the money to the police ount¡­ I doubt that ount belongs to the police. Damn it, that goddamn son of a b*tch¡­¡±


    As he finished speaking, the smile disappeared from his face and was reced by a twisted grimace as he clenched his teeth in anger and agony.


    He grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, do me a¡­ no, you must get him! Expose him to the police; they must find out Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s true identity. He is the Fog, the mastermind behind all these MLM activities¡­!¡±


    Hisst words were hissed out in spite before another massive gush of blood streamed from his mouth and nose. He had finally lost consciousness and died in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms. However, his hands were still grabbing onto Xiao Luo¡¯s arm, and his fingers were dug deeply into Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°Guan Tong, Guan Tong!¡±


    Xiao Luo called out, but the body lying in his arms could no longer respond to him. He stared at Guan Tong¡¯s lifeless face and felt an emptiness. He felt that familiar wetness in his nostrils, and his eyes turned red.


    An old friend who was very close to him died in his arms, and it hurt that Xiao Luo had suspected him of being the mastermind behind the MLM scams. Xiao Luo was engulfed in an indescribable vortex of emotions¡ªhe felt sadness, remorse, anger. No words could urately sum up Xiao Luo¡¯s feelings at that moment.


    Suddenly, his phone rang.


    He took his pocket out, and it was none other than Qiu Yuanjie.


    Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s voice came through in a clear voice. It was not the usual righteous and manly voice, but a cynical voice with mockingughter. ¡°Mr. Xiao, have you met your old friend, Guan Tong? Or, let me make a bold guess, he¡¯s turned into a cold corpse, right?¡± he sneered.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were cold with fury. ¡°Qiu Yuanjie, I promise that you would not make it past midnight!¡± he cried.


    Xiao Luo uttered every word with murderous rage and vengeance. He looked forward to the moment that he could skin Qiu Yuanjie alive.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie startedughing out loud as if he had heard a funny joke, then he snapped, ¡°Do you think you cane back alive from Wild Wolf Mountain?¡±


    As he spoke, Xiao Luo heard the roar of an engine and saw a car screeching down the road from above. Within moments, a ck Volkswagen stopped before Xiao Luo at a distance of a dozen meters. Its car te was Shanghai N0926. When the door opened, two middle-aged men with grim faces emerged from it. They emanated strong signals of killing intent, and each of them was armed with a ck samurai sword.


    ¡°Do you remember Asou Yanagi from the Star Cloud Kendo Gym? You¡¯ve already had a taste of his God ying Sword Techniques¡ªthey aren¡¯t too bad, right? I am telling you that Asou Yanagi is not even one of the top thirty swordsmen in the Asou family. As for the guys before you, they are amongst the top ten. Now, you can taste the fear of death. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjieughed insanely. ¡°After today, Guan Tong will be my scapegoat and will have to honor of being identified as ¡®Fog,¡¯ the mastermind of the MLM activities. As for you, you will be recognized as a brave NSA warrior who risked his life, stopping Fog as he was about to escape from Wild Wolf Mountain. To guarantee the sess of the mission, you sacrificed yourself and perished together with Fog. You will be a martyr, leaving your good name in the NSA memorial forever, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo hung up.


    He pried Guan tong¡¯s hand from his arm and stood up slowly. A breeze blew, and his fringe tussled lightly, then an overwhelming killing intent started to radiate outward from his body like a wildfire. His clear eyes turned into the eyes of a beast, bloodshot with madness, and he did not resemble a human anymore.


    All human emotions had left him¡ªhe had be blood-thirsty and murderous!


    The two middle-aged men were slightly stunned, and a shiver ran down their spines. They looked at each other and saw fear and confusion in the other¡¯s eyes. They braced themselves to go up against Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo strode out toward them slowly, and with every step, his killing intent became heightened and more overwhelming, like a hungry beast that had just awoken from a long slumber.


    One of the men tried to regain hisposure and moved forward as he unsheathed his samurai sword, shing at Xiao Luo fiercely.


    SLASH~


    A fifteen-meter long sh cut through the sky like a rainbow of light, directed at Xiao Luo like the sword of Damocles. The shing of his sword blew a massive st of energy on the road surface, and an invisible force raged toward Xiao Luo like a tsunami.


    It was the most potent manifestation of the God-ying technique ¨C Raigeki!


    By channeling their inner power through the samurai sword, the sh took the form of an invincible de of light, and its strength could only bepared to divine punishment. A bus would be cleanly cut in half by this sh, let alone mortal flesh.


    However, as the sh was about to hit Xiao Luo, he activated his inner power, and a ck and red barrier immediately formed to shield his entire body.


    BOOM!


    The sh had met with the barrier, and a tremendous explosion resulted, sending shockwaves across the surrounding. The ground started to crumble, and even the tall mountain shook as countless rocks rolled off its side, causing a huge cloud of dust and sand to form.


    After the dust settled, Xiao Luo saw a visible rift gouged on the road with cracks extending like a spider¡¯s web.


    But Xiao Luo was unharmed and still walking toward them steadily.


    The middle-aged man who shed at him was shocked and spoke in Japanese, ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Hispatriot was equally stunned. That was the invincible God-ying Sword technique that had never once disappoint them. But this enemy did not even make an effort to retaliate and was only taking the body blows, yet he seemed unaffected. It was unbelievable.


    They looked at each other in their eyes and then shouted, ¡°Kill!¡± Then, together they charged at Xiao Luo. They became one with their swords and struck at Xiao Luo like two bolts of lightning.


    WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~


    They were as swift as the wind, and their swords were howling like a gale. The cold ray that shed from their swords traveled the distance and stabbed at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    BOOM!


    The red barrier re-appeared like an invisible force field around Xiao Luo and instantly stopped the samurai swords. The cold rays were neutralized by the force field and dissipated into thin air.


    Crack, crack, crack, crack!


    The two middle-aged men were horrified as their swords cracked right before their eyes. Their samurai swords, made of hardened forged steel, shattered bit by bit, starting from their tips until it reached the hilt of their swords.

 Chapter 504 - Bloodlust

    Chapter 504: Bloodlust


    They watched their swords shatter in absolute horror!


    The two middle-aged men had never experienced such unbelievable power before and werepletely stunned by Xiao Luo. Suddenly, they both felt a chill on their chests, and before they could react, an excruciating pain emanated from their hearts and shot to their brains in a sh.


    The two men looked down and froze in horror. Their eyes widened, and pupils contracted. A giant hand had pierced into their chests, with all five fingers plunged deep into their bodies. Their hearts were literally in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands now.


    Their own bodies had been pierced through by a mere hand?


    How could that happen¡­?


    The two middle-aged men became even more terrified when they stared into Xiao Luo¡¯s angry red eyes. He seemed to be looking right into their souls like a demon.


    Xiao Luo did not say a word before he ripped out their throbbing hearts.


    Blood was spurting out from their chests, and they screamed in agony, and thick blood streamed from their mouths. They were not entirely dead and could still see their pumping hearts in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands, still connected to their bodies through arteries and veins.


    What on earth is happening?


    They were actually looking at their own hearts!


    The two middle-aged men widened their eyes as blood oozed out from their mouths and noses. It was a horrific, gory nightmare. Was this man an actual demon?


    In the next second, Xiao Luo squeezed and crushed their hearts without any hesitation.


    SQUISH! SQUISH!


    Blood was spurting everywhere, and the two middle-aged men copsed in their pool of blood straight with their eyes opened as they could never ept this oue willingly. As the Asou family¡¯s top fighters, they were trashed and abused to death mercilessly by a nobody, which they could not believe still after their veryst breath.


    Xiao Luo did not stop after killing these two.


    He walked up and stomped on each of them with one foot, and the two middle-aged men¡¯s heads exploded like how a watermelon disintegrating after being hammered by an eight-pound hammer. Blood and gray matter were sttered everywhere on the ground, causing the air to reek of blood like a busy abattoir.


    Xiao Luo nced at his bloody hands, and his blood-red eyes regained a hint ofposure, but he was still numbed with cold killing intent.


    ******


    ******


    After Qiu Yuanjie ended the phone call with Xiao Luo, he could not sit still as the Asou family¡¯s two top fighters had not reported back, and he even lost contact with them.


    Could it be that they were defeated?


    That was impossible. No matter how good that Xiao something could fight, he would never match up with them!


    But if they did not lose to him, then what would happen?


    He could not get it and frowned deeper, walking back and forth in his office as he was feeling unexinable anxiety.


    The door was opened, and the anti-MLM special operations team member, Luo Shuang, came in. She was not in a high spirit and reported to Qiu Yuanjie, ¡°Leader, we have interrogated every section head of the MLMpany but there is nothing about the Fog.¡±


    The Fog?


    Qiu Yuanjie gave it a good thought as he was the Fog, so his priority now was to frame Guan Tong as the Fog.


    He yed the video, which featured Guan Tong managing the financial department ording to his instructions previously, ¡°We¡¯re all fooled by this man. Guan Tong, who has been our informant, is the prime suspect. The four hundred million was transferred by none other than him to overseas. He could be the Fog we are trying to find.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Luo Shuang was surprised, ¡°How could this be possible? He¡¯s our informant and has been helping us with the counter MLM operations diligently.¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie mmed the desk, ¡°That was his strategy to nt himself around us, so that we would never suspect him while he ns everything behind the scene. He¡¯s probably a double spy and Mr. Xiao Luo obviously confirmed his identity as the Fog, so he rushed out to catch him so furiously.¡±


    Gasp¡­


    Luo Shuang gasped in awe as she was totally convinced by Qiu Yuanjie after listening to his reasoning. Everyone they arrested was a small fry in the MLMpany, and this operation was arranged by the Fog on purpose. He intended to get rid of the old people and rebuild a new empire, exactly how the Fog would usually do things.


    ¡°Quick, apply for Guan Tong¡¯s arrest warrant now and we must not let him get his way.¡± Qiu Yuanjie said righteously.


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Luo Shuang left the room quickly to execute his order.


    After she left, Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s face became twisted again; he looked out of the window at the evening sky and prayed piously in Japanese, ¡°Hail, Emperor Hirohito!¡±


    That was faith and loyalty in his eyes as they burned with a passion as he recited the name with sanctitude. As for Hirohito, he was the reigning emperor during the Japanese upation of China.


    ******


    ******


    With video evidence, the director of the Bureau, Tian Zhenxing, did not hesitate to put Guan Tong on the wanted list. Every police division in Xiahai had been notified, and they were on full alert to arrest Guan Tong.


    Under Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s behind-the-scene influence and information conveyed to key personnel, the police soon narrowed their search to the area of Wild Wolf Mountain. However, all they found were two corpses with their hearts pulled out and heads squashed. It was alreadyte, and the corpses had started to deteriorate and smell.


    Neither Guan Tong nor Xiao Luo could be seen anywhere.


    Qiu Yuanjie felt even more stressed out as he felt that someone was watching him closely. The strong draft blowing eerily across Wild Wolf Mountain gave him goosebumps.


    ¡°What happened here? Who killed these two? A beast?¡± Luo, Shuang cried. She was terrified as it was the first time she had witnessed such incredibly cruel deaths in her long experience as a police officer.


    ¡°It must be the MLMpany, and it¡¯s possible that Mr. Xiao was taken by them too.¡±


    Tian Zhenxing clenched his fist, and his eyes were filled with dread. ¡°Damn it, how should I exin to the NSA if Mr. Xiao was harmed?¡± he said.


    Luo Shuang did not buy it as she had already recognized Xiao Luo¡¯s strength. ¡°He¡¯s a powerful man, he won¡¯t be caught by them for sure,¡± she said.


    Beside them, Qiu Yuanjie remained silent as he knew better than anyone what happened to those two. Xiao Luo had killed two of the top fighters in the Asou family, and that made him a formidable enemy. There was no way he could be harmed.


    WHOOSH~


    Suddenly, a samurai sword sliced through the night sky like a meteorite and streaked toward Qiu Yuanjie at high speed like a bullet.


    Qiu Yuanjie was not even able to react and had his shoulder pierced by this samurai sword. From the time he caught a glimpse of the sword, it took less than a second for it to reach his shoulder.


    ¡°UMMPH!¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie copsed, screaming in pain, and blood was spurting out from his wound.


    Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from a bush nearby and teleported before Qiu Yuanjie in a sh like ck lightning. It was Xiao Luo, who now had his foot on Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s chest.


    ¡°AHH!¡±


    He screamed in pain as Xiao Luo stomped down hard on his chest, causing more pain from his shoulder wound.


    Everyone was shocked as they stared at Xiao Luo, and the special forces troops pointed their weapons at him¡ªthey were not sure if he was a man or beast who was attacking Qiu Yuanjie.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao?¡±


    Tian Zhenxing was stunned. Wide-eyed, he stared at the spectral figure stepping on Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s chest. He was a familiar yet strange man¡ªthe familiar part was that this man was definitely Xiao Luo, but the strange part was his unusual aura. Even though they were standing some distance away, he could still sense the bloodlust emanating from Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 505 - Blocking bullet

    <h2>Chapter 505: Blocking bullet</h2>


    Director of the Bureau, Tian Zhenxing, and every person there shivered uncontrobly as they stared at Xiao Luo in horror¡ªhe looked terrifying and was nothing like his usual self. All they saw now was a monster in front of them, and it looked like Xiao Luo was possessed by a demon. The chilling aura he was emanating was enough to make a person¡¯s soul freeze to death.


    Luo Shuang was deeply in love with Qiu Yuanjie, and when she saw him getting stomped on the ground by Xiao Luo like that, her immediate reaction to yell at him, ¡°Xiao Luo, what the hell are you doing? Let go of our group leader!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked up and nced at her coldly. He calmed himself and quelled his urge to kill Qiu Yuanjie outright. Gradually, his eyes returned to normal, but they still looked menacing and cold.


    He pulled out the samurai sword from Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s shoulder slowly, and it caused more blood to spurt out, as the man screamed in excruciating pain. He then pointed at Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s forehead with the blood-stained tip of the samurai sword and said, ¡°Qiu Yuanjie is the Fog!¡±


    No emotions could be detected in his words for Guan Tong¡¯s death had traumatized him immensely. As far as he was concerned, nobody could save Qiu Yuanjie from his wrath today.


    What?


    Qiu Yuanjie is the Fog? This is a bad joke, right?


    Not a single soul believed Xiao Luo¡¯s words, as Qiu Yuanjie was the group leader of their anti-MLM team. He was the main person in charge of Xiahai city¡¯s anti-MLM operations to a considerable extent, so the probability of him being the Fog was as good as zero.


    Tian Zhenxingughed mockingly and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao, could there be a misunderstanding between you and Qiu Yuanjie? How could he be the Fog? I have witnessed his progress from just a nobody to what he has achieved today, every step of the way. On top of that, he leads almost the entire of Xiahai¡¯s anti-MLM operations and has captured countless MLM operators. He even destroyed a few of their dens, so how could he be the Fog?¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie felt that his life was on the line and broke out in a cold sweat. He knew that the people around him now would be his most effective shield, and he needed to get their trust. With their support, he believed that Xiao Luo would not be able to do him harm.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, I understandpletely about your eagerness to arrest the Fog, but it does not make sense for you to frame me without any proof. That is very unfair to me.¡± Qiu Yuanjie fought the searing pain from his wound and quickly took advantage of his fellow officers¡¯ doubts.


    Luo Shuang was exasperated and finally lost herposure. She once again shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°You jerk, take your dirty foot off my group leader now! Have you gone nuts? How could you use him of being the Fog? The Fog¡¯s true identity had been confirmed and he was none other than our ex-informant, Guan Tong. He had already transferred the money out and there is video evidence. I am highly suspicious of your motive now for all that nonsense you have said! Are you with the Fog?!¡±


    ¡°Humph¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered in disdain and remained silent. Then he suddenly brought the samurai sword in his hand down toward Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s left arm like a lightning strike, piercing right through it like a nail into the ground.


    Qiu Yuanjie screamed in agony as blood spurted out from the wound ceaselessly.


    Instantly, every undercover police and special forces member pointed their weapons at Xiao Luo with their fingers on the trigger. The situation became very tense, and it felt like they only needed the smallest excuse to start firing and turn this into a messy battle royale.


    ¡°All of you stay put!¡±


    Tian Zhenxing roared while waving his hand as he still had high regard for the NSA. Since Xiao Luo belonged to that organization, he could never be with the Fog, and his words were credible enough for him. They could not afford to act recklessly, considering the aftermath of hurting Xiao Luo to rescue Qiu Yuanjie. That would be the worst scenario, and there was a likelihood that nobody could be saved.


    He stared at Xiao Luo thoughtfully and asked, ¡°Mr. Xiao, do you have any proof that Yuanjie is the Fog?¡±


    ¡°All he has is bullsh*t! Since you have the courage to hurt our group leader, then you should have the courage to face death. Die!¡±


    Luo Shuang could no longer contain her anger and had totally lost herposure. Seeing the man she admired for a long time being stomped to the ground and pierced with a sword right in her face, she did hesitate and shot at Xiao Luo angrily.


    BANG!


    The gunshot was deafening, and with a muzzle sh, the bullet flew at the speed of sound toward Xiao Luo.


    Tian Zhenxing was shocked, and unconsciously shouted, ¡°Beware!¡±


    Xiao Luo pulled out the samurai sword at the same time Luo Shuang fired her shot. Nobody could catch his movement, but they only managed to see that he lifted the sword in front of his face in defense.


    CLANG!


    Sparks flew off the samurai sword as the bullet crashed into its de and ricocheted off, hitting on the mountain wall next to xiao Luo and left a thumb-sized hole in it.


    Huh? What¡­?


    He¡­ h-he actually blocked a bullet with a sword?


    Oh my gosh, how could this be possible?


    Everyone there was utterly shocked, and they stared at Xiao Luo as if he was some sort of monster. That was simply unbelievable, and no one could fathom how such an incident could happen. They had seen it in sci-fi or fantasy movies, but definitely not before their very eyes. How could it have happened? Every single one of them found it hard to even swallow their saliva.


    Tian Zhenxing was no different even though he had known long before that the people in NSA were monsters¡ªbut still, this was too much for him. How could a man so casually deflect a bullet with a sword?


    Luo Shuang was equally stunned, but it did not take too long for her to react. She clenched her teeth and was going to fire the second shot.


    However, Xiao Luo would not let her have her way so readily. He vanished like a specter and dashed at her like a gust o wind, leaving only a shadow behind him. Luo Shuang could not even react in time before her gun was snatched away. Xiao Luo then elbowed her face heavily.


    BAM!


    She vomited a mouthful of blood and flew back like a broken kite,nding on the ground a few meters away as she vigorously coughing out more blood.


    Xiao Luo squeezed his fist tight, and the gun in his hand shattered to pieces, as easily as if he had crushed a piece of paper. This made everyone gasp in awe.


    Luo Shuang was suddenly scared out of her wits and widened her eyes to stare at Xiao Luo in fear.


    Xiao Luo was not in the mood to deal with her, so he turned around and walked back to Qiu Yuanjie again, who was once again clearly scared silly.


    At this moment, nobody dared to utter a word, and they even tried to control their breathing to their best. Their eyes followed Xiao Luo¡¯s footsteps, and nothing could be heard in the entire space beside the rustling wind.


    ¡°Chief, help¡­ Chief, help me please¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie was pale as a sheet. He had always been proud of what he had done for the Hua nation, but all he felt today was endless fear. This Xiao Luo from NSA was worse than a demon.


    Tian Zhenxing wanted to say something, but Xiao Luo interrupted him coldly.


    The words were not for the director, but for Qiu Yuanjie.


    ¡°Qiu Yuanije, exin your true identity and everything you had done in our country in detail¡­ Now!¡±


    The voice sounded to Qiu Yuanjie, like the temptation of a siren that had encroached into his consciousness. When he met Xiao Luo¡¯s sharp eyes, he went into a trance. His eyes lost their light, and it felt like his thoughts were being pried upon by some other.

 Chapter 506 - Kill

    Chapter 506: Kill


    ¡°My real name is Asou Yutaka, a member of the Asou family. Eight years ago, at the behest of the family, I acted as a Hua Nation citizen and became a policeman. And under the guise of this identity, I secretly nned and organized a series of MLM activities in Hua Nation. My code name is ¡°Fog.¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s eyes were zed, and he seemed to be mumbling to himself. He appeared to be admitting his guilt, but few people present understood what he was saying, as he was speaking fluent Japanese. But it was enough to shock Tian Zhenxing and several others, as everyone clearly knew that Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s profile did not mention that he had studied Japanese, and the onlypetency in foreignnguages that he dered was a little English. So the fact that such fluent Japanese wasing out of his mouth was undoubtedly enough to raise suspicions.


    Luo Shuang was lying on the ground, staring nkly with her trembling eyes. She suddenly felt so strange about the team leader who she had always adored. The other members from the Anti-MLM Special Action Team were also shocked by what they saw and heard. They couldn¡¯t ept the fact that their team leader could actually speak such fluent Japanese, but from the bottom of their hearts, they had already believed most of what Xiao Luo had said.


    Xiao Luo looked on impassively and continued to ask, ¡°Why did you choose Xiahai City to start the MLM activities?¡±


    ¡°It was because Xiahai City is the central city of Hua Nation, which always been a hub formunications between the continent¡¯s main economic and cultural centers. Carrying out MLM activities here would certainly impact the economy of Hua Nation, and that blow will spread to other regions as well.¡± Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s eyes were unfocused, and he answered Xiao Luo¡¯s questions mechanically, like a puppet whose soul was being controlled.


    ¡°Is your Asou family on the right-wing of the party.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t belong to any side, what Asou family has only been loyal to is Emperor Hirohito who regarded expelling the foreign invaders as his own duties. The mission that Emperor Hirohito failed to achieve, we will continue to aplish on behalf of him, achieving dominion over Hua Nation!¡±


    Despite being hypnotized, Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s voice was thick with hatred when it came to this issue, which was an ideology that was deeply rooted in his soul, and even had be his faith.


    Xiao Luo smiled coldly and then ended the hypnosis on him.


    Qiu Yuanjie soon woke up from his hypnotic state. He found that the people around him were strangely gazing at him; even Luo Shuang, who adored him and was always on his side, was now staring at him in panic and with a sorrowful expression.


    ¡°Director, I¡­¡± Qiu Yuanjie felt strange and couldn¡¯t remember what he had said, but one thing he could ensure was it must have been something terrible.


    With a heavy sigh of grief and in a tone of disbelief, Tian Zhenxing said, ¡°Qiu Yuanjie, you¡­ you¡¯re Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s a Japanese.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered on his behalf and looked around. ¡°Is there anyone here who understands Japanese? Trante what he just said.¡±


    Everyone stared at each other in silence. It was evident that none of them understood Japanese. After all, learning English was the present trend, so those who learned Japanese were still the minority.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Luo Shang picked herself off the ground. There was a trace of blood on the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°Can you?¡± Xiao Luo slightly narrowed his eyes.


    Luo Shuang took a step forward and stared with a determined look. ¡°I¡¯ve studied Japanese, so I understood all of what he just said,¡± she said.


    ¡°Luo Shuang¡­¡±


    Qiu Yuanjie called out her name, pinning all his hopes on her. He realized he must have said something terrible, even if it was in Japanese, so his only hope now rested on the chance that this woman would harbor him and see him through this crisis tonight.


    Luo Shuang¡¯s eyes went red. She could not believe that the man she so admired, and even worshiped, turned out to be the ¡°Fog,¡± the brain behind MLM activities. She couldn¡¯t ept that the man she looked up to, a hero of anti-MLM, turned out to be a foreign subversive who came intending to destroy the Hua Nation.


    ¡°He just said that his real name is Asou Yutaka, and he also is a member of the Asou family. Eight years ago, he received this mission from his family¡­¡±


    Luo Shuang tranted what Qiu Yuanjie had said earlier to everyone present. She still wore on her face that dull and dead look of one suffering from internal conflict.


    Everyone knew that she had a crush on Qiu Yuanjie, so her trantion had to be trustworthy. When all Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s words were tranted, the crowd looked at Qiu Yuanjie with hostility. It had now gone beyond merely MLM activities, but it involved their national security.


    It had been more than seventy years since Emperor Hirohito waged war on Hua Nation, but it was so appalling that there were still such fanatics existing who were attempting to destroy the Hua Nation. Any citizen of Hua Nation would hardly hold back their anger if they heard a n to seize and hold dominion over the Hua Nation.


    Qiu Yuanjie went pale, and he trembled in fear. His eyes were filled with anxiety and desperation. He still couldn¡¯t believe that he had blurted out the whole truth.


    What happened?


    How the hell did it happen?


    ¡°Qiu Yuanjie, sorry¡­ now I should call you Asou Yutaka. You actually buried your identity well enough, and if it wasn¡¯t for Mr. Xiao, all of us would have believed that Guan Tong was the mastermind ¡®Fog.¡¯ While you were arresting MLM members, you also organized new MLM activities and trained more MLM leaders without our knowledge. You are f*cking cancer, constantly harming our fellow countrymen in Hua Nation,¡± Tian Zhenxing roared.


    Qiu Yuanjie realized that his cover had been blown now. He red at Xiao Luo with deep hatred. ¡°What wicked witchcraft did you use? What f*cking ck magic did you just use on me!¡± he screamed.


    ¡°Just your life will be more than enough. My old friend on the other side has been waiting for you for a long time now!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered at him. Then he stepped forward, and with a twirl of the samurai sword, he loped off Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s neck in a single stroke.


    SLICE!


    Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s head separated cleanly from his body and rolled on the ground like a ball. The side of his head and neck were soaked in fresh blood.


    Although the people present had seen many bloody crime scenes before, it was the first time they had personally witnessed a living person being beheaded, and some of the female police officers screamed out in fear.


    Looking at Qiu Yuanjie¡¯s body, Luo Shuang widened her eyes in shock and said, ¡°How could you kill him, even if he is the ¡°Fog,¡± he should be judged by thew¡­¡±


    Luo Shuang¡¯s statementcked any conviction and came across weakly. She did nothing more than to mutter to herself rather than question Xiao Luo¡¯s actions.


    Without another word, Xiao Luo dropped the sword on the ground casually, then turned around and strode away into the distance.


    No one thought to stop him, as all of them were rooted to the spot in deep shock, quietly watching him leave until he disappeared from their sight.


    ¡°Director¡­¡±


    The SWAT team captain whispered to Tian Zhenxing.


    Tian Zhenxing blinked and finally regained his consciousness. He turned his head around and stared at the captain.


    The SWAT team captain asked, ¡°Sir, should we just let Xiao Luo leave?¡±


    ¡°What can we do? Even if we decide not to let him go, can¡¯t you see that he can even stop a bullet?¡±


    Tian Zhenxing was still in a state of shock. ¡°This is now a national security issue and is under the jurisdiction of NSA. We¡¯re just assisting. Just report the real identity of Qiu Yuanjie, that he was ¡®Fog,¡¯ the leader of MLM, and was shot dead because he resisted arrest. As for the specifics of the arrest, draw on your imagination!¡±

 Chapter 507 - Good Girls in Real Life

    <h2>Chapter 507: Good Girls in Real Life</h2>


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    The leader of the special police force was stunned. The color of his face changed. Why had he let his imaginations run wild, how many braincells did he kill for this? He wished he could give himself two ps across his own face. Why the hell did he have to say that? He was asking for it. Now all he had to go back with was a headache.


    ¡­


    After returning to Crescent Bay, Xiao Luo took a cold shower in the bathroom before going to lie down on the huge and soft bed in the bedroom. The corpse of his old ssmate, Guantong, had already been turned in to the police. Although his heart felt really heavy, he had questions regarding the state he was in during the afternoon.


    At that moment, it was as if he had no control over his body and the only thought in his head was to kill.


    To kill everyone and not spare a single person. To kill every single living being there!


    And in that moment, he had gained a weird, but tremendous amount of power. It felt like if he used all his strength, he would have been able to smash the entire Wild Wolf Mountain into pieces just by himself.


    ¡°System, what happened back there? Are my abilitiesing back to bite me?¡± Xiao Luomunicated with the system that was one with his body.


    ¡°Ding, this is the Berserk State. It consumes some points to maximize the physical strength of the host, including, but not limited to: speed, power, internal force, sight, hearing, and many more.¡± The icy voice of the system started speaking inside Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    ¡°Berserk State?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows, then looked at the number of points he had in his system. He still had 1.9 million points. He had 2.1 million points thest time he checked. But this amount was supposed to increase on a constant basis. Before the Berserk State, he should have roughly 2.3 million points, or even more. This would mean that he had used up about 400, 000 points just by entering Berserk State.


    ¡°Why did the Berserk State activate? Besides, why is it that I couldn¡¯t control my body at all when I was in the Berserk State?¡±


    Xiao Luo was most concerned about these two points. The system had activated the Berserk State, which he had never heard of before, without his permission and this was bothering him quite a bit.


    ¡°Ding, when the host¡¯s anger reaches a hundred percent, the system will automatically activate the Berserk State. In the Berserk State, all the stats in the host¡¯s body will reach its maximum value, and the host will lose control of their body.¡± The system replied.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s just like when one only knows how to drive a car, and you have that person drive a huge truck all of a sudden, that person won¡¯t be able to get used to it?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Ding, you can put it in that way as well.¡±


    ¡°Can I switch off this Berserk State?¡±


    Xiao Luo hoped that he didn¡¯t hurt unintentionally hurt someone if he lost control again. It was fine if that person was an enemy, but he would never forgive himself no matter what if he identally hurt someone he loved or a good friend.


    ¡°Ding, the Berserk State is a hidden ability of the system. You can¡¯t switch it off. The host will have to better control their own emotions because the Berserk State will only activate when their anger reaches a hundred percent. This way the host does not have to worry about anything else.¡± The system tried to assure him.


    Xiao Luo sneered: ¡°It seems like the system that¡¯s self-proimed to be a hundred and thousand years ahead of technology has its own negative side effect as well!¡±


    After saying that, he switched off the interface window that allowed him tomunicate with the system. He also turned the system into the ¡®do not disturb¡¯ mode, so that he didn¡¯t receive notifications about the points he had gathered from the system because it could get really annoying.


    Lying on his bed and looking at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, Xiao Luo was in a rather terrible mood. Though he might not have been very close friends with Guantong, but that was his university ssmate, and he still treated him as a close ssmate. Guantong¡¯s passing must have had a big impact on him, if not he wouldn¡¯t have lost control in the afternoon.


    ¡°Xiahai won¡¯t have any more MLM organizations, and I¡¯ve already gotten rid of ¡®Fog¡¯ from behind the scenes. Guantong, you can rest in peace,¡± Xiao Luo muttered to himself, sighing.


    ¡­


    Su Li had be a lot busier recently. From the starting up of ¡°Liyue Media¡±, to choosing the office location, to recruiting talents and many more, she was in charge of everything. Besides that, she had epted a role from a TV series, and was about to board the ne soon. She was really busy now.


    Su Xiaobei had been living at Silver Dragon Vi all this while. She was living with Su Li¡¯s mother and younger brother. She dide back once because she really missed Xiao Luo. After spending an entire day with Xiao Luo, she then went back to Silver Dragon Vi. This was Su Li¡¯s intentions, Xiao Luo needed a career of his own and couldn¡¯t have his life revolve around a little kid.


    Since she was being taken care of by Su Canye and her mother, Xiao Luo was not too worried about that little girl.


    Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting, two of the staff under him from Huayao Group, sent him a voice message all of a sudden. They mentioned about how the new department head had flipped out again and talked about how he should just get lost if he didn¡¯t want to work anymore. He should stop taking up the position of a team leader if he was always not reporting for work.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the new department head from?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. Shen Qingyan had already given him special permission, had this new department head not heard of it?


    ¡°Thepany recruited him from outside, his surname is Ma, his name is Ma Dequan. I heard he opened a headhuntingpany in the past, so hiswork is wide and is really capable. Since taking over, the sales department has been doing pretty well. Targets that used to take a month and a half to achieve can be achieved in just a month now. Because of that, CEO Shen has even written a special post in thepany¡¯s forum praising his performance,¡± Si Yueting said.


    ¡°Just because CEO Shen has praised him, he is raising his tail up high now. He basically has been using you as a negative example and won¡¯t stop mentioning you on a daily basis. He keeps saying that you¡¯re a typical example of a chicken that upies a nest withoutying any eggs,¡± Liu Yiyao reported.


    Xiao Luo giggled: ¡°Does he not know that the reason I have so much freedom is because CEO Shen has already approved of it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he knows, but the new boss has to crack the whip three times. Since there¡¯s nowhere else for him to burn, he¡¯s burning you instead,¡± Si Yueting said.


    Xiao Luo was stunned, thenughed and said: ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll head over to thepany in the afternoon.¡±


    There was no other reason as to why he was going to thepany but to quit this job that had given him so much freedom. Firstly, it was because of Guantong. It was a sad ce that would remind him of his ssmate. Secondly, it was because he no longer saw any reason in continuing with the job. He had already given in to Su Li once, but he was not going to keep giving in to her for the rest of his life and make himself feel miserable.


    ¡°Yay, Team Leader! We haven¡¯t seen you in such a long time, we¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± Si Yueting said whileughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s right that¡¯s right! Our Team Leader is so handsome, and so sophisticated. Even if I had to be your mistress and serve you every single day, I¡¯d do it willingly,¡± Liu Yiyao said in a seductive tone.


    Xiao Luo cut them off in one sentence: ¡°Alright, you girls are like female hooligans when you speak, but are actually good girls in real life.¡±


    The two women were surprise and kept quiet. They could only chuckle a little over the phone. Because of the nature of their job, they had developed an upational disease, and that was to subconsciously try to get close with other people. The methods they used were ambiguous. Everyone in the office saw them as a loose and fickle person and had most probably slept with multiple clients. Xiao Luo was the only one who understood them and could tell who they really were as a person.


    ¡°Team Leader, do you know that we¡¯re really touched now. If you¡¯re right in front of me now, I¡¯ll hug you no matter what,¡± Liu Yiyao said.


    Si Yueting also said: ¡°Team Leader, it¡¯d have been great if you weren¡¯t already married, I¡¯ll go after you, and pester you so much so that you¡¯ll fall for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Luo had nothing to say.


    ¡°Right, Team Leader, I heard something happened to Guantong?¡±


    Liu Yiyao became serious all of a sudden, ¡°The death notice was sent to ourpany. Just what in the world happened? Why did he¡­ die all of a sudden?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°To be honest, I have no idea what exactly happened either.¡±


    [TN: Berserk State = lit. Berserk State. I thought Berserker sounded cooler]

 Chapter 508 - Reason

    Chapter 508: Reason


    In the afternoon, Xiao Luo walked into Huayao Corporation.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival caused quite a stir in the Sales Department. When they saw Xiao Luo again, the hearts of Team Two members still pounded with fear. The incident of Xiao Luo beating up Xu Le was still vivid in their minds that it seemed to have only happened yesterday. Yet, they were in awe of Xiao Luo from the bottom of their hearts. To be exact, they both respected and feared him since he was the genius who seeded in procuring therge order from the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital.


    ¡°Team Leader, you are finally here!¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao weed him back,shing him cheerful and excited smiles. Because of Xiao Luo¡¯s sesses, they gained a higher status in the Sales Department, which helped them immensely as they were no longer treated as nobodies and were not pushed around by the members of the other two teams.


    Xiao Luo returned their greeting with a slight nod of the head and then sat down in his seat.


    When Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao saw Xiao Luo at theputer, they initially thought that he was about to y the MineSweeper game as usual. But soon, they found him log in to thepany¡¯s Staff Management System and submit his resignation without any break.


    ¡°Team Leader, are¡­are you going to resign?¡±


    Si Yueting could scarcely believe her eyes. Her voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of the whole office. Soon after, the news of his resignation quickly got around. Every one of them was whispering to each other, discussing in a low voice.


    ¡°Howe, Team leader? Why do you need to resign? Are you abandoning us?¡± Liu Yiyao said. She could not understand, as well. Although Xiao Luo spent little at the office, they still depended on him. In their mind, they already regarded Xiao Luo as their backbone.


    Xiao Luo stood up and smiled. ¡°It was never my intention toe and work here, and it¡¯s time to leave.¡± He patted Si Yueting¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You guys are all excellent, and I¡¯m sure you can do a brilliant job, even if I¡¯m not here,¡± he said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let you go, Team Leader!¡±


    ¡°Totally agreed. Please don¡¯t leave. Keep leading us. We¡¯ll always be with you.¡±


    Women are sensitive creatures. Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao¡¯s eyes became red, and they were very upset about Xiao Luo leaving.


    Xiao Luo smiled gently. ¡°All good things muste to an end. Do not be too persistent; just let it go,¡± he said.


    Although Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao were awfully reluctant, they did not continue to convince him to stay. Everyone has their own career ns, so they had no right to interfere with Xiao Luo¡¯s choice. Since Xiao Luo had made up his mind, the best that they could do was to bless him silently in their hearts.


    ¡°Team Leader¡­¡±


    Each of them then gave Xiao Luo a hug.


    ¡°Continue to work hard, and if you want to jump ship for a new ce to develop, you can think about Luo Workshop.¡± Xiao Luo advertised hispany in passing. Luo Workshop in Xiahai City needed all talents at present, and he absolutely recognized Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao¡¯s abilities.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    But it was a pity that the two women were so upset with his leaving thepany that they failed to catch the meaning of Xiao Luo¡¯s words but just agreed or the sake of it.


    At this time, a stuffy-looking man walked over here from the office area of Team Two and stretched out his hand towards Xiao Luo. ¡°Nice to meet you, Team Leader Xiao. I am the current Team Leader of Team two. My name is Ye Junming,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°I will be leaving thepany soon, so there¡¯s no need for you to build a rtionship with me.¡±


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve already heard the stories of Team Leader Xiao. You sessfully closed an order from a Dubai princess when you just started work, instantly contributing to Huayao Corporation¡¯s aim to break into new markets in UAE. And, we were given a level ying field topete with Renhe Medicines. And just recently, you helped thepany win a $170 million order from the city¡¯s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, which was snatched from the jaws of Renhe Medicines as well.¡±


    Ye Junming said, ¡°I respect you, and even admire you. Although you are going to leave Huayao Corporation, you will always be the legend that stays in the hearts of all of us.¡±


    Tsk, such a bootlicker!


    Xiao Luo sneered at his words. Ye Junming even made use of the word ¡°legend¡± in his effort to tter.


    Xiao Luo found it challenging to respond sincerely but did so with a hint of impatience in his tone. ¡°Well¡­¡± he said.


    But he was not the insolent man that would refuse to shake hands with someone who had stretched his hand out, so he shook hands with Ye Junming briefly and quickly turned his eyes away. Xiao Luo changed the subject passingly and asked Si Yueting, ¡°Where is your new manager?¡±


    The approval process of resignation was required to be passed step by step, and the first step was Ma Dequan.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s in a meeting.¡± Si Yueting replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so impatient, Team Leader. Just stay here with us a bit longer.¡± Liu Yiyao muttered, pursing lips.


    There was no need for Xiao Luo to be in such a hurry as he still wanted to exin to Shen Qingyan himself.


    ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    A voice tinged with discontent filtered into Xiao Luo¡¯s ear.


    As soon as Xiao Luo turned his head, he saw the pretty face of Ling Fei, the Leader of Team One. But, as usual, she was her stiff self.


    He smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Team Leader Ling?¡±


    Ling Fei asked, ¡°Why are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Just want to leave. Does it require any reason?¡± Xiao Luo quipped, teasing her with a smile.


    ¡°Do you know how hard I¡¯ve worked this month? I am totally confident I can win back first ce, but now you say that you are going to leave,¡± Ling Feiined, gritting her teeth and looking irked.


    Xiao Luo was amused, and remembering a quote from a Stephen Chow film, he said, ¡°That¡¯s too much trouble. I can just hand you my Number One since being the first is so worthless and boring for me.¡±


    Li Fei gazed at him disdainful for a while and said, ¡°I never thought that you could be such a Pretentious d*ck!¡±


    After she said that, she turned away from him.


    Pretentious d*ck?


    Da*n it!


    Xiao Luo was quite shocked, and he had a good mind to question Ling Fei how she could say such a vulgar word!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Soon, a paunchy, balding middle-aged man in a suit came back to the Sales Department. As soon as he stepped into the manager¡¯s office, he caught a glimpse of someone in the seat of the Team Three leader ying the MineSweeper game, and it made him angry. He shouted, ¡°Hey, you over there, who gave you permission to y games in the office?¡±


    After he shouted, Ma Dequan walked briskly toward the offender.


    Hearing the voice, Xiao Luo turned around. When he saw the paunchy, middle-aged man, he asked Si Yueting, who was seated next to him, ¡°Is he your new manager, Ma Dequan, right?¡±


    Si Yueting nodded and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo stood up and smiled at Ma Dequan. ¡°Nice to meet you, Minister Ma¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m asking you who permitted you to y games in the office? Does thepany pay you a high sry every month only toe here and y games? Stop making any excuse. Just give me a 5,000-word in-depth review today. If you can¡¯t finish, get out of here right now!¡±


    Ma Dequan shouted angrily. Since he had had no opportunity to crack the whip, he¡¯s always felt theck of respect from the Sales Department. Now that he happened to find someone he could make an example of, he would certainly grab the opportunity.


    ¡°Manager Ma¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was trying to exin and state his purpose foring to the office today, but he was cut off by Ma Dequan again. ¡°Cut the cackle! Do not attempt to tter me. That¡¯s the rule of thepany! No rules, no standards. You must write an in-depth review!¡± he yelled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to dismiss it as a minor distraction, even if you have powerful connections. ying games during work hours is absolutely not allowed,¡± Ma Dequan snapped.

 Chapter 509 - Let him be.

    <h2>Chapter 509: Let him be.</h2>


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    Xiao Luo punched Ma Dequan in the abdomen.


    Ma Dequan was in so much pain that his eyes were about to pop out. He held on to his abdomen and retreated two steps backwards. This kind of pain felt as if there was an electric drill drilling right into his abdomen and stirring all his intestines together. He made a dull, painful shrieking from his throat and his face was distorted. The veins on his forehead were showing. Looking at Xiao Luo in pain: ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    Everyone in the sales department stood still in shock.


    ¡°You what you, can you listen to what I have to say first?¡±


    Xiao Luo was rather unhappy. He had no choice but to beat him up since he had not allowed him to finish his sentence.


    Ma Dequan could barely hold in the pain but no one in the sales department came to help him. This made him feel extremely embarrassed because this only went to show that he wasn¡¯t really that popr at all.


    ¡°I came to hand in my resignation letter, can you please approve it,¡± Xiao Luo said in a rather polite tone.


    ¡°You came to hand in your resignation letter? What¡¯s your name?¡± Ma Dequan asked. The pain in his abdomen was subsiding, and he could still talk for a bit if he really tried his best.


    Xiao Luo said softly: ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are the leader of Group Three, Xiao Luo?¡± Ma Dequan was surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. Was there any problem with that?


    ¡°Heh, ever since I¡¯ve entered thispany and became the department head of the sales department, I¡¯ve never once seen youe to thepany at all. Now that you¡¯re here and you¡¯re handing in your resignation letter¡­ do you think your family opens thispany that you cane and go as you wish?¡± Ma Dequan said, mming his hands on the table.


    Xiao Luo exined: ¡°I already had CEO Shen¡¯s permission, if you have any other issues with it, you can go to her¡­¡±


    ¡°CEO Shen is so busy, there¡¯s no way she has time to deal with small little things like this.¡±


    Ma Dequanugh coldly, ¡°In the sales department, I¡¯m the boss here, and you will need my approval if you¡¯re not reporting for work. If you don¡¯t have my approval, then that means you were absent for work.¡±


    He tried to establish his power. Besides, all this while he had been using Xiao Luo as a negative example to prevent the other staff from doing the things that he had done. If he didn¡¯t even have the guts to say anything now, then how was he going to be in charge of the sales department from now on? How was he going to remain as the department head?


    ¡°Department Head Ma, what are you trying to do?¡±


    Xiao Luo was starting to be more and more impatient. He was trying his best to do things the way that Huayao Group usually did and follow the rules and regtions, only because of Shen Qingyan. Otherwise, he would have already have left without saying a single thing.


    Everyone in the sales department was looking towards them and was praying for Ma Dequan¡¯s safety. In thispany, you could mess around with anyone, but you couldn¡¯t mess around with Xiao Luo since he was a guy that could make one¡¯s soul tremble in fear when he was angry.


    The team leader of Group Two, Ye Junming, walked over at this moment, smiled and said: ¡°Department Head Ma, since Team Leader Xiao wants to resign, I¡¯m sure he has better offers from somewhere else. As his colleagues and superior, let¡¯s not stop him, and just directly approve his resignation.¡±


    He kept on signaling Ma Dequan, hinting for him to not mess around with this evil spirit.


    Ma Dequan didn¡¯t get the hint, nor did he want to either. If he didn¡¯t give Xiao Luo a good scolding, his face would be all over the floor.


    ¡°Ye Junming, you don¡¯t have to worry about what¡¯s going on here, just go back and do your work.¡±


    Ma Dequan said, and looked at Xiao Luo once again, ¡®Xiao Luo, you can leave if you want. But first, you¡¯ll have to write a deep review reviewing the action of you ying games in the office while you were still in thepany. ying games in the office is not allowed. Secondly, you were absent for work, ording to the rules and regtions of thepany, you¡¯ll have to pay back twice the amount you earn on a daily basis for thepany¡¯s losses. Later, I will have the finance department calcte the amount that you¡¯ll have to pay. Thirdly, you beat me up earlier on, this is a serious case of office violence, you¡¯ll have to sincerely apologize to me in front of everyone here in the sales department!¡±


    After listening to all that, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh: ¡°Department Head Ma, you¡¯re a really interesting person indeed. Forget it, I have nothing else to say to you, I¡¯ll just talk to CEO Shen directly by myself.¡±


    After saying that, he walked pass him and prepared to exit the sales department. He took out his handphone at the same time, and dialed Shen Qingyan¡¯s number, about to tell her that he¡¯s already resigned.


    But in just a couple of steps, Ma Dequan grabbed onto his shoulders.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, who do you think you are? Even state officials will have to report to work on a daily basis, do you think you¡¯re bigger than state officials. How dare you ignore me, Ma Dequan? Do you believe that I¡¯ll have the legal department sue you now and take you to court?¡± Ma Dequan shouted at him viciously.


    ¡°You better take your hands off my shoulder now!¡±


    Xiao Luo said coldly. He didn¡¯t want to create any trouble, but Ma Dequan was forcing him to and at this point he was about to run out of patience.


    Ye Junming gasped. He knew that Xiao Luo was angry now. He smiled and walked over: ¡°Department Head Ma, listen to me, be good, take your hands off.¡±


    Listen to him? Be good?


    F*ck, who was the department head now?


    ¡°Why are you trying to be a peacemaker here, roll back to your seat now.¡±


    Ma Dequan was furious, and then he shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°Xiao Luo, you can leave if you want, but finish the three things that I¡¯ve listed, and I¡¯ll allow you to leave. Otherwise, you can forget about leaving the sales department.¡±


    ¡°He¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo could no longer bother talking to him. He lifted his leg and kicked him in the chest.


    Like a tiger that was just released from its cage, like a dragon that just emerged from the sea!


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    Ma Dequan flew backwards instantly like a broken kite. On his way, he knocked into countless of office papers, and then fell onto the passageway that was about three to four meters away. The pain was unbearable. The internal organs inside his chest felt as if they were being squashed together. It felt so ufortable that he vomited.


    Everyone in the sales department was shocked to see this oue, and then continued doing work as if nothing had happened afterwards. They tidied up all the documents on the floor, but no one went forward to lift Ma Dequan up.


    ¡°Three seconds of silence for Department Head Ma!¡±


    ¡°Buzzing around our team leader like a fly, are you not asking for trouble?¡±


    Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao patted their heads, and sighed helplessly.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo received a phone call from Shen Qingyan.


    Xiao Luo took his eyes off of Ma Dequan, turned around and walked out: ¡°CEO Shen, this is Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Ma Dequan could barely hold in the pain and kept on groaning in pain while lying on the floor. He was about to cry and with a sobbing tone, said: ¡°Call the police, I want to call the police and have him arrested, I want him to go to jail!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°What, you want to resign?¡±


    Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t quite understand Xiao Luo¡¯s request, ¡°I¡¯ve already met all your requests, and have given you enough freedom, is that not enough?¡±


    She could tell that Xiao Luo was talented and had to win him over. Having a talented individual like him in thepany was like having arge amount of money.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it¡¯s not enough, but I¡¯m tired already,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Having a position here constantly reminded him of Guantong. He didn¡¯t want to live in Guantong¡¯s shadow forever, so he had to leave.


    ¡°You¡¯re really willful indeed, I can agree to you resigning, but have you already thought of what to say to Li?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to n my life for me,¡± Xiao Luo said softly, implying that there was no need for him to exin to Su Li.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell Li now, and I shall see if you can still be as bold as you are now.¡±


    Shen Qingyan put down the phone angrily, then called Su Li who was currently filming a TV series in another ce to tell her about Xiao Luo.


    Su Li was quiet for a bit before saying: ¡°Let him be. He has already proven his abilities there. There is really no need for him to stay there anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Shen Qingyan said.

 Chapter 510 - Rose

    <h2>Chapter 510: Rose</h2>


    ¡°Mr. Mie, congrattions onpleting the mission of eliminating the MLM Organization. Our two directors are already processing the reward for you!¡±


    As Xiao Luo walked out of Huayao Group, he saw a woman alight from a ck car. As she stepped toward him, two buff-looking men were right behind her, and they looked like the type no one should be messing around with.


    That woman had an elegant looking bob hairstyle. Other than the fact that the distance between her eyes was slightly wider than an ordinary person, her facial features were beautiful. But it didn¡¯t take anything away from her beauty; in fact, it gave her a much more unique charm.


    Xiao Luo looked at her and was slightly suspicious. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked. His voice was neither too friendly nor too stern.


    ¡°My codename is Rose. I am the new liaison officer assigned to you by headquarters,¡± the woman said, nodding stiffly.


    ¡°New liaison?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her doubtfully and asked, ¡°Then, what about Ms. Ji?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re referring to Nightbird, Mr. Mie. She has requested to be transferred out of headquarters and is looking to relocate to another branch instead. By now, she is most probably at the airport waiting to get on board her flight,¡± Rose said.


    What? Siying requested for a transfer?!


    Xiao Luo was shocked. He had been preparing to have a good talk with Ji Siying, and thest thing he had expected was for this woman to consider leaving. Was she doing this on purpose so that she would not see him again?


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo felt really anxious. He felt like someone who had just lost someone really important to him.


    ¡°Which airport is she at?¡±


    ¡°New district airport,¡± Rose answered.


    Xiao Luo started to walk toward his car quickly without saying another word. He had to make Ji Siying stay no matter what it took¡ªthere was no reason for her to do this. He had a hunch about why she decided to go, and he immediately decided that, even if he had to use force, he nned to keep her by his side at all costs.


    Rose stared at Xiao Luo coyly as he walked away. ¡°Mr. Mie, are you going to go look for her?¡± she called after him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that concerns you. Just go back and report on your task,¡± Xiao Luo retorted. He could not be bothered to answer her question.


    ¡°Huh? I can¡¯t just do that!¡±


    The look on Rose¡¯s face turned cold. Instantly, the two men who were with her blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s path, and they resembled two massive walls in front of him.


    Xiao Luo turned his head and red hard at Rose. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± he said.


    ¡°ording to the information I have, Mr. Mie, you are an S-level agent. You¡¯re at the top of the pyramid in NSA, and there are only three S level warriors: you, King Kong, and Drug Lady. The three of you are like priceless treasures to NSA, but don¡¯t forget this as well¡ªyou belong to the NSA, and you are a member of the NSA. This means that you have to adhere to the arrangements and orders from the NSA. This is the basic rule and you will have to follow them,¡± Rose said. The smile on her face was gone, and her tone was no longer as friendly as it had been earlier on.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re new here,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Then he made himself clear and warned her, ¡°There are no agents from the NSA headquarters that have the guts to speak to me in this manner.¡±


    Rose red at him with her hands on her hips. ¡°It is true that I was transferred here from the Zhongnanhai branch not too long ago. But forget you, even Gu Zhanguo has got to show me some face when talking to me as well,¡± she riposted.


    Xiao Luo blinked his eyes once and said, ¡°Did you purposelye here just to challenge me?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say ¡®challenge,¡¯ but you¡¯re indeed interesting¡ªin a crazy way. To kill amander from the military as you did, I¡¯m just really curious to know what kind of person you are,¡± Rose said, staring at Xiao Luo with venom in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the members of the Bai family from the Capital, aren¡¯t you?¡± Xiao Luo could kind of tell the woman¡¯s identity was right away.


    Rose raised her head proudly. ¡°You have rather good eyes, I¡¯m indeed from the Bai family. But don¡¯t worry, Zhuo Yuze knew what thews were and chose to break them,¡± she said, ¡°Killing him is the punishment that he deserves. I won¡¯t take revenge for him, but if you don¡¯t follow the orders given by the NSA, then I will have the right to make life really hard for you, do you understand?¡±


    She walked toward the two men and then smiled as she stood behind them. ¡°Let me introduce the two of them to you¡ªthey are from the Central Guards Regiment, and they are in charge of the personal safety of the important leaders of our country,¡± she said, ¡°In terms of strength, I¡¯d say they are pretty much at the level of you S-level agents, so let me warn you to be obedient and listen. Don¡¯t look for trouble. No matter how strong you are, you¡¯re still at the level of a dog, and like a dog, you should just listen to your orders. Otherwise, be prepared to get beaten up!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I might just kill you here?¡±


    Rose¡¯s body trembled a little. When she stared into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, she could feel an overwhelming sense of danger. ¡°Are you threatening me right now? Alright, we¡¯ll do it your way then,¡± she hissed, raising her right hand to the two men, ¡°Give this guy a good beating!¡±


    The two buff men were ready to act, and as soon as they received the order, they moved in like two evil beasts, releasing all the strength they¡¯d been suppressing.


    BAM!


    One of them leaped up and executed a kick aimed right at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    His attack was as ferocious as a tiger and as fast as the wind!


    Xiao Luo reacted instinctively with a well-controlled counter kick, and the sole of his feet met viciously with the iing kick.


    The impact threw the man a few meters back. He knelt down on one knee and had a murderous look on his face.


    By this time, the other man¡¯s attack was about tond. It was not as fancy and appeared to be a straight forward punch, but it came at Xiao Luo like an iron fist filled with immense power. It was delivered with such force that it seemed to roar like a gale wind.


    Xiao Luo had the time to smile, and he instantly matched it with a strike of his fist.


    POW!


    The two fists met with immense power and resulted in a storm that sent waves of energy sting outward. Dust swirled around them, and the ground beneath their feet cracked. The force threw Rose off her bnce, and she was thrown back. But the other man reacted quickly and grabbed her before she fell to the ground.


    POW! BAM! BAM!


    The buff man who challenged Xiao Luo with his fist staggered at least ten steps backward before he could steady himself. Xiao Luo merely stomped his right foot to arrest his slide caused by the immense force and immediately stopped.


    It was a disy of his skill and power.


    The two men from the Central Guards Regiment red at Xiao Luo. Underneath their scowls, they had a slightly worried look on their faces.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to block my path, or die!¡± Xiao Luo roared. He then leaped forward with immense power surging through his body.


    Not only was Rose shaking in fear, but even the two buff men couldn¡¯t help feeling a chill run down their spines. They were stunned and couldn¡¯t tell if what they saw was an illusion. They could only sense that Xiao Luo was like a wild beast that had just woken up from a deep slumber.


    ¡°For not following your orders, I have the right to strike first. Since your codename is ¡®Mie[1],¡¯ then I shall extinguish you for good!¡± Rose yelled as she regained her senses. She had nothing to fear as she had the two men from the Central Guards Regiment as her bodyguards.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luoughed hysterically. He looked insane, and in the next second, energy erupted from his body in a tremendous wave. Leaping forward four to five steps, Xiao Luo stomped both of his feet into the ground, sending him flying in a high arch in the direction of Rose. He sent his right fist cutting through the air directly at the ignorant woman beneath him.


    Xiao Luo struck at the speed of light, from three meters high.


    At the point when he unleashed his power, it was terrifying.


    Rose cowered in fear, and her expression changed immediately as she unconsciously took a step back. Xiao Luo¡¯s madness and strength far exceeded her expectations.


    But the two men were not to be outdone. They put their fears aside and dashed toward Rose as if they had teleported. They clenched their right fists andunched it upward.


    BOOM!


    The tremendous force of the collision sted through the air as the fists of the three fighters collided. The immense power surged through the two men and the ground where they stood copsed instantly, creating two big cavities roughly four meters in diameters. They looked like two big iron pots embedded into a deep crack in the ground.


    Overwhelming power was expended in that instant of intense fighting action.


    The two buff men were thrown tumbling back, sailing in the air as if they had been smashed by a train.


    Xiao Luo was thrown back as well, but none of the three fell to the ground. They twisted their bodies in the air andnded with their feet. They steadied themselves from the force of thending with a spring-like action.


    Footnote:


    [1] Mie: Xiao Luo¡¯s codename, meaning ¡°Extinguish.¡±

 Chapter 511 - Ferocious

    <h2>Chapter 511: Ferocious</h2>


    ¡°What the f*ck, are they filming a movie or something over there?¡±


    ¡°Look! That guy actually jumped like three meters in the air! And it¡¯s not like there are any wires tied to him¡­ just how is it possible!?¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of street magic?¡±


    Outside the Huayao Group building¡¯s main entrance, the street was filled with throngs of people milling around. More and more of them began to pay attention to the spectacr sight of Xiao Luo fighting the two buff men. It was like watching a live-action movie. Some of them immediately took out their phones to record the fight and promptly sent it to their friends.


    Xiao Luo was crouched on the ground like a four-legged beast, with his fierce eyes locked on his two adversaries. A great sense of dread and evil permeated the space around them.


    The two buffed-up men no longer had the self-assured and confident demeanor they unted earlier as Xiao Luo¡¯s strength had far exceeded their expectations. In their heads, they had always believed that no matter how strong NSA¡¯s S-level agents were, the Central Guards Regiment fighters wereparable to them in every regard. Besides, there were two of them dealing with Xiao Luo alone. No matter how they looked at it before this, they were confident of taking him down, but they could no longer predict right now. They had misjudged his strength, for the guy in front of them was as strong as a wild beast.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, how we about call this fight off? The crowd is growing and we wouldn¡¯t want to cause too much of a scene, right?¡±


    One of the buffed-up men opened his mouth to suggest. Their superior, thedy from the Bai family, had obviously requested their transfer over to NSA to deal with the Zhuo Yuze incident. Their hearts reflected that intention like a mirror. They hade here to take revenge¡ªto deal with some guy with the codename ¡°Mie,¡¯ but their initial assessment of their opponent¡¯s strength was wed, and it now dawned on them how difficult it would be for them to gain an advantage if they continued the fight. Therefore, they decided to think things through first.


    ¡°No. 6, what kind of rubbish are you saying? Hurry up and get rid of this b*stard now!¡± Rose shrieked. This was the perfect opportunity for them to get rid of Xiao Luo, and there was no way she was going to let this it slip away. Had they gone mad, she thought, fuming.


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    The guy who received the designation ¡°No. 6¡± from the Central Guards Regiment furrowed his eyebrows and discreetly shook his head. He was gesturing to Rose to stay calm and not make any rash decisions.


    Rose checked herself when she got the hint, and she only looked into No. 6¡¯s eyes and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, what do you think of my suggestion earlier on?¡± No. 6 said, turning his head and smiling as he looked at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that idea!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied coldly. In the next instant, he unleashed a terrifying amount of power through his body and sted forward like a rocket. He bounded forward fast like a roaring tsunami, leaving a ghost-like afterimage trailing behind him. This scene was simply too shocking to all who saw it.


    ¡°God, what kind of speed is this!¡±


    ¡°Is this guy even a human?¡±


    ¡°Oh. My. God. Is this the Kungfu that they always talk about? It¡¯s way too scary!¡±


    All the people who were gawking at the unfolding fight scene stood in stunned silence. The image of Xiao Luo that they all saw was a phantom shing around like ck lightning. He was so fast that not even their eyes or their cameras could catch up with him, and it was virtually impossible for them to even record the fight.


    Rose¡¯s pupil instantly dted, and she now suddenly sensed that she was the target of a bloodthirsty and evil beast. She felt just like a frog being hunted down by a venomous snake and was overwhelmed with the feeling of surrounded by danger at that very moment. She started breaking into a cold sweat all of a sudden.


    ¡°Not good!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes suddenly switched over to their superior. Rose was the prime target now, and the two men from the Central Guards Regiment were unprepared for this and left stunned. They quickly threw themselves in front of Rose in an attempt to shield her from harm.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re from the Bai family or from the Lee family, all of you better get out of my sight!¡±


    He closed the distance of roughly seven or eight meters in just the blink of an eye. The grim look on Xiao Luo¡¯s face was a hideous sight, and his shout reverberated across the ground. He nted his left foot firmly as he almost lost his bnce in his wild rush to reach her and fell forward. But he had the presence of mind to make use of the momentum he had, and swiveling his entire body on his right leg as an axis, he snapped his left foot across like a hurricane.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s speed added to his already incredible power, and one could only imagine the amount of force behind his kick. It was devastating and very unstoppable!


    The two men were shocked! They hurriedly crossed their arms in front of their chest, protecting thedy from the Bai family behind them. Although they could sense the terrifying power behind Xiao Luo¡¯s kick, there was nothing they could do to avoid it, and could only clench their teeth as they took the blow.


    They had practiced long the art of hardening their bodies through qigong and believed they were up for it. They could even ce their arms on the ground and allow a military jeep to run over them without sustaining any damage. Whatsmore, there were two of them, and they were convinced that they were able to withstand Xiao Luo¡¯s attack. But as Xiao Luo¡¯s foot smashed into their arms, they suddenly realized how much they had overestimated his power. It wasughable!


    BOOM!


    At the moment of contact, the sickening sound of the impact thundered through the air. The fearsome power roared like an evil beast and exploded in raging waves, sting across their surroundings.


    The two men from the Central Guards Regiment could suddenly feel intense paining from their arms. They heard a crisp crunching sound like popcorn and immediately knew that it was the sound of the bones in their arms cracking. It was like shattering ss, except it was happening beneath their skin and flesh.


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    The two of them screamed in pain as thick blood spurted out from their mouths, and both of their bodies were viciously thrown backward. Their bodies smashed into Rose, who was right behind them, and the three entangled bodies were carried back like a racing car out of control and came to a stop about seven or eight meters away.


    All three of them sustained broken bones and injuries all over their bodies. Blood was everywhere, for their injuries were severe, especially for the two men from the Central Guards Regiment. Looking at their arms, it was no longer possible to tell the difference between flesh and blood. Blood was all over the ce, and the broken bones from within were slightly visible.


    The crowd watching them gasped, and you could sense chills going down from the top of their skull all the way to their feet. Their entire body was icy cold, their eyes were wide opened, and they were staring at this scene with an unbelievable look in their eyes. Some of them held their breaths, some couldn¡¯t even breathe properly, others stared with their eyes and mouth wide open, while some had their faces turning red. All sorts of different expressions could be seen stered over all their faces, which clearly expressed the kind of shock they had deep within.


    Some of their hands were trembling, and they even dropped the phones they were holding.


    Rose was lying on the ground. Traces of blood could be seen from the corner of her mouth. Although she didn¡¯t receive the full impact from Xiao Luo¡¯s attack, the force was still powerful enough, and there was no way a woman like her would have withstood that. At that moment, all she could feel was her internal organs churning around with unspeakable pain, and the horror could not be described. There was no way she could have imagined that Xiao Luo¡¯s strength would be so powerful. He was able to defeat two able fighters from the Central Guards Regiment with just one decisive kick.


    Xiao Luo looked at the crowd milling in the distance with an indifferent look. It was a fair distance away, and although they managed to record the entire fight, he was sure that they did not manage to clearly record his face since they were rather far away. Even if they viraled it online, he wouldn¡¯t be in much trouble, Xiao Luo thought. Then, he red coldly at Rose once again.


    ¡°You, and the Bai family behind you, better learn to be a little bit more honest, otherwise, I will not hesitate to take action against the Bai family!¡±


    He spoke his mind without any fear or remorse and then stormed toward his Trumpchi car. He opened the door, got into the driver¡¯s seat, and sped off in an impressive drift. Since he had already lost some time here, he had to get to the New District Airport at the fastest speed possible.


    Trembled in fear, Rose opened her eyes and looked at the Trumpchi, screeching away with shock in her eyes. She had lost control of her body and was shivering pitifully. Had she known that Xiao Luo would be this formidable, she would never have triggered the wild beast in him under any circumstances. It was the first time that had she felt this close to dying.

 Chapter 512 - How can you do this?

    <h2>Chapter 512: How can you do this?</h2>


    ¡°Alright, I got it!¡±


    In an office room at NSA headquarters, Gu Zhanguo had just finished a conversation on the phone. He raised his head and looked at Dongfang Zhuoyu, who was standing right across him without showing any emotions and said, ¡°The little girl from the Bai family has been badly injured thanks to Mie. Even the two guys from the Central Guards Regiment who were with her are severely injured as well. Both of their arms are broken.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. What kind of situation do we have here? The people from the Central Guards Regiment are as strong as the S-level agents in the NSA, yet the two of them were defeated by Mie alone?¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu eximed, expressing his doubts.


    Gu Zhanguo nodded his head. ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it. This news ising from our agents on the ground,¡± he said, then sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve already warned the Bai family not to take matters into their own hands, but they failed to control themselves. To think that they sent that little girl and two of the people from the Central Guards Regiment to deal with Mie. They¡¯re clearly overestimating themselves! I thought they should have known how to hold back and stop creating more trouble by now!¡±


    ¡°If the Bai family do not withdraw their swords, the Dongfang family will teach them a good lesson.¡±


    Dongfang Zhuoyu clenched his fist tightly in a fury. ¡°Bute to think of it, Mie sure is surprising us time and again. Taking down two of the guys from the Central Guards Regiment all by himself¡­ this kind ofbat prowessing from him is not just strong¡ªit¡¯s simply disgusting, horrifying! Andpared to before, it seems like his strength has increased by more than just one grade,¡± he eximed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. He has so much potential, sometimes I even wonder if he¡¯s really just a normal human being,¡± Gu Zhanguo said with a sigh. He was really somewhat surprised at the super-human feats that Xiao Luo was capable of.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that you probably had two objectives by allowing that little girl to do what she wanted and find trouble with Mie? The first was to teach the Bai family a good lesson¡ªor perhaps I should say, give them a good warning? The Bai family might have a strong influence, but it¡¯s not like NSA is anywhere beneath them either. We can¡¯t allow them to look down on us. And, secondly, to knock some sense into Mie. Since the way he handles things is just way too casual, killing people anytime he wants¡­ his actions and behavior are against thews of the country,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu said.


    Gu Zhanguo smiled. He lifted his teacup and drank a bit of hot tea. ¡°Looks like nothing can escape the eyes of this old brat,¡± he remarked.


    Dongfang Zhuoyu had a cunning smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first day I¡¯m meeting you. I can instantly tell what you¡¯re thinking and what your intentions are,¡± he said.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve got to hand it to you, my friend.¡±


    Gu Zhanguo put his teacup down and walked to the balcony. He looked at the view just outside of NSA and looked a little worried. ¡°Mie is a double-edged sword. He will be an asset to the country and its citizens if used well, but if not, his power alone is enough to destroy many things. I¡¯ve met countless people, and there are not many people that I cannot read and understand¡ªbut he is not one of them. I always have the feeling he¡¯s hiding some secret from me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I decided to give Nightbird a secret mission, and that was to covertly find out what secret Mie was hiding from us. But it¡¯s a shame that she¡¯s failed to find out anything till now, and it seems like that little girl even fell in love with Mie. She¡¯s even throwing tantrums now and mentioned transferring out of headquarters because Mie failed to give her a proper answer. Ahh¡­ these young people these days sure allow their emotions to overwhelm them,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu said, shaking his head in resignation.


    Gu Zhanguo gave him a sardonic look and said, ¡°How dare you mention about others. You were just like them when you were young as well. You were so desperate when Xiaoqian rejected you that you ran all the way up to the rooftop and threatened to jump off the building, don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ stop it, stop it. Stop talking about the things I did when I was young.¡±


    Dongfang Zhuoyu¡¯s face turned red instantly. ¡°I¡¯m going to be really angry if you keep talking about these things again and again!¡± he warned.


    Gu Zhanguo raised his eyebrows andughed a little. He then looked out the window once more and furrowed his eyebrows again.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo drove past dozens of red lights as he rushed his way to the New District Airport as fast as he possibly could.


    He was still getting a signal from Ji Siying¡¯s phone, which meant that she had yet to board the ne. Then she suddenly answered.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he walked briskly toward the departure hall. His tone told her he wasn¡¯t going to allow anyone to disobey him.


    Ji Siying kept silent for a while before she said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll be leaving soon. You better get along well with the new liaison. I¡¯m sure the headquarters will arrange and send a really outstanding person for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo interrupted her, and his tone became sterner. At the same time, he scanned the entire departure hall of Terminal One but couldn¡¯t catch sight of Ji Siying at all. He then rushed towards the other departure hall.


    With a trace of sadness and pain, Ji Siying said, ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, stop asking me where I am, alright? I won¡¯t tell you anything. The reason why I picked up this phone was to say goodbye to you. Spending time with you throughout this entire period has been one of the happiest moments in my life, but now, it¡¯s time for me to leave. I wish you all the best, and may you be blessed in all your endeavors, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Then, without giving Xiao Luo the chance to respond, she immediately put down the phone.


    Xiao Luo lost it and nearly smashed his phone on the ground. He tried calling her again, but she had already switched off her phone. Xiao Luo was in a desperate hurry, and the rubbish bin in front of him took the brunt of his fury. He kicked it so hard that he left a dent in it, and trash was strewn all over, causing a minimotion. Some of the airport staff noticed the situation and kept their eyes on Xiao Luo.


    As he arrived at the departure hall of Terminal Three, Xiao Luo finally saw Ji Siying.


    Her ck hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and she was dressed in a ck colored deep-necked tunic top. She paired it with a rose-patterned skirt and a pair of ck high heel leather boots. Her makeup and the sunsses that she had on made her look gorgeous and chic.


    She had a tall and slender figure, and she naturally attracted much attention from guys around her.


    Ji Siying was about to pass the security checkpoint, but at that moment, a hand grabbed onto her. She turned around and was greeted by the stern face of the man she had been trying to avoid.


    She was so shocked that she could only gape at him. ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo?!¡±


    ¡°Come with me!¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t give her a chance to decline. He grabbed her and pulled her back toward the departure hall.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, what are you doing? Let go of me; please let go of me!¡± Ji Siying cried. She was exasperated. Being nowhere near as strong as he was, she couldn¡¯t stop him from dragging her out.


    Xiao Luo kept on looking ahead and simply ignored her. All he cared about was making sure she could not leave and bringing her back with him.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, let go¡­ let go now!¡±


    Ji Siying was suddenly a little bit afraid because she didn¡¯t know what Xiao Luo intended to do. So, she did what most girls would do in a situation like this¡ªbite! She opened her mouth and sank her teeth into Xiao Luo¡¯s wrist in an attempt to make him let go of her.


    Despite biting down hard, Xiao Luo did not let go of her hands, but he did stop walking.


    When he stopped, she lifted her head, and all she could see was Xiao Luo¡¯s impassive face. He just stared at her without saying a word.


    ¡°I-I beg you, can you please let go of me?¡±


    Ji Siying was flustered, and despite her distress, nothing could take away her grace and elegance.


    ¡°My liaison can only be you!¡±


    Xiao Luo was adamant and said, ¡°Whatever your reasons are, if you really want to leave my side, you can do so in your next life.¡±


    After saying that, he once again dragged Ji Siying away and did not allow her to struggle or resist.


    Ji Siying was shocked and what Xiao Luo had just said yed on her mind. She thought, just what in the world was he saying? Not allowing her to leave his side? Was this a confession?


    No, how could this be? He was already married to Su Li and was someone else¡¯s husband. How could she be with him?


    Frustrated, Ji Siying shrieked, ¡°Just what do you want from me?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not turn his head around. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m an unreasonable person to begin with. Surely, this the first day you are meeting me?¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°My luggage and ID, they¡¯re still over there.¡±


    ¡°Forget those and just make new ones.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ how can you do this?¡± Ji Siying was about to cry at that point.


    But Xiao Luo did not care and continue dragging her along with him.

 Chapter 513 - Bring you back

    Chapter 513: Bring you back


    ¡°Sir, please show us your ID card.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stopped by three members of the airport staff, who were also the security personnel responsible for the airport¡¯s safety. They already had their eyes on him when he kicked the rubbish bin, and now that he was dragging around a female passenger who was about to board the flight, they found him exceptionally suspicious and thus approached him.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted at them immediately. His mood was already terrible, to begin with, so his attitude was appalling.


    ¡°Sir, please cooperate with us.¡±


    The security personnel in charge repeated in a more serious tone. At the same time, some of the airport auxiliary police noticed the situation and headed over quickly. They ced their hands on the batons that were at the side of their waist.


    Xiao Luo was slightly annoyed and was about to push them away, but Ji Siying held onto him tightly. She shook her head, indicating for him not to create any trouble.


    Trying his best to suppress the frustration, he quickly found an excuse and said: ¡°She¡¯s my girlfriend. We had a small argument, and she got so angry that she said she wanted to leave. You guys should stop overthinking; it¡¯s nothing much.¡±


    Girlfriend?


    Ji Siying¡¯s face turned red, and she thought to herself¡ªwho the hell is your girlfriend!


    At the same time, she pinched Xiao Luo¡¯s waist.


    Xiao Luo turned his head, ¡°Why did you pinch me?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no reason why¡­¡±


    Ji Siying was already blushing. She looked down and tried to avoid looking into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. She no longer had any intentions of leaving anymore when this man appeared here and then forcefully dragged her away from the security checkpoint. She knew that she had already upied a significant position in this man¡¯s heart, and it didn¡¯t bother her anymore even when she wasn¡¯t clear about where their rtionship would lead. She was satisfied and happy as long as she could stay by his side.


    The security personnel noticed the intimacy between them and no longer had any suspicion toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°It¡¯s normal for couples to have small arguments, but don¡¯t take your anger out on the airport rubbish bin. We¡¯ll let you go this time around, but don¡¯t ever do that again!¡± The head of the security personnel coughed a little and reprimanded.


    Ji Siying quicklyughed along and nodded her head, ¡°Yes, we won¡¯t do it again¡­ we won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    The three security personnel then walked away. The airport auxiliary police that came over from a distance also stood down and holstered their arms.


    Xiao Luo continued dragging Ji Siying with him and headed for the airport exit.


    ¡°You can let go of me now; I won¡¯t leave anymore.¡±


    Ji Siying gave in to Xiao Luo. Although it felt good having Xiao Luo grabbing onto her hand, she kept thinking of her luggage and ID that she left behind. It was going to be quite troublesome if she were to really lose them.


    Xiao Luo stopped and turned around to look at her with a bit of doubt. ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m really not lying to you. Look, the security checkpoint is already closed, and the ne is about to take off. Even if I wanted to, there¡¯s nowhere for me to go.¡±


    Ji Siying sighed and said, ¡°My luggage is still there, and there are many important things inside. I can¡¯t lose them.¡±


    Xiao Luo could tell that she meant it and finally believed that she would no longer try to leave. Hence, he let go of her.


    Ji Siying looked at her wrist that was numb. There were still some marks that Xiao Luo left behind, and with a grievous look, she said, ¡°It¡¯s so painful!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Xiao Luo avoided Ji Siying¡¯s using eyes and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it intentionally.¡±


    ¡°That means you did it on purpose then,¡± Ji Siying said, pouting her lips.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose. Your hand is just too fine and tender,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Pft!¡±


    Ji Siying couldn¡¯t help butugh a little, and for the first time, she thought that this man could be rather cute.


    ¡­


    ¡°Because of you, I couldn¡¯t even work properly. As long as I¡¯m not doing something else, images of you keep appearing in my head again and again. That¡¯s why I was thinking of changing my workce and adjust myself to a new environment.¡±


    In the car, this was the answer that Ji Siying gave when Xiao Luo asked her why she chose to leave. She had already taken off her sunsses, and her eyes resembled a pair of peaches and looked as gentle as clear water. She gazed at Xiao Luo as sitting in the driver¡¯s seat with deep admiration.


    Xiao Luo stepped on the brakes and stopped the car immediately.


    He turned his head to her and said, ¡°Ji Siying, please take note of the things that I¡¯m about to say. Stop thinking of leaving. When you became the liaison for a demon, your destiny has already been closely tied together with that demon. Even if you try your best to escape, you can never run away from his long reach. Even if you escape till the ends of the earth, he will still be able to find you and bring you back, do you understand?¡±


    The tone he used made it sound like he would never allow anyone to defy him.


    Ji Siying felt her heartbeat race. Her face started bing warmer, and she was about to turn red. Her eyes were a little bit teary, and she said, ¡°You¡¯re bullying me!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t me me for that. You asked for it!¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t make her any promise, but there was something that he was really sure of, and it was that he¡¯d never allow this woman to leave his side.


    He recalled the night of thentern festival, at the roof of the house in the countryside. He lent her a shoulder to cry on as they gazed at the colorful fireworks that filled the night sky, and he was very touched. That was the very moment that Ji Siying left a mark inside his heart. He never gave it much thought, but it all changed when he found out that she was about to leave.


    He stepped on the pedal after he said that, and the car screeched away like an arrow. The speed was insanely fast.


    ¡°Nemesis, you¡¯ll turn out to be my nemesis!¡±


    Ji Siying shed a tear, but she chuckled to herself. She stared at Xiao Luo with much affection, and she could see nothing else right now. In her eyes, all she could see was Xiao Luo, and she would forever remember this warmth that she felt right now and was resolved to do her best as his liaison officer.


    ¡­


    When he sent Ji Siying back to NSA headquarters, Xiao Luo went to meet Gu Zhanguo.


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Zhuoyu weed him with smiles on their faces. But when Xiao Luo stepped into the office, he only had an indifferent look on his face.


    Gu Zhanguo still had a sly smile on his face. ¡°Why the long face? You¡¯ve alreadypleted the first mission sessfully, and Nightbird is back too, but yet you don¡¯t seem very happy. What¡¯s going on here?¡± he said.


    Dongfang Zhuoyu opened his mouth and pitched in as well, ¡°Mie, you¡¯re still young. It¡¯s natural for you to be trapped in love, so try to look on the bright side.¡±


    Xiao Luo stared into both of their eyes. ¡°Director Gu, Director Dongfang, I shall not beat around the bush¡ªI¡¯m sure you assigned that woman from the Bai family as my liaison on purpose. I can clearly remember all the things she said,¡± he said, ¡°She said that as a member of the NSA, I have to follow the orders and arrangements that the higher-ups have given. This is the most basic rule that I¡¯ve to follow, and if my guess is correct, those are also the words you¡¯re trying to tell me. You¡¯re just making use of her and had her deliver that message to me, am I right?¡±


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Zhuoyu stiffened up, and their faces turned pale. They looked at one another with a bitter smile. ¡°That¡¯s not true. You¡¯re a super talent from our country that only surfaces once in a hundred years. There¡¯s no way we looked at you in that manner, and I can assure you that that wasn¡¯t our intention,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. That¡¯s way too despicable, and that¡¯s something that only narrow-minded people would do,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu said.


    Despicable? Narrow-minded?


    Gu Zhanguo cursed at him inwardly when he heard that. Of course, with Xiao Luo in their presence, he couldn¡¯t speak his mind and could only smile along, nodding his head in agreement. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be obvious what they did?

 Chapter 514 - The second mission

    <h2>Chapter 514: The second mission</h2>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s intuition told him they had something to do with it, and he didn¡¯t buy the arguments Gu Zhanguo, and Dongfang Zhuoyu put up. But, he remembered the great kindness that Gu Zhanguo had once shown him, and if it weren¡¯t for him, Xiao Luo would have been thrown in jail when he was in Jiangcheng. This would have brought great shame to his family. In a certain sense, the NSA did serve as a safety for him. Being born into this country and being one of the nation¡¯s top fighters, he was all too well aware that he was sometimes quite extreme in his actions.


    ¡°I will take into careful consideration your¡­ well, let¡¯s call them advice, for now. But if they keep asking for it, then I will have no choice,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    He sighed and patted Xiao Luo on the shoulders. ¡°I hope you can understand. The country must have some order, and certain rules have to be observed. I could protect you while you were in Jiangcheng, but now that the Bai family is involved, if they really choose to go after you, then even I can¡¯t protect you.¡±


    Since they had already reached an understanding, there was no need to cover up any longer, and Gu Zhanguo chose to be candid.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°That said, if the Bai family really intends to touch you again, they will have to consider whether they have to capability to do so carefully. We at the NSA are definitely no pushovers. The Bai family only have themselves to me that you hurt that girl. If they dare to target you again, I will mobilize an entire division and st them out of their family mansion,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu said.


    Dongfang Zhuoyu¡¯s words shocked Gu Zhanguo, and he turned quite pale. He gave a dry cough and said, ¡°Old man, do you think that you are still young and vigorous? Do you wish to start a civil war and be the nation¡¯s enemy?¡±


    ¡°What civil war or nation¡¯s enemy are you talking about? So what if we beat up the Bai family?¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu retorted. But he quickly realized the severity of what he had said after being prompted by Gu Zhanguo. ¡°Speaking of civil wars, I should bring up the case of Libya, and African country. They are currently divided into two armed forces, ck and white. The entire country is caught in the dark shadow of civil unrest thanks to politics and power.¡±


    Dongfang Zhuoyu found himself trying to steer away from the topic of the Bai family and bringing up the case of Africa. The more he spoke, the muddled his thoughts became, until hetched on to a name he knew would interest Xiao Luo. ¡°In and of war, it is a paradise for the mercenaries. As one of the senior executives in ckwater Company, Khun Sa is currently leading his underhanded team of mercenaries and recklessly fishing for gold in Libya,¡± he said.


    ¡°Khun Sa?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    He squinted his eyes instantly, for it had been some time since hest heard this name¡ªit was one that had been listed on his kill list from a long time ago. He was bound to kill this man if he even dared to harbor any thoughts of harming his family.


    ¡°Well, it seems like you have a strong desire to kill him. The moment you heard his name, there was a clear murderous intent in your eyes,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu remarked.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°He is a long time enemy, and it¡¯s also about time to end this,¡± he said, ¡°I assume my second mission should be rted to him; if not, Director Dongfang would not have wasted such time on this.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps it¡¯s more urate to say that it was coincidental. Your second mission is to protect a war correspondent and make sure they make it out alive,¡± Gu Zhanguo responded.


    ¡°The white forces are a governmental army, while the ck forces belong to the rebel army. That war correspondent has detailed pictorial records of the rebel army brutally killing the government forces, prisoners, and the people. Once exposed, they will face a lot of pressure due to negative international public opinion, and it will be very detrimental to the seizure of Libya¡¯s politics and power.¡±


    As such, this war correspondent has been on their cklist, and they have even issued a kill order to prevent this war correspondent from getting away. But they had already exhausted all their resources dealing with the government and the army. As a result, the assassination of the war correspondent was entrusted to mercenaries, and the group they entrusted the job to was none other than Khun Sa and his gang.¡±


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth arched upwards into a devilish smile. ¡°Interesting! This is getting interesting!¡± he said.


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Zhuoyu both shuddered when they saw him smile. Usually, other agents would turn pale with fear when they heard of this kind of war, but not Xiao Luo. He seemed to relish it and evenughed cynically.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have to exin the dangers of this mission. You should already know the dangers involved. You won¡¯t know exactly when a bullet will hit you or when a shell will drop next to you in and at war. Are you mentally prepared for this?¡± Gu Zhanguo asked.


    ¡°We understand if you wish to reject it,¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu added.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Why would I want to reject? I¡¯ve been waiting all this while to meet Khun Sa. Also, I would like to confirm, there are no legal restrictions in Libya at all, right?¡±


    ¡°The country is already on the verge of falling apart, even if there are legal restrictions, who will be left to enforce them?¡± Dongfang Zhuoyu said.


    ¡°Haha¡­ well, that¡¯s great!¡±


    Xiao Luo could feel his blood rising. He already knew that there was a beast living in his body, always ready to unleash itself. And now, in Libya, a warzone, the shackles would be released.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Zhuoyu looked at one another, then swallowed their saliva hard. Xiao Luo was emanating an aura of bloodlust and evil once again.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo left the NSA headquarters after being briefed thoroughly on the mission. During this period, he had not seen King Kong or Drug Lady at all. ording to Gu Zhanguo, they had both gone off to perform tasks assigned to them by headquarters. King Kong had gone off to another country to fight a civil war and help the government forces deal with the rebel armies.


    Drug Lady was in Japan to deal with the Asou family. The n had meddled in their national security, and retaliatory action had to be taken to send out a strong message.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t show much interest in their missions. Anyway, they always carried out their own missions and did not get in each other¡¯s way.


    After returning to Crescent Bay, Xiao Luo made a phone call home. His father, Xiao Zhiyuan, who told him that the farm had already opened for business. Of course, only the farm was in operation first, and they were developing the business by phases. The other aspects of the business were still under construction.


    His father also sent him many pictures of the farm, and Xiao Luo took a quick look at them. The farm had changed a lot. There was a clearke that served as a reservoir. Ducks were waddling around and swimming on theke, a flight of pigeons was making its way across the blue skies above, meandering roads led into the mountains, and there was a fishing tform, a sight-seeing tform, a car park, among others. Everything was there, and the concept that had been envisioned initially was slowly bing a reality.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good, Dad. You¡¯ll be the chairman from now on,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Your name is on the farm¡¯s business license. You are the real chairman. I¡¯m just helping you take care of it,¡± Xiao Zhiyuan replied, in a rather stern tone. But, there was joy in his voice.


    Xiao Luoughed dryly and switched the topic. ¡°Is Zhenyun still helping out there?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, that kid seems to have be a changed man ever since returning from Xiahai. He has be more diligent and more willing to endure hardship. I am prepared to handover the farmhouse business to him once he gets the hang of it.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I heard from your aunt that he was part of some pyramid scheme in Xiahai?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. He just made some bad decisions, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Xiao Luo chose not to speak of the matter. For Ding Zhenyun, it was a painful experience, and he knew very well that this cousin of his was a prideful person. It was all in the past, and there was no need to mention them again.

 Chapter 515 - Pushing the Blame

    Chapter 515: Pushing the me


    When Xiao Luo ended the call with his father, Xiao Zhiyuan, he had wanted to call Su Li to inform her that he would not be in Xiahai for some time. Suddenly, the apartment door swung open, and in came Su Li.


    She donned a sweet light bluepeled-cor dress with a sleek belt, exposing her fair and slender arms, and she wore a brilliant tinum ne that added an exquisite touch to her already elegant neckline. She looked divine and resembled a goddess when she entered the room.


    Xiao Luo had already gotten used to her random intrusions, but he was still rather shocked when he saw her this time and asked, ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡±


    Su Li had been away from Xiahai on location for a shoot for her TV series, and it was indeed a surprise for Xiao Luo to see her here.


    ¡°I happened to have two days off and I needed to settle some stuff for Liyue Media personally, that¡¯s why I am back,¡± Su Li said as she approached him.


    Xiao Luo felt a light touch of a breeze on his face and caught a waft of her sweet scent¡ªit was unmistakeably Su Li. Sometimes, that was all he needed to know that Su Li was nearby without having even seen her.


    He walked to the water dispenser and poured two cups of water, one for each of them.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! One thing I¡¯ve to tell you, I am leaving Xiahai tomorrow for probably more than half a month,¡± Xiao Luo said as he handed her the cup of water.


    Su Li showed no signs of surprise by that as she took the cup of water from him. She sat down gracefully on the sofa, with her long and slender legs nted slightly sideway, and she asked, ¡°To where?¡±


    ¡°Nowhere exactly, I am just going for an impromptu trip,¡± Xiao Luo said, raising his brows as he came up with a random excuse.


    ¡°A trip?¡±


    Su Li frowned and responded, ¡°Hah, you sure know how to enjoy life, don¡¯t you? No wonder you could resign from Huayao Corporations.¡±


    ¡°I have my own ns and ideas for my career path,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li nced at him. ¡°I know, so I won¡¯t interfere with that anymore. I am expecting you to make it big on your own,¡± she said.


    As they spoke about careers, Xiao Luo¡¯s thoughts naturally wandered back to Luo Workshop.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expected return from Libya would coincide with Luo Workshop¡¯sunch of its outlets in the Xiahai market. When that happened, he would bepeting with Su Li¡¯s Sumir head-on, and it would undoubtedly be a tough contest. Thinking about it only gave him a headache.


    ¡°By the way, a friend of mine in Luo Workshop told me that they would be entering the Xiahai market in half a month¡¯s time, your¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known that a long time ago.¡±


    Su Li interrupted him Xiao Luo before he could finish his words.


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°You knew about it?¡± he asked.


    Su Li looked up, stared at him, and said, ¡°Procurement, retail marketing, store design, and building of factories¡­ Luo Workshop has been preparing well for itsunch in Xiahai. As the owner of Sumir, if I did not even take notice of such things, I might as well hand the market share over to them.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not know how to react to her words. Su Li did not show any signs of emotion, but it was clear that she knew every detail about Luo Workshop¡¯s development effort in Xiahai. Suddenly, Xiao Luo felt a great deal of pressure.


    Curious to find out how much Su Li knew, Xiao Luo tried to probe a little deeper. ¡°I wonder, suppose that Luo Workshop intends to form a strategic business cooperation with you, would you agree?¡±


    Su Li took a sip of the water as she shared her views. ¡°The key to forming strategic business cooperation between any twopanies is that there must be gains for both parties. Luo¡¯s Workshop has no roots in Xiahai and they have nothing to offer us. An appropriate analogy would be like you¡¯re enjoying an entire cake all to yourself, and alonges aplete stranger who proposes to share the cake¡ªwould you agree to that?¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Inwardly, he let out a long sigh, as from to his understanding of Su Li, for their twopanies to cooperate, he really needs to convince this woman. She had already clearly implied that Luo Workshop was in no position to even propose a coboration with herpany.


    Su Li kept silent for a brief moment as she pondered and wondered why Xiao Luo would suddenly show so much interest in Sumir. She put down the cup and asked, ¡°You seemed to be very concerned about my Sumir recently, is there a reason behind that?¡±


    Xiao Luo was caught off-guard and could only smile. ¡°Well, although we aren¡¯t a real married couple, we are still husband and wife on paper. I know it¡¯s weird, but I was concerned about you and yourpany when I heard that Luo Workshop was entering the Xiahai market.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about such a trivial thing. Zhiying and I can handle it.¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered awkwardly and then changed the topic. ¡°It¡¯s prettyte now, why don¡¯t you stay here and get some rest with me?¡± he said.


    The moment he spoke, he instantly realized how wrong it sounded. This was not his usual style¡ªfor he was a lost puppy when it came to love. As the thought lingered ufortably in his mind, he decided to push the me to Zhang Dashan. Since they were such close friends, the fact that some bad habits had rubbed off on him couldn¡¯t be helped, he convinced himself.


    Predictably, Su Li blushed and even rolled her eyes at Xiao Luo. ¡°Since when did you be so frisky?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed nervously and attempted a smart riposte. ¡°There ought to be one person in the conversation who should heat up the atmosphere, right? It¡¯s better than a random, awkward silence,¡± he said. It failed miserably.


    ¡°Psycho!¡±


    The prudish Su Li responded with a sneer and immediately stood up to return to her apartment.


    However, as she got up from the sofa, a spell of giddiness overcame her. She dropped back on the sofa and suddenly felt weak as she broke out in a cold sweat.


    Seeing Su Li¡¯s condition, Xiao Luo quickly went to her and touched her forehead with the back of his palm for temperature. He then kneeled down beside her and took her pulse.


    Xiao Luo quickly diagnosed that Su Li had overexerted herself with work for her symptoms showed a deficiency in qi and blood cirction.


    ¡°You even know how to take pulses?¡± Su Li moaned.


    ¡°I know a little about it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been overexerting yourself too muchtely. Although it¡¯s hard to tell from the outside, internally, the condition within your body had been deteriorating for quite some time now. It is your body¡¯s way of warning you to take a break,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Liyue Media is finally progressing well now and my schedule is very packed, do you actually think that I could get a break?¡± Su Li replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a martyr. You¡¯re a woman, so why are you so tough on yourself? Besides, the money you have earned is more than enough tost you the rest of your life,¡± Xiao Luo chided her.


    Su Li remained adamant, but she did not push Xiao Luo away. ¡°I just need a quick nap!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help.¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out and ced two fingers between her brows, sending a gentle force of inner power into her mind.


    Su Li closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep immediately.


    This was a unique technique from the Yi Jingjing that helped put one into a deep sleep. Since high-quality sleep was the best way to solve qi and blood deficiency, it wouldpletely recharge a person.


    ¡°Workaholic!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head, carried her into the bedroom, put her down on the giant bed carefully, and tucked her into the soft nket nicely.


    He left the room quietly and closed the room door. Later, he called Zhang Dashan and informed him about his mission in Libya.


    ¡°Old Xiao, you better be careful, don¡¯t make me carry your coffin,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Carry your *ss!¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    He then decided to mention what happened earlier and said, ¡°By the way, stop spewing your usual verbal harassment crap in my face. I identally said it to a woman just now, all thanks to you!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was stunned for a brief moment, and then he roared back, ¡°F*ck, so you¡¯re pushing the me to me now?!¡±

 Chapter 516 - Special Operation Team

    <h2>Chapter 516: Special Operation Team</h2>


    Su Li slept through the night, and it was undoubtedly a rare asion for her. When she awakened, she felt rejuvenated entirely and was in exceptionally high spirits. It felt so unlike her other nights where she would be tormented with horrific nightmares even though she could sleep for the whole night. She¡¯d always feel exhausted after getting up instead of feeling fresh and ready to go.


    Did I fall asleep on his bed?


    Su Li tried to stay calm but realized that she had spent the night in Xiao Luo¡¯s apartmentst night. She checked her clothes unconsciously and was relieved that she was still fully clothed. At the same time, she felt a little insecure about herself and began to doubt if she still had her charm as a woman. This was the first time in her life that such thoughts gnawed at her.


    She gathered herself, then got up and left the room.


    There was nobody in the living room, and breakfast was already prepared for her on the dining table¡ªmilk, toasted bread, and sunny-side-up eggs, which were still warm. There was a note beside her breakfast: I¡¯m off, take good care of yourself!


    ¡°Who needs your concern!¡±


    Su Li chuckled and felt a warmth soothe her heart. After staring at the breakfast for some time, she broke into a joyful smile.


    ******


    ******


    In the Libyan civil war, Hua nation¡¯s army and navy worked closely together to execute an evacuation mission to help theirpatriots to return safely home.


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying sailed down the South China Sea through the Straits of a before traversing the Indian Ocean. From there, they traveled up the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea for a couple of days before finally reaching the coast of Libya and makingndfall. The entire trip covered some ten thousand miles. Under normal circumstances, they would have traveled by air, but due to the conflict, that air space was now restricted by the internationalmunity.


    Standing on the warship deck of the Hua Nation Navy while looking at thatnd that was embroiled in the internecine war, one could detect the ghastly smell of death in the air even from the coastal area. There were rising plumes of ck smoke everywhere, and the civil war, a conflict between the government and the revolutionaries, had spread across the entire country like a gue. They could see soldiers afar in theirbat fatigues facing off in gun battles with their naked eyes.


    The Hua nation¡¯s g became the only safe haven unaffected by the war in this coastal region.


    Hundreds of thousands of the Hua nation expatriates were boarding the ships assisted by the navy and army personnel. Every one of them had the look of despair on their faces and found themselves shivering uncontrobly from the post-trauma of war despite finally reaching safety. Many of them had sustained injuries, and the one thing that Xiao Luo saw in their eyes was fear. During their evacuation, they must have witnessed countless ghastly scenes of carnage.


    ¡°That war correspondent is Sarah Michelle. She¡¯s a citizen of Mei nation, white, 175cm tall, and 22 years old. She¡¯s the youngest daughter of the head of the Michelle n. Mei nation has also dispatched a SEAL team for the exfil mission this time.¡±


    Ji Siying reported the situation to Xiao Luo, she actually wanted Xiao Luo to digest this information on their way here, but he did not want to do that. Xiao Luo came here with a tourist¡¯s mindset, and she could only brief him on the mission now, which was fine as it was still not toote.


    She held a ck briefcase in her hand, but she still looked stunning. Her beauty was unique¡ªshe was a warrior and yet alluring and charming.


    ¡°Since the SEAL is involved, why are we needed?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Our country has always been leaning toward peaceful co-development. Based on this, Sarah Michelle¡¯s videos will be a catalyst for ending the Libyan civil war. In addition, the Michelle family has had a long history of friendship with our country and this is their personal request for help. They trust the warriors from our country more than the warriors from their own,¡± Ji Siying replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re here as their backup n?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Ji Siying nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, if you run into that SEAL team, please be aware of them. Although the Michelle family is an ally, the soldiers of the Mei nation have a tendency to be hostile towards our soldiers or agents. Mei nation ns their military exercises with a view that we are a potential enemy and this has conditioned their soldiers to see us as so.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    ¡°Thest appearance of Sarah Michelle was in Stantine¡ªthat¡¯s about six hundred kilometers away from here. There are some fifty of ourpatriots trapped in a factory over there and we are mobilizing a special operations team consisting of the army and navy troops to hightail to Stantine. Mr. Xiao Luo, you can ride along with them.¡±


    ¡°Must I follow them? Can¡¯t I work in solidarity?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned as he prefers to fight alone. Being with a group of people would only make him feel restricted, and it would be an added responsibility for him to keep hispatriots safe in a foreignnd. He could not possibly leave them when they were being assaulted.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, in this wartornnd, it would be terribly difficult to make it out alive all by yourself, let alone reaching the city of Stantine six hundred kilometers away. With us, we can take care of each other on our trip, isn¡¯t that a more logical arrangement?¡±


    Before Ji Siying could answer Xiao Luo, a deep, masculine voice spoke.


    It belonged to a middle-aged man who looked like he was in his forties. He was smartly decked in a spotless white navy uniform with an impable smile, making him extremely charismatic. There were a few other soldiers in camouge fatigues and helmets apanying him.


    Xiao Luo had stayed on the ship for five days, and he knew who this man was. He was Gong Gaofeng, the captain of this warship and one of the key officers in charge of this evacuation mission.


    ¡°Chief!¡±


    Ji Siying greeted Gong Gaofeng politely as he was themanding officer here.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Gong Gaofengughed candidly and peeked at Xiao Luo, ¡°It seems like the NSA agents like yourself are very confident of your abilities, it¡¯s great, truly great, hahaha¡­¡±


    There was an underlying meaning in his words, and of course, Xiao Luo could read in between his lines and understood what he actually meant.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind us, chief. Mr. Mie did not mean anything else,¡± Ji Siying responded, attempting to exin Xiao Luo¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kiddo, I didn¡¯t mean anything either.¡±


    Gong Gaofeng waved the matter off. ¡°Let me introduce you guys to the leader of this special operations team,¡± he said, ¡°Zhiming¡­¡±


    The man was at least one point eight three meters in height and with the martial bearing and confidence of a highly-trained soldier. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and his eyes looked as sharp as an eagle. He saluted Xiao Luo and Ji Siying and introduced himself with a booming voice, ¡°I am Jiang Zhiming and themander of this special operations mission. It is nice to meet you!¡±


    He then extended his hand out to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo responded in kind. ¡°NSA agent, code name ¡®Mie''¡±!


    After they had exchanged a handshake, Jiang Zhiming shook hands with Ji Siying but quickly let go.


    ¡°It is my honor to be able to fight alongside you!¡± Jiang Zhiming said, looking into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes steadily look and respectfully. He appeared humble.


    Xiao Luo was quite taken aback and replied, ¡°The honor is mine.¡±


    ¡°I think, you guys will have a memorable mission together and I shall anticipate your triumphant return!¡±


    ******


    ******


    Before they depart, Ji Siying pulled Xiao Luo aside and tidied up his cor as she could no longer hold back the worries she had for him.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, I will be waiting here for your return. Promise me, you muste back!¡± she said.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded stiffly as they were both aware of each other¡¯s feelings and did not need to say it out. It was enough that they knew what the other felt.

 Chapter 517 - Land of Wars

    <h2>Chapter 517: Land of Wars</h2>


    The scorching sun beat down mercilessly on Libya¡¯s war-ravagednds, and the skies were darkened with billowing smoke from countless fires. Buildings were left in ruins from the constant bombings, leaving behind andscape of despair and destion. Winds carried the fine sands of the sprawling Libyan desert far and wide, adding to the woes of travelers and ever threatening to turn into sandstorms.


    A tight convoy of five military vehicles was making its way through trunk roads of Libya¡¯s interior, no more than 20 meters apart from the first vehicle to thest. To a pilot looking from high above, it would appear like a furious snake winding its way through the vast desert, as dust clouds trailed behind it. They were the Special Operations team that Xiao Luo was embedded in.


    Thest vehicle was a FAW 5-tonne truck, which carried twelve soldiers, and the other four were jeeps with three passengers and the driver¨Cin total, they had thirty members in the group, which was equivalent to a toon.


    Libya was and at war, and everyone was armed to the teeth. Xiao Luo donned a bulletproof vest over his camouge fatigues and wore a ballistic helmet. For self-defense, he was armed with a rifle and a few hand grenades.


    The lead jeep of the convoy flew a Hua nation g stretched over its bo, and its primary purpose was to alert the Libyan government forces of their identity to avoid an inadvertent exchange of fire. It was not in the interest of the government troops to tantly attack foreign soldiers who had ventured deep into Libyan territory to evacuate theirpatriots. Likewise, the rebel troops saw no reason to pit themselves against any foreign forces they came across, as any reckless attack on these forces would onlypel them to side actively with the government, which would be to the rebels¡¯ disadvantage and minimize their chances of securing victory in this civil war.


    ¡°The rebel troops are ruthless, and given a chance, they will pounce on any party not aligned to them.¡±


    Jiang Zhiming was speaking to Xiao Luo as they sat together in the second military jeep. This was not his first time leading an evacuation mission, so he had a better grasp of Libya¡¯s situation. However, going as far ind as Stantine City was surely a first, even for him.


    Xiao Luo nodded, acknowledging the teammander¡¯s input. He looked out of the window and asionally saw bodies of civilians killed indiscriminately, strewn by the roadside like the dead stray cats or dogs. The bodies were badly dposed and filled the air with a putrid stench, attractingrge swarms of flies hovering around them.


    Along the way, Xiao Luo also saw throngs of Libyan civilians in exodus trying to escape from the warzones with their families¨Ctheir clothes were torn and tattered, and they were covered in dirt and dust, mixed with their sweat to form thick crusts that clung on to their skins. They all wore forlorn looks from the neverending trauma of gunfire and bombing that dulled their senses. The look of fear was etched into their lifeless eyes, and they appeared like they had lost all hope to get through this war.


    Many of them were terrified when they saw the convoy roll by and instinctively raised both of their hands in surrender.


    It was impossible for Xiao Luo not to feel for these people after he had witnessed for himself the living hell they had to live in. He empathized with them as fellow human beings who shared the same skies and lived in the same age, for many people in other countries were fortunate enough to live in a stable and safe environment, and they did not need to worry about the possibility of dying in a conflict.


    But here, in this corner of Earth, embroiled in a raging war, no one could iste himself from the cruel realities of death. These people had lost their homes, and their families were torn apart, just like the seeds of wild grasses carried in the wind. They had no idea where they will resettle or what lied ahead for them. Who was to say that they would be another cold and lifeless body in the very next moment, consumed by this monster called war?


    Jiang Zhiming sighed. ¡°Nobody knows about the cruelty of war better than us. One could only appreciate the value of peace after experiencing the pain of war!¡± he eximed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, or you¡¯ll be asking for trouble,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    He felt the need to ay Jiang Zhiming¡¯s concerns. ¡°We just need to focus on our immediate task and take everything else like a passing cloud, the kind that will dissipate into oblivion in a heartbeat.¡±


    As long as even a hint of humanity remained in a person¡¯s heart, he was bound to be touched by the people¡¯s plight in Libya. However, Xiao Luo did not wish to expend his energy and mind on such matters, for there were many more tragedies taking ce in many corners of the world right now. It was simply too much for a mere mortal to worry and mourn every mishap that urred in the world.


    Jiang Zhiming nodded in agreement as that was indeed the case. They were not the saviors of the world, so all they had to do was focus onpleting their mission and leave the rest of it to others as there was nothing they could do about it.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡¯ve heard that everyone in the NSA is a monster, so you sure are powerful, right?¡±


    At the front of the vehicle, a soldier sitting in the passenger seat excitedly turned around and asked Xiao Luo. He was a rtively younger man, and Jiang Zhiming had introduced him to Xiao Luo after boarding this car. He was Jiang Zhiming¡¯s assistant, Kong Hongyun.


    Xiao Luo smiled and did not answer him.


    Kong Hongyun continued to press on and said, ¡°Since you chose rifle as your main weapon, then it must be your forte! Our captain is also a great sniper. He took out the chief of the blue army from one kilometer away with just one shot andpleted the assassination mission with outstanding results, then escaped the encirclement of a few hundred blue troops sessfully. This made the blue army thought that they had run into a ghost, and ever since then, he was known to everyone as the ¡®Ghost Bullet.¡¯ Am I right, captain?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡±


    Jiang Zhiming dry coughed and put up a stern face. ¡°How is it that I¡¯ve onlye to discover that you¡¯re such a gossip? You should keep your thoughts to yourself!¡± he chided.


    He did not like to unt his personal achievements, and his intuition was that this Mie from the NSA was somebody special. Even trained soldiers like them felt slightly nervous, going deep into Libya¡¯s central region, but Mie remained calm and indifferent as if such missions were amon thing to him. Thispleteck of nervousness could not be faked, and his unflinching eyes said a lot about this man.


    ¡°I am not gossipy, but just stating all the facts.¡±


    Kong Hongyun frowned and shrugged it off. He was quite close to Jiang Zhiming and knew his temperament very well, so he was not intimidated by Jiang Zhiming¡¯s admonishment.


    ¡°Fine, just shut up now. If you are really bored, just go to sleep,¡± Jiang Zhiming snapped.


    Kong Hongyun replied, ¡°How can you be this mean, captain. This is and of war; what if I took a bullet while I¡¯m asleep and never wake up again? Wouldn¡¯t that be so unfair?¡±


    ¡°d that you still know that.¡±


    Jiang Zhiming sighed.


    His jaws dropped when he turned over and realized that Xiao Luo had closed his eyes leaning against the window. His still position looked as if he had fallen asleep.


    Oh, my God, this Mr. Mie is truly unwavering!


    Kong Hongyun was so shocked that he forgot to close his mouth.


    Jiang Zhiming was dumbfounded, and since Xiao Luo was not his subordinate technically and hadpletely different missions, he did nothing. If any of his subordinates dared to do that, he would definitely have pped them and put some sense into their heads. That was undoubtedly the most effective method to keep his confused subordinates alert.


    Of course, Xiao Luo did not fall asleep, but it was his way of ending a conversation. Jiang Zhiming wasn¡¯t too bad, but Kong Hongyun was simply too chatty once he started talking.


    As it turned out, Xiao Luo¡¯s approach proved to be very useful in keeping the car quiet.


    When he finally opened his eyes, he observed the situation outside carefully. They were near the Libyan hill, which was located close to the edge of the desert. The ground was entirely covered with drought-resistant nts. After three kilometers, he noticed a signboard by the road with a unique symbol scratched into it. When they advanced further, he saw another board with those markings.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo sensed something was wrong. ¡°Stop the cars!¡± he shouted.


    What made Xiao Luo shout with such urgency?

 Chapter 518 - Rebel Troops

    <h2>Chapter 518: Rebel Troops</h2>


    KABOOM!


    The lead jeep in the convoy suddenly swerved right as it was engulfed in a sh, sending out a deafening explosion and waves of extreme heat from soaring mes. The second vehicle, where Xiao Luo was in, had its entire windscreen shattered from the impact. Numerous ss shards and debris blew through the cabin like a raging tsunami hitting the driver, Kong Yunhong, Xiao Luo, and Jiang Zhiming in their faces.


    It was fortunate that the driver was quick to react and had stepped on the brakes at the moment of explosion, and avoided being in the st zone.


    ¡°Ahrrg!¡±


    The shrill shrieks of the wounded pierced through the air, sounding like ghouls being tortured in hell. Two survivors scurried out of the lead vehicle, escaping from a sea of fire, but their entire bodies were engulfed in mes. It wasn¡¯t long before they copsed writhing on the ground and died an excruciating death from severe burns.


    ¡°Enemy! Enemy attacking¡­!¡±


    Kong Hongyun was overwhelmed by fear and panic, and he screamed hysterically in a state of panic.


    Jiang Zhiming got off the jeep immediately and dashed toward the two soldiers who had escaped the burning wreckage in front of him. He took off his clothes and use them to beat the mes out. The soldiers from the vehicles in the rear of the column were already approaching, and several were assisting Jiang Zhiming, while the others fanned out defensively to provide cover.


    It did not take too long for the troops to smother the fire on the two bodies, and as expected, they had long lost their life. Some parts of their bodies were charred, and much of their exposed skin was covered in blisters. Their twisted faces were ckened and literally unrecognizable, and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air.


    In the burning wreckage, the men in the front seats were killed instantly when the vehicle was struck. Their bodies were fused to the tangled frame of the wreck.


    The Special Operations team was in shock, for even though they were trained soldiers, they had never actually been inbat and had never witnessed the horrors of actual war. Here in Libya, they were to experience it first-hand, and for them, it would be a tour to hell and back. It had never crossed their minds that they could be so close to death, for it was only moments ago that theirrades were joking with them, and now theyid on the ground, nothing but burnt corpses.


    The realization hit them hard, and they felt a sense of anxiety and fear, but at the same time, their hearts wept for their deadpatriots.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What the heck is going on? Where did the explosione from? Wasn¡¯t it a smooth ride? I didn¡¯t see any enemy nearby either,¡± Kong Hongyun cried. He could not make sense of the situation as he kept questioning his colleagues, looking quite puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s andmine.¡±


    Jiang Zhiming lifted his head and stared into the road ahead. He had some superficial injuries on his face from the shattered ss debris that flew into the cabin.


    ¡°The entire two kilometers of the road ahead is likely mined. We need to take a detour!¡±


    Xiao Luo said as he walked up with his hands on his back. His constitution of King of Mercenaries helped him notice those nondescript symbols on the road earlier, and now he decrypted their meaning clearly. They would be meaningless to those unfamiliar with the territory, but he knew very well that they indicated the locations ofndmines in this area. Those were likely buried by the rebel troops, and they had left those warning signs to alert theirrades.


    ¡°How¡­ how did you know?¡± Kong Hongyun.


    Although Jiang Zhiming was silent, his eyes also beckoned for answers. Xiao Luo¡¯s order to halt coincided with the first explosion, and he was very sure that Xiao Luo had noticed something unusual. The question was, how did he detect the signs?


    Xiao Luo sighed and did not n to dwell on that topic. ¡°Let¡¯s take a detour,¡± he said.


    He turned back to his jeep right after he spoke.


    They had no choice but to take a detour. Jiang Zhiming did not bother him further but told his subordinates to throw the bodies into the mes as a symbolic cremation. They had no other options and could only settle with the most practical means.


    After making a detour around thendmine zone, they continued their journey toward Stantine City. They soon left the burning wreck far behind, and many of the soldiers could not help staring back at it as it gradually disappeared from their sights. They pictured four heroic spirits saluting to them in the rising thick smokes.


    ******


    ******


    They had lost four warriors before even reaching Stantine City, which affected every member of the Special Operation team. The fresh memory of the explosion served as a constant reminder that this was an actual war and not an exercise. Should any incidents ur, the only end for them was death itself. Everyone had to brace themselves for the worst, and they did not even dare to let their guard down.


    After the loss of the earlier jeep, Xiao Luo¡¯s vehicle led the convoy.


    It was very risky to put themander¡¯s jeep in the lead, but Jiang Zhiming chose to take the risk because he trusted himself, and he could rely on Xiao Luo¡¯s judgment. Should any sign of danger present itself that he did not spot, he was confident that Xiao Luo would be able to notice it and warn him.


    Except for thend mine incident earlier in the day, everything was rtively quiet on the first day.


    ¡°When will we reach Stantine City?¡±


    The campfire was flickering in the dark night, and Xiao Luo asked Jiang Zhiming.


    ¡°We should be able to reach there by noon tomorrow.¡± Jiang Zhiming answered.


    ¡°Alright, got it.¡±


    Xiao Luo sat leaning against the tire of his jeep and rested. As they were in a warzone, he kept his ears peeled even when he was resting, and he would react immediately if there were any suspicious sounds or movements.


    But the night remained silent and incident-free.


    When the first rays of dawn broke, the Special Operations team prepared to depart.


    The terrain in Libya¡¯s central region consisted of countless hills, and staying in one ce for too long presented risks and made anyone feel ill at ease. The events of the previous did not help as anxiety yed on the minds of the troops. ¡°Captain, look, there seems to be a Libyan force ahead!¡±


    Kong Hongyun pointed ahead and shouted, ¡°But, are they with the government, or are they rebel troops?¡±


    Xiao Luo had seen them way earlier. There were five heavily armed vehicles with Gatling guns on top of their roofs.


    ¡°Regardless of their identity, prepare for battle!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming jumped off the jeep first and ordered everyone to get ready for action. He also adjusted the g¡¯s position on the bo to make their identity more visible to the unknown force ahead.


    Looking through his binocrs, Jiang Zhiming made out the approaching party and quickly identified them as rebel troops. It was easy to differentiate them from the government forces, as the rebels¡¯ g and uniform were darker in color, whereas the government forces had a rtively lighter color scheme. The contrast could not be starker.


    When their jeeps hade to a halt, the Libyan rebel troops also stopped. Both leaders were using binocrs to observe the other party.


    ¡°They are giving hand signals, and it seems like they are asking us to go through. I think we can avoid a confrontation with them, Kong Hongyun said, letting out a sigh of relief.


    Jiang Zhiming looked at Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°What do you think, Mr. Mie?¡±


    ¡°Let them go first, in case we are forced into a kill zone in the confrontation!¡±


    Xiao Luo answered calmly as he would never expose his back to an unfamiliar group of people.


    Jiang Zhiming nodded in agreement. Had the other party turned out to be the government forces, it would be eptable to go ahead. The fact was that they belonged to the rebels, it was prudent to take precautions and keep their guard up.


    But, before he could react, the Libyan rebel troops suddenly initiated their assault.


    Whump! Whump! Whump!


    A dozen mortar rounds wereunched and sting towards them from the sky mercilessly.

 Chapter 519 - Charge

    <h2>Chapter 519: Charge</h2>


    ¡°Hit the deck!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming roared, alerting his Special Operations team to scramble into a defensive posture that presented a smaller target to enemy fire. Out in the open, they didn¡¯t have any other choice, as no man could outrun bullets, and they could only pray that the bullets would not hit them or shells would not explode on or near them.


    BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!


    One after another, the shells struck the ground around them and exploded, sending sts of extreme heat and energy. Hundreds of lethal fragments flew in all directions like a sandstorm within its st zone. As explosions wreaked havoc and shook the earth around the soldiers, clouds of dust stirred up and obscured their view, adding to their despair.


    After the first salvo, every member of the Special Operations team, lying prone on the ground, was covered by a thickyer of dust and soil.


    Jiang Zhiming patted off the dust on his cap and got up immediately. He could not care about checking on the casualties now and red at the rebel troops with a fury in his face. ¡°Counterattack! Now!¡± he yelled.


    Although the enemy was well-armed, the Special Operations team was also equipped with powerful small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.


    After getting the order to fight back, the Special Operations troopers responded immediately with all the firepower they had. RPGs started streaking toward the enemy lines, automatic gunfire suppressed enemy movements, and snipers started to pick off the Libyan rebel troops right away. But the rebels were only calibrating their distance with the first salvo, and soon, the second wave of shells started tond with greater precision. The second salvonded dangerously close to the Special Operations troops, and each shell kept creeping closer as the rebels fired way.


    WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!


    The blood-curdling familiar sound of iing mortar shells shrieked as they propelled through the skies, and dozens of them were homing in toward the Special Operations team trapped helplessly in the kill zone.


    The soldiers were horrified when they looked up at the shells being lobbed in toward them, and they could only react to the lethal threat by lying t on the ground, taking cover in a prone position. Then, all they could do was close to their eyes and await judgment¨Cnone could ascertain if he or she would live through this attack, and the wait was a long, excruciating one, worse than death itself.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes began to transform, and they turned red like a demon¡¯s. Suddenly, he dropped the sniper rifle in his hands and stood up. He stomped his right foot on the ground, then raised his arms to the sky with his palms wide open.


    ROARR!


    The air vibrated, and a deafening sound came from where Xiao Luo stood, as loud as a dragon¡¯s roar. The air swirled above Xiao Luo as the tremendous force emanating from palm turned the twisting winds into a terrifying tornado. He pushed his forward, and the tornado shot upward and raged toward the salvo of shells in the sky.


    The twister smashed into the shells as they were about to hit the area where the Special Operation team had left their jeeps, and instantly, those shells were blown off their trajectory and fell thirty meters away from the vehicles.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Sand and dust were lifted into the air forming a vast cloud, and the ground trembled from the immense force of the explosions.


    Jiang Zhiming opened his eyes in shock as he nced at the explosions that hadnded a fair distance away. He was in utter disbelief as he knew those shells should¡¯vended into them, but instead, they blew up at a safe distance away. Everyone was stunned, and none of them could exin the reason behind it until they turned around and saw a lone figure standing upright in their midst.


    Against the backdrop of furious explosions and mes, that figure looked like a titan supporting the sky, calm and resolute like an unwavering mountain. The besieged soldiers could only look up to him!


    What did he just do?


    Where did that dragon roare from?


    Everyone was befuddled and could not understand what had just happened, but one thing they were sure about¨Cit definitely had something to do with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo took a quick nce at the rebel lines, then without any warning, he suddenly dashed in their direction. He sprinted at them in a straight line and appeared like a lightning bolt. He was so fast that their eyes could barely see him and could only make out after-images trailing behind him.


    While the Special Operations team members were still in a stupor, they were even more shocked when they saw Xiao Luo running right into the enemy lines. Was he on a suicide mission?


    ¡°Mr. Mie,e back!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming called out to stop Xiao Luo, but he did not even respond. He charged forward with an indomitable will like a well-honed dagger cutting through the enemy¡¯s vital spot. Knowing that he could not stop Xiao Luo, Jiang Zhiming quickly decided on the next course of action. ¡°Attack!¡± he yelled.


    Jiang Zhiming charged forward to lead the assault as soon as he gave the order.


    His team members had regained theirposure by now and reacted instantly to the order. They rose in unison and started to shout with great fortitude. Fearlessly, they followed closely behind Jiang Zhiming, ready to give up their own lives for theirrades.


    On the rebel side, themander and his troops were stunned when they saw a lone soldier from their enemy lines charging at them alone. They could not believe that any trained soldier would retaliate in this manner.


    ¡°???????????? (Fire and kill him)!¡± the Libyan rebelmander roared.


    The dazed rebels then recovered from their shock and loaded their firearms and machine guns to bring Xiao Luo down.


    RAT TATAT TAT TAT!


    WHUMP! WHUMP! BOOM! BOOM!


    Bullets were flying thick and fast, hitting the ground in sprays of sand and ricocheting of rocks throwing debris all around¨Ca wall of lead headed in Xio Luo¡¯s direction, seemingly impossible for him to pass. RPGs streaked toward him, leaving trails of propent gasses discharging from their rear nozzles.


    But Xiao Luo did not decrease his speed in the face of enemy fire. His sharp eyes tracked the iing rounds, and he deftly evaded the hail of bullets as he found gaps within the sea of projectiles before him. A series of zig-zag movements brought him closer to his enemy with a scratch on his body.


    But Jiang Zhiming and his troops were less fortunate. Two soldiers were blown to bits being, which prompted the rest to take cover by lying prone on the ground. Suppression fire by the Libyan rebels kept them quiet, and from where theyid, they could see Xiao Luo charging into a hail of bullets without taking a hit.


    ¡°Oh, my God, how is he even dodging all those bullets and shells?¡±


    Everyone in the special operation team was dumbfounded at that moment as they would never believe that a man can actually outrun bullets had they not seen it themselves. This had toppled their understanding ofmon sense.


    Themander of Libyan rebel troops started feeling anxious as he saw Xiao Luo approaching. ¡°?????!¡± he yelled.


    The five machinegun-mounted vehicles moved up. The lead vehicle was an armored car with a roof-mounted gun, while the other four were technical¡± pickup trucks with guns mounted on their cargo beds. These were Gatling guns, a typemonly used by the Mei nations, and started to open fire relentlessly. Its fire rate exceeded a thousand rounds per minute, and when the trigger was pulled, its multiple barrels rotated at high speed, sending a hail of bullets flew at Xiao Luo like a giant swarm of wasps.


    Wherever Xiao Luo went, the bullets followed, and when they hit the hard ground, sprays of sand and dust were kicked up, demonstrating the terrifying power of Gatling guns.


    The Special Operations team feared for Xiao Luo, to the point they almost forgot to breathe. If he was hit, he would be instantly turned into a pile of meat, for they knew better than anyone the capability of a Gatling gun.


    SWOOSH!


    Xiao Luo had no expression on his face as he continued to advance on the rebels, keeping his eyes locked on themander who was giving battle orders by the armored car. Suddenly, he bounded high into the air toward the rebelmander,nding some four meters away like a ferocious beast ready to strike down its prey.


    Before the rebelmander could even react, Xiao Luo had summoned the terrifying power of Ghost w, and his right hand smashed into themander¡¯s forehead.


    THUD!


    Themander¡¯s brain exploded like a squashed tomato, and instantly blood and brain matter sshed everywhere as the body flew back like a broken kite, smashing into the door of a 5-tonne truck before bits of flesh sliding down to the ground in a puddle of slime.

 Chapter 520 - Still Too Naive

    Chapter 520: Still Too Naive


    The gruesome sight of theirmander being pulverized right before their very eyes had a terrifying effect on the Libyan rebels. It was aplete shock to them, and they wavered in their lines.


    In that split second of confusion, Xiao Luo punched and kicked two Libyan rebels in their chests and sent them flying off as if they were hit by a train. Afternding hard on the ground a few meters away, they vomited quantities of blood and struggled for a brief moment before they dropped dead.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s strikes had crushed their sternums and smashed their hearts to a pulp, killing them instantly. There was no doubt about their cause of death, as blood streamed copiously from the cavities in their chests, much more than oozing out from their mouths.


    The Libyan rebels were stupefied, and in a panic, they suddenly reacted.


    BANG! BANG! PLINK!


    Bullets flew in all directions as the rebels fired indiscriminately, striking the armored tes of the vehicles around them and ricocheting off, sending sparks flying everywhere. Not a single shot hit Xiao Luo, but instead, killed several of the Libyan rebels in the close-quarter fight.


    Xiao Luo had redeemed an agility-based kungfu skill from the system¨CLingbo Weibu. Fast as the bullets were, Xiao Luo easily evaded them with his newly acquired speed and anticipation. He was unstoppable, dashing through the mass of rebel before he locked his eyes on a nearby gunman.


    The rebel gunman had his aim sights aimed at Xiao Luo and was about to shoot, but Xiao Luo had miraculously closed the gap between them in the next instant. Xiao Luo pounced on him like a fierce tiger and delivered a deadly kick to his chin.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    The rebel gunman hardly had the chance to scream when his jaw was torn apart, and a stream of blood sprayed in the air. Xiao Luo grabbed his chin with his hand and squash his jaw to pieces before thrusting him away with his open palm. The rebel flew back a distance and was already dead before he hit the ground.


    The other rebels were demoralized and terrified by the prowess and cruel nature of this unknown man. Most of them dropped their weapons and ran for their lives, but a few remaining ones continued to shoot at Xiao Luo hysterically.


    But, no matter where they shot, the bullets were always missing Xiao Luo as if by some strange design, for it seemed like Xiao Luo could predict every bullet¡¯s trajectory. He looked like a nimble dancer waltzing through a wall of lead, impervious to the dangers he faced. As he continued dodging, he was gradually closing the gap with his enemies, and once within killing range, he took them out without breaking his stride. This was repeated time and again, thinning out the rebel lines.


    Xiao Luo was transformed into a cold and inhumane killing machine whose sole purpose was to reap the lives of all these Libyan rebel fighters!


    Jiang Zhiming and the Special Operations team watched from afar, shocked, and unable to process what they had seen. Their wide-opened eyes were the only signs of expression as they froze in a silent stupor.


    ¡°This guy¡­is he a monster?¡±


    Kong Hongyun¡¯s voice trembled as not only had Xiao Luo¡¯s strength and cruelty terrified the Libyan rebels, but even the Special Operations team felt a chill run down their spines.


    ¡°The people from the NSA are absolute monsters!¡±


    ¡°He is non-human.¡±


    ¡°He could annihte an entire toon just by himself!¡±


    The other members of the Special Operations team trembled, and their faces were painted with indescribable fear and confusion.


    Even Jiang Zhiming, who was usually calm andposed, began to wonder if he was dreaming. Regardless of how powerful a man was, he could not possibly be that powerful to disregard bullets and bomb fragments. Even well-armed soldiers were defenseless, seeming to him like civilians whose lives he could extinguish as he wished¨Cthis was just ridiculous and unbelievable!


    ******


    ******


    Next, Xiao Luo punched a Libyan rebel¡¯s head, and his eyeball popped out, dragging blood vessels along before it fell to the ground. It rolled a short distance away and was soon covered in dust as the owner suffered an inglorious end to the battle.


    In all, nearly thirty Libyan rebel troops were killed. Everyone stared at Xiao Luo¨Che was soaked in his enemy¡¯s blood with the same old calm face and breathed heavily. No one could keep their cool, for this man had just turned this skirmish into a carnage of unimaginable proportions, something that only existed in stories.


    Jiang Zhiming ran up to Xiao Luo with concern written all over his face. ¡°Mr. Mie, are you¡­ okay?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and nced at him as he quelled his killing intent. Heughed and said, ¡°Do I look like I am not okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­ look out! Be careful!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming nodded in relief when he suddenly noticed a Libyan rebel who had pretended to be dead getting up and taking aim at Xiao Luo¡¯s back with a gun. Jiang Zhiming quickly reacted and raised his sniper rifle immediately to shoot at the rebel¡¯s right shoulder.


    The power behind a high-velocity sniper round was lethal and many times more potent than ordinary rifles. The shot ripped off the rebel¡¯s entire right arm, and as blood spurted out from the wound, an anguished scream pierced the air.


    Xiao Luo turned around and looked at the rebel soldier, then turned back to thank Jiang Zhiming. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee, Mr. Mie.¡± Jiang Zhiming replied.


    Kong Hongyun and a few men headed over and secured the soldier before bringing him back.


    Most of the rebels were tanned from spending long periods in the scorching sun, and this man was no different. He had deep-set eyes, sported a crew cut and a tattoo on his chest.


    As he was being carried over, he looked at Xiao Luo with deep fear and continued to mumble, ¡°?????.¡±


    Both Jiang Zhiming and Kong Hongyun did not understand what he meant, but that word in English meant ¡°demon.¡± The man was correct about Xiao Luo¨Cthis Mr. Mie was indeed a demon who came out of hell searching for human lives.


    Xiao Luo looked down at the surviving Libyan rebel soldier and asked, ¡°?????????????¡±


    ¡°???????????????????????????????????,¡± the Libyan rebel soldier responded, looking a little hesitant.


    Xiao Luo turned to Jiang Zhiming and said, ¡°It seems like we are in trouble. The Libyan rebels had obtained the information about the mission to rescue that war correspondent from an unknown source, so they n to kill any Hua nation personnel theye across at all costs. The orders are from their highmand, and they are to let no one through¨Cthey¡¯ve been instructed to kill everyone and are taking no chances.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, aren¡¯t they afraid that our navy and army will intervene in their war and wipe them out?¡± Kong Hongyun said, clenching his teeth.


    ¡°If our navy and army set foot on Libyan soil, this would be the equivalent of interfering in the internal affairs of other states, which might serve as a catalyst for a greater international conflict.¡± Jiang Zhiming answered.


    Xiao Luo did notment on this. He nced at that rebel soldier and said, ¡°?????????????????? (It¡¯s your time to go)!¡±


    After he spoke, he kicked his chest.


    The Libyan rebel flew back like a broken kite with blood all over his face. He died immediately from the kick.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, what are you doing?¡±


    Jiang Zhiming could not understand the motive of that kick, and he questioned Xiao Luo.


    ¡°To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself. Do you actually think that I was unaware of this man earlier on? I wanted to let him go, but he chose to waste this chance and even wanted to shoot me, so there¡¯s no reason for me to show mercy,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Your bullet should not havended on his shoulder,¡± Xiao Luo said, then pointed at his head, ¡°It shouldnd here. The sole objective of a sniper is to achieve one shot, one kill. You do not give the enemy the chance to recover, and in this aspect, you are still too naive.¡±

 Chapter 521 - Ruins

    <h2>Chapter 521: Ruins</h2>


    In the face of Xiao Luo¡¯s usations and taunts, Jiang Zhiming gritted his teeth and tightly clenched his fists. But in the next second, he just rxed them and sighed deeply in resignation, like a deted ball, because he knew Xiao Luo was right, which the same as his instructor had told him.


    As a sniper, when the decision to shoot was made, the only thing in his mind would be to take the target¡¯s life. But when Jiang Zhiming pulled the trigger, he hesitated, realizing that he was about to extinguish the life of a living being and showed mercy on him. Unlike his experience during training, the gun was loaded with nks, so even though he knew the bullet had struck their critical areas of the target, it would never actually kill them.


    ¡°We are in the real battlefield now, and this is a matter of life and death! As the team leader, I hope you adapt yourself to the realities of war as soon as possible. It is a soldier¡¯s duty to defend his country andrades¡ªand that makes you a war machine. I think your military instructor would have drilled that thought into your head. There¡¯s no peace in the military world, and once you be a soldier, you have to always be ready to fight on the battlefield. Do you agree with that?¡±


    Xiao Luo felt it was necessary to shake Jiang Zhiming up, for his attitude could cost lives. He needed to understand the difference between empathy in everyday life and the job he was entrusted to carry out in a war. If he still harbored thoughts of ying fair in battle, then his naivete could likely result in his entire team being annihted because of it.


    When rebuked, Jiang Zhiming felt an overwhelming shame with hisck of mental fortitude. Doubts were cast on his ability to perform like a professional soldier, and he didn¡¯t evene close to matching an NSA soldier.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    After the encounter, two more members of the Special Operations team were killed, and three more were seriously wounded.


    One was wounded by shrapnel, which caused a gaping wound in his thigh, another had his right hand blown off with his whole palm almost severed from his wrist, and the third had his back seared the heat by an incendiary round and looked bloody and mangled.


    Fortunately,bat medics were well equipped with first aid kits in the team and were on hand to provide emergency treatment. Meanwhile, Xiao Luo gave them acupuncture treatment with his silver needles to relieve pain immediately and stabilize their vitals, but this was merely temporary measures. They had to be evacuated to the hospital in Stantine City as soon as possible to receive proper treatment. Otherwise, the wounds could be fatal once they festered and became infected.


    The night sky was overcast, and the moon obscured as if a storm was brewing. Anyone familiar with the conditions there knew that it wasn¡¯t a storm, but the smoke from fires rising through the skies of Libya. It created a dense haze filled with soot, smothering the whole area.


    All the members of the Special Operations team did not dare to underestimate Xiao Luo again, especially Kong Yunhong. He recalled how he had first doubted Xiao Luo¡¯s strength and even deliberately used the achievements of Captain Jiang Zhiming to provoke him, only for it to backfire, and he nearly died of shame for that. They now realized that Xiao Luo was really a strong man who single-handedly wiped out a small group of armed Libyan rebels with his bare hands. Simply put, he was as powerful as a god, and in Jiang Zhiming¡¯s mind, Xiao Luo was like a mountain and someone he could look up to.


    As they progressed further, Jiang Zhiming provided Xiao Luo with an update of their whereabouts. ¡°There¡¯s a small town upfront. After the town, seven kilometers further north is the city of Stantine,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo nodded slightly, ¡°I will stay on until you have located and secured our nationals. After that, I will go my own way.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie, if the reporter you seek is in Stantine City, we can return to base together,¡± Kong Yunhong said. The reality was that Xiao Luo¡¯s presence gave him a great sense of security, and he felt that there would not be any unanticipated incidents during the journey.


    ¡°I hope she¡¯s there, but I¡¯ll still part with you,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Why? Don¡¯t we ¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Kong. Mr. Mie is doing this for our own good.¡±


    Jiang Zhiming interrupted Kong Yunhong¡¯s words, looked at Xiao Luo with a determined gaze, and said, ¡°Compared to the rebels, the threat of the mercenaries is even greater, especially when we have to protect more than fifty of ourpatriots. If Mr. Mie returns with us, those mercenaries will sink their teeth into us like a pack of hungry wolves.¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Mie is powerful, isn¡¯t he? He can definitely handle those mercenaries,¡± Kong Yunhong replied, convinced of Xiao Luo¡¯s strength.


    Xiao Luo gave him a wry smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m more than 90% sure of dealing with those mercenaries, but there¡¯s no guarantee that you won¡¯t get hurt by them, do you understand?¡±


    Chiang picked up the conversation and pitched in, ¡°If Mr. Mie goes separately, we can avoid being attacked by mercenaries. Just dealing with the rebels we encounter will greatly reduce our risk.¡±


    ¡°Those mercenaries only need to pass on the information of the war correspondent to the Libyan rebels and me, and they will stop their fighting to hunt me. So, on your return, even if you encounter the rebels, it is possible that they would not attack you,¡± Xiao Luo opined.


    As soon as Kong Yunhong heard that, he made up his mind and said, ¡°Right, that makes sense! Mr. Mie, maybe it¡¯s best to return via a different route.¡±


    Xiao Luo cast a nce at Kong Yunhong.


    ¡°You have a lot of nerve,¡± Jiang Zhiming scowled.


    ¡°Er, well¡­ Hehehe.¡±


    Kong Yunhong rubbed the back of his head andughed in embarrassment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When they arrived at the location, they were met with a town in ruins. There were broken bricks, bullet holes, and garbage was strewn everywhere. Even the streetmps in the middle of the road were riddled with bullet holes and stained with smoke.


    The town looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, and the burnt-out cars the team asionally came across lent to the dystopian atmosphere.


    ¡°Stop the vehicle!¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly raised his hand.


    The authority of Xiao Luo was supreme in the Special Operations team, and the driver stopped immediately before even getting an order from Jiang Zhiming. They were in the lead vehicle, and as soon as they stopped, the whole convoy came to a standstill.


    ¡°Stand by!¡±


    Jiang hailed his sectionmanders through his inte. Although he did not find any hostile threats, Xiao Luo must have noticed something wrong for him to instruct them to stop.


    Kong Yunhong looked around, then turned back and asked, ¡°Mr. Mie, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Xiao Luo snarled at him, and then he closed his eyes as he tried to detect the sound he heard earlier. He heard a man¡¯s sinisterughter as well as a woman¡¯s cries for help, but it was so very faint. Xiao Luo could hardly pick it up even with his senses enhanced by King of Mercenaries and the Yi Jinjing. But he heard enough to tell him that thenguage the woman spoke was English.


    Perhaps that was Sarah Michelle?


    Xiao Luo wondered as his two ears wiggled like a radar dish searching for signals.

 Chapter 522 - A Hopeless Woman

    <h2>Chapter 522: A Hopeless Woman</h2>


    Jiang Zhiming and Kong Yunhong didn¡¯t know what had happened. They couldn¡¯t spot any threats, just the asional cry of a raven.


    The sound must have been quite a distance away and would have been barely audible. Even Xiao Luo had only inadvertently heard it as they drove by only moments ago. After a while, Xiao Luo finally determined its position and distance when the sound carried on another gust of wind. He opened his eyes, turned his head to the northwest, picked up his sniper rifle, and stepped out of the car without a word.


    Jiang Zhiming didn¡¯t say a word but used his hands to direct the Special Operations team members to follow in battle formation and stay vignt.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    About five hundred meters to the northwest of where Xiao Luo and the others were, five slovenly-dressed local thugs surrounded a woman.


    She was an attractive and well-limbed woman with a trim waist and slender legs that were very eye-catching. She wore a tank top and mini-shorts and had wavy blonde hair as well as graceful features. Although her face was not especially attractive, in a war zone, she was like a delicious meal.


    Next to her, an obese manid in a pool of blood. He looked like he had been stabbed more than a dozen times as blood flowed copiously from his body, soaking the ground around him. His zed eyes, gaping mouth, and the twisted look on his face was evidence that he had died a horrific and painful death.


    ¡°I¡­ I am a journalist of Hua nation, if you¡­ you guys dare toy a finger on me, the troops from my country w-will¡­ wille and tear this ce part¡­¡±


    The woman spoke to them in fluent English, but she was so terrified that she trembled, and her voice shook. Seeing herpanion, the cameraman, brutally murdered by these thugs, she was almost on the verge of breaking down.


    But her assants could not understand a word she said, and they didn¡¯t need to understand either. Their eyes glinted with nothing but lust. They were talking in anguage that the woman couldn¡¯t understand and touching her all over.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­ Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    The woman¡¯s body could not stop trembling in fear and despair, like a deer surrounded by five drooling beasts. She was ovee by the vile and pungent bodily odors of these thugs. It was the stench of filth as if they had not changed their clothes or bathed for a couple of months. She could even see the dried yellowish crusts that had formed around the corners of their eyes.


    They were so filthy, they were stank!


    She wasn¡¯t like a teenage girl just out of society. How could she not know precisely what these thugs intended to do to her?


    The woman struggled as she fought back and screamed hysterically. One of them was enraged by her resistance that he brutally pushed her to the ground. Suddenly, the woman became aware that her right foot was being pulled by arge, rough hand, and the next thing she knew, she was dragged across the ground. Obsceneughter filled her ears as the other thugs crowded around her, and she felt a burn on her back from being violently dragged across the graveled ground.


    ¡°Let go of me, you bast*rd! Let go of me¡­!¡±


    She was screaming at the top of her voice, but there was nothing she could do. She felt like a pig being led to the ughterhouse by a rowdy crowd of butchers. She was unable to fight them off and break free. She knew what was toe, but what could she do? Tears flowed from her eyes, and she suddenly realized how far away from the civilized world she was.


    Her head was in a spin, her hair was disheveled, and all she could hear was their evilughter¡­


    ¡°No¡­ Stop it¡­ No, please¡­¡±


    Someone pped her across her face, and it sent her into a daze. Her face throbbed, leaving a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. It broke down any resistance she had to offer as she justid on the ground sobbing desperately. Tears streamed from her cheeks, and her makeup was smudged.


    The five thugs gulped excitedly at the sight of the scantily d woman on the floor.


    They were so engrossed that they did not even realize they had been surrounded. One of the men got on top of her.


    Suddenly, a cold, ck muzzle was pressed against the back of his head, and the realization of what was happening instantly washed away any lecherous thoughts he had. The thug raised his head and found a group of soldiers in camouge uniforms standing around him. He then noticed that hispanions were also held at gunpoint and had lifted their hands above their heads, looking at him in horror.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The rebel thug gulped again and immediately broke into a cold sweat. A chill shiver ran down his spine.


    The thug, who was atop the woman, stared wide-eyed in shock and slowly raised his hands up.


    ¡°How fu*king dare you bully the women from our Nation, are you tired of living?¡±


    Kong Hongyun was so enraged that he mmed the buttstock of his rifle into the head of this thug.


    Filled with rage, he used arge amount of force, and when the buttstock hit the thug¡¯s head, blood spurted out, and the man was thrown off the woman¡¯s body, copsing in a heap on the dusty ground.


    Jiang Zhiming quickly took off his camouge uniform and covered the woman lying on the ground, helping her sit up. ¡°It¡¯s over, you¡¯re safe!¡± he said, assuring her.


    Hearing a familiarnguage, the woman opened her teary eyes in surprise. When she saw that there were markings of the Hua nation on their camouge smocks, she cried tears of joy and threw herself into Jiang Zhiming¡¯s arms, weeping uncontrobly. She was still in shock and was lost for words, just crying her eye out. What she had just experienced was like a terrifying nightmare that would haunt her forever.


    Xiao Luo was the first to detect what had happened here, yet thest one to turn up. He thought that Jiang Zhiming and his squad were more than capable of dealing with the five thugs who had taken advantage of the war tomit this horrendous act. But when he got closer to her, he found that this woman looked quite familiar. ¡°Are you¡­ Tang Wantian?¡± he asked.


    The woman was still in tears, nuzzled Jiang Zhiming¡¯s arms, and when she gazed at him, she was shocked. ¡°Xiao Luo?¡± she cried.


    They stared at each other briefly in stunned silence. Xiao Luo never thought that he woulde across Tang Wantian in Libya. He remembered thest time they met was at a ss reunion in Jiangchengst year. At that time, he recalled her telling him that she was a journalist.

 Chapter 523 - You Must Remove Me

    Chapter 523: You Must Remove Me


    It suddenly dawned on Xiao Luo what a small world this actually was. Despite not seeing an old acquaintance for a long time, there was always a chance of bumping into them again someday.


    For Xiao Luo, in most cases, he¡¯d end up meeting old ssmates as most of them worked in the same area since graduation, so it wasn¡¯t hard to meet them by chance. But, in Tang Wantian¡¯s case, it was different.


    He furrowed his eyebrows and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    Tears started rolling down Tang Wantian¡¯s face right after he asked her. She looked forlorn and full of regret. All the things that she had experienced was a nightmare that she would never forget for the rest of her life.


    After talking to Tang Wantian, Xiao Luo was able to get a rough idea of how she got there. Tang Wantian had spent some money to hire a ck ship and found her way to Libya. She came with her cameraman, and her goal was to capture and record the war in Libya to give viewers an on-the-ground report of the conflict. This assignment would give her career a significant boost and set her on the way up the hierarchy.


    ¡°Oh, God, how did you even dare toe here!¡±


    Xiao Luo could understand her passion for journalism but shook his head at her preparation for such an assignment. To him, it was not bravery but foolishness. ¡°This is a war zone. To think that you¡¯re wearing such a revealing and sexy outfit¡ªdo you think this is some tourist spot? Have you gone mad, Tang Wantian?¡±


    He was quite piqued and lost control of his emotions somewhat. They had been university ssmates and spent four years together, so he still treated her as a friend. It was a fact that couldn¡¯t be erased no matter how much time had passed.


    Tang Wantian put her head down and had nothing else to say. She did consider her safety beforeing here, but she also heard that the Libyan government and rebel army had their principles and would not hurt the innocent. So, she gritted her teeth and came here, in the hope of getting thetest news and updates on the Libyan war¡ªit was her path to bing a gold-level reporter. It was also this dream that kept driving her to achieve more in the industry. But she had not expected to experience something as cruel and horrifying as this incident in a small town.


    Seeing that her entire body was still trembling, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t bring himself to reprimand her anymore. Bearing in mind that she was almost raped by the five thugs earlier on, it was undoubtedly a terrifying experience for any woman.


    Jiang Zhiming walked over to Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Mie, how should we deal with the five of them?¡± he asked.


    There was no doubt that he was the person in charge of this team, but the encounter with the Libyan rebel army group in the afternoon changed all that. Xiao Luo naturally was seen as the alpha of the Special Operations group, and therefore he decided to ask Xiao Luo for his opinion.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to give them a good beating, of course. How dare they try to bully a woman from Hua Nation. If I don¡¯t break them apart, there¡¯s no way I can swallow this anger,¡± Kong Yunhong growled.


    The other members of the Special operations team grunted in agreement as they all felt that these five thugs could not be let off that easily.


    Xiao Luo looked skyward, and his eyes seemed focused in the far distance. He had a stern look on his face that appeared like he was harboring a thousand-year-old vendetta. His eyes glowered with cruel intent. After a brief moment of silence, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    What?


    Kill? Kill them?


    Jiang Zhiming, Kong Yunhong, and the other group members from the Special Operations team shuddered at the thought. They eventually managed to calm themselves down but were quite shocked by the decision that Xiao Luo had made.


    Tang Wantian opened her eyes wide and was stunned as well. The Xiao Luo she saw in front of her now felt so unfamiliar and cold. Those eyes were sharp and intimidating. Though the five deserved to die, she found it hard to remain calm when she heard Xiao Luo give the kill order so nonchntly. It was as if he was the Grim Reaper responsible for the life and death of these men. He stood high above everyone else and was shrouded in enigma.


    ¡°Team Leader Jiang, why are you hesitating?¡± Xiao Luo turned around and looked at Jiang Zhiming with both of his hands behind his back.


    Looking into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, Jiang Zhiming trembled a bit. He was reminded of his old instructor, who had taught him how to snipe.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming turned around, grabbed, pointed his gun at the five thugs, and gave themand without any expression on his face.


    ¡°Team leader, this¡­ this is not ording to the rules, we¡¯ve already taken them down, and we¡¯re holding them captive¡­¡± Kong Yunhong responded, trembling and showing a slight hesitation.


    The five thugs could also tell that they were about to die soon. The color on their faces turned pale, and they started begging in their local tongue, pressing their heads on the ground as they pleaded.


    Jiang Zhiming took one step forward and kicked Kong Yunhong to the ground. ¡°Follow your orders!¡± he yelled, looking at his troops, and emphasizing each word, ¡°As soon as we madendfall, we ceased to be soldiers capable of only charging into battle in training. We are now true warriors capable of facing the cruelest opponents out here. If you want to finish this mission with outstanding results, then you¡¯ll first have to turn yourselves into demons¡ªif you show them mercy, then who¡¯s going to show us mercy?¡±


    He pointed to the corpse of the cameraman on the floor and said, ¡°Then who is going to pity our friend here who lost his life doing his job?¡±


    With those words, the eyes of the special operations soldiers hardened, and it felt like something in their minds had been awakened and unleashed. This was not a training exercise, but this was war¡ªand they were not soldiers living in an era of peace, but killing machines that had to dispatch their enemies in conflict.


    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Jiang Zhiming repeated.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    With a ferocious cry drawn from the depths of their soul, five of the soldiers, including Kong Yunhong, pointed their guns to the head of the thugs. Then, they pulled the trigger. Five gunshots reverberated in the quiet street, and five thugs fell in a pool of their own blood after letting out a muffled cry.


    Tang Wantian screamed in horror, and she fell back sitting on the ground.


    The members of the Special Operations team sighed as they looked at the sprawled bodies of the men, and the stress of carrying out themand showed clearly on their faces.


    Xiao Luo patted Jiang Zhiming¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯re nowpetent enough to lead your team. I believe that under your leadership, the probability of sess for this team to return to the coastal base alive has gone up!¡±


    Since the day they embarked on the mission, he had never really acknowledged Jiang Zhiming. Xiao Luo felt that hecked situational awareness, and his Special Operations team was constantly falling short. This killing was their baptism by fire, and from hereon, this band of soldiers would undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with after the war.


    Jiang Zhiming forced a smile on his face and said, ¡°Mr. Mie, what were you doing before you joined the NSA?¡±


    ¡°Working in the private sector,¡± Xiao Luo replied, giving him a wry smile.


    ¡­


    The journey back could very well turn out to be dull and uneventful. Tang Wantian was to be embedded into the Special Operations team now. She changed into an army uniform and tied her hair neatly into a ponytail, making her look all sweet and soldierly at the same time.


    She nced at Xiao Luo asionally and had a heap of questions in her head.


    What was Xiao Luo doing here? Was he not the boss of Luo Workshop?


    What did the NSA do?


    Why are these soldiers addressing Xiao Luo as ¡°Mr. Mie?¡±


    As for the killing, why was Xiao Luo so calm back there? Had he killed many people before?


    All these questions hung like a cloud of doubt over her and were bothering her. She couldn¡¯t figure anything out, but one thing she knew for sure, her university ssmate was not an ordinary person. She realized she didn¡¯t recognize him anymore¡ªhe was just an enigma.


    She carefully opened her mouth to ask, ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you have a whole bunch of questions, but please don¡¯t ask me anything at all. Even if you do, you¡¯re not going to get a proper answer. And, please don¡¯t tell anyone that you met me here when you return back home. You can report on the Libyan war, but you must remove any part of me from your report, do you understand?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Tang Wantian was a little bit shocked initially but then nodded her head. ¡°Hmm, I got it,¡± she replied.

 Chapter 524 - Still not Dying Even with This?

    Chapter 524: Still not Dying Even with This?


    Was this really the Xiao Luo she knew from university?


    In the vehicle, Tang Wantian was lost in her thoughts as she sat silently next to Xiao Luo. She took a nce at him¡ªhe had sharp-looking eyes and a handsome but grim face that had the edge of a steel de. He seemed so familiar but yet unfamiliar at the same time. She suddenly realized that this man was the hardest to read among her circle of university friends and the most enigmatic.


    At around two in the afternoon, they finally arrived at their destination¡ª Stantine City.


    The city was already in ruins, torn apart by relentless artillery fire. Shops, buildings, roads¡­ almost everything they saw had been destroyed. It was a disaster zone¡ªbullet holes, bomb craters, bricks, and debris were strewn all over the ce. It couldn¡¯t be called a city anymore but was more like a wastnd. Destion was the central theme when one walked here.


    After the Special Operations team arrived, they met up with elements of the Government Army. Their troops were decked up in light-colored uniforms. They had already driven the rebel forces out and taken back this city, and the Hua Nation soldiers were rightly impressed by their splendid performance. On hearing that the Special Operations team wasing, the Government Army¡¯s suprememander ordered a nonmissioned officer, acting as a guide, to wee them. They were then brought to the Xiahe Electronics Manufacturing Factory, where the fifty Hua Nation citizens were located.


    ¡°Have you seen this American woman?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked the Libyan army guide in the local dialect and showed him a picture of Sarah Michelle.


    This guide had earlier introduced himself to Xiao Luo and his group. He was a sergeant, and his name was Hamis. Unlike everyone else they had met on their way here, he was a Libyan who had very East Asian features.


    Hamis took a close look at the picture in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, but I¡¯ve never seen anyone that looks like her. In fact, we¡¯ve never met anyone from America,¡± he said, ¡°The American embassy shut down at the start of the war and they brought all their citizens with them and left our country.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo slid the picture back in his vest pocket, and although the guide did not provide any sort of useful information or help, he thanked him anyway.


    Hamis smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re wee, it is my honor.¡±


    Xiao Luo could actually speak the Libyannguage so fluently?!


    Tang Wantian was shocked. The things that she had learned about Xiao Luo had far exceeded her expectations. But she snapped out of it when she saw the picture that Xiao Luo showed earlier and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, are you looking for Sarah Michelle?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his head around in surprise and asked, ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    He was startled that Tang Wantian recognized Sarah Michelle and hoped she knew her whereabouts.


    Tang Wantian nodded her head and said, ¡°She is a famous personality in journalism. Regardless of which part of the world it is, she¡¯ll be there as long as there is war. Every reporter respects her, and although she is pretty young, she¡¯s brave, fearless, and is a role model for reporters the world over. She will get in no matter what, to discover and report on thetest news. The reason why I decided toe to Libya, was partly because of her inspiration.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but reprimand her once again. ¡°That¡¯s why I said you¡¯re so foolish. She has strong and powerful backing from the Michelle family. Going to warzones to take pictures for news¡­ she most probably has a dozen well-trained and armed bodyguards right behind her. But you¡¯re just here by yourself. It¡¯s like walking on tightropes¡ªshe has a safety rope, but you don¡¯t. If you fall, you¡¯re going to be smashed to smithereens, do you even understand that?¡±


    Tang Wantian¡¯s face turned red after listening to this. What he had just said was right, and it just went to show how naive and foolish she was. If God had not protected her, she¡¯d have been humiliated and perhaps even slowly tortured to death. Just the thought of it made her shiver.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    Hamis pointed straight ahead to let them know they had arrived.


    When the vehicle stopped, Jiang Zhiming and his crew immediately disembarked. Their wounded had already been treated, so they nned to depart once they rounded up the fifty citizens in the factory. They were going to head directly back to the coastal base.


    The factory had the sameyout as those back home. The main door was equipped with an electric sliding door, but it had already been badly damaged. There was arge gap wide enough to allow a full-sized truck to pass through. The security booth by the side had also been obliterated by a shell, leaving a massive hole on its wall with web-like cracks extending around it. The floor was strewn with bricks.


    Hamis was the first to enter, followed by Xiao Luo, Jiang Zhiming, and the rest of the troops.


    Hamis had an awful look on his face. ¡°My friends, your citizens are right inside the building over there. Err, I¡¯m sorry, my stomach isn¡¯t feeling too good, you have to excuse me. But you please do go ahead and reunite with your people,¡± he said.


    Hamis suddenly grabbed his stomach and looked in great difort, and without waiting for Xiao Luo and Jiang Zhiming¡¯s reply, he turned around and scuttled off through a small path at the side of the building.


    Kong Yunhong had a disgusted look on his face. ¡°What, are these Libyan soldiers that weak? Is he having diarrhea?¡± he said.


    ¡°Be careful, something does not seem right here!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming warned them, ¡°Stay alert, release your safety locks, and get ready to fight at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Leader, stop scaring yourself for no good reason. What danger is there when the government troops are in control of Constantine City? They¡¯re friendly towards us¡ªas you can see, they¡¯ve even brought us all the way to Xiahe Manufacturing Factory,¡± Kong Yunhongmented. While he was trying to convince hismander, it appeared more like he was trying to calm himself.


    ¡°What if they are rebel soldiers disguised as government soldiers?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    As soon as he said that, everyone broke into a cold sweat. If they were rebel soldiers, then they were heading into an ambush.


    Kong Yunhong smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°This¡­ this is not possible, right?¡±


    ¡°Why is it not possible? The rebel army and government army are all from Libya. They can easily switch identities, and all they have to do is to change into the other uniform,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Kong Yuhong struggled to swallow his saliva, and sweat rolled down his head like a waterfall. He had not even considered the possibility of such a scenario, and if the situation was like Xiao Luo described, and everyone here was a rebel soldier, then they were in terrible danger.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo¡¯s ears sharply caught the slight sound of firearms scraping against the floor. He scanned the surroundings, and on the second level of the building right in front of them, he saw a ck muzzle sticking out of a darkened window. Just one look and he could tell that it is a Type 62 general machine gun.


    ¡°Spread out!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted out as he grabbed Tang Wantian, who was just standing there, staring nkly into space. Like a bolt of lightning, he quickly hid behind a wall with her.


    Jiang Zhiming and the rest have be a lot more alert after listening to what Xiao Luo had said earlier. As soon as they see Xiao Luo taking cover, they reacted really quickly and stayed low, crawling toward cover.


    RAT TAT TAT TAT!


    The type 62 general machine gun began firing away from the second floor and pinning down the Special Operations team on the ground. Bullets hit the ground relentlessly, causing sand and gravels to stter everywhere.


    Two of the special operations team members got shot right away, and their bodies disintegrated like bursting bags of blood bags, and they copsed into heaps of minced meat, with blood spurting out from their mouths and noses. Quickly, every one of those remaining managed to find cover and hunkered down in safe positions.


    ¡°Damn it, still not dead even after this? These Hua Nation soldiers are quite tricky!¡± Hamis eximed.


    Hamis had already found himself a ce to hide and was observing Xiao Luo and the Special Operations team through a pair of binocrs.

 Chapter 525 - Suppress

    <h2>Chapter 525: Suppress</h2>


    Hamis was surprised at the reaction speed of Xiao Luo and the Special Operations troops. It was time for the next phase of the assault. Hamis gave out the orders to his subordinates hiding around the factory premises waiting to ambush Xiao Luo and the team. ¡°Kill all those dogs and spare no one!¡± he yelled.


    The moment Hamis gave his order to kill, hundreds of rebel soldiers rushed into the factory through the main door with assault rifles at the ready. They were nning a two-prong attack on Xiao Luo and the team, attacking them from behind while the rebel soldiers already entrenched inside formed the second front.


    There was the distinctive report of a high-velocity rifle shot, then a bullet tore right through the head of a rebel soldier as he exposed his head. The round pierced through his head and continued in its trajectory to hit the heads of two more rebel soldiers behind him.


    A single bullet ended three lives in an instant!


    Blood and brain matter sttered all over the faces and bodies of the rebel soldiers around the three men. Shocked, they literally jumped out of their skins and bolted out through the main door as fast as lighting while trying to stay low.


    The head of the rebel soldiers said with a nervous look on his face. ¡°Reporting to the lieutenant colonel¨Cour opponents have a sniper, our opponents have a sniper!¡± he screamed.


    He was frantic as he fumbled with his walkie-talkie, trying to report on the current situation to Hamis.


    ¡°What are you scared of? They only have roughly twenty-odd people, while there are more than a hundred of us here. We can drown them to death even if everyone here spits phlegm at them. Go get them, finish them off!¡± Hamis shouted, fuming at his men.


    ¡°Understood, Sir.¡±


    The assault team leader had a frightened look on his face. He turned to his men and made a hand gesture, signaling for his subordinates to attack.


    Two of the rebel soldiers followed their orders and dashed in from both sides of the main door.


    ZING! ZING!


    In a sh, two shots rang out and struck the rebels clean through their heads. Both fell with gaping holes in the middle of their foreheads. Fresh blood oozed out of their wounds, forming pools of blood on the floor around them.


    ¡°Charge, all of you, charge at them!¡±


    The head was shocked and furious at the same time. He motioned with his hand and ordered all of his subordinates to charge into the building.


    But the charge never gained momentum as the moment the men showed their heads, a bullet would fly toward them, and all it took was one bullet. The headshots were extremely urate, hitting the rebels like a horrifying curse, and the attackers had no way of getting through this invisible wall of sniper bullets.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The head gasped as he looked at the eight bodies lying at the entrance with their heads hewn open by a bullet. Aghast, he could only marvel at the temperament of the opposing sniper. How in the world could he be this urate?


    Inside the factory, Jiang Zhiming, Kong Yunhong, and the Special Operations team watched in shock as the sniper took out any man who attempted to break through the main door. Xiao Luo had lined up his sights to cover the main door of the factory. Of course, there was no way a standard assault rifle should not be able tond a shot that was that far away. Xiao Luo was using a 7.62mm high-precision sniper rifle.


    Just what kind of reaction speed was this?


    And what kind of uracy was this? He never missed and was getting a kill with each shot!


    Everyone in the Special Operations team stared in Xiao Luo¡¯s direction as if they were looking at some kind of monster. He was definitely the supreme soldier in all of the Hua Nation.


    Tang Wantian covered her ears with a look of shock on her face. This was the first time she experienced the war with gun zing around her, and she was terrified. This version of Xiao Luo, nestling a sniper rifle and killing all the enemies outside the factory, suddenly felt unfamiliar to her again. She couldn¡¯t help but think to herself, how is the existence of such a man even possible?


    ¡°Team Leader Jiang!¡± Xiao Luo suddenly shouted to Jiang Zhiming.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, what¡¯s the order?¡± Jiang Zhiming responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the enemies inside the factory to you, is that alright?¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming acknowledged and then ordered his team to get ready for action. At the same time, he carefully kept track of where the enemies inside the factory were located.


    His shooting skills were admirable as he took out the rebel soldier on the second floor who was operating the machine gun, with just one shot. All the other rebels who had taken cover then tried to rush toward them but were also taken out by a hail of gunfire from the rest of the Special Operations team. About seven or eight of them fell, sprawled in pools of blood.


    Everyone only had one life!


    Of course, the rebel soldiers cherished their own lives as well. They initially thought the people they were up against were nothing but pieces of meat on an iron te and only waiting to be chopped up by them. But now they realized that their opponents were a powerful force to be reckoned with. They immediately stopped their mad charges and started to hide and take cover to avoid getting shot by return fire.


    ¡°These soldiers are skilled and dangerous. To think they are able tounch a ferocious counterattack despite the ambush we haveid. No wonder they say you can¡¯t provoke the soldiers from this Nation. Every single one of them is a beast,¡± Hamis muttered. He was in a state of shock as he had led them to a trap and all they managed was kill two of them. He initially thought that the well-positioned machine gun earlier would have cut down these soldiers and turned them into minced meat.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, what should we do?¡± A subordinate asked him.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Hamis scoffed, gritted his teeth, and said, ¡°I refuse to believe that a hundred of us cannot take down this small group of their soldiers. Give the order to Kaza and his men. No matter what it takes, even if they have to form a suicide squad, they have to take them out in the next ten minutes!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Sir¡±


    That subordinate responded and straightened up with his chest out.


    When this order was conveyed, all the rebel soldiers, both inside and out, went into a frenzy.


    Jiang Zhiming and his team lined up their eyes and fired at the advancing enemy with their assault rifles in a disciplined fashion. After a while, the relentless firing of the automatic rifle took its toll as its recoil force gradually transmitted from their arms to the other parts of their bodies, causing the muscles on their face to quiver with every shot.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s sniper rifle fired at a rapid speed, and he was able to take out an enemy with every single shot, and each one was a shot head to the head. With the work he was putting in, all the rebel soldiers¡¯ corpses at the factory¡¯s main door were already piling up into a small mountain.


    The rebel soldiers from outside the factory no longer chose to enter from the main door. They split up, gathered at the factory walls, and prepared to enter by scaling over the walls.


    But this method was not effective at all. Anytime five of the rebels got over the wall, five would get shot instantly and fall off the wall. If ten of them tried climbing the wall, then ten of them were going to get shot, and they were all killed by headshots.


    ¡°Bloody hell, just how many snipers are there inside?¡±


    The head of the Libyan soldiers was beginning to feel terrified. He knew clearly that it was the same person responsible for shooting down all his men. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for all of them to be shot in the head. But he just couldn¡¯t figure out how his opponent was able to use just one sniper rifle and create the kind of impression that made it look like he had dozens of sniper rifles operating at the same time.


    Tang Wantian looked at the pile of bodies lying at the main door, and they already formed a heap like a small mountain. The top of the walls was also stained with blood and brain matter that came from the head of the dead rebel soldiers lodged at the top of the wall. This bloody action taking ce in a hot warzone had given her an indescribable sense of horror. But since she had a natural inquisitiveness as a reporter, she took out a mini video camera and recorded the entire scene, despite shaking uncontrobly.


    ¡°Use the bazooka!¡±


    The head of the rebel soldiers outside the factory was about to go insane on ount of Xiao Luo. This marksman was like a nightmare for his troops, and if they kept charging in like this, they were undoubtedly all going to get wiped out.


    One of the rebels heard the order and immediately ce the bazooka on his shoulder. He moved out quickly, aimed into the factory, and was about to pull the trigger.


    As themand to pull the trigger was being transmitted from his brain to the finger, a bullet streaked through the air and hit the rocket inside the bazookaunch-tube.


    It¡¯s over!


    Two words shed in the head of the rebel soldier as he opened both of his eyes wide and was filled with despair.

 Chapter 526 - Break Out

    <h2>Chapter 526: Break Out</h2>


    BOOM!


    The rocket inside the bazookaunch tube exploded and reverberated in a deafening report, sending waves of the st through the entire area. The Libyan rebel who had positioned the bazooka on his shoulder died in an instant. He literally disintegrated, and burned flesh and broken bones sttered everywhere. Fire and smoke filled the air, and the Libyan rebels who were within four or five meters of the explosion sustained injuries as well. They fell to the ground, groaning in pain.


    The remaining Libyan rebels stared at the mayhem and their injuredpatriots writhing in pain. They were dumbfounded and had a look of horror on their faces. They all had the exact same thought that the sniper inside was none other than the Grim Reaper! There¡¯s no way they could defeat such a terrifying force.


    ¡°What are you pussycats huddling here for?¡±


    A strange, unfamiliar voice suddenly came from above, and they were all shocked. That person was mocking them in their ownnguage.


    The Libyan rebels instinctively lifted their heads and could only see someone standing at the top of the wall. The unknown man was wearing a ckhawk camouge coat. He had a handsome face and a pair of steady eyes, and he was looking at them with a smile on his face. As they looked up, they realized that he was holding on to two grenades. The safety pin had already been removed, and white smoke was emitting, giving off a sizzling sound.


    The rebelmander¡¯s eyes dted as he screamed, ¡°Watch out! Stay down! Get down!¡±


    Xiao Luo casually dropped the two grenades down and then leaped off the high wall quickly. He casually walked back toward Jiang Zhiming¡¯s position cradling his sniper rifle in his arms.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    The st of energy swept through like a hurricane following the two explosions. Thick smoke rose over the st zone, throwing a cloud of sand high into the air, along with broken arms and legs. The limbs and body parts were strewn all over as they dropped back to the ground. Strangely, the fingers of some of the severed arms twitched as ity on the ground due to neural reflex, and all the broken body parts were charred ck because of the intense temperature.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even bother turning his head around. All the Libyan rebels outside the factory had grouped up too close together, and two grenades were all it took to wipe them all out.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to retreat!¡± Xiao Luo said as he walked toward Jiang Zhiming.


    ¡°Retreat? Ourpatriots are still in there. Are we not going to go and save them?¡± Kong Yunhong asked, looking a little confused.


    ¡°They¡¯re already dead. Since the Libyan rebel soldiers chose to ambush us here, they would have set up the kill zones to turn this ce into a trap. They wouldn¡¯t have risked the hostages giving them away, so the easiest and most direct method would have been to kill them all,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    After hearing that, the bodies of all the members of the Special Operations team trembled a little. It became a little bit hard to breathe when they realized just how cruel the Libyan rebels actually were. The soldiers now realized what Xiao Luo said was right, and the reality was that all their citizens they hade to rescue were already dead, and their effort was all for naught.


    Jiang Zhiming clenched his fist tight, gritted his teeth, and said, ¡°Listen to Mr. Mie. It¡¯s time we retreat!¡±


    There were more than twenty of them. While one group kept a lookout on their surroundings, the other group dashed toward the factory¡¯s main door.


    Xiao Luo made a point to take care of Tang Wantian since they used to be ssmates. He kept a close eye on her as they were retreating. This woman was so scared that her legs were shaking, and her head was in a daze. She would definitely impede the entire team¡¯s progress if he didn¡¯t give her special attention.


    ¡°Bloody hell, chase after them!¡±


    Hamis screamed into his walkie-talkie as he barked out his order. He then gave instructions to the Libyan rebels that were patrolling Stantine City as well. He reported what had happened and told them the direction Xiao Luo and his team were headed toward. Right now, Xiao Luo and the Special Operations team were nothing but a growing threat to this city.


    ¡­


    ¡°Abandon the jeeps! The Libyan rebels have heavy machine guns, RPGs, and bazookas, so driving a car is only inviting them to shoot at us!¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped Jiang Zhiming and his troops from getting into the vehicles. He then looked at his surroundings, pointed toward a small alley, and said, ¡°That way!¡±


    Then, he dragged Tang Wantian along with him and headed in that direction.


    ¡°Follow them!¡± Jiang Zhimingmanded and waved his hands at his other team members.


    It was a really dark alley, roughly ten meters long. The width was only a little more than a meter, and by chance, they found a map of Stantine City on top of a rubbish bin by the side that was still in good condition.


    Xiao Luo quickly opened it up and had a discussion with Jiang Zhiming.


    ¡°We should split up and break up the strength of the Libyan rebel soldiers. We¡¯ll gather at this church. Are there any problems?¡± Xiao Luo said as he pointed at a particr location on the map.


    They had adequate military knowledge and were well-trained soldiers, so they were familiar with reading maps and quickly pinpointed the location. Xiao Luo¡¯s suggestion was clearly the best strategy for them to break out of the situation they found themselves in. They were going to be an easy target if they retreated as a group. Even if there weren¡¯t tens of thousands of enemy troops, Stantine City could still hold at least five or six thousand Libyan rebel fighters. The Special Operations team had no choice but to split up. It was simr to the strategy used by the Eight Immortals when they crossed the sea to deal with their enemies¡ªexcept here, it was a vast city, and they had to find an escape route.


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Jiang Zhiming nodded his head and then raised his hand as he split the group into four teams of five to six.


    Tang Wantian was naturally with Xiao Luo. Considering that Tang Wantian had never undergone any military training, Jiang Zhiming didn¡¯t want to burden Xiao Luo with any other members, so Xiao Luo only had Tang Wantian with him.


    Thud, thud, thud!


    Heavy footfalls could be hearding from the alley.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even lift his head. He grabbed a grenade from his waist, pulled out the safety pin, and threw it in the alley.


    BOOM!


    With a loud explosion, seven to eight of the Libyan rebels were instantly killed and slumped into a pool of blood. A cloud of dust and sand filled the alleyway before it settled over the bodies of the fallen men.


    Jiang Zhiming and his team clicked their tongues and couldn¡¯t help being impressed by Xiao Luo¡¯s quick thinking and fast reaction. They were only beginning to react to it now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    They could no longer stay there. Xiao Luo held on to Tang Wantian, still in a state of shock, and ran through the alley.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, take care! We¡¯ll meet up at the church!¡±


    After getting out of the alley, Jiang Zhiming and his Special Operations troops ran in the opposite direction of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo turned back and looked at him but didn¡¯t say anything at all. He knew this was going to happen, and had he been by himself, he would not have beenden with this many responsibilities on his shoulders. But right now, there was no way he was going to allow all of them to die, and more importantly, he wouldn¡¯t let Tang Wantian die in this forsakennd.


    ¡­


    The Special Operations team¡¯s decision to split up caused the Libyan rebels to split into different groups and pursue them. Gunshots and bomb sts broke the silence of Stantine City.


    Tang Wantian, who was being dragged along by Xiao Luo through this ravaged city, had not looked away from Xiao Luo for a single moment. This man had shocked her again and again with his excellent skills, profound military knowledge, and ability to make swift and correct decisions all the time. All the things that he had done only told her one thing¡ªthis man was a national secret department member.


    ¡°Oh, Xiao Luo, just what have you been through these past few years?¡± Tang Wantian thought to herself, wishing she could dig everything out from this man.


    All of a sudden, Xiao Luo stopped and let go of her hands. He crouched on the floor. It looked as if he was trying to listen to something from the ground.


    ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡± Tang Wantian asked as she couldn¡¯t understand what he was doing.


    ¡°Shhh¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo made a gesture, signaling for her to keep quiet.


    He then closed his eyes and tried to listen carefully. Sound could be transmitted through the ground, and an experienced soldier could make sense of the weak vibrations picked up and determine potential threats and locations of his enemies were. Xiao Luo had this kind of ability.

 Chapter 527 - This Guy Is a Demon

    <h2>Chapter 527: This Guy Is a Demon</h2>


    Pressing his ears to the ground, Xiao Luo could make out two groups of rebels heading their way¨Ca grouping in from the front of them and another from 3 o¡¯clock.


    ¡°Wait here quietly and stay down. Do not leave this spot, and I¡¯ll be back soon!¡±


    Xiao Luo assured Tang Wantian and left the sniper rifle with her. Firstly, it was for her to take care of it, and secondly, it could provide her with a sense of security. After saying that, he pulled out his dagger, and like a hungry wolf seeking food, he headed right for the group in front of him.


    Tang Wantian squatted down hidden from view and held tightly to the sniper rifle that Xiao Luo had handed to her. She was too anxious and was frequently checking her surroundings.


    At that moment, she finally understood what the adage ¡°treat everyone like an enemy¡± really meant. She wanted to shout for Xiao Luo toe back, but she knew that she had to remain silent, or else by doing so, she would be exposing her location and putting herself in danger.


    A gust of wind blew, and she could feel a chill prating to her bones. Even the cawing of a passing crow was enough to cause her body to shiver.


    She was bing more anxious as time went by and was feeling unsafe and a little insecure. She had the constant fear that a terrifying group of Libyan rebels would discover her at any given moment and violently beat her to death.


    Why was he not back yet? Just why had he not returned?


    The waiting was testing her patience, and she kept repeating those words again and again in her mind. She kept looking towards the direction that Xiao Luo headed towards earlier on and was as anxious as ants on a hot pan.


    A cold sweat broke out from every single pore in her body, and she regretted evering here. As she recalled her earlier decision to make the trip, she wondered if she had been possessed by a ghost then. To think that she was foolish enough to step into this warzone! She only wished that she could return to her peaceful home, the dull and boring Hua Nation, andin about her uneventful life every day.


    Although life was dull and boring back home, right now, she missed those days!


    Seconds and minutes passed, but Xiao Luo was still not back yet.


    Tang Wantian was bing more and more anxious. She thought of several possibilities in her head, but all of them had tragic endings. If Xiao Luo were killed, she would be left all alone in this unfamiliar and dangerous warzone. She was feeling helpless and desperate.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    She softly whispered Xiao Luo¡¯s name, stood up, and slowly walked towards the direction that Xiao Luo went.


    Because of her fears, her arms and legs were trembling uncontrobly. She had undergone some military training in the past and was familiar with the use of a rifle. She kept her finger on the trigger at all times because she was so afraid that an enemy might appear all of a sudden.


    To her, each step that she was taking was like walking on thin ice!


    Tang Wantian could hear herself breathing heavily and felt her heart racing. She was practically on the verge of copsing.


    She was already sweating profusely after walking for about a hundred meters, and her clothes were soaked in sweat.


    Suddenly, she could smell the strong scent of blood carried on a light breeze flowing from the alley. She tried her best to suppress her fears and calm herself down, treading carefully to avoid making any sound at all. She slowly walked toward the alley entrance, her sniper rifle at the ready and prepared to shoot as soon as she spotted an enemy.


    She froze in shock when she reached the alley and looked in.


    It was like a scene from a ghastly and gruesome painting. The alley, roughly five or six meters long, was filled with the bodies of a detachment of Libyan rebels. On each corpse, there was a fatal wound on their neck. It was as if some horrifying beast had bitten them with its fangs and ripped their necks apart. Fresh blood was still flowing from their neck wounds, indicating that they were just killed not too long ago.


    Oh, God, this is¡­


    It was as if an explosion just urred in Tang Wantian¡¯s head. All she could hear was a loud boom, her ears were humming, and she could feel chills shooting down from the top of her skull to the soles of her feet. Her entire body shook, and when she caught another waft of the pungent smell of blood again, she couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She held herself up against the wall, tilted her head down, and vomited.


    At that moment, a hand from behind her touched her shoulder.


    Tang Wantian, like a startled cat, reacted quickly and jumped in shock, turning around as if she had just been electrocuted. She tried to point the sniper rifle at this person behind her and shoot whoever it was.


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    When she heard the familiar voice, Tang Wantian calmed down instantly and steadied her nerves.


    She took a second look to make sure that the person standing in front of her was not one of the rebels. She was relieved that it was Xiao Luo. His clothes were stained with blood traces, but he had that same impassive look on his face, with eyes as cold as ice.


    Tang Wantian sat right back on the ground and started sobbing. ¡°What took you so long toe back? I thought you were already¡­¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo calmly looked at her, then bent down to pick up the sniper rifle on the ground. He shook his head and said, ¡°The Tang Wantian who used to be such a strong woman, seems to have disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m already doing pretty well here, okay! If it was any other girl, I¡¯m sure they would already have peed their pants by now,¡± Tang Wantian responded.


    ¡°Is that so? But I have to admit that you¡¯re stronger than an average woman. At least screaming is not the only thing you can do in this kind of situation,¡± Xiao Luo nodded his head in agreement.


    After hearing that, Tang Wantian realized that the Xiao Luo she used to know was back again. There was a sense of familiarity which prompted her to stand up and grumble, ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°I got rid of this bunch of people.¡±


    Xiao Luo said in an indifferent tone, using his eyes to indicate toward the bodies of the Libyan rebels in the alley.


    ¡°They¡­ You mean they were all killed by you?¡±


    All of a sudden, Tang Wantian realized that Xiao Luo felt unfamiliar once again. How was it possible that all of them died by Xiao Luo¡¯s hands? It was just unbelievable and terrifying.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head without anyment, feeling there was no need to beat around the bush. Besides, there was no way he could hide it.


    Oh, my God, was this guy a demon?


    Tang Wantian couldn¡¯t believe that this was the Xiao Luo that she had known since her university days. Strong and powerful, killing without any hesitation, and remaining calm and collected despite having killed so many people. It was scary, and it made her a little bit afraid of Xiao Luo now.


    Xiao Luo looked at Tang Wantian, knowing what was going through her mind. ¡°This is a warzone, and the country has no morews. If you want to live, then you¡¯ll have to kill all your enemies before they killed you. It does not matter how you look at me, but I had to do what was necessary. Unless, of course, you want to stay here forever,¡± he said.


    Although Tang Wantian understood his logic, she couldn¡¯t ept this version of Xiao Luo in such a short time.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, will you protect me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We were ssmates, and you¡¯ve helped me out a lot during our university days. Since we¡¯ve managed to meet up here, then you can be assured that I¡¯ll protect you,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Tang Wantian was reassured now and asked, ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll be able to go back to our country alive?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought for a bit before giving a firm reply. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Wantian forced a smile on her face and said, ¡°Although I know you¡¯re merely trying your best tofort me, I¡¯m still going to trust you.¡±


    ¡°Comfort?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and thenughed helplessly. He didn¡¯t exin what it meant, either. He was confident that he would help this woman depart Libya in safety and added, ¡°Remember, when you¡¯re here, you will have to do what I say. Just like earlier on, I made you wait there, so no matter what happens, you have to stay there without moving, understand?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm, I understand,¡± Tang Wantian said, nodding her head.

 Chapter 528 - Surrounded

    <h2>Chapter 528: Surrounded</h2>


    Hamis could not believe the news his subordinate just told him. ¡°What, two teams in the Dongcheng area were wiped out, all with a shed throat?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel, all were killed. We have investigated the area very carefully, and most of them had their throats shed before they could even take a shot. The technique he used was immacte and neat; the trachea and esophagus were both cut in a single stroke,¡± the subordinate reported, talking through his walkie-talkie in a wavering voice.


    ¡°Sh*t, what the hell is happening? I will be right there!¡±


    Hamis hung up the phone, hopped into the military jeep, and instructed the driver to get to head toward the crime scene as quickly as possible.


    There were no longer any traffic rules or any morews, so they did not even need to care if they destroyed any public infrastructure. Three jeeps sped to the crime scene recklessly, leaving a dusty trail behind.


    When Hamis saw the bodies of his soldiers strewn all over the street, he gasped and clenched his fists tightly. ¡°There is no doubt that the person who did this is the NSA soldier that the Bai family from Hua Nation mentioned to me¨CMie. He is here to protect the f*cking war correspondent! We have to find a way to stop him; we absolutely can¡¯t let him escape. These are my orders¨Cignore the other group of soldiers from Hua Nation for now, and I want everyone to focus on pursuing this Mie!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    His subordinates responded loudly.


    Hamis stood there, grimacing with clenched teeth as he looked into the eastern sky. ¡°I should have known that it was Mie, or else he would not ask me about the news of Sarah Michelle. NSA soldiers are indeed exceptional, but this is my territory; you will not get away even if you have wings,¡± he muttered.


    A subordinate came running over with some information to report. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, there is a message from the chief. He says that the government army that we defeated has managed to gather five thousand soldiers, and they are marching towards the Stantine City. They will be here in about half an hour. The chief ordered us to eliminate those Hua Nation soldiers as soon as possible, and then help him to fight the government army,¡± he said.


    ¡°Five thousand government soldiers?¡±


    Hamis was quite startled, but still, he had a look of confidence on his face. He stood with his hands behind his back as he raised his chin and said, ¡°Tell the chief that half an hour is enough for me to destroy the Hua Nation soldiers¨Cthey are already putting up a desperate struggle. And tell him that the NSA soldier who was sent by Hua Nation to protect the war correspondent is also among the soldiers and are now sitting ducks. They have no way to escape.¡±


    He was so confident because he had already sent someone to lock down the key entrances to Stantine City. There was no way for the Hua Nation soldiers to break out. Every gate was heavily guarded and equipped with machine guns and RPGs that could kill any who dared to breakthrough.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The subordinate took the order, turned around, and passed the message to the chief.


    ***


    Stantine City was deste, and there was hardly any building still intact, with debris from shell sts, craters left by explosions, and bullet holes were everywhere. Swirling dust and gunsmoke filled the air, and it felt like time had turned back to the Great War, and not in the peaceful age of the twenty-first century where people were protected byws and did not need to worry about food shortage.


    Xiao Luo moved through the ruins with Tang Wantian.


    The more Tang Wantian spent time with Xiao Luo, the more mysterious and powerful he became. He had silently annihted the Libyan rebel fighters they ran into on the way here with only a dagger. So far, at least fifty people were killed with that weapon, and it looked like a devilish blood-stained de that was home to evil spirits that relished every kill he made.


    Using a map, Hamis marked the possible routes that Xiao Luo would take to break out of the city. He was working out the routes based on the trail of ughter that Xiao Luo had left behind. A dra was being set up, and the encirclement was in progress as rebel fighters were already heading toward Xiao Luo from all directions, and soon, they would have him surrounded.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, how far are we from the church?¡±


    After running for some distance, Tang Wantian couldn¡¯t take it anymore, as her physical strength could notpare to Xiao Luo¡¯s. She was panting heavily, and her legs felt strained and numbed from exhaustion.


    ¡°Soon!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe when we reach the church?¡± Tang Wantian asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°The church is only a temporary refuge, and the n is to use it as a safe house to break out of this city. All the gates would already be guarded by the Libyan rebel fighters, and there will certainly be a ferocious battle to breakthrough.¡±


    Tang Wantian¡¯s face turned white when she heard what Xiao Luo said. She did not know that escaping would be this hard, and she began to wonder if she would get away alive.


    Suddenly, she missed her home country so much.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I ¡­¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡±


    Tang Wantian was just about to speak when Xiao Luo suddenly cut her off.


    Observing his solemn expression, Tang Wantian knew that enemies were close. Nervously, she shut her mouth immediately and kept quiet.


    Xiao Luoid prone on the ground and tried to detect any vibrations on oing fighters. In shock, he heard the familiar pattern of marching feet, not from one or two directions, but from everywhere, and there was even the rumble of heavy vehicles with them.


    ¡°The Libyan rebel fighters have given up on Jiang Zhiming, and they¡¯re alling for me?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned and realized that something unusual was afoot, for his enemies seemed to be targeting all their resources specifically at him. In Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, there was only one exnation for this¨Chis mission here to exfiltrate Sarah Michelle must have been exposed, which meant that there was a mole in the NSA. He could not think of anyone else who would sell him out other than the woman from the Bai family, who was nicknamed ¡°Rose.¡± And the situation he found himself in could only have been set up by the Bai family, leveraging the Libyan rebel fighters to eliminate him.


    What a great way to get rid of an opponent using somebody else¡¯s knife!


    A mysterious smile formed on Xiao Luo¡¯s lips, and his eyes glowered with a cold light.


    He scanned the surroundings, and, finally, his eyes were fixed on a seven- or eight-story residential building.


    Xiao Luo pulled his eyes away from the building and looked at Tang Wantian calmly. ¡°We are surrounded,¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    When Tang Wantian heard that, she was so shocked that she staggered back, almost copsing to the ground.


    Xiao Luo looked around and noticed a manhole nearby. He made his way over and stomped on the edge of the manhole cover. The force popped the lid open right away, revealing a pitch-ck ess hole.


    ¡°Come here!¡± Xiao Luo waved at Tang Wantian.


    Tang Wantian obeyed and walked towards him.


    Without saying anything, Xiao Luo suddenly pushed her into the manhole. It was not very deep, but it was enough for a person to hide in there. ¡°Stay here, and when it is safe, I wille back and get you. Remember, no matter what you hear from out here, do not make a sound, and when I return, I will lift the cover myself.¡±


    Tang Wantian unconsciously nodded and gulped. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo was just about to close the manhole cover when Tang Wantian stopped him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t forget about me, and¡­ stay alive, you must stay alive!¡±


    Tang Wantian¡¯s eyes were red, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She almost sounded like she was pleading for her life, for Xiao Luo was her only hope. Should anything happened to him, she would undoubtedly be captured and abused by her captors.


    Xiao Luo looked at Tang Wantian, her irondy-look discarded, and he suddenly recalled the time when he was with Chu Yue at Wild Boar Ridge. The rich girl said something simr to him as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied in a leveled voice and mmed the cover shut.


    The moment the manhole was closed, the small space plunged into darkness. Tang Wantian curled up with her back against the filthy wall of the enclosure, as fear yed on her mind. Her whole body was shivering, and her teeth were chattering uncontrobly.

 Chapter 529 - Slaughter, Slaughter

    <h2>Chapter 529: ughter, ughter</h2>


    In the close confines of the manhole, Tang Wantian was ovee by ustrophobia, feeling suffocated and having extreme tightness in her chest. She felt like she was being buried alive and was in agony. The only light she got was the one that shone through a little hole in the manhole cover, which was also her only source of clean air. As the minutes ticked by, it became unbearable, and she felt an overwhelming urge to scream out for Xiao Luo and ask him to lift the manhole cover.


    But, suddenly, she heard the disorderly sound of countless heavy boots marching right over her in the streets above. It frightened her, and she held her breath. Then, she heard vehicles rumbling nearby, and she knew that the Libyan rebel fighters had arrived.


    ***


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel!¡±


    A Libyan rebel captain saluted Hamis.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Hamis asked in an anxious, husky voice.


    ¡°Over there, atop the public residential building,¡± the captain answered as he pointed at the seven or eight-story building in the distance.


    Hamis pushed him aside aggressively and scowled, ¡°Sh*t! If you know that he is there, why haven¡¯t you taken him down?¡±


    Hamis red at the captain, then stormed out and was ready to take matters into his own hands.


    The captain stopped him and said, ¡°No, Lieutenant Colonel, the man is a crack shot. Dozens of our men were already shot dead by him, all with one shot to the head.¡±


    ¡°All with one shot to the head?¡±


    Hamis was so shocked that his eyes opened wide. A captain had already reported to him a simr incident that urred in a nearby factory. He was sure that the shooter hiding in the factory was also this Mie, and his marksmanship was not to be underestimated.


    ¡°Yes, Lieutenant Colonel,¡± the captain said, nodding his head affirmatively, ¡°they have all taken cover, and we are awaiting yourmand. Please give us your orders!¡±


    Hamis was furious and red at the captain. ¡°F*ck the orders! I want the men to storm the building, and I¡¯ll give whoever captures him alive a hundred thousand dors!¡± he roared. He had more than 800 men; why should he be afraid of a sniper whose location was known? There was no way that a lone shooter could stop an entire contingent of men converging into his spot in unending waves of fearless fighters.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The captain answered solemnly and passed down Hamis¡¯s order.


    Huge sums of money would turn any man into a hero. After hearing of the hundred thousand dors reward, the Libyan rebel fighters rushed frantically toward the residential building from all directions.


    ¡°Come on then. No matter how many of you there are, I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    In the building, Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes glowered murderously, and the beast in him had awakened. An evil essence manifested within him and a strange emanated from his body.


    A force of two hundred Libyan rebels surged into the residential building¡¯s ground floor, with the intent of overpowering Xiao Luo with the sheer number of their men. But, without any warning, the ceiling above them came crashing down at precisely that instant. And dozens of them died on the spot. Massive blocks of concrete blocks with jagged edges and exposed rebars smashed into the rebels, cutting through flesh and bone and causing internal organs and intestines to spill out of their bodies. The scene was unspeakably gruesome.


    The other rebel fighters were momentarily startled before they regrouped and scrambled up the stairs to the upper floors.


    When they set foot on the third floor, a ck object was thrown from a corner of the space. It sailed through the air, bounced off several steps before rolling down the staircase into the crowd of rebels.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hand grenade!!!¡±


    One of the rebel fighters screamed with his eyes bulging in horror.


    Immediately, the hand grenade blew up, sending shrapnel and a wave of heated gas rippling through the stairway. Piercing cries of anguish could be heard as smoke billowed and limbs were flung into the air. Dozens of the rebels died, and their badly burnt bodies were strewn all over the stairway.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    They had been persuaded by the offer of arge reward, but the gruesome sight made the rebel fighters gasp, and many of them started to retreat in panic. Their opponent had the advantage of high ground, and if they continued to ascend the building without a n, they would all be killed by grenades before even reaching the top floor.


    ¡°Hey, what are you thinking?¡±


    Taking cover, the rebels heard a voice mock them from the above.


    The Libyan rebels looked up instinctively and saw Mie, the lone sniper, whom their lieutenant colonel had ordered captured alive with a hundred thousand dors bounty on his head.


    BANG! BANG! RAT TAT TATAT!


    They immediately reacted and started to shoot blindly.


    However, Xiao Luo was quicker and more agile, and he had already moved away from the stairwell entrance when they started shooting.


    The rebel fighters did not hesitate this time, and they went after Mie with a vengeance. Just as they reached the fifth floor, they saw a man wearing camouge fatigue standing in a battle-wracked and empty hall with his back to them.


    ¡°Put your hands in the air!¡±


    The captain yelled, keeping his gun trained at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Haha, haha, haha ¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders were shaking as he burst out in cold-bloodedughter.


    Theughter made the rebel fighters cringe, and their hair stand on ends, for it was a mysterious, devilishugh which struck fear into their hearts.


    ¡°Did you hear me? Put your hands in the air!¡± the captain yelled again.


    Xiao Luo slowly turned around. ¡°You guys don¡¯t even know if you will still be alive in the next minute, and yet you think you have the right to ask me to put my hands in the air?¡±


    There was no emotion in his eyes, and they were blood red and glowering¨Ca sign to his enemies that he was lusting for blood. The temperature in the room suddenly plunged down to the freezing point.


    R-red¡­ his eyes had turned red!


    The rebel fighters felt their very souls leave their bodies in fear, for they had never seen a man with these blood-red eyes. Instinctively, the captain sensed the danger, and his will to survive kicked in. ¡°Open fire, kill the man!¡± he yelled.


    Even a reward of a hundred thousand dors suddenly did not seem like much, and in fear, the rebels pulled their triggers.


    BANG! BANG! RAT TAT TATAT!


    As their guns zed away, bullets flew in all directions, and shell cases were strewn all over the ground. Hundreds of shots rained down on Xiao Luo in seconds.


    But it never urred to anyone that the moment they opened fire, Xiao Luo was no longer where he was.


    He was gone?


    Where did he go? Was he a ghost?


    The rebel fighters were dumbstruck, and a sense of fear prevailed as they looked for Xiao Luo all over.


    Suddenly, the captain felt a strange chill at the top of his head, and as he looked up, all he saw was a steel rod smashing down on his head. He did not even have the time to react as the steel rod smashed into his head forcefully.


    THUD!


    The captain fell dead when he got struck. His brain disintegrated into mush when the steel rod cracked his skull into pieces. Quantities of blood and whitish brain matter flew from his head, and all that was left of him was a decapitated corpse slumped on the ground.


    The rebel fighters were horrified when they saw their captain lying dead without his head. This unknown man needed only one blow to do that¨C was he a human or a monster?


    In fear, they started to shoot wildly.


    But Xiao Luo turned into a phantom, and no bullets could hit him. He ran through the rebel lines in a sh and struck each one of them with a staggering blow to their heads using a steel rod that he had picked up.


    Every blow took a rebel fighter down, and they all had their heads smashed in, sttering blood and brain matter all over the floor.

 Chapter 530 - The Ghost in the Camouflage Uniform

    <h2>Chapter 530: The Ghost in the Camouge Uniform</h2>


    They were looking at the devil himself!


    The Devil! That was the first thought that shed into the Libyan rebel fighters¡¯ minds who rushed into the residential building. A man who did not fear guns and could simply and brutally kill anyone with just a steel rod mustn¡¯t be considered a man. He must be the devil that broke out of the deepest level of hell. His blood-red eyes were evidence enough.


    The one-sided killing went on without abate, and at least a dozen or more rebel fighters threw their guns away, scared out of their wits. They ran toward the ground floor, screaming at the top of their lungs all the way down. They only had one thought in their heads¨CRun! Run from the devil! They only wished that they had been born with more legs at that very moment.


    After they escaped from the residential building, they went back to their unit. The fleeing rebel fighters copsed to the ground immediately, looking weak and pale, and they were gasping for air. Their faces and foreheads were covered in a cold sweat, and some wet their pants, losing control of their dders in fear.


    ¡°What the hell is going on? Where are the others?¡±


    Hamis walked up to them and kicked one of the soldiers as he questioned them.


    ¡°T-they, they are all ¡­ all dead, he is not a man, he¡¯s the devil, he¡¯s the devil himself ¡­¡±


    One of the escaped rebel fighters said as he gazed nkly into space, and his voice was shaking as he exined, ¡°He¡­ he used only a steel rod, h-he smashed our heads open like they were watermelons, blood and brain matter were¡­ It was a nightmare!¡±


    BARF! Recalling the carnage he had just witnessed, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and started puking up, spewing vomit on Hamis¡¯s shoes.


    ¡°Useless b*stard!¡±


    The corners of Hamis¡¯ mouth twitched, then in a rage, he kicked the soldier right in his chest.


    BOOM!


    The Libyan rebel fighter was sent flying back with a sickening thud. Afternding heavily on the floor, not only did he throw up what was in his stomach but also a tremendous quantity of blood along with it.


    Hamis stopped showing any concern for the dozen or so soldiers who had fled the carnage. He turned and red at the residential building from a distance, gritted his teeth, and yelled, ¡°Blow it up! Blow that d*mn building up with all the shells we have! I want him buried in rubble together with that building!¡±


    He was furious because only about a dozen out of two hundred soldiers he sent into the building came out alive. Together with the number of soldiers who perished previously, the loss was more than what he expected. The chief would not be happy, and he could forget about any reward him even if he killed all those Hua Nation soldiers. Instead, he would be severely punished because of that.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    His adjutant turned around and passed on his order.


    ¡± WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! BOOM-BOOOOM!


    A dozen explosive shells were lobbed from the battery of heavy mortars,nding on the residential building, rounds after rounds. Nothing was spared as the barrage of mortar rounds continued unabated, striking the building as if they did not cost a penny.


    After continuous bombardment, a massive cloud of smoke and dust billowed from the building. Debris from the shattered concrete walls fell to the ground as the residential building took on more damage than it could bear. After five or six salvos, the structure lost its integrity and began to shift precariously. Soon, it copsed, slowly at first, then suddenly everything came down in a heap of rubble. It looked like a controlled implosion in a demolition project.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel, even a robot that¡¯s constructed from reinforced steel would be crushed into a pulp under that building after it copsed, let alone a man who is flesh and blood,¡± the adjutant said, trying to lift hismander¡¯s spirits.


    But Hamis was in no mood for that and gave him a p across his face. ¡°It¡¯s a bit toote for your f*ckingment!¡± he scowled.


    The adjutant nodded repeatedly and quickly moved aside. ¡°Yes, yes, Sir, I talked too much.¡±


    ¡°Huh! So much for this highly regarded NSA agent, Mie. Did he think he could protect the war correspondent and help her escape Libya? He¡¯s f*cking daydreaming!¡±


    Hamis stared at what was left of the residential building, now nothing but rubble then spat and said, ¡°Send a message to the chief, tell him that the annoying fly has been taken care of!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The adjutant nodded, turned around, and walked toward themunication set in themand vehicle.


    THUD! Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bullet from a sniper rifle ripped through the air, and entered the adjutant¡¯s head from his left temple, and blew arge hole on the right side of his face, spattering a stream of blood and brain from his skull. The adjutant¡¯s eyes looked dull and nk as he copsed to the ground even before he could cry out in pain.


    Hamis jumped in shock and quickly ducked to take cover. His heart was in his throat when he saw that the expressionless face and dull, opened eyes of histe adjutant.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel!¡± A captain walked towards him.


    THUD! Another bullet streaked from the same sniper rifle for another clean headshot, and a second body dropped on the ground.


    ¡°Idiots, f*cking duck and take cover! Do not show yourselves!¡±


    Hamis was an experienced andpetent militarymander, and he was not overwhelmed by this fearsome adversary he faced. He yelled for his men to take cover, and immediately, those who had initially wanted to run toward him checked their actions and took cover. They bent and stayed behind the cover of the vehicles s they made their way to theirmander¡¯s side.


    The Libyan rebel fighters were shocked that Mie had survived the copse of the building. After a barrage of high explosive rounds, the building was now nothing but rubble, and yet Mie was still alive¨Conly God knew how he had escaped to the adjacent residential building during the bombardment. The rebels now realized that they were up against something that was not a human.


    ¡°F*ck, is there another sniper?¡± Hamis growled, keeping his back flushed against the side of the truck.


    ¡°Every shot he makes strikes the head. It seems like it¡¯s that Mie from Hua Nation again. He is still alive ¡­¡±


    SLAP!


    Hamis thwacked the man brutally across his face for saying that and red fiercely at him. ¡°Are you still asleep, or are sleep talking? How can he not be dead? Try hiding in the residential building yourself after 50 or 60 shells wereunched at you, and see if you would die?¡± he growled. Hamis then looked in the direction where the sniper rifle bullet came from and said, ¡°The two residential buildings are 20 to 30 meters apart¨Cunless he can fly, he couldn¡¯t possibly have moved to the other building, could he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir. There must be another sniper; it could not possibly be Mie!¡±


    Hamis¡¯s other subordinate quickly agreed with him, unwilling to be struck by his superior. But, deep down in the men¡¯s hearts, it was apparent that there was no other sniper¨Cthe ¡°new¡± sniper could be no other than Mie. If there really was another sniper, then why didn¡¯t he shoot until now? It did not make any sense, but no one dared to voice out their hypothesis in the presence of theirmander.


    ¡°Haha, haha ¡­¡±


    Hamis started tough aloud, satisfied that no man dared to challenge his views. But despite his bravado, the fear in his eyes could not be concealed from his men. ¡°Continueunching, blow him and the residential building into pieces!¡± he roared.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The order was passed down, and again, a barrage of shells wasid down on the other residential building.


    This time the target area was no longer restricted to the residential building but the whole built-up area. The rebels kept dropping mortar rounds into the heavy tubes and did not rest until everyst shell in the crate was used.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The earth shook with every explosion, reverberating like the roar of thunder. A cloud of dust and sand rose into the air as the barrage extended outward to level a wider area around the building. When the barrage stopped, the whole area was obscured by a haze of fine dust, and visibility was no more than five or six meters. It looked like countless smoke bombs had been discharged in the area.


    The Libyan rebels were on the verge of losing their minds, for Xiao Luo had be their worst nightmare, and that was why such extreme measures were taken!


    Xiao Luo was like a phantom decked in camouge fatigues, lurking in this hostile environment. Under cover of the haze, he started to reap the lives of the rebel fighters. The dagger in his hand was the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe, and wherever he went, not a single soul would be spared.

 Chapter 531 - She is in Brule

    <h2>Chapter 531: She is in Brule</h2>


    Every rebel there saw Death himself reaping their lives in the smoke-filled hall. Xiao Luo¡¯s unbelievable speed and irregr movements were like those of a specter, and fear crept into the souls of every Libyan rebel on the third floor.


    BANG! BANG! RAT TAT TATAT!


    Most of the rebels were in a panic, and hysterically started to shoot without aiming. But it resulted in countless casualties from friendly fire as stray bullets scythed through the ranks of the Libyan rebels. Blood sttered as bullets ripped through the bodies of the men, screaming in agony and horror, unable to escape the hail of lead fired from close range. It was a ghastly sight, as men tried to escape the line of fire, but there was nowhere to go as bullets came from every direction. Bodies slumped to the floor, writhing and soaked in blood.


    ¡°Stay calm! Everyone, calm the hell down!¡± Hamis roared, desperately trying to regain some control over his men.


    Finally, Hamis pointed his pistol in the air and fired a shot.


    But, that did not have the desired effect, for his men were too far gone to regain theirposure. Having seen in Xiao Luo, a mysterious spectral-like being who was unsusceptible to any bullets or shrapnel, they had lost itpletely. They stood frozen, firing away even as they watched Xiao Luo slitting their throats one after the other¨Cand there was no way to even catch up with his speed and movements. They were just waiting for their turn to lose their necks, and it was neigh impossible to keep theirposure under such extreme circumstances.


    Moments ago, gunfire was thick and fast, resounding across the hall in deafening bursts. But the din was dying down, and it indicated that xiao Luo had dispatched more of the rebel fighters, leaving fewer survivors. Hamis opened his eye wide as he scanned through the haze of smoke and realized that there were only a few soldiers left, and they were screaming in fear. Soon, corpses were strewn all over the entire ground.


    ¡°How could this have happened? T-this can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Hamis himself was close to a breakdown. He had deployed more than eight hundred soldiers to encircle and kill just one warrior from the Hua nation. His troops were supported by vehicle-mounted machineguns, RPGs, and heavy mortars, and despite a full assault, Mie was still in fighting condition. Not only that, he mounted a counter-offensive that had taken out virtually all his troops¨Cit was nothing short of carnage.


    Is he a human, or is he something else?


    Hamis was stunned. As experienced as he was on the battlefield, he had never encountered such a terrifying opponent, and fighting such a man was no different than facing Godzi.


    RAT TAT TATAT!


    All he could hear was a submachine gun firing at this point, and soon that too stopped, ending with a shriek as another life was extinguished. The haze and smoke had finally settled, and the visibility started to improve. Everywhere ke looked, Hamis saw countless bodies of his soldiers, and the blood that had drained from them formed a ghastly river of blood, soaking the ground.


    No rebel fighters remained standing¨Cmore than eight hundred of them had now turned into corpses lying cold on the blood-soaked ground.


    Hamis¡¯s eyes widened even more as a cold sweat started to break across his forehead, and his body was trembling uncontrobly.


    Even Tang Wantian, hiding in the sewer system, could detect the overpowering odor of blood. She soon realized that thick blood was dripping through the tiny perforations in the manhole cover.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Trembling, she screamed in fear.


    Tang Wantian could no longer keep herposure, and she pushed the manhole cover with all her might, trying to escape from the well. But debris and rocks had fallen on top of the manhole and weighed the cover down. She could not move it even an inch, regardless of how much force she used.


    ¡°Xiao Luo! Xiao Luo¡­!¡±


    She cried and called out for Xiao Luo continually.


    Compared to Tang Wantian, the fear in Hamis¡¯ eyes was more evident, as, without warning, a figure suddenly appeared in his vision. He donned camougedbat fatigues and held a dagger in his hand as he approached his quarry in measured steps. Hamis stared in abject fear, and what shook him most was that his executioner had a pair of blood-red eyes, resembling two eerie rednterns. The demonic eyes were cold, bloodthirsty, andpletely inhuman.


    ¡°Die! You demon!¡±


    Hamis mustered what little courage that remained and pulled the trigger¨Cat this distance, surely, he could not miss?


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    He repeatedly fired until he had expended all the rounds in the clip.


    But, to his surprise, none of the bullets even grazed Xiao Luo as he teleported from the line of fire, effortlessly avoiding every shot.


    A feeling of doom fell over Hamis, and he began to lose his will to fight and quickly backed away. As he frantically did so, he attempted to change his gun¡¯s magazine. But panicking, he fumbled with it as he tried to reload and even dropped the magazine several times. As he reached out to pick up the magazine, he saw a pair of sand-colored military boots before him. When he looked up, he was met with those blood-red eyes.


    THUD!


    He dropped to his knees, and his courage finally abandoned him in the face of Xiao Luo¡¯s presence. Hamis turnedpletely pale as he broke out in a cold sweat.


    Hamis trembled as he looked at the man. ¡°Are you¡­are you a man or a ghost?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That is not important. What is important is that you have to tell me where Sarah Michelle is,¡± Xiao Luo said, looking down at him coldly as if he was themanding officer.


    ¡°She¡­ she is in Brule¡¯s town.¡±


    Hamis answered with no attempt to hide the truth, for he had utterly lost his will to resist any more against such a supernatural being.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded without any emotion, and with the flick of his wrist, the blood-stained dagger in his hand slit through Hamis¡¯s throat in a sh. It was mercilessly and so quick that even Hamis did not realize.


    Having extracted the information he needed, he threw the dagger on the ground and turned around.


    Hamis was still kneeling on the ground, thinking that his enemy had shown mercy on him. He did not feel any pain, but as he tried to get up, a gush of warm liquid oozed out from his throat, and he instinctively touched it. When he looked at his hand, his eyes suddenly widened in shock and fear.


    Blood! He was bleeding!


    A stream of blood began to spurt out of his slit throat, and Hamis suddenly felt the pain in his throat. His body started to lean sideways as he twitched and struggled; then began to lose his sight, and all he saw was darkness as the life force left his body.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo shook his head vigorously to quell his murderous intent, unsure where this rage hade from. Perhaps, it was always there in his subconscious and had been aroused by the system¡¯s abilities.


    After Xiao Luo suppressed his intense need to kill, his eyes returned to their normal state.


    But traces of blood stained his face and body after dispatching more than eight hundred Libyan rebels single-handedly.


    Tang Wantian was still screaming hysterically in the well when the manhole cover opened with a ng, and daylight poured into the dark enclosure. The light dazzled her, and she had to put her hand over her eyes before they limatized. Then she made out who it was¨CXiao Luo had removed the cover and reached down to pull her out.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    As self-reliant as she was, she couldn¡¯t help bursting out in tears when she saw him.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you out of there,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Tang Wantian held on to his hand tightly.


    Xiao Luo easily lifted Tang Wantian out of the manhole, to her great relief.


    She gasped as she saw the carnage¨Cthere were mountains of corpses, and the ground was covered in blood. Suddenly feeling nauseous, Tang Wantian doubled over and started to vomit.


    Xiao Luo could understand how she felt and gave her some time to recover.


    He was not an indiscriminate killer, but he could not let any one of them live, for his foes had been hellbent on taking his life.

 Chapter 532 - I Had to Do This

    <h2>Chapter 532: I Had to Do This</h2>


    ¡°Xiao Luo, d-did you kill all of them?¡±


    Tang Wantian looked like she was in great pain as she faced Xiao Luo. She could still ept him massacring the Libyan rebel troops as they were trying to kill him, but what she saw now was beyond what she could morally ept. There were hundreds, and perhaps even thousands of corpses before her, and she could not fathom how cold-blooded and cruel a person must have been to be able to kill so many people at once. She was in awe of Xiao Luo¡¯s strength that he could take out so many opponents all by himself.


    ¡°This is war. If these rebels were not killed by me, they would be killed by their other enemies. There¡¯s no difference.¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    ¡°No difference? You have killed them! Don¡¯t you have any remorse in your heart?¡± Tang Wantian shrieked. She stared at this man with fear, and in her eyes, he was no different from a demon.


    Xiao Luo nced at her coldly, and then in a mocking tone, he replied, ¡°Tang Wantian, you should be d that you are still alive, instead of taking the moral high ground after seeing all these corpses. Had they survived and killed me off, can you imagine where would you be right now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Wantian stared at him with her eyes wide open, and she was trembling. He was right, for had the Libyan rebels won the fight, torture and death would have been her end.


    ¡°Do not try to criticize anyone from a moral high ground. This is war, and survival is the number one priority, am I wrong?¡± Xiao Luo said with a wry smile. Although he could see where Tang Wantian wasing from, he rejected such a naive thought.


    Tang Wantian remained silent and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself down.


    RAT TAT RAT TATAT!


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Suddenly, there was gunfire, and explosions were heard from afar. A cloud of dust and smoke stirred up again, forming a thick haze, and the whole of Stantine City seemed to be shaking.


    Tang Wantian looked at Xiao Luo in fear. ¡°What happened? Are Captain Jiang and his Special Operations team being attacked by the enemies?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo looked into the distance and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It seems like they are two contingents from opposing armies exchanging fire. If I am correct, the Libyan government troops haveunched an offensive,¡± he said.


    ¡°You mean that another war is about to start here?¡±


    Tang Wantian looked as white as a sheet, for she had already had a taste of war and knew how cruel it could get. She did not even dare to imagine how to survive the hail of bullets and artillery bombings in Stantine City, let alone leaving the ce.


    ¡°This is an opportunity for us. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed her arm and hurried toward the church, the rendezvous point he had agreed to meet with Jiang Zhiming and his Special Operations team earlier.


    Ten minutester, they arrived at the church¨Cit was almost in ruins with its rooftop destroyed and only had a few walls left standing.


    Jiang Zhiming and his team had arrived earlier as most of the rebels were reassigned by Hamis to deal with Xiao Luo, so they hardly encountered any enemy troops on their way here. There met little resistance,ing into contact with only a small group of Libyan rebels. Nevertheless, there had been some casualties, and those who survived, including Xiao Luo and Tang Wantian, now totaled only neen.


    ¡°Mr. Mie!¡±


    After seeing Xiao Luo, Jiang Zhiming and the Special Operations team were ted.


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment, then he gazed toward the sound of battle some distance away.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, it seems like the Libyan rebel troops and the government troops are fighting. What should we do next?¡± Jiang Zhiming said, seeking Xiao Luo¡¯s advice on the matter.


    Everyone else unconsciously nced at Xiao Luo, for he hadmand of their respect. They looked up to him as their de facto leader.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    Wait?


    Everyone was surprised when Xiao Luo said this. They stared at each other, speechless.


    ¡°I was nning to break out from the west, but the situation has changed, and they have started fighting, so we shall let them fight. If the government troops win this, we can walk out of this building openly. But, if the rebel troops win, they¡¯d not be in any condition to fight us, so it is still promising to leave this ce alive. So, regardless of how the fight turns out, it would be favorable to us one way or the other,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    Everyone seemed to be very relieved after hearing that.


    ******


    ******


    The Special Operations troops remained behind the safety of the church walls. As time passed, they spotted fleeing rebels driving jeeps through the streets¨Cthey were being pursued by victorious government troops.


    As the entire street was devastated by the relentless small arms and automatic gunfire and massive bombings. There were corpses strewn everywhere, and the reek of charred human flesh filled the air.


    Tang Wantian finally understood Xiao Luo¡¯s previous words as she stared at the thousands of corpses from both the rebel and government forces. It was indeed no difference, and they all looked the same¨Ca heap of dead bodies. If Xiao Luo was a cruel cold-blooded killer, wouldn¡¯t these soldiers be considered cruel too?


    ******


    ******


    In the end, Stantine City was back in the control of the government forces. When they saw the Special Operations team from Hua nation, the government troops were very friendly. Not only did they provide medical assistance for the Hua nation soldiers, but they also replenished ammunition and provided vehicles. On top of that, every vehicle was equipped with a Gatling gun, far superior to their own equipment.


    The highmand of the government forces was a man who was in his fifties. He had a head of silver hair, and his age showed. However, he looked rather hale and hearty in his military uniform.


    ¡°My friends from Hua nation, did you wipe out about eight hundred rebel troops at the central square?¡± theirmander asked. He looked at Jiang Zhiming, the senior officer present, being of the rank of captain of the Special Operations team.


    ¡°Eight hundred rebel troops? Are you referring to the Libyan rebels?¡± Jiang Zhiming asked, looking a little confused.


    Themander nodded and said, ¡°That is correct.¡±


    Wiped out eight hundred Libyan rebel troops?


    Jiang Zhiming looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief. Kong Hongyun and other team members also turned and stared, suddenly understanding why they did not encounter many rebel troops on their way here. Themanding officer of the government forces could not be joking with them on such a matter. The only exnation that they could think of was that Xiao Luo had singlehandedly eliminated those rebel troops.


    One versus eight hundred?


    Oh, my God!


    It must have been a joke as nobody could believe that this was possible. How could one man wipe out some eight hundred well-armed and trained rebel soldiers? Not forgetting that the Libyan rebels were experienced and had been fighting a war.


    The government forcesmander was a brilliant person, so he immediately read the situation when everyone stared at Xiao Luo in shock. He smiled and asked, ¡°Great warrior from Hua nation, may I know your name?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know it?¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°I do?¡± themander replied. He frowned and was somewhat confused.


    Xiao Luo smiled and exined, ¡°Warrior from Hua nation¨Cthat is my name, also all our names.¡±


    Themander was caught off guard, but he soonughed and said, ¡°Well said, well said, indeed!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not continue the chat with themander but turned to Tang Wantian and said, ¡°Leave with Captain Jiang. The Libyan government forcesmander has marked out a safe route on the map that will bring you to the coastline. This route is guarded by their troops, so you guys will be safe.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    Tang Wantian asked, ¡°Are you still looking for Sarah Michelle?¡¯


    ¡°This is my mission, so we should bid farewell here. We can catch up some other time back in our country.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and put his hand out. ¡°Give it to me,¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Wantian replied. She blinked and pretended to be confused.


    ¡°You recorded many things with a GoPro along this trip, right? Most of the footage has me in it. It is not that I don¡¯t trust you, but I don¡¯t trust your upation as a reporter. So, I am asking you to hand it over,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Tang Wantian was speechless, and after a brief hesitation, she handed over the GoPro in her pocket to Xiao Luo. ¡°Xiao Luo, I swear that I would never publicize your photo and speak about you if I can bring this back,¡± she said.


    ¡°I believe you would do so, but I have to do this too.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, and he squeezed his hand, squashing the camera forcefully and turning it into a mess of broken parts.

 Chapter 533 - Telling Jokes.

    <h2>Chapter 533: Telling Jokes.</h2>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s actions gave themander of the Libyan government forces a bit of a scare. Although the GoPro camera was only a small device, it was protected by a metal shell, and seeing it being crushed into smithereens was absolutely shocking. Hua nation was indeed a mysterious country with such unusual talents.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, the government forces will be heading to Brule in two days. Why don¡¯t you join them?¡± Jiang Zhiming said.


    He had learned about these Libyan government troops¡¯ movement ns from their conversation, so he suggested this to Xiao Luo, thinking it would provide him with some useful security cover.


    ¡°I like to work alone!¡±


    Xiao Luo preferred not to work with any other parties as it allowed him to act as he saw fit and not be encumbered by the limitations of people around him. Besides, he liked operating alone, and if he managed to find Sarah Michelle, he did not wish to be burdened supporting others.


    Jiang Zhiming felt somewhat taken aback as Xiao Luo¡¯s emphasis on working alone implied that the whole lot of them had be a burden to him. And indeed, they were of no help to Xiao Luo on this mission, so he could only smile awkwardly.


    ******


    ******


    Jiang Zhiming and his Special Operations team then left, and Xiao Luo now prepared to make the journey to Brule on his own.


    Besides the three military vehicles given to Jiang Zhiming and his team, the Libyan government forces also provided Xiao Luo with a Jeep.


    Xiao Luo drove his Jeep towards Brule, speeding along the meandering roads of the Libyan interior. The wheels of the Jeep threw sand and dust in its wake, and the vehicle appeared like a mini sandstorm maker.


    Xiao Luo felt at ease now that he did not have the additional responsibility of looking over others, and it also helped that there were no emotional bonds that could affect his decisions. Perhaps, this was the reason he was speeding off on his Jeep.


    Despite driving at breakneck speed, he was paying close attention to the road for the signs ofndmines. Both the Libyan rebels and the government forces would definitely leave signs to warn theirrades of anyndmines they had nted.


    Xiao Luo passed by a few viges along the way, and not surprisingly, he only saw only women and children around. Their eyes were exactly the same as the other civilians he had encountered before¨Cdull and robbed of the will to live. The war had stolen their homes andden them with famine.


    Xiao Luo had enoughbat rations in his vehicle, but it was only enough for himself. Unfortunately, he was no Mother Theresa and could not donate his food supplies to these starving people. It saddened him to see children starved to the point where their ribs were showing so prominently through their skin. This was beyond his control, and he quickly elerated to get through these viges to avoid seeing the people.


    Soon, it was night time, and Xiao Luo parked his car in a discreet location by the corner of a sandy knoll, preparing to rest for the night.


    The nights in Libya were very quiet, and there was a total absence of bugs buzzing or the sounds of night birds. On this night, the skies were devoid of stars, and it felt like thisnd had even been forsaken by the Gods.


    Xiao Luo lowered his seat andid on it to rest. Suddenly, the phone rang, and it was Su Li. His phone was enabled for global voice messaging, so it was no surprise that Su Li¡¯s call could get through.


    He wondered, what business would this woman have with me now?


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and picked up the call.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Su Li asked, cold and abrupt, as was her way.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I am traveling?¡± Xiao Luo replied wimpishly.


    ¡°So, where are you now?¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Overseas,¡± Xiao Luo responded, deliberately being evasive.


    ¡°You are overseas?¡± Su Li was surprised as she thought that what Xiao Luo had meant was he¡¯d be traveling within the country.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Which country?¡±


    ¡°The Maldives,¡± Xiao Luo replied,ing up with a random answer.


    ¡°Maldives? Isn¡¯t that a ce where newly-wed couples would go for honeymoons?¡± Su Li said, a sudden feeling of suspicion getting the better of her.


    Xiao Luo coughed and said, ¡°Who said that the people whoe here must be on a honeymoon? The scenery here is charming, and it totally makes sense for me to rx here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it totally makes sense. You just keep having fun there all by yourself, okay!.¡± Su Li responded.


    She then hung up on him right after that.


    ¡°Huh, she¡¯s mad again?¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at his phone and frowned. He evidently had no clue what this woman was thinking most of the time, allowing himself to y into her ims that their rtionship was tied by a contract. So, it was not strange that he couldn¡¯t understand why she had made such a sarcastic remark before ending the call. And, as expected, this made Xiao Luo really confused, and he thought to himself, what in the hell was she thinking?


    Back at the Crescent Bay condominium¡­


    Su Li put down her phone and clenched her teeth in frustration. ¡°This fool! Doesn¡¯t he know how to invite me along? He¡¯d rather goes to the Maldives alone and be some others¡¯ third wheel!¡± she hissed.


    She was so mad, and nothing else in this world could upset her so much. She had long wanted to go on a honeymoon to make-up with her man.


    Luo Pingxiang, standing beside her, did not even dare toment as this was the first time she had seen Su Li this angry.


    Suddenly, Su Li¡¯s phone received a message.


    Su Li nced at it, and it was from Xiao Luo. It read: I¡¯ll find a great ce next time, we can travel together.


    She thought, so this dumb*ss finally got it?


    Su Li was caught off-guard, though it was a pleasant surprise. But being the prudish, spoilt person that she was, her response was like cold fish: Hmph, as if I wanted to travel with you!


    Hmm? Is she throwing a tantrum?


    Over in Libya¡¯s war-tornnds, Xiao Luo received her message, and he was slightly surprised. It was easier tomunicate with this woman through text, after all, and replied immediately.


    Xiao Luo: You¡¯ll have toe even if you don¡¯t want to.


    Su Li: Fine, bring me to the Maldives right now.


    Xiao Luo could feel Su Li¡¯s resentmenting through his screen, and he was beginning to understand what irked her. It took him this long to realize that she was furious because he had gone to the Maldives all by himself. So, he had nobody but himself to me as he had used ¡°honeymoon¡± as his excuse while he was stuck in a war zone.


    Xiao Luo: That¡¯s not happening. How about this, let¡¯se here again once I am back, is that alright?


    Su Li: No.


    Xiao Luo: Ms. Su, stop sulking. Let me tell you a joke.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Su Li: What do you mean by that?


    Su Li: So, are you telling the joke?


    Xiao Luo: Yes, of course.


    Xiao Luo used the voice message function to tell her a joke he could recall. Of course, he would never crack Zhang Dashan¡¯s sexual jokes.


    Su Li texted back: That¡¯s not funny at all.


    Xiao Luo: Then I¡¯ll tell you one more.


    After Xiao Luo voice messaged her the joke, Su Li texted back: It¡¯s still boring.


    Xiao Luo: My fairdy, you are really tough to please, you know that?


    Xiao Luo then used voice mail to tell another one.


    Su Li, on the other end of the phone, burst outughing.


    So this man has a silly side, after all, she thought.


    A genuine smile appeared on her face, and the dismay she felt earlier vanished after Xiao Luo¡¯s series of text messages tofort her.


    They both exchanged their thoughts with messages and voice mails, and it somehow seemed like they were not so far apart from each other.


    After they have ended themunication, Xiao Luo looked at the long chain of messages and was surprised. There were many words which he would never have uttered, and telling jokes was never his forte. What was wrong with him? Why did he suddenly decide to tell her jokes today? That wasn¡¯t him at all.


    It must be Zhang Dashan¡¯s bad influence!


    Xiao Luo decided to me Zhang Dashan for it, as only Zhang Dashan would try to put someone at ease with jokes.


    At Jiang Cheng, Zhang Dashan sneezed and woke up from his sleep. He wiped his nose with a napkin and cussed, ¡°Damn, who¡¯s thinking about me?¡±


    He fell back into a deep slumber soon after.

 Chapter 534 - The City of Brule

    <h2>Chapter 534: The City of Brule</h2>


    The next day, Xiao Luo continued moving toward the City of Brule at first light. He expected to reach in an hour.


    Brule, like Stantine City, did not escape the ravages of war. However, it was not a primary node within its transportation hub, and therefore it was not upied by Libyan rebel fighters or the government army troops.


    ¡°Is the woman found?¡±


    In an abandoned warehouse in the City of Brule, a middle-aged man, some forty-five or forty-six, looked at a map of the city that hung on the wall with his hands behind his back. He was wearing a ck Chinese tunic suit and a pair of sses. He was as tall as a pine tree and burly like a bear. He had the naturally imposing bearing of a leader when he spoke.


    Two young foreigners were standing beside him, both d in camouge fatigues¨Cone of them had a beard, and the other was clean-shaven. They were of simr build and had bright, piercing eyes. Their sleeves were rolled up, revealing tattoos on their arms. One of them had a tattoo of a bipedal winged dragon, bearing its fangs and ready to tear its prey into pieces, and the other man had a skull tattoo that looked eerily ferocious, like a monster that came from hell.


    The bearded man straightened up respectfully when he spoke. ¡°No, Boss, not yet. One can very easily find a ce to hide in this city; it takes time to canvass the area,¡± he said.


    The other man pitched in and said, ¡°Yes, the woman has gone into hiding like a rat, but she will not escape. We have released a dozen bloodhounds, and I believe we will soon get news of her.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The middle-aged man turned around, and his response was almost like a sigh.


    ¡°Boss, what should we do with the woman¡¯s bodyguards?¡±


    The bearded man pointed at four burly men, each of them tied to a pir in the warehouse.


    They were all severely tortured. One of them had his nails pulled out, leaving all his fingers bloodied; one of them had the flesh on his arms sliced off, exposing his bones; one of them had his nose cut off, and thest man had three or four stab wounds in his body.


    Sarah Michelle had ten bodyguards who were all military veterans. Most of them died protecting Sarah Michelle, but the four surviving bodyguards were severely tortured and interrogated to determine Sarah Michelle¡¯s whereabouts.


    When the four of them heard what would happen to them, they stared at the middle-aged man nkly like an used who stood in the courtroom helplessly waiting for the court¡¯s judgment at the end of a criminal trial.


    The middle-aged man nced at the four men casually with his sharp eyes. ¡°They no longer have any value. Why even bother to keep them alive?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The bearded man nodded in acknowledgment and then gestured to his subordinates. After getting the green light, his four men took out a short knife each and approached the four men ominously, fixing them with murderous looks in their eyes.


    The four men knew that they would soon be dead and were about to meet their creator, and one of them yelled hysterically at the middle-aged man. ¡°Khun Sa, the Michelle family will not let you get away with it. You will soon face the wrath of the Michelle family!¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Khun Sa gently massaged his wrinkled forehead and replied casually.


    The four mercenaries, holding short knives at the ready, stood in front of the four bodyguards. Without warning, they grabbed the bodyguards¡¯ hair with their left hands, exposing their throatspletely, and shed their throats with the short knives using their right hands as if they were ughtering chickens and ducks. The four bodyguards of the Michelle family tried to struggle, but they died a slow death in pain and despair.


    ¡°Boss, ording to the information we obtained from the Libyan rebel fighters, an NSA soldier was sent by the Hua Nation to protect our target/ The soldier¡¯s name is Mie, and the Red Scorpion and Cobra teams were both killed by him. I cannot wait to meet him and kill him!¡± The bearded man expressed his hatred without even looking at the four dying bodyguards.


    The clean-shaven man who had a pale face said, ¡°Let¡¯s not finish that b*stard off too quickly. We¡¯ll give him a slow, painful death!¡±


    Khun Sa looked at his men with a solemn expression on his face. ¡°I want him dead more than any of you, but you gotta do things step by step,¡± he said, ¡°Dragon, Skull, you have to remember the lesson learned from Red Scorpion and Cobra. They failed their mission mainly because they underestimated the enemy. This time you should not, under any circumstances, let your guard down. Treat that damn b*stard as your strongest enemy. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±


    The two men straightened up stiffly and answered respectfully.


    ***


    When Xiao Luo pulled up one kilometer away from the City of Brule, he parked his vehicle at a quiet corner out of sight from searching eyes. He carried firearms with him, dived into the river that encircled the city, and swam unnoticed underwater across to the City of Brule. He knew that the enemy he would face here was not the Libyan rebel fighters, but one he made in Jiangcheng¨CKhun Sa.


    Compared to the Libyan rebel fighters, the mercenaries were highly trained andpetent killers, and they would undoubtedly have snipers within their ranks. It was likely one hidden sniper was already assigned to every entrance of the City of Brule. It was extremely dangerous for Xiao Luo to march into the city without taking precautions. That was the reason he chose to swim across the river and enter Brule City covertly.


    Walking on the streets in the City of Brule, destion was everywhere, and the degree of destruction was no less than Stantine City.


    To Xiao Luo, the mission came second. The most important thing was to find and kill Khun Sa, even at the risk ofpromising his mission. He had already decided the death sentence on Khun Sa when thetter sent mercenaries to assassinate his family. He could still forgive Khun Sa for only trying to kill him, but he would personally send whoever was trying to hurt them to hell when it came to his family. He would do it even if it was the Jade Emperor, not to mention a mere leader of a band of mercenaries.


    But the problem now was whether Khun Sa and his associates were still here in the city.


    As Xiao Luo moved further into the heart of Brule City, he observed the surroundings very closely. Anything that happened within a hundred-meter radius around him could not escape his attention.


    Suddenly, a woman stuck half of her head out from a garbage container in a dump somewhere in the city. She looked from left to right, and when she ascertained that the coast was clear, she lifted the lid and climbed out. She gagged and coughed, choking for fresh air.


    The area was filled with garbage bags of all kinds of colors, and there was rotting matter everywhere, attracting swarms of flies.


    The woman¡¯s clothes were in terrible condition and covered in filth, but it was apparent that she was wearing a camouge smock. She had shoulder-lengthed blonde hair, her face was rtively clean, and greyish blue eyes. She had panic and horror written all over her face.


    WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!


    Before she could even catch her breath, she heard dogs barking from a distance. In shock and desperation, she hurriedly climbed back into the garbage container filled with buzzing flies. The moment she pulled the cover down, the stink of the rotting garbage overwhelmed her senses.

 Chapter 535 - Sarah Michelle

    Chapter 535: Sarah Michelle


    The pungent stink of the garbage was as bad as the smell of rotten fish!


    The flies in the garbage bin were crawling all over the woman¡¯s body. She felt like she had fallen into a manure pit. Every inch of her body was covered with putrifying waste, and flies crawled all over her body like maggots. She felt like puking and wanted so badly to get out of the garbage container, but she couldn¡¯t because she would be dead the moment she showed herself.


    She was Sarah Michelle. Earlier, her bodyguards helped her escape from the clutches of Khun Sa Mercenary Corps that were after her. Some of them were killed, while the others were captured. She knew that the men in the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps were cruel, and if she got caught, she would be as good as dead.


    WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!


    The dogs¡¯ barking was getting closer and closer, and she estimated that they were about ten meters away from her. She could even hear the mercenaries¡¯ footsteps. She did not even dare to breathe, and all that she could do was close her eyes and pray to God for help.


    ¡°Pooh, it¡¯s f*cking smelly! Even the dogs are losing their sense of smell¨Cdo you think the woman would be hiding here?¡±


    Sarah shuddered when she heard a man¡¯s husky voice from a short distance away, and it made the hair on her body stand on ends.


    ¡°Stop bullsh*tting, that¡¯s impossible! Even men like us can¡¯t stand the smell, so do you think the Michelle family¡¯s darling daughter could? This would be worse than killing her.¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha ¡­ You¡¯re right, let¡¯s go then and check elsewhere.¡±


    When Sarah Michelle heard that, it took the weight off her mind. The barking and the footsteps were moving further away, and soon she couldn¡¯t hear them anymore. Only then did she push the garbage container lid open very carefully and stuck half of her head out like a mole. She looked left and right, and once she was sure that the danger was gone, she quickly climbed out.


    She climbed out of the container, and although the air outside was not the freshest and still reeked of garbage, it was much better than being in the garbage bin. But she could not stop vomiting, and she almost puked her guts out.


    ¡°Why, if it isn¡¯t the beautiful Miss Sarah who has just climbed out of a manure pit!¡±


    Sarah was startled and froze when she heard the voiceing from behind her. It sounded like that of the devil, and when Sarah looked up, her eyes opened wide in shock. Two mercenaries, d in camouge uniforms, were standing nearby, looking at her with smirks on their faces, and one of them was holding on to a huge hound on a leash.


    They did not leave?


    They must have said that on purpose to deceive her!


    Sarah was like a spooked rabbit, and she quickly got up, turned around, and ran.


    BANG!


    A bullet whistled past her ear at high velocity as it tore through the air. It made her skin crawl. Her survival instincts told her to stand still, and she did not dare to move.


    One of the men held a smoking gun in front of his chest, and a smile formed on his face. ¡°Oh shit, I missed! Miss Sarah, go on, run, let¡¯s see if the second bullet will hit you, haha, haha,¡± he sneered.


    The other man was pacifying the bloodhound, and he was alsoughing scornfully as he red at her.


    Sarah broke into a cold sweat, and she slowly turned around. She knew that the monster missed her on purpose. These mercenaries certainly could kill her with only one shot at such a short distance.


    She forced herself to calm down and tried to negotiate her way out. ¡°How much did the Libyan rebel fighters give you? I ¡­ I can give you twice as much ¡­ You mercenaries are guns for hire, right?¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ Why, this is bing interesting!¡±


    The two men exchanged looks and stepped closer toward Sarah.


    The huge hound growled, baring its teeth, as it sniffed her all over, barking from time to time. Sarah was so scared that she froze, worried that a bite from those powerful jaws and sharp teeth would kill her.


    Her voice trembling, she said, ¡°You guys will get twice as much money, I ¡­ I can also make sure that my family will not go after you, t-this is killing two birds with one stone¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    The two men burst out in mockughter after they heard what she had to say.


    The man who took the shot earlier put his gun away and said, ¡°We are indeed guns for hire, but Miss Sarah, what you may not know is that mercenaries have principles too¨Chow can the target be the employer? And, do you know what the Libyan rebel fighters promised us? The ownership of an ind. After we kill you and after the rebel fighters get sovereignty over Libya, we will have an ind that belongs to us forever, and that will be our haven.¡±


    Sarah was bergasted, for she did not expect that the Libyan rebels would be willing to give Khun Sa a reward of such scale. Coming from a renowned and affluent family, she was much moreposed than ordinary women, and she tried to instill doubts in their minds. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that the Libyan rebels will double-cross you? I mean, once they finish off ¡­ Finish off Bai family¡¯s soldiers, they would go back on their word and attack you guys instead!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Just hand over the thing!¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡±


    THUMP!


    The man punched Sarah in the stomach, so forceful that she doubled over and her body almost went into spasms. Her face was distorted from the pain.


    ¡°I thought you were a smart woman. Who would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d be this stupid!¡±


    The man sneered and gestured to his partner to body search Sarah thoroughly, but what they found was only a small video camera. The SD card that contained the Libyan rebels¡¯ acts of violence and cruelty was missing.


    ¡°Where is the card?¡±


    The man pulled Sarah by her hair forcefully and questioned her, ring at her with glowering eyes filled with fury.


    The hound sensed its master¡¯s anger and started to bark incessantly.


    Ss the man pulled harder at Sarah¡¯s hair, she felt like her scalp was almost tearing off, and she cried out in pain. ¡°Let me go ¡­ Let me go,¡±


    she shrieked.


    She struggled with all her might. Even a rabbit would bite when it was cornered, and Sarah was that rabbit. She grabbed the man¡¯s wrist and bit on it with all her might.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    The bite was so painful that he shouted out, ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    He immediately gave her a kick in the stomach.


    There was a sickening thud, and Sarah was sent flying back like a kite on a broken string. Shended heavily on the garbage-filled ground, and there was a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth.


    Furious, the man looked at the bite mark on his wrist, and finally, he showed his true colors.


    ¡°You f*cking bitch, you wanna die?¡±


    He rolled up his sleeves, strode toward Sarah, then he started to kick her repeatedly.


    As a mercenary, he was well-built and robust. In a fit of rage, he could not control the strength of his kicks. A desperate woman¡¯s cries of pain and anguish rang out across the dumpsite.


    The hound was barking furiously, but the other man merely smiled and tried to calm it down as he observed the beating like he watching a show. At the same time, he took out his walkie-talkie and reported the situation to his superior. ¡°Captain Dragon, Captain Skull, Sarah Michelle has been caught,¡± he said.


    ¡°Location?¡±


    ¡°The garbage dump beside Huijin za!¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on her; we¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    He released the talk switch on the walkie-talkie and continued calming the hound, oblivious to his partner beating Sarah Michelle.

 Chapter 536 - Appeared

    Chapter 536: Appeared


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Sarah was lying on the ground and screaming in pain. The party of men hovering around her obviously intended to kill her. They wore military boots with soles lined with steel tings, and the kick she received to her body was unbearably painful. Blood was trickling down her mouth and nose after she had taken more than a dozen kicks. Suddenly, a man stepped toward her and ground his boot into her right palm, like he was stepping on a cigarette butt.


    The pain was excruciating, and her cries and moans sounded like she was on the verge of death.


    These men were as cruel as a demon!


    Sarah was severely tortured and had lost all hope. These assassins from the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps were even crueler than the Libyan ck Army. These men were nothing but bloodthirsty beasts.


    ¡°Hear me! You onest chance¨Chand over the SD card, or else!¡±


    The man who had his boot on her right hand bent over and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her up and lifted her chin. He red at her with a menacing and fierce look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat once more, this is yourst chance!¡± he growled.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ve hidden¡­ I¡¯ve hidden it somewhere else¡­¡± Sarah said as she shed tears of pain and looked at the man with fear in her eyes.


    ¡°Lead us there!¡±


    The man shouted, letting go of her hair and finally taking his foot off her hand.


    Sarah trembled from the shock and slowly got up. Her right hand was shaking uncontrobly, and her entire body was bruised and aching in excruciating pain. She carefully nervously at the man¨Che was definitely the reincarnation of a cruel murderer.


    ¡°You better not even think about trying anything funny, or I¡¯ll finish you off with one shot!¡±


    The man pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the back of Sarah¡¯s head as a warning.


    Through theyers of hair, Sarah could still feel the cold muzzle of the pistol. She closed her eyes, and her face went numb¨Cshe couldn¡¯t help feeling like she was being abandoned by God.


    ¡°Woof, woof, woof¡­¡± a colossal wolfdog barked aggressively.


    The man that was threatening Sarah with the pistol became annoyed and red at his partner. ¡°Terrifying Wolf, can you make him shut the hell up?¡± he scowled.


    The dog-handler who was given the moniker ¡°Terrifying Wolf,¡± raised his eyebrows in mock surprise and had a wry smile on his face. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. He can feel your anger, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s getting all worked up. I won¡¯t be able to calm him down no matter what I do,¡± he replied.


    The man with the pistol had a nasty temper, and without wasting any more time, he turned toward the huge wolfdog and shouted, ¡°You shut up now! Bark again, and I¡¯ll beat you up!¡±


    The huge wolfdog stopped barking all of a sudden. Perhaps it had been frightened by his angry voice and that fierce-looking face. It started whining like a little child that had done something wrong.


    ¡°There, you see, a b*stard is a b*stard, you just can¡¯t be nice to them, hahaha¡­¡±


    The man with the gun found his own vile joke very amusing and couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing.


    But at that moment, there was a sudden change.


    A bullet flew in and pierced right through the head of the man holding onto the pistol. Theughter stopped abruptly, and his body fell right onto the ground. His eyes were still wide open, looking like he was unable to die in peace. There was a neat bullet hole in the middle of his forehead between the eyebrows.


    Sarah was so scared that she hurriedly got down and sat back on the floor. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at the corpse in front of her, unable to believe what had just happened. Sarah was a war reporter and had sufficient knowledge and experience to know what had just happened. As soon as she saw the hole between the man¡¯s eyebrows, she knew that he had been shot by a sniper. That would also mean that there was a sniper lurking nearby.


    Who was it?


    Was it the SEAL team that grandpa sent?


    Although still in shock, she immediately knew what she had to do. The killing of one of her captors meant that there was the hope of her getting through this. It was like seeing the light at the end of a dark tunnel.


    ¡°WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!¡±


    The huge wolfdog began barking again, while the man known as Terrifying Wolf threw himself to the side and was already hiding behind a wall.


    ¡°Poisonous Frog! Poisonous Frog¡­¡±


    He tried calling for his partner, but his partner was no longer replying to him. The huge wolfdog could sense that an enemy was nearby now and continued barking incessantly.


    THUD!


    The man hardly heard the report of the next shot before another sniper round whizzed through the air and hit the huge wolfdog, silencing it instantly.


    Blood sttered everywhere, and therge wolfdog¡¯s head was bleeding profusely. Lying on the ground, it twitched and struggled a little before eventuallying to a stop.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Terrifying Wolf burst into a cold sweat and struggled to swallow his saliva. He took out his walkie-talkie and quickly reported on the situation here, ¡°Terrifying Wolf tomander, Terrifying Wolf tomander. We are under enemy attack, an enemy attack! There¡¯s a sniper hiding in the eight buildings of Huijin za. Poisonous Frog is already dead, I repeat, Poisonous Frog is dead. Requesting for support, requesting for the support, now!¡±


    [Brewer Warehouse Base]


    ¡°I see him, Boss. Mie has shown himself!¡±


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton excitedly rushed into the warehouse one after another and shouted as they looked at Khun Sa, who was sitting on his chair, smoking a cigar and sipping some tea.


    After hearing that, Khun Sa stood up from his chair. He threw the cigar that he had barely smoked to the ground and asked, ¡°What¡¯s his location?¡±


    ¡°Near the garbage dump where we found Sarah Michelle. Poisonous Frog is already dead, and Terrifying Wolf is still there,¡± Evil Dragon replied.


    They didn¡¯t even feel a little bit sad about the death of one of theirpatriots. To the assassins who were used to tasting blood on the de of a sharp knife, they were already used to seeing men die, and death to them was nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Very good, all of you head out! Get to the scene as quick as you can!¡±


    Khun Sa clenched his fist tightly. He hated Xiao Luo to the very core. If it wasn¡¯t because of Xiao Luo, his position in thepany wouldn¡¯t have plummeted, and he wouldn¡¯t have to personally bring his team to Libya to carry out their mission, exchanging the territory rights to an ind to recuperate and expand his powers once again.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton straightened their backs and gave a firm reply.


    ¡­


    Beside Huijin za was a heap of rubble, and rancid, dirty things were strewn all over the ce, and attracting a swarm of flies.


    Terrifying Wolf did not have the guts to show his head. He was very sure of one thing from the deaths of Poisonous Frog and the huge wolfdog¨Cand that was the fact that this sniper was very urate. He was afraid that if he showed his head for even a second, a bullet would rip right through him.


    Was the other party Mie, the one who killed Red Scorpion and Cobra?


    Terrifying Wolf was really scared, and cold sweat poured profusely down his face like a waterfall. He had already heard of Xiao Luo and that he was an old enemy of their boss. Though the two mercenaries that they sent might not be as strong as them, still, to be able to annihte two of them all by himself meant that that person was more than qualified to put the fear of God into his soul.


    ¡°Hey, is itfortable hiding here?¡±


    All of a sudden, a voice with an American ent could be hearding from behind him.


    Terrifying Wolf was in shock and disbelief!


    He froze in fear, knowing that this voice definitely did not belong to anyone in their mercenary group, and that could only mean one thing¨Cit was Mie.


    But wasn¡¯t Mie inside the building out there in front of him?


    He had paid close attention to the exit and never noticed anyoneing out of that building. How did Mie get out, and how did he get behind him without making a sound?


    Right at this instant, there was a whole lot of questions inside Terrifying Wolf¡¯s head. But constantly living on the edge of death, he reacted quickly. He quickly drew out his gun and was about to turn around when he realized that he couldn¡¯t evenplete the first action¨C because as he moved his hand to his waist, the pistol that was supposed to be holstered was missing. When he looked after turning around, a ck muzzle was already pointing at him, aimed in between his eyebrows.


    It is the very same M1911 automatic pistol that belonged to him!

 Chapter 537 - Threaten

    Chapter 537: Threaten


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioWhen had his opponent taken his gun away from him?


    Terrifying Wolf was shocked. He hade right behind him without making a sound and taken his gun away without him even realizing it. Just what kind of person was he up against? Was this man a ghost?


    BANG!


    Xiao Luo did not even hesitate to pull the trigger.


    The bullet from the pistol pierced through Terrifying Wolf¡¯s head. Blood and brain fluids sshed out from the gaping hole on the back of his head along with the bullet and sttered on the ground. Terrifying Wolf fell back and copsed in a heap, unable to rest in peace as he did not even get to take a look at his executioner¡¯s face. This man was simply too fast and denied him any chance of fighting back.


    After getting rid of Terrifying Wolf, Xiao Luo turned his attention to Sarah, who was a short distance away.


    Sarah was stunned when she saw Xiao Luo, for she had thought that it was the SEAL team that her grandpa had sent, and thest thing she expected was for him to be an Asian man. Could he possibly be the backup force that her grandpa had requested from Hua Nation?


    As she looked at the man advancing toward her and looking calm and collected, she started to panic again. This man was ferocious and managed to quickly get rid of two of Khun Sa¡¯s mercenaries just like that.


    ¡°Sarah Michelle?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at the woman covered with dirt, and he could detect the foul odoring from this woman¡¯s body.


    Sarah was stunned and nodded her head. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± she said.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself¨CI¡¯m ¡®Mie from Hua Nation¡¯s NSA. I have received orders from above to protect you and ensure that you leave Libya safely,¡± Xiao Luo said, in a perfect American ent.


    So, he was indeed from Hua Nation!


    Sarah was a little stunned but tried her best to calm herself down. She stood up, pointed at Xiao Luo, and then pointed at herself. ¡°You¡­ came here to protect me?¡± she asked.


    She thought to herself, this guy was powerful, and he managed to get rid of two of Khun Sa¡¯s mercenaries without breaking a sweat. Having a guy like him protect her was definitely a dreame true and hard to believe. It wasn¡¯t too long ago that she even thought she had already been abandoned by God.


    ¡°Has the Michelle family never told you that besides the American SEAL team that came to Libya to rescue you, the NSA from Hua Nation is here to save you as well?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He spoke with the same aloofness that he usually had.


    Sarah looked left and right. ¡°Just you alone?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. ¡°Yes!¡± he replied.


    ¡°But Khun Sa has two mercenary groups, and each mercenary group has at least twenty of them. Hua Nation has an abundance of resources, so how is it that they only sent you alone?¡±


    Sarah raised her eyebrows. Although she acknowledged Xiao Luo¡¯s strength, it was evident that a ferocious tiger alone was no match for a pack of angry wolves. She earlier breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to survive and escape from the hands of the two mercenaries. But now that Sarah realized that there was only one man here with her, she suddenly felt nervous and worried again.


    ¡°I am more than enough.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a look at his surroundings. He was sure that the reinforcements from this mercenary group were about to arrive soon, and he really hated staying longer than he needed to in this ce. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s get out of here first,¡± he said.


    He turned around and was about to head towards another direction when he realized that Sarah was just standing there and not moving.


    Xiao Luo turned back and said, ¡°Are you noting?¡±


    Sarah finally got her senses back and quickly followed Xiao Luo. She did not have any other options and still had to hold on tightly to what little lifeline she had, even if this was just a bale of straw and not a ship.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, it¡¯s nice to meet you!¡±


    She raised her hand out towards Xiao Luo. This was the guy who managed to rescue her from the very jaws of death, and she still had to rely on Xiao Luo to bring her to safety. She quickly realized that it was essential for her to maintain a good rtionship with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo took a nce at her dirty hands and said, ¡°This is my mission, so you don¡¯t have to be this polite with me.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but you saved my life, so thank you,¡± Sarah took the initiative, grabbed his hand, and shook it, with a smile on her face.


    With little empathy, Xiao Luo shed a look of disgust at her. He really hated having to shake such a dirty hand.


    Sarah then hesitated and blinked her eyes. ¡°Mr. Mie, I have to go somewhere else to take back the SD card¨Cit has all the recordings of how brutal the Libyan ck Army really is,¡± she said.


    ¡°Where is it? Lead the way!¡±


    Xiao Luo was bing a little bit annoyed. Protecting this woman here was one thing, but his own goal here was to kill Khun Sa. He was carefully trying to assess the situation by looking at his surroundings, but this woman was continually disturbing him, and it naturally p*ssed him off quite a bit.


    Sarah nodded her head and quickly led the way towards the ce where she hid the SD card.


    Her memory and sense of direction were pretty good, and they didn¡¯t take any unnecessary detours. Xiao Luo followed her, and they arrived at the ce that she was talking about in about fifteen minutes.


    It was an abandoned shopping mall. As the war had broken out for quite a while now, all the valuable items were long gone, either stolen or removed by the merchants themselves. The first and second floors were filled with rags, confetti, carton boxes, shelves, and the ce looked a mess. Looking at this scene felt as if they were about to reach the end of days.


    Xiao Luo noticed the woman running into the female toilet and came out with a pendant hung around her neck, and the SD card was hidden inside.


    Sarah had a smile on her face. ¡°Mr. Mie, let¡¯s go,¡± she said. She put the pendant inside her pocket, feeling a lot more relieved.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head, but suddenly, he could hear the rumbling of a vehicle. Before he could even react to it, he sensed impending danger.


    BANG!


    A high-velocity bullet pierced right through the thick wall of the shopping mall and flew right toward him.


    Xiao Luo leaned the upper half of his body backward and simultaneously pushed Sarah to the side. The bullet streaked in a lethal trajectory, flying right over his chest, and although it didn¡¯te into contact with his flesh, the high temperature it generated singed Xiao Luo¡¯s chest and created a superficial wound.


    The bullet hit then struck the wall on the other side of the shopping mall and easily prated right through it. That wall was roughly fifteen centimeters thick, but it went clean through like a thin piece of paper.


    ¡°L115A3 sniper rifle?!¡±


    Sarah, who was on the ground, was utterly shocked. ¡°This kind of gun can kill an enemy from 2.5 kilometers away. It¡¯s the king of all sniper rifles, and it can even easily prate through an armored car,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo looked at her as if saying, this woman sure knows quite a lot.


    This was indeed an L115A3 sniper rifle from America, and it held the record for killing an armedbatant from 2,430 meters away. A British soldier in Afghanistan managed to kill five Taliban fighters in 28 seconds from 1600 meters away. No one should underestimate the power and killing range of this rifle.


    Xiao Luo was very sure that he didn¡¯t expose his own location and wasn¡¯t in the enemies¡¯ field of vision earlier on. That could only mean one thing¨Cthat the gun was equipped with a thermal sensor. It could detect targets based on heat signatures despite obstacles to a shooter¡¯s field of vision. Using the thermal sensor, a sniper could identify the exact location of any sort of living being from a radius of one kilometer. Having such a device was akin to a tiger sprouting wings. Walls were no protection against this kind of weapon.


    BANG!


    Another shot was fired. The high-powered round prated the wall again and was locked onto Xiao Luo.


    It was impossible for Xiao Luo to find cover in the face of such a sniper rifle, and he couldn¡¯t ensure his own safety. He immediately picked up Sarah, who was beside him, and jumped off from the shopping mall¡¯s second floor. When he hit the ground, he instantly found his footing and dashed forward like a cheetah.


    As he bounded forward, he saw four military jeeps parked just around the shopping mall. That L115A3 sniper rifle was ced at the top on one of those jeeps, and the one operating it was a bearded foreign man.

 Chapter 538 - Open-minded

    Chapter 538: Open-minded


    Running, hiding, running, hiding¡­ Xiao Luo pushed his abilities to the limit and rushed forward, all the while carrying Sarah Michelle with him. He constantly shifted to his left and right, running starts and stops to deceive the shooters. In this way, he was able to dodge the iing shot from the small arms and the L115A3 sniper rifle that used thermal imaging to detect targets behind cover. Even RPG rounds were fired to flush Xiao Luo out in the open.


    ¡°Sh*t, is that guy a martial arts expert from the Hua Nation? He¡¯s carrying a woman with him and is still moving around with the agility of an ape in the jungle,¡± Evil Dragon growled. He gritted his teeth and mmed his hands on the vehicle after the thermal sensor lost sight of Xiao Luo once again.


    In the other vehicle, Khun Sa lit up another cigar. He had a pair of cold, heartless eyes that looked aged due to the dark eye-bags, visible even behind his sses. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be very boring if we could kill him that easily?¡± he said.


    They didn¡¯t use the thermal sensor when dealing with Sarah Michelle because they clearly didn¡¯t need to at all. One wouldn¡¯t use a sledgehammer on a nut. Besides, he was waiting for Xiao Luo to appear and was not as anxious as to know whether they could find Sarah Michelle.


    ¡°Boss, the SEAL team must be on their way here. I reckon we¡¯ll be a bit of a pickle if they were to join the fight. We might have a hard time dealing with them,¡± Skeleton said.


    Khun Sa smiled coldly. ¡°You¡¯re talking about babies who are still drinking milk. No matter how many of them there are, they¡¯re nothing but a bunch of trash. There¡¯s no need to be afraid of them,¡± he said, ¡°But this ¡®Mie,¡¯ he¡¯s a thorn in our side, and we can¡¯t let him leave Libya alive no matter what it takes.¡±


    His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he said this.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton acknowledged their master. They then passed down the order to everyone else to conduct a thorough search. They secretly had people guarding every single exit, and unless they jumped into a river, there was no way they could escape from Brewer City. But Sarah Michelle was andlubber based on the information that they had gathered. She couldn¡¯t swim, so it was almost impossible for her to swim across a river.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo, carrying Sarah, stopped at an abandoned factory somewhere Southeast of where they started. The advanced weapons that Khun Sa and his men had employed so far exceeded what he had expected. But, the most important thing here was that he still had to bear with him a woman who barely had the strength to truss up a chicken.


    It would be unprofessional to sacrifice this woman who had no rtionship with him whatsoever just so he could kill Khun Sa. But, Xiao Luo had other ideas, and he would do that if he was out of all other options. But, as long as there was an inkling of hope, he would still do all he could to protect and ensure the safety of this woman. As an NSA agent, he still had to do his best to fulfill the mission assigned to him from above.


    ¡°Here, this is something for you to eat!¡±


    Xiao Luo handed some hardtack that he brought along with him to Sarah.


    Sarah sat on a beam on the floor and, with her eyes wide open, looked at the man of many surprises. When she was on this man¡¯s back earlier on, bumping and bouncing along with him, it felt like she was in a dream. Besides, he was still inplete control even after jumping off the second floor with her on his back, and she found it incredible.


    She took the hardtack from Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Mie, are the techniques you used earlier on the legendary qinggong from Hua Nation?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied without much thought. He focused on eating the biscuits to slowly recover the physical energy that he had expended.


    ¡°Wow, does that mean such magical martial arts techniques actually do exist in Hua Nation?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glinted with excitement as she recalled his feats, and it wouldn¡¯t just be her, but everyone from around the world who would be interested in the rich history of their martial arts. Many people yearned to have the ability to leap onto roofs and vault over walls.


    ¡°Ms. Sarah, can you please be a little bit quiet?¡± Xiao Luo said, not too kindly.


    Sarah wasn¡¯t sure why Xiao Luo was so gruff, but she ignored it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to bother you,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered with her anymore. He was keeping vigil on his surroundings. He didn¡¯t intend to leave Brewer, at least not until he killed Khun Sa before he left. But the thermal sensor was a considerable threat. With that thing around, it was as if the enemy had x-ray vision, and as long as he was within a one-kilometer radius, there was nothing he could do. This meant that he first had to find a way to get rid of that thermal sensor.


    ¡°Mr. Mie!¡±


    Just as he was thinking about that, Sarah shouted at him.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Can I go over there and wash up a little?¡± Sarah pointed at the faucet in the distance.


    Xiao Luo was unnecessarily curt in his response. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve tied your legs together. You don¡¯t have to ask for my permission,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hmm, alright.¡±


    Sarah was relieved that she could finally clean herself up. She stood up and walked towards the faucet and carefully washed off the dirt and grime from her hands, face, and body.


    She still had some injuries on her body, and if she was not careful, the pain could be quite unbearable. It was so painful that she gasped a little, but her body reeked from not being washed, and she could no longer stand it. She eventually took all her clothes off except her bra and underpants, wetting pretty much her entire body. She was not concerned about catching a cold since it was still summer, and Libya was naturally a hot and humid region.


    ¡°The Americans sure are open-minded!¡±


    Xiao Luo silently muttered to himself. To take off everything and casually taking a shower with only her underclothes in front of a man¨Cthis level of openness was something that women from Hua Nation could never match up to, no matter what.


    Sarah even brought soap along with her and treated this wide, open area like a bathroom. She washed her hair as well and carefully scrubbed off all the dirt on her body, making sure that her nose could no longer smell anything bad odors anymore.


    After she finished her shower, she wore her clothes and returned. Xiao Luo was slightly stunned when he saw her.


    She was wearing the same dirty clothes from before, but her feminine side had undergone a drastic change. If the woman he saw before was deemed as an ugly duckling, then the woman right now would be rightly called a white swan.


    Her blonde hair was still dripping wet, and her face was pale but reddish, like cherries. Her eyebrows were long, her blue eyes were shimmering, her nose was sharp, her lips were red, and her teeth were white. Her entire body had a pleasant soapy smell.


    It was hard to deny that she was indeed a really sexy woman!


    She had a slender and well-limbed figure as well. She wasn¡¯t as built as most western women and looked more like a good-natured daughter from a humble family.


    Sarah noticed Xiao Luo eyeing her and knew that it was because of her appearance. She giggled a little and said, ¡°Mr. Mie, do all guys from Hua Nation enjoy staring at a woman who has just finished bathing?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled back and replied, ¡°We do take a second look at beautiful things. This is the nature of all human beings.¡±


    He exined everything in just one simple sentence.


    ¡°Thank you for yourpliments!¡±


    Sarah chuckled, disying a row of neat teeth. ¡°If I can go back to America alive this time around, I¡¯ll make sure to find time to go to Hua Nation just to interview you,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo kept his opinion to himself and thought to himself that once I finish this mission, I will forget all about this, Sarah Michelle. What does she mean to interview me? She thinks too much!


    ¡°Mr. Mie, is the injury on your chest serious?¡±


    Sarah noticed a burn mark on his chest, and it looked as if he was burned red by a hot iron. It was slightly charred, and blood was slowly oozing out from that injury.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave a brief reply and then sat down with his legs crossed. ording to the meridian path of the Yi Jijing, this was just a minor injury. It was like a scratch on the skin, and there was no need to spend points to have the system perform any form of healing for him. He just needed to practice the Yi Jijing, and it would recover really quickly.

 Chapter 539 - Impersonate

    <h2>Chapter 539: Impersonate</h2>


    Sarah was amazed as she looked at what seemed like wisps of steam released from Xiao Luo¡¯s body. It was a pity that she dropped the only camera that she had with her because she wanted to record this scene. To think that such skillful martial arts experts actually existed in a country rich in history like Hua Nation! This was simply too unbelievable.


    The burn injury on his chest was a lot less painful after meditating for a while. Soon, Xiao Luo opened his eyes, walked toward the faucet, and carefully washed. At that moment, he could hear very faint footstepsing from a hundred meters away, and he could determine that there were two intruders.


    Why was it that they just never learned?


    Xiao Luo nced toward where the footsteps wereing from. These were clearly from Khun Sa¡¯s mercenary group that had split up to search for him and Sarah, the American reporter. Splitting up their soldiers was actually a good thing for him, as now, he could take them down separately.


    ¡°Wait here and don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll go take a look and be back soon,¡± he said to Sarah before bounding out of the abandoned factory like a cheetah.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, Mr. Mie!¡± Sarah shouted with concern as she looked at the back view of Xiao Luo as he left their hideout. She wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, but she was certain that it wasn¡¯t anything good.


    Xiao Luo returned a littleter, carrying two muscr men on his shoulders. There were coils of hemp ropes lying in the abandoned factory, and he used them to bind their hands and legs together. He then poured some cold water on their faces, and they woke up immediately.


    ¡°Mie?!¡±


    Both of them started to look a little bit worried after realizing that it was Xiao Luo. They had been tasked with carrying out reconnaissance in the area, and before they knew it, they lost control of their bodies and copsed on the ground. All they could remember was seeing sand-colored military boots next to their faces just before losing consciousness.


    ¡°Tell me. What are your code names?¡± Xiao Luo said, staring down at them with cold, unblinking eyes.


    The men looked at each other and didn¡¯t say anything. Both of them had their hands tied behind their backs, and they were desperately trying to untie the hemp rope.


    Xiao Luo squinted his eyes a little and took an ominous step forward before he stomped on the instep of one of the muscr men.


    CRUNCH!


    Under Xiao Luo¡¯s foot, the man¡¯s boots were literally ttened, crushing all his toes and breaking every bone in them, as fresh blood slowly seeped out from the seams of the boot. The man screamed in excruciating pain and was close to passing out.


    Xiao Luo red at the man, and his face was cold as ice. ¡°Do you want me to ask you one more time?¡± he said.


    Sarah gasped. She never imagined that such a polite, amiable, and good-natured man from Hua Nation could be this cruel and ruthless when he interrogated his captives. And how powerful he was, for the boots the man wore had a steel ting to protect their toes from falling heavy objects. When Xiao Luo stepped on those boots, the steel te was crushed along with the toes they were meant to protect. This man was as powerful as a hydraulic press machine. How terrifying he was!


    ¡°My code name is Hyena!¡±


    Seeing what had happened to hispanion, who was still screaming in pain, the man beside quickly revealed his code name.


    ¡°What is yours?¡± Xiao Luo asked the muscr man in front of him as he took his foot off.


    The front half of his foot was crushed, and the pain was unbearable. The facial muscles on this muscr man¡¯s face kept twitching. His entire body was drenched in a cold sweat, and he was trying his best to speak. ¡°Ly¡­ Lynx¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°What about the code names of your leaders?¡±


    ¡°Evil Dragon and Skeleton!¡±


    ¡°How do you guys address Khun Sa?¡±


    ¡°We call him Boss.¡±


    Both of them told him everything they knew after witnessing his cruelty. They initially thought that Xiao Luo would spare their lives, but after answering all his questions, Xiao Luo sent them to hell with just two strikes. He stomped on their temples with shattering force, pulverizing their heads into a paste-like substance and killing them on the spot.


    It was way too cruel!


    Sarah was utterly horrified.


    She opened her mouth, and it took a while before she could form the words. ¡°Mr. Mie, people of your nation, have always treated others with courtesy and respect, and virtue has always been the cornerstone of your culture. But you don¡¯t seem like that kind of person,¡± she said.


    ¡°If your opponent is armed with a lethal weapon, even a saint would wield a butcher¡¯s knife!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled wryly and said, ¡°America ims that they are guardians and emissaries for maintaining world peace, yet they are always starting wars. Can you kindly exin the rationale behind that to me?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the Iraq war? That¡¯s only because they owned many weapons of mass destruction and were also secretly supporting the terrorists. America had to do this to maintain peace and stability in the world,¡± Sarah replied.


    ¡°It seems like your country has done a really sessful job at brainwashing you.¡± Xiao Luo sneered. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not talk about these international affairs. Check and see which of their fatigues fit you better. Then take them off and change into that outfit.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie, they¡¯re already dead. We should respect the dead. Isn¡¯t taking their outfits off a little bit too much?¡± Sarah argued.


    ¡°Too much?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but find it amusing. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± he said.


    ¡°Humanitarianism,¡± Sarah replied, somewhat righteously.


    ¡°Then, to hell with your humanitarianism!¡±


    Xiao Luo was not in the mood and responded with a vicious remark, and he then walked over to the corpses and removed their uniforms. He tossed one set at Sarah and kept the other for himself. He then spent eight hundred points and purchased the ability to impersonate someone else¡¯s voice from the system.


    Right at that moment, a voice could be hearding from the walkie-talkie.


    ¡°Evil Dragon for Lynx. Evil Dragon for Lynx. If you can hear this, please respond. If you can hear this, please respond¡­¡±


    It was a person with a really hoarse voice, and Sarah was so shocked that she held her breath. Xiao Luo calmly grabbed the walkie-talkie and replied, ¡°Lynx here. What are our leader¡¯s instructions for me?¡±


    Hmm?


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were wide open, and the color on her face changed. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was witnessing the voiceing out of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth, she would have thought that the mercenary with the code name ¡°Lynx¡± had been resurrected.


    Oh my god¡­ Mie could actually impersonate someone else¡¯s voice?!


    She found it really hard to believe. It was as if Xiao Luo was performing some kind of magic for her right now.


    ¡°Lynx, did you guys manage to find anything over at your side?¡± the hoarse voice came across the walkie-talkie once again.


    ¡°No, nothing out of the ordinary here!¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°Then continue searching. As soon as you find something, report immediately.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Xiao Luo quietly hung up the walkie-talkie.


    He turned his head around and looked at Sarah. ¡°Are you not going to put on that outfit?¡± he asked.


    There was probably a miniature tracking device on these outfits and equipment used to identify their own people. Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered to look for the tiny tracking device and put on the fatigues and gear as though they belonged to him. To be blunt and honest, as long as they didn¡¯t get too close, there was no way they could tell that they were impersonators.


    Sarah came to her senses, quickly took off the dirty camouge coat she was wearing, and changed into the mercenary¡¯s outfit. It didn¡¯t really fit her well as it was a man¡¯s outfit, but it still looked fine as long as she pulled the trousers and sleeves up a little.


    ¡°I hate the sweaty smell on this outfit!¡± Sarahined.


    Xiao Luo nced at her with augh. ¡°You can enter a garbage dump, but you can¡¯t stand the sweaty smell of a man?¡± he said.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, that¡¯s not the same. I was trying to protect my own life back there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this to protect your own life now as well.¡±


    ¡°Are we preparing to leave Brewer City by impersonating as their members?¡±


    ¡°No, I want to get rid of Khun Sa first before we leave.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The look on Sarah¡¯s face changed. ¡°Mr. Mie, are you crazy?¡± she cried.

 Chapter 540 - Battle

    <h2>Chapter 540: Battle</h2>


    Xiao Luo trudged along the streets of Brewer City, a ce now inplete ruin. asionally, the voices of Evil Dragon and Skeleton could be heard over the walkie-talkie, checking with theirpatriots about the situation. Based on the replies he got and their conversations, Xiao Luo could triangte the calls and roughly locate where Khun Sa was hiding.


    On the other hand, Sarah Michelle wasn¡¯t as assured walking alongside Xiao Luo. Of course, she was not as courageous as him and didn¡¯t feel safe walking on these streets in a city where a demonic mercenary could appear at any given moment. Besides, there was still a sniper that was hiding somewhere. Wouldn¡¯t they be sitting ducks if the sniper realized that they were just imposters?


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I strongly advise that we leave Brewer City as soon as we can. This ce is too dangerous, and the chances of us running into Khun Sa¡¯s mercenaries is very high.¡±


    Sarah kept looking left and right and was really anxious for their safety. Xiao Luo¡¯s casual demeanor really shocked her¨Cfrom putting on the rebel¡¯s outfit and carrying their equipment to having the guts to amble down the street. This guy was a madman!


    The consummate professional he was, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be too bothered about this woman¡¯s feelings. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not stopping you. If you want to leave, then please go ahead!¡± he said.


    A confused Sarah asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t youe here to rescue me?¡±


    ¡°Before I do that, I¡¯ve got to kill Khun Sa first,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Do you have a grudge against Khun Sa?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you just shut up?¡±


    Xiao Luo turned his head around and red at her. Sarah was going on and on with her questions, and it was beginning to annoy him.


    Sarah immediately mmed her mouth shut, looking at him in distress, and nodded her head.


    Finally enjoying some peace and silence, Xiao Luo lifted his head up and looked at a row of low-rise buildings just up ahead. He thought about it for a bit and decided to walk in that direction. Xiao Luo chose a unit in the building which gave him an uninterrupted view of the street and set up the rifle rest for his high-precision weapon. He checked to see how much ammunition he had left and was pleased to note that there were more than two hundred rounds, which should be more than enough.


    ¡°Just stay in one corner.¡±


    Xiao Luo urged Sarah, and then added, ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok, Mr. Mie, don¡¯t worry about it, I won¡¯t disturb you,¡± Sarah replied, nodding her head.


    Xiao Luo adjusted his voice, then switched on the walkie-talkie, and spoke in Lynx¡¯s voice. ¡°Lynx to Team Leader Evil Dragon! Lynx toTeam Leader Evil Dragon! I¡¯ve located the target¨Cthey¡¯re at twelve o¡¯clock from where I¡¯m positioned. Hyena is injured, please provide support, please provide support!¡±


    ¡°Lynx, stay there! Don¡¯t act recklessly¨Cwe¡¯ll be there soon!¡± Evil Dragon¡¯s voice could be heard over the walkie-talkie.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned off the walkie-talkie and waited patiently for his prey to show up like a poisonous snake poised for the strike.


    Sarah was shocked and thought to herself, this guy is seriously thinking about getting rid of Khun Sa mercenaries!


    She had assumed that Xiao Luo was just talking about it.


    A littleter, two mercenaries and a huge wolfdog appeared in his sights. Xiao Luo finished them off with three shots to their head, sending them and the dog to meet their Maker.


    ¡°Six of them.¡±


    A smirk could be noticed at the corner of his mouth, and then he turned around to look at Sarah, ¡°How many people did you say they had with them? Each mercenary group has twenty members, so two groups would mean forty. Including Khun Sa, the total would add up to forty-one, right?¡±


    Sarah nodded her head. ¡°That¡¯s correct, Mr. Mie!¡± she replied.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your bodyguards try to fight them off when they tried to protect you? You mean they failed to even kill one of them?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Sarah kept her head down, saddened at the thought. ¡°Yes, they failed to kill even one. Khun Sa¡¯s Mercenary Corps have unbelievablebat skills, and my bodyguards were no match for them. There was nothing much they could do in the face of their prowess and superior firepower,¡± she said.


    Their prowess and superior firepower?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and refrained from saying anything else.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t aware that Sarah was already treating him as if he was God. In her eyes, the difference between Khun Sa¡¯s powerful mercenary corps and this man from the Hua Nation was likeparing a child with an adult. She found it hard to imagine that if America and Hua Nation fought one day, what could the American soldiers bring out topete with the Hua Nation soldiers? Advanced weapons? Stop daydreaming! Hua Nation¡¯s weapon technology was not too far behind their own, and in certain aspects, they might actually even be more advanced than theirs!


    ¡­


    Why did their men keep getting killed? Evil Dragon and Skeleton noticed that something didn¡¯t seem right and hurriedly raised their concerns to Khun Sa.


    ¡°Eight casualties and all of them were around where Lynx is? What is going on here?¡± Khun Sa, who was in a jeep, furrowed his brows.


    Evil Dragon nodded respectfully. ¡°ording to what Lynx had said, Mie is back, and all eight of them were killed by Mie,¡± he answered.


    Khun Sa chuckled as he thought out loud and said, ¡°How did he know that his opponent was Mie? If he was able to spot Mie but was Mie not able to spot him, why didn¡¯t he just finish him off?¡±


    ¡°Boss, are you suspecting Lynx? But I¡¯m sure that was Lynx¡¯s voice¨Cthere was no way it could¡¯ve been Mie,¡± Evil Dragon said.


    Khun Sa raised his hand and cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting his identity, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s betraying us,¡± he said.


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton nced at one another. Since their boss had said that Lynx was a traitor, then he must be betraying them. Khun Sa had never ever made a wrong judgment, and when it came to traitors, they hated them to the core.


    ¡°Hurry up and rush to where Lynx was at. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s Mie or Lynx, whoever you find there, just kill them!¡± Khun Sa pulled on his cigar smoke and then exhaled the smoke out from his nose.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton replied.


    ¡­


    Mercenaries from all over received Evil Dragon and Skeleton¡¯s order and slowly headed toward Xiao Luo¡¯sst known location.


    After a while, Xiao Luo had a nagging feeling that something was not quite right. The walkie-talkie chatter had suddenly gone quiet.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time we leave.¡±


    Xiao Luo packed up the ammunition and his rifle and got ready to leave with Sarah.


    But at that moment, he detected a familiar sound¨Cthe whump of mortar rounds! A salvo of mortar shells was screaming in their direction, and before he knew it, they smashed into the top of the building they are at.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    It was a relentless barrage as shellsnded with violent explosions nearby, and the walls of the apartment unit copsed one after another. Debris and falling concrete beams came crashing down as the entire building unit started crumbling.


    Xiao Luo rushed toward Sarah and threw himself over her immediately. They were crouched on the floor, and Xiao Luo took the brunt of falling debris and was slightly injured.


    Before he could even get up, a sniper bullet fired from an L115A3 sniper rifle prated through multiple obstructions and flew toward him. There was no time for Xiao Luo to avoid it, and he instantly raised his palms out.


    ROAR!


    A force emanated from his hand with the roar of a dragon, as Xiao Luo ced his palm in the trajectory of the iing bullet. Bricks and debris swirled around in a tornado above him, and Xiao Luo used the same force that changed the course of a mortar shell to slow the speeding bullet, although he couldn¡¯t stop itpletely stop it.


    THUD!


    The shot went right through Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder, and blood sttered on the wall behind him.


    ¡°Mr. Mie!¡± Sarah cried. She was so shocked that her eyes were wide open.


    ¡°Lie down and don¡¯t move!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted at her and tried to ignore the pain in his left shoulder. He quickly rushed toward the balcony and aimed his sniper rifle at the thermal sensor mounted on the rail above the L115A3 sniper rifle.


    BANG!


    The sniper bullet flew out of the muzzle, carrying a potent destructive force within it as it streaked through the air, and it instantly shattered the thermal sensor.


    ¡°Oh, sh*t!¡±


    The look on Evil Dragon¡¯s face changed. He pulled the bolt back to chamber a cartridge and continued to engage in a sniping battle against Xiao Luo. All the other mercenaries pointed their guns toward the balcony and fired in unison.

 Chapter 541 - Night

    Chapter 541: Night


    RAT TAT TATAT TAT TAT!


    mes shot from their muzzles like they were on fire, and a hail of bullets smashed into the apartment unit without mercy. Bullet holes marked the wall, with the L115A3 sniper rifle leaving exceptionallyrge gaps in it.


    But, even before they opened fire, Xiao Luo had already left from the balcony.Without the thermal sensor¡¯s help, the L115A3 sniper rifle could not pinpoint Xiao Luo¡¯s exact location. Infuriated, Evil Dragon continued aiming his rifle at the apartment unit incessantly, and the powerful impact of the sniper bullets left the unit¡¯s wall filled with holes. Along with the damage that the mortar shells caused earlier, the whole building began to crumble and looked on the verge of copse as smoke filled the air.It was a horrific scene with bullets flying, guns roaring, and thick smoke hanging in the air!


    It was a good five minutes before the gunfire gradually stopped, and all the members of the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps remained behind cover, staring into the devastated building in front of them with only one question in their minds¨Cis that guy dead or alive?


    ¡°Forward men, with me!¡±


    Skull took the lead, rallying his men in a wild dash out of the gate.


    Khun Sa got out of his jeep, chewing on the cigar in his mouth, but the moment he stepped out, his intuition sent rming signals to his head. He immediately looked up and scanned the windows¨Cwhat was that? He made out what appeared to be the muzzle on the building¡¯s top floor, and it was pointing directly at him. Right at that point, a shot was fired!


    Khun Sa¡¯s eyes widened while his pupils narrowed suddenly. In this critical moment, he immediately turned his head to the side.


    The high-powered round whistled past Khun Sa¡¯s left ear, too close forfort, and smashed into the side of the jeep, ripping a clean hole through it.


    The corners of Khun Sa¡¯s eyes were twitched nervously, and his malevolent eyes followed the trajectory of the shot to the roof of the building where a man stood holding his sniper rifle in one hand and carrying a woman on his left shoulder. Partly obscured by the smoke, he appeared indomitable, like the God of War.


    Dragon snapped out his daze and immediately pointed his L115A3 sniper rifle at the figure on the roof. ¡°F*cking son of a b*tch, go to hell!¡± he cursed.


    He pulled the trigger, and the bullet from the rifle shot like a beast unbound, speeding toward Xiao Luo, intending to kill him.


    Carrying Sarah on his shoulders, Xiao Luo leaped more than ten meters into the air,nding on the roof of another residential building, and then made several more sessive jumps, before disappearing from their sight.


    ¡°Follow him! Don¡¯t lose him!!¡±


    Dragon had no intention of giving up and led his men on a chase.


    Skull, who rushed into the residential building butter returned with nothing to show for it. Seeing that Khun Sa¡¯s left ear was bleeding, Skull was concerned and said, ¡°Boss, you are injured!


    Khun Sa waved his hand and looked gloomily at the direction Xiao Luo had taken. ¡°It¡¯s just a slight injury, don¡¯t worry about that!¡± he growled.


    Khun Sa clenched his fists tightly. It was the first time he had a close encounter with Mie, his old rival Xiao Luo, and it almost finished him off. And still deeply imprinted in his mind, the maverick image of Xiao Luo haunted him.


    Shooting with a sniper rifle in one hand and jumping from building to building with a woman on his shoulders¨CMie was indeed a formidable opponent, a beast bred by the NSA.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Sarah Michelle had lost consciousness as a result of battle trauma. When she awoke, she only saw the glow of a flickering fire. It was already night.


    Startled, she sat up suddenly and shouted, ¡°Mr. Mie!¡±


    Just then, she saw the man from Hua nation sitting across from her, cross-legged and meditating with wisps of white smoke rising from his body and curling in the air. She knew that she shouldn¡¯t disturb Xiao Luo at a time like this, so she wisely remained silent. Suddenly, her nose caught a waft of roasted meat. She looked at the fire and saw a piece of animal¡¯s thigh roasting over the fire, and the aroma was hard to resist


    GRRR!


    Sarah Michelle¡¯s stomach suddenly rumbled, and she couldn¡¯t help but swallow and lick her lips.


    ¡°I left it for you, so just enjoy it.¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke indifferently with his eyes still closed. ¡°This is dog meat,¡± he said. When he escaped from the building with her, he had spotted the wolfhound he killed along his path and picked it up.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Sarah chomped down right away. She was so hungry that she grabbed the entire piece of the roasted thigh, still a little hot, and gnawed on it. As she swallowed, she looked around and noticed that they were in a hilly area, and there was a military jeep next to her. She looked surprised and said, ¡°Have we left the City of Brule?¡±


    Xiao Luo responded to her with a slight nod.


    ¡°How did we leave?¡± she asked.


    ¡°By swimming across the river!¡±


    ¡°Pardon? Mr. Mie, do you mean that you swam across the river with me?¡±


    Sarah could hardly believe that. Not only was she a non-swimmer, but she was also unconscious at that time, so she couldn¡¯t imagine how Xiao Luo had managed to do that.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t tell her that she was ced in an airtight trash can, so he decided to keep silent about that. What he was thinking about now was the shot he fired at Khun Sa earlier in the day. Why did he miss it? Was it because of theck of uracy since he was fired with one hand?


    At that moment, Sarah approached him, and her blue eyes stared keenly at his upper body, and he was only wearing a tank top. ¡°Mr. Mie, I clearly saw you get shot at. Why is there no sign of a gunshot?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably mistaken.¡±


    Xiao Luo opened his eyes, withdrawing from the meditative state, and stood up, then he walked to the car to get a new camouge jacket to put on.


    Did she make a mistake?


    How could that be possible? When his back was turned, she still smelled blood, but why was there no wound?


    Sarah was very puzzled, and she felt that this man from Hua nation was terribly mysterious. Being able to carry her and survive under such heavy fire from the mercenaries was unbelievable. It seemed that as long as he was there, she would never be in any danger.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, are all soldiers from Hua nation as strong as you?¡±


    ¡°When you have time,e to my country and find the answer out for yourself.¡±


    Xiao Luo slung the ammunition belt across his body, along with his short knives and personal weapons. ¡°It should be safe here. I¡¯m going back to the City of Brule, so you just stay here. If you are afraid, just hide in the car and lock the door. I¡¯ll be right back, OK?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to kill Khun Sa?¡± Sarah asked.


    Xiao Luo red at her. ¡°Sure,¡± he said.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, take care. God bless you!¡± Sarah said. Although she did not know what kind of hatred between Xiao Luo and Khun Sa, she knew there was absolutely no way to stop Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smiled at her as he adjusted the sights on his sniper rifle and did not say anything.

 Chapter 542 - The finale

    Chapter 542: The finale


    It was a night devoid of stars,pletely pitch-ck¨Cthe perfect time to hunt down his prey.


    Under the veil of the dark night, Xiao Luo moved like a shadow, weaving silently through the streets of Brule. It is time to end the feud between Khun Sa and himself this very night. It was time for Khun Sa to pay for everything he had done to him.


    Moving about the city of Brule, one could almost feel the despondent mood that seemed to reflect the anticipation of the massacre that was about to take ce.


    Under the boundless pitch-ck skies, it looked like a night that looked as if thick ck ink had shrouded it. There could have been a few stars, but they were entirely blocked by the smoke from the ongoing battle. Brule was in a deste state, and the silence which ensued gave one an eerie sense that some invisible force has suppressed all living things.


    After searching the city for the entire day, the Khun Sa Mercenary Group had returned to their base to rest.


    ¡°Boss, could it be that they have already left Brule?¡±


    Ku Lou spoke as he rested both his hands on his back and stared at the sandbox while Khun Sa frowned in deep thought. He waited for a response, then continued when he heard none. ¡°We have a dozen hunting dogs, and they have searched through the entire Brule today. Not even a fly could have escaped from their noses, but we still have not discovered their traces, so I suspect that they have already left,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. That son of a b*tch was shot. There¡¯s no way he could escape from right under our nose, let alone escape with a woman,¡± Xie Long pitched in.


    ¡°A person who is shot by an L115A3 rifle gets severely crippled. If Mie got shot, there¡¯s no way he could stay in one piece, and it¡¯d be absolutely impossible for him to escape from us. Besides, he¡¯s got Sarah Michelle with him,¡± Ku Lou said, analyzing the situation calmly.


    Xie Long could not rebut the reasoning. From his understanding of the L115A3 rifle, he was very sure that Mie got shot. However, he could not understand why Mie could have escaped or survived this. When he recalled how Mie had destroyed the heat sensor and how he had even let him go, he was enraged. ¡°I have definitely shot him in any case. Ku Lou, do not doubt my marksmanship,¡± he retorted.


    ¡°I do not doubt that. I am just analyzing the situation. Mie is indeed a formidable opponent!¡± Ku Lou replied seriously.


    Khun Sa remained silent throughout the conversation as his shifty eyes scanned into the night beyond.


    Both Xie Long and Ku Lou noticed his unusual behavior and stopped their argument.


    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s going on?¡± Xie Long asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet!¡±


    Khun Sa closed his eyes as he tried to focus on something, then he let out a long sigh. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong tonight¨Cit¡¯s too quiet!¡± he replied.


    Ku Lou also sensed that something was odd, and he grabbed the inte immediately to warn his men who were patrolling the perimeter. ¡°Ku Lou calling Vampire, Ku Lou calling Vampire, respond to this message if you hear me, respond to this¡­¡±


    There was no response¨Conly silence came through the inte.


    Ku Lou panicked and immediately reacted by quickly contacting the other men, but none of them responded.


    Khun Sa was expressionless as he stopped Ku Lou. ¡°You do not need to continue trying. They are all probably dead!¡± he said.


    Dead?


    Both Ku Lou and Xie Long looked at each other confused and a little bewildered as they listened to Khun Sa¡¯s words. How could their people be dead? Could it be that Mie had returned?


    As they pondered on what Khun Sa has said, they sensed a hint of movement at the main entrance. Both sets of eyes quickly swung in that direction. In a shocked stupor, they stared straight at the intruder. A man in camouge fatigues stood before them some twenty meters away. Danger stood before them, indicating that what Khun Sa had just said was correct. Their men who were on patrol were dead.


    The intruder had a fair face with a pair of steely merciless eyes. He stood in front of them, looking like a bloodthirsty demon as he held a dagger dripping with blood in his hand.


    Huh, Mie?


    Xie Long and Ku Lou¡¯s eyes widened in shock by Xiao Luo¡¯s unexpected return.


    Two of their mercenaries reacted instantly in that split second as they pointed their weapons to shoot.


    But Xiao Luo was faster. Before their fingers could pull the trigger, two steel des shed through the air across the room at lightning speed. The daggers fatally sliced their throats cleanly. In a blink of the eye, the two well-trained mercenaries copsed in pools of spurting blood, and their bodies writhed for a short moment before they bothid still.


    Watching helplessly, Xie Long and Ku Lou were in a state of shock. It happened so fast that both their men had no idea what had hit them.


    Confident he had dispatched of them, Xiao Luo did not even look at the two fallen men but instead stared directly at Khun Sa. With a malicious smile lifting one corner of his lips, Xiao Luo said, ¡°Khun Sa, it has been quite a chore to locate you guys. We spokest year. I said I will trace you down, find you in person, and kill you. Do you remember?¡±


    Quickly recovering from the ughter of his men, Khun Saughed and said, ¡°I admit that you¡¯re quite capable, but do you know why I am their boss?¡±


    ¡°Why is that so?¡± Xiao Luo asked quietly in a tone belying the calm it exuded.


    ¡°The reason is that I am stronger than any one of them!¡±


    Khun Sa answered confidently, and as he finished speaking, an explosive aura burst from his body and shattered his sses. He let out a wild roar and charged at Xiao Luo.


    His right arm swung with formidable force and aimed to strike at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest at a vital angle.


    Xiao Luo was not fazed by it and met Khun Sa¡¯s fist squarely with his own.


    BOOM!


    The two fists collided in an explosive thud, causing Xiao Luo to steady himself after moving a few steps back. He was calm and did not seem to sustain any injury from the impact of the punch.


    On the other side, Khun Sa retreated a few meters back and only regained his bnce with Xie Long and Ku Lou¡¯s assistance.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Xie Long was a bashful chap but seeing their boss lose to a person he detested so much, he threw caution to the wind and bellowed, ¡°Son of a bitch, die!¡±


    He pulled out a sharp dagger from the sheath on his waist and charged forward to Xiao Luo like a feral beast.


    All in one breath, he attacked with a session of moves¨Clunging with stabs, shes, hacks, and chops at Xiao Luo. He used his inner power to enhance his strikes with more force. Xiao Luo managed to dodge every attack, and right before he was about to retaliate, Ku Lou joined the fray and charged at him like an angry rhino while expelling a roar at the same time. When he was ten steps away from Xiao Luo, he leaped into the air and performed a high jump kick aiming at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo frowned, quickly darting his eyes from one man to the other. He spun his body to evade Xie Luo¡¯s dagger. And then, with a wry smile, he deployed a forceful kick towards Ku Lou.


    BOOM!


    Ku Lou took the impact and flew back like a broken kite, crashing hard against the wall. Upon impact, he vomited a mouthful of blood and realized that his right leg was broken. It was bent backward in a ¡®V¡¯ shape with blood spurting out from the punctured wound like a fountain. He was in excruciating pain, breaking into a cold sweat from it. But he endured it with a determined grit of silence.


    Hey helplessly staring at Xiao Luo, wondering how this human could possess such a tremendous force of power. What kind of monster was this Xiao Luo?


    Xie Longpletely lost his head and attacked Xiao Luo frantically with his dagger. But he lost the battle as Xiao Luonded a palm on his chest, unleashing a tsunami-powered strike onto him. Xie Long flew backward while vomiting blood in the process and heard his bones crack as his body crashed hard onto the ground. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth down his throat was choking him, and he started to cough out blood while gasping for air. His dagger had flown from his hand with such impact that it broke into pieces.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±A coarse and vengeful voice cried thunderously.Xiao Luo turned towards that voice and saw Khun Sa¡¯s body growing like a balloon expanding as it was being pumped. The ck Cheong-sam suit he was wearing ripped to shreds as his body grew bigger. His transforming body became more muscr, and he shot up in height as well. Under the light, his eerie shadow continued to grow in length and size.

 Chapter 543 - Human-shaped monster

    Chapter 543: Human-shaped monster


    Xiao Luo was shocked! There was no record of Khun Sa¡¯s style of martial arts registered in the system. Where Khun Sa had stood, there now appeared a monstrous ferocious man-beast. Khun Sa had morphed into this beast, with some torn shreds of his clothes still clinging onto his beast body.


    It was three meters tall, and its entire body and its face were bulging with muscles. The monster¡¯s face was full of muscr knots, and its eyes sunk deep into its sockets. Its mouth had be twice its original size, and there was arge amount of disgusting slime dripping from its nose. Its elongated and sharpened nails looked like daggers embedded in its hands.


    Who would have guessed that this being here was Khun Sa, the head of the Mercenary Group? For he had transformed into this horrifying demon form.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Xie Luo and Ku Lou looked visibly scared as they held their breath in wide-eyed horror. This wasn¡¯t the first time they had seen his transformation¨Ca few years ago, they had seen for the first time when Khun Sa, in his demon form, had taken down anyone in his way on a battlefield in East Africa. The memories of those horrifying scenes were still vivid in their minds. And what they recalled terrified them.


    ¡°Son of a b*tch, do you think that you are invincible after learning some cheap-*ss kung fu? I will tear you apart right now!¡±


    Khun Sa bellowed at Xiao Luo while locking his eyes on him, and his loud voice was piercing and deafening. The man-beast then strode toward Xiao Luo aggressively like a mountain, and the ground shook with each heavy step he took.


    Seeing Khun Sa approaching, Xiao Luo dashed forward and flew in midair to execute a Flying Dragon Palm strike. Using his inner strength to enhance the power of his strike, he struck his right palm with an enormous force directly on Khun Sa¡¯s forehead.


    It was swift and executed savagely with precision.


    Khun Sa reacted with the deafening roar of a dragon. Sand and dust swirled about as if a raging tornado had hit the entire base.


    Khun Sa moved slower in his massive man-beast form. He was not fast enough to get into a defensive stance and took a full direct hit on his forehead from Xiao Luo¡¯s palm strike.


    Instead of splitting Khun Sa¡¯s head with his palm strike, Xiao Luo was momentarily surprised that he had struck a surface so hard that it felt he had hit a diamond-coated surface. Khun Sa¡¯s head was still intact, and the man-beast was unfazed by that forceful strike that would have killed a lesser beast.


    Xiao Luo slightly lifted an eyebrow hinting a sign of surprise, as he realized that Khun Sa was a force to be reckoned with. This man-beast was different from all his past enemies.


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    Khun Sa let out a ferocious growl and swung his right fist toward Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with tremendous force.


    KA-POW!


    The impact of that powerful punch sent Xiao Luo flying backward, and he crashed into a concrete pir. The pir broke and smashed to the ground from the collision. Xiao Luo was sprawled on the floor with fallen debris all around him, and blood was spurting out from his mouth.


    He felt awful as he kept coughing out blood. His vision started to turn blurry, and he felt immense pain as if his internal organs suffered unimaginable trauma.


    Xiao Luo realized that he had underestimated the power of this man-beast, and he had sustained severe injuries merely by a single punch from Khun Sa. Xiao Luo needed to get his head together. He needed to focus as he now realized that this high ranking personnel from ckwaters was a formidable opponent.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Xie Luo and Ku Lou swallowed their saliva as they cowered and broke into a cold sweat. No human could have survived from their boss¡¯s punch. But as they see Xiao Luo get up from the ground, they were shocked that he was still alive and seemed unhurt. They looked at each other in awe. That man has a body made of steel. He had crushed a refined concrete-made pir and was still standing while that pir had broken into bits. Xiao Luo is a monster as well.


    Khun Sa seemed to be winning the battle, and his men started to react with excitement. Xie Luo cheered loudly, ¡°Boss, kill him, kill this son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Khun Sa wasughing hysterically as he advanced on Xiao Luo. The ground shook as the giant man-beast walked with deliberate steps.


    The notification sound of the system rang in his head as it indicated that he hadpletely healed. Xiao Luo wiped off the remaining blood from his mouth, and with his feet apart, he faced his opponent.


    ¡°You can still stand up?¡± Khun Sa uttered in shock.


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly. ¡°You call that a punch? That was far from a killing blow,¡± he sneered.


    Khun Saughed smugly. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s perfect. We have all the time to get into a sparring match,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s spar then!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned hard and cold as heunched through the air like a specter, attacking Khun Sa at such extreme speed.


    Xiao Luo took several steps before he bounded in the air, then spun as he approached his opponent, his right legshed out in a session of strikes aiming at Khun Sa¡¯s temple.


    The perfectbination of power and speed!


    Xiao Luonded the blow on Khun Sa¡¯s temple with perfection. The speed in executing the kick was so intense that it created an energy storm that whirled through the area like a destructive force of nature.


    Khun Sa stood his ground and did not move an inch after receiving the kick. ¡°I have perfected the Hard Qi-Gong. There¡¯s no way you can hurt me physically!¡± he scorned.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo used his teleporting power, appeared a few meters away to pick up a long sword on the ground, and then teleported behind Khun Sa. Xiao Luo channeled his inner power into the de and hissed, ¡°You old silly fool, die!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised the sword with both hands and bore it down with all his might.


    CLINK!


    A sh of light like a rainbow reflected off the shining sword as it cut through the air to plunge into the back of Khun Sa¡¯s head. The force of energy unleashed by Xiao Luo¡¯s inner strength caused the entire base to tremble, shrouded in a swirling sandstorm with peals of crashing thunder.


    Xie Luo and Ku Lou turned as white as a sheet as they stared at the scene before them. Both men in battle were from the Hua nation. How did this country mysteriously produce such terrifying kung fu experts?


    When the energy storm subsided, and the dust settled, a gully was visible, gouged into the ground as a result of Xiao Luo¡¯s assault.


    Xiao Luo had used all his force in this attack, and he was stunned to see Khun Sa still standing like an impregnable mountain as sand and dust swirled around his body.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before. You cannot hurt me. Do you believe me now?¡±


    Khun Sa turned around with a smirk on his face. He stretched his neck and said, ¡°It¡¯s my turn now.¡±


    Like a provoked bull, he charged towards Xiao Luo immediately after he spoke. With his greater size and height of now three meters, he moved with unrivaled speed.


    Xiao Luo quickly regained hisposure. Khun Sa started his assault by mming at Xiao Luo¡¯s head and wing at his chest. Xiao Luo countered the attacks with his sword.


    CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!


    Khun Sa used his wed nails to defend himself from the sword, producing a metallic ring every time the weapons shed. It showed the hardness of his ws.


    The battle grew intense as they exchanged attacks with sword and ws in the midair. Khun Sa exuded terrifying power and became fiercer as the fight continued. He had gone into a full destroyer mode and was destroying everything in sight. He tore the walls apart as if they were as soft as beancurd. Strewn debris was everywhere on the ground as he rampaged through the base.


    Xiao Luo had redeemed the Tyrant Sword from the system, which enhanced his hacking skills. He wielded the sword like a third arm with this skill and moved like a tsunami. His formidable attacks looked like waves crashing onto the rocks and were visually impressive.

 Chapter 544 - Berserk

    Chapter 544: Berserk


    The stark difference in sizes between the two battling men was an incredulous sight. Xie Luo and Ku Lou held their breaths in trepidation as they watched the ferocious battle. Both men were bloodthirsty and relentless and used to blood and gore, but what they were witnessing was beyond their wildest imagination. The fight was so intense that it caused shell-shock destruction as the two men broke walls and everything in their path.


    Are these men human?


    They were so focused on their battle that they seem to have forgotten the pain of their wounds. They were numb to it as they watched on.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    Xiao Luo had exchanged moves with Khun Sa for what seemed to be more than a hundred times. His long sword shed against Khun Sa¡¯s ws so fiercely that sparks flew all over the path of the battle.


    Khun Sa let out a hoarse sinisterugh as he mmed his ws down hard. Xiao Luo tried to block the assault with his sword, but the impact broke his sword in half. At this moment, Khun Sa seemed to be dominating the battlefield.


    KAPOW!


    Thick gushes of blood spurted out of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth, and he trembled. Then he was thrown hard against a wall, flying through the air like a cannonball. The wall crumbled upon that forceful impact, leaving a gigantic hole. A sandstorm raged, and when it settled, a pile of debris and bricks hadpletely buried Xiao Luo.


    Khun Sa beat his chest like a gori andughed scornfully. ¡°Come out, you brat! Let¡¯s have more fun!¡± he cried.


    His deeply sunken eyes gleamed with bloodlust in his frenzied rampage to finish off his opponent. As he grinned, slime oozed from his nose, continuously dripping down his face to the ground. It was a disgusting sight.


    BOOM!


    The pile of debris burst apart as Xiao Luo emerged out from under it. As the cloud of dust settled, Xiao Luo stood covered in blood but looked calm and seemingly unaffected by that attack.


    ¡°Oh sh*t, he is still alive?¡±


    Xie Luo and Ku Lou broke into a cold sweat as they looked at Xiao Luo with abination of wide-eyed admiration and shock, impressed by his tenacious vitality. He had undoubtedly exceeded a human¡¯s limit on sustaining injuries.


    Khun Sa was slightly puzzled, but he quickly recovered and sneered, ¡°You are really tenacious, aren¡¯t you? Not bad. Not bad. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Khun Sa!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted with anger as he clenched his teeth, blood oozing out from one side of his mouth. With a seemingly weakened body, he charged like a raging bull toward Khun Sa. As Xiao Luo flew toward Khun Sa, his body started to get stronger. Fueled by his immense anger, heunched his attack on Khun Sa.


    ¡°HAHHH!¡±


    Khun Sa lifted his head and roared toward the sky as he fully activated his hard qigong. He stood still, ready to take on Xiao Luo¡¯s punch directly. His sole purpose was to make Xiao Luo fall into total despair so that he could crush him both physically and mentally.


    However, he was overconfident and paid the price with blood.


    Xiao Luo had channeled every bit of his inner strength into this punch, which resulted in his ability to unleash an explosively powerful hit that was far superior to a bullet. As a result, this punch punctured Khun Sa¡¯s torso right through his lower back, causing a massive spurt of blood.


    ¡°Urghh, you little brat¡­¡±


    Khun Sa widened his eyes in disbelief and then became even angrier at Xiao Luo.


    Releasing a primal roar from his throat, he grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders tightly with both hands. With his sharp nails piercing into Xiao Luo¡¯s flesh, Khun Sa forcefully thrust him away.


    Xiao Luo could not evade this attack, and his body started spinning as he flew through the air.


    Khun Sa was immensely enraged now, and he continued his attacks even before Xiao Luonded. He choked Xiao Luo at his throat again with his hand. He then chose the most violent and cruel way to crush Xiao Luo as heunched toward the wall.


    ¡°BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Ku Lou and Xie Luo gasped as they watched the walls being torn down during the fierce battle. Their boss was unimaginably terrifying, and if his opponent had been any other ordinary man, that man would have turned into a puddle of meat sauce by now.


    A short period of silence ensued. Nothing moved. And then Xiao Luo flew out from the darkness. Evidently, Khun Sa had thrown him out.


    With his body covered in blood and dust and his clothes badly torn, he resembled those bodies from bombing attacks in a war zone.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo spat some blood as he struggled to get up.


    Xie Luo and Ku Luo were utterly dumbfounded and felt chills running down their spines. They had expected Xiao Luo to be dead by now, but the man just would not die. His vitality was unbelievable, and what they had witnessed tonight defied logic. It was a terrifying sight.


    ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡±


    With short bursts ofbored panting, the man-beast Khun Sa also emerged from the hole. Blood was flowing copiously out of his torso, and more slime was oozing and dripping from his nose as he panted heavily.


    Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!


    He was walking toward Xiao Luo, and the entire base shook with every step he took.


    When he finally came before Xiao Luo, the man-beast stomped on his opponent¡¯s head cruelly.


    CRUSH!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s head sunk into the ground with such force that it created a gigantic hole. Debris flew all over the base. And as it subsided, half of Xiao Luo¡¯s head was seen buried in this hole.


    ¡°Little brat, do you admit defeat now? Why don¡¯t you talk? You better f*cking open your mouth now!¡±


    Khun Sa stomped on Xiao Luo relentlessly, making the hole on the ground bigger.


    Was Khun Sa going to stomp him to death?


    Ku Lou and Xie Luo held their breath again as they watched their boss in his cruel act.


    All of a sudden, the temperature in the base fell to freezing point. The men shivered uncontrobly and heard a burst of cold, demonicughtering from the hole.


    ¡°Hehe, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    The voice was sharp and eerie, confusing everyone as to what was going on. The situation seemed weird.


    Khun Sa stared at Xiao Luo, who was under his foot. And he instinctively felt danger.


    Xiao Luo seemed to be on the verge of death and then clenched his fists and mmed them hard onto Khun Sa¡¯s foot.


    CRACK!


    The blow broke Khun Sa¡¯s ankle, and the bone protruded through his hard muscr skin. A massive amount of blood spurted from the wound, and his leg resembled a broken stick now.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Khun Sa¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at his broken right leg in disbelief. He had perfected his hard qigong, and even gunshots could not hurt him unless he was shot by a high-powered sniper rifle. What was happening now?


    Did his leg break?


    Was his right leg broken due to this brat¡¯s punch?


    That was impossible!


    While Khun Sa was still stunned, Xiao Luo maneuvered out of the man-beast¡¯s foot. He pivoted with his left foot and spun his body while executing a ferocious kick at Khun Sa¡¯s body with intense force.


    KAPOW!


    The energy force emitted from the power of his assault exploded like a thunderstorm, and this time Khun Sa¡¯s gigantic body flew and crashed through a few support pirs made of hardened concrete. Hended hard on a wall at the far end of the base but did not break it. Instead, his body had sunk into the wall. He had imprinted it with a human shape, and countless spiderweb-like cracks started to spread out from this indent.


    Both Xie Luo and Ku Lou stared at the scene in awe,pletely stunned as they broke into yet another bout of cold sweat.


    Who could have predicted that the dying Xiao Luo could still retaliate with such intensity? Looking through the cloud of settling debris, they saw the figure of Xiao Luo looking shaky as if he was about to copse anytime soon. But Xiao Luo limped slowly and deliberately toward Khun Sa. Although he looked like he would copse anytime, they started to feel a sense of fear creeping into their hearts as Xiao Luo¡¯s aura had changed entirely.


    Violent, bloodthirsty, destructive!


    At that moment, it felt like the gates of hell had broken open and the acrid smell of brimstone and death loomed in the air.

 Chapter 545 - Freed beast

    Chapter 545: Freed beast


    The shaking body and the menacing blood-red eyes did not resemble a human. His demonicugh rang out eerily in the night. With a bloodstained face, Xiao Luo looked terrifying.


    Seeing that Xiao Luo had turned into this state, even Khun Sa, who had turned into a monster himself, felt a piercing chill run down his spine. He looked slightly in awe and mumbled, ¡°This brat is a little odd!¡± In the next second, both of his eyes angrily narrowed, and he screamed, ¡°So what? You¡¯re about to be a heap of minced meat under my crushing blow!¡±


    His roar echoed throughout the base, and it sounded unearthly and hoarse. The man-beast Khun Sa charged up toward Xiao Luo with enormous hatred.


    The punctured wound on his torso and his broken ankle did not seem to affect him at all as his speed was as quick as ever. He charged toward Xiao Luo and intended to take him down.


    ¡°Hehe, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    With a mirthlessugh, Xiao Luo started to move forward to meet his oing opponent. He was not about to dodge or evade Khun Sa¡¯s attack. He nned to meet him head-on.


    Khun Sa was taken aback by Xiao Luo¡¯s course of action, but he smiled with disdain. ¡°Have you finally lost your mind? Can¡¯t you tell the difference of power between us? How could you choose the silliest way to face me?¡± he scowled, then suddenly, ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Before he couldplete what he wanted to say, he gave a long and painful howl instead.


    In a blink of an eye, from a distance of a few meters away, Xiao Luo had teleported himself toward Khun Sa with such high speed that the man-beast felt like a train had rammed right into his chest. Khun Sa was proud of the hard qigong skill that made him almost impregnable. He had no fear of ordinary bullets. But Xiao Luo¡¯s attack suddenly made him feel like all of his internal organs had churned and disintegrated inside him.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    He coughed out a mouthful of thick blood as his gigantic body flew backward towards a wall like a cannon bomb. His three-meter tall body rammed through four walls crushing them as if they were pieces of beancurd.


    How could this be possible?


    Both Xie Long and Ku Lou widened their eyes in amazement. They watched, as the two men with the vast difference in sizes, collided. Their boss, who was therger man, had flown through those walls. What was going on? What had just happened here?


    ¡°Hehe, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo continued to chuckle in that eerie manner as he speedily dashed, like a bolt of ck lightning, into the hole where Khun Sa was.


    Shortly afterward, a heated battle had begun. The two men fought hard, and their battleground began to shift out of the base. A trail of copsed buildings dotted the path of their destruction as they fought in the streets of Brule. Their energy forces and battle cries created deafening sounds that could be heard around the entire city as these two sworn enemies hunted each other down. As they fought, the city felt as if it was going through a raging sandstorm.


    Xie Long and Ku Lou could not see what was going on, but they could hear the intense battle. The sounding from the relentless assaults gave them goosebumps. And every time they hear the force of an attack, their hearts leaped.


    ¡°Xie Long, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°The situation seems to be against our boss¡¯s favor, I¡­we can¡¯t sit here and expect a miracle to happen, we need to do something for our boss¡­¡±


    Xie Long was very loyal to Khun Sa. He endured the pain from his injury and limped towards a jeep equipped with an L115A3 sniper rifle.


    The situation on the ground was as he had expected. After a couple of minutes, the ceiling broke apart as a gigantic being fell from above like a meteorite. The ground trembled. And an enormous hole was created by itsnding.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    When they had confirmed that it was Khun Sa, Ku Lou screamed uncontrobly. He was aghast and wondered, had he lost? Khun Sa had turned into such a ferocious monster. And yet he was still defeated?


    It was unbelievable and uneptable!


    Their boss¡¯s rampages could destroy armored vehicles, so how could he have possibly lost to Xiao Luo?


    At that moment, another cold and devilishugh came from Xiao Luo. Ku Lou stared into the pitch-ck hole and found a pair of blood-red eyes staring back at him. They resembled the eyes of a demon and looked extremely scary in the dark.


    Covered with blood, Khun Sa got up with much difficulty. He panted as he stared in disbelief at Xiao Luo, who was emerging from the darkness.


    How could this be possible?


    Wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo weaker? How did he be so strong all of a sudden?


    Every single pore on Khun Sa was breaking out in an uncontroble cold sweat as he wondered at the oue of their epic encounter. The way Xiao Luo had fought him was like a war machine that had gone nuts, attacking with unchecked and irrational violence. Everything Xiao Luo did was out of survival instinct, and he had used his body as his weapon. There were deepcerations everywhere on Khun Sa¡¯s body, and these were all Xiao Luo¡¯s work. Xiao Luo had torn his flesh apart, just with his fingers.


    Xiao Luo limped slowly, step by step as if he was about to fall anytime. His arms were hanging loosely, and his eyes were still blood-red. His face bore that devilish smile. Xiao Luo was covered with blood as well, and his clothes were badly torn, a reflection of the equally dire straits he was now in.


    The sight of him as he emerged from the abyss shook everyone who saw him!


    Khun Sa clenched his fists and was prepared for another round of battle. ¡°You little brat!¡± he roared.


    WHOOSH!


    Xiao Luo leaped into the sky like a bolt of lightning and crashed down like the almighty Thunder God.


    BOOM!


    The ground trembled, and the hole where Khun Sa was, had widened twice its size. The intensified pain that the man-beast felt made him howl in pain again while spurting out more blood. Xiao Luo had kicked him down on his chest and then looked down at him with a mocking scowl, further enraging Khun Sa.


    Humiliation, fear, anger¡­ such negative emotions began to well up into Khun Sa¡¯s head.


    Khun Sa no longer had any strength to retaliate, and heughed in self-mockery. ¡°Did I free this beast from within the little brat unintentionally? You freaking monster!¡± hemented.


    He would never have believed that this very man before him was Xiao Luo.


    In reply, Xiao Luo answered with a strong and heavy stomp.


    KABOOM!


    The diameter of the hole increased again as rocks flew all over. Thisst blow caused Khun Sa to return to his original state. His body deted like a balloon, returning him back into human form.


    ¡°Son of a b*tch, go to hell!¡±


    At that moment, Xie Long had climbed into the Jeep and fixed the sights of the L115A3 sniper rifle at Xiao Luo. He grunted with desperation as he fired the shot.


    BANG!


    The bullet flew out the barrel, and an explosive me red as it escaped the muzzle, whizzing its way towards Xiao Luo¡¯s head. The piercing sound as the bullet traveled was simr to a beast¡¯s scream. A deration that death was on its way. The menacing sound would give anyone listening goosebumps.


    Xiao Luo had his head looking down at Khun Sa, but reacted instinctively and held out an arm to block the L115A3 sniper bullet which could pierce through a dozen centimeters of steel board. He snapped open his palm to stop the speeding bullet, and just like that, it fell onto the ground.


    And then, there was silence. Xie Long, Ku Lou, and Khun Sa all gaped as all that registered in their brains was the distinctive sound of a metallic plink¨Cthe sound of the bullet as it fell onto the ground. It was a sound that pierced through the souls of the three men who watched, befuddled and in utter disbelief.

 Chapter 546 - SEAL Team

    <h2>Chapter 546: SEAL Team</h2>


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton froze in silence, while Khun Sa¡¯s eyelids quivered a little, and they stared at their quarry with an incredulous look on their faces. He was their prey no more, and they were filled with trepidation and broke into a cold sweat. What was Mie made of? He had actually stopped the bullet from the L115A3 sniper rifle barehanded! This was the most powerful sniper rifle in use around the world. It could even prate an armored car, and yet Mie had managed to stop the round just using his palm.


    A chill ran down their spines, and even their souls were shivering!


    This guy was not a human being!


    The three of them looked at Xiao Luo with a horrified look on their faces. No words could describe how terrified they really were at that moment.


    Xiao Luo chuckled, then raised his hands above his head. The air stirred, then swirled as a strange force began to emerge from his hands. Nearby, there was a military jeep that weighed around two to three tons¨Cand it started to shake and shift toward Xiao Luo. It gradually began to move faster until it eventually lifted off the ground and flew toward his hands. In absolute shock, Evil Dragon jumped off the jeep and broke his fall by rolling on the ground.


    BOOM!


    A deafening sound resounded across the air as Xiao Luo mmed his hand on the jeep¡¯s steel body. It was like the sound of two metal objects colliding, but the jeep was like soft tofu against the might of Xiao Luo. His five fingers prated the steel shell as he gripped the vehicle, taking four or five steps back to bnce himself. Then he raised wielded it like a massive steel mallet with one hand and mmed it down on Khun Sa.


    Khun Sa was petrified and trembled with his eyes wide open in fear. His hard qigong had been broken, and he would die for sure if he received another blow like this.


    ¡°Wait¡­ wait, wait¡­ can¡­ can we¡­¡±


    Khun Sa started to sweat profusely and tried to talk his way out of the dire situation he found himself in. When he saw Xiao Luo slowly raise the jeep up with just one hand, he knew his only hope was to appeal to Xiao Luo¡¯s warrior instinct of releasing a vanquished opponent who could fight no more.


    But with a mockingugh, Xiao Luo mmed down the jeep without showing any mercy at all.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Khun Sa screamed, but soon his agonizing howl was muffled, buried under the jeep that came down heavily on him.


    BOOM!


    The jeep was smashed up and now nothing more than scrap metal, and all four of its wheels were missing. Khun Sa¡¯sy in a pool of blood after being smashed to a pulp.


    Devilishughter escaped Xiao Luo as he grabbed the crumpled mess of a jeep, lifted it up, and then continued mming it on the ground again and again. The ground shook with a series of loud thumps. Various parts of the jeep broke off and were strewn all over.


    Evil Dragon and Skeleton felt both awe and unbridled fear. They considered themselves brutal and cruel, but they were mere dwarvespared to a giant like Mie¨Cthey were nothing.


    Xiao Luo stopped after around smashing the jeep down another five times. Realizing that Xiao Luo was staring at him now, Evil Dragon panicked and gathered all the strength to get up and run toward the warehouse exit. Mie was a demon, he thought, and the only option he had was to get away from him.


    A cruel grin formed on Xiao Luo¡¯s face as he lifted the smashed-up jeep, now nothing more than scrap iron, spun it around, and using its momentum, threw it at the fleeing man with all the strength he had.


    SWOOSH~


    The crumbled steel heap flew toward Evil Dragon, and true to its mark, it smashed into Evil Dragon, turning him into minced meat just like Khun Sa.


    Looking on at the carnage, Skeleton suffered from a mental breakdown and suddenly began to cry andugh at the same time. Mucus streamed out of his nostrils, and tears rolling down his face. Without waiting for Xiao Luo to end his life, he put the muzzle of his gun in his mouth, pulled the trigger, and a bullet prated through his head, ending his life immediately.


    ¡°Hehe, hehe, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a maniacal snigger like he was possessed and left the ce like a phantom.


    His body was emitting an immense amount of energy. In the dark of night, he went on a rampage in Brule City. He was a beast and was unstoppable. Houses and buildings copsed everywhere he went, and even seven or eight-story-high buildings were smashed to smithereens as he repeatedly crashed into them. It was as if he was carrying out some engineering sting operation.


    Thissted for a good three hours before he finally managed to use up the immense amount of energy that surged from his body!


    At that moment, Xiao Luo¡¯s body was so sore that he fainted and fell onto the ground. Just right before he closed his eyes, the blood-red color in his eyes dissipated, and they returned to normal once again.


    It was already daytime when he awoke¡­


    Xiao Luo noticed that the shirt he was wearing was torn up. And, had his hair been messy and disheveled as well, he would have looked exactly like a beggar.


    He could feel pain in his head after he awakened, and it felt like it was being pierced by sharp needles. Hence, he immediately crossed his legs and began meditating using the traditional method of Yi Jinjing. At the same time, he used up a hundred thousand points to heal up all the minor and major injuries in his body.


    When he finally opened his eyes again, he lifted his head to look at the dark and obscure sky. He could not help but smile when he thought of all the things that happened the night before.


    Was this caused by the Berserk State again?


    It felt like hepletely lost control of his own body, and he was also experiencing its side effects, which came in the form of severe headaches. Even with the Yi Jinjing and using the system to heal himself, he was only able to slightly relieve the pain and could notpletely get rid of it.


    This made him feel really uneasy, but as he thought about it, had he not entered the Berserk Statest night, he probably would not have been able to take down Khun Sa.


    As he pondered those thoughts, he dusted himself, got up, and prepared to leave Brule City.


    Roughly an hourter, he arrived at the spot where he left his vehicle. But, to his chagrin, other than the traces of the fighting fromst night, nothing else was left. The jeep was gone, and Sarah Michelle was missing as well.


    ¡°Did that woman take the car and leave because she thought I was already dead?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows. It was hard for him to be in a positive state of mind. All his rations and clothes were inside the vehicle, and it would pose a problem for him if that American woman had really taken the car and drove off with it.


    But at that moment, seven or eight persons suddenly emerged from the brush.


    Some of them were white, while some were ck. They all looked really muscr and threatening but didn¡¯t look hostile, judging from the looks on their faces. All of them were in their camouge fatigues, and the g on their shoulder patches indicated that they were Americans. They were holding onto M4 assault rifles, and their muzzles were pointed at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Raise your hands up!¡± shouted the muscr ck guy who looked to be in charge.


    Xiao Luo sneered and spoke with an American ent, ¡°You guys must be the SEAL team. I¡¯m sure the reason why you¡¯re here to exfiltrate Sarah Michelle.¡±


    The muscr ck guy furrowed his brows and was still suspicious of Xiao Luo¡¯s identity.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°I have the exact same mission as you guys.¡±


    ¡°Are you a warrior from Hua Nation?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°What do you have to prove your identity?¡± the ck guy asked, giving Xiao Luo a severe once-over.


    Xiao Luoughed and replied in mandarin, ¡°As soon as I say this, I think you can no longer doubt my identity.¡±


    ¡°Just because you can speak in mandarin doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re from Hua Nation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, being able to speak in mandarin doesn¡¯t necessarily mean I¡¯m from Hua Nation, but being able to speak in a pure mandarin ent like this definitely proves to you that I¡¯m from Hua Nation.¡±


    ¡°Interesting!¡±


    The ck guy smiled wryly and gestured with his hand. ¡°Stand down!¡± he said.


    The men lowered their guns. As the SEAL team leader, the ck guy was fluent in mandarin as well, and he could tell that Xiao Luo was speaking in pure mandarin. If he was an imposter, no matter how fluent their mandarin was, he would have been able to detect anomalies in the ent. Besides, while they were in contact with the Michelle family, they already knew that there was someone from Hua Nation who was also here to watch Sarah Michelle, so there was no need to doubt Xiao Luo¡¯s identity.


    The roar of a vehicle could be heard, and it was getting closer and closer.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyes to take a look and was filled with mixed feelings. Sarah Michelle had returned in the military car that he had, and another female member of the SEAL team was in the passenger seat.

 Chapter 547 - The most important thing

    Chapter 547: The most important thing


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡¯m so happy to see that you¡¯re back alive!¡±


    Sarah jumped out of the jeep. She looked genuinely happy and excitedly as she ran toward Xiao Luo and gave Xiao Luo a hug.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything, but of course, he wasn¡¯t about to leave either. The mission that NSA had given him was of a top priority now that Khun Sa was dead. He had to ensure this woman in front of him left this war zone safely no matter what.


    Sarah quickly introducing Xiao Luo to the muscr ck guy. ¡°Captain Powell, he¡¯s the warrior from Hua Nation that I told you guys about¨CMr. Mie,¡± she said.


    ¡°I already figured that, Ms. Sarah!¡±


    Powell nodded his head to show his respect and then extended his hand out to Xiao Luo. ¡°My name is Powell Smith. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Mie,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m really pleased to meet you as well,¡± Xiao Luo replied, shaking his hand in mutual respect.


    He thought it was just going to be an ordinary handshake, but as soon as he shook his hand, Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows a little. This muscr ck man called Powell increased his grip all of a sudden. Although stunned for a bit, Xiao Luo remained calm and increased his grip as well.


    Powell hadrge hands, and he thought this would be enough to embarrass Xiao Luo, who looked weak. When it came toparing the strength of their grip, he was confident that he had the upper hand, but in the next second, the color of his face changed suddenly. The other party¡¯s hand was like that of a steel plier that clutched onto him without letting him go. That kind of strength made it hard for him to withstand, and his five fingers were squeezed together in an instant. He felt the bones in his fingers were about to crack.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, what are you guys doing?¡± Sarah asked. She was looking at the both of them, gripping tightly onto one another¡¯s hand, and noticed that something didn¡¯t seem right.


    Xiao Luoughed a little and let go of his hand. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting along pretty well with Mr. Powell even though this is our first meeting. It feels like I¡¯m meeting a really old friend,¡± he said.


    Powell quickly recovered from his surprise and pitched in. ¡°Mr. Mie is right. Although we¡¯re warriors from two different countries, we¡¯re getting along so well despite it being our first meeting. How odd!¡±


    Then, he tried his best to keep the smile on his face, but his hand was feeling sore and numb, and he was even trembling a little. He thought he could embarrass Xiao Luo, but almost made a fool out of himself, and he could barely control the look on his face now. Sarah Michelle may not have been able to tell, but the members from his special forces team could clearly see what was going on there.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is so weird indeed!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled a little. To think that he tried to embarrass him even though they just met. This just went to show that what Ji Siying had warned him about was true, and the members of the American SEAL team didn¡¯t have a good impression of the soldiers from Hua Nation. They were always treating Hua Nation as an imaginary enemy during exercises, and so it had conditioned the SEAL team to treat them as their enemy.


    At this moment, a very tall white man stood out. He looked at Xiao Luo with burning eyes and asked, ¡°Mr. Mie, why do you look so pathetic? Your clothes are so torn up, even the nipples on your chest are showing. Were you robbed by someone?¡±


    After saying that, all the members of the SEAL team started sniggering.


    Xiao Luo looked at Sarah and asked, ¡°This person is?¡±


    ¡°Rice Broly, he¡¯s their vice-captain!¡±


    Sarah had only met the SEAL team membersst night, but she was already familiar with every member, exining why she knew his name. After replying to Xiao Luo, she then turned to Rice and said, ¡°Lieutenant Rice, Mr. Mie went to Brule Cityst night to fight with Khun Sa¡¯s Mercenary Corps. I¡¯ve already exined everything to all of you clearly, so why are you asking this question on purpose? Are you guys trying to mock Mr. Mie?¡±


    ¡°Mock him?¡±


    He smirked and thought to himself, wasn¡¯t that obvious enough?


    Rice raised his eyebrows and disyed a wry smile on his face. He could only say that from within but couldn¡¯t say it out loud. He nced at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°No, no, we¡¯re not trying to mock Mr. Mie. We are genuinely concerned about him. I mean, all of us here are nicely dressed, but Mr. Mie looks like a beggar you see in the streets, so we just feel sorry for him.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you don¡¯t have to worry about me, Mr. Rice!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was a little bit cold. He walked straight toward his jeep and took out a new set of camouge fatigues from his bag. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be changing his pants in front of all of them, but then again, it still looked pretty alright, rather like a pair of stylish ripped jeans, so he would still continue to wear them.


    This Hua Nation soldier is pretty interesting, Rice thought to himself.


    Rice and the other members nced at Powell, implying for him to take note of the kind of attitude he should employ when talking to Xiao Luo.


    Powell looked at Xiao Luo sternly and asked, ¡°Mr. Mie, what¡¯s the situation like with Khun Sa and his mercenary corps?¡±


    ¡°You can forget about Khun Sa and his mercenaries. You won¡¯t have to worry about them anymore,¡± Xiao Luo said, as he pulled up the zipper and began buttoning up his shirt.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®ignore¡¯ them? Can they no longer track down Ms. Sarah anymore?¡± Powell asked, furrowing his brows.


    Xiao Luo continued to button up the button on his neck, then he smiled and said, ¡°I guess you could say that!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie, you¡¯re underestimating them. Their individualbat skills are at par with ours, and their ability to track down someone is top-notch. This respite is only temporary, and it won¡¯t take too long before they starting after Ms. Sarah again like a bunch of hungry wolves,¡± Powell said.


    Xiao Luo smiled a little but didn¡¯t say anything. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to go into the details and exin everything to these bunch of American soldiers.


    He turned around to Sarah and said, ¡°I assume you¡¯re heading toward the coastal base that the Americans are evacuating from?¡±


    Sarah nodded her head and replied, ¡°Mm-hmm, that¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll escort you all the way then,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I¡¯m ever so grateful to you, Mr. Mie. If I have the chance in the future, I¡¯ll go to Hua Nation and see you there,¡± Sarah said. Although she had the SEAL team protecting her and making sure that she was safe, she still felt that it was much safer to have Xiao Luo around.


    ¡°Ms. Sarah, we¡¯re here; you don¡¯t really need him anymore,¡± the lone femalebatant in the team remarked.


    Her facial features looked pretty good, but that was only if you looked at them separately and not if you looked at them as a whole. At first nce, she looked like a man. Her skin looked rosy, but it was rough, and both sides of her cheeks were wrinkled. Her appearance was really ordinary, and the only thing worth mentioning was her figure¨Cshe was curvy but not fat.


    ¡°Minna, Mr. Mie is very capable. If it wasn¡¯t for him, those devils from Khun Sa¡¯s Mercenary Corps would have finished me off yesterday. He¡¯s also the guy that my grandpa sent from the Hua Nation to rescue me. As far as I am concerned¡­¡±


    ¡°Ms. Sarah, all you need is us. We¡¯re more than enough!¡±


    Minna repeated herself in a harsher tone. She walked toward Xiao Luo and looked at him arrogantly. ¡°Mr. Mie, right? You¡¯ve alreadypleted your mission here. From now on, Ms. Sarah¡¯s safety has nothing to do with you anymore. You can go now.¡±


    Xiao Luo was stunned by her bluntness but reacted with a smile. ¡°I listen to the orders given to me from above, and the mission they gave me was to guard Sarah Michelle. Before we arrive at the American coastal base, I won¡¯t leave,¡± he responded.


    He reminded himself that he was a member of the NSA. Gu Zhanguo had given him this mission as an opportunity to kill Khun Sa. Now that Khun Sa was dead, protecting Sarah Michelle was a critical mission for him, and nothing else mattered. Besides, he couldn¡¯t stand this arrogant and male-looking like woman, and if he just did ording to what she said, he wouldn¡¯t be Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 548 - Head out

    Chapter 548: Head out


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s very good¡­ In fact, that¡¯s extremely good!¡±


    Mina, with a cold expression on her face, turned and roared as she took two quick steps, and in a sh, delivered a ferocious roundhouse kick. Her technique was perfect as she swiveled on one leg as she turned around and sent her foot right to Xiao Luo¡¯s temple.


    The kick was well executed and delivered with an immense amount of power.


    Powell, the muscr ck guy, reacted immediately. ¡°Mina, stop right there!¡± he shouted.


    WHOOSH!


    Mina¡¯s right foot was barely five centimeters away from Xiao Luo¡¯s temple, but she stopped it in an instant. It sent a gust of air that blew aside the bangs in front of Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead.


    Xiao Luo red steadily at this woman without even moving an inch. He would definitely make sure he made this woman regret being born into this world if her leg had moved even an inch more.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    Sarah shouted at Mina as she pushed her away. Coming to Xiao Luo¡¯s defense, she hurriedly stretched out her arms and ced herself in front of him.


    Mina nced at her coldly and said, ¡°I want him to know that even a woman like me can easily take him down, and there¡¯s no reason for him to tag along anymore. With him around, he¡¯s only going to be a troublemaker for the entire team, and he¡¯s nothing but a burden.¡±


    ¡°Mina, how can you say that?¡±


    Rice had a mocking look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sure America and Hua Nation are two countries that are on good terms,¡± he said, ¡°How can you look down on Mr. Mie, who came all the way from Hua Nation? How can you say that he¡¯s going to be a burden? That¡¯s too much¨Cyou can¡¯t say such things.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Mina. You¡¯re way off there.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie is a warrior from Hua Nation¨Chow¡¯s he going to be a burden? Warriors from Hua Nation can easily take down ten of us by themselves!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Hua Nation always finishes first ce at the International King of Soldiers Competition held once every five years. Hua Nation is a nation known for producing the king of all soldiers! There¡¯s no way our country canpete against them.¡±


    All the other members had a yful and mocking smile on their faces. They could clearly tell that Vice-captain Rice was just chiming in, from his emphasis on the three words ¡°be a burden.¡± Besides, the tone that he used was patronizing and was filled with sarcasm.


    To be honest, Xiao Luo was not the least bit angry. Instead, he wanted tough. Xiao Luo wanted tough at how childish these American soldiers were. He wouldn¡¯t do anything to them as long as they didn¡¯t cross the line. But if they crossed it, God help them, for he would send them to meet their Maker without any hesitation.


    Sarah stared angrily at the SEAL team. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving with you guys if you dare to mock Mr. Mie again. I¡¯ll see how you report this to your superior officer and what his report to the Michelle family will look like!¡± she hissed.


    The looks on the faces of the SEAL team members changed instantly. They still had to spare a thought for Sarah Michelle¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Powell coughed a little, stood up, and tried to smooth things over. ¡°Alright, alright, Mr. Mie has the same objective as us. We¡¯re all here to protect and make sure that Ms. Sarah leaves this ce safely,¡± he said, ¡°We can be considered asrades based on this shared objective, and since we¡¯rerades, we¡¯ve got to stay united.¡±


    ¡°Right, I totally agree with what he just said!¡± Rice said, raising both of his arms immediately, cating hismanding officer.


    The rest nodded their head in agreement, but Mina red at Xiao Luo and turned her head away from him.


    Powellughed in an attempt to de-escte the situation. ¡°Mr. Mie, don¡¯t me her. A few years back, when Mina took part in the International King of Soldiers Competition, she was this close to winning thepetition, but one of the soldiers from Hua Nation managed to overtake her. She ended up getting second ce instead,¡± he exined, ¡°She has been brooding over it ever since, which exins why Mina isn¡¯t really friendly whenever she meets a soldier from Hua Nation, but don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a single thing, snorted a little before hopping into his own jeep.


    Be it Powell or Rice, or any of the members from the SEAL team for that matter, they were all jackals in disguise and birds of a feather. What unique qualities did they possess that they could so tantly belittle soldiers from Hua Nation? Let¡¯s y around then, and we shall see who will have thestugh, he thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get in Mr. Mie¡¯s vehicle!¡±


    Sarah chose to ride with Xiao Luo. She promptly opened the door and got into the passenger seat.


    ¡°Colonel, this guy from Hua Nation is pretty arrogant. Should we find an opportunity to teach him a good lesson?¡± Rice whispered to Powell.


    Powell shouted at him, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. We¡¯re not fighting against Hua Nation yet. What are you trying to do here, trying to strike the flint that sparks a war?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you over-exaggerating a little here? Why would the Hua Nation go to war with us over one soldier?¡± Rice responded.


    Rice disagreed and went on to say, ¡°I bet they won¡¯t have the guts to do it. They¡¯re only capable of criticizing others on the international stage.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing. The Hua Nation now is not the same state that was influenced by fascism back in the past. They¡¯re no longer a country that will allow their dignity to be trampled on. They¡¯ve already awoken from their unrealistic dreams that havested over a thousand years. You can¡¯t belittle this country no matter what,¡± Powell retorted.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Rice paid lip service, but deep down, he disagreed with what he just said.


    ¡°You should not have stopped me earlier. I wanted to make sure I embarrassed the crap out of him,¡± Mina scowled.


    ¡°Mina, trust me, I feel the exact same way towards the soldiers from Hua Nation as you do. But sometimes we can¡¯t be too hasty. So what if you embarrass him here? All you¡¯re doing is satisfying your angst and making you feel slightly superior. This time, our objective is to protect Sarah Michelle, and nothing is more important thanpleting our mission. So right now, we have to put aside any ill-feeling and work together with him,¡± Powell said.


    Mina found it a little bit hrious. ¡°What, work together with him? The eight of us here have to work with this one guy?¡± she cried.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t underestimate him. This Hua Nation soldier called Mie isn¡¯t as simple as he looks,¡± Powell answered.


    Just thinking about how he gave Xiao Luo a tight grip earlier on, but yet Xiao Luo had gripped him tighter, he just couldn¡¯t seem toprehend what was going on. He couldn¡¯t understand how such a weak-looking guy could have the brute strength of a beast.


    ¡­


    The SEAL team had two military vehicles with them, and to avoid being exposed, they had decided to hide them inside the forest. Now that they were heading towards the coastal base, they would need the vehicles, and on top of Xiao Luo¡¯s jeep, they would have three vehicles.


    Xio Luo looked at the SEAL team as they boarded their vehicles¨Cballistic helmets, night vision goggles, bulletproof vests, assault rifles, silencers, 45MM sidearms, M79 grenadeuncher,bat knives, a Gatling gun, and an exhaustive list of American-made weapons.


    Xiao Luo thought to himself, just here toplete this mission, and they¡¯ve already brought all their household belongings with them¨Chow interesting!


    Being armed to the teeth only gave them the appearance of being well-prepared, but in actual fact, they were just making it much more troublesome for themselves to travel around. The situation on a battlefield could rapidly change, and for soldiers to sessfully infiltrate their target zone, being lightly armed and mobile were the most crucial factors.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, why did you say that we could ignore Khun Sa and his mercenary corps earlier?¡± Sarah asked Xiao Luo when she got in the car, for she had been curious about this for quite a while now.


    Xiao Luoughed smugly as he looked straight ahead while driving. ¡°They¡¯re all dead. Do you think dead men can stille to find trouble with us?¡± he said.


    What?


    They¡­ they are all dead?


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were opened wide in shock, and she looked at Xiao Luo with an incredulous look on her face. She was sure that Xiao Luo was not lying to her, and the reason why Xiao Luo came back to Brule Cityst night was so that he could kill Khun Sa¨Cshe should have seen thising right from the start. Sarah had already known that it was the case when she saw Xiao Luo returning back alive. It was just that she found it hard to believe that Xiao Luo could actually pull it off.


    The notorious Khun Sa Mercenary Corps was known as the strongest squad in the entire East Africa battlefield, and yet they were taken out by this Hua Nation soldier right next to her. There was no way anyone could believe this. Who could actually believe that to be true?

 Chapter 549 - Chapter 549: Small Mountain Village

    Chapter 549: Small Mountain Vige


    As they hurried towards the American coastal base, Xiao Luo observed that the SEAL team¡¯sbat skills were excellent. They were quickly able to spot minefields, and on top of that, they had a mine detector that could urately identify the mines¡¯ location, allowing their vehicles to carefully navigate around the danger zones.


    Dusk was falling, and soon they arrived at a small mountain vige.


    Smoke could be spotted around the small mountain vige. When they looked over, they saw only about a dozen huts made of loess soil. There were barely any trees in the surroundings, a clear sign of desertification, likely caused the low air quality rather than other factors. The area was a dust bowl, and vigers in ragged clothes were scuttering around the vige. When they saw a band of armedbatants breaking in, the vigers stared at the strangers in trepidation with their eyes wide opened and cowered in fear.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty as hell! It¡¯s actually pitiful how little water they can provide. This entire country is turning into a desert. It¡¯s a miracle they can actually live here!¡± Rice said gruffly. His throat was dry, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead in desperation.


    He was extremely thirsty, and his entire body was aching after a whole day of traveling. Everyone else was in pretty much teh same condition.


    He turned his head and looked at Powell. ¡°Captain, I think we should rest here for the night, but we¡¯ve got to solve the water issue first,¡± he said.


    ¡°We can just ask the Libyan vigers here where we can go to get water,¡± Powell replied. He used his eyes to indicate that he was referring to the vigers standing at the vige entrance.


    Rice didn¡¯t notice it at first, but he got a shock when he had a look. ¡°Oh, my God, these people are severely malnourished. Look at those kids. They all look so hungry that all you can see are skin and bones. That¡¯s just pitiful!¡±


    ¡°As long as there¡¯s a war, the citizens are the ones who are going to suffer the most.¡±


    Powellmented and then turned to face his female team member. ¡°Mina, since they¡¯re the host, let¡¯s share a bit of our food with them. After all, we¡¯ll be able to return to the base by tomorrow, and the quantity of food we have in the car should be sufficient,¡± he said, ¡°What we need the most now is water. Take some food and make friends with them. I think they¡¯ll be happy to let us know where we can get some water and would be more than willing to let us rest here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Mina nodded her head and asked two more members for help. They took out some nutritious canned food andpressed high-energy rations.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a thing, but he did raise his eyebrows a little. Call it intuition, but this small mountain vige and all of its vigers gave him a strange feeling. It was hard to describe what he was feeling, but the atmosphere here was oppressive in general. The vigers were walking about staring nkly and resembled the walking dead who had already lost their souls. Their eyes look dull and dead, and they looked like puppets that were being controlled by someone.


    Sarah looked at Xiao Luo curiously, blinking her eyes. ¡°Mr. Mie, what¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Mie, this is just a small mountain vige. The ck Libyan army isn¡¯t here, so you don¡¯t have to be too nervous. Besides, you don¡¯t have to worry about a single thing, and if an ident happens, we won¡¯t abandon you no matter what,¡± Rice sneered.


    Xiao Luoughed and didn¡¯t say anything. It was better to just ignore people like this, he thought.


    ¡­


    When the vigers received the food rations, the way their dull-looking eyes looked upon Xiao Luo, and the rest of the team transformed significantly.


    Sarah Michelle automatically acted as the trantor, and through somemunication, she realized that there was a creek just roughly one kilometer east of the vige. The water there could be consumed, and the vigers agreed to provide a hut for Xiao Luo and the SEAL team to stay for a night.


    The hut had been damaged during a previous artillery bombardment, and there was a massive hole in the ceiling. Everyone here would undoubtedly be soaked wet by the rainwater if it rained. It was very much a courtyard surrounded by four walls butpared to all the other huts in this vige, this was probably the one in the best condition.


    Rice was gobbling down his canned food and looking at his surroundings. ¡°These Libyan vigers are rather friendly, and they actually let us have the best hut in this vige. When I return home, I must record the entire mission here in Libya in my log for posterity,¡± he said.


    There was a bonfire right at the center, and the light from the fire was flickering gently and casting shadows on everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Lieutenant Rice, your writing is so bad. How will we be able to read and understand the articles that you write?¡± One of the members said jokingly.


    Rice snorted and replied, ¡°Why would I need you to understand anything, as long as I can understand it myself, and if¡­¡± took a glimpse of Mina, and said yfully, ¡°Mina can understand, then that¡¯s more than enough because I¡¯m nning to give it to Mina as a gift, hehe!¡±


    Mina rolled her eyes at Rice and retorted, ¡°Get lost. I don¡¯t want anything from you!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone startedughing all of a sudden.


    Xiao Luo sat right at the corner without saying a single thing. He could tell that these American soldiers were trying to relieve their stress. This was a unique method to reduce stress, and he didn¡¯t rule out that Rice may have a liking for Mina. After all, to each his own. One man¡¯s meat was another man¡¯s poison. Rice could possibly like someone different, such as Mina.


    After a round of fun, the skies had turnedpletely dark.


    Didn¡¯t Hebrew and Adolf go to fetch some water? What is taking them so long? Why were they not back yet?


    Powell, the muscr ck man, furrowed his eyebrows and looked out into the night sky. He had a bad feeling about this and immediately turned around to Rice and said, ¡°Rice, bring someone along with you and go look for Hebrew and Adolf!¡±


    ¡°Captain, there are only a bunch of unarmed vigers here. What could happen to them? Let¡¯s wait a bit more; I¡¯m sure they¡¯lle back,¡± Rice responded.


    Powell had a stern look on his face. ¡°This is a war zone. Anything is possible here. We¡¯ve already lost two of ourrades on our way here, so we can¡¯t afford to lose any more people. Don¡¯t forget that besides the ck Libyan army, Khun Sa¡¯s Mercenary Corps are our enemies as well,¡± he growled.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Rice got rid of hisx attitude, called one more member, put on their night-vision goggles, and headed out immediately.


    ¡°Captain Powell, Mr. Mie told me that he has already got rid of the entire Khun Sa Mercenary Corps. There¡¯s actually no need for us to worry about them anymore,¡± Sarah pitched in.


    As soon as they heard that, everyone in the room was stunned, but beganughing the next second.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. ¡°You guys¡­ what are youughing at?¡± she said.


    Mina gave her a cold re and replied, ¡°Ms. Sarah, how can you trust everything that this guy from Hua Nation says? Only this morning, I scared him so badly with one kick that he couldn¡¯t even move at all. If I wanted to kill him back then, there¡¯s no way he could have done anything to fight back. Just him alone, and he thinks he could get rid of the entire Khun Sa Mercenary Corps? What a joke!¡±


    ¡°They say that Hua Nation has rich and traditional values, don¡¯t tell me that the traditional value they have includes bragging? Haha, haha¡­¡± another person said.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone startedughing along with him.


    ¡°Why are all of you being like this? Mr. Mie is powerful, and he even¡­¡±


    ¡°Ms. Sarah, do you know why he wanted toe along with us? Let me tell you why.¡±


    Mina interrupted Sarah mid-speech, ring unkindly at Xiao Luo. ¡°Because he knows that it¡¯d be hard for him to survive in this ce all by himself. That¡¯s why Mr. Mie over here needs our protection. As long as he¡¯s with us, the chances of him leaving Libya alive is going to be higher. Am I right, Mr. Mie?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed wryly and couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay any attention to such an annoying woman. He decided to refresh his spirits by closing his eyes, and except for Sarah Michelle, everyone else there was like thin air to him.


    Mina gritted her teeth. For, by keeping quiet, Xiao Luo was putting up the best counter against her tirade and just made her look like an unreasonable old shrew.

 Chapter 550 - Conflict

    Chapter 550: Conflict


    ¡°Mr. Mie is not who you think he is. I don¡¯t want you to say things like that about him!¡±


    Sarah was really protective of Xiao Luo. After all, this man was the one who saved her life. Besides, everyone else might not know, but she was well aware of Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities. And they thought that Xiao Luo was following them because he needed their protection¨Cthat was the biggest joke of all.


    Mina stared at Xiao Luo with a look of disdain. ¡°Ms. Sarah, the people from Hua Nation are extremely cunning, especially the Hua Nation soldiers. I¡¯ve seen through all of them, and they¡¯re nothing but a bunch of bastards!¡± she said.


    Cunning? Bastards?


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t nning on stooping down so low to this brainless woman¡¯s level, but this woman had insulted him time and again, and he could no longer bear to just sit still and not do anything.


    He stood up with a nasty smirk on his face. ¡°You¡¯re Mina right. So what id it¨Cyou slept with one of our soldiers from Hua Nation, and he got rid of you like trash after having enough fun with you? Is that why you have this kind of prejudices against us Hua Nation soldiers?¡±


    Mina¡¯s eyes were wide opened, and she clenched her fist tight. ¡°What did you say?¡± she hissed.


    ¡°How can you not understand what I just said?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly. ¡°I said you¡¯re nothing but trash that was discarded by our Hua Nation soldier. If I knew who that soldier was or where he lived, I¡¯d make sure to go find him and scold the crap out of him. Was he really that hungry? How could he just sleep around with anyone without having a proper look first? If he had contracted any sort of diseases, then wouldn¡¯t he be bringing more harm to our Hua Nationrades?¡±


    Even Sarah Michelle was shocked that he could say something that crude. She could never have imagined that Xiao Luo would say something like that.


    All the other members of the SEAL team, including Powell, were stunned. They all thought that this Hua Nation soldier had crossed the line. What¡¯s more, they knew quite a bit about Mina and knew that she once had a Hua Nation soldier as her boyfriend. It was also true that she was dumped by him, so she hated the people from Hua Nation. To top it all, the International King of Soldiers Competition was another fundamental reason she hated them.


    Mina had a bad temper, and after hearing that, she exploded right on the spot.


    ¡°Good, very good, extremely good! You¡¯ve sessfully angered me, and you will have to pay the price for making me angry!¡±


    She stares at Xiao Luo like that of a female leopard, and in the next second, she charged towards Xiao Luo. ¡°Go to hell, you Hua Nation bastard!¡± she shrieked.


    POW!


    She mmed her left foot on the ground, stopped her charge, and rotated around using the momentum. Her right foot carried immense power, and swishing through the air, her kick homed in straight for Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    The force behind her kick was terrifying! There was nothing woman-like in her execution, and it was vigorous, deadly, and powerful!


    Xiao Luo sneered, clenched his right hand into a fist, and struck with a simple punch using his body strength alone without using his internal force.


    The fist and foot shed, and an explosive thud could be heard!


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t move at all. He was as steady as Mountain Tai, while Mina flew backward uncontrobly like a broken kite and fell to the ground roughly three meters away.


    Powell and all the other members of the SEAL team were shocked. Mina was known to be a strong fighter, and in terms of power, she was a match for any man. But she had already lost despite being the first time she was shing against this Hua Nation soldier. The SEALs were astonished.


    Mina was equally shocked as well. She stared at Xiao Luo with her eyes wide open as shey on the ground. He hadn¡¯t even tried to defend against her kick earlier in the day¨Cwasn¡¯t that because he was so scared that he froze?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were filled with mockery. He took a step forward and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to lower myself to a woman¡¯s level because we Hua Nation men are gentlemen from head to toe. But don¡¯t take my patience for granted, just you alone, you don¡¯t have what it takes to challenge me!¡±


    ¡°Jerk!¡±


    Mina was extremely angry and got to her feet by performing a kip-up. She dashed toward Xiao Luo once again with a roar and vowed to give this Hua Nation man a good beating.


    She closed in really quickly, leaped upward, and made use of the momentum of the dash and her body strength to aim her knee toward Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    Xiao Luo sneered, shifted slightly, then jumped up vertically and kicked her in the abdomen.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    With a painful scream, Mina flew out like a cannonball and mmed into one of the hut walls before dropping heavily on the ground.


    This time around, she could no longer get up that easily as she had earlier on. Her intestines felt like they had been squashed together. The pain was indescribable, and blood started oozing from the corner of her mouth. Veins were protruding from her forehead. The lower half of her body was on the ground while the upper half was leaning against the wall, and she groaned in pain.


    Huh?


    Is this Mr. Mie¡¯s real power?


    Powell and all the other members of the SEAL team gasped. They initially thought that this was another Hua Nation guy that they could casually make fun of, but never did they imagine that he was such a fierce and tough fighter.


    Swish! Swish!


    Two guns were immediately pulled out and pointed at Xiao Luo by two members of the SEAL team. The smiles that they had on their faces earlier on was long gone, and their eyes were fixed on Xiao Luo. Those eyes looked like they were staring at an enemy.


    ¡°I honestly hate it when someone points their gun at me. I¡¯ll give you guys five seconds to put your guns down!¡±


    Xiao Luo still had that smirk on the corner of his mouth, but the kind of killing aura that he was now emitting was enough to strike fear into one¡¯s heart.


    Before Xiao Luo could act, Sarah quickly shouted at the two members of the SEAL team. ¡°What are you guys doing? Put your guns down! Hurry up, and put your guns down!¡±


    Powell shouted, ¡°Bob, put your guns down. It¡¯s an order!¡±


    After hearing that, the two members of the SEALs reluctantly lowered their guns.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡¯m sorry that they were rude to you. Let me apologize to you on their behalf!¡±


    Powell bowed respectfully toward Xiao Luo and quickly walked toward where Mina was and lifted her.


    Pain could be seen written all over that woman¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯t seem to understand how Xiao Luo could defeat her, and she couldn¡¯t ept this loss. No one could have imagined that this Hua Nation guy would be that skillful. The guy that she thought she could just mess around with easily had trampled all over her. There was no way she could ept something like this.


    ¡°Jerk, let¡¯s fight again!¡± She roared at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Mina, are you crazy? You better keep quiet!¡±


    Powell scowled, and this time he was angry. He knew right from the start that Xiao Luo is not an ordinary man, and looking at it now, he was right. This Hua Nation soldier was mighty; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to defeat Mina that easily without breaking a sweat.


    Powell was a colonel and was also the person in charge of this entire squad. His words were carried a lot of weight. After her incident with Xiao Luo, Mina was inwardly in awe and was quite wary of Xiao Luo. She was simply just giving herself a chance to remove herself from an awkward position with her pride intact. If they were to fight again, she would definitely be smashed by him once again. So, she knew that she could only grit her teeth and stare at Xiao Luo without saying a single thing.


    ¡°Colonel Powell, keep your men in check; otherwise, you¡¯re going to regret it!¡±


    Xiao Luo warned him. The only reason that Mina dared to be this arrogant was that Powell was silently condoning all of their actions. He knew right from the start that they were all jackals of the same tribe. If they really pissed him off, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to wipe them all off the face of this earth. Although it would then be possible for Sarah Michelle to witness all of that and report it to the entire world, and cause him to have a bad international reputation¨Cbut so what if she did that?


    The corner of Powell¡¯s mouth twitched a little, and he then put on an apologetic face. ¡°Mr. Mie, I can assure you that something like this will never happen again. Mina, apologize to Mr. Mie!¡± he scowled.

 Chapter 551 - Hungry Beasts

    Chapter 551: Hungry Beasts


    Apologize?


    Apologize to the person from Hua Nation? It is f*cking ridiculous!


    Mina couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard, but looking at Powell¡¯s serious-looking face, she could tell that Powell wasn¡¯t joking and was dead serious. She couldn¡¯t ignore his order, so she gritted her teeth and apologized unwillingly to Xiao Luo. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was in the wrong earlier on.¡±


    TWACK!


    The sound of a p resounded in the confines of the hut. It came without any warning, and Xiao Luo didn¡¯t hesitate to do it for a second.


    Mina was in total shock. All she could feel was that burning pain on the left side of her face. ¡°You¡­¡± she cried.


    Xiao Luoughed as if nothing happened. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll ept your apology,¡± he said.


    Powell, along with the two of the members of the SEALs standing by the side, was stunned. They could have never imagined that Xiao Luo would p Mina across her face.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, there¡¯s no need for that! You¡¯ve gone overboard!¡± Powell growled. He couldn¡¯t allow the dignity of the SEAL team to be vited.


    ¡°I did?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered to pretend to be courteous to these American soldiers. ¡°I don¡¯t think I went overboard!¡± he replied.


    ¡°Jerk, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    Mina haspletely exploded at this point. Fueled with murderous intent, she grabbed the gun on her waist, pointed it at Xiao Luo, and pulled the trigger.


    She pulled the trigger, but there was no gunshot. The bullet that was supposed to fly out and prate through Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead was nowhere to be seen as well. After taking a closer look, she then realized that Xiao Luo had grabbed onto the tip of the gun tightly, preventing the gun from firing.


    Huh?


    Sarah Michelle and two of the members of the SEAL team gasped. This was just too shocking and frightening. If they weren¡¯t witnessing this in person, there was no way they would believe that anyone would attempt to prevent the gun from firing by doing something like this.


    ¡°Kill me? Are you sure you have what it takes to do so?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent, and everyone at the scene couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of chill. As soon as he finished saying that, the muzzle pointed upward and pointed at the hole right on top. The bullet that had yet to leave the barrel finally discharged with a loud bang.


    Minna broke into a massive, cold sweat. She had not realized the power of this person from the Hua nation until this very moment. Except for the word ¡°monster,¡± she couldn¡¯te up with any other name to describe Xiao Luo. He was able to stop her from shooting in such an incredible way.


    Powell unconsciously raised his submachine gun, but the next second he dismissed the idea and forced a smile. ¡°Mr. Mie, this is all a misunderstanding. Mina was too impulsive just now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Mr. Mie¡­¡± Sarah also interceded with Xiao Luo on Mina¡¯s behavior.


    Actually, Xiao Luo¡¯s aim was to support the Hua nation and trample on the SEALs¡¯ dignity. Otherwise, these people from Mei Nation, especially this woman named Mina, were always eager to nder the Hua nation¡¯s soldiers.


    ¡°Our missions are independent of each other¨Cyou are not responsible for me, and I am not obligated to you too. We should just perform our own respective duties and keep to ourselves. It¡¯s best to maintain peace as long as we¡¯re heading the same way, but if any one of you insists on making trouble, I¡¯ll let you guys know that there is an enemy even worse than the Libyan rebel fighters here!¡±


    Every single word of Xiao Luo touched the nerve of four SEALs. They really didn¡¯t expect the person from Hua nation would be so dominant, brutal, and overbearing. Just because Mina abused him verbally, she was beaten up and pped in the face.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    At that moment, the sound of gunfire broke the silence of the night.


    Everyone in the room was shocked. Had Rice and his team made contact with the enemy?


    Powell responded quickly and waved his hand. ¡°Go on alert!¡± he cried.


    With that, he took the lead and rushed out.


    Mina and two other team members followed closely behind.


    Sarah looked at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Mr. Mie, should we take a look?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said.


    Instead of relying on these soldiers from Mei Nation, he preferred to check out the real situation by himself.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The night was as ck as pitch, deep and depressing.


    Following the direction of the gunfire, Xiao Luo, Powell, and the SEAL team came to a bare hillside about a mile outside the vige, where a bonfire was set up. A strong scent of the aroma of roast meat wafted through the air from that distance.


    ¡°What a delicious smell! There¡¯s roast meat!¡±


    Sarah swallowed her saliva as the smell was so appetizing that she even forgot about the sound of the gunfire.


    Roast meat?


    What kind of meat is it? Is it livestock¡¯s meat?


    If there were livestock, howe the vigers here were all skinny and weak from hunger?


    And what about the sound of gunfire?


    That was clearly the sound of a shot from a 45mm pistol produced by Mei nation, which meant that it was the Mei nation¡¯s soldier who pulled the trigger!


    Who were they trying to shoot? The enemy or the vigers here?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead knotted in a frown, and an extremely nasty feeling came over him.


    A dozen bodies were lying near the bonfire, all of them from the vige. And it was Rice and another SEAL who fired the shots.


    ¡°Rice, what¡¯s going on? Why did you shoot them?¡±


    Powell looked at him anxiously and asked, ¡°I told you to find Hebrew and Adolf. Where are they?¡± Hisst words were even like a growl.


    Rice¡¯s face was ghastly white. He pointed to the two naked bodies lying by the bonfire and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t they right here?¡±


    Everyone took a closer look and saw that the heads of the bodies were missing. They were disemboweled, and the thighs were missing as well. Then they chunks of meat being roasted on the bonfire on sticks, and they knew that they were chunks of human thighs cut into pieces.


    Were these vigers roasting human flesh to eat here?


    Every one of them shuddered and felt a chill run down their spines!


    Rice recalled with horror. ¡°When I found them, the vigers were chopping off their bodies piece by piece, roasting it and eating it,¡± he said, ¡°The vigers dumped their heads in a ditch over there. I never expect them to suffer such a tragic death!¡±


    ¡± WEKK ¡±


    A surge of nausea rose from Sarah¡¯s gut, and she turned her back and retched violently. Remembering that she thought it was so appetizing just a moment ago when she learned that the roasted meat was actually human flesh, her stomach churned continually, and she couldn¡¯t keep it in.


    ¡°Devils, these devils are cannibals!¡±


    As she vomited, she denounced the vigers with revulsion. ¡°How could they do such a thing? It¡¯s so inhumane!¡± she cried.


    Although Xiao Luo was shocked by the inhumanity of cannibalism, he thought it was natural. ¡°A hungry man is no different from a wild animal,¡± he opined.


    His forebodings had been justified. The vige had problems, so did the vigers, and that was why he sensed the strange atmosphere hanging over the vige.


    Powell was going crazy. ¡°How could those f*cking wretched vigers kill Hebrew and Adolf? Where did they have the means? F*ck!¡±


    ¡°Captain, we didn¡¯t even think these vigers would attack us,¡± Rice responded, disclosing the cause of the trouble.


    Powell was furious. ¡°Where are the other vigers? Where are they!¡± he scowled.


    ¡°The vigers have already run away. They were all sitting around here eating. When they saw us shoot and kill some of them, they ran away.¡±


    Powell roared in murderous fury. ¡°Find them all! Kill them to avenge Hebrews and Adolf! he ordered.

 Chapter 552 - Birds of a Feather

    Chapter 552: Birds of a Feather


    The six SEALs were searching for the vigers like madmen. With their night vision goggles on, they were like feline predators hunting in the dark. The vigers who thought they had hidden well under cover of the night were quickly found and shot dead.


    Half an hourter, the vigers¡¯ bodies were strewn across the ground. Driven by rage, these SEALs had shot them all to death in a flurry of executions. Many of them had been shot at least twice, and some of them even suffered a dozen shots. The bodies were just like pieces of burned tomatoes¨Ctoo badly singed and mangled to be recognized.


    When Rice looked at the bullet-riddled bodies of the vigers, his eyelids quivered. He still remembered how the vigers had been so friendly and aodating when they were given food rations, which was really ironic. But it wasn¡¯t just Rice; even Powell, Mina, and the other three SEALs found it a challenge to gather their senses. They might be able to ept the cruel act of a person dying from torture, but they would never ept such an inhumane thing as eating a person¡¯s flesh.


    Powell closed his eyes in pain, then heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Ourrades, Hebrew and Adolf, have sacrificed themselves valiantly for this mission. Let¡¯s bury them well,¡± he said.


    ¡°Got it!¡± The others replied in unison.


    Then, they started to dig graves for the two dead SEALs on the hilltop. They collected their heads from the ditch, cing them back along with the rest of their bodies in the graves. A deep and heavy sadness hung over them all.


    Xiao Luo remained silent throughout. Although he didn¡¯t have a good impression of these soldiers from the Mei Nation, he didn¡¯t gloat over their misfortune. The tragedy of humans eating humans wasn¡¯t just limited to these soldiers from the Mei Nation. It was a tragedy that belonged to all of humanity.


    Sarah Michelle¡¯s eyes were red. She clenched her fists and was resolved to expose such an incident to the world. ¡°I want to expose all of this. I want the whole world to know that war will only bring pain. It¡¯s the enemy of all mankind!¡± she cried.


    ¡°You have the capability and the connections to do so!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head in agreement. In this regard, he totally agreed with Sarah. War only brought hunger and panic, and the problems it created were immenselyplicated.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, you¡¯ve suspected that these vigers would pose a danger from the very beginning, right?¡± Sarah asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°No. I just thought something was a little strange, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Sarah then asked, ¡°Strange? What¡¯s strange?¡±


    ¡°The eyes of the Libyan civilians I met along the way were not only dull and numb but fearful. The vigers here had simr looks in their eyes, but theycked one thing¨Cfear. When they saw us in camouge fatigues and armed with weapons, they didn¡¯t avoid us out of fear. Instead, they looked at us cautiously. That¡¯s why I thought it was a little strange,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Upon hearing that, Sarah and the SEAL team members were taken aback. When they arrived at the vige at dusk, the vigers looked at them with cautious but eager eyes. It turned out they were looking at food.


    Vice-captain Rice red at Xiao Luo aggressively. ¡°Mr. Mie, since you found something wrong, why didn¡¯t you say something to us? What are your intentions?¡± he shouted.


    Xiao Luo snorted. ¡°That was just my guess. What¡¯s more, would you have taken my words for it?¡±


    Rice was unable to argue with Xiao Luo¡¯s words. Indeed, they had looked down on Xiao Luo since he joined up. Even if Xiao Luo raised his doubts at that time, they would onlyugh at him for being too cautious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t count on him. He never treated us asrades orpanions,¡± Mina said.


    Upon hearing that, Xiao Luo almostughed. He was really be amused by their unfounded usations. Even if these soldiers from the Mei Nation country treated him better and not so hostile to him, he would help them as much as possible because they were on the same mission. Like the tragedy they had just experienced, when he felt something wrong with these vigers, he would naturally help these Mei nation¡¯s soldiers avoid them.


    But in reality, just seeing Mina was enough to make him want to vomit. She, as well as the SEALs, were all birds of a feather. He was already gracious enough not to take advantage of tragedy or stand on the vigers¡¯ side to deal with them. Now they even ask him to do them a favor? What gave them the right to do that?


    ¡°He even hit Mina just now!¡± One of the SEALs said with indignation.


    What? How dare he!


    When Rice heard that, he was immediately fired up. ¡°Mr. Mie, you must give me an exnation. Otherwise, I will let you know how powerful we SEALs are!¡±


    He rolled up his sleeves and cracked his knuckles, looking like he was about to start a fight.


    ¡°Rice, stop being so full of yourself. Mr. Mie is part of the security detail. Right now, we need to unite against the enemies, not engage in internal strife!¡± Powell growled.


    ¡°But he hit Mina. I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Lieutenant. I ordered you here to dig graves for Hebrew and Adolf and give them ourst respects as a team!¡± Powell shouted, giving him a stern look.


    Generally speaking, when a superior addressed a junior officer by his military rank, it meant that he had reached his limit of patience.


    Rice gritted his teeth, and with great effort, he lifted his chest and raised his chin. ¡°Got it,¡± he responded.


    They went back up the hill to help with the digging of the graves.


    Xiao Luo did not feel like doing that and went back to his room to get some rest. Sarah Michelle preferred to stay close to Xiao Luo as she felt safest to be near him, so she stuck by him wherever he went like his shadow.


    She stared at the man as he closed his eyes to rest with his back against the wall. The light from the fire lit up his cold but handsome face. He was like an eagle in the night sky, aloof and proud. He was radiating such steely confidence that would make the world bow to him.


    ¡°Grandpa, thank you so much for hiring such a great helper from Hua Nation. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I would be long gone by now,¡± Sarah Michelle thought to herself.


    ***


    The next day, they took off and left the small mountain vige.


    Two lone graves appeared on the hill, and the vigers¡¯ corpses strewn across the field added a queerness to the atmosphere. The day was dark and dreary, with yellowish dust floating in the air. The ce felt like hell.


    However, Powell and his team continued on the mission, and they soon got over the grief of losing theirrades. Powell had collected the badges of his two team members who had perished and kept them safe. It symbolized that they did not leave Hebrew and Adolf behind.


    Powell walked toward Xiao Luo and stuck his hand out to him, hinting that he would like to start over. ¡°Mr. Mie, I sincerely hope that we can bury the hatchet and work together since we are on the same team now. We should help each other, am I right?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo knew that his conduct would represent his country in the eyes of these Americans. As such, he epted Powell¡¯s gesture of goodwill and shook his hand. ¡°Yes, you are right. I totally agree,¡± he said with a wry smile.


    He would pretend to be polite andpliant once more because he knew that Powell was not someone to be taken lightly.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, you are such a gentleman. As the Chinese saying goes, ¡®A Prime Minister¡¯s mind is broad enough for a boat to sail in.¡¯ Mr. Mie, you are the Prime Minister.¡± Powell said.


    Xiao Luo smiled. ¡°Mr. Powell, your Chinese is excellent!¡± heplimented.


    Compared to Mina and Rice, Powell was much more sophisticated and better at covering his tracks. Xiao Luo wanted to continue poking fun at him to see when he would reveal his true colors.

 Chapter 553 - The Emerging Crisis

    Chapter 553: The Emerging Crisis


    The dark and gloomy day reflected the mncholic mood that was looming over Libya.


    On the road through the dunes that stretched toward the horizon, three green military vehicles were speeding, leaving clouds of sand billowing behind them.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird. Why hasn¡¯t the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps made a move? Logically speaking, they would have caught up to us already!¡± Rice said.


    Rice, the vice-captain, frowned as he spoke to Powell, who was beside him. Powell, Mina, and he were in thest vehicle while two SEALs were in the first vehicle, taking the lead. Xiao Luo and Sarah Michelle were in the middle.


    Powell furrowed his brows in deep thought. He was ready to get into battle, but surprisingly the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps had not shown up. What was happening? Those desperados were capable of easily tracking Sarah Michelle down. Was what Sarah Michelle said true, then? Have they all been annihted by that Hua Nation guy?


    Did he take down the whole Khun Sa Mercenary Corps all on his own?


    How could that be possible?


    He had a hard time believing the story.


    He calmed himself as he turned toward Rice. ¡°Do not let your guard down. The men in the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps are very cunning and cruel. We have to be on high alert all the time,¡± he said.


    Rice nodded, indicating that he understood.


    He turned around to look at Minna, who was riding shotgun. ¡°Mina, are you feeling alright?¡± Rice enquired.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she responded.


    Mina red viciously at the military truck in the middle, knowing that she would never find it in her heart to forgive Xiao Luo and would never stop hating him.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. How dare that goddamn Hua Nation man do such a thing to a woman, I am looking at Hua Nation from a whole new perspective now,¡± Rice said.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t disregard what I just said!¡± Powell interrupted.


    ¡°I can now see that this Mie is not an ordinary man. If we want to get back to the base by the coast safely without losing any more of our members, we need his help. So stop picking on him. This is an order that I expect you to obey at least until we reach the base by the coast,¡± Powell warned them both.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, Captain. We will do as you say, and we¡¯ll stop picking on him.¡±


    Rice did not take it seriously. He thought that Captain Powell was giving that guy from Hua Nation far too much leeway. What was Powell thinking? That they couldn¡¯tplete the mission without Mie? Or get back to the military base on the coast on their own? Bullsh*t.


    Mina humphed, as she also thought that Powell was overestimating Xiao Luo. That scumbag was just slightly better than her at Kungfu. Well, Kungfu from Hua Nation was world-famous. There was little doubt that he was better than her, but she would not lose to him if they were using thermal weapons.


    Out of the blue, the driver, a member of the SEAL team, stepped on the emergency brakes. The moving vehicle that was traveling at a steady pace came to a sudden stop. Powell, Rice, and Mina lunged forward, reacting to the inertia created by the emergency stop. Rice hit his head on the headrest of the front passenger seat.


    ¡°Oh sh*t! Thomas, do you f*cking know how to drive a car?¡±


    Rice screamed at the team member who was driving the car, spitting everywhere.


    ¡°Brother Rice, you can¡¯t me me for this, it¡¯s the guy from Hua Nation who suddenly stopped his car,¡± Thomas replied. He felt wronged and pointed at the jeep in front of them.


    ¡°That annoying guy from Hua Nation!¡±


    Hearing that, Rice, who already resented Xiao Luo, became even more furious, and he forcefully opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle.


    At that same time, Xiao Luo was also stepping out of his jeep. Rice stormed toward Xiao Luo in anger, intent on questioning him. ¡°Mie, why did you stop the car suddenly? Didn¡¯t you know what you just did is very dangerous?¡± Rice yelled.


    Xiao Luopletely ignored Rice as if he was invisible. He looked up and gazed off into the distant skyline.


    Sarah also got out of the truck, and she looked in the same direction that Xiao Luo was looking at with squinted blue eyes. ¡°It seems like a sandstorm, but the height of a sandstorm shouldn¡¯t be that low, right? It has alreadye so close to us, but I still don¡¯t feel the wind!¡± she said.


    She sounded unsure as she bounced her thoughts off Xiao Luo.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a sandstorm!¡±


    Xiao Luo disagreed with her right away. ¡°It looks like the dust trail made by vehicles when they are speeding through the dunes,¡± he said.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± Rice screamed.


    Rice was extremely angry, and he could no longer hide his fury as he did before. He reached out and grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder.


    The moment he put his hand on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, Xiao Luo turned around and kicked him in the stomach.


    THUMP!


    Rice staggered backward, and he bent forward and held his abdomen. His face crumpled in pain, so much pain that it felt like his stomach was being pierced by an electric drill. The excruciating pain distorted his face.


    Xiao Luo squinted at him coldly. ¡°I hate it when someone grabs my shoulder from behind,¡± he said.


    ¡°F*CK!¡± Rice cried.


    Rice blew his top, as this felt as humiliating as taking a bad spill. However, when he looked up, a dozen military trucks came into sight over the horizon. The trucks formed a row and were speeding toward them like beasts, leaving a trail of billowing sand behind.


    At that moment, with his pupils dted and his countenance changed, he started shouting as he pointed to the front. ¡°We¡¯ve got a situation here!¡± he continued to scream back to his team.


    The others also saw the trucks and did not need his warning. A dozen other trucks were moving at an insane speed towards them from the other direction. The enemy was not only closing in from the front but attacking from the back as well. The speeding trucks kicked up sand, creating what looked like a sandstorm.


    ¡°Goddamn it, it¡¯s the Libyan rebel fighters!¡± shouted Powell.


    Powell had used his high-powered binocrs to assess the situation, and he couldn¡¯t help but cry out in dismay.


    The rebel fighters?!With the thought that they would encounter the Libyan National Army, themandos felt chills creeping down their spines.Powell reacted immediately. ¡°Mr. Mie, we are counting on you to protect Miss Sarah now. You two should go first. We¡¯ll bring up the rear!¡± he said.Xiao Luo did not stand on ceremony. Before he could determine the number of Libyan rebel soldiers and what weapons they possessed, he was not about to act arrogantly and burn his bridges, especially with the enemy attacking from two directions. Together with Sarah, Xiao Luo fired up his jeep and pressed the elerator pedal to the floor. He drove the vehicle off the road to make a right turn and elerated toward the dunes.Rice had only contempt for Xiao Luo. ¡°F*ck! That Hua Nation man has got no balls, he¡¯s only good at running away!¡± he scowled.Rice was left speechless by Xiao Luo¡¯s action. Xiao Luo¡¯s actions were so quick and precise that Rice felt jealous at the slick manner that he made his getaway.¡±Shut up! You¡¯re still interested in quarreling in such a critical situation? Do you f*cking wanna die?¡±Enraged, Powell scolded him and then waved his hand urgently. ¡°Get in the car, fall back!¡±¡±Yes, sir.¡±The other team members quickly responded.The two military trucks followed the jeep that Xiao Luo was driving. They drove as fast as they could to avoid being surrounded by the Libyan rebel fighters.The speeding trucks went over crushed stones that were everywhere on the dunes that stretched beyond the horizon, sending sand and dust flying up into the air. When Xiao Luo and his associates chose one direction to escape, the Libyan rebel trucks closing in from both directions also changed their course to pursue them, forming a fan-shaped convoy of vehicles.WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!Several RPGs wereunched toward them,nding close to the trucks and exploding with loud booms. Upon its impact, the ground shook, and the surge of energy waves that rippled through the air inflicted pain on their eardrums. Their vision was also affected, and they could not focus.

 Chapter 554 - Pursuit and Counter-pursuit

    Chapter 554: Pursuit and Counter-pursuit


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The Libyan rebel fighters fired their RPGs andunched a barrage of rockets at Xiao Luo and the SEALs as they pursued them relentlessly.


    The trucks and jeeps from both parties were tearing through the sandy terrain. Although the dunes looked t, the ground was rock-strewn and undting, making their ride exceedingly bumpy, even with the heavy-duty shock-absorbers installed in these military vehicles.


    It was not an easy task to hit a moving target while firing RPGs.


    Most of the rocketsnded close to the rescue team¡¯s three military vehicles, but none hit them directly. Clouds of smoke belched from the sts and rose into the air, creating an atmosphere of fear and anxiety.


    Xiao Luo, Powell, and the SEALs were in a dilemma as they maneuvered through the hazardous terrain with the rebels in hot pursuit. The bumpy ride was unpleasant, their ears were ringing from the sts, and pieces of the shrapnel hit the trucks as they sped through the dunes. Even though their windows were specially manufactured tempered ss, they started to crack after taking repeated hits.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I¡­ I¡¯m going to puke ¡­¡± Sarah said.


    Sarah was sitting next to Xiao Luo. The bumpy ride made her feel sick to the stomach, and she badly needed to throw up.


    ¡°Go on, you can throw up wherever you want!¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Xiao Luo did not have time for niceties, for there were at least forty or fifty Libyan rebel trucks hot on their trail. They were in the desert, and there was no ce to take cover. No matter how powerful he was, it was impossible to deal with all of the rebels in such an open environment. He could only try to get away at this stage and find a location where he could apply his battle skills.


    Then, without any warning, Sarah Michelle puked right on him.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face hardened. He turned around and gave her a dirty look as if to say¨Cthere is so much space around the front passenger seat, so why the f*ck would you throw up on me? Are you blindly doing whatever I asked you to?


    From his expression, Sarah knew what was in his mind and quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Mie, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, the car was swaying around¡­ I was trying to throw up beneath my feet, I swear to God.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not have the time nor the inclination to argue with her in their present situation. He quickly directed his eyes back to the front of the vehicle and jammed his foot down hard on the elerator.


    The truck¡¯s engine revved like a beast as it propelled the car forward.


    The rear window of the truck shattered due to the impact of the sts. Powell blew his top and shouted, ¡°Sh*t! Return fire! Destroy them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± came a response.


    All the SEALs responded instantly to the instruction with a clear understanding of what they had to do.


    Mina grabbed her sniper rifle, leaned half of her body out of their vehicle¡¯s window, aimed at one of the trucks closing in on them, and pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    A high-velocity round from the sniper rifle ripped through the air and zeroed in on a military truck with a resounding crack. It went clean through the windscreen, leaving a bullet hole on it, and prated the head of the rebel guerri who was driving.


    The truck immediately went out of control. It rolled over on its side and continued tumbling for some distance before crashing into another oing vehicle.


    BOOM! CRASH! BOOM!


    Five trucks smashed into one another in a sequence of domino-effect.


    The trucks were all moving at breakneck speed, so when the vehicles collided and went out of control, they rolled over sideways, scattering broken vehicle parts all around them. Several trucks had turned turtle, while othersy on their sides. No rebel fighters crawled from the fallen vehicles, and they presumably did not survive.


    ¡°Great job! Attagirl, Mina, that¡¯s how you do it!¡± Rice cheered.


    He was very excited, and he, too, got half of his body out of the truck¡¯s window and started shooting at the rebel fighters behind them. For a member of the SEAL team, doing such a thing from a speeding car was a piece of cake.


    The other two SEALs in another truck fired using LAWs [1]. One drove, while the other popped his upper body out of the roof of their vehicle with the American-made rocketuncher on his shoulder and returned fire with steely resolve. Their LAWs were far more superior than those used by the Libyan rebel fighters. These were special weapons designed to destroy armored vehicles.


    Whoosh!


    The LAW rockets were three to four times more potent than the ones used by the Libyan rebel fighters. They left theuncher at extreme speed, leaving a smoke trail through the air before it hit one of many military trucks in the Libyan rebel convoy.


    BOOM!


    A heatwave sted outward from the truck that took the hit, followed by an earth-shattering explosion before it burst into mes. Smoke billowed out from the damaged vehicle with fiery crimson mes ring from within the dark cloud of smoke. The truck was blown to pieces, and parts were strewn everywhere, throwing burning debris up some ten meters high.


    ¡°Attaboy, Philip, haha, haha!¡±


    Rice went a little crazy, and he could not stopughing. He gave the team member who was shouldering the rocketuncher the thumbs-up sign.


    ¡°Bingo!¡±


    The SEAL going by the name Philip shed him a proud smile.


    In the first truck, Xiao Luo watched how the American soldiers retaliated against the Libyan rebels from his rearview mirror. He was quite impressed by them. These Special Forces operators were indeed extraordinary, as they did not panic in the face of danger. Instead, they calmly organized their return fire to good effect. They had strong mental fortitude and outstandingbat capabilities.


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s a small town up front!¡± Sarah cried out as she pointed toward the front of the vehicle. She had been vomiting for a while and was finally feeling better.


    Xiao Luo gave her a quick nce. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± he replied.


    He offered a sympathetic smile as he replied in his American ent. He then turned the steering wheel and swiftly drove the truck toward the small town.


    Powell and his SEALs wereing up in the rear, providing cover for Xiao Luo and Sarah Michelle as they made their escape. They were doing their best to protect the truck that Sarah Michelle was in, ensuring her safety.


    Right after Philip destroyed three of the rebel¡¯s vehicles using the LAW, one of the Libyan rebel fighters¡¯ RPG rounds finally found its mark and streaked right into the top section of the truck that Philip was riding in.


    BOOM!


    There was an ear-shattering explosion. In a split second, mes engulfed the speeding truck as it was thrown into the air by the powerful st and dropped heavily onto the ground. Like a re-entry capsule that had fallen to the earth, the truck kicked up clouds of sand and dust as it kept rolling over.


    Thomas was in shock as he quickly turned the steering wheel. They barely managed to avoid the burning truck as it rolled over and burst into mes.


    ¡°Philip!¡±


    Rice shouted hysterically. Another two of his team members whom he spent so much time with were now dead. He could not even stop to retrieve their bodies but was forced to keep going without even looking back. It was a pain that was unbearable.


    Sorrow-stricken, Powell closed his eyes. They were a team of twelve when theynded on this continent. But now, only four of them were still left standing. As the captain, he could not help but me himself.


    However, nothing could bring the dead back. Those who were still alive had to carry on with this fight!


    He took out a small explosive shaped like a te from his bag and set the timer. His heart filled with hatred, and in a fury, he hurled the device behind his vehicle right into the path of the pursuing rebels. ¡°Go to hell!¡± he screamed.


    The explosive device was beeping. When the convoy of Libyan rebel trucks ran over the device, the beeping became more rapid, then exploded amid the pursuing vehicles. The explosion created a mushroom cloud. Four to five trucks were thrown up in the air, carried by the force of the st. The other oing trucks were also affected, and the well-coordinated posse of rebel vehicles that had been pursuing them suddenly broke formation. The trucks were now moving in disarray, like headless chickens, and dozens of them started to crash into one another.


    Footnote:


    [1] LAWs: Light Anti-tank Weapon

 Chapter 555 - The Melee in a Small Town

    Chapter 555: The Melee in a Small Town


    It was called the ¡°Devil¡¯s Bomb¡±!


    Rice and Mina both knew that it was the new explosive device invented by the Mei Nation. It was small, but its destructive power was not to be underestimated. And although it was still in the experimental stage, if it exploded under a tank, the whole tank would be shattered into a million pieces. That was why there were only very few of them avable to the SEALs, and the one that had just exploded was probably thest one that Powell had left.


    ¡°Keep up with Mr. Mie and head for that small town, quick!¡± Powell yelled.


    ¡°On it, sir.¡± Thomas nodded stiffly as he pressed the elerator to the floor, trying to stay on Xiao Luo¡¯s tail as his truck surged toward the small town.


    The thick, ck mushroom cloud produced by the Devil¡¯s Bomb went up as high as twenty to thirty meters in the air and gradually dissipated. It looked like a monster that wasughing grimly from a distance, terrorizing everyone who saw it.


    The Libyan rebel fighters were badly affected by the powerful st, and it caused them to momentarily stop the chase. Perhaps they were ordered by their superiors not to stop for their injured or deadpatriots, for after some quick reorganization, they restarted their vehicles. And soon, they were once again going after Xiao Luo and the SEAL team like a pack of starving wolves.


    The town was dpidated, and the residents who lived there had evidently left or were perhaps on the run.


    The town was in ruins. The streets were strewn with rubble, and its damaged walls were full of holes caused by bombs. All the towns and cities in Libya could only be described as being in a state of dpidation, as no other term was more apt.


    Xiao Luo drove around slowly as he explored the town. He had presumed that this town would bepletely empty, so he did not expect that there was already arge contingent of Libyan rebels stationed here. As it turned out, the rebels had seized this town, and it was now a station for their fighters to recuperate.


    BANG! RAT-TATAT-TAT!


    They encountered some rebel fighters from time to time. Whenever that happened, bullets would instantly rain down on the trucks, making clunking noises and causing sparks to fly everywhere.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I think we are in the middle of the Libyan rebels¡¯ir!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet, and terrified, she cowered in her seat. A while ago, she thought this town would be their refuge, but now it seemed destined to be their grave.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face hardened. It was just in bad luck that they found themselves in a town full of Libyan rebel fighters. In addition to the rebels pursuing them, they were now up against a contingent of at least 500 more stationed in the small town, which was no bigger than a third of Stantine City. Even if the 500 rebel fighters were dispersed all over this town, they would stille in contact with one or two of them every ten meters.


    Alone, Xiao Luo was fearless, but he was not operating by himself now. His concern was how Sarah Michelle was going to cope in such a dangerous environment.


    He suddenly mmed on the brakes and stopped his vehicle in an obscure corner where there were no rebel fighters around. He grabbed the sniper rifle and some ammunition and yelled at Sarah, ¡°Get out of the car and stay close to me!¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay¡­¡±


    Sarah repeatedly nodded her head like a chicken pecking at grains. Although she was a war correspondent, she was no soldier, and she did not have the mental fortitude of a soldier to survive in battle. Suddenly, a hail of bullets rained down on them, and it frightened her, making her shiver as she stayed close to Xiao Luo.


    When the trucks carrying the SEALs came to a stop behind them, Rice got out of his vehicle, and he was burning with indignation. He stormed toward Xiao Luo with rage and resentment written all over his face. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Xiao Luo by the cor and snarled, ¡°You piece of sh*t! Look where you¡¯ve led us to¡ªright into the rebels¡¯ hideout! Are you trying to kill us?¡±


    Xiao Luo nced down at Rice¡¯s hand that was clutching at his cor, and in the next second, what he did took Ricepletely by surprise.


    THWACK!


    A loud p resounded in the quiet street as Xiao Luo smacked him across his face. Rice cried out in pain and was sent flying to his side as two bloodstained teeth sailed out of his mouth. He crashed heavily into a wall and slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Powell, Mina, and Thomas gasped. If a mere p was all it took for Xiao Luo to send a man flying, they couldn¡¯t imagine how strong he actually was. Mina suddenly realized that Xiao Luo had gone easy on her when he pped her yesterday. If he had not held back, she would¡¯ve ended up just like Rice or perhaps even worse.


    ¡°You motherf*cking Hua b*stard, I¡¯m so gonna kill you!¡±


    Thomas was loyal to Rice, and he was the first to react. Holding up his submachine gun, he made ready to shoot Xiao Luo.


    But before Thomas could get his gun in a position to fire, Xiao Luo had already taken control of it and held its muzzle to Thomas¡¯s head. The eerie feeling of the gun¡¯s cold steel pressing against his forehead made Thomas break out in a sweat.


    ¡°I have had enough of you people! F*cking get up my nose once more, and I will kill you all!¡±


    The expression on Xiao Luo¡¯s face was cruel, and he looked like he was about to kill them. If these American soldiers couldn¡¯t behave themselves in such a critical situation, he would finish them off with his own hands. Why bother to wait for the Libyan rebels to do the job?


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Thomas shuddered when he saw the murderous look in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, and there was no doubt in his mind that Xiao Luo would not hesitate to shoot him given half a chance.


    Suddenly, Powell stepped in and kicked Thomas to the ground. ¡°You bunch of idiots! So my orders are now meaningless to you, eh? How many times have I told you Mr. Mie is on our side, and he is not the enemy. Yet you¡¯re all still picking on him at such a crucial moment. You better know that I am this close to shooting you lot myself!¡± Powell growled.


    Powell was infuriated. He turned to Rice, who was still bleeding in the mouth with his left cheek swollen, and gave him a dirty look. ¡°You piece of sh*t! I must have been blind when I appointed you as my number two. The enemy is all around and has us in their gunsights, yet you choose to make a fool of yourself! Do you wanna die, huh?¡±


    Powell took a step toward Rice and delivered two kicks at him, venting his frustration.


    After being kicked, the realization suddenly dawned on Rice, and he quickly regained hisposure. With the rebel fighters crawling everywhere, instead of thinking about getting out alive, his first instinct was to me the man they called Mr. Mie. He quickly realized that it was not how a SEAL was expected to react. So despite being in a lot of pain, he immediately got up from the ground and stood at attention with his chest out and chin up. It showed that he knew that what he had done was wrong.


    Suddenly, they heard a familiar sound¡ªthe heavy footfall of army boots!


    Without warning, a Libyan rebel fighter appeared from the corner of the street ahead.


    Mina was ready to take him out, and just when she was about to squeeze the trigger to end his life, a shot rang out.


    BANG!


    The bullet tore a bloody hole in the rebel fighter¡¯s forehead, and his shockedpatriots, trudging next to him, quickly jumped behind the street corner to take cover.


    Mina gawked at Xiao Luo with admiration in her eyes. He had reacted swiftly and shot with the precision of a marksman. Mina quickly realized how much more superior this man waspared to her.


    Dumbfounded, Mina was still in her firing position when she saw Xiao Luo bounding forward like lightning and wielding the dagger in his hand like a wolf¡¯s fang. Cries of fear and anguish were heard, and the Libyan rebels who had hidden behind the corner copsed in puddles of blood before they even had the chance to shoot.


    This guy was powerful and exceptional at martial arts!


    Powell, Mina, Rice, and Thomas were astonished by Xiao Luo¡¯s strength and skills. The man from the Hua Nation had already taken down the rebel fighters within the short period they were still trying to consolidate. It was a frightening disy of raw power, and had they been the rebel fighters, they would undoubtedly have ended up dead as well.

 Chapter 556 - Valor

    Chapter 556: Valor


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiao Luo turned to leave, dragging Sarah Michelle, who was still in a state of confusion, along with him as he walked off rapidly towards the other end of the street.


    ¡°Follow Mr. Mie!¡± instructed Powell, blinking as he returned to his senses.


    He waved hisrge hand in a gesture for his three remaining SEAL soldiers to follow Xiao Luo. They were not just trying to keep up with the man, for Mina and Thomas were both tasked with watching their backs while Powell and Rice guarded their nks. It was a military formation, and it was clear from this tactical arrangement that they were expecting danger toe at them in every direction.


    It had been a good move to ditch the trucks. Otherwise, the Libyan rebel fighters would be able to hear the sound of the engine revving. And that would have immediately given away their location and drawn the rebel fighters towards them.


    With Powell and his SEALs cooperating, Xiao Luo immediately put Sarah Michelle in the middle of the formation for protection. He took the point-man position and prepared to deal with any enemies they mighte into contact with along the way. Besides the dagger and sniper rifle he had on him, he was armed with an assault rifle as well. The assault rifle was naturally much more suitable for closebat and woulde in more handy than the sniper rifle.


    He heard a group of Libyan rebelsing towards them from the intersection right up ahead, and Xiao Luo immediately drew his gun and opened fire on them.


    BANG, BANG! BANG, BANG!


    He executed the shots with military precision, and it left the four Mei Nation SEALs speechless. The small squadprising roughly ten Libyan soldiers was left dead on the ground in an instant.


    Immediately after that attack, a dozen or so Libyan rebels ran out from the right at the intersection. They raised their guns to open fire at Xiao Luo and his party. Xiao Luo reacted quicker, and before the rebel fighters could fire at them, Xiao Luo got his shots off first.


    BANG, BANG! BANG, BANG!


    A hail of bullets flew in rapid session and ripped into the bodies of the rebel fighters. They twirled as if they were performing some form of dance before copsing to the ground.


    Such quick reflexes!


    Such superior marksmanship!


    The skill that Xiao Luo had demonstrated left these four SEALs members in awe and shock. They had undergone a rigid selection and intense training before they could qualify to be a member of the SEAL team. And now that they hade to face to face with this person from the Hua Nation, they felt inferior inparison. At the individual level, hisbat abilities were iparable.


    Xiao Luo was not bothered by their opinions of him and was more focused on his surroundings. Based on his keen sense of direction, he picked out a route to break through the barriers.


    Libyan rebels were swarming in from all directions. Powell and the other three were highlypetitive, so it was only natural that they started topare themselves to Xiao Luo. They represented the Mei Nation, and there was no way they would allow one Hua Nation soldier to upstage them. And so, they fought more valiantly than they usually did, as armed with assault rifles, they dealt with the rebel fighters who attacked them from the back and both nks.


    Xiao Luo was not the least bit surprised by theirpetitiveness. He was holding his own with the fighting at the front end of the pack. He would find it shocking if these powerful soldiers from the Mei Nation could not handle the mere remnant soldiers surrounding them.


    As they made their way forward, they came towards a long and deep alley, roughly 3 meters wide and 50 meters long.


    Logically, it would be a dangerous strategy to go down this alley as the enemy could attack them from both ends, sealing them off on both ends and trapping them in a kill zone. But, in the situation they found themselves in, Xiao Luo did not have much time to dwell on the matter for too long. The gunshots in the earlier assault had given away their location to the Libyan soldiers. He was quite sure that hordes of rebel fighters would be heading toward them anytime soon. Any further dy would give those soldiers more time to surround his party. And so, even though entering the alley was risky, they had no choice but to take their chances to make their way through.


    Xiao Luo made the call immediately, leading the team into the long alley. With his speed, it would barely take him two to three seconds to reach the other end. But Sarah Michelle would not be able to pull that off, so he had to slow down for her to catch up. Gunmen could appear at any moment, so he could not carry her on his back either, because it would hinder him if he needed to engage in a firefight.


    But, their luck ran out!


    As the group reached the alley¡¯s halfway mark, a mob of rebels appeared in front of them. They were standing at the end of the passage.


    Powell and the other three SEALs reacted with quick reflexes, and they banded together to help Xiao Luo suppress the Libyan troops with their firepower. At present, this was their priority. They could not allow the soldiers to cage them in. Otherwise, no matter how quick they were with their guns or how lethal their weapons were, it would be difficult to guarantee that Sarah Michelle would remain safe amidst the exchange of bullets.


    Fighting their way out of this will undeniably consume a lot of ammunition!


    Within moments of the initial exchange, the fourmandos had emptied their clips and reced their magazines.


    As they were changing their magazines, they saw Xiao Luo firing shots with one arm while his left hand, as quick as lightning, fished out a new magazine. Immediately after releasing thest bullet from the old magazine, he pressed down on the magazine lock. As the empty magazine fell out, Xiao Luo pushed in the new one. He switched the magazines within a second without stopping his firing. It was a high-level professional technique that allowed him to fire his assault weapon continuously.


    My God, this guy is amazingly fast loading his magazine!


    The four members of the Mei Nation team were stunned. They had never seen such speed in loading magazines before this. It essentially meant that the assault weapon would fire continuously, as the speed of the loading fresh magazines would allow the shooter an unlimited supply of bullets. As long as the shooter carried full magazines on him, the assault rifle would fire without pause.


    The Libyan rebels in the alley were all equally surprised. ¡°What the f*ck kind of gun is that? How is it storing so many bullets?¡± they wondered.


    Xiao Luo looked back at Powell and the SEALs. ¡°What are you lot doing standing around? Hurry and help me hold them back,¡± he shouted in a deep voice.


    The four of them, as if roused from a dream, hurried to switch out their magazines for new ones. They needed to push the rebels back with superior firepower.


    Xiao Luo lowered his gun. He looked to his left and right before smashing his boot into the left wall of the alley.


    CRASH!


    There was a loud sound before part of the concrete wall crumbled like a house of cards beneath his foot, and arge hole appeared in the wall.


    Once again, the four SEAL members were surprised. Xiao Luo had kicked a hole in the wall. Just like that. What was he? The king of all soldiers nurtured by the Hua Nation army? No one could be this powerful. There was no way this man was human!


    Xiao Luo pulled Sarah Michelle up. She was crouching in fear covering her ears with both hands, and he hastily dragged her to exit the alley through that hole.


    ¡°Retreat!¡± Powell gave the order, and they all hurriedly followed behind Xiao Luo.


    It was a long while after the gunshots had ceased before the horde of Libyan rebels dared to poke their heads out. They took a look into the alley, only to discover that it was empty. Their targets have escaped. They quickly ran into the alleyway and stood in shock as they gazed at the enormous cavity in the wall. They were baffled and could not believe that a man had broken that wall.


    They did not waste any time after they ascertained the direction their targets had headed and immediately turned around and continued their chase.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Gunshots rang out incessantly from behind them. Xiao Luo took the lead as he weaved through the small town filled with rebel fighters, with Sarah Michelle and the four SEALs in tow.


    Powell and the other three SEALs finally saw Xiao Luo¡¯sbat skill for themselves. His unrivaled fighting mettle and supreme strength made them feel embarrassed, especially Mina. She had looked down on Xiao Luo with disdain at the beginning. But she realized now how foolish and ignorant she had been. Whether it was his reflexes or power, that man from Hua Nation was far stronger than her.


    Were all Hua Nation soldiers this powerful and terrifying?

 Chapter 557 - Large-Scale Explosion

    <h2>Chapter 557: Large-Scale Explosion</h2>


    Plunder and kill, all the way!


    Xiao Luo had turned into the God of Death harvesting the souls of the Libyan rebels in this small town. Powell and the other three soldiers fought beside him as they kept Sarah Michelle safe.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t run anymore. You go ahead, just leave me here¡­¡± Sarah muttered while trying to catch her breath.


    After a long strenuous run, Sarah was panting and sweating profusely. Fatigue swept over her, so intense that she felt her heart pounding rapidly, and it felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. The strain was just too overwhelming. ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t run any longer, not even if that means the Libyan soldiers kill me,¡± she pleaded.


    Xiao Luo took in the surroundings before his gaze fell on a low damaged house beside them with its four walls still intact. ¡°You guys head in there. I¡¯ll distract the soldiers who are on our tail!¡±


    These were desperate times, and every second was too precious to waste.


    Powell did not object to Xiao Luo¡¯s suggestion. Besides, their mission was to protect Sarah Michelle. Since Sarah Michelle would be with them, he had no issue with that suggestion. ¡°You take care of yourself, Mr. Mie!¡± he said, giving Xiao Luo a stiff nod.


    Then the four of them helped Sarah to get up and swiftly headed toward the house.


    Just as they ducked in, a dozen or so Libyan rebels appeared from the street behind.


    Xiao Luo fired a hail of bullets that immediately took down half the squad. He had intentionally left a few of them alive¨Cto let the remaining soldiers return to base and report their coordinates to their boss. After firing that one burst, Xiao Luo stopped firing. Like a wolf, he bounded forward, disappearing into the end of the street in a blink of an eye.


    The Libyan soldiers scrambled to give chase. The gang of five who hid in the house heard a rush of footsteps approaching them, and then the footsteps moved away quickly. There was also the sound of military vehicles roaring as they flew across the road. Even though they had undergone rigorous military training, the four SEALs felt their hearts rise to their throats as they held their breaths in anticipation.


    ¡°What do we do, Captain?¡± Rice asked Powell, immediately after everything had quietened down. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, but it was difficult to know whether it was cold sweat due to nervousness or just perspiration brought on by the vigorous exercise during their escape.


    ¡°We wait,¡± came the whispered response.


    Powell heaved a long sigh. ¡°When night falls, this small town will be crawling with Libyan rebels. There could be a way the five of us can break through their ranks in the day. And even if we manage to make it out of this small town, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re in the Gobi Desert. There is not a single bunker in sight, not as far as I can see. It¡¯s going to be easy for the rebels to catch up with us. I have no desire to be a sitting duck,¡± he continued.


    Rice, Mina, and Thomas all nodded as they listened. They knew that Powell was making the right assumptions. They had better chances of staying alive in this town. If the Libyan rebels went after them when they were in the middle of the Gobi Desert, they had little chance of holding them off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is all because of me. I¡¯m the reason why so many of you have lost your lives!¡± Sarah muttered.


    In her anguish, Sarah Michelle went into a state of self-reproach. She had seen far too much death on this journey¨Cfirst, her family¡¯s bodyguards, and now, the SEALs, whose lives were lost, one by one, and it was all because they were here in Libya to protect her. If she were not here, then all those people would not have had to sacrifice their lives.


    ¡°Miss Sarah, this is our mission, and it¡¯s also our duty. As a soldier, we have to be prepared to bleed and sacrifice our lives at any moment. Any one of us can die, but it is imperative that you return to our shore base safely,¡± Powell said.


    Tears started to roll down Sarah¡¯s face. She was deeply moved by what Powell had said. These soldiers were just as human as she was. Who was she that her life was more valuable than theirs? Who was she that these people had toy down their lives for hers? This was not fair, not in the least bit!


    ¡°Will that Hua Nation guy return?¡± Mina remarked indifferently.


    Everyone was slightly stunned. ¡°Mr. Mie will definitely return. Nothing will happen to him. Even the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps could not handle him, and there¡¯s no way the Libyan rebels are any more powerful than them!¡± Sarah replied with a resolute gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that Mie is extremely powerful. He¡¯s like a one-man army. But this is one of the Libyan rebel¡¯s strongholds. He¡¯s drawn all the firepower to himself, and even if he were Superman, there¡¯s no way he would be able to survive such intense firepower,¡± Mina said.


    Silence. Everyone chose to remain quiet!


    It was just as Mina said¡ªthe chances of Xiao Luo¡¯s survival were dismally slim.


    ¡°Damn it, why did I always insist on opposing that Hua Nation guy? In a moment as crucial as this one, he stepped forward and volunteered to draw all the enemy fire to himself. It shows the indomitable will of the Hua Nation. I owe that man an apology!¡± Rice said. He deeply regretted his past words and actions.


    ¡°The people of Hua Nation have this Buddhist saying, ¡®who will enter hell if not me?¡¯ Mr. Mie is the very embodiment of this saying!¡± Thomas pitched in.


    He was already quite impressed by how honorable Xiao Luo was, and all his misgivings and prejudices towards the man had faded away.


    Powell said in his low drawl, ¡°Personally, I hope he doesn¡¯t die, but on a national level, I hope he does.¡±


    Upon hearing this, everyone stared at him, wide-eyed and with a look of shock.


    Powell ignored their change of expression. He continued, ¡°We¡¯ve all seen how powerful of a fighter he is. I can say with no hesitation at all that, even if we were tob through the whole of the SEAL squad and pick the best of our soldiers, they would undoubtedly lose to him. If our two countries were to go to war with each other, this sort of person would be a nightmare. I don¡¯t know how the Hua Nation managed to train such a war machine, but they definitely won¡¯t have too many of them there. So if he dies, this would be something worth celebrating for us, and not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Sarah broke in resentfully. She red at Powell. ¡°Captain Powell, you once said that we¡¯re all brothers-in-arms, that we¡¯re allrades, and this is how you treat your brothers-in-arms, yourrades? If I were Mr. Mie, I would definitely be disappointed, and it would affect my impression of the Mei Nation.¡±


    Powell did not refute her statement. He knew that, no matter what he said, nothing would change Sarah Michelle¡¯s view. After all, the Michelles had always been friendly with the Hua Nation. But they were different. They were soldiers, and the things they considered were naturally not something a civilian like Sarah would understand.


    BOOM!


    At that moment, a deafening explosion rang out from the center of the small town.


    The entire town shook. Scarlet mes were flickering from within the thick billowing smoke that was rising high up into the sky. Even from such a distance away, the party could feel the shockwave of the impact from the st.


    ¡°What happened? Why was there such arge-scale explosion?¡± Thomas asked, looking in shock at the smoke billowing from the center of the small town. Powell and the other four got up to observe immediately.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the rebels¡¯ ammunition depot blew up, do you?¡± Rice volunteered a guess.


    As soon as he spoke, there was another explosion. The small town shook violently again.


    Powell furrowed his eyebrows. There was no doubt that this was Xiao Luo¡¯s doing. Did the guy perish along with the soldiers?


    With such a massive explosion like this one, it was difficult for one to escape from the st radius on their two feet. They could feel their faces heating up even from such a distance, and that was enough evidence of the size of that explosion.

 Chapter 558 - Powells Change

    <h2>Chapter 558: Powell¡¯s Change</h2>


    Just as Powell and the SEALs were recovering from the shock of therge-scale explosion in the center of the small town, a dark green military vehicle sped noisily towards them from a distance. Then it suddenly halted right in front of the house they were hiding in.


    Vrooom! Vrooom! Vrooom!


    They raised their guns instinctively, taking aim at the vehicle, ready for action.


    And in the next second, the car door swung open, and a figure dressed in camouge fatigues stepped out, waving at them toe over.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Mie, he¡¯s back!¡± Sarah cried.


    She was ted to the point of tears. There was a cheery smile on her face as she raced over to Xiao Luo.


    Powell and the other three SEALs stood rooted to their spots in disbelief. The look of bewilderment brought color to their faces.


    ¡°He¡¯s back in one piece?¡± Mina said, stunned.


    ¡°This man is terrifying! How did he pull that off?¡± Rice eximed.


    It was evident that Xiao Luo wasing from the direction of that massive explosion triggered by him. How did he return in one piece and not sustain any injuries on his body?


    Powell did not lower the gun he had raised. His finger was still resting on the trigger as he thought about putting up a fight. If he fired this shot, there was about a 90% chance he would kill this unarmed Hua Nation citizen. But they were still a long way from the shore base, and killing Xiao Luo would mean they would have no one else to turn to for help. If they were to run into any more soldiers, the situation would be dire.


    Forget it. The team had to rely on Xiao Luo for the time being!


    He made his choice and lowered the gun. He waved his hand to his team and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Turning to them, Xiao Luo went straight to the point. ¡°Get in. We have to leave this ce now!¡± he urged.


    Leave this ce?


    Powell and the other three soldiers visibly nched at that suggestion. If they left this town for the deste Gobi Desert, what if the Libyan rebels caught up with them? They wondered if they would all be annihted.


    As if knowing what the team was thinking, Xiao Luo said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the rebels here anymore!¡±


    He had said his piece, then took the lead and opened the door, sitting behind the wheel.


    They did not have to worry about the rebels anymore?


    What did that mean? Yesterday, the man told them not to worry about the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps, and now he was saying the same thing about the rebels. Just what did he mean?


    The four of them felt chills run down their spines, and they were shocked. They understood what Xiao Luo was saying, but it was just that they could not believe what they were hearing.


    Sarah Michelle, on the other hand, hopped into the vehicle without question. That assurance of his made it clear that they were out of the woods.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Mr. Mie, did you cause that explosion?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Was that the ammunition storehouse?¡± she was eagerly asking him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied.


    ¡°And the town¡¯s rebels? Did you wipe them all out?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he answered with a slight frown.


    In the car, Sarah Michelle continued to pose questions at Xiao Luo. He responded curtly with single-word answers.


    As the questioning went on, the team seemed more and more surprised at what they were learning from him. They heaved a sigh of relief when Xiao Luo answered thatst question with a negative response. There were about 500 soldiers in that town. If Xiao Luo had wiped out all 500 of them alone, then he was something that was far more terrifying than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.


    It was impossible to imagine how he had done that. He had almost wiped out the Libyan rebels leaving only a handful of them alive.


    After spending two to three hours, they finally got out of the Gobi Desert, and the surroundingndscape started showing more greenery. After close to four hours into their journey, they ran into a contingent of Mei reinforcements who were there to back them up.


    There were close to two hundred soldiers, all armed to the teeth, and there were also helicopters equipped with weapons. Powell and his three SEALs were overjoyed as they left the truck to meet the soldiers.


    ¡°Look, Mr. Mie, it¡¯s the Mei army. We¡¯re close to the shore, I can already smell the sea in the air!¡± Sarah said.


    The first thing Sarah Michelle did when she stepped out of the vehicle was to breathe in the air. They were no longer in the Gobi Desert. There was a denseyer of the forest and a heavy nket of security forces that surrounded them.


    ¡°You¡¯re safe now. I should take my leave, then!¡± Xiao Luo said to Sarah.


    Xiao Luo did not want to hang around amid such arge force of Mei troops, so he bid her goodbye and quickly prepared to leave in the truck.


    At that moment, Powell hurried over with a slight smile on his face. ¡°Mr. Mie, are you taking your leave already?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°The Hua Nation¡¯s shore base is more than 200 miles from here, I think it¡¯s best you stick with us. We¡¯re heading in the same direction anyway. I¡¯ll personally send you to the airport once we return to Mei Nation,¡± Powell said.


    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Mie,e with us. I want to invite you back home as a guest to thank you for all that you¡¯ve done for me,¡± Sarah said, eager to extend an invitation to him.


    Xiao Luo stared right at Powell for a brief moment and then gave him a smile. He shook his head and declined them both. ¡°That¡¯s alright, but may we meet again!¡± he said.


    Without waiting for Powell or Sarah to respond, he drove off in a hurry.


    Trying to run?


    Sorry Mr. Mie, but we are going to need you to stay here forever!


    There was malice in Powell¡¯s gaze. He waved his hand as he gave out amand. ¡°Listen up! All of you are to escort Miss Sarah back to the shore base immediately!¡± he barked to his men.


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡± the soldiers called out in unison.


    Sarah Michelle noticed that something was amiss with Powell. ¡°Captain Powell, what are you nning? Why aren¡¯t you returning with us?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a military secret. There¡¯s no need to concern yourself with this, Miss Sarah,¡± he responded.


    Powell waved a hand, and two Mei soldiers immediately went over, to forcibly take Sarah Michelle away. The sound of her struggle to break free gradually began to fade as she was dragged off until it could no longer be heard.


    Powell turned to Mina and asked, ¡°You hate the Hua Nation soldiers, don¡¯t you?¡±


    There was an insidious smile on Powell¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Well, I detest them too, especially the kind of Hua soldiers who are exceptional with their fists. I¡¯m giving you a chance to reciprocate the disrespect he showed you before. Use that sniper rifle of yours and blow a hole in his head.¡±


    ¡°Sir!¡± Mina responded in a booming voice.


    It was Rice who seemed hesitant this time. ¡°Captain, if it weren¡¯t for him, we wouldn¡¯t have aplished this mission. We¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Powell interjected and cut him short.


    There was a fierce and guileful look on Powell¡¯s face. He reached out arge hand to grab Rice by his cor. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then you can get the hell back to the shore base. Have you forgotten how he humiliated you when he mmed you into that wall with just one p?¡±


    With Powell¡¯s reminder, Rice recalled the shame he had had to endure earlier.


    He saluted Powell and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten, Sir!¡±


    Powell rxed his grip on the man and gritted his teeth. ¡°Then raise your weapon and kill the man. Make him pay with his life,¡± he bellowed.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Rice responded in a loud voice.


    ¡°Go!¡± ordered Powell.


    On his orders, around 20 military vehicles headed out in Xiao Luo¡¯s direction. Two attack helicopters had their coordinates locked in on Xiao Luo¡¯s truck in the air, which was about a mile away from them.


    ¡°That man cannot be allowed to leave this ce alive. Keep in mind that this is a ferocious beast we¡¯re dealing with, so don¡¯t lower your guard!¡±


    Powell had a range of weapons prepared. Hemunicated with his soldiers through the walkie-talkie he held. That man was a monster who single-handedly annihted the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps and a war machine who escaped unscathed after being chased by more than 500 Libyan rebels. No matter what, they could not allow Xiao Luo to get away, he thought as he prepared his assault on Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 559 - Hunt

    Chapter 559: Hunt


    ¡°This is Iron Eagle One to Captain Powell. We are locked on the target, I repeat, we are locked on the target. Do we open fire? Do we open fire?¡± The helicopter pilot¡¯s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie with that request.


    ¡°Blow that vehicle up along with him!¡± Powell responded with a tone that was close to a growl. Once he had aplished the mission of escorting Sarah Michelle, Xiao Luo had be nothing more than a thorn in his side. If he did not remove that thorn, he would not feel safe even after returning to his country.


    ¡°Roger!¡± the pilot responded. In the next second, an anti-tank guided missile wasunched from the base of the helicopter. This wouldpletely blow up Xiao Luo¡¯s jeep to smithereens.


    Whoosh!


    With intense mes bursting from its backend, the missile elerated quicker than the helicopter¡¯s flight speed. In an instance, it had crossed several hundred meters, leaving behind a trail of propent fumes behind it. It hit that vehicle that was dashing down the road, right on target.


    BOOM!


    The guided-missile smashed into the jeep and exploded, sending a resounding st echoing across thend. The vehicle turned into a sea of mes in an instant, as the explosion sent it flying several meters into the air before it finally came to a rest. Its parts were scattered about, and a sea of mes seemed to reach the sky, growingrger as it engulfed the whole wreck, sending billows of rising smoke from it.


    ¡°Iron Eagle One to Captain Powell¨Cwe¡¯re on target, it¡¯s a strike. Iron Eagle One has neutralized the target!¡±


    There were excitement and exhration in the helicopter pilot¡¯s voice that crackled over thems.


    Had they hit the target?


    It was too easy!


    Powell sat in the truck as he stared out into the smoke-filled sky in front of him. It had not sunk in yet, and he found it difficult to believe that Xiao Luo could have been killed by them this easily.


    Hemanded the driver, ¡°Hurry, drive at full speed!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The 20 or so vehicles very quickly reached the site of the explosion. On the road, a wreck was being swallowed by pirs of mes that reached three, almost four meters in the air. Simultaneously, there was the sound of crackling, not unlike the sound of a pile of firewood burning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go any closer, Captain. The vehicle could blow up a second time, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Rice called out as he hurried to warn Powell when he saw the man step closer to the vehicle.


    But Powell wanted to ascertain for himself that Xiao Luo was dead¡ªevery second he spent with his eyes off of Xiao Luo was a second of uneasiness. And so hepletely disregarded Rice¡¯s warning, slowly advancing toward the burning wreck.


    The closer he got to the car, the higher the temperature climbed. When he was barely a meter away from the vehicle, the burning sensation he felt on his skin was almost unbearable!


    Powell forced himself to bear this terrible heat and let his gaze pierce through the veil of mes, looking toward where the driver¡¯s seat of the jeep would be. He took a nce and immediately broke out into a cold sweat. There was nobody in the driver¡¯s seat, and the entire vehicle was empty as could be. Even if it had been hit by the guided missile, there was no way he could have turned to dust, right? The only usible exnation for this was that the Hua Nation man had not even been in the vehicle.


    But if there was no one in the jeep, then who was driving it?


    And when he took a closer look, he realized that there was a rock in the jeep that was scorched ck. Instantly, he realized. There was nobody in it, and the reason why the vehicle had continued on was that there was a rock lodged to the elerator pedal, forcing the throttle to be pressed down. Once the car was put in gear, it would be as if someone was driving it.


    This was all done by that Hua Nation man?


    Why did he have to do all this? Did he realize that someone was making an attempt on his life?


    The more Powell thought about it, the more cold sweat poured from his body. He had hidden it so well, so carefully, and he had waited until his own troops appeared before revealing any hint of animosity. How did Xiao Luo realize Powell wanted his head?


    Deep in the dense forests, Xiao Luo leaned against a tree, kneeling down on my knee. There was a hard edge to his expression.


    ¡°He¡¯s shown his true colors!¡±


    He looked at Powell, his lips curled into a sinister smirk. ¡°Then allow me to execute you lot, one by one,¡± he muttered.


    As soon as he said that, he had the chopper, Iron Eagle One, in the scope of his sniper rifle. As the helicopter was hovering roughly 200 meters in the sky, and he fired a shot.


    BANG!


    The lethal round tore through the air, with an immense and iparable amount of energy behind it, and tore right through the rotor mast.


    The rotor mast was made of high-strength metal, and it was strong enough to withstand a shot from small arms fire. Even the high-velocity bullet from a sniper rifle like the one Xiao Luo employed had not been able to pierce through it, but it caused superficial damage to its structure. The rotor mast housed the mechanism that powered the propeller, and any change, no matter how minute, was fatal for the helicopter.


    Iron Eagle One was out of control instantly, and it started plunging to the ground.


    KABOOM!


    Iron Eagle One smashed into the ground, breaking up into bits instantly, apanied by a deafening explosion, and billows of smoke filled the air.


    ¡°Quick, be on your guard!¡± Powell shouted out amand. At this point, Powell finally snapped out his senses and tore himself away from pondering if Xiao Luo was not in the wreck.


    BANG!


    Another shot was fired. The rotor mast in Iron Eagle Two¡¯s propeller had also been hit, and it lost its control in the air. It plunged down at a skewed angle, following Iron Eagle One¡¯s fate into a fiery death.


    ¡°He¡¯s at three o¡¯clock!¡±


    Mina was a sniper herself, so she was adept at picking out the direction of the shots. She was the first to determine Xiao Luo¡¯s hiding ce, and then she fired a shot at three o¡¯clock.


    ¡°Go, take him down!¡±


    Powell waved arge hand furiously, ordering more than a hundred of the Mei soldiers to charge toward Xiao Luo¡¯s location.


    These Mei soldiers were actually rather brave. They charged onward valiantly and fearlessly, only to realize upon reaching the spot that Xiao Luo had long vanished.


    ¡°Scatter and do a sweep. Stay on your radio at all times and report to me the moment you detect any movement!¡± Powell roared into his walkie-talkie.


    This was a ferocious tiger of the Hua Nation, and there was no way they would allow this monster to return to his home. They had to do all they could to kill the man here in this war zone. Even if Hua Nation were to pursue the matter, all they had to do was pin it on the Libyan army. At that point, Hua Nation would only be wasting their energy if they tried to kick up a fuss.


    ¡°Sir,¡± the various squad leaders responded through their walkie-talkies.


    Rice stayed by Powell¡¯s side. Mina, on the other hand, tapped into that special intuition she had as a sniper and tried to deduce where Xiao Luo was hiding.


    This was a dense forest. As soon as they stepped in, it felt like the sky had darkened. There was a sinister vibe to this ce.


    Xiao Luo was like a venomous snake as hey without a single sound or movement on the leaf-covered ground. His gaze was fixed in front, and his lips curled into a sly smirk.


    The hunt has begun!


    After stepping foot on thisnd, he always had the nagging feeling that he could not allow himself free reign of his instincts. Just as well, then, that these Mei soldiers would soon fix that for him.


    Perhaps, if it had been the Gobi Desert that he was stranded in and facing such a crisis, he would have frowned a little. But there was no sort of pressure on him in this dense forest¨Con the contrary, the blood in his veins was slowly stirring.


    Whoosh!


    He struck, quick as lightning, brandishing the ck daggers in his hand. They shot out like a sh of lightning, and three of the Mei soldiers who werebing the area had their throats slit. Blood gushed out of their wounds, and there was no other sound but the blood-chilling gurgles as they choked.


    The Mei soldiers close by heard the sound and immediately turned about with their guns raised, shocked.


    RAT TATAT TAT TAT!


    The sound of gunfire filled the air, shattering the silence of the forest. But Xiao Luo was too quick for them, and they were only firing in vain.


    Urgh!


    As the daggers flew from Xiao Luo¡¯s hand and glided through the air, all of the soldiers suddenly gripped their throats and convulsed as they hit the ground.

 Chapter 560 - Kill Me If You Want

    <h2>Chapter 560: Kill Me If You Want</h2>


    ¡°Captain, Squad 1 down, Squad 1 down. Requesting backup, requesting backup!¡±


    There was a frantic voiceing from the walkie-talkie. The gunshots rang out without end in the forest, shattering the silence, and the leader of Squad 1 was shouting through his walkie-talkie, but then all sounds ceased suddenly. Soon after, he could make out several grunts, and it was clear as day that he had been killed, most likely by having his throats slit.


    ¡°Damn it, all of you head toward the area that Squad 1 wasbing. Hurry!¡±


    As the wholepany¡¯smanding officer, Powell quickly gave out the order then headed toward where Squad 1 had been at top speed.


    As soon as that order was given out, there was another voiceing from the walkie-talkie.


    ¡°Captain, Squad 2 has been hit. He¡¯s too quick, we can¡¯t hit him!¡±


    Why was it Squad 2 this time?


    There were at least 500 meters between the areas that Squads 1 and 2 werebing. Just how had Mie managed to cross the area and take out the Squad 2 members in such a short time?


    ¡°Just what are we fighting against, Captain? A ghost?¡±


    Rice could not help the cold sweat forming on his entire body. It was at this moment that he realized just how terrifying Xiao Luo really was. He came and went like a ghost, killing people and leaving no traces. Was this the same Hua national who had been introverted and seemingly harmless throughout the entire journey?


    Powell¡¯s forehead was lined with cold sweat as well. He could finally say for certain now that the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps were dead and that they had been single-handedly wiped out by a Hua national by the name of Mie. But now, they were a hundred-strong force, all SEAL soldiers, no less¡ªand he refused to believe that they could not subdue this bloodthirsty beast.


    ¡°Captain, we¡¯ve discovered the enemy¡¯s tracks, he¡¯s heading north to escape!¡± Mina¡¯s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie at this moment.


    Powell was ted. He immediately responded, ¡°Alright, make sure to hold him back properly. I¡¯m going over to back you up immediately.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Mina led a small squad and headed into the forest in pursuit of Xiao Luo.


    In this sort of environment where gloomy and denseyers of trees popted the woods, she realized that there was something very unsettling about Xiao Luo¡¯s form. It was as if he was a wild wolf adept at roaming the forest. It was difficult to lock on to the man, so the countless bullets she fired at him had all missed.


    After tailing him for a few hundred meters, she realized they had lost sight of the man!


    She immediately raised a hand, then said, ¡°Stop. Spread out inbat formation and pay close attention to your surroundings. The enemy is extremely skilled at ambushing, and he¡¯s definitely hiding in some corner nearby!¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡±


    The group formed up and spread out, the distance between each man not exceeding three meters. Everyone was on high-alert and paid close attention to their surroundings.


    The longer the wait, the more tormenting it was. It was as if there was a formless power exerting pressure on their hearts, forcing anxiety to brew ceaselessly within them.


    ¡°Get out here, you b*stard! I know you¡¯re right here, so stop hiding. Let¡¯s have a fair fight!¡±


    The enemy lurked in the shadows while she was out in the open. Mina forced herself to stay calm as she shouted, ¡°Get out here, you coward! You¡¯re nothing but a scum who sneaks about!¡±


    Whoosh~


    At this moment, the brush in the distance shook a little. Mina and the rest immediately turned to open fire in that direction.


    RAT TATAT TAT TAT!


    The concentration of gunfire looked like a snake of fire dragging its long tail, heading towards the brush manically as they opened fire. Countless branches and leaves were sent flying into the air. As for whether they hit the target, no one was aware.


    ¡°Hold your fire!¡± Mina called out after they finished firing.


    When the firing stopped, the entire ce fell silent. Gesturing with her eyes, Mina signaled for the two soldiers beside her to take a look.


    The two of them nodded as they epted the order and watched each other¡¯s backs as they headed towards the bush. All their focus was devoted to detecting their enemy, and neither of them had noticed a thin cord stretched across their path. The one in front realized his leg had snagged into something, but before he could react, all they heard was the sound of a grenade going off.


    The explosion was deafening, and the pair of them were immediately blown up along with the clumps of earth.


    Mina and her team noticed something was flying toward them, and someone caught the object instinctively. But then they got a good look, and they realized that it was a bloody severed arm that belonged to one of their squadmates¨Cthe very same arm that had been blown off by the grenade. And their two squadmates were already lying motionlessly on the ground, their bodies scorched ck and covered with a thinyer of dirt.


    They felt chills and were already tense and high-strung, on the verge of a breakdown!


    Aside from Mina, the other three soldiers raised their assault rifles and swept the entire area with reckless and maniacal gunfire. They believed that they would somehow hit the enemy as long as they covered the arc of fire around them with enough bullets.


    But this was obviously ineffective. Xiao Luo had already silently crept behind them. The reaper¡¯s scythe struck out again, and the three Mei soldiers copsed in their own blood without even knowing when their throats had been slit. Their eyes were wide open in theirst struggles to cling on to life.


    Mina was overwhelmed with shock. When she realized that Xiao Luo was right in front of her, just barely three meters away. She immediately raised her gun to open fire.


    BANG!


    The high-velocity bullet shot out, but there was no explosion as one would expect.


    Mina¡¯s eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Xiao Luo, who was rooted to the ground, unmoving. She was convinced that her aim was true, so why did the bullet not hit him? Had the man managed to dodge the bullet? A shot from a high-powered rifle, from just three meters away?


    A gust of chilly air descended from above, nketing her entire body with ice.


    She immediately snapped to her senses. She took aim again and fired. But this time, before she could pull the trigger, Xiao Luo had already appeared in front of her. He grabbed her sniper rifle with a strong grip and kicked her abdomen.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    A scream, and then Mina was sent reeling back helplessly as a kite cut from the string. She crashed heavily into the ground four meters away. All of the bones in her body felt like they had shattered, and an overwhelming pain consumed her. She choked and then spat out the blood in her mouth.


    When she raised her head, she was staring right into the muzzle of her rifle!


    Huh?


    Mina¡¯s face paled as she stared right at Xiao Luo, who was looking down at her indifferently. She swallowed painfully and then breathed heavily in fear.


    ¡°How¡¯s this for a fair fight?¡±


    There was a wry smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. He hated this woman from the first time he saw her, and now that she had be his enemy, it made for quite a pleasant sight.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    Minna refused to admit defeat and grit her teeth, but it was difficult to conceal the fear she felt. In the end, she simply put on a brave face and kept her head up. ¡°Cut the crap and kill me if you want to. I¡¯m not a Mei citizen if I even flinch!¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and granted her wish. He steadied the sniper rifle with one arm and squeezed the trigger with his index finger.


    BANG!


    A single bullet cut through Mina¡¯s head and exited through the back, taking her life in an instant. The woman copsed with her eyes wide open, refusing to believe that Xiao Luo would really open fire with no hesitation, not even at thest moment of her death. He was a downright cold-blooded killing machine. And to think that she hoped this man would remember the camaraderie they had forged during their perilous journey.

 Chapter 561 - Hes Still Alive

    <h2>Chapter 561: He¡¯s Still Alive</h2>


    After killing Mina, Xiao Luo did not loiter. He turned to leave and continued on with his hunt. If these Mei soldiers wanted him dead, well, then he was afraid that he¡¯d have to send them on their way to their Maker.


    An eerie sense of bloodlust permeated the forest!


    Some of the Mei soldiers were blown up into bits and pieces as many tripwires attached to grenades had beenid across many paths. While some of the others had been left strangled in the air by the vines that dangled from trees, and some had their throats slit by Xiao Luo who came at them out of nowhere.


    These were gruesome deaths, and apany of more than a hundred people was soon reduced to just a few dozen-strong within less than half a day. And still, they were not any more aware of the whereabouts of Xiao Luo.


    He was a phantom and the worst sort of enemy.


    Powell was on the brink of breaking down. He had struck on his own without any authorization. If he managed to kill Xiao Luo, it was undeniable that this would earn him a promotion. However, if he failed, what he would face was a court-martial, and this was why there was only had one path open to him, and that was to kill Xiao Luo.


    But the situation now was growing increasingly bleak.


    ¡°That Hua national is the Grim Reaper!. There¡¯s no way we can defeat him, no way at all¡­¡±


    Rice was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Mina¡¯s death, as well as the deaths of his manyrades, had pushed him into a bottomless abyss of fear. That man was not human at all; he was the collector of souls who had walked out of hell with his scythe in hand. They were mere human beings, so how could they be a match for that Grim Reaper?


    ¡°Shut it, you b*stard!¡±


    Powell¡¯s face was contorted in a fury. With both of his hands, he grabbed Rice¡¯s cor in a death grip, as savage as a demon. ¡°There¡¯s no turning back for us here, so it¡¯s either he dies or we die. To hell with all your bullsh*t about grim reapers¡ªI¡¯ll take him out, even if he¡¯s God himself!¡±


    He was just like a madman who had fallen too deep into insanity.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone mad. If it weren¡¯t for your ridiculous order, we would have already been back at the shore base, and it wouldn¡¯t have been long until we returned home. We didn¡¯t have to provoke such a terrifying beast. Mina¡¯s dead, everyone¡¯s dead, and this is all your fault, Captain!¡±


    Being pushed to the very edge of terror triggered adverse reactions. Rice did not resent Xiao Luo for being cruel and savage, and he med Powell. Were it not for the fact that he gave out such an absurd order, things would not have ended up like this.


    ¡°You b*stard!¡±


    Consumed by his rage, Powell kicked him to the ground. He brandished his pistol and took aim at Rice before emptying the clip.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    All the bullets lodged into some part of the ground near Rice¡¯s head, and the sound of the bullets whistling past his ear paralyzed the man with fear. He could not help but shriek in horror, and by the time the gunshots stopped ringing in his ears, tears were already rolling down his face as he red at Powell in disbelief.


    Thomas stood by the side silently as he shook uncontrobly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy, you¡¯re just too much of a f*cking coward!¡±


    Powell bellowed, his eyes glowering with fury. ¡°That man is a tiger raised by the Hua Nation, and if we don¡¯t get rid of him now, he¡¯lle back to devour us and turn us into nothing more than a pile of bones,¡± he screamed. Turning his head, he red at Thomas and scowled, ¡°Contact the headquarters right now and tell them to make sure this entire area is leveled by artillery fire, and make sure they don¡¯t miss a single blind spot. I want that damned Hua man to turn to dust in the barrage.¡±


    Thomas staggered and almost fell to the ground when he heard this. ¡°C-captain, our men are still in there¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll request the highest of honors for them¡­¡± Powell said, ¡°That¡¯s an order!¡±


    This man was the devil. He had gone insane!


    Thomas and Rice were astounded by Powell¡¯s state of mind. That manic look in his eyes, the way he did not care about how cruelly his own men had died¨Cthis was not at all the same Captain Powell they knew.


    ¡°What the f*ck are you doing just standing around? I said that¡¯s an order, hurry and move!¡± Powell growled, kicking Thomas so hard the man was sent sprawling.


    Thomas immediately scrambled up and saluted. ¡°Sir!¡±


    And then he ran into the truck and hurriedly contacted the headquarters at the shore base, requesting for artillery fire and providing them the coordinates.


    There was the sound of gunfire breaking out every now and then, and suddenly a frantic voice called through the walkie-talkie requesting for backup. All of this seemed very much like signs of defeat. They had been apany of more than 100 soldiers, and yet they could not handle a single Hua Nation man. It was both terrifying and deeply disappointing.


    ¡°Captain, headquarters has responded. They willy down artillery fire in five minutes!¡± Thomas rushed to report to Powell, leaping out of the vehicle as soon as he contacted the shore base.


    ¡°Excellent, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s leave this ce!¡±


    Powell chuckled coldly. And then he grabbed Rice, who had been lying on the ground, and pulled him up by his cor. He kicked the man in his butt and bellowed, ¡°Get in the vehicle if you don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    Obviously, Rice did not want to die. After he returned to his senses, he rushed into the vehicle as quickly as he could.


    The three of them drove off and headed toward the road outside the forest. As soon as they hit the straight road, there was the shrill, hair-raising sound of something tearing through the air. They looked up and saw a flight of guided missiles that looked like mini rockets. There was a tail of mes trailing behind each of the missiles as they streaked through the air, plunging toward the forest.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The earth-shattering explosions resounded and rang in their ears. Tons of earth and trees were blown up and turned into nothing more than dust. The earth shook, and the entire forest was buried in the sea of mes. No living creature would be able to make it out of the explosions alive.¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Powellughed uproariously and manically. His smile was savage and horrifying, but at the same time, there were still traces of pain and insanity in his expression.


    Thomas and Rice were dealing with their own mental breakdown. There were still dozens of their own men in there, and now they were trapped in the strike zone. Nobody would be able to return alive, and they would all be blown up there, their bodies never to be recovered. They werepletely devastated, and this was taking a toll on their conscience as well.


    A few minutester¡­


    After the barrage of guided missiles stopped, there was the thick smell of explosive fumes that permeated the air. The forest in front of their eyes had been thoroughly leveled and destroyed, and the roaring mes were leaping fiercely, feeding off all the wood. There were no two ways about¨Cnothing could survive this.


    ¡°Is¡­ is he dead?¡±


    Thomas¡¯s gaze was wavering as he stared at that area in a trance. The entire area had been bombed by the guided missiles.


    Powell and Rice were both awed by the devastation. ¡°What person in there would make it out alive?¡± Powell said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, who would survive? Our own men are all dead,¡± Rice muttered. His gaze was nk and listless.


    ¡°As long as Mie dies, then all the sacrifices would have been worth it.¡±


    Powell calmed down a little. He patted Rice on the shoulder and consoled him. ¡°I have no doubt that you¡¯ll be thanking me once we go home and receive ourmendations and promotions.¡±


    Riceughed, a derisive sort of chuckle. No matter how he looked at it, rising up the ranks by sacrificing his own men was uneptable.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Suddenly, Thomas screamed in shock and copsed onto the ground. His eyes were wide as he stared ahead in shock.


    ¡°What the f*ck you are screaming for?¡± Powell roared.


    Thomas raised a trembling hand and pointed into the distance. ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s still alive¡­¡± he mumbled.

 Chapter 562 - Begging for Mercy

    <h2>Chapter 562: Begging for Mercy</h2>


    Powell and Rice let their gazes follow the direction Thomas was pointing in. They were frozen, as if they had been shocked by electricity, and their fear was palpable, as if they had seen a ghost. The color drained from their faces, and in their field off vision they could see a man walking out of the forest with burn wounds and blood covering his entire body. There were bleeding blisters covering his face and arms, as if he were a bloody corpse that had crawled its way out of hell, like he had been skinned alive.


    But they could see that the surface wounds were healing quite steadily; the flesh that had been charred fell off on its own and was new flesh grew in its ce.


    The bloody corpse headed towards them, one foot in front of the other. In this moment, it felt as if the temperature had suddenly plunged to freezing point. As the corpse came closer, his face was almost entirely healed. A dashing face formed, and who was it but Mie, who they wanted to kill?


    It was eerie and sinister, as if the gates of hell had opened!


    When Xiao Luo made his way to them, all of the burns on his body had been healed by the healing powers of the system. He was topless, only wearing a pair of ck military-issued briefs.


    It had barely taken him a moment to transform from a horrifying, bloody corpse to a dashing and aloof young man with all his skin and flesh intact, but the horror that this had dealt to the three soldiers was firmly imprinted into their souls.


    Just¡­just what kind of a monster was this?


    Powell and Rice were so spooked they were sitting on the floor, unmoving. They raised their heads and looked at Xiao Luo, consumed by their fright.


    ¡°Blowing up the entire forest, good move, a f*cking good move this was!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly. Had he not found himself a gigantic rock to hint under, and were it not for the system¡¯s healing ability, his journey might havee to an end here. He had thought of every sort of attack, but this was the only one he did not think the Mei army would have dared pull off. After all, this was tantamount to triggering a war and leaving things up to international opinion. The Mei army should not have resorted to this just to kill him; besides, there had still been thirty, forty other SEAL soldiers in the forest.


    ¡°You people from Mei Nation really see yourselves as the top of the world, huh, and you think you can just do as you wish?¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked, and then changed the topic. ¡°Whose idea was it?¡±


    He let his gaze sweep over Powell, Rice and Thomas, a scarlet bloodlust flickering in his gaze.


    ¡°It¡¯s him, it was his idea, Mr Mie. We¡­we didn¡¯t have anything to do with this¡­¡±


    Rice and Thomas immediately pointed at Powell. They were trembling in the face of such a supernatural existence, down to their very soles. Rebel? They would end up bing an internationalughing-stock. Even if all the Mei Nation soldiers took part in this, it was likely they would not be able to destroy this man.


    Powell¡¯s heart lurched. Cold sweat was forming. ¡°Mr Mie, I¡­I surrender¡­¡±


    He addressed Xiao Luo respectfully. Now that he hade face to face with absolute power, he waspletely subservient. On top of that, there was this rule in war that you did not kill he who surrendered, so he thought this was the best course of action.


    ¡°Surrender?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at Powell as if he were staring at an idiot, and then he said impatiently with a wave of his hand, ¡°Alright then, I ept your surrender. But the Hua Nation¡¯s rules of surrender requires you kowtow.¡±


    Kowtow?!


    Powell was stunned, and also ted. There was nothing more important at this moment than protecting his life.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll kowtow, I¡¯ll kowtow to you!¡±


    Powell immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Xiao Luo. The moment his forehead hit the ground, Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg swung down viciously on the back of his head.


    Crack!


    His head exploded like a watermelon under pressure, blood and brain juice spraying everywhere; quite a bit of it sshed onto Rice and Thomas¡¯ face as well. The sight of Powell¡¯s head cracking into pieces with blood dripping everywhere triggered their nerves. Even though they had undergone what they referred to as demonic training, they were terrified out of their wits in this moment all the same. They screamed until their throats were hoarse; Thomas lost control of his dder.


    Xiao Luo stared at them apathetically. ¡°You guys want to surrender too?¡±


    Shivering, their souls were shivering!


    Who would dare mention anything about surrendering?!


    ¡°Mr¡­Mr Mie, on ount of¡­on ount of how we¡¯ve came all this way from The City of Brule, why¡­why don¡¯t you let us go¡­¡± Rice muttered, begging for mercy. He was kneeling on the ground, snot and tears streaming down his face.


    Thomas had the cross he wore in a death grip, praying with no stop to the Lord. His face waspletely drained of blood.


    ¡°Let you guys go?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed, mocking and cold. ¡°I really do want to let you guys go, but you just insist on seeking death.¡±


    As soon as he spoke, he swung an open palm down on Thomas¡¯s head.


    Thomas, who had been kneeling on the ground and muttering in prayer, died without even keeling. His body fell, ramrod stiff, and although Xiao Luo was enraged, he knew that Thomas had only yed a small role, so he left the man¡¯s corpse intact and made sure his death was painless.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Driven by fear, Rice abandoned all thoughts and escaped.


    Abat knife followed after him like a shadow and lodged into his back, and then came back out through his chest. At the same time the knife passed through his back and chest, it pierced through his heart as well. Rice fell bodily into the ground, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.


    Xiao Luo did not pay any more attention to a man who would eventually die. He donned the SEAL camouge uniform, got on the car, and set out towards the Mei army shore base.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Night fell. At the Mei army shore base, soldiers holding patrol lights were sweeping over every inch of the ce like a radar.


    There were two aircraft carriers here. Like Hua Nation, they were here to evacuate their nationals. Themander-in-chief here was a rear admiral. Currently, Sarah Michelle was locked in a heated debate over Xiao Luo with this rear admiral.


    ¡°Mr Mie is an assistant we Michelles hired from Hua Nation. If it weren¡¯t for him, I would have died in the hands of the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps, and yet you want him dead. I¡¯m going to sue you once we return, and that Captain Powell under yourmand!¡± Sarah¡¯s emotions were out of her control. She just could not understand why the Mei army wanted to make an attempt on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before that this is something we absolutely have to do, Miss Sarah. There is absolutely no way that soldier by the name of Mie can be allowed to return to Hua Nation, or he¡¯ll be a nightmare for us in the future,¡± the rear admiral exined with both hands behind his back.


    ¡°Nightmare? What do you mean ¡®nightmare¡¯? You lot have deluded yourselves into thinking Hua Nation is the enemy for too long, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re treating a Hua Nation soldier as a potential threat.¡±


    ¡°This is an issue of politics, and it¡¯s only natural you wouldn¡¯t understand, Miss Sarah. That¡¯s enough already. I¡¯ve exined all that I needed to. Please return and get some rest, Miss Sarah.¡±


    Sarah grit her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re brought to justice!¡±


    ¡°Then I shall wait,¡± the rear admiral said with a smile. The corners of his lips were twitching but he forced himself to remain calm.


    Knock.


    In this moment, there was someone knocking on the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± the rear admiral asked rather impatiently.


    There was no response, just more knocking.


    ¡°D*mn it, who is it?¡±


    The rear admiral was fuming. He strode over to the door and was ready to viciously admonish the ipetent subordinate that was waiting outside, using them to vent all of the anger Sarah Michelle had hurled at him.


    As soon as the door opened, a ck muzzle was forced right against his head.


    ¡°Mr Mie?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s face was contorted with shock as she looked at the man holding the gun. No one would believe the man was here, not even God himself. This was the rear admiral¡¯s office and there had been so many soldiers outside who were on guard or on patrol. Trying to infiltrate this ce was even more difficult than trying to walk on water.

 Chapter 563 - Returning Home

    <h2>Chapter 563: Returning Home</h2>


    It was simply unbelievable! A task that was as impossible as trying to walk on water had been aplished by this man so easily.


    Sarah Michelle froze in shock and wavered slightly as she gazed at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You¡¯re Mie from Hua Nation?¡±


    The rear admiral red at Xiao Luo with glowering eyes. He had a full head of white hair and, although there was a gun pointed to his head, he kept his calm and maintained an air of dignity.


    Xiao Luoughed. ¡°You are correct, but no prizes for the right answer,¡± he replied.


    ¡°You single-handedly wiped out the Khun Sa Mercenary Corps, and you were able to escape a small town filled with more than 500 soldiers in one piece¨Cyou¡¯re a powerful soldier. What do you think about bing a Mei national and using your talents for Mei Nation? As long as you agree, I can immediately arrange for you to have a green card. The Mei Nation green card is universally recognized as one of the hardest ones to obtain, but with your skills and qualifications, getting this green card will be a piece of cake,¡± the rear admiral said.


    Xiao Luo scorned at that man with a derisive smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about bing a Mei Nation citizen. The only reason I came here was to kill you!¡±


    As soon as he said that, he pulled the trigger with his index finger.


    BANG!


    A bullet passed through the rear admiral¡¯s head, leaving a bloody gaping hole in its back. The rear admiral¡¯s eyes opened wide and his body stiffened before slumping to the floor in a heap.


    Sarah paled and stared uneasily at Xiao Luo in fear. ¡°You¡­you killed him?¡± she cried.


    ¡°Is it not obvious enough?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    The rear admiral had approved captain Powell¡¯s request for artillery to rain on the forest, which was the main reason he had almost been killed in that forest. If Xiao Luo did not pull the trigger, he would always rue this opportunity to exact his revenge on the rear admiral.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Sarah. See you again the next time. Well, actually, no¨CI won¡¯t ever see you again.¡±


    Xiao Luo waved at Sarah, then turned around and left the way he entered.


    Sarah Michelle was stupefied and had her gaze fixed on the rear admiral¡¯s corpse.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next afternoon, Xiao Lu returned to the shore base where the Hua Nation was repatriating their nationals.


    Jiang Zhiming and hispany of men had returned to base some time ago, and Tang Wantian was safe and sound as well, having made friends with Ji Siying after they met. Gong Gaofeng, captain of the ship, expressed his gratitude to Xiao Luo because he had heard from Jiang Zhiming the events that had transpired.


    Gong Gaofeng chuckled, patting Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Thebat prowess of an NSA soldier is indeed not something to be trifled with. You¡¯ll have to forgive me for underestimating you in the past!¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo merelyughed without the need to make any reply.


    He was thest Hua national from Libya to reach the shore base, and amid the cheers and shouts of the passengers as soon as he embarked, the fleet set sail for home.


    At night, the wind blew across the deck.


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying stood beside each other on the bow against the railing, looking out into the pitch darkness of the vast sea.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get injured, did you, Mr. Xiao Luo?¡± Ji Siying asked, looking at him in concern. A light cast on her and her delicate face made it difficult to focus on anything else.


    Xiao Luo shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± he replied. He paused for a beat, and then continued, ¡°Oh, right, be sure to report to the Bureau as soon as you can that the Bais wanted to use the Libyan army to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will,¡± Ji Siying said with a gentle nod.


    And then they said nothing else. Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze was fixed in front as he let the sea breeze caress his face.


    Ji Siying stepped closer and closer, leaned up against him, and then finally pillowed her head on his shoulder.


    ¡°Ahem! Ahem, ahem.¡± There was a faint sound of coughing.


    Xiao Luo and Ji Siying turned around and saw Tang Wantian standing not too far away behind them, looking rather awkward. Initially, Tang Wantian was assigned to berth with the nationals below, but she had been allowed to stay on this level because of her rtionship with Xiao Luo.


    Tang Wantian chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not interrupting anything, am I?¡± she said.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Xiao Luo replied, cutting right to the chase.


    ¡°I came here to thank you.¡±


    Tang Wantian walked a little closer and then lowered herself into a deep bow to Xiao Luo. ¡°Thank you, Xiao Luo. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I would probably have been dead.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. We¡¯re ssmates, even friends¡ªand it was well within my ability to save you,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but the fact remains that you saved my life. How about this¡ªafter we return, I¡¯ll buy you a meal. This might not be much but it¡¯s the only way I can think of to repay my gratitude,¡± Tang Wantian said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded and shook his head, then smiled and said, ¡°Of course, if you evere to Xiahai, you¡¯re free to call me up on my phone.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Tang Wantian said, nodding enthusiastically.


    When he mentioned phones, Xiao Luo immediately cocked his brow. The phone assigned to him had been specially made by NSA and was destroyed by the explosion in the forest, and he was not too sure when he had lost it either. He made it a point to take a note of requesting another one from the NSA as soon as he returned home. After all, his phone was quite an important tool. One could even say it was indispensable.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Five dayster, Xiao Luo and Ji Siying walked out of the Xiahai airport.


    Gu Zhanguo had personallye to wee them. He immediately held Xiao Luo¡¯s hand as soon as he saw them. ¡°Congrattions onpleting your mission, Mie!¡± he said. Then he waved a hand, and an NSA agent came forward with a new phone. Gu Zhanguo took it from the agent and said, ¡°The number¡¯s the same. We¡¯ve helped you restore your contacts ording to your call log, and I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve missed anyone out.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the phone. ¡°How are you going to handle the Bai family?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep you posted, you just take some time to rest up. I¡¯ll have Night Sparrow notify you if there¡¯s a mission,¡± Gu Zhanguo said.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just observe the Bais for now. I believe in the bureau¡¯s power, but if they pull another stunt on me, I¡¯ll deal with it myself.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    Gu Zhanguo had no doubt that the Bai family was not just challenging Xiao Luo but the NSA¡¯s authority.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo returned to Crescent Bay after he had dinner with Ji Siying.


    He finally started up the WeChat app after he was bored out of his mind. There were dozens of messages waiting for him, and they had all been sent by Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°F*ck, man, why aren¡¯t you picking up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming to Xiahai today, hurry ande get me at the airport.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna crush your nuts if I don¡¯t see you at the airport.¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows as he read the messages, and then he looked at the date those messages were sent. They were sent this morning, which meant that Zhang Dashan had long arrived at Xiahai.


    He immediately dialed the man¡¯s number, and the call went through after two rings.


    ¡°Dashan.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, Lao Xiao, just hurry ande to the Longzhou Public Security Sub-bureau and bail me out. Hurry, alright? I¡¯m waiting for you,¡± Zhang Dashan replied. His panicked voice crackled over the call right before the line cut.


    Longzhou Public Security Sub-bureau?


    Bail him out? What was going on? Was he detained at the sub-bureau?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s head was swimming with questions.


    [At Longzhou Public Security Sub-bureau]


    Zhang Dashan, sitting calmly in his suit, hung up on Xiao Luo. With his cherubic round face and a convincing, clear voice filled with emotions, he said, ¡°Growing up, my family was really poor. We could barely afford our three meals a day and we had no phones. When I was six, I fell in love with a girl who lived next door to us. She was really sweet and gentle, and just one nce or one smile, was enough to make my heart race.¡±


    At this point, tears formed in his eyes were threatening to fall.


    He blinked through his tears and continued speaking, ¡°Then, all of a sudden, she moved away and I finally saw her again more than 2 decadester. I was 90% sure that it was her, for I could never forget her. So I asked her, do you mind showing me your birthmark? And she said no, and then she started taking her clothes off. And then¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan spoke with a straight face and a pained voice to the officer opposite him who was recording his statement. ¡°And then you guys barged in!¡± he said.

 Chapter 564 - Holy Sh*t

    <h2>Chapter 564: Holy Sh*t</h2>


    The investigating police officer pointed at Zhang Dashan furiously and roared, ¡°I¡¯d have bought that sh*t if I didn¡¯t see you with your pants down!¡±


    ¡°D*mnit, Mr. Officer, can¡¯t you just respect me a little? I poured my heart and soul into putting up this performance, can¡¯t you just take me for my word?¡± Zhang Dashan said, ¡°Besides, the youngdy is struggling to survive in society and this way we are reducing the rate of rape cases. So, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s understandable as long as they¡¯re not forced into it? Wouldn¡¯t it be good if we all just looked the other way and build a harmonious and civilized society?¡±


    BANG!


    The police officer mmed down on the table with a heavy, open palm. He roared, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you trying to talk your way out of this. You bettere clean now, or it¡¯ll be more than just detention and a hefty fine you¡¯ll have to deal with!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re impossible to reason with.¡±


    Zhang Dashan heaved a long sigh and shook his head helplessly.


    After 10 minutes, Xiao Luo walked in. He forked out the money and exchanged greetings with the sub-bureau chief before bringing Zhang Dashan out.


    Zhang Dashan sat in the passenger seat and then immediatelyunched into an impassioned tirade. ¡°D*mn it, I¡¯m slipping back into bad habits, and I ended up at the bureau this time. This is not a good start!¡± hemented.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of nerve.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at Zhang Dashan before he chastised the man. ¡°Can you get your act together? Is it that hard to find a gooddy to settle down with? Prostitutes, really?¡±


    ¡°Girlfriend, that was my girlfriend¨Ccan we remember this fact at least? Don¡¯t just spit out the word ¡®prostitute¡¯ every time you open your mouth, my friend.¡±


    Zhang Dashan tried to defend his actions. ¡°I may be like this, but I¡¯ve never once tried to harass the women in thepany. Department Head Li is so beautiful, and Department Head Luo is so adorable, and even though they spend most of their time in Xiahai, they still return to the headquarters in Jiangcheng frequently enough. I¡¯ve never once tried to make a move on them, so you shouldn¡¯t always be so negative. You gotta look on the positive side.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me stop you, then!¡±


    Xiao Luo took a good look at this guy. He had a body that was neither fat nor thin, and it was just that face of his that was chubby, and it gave him a look like an official.


    He started the car engine and changed the topic. ¡°I take it that you¡¯ve already been to the branch in Xiahai to take a look, then?¡±


    ¡°I have, and I¡¯ve even had a pep talk with them. This campaign we¡¯re waging against Sumir is a tough one, and it will be a long one. We¡¯ll have to be prepared for it physically and mentally. Oh, right. the factory in Jiangcheng had been handed over to Feng Wuhen and the gang to manage. The five of them picked up the skills rather quickly after all the studying and hard work, and they¡¯re doing a good job running the factory,¡± Zhang Dashan reported.


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment.


    Jiangcheng had Zhang Dashan and Xiahai had Li Zimeng, but Luo Workshop¡¯s development n was to expand to the entire country¡ªeven the whole world. As the people closest to him, Feng Wuhen and his four trusted men had to be shaped into talented people who could manage things independently.


    ¡°Where are you staying? I¡¯ll drive you there,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I was staying at the branch, but now that I¡¯ve reunited with you, where do you think I¡¯m going to stay? Of course, I¡¯ll be staying in your luxury apartment at Crescent Bay,¡± Zhang Dashan said without much hesitation. Xiao Luo might not have told Zhang Dashan that he was married to Su Li, but he did say to the man where he was staying.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Drop that girl, let me introduce you to a prettydy.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the prettydy?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°The Chairman of Huayao Corporation!¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°F*ck, beautiful and rich? I¡¯m down with this, hurry and introduce me to her already! It¡¯s not like Luo Workshop is a financial titan, so if we manage to climb up to Huayao Corporation¡¯s level, we¡¯ll be on a stable footing in this match against Sumir, buddy,¡± Zhang Dashan responded, chuckling gleefully.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best that you give up on that idea. This Chairman of Huayao Corporation is on rather good terms with the boss of Sumir, so there¡¯s no way she¡¯ll help you fight Sumir.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal? Who¡¯s the boss of Sumir?¡±


    ¡°Department Head Li didn¡¯t tell you?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. But then again, maybe it was because I was too eager to get one off and I left the office before she could exin it to me,¡± Zhang Dashan said without flinching, not at all feeling like he had let it slipped out¡ªand he spoke as if this was just how things were.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned serious. Had he not been driving, he would have sent this man flying with a kick.


    ¡°It¡¯s Su Li,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Su Li? As in the Goddess of our Nation, Su Li?


    Zhang Dashan¡¯s eyes were wide open. ¡°Sumir, Su Li. F*ck, we¡¯re actually going to war against the Nation¡¯s Goddess. Had all of this happened a year ago, I wouldn¡¯t have even dared to think about it.¡±


    Xiao Luo paused momentarily and gave serious thought to what he was about to say. ¡°Well, you can think about it all you want now. There¡¯s this one other thing I have to tell you,¡± he said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    Xiao Luo kept his gaze forward, then said, ¡°Su Li and I have done our certificate of marriage and we¡¯re married in name.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zhang Dashan leaped in his seat, shocked as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight, so much so that he started speaking in a foreignnguage. ¡°You and Goddess Su have a certificate of marriage?¡±


    Xiao Luo knew he would react like this. ¡°Mm-hmm,¡± he responded, nodding his head.


    ¡°Holy sh*t, just what the hell happened during this time? Dude, are you trying to turn my world upside down?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was going insane. Although he was in charge of Luo¡¯s Workshop, he still thought a mega-celebrity like Su Li was beyond their reach, as a deity in the sky. Yet now, his good buddy Xiao Luo was married to this deity. No matter what, when such news broke out, it invariably came with an intense sense of disbelief.


    ¡°We have, indeed, collected our certificate of marriage, but we¡¯re not actually husband and wife. Our rtionship isplicated and I can¡¯t fully exin it in a short time. Just remember, when you meet herter, don¡¯t tell her that we¡¯re from Luo Workshop,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°How can I not? You and Goddess Su collected your certificate of marriage, which means you¡¯re husband and wife. Starting a d*mn war with your own wife, just say the word, dude, and Luo Workshop and Sumir can be one,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. This is not the time for us to show our hands yet.¡±


    It was not as if he had not tried to probe how Su Li felt about Luo Workshop. The two of them were not on equal footing yet. If they were to join hands, Luo Workshop would only be a rung below Sumir, and this was not what Xiao Luo wanted.


    ¡°Alright, then. There must be a reason behind your words, but I still find it hard to believe you¡¯re married to Goddess Su, Lao Xiao. She is the dream of so many men in this country, and here you are bedding her. Now, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t slept with her. Even Buddha would be moved by his mortal desires if he had such a beautiful woman by his side¨Cit¡¯d be outrageous if you¡¯ve not slept with her. I¡¯d never imagine, not even in my wildest dreams, that you¡¯d be the one Goddess Su was married to.¡± Zhang Dashan was envious, jealous, and to an extent, even hateful.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    And what could Xiao Luo say to that? There wasn¡¯t anything to tell because he would not have married her had they not fumbled their way into this rtionship.

 Chapter 565 - Pretty Little Darling

    <h2>Chapter 565: Pretty Little Darling</h2>


    Xiao Luo had actually sent Su Li a message as soon as he stepped foot in Xiahai, telling her that he had returned. Not surprisingly, all he got back in response was a single ¡°ok,¡± so he did not bring Zhang Dashan to meet Su Li when he returned to Crescent Bay. Instead, he returned right to his own apartment.


    ¡°Jesus Christ! A crystal chandelier, European-style furniture, gold color as your central theme, and a Mediterranean vibe permeate this apartment. Lao Xiao, this is essentially fit for a king.¡±


    Zhang Dashan had been thoroughly shocked by the luxury of this apartment, but he immediately changed the topic. ¡°Where¡¯s Goddess Su? I can¡¯t wait to meet such a superstar¨Cjust thinking about it is already getting me excited!¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Get yourself together. You¡¯re reeking of sweat, hurry and take a shower. The bathroom is over there; I¡¯ll bring you a fresh set of clothes.¡±


    ¡°Do you have clean underwear? Give me a dozen or so if you do,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression soured. What he really wanted to give the man was a good punch in his face.


    Zhang Dashan could feel that something was not quite right. He hurriedly changed his tune, ¡°If not, I¡¯m good with a pair of boxer briefs, too. You can¡¯t expect me to gomando after the shower, right? I¡¯d make a fool of myself if little me acts up, and I don¡¯t have any underwear holding it down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go look for some!¡± Xiao Luo said impatiently. At this moment, he genuinely felt that he had gotten involved with the wrong crowd in his college days. There was simply no end to how crass this man was.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Just as Zhang Dashan was whistling and entertaining himself in the bathroom as he showered, the doorbell rang.


    Xiao Luo knew that it was definitely not Su Li, as she would just let herself in without ringing the bell. He opened the door and saw Su Xiaobei and Su Canye standing outside. The girl was like a jade carving with a pair of glimmering eyes on her rosy face, her little braids tied up in curls. She was dolled up in a pretty white dress, making her look every bit as adorable as a princess in a fairy tale.


    ¡°Daddy, huggie! I want a huggie!¡±


    The little girl had gone too long without seeing Xiao Luo, and she promptly stretched her arms out toward Xiao Luo for a hug.


    Xiao Luo had missed her quite a bit too, and so he bent down to lift her up.


    ¡°Bei Bei missed you so much, Daddy,¡± Su Xiaobei said in her sweet voice with her lips pouted after she pecked Xiao Luo on his forehead. She nuzzled in his arms as she let Xiao Luo hug her.


    Xiao Luo pinched her little face. ¡°I missed you a lot too,¡± he said, as he carried her over to the living room, ¡°Daddy brought some toys for you, see if you like them.¡±


    He gently sat her on the stool and took out a box from his suitcase, opening it to reveal a toy electric piano.


    ¡°Wow, give me the toy, Daddy. I want the toy, Daddy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei was at an age where she loved all sorts of toys, and seeing the electric piano naturally made her very excited.


    Xiao Luo smiled gently. He had wanted to teach her how to y, and he did not expect Su Xiaobei to reach out with her tiny little hands the moment the toy piano was ced in front of her. She pressed down on every one of the keys. Each of the keys created a different note, and the little girl was extremely entertained.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I heard from Su Li you went traveling to the Maldives?¡± Su Canye asked.


    He had blond hair on her head, studs in his ears, pale skin, and ck eyeliner around his eyes. He was wearing his iconic ck leather jacket. It was typical of Su Canye to be decked out in such a hipster outfit.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°D*mn, why didn¡¯t you bring me along with you? I heard the view there¡¯s to die for, especially the sea. They say it¡¯s heaven on earth, and I¡¯ve wanted to go there for some time now. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d sneak out there on your own. Where¡¯s your sense of loyalty?¡± Su Canye said, stewing in his own gloominess.


    ¡°Just go there with your wife after you get married. Why do you need me to bring you there?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Get married?¡±


    Su Canye furrowed his eyebrows, then with a wave of his hand, he said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get married so soon. My youth cannot be wasted on a single woman, and I won¡¯t be thinking about marriage before turning 30. Isn¡¯t that right, little princess?¡±


    Su Canye posed the question at Su Xiaobei, but she was too immersed in the joy of ying with the electric piano and did not even respond to his question.


    Suddenly, Su Canye¡¯s ears twitched. He heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. ¡°Huh, who¡¯s that showering in the bathroom?¡±


    As soon as he said that, a shrill voice started singing. It was Li Yugang¡¯s ¡°Drunken Beauty.¡±


    Su Canye¡¯s eyes widened as he pointed at Xiao Luo in disbelief. ¡°My goodness, it¡¯s a woman. Xiao Luo, you, you¡­ You¡¯re cheating on my sister?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo was so angry he almostughed. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell it¡¯s a man singing?¡± he quipped.


    ¡°A man?¡±


    Su Canye listened carefully, still somewhat in disbelief, but he stuck to his guns. ¡°Xiao Luo, do you take me for a fool? That¡¯s obviously a woman¡¯s voice; how could it be a man?¡± he said, ¡°This won¡¯t do, I have to tell my sister. She hasn¡¯t given me pocket money in a long time, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll give me an endless supply once I do her this service.¡±


    The thought of this was enough to send the man skipping out of the apartment. He shouted as he made his way out, ¡°Su Li, your husband¡¯s cheating on you!¡±


    Huh?


    Xiao Luo saw nothing but 10,000 donkeys trampling about in his head. And then, with his eyebrows furrowed tightly together, only one word escaped from his mouth: ¡°Dumb*ss!¡±


    The bathroom door opened, and Zhang Dashan stuck half of his body out, white foamy bubbles atop his head. ¡°Lao Xiao, what was all that noise about cheating I heard just now? I was asking Thumbelina to deal with things since my girlfriend isn¡¯t going to make it today. God d*mn, all that noise really messed me up.¡±


    Thumbelina?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were wide in shock. Even a fool would know what Zhang Dashan was up to in the bathroom. Xiao Luo was up to his limit.


    He red sternly at Zhang Dashan and bellowed, ¡°Get out here, you get the hell out here right now!¡±


    ¡°D*mn, I was just joking, and you¡¯re taking it so seriously.¡± Zhang Dashan rolled his eyes, pulling his body back in and firmly shutting the door.


    What kind of joke was that?


    Xiao Luo felt himself reaching the verge of a mental breakdown. Zhang Dashan was growing more and more brazen these days.


    After the shower, Zhang Dashan put on the pajama that Xiao Luo had handed him and stepped out of the steaming hot bathroom.


    ¡°Hey there, little girl. Do you remember me?¡± He waved at Su Xiaobei, who was ying with the toy piano in front of the table.


    Su Xiaobei had an excellent memory. She spoke in that babyish voice of hers and said, ¡°You¡¯re Uncle Dashan.¡±


    ¡°Haha, not bad, not bad at all. I¡¯m your Uncle Dashan. No, actually, I¡¯m your Brother Dashan. I¡¯ve only just turned 18 this year.¡±


    Zhang Dashan was overjoyed, and he walked over to pinch her little face affectionately. He then turned his head to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Hey, Lao Xiao, this little girl has grown quite a bit. She¡¯s such a pretty little darling now. Look at her¡ªshe looks just like a princess from a fairy tale, so cute, but she doesn¡¯t have any friends. Let me take another look at her. Ahh, she actually looks a lot like you. Is the saying true, then? The one about how kids most resemble the person they live with the most?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re digressing again. Can you focus on the issue at hand?¡± Xiao Luo growled.


    ¡°Hey, man, I¡¯m always focused. Oh, right, hurry and arrange for me to meet Goddess Su. I can¡¯t miss my chance at meeting such a celebrity,¡± Zhang Dashan said.

 Chapter 566 - Consider its Owner

    <h2>Chapter 566: Consider its Owner</h2>


    Not long after, probably due to Su Canye carrying tales, the adulterer-nabbing squad arrived. He had brought along Su Li, Shen Qingyan, Chai Zhiying, and Luo Pingxiang.


    Su Li wore a pure white pleated dress, her face clear as running water, and not a single strand of her ck hair was out of ce. Her skin was so pale it could rival snow, and her exquisite and wless face gave her an aloofness and distant aura¨Ccold, yet beautiful.


    Shen Qingyan wore a long, ck dress. She had a tall figure, and her wavy hair cascaded down her back. It highlighted how perfect and pale her face was. She had an impassive gaze, and her eyes were clear as water¡ªher voluptuous figure bringing out her wild charms.


    To Zhang Dashan, this moment was as unreal as a dream. The superstar Su Li who he could only catch a glimpse of on television, magazines, or brand endorsements, was actually standing right in front of him, in the flesh. Beside Su Li stood anotherdy who was only slightly less beautiful, who had a smoking hot body, and ady he could not take his eyes off.


    ¡°Is this the woman you mentioned, Su Canye?¡±


    Su Li frowned as she pointed at Zhang Dashan with a mocking expression and asked Su Canye a rhetorical question.


    Su Canye felt extremely awkward. He had searched the entire apartment but could not find anyone else. He smiled when he couldn¡¯t find my evidence. ¡°Perhaps it was him,¡± he said.


    Haha, haha, haha¡­


    Shen Qingyan was amused and could not help bursting out inughter. ¡°You¡¯re in trouble, guys. How dare you make fun of Su Li on such matters. I told you, didn¡¯t I? How can Xiao Luo be having an affair? Even if he is, he would never bring the woman back to the apartment unless he is a fool,¡± she said.


    Su Canye was embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault at all. It was because this man kept singing in a woman¡¯s voice when he was bathing, and I jumped to the wrong conclusion,¡± Su Canye said.


    ¡°Bro, ¡®The Drunken Beauty¡¯ is supposed to be sung in a female voice. Just because the man was singing in a falsetto voice does not make him a woman,¡± Shen Qingyan said, unable to contain herself.


    Zhang Dashan smiled. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t be the person to me. It was my fault. It was because I was singing so well that you thought I was a woman,¡± he said.


    F*ck, who is this guy? How could he be so confident?


    Su Canye looked at Zhang Dashan as if he was some freak.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, who is he?¡± Shen Qingyan asked, showing some interest in Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°He is my friend, Zhang Dashan,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    And then, he formally introduced him to Shen Qingyan. He turned to Zhang Dashan, cleared his throat, and said, ¡°This is the President of the Huayao Corporation, Miss Shen, Shen Qingyan,¡±


    As he introduced Shen Qingyan, Xiao Luo winked at Zhang Dashan, to hint that he should behave. Otherwise, he would miss the opportunity to impress her.


    When Zhang Dashan saw that, he immediately ran into Xiao Luo¡¯s bedroom and quickly came back. When he returned, he had put on a suit and tie, and his hair was neatlybed back, which made him look like a sessful individual.


    He offered his hand towards Shen Qingyan like a suave gentleman. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Shen,¡± he said.


    Out of courtesy, Shen Qingyan reached out to shake his hand. ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± she responded.


    ¡°I have heard about you for a long time. ording to Forbes, you are one of the top ten marketing persons in Hua Nation and one of the most powerful women in the Asian business world. You are almost on the same level as Chu Yunxiong, the boss of Chongshan House in Jiangcheng. It is my honor to meet you today. By the way, you are an exceptionally gorgeousdy. Even beingpared to Goddess Su, Miss Shen¡¯s beauty is not inferior to hers,¡± Zhang Dashan crooned, unable to stop praising Shen Qingyan.


    Xiao Luo let out a sigh. This guy was finally showing his true colors.


    ¡°Oh my God, Brother-inw. Your friend is really good at buttering up a person,¡± Su Canye said, matter-of-factly.


    Zhang Dashan immediately waved his hand and responded, ¡°Buttering up? Don¡¯t you agree with what I just said?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Su Canye attempted to answer but was stumped.


    Wisely, he remained silent. If I said I did not agree, then it would offend Shen Qingyan, he thought.


    Ignoring them, Su Li had already sat down on the sofa with her gaze fixed on Xiao Luo all this while. In her mind, she was upset with him for not bringing her anything when he returned from the Maldives.


    After receiving such ttery, Shen Qingyanughed softly and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang, what do you do?¡±


    ¡°I also run apany. Butpared with Miss Shen¡¯s Huayao Corporation, mine is a small business, nothing to talk about,¡± Zhang Dashan said, making an attempt to be modest.


    ¡°Run apany? Huh, stop bragging. Thest time I saw you, you were still living in the slums of Jiangcheng. It has only been less than a year, and now you say that you have apany? Who do you think you are talking to?¡± a disagreeing voice filtered across the room. It was Chai Zhiying, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest with a caustic look on her face.


    ¡°Never judge a man who has made great progress by his past. Miss Chai, you have no understanding of what a man can achieve,¡± Zhang Dashan shot back and restrained his desire to curse.


    ¡°Such a jerk. Do you think you can achieve such sess?¡± Chai Zhiying retorted as a woman scorned.


    Her face was full of disdain. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Don¡¯t make meugh, you geek. If you don¡¯t have apany, then say so. How dare you pretend in front of Miss Shen,¡± she berated him.


    She thought that Zhang Dashan was so full of himself. She might have believed him if he had said he was running a small shop or had set up a stall. But run apany? How dare he? Was he trying to impress Miss Shen? She could tell just by the way he acted that he was trying to impress Shen Qingyan.


    ¡°He¡¯s my friend. If you insist on being rude to him, then get out of my face!¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    Chai Zhiying did not dare to talk back at Xiao Luo. She would never forget how Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes looked when he was angry. They made him look fearsome, like a wild beast, and she immediately kept quiet.


    ¡°Old Xiao, what are you doing? She¡¯s Goddess Su¡¯s agent. For Goddess Su¡¯s sake, do not be so rude. After all, even if you want to beat a dog, you should consider who its owner is,¡± Zhang Dashan sneered.


    Even if you want to beat a dog, you should consider who its owner is?


    Shen Qingyan, Su Li, Su Canye, and Luo Pingxiang were all slightly stunned. They looked at Zhang Dashan in astonishment. This guy had sarcastically put Chai Zhiying in her ce with this harsh insult. And he did that with a smile on his face, like a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing.


    Chai Zhiying¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Bast*rd, what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°What did I say? I am reprimanding my bro for his inappropriate behavior toward you. What is the matter? Did I say something wrong?¡± Zhang Dashan said with an air of innocence.


    Chai Zhiying glowered at him. ¡°The vulgar will always deserve to live at the bottom of the heap,¡± she sneered.


    ¡°I am vulgar? Well¡­¡± Zhang Dashan replied,ughing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the word ¡®bast* rd¡¯ vulgar? It seems that you are not any better than me. And not to mention, suchnguageing from a woman.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Chai Zhiying hissed, gritting her teeth in outrage.


    What the heck, this guy is awesome!


    Su Canye was full of admiration. He had such deep respect for Chai Zhiying and her tenacity to hold her own. But this guy gave Chai Zhiying as good as he got. He was something else.


    Shen Qingyan found Zhang Dashan interesting. ¡°Mr. Zhang, since you said you owned apany. Can you tell me the name of yourpany?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Luo Workshop,¡± Zhang Dashan replied.


    Xiao Luo almost spewed out the tea he was drinking. What the hell? Didn¡¯t he agree not to say anything? What the f*ck was he doing?¡¯ Xiao Luo felt betrayed by Zhang Dashan.


    Luo Workshop?


    Upon hearing the Company name, Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Chai Zhiying¡¯s expressions instantly changed.


    ¡°Is it the Luo Workshop from Jiangcheng?¡± Shen Qingyan further questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Jiangcheng¡¯s Luo Workshop,¡± Zhang Dashan replied.


    Shen Qingyan gazed at him closely and finally remembered something. ¡°So it was you. The one who fought thewsuit against Taste Budsst year. Did you act on behalf of Luo Workshop? There was even a video on the Inte.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Miss Shen has seen that video?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was overjoyed and said, ¡°It seems like I have something inmon with Miss Shen.¡±

 Chapter 567 - Regret We Didnt Meet Sooner

    <h2>Chapter 567: Regret We Didn¡¯t Meet Sooner</h2>


    ¡°Are you the boss of Luo Workshop?¡±


    Su Li, who had been sitting on the sofa, spoke this time. After all, she was Sumir¡¯s real boss. Meeting herpetitor, it was natural that she could not stay calm.


    ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m the person in charge of Luo Workshop, fronting the business. Above me, there is a big boss who is the real owner of Luo Workshop,¡± Zhang Dashan replied with a smile.


    Su Li asked, ¡°So, who is he?¡±


    Xiao Luo could not help but get a little nervous suddenly, worried that Zhang Dashan would reveal his identity as the owner.


    ¡°Well¡­ If Goddess Su wants to meet him, I can introduce him to you. And you can sit down and discuss the matters pertaining to our cooperation in Xiahai City. What do you think?¡± Zhang Dashan said with a cunning look on his face.


    ¡°Discussing cooperation? Huh, do you think your Luo Workshop has the leverage to talk about coboration with our Sumir? It is preposterous!¡± Chai Zhiying sneered.


    Zhang Dashan was enraged. ¡°Auntie, please stop. If you can¡¯t talk sense, then can you please keep silent? Listening to your words makes me want to throw up everything I ate tonight,¡± he retorted.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Chai Zhi was quivering with rage.


    Oh, my God, the guy is so amazing!


    Su Canye started to respect Zhang Dashan. It was the first time he saw someone who could stand up to the ferocious Chai Zhiying with words.


    Zhang Dashan turned around and looked directly at Su Li. ¡°Goddess Su, you¡¯re Sumir¡¯s boss, so I¡¯ll just ask you for your opinion. Luo Workshop has the intention to cooperate with Sumir in the Xiahai¡¯s market. What do you think about such an arrangement?¡± he asked.


    Su Li stood up, and in a clear voice, she said, ¡°I admit that the Luo Workshop is very powerful in Jiangcheng. If Sumir tried to get a slice of the market in Jiangcheng, I¡¯m afraid that we would have to withdraw within a month. Jiangcheng is your Luo Workshop¡¯s home ground, but Xiahai is Sumir¡¯s home ground. Here, we¡¯re in charge.¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, Goddess Su doesn¡¯t think we¡¯re qualified to coborate with you. Is that what you mean?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°The meaning of Su Li¡¯s words are already clear. Why do you insist on asking? Do you want to embarrass yourself?¡± Chai Zhiying snorted.


    Su Li did not say anything, acknowledging Chai Zhiying¡¯s words tacitly.


    Zhang Dashan smiled and nced at Xiao Luo discreetly. ¡°I get it. Goddess Su is right. If someonees to Jiangcheng to take a market share of our Luo Workshop¡¯s business, we will also see them as a thorn in our flesh and will do our best to pull it out as quickly as we can,¡± he said.


    Su Canye went over and patted Zhang Dashan on his shoulder in a friendly manner. ¡°It is good, you know that. So, big-faced Bro, although I admire you, I am still going to warn you that you should not try to encroach into this business in Xiahai City,¡± he said, ¡°Luo Workshop will not be able to withstand my sister¡¯s Sumir. So, it¡¯s not toote to stop now before you suffer a greater loss. If you guys proceed to open for business, you will lose all your investment.¡±


    Zhang Dashan did not respond to his words. Instead, he took a good look at Su Canye from top to bottom with an expression of surprise. ¡°Wow, such a handsome young man you are! You are indeed Goddess Su¡¯s younger brother. You are so handsome, just like Mr. McDreamy in every girl¡¯s heart. If you break into showbiz, you will most definitely charm all the young girls.¡±


    ¡°Bro, I admire your astuteness and good taste! Nice to meet you. My name is Su Canye. Just call me Xiao Su,¡± Su Canye responded, visibly impressed by Zhang Dashan¡¯s words. He put out his hand and took the initiative to make Zhang Dashan¡¯s acquaintance.


    ¡°Your brother-inw already introduced me just now. If you don¡¯t think I¡¯m offending you, then just call me Big Brother,¡± said Zhang Dashan.


    Big¡­ Big Brother?


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    Xiao Luo immediately flew into a rage. ¡°What fu*king ¡®Big Brother¡¯ are you talking about! Don¡¯t act like you are the head of a gang!¡±


    Zhang Dashan looked at Xiao Luo calmly. ¡°No, I¡¯m certainly not! My name is Zhang Dashan, isn¡¯t it? ¡®Da¡¯ means ¡®big,¡¯ and add that word to ¡®brother,¡¯ isn¡¯t that the ¡®Big Brother?¡¯ It is not the ¡®Big Brother¡¯ that you had in mind,¡± he exined.


    Haha, haha!


    Shen Qingyan, amused by Zhang Dashan¡¯s quick response, broke intoughter. She had the feeling that this man was an interesting person to get to know.


    Xiao Luo was speechless at Zhang Dashan¡¯s brazen-faced response. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡± he retorted.


    Before Zhang Dashan could say anything, Su Canye cut in first. ¡°Brother-inw, I think it¡¯s a good idea to call him Big Brother.¡±


    Zhang Dashan chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Xiao Su, I appreciate you even more now,¡± he replied.


    Su Canye said, ¡°Big brother, I want to ask you a question. You must tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. If there¡¯s anything you need to know, feel free to ask. I will definitely tell you the truth.¡± Zhang Dashan patted his chest and vowed.


    ¡°Am I really handsome?¡± Su Canye asked, and evidently, that was what he was most concerned about.


    Zhang Dashan ced his hand on Su Canye¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Yes! I think you are bloody handsome!¡± And he truly meant it as he marveled at the young man¡¯s good looks.


    Su Canye was overjoyed. ¡°Big brother, I just admire your honesty and straightforwardness, haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°If being handsome is a sin, then you havemitted a heinous sin!¡± Zhang Dashan piled it on.


    ¡°Big Brother,e on, let me hug you. You have such fabulous taste. You know me, indeed! ¡±


    ¡°Here, man.¡±


    The two of them hugged each other, feeling as if they regretted not to have met sooner.


    Everyone in the room was speechless.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a shameless person!¡±


    Chai Zhiying could not endure it anymore. After saying that, she turned around and stormed out of the ce.


    Shen Qingyan giggled as she walked out after Chai Zhiying. ¡°Xiao Luo, your friend¡¯s very interesting,¡± she said.


    ¡°Indeed, he is interesting. The news that you knew Luo Workshop wanted to break into Xiahai¡¯s market. You got that from him, right?¡± Su Li¡¯s red lips gently opened as she spoke to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness, you¡¯re different from him.¡±


    Su Li seemed to sigh with relief, then she stood up and carried Su Xiaobei out. Luo Pingxiang followed behind her.


    The little girl waved at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Goodnight, Daddy.¡±


    Xiao Luo, Zhang Dashan, and Su Canye were the only ones left in the apartment.


    ¡°Xiao Su, you¡¯re really handsome. You¡¯re even much better than those popr young hunks,¡± Zhang Dashan said, continuing to tease Su Canye.


    ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re too profound. It was a great privilege to be able to get to know you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ It seems that we are two of a kind, Xiao Su!¡±


    ¡°Big brother, I wish to propose one more hug to seal our friendship.¡±


    ¡°Sure! Come on!¡±


    The two of them hugged each other again.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He stepped toward them and delivered each a kick to separate them.


    ¡°Ouch! Brother-inw, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Lao Xiao, is there something wrong with your brain? Why are you kicking us?¡±


    Su Canye and Zhang Dashan both reacted with angry scowls on their faces.


    ¡°Kicking you? Not only will I kick you, but I will also help you guys loosen your muscles for free. Damn it, you guys are f*cking disgusting.¡±


    Xiao Luo stretched his neck a few times and cracked his knuckles, revealing a devilish smile.


    Su Canye and Zhang Dashan¡¯s screams echoed throughout the apartment.

 Chapter 568 - One-sec man

    <h2>Chapter 568: One-sec man</h2>


    After receiving a good thrashing from Xiao Luo, Su Canye dashed from the apartment helter-skelter. On the other hand, Zhang Dashanid on the floor cursing Xiao Luo, for he could not believe that Xiao Luo would actually hit him.


    ¡°We had a deal to keep Luo Workshop a secret, but your loose lips just announced to the whole world that you¡¯re the key man. Your credibility has just dipped by half as far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± Xiao Luo chided his friend, taking the matter quite seriously.


    Zhang Dashan rose to exin himself. ¡°Bro, did you not see how aggressive that woman was? She¡¯s in menopause, I tell you! Don¡¯t be afraid of them; let¡¯s just do it,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo did not bother to talk to him anymore. He decided to head for a shower and nned on going to rest right after.


    As he was about to walk off, he saw Zhang Dashan sitting up and smiling to himself dreamily. ¡°Old Xiao, Shen Qingyan really hits all of my checkboxes, and I have a very strong hunch that she is my destiny,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo looked amused and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the exact same thing about sis Huang.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, this is not the same! I gave up on her a long time ago, and Shen Qingyan is my new love. Look at her curves, she¡¯s full of wild and seductive vibes, and if I can conquer her sessfully, I would happily donate half of my life away.¡± Zhang Dashan said starry-eyed.


    ¡°You better stop dreaming and start quitting your bad habits if you are really serious about her!¡± Xiao Luo cautioned.


    ¡°No, no, no!¡±


    Zhang Dashan shook his head and said, ¡°Love is in the eyes of the beholder, and if I happened to be Shen Qingyan¡¯s cup of tea, then there¡¯s no point for me to change.¡±


    Xiao Luo thought that was sensible as he also agreed that one man¡¯s meat is another man¡¯s poison. He was also not sure what Shen Qingyan¡¯s preference was when it came to dating, and maybe she was indeed into a wild maverick like Zhang Dashan. If not, she would not havemented on him with such interest just now.


    ¡°You can keep everything but patronizing social escorts. If you are ever caught for doing that again, do not expect me to bail you out,¡± Xiao Luo said, making it clear that was hisst caution, then went to the bathroom to shower.


    ¡°F*ck, are we still brothers or what?¡±


    Zhang Dashan got up from the floor.


    Then, Xiao Luo¡¯s phone, which was left on the table, vibrated, and the screen lit up¨Cit was a WeChat message.


    Oh, dear, it was fromdy Su Li.


    ¡°Old Xiao,dy Su had sent you a message.¡± Zhang Dashan yelled.


    ¡°Tell me what she had said.¡±


    Xiao Luo opened the bathroom door, and he appeared to have just rinsed his hair and had a towel wrapped around his waist. He cared a lot about how Su Li felt and wanted to reply to her in the shortest possible time. He was also sure that Su Li¡¯s message would not involve personal stuff, so it was quite safe for Zhang Dashan to read.


    ¡°F*ck, close your door, you sher!¡±


    Zhang Dashan rolled his eyes and picked up Xiao Luo¡¯s phone to check the message. ¡°Bro, she had sent you an emoji of an angry ball.¡±


    An emoji of an angry ball?


    Xiao Luo was stunned as this did not appear to be what Su Li would do. Could it be that this was really her texting style?


    ¡°What do you want to reply? Hurry up!¡± Zhang Dashan spat.


    ¡°Just text her a question mark,¡± Xiao Luo answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Zhang Dashan texted back a question mark immediately.


    It did not take too long for Su Li to text back. This time, she sent another emoji¨Can angry little girl with her teeth clenched and throwing out a punch.


    ¡°Bro, she had sent you another angry emoji.¡± Zhang Dashan yelled again.


    Xiao Luo waspletely puzzled as he could not figure out what that woman was thinking.


    ¡°Just leave it and don¡¯t bother with her. I¡¯ll ask her personally,¡± Xiao Luo called out to Zang Dashan then closed the door. He continued with his shower and did not wish for Zhang Dashan to be in the text loop.


    However, Zhang Dashan did not do as he was told. He was very curious about the reason behind Su Li¡¯s anger, so he replied, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, honey?¡±


    After a while, the phone vibrated again, and Su Li replied.


    ¡°You have been leaving me alone and cold all these nights after you returned! Do you still see me as your honey?¡±


    Oh, my God, old Xiao, you bast*rd! How dare you ignoredy Su; you are not a man!


    Zhang Dashan felt bad for Su Li, and he cursed at Xiao Luo, then replied, ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me, honey. I am just exhausted from the trip and feeling physically drained. How about this, I¡¯lle right over to your ce after showering, and we can have some quality time together, love you.¡±


    That¡¯s all I can do to help you, brother!


    Zhang Dashan put down Xiao Luo¡¯s phone and feeling quite satisfied with himself, as he believed he had just done Xiao Luo a great service in resolving his potential marriage crisis.


    Back at Su Li¡¯s apartment, Su Li had just finished bathing and entered her bedroom. Her bestie, Shen Qingyan, was looking very amused, staring at Su Li¡¯s phone.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Su Li asked, looking at Shen Qingyan quizzically.


    ¡°Li, it never crossed my mind that you have be that close with Xiao Luo.¡±


    Shen Qingyan passed the phone back to Su Li to let her have a look. ¡°I wanted to test Xiao Luo, but he even replied with such mushy words. This tells me that your rtionship with him wasn¡¯t that cold after all. Seems to me you guys are pretty lovey-dovey!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks blushed immediately after reading the texts, and she was confused about why Xiao Luo would say something like that. However, she was aware that she had initiated it, so Xiao Luo¡¯s response was sensible.


    ¡°Shen Qingyan, look at what you¡¯ve done!¡±


    She yelled at Shen Qingyan and stormed out of the bedroom. The first thing that came to her mind was to exin to Xiao Luo and prevent the misunderstanding.


    At the same time, right after Xiao Luo learned about the texts, he decided to immediately go to Su Li to exin what happened.


    Knock! Knock!


    They both met in the hallway, and their eyes met.


    She was draped in a long snow-white bathrobe, which exposed her long and jade-like legs. Instead of covering it, the bathrobe showed off her bosom well and highlighted her exquisite curves. Xiao Luo was only covered in a white towel below the waist, his toned muscr upper body was fully exposed, and he looked like a work of art. He was lean, but he did not look weak at all. Instead, his body lookedbat fit with a dash of wildness.


    Why was he dressed like that? Could it be that he really nned to¡­


    Su Li was blushing vividly, and even her ears were burning red now.


    Xiao Luo was equally stunned and thought to himself, was she actually serious about what she texted? If not, why would she wear such an inviting outfit to meet him?


    ¡°Err, I, mm¡­¡± they both mumbled simultaneously.


    Finally finding the words, they blurted out at the same time, ¡°You can go first.¡±


    They were stunned again as they spoke in unison. They stared at each other in shock and then smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°You should go first,¡± Xiao Luo said, with a gentlemanly gesture.


    Su Li replied, ¡°The WeChat messages were sent by Shen Qingyan, not by me. I was having my bath just now.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt relieved as he was puzzled by her texts, and he knew she could not possibly text like that. Heughed nervously then said, ¡°Actually, the replies did note from me as well, as I was showering too.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then you should be more careful with your phone next time, don¡¯t let other people use it anyhow.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    They did not exchange any more words and turned to return to their respective apartments.


    ¡°Old Xiao, why are you back already? Are you a one-sec man?¡± Zhang Dashan said, approaching him with a frown. He expected Xiao Luo to havested longer with Su Li.


    Xiao Luo forced out a smile and asked, ¡°Dashan, look, what¡¯s behind you?¡±


    ¡°Behind me?¡±


    Zhang Dashan turned and realized there was nothing, ¡°There¡¯s nothing, old Xiao, what¡­¡±


    At this time, Xiao Luoshed out a heavy kick at his enormous butt, and Zhang Dashan let out a high-pitched scream as he flew across the room andnded on the sofa perfectly. That he flew like a projectile in a perfect arc made hisnding more dramatic and funny.

 Chapter 569 - The Situation

    <h2>Chapter 569: The Situation</h2>


    The purpose of Zhang Dashan¡¯s arrival at Xiahai was more than catching up with Xiao Luo. He also intended to share some of Xiao Luo¡¯s workload here. After all, the business of Luo¡¯s Workshop headquarters in Jiangcheng was pretty much stabilized, and it would not make a difference with his absence. However, Xiahai was different. The work in Xiahai was as good as venturing into an unknownnd, and a tough fight with the local merchants was expected.


    It was the beginning of the month and Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s grand opening in Xiahai!


    Before this took ce, Luo¡¯s Workshop had already employed plenty of marketing and public rtions strategies. The promotional events in various retail stores have been kicked started too. Guided by their market research, the sweetness of all their pastries and cakes was reduced to suit the preference of Xiahai consumers. On top of that, the variety of their products had been increased based on the feedback of their prodigal researcher, Luo Qi. Luo Workshop now offered at least thirty more varieties of productspared to Sumir.


    However, besides the initial poprity thanks to their grand opening, the retail stores of Luo Workshop had seen a major plunge in sales and could not retain the consumer base as good as Sumir. On the other hand, Sumir was totally unaffected by Luo Workshop at all.


    [At Luo Workshop Xiahai Division]


    Xiao Luo was seated on the center chair in a smart ck suit, his right hand drumming on the table rhythmically. Before this, he would never believe that Luo Workshop could have failed miserably like now. Everyone knew very well that Luo Workshop had ample time to prepare themselves in this war, and they had spare no effort in the research and development of products, marketing, and retail store decorations. In summary, Luo¡¯s Workshop had changed substantially ording to Xiahai¡¯s historical and cultural basis to better attract the Xiahai customer base.


    ¡°Everyone, tell me about your take on this issue.¡±


    Xiao Luo announced slowly as he knew that Luo¡¯s Workshop needed more than just himself now. They had to brainstorm and relook at their brand strategy and determine the root cause of the problem.


    Besides Zhang Dashan, Li Zimeng, and Luo Qi, key members of Luo Workshop¡¯s higher management and the retail managers were also present. They even did a simultaneous video conference with the senior management members from the Jiangcheng headquarters. In other words, every key stakeholder was present at this meeting. Zhang Dashan had solidified his position as the second inmand, so Xiao Luo did not have to worry about overshadowing his power in this meeting.


    A man stood up and expressed his opinion. ¡°President Xiao, I believe that the people purchase products from Sumir out of a habitual reason,¡± he said, ¡°Five years ago, there was a bakery franchise named ¡®Feixue¡¯ trying to enter Xiahai¡¯s market, and they too were met with the same reaction as we have.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and asked, ¡°What do you think we should do to solve this problem?¡±


    ¡°Old habits die hard, and trying to change the habits of Xiahai consumers would undoubtedly be a lengthy process. Besides, we cannot allow this deficit to drag on too, so we have to change from within,¡± the man answered.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°ording to my research, eighty percent of the consumer demographic belong to senior citizens. They are more concerned about healthy eating and physical wellbeing. So if ourpany coulde up with a pastry made of traditional Chinese medicine and sell it with the effects of reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol, I strongly believe that this product would be a hit!¡±


    Luo Qi reacted immediately and responded, ¡°We are no doctors and know nothing about Chinese medicine. How could we develop such a pastry?¡±


    ¡°Director Luo, that is a form of marketing strategy. Our pastry doesn¡¯t really need to possess such effects. All we need is to have our customer to believe that it is true.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this lying?¡±


    Luo Qi frowned and turned to Xiao Luo, ¡°Big boss, this is a bad move. We cannot do that, ever. Thepany¡¯s credibility muste before all else, especially in the food and beverage industry. If our name is ever tarnished, then it would be extremely difficult to regain our customers¡¯ trust.¡±


    Many nodded as they agreed with Luo Qi. They could not ept using deceit even for the sake of increasing thepany¡¯s sales.


    Xiao Luo instructed everyone to settle down and asked, ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    A female manager stood up and said, ¡°I have conducted a survey myself too. I picked ten retail stores randomly and surveyed fifty customers from each store. When asked why they chose Sumir over Luo¡¯s Workshop, their answers were exactly the same. Sumir was a trusted brand in Xiahai due to its long history here. Many believe that many money-grubbing businesses in the Hua nation were willing to rece dried meat floss with cigarette filters to extend their products¡¯ shelf life. On top of that, they would also add in a lot of preservatives in the pastries for the same purpose.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they know that Luo¡¯s Workshop is a trusted brand with a long history too?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°President Zhang, we are indeed a trusted brand with a long history, but that is based in Jiangcheng. However, in terms of national reputation, Luo¡¯s workshop is indeed a very minorpany. Although we did have great national coveragest year, people would naturally forget about us after some time. To the people of Xiahai, we are just another unfamiliar name with no background. To put it into an individual¡¯s perspective, a familiar man would always win our trust over a stranger, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    As he heard that, Zhang Dashan was speechless, and he was humble enough to know that Luo Workshop was not a national name.


    The female manager then said, ¡°The key to raising our sales is to earn the trust of the people of Xiahai. I think we can publicize the images and videos of how the pastries were made in the factories. Leaving these materials in the retail shops all day round and showing them every step in our production process. This would help them understand how our pastries are made from start to end. Of course, we have to disy a positive image and pay attention to details such as hygiene issues.¡±


    After she finished speaking, everyone started discussing, for that was a really bold idea.


    ¡°Would this cause a leak of our business secret? These products are the researchers¡¯ hard work, and our rivals could gain these recipes without any effort. This is to our disadvantage, right?¡± Li Zimeng put down her pen and raise this question.


    The female manager replied, ¡°That is a very relevant question. So we would take out the most important steps of the process as most of our customers are not professional bakers. They will not notice if we did not reveal all the steps, and believe that what we are showing them our entire process openly.¡±


    Everyone nodded as this sounded sensible.


    ¡°President Xiao and president Zhang, allow me to share my two cents,¡± another manager said.


    He was a male manager, and he stood up before he continued. ¡°Aspared to Sumir, we are considered outsiders. Besides the issue of cultural adaptation, we actually had no advantage in terms of our pricing. Just like what manager Wong had said, eighty percent of our customers are senior citizens,¡± he said, ¡°The senior citizens have a vastly different view on pricingpared to the younger generation. Pricing will be prioritized over everything, and they will be inclined toward lower-priced products. To their understanding, pastries are all the same, and this being the case, why wouldn¡¯t they choose the cheaper option? This is totally in keeping with their frugal nature.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that we should lower our prices?¡± Zhang Dashan asked puzzled.


    The male manager nodded and replied, ¡°Yes. We should not be focusing on profits now but build our roots and ingrain our brand in the Xiahai market. We should redefine our financial objectives to be able to cover the total operating cost. After we have secured market share, then we can think about higher margins.¡±


    ¡°We might not win in a price war against Sumir!¡±


    Li Zimeng was calm in her response and said, ¡°On top of Sumir¡¯s impressive cash reserves, its owner, Su Li, has a very close friend. She is the president of Huayao Corporations, and if we ever wage a price war, we would not stand a chance against both of them.¡±

 Chapter 570 - Chinese medicine drinks

    <h2>Chapter 570: Chinese medicine drinks</h2>


    The executives of Luo Workshop had presented their respective solutions and opinions. Then, they all waited silently for Xiao Luo to make the final call.


    Xiao Luo stopped drumming onto the table, stood up, and in a firm tone, he said, ¡°I see all your points, and I have concluded three key points based on everyone¡¯s ideas: habit, trust, and price. Speaking of pricing, Director Li is right. Luo Workshop will definitely lose should we ever engage in a price war with Sumir.


    On top of Huayao Corporation, Sumir itself is already a force to be reckoned with. Our assets are nothingpared to theirs, so the only oue of a price war would be a one-sided defeat for us. Hence, there¡¯s not much point in lowering our prices.¡±


    Everyone nodded as they took down these points.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he qualified his statement with his own views. ¡°Price war is not all about lowering the prices; we canpete on the more expensive products,¡± he said.


    Compete on the more expensive products?


    What kind of theory is that? Did he mean that we can increase our price to give ourselves an edge in the market and win over more customers?


    The Luo Workshop executives were dumbfounded as they could not follow Xiao Luo¡¯s argument in its essence.


    Xiao Luo continued to exin, ¡°For bread and pastries, we can aim to be on par with Sumir. But what we need is to differentiate our brand with a product that gives us an absolute advantage, and this revolves around the keyword ¡®habit.¡¯ There is no hard and fast rule on what products we can sell in the bakery business besides bread and pastries. Of course, we can sell other products, just like the Chinese medicine product mentioned by Mr. Wang earlier.¡±


    We shall develop a TCM health drink, a traditional Chinese medicine-based health supplement drink that aims to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. We will position the TCM health drink as our gship product and use it toplement our other bread and pastries. The price of this gship product must be sold at a premium price; otherwise, it will not convince consumers. I believe this will help to increase the overall sales across our product range. ¡±


    ¡°Big boss, this idea might actually work, but we specialize in baking, and nobody knows about Chinese medicine. Are we recruiting a medical team?¡±


    Luo Qi was the head of the research and development department, so she was in charge of developing new products. She had no background in Chinese medicine, nor was she well-versed in beverage production, which was also not her forte.


    ¡°Even if we could develop such a product, how should we go about promoting it? How can we convince the people of Xiahai to believe that the product indeed has the imed effects?¡± Li Zimeng questioned. Decision-making at the top management level required thorough due diligence, and key managers needed to take responsibility for raising sensible questions; otherwise, it would be the negligence of duty.


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°I will take charge of the R&D of the product personally. For marketing and promotion¡­¡± He turned to the head of the marketing department, Cang Jiamei, and said, ¡°Director Cang, I shall leave this to you. I am acquainted with the president of Maternity and Child Care Hospital, Guo Taining. Look for him as he is very well versed in the medical field. If he agrees to help, then it should be a breeze to obtain endorsement from authorities for our products.¡±


    ¡°Noted, president Xiao!¡± Cang Jiamei responded and nodded stiffly.


    ¡°As for the trust issue, director Cui¡¯s suggestion of showing a video of our production process in the retail store had been implemented in otherpanies as well, am I right?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he looked toward the second female manager who had expressed her view.


    ¡°That is correct, president Xiao. I have seen it before at a personal gathering with friends in a hotel. We could observe everything they did from the room, so we were very confident with the quality of dishes in that hotel. Take a serving of stir-fried Chinese crawfish, for example. Although it is extremely tasty, crawfish are also known to thrive in unhygienic habitats. However, we were able to observe how the chefs process the crawfish closely, which reassured us to arge extent. Hence, we were not worried about eating any unhygienic crawfish at all.¡±


    This has made many who were cautious of crawfish to feel relieved. The hotel chefs showed us the entire process of cleaning the crawfish. On top of rinsing it with a strong water pump, they would brush its bodyshell and submerge it in vinegar and saltwater to kill any remaining bacteria. Lastly, they would remove the intestines and the unedible parts of the head. We did not have to worry about the threat of food poisoning from eating it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, then we shall proceed with this as you advised. I am leaving this totally in your hands. Alright, that¡¯s the end of this meeting!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ******


    ******


    Since he had taken charge of the R&D for the TCM health drink product, Xiao Luo did not stay idle for long. He had spent most of his time in the R&D department, and Zhang Dashan followed him around like a shadow.


    ¡°What the heck is going on with you? What do you even know about Chinese medicine? How could you actually have enough professional knowledge to lead product R&D? Weren¡¯t we in the same major back in college?¡± Zhang Dashan had so many questions as they majored in engineering management, which had nothing to do with traditional Chinese medicine. However, everything Xiao Luo had disyed was highly professional, as if he was a Ph.D. in traditional Chinese medicine.


    Xiao Luo did not bother to exin as he continued to study the effects ofbining several Chinese medicines. He was trying to infuse the essence of Chinese medicines through extraction from high-temperature heating.


    Luo Qi was very impressed as well, as she carefully observed Xiao Luo. ¡°Big Boss, you really know your stuff! If I can marry such an outstanding man like you, I would be more than happy to make tons of children with him!¡± she said.


    She always believed that Xiao Luo knew everything and was really respectful of him from the bottom of her heart.


    Xiao Luo responded only with a smile. Researching such health supplements was no easy feat for him as well. There were many things to consider for the infusion of Chinese medicines, such as thepatibility issues between different ingredients or the safety issues of whether there would be any potential toxin produced as a by-product. They have to be extremely careful as such matters concerned consumers¡¯ health.


    Five dayster, they have seeded in synthesizing the prototype of the TCM health drink!


    They randomly selected a couple of volunteers to consume the drink daily, then instructed them to go for medical screening after three days. The results showed that their blood pressure and cholesterol levels had improved. Those with high blood pressure found their blood pressure had decreased, while the ones with low blood pressure had their blood pressure had increased. This proved that the drink was effective in normalizing blood pressure and had an overall adaptive healing effect.


    The marketing department then went on to do a marvelous job of promoting this product. Guo Taining had sought the assistance of the director of Xiahai Chinese Medicine Hospital to endorse this product. The product was also tested and verified by the hospital itself, and the National Medical Products Administration then issued a license to permit the sale of this product. It wasn¡¯t long before this novel Chinese medicine product had attained the highest possible standard of endorsement.


    As such, this product was highly sought after by Xiahai consumers right after itsunch. The increase in customers visiting their stores for the TCM health drinks had a spillover effect on the sale of pastries and cakes, pushing up Luo Workshop¡¯s revenue significantly. After the consumers had tried the drinks themselves, they became the product¡¯s best ambassadors through word of mouth, further attracted more consumers.


    Xiahai¡¯s bakery market was limited by the city¡¯s capacity, and as Luo Workshop¡¯s sales skyrocketed, Sumir inevitably had a drop in sales.


    After half a month of consecutive low sales, Chai Zhiying, who managed Sumir on behalf of Su Li, could no longer remain idle. She rushed to Crescent Bay to report Su Li, who was at breakfast with Su Xiaobei and Luo Pingxiang.


    ¡°Li Li, we have a situation, a big situation!¡±


    Chai Zhiying was a hot-tempered woman as she started yelling right after entering the apartment. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that Luo Workshop would recruit a Chinese medicine expert to help them develop a Chinese medicinal drink that could greatly improve the health of senior citizens. They call it TCM health drink, and it has eaten into our market share. Those buying this drink also spent on pastries, and Sumir is experiencing a drop of close to two million in sales in just half a month!¡±

 Chapter 571 - An Act of Robbery

    <h2>Chapter 571: An Act of Robbery</h2>


    Su Li was feeding Su Xiaobei porridge, and she looked as calm as usual. She still looked mesmerizing, and her eyes were bright and alert even when she was doing such a mundane chore. Hearing Chai Zhiying¡¯s words, she frowned and replied, ¡°Two million in just half a month?¡±


    She thought she had heard her wrongly as Sumir had always been profitable. Sumir was her fallback n should she lose her influence and position in showbiz. And if that happened, she¡¯d have to rely on Sumir for a living. How could they be losing so much money?


    Luo Pingxiang was also shocked as she was convinced by Chai Zhiying and Su Li that Luo Workshop was not a big threat. On top of that, they had vanquished the threat from Feixue many years back, which further strengthened her belief that Luo Workshop would follow in its footstep. However, nobody expected that Luo Workshop could have overtaken Sumir within such a short period. This was indeed a formidable opponent.


    ¡°Luo Workshop¡¯s TCM health drink, that new Chinese medicine drink, has the effect of lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and has been specially concocted to target the majority of senior consumers in the Xiahai bakery market. It drew that segment of the market over after itsunch, and naturally, it provided an impetus to the sale of their bread and pastries as well, which drastically affected our own sales as we¡¯repeting for the same market¨Cit¡¯s a zero-sum game. We are making a loss every day; forget about profiting. If we cannote up with a solution soon, Sumir would be making a loss of 80 to 120 thousand a day!¡±


    Chai Zhiying was very anxious, and she did not want to get Su Li involved initially. Her earlier assumption on Luo Workshop was that they would be able to temporarily attract customers due to their promotional discounts after opening, but they would not sustain it. However, after assessing their performance, she realized that things were not as simple as she believed them to be.


    Su Li¡¯s calm eyes finally showed a hint of surprise as the turn of the event had caught her off guard too.


    ¡°Is their Chinese medicine drink really that good?¡± she asked.


    Chai Zhiying nodded and said, ¡°ording to my research, every consumer who tried that product had spoken highly of it. I even conducted an experiment with a person with high blood pressure. I instructed him to take the drink for a few days and then proceed to the hospital for a health test. The test really showed that his blood pressure was lowered.¡± She then let out a sigh and said, ¡°It had never crossed my mind that Zhang Dashan would have such a trump card up his sleeve. We have grossly underestimated him. Li Li, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten breakfast?¡± Su Li asked.


    ¡°Not yet. I came right to report right after getting up.¡± Chai Zhiying said.


    Su Li showed no noticeable change in expression and was her usual calm self. ¡°Then have your breakfast first,¡± she said.


    She continued to feed Su Xiaobei, and the little girl acted like a cute little birdie with its mouth opened as she waiting for mama bird to feed her.


    Chai Zhiying did not continue discussing the topic of Luo Workshop but sat down and dug into her breakfast. She was quite hungry, so she wasn¡¯t about to argue with Su Li. Losing two million in half a month was merely a forewarning of what was toe for Sumir. Two million to them personally was a small amount, and it did not matter much. Even if they had misced the money, they would at most be a little bothered for just a few days, and not something that would steal their attention.


    Ding-dong.


    Suddenly, the doorbell rang.


    ¡°It¡¯s Daddy. It must be him!¡± Su Xiaobei, still having her porridge, became visibly excited.


    Aunt Li went to answer the door, and it was indeed Xiao Luo. He was wearing a pure white shirt with the two top buttons unbuttoned, making him looked rather casual and sexy. He strolled in like a well-mannered gentleman who came right out of a fictional novel.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Xiao Luo went to her and pinched her tiny nose. He then sat down, and aunt Li had alreadyid for him a set of utensils. He was not awkward at all as he grabbed a bun and bit into it immediately.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, where¡¯s your friend, Zhang Dashan?¡± Chai Zhiying asked.


    Xiao Luo pretended that he was unaware and frowned. ¡°He should be at hispany, I guess. Are you looking for him?¡± he said.


    ¡°His Luo Workshop had encroached into Sumir¡¯s market share!¡± Chai Zhiying cried. She said it like it was a personal insult to her and could not imagine that jerk would have such capabilities.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°I remember you didn¡¯t take Luo Workshop seriously before and even dered that it will definitely fail. Why are you so anxious now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Chai Zhiying choked as she could not exin her past actions, so she sat there with her face flushed red.


    Xiao Luo did not bother with her anymore and continued eating his breakfast.


    ¡°What were you doing recently? I haven¡¯t seen you here at breakfast?¡± Su Li asked as she gazed at him.


    ¡°Nothing, I was just running a lot of errands,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    Su Li nodded and continued to feed Su Xiaobei.


    Chai Zhiying could not restrain herself anymore and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, give me Zhang Dashan¡¯s contact. I want to see him.¡±


    ¡°He might not want to see you even if you wanted. And what can you do if you see him? Question him about why he had snatched Sumir¡¯s share of the market?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head mockingly and said, ¡°You can forget it if you want to do that. That only shows how naive you are, as this is a free market here in Xiahai. Everyone cane in, and Luo Workshop did not vite any rules of unfairpetition. Sumir cannot put the me on Luo Workshop for losing its own customers and should reflect on its own inadequacies and find a solution.¡±


    Chai Zhiying clenched her teeth. ¡°Huh, Sumir has monopolized the Xiahai bakery industry since we started. Had Zhang Dashan not barged in, we would still have a monopoly,¡± she cried.


    Xiao Luo turned to her to offer his rebuttal. ¡°When you are sailing against the current, you¡¯ll either go ahead or keep falling back. He who does not advance loses ground. Don¡¯t you understand such a simple rule?¡± he said, ¡°Sumir had indeed monopolized the Xiahai market all these years, but it did not make any innovative breakthroughs. Time is constantly changing, and any organization can be outrun if it does not strive for constant improvement.¡±


    ¡°You are Zhang Dashan¡¯s friend, and you¡¯ll speak up for him for sure! His Luo Workshop broke into Xiahai by force and stole our customers! This is nothing but a despicable act of robbery!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo could not be bothered to argue with her as his intention was to check on Su Li. He was still contemting the timing toe clean as he did not want to face Sumir head-on. His hope was to work out a strategic partnership by forming an alliance between Luo Workshop and Sumir.


    Su Li remained quiet until she had finished eating breakfast. She then spoke after telling aunt Li to clean the table. ¡°Sis Ying, lower all of our prices to cost price!¡±


    She had sessfully given Xiao Luo a shock with just a line as she had identified Luo Workshop¡¯s weakness immediately and utilized it. Xiao Luo hade a long way to avoid a price war at all cost, but she was able to shatter all of his strategies in a blink of an eye.


    A price war!


    This was his biggest concern as Luo Workshop could never match up to Sumir¡¯s assets, and they have not even involved Huayao Corporation yet. Once Sumir started a price war, this would be tough on Luo Workshop¡¯s cash flow.

 Chapter 572 - Boycott from the Three Giants

    <h2>Chapter 572: Boycott from the Three Giants</h2>


    ¡°Li Li, are you sure that you want to start a price war with Luo Workshop?¡±


    Chai Zhiying was shocked and said, ¡°But their gship product is a Chinese medicine beverage¨Cthe TCM herbal drink! It is because of the drink that our customers end up buying bread and pastries from them. Sumir cannot replicate such a drink,¡± she continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just do as I say.¡± Su Li said nonchntly, as she tidied Su Xiaobei¡¯s cor.


    Chai Zhiying nodded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call the Head of Sales right now and tell him to lower our prices to cost price.¡±


    Xiao Luo, on the other hand, was already thinking of a counter solution. Although their main product was the TCM herbal drink, the bulk of their revenue came from their bread and pastries. If Sumir lowered their prices to cost price, customers would only buy the Chinese medicine drink from Luo Workshop and everything else from Sumir. Based on Luo Workshop¡¯s current financial standing, it is not the time yet to go head-on against Sumir.


    How should they deal with theing challenge?


    ******


    ******


    As he expected, when Sumir lowered the prices of their products, the customers went back there. Of course, they still purchased the Chinese medicine drink from Luo Workshop, but that was it. For bread and pastries, they bought those from Sumir.


    Some alert media had detected thepetition between the twopanies, and they started reporting on the battle for market share between Sumir and Luo Workshop. They would go on to the streets and interviewed random citizens of Xiahai for their opinions on this battle between Sumir and Luo Workshop.


    ¡°Opinion? Of course, we are going to sit back and enjoy the battle!¡± said one customer.


    ¡°I am neutral. Let the big corporates fight. We will get the best bargain for bread and pastries,¡± said another customer.


    ¡°I think Sumir would eventually emerge as the ultimate winner. Although Luo Workshop is a big name in Jiangcheng, Xiahai city is Sumir¡¯s home ground. Sumir has a huge group of loyal customers here. Luo Workshop won over customers because of their Chinese medicine drink. Since Sumir has lowered their product prices to cost price, Luo Workshop is pretty much done for,¡± an intervieweemented.


    ¡°ording to my analysis, Luo Workshop will definitely fail. Firstly, Luo Workshop cannot match up to Sumir in terms of economic strength. Secondly, Luo Workshop has actually affected the sales of Huayao Corporation to a certain extent due to the Chinese medicine drink. Just watch. Huayao Corporation will join in this battle in no time. Lastly, oh, never mind¡­., there¡¯s no stly.¡¯ In summary, Luo Workshop is heading for doom!¡±mented another observer.


    There were two kinds of interviewees ¨C the indifferent ones and those who believed that the Luo Workshop would definitely fail.


    ¡°Old Xiao, what should we do now? Your wifey has started a price war, and we stand no chance of winning! If we can¡¯te up with a solution, we will turn out to be just a beveragepany! If ourpetitors know about this, we will be the biggest joke in the industry,¡± said Zhang Dashan, who was at Luo Workshop¡¯s Xiahai office. Seeing that their business had been deteriorating severely, he had to call Xiao Luo for help.


    Xiao Luo ignored theme jokes and asked, ¡°Is the product appeal of our TCM herbal drink to our customers high?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty high, and that¡¯s all that they are interested in. They wouldn¡¯t even spare a second look at the bread and pastries. All of them would buy the drinks from us and going to Sumir for their bread and pastries. Although our drink does produce a significant profit margin, the main bulk of our profit still lies in the baked stuff. If we can¡¯t find a way to increase the sale on those, then just selling the Chinese medicine drink cannot get us out of this situation.¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Xiao Luo looked at Zhang Dashan with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Then we shalle up with a promotional event. Anyone who purchases two hundred dors and above worth of baked stuff will get a Chinese medicine drink as a freebie!¡± he said.


    ¡°Oh f*ck, how could I have missed out on such a simple trick. Okay, we¡¯ll do that,¡± Zhang Dashan said, ending the call and going ahead to execute Xiao Luo¡¯s suggestion.


    At this point, the TCM herbal drink was no longer the center of thepetition. Sumir had initiated the price war on the bread and pastries, and Luo Workshop could notst against Sumir due to its weaker financial strength. So lowering their prices was out of the question. The key to retaining their customers now was the drink itself, so they must make use of its demand.


    After Xiao Luo¡¯s idea wasunched, people felt that purchasing from Luo Workshop was a better option. They wanted the highly sought after Chinese medicine drink. And they could only get that if they bought the baked stuff. Hence, Luo Workshop ended with customers flooding into their retail stores again, leaving the retail stores of Sumir rtively empty.


    ******


    ******


    When Xiao Luo went over to Su Li¡¯s apartment for breakfast again, he realized that not only Chai Zhiying was there, but Shen Qingyan was there as well.


    She was decked in a ck high-cut power suit and wearing a pair of heels decorated with silver-grey crystals. When she saw Xiao Luoing, she immediately strutted over and gave him a dose of her sarcasm. ¡°Xiao Luo, your friend Zhang Dashan is soooo amazing!¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you pissed so early in the morning?¡± Xiao Luo had guessed the reason, but he pretended innocence.


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S wrong?¡± she asked.


    Shen Qingyan stood with her arms akimbo, ¡°They are a bakingpany but decided to sidetrack into the health supplement industry. It is as good as taking the meat directly from the mouth of a tiger. Why doesn¡¯t he just die?¡± she scoffed.


    Xiao Luoughed awkwardly and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t mean to take Huayao Corporation¡¯s market share. It was hisst resort to outy Sumir in the battle for market share. Rest assured, after Luo Workshop settles down, Dashan will surely return the market share to you guys.¡±


    ¡°I want him to stop immediately!¡±


    Shen Qingyan told him in a hyper-aggressive manner. It made perfect sense that she was furious as Luo Workshop¡¯s action was equivalent to snatching the cake from the person who had always had it.


    Xiao Luo frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that he can do that now.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t feel sorry to start a war from my end. It¡¯s not just my Huayao Corporation, but Renhe Medicines is joining in as well. The entire Xiahai will be standing together to oppose Luo Workshop. ¡°Can Luo Workshop survive that?¡± Shen Qingyan hissed.


    Xiao Luo remained quiet and went straight to the table for breakfast. Fine, let them all join in, let¡¯s see who the winner will turn out to be!


    Su Li stared coldly at Xiao Luo. ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk to your friend?¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s no such need. Dashan knows what to do.¡±


    ¡°He knows?¡±


    Chai Zhiying smirked. ¡°His Luo Workshop will soon be the public enemy number one, just like a rodent. Soon, there won¡¯t be a ce for Luo Workshop in Xiahai,¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Do you actually think that Luo Workshop can win over thebined forces of our Sumir, Ms. Shen¡¯s Huayao Corporation, and Renhe Medicines? The boycott from the three giants will destroy Luo Workshop to its very core. Save your witty talk as I have investigated Luo Workshop¡¯s business information. Its total assets worth is at most sixty billion, and its liquid asset does not exceed two billion. When Luo Workshop¡¯s financial strain finally breaks, they are bound to borrow from the banks. With the three of us intervening, there¡¯s no way any bank in the entire Hua nation would lend to Luo Workshop,¡± Chai Zhiying scowled, predicting Luo Workshop¡¯s destiny.


    Xiao Luo just smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s pointless to tell me.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you are a good friend of his. I hope you will tell him this and convince him to get out of Xiahai as soon as possible before he incurs a huge loss!¡± Chai Zhiying said.

 Chapter 573 - Jin Yitang

    <h2>Chapter 573: Jin Yitang</h2>


    Exit the Xiahai market?Exit the Xiahai market?


    Of course, this was impossible. Xiao Luo nned to conquer the national market, and Xiahai was essential as its key transportation hub base.


    Since that day, both Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines started to make strategic moves against Luo Workshop. The rivals had teamed up to battle the outsider, Luo Workshop. Xiao Luo had not expected this. He had only foreseen that Huayao Corporation would join forces with Sumir because of Shen Qingyan and Su Li¡¯s friendship. Huayao and Renhe had a simple strategy in bringing down Luo Workshop. It was to give a massive reduction in the prices of their health supplement products. They would include products that helped to improve blood pressures and cholesterol levels in their price reduction exercise. They even came up with a series of promotional events in coboration with Sumir. As long as a customer would spend two hundred dors or more at Sumir, that person coulde to either Huayao or Renhe with Sumir¡¯s receipt for a discount on purchases there. It was as high as ny percent discount, which was an extremely generous bargain for the customers.


    These promotions from his rivals had rendered Xiao Luo¡¯s Chinese medicine-based TCM health drink unattractive to the consumers. Huayao and Renhe sold a plethora of health supplement products that improved blood pressures and cholesterol levels. On top of that, they are trustworthy and renowned brands in the health supplement industry. With such low prices, people purchased health products from them. Since Luo Workshop had lost thepetitive edge of its TCM health drink, its sales plunged overnight.


    At that same time, a media outlet exposed a shocking piece of news. It revealed the identity of Sumir¡¯s actual boss, who had always remained behind the scene. It stated that it was none other than the beloved diva of the nation, Su Li!


    After the insider leak, this news quickly became the headlines of various media, and it was the most heated topic of discussion.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh, Su Li is indeed our nation¡¯s treasure. Not only is she already at the apex of showbiz, but she is also a giant in the field ofmerce,¡± a fanmented.


    ¡°I finally know why ourdy Su is so stunning. A sessful person like her would exude confidence from within, and that is the secret of her invincible charisma!¡± said another fan.


    ¡°I am all for Su Li this life, and even more so in the next life! Li Li, we love you!¡± said another ardent supporter.


    Theizens rallied and left numerousments under these threads. On top of that, the legion of Su Li¡¯s fans had taken over her Weibo feed as they dered their loyalty and support for Sumir.


    With the effect of Su Li¡¯s celebrity status, Sumir¡¯s salespletely thrashed Luo Workshop. Every day, there wererge gatherings of Su Li¡¯s fans at Sumir¡¯s retail stores to purchase bread and pastries. On the other hand, Luo Workshop¡¯s retail stores were mostly empty and so deste that one could count the number of customers with the fingers on one hand.


    All the Luo Workshop executives such as Zhang Dashan and Li Zimeng could not ignore this anymore and held an emergency meeting. Their main priority was toe up with a solution to deal with this crisis. As the owner of the Luo Workshop, Xiao Luo was invited to attend the meeting as well. Before this crisis had taken ce, Xiao Luo had given instructions to halt any unnecessary meetings from being called.


    ******


    ******


    It was another morning, and Xiao Luo went to Su Li¡¯s apartment for breakfast.


    This time, only Su Li, Su Xiaobei, Luo Pingxiang, and aunt Li were present. Both Chai Zhiying and Shen Qingyan were not there.


    Xiao Luo let out a sigh of relief. He would be spared from the unnecessary nagging and noise pollutioning from those two.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I have always wanted to ask you,¡± Su Li said. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, exposing her fair and jade-like neck. Such beauty was so overwhelming, and it would ovee any ordinary man.


    Xiao Luo raised his head and looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.


    Su Li frowned and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you work at Luo Workshop in Jiangcheng? Since your friend Zhang Dashan is the boss, why didn¡¯t he promote you? With your capability, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for you to at least acquire a managerial position.¡±


    Xiao Luo was surprised as he did not expect that Su Li would ask him such a question. He smiled and replied, ¡°I believe I have told you before, I want to develop my career in Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Su Li persisted.


    Xiao Luo turned to look at Su Xiaobei. She was sitting on the sofa ying some card game. ¡°Partly, it is for Xiaobei. And I studied in the local university here, so Xiahai is rather special to me,¡± he said.


    Su Li seemed relieved when she heard the answer and changed the topic. ¡°I assume you are fully aware of Luo Workshop¡¯s situation, right?¡± she casually asked.


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°Yup, it¡¯s crumbling under your Sumir.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Dashan is your close friend. Aren¡¯t you affected?¡± she queried.


    Su Li was still cold. But her beauty was perfect, even when she did not show any emotion. ¡°If you plead for mercy for him, I can consider coborating with Luo Workshop and share Xiahai¡¯s market,¡± she offered.


    It was truly unexpected, and Xiao Luo stared at this woman.


    Su Li evaded his eyes. ¡°Do not misunderstand my intention. We are husband and wife nominally, and since Luo Workshop belongs to your friend, I should not bepletely merciless for your sake,¡± she exined.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and responded, ¡°I will tell him this. However, the battle is not over yet. We won¡¯t know the oue until the veryst moment, and I hope you won¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    ¡°Both Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines are already coborating to put a squeeze on Luo Workshop¡¯s key health product. With sis¡¯s influence, there¡¯s no way that Luo Workshop can turn the tide around.¡± Luo Pingxiang pitched in.


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a mysterious smile and continued to eat his breakfast.


    Su Li stared at him, feeling that something was amiss.


    ******


    ******


    Shortly afterward, a Chinese medicine hall named Jin Yitang entered the Xiahai market with an important announcement. A patient diagnosed with terminal stage cancer by a western medical institution was cured by Jin Yitang. When this news spread, Jin Yitang became famous all over the entire Hua nation.


    More patients started to turn to Jin Yitang for medical treatment. This development created a market frenzy with more stories of medical miracles.


    ¡°F*ck, Jin Yitang is miraculous! They can even cure a crippled person!¡± remarked a consumer.


    ¡°Cervical Spondylosis, which ismon among the elderly, can bepletely cured within half a month. Oh, my God, now I can even lift things I couldn¡¯t before!¡± dered an elderly patient.


    ¡°Jin Yitang has cured another case of senile dementia! Oh, God, are the doctors there the descendent of Huatuo? Their skills are divine,¡± asked a member of the public.


    ¡°Is Chinese medicine finally rising in reckoning again? Is this happening? World, behold!!¡± eximed an excited bystander who had heard these stories.


    After Jin Yitang had cured one incurable disease after another, its fame spread throughout the Xiahai district. The daily lines of queues for consultation at Jin Yitang were as crazy as the queues for the train tickets by passengers who wanted to travel back to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year celebration. Countless patients flocked to the clinics and had to queue outside the buildings.


    Due to the superior quality and the effectiveness of Jin Yitang¡¯s Chinese medicine, Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines saw their pharmaceutical sales plunge significantly. If one had any illness or felt unwell, all one needed to do was buy customized Chinese medicine packets from Jin Yitang. It would not take more than a few servings for the person to recover. Even with chronic diseases such as diabetes, Jin Yitang could cure them at a slightly higher price of five thousand dors. As a result, both Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines were facing a tough and unprecedented challenge to their positions as the biggest Western medicine producers in Hua nation.


    This challenge affected their pharmaceutical business as well as the hospitals that were also under their umbre. The hospitals faced losses as patients now preferred to patronize Jin Yitang for any non-critical ailments. Unless it was an emergency where they needed a western-trained doctor to resuscitate life from the brink of death, Jin yitang became their preferred choice.

 Chapter 574 - Aerial Thread Pulse Checking

    <h2>Chapter 574: Aerial Thread Pulse Checking</h2>


    Jin Yitang¡¯s rise had effectively brought about a crisis to both Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines. Nobody would have expected that such a remarkable Chinese medicine hall still existed in an era where traditional Chinese medicine had lost much of its appeal and relevance in modern society. Jin Yitang sessfully treated various chronic and incurable diseases such as terminal stage cancer and dementia. And as such, it did have a significant impact on the sales of western medicines in a short time of half a month. It dawned on the big pharmapanies that, were they to allow this to carry on, they were bound to bear further losses in the months toe.


    ******


    ******


    It was 10 p.m., and it was humid¨Cthe air was warm and heavy. The sky appeared to be foggy, and the red traffic lights, conspicuous from a distance, made the seemingly quiet night feel even more still.


    Two ck executive cars stopped by Jin Yitang one after another. With the sound of doors opening, a tall and slender woman and a middle-aged man emerged from their respective car. They were both apanied by their personal assistant and chauffeur.


    The woman was wearing a ck power suit and had her hair tied up neatly. Her face was fair and charming, and with only light eyeshadow, her eyes looked even more alluring and natural. Her curvaceous body exuded a hint of wildness, and her charm manifested through her ample bosom and Kardashian-like bubble butt. The crystal-heeled stilettos on her dainty feet added ir and a touch of ss to her already elegant vibes.


    The middle-aged man had a gentlemanly appearance and a thick scalp of hair. However, due to his receding hairline, it made him look like he was balding.


    The middle-aged man smiled at the woman and greeted her, ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t president Shen. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to visit Jin Yitang at this hour, and it seems like we understand each other fairly well.¡±


    Shen Qingyan nced at him and then turned toward the hallway of Jin Yitang. ¡°If we can¡¯t handle this Jin Yitang, it would be destructive to both our organizations. God knows where they suddenly turned up from!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, so let¡¯s put the conflict between us behind us and work together to face this threat.¡±


    The middle-aged man spoke, then sighed. He was none other than Renhe Medicines¡¯ president, Cai Renhe. He made a gesture and said, ¡°After you, president Shen!¡±


    Shen Qingyan strode in gracefully with her heels, and herpanions followed close behind her.


    The interior decoration of Jin Yitang Hall could only be described as retro. Themps looked like those ancientnterns, but they were still powered by electrical bulbs on the inside. There were many portraits of famous ancient doctors, and their certificates were proudly disyed on the wall.


    The hall was bright and squarish, with a few sets of Sandalwood table and chairs. There were medicine cabs on both sides of the wall full of Chinese medicines. Because of them, the entire space had a smell of Chinese medicine.


    When Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe entered the hall, a few people were cleaning the area.


    ¡°Madam, Sir, I am so sorry, but we have ended today¡¯s treatment hours. If you would like to see the doctor, pleasee back tomorrow.¡±


    A female attendant in a traditional Chinese pce servant¡¯s attire approached them with a smiling face. She had cleanly-cut short hair, and her features were delicate. This gave her a girl-next-door look, which suited her well. If Zhang Dashan was present, he would have recognized her as Xiao Luo¡¯s sister, Xiao Ruyi.


    ¡°Sister, I am feeling really unwell. Can you make an exception for me and get hold of the doctor to help me out. I will definitely return with a good sum of money,¡± Shen Qingyan said. This was the only reason she coulde up with to see the famed doctor of Jin Yitang.


    Cai Renhe addressed Xiao Ruyi politely and said, ¡°Miss, there are just too many people in the daytime, and it is inconvenient for us to make it here at those hours due to the nature of our work. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to visit at such an odd hour, so I hope you can understand our circumstances.¡±


    As he spoke, he also instructed his personal assistant to present a huge stack of red notes, and it was a very thick stack that was worth at least fifty thousand.


    ¡°Alright, I can make an exception for you guys for the sake of therge payments you are offering.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi kept the money with a big smile and then sat down on the traditional Chinese chair. She looked up at both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡±


    Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe looked at each other, then thetter politely said, ¡°Miss, we would like to invite the main doctor to diagnose us. could you please inform him?¡±


    ¡°I am the main doctor!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi received a cup of hot tea served by the staff, and she suddenly took on the demeanor of an experienced, ancient female doctor.


    You are the main doctor?


    Both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe were dumbfounded as they observed Xiao Ruyi carefully. They were not convinced as they did not believe that such a young girl could be that incredible doctor who could cure any illnesses. On top of that, she was a mere slip of a girl! It was off their expectations, as they expected to see an old male doctor with a long white beard.


    ¡°Miss, I implore you to get the real main doctor as our time is precious¡­¡±


    ¡°So you guys don¡¯t believe my words?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi stared at Shen Qingyan.


    Shen Qingyan was amused, and she thought that Ruyi was messing with them.


    Suddenly, a red thread flew out from Xiao Ruyi¡¯s sleeves like a nimble snake. It was as quick as a bolt of lightning and traveled across the three-meter room seamlessly. Before Shen Qingyan could react, it had coiled up onto her right arm.


    Xiao Ruyi¡¯s maneuver was shocked by everyone present, and Cai Renhe even gave out a surprised shriek.


    ¡°Aerial thread pulse checking?¡±


    His eyes widened like a pair of bells as he was deeply shocked. He had studied traditional Chinese medicines to a certain extent and knew that this was a special skill. A simr description of this skill was written in Journey To The West as Sun Wukong, the monkey king, performed aerial thread pulse checking on the king of Zhuzi kingdom. It looked exactly the same as how the book described but even more fascinating as he watched it with his very eyes.


    Shen Qingyan was also stunned as she could not understand the physics behind the trick. How could the red thread travel across the air for three-meters and coil up her arm so easily?


    ¡°Bring thisdy a chair!¡± Xiao Ruyi held the other end of the red thread with four fingers, pressing it against her Chinese chair¡¯s armrest.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A staff answered her and brought Shen Qingyan a chair.


    Shen Qingyan was still stunned, and she sat down instinctively when the chair was brought to her.


    ¡°Focus and leave all the unnecessary thoughts behind!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi reminded her while closing her eyes to sense the faint vibrationing from the red thread.


    The hall was so quiet that one could even hear a pin drop. Nobody dared to even breathe loudly, and everyone had their eyes fixated on Xiao Ruyi.


    Cai Renhe was trying his best to detect evidence that this was a magic trick, but he had failed to find any. There was no sign of any external aid on that red thread. It was just in and ordinary thread, which was extremely light. Yet, it flew out from her sleeves earlier and traveled across the room to coil up to Shen Qingyan¡¯s arm.


    That was unimaginable, and he could not believe that it had happened.


    Had he not witnessed it personally, he would never have believed that such a mysterious skill was genuine.


    After a brief moment, Xiao Ruyi opened her eyes and snapped her finger. The red thread untied itself automatically and retracted back to her sleeves in quick time. She stood up and looked at Shen Qingyan seriously, ¡°Your menses is usuallyte for a few days, and every time you have it, you will experience a great amount of pain and difort. You will feel giddy and restless all the time, and you have issues with your lower back. Am I right?¡±


    Shen Qingyan was once again shocked as she was caught off guard by how urately Xiao Ruyi had described her personal health issues. She remained speechless for some time as everything Xiao Ruyi had said was specific and spot on.

 Chapter 575 - Genius Doctor

    <h2>Chapter 575: Genius Doctor</h2>


    Shen Qingyan would always suffer from unimaginable pain for three days after her menstruation began. There were a few instances where the pain was unbearable that she had to get pain killer injections from the hospital. Her restlessness and lower back issues were alsomon. She had even hired private doctors to treat her, but they were not helpful at all, so she gave up after several sessions.


    Xiao Ruyi ced her hands behind her back, looking like an experienced doctor with many years of practice. ¡°Well, your expression had already spoken for themselves as to my uracy,¡± she said.


    Cai Renhe was still unconvinced and asked, ¡°President Shen, was everything she said true?¡±


    Shen Qingyan nodded, and her eyes had shown more respect and hope for Ruyi. She then asked her slowly, ¡°Can you cure all these problems?¡± She paused and then added, ¡°I had hired many private doctors, and many of them had great reputations overseas. These symptoms did disappear in the treatment period, but they return quickly after the treatment sessions have ended. Whenever I have my period, I would rather die than to experience this torture over and over again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an old adage which makes a lot of sense: Western medicines produce fast results while Chinese medicines cure the roots. I will write you a set of prescriptions; all you need to do is cook and drink the medicine every night before you sleep. All of your symptoms will disappear five days after you take this medicine, and I promise that they will never rpse anymore.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi raised her chin and then said, ¡°But before that, I¡¯ll have to perform acupuncture on you this time.¡±


    Acupuncture?


    Shen Qingyan was slightly stunned.


    Suddenly, Xiao Ruyi dashed up like a gust of wind and performed the acupuncture on Shen Qingyan. She took out a box of hair-thin silver needles with her left hand and used her right hand to pinch one of the needles with her index and middle finger. She directed the point toward Shen Qingyan¡¯s face and pierced it urately between her brows. Then the second and third needles were pierced onto the back of Shen Qingyan¡¯s hand, waist, and upper back. Xiao Ruyi performed the procedure swiftly and wlessly.


    ¡°Done!¡±


    Half a minuteter, Xiao Ruyi cleaned the sweat off her hand and let out a long sigh of relief as she looked at Shen Qingyan with much satisfaction.


    Shen Qingyan, on the other hand, was pierced with a dozen silver needles, and these needles were treating her body. She could feel a cooling sensation running through her and healing her entire body. It was an indescribably,fortable, and rxing feeling.


    Cai Renhe and the others who witnessed it werepletely stunned as Xiao Ruyi performed the acupuncture exactly like how those legendary doctors on television would treat their patients. However, those were merely television programs! They were supposed to be fictional, but here they were, seeing it happening before their very eyes.


    ¡°President Shen, are you feeling any difort?¡± Cai Renhe asked as he walked up to her, eager to know the efficacy of the treatment.


    ¡°No, I am veryfortable.¡±


    Shen Qingyan closed her eyes as she was fully immersed in a cooling andforting sensation.


    Xiao Ruyi looked over to Cai Renhe. ¡°The entire process just needs ten minutes, Sir. Now let me have a look at your condition,¡± she said.


    Cai Renhe stood up straight as he felt a little nervous. It was not that he feared he might have some hidden illness, but rather he was in awe of this young girl¡¯s unfathomable skills. She was as mysterious as a deity from heaven, which made a mere mortal like him nervous and awkward because of the vast difference in ability between them.


    Xiao Ruyi did not check his pulse but observed his eyelids and tongue. Finally, she pressed against his lumbar with her index finger lightly, and that made Cai Renhe yelp in pain immediately.


    ¡°Is it very painful when I press down on this spot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s as painful and feels like the bone is getting bored by an electric drill,¡± Cai Renhe replied.


    Xiao Ruyi smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, your body is very weak. In traditional Chinese medicine¡¯s term, it is called an internal deficiency. You also have the issue of having an overly exuberant liver fire, so it has led to your habitual insomnia and, to a certain extent, prevents you from sleeping soundly. You also suffer from migraines and tinnitus, right?¡±


    As Cai Renhe heard that, his eyes widened from the shock as Xiao Ruyi could exin his symptoms so clearly by just visual observation¨Cthis was indeed incredible.


    Unconsciously, he asked her a foolish question, ¡°How¡­ How did you know about these?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi frowned and responded, ¡°With my eyes, obviously. The four diagnostic methods of inspection, listening and smelling, inquiring, and palpation is fundamental to traditional Chinese medicine. If I can¡¯t even tell that, how am I to cure you ording to those symptoms?¡±


    Everyone present gasped in awe as they all knew that western medicine practitioners in hospitals would require the patients to get screened in various manners, and before getting treatment, the patient would probably have to provide a considerable amount of blood for testing.


    Besides, it could take up to a few days for the results to be returned. In other words, those modern analysis instruments in hospitals could not diagnose patients immediately. On the other hand, the head doctor of Jin Yitang could tell Cai Renhe¡¯s every symptom with her eyes within less than two minutes, and that was simply unbelievable.


    ¡°So, are my problems curable? I really don¡¯t want to take anymore sleeping pills; I can¡¯t take its side effect anymore!¡± Cai Renhe pleaded sincerely. Both he and Shen Qingyan had turned into sincere patients who were seeking help truthfully. Ironically, their intention was to negotiate business matters with Jin Yitang initially.


    ¡°Sure, just like her, I will have to perform acupuncture on you first,¡± Xiao Ruyi replied, nodding her head before she started to sticking Cai Renhe with the needles.


    Prick! Prick!


    The silver needles produced a sharp popping sound as they were inserted into Cai Renhe¡¯s body. Xiao Ruyi¡¯s speed of execution was shockingly fast, and nobody could follow her hand actions easily. After she was done, they finally could get a clear view of Cai Renhe. There were a dozen silver needles on his head now. He closed his eyes and stood still as his state of mind had entered into peaceful zen.


    Xiao Ruyi turned to the medical cab and prescribed to them their respective medicine. She wrapped the medicine up quickly and then took a long sip of tea¨Call this took only ten minutes.


    When the silver needles were removed, both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renge felt reborn as their bodies felt incredibly fresh and rejuvenated. The former no longer felt her sore back, whereas thetter no longer suffer from migraine and cervical pain. Now, they feltpletely refreshed.


    ¡°How do you guys feel? Better right?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi smiled and asked, ¡°These medicines are for you guys, and you must consume them ording to my instructions. I promise that you will never suffer from any of those symptoms anymore.¡±


    A genius doctor, she was truly a genius doctor!


    Both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe felt humbled and passionate as Xiao Ruyi obviously had be the talent they need to recruit. With that, their coboration had broken off immediately.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll be honest. I am the president of Huayao Corporation, Shen Qingyan. Join us, and I can provide you with a greater tform to maximize your outreach, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Ten billion, I¡¯ll pay you an annual sry of ten billion!¡±


    Just when Shen Qingyan threw out the invitation, Cai Renhe interjected loudly. He then turned to Xiao Ruyi with much respect and said, ¡°Little girl¡­ oh, no, I mean Ms. genius! I am the president of Renhe Medicine, Cai Renhe. I will pay you ten billion annually to hire you as the medical expert of ourpany.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay twenty billion!¡± Shen Qingyan fought back without any hesitation.


    ¡°President Shen, are you sure that you want topete with me?¡± Cai Renhe questioned her in a sarcastic tone.


    Shen Qingyan red at him coldly. ¡°Please get this right. I invited her first to my Huayao Corporation. You can¡¯t be just ignoring that fact just to get your way right, president Cai?¡±

 Chapter 576 - The Owner of Luo’s Workshop

    <h2>Chapter 576: The Owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop</h2>


    ¡°Screw your ¡®firste, first serve¡¯ nonsense¨Cthis isn¡¯t trying to make a sale!¡± Cai Renhe said, ¡°Godly doctor, besides an annual sry of twenty million, Renhe Medicines will also provide you with a vi worth at least six million in the richest district of Xiahai!¡±


    Shen Qingyan grabbed Xiao Ruyi¡¯s hand confidently and said, ¡°Huayao Group will double whatever condition Renhe Medicines is willing to offer!¡±


    ¡°Shen Qingyan, you¡­¡± Cai Renhe hissed and gritted his teeth angrily.


    Shen Qingyan could not be bothered with his anger. No matter what it took, she had to make sure that she won over the youngdy in front of her. If Xiao Ruyi went over to Renhe Medicines, their status in the traditional medicine field would rise for sure, which would change the bnce between their businesses. Sooner orter, Huayao Group would lose the ability topete with Renhe Medicines, allowing them to swallow her organization up.


    Then, Xiao Ruyi slowly opened her mouth and said, ¡°You¡¯re from Huayao Group?¡±


    Shen Qingyan nodded enthusiastically and replied, ¡°Yes, I came specially for¡­¡±


    Xiao Ruyi didn¡¯t allow her to finish her sentence, turned around, and asked Cai Renhe, ¡°And you¡¯re from Renhe Medicines?¡±


    Cai Renhe nodded quickly and said, ¡°Yes, Godly doctor.¡±


    ¡°So, you are the ones who¡¯re working together to bring down my brother¡¯s Luo Workshop,¡± Xiao Ruyi said, her tone turning cold all of a sudden.


    Brother? Luo Workshop?


    Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe were stunned and suddenly felt something amiss and that their ns weren¡¯t going in the direction they hoped for.


    Shen Qingyan had an awkward smile on her face. ¡°Youngdy, what do you mean by that? I don¡¯t think we quite get it,¡± she said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t quite get it?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi sneered and proceeded to exin, ¡°Luo Workshop belongs to my brother. When he and Sumir were fighting for a share in the Xiahai market, your two pharmaceutical manufacturers decided toe along and join thepetition. Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?¡±


    After hearing that, the look on Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe¡¯s face turned pale. No one could have predicted that this female godly doctor in front of them was the younger sister of Luo Workshop¡¯s owner. She had been so nice to them just a second ago but suddenly turned hostile. It became evident that Jin Yitang Clinic had recently been on the rise in Xiahai to go against them in the pharmaceutical sector.


    ¡°Godly doctor, we didn¡¯t join the fight between Luo Workshop and Sumir for no good reason. It¡¯s because the Chinese herbal drink that was developed by Luo Workshop caused ourpanies to experience a drop in sales, so we had no choice but to do what we did.¡±


    As Cai Renhe desperately tried to exin, he thought that Luo Workshop¡¯s TCM health drink could very well have been developed by this Godly female doctor. ¡°Since Luo Workshop and Godly doctor are so closely connected, Renhe Medicines is willing to withdraw. We¡¯ll let Luo Workshop receive all the earnings from the health products,¡± he said.


    He was determined to win over Xiao Ruyi and believed that as long as he had her on his side, she would bring Renhe Medicines to greater heights never been seen before.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Xiao Ruyi said.


    No need for that?


    Cai Renhe was shocked as he stared at her anxiously.


    ring at him coldly, Xiao Ruyi said, ¡°My brother said that the sound of the war drums from the ¡®Rite of Yifulite¡¯ has already been sounded. No one can stop it, and no one can back out halfway through!¡±


    The sound of the war drums from the Rite of Yifulite?


    Shen Qingyan, Cai Renhe, and everyone else present couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    Legend had it that the warriors in the Ancient Roman Arena would hear a kind of sound when they fought without fearing death, even when they were on the verge of death. All the warriors who listened to the sound of the war drums did not fight because of hate, victory, defeat, or even for themselves. They would rather die than allow their fighting spirit to diminish.


    At that moment, they would be able to attain a kind of power that far exceeded all the logic and exnations of this world. It was as if they were dedicating their lives to the God of War, and this bloody battle was a memorial ceremony that would only end with death.


    Luo Workshop was trying to go against Huayao Group and Renhe Medicines? Where did this kind of couragee from?


    Shen Qingyan, as well as Cai Renhe, his driver, and his secretary were shocked. They stood there, staring nkly at Xiao Ruyi.


    ¡°Youngdy, does Jin Yitang Clinic belong to your brother as well?¡± Shen Qingyan asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m operating it on behalf of my brother,¡± Xiao Ruyi said, raising her chin up proudly.


    Jin Yitang Clinic was indeed going against them!


    Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe finally began to understand what was going on here. Of all the times to appear, it was no wonder that Jin Yitang Clinic had entered and established itself in Xiahai now. It was because Luo Workshop was preparing to bring the fight to them.


    Shen Qingyan managed to calm herself down really quickly and said, ¡°I have to admit that Jin Yitang Clinic is really capable, but just relying on you alone is not going to make a significant challenge to both our organizations. In fact, you won¡¯t even be able to shake any of us from our market position as you¡¯re merely a small business, while we¡¯re a group ofpanies. Our products are sold in other countries, and Jin Yitang Clinic is not going to be a match for us. I¡¯m not trying to exaggerate, but just stating the facts.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then why are you here at our Clinic?¡± Xiao Ruyi said. She giggled a little with a slight hint of disdain in that smirk.


    Shen Qingyan was left speechless, while Cai Renhe had no idea what to say.


    ¡°Let me say it for you guys. It¡¯s because my Jin Yitang Clinic is a threat to you. It¡¯s making you guys feel impatient and uneasy even when you eat or sleep, so you¡¯re here to take a look,¡± Xiao Ruyi said, ¡°But this trip down here has made you guys feel even more uneasy than you were before. My brother has said it before, he will make sure Jin Yitang Clinic rises gradually on a step-by-step basis. You guys may have a group, but it¡¯s also possible for Jin Yitang Clinic and Luo Workshop to turn into a group in the future as well. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±


    Seeing the confidence projected by Xiao Ruyi, both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe began to break into a cold sweat. They could already predict what the future scenario would look like, which was not a joke. With how fast Jin Yitang Clinic had been rising and how they were able to achieve their current market share, the Clinic would possibly reach a point where they wouldpete on equal footing in less than two years.


    Damn it, just who was the boss of Luo Workshop?


    Cai Renhe was cursing from within. Building up Jin Yitang Clinic was causing him so much stress in just two weeks was unbelievable. Who is their mysterious owner?


    ¡°Did CEO Zhang really say that?¡± Shen Qingyan said. She found it hard to believe that an incapable guy like Zhang Dashan was capable of saying something like this.


    ¡°CEO Zhang?¡±


    Xiao Ruyi furrowed her eyebrows and replied, ¡°I assume you¡¯re talking about Big-faced Zhang. That¡¯s not my brother. He¡¯s working for my brother just like me. But he¡¯s in charge of Luo Workshop instead.¡±


    What?


    Shen Qinyan had a bad feeling about the whole affair all of a sudden. She finally recalled that Zhang Dashan mentioned that he had a boss that he reported to, and that guy was the real owner of Luo Workshop.


    Just who in the world was he?


    Shen Qingyan and everyone else at the scene was really curious to find out who this person was.


    ¡°Godly doctor, can you tell us who your brother is?¡± Cai Renhe asked,ughing a little to ease the tension.


    ¡°My apologies, but my brother won¡¯t allow me to tell anyone. When the time is right, you guys will eventually meet him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte, please go back. It¡¯s time for me to rest,¡± Xiao Ruyi said.


    Since they were her brother¡¯s enemies, she naturally did not see the need to be too kind toward them.


    Since Jin Yitang Clinic had already dismissed their offers, both Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe had no reason to stay here any longer. They both walked out, feeling a sense of despair because they could tell that the winds of change were already blowing their way.

 Chapter 577 - Make An Apointment to Meet

    <h2>Chapter 577: Make An Apointment to Meet</h2>


    ¡°CEO Shen, Jin Yitang Clinic is pursuing the medicinal market share that traditionally belongs to us. Based on their current pace of development, they will be able to monopolize the market in half a year. On a national level, the rise of Chinese medicine is good for the country and the nation, but for both our organizations, it is undoubtedly a catastrophe,¡± Cai Renhe said, heaving a sigh as he looked up into the quiet night sky.


    Shen Qingyan stared contemtively out into the distance. Just like Cai Renhe, she could also foresee the future. If the group didn¡¯t change and take the proper measures, what awaited her would be Huayao Corporation¡¯s destruction. Jin Yitang Clinic had apetitive advantage and what it took to crush them.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Cai Renhe didn¡¯t say anything else. He shook his head, sighed, got into his car, and left.


    ¡°Luo¡¯s Workshop, Jin Yitang Clinic¨Cjust who the hell is your owner?¡±


    Shen Qingyan turned around to take another look at Jin Yitang Clinic with mixed feelings. This mysterious guynded in Xiahai was shaking up the market and causing so much insecurity to her Huayao Group, Su Li¡¯s Sumir, and Cai Renhe¡¯s Renhe Medicines.


    Then, she got into her car and left as well.


    After Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe left Jin Yitang Clinic, Xiao Ruyi turned around and walked toward one of the inner rooms that had its door shut. She didn¡¯t open the door and waited patiently just outside the room.


    Not long after, the door opened. Xiao Ruyi¡¯s brother, Xiao Luo, and husband, Tang Ren, walked out.


    Tang Ren¡¯s skin was pale with a tender-looking face. Although he was twenty-four or five years old, it looked as if he still had a child-like innocence inside him.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi walked up to him quickly.


    Xiao Luo smiled, nodding his head and said, ¡°Tang Ren¡¯s hypnosis was really sessful. You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±


    He had hypnotized Tang Ren earlier on, using a Chinese medicine master¡¯s knowledge and skills that he redeemed through the system and transferring it into Tang Ren¡¯s brain at the fastest speed possible. It was a little bit like the movie ¡°Inception,¡± but a lot simpler and more straightforward. It was exhausting for Xiao Luo, which was why he felt like copsing after each hypnosis session, but this never showed outwardly on his body.


    Xiao Ruyi handed over a cup of water from the water dispenser to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him at all, I¡¯m worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, wife, you¡¯ve just hurt my feelings!¡±


    Tang Ren put on a sorrowful look on his face and quipped, ¡°It¡¯s extremely tiring to be the one being hypnotized as well.¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go. My brother¡¯s not evenining about being tired, why are youining? Besides, my brother is a god, you should consider yourself lucky that a god is hypnotizing you,¡± Xiao Ruyi said. She was not spouting nonsense. In her eyes, Xiao Luo was like a god that could do anything. He even turned her into a highly-skilled traditional Chinese medicine practitioner¨Cso, if he wasn¡¯t a god, then what was he?


    ¡®Right, right, you¡¯re right!¡± Tang Ren raised his thumb and said without much energy.


    THWACK!


    Xiao Ruyi pped him on the head and scowled, ¡°Neihan Duanzi [1] has already been shut down, and you¡¯re still imitating and speaking like that olddy, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being annoying?¡±


    ¡°Wife, I¡¯m a Duan You. Once a Duan You, always a Duan You, it¡¯s a kind of religion, di¡­ didi¡­¡± Tang Ren said.


    ¡°Di-di¡­ your bloody head!¡± Xiao Ruyi said, then proceeded to punch and kick him to put some sense into his head.


    Xiao Luo was in a corner drinking his water and gradually regained his senses. The fact that he got his younger sister and brother-inw to quit their jobs in Jiangcheng ande over to Xiahai was, in a way, being selfish, but he knew he could trust them. He couldn¡¯t merely hypnotize and transfer the knowledge and skills of a Chinese medicine master to anyone. Although Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren might not always be sensitive to his needs, there was no way they would leak anything that should not be revealed. Even if Zhang Dashan asked, he was sure that Xiao Ruyi would only roar and say: your sister learned it all by herself!


    Looking at how both of them were bickering¨Cone willing to beat, and the other willing to take a beating¨CXiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s gettingte. It¡¯s time for me to head back. Take care of Jin Yitang Clinic. Also, you can ept some disciples in anticipation of our expansion of future outlets. But remember this, it has to be someone that is trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi stopped her nonsense, turned around, and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Oh, right brother, the CEOs of Huayao Group and Renhe Medicines were here earlier on.¡±


    Xiao Luoughed and replied, ¡°As expected.¡±


    He opened Jin Yitang Clinic so he could push back against the offensive mounted by Huayao Group and Renhe Medicines. Since this clinic posed a threat to both of them, there was no way they wouldn¡¯te to take a look and find out what was going on.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to them, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo was worried that Xiao Ruyi might do something to them since the ¡°nine needles¡± that he had imparted to her could heal and harm.


    ¡°No, I even treated the chronic pains that they¡¯ve been experienced on their bodies for several years. I only knew that they were from Huayao Group and Renhe Medicines muchter, so I chased them out as soon as I found that out.¡±


    Xiao Ruyi was fuming and said, ¡°If I knew who they were right from the start, I would have given them a good treatment for sure. To think that they had the nerves to bully you just because they¡¯re from biggerpanies, huh!¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled. ¡°Alright, stop being childish. What do you mean by ¡®bully?¡¯ I don¡¯t feel that way at all.¡±


    ¡­


    Half a monthter, Jin Yitang Clinic was right at the top. Everyone in Xiahai knew or had at least heard about them. Thanks to extensive media coverage, everyone in the country knew that Jin Yitang Clinic, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, had sessfully treated terminally ill cancer patients. The number of the rich and famous who came to the clinic each day was beyond counting.


    Thanks to the influence of Jin Yitang, most people chose to spend at Luo Workshop instead of Sumir. People believed in celebrity endorsements, but it could notpare to a doctor who could treat incurable diseases. In the face of health and wellness, the celebrity effect had a much lesser effect, especially when Jin Yitang publicized the news that Luo Workshop belonged to the same organization as them. The pavements outside of Luo Workshop outlets became as busy as a marketce. Their daily sales reached an unprecedented height and continued to rise daily.


    Belonging to the same organization as Jin Yitang Clinic¨C what does this mean?


    It meant that Luo Workshop¡¯s pastry and bread was of good quality, and who knew there might be some traditional medicine inside their pastries. Consumers naturally connected the dotted lines and assumed that they had the chance to live much longer if they consumed those pastries.


    Chai Zhiying was panicking.


    Although she hid it well, Su Li was more or less shaking a little. What Luo Workshop had done far exceeded her expectations. No one could have predicted that Jin Yitang would pop up all of a sudden. The clinic had also caused Shen Qingyan and Cai Renhe to experience a kind of panic that they had never experienced before, and had a direct and tangible effect on Luo Workshop being able to suppress her Sumir operations.


    ¡°Li Li, our Sumir has been making a loss for a while now. If things continue as they are, by the mid of next month, our losses will exceed more than ten million dors,¡± Chai Zhiying said, looking like a defeated rooster. She had already admitted defeat to the boss of Luo Workshop who was way too formidable. With one Jin Yitang Clinic alone, he shook the tworgest drug manufacturers in Xiahai, making them tremble in fear, and causing their Sumir to be in aplete mess.


    ¡°Ten million? That much?¡±


    Su Li furrowed her brows. Ten million might not be a lot to her, but the implications of what was toe were horrifying.


    ¡°Shop rental, employees¡¯ sries, utility bills, cost of raw materials, and much more. While Sumir is not making any profit at all, we still have to pay for all of that. The finance department has alreadye up with a detailed report,¡± Chai Zhiyingmented, taking out a document from her bag and handed it over to Su Li.


    Su Li nced through the report and detected nothing wrong with the calctions. Sumir was indeed making a loss of roughly two hundred thousand dors daily.


    After closing the document, she said, ¡°Arrange for me to meet the boss of Luo Workshop!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, alright.¡±


    Chai Zhiying nodded her head and didn¡¯t seem to have any objections. The only way out for Sumir right now was to work with Luo Workshop.


    Footnote:


    [1] Neihan Duanzi is an app to share memes, and Duan You is a user of the app.

 Chapter 578 - Ridiculous

    <h2>Chapter 578: Ridiculous</h2>


    ¡°Old Xiao, your wife Goddess Su, Shen Qingyan from Huayao Group, and Cai Renhe from Renhe Medicines want to meet you. I think it¡¯s time to end this war, don¡¯t you think?¡± Zhang Dashan said. He spoke through the phone in his uniquely thunderous voice. Just hearing his booming voice alone gave one the impression of a huge man talking on the other end of the line.


    Xiao Luo had nothing to do that afternoon and was watching television on his sofa. He found it a little weird hearing this from Zhang Dashan. He had known this day woulde, but he had expected it toeter rather than sooner.


    He thought for a bit, then said, ¡°Handle it on your own.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, old sport. They¡¯ve already mentioned that they want to meet the real owner of Luo Workshop. I¡¯m just your spokesperson, so I¡¯m not qualified to do that,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo had nothing to say. He initially thought it would be better to avoid trouble, but now it seemed like he could no longer avoid it.


    ¡°Damn it, are you going to meet them or not. Can¡¯t you just give me a straightforward answer?¡± Zhang Dashan ranted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s at 3 pm today, in the VIP room of Luo Workshop. Don¡¯t bete!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and ended the call.


    Su Li entered his apartment ten minutester. She hade in by entering the passcode without knocking on the door as usual.


    She was wearing a ck yarn skirt which gave her a demure and beautiful appearance. With her slender waist and the light, elegant steps she took, this woman¡¯s beauty was always enough to take one¡¯s breath away.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t in,¡± Su Li¡¯s voice was light. She walked towards the sofa.


    ¡°I just happened to have some free time now.¡±


    Xiao Luo poured a cup of tea for her, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I look for you without any reason?¡± Su Li raised her head and looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s face with her eyes as clear as water.


    Xiao Luo was stunned, but smiled and said, ¡°Sure, of course, you can.¡±


    Su Li took a sip of her tea and paused before she said, ¡°My Sumir has lost to Luo Workshop.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, news of both of these organizations are all over the headlines. I don¡¯t know even if I wanted it this way,¡± Xiao Luo said as he nodded his head.


    Su Li was behaving like a young girl whining to her boyfriend. ¡°Besides all these, don¡¯t you have anything else to say to me?¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    ¡°Forget it!¡±


    Su Li took her eyes off of him with a slight bit of disappointment and changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet the person in charge of Luo Workshop this afternoon. Will you have the time to help me look after Su Xiaobei?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face looked awkward. ¡°This¡­ actually I have something to attend toter,¡± he said.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re busy with these days, it¡¯s ok to be a little busy. Alright, I¡¯ll just call Su Canye over to take care of her, you can go do your thing.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After mentioning that, they both found nothing else to say to one another. The silence in the apartment was deafening, and you could only hear the sounding from the television.


    Su Li nced at what was showing on the television. It was the story between a group of hyenas and a group of lions taking ce at the vast African savanna. They were both at the top of the food chain and carried out their activities in packs. The program showed bloody scenes of the hunters and the hunted, and it was evident that life on the vast grasnds of the savanna was cruel and unforgiving¨Csuch was life on Earth.


    ¡°Do you actually enjoy watching these kinds of shows?¡± Su Li said. She was trying to make conversation.


    ¡°I had nothing else better to do so I just turned it on and thought it was pretty interesting. These hyenas might look small but won¡¯t hesitate to steal food from a lion¡¯s mouth when they¡¯re hungry,¡± Xiao Luo replied as he sat down beside her, about half a meter away from one another.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Su Li furrowed her brows. Although she was looking forward to closing the distance between her and Xiao Luo, doing so was a little daunting for her and made her feel awkward. The present moment was a fine example¨Csince she had poured her heart and soul into Sumir, all she wanted was for this guy tofort her. Now that she was suffering such mounting pressure on her business all of a sudden, it would be a lie to say that she was not feeling depressed about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. See, aren¡¯t they stealing the lion¡¯s prey right now?¡±


    Xiao Luo finally found amon topic for him to talk about with her and he was not going to let this opportunity slip. He was also sure of his gut-feeling and was convinced that she liked him as well. She didn¡¯t know how to express it. Otherwise, back when he was in Libya, they wouldn¡¯t have chatted on WeChat till midnight. It was a memorable moment and if he had not been in Libya back then but here in this apartment, he was sure that he would have broken down her apartment door, walk toward Su Li and hugged her.


    ¡°Do you know which part of the prey do hyenas love attacking the most?¡± he asked.


    Su Li shook her head, indicating that she didn¡¯t know. ¡°Which part?¡± she said.


    ¡°The excretory opening, also known as the anus,¡± Xiao Luo said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± As soon as Su Li heard that, her pretty face turned red and her eyes were opened wide. She turned her head around to look at this man, and thought to herself, that kind of word, how could this guy say something like that while keeping a straight face?


    But she still responded, ¡°Why is that so?¡±


    ¡°This is a kind of strategy. You can also say that this is a predicament caused by their stature¨Chyenas are short. They can¡¯t bite into their prey¡¯s neck, but as the underbelly and rear end are much softer than the other parts, so they can easily bite down on it. As long as they can bite into their intestines, no matter how far their prey runs, their intestines will still be in the hyena¡¯s mouth. The more the prey runs and struggles, the more their intestines are going to get pulled out. Eventually, they¡¯ll achieve their goal of killing their prey. This instinct is already an instinct and is embedded into their genes,¡± Xiao Luo exined. He felt that this was basic animal instinct, so, he naturally said everything he wanted to say.


    But Su Li¡¯s hair was standing on ends after listening to that. Just picturing the bloody scene, and one that involved a body part that was embarrassing even to mention, to begin with, Su Li found herself feeling awkward and ufortable with the feeling she was experiencing right now. Besides the four words ¡°a kind of strategy,¡± reminded her of her Sumir and Luo Workshop. No matter how she thought about it, Luo Workshop was like the hyena, while her Sumir was the prey.


    She quickly drank her tea to get Xiao Luo to stop talking about it. ¡°Alright, I got it. What about lions then?¡±


    ¡°Lions have a huge body. They are powerful and won¡¯t attack the anus like the hyenas. They will bite straight down into their prey¡¯s throat. But when they are devouring their prey, some lions do enjoy starting from their prey¡¯s anus as well¡­¡±


    ¡°PFTT!¡±


    After hearing Xiao Luo talking about the anus again, Su Li couldn¡¯t help but spit the tea from her mouth out. She gritted her teeth and stared at Xiao Luo. ¡°Are you doing this on purpose?¡± she cried.


    Xiao Luo was dumbfounded. ¡°Doing what on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Saying that vulgar word again and again!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks turned hot. Forget mentioning the word, just hearing it made her ufortable. She would have ignored it if this jerk had only mentioned it once, but saying it again and again, made her wonder if this word was not the least bit vulgar to him at all! Besides, they were finally starting to talk a little, but it always ended with that word, which made her feel like she was about to go crazy real soon.


    ¡°Anus is an academic word, how is it a vulgar word? I didn¡¯t even say *ss¡­ hmm, you know what word I¡¯m referring to, right?¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    *ss what?


    Just what kind of material was this jerk¡¯s skin made of? Was it thicker than the city wall?


    Su Li was turning crazy. She knew that the word that Xiao Luo was mentioning ended with ¡°hole¡± and her pretty face turned red.


    ¡°Shameless, you¡¯re so dirty!¡±


    She threw those words at Xiao Luo, stood up, and left. She felt like she was about to go crazy real soon if she stayed here any longer.


    Xiao Luo had nothing to say. He was only talking about the stuff that he knew, how was it shameless and dirty? What was wrong with mentioning the word anus? Wasn¡¯t it natural for an expert to talk about the anus to the hundreds of students he had in front of an educational video?


    To be called shameless and dirty was absolutely ridiculous!

 Chapter 579 - To meet

    <h2>Chapter 579: To meet</h2>


    Luo Workshop¡¯s branch in Xiahai was in the New Jinhua District. It was an area filled with manufacturingpanies. Luo Workshop had merged its pastry and bread factories and had fourrge main entrances, each facing one of the cardinal directions. Thendscaping was passable, and as they had only been able to settle earlier this year, the nts and trees inside thepound were not as mature as they were transported from elsewhere. But it was evident that this area¡¯s development was going to flourish much greater heights in a couple of years.


    ¡°Look, over there! It¡¯s our national goddess Su Li¡¯s car!¡± someone eximed.


    ¡°How can you only spot Su Li¡¯s car? The cars of Shen Qingyan from Huayao Group and Cai Renhe from Renhe Medicines are right behind hers as well,¡± another person said.


    ¡°The three giants of Xiahai havee together to visit Luo Workshop. This Luo Workshop sure is powerful!¡± said another.


    ¡°No one can disagree with that. Luo Workshop¡¯s business and assets might not beparable to the other three, but just withstanding the pressureing from them has allowed Luo Workshop to establish a strong foothold in Xiahai.¡±


    ¡°The boss of Luo Workshop is way too mysterious. The Jin Clinic was established by him as well. I heard that Mr. Zhang Dashan is just the person-in-charge of Luo Workshop, but the real boss has yet to show himself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The employees of Luo Workshop have all signed a confidentiality agreement to keep the identity of the boss a secret. Besides, only those at the Department Head level can meet the real boss of Luo Workshop.¡±


    A group of reporters was gathered in front of Luo Workshop after receiving a tip-off. Presently, any news on Luo Workshop attracted public attention, so the reporters catered to public demand. As soon as Su Li and the others arrived, the reporters knew that this was going to be another big scoop, and the sound of their cameras kept clicking with the distinctive sound of shutters opening and shutting as they snapped photos.


    The three cars were directed in by the Luo Workshop staff and glided into the office grounds.


    After Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Cai Renhe stepped out of their cars, Zhang Dashan, who was in a formal suit with a head of shiny ck hairbed nicely, weed them with a smile.


    ¡°CEO Su, CEO Shen, CEO Cai. On behalf of Luo Workshop, allow me to wee you!¡± he said, bowing graciously.


    Zhang Dashan shook their hands. He was apetent manager in terms of work, and he made sure that he acted respectfully and refrained from being excessively tactile when shaking hands with the two beautifuldies. Even though he was interested in Shen Qingyan, he conducted himself appropriately and kept a professional distance.


    ¡°Zhang Dashan, stop wasting time. We¡¯re here to meet the real boss of Luo Workshop, hurry up and bring us to him,¡± Chai Zhiying did not pretend to be nice when she dealt with Zhang Dashan. She wanted to meet the boss of Luo Workshop as soon as possible.


    She had voiced Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Cai Renhe¡¯s thoughts as well, so the other three did not try to interrupt her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry, no hurry at all. It¡¯s not even 3 pm yet, let me introduce these two beautifuldies beside me to all of you first,¡± Zhang Dashan continued, ignoring her affront politely.


    Zhang Dashan moved his hand to introduce the girl on his left who looked roughly twenty-five or twenty-six years old. ¡°This is the Department Head of our Sales Department, Ms. Li Zimeng. She¡¯s in charge of everything rted to the stores at Luo Workshop. It goes without saying that she¡¯s capable, outstanding, hardworking, and beautiful. Back in Jiangcheng, it was because of Ms. Li that Luo Workshop was able to ovee all sorts of difficulties,¡± he said, beaming with pride.


    ¡°CEO Su, CEO Shen, CEO Cai, nice to meet you!¡± Li Zimeng raised her hand out and shook their hands with a smile on her face.


    Cai Renhe had his eyes fixed on Li Zimeng from the moment he saw her. It was not like he had never seen pretty girls before, but it was the first time he met a woman as charming as Li Zimeng. Her charm exuded from within, making her look calm and confident at the same time. Any man would want to conquer a woman like her.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan were also quietly giving Li Zimeng the once-over. It was something every woman would unconsciously do when they saw a potentialpetitor. Tall and slender, with a devilish look and decked in business attire, Li Zimeng was at par with both of them.


    ¡°This person over here is the Department Head of our R&D department, Ms. Luo Qi. Most of the unique and new pastries and bread from Luo Workshop were all created thanks to that genius-like brain of hers,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±


    Luo Qi greeted them with her delicate voice. She had huge eyes and a tiny mouth on her exquisite-looking face, and she exuded a cute and lively aura. Luo Qi looked at Su Li with worship written all over her face and said, ¡°Goddess Su, I¡¯m a fan of yours. I went to your Jiangcheng concertst year. I also enjoy listening to your songs and watching the dramas that you¡¯ve acted in. Once you¡¯re done meeting our boss, can you please take a photo with me and let me have your autograph?¡± Luo Qi looked overwhelmed and breathlessly.


    ¡°Sure, no problem at all,¡± Su Li said, nodding her head with a smile on her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Thank you, Goddess Su!¡± responded the excited fan.


    Luo Qi was so happy that she was bouncing around, grinning from ear to ear, and her eyes were crescent-shaped.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ We¡¯re talking about work now, what on earth is all this about?¡±


    Zhang Dashan said with a straight face, but in the next second, began to chuckle and turned to Su Li. ¡°If Goddess Su doesn¡¯t mind, please let me have your autograph as well. I gave the one you gave mest year to my mum. This time around I have to keep it for myself, hehe¡­¡± he said.


    Everyone else was speechless.


    ¡­


    The VIP meeting room at Luo Workshop was simple yet elegant. The symmetrical decoration highlighted a sense of calmness, elegance, and sophistication, but it looked grand and luxurious at the same time. Above them was an impressive square-shaped chandelier. A textured carpet covered the floor. A conference table made of solid wood sat in the middle of the room, with nine seats on each side and two seats at both ends. There were speakerphones ced on the table for every seat, for anyone who wished to use it.


    ¡°CEO Zhang, it¡¯s already 3 pm, may I know when the boss of Luo Workshop will arrive?¡±


    Cai Renhe was not a guy who could patiently wait for long periods. He usually had people waiting for him, and now that he was waiting for someone else, he could barely retain hisposure.


    ¡°No hurry, no hurry, he¡¯ll be here when he¡¯s here. Drink your tea, let¡¯s drink our tea, and we can look at the beautiful view outside. This meeting room is located right on the top floor, so you have a clear view of the entire park through this window. What a beautiful view,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Outwardly, he looked calm but was anxious as hell on the inside. He thought, bloody hell, what the hell is that Old Xiao doing? I told him to be here at 3 pm, why is he not here yet?


    ¡°Though Sumir might have lost, that doesn¡¯t mean that we have to work with Luo Workshop. If you¡¯re fooling around with us, then we¡¯d rather announce that Sumir will be shutting down,¡± Chai Zhiying said furiously, mming her hands on the table.


    ¡°Ms. Chai, hold on, we can win. Oh, err, I mean the boss of Luo Workshop will arrive soon. I just hope that you guys won¡¯t¡­ hmm, won¡¯t be too surprised,¡± Zhang Dashan remarked, then stopped himself from saying anything else.


    ¡°Surprised? Don¡¯t tell me the boss of Luo Workshop is a national leader. What a surprise that will be, huh!¡± Chai Zhiying sneered.


    Zhang Dashan smiled but did not respond to her taunt. ¡°Drink your tea, drink your tea,¡± he said.


    Su Li drank her tea quietly. Quiet and elegant, smart, and beautiful, she did not pay much attention to what Zhang Dashan had said. If this dragged on any longer and exceeded her patience, she would leave without any qualms. She had her dignity and pride. It was not like Sumir could not afford to lose.

 Chapter 580 - Reason for Being Late

    <h2>Chapter 580: Reason for Being Late</h2>


    Time slowly ticked away. The long wait was a test of their patience.


    Li Zimeng and Luo Qi had gone out of the room to contact Xiao Luo, while Zhang Dashan stayed back to hold the fort. He appeared to be calm and collected at his seat. But as he looked into the faces of Su Li, Shen Qingyan, Cai Renhe, and Chai Zhiying, he was starting to feel sick, and his back was almost drenched in sweat.


    ¡°Uhm, it seems like it¡¯s already 3:40 pm.¡±


    Zhang Dashan looked at the time with an awkward smile on his face. He waved his hand to signal the staff to pour tea for Su Li and the other guests. He did his best to maintain his calm. ¡°Please, let¡¯s drink our tea. This tea is of very good quality. It is healthy and can help you slim down, and it might even kill some time as well,¡± he said, waffling away, ¡°Right CEO Shen, what kind of tea do you like? Personally, I feel that this West Lake Longjing is pretty good. It has a longsting fragrance that¡¯s as sweet as the orchid. It¡¯s refreshing, leaves a good taste in your mouth, and makes you want more.¡±


    Shen Qingyan responded to him with a cold smile. They were already forty minutes behind schedule. She did not have to wait this long when she went overseas to meet their President, making her extremely angry.


    Chai Zhiying wasn¡¯t so kind and did not hold back. ¡°I¡¯ll sit here and see how long you can keep this up!¡± she said.


    Cai Renhe responded with a stern and gloomy looking face. ¡°CEO Zhang, our time is precious, as you know. You¡¯ve wasted so much of it, and you have to give us a reasonable exnation.¡±


    Exnation?


    What exnation do you want me to give? How can you me me for this?


    Zhang Dashan thought quietly to himself and cursed Xiao Luo. He had told Xiao Luo that the meeting was 3 pm, but it was now already 3:40 pm, and he was nowhere in sight. He was clearly messing around. The people sitting here were not ordinary people but famous figures in Xiahai. No matter how thick his skin was, he could not continue to hold them off much longer by himself.


    He forced himself to remain calm and said, ¡°Hmm, an exnation¡­ Yes, I think there could be one possible reason why. Our boss could have arrived before 3 pm. But on his way here, he encountered a group of robbers trying to rob a bank. He couldn¡¯t just stand aside and not do anything about it, so that is why he¡¯s dyed.¡±


    When he said that, Su Li and the rest stared at him as if they were looking at an alien.


    Cai Renheughed mockingly, and he was not pleased. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to all sorts of excuses for beingte, but this one takes the cake. Do you take all of us here for fools?¡± he said.


    Shen Qingyan couldn¡¯t take anymore. She stood up after mming her hands on the table and stared at Zhang furiously. ¡°Zhang Dashan, what the hell are you up to? You better believe that I might just tear your Luo Workshop down right now!¡± she screamed.


    What the hell, why is she so hot-tempered?


    Zhang Dashan was visibly shocked. Shen Qingyan¡¯s temper had shaken him.


    Chai Zhiying bolted straight up and said, ¡°You, with the surname of Zhang, I¡¯ll give you five more minutes. If the boss of Luo Workshop doesn¡¯t show up by then, you can forget about working together with us!¡± she said.


    Zhang Dashan lifted his hands, trying to calm everyone down. ¡°Calm down, calm down, look at Goddess Su. She hasn¡¯t said a single thing since she entered. This is self-restraint, this is charisma,¡± he said.


    Right at that moment, Su Li stood up, and with a cold looking expression and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and headed toward the exit of the meeting room.


    What? Did he get an egg thrown on his face that quickly?


    Zhang Dashan was humiliated, and he did not know what to say to make her stay.


    He was as nervous as an ant on a hot pot. Suddenly, the door of the meeting room opened. Li Zimeng, looking sharp in her formal suit, walked in and said, ¡°CEO Xiao is here!¡±


    CEO Xiao?


    Who was CEO Xiao? The boss of Luo Workshop?


    Su Li and the others were shocked.


    In the next second, a man who was in a somewhat casual suit walked in. He had sharp facial features as if his face had been sculpted, with hair that was dark and glossy, knife-shaped eyebrows, and a pair of piercing eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, something happened on my way here. Sorry to have kept all of you waiting,¡± the man said.


    While exining why he waste, the man walked confidently into the meeting room towards the main seat at the end of the conference table, then turned around to face everyone. His entire body was radiating an air of superiority. Every single action he took made him look charismatic.


    Xiao Luo?


    Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Chai Zhiying were stunned into silence. They stared at him with eyes wide open.


    Why was Xiao Luo here? And why was he taking the seat at the head of the table?


    A whole bunch of questions ran through their minds. It was as if time had stopped at that moment. Everything around them became inconsequential, and their eyes were all focused on this familiar, yet unfamiliar man.


    ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re finally here. Anyter and I would have killed myself,¡± a voice cut across the silent room.


    Zhang Dashan, who was copsing, hurriedly made the introduction. ¡°Goddess Su, CEO Shen, CEO Cai¨Cthis is the boss of Luo Workshop. His surname is Xiao, and his given name is just Luo.¡±


    What?


    As soon as he said that, it was as if a bomb just exploded in Su Li and everyone else¡¯s heads.


    ¡°What? H-he¡­ Xiao Luo is the boss of Luo Workshop? This¡­ this can¡¯t be!¡±


    Chai Zhiying mumbled incoherently as her legs went weak, and she sat right back in her seat from the shock. Thankfully, the chair was just under her. Otherwise, she would have been sprawled on the floor by now and making a fool of herself.


    Su Li froze as if she turned into a piece of wood. She stared into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes with shock. Her eyelids were quivering, and her brain seemed to have gone nk.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡­ You¡¯re the boss of Luo Workshop?¡±


    Shen Qingyan asked in disbelief. She had been specting who the boss of Luo Workshop could be, at least a dozen times, but it never urred to her that it would turn out to be Xiao Luo. It didn¡¯t make sense. Xiao Luo had once worked at her Huayao Group, and there was no reason for the boss of Luo Workshop to lower his pride to work at herpany.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes!¡±


    It was now time for him toy the cards on the table, and there was no need for him to try to cover it up any longer. Besides, Luo Workshop was in an excellent position to negotiate with them now.


    When she heard Xiao Luo¡¯s reply, Shen Qingyan¡¯s eyes lost their sparkle, and she dropped back in her seat like a lifeless robot.


    Compared to the rest, Cai Renhe was a lot calmer, although he couldn¡¯t contain his annoyance. ¡°As you¡¯re the boss of Luo Workshop, then you owe us a proper exnation. Why did you make us wait here for more than forty-minutes?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said, something happened on my way here,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°What could¡¯ve happened that it would dy you by a good forty-minutes?¡±


    Cai Renhe retorted, clearly dissatisfied with the exnation. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it was due to a traffic jam, for Xiahai¡¯s traffic isn¡¯t that bad that a jam canst as long as forty minutes,¡± he sneered.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of a traffic jam. On my way here, I met a group of robbers who were trying to rob a bank,¡± he exined.


    Robbers trying to rob a bank?


    What the¨Cdid they have to be this in sync?


    Did he even have to use theme excuse that I offered earlier to bamboozle these three bosses? What in the world was this?


    It was the first time that Zhang Dashan had ever felt like he was about to go crazy. This brother of his was too much. He had the gall to use such ame excuse and to think that he even said it with such a serious-looking face.


    Su Li, Shen Qingyan, Cai Renhe, and everyone else was so shocked that their jaws dropped, leaving their mouths wide-open. They could not believe that Xiao Luo would use the same excuse that Zhang Dashan had given earlier.


    What the hell was going on here?


    Was he looking down on them, or was he trying to humiliate them?


    Cai Renheughed mockingly and said, ¡°CEO Xiao, did you really think we¡¯d believe that?¡±


    ¡°You might not believe it, but everything I just said is the truth,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Zhang Dashan could not put up with this any longer and whispered into Xiao Luo¡¯s ears with a concerned expression. ¡°Cousin, I made this up earlier on and said that you encountered a group of robbers who were trying to rob a bank. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re using the same excuse too. I¡¯m sure they think that we¡¯re taking them fools and are messing around with them.¡±

 Chapter 581 - Discussion

    <h2>Chapter 581: Discussion</h2>


    Cai Renhe was so angry that he turned red in the face. He lost control over his emotions and blew up.


    A freaking bank robbery? What did he think Xiahai was¨Cthe backdrop to a Hong Kong movie? If Xiao Luo was really at a bank robbery by some unlikely chance, then there would have been police officers on hand to deal with the situation. What was an entrepreneur doing getting himself involved? Suddenly, Cai Renhe was reminded about the threat that Jin Yitang posed, and he wisely chose to suppress his anger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time. Let¡¯s talk about that Jin Yitang of yours,¡± Cai Renhe said.


    ¡°Yes, what about my Jin Yitang?¡± asked Xiao Luo. He frowned as the cogs started to turn in his head.


    ¡°What about your Jin Yitang? Well, you¡¯re about to monopolize the drug market, that¡¯s what!¡±


    Cai Renhe started getting angry again, as he felt that Xiao Luo was just ying dumb. ¡°President Shen and I came here today to discuss the issue of the market share with you. Xiahai¡¯s drug market has always been shared equally between mypany, Renhe Medicines, and President Shen¡¯s Huayao Corporation. Jin Yitang is not ying by the rules. Not only have you disrupted this market, but you¡¯ve also encroached into the market share that traditionally belonged to us. Is this not¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo interrupted Cai Renhe with a flick of his hand and said, ¡°This is a free market¡ªalways has been, always will be. Anyone can enter, anyone can leave. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re demeaning yourself when you say something like that, President Cai?¡±


    ¡°Spit it out, Old Cai. Tell us exactly what it is that you want. Stop beating around the bush,¡± Zhang Dashan pitched in.


    Cai Renhe quickly realized that he had a favor to ask of Xiao Luo and assumed a friendlier demeanor. ¡°I came here to discuss how we can split the market share so that the three of us stand to benefit the most,¡± he opined.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re here to discuss how we can split the market share, then there¡¯s no reason to have any further discussions with you, Old Cai. The market share is not something that can be settled by a discussion. The customers are the ones with the power to decide. Besides, Jin Yitang sells Traditional Chinese Medicine, while Renhe Medicines primarily supplies Western medicine. There¡¯s simply no basis for us to be discussing any sharing.¡±


    He turned to Shen Qingyan and added, ¡°And this goes for Huayao Corporation as well!¡±


    Was he rejecting the offer to work with Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines?


    The people from the three giant corporations turned pale. The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly felt very ufortable.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t bode well for the young to be this aggressive, President Xiao,¡± Cai Renhe said.


    He was unhappy with Xiao Luo¡¯s response and had a stern look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that Jin Yitang has a tremendous influence, but Renhe Medicines and Huayao Corporation aren¡¯t pushovers, you know. Jin Yitang is a mere hatchlingpared to ourpanies. If we went to war with you, yourpany will be crushed before you know it!¡± he retorted.


    Xiao Luo red at Cai Renhe coldly. ¡°Then, time will tell just who will have thestugh! See them out!¡± he said, turning to Li Zimeng. He anticipated that the talk would not go smoothly, but he wasn¡¯t prepared to receive any threats. Xiao Luo was not about to entertain the man for another second.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you out, President Cai,¡± Li Zimeng said. She had a stern look on her face as she raised her hand to gesture him toward the door.


    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this!¡± Cai Renhe huffed, his indignance rising to new heights as he left with his secretary. He was an extremely sessful man, and it has been quite some time since he hadst suffered such ignominy. His anger blinded him so much that he lost the faculty of reason.


    After Cai Renhe and his people left, the conference room plunged into an awkward hush.


    It was Shen Qingyan who first broke the silence. She looked at Xiao Luo nkly and said, ¡°The diator¡¯s war drums, huh? I heard from your sister that you nned all of this from the start. So, did you? Was it your n to chip at the market share that I have with Cai Renhe¡¯spany? This won¡¯t end as long as either one of us is still standing, am I right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only got it half right,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Half?¡± Shen Qingyan responded with a frown.


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°Before Huayao Corporation and Renhe Medicines came at Luo Workshop, I had no intention of ever picking a fight to pick with yourpanies, and my only goal at that time was to manage Luo Workshop properly. So, Jin Yitang¡¯s appearance was nothing more than a natural response to a situation that you both created.¡±


    Shen Qingyan stood abruptly and lost control of her emotions. ¡°That¡¯s a load of rubbish. Why would you work at mypany if you hadn¡¯t nned to enter the drug market?¡± she hissed.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I was checking out the market in advance?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Shen Qingyanughed coldly and said, ¡°Oh, Xiao Luo. Why didn¡¯t I realize you were such a shrewd person? No, I think ¡®scheming¡¯ is a better word. You¡¯re like a venomous snake¡ªI don¡¯t know when you¡¯ll lose control and strike at me. I can¡¯t believe I treated you like my friend!¡±


    Why does it feel like he went too far?


    Zhang Dashan stole a nce at Xiao Luo. Things did not feel right, and this was not going as he had nned.


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself. You can either choose to believe me or don¡¯t,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°How nice. I¡¯ve misjudged you, Xiao Luo!¡± Shen Qingyan shouted at him. ¡°Li, let¡¯s go, Li¡­ Li ¡­¡±


    She called out several times, but Su Li did not respond. She turned around and saw Su Li sitting there silently, openly staring at Xiao Luo in shock.


    Her skin was pale as snow, and her eyes glimmered like the stars in the night sky. She had an elegant nose that entuated the beauty of her face. Her lips were pressed together, and her exquisite beauty was intoxicating.


    Nobody knew why, but they all fell silent as they looked into her eyes. They could not tell whether she was ted or in despair. It seemed like the mood in the conference room was solely determined by her.


    Xiao Luo knew that it was time for him to speak to her in private.


    ¡°Clear the room!¡±


    Zhang Dashan was the first to respond to Xiao Luo¡¯s order. ¡°Ahem! You all heard Old Xiao, let¡¯s go. Must be menopause or something. President Shen, let¡¯s wait outside,¡± he said.


    Li Zimeng and Luo Qi were quick to react as well. They helped Zhang Dashan to clear the room, leaving Su Li and Xiao Luo alone.


    ¡°You two have a good talk!¡± said Shen Qingyan. She was still furious and red at Xiao Luo before leaving.


    Chai Zhiying stood rooted at her spot, unable to regain her senses. It felt like she was in a dream and a surreal one at that. In her eyes, Xiao Luo has always been an insignificant loach. How did he suddenly be the mysterious chairman of Luo Workshop? It was too big of a twist to this plot. As she made her way out of the conference room, she gazed at Xiao Luo the entire time. She even wondered if the Xiao Luo standing in front of her was fake.


    BANG!


    The conference room door mmed shut, leaving only Xiao Luo and Su Li alone in the spacious room. There were no words exchanged, and the room was in pin-drop silence.


    Xiao Luo sat at the head of the table while Su Li sat somewhere on his right. There was about a three-meter distance between them.


    After a few minutes of silence, Xiao Luo stood up and poured her a ss of water. He put the ss in front of her, then took to his seat again.


    ¡°Why did you never tell me that you were the boss of Luo Workshop?¡± Su Li asked. When she finally spoke, she did so with no expression on her face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to bring it up. Especially after finding out that you were the boss of Sumir and what you thought of Luo Workshop. In any case, I¡¯m well aware of the contrast between Luo Workshop and Sumir, and I didn¡¯t think it would bother you when you found out,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Heughed hesitantly and exined, ¡°All this time, I¡¯ve been working hard to bring Luo Workshop up to standard so I could talk to you on equal footing¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you think you¡¯re on equal footing now?¡± Su Li interrupted him, ncing at him coldly.

 Chapter 582 - Put in Place

    <h2>Chapter 582: Put in ce</h2>


    ¡°Am I not?¡± said Xiao Luo with a frown.


    Su Li shifted her gaze away from him and said, ¡°Sumir is only one of my many assets, and I can easily give it up whenever I wanted to. I¡¯m not particrly concerned whether I work with Luo Workshop or not.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then why have youe here?¡± asked Xiao Luo, a trace of humor underlining his tone.


    ¡°I was just a little curious about the identity of the boss of Luo Workshop,¡± she replied.


    Su Li looked at Xiao Luo, and she was neither trying to be condescending nor expressing her admiration. ¡°At the same time, I wanted to see if my guess was right, and evidently I was. You are, indeed, the boss of Luo Workshop,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo raised a brow, feeling a little strange about what she had said. ¡°I take it that this means you had already known about my identity for some time now?¡± he asked in surprise.


    ¡°Of course. I remember asking you once why Zhang Dashan never helped you to secure a job in Luo Workshop. From that moment on, I had already suspected that you might be the boss of Luo Workshop,¡± she replied.


    Su Li was veryposed, at least much more than Shen Qingyan and Chai Zhiying had been. ¡°Good friendship is often founded upon equality. Zhang Dashan oversees Luo Workshop, and you¡¯re such good friends with him. So there is no way that you could be unemployed and just idling your time away. Besides, you¡¯ve also been unusually busy these days, precisely when Jin Yitang had been making waves in Xiahai¡ªthis was no coincidence, was it? All of these clues gave me enough reason to suspect you¡¯re Luo Workshop¡¯s boss,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo felt as if he was standing in front of this woman stripped of everything, and she saw through it all.


    Calm andposed and in control of everything¡ªthis was the feeling she had always given him. It was too off-putting to someone as chauvinistic as Xiao Luo. In that instance, he felt a fire slowly burning within him.


    Xiao Luoughed wryly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always hated this, you know? Your holier-than-thou attitude and the way you act as if you know everything.¡±


    Su Li looked at him with a frown without saying anything, as she waited for him to finish speaking his piece.


    ¡°You asked me why I never told you that I was the boss of Luo Workshop, right? I can give you an honest answer now. It¡¯s because of this attitude of yours¡ªyour arrogance and the way you look down your nose at everything. I won¡¯t unt this little bit of sess in front of you like a dog looking for its owner¡¯s validation. You might be the nation¡¯s goddess, a mega superstar. But as far as I¡¯m concerned, you are first and foremost my woman, my legally recognized wife. I don¡¯t care how lofty your achievements are, but you will y the part of a gentle, caring woman. So stop it with this arrogant attitude of yours!¡± he ranted.


    The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and the louder his voice grew. And the more repressed the anger, the more violent the inevitable outburst would turn out to be.


    Su Li was shocked. The man had acknowledged her as his wife, which was the only constion that came from this entire situation. But what he said about her attitude had touched a nerve. She immediately rebutted in a chilling tone. ¡°Who are you to tell me to change, Xiao Luo? We signed a contract when we got married. Don¡¯t you dare forget it. To be clear, this is a contractual rtionship, and I can dissolve it as and when I wish,¡± she snapped.


    It was clear that she did not mean what she said.


    ¡°Contractual rtionship? Enough with this bullsh*t,¡± he shouted.


    Xiao Luo was genuinely furious this time. He gritted his teeth and mmed his palm down heavily on the conference room table. There was a resounding bang as the blow sent wood splinters flying in every direction, leaving a giant hole at the part of the table closest to Xiao Luo.


    Su Li was so shocked that she raised a hand to cover her mouth, looking in disbelief at Xiao Luo as he advanced toward her, step by step.


    There was a savage edge to his expression, with fury written all over his face. ¡°We¡¯ve had our moments in the time we were together, wouldn¡¯t you say? You¡¯ve bought me watches, clothes, and a diamond ring for our wedding, so I refuse to believe that you see our rtionship as nothing more than a contract. If that is truly the case, then I don¡¯t think I can stop myself from killing you!¡± he growled.


    ¡°Kill me?¡±


    Su Li turned pale. ¡°What¡­what are you saying?¡± she said in a shaky voice.


    She could sense dangering from the man.


    Xiao Luo chuckled wryly as he bent at the waist and brought his face close to hers. ¡°Because you¡¯ve given me the wrong impression, I¡¯ve always thought you liked me. You are ying games with me, and I hate being yed, especially by a woman!¡± he hissed, almost in a whisper.


    There was absolutely no way he would treat her with respect, not with the overwhelming anger he now felt. He held her wless chin in his hand and tilted her head up.


    Su Li was horrified, for she had never seen this side of Xiao Luo before. He was like a bloodthirsty beast, and a terrifying aura was emanating from him. Su Li could feel his heavy breathing on her face and sensed his savage instincts.


    Xiao Luo showed no pity as he roughly lifted her face up and stared at her. ¡°You listen to me, Su Li. I like you!¡± he said.


    ¡°Does he like me?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s slender frame was shaking as her face flushed red to her ears.


    Xiao Luo let go of her chin andughed bitterly. ¡°But I don¡¯t like that cold and arrogant attitude you have. I don¡¯t like the fact that you never concede to anything. And what I dislike, even more, is the fact that you always use that contract to define our rtionship. If our rtionship is nothing more than just a contract, then why did you stay till midnight chatting with me when I was overseas? I don¡¯t think that was pity on your part. If you like me too, then just say it! Is it that difficult for you to put aside your pride?¡± he said.


    His voice was so loud that it reverberated across the conference room.


    Su Li was truly frightened by the state that Xiao Luo was in. Her eyes turned red, and unshed tears threatened to fall at any second.


    ¡°We¡¯ll speak after you¡¯ve calmed down!¡± she said.


    After that, she turned and headed toward the door. She wanted to get away as quickly as possible from this beast that was on the verge of turning vicious.


    She barely took a few steps forward before a firm hand snatched her wrist with such a strong tug that she could not resist. Before she could pull away, she found herself in Xiao Luo¡¯s embrace. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.


    Her waist was unusually soft. She leaned backward, but the man¡¯s face was so close to hers. She could feel his warm, heavy breathing on her face. The two of them were very close together. A look of fear and helplessness was on Su Li¡¯s face, while Xiao Luo looked cold and upromising.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to leave me? It¡¯s toote for that! You lost the chance to run away from me the moment you so recklessly used a marriage certificate to keep us bound together. You¡¯ll have to pay for your wilfulness!¡±


    ¡°W-what are you doing? What are you trying to do? Let go of me, Xiao Luo. Let go!¡± she cried.


    Su Li was getting so anxious that she began to hyperventte. The vibrationsing from this man was bing increasingly rming, and it was as if she would be swallowed up by him any second now.


    ¡°Let go of you? Why should I? Just because you¡¯re a mega superstar?¡±


    Xiao Luo could not helpughing devilishly. ¡°I hate to break it to you, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re just a woman. An exquisite, beautiful woman!¡±


    He said that and then dropped his head to kiss her on her soft ruby red lips.


    To Su Li, she was just his wife in name, somebody he could look at from afar but not touch. And he had had enough of that. His anger was clouding his mind, and he was not as rational as he should be. He decided to let himself go this one time¡ªthis woman had to be put in her ce.

 Chapter 583 - No Point

    <h2>Chapter 583: No Point</h2>


    QUIVER!


    Su Li¡¯s body was shaking slightly, and her eyes were opened wide in shock. She had no other thoughts running through her head, except one¡ªhow dare this man force a kiss on her like this!


    She couldn¡¯t believe it! Was it a dream? Su Li couldn¡¯t believe this was happening.


    ¡°Mmff¡­¡±


    Su Li was caught by surprise, and her eyes turned red in panic. The kiss had happened so suddenly. She did not have time to prevent it. The passion and virility she sensed from Xiao Luo practically overwhelmed her. She instinctively tried to push Xiao Luo away, but the man¡¯s arms held firm as they wrapped around her waist. There was no way she could break free of them.


    Su Li panicked and did the only thing possible¨Cshe bit down violently with her teeth.


    The tongue was the weakest part of the human body. No matter how far Xiao Luo¡¯s strength surpassed that of an ordinary human, the pain from that bite would have been unimaginable. Su Li biting his tongue was far worse than if he had identally bit his tongue while eating. He moved his mouth away from hers but did not release his grip on her.


    ¡°You bit me?¡± he said. A frown formed on Xiao Luo¡¯s face.


    Su Li saw blood between the two rows of his teeth and traces of it on his lips. Then she realized that she had bitten his tongue so hard that he was bleeding. A strong wave of guilt washed over her, and she shifted her gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I ¡­¡± she whispered as she fumbled for words.


    Xiao Luo mocked her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no need for me to call the police. Your apology is good enough!¡± He had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and with his free hand, he lifted her chin up in a provocative way. There was a devilish smile on his face.


    What was this bast*rd saying? Was he mad?


    Sul Li started breathing more rapidly. Her heart raced as panic set in.


    At that moment, the door to the conference room was pushed open. Zhang Dashan walked in without knocking and said, ¡°Hey, Old Xiao, are you done¡­ talking?¡± His voice started to trail off as he realized that he had caught the couple in apromising position. He ogled for a moment with his mouth wide open before ncing away. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything, nothing at all. Please continue¡­¡± he said.


    After he spoke, he walked out and quickly closed the door behind him. He moved in a hurry as if he was escaping from something and running quicker than a spooked rabbit.


    Shen Qingyan, Chai Zhiying, and the rest of the group waiting outside the room immediately rushed up to him when they saw him run out.


    ¡°How¡¯s the talk going?¡± Chai Zhiying asked.


    Zhang Dashan chuckled softly and said, ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going well, seems like a crucial moment. So, let¡¯s not disturb them. Come on, let me bring you around the park. There are several sports facilities there¡ªwe¡¯ve got a tennis court, swimming pool, and gym. I guarantee you won¡¯t be bored there.¡± He then rounded up the people and ushered them out. On his way out, he gave strict instructions to the staff stationed at the conference room not to enter the room until Xiao Luo and Su Li came out. If they did, they would be fired instantly.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Zhang Dashan brought Shen Qingyan and Chai Zhiying to the park for a walk. He behaved like an employee showing his bosses around the factory. He was pointing all over the ce, clearly attempting to impress his visitors.


    ¡°If you look over there, you¡¯ll see the open-air swimming pool that we have in the park. How¡¯s that? It¡¯s huge, isn¡¯t it? That end is quite deep and great for diving!


    ¡°And over here is our tennis court. The people you see who are locked in the intense rally are our workers currently on their break. What a fierce match, it sure looks fun!


    ¡°Look here at our gym, especially the balcony with the floor-to-ceiling windows. Don¡¯t you think the interior design is amazing? We have all the equipment you could possibly need right here in this gym. Would you like to try them out, President Shen?¡± he said.


    Wherever they went as they toured around the factory, Zhang Dashan made sure to keep them engaged like a tour guide.


    However, Shen Qingyan and Chai Zhiying were barely listening to him. ¡°I have no interest in the facilities here in Luo Workshop. I just want to know whether Jin Yitang will rise to be a big threat to Huayao Corporation, so there¡¯s no point in you doing all this,¡± Shen Qingyan said in a particrly harsh tone.

 Chapter 584 - Glib-Tongued Sweet Talker

    <h2>Chapter 584: Glib-Tongued Sweet Talker</h2>


    ¡°Jin Yitang will undoubtedly keep encroaching into the market and take up Huayao Corporation¡¯s share of the consumer base, so I would think that it does pose a severe threat to your organization. But I have a way that will help Huayao Corporation mitigate its risks,¡± said Zhang Dashan, speaking like an expert.


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s interest was instantly piqued, and she asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Zhang Dashan cleared his throat dramatically and exined, ¡°As you very well know, Goddess Su and Old Xiao are husband and wife. So, it wille as no surprise that Sumir and Luo Workshop would eventually merge, sharing the pastry market between themselves as equals. Now, just think¡­ If both of us were to find ourselves in a simr rtionship, we could merge Jin Yitang and Huayao Corporation. So you see¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Shen Qingyan threw that one word right back at him before he could finish.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was embarrassed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just putting it out there, so there¡¯s no need to get all riled up,¡± he said.


    He thought to himself, I¡¯m doomed! She¡¯s not interested in me, and this n will never work!


    Shen Qingyan refused to pay any more attention to Zhang Dashan and stormed off.


    ¡°Going after someone that is so obviously out of your league¨Chow shameless can you get?¡± said Chai Zhiying, mocking him.


    Zhang Dashan retorted, ¡°Listen up, Menopause. I¡¯m going to make sure I get President Shen because of what you just said. And when that happens, I¡¯m sure the sound of you pping yourself will be nothing short of a symphony.¡±


    ¡°You idiot! Who are you calling Menopause?¡±


    Chai Zhiying was so enraged that she could not contain herself¨Cshe found the moniker he gave her incredibly insulting!


    ¡°There you go, your response befits the description perfectly,¡± he quipped.


    Zhang Dashan raised a brow with an indifferent expression on his face, and then he chased after Shen Qingyan like the phnderer he was. ¡°Slow down, President Shen, wait for me!¡± he called after her.


    ¡°You shameless idiot! Do you think Miss Shen is someone who would respond to your affections? Why don¡¯t you take a good look in the mirror?¡± Chai Zhiying sneered as if putting a curse on the man.


    Close by, Li Zimeng and Luo Qi could not help but shake their heads as they witnessed the awkward exchange of insults. They were no stranger to Zhang Dashan¡¯s temper and personality, but they had noints about his capabilities at work. Xiao Luo had handed Luo Workshop over to him to manage, and he had done an excellent job. He was an exceptional andpetent leader. They were wary of Zhang Dashan because they were aware that he indulged in a debauched lifestyle. He was not the kind of man you would want to date or marry.


    Suddenly, Li Zimeng¡¯s phone rang. She looked at it, and it was Xiao Luo calling. She quickly took the call.


    ¡°President Xiao!¡± she answered.


    ¡°Get me a new female employee¡¯s uniform, the same type and size you would wear,¡± Xiao Luo requested.


    A new uniform?


    What was going on? Was this for Su Li?


    Xiao Luo and Su Li, had they been¡­?


    Li Zimeng allowed her mind to wander, and her face flushed when she came up with a possible scenario. She found it unbelievable. She was startled in shock but quickly came back to her senses. She nodded as she replied, ¡°Yes, I¡­ I will get it for you immediately!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Xiao Luo said and cut the call.


    Luo Qi saw Li Zimeng standing in shock with the phone in her hand, so she probed curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zimeng?¡±


    Li Zimeng blinked and snapped back to reality. With augh, she said, ¡°Err, it¡¯s n-nothing¡­¡±


    With an issue like this, the fewer who knew, the better.


    ¡°You help President Zhang handle them, Luo Qi. There¡¯s something I have to see to,¡± Li Zimeng said.


    ¡°Sure, don¡¯t worry. President Zhang and I will be able to handle it. You do what you have to,¡± Luo Qi said with a giggle.


    Li Zimeng nodded in acknowledgment and walked away quickly.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the conference room, Su Li¡¯s eyelids felt heavy as her chest heaved in exhaustion. Sheid in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms, fully satisfied. The conference room table had been turned into a makeshift bed, and there was the heady scent of love lingering in the air.


    Suddenly, she snapped back to her senses. Her eyes were no longer ssy and unfocused. She took a look around the room before she realized with a start¨Cwhat had she done with this man?


    When she recalled the image of her calling Xiao Luo her husband and using a slew of honey dripping words, even her dimples turned red. She cursed herself for bringing shame to her ancestors in such an embarrassing way. She could not believe that she had done it with Xiao Luo right there.


    But despite it all, Su Li did not think this was a terrible thing. If not for this, she and Xiao Luo would probably never have gotten closer. Besides, Xiao Luo was no random stranger¨Che was her husband. Su Li consoled herself that there was nothing wrong with doing this with her husband. Then she remembered that this had all happened in the VIP conference room in Luo Workshop. And she was so mortified that she wanted to find a hole to hide in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked Department Head Li to get you a clean set of clothes. It¡¯ll probably take her about 10 minutes or so. In the meantime, why don¡¯t you lie with me and rey that fierce battle we just had,¡± Xiao Luo said, as he held her in his arms. After all, this woman was now thoroughly his, and he seemed to have be a lot calmer. Even the crass small talk seemed to tumble out of his mouth a lot easier.


    Su Li gave his waist a firm pinch and said, ¡°You¡¯re so shameless!¡±


    ¡°Does it matter if I¡¯m shameless? All that matters is that I have you. Besides, Luo Workshop will have Sumir sooner orter as well,¡± Xiao Luo said, pushing her limits even further.


    ¡°Luo Workshop cannot match up to Sumir in terms of assets. You¡¯re just being greedy, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant whole!¡± Su Li said with a huff.


    ¡°If I am, then I¡¯m a python that can swallow a prey, that is many, many timesrger than myself. So, there¡¯s no problem there.¡± Xiao Luo said, bing increasingly emboldened.


    ¡°You¡¯re so shameless!¡±


    ¡°I am, and what about it?¡±


    ¡°So shameless. You¡¯re too shameless!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I can ept the criticism of my darling wife any day,¡± he muttered. The words fell off him like water off a duck¡¯s back, and a smile crept onto his face.


    Su Li¡¯s face was flushed red. In the end, she lost the will to argue and just came to terms with the situation. Whether it was her or Sumir, they were at the utter mercy of this man. She decided to let the man say what he wanted. And, just as well, for she could finally wash her hands off this.


    Sheid on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest and suddenly lifted her head slightly and asked, ¡°You must beughing at me in your head, huh?¡±


    ¡°Laughing at you? Why would Iugh at you?¡± asked Xiao Luo, unable to understand her train of thought.


    ¡°For being a, a¡­¡±


    Su Li just could not bring herself to say the word. Even she had thought that she had behaved like a slut earlier. How did this man not notice? He must be keeping quiet on purpose, and he was probablyughing at her. She could not understand why she had lost control of herself, moaning as she did.


    Xiao Luo kissed her forehead and then patted her head in constion. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I¡¯m notughing at you at all,¡± he replied.


    Su Li was stunned, and then she smacked his hand away. She chided him, ¡°Don¡¯t pat my head!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gesture of affection. Why are you so repulsed by it?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He could not help but find this funny.


    Su Li red at him. ¡°What do you mean ¡®affection?¡¯ That¡¯s what you do to your pet dog,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°Alright, you win,¡± he said.


    At that moment, there was a gentle knock on the door of the conference room.


    ¡°Department Head Li is a little early. We¡¯ll continue this at home, darling,¡± Xiao Luo said, stroking Su Li on her arm. All men were glib-tongued sweet talkers when they were with their women. It came to them instinctively and was not something they had to learn.


    Su Li rolled her eyes at him.

 Chapter 585 - Head-to-Head

    <h2>Chapter 585: Head-to-Head</h2>


    This was not Su Li¡¯s first time. But it had been too long, and she had not expected Xiao Luo to make his move. After she changed into the uniform that Li Zimeng had handed her, she found some difort when she tried to walk. Seeing her plight, Xiao Luo went over to help, but Su Li pushed him away. She did not want anyone other than Li Zimeng to know what had happened between them in that conference room.


    She lifted her hand to brush away some loose hair. The gesture was just a simple movement, but it made her look iparably beautiful and gentle.


    ¡°Let us go through with the coboration ording to the terms we discussed earlier. I will have someone discuss the specifics with you and draw up a contract based on that,¡± Su Li said to Xiao Luo before she stepped into the car.


    Xiao Luo almost burst outughing. He thought, how could this woman have such an adorable side to her?


    In a steady tone of voice, he said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    He knew that Su Li did not want anyone to catch on to what had transpired moments ago.


    ¡°Ahem, hem¡­¡±


    Li Zimeng suddenly choked and started coughing violently. When she noticed that Xiao Luo and Su Li were looking at her, she hurriedly waved her hand in apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­¡±


    She could have spent the next few hours exining, but there was no real reason for her coughing fit. Instead, she settled the matter with an awkward smile. What could she say? That she was impressed by the show they were putting on?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Did you guyse to an agreement?¡± Zhang Dashan asked Xiao Luo after Su Li and Shen Qingyan had left.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°Sumir will be a brand under Luo Worksop in the future.¡±


    ¡°D*mn, Old Xiao, you really went all out, huh?¡±


    Zhang Dashan smacked his chest, reacting in surprise. ¡°Come on, out with it! How did you get your wife toe on board? Not by getting her off, I hope?¡± he said.


    Of course, Zhang Dashan was joking. Although it did cross his mind that they might have done it in broad daylight after he caught them in apromising position in the conference room. However, it remained spection, and he did not believe that Xiao Luo would put Su Li in her ce in such a manner. As he would always say, this was not how his buddy would do things.


    Li Zimeng, who was not too far ahead from them, almost tripped over herself.


    Xiao Luo looked awkwardly at Zhang Dashan and responded in a harsh voice, ¡°You want to get your *ss kicked again?¡±


    Zhang Dashan retreated back a few steps and covered hisrge bottom with his palms. He could picture Xiao Luo sending him flying through the air with a kick, and he said, ¡°God d*mn you, Xiao Luo. You kick my *ss again like that, and we won¡¯t be friends anymore!¡±


    Xiao Luo could not be bothered with him. He just wanted to return home. Suddenly, his phone rang¡ªit was Ji Siying.


    ¡°Siying!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, Bureau Chief Gu is looking for you,¡± Ji Siying said. Her gentle voice came over the phone clearly.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    It seemed like there was another mission. Xiao Luo would have to put off his n to bridge matters between Su Li and him yet again.


    ¡°Drug Lady is in trouble,¡± Ji Siying said, somewhat hesitantly.


    Fu Yiren was in trouble?


    Why was she in trouble? Didn¡¯t she just head to Japan to warn the Asou n not to stir trouble in Hua Nation?


    Xiao Luo did not care much about this woman. But she was a fellow NSA agent, and he did not wish her toe to any harm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Xiao Luo said before he ended the call.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the car, Su Li leaned back in her seat. Her eyes shut as she tried to get some rest. Images of what happened with Xiao Luo in the conference room kept floating up in her mind. That made her grow increasingly embarrassed now that she haspletely calmed down. What she would not give to reverse time and stop all of that from even happening!


    But then she thought about it a little more¡ªhow could she have stopped Xiao Luo when the man had flown off the handle?


    A boorish man who knew nothing about romance!


    ¡°Why did you get changed, Li?¡± Shen Qingyan, who was sitting beside her, could not help asking.


    ¡°Yeah, Li Li, where did you get those clothes? It looks like what thedies at Luo Workshop wear!¡± Chai Zhiying remarked, equally curious and puzzled about this.


    Su Li¡¯s face was burning. She scrambled for an excuse. ¡°I identally spilled some tea on myself when I was discussing business with Xiao Luo, so he gave me a new set of clothes to change into,¡± she exined.


    So that was what happened!


    Shen Qingyan nodded and lost interest in this topic. After all, no matter how creative she was, she would never think otherwise. That was a conference room they were in, and the upper management of Luo Workshop frequently had meetings there. Xiao Luo and Su Li were the most conservative people she knew, so there was no way they would do something so risqu¨¦ there, of all ces.


    Shen Qingyan put the matter to rest and chose to change the topic instead. ¡°How did the discussion go? How will Sumir be working with Luo Workshop, specifically?¡± she asked.


    ¡°All of Sumir¡¯s operations will be handed over to him from now on,¡± Su Li replied.


    What?


    Shen Qingyan and Chai Zhiying were stunned. What kind of cooperation was that? It was a tant takeover of Sumir.


    Chai Zhiying could not understand why Su Li would agree to such terms. ¡°Li Li, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°He is my husband. Since he has ambitions and a n for Sumir, I should do my best to support him.¡±


    Su Li looked out into the distance as she answered, and her words prevented Chai Zhiying from speaking further. ¡°I¡¯ve grown sick of all the disputes and struggles in the entertainment industry, and I¡¯ll retire once he has aplished his goals. I¡¯ll stay by his side and be a good wife, raising his children for him,¡± she added.


    Chai Zhiying was shocked.


    Shen Qingyan could not believe the words that came out of her best friend¡¯s mouth. ¡°Jesus, what am I hearing here? Are you really saying that, Li? Why does it feel like you¡¯ve suddenly changed?¡±


    Su Li looked at her with a smile. ¡°Maybe women change a little when they meet a man they love.¡±


    She openly admitted how she felt, no longer hiding her feelings.


    ¡°Alright then. I had wanted to talk to you about how we should handle that bast*rd. But it seems like I only have that old man, Cai Renhe, on my side now. Jin Yitang poses too big a threat to me. It is like a knife hanging right above my head, ready to drop and take my life at any moment,¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    ¡°Jin Yitang¡¯s advantage is clear, and the only route Huayao Corporation can take is to evolve and pioneer a new market. Otherwise, there wille a day where it will lose to Jin Yitang,¡± Su Li said, and in her assessment, she urately pinpointed the problem.


    Shen Qingyan nced at Su Li and replied, ¡°I know that much. Jin Yitang can treat a lot more illnesses than western medicine can. On top of that, they spend less money than we do treating the exact same ailments. As far as I know, they¡¯re currently making the preparations for a new branch. When they open more branches in Xiahai or around the whole country, it will be the end of western medicine. Huayao Corporation¡¯s profit depends on western medicine. So, if Jin Yitang forces us into a corner, mypany will not survive for long.¡±


    Traditional Chinese Medicine is powerful but not omnipotent. There are a lot of areas in this field only essible to western medicine, so this road won¡¯t lead to a dead-end.¡±


    But even if I don¡¯t die, I would be more dead than alive. I will need to focus on the foreign market now. Even if thepany bes nothing more than an empty shell here, it can continue developing if I can establish footholds in the overseas market,¡± she continued as she spoke her thoughts aloud.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t give up on the domestic market just like this. I intend to go head-to-head with Jin Yitang,¡± Shen Qingyan said.

 Chapter 586 - The Third Mission

    <h2>Chapter 586: The Third Mission</h2>


    While Su Li and Shen Qingyan were in discussion, the radio in the car broadcasted a piece of news. Three or so hours ago, there had been a violent bank robbery along Huijin Road that involved 20 to 30 hostages. The robbers, armed with guns, had been at a standoff with the police. Then, for some unknown reason, the police found the robbers all knocked to the ground and unconscious when they barged into the bank.


    When interrogated, the panicking hostages told the police that someone had charged in and had moved very quickly. He was so fast that no one could get a good look at his face, and the robbers imed that he was the one to knock them out.


    ¡°Is there going to be a superhero who maintains world peace here in Hua Nation, too? It is unbelievable!¡± announced the overjoyed radio DJ as his excited voice filtered through the car.


    Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and Chai Zhiying were all stunned as they listened to the news. They immediately recalled the reason that Xiao Luo had given to exin histe arrival for the meeting.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ was he really at the bank robbery?¡±


    Disbelief colored Shen Qingyan¡¯s face. It was, without a doubt, Xiao Luo who had knocked the robbers unconscious. It certainly wasn¡¯t a mere coincidence that he was there.


    ¡°Is he that good a fighter?¡± Chai Zhiying asked in shock.


    After Su Li recovered from her shock, she smiled to herself. A twist of fate had resulted in getting her stuck with Xiao Luo. As she pondered the series of events that brought them together, she began to realize that their idental union was quite a beautiful one. Before she met Xiao Luo, she had nned to stay single for the rest of her life because of the aversion to men that she had developed after witnessing her sister¡¯s plight.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The space was resplendent with ck marble flooring, ceramic tiles that shine like mirrors, a dazzling diamond chandelier, a pure ck wooden table, and intricately carved bookshelves. This was the office of the Gu Zhanguo in the NSA headquarters¨Celegant, minimalist, clean, and tidy.


    At that moment, Gu Zhanguo, who had a head of white hair, was sitting in his chair with worry and concern written all over his face. The vice bureau chief, Dongfang Shouyu, was standing by his side with his two hands behind his back, and he said to Xiao Luo, ¡°It¡¯s been close to half a month since we¡¯ve lost contact with Drug Lady. It is unprecedented. Herst coordinates point to an area near Tokyo Tower.¡±


    ¡°Is it the Asou n?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t confirm that.¡±


    Dongfang Shouyu frowned and said, ¡°ording to the information that we have, the Asous shouldn¡¯t have been able to get the better of her. We called you here today to send you to Ri Nation to conduct a proper investigation and bring Drug Lady back. If it¡¯s possible, please also look into another matter¡ªwe keep losing contact with the students from our country who are studying there.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded as he listened. It was the inte era, and reports of students with whom they had lost contact had been appearing on the media from time to time. At first, everyone thought that it was because they had the misfortune of being targeted by perverts over there. But after some time, it was not just the girls but boy students as well, who had gone missing. Even travelers from the Hua Nation, who had gone to Ri Nation on tours, were not spared.


    Overnight, Ri Nation had be terrifying to the Hua Nation people!


    ¡°You¡¯ll have a new identity once you get to Ri Nation. Night Sparrow will hand over to you both your new passport and the file shortly. You leave tonight, no dys,¡± Dongfang Shouyu said.


    ¡°So quickly?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned imperceptibly. It was a little hurried. He would barely have any time to deal with how he and Su Li had gotten closer before he had to go.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gone too long without ant contact from Drug Lady. There can be no more dy,¡± Dongfang Shouyu exined.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Xiao Luo acknowledged.


    Suddenly, Gu Zhanguo, who had been silent the entire time, stood up. With a solemn look on his face, he said, ¡°The situation in Ri Nation is a littleplicated, so you¡¯ll have to be careful on this mission, Mie. I¡¯ll be waiting for your return!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and then immediately left the office.


    After the door to the office shut, Dongfang Shouyu turned to look at Gu Zhanguo. ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡± he asked.


    Gu Zhanguo looked at Dongfang Shouyu worriedly. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think this mission will be one fraught with danger for Mie. It just feels to me he¡¯ll have a slim chance of making it back this time,¡± he said.


    ¡°He managed toe and go freely from a battlefield like Libya. Do you think Ri Nation will be even more dangerous than that?¡± replied Dongfang Shouyu, who did not seem to agree.


    Gu Zhanguo heaved a long sigh. ¡°I guess I am just overthinking, then.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, here¡¯s your passport and identification card. Here is your bank card. There¡¯s enough money in your ount for you to spend in Ri Nation, and the PIN is six ones.¡± Ji Siying, dressed elegantly, was in the waiting room handing over all the items she had prepared to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo took a look at his new identity¡ªXiao Han, a police officer from Jingcheng.


    ¡°To facilitate your investigation in Ri Nation, your new identity is a Hua Nation police officer sent to oversee the missing Hua citizens¡¯ investigations in Ri Nation. Dongjing police officers will be there to wee you when you reach Dongjing Airport.¡±


    Ji Siying exined, and then gently hugged Xiao Luo. ¡°Contact me immediately if anything happens, and you have to keep an eye out for danger. I will be in Xiahai waiting for you to return,¡± she added.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    When Xiao Luo caught a waft of Ji Siying¡¯s faint fragrance when she hugged him, he felt uneasy. Both Su Li or Ji Siying had found a way into his heart, and there was no way he could give up either of them.


    He had returned the jade bangle to Ji Siying some time ago, and she wore it on her wrist as if it were a priceless treasure.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    He returned to Crescent Bay at eight in the evening. He packed his luggage and then headed out to Su Li¡¯s apartment. He rang the doorbell.


    Auntie Li opened the door and a smile formed on her face. ¡°It¡¯s you, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in acknowledgment, responding with a smile.


    As soon as the door opened, he saw Su Li reclining elegantly on the sofa with a book in her hand. Her hair was pulled high up into a ponytail and reveal her snowy-white delicate neck. Just the sight of her like this was enough for him to lose himself in her beauty. Who was this if not Su Li?


    Xiao Luo walked over and sat beside her.


    Su Li, on the other hand, was so nervous that she was about to stop breathing. Her heart was racing, and her face was burning. Her rtionship with Xiao Luo was not the same as it was before. The memory of what happened in the Luo Workshop conference room that day was something she did not think she could forget for as long as she lived.


    ¡°Why are you back to being so cold and aloof?¡± Xiao Luo said, frowning as he tried to make conversation.


    Su Li instantly looked up at him, and she suddenly overcame her remorse. ¡°I¡¯ve always been like that. You can leave if you don¡¯t like it,¡± she snapped.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo had no wish of provoking her and changed the subject. He looked around the apartment and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Xiaobei?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where Su Canye took her to y, but she wore herself out in the morning and fell asleep pretty early.¡±


    As Su Li responded, she was pondering if she should set up a new bedroom. If all went well, then she would be sleeping with her man in time toe. The more she thought about it, the more her face burned, and she wondered what was wrong with her. Why did she keep thinking of sleeping with this man?

 Chapter 587 - Hatred

    <h2>Chapter 587: Hatred</h2>


    ¡°I see,¡± Xiao Luo said, nodding in acknowledgment.


    He then immediately cut to the chase. ¡°Oh, by the way, I have to make a trip to Ri Nation in a bit,¡± he told her.


    Su Li reacted with surprise and wondered why Xiao Luo kept such unusual schedules. ¡°Why are you going there? And why so suddenly? You have your passport with everything else sorted out already?¡± she asked.


    Not long ago, they had nned to travel to the Maldives together, but suddenly Xiao Luo decided to go by himself. And now, out of the blue, he¡¯s telling me he has to go to Ri Nation at such an odd hour! There was no prior mention of the trip at all. There was something fishy about this, she thought.


    Xiao Luo gently held her hand and smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t give you an honest answer yet, but I will tell you everything one day,¡± he said, expressing his thoughts aloud and shaking his head.


    NSA agents could not divulge any of their missions to civilians, and Su Li was, of course, no exception.


    Su Li looked at him and allowed him to hold her hand. ¡°Will you just answer two questions for me?¡±


    ¡°If I can,¡± Xiao Luo said and nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Will you be doing anything illegal on your trip this time?¡± Su Li asked as a frown formed on her face.


    Xiao Luo thought about the question briefly and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be legal in Ri Nation, but it will be legal here in Hua Nation.¡±


    ¡°My second question¡ªyou said you went to the Maldives the other time. Was that true?¡± Su Li probed.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. But I didn¡¯t lie about leaving the country,¡± Xiao Luo replied. He answered truthfully but was evasive about the details.


    That¡¯s all I wanted to know.¡±


    Su Li pulled her hand away from Xiao Luo¡¯s grip and stood up to get herself a ss of orange juice. She stuck a straw in and started to sip from it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything else that you want to say to me?¡± Xiao Luo felt that Su Li had still not been put in her ce yet. Although she had changed a little, it was not enough. She was still as cold as ice to him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she replied.


    Su Li continued to sip her orange juice, then picked up her book, sat on the sofa opposite Xiao Luo, and turned her attention back to reading her book.


    Xiao Luo felt a little despondent, but not too much. It was Su Li that he was addressing, after all. She was one of a kind, and he hade to expect prudishness from her.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll head out. Tell Xiaobei I¡¯ll be back with a gift for her when she wakes up,¡± Xiao Luo said as he was about to take his leave.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Su Li did not raise her head, and she seemed more interested in her book.


    Xiao Luo heaved a long sigh, stood up, and started to walk out of the apartment. Just as he opened the door and was about to step out, Su Li¡¯s voice drifted over from behind him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Maldives together when youe back!¡± she called out to him.


    Xiao Luo smiled. He turned back to look at her and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And remember to keep checking your phone. I will text you frequently. You have to respond quickly,¡± Su Li said in a tone that was a little demanding. She raised her head to look at him, and the expression on her face was a bit aloof.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart warmed. He smiled and nodded firmly. ¡°I will!¡± he responded.


    After he stepped out, Xiao Luo immediately called Zhang Dashan to notify him that he would be traveling. Xiao Luo told him that he would have to manage Luo Workshop and Jin Yitang for a while longer. Tang Ren and Xiao Ruyi did not have enough experience to manage the business yet, and they would learn the ropes much quicker under Zhang Dashan¡¯s guidance.


    Zhang Dashan simply could not understand this man. ¡°Are you serious? Why are you suddenly going on vacation? I¡¯m still waiting for you to y matchmaker for me,¡± he said.


    ¡°There this thing trending on the inte these days¡ªlet your feet go where your heart wants,¡± Xiao Luo riposted.


    ¡°What a load of bullsh*t! Right, where are you going?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°Ri Nation,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°Look at you, man. You¡¯re certainly going ces! Mind if I ask why you¡¯re going there? I suppose you¡¯re aware that there¡¯s something very ¡®masculine¡¯ about their culture?¡±


    ¡°Can you be a little more serious?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s face darkened.


    Zhang Dashan responded, much more presentably this time. ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t? Haven¡¯t you heard? Do you know why there is a pillow-like cushion behind their women¡¯s kimono? Let me tell you¡ªit¡¯s there by design so that their men can¡­ you know, do it anytime they want! It provides support; you know what I¡¯m saying? Why do you think they havest names which often end with words that mean ¡°by the well,¡± or ¡°foot of the mountain,¡± and ¡°by the river¡±? Isn¡¯t it obvious these were names tomemorate their deeds at those locations?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes. ¡°Honestly, don¡¯t be an idiot!¡± he said.


    ¡°Look at you. You still don¡¯t believe me. Go search it up on the inte for yourself then and see if I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±


    Zhang Dashanid on his thick north-eastern ent and said, ¡°Hey, Old Xiao, Ri Nation is known for their films. If you happen to meet women like Hatano Yui, Ozawa Maria, Amami Tsubasa, Tachibana Risa, or Nishino Sho, don¡¯t forget to get me their autographs. I¡¯m their diehard fan, and they were the reason why my hormones were in a mess when I was in college.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you? It seems to me that the only things Japanese you remember are these women¡¯s names?¡± Xiao Luo said, speaking in a north-eastern ent as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? I¡¯m a veteran when ites to this, and I have to live up to my reputation,¡± Zhang Dashan said proudly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve heard enough. I¡¯m hanging up.¡±


    Xiao Luo cut the call without hesitation. This man was disgusting. If he let the conversation go on, his impression of Ri Nation would only worsen further.


    But then again, his impression of Ri Nation was never great, to begin with. It had initially been because of their invasion of Hua Nation. He had once watched a documentary on Unit 731 that the Ri Nation had sent to Hua Nation. Here, they set up a base to conduct experiments on humans, and people were experimented on likeb rats.


    The experiments were cruel and inhumane beyond belief, and those captured by the Ri Nation troops were sent to ces that were not unlike the 18 levels of hell.


    It was this old clip that had imprinted itself upon Xiao Luo so firmly he could not shake the images from his head. Back then, he gritted his teeth as he watched, and he wanted nothing more than to kill those Ri Nation troops.


    Although the two nations were on good terms now, he was not the only one who bore hatred towards the Ri Nation people. The hatred was something most Hua Nation people still harbored.


    After he left Crescent Bay, Ji Siying drove Xiao Luo to the airport to begin his journey to the Ri Nation.

 Chapter 588 - Miyazaki Ronjin

    <h2>Chapter 588: Miyazaki Ronjin</h2>


    After more than three hours on the ne, Xiao Luo finally arrived in Dongjing, Ri Nation.


    Xiao Luo looked at his watch, and it was 11 at night. Dongjing was an hour ahead of Hua Nation, so it was already midnight when the ne made its approach to the airport. But, Dongjing, being a city that never sleeps, looked like a monster with a glowing body, quietly lying across this vast sprawlingnd. Looking down at the city by night, lights shimmered and blinked with the same brilliance as the milky way. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and this was what Xiao Luo saw from his window seat.


    But he was influenced by Zhang Dashan¡¯s words, and he could not stop thinking about the sleaze that was a part of this city¡¯s mor.


    He did not know why, but he still felt lingering difort from the effect of using the Yi Jinjing to regte his body. After sitting on the ne for a little over three hours, Xiao Luo still had not recovered. Excessive saliva was continually forming in his mouth, and he spat it all out into a piece of tissue when he disembarked, then proceeded to search for a bin to dispose of it.


    As soon as he stepped out of the passageway, he saw a bin. He walked over to throw the tissue into it. But a light breeze blew, and the tissue fell on the ground beside the bin instead.


    ¡°Just look at him. Hua Nation people are so uncultured. Look at how he tossed the rubbish outside of the bin. It¡¯s uncivilized!¡± a voice spoke.


    It was a Western man and his wife, both with prominent noses, who had been on the same flight as Xiao Luo. As soon as they saw this, the husband immediately criticized Xiao Luo¡¯s actions.


    Xiao Luo had intended to pick up the tissue paper and dispose of it properly in the bin, but he immediately thought otherwise when he heard what the man said. Xiao Luo felt the urge to react but held himself back as he was now overseas. He was aware that his words and actions would reflect on Hua Nation and did not want to give his country a bad name. The cogs in his head turned, and Xiao Luo decided to offer a riposte in Japanese. ¡°You f*cking idiot!¡± he spewed.


    He said it with a perfect Dongjing ent.


    The Western couple was stunned, and then realization dawned on them. ¡°He¡¯s not from Hua Nation. He¡¯s from Ri Nation!¡±


    And as they were in Ri Nation, so it was only natural that they refrained from criticizing the locals if they could help it. They left hurriedly, but their impression of the Ri Nation people changed considerably.


    Xiao Luo heaved a sigh of relief. He was a little impressed by his wit.


    When Xiao Luo walked into the arrival hall, he saw a young Ri Nation man holding a board with the name ¡°Xiao Han¡± written on it. He was holding it high above his head. Xiao Luo was almost right in front of the man, but the young man still kept looking around, not recognizing Xiao Luo.


    Was the man blind?


    Xiao Luo felt a little down in the dumps. He walked right up and cleared his throat before saying in Japanese, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Xiao Han!¡±


    The young man finally shifted his gaze and took a good look at Xiao Luo. He said excitedly, ¡°Hello, Xiao Han. I am Kimura Akino, and I¡¯m a police officer. I¡¯m here to wee you. Pleased to meet you!¡±


    He bowed as he introduced himself to Xiao Luo, the expression on his face conveying a degree of respect and politeness.


    Xiao Luo frowned and said, ¡°I thought Miyazaki Ronjin was the one who was supposed to fetch me?¡±


    It was what Ji Siying had told him before he left for Ri Nation. The Hua Nation police officers had been in contact with their counterparts in Dongjing and had been informed that a Police Sergeant would meet him, and that man was supposed to be Miyazaki Ronjin.


    Kimura Akino had an apologetic look on his face. ¡°The Police Sergeant suddenly had an upset tummy,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Ooh¡­¡± Xiao Luo responded, dragging out the vowel sound.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I am to wait in the carpark for him after I have weed you. Let us head over right now,¡± Kimura Akino said.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Xiao Luo nodded.


    ¡°Let me help you with your luggage, Mr. Xiao Han.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, thank you. I don¡¯t have a lot on me. I¡¯ll carry it myself.¡±


    ¡°You must be thirsty, Mr. Xiao Han. Let me buy you a bottle of water.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thirsty. You are too kind.¡±


    Kimura Akino was so hospitable and obliging that Xiao Luo did not know how to react.


    The airport carpark was right outside the main concourse. Kimura Akino had driven a ck sedan to pick Xiao Luo up. He exined that it was the car assigned to Miyazaki Ronjin. It looked ordinary on the outside, but underneath the hood, it had been modified and could elerate from 0 to 100 in under eight seconds. It was a great car to be driving in any pursuit.


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress on the case of the missing Hua Nationals here? Are there any leads?¡± Xiao Luo was in no mood for small talk and cut to the chase.


    Kimura Akino nodded stiffly. ¡°Yes. Our surveince team has linked an unregistered SUV without number tes to the abduction of all the five missing Hua Nationals. We will solve the case the moment we can find that car,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Have you found the car?¡± Xiao Luo probed.


    Kimura Akino shook his head. ¡°No, but don¡¯t worry, Mr. Xiao Han. The Dongjing Police are leaving no stones unturned in finding the vehicle, and I believe we will make progress within the week.¡±


    ¡°A week? It will be toote by the time you find anything. Those people might have already havee to harm by then,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t trust the Dongjing Police?¡± A harsh voice rang out from behind him.


    Xiao Luo turned his head to look behind. Walking toward him was a sloppy-looking man in histe 40s, with tan skin and a cigarette pinched between his fingers. Before the man could even get close, Xiao Luo could already detect the overpowering stench of stale cigarettes.


    Kimura Akino immediately introduced the man. ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, this is Sergeant Ronjin. Sergeant Ronjin, this is Mr. Xiao Han from Hua Nation.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao, wee to Dongjing.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin extended a hand to Xiao Luo with a smile on his face.


    Xiao Luo eyed that hand of his, stained yellow from cigarette smoke, and then his two rows of tobo-stained teeth when he shed his smile. He was a chain-smoker. But out of respect, he reached out to shake the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Hello!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin addressed him as Mr. Xiao, and it was the proper way the Ri Nation people would address strangers. It was an honorific, and they only used this manner of address on people with an appropriate status.


    ¡°Get in the car. There¡¯s somece I have to bring you.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin said nothing else as he walked over to open the door. Compared to Kimura Akino, his attitude towards Xiao Luo was a lot colder.


    Xiao Luo kept silent. When Kimura Akino opened the door to the passenger seat, he sat down without hesitation.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, it is written in your file that you¡¯re a Sergeant 1st ss, so your rank is on par with mine. I¡¯ve toiled for several decades before I made this rank, but you managed to rise to yours at such a young age, which is extremely rare. It would be an understatement to call you a genius police officer. It is no wonder why you are here to represent the Hua Nation Police to supervise and guide us for these missing person cases.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin spoke with the cigarette between his teeth as he drove, and his tone made it difficult for Xiao Luo to read the man.


    It diforted Xiao Luo. The way Miyazaki Ronjin spoke was more unsettling than the pungent smell of cigarettesing off the man.


    ¡°After this case of the missing Hua Nationals is closed, I can finally announce my retirement and start afresh,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said, showing little regard to the limit of propriety.


    Observing Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯sx, devil-may-care attitude, Xiao Luo could not help but question if the Dongjing Police were giving this case any priority at all.

 Chapter 589 - Too Many Questions

    <h2>Chapter 589: Too Many Questions</h2>


    About 40 minutester, they pulled up in front of an apartment building. Its surrounding was elegant and the architecture was impressive. Miyazaki Ronjin certainly did not fit in such an upmarket area. On the contrary, what he wore and how he acted made him appear like someone who came from a dark and gloomy slum.


    ¡°Here we are then, Mr. Xiao. The bureau has arranged pretty decent amodations for you. This is where you¡¯ll be staying while you¡¯re here working on the case.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin took a look inside. There were two rooms, a living area, and the interior design was pretty decent. He tossed a phone onto the table and said, ¡°This is your phone. I¡¯ve saved my contact number in it, as well as Akino¡¯s. You can contact either of us if you need to.¡± He took a nce at his watch and added, ¡°But no matter what, don¡¯t call me after midnight. I¡¯m a light sleeper and will have a hard time getting back to sleep. I¡¯ll be furious if you wake me up at that time¨Creally furious!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed but said nothing.


    ¡°Do you have any other questions? If not, then I¡¯ll take my leave first. We¡¯ll be meeting the chief tomorrow,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said. He turned to leave before he even finished speaking.


    ¡°Send me the details for the five cases,¡± Xiao Luo said. He made his request in a cold voice. This man, two to almost three decades older, was starting to irk him.


    Miyazaki Ronjin stopped in his track and turned around. ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now,¡± Xiao Luo said and nodded solemnly.


    ¡°As expected of an elite police officer from the Hua Nation, you¡¯re very serious about your work. You speak Japanese very well too. I would have thought that you were from Ri Nation if I didn¡¯t know better.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin finished his cigarette and tossed it to the ground, extinguishing it with a turn of his heel. Then he lit another. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke out with evident pleasure. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Akino. Send Mr. Xiao a copy of the files immediately.¡±


    After speaking, he opened the door and left without looking back.


    ¡°Yes, Sergeant Ronjin!¡± Kimura Akino answered respectfully even as the door shut.


    The impression that Xiao Luo has of this Miyazaki Ronjin could not get any worse.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t take it to heart, Mr. Xiao Han. Sergeant Ronjin is just a little entric, but he used to be the best police officer in our department. The Yamaguchi-gumi were rampant a decade ago, and they were taken downpletely by him and the division he led. But then the Yamaguchi-gumi took their revenge, and they killed his wife and daughter while they were home in the suburbs,¡± Kimura Akino exined.


    ¡°It would be a detrimental blow to anyone. He¡¯s been like this ever since the death of his wife and daughter. He smoked and drank daily and became the worst performing sergeant in the department. He has gone a decade without a single promotion, and I¡¯m the only officer under him now,¡± he added.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The hostility that Xiao Luo felt toward Miyazaki Ronjin lessened after he learned about the tragedy. He felt a little more sympathetic toward the man now¡ªit was only human nature to be devastated by the loss of loved ones.


    Kimura Akino nodded firmly.


    ¡°Oh, right, there are four divisions in your station, right? Do they all have the same duties?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he changed the topic.


    ¡°Yes, we do have four divisions. But each division focuses on a different field. The first division is primarily responsible for major homicides. The second division focuses on intellectual crimes such as corruption, rigged elections, scams, and fraud. The third division focuses on theft, and the fourth division, which is our division, focuses on controlling gangs and hooligans,¡± Kimura Akino answered.


    ¡°The fourth divisionprises only just you and Miyazaki Ronjin? Is that enough to deal with the gangs?¡±


    Xiao Luo found it unbelievable. This young man, who looked like a newbie who had just graduated from the police academy, and he was paired with an old chain smoker who smoked cigarettes like it was air¡ªhow could the two of them deter gang activities?


    Kimura Akino said, ¡°There are no more gangs in Dongjing these days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too presumptuous, don¡¯t you think? ¡®There is a right if there is a wrong. Right cannot exist without wrong.¡¯ These two go hand in hand, so I can¡¯t ept it when you say Dongjing does not have any more powerful groups in the underworld,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Kimura Akino smiled but looked a little strained. ¡°Mr. Xiao Han is right, but we don¡¯t have a lot of gangs these days. And even if we do, they scatter as soon as they see Sergeant Miyazaki Ronjin. Sergeant Ronjin might not have a great reputation in the department, but he¡¯s the scariest person known to the gangsters. He¡¯s their nemesis.¡±


    ¡°I see. Send me the details of the five cases.¡±


    Xiao Luo was growing impatient. The Dongjing Police had handed the missing person case to an old police officer who had be sloppy¨Ca person who was about to retire. It seemed that they had adopted a tantly nonchnt attitude toward this case. They probably thought it would be great if they managed to solve it, but it would not be much of a setback if they could not. They did not seem to care much about the Hua nationals who had gone missing. As a representative of the Hua Nation Police, he would take issue with this matter tomorrow. Of course, aside from that, he could not act in a way that would cause too much disruption. His primary mission this time was to locate Lady Poison¡ªthe other missing persons were secondary.


    ¡°Sure, Mr. Xiao Han!¡± Kimura Akino nodded.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Kimura Akino handed a copy of the files over to Xiao Luo, and then he took his leave. Xiao Luo seemed to have memorized the contents of the file after taking just one look at it. There were five missing people in total, three females and two males, and they had all been abducted in a ck SUV with no car license te in the dead of night.


    He hacked into the Dongjing Police security system to ess the surveince clip of Lady Poison Fu Yiren when she was at Tokyo Tower.


    It was midnight when it happened. Fu Yiren had gone to Tokyo Tower alone and was looking up at the structure. Not long afterward, some people suddenly appeared. They wore tightly fitted ck hoods over their heads, with only their eyes and noses visible. They rushed toward Fu Yiren. Before she could retaliate in any way, she was knocked out and carried away over that person¡¯s shoulder.


    All sorts of questions ran through Xiao Luo¡¯s mind after he saw the clip. Fu Yiren was not ipetent in any way. So why was it that she was so effortlessly subdued without making any effort to retaliate? Besides, her entire body was hypertoxic, and the ordinary person could hardly touch her at all. Why was it that the person on the screen did not seem the least affected by the toxins?


    He was desperate to find clues, and he immediately retrieved footage from the security cameras in the vicinity. He froze when he saw the person with the hood carry Fu Yiren into a vehicle.


    A ck SUV with no car license te!


    The five Hua nationals who had been abducted had also been taken in the same vehicle. Xiao Luo carefullypared the two ck SUVs and concluded that it was one and the same. The wheels, model, and scratch marks at the front of the car were all a match¡ªthere was no doubt about it, this was the same SUV.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. The five Hua nationals were one thing, but Fu Yiren was not in the same ssification as them. Why had she been targeted?


    Was this the Asou family¡¯s doing?


    But no expert in the Asou family would have been capable of subduing Fu Yiren this easily!


    So, what kind of person was this? Was he from another n? If it was another family n, then why did they go after the civilians? Was this a kidnapping that targeted Hua nationals?


    He had too many questions, but he found no leads no matter how hard he tried.

 Chapter 590 - The Police Department

    <h2>Chapter 590: The Police Department</h2>


    Although he had many questions and no answers, the two cases seemed to be rted to some degree. It was very likely that he would be able to track the suspect down. He would be able to crack the case if only he could find the ck SUV without car number tes and ascertain its owner. But first of all, he would have to make contact with the Asou family to get a feel of the situation. After all, they were the primary lead right now.


    On the second day, Miyazaki Ronjin got into the department at almost 9 am.


    He was wearing a gray sweater with the same jacket that he wore the night before, and he looked like a country bumpkin. Besides the pungent smoke from his cigarette, there was also an unpleasant smell emanating from his clothes. He was wearing unwashed clothes, and the odor was overpowering.


    Miyazaki Ronjin frowned when he saw that Xiao Luo was in casual clothes. ¡°We¡¯re about to meet the police department captain, Mr. Xiao. Are you not going to change into your uniform?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo frowned and replied, ¡°Why would I have to?¡±


    He was not a real police officer. So, he was not in the habit of wearing a uniform.


    ¡°So that you look formal,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin replied.


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you wearing yours?¡± Xiao Luo asked the man.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin was about to say that as he was close to retirement, the people in the police department would ignore him anyway. He did not think it¡¯d matter if he wore his uniform or not. However, he chose to keep his mouth shut. He slowly puffed out a thick column of smoke, and something akin to admiration gleamed in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Luo. He patted the man¡¯s shoulder and chuckled but said nothing else.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The police department building was situated close to an intersection. It was a 20-plus floor tall building, and there were about a dozen police cruisers parked neatly in the yard outside of it. This is Dongjing, after all¡ªthe capital city and thergest city of Ri Nation. And the police department building was impressive and befitting of its status.


    Xiao Luo followed Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino into the building, where they took the lift up to the 15th floor. They walked through another long, well-lit corridor before they reached the captain¡¯s office.


    Knock, knock.


    Kimura Akino cautiously tapped on the door, as if he was afraid that knocking it too loudly would be discourteous.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you knock on a door, Akino. You¡¯re knocking it too gently, and it won¡¯t get the captain¡¯s attention. It also makes it clear that you¡¯re not confident and that you¡¯re not one to call the shots.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin chided like the veteran he was. ¡°Move aside, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    He shoved Kimura Akino aside and knocked firmly on the door¡ªso hard it seemed it¡¯d bring the door down.


    Xiao Luo was a little shocked, but then a slight smile crept on his face. Miyazaki Ronjin was an elite police officer, no doubt about that, he thought. He could tell a lot about someone¡¯s personality just by the way a person knocked on a door. This level of observation was a result of experience acquired through the years.


    His sturdy door knock said a lot about Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s personality. It was clear that such a man was used to taking responsibility and had a high confidence level.


    If it was a series of short and quick raps, it indicated that he was tense or nervous and indicated his level of anxiety.


    If there was a rhythm to the knock, it inspired a sense of steadiness, reflecting on his down-to-earth personality. if the knock was listless, it suggested he had a lot on his mind and was seeking advice on something he could not figure out on his own.


    If the door knock was slow and measured, it meant the person was vain.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    An authoritative and steady voice boomed from the room. Miyazaki Ronjin pushed the door open and walked in.


    Xiao Luo and Kimura Akino followed right behind him into the room. A man, about as old as Miyazaki Ronjin, who was sitting behind the desk. He was wearing a pair of round-framed sses. He had a salt-and-pepper shade of hair but looked rather spirited in his demeanor. He was a little on the lean side of average. He donned the light blue police uniform, and the five stars on his epaulet told them his rank¡ªthe Chief of Police.


    Besides the chief, there was a female police officer in the room as well.


    She had a bob cut hairstyle, and her hair was dyed in a light brown color, with see-through bangs covering her forehead. She had a neat and tidy appearance. Her facial features were well-defined, making her look ssy, and her appearance was easy on the eye.


    ¡°Mr. Ronjin, why aren¡¯t you

 Chapter 591 - Imperialization

    <h2>Chapter 591: Imperialization</h2>


    ¡°You¡¯re from the Asou family?¡±


    Xiao Luo was very direct with his question, and it was his intention to build his investigation starting with Asou Shuyao. He was sure he¡¯d be able to establish any links between his case and the Asou family.


    ¡°That is correct. So, it seems that Mr. Xiao Han has heard of the Asou family?¡± Asou Shuyao said.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s one of the most influential ns in Ri nation. Of course, I have heard of you.¡±


    ¡°Then, you have probably heard mostly negative things about us,¡± she said.


    Asou Shuyao smiled, but there was no emotion in her eyes. She continued from where she left off and said, ¡°Such as the divine mission of the Asou family as decreed by his majesty, the emperor Hirohito, to imperialize the Hua nation. To this day, we strive toplete this holy mission.¡±


    ¡°Imperialize? So you guys call the invasion of Hua nation as imperialization?¡± Xiao Luo sneered. When he recalled the horrors of the conflict, his eyes turned cold, and his blood was starting to boil.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Asou Shuyao chuckled and said, ¡°About some eighty years ago, the Hua nation was technologically behind many countries but chose to be self-indulgent, wallowing in its past glory of five thousand years. On the other hand, the Ri nation had already entered the second industrial revolution and was on the cusp of entering the electric era. We were far morepetent than your people in terms of the economy, politics, cultural developments, military, technology, and even productivity.¡±


    With our industrialization¡¯s sess, we ventured into yournd, intending to bring progress and prosperity to your people. We wanted to wake you up from your self-absorbed dream and make an empire where the Hua and the Ri could prosper together. Isn¡¯t this what imperialization is to be?¡±


    When Asou Shuyao touched on the invasion of Hua nation, everyone in the office looked ufortable. It was a very sensitive subject, especially to a citizen of Hua nation.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t take too kindly to her statement and replied, ¡°You robbed my people of theirnd and took their lives through violent force. Violence and blood; are these the effects of your imperialization? Your actions were brutal and inhumane, and you actually think that you can cover up all your sins with just one simple term¨Cimperialization?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words had made chief Tanaka Hiroshi very ufortable, and he coughed as he felt the full weight of guilt hanging over him.


    It was the same for Kimura Akino, for his forefathers hadmitted heinous war crimes in Hua nation and indisputable facts. What was Asou Shuyao thinking when she spewed those words?


    But, Miyazaki Ronjin did not react and showed no change in emotion. He casually lit a cigarette and smoked in the corner.


    ¡°Progress does note without a price! If the country can be stronger, is shedding a little blood so wrong?¡± Asou Shuyao argued.


    ¡°Shedding a little blood?¡±


    When Xiao Luo saw the evil that resided in this beautiful woman, he couldn¡¯t helpparing her to a bumbling idiot who kept annoying him. ¡°On 13th December 1937, after Jinling city had been captured, the army of Ri nation began massacring its civilians in the city and took to looting the city like it was apetition. More than three hundred thousand lives were lost, but yet, you consider three hundred thousand lives merely a little bloodshed? I would like to know what you considered a genocide?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, that is but a made-up usation. When the Ri nation army sailed across the ocean to Hua nation to bring peace and progress, we did not expect that your army to ambush us. This was the root cause of the war, and there was no such massacre that you speak about. Our nation is a signatory of the Geneva Convention and treated the prisoners of war with respect and even provided them with lodging and food. At Ri nation, even the prisoners of war were well treated. How can you use us of ughtering innocent civilians who had nothing to do with the war! Hence, all these were nonsense fabricated by Hua nation to tarnish the name of Ri nation!¡± Asou Shuyao screamed.


    Xiao Luo could not help clenching his fist, for Asou Shuyao must have been the first woman he¡¯d ever wished to kill. And they barely even knew each other.


    Miyazaki Ronjin took a deep breath and said, ¡°The massacre of Jinling city happened, and there is sufficient proof, both from eyewitness ounts and photographic evidence. Regardless of what you say in your attempt to disim the genocide, it happened! It is an unforgivable crime that our country hadmitted toward the Hua nation!¡±


    Xiao Luo was caught a little off guard as he did not expect that a citizen of Ri nation would take his side, which instantly improved his impression of Miyazaki significantly.


    Asou Shuyao red furiously at Miyazaki Ronjin as she clenched her teeth, evidently offended by his statement.


    ¡°Is that clear to you? I believe I don¡¯t have to argue anymore.¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked her coldly and then said, ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about the imperialization. I will tell you what it means¨Cthe Hua nation¡¯s cultural and historical roots have regarded virtue and etiquette as its primary tools of state-building. We have treated people with respect and have never resorted to violence to convince others. We simply do not bully others just because they are weaker. Thousands of years ago, your country had already been learning from our culture, which was far superior and progressive. We were better than you in every aspect but did we ever invade your country? Did we sail across the ocean to invade yournds because of our progress, culture, and power?¡±


    Did we burn yournd and rob your people of their lives? No, right? We promoted learning and civilization. We opened our doors wide to anyone who sought knowledge. We did not mind that foreignerse to mimic our culture and sess. It is only because of us that a barbaric ce like Ri nation could develop its ownnguage, heritage, and propriety. It is only because of us that you guys can finally be a little bit more human-like. This is the true imperialization.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s stirring words cut deep into everyone¡¯s soul like a solemn judgment.


    Asou Shuyao could note up with a rebuttal, and she could only stare at Xiao Luo bitterly like a mute.


    Even the indifferent and nonchnt Miyazaki Ronjin changed his expression. He looked amused as he stared at Asou Shuyao and remarked, ¡°Serves you right!¡±


    Asou Shuyao reeled from his words. She had tried to insult a citizen of Hua nation with pseudo-history, and it backfired in the most humiliating way.


    ¡°Ryui, what did you say? I dare you, repeat it!¡±


    Asou Shuyao was infuriated that she could not get her way with Xiao Luo, so she instead directed her rage toward Miyazaki Ronjin.


    But, Miyazaki Ronjin did not even bother to look at her as he smoked away in the corner. Asou Shuyao¡¯s threat failed to affect him, which made her feel even worse.


    ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t both of you just cut it. Our forefathers¡¯ wrongdoings are in the past, and our countries have now established diplomatic ties. The rtionship between our two countries is indeed improving, and we should adhere to the adage: let bygones be bygones,¡± Tanaka Hiroshi said, breaking into a smile to try to ease the tension.


    ¡°I am fully supportive of the director¡¯s words, but I just cannot make sense about somebody here. As police, one should possess a stronger ideological awareness, but this person¡¯s head is only filled with dangerous ideologies,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    ¡°Miyazaki, if you think that life is too easy for you now in your old age, I can easily make it harder for you!¡± Asou Shuyao spat. She was spiteful and reacted to his words with a threat.


    Xiao Luo stared at her coldly and said, ¡°Mr. Miyazaki is indeed too old for such things, but if he is not feeling it, I will dly take you in his ce.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I have long wanted to have a taste of Hua nation¡¯s kungfu. Xiao Han-kun is a first-ss superintendent, so you must be skillful,¡± Asou Shuyao hissed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± Xiao Luo replied, smiling confidently.

 Chapter 592 - Grudges

    <h2>Chapter 592: Grudges</h2>


    The atmosphere inside the chief¡¯s room was a powder keg about to explode as Asou Shuyao and Xiao Luo began posturing for a fight.


    BANG!


    Tanaka Hiroshi mmed his palm on the desk angrily and roared, ¡°Asou Shuyao, stop messing around! Where are your manners? Xiao-san is our esteemed guest who is here on official business, so I do not care to hear about the Asou family¡¯s views on the Hua nation. You will do well to remember that you¡¯re a member of the police force. Our very duty is to ensure the security of our society, and you¡¯d be wise to stop creating an international conflict between our nations!¡±


    ¡°Noted, Sir. My apologies.¡±


    Asou Shuyao straightened her back and saluted him.


    Tanaka Hinoshi smiled at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao-san, please don¡¯t take what she said to heart. The conflict is all in the past. Whether we¡¯re from Hua nation or Ri nation, it is a part of our history that we should learn from. Let us focus on our cultural simrities that form the basis of diplomatic rtions that have long existed between our two countries.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded to acknowledge the chief and did not speak further.


    ¡°Hey, Ryui-kun, can you show Xiao-san around? I am expecting an important call.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin grunted.


    ******


    ******


    After leaving the police chief¡¯s office, they headed to the Criminal Investigation Department. There, they saw many people making confessions and writing statements.


    ¡°Officer, I did not steal! I have been wrongly used!¡±


    They heard a desperate voiceing from an ordinary-looking man pleading his innocence to a police officer writing down the statement. It was easy to tell that this man was not Japanese from his choppy use of thenguage. Based on his facial features and dressing, there was a good chance that he was a citizen of Hua nation.¡±


    Seeing that, Asou Shuyao approached them with a smirk and took the ce of that police officer who was writing the statement. She took a nce at the report and asked, ¡°You¡¯re from Hua nation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, I am from Hua nation, and I am on vacation here. I did not steal anything, so please let me go. My wife and child are still wandering in that supermarket. They would be frightened if they found me missing. I beg you.¡± The man pleaded with urgency, keen to get back to the supermarket for his wife and child.


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡±


    Asou Shuyao stood up abruptly, mmed onto the desk, and stared angrily at the man. ¡°If you did not steal, then why is that color pencil in your pocket? Are you implying that it had gone into your pocket on its own?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it happened. I really don¡¯t know!¡± The man shook his head repeatedly.


    ¡°Huh, don¡¯t travel here as a tourist if you can¡¯t afford it. Stay in your own country and away from Ri nation. If you are here on vacation, then don¡¯tmit such petty crimes!¡±


    Asou Shuyao continued to mock him viciously. ¡°It seems like greed and pettiness are deeply ingrained into the very core of Hua nation people like you. Isn¡¯t it humiliating being caught stealing a mere color pen? What would your ancestors think of you?¡± she said.


    While she was berating the man, she kept staring at Xiao Luo tauntingly. It was evident that she was directing her words at him.


    Xiao Luo remained expressionless, but deep within his heart, hatred and anger were beginning to smolder. This woman¡¯s vile character was too much for him to tolerate. Had they been outside of the police building, he would have killed her without a second thought.


    When the man heard the insult, the pride within him awakened, and he was furious. In a harsh tone, he replied, ¡°I did not steal anything, and you cannot insult me as you like. And neither can you demean my mothend¨CI insist, you must apologize to me!¡±


    ¡°Apologize? That¡¯s never going to happen, haha, haha.¡±


    Asou Shuyaoughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, ¡°In my eyes, every single person of Hua nation is just a lower ss of animal destined to be enved by us. Go back to where youe from, chinaman! You are not wee here!¡±


    Asou Shuyao¡¯s scathing insult finally got to Xiao Luo. With his dignity and patriotism for Hua nation, he would never allow someone to ridicule his culture in such crude terms.


    ¡°You foul-mouthed woman, I¡­ I am not letting you go!¡±


    As someone with a well-to-do background in Hua nation, the man had never expected to go through such humiliation in Ri nation. It was beyond what he could tolerate, and it made him lose hisposure momentarily. Without warning, he stood up and pushed Asou Shuyao.


    But little did he know that he had fallen right into Asou Shuyao¡¯s trap, for she had purposely insulted him to instigate him into making an aggressive move against her.


    She effortlessly blocked the man¡¯s hand and swiftly grabbed his thumb in a tight lock. She then yanked it forcefully, and the man immediately screamed in pain. He bent his knees as his entire body leaned back, his face twisting in agony from the immense pain.


    ¡°How dare you assault a police officer? You have quite a nerve!¡±


    Asou Shuyao smirked as she looked at the police officer. ¡°Send him behind bars and proceed with a seven days detention,¡± she said.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Xiao Luo approached.


    ¡°Yes, Xiao Han-san? Are you nning to bail him out?¡±


    Asou Shuyao smiled in a condescending way and said, ¡°As you saw yourself, he was assaulting a police officer, and that is a serious crime.¡±


    Xiao Luo tried very hard to quell his urge to kill and said, ¡°I am going to be straightforward¨Cif it¡¯s me you¡¯re after, thene at me. There¡¯s no need to involve innocent people.¡±


    ¡°Although a color pen does not amount to much, such behavior must be nipped in the bud to make certain he does not progress to stealing more expensive things. Besides, he assaulted a police officer. Do you even understand what that means!¡± Asou Shuyao snarled as she let go of that man¡¯s thumb.


    The moment she finished speaking, Xiao Luo bounded like an uncaged tiger andshed out with a powerful punch at her.


    His attack was as fast as a tornado, and Asou Shuyao barely had the time to block the blow as she crossed her arms in front of her chest instinctively. The punch smashed right into her defense, and she felt like being hit by a tsunami. The force threw her back, and she crashed against an office desk behind her.


    Everyone was busy with their work in the office, but they suddenly looked up, and their eyes were drawn to themotion.


    Asou Shuyao took a long time to recover as she felt her arms go numb from the hit. She could not stop trembling as she red at Xiao Luo with hatred in her eyes. However, she erred toward caution and refrained from retaliating back. She could tell from the blow she received that this person from Hua nation was exceptionally skillful.


    ¡°This is what you call assaulting a police officer! Do you get it now?¡± Xiao Luo mocked.


    Kimura Akino recovered from his shock and immediately said to the onlookers, ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, they are sparring. Go back to your work.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin was also surprised, but unlike his colleague, he lit a cigarette and started smoking.


    ¡°So, can he go now?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes, he just needs to pay for the color pen.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin responded. He then turned to Asou Shuyao, who was still tensed up and said, ¡°Am I right, Ms. Shuyao?¡± He gave her a disdainful smile, which exposed two rows of yellowish teeth.


    ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡±


    Asou Shuyao screamed. It was not a big issue, to begin with, and it would be unlikely that any serious charges could be made against the man. Her only intention was to force Xiao Luo to reveal his skills, and now that she had already gotten a feel of Xiao Luo¡¯s strength, there was no need to waste her time on a random Hua national.


    As Xiao Luo brought the man out, he gave Asou Shuyao a meaningful re as they passed. His eyes resembled a wolf bearing a grudge, ready to pounce on its quarry when the opportunity arose.

 Chapter 593 - Right Tool for the Job

    <h2>Chapter 593: Right Tool for the Job</h2>


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡±


    After the man had walked out of the Metropolitan Police Department, he repeatedly thanked Xiao Luo, Miyazaki Ronjin, and Kimura Akino. He was extremely grateful for their help. It never urred to him that he would end up at the Metropolitan Police Department because of a mere misunderstanding at the supermarket over the matter of a color pen. He almost got detained, and that had happened, it would have stranded his wife and son at the supermarket. Both of them could not speak or understand a word of Japanese. Without him, they would be helpless, and that thought made him shudder.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Xiao Luo said, conversing with him in Chinese.


    ¡°So you are from Hua nation as well?¡± the man said, looking at Xiao Luo in surprise.


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Thank God. I¡¯m so thankful that I met apatriot here, if not I¡­ I¡¯d have¡­¡±


    The man looked visibly upset, and his eyes turned red. He felt such relief to have met apatriot in a foreignnd, especially when he had found himself in dire straits and had needed help.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your wife and son? We can escort you there,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He would help his Hua fellow countryman as much as he could, as he could tell that the man was distressed. He desperately wanted to get back to the supermarket to reunite with his wife and son.


    The man epted Xiao Luo¡¯s offer and said, ¡°They are at Ito Yokado Supermarket. I¡¯d be grateful if you could send me there. Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ronjin, do you know where this supermarket is?¡± Xiao Luo asked the veteran cop.


    After this trip to the Metropolitan Police Department, the impression that Xiao Luo had of Miyazaki Ronjin had changed drastically. Even the pungent smell of cigarette smoke on him had be tolerable.


    Miyazaki Ronjin said nothing. Instead, he put his cigarette between his lips and inhaled deeply, and then he walked toward his patrol car.


    Kimura Akino smiled and said, ¡°Xiao Han-kun, tourists from the Hua nation who visit Dongjing would invariably shop at Ito Yokado Supermarket. This ce is so famous that any local would know its location.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo responded with a nod and then told the man to follow him to Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s car.


    ******


    ******


    After chatting for some time, Xiao Luo got to know that the man¡¯s name was Xie Wenchang. He was from the Eastern province of the Hua nation. Xie Wenchang¡¯s parents passed away when he was young, and his grandmother had raised him. He ran a business in the construction sector and was well-to-do. However, he never had the chance to repay his grandmother for the love she had showered on him. Unfortunately, she passed away when his business was getting sessful. He got married a few yearster and had a child. Life has been going well for him, and they decided that they could afford to take an overseas vacation. Ri nation had been their first destination.


    Speaking of his son, Xie Wenchang soon guessed that it must have been his naughty son who had quietly put that color pen into his pocket. Xie Wenchang¡¯s craving for a cigarette kicked in during the shopping spree, so he went outside to smoke. As he walked out, the anti-theft detector sounded off when it detected the unpaid product in his pocket. The security guard did not even allow him to exin or find out how the color pen got into his pocket. The guard had called the police straightaway. That was how he ended up in the Metropolitan Police Department.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to moan about this. Perhaps, in the Hua nation, this matter could have been settled by subsequently paying the money for the item. But in our country, we do not tolerate theft at all. But arge franchise like Ito Yokado Supermarket is very strict about such behavior, so sending you to the police is a standard protocol,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin interrupted as he was driving.


    Looking at the rear-view mirror, Xiao Luo could see the reflection of Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s eyes and noticed yellowish eye mucus in the inner corner of his eyes. It was eye gunk! Although he was disgusted, Xiao Luo did not ask him to wipe them off.


    Xie Wenchang smiled nervously and said, ¡°I understand, Sir. I will make sure this does not happen again.¡±


    ******


    ******


    It did not take long for them to reach Ito Yokado Supermarket. The renowned department store had an entrance that somewhat resembled a five-star hotel. It was full of people¡ªsome were heading in to shop while some had already done their shopping. The shoppers who were leaving the store hade out with their hands full of paper bags and smiles.


    Before the car could stop, Xie Wenchang stuck his head out the car window and shouted, ¡°Honey!¡±


    Xiao Luo saw a woman at the entrance who looked confused and worried. She had with her a little boy who looked around five years old.


    As the car came to a halt, Xie Wenchang jumped out and ran towards the woman as fast as he could.


    Xiao Luo felt gratified seeing the family reunited again. He smiled as he watched them at the entrance hugging each other.


    When he approached them, he could hear the woman talking to Xie Wenchang in between sobs. ¡°Where have you been? I thought that someone had kidnapped you! We have been so scared, do you know that?¡± she cried.


    Xie Wenchang¡¯s eyes were all teary, now that he could finally see his family again. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s a long story. I¡¯ll tell you about itter. I am so d that you didn¡¯t wander around. If not, I wouldn¡¯t have known how to find you and our son,¡± he said.


    ¡°You dumb*ss, you scared me. I¡­¡± the woman moaned, then she finally broke down and started crying out of relief.


    ¡°Honey, I swear that I would never let such a thing happen again,¡± Xie Wenchang said as he hugged his wife tightly.


    They hugged each other for a good few minutes before letting go. Then, Xie Wenchang calmed himself and said, ¡°Honey, we have to thank this gentleman. If not for him, I would still be in police custody for another seven days. His name is Xiao Han, and he is also from Hua nation. He is a police officer who has been assigned here to investigate the recent cases of our Hua nationals that had gone missing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much!¡± cried the woman.


    She thanked him profusely and then turned to her son and said, ¡°Say thank you to uncle.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle!¡± the little boy said in his high-pitched, singsong voice.


    The boy looked up and stared with Xiao Luo with his baby doll eyes. He had a big innocent smile and an angelic voice. He looked like a little angel from heaven, and although he was a boy, he was cute as a y doll. The dimples on his cheek made him look even cuter when he smiled.


    Xiao Luo patted the little boy on his head and smiled.


    The little boy saluted him in a formal posture, and it made Xiao Luo feel awkward. He was not an actual police officer, after all.


    Before the family left, Xie Wenchang thanked Xiao Luo once again and wished him well. He hoped that Xiao Luo would sessfully solve the cases and rescue all theirpatriots who had been missing in the Ri nation, and bring them back to Hua nation safely.


    As he watched the family leave, Xiao Luo was deep in thought. Why were Fu Yiren and the other five Hua nationals the targets for abductions? Were they rted, or were they just randomly kidnapped by the perpetrators?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± a rather tired and coarse voice spoke out.


    Xiao Luo could tell that it was Miyazaki Ronjin without turning around as he detected the pungent scent of the man. The smell was a mixture of cigarette smoke and a sour body odor because of ack of self-grooming. It left a strong imprint of Miyazaki Ronjin on Xiao Luo¡¯s senses.


    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°We are asking for help from the Yakuza. To solve such matters, we need the right tool for the job. If we want to find that ck SUV, the Yakuza might be more efficient than the police,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said with no hesitation.


    Xiao Luo looked a little surprised. ¡°The Yakuza?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo looked at Kimura Akino quizzically and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Akino say that the Yakuza does not exist in Dongjing?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. There are always two sides to a coin, and one does not exist without the other¡ªthey are symbiotic in nature. This boy knows nothing,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin scowled.


    Kimura Akino gawked awkwardly at the man. He had believed that the Yakuza did not operate in Dongjing. After all, in every ce he had visited with Miyazaki Ronjin, the people had always greeted them with smiling faces, though there were the asional fierce-looking ones. How could they be Yakuza?

 Chapter 594 - Sumo Wrestling

    <h2>Chapter 594: Sumo Wrestling</h2>


    Although Miyazaki Ronjin had said that they were going to meet with the Yakuza, he instead drove to Xiao Luo¡¯s apartment. When he entered the apartment, he slept on the sofa in the living room.


    Xiao Luo looked confused and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Yakuza being who they are, of course, will not show up in broad daylight. We¡¯ll see after eleven o¡¯clock tonight,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin answered. He then closed his eyes and appeared ready to fall asleep. His indolence seemed to have peaked at that moment.


    What the hell?


    Xiao Luo held back the urge to use a choice expletive.


    Kimura Akino smiled awkwardly. As it was close to noon, he asked, ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I¡¯ll go get us some lunch. What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. I will have whatever you are having,¡± Xiao Luo replied, not particrly in the mood for a meal.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Kimura Akino nodded and then turned to ask his superior officer who was half-asleep on the sofa. ¡°Miyazaki-san, what about you?¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin already had his eyes closed and said without thinking, ¡°Steamed soybeans and steamed orange!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kimura Akino responded.


    It confused him, and he wondered what kind of dish that was. Why had he not heard of it before?


    Before he could react, Miyazaki Ronjin continued, ¡°I also want Watermelon with Green Pepper and Tofu Milk.¡±


    Kimura Akino was even more confused now. Watermelon with Green Pepper and Tofu Milk? Was there such a thing in this world? Did he actually mean green pepper, tofu milk, and watermelon?


    ¡°And make that a little spicy!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin added abruptly.


    It stumped Kimura Akino, but he decided to just reply with an okay and left. He thought to himself, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what these dishes are, I¡¯m sure that someone should know about them. I will just have to ask around.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°It appears Miyazaki-san also watches the Stephen Chow movies,¡± he said.


    Miyazaki Ronjin cracked his eyes open and grinned at Xiao Luo. ¡°I like Mr. Chow¡¯s movies very much. They are hrious without losing their meaning and sincerity. I am a big fan of his,¡± he said.


    ¡°I like his movies too. They are humorous. What¡¯s more, the main characters are not the only ones who shine. Even the extras have a lot of memorable scenes,¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    Miyazaki Ronjin smiled at Xiao Luo. ¡°It looks like we have something else inmon at least,¡± he responded.


    Xiao Luo did not continue this topic and instead asked, ¡°Why did you make it difficult for Akino with dishes that don¡¯t exist?¡±


    ¡°To cultivate and train him,¡± Miyazaki-san answered.


    Miyazaki Ronjin took a cigarette out from his pocket, held it to his mouth, and lit it. ¡°He didn¡¯t join any other divisions, instead, he chose me with no hesitation. That being the case, I have the responsibility of grooming him to be an outstanding police officer. However, hecks self-confidence; you saw for yourself. When I told him what I wanted, he knew that there are no such dishes in the world, but he didn¡¯t dare to question that. That is equivalent to knowing the truth but not daring to speak up. I cannot see how Akino can support the 4th Division after I retire,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    ¡°But it is not in your problem whether he can support the 4th Division. Your director will surely arrange for someone else to rece you,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Miyazaki Ronjin smoked his cigarette and smiled. After a long while, he asked, ¡°Do you know why he chose to follow me?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned and shook his head, indicating that he did not know.


    ¡°The Yamaguchi-gumi killed his entire family. I managed to save him. Then, he was just a teenager.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin had an empathetic smile on his face. ¡°I identally found out about him when I was looking through his files. And the guy still thinks that I don¡¯t know,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, you are quite a character,¡± Xiao Luo remarked.


    Miyazaki-san as he changed the subject. ¡°Right, it is now time to give you my opinion about the disappearance of citizens from Hua nation,¡± he said.


    For some reason, Miyazaki Ronjin suddenly decided to discuss the case with Xiao Luo. He sat up on the sofa and said, ¡°Why did the kidnappers target those five people? I don¡¯t think the abduction was carried out randomly. These missing people must have something inmon¡ªmaybe it was because they happened to be at the same location and became targets for the kidnapper. Whether these people are from the Ri nation or the Hua nation, it¡¯s difficult to differentiate their nationality just from their appearance. The kidnapper probably only knew they were from the Hua nation from overhearing them speak.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and agreed with Miyazaki-san¡¯s line of thought.


    That they would appear in the same ce means that that ce is popr for Hua nation¡¯s people,¡± Miyazaki-san continued.


    ¡°Do you mean department stores like Ito Yokado?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    Miyazaki Ronjin nodded, then stood up and said, ¡°Beyond these ces, there is another ce that you not have considered.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Tangren Street,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said, as he took a drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.


    Xiao Luo has never been to the Ri nation. So, he did not know that there was a Tangren Street in the city. It meant ¡°Chinese street¡± in Japanese.


    ¡°I have checked the information on those five people. Four of them have friends who ran shops and conducted businesses in Tangren Street. The other one is a female student. We cannot rule out the possibility that she went to Tangren Street. Living in a foreign country for so long, Tangren Street would offer her the feeling of being back in the Hua nation,¡± Miyazaki-san said.


    ¡°Do you mean that all five of them might have been targeted by the kidnappers at Tangren Street?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s just my guess,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said, and after a pause, he continued, ¡°As long as we¡¯re looking for the ck SUV, we might as well make a trip to Tangren Street. I¡¯m going to let you be the decoy to see if the kidnappers will target you.¡±


    ¡°There are so many Hua nation people in Tangren Street. How can you be sure that the kidnapper will only target me?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Miyazaki Ronjin said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m just trying my luck.¡±


    Trying your luck?


    Xiao Luo broke out inughter. This old man didn¡¯t seem so reliable after all.


    For the time being, he still had no idea how he would carry out the investigation. ording to the surveince cameras in Dongjing, every time the owner of the ck SUV kidnapped a person, he had always driven toward the outskirts of the city, disappearing into the dark of the night. It covered an extensive area and searching for the ck SUV there was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, his best alternative was to try Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s method first.


    Soon, Kimura Akino returned.


    What he had bought for Miyazaki Ronjin were bean drum, orange, green peppers, tofu, watermelon, and a small bag of seasoning chili sauce. Miyazaki Ronjin was dumbstruck and couldn¡¯t find the words to reprimand him. He could only blink his eyes helplessly at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Akino¡¯s adaptability is worthy of praise.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Miyazaki Ronjin burst intoughter.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    At 11 pm, Dongjing¡¯s nightlife came alive.


    The city was bustling with crowds and lit with brilliant, colorful lights. The streets were full of beautiful women dressed in sexy clothes.


    ¡°Women nowadays see the world with their third eye,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin joked. He was wearing a dirty trench coat and looked like a detective.


    ¡°A third eye?¡± Xiao Luo asked with surprise.


    Xiao Luo was confused. He did not know what a third eye was.


    Miyazaki Ronjin smiled yfully and said, ¡°Navel.¡±


    Xiao Luo and Kimura Akino were both amused by his answer, thinking to themselves Miyazaki-san had quite a sense of humor.


    They arrived at a Sumo wrestling club. Sumo wrestling is a sport simr to boxing. It originated in the Hua nation and was now a popr wrestling sport in the Ri nation.


    ¡°Are the Yakuza inside?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Miyazaki Ronjin nodded his head and led the way in.

 Chapter 595 - Change the appellation

    <h2>Chapter 595: Change the appetion</h2>


    There was a square y tform in the sumo gym with no guard ropes enclosing it. It was the traditional sumo wrestling ring known as a ¡°dohyo,¡± and it was about a half-meter high with steep, sloping sides. The ringprised a circle a little over three meters in diameter, marked by thick straw ropes half-embedded into the t y surface. Tworge men, wearing nothing except loincloths, were fighting inside the circle. Their bodies were enormous and pear-shaped, and they easily weighed over 250 kilograms. As they grappled and pounded into each other, their ample flesh quivered wildly.


    Strong as an ox!


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯te up with a better term to describe them.


    All around the dohyo, the crowd was shouting and cheering excitedly, and most of the audience were young people of both sexes. On the far side, there was an extrarge-sized sandbag hanging from the ceiling. A Ri nation man, standing a full six feet in height and wearing boxing shorts, was working out on the sandbag. He was a powerful man, and he threw powerful punches with both hands, apanied by fierce grunts. He must have been working the bag for a long time, for his lean, muscr body was soaking in sweat. His entire back and arms were emzoned with green tattoos depicting dragon motifs, which made him look intimidating.


    When Miyazaki Ronjin and Xiao Luo arrived, someone immediately reported it. They saw a man whispering a few words in the ear of this Ri nation man who was at the sandbag.


    The man stopped and turned around to wee Miyazaki Ronjin with a smile. ¡°Miyazaki-san, what brings you here? Please take a seat!¡±


    There was a mat on the floor next to him, and in the center of the mat, there was a sandalwood table. A traditional tea set sat on the table and a rich scent of its wood wafted in the air. Therge man¡¯s subordinates hurriedly brought a ck kimono for him to put on.


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not stand on ceremony. He took off his shoes, stepped onto the mat, and kneeled in their customary fashion.


    Xiao Luo followed the custom and kneeled in a simr style. He straightened his back and rxed his shoulders.


    ¡°I need you to help me find a car,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said, going straight to the point.


    ¡°Find a car?¡±


    The man was a little taken aback by the request and chuckled. ¡°Aren¡¯t these the kind of cases that you guys are good at? Why are you asking us for help instead?¡±


    As he spoke, he poured tea for Miyazaki Ronjin and the others around the table.


    ¡°Not always. There¡¯re times the police might not be as effective as the Yakuza,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    ¡°Yakuza?¡±


    The man put on a mock frown and pretended to be astonished. ¡°Please don¡¯t joke about such things, Miyazaki-san. How can we be the Yakuza? If we were, you would have thrown us all into jail.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not respond to him. Instead, he got up with a light snort, walked over to the sandbag, and tugged at thecing with a sudden jerk.


    What they saw shocked them, for there was a man inside the sandbag. They bound his hands tight and strung him up from the ceiling. The sandbag was merely used to cover him while therge man used him as a punching bag to practice boxing. He was in terrible shape, covered in blood, and muffled with a paper ball in his mouth. His breathing was shallow, and it seemed like he could die at any moment.


    The two sumo wrestlers suddenly stopped fighting, and immediately the shouting crowd around them quietened down. They gawked at the tortured victim in horror, and the whole sumo gym instantly fell into silence.


    Miyazaki Ronjin looked at therge man, and his expression changed slightly. ¡°Suzuki Ikuo, are you still trying to deny what your Inagawa-kai truly is?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo smiled and raised his teacup to his lips. ¡°Just ignore what you¡¯ve just seen, Miyazaki-san. Come on, let¡¯s have some tea and talk about the car,¡± he said.


    ¡°Cut him down and send him to the hospital for treatment immediately. If he dies, all of you will rot in jail,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin scowled at a member of the Inagawa-kai next to him.


    ¡°Just follow Miyazaki-san¡¯s words. Bring him down and send him to the hospital. Give him the best treatment and get the best doctors to treat him, quickly!¡± Suzuki Ikuo bellowed.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The member of the Inagawa-kai acknowledged the order. He gestured with his hand to two of hisrades to carry out the task. They immediately brought the badly beaten-up victim down and carried him away for treatment.


    Xiao Luo was a little surprised that he didn¡¯t notice that there was a person in the sandbag. He couldn¡¯t help thinking how brazen this yakuza boss was to carry out such a cruel form of punishment.


    It shook Kimura Akino up badly, and he quickly realized what a dangerous group of people the yakuza were.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, please do not me me for that. This only happened because the guy hit my car, but failed toe up with the money to pay for it. I had no other choice but to take him here to practice. Please don¡¯t worry, I have a strong sense of honor and would not have beaten him to death,¡± Suzuki Ikuo exined. He then offered tea to Miyazaki Ronjin, Xiao Luo, and Kimura Akino, who seated around the sandalwood table.


    ¡°If we had note on time, you would have beaten him to death. Suzuki Ikuo, what kind of beast are you? Why do you need to be so vicious?¡± Kimura Akino said. Although he was timid by nature, his status as a police officer gave him the courage to stand up and berate the yakuza boss him for his violent behavior.


    Suzuki Ikuo snorted and responded, ¡°Kimura-san, you¡¯re just a small fry. In the presence of Miyazaki-san, it¡¯s not your ce to speak.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    When Kimura Akino was about to offer his riposte, Miyazaki Ronjin stopped him.


    Miyazaki Ronjin took out a photo from his pocket and ced it in front of Suzuki Ikuo.


    ¡°Is this the car you want us to find?¡± Suzuki Ikuo asked, picking up the photo and studying it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin replied. He raised his cup of tea to his lips and took a small sip.


    Suzuki Ikuo frowned and said, ¡°It seems this was the car used in the kidnapping of the missing Hua nationals, am I right?¡±


    ¡°You seem to know quite a lot. You are right, it¡¯s the car. We have been looking for it for a week, but so far we¡¯ve got no news about it at all. Since your Inagawa-kai is the biggest underground organization in Dongjing, I believe that if you guys intervene, we might find some clues soon,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    Suzuki Ikuo frowned deeply. ¡°Miyazaki-san, my father told me that my grandfather was killed by the Hua nationals in the sacred imperial war 80 years ago, so I have no empathy for these Hua nation pigs at all. I wish they would all die. Now you want me to help these Chinese pigs? Sorry, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you,¡± he said.


    Hua nation pigs?


    When Xiao Luo heard those three words, his blood boiled.


    He fumed and red at Suzuki Ikuo. ¡°You are Suzuki Ikuo, correct? I¡¯d advise you to change the appetion you have applied to the Hua nation people immediately if you do not wish to be taught a lesson!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was taken aback and stared at Xiao Luo incredulously. He turned to Miyazaki Ronjin and asked, ¡°Miyazaki-san, who is he?¡±


    ¡°He is a man of the Hua nation. His name is Xiao Han.¡± Miyazaki Ronjin replied, continuing to sip his tea with little bother.


    Suzuki Ikuo chuckled. ¡°No wonder he is so mad. It turns out that he is a Hua nation pig as well,¡± he quipped.


    Xiao Luo grimaced, and in his fury, he squeezed the cup in his hand firmly. It shattered into pieces, and the tea sshed over the table.


    Everyone present was shocked.


    Kimura Akino¡¯s eyes widened, and he was awed by what Xiao Luo had done. ¡°Oh, my, Mr. Xiao Han just crushed a teacup! How powerful his finger strength was!¡± he muttered to himself.


    He discreetly gripped his teacup firmly but found that no matter how hard he tried to break it, the teacup remained intact.


    The moment Xiao Luo cracked the teacup with his hand, the surrounding people moved in menacingly. They red at Xiao Luo with daggers in their eyes and were ready to pounce on him.


    Suzuki Ikuo raised his hand, gesturing for his subordinates to stand down. Then he smiled mockingly at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Chinaman, you are the first Hua nation pig who dared to pull a stunt like that in front of me. You are the first, and you will also be thest.¡±

 Chapter 596 - Conflict

    <h2>Chapter 596: Conflict</h2>


    CRASH!


    Fast as lightning, Xiao Luo picked up the teapot on the table and smashed it on Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s head. The pieces of broken porcin flew everywhere, and the contents sshed in the air like an explosion, soaking Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s head. While Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino sat there stunned, Xiao Luo casually took a piece of tissue from the table and slowly wiped traces of tea from his hands.


    ¡°Your head is quite strong. It didn¡¯t even bleed after such a hit!¡± Xiao Luo said with a yful smile on his face, as he casually threw the crumpled tissue on the table.


    This sudden turn of events startled everyone. Who would have thought that Xiao Luo would smash a teapot at Suzuki Ikuo with no warning? Such arrogance!


    Suzuki Ikuo was left stunned for two or three seconds before he rubbed his head and grimaced. Suzuki Ikuo raised his hand to stop his men from rushing at Xiao Luo, and then he swept his hand across his head to wipe off the tea and porcin fragments. He was undoubtedly a tough man. Instead of being angry, he smiled, defusing the tense atmosphere in the hall. He looked at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Chinaman, you have guts. You surely have guts!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ikuo, please stop insulting the people of Hua Nation with such terms.¡±


    Kimura Akino was on Xiao Luo¡¯s side. Although Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s expression looked frightening, he found his courage and braced himself to speak up for Xiao Luo. Kimura Akino thought it¡¯d help if he exined why Xiao Luo suddenly smashed the teapot on his head.


    BOOM!


    Suzuki Ikuo mmed the table and roared, ¡°I have said before. You have no right to speak here. What the f*ck are you talking about? Don¡¯t you dare talk to me that way, or I¡¯ll chop you up and feed your meat to the dogs!¡±


    Faced with Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s fury, Kimura Akino was in a precarious position. He looked at Miyazaki Ronjin who was drinking tea with his head slightly lowered.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, how do you think we should deal with the matter?¡± Suzuki Ikuo said, looking at Miyazaki Ronjin with a wry smile.


    Miyazaki Ronjin took out a cigarette and lit it up. He inhaled on his cigarette deeply and said, ¡°You deserved to be beaten up for insulting the Hua people. And besides, he¡¯s a cop. What did you have in mind¡ªattack a police officer?¡±


    ¡°A cop?¡±


    It shocked Suzuki Ikuo when he heard that. Then he sneered and said, ¡°He¡¯s just a stupid cop from Hua Nation. How can you f*cking call it ¡®attacking¡¯ a police officer?¡±


    ¡°Then you can have a try!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s eyes narrowed with a glint of steely resolve.


    ¡°Old codger, who the f*ck do you think you are? Get over yourself. Do you think our boss is afraid of you?¡± A brash member of the inagawa-kai stood up and shouted at Miyazaki Ronjin.


    BANG!


    The sound of a gunshot echoed in the room, and a bullet whistled past the head of the brash member of the inagawa-kai. It grazed his ear, causing him to bleed profusely. He was so frightened that his entire body trembled. He widened his eyes in horror as he looked at the revolver in Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s hand. The muzzle of the gun was still smoking.


    ¡°I missed. It seems like my aim is getting worse!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin frowned and ced the revolver on the table like he was very dissatisfied and disappointed with his shot.


    Such an interesting old man!


    Xiao Luo grew to like and appreciate Miyazaki Ronjin. If he had to list a person he liked from the Ri Nation, it would have to be Miyazaki Ronjin.


    Suzuki Ikuo twitched his lips and forced a smile. ¡°Miyazaki-san, we are all from Ri Nation. Why are you siding with a Hua person?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because the people of the Hua Nation have never annoyed me. On the other hand, I am particrly disgusted by violent elements like you. If it wasn¡¯t for the sake of stability and peace in Dongjing, I would have arrested you long ago!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin retorted.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s eyes turned cold, and the smile on his face slowly turned into a scowl. ¡°Miyazaki-san, why are you doing this? It¡¯s not good for either of us to have a fallout.¡±


    ¡°Fallout with me? Would your inagawa-kai want to fall out with me?¡± Miyazaki Ronjin teased.


    Suzuki Ikuo chuckled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re determined to protect this Hua guy, then you are wasting your time. Because no matter what you do, he won¡¯t be able to leave this room today!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin revealed two rows of yellowish-ck teeth as he sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that attitude. Let me remind you that the Metropolitan Police Department is not just a prop. Do you want me to arrest you right now?¡±


    ¡°Miyazaki Ronjin, don¡¯t be so shameless. I have a limit to my tolerance for you!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo dropped his facade, and his eyes glowered with malice. ¡°Let me ask you again, are you honestly going to stand up for the Hua Nation guy?¡± he said.


    ¡°I am responsible for all the arrangements for his stay in Ri Nation, and of course, it includes his safety,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin replied, ring back at Suzuki Ikuo fearlessly.


    ¡°A*hole!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo could not hold back his anger any longer. It was a great humiliation for him that Xiao Luo had hit him in the head with a teapot, and it was already a miracle that he could hold his wrath until now. He stood up and flipped the sandalwood table over, and then he shouted, ¡°Attack! Kill the old bast*rd!¡±


    Upon hearing the order, the surrounding members of the inagawa-kai immediately moved in to attack them with a roar.


    Miyazaki Ronjin instantly kicked Suzuki Suzuki Ikuo, sending him back two or three meters. Then he shouted to Xiao Luo and Kimura Akino, ¡°You all stay out of this. These bast*rds from inagawa-kai seem to have forgotten their previous lesson. They will have to pay for that!¡±


    After saying that, he rushed up into the line of inagawa-kai members.


    POW!


    He ttened a man rushing at him with a single punch. Then, he fought with hands and feet, raising his fighting spirit with forceful grunts emanating from his chest. His fists, knees, and elbows became his weapons. Despite being outnumbered by the members of the inagawa-kai, he held his own. Anyone within a meter of him suffered heavy blows and dropped to the ground, moaning in pain.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san is exceptionally skillful!¡± Xiao Luomented with a smile.


    Beside him, Kimura Akino exined, ¡°He is a karate expert. When he dealt with the Yamaguchi-gumi in his earlier years, he charged into their headquarters with only a machete. Despite being severely injured, he killed over a hundred people there.¡±


    Such power!


    It was Xiao Luo¡¯s genuine evaluation of this old man. He looked rather innocuous, but when trouble found them, it turned out that he was another ruthless character.


    ¡°We were told that to enhance his fighting mettle, Miyazaki-san had injected himself with a huge dose of stimnts and hended up in an altered state of mind. Even when shed by his opponents, he did not feel any pain despite the wounds on him bleeding profusely. Instead, he reacted by shing his attacker¡¯s entire arm instantly. They all said that Miyazaki-san was no longer a human but had be a pure monster. Many n members of Yamaguchi-gumi had lost their fighting spirit after seeing his ferocity, and some of them even wet themselves.¡± Kimura Akino recalled.


    Xiao Luo did notment as he could understand well how he could have turned into a monster out of hatred and vengeance from seeing his wife and daughter being murdered.


    Seeing how Miyazaki Ronjin fought with the gang of Inagawa-kai, he suddenly realized that this old man was very simr to him. And he then realized that was the reason he felt so close to him!

 Chapter 597 - Three Days

    <h2>Chapter 597: Three Days</h2>


    Despite Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s age, his strength was still superb, as he could defeat dozens of Inagawa-kai n members all by himself. None of the n members could harm him at all.


    ¡°Yabole, what are you waiting for? Kill him!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo yelled at the two gigantic sumo yers who were tall and strong. Inwardly, he was still in fear of Miyazaki Ronjin, as he was the very monster that had annihted the entire Yamaguchi-gumi all by himself.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Both of the heavy-weight sumo yers acknowledged him immediately and then approached Miyazaki Ronjin.


    Their weight exceeded one hundred and twenty-five kilograms and perhaps even over one hundred and thirty kilograms. Their steps were synchronous, like two elephants thrashing around. The fats on their bodies quivered as they walked, and the entire ground of the sumo hall shook under the weight of their stomping feet.


    They did not differ from two moving mountains!


    After Miyazaki Ronjin kicked down thest n member of Inagawa-kai, he sensed an overwhelming force approaching him. Before he could turn to meet the iing attack, a gigantic fan-sized hand grabbed him by his neck and lifted his entire body into the air.


    He was beginning to feel the effects of suffocation, and he reacted by trying to yank the fingers around his neck outward. He was trying to break free of its control as his tanned face turned red from the strain and the veins on his temple were bulging rmingly, showing signs of pain.


    Suddenly, the other sumo yer charged at him and crashed into his side.


    POW!


    With a grunt and the sound of bones cracking, Miyazaki Ronjin flew sideways as if a speeding car hit him. Falling hard onto the ground, he felt like his bones had given way.


    However, he was pretty hardy and recovered immediately. He got up and was ready to face the sumo fighters again in quick time.


    The sumo wrestlers charged at him again from either side, and they looked like they were going to smash him even harder this time.


    Miyazaki Ronjin backed off instinctively and then charged at them after steadying himself. He threw out a series of sharp punches at their mid-sections with overwhelming force.


    POW! POW! KAPOW!


    Miyazaki Ronjin threw his fists out like a storm, and every strikended on the sumo wrestlers¡¯ abdomens. He had used every ounce of strength he had, but there was no effect on the sumo fighters at all. It felt like throwing punches into a bag filled with cotton balls¡ªthere was no visible effect other than creating ripples on their ample flesh.


    Miyazaki Ronjin raised his head and stared at the sumo fighters. ¡°Are you guys rhinoceros? The skin on your belly is thicker than a wall!¡± he cried.


    One of them smirked and grabbed Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s shoulders. He then dumped Miyazaki Ronjin away effortlessly, and he sailed through the air in a perfect arc before falling hard on the ground. That throw left him immobilized and helpless.


    He turned to Xiao Luo and Kimura Akino and roared, ¡°Are you two going to idle there forever?¡±


    Kimura Akino recovered from the shock and responded by charging in recklessly.


    Xiao Luo looked confused and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell us to not get involved?¡±


    ¡°Yabole, you¡¯ll deal with Miyazaki Ronjin. Yokozuna, you¡¯ll deal with that brat. As for this Hua nation pig, I¡¯ll take him down!¡± Suzuki Ikuo snarled. He looked at Xiao Luo with a smirk and his eyes were filled with excitement. He acted as if he had Xiao Luo in the bag.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled disdainfully as he stretched his neck. The cracking sound it made resembled a battle drum before the onset of a charge.


    He pounced forward in the next second without warning and teleported right before Suzuki Ikuo. Throwing out a powerful punch, he sent Suzuki Ikuo flying back like a broken kite. The entire action did not take five seconds, and he had already defeated Suzuki Ikuo.


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    A thick gush of blood spurted from his mouth and Suzuki Ikuo remained slumped on the ground and waspletely shocked. He could barely move and felt as if all his internal organs had been squashed together.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s disy of skill had intimidated the entire room!


    This scene sent the mob of hooligans scurrying away screaming. Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino were getting beaten up by the sumo fighters, and even they were shocked. They knew Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s ability well, as he was definitely strong enough to take on the special police force from the Metropolitan Police Department. However, he could notst for a second with Xiao Han of the Hua nation, and it was truly unimaginable.


    Xiao Luo did not bother with Suzuki Ikuo anymore as he looked over to the two giant wrestlers. He taunted them by saying, ¡°Come here, you useless pigs!¡±


    The sumo fighters looked at each other and saw the anger in each other¡¯s eyes. To be taunted by a weak and slender man from the Hua nation was intolerable.


    ¡°Hua nation pig, you¡¯re asking for it!¡±


    The two of them shouted and charged toward Xiao Luo like wild boars. If they were to smash into an ordinary person, he would end up either handicapped or dead. The terrifying strength of the sumo fighters was the key reason that they could push others around.


    ¡°Speak of the devil, aren¡¯t you guys the pigs?¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked as he leaped into the air toward the two wrestlers. Heshed out with two powerful kicks right into their chest.


    POW! POW!


    There was a resounding p when their bodies collided and the giant sumo fighters were forced to back by Xiao Luo¡¯s brute force. But it only took them a short while to recover and charge at Xiao Luo again.


    Xiao Luo did not back off but charge in. After taking four steps, he attacked both their ankles with two swift kicks. The attack was akin to tripping a person who was running in at full speed, and the momentum sent the sumo fighters flying forward.


    Before they couldnd, Xiao Luo grabbed them by their ankles and started spinning in a full circle. Then he threw them out like a discus.


    KABOOM!


    The two sumo fighters crashed against a wall in the Sumo hall, one after another. The wall gave way like a wet paper being torn apart, leaving two gigantic holes on the wall.


    Watching the scene, a sudden silence fell upon the hall.


    Regardless of Miyazaki Ronjin, Kimura Akino, or the Inagawa-kai n members sprawled on the ground, even the hooligans were sent into a stunned state as what just happened before their very eyes were simply unbelievable. Weren¡¯t those people sumo yers? How could they be thrown out like some toys by a Hua nation man?


    How was that possible? Did he pull off some magic?


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo swallowed his saliva with great difficulty as he broke into a cold sweat. This was because Xiao Luo had turned to him and started advancing toward him.


    ¡°What¡­What do you want?¡± he screamed in fear.


    Xiao Luo grabbed him by his cor and pulled him closer. ¡°Who¡¯s the pig?¡± he asked.


    Suzuki Ikuo could see that Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. They had turned blood-red, and that terrified him. ¡°I am the pig, the Ri nation people are the pigs!¡±


    ¡°Very well!¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked, and he took out a ck pill from his pocket. He then put it into Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s mouth forcefully, and with his palm, he forced the ck pill down Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s throat. Suzuki Ikuo swallowed the pill under the gag reflex.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Cough, cough¡­¡±


    He coughed rigorously and looked at Xiao Luo in fear, ¡°What¡­ What did you feed me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s poison. You will die if you don¡¯t eat the antidote within three days and you will die with blood oozing out from your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. You only have three days to find me that ck SUV. Otherwise, do not dream about getting the antidote and you jolly well can wait for your death.¡± Xiao Luo said as he released the man.

 Chapter 598 - Appear

    <h2>Chapter 598: Appear</h2>


    Poison?


    Suzuki Ikuo looked as pale as death, and he broke out of a cold sweat as he stared at Xiao Luo in abject horror. He had not been to Hua nation before, but his impression was that their medical alchemy was extraordinary, and they had expert knowledge of poisons. It was no surprise that he trembled in fear, for he had just swallowed such a poison.


    Instinctively, he thrust his fingers into his throat and gagged. He made a desperate attempt to vomit the poison out, but he only expelled gastric juice and the poison pill was nowhere to be seen.


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly. ¡°You will bleed from your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth within three days. The pill melts immediately upon entering your mouth, and it¡¯s pointless to try vomiting it out. Don¡¯t bother with flushing your stomach as well, the poison will assimte into your blood vessels quickly and with the help of blood cirction, it would reach every part of your body in no time,¡± he said.


    ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Han-kun, I have made a terrible mistake. I should not have insulted the people of Hua nation. I was wrong, please give me the antidote¡­¡± Suzuki Ikuo pleaded, kneeling before Xiao Luo without a care about his pride and dignity. It was ironic, as he now looked a different manpared to the arrogance he projected only a few moments ago.


    Xiao Luo grimaced and kicked him aside. ¡°Don¡¯t you get my drift? Find that ck SUV in three days and I will assure you stay alive. If not, even the emperor himself cannot save you. If you¡¯re hoping for the hospitals of Ri nation to neutralize the poison, then forget it. You¡¯re wasting your time¡ªeven the best hospital in Dongjing can do nothing for you!¡±


    As he finished speaking, he helped Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino up, and they promptly left the sumo hall.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words devastated Suzuki Ikuo, for he had not expected to find himself in such an unfortunate situation.


    A n member of Inagawa-kai approached and said, ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up! Mobilize every member we have and I want you to find that ck SUV. I don¡¯t care what it takes. I will reward whoever finds it handsomely!¡± Suzuki Ikuo roared.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The n members of Inagawa-kai roared in unison.


    ******


    ******


    ¡°Xiao Han-kun, are you a kung fu master? The martial art you have applied against the two sumo fighters was ¡®Moving a Thousand with Four Ounces¡¯, am I right?¡± Kimura Akino asked.


    ¡°I have assumed that Hua nation¡¯s kung fu only existed in movies, where the actors fly around about assisted by wires. So, it¡¯s fake after all and exists in actual life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s extraordinary, and I would definitely like to visit Hua nation to learn kung fu. Xiao Han-kun, did you learn your martial arts from the Shaolin Temple?¡±


    After they have left the sumo hall, Kimura Akino didn¡¯t stop asking Xiao Luo questions as he was in awe of the man now. Xiao Luo¡¯s effortless feat in defeating the two sumo wrestlers was impressive. Miyazaki Ronjin was much quieter as he puffed away and remained silent. He only had one thing toin about: had he known earlier that the sumo fighters were so difficult to deal with, he would not have recklessly rushed up to fight them. He was armed with a gun, after all, so engaging in a physical fight was unnecessary.


    ¡°Is that pill real poison?¡± Miyazaki Ronjin turned around and asked Xiao Luo suddenly.


    Xiao Luo shook his head, ¡°No, it¡¯s just a vitamin C pill.¡±


    Hmm?


    Both Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino looked at him in surprise.


    Did he just use a mere vitamin pill to fool Suzuki Ikuo sessfully? How could that be possible?


    ¡°Xiao-san, I am starting to like you a lot! Come, let¡¯s get a drink.¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t drunk driving illegal in Ri nation?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Kimura Akino answered eagerly, ¡°In Ri nation, we consider drunk driving a criminal offense and it could amount to even five years of imprisonment. In addition, the police would not only issue a fine to the driver but even the people in the car. And, as for the people in the restaurant who did not stop the driver from drinking¡ªthey get fined too. And, if he borrowed the car from someone, the actual car owner could face five years of imprisonment and a fine too.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    This piece of information amused Xiao Luo, as in the Hua nation, the worst punishment was detention and the lighter cases would usually end with a fine.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kimura Akino nodded.


    ¡°You are too na?ve. I am driving a police car, so tell me, who has the guts to check on me!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin scowled.


    Kimura Akino stubbornly tried to convince him and said, ¡°Miyazaki-san, drunk driving is bad. What if you hit someone identally?¡±


    ¡°Boy, don¡¯t jinx it!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin snarled at him again.


    Although Dongjing is a city with bustling nightlife, some ces were perpetually in darkness. These spots seemed out of cepared to the well-lit parts of the city. And the small alley where their car was now, was just such ce¡ªthere were only a few dimly litmps here.


    After smoking a stick, Miyazaki Ronjin lit another one immediately. However, just as he was looking down at the cigarette, a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere and walked into the path of their vehicle.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Xiao Luo reacted immediately and pulled on the steering wheel to avoid the pedestrian who appeared from nowhere.


    Miyazaki Ronjin ignored the falling cigarette as he mmed onto the emergency brake. But it was toote! The person appeared too suddenly, like a silent ghost, with no warning.


    BANG!


    The car rocked violently as it mmed into the figure, sending it sailing in the air andnding several meters away. It rolled for a few more meters after hitting the ground before it finally stopped.


    ¡°We¡­ We¡¯ve hit someone?¡±


    Kimura Akino screamed in panic.


    Miyazaki Ronjin was shocked, and then he looked back at Kimura Akino with a look of rm. He quickly got out of his car to check on the victim. Kimura Akino followed him immediately.


    Xiao Luo frowned deeply, and he knew the impact would unquestionably kill the victim. They were driving at a good speed, and the crash could even kill an elephant, let alone a man. Miyazaki Ronjin would undoubtedly find himself in a spot of trouble now.


    Xiao Luo got alighted from the car but did not approach the man. He observed the quiet alley and concluded that there couldn¡¯t have been anyone in the alley when they drove by, so how could this man appear out of nowhere? Why would he run toward a moving car head-on? Could he bemitting suicide?


    ¡°Oh, my God! Why, isn¡¯t he Wang Leyou?¡± Kimura Akino cried.


    Wang Leyou?


    Kimura Akino¡¯s words stunned Xiao Luo, as he knew very well about Wang Leyou. The five cases of missing Hua nation personnel include a person called Wang Leyou. Wasn¡¯t he kidnapped? What was he doing here now?


    He strode over immediately.


    Then, something horrifying urred before all of their eyes. It sent chills down their spines.


    Crack, crack, crack¡­


    The hair-raising sound of crackling bones amplified through the quiet alley. Wang Leyou, who had just been hit by a car, stirred and attempted to get up from the ground.


    At that moment, the alley fell into a deathly silence, and the air turned cold.


    The alley was in pitch darkness, and not a sound could be heard. The ce was eerie, and terror gripped Kimura Akino. It felt like there were millions of ants crawling all over his body, eating every bit of courage he had.


    Wang Leyou struggled up and stood in an unnatural pose, looking like a zombie from a movie. He was not facing them, but the sound of bones crackling sound undoubtedly came from him.


    ¡°Wang Leyou, Wang Leyou¡­¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin tried to call out his name with his choppy Chinese and tapped his shoulder. He had his other hand pressed against the pistol on his waist. He was ready to shoot without hesitation should anything go wrong.


    It was incredulous. Wang Leyou stood up when he should have been dead after getting hit by their car!


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. It was against thews of nature. In addition, he could not detect Wang Leyou¡¯s aura. Whatever was standing over there had no life force and was only a corpse. But how could a corpse stand up on its own?

 Chapter 599 - Monster

    <h2>Chapter 599: Monster</h2>


    Wang Leyou, male, thirty-three years old, arrived at Ri nation on the ninth. His family filed a police report on the twelfth and officially confirmed him as a missing person on the thirteenth: suspected of being kidnapped by a certain viinous group of Ri nation¡ªeverything about this man shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s brain immediately.


    The situation was as creepy as it could get. In an empty alley with poorly lit conditions, and Wang Leyou, who had just risen like an undead. The sinister and eerie scene overwhelmed Xiao Luo and the two police officers. Xiao Luo stared at Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s patrol car and realized that its front was dented but there was no sign of blood on the ground. To his surprise, it was the patrol car that had sustained substantial damage from the impact.


    Crack, crack, crack¡­


    The ghastly sound of crackling bones suddenly echoed through the alley again. This time, it was even more frightening. It sounded like how a demon crushing a man¡¯s body and drawing his bones out, and it was horrifying to the ears.


    Miyazaki Ronjin still had his hand on Wang Leyou¡¯s shoulder when thetter turned and suddenly attempted to strike him. Wang Leyou¡¯s hand resembled a reptile¡¯s w. It was coarse and scaly on the surface, his fingers were tipped with ck and sharp nails. The creature struck a heavy blow with its wed hand, aiming for Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s chest, and it intended to kill.


    Xiao Luo was rmed, and he instantly dashed up and pushed Miyazaki Ronjin away. He blocked the blow with his palm and took the hit for his friend. There was no way Miyazaki Ronjin or any ordinary human could¡¯ve survived that w.


    BAM!


    The iing w smashed into Xiao Luo¡¯s palm with explosive force, knocking him back a dozen steps or so before he could regain his bnce.


    Xiao Luo, usually calm andposed, gasped in awe at the force of the blow as this was beyond what he had expected. He was caught off guard. Who would believe that Wang Leyou¡¯s strike could be that powerful? Was this ¡°thing¡± really him?


    He looked up and red at Wang Leyou again, and what he now saw petrified him. That thing was undoubtedly Wang Leyou, but he was undergoing a strange transformation rapidly. Reptile-like scales were growing over his skin, densely packed like a suit of armor. Wang Leyou was turning into a hideous creature and his eyes were nowpletely white, making him appear as if he was possessed.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh, he¡­ How did he suddenly turn into a monster?¡±


    Kimura Akino was so shocked that his jaws dropped. How could a human suddenly transform into a monster covered in green scales? And it happened right before his eyes. Despite being hit by a speeding car, Wang Leyou remained unharmed.


    Xiao Luo was simrly stunned as he realized that Wang Leyou was not breathing at all. Shouldn¡¯t he be a corpse if he is not breathing? How could he be standing up and moving around? A deluge of questions filled Xiao Luo¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Wang Leyou, Wang Leyou!¡±


    Xiao Luo called out his name to see if he would react to it.


    But there was no response from the creature. It was evident this name no longer meant anything to Wang Leyou.


    It was quiet, and there were no other people in the empty alley. A chill breeze drifted through the dark passage and made the alley gradually got colder.


    Miyazaki Ronjin drew his pistol and yelled, ¡°Raise your hands! Wang Leyou, raise your hands!¡±


    He too sensed a strange and dangerous aura emanating from Wang Leyou, and it felt the same as facing a blood-thirsty beast. Although it terrified him, he did not flinch.


    Crack, crack, crack¡­


    That same terrifying sound came from Wang Leyou again as he stomped toward Miyazaki Ronjin, oblivious to the pistol in his hand.


    Miyazaki Ronjin gulped with some difficulty and broke into a cold sweat. Even his hands holding the pistol began to tremble slightly.


    ¡°Wang Leyou, stay where you are! I am warning you, do not take another step!¡±


    It was evident that Wang Leyou had lost the ability to react to his warning. He seemed to be unaware of everything that was happening around him and only continued to approach Miyazaki Ronjin.


    ¡°First warning. Second warning. Third warning!¡±


    BANG!


    After the third warning, Miyazaki Ronjin pulled the trigger and fired an urate shot that struck Wang Leyou¡¯s shoulder.


    CLANG!


    All they heard was a metallic ringing sound and sparks flying off Wang Leyou¡¯s body. The bullet ricocheted off his body and lodged into the tree trunk to his right.


    Did it bounce off?


    Did he actually deflect a bullet?


    Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino were both dumbfounded, and no words could describe how shocked they were.


    ¡°Is his body protected by steel armor?¡± Kimura Akino asked, clearly horrified.


    Xiao Luo was equally shocked and then he turned serious. He knew well that Wang Leyou was not wearing steel armor but had deflected the bullet off with his scaly body. It was evident that the densely packed scales covering his skin was providing him with such protection.


    Exactly what did Wang Leyou go through that he turned into this?


    Did the person or group that kidnapped them transform Wang Leyou into such a monster? Why did they send Wang Leyou here? To kill him or Miyazaki Ronjin?


    All sorts of questions ran through his mind again. He wondered if this could be part of a nefarious n to develop bio warriors. A scheme that was put together by a secret organization from the Ri nation; and their subjects were none other than the people of Hua nation.


    If such was the case, then what of Fu Yiren?


    It was too daunting to even think about the possibility, and Xiao Luo broke into a cold sweat the moment he arrived at that conclusion.


    Wang Leyou surged toward Miyazaki Ronjin suddenly, and although smaller in sizepared to Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s two sumo wrestlers, the way he charged at Miyazaki Ronjin was far more intimidating than them. Wang Leyou was the embodiment of a demon who craved human flesh.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Miyazaki Ronjin fired multiple rounds, and every single shot clearly hit Wang Leyou. However, every round ricocheted off with that familiar metallic sound, and the shots did not harm him. Wang Leyou was as invincible as an Iron man fully enclosed in hardened steel.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san be careful!¡± Kimura Akino shouted.


    Xiao Luo did not stay idle for long, and instead, he used his full potential and teleported close to Miyazaki Ronjin within a second.


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    Before Miyazaki Ronjin could react, Xiao Luo had already pushed him aside with his elbow. Instantly, Xiao Luo spun around and struck out with his right hand. His talon-like fingers shed toward Wang Leyou with a tremendous force behind it.


    KAPOW!


    In the dimly lit environment, Xiao Luo¡¯s talon-like w smashed fiercely into Wang Leyou¡¯s lethal hand. And this time, the scale-covered monster was thrown back forcefully as if it had been struck by lightning, shuddering uncontrobly as it sailed in the air.


    After hended hard on the ground, the monster picked itself up with no dy and charged again. It was in a heightened state of frenzy, and the ominous sound of cracking bones apanied its movements. It moved like a specter and closed the gap with Xiao Luo as it bounded forward several times.


    At that moment, it was as quick as lightning!


    As the scale-cover monster advanced on Xiao Luo, it growled and snarled like a zombie. It resembled the undead in the movies when they bayed for fresh blood and human flesh. Its right w repeatedly struck at Xiao Luo¡¯s throat. Wang Leyou, now transformed into this monster, was fighting like a beast eager to devour its prey.


    Xiao Luo frowned and used his palm to block the iing w with precision.


    However, the scale-covered monster had incredible strength, and it was almost invincible. Xiao Luo had by now used over seventy percent of his total strength to block this w. Before he could make his next move, the monster was already initiating his next attack. Its other hand balled up into a fist and it swiftly threw a punch into Xiao Luo¡¯s torso.


    POW!It was a powerful strike and even with inner power guarding his internal organs, Xiao Luo felt that his insides squashed and was sent flying back like a cannonball.BOOM!Xiao Luo crashed into Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s patrol car in what sounded like a resounding explosion. Debris and parts from the car scattered everywhere and the hood caved in. The damage was so bad that it made the vehicle look like a toy car crushed by a rock, turning it into a pile of mess. The force embedded Xiao Luo into the crumpled body of the car, and in the dark environment, his partners suddenly lost sight of him.¡±Xiao Han-kun!¡±Kimura Akino screamed in fear. Both he and Miyazaki Ronjin were helpless to do anything, as this battle was beyond the capacity of mere humans.

 Chapter 600 - Kill you

    <h2>Chapter 600: Kill you</h2>


    Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s brain was in a daze. From out of nowhere, a man suddenly burst out into the path of his car, and he turned out to be the missing Hua national, Wang Leyou. Worse still, Wang Leyou¡¯s entire body was covered with dense green-colored scales that were resistant to bullets. Wang Leyou also had a tremendous strength that could send a person flying with a single punch. And he even sent Xiao Luo crashing into the patrol car, smashing it into a heap. No matter how strong his mental fortitude was, Miyazaki Ronjin still wondered if he was hallucinating. How could such creatures exist in this world?


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    The eerie sound of rattling bones echoes through the alley. Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino were staring at the green scale-covered monster in astonishment when they realized it was now looking back at them. Its hideous mouth was frothing as it approached them, one heavy step at a time.


    ¡°Kimura-san, run right now if you want to stay alive!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin anxiously stared right at Wang Leyou as he spoke to Kimura Akino who was next to him.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, I¡­¡±


    Kimura Akino¡¯s legs were trembling uncontrobly. Seeing Xiao Luo smashed into the car by a single punch from Wang Leyou scared him senseless, and he suddenly felt that his body was not responding to his mind.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    With a roar, Miyazaki Ronjin rushed at Wang Leyou. He had to buy time for Kimura Akino to escape, and he decided to confront Wang Leyou head-on. Miyazaki Ronjin had to employ everything that he had learned in his life, and he attacked ferociously.


    POW! BOOM! POW!


    In less than five seconds, he threw a dozen punches to Wang Leyou¡¯s chest and finished the attack off with an overhead kick to Wang Leyou¡¯s temple. Through it all, Wang Leyou stood his ground and allowed Miyazaki Ronjin to strike him.


    After he ended his attack, Miyazaki Ronjin retreated four or five steps without pause, gawking at Wang Leyou with bewildered eyes. It was as if he was attacking a putrid-smellingrge rock, and his hands and feet felt sore and numb.


    ¡°What kind of f*cking monster are you?¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin gritted his teeth and scowled. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized that Kimura Akino froze where he stood. He immediately flew into a rage and roared, ¡°What are you f*cking still doing there? Get the f*ck out of here! F*ck off now!¡±


    Suddenly, Kimura Akino came to his senses and ran toward the opposite end of the alley.


    Right at that moment, Wang Leyou charged at Miyazaki Ronjin, and his scaly hand grabbed Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s shoulder.


    Crack!


    There was a chilling sound of a shattered shoulder de, and a sharp pain immediately swept through Miyazaki Ronjin. Despite himself, he couldn¡¯t help but let out an agonizing scream.


    Wang Leyou, who had turned into this scale-covered monster, was like a machine without consciousness and human emotions. He flung Miyazaki Ronjin forcefully, and Miyazaki Ronjin was once again sent flying. This time, Wang Leyou cast Miyazaki Ronjin like he was a discus, knocking the fleeing Kimura Akino to the ground.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    With the thick blood pouring out of his mouth, Miyazaki Ronjiny on the ground, groaning in agony.


    Flung like a human projectile, Miyazaki Ronjin struck Kimura Akino, and sent thetter sprawling on the ground and wailing in pain.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    The sound of rattling bones once again echoed through the air. Wang Leyou, resembling a giant lizard, was slowly approaching them. His eyes werepletely white, and his skin was covered in densely packed green scales. It would be ridiculous to say that such a monster did not create panic and fear in those who confronted it.


    ¡°His is targeting the three of us!¡±Miyazaki Ronjin struggled to raise his upper torso with one arm. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Enduring the pain, he took out his lighter and lit the cigarette up, puffing away at it.¡±How did Wang Leyou be such a monster?¡± Kimura Akino could not ept what he saw. Wasn¡¯t this something that only happened in science fiction movies?¡±Only God knows!¡±Miyazaki Ronjin answered him, undaunted by the approaching creature. He smiled faintly and took a nce at his mangled car with a tinge of regret. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Mr. Xiao came all the way to our country to investigate the case, but ended up dying in such a tragic way. I¡¯m afraid his body is still lodged in the car. Those who don¡¯t know what happened tonight might think that we met with a serious traffic ident. We¡­¡±Miyazaki Ronjin cut off before hepleted what he had to say. He stared nkly in the car¡¯s direction and there was a stupefied expression on his face. He looked like he had been petrified.¡±Miyazaki-san, what¡¯s the matter?¡±Kimura Akino asked anxiously, then turned his head as well, looking in the car¡¯s direction.Right at that moment, a hand reached out from the wrecked car, followed by another hand, and the car¡¯s metal frame slowly came apart. Suddenly, Xiao Luo emerged from the inside. Besides the tattered clothes on his body, there was no visible injury on his body.¡±Oh, my! Dear God, Mr. Xiao Han is still alive?¡±Kimura Akino screamed and appeared as if he had seen a spirit in broad daylight. He could hardly believe his eyes. He saw Xiao Luo crashing into the car like a cannonball earlier. Even the vehicle was badly smashed up, and now nothing more than a pile of twisted metal. So, how did a man of the flesh and blood possibly escape unhurt?Miyazaki Ronjin was just as shocked as Kimura Akino that he did not even notice that the cigarette he just held in his mouth had fallen to the ground. This was too abnormal. Not to mention human beings, even the robots made of iron would probably malfunction after receiving such a blow.But Xiao Luo paid them no attention.He was infuriated, and the only thing he wanted to do now was to ughter the monster in green scales. Initially, Xiao Luo held back as he considered Wang Leyou as one of the victims of the kidnapping to be rescued. But this time it was different; he was certain that this thing was no longer Wang Leyou, but was a monster that had no soul, and only acted on themand of some unseen force. It was a killing machine.¡±If I don¡¯t kill you, I¡¯ll eat my hat!¡±Xiao Luo pulled himself to his full height and his roar reverberated through the dark alley. After four or five steps, he stomped his foot on the ground and bounded some four meters into the air. With his clenched right fist, he smashed down viciously at Wang Leyou like a meteorite tearing through the sky.POW!His strike was overpowering as it whistled toward its target. Wang Leyou was sent crashing into the old tree in the alley. The sturdy tree, several decades old, snapped in half like a twig as the alley shook from the impact.The moment Xiao Luonded on the ground, he leaped up again and shot toward Wang Leyou. The paved ground of asphalt concrete cracked under his feet immediately.

 Chapter 601 - Phantom’s Claw

    <h2>Chapter 601: Phantom¡¯s w</h2>


    Like a beast baring its fangs, Xiao Luo charged toward Wang Leyou, the scale-covered monster. Before it could evennd on the ground, Xiao Luo struck brutally and sent it flying once again.


    POW! BAM! KAPOW!


    The tremendous blow knocked the monster back, and it thrashed along the ground as if it were a heavy vehicle that had lost control. Fragments of pavement flew all over, and dust kicked up into the air each time it hit the ground.


    Miyazaki Ronjin and Kimura Akino were both stunned, and they had their mouths wide opened with simr expressions on their faces. They were in a state of dumbfounded and could not find the words to express themselves. Despite being mentally prepared for Xiao Luo¡¯s strength, they never expected that he had even more power than they¡¯d witnessed before. He undoubtedly exceeded the limits of what any living mortal could do!


    ¡°Is Xiao Han-kun even a human being?¡± Kimura Akino muttered to himself.


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not respond. He stared nkly at the slim, well-limbed figure before him. It was unbelievable, but Xiao Luo possessed a power equivalent to that of a god or a demon. Deep down, it amazed him, and he found the Hua Nation to be a very mysterious country. To think that they had the services of such a terrifying person¡ªit was no wonder they only sent one man down. Just this one individual alone could fight against a thousand troops all by himself.


    ROAR!


    A furious bellow issued from the scale-covered monster, and it was raging mad. It picked itself up, growling fiercely, and then suddenly charged toward Xiao Luo like a maddened beast.


    ¡°Ding! Congrattions, you have received the Phantom¡¯s w. You have used up a hundred thousand points!¡±


    The system alert rang in Xiao Luo¡¯s head with the information that he needed. He had made an exchange and upgraded his skill the moment he realized that his opponent¡¯s scale-like armor was imprable. But the Phantom¡¯s w was stronger and would break through such a defense. It could even rip apart an armored car.


    He condensed and channeled all his internal energy to his ten fingers. The power was so intense that white shimmering light emitted from his fingertips. Both of his hands looked like they were burning with an intense white-hot fire. The temperature in the alley plummeted, and the ce turned bitterly cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to end this!¡±


    Xiao Luo had a cruel grin on his face as his lips curled viciously upward. Whoosh! In the very next second, like a sh of lightning, he closed the three to four meters gap between them and appeared right in front of the monster. He aimed the Phantom¡¯s w at its heart with the single-minded intention of tearing it out.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s hands were like a pair of knives, and he wielded them with skill and dexterity. The Phantom¡¯s w was lethal, and its effect was like putting a burning soldering iron into a piece of foam¡ªall that could be heard was a sizzle. Xiao Luo pierced his right hand into the monster¡¯s chest. Green fluid sttered and soaked his hand as it prated all the way through its back.


    Wang Leyou, who had transformed into that hideous, scale-covered beast, suddenly stayed still and quiet. Both of his arms dropped to their sides as if they had no strength left.


    ¡°It is dead. The monster is dead! Xiao Han-kun¡¯s hands, they pierced right through his body!¡± eximed Kimura Akino. He looked horrified, and frankly, he was still in such shock that his body was trembling with fear. Wang Leyou had turned into a monster that even bullets could not harm.


    ¡°This guy is the actual beast,¡± said Miyazaki-san.


    Miyazaki Ronjin swallowed his saliva. If Wang Leyou was a beast, then Xiao Luo was the beast among all beasts! After all, he had pierced his hand right through Wang Leyou¡¯s body.


    Xiao Luo pulled his fists and removed them from Wang Leyou¡¯s chest. Wang Leyou¡¯s body spun around in a pirouette before falling onto the ground.


    ¡°Green blood?¡±


    Looking at the green fluid on his hand, Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. The liquid was emitting a powerful stench, like the putrefying smell of a dposed rat, and it was enough to make him feel like retching.


    Suddenly, Wang Leyou stirred. The trio had thought he was already dead, but he suddenly got back up with a roar. Wang Leyou mmed both his legs firmly onto the ground and lunged toward Xiao Luo like an attacking toad. His right hand, covered with scales, was like a sharp and long de. Like the howling wind, he leaped and aim a blow right at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, intending to kill him.


    This sudden turn of events happened too quickly. Who would have imagined that a person who had his chest pierced right through could stille alive!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s pupils shrank, and he bent his upper body backward instinctively. But it was toote. Wang Leyou¡¯s right w struck him on the chest.


    RIP!


    It shredded the clothes on his chest. Blood started oozing out from the three horrifying w marks that appeared on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Ding! The system has detected a gic virus that is invading your body. Do you wish to spend five hundred points to receive the antibody?¡±


    The system alert sounded again. Xiao Luo was in dismay. Gic virus? Was this b*stard a zombie? Why did he have the virus in him?


    ¡°Exchange it for me!¡±


    Xiao Luo ordered, without having to give it any further thought. He did not want any invasive pathogens in his body. It was a gic virus. If he did not get the antibody, who knows what would happen to him.


    Crack, crack, crack.


    All the joints seemed dislocated in Wang Leyou¡¯s body. He was moving like he had no control over himself and staggered in unsteady steps as he attempted to withdraw.


    ¡°Is this monster indestructible?¡± Kimura Akino broke into a cold sweat. He found it difficult to believe that such a monster existed in this world.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way it cannot be destroyed. I bet it is because Xiao Luo has not hit him in the correct vital point.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin was still in shock but shouted out to Xiao Luo, ¡°Xiao-san, try attacking his head!¡±


    Xiao Luo was about to do exactly that even before Miyazaki-san called out to him. When one wished to kill zombies, one would naturally think of shooting them in the head. After dodging consecutive attacks from Wang Leyou, he turned sideways and was right behind Wang Leyou. He clenched his iron fist and aimed for the back of Wang Leyou¡¯s head, going for the kill.


    CRUSH!


    With that one punch, Wang Leyou¡¯s head exploded like a watermelon. Flesh, blood, and brain fluids sttered everywhere.


    The body staggered a couple of more steps without its head before eventually copsing onto the ground with a loud thud. With no movement, the stinky green fluid flowed out from his neck with a squishy sound. The scales on his body started fading away rapidly until theypletely disappeared. Eventually, he looked like a decapitated human being. The only anomaly was that the blood that flowed out of him was green.


    A gically mutated human being!


    These words came into Xiao Luo¡¯s head. At that same time, the memory of Unit 731 using Hua Nation citizens as live experiments came back to him as well. It was as if history was repeating itself.


    Which organization in this nation was behind this?


    The Asou family? The Military? Or some other unknown organization?


    Anger burned from within him. This person had traveled to Ri nation for a visit but ended up being kidnapped and transformed into a gically mutated human being. The amount of pain that he must have had to suffer would have been unbearable. Xiao Luo swore to himself that he would find the organization that was behind this.


    ¡°Where is the Asou family located?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked as he walked toward Miyazaki Ronjin. He did not want to sit around, waiting for things to happen anymore. He had to do something about this, regardless of the consequences.


    ¡°Are you suspecting the Asou family?¡± asked Miyazaki Ronjin. He felt overwhelmed by Xiao Luo¡¯s presence and looked at him nervously.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°You just need to tell me where they are. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°In central Dongjing. Lotus Manor is the Asou family¡¯s headquarters!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin answered.


    After receiving the information, Xiao Luo turned around and headed out of the alley.


    ¡°Xiao-san, don¡¯t be reckless. I don¡¯t want to have to arrest you again before you solve all the cases of the missing Hua Nation people,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin shouted as he looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    Xiao Luo stopped, turned his head around, and smiled before leaving without further hesitation.

 Chapter 602 - Spotted a Ghost

    <h2>Chapter 602: Spotted a Ghost</h2>


    ¡°Department head Rui¡­ what should we do?¡± asked Kimura Akino. He hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock he had just experienced and still had lingering fears.


    ¡°What else can we do? Report everything that happened here to the Metropolitan Police Department.¡±


    Miyazaki Rui answered as he grabbed his left shoulder in pain and continued, ¡°Hurry and have them send over an ambnce. I need to get prompt treatment for this injury.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call for an ambnce immediately. But about making that report on all the things that have happened here¡ªwill they believe it?¡± replied Kimura Akino, very doubtful about how that report would look.


    Would they believe it?


    Miyazaki Ruiughed wryly. It was true. If one had not witnessed the incident in person, it would be hard to believe such nonsense about gically mutated human beings. Everyone in the police department would think that they had made up the story. Imagine having to report that incident when Xiao Han collided with the car¡ªthe car got smashed up, and he walked away unhurt. And not forgetting that he continued to fight with the gically mutated human being, even jumping to heights of four to five meters. How were they going to report these without sounding like they were crazy? No matter how hard they tried, no one would believe them.


    ¡°Regardless of whether they believe it, we have to report everything that happened. We will leave it up to them to judge,¡± Miyazaki-san said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Kimura Akino nodded his head and epted Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s instruction.


    ¡­


    [Lotus Manor, Central Dongjing]


    Xiao Luo looked at the mansion in front of him and was a little surprised to find such a mansion right in the middle of a bustling city. There were two stone lion statues ced at the main entrance. It reminded him of the homes of high-ranking officials of the Hua Nation in ancient times. Since he was reconnoitering covertly, he did not enter from the main entrance. He took another route where they had no surveince cameras. He leaped across the high wall andnded in the courtyard without making a sound.


    Cobblestones covered the courtyard grounds. Thendscape had a traditional appeal, with flowers and trees lining the walls. There were two stonemps in the middle of the courtyard, contrasting aesthetically with the ck zed tiles that covered the walls. A pavilion stood majestically as a prominent feature of thendscape, and in the distance, they built a small bridge over a stream of running water. This ce could easily be mistaken for a mansion in ancient Hua Nation. The only difference here was that the stonemps had Japanese characters carved into them, and the images printed on the doors and windows depicted Ri nation women in their traditional costumes. These touches gave the ce a rich sense of their culture.


    Xiao Luo sauntered around as if the premises belong to him. This vi and its surrounding garden were expansive and even included ake, a rock garden, and a man-made forest. If he had known that it was this vast, he would have entered from the main entrance and asked someone for Asou Jiro, the head of the Asou family.


    But it was not toote to do that now. Xiao Luo walked into the vi along the cobblestone path. After walking for a short distance, a man in a leather jacket appeared. He was holding onto a manuscript.


    Xiao Luo was about to question him when the man noticed him and waved his hands at him frantically. ¡°Do you know what time it is? Why did you only arrive now? Hurry it up! I¡¯ve been waiting for you to get to work,¡± he said.


    Get to work?


    Those words puzzled Xiao Luo. He pointed to himself and asked, ¡°Are you talking to me?¡±


    The man was fuming. ¡°Who else? Does it look like I¡¯m talking to a ghost? Quickly,e with me now. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to cut your pay,¡± he scowled.


    He must have mistaken me for someone else.


    Xiao Luo quietly followed the man, a little bewildered, but keen to see where it would lead him.


    ¡°Young people like you these days do not seem to manage your time well. That¡¯s why you guys are alwayste. We tell you toe at noon, and you turn upte by more than an hour. The Director is hopping mad! If you don¡¯t perform wellter, I won¡¯t be surprised if he skins you alive!¡± the man nagged.


    Director?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s looked at the man suspiciously and asked, ¡°Are we here to film something?¡±


    The man stopped to turn his head around and replied, ¡°Of course! What¡¯s the matter with you? Didn¡¯t Oda-san exin things clearly enough to you?¡±


    Xiao Luo thought briefly and then shook his head.


    ¡°That goddamn Oda-san! How could he be so negligent? Does it mean that you don¡¯t even know what you need to do here?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Err, no, I don¡¯t,¡± Xiao Luo replied, ying along.


    ¡°Follow me and you will find out soon enough. It¡¯s something that¡¯s going to make you thrilled. Hehehe¡­¡±


    The man snickered creepily. ¡°The female lead filming with you has only just turned seventeen this year. She only took the plunge recently. Boss has spent loads of money to nurture her for some time now, and she has finally epted some roles. What a lucky guy you are!¡±


    A seventeen-year-old female lead?


    Just taken the plunge recently?


    If Xiao Luo still did not know what kind of flick the man was filming, then something had to be very wrong with him. He wondered if he had found his way into the wrong ce. Was this the location of a pornographic movie shoot and not the Asou family¡¯s Lotus Manor?


    ¡°Sorry to bother you. But is this ce the Lotus Manor that belongs to the Asou family?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°This is the Lotus Manor. What¡¯s wrong? Do you have doubts?¡± the man asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he continued trudging along.


    Then, as if he understood what Xiao Luo had meant to ask, he continued, ¡°I get it. You must wonder why we are filming this genre of movies at the Asou family mansion.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head.


    The man giggled. ¡°You are way too ignorant! How can you not know that the Asou family is the biggest investor in SOD?¡± he said.


    That piece of information truly shocked Xiao Luo. He knew that Asou Jiro from the Asou family was a politician in Japan but never knew that the Asou family was also an investor in the pornographic moviepany, SOD.


    ¡°The Hua Nation is the primary reason the Asou family is so supportive of our SOD films,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Because of Hua Nation?¡± Xiao Luo asked in surprise. This time around, he could not understand what the man was saying.


    ¡°Of course! The Asou family has inherited the will of the Emperor, and the entire country is aware of our hostility toward the Hua Nation. The Hua Nation is thergest exporter of films produced by SOD. There are three deadly vices in this world¡ªpornography, gambling, and drugs. They can all lead to acute problems. The Asou family is trying to use this approach to entice teenagers from the Hua Nation to get hooked on pornography.¡±


    Having such an unrestrained indulgence during their formative years will harm their minds and bodies and lure them into an addiction to pornography. It will affect their physical and mental health. After several generations, it will destroy the Hua Nation¡¯s strength,¡± the man whispered.


    Xiao Luo wanted tough as soon as he heard that. The Asou family had lost its direction. They were obsessed with finding ways to destroy the Hua Nation. First, they tried to destroy Xiahai with their MLM scam, and now they hoped to corrupt generations of the youth of the Hua Nation with pornographic films. He wished he could wipe this family off from the face of Earth with one p.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    The man pushed open the pavilion door.


    Looking in, all Xiao Luo saw were the bright lights. Cameras and lighting equipment had already been set up. Those in charge of the lighting were in position, and those in charge of props had made sure that everything was in ce. There was a mattress in the center of the floor, and on it, a young and attractive girlid,pletely nude. Her body was curvaceous, her skin was fair, and her face was attractive. She was like a fruit waiting to be plucked.¡±Where¡¯s the guy? Bloody hell, is he here already?¡±A chubby middle-aged man stood up in front of the camera and shouted towards the door.The man nodded his head respectfully and replied, ¡°Yes, yes, he¡¯s here.¡± He turned his head around and suddenly found himself standing alone. It was as if he had been talking to a ghost earlier. In a daze, he said, ¡°Eh, where did he go?¡±The chubby middle-aged man walked toward him and pped him without warning. ¡°Bloody hell, I¡¯m the one asking you a question! Why are you asking me the question instead?¡± he screamed, ¡°Where¡¯s the guy?¡±The man held his hand up to his face where it hurt from the p. With a glowing red mark on his face, he said tearfully, ¡°He¡­ He was here just now. B-but in the blink of an eye, he¡¯s now gone!¡±¡±You stupid fool! Are you trying to mess with me? All I can see is you standing here alone,¡± the Director yelled.¡±Director, I swear, he was here. We even had a chat earlier on. I have no idea why he just left. There¡­ There¡¯s no way I could have seen a ghost,¡± the man exined.THWACK!The Director gave him another p. ¡°This is the Asou family¡¯s mansion. Ghosts can appear anywhere, but there is no way they would dare appear here! If you want to quit, then tell me right now. I can hire someone a hundred times better than you!¡±¡±Director, I¡­ I¡­¡± the man mumbled.The man wanted to cry. He was not only shocked but horrified. How could a human being just vanish into thin air?

 Chapter 603 - Pervert

    <h2>Chapter 603: Pervert</h2>


    Xiao Luo took a walk around the Lotus Manor. It was vast, and he passed by many pavilions. He could briefly sense its powerful aura, and the deeper he went, the more he sensed it. He assumed these wereing from the powerful fighters of the Asou family.


    He had already formed a terrible impression of the Asou family. It hade to a stage where he was not afraid that someone might spot him, and he was ready to fight them if that were to happen. That was the reason he swaggered confidently, without fear of being noticed. But Xiao Luo was a little concerned, for he had been walking for quite a while now and had yet to spot a single soul. The only one he hade across was the man who had been running looking and mistaking him for the lead actor earlier on. It was strange that such an enormous mansion did not have a single guard on patrol. It could only be because the Asou family knew that no one in Dongjing would have the guts to mess around with them. That had to be why they didn¡¯t bother taking any security measures.


    ¡°Stop right there, who are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo heard a fierce and loud bellow directed at him. Anyone else would have been so scared that they would have tripped, but it didn¡¯t bother Xiao Luo in the least. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief, for he had met a living person atst.


    Xiao Luo did not respond to the challenge but immediately sought to locate his opponent¡¯s position instead. The moment he found it, he bounded off the ground and instantlyunched his body like a flying arrow toward the guard.


    The guard, dressed in a ck kimono, did not even have the time to react. Although he had a sword tucked into his waist sash, Xiao Luo was so quick that the guard had no time to draw his sword out. All he could do was raise his clenched fist to defend himself, but as Xiao Luo¡¯s hand struck him, all he could feel was immense pain. He felt as if the strike had crushed all the bones in his arm.


    Before he could even scream, Xiao Luo jabbed his index finger into the man¡¯s chest, striking a critical meridian point. The guard was instantly petrified and unable to move. He tried to scream but only grunted a muffled cry.


    ¡°Have we met before?¡±


    After inspecting the man¡¯s face, Xiao Luo was rather certain that he had seen this man before.


    Asou Yanagi was unable to even make a sound. Still, he could recognize Xiao Luo with little difficulty. He remembered that back in Xiahai, Xiao Luo viciously cut off the arm of his daughter. Asou Yanagi was himself injured and sentenced to two months in jail before they sent him back to Japan. As soon as he came back, all he could think about was slicing up Xiao Luo and drinking his blood. Ironically, his enemy was now standing right in front of him, alive and well, and he could see the bloodlust in his eyes.


    Xiao Luo pondered briefly, then he recalled everything. It wasn¡¯t hard, for the incident at Xiahai Star Cloud Kendo Gym had left a rather deep impression upon him.


    Xiao Luo suddenly said, ¡°I remember now! It¡¯s you, Asou Yanagi!¡±


    Asou Yanagi wanted to scream curses at Xiao Luo and slice him up alive, but since his meridian point had been hit, he couldn¡¯t move his body at all. All he could do was seethe, for he found it hard to suppress the wrath he had for his nemesis. He twitched his facial muscles to express the deep hatred toward Xiao Luo and wishing he could kill him.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, so I won¡¯t waste time talking to you. Just tell me where Asou Jiro is now,¡± Xiao Luo said. He spoke in a rather rxed tone and sounded like he was asking someone for directions on the street. He then stretched his hand out and released the meridian point on Asou Yanagi¡¯s body.


    ¡°You fool!¡±


    As soon as Xiao Luo released Asou Yanagi from his induced paralysis, he drew out his sword and dashed at Xiao Luo with glowering eyes. His lifelong enemy was right in front of him. There was no way he would hold himself back.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows, rather disappointed with Asou Yanagi¡¯s action. He shifted to the side as Asou Yanagi charged and thrust his foot into the back of Asou Yanagi¡¯s left leg.


    CRACK!


    With a single kick, Asou Yanagi¡¯s left leg snapped as if a hydraulic machine had crushed it, and blood burst from the wound in spurts. An unbearable pain shot to his brain, and the look on Asou Yanagi¡¯s face changed instantly. Before he could even let out another cry, Xiao Luo had his hand around Asou Yanagi¡¯s throat. He gradually gripped it firmly to block and choke his respiratory tract.


    Asou Yanagi¡¯s face turned red from the unbearable pain, and the veins on his forehead bulged rmingly. He dropped his sword when he quickly realized that he had beenpletely subdued by Xiao Luo. There was no chance of retaliating with the condition he was in.


    Xiao Luo red at him coldly. ¡°Can you not understand Japanese? Do I have to repeat myself?¡± he snarled.


    Asou Yanagi gasped for air, and a grim horror overcame him when he looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s gleaming blood-red eyes¡ªhe resembled a demon! So frightening was the sight of Xiao Luo that it suppressed the hatred that Asou Yanagi had long harbored. Gathering what strength he had remaining, he nodded his head, showing he would tell Xiao Luo where to find Asou Jiro.


    ¡°Rx, all will go well if you listen to me. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile, speaking like a weird uncle trying to coax a kid with candy.


    ¡­


    After finding out where Asou Jiro was, Xiao Luo smacked Asou Yanagi and knocked him out. He then headed toward his target¡¯s penthouse.


    Infiltration was virtually second nature to him. His keen senses to keep surveince of his surroundings, and he was light and quick on his feet, barely making a sound when he moved.


    Five minutester, Xiao Luo stopped under a tree. In front of him, he saw a luxurious pavilion within this vast viplex.


    The whirling shadows of the tree made it hard to spot Xiao Luo¡¯s shadow. He could spot Asou Jiro in the luxuriously furnished bedroom. He was an old man but was surprisingly energetic, Xiao Luo thought. For, despite thete hours, Asou Jiro was still wide awake, ying a bondage game with a young woman. And the one tied up was not the woman, but Asou Jiro himself.


    His hands were tied behind his back, and he was lying on the bed. The woman was ying him aggressively with a whip, and each time sheshed, Asou Jiro let out a high-pitched cry.


    ¡°Oh, baby, hit me harder. Hit me harder, again!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, just like that¡­ Don¡¯t take pity on me. Hit me hard and punish me!¡±


    ¡°Ah, what pleasure¡­ It feels so good¡­¡±


    Asou Jiro was evidently enjoying this form of abuse. He showed no sign of pain from the whipping that left bright red marks on his body. Instead of rage, he was panting with excitement.


    ¡°Asou Jiro! Mmm, at your age and you¡¯re still ying these naughty games instead of getting some sleep at this time of the night. You sure look like you¡¯re having lots of fun!¡± As Asou Yanagi was indulging in masochistic pleasure, a voice filtered through the room from the balcony.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    Asou Jiro immediately sat up and looked at the intruder in surprise. Xiao Luo walked in from the balcony. Asou Jiro squinted his glowering eyes. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± he roared.


    ¡°Who I am is not important. What¡¯s important is that I have a couple of questions for you, and I want your honest answer. Did you get that? Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, what?¡±


    Asou Jiro growled, and instantly he snapped the ropes that bound him up with his inner force.


    Xiao Luo stare at him coldly and said, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m going to beat you up till youply!¡±


    The skimpily dressed young woman with the whip was casually observing their exchange of words. She did not look nervous at all, instead, she giggled and said, ¡°Huh, you fool! Where are you from? How dare you break into Lotus Manor and threaten Mr. Jiro? How many lives do you think you have?¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Aso Jiroughed wryly. With his short, well-trimmed beard he looked rather dignified. ¡°You brat! This is the most hrious joke I¡¯ve ever heard¡ªare you on drugs? How dare youe here and behave like a wild animal?¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled. An ominous aura suddenly emanated from his body, surging with an oppressive force.

 Chapter 604 - Leave Calmly

    <h2>Chapter 604: Leave Calmly</h2>


    Asou Jiro and the woman instantly felt the overpowering aura from Xiao Luo. Without waiting for another second, Asou Jiro roared and made his move.


    ¡°Die!¡± he bellowed.


    His voice reverberated across the room as he leaped at Xiao Luo. The intent to kill was clear on his face, and he pounced toward his opponent like a predator striking its prey.


    Xiao Luo was well-prepared to meet Asou Jiro head-on. In a split second, he generated an immense force within his body and channeled a surge of energy to his hand. He thrust his palm toward Asou Jiro, who was about to deliver his strike.


    ¡°HIYAH!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared as he released his inner force, sending out a surge of devastating energy through the room. So overpowering that it felt like a raging sea. Asou Jiro received the full force of the energy and hurled him violently against a wall. The impact knocked him back and sent him sprawling on the floor, coughing out a copious amount of blood. The force also threw the skimpily d woman off her feet and shended on the far side of the room.


    The wave of energy knocked down all the other objects in the bedroom, and in a blink of an eye, the entire ce was in a wreck.


    Xiao Luoughed maniacally and slowly advanced on Asou Jiro.


    Xiao Luo¡¯sugh terrified the woman, but she was unflinchingly loyal to Asou Jiro. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage, gritted her teeth, then charged toward Xiao Luo like a hound protecting her young.


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo did not even attempt to look at her. His handshed out and pped her across her face. The woman spun around twice before falling and hitting her head on the floor. She immediately lost consciousness, and it was over in a sh.


    Xiao Luo continued toward Asou Jiro and stood in front of him. The man was in severe pain, with blood dripping from his nose and mouth. Xiao Luo stared down at his enemy, like a hunter eyeing his prey as it struggled to stay alive.


    ¡°You¡­ Just who in the world are you?¡±


    Asou Jiro asked with a horrified expression. He did not evennd a single blow on this stranger standing in front of him. Asou Jiro had never faced such a formidable opponent before in his life¡ªhe was simply frightening.


    Xiao Luo stepped on his chest and went straight to the point. ¡°Are all the recent cases of the missing Hua Nation citizens rted to your family?¡± he asked.


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s foot on his chest, Asou Jiro felt humiliated and angry. But his opponent was just too strong, and there was nothing he could do.


    ¡°Are you from the Hua Nation?¡±


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Xiao Luo increased the pressure on his foot, and more blood started flowing from Asou Jiro¡¯s mouth. It felt like all his internal organs were being churned, and the pain was unbearable.


    ¡°Answer my question!¡± Xiao Luo snapped.


    ¡°The Asou family would never do anything as shameless as this,¡± Asou Jiro retorted.


    ¡°Asou Jiro, you sure are contradicting yourself with what you just said.¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked Asou Jiro and said, ¡°You have sent your people to the Hua Nation to carry out MLM activities. And you¡¯ve even invested in SOD to film pornographic films with the sole purpose of ruining the physical and mental health of the Hua Nation¡¯s teenagers. Aren¡¯t these two activities shameless enough for you?¡±


    With the cat let out of the bag, the color on Asou Jiro¡¯s face changed, and his eyes nced around shiftily.


    ¡°Let us change the way wemunicate,¡± said Xiao Luo, as he squinted his eyes and gave Asou Jiro a yful smile.


    Within moments, he put Asou Jiro under hypnosis. After getting hypnotized, Asou Jiro was in a semi-conscious state.


    But the oue disappointed Xiao Luo. The Asou family was not the culprit behind the disappearances of the Hua Nation people, and they were not even linked. Neither were they involved in any experiments involving gically mutated human beings. However, it was time to settle the score on behalf of his deceased ssmate Guan Tong, who died at the hands of the Asou family. Xiao Luo was already here, and he would not waste such an opportunity and let them off that easily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll avenge you, my old friend, with interest,¡± Xiao Luo muttered a tribute to his dead friend.


    There was no emotion on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. As soon as he finished his sentence, he lifted his foot and stomped on Asou Jiro between his legs.


    ¡°AARGH!¡±


    Asou Jiro howled like a wolf in the middle of the night, breaking the silence around the entire vi. Xiao Luo had smashed his testicles, ensuring that he¡¯d never be able to touch a girl again. The pain was excruciating and far more painful than a woman going throughbor. Veins in Asou Jiro¡¯s forehead bulged and his face turned as red as beetroot. And so intense was the pain that he passed out right away.


    After finishing the job, Xiao Luo left the way he came and leaped off the balcony.


    Outside the vi, more than a dozen men were standing there waiting for him. They were dressed in ck samurai suits and wielding their long swords. The warriors from the Asou family had just arrived. Asou Yanagi was staring at Xiao Luo as he limped from behind the row of warriors.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows as he had not expected Asou Yanagi to regain consciousness that quickly. And now, he had gathered all the strongest warriors of the Asou family.


    ¡°Jiro-kun must be dead. Quick! Take him down and slice him to pieces!¡± yelled Asou Yanagi as he pointed at Xiao Luo.


    Swoosh~


    The samurais unsheathed their swords in unison, ready to battle the intruder. The atmosphere was tense and the situation dangerous.


    Members of the Asou family were trained in a fighting style known as the ¡°God yer¡± technique. There were ten forms, and each was progressively stronger than the other. Some say that this technique was so formidable, it could even kill the gods. The warriors charged toward Xiao Luo, like a pack of hungry wolves baying for blood, advancing in synchronized steps.


    But they soon realized that their quarry was not an easy target.


    Xiao Luo moved with lightning speed and left a faint trail of afterimages with each step he took. It was like something out of a movie. His movements looked simple and easy, but he zipped his way through their lines with no resistance. He paused briefly each time he passed one of his opponents, and his Phantom¡¯s w tore their flesh apart.


    In less than two minutes, all the Asou family warriors were lying on the ground. Some were groaning in pain. Some had suffered crushed shoulders and broken wrists. Others sustained an even worse injury¡ªshed in the chest and lying in a pool of blood with the bones slightly visible.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Asou Yanagi struggled to swallow his saliva. Cold sweat covered his entire body, and his eyes were wide open in fear as he witnessed the scene.


    How did this happen?


    It seems like this guy had be extremely strong. These were the warriors of the Asou family, and yet they appeared so vulnerable. They could not even harm a single hair on his head.


    Xiao Luo looked at Asou Yanagi with a smile and said, ¡°What did you mean by inheriting the will of the Emperor? Is this all the Asou family is capable of? You are nothing but clowns. Do you still think you can shake the foundation of the Hua Nation? Stop daydreaming!¡± He then turned around and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped and turned his head around. ¡°Oh, by the way. When Asou Jiro wakes upter, please tell him this: if the Asou family ever tries to harm the Hua Nation again¡ªthen you can forget about existing in this world ever again. I¡¯ll make sure I pay you guys another visit and ughter all of you.¡±


    Though Xiao Luo spoke in a rxed tone, his threat clearly expressed his murderous intent. Facing such a formidable monster who single-handedly overpowered the warriors of the Asou family, Asou Yanagi lost his courage.


    ¡­


    By the time Xiao Luo left, the sky was dark. He casually walked along the cobbled path of Lotus Manor and headed for the exit.


    He now confirmed that it was not the Asou family that was behind the abductions. So, exactly which organization in Ri nation was behind this?


    The question kept lingering in his head as he walked past the pavilion he had visited earlier. A scene was being filmed and he could hear the moaninging from inside.


    ¡°What a perverted nation!¡±


    Xiao Luo said in disgust. As he recalled what Zhang Dashan had said, he could only agree. He detected a familiar smell and was so disgusted that it was enough to make him puke.

 Chapter 605 - The Lead is Here

    <h2>Chapter 605: The Lead is Here</h2>


    After leaving Lotus Manor, Xiao Luo furrowed his brows again. Although the Asou family might have nothing to do with the missing Hua Nation people, Xiao Luo did some terrible things at Lotus Manor tonight. He failed to control himself, and he expected these actions to cause him some trouble. After all, the Asou family had one of their own, Asou Shuyao, who was the Chief Inspector at the Metropolitan Police. Even if that was not so, the police or military might still hunt him down. The Asou family had a rather significant position and influence in the Ri nation.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early.¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed but did not regret the things he had done.


    He took a taxi back to his residence, took a shower, and changed into fresh clothing. He then headed to the hospital to visit Miyazaki Ronjin. The injuries on Xiao Luo¡¯s body had recovered by now, and there was not a scar on his body. The head of the Metropolitan Police Department, Tanaka Hiroshi, and the Chief Inspector Asou Shuyao, were already at the hospital when Xiao Luo arrived. Though it was ratherte in the night, they did not take their break but rushed to the hospital when they heard about an urgent case. They presented themselves very professionally with such an attitude.


    Kimura Akino felt relieved when he saw Xiao Luo walking in.


    ¡°Xiao Han-san can testify for us. We saw a biochemical human being. Ayer of green-colored scales formed and covered Wang Leyou¡¯s entire body! Not even bullets could prate through it. He did not die even when his body was pierced through. It was only when his head had been smashed that he finally copsed,¡± Kimura Akino exined.


    ¡°Is that so, Xiao-san?¡± Tanaka Hiroshi asked Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± shouted Asou Shuyao.


    She raised her eyebrows and mocked, ¡°Biochemical human being? What do you mean you can¡¯t kill him with bullets! Can¡¯t you make up a better story? How can you say something as ridiculous as this and still keep such a straight face? Do you think everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department is a fool?¡± She turned to Tanaka Hiroshi and said, ¡°Department Head, I am sure they are trying to hide something. I suggest we file a case against the three of them and investigate thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°File a case?¡± asked Tanaka Hiroshi.


    He frowned and continued, ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re suggesting that.¡±


    Asou Shuyao nodded stiffly and said, ¡°Looking at the damage on the car and the headless corpse, I have sufficient evidence to suspect that it must have been a car ident. There is an eighty to ny percent chance that their car ran over and killed the man.¡±


    ¡°I suggest that you check his identity and confirm that the body belongs to the Hua Nation man, Wang Leyou. Then you¡¯ll know that we¡¯re telling the truth,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said. He was lying on the hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around his shoulder.


    ¡°Yes, yes. If you confirm the identity of the corpse, then it proves that what we have been telling you is the truth,¡± Kimura Akino pitched in.


    His eyes were glinting as if he had finally spottednd after drifting in a vast ocean, and he added, ¡°The color of his blood was green. It is not the same as an ordinary human being. Department Head, please trust everything we have told you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Tanaka Hiroshi nodded his head a little and responded vaguely.


    At that moment, Asou Shuyao¡¯s phone started ringing. She walked to a corner as she answered the call. The look on her face changed as she listened to the person on the other end. After putting down the phone, she turned to Tanaka Hiroshi and said, ¡°Department Head, something has happened to my family. I have to head back now to settle some matters.¡±


    ¡°Is everything alright? Okay, go then,¡± Tanaka Hiroshi said, gesturing with his hand.


    Asou Shuyao immediately turned and left, but she stopped for a moment before she exited the hospital ward, and took a nce at Xiao Luo before she walked out. She red at him like he was an enemy.


    Xiao Luo remained calm, and he did not feel or look the least bit guilty at all.


    Suddenly, a police officer ran in gasping and reported frantically. ¡°Department Head, something happened¡­ It¡¯s not good. A mysterious group of people attacked our patrol car and took the headless corpse with them!¡±


    What?


    Everyone in the ward looked surprised. To have the audacity to attack a police car¨Cwhat ouws are these?


    ¡°Huh? Are there any casualties?¡± Tanaka Hiroshi asked.


    The police officer had a devastated look on his face. ¡°Yes, five of them were killed on the spot. More than a dozen of them are severely injured,¡± he said.


    ¡°Fools!¡±


    Tanaka Hiroshi snarled. He turned his head around to look at Miyazaki Ronjin and said, ¡°Ronjin-kun, rest well and leave this to me. I believe all the things that you guys have said. It seems like there is a group of ouws conducting some secret experiment here in Ri nation. I intend to arrest all of them. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    When he said that, he emanated an awe-inspiring aura and strode out vigorously.


    ¡°Da*n it. Now that he realizes that there¡¯s so much to gain from this case, he¡¯s suddenly so much more enthusiastic. He¡¯s going to work harder than anyone else, knowing him. Huh!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin ranted. He spat at the floor to express how felt about Tanaka Hiroshi¨Chis words and actions were rather shameless.


    ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s the Department Head, while you¡¯re just the head inspector,¡± Xiao Luo quipped.


    ¡°What the hell do you know. I just don¡¯t want to fight with him,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin retorted.


    He stretched for his pack of cigarettes. Even this simple act of going for his cigarettes caused his entire body to experience an immense amount of pain.


    Luckily for Kimura Akino¡¯s sharp eyes and swift hands. He helped take the cigarette, put one between Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s lips, and lit it for him.


    After a satisfying puff, the dopamine effect kicked in and Miyazaki Ronjin felt as elevated as an immortal. He could feel the pain in his body subside that very instant. He took a deep long and sighed,¡±Xiao-san, what did you do at Lotus Manor?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I did not do anything,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. If you did nothing, then Asou Shuyao would not have looked so distressed and left in such a hurry,¡± said Miyazaki Ronjin. He looked at Xiao Luo with his pair of sharp eyes, as if trying to see through him.


    Xiao Luoughed but said nothing else.A phone call interrupted the awkward atmosphere. It was an unknown number, but Xiao Luo picked it up, anyway.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°Is this Xiao Han-kun? This is Suzuki Ikuo,¡± a respectful voice could be heard on the other end of the phone.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Xiao Luo responded.


    ¡°We have a lead regarding the ck SUV,¡± Suzuki Ikuo said.


    A lead?


    That fast? Had he not just asked him to search for leads two hours ago? Since when was H Society so much more efficient than the police?


    Xiao Luo had his doubts, but as long as there was a lead, he would not ignore it, even if it was a long shot. He did not know if the Lady Poison Fu Yiren was dead or alive. They might have already turned her into a gically mutated human being, and the possibility of this was worrying Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, have a good rest. I¡¯ve to go settle some things,¡± Xiao Luo said, then he turned to leave.


    ¡°Xiao-san, do you consider me a friend?¡± Miyazaki Ronjin had a hard time sitting up as he called out after Xiao Luo.


    A friend?


    The question surprised Xiao Luo. He turned his head around to look at Miyazaki Ronjin straight in the eye and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin might not have given him a favorable first impression, but Xiao Luo had by now changed his opinion of the man. Miyazaki Ronjin had acknowledged the history of the Sino-Japanese War, faced up to that period of history, and stood on his side during his altercation with Asou Shuyao. Putting everything else aside, this alone was enough for him to consider Miyazaki Ronjin as a friend.


    ¡°It is my honor, then. But I hope you don¡¯t break anyws of Ri nation. Otherwise, no matter where you run or hide, I¡¯ll find you and arrest you,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    He had a conflicted look on his face and had a funny feeling that Xiao Luo had alreadymitted an exceedingly severe crime.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only killed those who deserved to die.¡±


    Xiao Luo said and left without looking back. It was an interesting statement of fact.


    Miyazaki Ronjin stared at the exit after Xiao Luo walked out and was speechless. He had this unsettling feeling that Xiao Luo was about to begin a reign of terror in Dongjing. It would be unimaginably bloody and horrifying.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, what do you think Xiao Han-san¡¯s body is made of? How is it possible for him not to be injured even after colliding with a car?¡± asked Kimura Akino, looking puzzled and confused.


    Miyazaki Ronjin forced a smile and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the Hua Nation and learn some martial arts? Then, maybe you¡¯ll be able to figure that out.¡±

 Chapter 606 - Secret Military Base

    <h2>Chapter 606: Secret Military Base</h2>


    [At the Inagawa-Kai sumo house]


    Xiao Luo received the respect and treatment orded to a VIP. The Inagawa-Kai members who had taken a beating earlier cowered at the sight of Xiao Luo. None dared to look the man in the eye, especially the two sumo wrestlers. They were close to 150 kg in weight, and yet Xiao Luo sent them flying like bags of meat. Just the thought of it made them quiver.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, have some tea!¡± Suzuki Ikuo said as poured Xiao Luo a cup of tea and handed it to him respectfully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Xiao Luo said, ¡°you told me you¡¯ve found that ck SUV? Where is it?¡±


    ¡°In a forest by the foot of Mount Fuji. I have done some checking and found out that about half a year ago, its owner had applied to the vehicle administrative office for the car to be scrapped. But this one is still in use after somebody refurbished it and changed all the faulty parts,¡± Suzuki Ikuo said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one using it now?¡± Xiao Luo asked. Inwardly, he admired how efficient the Yakuza were.


    Suzuki Ikuo looked around, acting like he did not want to be overheard. ¡°Looks like someone from the military,¡± he whispered.


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°The military?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo nodded. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a secret military base two kilometers away from the ck SUV, and the entrance is concealed by a vi,¡± he said.


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a military base?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Suzuki Ikuoughed sheepishly. ¡°About a year ago when we were fighting for territory, the Inagawa-Kai and other Yakuza opened fire on each other, and we identally discovered a vi there. Just the one, all by itself, surrounded by barrennd. We wanted to barge in and see which rich person was staying there and rob them while we were there. But just as we were about to barge into the mansion, we saw several military vehicles driving over, and at least 30 to 40 soldiers stepped out. They went in and disappeared for a few days before they re-emerged. They came out in separate squads, one after the other. There were people from the Mei Nation as well. The vi was barely 1000 square meters, yet it seemed like there was a limitless volume of space within it. The mansion could amodate all the people and tools sent in, regardless of how many. So my guess is a military base located there, and that vi serves as the entrance to it.¡±


    Mei Nation people?


    Xiao Luo realized that this issue was now bing increasingly perilous. To have the Mei Nation people involved in this as well? A military base? It was very likely that this was what he was looking for¡ªthe human experimentationb designed to conduct research in the gic modification of humans.


    He looked at Suzuki Ikuo with an approving nce. ¡°Why are you with the Yakuza? You should go join the police, for your resourcefulness and analytical skills are amazing!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo scratched the back of his head bashfully. ¡°I sat for the test, but I didn¡¯t pass,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Alright, since you¡¯ve already found out so much information, why don¡¯t you work a little harder and make the trip down with me? Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s actually a military base!¡± Xiao Luo said as his lips curled into a smirk.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s jaw dropped in shock, and then he shook his head repeatedly. ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I¡¯m from a Yakuza. It¡¯s one thing if I get in trouble with the police, but I¡¯ll probably die in mysterious ways if I get cklisted by the military.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you this one thing: do you want to die with blood flowing out of all the orifices on your face?¡± Xiao Luo snarled, showing no concern about how the man felt.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was shocked and stumped for words. He ingested the poison created by people from the Hua Nation and would bleed to death if he did not get the antidote within three days. It was a terrifying thought. The only one with the antidote was the person standing right in front of him, but he would probably die quicker if he forcibly attempted to snatch the antidote. This man was a monster with limitless power and terrifying skills.


    ¡°So you have chosen death. I¡¯ll toss the antidote away if that¡¯s the case, not like you have any need for it anyway,¡± Xiao Luo said and promptly got up.


    ¡°Wait a minute! I¡¯ll go, okay?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo panicked and was almost on the brink of tears. He was the leader of the Inagawa-kai and someone who would not even blink when he took dozens of lives. And yet, here he was, submitting to the whims of a single man. But he had no choice¡ªthis man was not only undefeatable, but held his life in the palm of his hand.


    ¡°There we go,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was finding this man rather interesting.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Mount Fuji was about 80 kilometers southwest of Dongjing. Xiao Luo and Suzuki Ikuo took advantage of the cover of night and drove right toward the mountain.


    In the interest of safety, Suzuki Ikuo brought two bodyguards along with him. It was his only request to Xiao Luo, who only agreed after much persuasion. Between these two bodyguards, one was deaf, and the other was mute, and they were both Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s right and left-hand men. Putting aside their skills at fighting, the two of them had stuck by his side from the founding days of Inagawa-Kai and right until it dominated the whole of Dongjing. In Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s mind, bringing them along gave him a sense of security.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, we¡¯re only going there to take a quick look, so there¡¯s no need for us to go in, right?¡± Suzuki Ikuo probed. He was sitting with Xiao Luo in the back of the car.


    Xiao Luo did not keep any secrets from the man. ¡°You can choose not to, but I definitely will.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not a spy sent by Hua Nation, are you? I might be from a Yakuza, but I¡¯d rather die than sell out my country,¡± Suzuki Ikuo protested.


    Xiao Luoughed. ¡°A Yakuza member who loves his country? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being mocked by your colleagues if they learn of this?¡± he teased.


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡±


    The mute person who was driving in the car made a sound to get their attention.


    ¡°You focus on driving the car! What are you doing trying to butt into our conversation? We might be Yakuza members, but we¡¯re Yakuza who love our country! Am I right?¡± Suzuki Ikuo scowled. He redirected Xiao Luo¡¯s question to the deaf person in the passenger seat.


    ¡°Mmm, mmm?¡±


    The person evidently had no idea what was going on, so he only pped his hands.


    ¡°Look at that, he agrees with me! He¡¯s much more aware than you are, you mute man,¡± Suzuki Ikuo said, patting the mute man¡¯s shoulder.


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s actions amused Xiao Luo, who said, ¡°I now realize that you¡¯re also a greatedian. You understand whatever the mute man is saying, and you somehow understand what the f*ck the deaf man says as well.¡±


    ¡°The three of us know each other very well. I just need to look at the expression on their faces, and I know what they¡¯re thinking,¡± Suzuki Ikuo exined.


    ¡°Nice, that¡¯s amazing!¡±


    Xiao Luo held both his thumbs up, and he had to hand it to this guy. So what if these guys were Yakuza? They were far happier and more harmonious than the Dragon Gang in Jiangcheng.


    They reached the vicinity of Mount Fuji after about an hour. The sky was dark, and not a single star appeared in the night sky.


    The town at the foot of Mount Fuji was lit up by countless homes. Looking from a distance, it looked as if it shone with themps of 10,000 households, and resembled a gxy of stars. It was dazzling, and it hurt the eyes just looking at the town.


    Xiao Luo could see that the apex of Mount Fuji was covered by a snowcap even in the dark of the night, and he thought perhaps the snow reflected light more efficiently. Ake and a dense forest stretched across the foot of the mountain. The air was exceedingly fresh, and a cool breeze drifted across the area.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a splendid view!¡± Xiao Luo eximed in awe.


    ¡°Of course, it is. It is a symbol andndmark of Ri Nation and enjoys international prestige. UNESCO even has on its World Heritage List,¡± Suzuki Ikuo said, thumping his chest with pride.

 Chapter 607 - Fend for Yourself

    <h2>Chapter 607: Fend for Yourself</h2>


    ¡°You¡¯re just terrible at being a yakuza member!¡±


    Xiao Luo said as he pped Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s shoulder. What kind of yakuza member was he? Patriotism aside, this man was blessed with the talent of aedian and he was incredibly analytical. To put it in a nutshell, the man was a genius. ¡°Of all the things you could have be, you had to choose the yakuza. You sure picked the wrong path, do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Mmph, mmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡±


    The mute man nodded repeatedly, agreeingpletely with Xiao Luo. Seeing the mute¡¯s animated reaction, the deaf man felt ted and broke out in a jig, although he was not fully aware of what was going on.


    ¡°Did I really pick the wrong path?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo scratched the back of his head. This was the first time he was having doubts about his career, despite it being financially rewarding.


    ¡°You can think about this a little more on your ownter. For now, hurry and bring me to the entrance of that military base,¡± Xiao Luo said, turning his gaze away from the majestic mountain before him and making his way back to the sports car.


    Suzuki Ikuo gave the issue no further thought. He called out for his mute and deaf assistants and headed back to the car as well. Soon the ck sedan was cruising down the elevated road toward the foot of Mount Fuji.


    If Xiao Luo was right, then Drug Lady Fu Yiren would most likely be held in this secret military base.


    Although he did not have any special feelings toward her, just the possibility that she would be experimented on and transformed into a gically modified human being riled Xiao Luo up to no end, and he clenched his fists unconsciously.


    They passed through Kawaguchiko and drove along the foot of Mount Fuji toward the south side. The ce was deserted and filled with nothing but dense vegetation and trees.


    ¡°There¡¯s a warning sign up ahead, it says: ¡®PRIVATE PROPERTY, NO TRESPASSING.¡¯ We¡¯re going to have to get off and continue on foot. If we drive in like this, we¡¯ll definitely get caught,¡± Suzuki Ikuo suggested.


    ¡°Makes sense!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, expressing his appreciation of Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s quick thinking yet again.


    After they got off the car, the mute man drove the car toward the brush by the side of the road. But he lost control for a second and the car smashed right into arge tree. One headlight broke into pieces and the hood was badly dented and lifted slightly.


    ¡°My Lexus!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo plunged into instant despair, and the pain showed as clear as day on his face. ¡°I spent over 8 million on this car, do you know how long I had to save just to afford this car? Only for a bloody mute like you to crash it? You godd*mn idiot!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was livid. After the mute man stepped out of the car, he threw a punch at the man without saying a word, hitting so hard the mute could not stop moaning pitifully in pain.


    ¡°It¡¯s just another lousy 8 million, so why are you so torn up over this?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes. This was in their local currency, so it would be no more than RMB400,000, which meant that it was nothing more than an ordinary car in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re part of the yakuza and Dongjing¡¯s number 1 group, yet you¡¯re acting like this. Are you not embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°You idiot, how dare¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s rage was clouding his judgment, and he immediately exploded when he heard Xiao Luo mocking him. But then Xiao Luo¡¯s face hardened over, and the man immediately realized that this was somebody he could not afford to offend. Suzuki Ikuo smacked the deaf man¡¯s face angrily with an open palm and said, ¡°Hey, Mr. Xiao Han¡¯s asking why you¡¯re not embarrassed. Go on, hurry the f*ck up and look embarrassed!¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡±


    The deaf man could not understand what was going on and he stepped back, absolutely confused. He wondered why his boss was acting like this. He was not the one who crashed the car, so why was the bossing for him?


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. If anyonees our way, you can forget about getting the antidote.¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s words had an instant effect on Suzuki Ikuo who regained control over his emotions.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Hey, mute guy. Put out the fire and hide the car well.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The mute man nodded and proceeded to heed Xiao Luo¡¯s order.


    A dense forest surrounded them, and there was but a single, winding road that was as narrow as a vige footpath meandering through the forest. They paid no mind to the signboard and followed the path for close to 100 meters, and then they saw the ck SUV. It was the one used to abduct the missing Hua nationals. Xiao Luopared the car to the picture he had and took note of the markings and condition of the vehicle before he confirmed that it was the very same car. It was just sitting there, carelessly parked by the side of the road.


    There was no doubt about it. Each time they kidnapped Hua nationals, they evidently brought them here and sent them into the secret military base. The one who had subdued Drug Lady Fu Yiren was probably gically modified. That was the only logical exnation of why the poison that coated Fu Yiren¡¯s body did not affect him.


    Whoosh~


    The mountain breeze carried a biting cold from the peak of Mount Fuji as it drifted down its slopes. It was so cold it made people shiver instantly with their hair standing on ends.


    ¡°Ah, ah,¡± said the mute man.


    ¡°Stop it! The more noise you make, the scarier it gets.¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo scanned the surroundings. There was something about this ce that sent a shiver down his spine, and it was not the cold. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize how forbidding this ce was before?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not want to criticize him anymore. It was downright embarrassing for Suzuki Ikuo to act this way when he was a yakuza leader.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Mount Fuji¡¯s altitude was in excess of 3,700 meters. Xiao Luo and the three yakuza members were still at the foot of the mountain, and even then they were already 200 to 300 meters above sea level. Then the vi came into view, surrounded by walls on all four sides. Inside thepound, there was a spacious yard, and a variety of cars were parked within it. Among them, some were military vehicles.


    The vi had four floors, and on the outside, it looked opulent and was brightly lit. There were security guards stationed within thepound and at the main gate, but judging by their ramrod straight postures, it was likely that they were soldiers disguise as guards. Besides, the average bodyguard would not be armed with such weapons. For not only were they armed with shotguns, but some of them even had assault rifles.


    ¡°What did I say? I told you this was a secret military base. The guns they¡¯re carrying are standard issue weapons of the Self-Defence Forces,¡± Suzuki Ikuo whispered to Xiao Luo.


    They were hiding somewhere downslope, and they also had the cover of the forest, so there was little risk of being noticed as long as they spoke quietly enough.


    Xiao Luo could finally confirm that this was indeed a military base. There was a 90% chance that Drug Lady Fu Yiren was in there, but how should he go about rescuing her? He had no knowledge of what was going on in the ce nor itsyout, sol to just barge into the building was out of the question. He needed a workable n.


    Suddenly, there was a faint sound of a sports car heading this way from the foot of the mountain.


    What amazing timing this was!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. He then stood up and headed toward the foot of the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was ted and he let out a sigh of relief. He immediately assumed that Xiao Luo was going to leave the ce and had given up on the idea of investigating the military base. This was what he was waiting for.


    He signaled his two underlings and said, ¡°Mute guy, deaf guy, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The deaf man could not hear him, and Suzuki Ikuo had to kick his buttocks to get his attention. He then quickened his pace to catch up with Xiao Luo.


    Suzuki Ikuo was smiling smugly. ¡°So, Mr. Xiao Han, about my antidote, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush? Let me take a look inside before I hand it over, there¡¯s still time,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    What?


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s heart froze. So they were still going in after all.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, even the people on the outside look tough, so I¡¯m sure those on the inside are even worse. What if, and this is a huge if, you don¡¯t make it out alive? What happens then?¡±


    ¡°You can fend for yourself, then.¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes.


    Fend for myself?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words shocked Suzuki Ikuo. He then whined pathetically with his face frowning in despair. ¡°Are you even human? I worked so hard for you, I tracked the car down for you within three hours and you still won¡¯t give me the antidote? What else do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Xiao Luo roared at the man, ¡°you can walk away if you think you¡¯re being short-changed, no one¡¯s forcing you to stay.¡±


    I¡­


    The idiot!


    Suzuki Ikuo was furious. The man forced a poison pill down his throat, so what did Xiao Luo mean by saying no one was forcing him to stay?

 Chapter 608 - Obstruction

    <h2>Chapter 608: Obstruction</h2>


    The night was exceptionally serene in Mount Fuji, and as they stared across thendscape, the moonlit sky cast ever-changing shadows of the trees onto the surface of the road, apanied by the sound of rustling leaves swaying in the wind.


    A ring light shone from a distance, and the growl of a high-capacity engine shattered the silence.


    It was a military jeep, and upon closer inspection, they saw four people in the vehicle. The men in the driver¡¯s seat and front passenger seat had haughty looks on their faces and an icy edge to their gazes; everything about their posture suggested they were not people to be trifled with.


    And seated in the back were two men dressed in suits. The one on the left wore a ck suit. He had a cigar pinched between his lips and he looked to be in histe 40s with an imposing countenance. The man on the right wore a light blue suit with a tie and had a pair of sses on. He looked about 30 and seemed like an assistant or a secretary.


    ¡°Major General, why are we heading here thiste at night? Has the base just produced another new gically modified soldier?¡± asked the young man in sses.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that old man, Yamamoto Tomotake, is nning. He said he had a surprise for me, but I think it¡¯ll be more like a shock if you ask me.¡±


    The man in the ck suit said, ¡°We got word from the police yesterday that Hua Nation sent someone to look into the case of the missing Hua nationals. It¡¯s also very likely they sent an NSA soldier and not an actual police officer here. The military base sent a gically modified soldier to take him out, but it ended up getting its head split open. Were it not for the police working with us, the issue would have made the headlines, and the entire world would be working against the entire Ri Nation by now.¡±


    The news shocked the man in sses. ¡°That can¡¯t be! What kind of man is he that even a gically modified soldier was killed?¡± he eximed.


    The men in the driver¡¯s seat and passenger seat were also taken aback. They had seen for themselves how powerful these gically modified soldiers were. No gun or knife could harm them, and they were truly the ultimate war machines. How could someone split their head open?


    The man in the ck suit took a long drag of his cigar. He heaved a long sigh and said, ¡°Who knows what kind of monster the Hua Nation sent over!¡±


    Suddenly, the driver saw a figure about 200 meters ahead of them, standing right in the middle of the road.


    ¡°Why is there somebody standing there?¡± The driver remarked. He sensed something amiss and then honked repeatedly.


    HONK! HONK!


    It was loud and jarring, but the person on the road did not budge at all. He did not seem to even attempt to walk away.


    ¡°What an idiot, is he deaf or something?¡± The driver yelled, then immediately stepped on the brakes.


    The man in the ck suit frowned. He had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Don¡¯t slow down. Speed up, and run him over!¡±


    ¡°Major General, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Heed my order¡ªput your foot to the pedal and run him over. There¡¯s no way somebody appearing here at this time of the night can be one of us!¡±


    The man in sses wanted to speak, but the man in the ck suit bellowed furiously and cut him off. The major general sensed danger the moment he saw the strange figure suddenly appearing on the road.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The driver responded instantly, then stepped on the pedal.


    VROOM!


    The engine of the green jeep leaped to life and roared, and its speed shot up from 80 to 100 in an instant. Like a beast of steel, it hurtled down the road and charged viciously right toward the figure.


    80 meters¡­ 50 meters¡­ 20 meters¡­


    It was getting closer and closer to the stranger and was about to run him over!


    In the vehicle, the four men stared ahead without blinking. But the strange man stood there, unflinchingly in the face of a speeding jeep. There were only three usible exnations for this: first, it was one of their gically modified soldiers; second, it was a deaf and blind person; or third, it was the monster from Hua Nation. The first could be eliminated, which left the two remaining possibilities. Thest one was the more likely of the two, so stopping their vehicle would not be a wise move. Speeding up to run the man over was the wisest and safest option.


    BOOM!


    There was a loud bang, and the speeding jeep suddenly jolted. The four men were thrown around like they were in a violent earthquake. When they finally regained their focus, they were all shocked out of their wits. Because what they saw was not what they had expected¡ªthe strange man was not thrown back by the collision, but instead had both his hands holding down the front of the jeep. It was as if his hands worked like powerful mas, while his feet were sliding back because of the force of the jeep¡¯s momentum.


    D*mn it, what is he doing?


    The driver screamed in panic, with fear written all over his face. He had his foot on the pedal and was stepping down as far as it could go, so the engine was roaring sharply. but the speed of their jeep was almosting to a standstill. The man was holding back their vehicle with nothing more than his power.


    He was terrifying. Not even their gically modified soldiers were this terrifying!


    The sight horrified the four men. The cigar fell from the lips of the man in the ck suit as he stared at the strange man in front of him, holding the jeep back with his head bowed.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    And after 20 to 30 meters, the iron beast was finally brought to aplete halt.


    The man in front of the vehicle lifted his head, and for a moment, they caught a glower in his eyes. They could feel his bloodlust emanating, and though it had only been for an instant, it sent an overpowering sense of fear to the four people in the jeep. The look on the pale face of this stranger gave them a foreboding of something much more sinister.


    Who the hell was this guy?


    The same thought urred to the four men at the same time.


    ¡°Get out!¡± a cold,manding voice rang out in a tone they could not defy.


    The man in the ck suit shook uncontrobly. He quickly reached for his gun and pointed it at the strange man, and he instantly pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    A gunshot broke the silence of the night as a single bullet fired from the chamber pierced through the windshield.


    But the strange man instantly tilted his head to the left as the bullet ripped through the air and whistled past his ear.


    He even dodged a bullet?


    The four men broke out in a cold sweat, and they were all at a loss for words.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this the hard way then!¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    His ghost-like Phantom ws sank into the hood of the jeep, like slicing through tofu, and he lifted the entire vehicle by simply raising his arms. He then turned the jeep over and smashed it violently on the ground.


    BOOM!


    There was a tremendous bang before the vehicle broke up, sending broken parts scattering in all four directions.


    But, smashing it once was not enough. Xiao Luo picked it up again and mmed it another four times until he destroyed it.


    The damage done to the vehicle gave a strong indication of how severely injured the men within it were. They crawled out from the wreckage like dogs, badly cut by broken ss and bleeding from their mouths and noses.


    The man in the ck suit had a broken leg. He pulled himself out by his upper body, but his leg remained trapped beneath the wreck, and so hey there wailing in despair.


    Suzuki Ikuo, the mute man, and the deaf man rushed over and could not help drawing in a deep breath. They were scared out of their wits, and stood like statues, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Luo next to the overturned wreck.


    They witnessed Xiao Luo stop a speeding jeep traveling at 100 miles per hour with nothing more than his strength before he lifted and smashed the car like a toy. F*ck, was he even human?


    Suzuki Ikuo felt as if his understanding of the world had shifted on its axis. He broke out in a cold sweat. In this very moment, Xiao Luo became no different from a monster in his eyes.

 Chapter 609 - Transformation

    <h2>Chapter 609: Transformation</h2>


    Xiao Luo had a cold, ruthless look on his face. He walked up purposefully to the man in the ck suit, then squatted next to him and said, ¡°Tell me your name and rank. You only have one shot at telling me the truth, so I hope you cherish it!¡±


    It was a straightforward sentence, but it carried an ominous ultimatum.


    The man in the ck suit wisely chose to tell all. How would he dare lie to such an all-powerful and enigmatic being? Although his body was in excruciating pain, and blood was streaming profusely from his mouth and nostrils, he gritted his teeth and replied, ¡°Argh. I¡­ I¡¯m Major General Matsushita Take¡­ of the second division¡­ Ri nation Ground Self-Defense Force¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a human researchboratory in there that conducts experiments on live subjects?¡± Xiao Luo probed further.


    Matsushita Take¡¯s face contorted in pain, but he froze the moment he heard Xiao Luo because this was a highly ssified operation. He was a Major General, and if this secret leaked out, he would have to face the consequences.


    But Xiao Luo¡¯s patience ran out. He grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and dragged him from under the wreck like he was dragging a dead dog. The man¡¯s right leg was crushed and trapped underneath the overturned jeep. And Xiao Luo¡¯s action ripped his leg off, causing a copious amount of blood to stter from the wound. It was a gruesome sight as Matsushita Take¡¯s thigh bone was visible. Unable to bear the pain, he howled in agony, causing everyone¡¯s hair to stand on ends.


    What they saw horrified the other three men in the wreck. They looked at Xiao Luo like he was the devil, and it filled their eyes with fear.


    ¡°Look into my eyes!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke sternly to Matsushita Take before he put him under hypnosis, and the major general fell into a deep altered state. As long as the other party¡¯s will power was weak, the hypnosis would produce the desired results. Matsushita Take¡¯s willpower was not strong enough, and Xiao Luo hypnotized him within a few beats. His eyes became zed and seemed out of focus, as he responded sluggishly to a question Xiao Luo posed.


    Xiao Luo very quickly found out that there was a human researchb in there, and its goal was to study gically modified humans. They were developing warriors who were invincible for deployment in future battles. The key person overseeing this operation was a Major General by the name of Yamashita Tomotaka. And what they were experimenting on were not animals but living human beings. They were mostly Hua nationals who hade to Ri Nation, and the abductions resulted from the information provided by the police.


    The police?


    Xiao Luo frowned and continued to probe for more information.


    The answer came from Matsushita Take¡¯s very lips, and the name he provided was none other than¡ªthe Chief of Police, Tanaka Hiroshi. The police chief was in cahoots with the military, and it was he who provided the information that Wang Leyou¡¯s body was being transported to the station. Theboratory then sent their people to ambush the police car and snatched Wang Leyou¡¯s corpse.


    Xiao Luo also pressed for information on Fu Yiren¡¯s whereabouts. Matsushita Take answered that there was ady whose entire body was filled with potent toxins, and she was being detained in the research facility. They had not done anything to Fu Yiren yet, except to extract blood from her every day for their research. The toxins in her blood had high research valuepared to the gically modified soldiers.


    ¡°Why did you choose to use Hua nationals as your research subjects?¡±


    ¡°Because those people are the lowest form of humanity and deserve to be enved. They¡¯re no different fromb rats!¡± Matsushita Take responded in his subconscious state and without emotion.


    Being from the Hua Nation, Xiao Luo was infuriated upon hearing this. On top of that, he had just confirmed that there was a research facility in the base, and they were conducting live experiments on Hua nationals. The moment Xiao Luo heard that what the major general said, he instantly meted out the death sentence.


    ¡°Very well, then. To hell with all of you!¡±


    He had not nned on killing anyone while he was in Ri Nation, but he could not hold back any longer.


    Xiao Luo sped Matsushita Take¡¯s throat and twisted it forcefully. The vertebrae snapped with a crack and the major general¡¯s head lolled limply to its side. Thankfully for the major general, he was still in a state of hypnosis and he did not feel the pain.


    ¡°No, please¡­ Please don¡¯t kill us¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not from theboratory. We¡¯re just Major General Matsushita¡¯s subordinates¡­¡±


    But Xiao Luo did not spare their lives. He kicked each of them once and smashed their ribs, and the blow ruptured their internal organs, killing them instantly.


    ¡°Suzuki Ikuo,e here with your men!¡±


    When Suzuki Ikuo heard Xiao Luo calling for him, he snapped out of his shock. He knew better than to talk about being patriotic anymore, especially after seeing Xiao Luo ughter the four men. After all, Suzuki Ikuo was from the yakuza, and staying alive was second nature to him.


    What had the worlde to?


    How could such a terrifying beast such as Xiao Luo exist?


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s face appeared forlorn, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. The mute and deaf men followed closely behind him.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, do you¡­ do you have any instructions for us?¡± Suzuki Ikuo asked, bowing humbly.


    ¡°Strip them of their clothes and put them on.¡± Xiao Luo said. He then bent down to take off Matsushita Take¡¯s clothes.


    Suzuki Ikuo immediately saw through the n and said, ¡°You want us to disguise ourselves as these four and sneak in?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked up and red at him. ¡°Since you already know, cut the crap and put on their clothes now. That is an order, and if you dare defy me again, I¡¯ll send you straight to hell before the poison even has the chance to kick in.¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was so frightened that he started shaking. There was no way he would take this lightly, not after seeing how easily Xiao Luo had killed those men. It was like ughtering chickens and ducks. He immediately stopped talking and started removing the clothes from the bespectacled man¡¯s body. He then smacked the deaf and mute men who were still in a stupor and hurried them to dress in the clothes of the other two dead men.


    Xiao Luo did not react to them. He made quick work of stripping Matsushita Take and changing into his clothes.


    He then tossed the four bodies like shotput into the dense forest by the road. That sight immediately sent shivers down Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s spine. This man kills and plunders at will and was undoubtedly more terrifying than the yakuza. Look at how effortlessly he¡¯s dealing with those bodies, he thought. There was no way he would¡¯ve believed it had someone told him that this was the first time the Hua national was doing something like this.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, this Matsushita Take is one of the important officials involved in the research facility. They will surely recognize such a high-ranking officer, and there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to make it past security disguised in their clothes,¡± Suzuki Ikuo said. He did not dare speak too loudly and he felt nothing but awe and fear for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked. As he spoke, the bones in his body started transforming with a grotesquely cracking sound ringing. First, his height and build changed, before his face took on the form of the major general.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    The three men shrieked at the same time. Suzuki Ikuo, the deaf man, and the mute man were all so shocked that they fell to the ground on their haunches, staring up at Xiao Luo with their eyes wide open. Xiao Luo slowly transformed into Matsushita Take right in front of their eyes. His build, height, and facial features were identical to the man.


    Good God, is he the devil?


    To Suzuki Ikuo, this was the single most horrifying thing he had ever seen in his life. No, it was hundreds of times more terrifying than watching Sadako.


    ¡°Any further questions?¡±


    Xiao Luo said and smiled at them. He mimicked Matsushita Take mannerism, pulling out a cigar from his pocket and sticking it between his teeth. He lit the cigar and took a long drag as if he enjoyed it. This was the transformation technique he had exchanged with the system for 80,000 points. Not only could he transform to look like someone else, but he could also even mimic their voice.


    Suzuki Ikuo and the mute man shook their heads, looking like two empty shells that had lost their souls.


    The deaf man followed suit when he saw them shake their heads, and he had a simr expression on his face¡ªone of immense fear.

 Chapter 610 - Infiltration

    <h2>Chapter 610: Infiltration</h2>


    After Xiao Luo and the three yakuza had switched into the clothes of the dead men, three vehicles rushed over and roughly a dozen security guards dressed in ck uniform alighted from the vehicles, armed with assault rifles. They were security guards from the vi, and they had heard the earliermotion. They rapidly advanced, shing their torchlights on Xiao Luo¡¯s party, which blinded them.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Give us your identity!¡± the leader bellowed.


    Suzuki Ikuo, the mute man, and the deaf man were so frightened they broke out in a cold sweat and stared anxiously at Xiao Luo. If he did not handle this well, they would all end up dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m Matsushita Take!¡± Xiao Luo roared in response, imitating Matsushita Take¡¯s gritty voice. as he angrily tossed aside the cigar he had in his mouth.


    After he announced himself as Matsushita Take, the group of armed security guards were less aggressive and slowly walked over to them. When the leader of the security team confirmed Matsushita Take¡¯s identity, he raised a hand to signal the others to lower their guns. He was an important official of the research facility. The security team leader had a big smile on his face, and he weed them.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Major General Matsushita. What happened to you? You all look so disheveled,¡± the leader said with concern.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Xiao Luo retorted and then pped the man across his face.


    THWACK!


    The stinging sound of the p resounded in the quiet of the night, and it sent the leader spinning on the spot. His ears were ringing, and his head rang with buzzing noises.


    The other security guards shuddered at the sight, and they could almost feel the pain inflicted on their leader just by witnessing what had happened. The p was intense, and they knew the stinging pain would¡¯ve been difficult to take. They could not help but be silently thankful that they were not the leader.


    Suzuki Ikuo and his two henchmen were also in shock. Xiao Luo had pped a man he had just met for the first time with no regard for anything else. It was too vicious!


    Instinctively, the leader immediately stood with a straight back and lowered his head. He looked every bit like someone who was being punished.


    Xiao Luo pushed the man back by his nose and looked menacing. ¡°You happy that I got into an ident or something? Are you f*cking mocking me, you sh*t?¡± he yelled.


    The leader felt misunderstood and looked like he was going to cry. He had genuinely asked out of concern. How was that mocking?


    ¡°General Major Matsushita, I wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo pped him again before he even finished speaking.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t what? I¡¯ve had enough of your pathetic excuses. My vehicle has broken down. Hurry! Bring me to the base. I¡¯ll skin you alive if you cause me any more dys!¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± the leader immediately straightened up stiffly and responded respectfully.


    He ignored the stinging sensation on his face for now. Instead, he hurriedly ushered Xiao Luo and the three men into their waiting vehicles with respect and decorum.


    Suzuki Ikuo and his henchmen were staring with their eyes wide open. So, they got in just like this? All Xiao Luo had to do was to frighten the security team leader with a few ps and reprimands. What the f*ck!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The vi was used to conceal the entrance into the military base, and from the outside, it looked no different from any other mansion. The only difference was that this vi had an enormous basement. The basement was located over 10 meters beneath the surface of the ground. The stone steps that lead the way down were about four or five meters wide.


    The entrance was a heavy, bulletproof metal door. The leader of the security team keyed in the password on the keypad at the side of the door, and then Xiao Luo unlocked it by the facial recognition system using Matsushita Take¡¯s face.


    ¡°Facial recognition sessful!¡±


    A synthesized female voice rang out. The heavy metal door slowly rolled up.


    Immediately, a gust of biting cold air blew out from within. Suzuki Ikuo and his two henchmen shivered with their hair standing on ends. What they saw in front of them was not the facility, but a dark corridor, and there they could make out a series of tunnels and trams. It looked like a subway tform, except that this tform was modest in size. Other than the immediate tram area, every other part of theplex was pitch-ck.


    Xiao Luo stepped onto the tram without waiting, but Suzuki Ikuo hesitated and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­ Major General Matsushita¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo almost slipped up and called his name, but he quickly recovered and addressed Xiao Luo as ¡°Major General Matsushita¡± when thetter red at him. Xiao Luo did not have the same face as before¡ªhe was Matsushita Take.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xiao Luo snarled. Suzuki Ikuo could not help but tremble when the man red at him coldly.


    ¡°N-nothing¡­¡± Suzuki Ikuo responded with a nervousugh. He did not even dare to suggest leaving, for he knew that he had to stick with this Hua nation demon for now. He had no choice but to step into this ce, even if it were hell.


    Xiao Luo huffed and then turned around and step into the tram followed by Suzuki Ikuo and his men.


    The tram ran on a program, and the leader of the security team promptly tinkered around with the controls before turning around to Xiao Luo. ¡°Major General Matsushita, all you need to do is press this green button here, and the tram will automatically bring you to the base,¡± he said.


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo smacked the man heavily with his palm, and it caused the leader of the security team to tear up slightly. He looked at Xiao Luo like a woman scorned. ¡°I¡¯ve been here so many times. You think I need you to tell me what to do?¡±


    The fact was, Xiao Luo needed guidance from the security team leader, but he needed to keep the man on the defensive by continually scaring him. Besides, it was quite a thrill to p someone like this, and he had grown so ustomed to it that his hand moved on its own ord.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The leader immediately stood with his back ramrod straight and nodded stiffly.


    ¡°You can get out now!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The leader hurriedly alighted the tram and instantly felt an enormous weight lifted off of his shoulder.


    Xiao Luo pressed the green button, and they started to move deeper into the tunnel.


    ¡°Since when did Major General Matsushita¡¯s temper be this bad, captain?¡± a guard asked the security team leader after the tram departed.


    ¡°How the f*ck would I know?¡±


    There was no question that the security team leader was thoroughly annoyed. Xiao Luo had pped him three times across the face for no apparent reason. He took all three hits on the left side of his face, and now he felt nothing but a lingering burning sensation.


    ¡°Do you think that is an impostor? Those three do not seem to look like his subordinates from the previous visits,¡± the same guard said. He had his doubts.


    SLAP!


    The leader smacked the guard so hard that he saw stars, but he still tried his best to maintain a straight posture.


    The security team leader scowled, ¡°Do I look like an impostor to you?¡±


    ¡°No, captain, how can you be an impostor?¡± the security guard responded, shaking his head.


    The security team leader looked at him sternly. ¡°Yes, so how can Major General Matsushita be an impostor? You think an impostor would dare p me across the face three times?¡± he said.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    THWACK!


    The leader pped the guard again and shouted, ¡°Enough! Is this our first time meeting Major General Matsushita? You can¡¯t even recognize Major General Matsushita?¡±


    The final p and an earful quickly dispelled any further suspicions the guard had.


    When the leader left the tunnel, he finally felt at ease. He thought to himself, godd*mn, pping someone feels great. I¡¯ve got to keep learning from Major General Matsushita!


    He did not think of being pped by Xiao Luo as a humiliation anymore. He felt almost like a role model. He thought it might be a good idea to take a page out of the ¡°major general¡¯s¡± book and to master this habit in advance before he became a major general himself. This feeling was truly exhrating.

 Chapter 611 - Experimentation Facility

    <h2>Chapter 611: Experimentation Facility</h2>


    As the tram made its way through the tunnel, Xiao Luo felt like he was entering a mine shaft. It was notpletely dark as low-intensitymps were installed along the passageway, providing sufficient illumination to move about, but it was still rtively dark in there. The tram was notpletely shuttered, allowing cold gusts of air generated to flow through the carriage as they moved. The frigid draft made the men shiver.


    Suzuki Ikuo folded his arms over his chest to stay warm. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like a track to a military instation. It looks more like the road to hell!¡± he said.


    Suzuki Ikuo had fear and anxiety written all over his face. He wanted to believe that everything happening here was nothing but a nightmare, for he had a foreboding feeling he was helplessly approaching death.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The mute man uttered a sound in response.


    The deaf man nodded as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a coward. Why did you even join the yakuza?¡± Xiao Luo sneered. He saw the anxiety in Suzuki Ikuo, and he feltpelled to say his piece when the man started whining.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was at a loss for words. He dared not talk back to Xiao Luo, who was, in his eyes, a terrifying, murderous monster. But inwardly, he thought to himself¡ªwhy don¡¯t you find any random yakuza member and see if he¡¯s any braver than I am?


    The tram was only traveling at a moderate speed, at around 30 to 40 miles per hour, and after being in the dark tunnel for about 20 minutes, they saw light. Soon, they were almost reaching the end of the tunnel, and there they saw another tform. The tram started slowing down as it was programmed to do.


    The tform looked clean and spotless.


    The environment appeared to be sanitized, like a clean room, and it was evident that this was a ce for the development of advanced technologies, for there were many biohazard signs on the walls.


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s heart leaped to his throat. His area of expertise was to engage in turf wars or collect protection money. He had never seen anything like this before. The fact that this was a covert military base and its whereabouts was considered ssified, made him feel slightly anxious and he could barely breathe.


    ¡°Major General Matsushita!¡±


    About a dozen soldiers dressed in ck uniforms and armed to the teeth lined up to wee Xiao Luo. Right in front of the group was a Ri Nation officer with a long face. He saluted as Xiao Luo alighted from the tram.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Xiao Luo responded. He had both his hands behind his back, and he looked every bit the picture of an arrogant senior officer who had no regard for others.


    He did a quick sweep of his surroundings and spotted a metal door. It looked like it was constructed of the same material as the main gate of the vi. This was a double door and he could tell it was the entrance into the research facility.


    Just as he took a step toward that direction, the Ri Nation man with the long face suddenly asked, ¡°Major General Matsushita, why didn¡¯t Chinatsue with you?¡±


    He was alert. He looked at Suzuki Ikuo and the other two men standing next to him. These three were unfamiliar faces, and the base was a ssified high-security location. As part of their security precautions, it was necessary to be meticulous in their screening.


    ¡°You think that there is a problem with my men?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze was icy cold. Instantly, the temperature in the area seemed to plunge to freezing point.


    The Ri national with the long face shuddered. ¡°I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t dare, Sir,¡± he quickly said.


    As he spoke, he took two steps back and quickly lowered his head.


    ¡°That is better. Now, open the door!¡± Xiao Luo took long strides as he walked toward the research facility.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The long-faced Ri national immediately scampered after Xiao Luo. He video-called the security officer stationed inside the facility to get entry clearance. The security officer verified the request, and the door opened from the inside.


    The long-faced Ri national gestured for Xiao Luo to step in, and thetter walked right in with no hesitation.


    Suzuki Ikuo and his two henchmen mustered up their courage and followed Xiao Luo. To them, it felt no different from stepping into hell. Even if they could make it out alive, they were more worried that they would be ced on the military¡¯s cklist. If it came to that, there would be no ce on the entire ind of Ri Nation to hide.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Upon entering, they saw many workers dressed in white hazmat suits inside the facility. Xiao Luo and his party were then escorted to Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s office by ady.


    Thisdy was evidently meeting major general Matsushita Take for the first time, as she introduced herself the minute she met Xiao Luo. She was Nakamura Miko, and Xiao Luo learned that there had been a breakthrough in the research here. She informed him that a highly powerful and aggressive gically mutated warrior was almost ready. Yamashita Tomotake wanted to invite the major general to witness this miraculous moment.


    ¡°Bring me to the one with the toxic body!¡± Xiao Luo instructed.


    ¡°You wish to see the toxic one, Major General?¡± asked Nakamura Miko. Doubt and confusion were written all over her face.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m just wondering why you wanted to see her, Major General,¡± Nakamura Miko replied.


    ¡°The Major General can see whoever he wants to see. What reason does he need? Enough of this nonsense, just bring us there!¡±


    It was Suzuki Ikuo who said that. He had been keeping a lid on his nervousness, and when the opportunity came, he naturally felt the urge to shout at someone to release his pent-up anxiety.


    Nakamura Miko was startled and did not dare to pursue her question any further. She nodded and said, ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The interior of the research facility was well lit. Xiao Luo and his party followed Nakamura Miko into the lift, where they headed further down the shaft.


    My God, we¡¯re probably beneath Lake Kawaguchi, Suzuki Ikuo thought to himself. As someone who was ustrophobic, he was very distressed by this, although the facility did not seem like it was underground at all.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes scanned around the ce. There were many test subjects being confined here, and they looked utterly helpless, just likeb rats. And what awaited them was nothing but despair and agony.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Nakamura Miko said with a smile.


    The doors to the elevator opened. ¡°This is the lowest level of the facility, and this is where we hold all the live test subjects. We have many inferior people from the Hua Nation, Vietnam, and Korea.¡±


    Inferior people?


    Standing beside Xiao Luo, even Suzuki Ikuo seemed riled up when he heard this.


    There was a small squad of security personnel stationed here, and they were armed with rifles. After Nakamura Miko introduced Xiao Luo, they all saluted him respectfully.


    Xiao Luopletely ignored their presence and looked around the ce. He saw rows of sealed metal containment cells on one side. He nced through the window on the doors of these locked cells to see the inside. Each of these held a live test subject, but in one cell, what he saw shook him to his core. They were a mother and son, and he recognized them immediately¡ªXie Wenchang¡¯s wife and son. The image of the family holding each other after their reunion suddenly shed in his mind, and he had never expected that he would see them here like this.


    The woman and child were both wearing hospital gowns. There was a forlorn look in their eyes, and they were sitting in one corner of the cell. The woman held her child protectively in her embrace. When they saw a pair of old, vicious eyes staring through the window, the woman immediately nched and started trembling. Her eyes were filled with fear and horror, for she only saw the major general and had no idea that it was Xiao Luo. Her first thought was that the people at the facility were here to take them away to conduct experiments.


    ¡°When were they brought in?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Nakamura Miko stepped forward and replied, ¡°Yesterday afternoon. ording to the information I have, this is a family of three who came to Ri Nation for a vacation. They have no rtives or friends in Hua Nation and therefore, were suitable to be our test subjects. Nobody would even notice even if they disappeared from the face of the earth.¡±

 Chapter 612 - Raid

    <h2>Chapter 612: Raid</h2>


    ¡°I see!¡±


    There was a viciously icy glint in Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze. This was the same family that had just been reunited only yesterday, and the memory of them holding each other in front of a supermarket was still fresh in his mind. To think that they had now been abducted and brought here to be live test subjects shocked Xiao Luo. Undoubtedly, this family had no idea that the vacation they so looked forward to woulde to such a tragic end.


    Nakamura Mikopletely misread Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction. She nodded repeatedly and responded, ¡°Yes. This woman¡¯s husband is a prime specimen. In the past, whenever we pushed the threshold, most of the subjects died because they could not handle the high level of pain when we altered their genes. However, this woman¡¯s husband has an incredible mental fortitude, and it was with this willpower that he survived the most painful period of the process. He has now be the first sessful gically modified ¡®ultimate soldier¡¯ we managed to develop.¡±


    ¡°Why was his will to live so strong?¡±


    It was not Xiao Luo but Suzuki Ikuo who asked that question. As someone from the yakuza, he genuinely believed that the Ri nationals had gone too far this time. Using human beings as test subjects for such an experiment was far crueler than just killing them outright.


    Nakamura Miko looked at the mother-and-son pair in the metal cell. ¡°As a husband and a father, it was his duty is to protect them. He must have survived for the sake of this woman and his child. This cell is under surveince, so we transmitted the CCTV feed to theboratory on the second floor. It appeared to give him a powerful motivation to stay alive, and he withstood the pain during the gic modification process.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, this is excessively cruel, even just thinking about it!¡± Suzuki Ikuo swore.


    ¡°Cruel?¡±


    Nakamura Miko looked at him as if she was staring at an alien. She could not understand why he would say something like this.


    ¡°Which room is the Lady Poison being held in?¡± Xiao Luo asked, carefully suppressing his rage.


    ¡°She¡¯s the most dangerous of our test subject, so we detained her in a cell down that way,¡± Nakamura Miko said, pointing further down the hall.


    ¡°This subject¡¯s entire body is covered in very potent toxins, and the average person would instantly sumb to her poison simply bying into contact with her. If it wasn¡¯t for the gically modified soldiers, there would have been no way that we could have captured her.¡±


    ¡°Her entire body is coated in potent toxins? How can that be?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was starting to feel that this facility was something right out of The Arabian Nights. If her entire body was covered in poison, then how could she still be alive?


    ¡°Even with our research and technology, we have found no exnation yet why Lady Poison¡¯s entire body is coated in toxins. Her case is special, and it has be one of our primary areas of focus for our research in this facility,¡± Nakamura Miko replied.


    And soon, they reached the end of the corridor.


    Through the window on the metal cell, Xiao Luo could see a restraining device like a crystal coffin that stood vertically. The Lady Poison, Fu Yiren, was confined within it,pletely naked. The small space barely made it possible for her to move even a finger. There was a needle stuck in her, and it allowed the researchers to draw her blood by just pushing on a button.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart sank, and a wave of emotions hit him. It was in as day that Fu Yiren was now extremely weak after being subjected to this treatment as a test subject. She was not as radiant and enchanting as she once was.


    He looked at the metal cell, and then called out coldly, ¡°Open it!¡±


    Open it?


    Nakamura Miko started to be suspicious, and said, ¡°Major General Matsushita, she¡¯s extremely dangerous. We cannot¡­¡±


    SLASH~


    There was a swishy sound, and she suddenly felt a chill in her heart. She looked down and saw a knife sticking out of her chest.


    Nakamura Miko copsed without so much as a scream. The mute man was standing behind her with a savage glint to his re, and in his hand, he gripped a short de dripping with blood. It was clear that Nakamura Miko had been killed by him.


    ¡°Motherf*cker, what are you doing?¡± Suzuki Ikuo cried. He paled as he looked at the mute man with the fierce face in utter disbelief.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah,¡± the mute man said as he pointed his dagger at Nakamura Miko¡¯s corpse. He confronted Suzuki Ikuo as if he was quarreling with him.


    Suzuki Ikuo was in great distress. ¡°I understand, I know that you had your tongue cut out when you tried to protect your wife and daughter. Even so, you can¡¯t just kill this woman on impulse. Do you know what you¡¯ve just done?¡± he said.


    ¡°Ya, ya, ya¡­¡± the deaf man echoed his sentiments and gestured animatedly.


    ¡°You idiot, shut your damn mouth. Just stop messing around!¡± Suzuki Ikuo scowled.


    ¡°Messing around? These guys are much stronger than you are!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the mute man approvingly. Suddenly, Xiao Luo¡¯s bones emitted cracking sounds, and almost immediately, his facial features and body structure transformed back to their original form. He was no longer Matsushita Take.


    One member of the security squad stationed on the first floor heard themotion and rushed over. Before he could even speak, Xiao Luo appeared right behind him like a ghost.


    ¡°Ooof!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s razor-sharp fingers pierced the man¡¯s back and through his heart like a dagger, as he used his other hand to muffle the guard¡¯s mouth. The man¡¯s eyes widened as thick, fresh blood surged copiously from his terrible wound. Blood gushed through his mouth, but it went no further, for Xiao Luo had his hand sped tightly over the guards¡¯ mouth, and his life ended in an instant.


    Xiao Luo had been clinical in his execution, but the man thrashed around in the throes of his violent death and his struggle was amplified in this quiet underground crypt.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo¡¯s ears twitched as he could hear the footfall of someone approaching. A security guard nearby became suspicious and cautiously made his way over. And, just as he turned past one of the metal cells, he was taken by surprise. Xiao Luo had tailed the guard, and the moment turned the corner, Xiao Luo struck with a violent thrust of his hand squarely on the man¡¯s chest.


    SNAP!


    There was a gruesome sound of ribs cracking, and a piece of the broken bones pierced the heart. The security guard barely had time to respond before he lost his life.


    What sound was that?


    What happened?


    The other seven or eight guards heard the sound. After some hesitation, they gathered their courage and slowly making their way forward. They had their guns at the ready when they reached the cell that held the Lady Poison.


    ¡°Major General Matsushita!¡±


    ¡°Miss Miko!¡±


    The leader of the squad tried calling out for Xiao Luo and Nakamura Miko. He sensed danger.


    Xiao Luo was like the grim reaper harvesting souls. He made use of the rows of metal cells as cover. In moments, he had already moved from the southeast corner to the northwest. There was a nasty glint in his eyes, and like a venomous snake, he had it fixed on the security guard standing right at the rear of the squad.


    ¡°OOOF!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s Phantom w sliced his throat open as his other hand muffled the guard, causing the man to die quietly as he struggled in vain.


    In a short time, Xiao Luo used the same covert method to rid another five of the guards. It was also at this moment that the two men at the very front¡ªthest two of the squad¡ªfound the bodies of their colleagues. Shock filled their eyes and the squad leader hurriedly pulled out his walkie-talkie to report this matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t get to do that!¡±


    A hauntingly ominous voice filtered from somewhere close by. Xiao Luo suddenly appeared behind him, and before the guard could even respond, his index finger and thumb ripped through his neck like a pair of tusks and tore out a chunk of flesh.


    With an artery ruptured, blood gushed out of his throat like a fountain. The squad leader still tried calling for help, but with his throat ripped open, he could only make wheezing sounds. He soon lost all his strength as fresh blood poured out profusely, and he copsed into a pool of his own blood.


    Xiao Luo did not waste any time. He bounded toward thest guard and twisted his body in mid-air before he delivered a devastating kick to his chest.


    SNAP!


    There was another bone-chilling crack, and Xiao Luo sent thest security guard flying like a cannonball. He crashed into one of the metal cells, and his body virtually disintegrated as he slowly slid off the cell wall like a heap of flesh into a pool of his blood. Strangely, he seemed to struggle briefly before he stopped moving altogether.

 Chapter 613 - The Carnage Begins

    <h2>Chapter 613: The Carnage Begins</h2>


    Such terrifying skills and a vicious personality¡ªthis man was the grim reaper incarnate!


    Suzuki Ikuo could not stop trembling at the sight of the bodies littered on the floor of the facility. His entire world view changed instantly after witnessing what had taken ce here on this night. Whoever said that even the strong and powerful feared bullets? This man was not afraid of such things at all. He had just sent an entire squad of fully armed security guards packing to hell in no more than a minute.


    ¡°Good God! If this is all just a bad dream, please let me wake up now!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo prayed fervently, in desperation and despair. He swore that he would leave the yakuza if he ever made it out of here alive. He would be aw-abiding and upright citizen and would never want to endure such torment ever again, even if it meant he had to sell roasted meat on the streets.


    ¡°There are hazmat suits in the closet there. The three of you, put it on now.¡±


    Xiao Luo issued amand before he bounded toward the metal cell farthest in.


    The door to the cell was heavy and secured by an electronic lock system essed using a keypad interface. Xiao Luo smashed a hole into the interface with his fist, and the metal door immediately opened. Suddenly the jarring sound of an rm rang out through the underground facility. And with that, his infiltration was no longer a secret.


    But, to Xiao Luo, this was not an issue. Now that he had found Fu Yiren, there was no more need to act discreetly. He had long since decided to wipe out everyone who worked here in this facility, and now, there was no more need to hide.


    BOOM!


    With two well-aimed kicks, he cracked open the apparatus that held Fu Yiren. She was still in aatose state, and so she fell immediately into his arms. There was a sweet fragrance that emanated from Fu Yiren, but this was also a form of toxin. Xiao Luo¡¯s Yi JinJing worked quickly to break down the toxic gas.


    ¡°Fu Yiren, Fu Yiren¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo tried to wake her by calling her name, but she did not respond. The woman sagged in his hold as if she had no bones. Her skin was pale and hershes long, and she looked as peaceful as sleeping beauty.


    He pulled out the needle stuck into her and then took his clothes off to cover her, carrying her out of the metal cell.


    ¡°What do we do, Mr. Xiao Han? It looks like we¡¯ve been spotted!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo and his two henchmen had by then already put on their hazmat suits, and the rm that went off in the underground hall was sending them into a panic.


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Xiao Luo huffed in contempt. ¡°Even the mute and deaf guys know to pick up a gun, but you¡¯re just standing there empty-handed?¡± he scorned.


    Suzuki Ikuo looked left and right, and he saw that the mute and deaf guys had already picked up assault rifles for themselves, while he had done nothing but put on the hazmat suit.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! Take care of her!¡± Xiao Luo dumped Fu Yiren into his grasp, letting him hold her.


    ¡°Wow, what a prettydy!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo eyed Fu Yiren with admiration and was instantly bedazzled by her beauty.


    Xiao Luo felt the urge to kick him and make that lecherous expression on his face disappear, but he had a better idea, and instead, he said, ¡°If she¡¯s alive, you¡¯re alive. If she¡¯s not alive, then there¡¯s no need for you to be, either. Do you understand what I¡¯m telling you?¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo instantly shivered in fear, and he nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking rice. ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Xiao Luo forced open all the metal cells with brute force, only to find out that every one of them, except for Lady Poison Fu Yiren and Xie Wenchang¡¯s wife and son, were test subjects and had already been injected with the gic agents.


    Some of them were no more than bloodied corpses who looked like they had been skinned alive and were barely clinging on to life. Some had vivisection performed on them and bore long sutured wounds that extended from the chest to the groin; they were subjected to such immense pain that they were better off dead. Meanwhile, another had grown gills and looked like an ugly mermaid, only this mermaid had a rotting bodypletely covered with foul-looking abscesses.


    These were all test subjects¡ªor rather, they were all the results of failed experiments!


    Even if he could sessfully rescue them, they probably did not have long to live. Xiao Luo waved his hand, and the mute man ended their miserable lives with the assault rifle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure those who caused you this pain will be buried six feet under!¡±


    Xiao Luo had never seen himself as a saint, but even so, at this moment, his head was filled with nothing but the desire to kill. Every time he brimmed with bloodlust, the bloodthirsty beast that dwelt within him would rear its ugly head, and his blood would start rushing to his head with excitement.


    The mother¨Cson pair they rescued recognized him immediately.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    The little boy raised his head, staring at Xiao Luo with a pair ofrge eyes that resembled ck jewels. His adorable face made him look like a porcin doll, and he gave Xiao Luo a huge smile. Perhaps he thought that Xiao Luo had forgotten him, so he raised his little arm up high and saluted Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo patted his head, and then he noticed that the little boy¡¯s left eye waspletely white and his pupil was missing. It was evident that this little boy had been injected with the gic agent, and his body was undergoing unusual changes. When Xiao Luo saw the woman choking on her sobs with tears streaming down her face, he sadly epted that the boy had been infected with the gic agent.


    The woman suddenly kneeled before Xiao Luo and the men. She looked dispirited and immediately kowtowed to Xiao Luo. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you, save my husband. Please, I¡¯m begging on my knees!¡±


    ¡°Get up. I¡¯ll do my absolute best to rescue him.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned. From what he had heard from Nakamura Miko, it was unlikely that he¡¯d be able to rescue Xie Wenchang. There was nothing else he could do but to assure and console her.


    The woman was distressed but far from having aplete breakdown, for her son was her biggest source of strength. Women may be frail, but mothers were certainly not when it came to their offspring. Despite her fatigued condition, she lifted her little boy and held him tightly in her embrace and then followed closely behind Xiao Luo.


    They were currently four floors below ground. Suddenly, the blinking lights of the elevator caught their attention. The indicator light on the te started descending.


    The mute and deaf guys brandished their assault rifles, got in position, and prepared to open fire. Beads of sweat were streaming down their foreheads, showing how nervous they were.


    Suzuki Ikuo wondered, ¡°How the f*ck can these two idiots be braver than I am? Have I been taking things too easy these few years? Have I lost my edge?¡± He was ashamed of himself. He was the boss of the inagawa-kai, and yet he was put to shame by a mute man and deaf man. This was a slight to his reputation and an embarrassment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Ding!


    The elevator finally reached their level and the heavy metal door slid open. Dozen of soldiers in ck uniforms and helmets rushed out.


    Instantly, the mute man and deaf man squeezed their triggers simultaneously, firing manically in a sweeping pattern across the entrance of the elevator.


    The gunfire was furious, sending a hail of bullets like a thunderstorm. It resembled hellfire, tearing viciously into the soldiers exiting the elevator.


    OOOF!


    The soldiers were caught in the deadly volley, and blood sttered around like sprays of paint. Shell casings spat from the bolt and dropped to the floor as rounds left the chamber rapidly, and the soldiers fell, one after the other.


    But these were properly trained personnel, and despite the sustained fire from the mute and deaf henchmen to keep the soldiers at bay, the survivors quickly regrouped and retaliated with a counterattack.


    RAT TATAT TAT!


    The bullets were like sheets of rain and surged toward the defenders viciously.


    The mute and deaf henchmen fell back, taking cover behind two metal cells.


    Then, Xiao Luo, who had attached himself to the ceiling like a bat, shed his palm toward the armed soldiers.


    BOOM!


    With a resounding roar, Xiao Luo unleashed a terrifying force through his palm that surged toward the soldiers like the angry waves of a turbulent ocean.


    The soldiers felt as if they were suddenly in a vacuum, and their bodies blew up. Blood burst out of their bodies like broken pipes and sprayed into the air. Broken limbs flew in all directions as they howled pathetically, soaked in their own blood and experiencing a pain worse than death.


    The thick, pungent scent of blood permeated the air.


    Suzuki Ikuo, the mute man, the deaf man, and Xie Wenchang¡¯s wife and son stood watching in stunned silence, wide-eyed, and dumbstruck. This man had taken no more than a few seconds to turn this entire area into a scene of carnage. It was a terrifying sight!

 Chapter 614 - Set Free

    <h2>Chapter 614: Set Free</h2>


    [Experimentation Laboratory, Basement 1 of the Research Facility].


    A group ofboratory staff in white hazmat suits stood around a gigantic culture tank, observing a gically modified soldier undergoing the process of transformation. One of them wore a soldier¡¯s uniform. He had a thick waist, and his build was rather rotund. His legs were short and stubby, and half the hair on his head was already white. There were rows of medals pinned on his chest, and he was none other than the man overseeing the human experimentation project in this research facility¡ªYamashita Tomotake. There was a Mei national beside him, wearing a white hazmat suit, and they were both looking excitedly at the gically modified soldier in the culture tank undergoing the transformation process. And the test subject was Xie Wenchang!


    Xie Wenchang was submerged in the tank and had a good number of needles stuck into his back. Several tubes carried the nutrients he needed for sustenance, while the others injected the gic agent into him. His eyes were shut tight, and his body mass had increased at least twofold. The flesh and skin on his body took on a metal-like hue, and all the hair on his head had fallen off, leaving him bald.


    ¡°No de or bullet can pierce through him, and neither water nor fire can destroy him. Nothing on this earth can kill it. This is the fear-inspiring ultimate soldier that will dominate the battlefield of the future!¡±


    Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement. As long as they could mass-produce soldiers like these, the entire world would tremble in fear when they faced the forces of the Ri Nation. With such a force, world domination would be nothing but a matter of time.


    ¡°The love of a father for his wife and child¡ª this is the ultimate strength we humans have. It gives us the strength to withstand excruciating pain, and this man is proof of it. He¡¯s given us quite a surprise with his resilience!¡± the Mei national in the hazmat suit said.


    ¡°Quite a surprise, indeed. Our countries can soon agree to wage war as a united front, and conquer the world together,¡± Yamashita Tomotake said. He looked like a madman as he excitedly licked his chapped lips.


    ¡°Bingo!¡±


    The Mei national gave him a double thumbs-up and curled his lips into an approving smile.


    Suddenly, the screen in the center console shed with the picture of a nervous-looking security officer. He was frantic and wallowing in fear as cold sweat poured down his face. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking uncontrobly.


    ¡°Major General Yamashita, we¡­ we can¡¯t hold on any longer. There¡¯s a monster out here! He came charging and killing us¡­ we¡­ we can¡¯t retaliate anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°You idiot! Are you saying the gically modified soldier couldn¡¯t hold him off?¡± Yamashita Tomotake roared, and a scowl formed on his face.


    This situation spoilt the excitement he derived from the sess of the ultimate gically modified soldier. Matsushita Take¡¯s demeanor suddenly changed¡ªthis was absurd. To find out that his gically modified soldier was no match for this intruder was not something he had expected.


    ¡°He tore through the gically modified soldiers like paper, we¡­¡±


    The security officer¡¯s voice trailed off on the screen, and then his trembling voice cut off abruptly. Everybody in the experimentboratory sucked in a deep breath when they saw a grisly hand tearing through his chest on the screen. Blood spurted out from the security officer¡¯s nose, and his whole body convulsed from the immense pain.


    Did he just tear through an adult¡¯s body with his bare hand, just like that?


    Everybody in the experimentationboratory was stunned, and they could not believe that this was happening.


    Hiss~


    The screen in the center suddenly burst into millions of random dot pixels, and the disy turned static. Evidently, the camera was destroyed.


    The Mei national pulled his gaze away from the screen and turned to Yamashita Tomotake, and the look of fear in his eyes was apparent. ¡°Mr. Yamashita, I b-better get a move on,¡± he stuttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Are you afraid?¡± Yamashita Tomotakeughed mockingly.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m scared, d*mn it. I don¡¯t know what demon the Hua Nation sent here, but none of us will survive if we don¡¯t leave now,¡± the Mei national said.


    The Mei national had initially thought that a regr agent had infiltrated into the facility. He thought that this would be someone the security team outside and the gically modified soldier could wipe out. But this was far from the truth, and it made the man feel that his life was in danger.


    ¡°You absolute idiot, we have the ultimate gically modified soldier here with us, so there¡¯s no need for us to worry about a mere Hua national. Once the sick man of Asia, always the sick man of Asia, and this isn¡¯t something that will change over time. I¡¯ll make him pay for this!¡± Yamashita Tomotake snarled and clenched his fists.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gone insane. The gically modified soldier might be a huge sess, but his present condition is not stable. He may, or may not have his previous memories intact, and with such gically modified soldier who does will not heed yourmands, the first target he¡¯ll take out once those shackles are off will be you,¡± the Mei National cried. He lost control of his emotions but managed to calm himself down again. ¡°There can be no further dys. The monster sent by Hua Nation should still be in basement 3. I have to leave now. Good luck, and God bless you all, amen!¡±


    He made the sign of the cross in prayer and then hurriedly headed for the door of the experimentationboratory.


    BOOM!


    At that very moment, there was a tremendous bang on the metal door of theboratory. It was as if a beast had mmed into it, sending the door bursting off its hinges and right into the Mei national like a bomb.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    The moment the door smashed into him, the Mei national spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as he was thrown backward. He could hear the sound of his bones cracking before he slumped on the floor in a heap. Instinctively, he stared at the man standing by the door. The man was soaked in blood from head to toe and an ominous, murderous aura emanated from him. Blood dripped to the floor from the w-like hand that hung limply by his side, and he looked every bit as terrifying as a demon who had walked straight out of hell.


    It was none other than Xiao Luo!


    Suzuki Ikuo and his two henchmen stood close behind him, but Xiao Luo was there to lead the charge and bring about devastation.


    ¡°Those are great skills you have there, man from the Hua Nation!¡± Yamashita Tomotake said. He had both his hands behind his back and his voice was low and hoarse.


    ¡°Sorry, I ruined your door,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was in no rush to make his move as he nced at the culture tank and recognized the metallic-hued giant¡ªit was Xie Wenchang. Xiao Luo thought to himself and decided that the key to rescuing Xie Wenchang was Yamashita Tomotake.


    Yamashita Tomotake gave Xiao Luo a humorless smile. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, you can pay with your life!¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo smirked and replied, ¡°Is that so? And why are you so confident?¡±


    ¡°Because of this, of course!¡± Yamashita Tomotake said, pointing with a thumb at the test subject in the tank.


    After he gloated, he moved toward the tank with a menacing look on his face, and then pressed the red button. ¡°Meet our most powerful of the gically modified soldiers!¡± he bellowed, ¡°Awaken from your slumber, soldier!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God, no!¡±


    The Mei national gasped and stared at Yamashita Tomotake releasing the beast. He had been part of this program since its beginning, and he knew better than anyone else how terrifying the gically modified soldiers were. What Yamashita Tomotake had set free was not a beast but a creature of hell, and it would tear everyone here into bits and pieces.


    The instant the red button was pressed, Xie Wenchang, whose eyes were closed, suddenly opened them. They were a terrifying pair of eyes, deep green, and glowering with bloodlust. The ultimate soldier started thrashing about in the tank, gasping for oxygen.

 Chapter 615 - Biological Monstrosity

    <h2>Chapter 615: Biological Monstrosity</h2>


    Grr~


    Xie Wenchang¡¯s struggle grew more intense and his thrashing movements filled the gigantic culture tank with a massive amount of bubbles. Suddenly, a monstrous growl reverberated out the tank.


    CRACK!


    The tank, made of unique reinforced ss, instantly shattered and exploded as if a bomb had detonated within it. The green solution spattered in every direction, and a myriad of ss shards sted out like bullets from a shotgun around the tank.


    ¡°Aargh!¡±


    The workers in a hazmat suit standing within the vicinity were all struck by the ss fragments. It looked like a gunfight scene¡ªpeople spun around in a slow-motion pirouette before copsing in pools of their own blood. It took Yamashita Tomotake by surprise, but he reacted quickly and immediately got down to avoid the hail of shards. Other than being spattered by the green fluid, he did not sustain any injuries. The Mei national was not as fortunate andid on the ground, writhing and howling in pain.


    Xie Wenchang stepped out of the culture tank and stood to his full height.


    He had grown close to three meters tall and intimidating. Sinewy muscles covered his entire body, not unlike those on a dragon. There was a gray hue to his skin tone, and it glinted like metal. His arms had lengthened, making him resemble an ape. On both of his hands, sharp ws had formed, and they took the shape of curved des. His talons were sharp, like those of a giant eagle, and the skin on his hands was coarse and dry. His jawbone stuck out, making him look menacing.


    The sight stunned Xiao Luo. Xie Wenchang looked more or less like one of the Tyrants in the dystopian flick, Resident Evil.


    ¡°Do you recognize me, Xie Wenchang?¡¯ Xiao Luo asked the beast.


    Xiao Luo tried tomunicate with Xie Wenchang, but the beast remained still and did not respond to his name.


    ¡°You fool, how could he recognize you? He listens only to me now, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Yamashita Tomotake stood up and clutched at his hurting chest,ughing like a maniac. He then pointed at Xiao Luo and instructed Xie Wenchang to attack. ¡°Go, Number One. Rip him to shreds!¡± he ordered.


    But Xie Wenchang did not seem to pay any heed to him. He was not responsive at all to thatmand and remained motionless.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The Mei national swallowed nervously. He began to break into a cold sweat¡ªhis greatest fear hade true. The process to create the ultimate gically mutated soldier was still iplete. All they had created was a biological monster that would not obey anymands. They have just released an uncontroble beast!


    Yamashita Tomotake was indignant. He twisted his head to look and point at Xie Wenchang. ¡°I said rip him to shreds! Number One, did you not hear me?¡± he scowled.


    Xie Wenchang remained still and looked like he had turned to stone.


    Yamashita Tomotake was infuriated and walked right up to the beast and kicked him forcefully. ¡°You idiot! I am the one who created you. How dare you ignore mymand! Go, hurry and tear him apart, you idiot!¡± he yelled.


    Finally, Xie Wenchang stirred. He turned his gargantuan body around and stared directly down at Yamashita Tomotake with his glowering dark-green eyes.


    Yamashita Tomotake felt like a frog who had caught the eye of a venomous snake, and he had put himself in great danger. He shuddered and instinctively took two steps back. To gather his courage, he shouted at Xie Wenchang, but his voice was shaky. ¡°I was the one who created you¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m your creator. You h-have to listen to my orders¡­¡± he shrieked.


    Before he could finish hisst sentence, Xie Wenchang grabbed him by his head, and the sharp ws tore his head open, like a massive knife cutting into his flesh. Fresh blood poured out ceaselessly from the wound. With a raise of its arm, the beast lifted Yamashita Tomotake off the ground.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    The Ri Nation major general screamed out in excruciating pain. In the eyes of Xie Wenchang, the ultimate gically modified warrior, he was nothing but a human-sized toy without any ability to retaliate. Yamashita Tomotake forced himself to remain calm despite the immense pain. He pulled out his revolver and fired several shots into Xie Wenchang.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    But the bullets ricocheted off Xie Wenchang¡¯s metal-like body. It was like he was firing at an armored vehicle, and the bullets did not prate and only created sparks.


    After his transformation, Xie Wenchang had no fear of bullets. It was like being pelted with beans and caused him no pain or annoyance. He exhaled a breath of gaseous fumes as he reached out with the index finger of his other hand. The tip of his w cut open Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s shirt, revealing the man¡¯s hairy chest and abdomen.


    ¡°What are you doing? What are you trying to do?¡±


    Although his head was held in a vice-like grip, Yamashita Tomotake was still very much conscious, and now he began to feel a deep sense of fear.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    A deep, raspy grunt came from Xie Wenchang¡¯s throat. He gently tapped the tip of his index finger on Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s chest. It was akin to a surgeon using a sharp surgical scalpel, piercing it through the skin and slicing right through his flesh. Without stopping, the beast continued sliding it down toward the navel. Fresh blood poured out when that w sliced open his abdomen.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    The pain intensified, as did Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s screams of agony. His body started convulsing violently and his eyes were wide open in shock.


    Even Xiao Luo¡¯s hair was standing on ends. The scenes from the Unit 731 movie were being reenacted right in front of him¡ªright here in actual life. The hellish wails of pain that echoed in his ear were frightful.


    ¡°Oh, God! Someone stop him!¡±


    The Mei national shrieked in terror. He struggled toe to terms with what he was witnessing, for although he had dissected human beings before, he had never done so while they were conscious. What was being done to the Major General was gruesome¡ªa thousandfold more terrifying than the Hua Nation¡¯s death by a thousand cuts.


    Xie Wenchang, now transformed into a beast, seemed to be enjoying this slow and painful death. His w ripped open Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s abdomen, and the man¡¯s entrails poured out.


    Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s screams and struggle slowly died down. Blood poured from his nostrils and mouth, and his limbs were jerking involuntarily from time to time. Fresh blood was streaming out of his abdomen copiously and was dripping to the floor. He was not dead yet, but he was better off dead. He resembled a bloody corpse being hung up.


    Xie Wenchang finally granted Yamashita Tomotake release from his agonizing pain when he violently ripped the man¡¯s heart out of his chest. In ast act of vengeance, he tore Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s body into two halves.


    RIP!


    Organs and entrails fell to the floor, and the air reeked with a pungent stench.


    The transformed Xie Wenchang did not stop after he ended Yamashita Tomotake¡¯s life. He let out a raging roar and turned his attention to Xiao Luo. The beast charged ferociously toward him like a bull in a china shop. He was going feral.


    CRACK!


    The Mei national on the floor barely had time to react before Xie Wenchang stomped on his head, instantly crushing it, and sending brain matter spewing out. His headless body writhed for thosest moments before it became still.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the biological monstrosity¡ªone that was almost three meters tall¡ªturning on him. The beast charged and Xiao Luo instinctively crossed his arms protectively in front of his chest.


    BOOM!


    There was a dull thud, and a terrifying force swept through the area like a tsunami.


    To his absolute horror, Xiao Luo realized that he could hold his own against this powerful beast. Xie Wenchang¡¯s body was like a cannonball as it bounded forward, and the wind created by the speed of its movement whistled through the air.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The creature smashed through four rooms until it finally came to a stop after colliding with a thick, sturdy wall.

 Chapter 616 - If theres an Afterlife

    <h2>Chapter 616: If there¡¯s an Afterlife</h2>


    The beast smashed into Xiao Luo with unbelievable force, and although Xiao Luo was tough and hardy, he could feel tremendous pain when he took the hit, and it felt like all of his bones had been broken. Suddenly, Xiao Luo realized that that blow had sted him into a storeroom. The corridor was right beside him, and he found himself looking straight into the eyes of Suzuki Ikuo and the othersing up from the level two basement.


    ¡°Xiao Han-kun, you¡­ you¡­¡± stammered Suzuki Ikuo.


    Suzuki Ikuo was caring for Lady Poison who was barely conscious and could hardly form aplete sentence when Xiao Luo suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He couldn¡¯t figure out how Xiao Luo got there until he saw the vaguely human-shaped hole in the wall. He decided not to even bother asking Xiao Luo how that happened. Although he had an idea, he preferred not to know the answer. It was simply too unbelievable.


    ¡°Get out of here! Go to the exit on the ground floor while I cover you guys!¡± Xiao Luo shouted.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Suzuki Ikuo responded.


    ¡°Xiao Han, have you seen my husband?¡± the woman asked.


    Xiao Luo wiped off the blood on his mouth and frowned. ¡°I am sorry, but I don¡¯t want to lie to you. These people have already transformed him into a bio-monster and he is beyond our help,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    They have transformed him into a bio-monster¡­?


    Beyond our help¡­?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words stunned the woman. Her mind wentpletely nk at that point. The moment she received that dreadful news, everything around her went silent¡ªin her mind, all she could think of was that they had turned her husband into a monster. They were on vacation as a family, and it was their first visit to the Ri nation. How could she ept such shocking news and what was she to do? He was the pir of their family.


    ROAR!


    A deafening roar came through the wall. It was so loud that it shattered the surrounding walls. A towering three-meter tall creature emerged from the swirling cloud of dust and debris. Its head was bald, and it had a demon-like face. The monster had a metallic skin texture and its ws looked extremely sharp. It was a monster from hell!


    The woman swooned the moment she saw the monster. She dropped to her knees, holding on to the unconscious boy tightly, and cried in anguish.


    She was consumed by pain, desperation, and fear, for the man whom she dearly loved most was now lost to her.


    ¡°How could this be possible¡­ how could this be possible?¡± she mumbled.


    She could not believe that her husband had turned into a monster, and it felt like she was living a hellish nightmare. She was in despair and did not know how to escape from this horror.


    In his present state, Xie Wenchang had lost his human emotions. He reacted like how zombies would when they saw people running away. He became agitated and charged after Suzuki Ikuo and the fleeing party. He roared as he tried to strike them with his deadly ws.


    Xiao Luo dashed over like lightning and grabbed Xie Wenchang by his wrists. He held them in a lock, preventing the beast from swinging his deadly w-like hands.


    He turned around and shouted to Suzuki Ikuo and the party. They were still rooted where they stood and stunned. ¡°Why are you still here? Run! Deaf, bring along this woman and her child with Mute!¡± ordered Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­¡±


    The mute man reacted immediately and conveyed the message to the deaf with signnguage. They dashed over to assist the woman and her unconscious son and hurried them along. They scurried like a bunch of frightened bunnies and rushed up to the ground floor as quickly as they could.


    ¡°Idiots, wait for me!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo ran after them with Lady Poison unconscious in his arms. As he ran, he looked back and shouted, ¡°Xiao Han-kun, you must live! It all depends on you whether we can get out of here alive!¡±


    Xiao Luo was already finding great difficulty handling the monster, Xie Wenchang. So, when he heard those words and he immediately swore at Suzuki Ikuo. ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    ******


    ******


    Suzuki Ikuo and the fleeing party ran up to the ground floor. They could feel how intense the battle was between Xiao Luo and Xie Wenchang. There were intermittent bursts of horrific crashesing from below. A tremor followed every resounding st that they heard. It felt as though the entire base might copse. The fierce battle wasparable to a fight between two monsters from the mythical world.


    ¡°Deaf and Mute, better catch up! If not, we¡¯ll be buried alive!¡± shouted Suzuki Ikuo.Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s will to survive gave him a sudden burst of energy. He was sprinting while carrying a person in his arms. And he was leading the run, despite wearing a cumbersome anti-contaminant suit.¡±Ah.. ah¡­¡± Mute responded.Suzuki Ikuo halted suddenly at the entrance to the ground floor. ¡°F*ck, I almost forgot had you not mentioned it. I¡¯ve been poisoned, and I¡¯ll still be dead if I don¡¯t get the antidote!¡± he cried.¡±Ya¡­ ya¡­ ya¡­¡±Deaf shrugged and agreed with him, but they could do nothing about it.¡±I must do something!¡±Suzuki Ikuo putdy poison down on the floor and said, ¡°You guys wait for me here. Don¡¯t open the door for anyone. The *ssholes outside probably have their weapons pointed at the door. They can¡¯t do much if we don¡¯t open it!¡±When he finished speaking, he started running back again.But before he could go further, a loud explosion came from below and it created an enormous hole in the floor. Xie Wenchang emerged from the hole amid a swirl of gravel and sand dust. It appeared Xiao Luo had severely wounded him, and his steel-like body had taken quite a beating. It was a horrifying sight, for he had lost half of his head. It looked like Xiao Luo chopped it in half with a sharp de and what was inside looked like a mess of green blood.Suzuki Ikuo, Deaf and Mute all sat down in fear. The battle had extended from Basement 1 to the ground floor. They would never have believed it had they not witnessed it firsthand. How could these people not be subjected to thew of physics?Dang¡­ Dang¡­ Dang¡­It did not take too long for Xiao Luo to emerge. His steps were slow, and he was panting heavily. His clothes were badly torn and the color of his eyes was returning to normal from the blood-red hue. However, the killing aura surrounding him was still evident.This intense battle ended with the bio-monster¡¯s defeat!As his life force dissipated, Xie Wenchang regained his human consciousness. He looked up with much difficulty and said, ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­ Xiao Han¡­¡±His voice was weak. Green blood was spurting out of his throat and nose as he tried to speak.Xiao Luo looked down and was caught off-guard. ¡°I am sorry about this¡­¡± he said to the dying man.Xie Wenchang shook his head and gave him a sad smile. He said nothing else but let out a long sigh, well aware of how this would turn out.¡±Wenchang¡­ Wenchang!¡± screamed the woman.The woman cried out desperately and ran over with the boy in her arms. She kneeled on the ground and looked at Xie Wenchang with a teary face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she cried mournfully. It broke her heart as she watched the man she loved dying in front of her.¡±Xiaoya, I¡­ I could not protect you¡­ or our son¡­ I am so sorry¡­¡±As Xie Wenchang spoke, pustules began to form on his body. He looked at his wife and son with a deep sense of regret. Although he had turned into a monster, he still had the mind of a human. The tears that he shed were proof that there was still an element of humanity left in him.¡±No, no¡­¡±The woman shook her head and cried inconsbly. She bent over and hugged him tightly.¡±If there is an afterlife, I¡­ I would still marry you¡­¡±Xie Wenchang wanted to hug his wife. He stopped himself when he noticed that his hands had turned into lethal ws. He gave her a sad smile. His breath faded, then the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and then he was gone forever.

 Chapter 617 - Paying with Blood

    <h2>Chapter 617: Paying with Blood</h2>


    Xiao Luo was weighed down with grief as he watched Xie Wenchang die. If he could, he would have helped to save his life, but the system¡¯s healing effect only applied to him alone. It was remorseful, for Xie Wenchang was the head of this family of three, and sadly, he had been killed, while the little boy was already beyond help. The gic drug was corrupting his body from within, and thea it induced was a permanent effect. The boy was destined to stay in this state until he eventually died.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s get out of here as fast as possible!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo told the woman in rusty Chinese. He was also feeling heavy-hearted, and he simply hated to spend another minute in this research facility. Not only it had broken up a loving family but taken the lives of father and son. He now felt hatred for the Ri nation people who were involved in this research.


    ¡°I am not leaving, my child and I, we are not leaving¡­¡±


    The woman looked at Xie Wenchang¡¯s body affectionately as she murmured, and tears welled up in her eyes. She caressed Xie Wenchang¡¯s coarse face and wept. ¡°I am where my man is. Our family will always be together, and we¡¯ll never be separated again!¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this to yourself? I know this is a painful memory for you, but once you have gotten over it, you can live a new life. Time will heal everything.¡± Suzuki Ikuo was losing hisposure and he looked over to Xiao Luo, hinting for him to persuade this woman.


    Xiao Luo looked at him indifferently and remained silent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a new life! I want my husband! I want my child!¡± The woman was hysterical, and in her eyes, there was nothing but the wish to die. The two most important people in her life had left her, and she no longer had a purpose to live.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo stopped abruptly, and he waspletely shocked. That woman had impaled herself with Xie Wenchang¡¯s sharp w without any hesitation. The w pierced through her stomach like a sword, draining away her life force rapidly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    Mute grunted hysterically as he recalled memories of histe wife and daughter, and his eyes turned red immediately.


    Bright red blood started to slowly ooze out from her wound and the pain caused her to sweat profusely. Then she quivered uncontrobly, and the blood spurted out of her mouth.


    ¡°Idiot! Idiot!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was devastated and lost hisposure. He did not act like a yakuza now, instead expressed sorrow and empathy for this family. An extreme hatred formed in his mind toward those involved in this inhumane experimental project.


    Xiao Luo remained silent as he strode toward the exit. He was so silent that it was beginning to feel a little strange, like the calm before a storm, and that wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    Suzuki Ikuo carried Lady Poison, still unconscious, and followed him. However, he could not help but look back in regret.


    Both Mute and Deaf also regained theirposure and trailed behind them.


    ¡°¡­Under the bridge, ducks are swimming,e count them all, two, four, six, eight, ten¡­So many of them, too many of them¡­Grandpa with the ducks, his beards white as their feathers, singing the old song, telling the same joke¡­¡±


    As they were heading toward the exit door, that woman started humming a luby to the boy, as if trying to put him to sleep. Her voice was gasping and sorrowful, and it pierced everyone¡¯s soul as she sang tearfully. As they walked away, it gradually became weaker and weaker until it finally stopped.


    It was truly a heartbreaking luby.


    Xiao Luo turned back and saw that the family of three all cuddled up together in the blood, and it was a depressing sight.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Mute cried.


    Suzuki Ikuo also shed tears, and he cursed while trying to wipe it dry, ¡°Idiot¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled. It was a cruel smile, a smile that could only be seen on a madman¡¯s face.


    ******


    ******


    At the perimeter of the base, the horse-faced Ri nation sergeant was inmand with a squad of men, and they had their weapons pointed at the thick bullet-proof steel gate. His palms were sweating as he was unclear of the situation inside, but he knew that it was not going well.


    BOOM!


    A resounding ng echoed from the steel gate, and its surface suddenly bulged out. It looked like it was a hard kick from the inside that caused the door to dent. Then, the part of the wall that the gate attached to started crumbling. Something was trying to get out.


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    The horse-faced sergeant gave the order for everyone to prepare to fire. The squad kept their eyes nervously at the gate.


    Everyone was anxious, for this reinforced steel gate was designed to withstand a direct hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, yet all it took was a kick from the inside to dent it. Could it possibly have been done by a human? It was more likely a raving mad bio-warrior!


    BOOM!


    Another resounding bang and the steel gate suddenly copsed. It created a swirl of dust that blocked everyone¡¯s vision, and the squad could not get a look beyond the gate.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    The horse-faced sergeant knew that whoever emerged from the base could only be the enemy, so he did not bother to identify whoever was there and gave the order to fire.


    RAT TATAT TAT TAT!


    The nervous soldiers started shooting indiscriminately at the entrance. They saw a figure dashing out like a lightning bolt, but couldn¡¯t make it out exactly what it was. It looked like a mirage, and the squad continued to fire away, using up all their rounds.


    Suddenly, something shed over their heads!


    In the haze, the horse-faced sergeant realized that the gunfire was getting less intense, and he started hearing the faint cries of the surrounding men. He was terrified as he looked around and saw all hisrades copsing to the ground. Their throats were slit open and blood was spurting out profusely. His men were struggling in pain in their death throes.


    What was going on?


    What the hell was going on?


    He looked around but saw no sign of the enemy. Who then could have killed these people? A ghost?


    Suddenly, he had sensed a sudden chilling from his back. It felt like a demon breathing down his neck and about to take his life. That chill was unnerving, and it made his soul shivered.


    He took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. He swung around to shoot, but it was toote. All he could feel was a sudden tingling sensation around his neck, followed by the sensation of a cold breeze rushing through his throat, as warm blood gushed out like an exploding pump.


    He dropped his gun and sped his throat with his hands. Everything was spinning in his head now, and he found it difficult to even stand up. Then he copsed in a heap, still trying to apply pressure to the wound on his neck, but he could not stop the bleeding. The blood wouldn¡¯t stop flowing and spurted out of his mouth.


    When death finally arrived, all he saw was a blood-soaked hand hanging over him. Blood was dripping slowly between his index finger and thumb.


    He opened his eyes wide in horror and realized that it was this hand that sliced through his throat.


    Xiao Luo stared at the corpses lying around him, but the bloodlust within him was only getting more intense.


    At that point, Xiao Luo did not care about morals or any potential consequences he might face. There was only one thing in his head¡ªeveryone involved in this research facility base and the experiments will pay for their crimes with their lives! Nobody would be spared or allowed to escape!


    ¡°A carnage is on the way. Brace yourself, Dongjing!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo looked at Xiao Luo from behind and broke out in a cold sweat. He was a being that existed beyond thew of nature, and he was very sure that the death of that family had provoked him. Certain people would have to pay the price with their blood.

 Chapter 618 - A name list

    <h2>Chapter 618: A name list</h2>


    Soon, they were aboard the tram and making their way out to the main entrance of the vi.


    Xiao Luo sat down behind Fu Yiren with his legs crossed and began the healing process using his Yi Jinjing. It did not take too long for her to stir from her state of unconsciousness.


    When Fu Yiren awakened and opened her alluring eyes, her natural charm immediately caught everyone¡¯s attention They were lustrous and inviting and made her look like a vixen. Her waist was slender and entuated her exquisite curves, while her fair face was so soft and supple. Her looks drove the men crazy.


    Suzuki Ikuo, Mute, and Deaf were all mesmerized by her beauty as Fu Yiren was only covered up by a jacket, exposing her slender legs in a very suggestive way. The three men looked like the wolves who had found prey and could not help swallowing a big gulp of saliva.


    In a daze, Fu Yiren was still confused about how she got there, but when she saw three strange persons in white bio-suit, she reacted immediately. She bolted up and struck Suzuki Ikuo with her hand like a praying mantis.


    She made her intentions clear and struck with venom like a deadly rose!


    The three men were shocked as they did not expect such a sleeping beauty to turn into a deadly assassin right after she had woken up.


    ¡°They are with us!¡±


    A familiar voice came from behind her and Fu Yiren was stunned. Her hand suddenly stopped a mere ten centimeters away from Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s neck. When she turned around and saw Xiao Luo, her killing intent vanished and she started smiling blissfully as any child would when they met someone they trusted.


    ¡°Mie, so you havee to save me.¡±


    Fu Yiren became a little emotional and her eyes reddened. She had always been strong and independent, but she melted when she saw Xiao Luo, for she had fallen for him. In fact, she was obsessed with him. She had once even tried to trick and force him to sleep with her. While she was being held captive, Xiao Luo had always been on her mind. Thest thing that she had expected was for him to be the first person she saw after being rescued. It thrilled her that the man she always craved for and dreamed of was standing here right in front of her.


    Before Xiao Luo could react, Fu Yiren had already jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.


    Being in such close proximity, Fu Yiren¡¯s fragrant toxic fumes were being absorbed through Xiao Luo¡¯s skin. The closer they were, the more potent the poison was. Had she been hugging an ordinary person, he would have already died. However, Xiao Luo¡¯s Yi Jinjing ability could neutralize the toxins, making him immune to all poisons and her hug caused him no harm.


    Xiao Luo had thought to push her away but quickly realized that she must have been through much torture and pain in the research facility. It would simply have been too cruel to do that. So he coughed ufortably to get her attention and said, ¡°It¡¯s my mission to rescue you this time!¡±


    Fu Yiren smiled like a blooming rose and said, ¡°You saved me from hell. I don¡¯t care if it was because you were assigned for the mission or if you came voluntarily. I have said before, we are a match made in heaven. I cannot even begin to thank you enough for saving me, and I am willing to repay the debt with my body.¡±


    When she finished speaking, she spontaneously brought her lips to his.


    However, just before their lips met, a hand got in the way.


    ¡°Mie, why are you so cold?¡± Fu Yiren protested. She had expected Xiao Luo to let her have her way this time.


    ¡°I am cold? Haven¡¯t you had enough of this ce?¡± Xiao Luo snapped. He gently pushed her away.


    ¡°Fine, no kissing. But let¡¯s hug awhile more,¡± Fu Yiren moaned, stomping her foot on the floor in a tantrum.


    Xiao Luo merely ignored her and walked to the end of the train.


    Suzuki Ikuo, Mute, and Deaf watched in envy. They were dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t understand how Xiao Luo could reject such a pretty woman when she was literally throwing herself at him. Oh, my god, Xiao Han-kun just rejected her. Heaven should punish him for wasting such a great opportunity!


    ******


    ******


    Fu Yiren had lost herposure after seeing Xiao Luo walk away from her but soon calmed down. Besides, she was severely weakened and needed to rest for a while.


    ¡°I discovered this in the database. This is a list of names of those involved in this gic modification project, and they include Yamashita Tomotake and Matsushita Take. There is a total of ten names here. You¡¯ve been here for quite a while, so you¡¯d probably know about it more than I do. Take a look at the list and see if anyone has been left out, and if this list is urate,¡± Xiao Luo said, handing her the list of names.


    Fu Yiren checked it carefully and nodded. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s these ten people. This entire facility was pioneered by Kuroda Kiyotaka, the cab minister of Ri nation, and his anti-Hua group. On top of that, the Mei nation was also involved, and this is a coboration between the two countries. I think Kuroda Kiyotaka is the point of contact with the Mei nation and is fully aware of the proponents of this project on their side.¡±


    ¡°As the prime minister of Ri nation, wasn¡¯t Anpei aware of this coboration?¡±


    Xiao Luo had a strong suspicion about the current prime minister of Ri nation, as he was a member of the right-wing party. Most of the citizens of Ri nation were friendly to Hua nation, but Anpei yed a significant role during the dispute on fishing rights and ownership of strategic inds.


    Suzuki Ikuo was shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s words and immediately wondered if he was nning to assassinate their prime minister.


    Fu Yiren shook her head, ¡°Although Anpei is not friendly toward Hua nation and had been backstabbing us, he is not involved in this. He holds a different political viewpared to Kuroda Kiyotaka, and there is some friction between the two. This project was overseen by Kuroda Kiyotaka without Anbei¡¯s knowledge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    Xiao Luo smirked. If Anpei was indeed part of this scheme, then he could quickly neutralize him using this project as a legitimate reason. As Anpei was not involved, Xiao Luo reluctantly decided to spare him. He looked back at Fu Yiren again and said, ¡°You¡¯re still weak, I¡¯ll escort you to the port. From there, you should return to Hua nation in haste.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Fu Yiren asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back after I take out every name on this list,¡± Xiao Luo hissed.


    Fu Yiren knew how determined Xiao Luo could be. Although she did not want him to risk his life, she knew that she could not change his mind. ¡°You must be careful,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo did not linger on the subject, and said, ¡°Report everything that had happened here once you are back.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it yourself? It is a big credit.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it for you.¡± Fu Yiren smiled.


    Then, Suzuki Ikuo came up to Xiao Luo with a smile on his face. ¡°Xiao Han-kun, after what we went through, aren¡¯t we now friends? Can you give me the antidote?¡±


    Xiao Luo had totally forgotten about it and frowned. ¡°What antidote?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The antidote for that poison you forced down my throat. The one will make me bleed non-stop in three days.¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re not ying dirty again, are you?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled and decided that it was time to tell him the truth. ¡°It¡¯s a lie. I just made that up at that moment. You really did believe by the looks of it. I gave you a vitamin C pill, not a poison,¡± he said.


    Nani?


    Suzuki Ikuo widened his eyes when he realized he¡¯d been tricked. A vitamin C pill?


    At that moment, it felt just like he had been tricked into eating feces, and it gave him a horrible after taste.

 Chapter 619 - Lady Poison Strikes

    <h2>Chapter 619: Lady Poison Strikes</h2>


    ¡°Idiot, I am going to kill you! You cunning c*nt from Hua nation! I am going to kill you!¡± screamed Suzuki Ikuo.


    ¡°Now that I have offended the military, I can no longer go back to the yakuza! I can only do some random sh*t like selling barbequed meat on the streets, damn it! You are such an *sshole! What did I do to you to deserve this?¡± he ranted on.


    ¡°Xiao Han, I hope you will end up in hell!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo was on the verge of breaking down as he lost his temper. His face was flushed from the anger, and both Mute and Deaf had to pull him aside. He looked like he was about to beat Xiao Luo up and continued yelling at him non-stop. He was so furious he was inconsble.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ya¡­ ya¡­ ya¡­¡±


    Mute and Deaf tried their best to calm him down and even attempted to drown out his ranting by raising their voices.


    ¡°Idiots! Whose side are you guys on? Why are you guys stopping me? Can you stay calm if you were the victim? *ssholes, stop holding me back! Let me go! Do you hear me?¡± Suzuki Ikuo scowled, angrily trying to break free from Mute and Deaf¡¯s hold.


    His efforts paid off as he managed to break free from them. It was probably because Mute and Deaf were both tired and had run out of stamina.


    However, the moment he broke free, the atmosphere suddenly became dense and suffocating. Suzuki Ikuo gulped with much difficulty and he instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly turned around and raised his arms toward Mute and Deaf. ¡°F*ck, hurry, hold me back!¡± he cried.


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Mute¡¯s face registered a look of puzzlement. He did not understand what Suzuki Ikuo was trying to ask of them.


    Deaf was also dumbfounded and scratched the back of his head, confused about Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s true intention. He had scolded them for stopping him earlier on, so why the sudden change of heart?


    Suzuki Ikuo turned around promptly and gave them both a knock on their heads. ¡°You silly fools! Are you guys stupid? Do you think that I am going to beat him up? I was only pretending to vent my anger,¡± he snarled.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mute grunted, looking a little despondent.


    ¡°You donkey, hold me back!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo pped Mute¡¯s head again.


    Unwillingly, both Mute and Deaf pretended to pull their leader back as he continued to yell at Xiao Luo. Suzuki Ikuo yed his part and even said, ¡°Come here if you have got the b*lls. I am going to beat the hell out of you!¡± That shocked Mute who was worried that Xiao Luo might retaliate.


    ¡°Mie, where did you find these people of Ri nation?¡± Fu Yiren asked Xiao Luo at the front of the train.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask them toe, but they chose to follow,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Really? They are an interesting bunch of people,¡± Fu Yirenmented and chuckled.


    When she finished speaking, she gazed at Xiao Luo without saying a word.


    Xiao Luo began to feel awkward with her intense stare and asked, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±


    Fu Yiren smiled affectionately and threw the question back at him. ¡°Well, Mie, do you not see the fiery love in my eyes?¡± she quipped.


    Xiao Luo knew she was up to her nonsense again and ignored what she was saying.


    ¡°Whenever I see you, all I can feel is joy and happiness. Do you not have the same feeling for me at all?¡± Fu Yiren asked coyly.


    ¡°No,¡± Xiao Luo replied coldly and swiftly.


    Fu Yiren was unfazed, and she persisted with her flirting. ¡°It ismon that falling for someone would make one think of that person all the time. Nothing fills my heart but you. Everybody can see that easily. I cannot hide my love for you anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve arrived at the exit!¡± Xiao Luo cut her off abruptly.


    ¡°Humph, you dense blockhead,¡± she muttered as Xiao Luo walked ahead.


    Fu Yiren sighed as she red at Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    The train had gradually stopped as they arrived at the entrance of the vi. It was well lit and the heavy steel gate was securely shut. Themunication link between the facility and the vi was monitored on a twenty-four-hour basis. They would havemunicated everything that had happened there to the guards at the vi.


    ¡°We are dead meat¡­ they will trap us here forever!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo looked full of despair and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting a dead-end after all we¡¯d been through.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ya¡­ ya¡­¡±


    His low morale affected both Mute and Deaf, and they looked dejected.


    ¡°Who said it¡¯s a dead-end?¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stared at Suzuki Ikuo and walked out. He put his palm on the steel gate that must have been at least ten centimeters thick.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we stuck in a dead-end now? This steel gate is at least twenty tons in weight, and at least one meter is embedded into that rock wall. Regardless of how powerful you are, you could not possibly¡­¡±


    Before Suzuki Ikuo could finish his sentence, Xiao Luo channeled his inner power through his right palm and a tsunami-like palm force surged out. The twenty-ton steel gate copsed, even though it was embedded deep into the mountain wall. A loud bang followed as the gate hit the ground, shaking the earth and creating a storm of sand and dust.


    With an unobstructed view of the stone stairs before them, Suzuki Ikuo, Mute, and Deaf dropped their jaws in a stupor. If gods and demons existed in this world, then Xiao Luo would be on the same level as these mythical beings. His power was unfathomable and terrifying. How could such a powerful being exist in this mortal world? It is unthinkable that a mere mortal could wield such divine-like power!


    ¡°Did you say it was at least twenty tons heavy? Huh!¡±


    Fu Yiren mocked as she passed the men and then followed Xiao Luo up the stone stairs. They walked up cautiously, step by step.


    The moment they reached the top, redser dots from countless weapons were aimed at them. Before Xiao Luo could react, the leader shouted out from inside the vi.


    ¡°Put down your weapons! Put down your weapons!¡±


    The leader rushed out and yelled at his subordinates, ¡°Listen to me! You can¡¯t hurt them even with machine guns. Hold your fire if you want your lives.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you traitor! Are you in league with these spies who had broken into our base?¡± another leader roared.


    ¡°Idiot! What are you saying? I am doing this to save everyone¡¯s lives. There¡¯s no point in suffering any more meaningless casualties,¡± argued the first leader.


    ¡°What are you saying? Haha¡­¡± the second leader scorned.


    He smirked and rallied the soldiers. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! He is nothing but a traitor! He has been colluding with the spies from the Hua nation! Fire! Kill them all!! Do your part and serve with honor!¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, Fu Yiren teleported right before them like a spirit and smiled. Her charm captured everyone¡¯s attention, and her sudden appearance puzzled them.


    ¡°Have you ever felt being corroded alive while being fully conscious? It seems like none of you can rte to what I am saying. Let me walk you through it personally!¡± said Fu Yiren as she chuckled and swayed her palm, discharging poisonous fumes toward the squad of guards.


    Within the next few seconds, the guards started screaming and were thrown into pandemonium. They dropped their weapons and started scratching their bodies. It only took a light scratch and their skins peeled off, exposing bloody wounds that immediately festered and leaked pus. They were burning up from within as white gas emitted from their bodies and escaped into the air.


    ¡°Arrgh¡­ Arrgh¡­ Arrgh¡­¡±


    It was unbearably itchy and painful, and it horrified the soldiers when they saw their bodies melting away. The scratching made matters worse asrge areas of skin were exposed, and gradually these soldiers turned into bloody skinless corpses. They screamed from the excruciating pain, and even as their souls struggled to leave, their bodies refused to give up and they suffered a cruel death.

 Chapter 620 - Do you want

    <h2>Chapter 620: Do you want</h2>


    It wasn¡¯t long before all the vi guards copsed, suffering horrible deaths. Their bodies dissolved as if someone had thrown them into an acid pool. Blood flowed away like a small river, while mists of hot white fumes emitted from the bodies. It was a gruesome picture of suffering and death.


    ¡°Arrghh¡­¡±


    The leader who had tried to stop the attack, sat on the floor as he screamed out in horror.


    Suzuki Ikuo, Mute, and Deaf were all in shock as they watched the soldiers die a horrible death. Their faces turned pale, and they broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°My, lord¡­ she¡­ she isn¡¯t Snow White at all! She¡¯s that evil queen¡­¡± muttered Suzuki Ikuo.


    He trembled in wide-eyed fear as he had initially thought that she was an innocent and beautifuldy. But, in a blink of an eye, she suddenly transformed into a killing machine. Her method of attack was inhumane. The bodies looked like they were skinned alive and it made him throw up violently.


    When Suzuki Ikuo started vomiting, both Deaf and Mute couldn¡¯t hold it in and started retching as well.


    Xiao Luo was unaffected by it all. He approached the leader and tapped him on his shoulder. ¡°You are street-smart and understand the importance of self-preservation. However, you are involved in this operation, and I cannot allow you to live!¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    The leader could not help but trembled in fear as he stared at Xiao Luo. The fear was so overwhelming that he cried and wet his pants. He wept like a baby and croaked, ¡°So¡­ Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in apologizing now. I cannot ept it!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded as he looked down at him. In the next second, he had lifted his hand off the man¡¯s shoulder and flipped it ny degrees, tapping the back of his head lightly.


    The leader¡¯s eyes widened, and he suddenly copsed with his upper body staying stiffly in the upright position. That little tap effectively scrambled his brain.


    ¡°A painless death. Mie, you are too merciful!¡± Fu Yiren was not too happy with Xiao Luo¡¯s method as she had suffered a great deal of torture in this base. She detested anyone rted to the ce and would have preferred to skin them all alive¡ªliterally.


    ¡°The process doesn¡¯t concern me, as long as we get the same result,¡± Xiao Luo replied as he walked out of the vi.


    Fu Yiren pouted as she considered it, then her charming face brightened up. ¡°Well, so be it¡­¡± she said.


    She then followed Xiao Luo looking satisfied with herself.


    ******


    ******


    Dawn was approaching as traces of the first light glowed from the east, hinting at the rising of the sun.


    ¡°Suzuki Ikuo, the two of you, do you guys want to work for me?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked as he smiled at Suzuki Ikuo and his henchmen in the Lexus.


    It caught Suzuki Ikuo off-guard. He shook his head and replied, ¡°No¡­ no¡­ no. I better start preparing to sell some barbeque meat. I would never want to live like this again, even for one more day. I will die from shock.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Since we are friends, good luck.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not hostile toward every person in the Ri nation. He was only after those involved in the gic modification research base.


    After they were done talking, he drove a ck car from the vi and headed toward the west coast port. There was transport for a passage home specially arranged by the NSA there. He hadpleted the primary mission of saving Lady Poison, Fu Yiren. But he still needed to get rid of all the other people on that list. He would do that in memory of Xie Wenchang¡¯s family. These people would have to pay the price for the atrocities they hadmitted to the Hua nation¡¯s citizens¡ªin blood!


    As the ck car was speeding off in the distance, Suzuki Ikuo and his men heaved sighs of relief and they would never forget what they had witnessed that night.


    Trapped in a bio-research facility, fired on by armed guards, and chased by unbelievable gically modified creatures¡­


    It was worse than any nightmare imaginable and everything they saw would be forever be etched in their minds!


    ¡°We finally made it. My God, please ensure that I stay away from that killing machine forever!¡± Suzuki Ikuo prayed. He was determined to quit the yakuza. He would settle for a barbeque business and never wanted to see blood again.


    ******


    ******


    The ck car drove from Mount Fuji and was speeding along the road as the sky brightened.


    Fu Yiren found a one-piece skirt in the car and changed into it in front of Xiao Luo. She deliberately exposed her legs and exuded a sexual charm.


    Xiao Luo felt quite awkward. Through the millions of years of evolution, the natural desire for femalepanionship had be an intrinsic part of a man. So, Xiao Luo could not resist this seduction entirely. They were in a confined space, and he could detect her faint feminine scent, making the torture even worse.


    ¡°Mie, be honest. Who¡¯s prettier? Me or your wife, Su Li?¡±


    Fu Yiren leaned against the seat and gazed at Xiao Luo like an innocent maiden.


    ¡°You each have your strengths.¡±


    Xiao Luo gave a politically correct answer, and it was undeniably a fair one. It was difficult to conclude who was better¡ªSu Li¡¯s beauty was her grace, but she was cold and aloof. This girl¡¯s beauty was her charm, but she was deadly.


    ¡°Then why would you not want my body? Both of us know that you are the only man in this world who is eligible to be my man. We are a match made in heaven. If you wish, we can bang now!¡± Fu Yiren said passionately, as she tapped Xiao Luo¡¯s knee cap.


    Xiao Luo was at a loss for words when he heard what she said. ¡°It seems like you have recovered,¡± he said with augh, ¡°I am immune to your poison only because I have Yi Jinjing protecting my body. I am not the only person who knows this. You need to cut the crap¡ªforget about this ¡®match made in heaven¡¯ theory.¡±


    ¡°But you are the only one I have met and the only one who makes my heart flutter!¡± Fu Yiren responded.


    Xiao Luo remained silent and kept his eyes on the road.


    Fu Yiren pouted and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying! In your eyes, I muste across like some wicked woman. If not, why can¡¯t I even get the chance to f*ck with you.¡±


    It made Xiao Luo blush as she was rambling on about banging and f*cking, which was not very proper for a girl.


    He stared at her and snapped, ¡°Can you stop using those words? You¡¯re making me freaking blush!¡±


    Fu Yiren was surprised, and then she giggled. ¡°Mie, so you do speak vulgarities too. You are so manly when you curse!¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move on. You better get some rest,¡± said Xiao Luo, changing the topic.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Fu Yiren leaned sideways and stared at him affectionately.


    After a while, she asked, ¡°Do you think the Ri nation would be flooded with international sanctions once the bio-research facility is exposed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too na?ve. Soon, the army will be bombarding that base in Mount Fuji, burying everything under rock and soil. They would deny it all and get away with it. Don¡¯t you know that the current Prime Minister Anpei is a master at ying dirty?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. He even denies that the Ri nation invaded our Hua nation. If he can ignore history, then a small-scale event such as this would not be difficult for him to deny.¡±


    There was a brief silence in the car. Then out of the blue, Fu Yiren quietly called out to Xiao Luo. ¡°Mie?¡±


    ¡°Now, what do you want?¡± Xiao Luo red at her, knowing that she was obviously up to no good.


    ¡°I am giving you one more chance. Do you want to f*ck with me? Many people say it is wonderful, just like rolling in the clouds and dancing with the wind,¡± Fu Yiren said with a wink.


    Xiao Luo was speechless.

 Chapter 621 - The Metropolitan Police Department’s operation

    <h2>Chapter 621: The Metropolitan Police Department¡¯s operation</h2>


    Miyazaki Ronjin was lying on the hospital bed and hardly slept all night. He had asked Kimura Akino to call Xiao Luo several times, yet failed to reach him. His feeling of uneasiness got worse, and afterst night¡¯s incident with the gically modified monster, he realized that some sort of organization in Ri nation might be conducting secret experiments on the missing Hua Nation people.


    But which organization was behind all of this?


    How many political officials were involved?


    He could imagine that it was most likely a veryrge and influential organization. As a police officer, did he have the clout to go up against such an organization on ount of the missing Hua Nation people? He also wondered whether there any police officersplicit in this whole affair.


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, the room door flew open. Kimura Akino, who had gone out to get breakfast, rushed in quickly, and shouted: ¡°Not good, not good! Xiao Han-kun is a wanted person! The Metropolitan Police Department has listed him as an A-tier wanted person!¡±


    What?


    Miyazaki Ronjin, who initially felt a little sleepy, got up from his bed immediately when he heard this. He grabbed Kimura Akino¡¯s phone to take a look and realized that the Metropolitan Police Department had indeed listed Xiao Han as a wanted man.


    ¡°Damn it, just what in the world is going on here?¡±


    Without another word, he ignored the pain and bolted from the hospital ward in his patient gown.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, what are you doing?¡± Kimura Akino called after him.


    ¡°Going back to the Metropolitan Police Department to find out what is going on,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said without turning his head around.


    ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    Kimura Akino left the breakfast behind and followed him immediately.


    ¡­


    Miyazaki Ronjin, still in his patient gown and flip-flops, attracted much attention when he arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department. Many of the other policemen started to giggle. Miyazaki Ronjin couldn¡¯t care less about it as he headed directly toward the Chief¡¯s office room. Without even knocking on the door, he pushed the door open and entered.


    The room was empty. He went out, caught a policeman who walked past, and asked: ¡°Where¡¯s Chief?¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s angry stare frightened the policeman. Quaking, he answered, ¡°In¡­ In the meeting room. He called for an emergency meeting¡­¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin let him go, and though he was still panting, headed straight for the meeting room. The pain in his body got worse from the strenuous activity and beads of sweat started appearing on his forehead. He just couldn¡¯t seem to figure out why Xiao Luo had be a wanted person. Could it possibly be that there were people from that unknown organization who had already infiltrated the Metropolitan Police Department?


    The more he thought about it, the murkier the waters appeared. The attack from the monster they facedst night was certainly not a coincidence. He was a hundred percent sure that it hade for the three of them. Not any earlier, not anyter, but exactly when they passed through the alley. The only usible reason he could think of was the presence of Xiao Luo. And the Metropolitan Police Department was the only organization that knew that the Hua Nation had sent someone over.


    Who was behind this then?


    As he thought about that, Miyazaki Ronjin realized that the Metropolitan Police Department he had known his entire life was suddenly a dark hole to him. If there were policemen who were involved in the case of the missing Hua Nation persons, then that would be a crime!


    BAM!


    The meeting room door was violently pushed open. Miyazaki Ronjin stood at the entrance, while Kimura Akino, who managed to catch up, was panting heavily right behind him.


    The huge meeting room was filled with people. They were ranking officers from the police department and the regional department. All heads of the various departments were present. All of them were in their police uniforms and sat up straight in their seats. When Miyazaki Ronjin pushed the door open, they all turned their heads and looked toward the entrance.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, what are you doing here instead of recovering in the hospital?¡±


    Tanaka Hiroshi was standing on the podium with a solemn look and spoke authoritatively. It was hard to tell if he was happy or sad.


    Miyazaki Ronjin scanned the crowd, took another look at an image of Xiao Luo and the details that were disyed on the screen. He turned to Tanaka Hiroshi and asked, ¡°Why did you list Xiao Han as a wanted person? What crime did hemit?¡±


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, you¡¯re still injured. I¡¯ll let you go on a long break, take good care of yourself, and recover well. You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with¡­¡±


    ¡°Tanaka Hiroshi, I ask again, what crime did Xiao Hanmit?¡± Miyazaki Ronjin roared at him.


    Tanaka Hiroshi squinted his eyes, and his muscles twitched a bit. It was evident that the moment Miyazaki Ronjin shouted out his name, he was riled up.


    ¡°Miyazaki-san, what kind of attitude is this? Who gave you the right to speak to your Chief in such a way?¡±


    Asou Shuyao stood up angrily and said, ¡°You want to know what crime that god damn b*stardmitted, right? Alright, I¡¯ll tell you. He infiltrated our Asou family¡¯s Lotus Manorst night and injured twenty to thirty members of their family. He even made our old man, Asou Jiro, impotent. It is uneptable that we let such a vicious act go unpunished!¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin was shocked. He knew that Xiao Luo had probablymitted a heinous crime at Lotus Manor, but hadn¡¯t expected him to go so hard on them. With the kind of skills that Xiao Luo had, creating havoc in Lotus Manor was undoubtedly something he could easily achieve.


    Yet, he still stood on Xiao Luo¡¯s side. ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Evidence? We have security cameras all over Lotus Manor. Do you think we¡¯d even list him as a wanted person without any evidence?¡± Asou Shuyao said. She smiled coldly, changing the slide and showing the one with Xiao Luo on the screen.


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not argue any further. The screen disyed an image of what happened at Lotus Manorst night. It had been taken by the security camera, and the man in that picture was none other than Xiao Han.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, we have all the evidence we need. Besides, the military has also given us some information. They suspect that this Xiao Han guy is not even a Hua Nation police officer, but a spy from Hua Nation,¡± Tanaka Hiroshi said.


    Spy?


    Miyazaki Rui was once again shocked. How was it that everything the department knew about Xiao Luo changed in the span of one night? How did this happen?


    ¡°Police, Traffic, Security, Regional, Public Security, and Criminal departments¨Corganize a crime countermeasure task force and let all branch personnel know that we¡¯ll be conducting a manhunt the prime suspect, Xiao Han. Monitor the airport and all exit points closely, and alert the navy and customs to increase their surveince. We must catch him and crack this case!¡± Tanaka Hiroshi addressed the heads of departments in an inspiring tone of voice.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Every member stood up smartly and responded in unison.


    As the buzz died down, Miyazaki Ronjin suddenly opened his mouth and said, ¡°I want to participate in this operation as well.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    Tanaka Hiroshi giggled a little, ¡°Miyazaki-san, forget it. Even if we ignore the fact that you¡¯ll be retiring soon, that injured body of yours prevents you from taking part in any mission.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin walked up and hopped on the lecture table right in front of Tanaka Hiroshi. It was made of solid wood, but when Miyazaki Ronjin stomped hard on the lecture table, he left arge hole in it and sent splinters of wood falling on the floor. He red into Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s eyes. ¡°This injury is nothing, I must take part in this operation no matter what!¡±


    He had a suspicion that Tanaka Hiroshi was part of that covert organization involved in this. Based on military information? He was just saying this without any proof. Spy? Weren¡¯t all of these just charges that were made up by this b*stard?


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll allow the Fourth Division to participate in the operation. But please know this, if you take part in the operation, and an ident urs, you¡¯ll have to take full responsibility,¡± Tanaka Hiroshi replied, looking at Miyazaki Ronjin firmly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take full responsibility!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.

 Chapter 622 - Operation

    <h2>Chapter 622: Operation</h2>


    The Metropolitan Police Department immediately posted a wanted notice for Xiao Luo in various newspapers and magazines. Besides the mainstream media, it was also posted across various messaging apps and the inte, and word quickly spread across the nation. The police rewarded anyone who could provide leads, and the rewardmensurated with the usefulness of the information. Many citizens jumped on the bandwagon when they heard this exciting news, and some even formed search parties to locate Xiao Luo in every corner of Ri nation.


    News also broke out on strange events happening in the vicinity of Mount Fuji. A loud rumbling sound was reported and there was an avnche at the top of the mountain. Many said that the volcano, now dormant for over three hundred years, would soon erupt again, and this caused everyone in Dongjing to fear for their safety. The Ri nation officials quickly refuted these rumors, rifying that the avnche and rumbling sounds were caused by military activities and it was not an imminent sign of the volcano erupting.


    At roughly four in the afternoon, Xiao Luo had returned to Dongjing after dropping Fu Yiren off at the port for her return to the homnd. He couldn¡¯t helpughing when he saw the wanted notice and news on Mount Fuji, for he had seen thising. The Japanese military had already blown up their bio-research base, and all the evidence was now buried under a thickyer of rock. Even if he reported that Japan had conducted inhumane gic engineering experiments on human subjects, and on an international scale, there was no longer any evidence to substantiate his ims.


    HONK! HONK!


    The ring sound of an air horn sted from just behind him.


    He turned around to take a look and realized it was a water delivery truck. The truck driver was a buff, rough-looking man. After impatiently honking for a while, he stretched out half of his body and shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°Damn it, do you wanna die? What are you doing, standing in the middle of the road like that? Hurry, get out of the way!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at where he was standing, with the sidewalk sign right beside him. Regardless of which country it was, fools like these always made their presence felt. He figured he could make use of this water supply, provocatively gestured with his index finger, and said, ¡°Come here.¡±


    What the¡­ this little b*stard!


    The truck driver lost his temper when he saw that. He turned off his engine, opened the car door, and leaped down. He rolled up his sleeves and stormed toward Xiao Luo. ¡°Damn, you little b*stard! Are you asking for a good beating?¡±


    The truck driver¡¯s huge palms looked like they belonged to a bear. He reached out and tried to grab Xiao Luo¡¯s cor with a fiendish look on his face.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction was swift. Using his thumb and index finger, he pinched the truck driver¡¯s wrist, just like he was picking up a flower. Xiao Luo¡¯s interception was executed with precision, and the moment he caught the wrist, he increased the pressure.


    CRACK!


    The bones in the truck driver¡¯s wrist instantly snapped with a crisp sound. He felt a sharp pain and let out an agonizing scream. Xiao Luo then stomped on his chest, and the truck driver flew back like a cannonball, smashing into the brush behind him and passing out immediately. Leaves covered his body, and without taking a closer look, no one would notice that someone was lying there.


    Xiao Luo straightened his cor and walked toward the delivery truck as if nothing had happened. Without any hesitation, he got into the driver¡¯s seat, closed the door, and opened the storage box to take a look. He noticed that there was a set of new blue uniform and a hat.


    A free car, and a free outfit!


    He smirked before changing into the blue uniform and putting on the hat. He turned the key to start the engine and immediately headed in the direction of the Metropolitan Police Department. He made use of the system skill he acquired to disguise himself, and his physical appearance changed drastically. No one would be able to recognize him as Xiao Luo, or to be more precise, Xiao Han. The identity on his wanted notice was a cover provided by the NSA.


    Of course, the disguise would notst forever as it consumed internal energy. Therefore, it would not work if he was drained of internal energy or if he was injured, and would simply revert to his original form right away.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s first target was the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department¨CTanaka Hiroshi!


    He was the main culprit behind the case of the missing Hua Nation people. Tanaka Hiroshi had provided all the information to the bio-research facility, then arranged for their abduction. In the face of pressure from Hua Nation, they decided to send Miyazaki Ronjin as the person-in-charge of investigating these missing cases. He was a man who was about to retire and had little motivation to do his job after the death of his wife and child.


    Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s negative and negligent attitude was apparent and had he been more alert, he would have been able to tell that there was something amiss with Tanaka Hiroshi right from the start.


    ¡­


    Ten minutester, a truck that loaded with barreled water arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department.


    Xiao Luo calmly opened the back of the truck and lifted a barrel of water.


    He carried the barrel of water over his shoulder, but it felt as if he wasn¡¯t carrying anything. He straightened up, exhibited the strength he had. With a smile on his face, he looked straight ahead and walked into the Metropolitan Police Department.


    When he stepped into the confined space of the elevator, he found himself in thepany of a group of police officers.


    ¡°I heard that criminal, Xiao Han, appeared at Kamakura.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fake, that was a false tip. The one who reported it must have gone crazy just thinking about money. He saw a guy with a sharp nose that looked a little like him, tied him up, and eagerly awaited to receive the reward. What a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°These people are idiots! Did he not read the wanted notice that clearly stated this fugitive, Xiao Han, has extraordinary skills? Did he honestly think that he¡¯d be able to tie Xiao Han up that easily all by himself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so true.¡±


    Two of the police officers were discussing the reckless capture of the supposed ¡°fugitive¡± in disbelief.


    Xiao Luo had no expression on his face as he stood quietly stood behind them acting as if he did not hear a thing they said.


    DING.


    The elevator stopped on the tenth floor, and the door slid open. A female police officer with light-brown hair in a bob cut walked in. Her face was exquisite, and she carried herself with an arrogant demeanor.


    Asou Shuyao!


    The name of this female police officer instantly shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s head. Just a few days back, this woman had angered him over an argument about the Sino-Japanese war. She had also humiliated Xie Wenchang, which was why he remembered her so well. Other than the people on the list, this woman was the other one he would deal with, and he intended to make sure that he taught her a good lesson before he left Ri nation.


    ¡°Department Head Shuyao!¡± The police officers in the elevator greeted her respectfully, taking a few steps back to make way for her.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Asou Shuyao responded coldly. She walked in, turned around, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.


    ¡°Department Head Shuyao, which floor are you going to please?¡± asked the police officers standing next to the panel of buttons. He had a deferential smile on his face.


    ¡°The fifteenth floor,¡± Asou Shuyao said.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The police officer responded, keeping the smile on his face as he pressed the button for her.


    Xiao Luo, standing right at the back of her, dearly wished he could deliver a p across her face and send her flying to kingdome. His eyes were smoldering with hatred.


    At that moment, Asou Shuyao turned around all of a sudden and looked at him. ¡°Where are you delivering this barreled water to?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo was a little stunned, as he never expected this woman to talk to him. He had not changed his voice as he did not think he would need to use it. He pretended to be mute and began to gesture with a series of hand signs.


    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re mute.¡±


    Asou Shuyao raised her eyebrows a little, and said, ¡°I noticed that the Third Division will be running out of water soon. Make sure you deliver a few barrels over to us as well.¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± Xiao Luo grunted, smiling at her, and nodding his head in acknowledgment.


    DING.


    They had arrived on the fifteenth floor, and the elevator door began to slide open slowly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to deliver the water. If I don¡¯t see the water before I leave the office today, I¡¯ll lodge aint to yourpany,¡± Asou Shuyao added before she stepped out.


    With a smile on his face, Xiao Luo kept nodding his head, before he, too, walked out of the elevator carrying the barrel of water.

 Chapter 623 - There Are Seven More

    <h2>Chapter 623: There Are Seven More</h2>


    Were someone to tell others he intended to assassinate the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, they would surely think that he was insane.


    Yet, it was precisely what Xiao Luo was about to do. Out in the streets, a manhunt was already underway, and they spared no resources in their search for him¡ªeven if they had to dig to unearth him. But within the vicinity of the Metropolitan Police Department, everything was peaceful. The most dangerous ce was usually the safest ce to be.


    Even in his wildest dreams, Chief Tanaka Hiroshi would not have thought that the Grim Reaper was inching closer and closer toward him.


    He had just finished a phone call with Kuroda Kiyotaka, the Cab Minister, who demanded that he find Xiao Luo within two days and close the case. They had the authorization to kill Xiao Luo on the spot, even with the slightest bit of resistance. Chief Tanaka Hiroshi had promised toplete the mission at all costs.


    KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.


    There was a rap on his door.


    ¡°Please, enter!¡±


    Tanaka Hiroshi was sitting at his desk. He furrowed his brows as he looked through some documents. The uncovering of the bio-research base would have infuriated the Prime Minister. Undoubtedly, those involved in the project would be made ountable for what had happened, and the matter was giving him a terrible headache.


    The door opened, and he saw a person in a blue uniform. When he realized that it was the water delivery man who had knocked on his door, he became very annoyed. ¡°I already have three barrels in my office. Who asked you to bring this here?¡± he scowled.


    ¡°This water is for you to drink on your way to hell.¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his head and showed his face. An overwhelming, murderous aura ignited from him.


    Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s eyes were wide open in shock. ¡°You¡­ you are¡­ Xiao Han?¡± he stammered.


    Though the face of the person in front of him lookedpletely different, his voice and stature were unmistakably Xiao Han¡¯s.


    Xiao Luoughed coldly. ¡°All credit to the Chief! Despite being in disguise, you can still recognize me for who I am. All the more, why I can¡¯t let you live,¡± he said.


    When he realized that it was Xiao Luo, Tanaka Hiroshi gasped and panicked. He quickly went for his handgun in the drawer, but before he could even reach it, Xiao Luo threw the water barrel on his shoulder right at the chief.


    BAM!


    The barrel smashed into his head and sent Tanaka Hiroshi flying off his seat and crashing to the floor. He was in a daze and saw stars, feeling the earth spin as he found it hard to stay focused.


    Xiao Luo walked toward him and squatted down. He looked at Tanaka Hiroshi with cold, murderous eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the name Xie Wenchang. His entire family met a tragic end at the bio-research facility. I don¡¯t consider myself particrly patriotic. I mean, I¡¯ve already killed so many people. But, I cannot erase the memory of the three members of this family from my mind. Like thorns, they keep pricking at my heart. So, everyone who is involved in the inhumane project has to die!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wait, please! It¡­ It has nothing to do with me. I¡­ I don¡¯t even know who Xie Wenchang is. It has nothing to do with me¡­¡± Tanaka Hiroshi had a horrified look on his face, and he was doing everything he could to deny his involvement in this matter.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°Did you think I woulde all the way here if I wasn¡¯t sure of your involvement?¡±


    As he said that, he stood up, slowly picked up the barrel of water, and then used his thumb to pry open the cap.


    ¡°What are you trying to do? What do you think you¡¯re doing? You should know that this is the Metropolitan Police Department¡­ police officers are everywhere, and they are armed! If you dare to touch me, you¡­ you will not leave this ce alive!¡± Tanaka Hiroshi shrieked. He was so scared that his entire body was trembling. Faced with the threat of certain death, could anyone remain calm?


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly and said, ¡°What makes you so sure that I won¡¯t be able to leave this ce alive?¡±


    After asking that question, Xiao Luo stepped on Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s chest and stuffed the mouth of the water barrel into his mouth. He discharged the internal energy from his palm into the barrel and created an immense pressure that forced the water to move downward. A jet of water surged into Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Glug, glug, glug¡­¡±


    In a matter of minutes, Tanaka Hiroshi could feel his stomach bloating up. It was extremely ufortable, but hard as he struggled, his effort was futile. He could not stop the water from going down his throat. Water continued to fill his stomach, and a quantity even went down his trachea, causing him to choke. Then, after a couple of violent coughs, water streamed out of his nose. The amount of pain he was suffering was unimaginable.


    Petrified and panic-stricken, his body quivered uncontrobly.


    Xiao Luo looked at him coldly, resembling the Grim Reaper eyeing the soul he was about to harvest.


    ¡°Glug, glug, glug¡­¡±


    Half of the water from the barrel had already filled Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s stomach, and it bloated up so much that he looked like he was pregnant. Then, after Xiao Luo removed the barrel, water from his stomach spurted out of his mouth and nose. His mind was losing consciousness, and he was on the edge of death.


    Xiao Luo picked up a pen from the office table and held it between his palms, transferring his internal energy to create a ring of spikes around the pen. Then he aimed it at Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s neck and sent it piercing through his throat.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Xiao Luo had turned an ordinary pen into a fatal weapon. Blood gushed out from the throat, and Tanaka Hiroshi gave a dull groan. His neck had bent into a crooked position, and he died on the spot.


    Xiao Luo took out the name list, and he used the same pen that killed Tanaka Hiroshi to cross out his name. Then he muttered, ¡°Seven more!¡±


    Having aplished what he came here to do, he turned around and prepared to leave. Putting on his hat, he covered his face, opened the door, and left.


    ¡­


    Half an hour after Xiao Luo departed, a police officer entered Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s office to report some information and discovered his body.


    The news was all over the media¡ªthe Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, murdered in his own office. It caused an uproar in the Ri nation. The political, academic, and business circles were in turmoil. Tanaka Hiroshi was not just the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, but also the Deputy Minister of Ri nation. He was one of the most important officials in the country. Who would¡¯ve believed that someone had assassinated him in his office so easily?


    After Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s death, the former Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department was recalled and temporarily took charge.


    ording to Asou Shuyao¡¯s report, the suspect in Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s murder was a man who was delivering barrels of water. The security cameras in the Metropolitan Police Department captured a clear image of his face. After studying the picture, Asou Shuyao, Miyazaki Ronjin, and a team of officers thought that this man seemed so familiar, but they couldn¡¯t put their finger on it. Unconsciously, Xiao Luo¡¯s image appeared in all their minds.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Xiao Han! It must be the wanted man, Xiao Han!¡± Asou Shuyao shouted and stood up confidently.


    As soon as she said that, everyone in the meeting hall was surprised by her outburst. Xiao Han? How could that be possible? That delivery man might have looked a little like Xiao Han, but from his facial features, they could not ascertain if it was Xiao Han.


    The old Chief was an elderly man with a head of grey hair. He was still robust and spirited, and he did not refute Asou Shuyao¡¯s opinion right away. Instead, he waited for theboratory analysis to determine the result of the fingerprints found at the scene.


    The results came back quickly, and it showed that the fingerprints left behind in Tanaka Hiroshi¡¯s office were the same as those of the Hua Nation man, Xiao Han. It confirmed that the delivery man and Xiao Luo was the same person.


    As soon as the truth was known, every single police officer in the Metropolitan Police Department gasped and wondered what type of disguise technique Xiao Luo had used. Was it some unknown magical martial arts technique that still existed in this world? If that was the case, how were they going to catch this criminal? If Xiao Han could change his face any day, then even if he stood right in front of them, there was no way they could tell that it was him.


    The very thought of that possibility made everyone break out in a cold sweat.

 Chapter 624

    <h2>Chapter 624: Be Ahead</h2>


    ¡°This is the toughest and the most elusive criminal we have ever encountered in the history of the Metropolitan Police Department! This day is also the most shameful day for us, and I hope that everyone sitting here will give this your full attention and put everything you have into this case. Don¡¯t just put in your best effort¡ªI want you to catch the criminal Xiao Han in the shortest time possible so we can solve this case quickly!¡± said the old Chief as he eyed everyone in the meeting room. His voice rang with an air of authority and inner toughness.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone replied in unison.


    The old Chief looked at Miyazaki Ronjin. Back when he was still in charge, Miyazaki Ronjin had been an outstanding police officer and had single-handedly eradicated the Yamaguchi-gumi in Dongjing. And in return for his excellent work, he had to pay the painful price of losing both his wife and child. He felt sympathy for Miyazaki Ronjin.


    He asked Miyazaki Ronjin, ¡°Ronjin-kun, what are your thoughts regarding this matter?¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin furrowed his brows. He had yet toe to terms with the fact that Xiao Luo had turned into a wanted person. How was it that a police officer who hade to the Ri Nation to solve the cases of the missing citizens of Hua Nation suddenly direct his attack toward a Ri Nation official? He looked at the old Chief, and with a heavy heart, said, ¡°Chief Hiroshi¡¯s death is not the end, but just the beginning.¡±


    Hmm?


    Everyone present turned their heads to look at him. The effect of those words was like a bomb going off and the roomful of officers was caughtpletely off guard. That was not the end, but just the beginning¡ªwas he implying that Xiao Han was going to kill more people?


    ¡°Continue,¡± the old Chief said with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°On the night of the 14th, a gically mutated person attacked me, Kimura Akino, and Xiao Han. This mutated person had grown blue-colored scales to cover his body, and not even bullets could prate it. The only thing we were sure of was that he was one of the missing Hua Nation people, Wang Leyou¡­¡±


    Asou Shuyao suddenly interrupted him. ¡°What nonsense? You will only see this sort of thing in a sci-fi film. There¡¯s no way this can happen in real life. Department Head Ronjin, are you sure it wasn¡¯t because you were drunk that night and identally knocked someone over, so you thought of this excuse to cover up your crime? This excuse is simply too ridiculous. Not even an idiot would believe such nonsense,¡± she sneered.


    The old Chief had a smile on his face and said, ¡°I trust all the things Miyazaki-san has said.¡±


    Everyone looked shocked. No one had expected the old Chief to support this sloppy over-the-hill cop, Miyazaki Ronjin. Asou Shuyao¡¯s face turned slightly red, and she immediately kept her mouth shut.


    ¡°Ronjin-kun, please continue,¡± the old Chief said.


    Miyazaki Ronjin nodded and said, ¡°We have confirmed that the mutated monster was the missing Hua Nation man, Wang Leyou. Given that fact, I believe an organization was behind the abductions of these missing Hua Nation citizens, and they were used as test subjects for secret experiments.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to say that there are people who are conducting gic engineering experiments in Ri nation? And that they¡¯re using Hua Nation citizens in our country as guinea pigs for these experiments?¡± the old Chief asked.


    ¡°Yes. I believe the explosion and avnche that urred at Mount Fuji yesterday was no coincidence either. My hunch is that something happened at the bio-research facility, and someone in Ri nation is trying to bury the evidence. That was the reason for such an enormous explosion,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Everyone was shocked when they heard this. Conducting gic engineering experiments on living human beings¡ªwere they trying to go back in time and recreate Unit 731?


    ¡°Department Head Ronjin, even if all the things you have just said are true, how is this rted to Chief Hiroshi¡¯s death?¡± Someone stood up to ask.


    Everyone else stared at Miyazaki Ronjin with unblinking eyes, waiting in anticipation to listen to what exnation he would provide as a usible cause.


    Miyazaki Ronjin exhaled and then continued, ¡°A group of men in ck uniforms took Wang Leyou¡¯s corpse away. The perpetrators got the route and timing perfectly right. I find it hard to believe that they could do that unless they had an informant within the police force helping them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Chief Hiroshi is their spy?¡± the person who spoke earlier asked.


    ¡°There is no evidence at all, and this is just my assumption. If, and I say if, Chief Hiroshi was one of those involved in this scheme, that would easily exin Xiao Han¡¯s motive. He is nning to get rid of everyone involved in the bio-research facility and is seeking revenge for his Hua Nation people,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    Suddenly, everyone stirred in shock and bewilderment, and there was a buzz in the meeting hall. What Miyazaki Ronjin had just said might have sounded bizarre, but yet it made absolute sense.


    ¡°Is that why you said earlier that this is just the beginning and not the end?¡± The old Chief looked at Miyazaki Ronjin with prating eyes.


    Miyazaki Ronjin nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes. Xiao Han must have a name list of all the people involved in the project. It is a hunting operation. He¡¯s treating the entire Dongjing like a jungle, and he¡¯s the predator hunting down his prey!¡±


    Treating Dongjing as a jungle? Hunting?


    It terrified everyone in the room. Only someone crazy would have the nerve to do something like this.


    ¡°You have no evidence. All of this is just your spection!¡± Asou Shuyao sneered.


    ¡°There will be evidence because the next victim is going to appear soon,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin said.


    As if validating what Miyazaki Ronjin had just said, someone knocked on the meeting room door. After getting permission for entry, a police officer walked in looking pale with fright and handed a document to the old Chief.


    The old Chief took a brief look at the document. With a solemn face and a look of wrath on his face, he said, ¡°The president of the Ri nation bank, Mr. Okamura Neji, just died in his house. A fire burned down his mansion. ording to forensics, he was conscious and had been burned alive. His corpse was badly burned and has turned to ashes. They are somehow fused to the floor, and our people are unable to scrape it off.¡±


    At that moment, the entire meeting hall fell into a deathly silence. You could even hear a pin drop, and everyone could feel a chill in the air.


    The news of the fire stunned Asou Shuyao. It was turning out to be precisely what Miyazaki Ronjin had said. She was feeling frustrated and mmed her hands on the table, ¡°Fool!¡±


    Then they showed the picture of the suspect that the security camera had captured on the screen.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Xiao Han. The facial features are not the same at all,¡± someone said.


    ¡°This is Xiao Han. No matter how he changes his appearance, he still has those pair of ferocious-looking eyes that resemble a wolf.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin said this aloud, and he felt genuinely troubled. He had thought that Xiao Han could be a good friend, but now they stood on opposite sides. Xiao Han had turned into someone that he had to arrest, no matter what. He saluted the old Chief and said, ¡°Old Chief, it most probably wasn¡¯t the Prime Minister¡¯s intention to develop this sort of gic engineering test facility, but I¡¯m sure it involves certain Cab Ministers. If we¡¯re going to stop this killing spree, we must get our hands on that list of names. We need to get to the people involved with the project before Xiao Han finds them. Otherwise, he¡¯s going to execute every single man on that list.¡±


    The old Chief nodded his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the Cab Office and meet the Prime Minister this afternoon!¡±

 Chapter 625 - Cabinet Meeting

    <h2>Chapter 625: Cab Meeting</h2>


    Following the murders of Tanaka Hiroshi of the Metropolitan Police Department and Okamura Neji of the Ri Nation bank¡ªthe Minister of Defence, Inada Homi, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fukuda Yoshi, worried for their safety. They feared that they would be the next.


    The Ri Nation media paid close attention to the series of assassinations, and there was endless coverage in the news. The media dubbed Xiao Luo the ¡°Thousand-Faced Killer,¡± and that name was on the headlines of every single news media in the country. The Ri Nation was in a state of emergency.


    ¡°Idiots! Is the government eating sh*t? Can¡¯t they even catch a murderer?¡±


    ¡°Multiple government officials are being assassinated. How embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°I smell some conspiracy going on here! It seems like all these people that were killed are somehow linked. Are these murders rted to the cases of the missing Hua Nation citizens that have been the talk of the town recently?¡±


    ¡°Hurry and catch the murderer! Apply the strictest and most cruel method used in ancient Ri Nation and torture the murderer to death.¡±


    ¡°If the police cannot handle it, then activate the Self-Defense Force. If the military and police work together, I am sure they will catch that god damn Hua Nation man, Xiao Han.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t let him escape. Catch him and execute him!¡±


    Many Ri Nationizens leftments on the inte. Xiao Luo, or more precisely, Xiao Han, had already be public enemy number one in the Ri Nation. It would satisfy a lot of them if he got killed.


    [Cab Office in the Ri Nation]


    The Chief Cab Secretary, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport, the Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry¡ªand many more sat in the meeting room. There were over a dozen cab members gathered there. All of them were well-dressed and sat up straight in their chairs with anxious looks on their faces. None of them moved, and they looked like a collection of statues.


    It was not until a man, with a bby face and shiny hair hat wasbed backward, walked in that these ministers stood up and bowed to show their respect.


    It was none other than the Prime Minister of the Ri Nation, Anbei Shinzo!


    BAM!


    Anbei threw the folder in his hands on the table and stared glumly at the Vice-President, Kuroda Kiyotaka, a man with a bearded face.


    ¡°Kuroda Kiyotaka, are you aware of the crimes you havemitted?¡± Anbei yelled. His voice was so loud that it almost sounded like a lion¡¯s roar.


    Every single cab minister present that day had a host of questions in their head. They wondered if there would be a discussion on how they would deal with that man, Xiao Han¡ªthe master of disguises, who had earned the moniker ¡°Thousand-Faced Killer.¡± But why did the Prime Minister only direct that question at Kuroda Kiyotaka as soon as he walked in?


    ¡°Mr. Anbei, may I ask, exactly what crimes have Imitted?¡± Kuroda Kiyotaka took off the round sses he wore. Then he took out a cleaning cloth and calmly cleaned his lenses.


    ¡°You fool, are you trying to feign ignorance even at this point? Alright, I¡¯ll let you understand then.¡±


    Anbei pointed at him angrily and announced, ¡°Signing a private agreement with Mei officials to build a gic engineering research facility deep inside our Ri Nation¡¯s sacred mountain. Specifically selecting the Hua Nation citizens, Koreans, Vietnamese in the Ri Nation as test subjects, and conducting a series of inhumane gical experiments on these human beings. You turned them into unrecognizable monsters. These are your crimes!¡±


    What?


    Gic engineering research facility?


    Were the tremors that happened a few days ago at the sacred mountain caused by this research facility?


    It surprised every minister who was present when they heard what the Prime Minister had just dered. They all turned their heads to look at Kuroda Kiyotaka and waited for him to give them a proper exnation.


    Kuroda Kiyotakaughed and said, ¡°Mr. Anbei, I admire your imagination, but do you have any evidence to prove that I have built that research facility? If you do not, then what you are doing is merely framing me. It¡¯s defamation.¡±


    ¡°You want evidence? Alright, I will give it to you!¡±


    Anbei responded to him confidently, and immediately shouted, ¡°Second Division Sergeant Major, Ueto Shirokawa,e in!¡±


    BAM.


    The door to the meeting room opened. A man in military uniform marched into the room energetically with a straight posture.


    He stepped smartly toward the cab ministers and greeted them with a military salute, then introduced himself in a loud, clear voice. ¡°Greetings to all the cab ministers here. I am the Sergeant Major of Second Division, Ri nation Self-Defense Force. My name is Ueto Shirokawa,¡± he said.


    As soon as he walked in, Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s expression changed. The calmposure that he had disyed earlier on vanished from his face.


    ¡°Ueto Shirokawa, let everyone know what Kuroda Kiyotaka made you do!¡± Anbei requested.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Ueto Shirokawa nodded his head and continued, ¡°In the early morning on the 16th, I followed Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s order, and brought my subordinates with me to the sacred mountain to blow up the gic engineering research facility that was located deep inside the sacred mountain. We buried it under rock and soil, leaving no evidence behind.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that Kuroda Kiyotaka was the one who gave you that order?¡± Anbei asked with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Yes, I have a recording here. I recorded the entire conversation that I had with Kuroda Kiyotaka,¡± Ueto Shirakawa replied, then took out a pen recorder from his pocket, and handed it to Anbei.


    Anbei took it and pressed the y button. In the now silent meeting room, they could hear the audio yback from the pen recorder. There were two voices in the conversation. One of them belonged to Kuroda Kiyotaka, and the other was Ueto Shirokawa. The content of that recording was the conversation that both of them had.


    ¡°Kuroda Kiyotaka reminded me repeatedly that I had to tell everyone that this was a secret military activity to prevent the citizens from suspecting¡­¡±


    BAM!


    Before Ueto Shirokawa could finish his sentence, Kuroda Kiyotaka had his sses on and mmed his hands on the table. He stood up and red furiously at the sergeant major. ¡°You fool, Ueto Shirokawa, how dare you betray me!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°I am only loyal to our Prime Minister and our country!¡± Ueto Shirokawa replied with a stern look on his face.


    ¡°What loyalty? Aren¡¯t you just one of Anbei¡¯s dogs? I can only me myself for being so blind that I could not see you for what you are. I even treated you as a trusted ally. Ueto Shirokawa, you will die a horrible death eventually!¡± screamed Kuroda Kiyotaka as he lost control of his emotions. He was so angry that his veins started popping out of his forehead.


    Ueto Shirokawa had a wry smile on his face. ¡°I do not know if I will die a horrible death, but I know that Mr. Kuroda will die before me!¡± he replied.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Kuroda Kiyotaka was so angry that he gritted his teeth and breathed heavily.


    ¡°Send someone over!¡± Anbei spoke suddenly.


    BAM!


    The meeting room door swung open once again, and two muscr men in ck outfits marched into the room in unison.


    ¡°Take Kuroda Kiyotaka into custody and let the Supreme Court of Ri Nation deal with him,¡± ordered Anbei.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The two muscr men had menacing looks on their faces. They walked right up to Kuroda Kiyotaka and restrained him, before dragging him out of the meeting room. Theypletely ignored all the screaming that wase from him.


    After they had taken Kuroda Kiyotaka out, every one of the cab ministers sat up straight. It was very clear that Anbei was making use of this opportunity to eliminate his rivals. He had been low key about the matter when there was no incident, but now that something had urred, he took drastic actions.


    ¡°There are ten people, including Kuroda Kiyotaka, involved in the gic engineering project. Six of them are already dead. Now, only four remain. Other than Kuroda Kiyotaka, we have already confirmed the identity of the other three. They are the Governor of Dongjing, Koizumi Junichiro; a Ri Nation tycoon, Takahara Kei; and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport, Oi Ichiro.¡±


    After Anbei read out the names, he looked at the Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport, Oi Ichiro, who was also present at that meeting.


    Oi Ichiro was so nervous that he was trembling and broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°Mr. Anbei, I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin. I know that Kuroda Kiyotaka must have brainwashed you, right?¡± Anbei said while raising his hand.


    ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Anbei. He brainwashed me! The gic engineering research project waspletely inhumane. And what is important is that he even hid it from you, Mr. Anbei. That is simply uneptable!¡± To protect himself, Oi Ichiro quickly pushed all the me to Kuroda Kiyotaka.

 Chapter 626 - The girl at the bar

    <h2>Chapter 626: The girl at the bar</h2>


    Anbei only had his mindset on taking down Kuroda Kiyotaka and was not interested in the remaining three on the name list. He had to win the cab¡¯s support, and the three were influential figures in the Ri nation. Winning their loyalty was a smarter move than simply wiping them out.


    ¡°The assassination cases happened because of the formation of this secret gic engineering research facility masterminded by Kuroda Kiyotaka. That Hua nation soldier, Xiao Han, has been executing everyone involved in the project, and we must handle this matter carefully,¡± Anbei said.


    ¡°Do you mean that we shouldpromise?¡± A cab minister raised the question.


    ¡°Compromise?¡±


    Anbei smirked and said, ¡°Since the enemy started taunting us, the people of the Great Ri nation will, of course, retaliate and fight bravely.¡± He nced at a corner of the room and continued, ¡°Minister of Defense, Oshima Jun, I order you to activate a battalion from the Ri Nation Self-Defense Force to work with the police and arrest Xiao Han, the Thousand-Faced Killer, at all costs. Since he is taking down everyone involved in the research facility, you need to ensure that Koizumi Junichiro and the rest are safe. If there is anyone else assassinated, you will be on trial!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    A gigantic man stood up and responded loudly. He was none other than the Minister of Defense, Oshima Jun. He had a shiny bald head and was an intimidating man, even when he was calm.


    ¡°Thank you, Prime Minister. Thank you!¡±


    Oi Ichiro stood up and bowed to Anbei with sincere gratitude, and thanked the prime minister profusely as his name was on that list. Anbei¡¯s order effectively provided him with protection against any assassination attempt by the Hua agent.


    ¡°Prime Minister, it is extremely inefficient to split up the resources to protect them separately. The defense line would be too thin. Can we request that Mr. Koizumi Junichiro, Mr. Takahara Kei, and Ichiro-san live together temporarily? This way, the Self-Defense Force and the police can focus their resources in one location,¡± Oshima Jun suggested.


    Everyone agreed with his point of view, as splitting up their forces would mean that Xiao Han could take them out one by one. However, if they were together in one ce, it would afford better protection for the targets and will make it more difficult for Xiao Luo to deal with thebined forces of the SDF and the police. As for Kuroda Kiyotaka¡ªhe was in jail, and that was probably the safest ce to be. Therefore, they did not need to worry about any assassination attempts on him. Frankly, it did not matter even if he got killed, as the Prime Minister would be happy to see that happen.


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do as you suggest. But you must obtain their agreement, and you shall not take liberties on your own. Do you understand that?¡± Anbei said.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Oshima Jun nodded his head earnestly.


    ******


    ******


    It was now midnight.


    A vibrant nightlife was part and parcel of the urban lifestyle in countries with a well-developed economy.


    In a high-end dance club, many young men and women were dancing their hearts out. The music was sting away, and couples were engaged in sensual and suggestive dancing. The atmosphere was thick with sexual innuendoes and aroused deep desires. It encouraged many to seek partners for a hot steamy encounter.


    Xiao Luo sat at a barstool at the counter and was taking a sip from his cocktail. The Face Changing Magic had consumed too much of his inner power, and he was forced to revert to his natural form after each assassination. Xiao Luo was aware of the old revolutionary strategies of the Hua Nation and had a good grasp of gueri warfare tactics. He would not stay at one location for over four hours as the SDF and police were conducting a city-wide search to find him. This noisy dance club provided the only hideaway where Xiao Luo could enjoy a moment of peace.


    ¡°Hello hunk, can I sit here?¡±


    A sixteen-year-old teenage girl approached him with a smile. She was decked in a white dress, and she had sparkling starry-like eyes. She was quite attractive, with a hint of innocence. She looked graceful anddy-like for her age, unlike other girls in the dance club.


    Two burly men in ck apanied her, and they were undoubtedly her bodyguards.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and thought, another one of those girls from an affluent family.


    At that moment, he could not help but think of Chuyue from Jiangcheng. This Ri nation girl did not pale inparison with Chuyue¡¯s beauty at all. Her skin was fair as snow, and her innocent gestures added to her allure. Her cascading braid gave a hint of cheekiness to her personality.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± he replied.


    Ignoring the threatening looks from her bodyguards, Xiao Luo snapped his fingers and told the bartender, ¡°Please serve this beautifuldy a ss of wine.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Sir,¡± the bartender answered with a smile.


    The girl sat down next to Xiao Luo and studied him thoroughly. Then she said, ¡°You¡¯re handsome and look really like the viral Thousand-Faced assassin, Xiao Han, who is on the Inte. Had you not spoken the Ri Nationnguage so fluently, I would have believed you to be him. Your Dongjing ent is excellent!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he replied.


    Xiao Luo smiled and remained calm and confident. There was no trace of anxiety in his eyes right through the conversation.


    He then jokingly asked, ¡°If I were him, would it scare you?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it interesting that he was here exchanging banter with a rebellious young girl when he was in between assassination jobs and the target of a massive manhunt?


    ¡°I am not scared at all. There¡¯s amon saying in the Hua nation¡ªyou can wear out iron shoes in a fruitless search, but by chance, you may find what you lost without even looking for it. If you are Xiao Han, then you should feel bad to have met me, as I can decide your fate with just a snap of a finger,¡± the girl bragged.


    ¡°Just with them?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he nced at the bodyguards.


    ¡°Of course, they have guns with them all the time,¡± the girl responded, looking very confident.


    Xiao Luo looked away from the men and continued to sip the cocktail.


    The girl also took a sip of the wine served by the bartender and then asked, ¡°Are you afraid knowing that they have guns? Then you will disappoint me. I thought I had run into a knight. I¡¯ll tell you a secret. I still have my cherry, and if you can win my heart, you can pop it tonight.¡±


    What a rebellious girl!


    Xiao Luo could not helpughing and said, ¡°So, you think I am here for a one-night stand?¡±


    ¡°Are you not?¡± the girl asked with a wink.


    ¡°Even if I were, I am not interested in an unripe youngdy like you,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a smile. He nced at the girl, pausing for a couple of seconds at her rather undeveloped bosom.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    His words provoked the girl. ¡°Fine, you have managed to pique my interest. Come, let¡¯s go to the dance floor,¡± she teased.


    Xiao Luo wanted to reject her, but one of her bodyguards came up with a stern face. He took out a gun and pointed it at Xiao Luo¡¯s head. ¡°Boy, stay away from our miss if you want to live,¡± he warned.


    ¡°If you want your hand to remain intact, then take away your gun now,¡± Xiao Luo replied. He had a disdainful look and spoke in a soft, but dangerous tone. He detested such threats.


    It surprised the bodyguard somewhat, and he immediately thought that he had run into an idiot.


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo struck like lightning and grabbed hold of the bodyguard¡¯s wrist like a steel mp. In a seamless and swift move, Xiao Luo twisted his hand.


    CRACK!


    Even in the din of the dance club, the crisp sound of bone breaking could be heard. The bodyguard howled and dropped his gun. Xiao Luo immediately picked it up and spun it elegantly with his finger. Using his inner energy, he flicked it on the winess, and the gun continued spinning on the ss like a dancer.


    ¡°Wow¡­!¡±


    Beside him, the young girl was so impressed that she could not stop staring at it.


    The other bodyguard saw that the situation was getting out of hand. He reached out for the gun at his waist, but Xiao Luo was already out of his seat and instantly knocked him down with a kick.

 Chapter 627 - Traces

    <h2>Chapter 627: Traces</h2>


    The young girl was shocked, for she had just witnessed both her bodyguards defeated in the blink of an eye. But she quickly recovered from her stupor, because Xiao Luo had actually done her a great service by incapacitating them. She had always seen the mas nothing more than tagalongs and found them terribly annoying.


    She reacted with a glint in her eyes, and said, ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask for a dance? Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Xiao Luo said as he reached his hand out.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The girl took his hand without hesitation, and it seemed like her first time holding a boy¡¯s hand, for she appeared somewhat demure and blushed slightly. After all, she was just a young girl who was always kept under the watchful eyes of her bodyguards. She might have had a rebellious streak, but she most certainly had never done anything out of the ordinary before.


    As for Xiao Luo, he did not invite her to the dance floor for the sake of dancing. He had seen too much blood and ughter ofte and decided he needed to vent off the pent-up stress and bloodlust this way. Here, he would dance it off to the beat of the deafening music.


    He redeemed the skill for dancing and proceeded to dance like a star!


    The upbeat music in the dance club was catchy and rhythmic, making him groove sensually in beat to the passionate notes and lyrics.


    The young girl was dancing with her body pressed against Xiao Luo seductively. ¡°I am Fendi. What¡¯s your name?¡± asked.


    ¡°Mie!¡± Xiao Lou said.


    This codename was a cover for his real identity, and as far as Xiao Luo was concerned, using it here wasn¡¯t taboo.


    Fendi frowned. ¡°Mie? Is that your real name?¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo smiled and threw back the question to her, ¡°So Fendi is your real name?¡±


    Fendi didn¡¯t pursue the matter as she realized that real names were not necessary under such circumstances. Although she had never had a one-night stand, she knew too well that it was unnecessary to divulge her real name to a mere stranger. A fake name will do nicely, she thought.


    ¡°Stay here, I am getting some good stuff for you.¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°Good stuff?¡± he said.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Yeah!¡±


    Fendi gave him a mischievous smile and left. She headed toward a very crowded corner of the dance floor.


    Xiao Luo was surprised, for this rebellious girl was actually going to buy Ecstasy. She was a wild one, and he wondered what her parents would have thought of her if they found out about this.


    However, Xiao Luo felt bad seeing such an innocent girl falling into the drug trap. He stepped off the dance floor to stop her.


    Fendi had already received the product and was about to make the payment when she was stopped by Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Do not get involved with this!¡± he chided her.


    ¡°Why? I heard that this will make me dance all night, and it sounds great,¡± Fendi said, blinking innocently.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This stuff will make your soul ascend to the seventh heaven, hehe¡­¡±


    The Ecstasy dealer had a rather perverted smile on his face. He was a yellow-haired youngster dressed in shy clothes. He did not want this deal to go south and tried hard to convince her about the fabulous effects of the pills.


    Xiao Luo did not bother to argue with him and promptly took out his phone. He browsed the image of a person addicted to drugs and showed the picture of a man with an extremely gaunt body. It clearly showed the ill-effects of drug abuse, and even in a photograph, one could tell that his soul was lost.


    Fendi was shocked. ¡°Why did you show me such a horrible picture?¡± she cried.


    ¡°Do you know why he had turned into such a state?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Fendi shook her head, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he had been taking those pills in your hand.¡± Xiao Luo said, pointing at the Ecstasy pills in her hand.


    Fendi was so spooked and almost dropped the pills. She felt disgusted just looking at the image of the gaunt-looking man¨Che had deep, sunken eyes that were zed and unfocused. She was convinced by what she saw and immediately tried to return the pills to the yellow-haired youngster. ¡°I don¡¯t want them anymore.¡±


    The yellow-haired youngster was furious, and he stared at Xiao Luo, clenching his teeth. ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with this girl?¡± he scowled.


    ¡°She and I are not rted. I am just helping a stranger out,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Not rted?


    ¡°Damn you, if you are not rted then why havee to mess with my business?¡±


    The yellow-haired youngster was so angry that his face flushed red. ¡°Guys, get him!¡± he shouted.


    Instantly, a dozen fierce-looking youths emerged from every corner of the club. They were the bouncers of this dance club, and many of them armed themselves with bats they had pulled out from underneath the tables. These bouncers were trying to defend their drug business.


    The yellow-haired youngster pointed at Xiao Luo and gave the order. ¡°F*ck him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±


    Every one of them answered the call and pounced on Xiao Luo.


    WHOOSH!


    A dozen metal bats swished in deadly arcs toward Xiao Luo,ing from all angles.


    Xiao Luo smirked as he swiftly shifted back two steps and took a blow from one of the bats on his shoulder. But Xiao Luo didn¡¯t flinch. Instead, he stepped on the foot of the hooligan who struck him.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    That hooligan screamed in excruciating pain, his face twisted in agony before he copsed in a heap.


    Xiao Luo took the bat from him and waltzed through the mob like a specter. Everywhere he passed, hooligans fell writhing in pain. It only took him a few moments to knock out every one of them in the club.


    All the onlookers were stunned as they could not fathom how could Xiao Luo could have beaten up a dozen armed hooligans so quickly and with such ease.


    Xiao Luo smiled mirthlessly and flung the bat backward.


    THUD!


    The bat pierced the wooden bar top like a dart and quivered. Instantly, the owner of the dance club broke into a cold sweat. It never crossed his mind that such an intimidating patron would visit his club.


    Without warning, two undercover police officers emerged from the crowd with their hands were pressed against the guns on their waist. They advanced on Xiao Luo as theymunicated through their walkie-talkies, ¡°Come in, HQ. We have sight of the fugitive, Xiao Han. He¡¯s here in the Red Rose Nightclub in the Xinsu district. Request for reinfor¡­¡±


    They suddenly stopped abruptly as Xiao Luo teleported right before them from a few meters away. They instinctively reacted by trying to draw their handguns.


    Xiao Luo looked at them grimly. ¡°Do you think you will be able to shoot before I kill you both?¡± he snarled.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The undercover police officers broke out in a cold sweat, and they swallowed their saliva with much difficulty. They had heard rumors that this wanted man was a freak of nature who had no issues with killing anyone.


    Xiao Luo reached out and snatched the guns on their waist easily. The police officers froze and were in fear of being killed.


    ¡°You should be d that you are not involved in the bio-research facility. If not, you would not be breathing now,¡± Xiao Luo said. He smiled at them before he gave each one a chop to their necks.


    POW! POW!


    Instantly, both the officers copsed. Xiao Luo threw their guns back to them and turned to leave the dance club.


    WHOP! WHOP! WHOP!


    The moment he stepped out, the familiar, intermittent sound of police sirens came through, and the police had reacted quickly this time.


    ¡°It seems like the leaders of Ri nation have put a great deal of pressure on the police,¡± Xiao Luo muttered as he smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°Mie, Hop on!¡±


    Fendi had sneaked out of the dance club during the fight between Xiao Luo and the hooligans, and when he knocked the undercover cops out. And here she was, showing up in a silver Bugatti.


    ¡°Nice car.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled as he hopped into it.


    ¡°Of course, this is a limited edition. There¡¯re only ten of them in the world.¡±


    Fendi replied proudly. When she saw that the police cars streaking in from everywhere, she was rmed. ¡°What the hell? It¡¯s just a few Ecstacy pills and they are sending in so many people? Could it be those annoying bodyguards of mine called my dad? He may have called the police and they are here to bring me back!¡±

 Chapter 628 - Go Wild

    <h2>Chapter 628: Go Wild</h2>


    ¡°So, it¡¯s your father who called the police over? I see.¡±


    Xiao Luo pretended to y along, and a yful smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My dad is always very strict with me. Now that those two bodyguards told him that I was at the dance club, he must be furious. It seems that he is determined to arrest me and lock me up this time. That¡¯s why he called so many policemen over. Well, that¡¯s my dear old dad!¡± Fendiined. Seeing more than a dozen police cars rushing screeching around, she didn¡¯t think she could escape the blockade. She gave up on the idea of making a getaway.


    ¡°Then, let me take over. I promise that you won¡¯t get caught.¡±


    Xiao Luo pushed open the door and got out of the car, heading straight for the driver¡¯s seat.


    Fendi looked dubious. ¡°You think you¡¯ll be able to break through the police blockade?¡±


    As she spoke, she moved from the driver¡¯s seat. She did not get out of the car but instead shifted from the driver¡¯s seat to the passenger¡¯s side.


    Boom!


    The car door mmed. Xiao Luo got into the driver¡¯s seat and said, ¡°Fasten your seatbelt!¡±


    ¡°Drive more carefully. Don¡¯t break my sweet car!¡± Fendi pleaded. It was her favorite car, and she cherished it as a rare treasure. If anything were to happen to it, she would be heartbroken.


    Without a further word, Xiao Luo stepped on the elerator.


    VROOM! VROOM!


    The engine of the silver Bugatti Veyron roared like a beast, rushing out like a wild horse in a chase, and leaving a trail of burned rubber marks on the ground. It surged to a hundred kilometers per hour almost instantly, and it frightened Fendi. She had barely fastened her seat belt before she screamed her lungs out.


    When the police officers in the police car saw the silver Bugatti speeding toward them like lightning, their faces turned pale in an instant.


    ¡°This lunatic! What the hell is he trying to do!¡±


    He was driving right at them at a tremendously high speed and showed no intention of slowing down. The police officers in the car turned pale and panicked¨Cwas that driver searching for the fastest way to hell? The driver of the police car had already stepped on the brakes, but the silver Bugatti Veyron was still speeding toward them at a speed of at least 120 kilometers per hour.


    100 meters¡­ 80 meters¡­ 50 meters¡­


    ¡°No! Stop¡­ Stop it now!¡±


    Not only were the police officers in fright, even Fendi, sitting in the passenger seat, was scared out of her wits.


    At the veryst moment, Xiao Luo hit the brakes and turned the steering wheel sharply. At first, it appeared like he was trying to drift, but instead, making a sudden sharp turn in the opposite direction, causing both the two front wheels to turn left at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. It was no surprise that the Bugatti went out of control, and its entire body lifted off the ground, rolling over and clearing the police cars.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The hysterical screams were not only from Fendi but also from passers-by who were watching the scene.


    After rolling twice in the air, the four wheels of the Bugatti Veyronnded firmly on the ground. Under Xiao Luo¡¯s control, the rear end of the Bugatti Veyron skidded left and right from the impact. As the wheels spun to gain traction against the road surface, Xiao Luo suddenly elerated again. The Bugatti Veyron shot forward like an arrow leaving the bowstring, scorching the road and leaving in a trail of smoke. Apanied by the sound of screeching tires, it disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    Inside the police car, the officers were still deep in shock. They sat frozen inside the stalled car, breaking out in a cold sweat. They stared in the direction of the Bugatti Veyron, and couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Who would have believed that a car that was speeding right at them could suddenly leap over their heads?


    What just happened?


    These police officers looked at each other, unable to believe what they had just experienced.


    Turn around and follow him now. Report to headquarters that the fugitive, Xiao Han, has escaped from the encirclement in a Silver Bugatti Veyron, and he is also holding a girl hostage. We urgently request for air support.¡±


    As the team leader regained his senses, he ordered his subordinates to report the situation, then he turned his car around and went after Xiao Luo. With sirens ring and lights shing, the police car sped off in pursuit.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh, my God, you¡¯re the Lord of the car!¡±


    Inside the Bugatti Veyron, Fendi was howling like a maniac in the passenger seat. ¡°Mie, you¡¯re amazing. I can¡¯t believe we managed to escape an encirclement of more than a dozen police cars. My dad would be really pissed off when he hears the news. Haha¡­¡± she looked at Xiao Luo with admiration, and asked, ¡°Are you a professional racer?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a guess?¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are!¡± Fendi said, ¡°It would be hard to exin your driving skills if you weren¡¯t a professional racer. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you before when I was racing in Qiuming Mountain.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t race at Qiuming Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Then you must be a genius racer hiding in the city. Hehe¡­ I¡¯ve picked up a treasure.¡±


    Fendi was very excited. She initially sneaked out just for a one-night stand, and although she might never be allowed to do it anymore, she wasn¡¯tining¡ªshe¡¯d found herself a treasure instead. If she were to race at Qiuming Mountain again, she would be able to shock those despicable guys.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said nothing more.


    Suddenly, they heard the sound of des slicing through the air. It came from above and before they knew it, several high-powered searchlights shone at them.


    ¡°Oh, dear! My dad even called for helicopters. Isn¡¯t he overdoing it this time?¡± she sighed.


    Even now, Fendi was still unaware that the police weren¡¯t here for her at all, then her eyes suddenly glinted and she said, ¡°This is even more fun! It¡¯s just like the game Grand Theft Auto and the grade of difficulty has reached level five. Mie, go ahead, lose them!¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to tell him, for Xiao Luo had already resolved to get them off his tail.


    He turned off the car lights and floored the elerator. The indicator on the speedometer, already showing 120 miles per hour, shot up rmingly. The car shook and felt as though it was about to fly.


    The Bugatti Veyron swerved into a busy street, but Xiao Luo appeared calm as he controlled the car with precision, navigating through the heavy traffic and cutting in and out of fast-moving cars at lightning speed. Compared with the Bugatti Veyron, the vehicles it zoomed past appeared as slow as snails. Xiao Luo drifted and weaved through the traffic like a madman, almost scraping against the cars. It made Fendi scream in abject fear, and her heart leaped into her throat.


    There was a dangerous moment when two cars ahead of the Bugatti were about a meter apart. Somehow, Xiao Luo managed to tilt his car, bncing it on the left wheels and keeping the right wheels off the ground. In that way, he squeezed through the narrow gap between the two cars, and the drivers on both sides were so shocked that they almost crashed!


    ¡°Wow! This is like a scene from the movie Speed and Passion!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s driving skills shocked the officers aboard the helicopter, and they could not believe what they had just witnessed. The next moment, even in their helicopter, they lost track of the car.


    ¡°Eagle reporting to HQ. We lost sight of the target. That guy is a lunatic¡ªhe¡¯s driving way above 150 within the city! There are too many buildings, and it¡¯s hard to keep a tail on him. We really can¡¯t keep up with his speed.¡± The officer on board the helicopter urgently reported the situation.

 Chapter 629 - Takahara Keika

    Chapter 629: Takahara Keika


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The ¡°headquarters¡± mentioned here by the police officer was, of course, referring to the Metropolitan Police Department. A joint task force had been formed with the SDF and was headed by the senior director of the Metropolitan Police Department. It was overseen by the governor of Dongjing, Koizumi Junichiro, and the Minister of Defense, Oshima Jun. And there were other key persons involved in the task force, such as Miyazaki Ronjin and Asou Shuyao.


    Everyone in HQ frowned when they heard the dismal report. Things were not looking so good.


    ¡°What a jerk, I will skin him alive!¡±


    Asou Shuyao said it out of spite as she clenched her teeth. Xiao Luo had crushed the reproductive organ of the head of their n and crippled every elite member of the Asou family. It had now be a blood feud, and she was in a frenzy, desperate to kill him immediately if she could get her hands on him. Asou Shuyao did not recognize him in the lift, even when he was standing right behind her, and it infuriated her. It drove her mad whenever she thought of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you do not have the ability to do so.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin remarked as he sat next to her, smoking. Asou Shuyao turned an angry pair of eyes on him, but he ignored her re. Looking at the map of Dongjing with a frown on his face, Miyazaki Ronjin remarked, ¡°Xiao Han is undoubtedly a super-soldier who had undergone a structured training program in Hua nation. He easily took on hundreds of ordinary police, even unarmed, and could even drive his hand through the armored chest of a gically modified bio-warrior. He is a super-soldier who possesses the perfectbination of power, speed, and skill. None of our soldiers can match him!¡±


    His words terrified everyone, as Xiao Han was undoubtedly the most dangerous criminal that Dongjing had ever encountered in history.


    ¡°You fool, stop praising him and lowering our team¡¯s mettle. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s some super-monster or what method the Metropolitan Police Department will employ. I want him arrested in the shortest time possible. He is not only challenging you but the authority of the entire government of Dongjing.¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro yelled angrily. He was a middle-aged man who sported a beard and walked with the aid of a walking stick. Agitated, he banged the tip of his walking stick onto the floor, which echoed across the room.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The senior director of the Metropolitan Police Department and the rest of the senior officers bowed to the governor of the Dongjing. He was the man ultimately responsible for the Metropolitan Police Department.


    ¡°Tomorrow is the twentieth, and I will visit the shrine. After that, I will meet with Mr. Takahara and Oshima Jun-sama,¡± Koizumi Junichiro said, turning around to look at the man.


    That doesn¡¯t sound good.


    Oshima Jun frowned and said, ¡°That Xiao Han is looking for an opportunity to assassinate you. Why are you providing him with a perfect opportunity to do so by visiting the shrine? For the sake of your safety, I suggest that you cancel the visit tomorrow.¡±


    His words angered Koizumi Junichiro. ¡°My father took part in the holy war and perished in the emperor¡¯s service! Till today, we have been unable to retrieve his body, and this is the only way tomemorate his contribution through a spirit tablet. It is my duty to pay my respects to him every year on the twentieth of July, and to the heroic spirits who devoted themselves to the cause. It has been a tradition for fifteen years, so how can I break it this year?¡±


    ¡°We have extraordinary circumstances this time, and I didn¡¯t say that you should not go at all. Perhaps you can consider visiting at ater date.¡± Oshima Jun replied.


    Koizumi Junichiro squinted his eyes as he considered the suggestion. ¡°At ater date?¡± he said.


    Oshima Jun nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you can visit the shrine after we have arrested Xiao Han.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing!¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro red at him and snapped, ¡°My father and the soldiers who had lost their lives in the war expect my visit on this particr day. It will be most disappointing if I am absent.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough of this matter, Oshima-sama. I have made up my mind. Besides, I am the governor of Dongjing, and I will not be intimidated by one person from Hua nation.¡± Koizumi Junichiro interrupted him.


    ¡°Alright, I will delegate three hundred men to follow you in secret. If Xiao Han dares to attack, I will make sure that he will find it difficult to make it out alive.¡± Oshima Jun did not intend to pursue the matter.


    The senior director pitched in and said, ¡°The Metropolitan Police Department will also delegate two hundred men to safeguard the governor¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°I thank you all for your support!¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro bowed deeply, and then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he smashed his walking stick onto the ground and said, ¡°I am certainly giving him a chance to do so. It¡¯s all part of a wellid trap, and it¡¯s up to him to decide if he will take the bait tomorrow.¡±


    As everyone bowed in respect, they realized the governor¡¯s additional intention and acknowledged it as not only a smart move but a brave one.


    Suddenly, a police officer barged in and reported to the senior director, ¡°I have bad news. We have confirmed the identity of that girl who was abducted by Xiao Han. She is the daughter of the richest man in Ri nation, Takahara Keika.¡±


    What?


    It came across like a bomb detonating in the middle of the meeting hall and shocked everyone.


    ******


    ******


    In a quiet street somewhere in Dongjing, a silver-white Bugatti moving toward the Tower Park, stopped by a stone bench.


    Although it was fun to enjoy racing with the police beside the driver, Fendi, or rather Takahara Keika, was feeling a little car-sick. She stumbled out of the car and immediately threw up. When she returned, herplexion was as white as a sheet.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at her and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, puking help,¡± she cracked as she looked at him and attempted a smile.


    Xiao Luo looked around and discovered a small mobile stall nearby selling snacks and drinks. He walked over to buy two bottles of water and a pack of tissue and handed them to Takahara Keika.


    ¡°Thank you, Mie.¡±


    Takahara Keika received the items and added, ¡°It seems you are a considerate man after all.¡±


    She was feeling even better about Xiao Luo now.


    Xiao Luo did not respond to her but looked up the steel tower marked with blinking red lights, ¡°The game¡¯s over. I should go now, and you should go home.¡±


    As he finished, he threw the car key to her and walked away.


    Takahara Keika reached out to grab his sleeve and stared at him with her bright and clear eyes. ¡°Can we¡­ Can we see each other again?¡± she purred.


    In the short time that they spent together, Xiao Luo had be her prince charming, and she was bowled overpletely.


    ¡°Yes, if we are destined to, but we better don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Takahara Keika relented as she wanted to see this man again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough,¡± Xiao Luo said, and he gently pulled away from her hold, and then walked off with his hands in the pockets.


    ¡°My actual name is Takahara Keika. What¡¯s yours?¡± Takahara Keika chased after him and asked. She was reluctant to bid farewell.


    Takahara Keika?


    Xiao Luo frowned as he hadmitted the assassination list to memory and knew that there was a person named Takahara Kei on it. Thinking about the things the girl had said earlier, and the limited edition Bugatti, it was not difficult to connect the rtionship between that girl and Takahara Kei.


    Could it be so coincidental?


    He felt awkward, as he only intended to have some fun and ease his stress. Somehow, fate had yed its hand¨Cand he unwittingly bumped into Takahara Kei¡¯s daughter.


    But he did not respond to her and left without looking back. Takahara Keika was left behind looking rather mncholic, but inwardly she cherished the thought of a sweet rtionship with her prince charming.

 Chapter 630 - Unexpected

    Chapter 630: Unexpected</h2>


    The Yasukuni Shrine in Ri Nation was in Kudankita of Chiyoda, Dongjing, and was dedicated to the soldiers and their families who had died in wars since the Meiji Restoration era. Most of them were soldiers of the Ri Nation who took part in the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War, including some thirty thousand of the Takasago Volunteers. The shrineplexprised several buildings housing prayer halls such as Reijibo H¨­anden, Honden, Haiden, Tori, Y¨±sh¨±kan, Ch¨­zuya, and many others.


    The priests of the shrine had been waiting for Koizumi Junichiro since this morning, and they had received his notification onlyst night. All of them were made aware that the governor of Dongjing would visit today.


    A dozen police officers had been dispatched to the Haiden Hall to conduct a thorough search of its surrounding. There they checked the inside of the hall meticulously and escorted out all non-essential personnel. The only person left behind was the high priest who managed the shrine, and he was a man well known to Koizumi Junichiro. The police officers had conducted five thorough searches,bing through the area with highly sensitive detectors for the possibility of hidden bombs.


    Besides the Haiden Hall, the police also conducted thorough checks on Reijibo H¨­anden, which only opened to the top officials of the Ri Nation. So thorough andplete was the security check that it included a search of the crossbeams, and even a fly could not escape detection.


    On top of the police officers or the three hundred Self-Defense Force members, they all had a secret passcode to verify one another¡¯s identity. As all visitors were required to verify their identity, security personnel carried portable fingerprint recognition devices. Although Xiao Han, the thousand-faced killer, could transform himself into someone else, his fingerprints could not be altered.


    Koizumi Junichiro walked into the shrine through the front gate under the watchful eyes of an escort of a dozen police officers, including Miyazaki Ronjin and Asou Shuyao. He looked curious and slightly confused. Turning to Miyazaki Ronjin, he said, ¡°The distance between my residence and the shrine is only of seventeen kilometers. Yet that thousand-faced killer, Xiao Han, did not attempt to assassinate me en route. Could this be a trap?¡±


    ¡°I would imagine so,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin answered.


    Ever since Xiao Luo became an elusive and dangerous ouw, Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s entire demeanor had suddenly changed. He now looked a revitalized man who had regained his self-respect and the discipline of a head inspector.


    Although he knew that they were setting up a trap, he still felt uneasy as his instincts told him that there was a pair of eyes looking at them from the dark. It felt like they were being predated upon by a venomous snake that was going to strike anytime.


    ¡°That ouw is not dumb, and he would have noted the preparations we have made,¡± Asou Shuyao said, trying to make her presence felt in thepany of the governor of Dongjing. She took every opportunity to speak to Koizumi Junichiro.


    ¡°Then he¡¯s probably going to disappoint me. I didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d be such a coward.¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro felt the bullet vest on underneath his clothes, and he felt slightly disappointed. He then stepped into the Haiden Hall, leaning into his walking stick.


    The ritual for paying respects to the war dead at the Yasukuni shrine always started with the Haiden Hall and then on to the H¨­anden building, which housed the Reijibo. The Reijibo contained some two hundred names and ck-and-white photographs of the martyred soldiers. This included Koizumi Junichiro¡¯s father.


    ¡°Wee and good morning, Mr. Koizumi Junichiro!¡±


    The highest-ranking priest of the shrine came forward to greet Koizumi Junichiro with a warm smile. He was wearing a ck kanmuri cap, held a shaku in his right hand, and was dressed in a special white pure robe. His silver hair gave him a very dignified appearance.


    ¡°Good morning, High Priest.¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro bowed to the priest and returned his greeting with his palms pressed together.


    ¡°This way, please.¡± The priest showed the way with his left hand.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro nodded and entered the Haiden with his walking stick.


    Miyazaki Ronjin took out the machine for fingerprint detection and said, ¡°High Priest, please rest your thumb on this machine for verification purposes.¡±


    ¡°I have known the priest long enough. Is this really necessary?¡± Koizumi Junichiro asked, and a frown showed on his face.


    ¡°Governor, we have to be as careful as we can.¡±


    Asou Shuyao added with much respect. She had reached an understanding with Miyazaki Ronjin on this matter.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ Then I¡¯ll do as you wish. It is not a problem.¡±


    The priest smiled as he put his left thumb on the device. The indicator lighted up in green, which meant that his fingerprint did not match the fingerprints of the wanted criminal, Xiao Han.


    ¡°Are we done already?¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro was a little upset with Miyazaki Ronjin and Asou Shuyao, for one should never doubt a priest. Although they did it for the sake of his safety, they had also offended the priest.


    Both Miyazaki Ronjin and Asou Shuyao bowed slightly to express their sincere apology.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro snapped and strode in.


    The priest followed closely behind.


    To pay respects in a shrine, one needed to clean one¡¯s hands, and it was symbolic of cleansing one¡¯s soul. The practice was for the priest to scoop water with adle and pour it over both hands of Koizumi Junichiro first. Koizumi Junichiro would receive the water with his left hand to rinse his mouth. After spitting the water in his mouth, he would use the remaining water from thedle to wash his left hand. Finally, he would wash the handle of thedle before putting it back.


    Then, he would proceed to the bell and ring it three times, keeping sincere thoughts in his mind, before respectfully cing an offering of money into the donation box, and ending the custom with two deep bows.


    The priest would witness and assist the entire process.


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, a deafening st came from outside the building. An explosion had urred on the ground a dozen meters away from the Haiden Hall, causing a swirling cloud of dust and debris.


    SWOOSH.


    Every police officer in the Haiden drew their guns and was on high alert.


    ¡°Is Xiao Han here?¡±


    Koizumi Junichiro was shocked by the explosion, but he soon calmed down. There were three hundred men from the Self-Defense Force outside, after all, and Xiao Luo would be digging his own grave if he dared to attempt the assassination here. He had nothing to worry about, he thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯ll check.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not trust the Self-Defense Force, so he shouted at the police officers in the hall, ¡°Protect the governor!¡±


    He then turned around and ran out quickly.


    After he had left the Haiden Hall, the priest, assisting Koizumi Junichiro, suddenly transformed, and he emanated an aura of savage bloodlust. With no warning, he thrust his shaku into Koizumi Junichiro¡¯s throat like a sharp sword, piercing through his neck.


    SWISH!


    Koizumi Junichiro stared at the shaku as it pierced through his neck. Blood oozed out of his nose and mouth, and when he looked up at the priest again, he saw the eyes of a wolf.


    He was not the priest, but Xiao Han, the thousand-faced killer!


    ¡°Governor!¡±


    Asou Shuyao and the police officers were all shocked, for none of them had expected that Xiao Luo could have known the ritual of worship. He even deceived the fingerprint recognition system they had put in ce. How could this be possible? How did he pass the fingerprint test?


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    The police officers squeezed their triggers and immediately fired at Xiao Luo, sending a hail of bullets toward him and turning the hall into a battleground.


    Xiao Luo evaded the shots and seemed to waltz through the hail of bullets effortlessly. He leaped into the air and chopped down at the police officers with his bare hands, knocking them out unconscious, all within three seconds.


    ¡°Xiao Han, you will pay for this!¡±


    Asou Shuyao pulled out two daggers from her sleeves and bounded toward Xiao Luo. Being a martial artist belonging to the Asou family, she had mastered the technique of Divine ying Sword Skill. She could also apply this technique to daggers.

 Chapter 631 - Birds of a Feather

    <h2>Chapter 631: Birds of a Feather</h2>


    SLASH! SLASH!


    Asou Shuyao was quick as she brandished two daggers that were so sharp, they could cut through thin silk. Sheunched her assault at Xiao Luo in a relentless series of shes and jabs. She moved skillfully toward him in nimble steps.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you to hell, you filth! Now you die!¡± screamed Asou Shuyao endlessly. The hatred that loomed in her heart for Xiao Luo intensified her desire to kill him.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled into a wry smile. He looked amused as he dodged her blows skillfully, side-stepping to avoid the daggers, and delivering a high kick thatnded right on the mark¡ªthe left half of Asou Shuyao¡¯s face.


    Asou Shuyao, who had been shing manically with the daggers, was sent flying back, and her body crashed brutally onto the surface of the ground. Sprawled where shended, she had a shoe print on her face, and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°You have swung a million times at me, and yet you cannot even handle one of my kicks.¡±


    There was a mocking smile on Xiao Luo¡¯s face. That kick was exceedingly satisfying, for he had wanted to teach this woman a proper lesson for the longest time.


    ¡°You scum!¡±


    Asou Shuyao gritted her teeth as she dragged herself up from the ground. Then she lunged forward and charged toward Xiao Luo once more like a mother leopard protecting her young.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo hummed lightly through his nose. The internal Qi energy within his body suddenly spiked, and he zipped through the distance that separated them at lightning speed, like a beast awakened from its slumber. In a split second, he appeared right in front of Asou Shuyao. He reached for her neck with his right hand and wrapped his fingers around her throat.


    Startled by the speed of the sudden attack, Asou Shuyao could do nothing against it. Xiao Luo had grabbed her by the neck and mmed her against the sturdy walls of the temple.


    BAM!


    Her back smashed against the wall, and there was a crisp sound of cracking bones. Asou Shuyao let out a pitiful wail as blood gushed from her mouth and nose. Her exquisite face twisted in pain, and the daggers in her hands fell ttering to the floor.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to exchange blows with me a few days back? How is this, then? Are you satisfied?¡± Xiao Luo mocked.


    Asou Shuyao nched, staring at Xiao Luo in horror.


    What terrifying power he possessed. This man is formidable!


    He had defeated her so thoroughly that she did not even have the chance to retaliate. It all happened in a split second. At that moment, a horrifying chill enveloped her¡ªXiao Luo was formidable! She had been so consumed by her rage the entire time that it got to her head. She suddenly realized that there was such an enormous gap in skill between the two of them.


    ¡°You will do well to remember this. Hua Nation today is no longer like the Qing Dynasty of old. Sometimes, you pay the price for the things you say. Consider yourself lucky. Your Asou family was not involved in the gic engineering experimentation, or else, Asou Jiro¡¯s castration would have been the least of your concerns. I would have wiped out your entire bloodline!¡± said Xiao Luo. His voice was cold and emotionless. He sounded like he hade from the depths of hell.


    Asou Shuyao¡¯s heart thumped, and her chest tightened. Xiao Luo had a firm grip on her neck, and she could barely let a single word out. She only stared at him with eyes that were filled with fear, for this man seemed like he hade straight out of hell.


    Xiao Luo said nothing more. With his hand still on her neck, he mmed her viciously against the wall once again.


    ¡°OOOF!¡±


    Blood poured out her mouth, and Asou Shuyao let out a pitiful scream before passing out with her head slumped at an unnatural angle.


    Xiao Luo loosened his hold, and Asou Shuyao slid from the wall to the ground like a heap.


    ¡°Hands in the air, Xiao Han!¡±


    There was a loud voice resounding from behind him. Xiao Luo turned around and saw Miyazaki Ronjin standing at the entrance to the hall. He had both hands holding a gun pointed right at Xiao Luo. Outside, the sound of the Self-Defense Force could be heard assembling quickly in front of the entrance.


    ¡°How is the injury, Department Head Ronjin?¡± questioned Xiao Luo, as if asking after an old friend. He paid no mind to the gun.


    ¡°There is no need for you to concern yourself with that. I said, hands in the air!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin bellowed again.


    The hurried farewell at the hospital had given him an ufortable feeling that something like this would happen, but he did not expect it to havee true. This man had turned the whole of Dongjing into a forest, and he had be the hunter. He disregarded theirws and assassinated the people from a list he carried. These people that he targeted were those who filled senior administrative roles in the Ri Nation. He took them out one after the other, and this included Koizumi Junichiro, the seventh name on that list. This man was a cold-blooded killing machine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know why I killed him?¡± Xiao Luo pointed at Koizumi Junichiro, smiling in amusement.


    ¡°Because he was involved ]n the gic engineering facility on the holy mountain,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin replied.


    Xiao Luo expressed surprise, but he smiled and said, ¡°So you know. What do you think? You think I did the right thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Whatever the reason, no one is above thew. Killing other people is uwful.¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin said, ¡°Since you had already uncovered the reason behind the disappearance of those Hua citizens, why didn¡¯t you call the police? All of us at the police department would ensure justice for the Hua Nation victims. That is the only correct action to take, abiding by thew.¡±


    ¡°Even your chief, Tanaka Hiroshi, was in on this. Do you think that I will still be able to trust your police department?¡± Xiao Luoughed coldly.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you can kill those people!¡± Miyazaki Ronjin hollered fiercely.


    ¡°Is that so? Then why did you barge into the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters to ughter those people all by yourself, those years back?¡± Xiao Luo retorted.


    When Miyazaki Ronjin heard this, his body trembled uncontrobly. The images of his wife and daughter lying dead in their own home floated back into his mind. He had a death wish and binged on drugs like a madman, hellbent on dying after that dreadful incident. He was running on nothing more than vengeance-fueled rage as he charged into the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters andid waste to the ce.


    The memory shocked him, but when he came to his senses, he suddenly realized that the spot where Xiao Luo had been standing was now empty. Before he could focus his gaze, he felt a hand patting him on his shoulder.


    ¡°Honestly, we are birds of the same feather. The only difference between us is that you are a police officer. And I am not bound by any identity. If it were you, I believe you would make the same choice as I did.¡± Xiao Luo spoke into his ear.


    Hearing those words, Miyazaki Ronjin was dumbstruck. A cold sweat broke out and trickled down his forehead. Xiao Luo suddenly appeared right beside him in a split second, and this was far more terrifying than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.


    ¡°If not for this incident, I believe we could have be good friends. With that said, I still hope that you won¡¯t have a gun pointed right at me the next time you meet me. It is no use against me, and it will displease me!¡± Xiao Luo said in a halfhearted tone, staring at Miyazaki Ronjin from the corner of his eye.


    Miyazaki Ronjin did not dare to move an inch. Not that he did not want to. Xiao Luo¡¯s aura had been so immense and terrifying that it was as if his legs weighed down by a thousand-pound force. His legs felt like they had turned into stones, and he could not move them at all. Other than the cold sweat streaming down his head, he was as still as a statue.


    ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s it for today. I better get going!¡±


    Xiao Luo patted him on the shoulder lightly, swaggering out as he took his leave.


    Oi Oshima led the Self-Defense Force. Armed to the teeth, they stormed into the temple from every direction. He paid no attention to the man who had a small smile on his face, one who looked every inch like a Kannushi. He did not have the slightest suspicion about that man. So, Oi Oshima passed right by him and charged straight into the hall.


    When he saw Koizumi Junichiro lying dead right there in the hall, the muscles in his face twitched. He clutched at Miyazaki Ronjin¡¯s cor as he shouted, ¡°What happened? Where is the man? Where is this mysterious murderer Xiao Han?¡±


    ¡°That was him, the Kannushi who just walked out,¡± Miyazaki Ronjin responded in a daze, like someone whose soul had just left his body.Damn it!Oi Oshima turned pale. He immediately spoke into his in-earm-set and ordered the teams stationed at the main gate of the shrine to cut Xiao Luo off. From his end, he led the team he had brought and moved as fast as they could in the direction the Kannushi had left.

 Chapter 632 - Threatening

    <h2>Chapter 632: Threatening</h2>


    Inside the Haiden Hall, there was no one left except for Miyazaki Ronjin. He was standing there alone, still in a daze. The sound of Xiao Luo¡¯s voice telling him, ¡°We are birds of the same feather¡± lingered in his mind. It struck a chord deep in his soul.


    It was true¡ªthe two of them were so simr. When Miyazaki Ronjin had annihted the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters, they called him the ¡°Monster Police Officer.¡± The only reason they spared him from going to prison was because of the efforts of his old department chief. He had pulled all the strings he could to prevent it. Otherwise, Miyazaki Ronjin would have ceased to be a police officer a long time ago.


    ¡°Birds of a feather, yes, we are birds of a feather, indeed. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Miyazaki Ronjin cackled maniacally and slumped on the floor like a deted balloon. He fished out a cigarette from his pocket and put it between his lips as he lit it. He inhaled the smoke ravenously, enjoying every puff of nicotine before he felt dispirited once again. His eyes were unfocused, and he had a nk stare. He mocked himself, muttering under his breath, ¡°I am about to retire, anyway. Why didn¡¯t I just while away my remaining days in peace? I just had to insist on bing a goddamn righteous police officer, didn¡¯t I? And for what¡ªto be exposed for who I am after all?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Oshima Jun had no leads on his end. Xiao Luo had disappeared into thin air. Theybed every inch of the Shinto shrine several times, but they could not find a single trace of him.


    Dongjing had already caught wind of Koizumi Junichiro¡¯s death, as did the ever-alert media of the Ri Nation. The murder hit the news, and that sent shock waves through the entire nation yet again.


    ¡°Even under the air-tight security managed by 300 Self-Defense soldiers and 200 police officers, he could murder the magistrate. How did the mysterious murderer Xiao Han pull it off?¡±


    ¡°He is inhuman. There is absolutely no way Xiao Han is human!¡±


    ¡°It is not that our army is weak, but it is the enemy who is too strong.¡±


    ¡°Just the thought of such a cold-blooded murderer walking amid Dongjing is enough to send shivers down my spine!¡±


    ¡°Why did he have to do this? Is this the Hua Nation¡¯s retribution for Ri Nation¡¯s role in the genocide?¡±


    The Ri Nationizens werementing on the issue fervently. It was as if a thickyer of fog had enveloped the nation, and its people were paranoid and terrified, and perpetually on tenterhooks.


    Barely a few days had passed before the Ri Nation¡¯s richest man, Takahara Kei, published a lengthy essay titled, ¡°On the Crimes of Ri Nation¡± on the inte. That essay cast attention on the gic engineering experimentation facility under Mount Fuji and mentioned the personnel involved. It unfolded the mystery behind the attacks of targeted prominent individuals in the country to the Ri Nation citizens. At the end of the essay, Takahara Kei apologized sincerely to the victims of the experimentation facility.


    However, the article only remained online for less than a day after publication, before the Ri Nation authorities took it off the inte. The parties involved refuted the rumors adamantly. They imed that the mysterious murderer Xiao Han had hacked into the wealthy man¡¯s inte ount to publish the unsubstantiated essay to confuse the public. They swore to prosecute Xiao Han to the fullest extent of thew.


    More and more citizens became suspicious and were convinced that there was some conspiracy at work, no matter how much the Ri Nation officials hade out to deny that essay.


    As the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. Every word in that essay had expressed such deep emotions. The style of writing was like another essay that Takahara Kei had previously published. If the mysterious murderer Xiao Han had written the piece, it was unlikely that he could have imitated the man¡¯s style of writing to such a degree.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In an expansive garden, somewhere in Dongjing, there were many rare, ancient trees nted there. Describing it as a garden would not do justice to its splendor. It would be more appropriate to call it God¡¯s Garden of Eden. The resplendence of that ce was breathtaking.


    ced in the center of that Garden of Eden was a luxurious vi about 7,000 square feetrge. Surrounding it on all four sides was an expanse of turf. There was a swimming pool, a car parking lot, a tennis court, and every imaginable facility one could imagine.


    That was where Takahara Kei, the richest man in the Ri Nation, lived!


    Any ordinary citizen would shy away from the property. The sheer opulence of it would take their breath away if they ever had the chance to view the ce. It would overwhelm anyone who was not of the same status, fearing they would taint it with their mere presence.


    But, at that moment, that splendid garden was full of Self-Defense Force soldiers armed to the teeth. All of them had hard looks on their faces, and they were wearing their headsets to ensure the security of the area.


    ¡°Mr. Takahara, I hope you¡¯ll be able to give me a reasonable exnation for all of this. Why did you put out an article like this? Don¡¯t you know what kind of harm you¡¯ll bring to our nation?¡± shouted Anbei, dressed in a sharp suit. In a conference room in the vi, he was questioning Takahara Kei in a loud voice. He looked extremely displeased.


    He had lost control over his emotions somewhat and was spitting as he spoke. They had initially nned to bury the matter of the human gic engineering experimentation facility. But as a stakeholder, Takahara Kei had exposed the entire issue online. It was a good thing that had happened in their own country, so they could still contain it. But even then, an army of international reporters would eventually catch wind of something fishy going on there. By that time, the Ri Nation would likely face a tsunami of international criticism.


    Takahara Kei donned a sky-blue suit. He was half bald and his features, though not perfect, were not altogether ugly either. He had a friendly personality. He sat on a plush chair and very calmly faced the Prime Minister of the Ri Nation. He said, ¡°There is no way that we can continue to conceal this. No matter how far or how long we keep this buried, the truth will eventuallye to light one day.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Anbei said, his eye twitching anxiously.


    Takahara Kei stood up. He did not want to speak on that subject any longer. He heaved a light sigh as he said, ¡°Prime Minister, I think you should clear the troops. I don¡¯t need the protection.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need the protection?¡±


    That stunned Oshima Jun, who was with the Prime Minister. ¡°The mysterious murderer Xiao Han¡¯s next target is likely to be you. Without our protection, there is absolutely no way we can guarantee that your life is safe, not when you only have your bodyguards,¡± he said.


    ¡°And would I be safe even with your troops here?¡± Takahara Kei asked andughed sarcastically.


    Takahara Kei¡¯s kindly gaze made Oshima Jun hang his head in shame. He did not dare look the man in the eye¡ªKoizumi Junichiro¡¯s death was under his watch and left him unable to defend himself against that question.


    Takahara Kei sighed and said, ¡°Leave, all of you. I don¡¯t enjoy having your troops in my home.¡± He looked every bit like a man who was looking at death right in its eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Takahara, you are the pride of our nation, and your life is exceptionally valuable. I cannot allow¡­¡±


    ¡°I said to dismiss the troops. Did you not hear me, Prime Minister?¡± Takahara Kei suddenly raised his head and interrupted Anbei in a stern, fierce voice.


    Anbei¡¯s lips twitched. He hated that¡ªbeing spoken to in such a tone. But the other person was the richest man in the Ri Nation. If he merely sneezed, half their economy would catch a cold.


    He forced himself to suppress his anger and spoke with a severe look on his face. ¡°Mr. Takahara, are you not afraid that Xiao Han will make an attempt on your life?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, I am. Who is not afraid of death? Much less someone like me who has a bit of business under his name.¡±


    Takahara Kei said with augh, a calm look on his face. ¡°But what good is there in fear? If it is meant to happen, then it will eventuallye to pass. So, I might as well do something meaningful while I am still alive,¡± he said, pausing for a beat, and then continued, ¡°Prime Minister and Mr. Oshima, you can do as you please. I won¡¯t keep youpany any longer.¡±


    He immediately left the conference room in deliberate strides. At the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around to add, ¡°Oh, right. Don¡¯t think of sending men to tail me, Prime Minister. I do not want to be your bait. If you go against my word on this, I think you may find that the Ri Nation¡¯s economy will regress by a half-decade.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Anbei gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Threatening?¡±


    Takahara Kei frowned and then lightlyughed as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a threat if you think it is, Prime Minister.¡±After he said that, he left without looking back.¡±That idiot!¡±Anbei mmed a palm down on the table in the conference room, fuming. ¡°That old fool! Has his brain started rotting or something? Or did Xiao Han scare him out of his wits? What a coward, a blistering idiot!¡±

 Chapter 633 - You’re here

    <h2>Chapter 633: You¡¯re here</h2>


    Takahara Kei headed straight to the rooftop of the vi after leaving the reception room.


    There, two bodyguards dressed in ck uniforms stood guard over the entrance of the loft. They respectfully greeted him when they saw him ascending the stairs. ¡°Boss,¡± they acknowledged in salutation.


    ¡°You two can go, and take three days off. I will still pay you,¡± Takahara Kei said with a bright smile on his face.


    Although they were uncertain why their boss would instruct them to do so, these two bodyguards were experienced enough not to ask questions. They bowed and responded, ¡°Understood!¡±


    They turned around and walked down from the loft, then left the vi immediately.


    Takahara Kei opened the door to the loft. The room was rtively small, but it was well-furnished and cozy. The dominant color theme of the room was pink. Even the furniture was in the same color theme, and there were several plush teddy bears of different sizesying around. stered on one wall was a poster of a popr Ri Nation music band.


    A girl sat on the enormous bed in the middle of the room. She leaned against the headboard, mumbling to herself while cutting a photo with a pair of scissors. Scattered all over the floor were countless cut pieces of that photo. Littered all over the floor were little cuttings of other photographs she had cut up earlier.


    The girl sneered when she saw Takahara Kei walking over and continued cutting the photo in her hand. It was as if she was pouring all her anger into the act.


    ¡°Keika.¡±


    Takahara Kei walked over with a face full of love and sat beside her. He then realized that the photo his daughter was cutting was his. They were photos he had taken when he met with clients or when he was in discussions on projects. He had a sad smile when he asked, ¡°Do you hate daddy that much?¡±


    He did not tell Takahara Keika that the person with her that night was the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han. The man who had recently struck fear into the hearts of many Ri Nation citizens. He did not want to scare or traumatize her.


    ¡°Yes, I hate you! I hate you to the core!¡±


    Takahara Keika gritted her teeth and screamed, ¡°All you ever care about is your career, right? Go then, do your thing. Why did youe here? I am sick and tired of seeing you put on an act. You always pretend that you care for me!¡±


    Takahara Kei had an agonized look on his face. He ced his hand on top of his daughter¡¯s head, pouring with heartfelt and genuine love. It showed in his eyes.¡±No father in this world would not worry and not care for his daughter,¡± he said.


    ¡°Humph!¡± Takahara Keika snorted before turning her head away.


    Takahara Kei sighed and said, ¡°I did not even realize that my Keika has grown into such a graceful youngdy.¡±


    ¡°Tsk!¡± Takahara Keika was a little taken aback, but turned her head away and pretended not to hear a word he had said.


    Takahara Kei had mixed feelings when he looked at his daughter. Knowing that his impending death was approaching had jolted him from his obsession with his business empire, and he had almost forgotten that his daughter was now a youngdy. He could vividly remember Takahara Keika when she was still in elementary school. She was that little girl with a bright smile who would sit on his shoulders and hold on to his head. In his mind, she was still that little girl.


    Where was I when she needed me?


    The number of times that Takahara Kei had apanied his daughter was simply too few. In all honesty, he hardly did. It was no wonder that during his divorce, his wife hadined that his family was not a priority to him at all, instead, it had been all about thepany and money. He never understood it back then. But at this moment, he finally realized what his wife meant and why his daughter had be so rebellious.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was being rebellious, but rather it was a way for her to get his attention. Like any daughter, she longed for his attention and his fatherly love. But he had never given her the love that she craved. There were even a couple of years where he failed to be with her during her birthday.


    Suddenly, he felt that his life had been meaningless these past couple of years. His worth may be worth hundreds of billions, but he had failed to give them enough of his time. He suddenly realized he missed the warmth and love of a family. Tears welled up when he thought about it, and they rolled down his cheeks.


    ¡°Daddy, what is wrong with you? What¡¯s¡­ what is going on?¡±


    Takahara Keika was shocked and stopped her tantrum immediately. She truly loved and admired her father, but hated that he had never spent much time with her. There was an asion when she had received an award from school and wanted some praise from him. Instead, he told her, ¡°Daddy is busy right now. I will look at it another time.¡±


    All she wanted was for her father to praise her. But all she ever heard was that her father was busy.


    Despite her tantrums and anger shown toward Takahara Kei, in her heart, she loved her father. It was the first time she had seen her undemonstrative father crying, and she panicked. It felt like a knife had plunged into her heart. Her eyes turned red, and she cried, ¡°I am sorry, Daddy. I won¡¯t be disobedient anymore. I won¡¯t ever be. Daddy, please stop crying? When I see you crying, I¡­ I feel terrible¡­¡±


    ¡°The one who should apologize is me.¡±


    Takahara Kei shook his head and sighed. Then he said, ¡°I was too selfish. I never tried to see things from you or your mother¡¯s perspective. I never thought about what you both truly needed. I always took it for granted that you would both be happy as long as I gave you money, never thinking once to spend time with both of you. Daddy is wrong. Daddy failed to take good care of both of you. Keika, can you forgive Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡­¡±


    Takahara Keika looked at the old man in front of her and burst into tears. She felt that God had finally answered her prayers¡ªher father had been returned to her. She worried no longer and hugged him tightly.


    Takahara Kei patted her on the back and tears streamed down his face as he closed his eyes.


    ¡­


    On the morning of the second day, Takahara Kei opened the door of his study room. He saw someone sitting in front of his desk with his back facing the door.


    It surprised him, but he knew what was going on. As if talking to an old friend, he said, ¡°You are here.¡±


    With a swivel of the chair, the young man with a handsome face turned around to look at him.


    He had a bright and fair face, a pair of smoldering ck eyes, and a sinister smirk at the corner of his mouth. The young man was sitting as if it was his home. His left hand supported his chin, and his right hand rested on the study desk, tapping it with a rhythmic tempo.


    It was Xiao Luo!


    ¡°You knew I was going toe, yet you asked all the people who were protecting you to leave. Tell me why?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Takahara Kei lowered his head. With a smile, he said, ¡°You will still be able to break in and kill me even if they were here. They cannot stop you. So, I might as well ask them to leave.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him steadfastly. Then he asked, ¡°Are you not afraid of death?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am afraid. Everyone is afraid to die. But I would rather die with some dignity,¡± Takahara Kei said.


    ¡°Dignity?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly and said, ¡°Excuse me, but you lost the right to use that word when you took part in the Biochemical research base.¡±


    Takahara Kei smiled bitterly and sighed. Then he changed the topic.


    ¡°When I invested in the base, Kuroda Kiyotaka told me it was for research that would benefit the people and the country. I did not know that he was going to capture people and use them as test subjects to conduct gic engineering experiments on them. When I realized that he was doing something so cruel and tragic, It was against my conscience, and I developed insomnia. I had to take sleeping pills to get to sleep. Since then, I have lived in deep regret every single day. Just once did I witness the experiment, and I could never forget it for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying all these so that I¡¯d let you go?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a chuckle.

 Chapter 634 - Put an End

    <h2>Chapter 634: Put an End</h2>


    ¡°No, that thought never urred to me.¡±


    Takahara Kei shook his head and said, ¡°I have sinned, and nothing will change it, not even if I went down to the eighteenth level of hell. I am speaking the truth and only expressing what I feel. Nothing more.¡±


    Even when facing someone who was about to take his life, he still had a straightforward and superior temperament.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Xiao Luoughed.


    He did not intend to take Takahara Kei¡¯s life right away. He had read the article Takahara Kei released online a few days back. The sincere emotions conveyed through his words in that article had touched Xiao Luo a little. Takahara Kei had been the only person who had shown remorse for his involvement in the gic engineering experiments. If Wenchang and his family had not died, Xiao Luo might have considered sparing his life. But now, that was no longer an option.


    Everyone rted to the gic engineering research base had to die!


    Xiao Luo got up and slowly walked toward Takahara Kei. He deliberately suppressed the killing intent emerging from deep within but could not hide it from his eyes. He raised his hand and said, ¡°Takahara Kei, it¡¯s time for you to go!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Takahara Kei cried.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. With a puzzled look in his eyes, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Can you¡­ can you give me a few more days?¡± Takahara Kei pleaded. He had put his pride aside to make that plea.


    ¡°A few more days?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly and then shook his head. ¡°Your vi might be fabulous, but I do not wish toe here a second time.¡±


    ¡°You do not have toe here again. Once I have made up for my regret, I will put an end to it myself,¡± Takahara Kei said.


    In a cold, heartless voice, Xiao Luo replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you don¡¯t have the right to bargain with me.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, are you ready? You said you would bring me to the seaside. If you go back on your words again, I will ignore you for the rest of my life!¡±


    Through the door of the study, they could hear Takahara Keika¡¯s angry voiceing from below.


    It startled Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Daddy won¡¯t go back on his words. You wait below. I still have a few things to finish here.¡±


    Takahara Kei quickly shouted down to her in reply, then turned his head around to face Xiao Luo. In a sincere tone, he desperately said, ¡°I have spent too little time with her all these years. I promised herst night that I would bring her to the seaside and do ten activities with her.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not say a word and looked at Takahara Kei with no expression on his face.


    Thump.


    Suddenly, Takahara Kei went down on his knees and kowtowed to Xiao Luo. With a somber look on his face, he said, ¡°I, Takahara Kei, have rarely begged anyone in my entire life, Mr. Xiao Han. In the name of Amaterasu, please grant me a little kindness andpassion!¡±


    He was an incredibly rich man and an icon of his generation. Yet, he had put his dignity aside for just one opportunity to make up for the lost time with his daughter.


    It troubled Xiao Luo, for he had intended to kill Takahara Kei right away. However, Xiao Luo feltpelled to give the man a chance to fulfill his wish to redeem himself to his daughter. He was deliberating these two choices, his emotions at odds, and his face took on a dark expression.


    Thump, thump, thump.


    Then, they heard someone climbing up the stairs to the study. They didn¡¯t need to guess, and it was undoubtedly Takahara Keika who was approaching.


    Takahara Kei was nervous as he did not wish for this grim reaper to kill him in front of his daughter. He was anxious that it would cause her irreparable mental trauma. He had already resigned himself to his fate, but he refused to allow his daughter to suffer for his sins. His entire body trembled in desperation.


    He kept kowtowing to Xiao Luo, with desperation in his voice. He pleaded, ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I am begging you, I am begging you. Please have mercy, have mercy¡­¡±


    Takahara Kei kneeled in front of Xiao Luo like a beggar, weeping pitifully.


    ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you kneeling on the floor?¡± Takahara Keiko¡¯s voice came from behind.


    Takahara Kei turned around. Takahara Keika was already at the door. He looked at her with his eyes wide opened, and then he quickly turned his head back again. But the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, had disappeared into thin air and was no longer standing there. After slowly regaining his senses, he quickly wiped away the tears on his face and put on a smile as he stood up.


    He walked toward Takahara Keika and said, ¡°You silly child, what are you saying? What do you mean by kneeling? A button dropped on the floor. Daddy was picking it up.¡±


    ¡°Picking up a button?¡±


    Takahara Keiko found it hard to believe what he said. ¡°But I thought I heard you talking to someone in here,¡± she said.


    ¡°Nonsense. There is no one here. You must have been hearing things,¡± Takahara Kei replied. He had deliberately put on a casual look on his face, but deep down, he was feeling anxious.


    ¡°Really?¡± Takahara Keiko took another look around the study room doubtfully.


    ¡°Of course, it is true. There¡¯s only you and me here. There¡¯s no one else.¡±


    Takahara Kei coughed and changed the subject immediately. He asked, ¡°Right, Keika. Have you packed your bags?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m just waiting for you,¡± Takahara Keika said, nodding her head excitedly.


    ¡°Alright, wait for me in the garage. I wille down after looking for some books,¡± Takahara Kei said.


    ¡°Hurry then! Stop moving so slowly. You are like an old man who is already seventy or eighty years old,¡± Takahara Keiko moaned.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Takahara Kei replied and chuckled.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    Takahara Keiko pouted her lips, turned around, and left.


    Thump, thump, thump.


    As Takahara Keika¡¯s footsteps, Takahara Kei turned around, bowed to the empty study room, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You have three days.¡±


    An icy voice came from behind the bookshelf. Then, Xiao Luo walked out and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be here again in three days.¡±


    ¡°Three days. That is more than enough,¡± Takahara Kei nodded his head gratefully.


    ¡­


    ¡°Drinking an entire bottle of coke in one gulp. Going to the men¡¯s toilet to pee. To eat a meal without paying¡­¡±


    Takahara Kei could not help butugh when he read the list of activities his daughter had listed. After going to the seaside, he did those ten activities with her. It felt like he was reliving those teenage days of his. And, after a very long time, Takahara Kei was genuinely happy.


    ¡°Daddy, aren¡¯t you busy these couple of days?¡±


    Takahara Keika could not help asking as she sat in the passenger seat. Her father was perpetually busy. But he had spent the entire day with her, and his phone had not rung at all. It was unbelievable.


    ¡°I am busy. But my precious daughter is more important. Keika, where else do you want to go? Daddy will apany you there,¡± Takahara Kei said.


    ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re the best!¡± Takahara Keika chirped.


    Then with a nod, she continued, ¡°I want to go to the sacred mountain to look at the snow.¡±


    Sacred mountain?


    The color on Takahara Kei¡¯s face changed a little. That was a ce that brought him much regret and fear. He suddenly felt the natural anguish of a man released from prison after serving a sentence, having to revisit the scene of his crime. But he quickly calmed himself down and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go look at the snow.¡±


    After saying that, they headed toward Mount Fuji.


    On the third day, the death of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, Oi Ichiro was on the news. Another person rted to the gic engineering research base had died.


    That night, Takahara Kei sat in his study room looking at a video of Takahara Keika. She was still a toddler then, and she was just learning how to walk. He had a peaceful smile on his face as he slowly closed his eyes. On his study desk was an empty bottle of sleeping pills.


    Before that, he had already amended his will. His ex-wife would now be the guardian of Takahara Keika.

 Chapter 635 - The Final Bait

    <h2>Chapter 635: The Final Bait</h2>


    Washing basin, small dining table, urinal, air vent.


    That made up the cell of a typical Ri Nation prison. If not passing through the enormous steel gate, one would not have realized that it was a prison cell. The cell had wood flooring covered in mats. Although the area was less than 10 square meters, it looked more like a room in a rented house.


    Sitting in a corner was a man garbed in prison uniform who was roughly forty to fifty years old. He was unshaven and had grown a beard. His hair had been shaven off and his bald pate looked shiny. He wore a pair of round sses and was reading a book.


    It was Kuroda Kiyotaka.


    Suddenly, the prison cell door opened and Anbei walked into the cell. He was wearing a suit, apanied by Oshima Jun. Anbei seemed displeased and wore a grim face.


    Kuroda Kiyotaka nced at them and then continued to read his book as if he had seen nothing.


    ¡°You look pretty carefree. You¡¯re reading Franz Kafka¡¯s ¡®The Metamorphosis.¡¯ Are you trying to escape by turning into a beetle? Wasn¡¯t that what the principal character did? Are you trying to figure out how to turn into a beetle?¡± Anbei said sarcastically as he seated himself opposite the prisoner.


    Kuroda Kiyotaka did not respond. Instead, he read out the synopsis of the book loudly: ¡°Gregor realized that he had turned into a gigantic beetle. He panicked, and he also felt miserable. His father was exceedingly angry when he had found out and locked him in his bedroom. Gregor had changed. He was living the life of a beetle but still had the consciousness of a human being.¡±


    He had lost his job and was still worried about how he should pay off his father¡¯s debt. He had wanted to send his younger sister to a music academy. But a monthter, he became his family¡¯s burden. His father, mother, and younger sister changed their attitude toward him. To survive, his family had to work hard to earn money. They could barely tolerate Gregor, who was now a burden to them.¡±


    Eventually, his younger sister suggested that they chase her brother out. Gregor was sick and hungry. He fell into despair and often thought about his family with love and affection. His head thennded on the floor, and he took hisst breath before dying just like that. His father, mother, and younger sister then lived a life where they had to rely on themselves.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say that you are just like Gregor?¡± Anbeiughed coldly.


    Kuroda Kiyotaka put the book down and lifted his head to look at Anbei. ¡°My heart is with this country. I will do everything I can and I¡¯m even willing to die for it. I knew that I would not beid to rest in a burial ground if the gic engineering experimentations were ever exposed. But someone like me had to step out and be the harbinger to bring this country into the future, to be stronger and better,¡± he said.


    ¡°Harbinger?¡± Anbei scoffed.


    He found what he had just heard funny andughed aloud. Anbei then grabbed the book from Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s hands and threw it on the floor. Then he stood up and stepped on the book until it tore apart.


    He pointed at Kuroda Kiyotaka and shouted, ¡°Why don¡¯t you look at yourself? Do you deserve to call yourself a harbinger?¡±


    ¡°It is pointless to continue this conversation. We oppose each other on our political views. But I want to ask you onest thing. If the Mei national had looked for you instead, would you not have agreed to build the research base?¡± Kuroda Kiyotaka asked.


    Anbei squinted his eyes and red at him with a somber-looking face, saying nothing.


    ¡°You would have agreed. Otherwise, I would not be the only one receiving the punishment, while the others are safe and well,¡± Kuroda Kiyotaka answered his own question.


    Anbei eyes were filled with hostility.¡±You seem to know me so well. It looks like you have been thinking a lot about me while you were idle in here,¡± he said.


    Kuroda Kiyotakaughed and replied, ¡°The one who knows you best will always be your opponent.¡±


    ¡°But you have lost the right to be my opponent.¡±


    Like a victor, Anbei stood up and red at Kuroda Kiyotaka. ¡°By the way, I need to correct one of your statements. You are not the only one who has received punishment. Everyone else involved with the research base is already dead.¡±


    What? Already dead?


    The color on Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s tranquil-looking face suddenly changed. He could no longer maintain hisposure and asked, ¡°You¡­ You were the one who did it?¡±


    ¡°If you use that pig-brain of yours to think, you can tell that I am not the one who did that,¡± Anbei sneered.


    ¡°Then, who was it?¡± Kuroda Kiyotaka asked.


    ¡°The Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han,¡± Anbei informed him.


    That name confused Kuroda Kiyotaka. He did not know who that was, but he could only guess that it was the person responsible for the destruction of the gic engineering research base.


    ¡°He is a super fighter that the Hua Nation had sent. He has the ability to disguise himself and can change his appearance at will. We had originally thought that we could identify him with his fingerprints. But he can peel off a person¡¯s skin and use it as if it belonged to him. The only foolproof identification method is to conduct DNA testing. Otherwise, no one would be able to tell the difference.¡±


    ¡°He killed everyone else?¡± Kuroda Kiyotaka asked. At that point, he was fearful, and it showed in his eyes.


    Anbei said, ¡°Other than Takahara Kei, everyone else had been killed by him. Takahara Kei gave up on himself andmitted suicide. He took sleeping pills after spending three days with his daughter.¡±


    ¡°Then, why are you here?¡±


    Kuroda Kiyotaka no longer had the calm expression that he had earlier on.¡±I don¡¯t think you would be kind enough to send soldiers to protect me,¡± he said.


    ¡°As you are thest one alive, you will be our bait. I believe that Xiao Han will be here, and he will stand right in front of you. When that happens, he must pay his debt, and it must be paid in blood. You and everyone else in this prison will be sacrificialmbs. This is your sacrifice to redeem yourselves,¡± Anbei stated with a somber-looking face.


    Sacrificialmbs?


    Kuroda Kiyotaka started to shiver. He stood up and opened his eyes wide, as he lost control of his emotions. ¡°Shinzo Anbei, what are you trying to do? Just what in the world are you trying to do? The court will decide my punishment. You do not have the authority to sentence me. I am the Deputy Prime Minister of the Ri Nation. You do not have the power to pass me a death sentence!¡± he screamed.


    ¡°Kuroda-san, don¡¯t be silly. Just continue reading your book. I came here today to bid my farewell to you.¡±


    Anbeiughed as he spoke. Then he waved his hand at Oshima Jun, who was beside him. ¡°Oshima-san, it¡¯s time for us to go,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Oshima Jun nodded his head and followed behind him respectfully.


    Kuroda Kiyotaka lost control at the thought of being a sacrificialmb. He had not foreseen that his fate was to die together with the Thousand-Faced Killer in that prison. He expected to receive life imprisonment and had mentally prepared to live an idle life in prison. He could quietly read his books, newspapers, and life would still be eptable. It would not go to the extent where he could not handle it. But now, that prospect of living a quiet life was no longer possible. Anbei was trying to get him killed.


    ¡°Shinzo Anbei, this old man here won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    He shouted and charged toward Anbei.


    Oshima Jun¡¯s eyes spotted the attack in a sh. He took a step back and mmed his right foot into Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    Kuroda Kiyotaka screamed in pain as he flew backward. He mmed into the urinal, sending his head into it and his face pressed against the bowl. His pair of round sses broke and he looked a pathetic sight.


    ¡°Kuroda-san, just stay here and be a good bait. Wait for Xiao Han to appear right in front of you.¡±


    Anbei waved his hand at him and guffawed for a bit. Then he left without turning back. ¡°Get him a new pair of sses,¡± he said to Oshima Jun on his way out.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Oshima Jun replied and nodded his head.

 Chapter 636

    <h2>Chapter 636: Carried Away</h2>


    A violent gale blew across the vast sea, apanied by rolling dark clouds beyond the horizon.


    As they drew closer, the portentous dark clouds descended on the surface of the sea, churning its surface, and causing angry crests of waves to surge upward, as if weing the looming storm clouds. As the howling winds picked up, peals of thunder and the threatening shes of lightning became more frequent.


    The raging winds carried wave after thunderous wave of the angry sea ind, smashing viciously into the shoreline. As the ominous clouds advanced toward the shore, angry shes of lightning glowed intermittently within its abyss.


    Such was the nature of a raging thunderstorm in the Pacific.


    The massive storm system shrouded a good half of the Ri Nation ind within it, including Dongjing, as a torrent of heavy rain drenched the city of skyscrapers and neon lights.


    CRACK!


    A bolt of lightning struck the top of the Dongjing Tower. In the night sky, it appeared like the tower firing a powerful beam of light into the heavens, and it painted a breathtaking picture for those who saw it.


    In the Dongjing Prison, a prison warden opened a series of gates that led into the depths of the prison. The clopping sound from the heel taps of his ck leather shoes echoed eerily as he strode along the empty corridors. On any other night, the sound would have carried, but for the reverberating ps of thunder from the raging storm outside.


    The warden donned a blue uniform, ck pants, and had a baton hanging from his waist¡ªit was Xiao Luo!


    This time, Xiao Luo did not put on any disguises, but he very easily knocked one guard out, put on the man¡¯s clothes, and blended in with the crowd. Coincidentally, it was that time when the wardens on the day shift were clocking out and those on the night were clocking in. There would be a 10-minute window where the prison would be at its least guarded.


    He looked smart with shiny, ck hair, arched eyebrows, and eyes that had an edge to them. As he walked along a prison corridor that had a foreboding atmosphere, he was every bit like an eagle flying in the night, aloof and proud. He continued onward and stopped when he reached Kuroda Kiyotaka¡¯s prison cell.


    After he found out that Xiao Luo had killed the rest of hispatriots, Kuroda Kiyotaka could no longer sleep. A stormy night like this one did not help, and a sinister air pervaded his cell block. Dark eye bags had formed below his eyes, and the white of his eyes was red with fatigue and stress. He no longer looked like the minister he used to be. Now, he was pale-faced and balding, and he looked as if he had aged a decade.


    When he saw someone suddenly appear at the front of his prison cell, he was spooked. It felt like his soul almost leaped out of his body, and he bolted up as if he had been electrocuted.


    The light outside shone dimly. He opened his eyes, squinting to get a better glimpse of the man¡¯s face. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Someone who¡¯s here for your life.¡±


    Xiao Luo took the key and opened the door to the cell, calm as ever before he strode in.


    ¡°The mysterious murderer Xiao¡­ Xiao Han?¡±


    Kuroda Kiyotaka finally got a good glimpse at this face, and he was so terrified that he sat on the floor, paralyzed in fear. He broke out in a cold sweat as he felt an inexplicable sense of doom. It was an instinctive response to this enigmatic killer who was here to take his life.


    Xiao Luo was expressionless as he nced at the man indifferently. ¡°Tell me, who were the other Mei Nation participants?¡± he said.


    Like he had stumbled upon an oasis in a desert, Kuroda Kiyotaka scrambled to his knees and pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you¡­ I will, as long as you let me live. I¡­ I¡¯ll tell you everything!¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted mockingly, and then he waved his palm in front of the man a few times. Kuroda Kiyotaka felt dizzy like he was falling in and out of consciousness, and his eyes began to lose their focus.


    Xiao Luo chose not to lose any more time and decided to hypnotize the man. Kuroda Kiyotaka did not resist and provided Xiao Luo with all the answers he needed. After questioning him, Xiao Luo kicked the former minister in his left temple and sent him flying to his side. Kuroda Kiyotaka died before he even had the chance to cry out in pain. His head exploded and turned to mush from the force of the mighty kick.


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡±


    Xiao Luo retrieved the name list and struck off thest name on it¡ªKuroda Kiyotaka. He then tore the list to pieces and scattered it above the man¡¯s body, then turned to leave.


    WHOO! WHOO! WHOO!


    The ear-piercing re of the security rm broke the silence, and the entire prison jolted to life.


    A thick, white fog suddenly flowed out copiously from the vents, simr to the dry-ice machines used in stage shows, but in this case, vast volumes of the creeping mist quickly filled the prison cells. The sleeping prisoners stirred from their slumber and clutched at their throats. They choked and struggled violently as if they could not breathe, and soon, they were foaming from the mouths before their eyes rolled back and they dropped dead.


    Poisonous gas?


    Xiao Luo frowned and thenughed wryly as he muttered, ¡°This Anpei¡­ He is trulymitted to taking me down. To think he¡¯s willing to sacrifice all the inmates and prison wardens along with me. Oh, he¡¯s vicious, alright!¡±


    He then turned and headed out of the prison in long strides.


    Although Xiao Luo had the Yi Jing Jin ability, the Tortoise Breathing Technique was more than sufficient, as it allowed him to go 20 minutes without breathing, and that was more than enough for him to leave this ce unharmed.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In an upscale hotel close to Dongjing Prison, a contingent of uniformed soldiers had gathered.


    Anpei was on the balcony of the presidential suite at the very top of the hotel with a cup of coffee. The heavy rain prevented an unobstructed view of the prison, but it didn¡¯t dishearten Anbei. He felt ted and was unable to wipe the glee from his face, as he said, ¡°Toxic CoCl2 gas will cause people to convulse and then die in mere seconds. Xiao Han, I¡¯ve sacrificed the entire Donging Prison to take you down, so be proud of yourself!¡±


    ¡°No one will leave that ce alive. By now, it is already devoid of any life, and all life forms will die from the effect of the toxic CoCl2 gas,¡± Oshima Jun pitched in.


    ¡°Oshima, do you think this was worth it?¡± Anpei asked.


    ¡°I do!¡±


    Oshima Jun replied and nodded stiffly. ¡°As long as we can get rid of that enigmatic murderer, Xiao Han, no price is too steep.¡±


    ¡°That is reassuring. Notify your subordinates to clean up the ce of any traces of the toxic gas after two hours. Also, bring Xiao Han¡¯s body to me as soon as possible. I want to carve his heart and turn it into a trophy for my room to remind myself of this humiliation forever,¡± Anpei said.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Oshima Jun said, standing ramrod straight.


    Anpei smiled as he gazed at the prison through the falling rain. He thenughed aloud, for he had finally gotten rid of this thorn in his side.


    There was a slight smile on his face as he spoke,¡± Oshima, do you know what I¡¯m thinking right now?¡±


    Oshima Jun shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I suddenly feel the urge to dance. I want to perform our country¡¯s traditional dance.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Prime Minister. This is indeed something worth celebrating and being happy about,¡± Oshima Jun said with a bow.


    ¡°y me the dance music.¡±


    Anpei was truly ted as he limbered his neck and four limbs for the dance with youthful exuberance. At that moment, he felt uninhibited.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Oshima Jun was his confidante, and Anpei thought of the man as somebody he could trust deeply. It was natural that he obeyed Anbei without question.


    The music he yed was in the style of Ri Nation, a tune often yed in many anti-Ri Nation films in Hua Nation. In those films, it was maikos with thickyers of makeup who were dancing, but here, Prime Minister Anpei was the one dancing.


    Oshima Jun pped, and immediately several maikos pushed open the door and entered the room. They danced with Anpei, pping and celebrating this victory.


    After all, his political enemy, Kuroda Kiyotaka, had been eliminated, as had the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. Now that he resolved these two significant problems, even the thunderstorm seemed a thing of beauty in Anpei¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 637 - Funerael

    <h2>Chapter 637: Funerael</h2>


    The thunderstorm raged on for two whole hours before it eased, leaving the entire city of Dongjing inundated.


    Cab minister Oshima Jun deployed a thousand Self-Defence Force soldiers into the prison. They were all wearing gas masks and were equipped with chemical dispensers that would neutralize the toxic gas. It was a covert operation carried out under the cloak of darkness. There was an urgent need to remove all evidence that very night.


    Anpei was still in the presidential suite dancing with a few maikos. He drank and sang, joked around, and was having the time of his life.


    BOOM! Suddenly, the door burst open.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    Anpei and the maikos apanying him jolted in shock. They instantly swung round and Anpei almost wet himself when he saw the terrifying figure of that enigmatic murderer, Xiao Han, standing at the entrance.


    ¡°How refined you are, Anpei Shinzo.¡±


    Xiao Han¡¯s lips curled up in a smirk as he strode over.


    ¡°Xiao Han? You¡­ How did you get in here?¡±


    Anpei¡¯s head went into a spin. How could this be possible? He painstakingly set up his trap and turned the entire prison into a cage. Using a potent toxic gas that was strong enough to kill off this beast, thest thing he expected was to see this man standing right in front of him. At that moment, he knew that he had lost the game.


    Just who was this man, and how could he have survived the toxic CoCl2 gas?


    Anbei¡¯s confidence was shaken, and for a moment he faltered. He immediately called for his men, ¡°Guards, guards!¡±


    ¡°Save your breath, I¡¯ve already knocked them all out,¡± Xiao Luo responded to Anbei¡¯s panicked screams as he sauntered casually toward him.


    Anpei was the prime minister of his country, yet all he could do was to break out in a cold sweat when Xiao Luo advanced toward him. He was consumed in fear as he found himself in the unusual situation of not being in control. He was just like a man who had stumbled into the path of a fearsome tiger, and so frightened was he could not move and almost wet himself.


    How quickly the tables turned!


    Anpei was well aware of how apt this phrase was.


    He took two careful steps back and said, ¡°You¡­ What do you want?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. You¡¯re not involved with the gic engineering base, so I won¡¯t kill you. But you forced me toe here byying a trap for me and trying to kill me with toxic gas. Why don¡¯t we do this? I¡¯ll just break one of your arms,¡± Xiao Luo said,ing across like he was seeking his victim¡¯s opinion on what form of punishment would be most eptable.


    Break one of my arms?


    Anpei¡¯s eyes bulged in disbelief, and there was a sh of anger in his eyes. ¡°You d*mn idiot, you do this and I guarantee you¡¯ll never leave this country!¡± he retorted.


    BAM!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s response came in the form of a kick.


    Xiao Luo shifted his weight in Anpei¡¯s direction and stomped his right foot on the man¡¯s chest, sending him flying back like a loose kite on a cut string. The maikos cowered in fear and the room was filled with their frantic shrieks.


    Anpeiy sprawled on the matted floor, and the pain in his chest was beyond description.


    Xiao Luo stepped over to the prone figure of Anpei and stared down at him. ¡°You can curse at me all you want, but it won¡¯t do you any good!¡±


    As soon as he said that, he lifted a foot and stepped on Anpei¡¯s left arm.


    CRACK!


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    Anpei wailed in pain and anguish, following the gruesome sound of cracking bones as Xiao Luo smashed Anpei¡¯s left arm, snapping it in two. The broken bone pierced through flesh and skin, causing blood to flow profusely from the wound.


    At the sight of Anpei¡¯s horrific wounds, the maikos were paralyzed with fear and trembled uncontrobly. When Xiao Luo nced over to them, they hurriedly kneeled on the floor, pleading for their lives.


    ¡°Please¡­ Please let us go,¡± one of the maikos pleaded as tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you,¡± Xiao Luo responded, then turned and left the room.


    There was no one else left there except the terrified maikos and Anpei, who had passed out from the pain.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had initially thought he could return home after rescuing the Lady Poison, Fu Yiren. However, the death of Xie Wenchang and his family left an indelible mark, and the nursery rhyme Xie Wenchang¡¯s wife sang right before they died never ceased to linger in his ears. It was ironic that a nursery rhyme filled with notes of joy and happiness had be so haunting and bleak.


    Xiao Luo would not rest until he eliminated everybody involved in the gic engineering project, so his next stop was Mei Nation.


    Xiao Luo chatted with Su Li over the phone as he walked down the street in a drizzle. He had spoken with her on WeChat almost every night. Perhaps it was his act of tyranny that day that had melted this ice mountain of a woman, but their rtionship had very obviously blossomed. When they chatted, Xiao Luo would even call her his wife, and she never once objected.


    Sometimes, Su Li would even take the initiative and update him on what she was doing by posting him some pictures of herself.


    They were typical selfies of her having breakfast, having her afternoon tea, bringing Su Xiaobei out to have fun, or at work.


    Xiao Luo felt like he was courting again. Undoubtedly their rtionship had taken a turn for the better and was now much more than a contract. When he suggested to Su Li earlier in the day that they should tear up the marriage contract, she had given him a coy reply. That depends on how well you do, she wrote. And afterward, she even tagged on an emoji she loved using a lot¡ªthe one with the arrogant face.


    As for his criminal charges and the news of his exploits circting in the Ri Nation media, none of it reached his homnd. Perhaps the NSA had censored it, so Su Li had no idea what Xiao Luo was doing in Ri Nation. Of course, he hoped that she would never find out.


    After chatting with Su Li, Xiao Luo immediately called Ji Siying.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    Ji Siying¡¯s warm, gentle voice filtered over the phone.


    ¡°Siying, I need you to help me apply for a passport. I need to go to Mei Nation,¡± Xiao Luo instructed.


    Ji Siying was a little puzzled. ¡°You¡¯re going to Mei Nation?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am. The gic engineering facility in Ri nation is linked to Mei Nation, so I¡¯ll be going over there to deal with the people involved,¡± Xiao Luo replied. Everyone had to own up to their own mistakes, and he would hold anyone rted to the gic engineering experiments ountable. None of them would escape.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Ji Siying responded and nodded, knowing only too well that Xiao Luo would not relent once he had made up his mind. ¡°Stay safe.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Xiao Luo responded, then hung up.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Right before he left, Xiao Luo went to Takahara Kei¡¯s funeral.


    It was drizzling on an early misty morning, and the memorial park was serene.


    There were many people present at Takahara Kei¡¯s funeral, and they were all dressed in ck. They had a white flower pinned to thepels of their jackets and held ck umbres. They were associates, business partners, close friends, and rtives.


    From afar, Xiao Luo could see Takahara Keika cing a bouquet of white flowers on top of the coffin before falling into the embrace of an ageddy, sobbing pitifully. Thedy could not stop her tears from flowing either.


    Xiao Luo was not too sure why he came here¡ªperhaps he just wanted to have a look. Takahara Kei was the only target he did not want to take out. Perhaps, if the man had notmitted suicide, Xiao Luo might have let him off the hook.


    But one thing had formed in his mind.


    Respect!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression of respect came from the bottom of his heart.


    He was a man willing to put aside his pride and plead for time, for the sake of his daughter. This act of selflessness deserved the highest respect. Xiao Luo had had no intention of causing trouble for Takahara Kei after he left that day, and what he had said to the man had been nothing more than harsh words in the heat of the moment.

 Chapter 638 - Right Before Leaving

    <h2>Chapter 638: Right Before Leaving</h2>


    When the funeral service ended, those who paid their respects took their leave, one after the other. Only then did Xiao Luo finally step out of the shadow and make his way slowly toward Takahara Kei¡¯s grave.


    The ck-and-white photograph of Takahara Kei captured his benevolent smile. His deep sense of guilt caused him to resort to suicide to atone for his part in inflicting untold suffering to those who died in the experiments conducted by the gic engineering facility. Xiao Luo recalled a revealing part in his article, entitled ¡°On the Crimes of Ri Nation,¡± where he wrote: ¡°If I am to die soon, then I would rathery in eternal slumber bathed in the brightness of divine light, and far away from the shadows. Flowers will sing hymns to soothe the soul of a criminal like me, as mourning spirits perch upon beautiful autumn leaves.¡±


    ¡°I, Xiao Luo, am here to congratte you, Mr. Takahara. May you have a good journey!¡±


    Xiao Luo bowed his head respectfully in front of Takahara Kei¡¯s tombstone, sending this heroic spirit off.


    He turned and was ready to leave when he suddenly saw a figure standing in the distance, dressed in ck with a white flower pinned to her chest. She has a beautiful countenance and eyes that sparkled like starlight. She had an innocent, yet mncholic air that lent her an elegant demeanor.


    It was none other than Takahara Keika.


    Xiao Luo froze and then headed off in another direction and pretended not to see her.


    ¡°Thousand-faced murderer, Xiao Han!¡±


    Takahara Keika threw her umbre aside and screamed as she dashed toward him, gritting her teeth. As she did so, she pulled out a sharp dagger and brandished it in her hand. In her mind, there was nothing but vengeance.


    But she was no trained assassin, and there were too many weaknesses in her attack!


    Xiao Luo took one step back and evaded the attack, and then lightly tapped his fingers on the de.


    CLANG!


    The mere touch of his fingers resonated in a metallic ring as the de quivered violently, and Takahara Keika felt a shing pain in the crook of her thumb. She released her grip on the de and it immediately flew out of her hand. The tip of the de pointed plunged into the soft earth, leaving the knife sticking out of the ground not too far away from her.


    After she recovered from her shock, she clenched both of her fists and iled her arms crudely, striking at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Bring my daddy back to me, bring him back!¡± she shrieked as she continued to hit Xiao Luo. This delicate, young girl had suddenly turned into a feral wildcat wing aggressively at its prey.


    Xiao Luo held on to the umbre, easily parrying Takahara Keika¡¯s uncoordinated attack. It was like a walk in the park for him, and he wasn¡¯t troubled at all.


    Takahara Keika went on for about five more minutes before she got tired and sat on the ground, wailing pitifully, ¡°Bring my daddy back to me, bring him back!¡±


    She was soaked in rain, and locks of wet hair clung onto that beautiful face of hers. Her tears mixed with the rainwater as it washed down her face, making a mess of her makeup. Of course, she knew now that this Mie was the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. It was ironic to think that she had once fallen for this cold-blooded murderer.


    Xiao Luo lowered his head and looked down at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill your father,¡± he said.


    ¡°Maybe not, but you forced him to his death!¡±


    Takahara Keika looked up viciously and spat, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have swallowed those sleeping pills and taken his own life if not for you, and he would still be alive. You¡¯re an executioner with blood on your hands, and you won¡¯t die a peaceful death. I will curse you to the deepest level of hell!¡±


    Xiao Luo was quite taken aback by her words, but he merely smiled. ¡°Even if I were the one who killed your father, what can you do about it, aside from running your mouth here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Takahara Keika bit her lips and stared balefully at him.


    Xiao Luoughed coldly. ¡°All you have ever done was waste your life away, visiting bars and partying. Your father was the wealthiest man in Ri Nation, and you? You¡¯re just a good-for-nothing. Without Takahara-san, you are nothing at all. There¡¯s nothing you can aplish, and all you can do is to sit on the ground and cry like an overgrown baby. You¡¯re weak, ipetent, and childish. They say children are a chip off the old block. Takahara Kei was a towering skyscraper, but you are nothing more than a moldy brick that will never amount to anything much.¡±


    His words hit Takahara Keika like a freight train.


    Her gaze wavered, and her eyes instantly turned red as Xiao Luo¡¯s words left her dignity in tatters.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He looked like a viin as he squatted beside Takahara Keika, grabbed her cor, and pulled her toward him. ¡°You want to take revenge on me? Sure,e on then. You¡¯re wee to seek me out once you¡¯re skilled enough, but I suggest you wise up and save yourself the embarrassment. Do you know why I didn¡¯t kill you, even though I enjoy killing so much? It¡¯s because a piece of trash like you isn¡¯t worth killing and you will only dirty my hands!¡±


    He let her go after saying his piece, casting her to the ground.


    Takahara Keikaid on the ground. She was too afraid to even move a muscle, as if her soul had left her body. She stared with fear in her eyes, looking helpless and pathetic.


    At that moment, a middle-ageddy was seen making a phone call not too far away. Then she cut the call she was on and, though visibly terrified, she called out to Takahara Keika and ran toward her.


    Xiao Luo knew that she had called the police, so he did not linger. He immediately stepped away from Takahara Keika and left. After walking about 10 meters, he turned back and looked at Takahara Keika, who was still there in the rain, in a state of despair. He heaved a sigh. He had not meant to say such things to her. He had only wanted to nt the seed of hatred for him in her mind¡ªthis was the only thing he could do for Takahara Kei.


    WOO, WOO! WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!


    Several police vehicles arrived, and there was also a helicopter flying in from the distance. The army and the police force were working together, on high alert and ready to respond to any news about the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. When they received the call, their response immediately.


    Xiao Luo broke into a sports car parked around the memorial park, and then he drove it into the city. He had already received his new passport and identity and nned to head to the airport right away. He would fly to Mei Nation from here.


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    The helicopter above him fired guided missiles as the police cars that were hot on his tail opened fire at him as well. Police and army vehicles had him surrounded in every direction.


    It was a well-coordinated assault!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk. He steered the sports car calmly, swerving and evading the guided missiles and gunfire effortlessly.


    ¡°Did you get the bast*rd?¡±


    Anpei¡¯s voice came through the radio. He was overseeing the operation himself from the joint-operation headquarters that the police and army shared. His broken left arm was now in a ster cast, but he blocked off the pain as he made his way to the headquarters, apanied by Oshima Jun and the old police chief. His hatred for Xiao Luo was deep, and this had now be a personal vendetta. He wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart, limb by limb.


    ¡°No, Sir. We have not. The target is very skilled at driving, and he has managed to evade everything we¡¯ve thrown at him! And now, he has even ramped up his speed to 200 miles per hour. We cannot get a clear shot on the target,¡± the frantic voice of a soldier transmitted over themunicator.


    Anpei flew into a rage and scowled, ¡°You useless idiot! You are all nothing but worthless rubbish. If he escapes again this time, I¡¯ll make you lot disembowel yourselves!¡±


    The voiceing from themunicator faltered as the soldier did his best to respond, ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

 Chapter 639 - Bad Luck Be Gone

    <h2>Chapter 639: Bad Luck Be Gone</h2>


    The entire Dongjing was in a frenzy once they discovered Xiao Luo¡¯s whereabouts.


    The city was crawling with army and police vehicles. At the same time, police officers and soldiers were armed to the teeth, and their presence was highly visible. Dongjing citizens who were not up to date on the news had even thought they were at war.


    But what drove Anpei up the walls was that the security forces had lost sight of him the moment he drove into the city. And all they found was a sports car abandoned by the side of the road. The Thousand-faced Killer could have transformed into anybody, so how could they possibly find him in this sea of people?


    ¡°Verify the identity of every single person on the main street. He can transform at any moment, but his identity is not something he can just change at the drop of a hat!¡± Anpei scowled over the radio.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The police and the army personnel got into action and set up checkpoints to verify the identity of every person who passed through.


    And yet, Xiao Luo was nowhere to be found, as if he had vanished.


    At the same time that the security forces were looking for Xiao Luo, all the citizens of Ri Nation suddenly discovered that their bank ount bnces had gone up by 10 million. It was not just an individual, nor did it ur only in one city. Everybody in Ri Nation who had a bank ount received a windfall!


    Following that, a dozen intermediate-range ballistic missiles wereunched from the Dongjing military base. They left an ominous trail of rocket fumes behind them as they homed in on Yasukuni Shrine. There was a series of deafening explosions, and Yasukuni Shrine was left in ruins,pletely leveled.


    After that, the 54 satellites belonging to Ri Nation suddenly disconnected, and then, like meteorites, they came screaming back toward Earth. Many people witnessed this and thought that they were shooting stars. They closed their eyes as they made their wishes. Instantly, Ri Nation¡¯smunicationworks plunged into a state of paralysis.


    All of this urred in a single night!


    And the cause behind all of this boiled down to a single hacker who had infiltrated Ri Nation¡¯s systems.


    ¡°Prime Minister, 10 million Ri dors has been credited into every citizen¡¯s bank ount. Unprecedented intion is upon us, and our currency is worth nothing more than a piece of toilet paper!¡±


    ¡°Sir, Yasukuni Shrine has been attacked and all the kannushi guarding the shrine were killed in the massive explosions.¡±


    ¡°54 satellites with a total cost of USD6 billion have burned up in the atmosphere as they crashed back to Earth. All of ourmunications systems are down, Sir.¡±


    ¡°How could this be¡­ How could this be!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had barely spent any effort when he hacked into Ri Nation¡¯s systems and created those devastating conditions for the country. He was in a barbecue stall in Dongjing Airport enjoying his food.


    The stall owner was a buff man who wore a short-sleeved shirt that exposed his sturdy arms, and he was assisted by a mute and a deaf man. The three of them, silent like cicadas in winter, stared at Xiao Luo, who sat on a stool eating his barbecued meat. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down their foreheads, and they were shaking in fear and anxiety.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you quit working for the yakuza and started up your stall here, Suzuki Ikuo. Not bad, this has potential. This is superb grilling technique.¡±


    ¡°Bring me another bottle of soda,¡± Xiao Luo said to the owner of the stall as he ate.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The mute man responded quickly, opening the bottle as he ced it in front of Xiao Luo with the utmost respect.


    Oh, my Lord, how in the world did we find ourselves in the path of this murderous beast again?


    It exasperated Suzuki Ikuo. He could ept that his stint with the yakuza did not work out because he could still get by selling barbecued meat. Here he was, selling meat, and yet, he ran into this man. What did it say about his luck?


    He put on a brave face and walked up to Xiao Luo. Taking the seat opposite Xiao Luo with a look of anguish, he said, ¡°Boss¡­ There, I¡¯ve said it; I¡¯ve even called you boss! Just what do you want from me? Why don¡¯t you kill me and get it over and done with!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head and chuckled. He stared at Suzuki Ikuo with a cocked brow and said, ¡°Why are you getting so uptight? You run a barbecued meat stall, and I¡¯m here to eat your food. Isn¡¯t this is a very normal thing in your business? Anyway, there¡¯s potential in this business, so keep up the excellent work!¡±


    Keep up the excellent work?


    To hell with that!


    Suzuki Ikuo was on the verge of letting the curses spew from his mouth. He had been doing well in the yakuza, only for everything to copse in a single night. Now, he had no choice but to set aside his pride and run this road-side barbecued meat stall. It went without saying that this was hard work, and there was no easy money of any sort in this venture. He had to toil overnight while people slept, so what kind of potential was there to this?


    He looked around furtively and then said, ¡°The entire country is hunting for you now. Do you have the money to pay up?¡±


    ¡°Credit cards are all the rage right now, and you can even pay with your phone. Who still uses cash these days?¡± Xiao Luo replied, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°But can you pay with your phone here in Ri nation?¡±


    ¡°My mobile payment only works in Hua Nation.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­ You¡¯re trying to get a free meal off of me!¡± Suzuki Ikuo snarled.


    ¡°How astute of you! Not bad, my man¡­ Good job!¡± Xiao Luo said, giving Suzuki Ikuo a thumbs up with his eyes squinted in a smile.


    That idiot!


    Suzuki Ikuo almost flew into a rage, but he quelled his urge to flip the tables. He smacked the table lightly and said, ¡°I gave my all in grilling that piece of meat for more than half an hour, only for you to rip me off like this! Why you¡­ How dare you! Watch me call the cops on you!¡±


    The corners of his mouth were twitching.


    Xiao Luo ignored his words, feasting on the grilled meat and vegetables in front of him.


    Utterly humiliated, Suzuki Ikuo smacked the table again and said, ¡°Did you hear me? I said I am going to call the cops on you! You¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me another dozen oysters.¡± Xiao Luo cut him short with a wave of his hand.


    ¡°Sure thing, just a moment!¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo immediately reverted to his role as the owner of a barbecued meat stall and rose from his seat to grill the oysters for Xiao Luo.


    The mute man helped him.


    The deaf man stayed beside Xiao Luo, fanning him to keep himfortable.


    Not long after, Suzuki Ikuo ced a te of delicious oysters in front of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some?¡± Xiao Luo said to Suzuki Ikuo.


    Suzuki Ikuo shook his head, ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I said, have some.¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned serious.


    Suzuki Ikuo shuddered. He did not dare to refuse and immediately picked up an oyster to eat.


    ¡°Good?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, very good,¡± Suzuki Ikuo replied with a stiff nod.


    Xiao Luo patted him on his shoulder, wiping the grease off his hand. ¡°There we go. This is how it should be. You should be thanking me for getting you into this grilled meat business. It has great potential. As long as you keep at it, bing Ri Nation¡¯s wealthiest man won¡¯t be just a dream.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Suzuki Ikuo¡¯s expression soured like he had eaten a mouthful of something unsavory.

 Chapter 640 - Incident at the Customs

    <h2>Chapter 640: Incident at the Customs</h2>


    About 17:00, Mei Nation time, amercial flight flying in from Ri Nation touched down at the Washington Airport. This aircraft belonged to Mei Nation Airlines. Although the Ri nation¡¯s satellites had all crashed, they had the Mei nation¡¯s satellites protecting them, so there was no interruption to the flight schedule.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s new identity was Xiao Lin, a Hua Nation researcher. He was supposedly in the Mei Nation on a vacation, and also to experience this country¡¯s customs and cultures. This was what he nned to sayter when he was going through customs.


    This was an international airport and a gateway to the Mei Nation, so it was not surprising to find countless foreigners from every corner of the world converging there.


    There were many people at the customs, and there was a long queue at the security checkpoint. The scene looked rather simr to the ticketing tforms at Hua Nation train stations during the lunar new year. The only difference was that ticketing tforms at the train stations were abuzz with boisterous people, and the din was horrific¡ªone¡¯s ears would be assaulted by the cacophony that sounded like there were thousands of angry flies. A person would feel disoriented, and it added to the anxiety of the waiting crowd. But here, it was much quieter. Although there was a lot of activity, everyone had the civic consciousness to keep their voices down. After all, once you stepped out of your own country, everything you did reflected on your country¡¯s image, so many foreigners tried not to misbehave when they were in Mei Nation.


    Suddenly, a loud argument broke out¡ªand unsurprisingly, they were speaking Mandarin.


    This attracted the attention of everybody at the customs checkpoint, and they all turned their gaze toward the source of the disturbance. When everyone saw it was a group of people from the Hua nation, they all had looks of disgust and contempt on their faces.


    Xiao Luo was quite shocked when he saw the group of people because he knew those people. He did not just know them, but he was also very well-acquainted with them. His life at Huaye University in Jiangcheng shed before his eyes like a sped-up movie reel.


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, Huang Ruoran, Wang Ling, and their teacher Zhong Meili.


    Their names immediately shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, for the experiences he had at Huaye were indelibly etched in his mind. He would never forget their faces, so young and full of vigor, especially those two ss jesters: Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai. He had wanted to visit them many a time, but he deferred for good reason.


    As he listened in to their argument with the security officers, he understood, more or less, what was going on. As it turned out, Zhong Meili had been careless, and she filled out the dates on their Form I-94 wrongly. She had written it in the format they used in Hua Nation, and so the security officer instructed her to fill in a new one.


    Filling in Form I-94 was such a tedious thing!


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai could not suppress their anger. It was just an issue of changing the numbers. Why did they have to fill in a new one? And so they argued with the female security officer.


    But Zhong Meili, unwilling to escte the matter, quickly calmed them down and ushered them off to a counter some distance away to fill in another arrival form as instructed by the security officer.


    What a small world it was!


    Xiao Luo could not help but feel emotional. Seeing how Zhu Xiaofei was still so plump and how Ding Kai still as thin as ever, he felt ted and in better spirits. However, the female security officer¡¯s remark made him frown a little.


    ¡°Uneducated Chinese!¡±


    It was jarring, and all the Hua Nation people there who heard it felt slighted. Xiao Luo was not too happy either, but the faulty with his countrymen so he could only grin and bear it. A lot of the Hua nation people nodded silently. They felt helpless and embarrassed by how Zhu Xiaofei and Dingkai had acted and wanted to leave the ce as soon as possible.


    It took a while before it was Xiao Luo¡¯s turn. He handed his visa, passport, Form I-94 arrival form and customs deration form over.


    Xiao Luo finally got a good look at this security officer who had insulted the Hua nation people earlier. It was a blonde woman about 32 or 33 years old. When she saw his nationality on his visa, she sneered. ¡°Another one from Hua nation!¡± she muttered under her breath.


    The undertone of mockery in her words was in as daylight.


    Xiao Luo picked up every word she said. This upset him, and he spoke to her in a native Mei nation ent with a slight smile on his face, ¡°Do you have anything against Hua nation people, miss? Why are you targeting us?¡±


    ¡°Targeting you?¡±


    The female security officer mocked, ¡°And so what if I am? You¡¯re all just a bunch of uneducated and poor losers!¡±


    ¡°Poor losers?¡±


    A fit of fiery anger swelled in his chest.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± the female security officer asked.


    Xiao Luoughed and replied, ¡°In 2008 when the global financial crisis hit, it was the poor losers of the Hua nation you speak about who kept the global economy alive. We injected hundreds of billions into Europe and tens of billions into Africa. Hua Nation was the country that shouldered the burden of the global financial crisis, the first to offer aid to the smaller countries, and the first country to emerge from the global financial crisis. That year, Hua Nation¡¯s GDP surpassed that of the Mei nation.¡±


    Yes, it had only been a year, but who can deny the Hua nation¡¯s immense contribution to the global economy before the crisis? Did you think your Mei nation people could survive the global financial crisis on your own? No! You people relied on us for help to survive it. By the end of 2015, Mei nation had piled up a debt of USD1.2645 trillion owed to the Hua nation.¡±


    In recent years, Hua Nation has umted a sizeable portion of foreign exchange reserves because of an increase in trade surpluses. Within theposition of those reserves, the Mei nation¡¯s national debt serves as the most significantponent. If we were to get technical about this, then Hua nation is thergest creditor of the Mei nation. You¡¯re a debtor, and you dare insult your creditors and call them poor losers? How obnoxious of you, Miss!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words carried weight as the facts heid out were indisputable.


    A crowd had gathered to see Hua nationals make fools of themselves. Instead, they all drew in a quick breath, for Xiao Luo¡¯s words shocked them. They all thought that this Hua national went for the jugr as he presented his facts well. The entire world knew that Hua nation people these days were really rich, and they were Mei nation¡¯srgest creditor. Under such circumstances, this was a poignant riposte.


    The female security officer¡¯s face instantly flushed. She stood up as her embarrassment turned into a rage and pointed at Xiao Luo angrily. ¡°You march yourself to the back of the queue right now!¡± she hissed. Then she gathered all of his documents and dumped them on the counter in front of Xiao Luo. Her eyes bulging with rage as she red at him. ¡°Scram!¡± she shrieked.


    Resentment shed across Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze, but there was a slight smile on his face. ¡°You should give me a reason for that, Miss!¡± he said.


    ¡°A reason? I don¡¯t need to give you one, but if you want a reason, then it¡¯s because you¡¯re a damned Hua national. You¡¯re dirty, poor, and uneducated. Dog sh*t like you should be wiped out from the face of Earth!¡± the female security officer spat.


    She has crossed the line!


    Hmm, it seems like this Hua national is really in trouble!


    The international travelers who had gathered around them were all muttering to each other and shaking their heads. They were deeply empathetic to Xiao Luo¡¯s plight. Being fellow countrymen, the other Hua nationals present were infuriated, and they felt sorry for Xiao Luo.


    The smile immediately left Xiao Luo¡¯s face. ¡°Please call your supervisor here, Miss!¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh, just who do you think you are? You think our supervisor is someone you can meet just because you want to?¡±


    The female security officer had her arms crossed in front of her chest and a nasty look on her face. ¡°Hurry along now, scram! You go to the back of the queue. Stop holding things up for the other people who want to clear the customs, or I¡¯ll get the police and charge you for obstruction!¡±

 Chapter 641 - Seventh Realm?

    Chapter 641: Seventh Realm?</h2>


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo had a stern look on his face, and his dark, smoldering eyes looked dangerous. Suddenly, Xiao Luo had a stern look on his face, and his dark, smoldering eyes looked dangerous.


    At that moment, the inspector experienced a chill run through her body, and she felt like a desperate prey that was being pursued by a predator. She could feel the hair on her body stand on ends and sensed that she was close to danger. She instinctively stepped back, staring at Xiao Luo in a confused and fearful state. ¡°What happened?¡±


    A white man in a blue uniform with an employee name tag hanging from anyard around his neck had approached them at that point. He was a middle-aged man in his forties. He walked toward the security checkpoint and nced at the inspector before looking at Xiao Luo. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°Sir, could you tell me what happened? I am in charge of this ce, and my name is Davis.¡±


    ¡°Your security inspector insulted us, that¡¯s what happened!¡±


    An angry man yelled loudly. His wife immediately held him back. She told him not to stir things up.


    Davis nced at that man and then questioned the inspector with a straight face. ¡°Is that true?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The inspector pointed at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°This man cut the queue. I made him go to the back of the line to queue again, but he refused to obey my order. Hence, thismotion, chief.¡±


    When everyone standing around the security checkpoint heard that, it surprised them. It was unbelievable that the woman could openly lie to her superior without batting an eyelid. If they had not witnessed what had happened, they would have believed what she had said.


    The man who tried to stand up for Xiao Luo was still being held back by his wife. Although he was furious, he swallowed his anger in silence and did not pursue the argument.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s the case. Sir, I am afraid you have to return to the back of the line, please. We don¡¯t condone people cutting queue here. I urge you to refrain from doing so again,¡± Davis told Xiao Luo with a smiling face.


    What the heck, what a biased chief!


    Since the chief of that customs checkpoint was acting unfairly, that meant that Xiao Luo was unlucky. He had to suck it up then!


    Everyone who was waiting for clearance at the customs checkpoint frowned and expressed their sympathy for Xiao Luo. They thought that an impartial person-in-charge had finally shown up, but unfortunately, he was also a biased and unfriendly citizen of the Mei Nation.


    The inspector smirked and looked at Xiao Luo like a witch.


    Xiao Luo had a mirthless smile as he faced the chief of the customs. He said, ¡°As the person-in-charge for this customs checkpoint, your words and action represent your country¡¯s image. You did not even bother to investigate this matter, yet you concluded that I had cut the queue based on her word alone. So, is this how you people do things here? You make a judgment with no concrete evidence?¡±


    ¡°Sir, I believe my colleague would not make things difficult for you without good reason. I have to say that it is not unusual for you people to ignore the rules to get your way,¡± Davis replied. He had put on a smile on his face throughout the conversation and spoke to Xiao Luo politely. However, his tone was very aggressive.


    Xiao Luo pointed at the closed-circuit television above them and said, ¡°This ce is under surveince. There would be no dispute once you see what has happened if you were to watch the footage of the recorded video.¡±


    Davis shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no such need. We, the people of the Mei Nation, are civilized and hold ourselves to a higher standard. It is especially true for anyone who works at this customs checkpoint. Since my colleague has pointed out that you have cut the queue, you must have done so. It¡¯s redundant to check the CCTV. Sir, please stop your nonsense and get to the back of the line. If you insist on prolonging thismotion, I may have you arrested by thew enforcers.¡±


    What the man had said provoked Xiao Luo. If it had been someone else facing such atrocity, that person might have swallowed that. But Xiao Luo would never sumb to such unfairness. It started as a trivial matter, but the other party had been too arrogant. Xiao Luo had to teach them a lesson to let them know that they could not bully anyone as they pleased.


    ¡°Brother Luo?¡±


    Suddenly, an excited voice came through the crowd.


    Xiao Luo turned around and realized that Zhu Xiaofei and the rest had returned after re-filling the I-94 disembarkation card. Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai rushed over upon seeing Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my brother, it¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, brother Luo, I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡±


    Both of them could hardly contain their emotions and greeted Xiao Luo with bear hugs.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh, it¡¯s hero Luo. I thought Zhu Xiaofei had mistakenly someone else for you,¡± Ding Kai enthused.


    It also surprised Wang Ling to see Xiao Luo. It felt surreal just seeing Xiao Luo again, and she said so to Huang Ruoran, who was beside her.


    Huang Ruoran had short hair and dressed modestly. Unlike other girls who put on makeup, she waspletely natural. Huang Ruoran had be even prettier after a year. Her brows curved slenderly like willow leaves, her eyes were charming like sapphire crystals, her quaint nose was delicate, and her lips were plump and juicy. She had turned into a curvaceous young woman. At that moment, her cheeks were blushing.


    She least expected to meet Xiao Luo and was not mentally prepared for it.


    Seeing Xiao Luo once again had surprised Huang Ruoranpletely. It was so sudden. There was a time when she had camped at the entrance of Luo¡¯s Workshop headquarters, in the hope of a chance to just meet with Xiao Luo, even on rainy days. When she finally met the Vice President of Luo¡¯s Workshop, he had told her that Xiao Luo had left Jiangcheng.


    And then she saw him again at this Mei Nation airport customs checkpoint. Could this be Heaven¡¯s arrangement?


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s heart was racing, and her cheeks were burning up.


    Their teacher, Zhong Meili, mumbled, ¡°Didn¡¯t Xiao Luo withdraw from school because of his failing grades? How did he end up in Mei Nation?¡±


    What she did not realize was that Xiao Luo had been sent to Huaye University to protect Chuyue. The school¡¯s exnation for Xiao Luo¡¯s departure was that he had failed his subjects and could not keep up. The teacher had then felt disappointed with hisck ofmitment.


    ¡°Alright, Xiaofei and Ding Kai. Let¡¯s get yourselves cleared before chit-chatting with him,¡± the teacher called out to them.


    Xiao Luo pushed both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai away. They had been hugging him like octopuses. Seeing that they were red-eyed and excited to see him again, Xiao Luo felt quite touched. He felt awful that he had been cruel in the past. Although they did not belong to the same world, it would be alright to catch up with them once in a while. Of course, he did not visit them in Jiangcheng because of the Dragon Gang.


    Since he needed to fight with the Dragon Gang, it was necessary to iste himself and not engage in social rtionships. Being close to Zhu Xiaofei and the rest would only expose them to danger.

 Chapter 642

    <h2>Chapter 642: Victory in one shot</h2>


    Commenting loudly on the clearance process at the customs checkpoint of the Mei nation, both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai suddenly realized that they were being observed. When they saw Davis, the chief of customs, ring at them, they both stiffened in apprehension.


    ¡°Chief, look at them. These are all people of Hua nation and they are so uncouth. Being noisy and creating an uproar as if they were back home; it¡¯s truly disgusting,¡± the female inspector said, trying to stir trouble, which was not


    surprising.


    Xiao Luo pointed at her angrily and said, ¡°Mind your words!¡±


    Although they were three simple words, the way he said them sounded authoritative.


    Oh, my gosh, brother Luo hasn¡¯t changed one bit! Look atmanding he is.


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai gazed at Xiao Luo with stars in their eyes. After all, he was the first person they¡¯d seen who dared to tell off a customs officer so tantly.


    Huang Ruoran, Wang Ling, and Zhong Meili were all stunned by Xiao Luo¡¯s words as well. Although they had an altercation with the customs officers earlier, they did not speak rudely. Instead, they were trying to negotiate. However, Xiao Luo just ordered her to shut up, and that seemed like a risky move. They were at the entry point of the Mei nation, after all, and it did not sound like a smart choice to go against the customs. What if they were all denied entry into the Mei nation?


    The travelers from different countries who were around them were equally shocked at Xiao Luo¡¯s words. Everyone, including ordinary folk, the wealthy and influential, or even celebrities, behaved themselves when they went through the customs for the sake of a smooth process. To go against their officers would mean that he was creating trouble for himself and seemed rather foolish.


    Their opinion of Xiao Luo was that he had guts!


    It infuriated Davis when he saw what had happened. ¡°Sir, do you intend to cause trouble?¡± he said.


    While he was asking Xiao Luo, he signaled to two customs police officers who walked up from behind him with stern faces.


    ¡°I am so sorry! He is my student, and we had endured a very long flight¡ªit was over 12 hours, and he is just stressed up. I apologize on his behalf for all the trouble; he didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Zhong Meili approached them and bowed to Davis in apology. She then scolded Xiao Luo in Chinese, ¡°Xiao Luo, you¡¯re not in your own country and you should not behave so recklessly. This is something you should tolerate. Should they arrest you here, it would be very troublesome to get you out.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhong, I appreciate your kindness and I know what I am doing. Please do not interfere in this matter.¡±


    Xiao Luo rejected Zhong Meili¡¯s kindness and walked up to stare at Davis in the eyes. ¡°Your name is Davis, right? I have only two requests now. First, apologize to me on the behalf of the customs department,¡± he said, then pointing at the female inspector, ¡°and, second, fire her! She is not suitable to work for the customs here in Mei nation.¡±


    What?


    The customs officers and everyone around them werepletely dumbfounded. They all thought that Xiao Luo was probably a psychopath, for he had dared raise such arrogant demands. He probably had some mental illness!


    Zhu Xiaofei and the rest were even more shocked. They were unsure of what was happening and felt awkward. It was almost like a weak student bullying a macho guy, then demanding an apology and even threatening to break his finger.


    Was that even possible?


    There was no way that they would agree to such demands. Why would they even be bothered to listen at all?


    The female inspector burst out inughter. She even showed Xiao Luo her middle finger discreetly and cursed him. Although she did not say it out loud, she could be seen mouthing the words: F*ck you!


    Davis also found it amusing and responded, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s up to us to decide whether she¡¯s qualified to work here, and you are in no position to judge her. She¡¯s not at fault, so she doesn¡¯t have to apologize to you. Instead, you are creating a mess here and disrupting order, causing dys for hundreds of people. You should be the one apologizing. So, I am giving you one final warning to go to the back of the line, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Or else, what?¡±


    Xiao Luo took out the phone from his chest pocket and pressed the y button. It showed the clip of that female inspector humiliating the Hua nationals in a crystal clear voice.


    Davis was stunned, and when he watched the recording of her insulting the Hua citizens with slurs and vulgarities, his face turned greenpletely.


    That female inspector was taken aback, as she had no idea that Xiao Luo was secretly recording the incident.


    Xiao Luo stared at Davis and smiled. ¡°Dear Mr. Davis, what did you just say? The people of Mei nation are very civilized?¡± he said, then spat on the floor, ¡°You¡¯re very right. You guys are very civilized!¡±


    Oh, my God, brother Luo was killing it!


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were in awe.


    Huang Ruoran, Wang Ling, and Zhong Meili dropped their jaws. They had never witnessed such boldness¡ªthis man dared to challenge the customs of the Mei nation. It was unprecedented!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s action also shocked travelers from different countries. Usually, everyone could onlyply with any request from the customs when they visited foreignnds. None of them had seen someone challenging customs officers and getting away with it.


    Davis was incensed and could not maintain hisposure anymore. He ordered the police officers, ¡°Arrest him for disrupting order in the customs checkpoint!¡±


    As the head of the customs section, he had never been once challenged so tantly in such a way before. It piqued him that Xiao Luo dared to record his customs officers at work. He had no intention of letting Xiao Luo get away with such disrespectful behavior, as it would be a great insult to the customs department.


    ¡°Mr. Davis, are you sure about this? I just sent this video to a friend in Hua nation. He will circte this video to all the major media outlets in Hua nation at mymand. Of course, we will not forget to send our regards to your great President. The video will get a lot of public attention, and if he watches this video too, I believe not only will that woman lose her job but you, Mr. Davis, would surely be affected as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Davis swallowed his saliva with much difficulty as he broke out in a cold sweat. His intention to order the arrest was to delete the video, as it would give a very negative image of his country to the world. Should that video be released, they would punish even the secretary of foreign affairs. What more a mere chief in this customs section?


    They stood confronting each other in silence for a few more seconds.


    His angry face changed, and suddenly he put on a smile. ¡°Err¡­ Well, Sir, this is negotiable, so let¡¯s talk about this. Pleasee this way.¡±


    ¡°I can talk, but you have to clear the Hua nation travelers first,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Absolutely, we will do it right now!¡±


    Davis signaled to a few inspectors and pointed at the pale-looking female inspector. ¡°Get the hell out of here! You are a disgrace to our country. Who gave you the authority to insult the Hua nation? Don¡¯t you know that Hua nation is our biggest creditor? Get over here and apologize to this man!¡±


    That female inspector¡¯s arrogant attitude vanished. She came out from behind the kiosk with her head lowered. Bowing deeply at Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°Sir, I am¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sir, there is no excuse for her rude behavior. On behalf of the customs department, allow me to sincerely apologize for the incident.¡± Davis only apologized because Xiao Luo had evidence of their wrongdoing. If that video ever leaked out, it would create such a stir that they would all be in big trouble.

 Chapter 643 - Exchange students

    <h2>Chapter 643: Exchange students</h2>


    ¡°If saying sorry is all it takes, then why do we need the cops?¡± Xiao Luo raised his brows.


    Davis looked confused and asked, ¡°Sir, didn¡¯t you demand her apology just now?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Whatever had happened earlier stays in the past. I am talking about right now.¡±


    Xiao Luo wagged his finger at the female inspector, then in the next instant, he pped her hard on her face.


    SMACK!


    The resounding sound of the p echoed through the cavernous customs hall. The inspector was shaken by the force of the blow and held her burning cheek. She could only stare at Xiao Luo with eyes that carried a mixture of shock and fear.


    Everyone present there dropped their jaws in disbelieve. They had never seen such a scene.


    ¡°Is Brother Luo challenging the authority? He has just pped the customs inspector!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my gosh. You¡¯re my hero, Brother Luo!¡±


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai became excited. Judging by the look of their faces, they undoubtedly hero-worshipped Xiao Luo. He had just pped the face of a customs inspector in a Mei Nation airport. Such an action was unprecedented, and witnessing it firsthand, they could not stop burbling in awe.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, he¡­ What is he going to do¡­¡±


    Zhong Meili became anxious as she recovered from her state of shock. She worried for Xiao Luo, for he was causing trouble in a foreignnd. He was putting himself in such a precarious situation.


    ¡°Hero Luo is incredible. I cannot believe that he dared to p the face of a customs inspector,¡± Wang Ling gushed.


    Huang Ruoran remained quiet the whole time and just stared straight at Xiao Luo.


    Davis finally recovered from the shock. Xiao Luo pping the inspector was as good as pping him, and it was a huge blow to his dignity. He reacted to Xiao Luo¡¯s actions with a scathing rebuke. ¡°How dare you p our staff? Who gave you the courage to do this? Security, arrest this man!¡± Davis roared, signaling for the security officers to move in.


    Xiao Luo smiled and responded, ¡°Mr. Davis, are you sure you want to arrest me? That video will get leaked to the Inte at any time. Are you sure that you can handle the bacsh of negative public opinion brought about by this video?¡±


    His words had hit home, and immediately, Davis stopped in his tracks. Davis was frustrated as the threat had rendered him powerless. Xiao Luo was right about one thing¨Cthere was no way he¡¯d be able to handle the consequences if the video went viral, and he¡¯d have to face the wrath of his superiors.


    ¡°Chief, seek justice for me!¡± said the inspector in a rage-filled voice.


    Humiliated in public, the inspector¡¯s hatred toward Xiao Luo was at unprecedented heights. Aiming to escte the conflict, she sought sympathy from Davis. ¡°Look, my face is so swollen from that p,¡± she said.


    ¡°What the f*ck!¡±


    Davis cursed at the inspector and smacked her as she tried to show him the swelling on her face.


    SMACK!


    It was even louder than the one Xiao Luo had delivered. Davis pped her so hard that she spun around on the spot. Tears gushed as a glowering red mark appeared on her face.


    ¡°You are in no position toin! Are you aware that you are the cause of this whole mess? So you want to stir this up further? Alright, I want your resignation letter by the end of today. You are not fit to work here. Now, get out!¡±


    Davis had vented his wrath on the inspector as she was the culprit who instigated themotion. If she had not insulted the travelers from Hua Nation, Xiao Luo would not have had recorded the incident. Her petty remarks had now put him in such a situation. Having to bow down to a Hua Nation traveler was a great insult to him.


    When she heard what Davis had said, she turned as white as a sheet and slumped to the floor.


    Davis turned to the other security inspectors and said, ¡°The same goes to all of you. You are the face of the Mei Nation while you are on the job. You all need to be discerning in every word and action as you represent our country. I do not wish to see any such incident like this happening again in the future.¡±


    Davis sounded righteous and authoritative.


    p. p. p.


    Xiao Luo instantly apuded him.


    As he did so, everyone around him followed suit and expressed their approval on how Davis had handled the situation.


    ¡°Mr. Davis, you are such a fair and righteous chief. It is to the credit of the Mei Nation that they had appointed you as their chief of customs,¡± Xiao Luo effused.


    Inwardly, Davis felt disgusted and was so upset that his eyes were popping out of their sockets. Davis knew Xiao Luo was mocking him when he pped and ttered him and had meant the exact opposite of what he had spoken. However, Davis could not openly express his anger at Xiao Luo and could only smile at him. ¡°Sir, that video¡­¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am very impressed with how Mr. Davis handled this matter. That video will never appear online,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Then can you delete it now, please?¡± Davis asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    He deleted the video in front of Davis and then sent a message to his friend from the Hua Nation to delete the video, as well.


    Davis¡¯ eyes lit up, and he smiled slyly.


    ******


    ******


    Due to themotion caused by Xiao Luo, the customs officers prioritized the clearance of every Hua Nation traveler. Suddenly, the clearing process becameplicated no more. They merely had to confirm their travel dates and their identities. It was obvious that the customs wanted to clear all the Hua Nation travelers as soon as possible.


    ¡°Brother Luo, you are truly impressive. My respect for you is so great that it can fill up the yellow river!¡±


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai followed Xiao Luo like a shadow, and they even continued tailing him after leaving the airport. Although it had been a year since theyst met, their friendship had not grown apart, and it showed.


    ¡°We are all products of the same education system. How did you turn out to be so outstanding?¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    They bantered andughed. It had been a while, and the guys missed fooling around with each other.


    ¡°By the way, what are you all doing in the Mei Nation?¡± Xiao Luo asked, changing the topic.


    Huang Ruoran finally found her chance to join the conversation and said, ¡°Our school had four slots for the exchange student program with the University of Washington. We are here to learn and to experience life in the Mei Nation.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Kai and I were not qualified for this wonderful opportunity since our results are the worst in the ss. But being the most beloved babies in our batch, all the girls voted for us. So, here we are.¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, are you a little disappointed in not seeing Sister Chu?¡± Ding Kai asked.


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s expression changed a little when she heard that.


    Xiao Luo asked him, ¡°Why should I be? Yes, that makes me wonder, why isn¡¯t she here? She should be qualified for this trip.¡±


    ¡°Princess Yue pulled out on her own.¡±


    Wang Ling responded, ¡°I reced her instead.¡±


    ¡°Sister Chu doesn¡¯t need this slot at all. With her family background, she can visit any ce in the world she wanted to and even can stay for as many days as she likes. Besides, she used to live here in the Mei Nation for some time when she was younger. That¡¯s the reason why her spoken English is fluent,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said.


    ¡°If Princess Yue knew that we ran into hero Luo here, she would regret noting,¡± Wang Ling remarked with a giggle.

 Chapter 644

    <h2>Chapter 644: Outstanding</h2>


    Xiao Luo did notment when they spoke about Chu Yue, and thankfully someone changed the subject.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, what brings you here?¡±


    It was his former teacher, Zhong Meili, who raised this question. She always had a good impression of Xiao Luo as a student who could discuss mary concepts in great depth. She, therefore, was extremely disappointed about Xiao Luo¡¯s suspension of school.


    ¡°Ms. Zhong, I am just traveling around,¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling at her.


    ¡°Travel? You came here alone?¡± Zhong Meili asked further, her brows furrowing quizzically.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Although he wasn¡¯t exactly a student of Huaye University, he still saw Zhong Meili as his teacher and always treated her with respect.


    ¡°You gave us all a serious scare earlier. Fortunately, none of us got into big trouble. The people here are not very amodating, so please be aware of that. Stay away from any potential trouble as much as possible,¡± Zhong Meili said, striving to persuade Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied and nodded again to acknowledge her advice.


    Suddenly, a local in a blue uniform with two police officers emerged running from the airport exit. He was none other than the chief of the customs, Davis. When he spotted Xiao Luo, he led the two police officers right for them.


    ¡°Why are theying for us? Could it be that they are taking revenge on brother Luo?¡± Ding Kai cried in rm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Zhong Meili could see that another incident was about to happen, so she hurried everyone to leave the location.


    However, the two police officers quickly caught up to them, and in the blink of an eye, they withdrew their pistols, ordering the group to stop moving.


    Davis was panting heavily as he approached them with a scowl on his face. It was in total contrast from the amiable man he projected himself to be back in the customs hall.


    ¡°Mr. Davis, what do you want?¡± Xiao Luo asked, pretending to look confused as he stared at the police officers with their guns drawn.


    ¡°You b*stard, did you think that you can cause a ruckus on my watch and leave as you please?¡±


    Davis looked infuriated, then he nced at the police officers and yelled, ¡°Cuff him up.¡± He stared at Xiao Luo with malicious intent and said, ¡°I will teach you a lesson on how to be an obedient Hua national.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, Huang Ruoran, and Wang Ling all cowered in fear. They quickly realized that Zhong Meili had been correct after all, and the people here were troublesome.


    Xiao Luo remained calm and looked at the man. ¡°Mr. Davis, I take it that you and your customs department are not afraid of international criticism?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Davisughed hysterically and said, ¡°You have already deleted the video, so what makes you think that I am still afraid? Didn¡¯t you recognize my actions? There¡¯s a very apt idiom from the Hua nation for this situation, and that is: suffering disgrace and insults to aplish an aim! You should have thought of the consequences when you were acting all heroic back there in¡­¡±


    He suddenly stopped, and his face looked aghast.


    It was because Xiao Luo had shoved the phone in his face, showing him the same video of thedy inspector insulting the Hua nation.


    ¡°You, you, you¡­ didn¡¯t delete it? But, I saw you deleting it with my own eyes. You also told your friend to delete it and not to keep a backup!¡± Davis stuttered as his face turned pale.


    ¡°You might not know that the phones made by the Hua natione with a recycle bin function, and we can easily recover any recently deleted media. Besides, what I had said to my friend was merely a ploy. Do not misuse the idioms of Hua nation if you do not understand Chinese. What I told my friend was to upload this video to every social media tform in two hours and let the world see how the International Airport of Washington had insulted the people of Hua nation,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Davis trembled and broke out in a cold sweat. In a shaky voice, he said, ¡°You¡­ You cunning Hua national!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that. By the way, are you still arresting me? Come, I¡¯ll bepliant,¡± Xiao Luo said, extending his hands toward the man with a smile.


    Davis was utterly at a loss, and he ended up chasing the two police officers away while ordering them to keep their pistols.


    He smiled and quickly changed his arrogant demeanor. ¡°This is a misunderstanding, Xiao Luo. I am just joking with you. I came here to send you off, and thank you again for the precious words of advice for our customs officers. You made us realized that we are still far from perfect, and we ought tomit ourselves to a higher standard. We will watch our every word and action from now on, and ensure we treat every international friend of the Mei nation with the utmost enthusiasm and friendliness.¡±


    Oh, my God, this had taken a sudden turn. How did it happen so quickly?


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai stared at each other in utter shock. They saw through the character of Davis, and they realized what a capricious person he was.


    Huang Ruoran, Wang Ling, and Zhong Meili did not say a word, feeling a little awkward about the entire episode.


    Xiao Luo sighed and said, ¡°Still, despite all your humility, you won¡¯t be able to change my mind about posting the video.¡±


    He then turned around and strode off after those words.


    Davis was feeling anxious now, for he would be doomed if that video went viral. It would cause an international bacsh, and he would lose everything he had worked for until now.


    ¡°Xiao, please wait!¡±


    He caught up with Xiao Luo and kneeled before him without caring about his dignity.


    ¡°Mr. Davis, pleasepose yourself,¡± Xiao Luo said, pretending to be shocked, and acted as if it troubled him.


    ¡°Xiao, please don¡¯t upload that video. I am begging you, my future will be destroyed if you ever upload the video. I might even take my own life on ount of this. Please, you can¡¯t do this to me,¡± Davis pleaded. He was crying like a child who had done something wrong and was asking for forgiveness.


    Seeing Davis on his knees amused Xiao Luo somewhat, and he reached out to pat his head. ¡°There, there¡­ Okay, fine, I won¡¯t be uploading it,¡± he said.


    He looked exactly like a dog whisperer, and it stunned Zhu Xiaofei and the rest of his former ssmates.


    ¡°You promise?¡± Davis asked, looking pathetically at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I promise.¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°Then, you must swear to God.¡±


    ¡°F*ck you, don¡¯t you overstep the boundary. I will stick to my word!¡±


    Xiao Luo got quite annoyed and walked away from Davis. Zhu Xiaofei and the rest of them caught up shortly after.


    Davis was still kneeling as he red at Xiao Luo with a vengeful fury and clenched his teeth.


    After he stood up, a police officer came up to him. ¡°Chief, do you want him dead?¡± he asked.


    ¡°F*ck off, that man is a cunning fox. He has something on us, and we can¡¯t do anything about it!¡± Davis was fuming, but he could do nothing about it.


    The police officers nodded in agreement. They had heard about the cunningness of the Hua people before and finally saw it first-hand. This Hua man yed rings around their chief and even got him to kneel! He was skilled in maniption and would undoubtedly have ruined their chief¡¯s career if they had not resolved the conflict. Xiao Luo had put him to shame most terribly.


    ¡°Remember, whatever just happened will stay right here. Zip your mouths! If anyone ever knows about this, I will skin you two alive!¡± Davis scowled. Of course, he was referring to them seeing him kneeling.


    The police officers were afraid, and they nodded repeatedly.


    In a rented vehicle heading toward the University of Washington, there was non-stopughter. Zhu Xiaofei, Xiao Luo, and Huang Ruoran were in this car. Ding Kai was supposed to have been with them, but just one threatening re from Huang Ruoran was enough to make him voluntarily give up the seat for her.


    ¡°Brother Luo, do you want a disciple? I want to be as outstanding as you are! That dude was trying to seek vengeance but ended up kneeling on the pavement like a stray dog pleading for food. Brother Luo, my good brother Luo, how did you be so outstanding?¡± Zhu Xiaofei said. He virtually worshipped Xiao Luo from that point on.

 Chapter 645 - A Dozen Each

    <h2>Chapter 645: A Dozen Each</h2>


    For the Hua nationals, the best way to catch up with old friends was to enjoy a hearty meal together.


    And that was undoubtedly what these old friends had intended to do. After settling the amodation arrangement for her four students, Zhong Meili joined the teachers from the University of Washington and did not join her students for dinner. But before leaving, Zhong Meili tried to persuade Xiao Luo toplete his studies. She emphasized how a Bachelor¡¯s degree would give him a certain level of security in society. Xiao Luo politely listened to her. He nodded his head and told her he would keep her advice in mind.


    They went for dinner at a restaurant near the University of Washington. A Hua national operated the restaurant, and the atmosphere there reminded them of home. The music in the background was the pipa, a traditional Hua music instrument. Covering the walls around the restaurant were many traditional ink paintings from the Hua Nation. The overall setting was in traditional Hua-style. The service staff donned Hua national long dresses, even though they weredies from the Mei Nation. Dressed in ssic cheongsam, thesedies exuded an exotic fusion of cultures.


    When the restaurant owner noticed that the five guests were from the Hua Nation, he weed them personally. He showed them to the best room on the second floor and told them they could enjoy a fifty percent discount for everything on the menu. That was a delightful surprise, especially for Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai.


    ¡°This meal is on me. Order anything you want,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°That was very much what we had in mind, Brother Luo.¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei chuckled and turned to the restaurant owner. ¡°Boss, I¡¯d like to have every specialty dish you have on the menu,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said cheekily.


    It still amused Xiao Luo, even though he knew that his friend would not go easy on him.


    ¡°What are you doing, Zhu? Brother Luo is buying us the meal. Are you sure you want to order so much?¡± Ding Kai scolded Zhu Xiaofei and looked at his friend from the corner of his eye.


    Huang Ruoran stared at Zhu Xiaofei without saying a word. However, her eyes said it all¡ªif looks could kill! She was silently telling him not to take advantage of Xiao Luo through her re.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows as he felt relieved. He was about to pat on Ding Kai¡¯s shoulder to thank him.


    Just then, Ding Kai coughed and added, ¡°Wait, I have not done talking,¡± he said as he turned to the restaurant owner, and he continued, ¡°Boss, do you serve bear paws and shark fins here? I¡¯d like to have a dozen each!¡±


    A dozen each of bear paws and shark fins?


    A dozen?


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    Wang Ling had her mouth wide-opened in surprise.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Zhu Xiaofeiughed so hard that he smacked his thigh.


    Huang Ruoran could not tolerate it anymore as she felt that the joke had gone out of hand. So, she stood up and reprimanded the boys. ¡°Ding Kai and Zhu Xiaofei, what are you guys doing? We¡¯ve finally met up with Xiao Luo after so long. Can you guys be serious?¡±


    ¡°I am just joking. Don¡¯t take this seriously! I am just making things interesting. I am sure this restaurant does not offer bear paws and shark fins on its menu, right?¡± Ding Kai said, trying to calm Huang Ruoran down.


    ¡°Well, actually¡­ we serve these dishes,¡± the restaurant owner answered with a big smile.


    ¡°What the heck!¡±


    That caught Ding Kai by surprise. He was merely fooling around and wanted to see Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction when he ced orders on the bear paws and shark fins. It did not cross his mind that this restaurant would serve these dishes.


    ¡°Then we shall have a dozen each.¡±


    Xiao Luo made the call. Although he said it softly, it did not sound like he was joking.


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, Wang Ling, and the restaurant owner all stared at him in awe. What was he saying? Both bear paws and shark fins were extremely rare in the marketce. A catty of bear paws could easily cost one hundred and fifty thousand bucks. They could not even afford half a catty, let alone a dozen.


    Huang Ruoran was also shocked, but she knew that Xiao Luo was the owner of Luo¡¯s Workshop. She knew he could afford the meal, so she was rtively calmpared to the others.


    ¡°Brother Luo, I was only joking. Look at you. Why are you so serious about it?¡± Ding Kai asked with a frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother Luo. Don¡¯t you know us by now? We like to kid around. We will settle for ordinary dishes for this dinner. How can we order bear paws and shark fins? Those are fine dining dishes for the extremely affluent,¡± Zhu Xiaofei smiled. He regretted starting that joke.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I haven¡¯t had these dishes before. We can try them now!¡± replied Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Young brother, allow me to borate on the dishes. What we serve in this restaurant is not bear paws and shark fins. We substitute the paws with those of other animals and the fins of other fishes. Serving bear paws and shark fins are illegal in the Mei Nation. However, the prices are still pretty steep. A serving of the paw and shark fin each cost about ten thousand bucks. So, even with the fifty percent discount, they would still cost five thousand, respectively,¡± the restaurant owner exined smilingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    The restaurant owner asked, ¡°Then shall I tell the kitchen?¡±


    The owner wanted to avoid any possibility of a dine and dash situation by hispatriots, so he confirmed the orders multiple times.


    Xiao Luo took a sip of the tea and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    He then ordered every single specialty dish on the menu, shocking Zhu Xiaofei and the rest of them, as this meal was adding up to be about one hundred and thirty thousand bucks. With the paws and shark fins, this would be the most expensive meal they ever had in their lives.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Wang Ling took a sip of her tea and gulped down with much difficulty. She felt horrified when she saw the receipt showing a long list of dishes.


    Zhu Xiaofei was curious and asked, ¡°Brother Luo, did you quit your bodyguard job? Did you be crazy rich in some business?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t be crazy rich, but I canfortably spend now. Don¡¯t worry about a few pennies. I am thrilled to have reunited with you guys,¡± he said.


    Did he refer to a hundred and thirty thousand bucks as a few pennies?


    Watching how Xiao Luo had casually spent such a sizeable amount of money astounded Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Wang Ling. He had to be extremely wealthy to treat a hundred thousand bucks as mere pennies. Xiao Luo was self-assured and behaved as if he was born into an affluent family. Though he had brushed off the cost of their meal, they did not feel offended as he did note across as arrogant.


    ¡°Brother Luo, please let me be your employee!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Once I have graduated, I will follow your footstep!¡±


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai left their seats and grabbed Xiao Luo by his thigh.


    They left Xiao Luo speechless.


    ******


    ******


    Time flew by as they enjoyed the evening and the merriment of each other¡¯spany. However, Xiao Luo hade to the Mei nation to assassinate specific targets, so it was not wise for him to hang out with Zhu Xiaofei and the group. After the dinner ended, he bid them farewell and invited them to visit him in Xiahai whenever they were free.


    Huang Ruoran stopped Xiao Luo and asked for a private chat.


    Xiao Luo knew that she had a crush on him, and he did not avoid her this time. He wanted to clear things with her. Xiao Luo did not want to lead her on as she was a decent girl. So, he agreed to the chat.


    Both of them walked side by side across thewn of the University of Washington. The architecture of the building was mainly Gothic. The Central za, filled with red bricks, was also known as the Red Square, and there a beautiful fountain stood majestically. Up ahead, they could see the scenic view of Mount Rainier. The buildings on the campus resembled castles from fairytales, and its grounds offered a better environment than any local institution in the Hua Nation.

 Chapter 646

    <h2>Chapter 646: Or else What</h2>


    Xiao Luo and Huang Ruoran walked across the tranquilwn, neither saying a word. Huang Ruoran was feeling a little nervous as she had never been on a one-on-one date with a man before. Huang Ruoran appeared demure as she swung her hands back and forth. Her cheeks were blushing, and she felt self-conscious and giddy at the same time. It was theplete opposite from her usual image as a ss monitor.


    ¡°How long will you guys be here?¡± Xiao Luo asked, breaking the awkward silence.


    ¡°I think we will be here for about two weeks,¡± Huang Ruoran said in almost a whisper.


    ¡°So, you are here on an exchange program with the Hua major students?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Huang Ruoran replied with a gentle nod, as the light from a streetmp revealed the exquisite, natural beauty of her face, untainted with makeup.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s great. You can increase your knowledge and understanding of the Mei culture and improve your English at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Huang Ruoran plucked up her courage and raised her head to look at Xiao Luo. ¡°What about you? Are you in the Mei Nation for a vacation?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°Why else would I be here?¡±


    ¡°I thought you might be here on a business trip,¡± Huang Ruoran replied.


    Xiao Luo merelyughed without responding to her question.


    Soon, they reached the main road after walking through thewn. Huang Ruoran felt like they were a couple taking a stroll through the university grounds. Her cheeks were burning, and her heart was thumping rather rapidly. She was giddy with excitement.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo stopped to look at the crescent moon in the night sky. Then he said, ¡°It is gettingte, and it is time for me to go. You should head back as well, Wang Ling is still waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°So soon? I want to walk with you a little more,¡± Huang Ruoran said, her voice trailing off toward the end of her sentence with a hint of disappointment.


    Xiao Luo heard what she had said. Even though Huang Ruoran had not made it too obvious, he knew that he had to put a stop to those lingering feelings of hers. ¡°My wife is waiting for me at the hotel. She is alone, and I am afraid something might happen to her,¡± he replied.


    That statement was false, but it was effective.


    What?


    Her face immediately changed. Wife? Xiao Luo had married?


    In disbelief, Huang Ruoran asked, ¡°You¡­ You are already married?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head firmly and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huang Ruoran lowered her head after Xiao Luo confirmed his marital status. No matter how hard she tried, she could not wipe away the disappointment that washed over her face. It was a tremendous blow to her heart, and she was feeling lost and bewildered. ¡°Why did you suddenly get married?¡± she asked.


    Xiao Luo looked at her steadily for a while. Then heughed lightheartedly and replied, ¡°I do not think it is that strange to get married at my age.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Huang Ruoran lowered her head again. She forced herself to smile before raising her head once more. ¡°Xiao Luo, congrattions!¡± she said, holding back some unshed tears.


    She could not hide the sad look in her eyes. Just like that, Xiao Luo had crushed her dream of being together with him. Her feelings for him were so strong that it felt like a breakup and the unshed tears threatened to roll down her face.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Xiao Luo replied in a gentle tone.


    It had been unpleasant, but some things in life were better resolved early before they got out of hand. Otherwise, such matters could create unnecessary conflicts. He did not think that he would meet up with anyone from Huaye again. But the world had be so small that one would invariably bump into friends from the past when they least expected it.


    ¡°Alright, it is time for me to go. Goodbye,¡± Xiao Luo said, then he smiled and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Xiao¡­¡±


    As she looked at his back, Huang Ruoran had wanted to shout out his name, but her pride held her back. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. The love that she had longed for all this time had proven to be one-sided. She had been living in self-delusion, and it was nothing but a short-lived, beautiful dream. And now fate had chosen its course.


    It had been nothing more than an unattainable dream.


    She smiled bitterly. Every girl yearned for a Prince Charming, and she was no different. The day Xiao Luo saved her from those gangsters, he had already left an indelible mark on her heart. The affection did not disappear with time, and instead, it grew stronger with each passing day.


    The disappointment had hurt so much that she felt an ache in her heart. But she knew that she had to be tough. She was in tears, but she put on a brave smile and turned around to make her way back. At that moment, it felt as if her soul had left her.


    Xiao Luo did not turn around and kept walking ahead. He did not have any feelings for Huang Ruoran. Besides, they had not met under favorable circumstances. There was no way he would have had such feelings for Huang Ruoran.


    He felt relieved that they had cleared the air about their rtionship.


    SCREECH!


    At that moment, an ear-piercing screech came from behind Xiao Luo¡ªemergency brakes!


    Xiao Luo instantly turned his head back to look and saw a ck car screeching to a halt. It barely missed Huang Ruoran, who was standing next to it, frozen in shock. A Caucasian man seemed to have pushed her to safety and now held her in his arms.


    When the driver of the ck car saw that Huang Ruoran was unhurt, he immediately sped off.


    Xiao Luo ran hastily toward them and asked Huang Ruoran, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Huang Ruoran was in such a shock that her legs were shaking. She removed herself from the man¡¯s hold and clutched Xiao Luo¡¯s arm. She just had a brush with death and her face had turned as white as a sheet. She was so traumatized that she could hardly speak.


    ¡°Hey,dy, I just saved your life. Don¡¯t I deserve at least a thank you?¡±


    Her jaunty-looking rescuer said casually. He was a handsome young man with well-defined eyebrows and lovely deep blue eyes that one could easily get lost in gazing into them.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you for saving me.¡±


    Huang Ruoran slowly regained her senses and bowed as she thanked him.


    ¡°You are wee.¡±


    With a devilish smile, the man said, ¡°You must be a Hua Nation girl. You are so pretty! Let us get to know one another. My name is Ian.¡±


    He put out his hand toward Huang Ruoran.


    Out of courtesy, Huang Ruoran shook his hand and responded, ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Huang Ruoran.¡±


    ¡°Is this your boyfriend?¡± Ian asked as he nced at Xiao Luo.


    Huang Ruoran looked at Xiao Luo, then shook her head and replied, ¡°No, he is my friend.¡±


    ¡°So, does Ms. Huang have a boyfriend?¡± Ian asked with a smile on his face.


    Huang Ruoran felt ufortable responding to such a personal question, but she did not want to appear to be rude since he had saved her. She shook her head. With a rather awkward smile, she answered, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Then, I¡¯ll be honest with you¡ªI liked you the moment Iid eyes on you. Are you willing to be my girlfriend?¡± Ian said as he kissed the back of her hand.


    Huang Ruoran reacted as if she had received an electric shock and immediately retracted her hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Huang, your natural beauty would inspire a love poem. God has favored you, for He has created a work of art! You captured my heart with your beauty the moment Iid my eyes on you. Will you be my girlfriend?¡± Ian was spewing ridiculous pickup lines, hoping to impress her.


    Xiao Luo raised his hand to prevent him from getting closer to Huang Ruoran. ¡°You may have saved her life, and we are grateful. But that does not give you the right to harass her sexually. Please leave immediately. Or else¡­¡±¡±Or else, what?¡±Ian¡¯s face turned dark and threatening. He exuded an ominous aura, and had it had been anyone else other than Xiao Luo, that person would have felt his hair stand on ends.

 Chapter 647 - The First Target

    <h2>Chapter 647: The First Target</h2>


    Xiao Luo was quite stunned. As a master himself, he could tell that this white man, Ian, was highly skillful as well. He exuded the aura of a ferocious wolf raring to shred everything apart. He smiled viciously and said, ¡°Or else, I¡¯m going to make you regret you were ever born into this world!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Ian cackled, and in the next second, his face turned dark and furious. He shed his right hand, aiming for Xiao Luo¡¯s neck, and his fingers were formed like an eagle¡¯s w. His attack was swift and fierce, and his wed fingers shed at Xiao Luo with awesome power.


    Xiao Luo blew out a quick burst of air, hurriedly bringing his right hand into action, moving in a swift circr motion that left a trail of afterimage. He intercepted Ian¡¯s strike with precision, and when their arms shed, the impact resounded with a thundering crack. Both their bodies shuddered as they were both thrown back.


    POW!


    Xiao Luo stomped his right foot into the ground to stop himself from moving back and quickly regained his bnce.


    Ian staggered back about ten steps before he steadied himself. He then stared at Xiao Luo, still smiling viciously, and said, ¡°I heard you Hua Nation people have mystical powers, so it seems the rumors were true. You¡¯re pretty good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not too shabby either.¡±


    Xiao Luo responded with an indifferent air. He used about forty percent of his power during that first exchange, and this man took it without getting injured. It surprised Xiao Luo somewhat.


    Ian still had a smile on his face as he swaggered toward Xiao Luo. ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll go to Hua Nation and make sure I defeat all of your so-called kung fu masters. I¡¯ll prove that Hua Nation kung fu is nothing but fancy fists and footwork. It¡¯s nothing more than a stage performance performed by clowns.¡±


    Ian¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred and anger, and his words were provocative.


    Ian¡¯s scathing words riled up Xiao Luo, who red at him and said, ¡°I only have one word for you¡ªscram!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was harsh and threatening.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ianughed raucously and patted Xiao Luo on the shoulder. ¡°Buddy, getting angry over a petty matter like this? I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t achieve great things in life!¡±


    At that moment, a yellow convertible car sped toward them from afar and stopped right in front of Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo immediately recognized the make of the sports car¡ªit was the Lykan Hypersport. There were only seven such cars in the world, and they were produced by the Lebanonpany W Motors. It was a luxury sports car, and just the basic model cost sixty million. After customization, the price would be closer to a hundred million dors.


    The price tag ensured that it would remain one of the most exclusive cars in the world, which partly exined why its unique design was such a trend and a statement. The luxury and beauty of the car naturally attracted Huang Ruoran¡¯s attention.


    A well-dressed young man was behind the wheels. He waved his hand at Ian and said, ¡°Hey, Ian! How¡¯s it going? Did you make a new friend?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ian responded cockily. He was a charismatic, good-looking man, and undoubtedly, many girls would find him irresistible. ¡°Ms. Huang, we¡¯ll meet again. I¡¯m sure you can tell how much I want to get to know you better. I don¡¯t intend to just make you my girlfriend, but my noble queen.¡± With that, he hopped into the passenger seat and waved his hand at Xiao Luo. ¡°Buddy, don¡¯t anger me again the next time we meet, or else¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but his gesture of warning said it all¡ªhe swiped his index finger across his throat.


    His friend chewed on some gum andughed with a shake of his head. He then stepped on the elerator, and the yellow-colored Lykan Hypersport sped off in a sh.


    Huang Ruoran had yet to recover from her earlier shock and stared at Xiao Luo with her eyes and mouth wide open.


    ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t seem to be a student from this university. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I think it¡¯d be best if you stayed close to Xiaofei and the others, and not leave the school ground. If hees looking for you again, be sure to call the police immediately. You can also contact me right away, and I¡¯ll respond as soon as I can,¡± Xiao Luo said. Ian had left him feeling extremely ufortable.


    Huang Ruoran nodded her head and said, ¡°Hmm, I got it!¡±


    And just like that, her little romantic fantasy with Xiao Luo was over. Somehow, it did not seem as bad as she expected it to be.


    ¡­


    Washington in the night was dazzling with the neon lights, and it was a stark contrast to the highways on the outskirts of the city.


    After leaving Washington University, Xiao Luo called for a taxi and soon arrived at a small park in the western suburbs. His first target lived in a private apartment about one kilometer away.


    Adrian.


    That was the name of his target. He was a professor teaching biochemistry at Washington University and was the one who provided the core gic engineering technologies to the American politicians. He was also involved in the gic modification experiments on humans conducted at the research facility in Ri Nation.


    ¡°Sir, do you need me to wait for you?¡±


    The driver asked politely, ¡°There are hardly any taxis around this area.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    Xiao Luo paid the taxi fee, opened the door, and stepped out.


    The moment he got out of the taxi, he looked at the new moon. In the next second, he vanished.


    The driver casually looked behind and was shocked when he did not see anyone. It seemed like Xiao Luo had disappeared into thin air. He quickly got out of the car and looked around, but no matter where he looked, he found no trace of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Oh my god, did I just bump into a ghost?¡±


    The driver was so scared that he broke into a cold sweat. He quickly got back into his car and drove off quickly.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo was already standing at the rooftop of a three-story building that was roughly 12 meters high. Like a leopard that could leap and bound, he ran along the rooftop as fast as lightning and headed toward a brightly lit mansion by the river.


    The mansion was well-equipped with surveince cameras, and security guards were patrolling the premises. But none of this was of any concern to Xiao Luo. He was like a phantom and broke in quietly without making a sound. After receiving information about Adrian¡¯s whereabouts from a security guard, he made his way to the study room on the fourth floor.


    His breach did not attract any attention at all.


    When he pushed the heavy door open, he saw a man in a suit sitting behind arge oak table. He had a head of white hair and a healthyplexion. It was evident that he took good care of his health and fitness.


    Xiao Luo recognized his target immediately, Adrian. He was the man Xiao Luo had to kill tonight.


    Adrian realized that someone had broken in. Stunned, he stood up and shouted, ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the picture on the table that Adrian had dropped in front of him. It was an image of the dead test subjects of the failed experiments carried out at the gic engineering facility in Ri Nation.


    He closed the door and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the destruction of the research facility in Ri Nation.¡±


    He stepped ominously toward the study table, picked up the photo on the table, and looked at it with interest. The murderous look in his eyes was clear.


    Adrian had a look of horror on his face. ¡°Just who in the world are you?¡± he said.


    ¡°I destroyed the facility. So who do you think I might be?¡± Xiao Luo replied, putting the photo down. He looked up and eyed Adrian with a nasty smile on his face.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re the Thousand-Faced Killer!¡±


    Adrian¡¯s eyes opened wide in fear, and sweat started pouring like a waterfall. ¡°You came all the way here to Mei Nation?¡±


    Adrian had known about the destruction of the gic engineering facility and also heard about the Thousand-Faced Killer. This man was an enigma and had been wreaking havoc in the Ri Nation. But Adrian never thought that the Thousand-Faced Killer woulde all the way here. But here he was, standing right in front of him, well and alive. It was like a nightmare that had turned into reality.


    It was simply too hard to believe that this Thousand-Faced Killer had managed to find his way here.

 Chapter 648

    <h2>Chapter 648: The Rising Tide</h2>


    Adrian was terrified. Xiao Luo nced at him as he moved his fingertip across the photo on the table, and said, ¡°Were you admiring your work earlier, or were you reminiscing the feeling of treating humans asb rats while you conducted your experiments on them?¡±


    ¡°This is science!¡± Adrian said, defending his actions.


    Xiao Luo shed a mocking smile on his face. ¡°Science? I guess I don¡¯t know what science is then,¡± he retorted.


    ¡°Gic engineering is a form of scientific research that will bring mankind forward. Sacrifices in the early stages are inevitable, but as long as we can achieve some kind of breakthrough through these experiments, then the human physique and abilities will achieve a breakthrough on all fronts. This is an experiment that will benefit all of humanity,¡± Adrian responded. He was like a religious fanatic with extremist views, and he had ced an inordinate amount of belief into his work.


    Xiao Luoughed coldly and replied, ¡°Then why not use Americans for your experiments? Are the lives of the Americans more precious than the lives of people from other countries, like grass that you can trample on whenever you like?¡±


    ¡°We use our people for the experiments too, and we achieved quite a lot from¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his hands to cut him off, ¡°I didn¡¯te here to listen to your philosophy. Since you¡¯re involved in the gic engineering facility in Ri nation, then you can¡¯t live.¡±


    Suddenly, the terrified look on Adrian¡¯s face disappeared, and he looked right at Xiao Luo and smiled. ¡°Is that so? But you¡¯ve already lost your chance to do so!¡± he said.


    As soon as he said that, the door of the study room swung open. Dozens of security guards in ck shirts rushed in, forming two rows as they stood on either side of Adrian. They had their guns raised and pointed at Xiao Luo.


    Pleased with himself, Adrian looked at Xiao Luo casually and said, ¡°As I was talking to you earlier, I stepped on the switch on the floor here to activate the rm system. I only need to give the order, and their bullets will turn you into minced meat.¡±


    Xiao Luo snickered and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think is going to happen? Do you think you can leave this ce alive?¡±


    Adrian had a mocking smile on his face. ¡°Thousand-Faced Killer, is this all you¡¯re capable of? I honestly don¡¯t understand why those fools in Ri nation couldn¡¯t deal with you,¡± he spat.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t pay him any attention butughed at the armed bodyguards instead, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give all of you a chance to live. Open fire and kill Adrian, otherwise all of you will have to die!¡±


    The bodyguards froze, for, despiteughing, the vicious look in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes made their hair stand on ends. The aura they senseding from this Hua nation man was overpowering.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Adrianughed out loud and scowled, ¡°Are you only pretending to be the Thousand-Faced Killer? Are you sure you¡¯re not a fool?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not say a thing but only red at him.


    Adrian sensed a sudden chill running down his spine, but he found his courage and mmed his hands ferociously on the table. ¡°Kill him!¡± he roared.


    RAT TATAT TAT! BANG! BANG!


    Following hismand, the bodyguards did not hesitate to open fire at Xiao Luo. A hail of bullets spurted from the shing muzzles, and in the small confines of the study room, they tore through countless books, furniture, and porcin pieces like a ferocious gale.


    In an instant, Xiao Luo¡¯s body vanished like an illusory phantom.


    After a series of gunshots, Adrian and the bodyguards were shocked to find that their intended target was already standing right behind them. They stood rooted in horror!


    With lightning speed, Xiao Luo quickly snatched a gun from one of the bodyguards. The muzzle, as if it had eyes of its own, immediately pointed at all the other bodyguards.


    RAT TATAT TAT!


    After a sustained burst of gunfire, dozens of bodyguards slumped to the floor. There was a bloody, gaping wound right in the center of each of their foreheads.


    It all happened in a split second, pretty much in the blink of an eye. Adrian and thest remaining bodyguard froze in shock. Cold sweat began pouring like a waterfall, as they looked fearfully at Xiao Luo. They could only hear the rapid beat of their hearts. Just what kind of person was this? A superhero from a Marvel movie?


    Swoosh!


    Xiao Luo pointed the gun right at Adrian, and his body began to quake.


    Again, he overcame his fear andughed nervously. ¡°Mr. Xiao, we can talk things through. You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± he said.


    ¡°Talk about what?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Adrian saw the chance for him to live and quickly responded, ¡°Money! I can give you enough cash tost you a lifetime. One hundred million USD, what do you think, I¡­¡±


    BANG!


    A gaping hole appeared on Adrian¡¯s forehead. His body went limp, and he copsed to the floor with his eyes wide opened.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in money. Right now, I¡¯m only interested in taking your life.¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke as he looked at Adrian¡¯s lifeless body momentarily before he slowly walked out of the study room.


    The surviving bodyguard was shaking. He was the only one left, and just when he thought that he would be spared, Xiao Luo raised his arm without even turning his head around and pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    It was as if Xiao Luo had eyes at the back of his head. The bullet ended the man¡¯s life instantly.


    After killing everyone, Xiao Luo strode out of the ce calmly. He mashed the gun he used into a pile of mangled steel and casually threw it into a rubbish bin by the roadside.


    Just as the taxi driver had said earlier, this was a suburb, and there were barely any taxis around. Xiao Luo used up a hundred thousand points to exchange for the Qinggong without Equal, which allowed him to step on snow and leaving any trails. It differed slightly from his technique of skimming over the water, which was a skill that allowed him to teleport forward. Qinggong without Equal was more suitable for long-distance travel.


    Using this technique, Xiao Luo traveled like a phantom in the dark as he ran toward the city center. Each step covered a distance of roughly sixty to seventy meters. His movements were silent, and nothing else could be heard other than the sound of rustling leaves.


    Half an hourter, he arrived at a five-star hotel.


    He had a good rest that night. On the second day, he turned on the television to watch the news, and sure enough, Adrian¡¯s death was breaking news. The police and FBI are involved as well.


    A taxi driver sent a tip and mentioned that the criminal could potentially be a Hua nation man. ording to the taxi driver¡¯s description, the FBI came up with a rough sketch of the criminal¡¯s facialposition.


    Looking at the bloated face in the picture, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh. Of course, he wasn¡¯t berating the FBI¡¯s skills, but because he had used the disguise technique to change his appearance before he entered the taxi the previous night.


    The next morning, the hotel staff delivered a nutritious breakfast to him. After finishing his meal, Xiao Luo walked to the balcony and looked toward the direction of the White House.


    Adrian was just his first target, the other being the Mei nation¡¯s federal government. Ri nation was just one of their obedient running dogs. Of course, he was not trying to overthrow the government, but he wanted to send them a strong message.


    Xiao Luo looked at a nearby billboard and saw something deep and meaningful written on it. He tranted the line to Chinese and read it out: ¡°God¡¯s gift, manifest destiny; the light of hope, shine on me; steel-like perseverance, move forward bravely, and the start, will be guided by fate.¡± He nothing but praise for the verse and muttered, ¡°Pretty interesting!¡±

 Chapter 649 - President

    <h2>Chapter 649: President</h2>


    A message was spreading across the inte quickly. It was like a huge rock thrown into a calmke, and it caused a stir among the Mei nation news stations. The content of the message read: On the 6th of July, the White House will experience a destructive explosion. If you cherish your life, do not remain there on that day!


    The White House was where the Mei nation president lived, and also where his office was situated. Many Mei nationals recognized it as a symbol of their sovereignty, and though they joked about many things, they would never joke about bombing the White House. The founder of Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, had once tried to blow up the White House back in the day, and even he failed to pull it off. And now, someone else was threatening to nt a bomb in the White House again. Was it possible that another terrorist attack was about to ur?


    ¡°Some people have nothing better to do¡ªthis is nothing more than a prank. To think that they¡¯d have the nerve to post something like this. Are they not afraid of the FBI?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if the FBI will take this seriously. But there does not seem to be any unrest going on at the moment, so the FBI will most probably ignore this. They are undoubtedly busy investigating the death of Professor Adrian, Washington University¡¯s professor.¡±


    ¡°Which piece of sh*t sent this message? Are they trying to meet their Maker?¡±


    ¡°Five more days. I am looking forward to finding out if this is real. If a bomb goes off in the White House, then this is going to be quite interesting, haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°I think this is just a prank, but it¡¯s bordering on terrorism and has crossed the line. I think the federal government should take it seriously. Drag this person out from the virtual realm and punish him!¡±


    The Americanizens had varying opinions regarding this matter. Most of them thought the perpetrator was just a keyboard warrior with nothing better to do and was doing this for the thrill. Many wondered what would happen on the 6th of July, which was just five days away. For others, life was a little uneventful, and despite the threat to the Mei nation, the bomb threat only added some excitement to their lives.


    [White House]


    The White Houseplex was constructed in a neo-ssical style of light-colored sandstone buildings,prising the main building, the East, and the West wing. There was a Mei nation g right at the top of the main building, fluttering in the wind.


    In the grand presidential office, President Bama was beaming as he spoke on the phone with a leader from another country. An aide entered and waited respectfully by his side. The aide did not utter a single thing so as not to disturb the president¡¯s phone call.


    President Bama was initially having a cheerful conversation when his expression suddenly became stern, and he asked, ¡°Abduh, I heard Saudi Arabia is secretly developing nuclear weapons, is that the case?¡±


    When the King of Saudi Arabia heard those words, he was so shaken that he almost wet his pants. The two past wars that the Mei nationunched in the region was due to the development of weapons of mass destruction. It was nothing more than an excuse, as no nuclear weapons at all. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found, despite their troops searching the entirend.


    ¡°Mr. Bama, that¡¯s not true at all. Saudi Arabia¡¯s main focus is exporting oil, nothing more. There¡¯s no reason for us to develop those weapons of mass destruction at all,¡± Abduh gabbled.


    ¡°Calm down, calm down, haha¡­ I was just joking, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The somber look on President Bama¡¯s face vanished as quickly as it appeared. Heughed and said, ¡°You should know that I just received the Noble Peace Prize, so maintaining world peace is at the top of my agenda. I have to prevent the world from going into another war. Terrifying things such as nuclear weapons that can destroy our entire Earth is something we must get rid of, no matter what.¡±


    Abduh couldn¡¯t help seeing the irony in what the president had just said, and thought, since you know that nuclear weapons can destroy Earth, then why doesn¡¯t the Mei nation destroy its nuclear weapons?


    The king nodded his head in agreement as he spoke over the phone. ¡°Yes, undoubtedly, Mr. Bama is doing his best to maintain world peace. Given this, I promise that the price of our oil exports to the Mei nation will be reduced to a lower tier.¡±


    After hearing that, the smile on the president¡¯s face looked even brighter than before. He thought, hmm, the man is on the right track.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ sure, I had a really good chat with you. I¡¯ll call you again when I have the time.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The moment King Abduh put down the phone, his face darkened, and he lost control of his emotions. He spat on the floor and scowled, ¡°Bandit, robber!¡±


    Sitting in the White House, President Bama was ted. He thought hard, wondering who else he could intimidate and squeeze for preferred terms that would benefit his country. His aide quickly seized the opportunity to speak.


    ¡°Mr. President, all you had to do was open your mouth, and you¡¯ve already saved trillions of dors for our country. It¡¯s Mei nation¡¯s honor to have a president like you,¡± his aide gushed.


    President Bamaughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always hated bootlickers, but I¡¯m very pleased with what you just said since you know the right way to bootlick. That¡¯s why you¡¯re my aide, and not anyone else¡¯s.¡±


    Saving an enormous sum of money for the country over a brief conversation was incredible, and this achievement made him feel prettycent. Many people doubted him in the past, even saying he was the one who had nned and initiated the two wars. Yet, the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to him. Even in the face of these doubts, he had no qualms epting the prize without a hint of guilt.


    President Bama picked up his teacup and took a sip. ¡°Right, are you looking for me, what¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.


    His aide smiled and reported, ¡°Well, this is what¡¯s going on, Mr. Bama. A message was posted on the inte yesterday, saying that on the 6th, which is four days from now, the White House will be blown-up.¡±


    Hmm?


    There was a slight pause as the president drank his tea, then he gestured with his hand and said, ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°The FBI has deployed their best programming experts to trace the IP address of the one who posted it, but they just can¡¯t seem to figure out who is behind it. The other party¡¯s programming skills are far superior to ours,¡± the aide said.


    After hearing that, President Bama furrowed his eyebrows and remarked, ¡°They can¡¯t trace it?¡±


    Of course, he knew that the people at the FBI were among the best, but if even they couldn¡¯t trace the IP address, then the threat would have to be taken seriously. And, this meant that the warning they received about the bomb threat was in all likelihood, not just a hoax.


    The aide nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, the FBI suspects that it could be the super hacker ¡®Mie,¡¯ who destroyed us in the cyberwar we organizedst year. Both use the same technique in setting up their firewalls.¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± President Bama said, looking somewhat forlorn.


    ¡°On the night of 30th, a biochemistry professor at Washington University, Adrian, was killed in his residence. On the 1st of this month, this message of the White House bombing was then posted on the inte. The FBI thinks that these two cases are rted to one another. They suspect that it¡¯s the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, who has been wreaking havoc in the Ri nation recently.


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that this Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, is the same person as the super hacker, Mie?¡± President Bama said.


    The secretary nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? There¡¯s no way the Hua Nation can produce an expert of such ability. From what I see, they should be protecting him. Why would they let him operate by himself? Are they not afraid that they¡¯d end up losing a genius that only appears once every hundred years?¡± President Bama stood up, walked back and forth, and couldn¡¯t seem to put a finger on it.

 Chapter 650 - Youve Become Handsome

    <h2>Chapter 650: You¡¯ve Be Handsome</h2>


    The aide thought briefly and said, ¡°Is it possible that Mie is operating independently and that this is not a mission sanctioned from the Hua Nation¡¯s higher-ups?¡±


    ¡°That could very well be the case.¡±


    President Bama had a grave look on his face. ¡°Convey my words to the FBI¡ªI want them to identify if the person who created that bloody mess in Ri nation, the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, has entered our country. Do it quick, and if he¡¯s already in Mei nation, then kill him no matter what it takes. I don¡¯t want him to cause the same mess here,¡± he said.


    The secretary nodded his head and replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°If Xiao Han is Mie, then this will be pretty interesting. After killing him, I will have to visit the Hua Nation. I look forward to seeing what kind of expression they will have on their faces,¡± President Bama said slyly.


    He then remembered that there was another small country he meant to call. He picked up the hotline used to contact leaders from around the world directly and dialed a number. He waited for a moment before he spoke, ¡°Hello, is this Moss? I heard your country is developing some nuclear weapons, is that true?¡±


    Repeating the same old trick, he got ready to extort some other nation for more money again.


    ¡­


    The Ri nation released news regarding the Thousand-Faced Killer and notified their entire popce. But here in the Mei nation, the authorities did not circte any information to avoid causing panic among their citizens.


    The FBI deployed countless officers in in clothes to search through every street, making them look just like any other ordinary American citizen.


    Xiao Luo had been avoiding the FBI for the past couple of days. There was no need for him to confront them as yet. He was the one who posted the message about blowing up the White House, and this was just the beginning. He wanted to make all the Mei nation politicians experience some fear and anxiety. It was part of his vengeance for Xie Wenchang and his family.


    Xiao Luo chose the 6th of July as the date for the bombing to allow the authorities more time to better prepare for it. He didn¡¯t want to harm the innocent, and his only aim was to blow up the White House.


    As one of the four leading families in Mei nation, the Michelle family was aware of what the FBI was doing. When Sarah Michelle found out that Mie, the one who saved her, might be in Washington, she prepared several news articles. Leveraging on the influence of her family, she managed to get her articles on the headlines of most newspapers.


    See you in menco at noon on the 4th!


    That sentence was right at the top of the article, and it meant that she¡¯d see him in menco restaurant at noon on the 4th, and she would not leave until she met him. She felt that as a member of Hua Nation¡¯s NSA, Xiao Luo would spot it ande as scheduled.


    On that day, Sarah wore a pink short-sleeved shirt and paired it with a pair of light blue shorts. She looked just like an innocent and beautiful sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her face was pale but as rosy as the color of cherry. Her eyshes were long, her eyes sparkling blue, her nose well-formed, and her lips were a luscious red. She looked just like a Barbie doll.


    She was a famous journalist in the newsgathering industry, but the public barely paid much attention to reporters, which made the chances of her being recognized very slim. She sat casually in the restaurant without her sunsses, with no fear of being recognized.


    She had specially dressed up today because she knew that Hua Nation man was fond of such a ¡°young and trendy¡± look, making her look cute. On the inte, she picked up on the word ¡°girly,¡± so she tried to look a little more petite. And her curvy figure was a perfect fit for this outfit.


    It was already 12:30 pm, yet she still could not spot Xiao Luo.


    Was it possible that he didn¡¯t even spot the clue she published in the papers?


    Or was it because he never even set foot in the Mei nation?


    But ording to the report the FBI provided, the Thousand-Faced Killer, who perpetrated the carnage in the Ri nation, was Xiao Luo.


    All sorts of thoughts crossed Sarah Michelle¡¯s mind, and she was beginning to feel disappointed.


    Just as her patience was about to reach its lowest point, a cool breeze blew lightly, and suddenly a man was sitting right opposite to her. He had neat ck hair, knife-shaped eyebrows, and a pair of deep and prating ck eyes. It couldn¡¯t be anyone else other than that man, Mie, who saved her back in Libya.


    Sarah was ted to see Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Mie, you¡¯re here!¡± she said, then quickly lowered her voice to a whisper, ¡°I thought you failed to catch the coded message that I posted in the news article.¡±


    ¡°How is that coded message?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Anyone would be able to see it just by reading through the articles, and If this was the era of ancient Hua Nation secret agents, you would already have died several times over by now.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t seem to mind being reprimanded at all. She was extremely happy to once again meet the man who had saved her life countless times. She called for the waiter and ordered some food.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, you¡¯ve be a lot more handsome!¡± Sarah praised.


    Xiao Luo ignored herment and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, why are you looking for me?¡±


    Sarah smiled girlishly and shook her head.¡±Nothing much, I just wanted to meet you,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m currently on the FBI¡¯s wanted list?¡± Xiao Luo asked, wondering if she wasn¡¯t afraid of getting into trouble by meeting him.


    Sarah nodded her head and said, ¡°I know. My brother is a senior investigator in the FBI. I also know all the things that you¡¯ve done in Ri nation, especially the fact that you guided one of their missiles and bombed the Yasukuni Shrine. Now, all my hatred is sated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they invaded your country, why do you hate them so?¡± Xiao Luo said brusquely.


    ¡°Though Ri nation might not have invaded our country, they used to be fascist, and I¡¯m sure many of us have a deep hatred for the fascists,¡± Sarah responded.


    Xiao Luo smiled mockingly and said, ¡°Times are changing. Those fascists back in the days have, in one way or another, have be Mei nation¡¯s dog. Your people are the ones providing support and technology for the gic engineering facility in Ri nation.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re trying to create havoc in my country now?¡± Sarah asked, looking slightly aghast.


    ¡°Be it an individual or a country, they have to pay for what they¡¯ve done,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I strongly advise you not to do that. Although I know that you¡¯re a super warrior from Hua Nation, that your powers are unparalleled and you have incredible skills, but I have to remind you of this. Since Mei nation can provide Ri nation with the technology and support, when ites to the gically engineered warriors, what we have right now is nothing like what you saw in Ri nation.¡±


    Besides, I¡¯ve heard that the technology that we provided to Ri nation was a little wed. The real gic warriors have already been developed sessfully here. If the authorities release them, they can even lock onto your breathing. No matter how you change your appearance, you won¡¯t be able to escape from them,¡± Sarah Michelle said. She didn¡¯t want to see Xiao Luo bing an enemy of the Mei nation federal government.


    Xiao Luo snorted and replied, ¡°If the technology has already been sessfully developed, then why didn¡¯t they deploy the warriors to save you in Libya?¡±


    ¡°Though my Michelle family might have a great influence in the Mei nation, my life alone isn¡¯t enough to justify the government deploying this top-secret destructive weapon,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop talking about this matter. The steak is here, let¡¯s eat. I¡¯m hungry,¡± Xiao Luo said, tucking the napkin into his cor, and getting ready to dig in.


    Sarah knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to persuade him and wasn¡¯t too bothered about it. She poured Xiao Luo a ss of red wine and lifted her ss. ¡°Mr. Mie, no matter what you do here in Mei nation, we¡¯ll always be friends. That I can see you again makes me thrilled.¡±


    Xiao Luo returned the gesture and said, ¡°Your outfit and makeup today makes you look really pretty.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sarah said with a smile.

 Chapter 651 - Then He can’t Live

    <h2>Chapter 651: Then He can¡¯t Live</h2>


    They were leisurely enjoying their lunch. Sarah Michelle knew what topics to touch on with Xiao Luo and what not to bring up. They chatted about the ces of attraction and buildings in the Mei Nation, such as the Pentagon, Statue of Liberty, Golden Gate Bridge, and the Seattle Space Needle Tower.


    ¡°Mr. Mie, I wish that I could bring you around all the ces of attraction in Mei Nation. I think you will fall in love with this country,¡± Sarah said with a smile. There was a look of expectation in her eyes.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°If someone likes a country, then I am sure it is because of the people in that country, not the ces of attraction. How one sees the people living in that country would be a significant factor in determining the impression one has of a country.¡±


    ¡°So, you think that the Mei nationals are not friendly enough?¡± Sarah said, curling her lips.


    ¡°I would not say that they are not friendly. It is just that when I first set foot here, one custom officer tried to make life difficult for our Hua nationals. It seems like they were born to hate and discriminate against the Hua nationals. That was my first impression of the Mei Nation,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Sarah looked surprised and asked, ¡°Hmm? If such things are still happening, then it looks like I have some work to do.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a war correspondent? Why are you looking into such matters?¡± Xiao Luo said as he picked up a fork and knife, and sliced the steak neatly before putting one small slice into his mouth.


    ¡°Hey,e on! War correspondents chase not only war-rted news. We¡¯re now in a peaceful era and there are fewer wars these days. In the future, I believe there will no longer be any wars. If I only collect war-rted news, then I will eventually be out of a job!¡± Sarah said, shaking her head.


    Xiao Luo smiled yfully and said, ¡°You are the pearl of the Michelle family. How would you lose your job?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will lose my job. Thepetition in the Mei Nation is fierce. If I do not work hard, I cannot afford to feed myself!¡±


    Suddenly, they heard a hoarse voiceing from the entrance of the restaurant.


    Xiao Luo turned his head to look. He saw a middle-aged man in an immacte suit. He strode toward them jauntily with steely eyes. The man had a dignified bearing, and even though he was wearing a suit, one could see that he had an imposing body.


    As he walked in, two rows of FBI members, fully armed, hurried in as well. Suddenly, an ear-piercing siren red through the restaurant.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    Sarah Michelle¡¯s eyes widened, for she had no idea why her brother had appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡°He is your brother?¡± Xiao Luo asked, looking back at Sarah, and his eyes turned cold.


    Sarah waved her hands in a gesture to show that she had done nothing to hurt him. She quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Mie, I swear that I have not betrayed you. I have no idea how my brother knows you are here.¡±


    Xiao Luo thought for a moment and immediately knew what had happened. He said, ¡°What did I say earlier? That secret code of yours. If you were in the Hua nation, heaven knows how many times we could have assassinated you.¡±


    He had initially thought that nothing too serious would happen. But looking at that situation, he had underestimated the FBI. These agents were no slouches at all.


    The muscr man in the smart suit sat down. He looked at Sarah and Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°My younger sister, do you not think your taste is a little terrible? A Hua Nation chap like him. He looks like a sick monkey. He cannot give you any sense of security. Exactly what do you see in him?¡± He took another look at Xiao Luo and continued, ¡°What a skinny man. I am sure that thing below is not strong either. If you guys are together, can he satisfy your sex life?¡±


    When Sarah heard his crude remarks, her face turned red. She reacted angrily and shouted, ¡°Scott, what nonsense are you spouting?! He and I are just good friends. He is the man who saved me and got me out of Libya.¡±


    ¡°All lovers start as friends, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Scott raised one eyebrow as he picked up a winess to pour some red wine for himself. He swirled the wine gently around the ss and took a sip. ¡°I know he is the one who saved you. If not, my men would have shot him and turned him into minced meat,¡± he said, then looked at Xiao Luo and continued, ¡°Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, and super hacker, Mie. I am sure both those identities belong to one man¡ªyou. Right?¡±


    ¡°Seems to me you guys already have the answer, so what ask?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked, calmly lifting his winess and took a sip.


    ¡°How interesting that you can remain this calm even in such a situation. No wonder my younger sister likes you! If you were not a wanted criminal, I might even have yed matchmaker for the two of you and give you guys my blessing. But what a pity. When you killed the members of the SEAL team back in Libya, you already put yourself on the opposite side of the Mei Nation, as an enemy,¡± Scott said.


    Sarah Michelle felt her cheeks burning. Scott had let the cat out of the bag about how she felt about Xiao Luo. Even though she had a deep affection for him, she had buried that inside her heart. Scott had now put her in such an awkward position by saying it out loud. She wanted to crawl into a hole to hide. She did not dare to look at Xiao Luo as she felt embarrassed.


    Xiao Luo answered Scott and said, ¡°The people from the SEAL team tried to kill me. I defended myself and ended up killing them instead. It would be better if you Mei nationals just deal with this bitterness and frustration. Are you not even a little embarrassed to bring this up?¡±


    The corner of Scott¡¯s lips twitched, but heughed and said, ¡°You brat! Still, I admire you. Xiao Han, if you were not Mie or the Thousand-Faced Killer, I would have locked you and my younger sister in a presidential suite tonight to y tic-tac-toe. As one would say in the Hua Nation¡ªit would be for both of you to do something that cannot be undone. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Scott, you b*stard! Are you on drugs? Why are you spouting all this nonsense?¡±


    Sarah Michelle could not hold it in anymore. Her face was flushed with anger, and she shouted at Scott.


    ¡°Sarah, I am your brother. Did you think that I do not understand you at all? Look at you. All dressed up like a celebrity. You look so pretty that I almost did not recognize you. Do not tell me that you didn¡¯t go through all the trouble for this Hua Nation chap. If I cannot even see all the effort that you have put in, then I would have wasted the past thirty years of my life as an agent,¡± Scott snarled.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Sarah hissed.


    Her face reddened with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She would have walked out immediately if the situation had not been so critical.


    Scott looked at Xiao Luo once again and tossed a pair of handcuffs on the table. ¡°Brat, you decide if you would prefer to do it yourself or let us do it for you. You have lost this time around. There are more than a hundred FBI agents out there and over two hundred police officers. They have covered the entire area so tightly that not even a trickle of water can get through. Unless you can fly, you can forget about escaping.¡±


    ¡°Brother, let him go. He is my savior. You cannot do this to him,¡± Sarah begged.


    ¡°The only reason he is still alive now is that he saved you. Do you know the order we received from the President? It was to kill him on sight. The minute we see the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, we are not to show any mercy. We are to kill him on the spot!¡± Scott said before he tossed his head back to finish the red wine.


    ¡°But he has done nothing bad to the Mei Nation. Those members from the SEAL team paid the price for Captain Powell¡¯s foolishness and died because of that. It is not fair for you to push all of that me to Xiao Han,¡± Sarah said.


    Scott shook his head and said, ¡°My silly younger sister, this world has never been fair. He is the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han. He is also the super hacker, Mie, and that means, he cannot live!¡±

 Chapter 652 - Really Knows How to Fly

    <h2>Chapter 652: Really Knows How to Fly</h2>


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t helpughing when he heard what Scott had to say. ¡°If you know about the things I¡¯ve done in Ri nation and Libya, then what makes you so sure I fell into your trap here?¡± he responded.


    ¡°Were you not?¡±


    Scottughed wryly and scoffed, ¡°Let me tell you this, the Michelle family has always been friendly towards Hua Nation. But you¡¯re not in the same category¡ªyou¡¯re a target. One that the president himself has specifically ordered us to eliminate. You made a big mistakeing here, and I¡¯d encourage you to just kill yourself now. If you end up in prison, looking at that soft skin and handsome look of yours, those crazy, burly men in there will treat you like a girl, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Sarah stared at Scott. She couldn¡¯t believe that it was her brother talking. Since when had her brother be so vulgar and capable of saying such vile things? He had not stopped spewing such filth since he walked in. Was her brother so obsessed with capturing Mr. Mie that he had lost his mind now that Xiao Han was trapped?


    CRASH!


    Like a p of thunder, a te broke over Scott¡¯s head, sending ceramic fragments flying in all directions, along with the uneaten steak and spaghetti. The floor was strewn with food and broken pieces of the te. It stunned Sarah Michelle, who shook in silence. Xiao Luo grabbed a clean napkin and wiped the grease off his hands.


    ¡°Scott, are you awake now?¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a smile on his face, ¡°If you continue this bullsh*t, then I¡¯ll be happy to reward you with another te. What do you think about that?¡±


    He threw the crumpled, grease-stained napkin onto the table.


    Sarah was still in shock and had her mouth wide open. Although she already knew what Xiao Luo was capable of, she had not expected this. Here he was, surrounded by FBI and police, yet he still had the audacity to smash a te over the head of the person in charge of the operation. Did he have a death wish?


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    As one would expect, as soon as the FBI agents saw what Xiao Luo had done, they instantly trained their guns on him. Twenty to thirty muzzles were now pointing in his direction, and an air of foreboding filled the restaurant.


    However, Scott was unperturbed. He wiped off the broken porcin pieces and spaghetti from his head with his hand and red at Xiao Luo with furious eyes. ¡°You damn brat! I¡¯ll hand it to you¡ªat least you have guts! But the way I see it, you¡¯re a fool because now, you have sessfully p*ssed me off!¡± he scowled.


    Just as he finished his sentence, Xiao Luo immediately struck like a waiting viper. Holding his steak knife, Xiao Luo got behind Scott in a sh and held it against his neck. Due to the internal force used, even a light touch from the de cut into Scott¡¯s skin as Xiao Luo pressed the edge across his throat. Fresh blood started oozing from the wound.


    Xiao Luo emanated an ominous aura as he kept Scott in front of him as a human shield.


    Now that Xiao Luo turned the tables on them, the FBI agents were suddenly unsure what to do, and they wavered. Sarah Michelle was so frightened that she let out a scream. Everything happened so quickly. Xiao Luo¡¯s movements were as fast as lightning, and no one had the time to react to it.


    ¡°So, what if I made you angry?¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked as he looked at Scott. ¡°Do you think the bullets of your men or the knife in my hand will be faster? Do you want to reconsider what you said and get your men to retreat instead?¡± he taunted.


    Scott didn¡¯t appear angry or surprised. On the contrary, there was a glint of admiration in his eyes.


    He raised his hand and gave his order, ¡°All of you, back off!¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell, what are you dumb sh*ts still doing here? Do you want me to die? Can¡¯t you see that this guy¡¯s speed? His knife will slice through my throat before you can do anything! Damn it, I¡¯m talking to you, Sartre! I know you¡¯ve been eyeing my spot for a long time. If I die, then everything will go ording to your wishes, ain¡¯t I right?¡±


    Scott shouted at the vice-captain, who looked lost and confused. The way Scott spoke caused a stir, and it made Sartre panic. He turned around, shaken, as he retreated along with the rest of his team.


    But the encirclement was still in ce, and the police and FBI agents outside were keeping a close watch on the restaurant. Several snipers had taken the high ground and had their sights locked onto Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Hey, brat, if you do not want to be taken out by the snipers, you better not take the knife away from my neck,¡± Scott said.


    After hearing that, Sarah turned nk. She wondered what the hell was her brother trying to do?


    Scott, as if aware of what she was thinking, exined, ¡°My foolish younger sister, did you know that you almost brought the entire Michelle family down with you? In this sensitive situation, what made you decide to meet him? You even chose that brainless message to set up your meeting. Are you trying to tell the entire world that the Michelle family is in cahoots with this guy?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Sarah Michelle wanted to exin, but quickly realized that her exnation meant nothing now. She suddenly realized the severity of the situation they were in.


    The Michelle family might be influential in the Mei nation, but it was only so because of the support of the federal government. Mie was now the enemy of the federal government, and even the president had given the order for him to be eliminated. Yet she still foolishly maintained her close rtionship with the man. Whether she realized it or not, she had be a burden to her entire family.


    ¡°For my failure to finish the job today, I¡¯ll be the joke of the FBI. But I¡¯ve already shown my determination to eliminate the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han. I¡¯ve fulfilled my responsibility to the federal government on behalf of the Michelle family. No one can point fingers at me.¡±


    Scott looked at Xiao Luo, ¡°Brat, you are quite different from others. You instantly read the look in my eyes earlier on.¡±


    ¡°Did you give me a special look earlier on?¡±


    Xiao Luo said that on purpose and acted dumb. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it at all.¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending to be stupid here. Seeing that you saved my sister¡¯s life, I¡¯ll let you go this time around. But if I ever see you again, seriously, I won¡¯t sit here like a fool and wait for you to put that knife against my neck,¡± Scott said.


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment and nodded his head.


    ¡°Right, so have you thought about how you¡¯re going to escape from the cordon?¡± Scott asked.


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it the moment I arrived here.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, why you didn¡¯t even say so. If you had already thought about it, we didn¡¯t have to waste so much precious time here,¡± Scott scowled.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiao Luo was stumped.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo held on to Scott and Sarah as they took the elevator to the rooftop.


    ¡°Brat, are you nning to parachute down? The idea might be good, except you didn¡¯t even bring a parachute with you. How are you going to jump? Even if you did bring one along, do you think you¡¯re going to escape the helicopter¡¯s pursuit by gliding away at low speed?¡± Scott looked incredulous, and he couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo could havee up with such a dumb idea. Was he trying tomit suicide bying up here to the roof?


    But before they knew it, Scott and Sarah Michelle were shocked. They dropped their jaws as Xiao Luo rushed to the edge and leaped off the parapet. He looked like the Marvel hero, Spiderman, leaping from the rooftops of tall buildings.


    ¡°Oh, my God, this guy can fly!¡± Scott couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. What Xiao Luo did made him question everything he had learned.


    ¡°Is he a superhero?¡±


    Sarah was equally stunned as well. She couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had such an ability. It waspletely beyond thew and physics.

 Chapter 653

    <h2>Chapter 653: A Chance Encounter</h2>


    ¡°Darn it, I¡¯ll never forget the shame of getting a te smashed over my head by that bast*rd! The next time I see him, I¡¯m going to shoot him dead!¡± Scott cursed as he suddenly recalled what had happened earlier, and he was furious.


    ¡°Scott, he¡¯s not someone that the FBI can deal with, so you had better avoid him!¡± Sarah warned.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right there. That guy is like a superhero from Marvel. What he does is beyond scientific understanding.¡±


    Scott smiled bitterly and said, ¡°But I¡¯m sure the gic warriors our military has developed can match him.¡±


    At that moment, his vice-captain, Sutter, came up with an anxious group of FBI agents. Seeing that Xiao Luo had disappeared from the rooftop, he asked, ¡°Captain Scott, where¡¯s the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he there? Can¡¯t you see him?¡± Scott pointed at Xiao Luo, who hadnded on top of a building several thousand meters away.


    Gulp!


    The FBI agents gawked at Xiao Luo leaping across the building rooftops from at a distance and turned pale with shock. It was incredible, and if they hadn¡¯t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn¡¯t have believed such a thing. Granted, it wasn¡¯t flying, but how could a person leap across the rooftops with no external aid?


    ¡°How could we let him escape? How could we f*cking let him escape!¡±


    After regaining his senses, vice-captain Sutter lost control of his emotions. He yelled at Scott, who was well within earshot.


    Scott¡¯s red at Sutter, and with no warning, he stepped forward and kicked him to the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever dare talk to me like that, Sutter! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to? Darn it, I know you¡¯ve been eyeing my post for a long time. Come on, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got, then!¡±


    ¡°I never had such thoughts, Captain.¡±


    Sutter quickly got up from the floor and straightened his body, responding to his captain¡¯s usations respectfully.


    ¡°Son of b*tch, you were just hollering even louder than me, and you expect me to believe you?¡±


    Scott was so furious that he punched and kicked Sutter again. ¡°Tell me the truth now; haven¡¯t you ever thought about it?¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter how Sutter answered, the result would be the same, he would get a good beating.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo was using the peerless Qinggong Without Equal technique. It allowed him to move around a hundred meters in the air and leap across countless building rooftops as if running over a pavement. The wind whistled past his ears as he covered a distance of tens of meters in a single leap, giving onlookers the impression that he was flying with the wind.


    On the rooftop of arge shopping mall, a cleaner was at work. Xiao Luo suddenly descended from the sky and silently stood two to three meters away from her, scaring the cleaner so much that she even dropped the bucket in her hand.


    Xiao Luo coughed dryly and asked, ¡°May I ask you how I can get downstairs?¡±


    Thedy cleaner was so shocked that she could not even speak. When she heard Xiao Luo asking for directions, she could only point to the staircase¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded in thanks and walked toward the direction she pointed.


    Not long after, Xiao Luo walked out from the main entrance of therge shopping mall and quickly blended in with the passing crowd. Just as he took a step toward the road, a yellow convertible screeched to a halt, almost knocking him down.


    Xiao Luo immediately recognized it as the Lykan Hypersport, a world-ss car. Then he looked up at the driver¡¯s and passenger¡¯s seats, and two familiar faces came into view. One of them was a good-looking Caucasian man with a somewhat sinister aura. It was Ian, the man he¡¯d confronted at Washington University, and in the passenger seat was a girl.


    The girl had a head of short hair and was well-dressed. Unlike other girls who put on makeup, she looked natural and fresh, with long, elegant eyebrows, a pair of charming eyes, and a delicate nose. It turned out Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­ Isn¡¯t this your friend, dear? What a coincidence to meet you here again!¡± Ian sneered, chuckling wryly.


    Xiao Luo looked at Huang Ruoran, who looked at him awkwardly in the passenger seat. ¡°Yes, what a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Huang Ruoran lowered her head in shame. Then, she mustered her courage and turned to herpanion. ¡°Ian, I¡¯ve to talk to him alone. I¡¯ll call you when we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Honey.¡±


    As if showing off in front of Xiao Luo, Ian leaned over and nted a kiss on Huang Ruoran¡¯s cheek. He even nced provocatively at Xiao Luo from the corner of his eyes.


    Huang Ruoran didn¡¯t avoid his kiss but looked a little bashful as she got off the car.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    They went to an elegant cafe and ssical music was ying when they stepped in.


    Xiao Luo and Huang Ruoran sat facing each other at a table by the window. Xiao Luo did not touch the ss of water in front of him, while Huang Ruoran was staring into her cup of coffee.


    After a long silence, Huang Ruoran said, ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯m in love.¡±


    ¡°I can feel that,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°But why him?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t it be him?¡±


    Huang Ruoran replied with a question, then added, ¡°He might look like an unruly person, but he seems to care about me.¡± Then she nced ruefully at Xiao Luo and whispered, ¡°Unlike someone¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored herst sentence and calmly looked at what she was wearing. ¡°Chanel¡¯s sling bag, Chanel¡¯s watch, Tiffany¡¯s ne, Ray¡¯s perfume, and this cup of Fruit Leopard Coffee in front of you, whose selling price is per pound,¡± he remarked.


    Huang Ruoran was stunned, as she did not expect that Xiao Luo could recognize all the branded items Ian had given her. And what he insinuated was clear enough, which made her feel like she was being mocked.


    She immediately reacted and said, ¡°I swear to God, I¡¯m not after his money. I only like him because he¡¯s really nice to me!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to exin anything to me. We¡¯re only friends, and I am truly happy that you found someone to love. But as a person with more experience than you, I have to give you some advice¡ªdon¡¯t regard your youth for granted, or it¡¯ll cause you a lifetime of regret. Also, Ian is a man with a hidden side, so I advise you to stay away from him,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave him.¡±


    Huang Ruoran was adamant. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to meet a guy I like, and he likes me too. Xiao Luo, you are supposed to give me your blessings instead of persuading me to break up with him,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you chose him because of me?¡±


    Huang Ruoran was taken aback and resented what Xiao Luo had said. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right! The first time I agreed to go out with him was because of your rejection. I felt depressed, and it was Ian who lifted me from the doldrums. So, I want to thank you, Xiao Luo. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would never have met Ian. He cares for me and dotes on me!¡±

 Chapter 654 - A monster

    <h2>Chapter 654: A monster</h2>


    Xiao Luo moved his lips but said nothing. That Caucasian man, Ian, gave him an ufortable vibe. He had this feeling that there was atent danger lurking within this man, just waiting to strike like a viper. If Huang Ruoran dated someone else, he would not have bothered to stop her, for everyone had the right to date whoever they chose. But he could not read her mind and could never understand her true feelings.


    Maybe he was overthinking, and Ian could turn out to be the man that Huang Ruoran had described. Though he looked like a yboy, he might genuinely have feelings for Huang Ruoran.


    Xiao Luo changed the topic to avoid further conflict and said, ¡°Putting everything else aside, would it not be difficult to maintain this long-distance rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°Why would it be? As long as we are genuinely in love, the distance between us would only make us grow fonder. We are in the Inte era, and I can see him every day,¡± Huang Ruoran retorted as she took a sip of coffee.


    ¡°Alright, you have my best wishes then,¡± he replied.


    Xiao Luo did not have any romantic feelings toward Huang Ruoran, and it was only because they were friends that he feltpelled to look out for her. Xiao Luo did not wish to see her hurt at such a young age. Anyway, he chose not to pry into her affairs. If it turned out that Huang Ruoran and Ian ended up in marriage, then he would be used of ying the role of Fahai, the viinous monk in the Legend of the White Snake.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Huang Ruoran said and nodded with a smile. It wasplicated, knowing that she had suddenly shifted her affection from Xiao Luo to Ian. It all began when Ian saved her by getting her away from that oing car in the nick of time. And it happened on that night when Xiao Luo broke her heart. Ian was a handsome, proud, and romantic man who was extremely caring toward her, and it made her fall in love with him.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo soon put the matter of Ian and Huang Ruoran behind him. It was alreadyte in the night, and he was staying in a vi near the western suburbs.


    The owner of that vi was none other than the leader of the Lame Gang of the Mei nation. Xiao Luo had defeated him convincingly in a fight, and since then, he treated Xiao Luo as if he was a divine being. He was full of respect for Xiao Luo and had been running errands for him.


    Xiao Luo was well aware of what the curse he carried, and whoever became close to him would invariably find themselves in danger. However, he had no qualms about bringing trouble to the Lame Gang. These were gangsters who dealt in drug trafficking, robbery, homicide, ckmailing, and theft. Drawing danger to them would only satisfy him.


    ¡°Sir, do you need a woman for the night?¡±


    The leader of the Lame Gang pped his hands, and a bevy of beautifuldies walked in. There were Asian, Caucasian, African beauties of every description¡ªslims ones, sexy ones,rge ones. The leaderughed and said, ¡°Sir, you may choose anyone that pleases you. You can use these bitches however you like. They will meet your every need and give you fond memories of the Mei nation.¡±


    His underlings nodded repeatedly, like woodpeckers.


    ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    Xiao Luo sat at the office desk and was busy typing on the keyboard. He did not even bother to even look at them. ¡°All of you, f*ck off!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo had tly rejected their offer, and the entire Lame Gang stood in the room feeling rather awkward. They did not dare to oppose Xiao Luo, so they retreated with thedies and closed the door quietly.


    ¡°Boss, we are a bunch of dogs to him. I feel like we have lost our dignity as members of a gang,¡±ined one underling.


    ¡°Shut up. You know nothing!¡± snapped the leader of the Lame Gang.


    ¡°As long as we can keep that master here with us, he¡¯ll guarantee our safety. His presence will help us defeat the other gangs, and the Lame Gang willnd up as the top gang in thend. You blockheads are so shortsighted. None of you can see what I have foreseen. Let me tell you all this¡ªwe have an extremely bright future!¡±


    His underlings all nodded in agreement, as they knew that Xiao Luo could even dodge a bullet. He was a monster, and if the Lame Gang had such a beast in their fold, no other gang could match up to them.


    The leader of the Lame Gang frowned and looked at the shut door. ¡°But this master is so difficult to please. He has ignored all these women and therge amounts of money we have offered to him. He has zero interest in two of men¡¯s greatest desires. It will be difficult to keep him with us.¡±


    ¡°Boss, do you think¡­ Do you think he could be gay?¡± said another underling in spection.


    ¡°Hmm, that is possible. Get yourself douchedter, then dress sexily and go to the master¡¯s room,¡± ordered the leader of the Lame Gang who felt excited with the idea.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What are you questioning? It is for the future of the gang. What¡¯s so hard in making a little sacrifice for the greater good? If you can make him stay, I will make you the second-inmand here,¡± said the leader as he patted the underling¡¯s shoulder.


    That underling felt nothing but despair, and it showed on his face.


    ******


    ******


    The room was well lit. The incessant clicking of the keyboard filled the quiet room.


    Suddenly, a tremendous thumping sound came from outside the window. Xiao Luo sensed a powerful aura nearby, and he turned to look outside. He saw a gigantic tree trunk flying toward him from outside the window! It was so thick that its circumference would have measured the arm spans of two men encircling the tree.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed. He jumped away from his seat in a sh. He thrust his fingers into the advancing tree trunk, piercing it like daggers, and stopped it in its trajectory. But the oing force was immense, and the window and part of the wall had been destroyed. Xiao Luo¡¯s fingers had left five deep marks in the tree trunk.


    ¡°Who is there?¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    ¡°You are good. Hua Nation¡¯s kung-fu is impressive.¡±


    A mocking voice with a Mei nation ent filled the room. Someone had entered the room as the tree trunk created an opening. He was none other than the handsome and dangerous Ian. However, he looked a little unusual at that moment. His eyes had a strange green glow that looked like those of a hungry wolf roving in the dark.


    ¡°How did you know where to find me?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°That is none of your business. I have my means.¡±


    Ian smiled, and then his face darkened. ¡°I am genuinely in love with Huang Ruoran. You have tried to convince her to break up with me. Do you know that she cried after meeting up with you? That hurt me badly, and I am here to warn you. Never see Huang Ruoran again. Do not ever question our rtionship again. If not, I will chase you down and kill you, no matter where you go!¡±


    ¡°I hate being threatened!¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at Ian coldly, and his eyes glowered with a crimson light. The atmosphere in the room changed as the demon had awakened within him.Ian was taken aback by what he saw. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re a monster too!¡± he eximed.

 Chapter 655 - Day to bombard

    <h2>Chapter 655: Day to bombard</h2>


    Did he just say that I was a monster, too?


    Xiao Luo immediately sensed the hidden message behind Ian¡¯s words. And, judging from Ian¡¯s disy of raw power, Xiao Luo already knew his identity. He was likely one of the Gic Warriors that Sarah Michelle had mentioned. That would exin how Ian could locate Xiao Luo so effortlessly. It seemed unusual that Ian was allowed to move freely in public if he was a secret weapon. It appeared to Xiao Luo that Ian did not get permission from the military to seek him out.


    ¡°Sir, Sir¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a knock came from the door and someone was calling Xiao Luo from outside the room.


    But Ian wasn¡¯t done yet; he red at Xiao Luo and snarled, ¡°Remember, stop bothering my woman. If she sheds another drop of tear for you again, I will turn you into a pile of dead meat!¡± After his parting shot, Ian jumped out of the window and faded into the pitch-ck night like a phantom.


    Xiao Luo watched Ian leave but did not go after him. Instead, he turned to the door and shouted, ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door opened slowly and a member of the Lame Gang was smiling coyly as he walked in. He had cleaned himself up and was wearing only his briefs and a tight, transparent white t-shirt, and his nipples were quite visible.


    Before the man could speak, he noticed the broken tree trunk sticking through the window, and it shocked him. When he saw the web-like cracks along the wall, and he shivered and unconsciously tightened his butt-cheeks. The sight of the tree trunk sticking into the badly-damaged window projected a lewd image of an act his leader had sent him to perform.


    ¡°You are?¡± Xiao Luo asked as turned around to stare at the man coldly.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The man nervously swallowed his saliva as he looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. He felt like a sacrificialmb being offered to a hungry wolf. At that moment, he regretted opening his big mouth to suggest that Xiao Luo was gay. Unexpectedly, the leader selected him to prostitute himself for the sake of the gang.


    ¡°Sir, the boss sent me here to give you a good rub,¡± he answered in a slightly shaky voice.


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°In this outfit?¡±


    ¡°Do you like it, Sir?¡± asked the man.


    Bracing himself, this member of the Lame Gang approached Xiao Luo. Since the leader had thrown him to the wolf, he had little choice but to endure it through the night. He had already mentally prepared himself to forego his dignity as a man, so he moved provocatively around Xiao Luo and showed off his body, just like how a prostitute would do.


    Xiao Luo was rather annoyed and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The man thought that he had been acting conspicuous enough, so he was a little confused with Xiao Luo¡¯s response. Could he not see it? Could it be that he had to be even more straightforward with his proposition?


    He coughed ufortably and replied, ¡°Sir, tonight¡­ I can warm your bed, and you can do whatever you want to me.¡± He walked to the bed andid face down with his posterior sticking up in the air. ¡°Come, you can be as rough as you want!¡± he said.


    But in his mind, he was thinking otherwise, and he kept reminding himself that he was doing this for the sake of the gang. Besides, he wouldnd up as the second-inmand andmand thousands of people soon enough. The pain and suffering he would experience was a small price to paypared to the reward he would receive once hepleted the task.


    Gross!


    Xiao Luo was disgusted and frowned deeply. He cringed as he looked at the ridiculous man on his bed and suddenly realized what the man was offering.


    The leader of the Lame Gang and the other members were eavesdropping on the action, and they could hear the man trying his best to peddle his body. The leader grinned with glee and gave him a big thumbs-up. Then he looked at the rest of the gang and said, ¡°Look at him. Look, this is Sadam. He is selling his body for the sake of the gang. He is a genuine hero! He volunteered to sacrifice for the entire gang. All of you better learn from him!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss. We¡¯ll learn to sacrifice like Sadam.¡±


    Every gang member nodded and agreed that Sadam had paid an enormous price for the gang. They could not help but shiver at the thought of being prated, and each of them showed genuine concern for him.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    At that moment, a scream of anguish came from within the room.


    Everyone immediately assumed that it must have been Sadam enduring the pain of being sodomized. However, in the very next minute, a human-shaped object came flying out of the room¨Cit was Sadam, and he was still in his skimpy clothing. Hended hard on the corridor floor, d in his ¡°Hello Kitty¡± printed briefs. No one knew if he was still alive as heid motionless on the floor.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Everyone standing outside the room gasped in astonishment. The Lame Gang members could not understand why it turned out this way. For what reason did Xiao Luo kick Sadam out?


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, a foot stomped on the copsed door and smashed it to smithereens.


    The leader of the Lame Gang and his gang members jumped in shock and cowered in horror when they saw Xiao Luo staring at them with cold, furious eyes.


    ¡°Are you guys tired of living? How dare you find someone to annoy me with such a disgusting proposition?¡±


    Xiao Luo red at them as he spoke and his voice echoed like a warning from hell. Everyone stood frozen as a chill ran down their spines.


    His warning caused everyone to break out in a cold sweat, and they trembled in fear.


    ¡°No, no¡­ No, Sir. We made a big mistake. I just thought that you might be¡­¡± the leader stammered.


    ¡°I might be gay?¡±


    Xiao Luo snapped as hepleted the unfinished sentence.


    The leader of the Lame Gang unconsciously nodded in response, and then hurriedly shook his head repeatedly. He wisely chose not to admit that he had thought Xiao Luo was gay, and risk provoking him further.


    Xiao Luo was furious. Without any warning, he shed his hand and smack the leader¡¯s head.


    ¡°Sir, please spare me! It was a genuine mistake. I won¡¯t do it anymore!¡±


    The leader of the Lame Gang feared for his life and cried out for mercy. He had witnessed Xiao Luo squashing a handgun into a heap of scrap with his bare hands. There was no way he would survive a blow from Xiao Luo.


    WHOOSH!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s palm stopped millimeters before striking his head, but the force of the palm strike was still sufficient to stun the leader.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I am staying here temporarily. You are not to bother me other than serving me daily meals and refreshments. Can¡¯t you understand such simple instructions?¡± Xiao Luo said coldly.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ Understood, understood!¡±


    Nobody in the Lame Gang dared to oppose Xiao Luo as they were all intimidated by his strength.


    ¡°Good! I n to sleep in the room on the top floor. Also, I need you to get me a high-endputer.¡±


    As Xiao Luo turned around and walked upstairs, he continued speaking without turning his head, ¡°I also need a wirelesswork adapter attached to it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The leader of the Lame Gang responded promptly and was relieved that he escaped with his life. He could not stop thanking God after that.


    ******


    ******


    It was the second day, and that was the date that Xiao Luo had indicated when the bomb would go off at the White House.Scott Michelle was the senior FBI investigator assigned to track and capture the Thousand-faced Killer, Xiao Han. The FBI had investigated the online post thoroughly, and they felt the need to raise the threat to level tier-A. The White House was now on full ¡°ss-1¡± alert status. There were countless fully armed police officers, FBI agents, and SEALs deployed to protect the White House. In the security zone within five hundred meters from the perimeter, not even a fly could get in, let alone a man.The White House was the symbol of the Mei nation. To have a bomb go off there would be a great insult to their nation on the world stage, and they would never allow such a thing to happen.

 Chapter 656

    <h2>Chapter 656: Speech</h2>


    As the world¡¯s leading superpower, Mei Nation had always been the center of attention in the internationalmunity. The discussion thread posted by Xiao Luo about the bombing of the White House had already gone viral globally. The media from every country were keeping a close eye and reporting live on this, and the entire world was watching, curious to see what would happen to the White House on this day in Washington.


    Theizens of Mei Nation were equally anxious about what was happening. Someone had uploaded the photos of the White House being on high alert, which made the Inte boil over with social media activity.


    ¡°Oh, sh*t, so someone was indeed nning to blow up the White House. If not, why would the government deploy so many people to be on guard?¡±


    ¡°The White House is on ss-1 alert status, so what¡¯s going on? Are we facing another terrorist attack?¡±


    ¡°D*mn, it must be the remnants of our old adversaries from the two previous wars, and they are here to take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Our government troops will shoot down every single one of these terrorists. There¡¯ll be no mercy!¡±


    ¡°Support the federal government and defeat terrorism!¡±


    Theizens of Mei Nation were pouring their hearts out on social media. Of course, when the threat of a terrorist attack was mentioned again, there was a cloud of panic hovering over the nation like a thick haze, putting the entire nation in fear.


    At this time, President Bama of Mei Nation was giving a live-streamed speech through various mainstream websites and CBS television. He spoke from the building of the Department of Defense, the Pentagon, and he aimed to calm the anxiety of the citizens.


    President Bama stood on the podium confidently and appeared very calm as he addressed the citizens with his loud and confident voice. He assured them they were close to apprehending the ouw who started the terrorist attack thread.


    ¡°Citizens of Mei Nation, do not fear and do not feel anxious. You must have faith in the federal government and your president. We will provide you with a satisfactory response. In the name of our people, I will wipe out every terrorist in this world and let us¡­¡±


    As he was delivering his impassioned speech, his live stream was switched to another channel. A man wearing a Hua Nation mask appeared on the live stream of all the major video websites and CBS television.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    President Bama stared at the Minister of Defense angrily. The minister immediately turned to the head of the FBI, who quickly turned to his subordinate for answers.


    After a quick confirmation, the head of the FBI walked up the stage and whispered to the president, ¡°Mr. President, Mie has hacked into every major tform transmitting our live coverage and redirected all the channels to this transmission.¡±


    ¡°So he is Mie?¡± President Bama asked as he pointed at the man who was wearing a Hua Nation mask.


    ¡°Yes, that should be him, sir.¡±


    The head of the FBI looked nervous, and for fear that President Bama might lose his temper, he quickly added, ¡°Rest assured, Mr. President, I have ordered our IT experts to restore transmission of your speech to all channels and prevent any further disruption. Everything will return to normal soon.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your guys are capable of that?¡± President Bama quipped, visibly annoyed with what happened.


    It was an unmitigated disaster that a hacker could so easily disrupt a live speech by the president of this country, and to rub salt into the wound, his transmission was redirected to a different feed. President Bama could already imagine the leaders of foreign countries talking about this topic over their meals. Just the thought that he might be the butt of a joke that went viral around the world made him even angrier.


    All the senior officials present, including the head of the FBI, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Home Affairs, looked terrified. They quickly instructed their aides to restore the transmission at all costs and locate Mie¡¯s whereabouts.


    The entire Mei Nation was shocked, for nobody could have believed that the terrorist could interrupt the live speech by the president. And to make matters worse, they reced it with the image of a man with a Hua Nation mask.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this dude, the almighty God?¡±


    Sarah Michelle was at home, staring at herptop in absolute shock. Undoubtedly, she knew that it was the work of Xiao Luo.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were at the auditorium of the University of Washington when it happened. They were just as surprised as everybody else, for no one expected that even the live stream of a president¡¯s speech could be interrupted. And to see it reced with the image of a masked Hua national was simply unbelievable.


    ¡°How did an image of a Hua national in a mask suddenly appear? What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°It looks like he¡¯s one of us. I mean, he¡¯s even wearing a Hua Nation mask. Could he be the guy who dered that he would blow up the White House a few days ago?¡±


    They both stared at each other and could see the surprise in the other¡¯s eyes.


    Both Huang Ruoran and Wang Ling were equally stunned. Who would¡¯ve imagined that someone was brave enough to mess around the president of Mei Nation? The entire incident was simply unbelievable.


    Suddenly, the man wearing the Hua Nation mask started talking.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone. I am grateful that I have this opportunity to speak to every citizen of Mei Nation, despite the circumstances. First, let me assure you I am not a terrorist. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xiao Han. All of you do not know me, and many of you would have this question, ¡®who?¡¯ Well, ¡®Hu¡¯ also happens to be my grandmother¡¯s surname, which is also the answer to my credit card security question.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what the¡­?¡±


    The citizens of Mei were intrigued, and some even thought that this man was more humourous than the president.


    ¡°When I was still in elementary school, I had tobor in the paddy field as part of the curriculum. Speaking of which, there was a mining shaft nearby that some people decided to blow up with dynamites. Hence, I learned to move at light speed, which is faster than sonic speed. By the way, when the rocks flew from that st, they were traveling at sonic speed.


    My father was a bad-tempered man. However, he would asionally try to cheer me up with some jokes, but he was terrible at it. When I was seven, he asked me one day, ¡®Hey, son, why is beancurd better than a socialist economy?''¡±


    Xiao Luo paused and said, ¡°I asked him, ¡®Why?¡¯ Well, he said that since he is my father, and he represents the truth, therefore if he said that beancurd was better than a socialist economy, then it had to be better than a socialist economy!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    When they heard that, the anxious citizens started sniggering. Some of themughed hysterically, for beneath Xiao Luo¡¯s drivel was an allegory of how the citizens of Mei Nation were being duped. The listeners quickly caught on to the sarcasm.


    Even the cab members present in the Pentagon wereughing their guts out, but President Bama was fuming, and it showed visibly on his face. The people around him instantly shut their mouths and tried hard to contain theirughter, but they couldn¡¯t stop their shoulders from shaking.


    When President Bama found out that the views for Xiao Luo¡¯s live stream were up fivefold, his face became even more furious. It suggested that his live speech was not as appealing as an ouw¡¯s random talk, which the president found uneptable.


    Xiao Luo continued to challenge and humiliate Oba¡¯s authority on the live stream. ¡°When Mr. Bama, a man of African descent, became president, it gave me hope anyone could be a president. And I dream that someday in the future, my son could also be the president of Mei Nation.¡±


    Then I would make him master twonguages¡ªChinese and English. He might ask me why he would need to master thosenguages. Then I shall tell him, ¡®Once you be the president of Mei Nation, you will need to passws in English, but negotiate with your creditors in Chinese.''¡±

 Chapter 657 - American humor

    <h2>Chapter 657: American humor</h2>


    Use the Chinesenguage tomunicate with their creditor?


    Oh, my God, this guy is a riot!


    The Mei nationals wereughing when they heard that statement. For a moment, they forgot that the man was a criminal threatening to blow up the White House.


    ¡°Talented. He¡¯s way too talented, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai stood up to p for the masked man as they looked at the screen in the auditorium. Huang Ruoran and Wang Ling were sitting beside the guys, equally amused. Those words would not have sounded funny to a kid who did not know that the Hua nation was the Mei nation¡¯s biggest creditor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned all about the Mei nation¡¯s history.¡±


    Xiao Luo continued his speech on the various major broadcasting tforms.


    Everyone was glued to their screens, enjoying the entertaining live broadcast.


    ¡°Someone once asked me, who is Benjamin Franklin? My answer was, he is the reason that the convenience stores get robbed.¡±


    Every Mei national watching the live broadcast burst outughing because every hundred-dor note in the Mei nation had the face of Benjamin Franklin printed on it. Since every convenience store would have hundred-dor notes, that would be the reason these stores would get robbed.


    Xiao Luo continued, ¡°There is one more question. What is the second amendment to the Mei nation constitution? And my answer was, it is also the reason that convenience stores get robbed.¡±


    The Mei Nation audience watching the live stream burst outughing once again. The fact was that the second amendment of the Mei nation¡¯s constitution was to the freedom of its citizens to carry arms.


    It was humorous and engaging¡ªtwo different questions with a simr answer. Many Mei nationalsughed till their faces turned red. That included the cab ministers in the Pentagon. It was hard not tough at such humor about their country.


    ¡°In the Mei nation, people often say that everyone is born equal. Yet equality somehow depended on their parents¡¯ ie. Do we not see that reflected in the early education and healthcare sector? I read in the ¡®Men¡¯s Health¡¯ magazine that President Bama has two days of cardiorespiratory therapy and four days of muscle training each week. When I mentioned that, someone then said that he did not need the training, for he has medical insurance!¡±


    The tone used in thest sentence was that ofcency. That kind of humor made every Mei national burst outughing. He might have meant it as a joke, but there was a hidden meaning behind that joke. The audience realized that the masked man was using humor to criticize current problems in the Mei nation.


    ¡°Since we have already mentioned President Bama, then let us talk more about him.¡±


    Xiao Luo changed the topic, and with a tone of ridicule, he said, ¡°People always say that President Bama is a soft-hearted person, but he started two wars and brought lots of death and anguish to this world. It is terrible that they awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize. And he epted it with no hesitation at all. Could there be anything worse in this world other than this?¡±


    In the Pentagon, President Bama¡¯s face turned dark, and he looked so grim that it could not possibly get any worse. His eyes glowered with fury, and the desire to tear this Hua nation man apart was clear. After they heard what the masked man had said, everyone was silent. The atmosphere felt like the calm before a storm, and there was an awkward chill in the room.


    ¡°Is this guy in a hurry to meet his Maker?¡±


    It stunned Sarah Michelle when she heard what the masked man had said. That guy had the guts to make fun of the president of the Mei nation. He did not just poke fun at him, but he had even condemned the president. What he had done did not differ from pping the president in public.


    Xiao Luo spread his arms out and continued to speak as if resigned to the irony of it. ¡°But, there is something worse than this. The fact is that President Bama used the prize money from the Nobel Peace Prize to support the army to continue funding wars,¡± he said.


    They burst outughing! The entire Mei nation burst outughing!


    That masked man had already won the hearts of many Mei nationals. They all cheered, whistled, and pped.


    ¡°The Mei nation is amazing because it is always the champion of the annual International Baseball Game. Although the only teams taking part are those from the Mei nation and Canada,¡± Xiao Luo said firmly in a calm tone.


    His sarcasm wasn¡¯t lost on his audience, for in the Mei nation, they could freely joke about their president. The Mei nationalsughed loudly once again. Many were already tearing up. They did not expect that the sudden live broadcast had turned out to be that humorous.


    Xiao Luo went on to say, ¡°After seeing at how President Bama had started two wars, I understood the glory of having power. Perhaps I should also be a Mei national and try to run for the presidency as well. The whole world knows that you¡¯ve all wasted the eight years of your lives. And when I do run as a candidate, I expect someone will then ask, ¡®Hey, what would be your campaign slogan?''¡±


    Alright then, what I want to say is that I understand the suffering that the Mei nationals have gone through. So, my campaign slogan will be ¡®Who the hell cares about you.¡¯ What do you all think?¡±


    That vulgar slogan caused all the Mei nationals tough out loud once again.


    ¡°If I get elected, I will legalize gay marriage. That would win me votes from the younger generation. I will also eliminate the unemployment rate in the Mei nation. I will use the productivity methodmonly used by the Mei nationals, which is to have two to three peopleplete a job that one person can easily do. Also, I have a fast and effective measure against the greenhouse effect. I can change the Fahrenheit to Celsius, so a hundred degrees will now be only forty degrees.¡±


    If I get elected, I will use the text message format to send my allies a ¡®Hi¡¯ message as a greeting. But it will be different for my enemies. I will send them a message when they are driving. My message would say, ¡®Oh, my God, are you guys secretly developing nuclear weapons?''¡±


    As soon as he said that, the entire Mei nation broke out in raucousughter. Xiao Luo had subdued them with humor. Everyone knew that the original reason President Bama embarked on the two wars was that he insisted the other party was developing nuclear weapons.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Sarah Michelleughed. She admired the way Xiao Luo had phrased his words.


    ¡°F*ck, this guy is a master of humor. He has sarcastically criticized all the problems that the Mei nation faced. The sarcasm toward President Bama sure packed a powerful punch.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ He is a master!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were fascinated with the masked man on the screen, and they worshipped him.


    Huang Ruoran was extremely quiet because she was paying attention to the sound of that voice, which sounded very familiar to her. She mumbled to herself, ¡°Why does this voice sound so much like Xiao Luo¡¯s voice?¡±


    She might have said that softly. But Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Wang Ling heard her.


    Brother Luo?


    Huh?


    The three of them gasped. No one thought too much about it until Huang Ruoran suggested it. But now that she had mentioned it, the voice did sound like Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Oh, my Lady Gaga, it can¡¯t be Brother Luo!¡±


    Ding Kai had a look of shock written all over his face. Is that masked man Xiao Luo? What was going on? Did he not say that he was in the Mei nation for a holiday? Looking at how things were unfolding, it appeared that Xiao Luo was there to create trouble.


    ¡°What kind of chaos is Hero Luo trying to create? He is way too aggressive. He is even challenging the Mei nation!¡±


    Wang Ling¡¯s body trembled a bit. She had realized how mysterious Hero Luo was and how little they knew him. He was always known to be powerful and gutsy, but now he even dared to challenge the Mei nation. If that kind of news spread across Huaye, no one would believe it. Hero Luo was living in apletely different world from them. And in his world, he was already at the top of the pyramid.Huang Ruoran dropped her jaw,pletely stunned.

 Chapter 658 - Blow up

    <h2>Chapter 658: Blow up</h2>


    President Bama¡¯s face darkened. The masked man had hit home with hisst sarcastic remark. ¡°Developing nuclear weapon¡±¡® was an excuse that he was fond of using to scare other countries for the benefit of the Mei nation. The cab ministers were aware of this, but it was something that the public did not know. Whether by design or otherwise, Mie had informed the public about something true.


    ¡°Are the programming experts in FBI a bunch of useless turds? Why have they not recovered the transmission signal to all the major tforms yet?¡± President Bama turned around and red at the Head of the FBI. He was fuming mad, and his ming eyes showed the extent of rage that was seething inside him.


    A cold sweat broke as the Head of the FBI tried to offer a reply to the President. But he had neither an exnation nor an answer for him. There was another piece of shocking information that he had yet to report to the President. It was apparent that the Hua nation had a team of highly skilled programmers who were just as capable as Mie now existed in the Hua nation. The FBI had tried to hack into the Hua nation gateway on multiple asions, but their experts had blocked every single attempt they made.


    ¡°Time flies when we are having a good time. My dear Mei nationals, I will now let you know why I flew over here and why I want to blow up the White House.¡±


    Xiao Luo showed a set of photos on all the broadcasting channels. The pictures showed the bodies of the failed gic engineering experiments. Some victims had their intestines and stomachs cut up, some of their bodies were ulcerated and filled with pus, and some had their skins peeled off. There were many other horrific images. Every picture was bloody, and all of them revealed the horrendous pain the victims were put through while alive. They looked like they had gone through several levels of punishment in hell.


    ¡°Oh, my God! What happened to all these people?¡±


    ¡°What did they do to them? How did they be like this?¡±


    ¡°Faces distorted, mouths wide open like a struggling ghost. I can see the despair on the faces.¡±


    ¡°They were put through inhumane abuse before they died!¡±


    ¡°Why did this masked man disy all these pictures? Do not tell me it had something to do with our federal government?¡±


    The broadcast of those photos stirred up the Mei nation. The Mei nationals who saw the pictures experienced shock and were outraged. The immediate assumption was that their federal government had something to do with this incident. But if it involved the federal government, then what sort of people were running their country? What other horrifying things had they conducted in secret? The thought was terrifying.


    The cab ministers under President Bama were in a state of panic now. In a country that promoted freedom of speech, the leaked information would expose the people behind the experiments and would make them an enemy of their people.


    ¡°Turn it off!¡±


    The Minister of the Defense shouted. Venting his anger, he kicked the FBI Head¡¯s leg hard. With a murderous look on his face, he screamed, ¡°I do not care what kind of method you use. I want your men to turn it off immediately. This broadcast cannot continue. Hurry it up!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The Head of the FBI quickly went off to carry out the order. As things were already at such a critical stage, they were only left with one drastic solution¡ªthey would have to cut off the electric supply of every major broadcastingwork. However, these broadcasting stations had their backup power supply, and it would take a while to cut them offpletely.


    The live broadcast continued to air.


    Xiao Luo exined, ¡°As you can see, they tortured these people while they were still alive. The abuse went on till they died. They were all Asians captured by the Ri nation military. They locked these victims inside a biochemical base for the live experiments. When the experiments failed, the victims would end up looking like those you see in the pictures. They gathered data from these failed experiments to use them for the next one.¡±


    Every victim had undergone vivisection. The gic engineering base in the Ri nation had the backing of the federal government of the Mei nation. Your federal government provided them with support and the required technology. Professor Adrian, the biochemical professor of Washington University, created the technology to transform an ordinary man into a gic warrior. As far as I know, the gic engineering base in the Ri nation is not the only one involving the Mei nation.¡±


    And they have also researched gene warriors on home ground, and the people they captured for these live experiments were possibly Mei nationals like you. So, I am sure all of you are now clear of the reason why I came to the Mei nation.¡±


    What?


    The entire country was in chaos. The words delivered by the masked man made the Mei nationals doubt their federal government, which had always advocated freedom, fairness, and equality. So how could the Mei nationals allow this kind of government to lead the nation? Fear rapidly spread across the country like the gue.


    At a vi in Washington, Ian sat on a sofa watching the broadcast. A strange look swept across his face. Some memory seemed to have jolted him. He looked like he had remembered something dreadful. A nightmarish image was shing through his mind. Sweat began forming on his forehead. His eyes narrowed, and he unconsciously squeezed the beer can in his hands. The froth from the beer dripped onto the floor.


    ¡°Alright, the moment hase for me to fulfill my promise. The White House is just the beginning. My next target will be the FBI headquarters. To all the Mei nationals, may God be with you!¡±


    Xiao Luo ended the broadcast. Suddenly, the screen switched back to the meeting room at the Pentagon. When the switch happened, the camera was still on President Bama, who was standing at the rostrum. The audience saw a grim-faced president.


    At that moment, a long-range missile rose from the western military base. It flew across the sky about a thousand meters high, like aet, and its trajectory was sending it directly to the White House, Washington DC.


    WHOOSH.


    Hearing the missile and knowing its destructive power made everyone¡¯s hair stand on ends. The Mei nationals in Washington were so scared that they started screaming. Many people working in their offices rushed out to look. They lifted their heads and saw the missile flying across the sky about a thousand meters above them.


    The police officers, FBI agents, and the SEAL teams deployed around the White House grounds lifted their heads and watched the missileing toward them in horror. They had thought of countless ways that an enemy could attack the White House, but they never expected this.


    ¡°God damn it! Hurry and stop it!¡±


    President Bama finally got his senses back and quickly shouted out.


    But it was toote to stop it. The missilended on the White House, just as he finished his sentence.


    BOOM!


    The st reverberated across the city and the White House suffered a great of damage and crumbled. In an instant, debris from that explosion spread all over the vicinity. The police officers and FBI agents around the White House suffered injuries from the falling debris, and many of them were bleeding. There were cries and moans of pain from the injured as theyid writhing on the ground.


    Smoke and dust rose into the air. The White House had turned into a heap of debris, and as the dust slowly settled, arge wooden oval table was burning up in mes in the center of the wreckage.


    Some reporters who reacted quickly were already at the scene. They covered the story live, and their cameras captured footage of the ce as it happened. President Bama was in shock. Then he lost control of his emotions when he saw the footage. He kicked the lectern in front of him, turned around, and left the podium. He recognized that oval-shaped wooden table¡ªit was his office desk.


    Shame, anger, and an unwillingness to ept defeat. These three emotions were tearing through the president.


    ¡°F*CK!¡±


    Not long afterward, they could hear President Bama shouting out in anger in the long corridor. It was a voice filled with heart-wrenching sorrow.


    The Vice-President, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Justice, and the other cab ministers were furiously issuing the same order with grim looks on their faces. The order was to find and kill the Thousand-Faced Killer, Xiao Han, no matter what it took!

 Chapter 659 - An unexpected way

    <h2>Chapter 659: An unexpected way</h2>


    After Xiao Luo blew up the White House, the federal government immediately dispatched arge contingent of army and police troops tob through the entire Washington DC. All of them swore to hunt down Xiao Han, the thousand-faced killer, and execute him most cruelly to vent their anger.


    However, their efforts were to no avail as the target suddenly vanished like a wraith, and there was no trace of him at all!


    The federal government expected the Pentagon to be the next target and duly deployed security forces to guard the building. As a further precaution, they also cut off themunicationwork ports of all military bases across the country. The action was to prevent the hacking of military bases and the unauthorizedunching of their long-range missiles in attacking the Pentagon.


    The SEAL members scoured the entire Pentagon for security breaches thoroughly and installed sensitive detectors to screen for potential bombs. As intense screening was being carried out, security troops were patrolling the perimeter of the Pentagon along with the FBI and police.


    ¡°Mr. President, there¡¯ll be no problem. If Mie wants to blow up the Pentagon, he has to break in physically. And the moment he appears, the Pentagon will be hisst resting ce!¡± A captain in the SEAL team remarked to President Bama.


    The Pentagon was in total lockdown and fully secured. There was no way that Mie could breach their defenses. The SEAL team had full confidence in their abilities and had done everything they could to guard this ce.


    President Bama sat on the sofa with his hands interlocked over his stomach. He was brooding, and his face was somber. He had been this way ever since Xiao Lio blew the White House up. His characteristic smile had long vanished as citizens around the country protested on the streets, calling for his removal and the resignation of the federal government under his leadership. They threw his pictures on the ground and the angry citizens stomped on them, demanding truth and justice.


    He had lost his reputation, and people were stomping on his dignity!


    There were instances where President Bama felt so depressed, he almost vomited blood in anger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your bullsh*t promises. I want him dead! Do you get it?¡± he snapped, clenching his teeth.


    The captain nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    In this temporary office, every cab minister remained silent, not daring to utter a single word. They were visibly concerned that, despitebing the area for over forty-eight hours, they could not find out where Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer, was hiding. The man had miraculously vanished into thin air, and that was a matter of great consternation.


    Still, nobody expected Mie to be sessful this time around. Every military base had decoupled its connectivity with the outside. Regardless of howpetent Mie¡¯s hacking ability was, he could not tap into the military bases¡¯ resources. If he wanted to blow up the Pentagon, he would have toe here with the bomb himself. But the moment he showed up, snipers, heavy tanks, machine guns would wee him. He woulde face-to-face with an assortment of precision weapons and mass-killing machines. And he would undoubtedly die miserably.


    SHRIEEEEK~


    Suddenly, a loud, sharp noise reverberated through the room and startled everyone.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    President Bama asked anxiously, for he could not afford any more idents. If they lost the Pentagon, the entire world would mock him and his federal government for the rest of their lives.


    A man in a suit rushed in, gasping desperately. ¡°Sir, we lost contact with the national space station. We¡¯ve tracked it, and it¡¯s not good news¡ªit¡¯s been kicked off its orbit and is losing altitude fast. It¡¯s toote now. The Earth¡¯s gravity has captured it, and it¡¯s crashing through the stratosphere as we speak,¡± he reported.


    What?


    Everyone in the temporary office was stunned, but President Bama quickly recovered and ran out of the building. He looked up and realized that there was a gleaming object in the sky, and it was crashing down on them like a meteorite, leaving a long trail of smoke behind it. That object was falling straight at them like an unidentified flying object.


    Sending the space station crashing into the Pentagon?


    Everyone was shocked when this idea finally registered in their minds.


    It was beyond anything they imagined, but Xiao Luo had found a way!


    Nobody would have imagined that he would hack into the satellite system and turn the space station into a bomb. It was unreal to have even thought of smashing the Pentagon with the space station¡ªit was insane! Even if one could gather every professional expert in the world, it¡¯d have taken time to predict the trajectory of a falling object from space urately. Therefore, to calcte the path of a functioning space station, and to crash into the Pentagon was virtually impossible. It was as tough as using a pistol to shoot an ant from a few hundred meters away.


    It was even harder than teaching a man to fly.


    How could he havee up with such an idea? What gave him the confidence that he could pull it off?


    This man was aplete psycho. He was unpredictable!


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    They fired a dozen of interceptor missiles to break up the iing space station in its trajectory. They stood a better chance of survival if the falling debris were smaller.


    However, the falling speed of the space station was too fast. The shrieking hypersonic boom was deafening, and none of the interceptor missiles found their mark. It was not unlike a gigantic meteorite crashing down upon the Pentagon. It would obliterate everything around ground zero, like a nuclear st.


    KABOOOOOM!


    The ground shook, and the Pentagon was vaporized in seconds. A raging firestorm surged outward from the point of impact, sending gale-force storms of dust and debris sting for miles.


    When the storm settled, the Pentagon was nothing more than an enormous hole with smoke billowing above the leaping mes.


    He has destroyed the Pentagon?


    The Pentagon is gone¡ªdestroyed by the same guy!


    The cab minister widened their eyes in disbelief as they stared at the image of the enormous hole. They had done everything they could and yet were still defeated by Mie. He had used their space station as a weapon to destroy the Pentagon. There was silence, and everyone was in a stupor as they realized the power of Mie.


    No wonder he could turn the entire Ri nation upside down and get away with it!


    He was an incredible being who could do anything, anywhere he wanted. Their country was in a turbulent storm now, as citizens unleashed their wrath on the federal government and took to the streets in unprecedented protest.


    ¡°Dispatch the gic warriors!¡±


    President Bama looked at the Pentagon, now in ruins, and he looked more serious than ever as he clenched his jaw hard.


    His order shocked the cab ministers as the gic warriors were their trump card. They had long reached a consensus that the gic warriors were to be reserved as ast resort. Exposing their existence would only attract the world¡¯s attention. The research and development of the gic warriors were against the moral ethics of humankind, therefore, the entire Mei nation would face the world¡¯s scorn. It would cause unmitigated political problems as nations would rally to bring down the whole Mei nation.


    With the current domestic unrest, sending out the gic warriors would mean that the federal government wasplicit in the research of the gic warriors. The wrath of citizens would only escte, and when that happened, would the federal government be able to withstand it?


    ¡°Mr. President, I hope you think again. It is not a good time to dispatch the gic warriors.¡± The Defense Secretary tried to persuade him.


    President Bama turned around and grabbed him by his cor. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a terrifying demon now. ¡°Then f*cking tell me, when is a good time? After the entire federal government loses its authority? Heed my order and dispatch the gic warriors! I want that goddamn Hua national to be the gic warriors¡¯ first kill!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The Defense Secretary dared not decline again. Bama was, after all, the president andmander-in-chief.

 Chapter 660 - Flying

    <h2>Chapter 660: Flying</h2>


    ¡°Ian, you have got work to do now. Time to earn your keep!¡±


    The young man said as he stepped into the room. He had just arrived at the very luxurious vi in a luxury car. He looked indifferently at Ian, who was on the phone and was about to repeat himself.


    Ian then looked up and made a sign asking the young man for a moment, and then he smiled as he said on the phone, ¡°Darling, let¡¯s watch a movieter at night. I¡¯ll pick you up at seven at the University of Washington. I¡¯ll see you there. Love you!¡±


    Once he had hung up on her, his smile vanished instantly, like it never was there before. His entire temperament had changedpletely, and he now resembled a ferocious beast thirsting for fresh blood.


    He red at the young man coldly and said, ¡°They want me to get Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The young man replied and nodded. ¡°Do it right now and use your tracking ability to catch him, Mr. president is already¡­¡±


    SWOOSH.


    Ian teleported in front of the young man in a sh and grabbed him by his throat. His fingers sunk into his neck deeply as he pushed him against the wall and said, ¡°What if I said no?¡±


    Despite being in a precarious position, the young man showed no sign of panic. He replied, ¡°Ian, you were on death row. You should consider yourself very lucky that the federal government chose you to take part in the gic warrior program. Wouldn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s because of us you can live a normal life again and even date someone?¡±


    There¡¯s no free lunch in this world, nor is there absolute freedom. It¡¯s all about ¡®give and take.¡¯ Look, every one of us is shackled, in one way or another. Let me remind you that everything you possess now, including your life, had been granted by the federal government. Obey the federal government unless you want to lose everything you have attained so far.¡±


    Ian blinked as he let him go, then punched the sturdy wall just at the side of the young man¡¯s head. But good sense prevailed, and he knew what he had to do. He did not want to lose his second chance in life.


    That wall crumbled as his punch broke through the wall as if it had pierced through soft beancurd.


    Ian heaved a sigh like a beast, brimming with dangerous killing intent. ¡°If I wanted, the federal government could disappear from this world soon!¡± he scowled.


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t do that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    The young man became even calmer and at ease, for this was not the first time he had encountered such a situation. ¡°Without the special drug provided by the federal government, your body will fester within half a month. You would be food for maggots, and even before you die, your body will be filled with them. You would probably be still very conscious then, and you would only die after they suck your brains dry. It is probably one of the worst and disgusting ways to die.¡±


    His words seemed to have hit a soft spot, and it made Ian sweat profusely. The young man was skillful in manipting a person¡¯s mind, and he quickly convinced Ian.


    The young man patted Ian¡¯s shoulder andforted him. ¡°Ian, don¡¯t be stubborn. Every one of us lives like a dog. I am no different, and sometimes I have to aplish whatever tasks my master gives me. I¡¯ve to carry them out at all costs, as if my life depended on them. If I don¡¯t do my job, I¡¯m a dead man. Think about it, and you¡¯ll realize that you are far luckier than most people.¡±


    As long as you obey the federal government¡¯s order, you get to enjoy an endless amount of wealth. And you can seek love, too. I know you love that Chinese girl, and you want to be with her forever. Since you love her and want to be with her, then fight for it. There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch. Fight like your life depends on it, and that¡¯s the only way to get what you want.¡±


    Ian remained quiet as his conflicting emotion cleared. He had to protect his precious rtionship with Huang Ruoran.


    ******


    ******


    After Xiao Luo destroyed the Pentagon, the headquarter of the Department of Defense shifted to a secret underground bunker in Washington.


    President Bama and the cab ministers gathered there. There were many high-tech instruments and four eighty-two inches monitors mounted on the walls. The militarymand-and-control system was also located there, and a few young military officers were busy working.


    ¡°Mr. President, the gic warrior has been dispatched, and he is now at the Mojave Desert,¡± a technician reported the status to President Bama.


    ¡°What is he doing there? Is Mie presently at the Mojave Desert?¡± President Bama asked.


    The technician nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, it seems so.¡±


    What was Mie doing in the Mojave Desert?


    None of them knew the reason, but they had faith in the gic warrior¡¯s ability to track people down. As long as it had registered the scent of its target before, the gic warrior could locate his mark in any corner of the world. It was in their genes that they could track down their targets like hunting dogs.


    ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s going to the invisible jet research base at the Mojave Desert?¡± a cab minister suddenly eximed.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Everyone drew in a quick breath. The Mojave Desert Invisible Jet Research Base had been built through the allocation of an immense fund. Thetest fighter jet, the Phantom 5, was now undergoing its most crucial stage of development. If Xiao Luo disrupted its testing in any way at this stage, then the enormous funding they had invested earlier would all go down the drain.


    ¡°Found him! I found that Mie!¡± a technician called out.


    President Bama, the ministers, and senior ranking officers looked over. On therge wall-mounted monitors, they saw a ck dot moving across the screen. When the technician zoomed in, they began to make out the form of a person running.


    That technician turned to the president to exin. ¡°I scanned the map with a satellite and triangted his position based on hisst known location and direction of travel,¡± he said, as he continued zooming in, ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable! He is running at a speed of a hundred and fifty kilometers per hour!¡±


    What?


    Everyone widened their eyes in shock, unable to process what they just heard. How could an ordinary human being run at that speed?


    ¡°Are you sure that he¡¯s on foot and not using any means of transport?¡± the defense minister asked.


    ¡°The satellite image shows he¡¯s running, and the distance of each step is about fifty to eighty meters,¡± the technician replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is he a gic warrior created by the Hua nation?¡±


    The defense minister took a deep breath and turned to president Bama, ¡°Our gic warrior is hardly at par with Mie.¡±


    President Bama did not respond to him, and his drawn face turned dark again. He was anxious that the Mei nation was not the only country that possessed such a formidable weapon.


    After the technician analyzed the photo captured by the satellite and other corresponding data, he looked shocked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s running, but it¡¯s more like¡­ He¡¯s flying, Sir!¡±


    Flying?


    My God, what kind of joke are you cracking, boy? How could a man fly without the help of a machine?


    How could that be possible!


    Everyone was even more shocked this time, and the flustered defense minister yelled, ¡°What the f*ck are you saying? Flying? You mean he¡¯s a Superman now?¡±


    ¡°Sir, these are the pictures snapped by our scouts at the Mojave Desert.¡±


    The technician projected the images onto the giant screen. They were all shot taken in the desert and showed a stretch of sand-colored undting terrain. ¡°The desert here is where Mie passed earlier, but he did not leave any traces on the sand. How could a person run in a desert, leaving no traces of footprints? Unless he¡¯s flying, of course.¡±


    When he finished speaking, everyone was in a stupor.


    Flying? What the hell was going on? How did that guy do it?

 Chapter 661 - The fight

    <h2>Chapter 661: The fight</h2>


    Everyone watching the giant screens in themand center was stunned by Xiao Luo¡¯s superhuman ability. Xiao Luo used his unique technique, Qinggong without Equal, to travel across the Mojave Desert ins, flying across it like a divine being. Though, he was not flying. He bounded in great leaps over tens of meters but left no footprints on the sand.


    The wind screamed past his ears as he zed through the ins at an extreme speed!


    Although using the Qinggong technique took a toll on his inner power, Xiao Luo still enjoyed the exhration of riding the wind and soaring in the air. The federal government agencies had predicted correctly. The target was undoubtedly the Invisible Jet Research Base, which had been built in secrecy here in the Mojave Desert. It was a project funded by the Mei nation with enormous capital expenditure, and it took three long years to establish the site. But what was more concerning was that the development of the invisible jet had reached its most crucial stage at present.


    Xiao Luo hade to the Mei nation to seek revenge. Therefore, he would naturally not miss such a perfect opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Mei nation. Once Xiao Luo destroyed this secret research base, it was mission aplished, and it would be time to return to his own country. As he thought of Su Li waiting for him in Xia Hai, his feelings toward his role as her husband became stronger.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, stop right there!¡±


    Suddenly, a harsh voice boomed across the desert like a thunderous roar.


    Xiao Luonded lightly on the desert sand and stood firm as he came to a halt. When he turned around, he saw a sandstorm approaching him swiftly. There was a human-like silhouette before the sandstorm, running at full speed, and it was traveling fast. It was almost approaching the speed of Xiao Luo¡¯s unique Qinggong, and Xiao Luo realized the frenzied pace of this unknown figure created the sandstorm.


    The unknown figure rapidly closed the gap of a few hundred meters within a few seconds!


    In the raging sandstorm, Xiao Luo finally recognized this person¡¯s identity. He had shimmering skin that was metallic grey, and his muscles, particrly on the lower body, wererge and well-defined, looking like two steel boards. His nails reflected with a cold light under the sun like ten machetes.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s you!¡±


    Although his appearance had transformed and he was no longer handsome, Xiao Luo could still recognize him at a nce. He now looked like a horrible ghost, and it was not surprising to Xiao Luo that he was none other than Ian. He had long guessed that Ian was the gic warrior of the Mei nation.


    Ian had entered the warrior mode, and the level of his body strength peaked. His eyes were now green, and the skin around his eyes creased like a reptile¡¯s. His veins were popping and throbbing as if they would burst anytime.


    ¡°No wonder I did not have a good feeling about you ever since we first met. We are enemies, after all,¡± Ian dered.


    ¡°Are we enemies?¡±


    Xiao Luo joked and added, ¡°I have no beef with you, Ian.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the gic warrior of the Hua nation, and I¡¯m the gic warrior of the Mei nation. Although we have no personal disputes, we¡¯re still enemy by default,¡± Ian answered.


    ¡°Who said I was a gic warrior?¡± Xiao Luo replied, somewhat amused.


    Ian frowned at Xiao Luo¡¯s response. ¡°Aren¡¯t you one? Only a gic warrior can exceed a human¡¯s physical limits. There¡¯s no other possibility.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the kung fu from the Hua nation?¡± Xiao Luo said, smiling mirthlessly.


    ¡°Nonsense. The kung fu of Hua nation is nothing but a fancy performance. We can only use it for shows and entertainment activities. It¡¯s wishful thinking to believe you can exceed a human¡¯s limit with kung fu,¡± Ian scowled.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and said, ¡°I am sorry, but what I use is real kung fu!¡±


    As Xiao Luo finished speaking, he thrust his palm toward Ian and sent out a force that kicked up a sandstorm. The earth shook as the energy surged from his palm with tsunami-like force and produced a thunderous roar like a raging dragon.


    The storm threw sand and rock up high into the sky like snow in a blizzard. Xiao Luo¡¯s inner forcepressed and crushed the swirling particles, turning them to dust that hung in the air before slowly drifting down like rain in slow motion.


    It was the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, using seventy percent of its power!


    Ian stood motionless like a mountain in the tornado of inner power. He resembled a gray deity that did not move an inch, unaffected by the force that smashed into him. He made the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms appear like a weak gust of wind blowing past him.


    ¡°Kung fu?¡±


    Ian smiled mirthlessly and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a scratch to me. After I kill you, I will fulfill the promise I made earlier on. I will go to the Hua nation and murder every so-called kung fu master there, just like how I¡¯d kill livestock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re incapable of doing that. I¡¯m saying this only once, get the hell out of here, and I will let you go. I can tell that Huang Ruoran genuinely likes you, and it would please me to see you guys make it to the wedding altar. You¡¯re no match for me,¡± Xiao Luo said to dissuade him from taking further action.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ian startedughing as if he had just heard a hrious joke, and there was nothing but disdain in his smile. ¡°With this body, I can withstand a tank¡¯s bombard without getting harmed. Do you think I am no match for you? Is every Hua national as arrogant as you are?¡±


    ¡°Ian, you¡¯re a gic warrior¡ªone who had kept his memory as a human. Don¡¯t you hate the federal government for using you as ab rat for their human subject in such ungodly experiments?¡± Xiao Luo reasoned.


    His words somehow reached the softer side of Ian, for his experience inside theb was a terrifying living nightmare. He endured the worst and the most horrifying procedures, and it felt like being tortured in hell. It would be aplete lie if he said that he did not hate the federal government. He had wanted to wipe out the entire government at least a thousand times, and even that was not enough to exin the hatred he harbored toward the federal government.


    However, he needed them to stay alive, and besides, he had now met the love of his life. He wanted to be with her forever. So, he had to continue serving them as their loyal dog.


    He smiled coldly and replied, ¡°That¡¯s none of your business. All you need to know is that you will die today!¡±


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    He let out a thunderous bellow and charged toward Xiao Luo like a beast. Although he was arge man, his speed was lightning fast and his attack was extremely threatening. Ian intended to kill Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo squinted, realizing that he might have underestimated Ian¡¯s strength. He did not expect Ian to have such strong, explosive power.


    Before Xiao Luo could even react, Ian was already smashing into his stomach like an armored vehicle. It was a solid tackle that would have destroyed anything in its way.


    BLAM!


    Xiao Luo doubled over from the ferocious blow and was thrown back, sailing in the air for quite a distance.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ian did not stop after the blow. Heughed maniacally and continued to charge into Xiao Luo. He predicted Xiao Luo¡¯s trajectory and leaped into the air to a height of six-meter-high air, intending to strike down like thunder.


    Bounding through the air in a striking posture, Ian appeared like a mountain crashing down with devastating force.


    Swerving his body like a nimble monkey, Xiao Luo quickly forced his body to turn in midair andnded on the ground sooner than Ian expected.


    BOOM!


    Ian crashed into the desert in a deafening explosion, and the impact sent a tremor across the entire ground. The st threw sand and rock up into the air as if a bomb had been detonated in the area. The force sent waves of energy outward and sent the sandstorm blowing across the desert.

 Chapter 662 - Fighting to death

    <h2>Chapter 662: Fighting to death</h2>


    Ian was raging like a feral beast, and he struck with explosive force.


    Ian¡¯s powerful strike created a bubble of invisible pressure that expanded outward across the desert and shocked the Mei nation army that had been deployed nearby. The troops broke out in a cold sweat, for this was the first time they had seen their country¡¯s gic warrior in action. The battle overwhelmed their senses, and they could notprehend the extent of his supreme power. He could leap into the air six-meter high with no effort and beyond thews of gravity.


    President Bama and the rest of the cab ministers were deeply shocked as they watched the video feed of the battle. But soon, they felt ted, and their sense of superiority quickly returned.


    ¡°Dear God, thank you for your help in developing our gics warrior. This first encounter has been a revtion!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer, was already in a position of weakness, to begin with, and our gic warrior will surely tear him apart.¡±


    ¡°If we transform every soldier into a gic warrior, then for the Mei nation to rule the world, it would be as easy as breathing.¡±


    ¡°Tear him up, tear that motherf*cker up!¡±


    ¡°The Mojave Desert will be the Thousand-faced Killer¡¯s final resting ce. He won¡¯t be able to make it out alive.¡±


    The cab ministers stared at the video feed on the giant screen and remarked excitedly with their fists clenched tightly.


    President Bama finally broke into a satisfied smile after a long, anxious wait. His teeth gleamed and looked extra white and shiny in contrast to his skin tone. He could not wait to see Xiao Luo killed in the battle. He had be a big joke around the world after the bombing of both the White House and the Pentagon. Understandably, the hatred he had for Xiao Luo was indescribable, and since then, the thought of skinning him alive was foremost on his mind.


    *******


    *******


    The sandstorm subsided gradually on the Mojave Desert, and when the dust settled, Xiao Luo could see an enormous hole in the ground. Covered in his grey, metallic skin, Ian climbed out of the crater slowly as Xiao Luo stood calmly about thirty meters away.


    ¡°Are you now afraid? Can you see the difference in strength between us?¡±


    Ian looked at him with a face full of mockery, ¡°For Ruoran¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll be nice for once. Kill yourself, and I will not torture you. If you force me to take your life, then you will experience pain far worse than you can imagine.¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled. ¡°Why so eager?¡± he said.


    ¡°Fine, then! Do not me me for being merciless!¡±


    Ian clenched his teeth, and his muscle rippled as he prepared to attack. He dashed forward again with an explosive force, and the movements of his body produced a nging, metallic ring. Ian was raging in a fury, charging in like a murderous beast, and he had only one aim¡ªkill Xiao Luo!


    Xiao Luo was unperturbed and calmly activated his inner power. Without warning, he dashed out swiftly to meet his foe like a rocket. Xiao Luo swung his clenched fist fiercely, and his searing speed caused a sonic boom as he homed in to hit Ian with devastating force.


    To his horror, Ian ducked under his punch, and the blow only grazed Ian¡¯s face. As Ian evaded Xiao Luo¡¯s attack, he threw his right fist andnded a heavy blow on Xiao Luo¡¯s body.


    KAPOW!


    Ian had put in every ounce of strength he had, and the fist hit Xiao Luo like an iron hammer swinging down at full force. Xiao Luo was thrown back by the tremendous blow, and blood spurted out of his mouth. His body sailed in the air, and when hended, he took a dozen steps before he could regain his bnce, leaving a trail of deep footprints on the ground.


    Xiao Luo felt an excruciating pain right through his body, and he leaned over uncontrobly. He looked up at Ian in shock. He had underestimated his adversary, forpared to the gic warriors he faced in the Ri nation, Ian was far better than them. His fighting capability was probably twice as strong as the mutated monster Xie Wenchang had be.


    ¡°Nice, very nice! Bravo to the gic warrior!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, kill him right now!¡±


    ¡°Bravo, we¡¯ve finally got our revenge!¡±


    The cab ministers cheered raucously, ted by what they had seen on the screen at the underground base. President Bama even ordered someone to bring him a sofa, and he then sat there sipping his coffee infort. He intended to enjoy every second of this battle unfold.


    ******


    ******


    Yi Jinjing immediately kicked in, and Xiao Luo¡¯s internal injuries began to heal quickly.


    Xiao Luo tried to ignore the pain and pulled himself up. ¡°Ian, I promise you, that¡¯ll be thest time you can touch me!¡± he mocked.


    Blood drenched along both rows of his teeth, and Xiao Luo felt the rage rising within his body. It was like Ian had inadvertently awakened the God of War, and Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting mettle heightened. A murderous aura emanated from him, and his rage manifested into a ravaging tornado that suddenly swirled and spread outward rapidly.


    ¡°You arrogant fool! Now you will die because of your useless pride!¡±


    Ian roared as he approached Xiao Luo aggressively and attacked with his sharp ws. He shed fiercely at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with an intent to kill.


    Xiao Luo evaded the attack with his nimble footwork, and in one seamless move, he raised his right leg andshed out a powerful kick into Ian¡¯s torso. Their battle was lightning fast, with both parties attacking and counterattacking in mere seconds. It required keen eye-hand coordination and quick thinking.


    POW!


    This time, Ian took the blow. When Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg smashed into his torso like a massive iron rod, he felt his inner organs churn and tremble. Ian experienced unimaginable pain and flew back uncontrobly in the air like a broken kite.


    He crashed to the ground, and as hey staring up into the blue sky, his eyes widened in horror. He could even withstand the st of a bomb, yet he couldn¡¯t take the force of Xiao Luo¡¯s kick. Could it be that his kick was more deadly than a bomb?


    There was no time for him to ponder as a silhouette suddenly appeared in his vision. Xiao Luo had leaped into the air some ten meters above the ground and was homing in on where Ianid. As Xiao Luo approached, he looked as ominous as a falling mountain that was about to destroy anything that stood in its path.


    Ian rolled to his side and got on all fours, then quicklyunched himself out of the path of Xiao Luo¡¯s attack instinctively. Ian knew he could not take any more hits from Xiao Luo.


    BOOM!


    There was a resounding bang as Xiao Luo crashed hard into the ground. The force of the impact sent out a raging wave that carried sand and rocks flying in all directions, and the debris settled at the fringe of the st zone, formingyers of sand walls.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Ian swallowed his saliva, and there was a look of fear in his eyes. Ian knew he was as powerful as a beast, but he had not expected Xiao Luo to be even stronger than him.


    SWOOSH~


    Xiao Luo appeared out of the raging sandstorm and charged toward him.


    Xiao Luo clenched his fists as he punched relentlessly, sending out bolts of inner force apanied by thunderous explosions. Xiao Luo¡¯s legs were moving at a tremendous speed as he approached Ian, and he appeared like a hurricane that was about to blow Ian away.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Ian continued to back off as he blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s attacks with his hands. He kept parrying and evading the attack, but soon he detected the smell of blood in the air, and upon closer attention, he realized his wounds were burning like it was on fire. Xiao Luo¡¯s sharp nails had ripped his skin to shreds.


    How could it be possible!


    Wasn¡¯t this body supposed to be invincible?


    It terrified Ian, and he could not believe that his steel-like body could sustain injuries.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before that you¡¯re no match for me!¡± Xiao Luo said as he closed the gap between them. Once more, his ghostly w ripped into Ian and sliced off his flesh.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s attack had put Ian on the back foot. Desperate, he let out a roar and wed at Xiao Luo, aiming for his chest at the risk of exposing himself to a counter strike.


    SLASH!


    Five deepcerations appeared on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, tearing flesh and soaking his clothes in blood. Xiao Luo pulled out of his attack abruptly and kept a distance of eight meters from Ian.

 Chapter 663 - Curtain call

    <h2>Chapter 663: Curtain call</h2>


    ¡°Uhh¡­?¡±


    It stunned every cab minister at the underground base when they saw Xiao Luo¡¯s explosive power. They were confident that the gic warrior had the power necessary to crush Xiao Luo. But after they watched Xiao Luo¡¯sbat ability, their opinion quickly changed. They now doubted that the gic warrior could beat Xiao Luo.


    President Bama¡¯s face changed, and his smile vanished once again. He finally understood why Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer, could stir up so much trouble in the Ri nation and yet get away unscathed. With Xiao Luo¡¯s superhuman abilities, President Bama was not sure that the Mei nation had the power to subdue him.


    Back at the Mojave Desert, Ian raised his hand to show Xiao Luo the flesh sticking on his ws. ¡°So, what do you think? Can you bear the pain? Haha, haha¡­¡± Ian said andughed hysterically.


    ¡°Not too bad!¡± replied Xiao Luo.


    He smiled as the fivecerations on his chest were visibly recovering at a rapid rate. It only took moments to recoverpletely, and soon there was not a single scar on his chest.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this ability you have?¡± Ian was shocked as he stared at Xiao Luo in disbelief.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know!¡±


    Without warning, Xiao Luo locked on and pounced at Ian like lightning. He seized the opportunity to attack while Ian was momentarily distracted by his recovery.


    ¡°HARGGH!¡±


    Ian snapped back to his senses quickly and roared as he prepared to retaliate.


    It all happened within a blink of an eye. Both men collided head-on and used every skill they possessed to battle each other. They were throwing brutal punches, wing and kicking with precision, and moving at lightning speed. They were like two tornadoes crashing against one another, creating a gigantic sandstorm that lifted tons of sand into the air.


    Xiao Luo and Ian unleashed their power simultaneously, and both stood their ground like two vicious beasts. They struck relentlessly at each other in a non-stop series of strikes and counter-strikes. Their blows sounded like explosions where they struck, and they roared as they expelled their inner forces to enhance their strikes. Their crashing bodies created loud nging noises. There was a massive concert of battle cries and noises as they fought on.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh, are they fighting creatures or human beings?¡±


    The Mei nation army thatid in ambush from a kilometer away was observing the fight. The battle between Xiao Luo and Ian was incredibly intense. It was so unreal that it defiedmon sense. They had seen nothing like this in their lives. It was overwhelmingly shocking to see a sandstorm form because of the brute force of these two men. The soldiers could feel the force of the battle despite being far away from it and it scared the heck out of them.


    The cab ministers in the underground base could no longer follow the battle between Xiao Luo and Ian as the sandstorm had obscured their view. They looked at the photos taken by the satellite instead. The images appeared to show blossoming flowers of sand across the Mojave Desert, and they knew it was the result of Xiao Luo and Ian moving around as they fought.


    ******


    ******


    Their attacks were like thunder and lightning in a storm¡ªdense and powerful!


    Their shes were like a running tsunami¡ªsurging and unstoppable!


    The battle between Ian and Xiao Luo overturned every inch of the Mojave Desert.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Ian went berserk, and his roar reverberated across the ground. Ian did not hold any grudges against Xiao Luo. He was fighting for Huang Ruoran, and he wanted to be with her forever. To achieve that goal, he tenaciously got up each time Xiao Luo knocked him down.


    Ian was determined not to lose, and in his desperation, he kept fighting back like a madman!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s Nether w had given Ian¡¯s body countless wounds despite the strength of his sturdy body. But Ian only intensified his attacks, as if the wounds he sustained were increasing his strength.


    BOOM!


    Finally, their fists met in the most violent of blows. An enormous force resulted in a massive explosion which forced them both to stagger back for at least a dozen of steps.


    Bothbatants finally paused momentarily.


    Covered in blood, Ian felt excruciating pain. Thatst hit had broken the bone of his right arm in several ces, and it felt like millions of steel needles had pierced him. He had lost the ability to control his arm and he was losing consciousness.


    Xiao Luo also suffered an injury. His right finger was fractured, and blood was oozing out from the wound, soaking his right hand in blood.


    ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re good!¡±


    Xiao Luo praised Ian as he spent ten thousand points on the system to heal his hand. It only took a moment for the hand toplete healing.


    ¡°My goal is to kill you¡­¡±


    Ian bellowed and charged toward Xiao Luo again. However, he was weakening from injury and his speed had notably decreased.


    Xiao Luo jumped aside, then teleported behind Ian like a specter. His right palm went straight for Ian¡¯s lower back and struck him hard with the Eighteen Dragons Subduing Palms strike.


    CRACK!


    His palm strike struck Ian¡¯s lumbar and dislocated his bones.


    Ian screamed in pain as if lightning had struck him. His pupils dted as he lost his bnce and fell to the ground, throwing up blood.


    ¡°It is good to have a goal, but unfortunately, reality can be cruel!¡±


    Xiao Luo walked up to him and looked down.


    Ian was in a desperate state. He looked like a ferocious demon. He red at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°I will kill you¡­ I will kill you¡­¡±


    He struggled to get up and tried to attack Xiao Luo once again with his ws.


    Xiao Luo had a vicious look on his face as he kicked Ian¡¯s abdomen. The kicknded with a loud thud and Ian was sted away like a cannonball. Hended hard on the ground a dozen meters away. Ian¡¯s physical condition forced the gic warrior mode to deactivate. He turned back to his human form. His fair face was bloodied, but he was still very handsome and good looking.


    Ian had lost the fight! The gic warrior had lost!


    When everyone in the underground base saw that Ian had turned back into his human form, their eyes bulged in disbelief as they stared at the screen. The gic warrior was the most powerful secret weapon that the Mei nation had ever created, second only to a nuclear bomb. How could the gic warrior lose? What kind of being was this Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer? How could he defeat the invincible gic warrior?


    A horror engulfed everyone there at that moment. It was an inexplicable feeling, and everyone suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.


    President Bama blinked his eyes when he saw Xiao Luo defeat the gic warrior. His emotion turned from anger to fear, and his hand holding the cup of coffee started shaking uncontrobly.


    At the hot and dry Mojave Desert, Xiao Luo walked to Ian and said, ¡°Ian, you¡¯ve lost!¡±


    Lost!


    He had lost!


    Ian widened his eyes as he could not believe that he had lost. If he could not kill Xiao Luo, then the future for him and Ruoran would vanish like a bursting bubble. No, that cannot be¡­ No!


    With that thought in mind, he tried his best to get up from the ground. He clenched his fist and then tried to attack Xiao Luo once again.


    However, in his current state, he could not even overpower an ordinary man. He struck Xiao Luo but went flying backward when Xiao Luo activated his inner power to defend himself. Hended on the ground a meter away. Blood was oozing out of his mouth and nose.


    After a brief pause, he got up again and charged at Xiao Luo with no hesitation.


    ¡°Are you done or not!¡± shouted Xiao Luo.


    He frowned as he unleashed his inner power. Ian could not even touch Xiao Luo before he was sent flying again.


    The impact of thatst blow put Ian in critical condition. He suffered severe internal injuries. He was turning much paler as he vomited more blood.


    Xiao Luo did not want to bother with him anymore, so he turned around and walked toward the invisible jet research base.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±Ianid t on the hot sand and called out with every ounce of strength he had.

 Chapter 664 - Body protection

    <h2>Chapter 664: Body protection</h2>


    Xiao Luo stopped and turned around to look. Ian¡¯s body was in terrible shape and almost unrecognizable. He looked like he had been grilled alive over a bonfire, and pustules covered the skin of his entire body. He looked pale and his face was devoid of his handsome features. It was ulcerating and filled with pus.


    WHIFF~


    Xiao Luo detected an awful waft in the air. His nose picked up the reek of an unbearable, putrid stench, like a dead and rotting fish.


    He furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    Xiao Luo had no intention of killing Ian. He had only wanted to take away Ian¡¯s ability to fight. As long as the Mei nation¡¯s military provided gic warriors, like Ian, timely treatment, he should recover quickly. But why did he suddenly deteriorate into such a state? He had been fine earlier on, but now, it looked like his entire body was rotting.


    ¡°I underwent the perfect gic transformation, and this is the price I have to pay for the strength I gained!¡±


    Ianughed bitterly. He had already lost and was merely trying to prolong his life. Ian had forced himself to continue fighting Xiao Luo, even though he knew he would not live through the fight. The metabolism rate of the cells in his body had sped up by a hundred times. His cells were deteriorating rapidly, causing his entire body to disintegrate.


    While he talked, the putrid-smelling blood kept dripping out of his mouth and nose.


    Xiao Luo felt no need to apologize as he quietly stared at Ian, who was slowly losing his life. That man was dying a painful death, like one of those failed experiments. Xiao Luo did not feel any joy in defeating him. He only felt anger, and the image of Xie Wenchang and his dead family once again shed through his mind. It was inhumane that the Mei nation was conducting such gic experiments on their kind.


    WHOP! WHOP! WHOP!


    Both men could hear the distinctive choppy sound of a helicopter rotoring from afar, apanied by the rumbling of military vehicles speeding toward them.


    ¡°Do you have anything you want me to tell Huang Ruoran?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Ian¡¯s eyes lit up with happiness and excitement when he heard her name. Tears began rolling down uncontrobly. He had wanted to attend the appointment he had made with her. He had wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But he had failed even when he had fought with his life and with every skill he possessed.


    ¡°We had ns to meet at the front gate of Washington University at 7 pm tonight. I was going to bring her to the movies.¡±


    Ian cried in despair and said, ¡°Tell her this. Tell her I was only fooling around with her, and that I have dumped her.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she will believe that?¡± Xiao Luo said kindly.


    ¡°She won¡¯t believe it, but I have a way to make her believe it. There is an intimate picture of my younger sister and me in my bedroom. Take it and show it to her. She will believe it. Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± Ian coughed out a few mouthfuls of blood. His lifeline was slowly dissipating away. After saying that, his lips curled up in a dreary smile, his teeth covered with blood.


    Xiao Luo said nothing and looked at him with no expression on his face.


    ¡°Stop looking. Send me off. Right now. I¡­ I¡¯m better off dead than alive,¡± Ian said.


    Xiao Luo fulfilled his wish. Using his internal force of energy, he struck Ian¡¯s chest with his leg.


    BAM!


    An invisible ripple spread across the desert in, ending Ian¡¯s life at once.


    ¡°Thank¡­ thank you¡­¡±


    Ian expressed his gratitude as Xiao Luo raised his leg to strike. He died the moment Xiao Luo struck him and his head lolled to one side as heid still.


    The force from Xiao Luo¡¯s strike loosened the soil below and triggered liquefaction of the ground beneath them. An area ten meters in diameter around Ian started to copse and sand flowed into the chasm like liquid. Xiao Luo leaped away using his Lightness Force skill andnded lightly outside the quicksand range. Ian slowly sank into the quicksand, and there heid buried beneath the sand of the Mojave Desert.


    ¡°Reporting to headquarters. We have locked onto the target. Awaiting orders to open fire, I repeat, shall we open fire?¡±


    At the underground base in Washington, a nervous voice called in to report.


    The Defense Minister looked at President Bama to seek approval for further action. At that moment, there was a troop in the Mojave Desert with battle tanks, abat helicopter, heavy machine guns, and an assortment of weapons. They were well-equipped with superior firepower.


    ¡°He might have defeated the gene warriors, but I am sure he got injured as well. If we do not take this opportunity to get rid of him now, then are we to wait till he recovers before we make our move?¡±


    President Bama regained hisposure and ordered, ¡°Give him everything you got. Destroy that monster!¡±


    The Minister of Defense nodded his head. Then, he conveyed President Bama¡¯s message to the soldiers in the Mojave Desert. ¡°Listen up! This is the chance for you to earn yourselves a medal. The President has given the order¡ªfinish him, no matter what it takes!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Responding to the order, a battle tank locked on to Xiao Luo, who stood hundreds of meters away and opened fire.


    The shell left its barrel in an angry sh of mes and tore through the air toward Xiao Luo. Meanwhile, Xiao Luo was staring at the spot where the quicksand had buried Ian. With no change in facial expression, he casually pped the shell away with his palm just as it was about to reach him. He swatted it aside like a fly that was buzzing around his ears.


    CLANG!


    A metallic sound resounded across the desert as Xiao Luo deflected the shell toward a dune some distance away, at least a hundred degrees off its original trajectory, and exploded with a loud bang. The ground shook as smoke rose and sand blew up into the air.


    ¡°Oh, my God! He deflected the shell! He deflected the shell!¡±


    At the underground base in Washington, the ministers heard the panicked shrieks of the soldiers in the battle tank.


    All the cab ministers stood still like stone statues. How would they have known that Xiao Luo could deflect the shell with his palm?


    Cold sweat formed on President Bama¡¯s forehead. His entire body was trembling uncontrobly.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo stood still. The wind blew his ck hair back was a little when he pped the shell away. In his head, the system had alerted him. He had just spent 200,000 points to exchange for the ¡°Body Protection Without Equal¡± technique. This technique differed from the ¡°Supreme Death-Proof¡± technique in that it used internal force energy to form a force shield on the surface of his body. The greater his internal force was, the stronger the defense would be. After exchanging for the technique, his internal force energy instantly increased fivefold.


    That technique could be used both offensively and defensively. At that moment, Xiao Luo had an indestructible god-like body. He could not die.


    He already knew about the avability of this technique and was aware he had enough points to exchange for it, but he always felt that it came with some danger. Just like when he went into his berserk state, it wasn¡¯t him, but the system that controlled the technique. It was hard for him not to worry about using the system again after that incident.


    He had once read a book and always remembered this: ¡°The devil slowly lured greedy people and led those people toward them so that they would sell their souls.¡±


    The infinite power the system offered him, and the ease with which he could acquire such power, was in itself, corruptible. And Xiao Luo had fears that that system wouldnd up being the devil. That was why he tried his best not to exchange for any abilities and tried to avoid using the system if he could.


    But at this point, he could not care less anymore.


    Scre*w it! Let¡¯s get this over with, Xiao Luo thought.


    ¡°HIYAH!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared, and a terrifying internal force exploded from within his body. A dust storm ten stories high formed and swirled around him, and he was at its center. The ground suddenly copsed, and a tremendous amount of energy surged along the t ins of the Mojave Desert.


    As the swirling dust obscured the sun, it appeared as if an eclipse had urred!

 Chapter 665 - Crush

    <h2>Chapter 665: Crush</h2>


    A raging sandstorm covered the sky like an angry beast!


    The Mei nation soldiers in the battle tank that shot the shell could vaguely see a shadow within the sandstorm leaping to a height of about ten meters. Then it smashed into the battle tank that they were driving.


    BONK!


    There was a loud st, and the soldiers in the tank suffered a nasty shock that was equivalent to a magnitude-ten earthquake. After the tank stabilized, the four soldiers inside gasped when they realized that Xiao Luo was standing on the roof of their tank.


    CLANK!


    Then the men heard someone forcing the hatch open above them. A handsome-looking face peered down the hatchway.


    ¡°God, help us, God, help us¡­¡±


    The four men were so scared for their lives that they were breaking out in a cold sweat. They stared at Xiao Luo with deathly pale faces. They were shaking as they prayed to God for help. In their minds, Xiao Luo was a demon.


    ¡°God can¡¯t do sh*t for you!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered as he grabbed hold of the turret and pulled it off the tank. He raised the turret that weighed more than a ton with one hand, and the three operators inside the tank fell out like dumplings. The driver who was in the main body of the tank opened the hatch. He shouted and screamed as he tried to run away from Xiao Luo.


    WHOP! WHOP! WHOP!


    Thebat helicopter streaked in, locking onto Xiao Luo, and fired its stinger missiles with no hesitation.


    Whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!


    The stinger missiles flew like mini rockets, screaming through the air toward their target with an ear-piercing screech. It had locked onto Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Come down now!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared. He grabbed onto the barrel of the turret with both hands and swung it around before heunched the turret toward thebat helicopter.


    The heavy turret flew into the sky, knocked the stinger missiles off their trajectories, and headed straight for thebat helicopter.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The stinger missiles exploded loudly as they hit the surface of the turret, but caused no damage as it was constructed of thickposite materials and reinforced by reactive armor tes. The pilot could do no more than to stare at the iing turret, heading directly at him with wide-eyed fear.


    Boom~


    As the turret smashed into thebat helicopter, another loud explosion reverberated across the desert. The chopper came spiraling down and blew up when it hit the ground. A mushroom cloud formed and rose into the air. The force of the impact sent a massive amount of sand into the air, and the entire Mojave Desert shook.


    Xiao Luo smiled with satisfaction. He looked further down the desert and sighted a row of battle tanks on one side and fighting vehicles with heavy machine guns, opposite them. In the sky, several morebat helicopters were flying toward him.


    He sneered, ¡°This is indeed a state with strong military power. What arge force!¡± Then his tone changed, and his eyes turned icy cold. ¡°But you can all forget about going home. You will all remain in this desert forever,¡± he said.


    As soon as he said that, his internal force activated and engulfed the entire surface of his body. Like a humanoid beast, he went on a rampage. He collided into the battle tanks as he sped through the desert, knocking them upside down, while others were half-buried in the sand.


    The sound of heavy machine-gun fire was relentless, but none of the bullets struck Xiao Luo and fell harmlessly to the ground. Xiao Luo smashed his way across the desert, stirring up sand several meters high. Along his destructive path, he smashed a fighting vehicle in two.


    His method of countering thebat helicopters was simple but cruel. He flung used broken parts of the fighting vehicles at thebat helicopters like they were cannonballs.


    As the attack went on, the sounds of screams and never-ending explosions continued.


    Metal fragments from the smashed-up battle tanks, fighting vehicles, andbat helicoptersy scattered around the entire area. Fumes filled the air, and the fire from the explosions kept burning. The scene at the battle site was a terrifying sight.


    ¡°What a scary demon¡­ That is a scary demon!¡±


    ¡°God, help us, God, help us. Amen!¡±


    ¡°Who can stop him? Someone, please stop this demon!¡±


    At the underground base in Washington, the ministers could hear the desperate screams of the soldiers who hade into contact with Xiao Luo. They were not calling in to report but had forgotten to turn off theirmunication devices. The nerve-wracking screams of fear that came through the speakers when those soldiers encountered Xiao Luo sounded as if they had met a mythical demon.


    President Bama, the Minister of Defense, and all the cab ministers felt chills run down their spines. They were so terrified that the hair on their backs stood on ends. Just one man could battle against an entire Mei nation task force. It was simply unimaginable!


    What kind of being was that? A gic warrior? A martial arts expert from Hua nation?


    Things were getting more rming, more shocking, and doubts yed on their minds.


    No one said a thing. Everyone had eyes glued onto therge screen. They watched as Xiao Luo annihted their military troops stationed at the Mojave Desert. What they witnessed was even more terrifying than a blockbuster movie from Hollywood.


    ¡°Use the nuclear weapon!¡±


    President Bama gave the order as he red at the image showing on the screen.


    What?


    Everyone was shocked, and they stared at President Bama with their eyes wide open.


    Suddenly, President Bama stood up angrily and spat, ¡°Blow him up, blow that thing up!¡±


    Xiao Luo had put him through an agonizing few days, and he seemed to have lost his ability to think coherently.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that, Mr. President. Do not forget that our current domestic situation is in terrible shape. Even if all goes well, our federal government will be chastised by the world for using a nuclear weapon. The citizens of our country will not stand for it either. When that happens, there is only one thing waiting for all of us. And that is ruin,¡± said the Defense Minister. He was the first person to stand up and discourage the president.


    The other cab ministers pitched in to dissuade President Bama and advised him not to be impulsive. He must not use a nuclear weapon at his whim and fancy. All the countries around the world had signed an agreement not to use nuclear weapons. There was a military base and a stealth fighter research base at the Mojave Desert, with no less than fifteen cities located in the area. If a nuclear bomb was dropped there, the nearbymunities would suffer terribly from radiation.


    ¡°Ruin my *ss! We will say that we were testing our nuclear weapon. Which country has the guts to say anything? Who else has the guts to say anything? That is my order. Use the nuclear weapon. Blow that piece of sh*t up!¡± shouted President Bama. He was so furious that his eyes were blood-shot.


    ¡°Mr. President, then I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The Minister of Defense apologized, then looked at two soldiers and gave them a signal.


    The two soldiers followed the order and apprehended the president.


    ¡°Arnold, what are you trying to do? What the hell are you trying to do?¡± President Bama said, shocked and angry at the same time.


    The Minister of Defense said firmly, ¡°Mr. President, I am doing this for the good of the federal government. I think you need a good rest. Leave the rest to me. I will handle everything from here.¡±


    ¡°You b*stard! How dare you arrest me! You bloody b*stard! You better believe I¡¯m going to kill you. Let go. Tell them to let me go!¡± President Bama was extremely angry and was like a mad dog snarling at anyone who came close.Arnold ignored his rants and waved his hand, signaling for the two soldiers to take President Bama out of the room.

 Chapter 666 - Get out of here immediately

    <h2>Chapter 666: Get out of here immediately</h2>


    At the Mojave Desert, the debris from the aftermath of the battle littered all over the ce. Though Xiao Luo did not want to kill on purpose, he did not avoid killing everyone in sight. Several corpses of the Mei Nation soldiers were scattered in the desert. But most of the soldiersid on the scorching desert sand with severe injuries. Some had burns on different parts of their bodies, some had broken limbs, while some had more severe injuries like being impaled by sharp metal objects. The moans of pain shattered the silence of the desert.


    Xiao Luo had crushed an entire legion of the Mei Nation army all by himself!


    Xiao Luo was standing on a tank that had turned on its side. His surging inner power had been so forceful that it tore through his clothing. He stood half naked. The top half of his muscr body was bare, and the ck pants he was wearing had clung to his lower half in tattered shreds. He was still radiating a powerful aura. Under the scorching sun and raging sandstorm, with his hair blown by the wind, he looked like a God of Death in that desert.


    He moved his eyes to stare at thest fighter jet flying in the sky.


    In the aircraft, the two pilots feared for their safety. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, right now!¡± the terrified pilot shouted to his copilot.


    Before the pilot had made that decision, hisrade had already turned the jet around. He wanted to escape from thend of death at the quickest possible speed.


    ¡°You want to run away?¡± Xiao Luo said as he stared at the jet.


    Xiao Luo smirked as he used the Qigong technique to leap toward the fighter jet.


    After running speedily for two hundred meters, he stomped hard on the ground. Then he leaped into the sky in an unrivaled style. He soared up like a ray of light. In a blink of an eye, he had traveled a dozen meters and reached the aircraft. He then impaled his ten fingers into the fusge of the fighter jet.


    ¡°He¡¯s below us. He¡¯s below our jet!¡± The copilot screamed in horror.


    ¡°Then you better f*cking shoot him!¡± the pilot shouted back.


    The pilot who was flying the jet was equally rmed.


    The copilot grabbed a revolver and aimed at the bottom of the jet. Then he started shooting as he yelled loudly.


    BANG! BANG!


    The copilot squeezed the trigger without letting go, and it did not take more than a minute to finish a magazine of bullets.


    The bullets pierced through the lower section of the fusge, which looked like a sieve. Through it, they could see the yellow sands of the desert below them.


    The two fighter jet pilots stared down and were gasping as they broke out in a cold sweat.


    They wondered if that terrifying demon had already fallen off from the jet.


    Both pilots had the same thought in mind, but they knew it was impossible to kill Xiao Luo. He was invincible. They had seen him swat a bomb away like a fly. How on earth would the bullets from a revolver hurt him? They prayed he had jumped off their fighter jet.


    The copilot peeped through the bullet holes below and checked to see if Xiao Lou was still there. When he saw that Xiao Luo was not there, he felt relieved. He nodded to the pilot and signaled to him that Xiao Luo was gone.


    Suddenly, a loud noise came from the hatch of the fighter jet.


    BANG!


    They turned around and saw the hatch had been torn away forcefully. To their horror, that opening in the ne caused a loss of cabin pressure. The noise from the engines was so loud that it caused their ears to ring. The most horrifying sight to the pilots was Xiao Luo standing outside the hatch. His left hand held onto the side, while his right hand held the torn door. He was staring at them like a savage wolf.


    Xiao Luo threw the door out of the aircraft and stepped into the jet. He then sat down on the backseat gracefully.


    ¡°To the invisible jet research base!¡±


    He had said it calmly, but his tone was firm andmanding.


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    The two pilots did not dare to oppose his order. To survive, theyplied in fear. They diverted the flight toward the invisible jet research base as fast as they could.


    Xiao Luo looked around the aircraft and broke the storage drawer with his bare hand. He took out a spare new camougebat suit. He estimated the fit and then put it on.


    The copilot felt insecure as he stared at Xiao Luo, who was putting on thebat suit. Even though he had a revolver in his hand, he still could not help but shake uncontrobly. It was a harrowing experience to be so close to a monster that even bombs and bullets could not kill. He no longer felt in control of his life.


    ¡°Jet 55. Come in, over. Reply if you hear this. Urgent. Reply immediately!¡± The Secretary of Defense¡¯s voice came through themunication channel.


    The two pilots did not dare to reply. They looked at Xiao Luo in fear and waited for his instruction.


    Xiao Luo was putting on a beigebat boot and looked pleased that it wasfortable. He did not bother to look up and continued to put on the other boot. ¡°Answer him,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    The copilot nodded and replied, ¡°Jet 55, copy. Jet 55, copy. Over!¡±


    ¡°Report the location of Xiao Han, the Thousand-Face Killer, immediately!¡± Arnold ordered.


    They both looked at Xiao Luo with fear. The copilot replied with a shaky voice, ¡°Xiao Han, the Thousand-Face Killer, he¡­he¡¯s in our jet right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    That reply had made everyone in the Washington underground base gasp. When that bone-chilling response came through themunication channel, they felt as if Xiao Luo was standing before them.


    Arnold, the Secretary of Defense, calmed himself down and said, ¡°Let me talk to him!¡±


    The copilot held the walkie-talkie, and then he turned to Xiao Luo. ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­ Mr. Xiao Han, our Secretary of Defense has something to say,¡± he said nervously.


    Xiao Luo had just finished putting on his outfit. He took a nce at the walkie-talkie and asked calmly, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Hearing his voice, everyone in the Washington underground base shuddered involuntarily. Xiao Luo terrorized them.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I am Arnold, the Secretary of Defense. I am expressing our utmost sincere apology to you on behalf of the entire Mei Nation!¡± Arnold said.


    Xiao Luo felt amused and teased, ¡°I¡¯ve destroyed an entire legion of your army, and you¡¯re apologizing to me?¡±


    Arnold felt awkward, and the others who were listening felt somewhat overwhelmed. No one had ever put the Mei Nation in such a subservient position. But Xiao Luo¡¯s power had exceeded their expectation, so they had to give in.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I am sincerely pleading with you to stop your action. We can discuss the issue, and I believe that this matter is negotiable,¡± Arnold said politely. He had presented himself in a humble disposition.


    ¡°Stop my action now? Do you mean to stop me from destroying your invisible jet research base?¡± Xiao Luo snapped.


    ¡°Yes, we would provide you with a favorable trade-off,¡± Arnold continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this matter is not negotiable. I am going to destroy that invisible jet research base for sure.¡±


    Xiao Luo coldly interrupted him and continued, ¡°Everything will be over once I destroy it. I will leave the Mei Nation on my own. But of course, if you want me to remain here, I¡¯ll stay for a while more.¡±


    Stay for a while more?


    Every cab minister looked ufortable when they heard him say that.


    Xiao Luo had only been in the Mei Nation for a few days and had already caused so much destruction. Citizens were protesting everywhere in the country. If Xiao Luo stayed for a little longer, he would stir up another bout of chaos for the Mei Nation.


    No, absolutely not. The federal government needed to send that jinx away. The sooner, the better. The farther, the better. They had to make sure that he never returned to the Mei Nation again!


    The cab ministers gave Arnold the same look of agreement. They would give in to his every demand. If he wanted to destroy the invisible jet base, let him do it, they thought. They could rebuild it within four to five years, in the worst-case scenario. At that moment, the priority was to get that upromising monster out of their country as soon as possible.

 Chapter 667 - Trouble-causing Lyon

    <h2>Chapter 667: Trouble-causing Lyon</h2>


    Xiao Luo was much too powerful, and he was as terrifying as Ares, the mythical ancient Greek God of War.


    The federal government, under the leadership of the Secretary of Defense, Arnold, had given in to Xiao Luo after theplete annihtion of their army in the Mojave Desert. They immediately evacuated all personnel in the invisible jet research base before Xiao Luo could destroy it. They had also revoked Xiao Luo¡¯s internal wanted order and warned the FBI and the police not to confront nor antagonize him. The federal government would denounce anyone who disobeyed these orders as traitors of the Mei nation.


    All of them hope that Xiao Luo would leave the Mei nation as soon as possible and refrain from causing any further destruction in their country. There were ongoing protests by their citizens, and they faced heavy criticism from the internationalmunity. The federal government was as helpless as a lone leaf floating in a vast sea. Xiao Luo had pushed them into a corner, and they were in a vulnerable state.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    There were a series of massive explosions in the Mojave Desert. Within minutes, the invisible jet research base became a field of ruins.


    President Bama soon snapped out of his state of stupor when received a call from the Prime Minister of the Ri nation, Anbei, who expressed his sympathies. The two leaders knew the agonizing pain the other had suffered, and they cursed the Hua nation and Xiao Luo bitterly, like two kids who had been bullied by the same guy. If they had been in the same room, they would have probably hugged each other and cried.


    ******


    ******


    It was seven o¡¯clock at night. A prettydy was standing at the front gate of the University of Washington.


    Huang Ruoran had donned an aqua-blue slip dress and was patiently waiting for Ian. Ever since she dated him, she had made an effort to dress herself up better. She had some light make-up on, which further enhanced her delicate features. She looked like a youthful goddess with a hint of ss and gracefulness. The ends of her pitch-ck hair curled slightly, and the two silver earrings provided an appealing contrast as they shone like shining stars.


    She was in love, and the little effort she made to dress up enhanced her natural beauty to a greater height.


    Xiao Luo arrived by cab and immediately spotted her standing in the crowd.


    He went straight to her after alighting from the car.


    When he was a few meters away from her, Huang Ruoran saw him. After a slight pause, she greeted him. ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re waiting for someone?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Huang Ruoran¡¯s gut instinct was to deny it, but she quickly decided against it. She was not doing anything wrong, so she acknowledged him with a nod. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m waiting for Ian.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Ian won¡¯t be here anymore.¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Won¡¯t be here anymore?


    Huang Ruoran was slightly shocked as she did not understand what Xiao Luo was trying to say.


    ¡°He worked with the Mei nation federal government and had unfortunately been killed in a battle. Before he died, he wanted you to know that he loved you very much. He would risk giving everything he had for you, including his life!¡± Xiao Luo did not convey to her what Ian had told him to. He felt Huang Ruoran should remember Ian for his kindness and not hate him. Ian deserved that. Although she would go through a sorrowful experience, it would make Huang Ruoran grow.


    Has been killed?


    Ian has been killed?


    Huang Ruoran was utterly stunned, and her face froze. Her eyes immediately turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.


    She stared at Xiao Luo with a nk look and finally started crying uncontrobly. ¡°How did you know about it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was a coincidence.¡±


    Xiao Luo said calmly and turned around to leave. He knew that Huang Ruoran was conscious of her image and was stubborn by nature. She would not show her softer side in the presence of others. Xiao Luo now finally believed that she and Ian had truly loved each other. Ian¡¯s death had crushed her, and it would be better if she cried and vented out the emotion.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer?¡±


    Huang Ruoran tried to quell her sadness and shouted at Xiao Luo¡¯s back. She had suspected Xiao Luo ever since she saw that man in a Chinese mask on the live stream a few days ago. They had a very simr voice.


    Xiao Luo stopped but did not turn to look at her. He answered, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem you should worry about.¡±


    When he finished, he continued to walk toward the cab, waiting for him by the roadside.


    Huang Ruoran could no longer contain her emotion and squatted down to weep. She knew that Xiao Luo was Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer. She also knew that he would not lie to her about Ian. Ian had been incredibly caring, and that made her fall in love quickly. But that man had left the world forever. It was so sudden and was a heavy blow to her.


    ¡°Hey, prettydy. Why are you crying? Your make-up is smudging!¡±


    A young Caucasian man from the University of Washington approached Huang Ruoran. He was blonde and had a pair of emerald-green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt and looked like a prince.


    He was handsome, tall, and bearded. Many girls would consider such a man as Prince Charming.


    Huang Ruoran ignored him and walked toward the University of Washington.


    The two bodyguards in ck suits blocked her way as the Caucasian introduced himself. ¡°Prettydy, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lyon. Lyon Kennedy!¡± he said with a smile.


    He had emphasized the name, ¡°Kennedy,¡± as everyone knew that the Kennedy family was one of the four famous families of the Mei nation. Thatst name was like a golden passport. Lyon came to the University of Washington to pick up girls. But he did not find anyone he liked after walking around the university grounds. He had not expected to see a girl at the school gate that could make his heart beat faster. That was a pleasant surprise.


    She looked Asian. She was probably either from Hua nation, Ri nation, or Han nation. She was in her prime years, and if he could savor her body, it would be eternal bliss as far as he was concerned.


    ¡°You look sad. Is something bothering you? Why don¡¯t I take you to a movie? My family operates all the movie theatres in Washington. You can choose whichever theatre you wish, and I¡¯ll even book the entire cinema just for you.¡±


    ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    Huang Ruoran screamed at him.


    That surprised Lyon, as he did not expect it to turn out that way. Since persuasion did not work, he would do it by force. He turned cold and said, ¡°Do you f*cking know who I am? How dare you talk to me like this. Are you asking for trouble?¡±


    Huang Ruoran was not in the mood for this jerk¡¯s advances and tried to make her way around the bodyguards.


    But, just as she did, the two bodyguards extended their arms to block her path.


    ¡°Move!¡± Huang Ruoran yelled angrily.


    ¡°Move? Fine. Go to a movie with me and have sex with me. Then you shall get whatever you want!¡±


    Lyon continued to pressure her and said, ¡°Prettydy, you¡¯ve nothing to lose oping out with me. I¡¯ll pay you two hundred thousand dors¨Cthink about it. A whore can¡¯t even earn this much in a year. All you have to do is to apany me for one night. It¡¯s two hundred grand! You can buy whatever you want with that. You can also travel anywhere you want. It¡¯s an opportunity of a lifetime! Don¡¯t worry, I know that you Asiandies are fragile, so I¡¯ll be extra gentle in bed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dirty bastard!¡±


    Huang Ruoran was furious. Without thinking, she kicked him hard in the crotch.

 Chapter 668 - Disable you

    Chapter 668: Disable you


    Lyon immediately crossed his legs after Huang Ruoran kicked him in his crotch. She had kicked him hard.


    ¡°Argh! No¡­¡±


    ¡°F*ck, f*ck¡­¡±


    At that moment, it felt like she had just crushed his testicles. The pain was so excruciating that he had mped his legs tightly, and his hands instantly cupped his crotch. He was hopping around and yelling in pain. When he finally squatted down, his face twisted in pain, and he broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Young master!¡±


    The two bodyguards rushed to help him up when they saw him in that awkward posture.


    He pointed angrily at Huang Ruoran as he instructed his bodyguards, ¡°Shut up! Bring this slut away for me. I am going to show her a good time tonight. F*ck!¡± shouted Lyon, who was furiously mad.


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    The two bodyguards immediately caught hold of Huang Ruoran and easily overpowered her. As one of the four famous families, these men threw their weight around and did whatever they wanted in the Mei nation. Their young master could have any girl he fancied, and they would force the girls into submission. They did not see that as a problem at all.


    ¡°F*ck, how dare you kick my nuts. I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t crawl out of bed in one piece!¡±


    After the pain had subsided a little, Lyon stood up and walked over to p Huang Ruoran.


    At that moment, arge hand sped him firmly on to his shoulder and prevented him from making any movements.


    ¡°F*ck, who¡¯s f*cking with me¡­¡±


    Lyon cursed and turned around to see a stern face with a pair of dark steely eyes ring straight into his eyes. His entire body shivered and he immediately regretted spewing out those words. Then he uttered nervously, ¡°Xiao¡­ Xiao Luo?¡±


    He had lost a few hundred million to that man back in Xiahai. And Xiao Luo had even broken his ribs with a kick.


    ¡°If I am not wrong, you are Lyon. Right? I had forgotten about you. But since you have shown yourself again, let¡¯s get everything sorted out!¡± Xiao Luo raised his hand and pped Lyon hard across his face.


    THWACK!


    With the sound of a loud smack, Lyon instantly flew off. Hended hard on the ground and his face swelled up. Two of his teeth broke and flew out of his bleeding mouth.


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Lyon was lying on the ground and spat out a mixture of saliva and blood. The pain was killing him and had made him scream out loud.


    Xiao Luo rotated his neck to loosen up and approached Lyon again. ¡°I have long wanted to disable you since you had the gall to take advantage of my woman. Now, you are trying to do the same to my friend. You¡¯re incorrigible, pretty incorrigible!¡±


    He went near Lyon and lifted his right leg. Then he stomped down hard.


    CRACK!


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    His scream and the sound of bone cracking came simultaneously as Xiao Luo broke his left arm. Blood was spurting out of the wound, and it was not a pleasant sight.


    Cruel! Cold!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s action stunned Huang Ruoran, and she was speechless. That was the first time she had seen the sadistic side of Xiao Luo. She could not believe that that was the same gentle and gracious man whom she knew. He hadmitted such a cruel act in front of her. His method was so brutal that it made her feel estranged from him.


    A sizeable crowd of students from the University of Washington had quickly gathered around them. Such a gory scene made many of them scream in horror.


    Lyon¡¯s two bodyguards finally reacted and pulled out their guns. They shouted out to Lyon with concern. They were going to shoot Xiao Luo, but before they could pull the trigger, Xiao Luo had already teleported before them from a few meters away and snatched their guns away from them. He then crushed the guns with his bare hands, turning the steel-made guns into two piles of disfigured objects like a child ying with sticine.


    Oh, my God!


    Many in the crowd screamed again. Xiao Luo shocked those who had witnessed his unbelievable power.


    Lyon¡¯s two bodyguards were terrified. They froze and broke out in cold sweat as they stared at Xiao Luo. Was he a human being? How could he knead the guns like sticine?


    POW! BAM!


    Xiao Luo kicked the both of them, and they passed out with blood oozing out from their mouths.


    Such unparalleled strength!


    It was an utter defeat, and the bodyguards stood no chance against Xiao Luo.


    Huang Ruoran stared at Xiao Luo in a daze, and there was fear in her eyes. She still could not believe that this was Xiao Luo. Was he the same Xiao Luo who had debated with her about mary theory in ss?


    ¡°Leave this ce now,¡± Xiao Luo told her.


    ¡°But, what about you?¡± Huang Ruoran asked.


    Xiao Luo nced over at Lyon and said, ¡°I have something to settle with him.¡±


    ¡°No, Xiao Luo. Don¡¯t do this. It is against thew,¡± Huang Ruoran said anxiously. He had assaulted a person in public. That would be a grievous offense in any country. Also, people were watching. He could not escape these witnesses.


    ¡°Against thew?¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled as if he had heard a joke. Then he nodded and said, ¡°This world runs by thew of the jungle. The weak are the prey of the strong. As long as you are strong, no one dares to oppose you.¡±


    When he finished speaking, he turned to Lyon, who was howling in pain on the ground.


    Lyon was lying on the ground and twitching as blood spurted out continuously. He was in a terrible state but tried to put up a strong front as Xiao Luo approached. ¡°What¡­ What do you want? I am the young master of the Kennedy family. My grandfather is a member of parliament. If you dare to hurt me, I guarantee you won¡¯t live past tomorrow!¡±


    CRACK!


    Xiao Luo ignored his warning and broke his right arm with another stomp. The sickening sound of bones cracking was horrifying to hear.


    Lyon screamed even louder. His mouth was full of blood, and it made him look horrifying.


    ¡°So, what will happen if I hurt you?¡± Xiao Luo asked coldly.


    There was dead silence as the onlookers gasped in astonishment. Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthless and arrogant attitude had shocked them all. This man had justmitted a serious offense at the front gate of the University of Washington. Who was he?


    Lyon stared at Xiao Luo in fear as his tears flowed down his face. This man looked gentle but turned out to be a demon when provoked. In desperation, Lyon pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m so¡­ sorry. Please¡­ please spare me¡­ for the sake of the partnership with Sabrina.¡±


    The Sabrina he was referring to was none other than Su Li. The mention of her name only made Xiao Luo even more infuriated.


    Xiao Luo was very protective, and he had wanted to kill Lyon when he saw Lyon taking advantage of Su Li thest time. But Lyon was wearing a bullet-proof vest then, and it had saved his life. Xiao Luo did not finish off Lyon then. But now that their paths crossed once more, and seeing that he had even tried to abduct Huang Ruoran, Xiao Luo decided to act.


    ¡°Spare you?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled wryly and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll spare you!¡±


    When he finished speaking, he stomped down hard on Lyon¡¯s crotch.


    ¡°ARGHH!!¡±


    Lyon let out a bloodcurdling scream that didn¡¯t sound human. He was in such pain that his eyes and mouth had opened wide. He passed out immediately after that scream. Then, a mixture of clear and bloody fluids leaked from his crotch. Xiao Luo hadpletely disabled him with that kick.


    The onlookers froze in fear and looked like they had seen a terrifying demon.


    Huang Ruoran was stunned and she could not believe that Xiao Luo did that. How could he be so cruel? Was he showing his true colors?Huang Ruoran¡¯s entire body could not stop shaking. What Xiao Luo had done was so gory and cruel. This man was so familiar, yet so different. She felt she did not know him at all. Xiao Luo was now a stranger to her.

 Chapter 669 - A protective umbrella

    <h2>Chapter 669: A protective umbre</h2>


    ¡°Let¡¯s check out what¡¯s happening at the front gate. I just heard a Hua national thrashed up Lyon from the Kennedy family!¡±


    ¡°What? Are you sure it¡¯s Lyon?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, yes. Look, there¡¯s a live stream in our group chat, and it looks like someone crushed Lyon¡¯s genitals.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God. Which Hua national could¡¯ve done that? It sure is cruel, but bravo to him! That *sshole¡¯s been scoring with countless girls in our school, all because of his influential family background. Now that he¡¯s been disabled, it¡¯s poetic justice, if you ask me. Call it God¡¯s will. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Stopughing, let¡¯s go, or we¡¯ll bete for the show.¡±


    The news traveled like a wildfire, and soon the entire University of Washington was rife with gossip. Those students who heard the news quickly rushed to the school gate, and it soon became evident that curiosity was not a trait that was exclusive to the Hua nationals.


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and Wang Ling were taking a stroll with their teacher, Zhong Meili, on the magnificent grounds of the University of Washington. As they walked past some students, they heard them talking about the incident. They paid little attention at first until they picked up the word ¡°Hua national¡± from the conversations. Even their teacher Zhong Meili wondered what was happening at the school gate.


    ¡°Our Huapatriot beat up someone at the school gate and squashed his b*lls. Can that be true?¡± said Zhu Xiaofei, looking somewhat confused.


    Wang Ling and Zhong Meili stared at him awkwardly as he mentioned the word ¡°b*lls¡± so thoughtlessly in their presence. It was shameless and uneptable.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll know if it¡¯s true once you see it for yourself!¡± said Ding Kai as he rolled his eyes, and he promptly rushed toward the school gate.


    ¡°Kai, why are you so serious? Wait for me,¡± yelled Zhu Xiaofei as he ran to catch up with his friend.


    Wang Ling turned to Zhong Meili and asked, ¡°Ms. Zhong, are we going too?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We should also find out what¡¯s happening.¡±


    Zhong Meili answered with a nod and moved in the direction of the gate. She would not have bothered if the person involved was from another country. However, as the person seemed to be from the Hua nation, she felt an obligation to assist herpatriot in a foreignnd. To her, it was only natural to care for apatriot like one¡¯s own family.


    ******


    ******


    Many people had gathered at the school gate by the time they arrived. It was quite a sight to see such arge crowd, and most of the onlookers were taking pictures with their phones.


    Lyon and his two bodyguards were lying on the ground, knocked out cold. The University¡¯s security guards had intervened and tried to detain Xiao Luo. However, even a dozen of them could not do a thing, as Xiao Luo defeated them in less than a minute.


    ¡°What a terrifying Hua national. What formidable Hua Kung fu!¡±


    ¡°It seems like only the police can stop him.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, why aren¡¯t the police here yet? We cannot allow this arrogant Hua national to do as he pleases.¡±


    Most of the Mei nationals were hostile toward Xiao Luo. What he had done was equivalent to breaking into their homes and beating up their families in front of them. No one from the Mei nation could tolerate that. Although Lyon had been preying on young girls in their school for years and had drawn plenty of k for it, most people still took his side after the brutal attack. They hoped that the police would arrive soon to arrest that criminal who had assaulted a man in public.


    ¡°Oh, my God! Could he be¡­ Could he be Brother Luo?¡±


    When they arrived at the school gate, Ding Kai and Zhu Xiaofei were shocked when they discovered that Xiao Luo was the person who had caused the trouble. They had been in the Mei nation for some time, so they spoke with hints of the local ent.


    Both Wang Ling and Zhong Meili were equally startled as they did not expect that the man that everyone was talking about was Xiao Luo.


    Zhong Meili felt nauseous when she looked at Lyon lying unconscious on the ground drenched in blood, and with both arms broken. She could not believe that it was the work of Xiao Luo. In her mind, Xiao Luo was an outstanding student who could debate with Huang Ruoran on the mary theories in fluent English. That lesson was one of the most memorable that she had ever taught in all her teaching years, and it was still fresh in her memory. She could still vividly recall their debate.


    What had happened?


    Why did Xiao Luo assault Lyon in public? Why did he hurt him to the point of crippling him?


    Seeing what had happened, Zhong Meili was bewildered, as the person standing there was not the Xiao Luo she thought she knew.


    ¡°Hero Luo¡­ What happened to him?¡±


    Wang Ling was horrified and could not believe what Xiao Luo had done. She saw Huang Ruoran, who stood beside Xiao Luo, and she looked equally shocked. Wang Ling knew that the incident probably had something to do with Huang Ruoran, but daunted by what had happened, she did not dare to approach her.


    WOO-WOO, WHOP! WHOP! WOO!


    They could hear police sirens screaming toward the university from afar. Three police cars with shing red and blue lights soon sped arrived and halted in front of the school gate. A dozen police officers alighted from the vehicles with their pistols drawn as they surrounded the crime scene.


    Sh*t!


    That was the only word that came to Zhu Xiaofei¡¯s and Ding Kai¡¯s minds. Xiao Luo had severely assaulted and crippled someone and the police would probably put him behind bars for a few years. The casualty was Lyon, who belonged to the influential Kennedy family. There wasn¡¯t much of a chance that Brother Luo could talk his way out of a jail term.


    The two gritted their teeth and clenched their fists as they wanted to do something for Xiao Luo, but realized there was nothing they could do to help him. All they could do was gaze at him helplessly.


    The police officers took immediate action when they arrived, pushing the crowd back and taking control of the scene.


    The officer-in-charge was a police superintendent, and he broke out in a cold sweat when heid eyes on Xiao Luo. He immediately took out his phone to check on Xiao Han, the Thousand-faced Killer, and confirmed this man was him. The instructions from his superiors were explicit¨Cno one was to confront nor antagonize Xiao Han.


    ¡°Wait¡­ put your guns away. Don¡¯t point them at that man. If anyone of you fire, you are dead meat. Quickly put away your guns!¡± The police superintendent yelled to his men.


    What?


    The police officers suddenly wavered as they stared at each other. They could not understand why they were ordered to stand down. That severely injured man lying on the ground was Lyon from the Kennedy family. If anyone shot that Hua national dead, they would undoubtedly not charge him with a vition, and might even receive a reward for it. The Kennedy family would certainly approve and would probably assist that person with future promotion.


    Although confused, the police officers still obeyed the instruction and holstered their handguns.


    The police superintendentposed himself and approached Xiao Luo cautiously. He smiled and asked, ¡°Err, Mr. Xiao¡­ Mr. Xiao Han, can we take Lyon away for medical care?¡±


    He was overly courteous and bowed repeatedly to Xiao Luo.


    Oh, my God. What are we seeing here?


    Everyone who had witnessed that exchange widened their eyes in surprise as they stared at the police superintendent in disbelief. These were the federal police officers. How could they be so respectful to a criminal who had assaulted someone in public? What the heck was going on? Did that Hua national have a more powerful background than the young master Lyon Kennedy?


    Most of the police officers dropped their jaws in shock. None of them had expected their leader to act in such a manner. What on earth was he doing? Were they not there to arrest that criminal? Why were they acting as a protective umbre for him instead?

 Chapter 670 - VIP

    <h2>Chapter 670: VIP</h2>


    The police superintendent¡¯s attitude toward Xiao Luo was incredulous, as everyone had expected Xiao Luo to be in handcuffs and arrested immediately. Instead, the police were treating him so respectfully, as if Xiao Luo was their superior. It was utterly mindboggling!


    ¡°You police do whatever you have to. There is no need to ask my permission,¡± Xiao Luo asked calmly.


    He had already crippled Lyon. That was enough punishment for him. As for whether Lyon would survive, Xiao Luo did not care at all.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­¡±


    The police superintendent thanked him profusely and ordered his men to carry Lyon away. They needed to resuscitate him as quickly as possible.


    Every police officer gasped in horror when they saw Lyon¡¯s broken arms and the egg white-looking fluid oozing out from his crotch. Xiao Luo was merciless, and the young master of the Kennedy family had undoubtedly be impotent from that assault.


    ¡°Boss, why are we not arresting that viin?¡± asked a confused police officer. He shot the question at the police superintendent as they were wrapping up their mission.


    ¡°Arrest him?¡±


    The police superintendent shook his head and shuddered in fear of Xiao Luo. ¡°Do you think we can arrest a man that even the president is afraid of?¡± he asked nervously.


    A man that even the president feared?


    When the police officers heard that, they looked shocked as it had not crossed their minds that the Hua national had such a frightful reputation.


    ¡°Our superiors are praying to God that this guy gets out of the Mei nation as soon as possible. Even if he had crippled that senior member of the Kennedy family, who is in the cab, we would have to act as if nothing had happened. So, do you think it matters that he crippled the young master? The order from the top is that whoever starts a conflict with Xiao Han will be charged with treason,¡± the police superintendent added.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Upon hearing that, the police officers gasped in shock as they had not expected such grievous consequences if they offended that Hua national.


    The police superintendent said no more. He took out themunication device and reported on the whereabouts of Xiao Luo, the Thousand-faced Killer, to his superior.


    ******


    ******


    Everyone at the gate of the University of Washington was shocked at the oue. An entire patrol of police officers arrived ready to take action but then left quietly with their tails between their legs. They were so respectful to that criminal. What was going on?


    Among the onlookers, Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were the most shocked. They did not understand how Xiao Luo could have gotten out of such a severe offense. Who was Xiao Luo?


    ¡°Brother Luo!¡±


    Both of them ran up to Xiao Luo. They did not ept the cruelty that he had inflicted on Lyon, but they were genuinely worried for Xiao Luo and called out to him.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned as he did not wish Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai to see the other side of him. Their presence had caught him off guard.


    ¡°You¡¯ve caused a tremendous scene, so it was difficult for us not to notice it,¡± Zhu Xiaofei said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother Luo. I¡¯ve only realized today how merciless you are when you fight,¡± said Ding Kai as he nced at the bloodstains on the ground.


    Xiao Luo did not speak but smiled dryly.


    ¡°You¡¯re still our dearest Brother Luo, as always,¡± Zhu Xiaofei added.


    ¡°Yeah, our dearest Brother Luo,¡± Ding Kai repeated with a smile.


    Xiao Luo smiled at them and patted them both on their shoulders. He reflected on what had happened. Previously, he had not established a clear rtionship with Su Li, but now that they were a real married couple, the memory of how Lyon had taken advantage of her made him lose control of himself.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    An angry voice came from behind him.


    Xiao Luo turned around and saw Zhong Meili walking over. He bowed to her and greeted her with respect. ¡°Ms. Zhong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I cannot be your teacher anymore.¡±


    Zhong Meili¡¯s ever-present smile was absent as she chided Xiao Luo coldly. ¡°There¡¯s no ce for a viin like you to be among my students. You have assaulted someone in public in such a cruel manner, and your actions make my blood boil!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhong¡­¡±


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai tried to calm her down, urging her not to scold Xiao Luo so harshly.


    ¡°What? Should I be worried that he¡¯ll beat me into a pulp too?¡±


    Zhong Meili yelled as she felt very disappointed in Xiao Luo. She had high expectations of him and had hoped to see him make something of himself in life. She wanted him to make a useful contribution to the country, and to be a leader in the service of the people. Instead, what had he be? He was beating people up at the gate of the University of Washington just because he practiced kung fu. This incident was not a trivial one, for he had broken someone¡¯s arms and turned him into a eunuch.


    Such violence was inhumane!


    Xiao Luo smiled sadly and said, ¡°You¡¯re my teacher. I would never harm you.¡±


    Zhong Meili could see the sincerity in his eyes, and she softened her tone. She continued, ¡°Xiao Luo, you have been a great disappointment for me today. I know you have left school, but you¡¯re still that passionate student who could escte that debate on mary theories to new heights. What you have done today haspletely squashed my understanding of you. Regardless of how outstanding you are, I can only feel sorry that you have chosen such a path to ruin!¡±


    A path to ruin?


    Xiao Luo shook his head and heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°Ms. Zhong, please don¡¯t me Xiao Luo totally on this matter. There must be a reason behind it,¡± said Zhu Xiaofei, trying to defend Xiao Luo.


    ¡°One should never opt for violence, even if one is right. Why can¡¯t Xiao Luo inform the police and let them handle the matter if there was a dispute or conflict?¡± Zhong Meili asked.


    Her words had silenced both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai. They could not find a better argument to defend Xiao Luo.


    At that moment, Wang Ling walked over with Huang Ruoran.


    Huang Ruoran had been through a lot in that short period. First, it was Ian¡¯s death, and then there was Xiao Luo¡¯s cruelty. She could not exactly describe how she felt, but it was not something good. She stared at Xiao Luo silently, trying to find anything familiar from that man she used to know.


    ¡°Ms. Zhong, I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯ve disappointed you!¡±


    Xiao Luo bowed to Zhong Meili and did notin about her rebuke, and knew that her admonishments were for his good. But only Xiao Luo was aware of the circumstances and understood that they were worlds apart. Other than Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai, he did not expect to reunite with any of them again. It was pure coincidence that they had met on that trip to the Mei nation.


    He did not exin further and turned around to leave after bowing to Zhong Meili.


    ¡°Brother Luo!¡±


    Both Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai caught up with him and stopped him. Although they knew they could not do much for him, they did not wish to bid farewell to Xiao Luo in that manner.


    ¡°Xiaofei, Ding Kai, I am d to have run into you guys here. Focus on your studies. After you guys have graduated, if you have nowhere to go,e look for me in Xiahai,¡± Xiao Luo said. He still felt close to his ex-roommates. He wanted to provide them with opportunities and as much help as he could.


    ¡°Brother Luo!¡±They hugged Xiao Luo for a while as there was no need for men to speak much. They conveyed everything they wanted to express in the hug.Looking at their brotherly rtionship, Zhong Meili suddenly felt guilty and regretted her strong words. Perhaps she might have been too harsh on Xiao Luo and should¡¯ve put herself in his shoes.At that moment, a convoy of ck cars headed toward the gate from afar with traffic police and the FBI leading the way. It looked like some VIPs were heading their way.

 Chapter 671 - Treatment

    <h2>Chapter 671: Treatment</h2>


    ¡°Oh, my God. It¡¯s the Minister of Defense, Mr. Arnold!¡±


    ¡°And the FBI Director, Robert, and the Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo!¡±


    ¡°Chief of the White House office, Mr. Kelly, and the CIA Director, Ms. Haspel¡­ They¡¯re all here as well.¡±


    ¡°Wow! There¡¯re so many important officials here. Is the Kennedy family so influential?¡±


    ¡°Lyon is badly injured and it must have infuriated the Kennedy family. There¡¯re so many important government officials getting involved in the case. It looks like this Hua national is in serious trouble and they will destroy him even before the court can pass sentence.¡±


    The crowd that had gathered outside the gate of the Washington University had yet to disperse. They could barely believe their eyes when they saw these high-profile government officials getting out of their ck limousines. That was the first time they had seen so many high-ranking officials appearing in public together. The onlookers suddenly realized the power that the Kennedy family wielded. They could summon so many top government officials to seek justice for Lyon.


    As a teacher who had traveled regrly between the Mei nation and the Hua nation, Zhong Meili recognized these top Mei government officials. The various media outlets and magazines often featured them. These were powerful people who were high in the social order, and Zhong Meili felt they were in no position to say a thing. She unconsciously pulled her students closer toward the crowd.


    ¡°Has this incident gone all the way to the Mei government officials?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei struggled to swallow his saliva as all these officials had a stern and intimidating presence. He stared at them nervously and was very concerned for Xiao Luo.


    Ding Kai looked at the group and slowly said, ¡°It looks like that¡¯s what is happening here. I would not have imagined that the Kennedy family was that influential in the Mei nation.¡±


    The appearance of the officials at the scene had also shaken up both Wang Ling and Huang Ruoran.


    ¡°Stop saying that. None of us have what it takes to help Xiao Luo. Right now, we ought to cut off all ties with him. If they ask, we say that we do not know who he is. Do you all understand?¡± whispered Zhong Meili softly.


    ¡°Teacher, won¡¯t we be treacherous if we do that?¡± Zhu Xiaofei said in a displeased tone.


    ¡°Now is not the time to worry if we are treacherous or not. Even if we admit we know Xiao Luo, we cannot help him. Instead, we will cause additional trouble for ourselves.¡±


    Zhong Meili was thinking for the group. ¡°This is a crime that Xiao Luo hasmitted. No one else can be responsible for it. If you do not want to be detained in the Mei nation, then do as I say,¡± she said.


    ¡°Let us listen to Teacher Zhong. What Hero Luo has done this time is just uneptable. Besides, we are just ordinary students and we can¡¯t do much for him even if we speak out. We might get implicated in the incident instead, and there¡¯s a chance they may even arrest us as well,¡± Wang Ling said.


    Although the guys were unwilling to ept it, they knew that Wang Ling was speaking the truth. They had no power to help Xiao Luo. Even if they stepped out and fought with all their might, there was nothing they can do except to share the same fate as Xiao Luo.


    Compared to them, Xiao Luo was a lot calmer. He had his hands in his trouser pockets. He looked like an employer waiting for his employees to submit progress reports to him.


    And, as it turned out, that was precisely the scenario that was ying out. The Defense Minister, Arnold, led the entourage from the Mei federal government. The group hurried toward Xiao Luo to greet him. Arnold was in his well-fitted, custom-tailored military uniform decked with medals as a mark of respect.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, I am the minister of Defense, Arnold. We¡­ We spoke on the phone,¡± Arnold said a little hesitantly. Then he smiled and put his hand out toward Xiao Luo for a handshake.


    ¡°Oh, so it is you,¡± Xiao Luo answered offhandedly.


    Xiao Luo did not return the same level of courtesy to Arnold. He lightly shook his hand before releasing it. Then in a rather brisk tone, Xiao Luo asked, ¡°What is the matter? Why are you looking for me? Are you nning to invite me to stay a little longer in the Mei nation?¡±


    When they heard that, the officials quivered a little. Oh, my God. Did he want to stay longer? He had already caused so much damage. If he continued to stay, he would turn the entire nation upside down. No, no¡­ That would be unthinkable. They were more than willing to spend a sizeable amount of money to get him out of their nation.


    Arnold felt the pressure and started mopping the sweat off his forehead. He continued, ¡°Mr. Xiao Han, the thing is that our president is nning to visit the Hua nation. If you wish to return, you can join him on his private ne. Also, our people had taken an aggressive stance toward you since you arrived, and we n topensate for what you had to endure with ten million USD.¡±


    A private ne? Ten million USD?


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and sighed. ¡°This is the Mei nation indeed. Big households and enormous fortunes. No wonder you can afford to be so generous,¡± he sneered, then he added, ¡°Alright, looking at how sincere you guys are, I will return to my country then.¡±


    He was already nning to head back home, but now that he was receiving an immense sum of money, he was more than happy to ept that windfall.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    Everyone exhaled sighs of relief, and everything was in order as long as Xiao Luo left their country. As for the money, it was merely a worldly possession, and they could earn it back. That price was nothingpared to the devastation he would cause if he stayed on.


    ¡°Then pleasee with us, Mr. Xiao Han. Our President is already waiting for you in his private ne,¡± Arnold said with a smile.


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Xiao Luo said yfully.


    Of course, we are in a hurry! If we do not send you off, no one will have a peaceful night of sleep.


    All the top officials there had the same thought in their minds.


    Arnold looked at Xiao Luo with a patronizing smile and said, ¡°The main reason that our President is eager to visit the Hua Nation is that he cannot wait to meet with your leader to show him his appreciation.¡±


    The fawning, sweet-talk from Arnold almost made Xiao Luo throw up.


    ¡°I see. So, that is why,¡± Xiao Luo said calmly, cocking an eyebrow.


    Everyone in the crowd could not believe what they had just witnessed at that gate. The onlookers were all bbergasted. The police had left earlier on, looking disgruntled and dejected. Then, these high-ranking federal government officials arrived and treated that Hua national with such high regard. What was going on there? Did they note to seek justice for the Kennedy family?


    ¡°Oh, my God. What kind of background does this Hua national have?¡±


    Everyone stared nkly and could not find the words to express the shock and confusion they were experiencing.


    Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, Wang Ling, Huang Ruoran, and their teacher, Zhong Meili, all stood rooted in a stupor. No one could have imagined that things would turn out the way it did. Those high-ranking officials were so respectful toward Xiao Luo. If they had not witnessed it in person, they would have never believed what had happened there.


    ¡°Is Brother Luo that powerful?¡± Zhu Xiaofei muttered with a hint of wonder in his voice.


    ¡°I only realized now that Brother Luo is already standing at the top of the pyramid. As for us¡­ oh, my God! To think that I, Ding Kai, lived in the same dormitory with a person of such status. How unbelievable!¡± Ding Kai eximed in shock. He felt an inexplicable, whimsical feeling in his heart.


    Zhong Meili was in shock, and the color of her face slowly changed from a pale hue to a deeper shade of red. She had heard what Ding Kai had said, and he was right, for Xiao Luo was already at the top of his game. Even the high-ranking Mei government officials had to treat him with such courtesy. She was just a teacher, and she had no right to reprimand him as she had done earlier on.


    Before Xiao Luo left, he pointed at his friends and explicitly told Arnold, ¡°Those Hua nationals over there are my friends. You guys better treat them well. If they make anyint at all about the Mei nation when they return to our country, I will be back to pay you guys another visit!¡±Shiver!All the high-ranking officials from the federal government hurriedly turned to look at his friends. They made sure that theymitted those faces to memory so that Xiao Luo would never step foot into their country again.¡±Mr. Xiao Han, do not worry. For as long as they are in our country, they will receive presidential treatment from us,¡± said the Minister of Defense, Arnold, with a stiff nod.

 Chapter 672 - An eager heart

    Chapter 672: An eager heart</h2>


    The atmosphere was a solemn one. Stepping into the area, one could see a dining table, a conference table, and a sofa. There were round-arched windows and faux stone flooring, and a toilet at one end. A lush carpet added to the luxurious feel of the cabin¡¯s interior. If Xiao Luo had not entered through the aircraft door, he would have thought that he had walked into an office and not the interior of a ne.


    The soundproofing in the ne was perfect. Xiao Luo could not hear a sounding in from the aircraft exterior.


    Seated opposite Xiao Luo was a tall man with a buzz cut. He was in an immacte, well-tailored suit and looked rather slim. It was the President of the Mei nation, Bama.


    Xiao Luo tilted his head a little and looked at him. With a slight smile, he said, ¡°I am immensely overwhelmed and grateful that President Bama is sending me home with one billion dors!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke with feigned formality but had effectively thrown the president a curveball, for the amount offered to him, was far less.


    President Bama¡¯s lips twitched a little, and his heart bled. Did Xiao Luo say one billion dors? To ease his misery, he would have to find some time to think of a scheme to recoup that amount from some small but rich countries.


    ¡°Just what kind of person are you? A gic warrior from the Hua nation?¡± President Bama asked. He stared at Xiao Luo with unblinking eyes, as if trying to see through him.


    ¡°Gic warrior?¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered mockingly. He took a sip of the red wine in front of him and replied, ¡°Human genes are almost perfect. Yet you destroy that perfection and forcibly insert genes from other living beings to create gic warriors. Although they may far exceed the speed and strength of ordinary human beings, the gic defects do not allow these gic warriors to live with healthy bodies.¡±


    Let me give you a warning¡ªstop creating more gic warriors. If you wish to continue such development, then you might as well turn your focus toward developing mechanical warriors instead. Artificial intelligence might be far more effective,pared to your so-called gic warriors.¡±


    The deaths of Xie Wenchang and his family made him hate the research carried out on gic engineering. They included experiments that involved human lives, and he genuinely hoped that it would never be pursued again.


    After listening to Xiao Luo, President Bama refuted and said, ¡°It is hard to control artificial intelligence. It could be potentially disastrous to humans once these machines develop their intelligence. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you then fully control gic warriors?¡±


    Xiao Luo cut him off andughed coldly, then added, ¡°If the scientists changed their genes, then the gic warriors are no longer considered humans. They are apletely new breed. You think you have full control over that new breed. But life will always find a way to progress, and when those gic warriors go berserk, then is that not another disaster for humankind waiting to happen?¡±


    President Bama kept quiet. He did not know how to respond to that.


    Everyone present in that ne, including his secretary, furrowed their brows in deep thought.


    ¡°Ian is only one sessful case out of hundreds, and the rest of them were all victims of these experiments. President Bama, do you not feel guilty about how tragically these people died, not to mention the painful deaths they endured in thoseboratories? They were human beings who had to undergo cruel surgical experiments likeb rats.¡±


    ¡°They were all death row prisoners!¡± said President Bama as he tried to defend himself.


    ¡°Do they not have human rights just because they were death row prisoners? Are human rights not the thing you Mei nationals always preach about to the rest of the world?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    President Bama was silent once again.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°I am sure those prisoners would have preferred to face execution rather than to be subjected to these live experiments.¡±


    President Bama waved a hand to dismiss the conversation and said, ¡°Let us not talk about this. You have yet to answer my question. Who in the world are you?¡±


    ¡°A Hua nation man.¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a wry smile, and added, ¡°I was born and bred in the Hua nation!¡±


    ¡°How many more like you are there in the Hua Nation?¡± President Bama asked again. That was the most important question he had wanted to ask.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Xiao Luo said in a straightforward tone.


    ¡°A lot?¡±


    That shocked both President Bama and the secretary standing beside him. That guy in front of them had caused the entire federal government to suffer such turmoil in just a few days. It was mindboggling to imagine that there were more of them.


    ¡°Of course, there are a lot of us!¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head. The vivid memory of an ancient-looking man subconsciously appeared in his mind. It was the aged master that he had met at the NSA headquarters. That man had amanding presence and emanated an imposing aura. It was as if he possessed some potent magical powers, and it left such a deep impression in his memory. Xiao Luo believed that the old master was no ordinary mortal and his prowess was several levels above Xiao Luo.


    It seemed like they would have to re-assess the Hua nation!


    President Bama thought to himself, as he was sure that Xiao Luo was not lying. The Hua nation was a country far in the East with a five-thousand-year-old civilization, and it was mysterious and ancient. All around the world, many respected the Hua nation¡¯s martial art techniques. Although they were in the age of science and technology, no one could say for sure if science was better than the mysteriously powerful martial arts.


    ¡­


    President Bama¡¯s private nended in Xiahai Airport, and then it flew onward to Jingcheng. He wanted to meet the leader of the Hua Nation, for he had a list of grievances and wanted the leader to exin why they had sent someone to the Mei nation to create trouble.


    Of course, Xiao Luo did not care for such matters.


    What he cared about then was to see his wife, Su Li. As soon as he set foot on Xiahai, he took in the familiar sights and sounds of thend¨Cit was good to be back. He quickly hailed a taxi and headed straight to Crescent Bay. He hadn¡¯t realized how much he missed Su Li while he was away and was impatient to see her again.


    Eager as he was, he chose not to use his qigong force to get home quickly, to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.


    Crescent Bay had a ssical European d¨¦cor. Upon entering the premises, one could feel the ambiance of luxurious elegance.


    Xiao Luo was eager to see Su Li, and he rushed into the building as soon as he alighted from the taxi. Xiao Luo took the elevator to the fifty-second-floor, then headed straight to Su Li¡¯s ce and pressed the doorbell. He did not even go back into his apartment.


    He was behaving like a boy who was going to confess his feelings to a girl he fancied. He held a bouquet in one hand, and in his other hand, he carried a box of chocte that he bought for Su Li from the Mei nation.


    BA-DUM! BA-DUM!


    His heart was racing with inexplicable excitement, and a wave of nervousness overwhelmed him.


    Xiao Luo continued pressing the doorbell for quite a while, but he still could not hear a sound from inside. He tried the doorbell again, but the door remained shut. There was no one home.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Is she asleep?


    Xiao Luo looked at his watch. It was only 10 pm. It was not likely that she would have gone to bed this early.


    He pressed on the doorbell again and again, but no one came to the door. He stopped, took his cellphone out, and dialed Su Li¡¯s number. He got through to her after a short while. ¡°Are you not at home?¡± he asked.


    On the other end of the phone, Su Li sounded surprised. Then, in her usual sweet but cold voice, she said, ¡°Have you returned home?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I am standing right in front of your door. Where are you?¡± Xiao Luo asked urgently.


    ¡°Jingcheng,¡± Su Li replied.


    Jingcheng?


    Her reply startled Xiao Luo. He had been looking forward to seeing her and felt his mes of excitement doused by the disappointing news.


    ¡°What are you doing in Jingcheng?¡±


    ¡°I have some things to do here. I will return home once I¡¯m done, and I¡¯ll exin to you when I get home.¡±


    ¡°Send me the address. I will go over to you.¡±


    ¡°You areing to Jingcheng?¡± Su Li asked, a little surprised.


    Xiao Luo replied firmly, ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 673 - Pie drops from the sky

    Chapter 673: Pie drops from the sky


    Xiao Luo gave Zhang Dashan a call after putting down the phone. Zhang Dashan told him that Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological father had taken her away. And her biological father was Bai Yuquan, from the Bai family in Jingcheng.


    ¡°Bai family? Bai Yuquan?¡±


    Xiao Luo was quite shocked to hear this. How did Xiaobei end up getting involved with Jingcheng¡¯s Bai family so suddenly?


    ¡°Bai Yuquan is the young master of the Bai family. That¡¯s how his subordinate introduced him when he came over to Xiahai to take Xiaobei away. His grandfather is the chief of the Military Joint Staff Department, and his father is themander of the North China Military Area. They¡¯re like a¡¯ big-boss¡¯ level kinda family in Hua Nation. Goddess Su went over to Jingcheng so that she could take court action against Bai Yuquan to gain custody of Xiaobei.¡± Zhang Dashan told Xiao Luo everything he knew.


    The more he listened, the more Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows. Su Li went over to Jingcheng to attend a court case against the Bai family. Could she win?


    No matter how you looked at it, a mere woman could not win against the powerful Bai family.


    ¡°What a mess!¡± Xiao Luo remarked.


    ¡°Old Xiao, what did you go overseas for?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter when I have the time. I¡¯m hanging up!¡±


    Xiao Luo hung up the phone immediately. He lifted his head and looked to the North, then took a deep breath. Using his ¡°Gone with the Snow,¡± a qigong technique, he leaped through the bustling city like a godly hero and headed straight for Jingcheng.


    Utilizing all the power he had, his speed reached its limit, and each step covered about five to six hundred meters. It only took a moment for him to leave Xiahai.


    Looking at a ne flying across the night sky, Xiao Luo was a little annoyed. If he had given her a call before returning, it would¡¯ve been much easier for him to take President Bama¡¯s private ne and head directly to Jingcheng. The time needed to arrive here would not have made that much of a difference, but then he wouldn¡¯t have had to use up his internal force, and he could have discussed life and ideals with President Bama.


    Instead, he bounded and flew all the way here!


    The ground beneath him shed by quickly as he soared through the air and covered ten kilometers in just the blink of an eye.


    On his way to Jingcheng, Xiao Luo¡¯s mind was filled with numerous thoughts. The actions of the paparazzi, Zhou Wei, led to Xiao Luo killing themander of the Xiahai military region, Zhuo Yuze, who was the son-inw of the Bai family. And that¡¯s how his feud with the family began. The woman with the codename, Rose, also belonged to the Bai family. She would be around the same age as Bai Yuquan and was possibly Bai Yuquan¡¯s older or younger sister.


    Bai Yuquan was Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological father, and thisplicated rtionship was giving Xiao Luo a sudden headache. He had initially nned to go over to the Bai family to teach them a lesson, but now that Su Xiaobei had suddenly be a part of the Bai family, he could no longer do such a terrible thing to the Bai family.


    Of course, the people from the Bai family would be wise not to provoke him first.


    ¡°How is Bai Yuquan from the Bai family the biological father of that little girl?¡±


    As Xiao Luo thought about that question, he found it hard toprehend, but then arrived at a conclusion. Knowing the personality of Su Li¡¯s mother over the past couple of years when Bai Yuquan was in full swing at Xiahai, if Su¡¯s mum knew that Bai Yuquan was from the Bai family, it was not beyond her to use various schemes for her elder daughter to establish a rtionship with Bai Yuquan. After all, she even resorted to drugging Su Li in an attempt to marry her off into the Yang family.


    As he thought about that, he pitied Su Li¡¯s elder sister. To think that she had a mother like this!


    ¡­


    About forty to fifty minutester, Xiao Luo arrived at a city about two to three hundred kilometers away from Jingcheng.


    Using qigong over such a long distance took a toll on Xiao Luo¡¯s internal force. It was a little hard for even him to carry on, and he decided to stop for a brief rest. He chose a ce in the city to eat and restore his energy.


    Although strenuous activities were not encouraged after a meal, Xiao Luo continued his dash toward Jingcheng. But he had to reduce his speed significantly.


    As he flew past a mountain behind a university, he heard a boy confessing his love to a girl. The girl said that if a pie dropped from the sky, she¡¯d ept him. Xiao Luo hesitated for a moment and dropped the pie he had in his hands down to the young couple. Then, like a breeze, he silently whizzed past them from above.


    The boy and the girl were equally shocked when the pie dropped between them.


    The bashful boy said, ¡°Xin, look, a pie dropped from the sky! That means you have to promise to be my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t know how to react and instinctively raised her head to look around. All she saw was the night sky and the sprawlingwn around her. Where did this piee from? It couldn¡¯t possibly have dropped from the sky, right? But as she didn¡¯t have any feelings for this boy, she shouted, ¡°What kind of cheap trick is this? Have you been watching a bunch of short clips online? I do not know how you made this pie drop from the sky, but I¡¯ll never be your girlfriend, so you better just give it up!¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and left in a huff.


    Disappointed and feeling lost, the boy picked up the pie from the ground and ate it out of dejection.


    Xiao Luo looked at the both of them and realized that they had failed to be a couple. He shook his hands, raised his eyebrows, then channeled all his energy to reach Jingcheng in the shortest time possible.


    He finally arrived at Jingcheng half an hourter. It was a distance of more than a thousand kilometers. His breathing was a littlebored, and his body was soaked in sweat.


    Compared to Xiahai, Jingcheng was much more prosperous. Neon lights shed incessantly everywhere, and even the trees lining both sides of their streets were lit brightly in various colors. The soft light illuminated the entire Jingcheng, and it appeared like a city that never slept.


    Although it was alreadyte at night, pedestrians were everywhere. It was a bustling city.


    Xiao Luo quickly merged with the crowd, and after checking the address that Su Li had sent over, he hailed a taxi and headed straight to that location.


    It was Hillworth hotel. It looked very technology-inspired from the outside¡ªit presented a stylish ambiance that was graceful and luxurious.


    ¡°Sir, please show us your identification card or the hotel amodation card.¡± A hotel attendant stopped him at the main entrance with a polite smile.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring it along with me,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, Sir, we need to verify your identity before we can let you in.¡±


    The hotel attendant said with a polite smile again. You need to make a booking for Hillworth hotel, and for the safety of their customers, it¡¯s our duty to ensure that we verify the identity of every single person before allowing them to enter.


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    With a yful smile on his face, Xiao Luo stared into the attendant¡¯s eyes.


    The hotel attendant¡¯s pupils dted, and suddenly, there was a quick change in his attitude.


    ¡°I¡¯m a hotel guest staying in room 1305, you¡¯ve already checked my identity, can you let me in now?¡± Xiao Luo said to him.


    The hotel attendant nodded his head with no expression on his face.


    Xiao Luo straightened his cor and calmly walked in.


    Only when he got into the elevator did the hotel attendant snap out of the hypnosis. After recalling what happened earlier on, it felt like he had just let in an unknown person, but in his head, he was convinced that he had already verified that person¡¯s identity and that there was no problem, though he couldn¡¯t remember that person¡¯s name at all.


    ¡°What¡­ What is going on here?¡±


    The hotel attendant scratched his head. It felt like he just awoke from a catnap and was a little absent-minded.

 Chapter 674 - Enough?

    <h2>Chapter 674: Enough?</h2>


    Hillworth was a highly rated five-star hotel. Whether it was the elevator or the passageway, the hotel exuded elegance and luxury, and its ambiance quickly lifted one¡¯s mood just by being there.


    Xiao Luo headed to room 1305 and stopped in front of the door before taking out his phone to call Su Li.


    He got through to her in two rings.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s voice was icy, as usual. Not that she was deliberately being arrogant, but the manner of her speech was a habit formed over a long period.


    Despite it, the tone of her voice was soft. It was already a significant change to herpared to when Xiao Luo first met her, and it warmed his heart hearing her voice.


    He coughed for a bit, then said, ¡°I¡¯m already at Hillworth Hotel. I¡¯m just outside your room; can you open your door?¡±


    After saying that, there was silence on the other end of the phone.


    As Xiao Luo wondered if something was wrong with the phone, the room door of 1305 opened, and a beautiful figure appeared from behind the door.


    With her silky hair, delicate features, and fair skin, she was a stunning beauty that stood above everyone else. She possessed a sensuous and ethereal beauty. It couldn¡¯t be anyone other than Su Li.


    The white tunic skirt wrapped seductively around her graceful figure, resembling small waves. Her neckline exposed her visible corbone, and she had a face that looked meticulously crafted. She stood there looking both mourous and coquettish. She was wless, and it was more than enough to make any guy fall into an obsession over her.


    Su Li was stunned when she saw Xiao Luo. Still holding on to her phone, she stared nkly at him with her beautiful eyes.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo kept his phone back and said, ¡°Surely you¡¯re not nning to make me stand outside, right?¡±


    Su Li finally realized that she was not hallucinating, and it was indeed Xiao Luo. The journey from Xiahai to Jingcheng was over a thousand kilometers. They were on the phone less than an hour ago, and here he was now, standing in front of her. How did he get here so quickly?


    Ploop~


    In her state of stupor, the phone slipped out of her hand.


    Xiao Luo instantly stretched his right hand out and grabbed her phone before it hit the floor. He thenughed mischievously and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I know you¡¯re excited to see me, but surely you don¡¯t have to drop your phone, right?¡±


    Su Li ignored his attempt at a joke and looked at him incredulously. ¡°You¡­ How did you do it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Xiao Luo pretended he did not quite understand her question.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you still in Xiahai an hour ago? How did you suddenly appear here?¡± Su Li asked.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°I was lying to you. I arrived at Jingcheng airport when I returned. I was about to take a connecting flight back to Xiahai, but when I called you, you said you were at Jingcheng, so I came over to look for you.¡±


    That was all he could say. He definitely couldn¡¯t tell the truth, or Su Li would surely treat him like a weird monster.


    ¡°So, you just returned from Japan tonight?¡±


    Su Li was much calmer now that she understood what was going on. If Xiao Luo hade over from Xiahai, then she would have considered it to be nothing short of supernatural.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    After saying that, he took a step forward, and came very close to Su Li. They were barely several centimeters apart, their faces almost touching, and they could feel each other¡¯s breath on their faces.


    ¡°You¡­ What are you doing?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks suddenly turned red, and she unconsciously took a step back.


    Xiao Luo stretched his hands out and wrapped his arms around her slender and soft waist. He coughed a little and said, ¡°Absence makes the heart grow fonder¡ªhaven¡¯t you ever heard of it?¡±


    Upon hearing that, Su Li¡¯s face turned even redder. She tried to push him away, and whispered, ¡°Stop that, there are people here.¡±


    ¡°There are people here?¡± Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows slightly.


    As soon as he said that, a voice came from inside the room.


    ¡°Ms. Su¡­¡±


    A woman in ck business attire appeared in Xiao Luo¡¯s field of vision. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. She wore sses and her looks were average, but her figure was perfect, with her tight-fitting business attire entuating her curves.


    As soon as she saw that there was a man at the door, the woman immediately stopped speaking.


    This must be Su Li¡¯swyer!


    Xiao Luo guessed, but before he could even say anything, he heard another female voiceing from inside.


    ¡°Li, who¡¯s there?¡±


    She wore a ck dress. Her long, wavy hair, with streaks of rosy red, framed her charming snow-white face. Her full, voluptuous figure exuded a wild charm. An alluring pair of pink-colored silk stockings wrapped her long legs, and she wore crystal-colored high heels. She had a dignified and elegant demeanor, and it could have been none other than Sheng Qingyan.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡± Shen Qingyan was surprised he had turned up.


    Xiao Luo frowned. He had initially wanted to move closer to Su Li, but now he could forget about that idea. Awyer and a best friend were akin to two high-wattage light bulbs shining into one¡¯s face during interrogation, and Xiao Luo instantly pulled his arms away from Su Li¡¯s waist, then forced a smile before greeting Shen Qingyan. ¡°Ms. Shen, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°It has been quite a while, indeed. I heard you went to Japan, and it seems like you¡¯ve learned quite a lot while you were there. You¡¯re already being naughty with Li as soon as you see her,¡± Shen Qingyan said as she sauntered up, looking slightly envious. She was best friends with Su Li and seeing her BFFpletely subdued by another man, it was hard for her not to feel a little jealous.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Su Li retorted with a re, then gently nudged her a little.


    ¡°I said nothing wrong, did I? I saw everything that was going on. This guy had his arms wrapped around your waist. Both of your lower abdomens were almost stuck to one another,¡± Shen Qingyan responded, moving her hands to mimic what she saw.


    Su Li¡¯s ears were glowing red by now.


    Xiao Luo was feeling a little embarrassed now, but remained calm, and said, ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife, surely it¡¯s not a crime to disy this kind of intimacy, right?¡±


    Husband and wife?


    So, this guy is Su Li¡¯s husband!


    The femalewyer thought to herself.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say you guysmitted any crime, did I?¡±


    Shen Qingyan realized she couldn¡¯t counter Xiao Luo¡¯s riposte and changed the topic immediately. ¡°Right, Xiao Luo, is your Jin Clinic not nning to give me a way out at all? I mean, just looking at Xiahai¡¯s market share now¡ªmy Huayao Group and Renhe Medicines are both trailing far behind Jin Clinic. It¡¯s probably just a matter of time before Jin Clinic dominates the national market. I¡¯m just going to ask you this, do you have to go to this extent?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s in charge, so if you want to work together with us, you can speak to the person who heads Jin Clinic,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Work together?¡±


    Shen Qingyan sneered, ¡°Jin Clinic cannotpare when you consider Huayao Group¡¯s financial resources, and if we worked with Renhe Medicines, I¡¯m afraid that your Jin Clinic will not have the capital topete. It might make sense for us to discuss coboration, but I¡¯m not the one who should look for you. You guys are the ones who should start the discussion.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then how much money do you think my Jin Clinic will need to take you over? Will one billion USD be enough?¡± Xiao Luo responded aggressively.


    One billion?


    In USD?


    Not only was Shen Qinyan shocked, but even Su Li and her femalewyer were stunned as well. The sum that Xiao Luo mentioned, when converted to Hua Nation¡¯s RMB, would be over six billion RMB. Investing six billion RMB into Jin Clinic would make Jin Clinic even more powerful than Huayao Group. Then what position would that force Renhe Pharmaceutical to take? A takeover war? Who was going to take over who?


    Shen Qingyan looked at Xiao Luo and a chill ran down her spine. It was the first time that she realized how scary this man actually was!

 Chapter 675 - Jealous

    <h2>Chapter 675: Jealous</h2>


    He was already pissed since his n of trying to get closer with Su Li had been ruined. Shen Qingyan used such an aggressive tone to question him; hence, Xiao Luo¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t all that nice either. With just one statement, hepletely made Shen Qingyan speechless.


    ¡­


    After walking into room 1305, Xiao Luo realized that it was a suite. There were a bedroom and a living room. It was pretty spacious, over a hundred square meters, and the decoration in the room was first ss. It looked elegant, neat, and grandiose.


    The femalewyer¡¯s name was Ning Wanxiu. She came here to learn more about the situation regarding Su Xiaobei, so as to better prepare herself for the trial that would be held in two days and gain an early advantage. They continued their discussion, while Xiao Luo went to the bathroom to take a shower. His body had perspired quite a bit after traveling for a long distance¡ªand it felt pretty ufortable¡ªso taking a shower was a must for him.


    The femalewyer had left by the time he came out.


    Shen Qingyan got up, too. Perhaps she could tell she was being a huge light bulb: ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower as well. My entire body feels ufortable.¡±


    She fanned herself and walked towards the bathroom.


    Su Li sat on the sofa. To mask her nervousness, she grabbed a book and flipped it over to pretend like she was reading it. Her hair had been let loose, and it flowed down naturally to her waist. It was as if an angel had descended from heaven.


    ¡°What this book is about?¡± Xiao Luo walked over and sat beside her. His nose could easily smell the faint body fragranceing from this woman¡¯s body.


    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, then look at it yourself.¡± Su Li closed the book and put it to the side.


    ¡°But I¡¯m only interested in you now.¡± Xiao Luo raised his hand and held her in his arm.


    Su Li panicked a little at the start, but shortly after, like a docile sheep, shey down in Xiao Luo¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I said it before, in front of me, you don¡¯t have to always put up a brave front. Xiaobei will definitely return to our side,¡± Xiao Luoforted her and gently patted her on the back.


    Su Li was shocked. She didn¡¯t imagine that Xiao Luo had already seen through her helplessness. That¡¯s right. When the Bai family took Su Xiaobei away, she was helpless, and she even broke down. Su Xiaobei might not be her biological daughter, but she couldn¡¯t live without her regardless.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    She nodded her head gently, closed her eyes, and snuggled in this man¡¯s arms. Right now, she was like a small boat that had through stormy waves, but had returned safely to the harbor.


    Xiao Luo was already very satisfied just hugging her like that. When he recalled how the both of them first met, it honestly wasn¡¯t love at first sight. He only started paying more attention and developed feelings for her after all the things that the both of them had been through. He realized that she was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She would often say a whole bunch of insincere stuff, but her concern towards him was genuine.


    Perhaps, after what happened to the both of them, Su Li had since treated him as a husband that she would spend her life with. What¡¯s funny was that he always thought that she would bring up the topic of divorce eventually and end up with another guy afterwards.


    ¡°Seems like they were destined to be with one another!¡±


    Shen Qingyan came out after showering. When she saw the both of them lying on the sofa, she didn¡¯t ruin the scene but went back to her bedroom quietly, closing the door as well.


    ¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Xiaobei. I can handle it by myself.¡±


    After a long while, Su Li broke away from Xiao Luo¡¯s embrace and got up to pour some tea for Xiao Luo and herself.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to win thiswsuit?¡±


    Xiao Luo reminded her, ¡°The one you¡¯re going up against is the Bai family.¡±


    Su Li thought for a bit, then said: ¡°I don¡¯t think there should be any problems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re that confident?¡± Xiao Luo was astonished.


    Su Li dropped the conversation. She lifted the teacup and took a sip.


    ¡°Right. How¡¯s Liyue Media doing?¡± Xiao Luo suddenly thought of Lyon in America and couldn¡¯t help but ask since Lyon was one of the shareholders of Liyue Media.


    Su Li was a little stunned. She looked at Xiao Luo before replying, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ve already recruited about 20 to 30 celebrities and are in the process of training them.¡± After thinking for a bit, she lifted her head and asked, ¡°What made you ask that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just out of curiosity, that¡­if, I mean if, Lyon¡¯s side withdraws their investment, how will that affect Liyue Media?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s expression looked unnatural.


    Su Li¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and she felt like the question that this guy was asking was bing weirder and weirder. How did the topic change to Lyon all of a sudden?


    ¡°There are no problems with the funds. Even if Lyon withdraws his investment, it won¡¯t affect Liyue Media too much. The reason why I let him have a share was so that in the future, with the influence of the Kennedy family from the West, we¡¯ll have a better footing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. If you¡¯re nning to turn Liyue Media into an international entertainmentpany in the future, I¡¯ll be sure to give you my full support. I might not be familiar with other families in America, but I¡¯m sure the Michelle family will give me some face. If Liyue Media decides to enter the American market, I¡¯m sure the Michelle family will be able to provide you with some help,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li stared at him. ¡°The Michelle family will show you some face?¡±


    She was in disbelief.


    ¡°I guess so. I¡¯ve worked a little with them before.¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows andughed.


    You¡¯ve worked with the Michelle family?


    Su Li was starting to feel that Xiao Luo¡¯s real identity was bing more and more mysterious. If it was just Luo Ventures, and the boss of Jin Clinic, how was it possible for them to have worked with the Michelle family, one of the four biggest families in America? There was absolutely no rtion between both parties. What was his identity? What was it that allowed Xiao Luo to establish some sort of rtionship with the Michelle family?


    Although she really wanted to know, she didn¡¯t ask him. She remembered that Xiao Luo once said that when the time is right, he would confess everything to her. Before that, she was afraid that it was pointless to ask him anything.


    ¡­


    In the middle of the night, cool wind blew in from the balcony, bringing along a cozy feeling.


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan upied the bedroom, while the living room was left for Xiao Luo. Having the soft sofa as a bed didn¡¯t feel that bad at all.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t sleep. Hey on the sofa while watching the television. The female lead of this drama was Su Li. The only reason he endured this show was that it was an idol drama and the main storyline was about the male and female lead¡¯s rtionship. After witnessing a couple of kissing scenes, he had to hold himself back from smashing the television.


    Creak.


    The bedroom door was gently pushed open, before it was gently closed again.


    Su Li was wearing pink pajamas, and there were rose petals printed all over them. They looked cute on her.


    ¡°Still awake?¡± She walked over and ced a neatly folded sheet beside Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Looking at his girl kissing some other guy¡­ Do you think I¡¯ll be able to fall asleep?¡± Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t in the mood.


    Su Li only realized now that Xiao Luo was actually watching a drama that she had acted in. She rolled her eyes at Xiao Luo. ¡°It¡¯s not like we really kissed. It¡¯s the angle that created this effect that made it look like we kissed.¡±


    ¡°Angle? But I could clearly see that both of your lips were stuck to one another!¡± There was a huge knot in Xiao Luo¡¯s heart.


    ¡°That was a substitute actor.¡±


    Su Li realized that she needed to clearly exin it. ¡°Besides, if there¡¯s a need for me to act out a kissing scene with someone else, there¡¯ll be ayer of partition in the middle, so will you stop being jealous!

 Chapter 676 - Going to the Banquet

    <h2>Chapter 676: Going to the Banquet</h2>


    There was a barrier in the middle.


    Only then did Xiao Luo calm down. Although he was conservative, he was fine with having a barrier when filming a kissing scene. Furthermore, he also knew that television dramas had post-production works. Although there was a barrier in the middle while filming a kissing scene, it would be erased when the show aired, making the audience think it was real.


    He coughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. I¡¯m just in a bad mood.¡±


    When Su Li saw that he was quibbling over this matter, she was touched and ttered. Xiao Luo was jealous, which meant that she was in his heart. On the contrary, she would be bitterly disappointed if he wasn¡¯t jealous.


    ¡°The temperature is lower at night. I¡¯ve left a nket here. If you feel cold, cover up.¡±


    After reminding her, Xiao Luo turned and walked towards the bedroom.


    However, since Su Li was already out, how could Xiao Luo let her go so easily? He reached out and grabbed her wrist. With a light tug, Su Li lost her bnce and fell into his embrace.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Being pressed down by Xiao Luo, Su Li¡¯s heart was beating madly. She looked at Xiao Luo with teary eyes, and color red in her cheeks.


    However, Xiao Luo seemed to be admiring a piece of art. He clicked his tongue andplimented her, ¡°You are really a dish!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around,¡± Su Li warned. ¡°Qingyan is inside. She¡¯ll wake up easily.¡±


    Su Li was startled. Recalling what Xiao Luo did to her in the Luo¡¯s Workshop¡¯s meeting room, she was still a little shaken.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me me. You brought yourself to me.¡±


    Xiao Luo gave a cheeky smile. Having a soft spot for their loved ones weremon in most men.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that you would catch a cold, so I sent you¡ª¡± Su Li bit her red lips.


    ¡°Hush! Don¡¯t speak.¡±


    Xiao Luo gestured and kissed Su Li¡¯s lips.


    ¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t take on any roles in the future,¡± Xiao Luo suddenly said seriously.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t work, will you provide for me?¡± Su Li looked straight at him. The way she frowned seemed to be acting coquettishly.


    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about providing for you?¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out and lifted her sharp chin. ¡°Also, although you said that there was a barrier when you were filming the kissing scene, I was still very¡­very unhappy. I was even uneasy that you were holding hands with another man in the scene. Even though that was acting, you¡¯re my woman and you belong to me¡­only to me. Other men can¡¯t even touch a finger of yours.¡±


    ¡°So you admit that you¡¯re jealous?¡± Su Li teased him. A rare yful smile appeared on Su Li¡¯s cold face.


    Xiao Luo smiled and did not say anything, tacitly acknowledging what she said.


    Su Li was pleased. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s toote. I have to go back and have a rest. I have to go to Bai family to meet Bai Yuquan tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Call me hubby, and I¡¯ll let you go back to your bedroom.¡± Xiao Luo chuckled.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next day, almost noon, Su Li, who was wearing a pair of oversized sunsses, went to Bai Yuquan¡¯s banquet with Shen Qingyan and Xiao Luo.


    On both sides of the restaurant were sculptures inspired by ancient Athens. Led by the well-dresseddy of etiquette, they walked to arge private room by theke.


    The oyster white carved wooden door opened, and a man in a ck suit made a ¡®please¡¯ gesture. ¡°Ms. Su, Ms. Shen, our Young Master Bai has been waiting for you.¡±


    Without speaking, Su Li slightly nodded her head in greeting and stepped in.


    ¡°Wait. Who is he?¡± The man reached out to stop Xiao Luo, and his eyes were filled with hostility.


    ¡°He¡¯s my husband.¡± Su Li expressionlessly said, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    The man was stunned for a moment before he smiled and stepped aside. ¡°No, no. Since you¡¯re Ms. Su¡¯s husband, you¡¯re also Master Bai¡¯s guest. Pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t gild the lily,¡± Xiao Luomented and walked past him.


    ¡°You actually made an unnecessary move,¡± Shen Qingyan also said when she passed by the man.

 Chapter 677 - Hows the Wine?

    <h2>Chapter 677: How¡¯s the Wine?</h2>


    When they entered the private room, the scent ofvender permeated the air, and they instantly felt refreshed.


    ¡°Su Li, you¡¯rete!¡±


    A man in a blue shirt stood up from the sofa in the private room. He had short, neat hair, a fair face, and delicate facial features and gestures. The way he behaved implied his affluence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want toe here at all. If there is something, say it in court the day after tomorrow,¡± Su Li replied coldly.


    ¡°Ms. Su, you¡¯re always so full of yourself. My husband personally invited you here, yet you still put on airs. Who do you think you are? You¡¯re just an actress. Don¡¯t push your luck,¡± a woman spoke. She was tall and fit. She was wearing a back-belt dress with red flowers on it, revealing her snow-white cleavage. The dress covered her knees, and the belt made her appear slim and slender, and her chest looked even plumper.


    There was a hint of sarcasm in her words, but she had a smile on her face, which made her appear especially sweet and polite when she spoke. She was the embodiment of the words ¡®femme fatale¡¯.


    Xiao Luo frowned slightly. He knew this woman. A few years ago, she often appeared on all kinds of variety shows. She had sat in the guest seats, host seats, judges seats, and so on. In recent years, she had retired behind the scenes. It was said that she had married into the purple, but he did not expect her to marry Bai Yuquan from the Bai family.


    ¡°Yu Yasi, didn¡¯t you also climb up by selling two pieces of meat on your chest? What right do you have tough at Li? If Li is an actress, then what are you? A slutty vixen?¡± Shen Qingyan sneered.


    Upon hearing this, the smile on Yu Yasi¡¯s face froze. It was obvious that these words had quite an impact on her. However, she quickly regained her smile and responded seriously, ¡°Miss Shen, you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth. How would you understand the difficulties of poor people like us who want to change our fate? We have no power, privilege, or background. I am a woman, so naturally, I can only take advantage of my beauty.¡±


    Shen Qingyan giggled and said, ¡°So this is the reason why you¡¯re showing 90% of your chest to others. So dignified!¡± She grinned, her words full of sarcasm. She turned to look at Bai Yuquan and continued, ¡°It seems like Young Master Bai really loves you. If I were a man, I would definitely mind the past of a woman like you.¡±


    Yu Yasi was angered by those words. After all, when she entered showbiz in the past, she had indeed relied on selling her flesh, which was not very honorable, and others had always criticized her for it.


    ¡°Alright, alright. You women are sopetitive and like to fight each other the moment you meet.¡±


    Bai Yuquan walked over and hugged Yu Yasi. ¡°Honey, calm down. Miss Shen, please talk less as well. Just do me a favor.¡±


    Yu Yasi timidly nodded her head. She always agreed with everything Bai Yuquan said.


    ¡°Sure. I did not mean to offend you, Young Master Bai. I¡¯m just unhappy to hear someone nder my best friend.¡±


    Shen Qingyan knew when to stop. After all, the capital city was the Bai Family¡¯s territory. Bai Yuquan might seem easygoing on the surface, but he was also a ruthless person once his temper red.


    ¡°I understand and really appreciate it.¡±


    Bai Yuquan gave them a thumbs up and walked towards the main table. ¡°Please take a seat. I¡¯m starving. Let¡¯s eat and talk.¡±


    Su Li and Shen Qingyan both sat down. Xiao Luo also felt at ease and pulled a chair to sit beside Su Li.


    ¡°Su Li, this is?¡± Bai Yuquan asked, finally noticing Xiao Luo.


    ¡°My husband.¡± Su Li said.


    ¡°Your husband?¡±


    Bai Yuquan frowned slightly and remarked in surprise, ¡°So you¡¯re really married. I thought you were spouting nonsense at the press conference to maintain a positive image in the hearts of your fans.¡±


    Su Li did not respond. There was no need to exin too much to Bai Yuquan.


    ¡°So, as Su Li¡¯s husband, aren¡¯t you going to introduce yourself?¡± Bai Yuquan looked at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Xiao Luo,¡± Xiao Luo introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m just a follower. You guys can talk about what you want. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo is really humorous. How can the man that Su Li has her eyes on be a mere follower? May I ask which profession does Mr. Xiao Luo work in? Perhaps, we might have a chance to work together in the future,¡± Bai Yuquan said with a faint smile on his face.


    ¡°Just a business on a small scale, not worth mentioning,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    However, Xiao Luo was puzzled. He had killed the Bai family¡¯s son-inw, Zhuo Yuze, and even hit ady from the Bai family with the code name ¡°Rose¡±. Yet this Bai Yuquan actually did not know him, which was really strange.


    ¡°Indeed, birds of a feather flock together. Both husband and wife are the same,¡± Yu Yasi said unhappily, dissatisfied with Xiao Luo¡¯s arrogance.


    Although her voice was very low, everyone heard it clearly. Yet, Su Li, Xiao Luo, and Shen Qingyan did not pay much attention. They just treated it as a gust of stinky wind blowing past.


    ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Bai Yuquan¡¯s expression did not change. He pped his hands and asked the waiter to serve the dishes.


    The waiter at the door immediately smiled and began to serve the dishes: traditional western food.


    ¡°Bai Yuquan, let¡¯s get straight to the point,¡± Su Li began. ¡°Su Xiaobei is like a daughter to me, but you tried to snatch her away from me. I will get her back no matter what and openly be her legal guardian.¡±


    ¡°But I am her father, while you are only her aunt. Not to mention the Bai family behind me, even if I am powerless, you will not be able to defeat me.¡± Bai Yuquan smiled calmly.


    Su Li rebuked, ¡°You¡¯re the one who abandoned her. How dare you take her back!¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m her father.¡±


    Bai Yuquan opened the lid of a bottle of wine. ¡°Isn¡¯t this identity reasonable enough?¡± He looked at Xiao Luo and directly diverted the topic. ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo, nice to meet you. Forgive us for not having much to entertain you. Please let me pour you a ss of Vieille Bon Secours Ale.¡±


    This was clearly purposely making things difficult for Xiao Luo. Those that didn¡¯t understand wouldn¡¯t be able to exin it. This way, he could make Su Li lower her head by attacking Xiao Luo.


    Yu Yasi couldn¡¯t help sneering and waited for Xiao Luo to make a fool of himself. To be exact, she should be waiting for Su Li to make a fool of herself that she actually married a country bumpkin that didn¡¯t even know about the 10 most expensive wines out there.


    Xiao Luo did not say anything and looked at the wine that the waiter poured in front of him. He picked it up, shook it gently, and sniffed it again. Then, he tilted the wine ss and took a sip.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, what do you think of the wine? Is it good?¡± Yu Yasi hurriedly asked. She did not believe that this country bumpkin could tell anything special.

 Chapter 678 - Inner Power Expert

    <h2>Chapter 678: Inner Power Expert</h2>


    ¡°Vieille Bon Secours Ale is produced by a Belgianpany, Caulier. It has only eight percent of alcohol. In addition, it contains ingredients such as toffee, licorice, and aniseed that give it a unique andplex taste, allowing this drink to stand out exceptionally in terms ofplexity,¡± Xiao Luo exined slowly and then nced at the wine bottle. ¡°This 12-liter beer was created by Charles Caulier in 1995. At the same time, it became famous and had been one of the world¡¯s top 10 most expensive liquors.¡±


    Yu Yasi was visibly stunned as she clearly did not expect Xiao Luo to know so much about wines.


    Bai Yuquan was also surprised as even he could not exin the alcohol¡¯s background and information in such detail, regardless of how often he drinks it. Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan also were impressed with Xiao Luo as they were expecting Xiao Luo to admit that he had no idea.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo is indeed well versed in many fields. No wonder you have earned Su Li¡¯s affection,¡± Bai Yuquan praised Xiao Luo, smiling. However, whether if he meant that from the bottom of his heart was only something he knew.


    Su Li could not be bothered to beat around the bush with Bai Yuquan, as her sister was framed by this man to death. Thus, she had no good impression of Bai Yuquan, ¡°Bai Yuquan, cut to the chase now. I don¡¯t like to beat around the bush.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Bai Yuquan looked at Su Li approvingly and began, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll be straight forward. The reason I¡¯ve asked you toe here is to hope that you could give up thewsuit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡± Su Li replied to him firmly.


    ¡°Absurd?¡±


    Bai Yuquan frowned and then chuckled. ¡°Su Li, you are smart. How could you be so dumb this time? On top of the fact that I¡¯m Xiaobei¡¯s biological father, the Bai family behind thiswsuit is not something you can conquer. As long as the head of the family wanted it, every presiding judge from the entire Jingcheng woulde to him and obey his every word like a dog.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that the Bai family is above thew in Jingcheng,¡± Su Li retorted.


    ¡°Sorry, but the Bai family really could supersede anyw in Jingcheng.¡±


    Bai Yuquan smiled gloomily, ¡°I¡¯m persuading you for the sake of your long years of effort taking care of Xiaobei. Su Li, don¡¯t take my kindness for granted.¡±


    ¡°What is kindness? Can I eat it?¡± Xiao Luo interrupted.


    ¡°Of course, you could as much as I kindly bestow upon you.¡± Bai Yuquan smiled.


    Xiao Luo replied, ¡°Then feed that to a dog. It surely is a dog¡¯s favorite food.¡±


    He was undoubtedly mocking Bai Yuquan with words as he would stand by his wife unconditionally regardless of any situation.


    Bai Yuquan¡¯s mouth throbbed.


    ¡°You better be careful with your words, as*h*le! Or else, you won¡¯t live to see the next sunrise!¡± Yu Yasi yelled.


    ¡°Yu Yasi, you are the one who should be careful with your words. Don¡¯t think that you can act all cocky with Bai Yuquan backing you up. You have no right to scold my husband.¡± Su Li frowned and stared at Yu Yasi coldly.


    ¡°Ha¡­Your husband? He¡¯s nothing but an ordinary loach. God knows which swamp was he from, and you actually treasure him as if he was a real gem. Su Li, do you know that you are lowering your standards? If people learned that you have married such a guy, everyone in showbiz would definitely mock you. How could you actually find a powerless and penniless nobody.¡±


    Yu Yasi crossed her arms and insulted Xiao Luo relentlessly. She then used a peculiar tone and pretended to be surprised, ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s so good in bed that you are absolutely smitten by that? That¡¯s why you could not leave him and had decided to marry him unwillingly. So it seems like our proud and demuredy Su is also a slut who is addicted to sex.¡±


    As they heard that, both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were greatly provoked. Yu Yasi was absolutely vulgar and didn¡¯t know when to stop.


    Bai Yuquan chuckled by the side secretly as he was happy to see the catfight.


    Ssh!


    A ss of wine was poured onto Yu Yasi. She waspletely drenched.


    ¡°Ms. Yu, it seems like you¡¯re pretty in your head, judging from your words. Do you feel better now? If one ss is not enough, do you want another ss?¡± Xiao Luo put down the empty ss and took a napkin to wipe his hand dry.


    ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡±


    Yu Yasi was in wrath as she stood up. She ran to the bouncer in a ck suit and yelled, ¡°Yu San, what are you doing? Kick this as*h*le¡¯s ass!¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Yu San charged up like a gust and performed a Chin Na move to try to suppress Xiao Luo, then leaving him to his master.


    However, before his Chin Na move was about to reach Xiao Luo¡¯s body, an invisible force locked him down and stopped him from inching forward. It felt like wanting to run in a dream but was instead incapacitated. He could not move at all even with using every ounce of his strength.


    An expert who could project his inner power?


    Yu San was shocked as he was aware of the existence of Kung fu, since he came from the Central Guard Regiment. However, an expert who could project his inner power only existed in legends, and the entire Hua nation probably did not have more than five of such experts. Nobody could expect that he would actually run into one today.


    ¡°Yu San, what are you doing? Destroy him!¡±


    Yu Yasi did not understand what was going on, so she rushed him loudly. In her eyes, all she could catch was Yu San had stopped, but she did not know that Yu San was using his full strength and was even breaking out of sweat on his forehead.


    ¡°Destroy me? He can¡¯t!¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled jokingly as he mmed the table, unleashing his inner power. Yu San flew back with a painful scream and crashed onto the wall of the room. He could not sense his right arm at that moment as it was trembling violently.


    Such a bizarre scene had shocked everyonepletely as none of them could understand what had actually happened. This looked like a y, but it was an overly surreal y as Yu San actually vomited a little blood.


    What was going on?


    What had just happened?


    Xiao Luo was sitting on his chair throughout the process. He did not move an inch at all!


    ¡°How could this dude be so strange?¡±


    Shen Qingyan mumbled softly. Xiao Luo had been a mysterious guy all along, and nobody could actually see through him.


    Su Li also stared at her own man in awe as she was equally surprised. It would have been a lie if she says that she was not shocked.


    ¡°It seems like Mr. Xiao Luo is a Kung fu expert. Pardon myck of attention. I couldn¡¯t tell from looking. It is my mistake.¡± Bai Yuquan smiled at Xiao Luo after experiencing a momentary shock.


    Xiao Luo disliked Bai Yuquan a lot as he was extremely hypocritical. Even though he was very pissed off, he still put up a smile. Such a person was the most vicious and calctive of people.


    He turned to Su Li. ¡°Honey, is there anything else? Let¡¯s go if you¡¯re done. We¡¯ll get some delicious food.¡±


    Su Li blushed a little as she heard the word ¡®honey¡¯ with so many people around, but she nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 679 - We’re Friends

    <h2>Chapter 679: We¡¯re Friends</h2>


    Since they were going to the court, it was fated that they would not end this meeting on good terms.


    Although the deal was broken, Bai Yuquan still put up a smile and escorted Xiao Luo, Su Li, and Shen Qingyan out.


    ¡°That son of a b*tch. I will make him pay for this!¡±


    Yu Yasi clenched her teeth as she red at Xiao Luo¡¯s back. She had wiped herself clean with napkins meticulously, but she was still reeking of alcohol. Her clothes were also drenched in wine that Xiao Luo had poured. As she recalled how she was treated by Xiao Luo, her mind went furious and hysterical.


    Bai Yuquan did not express any concern to her nor her words. He just nced at Yu San and asked, ¡°What was that?¡±


    Yu San bowed and replied, ¡°That man could project his inner power outward. Not even guns and swords could hurt him, let alone bare hands.¡±


    ¡°Oh? He¡¯s so powerful?¡± Bai Yuquan was surprised. He then went on, ¡°I want you to find out his identity as soon as possible. Since he¡¯s such a formidable character, I would want to avoid him as an enemy as much as possible, or recruit him to work for the Bai family. That¡¯ll be nice.¡±


    ¡°Recruit him? Yu Quan, he¡¯s done all that to me, and you still want to recruit him?¡± Yu Yasi was unhappy about that.


    Bai Yuquan patted her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s amon problem with you women. You are too narrow-minded and short-sighted. All it takes for you to hate someone was to receive some unfair treatment. This is also the main reason why there are fewer sessful women than men. Those who could make it big are the ones who would not mind the nitty-gritty details. They could also see things in a bigger picture as they could portray the magnificent blueprint in their mind, not just some minuscule benefits that were ced before them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your preaching, and I don¡¯t bother to understand them. I just want to be your woman behind the scene. To serve you and bear your children.¡± Yu Yasi leaned on Bai Yuquan affectionately and acted like a spoiled child.


    Bai Yuquan smiled and patted her shoulder again.


    At this time, there were a few people in suits appearing at the restaurant that was decorated with Chinese mountain and river paintings. They all looked cold and stern as if nothing could escape their pursuit and sharp eyes.


    ¡°Yu San, those seem like the people from the Central Guard Regiment that you had served at before, right?¡± Bai Yuquan asked, frowning.


    Yu San observed them carefully and then confirmed, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°What are the people from the Central Guard Regiment doing here? Could it be that the prestigious one of our country ising here?¡± Bai Yuquan inquired.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s arge-scale activation of the squad, they are probably escorting some key leaders from other countries,¡± Yu San added.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Bai Yuquan looked towards that direction with much interest as he raised his brows.


    It did not take too long for a dark-skinned man to walk through the escorted by some white assistants.


    ¡°It¡¯s the president of the Mei nation, Mr. Oba!¡± Yu Yasi eximed, blinking her eyes excitedly. Although she had married to a rich family, it was still very impressive and surreal to see a leader of a country within such close proximity. This had shocked her substantially.


    ¡°It¡¯s really President Oba. It seems like our country¡¯s way of ensuring security for foreign leaders isn¡¯t up to the standard. How could they send a mere squad of Central Guard Regiment? What if someone assassinated him, wouldn¡¯t that be simple?¡± Bai Yuquanmented. He thought that if they were to hold a reception for foreign leaders, they should clear up the venue in the first ce.


    Yu San smiled awkwardly as he was certain of the capability of the Central Guard Regiment. Each member could match up to 10 special forces, and they were genuinely capable. In addition, the Hua nation had a very strict gunw, so assassination with hot weapons was almost impossible.


    ¡°Er, why would President Oba greet Xiao Luo actively?¡±


    Bai Yuquan was shocked as he saw that President Oba, who was walking towards theke, confidently left the protected zone by the Central Guard Regiment. He walked straight to Xiao Luo and started chatting with him with a smiley face.


    Both Yu San and Yu Yasi looked closely and were in disbelief. It was certain that President Oba was bootlicking Xiao Luo as if he was talking to his superior. Although they could not tell what they were talking about, the respectful attitude from President Oba was very obvious.


    What was going on?


    How could that as*h*le be acquainted with the president of the Mei nation? How could that be?


    Yu Yasi was having mixed emotions at one go as she could not believe what she had seen.


    As for Su Li and Shen Qingyan, they both were caught off guardpletely. They stared at President Oba shaking Xiao Luo¡¯s hand enthusiastically as if they were close friends who had not met for a long time.


    ¡°Mr. Oba, aren¡¯t you too enthusiastic?¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned and was speechless. He did not expect to meet this dude here. Anyway, he had no issue with that, but this dude had toe over and chat after seeing him. God knows if he was high on some drugs. He was overly enthusiastic with him. People might believe that they were close friends, but were unaware of the troubles Xiao Luo had caused in the Mei nation. Even until now, the citizens of Mei nation around the country were protesting to stand up against the ruling of the federal government.


    ¡°I have to. We¡¯re good pals after all.¡±


    President Oba even gave Xiao Luo a hug after shaking his hand. He was really overly enthusiastic.


    Xiao Luo was extremely awkward, and, finally could not hold it, he asked, ¡°Oba, are you high?¡±


    He could not be bothered to beat around the bush with this dude and definitely could not stand him staring like a lover.


    Both Su Li and Shen Qingyan were dumbfounded as Xiao Luo actually dared to ask if the president of the Mei nation if he was high on drugs. Wasn¡¯t¡­wasn¡¯t this too arrogant? He was the president of a country after all. He was the president of the Mei nation to be exact. Wouldn¡¯t he offend him by asking such a rude question?


    However, what made them even more shocked was that President Oba was not angry at all. In fact, his smile widened.


    ¡°I am not high. I am not high. I havee to Hua nation to clear up some national debt. To be honest, I am appreciating your country¡¯s Xi more and more. I will be very good friends with him and so are the countries. Hua and Mei nations would be allies with a mutual, sincere connection.¡± Oba was smiling brightly.


    Clear up some national debt?


    No wonder he was in high spirits. He had taken some advantages already.


    Xiao Luo could not figure out why, but this was a decision made by the higher-ups, so it was not his concern. He joked, ¡°It¡¯s great that you have gained something. I¡¯ll visit the Mei nation when I have the time. You better treat me well.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Oba¡¯s face changed suddenly, and he said in a terrified tone, ¡°Xiao, I think you should visit Ri nation. The women there are experts at serving men. E nation was also pretty good. There are way more women than men. Fa nation¡¯s pretty romantic. All these countries deserved you to pay a trip to. Trust me. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    ¡°But I like Mei nation. I like its freedom of speech and, more so, Mei dors,¡± Xiao Luo teased Oba.


    President Oba could not get any more awkward with that and frowned. ¡°Xiao, don¡¯t be like this. Aren¡¯t we friends?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I should visit you more often.¡± Xiao Luo chuckled.

 Chapter 680 - The Bai Family

    <h2>Chapter 680: The Bai Family</h2>


    After leaving the Chinese mountain and river-themed restaurant, both Su Li and Shen Qinyan stared at Xiao Luo with extraordinary attention. They looked as if they were trying to see through him as their eyes were on him since then.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiao Luo asked them, feeling awkward, although he could guess the answer.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? That was the president of the Mei nation, Mr. Oba. You and he are¡­ Why do you guys looked like you have known each other for a long time?¡± Shen Qingyan could not hide her surprise. Had she not witnessed this with her very eyes, she would have never believed that Xiao Luo was someone who could chit chat with somebody like the president of the Mei nation.


    ¡°I used to stay in the Mei nation for a while and had worked with him before for some time,¡± Xiao Luo came up with a random excuse to exin for himself.


    Had worked with Mr. Oba?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you work with our general secretary since you¡¯re so capable?¡±


    Shen Qingyan obviously thought that Xiao Luo was throwing out nonsense. She stood with arms akimbo and stared at Xiao Luo wilfully. ¡°Besides being the boss behind Luo¡¯s Workshop, what kind of identity are you still hiding from us?¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled and shook his head. ¡°What kind of identity do you think I possess?¡±


    ¡°God knows who you are. I am asking you a question. Don¡¯t throw it back at me.¡± Shen Qingyan was pissed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other identity, but my identification card has expired, though,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    Shen Qingyan was so pissed by that cheeky reply and she snapped, ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Luo raised his brows.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s find a ce to eat. What¡¯s the point of dwelling in pointless questions,¡± Su Li said coldly, stopping the argument.


    ¡°Pointless questions? Li, that¡¯s the president of Mei nation, Mr. Oba! He came to greet Xiao Luo first and even shook his hand and hugged him. Don¡¯t you think that makes Xiao Luo¡¯s identity very special?¡± Shen Qingyan was not going to give up easily as she wanted to investigate every aspect of Xiao Luo and get aplete understanding of who this man was.


    Su Li nced at Xiao Luo coldly and replied with an even colder tone, ¡°Boring questions!¡±


    As she finished speaking, she walked towards the car park.


    ¡°My wife¡¯s correct. How boring are those questions.¡±


    Xiao Luo shrugged and followed her. He was very certain that Su Li also want to know more, but her patient character would keep her from taking too much initiative. She was simply waiting for him to confess and tell her about everything. However, he had signed a confidentiality agreement with the NSA. He had to keep his identity as a member of the NSA strictly a secret. After all, only a small group of people, such as the government executives, was aware of the existence of the NSA. Ordinary folks would never get ess to information about the NSA at all.


    ¡°Boring? How could these be boring questions?¡±


    Shen Qingyan was very puzzled as she felt that Xiao Luo was veiled by a cloud of mystery. Coming from a ce of curiosity and a human¡¯s inquisitive nature, she really wanted to know what kind of special identity did Xiao Luo possess.


    ******


    ******


    There was a western-style manor located in the suburbs area from the west of Jingcheng.


    It upied over a hundred acres and had plenty of lush greenery within the proximity. The roads were built based on the symmetrical principle, and there was a well-lit mansion at the center of the crossroad. If one looked from above, he would see that there was a rectangr shape lotus pond in the center and there was a fountain at the central position of the pond that worked all day.


    This was the mansion of the Bai family.


    It was heavily guarded, and there were security guards everywhere who were dressed in ck suits.


    At the living hall of the mansion, there was an elderly in his 70s who was trying to hoax Su Xiaobei. He stood tall like a pine tree, and his coarse hand was pinching Su Xiaobei¡¯s chubby cheeks. ¡°Girl, I am your great-grandfather. Call me great-grandfather!¡±


    He was Bai Guoxiong, the current head of the Bai family. He had a son and a daughter. His son, Bai Ying, was just beside him. Bai Ying was a stern man as he already looked pretty fierce without meaning it, but he also looked at Su Xiaobei in a doting manner. Bai Guoxiong¡¯s daughter, on the other hand, was cheering for Su Xiaobei to respond to her great-grandfather.


    However, the little girl was extremely frightened as her eyes were reddened. She was about to cry, and she said weepingly, ¡°I want Mommy. I want Daddy.¡±


    After a few tries, Bai Guoxiong could not help but sigh and give up.


    ¡°Dad, we can¡¯t rush this. Xiaobei was raised by Su Li since young, and she must be feeling distant from her real home.¡± Bai Ying waved and signaled his sister to bring Su Xiaobei away.


    Bai Guoxiong blinked his murky eyes and let out a deep sigh. ¡°I was too reckless back then. I couldn¡¯te to terms with myself when I was younger. Even though that woman tricked Yuquan into having sex with her despicably, she still ultimately gave birth to my great-grandchild. She has Bai family¡¯s blood, and I shouldn¡¯t let Yuquan go just like that.¡±


    The older one became, the more they yearn for love and affection from their kin. The source of this love could be found in his offsprings. Seeing how his great-grandchild had grown into such a cute, obedient, and smart girl, he felt nothing but immense love for her. He would cherish her forever in his arms.


    ¡°Those were in the past. In addition, we had retrieved Xiaobei now. You don¡¯t have to feel bad about what happened back then,¡± Bing Ying tried to convince Bai Guoxiong. He had be a grandfather, too, so he was quite excited about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandpa. We just have to make up for what we didn¡¯t manage to give her now.¡±


    It was a youngdy who spoke. She had clean and sharp bob hair with delicate facial features. However, her eyes were slightly more apart than ordinary people, but it did no harm to her beauty and made her look even more unique.


    If Xiao Luo was here, he would recognize her as the NSA member with the codename ¡®Rose¡¯. She was Bai Ying¡¯s youngest daughter, Bai Xuenan.


    ¡°You guys are right. My great-grandchild is still young. it¡¯s not toote to make up for her now!¡± Bai Guoxiong smiled in relief.


    At this time, a man and a woman entered the living hall. The man was handsome, while the woman was charming.


    It was Bai Yuquan and Yu Yasi.


    ¡°Grandpa. Father,¡± Bai Yuquan greeted Bai Guoxiong first and then bowed to Bai Ying. His wife, Yu Yasi also bowed with him.


    ¡°Yuquan, you have met that celebrity, Su Li, today?¡± Bai Guoxiong asked.


    ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± Bai Yuquan nodded with respect.


    ¡°What does she want?¡± Bai Guoxiong¡¯s coarse hands were ying with the dragon-head walking stick as he asked.


    Before Bai Yuquan could answer, Yu Yasi chimed in, ¡°That shameless b*tch said that she would definitely see us on the court.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Bai Guoxiong was amused.


    Bai Xuenan humphed. ¡°She¡¯s just a celebrity. How dare she stand up against the Bai family? I wonder where she got that courage and confidence!¡± she snapped.


    Bai Ying did notment, but based on his facial expression, he, too, looked indifferent to Su Li¡¯s challenge.


    Bai Yuquan bowed and smiled. ¡°Grandpa, Su Li couldn¡¯t possibly cause any trouble for us. Her decision toe at us is as futile as using an egg to crack a stone. However, she¡¯s with somebody who is very capable that we must be careful of.¡±


    ¡°A capable man?¡± Bai Guoxiong squinted.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Grandpa,¡± Bai Yuquan answered. ¡°The president of the Mei nation, Mr. Oba, had greeted him first when they met. I had spoken to Mr. Oba afterward and learned something from him. He said that that guy had caused a lot of troubles for both Mei nation and Ri nation recently. There are still people everywhere in the Mei nation protesting against the federal government even today.¡±

 Chapter 681 - Bai Yuquans Thoughts

    <h2>Chapter 681: Bai Yuquan¡¯s Thoughts</h2>


    The guy that had caused a lot of trouble for both Mei nation and Ri nation recently?


    When did this happen, and why didn¡¯t they know about it sooner?


    Bai Guoxiong, Bai Ying, and the rest of the Bai family looked stunned. How was it that such a capable person existed, and yet they had received no prior warnings at all? It was ridiculous! Could it be that a certain department in the country had censored all news from overseas?


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s his name?¡± Bai Xuenan suddenly asked with a serious expression on her face.


    Bai Yuquan hesitated a little before he replied, ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    So it was him!


    Bai Guoxiong immediately got up from his chair. His eyes glowered with raging fury, and his demeanor changed drastically.


    ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± Bai Yuquan asked, looking somewhat confused.


    ¡°Xuenan, let your brother know!¡± Bai Guoxiong¡¯s aged face twisted with wrath.


    ¡°Brother, this Xiao Luo is the man who killed my brother-inw. He even severely injured me. If it wasn¡¯t for the advanced medical treatment technology avable now, I¡¯m afraid I would have already gone to see my grandma!¡± Bai Xuenan said through gritted teeth.


    The revtion shocked Bai Yuquan. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it was Mie from NSA, the one who killed Brother-inw? Why did it be Xiao Luo?¡±


    Bai Yuquan hadrgely been educated and trained abroad. When he returned to Xiahai, it was a new experience for him, and he did not expect that he would get involved in a love affair that resulted in the birth of a child. And now that he had returned home to Jingcheng, he was shocked to hear that his brother-inw, Zhuo Yuze, had been killed, and his elder sister had also been assaulted. She cried all day long and locked herself in her room, refusing to leave the house.


    Bai Xuenan clenched her fists. ¡°Mie is merely his code name. His actual name is Xiao Luo!¡± she said, and her deep hatred of Xiao Luo was clear.


    ¡°No wonder I felt uneasy the moment I saw him. It turns out that he and our Bai family are arch-enemies,¡± Yu Yasi pitched in.


    Thud!


    Bai Guoxiong mmed the end of the walking stick he was holding on the floor, and the entire hall echoed with the crisp sound of the impact.


    ¡°NSA¡¯s Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu have been putting pressure on me for a long time. I have been patiently holding back, choosing not to re up, but now Xiao Luoes to Jingcheng to stir things up and provoke me. If we allow him to leave this ce alive, what will be of the dignity of our Bai Family!¡±


    ¡°Father, you are right. It is Xiao Luo who is courting death by provoking us, so it is not our fault,¡± Bai Ying opined.


    ¡°Grandfather, Father, please calm down for now.¡±


    Bai Yuquan said, ¡°We need to think about this carefully. This Xiao Luo is not an ordinary person and his strength has already reached the level where he can use his inner power to strike others.¡±


    Release his inner power?


    Bai Guoxiong and Bai Ying were shocked. To release one¡¯s inner power and attack an opponent was considered the ultimate skill. In the whole of the Hua nation, only the old monster from NSA and the Tianshan Elder had reached this level, which effectively ced them in the category of Demi-gods.


    ¡°What? Yuquan, is what you¡¯re saying true?¡± Bai Ying asked.


    Bai Yuquan nodded stiffly. ¡°Yes, Yu San tested him personally. Xiao Luo was sitting motionless in his seat, yet Yu San couldn¡¯t touch him. There seemed to be an invisible force of about ten centimeters around his body that prevented Yu San from getting closer when he was injured by a sudden burst of internal energy from Xiao Luo¡¯s body. Yu San is now undergoing a full medical checkup and treatment in the hospital.¡±


    Hearing these words, Bai Guoxiong and Bai Ying immediately calmed down to consider the situation. For such a high-level exponent with the ability to release his inner power, even the entire country would be hard-pressed to deal with him. What more could the Bai family do unless the old monster from NSA and the Elder of Tianshan would do a favor?


    Bai Guoxiong sat back in his armchair and sighed. ¡°No wonder he was able to survive the war in Libya and could cause a lot of troubles for Mei nation and Ri nation. Even the top leaders of the Mei nation had to treat him with respect, and that is how matters stand,¡± hemented. Bai Guoxiong then looked up at Bai Xuenan and said, ¡°Xuenan, it is only because he held back his hand that you were able to survive thest time.¡±


    Although Bai Xuenan was surprised by Xiao Luo¡¯s level of power, she was not someone who would ept defeat and refused to give in to the person who had killed her brother-inw.


    She stood out and said, ¡°Grandpa, no matter how great an exponent he is, you and Dad have tens of thousands of soldiers. I don¡¯t believe that we can¡¯t destroy him with an army.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t agree more. Xiao Luo is too arrogant. He is our Bai family¡¯s mortal enemy and we cannot let him leave Jingcheng alive!¡±


    Yu Yasi echoed her sister-inw, Bai Xuenan¡¯s sentiments, but it was mainly because Bai Xuenan had always disliked her due to an incident in the past. Yu Yasi took a stand to support Bai Xuenan to improve their rtionship. Besides, she never forgave Xiao Luo for sshing alcohol on her.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Grandpa and father are capable of making their own decisions on how to deal with the matter. Leave now!¡± Bai Yuquan shouted at his sister and wife.


    Bai Guoxiong raised his head and looked at him with his old, cataracted eyes. ¡°Yuquan, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°We still need to think carefully before dealing with Xiao Luo. Even if he doesn¡¯t have the NSA¡¯s protection, based on Xiao Luo¡¯s abilities, the probability of the Bai family eliminating him from this world is not high,¡± Bai Yuquan replied, giving a rational analysis.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re not to do anything?¡± said Bai Ying.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. I believe we have to think out of the box,¡± Bai Yuquan replied with a bow.


    Bai Guoxiong looked on with interest. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°We wee him!¡±


    Bai Yuquan summarized it in simple words and added, ¡°And the Bai family will find ways to use him.¡±


    The entire hall was in an uproar. No one expected Bai Yuquan to have such thoughts. Was he thinking of recruiting an enemy? Was there something wrong with his head?


    ¡°Brother, Xiao Luo killed Brother-inw, which is an irreconcble act as far as our Bai family is concerned. And yet you want to recruit him? Have you considered Sister¡¯s feelings?¡± Bai Xuenan shouted.


    ¡°Those who wish to achieve great things do not care about mundane matters. What they have to consider is the big picture. To me, it is foolish to make an enemy of a person with such abilities and power. And to do so over that useless Zhuo Yuze? This is very unwise,¡± Bai Yuquan said.


    Bai Ying was not pleased and said, ¡°And what about our Bai family¡¯s dignity? To do so would be too humiliating!¡±


    ¡°Even the current president of the Mei nation, Mr. Bama, wisely put aside past grievances with Xiao Luo, and by doing so, he transformed hostility into harmony. Why shouldn¡¯t we? It is not admitting defeat, but adapting to reality. Xiao Luo¡¯s strength has exceeded our expectations. If we insist on being his enemy, then I think the Bai family will be on the receiving end,¡± Bai Yuquan said.


    ¡°Yuquan, is this what you think? Is this what my son believes?¡± Bai Ying cried in utter disappointment. Did he just say that they had to adapt to reality? Since when did their Bai family fall to such a low state?


    ¡°Brother, why are you being so partial to an outsider?¡± Bai Xuenan shouted.


    ¡°I am not being partial to anyone, but merely analyzing the situation.¡±


    Bai Yuquan smiled and said, ¡°This world may seem fair, and everyone appears to have the freedom and protection of thew. However, thew of nature will never change¡ªthe strong are feared and respected. Even Mei nation and Ri nation do not dare to provoke him. So, what makes you so sure the Bai family can stand up to him?¡±


    Although these words were not pleasing to their ears, they made everyone in the Bai family ponder.


    They all knew the facts but chose not to admit it. They found it hard to ept that they were unable to kill their enemy. Just as Bai Yuquan had said, Zhuo Yuze, the son-inw, was ame duck. It was not a significant loss that he died, and perhaps Bai Yn would mourn for a while. His death did not affect the Bai family immensely, and the reason they were infuriated was that his death at the hands of Xiao Luo had tarnished their dignity.

 Chapter 682 - Justice and Equity

    <h2>Chapter 682: Justice and Equity</h2>


    ¡°Of course, the Bai family can¡¯t stand up to me!¡±


    As the Bai Family members were in deep consideration over Bai Yuquan¡¯s words, a cold, piercing voice suddenly interrupted the silence. Then, everyone saw a shadow flitting in from the entrance of the main hall. It moved rapidly, leaving a trail of afterimages behind as it made its way to the center of the main hall like a ghost.


    When the figure stopped, the Bai family finally had a good look at the intruder.


    He had fair and unblemished skin, deep ck eyes, and delicate facial features. He was wearing a white T-shirt paired with ck slim-fit pants and a pair of white sneakers. His sleek and smart looks gave him a fair bearing, but he emanated an evil aura.


    Xiao Luo?


    All Bai family members turned pale with shock. None of them had expected that the man they were after would show up in front of them out of nowhere. Who could even exin how he mysteriously shed into the hall like a ghost in the night? He appeared without a sound, and that sent cold shivers down their spines.


    Swoosh!


    Bai Ying reacted quickly. He instantly whipped out the pistol from his waist and aimed it at Xiao Luo. ¡°Raise your hands! Do it now, or I¡¯ll shoot to kill!¡± he roared.


    ¡°Are you sure you can kill me with one shot?¡±


    Xiao Luo sped his hands behind his back and smiled mockingly. With a gun pointed at him, Xiao Luo¡¯s calm and collected demeanor was unnerving.


    Bai Ying was themander of the North Huaxia Military Region, yet he still wavered despite having a gun in his hand. Looking at a file picture of Xiao Luo differedpletely from seeing him in actual life, especially when he could remain so calm and fearless with a gun pointed in his face. Bai Ying broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Father, please put down the gun!¡±


    Bai Yuquan shouted to his father, Bai Ying. It was absolutely thest thing to do when confronting Xiao Luo.


    Bai Ying was wavering and confused about what he should do. He nced at Bai Guoxiong, hoping for his decision.


    Thud!


    Bai Guoxiong mmed the tip of his walking stick on the floor. ¡°Put away your gun!¡±


    He riveted his eyes on Xiao Luo and spoke in a rumbling, hoarse voice. There was no emotion in his t, monotonous speech, for he was still the head of the Bai family and exuded a rare calmness that an ordinary person could notpare with.


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡±


    It was a direct order from his father, and there was no reason for Bai Ying to disobey. He lowered his gun and returned it to its holster.


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly and said, ¡°A wise choice!¡±


    Yu Yasi and Bai Xuenan were shocked and red at Xiao Luo. It particrly infuriated Bai Xuenan as she vividly recalled how severely Xiao Luo had assaulted her. It felt like it had only happened yesterday, and it was the first time in her life that someone had nearly beaten her to death. For that, she wanted Xiao Luo dead more than anyone else.


    ¡°Young man, you have excellent skills.¡±


    Bai Guoxiong put forced a smile and said, ¡°May I ask why you are visiting our Bai family sote at night?¡±


    ¡°Old Master, don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m only here to see my daughter, Su Xiaobei,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Your daughter?¡±


    Bai Xuenan said sarcastically, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? She¡¯s my brother¡¯s daughter and the apple of his eye. We are all very fond of her, so who do you think you are? You don¡¯t deserve¡­¡±


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo swept his hand viciously through the air. Unleashing his inner power, a wave of his hand turned into an invisible p right across Bai Xuenan¡¯s face. The stinging p was audible, and it sent Bai Xuenan spinning on the spot before she fell to the floor with blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.


    Striking someone with no visible contact made?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s actions shocked Bai Yuquan, Bai Ying, and Yu Yasi and left them with their eyes were wide open. They couldn¡¯t believe that such an incredible technique existed in this world.


    Xiao Luo turned his head and looked down at Bai Xuenan casually. ¡°Rose, right? If I remember correctly, that is your code name in NSA. I spared your life thest time we met. But if you¡¯re tired of living, I can give you a free ride.¡±


    Bai Xuenan only felt a stinging pain on her face and the taste of blood in her mouth. She only red at Xiao Luo but did not dare to make another sound.


    ¡°You mean Xiao Bei is your daughter?¡± Bai Guoxiong ignored Bai Xuenan and spoke directly to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded and replied, ¡°She calls me daddy. Of course, she¡¯s my daughter!¡±


    Bai Guoxiong suddenlyughed and said, ¡°Young man, if that is the case, then we are not necessarily mortal enemies.¡±


    Bai Ying was puzzled and did not know why his father would say this.


    However, Bai Yuquan understood the logic behind it. Su Xiaobei was undoubtedly his daughter, but she addressed Xiao Luo as her father in the same way that she addressed Su Li as her mother. It showed that they had a close rtionship, and besides, Xiao Luo seemed to dote on Xiaobei a lot. So it would seem that Xiao Bei was the foundation of the friendship between the Bai family and Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luoughed and said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Xiaobei, I wouldn¡¯t havee here empty-handed, for I know very well that you guys sent secret instructions to the Libyan rebel fighters to kill me.¡±


    Xiao Luo had spoken these words casually, yet the members of the Bai family could still sense the hostility beneath his calm exterior. Xiao Luo¡¯s murderous aura left them with no doubt that he had the strength to deal with their Bai family.


    ¡°Perhaps fate ordained that you and our Bai family would have such a rtionship,¡± Bai Guoxiong said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to get close to me, for we¡¯re on opposing sides. We¡¯ll be hostile in court tomorrow over Xiaobei¡¯s custody. I do not intend to use illegal means to get her back, and I just want the court to issue a verdict with justice and equity,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    If he had used force, he could easily have taken Su Xiaobei back by now. However, given the circumstances, he chose to abide by thew. Even if he didn¡¯t wish to, his loved ones had to abide by it, and Xiao Luo did not want to put them through any unnecessary legal jeopardy. He chose to pursue the case through formal means to achieve his goal where possible.


    ¡°Justice and equity?¡±


    Bai Guoxiong said with a smile, ¡°The moment Ms. Su decided to file awsuit against the Bai family, we were destined to win. I don¡¯t have to do anything extraordinary, as all the presiding judges in Jingcheng will side with us as long as they see that the case involves our Bai family.¡±


    ¡°If I can enter the Bai family Hall, what¡¯s to stop me from entering the judge¡¯s house as well?¡± Xiao Luo snorted.


    Bai Guoxiong was slightly stunned.


    ¡°Tomorrow, I want justice and equity to prevail. These words mean nothing to me, but for my wife, they mean a lot,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Sure, I too would like to know if custody of my great-granddaughter will be given to Ms. Su under ¡®Justice and Equity¡¯ as you mentioned,¡± Bai Guoxiong replied and smiled calmly.


    Xiao Luo did not continue to linger on this topic. Su Li told him not to bother about this matter and said that she had the confidence to fight for custody of Su Xiaobei.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking so much nonsense that I almost forgot I¡¯m here to see Xiaobei.¡±


    ¡°Yuquan, bring the young man, Xiao Luo, to see my great-granddaughter.¡± Bai Guoxiong raised his hand and gestured to Bai Yuquan.


    ¡°Yes, Grandfather!¡±


    Bai Yuquan was ted, for his grandfather, Bai Guoxiong, had already agreed with his point of view. He felt he should get closer to Xiao Luo instead of bing a mortal enemy. Besides, his daughter, Su Xiaobei, would now form the bond between the Bai family and Xiao Luo. As time passed, Xiao Luo would eventually be the most capable supporter of the Bai family.

 Chapter 683 - The Court Is in Session

    <h2>Chapter 683: The Court Is in Session</h2>


    When Xiao Luo saw Su Xiaobei, the little girl was already sleeping in bed. She had shallow breathing, and there were tears near the corners of her eyes that had not yet dried. Her eyes were shut, and she was quiet, her longshes casting gentle shadows like little fans.


    ¡°Xiaobei¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo sat at the edge of the bed and reached a hand out to gently stroke her face with the back of his hand.


    Maybe she saw him in his sleep, or maybe she could feel that he was near her, but the little girl muttered a quiet ¡°daddy¡± under her breath.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart almost melted upon hearing her call him ¡°daddy.¡± When it came to Su Xiaobei, Xiao Luo had an instinct to care for and protect the child. The moment he met her, he was ovee with an indescribable feeling. It was as if he had already known her for a long time as if she was his own family.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Xiao Luo. Xiaobei¡¯s doing just fine here. My grandfather and my father are both doting a lot on her. She¡¯s my daughter, so I love her a lot as her father. I¡¯ll make sure she never suffers in any way,¡± Bai Yuquan immediately voiced out when he saw the concern and love in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. This was a great opportunity to get closer to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo did not respond. He circled the room once and found the decorations to be decent. The color scheme leaned toward pink, and it was very cozy¡ªit was obvious that thought had been put into this. He was not like Su Li who desperately wanted Su Xiaobei back. After all, he and Su Li were not Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological parents.


    Besides, the Bais were genuinely fond of Su Xiaobei. With the Bais looking after her, Su Xiaobei¡¯s future would be a glimmering one, since they would definitely pave her way for her. If the court decided to grant her custody to the Bais, it might not necessarily be a bad thing either.


    ¡°Why did you abandon her back then?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Bai Yuquan smiled ruefully. ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, Xiao Luo. Su Li¡¯s sister, Su Jing, was swayed by her mother and she slipped something into my tea, and I only got into bed with Su Jing under the influence of drugs. After that happened, I thought that I might as well take responsibility for her since what had happened had already happened.


    ¡°But after my grandfather found out about this, he was extremely against my taking responsibility for this woman, and I had no choice but to leave. I only learned that Su Jing was pregnant with my child after that when she forced me to return on the threat of death. I thought she was just spewing these things so I would return, but she actually did try to slit her wrists.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you had such a dark past. Amazing. You¡¯re really something!¡± Xiao Luo huffed.


    He thought about him and Su Li. Was theirs not also an unnned marriage of her mother¡¯s machinations? Those were almost identical situations, and yet such different consequences had arisen from both cases.


    ¡°I honestly regret it quite a bit. Although Su Jing had resorted to underhanded means, I do have to admit that I have feelings for her,¡± Bai Yuquan confessed with a frown.


    ¡°Hindsight is 20/20, after all, but you can save it. I can¡¯t stand people like you,¡± Xiao Luo stated tepidly.


    Bai Yuquanughed, embarrassed. He said with a helpless shake of his head, ¡°I can¡¯t stand people like me either. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m one of these people now. How embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t want to grow too close to any one of you Bais. I¡¯ll always have my guard up when ites to your family,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted, raising his hand.


    How could he not have caught up to the fact that Bai Yuquan was trying to be closer to him? Bai Yuquan wanted to get closer to him for no reason other than his powers. The man was able to set aside his grudge with his brother-inw, Zhuo Yuze, and enjoy a pleasant chat with Xiao Luo. He would have been a prominent figure. Even in a time like today, the man would be able to make a name for himself if he had enough time.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to be like this, Xiao Luo. Zhuo Yuze¡¯s death is entirely his own fault. He¡¯s insignificant in this family, and if he¡¯s dead, then so be it. My sister can just remarry if it reallyes to that,¡± Bai Yuquan said.


    Xiao Luo did not react to this with anything more than a snort.


    ¡°I believe the court session tomorrow will be a fair and just environment. Regardless of what the final verdict is, I will ept it wholeheartedly. Of course, if the custody of Xiaobei goes to our family, then I sincerely hope that you¡¯ll be able to drop by frequently. The Bai family¡¯s doors will always be open to you, Xiao Luo,¡± Bai Yuquan offered sincerely.


    Xiao Luo patted the man on his shoulders and said with a mild smile, ¡°We¡¯re not on such good terms, Bai Yuquan, so you don¡¯t have to be so hospitable to me. Warm wees and cold shoulders, right? Mine might not be a cold shoulder, but yours is definitely a warm wee.¡±


    Bai Yuquan frowned but then very quickly became at ease. He spoke with a slight smile on his face, ¡°I¡¯m opening my heart to you, trying to befriend you. Come on, give me a chance.¡±


    ¡°Enough. There¡¯s no need for us to continue this conversation.¡±


    Bai Yuquan was really good at befriending people. Xiao Luo did not want to keep up with the conversation any further, lest he actually befriended the man for real.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The next day, Su Li and the Bais met in court for the issue of Su Xiaobei¡¯s custody. Of course, this was not a public hearing, so not a single person aside from the immediate family from both sides were allowed to step foot in the court.


    The court, resplendent and charged with dignity and authority, was silent beyondpare. One could hear the sound of a pin hitting the floor.


    Xiao Luo, Su Li, Shen Qingyan, and the femalewyer Ning Wanxiu were on one side. Bai Yuquan, Bai Xuenan, Bai Ying, and Bai Guoxiong were on the other. It was clear who was on each camp.


    ¡°Are you confident you can win this case?¡± Xiao Luo asked Su Li, concerned.


    Su Li nodded lightly. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°All right, then. All the best. I don¡¯t know what trump card the other side has, but you¡¯re my wife so I trust you.¡± Xiao Luo reached out a hand and tapped her nose.


    Su Li blushed. She felt put on the spot by such an intimate gesture under the gaze of so many people.


    Not long after, the presiding judge and the judge walked out.


    Before taking his seat, the presiding judge walked over and respectfully exchanged greetings with Xiao Luo. He spoke to the man, all smiles, ¡°Mr. Xiao, you¡¯re here!¡±


    He had had quite the scarest night. Right to his face, Xiao Luo had stomped arge hole into the floor in his house. He had asked for only one thing, and that was for him to try this case fairly and justly. In the face of such a monster, the thought of calling the police had not even crossed his mind. The police would definitely not bother with a monster like this. They cared more about their lives and the lives of their families. The judge would not be biased this time, and he would definitely try this case fairly.


    ¡°Do you remember what I asked of you?¡± Xiao Luo asked tepidly.


    ¡°I do,¡± the presiding judge frantically nodded as he responded.


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°Good that you do. Go take your seat, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The presiding judge nodded in acknowledgment, and then he threw a look to Bai Guoxiong on the other side that gave away how put upon he felt. He then walked over to take his seat.


    ¡°Out with it, Xiao Luo. Come clean and tell me just what kind of a person you are. Why was the presiding judge so courteous and respectful when he spoke to you?¡± Shen Qingyan was really curious.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just knocked on his doorst night, is all,¡± Xiao Luo reported the facts as they were.


    Shen Qingyan asked in horror, ¡°Did you threaten him?¡±


    ¡°I did. I told him that I¡¯d report him to the Judicial Disciplinary Committee if he did not try this case justly. This was my threat to him,¡± Xiao Luo responded, blithe in his carelessness.

 Chapter 684 - A Test-tube Baby

    <h2>Chapter 684: A Test-tube Baby</h2>


    Shen Qingyan did not believe Xiao Luo¡¯s exnation¡ªit would be weird if she did. Based on what she knew of Xiao Luo, she guessed that the man had probably headed to the presiding judge¡¯s house with a knifest night.


    Of course, she did not probe anymore.


    Court was in session soon after, and the counsels on both sides soon began their brutal debate.


    Thewyer on Bai Yuquan¡¯s side started a series of debates based on the argument that Su Xiaobei was Bai Yuquan¡¯s biological daughter. With the Bais¡¯ family background, financial capability, as well as other great qualities they had, theirwyer believed that Bai Yuquan was the one who was most qualified to have custody of Su Xiaobei and that he was the one who could give her a healthy environment to grow up in.


    Not to be outdone, Su Li¡¯s attorney, Ning Wanxiu, believed that Su Li could provide Su Xiaobei with everything that Bai Yuquan could. On top of that, Su Xiaobei had been fostered by Su Li since her birth, and so thetter had a profound rtionship with the child. If they were to hand custody of Su Xiaobei over to Bai Yuquan now, it would definitely be a source of childhood trauma for her and, therefore, detrimental to her growth and well-being.


    Xiao Luo sat in the gallery, as if he were witnessing a heated debate. Thewyers on either side were both extremely eloquent and professional.


    After a fierce debate, the presiding judge was very obviously leaning towards Bai Yuquan. It was not because of the Bais¡¯ influence, but because of the argument that Su Xiaobei was his biological daughter. Su Li was disadvantaged because of this. It did not matter how well Su Li¡¯swyers could hang the moon and stars with just her words alone. The undeniable fact was that Su Li was Su Xiaobei¡¯s aunt, while Bai Yuquan was Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological father.


    ¡°Hey, pal, this disperses all your doubts, right? This is definitely fair and square!¡±


    Bai Guoxiong was seated not too far away from Xiao Luo. He had a cane with a dragon cane head and a gratified smile on his wizened face, looking every bit like a victor. ¡°I can¡¯t even find the words to describe how at ease and pleased I am at the thought of having such a beautiful and adorable child as my great-granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Old man, the ruling isn¡¯t out yet. Don¡¯t be happy just yet,¡± Xiao Luo reminded with a smile.


    Bai Guoxiong spread his arms and responded, ¡°Are there still any doubts as to the oue of this hearing? The Xiaobei¡¯s custody will definitely go to us.¡±


    Bai Ying, Bai Xuenan, and Yu Yasi all had smiles on their faces. Su Xiaobei was a part of the Bai family, and it was their blood that flowed through her veins. It went without saying that custody should go to them¡ªthere was no questioning this.


    Xiao Luo raised a brow and smiled, but said nothing more. Truth be told, regardless of the oue, he was prepared to ept anything. The Bais could, indeed, provide Su Xiaobei with more love and attention from her grandparents, her great-grandfather, and a myriad of other rtives. In the Bai family, Su Xiaobei would definitely be a bona fide princess constantly surrounded by people.


    Of course, deep down in his heart, he leaned towards wanting the little girl to return to Su Li¡¯s side, selfish as it was.


    ¡°Miss Su, is there anything your side would like to present?¡±


    The presiding judge motioned for Su Li to speak. In truth, he was giving Su Li¡¯s side a final chance. If they still could not move him or present something more persuasive, he would rule for the custody of Su Xiaobei to go to the Bais.


    ¡°Your Honor, there¡¯s something we would like to say.¡±


    Ning Wanxiu stood up, motioning for her assistant to hand a document over to the presiding judge and the other judges for them to look over. ¡°Your Honor, the document you¡¯re holding right now is a medical receipt from Changjiang Hospital, Xiahai City. This is proof that Su Jing underwent in vitro fertilization treatments in Changjiang Hospital four years ago. The Changjiang Hospital stamp, as well as the signature of the director, are also on the document.¡±


    A test-tube baby?


    What did this mean?


    It was not just the presiding judges and the judges who were shocked¡ªeven Xiao Luo, Bai Guoxiong, and the rest of them sitting in the gallery were puzzled.


    Ning Wanxiu continued, ¡°Your Honor, the truth of the matter is that Su Xiaobei isn¡¯t even Bai Yuquan¡¯s daughter. They don¡¯t share the same blood. My client had already clearly told him as much in Xiahai City, but he did not believe her and forcefully took Su Xiaobei away.


    ¡°You scum! What are you running your mouth about? How can Su Xiaobei not be a Bai?¡±


    Bai Guoxiong stood up abruptly tosh out at Ning Wanxiu. He had spent many days doting on this little doll, only to be told that she was not his great-granddaughter? It was difficult for him to ept this.


    Thud! Thud!


    The presiding judge banged his gavel several times and coughed drily as he said, ¡°Please remain silent, Mr Bai. You¡¯re in court.¡±


    Bai Ying and the rest urged him to do the same, and it took some time before they calmed Bai Guoxiong.


    Xiao Luo, on the other hand, frowned deeply, because this mention of Changjiang Hospital dredged up some pretty bad memories for him. He had been in his junior year when Zhang Dashan came to him with a promotional poster from the hospital, urging him to do something shocking¡ªto perfect the human genome project.


    He had heard of the human genome project. Started in 1990, the project aimed to decode the approximated 25,000 genomes in the human body. At the same time, it would map out the blueprint of human genomes. This way, they would be able to control andpletely cure gic diseases, and they could even help amputees grow new limbs. It was a noble project that could allow for all the organs in the human body to regrow. One could even go as far as to say that Jurassic Park would no longer just be a science fiction story.


    And what they had to do was this: donate their sperms.


    Xiao Luo had rejected it immediately. The process of sperm donation involved an activity that would have to be kept secret. He was a pretty conservative man, and so he would not to engage in such activities. Zhang Dashan, on the other hand, was different. He said that there were a lot of hot nurses in Changjiang Hospital, and his lecherous mind was thinking about how those hot nurses could help him.


    In the end, he sumbed to Zhang Dashan¡¯s pestering. He could not say that he had sumbed to Zhang Dashan¡¯s persuasion. More urately, he could not resist the temptation of money. As long as he passed the physical examination and donated his sperm, what awaited him was a 2,000-Yuan cash prize. Besides, this would be kept secret forever. At that time, his father had been building a farm, which was technically an entrepreneurial investment. The family expenses were too high, and so he only had an allowance of 500 Yuan each month. Because of this, RMB2,000 was not a small sum to him.


    And after that, there was no ¡°after that¡±. He went to Changjiang Hospital with Zhang Dashan where they both passed the physical assessment, and they became anonymous sperm donors.


    This was a dark past he did not want to remember. Were it not for the fact that they had mentioned Changjiang Hospital and test-tube babies, Xiao Luo would not have thought about this at all.


    Why this coincidence?


    Why did Su Xiaobei call him daddy the moment she saw him?


    Could it be that Su Li¡¯s sister had not used Bai Yuquan¡¯s sperm when she epted the in vitro fertilization treatments? Had she used sperm provided by Changjiang Hospital?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mind was in a mess, because all of this was bewildering him. If Changjiang Hospital had, indeed, used the sperm he donated, then would that not make Su Xiaobei his biological daughter?


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    No matter how emotionally stable he was, Xiao Luo could no longer keep his cool at this moment.


    It was too unbelievable. It was too surprising. It was¡­too much of a plot twist.

 Chapter 685 - Separate Ways

    <h2>Chapter 685: Separate Ways</h2>


    ¡°A test-tube baby?¡±


    The presiding judge carefully read the return receipt from Changjiang Hospital, and then he lifted his head to look at Su Li and Ning Wanxiu. ¡°Can you tell me why Su Jing chose to impregnate herself through in vitro fertilization?¡±


    ¡°Let me exin this, your honor.¡±


    Bai Yuquan, who had kept silent this entire time, finally spoke, albeit a little ill at ease. He looked at Su Li, and then said icily, ¡°When your sister chose to impregnate herself through in vitro fertilization at that time, she had done so just to tie me down. Am I right?¡±


    Su Li was silent, her countenance aloof and cold as ice.


    Bai Yuquanughed in self-deprecation and said, ¡°I¡¯ve slept with your sister a few times, but she¡¯s never once gotten pregnant, and she was worried that she would lose me. Then, under your mother¡¯s instigation, she went to that damned hospital and epted in vitro fertilization treatments to impregnate herself. At the end of it all, she returned and told me it was mine.¡± The more he spoke, the colder his expression grew. ¡°How cunning of her¡­ How truly, brilliantly, cunning. To think I genuinely believed that I had wronged her. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s a good thing she¡¯s dead. That vile woman should have been burned at a stake!¡±


    Boom!


    He mmed a palm down forcefully onto the tabletop, his eyes alighted with rage and the vein in his temple throbbing.


    Bai Yuquan could not ept this truth. To him, he had not just been lied to¡ªhe had been humiliated, and this humiliation was worse than being ordered to crawl between someone¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Vile woman! She¡¯s truly a vile woman. I¡¯ve never once met someone as vile as her!¡±


    Bai Guoxiong was thoroughly enraged. It was no longer spection that Su Xiaobei was not his great-granddaughter¡ªit was a fact. There was no way the hospital¡¯s receipt would be erroneous. If the director of the hospital¡¯s signature was on it, then there was no way it could be false. It was soughable and so pathetic that he could mistake some child for his own great-granddaughter. The entire Bai family had been yed like a fiddle by a woman.


    How outrageous! How utterly outrageous!


    Bai Guoxiong was so angry that his body started convulsing. Rage and gloom were written all over his wizened visage.


    ¡°Shameless and despicable. There isn¡¯t a single good person in the Su family. This Su Li, I bet she¡¯s just as vile!¡± Bai Xuenan gritted her teeth, defending her brother¡¯s honor.


    Xiao Luo turned over and red at her. ¡°You shut your damn mouth. Curse who you want, but don¡¯t talk about my woman like this!¡±


    This one re was enough to shut Bai Xuenan up, and she forced the rest of her words down her throat.


    Shen Qingyan was so shocked that her mouth was slightly hanging open. She had tried time and time again to ask Su Li what the trump card to winning this case was, but to no avail. There was no way she would have figured out that Su Xiaobei was actually not Bai Yuquan¡¯s daughter.


    Su Li, who was seated in the intiff¡¯s side, stood up for the first time. Her red lips parted slightly as she said to Bai Yuquan, ¡°I have no interest in what happened between you and my sister Su Jing. All I want is Su Xiaobei.¡± She turned and faced the presiding judge. ¡°Your honor, Su Xiaobei has no blood rtions to the Bai family at all. If Changjiang Hospital¡¯s receipt is not proof enough, then the court can order for Su Xiaobei and Bai Yuquan to do a paternity test to see if they¡¯re actually rted.¡±


    Her chilly voice reverberated in therge, expansive courtroom. She knew that she was not doing right by her sister Su Jing like this, and she had wanted to guard this secret forever. However, she had not expected Bai Yuquan to suddenly appear from nowhere and snatch Su Xiaobei from her. She had no choice but to resort to this.


    The presiding judge found it reasonable and so nodded.


    This hearing ended on the note of its greatest mystery. The court sent an authorized certification agency to the Bai family¡¯s house where they would bring Su Xiaobei off to conduct the paternity test. Once the results proved that Su Xiaobei was not Bai Yuquan¡¯s daughter, her custody would be handed to Su Li.


    After the hearing came to an end, the Bai family had sour faces.


    Xiao Luo felt a mix of emotions¡ªit was a mixed bag of emotions, and he felt all sorts of emotions.


    After taking a few strands of hair from Su Xiaobei, the paternity test was conducted in a hospital approved by the court. Meanwhile, after Su Li and the Bais left, Xiao Luo quietly handed strands of his hair along with Su Xiaobei¡¯s for a paternity test. Since it was urgent, he would have the results in three days.


    The Bais were all waiting in the long hospital corridor. They had still been a little hopeful that Su Xiaobei was part of their family, but the results of the paternity test killed any sort of hope they had harbored.


    ¡°ording to the results of the DNA test, Su Xiaobei and Bai Yuquan have no blood rtion at all. They are not father and daughter,¡± the doctor reported the results of the test clearly.


    On the other hand, the report that Xiao Luo received indicated that he and Su Xiaobei were rted by blood. In other words, he was Su Xiaobei¡¯s biological father.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was taken aback. He had never once thought that this would be the oue.


    No wonder he felt an inexplicable emotion towards Su Xiaobei¡­ No wonder the little girl would scream ¡°daddy¡± when she saw him, certain that he was her father, that he was the exact same dad she had seen in her dreams.


    It turned out that he was her father.


    Was he happy? No.


    Was he emotional? No.


    Xiao Luo had no words to properly encapste what he was feeling¡ªat the end of it all, this was another responsibility to shoulder. He could not help but be in awe of how chaotic this world was. It was just as Zhang Dashan used to say: this world is f*cked up.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    It was alreadyte by the time the court issued its litigation oue. Xiao Luo was driving his car, rushing Su Li and Shen Qingyan to the front yard of the Bai family¡¯s home.


    Bai Yuquan had Su Xiaobei¡¯s hand in his, and they had been waiting there a long time. Aspared to how he had flown off the handle in court, Bai Yuquan had now gone back to normal. He was back to being refined and elegant, as if nothing happened.


    Of course, Bai Guoxiong, Bai Ying, and the rest of them were not present.


    ¡°Mommy! Daddy!¡±


    Upon seeing Xiao Luo and Su Li, Su Xiaobei immediately let go of Bai Yuquan¡¯s hand and dashed over to the two of them like a happy little elf.


    Su Li squatted and held the little girl tightly in her embrace. She could not hold back her emotions anymore, and she sobbed silently. The little girl, on the other hand, was over the moon. She hugged her mom, Su Li, and she did not forget to tilt her head up to blink at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stepped forward and reached a hand out to gently stroke her little head.


    ¡°I told you before, Mr. Xiao Luo, that I¡¯d ept the oue for what it is, no matter what it was. Take Xiaobei with you. She might not be my daughter, but she is truly adorable. Our whole family very much adores her,¡± Bai Yuquan said with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good man,¡± Xiao Luoplimented this man sincerely, from the bottom of his heart. If it were anyone else, they might have lost their minds at this point.


    Bai Yuquan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m no good man inparison to you, Mr. Xiao Luo. I¡¯m just more sensible than an average person.¡±


    ¡°The Bais should consider themselves lucky that they have you in their family, Bai Yuquan.¡±


    The corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. Were it not for Bai Yuquan, he would probably have wiped out the Bais on his trip to Jingcheng this time.


    Bai Yuquan could read between the lines. He was taken aback and immediately changed the topic of the conversation, saying, ¡°What I said before still holds, Mr. Xiao Luo. The Bai family will always leave its door wide open for Mr. Xiao Luo, and I hope we can be true friends.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your sincerity, but we must go our separate ways,¡± Xiao Luo rejected the man curtly.

 Chapter 686 - Turn Off the Lights

    <h2>Chapter 686: Turn Off the Lights</h2>


    Since they had received Su Xiaobei, there was no reason to stay in Jingcheng any longer.


    So they immediately booked ne tickets and flew back to Xiahai at midnight. As it waste, Su Xiaobei fell asleep on Xiao Luo¡¯sp shortly after boarding the ne.


    Looking at her peaceful and angelic face, Xiao Luo¡¯s heart was filled with affection.


    Su Li, who sat at the corner, was wearing an eye mask and resting. Her cold but elegant face was undeniably beautiful, especially her small lips, which made one¡¯s imagination run wild.


    ¡°Honey, I have an immature suggestion for you,¡± Xiao Luo hesitated for a while, then turned around and whispered to her.


    Su Li did not remove the mask and faintly answered, ¡°What¡¯s the suggestion?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been married. Although Xiaobei is not our biological daughter, we still treat her as such. Both of us will definitely raise her in her lifetime. However, when she grows up, she will realize that everyone has the same surname as her father, but she has the same surname as her mother. She will surely ask us this question when the timees. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Xiao Luo said clearly.


    Hearing this, Su Li removed her eye mask and looked at Xiao Luo with her beautiful eyes, getting the gist of what Xiao Luo was nning.


    Xiao Luo continued, ¡°I think we can avoid this awkward problem in advance. If we change Xiaobei¡¯s surname to mine, she won¡¯t have such questions in the future.¡±


    ¡°Change it to your surname? Xiao Xiaobei?¡±


    Su Li¡¯s brows furrowed. After considering it for a while, she immediately rejected it. If the surname is changed to ¡®Xiao¡¯, her name would not sound good when pronounced.¡±


    ¡°We can change her name. Xiaobei will use it as a nickname,¡± Xiao Luo suggested eagerly.


    ¡°So, what name have you decided on for her?¡± Su Li asked.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and smiled. ¡°Not yet. I said it was an immature suggestion.¡±


    Indeed, he still had no idea yet, and it was just a sudden thought. Even if he wanted to change her name, he couldn¡¯t change it randomly. In addition to the name itself sounding good, he also had to find a fortune-teller to check Su Xiaobei¡¯s birth time and confirm if it was suitable.


    ¡°We can talk about it after you¡¯ve thought it through,¡± Su Li said as she put the mask back on and closed her eyes to rest.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t object?¡± Xiao Luo asked, surprised.


    Su Li stared at him for a while before responding, ¡°Why would I object?¡±


    In the past, she was single; but now, she was married to a man that she appreciated and loved. So she thought it was quite good for Su Xiaobei to change her surname to ¡®Xiao¡¯. After all, she would have a child with Xiao Luo in the future, and the child would naturally follow Xiao Luo¡¯s surname. They couldn¡¯t let Su Xiaobei be different, right? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t they tell Su Xiaobei honestly that she wasn¡¯t their biological daughter?


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t object.¡±


    Su Li was silent for a moment before she inquired, doubtful, ¡°Why did you suddenly say that?¡±


    Why did he suddenly say this?


    ¡®Because Su Xiaobei is my biological daughter,¡¯ Xiao Luo replied. It was a secret that had been really tough to keep. However, he didn¡¯t dare utter these words. Although it wasn¡¯t something that he could control, it was a fact of life that Su Xiaobei was his child and Su Li¡¯s sister, Su Jing. If Su Li knew about this, how would she feel? How would she face such a weird rtionship?


    It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble this time, and he thought the result was quite good now. He considered talking to Su Li about it in the future.


    He smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not an abrupt idea. I had this thought for a long time. Now that it is time to ask for your opinion.¡±


    Su Li slightly nodded her head, considering that what Xiao Luo said made sense.


    Then, she took out an eye mask from his bag and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Help me put it on.¡± Xiao Luo leaned forward to her.


    Su Li red at him with a pout on her lips and helped him wear it.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve gloriously be the third wheel.¡± When Shen Qingyan just opened her eyes after a nap, she happened to see this scene and couldn¡¯t help but heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Miss Shen, I¡¯m so proud of you that you have such awareness!¡± Xiao Luo smiled.


    Shen Qingyan was quite angered by this. She scolded, ¡°Xiao Luo, you b*st*rd,¡± and then closed her eyes again and turned her head.


    Su Li stood up for her best friend and reached out to pinch Xiao Luo¡¯s waist.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When she returned to Xiahai, it was already past one in the morning. Shen Qingyan called the driver to pick her up.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stay at my apartment?¡± Su Li asked her.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t bother, or else someone will say that I¡¯m not sensitive enough.¡± Shen Qingyan meaningfully nced at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo hugged the sleeping Su Xiaobei and pretended not to hear anything.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When they returned to Crescent Bay Apartment, Xiao Luo ced Su Xiaobei on her bed. Then he turned around and hugged Su Li¡¯s slender waist.


    He chuckled. ¡°Honey, it¡¯s gettingte. We should rest.¡±


    Su Li blushed. She certainly knew what Xiao Luo was thinking, so she said with a tough tone, ¡°Go back to your apartment and sleep.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re are a married couple now. Why do we need to sleep separately?¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste his breath on her. He carried her in a princess-like manner.


    To be honest, after experiencing the taste of a woman, Xiao Luo had imagined the body of his wife, Su Li, more than once. He imagined the scene that he had sex with his wife. This wasn¡¯t perversion, but the reaction of a normal man.


    After a long separation, Xiao Luo could no longer control the hormones in his body.


    ¡°You¡­you should take a shower first.¡±


    When Xiao Luoid her down on the bed, Su Li¡¯s heart started to pound as she gently ced her hands on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. Her face was red.


    Xiao Luo sniffed his body and smelled the stench of sweat. ¡°Then let¡¯s shower together!¡±


    ¡°You go first,¡± Su Li said in a barely audible voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. We¡¯ve already seen each other¡¯s bodies. Let¡¯s go together, honey.¡±


    ¡°No. If you don¡¯t shower, I will not allow you to touch me,¡± Su Li replied sternly.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    Xiao Luo could only temporarily suppress his desire and go to the bathroom.


    Su Li didn¡¯t get into the bath until he was done washing, and she even locked the bathroom door.


    ¡°She¡¯s actually still on guard against me.¡± Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but find it funny.


    By the time Su Li came out of the bathroom, she was already dressed in a translucent white silk nightdress. Her delicate, slim figure with beautiful curves and smooth, fair skin was vividly disyed under the dim light, which made her look so desirable. Her breasts quivered slightly when she lowered her body.


    There was a carpet on the floor. Aunt Lee often cleaned it. Su Li didn¡¯t wear shoes and stepped on the carpet with her bare feet like a lotus flower emerging from the water.


    She was so beautiful.


    Although Xiao Luo had a strong will, Su Li¡¯s sex appeal was still driving him crazy.


    ¡°Turn off the lights.¡±


    Although he was a man that she got married to, Su Li still felt shy under Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze.

 Chapter 687 - A Family Gathering

    <h2>Chapter 687: A Family Gathering</h2>


    Xiao Luo followed Su Li¡¯s instructions and turned off the bedsidemp. In an instant, the room became pitch-ck, but this was only for Su Li. The system had already strengthened Xiao Luo¡¯s body. In this dark environment, his visibility had reached around 50 percent.


    Su Li was very familiar with her bedroom, so it was easy for her to reach the side of the bed. Then, she pulled aside the nket and gentlyid it down. She was lying on her side with her back facing Xiao Luo. She was extremely nervous as if a little deer was running around in her chest.


    ¡°It seems to be the first time we¡¯ve ever slept in the same bed, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Xiao Luo leaned over and hugged her from behind, with his chest pressed tight against her back.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s cheeks were burning as she replied in an almost inaudible voice. She let herself be embraced by the man as her heart raced.


    She shrank back and murmured, ¡°Let¡­let¡¯s rest.¡±


    Seeing Su Li blushed to her ears, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but tease her, ¡°Honey, can you sleep now?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Su Li finally became Xiao Luo¡¯s real wife. It was time for him to introduce her to the people around him, such as his younger sister, Xiao Ruyi, and his brother-inw, Tang Ren. He picked a day and booked a private room at the most luxurious hotel in Xiahai to entertain his family and friends.


    The round table was about three meters in diameter. Even if 20 people sat around it, it would not seem crowded.


    All kinds of delicacies were ced on the table, which was very exquisitely made. Most of them had been carved by the chefs, and they looked like works of art. Since it was a banquet, naturally, wines were indispensable. There were many bottles of good wine served at the banquet, and each bottle cost several thousands or even tens of thousands. The banquet itself cost at least 200,000 yuan.


    But for Xiao Luo, spending more than 200,000 for a gathering of people he held dearly was worth it. He only wanted the best for them.


    ¡°Brother, you hid it really well. It turns out that you had already gotten married on the sly a long time ago. Moreover, my sister-inw is a goddess. My dear god, brother, you¡¯re really awesome!¡±


    Xiao Ruyi was amazed. She used to joke that Xiao Luo should find the nation¡¯s goddess Su Li as his wife, but she did not expect that it would actuallye true. It was like a dream to her to sit beside the superstar, Su Li.


    ¡°I told you long ago, but you didn¡¯t believe me!¡± Zhang Dashan said as he sip his drink.


    ¡°How can you me me? Isn¡¯t it all your fault that your credibility is too low?¡± Xiao Ruyi shot him a look.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Dashan was speechless. He could do nothing but lower his head and drink and eat.


    ¡°Hello, Sister-inw. My name is Xiao Ruyi,¡± Xiao Ruyi left her seat and came to Su Li to introduce herself. ¡°I often listen to your songs and watch your TV shows and movies. You¡¯re my idol!¡±


    ¡°Me¡­me, too. Sister-inw. I¡­I¡¯ll give you a toast.¡± Tang Ren finally realized what was going on and stood up to toast Su Li.


    Su Li smiled politely and greeted Xiao Ruyi and Tang Ren.


    ¡°Tang, why are you stuttering?¡± Zhang Dashan teased.


    ¡°I am so¡­so thrilled that¡­that I could actually see sister-inw in the flesh,¡± Tang Ren answered honestly. A superstar that could only be seen in magazines and on television was right in front of him. He couldn¡¯t find the words to describe how ted he was.


    Zhang Dashan scoffed, ¡°F*ck, look at you. How did Ruyi fall for you?¡±


    ¡°So, do you want her to fancy you?¡±


    At this moment, Chai Zhiying, who had been silent all this while, pinched his left ear and said threateningly, ¡°With your looks, as well as your bad habits¡ªalways speaking rudely. Only I, Chai Zhiying, am blind to fancy you.¡±


    ¡°Ying, don¡¯t be so mean. Everyone is watching. Save some face for your man. Let go of my ear. Be good!¡± Zhang Dashan immediately chickened out.


    Everyone burst intoughter. Xiao Luo could not help butugh as well. He never expected Zhang Dashan and Chai Zhiying to be together.


    As for the two guys, after he went to Ri Nation, Luo¡¯s Workshop entered into a partnership with Sumir and worked on a range of activities, which improved their rtionship. One day, Zhang Dashan drank too much and had sex with Chai Zhiying, so, naturally, they¡¯re together.


    Recalling what Zhang Dashan had said to Chai Zhiying when they first met in Jiang Cityst year, Xiao Luo wanted to say something to make fun of him, but he let it go after thinking about it.


    ¡°Lao Xiao, in the past, I didn¡¯t believe in fate at all. Now, I do.¡±


    Zhang Dashan hugged Chai Zhiying and continued, ¡°As for Ying, the more I look at her, the more I feel that she looks like a fairy. Just like the saying: One man¡¯s sh*t is another¡¯s treasure!¡±


    The atmosphere in the room changed slightly.


    Chai Zhiying blushed and pinched Zhang Dashan¡¯s waist. ¡°You wretch, what nonsense are you spouting? Shut up! Or I will rip your mouth off!¡±


    How could he be so shameless?


    ¡°Zhang Dashan, stop using foulnguage. There¡¯s an appropriate time and asion to tell a joke, or it will annoy others.¡± Xiao Ruyi red at Zhang Dashan.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± Tang Ren nodded his head ceaselessly.


    ¡°Brother Shan, you¡¯re awesome. You are really an old hand for that. I¡¯m impressed.¡± Su Canye could not help butugh and give him a thumbs-up.


    ¡°How vulgar!¡± Shen Qingyanmented lightly.


    Only Su Xiaobei, who couldn¡¯t understand what Zhang Dashan was talking about, sat between Xiao Luo and Su Li as she ate the malt porridge with a spoon. Her mouth was filled with food as she blinked her eyes.


    The banquet was filled withughter.


    Xiao Ruyi used WeChat to send a video call to her mother, Hua Heying. She recorded the situation in the room and introduced Su Li to Hua Heying, saying that she was their daughter-inw.


    Su Li was a little embarrassed to see her inws on the phone. She politely greeted Hua Heying as ¡°Auntie¡± and Xiao Zhiyuan as ¡°Uncle¡±.


    ¡°Sister-inw, how could you still call them Uncle and Auntie. You and my brother have already registered your marriage. You¡¯re now the daughter-inw of the Xiao family. You should call them Dad and Mom the same as my brother.¡± Xiao Ruyi giggled.

 Chapter 688 - Investment

    <h2>Chapter 688: Investment</h2>


    When she heard what Xiao Ruyi said, Su Li immediately blushed and her heart started racing. Indeed, she had lost the aloofness and haughtiness of a female CEO; she was thoroughly embarrassed, just like an ordinary, youngdy.


    It was natural to visit one¡¯s father and mother. Xiao Luo was prepared to bring Su Li and Su Xiaobei to visit Luo Vige in a few days. Su Xiaobei could meet her grandparents. They could enter the Xiaos¡¯ ancestral hall and pay their respects there and finallyplete the traditional marriage customs of the Xiao family. At the end of it all, he and Su Li could travel the globe again for another honeymoon. They could enjoy the views of every spot in the world and it would leave them with the memory of their hands locked with each other¡¯s.


    His phone rang suddenly¡ªit was his mother, Hua Heying, calling.


    Xiao Luo picked up. He heard his mother ask, ¡°When did you break up with Siying?¡±


    This was a sensitive question, and Xiao Luo had no choice but to find an excuse to leave the room. He walked out and said with a frown, ¡°It¡¯splicated, Mom. I¡¯ll exin everything to you when I have the time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to exin anything to me. I¡¯m just calling you to tell you not to let thatdy Siying down, because I can tell she likes you a lot. If you let her down, she¡¯ll be very sad,¡± Hua Heying said.


    ¡°What kind of mother are you? How can you say something like this? You¡¯re just outright telling little Luo to cheat.¡± Through the phone, he could hear his father Xiao Zhiyuan reprimanding Hua Heying in a raspy voice.


    Hua Heying did not back down. She replied, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with cheating? Siying is the daughter-inw I acknowledge, and I even gave her the jade bangle that¡¯s been handed down in our family. She¡¯s part of the Xiao family, so both you and your son will have to recognize this.¡±


    ¡°This country advocates and recognizes monogamy. What are you trying to do? You trying to ask our son to marry two women?¡± Xiao Zhiyuan hit back.


    ¡°And what about it? The other day on the news there was this factory owner who had three wives. Each of them runs a factory, and they get along pretty well. We have a brilliant son whose worth is billions. So what¡¯s wrong with marrying two wives? Is that too much?¡± Hua Heying remarked rather unashamedly.


    Xiao Zhiyuan was at a loss for words.


    Xiao Luo was embarrassed beyondpare, and heughed wryly. ¡°I can handle this, Mom. I think you should stay out of this matter.¡±


    ¡°I trust that you can handle this matter well. I just want to tell you that Siying is a pretty nicedy, and my heart would break for you if another man snatched her,¡± Hua Heying responded in a tone several degrees warmer.


    Xiao Luo nodded. ¡°I know.¡±


    Thereafter, they talked about their day-to-day lives before finally ending the call.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s emotions were in a mess when he thought about Ji Siying. He did not know whether this counted as cheating, but he had fallen in love with two women at the same time.


    He heaved a sigh and slid his phone back into his pocket, getting ready to go back to the room. Just as he turned, he saw a woman standing about two meters away from him. ck hair fell down her back like water and her skin was pale as snow. She had clear eyes and her brows were elegantly arched; her lips were dainty like rose petals.


    Who was it if not Ji Siying?


    ¡°What are you doing here, Siying?¡± Xiao Luo asked, confused.


    ¡°I am where you are, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Ji Siying walked over with a sweet smile on her face, stopping in front of Xiao Luo. Her beautiful eyes stared wistfully at him and on her wrist was the jade bangle that Hua Heying had given her.


    ¡°Come to the room with me,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Ji Siying shook her head. ¡°I should know my ce as your mistress. I¡¯m satisfied as long as I have a ce in your heart, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Siying¡­¡± Xiao Luo suddenly felt guilty. He felt like he had wronged this girl.


    Ji Siying walked up and wrapped him up in a loose hug. ¡°Just let me stay in your arms like this for a little while, Mr. Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo could not find the words for his guilt. No matter what, he would have to find a way to properly resolve this situation between the three of them.


    ¡°The NSA warriors are actually having dinner here. I knew you booked a room here, so we chose this ce as well. King Kong and Fu Yiren are here, too,¡± Ji Siying said.


    ¡°Has Drug Lady recovered?¡± Xiao Luo inquired.


    Ji Siying nodded, still in his hold. ¡°Hmm¡­ She¡¯s recovered. She¡¯s able to use the toxin to treat herself. The more potent the toxin, the more useful they are to her.¡±


    ¡°What a miracle of a constitution!¡± Xiao Luo remarked in amazement.


    Ji Siying was silent for a few beats, and then she praised him, ¡°She¡¯s got a miracle of a constitution, but you, Mr. Xiao Luo, you¡¯re a miracle of a man.¡±


    Xiao Luo could only smile at this, and he said nothing. Only he knew that he owed all of this to the Genius System.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Half an hour had passed by the time he returned to the room. Su Canye was there, Zhang Dashan was there, so the atmosphere in the room was plenty lively. There would be the asional raucousughter that rang out from the room. Zhang Dashan and Su Canye had really contagiousughs, and one could not help but feel joy when they heard it.


    Just as the room was at the height of its joy, the door opened.


    A young man and a young woman stood at the entrance. They were two tender faces glowing with vigor and energy.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Zhang Dashan asked.


    The young pair looked at the room before their gaze finallynded on Xiao Luo. They entered without asking for permission, then the man bowed to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Xiao. I¡¯m Tan Zisheng, and this is my ssmate Bai Xia. Both of us have just graduated from university.¡±


    Xiao Luo was confused. What kind of a situation was this? How did a pair of fresh graduates find him?


    He asked indifferently, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    With both hands, Tan Zisheng hurriedly handed over to Xiao Luo a document he had brought with him. ¡°This is my business report and project n, and I ask that you review them. If this gets your approval, I hope that you¡¯ll invest in us, Mr. Xiao.¡±


    So they were here to seek out an investor.


    How courageous they were!


    The people in the room admired the courage and initiative these fresh graduates had.


    Xiao Luo skimmed through the business report and project proposal that was handed to him, and then he raised his head to say, ¡°If you¡¯vee to look for an investment, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve knocked on the wrong door?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. You own Luo¡¯s Workshop and Jin Yitang, right, Mr. Xiao? You¡¯re the one I¡¯m looking for,¡± Tan Zisheng rushed to say.


    ¡°How did you know that? And how did you know I reserved a room here?¡± Xiao Luo frowned.


    ¡°Zisheng¡¯s dad is the mayor of Xiahai City, Mayor Tan. All he had to do was pull a few strings,¡± Bai Xia said, a little haughtily.


    Tan Zisheng nched. ¡°Bai Xia!¡±


    He shook his head, signaling for her to not run her mouth. Bai Xia pursed her lips, not taking it to heart.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the mayor¡¯s son. Where are my manners?¡±


    Xiao Luo was smiling, but he did not feel all that great about this. He had never really interacted much with the Xiahai City mayor, but the man had taken it upon himself to dig into Xiao Luo, and he had even found out exactly where he would be. It was not a good sign that the man had sent his son to present himself right in front of Xiao Luo.


    Zhang Dashan was shocked as well. No wonder they were not surprised upon seeing the nation¡¯s goddess¡ªit turned out that he was an influential and important person.


    ¡°No, Mr. Xiao Luo. My father is my father, and I am who I am. In front of you, I am nothing more than a fresh graduate earnestly asking for you to invest in my project,¡± Tan Zisheng said in a very modest and amiable tone.

 Chapter 689 - Pompous

    <h2>Chapter 689: Pompous</h2>


    Xiao Luo flipped open their business report and project proposal again, taking a few more nces. He then said, ¡°Neither of you have any relevant work experience. This report and this proposal, did you write these with nothing more than conjecture?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Bai Xia grew antsy. She stepped forward to say, ¡°We graduated from a prestigious university, one of the key universities under the country¡¯s Project 911¡ª¡±


    Xiao Luo waved a hand and cut her off curtly. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that both of you poured a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this, but it¡¯s a shame that you poured all that energy into this. Without any relevant work experience, what is your business report based on? Your imagination?¡± He looked at Tan Zisheng. ¡°Someone probably guided you when you wrote this report, right? The writing is too conservative, and the methods are too trite. It doesn¡¯t seem to match the vigor and energy you have as a fresh graduate. I dare say that the expert who provided you with the material and guidance to finish this report is at least 50 years old.¡±


    Tan Yisheng was taken aback, because Xiao Luo had hit the nail on head. They hadpleted this report with the materials and assistance from apany¡¯s top-ss and professional manager, someone his father had entrusted them to. He would turn 52 this year, and he was currently at the peak of his career, the most prosperous time.


    Bai Xia, who stood beside him, was furious. She had poured so much effort into this report, only for Xiao Luo to refuse it. She could not keep her cool at this.


    ¡°What gives you the right to say this? This is a result of our hard work. Do you know how many nights we stayed up just to produce these two reports?¡± She red balefully at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What gives him the right?¡±


    This did not sit right with Zhang Dashan. He huffed, and then said, ¡°Hey, little girl, you two need to get one thing straight. We were making merry and enjoying the food here, and it was you two who barged in, asking my good man over here to review this garbage report of yours andment on it. What, you¡¯re flipping out just because he didn¡¯t sing you praises? You think this report of yours is the best in the world?¡±


    Bai Xia¡¯s embarrassment turned into rage, and she directed it at Zhang Dashan. ¡°Who are you? Who do you think you are? Stop running your mouth!¡±


    She was the typical rich kid, pampered and insolent.


    ¡°Who do I think I am?¡±


    Zhang Dashan was almost amused. ¡°Youngdy, back when I took the reins for Luo¡¯s Workshop, I joined the International Professional Management Competition, and I ced 50 by some stroke of luck. You ask me who I think I am to be running my mouth here? You tell me what you¡¯ve aplished before you talk to me like this. Your name means ¡®summer¡¯, huh? More like bummer!¡±


    He was no even-tempered man. He had initially thought that they were enterprising fresh graduates and wanted to help them as much as he could, but now they were just walking all over him. He would be a fool if he still treated them cordially.


    ¡°We graduated from one of the key universities under the country¡¯s Project 911. In school, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Bai Xia!¡±


    Tan Zisheng was so angry that he was shaking. ¡°What did I tell you when we were on the way here? I told you to just stand by the side and not say anything.¡±


    He was ssmates with Bai Xia, and their families had designated them as each other¡¯s spouses since they were young. He had brought her out this time as a sort of training, but he had not expected for her to throw a tantrum here. She thought the world revolved around her, and he thoroughly regretted bringing her here.


    Bai Xia felt wronged now that her own fianc¨¦ had admonished her like this, but she still put up a brave front and hit back, ¡°Everything I said was the truth. Why should I respect them if they don¡¯t respect us?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? I said no talking.¡±


    Tan Zisheng was so enraged that his eyes were bulging. An ipetent ally was truly more fearsome than a powerful enemy, and he had half a mind to tell his father to call off this wedding. Marrying a woman like this would only be an obstacle in his life.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Bai Xia turned away, displeased.


    With regret written all over his face and his head pounding, Tan Zisheng said to Zhang Dashan, ¡°This is just how Bai Xia is, Mr. Zhang. You don¡¯t have to bother yourself arguing with her.¡±


    ¡°I like what you¡¯re saying, Tan Zisheng. It¡¯s such a shame that there¡¯s such an arrogant, pompousdy by your side hindering your work. I¡¯ve met my fair share of arrogantdies, but I¡¯ve never met one as pompous as her. There are so manydies whoe from rich families, who are refined, polite, and humble, whose every move and gesture emanates grace and ss. I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I don¡¯t see any of that on her,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°You damned fatty, you better watch out, or I¡¯ll have someone hack you to death!¡± Bai Xia was furious. She had never been insulted like this in her entire life.


    Damned fatty?


    This struck a nerve with Zhang Dashan, and his face instantly darkened.


    Tan Zisheng saw that things were escting quickly. In a panic, he raised a hand and swung down at Bai Xia¡¯s face, ¡°I said shut up!¡±


    Bai Xia was shocked by the p. Her eyes watered and she stared in chagrin at the furious Tan Zisheng.


    The air in the room instantly turned bad. Shen Qingyan, Su Li, and the rest of them were frowning. They had all initially thought the two of them were here to genuinely seek mentorship, but as things yed out, it proved that the two of them had issues to sort out. They hadpletely ruined the atmosphere of the dinner party.


    ¡°Can you tell me what a business report is?¡± Xiao Luo raised his head and asked coldly as heforted Su Xiaobei.


    ¡°Sir, a business report is¡ª¡±


    ¡°I want her to answer,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted. He raised a hand and pointed to Bai Xia who was nursing her left cheek.


    ¡°Are you quizzing me? I¡¯m the top student in the business administration school, and you think such a simple question can stump me?¡± Bai Xia spat out through gritted teeth.


    To her, all of the people in the room now were nothing more than dust. ¡°A business report is an important basis upon which investors can ascertain if they want to invest in a project. It analyzes numerous factors including the background of the project, the macro environment, rted industries, prospects of development, resources and capacity, a detailed study on the market, and an estimation on the value of the project. The analysis reflects the economic indicators of the project. A business report is a scientific, objective, andprehensive conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Pretty well put. It seems that you have, indeed, put in the work. However, you don¡¯t have any rted experience in this field, and youck even the most fundamental experience in management. On top of that, you weren¡¯t involved in the market research at all, were you? The structure of this report seems like a temte you can download from the inte, and the figures in it are not realistic. They were merely copied from thepany, by the expert who guided you through this.


    ¡°Virtual or local data can only be used as a reference and not as an urate reflection of the actual numbers. A business report produced with such data is nothing more than empty talk¡ªthere is no value to it as a reference. This is not so much a report, as it is a pile of scrap paper. It¡¯s worth far less than the unused A4 paper. After all, you can still print words on an unused A4 paper.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words were precise as he diminished the value of the report without any hesitation. If it were not for the fact that he had been more weing and understanding to them on ount of them being fresh graduates, he would have long instructed for them to be escorted out. He had been kind when he reviewed their report, and yet they did not appreciate that¡ªbut never mind that. If they had the audacity to be so pompous and kick up a fuss here, then they should be prepared to be smacked down.

 Chapter 690 - Evaluation

    <h2>Chapter 690: Evaluation</h2>


    Hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s appraisal of his reports, Tan Zisheng¡¯s face turned red as he could note up with any rebuttal. He was impressed with Xiao Luo¡¯s quick analysis and that he knew at a nce their data was not derived from doing their market research but copied from elsewhere.


    However, Bai Xia did not take it well, and Xiao Luo¡¯s words provoked her into taking a defensive stance. ¡°There are many business geniuses in the world, and they don¡¯t need relevant experiences to craft out a perfectly realistic business report!¡± she snapped.


    ¡°Is that so? And do you think that you¡¯re one of them?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly and tossed both the reports on his desk. ¡°Then tell me, can you make it the top three in your major in terms of results?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Bai Xia was momentarily lost for words, as her results have always been hovering around the average mark.


    Xiao Luo nced at her and added, ¡°All these so-called business geniuses who graduated from the world¡¯s top management school would take up internships or work to gain relevant experience. So, have you done that?¡±


    Bai Xia was blushing in shame, as she found it hard to respond to Xiao Luo¡¯s words. She had barely made any effort to enhance her job prospects before she graduated and spent more time on leisure activities. Yet, she resented what she heard, and her eyes glowered furiously and almost looked like they were throwing out mes.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back to your project n. So, you guys want to start a logisticspany? Your business proposal merely states that emerce is now the mainstream mode of conducting business and corrtes it to the flourishing logistics industry. I agree with you guys on that point. But your project n does not address many critical issues, and hence, cannot seed. Logisticspanies are proliferating everywhere, and there are many giants in this industry such as ZTO, STO, and YTO.¡±


    If you guys want to establish a new logisticspany and try to take a slice of the pie, I have a question for you¡ªbased on what? Just because you graduated from a key Engineering University of Project 911 means nothing. Or are you guys just being delusional? I don¡¯t know if you, Tan Zisheng, can withstand hardship, but I am sure that Ms. Bai Xia certainly cannot. Do you know that to establish a logisticspany, you would have to personally carry out every stage of packaging and transporting in the early phase? Does she look like she can do that kind of job?¡±


    Xiao Luo rejected both proposals, but he appreciated Tan Zisheng¡¯s courage, so he held back his criticism. He grabbed the reports and passed them back to him. ¡°That is my opinion, take the reports away. Although I have funds for investment, I cannot invest in your projects, unfortunately!¡± he said.


    Tan Zisheng took the documents back from Xiao Luo, but he felt no resentment, despite putting in a great effort in preparing them. Xiao Luo¡¯s blunt appraisal was like a bolt of lightning striking him as he thought they were well-crafted and would have received high praise from any boss who read it. Before this, he was very confident of Xiao Luo investing in this project but had not expected such an oue. It was disheartening, but Xiao Luo had concluded that their proposals were trash.


    ¡°Zisheng, don¡¯t listen to him. He¡¯s insulting us on purpose, and he¡¯s just a conman. He is nothing but a jerk with minor aplishments and is trying to act like a big shot. Words from such people are nothing but noise pollution to our ears. Let¡¯s go!¡± Bai Xia hissed. She was still trying to defend her fianc¨¦.


    As for this obnoxious girl, Xiao Luo ignored her altogether. Even Su Li and Shen Qinyan took no notice of her, as she was too self-centered. It seemed like the entire world revolved around her. Probably the day she lost the support of her family, she would likely suffer more insults in her social circle.


    Tan Zisheng disagreed with Bai Xia as he felt that Xiao Luo was correct. He also believed that Xiao Luo was exceedingly capable and took a different tack. ¡°Mr. Xiao, I would like to be your personal assistant if you would kindly allow me to. I don¡¯t need anypensation, and all I want is an opportunity to learn from you!¡±


    Eh?


    Everyone who heard this was shocked, and their opinion of Tan Zisheng instantly changed. He willingly humbled himself and wished to learn, which was a rare quality for fresh graduates.


    ¡°Are you crazy, Zisheng? This jerk is looking down on us, and you still want to work for him? He will put us through hell!¡± Bai Xia cried frantically. She was anxious as she did not expect her fianc¨¦ to make that request.


    ¡°You best remain silent. I¡¯ve had it with you, and I intend to ask my father to call off our engagement when I return home. You are such a self-righteous silly woman, and I can¡¯t afford to keeppromising my position by having you around. You can keep your arrogant attitude to yourself and treat others any way you choose.¡± Tan Zisheng was seething and could not refrain from expressing his disappointment in her.


    Bai Xia froze in shock. Her family had been searching for ways to align themselves with the powerful Tan family for a long time. If Tan Zisheng called off their engagement, her father¡¯spany would be in dire straits without the support of the Tan family. It could even result in thepany being muscled out by itspetitors, forcing it to wind down. It was also the primary reason she needed to marry Tan Zisheng.


    ¡°Zisheng, you¡­ What are you saying? Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t joke about this matter. You¡¯re scaring me.¡±


    ¡°Scared? Why weren¡¯t you scared when you insulted Mr. Zhang and Mr. Xiao earlier? Bai Xia, let me make it clear to you once and for all¡ªI will not put up with your unbearable bossy attitude anymore. From now onwards, we shall part ways, and may our paths never cross again. You can take it like we don¡¯t know each other and do not have a rtionship at all,¡± Tan Zisheng retorted. He had finally lost his patience with her.


    Bai Xia pulled Tan Zisheng¡¯s sleeves and pleaded, ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, Zisheng. You know I can¡¯t live without you. Zisheng¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t bother me again.¡±


    Tan Zisheng pushed her away mercilessly and looked at Xiao Luo respectfully. ¡°Mr. Xiao, please give me a chance to learn from you,¡± he said.


    ¡°I would love to, but I am just a boss behind the scene. I don¡¯t deal with the running of thepany,¡± Xiao Luo replied, rejecting him outright. He was going off on his honeymoon trip with Su Li, and he had no time to take on a new apprentice. And Bai Xia¡¯s attitude influenced his impression of Tan Zisheng somewhat negatively.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao¡­¡±


    ¡°Go, could you please don¡¯t interrupt our meal?¡±


    Su Li, who had been quiet, suddenly cut off Tan Zisheng. She had had enough of these students who were merely there to seek knowledge.


    Tan Zisheng was taken aback and replied, ¡°Ms. Su, I have been observing you, and in my mind, it doesn¡¯t appear that you are associated with Mr. Xiao. This matter is between Mr. Xiao and me, so can you please stay out of it?¡±


    Zhang Dashanughed and said, ¡°Tan Zisheng, I thought you were smarter than that. You couldn¡¯t even tell the rtionship between my brother anddy Su, and it tells me you¡¯re so terrible at observing people. So, I¡¯ll tell you¡ªthey are married. If you¡¯re tellingdy Su to stay out of this, then you should leave now. Just leave and stop interrupting our happy mealtime.¡±


    Su Canye raised his brows and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I can¡¯t help butment. You have a pig of a teammate, but now you are bing one yourself.¡± He turned and spoke to Xiao Bei, ¡°Little princess, say it with me¡ªPig!¡±


    The little girl was fond of her uncle, so she blinked innocently and mimicked him. ¡°Pig!¡±


    Although she was speaking proper Chinese, her pronunciation wasn¡¯t perfect, and she pronounced the word ¡°pig¡± as ¡°big.¡± But the tone of her child-like voice made it sound rather cute.


    ¡°Not ¡®big,¡¯ it¡¯s ¡®pig,¡¯ you little piggie!¡± Su Canye responded, correcting her in his unique way.


    ¡°Big, big,¡± Su Xiaobei cried, trying to correct her pronunciation.


    Su Canye cracked up. ¡°Little princess, from whom did you learn to speak like that? How could your pronunciation sound so funny?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? She¡¯s just saying that you¡¯re a pig,¡± Zhang Dashan quipped with augh.


    ¡°¡­¡± Su Canye was speechless.

 Chapter 691 - Curiosity

    <h2>Chapter 691: Curiosity</h2>


    What? Xiao Luo and the National Goddess Su Li are husband and wife?


    Tan Zisheng was astonished, and the look on his face alternated between shock and embarrassment. He felt ashamed of his actions and poor choice of words earlier.


    ¡°Huh! So that¡¯s how she could be the national goddess. Turns out all she had to do was hook a rich man. Pah! She¡¯s only depending on her pretty face and has no talent at all!¡± Bai Xia hissed, insulting Su Li with biting sarcasm. She intended to attack anyone who offended Tan Zisheng.


    The moment she said these words, the atmosphere in the room fell into an awkward silence. Bai Xia was exceedingly obnoxious, and no one could tolerate her poor behavior.


    Xiao Ruyi stood up and red at Bai Xia. ¡°You! Leave now¡­ just get lost!¡± she shrieked, pointing angrily at the door.


    ¡°Fine, I wouldn¡¯t want to stay another longer than I have to! Zisheng, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Bai Xia thought that by showing her support for Tan Zisheng, he would forgive her. However, just as she was about to reach out to hold his hand, she shrank back timidly when she noticed Tan Zisheng¡¯s murderous stare.


    As he red at this uncouth and self-righteous woman, Tan Zisheng was seething. If Bai Xia had not made a mess of the situation, the oue would have been very different, perhaps even perfect. He really couldn¡¯t that such a foolish woman existed in the world. She was nothing more than a pig. No, she was worse than a pig!


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, Ms. Su, I¡­¡±


    He wanted to apologize, but he found no words to say. In the end, he bowed deeply and apologize to everyone in the private room, before he promptly made to leave the room.


    ¡°Zisheng, wait for me!¡±


    Bai Xia tailed after Tan Zisheng like a shadow, and just as she was about to reach the door of the private room, her rage got the better of her. She was indignant at Tan Zisheng¡¯s mistreatment and med Xiao Luo and the others for his foul mood. ¡°How could you sit there enjoying your meal? Go to hell, the lot of you!¡±


    Suddenly, she picked up a bottle of beer from the table nearby and vented her anger by throwing it at their table. Whether she intended to, the bottle sailed toward therge pot of soup in the center of the table.


    Zhang Dashan, Chai Zhiying, and everyone else seated around the table turned pale, for they never expected that Bai Xia would take such drastic action. The bottle of beer was about to smash into the pot and stter boiling soup all over everyone!


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Zhang Dashan shouted out a warning for everyone to duck.


    But something unbelievable happened. The bottle of beer suddenly stopped in its trajectory and hovered about ten centimeters above the pot of soup. Incredibly, it remained suspended in the air, as if an invisible hand had grabbed it.


    Everyone was stunned beyond words! Bai Xia and Tan Zisheng, who had yet to leave the room, were so shocked that froze where they stood.


    ¡°Look, Daddy is performing a magic trick! Awesome, Daddy!¡± Su Xiaobei cheered.


    As if on cue, everyone turned and looked at Xiao Luo. They realized his palm was outstretched as if he was clutching the beer bottle, but he was nowhere near the bottle. It appeared that the reason this beer bottle stayed in the air was because of Xiao Luo.


    It was no magic trick, but the ability to control things through the air!


    Holy f*ck, there was such skill in this world?


    Zhang Dashan, Su Canye, and the others gathered in the room were even more astonished now. So much so that they did not realize the cutlery in their hands had fallen to the ground.


    Xiao Luo coldly nced at Bai Xia and flicked his palm in her direction. The bottle of beer that was hovering in the air suddenly spun and shot off like a bolt of lightning toward Bai Xia.


    SMASH!


    The beer bottle flew right into Bai Xia¡¯s face and struck her forehead, instantly shattering and spilling its contents all over the floor.


    Bai Xia staggered a few steps back and copsed to the floor. Blood flowed profusely from her forehead all over her face, and seeing the blood, Bai Xia panicked and immediately wailed.


    Xiao Luo stood up, pushed his chair away, and walked ominously toward Bai Xia. His face was dark with rage, and he could not forgive Bai Xia for her callous actions. She would soon learn that such a dangerous act would invite a very harsh response.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao, please calm down. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I apologize on behalf of Bai Xia!¡±


    Tan Zisheng pleaded as he hurried back to protect Bai Xia. Despite his intention to annul the engagement, he found it hard to stand aside and watch Bai Xia get beaten up.


    ¡°Zisheng¡­¡±


    Bai Xia hid behind Tan Zisheng and held on to his sleeve in abject fear. The murderous aura permeating the room made her feel true fear for the first time in her life.


    ¡°You idiot, hurry up and apologize to Mr. Xiao!¡± Tan Zisheng turned around and roared anxiously.


    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry¡­¡±


    Bai Xia no longer dared to show her arrogance. She sobbed and apologized profusely. What she saw in Xiao Luo now frightened her, for he appeared like a monster about to kill her. His devilish eyes looked strange and sinister.


    ¡°F*ck off and don¡¯t let me see you again!¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    Xiao Luo had a bad temper. If not for the fact that Su Xiaobei, Su Li, and his sister Xiao Ruyi were there, Bai Xia would not have been able to leave so easily.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you, Mr. Xiao!¡±


    Tan Zisheng was relieved. It almost felt like Xiao Luo had granted him amnesty. He thanked Xiao Luo profusely before pulling Bai Xia away and fled the room.


    The incident ruined the cheerful atmosphere of the gathering. Xiao Luo was so furious that he was on the verge of throttling Bai Xia. However, being the host, heposed himself again. He turned around and returned to his seat with a smile, and the murderous look he wore vanished just like that.


    ¡°Daddy, help me wipe my mouth.¡±


    Su Xiaobei said in her cute little child¡¯s voice as she pouted and raised her head to Xiao Luo, showing the traces of soup around her mouth.


    Xiao Luo chuckled and said, ¡°Okay, Daddy will wipe it for you.¡±


    He took a piece of tissue and gently wiped off the stains from Su Xiaobei¡¯s mouth.


    When Xiao Luo raised his head, he realized everyone was looking at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you enjoying your meals? Why are you looking at me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Brother, what martial arts technique did you just use? Can you teach me? Were you trained by a mysterious martial arts master?¡± Xiao Ruyi asked as her eyes shone with amazement. She was quite interested in this sort of mysterious skills.


    Tang Ren nodded his head repeatedly, absolutely awed and in agreement with his wife, Ruyi.


    ¡°Where have you been f*cking hiding it all this while? If I didn¡¯t see it with my own eyes, I wouldn¡¯t believe that such martial arts existed in this world! Old Xiao, you have to teach me!¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    Chai Zhiying, who was standing by the side of the room, did not say anything. She just stared at Xiao Luo with her eyes wide open.


    Su Canye, on the other hand, jumped from his seat and ran to Xiao Luo. ¡°Brother-inw, I also want to learn this crazy and explosive martial arts. If I can learn it, I¡¯ll be able to pick up girls effortlessly. Please, I am your brother-inw, so you must teach me this!¡±


    In front of Xiao Luo, he didn¡¯t dare to address himself as Young Master, and besides, he had a favor to ask of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Li, what did I tell you before? This guy is full of hidden talents!¡± Shen Qingyan said.


    Su Li looked at Xiao Luo without blinking her beautiful eyes. Indeed, this man of hers was mysterious.


    ¡°Daddy, I want to learn this magic trick as well!¡± Su Xiaobei cried, joining in the chorus with her little face filled with excitement.


    Xiao Luo felt a headacheing on. He had merely released a little of his inner power, but it seemed mysterious to the others. Without a doubt, he would have to spend a lot of time exining himself this time.

 Chapter 692 - Alien

    <h2>Chapter 692: Alien</h2>


    The night sky seemed like a vast ck shroud as it descended and enveloped the entire city. But the darkness was kept at bay by the profusion of random and colorful lights that provided its dwellers the familiar illumination of the city¡¯s nightlife.


    Tan Zisheng and Bai Xia walked out of the hotel and were still in a deep state of shock. What they saw in the private room challenged their understanding of thews of nature. How could a bottle of beer hover in the air? What kind of force or energy did Xiao Luo apply?


    ¡°Zisheng, do you think Mr. Xiao¡­ Is he a monster?¡±


    Bai Xia muttered as she sat in the passenger seat still unable to contain the emotion in her heart.


    Tan Zisheng was still in a daze as he drove his car and did not reply to her. The fact was, he was equally dumbstruck and wondered the same thing. A monster? He certainly looked like one! How could such things exist in this world?


    ¡°Zisheng, you were joking about breaking off the engagement with me, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I knew it was a joke. You still love me, or you wouldn¡¯t have protected me from that monster.¡±


    ¡°Zisheng, should we tell your father that Mr. Xiao is a monster?¡±


    Bai Xia had not stopped bbering since she got into the car. After calming down a little, she repeatedly raised the subject of their engagement.


    Tan Zisheng found her whining increasingly unbearable, and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He turned and red at Bai Xia. ¡°Can you f*cking shut up and let me have some peace?¡± he roared.


    Right after he spoke, the car suddenly jolted to a violent stop with a loud bang.


    CRASH!


    They saw nothing but web-like cracks sttered across the entire windshield. In that same instant, the airbags in the console automatically deployed, preventing both Tan Zisheng and Bai Xia from smashing their heads into the front of the car.


    Thankfully, Tan Zisheng was not driving fast, merely cruising at about 40 miles per hour. The airbag undoubtedly prevented the two of them from suffering severe injuries, though it left them a little dazed but still aware and able to function.


    What is going on?


    The car was cruising at a steady speed along the road and he saw no obstructions on the road. What did it hit? A streetmp post?


    Tan Zisheng was somewhat confused and had no idea what was going on. He pushed the door open and alighted from the car. Bai Xia pushed the door open as well, but had some trouble squeezing through the car door. And when they looked at the front of the car, they were shocked out of their wits! Their pupils dted, and their jaws dropped! With blood drained from their faces, they felt nothing but fear and despair spread to every part of their bodies.


    Their skins crawled, and a shiver ran down their spines!


    Shaking, they instantly broke out in a cold sweat.


    Standing right in front of the car was a man at least 1.8 meters tall figure, towering over them like a tall pine tree. The car had smashed into him, but he wasn¡¯t thrown back or even injured. Instead, the hood of the car caved in and wrapped around the motionless figure. It was as though he was nted in the ground like a utility pole, and that was exactly the damage that his car sustained when it smashed into him.


    The tall man was garbed in a white robe and wore a jade pendant around his neck. His ears were pale, almost white with a hint of red in them. The shape of his ears was unique, as both the front and back of parts of the ears were identical, with ridges looking like a carved art piece. His skin was fair-looking with delicate features, and he tied up his long ck hair in a topknot pierced with a bamboo hairpin. He smelled faintly of musk, and incredibly, his pupils were purple.


    He emanated an aura that could only be described as ¡°immortal energy,¡± and the way he looked down his nose gave others the impression that the life forms in this world weren¡¯t worth his consideration.


    There was another tall man beside him, also dressed in white, and he had purple eyes as well. However, this man was thinner, and while his looks could not bepared to the first man, he still looked handsome and rather cool. They both had good appearances, especially that first man who stood towering over them. Not only did he appear like an immortal, but his looks could also even be described as ¡°pretty.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡±


    Tan Zisheng could not stop trembling, for these two men exuded a dominating presence and a god-like bearing that made people want to prostrate before them in worship. Their towering height contributed in no small part to that perception, and Tan Zisheng could only cower as he stared up to these two titans.


    The two tall men acted as though they did not hear his question. The thin man said to the fair-looking white-dressed man, ¡°Your Majesty, why is this world filled with metal lumps that can run? I find them so annoying.¡±


    ¡°I find them annoying too!¡±


    The man in white spoke coldly.


    As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible energy field burst from his motionless body and flipped Tan Zisheng¡¯s car violently into the air as if a heavy blow had struck it. The fair-looking tall man in white suddenly unsheathed the long sword at his waist and casually shed it.


    SLASH!


    An invisible de sliced the steel car in half like it was a cut of beef.


    The edges of the cut were clean like a powerfulser had burned through it!


    The two halves of the car fell to the ground in a loud crash, like two piles of metal scrap.


    ¡°GASP!¡±


    Tan Zisheng sucked in a breath of air as he fell to the ground and looked in shock.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Bai Xia screamed hysterically as most girls would, and she froze in fear.


    It was terrifying, and she had never seen such an extraordinary and shocking scene!


    SWOOSH!


    The thinner man suddenly appeared in front of Bai Xia, almost like he had teleported there. He lifted Bai Xia¡¯s chin with his sword sheath and studied her briefly. ¡°This is a woman of this world? She is hardly attractive at all, and no match for the women of our Light n!¡±


    He pulled his scabbard away and turned away with an expression of utter disdain. ¡°This world is a filthy ce. The spiritual energy is thin, and the air and environment are worse than our filth processing station. It¡¯s a miracle that so many people can exist in this world!¡±


    Then turning to Tan Zisheng, sprawled on the ground in fear, he continued berating the humans. ¡°Low constitution, lowbat ability, and a sicklyplexion. It is precisely what to expect from those who live in this filthy environment!¡±


    He turned around and looked at the fair-looking man in white. ¡°Your Majesty, did you not say that there are guardians, who have formed a pact with our Secret Territory, and that we are not to encroach into their world? Where are they? I can¡¯t wait to fight them. I want to see if their fighting prowess is as strong as is rumored. But, seeing how filthy this world is, I those rumors hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The fair-looking man only gave him an abrupt reply and turned around to leave.


    The thin man quickened his pace to catch up. He casually held both his hands behind his head as he gazed skyward and walked arrogantly as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    Tan Zisheng and Bai Xia were still in a stupor as they gawked at the backs of the two departing men, and then they turned to stare at the car, now two heaps of scrap. Terrified, they shuddered uncontrobly.


    Who were those two guys?


    What exactly was happening to their world?


    Where did these two terrifying beingse from?


    Tan Zisheng and Bai Xia were lost for words, their hearts were racing, and the hair was standing on ends. They were so afraid that they forgot to take out their phones to call the police.

 Chapter 693 - Your Highness

    <h2>Chapter 693: Your Highness</h2>


    It waste in the night, and Xiao Luo and Su Li were strolling along the riverside at the wend park.


    It was already around 11 pm, and they were the only people in this sprawling park. Zhang Dashan and the others had already decided earlier it was time to head home after having an insanely fun time during the banquet. Su Xiaobei had fallen asleep, so Su Canye took her home.


    ¡°Is something the matter, why did you decide toe here?¡±


    Su Li wore a well-cut beige suit, which was undoubtedly branded. The smooth lines perfectly entuated her enchanting curves andplimented the aloof countenance of her beautiful face. She could only be described as devastatingly beautiful.


    ¡°Must we have a reason? Can¡¯t we just take a walk?¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile as reached out to hold her hand.


    Su Li¡¯s face turned red, but she did not let go and allowed Xiao Luo to hold her hand.


    Xiao Luo nced at the river and sighed. ¡°When I was in university, I often came here for jogs at this time of the night,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why would you go for a run thatte?¡± Su Li asked curiously.


    ¡°I like going for jogs here when it¡¯s quiet. It keeps me calm and lets me think through many things,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li did not say a thing but only looked at him with adoring eyes as she listened intently.


    Xiao Luo sped her hand as they walked along the path filled with the chirping sound of crickets. ¡°I could have never imagined that I¡¯d one day marry a superstar, and who¡¯d have thought that I¡¯d be able to achieve sess in all the things that I had set out to do. To be honest, the near-fatal car ident in Jiangcheng was the turning point in my life. Aftering so close to death, it felt like I had been reborn. It¡¯s strange, from that day on, I somehow became fearless.¡±


    There was truth in what Xiao Luo said. Although the system had brought him iparable glory and extraordinary achievement, he knew deep within that his temperament had undergone an inexplicable change after his near-death experience. Even the things that he said back at Jiangcheng to his ex-girlfriend, Zhao Mengqi, were not out of anger. He had suddenlye to realize the truth, and it was as if his soul had undergone an awakening, but for a while, he just couldn¡¯t put a finger on it.


    ¡°You were in a car ident?¡± Su Li asked with shock. She had no idea that Xiao Luo had met with such a terrible incident.


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    Xiao Luo sighed and smiled bitterly at the recollection. ¡°The phrase ¡®one is due for good fortune after surviving a great disaster¡¯ is a perfect description. That car ident seemed predestined. I wasn¡¯t in a stable mood, the condition of the rural road was bad, and I was driving at more than a hundred miles per hour. It was also raining heavily then, and although there were hardly any cars on the road, these three factors were sufficient to cause an ident.¡±


    Su Li gazed at him sympathetically as she pursed her lips. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we had simr experiences,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo had a look of shock on his face. ¡°Are you saying that you were also involved in a car ident?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Su Li nodded slightly and said, ¡°My father passed away in that car ident. The car skidded off a cliff and was smashed to pieces.¡±


    ¡°How did you make it our alive?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either. I was very young then, and I could only remember crawling out of the wreck. But my father was badly injured, and he was trapped in the driver¡¯s seat. I cried helplessly next to him, and there was nothing else I could do.¡±


    As Su Li recounted the tragic car ident, tears formed in her eyes. It was an extremely traumatic memory.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made you recall a sad event,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Su Li slowly pulled her hand away from Xiao Luo¡¯s and turned to face the river. ¡°It has been more than a decade, and I¡¯ve already moved on from that traumatic experience. So there¡¯s no need for you to apologize.¡±


    She stood right beneath a streemp, and the light shone upon her face, illuminating her in silver light. The surface of her skin gleamed, revealing her devastating beauty and grace. Even from behind, her enchanting beauty was more than enough to fill one¡¯s thoughts with endless fantasies.


    Xiao Luo walked up and hugged her from behind. He breathed in her sweet fragrance and said, ¡°Wife, isn¡¯t the view here beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rather beautiful!¡±


    Su Li leaned her body back slightly, and her face turned a little red. She could feel the cool river breeze and a longing formed in her heart.


    She never thought that her husband would be someone like Xiao Luo. Recalling the incident when they first came together, what had seemed so wrong then now seemed like a blessing.


    ¡°You can quit the entertainment industry if you wish. I¡¯ll take care of you and Xiaobei. I do not wish to watch you in scenes with other male actors on television anymore,¡± Xiao Luo gently whispered into her ears.


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Su Li nodded her head, reaffirming her words. To begin with, it was never her intention to walk down the path of a celebrity. Her original goal was to be a music and dance teacher, but facing immense pressure, her ns changed drastically.


    Xiao Luo smiled, and without another word, he moved closer to Su Li and cuddled her tight.


    Su Li didn¡¯t say a thing either. They both quietly gazed into the flowing river, enjoying the breeze by the riverbank as their souls merged as one.


    ¡°How romantic. But it¡¯s a shame I must break up your intimate embrace.¡± A mocking voice suddenly came from behind them.


    Xiao Luo was stunned and instantly turned around. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    The voice was close by, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the person¡¯s exact location. But what troubled him was the fact that someone coulde so close to him without him even realizing it. This had never happened before.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to know!¡±


    A strange figure leaped from the streemp above them andnded right behind Xiao Luo without making a sound. He was like a weightless ghost.


    Xiao Luo wanted to pull away, but this ominous figure moved at lightning speed. In a split second, he was already behind Xiao Luo and jabbed his finger into Xiao Luo¡¯s acupoint.


    Xiao Luo was petrified and suddenly realized that he had lost control of his entire body.


    What is going on?


    Who exactly is this strange person?


    Thoughts shed into Xiao Luo¡¯s mind and he was confident that with his skills, he could conquer this entire world. He never imagined that such an opponent would suddenly appear tonight, and he had been subdued without even having the chance to see his tormentor.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­!¡±


    Su Li was in shock and tried to help Xiao Luo.


    But was stopped by that person with a sinister smile: ¡°Your highness, I¡¯ve finally found you!¡±


    Su Li finally got the chance to get a look at the stranger¡ªhe had a fairplexion and delicate facial features. He had a pair of purple eyes that were prating, and he exuded an aura of immense power. Su Li¡¯s face turned pale, and she found it hard to believe that such a man existed in this world.


    Before Su Li could even get her senses back, she detected a musky in the air, and a man in a white robe slowly descended from the sky. He had his arms raised, and a powerful aura emanated from him, making him appear like a god. He did not speak orugh as he stared at Xiao Luo. He looked very appealing with a wless face that seemed carved in fine marble.


    He appeared to be aloof and arrogant; clearly, a man who did not originate from this world.


    ¡°You guys¡­ Who are you guys?¡± Su Li stammered.


    ¡°Your highness, we¡¯re your nsman, and this person here is our sword king¡ªMing,¡± the thinner man introduced his master to Su Li.


    Your highness?


    nsman?Su Li couldn¡¯t understand a word he was saying. She gathered her thoughts, and warned, ¡°This park is under camera surveince, and all your actions are being recorded in the police sky system. I don¡¯t know who you people are, but if you don¡¯t want tond up being wanted criminals, you better hurry and leave!¡±

 Chapter 694 - Play with Him

    <h2>Chapter 694: y with Him</h2>


    ¡°Surveince? Wanted by the police?¡±


    The thin man rubbed his nose with his thumb disdainfully and said, ¡°Your Highness, you are already assimted into the body of an ordinary mortal, therefore, your perception is that of a mortal. But this can¡¯t be helped. Your memories have been sealed in the Divine Temple, but once unsealed, you will recall everything about the Light n. Now, please follow us back, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Get lost! I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡± Su Li shouted coldly.


    The thin man was taken aback, but he smiled and said, ¡°Your Holy Highness, I apologize for offending you. But once you regain your memory, I believe you will not me me.¡±


    Just then, he extended his hand and tapped his finger between Su Li¡¯s brows. She suddenly found herself unable to move, just like Xiao Luo.


    Curisa chuckled as he lifted Su Li and threw her over his shoulder. He turned to the white-clothed man, Ming, and said, ¡°Your Majesty, do you think it is inappropriate for us to bring Her Highness back like this?¡±


    Ming nced at him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He turned around and prepared to leave.


    Curisa smiled and followed. All the while, the two towering men did not even look at Xiao Luo. It was as if he was invisible to them, and they simply ignored him.


    ¡°Put her down now!¡±


    A bloodthirsty roar suddenly escaped from Xiao Luo¡¯s throat. He released his acupoints and dashed toward Curisa like a wild beast. He clenched his fists hard as he channeled his destructive energy to them and smashed the back of Curisa¡¯s head.


    Seeing his own woman being carried away on someone else¡¯s shoulder, Xiao Luo became furious and attacked with all his might.


    SWOOSH!


    The force that Xiao Luo¡¯s fist generated whistled like the wind from a roaring gale. As his fist shed through the air, space would slightly distort, appearing like ripples on the calm surface of the water when a stone was dropped in.


    But Curisa¡¯s palm easily parried Xiao Luo¡¯s powerful punch. The moment the fist and palm met, the force of the impact burst like a fierce wind before it quickly dissipated.


    The ease with which the thin man blocked the blow stunned Xiao Luo. He had put all of his strength into this punch and he could even have destroyed an armored car. Who was this person, and why was he so powerful?


    ¡°I did not expect for such a capable fighter would exist in this filthy ce. How amazing; he even broke through my seal all by himself!¡±


    Curisa said to Ming in surprise, then looked at yfully Xiao Luo. ¡°Hey, mortal, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyelids twitched as he felt like this strange person was merely toying with him. The humiliation was unbearable, and Xiao Luo could not suppress his anger.


    ¡°F*ck you!¡±


    Xiao Luo cursed the thin man and as his fighting spirit soared, he unleashed a kick to Curisa¡¯s waist.


    Xiao Luo swept his left leg into Curisa¡¯s body with overwhelming might, sending a powerful stream of internal energy into the man.


    Curisa¡¯s raised his right leg to protect his nk, and when the force struck, it dissipated and spread out in all directions. Instantly, Xiao Luo felt that his entire leg go numb. He lost control and felt crippled before he lost consciousness for a moment.


    ¡°Your strength is unremarkably weak and you do not have the speed. How do you expect to hurt someone like me?¡±


    Curisaughed mockingly. His purple eyes suddenly shot out two rays of cold light, and with his right leg, he kicked Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with lightning speed.


    POW!


    The kick struck Xiao Luo with a dull thud and he felt that his internal organs churning violently. The blow threw his body back like a cannonball.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    Xiao Luo crashed through the trunks of three massive trees, recently transnted to this wend park, and tumbled across the ground for quite a distance before he came to a stop.


    As Xiao Luo got up into a kneeling position, but he had taken a heavy blow and felt its effect as the pain surged in his body.


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    Xiao Luo spurted out thick blood from his mouth, and his face instantly turned pale.


    ¡°So, are you okay, mortal?¡±


    Curisa slowly retracted his leg and nonchntly called out to Xiao Luo, some 50 meters away.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Su Li cried, and her eyes opened wide. The experience tonight was beyond her understanding.


    Who were these two people with purple eyes?


    What exactly were they doing here?


    The Light n? Where was the Light n from?


    A deluge of questions shed in her mind. Yet, she was more concerned about Xiao Luo¡¯s condition. Although she knew he was an outstanding fighter, there was no way such a terrifying kick would not injure him.


    Xiao Luo struggled to stand up as he red fiercely at Curisa. The traces of blood at the corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth gave him an indescribably evil scowl. The Yi Jinjing operated on its own to nurse his internal energy and heal his physical injuries.


    ¡°Hmm, he is very resilient. He can still move even after being beaten up.¡±


    Curisa raised his eyebrows in surprise and showed more interest. He turned to Ming and said, ¡°Your Majesty, please help me look after Her Highness. I¡¯ll y with him for a while.¡±


    Ming said nothing. With a light wave of his hand, Su Li, still on Curisa¡¯s shoulder, was drawn by an invisible force, and found herself floating toward him. Before Su Li knew it, she was standing in front of him. Ming nodded stiffly to express his respect and loyalty.


    ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s great to be your adjutant. You support me no matter what I do, haha, haha¡­¡± Curisa said andughed raucously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you half an incense¡¯s time!¡±


    Ming said tly. He paused for a moment and then added, ¡°Also, be careful when you attack!¡±


    Curisa nodded and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be serious. I¡¯m just ying with him.¡±


    He stretched his neck from left to right, then took four to five steps forward. His purple eyes looked impassively at Xiao Luo. ¡°Mortal, are you not going to tell me your name?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Ni, and Ba is my given name!¡± Xiao Luo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he walked toward Curisa.


    ¡°Ni Ba?¡±


    Curisa frowned because he¡¯d never heard such a strange name before. Then he realized Ni Ba meant ¡°your father,¡± and Curisa was offended by the insult. ¡°Do you know the consequences of making fun of me, mortal?¡± he said.


    ¡°What consequences?¡± Xiao Luo mocked with a smile.


    Curisa saw the teasing look in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes and snorted. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough!¡± he roared.


    He removed his long saber from his waist and leaned it against a tree with its tip on the cement path. The tip of the sheathed saber sunk some five centimeters into the pavement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t intend to use your saber?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were glowering with rage. He did not care who the other party was. If they dared to bully his woman, they would have to deal with his wrath!


    When Curisa heard this, he found it hrious and cackled. ¡°A mere mortal like you asking me if I¡¯m using my saber to fight you? Do you see yourself as a big potato for me to slice up?¡±


    ¡°You will pay for underestimating your enemy!¡±

 Chapter 695 - Thousands of Souls

    <h2>Chapter 695: Thousands of Souls</h2>


    Xiao Luo roared. Like a wild, ferocious beast possessed by an evil spirit, he rushed towards Curisa with unmatched power.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The ground rumbled beneath him, and dust blew behind him.


    After a four-meter dash, he bounded like a cheetah attacking its prey as he soared fiercely in the air to deliver a knee strike to Curisa¡¯s head.


    ¡°Mortal, you think too highly of yourself!¡±


    Curisa roared and crossed his arms above his head in anticipation of Xiao Luo¡¯s iing attack.


    POW!


    The force of Xiao Luo¡¯s knee smashing into his arms was like a raging tsunami. The ground beneath Curisa copsed over a radius of five meters. Looking down from right above him, it resembled a huge wok. The energy unleashed by Xiao Luo stirred up a violent storm of dust and caused the ground to shake.


    ¡°Is that all you are capable of?¡±


    Curisa responded as he lifted his head and shed Xiao Luo a sinister smile. But inwardly, he was rather surprised by the power. In this filthynd of weak spirits, other than the guardians, Curisa did not expect to find someone as powerful as him. Although Xiao Luo was not as strong, it would be unwise to underestimate the man, as he had enough power to cause severe injury.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face now looked ferocious, and with an angry grunt, he increased the strength in his body once again.


    KABOOM!


    Half of Curisa¡¯s body sunk into the ground and the area around him copsed further, forming an enormous pit twice as wide. The deepest point in the center of the pit was now about one meter deep.


    ¡°Luo? You can¡­¡±


    Su Li was stunned and could hardly believe what she was seeing. She knew that Xiao Luo was exceptionally strong, but never imagined that he could unleash such terrifying power. The pavement was built on solid ground and constructed of hard concrete, yet Xiao Luo smashed it with just a single strike. Where in the world did he get such power?


    She quickly realized that she was standing right on the fringe of the copsed ground, but yet she did not fall in. She then noticed now that a shroud of silver light enveloped her. She turned her head and looked up at the white-robed man, Ming, and knew immediately that the force field keeping her in ce came from this man.


    ¡°You¡¯ve angered me!¡±


    The smile on Curisa¡¯s face vanished, and a strange haze formed around him.


    Suddenly, there was a deafening roar, like an explosion, and an immense amount of energy erupted from Curisa¡¯s body, sending out powerful waves with the force of a cannonball.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes narrowed as the force struck him, and it threw him back quite a distance. He spat out thick fresh blood as he sailed across the ground with no control over his body.


    ¡°Puny mortal!¡±


    Curisa roared triumphantly as he burst from the pit and dashed toward Xiao Luo like a charging bull.


    ¡°Hmmph¡­ HIYAH!¡±


    Xiao Luo was off-bnced, but with a roar, he swiveled his torso and changed his center of gravity. Simultaneously, he swung a leg at lightning speed and attempted to intercept his approaching foe. But the kick missed, for Curisa¡¯s body vanished in that instant, and Xiao Luo suddenly lost track of his position.


    Without warning, Curisa pounced on Xiao Luo from above. He had curled himself up and the moment he was in range; he extended his body like a spring. The technique he used was unique and his execution was brutal. Xiao Luo was in the air when Curisa struck and mmed into the ground.


    BAM!


    Xiao Luo smashed into the ground like a meteorite and another enormous pit was gouged into the wend park once again. The diameter of the pit this time was about twenty meters, and everything from trees, thewn, and streetmps were pulverized. Dust hung in the air, covering the entire area, and no one could see what was going on.


    Curisanded sure-footedly on the fringe of the pit and looked in with his pair of purple eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Su Li¡¯s eyes turned red as tears formed. She realized that there was nothing she could do, and a sense of helplessness caused her to lose control of her emotions.


    Once the dust settled, she saw Xiao Luo, and the shirt on his back was ripped apart. He kneeled in the center of the pit with blood dripping from his mouth and nose. His body was coated with a thickyer of dirt.


    Curisa scratched the back of his head and had a guilty look on his face. ¡°Seems like I might have been a little too harsh,¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo lifted his head and red at this man with the purple eyes.


    Xiao Luo possessed the Yi Jinjing, Nether w, Gone with the Snow, and Peerless Body Protection techniques he redeemed from the system. These were the most powerful techniques that the system offered, and thebination of these skills made was potent. Yet, Xiao Luo still did not have what it took to even scratch Curisa. The system was not as invincible when used against these strange beings.


    Curisa waved his hands and said, ¡°Alright, there is no point in continuing this any further. I¡¯m afraid that I might identally end up killing you. Our highness has already told us what your name is¡ªXiao Luo, right? Not bad, to think that you could cultivate your powers to such a level in this filthynd. You have done very well!¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked toward Su Li.


    There was no way Xiao Luo was going to sit there and watch them take his woman away. Taking a deep breath, he dug his feet into the ground, lowered his posture like a hungry wolf, and dashed forward. As he charged toward Curisa in the dim light, hisher ws resembled the fangs of a snarling wolf.


    A sneak attack was the only way, for Curisa never expected Xiao Luo to still have the will to fight. Xiao Luo shed hard and left five deep cuts on Curisa¡¯s back. Instantly, the wound seared with burning pain.


    Theher w could rip ordinary people apart, but it only left a superficial wound on Curisa¡¯s body. It was a tremendous shock to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Are you courting death, mortal?¡±


    Curisa turned around and red at Xiao Luo and his purple eyes emitted a murderous aura. He didn¡¯t mind when Xiao Luo was disrespectful, but he was attacked from behind when he least expected it. But what he could not ept was that a mere mortal had wounded him, and he felt ashamed, for it was like a p in the face.


    He rotated his right palm, and a strange glow formed in his palm.


    Not good!


    Xiao Luo broke into a cold sweat as he sensed the impending danger and immediately took steps to avoid being hit.


    Xiao Luo knew he could not evade the inevitable blow and braced himself for it. But he was a step too slow, and Curisa¡¯s palm smashed into his chest like a bolt of lightning.


    Xiao Luo had tried to raise his hands out to parry, but before he could even move a muscle, Curisa¡¯s palm has already struck his chest.


    A st of energy surged throughout the entire wend park, like the violent waves of a raging Yangtze River swollen by a heavy torrential downpour.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo sailed back about seven to eight feet in the air and spat out fresh blood as hended hard on the ground. He felt like his internal organs had ruptured and he kept coughing out blood.He immediately used up a hundred thousand points from the system to heal up his internal injuries, but it required time.WHOOSH!Xiao Luo heard something moving rapidly through the air, and as soon as he lifted his head, he realized that Curisa had teleported right in front of him. Curisa red down at him with those purple eyes.¡±You are a mere mortal and you can be proud of how you fought. That you injured me today gives you bragging rights for the rest of your life. But try as you might, your powers are nowhere near mine, andpared to me, you¡¯re nothing but an ant. All I have to do is step on you and you will be squashed to death!¡± Curisa lifted his leg and ced his foot on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest lightly.¡±Let my woman go, if you¡¯re a man, then take me instead!¡± Xiao Luo grunted with some effort and gritted his blood-stained teeth.¡±Your woman?¡±Curisa beganughing like he had heard a joke, and said, ¡°She¡¯s the holydy of our Light n. She has only been sent temporarily to live in this filthy world. Once this period is over, she will naturally return home to her n who awaits her. Do you think you deserve to be with our holydy? Do not overestimate yourself!¡± Curisa nced at Su Li, and her eyes were red with tears. He then turned back to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Once she has regained her memories, she¡¯ll be ruling over a secret realm in a higher dimension inessible to mere mortals like you. She will rule over thousands of souls!¡±

 Chapter 696 - Disparity in Strength

    <h2>Chapter 696: Disparity in Strength</h2>


    ¡°Holy Lady? What nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed mockingly, exposing two rows of bloodied teeth, and it filled his bitter voice with doom. By now, the system had already healed up all his internal injuries. A strange vibration ran through him before his body suddenly erupted in a ferocious surge of energy. Xiao Luo pped Curisa¡¯s leg away and thrust his palms on the ground to power his body to an upright position.


    Xiao Luo stood to his full height, looking ferocious as he viciously flexed his stiff arms. Instantly, Xiao Luo roared and hisher ws shed toward Curisa¡¯s stone-hard shoulders, using his momentum to embed all ten of his fingers deep into the flesh. Seizing his adversary, Xiao Luo viciously mmed Curisa¡¯s body into a huge stone boulder in the park.


    BOOM! CRASH! CRASH!


    Following the impact, both fighters continued to grapple and smashed through every tree they passed. They not only broke the trunks but obliterated entire trees. The ground they stepped on copsed under the assault, which threw turf and soil debris into the air like a cloud.


    KABOOM!


    A thunderous p erupted when Xiao Luo once again mmed Curisa into the stone boulder, and this time, the rock exploded into a thousand fragments like it had been blown up by a bomb, throwing a shower of shale over a dozen meters around them.


    Xiao Luo leaped into the air and delivered a st of internal energy toward where the boulder had stood with his right palm.


    WHOOSH!


    A dragon-like roar apanied the thrust of energy that Xiao Luo unleashed. The immense power that surged from his palm churned up a fierce wind and reverberated across the sprawling park, sounding like a massive explosion. The ground shook and copsed as dust swirled and covered the sky.


    The power Xiao Luo possessed astonished Su Li. Was this man truly her husband? How was it possible that he had exceeded the limit of any human?


    Su Li stared at Xiao Luo and couldn¡¯t help feeling he was like a stranger to her. She thought she knew everything about this man, but she was finally realizing that her understanding of him barely scratched the surface.


    Ming was standing right beside her, and his expression changed a little. He wasn¡¯t expecting Xiao Luo to be this strong.


    When the dust cloud cleared, they saw a huge palm print about a meter deep gouged into the ground. It was so shocking that it almost numbed their senses¡ªit looked like a giant had mmed his palm into the turf!


    Xiao Luonded lightly on the ground. His breathing was much morebored and his heart thumped rapidly. He had put all his strength into that palm and consumed an excessive amount of internal force. He searched in the pit for traces of Curisa but could not see him.


    Was he smashed into smithereens?


    Impossible! His opponent¡¯s strength was greater than his, and despite using all his energy in that strike, he still wasn¡¯t confident that he had killed his opponent. He thought, at most, the blow only injured Curisa.


    Where did he go? Did he burrow underground?


    Xiao Luo looked in the pit once again but still saw no sign of his opponent.


    ¡°You disgusting mortal! I have undoubtedly underestimated your skills, and you have changed my perspective of this filthynd!¡±


    Curisa¡¯s voice boomed from above. Xiao Luo hurriedly lifted his head to look upward, and his pupils instantly shrank. Curisa was hovering in the air with his legs crossed in a lotus position, about a dozen meters away. He looked like a god in his white robe, and his body seemed shrouded in a glowing silver light.


    Su Li¡¯s eyes were wide open and she couldn¡¯t believe what she saw. How was it possible to float in the air? Just where did these two towering men with purple eyese from?


    ¡°Get down!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted at Curisa, as he stood calmly and braced himself. Regardless of how strong his opponent was, Xiao Luo had no intentions of running away.


    Curisa descended andnded lightly on the ground. There was fresh blood on his shoulders caused by Xiao Luo¡¯sher ws, but it didn¡¯t seem to bother him. He stared at Xiao Luo with his cold purple eyes.


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s about time,¡± Ming said.


    Curisa nodded his head in acknowledgment. He red at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Mortal, I¡¯ll consider it my loss if you can touch me!¡±


    Xiao Luo wanted to talk no more. He gritted his bloodied teeth and charged like a ferocious beast, quickly closing the gap between him and Curisa. He clenched his wed fist tightly, preparing to strike out in anger.


    Xiao Luo attacked with extreme speed and extraordinary power!


    Infuriated, Xiao Luo did not hold back. An incredible amount of force burst from within his body, and he emitted a murderous aura.


    ¡°Let me give you a taste of my strength so that you appreciate the difference in power between the both of us!¡± Curisa sneered.


    Curisa swiveled his body slightly and easily dodged Xiao Luo¡¯s angry strike. In that split second, he had already taken five steps before he paused briefly. And the moment Curisa made his next move, he instantly appeared right behind Xiao Luo.


    Stunned, Xiao Luo quickly turned around, but as soon as he did, Curisa vanished again. Regardless of how fast Xiao Luo turned his body around, Curisa could move even faster than him. He was like a ghost and got behind Xiao Luo swiftly repeatedly.


    What kind of unnatural speed did this man have?


    Xiao Luo was startled and looked a little horrified. He possessed the ¡°Wave-like Subtle Steps¡± technique and could even dodge bullets, and yet, he was still significantly slower than his opponent. So Xiao Luo tried something different, and when Curisa vanished again, he didn¡¯t turn his body around, but he instead threw a powerful punch without looking back.


    As Xiao Luo could not see what was behind him, he threw his punch blindly, though he put a lot of force into that strike.


    But as he was halfway through his punch, he could feel a sharp pain emanating from his arm. He nced to his side and saw a huge hand grabbing his arm. Five fingers pierced into his flesh like knives, and blood spurted out profusely.


    ¡°Let me break one of your arms first!¡±


    Curisa smiled wickedly, mming his other forearm into Xiao Luo¡¯s right elbow joint. The elbow joint snapped with a crisp bone-cracking crack, and Xiao Luo¡¯s right arm broke, forming a gruesome ¡°V¡± shape.


    Xiao Luo stared in shock at his broken arm and his mind went nk. The entire world felt dead in that instant, and he couldn¡¯t even feel any pain at all.


    Did he break it?


    Was that his arm?


    When he came out of his shock, he gasped as an excruciating pain shot through his entire body.


    ¡°Let me break one of your legs as well!¡± Curisa hissed at Xiao Luo with a devilish grin.


    Xiao Luo could not defend himself, and he only felt the searing pain in his left leg. Curisa smashed Xiao Luo¡¯s left knee joint with the toe-end of his foot.


    CRACK!


    Thick blood spurted from the wound as the jagged edges of the cracked bone pierced into his flesh. And just like that, Curisa broke Xiao Luo¡¯s left leg.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡± Xiao Luo let out a painful grunt as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The trauma twisted his face in pain.


    ¡°You deserve another kick. Get lost!¡±


    Curisa did not show any mercy at all. He threw his leg at Xiao Luo¡¯s back and kicked him like a football.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have any strength left to defend himself and was mmed away like a cannonball,nding about twenty to thirty meters back.


    It was sheer humiliation, and even with the pain, Xiao Luo was still unwilling to ept defeat!


    Xiao Luo was in excruciating pain with a broken arm and broken leg. He gritted his teeth and stopped himself from letting out a loud, painful cry.


    How did this happen?


    How did this happen?


    Su Li froze in shock and fear as she gazed at Xiao Luo. She grieved and could no longer hold back her tears. She felt like a knife had pierced her heart.

 Chapter 697 - Helping hand

    <h2>Chapter 697: Helping hand</h2>


    ¡°Mortal, you now know the difference between us. I¡¯ve already told you before, if I wanted you dead, I would have just stepped on you. It¡¯d be as easy as killing a cockroach.¡±


    Curisa slowly advanced toward Xiao Luo whoy sprawled on the ground and stared at him with a condescending look. He then looked at his shoulders before he turned back to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°But you really ought to feel proud that you injured me to this extent!¡±


    Proud?


    After hearing that, Xiao Luo was extremely furious. He gritted his teeth and red back. Using all the strength he had left, he shouted, ¡°Scr*w that godd*mn pride of yours!¡±


    Curisa frowned and was not pleased with Xiao Luo¡¯s words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one chance to take those words back, otherwise, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± he snarled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill your grandma!¡±


    A fierce roar issued from Xiao Luo¡¯s throat, and he was in a rage. He mmed his left hand on the ground and used the force to leap off the ground. Xiao Luo rushed at Curisa like angry waves crashing into the shore and snapped his right leg in a kick toward Curisa¡¯s temple.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s vicious kick flew at Curisa like the howling wind!


    This kick was a powerful one and could easily derail a train from its track.


    But Curisa raised his hand and grabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s ankle with hardly any effort. Thetent power behind the kick instantly dissipated and seemed to channel away in circr ripples away from its point of impact. There was a thunderous p, and the redirected energy blew leaves and stirred up a dust cloud all over the ce.


    Curisa stared at Xiao Luo, and his purple eyes glowered. He wondered how a mere mortal could master such skills in this filthy world. It was unbelievable, for even in the Arcana Land, few could reach this level of mastery. If he had grown up in the Arcana Land since youth, then his skills now could probably be at a much higher level than his own.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. Spiritual aura was abundant in Arcana Land. If this mortal could achieve such a level even in this ce, then probably he would have already reached the level of ¡°Majesty¡± in Arcana Land. As doubts formed in his mind, Curisa felt a little terrified and couldn¡¯t help but nce at Ming, who was standing a short distance from him.


    But he regained his senses quickly. Xiao Luo had been disrespectful to him. Curisa had tried every way to dissuade Xiao Luo from continuing to fight back, but his efforts had fallen on deaf ears. And now Curisa had finally lost his patience.


    ring at Xiao Luo, he said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll break the other leg. You can¡¯t me me, you asked for it!¡±


    As Curisa formed a knife-hand strike with his right hand to break Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg, a silver light glowed on the surface of his hand. In his mind, Xiao Luo deserved to get his right leg broken.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A roar echoed across the park from afar, and then a beast-like figure charged toward Curisa like a gust of wind.


    Curisa was wary of his opponent¡¯s strength and immediately let go of Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg, leaping backward about ten meters.


    When the stranger who came charging finally stopped, Xiao Luo got a better look at who it was. He had short hair, slightly yellowish unblemished skin, a pair of bright eyes and an extremely fit body.


    King Kong?


    Xiao Luo looked stunned, and he didn¡¯t know what King Kong was doing here, but he felt relieved all the same. He suddenly recalled Ji Siying mentioning that the NSA warriors were having dinner together tonight. And as there was such a tremendousmotion here, it was no surprise that King Kong was aware of what was going on here.


    Then, Xiao Luo detected a waft of familiar fragrant, and he knew someone else was here as well.


    She was smartly decked in a ck blouse, slender and well-limbed, charming, and had a pair of enchanting eyes. One look and she would leave asting impression on any guy. It was none other than Lady Poison, Fu Yiren.


    Fu Yiren knelt down and quickly raised Xiao Luo. Her angry eyes were filled with emotions and tears began rolling down her cheeks. ¡°Mie, I¡¯ll avenge you!¡±


    ¡°Fu Yiren, wake up! Even Mie isn¡¯t powerful enough, there¡¯s no way you can beat this guy. I¡¯ll buy you some time, hurry and leave with Mie!¡±


    King Kong turned around and shouted at Fu Yiren. This stranger was not a simple-minded brawler, and if he could injure Xiao Luo to this extent, that would mean he was exceedingly powerful. Avenge? It was just wishful thinking. Right now, staying alive was their top priority!


    After saying that, he quickly unleashed his Vajra Body Defending Divine Skill and his skin changed into a golden hue. Like the eighteen disciples of buddha, his golden skin had be was thick and indestructible.


    ¡°King Kong, at your service!¡±


    King Kong red at Curisa with prating eyes and announced himself.


    Curisa was a little stunned, but thenughed raucously. ¡°What is with you fighters from this filthy world? When we were looking for you, no one appeared, but when one finally turns up, all of you suddenly appear out of nowhere. I¡¯m pressed for time and I don¡¯t have the time to y with you lot, but¡­¡± he said, then pointed at Xiao Luo, ¡°I still have to break that right leg of his, so get lost!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s myrade, if you want to break his leg, then you¡¯ll have to get past me first! Grrr!¡±


    King Kong roared as he stomped his foot on the ground and dashed at Curisa. A murderous aura emanated from King Kong as he sent a wave of internal energy bursting across the entire wend park. He advanced steadily in small, quick steps at extreme speed. Heunched himself at Curisa and channeled a great deal of power to his fists. He roared fiercely like a charging beast and brandished his iron fist to strike his opponent.


    ¡°Why are you so defiant?¡±


    Curisa looked annoyed as he furrowed his eyebrows and casually raised his fist to counter the attack.


    POW!


    Both fists shed in a deafening explosion and the air between them shimmered, almost like some kind of distortion, before the force of impact sted outward like a raging tsunami.


    Curisa barely moved, but King Kong flew back and the audible sound of cracking bones revealed he had been badly injured in the encounter.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    After King Kong crashed in a heap, fresh blood began dripping down the side of his mouth. His right arm was numb, and it began shaking uncontrobly.


    King Kong lifted his head and looked at Curisa in horror. This purple-eyed man was too powerful for him. He wanted to buy enough time for Fu Yiren to take Xiao Luo away, but he had been too optimistic. Just one punch and he had already lost.


    Curisa ignored him and walked toward Xiao Luo with his arms behind his back. He intended to break Xiao Luo¡¯s right leg before he left.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you once more¡ªI¡¯m your opponent right now!¡±


    King Kong roared and got up. Like a wild bull, he dashed toward Curisa again and used his shoulder to m into his opponent.


    The silver light around Curisa¡¯s body brightened and Curisa appeared like a god as a dazzling light emanated from his body. Before King Kong could even touch him, he flew back like a train had hit him, and spat out blood. The harder King Kong mmed into him, the greater the force that repelled him. It was like running head-on into divine judgment.


    After being thrown on the ground, King Kong spat out even more blood, and his golden skin reverted to its original form. His face quickly turned a sickly pale.


    Curisa squinted his eyes and looked at him. ¡°You stinking mortals, can¡¯t you understand humannguage? Do you need me to break all your arms and legs before you give up?¡±


    ¡°How dare you beat up the man I adore! I¡¯m going to send you to hell!¡±


    Fu Yiren turned into a ck phantom and resembled a weightless vapor that swirled like a powerful storm as she rose upward. Her internal force had turned into a cloud of purplish poisonous gas that she discharged from her body.

 Chapter 698 - Yiren

    <h2>Chapter 698: Yiren</h2>


    ¡°It appears we have another mortal who does not know her ce!¡±


    Curisa did not evade the attack and instead calmly countered it with a thrust of his palm.


    BAM!


    Their two palms met and in a deafening explosion. Like Jin Gang, Fu Yiren was thrown back andnded near Xiao Luo. She convulsed from the pain and vomited blood.


    Shocked and traumatized, Su Li felt disoriented, for everything she had seen tonight turned her world upside down.


    Who are these people, and where are they from?


    How is it that every one of them be skilled in kung fu? Is there was a hidden side of the world that remains unknown to themon people?


    Who is her husband, Xiao Luo? What¡¯s his actual identity? Why is he so powerful and where did he find friends like these?


    Her mind was inundated with a host of questions, and she couldn¡¯t help feeling like she¡¯d found herself in an alien world. Everything just seemed unfamiliar, and it was certainly not the world she knew.


    Curisa snapped, ¡°How could a mere firefly even dream ofpeting to outshine the magnificent moon? No matter how many of you mortalse, none of you can match me. In my eyes, all of you are¡­¡±


    He stopped speaking abruptly when he realized that something was affecting the True Inner Force in his body. He flipped his palm over and realized that it had turned ck¡ªhe had been poisoned! His eyes widened in horror as he realized deadly toxins from his palm were surging through his body. His right arm now felt numbed and painful.


    ¡°The Poison Body?¡±


    The man in white mumbled and stared at Fu Yiren with a look of shock, and muttered, ¡°So, the Poison Body did not disappear after all, but it had escaped to this world.¡±


    But, as quickly as it surprised him at first, his expression returned to normal, and he continued to watch impassively. He was momentarily caught off guard the moment he recognized the Poison Body, but it did not terrify him, nor did it require him to take any urgent action.


    Curisa felt that the True Inner Power in his body thrashing around from the poison, which both surprised and angered him.


    ¡°You poisoned me?¡± He stared at Fu Yiren furiously, unable to contain his anger.


    ¡°Cut the crap! You have hurt the man that I care for, and I would even bite you to death if I had to, let alone poison you!¡±


    Fu Yiren was also seething, for she saw Curisa had broken Xiao Luo¡¯s hand and leg, and she instantly lost her head. Perhaps her affectionate words for Xiao Luo had initially been jokes, but when Xiao Luo went all the way to the Ri nation to save her from the gic research base, she fell in love with him. And whoever hurt Xiao Luo was automatically her enemy.


    She had activated her Poison Body to its maximum capacity and was covered in a cloud of poisonous purple gas. Her eyes took on an eerie green, and the purple gas around her was extremely corrosive, killing living things on contact. The flowers and grasses close to her wilted and turned to dust.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Jin Gang swallowed his saliva with much difficulty, as this was the first time he had seen Lady Poison giving her everything she had in a fight. She was truly terrifying and indeed the most dangerous member of the NSA.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Fu Yiren yelled and thrust out her palm as she directed her internal energy toward Curisa. It surges toward him like a tsunami, sending a gigantic cloud of poisonous gas at him like a typhoon.


    Curisa took extreme caution against Fu Yiren, as she waspletely covered in poison. The people of the Light n were born with perfect physical attributes for martial arts, but this did not mean that they were immune to the effects of poison. Fu Yiren rushed in to engage in close-quarterbat, and Curisa was forced to keep evading her attacks.


    Because of his speed, Curisa had absolute mastery over Fu Yiren and rendered her attacks useless. He dodged and swiveled around her yfully as if he was mocking her.


    ¡°Woman, you better stop now. I do not wish to kill you!¡± Curisa coaxed Fu Yiren.


    Fu Yiren continued attacking defiantly, as all she wanted to do was to avenge Xiao Luo by taking Curisa¡¯s life. In her raging anger, her movements became more extravagant and swifter, and they were difficult to read. In that way, she posed a greater threat to Curisa. Her relentless attacks soon got through Curisa¡¯s defense, as he started getting a little careless. Fu Yiren¡¯s w-hand struck him on his chest, leaving three deepcerations appeared on his chest, and immediately the poison turned his blood ck.


    The strike provoked Curisa.


    ¡°You bitch¡­ Die!¡±


    He roared and released a powerful burst of internal energy. Before Fu Yiren could react, Curisa instantly grabbed her by the throat in a firm choke-hold.


    Curisa clenched his teeth as he sped Fu Yiren¡¯s neck and mmed her to the ground.


    BOOM!


    The impact created an enormous hole as sand and debris were thrown up in the air.


    After the heavy blow, blood oozed out from Fu Yiren¡¯s mouth and nose. Curisa pulled her up and tossed her in the air. Then he thrust his palm into her chest as shended.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Fu Yiren grunted and flew back like a cannonball.


    Jin Gang wanted to catch her, but he could not move a muscle. He had lost control of his body after thest exchange with Curisa, and could only stare as Fu Yiren flew past him.


    ¡°Fu Yiren!¡±


    Xiao Luo cried with a tremble in his voice. Using everyst ounce of strength he had, Xiao Luounched himself in Fu Yiren¡¯s direction using only his left hand and right leg. He managed to reach her and used his own body to cushion her fall.


    CRASH!


    They bothnded hard on the ground and continued tumbling for some distance. Fu Yiren was lying on top of Xiao Luo facing him. Her stunning face was pale from the loss of blood, and the blow from Curisa was lethal. He had struck her with his palm in anger.


    ¡°Fu Yiren, are you¡­ are you okay? Answer me.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at her anxiously as he was well aware of the power of Curisa¡¯s palm strike. Even he could not take it, so what more Fu Yiren?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m Lady Poison of the NSA. How can I be hurt.¡±


    Fu Yiren forced a smile. For that moment, she looked radiant and beautiful, yet forlorn. ¡°Mie, you¡¯ve finally given in to me. I¡¯m in your arms now, and you can¡¯t push me away anymore.¡±


    As she was speaking, she vomited out more blood, and immediately, her face turned pale, her eyes lost their focus, and her eyelids grew heavier.


    Xiao Luo recalled everything that had happened between them in vivid detail, and a deep sadness overcame him.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, it¡¯s gettingte, I¡­ I¡¯m so sleepy, I want to go to sleep now. Mie, Let me rest my head on your chest. I¡¯m going to sleep for a while, just for a while¡­¡±


    Fu Yiren smiled and leaned on Xiao Luo¡¯s chest. She felt sleepy and began to shut her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep¡­ Wake up, don¡¯t sleep!¡± Xiao Luo cried hysterically.


    Fu Yiren did not react to him, for she had fallen asleep in his arms like a sleeping beauty. But the blood streaming from the corner of her mouth and her pale face told him she was not sleeping.


    ¡°Fu Yiren, Fu Yiren¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo tried to wake her up, but his voice grew fainter. In his heart, he still hoped and remained calm as tears flowed from his eyes. He refused to ept that she was gone.


    You are going to sleep just like that?


    I have not permitted you to sleep! Why have you gone to sleep?


    He might not have loved this woman, but he had to admit that he once had feelings for her. When they were in that car in the Ri nation, she had said that she was willing to do it with him.

 Chapter 699 - Xiao Clan

    <h2>Chapter 699: Xiao n</h2>


    Xiao Luo gazed at Fu Yiren lying on his chest with her eyes closed. He watched her curved and long eyshes fluttering in the breeze, and could still clearly remember what she had said to him.


    ¡°We are the perfect match. Heaven has arranged it!¡±


    Fu Yiren had been teasing him and expressing her love to him in her unique way. And here she was now seriously injured and there was every likelihood that she might even die right before his eyes.


    For his sake, she bravely faced up to the strongest opponent she had ever faced without flinching.


    Was he touched? Did he feel bitter, or even forlorn?


    Perhaps it was a mix of these emotions, for Xiao Luo¡¯s mind was overwhelmed by a sense of loss that he had never felt before.


    Even King Kong was filled with grief and indignation at seeing his NSA colleague, Fu Yiren, so badly injured. He dug his fingers into the turf in frustration, unsure what else to do.


    Su Li looked confused and wasn¡¯t sure how to react. They were both women, and Lady Poison¡¯s affection toward Xiao Luo did not go unnoticed. She had shown her love for him and recklessly defended Xiao Luo with no concern for her life. Compared with Lady Poison¡¯s love for Xiao Luo, Su Li felt inferior.


    ¡°She overestimated her abilities and forced my hand. I have already been merciful by not smashing her to pieces when I retaliated.¡±


    Curisa said disdainfully as he walked toward Xiao Luo. He hade to this world with the impression that he was above all the beings here¡ªa god in the eyes of these mortals. Yet, they had the gall to challenge his status and dignity time and time again, and Curisa could take it no more.


    ¡°Mortal, when I break your other leg, the matter will be over, and you and your people can¡­¡±


    Curisa abruptly stopped speaking, and his expression changed. His eyes widened in shock, and blurted, ¡°F*ck, what the hell?¡±


    King Kong and Su Li were equally stunned and felt a chill run down their spines.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Xiao Luo rose silently. It was as if he had skipped the process of physically getting up, and just morphed into a standing figure. Adding to that, his appearance had undergone a tremendous change.


    His hair turned white, and his pupils were a blood-red hue, with the white of his eyes dark as ck holes. His skin was paler than usual, a ghastly white that made him look like a corpse, and the nails of his ten fingers had turned ck.


    He emanated a sinister aura!


    The countenance of the white-robed man, Ming, changed instantly, and he muttered, ¡°He has red-colored eyes! Is he from the Xiao n?¡±


    His tone sounded calm, but clearly, Xiao Luo¡¯s transformation shocked him. The Xiao n was a nightmare to the upper ss of the Light n, as far as he could recall.


    The Xiao n appeared from nowhere a thousand years ago. They were extremely aggressive invaders, and every member of their n was exceedingly brave and proficient in battle. They could regenerate rapidly and were notably fanatical in battle. Their prowess was limitless and when their eyes turned blood-red, they were at their strongest.


    ¡°I have broken your arms and legs, so how the hell can you still stand up?¡±


    Curisa¡¯s expression changed drastically as he scowled at Xiao Luo. He was shocked to discover that Xiao Luo¡¯s arms and legs had healedpletely. Incredibly, they were functioning normally. What was going on? How did he recover so quickly, and how did a mere mortal have such an ability? Even the members of the Light n could not do it.


    ¡°Scr*w you!¡±


    The only response Curisa got was a hoarse growl that seemed to havee from hell. Xiao Luo¡¯s body gave out a raging, murderous aura that signaled his intent. A strange blood-hued glow shrouded his body. With a thunderous roar, he took a step toward Curisa, then charged like a raging beast with lightning speed.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The ground cracked and copsed under his stomping feet, and the park reverberated with the sound of thunderps and howling winds.


    Curisa froze in rm as Xiao Luo¡¯s speed was phenomenal and seemed many times faster than before. Curisa sensed Xiao Luo¡¯s aura and knew he was in danger. The threat of his approaching adversary made his stand on ends.


    Before he could react, Xiao Luo had already appeared in front of him. And without warning, Xiao Luo¡¯s palms mercilessly smashed into the silvery energy field that surrounded Curisa and shattered it.


    Curisa flew back and blood gushed from where Xiao Lu had struck.


    ¡°D*mn you! Go to hell!¡±


    A malevolent roar shook the entire wend park. Xiao Luo had now transformed into a beast and was racing toward Curisa wildly. Even before Curisanded on the ground, Xiao Luo wound himself up, and in the most barbaric and violent manner, sent Curisa flying again.


    CRASH! BANG! CRASH!


    Curisa smashed into the wend park like a cannonball. Many trees in the forest toppled, and a cloud of dust filled the sky.


    ¡°Unbelievable, he did it! Mie has defeated him! That¡¯s incredible!¡±


    King Kong widened his eyes in disbelief. He had confronted Curisa earlier and was well aware of Curisa¡¯s strength and prowess. It was an overwhelming power that was hard to resist. And for Xiao Luo to achieve such a feat was almost impossible to imagine.


    WOOO-WOO! WOP, WOP, WOOOO!


    Suddenly, the familiar sound of police sirens screamed from the distance. The police, receiving a report from the gathering crowd informing them that there was a bigmotion going on in the park, rushed to the scene. When the police officers got off the car to check, what they saw bewildered them, and instantly, the same thought urred in their minds¡ªis this still a wend park?


    The park was like a war zone with enormous pits everywhere, and the nearby trees were destroyed. Needless to say, the immactewn was now thoroughly damaged.


    What was going on?


    Who did it?


    They looked around for the culprit. When they saw Ming, Xiao Luo, and the others, they couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    Purple eyes?


    Red eyes?


    Just who the heck are these people? Are they ying cosy at this ungodly hour? They¡¯re even wearing cosmetic contacts¡ªdon¡¯t they have better things to do than keep after fashion trends?


    ¡°Hey, what are you guys doing? Here¡­¡±


    The leader of the police officers walked over to question them, but before he could finish speaking, he heard a deafening roar. Suddenly, a white figure dashed out from the small forest in Wend Park. It leaped tens of meters high but did notnd on the ground. Instead, it hovered steadily in the air.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    All the police officers immediately began trembling as if they had seen a ghost. Several of them could hardly keep their caps in ce. They froze in shock. What they saw challenged their sense of logic.


    Curisa floated some tens of meters high in the air. He lowered his head and panted as he looked at Xiao Luo. His dust-covered clothes were ripped to shreds and stained with his blood¡ªhe looked a pitiful and forlorn sight.


    ¡°You d*mn mortal, I will cut you into pieces!¡±


    Curisa snarled, for by now, he hated Xiao Luo exceedingly. He gritted his teeth, and his eyes filled with rage and killing intent. He remained in the air, preparing to attack Xiao Luo again as he recovered from thest exchange.


    Swoosh!


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo¡¯s figure vanished in thin air.


    How was that possible?


    How was f*cking that possible?


    Curisa was bbergasted and wondered how he could have lost sight of Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 700 - Killing you

    <h2>Chapter 700: Killing you</h2>


    Where is that vile mortal?


    How the hell did he just vanish?


    Curisa broke into a cold sweat as he hovered in the sky and scanned around for any signs of Xiao Luo, his body soaking in fear. He hadunched himself in the air, ready to assault his opponent, but suddenly Xiao Luo was nowhere to be seen. Curisa had now exposed himself in the light, while his adversary hid in the darkness, ready to deal him a fatal blow.


    ¡°He¡¯s above you!¡±


    Ming¡¯s piercing voice suddenly reached his ears.


    Above me?


    Curisa shivered and nced up into the sky. And when he tossed his head back, he immediately saw two devilish red eyes, and he knew they belonged to Xiao Luo.


    Two red beams shot from Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes right onto Curisa, who didn¡¯t even have the chance to react when Xiao Luo stretched his pale arm, and with fingers spread out, choked his throat like a steel mp.


    In the next second, a ferocious force surged through the hand, and Curisa could not resist it. Losing all control, he plummeted to the ground at tremendous speed.


    BOOM!


    Curisa mmed into the ground like a falling meteor and exploded on impact. The earth shook as a gigantic crater formed in the wend park. Soil and dust rose in a swirling cloud, obscuring the view, and the ground continued to rumble.


    Seeing the incredible scene unfold before their eyes, the police officers were all stunned. They felt a chill run from the top of his head to the bottom of their feet. Gripped in fear, they stood frozen in a stupor.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Captain, have we been transported somehow to some strange fantasy world? Look at these guys¡ªthey are not ordinary people!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God. I¡¯m terrified! They were floating in the air and mmed into the ground from such a height! Look at what they did to the park¡ªthe ground copsed like a piece of paper! How could such a thing happen in this world?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore, please, please¡­ The more you say, the more frightened I am. I hope this is nothing more than a nightmare!¡±


    The police officers were hiding in a corner and didn¡¯t dare to show themselves. They couldn¡¯t believe what they had witnessed, and their bodies were shaking in fear.


    ¡°R-report to HQ¡­ Report to HQ, now! Hurry!¡± the senior police officer stammered anxiously.


    ¡°Captain, what are we going to report? Are we going to tell them two aliens are fighting and tearing up the wend park? Will the authorities believe us?¡± a police officer said with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°So, what should we do? Just stand aside and watch?¡±


    The senior police officer red at him. ¡°Whether or not HQ believes it, we still have to carry out our duty. Just report the situation to them now. It¡¯s up to HQ if they want the military or the other national departments to handle it. It¡¯s not our call.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    The police officer nodded stiffly and did as he was told.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Suddenly, a figure dashed out of the sandstorm toward the saber he dropped, now sticking in the ground. It was Curisa.


    His entire body was soaked in blood and covered in a thickyer of dust. He was breathing with some difficulty, and his purple eyes stared cautiously at the rolling sand forming in front of him. Curisa was still in shock, for he never expected that Xiao Luo could beat him down from the sky and send him hurtling to the ground. It had taken every ounce of energy just for him to escape from the pit.


    How did this happen?


    What exactly happened with that mortal? How did his strength suddenly increase by so much?


    Curisa¡¯s eyes were filled with trepidation. He had never experienced such an embarrassing situation before, even in the Arcana Land. Imagine his surprise, when he found himself thrashed badly by a mortal who grew up in this filthy world. To add to his confusion, this mortal was someone he had effortlessly dealt with before. The sudden transformation was unbelievable, and he could not ept it for a moment.


    Vajra¡¯s face was filled with shock. He was deeply shocked by the strength disyed by Xiao Luo. He was simply as strong as a Demon God.


    Su Li gawked with her mouth open, and she struggled to believe what she saw. Was this her husband? Xiao Luo¡¯s pupils had turned a blood-red hue, and his movements were terrifying and exceeded the ability of ordinary humans. This battle had changed her perception of the world around her.


    ¡°Curisa, take your de!¡± Ming said with no expression on his face.


    Take my de?


    Did he need to use his de to deal with a mortal?


    Curisa smiled bitterly. It was a huge blow to his ego. When he initially came to this world, he was supremely confident of his abilities, yet the first opponent he faced had now made a mockery of his reputation.


    Curisa felt deeply troubled and found it difficult to ept.


    When the dust settled, Xiao Luo emerged from the pit, at least two meters deep, and advanced in ominous steps. His blood-red eyes were like the eyes of a demon, and he emanated a bloodthirsty aura.


    Seeing Xiao Luo striding toward him, Curisa shivered and abject fear reced his earlier arrogance.


    ¡°Die¡­ You¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was in an altered state¡ªhe appeared semi-consciousness and his malevolent smile was chilling. Curisa sensed Xiao Luo¡¯s desire to kill him and it felt like a sharp sword unsheathed, piercing into his soul.


    ¡°You freak of nature!¡±


    Curisa gathered his courage and paused to calm himself down. ¡°I¡¯ll split you in half! Harrghh!¡±


    With a mad scowl on his face and roaring thunderously, he drew his de from its sheath. After ten quick steps, he stomped his feet on the ground and shot into the sky.


    Curisa streaked skyward like a stream of light in a split second, and it shocked everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you to hell!¡±


    Bellowing with rage, Curisa gripped the handle of the sword tightly with both hands and swung down at Xiao Luo.


    SWOOSH!


    In a thundering st, an invisible de of energy cut through the void, sending winds gusting and kicking up a cloud of sand to cover the sky. The terrifying energy waves surged outward like a raging storm.


    King Kong was lying on the ground and found himself blown away by the shock wave.


    The police officers, taking cover a distance away, felt as if they were in the gale. They found it difficult to hold their position and stumbled backward.


    Only the white-robed man, Ming, and Su Li were unaffected. Theyer of silver light glowing around them blocked the energy storm, keeping them safe in their protective bubble.


    Sand and dust swirled violently over a dark crack about two feet wide, gouged into the ground by Curisa¡¯s sword. King Kong, Su Li, and the police officers were in shock. They couldn¡¯t imagine how a single sh could cause a deep gash to appear on the ground.


    Curisa fell back to the ground, panting. He did not know if he had killed Xiao Luo with his sh, though he was optimistic. When he shed down, he was certain that Xiao Luo could not dodge his blow. Yes, he must have killed him. After all, he had used all his strength.


    But against such an opponent, hope was not enough, and reality dealt him a cruel blow!


    Just when Curisa thought he had killed Xiao Luo, his adversary emerged from the sandstorm and pounced on him in an instant.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    The w pierced into Curisa¡¯s chest and through his back like a sharp de.

 Chapter 701 - Nether strikes

    <h2>Chapter 701: Nether strikes</h2>


    Curisa¡¯s eyes moved down toward his chest. To his horror, Curisa saw that Xiao Luo¡¯s hand had pierced right through the right side of his chest. He could not believe it. His eyes were wide open and the look of surprise on his face said it all¡ªhow could a mere mortal have impaled him with his bare hand. What the hell was going on?


    He lifted his head and stared at Xiao Luo in confusion. ¡°You¡­ what kind of monster are you¡­¡±


    All Curisa heard was a heartless grunt as Xiao Luo lifted him with his right hand. Xiao Luo was preparing to give Curisa the final blow, like a lethal viper striking at its prey. He was going to yank Curisa¡¯s heart out.


    Immediately, Ming, the man in white, moved in.


    SWOOSH!


    He unsheathed his long sword and shed mercilessly at Xiao Luo.


    CLANG!


    The invisible spiritual de shed at Xiao Luo like an icy wind, appearing to slice through the air in a vicious arc. A silent and undetectable stroke that was forceful and unstoppable.


    Although Xiao Luo was in a semi-conscious state, he was still alert to the danger. He instantly dropped Curisa and evaded the attack by leaping a dozen meters away.


    SWOOSH!


    The invisible spiritual de cut through everything in its path and reached a tall building a few hundred meters away. When it came in contact with the fifty-story building, it clove the structure cleanly in half. The top part of the building toppled and crashed to the ground, creating a gigantic dust cloud. Immediately, they could hear people screaming and rms triggered and sounded incessantly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The police officers who were observing from afar gasped in awe as they stared in horror.


    ¡°Oh, my gosh, that man just shed a building in half with just one stroke!¡±


    ¡°What did I just see? Are they humans or some divine beings?¡±


    ¡°Terrifying, this is truly terrifying. We¡­ We shouldn¡¯t stay here anymore. It¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡±


    Everyone broke out in a cold sweat as their eyes widened in fear. They stood frozen inplete silence, overwhelmed by the horrifying experience. The scene before them was surreal, and it felt like they were in a horrible nightmare. What they saw could not possibly be happening.


    Su Li was also stunned and had a look of shock on her face.


    ¡°What the¡­ All it took was a gentle swipe, and he could cut the building in half. How f*cking strong can he be?¡±


    King Kong could not help himself and blurted out expletiveden words. He was getting goosebumps just from seeing the scene unfold. He felt a chill run through his body and shook uncontrobly. All he could do was stare at that building helplessly. Ming had cut through the building diagonally, and the edges were perfectly smooth, like the surface of a mirror. He made it look as easy as cutting a b of bean curd.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s blood-red eyes turned to look directly at Ming. Facing such a formidable opponent, Xiao Luo did not make his move immediately and erred toward caution.


    SWOOSH!


    Ming took a step forward and teleported to where Curisay. His demeanor remained cold and indifferent as he looked down at Curisa.


    ¡°King, I¡­ I¡­¡± Curisa tried to speak. Blood was flowing out from his mouth and nose, and the wound on his chest was life-threatening.


    ¡°It is not surprising that you could not beat him. He¡¯s from the Xiao n!¡±


    Ming stretched his hand and directed a luminous silver beam at Curisa, covering him entirely in a shroud of light.


    That was a healing power, and Curisa¡¯s bleeding wounds gradually stopped. The look of agony on his face faded.


    ¡°The Xiao n? He¡¯s from the Xiao n?¡±


    It caught Curisa off guard when he heard Ming¡¯s words, for he was well aware of the Xiao n. That n had arrived at the Arcana Land a thousand years ago in an invasion, and it expanded its territories aggressively. The Light n had sacrificed almost half of their entire n to resist the Xiao n. Every member of the Xiao n was born with the ability to fight. He had thought that the Xiao n had long gone extinct. But he did not expect that some of them had escaped into this world and continued to thrive.


    Ming stared at Xiao Luo. Then he said, ¡°Blood-red eyes, incredibly explosive power, and his surname is Xiao. It can¡¯t be wrong. He¡¯s definitely from the Xiao n!¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Curisa swallowed his saliva with much difficulty. ¡°They¡¯re still alive. King, the Xiao n is our n¡¯s nemesis,¡± he said as he turned to look at Xiao Luo, and continued, ¡°It looks like he has just begun exploiting the power of Xiao n¡¯s blood. There¡¯s still a lot of room for his ability to grow. We cannot let him leave here alive. Otherwise, he will be a serious threat to us in the future!¡±


    Ming did not respond. He was deep in thought about something.


    Curisa suddenly remembered something terrible, and his body trembled. He said, ¡°Could it be that he is the demon lord who would destroy the world eventually, as foreseen by Granny Witch?¡±


    When Ming heard that, his expression changed too. He was thinking about that possibility as well. Granny Witch was the Light n¡¯s prophet. She knew everything about the world, be it five hundred years ago or in the future. One day, she foresaw the destruction of Arcana Land, and millions of lives would perish. In her prophecy, she saw it would be a man enshrouded by a ck mist who will be the one to cause the destruction. It was then that she requested them to locate and bring home the Holy Highness to deal with the impending disaster.


    If the demon lord whom Granny Witch had seen in her prophecy and this man from the Xiao n were the same, then the wisest choice was to kill him!


    However, he wondered if Xiao Luo was the man in question.


    If it turned out that Xiao Luo was not the demon lord, then it would mean he was murdering an innocent man.


    Ming was dumbfounded, but he finally made his decision. He was going to kill this man from the Xiao n. He would rather wrong an innocent man than allow the demon lord to go to Arcana Land.


    ¡°People of the Light n, don¡¯t think that you can leave this ce alive. None of you will!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared fiercely as he stomped his right foot on the ground. Arge two-ton rock rose from the ground, then Xiao Luo swiveled his body and kicked the rock.


    BOOM! BANG!


    With an enormously forceful kick, Xiao Luo sent rock soaring directly toward Ming. It made a loud screeching sound as if a meteorite had zoomed past Earth.


    Ming simply pointed at the rock with his index finger, and the flying rock suddenly stopped in mid-air. In the next second, the entire rock exploded and disintegrated into countless pieces of pebbles.


    The police officers observing from afar dropped their jaws, for the sight was too terrifying to behold¡ªsimply too shocking!


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    A loud peal ofughter echoed through the park, and Xiao Luo emerged from the dust cloud. His Nether w shed through the air and was headed directly for Ming¡¯s neck.


    Ming remained calm and indifferent. He stabbed Xiao Luo¡¯s palm directly with the sword in his hand like a sharp needle.


    SWISH!


    The saber pierced deep into Xiao Luo¡¯s right arm, even cutting through the bones, and blood spurted profusely.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    Xiao Lu groaned in agony as he instantly transformed his right hand into an eagle¡¯s ws, and its dagger-like fingers tore into Ming¡¯s right shoulder with a tremendous force. Xiao Luo had ignored the pain from his right arm and struck Ming even at the risk of hurting himself further.


    Ming frowned a little and raised his saber. He pulled the de from Xiao Luo¡¯s right arm, slicing through bone and flesh.


    SPLATTER!


    More blood spurted out as Xiao Luo felt an excruciating pain shoot through his body. His attack had failed. He backed off with his damaged right arm. It was soaked in blood with pieces of flesh hanging loosely around the exposed bone.

 Chapter 702 - Kill

    <h2>Chapter 702: Kill</h2>


    The excruciating pain from Xiao Luo¡¯s right arm was unbearable. It made him let out painful groans uncontrobly. However, his rapid rejuvenation ability soon kicked in and his entire right arm had quickly recovered. The bones and the fleshpletely regenerated to their original state within those few moments.


    ¡°Die! The lot of¡­ you. All of you¡­ die!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed grimly like a demon. He stretched out his hand toward Curisa¡¯s sword. And like a ma, he pulled the sword toward him. That sword twirled around before it flew all the way into Xiao Luo¡¯s hand from afar. Xiao Luo wielded the sword and channeled his inner force through it, creating a dark aura de extending from the tip of the sword. He shed the aura de, and a great fissure appeared in the ground.


    ¡°He just produced an aura de with just a simple swipe! This man is a¡­¡±


    Curisa could not help but gasp in awe at Xiao Luo¡¯s superior power. To his horror, Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting abilities had exceeded his expectation and had improved astonishingly within that fight. He had even reached the level where he could produce an aura de easily.


    It had also shocked King Kong, for Xiao Luo now resembled a demon released from the depths of hell. He was unbelievably strong and intimidating!


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared as he charged and started twirling the aura sword in his hand. His body spun like a top, and suddenly he had transformed into a whirlwind of des. He yelled hysterically as he surged toward Ming resolutely, forcing him back.


    Although Ming retreated, he did not show any sign of defeat. He had blocked every single sh from Xiao Luo and faced him head-on.


    CLANG! CLANG!


    They crossed swords several dozen times within a few breaths. Sparks from the swords flew all over as both men moved with blinding speed. In this ferocious battle, it was almost impossible to see what was going on between them. The shes of swords produced an unstoppable burst of energy that coursed through the entire wend park. It was like a hurricane had befallen upon them, and the intense battle disintegrated the ground entirely.


    Curisa had taken Ming¡¯s ce and was guarding Su Li. He could see that Xiao Luo was almost Ming¡¯s equal in the fight, and he could not describe the shock and fear in his heart in words. Ming was the King of the Light n, the strongest n member, and second only to the Holy Highness who was about to return home. Yet, someone as powerful as Ming could still not defeat Xiao Luo. It was unimaginable.


    The police officers who were observing from afar all turned pale, and they trembled with fear. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they would never have thought that such a horrifying being existed in their world.


    ******


    ******


    The ferocious battle between Ming and Xiao Luo had reached its peak. Ming seemed unnerved, but it looked like he still had the advantage.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    He sent Xiao Luo flying back, skidding along the ground like a car out of control, and causing a mini sandstorm along the way. After Xiao Luo regained his bnce, he immediately roared angrily and started charging at Ming again. His killing intent influenced the long aura sword in his hand, and it resonated with a bloodthirsty ring.


    CLANG!


    After crossing swords a few more times, Ming sent Xiao Luo flying back again. Xiao Luo steadied himself and continued to charge tenaciously at Ming once more. Xiao Luo was in a frenzy.


    Ming had already knocked Xiao Luo back countless times. But each time he would get back up again and relentlessly attack Ming. He continued to attack regardless of the number of times Ming had defeated him. Each time Xiao Luo fought, he would sustain additional wounds on his body. After many more bouts, there were multiple wounds on his blood-drenched body. Despite looking like he was at his wit¡¯s end, the bloodthirsty aura running through his veins only became more intense.


    ¡°Are fighters from the Xiao n this tenacious?¡±


    Curisa felt a chill run right through his spine. Any other person who had sustained those injuries would have copsed a long time ago. No one could have continued with such a punishing battle. The people of the Xiao n seemed inhuman. Their tenacity and endurance defied all logic andmon sense.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­ you¡¯ve done enough¡­ stop fighting¡­¡±


    The ferocity of the fight and the punishment Xiao Luo had endured devastated Su Li. Every time Xiao Luo took a sh, it was like a sh to her heart. She burst out in tears as that man soaked in blood was her husband. He was her beloved man. She had never experienced the sorrow of a broken heart before. She finally felt it now.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Xiao Luo, blood-drenched, bellowed and charged at Ming again.


    Ming stared at him mockingly and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to end this abomination!¡±


    When he finished speaking, he replicated into ten figures and surrounded Xiao Luo as he was charging in. All ten figures were identical, and it was impossible to tell which one was the real Ming.


    Xiao Luo paused for a moment. All the ten forms of Ming struck simultaneously.


    SLASH!


    Ten swords pierced Xiao Luo¡¯s body¡ªtwo swords pinning his feet, two impaling his palms, two cutting through his arms, two piercing his thighs, one on his back, and one more right on the chest. Xiao Luo looked like a bloody hedgehog.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Su Li lost it and screamed out in despair.


    King Kong widened his eyes and stared at Xiao Luo in horror.


    The police officers observing from afar continued to shake in fear. Some of them wet their pants and others copsed to the ground.


    Suddenly, the ten forms of Ming disappeared. The only one left was the one who stabbed Xiao Luo in the chest.


    RUMBLE!


    There was a p of thunder as dark clouds formed in the skies of Xiahai. It then poured as peals of thunder rumbled on. It was not a drizzle or a downpour, but persistent rain that drenched the entire city.


    CLANG!


    The sword dropped from Xiao Luo¡¯s hand as the blood-red in his eyes faded, returning to its normal ck and white color. But his hair remained white.


    ¡°Arggh!¡±


    Ming withdrew his sword from Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, and he copsed immediately. The blood spurting out of his body soon mixed with the rain and dyed the area around him red.


    Ming nced down at him as he sheathed his sword. He turned around and walked away, leaving Xiao Luo lying there. Rain could not even touch him, let alone wet him.


    After taking a few steps, Ming stopped as he sensed that Xiao Luo was not dead. He heard a noise behind him, and when he turned around, what he saw shocked him. His stony face finally wore an expression of surprise as he watched Xiao Luo struggle to get up. Although he was blood-drenched and severely wounded, Xiao Luo was still trying to get up and fight.


    ¡°Is he still a human? He¡­ He won¡¯t even die after that assault?¡±


    Curisa was both surprised and fearful as he had seen that Ming¡¯s sword had mortally impaled Xiao Luo¡¯s heart. Any member of the Xiao n should die from that. How could he possibly be alive?


    ¡°Monster¡­ That man is a monster!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrifying¡­ too terrifying!¡±


    ¡°Who said that there¡¯s no god or demon in the world? These people are the gods and the demons!¡±


    The scene stunned the police officers who were watching from afar. They were so frightened that they found it impossible to move even an inch.


    CRACK!


    Lighting struck from the sky, and the silver streak of blinding light lit up the entire wend park.


    Under its illumination, Xiao Luo got up with much difficulty. His limbs were trembling and blood was flowing out profusely, his face was pale and he could not stand straight¡ªyet, he still stood defiantly.


    He lifted his head proudly and looked at Ming like a soldier unafraid of death. Like a warrior whoserades around him had fallen in battle¡ªbravely facing his enemies alone, sounding the battle horn, drawing his revolver, and shouting as he charged into them, ¡°KILL!¡±

 Chapter 703 - Negotiation

    <h2>Chapter 703: Negotiation</h2>


    It continued to pour, and the falling rain washed the leaves of the trees before dripping to nourish the ground below. Nature was drinking to its heart¡¯s content.


    Su Li stood staring nkly into the rain. Her wet clothes were sticking to her body, and her hair was in a mess with a few strands of wet hair clinging to her cheeks. Tears flowed down her cheeks, mixing with the rain. Her heart ached as she looked helplessly at Xiao Luo, who could barely stand. There was nothing she could do but silently sob.


    King Kong¡¯s eyes had turned red as well. Xiao Luo had been severely shed all over his body and he was soaked in blood. Like a hero who had reached the end of the road, a sense of destion overwhelmed him.


    ¡°Your majesty, kill him. Kill him now!¡±


    Curisa urged Ming apprehensively. Xiao Luo terrified him and had be his worse nightmare. Curisa wanted Xiao Luo destroyed, for he did not wish to have anything to fear.


    Ming looked at Xiao Luo with no emotion. Then he took a step forward and instantly teleported to where Xiao Luo stood.


    ¡°Why did you stand up? Can¡¯t you just lie down?¡±


    His voice was icy. Ming intended to walk away if Xiao Luo did not stand up. Even if Xiao Luo had been the feared arch-enemy that Granny Witch had predicted, he would still let him go. But Xiao Luo stubbornly stood up and challenged his kingly authority. Even if he had wanted to go easy on Xiao Luo, he could not do so now.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s consciousnesspletely recovered by now. He stared fearlessly at the white-robed man in front of him. After coughing a few mouthfuls of blood, he said, ¡°Why¡­ can¡¯t you be the one lying down?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that I should lie down?¡±


    Ming frowned slightly and asked, ¡°Are you still able to fight?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I can!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared thest words in a thundering voice. He could no longer move his arms and legs, so he used his head to smash ruthlessly into Ming.


    However, Ming¡¯s body waspletely bathed in silver light, and he was unharmed by Xiao Luo¡¯s attack. On the other hand, Xiao Luo suffered from that collision, and blood gushed out from the injury on his forehead. He staggered back shakily before he lost his bnce and fell onto the rain-soaked ground.


    Fatigue and pain seriously weakened Xiao Luo.


    Heid motionless on the ground, unable to struggle or move for a while.


    ¡°You are indeed very strong. Unfortunately, the enemy you face is me.¡±


    Ming walked across and stood over Xiao Luo. He stared down at him indifferently and said, ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you, yet you do not know how to retreat, so you will die today. Our Light n and your Xiao n have been enemies for a thousand years. I should have forced you to reveal the whereabouts of the other people from Xiao n, but I do not intend to do that. The person I intend to kill today is only you!¡±


    Xiao Luoughed coldly and said, ¡°Then¡­ should I¡­ still thank you?¡±


    Ming did not respond to that remark. Instead, he slowly drew his sword out of its sheath once again and directed his power to the tip of the sword. He intended to pierce that sword through Xiao Luo¡¯s head, right through that space between his eyebrows.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Su Li screamed mournfully, and suddenly, a strange phenomenon urred. Divine-like energy emitted from her body and spread around her.


    Curisa and King Kong stared in disbelief. Even the police officers who were watching from afar were astonished. A silvery glow enveloped her entire body, and her eyes turned purple. They were enchanting and beautiful, making her look like a goddess to be worshipped in the heavens.


    ¡°Your¡­ Your Holy Highness¡­¡±


    Curisa stuttered in shock, for he was puzzled. To his knowledge, his revered Holy Highness had not recovered her memory, and therefore, could not have invoked her Saint Energy. So, what was that aura that made him involuntarily bow to her in worship? Could it be possible to awaken the Saint Energy without regaining her memory?


    Ming stopped and turned around to look at Su Li.


    But the purple pupils and silvery light came fleetingly, and Su Li returned to her normal state once again. But now, the restraint on her body was broken, and she was free to move. She anxiously rushed toward Xiao Luo, but in her haste, she tripped and fell on the rain-soaked ground with a big ssh. She ignored the pain and got up, then continued running toward Xiao Luo.


    She knelt next to him, bent over, and raised Xiao Luo into her arms.


    The usual aloof demeanor of Su Li was conspicuously absent, and in its ce was a warm and loving woman, hugging the man she adored, distraught and crying her heart out. Even the Heavens would have taken pity on her.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s heart ached when he saw her cry. He raised his trembling hand with difficulty to wipe her tears away. But he realized that his hand was full of blood. Even the rain could not wash away the bloodpletely. He was afraid of dirtying her face, and he held his hand back hesitantly before he finally lowered it.


    He smiled and tried tofort her. ¡°Honey, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t cry. You won¡¯t look good if you cry¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± he moaned.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business how I look! Sob, sob¡­¡±


    Su Li chided him, then cried even louder. She was initially sobbing softly, but now, she was bawling.


    Xiao Luo was taken aback, then he smiled and gazed at her lovingly.


    King Kong wiped his tears. Even he, an uncouth and insensitive fellow, could not stand watching such a touching scene.


    ¡°Your Holy Highness, please move aside!¡±


    Ming¡¯s icy voice cut through the air. However, it was not an order but a request.


    Gently putting Xiao Luo down, Su Li stood up and red at Ming with hatred. She said, ¡°You keep saying that I¡¯m your Holy Highness. Fine, then I order you to let him go!¡±


    Ming stared steadily at her for a while, then with a tone of indifference, he said, ¡°I regret we cannotply with your wish!¡±


    ¡°You would disobey my orders?¡±


    Su Li hissed. ¡°Then you will only bring my corpse back. If he dies, I will die by my own hands. You can¡¯t watch over me 24 hours a day, and I can kill myself whenever I wish. I suggest you consider this matter carefully.¡±


    Hearing that, Ming went into deep thought.


    ¡°Your Majesty, we can¡¯t let that brat off. He¡¯s the great demon king that Granny Witch foretold, and this is our best chance to get rid of him!¡± Curisa quickly said. He was afraid that Ming would let Xiao Luo go. With Xiao Luo alive, his nightmare would not end.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Su Li shouted at him sternly. ¡°After I restore the name of Holy Highness, you will be the first person I kill. I¡¯ll peel off your skin, pull out your tendons, and burn you alive with fire!¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Curisa shivered, and he felt a cold sweat breaking out. Although it was unlikely that Su Li would do that after she regained her memory, she would still punish him. It was evident Her Holy Highness cared a lot about the Xiao family.


    After Su Li reprimanded Curisa, she turned back and red at Ming coldly. ¡°Have you considered it?¡±


    Ming said nothing. He bowed slightly to her and nodded in greeting before he turned around to leave. He sheathed his long sword and let Xiao Luo go.


    Su Li felt all her strength leave her body. She had bravely negotiated with the two men from the Light n. It relieved her that they had finally agreed. She felt like she had just walked through the gates of hell. She was exhausted, but the oue was worth the effort.


    She bent down and kissed Xiao Luo lightly on his lips. Then, she whispered in his ear, ¡°Live your life well and take good care of Su Xiaobei. Unless you have enough strength, don¡¯t look for me. Promise me, okay?¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head as tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°Honey, have you¡­ have you forgotten? You promised me you would¡­ go on a honeymoon with me¡­¡± he said.

 Chapter 704 - A bustling night

    <h2>Chapter 704: A bustling night</h2>


    A honeymoon trip?


    That was precisely what they nned. If not for what happened tonight, they would be on their way to the Maldives for their honeymoon after they visiting Xiao Luo¡¯s parents in his hometown. However, all their wonderful ns were now down the drain. To make matters worse, she did not even know if they would ever see each other again.


    When she thought of that, Su Li could not help crying sadly.


    ¡°It is time to go!¡±


    Su Li heard Ming¡¯s icy voice came through the heavy rain.


    Su Li¡¯s body trembled as she heard Ming¡¯s words. She held him and said, ¡°Listen, Xiao Luo, don¡¯t you dare die, you must recover!¡±


    When she finished speaking, she wiped the tears off her face and returned to her usual demeanor.


    Ming unsheathed his sword again and shed at the sky vertically, creating a pitch-ck crack that opened a passage into the void. He then reached out to pry open the crack further. It looked as if he was drawing curtains apart.


    It shocked King Kong and the police officers who were watching from afar. How could he tear a passage into the void? What kind of magic was he using? It seemed like they were going to pass through that crack. Could it be that there was a dimension that could sustain human life on the other side of the crack?


    ¡°Holy Highness, please follow me.¡±


    Curisa had sheathed his sword and led the way. He was very respectful as he wanted to lessen her hostility toward him and project a better impression of himself. He stepped into the pitch-ck crack.


    Su Li turned to take onest look at Xiao Luo and gazed at him affectionately. She closed her eyes as she could not bear to see him in the state that he was in. Then she turned to step into the other side of that crack.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Xiao Luo broke down when he realized how deeply in love with Su Li he was. Taking her away would mean taking the world away from him. He stared at Ming with his blood-shot eyes, gritted his teeth, and uttered, ¡°One day, I wille to thend of the Light n and take every single life of the Light n¡­ all of you!¡±


    He roared like a beast, and his killing intent heightened, raging like a tornado.


    Ming looked at him calmly and replied, ¡°I will be waiting.¡±


    When he finished speaking, he turned around and walked towards the void crack.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Knowing he had lost Su Li, Xiao Luo vomited more blood and finally fainted.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ we arete!¡±


    Suddenly, an elderly voice spoke out and sighed. Nobody could locate where that voice hade from. It seemed like it wasing from all corners of the park.


    In the next second, a sprightly old man flew in from some dozen meters away. He sped both his hands behind his back and the rain did not seem to touch him. There was an invisible force field that had shielded him from the rain as he moved gracefully toward Xiao Luo.


    If Xiao Luo had been conscious, he would have recognized that that elderly man was the temple caretaker, Xiao Quanren. He was the one who prepared the holy water at the Seekong altar!


    Xiao Quanren nced at the severe wounds on Xiao Luo and frowned deeply. ¡°My poor Xiao Luo,¡± he said. Then he stared at Ming intensely and growled, ¡°King of Swords, you are also someone who has lived a few centuries. Why are you bullying a mere child? If you are so capable,e at me!¡±


    Lived for a few centuries?


    That man in the white robes had lived for a few centuries?


    King Kong widened his eyes as he could not believe what he had just heard.


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± Ming asked with surprise as he looked at Xiao Quanren.


    ¡°Of course I do. When I was still a child a hundred years ago, I had seen you once in the Arcanand,¡± Xiao Quanren answered.


    Ming replied calmly, ¡°Oh? Is that so? You do not age well then. It has only been a hundred years and your body has decayed to such a sorry state.¡±


    Making that statement, Ming felt superior as he had kept his youthful looks, unlike Xiao Quanren who appeared old and wrinkled. It was the unique feature of the Light n, which made him extremely proud.


    ¡°How could folk like uspare to the people of the Light n? We would not have left the Arcanand in the first ce if we were like you,¡± Xiao Quanren said.


    Ming did not answer him. He merely stared at Xiao Quanren quietly.


    ¡°It is surely an eventful night. May I join the fun? Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Another elderly voice came out from nowhere. It was a heavenly sounding from above that filled the sky and the earth. It was amanding voice that exuded supreme authority.


    A thin, old man with a hunch descended from the night sky.


    ¡°The guardian of this world. You are finally here!¡± Ming said, feeling slightly concerned. But he promptly regained his calm.


    This old man surprised King Kong, for he was none other than the elderly man who sometimes cleaned the canteen at the NSA headquarters. He was a man that even the two chiefs did not dare to mess with.


    Xiao Quanren saw the old man and respectfully bowed to him. He greeted, ¡°Master Long!¡±


    He did not know the old man¡¯s name but only knew that his surname was Long. He was not sure how old Master Long was. All he knew was that when the leader of the Xiao n brought the nsmen to this world from the Arcanand, he was already there.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so courteous.¡±


    The old man raised his hand, then stared at Ming with his murky eyes. ¡°If I am not wrong, you¡¯re one of the four kings of the Light n, the King of Swords. Are you going to turn back on our agreement? How dare youe to stir up such trouble during my watch!¡±


    ¡°I simply came to fetch the Holy Highness of the Light n,¡± Ming replied calmly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your excuses. That you have stepped into this world has already betrayed the agreement we have with the Light n. That¡¯s it. You can leave only after defeating me. If not, stay here forever with her!¡± The old man changed his reserved nature to a more forceful personality. He was ready to fight.


    Ming stared at him calmly and said, ¡°As you wish!¡±


    ¡°Fine,e!¡±


    The old man looked very stern and serious.


    Before he finished speaking, the duel between the two was underway. The old man emanated a powerful aura, and his tremendous power was sending rippling waves of energy across the wend park. At that moment, his body looked like an imposing giant who reached the skies. He had an awe-inspiring presence.


    Facing him, Ming appeared ethereal as the space between the two opponents turned into a storm of raging energy, causing thunder to rumble in the sky.


    Suddenly, they both levitated and soared through the pitch-ck sky.


    The two men had ascended thousands of meters up into the sky. Nobody could see them anymore. shes of lightning and relentless thunderps filled the night sky. Then the rain abated briefly, before pouring again intermittently. There would be a momentary heavy downpour, then it would stop briefly, before pouring heavily again. Every time the rain stopped, there would be thunderous sounds of explosions in the sky above.


    The police officers were dumbfounded and could only watch in a stupor.King Kong was astounded and his understanding of the worldpletely changed as he witnessed the battle.

 Chapter 705 - An important task

    <h2>Chapter 705: An important task</h2>


    That night, the people in Xiahai city sensed a difference in the thunderstorm. The peals of thunder were strangely unusual, and though it rumbled like thunder, it somehow sounded strange. Even the shes of lightning looked rather peculiar. The skies shook noticeably from some unknown activity high above them, but no one could put a finger on what it was.


    ******


    ******


    Xiao Luo had sustained grievous and despite having the system¡¯s healing ability and the aid of advanced medical equipment, he still needed more time to recover.


    Three days passed before he finally woke up.


    When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying in a giant bed that was exceedinglyfortable. The interior decoration of the room was luxurious and elegant. From that moment he regained his consciousness, the memory of Su Li being abducted shed in his mind and it tore at his soul. He jumped up as if he had just awakened from a nightmare, panting heavily as he broke into a cold sweat.


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo,¡± a gentle voice called out from beside him.


    Xiao Luo turned and realized that it was Ji Siying. She was resting by the edge of the bed and looked rather tired and haggard. She had been taking care of him throughout the time he was unconscious. She had likely been by his side ever since they had rescued him.


    He tried to gather himself as he muttered, ¡°How long have I been unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Three days,¡± Ji Siying replied softly.


    Xiao Luo smiled ruefully and said, ¡°It¡¯s been three days¡­¡±


    He wanted to head to the Arcanand to rescue Su Li immediately. As he harbored these thoughts, he clenched his fists tightly.


    But other than Su Li, he was also thinking of someone else, and he asked, ¡°Fu Yiren, she¡­ is she dead?¡±


    Ji Siying did not answer him immediately but lowered her head sadly and replied in a soft voice, ¡°She¡¯s not dead but her condition isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes with a heavy heart. He felt extremely tired. If Ji Siying had said that Fu Yiren¡¯s condition was not very good, it probably meant that her condition was serious. That had further intensified his hatred towards the Light n.


    ¡°Siying, I need to be alone for a while,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Hm, okay.¡±


    Ji Siying looked a little concerned as she wanted to take care of Xiao Luo. But she realized she did not know how to do that.


    ¡°Siying,¡± Xiao Luo called out as she walked toward the door.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Ji Siying stopped and turned around.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of me,¡± Xiao Luo said as he shed her a smile.


    The dejected look on Ji Siying¡¯s face vanished instantly, and she responded with a sweet smile. ¡°Do not mention it. I willingly wanted to take care of you.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded to acknowledge her good intentions.


    ******


    ******


    After Ji Siying left, Xiao Luo removed his patient gown and walked into the bathroom for a shower. His wounds had now properly healed and there was not a single scar on his body.


    It had been three days since hest shaved. He looked into the mirror and his face was covered in stubbles¡ªhe looked dispirited and tired, and certainly needed a good shave. There was a shaver on the washroom sink. He duly took it and gave himself a clean shave with some water.


    Later, both Gu Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu entered the room to check on him. King Kong apanied them in. They inquired about how Xiao Luo was doing and asked many questions, but Xiao Luo was not in the mood to answer them at all.


    When they left, both Xiao Quanren and the old man with the surname Long came into the room.


    Their sudden appearance surprised Xiao Luo as he had not expected to see Xiao Quanren, the elder of Luo¡¯s vige. Xiao Luo least expected that he would meet him there. Xiao Quanren seemed to be quite acquainted with the mysterious old man from the NSA. They seemed to be quite close.


    ¡°Old grandpa, it seems like you have learned about everything. Please tell me about the Xiao n,¡± Xiao Luo requested. He was very curious about the roots of his family.


    Xiao Quanren nodded with a grunt and told Xiao Luo everything he knew about the Xiao n.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, the Xiao n came from the outer world. We set foot on this world a thousand years ago. We had once tried to invade the Arcanand for its conducive living environment, but the Light n defeated us. So we retreated from the Arcanand and stayed at Luo¡¯s vige. Our Seekong was one of the earliest members of the Xiao n.


    ¡°And he lived in Luo¡¯s vige ever since our n arrived. After generations of reproduction, our Xiao family was the oue, for our forebears finally sealed the power in our bloodline. Only three persons have awakened that hereditary power over a thousand years of our history. One of them was my father, the other person is me. Finally, the third person is you.¡±


    From the outer world?


    Invaded?


    Seekong?


    Awakened bloodline power?


    All those words bewildered Xiao Luo. Did he mean that the Xiao n was not native to Earth? They hade from the outer world?


    Xiao Luo raised the question that puzzled him the most. ¡°What do you mean by the outer world?¡±


    ¡°Well, it means we¡¯re from beyond this.¡±


    Xiao Quanren sighed softly and continued, ¡°I was only told about this by the ancestors. So, I do not know how true this im is.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is true.¡±


    The old man with the surname Long responded, ¡°I dealt with the first generation of the Xiao n. I was the one who told them about the existence of a secretnd that had a much better environment for living. It was what prompted them to invade Arcanand.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    Xiao Quanren was equally at a loss for words too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. It was because of your Xiao n¡¯s innate ability to fight. You became more powerful many times over, especially when our eyes turned blood-red in anger. While we had to cultivate and train ourselves with great diligence to reach that state, while you were born with this ability. So, I had to think of a scheme to protect this world. Otherwise, your n would have taken over our world a long time ago,¡± the old man continued. He did not feel embarrassed but admitted it openly.


    ¡°Sir, you do not have to feel sorry about it. The Xiao n should thank you for your protection. We could not have stayed here without your help. We are very grateful for that,¡± Xiao Quanren said.


    ¡°Feel sorry?¡±


    The old man smiled and said, ¡°I have never felt that. To protect this world, I had to do that. Even though I lied to the Xiao n to get them to the Arcanand, I don¡¯t feel that I have done anything wrong.¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    Xiao Quanren was at a loss for words too.


    ¡°Alright, young man. Actually, after seeing you for the first time, I visited Luo¡¯s vige and confirmed that you belong to the Xiao n. I did not expect that you could awaken the power within your bloodline. You were slowly growing to be as powerful as the first generation of the Xiao n a thousand years ago. I am sorry about what happened three nights ago.¡±


    I was equal to the King of Swords from the Light n, but could not rescue your wife for you. It seems like I really should retire and find a sessor. I have waited for a thousand years, and you finally show up,¡± the old man said as he looked at Xiao Luo. He was smiling and his eyes filled with passion.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, sir?¡± Xiao Luo did not feelfortable about this.


    ¡°I am talking about you. The first generation of the Xiao n was indeed aggressive and warlike by nature. But after a thousand years of assimting with the environment here, you have adapted to the conditions of this world. I feel very assured to leave the important task of protecting our world in your hands,¡± the old man answered.


    ¡°Sir, I am sorry. I don¡¯t want to be the guardian of the world. I just want my wife back,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Immediately, Xiao Quanren stared at him and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, Elder Long had assigned you this important task because he trusts you. Just ept the job and stop talking nonsense!¡±


    He wanted to knock on Xiao Luo¡¯s head for not realizing that the strongest person in the world had acknowledged and favored him. That honor would glorify their family name and appease their ancestors. It would mean that the Xiao family would ascend to the top of the hierarchy.

 Chapter 706 - Confusion

    <h2>Chapter 706: Confusion</h2>


    ¡°Young man, taking on the role of a guardian doesn¡¯t prevent you from rescuing your wife.¡±


    Elder Long smiled and said, ¡°On the contrary, if you promise to take over my position, I will help you improve your powers. Only with the powerful strength can you go to the Arcana Land and have the ability to rescue your woman.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. Increasing his strength was enough to arouse his interest. What he presently possessed was the strongest technique that he could redeem from the genius system, and he could not defeat the King of Swords from Light n. Therefore, he had to think of other ways to improve his strength, and he was being given this opportunity by the old man in front of him. He was the guardian of this world, and if he could help, Xiao Luo could naturally be strong enough topete with the Light n more quickly.


    ¡°Say yes to him now, Xiao Luo!¡±


    Xiao Quanren¡¯s eyes burned with delight. He wished he could agree on Xiao Luo¡¯s behalf.


    Xiao Luo gave a nod and bow slightly to Elder Long. ¡°Senior, please help me increase my strength.¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Elder Long smiled shrewdly and said, ¡°Good, good, good. I have finally found a qualified sessor. Even if I die soon, I will not renege on my master¡¯s dying wish.¡±


    Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren had never seen or heard of his master, but they could guess what his master wanted him to do¡ªto guard this world.


    ¡°Senior, what kind of ce is the Arcana Land like?¡± Xiao Luo asked anxiously.


    ¡°Let me exin it to you this way.¡±


    Elder Long casually grabbed a piece of tissue paper from the table. ¡°The original appearance of this world is just like this piece of white paper.¡±


    As he spoke, he used his withered hand to knead the white paper into the shape of a ball. ¡°This ball is now like the world that we are familiar with and which is visible to our eyes. But actually, it was not like this in its original form. The space inside is still vast. We can divide this piece of white paper into two sides, and we can understand space in this way. The Arcana Land is on one side, while we are on the other side. These two parts of spaceplement each other, and neither can exist alone. Only when the two partsbine, can it be a true andplete world.¡±


    Xiao Luo found the exnation confounding. He had never thought that the world would be like this.


    ¡°Then what kind of race is the Light n?¡±


    ¡°They are the rulers of the Arcana Land, simr to our country¡¯s government, and the only difference is that the entire Arcana Land is under the rule of the Light n. Xiao n is a race born to fight, while the Light n is born with an extremely strong inclination toward cultivation.¡±


    ¡°What is True Inner Force?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, the so-called True Inner Force is just the same as the inner power, but the members of the Light n call it the True Inner Force. The two are the same thing.¡± Elder Long patiently exined to Xiao Luo one point at a time.


    Xiao Luo asked again, ¡°Then how should I go to the Arcana Land?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. When you are powerful enough, you will be able to tear and open the void. As long as you pass through the chaotic void, which is what scientists call the fourth dimension, you will reach the Arcana Land,¡± said Elder Long.


    ¡°The Master God of Chaos lives in the fourth dimension. It¡¯s best not to rm him.¡± Xiao Quanren said solemnly. He was very fearful of the Master God of Chaos.


    Elder Long nodded. ¡°Yes, the Master God of Chaos is the ruler of the fourth dimension. I¡¯ve never met him before, but I¡¯ve heard his majestic voice. I can assume that he¡¯s not weaker than me.¡±


    The Master God of Chaos?


    Xiao Luo felt that there were too many unknowns in this world. If he had not reached this level of strength, he probably would not have known the true origins of this world in his lifetime. As the great French philosopher, Descartes once said¡ªthe more he learned, the more he realized he was ignorant.


    The higher one¡¯s vision was, the more one would realize that there were things in this world not understood throughmon sense!


    ¡°I want to increase my strength immediately.¡± Xiao Luo now had a great desire for strength.


    ¡°Sure. I admire young people like you the most.¡±


    Elder Long stroked his nonexistent beard and said with a smile, ¡°However, I have not the ability to raise your strength in a short period, so the only choice for you is to go to Mount Tianshan.¡±


    Mount Tianshan?


    To find Gu Qianxue¡¯s master?


    Xiao Luo frowned unconsciously and asked, ¡°Do you mean Tianshan Elder?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is my junior sister and is good at cultivating potential greatness in a person¡¯s body. Since you have awakened the Xiao n bloodline¡¯s power, as long as you cultivate and improve the bloodline power of yours, your strength will beparable to the four major kings of the Light n,¡± Elder Long said and nodded stiffly.


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s master was the Guardian¡¯s junior sister?


    The revtion stunned Xiao Luo for quite a while before he came back to his senses. He had already expected the Tianshan Elder was someone who had a powerful background, but he never expected her to be the junior sister of the guardian. Just like the guardian, she was an old monster that had lived for thousands of years.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Before going to Tianshan, Xiao Luo called Zhang Dashan and his younger sister, Xiao Ruyi, and instructed them to manage Luo¡¯s Workshop and Jin Yitang well. As for Su Xiaobei, she had Su Canye and Mother Su, who had already changed drastically, so there was no need to worry about her.


    And Lady Poison, Fu Yiren, was lying in a crystal coffin in NSA¡¯s technology building, soaked in a fragrant poison. Her eyes were closed, just like sleeping beauty, and her breathing was shallow.


    Elder Long told him that Fu Yiren had a unique physical constitution due to the toxins in her body. She did not die after receiving that palm strike. Instead, she fell into a kind of unconscious state, which was a self-preservation mechanism of her physical constitution and needed to be nourished with poison. It was only a matter of time before she awoke.


    This made Xiao Luo feel more assured and less guilty.


    Walking with Ji Siying down the main road of the NSA headquarters, Xiao Luo kept his head down, frowning as he thought about something.


    He had his reservations about the system that had fused within him. The so-called berserk state of the system was the awakening state of his bloodline power. And if the system kept repeating that this was a gift, but not the power of the Xiao n bloodline, then who was the liar? Was it Xiao Quanren from Luo Vige, or was it the system?


    The answer was obvious¡ªthe system was lying!


    In the beginning, the system imed that it came from a parallel universe where the technology there was 100,000 years ahead of his time. However, if it was 100,000 years ahead, why couldn¡¯t it give him the ability to defeat the King of Swords from Light n? After all, it was enough to destroy this world easily.


    Could there be a mastermind behind all of this?


    What was the truth?


    Xiao Luo frowned. When he recounted the abilities exchanged in the system, he realized that most of them were directly or indirectly rted to strength. Although there were thousands of abilities in the system, the abilities he redeemed seemed to have a specific trend of evolution, and it was to increase his strength. In the end, he even got the strongest power the system could give him.


    Suppose there was a mastermind behind this who constantly pushed him to be stronger. Then, what was the goal of this mastermind?

 Chapter 707 - You Deserve It

    <h2>Chapter 707: You Deserve It</h2>


    If there was one creed that Xiao Luo had always believed in, it was this: you reap what you sow. Ofte, he had been somewhat troubled about how he and the system had merged as a single entity. And on several asions, it even controlled his actions. Now that he thought about it, his misgivings were justified, and he avoided using it if he could.


    ¡°Mie, I want to fight you!¡±


    Just as he pondered the matter, a challenge reached his ear.


    Xiao Luo raised his head and saw a man with a buzz cut ring at him with tiger-like eyes. His sturdy body was muscr, and his mannerism disyed overt aggression. But his face was deathly pale, he had deep-sunken eyes and looked like he was hyperventting. If one were to only look at his head, this person would easily be mistaken for a seriously ill man.


    ¡°Ren Maohua, what the hell you want to do now?¡± Ji Siying hissed. They filled her eyes with disgust.


    ¡°Siying, I love you more than anything in this world. Even if the worldes to an end, it cannot stop me from loving you. For your sake, I will never retreat¡ªno matter how strong my opponent is.¡±


    Ren Maohua expressed his admiration for Ji Siying, then turned his gaze back to Xiao Luo. ¡°Mie,e and have a duel with me. Only the strong deserve Siying.¡±


    ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded, giving little respect to his challenger.


    Ren Maohua¡¯s tone came across as calm, though inwardly, he was so intimidated that he broke out in a cold sweat as he recalled the time when Xiao Luo had beaten up. However, knowing that Xiao Luo was still injured and had just awakened, he believed that Xiao Luo had not recovered to his peak condition. It was why he dared to shout at Xiao Luo and challenge him to a duel. It was all to win Ji Siying¡¯s favor.


    He gathered his courage and smiled slyly. ¡°Stop shouting in my face. In your present condition and strength level, any B-rank warrior can easily crush you. Let me warn you¡ªif you don¡¯t have the guts to fight me, then stop trying to seduce Siying. She is the woman whom I have set my eyes on as my future wife!¡±


    Hearing those words, Ji Siying was both embarrassed and annoyed. She had rejected this fool on countless asions, and each time, she made her intentions very clear. She did not want to give him any chance to fantasize. However, he refused to give up and continued to chase after her relentlessly. Sometimes, she even felt like resigning from her position as a liaison officer just to avoid such a creepy character once and for all.


    ¡°Ren Maohua, don¡¯t talk nonsense. There¡¯s no possibility of a rtionship between us. Just give up!¡±


    ¡°Siying, you¡¯ve stolen my heart and soul. If you make me give up, you¡¯re asking me to die,¡± Ren Maohua said with a frown.


    Xiao Luo quipped, ¡°Then, go ahead and just die!¡±


    Ren Maohua red at him and scowled, ¡°Shut up if you don¡¯t dare to fight with me. Watch yourself, you loser!¡±


    ¡°Ren Maohua, I feel a rising rage within me, so let me give you a piece of advice¡ªdon¡¯t provoke me, otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, what?¡±


    Ren Maohua had a smug smile on his face. He was sure that Xiao Luo was now still weak and would not be able to defend himself. It was for this reason that he dared provoke Xiao Luo, and regain some face from the thrashing he received previously. And of course, this was a chance for him to win back the favor of the beauty, Siying. ¡°Mie, you don¡¯t have the right to say such things. Let me give you a piece of advice. Quickly leave Siying¡¯s side. She¡¯s as good as my wife. Don¡¯t even think about touching her!¡±


    ¡°Ren Maohua¡­ You!¡±


    Ji Siying gritted her teeth in fury. What he had said made her feel disgusted.


    ¡°My future wife, Siying, do you not know how I feel? I can¡¯t sleep at night¡ªI always miss you and think of you day and night. I¡¯ve hung photos of you all over my room wall. I love you¡­ I really love you. I can¡¯t live without you in my life.¡± Ren Maohua expressed his deep love for Ji Siying again.


    ¡°You bast*rd! How many times do I have to reject you before you give up?¡± Ji Siying¡¯s face was red with anger.


    ¡°Give up? I can¡¯t give up. I would never give up in my life. I am resolved to make you my own. This is my lifelong ambition!¡± Ren Maohua said and shook his head resolutely.


    Swoosh!


    In a sh, Xiao Luo suddenly appeared in front of Ren Maohua. His right hand stretched out like a striking viper and sped Ren Maohua¡¯s throat like a steel mp. Xiao Luo raised his arm and lifted him off the ground. A sense of panic numbed Ren Maohua¡¯s brain.


    ¡°Ren Mao Hua, is your brain filled with water?¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him like a rabid wolf. ¡°Or do you feel the punishment you received before was not severe enough? Do you need me to teach you a lesson again?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s tone was vicious and chilling.


    It stunned ren Maohua. He thought to himself¡ªd*mn it, didn¡¯t this guy just wake up from aa after being beaten half to death? He¡¯s even more powerful than before. What¡¯s going on?


    He eked out a smile and tried to exin, ¡°It-it is a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding?¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a misunderstanding!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Luo tossed Ren Maohua some four meters in the air, and just before he hit the ground, Xiao Luo kicked his chest with his right foot.


    BAM!


    It sounded like a dull explosion, and Ren Maohua felt his internal organs churning. He groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood as he doubled over. The kick sent him flying back like a cannonball and he crashed over ten meters away.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The members of the NSA headquarters watching from afar gasped. At first, they thought that Xiao Luo was still weakened from his injuries, and his strength waspromised as well. But from what they had just seen, it was not the case at all. Ren Mao Hua was done for!


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Xiao Luo moved like a shadow and appeared in front of Ren Maohua. He stepped on Ren Maohua¡¯s chest and stared down at him, ¡°Are you awake now?¡±


    ¡°Mie¡­ It¡­ it¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­ It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    Ren Maohua was crying, and he finally understood what courting death meant. It was said that a tiger¡¯s rear end should never be touched. In Ren Maohua¡¯s case, he was using his leg to kick a tiger¡¯s b*tt, and it was ten times more dangerous than touching it.


    ¡°Looks like I did not myself clear enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo said mockingly before he kicked Ren Maohua again like a rubber ball.


    Crack!


    The crisp sound of bones breaking was audible, and Ren Maohua howled in excruciating pain. After hended in a heap, his nose and mouth were bleeding profusely. But before he could catch his breath, Xiao Luo suddenly appeared in front of him again.


    ¡°Let me ask you one more time. Are you awake now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was wrong. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was wrong. I know, I was wrong¡­¡± Ren Maohua held on to Xiao Luo¡¯s leg and pleaded for mercy.


    Xiao Luo shook his head and scowled, ¡°You have still not woken up!¡±


    He mmed his foot into Ren Maohua again.


    Being kicked repeatedly, Ren Maohua was traumatized and thought he would die. He had lost count of the broken bones in his body, and the unbearable pain made him cry like a child.

 Chapter 708 - Avalanche

    <h2>Chapter 708: Avnche</h2>


    ¡°I¡­ I know that I¡¯m in the wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have any sexual desire toward Siying. I¡­ shouldn¡¯t have jumped in front of you. I beg you¡­ please stop kicking me. You¡¯re going to rupture my lungs¡­¡±


    Ren Maohua, barely able to lift his head, begged Xiao Luo for forgiveness. Blood was dripping from his nose and mouth, and his face twisted in agony. He was so horrified that his intestines were turning green. He was wondering if he had offended some evil spirits. How did he end up provoking a demon such as Xiao Luo?


    All the NSA members witnessing the incident from afar remained quiet. They were all so shocked by what Xiao Luo had done that the hair stood on ends. It was not only cruel but extremely vicious, and they sincerely prayed for Ren Maohua.


    ¡°Mie, enough! That¡¯s enough!¡±


    A strong-looking man appeared¡ªit was King Kong. He knew he had to stop Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°He¡¯s going to die if you continue kicking him. Rx, I¡¯m here. If he dares to hit on Night Bird again, I¡¯ll be the first one to cripple him!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you some face.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied and backed away. He owed King Kong one for sticking his neck out to help him at the park, and he gave way. Besides, Ren Maohua¡¯s injuries looked extremely severe and it would most likely take him at least two months to recover. Xiao Luo expected that he¡¯d be able to return from Arcana Land in two months.


    He turned around and walked toward Ji Siying.


    ¡°Wait for my return.¡± He only muttered those four words.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ji Siying nodded in response. She was more than willing to be Xiao Luo¡¯s mistress. It would not bother her if she did not have any status, and as she nodded, she unconsciously touched the jade bracelet on her wrist.


    Xiao Luo raised his hand and touched her cheeks. Ji Siying¡¯s face turned red from embarrassment as Ren Maohua watched with envy. Xiao Luo then slowly rose into the air and hovered like a God. For those who witnessed it, they felt a strangepulsion to bow and worship him.


    ¡°Oh, my God, what am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°Can a man float in thin air like this without relying on any flying device?¡±


    ¡°Has Mie turned into some kind of God?¡±


    All the NSA members turned pale when they saw Xiao Luo floating in the air, and they couldn¡¯t describe the shock that they were experiencing.


    King Kong and Ji Siying were equally shocked as well. The former had seen the people from the Light n floating in the air, and it was only a couple of days, but Xiao Luo had already mastered that technique.


    Ren Maohua could barely feel the pain in his body anymore. He couldn¡¯t help but gasp. His ancestors must have been putting in overtime to keep him alive, or how could he have survived a fight with such a terrifying being?


    ¡°Lad, you¡¯ve learned how to fly in such a short time. Good, good¡­ I believe the Light n will regret their actions, and very soon their intestines will turn green.¡± With loud admiration, Elder Longunched himself in the air from the NSA headquarters and hovered in the air alongside Xiao Luo.


    In the next moment, Xiao Quanren joined them as well, and slowly floated up in the air with a cheerful look on his face. ¡°Luo, your ability to learn something quickly is simply remarkable!¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo could onlyugh at hearing that. He turned to Elder Long and said, ¡°Senior, let¡¯s go now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Elder Long stroked his non-existent beard and was the first to transform into a stream of light, before he beamed toward Tianshan, a mountain somewhere in Yili, Xinjiang.


    Xiao Luo followed behind him, and subsequently, Xiao Quanren tailed after them.


    The three of them flew quickly. Any bystanders on the ground who did not look up and observe, would not have been able to tell that three persons were flying across the sky.


    ¡°Oh, my God, now that everyone can fly, there¡¯s no need for airnes anymore!¡± King Kong quipped, wiping off the cold sweat from his forehead as he gazed at the trio.


    Ji Siying looked into the sky as Xiao Luo flew away. She prayed silently for Xiao Luo to return safely.


    ¡­


    As he passed quickly over mountains and rivers and soared through white clouds, Xiao Luo was getting a panoramic view of the vast mountains and rivers in Hua Nation.


    This was normally a very pleasant experience, but Xiao Luo didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy this. Su Li¡¯s abduction was weighing down on his heart. He had only one goal now, and that was to be stronger.


    Tianshan was one of the seven greatest mountains in this world. Running from east to west, it stretched 1,700 kilometers and covered an area of about 570,000 square kilometers. There were grasnds, cliffs, high mountains, the Tianchike, and a huge snowy mountain in the area.


    Xiao Luo and his two seniors arrived at the vicinity of the mountain about four hourster. Other than the distant peak that was covered by snow all year round, the surrounding areas had been converted to a tourist spot.


    Looking at the cows and sheep grazing in the grasnd, Xiao Luo recalled Gu Qianxue mentioning that she used to catch goats and roast them.


    Theynded at the top of a snowy mountain. An icy wind was blowing, and the weather was below 0 degrees Celsius. The three men were wearing rather thin clothing and were not wearing any down jackets or thick coats to keep themselves warm. But since they had already achieved a high level of cultivation, they were no longer affected by the cold and could simply use internal force to form ayer of energy to keep the cold out.


    ¡°Senior, where do we find the Tianshan Elder?¡± Xiao Luo asked Elder Long as soon as hended. In front of them was a view of snowy mountains, and there didn¡¯t seem to be any traces of human beings around.


    ¡°This old man here doesn¡¯t know either, so let this old man shout and try calling for her!¡±


    Elder Long cleared his throat and then channeled his internal force to shout toward the direction of the snowy mountains in front of him. ¡°Junior Sister¡­ sister¡­ sister. It¡¯s me, Senior Brother¡­ brother¡­ brother. Please show yourself, I need to see you¡­ you¡­ you!¡±


    His voice reverberated across every single peak, nook, and cranny of the sprawling mountain range. A piercing voice that was loud and forceful.


    Xiao Quanren was a little confused and asked, ¡°Elder Long, why do you have to repeat thest word of every sentence thrice?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s called an echo. It distinguishes my masterly status from themon man. If I don¡¯t repeat it thrice, then there¡¯s no difference between me and an ordinary human being,¡± Elder Long exined.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xiao Quanren said.


    His far-fetched exnation left them speechless. Xiao Luo had initially thought that this was a coded form ofmunication he had with the Tianshan Elder, but it turned out he was creating the echo to give himself a master¡¯s persona.


    ¡°Why is he not showing himself? Don¡¯t tell me he didn¡¯t hear me shouting for him?¡±


    Elder Long furrowed his eyebrows and cleared his throat once again. Then he shouted at the snowy mountain once more, ¡°Junior Sister¡­ sister¡­ sister. It¡¯s me, Senior Brother¡­ brother¡­ bro¡­¡±


    POW!


    A figure appeared right behind him like a sh of lightning, kicking him in his rear end. Elder Long¡¯s voice stopped abruptly, and he fell t on the snow-covered ground.


    Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren nced at the figure in surprise. It was a woman in a red tunic under a ck robe. She looked like a seventeen-year-old girl. Her skin was very fair, her cheeks rosy, and her hair coifed in three upturned pigtails tied up with red ribbons. And though she looked like a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl, her body exuded an ancient aura.


    ¡°You stinky old man who refuses to die! Why are you shouting like a crazy fool? Are you trying to create an avnche!¡± The girl pointed at Elder Long and chided him roundly.


    Elder Long quickly got up and stroked his non-existent beard, maintaining his masterly bearing in front of Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren. He smiled at the girl and said, ¡°Junior Sister, I have absolute control over my powers, and I dare say that I will never cause an avnche!¡±


    But as soon as he finished speaking, they heard a loud rumbling sound, and the ground shook¡ªan avnche had urred! Looking into the distance, tons of snow was rolling down like a roaring beast, resembling a tsunami in a raging storm. It was fierce and mighty.

 Chapter 709 - Problem

    <h2>Chapter 709: Problem</h2>


    ¡°You¡¯re an old fool!¡±


    It was rather awkward for Elder Long to have received such a reprimand and his face turned red.


    But there was something else that bothered Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren more than the old man being reprimanded. It wasn¡¯t even the heavy avnche. They stared with disbelief at that girl in front of them¡ªshe looked only seventeen or eighteen years old. They were extremely shocked. Was that person Elder Long¡¯s Junior Sister, the Tianshan Elder? How could she be a mere girl who was no older than seventeen or eighteen?


    But who could me them? The title ¡°Tianshan Elder¡± gave them the impression that the person would be an old and mighty warrior. If Gu Qianxue had not mentioned it before, Xiao Luo would have assumed that the Tianshan Elder was a man. But even knowing the elder was a woman, it still shocked him, for he would never have imagined the Tianshan Elder to be so young and attractive.


    She was the Junior Sister of the Guardians of the World, and that meant she was from the same generation as them. She should be more than a thousand-years old, yet she looked like a young teenage girl. Did the Tianshan Elder have some technique to attain eternal youth?


    ¡°You old fool going by the surname Long, what business do you have here disturbing my cultivation practice?¡± shouted the Tianshan Elder angrily with her hands on her hips.


    Unruffled, and with a look of nonchnce on his face, Elder Long said, ¡°Look at you. Junior Sister. Being fellow disciples, don¡¯t you agree we should cultivate our bodies by not staying idle? What is wrong with me being here?¡±


    ¡°Pah! Who are you calling Junior Sister? Stop pretending to be close to me! If it was not for you, our Master would not have passed away so soon. Since Master¡¯s passing, we are no longer fellow disciples. You¡¯re my sworn enemy!¡± said the Tianshan Elder fiercely.


    ¡°Junior Sister, Master had imparted to me all the techniques that he had perfected solely for protecting this world. He was well aware he had little time left, therefore, he had no other alternative,¡± Elder Long exined with a sigh.


    ¡°Stop spewing all this nonsense. Master died because of you, but you just cannot seem to admit it!¡±


    Keeping her hands behind her back, the Tianshan Elder turned around and said, ¡°Since I am in a good mood, you better hurry and get far away. I do not want to see you for even a single moment longer!¡±


    Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren turned to look at each other and both shared the same thought. The rtionship between those two disciples was not all that good!


    Embarrassed, Elder Long¡¯s face turned red again from the rejection. On their way to the Tianshan mountain, he had mentioned to Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren that his rtionship with his fellow disciple was extremely good and that a day apart felt like three years to him. But when he arrived, the Tianshan Elder had nothing but harsh words for him, and he was feeling terrible at that moment.


    Elder Long forced himself to stay calm. He coughed a little to cover his embarrassment, and said, ¡°Junior Sister, your Senior Brother is here to discuss something important.¡±


    ¡°What could be so important?¡±


    Tianshan Elder responded in a rather icy tone as she swung around to re at him.


    Elder Long hurriedly forced a smile. He gave Xiao Luo a signal and said, ¡°I¡¯m asking for Junior Sister¡¯s help. I need you to use your technique to develop this young man¡¯s hidden potential.¡±


    ¡°Senior, I respectfully seek your guidance.¡±


    Xiao Luo took a step forward and spoke graciously, as he bowed respectfully to the Tianshan Elder.


    Tianshan Elder looked at Xiao Luo impassively. Then, she turned to Elder Long and mocked, ¡°I thought you said it was something important. So, you¡¯re trying to get me to raise your junior¡¯s strength.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. Junior Sister, please help me. I intend to pass on the responsibility of protecting this world to him. It was also Master¡¯sst words before he departed to the other world. As his favorite apprentice, it was my duty to¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Tianshan Elder waved her hand and cut him off. Elder Long chuckled in response. Junior Sister was visibly annoyed and said, ¡°Stop using Master¡¯s name to exin everything. He died because of you, therefore you may not mention his name ever again!¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, the Master died because of us all,¡± Elder Long said with a slightly saddened look on his face.


    ¡°I do not want to listen to all your excuses. Do you expect me to help your junior? Then, you can carry on dreaming!¡±


    Suddenly, Tianshan Elder levitated in the air, turned into a stream of light, and flew into the vast snowy mountains.


    ¡°Junior Sister, you don¡¯t have to be this heartless. We can always talk things out,¡± Elder Long shouted after her. He gave Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren a passing nce before he went after Tianshan Elder.


    Xiao Luo and Xiao Quanren understood his cue and immediately followed him.


    With the towering snowy peaks as a backdrop, the sight of the four of them flying across the sky was even more breathtaking. It made them look like actual Gods.


    They eventually ended up at a cliff. There was a cave not too far away from that cliff. It was almost simr to the monster¡¯s cave den in the ssic novel, Journey to the West. There was a massive double-doored gate securing the cave entrance. When the Tianshan Eldernded, she waved her hands slightly, and the two enormous doors swung open. The doors immediately closed after she entered the cave.


    ¡°Leave now. If my mood gets worse, I shall snap your heads off and throw them down the cliff to feed the eagles!¡± They could hear the Tianshan Elder¡¯s voice booming from within the cave, and she sounded vicious.


    ¡°Elder Long¡­¡±


    Xiao Quanren was a little nervous. The Tianshan Elder¡¯s ability to keep her youthful appearance was more than enough to show how powerful she was. If she decided to make good on her threat and take their lives, Elder Long might have the skill to protect himself. However, both he and Xiao Luo would undoubtedly meet their maker.


    ¡°Stay calm!¡±


    Elder Long raised his hand and said, ¡°My Junior Sister is a typical example of someone who has a razor-sharp tongue, but a soft heart. She has indeed killed many people, but all the people she killed were nasty viins. The both of you are not nasty viins. So, there is no way she is going to kill either of you. The most she might do is probably break your arms and legs. That is all.¡±


    Break arms and legs?


    Would that mean crippling both of them?


    Stay calm? How could they possibly stay calm?


    Upon hearing that, Xiao Quanren felt exasperated. Did Elder Long just say¡ªthat was all? It would seem broken arms and legs were insignificant injuries, and he wondered how badly crippled they would have to be before he considered it severe.


    ¡°Old man with the surname Long, you better not assume you know me that well. If it wasn¡¯t because of your power and abilities, I would have already turned you into minced meat and fed you to the dogs,¡± Tianshan Elder¡¯s voice came from within the cave once again.


    ¡°She could even hear that?¡±


    A surprised Elder Long said, ¡°Junior Sister, you still care about your Senior Brother. You have closed the gates, yet you are still paying attention to what is happening out here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself! I am merely monitoring your actions. If you dare mess up the area outside my cave, I will make sure I end that worthless life of yours.¡±


    She shut him up with that one statement.


    Xiao Quanren thought that Elder Long was not as reliable as he expected. They hade all the way here, but it now seemed like a wasted trip.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo walked toward the cave entrance and stopped about ten meters away. He went on his knees and pleaded to Tianshan Elder, ¡°Senior, I beg you. Please, you must help me! If not, I¡¯ll remain here kneeling in this position until you do.¡±


    ¡°Junior, you must have watched too many dramas¡ªis life so simply that expect gold every time you go on your knees? I despise people like you the most! Do not think that I will be touched by what you are doing. Let me tell you now¡ªit will not work on me!¡± Tianshan Elder¡¯s sarcastic ridicule could be heard from outside the cave.


    Xiao Luoughed inwardly and his eyes showed determination, for what the Tianshan Elder said did not bother him. He touched his head on the ground and continued pleading, ¡°Senior, please help me!¡±


    Throughout his life, other than his parents and grandparents, Xiao Luo had never kowtowed to anyone else before. And here he was kowtowing to the Tianshan Elder. At this moment, kneeling and kowtowing meant little to Xiao Luo. He was resolved to get the Tianshan Elder to help him attain the ability to rescue his woman, and he would not hesitate to give his life for Su Li.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s sincerity and determination were clear to those who were there. The Tianshan Elder refrained from making another sarcastic remark. Other than the sound of the howling wind, there wasplete silence.

 Chapter 710 - Gu Qianxue arrives

    <h2>Chapter 710: Gu Qianxue arrives</h2>


    ¡°I must be stronger, I must!¡±


    That was Xiao Luo¡¯s only goal. He had been kneeling outside the Tianshan Elder¡¯s cave for seven days with no food or drink. He had not even moved, and the look in his eyes remained resolute.


    Xiao Quanren worried about him and wanted to give him some water or food. But Elder Long stopped him.


    ¡°I will be very disappointed in him if he wants to be stronger, but is unable to withstand something like this!¡±


    Elder Long reached out and grabbed a slice of roasted mutton, clearly enjoying his food. He had a way with words and had even talked Xiao Quanren into building a perg for him. It was not to block out the wind, but to protect him from the falling snow.


    ¡°Luo¡­¡±


    Xiao Quanren looked worriedly at Xiao Luo as he whispered to himself. ¡°Elder Long, will Tianshan Elder agree to help Luo?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It will be tough!¡±


    Elder Long shook his head and did not hide the truth from Xiao Quanren. ¡°My Junior Sister might have a razor-sharp tongue and a soft heart. But when she is in a ruthless mood, even if Xiao Luo continued to kneel until he¡¯s at death¡¯s door, it might still be not enough to move her,¡± he said.


    ¡°Then what is he supposed to do?¡±


    Xiao Quanren asked and looked immediately troubled after hearing that. If Xiao Luo kneeled to his death, how was he to face the couple, Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying, when he returned? The Xiao n finally found a descendant who could fully awaken the powers of their bloodline. It would be an enormous loss to the Xiao n if Xiao Luo died here.


    ¡°Calm yourself. You have lived for more than a hundred years. Why are you behaving like a worrywart every time you face a problem? Have you never heard of the phrase, ¡®One can achieve anything with effort¡¯?¡±


    Elder Long stroked his non-existent beard and said, ¡°Everyone has a destiny. Whether my Junior Sister will help him or not, would depend on Xiao Luo¡¯s luck and fortune.¡±


    Xiao Quanren nodded his head. He and Xiao Luo were both members of the Xiao n and had the Xiao n blood flowing through them, therefore, it was difficult for Xiao Quanren to remain as calm as Elder Long. Xiao Quanren was deeply concerned as he watched Xiao Luo kneeling for seven days and nights without drinking or eating.


    ¡­


    On the afternoon of the eighth day, snow began falling once again.


    With ice and snow swirling around, the frigid wind cut through the air mercilessly, and the entire ce was white and freezing. Here and there, rocks could be seen jutting out through the snow.


    Xiao Luo continued to kneel on the ground. A thickyer of snow covered his body, and tiny ice crystals had formed on the tips of his hair. If one looked at him at a distance, one would think he was a human-shaped snowdrift.


    ¡°Wait, someone is here!¡±


    Elder Long could acutely sense another aura on the snow-filled mountain.


    ¡°Seems like there are two of them. They are walking toward us,¡± Xiao Quanren pitched in.


    BOOM!


    The cave doors crashed open, and Tianshan Elder bounded out from within. She soared gracefully into the sky and looked into the distance. Suddenly, her girlish, youthful-looking face looked ted. She eximed, ¡°It is my disciple. She¡¯s back!¡±


    Ten days ago, she had received news that her disciple was returning to the cave. Since then, she had been in a cheerful mood. After the ten-day wait, her disciple finally made it back. She was feeling extremely delighted and thrilled.


    disciple?


    Was it Gu Qianxue?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s body was in a weak condition. In the past eight days, he had been using a lot of internal energy to inste himself from the cold. He had consumed no food to replenish all that energy that he had used up. He was feeling drained and could barely feel his arms and legs. When he heard the Tianshan Elder mention her disciple, he could not help but think of Gu Qianxue.


    Tianshan Eldernded on the ground in front of him. She looked at him and was rather perplexed. She had wanted to say something sarcastic but decided against it. In a ruthless old-fashioned manner, she said in her youthful voice, ¡°You little brat, give up! Even if you kneel till you die, I will not be moved!¡±


    ¡°Senior, please help me!¡±


    Xiao Luo pleaded in a sincere tone without responding to what she had said to him.


    ¡°Tsk, how stubborn! I cannot be bothered to entertain a stinky little brat like you,¡± sneered Tianshan Elder.


    At that moment, two girls appeared in front of them, both in thick, furry down jackets.


    The girl on the left looked aloof. She had a pretty-looking face that looked rather cold. It was a look that made it challenging for one to approach her. Her skin was rosy, and itplimented the white jacket she had on. She was tall and slim and had a pair of deep and beautiful eyes on her delicate face. She exuded a rather extraordinary personality! One good look at her and the words, ¡°first love¡± would probably appear in every man¡¯s mind.


    It was indeed Gu Qianxue!


    On the right was her sister, Gu Qianlin. She was wearing an orange furry down jacket. Gu Qianlin did not look aggressive as she was not wearing her police uniform. In in clothes, she looked more like a normal young woman.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Gu Qianxue could spot Tianshan Elder from afar and she waved to her Master excitedly.


    Tianshan Elder waved back excitedly and had a radiant smile on her face. Then she turned toward Elder Long with a warning. ¡°Old man with the surname Long, my disciple is back. You better not make too much noise, or I will not let you off if she bes upset.¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, think about what you just said. She is your disciple. That would make me her Uncle. Why would I upset her? Besides, talking to young girls is my forte,¡± Elder Long replied andughed gleefully.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Tianshan Elder shouted.


    Elder Long raised his eyebrows and kept his mouth shut. He had no choice. He needed that witch¡¯s help. He knew he had no choice but to continue and remain calm for that period.


    Not long after, Gu Qianxue and Gu Qianlin arrived and stood right in front of the cave.


    Gu Qianxue had a close rtionship with the Tianshan Elder. As soon as they saw each other, they hugged tightly.


    ¡°Little Snow, you silly girl. Why do you look so much thinner? Have you not been eating well while you were away from these mountains?¡±


    One could see the love that Tianshan Elder¡¯s eyes had for that girl. She had raised Gu Qianxue, and her rtionship with the girl was between mother and daughter. It was a rather strange sight, for that look of motherly love she gave looked more appropriate on the face of a forty or fifty-year-old woman. Instead, it was on the face of a woman who looked no older than a teenager.


    Gu Qianxue shook her head in response to her Master¡¯s question. She hugged Tianshan Elder tightly and said, ¡°Master, I¡¯ve missed you!¡±


    ¡°Silly girl¡­¡±


    Tianshan Elder patted her on the back. Seeing her beloved disciple once again, it was no wonder she was so excited. Tears were rolling down her eyes.


    After Gu Qianxue and Tianshan Elder had reminisced for a while, Gu Qianlin pulled Gu Qianxue closer toward her. ¡°Little Snow, so that is your Master, the Tianshan Elder?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Gu Qianxue replied with a nod.


    ¡°Why does she look like she¡¯s around your age?¡±


    Gu Qianlin waspletely shocked. She could never have imagined that the youthful-looking girl standing in front of her was her sister¡¯s Master, the Tianshan Elder.


    Gu Qianxue exined, ¡°My Master¡¯s skill is unparalleled. She has her method of achieving eternal youth.¡±


    ¡°Eternal youth? Immortality?¡±


    Gu Qianlin was shocked beyond words. As a policewoman in this modern era, there was no way she could ept something as mythical as that. Immortality was just an unrealistic fantasy. How could it possibly be achieved?


    As long as a person was a human being, then that person would experience life and death. There were no exceptions, yet seeing the Tianshan Elder proved otherwise, and dispelled her belief. Eternal youth? No one would believe such a thing.


    ¡°Little girl, there are still many things that you are not aware of in this world. Don¡¯t behave like a frog in a well. Believe that everything you see is what it is,¡± Tianshan Elder said to Gu Qianlin. She spoke with her hands sped behind her back. There was an impression of great wisdom about this person with a youthful appearance.

 Chapter 711 - Warning you

    <h2>Chapter 711: Warning you</h2>


    A frog in a well?


    Gu Qianlin, being an arrogant woman, did not take kindly to such a condescending tone by a girl who looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. She refused to submit to what she viewed as an insult, even though she knew it was the Tianshan Elder. ¡°I might not have undergone or experienced hardship, but I¡¯ve seen much in life and there¡¯s hardly a thing in this world that I¡¯m not familiar with,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Sister¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and pulled her sister¡¯s sleeve to warn her not to be rude to her master. Even if what the elder had just said did not make sense, as a junior, one should still show some courtesy and respect.


    But the Tianshan Elder was fond of the arrogant junior who tried to embarrass her. She lifted the corner of her lips into a sly smile and said, ¡°Oh? Is that so? Then can you try exining to me why all these snowkes have suddenly stopped falling to the ground?¡±


    ¡°Stop the snowkes from falling? What kind of joke is this? In this weather, do you think you can stop snow from falling just because you opened your¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin tried to argue, but just as she was about to finish her sentence, her voice trailed off. All of a sudden, the snowkes truly did stop falling, and everything appeared like a still shot. Time and space seemed to have paused right that instant.


    ¡°What¡­ What is going on here?¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes were wide open. She looked up in the sky, refusing to believe what she was seeing. How could this be so? It was as if there was an invisible field of energy preventing the snowkes from falling, and they stayed hovering in the air. It was hard to imagine something like this was possible andpletely changed her understanding of the world she lived in.


    ¡°See? You cannot even exin what you¡¯re now seeing, and yet you dare say you¡¯ve seen everything?¡±


    Tianshan Elder said mockingly before she turned her palm over, and the snowkes began falling once again. Everything miraculously returned to normal.


    Gu Qianlin was in aplete stupor when she realized that this young-looking girl was the one responsible for what just happened. She could control the weather and even immobilize snowkes in mid-air. It was hard to imagine such an ability existed¡ªit was simply incredible. If she had not witnessed this in person, there was no way she would have believed something like this was possible.


    At that moment, Gu Qianxue¡¯s eyes were fixed on the human-like snowdrift in the distance, just right in front of the cave. She finally realized that it was someone who was kneeling on the ground without moving, and what shocked her was that he was the man who had a ce in her heart.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    She started running toward him. When she confirmed it was indeed Xiao Luo, her eyes turned red, and she said, ¡°Xiao Luo, what¡­ What are you doing here? Why do you look so pathetic? Get up quickly, stop kneeling on the ground!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head and rejected her assistance when she tried to pull him up. He smiled ruefully and said, ¡°There is something that I need your master to help me with.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why do you have to kneel in the cold¡ªwill you please just get up?¡±


    Tears kept rolling down Gu Qianxue¡¯s face. She couldn¡¯t bear to see Xiao Luo suffering like this. In her eyes, Xiao Luo had always been a man who was able to ovee anything. So how was it a man like him was kneeling on the ground in front of her? It left her heartbroken.


    Xiao Luo shook his head again, and he was not going to waver. He needed her master¡¯s help to increase his power!


    ¡°Xiao Luo? It¡¯s you!¡±


    Gu Qianlin could not have imagined that there was a man inside the snowdrift, and she was even more surprised to find out that it was Xiao Luo. She furrowed her eyebrows and said, ¡°Why is it that everywhere I go, I somehow always end up bumping into you? I¡¯m warning you, stay away from my younger sister. You¡¯re already married, so stop trying to ruin my sister¡¯s life.¡±


    Looking at how differently the sisters were reacting to Xiao Luo, Elder Long and Xiao Quanren looked at one another and a shrewd smile formed on their faces. They could tell that Tianshan Elder truly adored her disciple, and it presented a great opportunity for them as they now knew that she liked Xiao Luo.


    The look on Tianshan Elder¡¯s face changed a little. She quickly walked towards Gu Qianxue and asked, ¡°Little Snow, do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Master, he¡¯s my¡­ my¡­¡±


    ¡°Your sweetheart?¡±


    Before Gu Qianxue could finish her sentence, Elder Long was already walking toward her with his hands behind his back and finished her sentence for her.


    Sweetheart?


    The color on Tianshan Elder¡¯s face changed as she red at Elder Long, and she shouted, ¡°Old man with the surname Long, you better stop spouting nonsense, otherwise, I¡¯m going to rip you apart.¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, why are you surprised? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re more familiar with this kind of rtionship than me.¡±


    Old Man Long stroked his non-existent beard and looked at Gu Qianxue. ¡°Little girl, as soon as you saw Xiao Luo kneeling on the ground, you were so upset that tears rolled down your face. If he¡¯s not your sweetheart, then who is he to you? If you ask me, it can only be fate, and God is telling you to help Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°Pah! I¡¯m going to spit thick phlegm all over your face! You old scoundrel! All you ever do is try to fool me,¡± Tianshan Elder scowled.


    ¡°Junior Sister, why always doubt me?¡±


    Elder Long furrowed his eyebrows, then went on to shake hands with Gu Qianxue. ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re really pretty. I¡¯m your master¡¯s senior. In terms of rank, you should, therefore, address me as Elder Uncle,¡± he said.


    Gu Qianxue had no idea how to react. She raised her head and looked at Tianshan Elder.


    ¡°Little Snow, just ignore him. He¡¯s an old fool! What big uncle is he talking about? He¡¯s lying to you,¡± Tianshan Elder said, putting her arms across her chest.


    Elder Long¡¯s face turned red, and he said, ¡°Junior Sister, why are you so disrespectful? Each time you open your mouth to say something, your sentences are filled with uncouth words. You¡¯re going to lead this little girl astray. Even if you don¡¯t, you¡¯re a bad influence to old people like me.¡±


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    Tianshan Elder said and shook her hands impatiently. Having the appearance of a delicate young girl gave everyone the impression she was lively and yful, but her words and actions were not so. Such a vivid contrast made those watching her feel ufortable.


    ¡°Little Snow, follow me in! I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Master, can you please?¡±


    Gu Qianxue immediately knelt on the ground and pointed at Xiao Luo. She was trying to get her master to help Xiao Luo.


    Tianshan Elder did not get angry but sighed and said, ¡°Come in first, and we¡¯ll talk!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Gu Qianxue wiped the tears off of her face, then turned her head to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Xiao Luo, I¡¯ll persuade my master to help you.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a thing but showed her a grateful-looking smile.


    After Gu Qianxue entered the cave with Tianshan Elder, Gu Qianlin took it out on Xiao Luo. ¡°You b*stard, do you know how hurt my younger sister was when she found out that you married that female superstar, Su Li? What did you do to her? What kind of magic potion did you feed her to the point she is so infatuated with you?¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    Xiao Luo snarled. He didn¡¯t have a favorable impression of Gu Qianlin. He hated her and didn¡¯t want to talk at all.


    Gu Qianlin didn¡¯t budge, and instead returned a fearless look, and said, ¡°I know your kung fu skills are good, and you can kill anyone you want easily. But I¡¯m not afraid of you. I¡¯m warning you onest time, stay far away from my younger sister. I don¡¯t want to see her crying and don¡¯t want to hear her mentioninging back to Tianshan to live here. She¡¯s all grown up now, and it¡¯s time for her to live her own life. It¡¯s time for her to stop wasting her time here staring at nothing but snowy mountains every single day. She¡¯s wasting her youth in this goddamn ce!¡±


    ¡°I told you to go away, didn¡¯t I? Did you not hear that?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was threatening and his eyes glowered like that of a wolf. His stare sent a shiver down Gu Qianlin¡¯s spine, and she unconsciously took three steps back.

 Chapter 712 - Something unexpected

    <h2>Chapter 712: Something unexpected</h2>


    When she saw Xiao Luo¡¯s fierce scowl, Gu Qianlin lost her nerve and backed away silently. IT was nothing more than bravado when she said that she wasn¡¯t afraid of Xiao Luo. How could an ordinary police officer like her stand up to the likes of a fearsome fighter like Xiao Luo?


    Tianshan Elder was questioning Gu Qianxue about her rtionship with Xiao Luo in the cave.


    ¡°Little Snow, tell your master the truth¡ªdo you like the little brat out there?¡± Tianshan Elder asked in a concerned tone. She didn¡¯t sound like she was going to reprimand Gu Qianxue.


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s face turned a little red, and after thinking about it briefly, she nodded her head, and admitted her feelings to her master, ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°When did this happen, why did I never hear you mentioning it?¡± Tianshan Elder said and furrowed her eyebrows a little.


    ¡°It was during the period when I joined the academy to be a police officer after I left the mountains.¡±


    Gu Qianxue pursed her red lip, then knelt and begged, ¡°Master, please help him. I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    Tianshan Elder looked at her firmly, then sighed and said, ¡°You silly girl. You¡¯re already kneeling and begging for him. It seems like this is fate. Fine, fine, I¡¯ll help him then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master! I¡¯m so grateful, thank you, Master!¡± Gu Qianxue happily said.


    ¡°But I have a condition¡ªthe both of you have to get married,¡± Tianshan Elder added.


    ¡°Get married?¡±


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s eyes were wide opened, and thispletely caught her off-guard.


    ¡°Why? Are you not willing to? Didn¡¯t you just say that you like him?¡± Tianshan Elder furrowed her eyebrows.


    ¡°I do like him, but¡­ but¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue said with her head down, ¡°Master, he¡¯s already married.¡±


    Tianshan Elder stared at her, ¡°So what if he¡¯s married? Doesn¡¯t every man out there have at least three wives and four concubines?¡±


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re not living in ancient times anymore.¡±


    Gu Qianxue replied softly. She knew that her master¡¯s mindset was still trapped in that ancient society.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what era it is. If you want me to help him, then he¡¯ll have to marry you. If your father has any other opinion regarding this matter, then ask him toe to Tianshan and meet me personally. I¡¯ve already decided for you regarding this matter.¡±


    Tianshan Elder pped her thighs and stood up. She grabbed Gu Qianxue¡¯s hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll discuss with that little brat now!¡±


    ¡°Master, Master¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue was being forcefully dragged out of the cave, and expecting how her master was going to discuss her marriage, she became bashful and her face turned red.


    ¡°That little brat has been kneeling there for seven days and nights. He didn¡¯t even drink or eat. I admire him. A man like him is worthy of being with my disciple,¡± Tianshan Elder said as she dragged Gu Qianxue outside.


    BOOM!


    The cave doors opened.


    Tianshan Elder dragged the red-faced Gu Qianxue out and walked toward Xiao Luo.


    Speaking in an old-fashioned manner, she said, ¡°You stinky little brat, do you want me to give you a way out?¡±


    ¡°Elder, please instruct me,¡± Xiao Luo responded and his eyes glowed with delight.


    Tianshan Elder pulled Gu Qianxue to the front, and said, ¡°Marry this girl, and I will help you increase your powers.¡±


    Gu Qianxue was too embarrassed to show her face and hid behind her master like a little fawn in shock. Although her cheeks were feeling warm, she was inwardly delighted and even felt a tinge of excitement.


    Marry Gu Qianxue?


    Xiao Luo waspletely stunned. He looked at Gu Qianxue, still was hiding behind Tianshan Elder, and didn¡¯t know what to say in reply.


    ¡°No way! How can my younger sister marry him? He¡¯s already married, this is impossible. Tianshan Elder, you might be my younger sister¡¯s master, but you don¡¯t have the right to make such arrangements for her. This is going to affect her life. You need to get the approval of my parents and me,¡± Gu Qianlin blurted out as she lost control of her emotions. She never thought that the situation would turn out this way, and there was no way she was allowing her younger sister to marry a man like Xiao Luo. He was a demon who killed without blinking an eye.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to say anything here¡ªshut up!¡±


    Tianshan Elder red at her coldly, then using her fingers to create a force that struck Gu Qianlin¡¯s body.


    Gu Qianlin was suddenly unable to move her body, and she couldn¡¯t speak at all. It was as if her entire body was petrified and frozen to one spot. She felt a horrifying chill as she realized this was simr to the kind of Kungfu in martial art dramas that allowed one to strike someone else¡¯s vital point and immobilize that person. Still, it was hard to believe that it was happening in real life, so how could she not be shocked?


    ¡°You stinky little brat, are you going to agree to it? Can you hurry up and give me an answer?¡± Tianshan Elder hissed.


    ¡°Elder, I¡¯m already married,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Fool, do you think I don¡¯t already know that? You better not take this my consideration for granted. My disciple might not be so pretty that she¡¯d put flowers to shame, nor is she going to cause the fall of an entire city in an instant, but she still a lot more grace, elegance, and beauty than most of the girls on the ins below these mountains. Count yourself lucky that you get to marry her, and you better know where you stand!¡± Tianshan Elder said.


    Gu Qianxue, who was right behind her master, quickly sped onto her sleeves. Tianshan Elder had leaped so much praise that she was thoroughly embarrassed and felt like digging a hole and hiding in it if she could.


    Xiao Luo smiled ruefully and said, ¡°It¡¯s just like you said¡ªsince Qianxue is so much better, I don¡¯t want to taint her qualities. I don¡¯t even dare to have any intimate thoughts toward her, instead, I¡¯m asking for your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Forgiveness, my foot! You stinky little brat, you better learn to be grateful. I¡¯ve already said that as long as you marry my disciple, I¡¯ll help you to increase your powers. Otherwise, I don¡¯t care even if you kneel till you die, I won¡¯t help you no matter what,¡± Tianshan Elder dered.


    Xiao Luo was in a pickle, for although he had only mentioned his marriage to Su Li, there was also Ji Siying, and recently, the Lady Poison too. So, there was no way he could mislead Gu Qianxue since she was such a good girl. But Tianshan Elder had already made it clear, and he just couldn¡¯t seem to make a decision right now.


    ¡°He promises, junior sister, I¡¯ll say it on his behalf!¡±


    At that moment, Elder Long jauntily walked toward Xiao Luo from the makeshift shelter.


    Like a follower, Xiao Quanren followed behind Elder Long, and when he reached Xiao Luo, he lowered himself and whispered into his ear, ¡°Luo, listen to old grandfather and just ept her hand in marriage. She is, after all, such a good girl. When Old Grandfather was around your age, I had over ten girls around me, sopared to me, you are miles behind.¡±


    ¡°Old grandfather, I¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was honestly speechless. He looked at his senior and thought¡ªwell; you were living in the feudal society during your youth, so obviously it was alright to have many wives. But that¡¯s not possible now, and my parents raised me to believe in monogamy, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯d change my ways.


    ¡°Junior Sister, one look at both these babies¡¯ faces and you can tell that they¡¯re a match made in heaven. It is fated that they¡¯ll rely on one another, so I will decide for him¡ªmarry. Let¡¯s have these two babies married today, and they can solemnize their vows in the bridal chamber tonight.¡±


    Elder Long announce, then introduced Xiao Quanren to Tianshan Elder. ¡°This person here is Xiao Luo¡¯s Old Grandfather and can be considered as a parent to him. With him around, it doesn¡¯t matter even if Xiao Luo doesn¡¯t agree to it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Why are behaving like a pimp?¡± Tianshan Elder sneered.


    ¡°Junior sister, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by behaving like a pimp? I¡¯m pairing up a match that was made in heaven. This is God¡¯s decree,¡± Elder Long retorted.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Tianshan Elder said nothing. She turned around and left with Gu Qianxue, chuckling to herself.

 Chapter 713 - Marriage

    <h2>Chapter 713: Marriage</h2>


    Gu Qianxue had no say over the matter of whether she should marry Xiao Luo. Gu Zhanguo had sent her to Mount Tianshan ever since she was a child. To her, Tianshan Elder was not only her Master but was also like a parent to her. Since Tianshan Elder wanted her to marry Xiao Luo, she would not object. Also, she had taken a fancy to Xiao Luo, so she naturally approved the decision.


    Xiao Luo was also being persuaded by Xiao Quanren and Elder Long. His need to be attained greater strength and power left him with no other choice but to agree to the marriage. But he had some tricks up his sleeve. He nned to fake the marriage with Gu Qianxue, and it would be a marriage in name only. He did not want to disappoint or hurt Gu Qianxue.


    Since both parties had finally agreed, that marriage proceeded!


    The three elders were the most powerful beings in that world. They prepared everything in a matter of a few hours, adhering to the rituals from ancient times. They arranged for a band to y the traditional trumpets, had a butcher ughter the pigs, and chefs to cook the meals. These people were all abducted and did not know where they were. They were going about their daily routines when suddenly they cked out. When they awoke, they found themselves in that world covered with ice and snow.


    They fearfully followed the orders of the three elders and did not dare to disobey!


    Gu Qianxue was dressed in a bright red bridal gown. Her skin was fair and smooth, and she looked elegant and beautiful. Her eyes swept across to Xiao Luo, who dressed in the groom¡¯s attire. She shyly took a nce at his face and her face turned bright red.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Elder Long cleared his throat, then turned to the bride and said, ¡°Gu Qianxue, do you want this man, Xiao Luo, to be your husband? To marry him? Love him, take care of him, respect him, ept him, and remain faithful to him until the end of his life. In sickness or health or any other¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Long! What the hell are you doing now?¡± Before Elder Long could finish, Tianshan Elder interrupted him.


    ¡°Junior Sister, this is what the priests of the West say when they marry off a couple,¡± Elder Long exined.


    ¡°This is the East. Why are you blindly copying those foreign customs? Just follow the eastern tradition and stop following foreign customs here.¡±


    Tianshan Elder sat in the front seat and looked resplendent in her beautiful costume. She looked like a young woman, but the way she spoke made the neers cower. The seniors had abducted these men to help with the wedding preparation. Confused and afraid, they could not help but wonder if they were dreaming, for seeing a young girl who behaved like an elder was rare.


    Elder Long had tried to create a more romantic ceremony, but he got chided for adopting foreign rituals. That upset him.


    However, he quickly overcame his pique and shouted excitedly.


    ¡°First bow to heaven and earth!¡±


    Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue bowed to the sky.


    ¡°Second bow to the rtives and elders!¡±


    After shouting that out, Elder Long teleported to the hall and stood between Xiao Quanren and the Tianshan Elder. He epted the bow from the new couple with no modesty. He even acted the part and took a sip from his teacup.


    ¡°Couple, bow to each other!¡±


    Elder Long continued to shout in a loud voice after he finished sipping his tea.


    ¡°Alright, send the couple into the bridal chamber!¡±


    Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue entered the cave abode. Only the two of them could enter. Tianshan Elder stood guard outside the door. That was a warning to everyone. That night was the couple¡¯s wedding night, and if anyone dared to enter and disturbed the couple, they would not be let off easily.


    ¡°Ridiculous! They are just out of their minds!¡±


    Gu Qianlin had been immobilized the entire time, and could only watch everything happening but could not stop the event. She was furious and trembling in anger. She was not only upset with the three elders, but she was also furious with her younger sister, Gu Qianxue. She knew that Xiao Luo was already married, yet she still insisted on marrying him.


    Why?


    Why, indeed?


    Was Xiao Luo that good? He was a devil who killed without batting an eyelid!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    That night, the mellow moonlight radiantly shone on the snowyndscape, enveloping the entire snowy mountain with its misty radiance. It looked as if the heavens had covered it with ayer of light gauze.


    ¡°Have a ss of wine to warm up.¡±


    Tianshan Elder said as she released the restraint on Gu Qianlin.


    Have a ss of wine?


    Gu Qianlin was furious. She stretched her numb body and drew her gun. She pointed it at Tianshan Elder and shouted, ¡°You old lunatics, how could you force my sister to marry a married man? I will¡­ sue you all!¡±


    ¡°Sue me?¡±


    Tianshan Elderughed scornfully. Suddenly, she moved like a silent ghost and appeared right beside Gu Qianlin, who was over 10 meters away from her.


    It startled Gu Qianlin, and in panic, she suddenly fired the gun in her trembling hand.


    BANG!


    An ear-piercing gunshot rang out. The bullet flew out of the chamber and headed straight at the Tianshan Elder¡¯s forehead, right between her eyebrows.


    Just when everyone thought the shot would pierce through Tianshan Elder¡¯s head, the speeding bullet stopped ten centimeters from her. There was an invisible force that prevented the bullet from reaching her.


    For god¡¯s sake, what are we seeing here?


    The abducted people were shocked and watched in wide-eyed fear. They were so bewildered by what they saw they froze even as they were eating.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Gu Qianlin broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed her saliva. The Tianshan Elder was not even afraid of bullets. Was she an old monster that had lived for thousands of years?


    ¡°You are my disciple¡¯s older sister, so I won¡¯t put you in a difficult position. But you need to consider the situation and refrain from testing my temper. If I really cannot hold back and injure you, or if I identally disfigure your face, then do not me me!¡±


    Tianshan Elder reached out and grabbed the bullet floating in mid-air. Then, with a flick of her fingers, the bullet flew with tremendous speed and force toward an enormous boulder in the distance.


    The speeding bullet left a trail of light and hit its target in an instant.


    BOOM!


    There was a loud explosion when the speeding bullet shattered the boulder into tiny fragments.


    Gu Qianlin felt drenched in a cold sweat, and her limbs were trembling with fear. The gun in her hand could no longer give her any sense of security.


    ¡°This is my territory, so do not misbehave yourself, got it?¡± Elder Tianshan said. She reached out and patted Gu Qianlin on her shoulder as a warning. Then she turned around and walked back to the outdoor banquet, grabbed a leg of a goat along the way, and taking a bite of it.


    Elder Long and Xiao Quanren had to clean up the mess. They sent the abducted men back to where they were picked up.


    Thump!


    Gu Qianlin fell to her knees. She felt that her world had crumbled, and all of her knowledge did not apply to this ce. Everything she had seen and heard at Tianshan made her feel like that world was strange and crazy.


    Everything she had learned conflicted with what was happening in this unknown world, and she suddenly realized that her beliefs meant nothing at all here.

 Chapter 714 - the Divine Art of Creation

    <h2>Chapter 714: the Divine Art of Creation</h2>


    In the warm, candle-lit cave-dwelling, a stone tform served as the bed. The cave was decorated in red and purple colors, and many ¡°happiness¡± characters were stered all over its interior walls. A fresh nket now covered the bed, with some dates, chestnuts, and peanuts scattered over it. These symbolized blessings for the couple to have children.


    Gu Qianxue drank some wine and her cheeks were flushed red, and it made her looked exceptionally beautiful.


    She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling extremely nervous, and was nervously kneading her hands. She had a crush on Xiao Luo but never imagined that she would ever end up bing his wife. In the past, she was pure and innocent, but after leaving the mountain to lead her own life for more than a year, she had grown up. She had a better understanding of the way of the world, and she knew that Xiao Luo had agreed to marry her only because he wanted her master to help him.


    ¡°Qianxue, between us¡­ I hope you understand I don¡¯t want to hurt you¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke to her apologetically. The marriage was a mere formality. Anyway, it was ridiculous to marry another woman when he was already registered in marriage to someone else. His main concern was that Gu Qianxue would be hurt, and it caused him to stammer as he tried his best to find the right words to say.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I understand. I know what you mean!¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded her head, like an obedient and sensible girl, and said, ¡°My master did it for my sake, but I know you are not happy about it. Let¡¯s treat this as just a formality, and in the future, we pretend this ceremony did not take ce.¡±


    Gu Qianxue gave him an innocent smile. Her red lips were exceptionally enticing. Her perfect face, with no makeup, showed the most natural beauty. She looked fresh and charming. Her delicate and wless skin added a dazzling touch to her face. Under the candlelight, she took Xiao Luo¡¯s breath away. Gu Qianxue did not have any regrets, for the two of them would still be friends in the future. This experience on Mount Tianshan would be the most beautiful memory ever for her.


    Xiao Luo smiled at her with relief and kindness. Looking at her clear and bright eyes, he could not help but recall the little things that had happened between them at the training grounds. She had followed him out, but he yed a trick on her to shake her off. Then she lost her way and sat helplessly on the stone steps, waiting for him an entire day. The memory shed back vividly and felt like it had only happened the day before.


    Xiao Luo walked to the front of the bed. He used his fingernail to scratch his right index finger. A slight wound appeared, and blood seeped out from that minor cut.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, why did you hurt yourself?¡± Gu Qianxue asked with a frown.


    Xiao Luo smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I want to put some bloodstains on the bedsheet.¡±


    As he spoke, he dripped a few drops of blood onto the bed. He could not tell Gu Qianxue forthrightly that he was nting a smokescreen to mislead the Tianshan Elder to believe that they had slept together that night.


    Gu Qianxue was even more confused. She frowned and looked at the bloodstain on the bed, not knowing why Xiao Luo wanted to drip blood onto the bedsheets.


    ¡°Alright, it is gettingte. Rest early,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Gu Qianxue answered and nodded.


    Outside the cave, the Tianshan Elder was meditating at the edge of the cliff. She closed her eyes and let out a snort like an old woman. Then she muttered, ¡°How could he believe he could cheat me with such an insignificant trick? Did the bast*rd think that I have lived thousands of years in vain?¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, then you just let the ¡®uncooked rice¡¯ mature.¡±


    Elder Long was holding onto a piece of meat in his hand and devouring it, leaving grease stains around his mouth. He chuckled as he walked over to Tianshan Elder, and said, ¡°As long as you perform the Divine Art of Creation, it is so easy to let the ¡®uncooked rice¡¯ get cooked.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for you to remind me of that!¡±


    Tianshan Elder opened her eyes and red at him coldly with a face full of disdain.


    Elder Long was trying to flirt with Tianshan Elder, but was met with a harsh response that embarrassed him. He was taken aback and hurriedly backed away. To lessen the awkwardness of the moment, he turned and chatted with Gu Qianlin. However, he could not find a suitable topic to talk about, so he asked, ¡°Youngdy, are you good at cooking?¡±


    Gu Qianlin¡¯s heart was already bleeding. Everyone knew what was going on inside the cave abode, yet Elder Long had the cheek to ask her directly whether she was proficient in such a shameful and intimate matter. She immediately flew into a rage despite the peerless status of these elders.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Youngdy, you have misunderstood what I meant. I am asking about cooking.¡±


    Elder Long hurriedly exined. In all honesty, he was asking about cooking, and he had not intended to insinuate anything else. He had been at a loss thinking of a suitable topic to talk about. Since he had just spoken to the Tianshan Elder about cooking, he unintentionally blurted out the word.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Gu Qianlin was so angry that her chest heaved in exasperation. She thought to herself, what kind of old devil is he? He forced my sister to marry Xiao Luo, and now he¡¯s shamelessly asking me that sort of thing! She found it simply unbearable.


    Elder Long had no choice but to walk away.


    Xiao Quanren, standing nearby, almost burst outughing. However, he held back hisughter when he saw Elder Long ring at him.


    At the edge of the cliff, Elder Tianshan had channeled her energy and performed the Divine Art of Creation. Her divine essence filtered through all physical barriers and entered the cave abode.


    Xiao Luo suddenly found that the ambiance in the cave had changed drastically. The fragrance of flowers permeated the air and refreshed the mind. Unknown flowers suddenly sprouted and bloomed around the stone bed, the cave floor, and even the top of the rocks. In an instant, the cave quickly became a sea of flowers.


    A perfumed fragrance filled the cave, causing those within to be deeply intoxicated!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mind gradually became muddled, and he was soon hallucinating.


    The blue sky, the straw hut by the river, the feel of fresh air, and the sight of butterflies fluttering in the air¡­ all these illusions were warm and vivid.


    Under such a spell-binding ambiance, Xiao Luo walked toward Gu Qianxue like a possessed man.


    ¡­


    ¡°Humph, what a bast*rd! How dare you try to fool me! You are still too inexperienced to be a match for me!¡± At the edge of the cliff outside the cave, the Tianshan Elder snorted as she exhaled and allowed her energy level to return to normal.

 Chapter 715 - No need

    <h2>Chapter 715: No need</h2>


    The next morning, Xiao Luo woke up and found Gu Qianxue in his arms. The girl¡¯s eyshes were very long, and her eyes were closed as she snuggled blissfully in his arms.


    He recalled the previous night vividly, for he was conscious but just could not control himself. But even if he had woken up from a hangover and seen this scene before him, he would have known what happenedst night.


    D*rn it!


    Even someone as well-mannered as him could not help but curse in his heart. It was obvious that he had fallen for Tianshan Elder¡¯s trickst night.


    What should he do now?


    He told himself he wouldn¡¯t hurt Gu Qianxue, but he still did.


    Xiao Luo was worried. What should he do now? Could he still pretend that nothing had happened here?


    No, he couldn¡¯t do that!


    He had to take responsibility for this matter, but how could he take responsibility when he was already married?


    For a moment, manyplicated emotions surged within him, and he hated the Tianshan Elder now. He regretted that his willpower was not strong enough, and he had sumbed to the Tianshan Elder¡¯s trap.


    As it was ufortable to sleep in one position for too long, Gu Qianxue stirred as she shifted her body then slowly woke up.


    When she opened her eyes, her cheeks were flushed red. Looking at Xiao Luo, she revealed a loving smile on her charming face and whispered, ¡°Xiao Luo.¡±


    ¡°You are awake?¡± Xiao Luo looked at her with a mixture of emotions spreading over his face.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded and looked at Xiao Luo shyly and sweetly. Somehow, her beauty was even more alluring than before. ¡°Xiao Luo, will I get pregnant?¡±


    Pregnant?


    Hearing her question, Xiao Luo immediately felt frustrated and helpless. He frowned and said, ¡°Kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you like a boy or girl?¡± Gu Qianxue asked innocently.


    ¡°Well¡­ I like both boys and girls, but Qianxue, it¡¯s not that easy to get pregnant. Some conditions need to be fulfilled¡­¡± Xiao Luo exined awkwardly. He knew that Gu Qianxue believed that she would get pregnant with his baby after they slept together.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and expressed her confusion even before Xiao Luo could exin.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo stepped out, it was already 9:00 am, but Gu Qianxue remained in the cave as she was still resting. She was too exhausted.


    Seeing the traces of a kiss on his neck, Elder Long and Xiao Quanren grinned with delight. As they were both experienced men, how could they not realize that Xiao Luo and Gu Qianxue already had sex? More importantly, it was even arranged by Tianshan Elder, which meant that Xiao Luo not only bedded the beauty but also got the help of Tianshan Elder to cultivate the power of his bloodline and improve his strength.


    ¡°Looks like it is the time for our Xiao n to rise, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Quanren was ecstatic. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Elder Long was here, he would haveughed out loud, for Xiao Luo was a member of the Xiao n. Now that he had a gorgeous girl in his arms and his strength had increased as well, it was twice the joy.


    Gu Qianlin red fiercely at Xiao Luo, and her eyes turned red. She felt sad for her younger sister, but there was nothing she could do. The three elders in front of her were all monsters and masters of demonic spells, while she was just an ordinary person and could only watch anxiously.


    ¡°Senior!¡±


    Xiao Luo called out in an using tone as he walked toward the Tianshan Elder.


    ¡°Little brat, Don¡¯t strike a nasty pose. Let me tell you this¡ªit¡¯s your good fortune to be able to marry my disciple. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I admire you and feel that you have the potential to be a great talent in the future, do you think I would have surrendered my disciple over to you? Dream on!¡± The Tianshan Elder stood up, turned around, and said dismissively with her hands behind her back.


    As he listened to her words, Elder Long casually picked his nose.


    What did she mean by saying she felt that Xiao Luo would be a great talent in the future? Did it mean she now epted him? I have already decided that Xiao Luo will be the guardian of this world. Could there be another title that was even more prestigious than that in this world?


    Of course, he knew that the Tianshan Elder had already taken a fancy to Xiao Luo on ount of his perseverance and fighting spirit. Kneeling on the ground for seven days and seven nights without eating, drinking, or moving was not something anyone could do. In all honesty, if it were him, he would not have been able to achieve it without using the Turtle Aura Technique, which allowed him to adapt to turtle-like qualities.


    ¡°Senior, when are you going to help me improve my strength?¡± Xiao Luo took his mind off the problem for a while. After he rescued Su Li, he would properly deal with his rtionship with Gu Qianxue, Ji Siying, and the Lady Poison, Fu Yiren.


    ¡°If you want to, you can do it now. But¡­ don¡¯t you need to rest for a day or two?¡±


    Xiao Luo gazed at her firmly and replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°Brat, don¡¯t be too ruthless to yourself. Fine, I¡¯ll fulfill your wish!¡±


    The Tianshan Elder squinted his eyes slightly. Her entire body erupted with a powerful aura, and everyone around cowered from an imperceptible sense of oppression.

 Chapter 716 - Prison of the Heaven and Earth

    <h2>Chapter 716: Prison of the Heaven and Earth</h2>


    At the peak of Mount Tianshan, thendscape was white with snow as far as the eyes could see. The frigid winds blew relentlessly through the peaks that had endured such harsh conditions for ages, making it a punishing and cold hintend.


    ¡°Prison of the Heaven and Earth!¡±


    Tianshan Elder¡¯s aura changedpletely, and her youthful face turned rather savage as she roared out the mantra to invoke the skill.


    A ck barrier appeared out of thin air and encapsted Xiao Luo within a perfectly formed cube, four meters on each side.


    ¡°Elder Long, did you not say that we intend to help Xiao Luo to unlock his potential power? Why are we boxing him up?¡±


    Xiao Quanren asked, visibly puzzled. That pitch-ck cube was mysteriously dark in shade and looked forbidding, even from afar. It looked like a cage used to imprison the most evil of beings from the darkest chambers of hell. Even someone as experienced as Xiao Quanren was anxiously wiping off beads of cold sweat from his forehead.


    ¡°We are unleashing his potential.¡±


    Elder Long responded as he stroked his non-existent beard and patiently exined, ¡°The essence of unleashing one¡¯s potential is to ovee one¡¯s own internal limits continuously. This process is exceedingly painful, but it yields the fastest results. That is why I have brought Xiao Luo to my Junior Sister who is a master of the Divine Art of Moulding.¡±


    She will use the essence of Heaven and Earth to mold a person¡¯s potential. It is difficult to exin and involves reversing what we consider the natural order of one¡¯s life force and reaching a state of infinity. Ultimately, it is to find equilibrium and be as one with nature. To achieve that, it takes unrivaled skill. Unfortunately, my aptitude and natural abilities for such a skill are inferior to my Junior Sister, therefore, even though my master had wished to impart the teachings to me, I could only learn the very basic level of this art.¡±


    Xiao Quanren was even more bewildered after listening to his exnation. But one thing was for sure¡ªthe Divine Art of Moulding was extraordinarily impressive.


    Everything that Gu Qianlin had seen so far hadpletely overwhelmed her. She was a person who grew up in a modern world, and she did not believe in such mystical stuff. However, when she saw the ck cubical prison appear out of nowhere, she realized that there were many more unknowns in this world she was now in. What she had seen was merely the tip of an iceberg, and without the permission of the Tianshan Elder, she could not enter the cave mansion. She wasn¡¯t even permitted to see her sister, Gu Qianxue, and had to stay outside under a simple shed.


    ¡°You goddamn little brat. You will soon go through the most painful phase, and if you want to be powerful, then endure the pain. Are you ready?¡± Tianshan Elder asked as she sat on the ck cubical prison. Her hair was tossed around in the frigid wind swirling through the snow-covered surroundings.


    ¡°I hear you. You don¡¯t have to warn me further, for I¡¯m willing to face any amount of pain.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s calm voice echoed out from the ck prison, and while it sounded unemotional, the determination in his tone was clear.


    ¡°You little brat! Do not act like a hero in front of me. You will have to cultivate your inner strength for ten straight days. If you cannot carry on while we are at it, tell me, and I will stop the process,¡± Tianshan Elder snapped.


    ¡°Enough with the chitchat. Let¡¯s get started,¡± Xiao Luo replied indifferently.


    ¡°You cocky little brat. I shall see how long you canst!¡±


    Tianshan Elder replied to him in a high-pitched voice. Then she shut her eyes and started making a series of strange hand gestures. An invisible field of energy formed around her as she chanted. ¡°Reverse Cosmos, Yin-yang Infinity, four elements of wind, fire, thunder, and lightning, all-seeing¡­¡±


    As she chanted the mantra, she slowly levitated in the air while still in the same sitting position. And as she did so, she was transmitting rays of invisible force into the ck cubical box.


    Elder Long could sense that Xiao Quanren was giving him a dubious stare. He felt rather embarrassed because he was also chanting the Divine Art of Moulding, but his version of the chant was entirely different from the Tianshan Elder¡¯s version. It could only mean that what he had exined was wrong.


    Unable to take any more, Elder Long turned to look at Xiao Quanren and yelled, ¡°Why are you looking at me? I have already said that my knowledge of this skill was at a very basic level. So what if I recited the mantra wrongly?¡±


    Xiao Quanren looked shocked and thought, how did Elder Long sense that I was looking at him? And how did he know what I was thinking about?


    ¡°Of course, I know what you are thinking. You are just a little brat to me. If I cannot even figure out what a brat like you is thinking, then I don¡¯t deserve to have lived this long,¡± Elder Long said.


    ¡°Elder Long, you speak the truth!¡±


    Xiao Quanren saw Elder Long¡¯s point and decided to de-escte the situation. He quickly realized that when he was still a newborn in his parent¡¯s arms, Elder Long had already lived for a thousand years. So, in Elder Long¡¯s eyes, Xiao Quanren was indeed just a little brat.


    In the ck cubical prison, the gravitational force had doubled. The elements of wind, fire, thunder, and lightning bore down on Xiao Luo. It was a different world in there, and Xiao Luo had to use his inner power against these forces. He shielded himself with his inner strength and blocked out the adverse effects of these elements. Of course, the effort took a toll on his inner strength.


    There was no particr change in him on the first day as he endured the punishing forces using his vast reserve of inner power.


    On the second day, the gravitational force doubled again. The effects from the four elements became even more pronounced. asionally, the elders could hear painful moansing from that ck cubical prison. Those were the moments that Xiao Luo could not take the pain.


    ¡°This goddamn little brat is quite impressive! But, if I do not force him into a corner, how can he ovee your limit?¡±


    On the third day, Tianshan Elder altered the conditions within the ck cubical prison by three folds. Even the people outside the ck prison could feel the change inside that cube, and it was unbelievably dreadful. It gave everyone goosebumps, for they could imagine what it was like for the person inside the cube.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s scream came from inside the ck prison again and echoed across the entire valley.


    ¡°This little brat is finally reaching his limit¡ªthe pain is worst just before that. Junior Sister, could you block his voice out? He is loud, and we don¡¯t him to cause another avnche,¡± Elder Long said.


    Tianshan Elder, who was working the Divine Art of Moulding, turned to Elder Long and red at him. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    ¡°I was only thinking about your cave mansion. If there is another avnche, would it not bury your mansion and make things difficult for you?¡±


    Elder Long murmured and then turned to Xiao Quanren for moral support. ¡°Xiaoquan, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Xiao Quanren was not paying full attention to their conversation, and he simply agreed with whatever Elder Long threw at him. He was more anxious about Xiao Luo as his incessant screams were unbearable and nerve-racking to listen to. It worried him that an unforeseen mishap might ur during the cultivation process.


    Gu Qianxue rushed out of the cave abode. Xiao Luo had made her into a real woman, and her loss of innocence had given her additional charm and maturity. It made her even more appealing.


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    Her eyes had reddened as Xiao Luo¡¯s agonizing screams broke her heart. From what she recalled, Xiao Luo was a tough man who would not even flinch when he got shot. Yet, he was now screaming unceasingly. It only meant that he was undergoing tremendous pain that was much worse than gunshots. She wanted to stop her master, but she knew better. She did not want to stand in Xiao Luo¡¯s way in his quest to be stronger.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Gu Qianlin trembled as she swallowed her saliva with much difficulty and broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s too extreme¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo¡¯s screams she was particrly referring to, but the torture that he was experiencing in the ck cubical prison. This was a man who could withstand being shed by des, therefore, if he was screaming this way, it meant what he was going through in the ck prison was worse than hell.

 Chapter 717 - Bad situation

    Chapter 717: Bad situation</h2>


    To improve one¡¯s strength, he had to ovee his current limits and discover thetent power of his body. Tianshan Elder had performed the Divine Art of Moulding to create a cacoon known as the Prison of the Heaven and Earth, to provide a conducive environment for Xiao Luo to ovee his barriers and reach full potential. The process was extremely daunting and required him to go through unimaginable pain and torture.


    ¡°Arrgh! Arrgh!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s screams had echoed the entire valley, and it was so harrowing that anyone who heard it instantly got goosebumps. Moreso, it was a process that went on for a few days, and sometimes he¡¯d stop screaming for an hour or two, but most of the time, he was screaming for the entire day. It sounded like he was struggling to hang on to life, and it gave a chill to anyone who heard him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been seven days, and I can¡¯t believe that this little bratsted seven days inside the prison!¡±


    Tianshan Elder was thoroughly shocked, as she had said before, that ten days were the longest anyone could endure in there. In her estimation, she would consider it impressive if Xiao Luo could evenst for five days. He would have reached an advanced state by that time, and now that he had carried on for seven days, itpletely exceeded her expectations.


    The gravitational force within the Prison of the Heaven and Earth would double every day, and the effects of the four elements would also be even more intense as the days went by. If she had thrown an ordinary man in, he would have turned into a pile of ash within half an hour.


    ¡°Junior Sister, is he doing okay?¡±


    Elder Long sensed that her expression changed a little, so he walked to her and asked.


    Gu Qianxue also stared at her master anxiously. There were still traces of tears on her face as she listened to Xiao Luo¡¯s excruciating scream, making the days feel like years. Her heart was broken as she had hoped that Xiao Luo could be released immediately and relieve him of the pain.


    Xiao Quanren¡¯s eyebrows were almost twisted together, for it had been six days and nights since Xiao Luo started screaming like this. As someone who was almost at the end of his lifetime, he found it difficult to bear.


    ¡°How could he be not okay? Didn¡¯t you hear that the little brat¡¯s voice loud and clear?¡±


    Tianshan Elder stared at Elder Long. Although that was what she had said, she was still worried about Xiao Luo and feared there could have been a mishap in his prison. After some hesitation, she called out to Xiao Luo from the outside, ¡°God damn it, little brat, if you can¡¯t take it, I can¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ con¡­ continue¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s slightly coarse and tortured voice came from inside in reply, ¡°I¡­can still take it¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo, are you okay?¡± Gu Qianque asked anxiously.


    ¡°I¡­ am¡­ fine¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s answer felt like he had to gather every ounce of strength he had to utter the words, and it revealed the enormous pain he was experiencing.


    ¡°Cocky little brat, you have impressed me! Fine, I¡¯ll ept your decision.¡±


    Tianshan Elder could sense Xiao Luo¡¯s condition, and she knew that his breathing and other vital functions were still normal. Therefore, he could continue with the cultivation. Hence, she summoned her powers again and doubled the gravitational force within the prison. The effects of the four elements immediately intensified, and if there was such a thing as Heaven¡¯s tests, then Xiao Luo was undoubtedly experiencing it now.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    His screams intensified with the change and became even louder.


    Within the pitch-ck prison, blood was oozing out of every pore, drenching Xiao Luo in blood. Xiao Luo had turned into a bloody mess, and the immense pressure had distorted his facial features, making him looked like a bloody corpse.


    Atst, his screams had turned intoughter; a kind ofughter that was piercing and hysterical, and it showed that his pain was intensifying!


    ¡°What is going on inside?¡±


    Sitting from afar, Gu Qianlin¡¯s face had turned pale as she broke into a cold sweat. This was the most terrifying scream she had ever heard in her entire life, and it came from a man she knew. Such a heart-wrenching scream waspletely unknown to her, even when she was carrying out an interrogation. Hence, even someone like her, who hated Xiao Luo, felt sympathy for him. She hoped Tianshan Elder could end this torturous training soon.


    It was day eight and Xiao Luo¡¯s scream continued.


    It was the same for the ninth day.


    On the tenth day, the ck prison suddenly fell intoplete silence. No one heard anything, not even Xiao Luo¡¯s nerve-racking screams.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s going on? Could Xiao Luo be¡­ could he be?..¡±


    Gu Qianxue asked anxiously in tears as she held on to Tianshan Elder¡¯s arm, for she was expecting the worst oue.


    ¡°Junior Sister, the situation seems somewhat unusual¡­¡±


    Both Elder Long and Xiao Quanren frowned, and they looked worried. He had been screaming for days on end, so why did he suddenly stop on the tenth day?


    Elder Tianshan did not jump to a conclusion. Instead, she scanned the inside of the prison with her mind. She frowned and said, ¡°That little brat¡¯s vital signs can hardly be detected.¡±


    What?


    She shocked everyone when they heard her.


    ¡°Master, end the training now, please end it now!¡± Gu Qianxue pleaded.


    Xiao Quanren was also concerned, and he pleaded, ¡°Elder Tianshan, please let Xiao Luo out, we can¡¯t drag it further.¡±


    Tianshan Elder looked at both of them with aplicated look and turned to the pitch-ck prison. She was somewhat hesitant to end the training, as there was a chance that all the hardship Xiao Luo had gone through might go to waste if she did so. Xiao Luo might have been undergoing the process of rebirth, which was the most important phase in the training. However, if she did not end the training now and caused Xiao Luo¡¯s death, then what should they do?


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    As Tianshan Elder hesitated, unable to decide, an incredibly beastly roar came from within the Prison of Heaven and Earth. It was loud and piercing, and it shook everyone who heard it.


    The tremendous roar shook the very ground they stood on and was very threatening.


    Elder Long and Xiao Quanren both looked shocked as a powerful pulse of energy burst from within the prison along with the roar. Along the path the energy pulse traveled, the ground disintegrated, creating terrifying web-like fissures from the base of the prison extending outward.


    Everyone unconsciously backed off a dozen meters as they stared at the pitch-ck prison in disbelief. It was as if Xiao Luo had transformed into an evil being from hell. The deathly aura emanating from within the prison permeated deep into their souls.


    ¡°Junior Sister, what¡­ What is going on?¡± Elder Long was confused.


    Tianshan Elder red at him and scowled, ¡°You¡¯re asking me? Then, pray tell, who should I ask?¡±


    She then stared wide-eyed at the Prison of Heaven and Earth, the very cacoon she had created to secure Xiao Luo. It was an unprecedented situation, and Xiao Luo¡¯s resilience exceeded her expectation. Had the little brat ovee the barriers of his limits? Why was his aura so beastly, and why was that roar so terrifying like a beast?


    Elder Long was lost for words, and seeing that it was her Divine Art of Moulding that created the prison, he assumed she should have the answer.


    ¡°Master, is Xiao Luo going to be okay?¡± Gu Qianxue asked in tears.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure at this point.¡±


    Tianshan Elder shook her head, then stared at Elder Long and said, ¡°Long, what is the background of this little brat?¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, didn¡¯t I tell you? He¡¯s from the Xiao n.¡± Elder Long answered.


    ¡°What? The Xiao n?¡±


    Tianshan Elder¡¯s eyes widened, and she looked terrified. She looked like she had just recalled something terrible, and it seemed like she too had had an unpleasant experience with the Xiao n before.

 Chapter 718 - Tackle

    <h2>Chapter 718: Tackle</h2>


    ¡°Junior Sister, what¡¯s wrong with the Xiao n?¡± Elder Long asked with a very confused look.


    ¡°They are a species with an unlimited potential to fight, and they came from the outer world¡ªdo you not see the problem?¡±


    Tianshan Elder red at him coldly, looking rather annoyed. ¡°He¡¯s not one of us, and we do not know where his loyalties lie. Just what are you up to here, Long?¡± she chided.


    The point she was getting at was that how Elder Long could leave the crucial task of protecting this world to an outsider. To make matters worse, he even asked her to help him unleash his potential, and it was insane. Although the Xiao n looked like humans on the surface, their souls were not the same as humans deep down. It was as good as they were from another country visiting this country, regardless of how popr they were, it made little sense to hand over the reins to them to run this country. It just did not add up.


    ¡°Elder, us Xiao n had taken roots in this world since our Seekong¡¯s era and we had been living here just like everyone else. We respect the rules and social norms in this world and had even developed our own culture and lineages in Luo¡¯s vige.¡± Xiao Quanren stood out to defend the Xiao n.


    ¡°I agree very much with Xiao Quanren as the Xiao n has long be a part of this world, and they have at least half of this world¡¯s human blood in them now. Besides, isn¡¯t Xiao Luo a very capable and outstanding youth? Don¡¯t you also have high regard for him, Junior Sister? Otherwise, why would you have allowed him to marry your beloved disciple?¡± Elder Long eximed.


    Tianshan Elder nced wryly at Gu Qianxue, who was next to him, and answered, ¡°Long, have you forgotten what our master said before? He predicted that there would be a demon descending to this world in two thousand years, and the vent would bring forth unmitigated disasters to humankind and all living beings.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I remember that. How could I forget what our master had told us?¡±


    Elder Long stroked his non-existent beard and said with a serious tone, ¡°But what does that demon have to do with Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with him?¡±


    Tianshan Elderughed mirthlessly and said, ¡°Tell me, why did the Xiao ne to this world? They were here to invade us, for they all have innate aggression in their blood. With invasions came wars, and these would prove to be the source of the foretold disasters. I thought the Xiao n had gone extinct, and I didn¡¯t have to worry about any potential threat from them. But it seems, now that one of them has re-emerged again.¡±


    What¡¯s worse, it is that I who had performed the Divine Art of Moulding on him. The Xiao n bloodline has limitless potential, and God knows how strong he could be after we help him unlock his potentialpletely. If the demon in master¡¯s prediction is indeed this rascal, then I¡¯ll be the eternal sinner who helped bring forth destruction to this world.¡±


    ¡°No, master, Xiao Luo will never be that demon you talk about. He¡¯s a good man!¡±


    Gu Qianxue shook her head and defended Xiao Luo with tears in her eyes. Since the time at Jiangcheng, she had seen that he was a kind man who always remembered his core purpose and responsibilities, and that was the reason she had fallen in love with him. In others¡¯ eyes, Xiao Luo was just a cold-blooded killer who enjoyed ughter, but as far as Gu Qianxue was concerned, it was not true.


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    Another deafening roar came from inside of the ck prison. The roar resounded and reached them like waves of a tsunami, making everyone¡¯s ears ring painfully. It also created a few more deep cracks on the ground, and it was as if an earthquake just took ce.


    ¡°Master, please let Xiao Luo out. There must be something terrible happening inside!¡± Gu Qianxue was extremely worried and continued to plead to Tianshan Elder.


    Let him out?


    Tianshan Elder smiled bitterly as this situation had gone entirely beyond her control. She had likely unlocked the full potential of the Xiao n bloodline in that rascal, which made him extremely powerful now. In his present state, and were he not to be mentally stable and set free, then none of the people here could suppress him. The raging aura escaping from the Prison of Heaven and Earth was incredibly intimidating and overpowering¡ªit frightened Tianshan Elder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young girl. This is normal as his vitality is peaking to an unprecedented level, and it means that he¡¯s about to break through his limits and reach new heights.¡± Elder Long tried tofort her.


    But inwardly, his opinion was the same as Tianshan Elder as they could not afford to let Xiao Luo out now carelessly. This aura emanating from the prison was ominous, and he had never experienced such a terrifying and powerful aura from anyone else, not even histe master.


    Gu Qianxue was still too na?ve and believed Elder Long¡¯s words, even though it still puzzled her. She had forgotten that Elder Long had anxiously asked her master about the current situation and looking confused just moments ago.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t afford to risk Xiao Luo being in any danger!¡±


    Xiao Quanren flew toward the Prison of Heaven and Earth and thumped the pitch-ck prison wall with his palm.


    His almighty palm force turned into a ray of white aura de and struck the pitch-ck cube. However, when the aura de came in contact with the surface of the prison, the ck glow enveloping the prison brightened up and started devouring the aura de eating a meal. Within a few moments, the white aura de dissipated into the thin air as if it was never there.


    While it shocked Xiao Quanren, and the Prison of Heaven and Earth suddenly sent out a burst of energy with tornado-like power and mmed into Xiao Quanren. He vomited blood and was thrown back in the air, flying for a few meters. After hended hard on the ground, he vomited more blood.


    ¡°Are you an idiot? If my prison could be broken so easily, then how could my Divine Art of Molding have the title of ¡®Divine¡¯.¡± Tianshan Elder ranted as she looked down at him and thought that Xiao Quanren deserved it.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Suddenly, the Prison of Heaven and Earth trembled from a relentless thumping that reverberated like explosions, sounding like a ferocious beast was trying to break free of the cage holding it. The ground shook with every explosion, and far away, an avnche urred. Tons of snow ran down from the sides of tall mountains, inundating the low-lying area, as the raging copse of snow could be heard rumbling through the snow valley.


    BOOM!


    Another explosion took ce, and the prison shook even more vigorously, causing one of the sides to crack and creating web-like patterns.


    ¡°Junior Sister, it seems like Xiao Luo will break out of the prison soon!¡±


    Elder Long swallowed his saliva, and he believed matters were soon going to get out of hand. For one couldn¡¯t judge the Xiao n withmon perception alone, and as he had seen before how strong Xiao Luo was, he could already sense it intuitively.


    Tianshan Elder ignored him and performed the Divine Art of Molding immediately. She bounded to the sky and quickly made a series of hand gestures to send an invisible energy field to strengthen the prison. It made the prison even darker, and the cracks were repaired at a very fast rate.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    However, the thrashing continued relentlessly and was bing even more forceful. It was as if the beast within had gonepletely mad. Its inhuman roar was intimidating and frightful, and more cracks began to appear on the surface of the prison walls.

 Chapter 719 - Unleashed

    <h2>Chapter 719: Unleashed</h2>


    ¡°This goddamn, little rascal¡­¡±


    Elder Tianshan was so infuriated that she had gritted her teeth. Her hair tossed about in the energy-charged air around her, and a sweat broke out on her forehead. Her powerful aura caused the air to shimmer as she channeled her inner power from her hands into the pitch-ck Prison of Heaven and Earth, re-sealing the cracks that formed.


    As time passed, the speed at which she could repair the cracks could not keep up with the rate the damage was urring. Many more cracks appeared on its surface and started spreading outward like a spider web.


    ¡°Long, aren¡¯t you going to help?¡± Tianshan Elder snapped at Elder Long, who was watching her below.


    ¡°Junior Sister, fear not, I shall help you now!¡±


    Elder Long then reacted with much enthusiasm, then bounded into the sky toward Elder Tianshan. He channeled his inner power to Tianshan Elder by cing his palms on her back.


    By doing so, the surrounding air altered to an unnatural state and appeared to distort, like a piece of paper folded multiple times and forming many creases.


    And it proved effective as the Prison of Heaven and Earth was suddenly enveloped in a bright glow and the cracked on the surface disappeared rapidly. Atst, all the cracks were repaired, and the prison looked whole again. The beast was once again contained within.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Thumping and loud bangs came from within the Prison of Heaven and Earth, but the walls held firm. The structure of the prison kept its integrity, and no more cracks appeared.


    Both Tianshan Elder and Elder Long descended back to the ground. The old man wiped the sweat off his forehead, and said, ¡°If we had notbined our forces, Xiao Luo could have broken free of this prison. This power he possesses is indeed impressive!¡±


    ¡°This is also the scary part of the Xiao n.¡±


    Elder Tianshan was panting heavily, and even her lively face could not hide her exhaustion. ¡°Long, I have now unlocked that rascal¡¯s potentialpletely, And if he turns into that demon who brings cmity to our world, you will surely die with me!¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, rest assured¡­ rest assured. If he is, then he still has us both to contend with, and besides, we also have the Light n from the Arcana Land. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for the demon to bring doom to the world.¡± Elder Long replied as he stroked his non-existent beard.


    ¡°Bang~¡±


    As he finished speaking, a thunderous explosion came from the direction of the Prison of Heaven and Earth.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    Tianshan Elder suddenly vomited blood with no warning, and when they looked at the prison, a gigantic arm had emerged from its walls. It was as pale as bone and sinewy, with its hand like a ghostly w, tipped with pitch-ck nails as sharp as daggers. It appeared to be something with an evil nature.


    ¡°What¡­ What is that?¡±


    Watching from the shed, Gu Qianlin was shocked when she saw the gigantic pale arm. She felt a sense of panic as what she saw did not resemble a human¡¯s but seemed to belong to an evil creature. It looked exactly like those mutated zombies in the movies.


    Was that Xiao Luo¡¯s hand?


    How did his hand turn into this horrible thing?


    There were many questions in her head, and together with those beastly roars earlier, Gu Qianlin only felt an unparalleled sense of fear.


    It stunned Gu Qianxue and Xiao Quanren as they stared with their eyes wide in disbelief at what was going on.


    ¡°Did he just break through the Prison of Heaven and Earth?¡±


    Elder Long waspletely caught off guard, for if it were to be him in there, he couldn¡¯t have escaped from that prison receiving no help from outside.


    After the first arm broke free, Xiao Luo¡¯s other arm gradually emerged before he tried to rip the prison apart by pulling down its walls.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Tianshan Elder cursed and quicklyunched herself into the air. With a series of intricate hand signs, she once again channeled more inner power toward the Prison of Heaven and Earth. Elder Long immediately assumed his earlier position to assist the Tianshan Elder.


    The Prison of Heaven and Earth was enveloped by a more intense glow this time, but regardless of how bright it became, the energy field could no longer stop Xiao Luo. As the two pale arms continued to rip the prison apart, a visibly wide crack appeared from the top to the bottom of the prison.


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    With a resounding roar, the Prison of Heaven and Earth burst asunder, shatteringpletely like a ss box falling to the floor and exploding into countless shards.


    ¡°Mmmph!¡±


    Elder Tianshan vomited more blood before losing control and falling out of the sky. Fortunately, Elder Long was on hand to catch her and prevent her from crashing to the ground.


    The Prison of Heaven and Earth was her creation and solely sustained by her inner power. That the prison was an extension of her body meant Tianshan Elder suffered an equal amount of damage now that Xiao Luo had broken it.


    But Tianshan Elder ignored her injuries, as her concern now was an even greater threat. She turned in the prison¡¯s direction immediately, fearing the worst¡ªwhat if it was not Xiao Luo who emerged from the prison but¡­ a monster?


    When everyone looked and got an unobstructed view of Xiao Luo, they froze.


    What they saw was a human-like monster, nearly three meters tall, withpletely white skin, and an extremely muscr body. The long nails on his fingers were sharp and looked like dried, scaly ws. His white hair rose in the air by some strange force, his face twisted into a vicious scowl, and fangs protruded from his evil-looking mouth. But his ominous blood-red eyes stood out conspicuously and he looked every inch a demon lord.


    ¡°Is that¡­ Xiao Luo?¡±


    Xiao Quanren gulped down his saliva with much difficulty as he broke out in a cold sweat. How was it impossible that Xiao n turned into such a monster?


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s eyes widened too, as she could not believe that Xiao Luo had turned into a monster.


    ¡°Mon¡­ Monster¡­¡±


    Gu Qianlin was in abject fright and had already drawn her pistol, but while it could kill an ordinary person easily, it did not provide her with any sense of security.


    ¡°Is this the fighting form that fighters from the Xiao n assumed after unlocking their full potential?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s transformation dumbfounded Elder Long, as this was the first time he had seen a member of the Xiao n in such a form. It was horrifying and looked like an evil creature from hell.


    ¡°This goddamn little brat has turned into an alien monster. Long, this resulted from you lying to me. Now that you have convinced me to unlock his full potential, I shall see if you can tame him!¡± Elder Tianshan was still bleeding from her mouth as she red at Elder Long coldly.


    ¡°GROWL!¡±


    As she spoke, the human-like monster, Xiao Luo, roared and a bloody-thirsty aura emanated from him. He leaped into the air and bounded toward them with a raging intent to kill.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The ground cracked under the weight of his feet and filled the surroundings with his evil and malicious vibrations.


    ¡°This little brat has lost it. He is unable to manage this level of immense power!¡±


    Tianshan Elder was in dread as she turned to Elder Long and said, ¡°Long, it¡¯s your time to shine!¡±


    Elder Long smiled bitterly and advanced on Xiao Luo, instantly delivering a palm strike.


    His powerful palm force, able to cause an avnche, condensed into a pure white energy ball and shot into Xiao Luo like the beam of aser. Xiao Luo, in full stride, did not bother to dodge, but swept his hand in the direction of the energy ball, sending it flying off to the side. It crashed spectacrly into a mountain peak a few kilometers away.


    KABOOM!


    A loud explosion followed and the entire mountain, along with thickyers of snow, was wiped outpletely.

 Chapter 720 - A majestic battle

    <h2>Chapter 720: A majestic battle</h2>


    When Gu Qianlin saw it with her own eyes, her heart leaped to her throat and she trembled in fear. She would never have imagined that a mere human could attain such a level of power. Xiao Luo had shattered a mountain with just a thrust of his palm!


    ¡°This little brat¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s move caught Elder Long by surprise. He did not expect Xiao Luo to deflect his palm strike so easily. Before Elder Long could gather his thoughts, Xiao Luo had turned into a pale-looking monster and was charging at him with an angry roar. Elder Long immediately bounded into the air and flew toward a nearby mountain. He intended to lead Xiao Luo away to a deserted area to do battle and prevent idental injuries to the others.


    ROAR!


    The monster alsounched into the sky and went after Elder Long.


    Moving at extreme speed, and before Elder Long realized it, the monster had already caught up with him. In mid-air, his hideous hand grabbed Elder Long¡¯s head from behind and yanked him down to the ground forcefully.


    His power was insurmountable!


    BOOM!


    The impact resounded a loud bang. The noise loosened the snow on the mountainside and an enormous amount of snow crashed to the ground below. The entire mountain valley sounded like meteorites smashing into it and shook as if an earthquake had hit.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, keep your cool¡­ It¡¯s me!¡±


    Elder Long broke free from the white monster¡¯s sp. It was one of those rare moments when Elder Long¡¯s face showed such seriousness. He retaliated with high-speedbat even as he tried to summon Xiao Luo¡¯s human conscience.


    However, his effort was to no avail. The white monster was relentless in his attacks. His every move was lethal. He moved in a well-nned pattern that would eventually corner his target. He resembled a killing machine designed purely to kill.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    Wherever they did battle, the ground crumbled. The energy produced by the exchange of palm-strikes was terrifying. Violent waves of energy rippled out across the surrounding area. Many of the mountain peaks could not withstand such raw force and disintegrated. Just like the snow, they turned into clouds of dust.


    ¡°Long, let me help you!¡±


    Tianshan Elder yelled and bounded up quickly to join the battle.


    Xiao Quanren hesitated as he was the least powerful of the three elders. But he knew that their utmost priority was to suppress Xiao Luo, so he joined the fight as well.


    The three peerless fighters joined forces inbating Xiao Luo, now turned into the white monster. The oue of the battle was unpredictable. The fight started on the ground initially and even destroyed the mountainside. Then they took to the sky and continued to fight. The effect of the strikes and shes between their limbs shook the very foundations of the ground, and even the surrounding air crackled and produced distorted visions.


    Elder Long, Tianshan Elder, and Xiao Quanren were all knocked to the ground by the white monster. But they were tenacious and kept getting back up and gave everything they had. They had to employ everything they learned throughout their lives in their attempt to suppress Xiao Luo.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    There were thunderous bursts in the sky, and a terrific pressure was pressing down from above. The heaven and the earth trembled from the strain. Both Gu Qianlin and Gu Qianxue, watching from the ground below, felt the air thickening. Breathing was bing more difficult.


    ¡°Sis, look at this. What kind of monster are you married to?¡±


    Gu Qianlin truly felt angry at her sister for devoting herself to such a monster. It was horrible as he looked like a mutated zombie from Resident Evil.


    Gu Qianxue remained silent as she stared at the white monster fighting the three great elders in the sky. Her eyes were red again.


    Was that Xiao Luo?


    She had doubts in her heart, for the monster looked nothing like Xiao Luo. The thing she was looking at had sharp ws, pale skin, long fangs, and red eyes¡ªa creature born in hell and destined to bring down destruction and evil to the world.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, forgive me for using such extreme means!¡±


    A piercing and powerful roar burst from the old man and echoed far and wide.


    Elder Long¡¯s loose white hair danced in the air. A golden light had engulfed him and made him look like a statue of Buddha. From the sky above, Elder Long raised one hand and turned his palm toward the white monster.


    RUMBLE!


    A gigantic golden palm suddenly appeared in the sky as Elder Long¡¯s mantra echoed around the world. The size of his golden palm to a human was likeparing an elephant to an ant. The lines on the golden palm were visible as it came crashing down from the sky with great force on the white monster.


    The palm was as mighty as the lofty mountains and great rivers, and its power could even change the weather!


    The white monster seemed to sense danger. Instinctively, it tried to dodge that attack. But the Tianshan Elder was making rapid hand movements as she channeled her inner force in the monster¡¯s direction.


    ¡°The Prison of Heaven and Earth!¡±


    With a roar, a small ck prison appeared from thin air and imprisoned the white monster. With the first Prison of Heaven and Earth destroyed, the Tianshan Elder could only create a smaller one. Seen from a distance, the new prison resembled a loose-fitting ck robe. It could only wrap the body of the white monster. The prison restrained him and he could not move an inch.


    The white monster continued to growl and struggled as he tried to break free of the Prison of Heaven and Earth.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, don¡¯t me us. We want you to wake up!¡±


    Xiao Quanren looked hesitant as he lifted a gigantic boulder that was the size of a four-story building, then threw the boulder with all his might at the white monster.


    The gigantic boulder crashed at the white monster like a falling meteor.


    KABOOM!


    It resulted in tons of dust and snow rising into the air.


    While the two elders stalled for time, Elder Long¡¯s golden palmnded squarely on Xiao Luo.


    BAM!


    That strike pulverized the earth, and the shock waves made the mountains tremor and several peaks copsed. Even the gigantic boulder thrown by Xiao Quanren smashed to smithereens when it struck Xiao Luo. The entire Tianshan mountain area was convulsing.


    The residents at the foot of the mountains and tourists believed an earthquake had just urred as they felt the ground move. Fear took hold of the people, and they ran toward the open areas. They saw both the beaming golden light at the peak of Tianshan mountain and the unusual avnche. A terrifying invisible energy wave then exploded on the mountain peak. Although it had no color or shape, everyone could still feel the force and see the surrounding air distort like ripples in water.


    ¡°Oh, my God! What just happened there?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that the earlier quake was not an earthquake? Could something be happening on the mountain peak?¡±


    ¡°What is that golden light? There is nothing but snow at the peak of Tianshan, and there isn¡¯t anybody there. Why would there be a golden light?¡±


    ¡°Legend has it that there is a Tianshan Elder who lives on the mountain. But I am not sure if this has anything to do with her.¡±


    ¡°That myth is a few thousand years old. Even if a Tianshan Elder existed, she would have died a long time ago.¡±


    Everyone at the foot of the mountain was in shock. They were in fear as they could not make sense of what was happening on the mountain peak.In the mountains of Tianshan, many peaks had copsed, including the one where Tianshan Elder¡¯s cave mansion was located. Tianshan Elder managed to teleport to her cave mansion and ced a protective field over the area after the Prison of Heaven and Earth had sessfully contained Xiao Luo.Elder Long and Xiao Quanren also returned to the cliff after the battle with the white monster. They were both exhausted and wounded, for the white monster was indeed powerful and inflicted injuries on them.Tianshan Elder sustained the worst injuries. She had already suffered injuries when Xiao Luo broke free from the first Prison of Heaven and Earth. Added to the strain of battle, Tianshan Elder was in a worse condition than the other two. She vomited a lot of blood, and her once youthful appearance had taken a drastic change. Her pitch-ck hair was now gray, her cheeks had sunken, and she looked like an olddy. Her skin was rough and age-spots were visible on her wrinkled skin.

 Chapter 721 - Revert to one’s original self

    <h2>Chapter 721: Revert to one¡¯s original self</h2>


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Gu Qianxue ran up to Tianshan Elder with tears streaming down like the rain, and cried, ¡°Master, how¡­ how are you?¡±


    For as long as she could remember, her master had maintained the appearance of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, but now she had suddenly transformed into an old woman with a hunchback. Age had ravaged her face and her hair was white, revealing just how old she was. No matter how stupid one was, it wasn¡¯t difficult to tell that something terrible had happened to her.


    Tianshan Elder¡¯s youthful appearance was no more. In her ce was an ancient woman who had lived for thousands of years.


    Badly injured, Tianshan Elder coughed in pain. She reached out with a shriveled hand and touched Gu Qianxue¡¯s head. She smiled kindly and said, ¡°Silly girl, why are you crying? This is how I looked like, to begin with, and there is nothing to worry about.¡±


    Gu Qianxue couldn¡¯t help but shed tears, despite her master¡¯sforting words.


    ¡°Junior Sister, you could keep your appearance thanks to the Divine Art of Moulding, but what¡¯s going on now? Has the technique lost its effect?¡± Elder Long said with his face filled with concern.


    Tianshan Elder sneered in reply, ¡°Do you think I did not need to tap on my True Inner Force to bring out that stinky little brat¡¯s powers? I had to use a tremendous amount of my Inner Force to maintain that youthful appearance, but now that I only have a little left, and my injuries are severe, I naturally reverted to my true appearance.¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister, you aren¡¯t going to¡­ to follow¡­ our master¡¯s fate, are you?¡± Elder Long asked anxiously.


    Tianshan Elder blew up the moment she heard that. She picked up a stone and flung it at Elder Long, then spat on the ground. ¡°Ptui! You old fool with the surname Long, how dare you curse me! Do you have a death wish?¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t stop even after shying the stone at him and made to dash at Elder Long to scratch his eyes out.


    Elder Long backed away and quickly exined, ¡°Junior Sister, please calm down. I was only worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Worry? What nonsense! I bet you can¡¯t wait for me to kick the bucket! Well, I¡¯m so sorry to disappoint you, but I still have at least five hundred years left in me. Five hundred years is more than enough time for me to rest and recuperate, and by then, I¡¯ll get my youthful appearance back. It won¡¯t be just a dream, and I¡¯ll make sure I live longer than you,¡± Tianshan Elder hissed.


    ¡°Junior Sister, look at you! Senior Brother is showing concern for you. I wasn¡¯t trying to curse you, but you just can¡¯t seem to understand my good intentions,¡± Elder Longmented, shaking his head helplessly.


    BOOM!


    At that moment, what sounded like a deafening sonic boom came from the sky.


    A blood-red light shot up into the sky from a distance, releasing a tremendous amount of pressure into the surrounding.


    BOOM! BOOM! CRASH!


    As the ground shook violently, it caused a huge avnche, and dozens of mountain peaks crumbled and fell.


    A boulder that shot into the sky along with the blood-red light exploded into myriad pieces and rained down like a shower of meteorites. The scene looked like a catastrophe, and it destroyed the Tianshan summit. Even people at the foot of the mountain could see the huge avnche.


    ¡°Is it Luo?¡± Xiao Quanren asked as he widened both of his eyes.


    ¡°Things are getting serious. You people from the Xiao n are insane. Even a p from me had no effect on him, and it seemed to have made him even stronger,¡± Elder Long cried and couldn¡¯t help but swallow a bit of saliva. His entire body was about to break into a cold sweat.


    Tianshan Elder gasped and stared with shock at the strange light that now covered the entire sky.


    The light was burning violently like a fireball and caused one corner of the sky to turnpletely red. It felt as if a bloody aura was filling thend with untold dread.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The strange fireball headed right for the cliff in a steep trajectory, then crashed into the ground but made no sound. The force within it was extraordinarily mighty, and it resembled the violent force of a turbulent sea.


    This was an unstoppable force that made those who felt it tremble. Gu Qianxue and Gu Qianlin could not handle it and almost fell into a swoon, and even Elder Long and the other two elders were equally shocked. This little brat had truly be stronger. Was it possible that the people from the Xiao n could continuously increase their powers without limit?


    Not long after, the immense pressure dissipated like a retreating tide.


    The blood-red fireball morphed into a figure who slowly strode toward them. The fire gradually died as he advanced, and after taking five steps, the fire extinguishedpletely. And there stood Xiao Luo.


    His white hair was billowing like rising smoke, although there was no wind. His eyebrows were long, his body was like the trunk of a tree, his skin was white as a sheet and was as smooth as porcin around his neck.


    His unclothed upper body was rippling with well-defined muscles, and he was wearing ck underpants on the lower half of his body. He emanated a mystical aura that evoked fears typically caused by an energy that was innately evil, yet it felt refined, eminent, and gentle. His pupils were blood-red, but at that moment, it showed no signs of aggression.


    Aloof and arrogant, he stood alone and feared nothing¡ªhe was emanating a divine aura.


    Gu Qianlin was in a stupor, for she was looking at the world¡¯s most handsome man. No one else couldpete with him, and somehow she was in awe with this elegant version of Xiao Luo.


    Gu Qianxue was dumbfounded, but in the next moment, emotion overcame her, and started crying. Xiao Luo hade back, and he was no longer the ferocious, white-colored monster. She was ted to see him again.


    Xiao Luo advanced a few more steps. His natural eye color and ck hair had now returned and reced his white hair and red eyes. The tremendous energy that emitted from his body earlier stopped and his demeanor was like that of an ordinary human being.


    What was going on?


    Had he finally broken through his limit and reached new heights?


    Elder Long, Tianshan Elder, and Xiao Quanren looked at one another. They couldn¡¯t believe that Xiao Luo had reverted into a normal human being. They didn¡¯t know the extent of Xiao Luo¡¯s powers, and there were only two possibilities¡ªeither Xiao Luo had reached a realm that was above them, or he had reverted to his original form.


    Xiao Luo was by then already standing right in front of them. Without waiting for them to say a word, he went down on one knee and gave the three of them a respectful bow. He expressed his genuine appreciation for their efforts, and said, ¡°To the two seniors, and old grandfather, thank you for increasing my powers!¡±


    ¡°Luo, have you regained your senses?¡± Xiao Quanren asked eagerly.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, I have. I was fighting against a terrifying force that was within me, but thanks to you, Ipletely suppressed it. And it is the reason I could exceed my limits, regain my senses, and be in full control of my body.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡±


    Gu Qianxue ran up toward Xiao Luo without a care in the world and hugged him.


    ¡°Everything is now fine, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore,¡± Xiao Luo said as he patted her on the back softly andforted her.


    ¡°Stinky little brat, who would have thought that you¡¯d make it? How do you feel right now?¡±


    Tianshan Elder looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief. And she was wrong about him, for Xiao Luo was not the prophesied demon who was going to destroy the world. While the form of the white-colored monster he took on earlier was that of a demon, Xiao Luo had now regained his sanity and he no longer looked evil.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo showed no emotions, and he disyed innate confidence in himself.


    ¡°Junior Sister, where is our master¡¯s Dragon de?¡± Elder Long suddenly asked.


    Tianshan Elder nced at him and said, ¡°Why are you asking that for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for Xiao Luo to try it, of course! Even the heavens cannot wield that Dragon de, so why not let Xiao Luo try it and see if he can control it? If he can, then give it to him. Besides, the de is filled with master¡¯s spirit of justice, and it will aid those who seek to do right.¡±


    Elder Long pped his thighs, recalling the power that Xiao Luo disyed when he lost control earlier on. ¡°Oh, my God, this de is destined for Xiao Luo!¡± he eximed.

 Chapter 722 - Dragon Blade

    <h2>Chapter 722: Dragon de</h2>


    Upon mentioning the Dragon de, Tianshan Elder took Xiao Luo and the others towards the mountain peak behind her cave.


    After arriving at the peak, they could spot a smallke about ten feet in diameter. Theke was clear and hot steam rose from its surface. It looked like a fairytale. They could feel the temperature was slightly higher than normal.


    ¡°The mountains of Tianshan are frozen all year round, why is there ake here?¡±


    Xiao Quanren looked around. His face was filled with doubt. He walked towards theke and raised out his hands to feel the water. With a look of disbelief on his face, ¡°The water here is actually warm!¡±


    At that moment, Gu Qianxue softly whispered into Xiao Luo¡¯s ears: ¡°Xiao Luo, this is the hot spring that I previously mentioned.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Xiao Luo nodded his head.


    Elder Long as if figuring something out, asked Tianshan Elder: ¡°Junior sister, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve hidden the Dragon de beneath the river?¡±


    ¡°Why is that not possible?¡±


    Tianshan Elder took a quick look at Elder Long, and said, ¡°The Dragon de produces heat at least twelve hours a day. It¡¯s so hard to take a warm bath in the Tianshan mountains. By putting it there, it can melt all the snow and ice to create a natural hot spring. During our spare time, I always take our showers in here with Little Snow.¡±


    After hearing that, Xiao Quanren waspletely speechless. He wondered how crazy Tianshan Elder was for her to use the Dragon de to create a hot spring for her baths.


    Gu Qianxue¡¯s face turned slightly red. Her master saying things like that inevitably made her feel a little bit shy.


    On the other hand, Elder Long¡¯s chin was about to drop. With horror, he said to Tianshan Elder: ¡°Junior sister, if master hears about this from theherworld, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll anger him to die again? Forget about that, you probably can¡¯t even close the coffin lid!¡±


    ¡°Stop your stinky dogsh*t nonsense. I¡¯m making the best use of it. You don¡¯t know sh*t!¡± Tianshan Elder spit at his face while saying that.


    Elder Long helplessly wiped the saliva off his face and was speechless.


    ¡°Stinky dogsh*t brat, go to the bottom of theke and retrieve the Dragon de.¡± Tianshan Elder shouted.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo walked forward. He didn¡¯t jump into theke. Instead, he stretched out both of his palms, and exercised his powers. He used the True Inner Force and released it from his palms. True Inner Force turned into two invisible barriers, dividing the warmke into two.


    As Xiao Luo¡¯s spread both sides, water rushed from the middle to the two sides and slowly revealed the dry bottom of theke.


    ¡°Gulp~¡±


    Gu Qianlin who was standing right at the back couldn¡¯t help but swallow a bit of saliva. She was finally realizing now that she and Xiao Luo belonged to two different worlds, or perhaps more urately, the both of them were at different levels. Xiao Luo who was splitting theke was like a god, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t do. Compared to him, she was as tiny as an ant.


    The bottom of theke was uneven and filled with mountain rocks you could find anywhere. Following the splitting of theke, the bottom of theke was looking wider and wider, and not too long after, a de that was in a scabbard could be seen. It stood tall andy at the bottom of theke inside a scabbard. There was a golden dragon printed on the scabbard and its hilt. Whenbined together, it formed a five-wed golden dragon.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this in more than a thousand years, to think that the Dragon de still looks the same.¡±


    Elder Long excitedly sucked the de through the air into his hands. He couldn¡¯t help but y around with it, looking at it with his pair of turbid eyes. ¡°Looking at it is like looking at our old master. I¡¯m feeling so overwhelmed that I¡¯m about to cry.¡± He turned his head around, looked at Tianshan Elder, and reprimanded her with a stern look, ¡°Junior sister, you are way too much. How can you make use of the Dragon de to take bathes! Have you ever spared a thought for the dragon de? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s extremely unwilling to do so.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Tianshan Elder couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk to him, and said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Stinky dogsh*t brat, try to unsheathe the de.¡±


    ¡°Let me try it first. I might not have enough powers in the past, but I haven¡¯t been cking in the past thousand years and have been practicing really hard. Maybe I might finally have the ability to pull it out now.¡± Thinking about the past, Elder Long was filled with much grievances.


    While saying that, he put the de above his head and tried to unsheathe it in the coolest pose possible with one hand on the scabbard and the other on the hild.


    But even though he used all the strength he had, until the veins on his forehead were popping, the de refused to budge. It didn¡¯t look like he was able to unsheathe it, and in the end, his face turned red, and he slowly gave up.


    ¡°Senior, you can¡¯t even unsheathe the de?¡±


    Xiao Quanren found it extremely hard to believe. It was just a de, how was it possible that he couldn¡¯t unsheathe it? This was way too unrealistic.


    Elder Long was a little bit embarrassed. He threw the de over to Xiao Quanren, and said unkindly: ¡°Since you¡¯re that confident, you try it.¡±


    Xiao Quanren obeyed and tried to unsheathe the Dragon de. But after giving it a try, he realized that something didn¡¯t seems right. It was as if the de and the scabbard were fused together and wouldn¡¯t move an inch at all. He eventually used up all the strength he had but still couldn¡¯t do it.


    He eximed: ¡°What a strange de!¡±


    ¡°You bet it¡¯s strange. My master made this using heavenly cold iron and forged it over nine thousand, nine hundred, and eighty-one days. A sword spirit is already living inside it, if the dragon de doesn¡¯t acknowledge the person, then you can forget about using it,¡± Elder Long said as he stroked his non-existent beard.


    ¡°Dude called Long, I¡¯m really happy that you¡¯re aware of the limit to your own strengths,¡± Tianshan Elder sarcastically said.


    ¡°Junior sister, you¡­¡±


    Elder Long was so ashamed that his face turned red again. He tried to change the subject in a hurry and grabbed the de from Xiao Quanren, handing it over to Xiao Luo, ¡°Xiao Luo, give it a try. The Dragon de is everything my master had. It might only recognize my master as its owner, even if you can¡¯t unsheathe it, you don¡¯t have to feel ashamed, since¡­ oh no¡­¡±


    While saying that, his voice came to an abrupt stop, and a terrified look could be seen on his face.


    Tianshan Elder, Xiao Quanren, Gu Qianxue, and Gu Qianlin¡¯s eyes were all wide opened. Just as Xiao Luo took over the de, he managed to unsheathe it casually with ease.


    As the de was unsheathed, a majestic sword-like aura spread out into their surroundings with the de as the center. A golden aura in everyone¡¯s heart, as if a golden dragon was soaring and roaring, struck into everyone¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Oh my bloody god!¡±


    Elder Long couldn¡¯t help but swear. He used up all the strength he had and still couldn¡¯t unsheathe it, but Xiao Luo was able to do it without much effort at all. He could have never imagined that this would be possible.


    ¡°The de acknowledges Luo as its owner.¡± Xiao Quanren was extremely excited.


    Tianshan Elder looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief: ¡°You stinky brat¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo frowned a little because the dragon de is currently sucking up his True Inner Force. As it sucked his True Inner Force, the golden aura slowly disappeared, and was reced with a crimson light. The entire body of the de and the scabbard that was ck in color slowly turned into a devilish red. The de that was originally warm and produced a whole lot of heat, turned cold, and it was the kind of cold that was capable of causing one to shiver uncontrobly.

 Chapter 723 - Heading towards

    <h2>Chapter 723: Heading towards</h2>


    ¡°Senior, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    Xiao Luo appeared confused and asked Tianshan Elder and Elder Long. How was it that the golden Dragon de was now strangely glowing in a blood-red hue?


    ¡°This means that your True Inner Force is leaning toward the Yin force. The Dragon de changes its characteristics based on the nature of its wielder¡¯s True Inner Force,¡± exined Elder Long.


    Tianshan Elder added, ¡°Our master¡¯s True Inner Force leaned toward Yang, which is why the de was sheathed in a golden glow and generated heat.¡±


    So that¡¯s why!


    Xiao Luo felt at ease after understanding the truth. There was no need for him to worry anymore, as this was the nature of the de.


    Now that he had finally increased his powers, the only thing left to do was to head toward Arcana Land. He was constantly worried about Su Li and didn¡¯t want to waste even a second.


    ¡°Looking at your powers now, cutting through space shouldn¡¯t be an issue for you.¡±


    Elder Long said as he stroked his non-existent beard, ¡°Close your eyes and feel the world with your heart. Explore every single corner of this world. You will ultimately discover a barrier in space, and behind it, you will find a dimension of chaos. Pass through this dimension, and you will reach Arcana Land on the other side.¡±


    Xiao Luo followed Elder Long¡¯s guidance and closed his eyes, using his newfound powers to explore the space around him. Everything around him became illusory, and eventually, a transparent wall shimmered like a veil of swaying sparkling water above the sky.


    This should be the space barrier!


    Xiao Luo slowly levitated then flew toward that wall in the sky. With the Dragon de in his hand, he shed through the barrier with no hesitation.


    SLASH!


    A ck crack suddenly appeared in the sky. It revealed what looked like a ¡°time travel¡± tunnel that emanated a strange and mysterious aura.


    As a modern-thinking person, Gu Qianlin had already been shocked by what she saw in the three extraordinary beings¨CElder Long, Tianshan Elder, and Xiao Quanren. And now, with a single sh, Xiao Luo sliced through the sky to expose a mysterious crack!. She had always thought what she saw was the truth, but she now realized she was nothing more than the proverbial frog in the well. There were many things in the world she had yet to fully understand.


    ¡°Luo, are you going now?¡± Xiao Quanren asked.


    Xiao Luo, in the air with his legs in a lotus position, looked down and replied, ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself. Quickly return if things get out of hand, and fight another day. As long as there is life, there is hope!¡± Xiao Quanren was more concerned about Xiao Luo¡¯s safety than rescuing Su Li. Long has it been since the Xiao n produced a genius who could awaken their bloodline. There was no way Xiao Quanren would lose him just like that.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Xiao Luo acknowledged his n senior, then nodded respectfully to Tianshan Elder and Elder Long, and said, ¡°To my two seniors, thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Go¡­ wreak vengeance on the Light n.¡±


    Elder Long, confident of Xiao Luo¡¯s abilities, looked up excitedly and said, ¡°I bet the King of Swords from the Light n would never have dreamed of this. A guy that he trampled on so easily not long ago now has the powers to take him on. I¡¯m curious to see what kind of expression he will have on his face when he gets a taste of your strength! This is going to be fun, haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Stinky little brat, remember this. Little Snow is your woman as well. Even after saving your empress, you must continue to take good care of Little Snow,¡± Tianshan Elder shouted.


    Xiao Luo nodded and looked at Gu Qianxue, who was blushing, and said, ¡°Little Snow, wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Gu Qianxue nodded and responded, ¡°Xiao Luo, you must be careful!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered her with a smile on his face. He nced coldly at Gu Qianlin, before turning around and entering the void through the crack in the sky.


    Upon entering the void, thews of physics ceased to apply. The crack suddenly snapped shut and eventually vanished.


    ¡°Old man with the surname Long, who is the stinky little brat¡¯s empress? And why did the people from the Light n take his empress away?¡± Tianshan Elder asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Junior Sister, are you only catching onto things now? You should have asked me these questions right from the beginning,¡± Elder Long quipped as he lifted his eyebrows.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tianshan Elder replied, looking somewhat confused.


    ¡°The name of Xiao Luo¡¯s empress is Su Li, and she¡¯s a very famous female celebrity. But she has another identity as the Holy Highness of the Light n.


    What he said shocked Tianshan Elder. ¡°What? Holy Highness of the Light n? The one from the same generation as our master?¡±


    Elder Long nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. ording to the King of Swords from the Light n, the Holy Highness from the Light n sealed her memory and descended into the six realms of existence to break through the bottleneck. Experiencing life¡¯s ups and downs as an ordinary human will assist her in breaking through the bottleneck upon rebirth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± Tianshan Elder was astounded when she heard that.


    ¡°Junior Sister, look at you! Why the look of surprise? I can¡¯t believe you were so shocked you even spoke in English,¡± Elder Long said.


    ¡°That stinky little brat¡¯s empress is the Holy Highness of the Light n? Isn¡¯t that enough to surprise anyone?¡±


    Tianshan Elder stared at the old man with bulging eyes, and said, ¡°She is someone who is capable of controlling thousands of creatures in Arcana Land, and sits right at the top of the hierarchy.¡± Turning around to look at Xiao Quanren, ¡°Do you know your Xiao n has produced a top-tier evildoer? To think that he slept with the Highness of Arcana Land. It would mean he is trying to rule over Arcana Land!¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Xiao Quanren didn¡¯t know what to say and just stood there smiling sheepishly.


    ¡°Junior Sister, calm down. Be it the Lord or Holy Highness of the Arcana Land, she¡¯s still a woman, and no matter how capable or strong a woman she is, she will still eventually be a man¡¯s wife,¡± said Elder Long.


    ¡°Do you really think the Holy Highness of the Light n will willingly be a woman who stays beside that stinky little brat?¡±


    Tianshan Elder sneered coldly and chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s the supreme authority in the Arcana Land. Thousands of creatures bow down in her presence. Once she retrieves her memory, she will feel the rtionship she had here been in was an ill-fated one and choose to erase it. The easiest and quickest way would be to kill that stinky little brat!¡±


    Xiao Quanren gasped. It was a distinct possibility, as the Highness of Arcana Land had experienced much over her lifetime of thousands of years. Once she recovered her memory, why would she be willing toe back with Luo? Clearly, there was no guarantee that she wouldn¡¯t kill him.


    ¡°Junior Sister, stop saying such frightening things. It will scare people when they hear it,¡± said Elder Long.


    ¡°Frightening things?¡±


    Tianshan Elder sneered, ¡°As a woman myself, and as a woman who has also lived for a very long time, I can pat my chest and swear that this is certainly going to happen!¡±


    Elder Long remained silent and furrowed his eyebrows.


    The rest didn¡¯t say a thing either. Xiao Luo had worked so hard to increase his powers and find his way into Arcana Land. What if the enemy he had to face was not the guardians of the Light n, but Su Li? Just the thought of it seemed cruel and tragic. What a disappointment it¡¯d be for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°It will not happen. I believe Su Li will not do that to Xiao Luo!¡± Gu Qianxue said as she shook her head adamantly.


    No one replied to her. An inexplicablyplicated atmosphere filled the air. On one side was the Highness of Arcana Land, and on the other was a rising star of the Xiao n. Just what sparks would fly when they met, and could anyone predict what was going to happen?

 Chapter 724 - Master God of Chaos

    <h2>Chapter 724: Master God of Chaos</h2>


    Xiao Luo stepped into the Dimension of chaos, and it was dead quiet. There was no presence of life at all, and it was just a void of endless darkness. However, it was not so dark that Xiao Luo could not make out his own hands. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see all the surroundings within a four-meter radius rather vividly.


    The terrain topography was rtively t, and the temperature was cold enough to freeze water. Yet, the breath Xiao Luo exhaled did not form any mist.


    Xiao Luo carefully advanced until he arrived at the main hall; a structure that was over ten feet tall. He did not know what material they had used to make it, but it was finished in ck and produced a sheen. The enormous main entrance resembled the gaping mouth of a ferocious devil with fangs. It was intimidating. Upon closer inspection, the entire hall seemed to be built with the theme of a fierce monster, and it gave off an eerie vibe.


    ¡°This must be the temple of the Master God of Chaos that old grandfather mentioned to me.¡±


    Standing at the entrance, Xiao Luo looked inside. There was a dark tunnel that gave the impression it would draw one¡¯s soul into it simply by staring at it for a long time.


    The entrance to the main hall was pitch dark, and Xiao Luo could even not spot a glimmer of light. He felt cold air blowing out from the inside, apanied by a soft hissing sound.


    Xiao Luo calmed himself. He focused his thoughts and visualized how the Light n must have taken Su Li through this tunnel, and passed through to the Arcana Land after they had left the dimension of chaos. With no further hesitation, he stepped into the hall and walked with long strides.


    ¡°Lowly human! How dare you take even half a step into this temple? I, the Lord your God, will burn you to ashes!¡±


    Right at that moment, Xiao Luo heard an ominous voiceing from inside the temple. It echoed through the tunnel and reverberated with a dark menace.


    The warning caught Xiao Luo by surprise, and he immediately stepped back. That forceful voice held tremendous sway over those who entered. It was a voice not to be trifled with, and whoever it was who spoke would not be less capable than Elder Long. With his hands folded respectfully, Xiao Luo bowed and greeted, ¡°Senior, are you the Master God of Chaos? Your Junior Xiao Luo presents himself. I have something important to deal with and need to pass through to the Arcana Land. I hope you will permit me passage, Senior!¡±


    ¡°Do you know that nobody may travel between these two worlds? Your action will break the bnce of both worlds. As the Master God of Chaos, my job is to prevent something like that from happening. Leave. Go back to where you came from and forget about entering the Arcana Land!¡± The authoritative voice echoed through the dark space.


    Xiao Luo would not give up that easily. With his hands folded, he bowed again. He repeated, ¡°Senior, I have something important to do and have to enter the Arcana Land. I hope you will let me through, Senior!¡±


    ¡°Human, are you trying to make me angry? Would you believe that Master God of Chaos will destroy you in body and spirit?¡± The voice roared, and it seemed like Master God of Chaos was riled up.


    ¡°Senior, I believe you. But I have an urgent need to go there.¡±


    Xiao Luo bowed his head. He did not hesitate further and passed through the entrance of the main hall. Xiao Luo found himself in a long paved passageway that resembled a catb under a great tomb. It was chilly, and the visibility was poor; even lower than the dark tunnel he came from. But Xiao Luo could use his Divine Consciousness to feel they of the terrain and had already formed a rough image of the passageway in his mind.


    ¡°Human, you have courage. I respect that, and I¡¯m willing to spare your life if you retreat now. Otherwise, not even the nine Gods and Buddha can save you!¡± threatened the Master God of Chaos.


    Xiao Luo ignored him. The Master God of Chaos had refused to show himself, and Xiao Luo wondered what the reason was. What if he was bluffing and did not have what it took to show himself? Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t he be taking some action instead of vocalizing his threats? Of course, it was only a hunch. Even if it was not the case, Xiao Luo still intended to enter the hall. He did not care if a mountain of swords and a sea of mes awaited him.


    ¡°Humph¡­ you¡¯re asking for it! Do not me me when I incinerate your body and spirit, you lowly human!¡± scowled the Master God of Chaos, breaking out in a sinisterugh.


    Xiao Luo instinctively held onto his Dragon de tightly and made sure he had his guard up.


    ¡°Death pit!¡±


    The voice of the Master God of Chaos boomed once again. As soon as he spoke those words, the ground beneath Xiao Luo copsed into a pit. It was filled with a great number of stakes that were as sharp as swords and pointed upwards. If he fell into that pit, those stakes would surely pierce through him.


    But Xiao Luo could levitate, and he hovered into the air. This kind of trap posed no threat to him at all.


    He furrowed his brows and looked at all the stakes fixed on the floor of the pit. He could not help but wonder if this was one of the Master God of Chaos¡¯ tricks. Was he not stooping a little too low?


    The Master God of Chaos seemed caught in an awkward spot. He remained ufortably silent for a moment before he coughed a little and said, ¡°Cough, cough¡­ this is just the appetizer. Do not be so cocky, human. The Lord, your God, will make sure you turn to ashes!¡±


    ¡°Endless fire!¡±


    Suddenly, the temperature rose drastically as an intense me surged within the passageway like hellfire. It appeared from nowhere and lit up the dark passage instantly.


    The temperature of that fire was exceedingly high and posed a bit of a threat to Xiao Luo!


    But it wasn¡¯t too great a threat to Xiao Luo who hovered in the air with his legs crossed in a lotus position and used his True Inner Force to create an invisible protective barrier. mes roared and engulfed the bubble, but did not injure him. He held up resolutely like a firm rock in a turbulent sea, and the torrent of hellfire could do him no harm.


    ¡°Human being, you are quite impressive. Now, face my level ten mes!¡±


    The Master God of Chaos roared, and in an instant, the intensity of the mes increased significantly. Like an angry beast roaring angrily, the temperature rose to more than a thousand degrees.


    The intense heat gradually overcame Xiao Luo¡¯s protective bubble, and his clothes were scorched and fell off in charred pieces. Soon, even his skin reddened and nasty blisters formed.


    ¡°Human, do you still want to go to Arcana Land? The Lord, your God, here cares for all living things. If you promise to leave now and return to your original world, I will stop the mes and spare your life!¡± said Master God of Chaos.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Senior. But I have to go to Arcana Land!¡±


    Xiao Luo gritted his teeth and endured the intense heat in high temperatures that could smelt steel. His flesh was by now severely traumatized, and it oozed blood and hyaline tissues. Still, this pain was nothingpared to what he had suffered in the Prison of Heaven and Earth.


    ¡°Alright then, you shall burn to ashes!¡± roared the Master God of Chaos.


    The fiery mes surged in an endless sea of fire toward Xiao Luo. But at that moment, the Dragon de quivered and soared into the air on its own. It started twirling at great speed and drew the mes in the passageway. As the mes rushed toward it, and the Dragon de devoured it all like a famished monster.


    The de consumed everything no matter how intense the mes were, and after it put out the mes, the passage suddenly returned to its peaceful condition.


    The Dragon de spun in the air before it returned to Xiao Luo, then quivered slightly as if it were burping, before it settled in his hands.


    ¡°You can even consume mes?¡±


    Xiao Luo gawked at the Dragon de in disbelief as it emitted a devilish blood-red glow. It was indeed a precious sword and had the consciousness to protect its owner in dire situations.


    As if acknowledging Xiao Luo¡¯s admiration and gratitude, the Dragon de buzzed and quivered for a little.

 Chapter 725 - A Talking duck

    <h2>Chapter 725: A Talking duck</h2>


    The temperature in the dark passageway returned to normal. The burns on Xiao Luo¡¯s body began to heal at a rapid speed. He calmed himself before he called out to the Master God of Chaos once again, ¡°Senior, can you let me enter?¡±


    The temperature in the dark passageway returned to normal. The burns on Xiao Luo¡¯s body began to heal at a rapid speed. He calmed himself before he called out to the Master God of Chaos once again, ¡°Senior, can you let me enter?¡±


    The Master God of Chaos¡¯ reply came after a brief pause. ¡°Lowly human! Do you think you have passed the test already? Dream on!¡±


    ¡°Invincible rolling boulder!¡±


    A round boulder, measuring about ten meters in diameter, fell from above the dark passage with a resounding thud. The enormous boulder, shaped like a wrecking ball, rolled toward Xiao Luo, and the entire passageway rumbled from its movement.


    Was this the Master God of Chaos?


    Would the Master God of Chaos stoop so low and use such cheap tricks?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows and had doubts about the actual identity of the Master God of Chaos. As the spherical boulder rolled closer, Xiao Luo sliced it cleanly into two using his dragon de. The two sections of the split boulder swooped past him.


    ¡°Senior, if you want to stop me from entering, then it would be better for you to show yourself. Can you stop using tricks like these?¡±


    By this time, Xiao Luo had scant respect for the Master God of Chaos, who simply refused to show himself. It felt like someone was hiding in the shadows, pulling levers to activate these booby traps. Xiao Luo headed straight toward the other end of the passage.


    The Master God of Chaos suddenly became exceedingly furious. He condemned Xiao Luo¡¯s actions and cursed him with spiteful words.


    ¡°God-damn human! You have offended a God¡¯s prestige by your foolishness!¡±


    ¡°Hurry and stop. You cannot advance any further. Otherwise, the Lord, your God, will send you to the ninth level of hell where you will neither live nor die.¡±


    ¡°You will not listen, huh? Then the Lord, your God, will dispatch his Chaotic Soldiers. They will twitch your muscles, peel off your skin, and light your skyntern!¡±


    The more Xiao Luo listened, the more annoyed he got. Despite themanding tone of the voice, the more he spoke, the more it became clear that he did not deserve respect. Xiao Luo was now fuming and wanted to find the person behind these tricks. He was going to drag him out of the shadows, no matter what. In the middle of the passageway, the path became wider. It was the intersection between the front and the back, with a diameter over ten feet. On its walls, a white fire glowed¡ªit resembled incendiary white phosphorous fire. It was not the slightest bit warm and was not too bright either.


    Xiao Luo spotted a massive door on the other end.


    The enormous door emitted an ancient and forbidding aura¡ªas if it had seen a lot over the years. Above the doors were copper nails neatly arranged horizontally and vertically. The door handle took the form of two copper lion heads biting into two copper rings.


    Could the Master God of Chaos be in here?


    Xiao Luo stopped in front of the door. Filled with curiosity, he reached out with his hands and pushed the giant door open.


    ¡°Goddamn human, stop your foolish actions now. There is a wild beast sealed in there. If you let it out, there will be devastation, either in the Arcana Land or in your original world!¡± Xiao Luo could hear the slightly nervous voice of the Master God of Chaos booming through the passageway.


    Xiao Luo hesitated. But since being in here, his ears were almost getting calluses from listening to all those hoaxes. He refused to believe what the voice said and used a significant amount of strength to push open those massive doors.


    What greeted him was a dazzling light and a hall with an area of about a hundred square meters.


    It looked very modern, and there was technology in use. There were tiles on the floor, and the walls were painted all white. The suspended ceiling looked somewhat like that of a Hua Nation general assembly hall. In the center, there was a leather sofa. Beside it stood a desk with aputer equipped with a voice input device. On the wall facing the desk, twenty-six silver screensbined to form arge screen. On the giantposite screen, one could monitor the situation in the passageway.


    Xiao Luo was shocked to find such a modern office in the Dimension of Chaos. But what surprised him the most was the white duck sitting in front of the desk. The duck was wearing clothing like a human. It was dressed in a navy uniform and had a red tie hanging down its chest. It looked just like a cartoon character he used to watch as a kid¡ªDonald Duck.


    As soon as Xiao Luo came in, he locked eyes with the duck. A human and a duck stared at one another for over ten seconds.


    ¡°The one who was talking earlier on was not you, right?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He broke the silence first and pointed at the duck.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me!¡± the duck answered.


    The duck shook his head to deny it, but as he forgot to switch off the microphone, his voice echoed throughout the area. There was a vast difference between the duck¡¯s voice and the voice that Xiao Luo had heard before. But no matter whose voice it was, anyone could tell that it was a voice of a person shouting at the top of his voice. This was a duck that could talk?


    Was it a duck or a goblin?


    Deep down, Xiao Luo was a bit stunned. But he knew that the Master God was not a duck. This duck was fooling around.


    He walked toward the duck for a closer inspection. He looked carefully to see if it was a real duck. Or if it was a person dressed in a duck outfit.


    The duck had a temper. Taking off his headset, he stared at Xiao Luo and scowled, ¡°You goddamn brat, what are you looking at? Have you never seen a duck as good-looking as me? You better believe that this Grandpa Duck here will destroy you in body and spirit!¡±


    Destroy body and spirit?


    He was not sure at first. But after hearing those words, it was undeniable that the voice he had heard in the passageway was from this little duck.


    ¡°So, it is you. Huh?¡±


    Although it surprised Xiao Luo that a duck could talk, what he had witnessed were not things that an ordinary person could see. So, he epted things for what they were. He stretched out his hand to grab the duck¡¯s head. He looked around the hall and said, ¡°A wild and huge creature? You? Are you not just a duck?¡±


    ¡°Impudent! You goddamn human. You are being rude to a God, now! Get your dirty hands off me! Otherwise, Grandpa Duck will send you to the ninth level of hell where that you can neither live nor die!¡± screamed the duck. He pped his wings, which were also its arms, and continued to intimidate Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo was not the least bit afraid. It irked him just thinking about how the duck had messed with him earlier on. And now, he had to listen to his rambling and bluffs. With waiting, he smacked the duck mercilessly on its head.


    That one smack hit the duck¡¯s navy cap away, and a visible bump instantly appeared on its head.


    The duck was in so much pain that it began screaming. With his eyes wide open, the duck red at Xiao Luo ruthlessly and said, ¡°How dare you disrespect the Grandpa Duck! You lowly human. Grandpa Duck is going to eat you up!¡±


    ¡°Eat me up? You better believe that I¡¯ll pluck out all your feathers now and turn you into a roast duck!¡± eximed Xiao Luo. He was so angry but could not helpughing at the same time. He plucked off its feathers.


    White feathers filled the air, and the duck¡¯s painful scream echoed in the hall.


    ¡°You goddamn human. Stop now. Otherwise, Grandpa Duck will kill you!¡±


    Kill me?


    Xiao Luo sneered and continued plucking like a madman.


    ¡°Wait, wait¡­ stop it! I surrender. Stop plucking. If you continue plucking, all my feathers will be no more¡­¡± cried the duck. It was in so much pain that it began crying. It wailed continuously.


    Xiao Luo finally stopped to look at the pitiful duck. He turned around to head toward the sofa for a seat. Xiao Luo was a guest but behaved like a host. Gently, he said, ¡°Answer a few of my questions truthfully. Otherwise, you can forget about keeping even a single feather on your body.¡±


    He had plucked out a lot of feathers. The duck had bare spots on its body, where Xiao Luo had forcefully plucked out its feathers. Blood was oozing from the wounds and slowly dripping onto the floor. Some of its feathers were already blood-stained, and the duck looked pathetic.


    Xiao Luo could not help feeling that he might have gone overboard. After a short while, he no longer felt guilty. This talking duck was an evildoer, for its injuries healed speedily, and all those missing feathers grew again. Shortly, it looked rejuvenated and was back to its original look.


    ¡°What do you want to ask me?¡± asked the duck, visibly having doubts about Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the Master God of Chaos? What¡¯s your rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°He is my owner and my master. He brought me here five hundred years ago and taught me martial arts, and how to talk. Every time I mention my owner, I feel grateful to him. If not for him, this duck here might have already kicked the bucket before he could even hatch from its egg. This duck here will never forget his kindness for the rest of my life. In my heart, my owner is like a light that makes my world bright¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. I asked you where the Master God of Chaos is right now. I never asked you how you met him,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted and frowned. The duck was full of nonsense. He could twist and turn the conversation away from its topic.


    ¡°Oh, my owner went abroad for a holiday. Before he went, he told me to take good care of the temple. I am not to allow anyone to travel between both worlds.¡±


    The talking duck said with a sincere look, ¡°Before this happened, no one could pass the traps that this duck here has set, except you. While I am protecting this temple, the two worlds have been peaceful. There have been no interruptions at all.¡±


    ¡°Then half a month back, how do you exin the two people from Light n who traveled between both worlds?¡± asked Xiao Luo. He found the duck dishonest.


    That question caused the duck¡¯s face to turn red. But it still refused to admit it. The duck shook its head and said, ¡°There were two people from the Light n traveling between both worlds? Impossible, that did not happen!¡±


    ¡°If it didn¡¯t happen, then why would I want to go to Arcana Land?¡± Xiao Luo said with an agonized smile as he recalled the image of Su Li taken away.


    ¡°You are nning to go save that woman?¡±


    The talking duck asked unconsciously and then realized that he made the mistake of revealing the party from Arcana Land. It now became clear that there were people from the Light n traveling between both worlds.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She is my wife!¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored that blunder and replied.


    Suddenly, the talking duck ced its wing on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder with a deep sense of empathy, and said, ¡°Brat, there is one thing Grandpa Duck hates the most, and that is to separate two lovers. Alright then, this duck will go to Arcana Land with you and help you get your girl back. Does that sound good? Right, my nickname is the King of all Ducks, also known as the Duck Emperor. Since we have crossed each other¡¯s path, I think this is fate. This duck thinks that the more I look at you, the more pleasing you look.¡±


    ¡°Is it normal to shorten ¡®The King of all Ducks¡¯ to be ¡®Duck Emperor?''¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    The Duck Emperor had an odd look on its face and patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders casually. ¡°Do not worry about such minor details. All you need to know is that I am the Duck Emperor. You look like you are in your twenties. This duck is five hundred years old, so ording to age, this duck here is your Senior¡¯s senior. Protocol dictates that you address me as your ancestor, but this duck will not take advantage of you. You only need to address me as Grandpa Duck Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 726 - Nihility

    <h2>Chapter 726: Nihility</h2>


    He had plucked out a lot of feathers. The duck had bare spots on its body, where Xiao Luo had forcefully plucked out its feathers. Blood was oozing from the wounds and slowly dripping onto the floor. Some of its feathers were already blood-stained, and the duck looked pathetic.


    Xiao Luo could not help feeling that he might have gone overboard. After a short while, he no longer felt guilty. This talking duck was an evildoer, for its injuries healed speedily, and all those missing feathers grew again. Shortly, it looked rejuvenated and was back to its original look.


    ¡°What do you want to ask me?¡± asked the duck, visibly having doubts about Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the Master God of Chaos? What¡¯s your rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°He is my owner and my master. He brought me here five hundred years ago and taught me martial arts, and how to talk. Every time I mention my owner, I feel grateful to him. If not for him, this duck here might have already kicked the bucket before he could even hatch from its egg. This duck here will never forget his kindness for the rest of my life. In my heart, my owner is like a light that makes my world bright¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. I asked you where the Master God of Chaos is right now. I never asked you how you met him,¡± Xiao Luo interrupted and frowned. The duck was full of nonsense. He could twist and turn the conversation away from its topic.


    ¡°Oh, my owner went abroad for a holiday. Before he went, he told me to take good care of the temple. I am not to allow anyone to travel between both worlds.¡±


    The talking duck said with a sincere look, ¡°Before this happened, no one could pass the traps that this duck here has set, except you. While I am protecting this temple, the two worlds have been peaceful. There have been no interruptions at all.¡±


    ¡°Then half a month back, how do you exin the two people from Light n who traveled between both worlds?¡± asked Xiao Luo. He found the duck dishonest.


    That question caused the duck¡¯s face to turn red. But it still refused to admit it. The duck shook its head and said, ¡°There were two people from the Light n traveling between both worlds? Impossible, that did not happen!¡±


    ¡°If it didn¡¯t happen, then why would I want to go to Arcana Land?¡± Xiao Luo said with an agonized smile as he recalled the image of Su Li taken away.


    ¡°You are nning to go save that woman?¡±


    The talking duck asked unconsciously and then realized that he made the mistake of revealing the party from Arcana Land. It now became clear that there were people from the Light n traveling between both worlds.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. She is my wife!¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored that blunder and replied.


    Suddenly, the talking duck ced its wing on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder with a deep sense of empathy, and said, ¡°Brat, there is one thing Grandpa Duck hates the most, and that is to separate two lovers. Alright then, this duck will go to Arcana Land with you and help you get your girl back. Does that sound good? Right, my nickname is the King of all Ducks, also known as the Duck Emperor. Since we have crossed each other¡¯s path, I think this is fate. This duck thinks that the more I look at you, the more pleasing you look.¡±


    ¡°Is it normal to shorten ¡®The King of all Ducks¡¯ to be ¡®Duck Emperor?''¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    The Duck Emperor had an odd look on its face and patted Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders casually. ¡°Do not worry about such minor details. All you need to know is that I am the Duck Emperor. You look like you are in your twenties. This duck is five hundred years old, so ording to age, this duck here is your Senior¡¯s senior. Protocol dictates that you address me as your ancestor, but this duck will not take advantage of you. You only need to address me as Grandpa Duck Emperor.¡±


    Ancestor?


    Grandfather?


    When Xiao Luo heard this, he couldn¡¯t hold back and knock on its head again.


    The Duck Emperor red and said, ¡°You f*cking idiot, why did you knock on me again?¡±


    ¡°If you call yourself the emperor or grandpa again, I¡¯ll certainly turn into a featherless duck,¡± Xiao Luo threatened.


    As expected, the Duck Emperor lost his temper, but dare not say anymore.


    After staring at the duck for a long time, Xiao Luoughed at himself. ¡°It is so weird. Why am I wasting time with a useless duck like you?¡±


    It was just a waste of time to walk in here and waste his time arguing with a duck.


    With that, he stood up and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Brat, wait for me! Let¡¯s go to the Arcana Land together!¡± The Duck Emperor cried.


    SWOOSH!


    The tip of the Dragon Saber shed, and instantly Xiao Luo had it pressed against the duck¡¯s throat. The feel of cold steel made it shiver.


    Xiao Luo turned around and looked down at the duck. ¡°Then give me a reason to bring you to the Arcana Land.¡±


    ¡°I can do you a favor,¡± the Duck Emperor said.


    ¡°Do you see yourself like a savage beast? You¡¯re just a useless duck, so please mind your own business,¡± Xiao Luo teased.


    The moment the Duck Emperor heard this, he flew into a rage. ¡°Brat, don¡¯t look down on ducks! No matter what, I am still the disciple of the Master God of Chaos. Even though I may be unskilled, but in the art of escaping, I am second to none!¡±


    The art of escaping?


    Xiao Luo did not make fun of the duck again, for the Arcana Land was and that he was unfamiliar with. It was unknown what kind of powerful beings existed in that world. If he encountered a formidable opponent, he might very well need to make a strategic retreat.


    ¡°How can we escape? Is it just enough for you to escape on your own, or can you bring people along with you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can bring others along when we flee, but it¡¯s only limited to one person. It¡¯s just that the method of bringing people to flee is too embarrassing to speak about,¡± said the Emperor Duck.


    ¡°What sort of unspeakable method is it?¡± Xiao Luo asked curiously.


    The Duck Emperor chuckled and took out a cigar from somewhere. He lit it up and took a puff. ¡°I¡¯ll have to use my ws to grab your p*nis, then fly you away.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face darkened at once. This was one useless duck that was full of nonsense and was not worth spending any more time on.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave the Emperor Duck a piece of his mind and turned toward the exit.


    ¡°Hold on, brat. You can¡¯t leave the temple just like that. You¡¯ll never reach the other end without my guidance.¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored him and pushed the door open, but the sight that greeted his eyes stunned him. The passageway that he entered from was no longer in front of him. Instead, it was a void of darkness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t step out the doorway. It¡¯s dangerous outside!¡±


    The Duck Emperor picked up a book and dashed over. Then, he slipped half of the book into the dark void in front of him. When he pulled it back, there was only half of the book left. The other half seemed to have been devoured by the darkness.


    ¡°This is ¡®Nihility.¡¯ Anything that enters it will instantly turn to Nihility. Except for my master, the Master God of Chaos, no one dares to enter it, for this is the absolute power of the Chaos Dimension.¡±


    ¡°How did the outside change to be this Nihility?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked, and then he added, ¡°Quick, get to the point!¡±


    ¡°The Chaos Dimension possesses a consciousness, and it prevents people from traveling between the two worlds. If you didn¡¯t enter this hall earlier but walked through the long passage instead, you would have reached the other end. The consciousness of the Chaos Dimension would not have been able to detect you at all, and wouldn¡¯t have turned everything into Nihility,¡± the Emperor Duck exined.

 Chapter 727 - The Ultimate of Martial Arts

    <h2>Chapter 727: The Ultimate of Martial Arts</h2>


    Xiao Luo did not believe this evil. He cast his True Inner Force over his finger to protect it and prodded it into the dark nihility.


    Just as he reached in, a piercing pain jolted his fingertips. He retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted and brought it up to his eyes for a closer inspection. The flesh on the tip of his right index finger was oxidized as if he had soaked it in an acid solution. And his fingernails looked severely corroded.


    ¡°You f*cking idiot! Now do you believe your Grand Duck Emperor¡¯s words?¡± The duck put on airs as if to imply that Xiao Luo would suffer needlessly if he chose not to listen to his sage advice. Using his duck wings, which resembled human hands, he held the cigar and smoked a few puffs.


    ¡°Tell me, how should I leave then?¡±


    Xiao Luo grabbed the duck¡¯s navy uniform and lifted it into the air. He was already getting impatient and felt like he was being yed the fool by this useless duck.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave now. We have to wait for the nihility to disperse.¡± Sensing a cold and sinister aura emanating from Xiao Luo, the Duck Emperor couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    ¡°How long do we have to wait?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s voice was icy as he was eager to get to the Arcana Land quickly; instead, he had to waste his time waiting here. The feeling of helplessness was like a raging fire burning within his entire body.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s only ten to fifteen days.¡±


    The Duck Emperor¡¯s eyes were rolling around awkwardly in their sockets as he spoke uneasily. However, when the duck saw Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes glowering with rage, he immediately added, ¡°We¡¯re here in the Chaos Dimension, and rtive to the two worlds outside, time remains still. No matter how long we stay in here, it¡¯s only a blink of an eye in the two worlds outside.¡±


    Hearing this, Xiao Luo finally calmed down a little. He released the Duck Emperor and dropped him to the ground.


    The Duck Emperor¡¯s butt hit the ground first, causing him to curse out in pain. ¡°D*mn brat, how can you treat your elders in such a way? You will be struck by lightning!¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored the duck and walked straight to the sofa. He picked up a magazine from the table in front of him and then leaned back casually and read it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Waiting for nihility to disperse was iparably long for Xiao Luo. The long wait got to him, so he started meditating to calm down. He closed his eyes to circte his internal energy to pass the time.


    Here in this hall, all the necessities of life were avable, and the huge refrigerator was well-stocked with food. There was meat, drinks, water, vegetables, and other foodstuffs. Every once in a while, the contents of the refrigerator would automatically fill up. In one corner of the hall was the kitchen, and in another corner was the bathroom.


    As if the long wait wasn¡¯t enough, Xiao Luo also had to face a talkative, annoying duck.


    The Duck Emperor had nothing to do all day, and he would cook on a whim or select a book and cross his legs reading it, and sometimes, he would walk back and forth in the hall with his pair of duck wings behind his back and ponder about life. His duck butt would sway left and right, and on several asions, Xiao Luo had the urge to kick him.


    Xiao Luo realized that this annoying duck would discreetly watch x-rated videos. Of course, these videos differed from those humans watched and were the documentaries about animal mating, so Xiao Luo gave him the moniker ¡°lecherous duck.¡±


    ¡°Where did all these things in the halle from?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He was very curious, as these were all modern equipment.


    ¡°My master brought them from the original world. I¡¯m told that the pollution in your original world is too severe. The environment is foul, and the spiritual energy is thin. The people living there have very unhealthy bodies and extremely short life spans, am I right?¡± The Duck Emperor asked.


    Xiao Luo smiled but said nothing. However, he agreed with this point. Indeed, the environment of the original world was undoubtedly polluted. There was air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, pesticides, radiation, and many more¡ªso why wouldn¡¯t his world have a harsh environment?

 Chapter ? 728: Phoenix

    Chapter 728: Phoenix


    ¡°But the original world isn¡¯t all bad, I mean, there¡¯s an advanced technology. As for your great inventions, I likeputers very much. Not only I can use it to watch shows, but I can also y video games and listen to music with it. I can even mimic the master¡¯s voice using some software. It is simply a spectacr invention.¡± The duck emperor sat before hisputer as he professed his admiration for them.


    Xiao Luo could not help butment, ¡°It is a shame that yourputer isn¡¯t connected to the Inte. If you go online, you¡¯ll discover even more interesting things.¡±


    He had checked the duck¡¯sputer earlier, and while there were many animal documentaries, he only had one movie about humans. It was a Cantonese film, so this duck would use Cantonese swear words sometimes in his speech.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I always want to see the world outside!¡± The duck emperor enthused passionately, and it filled his eyes with excitement.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you wanted to follow me to the Arcana Land, am I right?¡± Xiao Luo said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Oh, dear, was it so obvious?¡±


    The duck emperor covered his mouth with his hand-like wings, looking like an innocent child. ¡°I have been living in this hall since I was born, and I¡¯ve never once seen the world outside. Although I am more than five hundred years old, my perspective is shallower than a three years old kid. Please, sympathize with my situation and take me along with you. I promise I won¡¯t be a burden.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that the Master God of Chaos will punish you when he finds out?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°Punish? No, no, no¡­ He has gone on a vacation to the outer world. Why can¡¯t I take a break too?¡±


    The duck emperor was nning to risk it all. He desperately wanted to see the world out there for the longest time. And, had he the capability to tear through the dimension of chaos, he would have left this prison-like hall a long time ago. ¡°Speaking about the outer world, I am so fascinated by it. ording to my master, two parties rule the outer world¡ªthe Ultimate Martial n, and the Ultimate Tech n. The Arcana Land here and the original world resemble these ns from the outer world. The Arcana Land represents the Ultimate Martial n while the original world represents the Ultimate Tech n.¡±


    Xiao Luo suddenly became serious and asked, ¡°What is the Ultimate Martial n, and what is the Ultimate Tech n? Be clear about it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, how should I make it clearer? Let me give you an example¡­ If people want to fly, they would need the help of an aircraft. This belongs to the realm of the Ultimate Tech. Some can fly using their capabilities without the help of an aircraft¡ªthey belong to the Ultimate Martial realm. Simrly, using amunication device tomunicate over a distance of a thousand miles belongs to the realm of the Ultimate Tech. Those who could transmit their voices using their inner power tomunicate belong to the realm of the Ultimate Martial.¡±


    The duck emperor had a cigar in his mouth and started smoking. ¡°Regardless of whether it is the Ultimate Martial or Ultimate Tech, they can all achieve the same results. In the outer world, they have always been rivals. Is it clearer now?¡± he said.


    Xiao Luo finally got a better understanding of the matter. He even suspected if the Ultimate Tech n invented the genius system.


    One n represented the top martial artists, and the other n represented the power and ingenuity of science. The higher one progressed, the more likely he would appreciate how little he knew. In Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, he had formed an understanding of a vast andplicated universe called the outer world civilization. Andpared to this civilization, the world that he knew was simply insignificant.


    The Ultimate Martial n and the Ultimate Tech n made up the universe. His original world and the Arcana Land were miniature versions of these ns. Xiao Luo suddenly felt the vastness of this universe and how small he was inparison. But he also knew that the stronger he became, the higher the level he could attain.


    But, he had no wish to go to the outer world and only wanted to remain in his world, in his own home with the love of his life. It was a simple and ordinary wish.


    Ten dayster, the Nihility outside had finally dissipated.


    The duck emperor had packed his backpack long ago and was ready to leave with Xiao Luo to see the wonders of the Arcana Land. Its entire backpack onlyprised some clothing.


    ¡°I did not agree to bring you along.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes. Although Xiao Luo thought this duck was rather helpful, he suspected Duck Emperor was still going to be a burden. Besides, adventurers usually brought along cool mythical beasts with them, so he didn¡¯t wish to be stuck with this damn white duck. It was awkward in every way.


    What?


    As the duck emperor heard that, he froze and sat on the ground, then threw a tantrum. ¡°You rascal, how could you do this to me. Aren¡¯t we are friends? Would it cost your life to show me the world?¡± he cried.


    He was crying pathetically and looked exactly like Donald Duck.


    Xiao Luo was speechless, but he was determined not to bring Duck Emperor along. On top of it being a burden, what if the Master God of Chaos returned and realize that he had brought the duck out? That could be another potential cause of unnecessary trouble.


    ¡°Duck, guard the temple well for your master, I¡¯ll see you when I return!¡±


    He waved to it and left the room. Stepping out to the cylindrical-shaped tunnel, he continued to the other side of the temple.


    The pitch-ck tunnel was chilly, and it looked like a devilish ghoul lived within it!


    Thinking of how the two men from the Light n had forced his wife to go through this tunnel under coercion, Xiao Luo hastened his pace and reached the exit within half an hour. The exit on this side resembled the entrance of the original world. They both resembled a demon¡¯s head, and the exit was the demon¡¯s gaping mouth.


    If he had not seen it for himself that he walked through the temple, he might have thought that he returned to the same ce he had left from.


    He then shut his eyes to sense the existence of a space barrier. When he sessfully detected it, he unsheathed his sword and shed the barrier immediately.


    RIP!


    A crack formed into the Dimension of Chaos, and it looked like a path that led to heaven, for it was blinding and it was difficult to tell whaty within it.


    Xiao Luo frowned and stepped into the crack with no hesitation. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw and covered in lush forests and an expansive blue sky. There were also clusters of tall mountains, and he was looking down upon thisndscape like a deity. Xiao Luo floated in the high sky and saw arge river meandering in the woods.


    The air was refreshing!


    In thisnd, even breathing felt like a carefree enjoyment. There were no signs of industrial pollution and haze. The world felt like it had just been cleansed by a spring shower and it was clear as a mirror. He could also sense an abundance of spiritual energy overflowing in this world.


    So this is the Arcana Land?


    Xiao Luo performed the Levitation skill and flew across the boundless forests. The crack he opened up in the Dimension of Chaos was closing up quickly and finally disappeared into the horizon.


    ¡°Ri~¡±


    Suddenly, a shrill bird call pierced through the air.


    Xiao Luo looked over to the source of the call and it stunned him. A gigantic bird that was covered in crimson red feathers flew over to him from afar. When it spread both of its wings fully, it had a wingspan of twenty meters, making it an enormous monster that wasrge enough to block the sun.


    A Phoenix?


    Xiao Luo unconsciously thought of the name of this gigantic bird. It had the head of a chicken, the neck of a sparrow, the back of a tortoise, and the tail of a fish. Wasn¡¯t this the mythical bird, the phoenix, as recorded in the Shanhai Scroll? He could not believe that such a creature existed anywhere.


    ¡°You brat, what are you waiting for? Dodge!¡±


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo heard the duck emperor¡¯s familiar voice, but he did not have time to search around as the phoenix was close. Compared to the mythical bird, Xiao Luo looked like a tiny sparrow next to amercial aircraft. Therefore, not dodging wasn¡¯t an option.


    WHOOSH!


    The gigantic phoenix flew past Xiao Luo and sent a gust of wind into him. If not for Xiao Luo¡¯s powerful strength, he would have been blown off course by this gust and lost his control in mid-air like a broken kite.


    When he recovered, he realized that there was another phoenix as both of them were crying loudly. They were pecking each other in flight and attacking with their sharp ws like they were each other¡¯s nemesis. The fight was intense and many red feathers fell off from their bodies and floated to the ground. Their sharp ws had also resulted in terrible injuries, and blood was spilled from the sky.


    CRASH!


    They continued to fight as they crashed to the ground, destroying arge area of the forest. Their wings were pping madly and stirring sand into a violent tornado that raged through the surrounding area.


    ¡°Such giant beasts are very territorial by nature. It must be because one of them had entered the other¡¯s territory.¡± The voice of the Duck Emperor seemed to be speaking right into his ears.


    Xiao Luo turned around and saw the duck the size of a fly standing on his shoulder, giving amentary on the fight between the phoenixes.¡±What are you looking at, this is my magic power, I can control my body¡¯s size at will!¡± the Duck Emperor said as he stared back at Xiao Luo.¡±I was a little suspicious when you were so obedient, but it seems you had nned to sneak along after all,¡± Xiao Luo snapped.The Duck Emperor pped Xiao Luo¡¯s neck with his wing, and said, ¡°You rascal, if I did not pull this trick, there¡¯s no way you would¡¯ve let me tag along. I call this strategy, do you understand?¡±SLAP!Xiao Luo reached out and pped his shoulder like how he would swat a fly.¡±Arghhhh¡­!¡±The Duck Emperor screamed, ¡°You rascal, what are you doing?¡±Xiao Luo ignored him and continued to swat at him, convinced he needed to teach this duck a lesson.¡±Argh¡­ I am exploding, if you continue to hit me, I will explode¡­ please, stop it right now!¡±¡±Argh¡­ I¡¯ll address you as my brother. Please, spare me, brother, argh¡­ Stop hitting me, you¡¯re hitting the sh*t out of me¡­¡±¡±Argh¡­ Brother, I¡¯m serious, stop hitting me, please. Let¡¯s talk about this with an open mind¡­¡±The duck emperor was pleading for his life. He wanted to run away, but Xiao Luo had used his True Inner Force to lock him. He could not escape, regardless of how hard he tried to p his wings. After being properly taught a lesson, Duck Emperor finally surrendered his dignity as a duck and gave in to Xiao Luo.Xiao Luo picked him up then ced him on his open palm, and said, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just stay in the temple? Why did you have to follow me? I can turn you into a roasted duck right now!¡±¡±Fine, if that is what you wish. But I had toe. After that bastard from the Light n called Curisa realized I was posing as my master, he hung me up and tortured me. He humiliated me. This trip to the Arcana Land is first to see the world, but it is also to reim my dignity.¡± Finally, the Duck Emperor spilled his thoughts.

 Chapter 729 - Game

    <h2>Chapter 729: Game</h2>


    Curisa?


    As soon as he heard this man¡¯s name, Xiao Luo clenched his fists subconsciously. His joints made cracking sounds, and his eyes could not help but sh with anger. He would never forget that it was this person who took Su Li away. It was also this person who crippled one of his hands and feet. This was a deep-seated hatred. If he saw Curisa, he did not doubt that he would lose his rationality and would kill Curisa with everything he had.


    ¡°Are you telling the truth that Curisa hung you up and beat you up? If you dare to lie to me, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at the duck emperor with his eyes filled with bleak killing intent. He could ept that the annoying duck drew the longbow in other matters, but if it dared to lie and trick him for this matter, don¡¯t me him. Let alone it is just the disciple of the Master God of Chaos. Even if it were God, he would still kill it.


    Gulp!


    The Duck Emperor shuddered and swallowed a mouthful of saliva with great difficulty. It raised its right-side wing and said, ¡°I swear that if I lie, lightning will strike me, and I¡¯ll die a horrible death. I will be judged by the transmigrationws in my next life and be born as livestock!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you livestock now?¡± Xiao Luo said, narrowing his eyes wryly.


    The Duck Emperor scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ve had the ability to speak for too long, and it makes me sometimes forget that I¡¯m merely a handsome duck. Still, I¡¯m not lying to you. That Curisa is as smart as you are, and he knew I was posing as my master to scare them into giving up on traversing the two worlds. When he broke into my hall, he hung me up and beat me up for seven days and seven nights¡­ seven days and seven nights¡ªI lost all my dignity!¡±


    At the end of his grievous rant, he burst into tears.


    Xiao Luo sighed. As smart as me? Anyone whose intelligence was average would have quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t the Master God of Chaos, but was some imposter ying tricks behind the safety of these walls. Being hung up and beaten for seven days and seven nights, and he lost his dignity? How could a useless duck have any dignity?


    To be honest, having lived in the dimension of chaos with this annoying duck for ten days, Xiao Luo had a better understanding of its temperament. For instance, when it lied, it would unconsciously avoid looking at you. And when his eyes started darting around, it was a clear sign of guilt. But speaking now, these characteristics did not appear, and it meant his words were likely 99%, close to 100% credible.


    ¡°You want to regain your dignity? Do you have that ability?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°You little brat! Well, I must say it¡¯s a good question. Yes, of course, I have the ability. But I¡¯m not the one to fight Curisa, you are. You can split open the dimension of chaos and travel between the two worlds, so I have high regard for you. So, to regain my dignity, I don¡¯t need to do it with my own hands. As the saying goes, making a third party the instrument of a crime¡ªthat¡¯s to say, you will destroy Curisa on my behalf.¡± The Duck Emperor raised his wings like a human and gave him a thumbs up.


    Make a third party the instrument of a crime?


    Damn it! You have already tried all your tricks on me and failed, and yet you¡¯re still taking it for granted. You even have the gall to speak your silly ns out loud with no reservations.


    p!


    It annoyed Xiao Luo so much he reached out and pped the Emperor Duck hard.


    ¡°Quack!¡±


    The duck emperor cried miserably.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    With amon enemy, Xiao Luo epted the Duck Emperor and brought the annoying duck along. He also ordered it to shrink its body to the size of arge fly and stay on his shoulder when it was free.


    To determine the direction of the Light n, it was necessary to ask someone!


    However, after flying over the vast forest for an entire day, they did not see a single person, nor had they reached the edge of the forest.


    ¡°What a bummer! The forest is too vast. Even with your lightning speed, you have flown for an entire day without reaching its edge. It¡¯s just too damn vast!¡± The Duck Emperormented with a sigh.


    Xiao Luo also frowned, for he had been flying for an entire day, and it meant he could have flown from the northernmost point of Japan to its southernmost point twice over. He had yet to see the edge of this forest, and he was sure that he had not lost his way as he had taken a north bearing. It was now beginning to seem like the forest was boundless, or at the very least, twice asrge as Japan.


    It may sound exaggerated, but it was the truth.


    Xiao Luo decided tond after flying for an entire day, as he was already hungry.


    The towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the thousand-year-old vines were as strong as dragon sinews. There were echoes of fierce roars issued by unknown beasts that the vast mountains. The roars of those that were closer to them resounded like thunder. As night fell, predators prowled in this vast forest, and their growls were a constant reminder of the cutthroat world they found themselves in.


    ROAR!


    As soon as Xia Luonded, a beast had its eyes set on him.


    It looked like a wild boar. However, this wild boar was at least 600 to 700 kilograms in weight and was like a moving mountain. It brandished sharp ws on its four limbs and had a mouthful of ferocious saw teeth. Its two menacing tusks protruded prominently, and the exposed parts measured at least 20 centimeters long.


    ¡°A great weasel?¡±


    Xiao Luo once again recalled the picture of the mutated beast in the Shanhai Jing and Seas anecdotes. This mutated beast he had spotted was very simr to the great weasel recorded in the ssic of Shanhai Jing. The great weasel¡¯s eyes were red, and its mouth was full of sharp yellow teeth, foaming with disgusting saliva.


    ¡°Damn little brat, it seems to take you as its prey and wants to make a sumptuous meal out of you.¡± The Duck Emperor¡¯s annoying voice filtered to Xiao Luo¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Treated me as prey? Let¡¯s see who¡¯s going tond up as a sumptuous meal.¡± Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help but snort with a sneer.


    Suddenly, the boar-like great weasel stomped its four limbs into the dirt with great force and charged toward him.


    Nimble and quick to react, Xiao Luo leaped into the air to avoid the charge. The great weasel mmed into arge tree trunk, the circumference of three adults¡¯ stretched arms, and therge tree snapped in half with a loud crack. The massive tree trunk fell heavily to the ground, stirring up clouds of sand.


    ¡°What a crazy beast¡ªthe force of its collision felled a tree!¡± The duck emperor was secretly shocked.


    Xiao Luo raised his de in the air and shed down. With just one sh, he chopped off the head of this gigantic creature, instantly killing it.


    A whileter, a tantalizing aroma of roast meat filled the air as Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor sat by the campfire, enjoying their meals.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ The meat tastes so good! I have never eaten such delicious roasted meat before.¡±


    The Duck Emperor had reverted to his original size, and his stomach was bulging like a rubber ball as he lounged on the turf, holding a piece of roasted meat in his duck-hand. He burped several times but continued eating¡ªtaking a bite at a time and resting in between mouthfuls.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and knitted his brows as he stared into the night sky. Although they had arrived in the Arcana Land, he realized that the journey to the Light n wasn¡¯t straightforward. It had already been half a month, and if the Light n wanted to harm Su Li, they would have done so by now. Even if he rushed to her rescue, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them.


    He felt extremely vexed and anxious at the very thought of the circumstances.


    ¡°Hey, little brat, what wild game are you nning to hunt tomorrow?¡± The Duck Emperor called out to Xiao Luo, a look of satisfaction on his sated face.


    ¡°Roast duck.¡±


    Xiao Luo snapped. He was not in the best of moods.


    The Duck Emperor was taken aback for a moment. ¡°F*ck you! @ # £¤%¡­¡± he cursed.

 Chapter 730 - How Could You Put Up with This

    <h2>Chapter 730: How Could You Put Up with This</h2>


    While having the roasted meat, Xiao Luo¡¯s Divine Awareness detected several human auras approaching.


    Would he finally meet a living person?


    He was excited. If he ran into any human, he could ask them for directions to get to the sacred location of the Light n. Then, he would execute the Flying Form immediately and head right over there without stopping.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Suddenly, shing across the sky, four figures flew out of the forest. They were very agile and were armed with crossbows, knives, or spears in their hands. As soon as they saw Xiao Luo¡¯s face, the four let their guard down.


    ¡°Sh*t. It is not one of those sons of b*tches from the Ziyue Cave Heaven. It¡¯s so disappointing!¡± one of them swore. He had every single trait a bad guy would have, including a long chubby face with a terrifying and evil expression.


    ¡°Tell me about it! When I saw the fire, I thought it was those bast*rds, too. Now that we¡¯ve hurried here, it turns out to be not the case. How disappointing! So, those bast*rds are not too stupid after all, lighting a fire as they¡¯re attempting to escape,¡± said another man.


    ¡°Forget about those bast*rds for now. We have been chasing them for too long. I am starving now. What have we here? A roasted Lili. It looks like we have something to gain after all.¡±


    The man with the long chubby face could not help swallowing his saliva when he saw the roasted Lili in front of him. After sensing Xiao Luo¡¯s energy level, he said disdainfully, ¡°How dare a Martial Master venture so deep in this forest! You do not know what you are getting into. But you are quite lucky. You killed a Lili. That is unbelievable.¡±


    The other three alsoughed scornfully after gauging Xiao Luo¡¯s energy. They certainly would not feel threatened by an insignificant Martial Master. After all, they were Martial Spirits, two realms above Martial Master. It would be as easy as falling off a log for them to kill this guy.


    They did not know that Xiao Luo had intentionally suppressed his energy so that no one would feel threatened by him. They knew he was a Martial Master only because they had sensed the part of his True Inner Force that inadvertently flowed from his body.


    ¡°What are you four pieces of sh*t murmuring about? Tell your Grandpa Duck Emperor now. How can we go to the sacred ce of the Light n?¡± Duck Emperor got to his feet, holding a thin twig, pretending to pick his teeth with it, although he did not have teeth like a human.


    Did the duck just talk?


    The four martial spirits were astonished and looked at each other in surprise. There were looks of awe in their eyes because an exotic beast had to reach the level of a beast demon before it could speak like a human. Somehow they could not believe that the greedy duck with the enormous belly was a beast demon.


    It could not be. Its energy flow did not seem like that of a beast demon!


    The four probed further into the Duck Emperor¡¯s energy and could sense that it was not a beast demon. It was an exotic beast of the fifth level, at the very most. Then it was rather strange, for how could it speak? What the hell was it?


    ¡°You, Mother duckers!¡±


    Seeing them astonished and speechless, the Duck Emperor was so annoyed that he swore at them. Then he gave the man with the long chubby face a hard p with his wing, just like it was a human hand. ¡°Piece of sh*t. Grandpa Duck Emperor just asked you a question. What are you staring at? None of you have answered me. You are not giving any face to your Grandpa Duck Emperor.¡±


    The man with the long chubby face who got pped stood looking stupefied for a moment, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Then he raised his hand to give the Duck Emperor, who was still in the air, a p in return.


    He struck the Duck Emperor with a hard blow. With a shrill quack, the duck¡¯s body flew off and hit a giant tree. The duck went limp and fell onto the ground right next to the trunk of the giant tree. Feeling dizzy, Duck Emperor stood up shakily. His head was spinning, and he was seeing stars.


    ¡°Sh*t. I nearly freaked out earlier. It¡¯s no beast demon, but just a damned duck¡ªonly an exotic beast of the fifth level!¡± sighed the man with the long chubby face as he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.


    The other three also felt relieved when they confirmed that the duck was not a beast demon. Had it been one, their leader could not have pped it away as beast demons were too strong. The duck must have eaten some panacea to speak like a human.


    ¡°Young man, we are hungry. We will eat some of your roasted meat. You would not have any problem with that, would you?¡±


    The man with the long chubby face said to Xiao Luo dismissively. Then he immediately bent down to cut the meat of the Lili with his knife.


    ¡°Yes. I have a problem with that,¡± said Xiao Luo honestly as he got up on his feet.


    Oh?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s answer shocked the four, and they looked at him disdainfully before they all burst outughing.


    ¡°Little jerk, open your eyes. See what levels we are at and what level you are at.¡±


    ¡°How dare a little Martial Master like you find trouble with us? We are Martial Spirits. Are you courting death? This ce is the Forest of the Infinity Edge. No matter what strong backing you have, if you are not strong enough yourself, you will get killed here without being able to fight back.¡±


    ¡°Of all the nerve¡­ You are lucky that we want to eat your barbecue. Don¡¯t act like a bast*rd and f*ck off!¡±


    The four men cut the meat with their knives without waiting for Xiao Luo¡¯s response. They acted as if he did not exist at all.


    ¡°Goddamned jerk. How could you put up with this? Beat them!¡± The Duck Emperor hated those people for beating him up. As he was not strong enough to retaliate, egging Xiao Luo on was the only way to get his revenge on those men.


    However, the duck did not need to do that, for Xiao Luo was ready to take action.


    Xiao Luo was not a pushover and had they asked him for some meat politely, he would not have minded. But the four martial spirits remained on their high horses since they arrived. They acted as if it was a given that they could eat his barbecue. In that case, he would not let them eat it.


    ¡°I will count three. Stop immediately when I reach three. Otherwise, die!¡± Xiao Luo said inly. The Dragon Saber had automatically flown into his hand.


    At first, the four were quite shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s outburst, but soon, they burst outughing again as if they were facing an idiot.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ Did I hear him right? This guy just said he was going to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Little jerk. What did you eat to suddenly find your courage? How dare you speak to us in that way? Don¡¯t you have any idea what level you are at?¡±


    ¡°Open your eyes and wake up! You are just a little Martial Master, and any of us can kill you easily! Do you know that?¡±


    The four were allughing mockingly, then theirughter turned into sneers. It was easy to tell from their looks that they had the intention to kill Xiao Luo. His perceived ignorance had annoyed, and they were resolved to put an end to the arrogant young man once they had had enough to eat.


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    With his eyes fixed on them, Xiao Luo was counting unhurriedly.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ You¡¯re a funny guy!¡± The four muscr men continued tough, thinking that Xiao Luo was a crazy fool.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    On the count of three, they stoppedughing.


    The man with the long chubby face detected a strong smell of blood. Then he saw blood dripping down the de in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand. There had been no blood on the de only moments ago. Howe there was blood dripping down now?


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    Suddenly, he heard a horrible scream.


    GLUG! GLUG! GLUG!


    Blood was gushing out from the necks of his threepanions. They dropped their weapons and their eyes were opened wide. Then they fell to the ground with blood was still gurgling out of their necks.

 Chapter 731 - The Vast Land

    <h2>Chapter 731: The Vast Land</h2>


    Gulp.


    The man with a long chubby face swallowed his saliva with difficulty. He was cold sweating heavily. Without a doubt, it was this Martial Master right in front of him that killed hispanions. However, he was only a Martial Master. How could he have killed Martial Spirits? And he killed three in one second. The man did not even see how the enemy had acted.


    How was it possible?


    Was he really just a Martial Master?


    He looked at Xiao Luo, terrified, with the roasted meat that smelled wonderful in his mouth, and he dared not move. In a trembling voice, he asked, ¡°Who¡­who the hell are you? We are from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps.¡±


    Zoom!


    The Dragon Saber flew across the sky in an extremely horrifying arc. The tip of the knife was pointed against the vital part of his neck. The energy given off by the knife pierced through his skin easily; hence, he could not go on speaking. The man with a long chubby face was looking at Xiao Luo in a terrified manner. Even in a fight against exotic beasts, he had never felt being so close to death as at this moment.


    ¡°I ask questions. You answer them,¡± Xiao Luo said inly.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.¡±


    The man kept bobbing his head in agreement, afraid if he did not do that quickly enough, that weird ck knife would go through his neck.


    ¡°Where is the sacred ce of the Light n?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    The sacred ce of the Light n?


    The man was stupefied. That guy did not even know where the sacred ce of the Light n was! Where on earth was he from?


    However, he came to his senses very soon. He replied, ¡°Yes, Boss. The sacred ce of the Light n is in the north, more than five million kilometers away from here.¡±


    Strength was what mattered most. He had to give in to Xiao Luo. He even called thetter boss.


    More than five million kilometers away from here?


    Xiao Luo frowned. Even the equatorial circumference of Earth is only a little more than forty kilometers. It was unbelievable that the sacred ce of the Light n was more than five million kilometers away from here. Was the Arcana Land that expansive?


    ¡°Are you sure it is more than five million kilometers, not five hundred kilometers?¡±


    ¡°Boss, I mean it. It is more than five million kilometers indeed. It¡¯s actually nothing. It¡¯s tens of thousands of kilometers from the south end to the north end of the Forest of Infinite Edge.¡±


    The man smiled bitterly. Then he added, ¡°The Arcana Land is so vast that average people won¡¯t be able to reach its end even when they spend their whole life trying to walk across it. It¡¯s said only the Four Kings and the Holy Lady of the Light n know how big the Arcana Land is. They reached its edge zone before.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s frown deepened. He knew for sure this man could not have lied to him. Five million kilometers¡­ Even if he kept flying at full speed and never stopped to eat or drink, it would still take him about half a year to reach the sacred ce of the Light n.


    How could it be?


    This was something that he had never imagined. This Arcana Land was too wide. It waspletely unexpected. No wonder the Arcana Land would not invade the Original World. The Original World was so small. Compared to the Arcana Land, it was just a tiny ce and severely contaminated. The spiritual energy was consequently very thin. He would be surprised if the Light n wanted to invade it.


    ¡°Mother ducker, is the Arcana Land so big?¡±


    The Duck Emperor felt its head aching. It was not only far away, but millions of kilometers away. If they wanted to go to the sacred ce of the Light n, it would be more difficult than going to space.


    ¡°The Arcana Land is ruled by the Light n. I bet they must have devised a faster way to reach that remote region?¡± Xiao Luo asked the man with a long chubby face.


    The man was even more confused. He wondered whether that man and that duck were from the Arcana Land, because if they were, it was impossible that they knew nothing about that.


    However, he chose to answer Xiao Luo honestly, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s via transmitting formations!¡±


    ¡°Transmitting formations?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Exactly. Transmitting formations are everywhere in the Arcana Land. They can transport people to another ce in a second. You can cross tens of thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye.¡± The man told Xiao Luo everything about the Arcana Land that people were supposed to know.


    Xiao Luo asked him immediately, ¡°Where is the nearest transmitting formation?¡±


    ¡°In the Ziyue Cave Heaven.¡±


    The man exined in detail, ¡°The Light n uses sects and schools to govern the Arcana Land. There are thousands of sects and schools reporting to them. And those are responsible for administering the people living in the areas they govern, as well as the transmitting formations.¡±


    ¡°You mean the sect that governs this area is Ziyue Cave Heaven?¡± Xiao Luo rified.


    ¡°Yeah. Yes.¡±


    The man nodded. He believed this man in front of him was absolutely not from the Arcana Land. Otherwise, he would not have been ignorant of such widely known things.


    ¡°Where is the Ziyue Cave Heaven?¡± Luo inquired further.


    ¡°Go towards the north. About one thousand kilometers, and you will reach the Ziyue Cave Heaven,¡± the man directed embarrassedly.


    Xiao Luo had got the information he needed, but he did not kill the man. Shifting the Dragon Saber away, he said inly, ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for not killing me. Thank you for not killing me.¡±


    The man felt like he had been granted amnesty as soon as he heard those two words. He certainly would not have the time to take care of hispanions¡¯ bodies. He left as quickly as possible.


    For Xiao Luo, letting the man go was far away from releasing a tiger back to the mountains, or, in other words,ying up trouble for himself. Those people were too weak to make him worry. Even if a big group of them came, he would be able to kill them with one sh. If one sh was not enough, two would certainly do.


    What worried him at this moment was the distance of over five million kilometers. Even though he could use transmitting formations, he gathered there could not be any nonstop transmitting formation to the sacred ce of the Light n.


    He supposed the transmitting formations leading to the Arcana Land should be like the transportworks in the Original World, which ramified all over the world. Nonstop trips were only possible for short distances. For longer distances, there would be stopovers. For a distance as far as over five million kilometers, there might be a lot of stopovers. As a result, despite those transmitting formations, he was afraid it would still take him half a month at least to reach the sacred ce of the Light n. And that was just the most conservative estimation.


    However, he could not wait. He wished he could arrive at the sacred ce of the Light n right away!


    With his brows furrowed, he turned his head to look at the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Goddamned jerk, why are you looking at me? I don¡¯t know any magic to transport you to the sacred ce of the Light n in one second.¡± Meeting Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, the Duck Emperor could not help but shiver, because it always spelled danger in his look.


    ¡°I want to enter the Chaos Dimension again,¡± Xiao Luo expressed.


    It was not difficult for the Duck Emperor to guess what Xiao Luo was nning on. Touching its chin, it said, ¡°In theory, from the Chaos Dimension, it¡¯s possible to travel through spatial obstacles to reach any corner of the Arcana Land. But goddamned jerk, you must know that the Arcana Land is vast. What if you are farther away from the sacred ce of the Light n after another try? It might be more than five million kilometers. It might even be tens of millions of kilometers. Think about that. It¡¯s scary.¡±


    Xiao Luo gulped after hearing that. That method was not reliable enough indeed. He probably would be wasting his energy in the end.


    So, was travelling through transmitting formations the only way to reach the sacred ce of the Light n?


    Xiao Luo was lost in thought. He was not a gambler. In most cases, he would only do what he was sure about.


    However, since he could not control his destination from the Chaos Dimension precisely, the King of Swords from the Light n should not be able to do that either. In that case, maybe Su Li was still on her way to the sacred ce of the Light n, so she had not arrived there at all.


    If the King of Swords had not been lucky enough, he could have been tens of millions of kilometers away from the sacred ce of the Light n after arriving in the Arcana Land. However, this certainly was just the most optimistic assumption. At this point, the only thing he could do was to refrain from making optimistic assumptions.

 Chapter 732 - Ziyue Cave Heaven Disciples

    <h2>Chapter 732: Ziyue Cave Heaven Disciples</h2>


    Footsteps could be heard not long after getting rid of the three ck Blood Mercenary Corps members. Three guys and three girls carefully appeared from within the forest. After looking at the three corpses on the ground, they stared at Xiao Luo with a horrified expression.


    ¡°This brother here, may I ask if you were the one who killed these three from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps?¡± the gentle-looking man asked, respectfully cupping his fists together after putting his sword away.


    Xiao Luo only regained his senses after waking up from his meditation. He raised his head and took a nce. All six of them were dressed in purple, and they all held a sword. If his guess was correct, these were the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples that the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were talking about earlier on.


    Slowly chewing a piece of roon meat he cut, he nodded and softly replied, ¡°Yes, I killed them.¡±


    Was he really the one who killed them?


    But these three were martial art spirits, to think that they had died on the spot. The person here didn¡¯t look much older than them. Had he actually reached the peak of the Martial Spirit Realm? Or had he already ascended the limits of a martial arts spirit and reached the level of a martial lord?


    All six of them couldn¡¯t help but gasp as they found it extremely unbelievable. If this guy had reached the level of a martial lord at such a young age, they probably couldn¡¯t find anyone else like him here in Arcana Land. Even if he wasn¡¯t a martial lord and was just at the peak of the Martial Spirit Realm, it was a disgusting level of talent.


    ¡°Are you people from Ziyue Cave Heaven? I heard that these three dead people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were chasing after and trying to kill the whole lot of you,¡± Duck Emperor couldn¡¯t control its mouth very well and said in a decrepit tone with its wings behind its back.


    A talking duck?


    Beast¡­beast demon?


    All six of them were so scared that they were staggering. No one could have imagined that an ordinary duck would actually reach the level of beast demon. A young man who had reached the peak of the Martial Spirit Realm and a strange animal that had reached the level of beast demon. Oh god, this world had gone insane.


    The gentle-looking man calmed himself down, bowed to Duck Emperor, and said, ¡°In response to the beast demon¡¯s question, we are indeed from Ziyue Cave Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Why are the people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps trying to kill you?¡± Duck Emperor walked back and forth, enjoying the feeling of being respected.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    The man hesitated for a bit.


    ¡°Brother Zuo, you can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Brother Zuo, the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid is a once in a century urrence. It took us so much effort before we could find it, and the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were trying to kill us for it. If you let the wicked beast know, I¡¯m sure it will try to steal it for itself just like the ck Blood Mercenary Corps!¡±


    ¡°The Eight-petal Immortal Orchid is for master¡¯s treatment. If we lose it, I¡¯m afraid master won¡¯t live more than two months.¡±


    The other five dragged the man aside and softly whispered to him. If they didn¡¯t act cautiously around this wicked beast and young man with caution, there was nothing they could use to fight against them.


    Xiao Luo could hear them clearly though they were speaking softly. All he did was giggle a little but didn¡¯t really show it.


    The man thought for a bit, then sighed and said, ¡°Junior brothers and sisters, do you think we can fool them just by keeping quiet? No, maybe we can hide it from that brother there, but there¡¯s no way we can hide it from the beast demon. If they really have evil intentions, our little tricks are not going to do anything.¡±


    After hearing that, the five of them put their head down. They understood where Brother Zuo Xiangming wasing from. There was nowhere for them to hide the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid in from a beast demon. They were extremely vexed and didn¡¯t understand why they followed the fire here.


    ¡°Screw their ducking mum! What are they whispering about over there? How odd. Why do you people from Arcana Land enjoy whispering so much?¡± Duck Emperor, who couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, shook its head.


    Zuo Xiangming walked over with a smile and replied to Duck Emperor¡¯s question, ¡°Demon Beast Lord, the reason why the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were trying to kill us was because we obtained the greatest luck by receiving an Eight-petal Immortal Orchid.¡±


    Without hiding anything, honestly revealing everything.


    ¡°Eight-petal Immortal Orchid? What¡¯s that? Let this duck have a look.¡±


    Duck Emperor looked at Xiao Luo. It had some knowledge about things from the original world but wasn¡¯t too familiar with the things in Arcana Land.


    The other five Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were shocked, and thought, ¡®That¡¯s it. This wicked beast is going to steal the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid. It is obviously trying to lure Brother Zuo and get him to take out the orchid.¡¯


    ¡°This is it,¡± Zuo Xiangming said with a bitter smile. He cautiously took out the orchid that was in his pocket.


    It was an orchid with eight petals. Each petal was as red as blood, and a floral fragrance was spreading to their surrounding area. Anyone who smelled that fragrance would feel good. It was refreshing and unique.


    ¡°Oh, wow! What a beautiful flower! It smells really good too!¡±


    Duck Emperor was a little bit obsessed with it now and took the orchid using its hand-like wings. It put it close to its eye and couldn¡¯t stop admiring it.


    The other five Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were starting to feel a little bit tense. This was theirst hope to save their master, and they couldn¡¯t afford to make any mistakes.


    ¡°Hey, young offspring, can you give this orchid to this duck here? This duck here wants to make this a specimen and put it on my bookshelf so that I can admire it in the future,¡± Duck Emperor requested. It really loved the orchid.


    Swish, swish, swish.


    The five Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples, who were already a little tense, were now angry and pulled out their swords.


    Duck Emperor got a shock, and all the feathers on its duck head were already standing up straight.


    Zuo Xiangming lifted his hand to stop his junior brothers and sisters, turned around, and spoke to Duck Emperor in a nicer tone, ¡°Beast Demon Lord, please forgive them. This orchid is for us to treat our master¡¯s illness. Our master¡¯s illness is severe. If we lose the orchid, he won¡¯t be able to live beyond two months. May this lord have mercy. We Ziyue Cave Heaven will never forget this lord¡¯s kindness.¡±


    Xiao Luo, who had only been watching, stood up all of a sudden and walked towards Duck Emperor. ¡°Stinky Duck, return the orchid to them.¡±


    Duck Emperor was not unreasonable. It returned the fairy orchid to Zuo Xiangming. ¡°You should have said so earlier. Since you need it to save a life, then this duck won¡¯t try to keep it for itself.¡±


    Just like that, they were able to retrieve it.


    Zuo Xiangming got the orchid back and found it a little odd.


    The other five were shocked for a bit and kept their swords afterwards. They also quickly withdrew the intimidation that they had towards Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ What a beautiful orchid¡­ If only this duck here could turn it into a specimen and keep it for itself, that would have been great,¡± Duck Emperor regretfully sighed.


    Xiao Luo looked at it coldly. ¡°You stinky duck, other people are trying to kill them because of this orchid. Do you think they¡¯re going to give it to you? Do you think they¡¯ve lost their minds?¡±


    ¡°You goddamn brat! This duck here still returned it to them anyways,¡± Duck Emperor unhappily replied.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything and returned to his own seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Brother. Thank you, Beast Demon Lord. We, the disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven, will remember your kindness.¡± Zuo Xiangming bowed towards Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor.


    The other five followed and respectfully thanked the both of them as well.


    ¡°Since you see this as kindness, then there¡¯s an opportunity for you to return it right now,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Hmm?


    The six of them had a confused look on their faces.

 Chapter 733 - Send Someone over

    <h2>Chapter 733: Send Someone over</h2>


    ¡°The teleportation array is originally for people of Arcana Land. We at Ziyue Cave Heaven might be responsible for its supervision, but as long as there¡¯s a valid reason and it¡¯s not for ill intentions, then they are allowed to use the teleportation array. The Ziyue Cave Heaven teleportation array can take you to Stan City roughly 200,000 kilometers away!¡± Zuo Xiangming admitted immediately after hearing what Xiao Luo said.


    Since using the teleportation array was something extremely ordinary, this was something that Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples could do really easily. They pped their hands on their chest and swore that they would do it.


    ¡°Stan City has many teleportation arrays that extend to all directions as well. You can go wherever you want to.¡±


    One of the female disciples in purple smiled and asked, ¡°Right. Where is your final destination?¡±


    ¡°Holy Land of the Light n!¡± Duck Emperor replied.


    Holy Land of the Light n?


    The look on the faces of the six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples instantly changed.


    Xiao Luo red at Duck Emperor, and then exined, ¡°We¡¯ve always been fascinated with the Holy Land of the Light n, so we¡¯re thinking of going there to see what that ce is like.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s why.¡±


    Zuo Xiangming nodded and said, ¡°Many people in Arcana Land are curious as to what the Holy Land of the Light n is like. But Brother Xiao, the Holy Land of the Light n is extremely far from here. You might have to travel through many ces using the teleportation array before you can reach it. It is very troublesome. How about this, when we return to Ziyue Cave Heaven, I will prepare and arrange a route map for you. Then, you can follow the path on the map and make your journey there. It will be much more convenient for you.¡±


    Xiao Luo was shocked, and then with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m counting on you then!¡±


    Zuo Xiangming was very helpful, but there was a reason as to why he was being one. Zuo Xiangming was obviously seeking his and Duck Emperor¡¯s protection since they would be an extrayer of protection against the ck Blood Mercenary Corps who had split up their forces to kill them in this endless forest. Although he had a motive, it was not like he made them feel bad. At least his method was appropriate. Besides, they had to head over to Ziyue Cave Heaven to use the teleportation array, so it wasn¡¯t that huge of a deal for them to act as shields and protect them while they were on the way there.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Brother Xiao has treated us to such delicious roon meat. Me and my junior brothers and sisters are extremely grateful towards you,¡± Zuo Xiangming said, putting the grilled meat down and standing up to thank Xiao Luo respectfully.


    The other five did the same as well and disyed their gratitude towards Xiao Luo.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be grateful for. There¡¯s a lot of grilled meat. This duck here and this goddamn brat wouldn¡¯t be able to finish this even if we ate for the next four days. It¡¯s a waste to just leave it here. You young people are quite polite and well-mannered. This duck here is very happy, and I¡¯m more than willing to let you have some of our grilled meat.¡±


    Duck Emperor stood out like a good old man and turned its head towards the three corpses, ¡°Unlike this few dead people here¡­ As soon as they arrived, they tried to steal our meat like a bunch of bandits and were even trying to be violent towards this duck here. This is the kind of ending that they deserved.¡±


    So they offended the Beast Demon Lord, which was why it punished them!


    Zuo Xiangming and the rest were surprised and thought to themselves, ¡®Seems like Brother Xiao hasn¡¯t reached the level of a martial arts spirit.¡¯


    Just like them, he was just a martial artist, or a senior martial artist. When he said that he was the one who killed the ck Blood Mercenary Corps, he was most probably just lying to gratify his vanity. The one who killed the three of them from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps must be the Beast Demon Lord.


    Yes, this would make more sense!


    If someone could reach the Peak of Martial Spirit Realm or a Martial Lord at such a young age, then they would be some kind of evildoer. Something like this was impossible in this world. The six of them sighed andughed as they thought about how silly they were earlier on.


    ¡°Xiu, xiu, xiu!¡±


    At this moment, the forest was filled with a loud ear-piercing sound.


    ¡°Not good. The people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps must have caught up!¡± The female disciple that looked sweet and pretty eximed. The faces of the six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples changed instantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The ck Blood Mercenary Corps is nothing. With this duck here, they are just a bunch of stinky worms. One sneeze from this duck here will send them thousands of miles away!¡± Duck Emperor waved its huge hands, or more specifically, wings, and shouted to calm itself down.


    After hearing that, Xiao Luo almost choked on his own saliva. What dog sh*t king of all ducks? This stinky duck was the king of pretense. When it came to pretending, no one could beat it.


    Zuo Xiangming calmed himself down and said to the other five, ¡°Right. Since the Lord is here, the ck Blood Mercenary Corps wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to us. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡±


    The Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were much more rxed having the backing of a Beast Demon Lord. They subconsciously moved closer to Duck Emperor.


    ¡°You Ziyue Cave Heaven bastards, I¡¯ll see where else you can run to!¡±


    Apanied with a roar that was filled with true inner force, dozens of shadows appeared from the forest. Each of them was huge and tall, and their muscles were bulging like a dragon. The one in front was a middle-aged man roughly 40 to 50 years old. The man had a scar on his face and looked fierce.


    He sneered and said to Zuo Xiangming and the rest, ¡°To think that you still dare to grill meat here, you b*stards are really dumb! Hand over the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid, and I¡¯ll leave you with one dead body.¡±


    ¡°Kill the men directly. As for the women, rape them, then kill them. These three youngdies look like they have such soft skin and tender flesh. They¡¯ll be so good to devour!¡± the man with a protruded mouth and chin said as he looked at the three female Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples with a smile.


    After saying that, the other members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps all disyed a sinister smile as well. They all stared at the three pretty female disciples disgustingly, locking their eyes onto them.


    ¡°How rude! If you don¡¯t want to die, then kowtow to Grandpa Duck Emperor right now, and scram!¡±


    In order to maintain the image that he already had with the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples, Duck Emperor shook his butt and took two steps forward. Then, using its wings, it pointed at the middle-aged man right in front and shouted with everything it had. Its voice was loud and intimidating.


    ¡°Beast¡­beast demon?¡±


    The color on the dozens of ck Blood Mercenary Corps members¡¯ faces changed a little. No one could have imagined that an ordinary-looking duck was actually at the level of a beast demon.


    The man right in front was equally stunned as well. He was rooted in ce and had no idea what his next move was going to be. Facing a beast demon, there was no room for the ck Blood Mercenary Corps to be cocky. Once the beast demon turned furious, they were going to die on the spot.


    ¡°Beast Demon Lord, we¡¯ve unknowingly offended you. It¡¯s just that these Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples have stolen something that belongs to the ck Blood Mercenary Corp, and we¡¯re trying to get it back from them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Beast Demon Lord. They keep saying that they¡¯re the representative from the Holy Land of the Light n, fooling the people under their territory. We¡¯re extremely angry, and that¡¯s why we¡¯ve chased them all the way here.¡±


    ¡°May the Beast Demon Lord please let us handle this!¡±


    All the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps followed along and pleaded with Duck Emperor respectfully.


    ¡°What a whole bunch of nonsense. Venomous nder! You people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps create so much trouble. It¡¯s not just a day or two that you¡¯ve been treating human lives like grass. In this endless forest, you people still tried to kill us. It just goes to show that your guts have already reached a certain level. We at Ziyue Cave Heaven were extremely lucky that we could find this orchid. After you people found out, you tried to kill us so that you could have it. Now you are iming that the orchid belongs to you. You people are topnotch when ites to reversing what¡¯s right and wrong,¡± Zuo Xiangming couldn¡¯t hold in the anger and shouted at them.


    This statement caused the faces of the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps to turn green and red. At the same time, they all stared at Zuo Xiangming with hate, gritting their teeth.


    ¡°Young people, don¡¯t worry. This duck here will settle this for you. These little worms here won¡¯t be able to aplish much!¡±


    Duck Emperor was determined to force this act. It was nning to be the one true beast demon in the hearts of the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples. The title ¡®Beast Demon Lord¡¯ was too good for him to just give it up.

 Chapter 734 - Stinky Duck Is Floating

    <h2>Chapter 734: Stinky Duck Is Floating</h2>


    ¡°On ount of Grandpa Duck Emperor, you better hurry and scram. Otherwise, Grandpa Duck Emperor will break all your arms and legs, and trap your spirits in the ninth level of hell so that you will neither live or die. Do you see that? That is the ending you will get for offending Grandpa Duck Emperor!¡± Duck Emperor used the same words he used to scare Xiao Luo back in the Chaotic Space to frighten the ck Blood Mercenary Corps members, then pointed at the three corpses at the side.


    It was ck Dog and the others?


    As soon as these ck Blood Mercenary Corps people saw the three corpses of theirrades, their faces turned pale instantly.


    The eyes of the middle-aged man in front were wide open, and he disyed a slight bit of horror on his face. There was no doubt that the three of them, including ck Dog, were killed by the beast demon in front of him. A beast demon was several levels stronger than a human being, and,pared to it, they were as minute as the fine dust in the air.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! We¡¯ll scram now. Scram right now!¡±


    The ck Blood Mercenary Corps members nodded their heads, turned around, and left quickly. There was no way they still had the guts to stay any longer. They definitely didn¡¯t want to turn into corpses as well.


    The man right in front remained quiet, but due to the threat of the beast demon, he eventually decided to leave like his subordinates. With each step he took, he kept turning his head back to look at the three corpses while furrowing his eyebrows.


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples jumped in joy. They felt like they had finally vented out their frustration.


    On the other hand, Duck Emperor broke out in a cold sweat and heaved a sigh of relief. It thought to itself, ¡®Screw their ducking mum! I managed to somehow chase this bunch of people away!¡¯


    ¡°Lord, thank you!¡±


    A female Ziyue Cave Heaven disciple walked over and expressed her gratitude towards Duck Emperor. Her way of showing her appreciation was to bend down and give Duck Emperor a kiss on its face.


    Oh, wow!


    Duck Emperor felt like its entire body had turned light. It could feel its body floating up to cloud nine. Its heart was beating fast, as if there was a train running in its body. Its blood was flowing faster, and it solemnly pledged, ¡°You¡¯re wee, you¡¯re wee. Let this duck here tell you guys this: If they dare toe again, this duck here will peel their skin off and pull their tendons out.¡±


    ¡°Lord, you¡¯re great! Come to Ziyue Cave Heaven. We¡¯ll have some good food and drinks!¡± Another female disciple was courteous as well and massaged its shoulders.


    At this moment, Duck Emperor finally knew what ¡®all the stars cup themselves around the moon¡¯ really meant. It finally knew what poprity was, what a cluster of flowers really was. The three pretty female Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples surrounded him, and the other three male disciples wereplimenting it nonstop. All of them were being extremely friendly towards it.


    Xiao Luo sat by the campfire alone, leaning against a huge tree with his eyes closed to regain his energy. He had nothing to say towards this stinky duck, but since it managed to scare the people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps away, it saved him from doing it himself. He was toozy to try and do it by himself anyway. Looking from this side was not a bad thing after all.


    After the people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps retreated more than a mile, the man realized that something didn¡¯t seem right at all.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother Leopard?¡±


    Everyone else was secretly happy that they managed to keep their lives, but the man¡¯s henchman could tell that he was not looking normal.¡±


    ¡°Something is not right.¡± The man stopped and furrowed his eyebrows deeply.


    Something was not right?


    What wasn¡¯t right?


    The others stopped as well and shot a confused look towards him.


    ¡°The fatal wound on ck Dog and the rest were on their neck. Looking at the wound, it¡¯s obvious that they were sliced by a sharp edge. Why would a beast demon need to use a knife to kill someone?¡± The man aired out his doubts.


    After everyone heard that, they finally realized that something did seem strange.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never met a beast demon in this endless forest. A beast demon¡¯s aura is extremely powerful. Don¡¯t talk about standing right in front of it. Even if we stood a few kilometers away, we can already feel its terrifying aura in the air. And that duck wasn¡¯t emitting any aura like that. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s just an ordinary stinky duck,¡± the man said.


    Eh, that¡¯s true indeed!


    The more everyone heard that, the more they started to believe him. A very powerful beast demon without a sense of threat at all¡­ This indeed didn¡¯t seem right. Besides, a beast demon usually hated humans a lot, and they always hid in the depths of the forest to practice. There was no way it would get so close with other humans.


    ¡°Brother Leopard, don¡¯t tell me we¡¯ve been fooled?¡± the devoted henchman spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The man shook his head. There are many things that he just didn¡¯t seem to understand. That duck didn¡¯t look like a beast demon no matter how you looked at it, and, the three of them, including ck Dog, most probably weren¡¯t killed by it. But the three of them were indeed real junior martial arts spirits, so how did they die? Could it be that they were killed by the young man who was sitting at the side who didn¡¯t utter a single word? But that young man looked like he was just at the level of a martial artist. There was no way he had the ability to kill the three of them.


    If you say that he did it with the six b*stards from Ziyue Cave Heaven, then that was all the more unlikely. Among those six b*stards, the strongest one was only at the level of an intermediate great martial artist at best. The difference was too huge. It¡¯s like an insurmountable obstacle that could not be crossed. No matter how the few of them worked together, there¡¯s no way they could have killed the three of them.


    What in the world happened then?


    The more he thought about it, the weirder this entire scenario became.


    ¡°Go, report the current situation to the assistant troop leader, and see what he has to say,¡± the man ordered his henchman.


    ¡°Brother Leopard, then what about you guys?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll head back and see what¡¯s actually going on,¡± the man said.


    Head back?


    As soon as the rest heard that, the color on their faces changed. It was unclear exactly how the three of them died. There was no way they had the guts to head back.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? I swear that that stinky duck isn¡¯t a beast demon at all,¡± the man ascertained. ¡°As to why it could open its mouth and talk, I bet it must have eaten some elixir or some kind of natural herbs or ores, and identally gained that ability.¡± He continued confidently, ¡°ck Dog and the rest might have lost their lives, but I¡¯m sure they must have underestimated their opponent and fell into their enemies¡¯ trap. Otherwise, there¡¯s no way a few martial artists can do anything to them.¡±


    He was doing this tofort his subordinates and himself, trying to convince himself that his spection was correct.


    Indeed, after his statement, the expression of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps members turned serious. Perhaps they really trusted him and believed that things really happened as he mentioned.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s head back!¡± the man shouted, taking the lead as they went back where Xiao Luo and the others were.


    ¡­


    ¡°Let me tell you people this, this duck here was inmand of the world back in the days. I could produce clouds with one hand, and rain using the other, and could even pierce a hole through the sky. Right. Have you people heard of the story ¡®N¨¹wa Mends the Heaven¡¯?¡± Duck Emperor was currently bragging to the six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples.


    The six of them shook their heads and looked at Duck Emperor with eyes filled with admiration. The phrase ¡®mend the heaven¡¯ sounded extremely powerful even just listening to it.


    ¡°This duck here knows that you people have never heard of it. This just goes to show that you people are just way too young and living in an era that¡¯s so far away from that period I¡¯ve lived in. Since you people don¡¯t know, then this duck here shall enlighten you guys. This duck here enjoys sharing stories.¡± Duck Emperor enjoyed the feeling of being worshipped. If it wasn¡¯t because of Arcana Land, it would have lived its past 500 years for nothing. Now that it was floating all the way up into the clouds, it had thrown Xiao Luo to the back of its head. It was really treating itself like it was a real Beast Demon Lord.


    This stinky duck was floating!


    Xiao Luo sneered. He really wanted to walk straight up and kick this stinky duck in its butt.

 Chapter 735 - Second Kill

    <h2>Chapter 735: Second Kill</h2>


    Whoosh!


    A short arrow and a piercing sound that could cause one¡¯s scalp to turn numb suddenly flew out of the forest like ck lightning. It shot right past the right wing of the duck who happened to be raising it as it was talking. With a slight bit of blood, itnded on a tree in the distance.


    ¡°Gah¡­,¡± Duck Emperor groaned in pain and fell to the ground. A few white feathers fell off its body at the same time.


    ¡°Lord, how are you? Are you alright, Lord?¡±


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples rushed forward and lifted Duck Emperor up.


    Duck Emperor could no longer continue its act as it was in way too much pain. Tears already appeared in its eyes. It screamed, ¡°My duck wing! My duck wing! It¡¯s in so much pain. Gah!¡±


    All the prestige and majestic aura from a beast demon were gone. Its image had crumbled in an instant.


    All six of the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were puzzled. They refused to believe that a beast demon would disregard its image and cry out in pain like that.


    ¡°Damn it! Screw you bloody stinky duck! I almost fell into your trap earlier on. Fortunately, I¡¯m smart and didn¡¯t. Otherwise, I¡¯d be the biggest joke in this group!¡±


    All the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were back. A dark, heavy atmosphere surrounded the forest, and the one talking was the middle-aged man right in front. With the light from the fire shining down on his face, the scar on his face looked so much more terrifying.


    ¡°Goddamn brat, what are you sitting there for? Time for you to make your move!¡± Duck Emperor shouted at Xiao Luo. It no longer had the guts to continue its act. Indeed, one would pay for pretending to be someone they were not.


    Xiao Luo pped off the dust from his hands, stood up, grabbed his Dragon de, and walked up slowly. He took a nce at the duck,ughed, and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to continue your act?¡±


    Duck Emperor¡¯s face turned red, and then scolded, ¡°Goddamn brat! Are you doing this on purpose? That was just a short arrow. If you tried to stop it, you¡¯d have surely been able to. I bet you purposely stood still so that you could watch that arrow shoot right through my duck wings.¡±


    ¡°Stinky Duck, you think too highly of me!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows andughed a little. In reality, he could have stopped that short arrow, but he was extremely pissed off looking at this stinky duck pretending to be cool and wanted it to learn a lesson.


    ¡°Screw your ducking mum, you b*stard!¡±


    Duck Emperor gritted its teeth. Of course, it knew that Xiao Luo was fooling around. With Xiao Luo¡¯s ability, there was no way he couldn¡¯t stop a mere arrow at all.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered with it anymore. He turned around to face the people from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps and raised the de. He pointed the de at the man and, without hesitations, coldly said, ¡°Two options for you: get lost now or die!¡±


    Get lost now or die?


    The people in the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were confused. These words were things that they only said to others. Since when did someone else ever have the guts to say this to them? Besides, it wasing from someone who was only at the level of a martial artist. This goddamn guy must have gone insane.


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were stunned. This guy was a senior-level figure in the ck Blood Mercenary Corps. He was at the peak of the martial spirit realm and was half a foot towards the level of a martial lord. Everyone else at the level of a martial artist or a great martial artist couldn¡¯t seem toprehend where Xiao Luo got his confidence from. To think that he actually had the guts to say something like that to the ck Blood Mercenary Corps people when he was only at the level of a martial artist.


    ¡°Screw your ducking mum! Stop pretending. This goddamn brat is definitely at the level of an ancestor!¡± Duck Emperor stepped down gracefully and softly whispered.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man in the lead couldn¡¯t help butugh. Then, hisughter slowly turned into a sneer. He looked at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Brat, you are the first person in this area who dares to tease our ck Blood Mercenary Corps. I can guarantee that you will also be thest.¡±


    ¡°Brother Bao, stop talking nonsense with him. Kill them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. How dare the man and duck make fun of our ck Blood Mercenary Corps? Skinning them alive won¡¯t be enough to pacify my anger!¡±


    ¡°Show them what cruelty is!¡±


    The members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps stared angrily at Xiao Luo. They waited for the middle-aged man to give the order before they swarmed up and hacked Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor to death.


    ¡°Draw your swords and prepare for battle!¡±


    Zuo Xiangming shouted and took the lead to draw his sword, standing on the same side as Xiao Luo.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    The other five disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven drew their swords one after another, looking at the ck Blood Mercenary Corps as if they were facing death head-on, ready to fight these people with all their might.


    ¡°Gee, seems these rookies still want to struggle! Interesting. I appreciate it. Go ahead, tear them all into pieces!¡± The man had a murderous look and crooked his finger sinisterly.


    The members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps immediately charged at Xiao Luo and the others.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve chosen death. Alright. I¡¯ll grant you your wish!¡±


    Seeing the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Group rushing towards them, Xiao Luo directly raised his hand and chopped them down in one stroke.


    Bang!


    A fierce saber aura, which was more than a hundred feet long, cut through the void and fell. The forest was in an uproar. The violent wind blew, and the sky was dark. The bodies of the ck Blood Mercenary Group members enveloped by the saber aura instantly exploded.


    Pft! Pft! Pft!


    It was as if a powerful bomb had exploded in their bodies, causing flesh and blood to scatter everywhere and turn into a bloody mess on the ground. The people at the periphery were ruthlessly sent flying by this force. Their bodies crashed into a fewrge trees, and, in the end, all of them fell to the ground, spewing blood from their mouths. After struggling for a while, they stopped breathing.


    The only one who survived was the middle-aged man. His entire body was covered in blood as hey on the ground. His clothes were all torn apart, and one of his arms was broken. Blood was gushing out from the wound, and he let out painful groans.


    Hiss.


    The six people from Ziyue Cave Heaven heaved a sigh of relief. They were dumbfounded; their faces filled with shock.


    A single sh¡ªjust a single sh¡ªhad killed dozens of ck Blood Mercenary Corps members in an instant. Even those who had almost broken through to the Martial Lord realm were heavily injured and only had one left.


    How was this possible?


    Wasn¡¯t Xiao Luo just a Martial Master?


    ¡°What do you mean by cruel? F*ck, this is what it means to be cruel!¡± Emperor Duck couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He was truly shocked by Xiao Luo¡¯s cruel methods.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say anything and walked towards the man who was struggling for his life..


    ¡°You¡­ Who exactly are you?¡±


    The man stared fixedly at Xiao Luo with his eyes filled with fear. This young man actually turned this ce into a ughterhouse with his saber.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to either scram or die? Unfortunately, you chose thetter!¡±


    Xiao Luo wore a stoic expression on his face. After saying this, he killed the middle-aged man with a single sh.


    At this point, more than a dozen ck Blood Mercenary Corps members had all died.


    Zuo Xiangming and the rest could not believe their eyes. A guy at the Martial Master level had killed more than 10 members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps in two or three moves, which was simply unimaginable.


    They looked at Xiao Luo in astonishment. Even the beast demons were inferiorpared to him. He was the real monster. The three ck Blood Mercenary Corps members were killed by the monster, Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Brother¡­ Brother Xiao¡­¡±


    Zuo Xiangming was about to say something when Xiao Luo raised his hand and interrupted him, ¡°Do you still remember what you promised me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I remember. The transmission array of our Ziyue Cave Heaven is always open for you to use. In addition, I will alsopile a detailed map of the route to the Light n¡¯s Holy Land,¡± Zuo Xiangming promised.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯ll go to Ziyue Cave Heaven.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and walked back to his seat. He sat down and closed his eyes to rest against the tree.

 Chapter 736 - Who Was It?

    <h2>Chapter 736: Who Was It?</h2>


    In the Endless Forest, towering trees blocked the sun. The thousand-year-old vines were as strong as dragons, and, from time to time, roars could be heard from afar.


    There was naturally not much sense of security to spend the night here. The six disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven did not dare to sleep. However, Xiao Luo closed his eyes and rested, indifferent to the dangers that might approach them, with his back against a big tree.


    After personally witnessing Xiao Luo kill more than 10 members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps with a single sh, an expert at the peak of Martial Spirit Realm had no ability to resist in front of him. Zuo Xiangming and the others had already regarded Xiao Luo as a god in their hearts.


    ¡°Senior Brother, the aura on this guy Xiao Luo is clearly that of a martial master. Why is his strength so terrifying?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. More than 10 members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were Martial Masters and Great Martial Masters. There was also a Martial Spirit Realm expert who was killed by him in a single stroke. His strength must have reached the Martial Lord realm in that instant.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something weird about him. I¡¯ve never seen such a guy.¡±


    The disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven could not help but discuss Xiao Luo in low voices. Now, all of them had cast Duck Emperor aside. It was not that they were snobbish, but the strength that Xiao Luo had disyed was too shocking, making thempletely unable to understand the reason behind it.


    Zuo Xiangming raised his hand to stop them. ¡°Brother Xiao must have developed some skills to mask his true strength, which made him look just like a Martial Master on the surface,¡± he guessed. ¡°Alright, stop talking about Brother Xiao. No one likes being talked about behind their back.¡±


    The senior brothers and sisters nodded obediently.


    ¡°Hey, young man, what are you waiting for? Come and help me bandage my wound!¡±


    Duck Emperor hated the feeling of being neglected. Although it shouted at the top of its lungs to gain attention, it had actually almost recovered.


    The Master God of Chaos had taught him two excellent skills: One was the ability to recover strength and heal, and the other was the ability to escape. In the past 500 years, he had been practicing these skills. Thus, he had certainly mastered them. The pration of a short arrow was child¡¯s y to him.


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples did not treat Duck Emperor differently though they had learned that it was not a beast demon. Instead, they went forward and carefully treated its wounds. The three female disciples even carefully blew air into the wounds with their mouths. They were extremely considerate.


    Xiao Luo saw all of this and had judged that the people from Ziyue Cave Heaven were still quite decent.


    In the past 500 years, Duck Emperor had never received any care from anyone other than his own master. This was the first time it felt being cared for. Tears welled up in its eyes.


    ¡°Venerable Sir, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Zuo Xiangming asked with concern.


    ¡°No¡­nothing. Something got into my eyes. Must have caused by the wind. Stupid wind!¡±


    Duck Emperor, embarrassed, quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Venerable Sir. I¡¯m actually not a beast demon. I only know how to speak the humannguage. I can¡¯t bear the title of ¡®Venerable Sir¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Then how should we address you?¡± a female disciple asked curiously.


    Duck Emperor thought for a moment before saying in all seriousness, ¡°Call me Grandpa Duck. I¡¯m over 500 years old. Yeah, you can just call me Grandpa Duck.¡±


    Uh¡­


    The six disciples from Ziyue Cave Heaven were all stunned. How could it still take advantage of them? The duck was actually more than 500 years old? But it was just like an ordinary duck in all respects. It would be reasonable for us to call it grandpa if it was long in the tooth, but¡­


    ¡°We still want to call you Venerable Sir. In our hearts, you will always be a beast demon and our Venerable Sir,¡± Zuo Xiangming said thoughtfully.


    A male disciple quickly echoed, ¡°That¡¯s right, Venerable Sir. You stood up for us and faced the ck Blood Mercenary Corps alone just now. Your figure was too imposing and handsome. You are fully deserving of being a venerable sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that so? Am I really handsome?¡± Duck Emperor immediately became ted.


    ¡°You are super handsome!¡± a female disciple said firmly.


    The duckughed and quacked. ¡°I¡¯m ttered. I¡¯m terred. Thank you.¡±¡±


    Duck Emperor was overjoyed. It shouted excitedly at the top of its lungs and even started humming a song. It sounded awful, but it did not care and kept right on, looking smug.


    Zuo Xiangming and the others wanted to cover their ears several times, but they were afraid of hurting Duck Emperor¡¯s self-esteem. So they had no choice but to hold it in for the moment. All of them looked miserable.


    ¡°If you dare to keep on singing, I¡¯ll roast you!¡±


    Xiao Luo could not tolerate this any longer. He picked up a wooden stick and threw it at Duck Emperor, who was treating this ce as a stage to showcase its bad singing. The wooden stick hit Duck Emperor¡¯s head and knocked it to the ground.


    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡± Duck Emperor cursed and got up. But when it came to its senses and realized that it could not defeat Xiao Luo, it had no choice but to endure it. ¡°You are envious, Xiao Luo. You must be jealous that I can sing so well!¡±


    Xiao Luo opened one eye and spoke indifferently, ¡°I know a singer when I hear one, and you¡¯re not.¡±


    ¡°I am a master in songs. How could the song I sang not be nice? Young man, tell him, did the song I hummed just now sound nice?¡± Duck Emperor wouldn¡¯t let it go. It really believed it could sing well.


    Well¡­


    The six people from Ziyue Cave Heaven were instantly caught in a dilemma. It was indeed unpleasant to hear. If they told the truth, it would hurt the duck¡¯s ego, right? But if they say Duck Emperor was a good singer, wouldn¡¯t it be a p to Xiao Luo¡¯s face? So what should they do then?


    ¡°Who was singing just now, disturbing my mind and causing me to fail my breakthrough? Come out and ept your death!¡±


    Just as they were hesitating, a cold voice was suddenly heard. Then, a huge snakehead emerged from the forest, spitting out its scarlet tongue, and its entire body was blood-red. It was a giant python. The body of the giant python was as thick as arge water tank. Its body emitted an indescribable stench. The intense pressure caused the six people from Purple Moon Grotto to break out in cold sweat.


    Beast¡­beast demon?


    It was actually a giant python beast demon. It was truly a powerful beast demon.


    ¡®Run, Venerable Sir, Brother Xiao. Hide away!¡¯ Zuo Xiangming shouted subconsciously and turned to escape. Against a beast demon, they had no ability to resist. The only choice left for them was to run.


    ¡°You b*stard still trying to escape? Not one of you can escape!¡±


    The giant python¡¯s triangr eyes were filled with rage. It swung its huge tail. In an instant, the earth shook, and the trees trembled. Five to six towering trees snapped, and theirrge trunks were sent flying before crashing heavily onto the ground, blocking Zuo Xiangming¡¯s escape route.


    It twisted its huge body and slowly moved from the forest. ¡°I was finally sensing the opportunity to break through, but you damn humans sang such a terrible song and disturbed my mind, eventually resulting in my failure to break through. If I want another opportunity to break through, I will have to wait at least a hundred years. You guys f*cking deserve to die! Tell me, who was the one singing just now? I will make him beg for death!¡±


    The six disciples from Ziyue Cave Heaven nced at Duck Emperor.


    Duck Emperor shuddered. After meeting the giant python¡¯s gaze, it hurriedly pointed at Xiao Luo. ¡°Quack, quack, quack!¡±


    It didn¡¯t dare to speak the humannguage anymore, so it used its ducknguage to subtly tell the giant python that Xiao Luo was the one who sang, tempting to throw the me on Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Did you sing it just now?¡± The giant python red at it coldly.

 Chapter 737 - Martial Lord

    <h2>Chapter 737: Martial Lord</h2>


    Duck Emperor was scared out of its wits. If the giant python found out that it was the one singing, it would be eaten and digested into feces, defecated, and turned into fertilizer for the nts. In desperation, it was beyond regarding whether the giant python would doubt its words. It pointed at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°It¡¯s not me¡ªit¡¯s him. That guy was singing just now!¡±


    How could this be¡­


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples felt that Duck Emperor was disloyal. He was the one who was singing, yet he insisted on framing Xiao Luo. It failed to assume responsibility and had no sense of shame at all. It waspletely without decency and justice.


    ¡°So it was sung by you, son of a b*tch!¡± the python yelled.


    The giant python moved its huge body and looked down at Xiao Luo with its red eyes.


    Xiao Luo stood up and was about to deny Duck Emperor¡¯s im.


    At this moment, Zuo Xiangming ran toward Xiao Luo, taking the me. ¡°No, I was the person who was singing. Lord Beast Demon, I sang it. It wasn¡¯t him.¡±


    As he spoke, he kept giving Xiao Luo meaningful looks, telling him to leave quickly.


    When Zuo Xiangming¡¯s five junior brothers and sisters saw this, they shivered in fear, and all ran back.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of my senior brother¡¯s business. I sang it! I sang it!¡±


    ¡°Lord Beast Demon, I was the one who sang it. If you want to punish someone, punish me. Let them go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know that you were concentrating on breaking through. I never expected that my singing disturbed your meditation. I deserve to die. If Lord Beast Demon wants to punish me, please punish me.¡±


    The five disciples pleaded with the giant python, each iming it was their fault. They didn¡¯t want to see their fellow disciples killed by the giant python, so they would rather sacrifice themselves.


    Duck Emperor¡¯s face blushed in shame. Its behavior contrasted sharply with those of the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples. It was a cowardly creature who would rather put the me on innocent people than face the consequences of its actions.


    ¡°You are f*cking noisy!¡±


    The giant python was already very angry. When it heard that the six disciples were taking the me, its intent to kill heightened. It opened its huge mouth and spat out arge me.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The raging mes swept toward the six of them at once. The mes were so hot that even steel would melt.


    The Ziyue Cave Heaven people opened their eyes wide, unable to move for a moment. In the end, they could only despair and wait for death to arrive. However, even after waiting for a long time, they did not feel the mes touching their skin. They opened their eyes to take a peek. They saw a mysterious figure standing in front of them.


    ¡°Brother Xiao?¡±


    Zuo Xiangming was amazed. There was an invisible barrier formed around Xiao Luo, blocking all the mes. The reason they were still alive was that Xiao Luo had protected them.


    All of them were astonished. One had to know that these were mes spat out by a beast demon. However, such terrifying mes were actually blocked by Xiao Luo. How was this possible? It couldn¡¯t be!


    The python was also extremely surprised that Xiao Luo was not afraid of its mes. After spitting for a while, it stopped and stared at Xiao Luo with its blood-red eyes. ¡°Human brat, what kind of technique is this?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no cultivation technique,¡± Xiao Luo answered. ¡°You¡¯re a beast demon, so I¡¯ll call you Venerable Sir for the time being. I apologize for interfering with your breakthrough just now. It¡¯s our fault, but it doesn¡¯t deserve death. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Xiao Luo told the giant python calmly with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t deserve death?¡± When the python heard this, it snorted coldly. ¡°As a cultivator, you should know very well that the opportunity to break through is fleeting. I had a hard time achieving breakthroughs. I was almost there when I heard the terrible and high-pitched singing of you, f*cking b*stard! Today, none of you will be able to leave alive. I will swallow all of you!¡±


    Xiao Luo shook his head helplessly. ¡°You should have lived for more than a thousand years. I sincerely sympathize with you for wasting an opportunity to break through. But, from my point of view, if you want to harm my life, then you have to be prepared to be killed by me,¡± Xiao Luo warned.


    ¡°Killed by you?¡±


    The giant python was stunned for a moment before it burst intoughter. ¡°How could a mere Martial Lord cultivator dare to boast in front of me!¡±


    Xiao Luo responded calmly, ¡°Cultivation is not easy for you, so I hope you can cherish it. If you don¡¯t, I can only apologize.¡±


    ¡°What an arrogant human boy! I want to see just how strong you are!¡±


    The python was unable to restrain its anger. It opened its bloody mouth and weed Xiao Luo from a high ce. With a loud boom, the ground shook, and sand was everywhere. It caused a huge hole in the ground, and half of its tongue was inside the pit.


    The moment it attacked, Xiao Luo moved like lightning and dodged its bloody mouth. He left an afterimage on the spot and leaped high, striking the python¡¯s body with his palm.


    The python could not bear the immense pain, and its upright body fell to the ground. Its blood-red eyes were filled with an ominous glint.


    Whoosh!


    A violent gust of wind rose from the ground, and a huge snake tail whipped toward Xiao Luo.


    This tail whip was truly a sweeping attack on the battlefield. Amidst the loud rumbling sounds, rocks scattered, and debris covered the sky. The rows of towering trees fell. The terrifying might caused the disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven and Duck Emperor to retreat.


    Xiao Luo crossed his arms and collided head-on with the giant python¡¯s tail.


    Bang!


    There was a dull explosion, and Xiao Luo¡¯s entire body was sent flying into the air. However, he quickly came to a stop and stayed high up in the air.


    Martial¡­Martial Lord?


    The Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples¡¯ were in shock at what they had witnessed.


    ¡°Senior Brother, he¡­he¡¯s actually a Martial Lord!¡±


    ¡°My goodness! How¡­how is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Our master is only at the intermediate level of Martial Emperor Realm. He¡¯s only a few years older than us, yet he has already reached the Martial Lord Realm!¡±


    The disciples trembled uncontrobly and could not even speak properly. To be able to stay in the air was obviously the ability that only those who had reached the Martial King realm had. Although the Arcana Land was vast and boundless, the higher the realm, the fewer cultivators could reach, which was reduced in the form of a pyramid. Those who had reached the Martial Lord realm were already among the experts in this world.


    Zuo Xiangming was so shocked that he could not say anything.


    The giant python was also very surprised. It raised its head and looked at Xiao Luo. ¡°Human brat, you¡¯ve actually reached the Martial Lord realm!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not very clear about the division of strength on your side, and I don¡¯t wish to rify either. If you don¡¯t want your thousand-year cultivation to be destroyed in an instant, leave now. I won¡¯t pursue this matter,¡± Xiao Luo warned as he stood in the air with his hair fluttering in the wind.


    The giant python sneered, ¡°Although your strength has exceeded my expectations, you¡¯re just a mere Martial Lord,¡± it berated Xiao Luo. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what right you have to be so arrogant.¡±


    It really did not take Xiao Luo seriously. Only a Martial Guru Realm human could beparable tobat to it. A Martial Lord would not pose any threat to it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to my kind advice, then you can¡¯t me me.¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s gaze turned cold.


    ¡°I¡¯ll swallow you, you brainless b*stard!¡±


    With a roar, the giant python¡¯s body, which was over a hundred feet long, rose from the ground. It opened its bloody mouth, emitting a fishy stench, and rushed high into the sky, swallowing Xiao Luo in an instant.

 Chapter 738 - Beheaded

    <h2>Chapter 738: Beheaded</h2>


    ¡°The world is finally quiet!¡±


    The giant pythonughed loudly. Swallowing a Martial Lord was quite an achievement for it. In the future, when it met its own kind, it would have something to boast about.


    Zuo Xiangming and the others were pale as they looked at it in horror. Xiao Luo had been swallowed by the giant python, and there was no chance of survival. A giant python that had reached the level of a beast demon, its stomach was as tough as steel and could not be harmed. Furthermore, its digestive ability was powerful. Once human flesh and blood were swallowed by it, it would probably turn into a pool of pus and blood in a few breaths.


    ¡°Darned brat, hold on! I will help you!¡±


    Duck Emperor suddenly attacked the python as if it had gone mad. It used all its strength to peck the giant python with its beak and used its ws to try to tear its body apart.


    Under its frenzied attacks, the blood-red scales on the python¡¯s surface, which were as hard as steel, parted and blood flowed out. It hurt the python but didn¡¯t do much damage.


    ¡°F*cking duck!¡±


    The giant python was enraged, and its entire body twisted madly while its enormous tail struck horizontally and vertically, causing the ground to tremble.


    However, the movement of Duck Emperor was as fast as lightning, and it managed to dodge one fatal attack after another. What¡¯s more, it continued to use its beak and ws to beat the giant python until its surface was covered in blood.


    What the hell¡­


    The six Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were dumbfounded. Their impression of Duck Emperor was that it was cowardly and disloyal. However, at this moment, they realized that they seemed to have been wrong. Duck Emperor was not a beast demon, but it had actually be brave all of a sudden and fought against the giant python that was actually a beast demon, which was simply unimaginable.


    ¡°Junior Brother, Junior Sister, bring the Eight-petal Immortal Orchid back to treat Master¡¯s illness. Don¡¯t ask anything. This is my order. Hurry up and carry it out!¡± Zuo Xiangming gave a firm order. Then, he rushed forward with his sword and assisted Duck Emperor in dealing with the giant python.


    However, the disparity in strength was too great. The giant python swung its tail, sending Zuo Xiangming flying with blood spewing from his mouth.


    Not long after, Duck Emperor was defeated. Actually, its ability to escape might be unparalleled, but its attack ability was obviously very weak. After the giant python spat out a mouthful of mes, it fell straight from the sky. All the feathers on its body were burnt, and some parts of its flesh were exposed. It fell onto the ground. It looked as if it was half-dead. It wasn¡¯t moving.


    The giant python¡¯s blood-red eyes swept across Duck Emperor and the others as it gritted its teeth. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now,¡± looking at Zuo Xiangming, ¡°I¡¯ll eat all of you one by one to vent my anger!¡±


    It twisted its huge body and slowly crawled towards the exhausted Duck Emperor, Zuo Xiangming, and the others. It spat out a scarlet apricot as if it wanted them to experience the terror of death fully.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you follow my order?¡±


    Zuo Xiangming red at his junior brothers and sisters angrily. It was enough to sacrifice himself. Why did they still choose to die in vain?


    ¡°Senior Brother, how can we abandon you and run for our lives?¡±


    ¡°Right. We will be on your side! If you die, let us die with you!¡±


    ¡°Even if Master is here, he will definitely agree with us.¡±


    The five of them were unafraid of death. Even though their eyes were filled with fear, they did not retreat. They would not leave Zuo Xiangming to die here.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Zuo Xiangming did not know what to say. He appreciated them not leaving him, but he felt it was too much. He could only sigh. He had a pained expression on his face.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    The giant python opened its bloody mouth, emitting a strong stench. It actually wanted to swallow the Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples and Duck Emperor together.


    The other five mustered their strength and got ready for onest fight.


    Suddenly, the giant python stopped attacking, and its head stopped moving in mid-air as if it was petrified. Then, it began to howl in pain as its huge body rolled around frantically.


    Crack! Crack!


    Trees fell one after another from the impact, and dust scattered into the air. The giant python was writhing in pain, destroying the forest in this area with its destructive power and apanied by its sharp, ear-piercing cries.


    The five disciples from Ziyue Cave Heaven hurriedly picked up Duck Emperor and Zuo Xiangming, and ran until there was enough distance between them and the area where the giant python was wreaking havoc.


    The six people and the duck looked at the scene in disbelief. They had no idea what was happening. Why did the python suddenly stop attacking? Why did it start writhing in pain?


    ¡°Could it be that it felt nauseous after eating that darned brat?¡± Duck Emperor muttered.


    As soon as it finished speaking, a bloody hole was torn open in the python¡¯s stomach, and a figure shot up into the sky from within, bringing along a stream of dense blood. The madly writhing giant python fell to the ground and stopped moving. Blood gurgled out from the bloody hole, soaking thend.


    ¡°It¡¯s that brat! He¡¯s not dead!¡±


    Duck Emperor was instantly energized as it looked at Xiao Luo descending from the sky.


    Zuo Xiangming and the others were all bbergasted. They all thought that Xiao Luo was done. It was actually a giant python at the level of a beast demon. How could one survive such a feat? But now, not only did Xiao Luo survive, he even broke through the giant python¡¯s belly and emerged. How terrifying was his strength on earth?


    Half a kilometer of the forest was destroyed, and the ground was filled with scattered mes. Just looking at this ce, it was like the scene of doomsday.


    Xiao Luo stood in front of the giant python like a god.


    ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡±


    The dying python looked at him in horror. It had never expected that he would fall into the hands of this human.


    Xiao Luo stretched out his hand. The Dragon Saber flew into his hand from dozens of meters away like a ck lightning bolt. He replied coldly, ¡°The person who killed you.¡±


    With that, the giant python¡¯s head was chopped off.


    A beast demon had just passed away.


    Xiao Luo nced at the giant python¡¯s corpse indifferently. His heart was calm. He had already warned this python many times, but it failed to cherish the opportunity he gave it. So now it was nothing but a corpse. It wasn¡¯t his fault.


    Zuo Xiangming and the others walked closer. When they saw the motionless corpse of the huge python on the ground, their eyes widened in fear. This was a beast demon but was beheaded just like that. They couldn¡¯t believe it. And in their hearts, Xiao Luo¡¯s figure was already like an unreachable mountain. His back was also iparably imposing.


    ¡°Darned brat, you¡­you killed it?¡± Duck Emperor rushed forward and said in disbelief.


    ¡°Could what you see be fake?¡± Xiao Luo replied annoyingly. He frowned and continued, ¡°Why do you smell like a roasted duck? Stupid duck, why are you in such a sorry state? Did you fall into a fire pit?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Duck Emperor flew into a rage. It jumped up and used its wings to p Xiao Luo. ¡°You f*cking idiot! How f*cking dare you still talk like an unconcerned person here? I thought you were dead, so I went all out against this giant python. That¡¯s why I ended up in such an embarrassing state. You f*cker! You still dare to make fun of me? Would you like me to peck your privates until they¡¯re useless?¡±

 Chapter 739 - A Clash

    <h2>Chapter 739: A sh</h2>


    Pecking privates?


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes as he recalled a traditional method of treatment in his rural hometown when he was young. It was to send a male duck to peck at a boy¡¯s penis. That was to treat a swollen penis as a result of some insect bites. Thinking about it now, it really made him speechless.


    ¡°Duck, you have really moved me,¡± heforted.


    Duck Emperor was stunned but soon snapped, ¡°Cut that mushy crap! If it isn¡¯t for your ability to take me back to the Chaos Dimension, I wouldn¡¯t be bothered to help you.¡±


    Its wings were crossed before its chest, and it turned around, closing its eyes to show that it did not care at all.


    ¡°Xiao¡­ Sir!¡±


    At this time, Zuo Xiangming approached them and was about to address Xiao Luo as Brother Xiao. However, considering that he could even kill a beast demon, it was too inappropriate to call him a brother. Hence, he called him ¡®sir¡¯ instead as personal strength precedes everything in the Arcana Land.


    Xiao Luo nodded and took a nce at Zuo Xiangming. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just need to rest for some time.¡± Zuo Xiangming smiled.


    Xiao Luo remained quiet and was preparing to find a new ce to spend the night.


    ¡°Sir, every exotic beast has a beast core within it, and it contains very rich spiritual energy, which could be used for alchemy or enhancement for self-cultivation. The higher the level of the exotic beast, the rarer its beast core is. This giant python has reached the level of a beast demon. Its beast core is priceless. It is highly sought after anywhere. Don¡¯t you n to extract its beast core?¡± Zuo Xiangming exined, seeing that Xiao Luo was not going to do anything with the carcass of the giant python.


    ¡°Beast core?¡±


    It was obviously the first time that Xiao Luo heard about this, so he frowned a little.


    A few disciples of Ziyue Cave Heaven were slightly confused and thought that how could this guy not know of the beast core? Where did he grow up? Why did he know nothing of such matters?


    Zuo Xiangming nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s called beast core.¡±


    He walked to the carcass of the giant python and cut the body open with his sword. Although a dead beast demon had a rather tough skin, it could still be cut open without the protection of the true inner force. After some digging, he extracted a green orb of the beast core from the carcass of the giant python.


    The beast core was spherical and had a diameter of 5 to 6 centimeters, which could be grasped by one hand easily. Although its green in color and was stained with some blood, it was extremely translucent and was giving off some white steam.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually such a thing in the body of that giant python?¡±


    Duck Emperor was extremely shocked, and it walked over to y with the beast core. ¡°It looks like a green luminous pearl, but its texture resembles a rubber ball. It¡¯s so magical.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not interested in the beast core as he had already reached a very high level of aptitude. He no longer needed to rely on external help to further improve his power, so he said, ¡°Keep it if you like it. You can take it as a souvenir.¡±


    ¡°You rascal! I am just waiting for you to say that.¡±


    Duck Emperorughed and then kept the beast core somewhere like magic.


    This made the people of Ziyue Cave Heaven confused as none of them could tell where Duck Emperor hid the beast core.


    Xiao Luo was curious about it, too. This duck was only wearing a sailor suit without any pockets, and everything else was just his white feathers. Although the beast core was not huge, it was still rather difficult to hide it underneath the feathers. Hence, he asked, ¡°Where did you hide it?¡±


    Duck Emperor pointed at the ring on its neck. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°A ring?¡±


    Xiao Luo had noticed its ring a long time ago, but it just looked like an ordinary essory. There was nothing special about it.


    ¡°This is something you wouldn¡¯t know. This is a spatial ring given by my master. It could store a lot of things. I just remembered about it at the veryst minute, so I brought it along with me. This is the perfect item for traveling and looting,¡± Duck Emperor boasted.


    There was actually such a magical object in the world?


    The Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were thoroughly shocked as they had never heard of or seen a ring that could store items.


    ******


    ******


    The night was peaceful and quiet, and Xiao Luo had started to leave the Forest of the Infinity Edge and move towards the north in the direction of Ziyue Cave Heaven.


    After they had left for an hour, the vice captain of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps had arrived at where they were with a dozen of people, ording to the information by one of his subordinates. As they all saw the deste state of the ground and a carcass of a giant python, all of them were scared.


    ¡°I have said a long time ago that dude is extraordinary. Now you all should trust me.¡± A man with a long face dered with a fearful look. He was the guy that Xiao Luo had let go of previously.


    The vice captain was a burly guy in his 40s. His eyes were deeply sunken, and there were three obvious wrinkles on his forehead. He did notment but judge the surrounding quietly.


    It did not take too long for his subordinates to organize the bodies of hisrades. Of course, these bodies were still intact. Those random pieces of bodies were difficult to cote. The carcass of the giant python was also carefully examined.


    ¡°Vice Captain, Brother Bao and his subordinates are all dead. In addition, after examining this giant python, we can conclude that it is of a beast demon level. Its torso was impaled and, finally, was beheaded. Its beast core was extracted, too,¡± a man reported the results of the examination to the vice captain.


    A giant python that was of the level of a beast demon?


    As everyone heard the report, they all gasped in awe as that guy could even kill a beast demon. How strong exactly could he actually be?


    There was also a slight hint of fear in the vice captain¡¯s eyes. The hands behind him were shaking uncontrobly as he turned to Brother Bao¡¯s trusted man. ¡°What kind of man was he like?¡±


    ¡°He was a handsome man, seems to be in his mid-20s, and his weapon is a pitch-ck katana. On the surface, he looked like he has reached the stage of a Martial Master,¡± that man recalled as he trembled in fear.


    Mid-20s?


    Everyone was shocked again as they heard that. It was simply unbelievable that a young man in his mid-20s was capable of killing a demon beast.


    ¡°His power is unfathomable. I couldn¡¯t even get a clear view of how he moved before he slit the throats of Heigou and the rest,¡± that man with a long face said in fear.


    At this time, the atmosphere around the ck Blood Mercenary Corps became heavy as they knew that they had met an intimidating figure that was not meant to be messed easily with around.


    ¡°Is he close to the people of Ziyue Cave Heaven?¡± the vice captain asked.


    ¡°Seems like it. He was protecting them,¡± that man replied.


    The vice captain¡¯s face changed. ¡°Sh*t. The captain will be attacking Ziyue Cave Heaven today. He might end up facing our captain. I can¡¯t let this happen. We have to rush to Ziyue Cave Heaven to assist our captain.¡±


    As he finished speaking, he started charging towards the direction of Ziyue Cave Heaven.


    However, none of the rest followed up as they all were petrified.


    ¡°You guys?¡± the vice captain stopped and asked them in confusion.


    ¡°Vice Captain, that was a powerful man who could even kill a beast demon. What can we do even if we had gone there?¡± the man with a long face asked bitterly.


    Everyone had the same thought as him. The opponent was simply too powerful, and that had crushed everyone¡¯s will to fight.


    The vice captain was in wrath, but he agreed with the man with a long face. There was nothing they could do, and their presence would probably only add to the casualties.

 Chapter 740 - A Misfortune

    <h2>Chapter 740: A Misfortune</h2>


    Looking at the mess around the area, especially that giant python¡¯s carcass, made the vice captain of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps trembled uncontrobly. The thought of going to Ziyue Cave Heaven to assist their captains was also dismissed. He then switched to employing a falcon courier and wrote a letter to warn their captain to retreat from there.


    A falcon courier could fly up to 20,000 kilometers within a day, so it was the most mainstreammunication method in the Arcana Land.


    ¡°Would Captain retreat after reading the letter?¡± a member of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps asked in suspicion.


    ¡°He probably wouldn¡¯t. He used to be a disciple of the master of Ziyue Cave Heaven and was expelled by him personally. He really hated his ex-master a lot and has been thinking about destroying Ziyue Cave Heaven ever since. If not, he wouldn¡¯t have expanded the ck Blood Mercenary Corps to arge organization consisting of a thousand people. Now he knew that the old man is very sick. It would be the perfect opportunity to wipe out Ziyue Cave Heaven now. He wouldn¡¯t give up this chance so easily,¡± the other person said.


    As everyone heard their conversation, they all showed aplicated look, and the vice captain also heaved a sigh.


    ******


    ******


    After Xiao Luo and the gang had left the Forest of the Infinity Edge, they continued to travel north for a dozen kilometers and finally saw a mountain before them. It was a majestic mountain as its peak was taller than the clouds with many exotic boulders and gorgeous rock walls. The cliff was stiff, and the entire mountain was covered in lush green forests with colorful flowers and bushes, which made the entire mountain resembled a secret sanctuary.


    ¡°Sir, this is the blessednd of our Ziyue Cave Heaven.¡±


    Zuo Xiangming introduced the ground to Xiao Luo generously that the mountain scene at Ziyue Cave Heaven was the most beautiful within the vicinity of tens of thousands of kilometers. The scene here looked like a reflection of a Chinese mountain and river painting, which was extremely exquisite. He always felt proud about it when he introduced that to other people.


    ¡°This is indeed a blessednd. I want to dedicate a song to such a scene personally.¡± Duck Emperor was mesmerized by the breathtaking view and felt the urge to sing. It had a very strong self-healing capability, and the wounds on its body had long been healedpletely.


    As the people of Ziyue Cave Heaven heard that it wanted to sing, their faces all turned awkward.


    Xiao Luo knocked on its head directly andmented, ¡°Haven¡¯t you created enough trouble? If it wasn¡¯t for your banshee-like singingst night, that giant python¡¯s cultivation wouldn¡¯t be interrupted and it wouldn¡¯te to fight.¡±


    ¡°What the hell! How was I responsible for that?¡±


    Duck Emperor was not convinced and added, ¡°I can guarantee that that useless python had failed in advancing its cultivation, so he was just finding an excuse to vent his anger. Fortunately, we are not easy to be messed with. If not, that would be too unlucky.¡±


    Xiao Luo was not interested in bantering with it, so he just gave it a deadly stare to shut its mouth.


    Zuo Xiangming smiled and tried to break the awkwardness, ¡°Sir and Venerable Sir, let¡¯s go up.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and followed him subsequently.


    When they were halfway up the mountain, a giant gate made of expensive wood appeared before them. It looked like a three-story high tower and was 3 feet wide. There was an enormous que on the center of the gate, which read ¡°Ziyue Cave Heaven¡± in golden paint. The characters were written in bold calligraphy, which was solemn and powerful.


    ¡°Junior brother Sung and Junior Brother Lee aren¡¯t guarding the gate here. Where have they gone to ck off again?¡± A female disciple ranted when she saw that there was nobody at the gate.


    ¡°We have to report this to our master. Although Ziyue Cave Heaven is just a small n, there are also rules to be adhered to strictly. Both Junior Brother Sung and Junior Brother Lee are simply too ill-mannered,¡± The other female disciple told Zuo Xiangming. Obviously, she hoped that Zuo Xiangming would report this to their master.


    Zuo Xiangming¡¯s expression was very uncertain as it was obvious that he too had issues with the two junior brothers who were supposed to guard the gate.


    ¡°Senior Brother, look! There¡¯s bloodstain here!¡±


    An observant male disciple discovered some bloodstain near the gate, but there was only a trace amount of it, and it was covered by many leaves. It was rather difficult to notice.


    Blood?


    Everyone was shocked, and a bad feeling arose spontaneously.


    A few of them ran over and examined the ground carefully, concluding that it was indeed human blood. Following the trace of the blood for a dozen meters, they discovered two men lying in the bushes with blood oozing out of their mouth and nose. Their faces were pale.


    ¡°It¡¯s Junior Brother Sung and Junior Brother Lee!¡±


    The six people of Ziyue Cave Heaven rushed there in the shortest possible time.


    A man checked their breathing and pulses, then he got up and shook his head at Zuo Xiangming, dering in great sadness, ¡°They¡­are dead.¡±


    Zuo Xiangming squatted down and checked where the fatal injuries were. He finally discovered that both of their chests had a pitch-ck palm. His eyes widened and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Wind Cloud Palm. It must be Xiang Qing the traitor!¡±


    Xiang Qing?


    The other five all looked shocked as Xiang Qing used to be part of Ziyue Cave Heaven, but he was expelled by the master due to his monstrous deed of raping a girl beneath the mountain. Their master also scrapped half of his cultivation progress. Since then, he had hated Ziyue Cave Heaven to the core and had created the ck Blood Mercenary Corps, which was a group of viins who onlymit harmful crimes. He must have known that their master was seriously sick now, so he took advantage of it and attacked them.


    ¡°What the hell! He¡¯s merciless! He had shattered all of the internal organs with one palm!¡± Duck Emperor examined the bodies and was shocked.


    Xiao Luo did not waste more time and flew towards the mountain peak. He must use the transmitting formation, and it would be a big problem for him if the master of Ziyue Cave Heaven was killed.


    ¡°You rascal, wait for me!¡±


    Duck Emperor pped its wings and caught up with him immediately. He also turned to Zuo Xiangming and the rest and said, ¡°Youngsters,e along quickly. If you arete, you would miss all the good shows.¡±


    The six of them were deeply grieved and could not appreciate Duck Emperor¡¯s joke. Two of them stayed to prevent any kind of beasts and insects from tampering with the bodies of Junior Brother Sung and Junior Brother Lee. Zuo Xiangming then led the other three people to rush to the mountain peak.


    *******


    *******


    At the peak of the mountain, there was a variety of buildings including high lofts, a fine tower, a pearly pce, and also a zen-themed residence.


    Within the main pce, some 600 Ziyue Cave Heaven disciples were tied up and controlled by a bunch of burly dudes with swords and bows. More than a dozen of the elders were grievously wounded, too, as they all sat at one corner. There was blood on everyone¡¯s mouth.


    A big man was sitting on the high seat of the n master.


    That man only showed his right eye as his left eye seemed to be blind and covered with a ck eye-patch. He rested his right leg on the clean seat, and his entire body was almost leaning on the seat. He just finished reading the letter brought by the falcon courier from the vice captain.


    ¡°What kind of nonsense was he talking about? Even the old man of Ziyue Cave Heaven had be my prisoner now. Was he actually suggesting that there is a man who¡¯s stronger than the old man in thisnd? Did a donkey kick his already stupid brain or something?¡± Xiang Qing passed the letter to one of his trusted men as he cursed.


    That man looked at the letter and reacted indifferently, too. ¡°The entire Ziyue Cave Heaven was taken by the ck Blood Mercenary Corps, and he¡¯s actually asking you to retreat. The vice captain¡¯s probably out of his wits.¡±


    ¡°Ignore him!¡±


    Xiang Qing sat up from the seat, and his vicious sight fell on an elder not far away. He smirked. ¡°Master, have you ever thought of an instance like today when you expelled me out of Ziyue Cave Heaven? Are you regretting that you did not scrap all of my cultivation progress away?¡±

 Chapter 741 - A Ingrate

    <h2>Chapter 741: A Ingrate</h2>


    The Sect Leader of Ziyue cave heaven was Xiang Yangyan. He was on the verge of senility, and his hair and beard werepletely white. His lips were pale because of his injuries. He looked at Xiang Qing and sighed heavily. ¡°I do not regret not crippling your cultivationpletely. What I regret is that I didn¡¯t teach you how to be a person.¡±


    After pausing for a moment, he continued, ¡°When you were still a baby, you were abandoned at the foot of the mountain. I was the one who raised you, and you even adopted my surname. In my eyes, you are not only my disciple but also my child. You are a talented and intelligent man and have an extremely high cultivation talent. I have always been proud of you, but unfortunately, your heart is filled with evil intentions.


    You were born with such vile thoughts within you. In the end, youmitted raping, plundering, profaning my sect¡¯s reputation, and insulting my fame. So naturally, I could not indulge you any further!¡±


    The more he spoke, the harder it became for him to control his tone. In the end, it became a roar.


    Xiang Qing¡¯s lips twitched furiously.


    Seeing this, one of his men stepped forward and pped Xiang Yangyan¡¯s face.


    THWACK!


    The crisp sound of the p echoed in the huge main hall.


    ¡°Old goat, you are not eligible to speak nonsense when ourmander is doing things? You¡¯ve lived for so long. How could you not realize the current situation? Your Ziyue cave heaven is merely a prey, while our ck Blood Mercenary Crops is the hunter. If you anger us, we¡¯ll rape these lively female disciples from your Ziyue cave heaven right in front of you!¡± The trusted subordinate of Xiang Qing grabbed Xiang Yangyan¡¯s cor and said fiercely.


    He was the Sect Leader of the Ziyue cave heaven, yet he was pped in front of everyone by a mere Great Martial Master. He was even grabbed by the cor and scolded by the inferior man, which was not only a humiliation to Xiang Yangyan but also a humiliation to the entire Ziyue cave heaven.


    ¡°You bas*rd, let go of our Sect Leader!¡±


    A few heavily injured elders shouted, their voices bing hoarse from their injuries.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch our master. If you want to make trouble,e at us!¡±


    ¡°Xiang Qing, I curse you, and your ck Blood Mercenary Corps will suffer a horrible death!¡±


    ¡°Although the Ziyue cave heaven is only a small sect, it belongs to the Light n. If you dare to treat us in this way, the Light n will send people to wipe you all out from this world once they receive the news!¡±


    The hundreds of Ziyue cave heaven disciples below also struggled and lost their temper. They would not allow others to insult their master like this.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Do you guys want to rebel? Then just kill a few to calm you down!¡± Xiang Qing stood up from the Jade Stage and said nonchntly.


    As soon as he finished speaking, the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops, guarding these Ziyue cave heaven disciples, carried out their orders.


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    With the de light shing, the 20 to 30 Ziyue cave heaven disciples who had stood up to shout were cut down instantly. They died with their unanswered grievances as they fell into pools of blood.


    This action immediately suppressed the situation that was about to go out of control. Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. These people from ck Blood Mercenary Corps were demons that killed without batting an eye.


    ¡°Now you finally understand how to behave yourself.¡±


    Xiang Qing smiled in satisfaction, then waved his hand to dismiss his men. He walked over to Xiang Yangyan and looked down at him from above. ¡°Master, didn¡¯t you say that I am unforgivable for raping and plundering? Right. Since you¡¯ve raised me, how about I give the people from Ziyue cave heaven a way out?¡±


    He waved his hand. Two of his men brought a female disciple from Ziyue cave heaven and threw her beside Xiang Yangyan.


    A sinister smile formed at the corner of Xiang Qing¡¯s mouth. He squatted down and pointed at the female disciple. ¡°As long as you strip this chick¡¯s clothes and have sex with her in front of us, I¡¯ll immediately bring my men down the mountain. I won¡¯t find any trouble with Ziyue cave heaven in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Xiang Yangyan gnashed his teeth in anger and spat out a mouthful of blood. If he had known earlier that this was an ingrate, he would have strangled him to death when he was born.


    The faces of those elders were also flushed red with anger. Xiang Qing had clearly wanted to use the trick to achieve his goal of revenge. This was even crueler than killing their Sect Leader. Using such an ill means, he was simply worse than a beast.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master? Wouldn¡¯t you rather do that?¡±


    Xiang Qing frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t you always teach us the principle of sacrificing life for righteousness? I just want you to have a taste of women, which is easy to achieve, and then I¡¯ll let all of you off. But you don¡¯t appreciate my kindness. Then don¡¯t me me for not giving you a chance.¡± He pinched the female disciple¡¯s cheeks with his index finger and thumb and chuckled. ¡°Look at how tender this girl is. Master, I¡¯m showing you my respect!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    The members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps could not help butugh out loud. The path of vengeance that their leader hade up with was so brilliant.


    ¡°Xiang Qing, you f*cking bast*rd! No, you are even worse than a bast*rd!¡±


    ¡°I truly regret not breaking all the tendons in your hands and feet when I banished you!¡±


    ¡°Sect Leader, I told you we could not leave this brat alive. He will take revenge on us for certain!¡±


    Over ten of the elders cursed at Xiang Qing, and some were bitter and regretful. They strongly suggested that Xiang Qing should be punished with the penalty of death. It was Sect Leader who had undercut all the proposes and let Xiang Qing live and caused the disaster today.


    Xiang Yangyan took a deep breath and was disappointed he had raised such an ingrate.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Xiang Qing flew into a rage and shouted at the dozen elders, ¡°You bunch of old goats, or I¡¯ll make sure to kill you all first!¡±


    After that, he turned his gaze to Xiang Yangyan, and with a sinister smile, he said, ¡°What do you think, Master? Have you thought it through? Have you decided whether to sacrifice for the greater good? The several hundred lives of Ziyue cave heaven are all in your hands. Whether they live or die is up to you, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    The eyes of several hundred Ziyue cave heaven disciples turned red. How could they not know that Xiang Qing intended to force their master into a dead end on purpose?


    Xiang Yangyan opened his turbid eyes and stared coldly at Xiang Qing. ¡°Huh! Don¡¯t dream. If you want to kill me, just do it. There is no point in humiliating me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xiang Qing pretended to be surprised. ¡°Master, you¡¯re so ruthless. You¡¯re willing to disregard the lives of hundreds of Ziyue cave heaven disciples. Compared with you, I¡¯m nothing.¡±


    Xiang Yangyan red at him in silence, unable to contain his anger.


    ¡°Since you had no consideration for my feelings, I won¡¯t hold back then.¡±


    Xiang Qing stood up and ordered his subordinates, ¡°Men, organize them in groups of ten, and annihte them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Leader!¡±


    A dozen executioners nodded.


    A massacre was about to begin, and a shadow of fear instantly enveloped the hearts of all the Ziyue cave heaven disciples in the main hall.


    A cold sweat broke out on Xiang Yangyan¡¯s forehead. Could he stand to see his disciples ughtered? No, he couldn¡¯t. Yet, how could he agree to do such a despicable thing? Xiang Qing seemed to have given him a choice, but in reality, he gave him no choice at all and was forcing him to a dead end.

 Chapter 742 - Take Over

    <h2>Chapter 742: Take Over</h2>


    BAM! BAM!


    Just as the ck Blood Mercenary Corps raised their long sabers, the two members guarding the entrance outside flew into the main hall. They spat out blood and fell to the ground, wailing in pain.


    What was going on?


    Everyone was confused.


    In the next second, a young man who was dressed in a style that they had never seen before walked into the main hall. His face was cleanshaven and fair, his hair was ck and shiny, and his eyebrows were straight and handsome. He held a knife in his hand and walked unhurriedly on the red carpet to the center of the main hall. Then, he raised his head and looked at Xiang Qing, who was seated on the jade tform.


    ¡°D*rn it! I told you to wait for me. I don¡¯t want to miss such an exciting show!¡±


    With a slightly hoarse voice, a white duck rushed in through the entrance into the main hall, and he was half flying and half running. When the talking duck reached Xiao Luo¡¯s side, he leaned against Xiao Luo and even wiped the sweat off his brow like a human, panting heavily. ¡°You bloody idiot, why didn¡¯t you bring me along when you came up? My duck wings are now numb from flying, and my legs are weak from running.¡±


    A beast¡­ beast demon?


    Everyone in the main hall was stunned. A mutated beast that could speak the humannguage was at least at the level of a beast demon, and a beast demon was equivalent to a human expert of the Martial Guru Realm. It was almost on top of the food chains. And now, a beast demon was right in front of them. How could they not be shocked?


    No, the aura isn¡¯t right. The beast demon is powerful, and no matter what method they use, they can¡¯t hide the oppressive aura from their bodies. And I do not detect any such aura, Xiang Qing thought to himself.


    He pointed at Xiao Luo with a cold gaze. ¡°Who are you? And what on earth is that stupid duck doing beside you?¡±


    Stupid duck?


    The members of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops were shocked. This was a beast demon, yet their leader dared to insult it. Was he courting death?


    ¡°Brat, why aren¡¯t you kneeling when you see your Grandpa Duck Emperor? Believe it or not, I¡¯ll relegate your soul to hell and make you beg for death!¡± The Duck Emperor cleared his throat and brought out his usual posturing again.


    ¡°Humph, stop bluffing, stupid duck! You¡¯re not a beast demon at all. The aura of a beast demon is more than a hundred times stronger than yours!¡± Xiang Qing snorted.


    Oops, has he seen through my facade?


    The Duck Emperor was stunned for a moment before he turned to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°F*ck, this guy deserves to be the leader of the viins. His talent is indeed high!¡±


    Xiao Luo nced at Duck Emperor disdainfully. With your poor acting skills, anyone with a little intelligence would have known that you¡¯re not a beast demon, he thought.


    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t a beast demon. It seems like it might have taken some miraculous elixir or materials to activate its ability to speak the humannguage!¡±


    Everyone in the ck Blood Mercenary Crops murmured and heaved a sigh of relief.


    When the Ziyue cave heaven¡¯s disciples and elders heard that, their mood had once again hit rock bottom. They thought that the situation had turned for the better. As it turned out, it wasn¡¯t a beast demon at all. Just with an ordinary duck, as well as a young man whose strength was only at the Martial Master level. How could this pair possibly be a match for this bast*rd, Xiang Qing?


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m asking you a question. Who are you? What are you doing here?¡±


    Xiang Qing ignored the Duck Emperor, and his gazended on Xiao Luo. Of course, he didn¡¯t read the letter the deputymander had passed to him thoroughly, so he didn¡¯t realize that the person in front of him was the person the very man he had been warned him to be careful of.


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Hearing that, one of Xiang Qing¡¯s men shouted, ¡°Are you f*cking blind? You don¡¯t even know ourmander!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t give me a satisfactory exnation for why you injured my men, I¡¯ll chop you and that f*cking duck beside you into pieces and feed you to the dogs, piece by piece!¡± Xiang Qing scowled as he sat back on the jade tform.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression did not change, and he said, ¡°I¡¯ve taken over Ziyue cave heaven. Take your ck Blood Mercenary Crops and get the f*ck down the mountain now. And I¡¯ll spare your lives.¡±


    Hearing those words, everyone in the main hall was startled. This guy¡¯s head must have been kicked in the head by a donkey. What nonsense was he spouting?


    ¡°Motherf*cker, this d*mned brat was even better at posturing than me. He¡¯s the true king of posturing!¡±


    The Duck Emperor acknowledged Xiao Luo¡¯s superior posturing and felt an immediate need to strengthen his skills.


    However, for Xiao Luo, this is not posturing but a show of strength. He didn¡¯t need to be polite to these people, and only those who hadn¡¯t reached his level would think that he was posturing. In reality, he was just simplifying things.


    Xiang Qingwei was stunned for a moment before he smiled yfully and said, ¡°Excuse me, did you just tell us to get down the mountain and you¡¯d spare our lives?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Luo replied and nodded stiffly.


    When it was confirmed, Xiang Qing immediatelyughed out loud from the jade tform. He found it so hrious that he even pped his thigh and burst into tears as he held his stomach.


    ¡°Haha, haha, haha¡­¡±


    The entire hall of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops broke out in raucousughter. They couldn¡¯t control themselves and were extremely amused, for it was like a wimpy kid warning an adult.


    The disciples and elders from Ziyue cave heaven stood silently, in sharp contrast to the ck Blood Mercenary Crops. When Xiang Qing asked where they had found these so-called reinforcements, the elders¡¯ faces turned red, and they were so embarrassed that they could not say anything.


    Xiang Yangyan shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°Young man, I appreciate your kind intentions, but you¡¯re not their match. Hurry and go down the mountain. There¡¯s no need to get involved in this mess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, young man, hurry.¡±


    ¡°Most of the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops are Martial Masters and above, and Xiang Qing has even reached the mid-stage of Martial Lord. The situation you¡¯re in is akin to an ant trying to shake a tree!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and leave with your tamed beast!¡±


    The elders persuaded Xiao Luo to leave as they felt the disparity in strength was too great. How could they fight with the ck Blood Mercenary Crops?


    ¡°How dare youe and go as you please? Have you asked me?¡± Xiang Qing sneered.


    Xiang Yangyan shouted at him, ¡°What you want to deal with today is Ziyue cave heaven, don¡¯t hurt the innocent!¡±


    ¡°Old goat, you have no right to speak here!¡±


    Xiang Qing smiled coldly. ¡°Besides, if I don¡¯t hurt the innocent, how can I live up to my infamy?¡± He waved his hand and gave an order, ¡°Two of you, pull out his tendons and skin, then chop him up and feed him to the dogs. As for this f*cking duck, kill it, pull out all its feathers, and prepare me a roasted duck!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Leader¡±


    Two members of the ck Blood Mercenary Crops carried out the order and walked up to Xiao Luo.


    However, before they could touch Xiao Luo¡¯s body, they were thrown back by Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force and fell to the ground with blood gushing from their mouths.


    What the hell?


    The disciples and elders from Ziyue cave heaven had looks of surprise on their faces. The two ck Blood Mercenary Crops members were both Martial Masters, yet the young man, Xiao Luo, did not have to move at all and defeated them only using his True Inner Force. How was this possible?


    Xiang Qing was stunned for a moment, then his eyes turned cold. ¡°It turns out that you have hidden your aura well. Your true strength isn¡¯t just that of a Martial Master. No wonder you have the courage to challenge me!¡±

 Chapter 743 - Killing All with One Slash

    <h2>Chapter 743: Killing All with One sh</h2>


    ¡°This is your and your subordinates¡¯st chance. Retreat from here right now, and I will forgive you and not kill you!¡±


    Xiao Luo had been trying hard to suppress the demon of killing in his heart. In thiswless Arcana Land where only strength mattered, the demon of killing could win easily. He had given them the chance to choose again and again. It was for them to live indeed, but it was for him to avoid unnecessary killings as well.


    ¡°Yes. Fuck off now, and you will be forgiven and alive. Otherwise, I will p my wings to kill you!¡± The Duck Emperor took advantage of Xiao Luo¡¯s power to validate its existence.


    Xiang Yangyan and the elders and disciples of the Ziyue Cave Heaven were feeling nervous for the man and the duck. Even though they had been holding back, there were at least seven or eight hundred members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps there. And they had knives and spears, and even arrows and crossbows. Besides, even the weakest of them were martial arts practitioners at the tenth level. Most of them were Martial Masters. There were even ten-odd Martial Spirits. As the leader of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps, Xiang Qing had even reached the middle stage of Martial Lord. Facing such a strong team, this man and this duck had extreme low odds of winning.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Xiang Qing burst outughing, lifting his head, as if he had heard the most hrious joke in this world. Then his face became cold right away. In his right eye, the only eye he had, the intention of killing arose. ¡°Fine. Fine. Fine. Throughout my whole life, I¡¯ve never seen guys like you. You are damn stupid. Go ahead. Kill them!¡±


    Under his order, ten-odd members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps immediately jumped onto Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor with long knives, shouting. Those people could kill to rob. Each of them at least killed one person before. They were extremely aggressive while attacking.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    A female disciple from the Ziyue Cave Heaven shouted spontaneously.


    The others of the Ziyue Cave Heaven were holding their breaths because of nervousness. Some of them were watching with fear, and others closed their eyes, so that they would not see Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor being minced bloodily.


    Facing ten-odd members from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps approaching him, Xiao Luo stomped on the ground.


    Bang!


    A deafening re came. The True Inner Force was transmitted into the ground from his feet. Like ten-odd drilling-ground dragons, they locked on the ten-odd people, and surged towards them fiercely and rapidly.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Tragic screams arose. Ten-odd skilled Martial Masters were sent flying. Blood was gushing out of their mouths and their noses. They fell onto the ground, struggled for some time, and then stopped moving.


    Those from the Ziyue Cave Heaven were dumbfounded. They were extremely shocked.


    It was understandable for them that those two beginner Martial Masters were knocked down in a second. After all, that guy was in the peak of Martial Master. However, he knocked ten-odd more Martial Masters down. And those out-and-out Martial Masters were knocked down in a second by only one sh.


    How was that possible?!


    That guy looked like twenty-six or twenty-seven years old at most. Even if he was extremely talented, it would have been extremely good for him to achieve the peak of Great Martial Master. How could he be so strong?!


    Those from the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were also astonished. With their mouths widely open, they looked at Xiao Luo with fear and shock, as if they were looking at a monster.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you gonna go away? Do you n to stop only when your Grandpa Duck Emperor ps you to death with wings?¡± The Duck Emperor cleared its throat, and then took advantage of Xiao Luo again to challenge Xiang Qing, who was standing in the jade kiosk.


    Xiang Qing¡¯s most trusted subordinate had a hunch. He advised Xiang Qing in a low voice, ¡°Leader, let¡¯s go. That guy is too weird. I¡¯m afraid we are not his¡­¡±


    Pah!


    Before he could finish, Xiang Qing gave him a p, and it made him turn 360 degrees where he was. Pointing at his nose, Xiang Qing cursed in anger, ¡°I¡¯ve finally got the opportunity to destroy the Ziyue Cave Heaven. You told me to go? If you dare speak again, I will kill you first!¡±


    ¡°Heeeey, gang leader, your Grandpa Duck Emperor seemed to overestimate you. Even this subordinate of yours is cleverer than you,¡± scorned the Duck Emperor.


    Xiang Qing gave it a cold stare. Then he shouted at his subordinates, ¡°What the hell are you staring at? Come on, all of you. Kill them!¡±


    Hundreds of members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps came to themselves. Ten-odd Martial Spirits attacked first, and the others followed. Knives glittered. The True Inner Force was moving around in the spacious main hall.


    Xiao Luo snorted in a low voice. The Dragon Saber was unsheathed. A horizontal sh was thrown at the members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps, who were approaching him fiercely like a troop made up of thousands of soldiers.


    Zoom!


    An invisible knife energy in the form of the full moon, moving parallel to the ground silently and extremely fast, prated those people¡¯s bodies. In only one second, those members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps who had been snarling and charging forward froze, as if they had been petrified.


    ng!


    Xiao Luo sheathed his Dragon Saber.


    In the next second, blood gulped out of the chests of those people and burst in the air like a fog. It looked like they had all been shot by a rifle. Then hundreds of people fell onto the ground, screaming. They stopped moving even without any struggle. An intense smell of blood permeated the air. It smelt so disgusting that those who were still alive wanted to puke.


    This¡­


    Xiang Yangyan and the elders of the Ziyue Cave Heaven opened their eyes widely, extremely shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s too powerful. This young man is at least a Martial Emperor.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be wrong. Only a Martial Emperor couldunch an attack like that.¡±


    ¡°He achieved Martial Emperor at such a young age. That¡¯s incredible. He is horrifyingly talented.¡±


    The elders were all dumbfounded. They had seen Martial Emperors before, so they knew what kind of strength a Martial Emperor could have. And they, who had been living for so long, had never seen such a young Martial Emperor before. A Martial Emperor in his twenties. How scary was that!


    Xiang Yangyan was dumbfounded as well. He was speechless. Who could believe a young man, who had been a Martial Master a moment ago, suddenly turned into a powerful Martial Emperor? Having one Martial Emperor was enough to turn the tide. However, he could not recall when he had crossed paths with Xiao Luo before, because for him, it did not make any sense that a total stranger had helped him rescue his Ziyue Cave Heaven.


    ¡°Unbelievable. It¡¯s unbelievable. Hahaha¡­¡±


    The main hall was full of the bodies of Xiang Qing¡¯s subordinates. Staring at them, he found it really hard to believe. He looked like he had gone crazy.


    The only survivors of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps were a few Martial Spirits, and they were too shocked to take any action. At this moment, Xiao Luo was doubtless the most horrifying demon in the world for them.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t kill me, boss. Please don¡¯t kill me¡­ I¡¯ll fuck off right away. I¡¯ll fuck off now¡­¡±


    Xiang Qing¡¯s most trusted subordinate was so scared that he had no courage to fight back at all. Throwing his weapon away, he knelt down to kowtow to Xiao Luo and to beg for his mercy.


    Following him, those few Martial Spirits who had survived also threw their weapons away and begged for Xiao Luo¡¯s mercy.


    ng.


    Xiang Qing suddenly acted. He decapitated his most trusted subordinate who was kneeling on the ground begging with his knife.


    That head, like a ball, flew into the sky and then fell onto the ground. Tong. Tong. Tong. It rolled to one side of the hall. Blood gushed out of that neck. The arms of the headless body moved a little. Then it fell onto the ground, twitching.


    Blood spattered onto Xiang Qing¡¯s face. Together with his ferocious expression, he looked hideous and terrifying. He scolded the headless body in anger, ¡°Traitor. Bah!¡±


    Then he spitted on the body of his most trusted subordinate.

 Chapter 744 - Our Lil Tang

    <h2>Chapter 744: Our Lil Tang</h2>


    Those in the main hall were all terrified and shocked by Xiang Qing, who was cruel enough to kill his own subordinates. So were the surviving members of the ck Blood Mercenary Corps. They were stupefied by what Xiang Qing had done.


    ¡°Whoever dare beg for his mercy, die!¡±


    Xiang Qing snarled at the remaining subordinates of his, ¡°This jerk is less than thirty. However talented he is, he is at most a Martial Lord. I¡¯m Martial Lord, too. Why should I be afraid of him? Go together to kill him!¡±


    Bang!


    He gave off a terrifying intention of killing and a suppressive energy, which turned into an invisible hurricane that swept over.


    Snarling in anger, Xiang Qing was like a beast that had gone crazy. Heunched an attack against Xiao Luo first. His snarls were deafening. He jumped up, holding the handle of his knife with both hands, and then shed towards Xiao Luo¡¯s head, intending to kill thetter into halves in this one attack.


    The invisible knife energy was surging all over the ce. Sweeping across the space, the vast suppressive energy made the atmospheric pressure rise instantly. People felt as if they were being pressed by a giant mountain. The power of Martial Lord was doubtless demonstrated at this moment!


    ¡°God damned jerk. Hold on. I need to go to the toilet first!¡±


    Facing crazy Xiang Qing, the Duck Emperor slipped away, which obviously was not any heroic act. It retreated ten-odd miles fast. That knife attack was so scary. It made its feathers stand on end.


    Xiao Luo ignored it. Staring poker-facedly at Xiang Qing, who was brandishing his knife downwards, he opened the palm of his right hand while the knife was moving down. Then he moved his palm upward. ng. A crisp sound of metal echoed in the room. Xiang Qing¡¯s long knife suddenly stopped, because Xiao Luo had grasped that cold glittering de with his right hand.


    Hiss¡­


    Everyone in the main hall could not help but gulp. This scene was incredible. That guy parried a Martial Lord¡¯s all-out attack barehandedly. Who on earth was he? That was scary!


    ¡°Incredible!¡± eximed the Duck Emperor unfeignedly.


    ¡°You want to defeat me? It¡¯s not even close,¡± said Xiao Luo with a cold smile, looking at Xiang Qing, who was also dumbfounded.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    Xiang Qing came to himself fast. His face became hideous again. Making a bigger effort, he injected the True Inner Force into the long knife, pressing the de towards Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    Bang!


    The ground on which they were standing copsed. A huge crater was created. Dusts were flying. A dreadful energy was expanding like a big river running downstream.


    In the dust, seeing his long knife unable to injure Xiao Luo, Xiang Qing threw it away decisively.


    ¡°Wind Cloud Palm!!!¡±


    Along with a threatening shout, he threw over both of his hands carrying a vast True Inner Force fiercely towards Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, as powerful as an angry beast.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good. That¡¯s the most powerful martial technique of our sect. Once he is hit by the Wind Cloud Palm, his viscera will instantly explode!¡±


    ¡°Bastard, Xiang Qing! That¡¯s a sneak attack!¡±


    ¡°Young brother, escape!¡±


    The ten-odd elders of the Ziyue Cave Heaven turned pale. They knew better than anyone the power of the Wind Cloud Palm. With this attack, people could even challenge someone with a higher level of strength. In a fight between a beginner Martial Lord and a Martial Lord in the peak, if thetter was hit by this palm, even though he was in the peak of the same level, he would still lose.


    However, their shouting could not change anything. Xiang Qing¡¯s Wind Cloud Palm hit Xiao Luo¡¯s chest hard and solid.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Xiang Qing burst outughing, wild with joy. That was the attack for which he was proud of himself. He could even use it to kill the enemy by smashing his viscera from far away and he could seed every time, let alone in a closebat. For him, Xiao Luo would definitely die.


    However, what really happened was that Xiao Luo remained still. He lowered his head and looked at Xiang Qing indifferently. ¡°Excuse me, what are youughing at?¡±


    On hearing that, Xiang Qing stoppedughing instantly. Theughter was reced with an unspeakable horror. He lifted his head. His pupils constricted. Sweating heavily, he said in a trembling voice, ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Impossible¡­ Impossible¡­¡±


    He could not believe this was what happened. He hit that guy with the Wind Cloud Palm indeed, but why thetter could still speak to him like that without any injury?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes turned cold¡­


    Whoosh.


    It was Xiang Qing¡¯s own knife. Moving across his neck, that sharp de left him a clear cut. Xiang Qing¡¯s throat was cut open without any difficulty.


    A pause of 0.03 seconds. Then blood flew out of that cut out of control. Xiang Qing opened his eyes widely in anger. He took a step back, then another step, with both hands covering his neck. However, he had no way to stop the blood from gushing out.


    It was not only out of his neck, but also out of his mouth and nose that the blood was gushing. He kept screaming. His voice went hoarse. After four or five steps back, he finally fell onto the ground, twitching. Except waiting for the arrival of death, there was nothing else that he could do.


    Right at this moment, it was so quiet in the spacious main hall that people could even hear a pin drop. The members of the Ziyue Cave Heaven were staring with fear. The surviving members of the ck Blood Mercenary Coups were as pale as a ghost. They could hardly believe their leader had been killed by this nobody in the blink of an eye.


    Xiao Luo nced at Xiang Qing¡¯s body, which had stopped struggling, on the ground. He threw away Xiang Qing¡¯s long knife casually, turned around, and then nced over the key members of the ck Blood Mercenary Coups who were Martial Spirits. None of those being nced at by him did not kneel down to kowtow to him and beg for his mercy, leaving behind the dignity of a martial master.


    The crisis of the Ziyue Cave Heaven was thus lifted!


    Hundreds of disciples of the Ziyue Cave Heaven, ten-odd white-haired and white-bearded elders, and the leader Xiang Yangyan were all shocked. The ck Blood Mercenary Coups, who almost erased the Ziyue Cave Heaven from the world, were eliminated by a young man of dubious background so easily. That was unbelievable.


    ¡°Who is this young brother? Why did he help us Ziyue Cave Heaven?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Did he have some history with us?¡±


    ¡°But I never saw him before.¡±


    The ten-odd elders gazed at Xiao Luo carefully, hoping the Ziyue Cave Heaven did have a history with this young brother. In that case, the Ziyue Cave Heaven would develop into a big top sect very quickly, and enjoy a high prestige in the Arcana Land. It would be totally different from then, when they were in such a decline that they were bullied by a team of the mercenary coups and could not even fight back.


    ¡°Gee, look. Do you think he looks like Lil Tang, who got lost in the Forest of Infinity Edge when he was a kid?¡± said an elder all of a sudden.


    The Lil Tang he mentioned was certainly a disciple of the Ziyue Cave Heaven, but got lost in the Forest of Infinity Edge when he was a kid.


    The other elders echoed him immediately.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. It is Lil Tang indeed.¡±


    ¡°Their ages also match, considering how old Lil Tang was when he was lost.¡±


    ¡°He is definitely our Lil Tang. Hahaha¡­ We Ziyue Cave Heaven will rise soon!¡±


    These elders were getting more and more excited. The fact was their impression of Lil Tang was already nearly zero. However, they hoped Xiao Luo had some connection with the Ziyue Cave Heaven so strongly that they persuaded themselves that Xiao Luo was the Lil Tang of the Ziyue Cave Heaven.

 Chapter 745 - A Blunder

    <h2>Chapter 745: A Blunder</h2>


    The elders echoed each other, convincing themselves that Xiao Luo looked like their Lil Tang¡ªthe child who got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge many years ago. Suddenly, one elder became very emotional. Crying, he asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Lil Tang, is that you? Are you Lil Tang?¡±


    Lil Tang?


    Frowning slightly, Xiao Luo turned to look at that elder.


    ¡°Lil Tang, I¡­I am Grandpa Li. You were so young then. I was the one who taught you how to take in the spiritual energy of the world and convert it to your own True Inner Force. Do you¡­do you still remember that?¡± the elder asked in an extremely caring voice.


    He was so emotional that his voice trembled. Who could have imagined that the missing Xiao Tang would be an unfathomable master in his twenties? And he showed up at the crucial moment and ended the crisis of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect. The elder found Xiao Luo to be kind.


    ¡°Lil Tang, I¡¯m Grandpa Mo. I taught you how to use a sword.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Grandpa Zhang. I taught you how to read and write. I taught you how to write your name.¡±


    ¡°And me¡­and me. Lil Tang, your hair was so long and messy. I used to cut your hair. I bet you must remember me because I used a gourddle to cover your head. I cut off the hair outside of it while the hair inside was untouched. Your other grandpasmented I had cut a jarhead haircut for you. Hahaha!¡±


    The other elders also tried hard to cozy up to Xiao Luo¡ªor, as they believed, Lil Tang. There was no way to confirm if things had happened as they had imed.


    Xiang Yangyan was the only one who kept silent. As a leader, that unrealistic illusion would not overwhelm him. Lil Tang was only eight years old when he got lost in the forest. Xiang Yangyan had found him. To be more urate, he found Lil Tang¡¯s bloodstained clothes and bones. Beasts had probably eaten the poor child. He did not tell anyone about his discovery back then because he did not want the incident to cast a shadow on the other disciples. He was afraid they would be reluctant to take future adventures in the Forest of the Infinity Edge.


    Xiao Luo felt confused. Since when did he be Lil Tang?


    He exined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you might have made a mistake. I¡¯m not Lil Tang. My name is Xiao Luo.¡±


    Xiao Luo?


    The ten-odd elders looked dumbfounded and exchanged nces with one another.


    The elder who had called himself Grandpa Li said with a smile, ¡°Of course, Xiao Luo might be your new name. But your family name is Tang when you were a child. You are our Lil Tang. You got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge when you were eight years old. We spent half a month looking for you, but we could not find you. My poor child, you must have suffered a lot of hardship throughout these years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But it cannot be me. I have always been called Xiao Luo, and I never got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge,¡± exined Xiao Luo earnestly.


    Huh, what is going on here?


    ¡°It is not him?¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Those eyes and that nose are the same as Lil Tang¡¯s. He must be Lil Tang.¡±


    ¡°Then, why did he im he never got lost in the Forest of the Infinity Edge and has always been called Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Some powerful master must have messed with his memory in some mysterious way. Yes, that must be the case.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what you say makes sense.¡±


    The elders exchanged their opinions and were still convinced Xiao Luo was their long-lost Lil Tang. They unconsciously pinned their hopes on him, for the young man could help the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect rise to the top again.


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. This young man is not Lil Tang!¡±


    Xiang Yangyan, who had kept silent for a long time, finally spoke. If he did not speak up, he was afraid that the blunder would get worse. He understood why the elders had hoped that the invincible young man was their Lil Tang, but he had to tell them the truth. After a long sigh, he said, ¡°Lil Tang is already dead. The beasts got to him. The only thing I found was his bones.¡±


    Hah?


    The ten-odd elders were all wide-eyed when they heard the news. They were at a loss for words, and the hundreds of disciples went into a frenzy as the word spread.


    ¡°Leader, did you find Lil Tang?¡± asked an elder immediately.


    Xiang Yangyan nodded and replied, ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡±


    ¡°Why did you not tell us back then?¡±


    Elder Li lost his temper and burst into tears. He had been trying so hard to coax Xiao Luo to remember Lil Tang¡¯s past and convince Xiao Luo that he was Lil Tang. It turned out to be a great blunder. It was such a shame that he felt he had lost face.


    The other elders also felt ashamed. They had hastily made ims that Xiao Luo was Lil Tang when, in fact, he was not. The situation had just gotten awkward!


    ¡°s¡­¡±


    Xiang Yangyan let out a sigh without speaking.


    ¡°Master, Master¡­¡±


    At that moment, Zuo Xiangming and the others had arrived at the mountain peak and hurried into the main hall. When he saw that Xiang Yangyan and his apprentice brothers and sisters were safe and sound, Zuo Xiangming felt relieved.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The elders and the leader of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect had sustained internal injuries. They needed some time to recover, but their disciples were all fine.


    The Ziyue Cave Heaven sect members treated Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor as their most distinguished guests because they had rescued their sect. Both of them were served the best food, the best wine, and the best clothes and were lodged at the best ce. Xiao Luo had changed into a white robe, in which he looked extremely handsome and charming. He had superb power. It was only natural that many of the female disciples of the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect had fallen in love with him.


    Zuo Xiangming finished drawing the map to the sacred ce of the Light n in two days. That was a guide that Xiao Luo had needed. Zuo Xiangming rolled it up and gave it to him.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Xiao Luo gratefully.


    ¡°My pleasure, Senior. It is the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect that should be the one to say thank you,¡± Zuo Xiangming said. He regarded Xiao Luo as their savior, and he feltfortable calling Xiao Luo his Senior. He did not feel awkward at all.


    ¡°Looks like our journey here is over, and a new one is about to begin. I look forward to it!¡±


    The Duck Emperor was still in its sailor suit. He had been dressing up and doing his hair a lot these days. He even got a new hairstyle andbed back the feathers on his head with care. It was the legendary hairstyle preferred by the bosses.


    Zuo Xiangming broke into a smile. Then he asked, ¡°Senior, who are you? Do you merely want to visit the sacred ce of the Light n to see what it is like?¡±


    Ignoring the first question, Xiao Luo only answered the second one. He said jokingly, ¡°Of course. What else can we do there? Create trouble?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course not. Hehe¡­¡±


    Zuo Xiangming was slightly embarrassed and scratched the back of his head as he smiled awkwardly. He felt he had asked a stupid question.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The teleportation portal was outside of another building. It looked like an enormous oval mirror, but the surface of the mirror was colorful lights.


    The news that Xiao Luo was leaving had spread across the Ziyue Cave Heaven, so hundreds of disciples were already gathered there. When Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor arrived, the female disciples had butterflies in their stomachs and were all fascinated by him.


    ¡°How could Xiao Luo be so handsome?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Where did he get that face? He¡¯s so handsome!¡±


    ¡°His strength is immeasurable, and he is so charming. Could he be from the sacred ce of the Light n?¡±


    Gazing at Xiao Luo, all decked in white, the female disciples felt their cheeks burning. It was only natural that they regarded this handsome and strong man as their Prince Charming.

 Chapter 746 - Pet Human

    <h2>Chapter 746: Pet Human</h2>


    ¡°Savior!¡±


    Xiang Yangyan and the elders walked up to Xiao Luo with friendly smiles, acknowledging him as their savior.


    Xiao Luo nodded to them.


    ¡°Hey, Xiao Yanzi. Can this teleportation portal take us to the Stan City that is tens of thousands of kilometers away?¡± asked Duck Emperor. He had sized up the portal and did not feel convinced that it was reliable. How was such a thing possible?


    Xiang Yangyan staggered when he heard Duck Emperor addressing him as Xiao Yanzi. He almost fell to the ground. However, since it was Xiao Luo¡¯s pet beast, he let it slide.


    He nodded and exined, ¡°The sacred ce of the Light n spent hundreds of years building many such portals in the Arcana Land. They deployed these portals with configurations that are top secret. These devices certainly can achieve long-distance transportation.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So, it is the sacred ce of the Light n who invented them. No wonder they are so amazing. But I bet they will need an enormous amount of energy to transport people to such a remote ce in a split second,¡± said the Duck Emperor. He patted the shell of the teleportation portal with his wings and acted as though he was an expert on the matter.


    Xiang Yangyan exined patiently, ¡°Of course. The elders of the Ziyue Cave Heaven and I have to channel a vast amount of True Inner Force into the portal from time to time to keep it in running condition. Usually, we only get some business people and sect members from Ziyue Cave Heaven using the portal to go to the Stan City. Most of themon folk live ordinary lives. They would not even think about traveling to a strange ce that is so far away. So, they seldom use it.¡±


    Nodding, the Duck Emperor said, ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Once we walk into the teleportation portal, we will arrive at the Stan City?¡± asked Xiao Luo straightforwardly.


    ¡°Yes, but be careful about one thing. Please do not use your True Inner Force during the transmission. It will affect the operation of the transmitting configuration. If you perform the True Inner Force, you might deviate away from your original destination. There might be other risks as well,¡± warned Xiang Yangyan.


    ¡°There has been an ident before. A man thought it would be fun, so he hit the light wall during the transmission. And the force of the space tore him into pieces,¡± said an elder.


    The Duck Emperor freaked out and asked, ¡°Mother ducker. Is it that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It is not dangerous as long as you do not unleash the True Inner Force. It is super safe.¡±


    Patting his chest, Zuo Xiangming guaranteed them. He continued, ¡°I have used this transmitting formation over fifty times. Nothing has ever happened to me.¡±


    ¡°The condition not to use the True Inner Force would only apply to you humans. What about me?¡± asked the Duck Emperor worriedly.


    ¡°Do not worry. Pet beasts can travel through the teleportation portal safely with their owners,¡± said the same elder with a smile.


    ¡°Pet beasts?¡±


    The Duck Emperor was so pissed off. The feathers on its head stood on ends when he heard himself referred to as a pet beast. pping his wings, he jumped up and shouted at that elder. He said, ¡°Who is a pet beast? It is you! And your entire family are pet beasts!¡±


    Two days ago, in the main hall, another elder had also referred to the Duck Emperor in the same manner. At that point, the duck had tolerated him. After all, it was not appropriate to get so angry. However, he certainly would not put up with being called a pet beast again.


    Eh?


    The duck¡¯s behavior had puzzled the elder. He did not know what he had said wrong. Was there a problem with calling it a pet beast?


    The Duck Emperor flew into a rage, pointed at Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°He is the pet beast. Oh, no, he is a human pet¡­ my human pet. Open your eyes wide. Do not make this mistake again.¡±


    Human pet?


    The name that Duck Emperor hadbeled Xiao Luo with amused the members of the Ziyue Cave Heaven.


    Kicking the Duck Emperor, Xiao Luo scolded, ¡°What nonsense are you uttering? Shrink yourself immediately so you can stay in my pocket.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not want to appear in public with a one-and-a-half-foot duck. It would attract too many curious gazes.


    The Duck Emperor had fallen on its face. It was a funny pose as its feathered bottom stuck out in the air when it fell.


    ¡°Goddamn jerk! When I am powerful enough, I will let you know what it feels like being kicked in the ass!¡±


    He cursed in anger, then shrank his body to the size of a newly hatched baby duckling. He flew into Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket with his head was sticking out, looking unhappily at the world atrge.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head at Xiang Yangyan and the others as a sign of farewell. Then, without further dy, he walked into the teleportation portal.


    As he watched Xiao Luo disappear in the colorful lights, Xiang Yangyan frowned slightly and had a worried look. Then he let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Elder Brother, why did you sigh?¡± asked a curious elder who was next to him.


    ¡°Our savior¡¯s strength is immeasurable, and the technique he practices is super mysterious and powerful. This ce is very far away from the center of Arcana Land. Why would such a talented man suddenly pop up here? He had shown up out of the blues. We do not even know his origin. The only thing we know is that he is heading for the sacred ce of the Light n.¡±


    ¡°Elder brother, you mean our savior will not just visit the sacred ce of the Light n as he imed, but has other intentions?¡± asked the elder, surprised.


    Gazing at the teleportation portal, Xiang Yangyan sighed gently. Then he said, ¡°It makes little sense to travel across millions of kilometers just to see what the sacred ce of the Light n looks like.¡±


    ¡°What could he be nning to do?¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Our savior¡¯s strength is limitless, and he is still so young. Nothing about him makes sense. What could he be thinking of doing at the sacred ce of the Light n?¡±


    ¡°Xiangming, are you sure you ran into him in the Forest of Infinity Edge?¡±


    None of the elders could figure it out. Xiao Luo was a mystery that was difficult to uncover. A twenty-something-year-old Martial Emperor. They absolutely could not find another person like him in the Arcana Land.


    ¡°Yes, Grand Elder. The ck Blood Mercenary Coups chased us, and they had us trapped. We ran into Senior Xiao as he was roasting a Lili,¡± replied Zuo Xiangming with a nod.


    ¡°That is weird. Did Xiao Luo pop up here from nowhere?¡± said the Grand Elder as he knitted his brows together.


    ¡°Perhaps he does not belong to our world at all.¡±


    Xiang Yangyan¡¯sment startled everyone present.


    Xiao Luo was not from our world?


    What did that mean? Was there another unknown world?


    Xiang Yangyan said with a smile, ¡°Did you not notice their clothes differed from ours? Not only the style but also the fabrics.¡±


    That?


    Then the others also remembered it. The way Xiao Luo had dressed was so different from their style of dressing.


    ¡°Our savior¡¯s arrival is probably because the Holy Lady of the Light n will return soon.¡±


    Xiang Yangyan said, ¡°Otherwise, it could not have been such a coincidence. It looks like it will soon not be peaceful in the sacred ce of the Light n.¡±


    He should have reported the whole matter to the sacred ce of the Light n. He could have used the teleportation portals¡¯municating function to do that. But Xiao Luo was their savior. Even if Xiao Luo intended to cause harm to the sacred ce of the Light n, he still could not send a report to them. It would go against his conscience.


    Instead, his concern was about Xiao Luo¡¯s safety. The Four Kings of the Light n were paramount in their world. They had achieved the Martial Saint status. No matter how powerful Xiao Luo was, he was not a threat to those at the sacred ce of the Light n. It would seem more likely that he would find himself behind the eight-ball.

 Chapter 747 - A Large Horse

    <h2>Chapter 747: A Large Horse</h2>


    Together with the Duck Emperor, Xiao Luo traveled through many colorful walls of light and he quickly realized he was traveling through space. Xiao Luo felt tension during the teleportation, and his ears were ringing as if he was in a train traveling through a tunnel.


    After several dozen seconds, the feeling of traveling through space eased off, then stopped, and they appeared to have arrived. The colorful lights around them disappeared, and they saw a massive circr tform with a high wall around it. He was standing right on it.


    While he was there, more and more travelers arrived on the round tform, out of nowhere. That tform was the receiving terminal for all the travelers teleported from different locations.


    ¡°This is the Stan City. Please do not remain on the receiving tform after your arrival. The exit is that way. This is to avoid hindering arrivals from other locations.¡± An impersonal voice made that announcement.


    Xiao Luo looked in the direction where the voice came from. It was a soldier in armor, and there were more soldiers like him teeming around. They appeared to be guards for the receiving terminal, responsible for supervision g that ce. The soldier pointed at a gate as he spoke, telling those who had arrived on that tform to leave through that gate.


    Xiao Luo said nothing and just left with the others.


    After walking out of the gate, he found Stan City to be a bustling ce.


    The streets were full of pedestrians, either standing in front of some stall or chitchatting along the street side. Their clothes were modest. Most of them were wearing short shirts with narrow sleeves and t shoes. There were men wearing clothes with loose sleeves, too. But their sleeves were short, which exposed their arms. It was a design that enabled the person to unsheathe the swords they were carrying at his waist.


    Some white-clothed men were walking around carrying their swords. With their long beards blowing in the wind, they looked like haughty, extraordinary swordsmen. But when they saw variety shows performed on the street, they would stop to join the girls who were watching. They would cheer and p their hands until their palms turned red. However, when the performers came around to collect money after their performances, the haughty look of these swordsmen immediately returned. They looked as if to say, ¡°Charging for a variety show? Why don¡¯t you rob us? We absolutely will not pay for that performance!¡±


    At a distance away, there was a brothel. A prostitute was behaving coquettishly on the terrace, trying to entice customers from the pedestrians passing by.


    ¡°Mother ducker, this seems like a scene from the costume dramas of the Original World,¡±mented Duck Emperor as he popped his head out of Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket. The duck found it incredible because the world they found themselves in looked like an ancient society of the Original World.


    Xiao Luo did not respond. Instead, he kept walking along the street. He stopped to speak to an old stallholder and asked, ¡°Mister, do you know the way to the Danhui Sect?¡±


    ording to the map that Zuo Xiangming had given him, the next teleportation portal was at the Danhui Sect. That formation would take him five hundred thousand kilometers away. However, the Danhui Sect was not in the Stan City, so he needed to locate it.


    The stallholder selling figurines made of candy paper looked very kind. However, when he found out that Xiao Luo was only asking for directions, the look on his face changed. The smile that he greeted customers with immediately faded. He had an unfriendly look afterward and answered impatiently, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know. Ask others. Don¡¯t disturb me. I¡¯m doing business. Go away!¡±


    Frowning, Xiao Luo turned around to leave. He did not expect the stallholder to be so rude.


    He continued to ask several people the same question. All of them gave him the same answer. They did not know where the ce was. They also told him to go away and to stop disturbing them. As for the pedestrians, they would not even stop to answer him.


    ¡°Goddamn jerk! You do not know the ways of the world. Give them some money if you want to ask for directions. I promise they will answer you warmheartedly,¡± said the Duck Emperor, feeling sorry for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo had forgotten about that. The Ziyue Cave Heaven sect gave him abundant sacred currencies, the currency used in the Arcana Land. He took two bills out of the bunch and ordered a portion of dumplings at a stall. Then he casually asked the stallholder the location of the Danhui Sect, and he instantly got the information he wanted.


    ¡°See? What did I say? Just give them some money. Money talks!¡±


    The Duck Emperor jumped out of Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket, then stood in front of the bowl and hungrily gobbled up the dumplings. The soup was all over its mouth.


    ¡°Yes, you are so clever!¡± Xiao Luo said sarcastically, and he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°It is true I have been in the Dimension of Chaos for a long time. But I still know the ways of the world better than you. You cannot deny it. Well, there is a lot you can learn from me,¡± preached the Duck Emperor while eating the dumplings.


    When Xiao Luo saw how much Duck King was enjoying the food, he also felt hungry. So, he ordered another portion of dumplings.


    ¡°Gee, is this your pet beast?¡± asked the stallholder. He was curious when he saw the mini-sized Duck Emperor.


    Xiao Luo nodded and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°A duck?¡± The stallholder was astonished. He thought it strange to have a duck as a pet beast.


    Xiao Luo did not answer him and instead, he said, ¡°Your dumplings are delicious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Enjoy your food.¡± The stallholder walked away smiling.


    The Duck Emperor was already on the verge of flipping out. However, Xiao Luo had forbidden him to speak in front of strangers. That was why he had been holding his tongue. Otherwise, he would have jumped up to peck the stallholder when he had called him a pet beast.


    When they finished the dumplings, Xiao Luo set out to the Danhui Sect. It was on the west of Stan City and was about four to five hundred kilometers away.


    Suddenly, arge ck horse was galloping down the street. It was an azure-clothed youngster, about twenty years old, riding on horseback. He was riding fast, paying no attention to the safety of the pedestrians on the street. Stalls copsed one after another when the horse galloped past. The pedestrians who could not get out of its path in time went flying, spitting out blood as they fell. Some people had their legs broken when the horse stepped on them. Many fell to the ground while they tried to avoid the horse.


    In an instant, the galloping ck horse caused mayhem along the entire street.


    ¡°Mom, Mom¡­¡±


    A panic-stricken little girl holding a stick of sugar-coated haws stood crying in the middle of the street. She got separated from her mother in the chaos and was looking around for her.


    ¡°Giddy up!¡±


    Even when he saw the little girl in his path, the young man on the horseback did not pull back the reins to stop the horse. Instead, he dug his heels into the horse¡¯s nks to quicken its pace.


    The little girl felt a chill wind blowing at her. She turned around and her pupils dted. She was so scared that she lost grip of the sugar-coated haws. To the child, the horse looked like a giant mountain. As the enormous animal charged toward her, its speed created a fierce wind, and her bangs flew around her forehead.


    ¡°Shoot, that little girl is going to get killed!¡± the Duck Emperor shouted in a panic.


    Xiao Luo sped over as quickly as a sh of lightning to stand in front of the little girl to protect her.


    Therge ck horse collided with him. It went flying from the True Inner Force that Xiao Luo had given off before the horse could reach him. The man and the horse smashed into Xiao Luo¡¯s protective field, and the ck horse fell to the ground, neighing tragically. Like a kite on a broken string, the young man was thrown sailing in the air from the impact.


    The young man¡¯s skills were good. He found his bnce in the air andnded on his feet instead of falling hard on the ground. However, the impact was so strong that he had to take ten-odd steps back to steady himself.

 Chapter 748 - Conflict

    <h2>Chapter 748: Conflict</h2>


    The little girl was still in shock. She looked at the brother who had saved her, standing in front of her. Her pair of bell-like eyes filled with innocence, and she stared at Xiao Luo as if she wanted to imprint his face deep into her mind.


    ¡°Are you hurt in any way?¡± Xiao Luo asked her.


    The little girl shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she answered. Then she asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Big Brother, are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Your Big Brother is born with divine strength. Even if an elephant had charged over, it would be the elephant that would die. What could a horse do to him?¡± answered the mini-sized Duck Emperor as he pped his wings in the air.


    When the little girl heard that, she looked at Xiao Luo with admiration. The children born in the Arcana Land had dreams of bing powerful, and she was no exception.


    ¡°Xinyi! Xinyi!¡±


    At that moment, the little girl¡¯s mother ran over in tears and hugged the little girl tightly.


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine. It was Big Brother who saved me!¡± the little girl said gratefully.


    The woman hurriedly bowed and thanked Xiao Luo. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Just take her out of here.¡±


    Xiao Luo could feel the hostility from the young man on the horse. Since he was going to save them, he took full responsibility. Xiao Luo did not want the young man tosh out at the mother and daughter.


    The woman seemed to know the person riding the ck horse, and he was not a person one would want to offend. After bowing and thanking Xiao Luo repeatedly, she quickly left with her daughter.


    TOK! TOK TOK!


    A few tall horses trotted over, and the riders were rich young men and women dressed in expensive silk and satin.


    They got off their horses and went to the aid of the green-robed youth who was riding the ck horse.


    ¡°Young Master Song, what happened?¡± a fawning woman asked.


    ¡°My mood has been ruined by that son of b*tch!¡± The green-robed youth coldly red at Xiao Luo with eyes filled with wrath.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s such an ignorant person in Stan City who even dares to disturb your enjoyment. He must be tired of living,¡± a man said indignantly.


    ¡°That guy is a goner. Those are the Young Masters and Young Mistresses of the dignitaries of Stan City. They are above thew. The guy has provoked them today, and I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t let him go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The head is Song Feiyu from the Song family. They are one of the two most influential families in our Stan City who can do anything they wish. Worse still, Song Feiyu is a ruthless, conceited dandy who often bullies and humiliates the citizens of Stan City. He throws his weight around because he belongs to a powerful family. There is a rumor that he had someone¡¯s eyes gouged out simply because the person looked at him a few times on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about it. If Song Feiyu cast his eyes on us, we won¡¯t have it easy. It¡¯s better to watch from afar!¡±


    The surrounding crowd murmured in whispers. None of the stall owners who had their stalls overturned dared to pick up their sttered wares from the ground as they were afraid of Song Feiyu. If they had the bad fortune to get on his wrong side, then a cmity would surely befall them.


    Xiao Luo did not bother to argue with these conceited fools. Since the little girl and her mother had already left, there was no need for him to remain any longer. He needed to go to the Danhui Sect to use the teleportation portal and make his way to Twilight City, 500,000 kilometers away.


    He grabbed Duck Emperor, flying in mid-air, and put him back into his pocket. Xiao Luo did not allow the duck to speak any further and walked away.


    ¡°Want to leave? Have you got my permission?¡± Song Feiyu asked coldly.


    Five to six of hispanions immediately blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s path. All of them stared fiercely at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stopped, turned around, and spoke to Song Feiyu in an indifferent voice. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause trouble!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Song Feiyu and hispanions burst intoughter.


    ¡°Are you f*cking crazy? You say you don¡¯t want to cause trouble, but you have already done so!¡± said a man in embroidered clothes.


    The fawning woman walked back to Song Feiyu¡¯s side and smiled yfully at Xiao Luo. ¡°Look at your silly appearance. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know who he is.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to know?¡± Xiao Luo nced coldly at Song Feiyu.


    The Duck Emperor had said nothing all that time because Xiao Luo had used his True Inner Force to seal its throat. He wanted to prevent the duck from speaking aloud. Otherwise, the Duck Emperor would have flown out of his pocket with an attitude. He had a habit of uttering scathing remarks, and that drew public attention.


    ¡°Looks like he does not know. Maybe he just came to Stan City from somewhere else.¡±


    The fawning woman said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯m in a good mood today. So, I will offer you some important information and let you know who you cannot provoke in Stan City. This is the Song family¡¯s, Young Master. In Stan City, no one can disobey the orders of the Song family. The Song family is thew of the city. If they say you are guilty and deserve to die, then you shall. Today, you¡¯ve offended¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±


    Xiao Luo interrupted coldly, ¡°I just said that I don¡¯t want to cause trouble. You¡¯d better not cause trouble either, or else you¡¯ll be the ones to regret it!¡±


    When they heard what Xiao Luo had said, it stunned Song Feiyu and hispanion for a moment before they burst intoughter.


    ¡°That¡¯s so funny. In Stan City, you¡¯re the first person who dares to talk to me like this.¡±


    Song Feiyu¡¯sughter gradually turned cold, and there was a hint of murderous intent in it. He pointed at the ck horse that had copsed on the ground and said fiercely, ¡°This ck horse is a fine steed that I picked out from tens of thousands of wild horses. But, you¡¯ve now broken one of its legs. I will have you cut off one of your legs and crawl under me, kneel on the ground and kowtow to me to beg for mercy. Perhaps then I¡¯ll spare your cheap life if I feel satisfied!¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo had no interest in dealing with such a brainless dandy. He turned around to walk away.


    Song Feiyu was furious at being ignored this way. The veins on his forehead bulged as he shouted at hispanions, ¡°Take the son of a b*tch!¡±


    Once he gave the order, the four men and a woman revealed their hidden auras. They held their swords and charged at Xiao Luo. They were all mid-stage Martial Masters, so they naturally thought their skills were adequate to deal with Xiao Luo, whom they had assumed was also a mid-stage Martial Master.


    But when they were less than half a meter away from Xiao Luo, a powerful True Inner Force released from Xiao Luo¡¯s body smashed into them. It erupted like a violent gale in a raging storm. The five of them went flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground.


    Xiao Luo did not kill them. They were just some conceited fools. They did not have to pay for their shorings with their lives.


    After the five of themnded on the ground, they looked at him in shock. They could not believe that Xiao Luo could send them flying just by releasing his True Inner Force. Was that guy only a mid-stage Martial Master?


    They suddenly doubted their earlier assumption. They checked again, and it puzzled them¡ªtheir inner senses told them that Xiao Luo was only at the mid-stage of a Martial Master.


    Xiao Luo ignored them and continued walking toward the west.


    The strength that Xiao Luo had disyed also shocked Song Feiyu. The Song¡¯s Young Master was a reputed bully and always had his way in Stan City. Since Xiao Luo had hurt his horse and injured his friends, Xiao Luo was now a target for assassination.

 Chapter 749 - Qiong Qi

    <h2>Chapter 749: Qiong Qi</h2>


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    A loud cry resounded like thunder in the street, and the folks standing around had to cover their ears against the overpowering noise. Song Feiyu had turned into a ray of green light and flew at Xiao Luo like a lightning bolt. His clenched fist carried a tsunami-like power, and he aimed directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s back.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a sigh and activated the True Inner Force within his body, immediately forming a sphere of invisible barrier.


    Song Feiyu¡¯s iron fist smashed right into the barrier, and another loud explosion resulted. This caused a powerful energy wave simr to a raging tornado to form, and it knocked back the folks gathered around at least one meter.


    The two of them ended up in a deadlock for a split second. Then Song Feiyu was thrown back a few meters and let out a deep groan of pain. Luckily for him, the fawningdy had a quick reaction. Or else, he would have sprawled on the ground and embarrassed himself in public.


    The ravaging energy waves slowly subsided, and the tornado-like wind finally soon dissipated. A gigantic hole had formed at the exact location where Song Feiyu had attacked Xiao Luo. There were countless cracks and debris left behind.


    ¡°Song Feiyu just got defeated in one move¡­ Isn¡¯t he a Great Martial Master?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Song Feiyu was born with a silver spoon and grew up with an abundance of exotic rare treasures and elixirs. Hence, his cultivation progress was a lot faster than most of his peers, and he already reached the level of a Great Martial Master at a tender age. Even among his peers, he is the most skilled.¡±


    ¡°The young fellow faced a Great Martial Master, but he did not even use his hand. He is undoubtedly more than just a Martial Master!¡±


    The gathered people spoke in faint voices, for they were all surprised by Xiao Luo¡¯s strength.


    With the eyes of a vicious wolf, Xiao Luo red at Song Feiyu and said coldly, ¡°I am warning you for thest time¡ªI don¡¯t want to cause a scene, so do not force my hand, or you will regret it!¡±


    ¡°F*ck you, I¡­¡±


    ¡°This man is high-leveled!¡±


    Song Feiyu¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he clenched his teeth. The fawningdy held him back and hinted that he should not act recklessly. After all, everyone could tell that the man was a high-leveled martial artist. If Song Feiyu insisted on fighting, it would probably not end up well for him. It was a wider choice to bear with it for now.


    Although Song Feiyu was still angry, he regained someposure.


    He yelled at Xiao Luo, ¡°Since you have offended me, Song Feiyu, in Stan City, even the king can¡¯t save you now!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave a mirthlessugh and walked off. There were plenty of foolish people like Song Feiyu in that world. In the Arcana Land, few could rival Xiao Luo. Perhaps only a few experts in the Holynd of the Light n.


    ******


    ******


    After leaving the street, Xiao Luo then unlocked the restraint on the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°F*ck. You are testing my limit!¡±


    The Duck Emperor was extremely unhappy, and he flew out of Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket to peck his face. But when he saw Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, he chickened out andnded on his shoulder instead.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before. Do not speak the humannguage in public,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°What kind ofnguage should I speak then?¡± retorted the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Speak thenguage of your kind,¡± Xiao Luo replied, staring at the duck.


    ¡°Quack, quack, quack?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You motherducking f*cker. I have surpassed the level of the average ducks a long time ago. Why should I still bother to speak the ducknguage?¡± the Duck Emperor said.


    Xiao Luo ignored him and continued to walk on.


    ¡°F*ck you. I am talking to you!¡±


    ¡°Rascal, are you deaf? I am protesting against these unequal terms and conditions.¡±


    ¡°Protest¡­ I protest!¡±


    The Duck Emperor continued toin incessantly, but, he suddenly went silent when Xiao Luo stopped walking. A female duck was leading a group of ducklings in front of them on the street ahead.


    ¡°Wow, pretty girl!¡±


    The Duck Emperor¡¯s eyes almost popped out, and he immediately flew away from Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. As he flew off, he even found the time tob back the feathers on his head. He also changed his body size to match the female duck¡¯s and started chatting with the duck in front of the ducklings.


    The female duck asked, ¡°Quack, quack?¡±


    The Duck Emperor answered, ¡°Quack, quack, quack¡­¡±


    The female asked again, ¡°Quack, quack, quack?¡±


    The Duck Emperor replied, ¡°Quack, quack¡­ quack¡­ quack¡­ quack.¡±


    ******


    They conversed in duck¡¯snguage, and Xiao Luo understood nothing. It left Xiao Luo rather speechless, as the Duck Emperor earlier boasted that he had already surpassed the level of the average ducks. Yet, here he was, reverting to an ordinary duck the next moment. He was even hitting on a female duck with a bunch of ducklings. No words could describe the Duck Emperor¡¯s desperate need for attention.


    ROAR!


    A roar came from the sky, and it terrified the people on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Qiong Qi, the rank-seven exotic beast from the Song family!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God, why is he beast being released? What happened?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be? A foolish chap had offended Song Feiyu. He is probably using Qiong Qi to teach the young man a lesson!¡±


    The people went into a panic as a rank-seven exotic beast was unbeatable. Nobody dared to underestimate its power.


    Xiao Luo turned around and saw a winged, exotic beast with a bull-like body, and an overall appearance of a tiger. It descended from the sky and levitated mid-air.


    Its fur resembled steel needles, and it had powerful limbs with nails that were sharp and barbed. The rows of white fangs in its mouth made it look even more terrifying. It was drooling as it eyed Xiao Luo, and it appeared to be a man-eating beast.


    It caused a mini sandstorm by pping its wings and immediately caused mass hysteria on the ground. As expected, Song Feiyu was sitting on its back.


    Themon folk on the street hurried to escape for their lives, and the scene was chaotic. People were pushing one another, and some people were crying while others were yelling. It was pandemonium.


    Thump! Thump! Thump!


    A few hundred soldiers in armor and armed with spears and shields marched at a steady pace toward them. Leading the soldiers were a troop of calvary on gigantic horses. The body of soldiers arrived in an imposing manner and filled the street. Some rich Young Masters who were with Song Feiyu earlier on were among them.


    It only took a moment to bring chaos to the street!


    The female duck chatting with the Duck Emperor got frightened and screamed, then escaped with its ducklings.


    ¡°F*ck, why did these stupid people have toe after us? How dare they interrupt my flirting time!¡±


    The Duck Emperor was in great wrath as he flew back to perch on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rascal, how can you tolerate this? If I were you, I would beat the heck out of them!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Go back into my pocket!¡± said Xiao Luo. He stared at the duck with an annoyed look.


    The Duck Emperor hurriedlyplied and turned back into a mini version of himself, then flew into Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket. He stuck his head out with a grumpy look as he stared out to observe.


    ¡°Idiot, I have said before. You have offended me, Song Feiyu, of the Stan City. Do not even think about leaving this ce alive!¡±


    Song Feiyu scowled at Xiao Luo while standing on Qiong Qi¡¯s back. He had mobilized some hundreds of his family warriors, and there were at least twenty to thirty fighters who had attained the Martial Spirit level there. He even included his seventh-ranked exotic beast. At that moment, Song Feiyu looked at Xiao Luo with the same expression on his face as if he was looking at a dead body.

 Chapter 750 - Nobody Could Leave

    <h2>Chapter 750: Nobody Could Leave</h2>


    ¡°Is your name Song Feiyu? Do you want this day next year to be the first anniversary of your death?¡± Xiao Luo asked as he raised his head to look at the arrogant man atop the rank-seven exotic beast, Qiong Qi. Song Feiyu had lost his patience. The pompous man had trampled on his dignity, and he could not bear it anymore.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Song Feiyu could not stopughing. ¡°Such a brainless jerk. It looks like you don¡¯t know how powerful I am.¡± He waved at a guard general below and shouted, ¡°Throw those two corpses to him. Let him know what kind of person I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Young Master!¡± the general responded and obeyed themand immediately.


    With a wave of the general¡¯s hand, the guards moved aside to open up some space for two mounted guards to ride forward. Then, they threw two corpses, one big and another smaller one, onto the ground close to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°It¡¯s that little girl and her mother!¡± The Duck Emperor¡¯s face changed. He did not expect it to be them.


    The girl and her mothers¡¯ eyes were closed. Their faces were pale, and there were traces of blood at the corners of their lips. Their fatal wounds were on their chests, caused by spears piercing through their hearts.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s aura froze instantly. An intense aura radiated with him as the focal point. He thought he had saved the little girl¡¯s life. He did not expect that he had implicated her and her mother. The anguish he felt was as if a ball of fire was burning in his chest.


    He raised his head and asked coldly, ¡°What did they do to provoke you?¡±


    ¡°They are meremoners. With that status, they were unqualified to provoke me,¡± Song Feiyu said.


    ¡°Then why did you kill them?¡± Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes burned with anger.


    Song Feiyuughed again and said, ¡°I felt happy to do so. Are you satisfied with the exnation?¡± He smiled casually and looked at Xiao Luo as if he was looking at a fool. ¡°In Stan City, if I want a person dead, then that person will die,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Very well. None of you will leave this ce today. All of you will die here!¡± eximed Xiao Luo. The fringe on Xiao Luo¡¯s forehead moved with no wind in the air, and his entire body exuded a dangerous force.


    ¡°He is a poor fool. How could he say such ridiculous words at this point?¡±


    ¡°There are three hundred guards here. All of them are brave and proficient in battle. There are also over thirty generals in the Martial Spirit Realm. How can a fool like you fight with us?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense with this fool. The man is only good at bragging!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If we argue with an idiot, it will lower our IQ to that of an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Fool, the sooner you die, the sooner you will be reborn, hehe¡­¡±


    The rich Young Masters and Young Mistresses dressed in expensive embroidered clothes giggled. Those Young Mistresses even deliberately used a coquettish tone to mock Xiao Luo.


    ¡°General Chu, tear him to pieces!¡± shouted Song Feiyu from Qiong Qi¡¯s back. He could not wait to see Xiao Luo die on the spot.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    The general heeded the order and waved his hand. Immediately, a dozen cavalrymen with spears in their hands charged at Xiao Luo.


    Without even a thought, Xiao Luo immediately unsheathed his Dragon Saber and shed horizontally. The sword unleashed a ¡°bang¡± sound when he drew it out.


    Buzz!


    The invisible de-power swept out from the Dragon Saber. Dozens of mounted guards who charged toward Xiao Luo got shed into pieces. Blood rained down, and countless chunks of chopped-up corpses of the guards and their horses flew about the ce. Fresh blood flooded the ground.


    Hiss~


    Whether it was themon folk watching from afar or the Song family¡¯s guards witnessing the scene up close, everyone¡¯s hearts pounded violently. No one had expected that oue.


    Before the remaining guards could recover from their shock, Xiao Luo transformed into a phantom and charged through them.


    He was so fast that no one could see what he was doing. But wherever he moved, screams rang out. Broken limbs and heads flew all over, and blood rained along his murderous path. The army of three hundred guards was losing men at an unimaginable speed.


    In just a few breaths, the three hundred guards of the Song family were all lying in pools of blood, chopped into pieces.


    When they looked at the corpses on the blood-covered ground, the cobs and the general who gave the order all looked stunned. Cold sweat poured like dripping rain. How could that guy turn the ce into a ughterhouse in a blink of an eye?


    ¡°Oh my, what did I just see?¡±


    ¡°Butcher! He is a bloodthirsty Butcher!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the Song family has offended a chopping board this time.¡±


    Themon folk watching from afar were astonished. All trembled with fear. No one had thought that the harmless-looking young man could turn into a cruel evil and could kill the three hundred Song family guards so brutally.


    It was truly terrifying!


    Where was that guy¡¯s origin? Why was he so brutal when he attacked?


    ¡°You little brat! you scared the hell out of me,¡± muttered the Duck Emperor as he swallowed hard. He was in Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket and was in proximity to the killing spree. He was genuinely fearful of Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthlessness.


    Xiao Luo ignored it and chopped off the general¡¯s head with his saber.


    Then, his bloodshot eyes swept across to look at the group of cobs, and his killing intent surged.


    The cobs did not stop to think. They hurriedly turned their horses and rode away from Xiao Luo.


    However, how could Xiao Luo let them leave when he already had his mind made up? The only reason he left them forst was to let them experience the fear before death.


    Xiao Luo was like an Angel of Death collecting lives. With a sh of his saber, the four conceited fools, along with their horses, got chopped into countless pieces. The only one left alive was the fawning woman. She rode her white horse hard and had already gone more than a hundred meters away. However, Xiao Luo only took one step and instantly crossed that distance to step in front of her horse, blocking her path.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The woman screamed as she lost control. Her horse reared up because it could sense Xiao Luo¡¯s murderous aura. The woman fell from the horse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me¡­¡±


    She looked at Xiao Luo, closing in on her, and pleaded in fear. Her previous haughty attitude of looking at him as a joke was not there anymore.


    ¡°Sorry, I have already given you a chance!¡±


    Xiao Luo came up to her and gave her a condescending look before swinging down his Dragon Saber. The woman¡¯s head immediately left her neck and rolled to the side like a ball.


    So, unexpectedly, three hundred guards and a few conceited fools had all died there!


    A thick, pungent smell of blood filled the atmosphere. The blood that flowed out from the corpses gathered into streams, and steam rose from the surface. It was a ce of blood and corpses. It was like a living hell.


    ¡°Song Feiyu, it is your turn!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head and pointed his blood-stained Dragon Saber at Song Feiyu with a murderous stare.


    At that moment, Song Feiyu¡¯s face turned pale. He could not believe that the three hundred guards of his family would die just like that. They had no time to put up any resistance. Even his friends were all decapitated. The fawning woman was his paramour, and onlyst night, they had sex in bed. But now, she had be a headless, bloody corpse. The turn of events was so drastic that he could not ept it.

 Chapter 751 - Demon

    <h2>Chapter 751: Demon</h2>


    However, Song Feiyu was a viciously cruel person and had killed many people. The bloody carnage certainly did not intimidate him. Besides, he had Qiong Qi, an exotic beast with the seventh level of power, and he could depend on it. Even with a rival like Xiao Luo, he was not afraid at all.


    ¡°My turn? Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Song Feiyu gave a frosty smile. Then, at hismand, Qiong Qi charged down at a breakneck speed from mid-air.


    He came like a gale, and clouds of dust flew into the sky. The strong wind sent many of the body parts flying off the ground.


    With its big mouth wide-opened and sharp teeth bared, Qiong Qi went straight for Xiao Luo in a fierce swoop. It extended its two muscr forelegs to grasp him with ck shining ws that looked like hooks and were remarkably sharp. Once those things pierced into one¡¯s body, there would be no way to escape them. The more one struggled, the more painful one would feel.


    Facing the giant exotic beast asrge as an elephant, Xiao Luo¡¯s face looked as calm as the surface of ake. He extended the palm of his right hand and thrust it forward. A vast amount of True Inner Force immediately formed an invisible shield.


    BOOM!


    Qiong Qi smashed forcefully against the True Inner Force shield that flowed out of the palm of Xiao Luo¡¯s right hand. An ear-piercing screech issued from the beast. The gstones ripped from the paved ground, flew up, and exploded in the air. The destructive power caused by the impact expanded far and wide within the surrounding vicinity.


    ¡°He warded off Qiong Qi¡¯s attack on his own. That¡­ that is¡­¡±


    ¡°That young man is unbelievably powerful. What martial arts level is he?¡±


    ¡°He should be twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but his talents seem to be unfathomable. The stronger his enemy, the stronger he gets.¡±


    Those watching the fight from afar were astonished. Asmon folk of the Stan City, they were familiar with Qiong Qi¡¯s strength. An all-out attack could copse a mansion in an instant. Some say the Songs fed and raised Qiong Qi in a despicable manner. The beast fed on the Song family¡¯s insubordinate servants. They pushed those servants into Qiong Qi¡¯s cage, and the creature ate them alive.


    ¡°Dumb*ss, go to hell!¡±


    Song Feiyu, on Qiong Qi¡¯s back, was seething with anger. He flung his long knife right between Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes.


    Unfortunately, even though his throw was fast and true, it still could not prate the shield of Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force. It was immobilized about eight inches before it reached Xiao Luo, and hung in mid-air, moving no further.


    Xiao Luo looked dangerous and cold. He wielded the Dragon Saber in a downward stroke.


    Qiong Qi screeched loudly as the Dragon Saber sliced off its left-wing, and blood gushed out.


    At the same moment, Song Feiyu felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He looked down at it. To his surprise and horror, he could not find his left arm. It was not there. The Dragon Saber had not only cut off Qiong Qi¡¯s left-wing, but also his left arm. And blood was spurting from the cut wound.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Struck by the sharp pain, Song Feiyu kept screaming and shouting. He even lost grip of the knife in his right hand.


    Xiao Luo extended his hand to grasp Song Feiyu¡¯s cor before he kicked Qiong Qi.


    BAM!


    The kick,den with the True Inner Force energy, was dreadfully explosive. The giant beast, Qiong Qi, was sent flying back at high speed, almost parallel to the ground, and lost its aura of an exotic beast.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    It crashed into three buildings, bringing them all down. In the end, Qiong Qi was buried underneath heaps of stones and dust.


    ¡°Mother ducker, what a powerful kick!¡± eximed the Duck Emperor, unable to contain his amazement.


    The crowd watching felt the same. What was taking ce sent shivers down their spines, and they felt dreadfully anxious. Qiong Qi was an exotic beast of the seventh level, and the young man took it down with just a kick. Who the hell was that guy?


    Xiao Luo then lifted Song Feiyu into the air by his cor.


    Sensing Xiao Luo¡¯s apparent intention to kill him, Song Feiyu turned pale with fear. He cried, ¡°Let go of me¡­ Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Let go of you?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    Heughed and continued, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I told you. All of you will die!¡±


    Xiao Luo had already sentenced Song Feiyu to death earlier on, the moment he saw the bodies of the little girl and her mother thrown before him.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Young Master of the Song family. If you¡­ if you kill me, the family elders and my father will avenge me and kill you. No matter how far you escape, they will chase you down. And my grandpa is with the Danhui Sect. If he knows you killed me, he definitely won¡¯t forgive you. He will throw you into a furnace and burn you to death, then refine you into elixirs.¡± Xiao Luo was in a killing frenzy and Song Feiyu threatened Xiao Luo with everything he had. Song Feiyu was still convinced that Xiao Luo would lose the courage to kill him.


    ¡°You have resources in the Danhui Sect?¡±


    Xiao Luo hesitated. After all, he was going to the Danhui Sect to use their teleportation portal. Therefore, Xiao Luo had to think twice. But the answer quickly came to him¡ªhe realized people who could be so bossy in the Stan City must have strong backing. It was understandable that Song Feiyu would have resources in the Danhui Sect.


    Song Feiyu thought Xiao Luo was afraid, and for a moment he even forgot about the pain of his severed arm. Lifting his head arrogantly, he said with pride, ¡°Of course. My grandpa is an elder of the Danhui Sect. He is well-respected there.¡± After a pause, he went on, ¡°Well, I think your attainments are not bad. Why don¡¯t you join the Song family and work for us? As long as you join the Songs, I¡¯ll forget what happened between us!¡±


    It was just a stalling tactic. After Xiao Luo cut his arm off, Song Feiyu would use any method to avenge himself¨Cand they would be ten times or even a hundred times crueler. There was no way that he would reconcile with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo saw the deceit hidden in Song Feiyu¡¯s smile. He knew Song Feiyu was tricking him.


    ¡°To work for the Song family?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled mockingly and said, ¡°For me, the Songs are nothing. Even the Danhui Sect is nothing to me, let alone the Songs!¡±


    ¡°That goddamn jerk is bluffing again!¡±


    The Duck Emperor murmured. Despite what he said, the duck knew clearly that Xiao Luo was not bluffing. Xiao Luo was undoubtedly strong enough to do that. There would not be many people who could be a rival to Xiao Luo in the entire Arcana Land. If he wanted to eliminate a sect, that would be an easy task for him.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Song Feiyu¡¯s face froze. Gritting his teeth, he stared at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo stopped chatting with him. A glint of the knife and blood spurted out. Song Feiyu¡¯s other arm flew as it separated from his body.


    ¡°ARRGH!¡±


    The savage scream froze the blood of those who heard. It sounded like a punishment carried out in the deepest level of hell. The crowd that watched unconsciously shivered from fright.


    Xiao Luo threw the armless Song Feiyu beside the bodies of the little girl and her mother. He took a step forward and raised the Dragon Saber high.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t kill me. I¡­ I won¡¯t do that again. Please¡­¡± pleaded Song Feiyu. His eyes were full of fear, and his pupils dted from it. Facing death, he lost control of his dder and wet his pants.


    Xiao Luo was emotionless. He brought his saber down in one fell stroke and decapitated Song Feiyu. Blood spurted. Song Feiyu¡¯s headless body twitched, then stopped moving after a while.


    There was only one word that came to the minds of the crowd watching from afar: demon!

 Chapter 752 - Song Tianba

    <h2>Chapter 752: Song Tianba</h2>


    ¡°Goddamn jerk! I will not have the nerve to do anything in front of you in the future. You cut him like cutting a cabbage. That was too cruel!¡±


    The Duck Emperor¡¯s small body was shaking. He always saw Xiao Luo as having a low-key personality and it was a total surprise that Xiao Luo had such a heartless and cruel side to him. His propensity to kill seemed to be natural. Everyone freaked out! Or perhaps it was the duck that freaked out.


    ¡°You do not think I should have killed them?¡±


    Xiao Luo found a cart and put the bodies of the little girl and her mother onto it. He also had a daughter, Su Xiaobei. Maybe that was why Xiao Luo lost his temper after seeing the little girl killed. He was going to push the cart out of the city to make a grave for them.


    ¡°You should kill them. Of course, kill those bad people. I was just a little emotional. Ignore what I said,¡± said the Duck Emperor reassuringly.


    Xiao Luo did not respond and continued to push the cart toward the west.


    Suddenly, a group of guards in armor showed up in front of him. A man, about fifty years old, came out from behind them. Half of his hair was white. In a silk robe, he had a natural air of authority. When they saw the ground full of bodies, that man and the other guards turned pale.


    ¡°Is that another bast*rd from the Song family?¡± whispered the Duck Emperor as he raised his head to look at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo said nothing. Instead, he looked expressionlessly at the middle-aged man who stood in front of the group.


    ¡°It looks like someone from another prominent family, the Liang family!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. These people are indeed from the Liang family. The man standing in front is the head of the Liang family, Liang Xinghua.¡±


    ¡°The Liang family and the Song family have always been at loggerheads. There is a long history of rivalry between them. Could it be that the head of the Liang family is here to recruit that young man?¡±


    Themon folk who were watching from the surrounding vicinity started chatting in low voices. The public favored the Liang family, for their members were not as arrogant and despotic as those from the Song family. Song Feiyu was such a person, and he was a hedonistic son who treated themon folk like dirt.


    The middle-aged man who led the newly arrived group of guards walked up to Xiao Luo and greeted him with a slight bow. ¡°Young man, my name is Liang Xinghua. I am the head of the Liang family in Stan City. May I ask if you were the one who killed the Song family¡¯s Young Master and these guards?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo admitted it with no hesitation and asked, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±


    Hiss¡­


    After they heard the confirmation, the guards from the Liang family could not help but gasp. When they looked around the entire street, they could not find a singleplete corpse. There were only bits and pieces of human body parts lying all over the ce, and it was a gruesome and bloody sight.


    Liang Xinghua gave an involuntary shudder and quickly replied, ¡°No¡­ Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing wrong, then make way!¡± Xiao Luo pushed the cart and continued walking toward the west side of the city.


    When the Liang family¡¯s guards saw Xiao Luo making his way toward them, they immediately moved aside to open up a path for him to walk through.


    Liang Xinghua looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s back and felt a chill in his heart. He looked at his assistant beside him and whispered, ¡°The Song family has suffered a massive setback this time. The encounter with such a ruthless person has caused Old Ghost Song to lose his only son. I am afraid he will go crazy when he hears the news. Send out my orderster. Temporarily hold the battle with the Song family. Old Ghost Song is a fierce tiger, and we should avoid any confrontation with him for now. I fear he will be irrational.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± the assistant answered and nodded respectfully.


    SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!


    Suddenly, several figures dashed over at great speed from a distance. They were all wearing green robes and brandished swords and sharp spears in their hands. Their intent to kill was apparent to anyone who watched them arrive.


    Master Song and several senior elders of the Song Family had finallye!


    Liang Xinghua¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he immediately went forward to greet a middle-aged man among them. Liang Xinghua put on a solemn face and said, ¡°Brother Song, you are here.¡±


    ¡°Liang Xinghua, stop talking f*cking nonsense! Get lost!¡±


    The Master of the Song family, Song Tianba, shouted angrily at Liang Xinghua. He scanned the surrounding, then his gaze fixed to a spot, and immediately, his expression changed. He rushed forward and kneeled on the ground. In great sorrow, he picked up Song Feiyu¡¯s headless corpse and screamed in anguish. ¡°Feiyu, Feiyu!¡±


    The roar was a mixture of grief and anger.


    ¡°Tianba¡­¡±


    The Song Family elders found Song Feiyu¡¯s head but could not find his arms amongst the mutted corpses.


    WOOSH!


    When Song Tianba saw his son¡¯s head, a violent wave of energy surged from his body and unleashed a powerful force that swept across the street like a hurricane.


    ¡°Who did the hell this? Who killed my son? Show yourself now!¡±


    Song Tianba screamed his lungs out. The sound waves he emitted were like rolling thunder, and everyone standing around the area covered their ears instantly. Song Tianba¡¯s red eyes red at Liang Xinghua, and in the next moment, he sped toward Liang Xinghua like a bolt of lightning. With gritted teeth and a burning gaze, he clutched Laing Xinghua by the cor and asked, ¡°Liang Xinghua, was it you? Did you kill my son, Feiyu?¡±


    Liang Xinghua was secretly overjoyed. The Song family had always suppressed the Liang family. It surprised him when he heard that someone had killed Song Tianba¡¯s only son. Liang Xinghua put on a sorrowful, sympathetic expression and answered, ¡°How could it be me? I heard that there was a murder here, so I hurriedly rushed over. I just arrived.¡±


    Although Song Tianba was furious, he knew Liang Xinghua could not have done it. Liang Xinghua did not have the guts to fall out with the Song family.


    ¡°Master, the murderer who killed Young Master is over there!¡±


    At that moment, one of the Song family servants pointed at Xiao Luo, who was pushing the cart a hundred meters away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take his life!¡±


    Song Tianba released Liang Xinghua from his grasp. Then he instantly turned into a bluish shadow and moved with lightning speed to chase after Xiao Luo. Song Tianba had an overwhelming desire to kill his son¡¯s murderer. Losing his only son had caused such a fit of intense anger that it consumed his mind. All he could think of was the evil, torturous ways he would deal with the man who had killed his son. He would start by tearing the person into pieces.


    ¡°Master, that young man has signed his death warrant. Song Tianba is already one step into the Martial Lord realm. No matter how talented the young chap is, he is only at the Martial Spirit realm. Song Tianba can easily kill him,¡± Liang Xinghua¡¯s assistant whispered, worrying for Xiao Luo.


    Liang Xinghua chuckled and said, ¡°What does his death have to do with us? However, since he killed Song¡¯s only son. After he dies, I¡¯ll find a good ce to bury his body as a gesture of gratitude.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°You will pay for my son¡¯s life!¡±


    In a split second, Song Tianba was right behind Xiao Luo. His aura was potently powerful and his immense energy ripped the stone bs from the ground, sending them flying upward. They exploded in mid-air.


    He held no weapon, and he struck Xiao Luo¡¯s back with his bare hand.


    His right palm channeled a terrifying force of inner energy, and there was a sound of a whistling wind as it moved toward Xiao Luo. The vibration created from Song Tianba¡¯s strike distorted the air around his palm. If he had struck a boulder, it would instantly turn into powder. One could only imagine what it would do when it hit human flesh and blood.

 Chapter 753 - Boosting Yuan Elixir

    <h2>Chapter 753: Boosting Yuan Elixir</h2>


    Xiao Luo sensed Song Tianba was about to strike him from behind. With a fierce look on his face, he swiftly turned around and thrust out his palm instinctively. He did not even have to think about it.


    BAM!


    The energy flowing from their palms met in mid-air, creating a thunderous st. The intense palm powers swirled around crazily like angry waves. The air around them distorted, and the ground underneath them cracked. Then Song Tianba, who initiated the attack, was sent flying back like a cannonball. BOOM! He crashed into a brick house and caused it to copse like a house of cards. Song Tianbay buried under gravel, broken tiles, and bricks.


    What?


    After witnessing what had happened, Liang Xinghua and the Song family elders gulped as they stared at Xiao Luo with their eyes wide open in shock and fear. He was a fearsome monster in their eyes. The crowd watching from afar felt the same, and everyone broke out in a cold sweat, disbelieving what they had seen.


    ¡°It¡­ It is impossible. Song Tianba is a strong Martial Lord at his peak. It cannot be that he went flying from merely one palm attack by that guy. Could the young man have achieved the Martial Emperor level?¡± Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy muttered. He stood there looking stupefied.


    Martial Emperor?


    A Martial Emperor in his twenties?


    It was a tremendous surprise for Liang Xinghua. He achieved the peak of the Martial Lord level when he was almost fifty. He not only worked hard but took extraordinary elixirs refined by the Danhui Sect. But what about that youngster? How did he be so talented?


    In his mind, Xiao Luo¡¯s image transformed to be asrge as a mountain. He felt indiscernible pressure from the presence of this young man.


    At first, the elders of the Song family prepared to attack Xiao Luo. But after they saw Song Tianba being thrown back after he attacked Xiao Luo, they were suddenly at a loss. They did not know what to do next.


    BOOM!


    Bricks and tiles flew into the air, throwing clouds of dust above the debris. Song Tianba broke out from where he was trapped. Covered in dust, there was blood at the corner of his mouth, but the pain he felt from the loss of his son was still raging within him. His eyes were red, and he was emanating aggressive energy.


    ¡°Tianba!¡±


    Some elders came up to him. As long as Song Tianba was alive, they still found their courage.


    ¡°Tianba, this guy is a freak!¡±


    ¡°He is holding back. We cannot figure out what level he belongs to.¡±


    ¡°Do not go against him alone. Let us do it together!¡±


    They sized Xiao Luo up with fear in their eyes.


    Song Tianba kept quiet. He stared at Xiao Luo like a hungry beast ready to pounce on its prey. His intention to kill Xiao Luo was so deep, it ate into his soul.


    ¡°I killed your son because he asked for it. I gave him many opportunities. Likewise, I will give you one opportunity to live. If you don¡¯t want to die, go back to your home with your men. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind killing a few more people!¡± said Xiao Luo in a harsh voice. He returned the re that Song Tianba gave him. Life was valuable for him, but it could be just as cheap, depending on what kind of person one was facing.


    The corner of Song Tianba¡¯s mouth twitched. He looked hideous. ¡°Little jerk, you killed my son. I don¡¯t care to hear the reason for it, and I will kill you to avenge him!¡±


    Xiao Luo looked at him calmly for a while. Then, with an indifferent expression, he said, ¡°Bring it on, then. Let¡¯s see who will end up being killed in the end.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all attack together. Kill him!¡±


    The Song elders shouted. The five old Song elders attacked Xiao Luo first. Holding knives, swords, and spears, they dashed over swiftly like five gusts of wind.


    ¡°God damned jerk. Show them what you¡¯ve got!¡± said the Duck Emperor.


    Even if the duck had not spoken, Xiao Luo intended to kill these people. They were conceited and self-serving, and they raised Song Feiyu to be what he was. The lord and elders of the Songs would not be good people. Besides, he already killed so many people, so what difference would it make if he killed a few more?


    ¡°The first!¡± cried Xiao Luo.


    His voice was so chilly and emotionless that it sounded like he came from hell. Moving with precision and speed, Xiao Luo came up against the first of the Song elders. He grasped the elder¡¯s neck with the index finger and thumb of his right hand, like two sharp teeth of a beast. Instantly, blood spurted out from the puncture that appeared on his neck. The elder copsed into a pool of his blood with his eyes wide open, and he did not die in peace.


    ¡°The second!¡±


    The call of death came again. Another elder of the Song family thought he saw a shadow flying past him, though he saw Xiao Luo right in front of him only moments ago. But before he could react, he felt a hot sensation on his neck. Blood spurted out copiously and the world suddenly seemed to spin around him. Then he cked out and fell on his back.


    ¡°The third!¡±


    ¡°The fourth!¡±


    At each ominous count, one by one of the Song elders fell dead to the ground.


    ¡°The elders of the Song family are all at the initial stage of the Martial Lord level, yet they can¡¯t even fight back. It¡¯s unbelievable!¡±


    Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy went pale in the face. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. These dignified Martial Lords got killed like poultry by the young man. The deputy could not get over that fact.


    The watching crowd had shivers down their spine. Who on earth was that guy? And exactly how strong was he?


    ¡°The fifth!¡±


    Xiao Luo shot up to thest surviving elder of the Songs. He tore the elder¡¯s neck open in the same way and killed him instantly.


    Like the others, Song Tianba was in shock. He cautiously red at Xiao Luo, frightened but still seething with hatred.


    ¡°Impossible¡­ Absolutely impossible. How is it possible that you are so strong? Who¡­ Who the hell are you?¡±


    Song Tianba snarled in anger. He could not believe a twenty-something-year-old youngster could be this strong. He killed all the Song elders in an instant. If he were to tell anyone about that, no one would believe him.


    ¡°Who I am doesn¡¯t matter at all. All you need to know is that you are the sixth!¡± said Xiao Luo unemotionally.


    Song Tianba was startled momentarily, but he burst into a burst of chillingughter. ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m afraid I will disappoint you!¡±


    After he spoke, he took out an elixir and swallowed it.


    After consuming the elixir, his energy increased rapidly. The silk clothes he was wearing ripped apart as his body suddenly grew much more muscr, and intense energy radiated from his body and spread out to the surrounding. Not only could the members of the Liang family standing nearby feel the force, but the crowd who were watching from far away also sensed it. It felt as if a mountain was pressing against their chests.


    ¡°That is Boosting Yuan Elixir. It can boost one¡¯s strength instantly. But it has powerful side effects¨Cit will tax one¡¯s vital functions. Song Tianba must feel very desperate,¡± said Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy in shock.


    Liang Xinghua sighed and had a perplexed look on his face. ¡°No matter how this fight ends, the old fart Song will disappear from the Stan City forever. I¡¯ve beenpeting with him for dozens of years. Seeing him end up like this, I feel rather heavy-hearted.¡±


    ¡°Lord, do you want to help him?¡± asked the deputy.


    ¡°Help him?¡±


    Liang Xinghua snorted. ¡°Are you stupid? I indeed feel heavy-hearted, but it¡¯s better the old fart Song dies. Now I have an exnation for the Danhui Sect. I can tell them he and that youngster died together. Then, the Liang family will be the actual owner of Stan City.¡±


    He would be happy to see Song Tianba killed. If Song Tianba won, he would have to kill the old fart himself. A rare opportunity had presented itself, and with it, he could eliminate the Songs, his biggest enemy, in one go.

 Chapter 754 - This Is the End

    <h2>Chapter 754: This Is the End</h2>


    Song Tianba¡¯s energy increased after he took the Boosting Yuan Elixir. Immense energy surged powerfully through the area like angry waves of the sea. Loose gravel and body parts lying on the ground floated in the air. Suddenly, both his feet lifted off the ground, and Song Tianba levitated in mid-air with his hair flying wildly in the wind. His face looked hideous and a great energy emanated from him.


    ¡°He has elevated from the Martial Lord level to the Martial Emperor stage!¡±


    ¡°His energy is still increasing. I believe he will achieve the middle stage of Martial Emperor level soon.¡±


    ¡°This Boosting Yuan Elixir is remarkable, and it has helped him advance to this state at such a speed.¡±


    ¡°But at an enormous cost!¡±


    ¡°Song Tianba has gone crazy because of his son¡¯s death. He won¡¯t stop until he kills the young man.¡±


    The battle mesmerized the crowd watching from afar, but it did not stop their hearts from the being overwhelmed by dread.


    ¡°Shoot. It is forbidden to consume the Boosting Yuan Elixir. The old fart Song is only putting himself in great harm.¡±


    Liang Xinghua put his hand over his face and said, ¡°Retreat. Retreat as far away as possible. Who knows whether the old fart Song wille at us after killing that stupid young man! It looks like he has achieved the middle stage of the Martial Emperor level. He has be even stronger now. Let¡¯s watch the show discreetly from afar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord!¡±


    The deputy replied and nodded stiffly. Then he waved to the Liang family guards and signaled for them to retreat farther back.


    Song Tianba¡¯s inner force had enhanced enormously. He smiled nastily and looked down at Xiao Luo who was still on the ground. His eyes were red. Clenching his teeth, he snarled, ¡°Little jerk, I will kill you!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he swooped down at Xiao Luo from mid-air. The energying from the Martial Emperor swept over like a hurricane. So great was its force, it distorted the surrounding space, and even the brick buildings close by copsed. As he approached Xiao Luo, he thrust out a palm emitting tremendous inner energy, directly at Xiao Luo¡¯s head.


    BOOM!


    The ground copsed. A furious dust storm rose as the immense energy swept across the street. Buildings and stalls crashed to the ground as the energy storm wrecked everything in its path.


    It was so powerful it reached the crowd who watched from afar. Many fell to the ground, while some were even sent flying.


    Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy was dazed. ¡°That¡­ That is the power of a Martial Emperor?¡± he asked with a pale look on his face.


    ¡°Dreadful, isn¡¯t it? I feel its dreadful power, too. We canpare the disparity between the two martial levels to the gap between the earth and the heavens,¡± Liang Xinghua said in awe. He had just witnessed the transformation process Song Tianba had gone through from the Martial Lord level to the Martial Emperor level.


    ¡°That young man is as good as dead. Such dreadful energy can grind a Martial Lord into powder easily. There is no way that he can withstand Song Tianba¡¯s power now,¡± said the deputy, looking at the thick dust created by the strike.


    Liang Xinghua nodded his head in agreement, and said, ¡°I agree.¡±


    However, when the dust settled, what they saw made them gulp.


    Xiao Luo was still standing. His hands were still on the cart. The True Inner Force he exerted not only protected him but kept the little girl and her mother¡¯s bodies on the cart intact. Though the surrounding ground had copsed, the area where he stood remained undamaged. That palm strike from Song Tianba did not even touch Xiao Luo¡¯s body. It only deflected off the True Inner Force that he exerted.


    Then Xiao Luo made his move as he stomped his right foot.


    BAM!


    Song Tianba¡¯s energy was still locked with Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force when it burst with a thunderous st. Song Tianba spit out blood instantly, and like a lost kite swept away in a gale, he lost his bnce and went flying backward. He fell hard to the ground about ten or twenty miles away.


    The exchange petrified Liang Xinghua and everyone who watched. They could not hide the look of shock in their eyes.


    ¡°How¡­ How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Song Tianba achieved Martial Emperor after taking the Boosting Yuan Elixir. Yet he can¡¯t defeat that young man?¡±


    ¡°Is that young man a monster? His strength is unfathomable!¡±


    Everyone was astonished, and what they saw only made them doubt their understanding of the levels and strengths in the martial arts world.


    Holding the Dragon Saber firmly in his hand, Xiao Luo looked a frightful sight as he stood alone. He looked as if he despised the entire world and the look on his face astounded everyone there.


    ¡°My Lord, has he¡­ has he achieved the Martial Emperor level, too? But how is that possible? He looks only twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Even if he started cultivating as soon as he was born, he still could not have progressed so rapidly,¡± said Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy. He gazed at Xiao Luo in disbelief.


    The expression on Liang Xinghua¡¯s face was difficult to read. Clenching his fist, he did not speak. No one knew what he was thinking.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    After getting back up on his feet, Song Tianba opened his mouth to spit out thick blood. He was bleeding from his head and his face had a hideous look. His eyes were full of anger and rage, and he looked like a vicious ghost.


    He stared at Xiao Luo with unbridled hostility, and scowled, ¡°Little jerk!¡±


    ¡°This is the end. The sixth!¡± Xiao Luo said as he red at Song Tianba indifferently and called him out as the sixth.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ That¡¯s bullsh*t!¡±


    Song Tianba broke into a hoarseugh. He had lost his faculties and turned into a crazy demon. He lunged at Xiao Luo again, bristling with rage as he advanced through the damaged street causing more destruction.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    As Song Tianba rampaged through the street snarling like a mad beast, his footfall shook the ground like thunder.


    Xiao Luo remained calm and looked indifferent. Suddenly, he unsheathed his saber and shed it down.


    A beam of invisible knife energy thirty feet long shot across the air, leaving ripples in its path. Song Tianba¡¯s body exploded and turned into a fog of blood. When the sword¡¯s energy hit the ground, it struck with a resounding st. A strong wind blew and massive clouds of dust covered the sky. Long cracks appeared on the ground, one after another. The strewn body parts disintegrated from the impact of the force, and the stain of blood was the only thing remaining on the ground.


    ¡°Mother ducker. The world is finally at peace!¡±


    The Duck Emperor wiped the cold sweat off his forehead as he spoke. And only now did he know how cruel Xiao Luo could be


    Just like that, Xiao Luo eliminated the Song family; the family that ruled Stan City for so many years.


    Everyone who watched the battle felt like they had been in a dream. It was surreal. The young man squashed these tyrants who had been torturing them for so long. Everyone found it hard to believe what they had witnessed. They were reeling in shock. The young man, whose strength was immeasurable, remained a mystery.


    ¡°Song¡­ Song Tianba is¡­ dead.¡±


    Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy looked very pale. In a trembling voice, he said, ¡°He used his vital functions to break through to the Martial Emperor level, but he was still not a rival for this guy!¡±


    Liang Xinghua was beyond the state of shock.


    If the young guy killed Song Tianba, it meant he was at least a Martial Emperor. A Martial Emperor in his twenties? What¡¯s wrong with the world? Was this level so easy to cultivate?


    Liang Xinghua could not stop staring at Xiao Luo with amazement.


    Xiao Luo did not linger. He slid the Dragon Saber back into its sheath, then turned around, and left. He continued his journey westward as if nothing significant had happened.¡±Wait!¡±Liang Xinghua called out and walked up to him hurriedly.

 Chapter 755 - Does Not Work

    <h2>Chapter 755: Does Not Work</h2>


    Liang Xinghua quickly caught up to Xiao Luo. Then he made a formal bow to Xiao Luo with both hands folded in front of him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± asked Xiao Luo rather coldly.


    Liang Xinghua shivered when his eyes met Xiao Luo¡¯s. Plucking up his courage, he smiled and said, ¡°Young Brother, I have prepared some food and wine, and I would be honored if you would ept my invitation to visit my house and take a rest. What do you say?¡±


    If he could attain the friendship of such a powerful young man, it would bring the Liang family many benefits in the next one hundred years. Besides, he had a daughter. If those two could get married, that would even be better.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested!¡±


    Xiao Luo rejected his invitation curtly. He did not belong to this world and was merely passing through Stan City. There was no reason for him to befriend the Liang family. Besides, Xiao Luo had his reservations about the middle-aged man standing before him.


    After declining the invite, Xiao Luo pushed the cart forward and continued on his way.


    Liang Xinghua refrained from insisting further after he had witnessed Xiao Luo killing Song Tianba and the elders so cruelly, and thought it wiser not to irritate Xiao Luo.


    The deputy walked up to Liang Xinghua when he saw Xiao Luo leaving, and said, ¡°My Lord, this guy suddenly showed up in the Stan City, and we know nothing about him. I do not think it is possible to cozy up to him.¡±


    ¡°Let us get to know him, then.¡±


    Liang Xinghua said, ¡°I¡¯ll hand this arduous task over to you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± asked the deputy. He opened his eyes wide, pointing to himself.


    Liang Xinghua patted him on his shoulder and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. You are my right-hand man and I trust you. From now on, follow him secretly to figure out what he wants in Stan City. Find out what he likes to do, and things like that. All humans have weaknesses. As long as we can find out what his weaknesses are, it will be possible for us to win him over to our side.¡±


    The deputy shivered and started sweating profusely. Was there any difference between secretly trailing that fearsome man and courting death? Lord, you overestimate my abilities, he thought anxiously.


    ¡°My Lord, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not be afraid. That man saved a little girl that he had met just by chance. I am sure he does not kill innocent people unless they piss him off. Just follow him. If he warns you, you stop. However, please realize that you are my right-hand man, so do not disappoint me,¡± said Liang Xinghua sternly.


    The deputy was close to tears upon hearing that. Did the Lord mean he must seed? If he failed at his mission, he would be demoted down the ranks. It was the same as telling him to finish the task, even at the risk of death.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo pushed the cart carrying the two bodies to a forest out of the city. He stopped when he found a ce that overlooked the rollingndscape beyond. Looking at the little girl¡¯s pale face, he felt a deep sense of regret. He thought he had saved her, but she still died in the end.


    ¡°God damned jerk, cheer up. It is just one of those things. It is the fate of this little girl,¡± said the Duck Emperor as he tried tofort Xiao Luo. He had flown out of the pocket andnded on his shoulder.


    ¡°Fate?¡±


    Xiao Luo snorted and replied, ¡°I have never believed in such a thing as fate. And I will not let fate beat me.¡±


    ¡°You are just stubborn. I studied the Taiji and Yin Yang of the Hua Nation and found them very profound and mysterious. I agree with the belief that a person is born with the path of his life already determined. That is your lifeline. When you have reached the end of the lifeline, even the Great Heavens cannot save you,¡± said the Duck Emperor.


    Xiao Luo did not speak.


    The Duck Emperor continued, ¡°For example, you want to go to the Holynd of the Light n to rescue your wife. Fate has already determined the result. No matter what you do, you cannot change that result.¡±


    ¡°Fate has written it?¡±


    Xiao Luoughed sarcastically and said, ¡°Where there is a will, there is a way. That is what I believe. When your faith is strong, there is nothing you cannot achieve.¡±


    ¡°You just do not get it. Well, forget about it then. Bury those two now, or the bodies will stink if exposed to the air for too long,¡± advised the Duck Emperor. He could not persuade Xiao Luo and promptly changed the subject.


    At that moment, a few people ran out of the forest, holding hoes in hand. It was Liang Xinghua¡¯s deputy and two guards of the Liang family.


    The deputy came over respectfully. He said to Xiao Luo, ¡°Brother, let us help you bury them.¡±


    Without waiting for Xiao Luo¡¯s response, he waved at those two guards to signal them to dig. Then all three of them dug.


    ¡°Are they not from the Liang family of the Stan City? We saw them earlier. Why are they here helping you bury the little girl?¡± whispered the Duck Emperor to Xiao Luo. He looked confused.


    ¡°Their intentions are so obvious. Can you not see it? You are absolutely a duck. Although you are good at speaking ournguage, you don¡¯t know how to think the human way,¡± Xiao Luo said scornfully.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± cursed the Duck Emperor as the feathers on his head stood on ends.


    The voluntarybor was certainly helpful and the deputy and his two guards did their job very well. It only took two hours to bury the little girl and her mother.


    The tomb was a small heap of earth, with white flowers on it. As for the tombstone, it was a piece of marble the men had brought along from Stan City. They found out the names of the mother and daughter and carved their names on the tombstone with a sword.


    ¡°Brother, what do you think? Is there any change you want to make?¡± asked the deputy. He sought Xiao Luo¡¯s opinion about the tomb. He was sweating heavily because of the physical task.


    Xiao Luo did not answer him. Instead, he asked the deputy, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The unexpected question threw the deputy off slightly. Then he answered honestly, ¡°My name is Liang Kuan.¡±


    Liang Kuan?


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow because the name sounded familiar. He watched many TV series and movies about Huang Feihong, who had an apprentice called Liang Kuan.


    ¡°Go back with this message for your Lord. Tell him to stop wasting his time on me. I will not be staying in Stan City for a long time. I will leave soon. Do not make a wrong move,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    Liang Kuan gave a bitter smile. He wished he could go back to report what Xiao Luo had said to his Lord. But if he went back with that message, he knew he could no longer stay with the Liang family.


    He grinned and replied, ¡°Brother, this incident happened in the Stan City. The Liang family has both the obligation and the responsibility toe forward to do something for the folks. The Song family has been bullying these people here for a long time. There were manyints. Now, you have eliminated the Song family and got rid of evil in our city, and in doing so, you have also been a great help to the Liang family. The Song family was our enemy. The deaths of the little girl and her mother were unjustified, and they deserved a proper burial. Brother, if we allowed you to do that on your own, then the Liang family would be thoughtless.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°You are good at sweet-talking, but it does not work on me!¡±


    His body slowly lifted into the air as he spoke. In the end, Xiao Luo was standing in mid-air like a god.


    Martial Emperor?


    The two guards of the Liang family dropped to the ground out of fear. Liang Kuan stared at Xiao Luo, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. It was true he had suspected that Xiao Luo was a Martial Emperor. But it was quite a novel experience to confirm it with his own eyes. Xiao Luo had achieved the level of a Martial Emperor at twenty-five or twenty-six years old. It was incredible.

 Chapter 756 - A Big Mouth

    <h2>Chapter 756: A Big Mouth</h2>


    Xiao Luo flew west at full speed after leaving the Stan City. Soon, Xiao Luo and the duck saw a beautiful mountain that appeared rich in resources.


    As they soared through the clouds, they could see cold-water streams flowing. Through the fog, sun rays reflected red on the surface of the clear water of streams that flowed into a broader body of water, and above it, Hagdons and herons mingled as they flew through clouds.


    It was an impressive mountain!


    ¡°Mother ducker. These schools and sects are all in blessed locations with good Fengshui. Are they all so good at selecting proper sites?¡± asked the Duck Emperor. The Ziyue Cave Heaven sect, where they had been to, also sat on a peak and had a magnificent view. It was the same with the Danhui Sect.


    ¡°Shut up! And do not talk nonsenseter.¡±


    Xiao Luo warned the Duck Emperor as theynded on the ground. Since they had arrived at the Danhui Sect, they wanted to keep a low profile.


    Many people from the Stan City had traveled the road leading up to the Danhui Sect mountain peak to use the teleportation portal. Most of the travelers were cultivators and businesspeople, intending to go to other ces. Cultivators were probably on travel adventures, while businesspeople traveled to conduct their businesses.


    Teleportation portals could take people to various ces. For instance, the portal at the Danhui Sect could take travelers to the remote Mu City located five hundred thousand kilometers away. It could also take travelers back to the region governed by the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect. These were just two of the destinations among the many ces it could transport travelers. There were many routes to travel to the Holynd of the Light n. Zuo Xiangming chose the shortest route with the least transits for Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo joined the crowd of travelers and headed to the peak of the Danhui Sect.


    The teleportation portal was on the empty field outside the gate of the sect. Disciples of the Danhui Sect would validate a traveler¡¯s identity first before he could move onto the portal. Xiao Luo was not from the Arcana Land, so he was an illegal traveler. However, the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect had settled that matter for him. He had a small card stating that he was from the region governed by the Ziyue Cave Heaven sect.


    Many people were waiting in that spacious field. The ce was chaotic. Xiao Luo felt as if he had walked into the waiting hall of a bus station in the Original World.


    Xiao Luo looked aloof and unfriendly. He did not want anyone to approach him, and hence, no one dared to speak to him. Xiao Luo did not wish to exchange any information with others. So, he just stood in a corner silently, waiting for the transmission to the Mu City.


    ¡°The Song family no longer exists. It looks like the elder of the Danhui Sect has not heard the news yet. It means we can leave secretly. Quack, Quack,¡± said the Duck Emperor in a low voice. He stood on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder after looking around at the peaceful Danhui Sect.


    ¡°It would be the best,¡± said Xiao Luo quietly.


    He hoped nothing would happen throughout their trip, and they could arrive at the Holynd of the Light n as quickly as possible.


    At that moment, a disciple of the Danhui Sect shouted, ¡°Travelers to the Mu City! Please get prepared!¡±


    Those heading for the Mu City stood up. They queued up, ready to walk into that shining transmitting formation.


    ¡°You must not use your True Inner Force during the transmission. Please bear that in mind. It is the number one principle to guarantee your safety!¡±


    The disciple standing next to the teleportation portal repeated the same warning continuously. It reminded Xiao Luo of the crew on the long-distance bus stations in the Original World when they reminded passengers to fasten their seat belts.


    Many experienced travelers who had been traveling around frequently got impatient when they had heard the repeated warning. A muscr man murmured, ¡°They say that every time I travel by the portal. It is freaking annoying. Why don¡¯t they stop it?¡± Heid his eyes on Xiao Luo, who was behind him. The muscr man asked Xiao Luo casually, ¡°Hey man, do I make any sense? What do you think?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at him without answering his question.


    The muscr man seemed to be interested in Xiao Luo. ¡°Man, you are only a Martial Master in the middle stage. What are you going to do in Mu City? I can protect you if you wish.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent. He only smiled at that man.


    ¡°Shoot, he is deaf!¡± cursed the muscr man as he turned around.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s freaking deaf, you piece of sh*t!¡± swore the Duck Emperor angrily.


    The muscr man turned around again. He stared at Xiao Luo unkindly. ¡°Did you just curse at me?¡± he asked.


    He certainly would not think it was the duck standing on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. After all, the duck looked harmless.


    Xiao Luo did not want any trouble, so he smiled at the man again, shaking his head to deny the usation. He then glimpsed at the Duck Emperor as a warning.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Seeing that Xiao Luo did not dare confront him, the muscr man did notsh out. He just snorted and turned around.


    However, the Duck Emperor felt intrigued and continued riling the man up. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the one I¡¯m cursing at, you piece of sh*t! Are you deaf? Your entire family must be deaf!¡±


    The muscr man turned around immediately. Staring at Xiao Luo in anger, he said, ¡°Jerk, do you want to get punched?¡±


    Xiao Luo stopped protecting the annoying duck. Pointing at the duck standing on his shoulder, he said, ¡°He is this one who cursed at you.¡±


    A duck cursed me?


    The muscr man threw a dubious look at the Duck Emperor. However, the Duck Emperor quacked with an innocent-looking face. The man felt irritated. He poked at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest with his finger and said, ¡°Darn it. Who the hell are you lying to? You do not even have the guts to admit what you did. Passing the buck to a duck. Shame on you!¡±


    ¡°Quack~ Quack~¡±


    The Duck Emperor quacked at that moment, nodding its head.


    ¡°See? Even the duck agrees with me,¡± said the muscr man.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He wanted to roast that annoying duck. ¡°The voice that cursed at you is not the same as mine. You can¡¯t tell?¡±


    ¡°Who can¡¯t fake his voice? I can speak in two different voices, too!¡± shouted the muscr man.


    The man was unconvinced and did not doubt at all that it was Xiao Luo who had cursed at him. ¡°Jerk, apologize now, and I¡¯ll forget about it. Otherwise, I¡¯ll show you how what my fist is made of!¡±


    ¡°Do not dawdle. Keep moving. Do not fall behind!¡± a Danhui Sect disciple shouted at them.


    The muscr man restrained himself at that point. He hurried to keep pace with the queue.


    ¡°That piece of sh*t is funny,¡± said Duck Emperor. He burst outughing on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Believe it or not, I will strangle you!¡± threatened Xiao Luo ferociously.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­ There¡¯s no need to threaten me, little brat. I was having fun and trying to keep us entertained,¡± replied Duck Emperor as he rolled his eyes.


    Xiao Luo gave him an icy stare. The annoying duck had a big mouth.


    When Xiao Luo continued to walk forward, the Duck Emperor teased the muscr man once again. ¡°Hey, piece of sh*t. Did you not just say you want me to apologize? I am now f*cking apologizing to your grandma¡¯s legs. By the way, go back and ask your grandma whether the wound between her legs has recovered. I made that wound with a knife and caused it to bleed once a month. But I suppose it should have recovered by now.¡±


    Darn it!


    Enough is enough. The muscr man hit the ceiling.


    ¡°Jerk, I will f*cking kill you!¡±


    He snarled, and his eyes were red with fury. He turned around to throw his fist at Xiao Luo¡¯s face.Xiao Luo acted as fast as lightning. He jabbed the index finger of his right hand into the muscr man¡¯s chest and the man instantly froze. Then he grabbed the Duck Emperor by the neck, dumped him on the ground, and kicked him hard.

 Chapter 757 - Grand Elder

    <h2>Chapter 757: Grand Elder</h2>


    ¡°Hey, stop kicking! Goddamn little brat, enough¡­ You are breaking my wings!¡±


    ¡°God, they¡¯re broken¡­ You¡¯ve broken them! My legs are broken, too!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­ I¡¯ll stop talking. Just stop kicking¡­ You are kicking the sh*t out of me!¡±


    The Duck Emperor kept screaming and looked like he was about to cry, but there were no tears. By then he had learned one lesson¨Che would not be in trouble if he had not asked for it.


    The people around were all shocked. A duck who could speak? Was that a beast demon? This young man owned a beast demon as a pet beast, and he even threw it to the ground and kicked it. Who the hell was he?


    After ten-odd kicks, Xiao Luo finally felt better. Then he lifted the touch of death he had imposed on the muscr man. Pointing at the Duck Emperor on the ground, he asked, ¡°Do you need more exnation?¡±


    The muscr man felt embarrassed because he realized he had misunderstood Xiao Luo indeed. After observation, he concluded the Duck Emperor was not a beast demon, but an ordinary duck who had got intelligence, and that was why it could speak. After all, with a Renren Elixir of the Danhui Sect, one could make any animal speak. That was nothing weird.


    ¡°Even though you did not curse me, you are still responsible for your pet beast. So, I didn¡¯t wrong you at all. Apologize now. Kneel and kowtow to me three times, and I will forget about this,¡± said the muscr man peremptorily. His pride did not allow him to admit he had wronged Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Kowtow to you?¡± Annoyed, Xiao Luo looked at him cynically.


    ¡°Of course. An apology without kowtow is not sincere at all. Just kneel and kowtow to me,¡± said the muscr man impatiently.


    He was a Great Martial Master, and Xiao Luo was just a Martial Master in the middle stage. Although he did not know how this man could have subdued him, he supposed it was because he had not been careful enough. If they got into a fight, he had the confidence that he could trounce Xiao Luo, so he was not afraid at all.


    ¡°Humph.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not bother to speak to the muscr man anymore. He snorted and then threw a punch at thetter¡¯s stomach.


    It was such a quick attack that the muscr man did not have the time to react at all. Xiao Luo¡¯s punch smashed into his stomach with substantial force and he felt like his viscera churning up. His face was distorted because of pain and he could not stop groaning. Step by step, he walked away to one side of the road, and finally knelt, supporting himself with his left hand propped on the ground. With his right hand, he held his stomach at the spot where he had just been punched. His entire body was in spasms.


    ¡°Oh, my, I bet it¡¯s painful!¡±


    The Duck Emperor flew back onto Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, throwing the muscr man an empathetic look.


    Xiao Luo stared at the duck. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare make any trouble again!¡±


    The Duck Emperor shivered and said, ¡°Goddamn little brat, you see? You just threatened me again!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face looked as cold as frost. He regretted he brought this annoying duck along for the many troubles he had caused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I just wanted to inject some fun into our tedious wait,¡± said the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°I can¡¯t appreciate the fun you have in mind,¡± said Xiao Luo in an icy voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±


    At this moment, a disciple of the Danhui Sect ran over. He asked after looking at the muscr man on the ground, still unable to speak from the pain he felt.


    ¡°I guess he has a stomach ache and probably needs to go to the toilet,¡± said Xiao Luo, forcing a smile.


    That disciple of the Danhui Sect looked annoyed. ¡°You should have stayed at home if you have stomach pains. Why did youe here for? You wanna take a sh*t during transmission?¡± He stopped paying attention to the muscr man. After all, Xiao Luo was Martial Master, while the muscr man was Great Martial Master. He definitely would not believe that it was Xiao Luo who had attacked the muscr man. Waving his hand, he said insensitively, ¡°It will be your turn soon. Don¡¯t fall behind. Go over now.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and picked up the pace to catch up to the man in front of him in the queue. There were only ten-odd people in front of him.


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    Suddenly, a long scream came from somewhere in the pce of the Danhui Sect and echoed through the air like thunder. The travelers waiting for the transmission on the empty field almost fell to the ground from shock. Some average people who had never cultivated even felt their blood curdle.


    The Duck Emperor eximed, ¡°That¡¯s not good. It must be that backer of the Songs. He must have found out that we have eliminated the Songs and he¡¯s on the warpath because of that.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Pretend as if nothing had happened. We¡¯ll carry on walking discreetly.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not want any trouble and only wanted to arrive at the sacred ce of the Light n as soon as possible. The Danhui Sect was not a small sect, and they were the ones who supervised the teleportation portal. If he had any conflict with them, he was sure it would affect his journey.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ll sneak out from right under his nose. It¡¯ll drive those bast*rd bananas!¡± said the Duck Emperor, baring its teeth with a wicked sense of humor. Although his beak was t, he looked like he was snickering and shing his fangs.


    ¡°What happened? Why is the Grand Elder so angry suddenly?¡±


    The disciple of the Danhui Sect murmured, frowning. Then he went on directing people into the teleportation portal for the trip to the Mu City in an orderly fashion.


    The ten-odd travelers in front of Xiao Luo had all walked into the transmitting formation. Looking back at the pce of the Danhui Sect, he felt relieved. Then he also walked into the transmitting formation.


    ¡°Stop the transmission. Stop the transmission immediately!¡±


    Arge white-haired man about fifty years old sporting a white-bearded, flew three hundred or four hundred miles to the empty field from the pce of the Danhui Sect, carrying someone from the Songs with him.


    The old man stood there, and an invisible force emanated from his body, spreading across the empty field with a threatening flow of energy.


    ¡°Grand Elder!¡±


    The disciple of the Danhui Sect responsible for the transmission hurried over and salute him.


    The old man ignored him. Letting go of the man from the Song family, he said in a harsh voice, ¡°You said the killer of my grandson is here. Who is he? Point him out!¡±


    That man from the Song family was trembling before such a powerful man.


    At this moment, a few more old men flew out of the pce of the Danhui Sect andnded on the empty field. They dressed the same way as the first old man, showing they were elders of the Danhui Sect as well.


    ¡°Elder brother, what¡¯s gotten into you? Don¡¯t hurt these innocent people!¡± said one of the elders.


    The Grand Elder waved his hand. ¡°The family of my grandson was ughtered, and the killer is here among them. You stay out of this! Otherwise, I won¡¯t show any mercy to you although we are fellow disciples.¡± He gave that man from the Songs an angry stare and scowled, ¡°Who the hell is the murderer? Point him out. I¡¯ll cut him into thousands of pieces!¡±


    The man from the Songs gestured for another nsman who was hiding in the crowd. The man hurried forward and bowed to the old man. ¡°Lord, he¡­ He has just entered the teleportation portal.¡±


    What?


    The Grand Elder¡¯s eyes widened at the news and his blood boiled, making him look like a vicious ghost.


    He nced at the shining teleportation portal, then thrust his palm toward it right away.


    ¡°What are you doing, Elder brother? The sacred Light n built this teleportation portal. If you destroy it, they will doubtlessly punish us, and will eliminate the Danhui Sect from this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Elder brother. Don¡¯t act impulsively. Think it over,¡± persuaded another elder patiently.


    ¡°I will not think it f*cking over. That little jerk eliminated the family of my grandson. I¡¯m going to cut him into thousands of pieces. You get out of my way!¡±


    The Grand Elder shouted as tremendous energy flowed out of him. None of those elders could stop him, and he thrust his palm at the portal.


    The tremendous energy from his palm force surged like angry waves over the empty field. The force unleashed was extremely devastating.

 Chapter 758 - Space Storm

    <h2>Chapter 758: Space Storm</h2>


    There were stringent procedures in the transmission process. It was not like one could instantly arrive in Mu City. Xiao Luo kept his body straight, and he found himself in the Dimension of Chaos once again, where everything appeared foggy. Xiao Luo could see nothing except the people who had also entered with him into the teleportation portal. He felt like he was flying forward at a rapid speed.


    On the Danhui Sect¡¯s end, the Grand Elder had struck the teleportation portal with a palm movement filled with tremendous power. The power channeled from his palm resembled a sword of immense True Inner Force, which shed in a bluish light. When he smote the portal, the colorful lights within it glowed brilliantly, then after a brief pause, a tremendous force recoiled back into him.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    The Grand Elder could not handle the enormous surge of power. Spitting out blood, he flew back almost eight feet before crashing into the ground. He continued to spit out even more blood, and his old face turned pale in an instant.


    ¡°Elder Brother!¡±


    All the other Elders rushed forward to help him to his feet. His disciples also went to assist as well and gave the Grand Elder a healing pill for his injuries.


    The travelers who were waiting in the queue for transmission were in shock.


    ¡°Oh, god. The Danhui Sect¡¯s Grand Elder has powers equivalent to a mid-tier Martial Emperor. But he is the one who got injured with that one strike to the portal. And it did not even sustain any damage!¡±


    ¡°That is because the people of the Holy Land of the Light n made the portal. It is a holy item, and it is exceedingly difficult for people who are not from the Light n to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Though the Grand Elder might not have destroyed it, those people traveling to Mu City probably will not have a chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°That is right. The most important rule during transmission is not to use the True Inner Force. The palm strike from the Danhui Sect¡¯s Grand Elder had an enormous amount of True Inner Force. Those people in the transmission formation will tear into pieces because of the power of space.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, it was not I who was traveling to Mu City. Otherwise, that will be the end of me!¡±


    Many of them patted their chests and were thankful that they were not heading to the Mu City. It would have been instant death. No one knew what got into the Danhui Sect¡¯s Grand Elder that he mmed his palm strike into the portal like a madman.


    ¡­


    After the Danhui Sect¡¯s Grand Elder strike, a space storm urred within the Dimension of Chaos, and inside the portal, everything became white and misty. The storm roared like a beast and swept everything within it. The travelers inside did not even cry out in pain, nor could they react as the storm turned them into minced meat.


    Xiao Luo could feel that he was spinning around, and could not tell where the cardinal directions were. All he felt was the sensation of being grabbed by different parts of his body and forcefully pulled in different directions. The powerful storm was trying to tear him apart.


    What was going on?


    The color on Xiao Luo¡¯s face changed slightly. He saw the people in front of him getting ripped to shreds in the storm. He could no longer care about the rule of not using the True Inner Force, which the disciples had mentioned earlier. His True Inner Force naturally activated and emanated from his body, forming an invisible shield around him and protecting him from the ferocious storm.


    The Duck Emperor was in his pocket and was naturally within the protective bubble as well.


    ¡°Huh? What in the ducking world is happening right now?¡± the duck said in fear. He could sense they were in grave danger from the force of the storm.


    ¡°There must be some problem with the portal on the Danhui Sect¡¯s side,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ¡°Could it be the supporter of the Song family?¡±


    Duck Emperor firmly said, ¡°Screw his ducking mum. If I knew this would happen, I would have given the jerk a good beating before we left. Now we are in big trouble! God knows where we will end up. We don¡¯t even know if we can stay alive.¡±


    Xiao Luo was secretly regretting it as well. It was all his fault. He wanted to get to the Holy Land of the Light n as soon as he could. He took the risk to get on the teleportation portal, even though he had a feeling that the Grand Elder might be up to no good. He took his chances, and it led to the tragic situation they were in at this moment.


    His regrets would change nothing. Within the teleportation portal of the Dimension of Chaos, the strange storm tore everyone else to shreds, and they were the only two left alive inside. He had to remain focused to deal with the situation and stay alive.


    Both Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor were inside the protective shield. There was a stark contrast between the inside of the protective shield and the roaring storm outside. It was like two different worlds.


    Duck Emperor looked at the situation outside the shield and danced happily. ¡°Wah, you goddamn little brat, you are great! This storm cannot do anything to us! Just looking at this, Grandpa Duck here really wants to sing a song to express his feelings right now!¡±


    Xiao Luo simply ignored the duck, for he had to stay focused to deal with the storm.


    ¡°What song should I sing?¡±


    Duck Emperor tilted his head and thought for a bit, then said, ¡°Got it.¡± He jumped onto Xiao Luo¡¯s chest then shook his duck butt and started singing. ¡°Just this feeling so cheerful, so cheerful. This feeling so cheerful. Floating in the sky are five words. The problem is nothing important. It¡¯s just a matter of time, it¡¯ll be alright soon. Just this feeling so cheerful¡­¡±


    Listening to it, Xiao Luo felt like vomiting blood. The silly duck was singing none other than Da Zhangwei¡¯s ¡°So Cheerful¡±. He shook his butt and formed a scissor shape with his wings, moving from left to right expressively.


    F*ck!


    Even if Xiao Luo had all the patience in the world, he couldn¡¯t help cursing at that point. There he was, trying his best to handle the storm, while the silly duck was treating his chest like a dance floor. The Duck Emperor was singing and shaking his duck butt around, and it was disrupting his concentration.


    ¡°Hu, hu, hu¡­¡±


    The storm outside was roaring even louder, and Xiao Luo was having a much harder time blocking it.


    When a slight bit of the storm prated the shield, it shocked the Duck Emperor so much that he immediately stopped singing. ¡°What in the ducking world is going on here, you goddamn little brat?¡±


    ¡°What is going on? Your singing is so horrible that not even this storm wants to listen to it!¡± Even using all his strength to maintain the integrity of their protection shield, Xiao Luo could not pass taking a swipe at the irritating duck.


    ¡°Nonsense, Grandpa Duck here is a singing God! There is no way my singing is dreadful.¡±


    Duck Emperor rebuffed Xiao Luo¡¯s words but kept quiet thereafter as he recalled how his singing had annoyed a beast demon python in the forest.


    Meanwhile, the storm was getting stronger and swept everything away with insane force. It ripped into the shield of True Inner Force and began to prate the barrier like a sharp de, even cutting up Xiao Luo¡¯s clothing and flesh as well. The Duck Emperor was being subjected to the same lethal force.


    ¡°Goddamn little brat. You must hold on! If you do not, we are going to die!¡±


    Duck Emperor was no longer as rxed as he was earlier on. His duck face turned pale, and he felt a little disoriented. He had thought nothing would happen, but who could have imagined that the storm transformed so suddenly? It was getting more dangerous, and the situation looked critical.


    ¡°Shut that stinking mouth of yours!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted. With every word he screamed, his True Inner Force radiated outward and covered his body. His forehead dripped with sweat, and his face turned red. He was almost reaching his limit.

 Chapter 759 - Young Girl

    <h2>Chapter 759: Young Girl</h2>


    The space storm was like a hurricane, sweeping everything in its path. It sounded like a roaring beast from the depths of an ancient forest tearing everything in its path. The stormpletely distorted the space outside the shield. Xiao Luo was rapidly using up his True Inner Force against the intensifying storm as the protectiveyer that shielded him was weakening.


    ¡°Hold¡­ hold on, please¡­¡±


    With the storm tearing through the barrier, the Duck Emperor sumbed to the pressure. He spat out some blood and fell into aa.


    Xiao Luo was not faring any better. His body was getting weaker, and he was feeling extremely ufortable as the storm prated the shield. It felt like a sharp de slicing at his body and inflicting dozens of cut wounds.


    One second, two seconds¡­


    As time ticked away, blood oozed from his eyes, nose, and ears. The pressure was getting stronger, enough to tten an enormous mountain. Xiao Luo¡¯s head was in so much pain that he felt it was going to explode. All his muscles and the skin on his body were inmed. He was burning up, and the pain was unbearable.


    It was the first time Xiao Luo had felt so close to death. The storm was far too strong and not something a normal human being could withstand. He could sense its awesome power all around him¨Cthere was no escape.


    Was he going to die in this strange dimension?


    No. Su Li was still waiting for him to rescue her at the Holy Land of the Light n. There was no way he could allow himself to die here!


    His resolve activated a sudden surge of power and True Inner Force within his body. As the storm tore into the shield, distorting his facial features, Xiao Luo flinched at the searing pain. It continued to slice his flesh and rip his clothes, leaving him drenched in blood.


    The raging storm was relentless.


    It continued to tear everything apart, and it resembled an army of monsters devouring Xiao Luo from every single direction.


    Fatigue overcame his body. He was slowly losing consciousness and his vision blurred. His True Inner Force was rapidly depleting, but he continued gritting his bloodied teeth and did all he could to hang on.


    Suddenly, the storm stopped. The Dimension of Chaos slowly vanished and Xiao Luo could see blue skies. He turned his head a little and saw a thick forest beneath him, and beyond it, andscape of mountains in the distance. Xiao Luo had survived. Somehow, he got out of the teleportation portal andnded somewhere in the Arcana Land.


    He rxed and unfocused his mind. Everything in front of him suddenly turned dark, then he fainted. As he was about to pass out, he grabbed the Duck Emperor. The duck was still in aa. Xiao Luo fell from a high altitude, and the speed increased as he plunged. He eventually fell into the forest beneath him.


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo slowly regained his senses. In the endless darkness, he did not know how far he had walked in semi-consciousness. His entire body was in pain. It felt like all the bones in his body were broken. With what strength he had left, he forcefully opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and it took some time before he could see clearly.


    ¡°It¡¯s another forest again!¡±


    Xiao Luo had a bitter smile on his face. He was indeed in another forest full of thick, sturdy, and leafy trees. The thick canopy of leaves above him kept most of the sunlight out and the area underneath the trees was in perpetual darkness. Yet, if one lifted his head, the blue sky was visible through the thick canopy of tree branches. It was still daylight, and not evening or night yet.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    A female voice came from behind.


    It surprised Xiao Luo. He immediately turned his head to look. It was a young girl around sixteen to seventeen-years-old. She was standing not too far away, holding a bunch of fruits.


    She had a head of long, wine-green hair, with bangs covering her forehead. She was decked in a ck tube dress that was wavy from below her waist. At a nce, the back of the dress appeared purple, and she wore a pair of red boots.


    Xiao Luo was rather stunned by the young girl¡¯s outfit. The style was very simr to the ones that girls would wear in the Original World.


    He had another look at her. She had a fair, oval-shaped face, and under a pair of curvy eyebrows were two bright, shimmering eyes. She had a graceful figure and was about 1.65m tall. Her skin was strikingly fair and was as white as snow. Other than the fruits, she was holding onto a small red umbre.


    The young girl walked toward Xiao Luo and put the fruits on the ground. She went up for a closer look at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°You fell from the sky and broke your leg. This girl here is the one who fixed your leg. Aren¡¯t you going to thank me?¡±


    Did she fix my leg?


    Only then did Xiao Luo look at his leg. He would not have noticed if he did not look at it. He had a shock as soon as he looked down. He had broken his right leg and the girl had immobilized it, but the brace she fixed his leg in left much to be desired. God knows where she found that branch¨Cshe secured the branch to his leg with some vines, and that was it. If his leg could heal this way, then it must be the work of some spirits.


    But regardless of how bad a job she did, she did it out of goodwill. Xiao Luo subsequently thanked her.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee! You¡¯re lucky this girl here witnessed it. I couldn¡¯t just stand here and not do anything about it.¡± The young girl smiled with sparkling eyes, then picked up a fruit and ate it.


    ¡°Where is this ce?¡± Xiao Luo was eager to find out his exact location.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the Dark Forest,¡± replied the girl as she continued munching on her fruit.


    Xiao Luo asked again, ¡°How far is it from Mu City?¡±


    ¡°Over a thousand kilometers,¡± answered the girl.


    Over a thousand kilometers?


    Xiao Luo felt relieved that he did notnd too far from his destination. It was only over a thousand kilometers. Once his body fully recovered, he should reach Mu City within a day if he flew at full speed.


    He said nothing else. Then the girl took out a sheepskin scroll and asked, ¡°Hey, does this thing belong to you?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked. She was holding the map that showed the way to the Holy Land of the Light n. It was the one which Zuo Xiangming had drawn for him. He nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s mine.¡± And he asked again, ¡°Why is it with you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. This girl does not have the habit of poking her nose into other people¡¯s business. I picked this up from somewhere else. There is no one else within a hundred miles, so I presumed it must be yours.¡± The young girl threw the sheepskin scroll back to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo kept it in his pocket safely. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he was falling from the sky. Duck Emperor was lying next to him, still in an unconscious state.


    ¡°Are you heading toward the Holy Land of the Light n?¡± asked the girl.


    She had already finished the entire fruit, only leaving the kernel. She casually threw it on the ground.


    After hearing the question, Xiao Luo realized she must have seen the route map. He did not deny it and nodded his head in response.


    ¡°With the level of your martial arts, why are you heading toward the Holy Land of the Light n?¡± asked the girl.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m heading there, then I naturally have something to do there,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a sigh.


    The girl looked at him, then said, ¡°Judging by your current condition, it¡¯ll take at least three to five months for you to recover. Even then, there will be side effects such as lower cultivation. I¡¯m afraid you will have to postpone your journey.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not refute what the girl said, although she might be wrong.


    In reality, judging from the injuries he sustained, he could recover fully in two to three days as long as he took care of it. As the Arcana Land was full of spiritual energy, Xiao Luo could recover even quicker. And, if it did not work, he still had his healing abilities. It was just that he was worried someone was manipting the system, which was why he chose not to use it.

 Chapter 760 - Healing with Technique

    <h2>Chapter 760: Healing with Technique</h2>


    ¡°Hey, what is your name?¡± the girl asked.


    The young girl was suddenly interested in Xiao Luo. She looked at him with a pair of bright, clear apricot eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Luo,¡± Xiao Luo said, not hiding his identity.


    ¡°Xiao Luo?¡±


    She tilted her head and thought for a bit. With a cheeky smile on her face, she said, ¡°Then this girl shall call you Lil¡¯ Luoluo.¡±


    Lil¡¯ Luoluo?


    Xiao Luo almost fainted¡ªwhat kind of nickname was that?


    Xiao Luo was a little curious about who she was. A young girl turning up in a dark part of the forest with a weird outfit was not normal, no matter how one looked at it.


    Xiao Luo asked, ¡°What about you? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Ghost. As for my identity, I think it might be better if you do not know. Otherwise, I might scare you to death,¡± giggled the girl.


    Scare me to death?


    Was she someone¡¯s treasure in this piece ofnd, or did she belong to some unknown major force?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows but did not press the matter further. He looked around at the forest and said, ¡°I bet there are many weird creatures in this forest. What is a young girl like you doing all alone by herself in a ce like this?¡±


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo, you ask too many questions,¡± the girl replied.


    Ghost picked up another rare fruit and ate it before she replied to Xiao Luo¡¯s question. ¡°But I suppose it is alright to let you know. This area belongs to this girl¡¯s n. It¡¯s like my house. What¡¯s weird about wandering around my house?¡±


    She looked innocent, especially when she was eating her fruit. Her little cheeks puffed up as she ate, and she looked rather cute.


    Xiao Luo pondered after hearing what she said. It seemed the dark forest belonged to some n, and the girl called Ghost was a member of that n.


    ¡°Stop asking random questions. Have some fruit and regain some of your energy,¡± said Ghost. She threw a fruit that looked like a green apple over to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo was a little hungry. He was sure Ghost had washed those fruits, seeing how she ate them without worry. It tasted like an apple and it was crunchy. It was probably an ordinary apple.


    Duck Emperor¡¯s ability to recover was incredible. As soon as he detected the scent of the apple, he stirred and woke up from hisa.


    After opening his eyes, the first thing he muttered was, ¡°Who am I? Where¡­ where am I?¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at him with hostility and said, ¡°You¡¯re a stinking duck!¡±


    Ghost opened her eyes wide. She was shocked when she heard Duck Emperor speak. She asked, ¡°A beast demon?¡± But she soon realized something did not feel right. ¡°No, a beast demon¡¯s aura should not be this faint. It should still have a fearsome aura, even if severely injured.¡± She looked at Xiao Luo and asked, ¡°Did your pet consume some pill to awaken some ability?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not wish to exin further. He nodded his head and grunted, ¡°Mm¡±.


    ¡°No wonder,¡± Ghost said.


    Ghost was put at ease and it all made sense to her. There was no way a beast demon could be the pet of a martial artist.


    ¡°Hey, goddamn little brat, who is this little fairy? She is so pretty!¡±


    The Duck Emperor looked at Ghost. Even though he felt exhausted, he acted like a gentleman. He stood up and gave her a proper greeting. ¡°Nice to meet you, beautiful little fairy. I am Duck Emperor. I¡¯d appreciate your kind guidance.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor¡¯s actions amused Ghost. She beganughing and said, ¡°This girl here is not a little fairy. In your eyes, this girl should be a demon.¡±


    ¡°Demon?¡±


    Duck Emperor was taken aback. He picked up a fruit and gave it a bite, attempting to flirt with Ghost like a veteran, then said, ¡°Then you would be a cute demon. Look, you look so pretty when you smile. You have two canine teeth as well.¡±


    The minute he mentioned her canine teeth, the look on Ghost¡¯s face suddenly changed. She ignored Duck Emperor, then turned around to Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo, it¡¯s dangerous for you guys to stay here. Let this girl here show you the way out.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But I have to heal using my technique. It would take at least one to two days before I can leave.¡±


    Xiao Luo declined her offer. He knew he was not in the best condition, and his powers were probably at the level of a martial artist in the Arcana Land at present. Regardless of where he was, Xiao Luo only trusted his own abilities. Besides, Ghost probably had a powerful n backing her, and he did not wish to offend them. Otherwise, there would be much trouble that might befall him.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be toote for you to heal after leaving this forest.¡±


    Ghost added, ¡°There are not only many man-eating beasts in here, but there are also several of my brothers as well. If they find you, they¡¯d be worse than those man-eating beasts. If you encounter them, you¡¯re going to die for sure.¡±


    ¡°Little fairy, you look so pretty and you appear to be a reasonable person. I am sure your brothers are like you as well. When that happens, this duck here will talk to them all about the art of living well. I am sure they will do nothing to us,¡± said Duck Emperor casually while eating the fruits.


    Ghost sighed and replied, ¡°You guys are from a foreignnd. You do not understand our n. If my brothers find you guys, there is no way you guys will survive.¡±


    Xiao Luo noticed she was furrowing her brows and realized that things could get pretty serious.


    He only wished to head toward the Holy Land of the Light n with no problems. So, he was not interested in getting tangled up with Ghost¡¯s n at all. Also, before he fell from the sky, he noticed that the dark forest was vast. It was like a green ocean with no end in sight. He just wanted to find a quiet ce to heal for at least two days. The chances of something unpleasant happening to him here were slim.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already decided. Thank you for your concern.¡±


    Xiao Luo declined again. Then he crossed his legs and used his Yi Jinjing technique to begin his healing process. His injuries were severe, but Xiao Luo belonged to the Xiao n. With his bloodline and the healing technique, he could already feel his body getting better.


    Ghost looked at him sternly for a while and then scowled, ¡°Alright, since you will not listen to my advice, you better not regret itter!¡±


    After saying that, Ghost turned around and walked away, disappearing into the thick forest. She was annoyed with Xiao Luo for being so stubborn and was leaving them to fend for themselves.


    ¡°Goddamn little brat, look at you! You do not even know how to talk to a girl. You deserve to stay single for the rest of your life. Oh, no, you are not single. You have a wife. You do not deserve to have an affair with a beautiful woman then,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    ¡°Do not annoy me. I am healing,¡± Xiao Luo warned, closing his eyes.


    The duck muttered to himself, ¡°Huh, little brat. One day when this duck here bes stronger than you, I shall show you my true colors!¡±


    When the Duck Emperor saw all the fruits on the ground, he sniggered. ¡°Hehe¡­ They are all mine.¡±


    Without holding back, he gobbled up the fruits, and in just a while, his stomach was bloated. He rubbed his tummy and rested on the ground.


    ¡°So good, this is the duck life!¡±


    When Duck Emperor thought about his life in the Dimension of Chaos over thest five hundred years, he felt like he had been wasting his time there. Compared to where he was now, the difference was like heaven and hell. He burped and hummed some tunes of songs.

 Chapter 761 - Wild Beasts

    <h2>Chapter 761: Wild Beasts</h2>


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes, healing up in a spiritual state.


    White air exuded from his body and shrouded him like a mist. It looked unreal. The injuries on his body were starting to recover from within. Firstly was his broken bones, then his internal organs, followed by his eight meridian points, andstly his external wounds.


    This was a process. The fracture on his right leg wasn¡¯t going to recover that quickly!


    Duck Emperor ate so much that its stomach was bloated, and it was now having a good sleep. Its method of recovering was to sleep. When a duck fell asleep, it snored loudly like a fat pig.


    The sky slowly turned from morning to night. The forest was nowpletely dark, and cold air blew over it as well. The atmosphere was bing scarier, and the wind was bing stronger. The howling wind was like a vengeful spirit crying in the middle of the forest.


    No matter how mentally strong it was, Duck Emperor could no longer continue sleeping. It had already woken up earlier and could only feel the wind cutting into its bones. When the wind blew on its feathers, they stood up uncontrobly.


    ¡°Oh, my ducking mum! Don¡¯t tell me there are ghosts here,¡± Duck Emperor said, frightened.


    Duck Emperor forcefully swallowed some saliva and carefully looked around its surroundings. The dark atmosphere made it feel like an evil spirit was going to appear at any moment. But it was afraid to disturb Xiao Luo since Xiao Luo was trying to heal. If he was disturbed while doing so, it would affect the end result.


    Xiao Luo was sitting cross-legged. He could barely notice the passing of time while healing up.


    Sitting motionless allowed his true inner force to circte around his entire body. It had circted around his body more than 300 times, and his broken right leg had finally recovered. He was now trying to repair his internal organs that were severely injured. The strong spiritual energy followed his technique and flew towards him from all directions as if they were being attracted by him. They then prated into his pores and entered his body.


    Two greennterns suddenly appeared from the forest without warning.


    Duck Emperor noticed them, and it got so scared that it was shivering. All of its duck feathers began to stand uncontrobly. It walked closer towards Xiao Luo, cold sweating profusely. ¡°Goddamn brat, it¡¯s not that¡­it¡¯s not that this duck wants to disturb you, but you need to stop your healing technique now,¡± it spoke gently to Xiao Luo. ¡°We¡­we might have been spotted by some kind of wild beast¡­¡±


    It looked around its surroundings. Pairs of greennterns were appearing like bamboo shoots after the rain. The icy aura made it hard for it to even open its mouth.


    Xiao Luo could hear it speaking and could also feel the danger around their surroundings. He stopped his technique, opened his eyes, and could see a bunch of wolf-like beasts emerging from the darkness. Each of them was about as big as a lioness. They had thick animal hair. In the dark, their eyes were permeating a cold green light.


    Their mouths were filled with fangs dripping with saliva. They leaned forward slightly, snarling in a low voice, slowly moving towards him and Duck Emperor. They had ck ws on their feet, and their grip was really strong. The solid ground was filled with a series of w marks after they had stepped on it.


    ¡°Screw their ducking mum! What kind of wild beast is this? There are so many of them. At least 50 of them!¡±


    Duck Emperor eximed, ¡°There are so many of them. They are clearly overestimating us. We are just two skinny beings here. We can barely feed 10 of them. There¡¯s no way we have enough meat to feed all of them.¡±


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t be bothered with it and directly leaped upwards to a tree behind. He then stepped on the branch like a monkey and jumped upwards to a height of about 20 meters before stopping.


    ¡°Goddamn brat, you¡¯re way too treacherous!¡± Duck Emperor shouted and wasn¡¯t slow to react either. It pped its wings and flew towards Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder at the speed of lightning.


    The bunch of wild beasts dashed towards the tree beneath them, lifted their heads, and roared at them with their sharp fangs.


    Looking at them wandering beneath, Xiao Luo was sure that they couldn¡¯t climb the tree and couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. Based on his current powers, it would be quite a challenge for him to take down these wild beasts. But if he could focus on healing up for one more night, then he wouldn¡¯t have to fear them anymore.


    ¡°Thankfully, they can¡¯t climb the trees. Otherwise, we¡¯re dead meat.¡± Duck Emperor patted its chest and heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sleep tonight. You¡¯re responsible for keeping them in check!¡± Xiao Luo exhorted, then crossed his legs and entered his healing state again.


    The tree below them was filled with leaves and branches and was particrly sturdy. Sitting cross-legged on top of it was like sitting on a solid ground, and there was still a lot of extra space as well.


    Duck Emperor could no longer fall asleep. How could it? This piece of forest became extremely eerie at night, and there were wild beasts as well. No matter how brave it was, it couldn¡¯t fall asleep in this sort of environment. Looking at the tree beneath them, and the wolf-like beasts wandering around, as if staying there waiting for them to go down, it was so angry that it broke a small branch and threw it at them. ¡°You f*cking b*tches! How dare you even think of eating Grandpa Duck Emperor! Once this goddamn brat recovers some of his powers, your time will be up,¡± Duck Emperor boasted. ¡°When that happens, Grandpa Duck Emperor is going to peel off all of your skin, shove a tree branch into all of your buttholes, pierce it through your body and out from your mouths, then roast all of you over a campfire and eat you all up.¡±


    Hearing its shouting, the wild beasts below let out a series of angry roaring.


    ¡°What are you shouting for? Hurry up and get lost for Grandpa Duck Emperor!¡± On top of the huge tree, Duck Emperor was confident. It was not the least bit afraid of the beasts and spoke with much arrogance.


    As soon as it was done talking, a wolf head emerged from a nearby tree. Duck Emperor was startled. No one knew when it managed to climb all the way up, but itunched a sudden attack and pounced at them with its huge mouth opened wide.


    Not just one. There were a whole bunch of them on the trees. They had formed a circle and surrounded Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor. Leaping off at the same moment, they dove towards them ferociously.


    ¡°Goddamn brat, hurry up and dodge!¡± Duck Emperor panicked.


    Duck Emperor was scared to death. It flew towards a branch above them while screaming to dodge the attack.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s reaction speed was really fast as well. He quickly got out of the healing state, mmed his legs on the branch beneath like a spring, and jumped up to a higher spot.


    A few of the wolf-like wild beasts missed their targets, but they had no intention to stop. They violently headed upwards. They moved around the tree like it was t ground. The ws on their legs were very strong and allowed them to grab onto the tree firmly.


    Xiao Luo was a little shocked. He could never have imagined that this bunch of unknown beasts would be this crafty. They tried to show the enemies their weakness, had them think that they were not able to climb trees, then secretly made their move and attack while they had let their guard down.


    While he was stunned, a beast leaped towards them and bit onto the tree branch beneath his feet.


    Crack.


    The sturdy tree branch broke in an instant. Xiao Luo had yet to make his jump, and the tree branch was already broken, causing him to lose his support. He lost his bnce and was about to fall but, thankfully, managed to grab onto a protruded area of the tree, hanging at the side.


    But without waiting for him to catch his breath, two beasts leaped off from above and headed straight to him.

 Chapter 762 - A Combat

    <h2>Chapter 762: A Combat</h2>


    Xiao Luo clenched his teeth. He loosened his grip and let himself fall. Two wolf-like beasts collided with each other in the air. Since the impact was very strong, it was an intense collision. With two painful wails, these two wolf-like beasts fell to the ground from the tall tree.


    It was a close call, but he managed to dodge a bullet. However, the danger had not passed yet. More and more wolf-like beasts climbed onto the tree, jumping on Xiao Luo from all directions. Duck Emperor was small in size, but still, two such beasts aimed at it. They kept jumping on it wildly and worrying about it.


    ¡°Mother ducker, I don¡¯t believe you pieces of sh*t can fly!¡±


    After dodging here and there for a good while, Duck Emperor suddenly recalled it could actually fly. pping its wings, it flew high. Those two wolf-like beasts could do nothing but snarl at it, reluctant to give up. However, in the end, they had to turn around to deal with Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo was in a terrible situation. His injury had not fully recovered yet, and his strength had retrogressed. Currently, he was only a Martial Master, so he could only jump to dodge the attacks from those wolf-like beasts. However, those beasts were fierce and fast. Sometimes, he clearly saw there were only thick leaves in the front, but a giant wolf head would suddenly poke out, attempting to give him a fierce bite with its mouth wide open.


    ¡°Goddamn jerk, let me help you!¡±


    Duck Emperor charged down. It grasped Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders with its webbed feet and took him into the air.


    ¡°You are finally useful,¡± Xiao Luo told Duck Emperor, lifting his head when he had suddenly been safe.


    ¡°I will roll my eyes at you. What do you think I am implying?¡± Duck Emperor said unhappily.


    Xiao Luoughed. However, hisughter stopped very soon, because although Duck Emperor had taken him out of the dangerous zone, those wolf-like beasts did not give up hunting them. They were still running through the forest to follow Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor. Their dark green eyes looked like some spookynterns. As they ran forward, they left green traces in the forest.


    Even in the air, Xiao Luo could still clearly hear those wolf-like beasts¡¯ rapid footsteps and low gnarls.


    Duck Emperor obviously had realized that, too. It cursed, ¡°Those pieces of sh*t! There are so many animals they can hunt in the forest. Why can¡¯t they just let us go? Are they jealous of my handsome face or what? That¡¯s right. That must be the case. But what can I do with my handsome face? I¡¯ve got good genes. I can do nothing about it.¡±


    Handsome? What the hell?


    Xiao Luo really wanted to shout at Duck Emperor. What a narcissist it was! How could it have associated this situation with how handsome it was? What a freak!


    However, he restrained himself. He urged, ¡°Stop talking nonsense. Fly faster to get rid of them!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fly faster,¡± Duck Emperor replied instantly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fly faster?¡± Xiao Luo frowned. ¡°That isn¡¯t what you said.¡±


    Duck Emperor flushed, because it did tell Xiao Luo before that no one was better than it at escaping. If it imed it was the second-best, no one would have the nerve to im the first ce.


    It argued immediately, ¡°Goddamn jerk, I am injured, too. Taking you to fly with me is already the best I can do, but I can¡¯t take you to show off my flying speed, okay?¡±


    Looking at it calmly for a while, Xiao Luo said inly, ¡°Of course, I just can¡¯t rely on you.¡±


    ¡°Shoot, that¡¯s not music to my ears. Okay. You want to get rid of those pieces of shit down there? I will risk it all!¡±


    Duck Emperor forced itself to fly faster. However, it was more than what its body could handle. It opened its mouth and spit up blood. Then they elerated all of a sudden. Duck Emperor and Xiao Luo flew across the night sky as fast as a shooting star, leaving a white shadow that disappeared slowly wherever they passed by.


    Those wolf-like beasts were left far behind instantly. Their footsteps and those low gnarls also disappeared.


    Xiao Luo was kind of surprised to hear wind whooshing across the sky. It was beyond his expectation that the annoying duck was after all good at something. He sincerelymended it, ¡°Nice. I¡¯m really impressed!¡±


    ¡°Nice my foot! We are gonna die!¡±


    Duck Emperor cursed. It really could not persist longer. Its feet loosened the grip of Xiao Luo, and it fell freely to the ground as well.


    It was after all hispanion. Xiao Luo certainly would not let it get hurt. After havingnded on the ground steadily, he caught the exhausted Duck Emperor falling freely to the ground.


    ¡°Goddamn jerk, I¡­I will sleep for a while. Hold on¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor was totally exhausted. It lost consciousness as soon as it spoke to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo put it carefully into his pocket. He knew this annoying duck had tried its best. There was blood around its beak, which aroused his pity for it.


    Grunt. Grunt. Grunt.


    The low gnarls came nearer and nearer. Some dark green cold rays of light prated through the dark dense forest behind him. Xiao Luo knew that meant those wolf-like beasts had caught up to him.


    ¡°I will kill all of you when I recover!¡±


    It was not easy to deal with Xiao Luo at all. A cold light twinkled in his eyes. He had suffered so much under those wolf-like beasts¡¯ noses. He certainly would not forget about that.


    Then, he started to run as fast as he could. Like a ghost, he was extremely fast. However, those beasts were faster, and they knew the terrain of the forest very well. Soon, dozens of beasts surrounded him in a fan shape.


    This was an inevitable fight.


    Xiao Luo unsheathed the Dragon Saber from his back, ready to fight.


    A wolf-like beast ran over fast from one side and jumped on him while snarling, but he cut its head off at one go. Next, another wolf-like beast ran over from behind. It jumped more than 10 feet into the air and crossed 10-odd miles in one leap to jump on him, as if it could fly.


    Xiao Luo stopped immediately. He turned around to fight the wolf-like beast leaping over fiercely.


    Puff.


    The de of the Dragon Saber was pierced through the beast¡¯s belly. As it struggled, the Dragon Saber sliced its belly more. Blood spurted everywhere. The ground was covered with its viscera. A strong smell of blood was spreading.


    It was only one attack, and Xiao Luo was covered with blood. His clothes were all tinged red by the blood of that wolf-like beast. His fair-skinned face was also covered with terrifying blood.


    The other wolf-like beasts were slightly shocked. They were obviously surprised that their prey could be so fierce. However, the smell of blood further stimted the nature of the beasts. Their leader snarled, and dozens of wolf-like beasts started to attack Xiao Luo. That strong smell of the beasts was suffocating.


    ¡°You want to eat me? It will depend on your strength!¡±


    Xiao Luo was totally provoked by them. He was filled with killing intent. Brandishing the Dragon Saber, he started to fight against those wolf-like beasts.


    Every wield of the saber would be greeted by blood. Every movement of his would cause death.


    In only a matter of seconds, several wolf-like beasts fell in blood, screaming.

 Chapter 763 - The Return of Ghost

    <h2>Chapter 763: The Return of Ghost</h2>


    Although Xiao Luo¡¯s attainments had retrogressed to Martial Master, he was not any less aggressive. He was totally a humanoid fighting machine. As long as any wolf-like beast approached him, he would throw his knife over immediately without thinking. It was almost a reflection, a spontaneous action.


    Blood spurted. Screams and wails came.


    All of a sudden, a wolf-like beast who had fallen to the ground opened its mouth to bite Xiao Luo¡¯s ankle. Its sharp teeth tore his skin open, pierced into his flesh, and bit his bone. His ankle bone was broken instantly.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The pain was unbearable, and Xiao Luo screamed. He turned around to stab the wolf-like beast that had attacked him after falling to the ground, and the beast was killed.


    He pulled his right foot out of that bloody mouth. His ankle was badly mutted. He could see his bone through the blood.


    The wolf-like beasts around him were provoked. Screaming, they jumped on Xiao Luo one after another. They used their sharp ws and teeth as their weapon. Xiao Luo¡¯s right foot was injured, so he had great difficulty getting about. He kept retreating while fighting. The ws of those wolf-like beasts left awfully shocking wounds on his body. One of the beasts even showed up behind him all of a sudden and bit into his shoulder.


    Crack.


    As blood spurted, his shoulder de waspletely fractured. A sharp pain struck him instantly.


    Clenching his teeth hard, Xiao Luo stabbed into that wolf-like beast¡¯s belly backhand. This way, he relieved his right shoulder of that bloody mouth.


    That attack was doubtless fatal. Xiao Luo was covered with blood. He staggered back to a giant tree. Leaning against the trunk, he had to support himself with the Dragon Saber to manage not to fall to the ground. Blood was flowing out of the numerous wounds on his body. Starting from his feet, it flowed everywhere. The ground around him was tinged red very soon.


    A spent force.


    At the moment, it was not exaggerated at all to describe him this way.


    Xiao Luo wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. He lifted his head to look forward. Those wolf-like beasts did not hurry to jump on him. Instead, they surrounded him in a fan shape. They did not look like they wouldunch an attack. Those beasts obviously knew he was already a spent force, so they wanted to avoid unnecessary casualty. They would keep a safe distance and wait until he fell himself. As soon as he fell to the ground, they would flock to him, tear him up with those sharp teeth of theirs, and swallow him.


    Would he need to use the system again?


    Xiao Luo smiled bitterly. His strength went beyond the limit the system could offer him a long time ago, and he always felt there was a maniptor behind the system. He really did not want to turn to the system again because he had no idea what that maniptor wanted. However, at this moment, he seemed to be in a desperate situation. If he did not use the system to cure his injuries, he would absolutely die.


    Whoosh.


    When he had been driven into a corner, a figure jumped down from the tree behind him.


    Long green hair, bangs on the forehead, and a long ck strapless dress with tiered ruffles below the waist. It was possible to see from the big swaying skirt that the back of the dress was purple, which contrasted with those red tall boots and that small red umbre in hand.


    Who else could it be if it was not the girl called Ghost?


    ¡°Hey, Little Luoluo, I told you it¡¯s dangerous here, but you wouldn¡¯t listen to me. You¡¯ve been suffering, haven¡¯t you?¡± Ghost focused her attention on Xiao Luo as if those wolf-like beasts did not exist.


    Looking at her, Xiao Luo felt an unspeakable bitterness. In the end, he could only smile bitterly, baring his teeth stained with blood.


    ¡°Take it easy. As long as I¡¯m here, these small wolves won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Ghost said with a smile, patting her chest.


    Then she turned around to confront those wolf-like beasts.


    Xiao Luo discovered acutely that those wolf-like beasts were getting anxious. They even seemed to be retreating, as if they were extremely afraid of this girl called Ghost in front of them.


    ¡°Blue Wolf King, we are neighbors. As long as you leave with your subordinates now, I won¡¯t get back at you for the suffering of my friend. Otherwise, I won¡¯t show any mercy to you,¡± Ghost warned, pointing her small red umbre at the strongest wolf-like beast in the herd.


    Apparently, this wolf-like beast was the leader.


    The other blue wolves all looked at the Blue Wolf King, waiting for its order.


    The Blue Wolf King was intelligent. It had been as intelligent as a five- or six-year-old kid since a long time ago. Staring at Ghost with its dark green eyes, it seemed to be pondering and struggling. In the end, it snarled in a low voice. That was its order for the other blue wolves.


    The dozens of blue wolves turned around to leave on hearing that low snarl. They kept looking back while leaving, as if they were very reluctant to let this prey slip through their fingers. However, they did not disobey the Blue Wolf King¡¯s order. Soon, the strong Blue Wolf King was the only wolf left there. Drooling, it stared at Xiao Luo for a long time, but it eventually left.


    Did she just talk those wolf-like beasts out of eating him? What was going on here?


    Xiao Luo could not figure it out. He was very curious about who Ghost was. His attainments had retrogressed greatly, so he could not see through her real strength.


    ¡°Little Luoluo, you are heavily injured!¡±


    Ghost turned around to check on Xiao Luo. ¡°And bleeding a lot, too. So much blood has flown to the ground. What a waste!¡±


    Xiao Luo was not sure whether it was just his illusion, but he felt he saw greed in Ghost¡¯s almond-shaped eyes when she had seen the blood on his body, and she swallowed saliva spontaneously.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Xiao Luo. asked


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m called Ghost,¡± Ghost answered innocently after lifting her head.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He certainly was not asking for her name, but her background. Apparently, Ghost did not want to tell him. Or maybe it was not she did not want to tell him, but she did not get his question.


    ¡°Watch out for those beasts. They are very sly. I¡¯m not sure whether they were only pretending to retreat.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here. They won¡¯t have the nerve toe back,¡± Ghost said confidently, waving her hand.


    Not until then did Xiao Luo notice she did have two small canine teeth. They were in the upper row of teeth, one on the left and the other on the right, pretty sharp, but looked cute.


    ¡°You are heavily injured. I¡¯ll go to find some herbs for you. Wait here. I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡± Ghost disappeared after a leap.


    It was in the middle of the night. Xiao Luo was worried. She might run into danger. Also, how could she find herbs on such ate night?


    However,pared to that, he was more worried about himself. Those wolf-like beasts mighte back here to kill him and Duck Emperor.


    As expected, he found the most reliable thing was his own strength.


    Xiao Luo came to understand profoundly that it was where his secure feeling came from. He was too weak at the moment. In this forest full of dangers, he did not feel secure at all. If he could get another chance in the future, he would definitelye back to the Danhui Sect to find the culprit who had resulted in the malfunctioning of the transmitting channel to avenge himself.

 Chapter 764 - Traveling to the Sacred Place of the Light Clan Together

    <h2>Chapter 764: Traveling to the Sacred ce of the Light n Together</h2>


    Ghost came back shortly after with some herbs that were strange to Xiao Luo in hand. She put them on a t stone to pound them. When she was going to apply them to Xiao Luo¡¯s wounds, she exined, ¡°These are Xianling Grasses, very effective for skin lesions. But it will hurt a little when I start to apply them. Hang in there, okay?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded, as a way to tell her he had been clear about that. Then he said, ¡°Well, let me do it myself.¡±


    Ghost giggled, as if she had seen through him. ¡°Little Luoluo, you are shy, aren¡¯t you? Okay then. You do it yourself.¡±


    Shy?


    Xiao Luo flushed because of a 16- or 17-year-old teenage girl. He was extremely embarrassed. He was not shy. He was just not used to it.


    ¡°Hold this for me.¡± He handed her Duck Emperor in aa.


    Ghost put it on the palm of her hand carefully. While she was gazing at the mini Duck Emperor, a smile emerged on her pretty face. Her almond-shaped eyes had the shape of the new moon by then. ¡°Wow, duckling, how cute! Look at its mouth. It¡¯s adorable!¡±


    Xiao Luo did not speak. He started to take his clothes off. The mini Duck Emperor had an irresistible charm for girls indeed. It looked adorable from any angle, kind of like the virtual Q pets in the Original World. He had to admit that.


    In spite of thea, Duck Emperor came to its senses when it had heard praises. ¡°Did someone just say I am handsome? I feel like I heard that. Gee, little fairy?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Duckling,¡± Ghost greeted it with a smile.


    ¡°Duckling?¡±


    Duck Emperor extended its wing and shook it. ¡°No, no, no. In terms of age, I¡¯m very senior to you. You should call me Grandpa Duck with respect.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Duckling. Yes, Duckling!¡± Ghost said with a smile, narrowing her eyes and touching its soft white feather.


    ¡°What the¡­! I will get a good sleep first and then we¡¯ll talk about it.¡±


    Duck Emperor was exhausted. It did not have the energy to correct the way Ghost addressed it. It fell asleep on the palm of Ghost¡¯s hand as soon as it finished speaking.


    Xiao Luo had taken his tops off. The wounds on his body were exposed to the airpletely. Each of them was shocking at sight. All of them came from the tearing of those blue wolves¡¯ sharp ws.


    Ghost swallowed saliva again when she had smelled fresh blood. Two blue lights shed in her almond-shaped eyes, and then disappeared immediately. She shifted her attention right away by looking towards the forest.


    Xiao Luo applied those Xianling Grasses that had been pounded into pieces to his wounds with care. Those grasses had a strong effect. As soon as he applied them, they felt like a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. There were no words that could describe that sharp pain properly. It hurt so much that Xiao Luo clenched his teeth, and his forehead was sweating. However, he did not scream even once.


    The more painful, the more awake!


    In the end, he became numb to the pain. When he had applied the herb to all of his wounds, Xiao Luo put his clothes on slowly. Sitting cross-legged, he started the healing process slowly to cure his injuries.


    ¡°I applied pounded Xianling Grasses when I was injured, too, but it hurt so much that I couldn¡¯t stop screaming. How did you manage to not scream? You¡¯ve got so many deep wounds. Even the bones are exposed. Shouldn¡¯t you have fainted because of the pain?¡± Ghost asked curiously, her head tilted.


    Xiao Luo had no idea how to answer this question, so he only smiled back at her. Then he focused on the healing process.


    ¡°Interesting guy!¡±


    Ghost rolled her eyes that looked like two ck gems in a quirky manner. Then she stayed close to Xiao Luo to protect him, so that nothing could interrupt his healing process.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The night passed very soon. The day started in the dark forest.


    It was during the day, but it was still not that bright, even kind of dark, in the forest, probably because the leaves there were too dense.


    After the whole night¡¯s healing, Xiao Luo¡¯s injuries had almost recovered. Except for his left shoulder and right foot, the other parts of his body were already fine. If he could spend one more day doing this, he would be fully recovered, and his strength would recover as well.


    ¡°Little Luoluo, I¡¯ve made a decision. I will go to the sacred ce of the Light n with you!¡± Ghost said excitedly after seeing him wake from the healing process.


    Xiao Luo was struck dumb by this news. She would go to the sacred ce of the Light n with him? What did that mean?


    He asked immediately, ¡°Why do you suddenly want to go to the sacred ce of the Light n?¡±


    ¡°Why are you going there?¡± Ghost answered.


    ¡°I want to see what it looks like,¡± Xiao Luo lied to her.


    ¡°So do I. I want to see what it looks like, too,¡± Ghost said seriously.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was really tricky for him. He had had enough with that annoying duck. And at the moment, a teenage girl he knew almost nothing about wanted toe with him. She looked quite na?ve. If he took her with him, he was sure he would bring more trouble to himself.


    ¡°Little Luoluo. Why that face? I¡¯m strong. You are only a Martial Master. You will run into many bullies on the way. But you can rest assured as long as I am with you, because I will protect you,¡± Ghost promised, patting her chest.


    Protect me?


    Xiao Luo was not sure whether he shouldugh or cry. If he had not been injured by the force of theyers of space, he would not have sunk to being chased by a herd of blue wolves.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you think about it a little more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it long enough. You¡¯ve got a detailed map. I¡¯m sure we will arrive at the sacred ce of the Light n smoothly if I travel with you,¡± Ghost said decisively.


    Feeling awkward, Xiao Luo said, ¡°I mean, I might be a burden for you on the way. I might cause you a lot of trouble. I think you should rethink about thepanions you are gonna travel with.¡±


    This girl was kind of his savior, but he knew it would be troublesome to take her, so he did not know what to do. Besides, Ghost had a powerful family behind her, which he would not fear if his strength recovered. However, his strength had not recovered yet.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to rethink about it. I want to go with you,¡± Ghost said. Then she took a look at Duck Emperor in her hand. ¡°And Duckling is so cute. I want it to be my pet beast. Little Luoluo, is that okay for you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Xiao Luo answered quickly, without hesitation.


    Duck Emperor suddenly got to its feet. It shouted in a rage, ¡°I beg your pardon. Goddamn jerk, doesn¡¯t your heart ache? It is true that I have never admitted that I am your pet beast, but you gave me away even without thinking. You, you, you¡­ We have been through a lot throughout the journey, from the Chaos Dimension to the Arcana Land, haven¡¯t we? But you¡­mother ducker. Your Grandpa Duck Emperor is really pissed off.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Gee, Duckling, howe you are awake?¡± Ghost asked, blinking.


    ¡°Because I am so pissed off by that goddamn jerk. By the way, stop calling me duckling, Girl. Call me Grandpa Duck,¡± Duck Emperor said seriously.


    ¡°Okay, Duckling. Yes, Duckling!¡± Ghost showed an innocent smile.


    Duck Emperor gave its own head a hard beat. ¡°Fine. I surrender!¡±

 Chapter 765 - What a Miracle!

    <h2>Chapter 765: What a Miracle!</h2>


    Xiao Luo did not promise Ghost anything. He neither agreed nor disagreed. He really did not want to take her, but this girl saved him. He just could not refuse her. So, he decided to y it by ear.


    ¡°Little Luoluo, we need to leave the Dark Forest as soon as possible. My brothers are much more horrifying than those blue wolves.¡± Ghost was leading the way. She had opened her small red umbre.


    Xiao Luo found her very weird. It was very dark in the forest, but she was always holding an umbre. He also found Ghost was intentionally avoiding the sunlight getting through the bunch of leaves.


    ¡®Was she afraid of sunlight?¡¯ Xiao Luo thought. Since his right foot had been injured, he was walking with a wood stick behind Ghost.


    Duck Emperor was stayingfortably in the waist pocket of Ghost, poking its head out to see the world. From time to time, it would look back to roll its eyes at Xiao Luo, as if it was saying, ¡°You don¡¯t want me, but someone does!¡±


    At noon, they stopped by a river to take a rest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and find some fruits. Little Luoluo, wait for me here with Duckling. Don¡¯t walk around,¡± Ghost told Xiao Luo. Then she disappeared after a few leaps.


    Xiao Luo sat down cross-legged to heal himself. He would not waste any opportunity for that.


    Duck Emperor felt estranged from Xiao Luo since he gave it to Ghost without hesitation. Of course, that was only what Duck Emperor thought. So it questioned Xiao Luo again, ¡°Goddamn jerk, wouldn¡¯t your heart ache?¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored itsint. Then it urred to him that it was a very good opportunity to get rid of Ghost.


    Becase Ghost knew this forest well, she would not run into any danger without him or Duck Emperor, and he was not willing to take her to the sacred ce of the Light n indeed. After all, he was not going there for sightseeing as he imed.


    Opening his eyes, he ended his healing process. ¡°Duck, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to wait for that little girl?¡± Duck Emperor said in surprise.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I would take her to the sacred ce of the Light n,¡± Xiao Luo argued. Then he started to walk.


    Duck Emperor was struck dumb. Then it cursed, ¡°Mother ducker. No wonder your heart won¡¯t ache. Jerk, you don¡¯t have a heart at all.¡±


    It followed him while cursing. However, it flew into his pocket in the end. After all, that was free transport for it.


    To avoid being caught up by Ghost, Xiao Luo changed his route on purpose. Of course, they were still more or less going in that direction, to Mu City as pointed out by Ghost. However, after going around three or four hours in the forest, he was embarrassed to find that he had got lost. The mountains were endless, and the trees were boundless. It just looked the same everywhere.


    ¡°You look worried. That tells me you are lost. That is fate. We will be stuck here. We will be savages,¡± Duck Emperormented.


    Xiao Luo was not in a good mood. Duck Emperor¡¯s irony really pissed him off, so he gave its head a punch. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Mother ducker. You are lost, and you don¡¯t even allow me to talk about it.¡±


    Duck Emperor went on nagging him, ¡°Well, let me fly into the air to see whether there are people around. As long as there are people, we can follow them and leave the Dark Forest for sure.¡±


    Then it flew out of Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket. It turned into a white ray of light and flew up 300 feet. After looking into the distance, it flew back excitedly.


    ¡°There is smoke from cooking a few miles away. They must be mercenary coups that came into the forest to hunt exotic beasts. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Xiao Luo was still in doubt. After all, he did not find that annoying duck very reliable.


    ¡°Mother ducker, believe it or not. Just keep walking around here aimlessly. Let¡¯s see who will get anxious in the end.¡± Duck Emperor lifted its head proudly.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at it and took it back into his pocket. Then he went in the direction it had pointed out. After 1.6 miles, he did see smoke rising slowly from far away.


    ¡°See? I didn¡¯t lie, did I?¡± Duck Emperor spread its wings.


    ¡°The credit goes to you this time.¡±


    Xiao Luo looked happy. He sped up, but then stopped when he had been only 100 yards away. He would not act recklessly this time. After that experience with the ck Blood Mercenary Coups, he had a bad impression of mercenary coups. What if they were the same as the ck Blood Mercenary Coups? He was not strong enough to deal with them at the moment.


    He observed them secretly and found they were from mercenary coups indeed. There were 15 or 16 armed men. It seemed they had got lots of gains and killed lots of exotic beasts, so he was sure they would leave the Dark Forest very soon. All he needed to do was to follow them secretly.


    ¡°Smells so good. Those pieces of shit are roasting meat. Speaking of roasting meat, goddamn jerk, I miss our days in the Forest of Infinity Edge a lot. We roasted different kinds of meat every day. My appetite was really satisfied.¡± Duck Emperor was drooling. It was not a vegetarian duck. Instead, it was quite interested in meat.


    ¡°We will satisfy your appetiteter, okay?¡± Xiao Luo rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Of course. Look at my belly. I have lost weight these days,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Looking at its fat round belly, Xiao Luo could not help but curse, ¡°Lost weight my foot.¡±


    The man and the duck kept hiding. Once those people hit the road, they would follow them secretly.


    At this moment, a man collecting firewood seemed to see something. He shouted, ¡°Who is there?¡±


    At the same time, several arrows whooshed fiercely across the air towards Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s pupils shrank. He was sweating in fear. However, he reacted fast. He did a carp flip and dodged those arrows. It was a close call, but he made it.


    Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.


    Ten-odd figures suddenly showed up and surrounded him. He could tell from their sharp look that all of them were masters. He also sensed a threatening killing intent from them. He could imagine that they must have once experienced some life-or-death battles.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you sneaking here?¡± arge muscr man shouted in a harsh voice.


    The others were all pointing their knives, swords, and crossbows at Xiao Luo. It seemed as if they weren¡¯t satisfied with Xiao Lu¡¯s answer, they would kill him.


    Xiao Luo exined, ¡°I¡¯m a hunter. I was hunting, and then I got lost. I want to follow you to leave the Dark Forest.¡±


    ¡°Hunter?¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, therge muscr man said, ¡°Camel, go and see whether he has sharp teeth in his mouth, whether he is a puppet of vampires.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A lean muscr man put his crossbow away. He took a step back to grasp Xiao Luo¡¯s jaw and check thetter¡¯s teeth carefully. In the end, he shook his head at therge muscr man. ¡°No sharp teeth. He is not a puppet of vampires.¡±


    Those people were obviously less hostile after that confirmation.


    Therge muscr man scratched his head. Bending down, he asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Are you really a hunter?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xiao Luo nodded. He needed their help, so he had to be humble.


    ¡°Why are you here then?¡±


    ¡°I got lost while chasing an elk. And I am here before I knew it,¡± Xiao Luo lied.


    Got lost while chasing an elk?


    The 10-odd men burst outughing after hearing his story.


    Therge muscr man patted Xiao Luo on the shoulder. ¡°It is deep in the Dark Forest here. There are carnivorous beasts everywhere. You are just a Martial-Master-level hunter and seemingly badly injured. It is a miracle that you are still alive!¡±

 Chapter 766 - Agreement

    Chapter 766: Agreement


    Those people seemed convinced that Xiao Luo was a hunter, so they took him into their group.


    After getting to know them, Xiao Luo learned they were indeed mercenaries. They were the Silver Wing Mercenary Group, and they made their living by hunting exotic beasts in the Dark Forest. They transported the captured beasts to the Mu City to sell. Therge muscr man named Silver Dragon was their leader. He led the mercenary group.


    ¡°Bro, watch out next time. Do not go too deep in the Dark Forest. As a Martial Master, you could die here. It would be better to hunt at the periphery in the future,¡± said Silver Dragon, patting Xiao Luo on the shoulder.


    They were leaving the Dark Forest. The other members kept a close watch on the surroundings. They moved with arrows set on their crossbows, all prepared for use. They were always alert and were ready to fight. Silver Dragon, who was chatting with Xiao Luo, seemed to be the only idle person in the group.


    Xiao Luo nodded to show he understood Silver Dragon.


    ¡°You are a hunter. We are mercenaries. We are doing the same thing. You are lucky that you met us, and we are taking you out of the forest. But if you were unlucky, you might have run into some ferocious exotic beast. That would not be good. It would even be unluckier for you if you ran into the Sucking Blood n. Tsk, tsk¡­¡±


    Silver Dragon did not finish hisst sentence. But Xiao Luo could see from his facial expression that the Sucking Blood n seemed to be taboo. The other members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group turned slightly pale at the mention of the n.


    ¡°Excuse me, what is the Sucking Blood n?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°They are vampires.¡±


    The man called Camel, who suddenly approached him, answered. He used lots of hand gestures to exin, ¡°They have two sharp teeth and feed on human blood. A starving vampire can suck the blood of a human until the human bes a dry corpse. If a vampire sucks your blood, and you do not die, then you will be the Sucking Blood n¡¯s puppet. You will follow their orders like a living dead.¡±


    Vampires?


    Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor, who had been holding his tongue, were both shocked. Both of them immediately thought of the two canine teeth that Ghost had. Was Ghost a vampire?


    Ghost once said they should be careful of her brothers. The likelihood that Ghost was a member of the Sucking Blood n seemed extremely high. But why did she not hurt Xiao Luo?


    Xiao Luo frowned. From what he had heard, the Sucking Blood n was a cruel and bloodthirsty bunch. However, Ghost did not suck his blood. Instead, she saved him and even told him to watch out for her brothers. He really could not fathom why she did it.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The Dark Forest was vast. It was already dusk, yet they had still not reached the periphery of the forest.


    The group started a bonfire to grill meat for dinner. The members were friendly to Xiao Luo and gave him plenty of grilled meat.


    The Duck Emperor had been holding his tongue to avoid trouble all the while. It was only then that he spoke in a low voice. He said, ¡°God damned little brat. That little girl called Ghost is probably a member of the Sucking Blood n they mentioned. Fortunately, you shook her off. Well done. Otherwise, we would have been doomed.¡±


    ¡°Doomed?¡±


    However, that was not what Xiao Luo thought. ¡°If she wanted to harm us, she would have done it. But Ghost did not. She even saved us.¡±


    ¡°You are ignorant. Fresh food is the best, so it is the same with blood. I am sure Ghost was going to use us as a mobile blood bank. So, she could suck whenever she wanted some fresh blood,¡± the Duck Emperor whispered with a serious look on his face.


    Xiao Luo frowned slightly. As he gazed at the flickering bonfire, he did not believe that was Ghost¡¯s intention. Although, he was sure that Ghost had some weird reaction when she saw fresh blood.


    The Duck Emperor tapped his chest several times, expressing his relief. ¡°Fortunately, we have got rid of her control. My legs cannot stop shivering at the mere thought of her biting my neck and sucking up my blood.¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored the duck. He focused on his healing process again. At that point, the most important thing was to recover his strength as soon as possible.


    On the other side of the bonfire, Camel went up to Silver Dragon and sat next to him. Tilting his head, he said to Silver Dragon in a low voice, ¡°Boss, why are we taking him with us? The man is just a Martial Master. He is so badly injured, he is useless to us. Taking him with us will cause us trouble. Feeding him is a waste of our food, too.¡±


    ¡°Eh, that is not a fairment. No one ispletely useless. We can sacrifice the chap if we run into the Sucking Blood n. That might help us avoid an unnecessary battle,¡± said Silver Dragon with a smile while looking at Xiao Luo.


    Camel eximed, ¡°Gee, Boss. You have been nning this all along. I was wondering why you have been treating a useless hunter so well. I got it now.¡±


    Silver Dragon took a sip of liquor. ¡°The Sucking Blood n is living in the Dark Castle. The chance of running into them is quite low. But we should always be prepared, just in case. We should not underestimate them. As natural-born martial arts practitioners, they do not need to cultivate at all. Their attainments will improve as they grow up. By the time they are adults, they are as strong as Martial Kings.¡±


    Besides, they will never die as long as they continue to consume fresh blood. The rumor is that there are even one-thousand-year-old vampires sleeping in the Dark Castle. They may be freaks, but they canpare their level to Martial Venerables. Had the Holy Land of the Light n not sent their people to suppress those vampires, the Sucking Blood n would now be the ruler of the Mu City. The two parties agreed, and the Light n made no further attempt to eliminate the Sucking Blood n. But ording to their agreement, the Sucking Blood n must stay in the Dark Forest forever.¡±


    ¡°An agreement?¡±


    Smiling sarcastically, Camel said, ¡°It is just a verbal agreement. The Holy Land of the Light n is millions of kilometers away from here. Even if the Sucking Blood n breaks the agreement and leaves the Dark Forest, no one will immediately know.¡±


    ¡°You could not be more wrong about that. Do you know how long the Holy Land of the Light n has been dominating the Arcana Land? They are not idiots. When theypleted the agreement, the Light n transferred all lifeblood of all the Sucking Blood nsmen into one person. They then took this nsman away with them. If the Sucking Blood n breaks the agreement, they will kill this nsman, and the entire Sucking Blood n will vanish instantly. They will disappear from this world forever!¡± said Silver Dragon.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    Camel gasped, ¡°That is cruel!¡±


    ¡°Of course. The Holy Land of the Light n has tons of ways to deal with dangerous ns like these,¡± said Silver Dragon with a sigh.


    However, they did not know that Xiao Luo had heard their entire conversation, for the system had enhanced his faculties. His eyesight and hearing were both much better than the average person. Although his strength had recovered, he had still not fully restored his sight and hearing to their optimum.


    So, this is the Silver Wing Mercenary Group!


    Xiao Luo grunted to himself. They pretended to help him, but in fact, they were scheming against him secretly. Alright then, he would like to see who would eventually end up as the victim.


    The good thing was that he got to know the Sucking Blood n better from their conversation. He wondered whether the nsman who had the lifeblood of the entire Sucking Blood n could be a rtive of Ghost. Perhaps it was the real reason Ghost wanted to go to the Holy Land of the Light n.

 Chapter 767 - The Fateful Reunion

    <h2>Chapter 767: The Fateful Reunion</h2>


    It was a quiet night. Thanks to his exceptional skills, Xiao Luo quickly recovered from his injuries.


    By dawn, he was healedpletely and all of his injuries, be they bone fractures or lesions, were no more. However, the True Inner Force in his body was still weak. The best he could achieve was probably the level of Great Martial Master in the Arcana Land. He needed to spend another night on the healing process to get back to the peak of his strength.


    Although he knew the Silver Wing Mercenary Group was scheming against him behind his back, Xiao Luo needed their protection for the time being. He remembered the encounter with the destructive muscr exotic beast with the three rooster heads and a dog head. After the attack, Xiao Luo realized he had to stay with the mercenaries for the protection they afforded him. His existing strength did not allow him to go around in the deep Dark Forest on his own. Besides, he had the annoying duck forpany, and it was simply too dangerous for him.


    But fate was a mysterious thing. Xiao Luo ran into Ghost again along the way.


    The girl was standing in their path. She was in that strapless ck long dress and holding her small red umbre. In the dim forest, her pretty face and attractive figure made her an extraordinary sight.


    She looked surprised to see Xiao Luo. She beamed instantly after a slight frown. ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo, I have been looking all over for you,¡± she cried out to him.


    Xiao Luo did not know how to react to her. She sounded like she wasining.


    ¡°We are goners for sure. Ghost will suck our blood, and we will turn into two dry corpses,¡± groaned the Duck Emperor.


    He snuck his head back into Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket and huddled inside it, trembling with fear. He had once watched a vampire movie before, and the scene of vampires sucking blood was terrifying.


    ¡°Bro, who is this?¡± Silver Dragon asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°A friend,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°A friend?¡±


    Silver Dragon frowned and asked, ¡°Did shee here with you?¡±


    ¡°You can say that. Yes,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a nod.


    ¡°Boss, I have a hunch that something is not right with this chick. She seems to be afraid of sunlight. Could she be a member of the Sucking Blood n?¡± said Camel, who was observing Ghost closely.


    The Sucking Blood n?


    The other members turned pale when they heard. They immediately went into a fight stance, prepared for battle. One after the other, the men aimed their crossbows at Ghost.


    ¡°Incredible! You are eagle-eyed and recognized me as a member of the Sucking Blood n,¡± Ghost said as she looked at Camel with appreciation.


    Was she a member of the Sucking Blood n?


    The members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group panicked.


    Xiao Luo had already guessed who Ghost was, so he remained calm.


    Silver Dragon coughed dryly, then regained hisposure and said, ¡°Miss, are you a member of the Sucking Blood n?¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you think I am lying?¡± Ghost asked.


    Then she opened her tiny mouth in front of him. Her canine teeth suddenly became longer and sharper. Those teeth could easily rip a person¡¯s neck open in a sh. With an innocent smile, she said, ¡°Do any of you want me to bite you? You will turn into an immortal!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The group of mercenaries gasped. They now knew for certain that the young girl was from the Sucking Blood n. She looked like she was entering adulthood soon, and therefore, she had to be as powerful as a Martial King, just like her leader.


    ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡± Camel asked Silver Dragon in a low voice and was in a state of panic.


    ¡°Calm down. The girl might be here alone. We do not need to panic at all if she is alone. The money we get from selling exotic beasts is little. If we can subdue and sell such a pretty vampire girl, we will get enough money to spend for the rest of our lives,¡± said Silver Dragon as he schemed.


    Everyone in the Silver Wing Mercenary Group gasped again. Their leader was so bold that he was scheming against the Sucking Blood n. After they recovered from the initial shock, they became excited about his n. The vampire before them looked just like a human teenage girl of about sixteen or seventeen years of age. She would be a rare catch. If they could capture and sell her, they would live a good life from then on.


    Xiao Luo heard everything they said. But he was not strong enough yet. So, there was nothing much he could do about it.


    ¡°Hey, what are you guys murmuring? You already know I am from the Sucking Blood n. Why do you not flee?¡± asked Ghost, frowning.


    Silver Dragon burst outughing. He looked even calmer. ¡°We respect the Sucking Blood n a lot. And I am very excited to see you, Young Missy. I would like to see how great a member of the Sucking Blood n truly is.¡±


    ¡°You respect us a lot¡­ you are excited to see me? Are you not afraid of us?¡± asked Ghost, feeling the situation rather strange.


    ¡°Not at all. To us, the Sucking Blood n is noble. A beautiful vampire like you looks like a princess. Every move you make, you look so elegant. Young Missy, may I know what your name is?¡±


    ¡°Ghost!¡±


    ¡°Ghost? What a beautiful name. Miss Ghost, did you leave the Dark Castle alone to look for food?¡± asked Silver Dragon slyly. He released his energy to detect whether there were other vampires around the surrounding.


    Ghost nodded and answered, ¡°Exactly. I am here alone. I am picking fruits.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt a headacheing on after he heard her answer. Was she a member of the Sucking Blood n? Ghost was just a sweet, silly girl. Silver Dragon was checking her out, but she had no idea and was being so honest with him. She told him she was alone, which meant she did not have any backup. She was so na?ve.


    A crafty look shed on Silver Dragon¡¯s face. He said, ¡°Oh, is it? So, Miss Ghost, you are alone.¡±


    The rest of his group gave each other meaningful looks. They were afraid of the Sucking Blood n, but it was the adult nsmen whom they feared most. To them, the teenage vampire girl was like a piece of a delicious morsel for the taking.


    ¡°Bro, she is going to suck your blood, isn¡¯t she? Do not worry. Let me seek justice for you.¡±


    Silver Dragon shouted at Xiao Luo heroically. Then he waved his hand and said, ¡°Guys, it is time for you to show what you have got. Catch her. We have been with a lot of women, but never with a vampire woman. I will give this opportunity to the first one who can subdue this chick!¡±


    ¡°Boss, that is a tempting offer!¡±


    ¡°Go! I will try the vampire chick first!¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ we are going to be rich!¡±


    For the mercenaries, Ghost was a golden goose. But she was also an attractive, pretty woman. They surrounded her and threw the thick rope they used to tie exotic beasts toward her. A few of them tied Ghost up shortly after, while the others pulled the rope from different directions.


    They captured her as if she was an exotic beast!


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± shouted Ghost.


    ¡°Capture you!¡±


    Silver Dragon grinned hideously. As he leaped into the air, his energy peaked. Then he charged down toward Ghost, aiming his palm at her.


    ¡°You want to capture me? You wish!¡±


    Ghost red at him sternly then channeled her inner force through her arms, snapping the ropes they used to bind her. When the ropes gave way, the men who were pulling them fell to the ground.


    Ghost hurriedly struggled out of the rope and met Silver Dragon¡¯s palm strike without hesitation.


    BAM!


    The two palms shed in the air. A thunderous st resounded in the quiet forest, and the force of the impact sent a strong wind surging through the area like a sea of angry waves.


    Silver Dragon was sent flying. Ghost staggered a few steps back before she could steady herself.

 Chapter 768 - She Is a Friend of Mine

    <h2>Chapter 768: She Is a Friend of Mine</h2>


    He was a Martial Lord fighting a teenage vampire girl but could not subdue her with an all-out palm attack. Silver Dragon knitted his brows together. He realized it would not be easy to defeat her. However, he would finish what he had started. It was useless to regret his decision.


    ¡°Attack, all together now!¡± he shouted to his subordinates.


    Roughly ten of his men responded immediately. Knives and swords shed through the air, and arrows and bolts were let loose urately. These men were hunters with a lot of experience, and Ghost became their target. They dealt with her in the same way they would an exotic beast.


    Ghost kept dodging, but their sharp arrows and bolts, knives, and swords inflicted some injuries. They left wounds, but that only served to annoy her.


    ¡°You are going too far!¡± she shouted out.


    She gave them an angry stare. Blue mes flickered in her almond-shaped eyes. Then, she lifted her hand and angrily waved it toward two of the mercenaries who attacked her. A powerful st of wind hit the two men.


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    The wild wind was so strong that it shredded their clothes. The men went flying back and did not stop until they hit arge ancient tree. Ghost used the same move on a few more of them. She sent another gust of strong wind and those men ended up just like the first two.


    Clenching his teeth, Silver Dragon unsheathed his knife and ran toward Ghost. He threw his knife at her, showing no mercy.


    Ghost reacted quickly. She took a step sideways and another step back to dodge the strike. The knife whizzed past her face. The wind generated from the strike ruffled the bangs on her forehead. Ghost immediately threw out her palm at Silver Dragon¡¯s face.


    Silver Dragon quickly recovered his knife to block the attack.


    ng!


    Ghost¡¯s fair-skinned hand hit the knife, and it produced a metallic ring.


    Silver Dragon felt his arms go numb. He lost control as he retreated and finally steadied himself after about ten steps. He lifted his head to look at Ghost in surprise, and said, ¡°Why has this vampire woman suddenly be stronger?¡±


    He was a Martial Lord of the middle stage. Their firstbat exchange was a tie in strength. However, her strength surpassed his when her eyes turned blue. Her existing power should be as strong as a Martial Lord at the peak level.


    He made his observation astutely, for Ghost was stronger, but it was just that she possessed little experience. As a result, they were almost at par inbat. Besides, Silver Dragon had his subordinates. In his eyes, it was a sure win for him.


    ¡°HARRGH!¡±


    He shouted and charged forward again.


    Ghost parried every blow he threw at her. As her fair-skinned hands moved, strong winds kept on churning. The rest of the mercenaries went flying as the wind hit them. They mmed against tree trunks, breaking many trees as they soared through the air.


    ¡°Chick, you are so beautiful. I am sure it will feel incredible with you under me. I want to taste you.¡± Silver Dragon intentionally spoke lewdly to irrigate Ghost in an attempt to fluster her so that she would expose her ws.


    Then his other subordinates did the same to humiliate her with off-color remarks.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ Boss, it will be more than just incredible. This vampire chick is one of a kind!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Look at that tiny mouth. It looks inviting.¡±


    ¡°Are all the chicks of the Sucking Blood n so pretty? Why don¡¯t we go to the Dark Castle someday? We will capture all of them and sell them to whorehouses for men to enjoy. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the forest rang with obscenenguage.


    ¡°Shameless, filthy pigs!¡± screamed Ghost.


    She lost her temper. Clenching her teeth, Ghostunched a swift series of attacks. The force of her energy swept through the air. A wind was blowing wildly across the battlefield where she fought with Silver Dragon. The dead leaves, gravel, and dust on the ground lifted into the air as they battled on.


    ¡°Great. Herees my opportunity!¡±


    Silver Dragon gave a sly smile. He pretended to dodge a palm attack from Ghost. But in fact, he moved behind her and threw a solid palm strike on her back.


    ¡°URGHH!¡±


    Ghost spat out blood. She staggered forward after losing her footing and almost fell to the ground.


    The other mercenaries quickly advanced and surrounded her. They hooked Ghost to a sharp iron w and then used a thick rope to tie her hands together. In a blink of an eye, they caught the bleeding vampire girl.


    ¡°Assh*le!¡±


    Ghost clenched her teeth. She tried to struggle out of the w, but the iron w was like barbwire. Whenever she moved, it would bite into her flesh. The pain was so sharp that she could not help but scream.


    ¡°The more you struggle, the more painful you will feel. Stay there quietly!¡± said Silver Dragon coldly.


    His voice sounded indifferent and evil. His eyes were full of greed and malice.


    ¡°Boss, we will be rich!¡± said Camel. He stood next to Silver Dragon, and his eyes lit up as he gazed at Ghost.


    ¡°Of course. This girl is from the Sucking Blood n. Is there another mercenary group in the Mu City that has captured a vampire? The Silver Wing Mercenary Group will be famous. Everyone, we will enjoy a glorious life together,¡± said Silver Dragon proudly.


    ¡°Long live our mighty boss!¡± shouted Camel as he bootlicked his leader.


    The others followed Camel¡¯s lead and shouted, ¡°Long live our mighty boss! We¡¯ll have excellent wine, delicious food, and pretty women.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Don¡¯t tter me. Tie the vampire chick securely!¡± Silver Dragon lifted his hand to interrupt them. However, his expression showed he appreciated their ttery.


    Then, Silver Dragon finally remembered Xiao Luo was there too. He walked over and patted Xiao Luo on his shoulder. He said with a smile, ¡°Bro, I have sought justice for you. We have captured the vampire chick. You should take some credit for that as well.¡±


    Ghost threw Xiao Luo a desperate and hateful look. Her pretty face looked dismayed. She looked as if she was saying, ¡°You turned out to be one of them.¡±


    Xiao Luo was expressionless. He nced at the blood-covered Ghost. Then he asked Silver Dragon, ¡°What are you going to do with her?¡±


    ¡°We are taking her to the Mu City to sell her, of course. You are a hunter, so you might be ignorant of the price we could charge for a vampire chick in Mu City. We, the Silver Wing Mercenary Group¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he stopped talking. Xiao Luo hadunched a surprise attack and stabbed Silver Dragon¡¯s chest with a dagger that he hid in his sleeve. Xiao Luo was like a lurking viper in the shadows, striking his opponent with a fatal blow with no warning.


    Silver Dragon stared down at the dagger stuck in his chest. He lifted his head to gaze at Xiao Luo, hardly able to believe what had happened. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ why¡­¡±


    He had never thought Xiao Luo would harm him. It was a decisive attack that was executed with lightning speed. Even a Martial Emperor would not have been able to dodge it, let alone Silver Dragon, who was only a Martial Lord. Blood kept oozing from the wound and dyed his clothes red.


    Xiao Luo had even surprised the Duck Emperor, who was hiding in his pocket.


    The duck did not sense Xiao Luo¡¯s intent to kill at all. Like a wolf hiding under sheepskin, Xiao Luo looked harmless. So, it was easy for him to execute the fatal attack when the enemy let his guard down. The timing was precise, and the dagger pierced through Silver Dragon¡¯s heart. It was a strike that even an Immortal of the Great Heavens could not escape.


    Xiao Luo looked at Silver Dragon and promptly replied, ¡°Did I not tell you? She is a friend of mine!¡±

 Chapter 769 - You Can’t Catch Up to Me

    <h2>Chapter 769: You Can¡¯t Catch Up to Me</h2>


    As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Luo pulled the dagger out of Silver Dragon¡¯s chest and repeatedly stabbed his belly. It all happened within seconds.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    The Duck Emperor swallowed with much difficulty. Xiao Luo had worn a poker face all along. Then without warning, he killed that man as if he was killing livestock. Xiao Luo¡¯s ruthlessness and his ability to kill with no remorse frightened Duck Emperor.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Blood flowed from Silver Dragon¡¯s nose and mouth. He looked at Xiao Luo in shock. He had never thought he would die that way. He was being stabbed to death by a hunter who was only a Martial Master, while he was a Martial Lord, three levels above Martial Master. How was the guy able to kill him? The guy dared to attack him!


    A chilling light shed in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes. He shed the dagger across Silver Dragon¡¯s neck like a sword.


    SLASH!


    With one quick move, Silver Dragon¡¯s throat was slit open. Even a Martial Lord with strong vitality could no longer hold on to his life with his throat cut. Therge muscr man fell backward with an upright posture. Thud! Dust stirred from the ground when he copsed in a heap. Silver Dragonid still with his eyes wide open.


    It only took several seconds from the moment Xiao Luo stabbed Silver Dragon to the time heid dead on the ground.


    The mercenaries realized Xiao Luo had killed their leader when they saw Silver Dragon fall to the ground. Their happy faces instantly froze. They gazed in shock at his bloody lifeless body, unable to believe what they saw. Who could have believed their leader, who had been so full of vigor only moments ago, was lying dead in a pool of blood?


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo¡­¡±


    Ghost stared at Xiao Luo in a daze. Then she slowly smiled as she realized she had wronged Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo was not an aplice of those jerks. Neither did he repay her kindness with evil.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Camel, the deputy of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group, screamed. It brought the mercenaries out of their stupor, and they immediately came to their senses.


    Pointing his knife angrily at Xiao Luo, he said, ¡°Jerk, what have you done? Our boss took you in out of kindness. He was going to take you out of the Dark Forest. Yet you bit the hand that fed you!¡±


    ¡°Bit the hand that fed me?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave Camel an indifferent smile as he spoke. He took the Dragon Saber out of the Duck Emperor¡¯s Spatial Ring and pointed its tip at the ground. The ck de was radiating with a chilly aura. Then he continued, ¡°You think I do not know what he was nning to do? Was he taking me out of the Dark Forest out of kindness? Or was he going to sacrifice me to ensure safety for all of you if you ran into the Sucking Blood n? I believe you know better than anyone here.¡±


    They had a falling-out anyway, so there was no need for pretense anymore. Xiao Luo had now recovered somewhat, and he had reached the Great Martial Master level. Most of the mercenaries were also at the Great Martial Master level, with two or three of them at the more powerful Martial Spirit level, and Camel was one of them. The situation did not look favorable at all for Xiao Luo. But despite the odds, Xiao Luo could not stand to see them torture Ghost after they captured her.


    The corner of Camel¡¯s eye twitched. He realized Xiao Luo had been aware of their n, so he had nothing more to say. He shouted, ¡°Send two fellows to watch this vampire chick. The otherse with me. Let us kill this b*stard and avenge our boss!¡±


    Xiao Luo had killed Silver Dragon, so Camel did not have the nerve to act alone. It would be safer to attack Xiao Luo together with the others.


    Over ten men moved in unison, snarling. They attacked Xiao Luo like starving wolves. Instead of retreating, Xiao Luo went into the attack with intense fury. It startled his attackers into thinking he might be a god of carnage. Otherwise, how could his killing intent be so terrifying?


    There was no time to think, for they were on the cusp of a violent, desperate fight.


    The mercenariesunched several attacks against Xiao Luo. As the battle wore on, they discovered that Xiao Luo was a very experienced fighter even though he was not as strong as they were. He had good instincts and had a strong perception of their moves and could easily dodge their strikes. He could fight back even when they drove him into a corner. His counterattack was very effective. Xiao Luo had already injured a few of them.


    It was both shocking and annoying for the mercenaries, and they could not understand how a guy weaker than them could possess such terrifying fighting power. It certainly irritated them when they still could not defeat Xiao Luo after battling for a good while.


    It also puzzled Ghost. She murmured to herself, ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo is just at the Martial Master level. How can he exert such a terrifying force unless he is a Martial Spirit? This is weird¡­ Truly weird.¡±


    Of course, no one knew Xiao Luo was from the Xiao n, and he possessed a physique different from the average person. Besides, Xiao Luo had been fighting a lot in the Original World, where he had gained a lot ofbat experience. Even though he was at present only at the level of a Great Martial Master, he could still fight like a Martial Spirit.


    ¡°Here, let¡¯s see if you can take a kick from me!¡±


    Camel snarled. He crouched down suddenly and whirled wildly like a tornado. Without warning, he lifted his right leg to kick Xiao Luo¡¯s throat ferociously.


    The intimidating move shocked Xiao Luo, and the fierce attack found its mark.


    But at the crucial moment, Xiao Luo forced the attacker in front of him to retreat with his saber. He swiftly turned around and lifted his left arm to intercept the murderous kick. It was a close call. Unfortunately, he made that move in haste, and he was slightly wounded from the attack. He was still not strong enough.


    BAM!


    Camel exerted all the force of a Martial Spirit in that assault without holding back. The kick hit Xiao Luo¡¯s left arm, and the energy force swept through his entire body instantly. It reverberated from his head to his toe. All his bones and muscles shook in trauma, and an incredibly sharp pain shot through him. Every inch of his body was aching.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    The blood in his body churned, and as his heart pounded, blood flowed up through his throat and over his tongue. Finally, it spurted out between his tightly clenched teeth. Xiao Luo went flying back, and he tumbled and turned through the air and struck a giant tree about four or five miles away.


    SNAP!


    The tree, with a trunk as thick as an adult¡¯s arm span, broke and crashed to the ground, sending its leaves flying around. The impact injured Xiao Luo once again. He spat out blood and felt a heaviness in the head.


    Camel would not stop after he had sessfully struck Xiao Luo. He snarled loudly in an imposing manner and thenunched into another powerful strike. He jumped on Xiao Luo like a crazy wild beast.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    He raised his knife over his head and brought it down toward Xiao Luo¡¯s head. He was going to cut Xiao Luo in two with one stroke.


    ¡°You want to kill this goddamn jerk? Have you asked your Grandpa Duck Emperor¡¯s permission?¡±


    Duck Emperor hissed as he speedily flew out of Xiao Luo¡¯s pocket. He had no fighting power at all, so all he could do was use his beak and feet to attack Camel¡¯s face with sharp pecks. Duck Emperor¡¯s fierce attacks scarred Camel¡¯s face. His actions hindered Camel and bought Xiao Luo some time.


    ¡°You damned duck. I will kill you!¡±


    Camel lost his cool. He turned his attention to Duck Emperor and swung his knife at him to cut him into pieces.


    However, the Duck Emperor was too fast. By the time Camel recovered, the Duck Emperor had already flown into the air. Then it grimaced at him like a human, and sang, ¡°You cannot catch up with me, can you? I am just that strong. What can you do about it? La,,,,¡­¡±

 Chapter 770 - The Sucking Blood Clan

    <h2>Chapter 770: The Sucking Blood n</h2>


    The Duck Emperor¡¯s humming thoroughly annoyed the members of Silver Wing Mercenary Group. The song was quite provoking, and he continued to taunt them with his horrendous droning. The duck drew the ire of the mercenaries and they were determined to deal with Duck Emperor, to where they momentarily forgot about Xiao Luo.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A hail of arrows sailed across the sky and streaked toward the Duck Emperor. The attackers even threw their knives and spears at him.


    The Duck Emperor was not afraid because he was fast enough to dodge the projectiles. He even continued to sing happily as he maneuvered through the air. ¡°You cannot catch up to me, can you? I am just too strong. What can you do about it? La,,,,¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor continued to mock the mercenaries with his inmmatory lyrics and even cockily wiggled his tail to the tune.


    ¡°You damned duck! If I do not kill you, call me Lemac instead!¡± Camel snarled.


    His bloodshot eyes bulged with rage and looked like they were about to explode. He leaped into the air, making several attempts to catch the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Damn! I will cut your guts out as soon as I catch you and make a duck dish out of you!¡±


    ¡°You damned duck! We will make you cry. You wait and see!¡±


    ¡°Darn. F*ck it!¡±


    Camel¡¯s mercenaries were equally riled up, and one after another, they joined the effort to catch the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°You cannot catch me. You cannot catch me. Quack. Quack. Quack.¡± The duck continued mocking as he flew around in the air.


    The Duck Emperor started ying tricks on the mercenaries since they could not fly and there was no way they could catch him. The Duck Emperor took to flying like a duck to water, and he could fly quick as well. The Duck Emperor taunted them by waiting in a spot, enticing them to pounce on him, then he would speed off in flight. He made the mercenaries run around in circles.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ Duckling, you are so great!¡± Ghost cheered him on.


    His pranks amused Ghost, and despite her severe injuries, it thrilled her to watch Duck Emperor toying with them. She urged him on, ¡°Come on, Duckling!¡±


    Duck Emperor¡¯s antics bemused Xiao Luo as well. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll work¡­¡±


    The annoying duck was notpletely useless after all. His actions allowed Xiao Luo the opportunity to heal himself and regain his mobility. And as the two mercenaries watching Ghost were preupied with Duck Emperor¡¯s antics, he would find a chance to release Ghost. Once Ghost was free, the Silver Wing Mercenary Group would be in real trouble.


    ¡°This duck is driving me mad!¡±


    Camel could hardly get near enough to touch the Duck Emperor. He was so irritated that he kept hopping on the ground repeatedly to get at the duck.


    He was not the only one. The Duck Emperor was also getting on the nerves of the other mercenaries. They wished they could dismember the Duck Emperor¡¯s body and grind his bones into powder. But they couldn¡¯t vent their frustrations on the duck as they could not catch him. The taunting angered them so much that they felt like spitting out blood.


    ¡°Come on. Come and catch me, you morons. Quack. Quack. Quack..¡± cried the Duck Emperor scornfully while flying around in the air.


    ¡°You damned duck. F*ck you! Come down here if you are so tough!¡± cursed Camel. His face turned livid with rage.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Come down here if you are so tough!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make mincemeat of you! One cut from each of us!¡±


    ¡°You damned duck. Shame on you. Come down here now!¡±


    The other members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group echoed the sentiment. The duck was exceedingly annoying.


    ¡°Hey, you want to irritate your Grandpa Duck Emperor?¡±


    The Duck Emperor ignored their remarks. Instead, he gave them a middle finger. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe up here if you are tough? Your Grandpa Duck Emperor will peck your d*cks off.¡±


    Did that duck say he wanted to peck their d*cks off?


    Darn it!


    The muscr mercenaries became even more furious.


    ¡°Come down here! All you know to do is to bluff!¡± shouted Camel.


    ¡°Youe up here, morons!¡±


    ¡°Youe down!¡±


    ¡°Youe up!¡±


    ¡­


    The fight turned into trash-talking between the Duck Emperor and Camel. The man and the duck kept raising their voices. Veins stood out on Camel¡¯s forehead, and his face looked flushed. The duck¡¯s feathers all stood on end, and his eyes were bloodshot.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ghost could not stopughing. ¡°Duckling, you are so funny. I will kiss you as your prize.¡±


    However, Xiao Luo did not find it so funny. He felt something was not right. Some mercenaries had gone missing. Where did they go? Were they hiding somewhere to capture the Duck Emperor, and Camel was merely distracting him?


    Suddenly, with no warning, two mercenaries jumped out from the top of a dense tree canopy They held a giant, which they threw over the duck.


    The Duck Emperor was still trash-talking Camel and did not notice the approaching danger from above him. He was shouting confidently at Camel. ¡°Come up if you are tough. A moron without an assh*le. Your Grandpa Duck Emperor will not even let you get a feather of mine!¡±


    ¡°Duckling, watch out overhead!¡± shouted Ghost.


    Only then did the Duck Emperor realize his predicament. He looked up and saw a giant falling on him. But it was already toote to dodge, and he was entangled in the. Duck Emperor pped his wings to fly away and carried off the two mercenaries with him.


    The other mercenaries lurking in the tree responded quickly and leaped out one after another, grasping onto the.


    Two men. Four men. Six men.


    More of them then jumped out to grab the, and when ten of themtched on to the, the Duck Emperor did not have the strength to fly anymore.


    ¡°Mother ducker! You piece of sh*t! This is cheating!¡±


    Duck Emperor screamed but finally gave up struggling and went limp. Every one of them plunged to the ground. The Duck Emperor, already exhausted, was trapped in the.


    Camel grabbed the duck¡¯s neck and yanked him out of the. In a nasty voice, Camel growled, ¡°Go on, then. Keep flying and singing. You thought I could not catch you? You are just a damned duck. How dare you trick me? Are you not afraid of death?¡±


    As he spoke, he tightened his hold on the Duck Emperor. The duck was struggling painfully and was suffocating. His tongue stuck out, and his eyes rolled back. Only the white of his eyes was visible.


    ¡°Duckling!¡±


    Ghost could not bear to see it. She wanted to help, but she could not. If she exerted her strength, the two mercenaries watching her would pull the chain of the w tighter. It would pierce more deeply into her body and cause her unbearable pain.


    When Xiao Luo saw the Duck Emperor almost being strangled to death by Camel, he suspended his healing process to rescue him.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo heard the familiar sound of bats. The surroundings suddenly turned dark and spooky, and sinister energy pervaded the ce.


    ¡°Shoot, that¡¯s my brother!¡± Ghost turned pale immediately.


    The vampire chick¡¯s brother?


    The mercenaries shivered when they heard her. They already had a hard time trying to subdue Ghost. If they met an adult member of the Sucking Blood n, they would not be a match for him. The sun had already set, and it was nightfall in the forest. The Sucking Blood n dominated the night.


    Many torches lit the forest up, and they were suddenly all around the mercenaries.


    When the torchbearers drew close, the mercenaries realized they were members of the Sucking Blood n. Their skins were as pale as ghosts, and they looked bloodless. Sharp fangs protruded from their mouths, and the moment theyid eyes on the men, the vampires salivated with a thirst for blood.

 Chapter 771 - Louis

    <h2>Chapter 771: Louis</h2>


    ¡°Sis, how did you get captured by those humans? Why are you so badly injured?¡±


    A chilly dark voice came through the forest. Then, a figure flew out of the Dark Forest andnded in front of Ghost.


    He was a very handsome man with a long face, blond hair, and deep-set eyes. He was wearing a ck vest which contrasted with his pale skin. He stood calmly with his hands behind his back and emitted an intimidating aura.


    His appearance frightened the two mercenaries who were guarding Ghost so much that they instantly let go of the rope. Before they knew it, they were cautiously taking a few steps back.


    Their survival instincts had kicked in, but the reality of life was cruel.


    The handsome man moved toward them with no warning, and with incredible speed, he reached them in a sh. He grabbed their hair and forced their heads to the side to expose their necks. Then exposed his two sharp fangs, opened his mouth, and plunged them into their necks.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    Two screams rang out, and blood started oozing out as the handsome man sucked their blood greedily. The distinct sound of his feeding was unmistakable in the silent night. Those two mercenaries were twitching uncontrobly with their eyes rolled up, and their faces slowly turned pale. They were in extreme pain.


    The handsome man drained all their blood within a minute. The eyes of both men remained wide open. When he was done, he casually dumped their dead bodies to the ground as if they were garbage. Blood was still dripping from his mouth. His eyes turned blue from his feeding frenzy. Although he had retracted the two sharp fangs, he still looked scary.


    He looked at the two bodies on the ground as if yearning for more blood. ¡°It has been a long time since I sucked such fresh blood. It feels amazing.¡±


    The handsome man looked satisfied and pleased, like a drug addict who had just taken his fix. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, looking intoxicated as he took in a deep breath of air.


    The rest of the mercenaries went weak at their knees from fear. They were staring at a genuine vampire¡ªan ancient, evil, and powerful creature who could drain a person¡¯s blood in less than a minute. There was dead silence. The mercenaries broke out in a cold sweat, freaked out by the ghastly teeth marks on their deceased friends¡¯ necks.


    Xiao Luo did not dare to act recklessly, either. The male vampire could fly, which meant that he was at the Martial Emperor level. If that vampire shifted his attention to him, Xiao Luo could not imagine what would happen.


    ¡°Your Excellency, we are from the Silver Wing Mercenary Group. We are here to hunt exotic beasts in the Dark Forest. It is how we make our living. We never intended to offend the honorable Sucking Blood n. Please forgive us, Your Excellency!¡± After quickly taking stock of the situation, Camel promptly kneeled before the handsome man to beg for his mercy.


    The Duck Emperor took advantage of the opportunity to break from his hold. Afraid that the handsome man would notice him and give him a bite as well, the duck wisely kept a low profile. He neither spoke nor did anything that could attract any attention to make himself noticeable to the vampire.


    The other mercenaries from the Silver Wing Mercenary Group quickly kneeled as well, following their deputy leader¡¯s lead.


    The handsome man opened his eyes lethargically and glimpsed at them. Then he burst out in a mockingugh. ¡°You want me to forgive you? You are all muscr men. I could sense the flow of your warm blood in your bodies even from far away. That is something that excites me. I can feel all my pores opening, and I want to suck all of your blood. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Camel swallowed his saliva with difficulty and said, ¡°Your Excellency. If you let us go, the Silver Wing Mercenary Group promises we will send you a live person every day so that you can feed on fresh blood daily.¡±


    The handsome man did not take his words seriously. He replied, ¡°You humans are cunning animals. You will do anything and say anything to survive. Your promise is worthless for me. Did you say you wish to send living humans to me every day? You are merely lying to avoid getting killed.¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    The handsome man flew into a rage. He gave off a burst of powerful energy, directing an invisible force from palm directed at Camel.


    The force lifted Camel off the ground and sent him flying back.


    ¡°Take all of them back to the castle. Kill anyone who dares to resist!¡± The handsome man gave the grisly order.


    ¡°Yes, Second Duke!¡±


    His subordinates acted on his order immediately. They took away the mercenaries¡¯ weapons first and then tied them up with ropes. They took Xiao Luo along as well. The Duck Emperor was a duck, so they did not pay any attention to him.


    The handsome man turned around to relieve Ghost of the iron w. He shook his head as he looked her over. Then with a sigh, he said, ¡°Sis, look at you. How did you end up here like this?¡± He extended his hand and drew Silver Dragon¡¯s dead body closer to him without even touching it. With a smile, he turned to Ghost and said, ¡°This guy is dead. His blood is useless to him, anyway. Why don¡¯t you feed? You only need two mouthfuls of blood to recover. And you will feel no more pain.¡±


    ¡°No, I will not. I want to prove to the entire world that the Sucking Blood n can live well without feeding on human blood,¡± Ghost cried.


    The handsome man put his hand on Ghost¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sis, you are too na?ve and childish. If we do not feed on human blood, our life span will be the same as theirs, and our strength will never reach the Martial Emperor level. You should know that we differ from humans, and we cannot improve our strength through cultivation. If we wish to increase our strength, sucking human blood is our only choice.¡±


    ¡°Why would I need to increase my strength?¡±


    Ghost brushed his hand off her shoulder. ¡°Few people can rival me in strength. My strength is already good enough,¡± she said.


    ¡°Few people can rival you in strength?¡±


    The handsome manughed in a teasing manner. ¡°Sis, that is why I said you are na?ve and childish. There are loads of human masters outside of the Dark Forest. At most, you are a Martial Lord amongst them. Above the Martial Lord is the Martial Emperor, then Martial Guru, followed by the Martial Venerable, and finally, the legendary Martial Saint. There are few humans at these levels. But across the Arcana Land, those at these higher levels are still many. If you run into any of them, you will not have any chance to fight back.¡±


    Ghost was dumbstruck and argued, ¡°I am not their enemy. Why would they make things difficult for me?¡±


    ¡°Sis, as your second Brother, I know you very well. You have insisted not to feed on human blood because you know once you do that, you will activate the lifeblood restriction of the n on yourself. Once that happens, you cannot leave the Dark Forest forever. If you cannot leave, you cannot travel to the Holy Land of the Light n to visit our father. Am I not right?¡± said the handsome man. A light shed across his observant eyes.


    Ghost was exasperated, knowing her brother had seen through her. She shouted at the handsome man, ¡°Louis, do not think you know me very well. Besides, you had better mind your own business!¡±

 Chapter 772 - Let Go of Me

    <h2>Chapter 772: Let Go of Me</h2>


    ¡°Sis, when are you going to stop being so childish?¡±


    Louis let out a sigh. ¡°I know you want to save our father, but your way won¡¯t work. Without great strength, we¡¯ll live in the shadow of the sacred ce of the Light n forever. Only when we are strong enough can we, the Sucking Blood n, be able to change our fate.¡±


    Ghost did not respond. Clenching her teeth, she stared nkly into space. Besides visiting her father, she also wanted to rescue him from the sacrednd of the Light n. She had never seen her father since she was born, and it was a great misfortune for her.


    ¡°Forget about it. You will never understand, but eventually, you will realize I am right,¡± said Louis, frowning.


    Waving his hand, he shouted at his subordinates, ¡°Take them back to the castle.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Ghost stopped them. She went up to Xiao Luo. ¡°He is my friend. You can take the others back, except him. Let go of him!¡±


    Louis glimpsed at Xiao Luo. He said with a sarcastic smile, ¡°Sis, you are being na?ve again. Do you know how difficult it is to get such a big walking blood bank? But you want me to release one of my preys? It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Will you release him or not?¡± shouted Ghost, staring at Louis with her almond-shaped eyes.


    ¡°No, I will not. If you dare speak for him again, I¡¯ll suck up his blood right now!¡± said Louis with a stiff smile. There was still blood beside his mouth, and blood had tinged his teeth and tongue scarlet. He looked like an evil ghost.


    ¡°Fine, Louis. Let¡¯s have a duel, then!¡±


    Ghost¡¯s eyes turned blue, and she exposed sharp fangs. Her pretty face was suddenly filled with cruelty and aggressiveness.


    Louis was dumbstruck, and said, ¡°Are you sure you want to have a duel with me? Over a human stranger? Do you know what a duel means to the Sucking Blood n? Even though you are my sister, I won¡¯t show you any mercy.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Release him or let¡¯s have a duel!¡± said Ghost, clenching her teeth.


    Raising his eyebrow, Louis nced at her casually and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a duel, then.¡±


    ¡°Harrgh!¡±


    A sharp scream pierced across the air. The crops and trees around them shook from the effect of its sound wave. Ghost glided forward swiftly, leaving after images training behind her as sheunched an attack against Louis.


    Louis snorted. He steadied himself and twirled his arms in a circr motion, and tens of thousands of Shadow Palms from the movements of his hands, like a sea of angry waves.


    BAM!


    Ghost¡¯s whirling legs hit his fist and palm. She took advantage of the momentum to channel all of her strength, and aimed another swift and fierce kick at her second brother, Louis.


    ¡°Sis, you are risking your life!¡±


    Louis said as he shed a sinister smile. Dashing forward fast, his body suddenly seemed unreal. His hands looked like they were mere shadows, but could bepared to the sickle of the God of Death in power. They cut through the air in a swift sweeping motion.


    As she dashed forward, his vigorous defense shocked Ghost, and she immediately flipped into the air to steady herself. She continued to whirl in an offensive posture, but it was futile as there was nothing she could use as a fulcrum to leverage on. But she kept kicking her legs, creating thousands of shadows in front of herself. Her kicks seemed slow but were, in reality, quick and fierce. They mmed against Louis¡¯ palms and fists in a thrilling disy of her fighting prowess.


    The members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group were astonished by those gorgeous but ferocious movements. They had earlier hooked this teenage vampire¡¯s shoulder de with an iron w, and her chest was badly injured and covered with blood. Yet, she exerted such tremendous force despite all her disadvantages. If their leader Silver Dragon had not been there, they knew they would not have been able to subdue such a frightening beast.


    Xiao Luo was in a stupor. Ghost was risking her life for him, and as he watched her defend him, he felt like his soul stirred by her valor. He was very touched.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    Their hands and feet collided repeatedly, and whenever Ghost attacked, she would shout.


    It was fierce closebat action, and a ferocious female beast was the center of attention!


    ¡°Sis, stop messing around. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be so kind to you anymore.¡± Louis had been patient with her and was restraining himself. But even a worm had its limits.


    ¡°Let go of him!¡± Ghost insisted without slowing her attack.


    ¡°Impossible. He is my prey. I will never let go of him!¡±


    Louis looked unhappy. He suddenly leaped into the air and thrust his palm toward Ghost with a burst of energy, like a viper striking its prey.


    BAM!


    The palm hit Ghost¡¯s shoulder hard, and the force that urged through his palm burst in a torrent of energy.


    WHOOSH!


    Ghost spit up blood as he sent her body flying like a cannonball, smashing through several trees and breaking them cleanly.


    SNAP! SNAP!


    The ground was littered with broken branches and tree trunks, and leaves flew around in the sky.


    The sight of that blow made the members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group and the Sucking Blood n cringe. They could almost feel the pain themselves and frowned, frozen in shock. However, just when everyone thought Ghost was dead, the teenage girl walked out of the heap of debris in deliberate steps. She was bruised and had scratches all over her body. Blood was flowing out of her nose and mouth and she looked extremely weak.


    Louis narrowed his eyes. ¡°Sis, why are you doing this? Is this worth it? You are doing all this because of that human?¡±


    ¡°He is my friend!¡±


    Ghost growled in reply, clenching her fists and lowering her head. She staggered toward Louis. When she was close enough to him, she threw her tightly clenched fist at Louis¡¯ face. As she was badly injured, her punch was slow, but she had given it everything she had and it still whistled like the wind.


    Louis extended his palm and parried the fist attack without difficulty. ¡°Friend? What are you talking about? How can a hunter and his prey be friends?!¡±


    ¡°I said, he is my friend!¡±


    Ghost shouted, raising her head. She instantly leaped into the air and kicked ferociously at Louis¡¯ face with her right leg.


    Louis lifted his hand and parried it with ease once again.


    Shaking his head, he said, ¡°You are sick. You are very sick. You even think a human is your friend. Well, your second brother will help you get cured!¡± He nced at Xiao Luo and exposed his fangs, emanating a bloodthirsty aura. ¡°This guy looks clean and soft. His blood must be very delicious!¡±


    Ghost¡¯s pretty face turned pale, and she urgently shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo, run!¡±


    As she shouted, she grasped Louis from behind so that he could not advance on Xiao Luo.


    BOOM!


    Louis sent a burst of powerful energy from his body and sent Ghost soaring like a kite on a broken string and spat out blood.


    Louis turned his neck left and right, staring at Xiao Luo hungrily. But he found his right foot immobilized as he was going to dash over to Xiao Luo. He looked down and saw Ghost lying on the ground, sping his right foot with what strength she had left.


    This time, Louis was truly annoyed, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He shouted in a stern voice, ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Ghost ignored him. Instead, she shouted to Xiao Luo, ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo, run. Otherwise, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Louis lost his head and stomped his left foot on Ghost¡¯s back.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Ghost spat out blood, and her pretty face twisted in pain. Yet, she was still grasping on to Louis¡¯s foot and would not let go of him.

 Chapter 773 - Why Did You Stop

    <h2>Chapter 773: Why Did You Stop</h2>


    ¡°Wise up, Little Sister. You are a member of the Sucking Blood n. He is a human. You two are friends? Are you kidding me?¡±


    Seeing his sister being so overprotective over a human irritated Louis. He kept stomping on Ghost¡¯s back and scolding her. Every kick was so fierce that Ghost spat up blood. She looked to be in great pain.


    The members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group gasped at what they were witnessing. Was the Sucking Blood n so cruel to even treat their siblings so brutally?


    Some members of the Sucking Blood n tried to dissuade Louis from beating Ghost, but he was beyond reasoning and hit out at them.


    ¡°God damned jerk, we should run away immediately. Otherwise, her brother will kick that poor girl to death. I¡¯ve recovered fully and I¡¯m strong enough to fly you out of here. Her brother will in no way be able to catch up with us.¡± The Duck Emperor had flown to Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder discreetly. He shuddered at the sight of Ghost sprawled on the ground and clinging on to Louis¡¯s right foot. He had never expected that this girl would risk her life to save Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo looked solemn and felt like two tiny worms were twisting in his nostrils, causing his tear nds to secrete tears uncontrobly. His eyes were tearing. He did not get it¡ªwhy was Ghost doing that? Was it only because she had once said she would protect him? If that was the case, she was being very na?ve¡ªa fool who took a joke far too seriously. And what about him, then? He had been thinking about leaving her instead.


    He despised himself when he considered the moral contrast between them. He even felt a pang of guilt.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo yelled in anger, so loudly those present felt a ringing in their ears.


    Everyone looked at him in shock. Even Louis stopped hurting Ghost. His blue eyes briefly expressed confusion and surprise, before he regained hisposure and red mockingly at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Luoluo¡­¡±


    Exhausted, Ghost let go of Louis. Blood was still oozing out of her mouth and nose, and there were countless bruises and scratches all over her body. Her clothes, stained with blood and dirt, and she just looked awful.


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s great. You help him and he helps you. Sis, it looks like you and he have be loyal friends. You¡¯ve be a prey¡¯s friend. Sis, you bring shame to the Sucking Blood n!¡± Louis looked at Ghost and then at Xiao Luo before he againughed mockingly.


    ¡°Shame?¡±


    Xiao Luo red at Louis icily and said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you know soon what shame feels like.¡± The Duck Emperor had loosened the rope that bound him up using his beak, so Xiao Luo could move freely by then. ¡°I¡¯ll make you feel twice the pain you inflicted on Ghost!¡±


    Louis was dumbstruck, but soon he burst outughing. ¡°Make me feel twice the pain? How? You are simply a Martial Master. Or do you want to depend on your pet duck?¡±


    ¡°You will know how soon enough¡­¡± Xiao Luo replied as he kept staring at Louis.


    The corner of Louis¡¯s mouth twitched anxiously as he could not stand being stared at by a human in such an arrogant way. ¡°Jerk, I¡¯ve decided. I will not only feed on your blood but cut your body into pieces so that I can chew them when I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Louis snarled, and a burst of energy surged from his body with the force of a gale. Without warning, he bounded toward Xiao Luo as fast as greased lightning.


    All the onlookers saw was a blur of shadows. He was a Martial Emperor, so they expected that his attack would too fast for the human eye.


    However, when Louisnded, Xiao Luo was no longer there and had suddenly vanished. There was nothing but thin air where he had been. Louis looked around and found to his surprise that Xiao Luo was hovering in the air.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Louis cursed and smiled wryly. He found it hard to believe, and his eyes glowered with renewed rage. A human Martial Master had escaped from his clutches by leaping in the air from right under his nose. Louis had him in his sights and yet he got away. It was incredible.


    It was to the Duck Emperor¡¯s credit that Xiao Luo could hover in the air. The duck lifted him by grabbing his shoulders.


    Xiao Luo threw Louis an icy re. Then he cast his gaze on Ghost, who was still sprawled on the ground. ¡°Ghost, I wille back to find you. We will go to the sacred ce of the Light n together. I promise I will take you to see your father!¡±


    Ghost couldn¡¯t believe her ear and tears formed in her eyes. Then a smile broke on her pretty face.


    ¡°Bast*rd!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s words had riled Louis up. A sinister shadow formed behind him, and suddenly, a tremendous wave of energy emanated from his body like the angry waves of a turbulent sea. Gravel and dirt, branches, and all forms of debris lying on the ground suddenly rose in suspension. Everyone on the ground felt an ominous presence.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Louis bellowed as he thrust his palm at Xiao Luo.


    The horrifying force of his palm strike spread quickly like an invisible force, and the pressure surged in all directions. Members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group and even of the Sucking Blood n were knocked to the ground. The palm force suddenly transformed into a ck vampire bat, hissing and flying swiftly toward Xiao Luo.


    Louis¡¯ power was far more than Xiao Luo could bear. But Duck Emperor, as he had often imed in the Dimension of Chaos, was adept at evasion and escape because of his speed. Carrying Xiao Luo, he dodged to the side and avoided the immense palm force delivered by Louis.


    The ck vampire bat streaked into clouds and exploded in the night sky like a bomb.


    BOOM!


    The force of the st caused a wave of energy to sweep across the ground like a hurricane, shaking leaves off trees and carrying them through the air.


    ¡°Harghh!¡±


    The moment his palm attack missed Xiao Luo, Louis bounded into the air and delivered a series of blows.


    BAM! BAM! BAM!


    His fierce attack resembled the swift currents of a raging river. Each blow was delivered with horrifying force, and even the mountains and forest around them were destroyed. A blow struck the ground, and it formed a crater with a diameter of about thirty feet. Dust rose in clouds and toppled trees around the crater. The residual force from his blows caused howling winds that fluttered the people¡¯s hair and clothes.


    Was that how destructive a Martial Emperor could be?


    The members of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group were daunted and turned as pale as ghosts. That vampire was too powerful and there was no way they could escape from him. They quickly realized their blood would soon feed their captors.


    Louis did not stop until he delivered dozens of more palm strikes and became exhausted.


    Much of the surrounding forest was destroyed, and a series of craters marked the ground. The air crackled with the residual energy of his palm strikes.


    Hovering in the air, Xiao Luo escaped injury.


    ¡°Piece of sh*t, why did you stop? Let¡¯s see which is faster, your palm strike or your Grandpa Duck Emperor!¡± said the duck, provoking Louis.


    Louis was in a stupor. Just like others, he thought the Duck Emperor was a beast demon at first, but when he detected the duck¡¯s low energy level, he was convinced it could not have been a beast demon, but just an ordinary duck.


    ¡°Good job, duckling. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Although badly injured, Ghost still managed to look up and give Duck Emperor a thumbs up. Her gayughter echoed through the forest.


    ¡°You damned duck!¡±


    Louis clenched his teeth in fury. It frustrated him he could not use his powers to strike the fast-moving duck. Speed was the best form of defense, and he had no answer to it.

 Chapter 774 - An Intimidating Pressure

    <h2>Chapter 774: An Intimidating Pressure</h2>


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiao Luo said firmly to the Duck Emperor, not wanting to waste more time on the dispute with Louis.


    The Duck Emperor nodded, then turned to Louis and shouted, ¡°Piece of sh*t, Grandpa Duck Emperor is now busy. I do not have more time for you. Bye!¡±


    Saying that, he carried Xiao Luo away like a sh of lightning.


    ¡°You think you can flee from me? No way!¡±


    Louis immediately went after them. But after soaring through the air for a while, he saw no sign of Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor. It annoyed Louis tremendously, and he found it hard to believe that the annoying duck could move so swiftly.


    Finally, he descended andnded with a gloomy face. A few of his subordinates ran up to Louis, whereby he gave them the order, ¡°Find that man and the damned duck at all costs!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied his subordinates in unison.


    Ghost giggled and said, ¡°The Dark Forest is so big. Looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack. You might as well give up!¡±


    Louis gave her an icy stare. He snorted, ¡°Sis, let us wait and see if I¡¯m able to catch him. And when I do, I will drain his blood right in your face!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo told the Duck Emperor to take him deep into the mountains of the Dark Forest. They finally stopped on a cliff.


    As soon as theynded, Xiao Luo sat down cross-legged near the edge of the cliff to continue his healing process. Unsure if the system was manipting him, Xiao Luo only turned to the system as ast resort, preferring to depend on his existing strength to recover.


    The Duck Emperor stayed close to Xiao Luo to watch over him. He held on to the Dragon Saber with his wing, although the de was too big for him, and scanned the surroundings for any threats.


    The duck was now in its original form. When he was in the Dimension of Chaos, he erged himself so he could y on theputer. That was why he was much bigger than his actual size when Xiao Luo first saw him.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s healing process put him into a state of trance. He was in such a deep state that everything and everyone, including his physical self, no longer seemed to exist. He drew the spiritual energy from around him and it flowed into his meridians through the millions of pores on his body. Xiao Luo did his best to umte and absorb the spiritual energy as it continued to surge through his meridians.


    The process continued until dawn came.


    During thest phase of healing, he absorbed the spiritual energy more wholly and rapidly.


    In his altered state, Xiao Luo could sense the spiritual energy rushing through his meridians.


    Over the horizon, the sky was turning bright in the east. It was just before dawn at the cliff where Xiao Luo was healing himself. The air was still, and the spiritual essence in the air flowed into Xiao Luo from all directions like a ma. The invisible force of spiritual energy swirled over his head, then in a sudden st, it finally pressed downward.


    As the spiritual energy whirled slowly, it formed a concentrated beam that prated Xiao Luo¡¯s head. The flowers, grasses, and trees around him rustled, then swayed violently, as the overpowering pressure spread outward.


    ¡°Huh? Mother ducker, what is going on¡­¡±


    The Duck Emperor was so frightened that he could not even form any words. It was weird. Xiao Luo was sitting cross-legged on the cliff not far away from him, yet it felt like thousands of mountains separated them. Xiao Luo was right there, but he looked like an illusion¡ªa purely imaginary vision.


    Everything that was happening at that moment was beyond even Xiao Luo¡¯s expectation. He could feel his strength had recovered, and there was vibrant spiritual energy all around him, so he tried to absorb all of it. However, he discovered it was difficult to stop once it started, and the vital spiritual energy kept pouring into him, and his body kept absorbing continuously. And it finally transformed into the True Inner Force and flowed into his Dantian.


    His meridians, viscera, skin, flesh, and other vital parts of his body regenerated, and all his body parts were strengthened and enhanced. His wounds were fully healed and his skin looked as good as new. Powerful energy was swirling around with Xiao Luo at the center of the storm.


    Wherever the waves hit, trees would disappear, and rocks pulverize instantly.


    The Duck Emperor survived after flying beyond the reach of the energy waves. Sprawled on the ground and seized by fear, he gasped for air. ¡°That was terrifying. What did that god damned jerk do this time?¡±


    In the Dark Castle hundreds of kilometers away, dozens of aged men with wrinkled faces dashed out of their rooms and climbed to the top of the castle. They looked in shock toward the direction where Xiao Luo was healing. They gasped, feeling astonished and puzzled. They detected the spiritual energy from the area flowing there. What kind of attainment could have created such a disturbance?


    ¡°What happened? Which important person has arrived at the Dark Forest?¡± one aged man asked curiously.


    ¡°The person should be at least five hundred kilometers away, but the intimidating pressure from him has even reached here. He is powerful.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe this important person has achieved the level of the legendary Martial Saint!¡±


    The dozens of Elders of the Sucking Blood n were in discussion. At the mention of a Martial Saint, they all turned pale, and there was fear in their eyes. Had the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light ne?


    ¡°Elders, what happened? What are you doing here?¡±


    A young man who looked simr to Louis asked in confusion as he approached the Elders.


    ¡°An important person has just arrived at the Dark Forest,¡± replied the Grand Elder.


    ¡°An important person?¡± The young man frowned.


    The Grand Elder nodded and answered, ¡°Exactly. His attainment should be at the level of the legendary Martial Saint.¡±


    Martial Saint?


    The young man gasped upon hearing that. ¡°Could he be one of the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n? But the Sucking Blood n has not broken the agreement and never left the Dark Forest. What are they here for?¡±


    Only the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n have achieved the legendary Martial Saint level. The men panicked, for a visit from the Four Kings could not be a good thing.


    The other Elders did not speak as they did not know what was going on, either.


    The Grand Elder asked, ¡°Where is Louis?¡±


    ¡°He just came back with our sister. And he caught some mercenaries hunting in the Dark Forest,¡± said the young man.


    As soon as he finished speaking, both the Grand Elder and the young man turned pale. Was it Louis? Did he create any trouble? How could it be such a coincidence?


    ¡°Lester, call him over. I have something to ask him,¡± said the Grand Elder, urgently.


    The young man nodded. Before he could leave to look for Louis, thetterzily walked in.


    ¡°Brother, Grand Elder, what are you doing here? I have got a good harvest today. I have over ten fat sheep, and all of them arerge and muscr. Their blood is especially delicious!¡± said Louis. He had calmed down from the quarrel with Xiao Luo and the Duck Emperor. He was trying to take credit for his harvest in front of his elder brother, Lester, and the Elders.


    The Grand Elder shed through the air and stood in front of him in an instant. Grabbing Louis by his shoulders, the Grand Elder asked with a grave face, ¡°Louis, you have not left the Dark Forest, have you?¡±


    It was a matter which worried the Grand Elder most. Louis had sucked human blood, and the bloodline restriction now applied to him. If he ever left the Dark Forest, the Holy Land of the Light n would be the first to know. If that had been the case, it would make perfect sense why they had sent one of their Kings to handle the problem.

 Chapter 775 - Excitement

    <h2>Chapter 775: Excitement</h2>


    When Louis saw how serious the Grand Elder looked, it startled him. He hurriedly shook his head and answered nervously, ¡°No, I¡­ I have never left the Dark Forest.¡±


    ¡°Are you honest with us?¡± the Grand Elder asked him again.


    Louis nodded earnestly and answered, ¡°Grand Elder, why would I lie? Besides, I know the consequence of leaving the Dark Forest. Do you think I would leave the forest to hunt at the risk of wiping out the entire n? I certainly would not do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that is good. That is good¡­¡±


    The Grand Elder felt relieved. As long as the Martial Saint was not from the Holy Land of the Light n, he did not need to worry. Perhaps the person was randomly passing by and did note to deal with the Sucking Blood n. But as far as they knew, the Four Kings of the Light n were the only legendary Martial Saints. However, the Arcana Land was so vast, with so many creatures living there. There might be another Martial Saint from other ces in the Arcana Land.


    ¡°Grand Elder, Brother. What has happened?¡± asked Louis, who was at a loss.


    His older brother Lester said, ¡°An important person hase to the Dark Forest. We think he is a Martial Saint.¡±


    Martial Saint?


    Louis gasped. He was as powerful as a human Martial Emperor, but he still felt pressure when faced with a more powerful man, who is at the top of the pyramid of strength.


    He could not figure it out. He asked, ¡°Why would a Martial Sainte here?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows the reason yet. Tell us everything that happened in the Dark Forest. Do not skip any detail,¡± said Lester, staring at Louis with seriousness.


    Louis knew that his older brother and the Grand Elder wondered if he had anything to do with the presence of the Martial Saint. So, he dared not hide anything from them. Louis gave them every detail of the capture of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group. He also told them their sister Ghost had challenged him to a duel for the sake of a human.


    ¡°What? Those people used an iron w to pierce into Ghost¡¯s shoulder de?¡± asked the Grand Elder, who turned pale when he heard the story.


    ¡°Yes, Grand Elder. If I had arrived a littleter, I am afraid they would have taken Ghost out of the Dark Forest to sell her in the Mu City,¡± Louis answered.


    ¡°Detestable! Where are you keeping those people? Do not let any of them go. Suck their blood and make them into jerkies. We will eat them at our leisure,¡± said the Grand Elder in a rage. He opened his eyes so wide that they looked like they were about to explode. He cared a lot about Ghost.


    However, a detail had caught Lester¡¯s attention. Intrigued, he asked Louis, ¡°Brother, did you say two of them escaped?¡±


    Louis nodded. ¡°Yes. One of those men is Ghost¡¯s friend. It was what she imed. He has an annoying duck as a pet beast, and it can fly fast. It took the man into the air, and they disappeared in a second. I have sent my men to look for them. But after a night¡¯s search, they found nothing. I am pissed off. If I find him, I will peel off his skin and pull his tendons out.¡±


    He gritted his teeth with contempt at the mention of Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What about the other one?¡± asked Lester.


    ¡°The other one is the deputy leader of the mercenary group. I do not know what happened, but he freed himself from the rope that bound him. We were focusing on searching for the first man, and he found an opportunity to run away. That pig was like a loach. We did not even know when he escaped. When we found out, he had already disappeared into thin air. I was afraid the other pigs would escape as well, so, I hurriedly brought them back to the castle to imprison them, just in case,¡± said Louis honestly.


    What could the presence of the Martial Saint have anything to do with those two humans on the run?


    The Elders wondered.


    Louis seemed to have guessed what they were thinking. Waving his hand, he said confidently, ¡°Elders, Brother, I can promise you the Martial Saint who has arrived has nothing to do with the two pigs who escaped.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± the Grand Elder asked him immediately.


    Patting his chest, Louis said, ¡°One of them is a mercenary. If he knew any legendary Martial Saint, why would he be a mercenary ande to the Dark Forest to risk his neck? As for the other one, it is even less possible. He is simply a human Martial Master. How could a Martial Master bepared with one of the strongest men in the world?¡±


    He has a pet duck that talks. But it is just an ordinary duck and not a beast demon. I am sure it became intelligent and developed the ability to talk only after taking some precious food or panacea.¡±


    The Elders felt a little relieved. They did not think those two humans on the run had anything to do with the presence of a Martial Saint either.


    ¡°Maybe he came to the Dark Forest by ident?¡± Lester looked at the Grand Elder.


    The Grand Elder nced at the sky in the distance. ¡°Perhaps. But at least, we know he is not from the Holy Land of the Light n!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We did not break the agreement. So, the Holy Land of the Light n has no reason toe here. The Martial Saint must be a hermit from other ces.¡±


    An elder echoed the sentiment. His eyes were suddenly full of excitement. ¡°If we can discuss the mysteries of cultivation with the Martial Saint, it will very much benefit the Sucking Blood n. We could improve our attainment quicker and be strong enough topete with the Holy Land of the Light n.¡±


    Oh?


    The Elder¡¯s proposal thrilled everyone there. Their eyes lit up from excitement.


    ¡°Third Brother is right. As Elders of the Sucking Blood n, we have lived for hundreds of years, but we are still at Martial Guru level. We cannot increase our attainments further¡ªwe cannot even make a breakthrough to the Martial Venerable level, let alone the legendary Martial Saint level. Throughout the thousands of years of history, the Martial Guru is the best attainment we have ever achieved. After achieving Martial Guru status, no matter how much human blood we consume, we cannot achieve a higher level.¡±


    ¡°That is right. We have hit a bottleneck. If we cannot get to the Martial Saint stage, the Sucking Blood n can never stand up to the Holy Land of the Light n. We will live in this Dark Forest forever.¡±


    ¡°If we can get instructions from the Martial Saint, just as Third Brother proposed, then we might solve the mysteries that have eluded us for hundreds of years.¡±


    The Elders were now getting more excited. The more they spoke, the more ted they felt. They saw an opportunity for the Sucking Blood n to rise again.


    The Grand Elder¡¯s eyes lit up with hope, but it worried him as well. ¡°But we do not know what kind of person he is. I am afraid those legendary powerful people are all proud and aloof. If we visit him to ask for his instructions¡­¡±


    There was no doubt he was throwing cold water on the ideas.


    ¡°Grand Elder, I think we had better stay away from that person.¡±


    Frowning, Lester said, ¡°Humans are the sworn enemy of the Sucking Blood n. This person is possibly aligned to some human sect. I am afraid he would be hostile to us the minute he knows we are from the Sucking Blood n. It would not be possible to ask him for instructions on cultivation. A Martial Saint is not someone we can risk offending.¡±

 Chapter 776 - The Dragon Saber’s Consciousness

    <h2>Chapter 776: The Dragon Saber¡¯s Consciousness</h2>


    Lester¡¯s words woke up most of the veterans. They were indeed the Sucking Blood n, also known as vampires. Since both sides were hostile towards each other, weren¡¯t the people from the n asking a human¡¯s advice on cultivation practices something that would cause a huge issue?


    ¡°That makes sense. Thank god, Lester is a lot calmer and steadier. We¡¯re really muddleheaded.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our eagerness to break through the bottleneck and reach the level of Martial Venerable has caused us to forget that we are from the Sucking Blood n.¡±


    ¡°If we seek advice on cultivation practices from that big shot there, we might bring huge trouble for us that might even wipe out the Sucking Blood n.¡±


    All the veterans nodded their heads and realized that Lester¡¯s words made perfect sense. At the same time, they broke into cold sweats thinking about the idea they had earlier.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a Martial Saint. With enough time, I¡¯m sure I can reach that level as well. And, when that timees, it¡¯ll be our Sucking Blood n¡¯s turn to rise,¡± Louis confidently said, rubbing the tip of his nose with his thumb.


    ¡°Too much confidence is arrogance!¡± Grand Patriarch reprimanded without hesitation.


    Louis was a little upset deep down but didn¡¯t have the guts to answer back.


    Lester asked, ¡°How¡¯s Little Sister?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent her to the blood pool. Her injuries will heal really quickly soaking in it.¡±


    Louis replied with an evil-looking face, ¡°I¡¯ll bring some people with meter and make sure I bring back those two fat pigs that slipped through the. I¡¯ll make them suffer and make sure they neither live nor die!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Lester shouted, raising his hand.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Louis¡¯s face was filled with confusion.


    Lester looked into the sky. ¡°It is a matter of great uncertainty that a Martial Saint entered the Dark Forest. If not handled properly, this might cause an extremely big problem for the n. We¡¯ll stop wandering around the Dark Forest the next few days, and it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t leave Mu City either. We¡¯ll wait for the big shot to leave before doing anything else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. From today, everyone from the n is not allowed outside. Stay in Mu City. You¡¯re not allowed to go anywhere!¡± Grand Patriarch agreed. It was obvious that he was worried Louis¡¯ tactlessness would anger the big shot.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to let those two fat pigs off easily?¡±


    Louis was really angry, especially towards Xiao Luo who he detested to the core. He could barely exin how pissed off he was that they were letting him off so easily.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to let them go for sure. There¡¯s no need to take any sort of risk for two preys like that!¡±


    Lester said in a tone that made it hard for anyone to defy him, ¡°Second Brother, this time you better listen to me and Grand Patriarch¡¯s decision. Otherwise, you can¡¯t me me if I ignore the fact that we¡¯re brothers, understood?¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Louis might say that, but he was extremely unwilling to let them go. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he looked into the distant sky.


    ¡­


    When Xiao Luo was done practicing, the huge spiritual energy vortex slowly dissipated as well. The air between heaven and earth slowly returned to its normal flow from a solidified state.


    He opened his eyes and looked into the far distance, making his vision reach even further, so far in fact that he could clearly spot an ant crawling on a tree roughly 500 meters away. He could even see the entire process of him using his senses to exchange information with the ant.


    He could also hear a lot more. If he wanted to, he could even hear the sound of a mosquito pping its wings from over 10 meters away.


    He lightly clenched his fist. This long-lost power, this long-lost feeling, it had only been three days since he had been injured and his skills had been impaired, but these three days to him felt as long as a century. Only with strong powers could he provide himself a sense of security.


    He noticed Duck Emperor flying after looking around. He waved his hands andmunicated with a voice transmission, ¡°What are you up so high for?¡±


    After hearing that, Duck Emperor was uncontrobly triggered and dived downwards like a mini-fighter jet. It smacked its wings on Xiao Luo¡¯s head. ¡°Screw your ducking mum! Do you think I wanted to do that? You goddamn brat! The things you¡¯ve done while healing up with your technique was extremely terrifying. Look at our surroundings! Mountains have copsed, the ground has sunk, and those ancient trees that are hundreds of thousands of years old have been reduced to ash. The cliff beneath your butt has turned into a column. It¡¯s all because of you. If this duck here didn¡¯t fly up high, I¡¯d have kicked the bucket like those trees over there.¡±


    Xiao Luo finally took a serious look. He had sat cross-legged on the edge of a cliffst night, but the cliff was now gone and only a columnar stone mountain was left beneath him. When his true inner force was gone, the remaining column crumbled as if it had been precision sted and turned into a bunch of crushed stone. Xiao Luo remained floating without any support and had a shocked look on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯d be huge if you were in the house demolitions industry back in your original world!¡± Duck Emperorined.


    Xiao Luo was toozy to reply and changed the topic, ¡°Where¡¯s my saber?¡±


    Duck Emperor pulled the Dragon Saber out from the space ring and threw it to Xiao Luo. ¡°Here. It¡¯s just a broken saber. This duck here can barely give two shits about it.¡±


    ¡°Pa¡ª¡±


    The saber in Xiao Luo¡¯s hands lightly smacked Duck Emperor¡¯s head like a stick. It was so painful that Duck Emperor quacked in pain.


    It stared at Xiao Luo angrily. ¡°What was that for? I want to hear you exin!¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with me. It was the Dragon Saber who wanted to hit you.¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows.


    Duck Emperor opened its eyes wide and felt like its IQ had taken a drastic hit. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to believe that?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then try scolding it once more and see what happens,¡± Xiao Luo said indifferently.


    Duck Emperor refused to believe him, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll scold it once more. It¡¯s just a broken saber. Which ducking mum would even give two shits about it? During the time you were injured and lost your skills, it couldn¡¯t do anything to help at all. What Dragon Saber? More like a Worm Saber!¡±


    This time, the Dragon Saber was really angry. It freed itself from Xiao Luo¡¯s control. The de trembled violently, letting out a buzzing sound. Although it was just a de and might not have an expression, anyone could feel its anger right now.


    ¡°Screw its grandpa duck! This¡­ What is this situation here?¡±


    Duck Emperor was shocked and looked at Xiao Luo. ¡°Goddamn brat, has this de turned into a god?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made from a great meteorite in the sky from the original world. A de spirit has been bred in this de over the thousands of years, and it has already developed a consciousness,¡± Xiao Luo exined.


    ¡°Screw its grandpa duck! So it has really turned into a god.¡± Duck Emperor struggled to swallow some saliva.


    At that moment, the saber had already started tounch its attack. It didn¡¯t get out of the scabbard and headed straight towards Duck Emperor with the scabbard. It was as fast as light.


    ¡°My god!¡±


    Duck Emperor didn¡¯t have the guts to go head-to-head against it and dodged immediately.


    But even though it dodged at a really fast speed, the saber was equally fast as well. Missing its target, the tip of the saber turned right away and headed straight towards it again.


    Duck Emperor dodged again, and the Dragon Saber smashed into the top of a mountain. With a loud boom, the portion of that mountain was smashed into pieces.

 Chapter 777 - Look Who I Just Bumped Into

    <h2>Chapter 777: Look Who I Just Bumped Into</h2>


    Duck Emperor was so afraid looking at the crushed mountain that its eyeballs were about to pop out. Loudly, it shouted, ¡°I quit! It¡¯s too scary! This duck here quits!¡±


    Hum!


    But the Dragon Saber did not stop. It flew out from the pile of dust and dashed towards it like lightning, closing the hundred-meter distance in the blink of an eye.


    This time, Duck Emperor failed to react and lost countless feathers despite dodging. A small part of its butt was bare without a single feather. Without waiting for it to react, the saber dashed towards it ferociously again. All Duck Emperor could do was dodge.


    ¡°Alright, alright! You¡¯re Grandpa Saber, alright? Stop dashing towards me!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore! Goddamn brat, hurry up and make it stop!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Saber, Saber Ancestor, please stop! Stop ying around with me!¡±


    Duck Emperor looked so pathetic with the saber chasing it. The ground was filled with its feathers.


    Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help butugh while witnessing this. However, on ount of how well this stinky duck had done previously, he asked the saber to stop, ¡°Alright. Come back.¡±


    Originally aggressive, the saber hummed quietly after hearing the order and flew back towards his hands immediately like a well-behaved sheep. It didn¡¯t move an inch afterwards.


    Duck Emperor flew back and looked at the saber with shock. ¡°What a monster! Screw his grandpa duck! This is absolutely a demon saber. Goddamn brat, I strongly rmend you throw it away. This thing is too evil.¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at it. ¡°If it¡¯s a demon saber, then that would make you a duck demon.¡±


    ¡°Screw his grandpa duck! Please stopparing a wise and courageous me with a broken¡­hmm¡­with the greatest saber, will you? This duck here is the king of all ducks. Based on seniority, brats like you have to address me as the Duck Ancestor,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Xiao Luo was toozy to continue talking to it. He was about to head towards the Dark Castle now to fulfill his earlier promise.


    He directly grabbed it and kept it in his pocket, then flew straight into the forest. Since the forest was part of the Dark Castle¡¯s territory, then the castle should be deep within the forest. He had fully restored his cultivation. There was nothing to worry about anymore.


    He used everything to fly. The panoramic view of the mountain and forests flew past him at an extremely fast speed. In just a short while, he had already flown hundreds of miles away.


    ¡°The Dark Forest is so huge. We¡¯re like a headless mosquito. It¡¯ll take us forever to find it,¡± Duck Emperor said with a sigh.


    ¡°Even if I have to turn everything upside down, I¡¯ll make sure I find the castle.¡± Xiao Luo had a really determined attitude.


    ¡°You really n on bringing that little girl, Ghost, along?¡± Duck Emperor asked.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even hesitate and nodded his head. ¡°Hmm!¡±


    His head right now was filled with the shocking image of Ghost grabbing onto Louis¡¯s right foot tightly for his sake and being kicked by Louis because of him. That scene had touched his soul, and he was determined to bring Ghost along no matter what kind of trouble he would run into.


    ¡°But she¡¯s a vampire. Are you not afraid that she¡¯ll take the opportunity when you¡¯re asleep at night to kiss you on the neck?¡± Duck Emperor was still secretly very afraid of the fact that Ghost was a vampire.


    Xiao Luo smacked its head, and then said in a serious tone, ¡°Can you not use the word ¡®kiss¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Screw his grandpa duck! I was just trying to tone it down. Sure, sure, sure¡ªsuck your blood¡ªthat will do, right?¡± Duck Emperor replied in a depressed tone.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be scared?¡± Xiao Luo asked instead, ¡°You are the one who should be afraid, right?¡±


    Instantly hitting the nail on the head, Duck Emperor¡¯s face turned red. Then, refusing to admit, the feathers on its head stood up straight. ¡°Who is afraid? Just who is afraid? This duck here is heartbroken for you. Alright, alright. Take it that I¡¯ve worried for nothing. You¡¯re taking this kind-hearted duck for granted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to a friend once everything here in Arcana Landes to an end. I¡¯m sure the both of you will have a lot inmon,¡± Xiao Luo said. He was referring to Zhang Dashan, who was just like this stinky duck.


    ¡°Is it a sister duck?¡±


    Duck Emperor got excited all of a sudden thinking of countless scenarios in his head. With an indecent look, ¡°Goddamn brat, I was right about you! To think that you¡¯re going to introduce me to a sister duck! Not bad, not bad. How interesting! But don¡¯t introduce me to too many at once. I¡¯m afraid my kidney won¡¯t be able to handle it. About 10 should be alright, just 10. One more, and I¡¯ll be too anxious.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s expression turned dark. Just what the hell was it talking about? How could it even think about being introduced to female ducks? Was this something it should be doing? On top of that, why would a stinky duck have kidneys?


    He smacked Duck Emperor on the head once again.


    The beautiful fantasy that Duck Emperor had was crashed in an instant. It red at him. ¡°Screw his grandpa duck! What are you doing?¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at the thickyer of forest beneath him. ¡°Be quiet. I think I¡¯ve spotted someone familiar.¡±


    Someone familiar?


    Duck Emperor looked around, but besides the lush woods, it couldn¡¯t spot a single person at all.


    ¡­


    In the forest where light could barely shine through, a buff man was desperately running. Every tree and bush looked like an enemy. He was panicking badly and being injured by the thorns. His clothes lookedpletely torn, and he looked extremely pathetic.


    It was Camel, the vice-captain of the Silver Wing Mercenary Group.


    Camel was extremely exhausted, but this amount of fatigue was nothingpared to how scary the Sucking Blood n was. His only focus was to run away. The further he was from the Dark Castle, the better it was. He was terrified thinking of the corpse of hisrades who had got their blood sucked out from their bodies and imagining those two bloody holes on the neck of those corpses. This fear was the source of strength that enabled him to run with all he had.


    Running and running, he realized that there was someone in front of him.


    ¡°Sucking Blood n?¡±


    He was so scared that he tripped and fell to the ground. The ground was filled with dust, and the dust entered his mouth and nose instantly.


    He lifted his head, and, after taking a closer look, the horrified look on his face was gone in an instant. He stood up naturally, with an icy look, heughed and said, ¡°I see, it¡¯s this brat. It¡¯s like they say, enemies always cross paths with one another. The forest is so huge, and yet you can still run into me!¡±


    Xiao Luo walked towards him and softly said, ¡°How did you manage to escape?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with that. I have my own ways.¡±


    Speaking of how he managed to escape from the Sucking Blood n, Camel was extremely proud of what he did. If he could return to Mu City, he would be able to brag about this for quite a while.


    ¡°Do you know where the Dark Castle is?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°What if I do, and what if I don¡¯t?¡±


    Camel slowly grabbed his broadsword tightly, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent. ¡°How dare you b*stard walk towards me! You must have lost your sanity! In that case, I¡¯ll let you die!¡±


    Roaring, he mmed his foot onto the ground and jumped upwards. Then, after 10 rapid steps, he mmed his feet onto the ground again. With an unmatched wildness that could pierce the sky, a ferocious look, and an angry stare, he raised his broadsword that was filled with a terrifying aura up, ready to slice up Xiao Luo.

 Chapter 778 - A Dead Corpse

    <h2>Chapter 778: A Dead Corpse</h2>


    The sword stirred up a raging wind. As a strong warrior at the Martial Spirit level, Camel seemed to tear up everything with a single slice. He aimed to slice up Xiao Luo into two with a single slice, but reality was far from his beautiful dream.


    Bang!


    The broadsword stopped about 20 centimeters away from Xiao Luo¡¯s head. Camel was shocked. It was as if there was an extremely powerful and invisible force stopping the broadsword and his entire body. He couldn¡¯t move at all. It was as if the air around him had solidified and frozen him up.


    What was going on?


    What exactly was this strong true inner force that exploded from this brat¡¯s body?


    Camel was stunned. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. At that moment, the guy in front of him was giving off an unpredictable and mysterious feeling. His opponent was clearly a Martial Master. There was no way he could have that strong true inner force. Besides, just releasing his true inner force was enough to restrain him. How was that possible? What had happened to this guy¡¯s body betweenst night and this morning?


    ¡°Goddamn brat is finally getting serious! How rare!¡± Duck Emperor, who was in his pocket, eximed.


    Xiao Luo looked at Camel, raised his right hand slowly, and ced it on Camel¡¯s chest.


    ¡°You¡­ What are you trying to do?¡±


    Camel broke into cold sweats. The Xiao Luo right now was much scarier and eviler than the Sucking Blood n.


    Xiao Luo had no expression on his face. Without saying a thing, a powerful force was released from his palm in the next second and mercilessly mmed into Camel¡¯s chest.


    Puff!


    Camel spat out some blood, and his body flew backward uncontrobly.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    He smashed into countless trees and finally submerged into a pile of branches and leaves. He spat out mouthfuls of blood and could feel his internal organs had been smashed. He kept coughing out blood. The pain in his chest was immense, and two of his ribs had been crushed and broken as well.


    How was this possible?


    How had that guy manage to be this strong all of a sudden?


    Camel was extremely stunned. If it wasn¡¯t because of the stinky duck, he would have thought that the person he just met was someone who looked like the person fromst night but was actually apletely different person.


    He struggled to stand up and, while standing up, coughed out five to six mouthfuls of blood.


    An ear-piercing sound could be heard. Turning to take a look, Xiao Luo, who was originally over 10 meters away from him, appeared in front of him like a ghost.


    Cold sweats trickled. His pupils shrank. A frightening chill circted his body, causing his hair to stand uncontrobly. Without waiting for Camel to react, Xiao Luo ced his hand on his shoulders with all five fingers. He could feel that his shoulder de was about to be crushed, and the pain was unbearable.


    ¡°Do you know the exact location of Dark Castle?¡± Xiao Luo coldly asked.


    ¡°I know! I know!¡±


    Camel nodded his head hurriedly in reply. Actually, he only knew the rough location, but he could smell the murderous intent within Xiao Luo. If he said he didn¡¯t know, then he who had no value might be killed by Xiao Luo without hesitation.


    ¡°If you know, then start pointing. If you don¡¯t point it out, how are we supposed to know where it is? Besides, you better not underestimate us, you b*stard! If we can¡¯t find the castle, we¡¯ll feed you to the exotic beasts,¡± Duck Emperor arrogantly said, making use of Xiao Luo¡¯s influence.


    Camel quickly pointed in the direction he was running from. ¡°The Dark Castle is¡­there¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a thing. With his other five fingers, he grabbed onto his cor and flew into the air, heading straight toward the direction of where the castle was.


    Martial¡­ Martial Emperor?


    Camel was so shocked that his face turned pale. He found it hard to believe that Xiao Luo had reached the level of a Martial Emperor. This was way too terrifying. How did this guy¡¯s powers manage to explode over the course of one night? How did he reach the horrifying level of a Martial Emperor?


    Thinking about how he even said that he was going to kill him earlier on was just way too hrious!


    ¡­


    After flying for about half an hour, Duck Emperor pointed a few kilometers into the distance and shouted excitedly, ¡°I see it. Isn¡¯t that the Dark Castle?¡±


    The tip of a castle had been exposed.


    Actually, there was no need for it to even mention it. Xiao Luo had already spotted it from way before. Even though he might be confident about his skills, he was not going to let his guard down anymore and make sure that he would never lose his powers ever again. Hence, when hended on the ground, he made sure to be careful.


    ¡°You, walk in front,¡± Xiao Luo softly ordered Camel.


    Camel couldn¡¯t help but tremble a little. He was obviously making him their pathfinder. Once there was any sort of danger, he would be the first to be attacked, and he was sure that Xiao Luo was not going to step out and help him at all. But his life was in the hands of someone else. All he could do was reply with a yes. He bit the bullet and walked forward.


    Squeak. Squeak.


    This piece of forest was even darker, and from time to time, bats flew past from above. There was also a very thick mist. The atmosphere here became extraordinarily weird and gloomy.


    The exotic beasts in the Dark Forest seemed to know that this was an ominous ce as well, and they couldn¡¯t seem to spot any exotic beasts within a radius of more than 10 kilometers.


    After walking for over 10 meters toward the castle, the ground was filled with quagmires. Some of them were bubbling as if some weird creatures were hiding beneath.


    Duck Emperor could feel the prating horror and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Brat, this ce looks a little creepy, like a ce that evil spirits will haunt. The horror films that this duck here has watched look just like this.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t say a thing and continued walking forward. Stepping into the vacant space, he walked on air to prevent his shoes and pants from being stained by the mud.


    With every step, Camel trembled in fear. His entire body was almost running out of cold sweats.


    Suddenly, a rotten human hand stretched out from within the quagmire. Like a demonic hand from hell, it grabbed onto his ankle.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Camel who was already extremely tensed, to begin with, shouted out in fear. Duck Emperor screamed as well. That hand was just way too scary. The skin and flesh werepletely rotten, revealing the thick finger bones from underneath.


    Camel kicked hard and tried to remove his ankle from the rotten hand. But that hand was grabbing tightly onto his ankle. He couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back, but all he was doing was pulling the other part of the body out of the quagmire.


    ¡°Zom¡­zombie!¡± Duck Emperor screamed out loud. Its eyeballs were about to burst, and its entire face was filled with horror.


    Xiao Luo was a little stunned as well. This corpse that was being pulled out from the quagmire by Camel¡¯s leg really looked like the zombies in the ¡°Resident Evil¡± movie from the original world. Though it might be covered in mud, the mud couldn¡¯t hide the decayed marks. Bones were exposed in multiple areas, and its clothes werepletely torn as well. With a body filled with mud, it looked just like an evil spirit.


    The most unbelievable part was that this extremely rotten corpse was actually alive.


    ¡°Let go! Let go! Hurry up!¡±


    Camel fell to the ground and was so scared that his face had turned pale. He used his other leg to kick the rotten corpse away repeatedly. After multiple kicks, he finally broke free. He ran backward like a wolf and ran behind Xiao Luo to hide so that he could feel that slight bit of security.

 Chapter 779 - Arriving at the Castle

    <h2>Chapter 779: Arriving at the Castle</h2>


    Crack. Crack.


    With some bone-cracking noises that could freeze one¡¯s blood, that rotten corpse got to its feet slowly in the swamp. Its head was lowering. Its left arm was bending. Its right leg was also slightly bending. Its standing posture was extremely spooky. It looked like a marite.


    ¡°It turns out those movies are not fictional. Zombies do exist,¡± Duck Emperor said in panic.


    ¡°That¡­that must be the vampires¡¯ puppet, which was thrown here after its blood had been sucked up.¡±


    Camel could not stop cold sweating. He always knew a man would be a puppet after his blood had been sucked up by vampires. It was certainly only hearsay, but the hearsay differed a lot from what actually happened. Vampires¡¯ puppets did not have sharp teeth. Instead, they were like this freak right in front of him: rotten, stink, yet alive.


    Crack. Crack.


    More bone-cracking noises came. It was so spooky that their hair stood on end.


    Then, one after another,pletely rotten corpses got to their feet in different parts of the swamp. They all had bad breath, as if they had just woken up from deep sleep.


    ¡°Mother ducker, there are so many of them all of a sudden! There are at least 100!¡± Duck Emperor¡¯s eyes were so wide open that they were almost round.


    Camel¡¯s legs were shivering. He had not prepared for this at all. He had never thought vampires¡¯ puppets were such horrifying creatures. He felt like he had already reached hell. The air was full of the pungent stench of death.


    When seeing two of hispanions from the Silver Wing Mercenary Group were also among those rotten corpses and had be a part of them, Camel could not stand anymore. His nerves broke down. ¡°Ah!¡± After a shout, he turned around to run away from the Dark Castle desperately.


    As soon as he moved, the rotten corpses around moved as well, as if activated. Making threatening gestures and with hissing noises in their throats, they jumped on Camel like a bunch of evil ghosts. Their harmless look was totally gone. At the moment, they were hideous, horrifying creatures from hell.


    ¡°Help him, goddamn jerk! He would die!¡± Duck Emperor said anxiously.


    ¡°Help him?¡± Xiao Luo responded with a question, narrowing his eyes.


    Eh.


    Seeing the indifference in Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, Duck Emperor realized it was too na?ve. If Camel had stayed with Xiao Luo, he might still have a chance to survive. However, he turned around to flee. He gave that chance up himself. Xiao Luo would never run over to save a mercenary who wanted to kill him.


    ¡°Okay. Let him stew in his own juice. I have no problem with that,¡± Duck Emperor said. Then it looked at Camel.


    Camel tried his best to run, but he was injured. Thus, he could not exert all of the strength of a Martial Spirit. He was fast, but he was not fast enough. The rotten corpses all swarmed towards him. One of them jumped on him first andnded on his back. Opening its mouth with yellow and ck teeth, it was going to bite him on the neck.


    Puff.


    Blood spurted. Camel screamed painfully and flung his back forcefully. ¡°Go away! Get off me!¡±


    That was a powerful fling. The rotten corpse on his back was sent flying like a cannon and fell upon four or five of itspanions.


    Camel ran away desperately. Blood kept oozing out where he had been bit on the neck. A sharp pain was spreading from the wound to other parts of his body. Wherever the sharp pain reached, his nerves would start to jump and his muscles would tremble out of control. Little by little, he felt feeble all over his body.


    ¡®Was that ptomaine?¡¯ Camel thought with fear while running.


    All of a sudden, he felt a pain in his foot. He lowered his head and found a rotten corpse had poked its rotten head out of the swamp under his feet and bit his ankle. It was just one bite, but a big piece of flesh was bit off. After such a blow in the middle of running, he lost bnce and flopped onto the ground immediately.


    As soon as he fell to the ground, a big group of rotten corpses swarmed over. Some of them bit his neck, some gnawed his arm, and others tore at his thighs. Those yellow and ck teeth could bepared to sawtooth. They could bite a piece of flesh off and chewed it powerfully.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Camel¡¯s scream was extremely shrilling. He sounded totally desperate. On his deathbed, Camel saw clearly how his belly was torn open, and his intestines and liver were pulled out. Those rotten corpses shoveled them into their mouths and wolfed them down. Some even gorged their food down without chewing. Their necks swelled when they were trying to swallow the food.


    ¡°That¡­ That is mother ducking brutal¡­¡± The sight froze Duck Emperor¡¯s blood. It wanted to puke.


    Xiao Luo was not affected by the sight. Camel had tried to kill him more than once. He had shown enough mercy by not killing Camel with his own hands. Besides, if Camel had managed to escape, he would not kill him either. He would just let the heavens decide on Camel¡¯s life or death.


    Growl.


    At this moment, a rotten corpse screamed and jumped on him in a threatening gesture.


    Xiao Luo did not even move. The True Inner Force he gave off instantly shook the rotten corpse into pieces that scattered here and there on the ground, as if it had been minced by a meat grinder.


    Bang!


    Then he stomped. The magnificent True Inner Force rippled around with his foot being the center. Those ripples prated through the rotten corpses¡¯ bodies silently, and hundreds of them were smashed and fell to the ground, no longer showing any sign of a living creature.


    ¡°A seckill?¡±


    Duck Emperor was extremely shocked. ¡°Mother ducker, were those zombies so weak?¡±


    ¡°They were weak indeed. Only spooky at sight,¡± Xiao Luo answered inly.


    Duck Emperor felt relieved after giving it a thought. ¡°Yeah. The Sucking Blood n doesn¡¯t have high attainments. They are far worse than you. Those zombies were creatures of theirs after they sucked the blood. Naturally, they were weak.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not respond. He just hit the road to the Dark Castle again.


    After going across the swamp, he saw an ancient castle that looked like those castles in the western part of the Original World standing in front of him. The castle had four high walls around it. Beyond the walls, there were many pces. The whole castle was shrouded in a mist. Although it was a sunny day, the sunlight seemed to be unable to reach there. It looked like a different world, where darkness was more highly valued. It even felt colder there.


    As soon as he stepped onto the space before the castle, that giant gate was open.


    Two lines of nsmen of the Sucking Blood n holding torches ran out of the gate and surrounded Xiao Luo.


    Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.


    On the high wall of the castle, the elders of the Sucking Blood n showed up, looking down with their turbid eyes.


    Lester and Ghost, whose injuries had fully recovered, also showed up on the wall, while Louis swaggered out of the gate. He was slightly startled at the sight of Xiao Luo, but the startle on his face turned into a greedy smile very soon. ¡°I heard disturbancesing from the swamp. I thought it was some exotic beast, but it¡¯s you, pig. What a surprise! What a pleasant surprise!¡±

 Chapter 780 - Take Him Out of Here

    <h2>Chapter 780: Take Him Out of Here</h2>


    ¡°Little Luoluo¡­¡±


    Ghost was startled, too. She could hardly believe Xiao Luo had reallye to the Dark Castle. Didn¡¯t he finally dodge a bullet? Or did he arrive here simply by ident? Did he get lost?


    Anyway, the only thing she could be sure of was that Xiao Luo was in great danger. She had no idea at all what she could do to save him.


    ¡°That is the friend you talked about?¡± Lester asked in a in voice.


    Ghost nodded. ¡°Yes, Brother. Please don¡¯t hurt him.¡± She grasped Lester¡¯s wrist. ¡°Please.¡±


    Lester looked emotionless. ¡°We Sucking Blood n have to suck human blood constantly to get stronger. We will not let go of even one human in our sights. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault. He is just unlucky.¡±


    ¡°You are not any different from Louis!¡± Ghost snorted. She turned around, annoyed by her eldest brother.


    ¡°We Sucking Blood n cannot leave the Dark Forest. Every human who has intruded into the Dark Forest is precious to us.¡±


    Looking down at Xiao Luo, Lester said, ¡°It¡¯s not just what Louis and I think. It¡¯s what all nsmen of the Sucking Blood n think, except you.¡±


    ¡°I told you he is my friend,¡± Ghost argued.


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    Lesterughed. ¡°It¡¯s really weird for a hunter and his pretty to be friends. My dear sister, you are too na?ve.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ghost hit the ceiling. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to argue with you. You are stubborn.¡±


    Then she jumped off the wall directly andnded on the space in front of the city gate like a feather.


    ¡°Little Luoluo, why are you here? Who sent you here?¡± Ghost shouted at Xiao Luo. She was extremely touched when the Silver Wing Mercenary Group had hooked her shoulder de to that iron w, and Xiao Luo, a weak Martial Master, hade forward to confront the much stronger enemy for her sake. She certainly would not allow her nsmen to hurt Xiao Luo.


    Her pretty face was fair and as rosy as a cherry. Her skin had a tone like peaches and cream. She had a small mouth, a high nose bridge, and eyes as clear as two ck gems. Her skin was as white as snow. Slim and graceful, that was the best description for girls like her.


    Xiao Luo, who had looked indifferent, broke into a smile. He said in a gentle voice, ¡°I¡¯m here to take you to the sacrednd of the Light n!¡±


    To the sacrednd of the Light n?


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n were struck dumb on the city wall. The sacrednd of the Light n? Those words were taboo for them.


    Lester was still looking down at Xiao Luo and Ghost emotionlessly.


    Ghost was stupefied. What nonsense was that guy talking about? Did he think an insignificant Martial Master like him was strong enough to take her away?


    She blinked and came to her senses. She scolded him, ¡°Are you a moron? Do you know you are risking your life here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to fulfill my promise!¡± Xiao Luo said calmly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to fulfill any promise. You are just an insignificant Martial Master. Don¡¯t pretend you are strong and powerful. I won¡¯t be able to protect you here.¡±


    Ghost¡¯s almond-shaped eyes turned red. She wondered why there was a moron like him in this world. People would usually try their best to avoid such risks, but he came to their castle himself. What a moron! His brain must be damaged.


    ¡°Girl, there is a saying: Every dog has his day. This jerk is no longer what he was yesterday,¡± Duck Emperor said excitedly after jumping onto Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder. It just could not stand it anymore.


    ¡°Little Luoluo is a moron. Duckling, are you a moron, too?¡± Ghostined grievously. Then an idea urred to her. Duckling could fly very fast, couldn¡¯t it? Thus, it would not be a problem for it to take Xiao Luo out of this ce. She shouted immediately, ¡°Duckling, take this moron out of here! The farther, the better!¡±


    ¡°Take him out of here?¡±


    Duck Emperor shook its head as if it was a capable man. ¡°Nope. Nope. We three will go together. This goddamn jerk said he would take you to a far ce where you can boast about yourself. He will not go without you.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what you are talking about?¡± Ghost replied with a bitter smile. She pointed at the elders on the city wall. ¡°Have you seen them? They are elders of the Sucking Blood n. All of them are as strong as human Martial Gurus. Putting these elders aside, even my brothers can bepared to Martial Emperors. What on earth are you thinking about?¡±


    Martial Guru?


    Duck Emperor¡¯s heart did aplete somersault. It asked Xiao Luo immediately, ¡°Goddamn jerk, those old bastards seem to be tough. Are you sure you can do this?¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored it. He said to Ghost, ¡°Come over. I will take you out of here now. I will help you find your father.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ghost was totally dumbfounded. Nothing she had just said worked.


    Louis burst outughing wildly. ¡°What a clear-headed pig you are! You will die very soon, but you are still daydreaming here. I happen to be thirsty. I will use your blood to quench my thirst!¡±


    Then immediately, his eyes lit up with two bloodthirsty blue lights, and his two sharp teeth poked out like two tusks. Then he dashed towards Xiao Luo at high speed, with noises in his throat expressing his desire for blood.


    ¡°Louis, how dare you!¡±


    Ghost acted simultaneously, showing her vampire look. She threw her palm over from the side towards Louis.


    ¡°Sister, you¡¯ve overestimated yourself. You are still too weak to stop me!¡±


    Louis showed a disdainful expression. He went on dashing towards Xiao Luo, ignoring Ghost¡¯s attack. His eyes were fixed on Xiao Luo¡¯s neck. ¡°Pig, let me suck your blood up.¡±


    However, at this moment, Xiao Luo, totally motionless, suddenly unsheathed his knife and brandished it down.


    It was a fast and clean movement.


    ng!


    A five-foot-long ray of light of the knife whooshed across the sky and moved down like a lightning. A wild wind suddenly started to blow and thunders roared over that space. Dust was scattered into the air.


    The strength of that knife attack filled the sky over there with the rays of light given off by the knife.


    That horrifying energy swept over the space. An invisible pressure was surging like angry waves of the sea. Ghost, dashing towards Louis, was sent flying by the energy.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A shrilling scream came. An arm fell out of the dust that covered the sky. If it was not Louis¡¯s arm, whose arm could it be? Blood was spurting from that broken arm. Louis covered the wound with his hand, kneeling on one knee. Next to him, there was a gap about 50 inches wide on the ground. It was created by that knife attack of Xiao Luo.


    Hiss¡­


    Still in shock, Louis gasped. His face was full of astonishment and fear.


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n on the city wall all turned pale. That was a human Martial Master, but why was his knife attack so powerful and intimidating? He even cut Louis¡¯s left arm off in one go.


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Ghost opened her almond-shaped eyes widely, hardly able to believe what she had seen. Xiao Luo seemed to be stronger all of a sudden.

 Chapter 781 - The Fighting God Fist

    <h2>Chapter 781: The Fighting God Fist</h2>


    Whoosh!


    Xiao Luo came up to Louis in an instant. The shadows he had left where he had passed shocked the elders of the Sucking Blood n so much that they gasped spontaneously, eximing to themselves how fast he was.


    ¡°Do you remember what I said yesterday?¡± Lowering his head, Xiao Luo squinted at Louis.


    The sharp pain was unbearable for Louis. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. However, clenching his teeth, he answered, ¡°Sorry. I forgot!¡±


    Then he whirled up into the air to distance himself from Xiao Luo instantly. He flew up 30-odd feet and then locked onto Xiao Luo on the ground precisely. He threw his palm over at thetter fiercely.


    His ck True Inner Force was vast and ferocious. The dreadful palm force turned into a giant bat, giving off one after another wave of pressure. He charged down at Xiao Luo from the air with a destructive power that could destroy dry weeds and rotten wood easily.


    It was his utmost movement. He had used up his energy.


    However, Xiao Luo did not even bother to move. His True Inner Force surged out of his body to form a protecting shell that was invisible but substantive around his body.


    Bang!


    The ck bat and Xiao Luo¡¯s protection collided. A deafening re was heard. What came along with the re was a wild energy fluctuation, which was sweeping madly like a hurricane. The stones and dirt on the ground were all scattered into the air.


    Ghost was not hurt, thanks to Lester¡¯s protection, but her bangs swayed when that wind blew by.


    ¡°Little Luoluo seems to be a different person now. Only one night passed. Why is he suddenly so strong?¡± Ghost wondered aloud. She could hardly believe this was the same Xiao Luo she had met a few days ago. He was weak when she ran into him.


    Lester did not speak. His brows knitted tightly together. No one knew what was on his mind.


    Set off by that energy fluctuation, Xiao Luo looked like a paramount overlord: intimidating, aggressive, upright, and steady.


    ¡°Come down!¡± Xiao Luo shouted as he grasped in the air with his right hand.


    A giant palm of hand transformed by the True Inner Force materialized, producing fierce wind after fierce wind. It caught Louis in the air immediately and then pressed him against the ground fiercely.


    Bang!


    The earth quaked. The sky was covered with dust. Numerous cracks appeared on the ground, spreading like a spiderweb.


    Louis collided with the ground so hard that he felt his bones were all broken and his organs were severely impacted. Covered with dust, he was lying in that giant palmprint on the ground.


    Xiao Luo did not stop here. The giant hand transformed by his True Inner Force was lifted and then pped down. He gave Louis several ps in a row.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The earth would quake after each p. Even the Dark Castle was shaking as if it would copse. At the same time, the palmprint on the ground was erging and deepening nonstop. Inside it, Louis was suffering badly. When the giant hand had been pped down the second time, blood spurted from his nose and his mouth, and his clothes were entirely ruined. Several timester, he was covered with blood and dust, lying there dying.


    When seeing that giant hand of Xiao Luo had been lifted high again, Louis knew another fierce p wasing. He burst into tears. That pain was unbearable. He would rather die. That was too shameful. Xiao Luo was going to p him into meat paste in the face of all nsmen of the Sucking Blood n.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Lester shouted. He ran over to stop Xiao Luo. His strong energy was released. Like a hurricane, it flowed towards Xiao Luo with vast intimidating power. Ghostly ws were thrown over. Fierce wind after fierce wind was blowing.


    Xiao Luo pped down without thinking, as if he was pping at a mosquito. The giant hand transformed by the True Inner Force moved as he moved. It pped at Lester with its back.


    Bang!


    It seemed to be a gentle p, but actually, it contained an explosive power.


    The moment he was touched by the back of the giant hand, Lester turned pale. He felt his face had been disfigured by the force. Then he was sent flying out of control sideways.


    Bang! Bang!


    He smashed through the thick wall outside the castle. However, it was not until he had smashed through a few more walls that he finally fell to the ground, buried in tons of bricks.


    ¡°Things are so odd with this jerk!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. He is a human Martial Master, but even Lester is not a rival for him.¡±


    ¡°He is not only odd, but spooky!¡±


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n all turned pale. They could hardly believe a human Martial Master could exert such a dreadful force.


    Ghost stared at Xiao Luo in shock. His mightiness was beyond her expectations. In her eyes, except the elders, Lester and Louis were the strongest nsmen. However, they were almost vulnerablepared to Xiao Luo.


    How was that possible?


    What happened to Little Luoluo?


    She could not figure out how Xiao Luo had improved his strength to such an extent in a night.


    While she was pondering, Duck Emperor flew onto her shoulder. ¡°You won¡¯t figure it out. That goddamn jerk has always been so cool. There was an ident during the transmission, and he was hurt by the power of space, so his strength declined greatly. That¡¯s why he got bullied and humiliated in the past few days. With his strength, I¡¯m afraid only the Four Kings of the sacrednd of the Light n are strong enough to fight against him.¡±


    It was very proud when it was talking about Xiao Luo, so proud that it was nearly showing off.


    What?


    Only the Four Kings of the sacrednd of the Light n were strong enough to fight against him? Was he a Martial Saint?


    Ghost was kind of ignorant of world affairs, but she knew the cultivation system of the Arcana Land. Martial Saints were the legendary strong people at the peak of the system. As boundless as the Arcana Land was, there were no more than 10 Martial Saints. However, at this moment, there was one here before her. It was like a dream for her. She did not find it real at all.


    ¡°Mother ducker, I wish I could be so cool, too!¡± Duck Emperor said enviously while gazing at Xiao Luo, whose hair was blown although it was windless.


    Xiao Luo did not pay any attention to Lester. Instead, he came up to Louis, who was in the crater, like a phantom.


    He stepped on Louis¡¯s face so that half of thetter¡¯s head was pressed onto the earth.


    ¡°Have you recalled what I said yesterday?¡± The cold voice, without any tinge of human emotions in it, seemed to be from the hell.


    Xiao Luo was never a wuss, but a person who would bear grudges. He would have killed Louis if thetter were not rted to Ghost.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Louis felt humiliated and ashamed. His pain and grievance were unspeakable.


    Xiao Luo snorted. Then he kicked Louis out of the crater. Louis had lost too much blood and was very badly injured. He went into aa.


    Growl!


    A hideous scream came. Lester, covered with dust, dashed out of the castle like a wild ox. After approaching Xiao Luo, he threw his tightly-clenched fist at thetter fiercely, like an angry wave pping on the beach.


    ¡°Fighting God Fist!¡±


    The spiritual energy in the world was surging wildly. Lester looked like he had been seized by some evil god. ck evil energy was flowing in his body and all of that energy was injected into this one fist, this one point. A wild wind ensued. The sky became dark. Without any sign, thunders also roared.

 Chapter 782 - Are You Done Talking?

    <h2>Chapter 782: Are You Done Talking?</h2>


    Buzz. Buzz.


    The air was full of buzzes of electricity. Those noises froze people¡¯s blood and made their hair stand on end. The intimidating energy was so vast that it was shaking the mountains and the forest.


    It was undoubtedly a paramount punch!


    Xiao Luo looked emotionless. He also threw his fist over.


    Bang!


    When the two fists had collided, a deafening re came. An energy fluctuation burst out like a sh flood. The ground was copsing little by little. Lester lost control of himself. Like a kite on a broken string, he was sent flying at high speed into the castle, bumping through the outer wall of the building.


    A wild wind whooshed. Xiao Luo¡¯s hair pped. However, his body was fixed there like an iron pir. He looked so majestic and imposing that no one felt it was possible to approach him. A vast True Inner Force was running in his body, and he was like a sovereign that descended to the world. The whole world was impressed.


    Which one of them was stronger was obvious!


    Ghost was stupefied. Xiao Luo¡¯s fighting power totally outshone her two brothers. Had that guy really achieved the legendary Martial Saint?


    At this moment, the grand elder shouted at Xiao Luo in the paramount demonic voice after flying into the air, ¡°Human jerk, dare you to fight or not?¡±


    People felt their ears were aching because of the shock caused by the rolling soundwaves.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Xiao Luo responded inly. He also flew into the air. Since those vampires were going to stop him from taking Ghost away, he would punch them until they begged for his mercy.


    ck clouds were gathering in the sky. The fight started very soon. The energy fluctuation caused by both of their attacks felt so real for the people on the ground. It made their blood freeze. The pressure was vast and suppressing, as if the sky would copse soon.


    ¡°Mother ducker, they are moving too fast! I can¡¯t even see them clearly!¡±


    Duck Emperor rubbed its eyes hard. However, it could not see the fight in the air clearly at all, but that destructive energy was getting stronger. The Dark Castle was going to copse, as if it was a poorly-constructed building. The mountains and forest around them were being destroyed, too, as if it were doomsday.


    At first, only the grand elder was fighting. Nevertheless, the other elders turned pale very soon and they also joined the fight, because, obviously, the grand elder was at disadvantage.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Thunderous res burst out in the air. Space was split into blocks and then they rbined into a whole.


    ¡°Thousands of Bats Gnawing Bones!¡±


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n shouted together. Thousands of vampire bats materialized, covering the sky likeyers of dark waves. They flew towards Xiao Luo fiercely. It looked as if thousands of ck waves were rolling.


    The view was striking. The bats¡¯ hisses made people¡¯s blood freeze.


    ¡°The elders of the Sucking Blood n are really dreadful.¡± Duck Emperor¡¯s face was livid with shock at the sight of the thousands of ck bats in the air.


    Ghost said to herself in a daze, ¡°They are the strongest in the Sucking Blood n.¡±


    The other nsmen of the Sucking Blood n all looked up with fear, including Lester, who had just got to his feet from the heap of bricks. His eyes were twitching violently. He knew very well how destructive the Thousands of Bats Gnawing Bones could be. As the thousands of bats flew over, thend would go barren and even the void could be devoured.


    Xiao Luo was standing in the air motionlessly. Seeing the numerous bats approaching, he felt the Dragon Saber in his hand was bing hot. In the end, zing mes started to burn on it. This was the theurgy he had justprehended. He threw the saber over immediately.


    ¡°Destroy!¡±


    The 900-feet-long energy swept over in the shape of a me. Wherever it passed, space would be cut broken. The zing mes were wreaking havoc on the area.


    Those thousands of ck bats hissed in a sharp voice and then disappeared like ashes as soon as they made contact with the me-shaped energy of the saber. In only a few seconds, none of them was left. The sky was immediately clear again. There was no trace of the bats at all.


    Puff.


    The 10-odd elders of the Sucking Blood n spit up blood and fell from the sky. They spit up more blood after falling to the ground.


    They lost. Even the elders lost!


    Ghost was dumbfounded. That guy was badly defeated by her second elder brother Louis only the day before. However, this day, he had be the strong man who overwhelmed the Sucking Blood n. The difference was so huge that she could hardly believe all this that had happened here was real.


    Lester was terrified. By then, he certainly had realized Xiao Luo was already too strong for the Sucking Blood n to deal with.


    All of a sudden, he could not help but gasp. Did that intimidating pressure they had sensed this morning belong to this human? Was this human the big shot that had arrived at the Dark Forest?


    Good heavens! That¡­


    Lester felt he was almost driven crazy. A Martial Saint in his 20s¡­ Since when had the cultivation talent of the humans be so dreadful?


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n were also astonished. Just like Lester, they had realized Xiao Luo was exactly that big shot. Otherwise, he would not have been able to defeat all of them.


    Whoosh.


    Xiao Luonded on the ground. However, he did not even throw those elders a look. Instead, he extended his hand to Ghost, who was still lying on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you out of here.¡±


    Ghost looked at the hand that reached out to her in a daze. Then she looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, in which she saw gentleness and resolution. She broke into a smile and held that hand.


    Xiao Luo let go of her hand after pulling her up from the ground. Then he turned around, intending to leave.


    ¡°Venerable Saint, wait a minute, please!¡± the grand elder stopped him.


    Xiao Luo stopped. Looking back, he said in a in voice, ¡°What? Do you still want to stop me?¡±


    The grand elder and the other elders were all freaked out by his question. They smiled to themselves bitterly. Stop you? How would we stop you? We fought together and were still defeated by you!


    ¡°No, no, no. We offended Venerable Saint because we were ignorant. It¡¯s really¡­ I, on behalf of the Sucking Blood n, would like to express our most sincere apologies to Venerable Saint!¡± With his left hand on his chest, the grand elder bowed deeply to Xiao Luo.


    The other elders also followed suit, feeling remorseful, while the other nsmen of the Sucking Blood n were looking at Xiao Luo with the deepest respect.


    Their attitude waspletely different¡­


    ¡°Are you done talking?¡± Xiao Luo asked impatiently.


    He had kind of realized what mattered most here was strength. If he were weak, how would these nsmen of the Sucking Blood n have been so respectful to him?


    The grand elder coughed embarrassedly. Then he said to Ghost, ¡°Ghost, stay with Venerable Saint. Behave yourself. Don¡¯t cause Venerable Saint any trouble!¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. Will I, Little Luoluo?¡± Ghost said, curling her lip.


    Little Luoluo?


    The elders all gasped upon hearing how Ghost had addressed Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Ghost, don¡¯t be so rude to Venerable Saint!¡±


    ¡°What kind of great person is Venerable Saint? How could you call him like that?¡±


    ¡°Call him Venerable Saint from now on. Did you hear me?¡±


    The elders scolded her one after another. She called a Martial Saint Little Luoluo. Who did she think she was? Absurd. That was really absurd.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ghost curled her lip, thinking it was a fuss over nothing. Xiao Luo¡¯s strength was beyond her expectation indeed, but, in her eyes, he was still Little Luoluo.


    However, Xiao Luo posed the same question again, ¡°Are you done talking?¡±

 Chapter 783 - Leaving

    <h2>Chapter 783: Leaving</h2>


    Xiao Luo left the Dark Castle with Ghost. The elders of the Sucking Blood n pointed him the way to Mu City. He told Duck Emperor to transform into a giant white duck, and it carried Ghost and him to Mu City directly.


    ¡°Brother, this young man is the big shot that we detected, isn¡¯t he?¡± an elder of the Sucking Blood n said, looking up into the distance.


    ¡°Did you even need to ask? Of course it¡¯s him.¡± The grand elder was also looking at the sky with enthusiasm in his eyes.


    ¡°But he looks he is only in his 20s. How did he achieve the legendary Martial Saint?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He absolutely broke the record of how fast humans could cultivate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dreadful. He became Martial Saint at such a young age. It is unimaginable. If he goes on cultivating, I¡¯m afraid he will go beyond the limit of the cultivation attainment in the Arcana Land. He will achieve some higher and more mysterious state.¡±


    ¡°Why is he going to the sacrednd of the Light n? Does he bear a grudge against them?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. Otherwise, why would he have agreed to find Kuris for that girl? Kuris is a prisoner of the sacrednd of the Light n. In this sense, he and the sacrednd of the Light n are already in two opposing camps.¡±


    The elders were all speechless. They all felt Xiao Luo was incredible, and it was impossible to figure him out with good judgment.


    ¡°Anyway, now there is hope for the Sucking Blood n to rise,¡± the grand elder said excitedly, stroking his beard.


    Lester came up. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because our Princess Ghost is a friend of his. That means he is a friend of the Sucking Blood n. We have got a friend who is a Martial Saint, one who has great potential. I vaguely have the feeling that that guy will change the world.¡±


    The grand elder said, ¡°Lester, give everyone my order. Release all human prisoners. Tell them they are free. From today on, we Sucking Blood n will never suck human blood again.¡±


    ¡°What should we do when we are in a blood withdrawal?¡± an elder asked.


    ¡°Exotic beasts¡¯ blood isn¡¯t as good as humans¡¯, but it can help us conquer blood withdrawals. From now on, we will rece human blood with the blood of exotic beasts,¡± the grand elder dered.


    ¡°But if we only suck exotic beasts¡¯ blood, our attainments will never improve. We¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we go on sucking human blood, our attainments won¡¯t improve either. There is just no way for us to improve. What does that mean? It means Martial Guru is the maximum that the Sucking Blood n can achieve by sucking blood. Even if we suck more human blood, it will just be useless.¡±


    The grand elder interrupted them directly, ¡°Now we, Sucking Blood n, have a human Martial Saint as our friend, so we must change the hostile rtionship between the human beings and us. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t want things to be awkward for Venerable Saint?¡±


    His opinion was echoed by the other elders.


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve thought about everything. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s time for the Sucking Blood n to have some change.¡±


    ¡°Actually, our rtionship with him isn¡¯t solid enough yet. However, if our Princess Ghost falls in love with him, and they get married and have a baby, our rtionship will be as solid as a rock.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡­makes total sense. We, Sucking Blood n, have great genes. The offspring of two strong people must be even stronger. It looks hopeful to me. Our Princess Ghost is so pretty. Any man will like her.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Didn¡¯t you see he didn¡¯t even get angry when she called him Little Luoluo?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Strong people like him are generally very proud. They could be pissed off easily by a casual form of address. But Princess Ghost gave him such a whimsical nickname, and he was not angry at all. That means there is something going on between them.¡±


    The elders of the Sucking Blood n went farther and farther away. In the end, they all hoped something would happen between Ghost and Xiao Luo. Of course, the humans who were imprisoned at the Dark Castle to supply the n with blood were lucky. Thanks to Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival, the Sucking Blood n pardoned them and even changed the tradition of sucking human blood.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Duck Emperor was already a giant white duck by then. Spreading its wings, it looked stunning and imposing. It was flying at high speed. When it flew across the sky over the Dark Forest, the exotic beasts down there would sometimes growl at it as a warning, trying to protect their territory.


    ¡°I¡¯m just passing by. What the h*ll are you yelling at?¡± Duck Emperor responded to an exotic beast growling down there.


    ¡°Duckling, why did you yell at it? It wouldn¡¯t understand you,¡± Ghost said in a teasing way, with her almond-shaped eyes half-closed like two new moons. She was lying on her stomachfortably on the back of the duck, holding her small red umbre to protect herself from the sunlight.


    ¡°I was just airing my grievances.¡±


    Duck Emperor threw a glimpse at Xiao Luo, who was sitting on its back, resting with his eyes closed. Itined, ¡°This g**damn j*rk can fly himself, but he insists on staying on my back. I can neitherin nor scold him. I had to vent on that exotic beast down there. That¡¯s the only way to let my negative feelings out.¡±


    Ghost looked at Xiao Luo. ¡°You are giant. Having handsome Luoluo on your back wouldn¡¯t do you any harm. Why are you holding grievances?¡±


    Since the elders of her n had told her to stop calling Xiao Luo ¡°Little Luoluo,¡± she started to call him handsome Luoluo instead.


    ¡°Girl, you don¡¯t understand. Have you ever heard about thest straw that breaks the camel¡¯s back? A straw as light as a feather could have the crucial weight sometimes. The camel¡¯s back is broken just because of this onest straw,¡± Duck Emperor preached seriously.


    Xiao Luo could not remain silent any longer. He responded, ¡°You¡¯d been either staying on my shoulder or in my pocket. Did Iin or say anything about that?¡±


    Eh.


    That argument was so forceful that it silenced Duck Emperor. Showing an awkward grin, it said, ¡°I forgot since you didn¡¯t remind me¡­¡±


    ¡°Stopining then. Focus on the flight to Mu City!¡± Xiao Luo ordered unhappily.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Duck Emperor certainly did not have the nerve to go onining because, actually, it had taken more advantage of Xiao Luo. It had been using Xiao Luo as its free transport all along.


    Ghost was amused. She kept giggling. ¡°Duckling, you are so cute.¡± Then she looked at Xiao Luo. ¡°Handsome Luoluo, only you can make it sopliant. No one else could do that.¡±


    ¡°It needs a smack. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Xiao Luo said, ¡°By the way, you Sucking Blood n are afraid of the light?¡±


    Ghost nodded. ¡°Yes. I will get a suntan.¡±


    A suntan?


    Xiao Luo was speechless. That was the reason she was afraid of the light?


    But Ghost added, ¡°We will also get burned in the sun. If we are exposed to the sunlight for a long time, I might be burned and even burned to death.¡±


    ¡°Besides the sunlight, are you also scared of crosses or silverware?¡± Xiao Luo asked curiously.


    Ghost shook her head after thinking. ¡°Nope.¡±


    Xiao Luo felt relieved. So the Sucking Blood n had a lot of differences from the vampires in movies.


    ¡°Girl, I have only one question for you. Does Sucking Blood n have to suck blood to live?¡± What Duck Emperor cared most was whether one day it would be Ghost¡¯s blood bag.

 Chapter 784 - Mu City Academy

    <h2>Chapter 784: Mu City Academy</h2>


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ve been living well, haven¡¯t I?¡± Ghost denied immediately.


    Her answer made Duck Emperor at ease. It thought, ¡°Fortunately, they don¡¯t need blood every day. That¡¯s eptable for me.¡±


    On their way to Mu City, Xiao Luo kept talking with Ghost, and he got to know more about the Sucking Blood n.


    They were scared of the sunlight, but they liked the moonlight. If they were injured, their wound could heal faster if it was exposed to the moonlight, which was quite simr to bathing in fresh blood. In addition, fresh blood was not a necessity for the Sucking Blood n.


    If he had topare fresh blood with something, he wouldpare it with drugs in the Original World. It would be a lot better if the Sucking Blood n stayed away from fresh blood. However, as long as they used it once, it would be very difficult to stop using it. They would go through a blood withdrawal at intervals. That pain was unbearable, and they would be like in a living hell. When that happened, they would have to suck blood to get over the blood withdrawal.


    Ghost was only Louis and Lester¡¯s half-sister. They had the same father but different mothers. Ghost would tell Xiao Luo everything. She never hid anything from him. She told him her mother was actually human.


    It tumbled to Xiao Luo the reason that Ghost could restrain the bloodthirsty nature of the Sucking Blood n. Half of her was human, but she also got that freakyposition of the Sucking Blood n.


    ¡°Your mum! What about her? I didn¡¯t see her around,¡± Duck Emperor inquired curiously.


    Ghost was dumbstruck. Sadness shed in her eyes. Then she broke into a smile. ¡°My mother had a difficultbor. She died shortly after the delivery.¡±


    Feeling it had asked her a sensitive question, Duck Emperor apologized, ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, girl. Your mum¡­ I didn¡¯t know she¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Life must go on. I always try to look on the bright side.¡± Ghost was kind of optimistic.


    Giving Duck Emperor a poke on its back with the sheath of his Dragon Saber, Xiao Luo said helplessly, ¡°Would you stop saying ¡®your mum¡¯? Don¡¯t you know the word mother?¡±


    ¡°Mother ducker, don¡¯t they mean the same thing?¡± Duck Emperor said, rolling its eyes at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Your mum!¡± Xiao Luo repeated.


    Duck Emperor flipped out immediately. ¡°G**damn j*rk, why did you swear at me?¡±


    ¡°Your mother!¡± Xiao Luo corrected himself.


    ¡°Mother ducker, again? Believe it or not, I¡¯ll stop flying and let all of us fall from here!¡± Duck Emperor threatened, irritated.


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes. He did not want to argue with it.


    Titter.


    Ghost was so amused that she giggled. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed into two new moons. ¡°Handsome Luoluo, Duckling, you two are adorable.¡±


    ¡°Adorable my foot. By the way, girl, would you stop calling me ¡®duckling¡¯? That sounds awful to me. Didn¡¯t I tell you I¡¯m more than 500 years old? You should call me Grandpa Duck,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    ¡°Okay, Duckling. Yes, Duckling!¡± Ghost teased Duck Emperor, nodding.


    Puff.


    Duck Emperor foamed at the mouth secretly.


    There were horses that could gallop 1,000 miles a day in the world, whereas Duck Emperor was a duck that could fly 10,000 miles a day. Of course, to do that, it did not have to exert itself at all. If it tried its best, it probably could fly four times the distance.


    It flew north after leaving the verdant Dark Forest. About half an hourter, they saw a huge city standing down there through the clouds and fog and cranes fly over it from time to time. That was certainly Mu City.


    ¡°Wow, is this the Mu City? It¡¯s huge!¡±


    Ghost yearned for new things. After all, she was only 16 years old and had never left the Dark Forest. Everything outside was new to her.


    ¡°It is huge, but why do I feel that its outline looks like a pretty duck girl?¡± Duck Emperor¡¯s imagination was astonishing. Looking down from the sky, it felt that the outline of the Mu City looked like a female duck.


    ¡°Are you in the rut?¡± Xiao Luo suddenly mocked.


    ¡°Goddamn little brat, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s in a rut. Your entire family is in a rut. Take a careful look around and see if the Mu City looks like a pretty duck girl.¡± Duck Emperor flew into a rage.


    ¡°I think it looks like a big rooster,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°F*ck you, I¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor wanted to rebut, however, he had to agree with Xiao Luo¡¯s observation, and he thought the Mu City did indeed look more like a rooster than a female duck. He couldn¡¯t help but think to himself, could it be that I¡¯m really in the rut?


    But he remained adamant, and said, ¡°I still think it looks like a pretty duck girl. Any more questions?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and changed the topic. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down and walk in the city.¡±


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t want to cause trouble and chose to keep a low profile. If he allowed Duck Emperor to fly Ghost and him to the Mu City, they would certainly be the focus of attention when they arrived.


    ¡°All you ever do is order me around!¡±


    Duck Emperor grumbled but obedientlynded on the ground. After Ghost and Xiao Luo alighted, the duck returned to its miniature form andnded on Ghost¡¯s shoulder.


    There was no need for any verification to enter the city gate. What surprised Xiao Luo was that the people guarding the city were not soldiers in armor, but young men and women dressed in student attire. They all wore armbands with the words ¡°Mu City Academy¡± printed on them.


    When they entered the inner city, he realized that the patrolling students were students from the Mu City Academy. Each of them had haughty expressions on their faces, and it made others wary not to approach them.


    Could it be that the Mu City Academy ruled this region?


    Xiao Luo frowned slightly as he pondered. After all, this ce was already 600,000 to 700,000 kilometers away from Ziyue cave heaven. Zuo Xiangming, who was from Ziyue cave heaven, naturally had note here before, and there was no information about the local force that ruled the Mu City on his map. From what he could see, this ce should be the Mu City Academy.


    The Mu City was a bustling ce. People were performing acrobatic performances, doing business, and even selling exotic beasts. Naturally, the people selling exotic beasts were mercenaries.


    Ghost was very interested in everything about Mu City and bought a lot of things for herself, such as rouge, powder, embroidered clothes, puppet dolls, and much more. She stowed them in Duck Emperor¡¯s Spatial ring. Ghost held the umbre in her left hand and four or five sticks of candied hawthorn in her right as she chewed away happily.


    Fortunately, Ziyue cave heaven had given Xiao Luo plenty of sacred currency, so they did not have to worry about their expenses.


    Duck Emperor and Ghost had amon hobby, and that was eating. Whatever Ghost ate, the duck would have the same. Of course, what they ate were all snacks and could not fill their stomachs.


    When passing through the teleportation portal, Ghost required her identity verified. After asking around, Xiao Luo quickly found someone who could provide fake identities and spent some money to settle it.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s find a restaurant to eat,¡± Xiao Luo said to Ghost.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! The food outside is so delicious. I¡¯ve never eaten such delicious food before,¡± she said happily.


    ¡°Then you shall have more.¡±


    Xiao Luo chuckled. He looked at the honey syrup that was full of candied haws around her mouth and found it amusing.

 Chapter 785 - Drunken Immortal Inn

    <h2>Chapter 785: Drunken Immortal Inn</h2>


    When they walked into a restaurant, they found it bustling with customers. There were almost no seats avable on the first floor. Of course, the primary reason Xiao Luo chose this restaurant was because it was called the Drunken Immortal Inn. In the past, he often read martial arts novels and television dramas, and the Drunken Immortal Inn was the restaurant that appeared the most frequently. Hence, he had a favorable impression of this name.


    ¡°Hello, Sir, and Madam. Are you here to eat?¡± A waiter walked up and asked them courteously.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ghost said excitedly.


    ¡°Please go upstairs. It was full only a moment ago, but it just so happens that a table upstairs is now avable as the guests have finished eating.¡± The waiter smiled and led the way.


    Xiao Luo and Ghost walked up to the second floor. They looked up and saw that it was indeed full. There was only a table beside a window that was being cleaned. After it was done, the waiter asked them to take their seats.


    ¡°What would you like to eat?¡± The waiter asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat the best dishes you have here,¡± Ghost said.


    The waiter duly recited a list of items from their menu. ¡°Youngdy, our specialty dish is the Mini Mouth Fragrance, made from sheep fat, vermicelli, and needle mushroom. The dish has an unusualbination of tastes and textures and is a little spicy but delicious. There¡¯s also Nourishing soup, Baked wild mushroom, Boiled Fish with pickled cabbage and chili, Braised Fish Head with tea fragrance, Braised Large Intestines, Sweet and sour pork, and many more. What do you want to order?¡±


    Ghost drooled as she listened. ¡°Are they all delicious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡± the waiter said.


    ¡°Alright, we will take them all!¡± Ghost said.


    ¡°Do you intend to give me a portion?¡±


    The waiter quipped as if to say, could just the two of you finish so many dishes?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°Miss, the dishes we serve in our restaurant arerge portions. To be honest, just ordering three dishes will be enough for you,¡± the waiter said candidly.


    ¡°I see, but I want to try it all.¡± Ghost looked disappointed.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said to the waiter, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just do as she says and serve all the specialties.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Okay!¡±


    As far as the waiter was concerned, since they were rich customers, why would he stop them from spending their money on his food?


    ¡°By the way, are there any duck dishes?¡± Xiao Luo asked, deliberately trying to rile up the Duck Emperor.


    When Duck Emperor, still in Ghost¡¯s pocket, heard that, his expression changed. He red at Xiao Luo angrily.


    The waiter immediately ran through a list of duck dishes. ¡°The Griddle spicy duck heads is the signature dish of our restaurant¡ªit is tender with a crispy crust. The duck¡¯s head is spicy, delicious, and refreshing, and is a good meal. Besides the duck¡¯s head, we also serve duck feet, duck wings, duck hearts, duck giblets, and other parts. They are all delicious delicacies.¡±


    ¡°Quack! Quack! Quack!¡±


    Duck Emperor couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. He flew out of Ghost¡¯s pocket and started pping his wings at the waiter.


    The waiter cried out in unbearable pain, and soon, his face was badly scratched and he fell to the ground.


    Duck Emperor stood on the table and pointed toward the door with his wings. ¡± Quack (Scram)!¡±


    The waiter looked at Xiao Luo for help. After all, it was the guest¡¯s pet beast, so he did not dare to manhandle it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hurting you. We won¡¯t order duck dishes, thank you.¡± Xiao Luo raised his eyebrows and apologized.


    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡±


    The waiter ran away like he was fleeing from a cmity. He turned and looked back repeatedly at Duck Emperor with eyes full of fear.


    After chasing the waiter away, Duck Emperor flew into a rage and scowled at Xiao Luo. ¡°D*mned little brat! Did you do this on purpose? You even wanted to eat duck meat in front of me! You, you, you¡­ you¡¯ve gone too far!¡±


    ¡°Calm down. I forgot you were here.¡±


    Xiao Luo calmly poured himself a cup of tea, then another cup for Ghost.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Duckling. Senior Luoluo didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Don¡¯t take it to heart,¡± Ghost tried smoothing things over.


    ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t say it on purpose, he still can¡¯t eat any duck meat! Otherwise, I¡¯m going to fight with him till the end,¡± Duck Emperor said, fuming visibly.


    ¡°Alright, alright, we won¡¯t eat duck meat. For Duckling¡¯s sake, we shall not eat any duck meat in the future.¡± Ghost did her best tofort him.


    Duck Emperor calmed down a little after hearing that, ¡°You¡¯re the best, Little Girl¡ªunlike thispletely ungrateful brat. After all, that Grandpa Duck here has done for him, he still wants to eat duck meat¡­ He has hurt my feelings!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Duckling, don¡¯t dwell on it, or it¡¯ll just make things worse. Senior Luoluo was just joking around, that¡¯s all,¡± Ghost said as if trying to calm a pet.


    ¡°Grandpa duck here is drawing the line from this point forward,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    As Ghost wasforting Duck Emperor, a small group of customers walked into Zuixian. They turned out to be four students from Mu City Academy in their uniforms.


    A waiter went up to wee them, ¡°Young masters, I¡¯m sorry but our shop is already full. Do you think you could¡­¡±


    Before he could even finish his sentence, the student leading the group cut in and scowled, ¡°Are you blind? Can¡¯t you see what uniform we¡¯re wearing? You expect us to wait? You better watch yourself or I¡¯ll tear Zuixian down!¡± He red furiously at the waiter, and said, ¡°Get lost, get your boss here to talk to me!¡±


    He pushed the cowering waiter away.


    Unable to resist the aggression, he fell right on his butt. The young waiter would hardly dare to even be rude to an ordinary customer, let alone a haughty official from the Mu Academy. He hurriedly went to look for his boss.


    ¡°Ignore him, juniors. Come, let¡¯s head upstairs. This floor is too noisy and filled with people from a lower ss. You guys have just been admitted into the academy, and I have to make sure I treat you guys well.¡± The student who was in the front was quite fat, and he had a chubby face.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll thank in advance, Senior Zheng,¡± said a female student with a bow.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing¡­ It¡¯s the least I could do. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The guy known as Senior Zheng led the way upstairs while the rest followed him, saying nothing.


    At that moment, the boss of the restaurant walked over, led by the waiter. He was a middle-aged man and looked like a cultured and gentle person with a merchant¡¯s demeanor.


    ¡°Honorable Young Masters. As you can see, our ce is now filled with customers,¡± the boss said, bowing apologetically.


    ¡°Boss, it seems like you¡¯re blind as well.¡±


    The guy known as Senior Zheng smiled wickedly and said in a threatening tone. He looked at the second table and his eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°Who says it¡¯s full? Isn¡¯t there an empty table there?¡±


    He was looking at the table where Xiao Luo and Ghost were seated when he said it.


    ¡°That table looks pretty good. It¡¯s next to the windows, so we can enjoy the beautiful scenery outside from there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. With the gentle breeze, it must be enjoyable to have our meal there.¡±


    ¡°Senior Zheng, let¡¯s have our meal at that table.¡±


    The rest agreed with him as well. They determined Xiao Luo and Ghost¡¯s cultivation level first¡ªa Martial Master and an ordinary person¡ªthere was no way they would be afraid of those two. After all, they were students from the Mu City Academy.


    The guy known as Senior Zheng kicked the table and looked at Xiao Luo and Ghost. ¡°What are you looking at? Don¡¯t you know your ce? Get lost, don¡¯t spoil my appetite!¡±


    ¡°Why should we? All I know is that we sat here first,¡± Ghost retorted, standing up and ring with her apricot eyes.

 Chapter 786 - Stop

    <h2>Chapter 786: Stop</h2>


    Two other persons sat at the other corner of the second floor. One was a little older than the other. The younger one said to the older one, ¡°Zheng Feihan is trying to take advantage of innocent people again. Should we help them, Supervisor Hu?¡±


    Both of them were members of Mu City Academy. The younger one, Luo Jinshi, was a student in the same ss as Zheng Feihan. The older one was a supervisor named Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see first. Zheng Feihan¡¯s grandfather is one of the academy¡¯s elders. I¡¯m afraid he might make things difficult for me if I intervened and lectured Zheng Feihan.¡±


    Hu Qingsong furrowed his eyebrows. He found this issue rather tricky and knew such an action could not be taken so easily. ¡°I think that girl and that young man will give in. I don¡¯t think Zheng Feihan will make things difficult for them as long as they do. It¡¯s better for us to just avoid any unnecessary trouble.¡±


    ¡°A Martial Master and a girl with no cultivation. They¡¯ll naturally give in to Zheng Feihan¡¯s threat!¡±


    Luo Jinshi gritted his teeth, and gently mmed his fist on the table, ¡°This b*stard is truly evil. He does many bad things just because his grandfather is an elder of the academy. Many female students got involved with him over the years, and now that the academy has recruited a new batch, I¡¯m sure those three with him are the new students. Two of those girls are quite pretty, and I bet Zheng Feihan is trying to woo them. That is why he¡¯s being so arrogant¡ªit¡¯s to show how superior he is in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop poking your nose into other people¡¯s business, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Hu Qingsong urged. He took his eyes away from what was happening, picked up his chopsticks, and continuing with his meal.


    Luo Jinshi was consumed with anger. He had been observing Zheng Feihan for quite a while now and was disgusted with his conduct. Now that he happened to bump into him again, he even more furious when he saw what he was up to right now.


    Besides the two, others on the second floor also looked toward Xiao Luo¡¯s table. It was obvious they were all shocked by what Ghost did.


    Zheng Feihan immediately noticed Ghost was a young, beautiful girl, and her beauty stunned him. He scanned Ghost from head to toe and secretly thought to himself¡ªhow can such a top-quality chick exist in this world? Her skin is white as snow, she looks so tender and it feels like she would cry with just a light pinch.


    He immediately changed ns and looked at the other guy, giving him an eye signal.


    That guy picked up on it immediately, and said, ¡°Girl, we¡¯re students from the Mu City Academy. This person here is Senior Zheng Feihan.¡±


    ¡°This girl here doesn¡¯t recognize any Zheng Feihan and doesn¡¯t have any idea what the Mu City Academy is. We were here first, so this table belongs to us. Why should we give it to you?¡± Ghost said, raising her head adamantly.


    She had never even heard of the Mu City Academy¡­ had she just arrived here from somewhere else?


    A few of them thought to themselves. This exined why they were so unrestrained. Since they didn¡¯t have any backing or background in Mu City, they thought they could do as they pleased.


    That guyughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you¡¯ve never heard of the Mu City Academy. It¡¯s alright even if you want to sit here and eat with us, but the person beside you will have to leave.¡±


    He was referring to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ghost asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Because he pisses me off when I look at him, that¡¯s why!¡± Zheng Feihan said.


    The two female students from the Mu City Academy red haughtily at Xiao Luo. This act of trampling on someone¡¯s dignity thrilled them as it gave them a sense of superiority.


    Xiao Luo lifted his head, looked icily at Zheng Feihan, and said, ¡°You piss me off too. Before I lose my temper, you better crawl back to where you came from.¡±


    The optics didn¡¯t look good for Zheng Feihan¡ªhe was being given marching orders by a stranger who didn¡¯t show the slightest emotion and gave him no room for discussion.


    As soon as he said that, there was a lull in the entire floor. Everyone gasped, and they fixed their eyes on the table.


    ¡°What the hell? Where did this guy find the guts to talk to the students of the Mu City Academy that way? Does he not know that the students of the Mu City Academy handle the safety of Mu City? They are an important part of the system, and any ordinary citizens would avoid them when they came close.¡±


    ¡°This guy must have lost his mind. These few students from the Mu City Academy are at the cultivation level of a senior Martial Master. He¡¯s just a mere basic Martial Master, and yet he is being arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this guy has given up on his will to live and is nning to go meet the King of Hell early?¡±


    Everyone was shocked at what Xiao Luo just did. To think that they had the chance to witness something like this!


    At the other corner, Luo Jinshi quietly observed the situation and trembled a little after listening to what Xiao Luo just said. With a cynical smile, he said, ¡°Brother, are you mad? You¡¯re just a mere Martial Master, yet you still have the guts to talk to Zheng Feihan like that. Are you tired of living?¡±


    Supervisor Hu Qingsong, sitting opposite him, tapped his hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh. Things could have been peaceful, but as soon as he voiced his opinion, Hu Qingsong knew things would not end well.


    Zheng Feihan, who had been acting in an arrogant and domineering manner, was stunned as well. He never imagined Xiao Luo would say something like that.


    The other three were equally shocked. They stared at Xiao Luo in a stupor, looking like a bunch of fools.


    ¡°Brat, do you know who you are talking to?¡± Zheng Feihan said as he shed a stiff smile and his eyes glowered with wrath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care, either.¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at Zheng Feihan. He didn¡¯t wish to create any trouble, but that didn¡¯t mean that he was going to bend over when someone tried to take advantage of him.


    Duck Emperor, hiding in Ghost¡¯s pocket, prayed silently for these people.


    Zheng Feihan was so angry that the corner of his lips twitched a little. He yelled as he raised his hand to p Xiao Luo across the face. ¡°Fine, I shall let you know who I am right now!¡±


    He¡¯s had it. Even if he didn¡¯t die, he was going to be incapacitated!


    The color on Luo Jinshi and Hu Qingsong¡¯s faces paled. They could tell that Zheng Feihan¡¯s furious, or his palm would not be overflowing with true inner force. With a stroke of his palm, that guy was going to suffer a concussion for sure. Zheng Feihan was at the level of a senior Martial Master, which meant he was already halfway to the level of a Martial Spirit.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Zheng Feihan¡¯s energy-charged palm paused in midair. It was as if someone had paused the video ying on a screen, and he didn¡¯t move at all.


    Everyone watched closely. A slender and fair hand forcefully sped Zheng Feihan by his wrist and stopped his fan-like palm strike. It belonged to a slip of a girl who stood in front of them, and she was a person who did not have any True Inner Force.


    How did the girl stop the palm strike from Zheng Feihan?


    How was it possible? She did not have any True Inner Force at all!


    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened asrge as saucers. Nothing could be more shocking than watching a slender hand resist a thick and muscr arm from executing a strike.


    Ghost red at Zheng Feihan with her apricot eyes, gripping his wrist tightly. He felt a powerful force holding him, and he could not move at all.


    ¡°Let¡­ let me go¡­¡±


    Zheng Feihan was panic-stricken, having used up all his strength but still failed to free his hand from her grasp. It was a very unusual situation and not something which should have happened.

 Chapter 787 - Beat down

    <h2>Chapter 787: Beat down</h2>


    Ghost gave a little sigh, then stepped forward and executed a perfect shoulder throw.


    ¡°Arghh¡­¡±


    Zheng Feihan let out a painful scream. Hisrge body, which weighed about a hundred and seventy to a hundred and eighty pounds, fell crashing down onto the ground. He hit the ground violently, and it felt like all the bones in his body had shattered. Blood rose to his throat, and there was a fishy smell in his mouth. He knew it was blood. As he was about to swallow it down, he felt a blow to his chest.


    Ghost mmed her foot down with brutal force, causing the bones in Zheng Feihan¡¯s ribcage to crack. It was audible to everyone as it made a simr cracking sound to a beam snapping when it could not withstand too heavy a weight.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Zheng Feihan could no longer hold it in and spat out a mouthful of thick, fresh blood.


    That¡­


    That scene surprised many of the people who were there. They were staring in awe at the ordinary-looking girl who had mmed Zheng Feihan onto the ground in one swoop. He was a student from the Mu City Academy and was at the cultivation level of a Senior Martial Master. How could that be possible?


    Silence.


    The entire second floor of Zuixian was so quiet that one could only hear the clock ticking and one¡¯s own breathing.


    Luo Jinshi and Hu Qingsong were just as surprised. They had thought the two strangers would give in to Zheng Feihan and never imagined that the opposite would ur¡ªas it turned out, Zheng Feihan had kicked a chopping board.


    ¡°Are you still nning to upy our table?¡±


    Ghost red at Zheng Feihan with her hands on her waist. She was angry, and her pretty face expressed how she felt as she gritted her white teeth tightly. How dare he annoy her while she was waiting to enjoy the world¡¯s most delicious delicacies! There was no way she was going to forgive him.


    Zheng Feihan, with a foot stepping on his chest, could no longer say anything and even found it extremely tough to breathe right then. He looked into Ghost¡¯s eyes with shock. He could never have imagined the situation he found himself in¡ªallowing a girl to step on him and not being able to do anything to stop it.


    ¡°Let Senior Zheng go!¡±


    The male student came back to his senses, pulled out his long sword, and was about to sh Ghost with it.


    Ghost stared at him with a mischievous smile. She reached out with her slender hand and grabbed the long sword, trapping it easily between her fingers. The sharp and long sword would not budge, and the student could no longer sh anything with it.


    Stopped the sword with her bare hand?


    Everyone watching gasped. At that moment, no one regarded Ghost as a harmless young girl anymore. That she could stop a sword wielded by a senior Martial Master with her bare hand was more than enough to show how terrifyingly powerful she was.


    ¡°Stopping the sword with her bare hand¡­ how is that possible?¡±


    Luo Jinshi widened his eyes, and his jaws dropped. Everything he had just witnessed confounded him.


    Supervisor Hu Qingsong¡¯s hand holding a pair of chopsticks trembled uncontrobly. He might have been a supervisor, but he was only at the level of a Martial Spirit. Even with his powers, there was absolutely no way he could have stopped that sword in the way she did. The young girl did not grab the sword, but she used her fingers to trap the sword. She did not have any True Inner Force at all, yet she possessed a terrifying amount of power. Where exactly did the girle from?


    CLANG!


    Suddenly, Ghost turned her wrist, and the sword in the student¡¯s hand split into two.


    ¡°There are so many hateful jerks here. Get lost!¡±


    Ghost shouted breathlessly. Then, she mmed her palm on the chest of the student.


    Her slender hand looked weak and delicate, but when she mmed it into the student¡¯s chest, the look on his face instantly changed. The student could feel an overpowering force surging through and he was thrown back, losing all control of his body.


    BAM!


    He mmed into the opposite table and smashed everything on it. Dishes were sent flying and wine spilled all over the ce, and the studentid on the floor groaning in pain.


    The customers at the table reacted quickly and got out of the way just in time to avoid a disaster.


    Fear¡­ An indescribable fear filled the hearts of everyone there. The furious look on Ghost¡¯s face caused that fear. She broke a sword into two with her bare hand and sent a Senior Martial Master flying with a thrust of her palm. It was not something anyone could have imagined. Suddenly, Ghost became a terrifying creature to everyone.


    The remaining two female students broke into a cold sweat. They never thought something like that could happen. When Ghost red at them with her apricot eyes, they could not help but shiver and sensed impending danger. They instinctively looked at Xiao Luo, whom they assumed was a mere Martial Master. If they could forcibly subdue him and use him as a hostage, then they would not end up like Zheng Feihan.


    As soon as the thought urred to them, their swords rang when drawn from the scabbards, and the two girls charged toward Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo was drinking his tea, and he was quite amused when he saw them charging toward him. Xiao Luo waved his hand slightly, and a powerful surge of energy sted the swords and sent them flying out of their hands. Xiao Luo then stretched out his hands in front of him in a grabbing gesture, and the two female students were suddenly drawn toward him. He caught them both by their throats.


    The move startled the two girls, and they tried to break free from Xiao Luo¡¯s grasp. But there was a powerful force of energy going through his hands, and the girls made gurgling sounds as they tried to escape from his strangtion. Their faces immediately turned red, and they felt close to losing consciousness.


    Despair, helplessness, and fear overwhelmed the girls!


    The onlookers got another surprise when they witnessed Xiao Luo subduing the two female students from the Mu City Academy. They were at the cultivation level of a Senior Martial Master, while Xiao Luo was merely a Martial Master. And it made little sense that a Martial Master could subdue two Senior Martial Masters.


    ¡°How is this possible? How can a mere Martial Master subdue a Senior Martial Master? And he even overcame two of them at once!¡± said Luo Jinshi. His view of the world as he knew it seemed topsy-turvy. The incidents not only surprised Luo Jinshi but also horrified him a little.


    Hu Qingsong did not say a word. His mouth opened slightly, and he was in shock.


    ¡°Senior Luoluo, throw them out. Just looking at them annoys me to bits!¡± Ghost said as she furrowed her brows.


    ¡°True,¡± answered Xiao Luo, nodding his head in agreement.


    Without hesitation, he threw both the female students out of the window.


    ¡°Scr*w this Grandpa Duck. How can you be this cruel to those two pretty girls?¡± Duck Emperor quacked softly.


    Ghost threw Zheng Feihan and the other male student out as well. Then, she sat back down on her seat nonchntly, acting as if nothing had urred.


    All at once, the entire second floor went quiet again.


    After witnessing the series of shocking and mind-blowing events, everyone there felt they were dreaming and had not fully awoken, even though it was already midday.


    ¡°Are our dishes on their way?¡± Xiao Luo asked the boss of Zuixian, giving the man an enquiring look.


    The boss of Zuixian smiled worriedly and wondered to himself how Xiao Luo could still be in the mood to eat. He had severely beaten up those students from the Mu City Academy, and the boss marveled at how daring Xiao Luo was, but he felt Xiao Luo should hurry to leave instead.


    He smiled anxiously. ¡°Dear customers, you better hurry and run. They are students from the Mu City Academy, and they will not ept what just happened and let you off so easily.¡±


    ¡°If they daree back again, this girl here will smack them up so badly that their teeth will be strewn all over the floor,¡± Ghost said.


    When they heard that, the boss and his waiter felt like fainting. The Mu City Academy was the most formidable force in these parts. These two strangers could beat one or two of them up, but how could they beat up every skillful fighter from the Mu City Academy?

 Chapter 788 - Baiyue Nation

    <h2>Chapter 788: Baiyue Nation</h2>


    Xiao Luo was left speechless. They could not even enjoy a meal without getting into a troublesomemotion.


    The boss and his servant could not convince Ghost and Xiao Luo to leave immediately. So, they prepared their dishes as fast as they could and served them hurriedly. They hoped the both of them would finish eating quickly and leave the ce before Zheng Feihan came back with more people. Thest thing they wanted to see was another fight breaking out in their restaurant.


    ¡°So yummy. The food is so yummy!¡±


    Ghost did not bother to behave like ady and feasted on the delicacies like a hungry beast. Watching how she devoured the food, one would not imagine that she belonged to the Sucking Blood n.


    The Duck Emperor behaved no better and could not resist the temptation of the tasty delicacies as well. He jumped onto the table and started chewing on an oily roasted pig throttle with much relish.


    Compared to the girl and the duck, Xiao Luo looked far more cultured when he ate. He was picking at his food using a pair of chopsticks with proper etiquette.


    An elder and a young man approached them with friendly smiles.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    Two men approached the table and greeted Ghost and Xiao Luo. They were none other than Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi.


    ¡°Who are you guys?¡± Ghost asked as she prepared to protect her food, seeming worried that two men standing before her were asking for some of hers.


    ¡°Hello, we are also from Mu City Academy,¡± Luo Jinshi said with a smile.


    Mu City Academy?


    When Ghost heard that, a glower of hostility showed in her eyes, ¡°So you are with those guys who were here just now.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. Please do not misunderstand. Although we are also from Mu City Academy, we are not with them. The people of Mu City Academy do not bully people just because of their background, unlike Zheng Feihan and his gang,¡± Luo Jinshi exined immediately.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ghost then let down her guard and continued to munch on the food.


    ¡°Is there anything you want from us?¡±


    Xiao Luo questioned calmly. The teleportation portal to travel to his next destination was at the Mu City Academy. Although he would not try to get close to it, he would not want to distance himself from it. Zheng Feiyuan was an irritant who got on the wrong side of Xiao Luo and deserved a lesson. The incident was unfortunate.


    ¡°Hello Brother, I am Luo Jinshi. This gentleman is my mentor, Hu Qingsong. I have a question for you. Or rather, a doubt that needs rification,¡± Luo Jinshi asked in a friendly manner.


    Hu Qingsong nodded and added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Young Luo and I witnessed what happened between you and Zheng Feihan just now. If I am not wrong, you are currently a middle-level Martial Master, right?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and continued eating the food. He replied, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Hu Qingsong looked at Ghost and continued, ¡°This beautiful girl has no signs of True Inner Force. Shees across as an ordinary person, yet she defeated Zheng Feihan, who is a Great Martial Master, in one move. Your performance was equally splendid when you easily defeated the two Great Martial Masters. What you guys did was simply mystifying and unbelievable. It is hard to understand how the cultivation ranking, which has been in use in the Arcana Land for tens of thousands of years, seems not to work on you guys.¡±


    Indirectly, he asked them how they had defeated Zheng Feihan and the other two Great Martial Masters with their lesser capabilities.


    Xiao Luo smiled and said, ¡°Sometimes, what you hear may not be the truth. Simrly, the same applies to what you see!¡±


    He had reached the stage where he could remain in his original pure self. So, he could suppress his strength, and others could not detect his full capability. Ghost belonged to the Sucking Blood n, and they operated on a system different from humans. So, it was not unusual she did not emit any traces of her True Inner Force.


    ¡°What you hear may not be the truth, and what you see may not be the case¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong mumbled Xiao Luo¡¯s words repeatedly. It took him a while to rx his tightly furrowed brows. Then, he seemed relieved and said, ¡°I understand now. You guys have practiced a certain secret art that can mask your true strength.¡±


    Xiao Luo thought to himself that the man understood nothing.


    But he rolled with the punches and said, ¡°That is right. We practice a sort of secret art.¡±


    ¡°Little Brother, thank you for clearing my doubt. If not, this will probably trouble me for a long time. It might even affect my rest time. How could I not realize such a simple reason?¡± Hu Qingsong said as he heaved a long sigh of relief. A low-ranking cultivator could beat a high-ranking cultivator? It would affect the established system of cultivation measurement. Even with just one incident, it would be enough to prove a fault in the ranking system.


    ¡°Brother, it seems like both you and this girl are at least Great Martial Masters. It would seem that both of you are at the peak of the Great Martial Master level,¡± Luo Jinshi said.


    Xiao Luo did not answer him but merely raised his brows, looking as if he admitted it in silence. He had no reason to exin his background fully to strangers.


    Ghost was enjoying the food and had no time for them. She had oil all over her mouth.


    The girl was unquestionably pretty!


    Luo Jinshi took a better look at Ghost. The young girl was not elegant with her eating demeanor, but it did not affect her beauty. In contrast, it made her looked even more cute and adorable.


    ¡°How does one get to Mu City Academy?¡± Xiao Luo asked, not letting the opportunity slip by.


    ¡°You areing to our academy?¡± Luo Jinshi asked.


    ¡°To be more precise, I need to use the teleportation portal in the academy to get to Baiyue Nation,¡± said Xiao Luo. He had referred to the markings he made on the map to keep track of his next destination.


    ¡°Baiyue Nation?¡±


    Both Luo Jinshi and Hu Qingsong looked shocked. They reacted like they had heard something horrible.


    ¡°Why? Is there anything wrong with Baiyue Nation?¡± Xiao Luo asked with a frown.


    Luo Jinshi replied, ¡°I do not know what kind of ce it is, but there are many rumors about that country. ording to these rumors, only women can enter the country. No man has ever returned from that country. Regardless of your ranks, not even a Martial Guru has returned from Baiyue Nation. There has been no exception.¡±


    Hu Qingsong nodded and said, ¡°Everyone knows that Baiyue Nation is and of taboo for men!¡±


    And of taboo for men?


    Xiao Luo felt disappointed as they did not seem like they were joking. Could it be that there were some exotic beasts in Baiyue Nation that fed on men specifically?


    The Duck Emperor also heard it and quacked at the two of them.


    Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi did not understand what the duck was trying to ask. So, Xiao Luo tranted for them and said, ¡°He is asking if a male duck would face the same treatment there.¡±


    Luo Jinshi looked amused and replied, ¡°I do not think that will be the case. From rumors, the taboo only affects men. Of course, the taboo is just a rumor. We do not know the authenticity of the rumor. Baiyue Nation is eight hundred thousand kilometers away. Since there are so many rumors of such dangers, nobody would risk their lives to go there. Unless one has lost the will to live, then he would venture toward thatnd to meet his death.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent as he thought with his brows tightly furrowed together.


    ¡°By the way, Little Brother, why are you going to Baiyue Nation?¡± Hu Qingsong asked curiously.


    ¡°It is nothing. I am just passing through,¡± Xiao Luo answered with a smile.

 Chapter 789 - Head of security department

    Chapter 789: Head of security department</h2>


    They got to know Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi better, and the two men offered to lead them to the Mu City Academy after the meal. The boss of Zuixian did not dare to charge them. After all, Xiao Luo had thrown the students of the Mu City Academy out of the building like sandbags, so the boss looked upon Xiao Luo and Ghost with some trepidation. He did not wish to be harmed and would not ask for a single penny from them.


    Xiao Luo did not mind as he just saved some money. If the boss did not want to charge for the meal, then Xiao Luo would insist.


    ¡°What¡¯s Zheng Feihan¡¯s background?¡± Xiao Luo asked. He wanted to know more about Zheng Feihan to prevent a repeat of what happened at the Danhui Sect. This time, he wanted to prepare in advance.


    ¡°His grandfather is the academy¡¯s Elder, and it is a very prestigious role,¡± Luo Jinshi answered.


    Another ¡°trust-fund baby¡± with an Elder as his guardian!


    The information surprised Xiao Luo. He was lost for words as he had seen too many of such people right through his journey.


    ¡°Young Brother Xiao, do not worry. It is just a small matter. I do not think Zheng Feihan willin to his grandfather. If he does, it will only cause him to lose face in the academy, and people willugh at him.¡± Hu Qingsong tried to put Xiao Luo at ease.


    Although Hu Qingsong was a mentor at the academy, he was an amiable man and was down-to-earth. As he was a new mentor and did not have enough experience, he had little more authority than ordinary students in the academy.


    As they were chatting, two columns of Mu City Academy students cleared the street as they marched through. They seemed to be rushing toward the direction of Zuixian.


    ¡°Out of the way, all of you!¡±


    These students behaved in the same way as the guards of Stan City. They gruffly pushed the ordinary people on the street aside just because they were more powerful. They did not care about themon folk and acted like they owned the city.


    ¡°Sh*t. That is Chen Junbin, the head of the security department who is in charge of this area. Could it be that Zheng Feihan has asked him to teach you a lesson?¡± Luo Jinshi looked rmed at the sight of those Mu City Academy students who looked familiar to him.


    When Luo Jinshi finished speaking, two persons emerged from the crowd and stood in front of the cohort of students. The two muscr men looked intimidating, and one of them was indeed Zheng Feihan.


    ¡°So, these two are the ones?¡± asked the security head.


    Chen Junbin squinted his eyes as he nced at Xiao Luo and Ghost.


    ¡°That is right, Brother. You must avenge me. I am hurting all over because of them,¡± Zheng Feihan said and acted as if he was the victim.


    ¡°Feihan, I am not trying to nag, but he is just a mere Martial Master. Hmm¡­ she looks pretty decent. Cough, cough. A Martial Master and a girl who does not even have any True Inner Force. How could you lose to them? Is your Great Martial Master¡¯s rating a fake one?¡± asked Chen Junbin. He rested his hands on Zhang Feihan¡¯s back and looked wryly at him.


    When he heard that, Zheng Feihan smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Brother, you underestimate me. These two people are out of the ordinary¡ªtheir cultivation levels are far lower than ours, but their actual strength is terrifying. We did not even have time to retaliate before they tossed us down from the second floor of Zuixian like some stupid dumplings.¡±


    ¡°What? They threw you guys off from the second floor of Zuixian?¡±


    That bit of information surprised Chen Junbin, and he burst outughing the next second. ¡°Feihan, aren¡¯t you guys so pathetic? If this news ever gets back to the academy, your dignity would go down to drain.¡±


    Zheng Feihan blushed and pleaded, ¡°Brother, stopughing at me. Catch them quickly. The girl is such a fine catch and you can bring her back to serve you. It would be heavenly for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, hehe¡­ You are right!¡±


    Chen Junbin looked at Ghost lecherously and had thoughts about her. He had unsavory intentions.


    ¡°Junbin, you are the head of the security department. Stand up for the victims for justice¡¯s sake. You should not root for the evil and bullies. Just because you are powerful does not give you the right to do anything you wish!¡±


    Hu Qingsong stood up righteously against them and said, ¡°Luo Jinshi and I were at Zuixian and we witnessed everything. Zheng Feihan started the fight because he wanted their table. Instead, he got taught a lesson because of his inabilities. He deserved it and should not push the me on anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it did not cross my mind that there¡¯s such a talented speaker here. It is the highly respected and powerful mentor of the academy, Hu Qingsong. Pardon me. I did not see you just now, mentor Hu.¡± Chen Junbin said as he sarcastically emphasized the word mentor.


    Hu Qingsong, of course, understood his sardonic intention and was provoked.


    ¡°Mentor Hu, why don¡¯t you take your precious disciple and train him, instead of minding our business. Stay out of this!¡±


    Zheng Feihan crossed his arms and did not even bother to be polite to Hu Qingsong at all. ¡°Look at you. You are the only one at the level of Martial Spirit amongst all the mentors. Brother Bin, who is just a year ahead of me, has already reached the middle-level Martial Spirit. How can you shamelessly continue to stay in the academy and enjoy such undeserving prestige?¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    The students of the Mu City Academy startedughing. Even though Hu Qingsong was a mentor, they did not respect him one bit.


    ¡°You¡­!¡±


    Zheng Feihan infuriated Hu Qingsong, who pointed his finger at him in anger.


    ¡°Zheng Feihan, mind your words. Stop insulting mentor Hu!¡± Luo Jinshi yelled at Zheng Feihan in defense of his mentor.


    Zheng Feihan¡¯s eyes turned cold and said, ¡°Luo Jinshi, shut the f*ck up. How dare you talk to me like this?¡±


    ¡°Are you so cocky because of your grandfather? What¡¯s so great about him. In terms of cultivation level, I am no worse than you. Under mentor Hu¡¯s guidance, I am also a peak Great Martial Master.¡± Luo Jinshi yelled. For a long time now, he had never agreed with Zheng Feihan¡¯s conduct, and he vented his angst at that moment.


    Zheng Feihan smarted at his words and could only stare at Luo Jinshi with clenched teeth.


    ¡°Peak Great Martial Master? That is quite some progress. Why don¡¯t we have a spar, then?¡± Chen Junbin smiled coldly at Luo Jinshi.


    Going up against a Martial Spirit, Luo Jinshi shuddered at the thought and dared not to fight Chen Junbin. Chen Junbin was a renowned genius in cultivation. He had already reached the middle-level Martial Spirit before turning thirty years old.


    ¡°What¡­ you mean that scared you? Are you backing down?¡±


    Chen Junbin mocked Luo Jinshi and then yelled, ¡°If you don¡¯t have the b*lls, then shut the hell up. There is no ce for you here!¡±


    Hu Qingsong pulled Luo Jinshi back and said to Chen Junbin, ¡°Chen Junbin, I am sticking to my words. You are the head of the security department. It is your job to uphold justice and ensure order in society. You are here to protect the safety of ordinary folks. If you arrest people without a legitimate reason, then I will report you.¡±


    ¡°Report me?¡±


    Chen Junbin pretended to cower in fear and mocked, ¡°Mentor Hu, I am so scared. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    His expression then changed as he broke into a fit ofughter.


    The other students of Mu City Academy alsoughed along unceasingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are nothing but a joke? Report me? Do you think the academy will care about a useless mentor¡¯s report? Hu Qingsong, I am still giving you a bit of face here. Don¡¯t take it for granted.¡± Chen Junbin snarled and did not bother to put up a smile anymore.

 Chapter 790 - Strike

    <h2>Chapter 790: Strike</h2>


    As a mentor, Hu Qingsong naturally had to maintain his dignity. However, he was being insulted relentlessly by Chen Junbin and Zheng Feihan, which pushed him to his limit. Such insults would even provoke a lifeless man, let alone a live person with feelings.


    BAM!


    He stepped out and created a pit in the ground with his foot.


    A powerful aura exploded around him, and he was emitting surges of True Inner Force. His force field caused the rock debris to levitate from the ground. Hu Qingsong stared fiercely at Chen Junbin and snapped back at him. He yelled, ¡°I dare you to say that again!¡±


    No one would take lightly a force field created by a Martial Spirit. All the Mu City Academy students felt a tremendous pressure weighing down on them.


    Ghost could not take it anymore and wanted to defend Hu Qingsong. But Xiao Luo stopped her. If they could keep themselves away from trouble, it would be best to do so. If they could not avoid it, then he should be the one standing up against it. He did not want Ghost involved in such a violent conflict.


    ¡°Hah, are you angry? Do you think you are the only one with a temper? Do you think I am a patient man?¡±


    Chen Junbin exploded as he went into a great rage. He strode out as well and unleashed his True Inner Force in a fit of fury. He would not hide the bad blood between them anymore. Anyway, a useless mentor like Hu Qingsong, who had no patron to back him, could not intimidate him. Both of them were mid-level Martial Spirit. So, they both had equal chances of winning a fight.


    ¡°Chen Junbin, you are too much!¡±


    Hu Qingsong got so provoked. He turned into a phantom and sped up to Chen Junbin like a bolt of lightning.


    ¡°So what? Teach me a lesson then!¡±


    Chen Junbin made his move and unleashed a powerful aura from his body. His long hair blew back even with no wind. What the bystanders saw was Hu Qingsong charging at him. But Chen Junbin could see the dozens of punches thrust at him.


    He yelled and threw out his right punch. He nned to face Hu Qingsong with brute force. Hu Qingsong did not intimidate Chen Junbin at all!


    The punches immersed with the True Inner Force glowed in golden light. The powerful energy they bore twisted the surrounding space. The enormous pressure they brought felt like they could tear the surrounding void. It made the Mu City Academy students back off instinctively. The terrifying sh of energy waves made everyone tremble in fear.


    The two punches shed in mid-air!


    BOOM!


    A loud and earth-shattering sound exploded like thunder, and a terrifying energy wave erupted like andslide. The surging energy waves knocked the Mu City Academy students further back a few meters. Zheng Feihan, who was closer to the fight, lost his bnce and flew back immediately. He would have fallen to the ground if another person had not held on to him.


    The surging energy waves created howling winds and dust-storms, engulfing Hu Qingsong and Chen Junbin within the raging energy waves.


    It took a long time for the energy waves to subside. Chen Junbin stood tall like a pine tree, whereas Hu Qingsong was in a half-kneeling position with blood on the ground before him. He was holding his chest, and there were traces of dripping blood at the corner of his mouth. He was in obvious pain.


    It was clear who had won the fight!


    ¡°He is vomiting blood.¡±


    Ghost¡¯s innate nature as a member of the Sucking Blood n made her swallow her saliva when she saw the pool of fresh blood on the ground.


    ¡°No wonder they look down on him¡ªhe is not very talented.¡±


    The duck emperor sighed and said, ¡°Such a visible harsh truth of life. There is amon saying in the original world. What was it again? Ah yes. If you are weak, do not carry the heavy stuff. If you are not well-respected, do not convince people. This good man has exhibited the gist of thismon saying perfectly.¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at the duck and then stared into the distance with an indifferent look.


    To him, both Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi were just guides to the Mu City Academy. They were not his friends, and he did not have to stand up for them. Honestly, he did not feel any sense of gratefulness at all.


    ¡°Mentor Hu!¡±


    Luo Jinshi rushed forward and tried to help Hu Qingsong get up.


    However, Chen Junbin would not allow that. He knocked Luo Jinshi down with a kick. It was a powerful kick from a Martial Spirit, so Luo Jinshi rolled on the ground for some time before he could recover from the pain. He ended up vomiting a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°The mentor is useless, so is the student. You guys are the most useless trash among the trash!¡± Chen Junbinmented coldly.


    ¡°Hu Qingsong, I have warned you to stay out of this. See, you are vomiting blood just from one hit from Brother Bin. Although both of you are mid-level Martial Spirit, there is still a significant difference,¡± said Zheng Feihan as he walked up to mock him.


    Hu Qingsong clenched his teeth as he stared at those two men. A deep sense of humiliation welled up in his heart. He did not hate anyone but himself for hisck of strength.


    ¡°Ignore him. I am here to seek justice for you. I am in charge of this area. If anyone insults you, that means I am being insulted as well.¡±


    Chen Junbin walked past Hu Qingsong. He nced at Xiao Luo and Ghost with his viper-like eyes and said, ¡°Are you guys going toe with me obediently? Or do you want me to take you down with force?¡±


    Xiao Luo walked up expressionlessly and stared at Chen Junbin directly in the eyes, ¡°Are you the head of the security department of this area?¡±


    ¡°This is Mu City, and you do not even know me, Chen Junbin. Stop f*cking daydreaming,¡± Chen Junbin said.


    ¡°Seems like you are.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled, ¡°I merely want to ask. What did we do?¡±


    When Zheng Feihan heard what Xiao Luo asked, he retorted, ¡°You have harmed my friends and me, and you have the cheek to ask that question? Boy, are you still in your dream?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know why we have hurt you and your friends?¡± Xiao Luo asked, smiling coldly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Zheng Feihan groped for words.


    Chen Junbin waved impatiently and said, ¡°Do not argue with me. I have one question. Did you cause the injuries on him?¡±


    ¡°I did it. Do you have any problem with that?¡± Ghost admitted openly.


    ¡°Fine. Then we have not wronged you guys. You guys have assaulted the security force of the Mu City Academy. It is a serious offense. Take them down!¡± Chen Junbin ordered his subordinates to move.


    It was indeed going to be a fight!


    Xiao Luo turned solemn immediately and teleported to stand in front of Chen Junbin.


    Chen Junbin got caught off-guard as he could not imagine how Xiao Luo had appeared before him from a dozen meters away. He stepped back in surprise, but Xiao Luo had thrown a punch at his torso before he could react.


    POW!


    Everyone heard a loud thud of a punch. There was no fancy move but merely a simple jab to the mid-riff.


    Chen Junbin bent his body into a curve, and his hands were covering his stomach. His expression was one of intense pain, and he was groaning. He then kneeled slowly to the ground.


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    An indescribable pain had taken over all of his sensations. It felt like his internal organs were all jumbled together, and the searing pain was unbearable. Even though he had curled into a ball, it did not help with relieving the pain. After a while, he could not care about his dignity anymore and let out a harrowing scream.


    Xiao Luo looked down at Chen Junbin with little mercy and kicked his chin.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Blood spurted out of Chen Junbin¡¯s mouth and nose. He flew backward andnded on two stunned-looking Mu City Academy students who were standing nearby. Chen Junbin got up with much difficulty. He stared at Xiao Luo in disbelief and then passed out.


    What?


    It terrified every single student of the Mu City Academy. Xiao Luo had knocked out their leader with one punch and one kick. How could that be possible? Their leader was a Martial Spirit expert. How did he get defeated so effortlessly?


    The swift attack by Xiao Luo dumbfounded both Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi too. They stared at Chen Junbin in disbelief as well. It was a one-hit KO, an instant kill. It did not even look difficult to Xiao Luo. How did he do it?


    Nobody could believe that Chen Junbin was defeated, but the fact was heid unconscious on the ground. And that was the best proof.

 Chapter 791 - Heavens will

    <h2>Chapter 791: Heaven¡¯s will</h2>


    ¡°You¡­ What do you want? I am warning you¡­ my grandfather is the Elder of the Mu City Academy. If you hurt me even the slightest bit, my grandfather will skin you alive!¡± Zhen Feihan shouted out in fear.


    ¡°My biggest peeve is to get threatened by anyone.¡±


    Xiao Luo could never tolerate a person like Zheng Feihan under any circumstance. It provoked him.


    Without warning, he thrust a kick directly on Zheng Feihan¡¯s chest.


    BAM!


    A deep and loud thud rang out in the air. An enormous force burst from the point of contact and immediately spread out to the surrounding. The force from the blow injured Zheng Feihan¡¯s internal organs. He threw up mouthfuls of blood and flew back like a kite broken from its string, flying in an arc flight path andnding some distance away. His screams echoed through several streets.


    It was horrifying!


    Every Mu City Academy student who was present looked at Xiao Luo with heartfelt caution. To them, Xiao Luo seemed like a Killer God, and no one could understand how a mere Martial Master could possess such power. Was he just a Martial Master?


    Xiao Luo¡¯s piercing eyes nced over to those students, and he yelled, ¡°F*ck off!¡±


    These people did not dare to retaliate as Xiao Luo was someone who had defeated their leader easily. They all fled like animals in panic and it was fortunate that some of them remembered to carry the unconscious Chen Junbin with them.


    ¡°Bravo! It¡¯s truly wonderful. You have done such a good job!¡±


    Luo Jinshi felt very relieved and said, ¡°I have long been very unhappy with Zheng Feihan and his gang. Brother Xiao, you have truly helped me this time.¡±


    He helped Hu Qingsong up as he spoke.


    ¡°All these bad guys deserve a good beating!¡± Ghost dered righteously.


    She hopped over to Xiao Luo, holding her little red umbre.


    ¡°We have made a mistake, a huge mistake.¡±


    Hu Qingsong sighed deeply and shook his head. ¡°Elder Zheng is known for being protective of his people, regardless of whether it is his students or his offspring. As long as they have any form of rtionship with him, then nobody can harm them. Now that you have injured Zheng Feihan so grievously, he probably would not want to settle this amicably. It might affect the chances of you guys using the teleportation portal. If Elder Zheng stops you, nobody will dare to defy him.¡±


    He was sighing nonstop, concerned about potential trouble. Although Hu Qingsong had only met Xiao Luo and Ghost for half a day, he still thought well of them and had established a good rapport. He did not wish to see Xiao Luo and Ghost forced to remain in the Mu City forever because of the incident.


    ¡°It is fine. My handsome Luoluo is not afraid of anyone. Am I right?¡±


    Ghost had seen Xiao Luo¡¯s true capability back in the Dark Forest. He defeated the Sucking Blood n¡¯s elders. Except for the Light n¡¯s Holy Land, nobody would be worthy of being Xiao Luo¡¯s opponent in Arcan Land. She was very confident of Xiao Luo¡¯s capability.


    Xiao Luo was pretty amused and asked himself when he had be hers.


    However, he nodded to acknowledge it with little modesty.


    Hu Qingsong sighed heavily and shook his head again, obviously thinking that Ghost was still too young and na?ve. Even the chancellor of the Mu City Academy would not dare to speak so highly of himself. Hu Qingsong thought those words were rather arrogant for someone with an unknown background.


    Of course, he could not me Xiao Luo and Ghost since they were still very young and probably inexperienced. It was typical for youngsters of that age to feel invincible when they possessed some skills.


    Sternly, Hu Qingsong asked, ¡°Must you guys go to Baiyue nation?¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded and answered, ¡°Yes, we do.¡±


    ¡°Then let us hurry to the academy. We should capitalize on this opportunity before the news of the fight gets back to the academy. Use the teleportation portal and leave here right now. Let us go, and we have to be quick. You guys won¡¯t be able to leave if we dy!¡± Hu Qingsong led the way as he ran toward the Mu City Academy.


    ¡°Brother Xiao and Miss Ghost, listen to Mentor Hu¡¯s advice. Let us go,¡± Luo Jinshi said as he hurried them.


    Ghost was feeling puzzled and asked, ¡°Handsome Luoluo, was my exnation difficult to understand?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his brows and shrugged. Then he immediately followed Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Better to be safe than sorry. Goddamn rascal, don¡¯t let history repeat itself,¡± whispered Duck Emperor. He reminded Xiao Luo, feeling ovee by a sense of trepidation.


    ¡°Do not worry.¡±


    Xiao Luo answered as he did not intend tomit the same mistake twice.


    ******


    ******


    After half an hour, they have finally arrived at the Mu City Academy.


    The academy was extraordinarily vast, and it was in the center of Mu City. It upied one-tenth of Mu City¡¯s totalnd area. The gate to the academy was in and unadorned. The green stairs showed vicissitudes of age, and a holy aura enshrouded the entire academy. It was indeed an institution with thousands of years of history.


    There were countless pavilions and towers in the academy, clearkes with aqua-blue water, and spacious training grounds.


    Xiao Luo felt as if he had returned to his college in the Original World. However, the academy in Mu City was more expansive than any of the colleges he attended in the Original World. There were students in uniform everywhere, and some ordinary folks of Mu City mingled among them. Those were the people who wanted to use the teleportation portal, just like Xiao Luo.


    The teleportation portal was on a squarish empty field on the west side of the academy. Many people who desired to use it were waiting outside while a few Elders and Senior Mentors were charging the portal.


    ¡°Oh no, the teleportation portal just ran out of energy. It needs a recharge of True Inner Force!¡±


    Luo Jinshi looked troubled and said, ¡°What a terrible coincidence. What should we do now?¡±


    As he spoke, he looked over to his mentor, Hu Qingsong, hoping that he coulde up with some countermeasure.


    Hu Qingsong heaved a long sigh again and replied, ¡°It is heaven¡¯s will. It is all heaven¡¯s will. How could heaven be siding with terrible people like Zheng Feihan?¡±

 Chapter 792 - Encourage

    <h2>Chapter 792: Encourage</h2>


    ¡°How long does it take to recharge the portal fully?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    ¡°At least one full day.¡±


    Hu Qingsong exhaled with a worried look. One full day was enough for Elder Zheng to react.


    ¡°Mentor Hu, what should we do? Should we hide Brother Xiao and Miss Ghost?¡¯


    Luo Jinshi suggested after some thought. ¡°Why don¡¯t we book an inn outside the academy for them? Let us wait for the teleportation portal toplete recharging and see if we can sneak them in through the crowd, avoiding Elder Zheng¡¯s informants.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that is our only option now. However, we cannot book the inn within the city. Once the news of Zheng Feihan¡¯s injury gets to Elder Zheng, he would send many students tob through the city streets. It would not be a good idea to stay in any of the inns in town,¡± Hu Qingsong said with a frown.


    ¡°So, what are you saying?¡± Luo Jinshi asked, slightly puzzled.


    ¡°The most dangerous ce is the safest ce. Go get two sets of student uniforms,¡± Hu Qingsong said.


    Luo Jinshi suddenly got it and eximed, ¡°I knew it! You are disguising them as the academy¡¯s students. There are tens of thousands of students in Mu City Academy. It would be the safest to hide them among the students. I¡¯ll get the sets of student uniforms immediately.¡±


    He ran off when he finished speaking.


    ¡°We just have to wait here,¡± Hu Qingsong told Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded and turned to look at the teleportation portal on the field. It seemed heaven had again yed a prank on him, making him run into so much trouble.


    It did not take too long for Luo Jinshi to return with the student uniforms.


    After changing into the uniforms, both Xiao Luo and Ghost toured around the academy. ording to Hu Qingsong, once Elder Zheng received the news, he would send many people to search for them. Since they would not find them outside, they would turn to Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi to question their whereabouts. Hence, they should not be together for the moment.


    ¡°Handsome Luoluo, they are such good people. They barely know us but have tried so hard to help us,¡± Ghost said. She was strolling beside Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo raised his brows. Then he replied, ¡°They are indeed good people.¡±


    It did not matter if Luo Jinshi and Hu Qingsong helped them or not. But it was an undeniable fact that these men offered their help wholeheartedly, anyway.


    ¡°Good people don¡¯t live long in this era. One has to be an absolute jerk to live long!¡± The duck emperor suddenly remarked.


    ¡°Is there such a saying? Is Lil¡¯ ducky making it up?¡± asked Ghost, unconvinced of the saying.


    ¡°Making it up? I will be overjoyed if I could make up such a philosophical statement. Ask this goddamn rascal if what I said is true,¡± Duck Emperor answered.


    Although he would like to refute it, Xiao Luo could not disagree with themon saying in his Original World. So, he nodded to acknowledge it.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I shall not be a good person. I will be a jerk, hehe¡­¡± Ghost said, giggling.


    ¡°A jerk is a bad person, little girl. You are far from being that,¡± Duck Emperor corrected her.


    ¡°Then, what should I do to be a bad person?¡± Ghost asked.


    Duck Emperor coughed and flew to her shoulder. He said sternly, ¡°First, you gotta do something bad!¡±


    ¡°Something bad?¡±


    ¡°That is right. A bad person would, of course, do bad things.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. What bad things should I do?¡± Ghost was eager to try.


    Duck Emperor thought for a moment before looking around. He turned to her excitedly and said, ¡°Do you see the trash can over there?¡±


    Ghost nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Walk over there, kick it over with one foot, and let the trash spill all over the floor. That¡¯s a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Is it that simple?¡± Ghost asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple,¡± Duck Emperor replied and nodded like a noble.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to,¡± Ghost said.


    When he heard that, Duck Emperor almost fell to the ground in disappointment. He had been patiently encouraging her for so long, yet ended up being rejected.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I can smell the stench from here. I don¡¯t want to dirty my feet.¡±


    Ghost pouted and said, ¡°Something else.¡±


    ¡°Another task?¡±


    Duck Emperor stroked his chin and pondered. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. ¡°Do you see thetrine over there?¡±


    ¡°I see it. I see it.¡± Ghost became excited again.


    ¡°Pick up a rock and hide by the side. When you see someone poop in it, throw the rock into thetrine. Hehehe¡­ the wastewater will ssh all over his butt. Just thinking about that scene makes me excited.¡± The Duck Emperor cackled like a demon. He was instigating others to do bad deeds and revealed a sly smile.


    Ghost listened attentively at first, but she soon frowned. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± The emperor responded in English.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Ghost asked, a little confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s truly sad to be uneducated. I¡¯m merely asking you why,¡± Emperor Duck responded, feeling superior because of his knowledge of the Englishnguage.


    ¡°Because it stinks worse than kicking a trash can,¡± Ghost said.


    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re truly hard to please. I¡¯ll give you another idea.¡± Duck Emperor stroked its chin and pondered carefully once more.


    Thud!


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo gave the duck a knock on his head.


    Duck Emperor saw stars, and his thoughts were interrupted. He covered his head and red at Xiao Luo angrily. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Are you done yet? Don¡¯t you know how to teach people to be kind?¡± Xiao Luo asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°It was the little girl who said that she wanted to do something bad. What has it got to do with me?¡± The Duck Emperor quibbled.


    ¡°I just want to beat you up. Any questions?¡± Xiao Luo said.


    The sentence left Duck Emperor at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t win against Xiao Luo in a fight, and he couldn¡¯t win in an argument either. He tried to reason, but Xiao Luo was only willing to use force to solve problems. So should he confront Xiao Luo? Errm¡­ forget it.


    ¡°Hey, which department are you guys from? Why are you wandering around here?¡±


    A loud and clear voice suddenly echoed across to them. Xiao Luo and Ghost turned to look and saw a group of Mu City Academy students, and the one who shouted was among them.


    ¡°We are from the Publicity Department,¡± Xiao Luo responded with the primer that Hu Qingsong had prepared for him in advance.


    ¡°Since you are from the Publicity Department, stop wasting time. Quickly inform everyone to report to Elder Zheng.¡±


    With that, the group of people hurried past them.


    ¡°D*mn it, looks like the news has circted. That Elder Zheng is gathering everyone to search for us, even if they have to dig three feet underground,¡± Duck Emperormented as he stared at the departing backs of the students.


    ¡°I¡¯m thrilled about it. It is as much fun as ying hide-and-seek with Louis and the others when I was a kid,¡± Ghost said excitedly.


    Xiao Luo was speechless for a moment. Then he scanned his surroundings and spotted a mountain. On it, he saw a forest and realized it would be good to hide there while the entire academy was on the alert.


    Xiao Luo pointed at the mountain. ¡°Let¡¯s go there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. If we hide there, they definitely won¡¯t be able to find us.¡± Ghost¡¯s almond eyes glowed as she chuckled.


    ¡°Little girl, you have a big heart,¡± the Duck Emperor said as he put his hand to his forehead.

 Chapter 793 - Paraded Out

    <h2>Chapter 793: Paraded Out</h2>


    Xiao Luo led Ghost and the Duck Emperor onto a deserted mountain. He looked around. Though it was a dense forest, he noticed many trails created by frequent foot traffic.


    If Xiao Luo had not seen the ancient architecture outside but only saw the forest, he would have thought it was the mountain behind his university. Both ces had a lot inmon¡ªthe quietness and the sound of tweeting birds. He used to spend a lot of time with Zhao Mengqi strolling on that mountain when they were in love until they saw a used condom there. Ever since then, they had never gone back there again. The condom seemed to create a psychological barrier for them.


    Rumor had it on the Inte that mountains behind many universities were great ces for sex. He had never expected it to be urate and that their university was one of those universities.


    While he was deep in thought, something which was happening on the trail rendered him speechless.


    He heard a woman moaning. She was trying to keep her voice down. He had sex with Su Li a few times, so he certainly could tell it was a woman moaning while having sex. He looked in the direction where the noise came from and vaguely saw a naked couple in the forest. With the ground being their bed and the sky being their nket, they were having intense sex.


    The man was on top of the woman. He seemed to be quite a performer. His every hump made the woman underneath him moan lustily.


    ¡°What noise is that?¡±


    As a member of the Sucking Blood n, Ghost¡¯s five senses were very acute. She certainly could hear what Xiao Luo was hearing. Just like Xiao Luo, she also saw the couple about sixty miles away. Blinking, she asked curiously, ¡°Gee, handsome Luoluo, what are they doing? Fighting? But why are they fighting naked?¡±


    Fighting?


    Xiao Luo almost choked.


    ¡°A fight? Where? Where?¡± The Duck Emperor was very excited.


    ¡°There. Do you not see those two?¡± Ghost pointed at the couple.


    The Duck Emperor looked in the direction in which she pointed. Then he said earnestly, ¡°Silly girl, you are so ignorant. They are not fighting. They are doing the most beautiful thing in the world.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, ahem¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo coughed and gave Duck Emperor a stare as a warning for him to hold his tongue. If he influenced Ghost in an unsavory manner, he would not let him off easily.


    However, Ghost did not know what he was talking about at all. ¡°But the most beautiful thing in the world is to have an endless supply of delicious food, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is because you have never done this before. That is why you think the most beautiful thing in the world is to have endless delicious food. Once you have done this, you will change your mind,¡± continued the duck. He ignored Xiao Luo¡¯s warning look and went on misleading Ghost.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ghost asked doubtfully.


    ¡°Of course. Try it with this god damned jerk if you do not believe me. Then you tell me whether it is true,¡± said Duck Emperor while he nced at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s a great idea.¡±


    The suggestion thrilled Ghost. She could hardly wait. Going up to Xiao Luo, she said, ¡°Handsome Luoluo, let us do it, shall we?¡±


    Xiao Luo gave her a knock on her head. Covering her head with her hands, she pouted and looked at Xiao Luo with a pitiful face. ¡°That hurts,¡± she said.


    Xiao Luo scolded her, ¡°Great idea, my foot. You know nothing. The damn duck is talking nonsense. Do not believe him!¡±


    Then, he reached out to grasp Duck Emperor¡¯s neck and threw him toward a tree.


    WHOOSH!


    The Duck Emperor hit the tree hard, like a small cannonball. ¡°Quack!¡± He let out a painful scream and slid to the ground feebly, like a pile of mud.


    ¡°He is killing me¡­ He is killing a poor duck¡­¡±


    The Duck Emperor screamed as loudly as he could after falling to the ground.


    Xiao Luo went toward the mountain peak, paying no attention to him.


    Ghost was much nicer. She walked over, picked up Duck Emperor, and put him into her pocket. ¡°Duckling? Did you lie to me? If not, why would handsome Luoluo be so angry?¡±


    ¡°Girl, kings, and bears often worry their keepers. Have you ever heard this saying? That god damned jerk is the king, while we are his keepers. We have to be careful about everything we say and everything we do. Otherwise, we could lose our lives to the king.¡± The Duck Emperor tried to ally with Ghost. He figured it would be safer that way.


    ¡°Nonsense. Handsome Luoluo is adorable. He would never harm us,¡± Ghost replied in disagreement.


    ¡°Adorable?¡±


    The Duck Emperor said with a bitter smile. He added, ¡°It is because you have never seen his brutal side. He is an absolute devil when he kills.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure handsome Luoluo would kill no one unless those people went too far. And he would only kill scoundrels,¡± argued Ghost.


    The Duck Emperor gave it a thought. Things were like what the girl said indeed. She was right that Xiao Luo only killed those scoundrels because they went too far.


    ¡°What are you doing there? Follow me.¡±


    At that moment, Xiao Luo stopped and turned around to shout at them.


    ¡°Coming.¡± Ghost hurried to pick up her pace.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The couple was halfway up the peak. The mountain was not high, only about 1200 feet. But it was high enough for Xiao Luo to observe the Mu City Academy.


    ¡°It seems all disciples of the academy are heading toward the teleportation portal,¡± murmured Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Yeah. The students look like an enormous group of ants,¡± Ghost echoed.


    Xiao Luo frowned because he could see what was happening on the field where the teleportation portal was.


    [On the field where the teleportation portal was located]


    They tied Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi up on two crosses, and they could not move at all. Their faces were pale, and there was blood at the corners of their mouths. They had internal injuries, which was why they were too weak to fight back.


    An elderly grey-robed man was standing in front of them with his hands behind his back. With a head of white hair and a white beard, he had an intimidating look. He was the Elder Zheng from the Mu City Academy.


    Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin were standing on both his left and right side, assisted by others. They were staring at Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi with clenched teeth.


    Around them were the thousands of disciples of the Mu City Academy. They were discussing in low voices with different expressions on their faces.


    ¡°What happened? Hu Qingsong injured Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin. Elder Zheng tied them up to parade them out here.¡±


    ¡°No, that is not what happened. Hu Qingsong is a useless supervisor. Even if he had ten guts, he would not have the nerve to hurt Zheng Feihan. Besides, he is not even strong enough to defeat Chen Junbin.¡±


    ¡°So, why did Elder Zheng tie them up?¡±


    ¡°It was a man and a woman who injured Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin. And the man and woman are close to Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi. We searched the entire city but did not find them. Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi must have hidden them somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I see. This useless supervisor is a troublemaker!¡±


    ¡°He offended Elder Zheng. Elder Zheng will make him suffer a lot.¡±


    ¡°By the way, did the dean and other Elders have anything to say about this?¡±


    ¡°What could they say? Elder Zheng is the one who has a say in the academy. The dean is his apprentice Younger Brother, who tolerates him excessively. As for the other Elders, they know Elder Zheng¡¯s temper. Who would interfere in this? Anyway, Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi could have stayed quietly in the academy, but they had to offend an Elder. Of all people, it was Elder Zheng whom they pissed off. They cannot me anyone for what they are going through.¡±

 Chapter 794 - A Tragic

    <h2>Chapter 794: A Tragic</h2>


    ¡°Tell me. Where are those two people now?¡±


    Elder Zheng was grim-faced, staring coldly at Hu Qingsong as if he was interrogating a prisoner.


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    Hu Qingsong said, shaking his head. ¡°I only met them by chance. They are not even my friends, so how would I know where they went?¡± he added.


    ¡°You do not know?¡±


    A cruel look shed across Elder Zheng¡¯s face. Ominously, Inner True Force burst from his palms, forming a long whip of shimmering energy, and heshed Hu Qingsong mercilessly.


    THWACK!


    Hu Qingsong wailed in agony as the energy-charged whip ripped across his chest, leaving a longsh mark that looked like a knife had sliced through his flesh. The wound started bleeding profusely, and in excruciating pain, Hu Qingsong groaned loudly again.


    ¡°Supervisor Hu!¡±


    Watching his supervisor being tortured while he helplessly watched without being able to could do anything made Luo Jinshi feel anguished.


    ¡°Do not worry. I am okay,¡± Hu Qingsong said as he smiled weakly at him.


    Wearing a nasty scowl on his face, Elder Zheng asked again, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    He sounded stern and impatient.


    Hu Qingsong looked at him impassively, then shook his head again, and said, ¡°I do not know where they are. I have already said that we only met¡­¡±


    THWACK!


    Elder Zheng whipped Hu Qingsong again before thetter could finish his sentence. The sound of the whip touching his body was horrific enough to freeze anyone¡¯s blood.


    ¡°ARGHH!¡±


    Hu Qingsong cried out loudly. Another vividsh mark appeared on his body, and this time the wound was so deep that it exposed his bones.


    Elder Zheng¡¯s eyes glowered viciously, and he looked as if he wanted to kill Hu Qingsong. ¡°This is thest time I am asking you. Where the hell are they?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ no¡­ idea,¡± Hu Qingsong said with great effort.


    Elder Zheng narrowed his eyes, and he was exceedingly angry. ¡°Very well¡­ Very well¡­ Very well¡±


    He repeated those words slowly in a cruel and sinister tone. Then, heshed his whip at Hu Qingsong repeatedly, brutally ripping into the sh of the man tied-up. The skin broke open at each strike and his body covered him with blood, and it was a disturbing and frightful sight.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    The disciples of the Mu City Academy watching the punishment could not help but gasp. They felt sorry for Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Elder Zheng is cruel indeed. Is he going to beat Hu Qingsong to death?¡±


    ¡°Hush. Be careful. Don¡¯t cause any trouble for yourself.¡±


    ¡°You are ignorant. Elder Zheng is a powerful person. His reaction is normal and understandable. Think about it. Would he still be respected if he did not act after his rtive was assaulted? We would deem him a coward!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Elder Zheng is a dependable person. Besides, Hu Qingsong is useless and his life is worthless. I could not care even if he dies. The academy can even save more food.¡±


    ¡°I am with Elder Zheng!¡±


    Most disciples chose the side of Elder Zheng as he was an influential personality in the academy.


    The other supervisors were standing in the outer circle. They felt upset watching Elder Zheng punish their fellow supervisor so brutally, even though they looked down on Hu Qingsong for being the only one at the Martial Spirit level.


    ¡°Stop beating him. Please stop. Stop it now!¡±


    Luo Jinshi cried, pleading with Elder Zheng, but it was pointless. Elder Zheng continued whipping Hu Qingsong, ignoring the heart-wrenching pleas of Luo Jinshi.


    Hu Qingsong was his supervisor and the man who taught him cultivation step by step. Seeing his supervisor so severely tortured, Lin Jinshi felt deep anguish, and it was as if Elder Zheng was whipping him instead of Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Stop! I will tell you where those people are. Stop beating Supervisor Hu, please, please¡­¡± Luo Jinshi cried out, almost on the verge of a breakdown. He kept begging Elder Zheng, with tears streaming down his face endlessly.


    Only then did Elder Zheng stop the whipping. Luo Jinshi¡¯s words got his attention, and he red at the pleading man. In an emotionless voice, he shouted, ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°They¡­ they are¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Covered with blood, Hu Qingsong roared at Luo Jinshi and cut him off. His eyes looked like they belonged to a bloodthirsty beast. ¡°If you dare tell him their whereabouts, you will no longer be my apprentice!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi was in a dilemma. He knew Hu Qingsong meant it. If he disclosed the whereabouts of Xiao Luo and Ghost, Hu Qingsong would never forgive him.


    ¡°Stubborn!¡±


    Elder Zheng snorted coldly. He flung his whip at Hu Qingsong once again.


    THWACK!


    The whip shed Hu Qingsong across his face that time. A frightful wound instantly appeared on his left cheek, and blood flowed out of his nose and mouth.


    ¡°Hahaha, haha¡­ haha, haha¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong suddenly burst outughing. There was no more fear in his eyes. Instead, he looked dauntless as he looked directly into Elder Zheng¡¯s eyes.


    What was going on?


    Had the beating driven Hu Qingsong mad?


    His strange behavior puzzled the disciples.


    Hu Qingsong berated Elder Zheng in a provoking voice. ¡°Zheng Haishi, go on¡­ Beat me. Why did you stop? You act like a tyrant in the academy and the entire Mu City. You have the final say on everything. Everyone has to follow your orders. So what? The entire world may fear you, but I, Hu Qingsong, do not!¡±


    In my eyes, you are just an old dirty swine who kills people at your whim and fancy. You have done so much evil. Everyone in the academy has followed your lead and taken to abusing their powers and bullying others. And all this started from you. It is you who turned the Mu City Academy into an evil force, and you are the biggest sinner in the Mu City. The heavens should punish you!¡±


    Laughing insanely with his teeth all covered with blood, he looked as hideous as an evil ghost. Suddenly, Hu Qingsong became a different person.


    ¡°He is crazy. Hu Qingsong has gone crazy!¡±


    ¡°He is irritating Elder Zheng intentionally so that Elder Zheng will vent his anger on him. He is trying to divert Elder Zheng¡¯s attention from the two who injured Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin.¡±


    ¡°Elder Zheng would forgive him if Hu Qingsong just told him the whereabouts of those two. But now, it is hard to say¡­ Elder Zheng is famous for his cruelty.¡±


    The disciples were talking among themselves in low voices, whispering to each other.


    Elder Zheng twitched one corner of his mouth. He gave Hu Qingsong a long, hard stare.


    Hu Qingsong ignored him. Instead, he addressed the thousands of disciples who were there. ¡°Disciples of the Mu City Academy, you had to go through many rounds of strict selections before you got admitted by the academy. But before that, you were also sons and daughters of themon folk living in the Mu City. All of you have noble ambitions, determined to make contributions to Mu City. Don¡¯t you wish to benefit themon folk?¡±


    Many of you took an oath led by the Dean at the square. You vowed to make it your mission to protect the lives and properties of the people. But look at how things are being run in the academy now. When we walk down the streets, the folks are avoiding us as if we have the gue. They have fear in their eyes. Perhaps in their eyes, the members of the Mu City Academy are robbers, not their protectors.¡±


    Have you ever thought about the reason for this? Ask yourselves¡ªdo you still hold fast to your initial aspirations? Or have you deviated so far from it you have forgotten why you took the oath in the first ce? Dear disciples, this is a wake-up call. Look at Mu City¡ªit is already devastated. Look at how this evil attitude is gnawing away at our morals at Mu City Academy. Stop being so foolish. Wake up to fight against those vile practices and repel these hateful evil forces!¡±

 Chapter 795 - He Is Not a Crap

    <h2>Chapter 795: He Is Not a Crap</h2>


    It was a stirring speech, and it touched the hearts of many who were listening. Every sentence Hu Qingsong delivered was brilliant, and his words influenced many of the disciples. It made them recall the day they took their oaths. They thought about what they had done and realized the difference between what they vowed and how they had conducted themselves.


    THWACK!


    Elder Zhengshed at Hu Qingsong again, and the crack of the whip made everyone flinch. Blood flowed down Hu Qingsong¡¯s forehead as Elder Zheng snarled, ¡°So, are you the only person with good morals? Are the rest of us corrupted? Who do you think you are? An envoy of the Light n? The embodiment of justice? Who gave you the authority to stand on such high moral ground and criticize the disciples of the academy? Do they need your criticism? You are so full of yourself!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a crappy supervisor like you has no right to makements about us!¡± Zheng Feihan pitched in as if he was defending justice.


    ¡°Even I can defeat you. What kind of supervisor are you? You are even worse than trash,¡± said Chen Junbin scornfully, with his arms folded across his chest.


    Following their lead, other disciples also joined the chorus of those who were condemning Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°The most pathetic people are those who do not know who they are. You, Hu Qingsong, are one of them.¡±


    ¡°You do not even know who you are. How dare you lecture others so arrogantly here? What a moron!¡±


    ¡°Moron? Please do not humiliate morons. Conman is the best word for a person like him.¡±


    ¡°That is right. As a supervisor, you have not moved further up from the level of Martial Spirit, and you have only one apprentice. If I were you, I would have killed myself. I would not have the cheek to stay in the academy and live on the sry it pays you.¡±


    ¡°A crappy supervisor with an equally crappy disciple!


    Although many disciples found Hu Qingsong reasonable, they could note to terms with his views. Instead, they med Hu Qingsong for humiliating them publicly and roundly condemned him. Suddenly, the tables turned, and Hu Qingsong became the target for everyone.


    ¡°Hu Qingsong, get out of the Mu City Academy!¡±


    Some disciples shouted at him, and then many others followed suit. Their voices were making so much of amotion¡ªit sounded like the rising and falling of crashing waves.


    Watching their indignant faces and hearing them shouting they wanted him out of the academy, Hu Qingsong felt bitter and disheartened. It made sense that no amount of noise would wake a person pretending to be asleep. No matter how sincere his speech was and how much truth there was in what he said, it proved useless.


    ¡°Hu Qingsong, listen to what people think about you. Even if I beat you to death, they will only apud and cheer,¡± said Elder Zheng in a spiteful voice.


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s spirit copsed. He lost the resolve that had been propping him up and suddenly burst outughing like a madman. There were tears in his eyes. Like a wild beast, he stared into Elder Zheng¡¯s eyes. In outrage, he cursed, ¡°Zheng Haishi, you son of a b*tch. You are a dreg of the academy. You will eventually destroy the academy. And I will wait to see the Holy Land of the Light n send their people here to eradicate the dark forces led by you. I will wait to see you decapitated.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    Elder Zheng flew off the handle. Heshed his whip at Hu Qingsong violently.


    THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!


    The rack of the whip kept going like firecrackers. Every blow left a deep wound across Hu Qingsong¡¯s body that was so deep, his bones were exposed.


    ¡°Stop! Stop beating him. Please stop. Stop beating Supervisor Hu!¡±


    Luo Jinshi begged with cries and screams. He knew if Elder Zheng did not stop, Hu Qingsong would die.


    However, Hu Qingsong had riled up Elder Zheng, who vented his anger at not finding Xiao Luo and Ghost on Hu Qingsong. He wanted to whip Hu Qingsong to death, onesh after another, without showing him any mercy. It was the only thing he wanted to do.


    ¡°Hold on! Stop beating him!¡±


    At that moment, a woman rushed through the crowd and kneeled in front of Elder Zheng. She begged, ¡°Elder Zheng, please let Qingsong go!¡±


    ¡°Gee, it is Supervisor Ai Linda!¡±


    ¡°Why is she speaking up for Hu Qingsong?¡±


    ¡°What reason could there be? There is a rumor that something is going on between the two of them. It seems it is not just a rumor then.¡±


    The disciples began talking about them.


    ¡°Ai Linda, get out of the way!¡± Elder Zheng yelled at her harshly.


    Ai Linda shook her head and pleaded, ¡°Elder Zheng, please forgive him this time. He must be drunk. That is why he has been talking nonsense.¡± She turned to look at Hu Qingsong who was so severely wounded he was barely alive. ¡°Qingsong, apologize to Elder Zheng now!¡± she said to him.


    Apologize?


    Hu Qingsongughed hysterically. His mouth was so full of blood that they could barely see his teeth. ¡°Everything I have said is true. Zheng Haishi is a leader of scoundrels. He is cancerous to Mu City. As long as he is here, there will never be peace in Mu City.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ai Linda did not know what to say. Was he determined to die? Why was he so stubborn?


    She turned around to beg Elder Zheng. ¡°Elder Zheng, my father is your Apprentice Brother. You are my Apprentice Uncle. Apprentice Uncle Zheng, please spare his life for my sake.¡±


    ¡°You stay out of this. Otherwise, I will beat you up too!¡± said Elder Zheng furiously.


    ¡°Supervisor Ai Linda, you better stay out of this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you are speaking for a crap. It is not worth it.¡±


    ¡°Hu Qingsong is crap. Supervisor Ai Linda, even if you wanted a boyfriend, why go for such trash?¡±


    The disciples who surrounded her spoke out, one after another. Ai Linda was also a Martial Spirit, but they were usually respectful because she was the Dean¡¯s daughter, if nothing else.


    ¡°He is not crap!¡±


    Ai Linda screamed, getting to her feet like an enraged leopardess. She looked at Hu Qingsong with tenderness and said, ¡°He could have be a Martial Lord. But many years ago, he fell from a cliff to save me, and it damaged his Dantian. It is why, in the past ten-odd years, he could not elevate his level. But he is talented. Even though he had damaged his Dantian, he still broke through to the middle stage of Martial Spirit. Let me ask all of you one thing. How many of you would be able to improve your level when your Dantian cannot umte the True Inner Force?¡±


    What?


    He damaged his Dantian, and he could not save the True Inner Force?


    Despite that, Hu Qingsong could still break through to the middle stage of Martial Spirit from the beginner stage!


    The disciples were all shocked when they heard that. The entire world knew Dantian was most crucial to a cultivator. It was the basic premise of cultivation. Once a person has damaged his Dantian, it would not be possible for him to save the True Inner Force. The person would stay as an average person for his entire life. But Hu Qingsong achieved such a respectable breakthrough under such circumstances. How was that possible?


    Instantly, the news made Hu Qingsong an exceptional martial artist.


    Elder Zheng was also struck dumb. He did not know about the incident. He knew for sure that Ai Linda would not lie, and she did not need to lie. Otherwise, she would make Hu Qingsong a biggerughingstock.

 Chapter 796 - Stand Out

    <h2>Chapter 796: Stand Out</h2>


    Everyone was still recovering from the shock that Hu Qingsong could improve his strength even when he had damaged Dantian. Meanwhile, a man and a young woman in student uniforms walked out of the crowd. They headed slowly toward Hu Qingsong.


    The man had a fair-skinned face, deep-set dark eyes, and a high nose bridge. He was handsome, but his demeanor was so intimidating that no one dared to approach him. The young teenage girl was holding a small red umbre. The skin of her hands was as smooth as jade. Her almond-shaped eyes were as bright as stars. Her slightly turned-up nose sets nicely on her pretty heart-shaped face. She was slim, delicate, and she looked otherworldly.


    The man and woman calmly walked up to Hu Qingsong as if no one was around.


    Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin¡¯s pupils widened in fear when they saw the two faces looking at Hu Qingsong. Exchanging a look, they shouted in unison, ¡°It is them. They are the ones who beat us up!¡±


    What?¡¯


    So it turned out to be these two people?


    The surrounding students were all stunned. They had searched all over the city but had not been able to find them, so they did not expect these two toe knocking on their door. They were even wearing student uniforms of the academy, indicating that they had been hiding there. No wonder they could not find them, no matter how hard they searched.


    Elder Zheng narrowed his eyes. His malevolent eyes were filled with wrath as they fell on Xiao Luo and Ghost.


    Hu Qingsong looked at the two people standing in front of him in astonishment andughed wryly. ¡°You guys¡­ What are you up to now?¡±


    There was deep anxiety in his voice. It was nothing short of suicide for them to reveal themselves. Zheng Haishi was in a rage and he did not know what terrible thing he would do next.


    ¡°Brother Xiao, Miss Ghost¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi¡¯s eyes widened in confusion.


    Xiao Luo nced at Ghost, who was standing next to him. ¡°She said she wanted to save you!¡±


    Xiao Luo was not from this world and was only here for the matter pertaining to the Light n. He avoided many things and did not choose to get involved unless absolutely necessary. But in the end, he couldn¡¯t endure the pleading of Ghost, and they came out of hiding.


    Ghost nodded her head like a chick pecking rice. Her almond-shaped eyes stared at Hu Qingsong¡¯s blood-covered body as it swallowed its saliva involuntarily.


    ¡°Save us?¡±


    Hu Qingsong smiled bitterly. ¡°There are 25 elders in the Mu City Academy. Every elder has the cultivation of a Martial Lord. Including the dean, there are a total of 26 Martial Lords and over 200 instructors at the level of Martial Spirits and Martial Lords. How are you going to save us? I was willing to die rather than tell them your whereabouts, but youe out on your own. This¡­ ahh.¡±


    At the end of his sentence, he swallowed his words and heaved a sigh. They had voluntarily walked into the jaws of death. How could he save them now?


    ¡°Hu Qingsong, Xiao Luo is more powerful than you think. You will be fine. I will let you down now!¡± Ghost shook her head and suppressed her bloodthirsty nature. Then, she went forward to untie Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi.


    No one tried to stop them, and no one said anything. It was as if Hu Qingsong and Luo Jinshi were no longer important. What mattered now was Xiao Luo and Ghost.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong coughed and fell to the ground.


    However, Ghost immediately helped him up. Seeing this, Alinda quickly ran up and took over the spirit¡¯s position to support Hu Qingsong, and asked, ¡°Are you the ones who thrashed Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They were despicable and deserve to be beaten!¡± Ghost admitted generously.


    When she determined it was them, hostility emerged in Ai Linda¡¯s eyes. ¡°Idiot, you don¡¯t even know that you¡¯vemitted a serious crime and almost caused Qingsong to lose his life. How can you still be so calm?¡±


    The ghost gave her a puzzled look and stared at her.


    ¡°Ai Linda, this has nothing to do with them. It was all caused by Zheng Haishi, who was rude and unreasonable. They were just unwilling to give in to the abuse of Zheng Haishi¡¯s subordinates. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    Hu Qingsong stared at Elder Zheng with hatred as he spoke. He initially acted in self-preservation and did not want to choose any sides. However, Elder Zheng had gone too far. Therefore, the emotions that he had been suppressing erupted like a volcano and he was determined to use his strength to resist Elder Zheng¡¯s power.


    Reckless and unreasonable? Abuse?


    These words made Elder Zheng¡¯s face turn dark with rage. He gritted his teeth as his eyes narrowed eyes with killing intent, and said, ¡°Hu Qingsong, I think you¡¯re tired of living. In that case, I¡¯ll fulfill your wish!¡±


    The whip in Elder Zheng¡¯s hand was suddenly charged with True Inner Force, piercing the air with an energy that made everyone¡¯s scalp tingle. He ruthlesslyshed the whip at Hu Qingsong¡¯s head. , Already injured and covered in blood, Hu Qingsong was in no position to withstand the blow. Likely, even a singlesh would split open Hu Qingsong¡¯s skull, revealing his brain matter.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ai Linda screamed. The whip came down so quickly that she had no time to think and instantly pushed away Hu Qingsong, cing herself in harm¡¯s way. Her pupils dted as she saw the whiping towards her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to rip through her body. She knew she could in no way avoid it.


    However, she waited for a long time for the whip to strike, but the searing pain she expected never came.


    What was going on?


    Could it be that Elder Zheng has shown mercy?


    She carefully opened her eyes, and what she saw stunned her. The whip in Elder Zheng¡¯s hand, rippling with his True Inner Force, was caught by the youth that Qingsong had risked his life to protect. How was this possible?


    It was not only Ai Linda who was shocked but all the surrounding students too. Elder Zheng was a high-level Martial Lord. Even an ordinary whip in Elder Zheng¡¯s hand was devastating, not to mention one condensed with his True Inner Force. Not anyone could face up to his whip, let alone grabbed it with his bare hand.


    Elder Zheng looked at Xiao Luo with an uncertain expression before he sneered, ¡°Brat, you have some skills, indeed!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Xiao Luo let out a disdainful snort. He exerted a bit of strength with his hands, and with a sound like ss shattering, the whip imbued with Elder Zheng¡¯s True Inner Force disintegrated and dissipated into thin air. Elder Zheng felt a powerful force and couldn¡¯t help but stagger back two steps.


    ¡°How did he do that? He just destroyed Elder Zheng¡¯s True Inner Force whip with his bare hand!¡±


    ¡°How is it possible? Who is he?¡±


    ¡°He looks only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, but his attainment is profound and unfathomable.¡±


    ¡°It is no wonder that he defeated Brother Bin. What a man who keeps his own counsel!¡±


    ¡°Elder Zheng underestimated him and even suffered some minor injuries.¡±


    It utterly surprised the disciples who stood watching.


    Hu Qingsong, Luo Jinshi, and Ai Linda looked at Xiao Luo in bewilderment. They could hardly believe Xiao Luo had destroyed Elder Zheng¡¯s whip simply by grasping it with a bare hand.

 Chapter 797 - Try Your Best

    <h2>Chapter 797: Try Your Best</h2>


    Xiao Luo was standing upright like a pine tree. His bangs were flying on his forehead even though there was no wind. He gazed at Elder Zheng indifferently, as if he did not care a fig about the world and everything was within his control. At that moment, the psychological battle between Elder Zheng and Xiao Luo started.


    The surrounding air seemed to be stagnant. The disciples there were all feeling confused.


    Hu Qingsong, Luo Jinshi, and Ai Linda felt somewhat nervous. There was tension, and the energy suggested that a ferocious fight was on the verge of breaking out.


    ¡°You are at a much higher level than a Martial Master¨Cjust what stage are you truly at?¡± Elder Zheng asked as he stared at Xiao Luo like a viper.


    A slight smile lifted a corner of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth, and he replied, ¡°Try me, and you will find out.¡±


    Try him?


    The disciples who heard him could not help but gasp.


    ¡°The guy is too cocky. He¡¯s even egging Elder Zheng to try him out.¡±


    ¡°Elder Zheng is a Martial Emperor at the middle stage. How dare he tell a Martial Emperor to try his attainment? He is too arrogant.¡±


    ¡°It is not arrogance. It is self-conceit. And the chap will pay for it!¡±


    Zheng Feihan took a step forward. Pointing at Xiao Luo, he cursed in anger, ¡°Son of a b*tch. Don¡¯t you dare brag! My grandpa can kill you like killing an ant. Cut the trash talk. You are a dead duck. Scr*w you!¡±


    With his arms crossed on his chest, Chen Junbin said, ¡°It is just a waste of time to speak to a man who is about to die. Look at him. He looks dead already. When he dies, we will take all of his clothes off and hang his body on the city wall to parade him out. Howforting it will be!¡±


    ¡°Mother ducker. Those two b*stards are cruel. God damned jerk, do not be gentle with them,¡± said the Duck Emperor from Ghost¡¯s pocket.


    Xiao Luo threw a nce at Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin. Honestly, he had no desire to deal with those two inept stumblebums at all.


    Suddenly, Elder Zheng made his move.


    ¡°Arrogant jerk, take that!¡±


    Elder Zheng shouted. He thrust his wrinkled right palm out toward Xiao Luo.


    The ferocious power of the palm attack rolled out from his palm like angry waves. It swept over toward Xiao Luo as violently as a hurricane. Inside the raging storm was a screeching dragon created by the True Inner Force and threatening to tear Xiao Luo apart. The ground cracked and dust kicked up into the air as the hurricane moved toward Xiao Luo. The mounting pressure from the force of the storm spread out along its path.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    Hu Qingsong shouted. He did not want to see any innocent person killed in the Mu City Academy. It was thest thing he would like to see. In his eyes, the Mu City Academy was already a cruel tyrant who exercised dictatorship. Themon folk in Mu City had to endure the cruelty and felt hopeless.


    Xiao Luo remained motionless. The True Inner Force inside him reacted instinctively and surged out of his body through thousands of pores. An invisible shield formed around him to protect him.


    BAM!


    The palm strike from Elder Zheng hit the shield directly. The roaring dragon created from the True Inner Force struck the shield with substantial force. However, the dragon instantly disintegrated. The palm force spread all around Xiao Luo. The ground cracked open and copsed. The power was so great that it sent Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin flying. The disciples who watched from afar were forced to retreat another two to three miles.


    With Ghost¡¯s help, Hu Qingsong, Luo Jinshi, and Ai Linda escaped injury. All they felt was a wild wind blowing against them.


    It was not until several secondster that the raging palm force dissipated gradually.


    The crowd anxiously looked at the field. They saw Xiao Luo standing there with his hands behind the back and seemed unhurt. With the calm look on his face, one couldpare him to the God of War.


    How could it be?


    Elder Zheng¡¯s palm force struck him, but he seems fine!


    Everyone was astounded as they could hardly believe what they saw.


    Zheng Feihan and Chen Junbin realized the situation was not favorable for them. After being sent flying by the palm force, they took the chance to retreat to a farther ce. Xiao Luo was a threat to them.


    Elder Zheng turned pale with shock. Although his palm attack was not an all-out attack, he exerted forty to fifty percent of his power. Even a Martial Lord would not survive and would be ripped to shreds from that strike. But the jerk remained unscathed. Could he be a Martial Emperor as well?


    At the thought of the possibility, he trembled. Then he rejected the assumption immediately. ¡°No way. He is too young to be a Martial Emperor. That¡¯s impossible.¡± he mumbled to himself.


    ¡°Try your best. Otherwise, you will die!¡± Xiao Luo said as he looked at him.


    Elder Zheng was at a loss for words. Then his eyes got bloodshot. His wrinkled face looked hateful as his anger rose. ¡°Good, good, good! Jerk, it has been a long time since a person spoke to me like that!¡± He shouted to the disciples there. He yelled, ¡°All of you, retreat fifteen miles. Otherwise, you will be at your own risk.¡±


    Was Elder Zheng going to go all out?


    All of those disciples gasped. An unknown man forced Elder Zheng to go all out. It was unimaginable. They hurried to retreat and did not stop until they went twenty miles away.


    ¡°You better go farther too,¡± said Ghost to Hu Qingsong. Her eyes narrowed as she smiled at him.


    Hu Qingsong knew he had underestimated Xiao Luo. After ncing at Ghost and Xiao Luo in awe, he let Luo Jinshi and Ai Linda help him retreat to the side. He was on edge, feeling extremely anxious.


    ¡°Jerk, if you want to be arrogant, you must have some ability. Are you sure you have it?¡±


    Elder Zheng slowly lifted from the ground and floated in mid-air. As he rose in the air, his energy increased. From the impact of his surging energy, the spiritual energy around him billowed like angry waves of the sea. A menacing tension grew in the area. Everyone on the ground felt extremely tensed with the enormously heavy pressure pushed against their chests.


    Looking up, Xiao Luo squinted at him with an emotionless face. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are talking too much crap?¡±


    The corners of Elder Zheng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Okay, I will show you how dreadful a Martial Emperor¡¯s strength can be. And how ignorant and ridiculous you are!¡±


    Elder Zheng extended his right hand. The spiritual energy surrounding him converged to the center of his palm. Slowly, a translucent white ball formed. The ball kept growing, and its surface buzzed like an electric force field. The air surrounding the ball distorted. A peal of thunder boomed and strong winds swirled as the ball continued to form.


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    Over ten figures showed up on the top floor of the building around the yard. They were the Elders of the academy.


    ¡°Dean, will you not do anything to stop Elder Zheng? Are you not afraid he will tear down the academy?¡± said an Elder indignantly. He was unhappy with Elder Zheng.


    The dean lifted his hand to stop him. ¡°Do not worry. Apprentice Brother Zheng knows what he is doing!¡±


    The Elder was speechless. He murmured, ¡°I am wondering who the dean of the Mu City Academy is. Elder Zheng or yourself, Dean Ai.¡±


    Thement did not irritate the dean at all. ¡°My Apprentice Brother and I are in the same camp. What difference does it make whether he is the dean or I am the dean of the Mu City Academy.¡±

 Chapter 798 - Slashed

    <h2>Chapter 798: shed</h2>


    The air turned frigid, and the pressure increased.


    The crowd stared at Elder Zheng, who was descending with a powerful attack from the air. They waited with a deep sense of trepidation and almost forgot to breathe.


    ¡°Arrogant jerk, go to hell!¡±


    Elder Zheng roared in a terrifying voice before he sent the shimmering sphere filled with his spiritual energy shing toward Xiao Luo, who stood his ground awaiting the attack.


    WHOOSH!


    The powerful sphere of spiritual energy zoomed toward its target like a bolt of light without stirring the air. For the crowd gathered on the ground watching, the strike made their hair stand on ends, as in the next instant, the powerful ball of light struck Xiao Luo.


    KABOOM!


    The explosion was deafening. A destructive wave of energy issued from the st. The sky disappeared from sight as the air swirled violently across the field and cracks suddenly appeared in the ground. Thunders peals apanied the fierce gale that formed and everything around them suddenly to turn gray at that moment.


    The disciples kept retreating further from the scene in abject fear. But the energy unleashed only got stronger, and the winds shrieked like a fierce dragon. The st of rippling energy smashed across the area like tidal waves, wreaking havoc like a hurricane. Everyone was frozen in shock and fear.


    ¡°Is this how destructive a Martial Emperor can be?¡± Hu Qingsong muttered. The corners of his eyes were twitching, and he shivered as he stared at the palm attack.


    ¡°It is such a powerful attack. I am afraid Brother Xiao¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi¡¯s face looked concerned. The attack was so powerful that even the ground had copsed. He was afraid that Xiao Luo could not escape the destructive force.


    Gradually, the destructive energy dissipated. It was not unexpected to find an enormous crater with a diameter of about thirty feet in the ground. All eyes opened wide when the crowd saw the figure still standing in its center. They drew in their breaths and gasped in shock.


    ¡°What? How is it possible?¡±


    ¡°He is still in one piece after taking the dreadful attack from Elder Zheng!¡±


    ¡°Gosh, who on earth is he? At what level is he?¡±


    ¡°It is impossible. How could this have happened?¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ Is this man a monster?¡±


    The crowd was shocked beyond belief.


    ¡°The bastard¡­ what¡­ what is it with him?¡± Zheng Feihan mumbled as he shivered. Like everyone else, he was astonished.


    Chen Junbin could not speak as his body began trembling uncontrobly.


    Hu Qingsong, Luo Jinshi, and Ai Linda were equally shocked. There was indeed a crater in the ground, but in the center where Xiao Luo stood, the earth remained intact. With his hands behind the back, Xiao Luo stood there with Ghost. He looked calm, unhurried, and rxed.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The other Elders of the academy exchanged looks. They saw the surprise in each other¡¯s eyes. Elder Zheng intentionally restricted the range of the explosion to safeguard the academy. But he exerted the strength of Martial Emperor in his strike. However, Xiao Luo was unhurt. How was it possible? They continued to stare at Xiao Luo, who was standing at the center of the crater. They found it hard to reconcile what they saw¡ªthere was something exceptionally odd with Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± shouted Elder Zheng at Xiao Luo as he hovered in the air. His eyes were bulging with exasperation and looked like they were going to explode anytime.


    A smile lifted the corners of Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth. ¡°It does not matter who I am. It is now my turn¡ªit is all that matters now.¡±


    Without warning, he gripped his right hand, and a giant hand appeared from nowhere. It came swatting at Elder Zheng.


    One couldpare the monstrous hand to the hand of Buddha, and Elder Zheng was smacked down to the ground immediately. He fell from the sky like a cannonball and created a big hole where he crashed.


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo recalled what had happened to him in the Danhui Sect, and his instinct to kill showed in his eyes.


    ¡°Now, I want you to die!¡±


    As his voice rang out, Xiao Luo unsheathed his Dragon Saber. With no hesitation, he shed at Elder Zheng as the Martial Emperor was trying to get to his feet in the crater.


    SLASH!


    An almost fifty-foot-long ray of light shot out from the saber with dreadful power, shing brilliantly like a rainbow.


    ¡°This is not good. Come on. We should stop that man!¡±


    Dean Ai shouted out to the other Elders as he dashed out first. The other Elders also reacted quickly. They rushed out as fast as they could, intending to do their best to stop Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo had already sensed their presence earlier on. He snorted as he went through his stroke with greater speed.


    In the crater, Elder Zheng lifted his head. When he saw the brilliant ray of light shing down, he hurriedly exerted all of his True Inner Force to defend himself. However, the previous attack from Xiao Luo had damaged his dantian. It was then that he discovered he could not exert his True Inner Force. He was panic-stricken and desperate.


    ¡°No!¡±


    He howled in anguish, reluctant to ept his fate. Then, the brilliant ray of light from the saberpletely enshrouded him.


    BOOM!


    Strong winds blew, and the skies rumbled with peals of thunders. The ground where Elder Zheng was standing cracked and dust covered the sky. The air crackled with energy, swirling around in a dense cloud. The pressure that built up hindered the Elders and the dean who were trying to reach Elder Zheng. They had to stop a few feet away.


    When the storm had finally stopped, they saw a deep cut on the ground and Elder Zheng was already a heap of body parts.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    Everyone there gasped in horror. No one imagined that Elder Zheng would get killed. He was a Martial Emperor¨Ca genuine Martial Emperor. However, the guy killed him with a single stroke and even cut his dead body into pieces!


    It was unbelievable! Simply uneptable!


    ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    Looking at those body parts, Zheng Feihan shrieked in anguish. Everything seemed unreal to him. His grandpa was dead. But how was it possible? How could it be real?


    Chen Junbin swallowed saliva with much difficulty. He hurriedly walked away from Zheng Feihan to keep his distance from thetter and walked into the crowd and mingled amongst the disciples. They had run into a ruthless person, a cruel person who could even kill a Martial Emperor.


    ¡°Tut, tut, tut. Girl, now you know how cruel this damned jerk is, don¡¯t you?¡± eximed the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°What is wrong with what he has done? I have killed too. Am I also cruel?¡± asked Ghost. It did not seem a problem to her at all. She adored Xiao Luo. In her eyes, everything Xiao Luo did was right.


    Xiao Luo stood rooted as if nailed to the ground like an iron pir. Around him was the overwhelming force of the energy storm. He looked so intimidating andmanding that no one dared to approach him. He was like a sovereign who had descended to the world.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you throwing a fit in the Mu City Academy?¡± scolded Dean Ai in a harsh voice.


    Throw a fit?


    He just killed Elder Zheng. Was that just throwing a fit?


    The other Elders could hardly believe what they had heard.


    ¡°Believe it or not, I did not mean to make any trouble. But the disciples of your academy kept provoking me.¡±


    Xiao Luo extended his arm to the direction where Zheng Feihan stood. Instantly, Feihan was drawn to his hand. Xiao Luo grabbed his neck, suffocating him. His face was flushed, and he struggled but could not get out of Xiao Luo¡¯s firm hold.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let him go!¡± Dean Ai yelled out. He turned pale when he saw Xiao Luo choking Zheng Feihan.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a ruthless smile. He wielded the Dragon Saber and cut off Zheng Feihan¡¯s left arm. Blood spurted. Only then did he let go of Zheng Feihan and threw him aside as if he was trash.


    Zheng Feihan tumbled on the ground, screaming from the excruciating pain.

 Chapter 799 - What

    <h2>Chapter 799: What</h2>


    Recalling what had happened in the Danhui Sect, Xiao Luo decided to deal with those who might threaten his ess to the teleportation portal. He threw an indifferent nce at Zheng Feihan, who was rolling on the ground because of pain, and gave him what looked like a light kick with his right foot. However, Zheng Feihan tumbled a good distance, sliding along the ground and spinning at high speed like a top, leaving a trail of blood in his path. He was motionless when he had finally stopped, and it was so painful he would rather die.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    The people present all gasped. That kick was heartless¡­ and undoubtedly ruthless.


    Xiao Luo did not stop there. He nced over and fixed his eyes on Chen Junbin.


    When Chen Junbin met his eyes, he was so scared that he started to run right away. However, almost instantly, Xiao Luo kicked from where he stood, despite being a distance away, and sent Chen Junbin flying helplessly into the air. He found himself suspended in mid-air, and having nothing to support him, he struggled around fearfully with his limbs waving around like a turtle.


    ¡°Dean! Elders! Help¡­ Help me¡­¡± Chen Junbin shouted at the dean and others on the ground, terrified and asking for their help.


    Dean Ai and other elders closed their fists tightly and clenched their teeth. Staring at Xiao Luo in anger, Dean Ai said, ¡°Young brother, do you n to antagonize the entire Mu City Academy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just eliminating all potential threats in my way.¡±


    Xiao Luo said inly, then added, ¡°If you insist on saying I¡¯m antagonizing the entire Mu City Academy, then I guess I am.¡±


    That calmness and coolness and that understated attitude made everyone swallow saliva spontaneously. They wondered whether this guy had gone crazy.


    Dean Ai flew into a rage. ¡°Who the heck are you? Who sent you here? What forces are behind you?¡±


    ¡°I am just me. No one sent me here. There is no powerful force behind me,¡± said Xiao Luo, smiling coldly.


    As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his w hand into a tight fist. A chilling shriek pierced the air and Chen Junbin exploded into a mist of blood, raining down from the sky. He was dead. Body parts and remnants of his clothes fell to the ground. He died a tragic death.


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    Dean Ai was in a raging fury. And suddenly, a powerful surge of energy sted from his body. His clothes filled out and the ground under him copsed. Heunched a fierce attack against Xiao Luo and struck with his wed hand, lined with sharp fingernails. It looked like a hawk¡¯s w, and he aimed it at Xiao Luo¡¯s heart intending to kill.


    Xiao Luo merely looked at the dry-skinned hand striking his chest andughed mockingly. He clenched his fist and smashed it against Dean Ai¡¯s oing palm with overwhelming force.


    CRACK!


    There was a crisp sound of someone¡¯s bone breaking. Dean Ai turned pale and spit up blood. The ferocious impact sent his body flying, and he hit the ground hard and kept tumbling backward. Not until he had slid about three miles and left a furrow along the ground did he stop.


    It was only a single blow. Yet Xiao Luo pped away the strongest person in the Mu City Academy, a genuine Martial Emperor in his peak as if he was just a fly. It was a shocking scene that dumbfounded everyone.


    ¡°What level is Brother Xiao at?¡±


    Luo Jinshi was a bundle of nerves. Xiao Luo and he were about the same age, but the former¡¯s attainment was profound and unfathomable. What he had done showed he was even above the level of a Martial Emperor.


    Hu Qingsong was staggered and rendered speechless. He had never imagined that a youngster he had run into by chance would have such dreadful attainment. Was it God¡¯s will? Was he sent here by some god to eliminate the dark reign of the Mu City?


    Dean Ai staggered to his feet. He shouted at the elders standing there in shock, ¡°What are you waiting for? Catch him!¡±


    The ten-odd elders finally woke up. All of them exerted themselves and channeled their powerful energies. They leaped into the air and turned into a stream of flowing lights. Bursting with vast energy, they pounced on Xiao Luo. All of them were Martial Emperors. When they advanced together, even space was distorted and everything seemed to slow down.


    Xiao Luo was dauntless and fought back fearlessly. He would not kill all of them, but would only incapacitate them. He sheathed the Dragon Saber and dashed at them with his bare hands.


    Xiao Luo thumped the elder right at the front of the group and sent him flying like a kite on a broken string. He spat out blood as he hit the ground several feet away. Then he pped another elder in a seemingly gentle manner, and that elder¡¯s face swelled, sending his yellowish teeth flying out of his mouth with blood.


    ¡°Come on, Handsome Luoluo. Beat them up. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Ghost, with her small red umbre in hand, cheered for Xiao Luo. She hoped the fight would get more intense.


    A few supervisors of the academy heard her. They had a n instantly, thinking they could subdue her to threaten Xiao Luo. They started right away. Seven or eight supervisors who were Martial Lords approached Ghost in a fan shape.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Ghost sensed their existence, sizing up them with her almond-shaped eyes.


    The seven or eight supervisors did not speak. Instead, they pounced on her.


    ¡°Mother ducker, there are so many of you bullying a little girl. How great you are!¡± shouted the Duck Emperor in a hoarse voice after flying out of Ghost¡¯s pocket.


    Beast demon?


    The seven or eight supervisors were momentarily stunned, hardly able to believe there was an exotic beast in their midst¡ªa beast demon.


    While they were in a stupor, Ghostunched her counterattack. She clenched her fist and punched the face of one supervisor.


    Although she had no traces of the True Inner Force, it was an extremely powerful punch. That supervisor was sent flying to the side as if a violent bull had bumped him. Blood streamed out of his mouth and nose.


    That was¡­


    The other supervisors were dumbfounded as they stared at their colleague screaming in pain a few feet away. They found it incredible.


    ¡°Humph, did you ask my fist for permission before you attacked me? It¡¯s only the size of a bun. Are you afraid of it or not?¡± said Ghost, pouting, after rubbing the tip of her nose.


    Of course, they were not afraid!


    Those supervisors recovered their senses and attacked again.


    There were seven of them, and they were all Martial Lords. They had safety in numbers, and Ghost was soon at a disadvantage. She was losing. In the end, two supervisors twisted her arms behind her and she could no longer move.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Ghost roared. Her eyes turned blue instantly, and the two sharp fangs appeared from her mouth. Her strength soared and powerful energy surged out of her body. It sent the two supervisors who were holding her down flying backward, spitting up blood.


    Sucking¡­ Sucking Blood n?


    Seeing Ghost¡¯s look, the other supervisors all opened their eyes wide and gasped.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Sucking Blood n living in the Dark Forest? Why is she here?¡±


    ¡°Has there been a change? Is the restriction of the sacred ce of the Light n lifted?¡±


    ¡°No wonder she has been holding an umbre during the day. She is afraid of the sunlight.¡±


    The supervisors were looking at Ghost as if she was a monster.


    Ghost reverted to her normal appearance and said, ¡°Yes, I am a member of the Sucking Blood n. So what? Are you unhappy about it? Come and beat me then! It¡¯s easy-peasy for me to destroy minions like you. I can deal with one hundred of you!¡±


    She lifted her chin to the sky as if she had no regard for anyone. Seeing that, the Duck Emperor could not help but taunt her from the air. ¡°Mother ducker, that¡¯s why you¡¯ve been getting along so well with the god damned jerk¡ªyou are both excellent posers!¡±

 Chapter 800 - An Opportunity to Climb Up the Ladder

    <h2>Chapter 800: An Opportunity to Climb Up the Ladder</h2>


    When Ghost was in her element, she could easily match a Martial Lord. However, it was in the daytime and it was sunny. She had to hold her small red umbre all the time, so understandably, itpromised some of her fighting ability. Although she might not lose in a fight facing five supervisors at once, she would not be on top of them, either. But the standoff that resulted was only because of the help she got from the Duck Emperor. Without his intervention, she could have lost.


    On the other side, Xiao Luo soared into the air to attack the elders of the Mu City Academy. He struck them down and they spat out blood as they hit the ground. The ground copsed from the impact and tremendous energy spread outward, wreaking havoc like a violent gale and sending many disciples flying.


    Dust swirled in the air, and the ground and mountains shook. It was a doomsday scenario!


    Everyone was staring at Xiao Luo hovering in the air, ovee with fear and shock. He looked like a heavenly God. The elders of the Mu City Academy fought against him as one, but they still could not equal him. It was unimaginable.


    ¡°You should all take a rest for a little while!¡±


    Xiao Luo spread his arms slowly, breathing in deeply with his eyes closed.


    The spiritual energy from the surrounding air churned madly and appeared as if an overwhelming power pulled it into him. The wind howled and an intimidating pressure spread across the field. He truly looked like a God, and the people felt a powerful impulse to worship him. They just could not help themselves.


    What was he going to do?


    What was he up to?


    The dean and the elders were fearful and in awe of him. With their eyes wide open, they looked up at Xiao Luo in trepidation. They had never run into an opponent like him before¡ªyoung but as powerful as a God. If they had not seen him in person, they would in no way have believed it.


    WHOOSH!


    A st of True Inner Force shot from his head into the sky and exploded into myriad crystal silver kes. As the kes settled on the ground below, covering the whole Mu City Academy. Then an indiscriminate attack started.


    Suddenly, those crystal kes began to attack the disciples nearby. Whoever was hit would fall to the ground badly injured, or spit blood, groaning in pain, or simply passed out.


    Since he had antagonized the Mu City Academy, which controlled the teleportation portal, he had to incapacitate everyone for a while. That was the only way to ensure his safe arrival in the Baiyue Nation.


    POW! POW! POW!


    The elders sustained further injuries and kept spitting up blood. Sitting down cross-legged, they all regted their breath to maintain the stability of the vital parts. Otherwise, they would die.


    That was exactly what Xiao Luo wanted. Hended on the ground slowly andid his eyes on the teleportation portal.


    The portal had been charged with the True Inner Force for some time. It now glowed with energy, which meant it could function again. Xiao Luo walked up to Hu Qingsong. ¡°Do you know how to set the coordinates for the teleportation portal?¡±


    It was a good while before Hu Qingsong came to his senses. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Ai Linda,¡± Hu Qingsong replied and looked at Ai Linda.


    ¡°Set the coordination of the Baiyue Nation,¡± said Xiao Luo inly, looking at Ai Linda. He sounded determined, and it was clear he would not ept any disobedience.


    Ai Linda got to her feet. Staring at Xiao Luo in anger, she said, ¡°You are a devil. I won¡¯t help you even if I die!¡±


    In her eyes, a man who could injure everyone in the Mu City Academy instantly did not differ from the devil.


    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo showed a slight smile. He shed his right hand to her.


    Ai Linda¡¯s pupils slightly shrank. She instantly entered a foggy state of mind. Xiao Luo had hypnotized her.


    ¡°Set the coordination of the Baiyue Nation,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I absolutely won¡¯t¡­ Absolutely won¡¯t help¡­ help you¡­¡± Shaking her head with great effort, Ai Linda was still resisting Xiao Luo¡¯s hypnosis.


    Xiao Luo looked at Hu Qingsong. ¡°It¡¯s not for me. It is for Qingsong. He wants to go away with you.¡±


    He certainly could see Ai Linda was deeply in love with Hu Qingsong. She would not havee forward to speak for him otherwise.


    As expected, when she had heard Hu Qingsong mentioned, and that he was going away with her, Ai Linda stopped resisting immediately.


    ¡°Qingsong, are we going away? Okay. I will help you right now.¡±


    Ai Linda¡¯s eyes were not focusing at all, but she looked she was joyful. She walked toward the teleportation portal and then changed the coordinates.


    It was not asplicated as he imagined. The outer circle of the portal was simr to the coded locks of the Original World. Differentbinations would show when someone rotated the lock. The teleportation portal had three outer circles of the same size. By spinning them, one could get variousbinations of numbers.


    Ai Linda looked happy when shepleted the task quickly and said, ¡°Qingsong, I have changed the coordinates. The portal will now bring us to the Baiyue Nation.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Xiao Luo reached out to touch the center of her forehead lightly with a finger. Then Ai Linda flopped to the ground and passed out.


    Sorcery?


    Did that guy know sorcery?


    The disciples of the Mu City Academy were all stupefied. The sight sent a shiver down their spines.


    The dean and the elders could not help but break out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Ai Linda, Ai Linda¡­¡± Hu Qingsong kept calling Ai Linda by her name, deeply concerned about her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She is fine. She just needs some sleep,¡± said Xiao Luo after turning his head.


    ¡°Thanks¡­ Thank you!¡± Hu Qingsong nodded at him to express his gratitude.


    Xiao Luo certainly knew what Hu Qingsong was thanking him for. ¡°No problem. I was just eliminating my threats.¡± He looked at Ghost, and said, ¡°We are leaving.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ghost joined him quickly, and they entered the teleportation portal together.


    ¡°Mother ducker, wait for me.¡± The Duck Emperor also dashed into the transmitting formation as fast as a flying arrow.


    In this way, the two people and the duck left.


    In the Mu City Academy, everyone was badly injured except for Luo Jinshi. And those injured could not even move at all for the moment.


    ¡°Luo Jinshi, hurry and strike the portal. No matter what attainment that jerk has, he won¡¯t be able to resist the power of space,¡± shouted Dean Ai to Luo Jinshi.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi was in a dilemma. He looked at the dean and then at Hu Qingsong with his brows tightly knitted.


    ¡°Luo Jinshi, what are you waiting for? Do what the dean told you. Strike the teleportation portal.¡±


    ¡°They are now in the space channel. Killing them is as easy as falling off a log. Come on, do it!¡±


    ¡°This is an opportunity for the academy to avenge his insult. As long as you strike the portal, you will be a diamond-level disciple. You will have ess to all cultivation resources and use the Scripture Library all you want. You can read everything in the Scripture Library.¡±


    ¡°As long as you kill them, you will get the credit for it. You will be the center of attention, the role model for all disciples. You will uphold the honor of your family and they will all be proud of you.¡±


    The elders tried to persuade him.


    Luo Jinshi had been on Hu Qingsong¡¯s side resolutely. However, he was tempted by the elders¡¯ offers. He had always been disgusted with Zheng Feihan, but it was out of jealousy, if nothing else. He was jealous of Zheng Feihan because thetter¡¯s grandpa was an elder, and he could have any pretty girl that he wanted. And now, there was an opportunity for him to climb up thedder. He could live like Zheng Feihan if he could seize it.

 Chapter 801 - Kill without showing any mercy

    <h2>Chapter 801: Kill without showing any mercy</h2>


    ¡°Luo Jinshi, not everyone is going to get an opportunity like this. This opportunity will not be there for long. There is not much time to think about it. If you miss it, you will remain the way you are for the rest of your life. Do you understand?¡± urged Dean Ai. He used his energy to heal and looked at Luo Jinshi with a furious look.


    ¡°Why are you still waiting? Hurry! If not, the b*stard will get to Baiyue Nation,¡± shouted an Elder.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi looked at the teleportation portal and it was shing with colorful lights. His eyes were involuntarily flickering back and forth. He was struggling with himself as he pondered the life-changing decision.


    It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be famous. All he had to do was walk up and use all his strength to m his palm into the teleportation portal. From that moment on, he would go from the bottom of the pack to be the most dazzling student in Mu City Academy. Prestige, girls, money¡ªall would flow to him like water and the chance was now within his grasp.


    There was a brief mental struggle, but finally, he chose his path. He would capitalize on the opportunity to have fame and wealth. He strode purposefully toward the teleportation portal and gritted his teeth. His cold, evil character showed through his eyes. It was as if he turned into a different person.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    Hu Qingsong, still covered with blood, stood in front of him to stop him. With his arms spread out wide, he asked, ¡°Luo Jinshi, what are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Supervisor Hu, please move aside,¡± Luo Jinshi said with a stern look, ignoring his question.


    Hu Qingsong was shocked and looked at his disciple like he was looking at a stranger. He asked, ¡°Are you going to listen to the Dean and break apart the teleportation portal?¡±


    ¡°Why should I not?¡±


    Luo Jinshi asked his mentor. In his anxiety, tiny blood vessels broke from beneath the white surface of his eyes. He continued, ¡°The man killed Elder Zheng. He has injured people from our academy. Is it not time for him to receive retribution? My conscience is clear if I kill him. I will not let heaven and earth down.¡±


    Hu Qingsong sneered, ¡°Such apt sayings. You say that your conscience is clear and that you would not let heaven and earth down. Such dignified excuses.¡±


    ¡°Supervisor Hu, I respect you. But how can you be so muddle-headed that you would help someone else harm our academy? Just move aside. Let me put an end to this and take revenge for our academy,¡± Luo Jinshi said as if he was giving a lecture.


    Be so muddle-headed?


    With a disappointed smile, Hu Qingsong felt heart-sickened and said, ¡°You are the best disciple I have brought up. But it is only at this moment that I can properly see what you are deep down inside.¡±


    ¡°If you were me, I believe you would not give up on such a significant opportunity like this either,¡± Luo Jinshi replied, trying to argue with reason.


    ¡°Luo Jinshi, stop talking to a traitor like him. Hurry and break the teleportation portal apart!¡±


    ¡°What is there to talk about with a traitor? If you do not do it quickly, the b*stard is going to be sent over through the portal.¡±


    ¡°Hurry! Get to it! Stop wasting time here.¡±


    All the Elders urged him on.


    In a warning tone, Luo Jinshi said, ¡°Supervisor Hu, stop blocking me. I have already decided. Whoever stops me from climbing up thedder is my enemy.¡±


    After saying that, he walked past Hu Qingsong and headed toward the teleportation portal.


    ¡°Jinshi.¡±


    Suddenly, Hu Qingsong called out to Luo Jinshi, like a father calling out to his child. Luo Jinshi thought he was going to dissuade him, so hepletely ignored him. In the next second, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He felt a de pierced into his body.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Another sharp pain. That time, he felt the de pulled out from his body.


    Luo Jinshi slowly turned around. He saw Hu Qingsong, face full of blood, holding a bloodied dagger in his hands. Blood was dripping off the de.


    ¡°Supervisor Hu, you¡­¡±


    Luo Jinshi gasped with disbelief. He would never have imagined Hu Qingsong would take his life. He would kill his disciple for an outsider whom he had met by chance. Had Hu Qingsong be so muddle-headed?


    Hu Qingsong had no emotions on his face. He stabbed into Luo Jinshi¡¯s chest once again with the dagger.


    ¡°Urghh!¡±


    Blood spurted out from the wound. In an instant, all his strength left his body, and Luo Jinshi slowly slid to the ground like a puddle of slime. His internal organs were bleeding profusely, and all the blood gushed upward. In a short while, fresh blood came oozing out of his mouth and nose.


    The de had pierced his heart. Not even the Almighty God could save him then. The only thing he could do was slowly wait for the Angel of Death to collect him.


    After he had done the deed, Hu Qingsong ran out of energy and fell to the ground. Heid looking at the blue sky andughed like a madman. Tears rolled down the corners of his eyes. He had always hated the evil spewing out from the Mu City Academy and had been battling to get rid of it. But even in his wildest dreams, he did not expect his disciple, whom he had brought up to also fall prey to it.


    How pathetic!


    It was the first time he felt such fatigue, frustration, and despair. Although the sky was blue, in his eyes, there was always ayer of haze covering the entire sky over Mu City. It would not disappear even if time passed.


    ¡­


    Inside the chaotic dimension in the teleportation portal, Duck Emperor stood on Ghost¡¯s shoulder. He asked, ¡°God-damn brat, why did you not temporarily freeze Luo Jinshi¡¯s ability to move as well?¡±


    ¡°Why does Senior Brother Luoluo have to make him lose the ability to move? Was he not in it with us?¡± Ghost blinked her lovely almond-shaped eyes and asked, failing to understand what was going on.


    ¡°Little girl, you are still young. Human nature is the most unreliable thing in this world. How long have we known him? It has not even been a day. What makes you think he will not suddenly change sides and help the Mu City Academy deal with us?¡±


    Duck Emperor lectured her with the look of an aged man. He continued, ¡°Humanity is most vulnerable when faced with the temptation of money, power, and prestige. Think about it. All Luo Jinshi has to do is m his palm into the teleportation portal to kill us. Once he gets it done, he will be the hero of the Mu City Academy. He will be an important and rich man who will stand right at the top of the pyramid. Do you think he can resist this sort of temptation?¡±


    ¡°Duckling, are you not reading too much into it?¡± Ghost asked. She was sure that Luo Jinshi would not do what Duck Emperor had just described.


    ¡°I am making a safe and reasonable assumption here,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    ¡°Your heart is simply way too dark.¡±


    Ghost muttered with her tiny mouth, ¡°Am I right, Senior Brother Luoluo?¡±


    Xiao Luo narrowed his eyes and smiled. He said, ¡°You are right. This stinky duck¡¯s heart is way too dark.¡±


    ¡°Scr*w his grandpa duck. What is going on here? You are echoing each other. Are you trying to mock this duck here? God-damn brat, you better believe that this duck here is going to sh*t a ton of feathers on your shoulders,¡± Duck Emperor said. He was so pissed off.


    ¡°Are you itching all over again? Do you need me to scratch it for you?¡± Xiao Luo asked, ring at him.


    Suddenly, Duck Emperor admitted, ¡°Fine, you are the Big Brother. This duck here will give in to you.¡±


    Xiao Luo did not bother to pay any attention to him. He kept something to himself. Before he stepped into the teleportation portal, he gave onest instruction. He gave an order to the hypnotized Ai Linda. If anyone attempted to destroy the teleportation portal, she was to kill the person with no mercy.

 Chapter 802 - Womens Kingdom

    <h2>Chapter 802: Women¡¯s Kingdom</h2>


    Xiao Luo, Ghost, and Duck Emperor looked extremely solemn as they approached Baiyue Nation. They wondered what kind of nation it was. There was a horrifying rumor that a powerful male Martial Guru fighter had entered Baiyue Nation but never returned. It could not possibly be and of purgatory, could it?


    The chaotic shing white lights in the teleportation portal slowly faded away, and their surrounding became a lot clearer.


    There were sounds of chirping birds and the smell of fragrant flowers. They saw an immense blueke that was so clear that one could see right to the bottom. Inside were fishes swimming around, and in the distance were endless mountains covered in dense vegetation.


    They stood on a teleportation tform with a yin-yang eight trigram diagram.


    ¡°Wow, this ce is beautiful!¡± Ghost could not help but exim.


    ¡°The view is indeed beautiful. Even the air here is fresh,¡± said Duck Emperor as he breathed in a few lungfuls of air. He could feel the air was exceptionally refreshing and pleasant.


    Xiao Luo breathed in some air as well. Indeed, there was a faint tinge of fragrance in the air there. Just taking in a little breath of the air made his entire body feel extremely pleasant and rxed. It could instantly suppress even the slightest bit of restlessness.


    THUD! THUD! RHUD!


    At that very moment, they heard footsteps inching closer toward them. A group of people wearing suits of armor and armed with halberds appeared before them. It seemed to stun them when they spotted Xiao Luo and Ghost. A tall person who looked pretty strong, probably weighing around 200 pounds, stepped forward. With a slight giggle, she said, ¡°I cannot believe that people have just teleported to Baiyue Nation. It is even more unbelievable that there is a man among them. What a rare sight! It is something which has not urred in over a decade.¡±


    The rest of them stared coldly at Xiao Luo with icy smiles on their faces.


    Xiao Luo looked at all these people in armor and realized they were all women. Even the person standing right in front looked like a muscr, buff guy, and was a woman as well. It was just that she was a big,rge girl. But listening to her voice, he could already tell she was female.


    ¡°Screw his grandpa duck! Why are they all women?¡± muttered Duck Emperor. He gasped as he noticed the same thing.


    Therge girl could not hear what Duck Emperor said. However, it looked like she knew what was on Xiao Luo¡¯s mind, and said, ¡°There is another name for Baiyue Nation¡ªWomen¡¯s Kingdom. It is only natural that we are all women.¡±


    Women¡¯s Kingdom?


    The Women¡¯s Kingdom from Journey to the West?


    Itpletely stunned Xiao Luo. He thought there was no way a fictional nation from a novel actually existed here in the Arcana Land. It was so shocking it even affected someone like Xiao Luo, who was not usually swayed by anything extraordinary.


    ¡°Wow, it is true. These people are all like my little sisters.¡±


    Ghost found it magical. She lived in the Dark Forest all her life and found everything which happened outside of it truly remarkable.


    ¡°Little Sister, wee to the Baiyue Nation. As for the man beside you, it is a pity he has such a handsome-looking face. Every man who enters this ce will have to face the death penalty.¡± Therge girl stared at Xiao Luo with a scornful look.


    RINGGG!


    Unsheathing the sword in her hand, she pointed it at Xiao Luo and shouted, ¡°Sisters, take him down!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dozens of women obeyed the order and unsheathed their weapons.


    ¡°Slow down, slow down. Let us talk it out first. Let us talk it out first,¡± Duck Emperor persuaded, flying between them as a peacemaker.


    ¡°A Beast Demon?¡±


    The look on the woman¡¯s face changed a little, but she realized her mistake immediately and said, ¡°No, the aura is too weak. It cannot be a Beast Demon. It must have consumed a pill that allows an animal to speak.¡±


    ¡°To all the little girls here, we are just passing by. We are not nning to live in Baiyue Nation. Just tell us where the teleportation portal is, and we will leave immediately. Do not use force. Please do not use force,¡± Duck Emperor pleaded.


    ¡°Baiyue Nation does not wee any man. Any man who steps foot into thisnd will have to face the death penalty, and that includes this male duck here,¡± said the woman with no expression on her face.


    Scr*w her grandpa duck! Can¡¯t I even be a male duck?


    Duck Emperor cursed her ancestors silently. Then he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Who said I am a male duck. I am a female duck.¡±


    The woman did not bother wasting her time talking to him. She waved her hands and ordered, ¡°Go! Send both the male duck and the man into the prison of death!¡±


    While she gave her order, she pointed her sword at Duck Emperor. Then, she shed her sword down at him, showing no mercy.


    Luckily, Duck Emperor dodged in time and did not suffer any serious injury. Despite that, she sliced off some duck feathers. At the speed of lightning, Duck Emperor flew back to Ghost¡¯s shoulder. He stared with shock at therge woman and the rest of her troop, and scowled, ¡°You people are unreasonable! This duck here is doing this for your good. Do you this your little bunch of small shrimps here can do anything to us? All this god-damn brat here has to do is sneeze at all of you, and you will go meet your Maker.¡±


    After she heard what Duck Emperor said, therge woman was now fuming with anger, and roared, ¡°Catch this stinky duck first. Slice its tongue off!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Dozens of female warriors charged toward Duck Emperor with malicious intent.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes moved a little. With a light snort, he took a step forward.


    BAM!


    That one step shook the ground like a falling mountain, and tornado-like energy swept everything away. The dozens of women and their leader flew away like kites with broken strings. All of them crashed hard to the ground, wailing in pain. They looked at Xiao Luo with fear in their eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ you are not at the cultivation level of a Martial Master?¡±


    Therge woman looked incredulously at Xiao Luo. Horror filled her heart. The guy should at least be a Martial Emperor, or even higher, to knock all of them to the ground in a single blow. The powerful aura released earlier was not a mistake at all.


    Xiao Luo did not answer. He chose a direction and left right away.


    ¡°Senior Luoluo is way too cool!¡± said Ghost.


    She stared at Xiao Luo¡¯s back like an infatuated girl with a pair of worshipping eyes. Then she hurriedly followed behind him.


    Duck Emperor looked at the bunch of female warriors on the ground who were in utter shock, and said, ¡°See, this happens when you do not listen to an old duck¡¯s advice. A painful lesson is what you get.¡±


    After saying that, he flew back onto Ghost¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°General, what should we do?¡± A female warrior asked therge woman.


    ¡°Report to Grand Master. Let Grand Master decide!¡±


    Therge woman panted, and her eyes were still filled with shock. She was at the level of a Martial Lord but could not even defend herself. Without a doubt, a man with a terrifying cultivation level had arrived at Baiyue Nation. She wanted to send someone to stalk them, but everyone had sustained injuries. So, there was no one she could send at all. All she could do was watch as Xiao Luo slowly walked away.


    ¡­


    After walking past the narrow pathway of theke, they saw a crowded and bustling street.


    There were many businesses conducted on the street, just like in Stan City. The only difference was that all the traders here were women. There was not a single man in sight. Of course, some women looked like men. They dressed in a masculine manner. But when one looked carefully, one could tell they were all women and not men.


    ¡°They are all little sisters. How magical.¡±


    Ghost was na?ve and inexperienced. She was very curious about all the new things she was experiencing.


    ¡°How do they give birth with no men?¡± Duck Emperor asked, furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Maybe there is a Zimu River here that can help a woman give birth.¡±


    Xiao Luo recalled the story of the Journey to the West. He said, ¡°They can get pregnant if they take a sip of the water from the river.¡±

 Chapter 803 - Stealing a bite of the Forbidden Fruit

    <h2>Chapter 803: Stealing a bite of the Forbidden Fruit</h2>


    Since it was a Women¡¯s Kingdom, it reminded Xiao Luo of the scenarios that happened in the Women¡¯s Kingdom of the Journey to the West. Walking along the streets, Xiao Luo blended in somewhat because many of the women looked like men too. The way they spoke was quite manly, and they sounded just like men.


    ¡°Screw her grandpa duck. Look at that woman. Luckily, she does not have a beard. Or else I would have thought she was a man. If you look under her armpit, you will notice how thick her armpit hair is. She has more hair under her armpit than on her head.¡±


    Duck Emperor saw the buff-looking woman walk past and could not helpmenting. ¡°I can even smell her body odor from such a distance away. Disgusting. It is way too disgusting. Little girl,e. Let me smell the fragrance on your body to dispel the poison.¡±


    Duck Emperor slipped right into Ghost¡¯s pocket and felt better after taking a whiff of her fragrant smell.


    ¡°Ah, she smells bad!¡± Ghost pinched her nose.


    Xiao Luo thought the woman was smelly as well. She smelt so awful that it was better to walk in the opposite direction of the woman.


    After walking hundreds of meters, they arrived at a pond filled with lotus flowers.


    ¡°Both of you wait here. I will fly up into the air and look for the teleportation portal,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Do you even need to check? I am sure it is at the Royal Pce,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Xiao Luo said nothing and only red at him. Like the wind, he disappeared and flew into the air about hundreds of meters high. At that altitude, he could look at the Baiyue Nation beneath him. All the pedestrians looked just like ants. But what had surprised him was that he could not see the borders. From what he saw, the entire area belonged to the Baiyue Nation.


    ¡°I cannot believe the area ofnd for a nation filled with women could be this vast,¡± he muttered to himself.


    After hemented, Xiao Luo headed straight toward the hearnd of Baiyue Nation. It was a Royal Pce and looked just like the Forbidden City. The golden zed tiles were exceptionally dazzling. There was also an open hall with a waterside pavilion, mountains of rocks, and a bamboo vineyard.


    After looking at the entire area for a while, he still could not spot the teleportation portal at all!


    There could only be two possibilities. Either the Baiyue Nation was hiding it on purpose, or perhaps an object was blocking it from his line of sight. It seemed like his method was not working. He would need to ask around for information.


    He quickly flew back with that thought in mind.


    When hended on the ground, he noticed Ghost and Duck Emperor eating some strange fruit. It was in the shape of an apple, and the skin color was like a cherry. It looked very delicious.


    ¡°What are you guys eating?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows. They were eating something they did not even know. Were they not worried it might be poisonous?


    ¡°A fruit.¡±


    Ghost added, ¡°Senior Luoluo, do you want to have a bite? It tastes so good.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get it from?¡± asked Xiao Luo. The look on his face changed a little.


    ¡°Duckling picked it off from the tree over there,¡± Ghost answered, pointing at the tree beside the pond.


    Xiao Luo looked at the tree, and there was indeed a bunch of fruits growing on it. The fruits looked just like the ones which Ghost and Duck Emperor were munching.


    ¡°How can you randomly eat anything you find? Throw it away!¡±


    He walked right up and pped away the remaining fruit in Ghost¡¯s hand. He stared at Duck Emperor and said, ¡°And yours too.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong? It is just a fruit,¡±ined Duck Emperor. Then, he quickly put the remaining fruit into his mouth and swallowed it into his stomach.


    ¡°Do you know what fruit this is? What are you going to do if you get poisoned after eating it?¡± Xiao Luo said, looking very annoyed.


    ¡°I just asked. This fruit is not poisonous. We can eat it.¡±


    Duck Emperor retorted, ¡°Besides, did you not notice that there was a slight bit of fragrance in the air in this nation? They are from these fruits, which is why they taste so good. I have already eaten three of them.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask someone? For real?¡± Xiao Luo asked Duck Emperor a little doubtfully.


    Duck Emperor said, ¡°Yes, we did. It was Ghost who asked around. They told her this is the forbidden fruit. If we did not ask what the fruit was, we would never eat it.¡±


    Forbidden fruit?


    It surprised Xiao Luo when he heard what Duck Emperor said. The forbidden fruit was the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was the tree in the Garden of Eden from the Bible. The punishment for taking a bite of the forbidden fruit was severe. Could there have been any other reason they called it the Forbidden Fruit?


    ¡°Senior Luoluo, it should be fine. Right?¡± Ghost asked when she noticed Xiao Luo looking concerned.


    ¡°We just ate a couple of fruits. What can happen to us? At our high cultivation level, even if it is poisonous, we can suppress it easily. Little girl, do not worry,¡± said Duck Emperor as he reassured Ghost. He was unconcerned and was even thinking of eating a few more fruits. The forbidden fruit was very delicious and tasted so much better than any fruit he had ever eaten.


    ¡°You do not know sh*t!¡±


    Xiao Luo reprimanded the duck, and added, ¡°You went to the market as well. There are so many stalls selling fruits, yet none of them sold the forbidden fruit. It tastes so delicious, and yet no one sells it at the market. Yet, one can pick it off the tree and eat it just like that. Is it not enough to show you how unusual this forbidden fruit is?¡±


    When he listened to Xiao Luo, Duck Emperor panicked a little, but he still argued his point. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe there are just so many forbidden fruits, and it is just too ordinary. Look around this pond. There are dozens of forbidden fruit trees, and there is an abundant supply of it¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope that is the case,¡± Xiao Luo sneered.


    ¡°Senior Luoluo, surely these forbidden fruits are not poisonous. Right?¡± Ghost was getting more worried.


    ¡°It is not whether they are poisonous. I suspect the women in Baiyue Nation consume the forbidden fruit to get pregnant,¡± Xiao Luo answered.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    After he said that, Ghost and Duck Emperor¡¯s hearts beat a little faster.


    ¡°God-damn brat, you better not scare me. You said the women got pregnant from drinking the water from the Zimu River, not from eating any fruit,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    ¡°I just said there is a possibility a Zimu River might exist. I never said it exists for sure. Who knows? It could be the people at Baiyue Nation consume the forbidden fruit to get pregnant,¡± Xiao Luo replied.


    ZAP!


    Like a bolt of lightning, Duck Emperor sat right down on the ground and opened his eyes wide. That was right. Why did he not think of it? Though he might be a duck from the Dimension of Chaos, he was still quite familiar with the Original World. Considering his knowledge, he could be a half-being of the Original World. He knew the meaning behind a forbidden fruit. If Xiao Luo¡¯s assumption was correct, the forbidden fruit might be the fruit that made one pregnant.


    ¡°Screw his grandpa duck. I cannot believe my ability to resist temptation is so low,¡± Duck Emperor mumbled, secretly ming himself.


    ¡°Does pregnant mean I am going to have a baby?¡± Ghost asked Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and uttered, ¡°Mm-hm.¡±


    ¡°No way, no way. I do not want to have a baby. Giving birth is very painful,¡± blurted Ghost.


    Ghost worried at the prospect of being pregnant. She had seen women giving birth back at the Dark Castle and watched how they screamed their lungs out in pain. Giving birth was a severely painful experience. There was no way she wanted to go through the pain.


    Xiao Luo kept quiet. He only hoped his assumption was wrong and the forbidden fruit was not like the water from the Zimu river, but just an ordinary fruit¡ªnot one that could make a person pregnant.


    However, hope was only wishful thinking, and reality could be cruel.


    Duck Emperor, who ate most of the forbidden fruit, felt something going on right then.


    ¡°Pain¡­ ouch! My belly hurts¡­ my belly hurts so much,¡± Duck Emperor cried as he rolled on the ground.


    ¡°Me too¡­ my stomach is hurting.¡±


    Right after Duck Emperor, Ghost could feel cramping pain in her abdomen.


    What the hell!


    Xiao Luo could not help but curse silently.

 Chapter 804 - The Queen’s Tears

    <h2>Chapter 804: The Queen¡¯s Tears</h2>


    Ghost and the Duck Emperor felt a great pain, and they were rolling on the ground in agony. They did not know if it was a sign of pregnancy from consuming the forbidden fruit, so Xiao Luo found an inn for them to take a rest. He faked a high-pitched voice to imitate a woman when he spoke to the desk clerk. Since he had a face with fine features, the desk clerk did not even think about the possibility that he was a man.


    The pain subsided when they entered their room. Ghost was lying on the bed feebly and her face was very pale. The Duck Emperor was also lying prone on the bed, thoroughly exhausted.


    Xiao Luo once exchanged for medical skill in the system when he was in the Original World. He took their pulses and confirmed Ghost was pregnant, and so was the Duck Emperor. He ate so many that his reaction was faster and his belly even bulged visibly.


    ¡°I feel there is life moving in my belly. I¡¯m doomed¡­ I¡¯m doomed. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m pregnant. I¡¯m dead. If others get the news, I will die in shame!¡± the Duck Emperor cried.


    ¡°And you have the cheek to talk about it!¡±


    Xiao Luo was very annoyed, for he had been gone for only a little while and this happened. They did not even know what the forbidden fruits were, but they had the nerve to pick and eat them. How negligent of them.


    ¡°Handsome Luoluo, I don¡¯t want a baby. I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ghost¡¯s eyes turned red, and she was so scared that she held on to Xiao Luo¡¯s hands tightly.


    When it came to Ghost, Xiao Luo had unlimited patience. Heforted her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If the forbidden fruits can get people pregnant, there must be something that can induce an abortion. I¡¯ll find it.¡±


    There was such a thing in the Journey to the West. Even so, the Women¡¯s Kingdom they were now in was not the one in that novel. He did not know whether the magic water of the Abortion Stream existed.


    ¡°You stay here. Don¡¯t go anywhere. Wait here until Ie back. Did you hear me?¡± Xiao Luo told them. The remark was directed more at the Duck Emperor, and he also red at the duck while speaking. Ghost always followed his instructions, so he did not have to worry about her. What worried him most was that the annoying duck woulde up with more silly ideas.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ghost nodded obediently. She trusted Xiao Luo unconditionally.


    The Duck Emperor said in a feeble voice, ¡°Goddamn jerk, take it easy. We are dying here¡­ We¡¯re hardly able to stand up and walk, let alone go somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xiao Luo responded dourly. Things were going smoothly, but the duck had to cause unnecessary trouble. What if that magic water did not exist at all? Then they would be doomed!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°What? Your friend ate the forbidden fruit and got pregnant?¡± The boss of the inn was stunned after hearing Xiao Luo¡¯s story.


    ¡°We are from a very far ce. It¡¯s our first time here. We didn¡¯t know the forbidden fruit would get people pregnant. Mister, you know anything that can induce abortion?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked with a smile. He not only faked a woman¡¯s voice but also disguised himself as one. Besides, he was wearing those clothes with a gender-neutral style he bought. At this moment, he looked exactly like a woman.


    The boss of the inn broke into a smile. He said, ¡°Your friend isn¡¯t the first girl to get pregnant from eating the forbidden fruit by mistake. It happens frequently in the Baiyue Nation. The usual solution is aborticide.¡±


    Aborticide?


    How would Xiao Luo not know that stuff? However, taking aborticide could harm a woman¡¯s body and could have drastic consequences. Ghost was still a sixteen or seventeen-year-old teenage girl. He could not bear to see her traumatized just because of one silly mistake. As to the Duck Emperor, he was a drake, and Xiao Luo doubted if aborticide would resolve his problem.


    Shaking his head, he asked, ¡°Is there anything else? Something that can induce abortion and not harm the body?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is. But even if I tell you, you won¡¯t be able to get it,¡± said the boss of the inn, in a wry tone.


    ¡°Well, there is no harm in telling me about it,¡± said Xiao Luo.


    The boss of the inn sighed. ¡°The Queen¡¯s tears.¡±


    ¡°The queen of the Baiyue Nation?¡± said Xiao Luo in surprise.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    The boss of the inn gave him a big nod. ¡°The Queen¡¯s tears can relieve the forbidden fruit¡¯s effect, and they are harmless to a woman¡¯s body. That said, Her Majesty lives in the imperial pce. Folks like us won¡¯t even get to see her even once in our entire lives, let alone get her tears.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s brows knitted together once again. In his eyes, the Baiyue Nation was a strange ce. They had forbidden fruits that could get people pregnant, while their queen¡¯s tears could harmlessly induce abortion. That was extremely weird.


    However, since he already knew the Queen¡¯s tears could induce abortion, he would try every way to get them.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Xiao Luo expressed his gratitude to the boss of the inn. Then he turned around and left.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Night fell. The nights in the Baiyue Nation were no different from the nights in other ces. The moon threw its silver light upon the entirend. The bamboo forest on the mountain turned dark in the moonlight. There was a myriad of twinkling lights, and the incessant chirps of insects came from the grass and sounded like drizzling rain.


    Xiao Luo was moving about freely in the imperial pce of the Baiyue Nation. No one could sense his existence. However, he had searched the entire pce but failed to find the residence of the queen. Besides, he acutely detected a powerful person¡¯s energy in the imperial pce. That person should be at least a Martial Venerable. That was the strongest aura he had sensed since his arrival in the Arcana Land.


    Was that Martial Venerable auraing from the queen of the Baiyue Nation?


    Xiao Luo wondered. However, before he could be one hundred percent sure, he avoided the powerful person. This was a Martial Venerable, and he had to be extremely cautious. If he antagonized that Martial Venerable, it would be quite troublesome because he still needed to leave thend using their teleportation portal.


    He had better find the right person to ask!


    He decided. Standing on the colored zed roof, Xiao Luo looked around for someone and found a candidate soon enough.


    That was a woman in close-fitting white clothes walking with quick steps on a path. She was wearing her ck long hair in a bun, with a jade hairpin stuck in her hair. She did not pencil her eyebrows as they were already prominent enough. Her skin was so fair and smooth that she did not need any makeup. Her lips were as red as cherries. The silk belt around her waist entuated her slim body nicely. A silver lock pendant hung on the ne she was wearing around her neck, swaying and chiming as she walked.


    She should be a maid in the imperial pce.


    Xiao Luo guessed.


    The moon attracted the maid¡¯s attention. As she held a tray with liquor and food in her hands, she could not help but lift her head to appreciate the moon.


    Before she knew it, Xiao Luo grasped her fair-skinned neck. In a panic, the tray of liquor and food fell to the ground. However, enclosed by Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force, they fell to the ground making no noise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scream. Otherwise, you will lose your life. Understood?¡± Xiao Luo rasped.


    The maid was shaking, but she nodded to show that she understood him clearly.


    Xiao Luo would never bully a woman. He let go of her as soon as she nodded so that she could breathe, but he never let his guard down. If the maid tried to scream, he would stun her immediately.


    The maid did not recover from the shock for a while as she desperately gasped for air. Then sheid her crystal-clear eyes on Xiao Luo as if he was a rare thing.


    ¡°What are you staring at? Stop staring. Otherwise, I¡¯ll dig your eyes out!¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled in a fake raspy voice because her stare was making him quite self-conscious.

 Chapter 805 - The Dumb Maid

    <h2>Chapter 805: The Dumb Maid</h2>


    Xiao Luo¡¯s stare was truly intimidating. The maid trembled and lowered her head with fear.


    He said sternly after a few coughs, ¡°Do you know where the queen of the Baiyue Nation is living?¡±


    The maid was dumbstruck. She raised her head, staring at Xiao Luo with her crystal-clear eyes once again.


    ¡°Stop staring. I¡¯m asking you if you know where the queen of the Baiyue Nation stays?¡± Xiao Luo had lost his patience. He found the maid seemed to be a little slower to respond than normal.


    Then the maid gave him a big nod.


    Xiao Luo eyed her suspiciously and said, ¡°You¡­ You can¡¯t speak?¡±


    The maid blinked innocently, then nodded and smiled at Xiao Luo.


    Just my luck¡ªwhy did she turn out to be dumb?


    Xiao Luo frowned. The maid was petite and pretty, and it made him feel like he was bullying her.


    He said in a gentler voice, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    The maid seemed to not understand and looked at Xiao Luo with a confused face.


    Xiao Luo breathed out slowly and repeated, ¡°Take me to see your queen. Do you understand me or not?¡±


    The maid nodded. Then she turned around and walked in another direction. She was taking Xiao Luo to where he wanted to go.


    Xiao Luo felt relieved when she did not head toward that powerful person whose attainment was at least Martial Venerable. In this way, he confirmed that the queen of the Baiyue Nation was not at the level of Martial Venerable. That would make it easier for him, for he just needed to find the queen and make her cry. Then he would get the tears easily.


    The imperial pce of the Baiyue Nation was asplex as the Forbidden City in the Original World. There were many buildings and alleys, hence it was easy to get lost here.


    Xiao Luo stayed vignt as he walked behind the maid. He could smell her fragrance wafting through the air from time to time. Whenever they ran into any guards patrolling the premises, Xiao Luo would take the maid into the air to avoid them, and only descend to the ground when they had left.


    They met countless groups of patrolling guards in the imperial pce. Xiao Luo finally got impatient and said to the dumb maid, ¡°Which one is the queen¡¯s residence pce? Just point it out to me.¡±


    They were on the roof of a building, from where they could overlook most of the imperial pce.


    The dumb maid nodded. She looked down to search and finally fixed her eyes on a building not far away. She smiled at Xiao Luo, pointing at that building.


    Xiao Luo held her around her waist with one hand and flew over in a sh. Hended on the roof of that building without a sound, but as it turned out, it was not a residence pce at all. It was simply a gate.


    ¡°The queen of the Baiyue Nation lives in this gate?¡± asked Xiao Luo in an icy voice.


    The dumb maid gave him an apologetic smile. She took paper and pen out from her pocket and wrote something down, then showed it to Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo saw a line of beautiful writing: Too many buildings in the imperial pce. They all of them look the same. I made a mistake.


    Did she make a mistake?


    Xiao Luo thought immediately that the dumb maid was lying to him. However, on second thought, the imperial pce of the Baiyue Nation was indeed vast, and there were many buildings. Besides, it was in the night and it seemed reasonable to make a mistake like that. And it was simply a case of this maid having never seen the imperial pce from a high ce. It made it even more difficult for her to recognize the queen¡¯s residence pce.


    ¡°Try again. Don¡¯t make another mistake!¡±


    The dumb maid nodded. She looked around carefully with her crystal-clear eyes. Sometimes she knitted her brows, and then they became smooth again. Sometimes she tilted her head to think, and then her eyes lit up as if she had suddenly realized. It took her a good while before she could finally pinpoint one building.


    Xiao Luo took her into the air, wasting no time. He flew towards that building immediately.


    Not until he hadnded on the roof of that building did he find it was a field for people to practice martial arts. Some muscr women were still training there. They were not wearing any tops, which made them seem as carefree and heroic as men were.


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes at the dumb maid. He said, ¡°You made another mistake. Am I right?¡±


    The dumb maid seemed very sorry about it. She wrote something on the paper and then bowed to Xiao Luo to apologize. ¡°Sorry!¡± That was what she wrote.


    However, that apology meant little to Xiao Luo. He nced at other ces, realizing it was a big mistake to count on this dumb maid to find the residence of the queen of the Baiyue Nation. She was simply unreliable.


    At this moment, the dumb maid wrote something more on the paper and showed it to Xiao Luo. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the ground. I know the way to the residence pce of the queen. I swear I won¡¯t make another mistake.¡±


    Was that really because she had never seen the imperial pce from above that she failed to recognize the queen¡¯s residence pce?


    Xiao Luo was dubious. After pondering on it for a while, he chose to trust this dumb maid one more time.


    He gave her a fearsome look and warned, ¡°I will kill you if you make another mistake. Do you understand me?¡±


    Her tiny mouth slightly open, the dumb maid was taken aback, but she nodded with a smile. That smile was so pure and adorable that it magically made people forget about their troubles.


    She is not afraid of me at all?


    Xiao Luo felt he was an awful actor. Otherwise, the dumb maid would not have been so rxed and calm. Should he pretend to be more hideous?


    Afternding on the ground, the dumb maid looked around to make sure where they were. Then she smiled at Xiao Luo, signing to him that the pce was in the northeast.


    ¡°Lead the way if you know where it is. Take that grin off your face,¡± Xiao Luo snarled.


    The dumb maid nodded with a smile. Then she started to lead the way.


    This time, she seemed to be right. It was a building called Funing Pce in the northeast sector of the imperial pce. There were many guards around. Judging from their energy, they were all masters who had achieved Martial Spirit. And their leader was a Martial Lord.


    So, here it is!


    Holding the dumb maid, Xiao Luo jumped over a high wall to avoid the guards. He broke into the Funing Pce. There was a bedroom with frescoes depicting Kylin in the pce, and the air was filled with the scent of red sandalwood incense.


    There were many imposing red pirs in the pce. Each pir was carved with a soaring phoenix spreading its wings. It was spectacr.


    The beams of the bedroom were made of sandalwood and carved with clouds. The room was illuminated bymps made of crystal jade and decorated with pearl curtains. The pir bases were all gold ting. Two chiffon bed-curtains, embroidered with begonias in silver stitches and beads, were hanging from the ¡°roof¡± of the six-foot-wide giant bed made of eaglewood. The bed curtains swayed as the wind blew by, like a mirage of clouds hanging over mountains and the vast sea.


    Xiao Luo was stunned. He had never been to the Forbidden City in the Original World and had never seen the pces with his own eyes. He only saw a little of them from TV series. And now, seeing the luxurious pce, as resplendent as the pces in the Forbidden City, he felt like he was just an ignorant bumpkin who visited the city for the first time in his life.

 Chapter 806 - Funing

    <h2>Chapter 806: Funing</h2>


    Funing Pce was empty. The Queen of Baiyue Nation was nowhere to be found, even after searching every single corner.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Xiao Luo turned around and questioned the mute maid.


    The mute maid shook her head. She took out rice paper and a charcoal brush and wrote: ¡°The Queen has gone to look for the Grand Master.¡±


    Xiao Luo was exceedingly angry and said, ¡°If she went to look for the Grand Master, then why did you bring me here? To look at the d¨¦cor of Funing Pce?¡±


    He was so angry he felt like pping the mute maid. Didn¡¯t she realize he was looking for the Queen of the Baiyue Nation, and not her private chamber?


    The mute maid looked at him innocently and wrote on the paper: ¡°Did you not ask me to bring you to the Queen¡¯s chamber?¡±


    What the f*ck!


    Xiao Luo silently cursed her. He felt like the mute maid was ying him for the fool. He wanted nothing to do with the mute maid and wanted to leave right away.


    The mute maid grabbed his sleeves and looked at him with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Stop annoying me. Let go!¡± said Xiao Luo.


    He was in a terrible mood. His tone was extremely unfriendly and the look in his eyes was intimidating.


    The mute maid shuddered when she looked at him and staggered back a few steps. It took a moment before she regained her courage, then using the charcoal brush again, she wrote: ¡°Why are you looking for the Queen? Maybe I can help you.¡±


    ¡°Tears, I need her tears!¡± Xiao Luo scowled.


    His request surprised the mute maid, and sheughed as she wrote: ¡°The Queen collects her tears in the Holy Grail every time she cries, and the Grail is here. I will help you get a little.¡±


    After writing that, she turned around and walked into the hall.


    Hmm?


    It was beyond Xiao Luo¡¯s expectations. His aim was not to find the Queen of Baiyue Nation, but merely to get her tears. Now that the mute maid had mentioned where the Queen kept her tears, it would mean he could get some easily.


    The mute maid walked out of the inner hall shortly after with a small and exquisite pill bottle in her hands. She raised her hands out toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°The Queen of Baiyue Nation¡¯s tears are in here?¡± Xiao Luo asked the maid, looking a little doubtful.


    The mute maid nodded her head with a smile on her face. Then she wrote: ¡°Did your friends eat the forbidden fruit by mistake?¡±


    With the Queen of the Baiyue Nation¡¯s tears in his hands, Xiao Luo was no longer as hostile toward her. He answered, ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry and bring this to your friends. Once the fetus takes shape, they will need abortion pills instead.¡± The mute maid wrote.


    Xiao Luo furrowed his brows and had a good look at the mute maid. He realized she was not an ordinary maid. Otherwise, there was no way she was knowledgeable about so many things. He said, ¡°Go find some silver needles and bring them to me.¡±


    The mute maid did not quite get what he meant and stared at him nkly.


    ¡°Forget it. Let me use your hair instead.¡±


    Xiao Luo was hesitant to waste more time looking for silver needles. Instead, he pulled out two strands of hair from her head. After breaking the hair up, Xiao Luo infused them with True Inner Force, and they turned into what looked like sharp silver needles. He then tapped an acupuncture point on her body. The mute maid stood motionless. She looked petrified.


    ¡°Since you helped me find the Queen of Baiyue Nation¡¯s tears, I will cure your illness for you. If my guess is correct, you must have experienced some trauma or some severe shock. It should be the reason you cannot talk. Right now, I am going to reactivate those nerves of yours. These nerves have failed to obey themandsing from your brain.¡±


    As he exined, Xiao Luo inserted the energized strands of hair, now as hard as the silver needles for acupuncture treatment, into the mute maid¡¯s fair neck.


    Stomach 9, Stomach 10, Large Intestine 18, Stomach 11. Xiao Luo inserted the ¡°needles¡± into these different acupuncture points. Heter inserted them into other points: Gall dder 12 behind the neck, then Gall dder 20, Du Mai 16, Du Mai 15, and finally dder 10. Each needle insertion was precise and deep, and the entire process was executed with incredible efficiency. At one go, from needle insertion to needle withdrawal, hepleted everything in less than five breaths.


    With one light tap, Xiao Luo released the acupuncture point on the mute maid¡¯s body, and said, ¡°You should be able to speak now.¡±


    After saying that to her, his body slowly disappeared, and he left like a gust of wind.


    ¡°Wait up. You have not told me what your name is.¡±


    The mute maid tried to chase after him and took a few steps forward. In the next second, she was shocked and coughed a little. With a look of disbelief on her face, she said, ¡°I¡­ I can talk now.¡±


    THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.


    She could hear heavy footsteps. The officers outside Funing Pce ran in after hearing themotion.


    ¡°Your majesty?¡±


    The officer in front looked at the mute maid and looked surprised. Then she said, ¡°Did you not go off to look for the Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°I did. But I am back already.¡±


    With her hands behind her back, the mute maid exuded a noble and elegant temperament from her entire body.


    ¡°Your majesty, you¡­ you can talk now?¡±


    The officer opened her eyes wide. Ever since her majesty received a terrible shock when she was ten, she had lost the ability to talk. Now, after nine years, her majesty could suddenly finally speak again. It was just unbelievable.


    The other officers found it hard to believe as well and were all stunned.


    The mute maid smiled and said, ¡°I met a benefactor. He cured me. Right, call Grand Master Mother over. I have some things that I want to discuss with her.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty, I have some things that I want to discuss with you as well.¡±


    At that moment, a burst of green smoke floated in from outside. The mute maid heard a beautiful voice. The cloud of green smoke turned into a person and appeared in front of the mute maid. It was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. She wore a white robe that touched the floor. With a sky crown on her head and a beautiful face, there was a charming aura exuding from her body.


    After seeing the woman, the other officers prepared to take their leave.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother.¡± The mute maid greeted her happily.


    ¡°Funing, you can talk now?¡± Grand Master asked with astonishment. She thought she was hallucinating at first. She did not imagine Funing could speak again.


    Funing nodded her head. Her clear eyes were full of joy, and she eximed, ¡°Grand Master Mother, it was a man. He cured me.¡±


    ¡°A man?¡±


    Suddenly, the look on Grand Master¡¯s face sank. Then she said, ¡°The reason I am here is to inform you about the man who invaded Baiyue Nation. ording to General Zuomeng, this man teleported from another ce, and his cultivation level is at the level of a Martial Emperor, at least.¡±


    ¡°A Martial Emperor?¡±


    Funing recalled how Xiao Luo had flown across the sky with her earlier on. The corner of her lips curled up a little, and she grinned. ¡°Seems like it must be him then.¡±


    ¡°Who is this ¡®him¡¯ you are referring to?¡±


    ¡°It is the man who cured me and gave me the ability to talk again,¡± Funing said.


    ¡°He was here just now?¡± Grand Master asked, shocked.


    Funing nodded her head.


    ¡°To think that he came to the Royal Pce and left without a trace. Not even I noticed anything.¡±


    The more she thought about it, the more worried the Grand Master was. She shouted out, ¡°Guards,e in! Hurry and get in here!¡±


    ¡°Your majesty, Grand Master.¡± An officer rushed in quickly.


    ¡°Mobilize several troops and have them guard Funing Pce. Without my orders, not even a mosquito may enter,¡± Grand Master ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The officer retreated after receiving the order.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, surely there is no need for this?¡± asked Funing. She pouted and shook her head.


    Grand Master red at her sternly and said, ¡°No need? Men are like tigers. They are like poisonous medicine and only bring about disaster. They will only bring us endless pain. We need to take strict precautions against them.¡±

 Chapter 807 - Chapter 807 – Deep and poisonous love

    <h2>Chapter 807: Chapter 807 ¨C Deep and poisonous love</h2>


    ¡°If men are really tigers, poisonous medicine, or a disaster, then why was he able to cure my disability?¡±


    Funing asked, turning sideways and looking at the night sky outside the window Her pretty face turned a little red, ¡°When I looked at him, my heart when ¡®badump badump¡¯ and beat really quickly without stopping. That feeling was really weird. I can¡¯t really use words to describe that feeling. Grand Master Mother, do you know what feeling that is?¡±


    Heart beating quickly?


    Grand Master was stunned, ¡°Funing, you¡¯ve already received that man¡¯s poison. The only way is to drink the Forget Love Potion to erase all the memories you have of him.¡±


    Funing furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°My body ispletely fine. There are no signs that indicate I¡¯ve been poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Men¡¯s poison is the poison of love. Love does not harm your physical body. It only erodes your spirit, devours your soul, and have you fallpletely in love with him. As if drinking a magic potion, you will slowly lose your willpower and in the end, you will give up everything to do terrifying things for that man,¡± Grand Master¡¯s voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the pce.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, you¡¯re worrying too much!¡±


    Funing felt like the Grand Master was making a mountain out of a molehill. Love? There was no way she was going to receive a poison like this.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Just like you, the first Queen deeply admired a man, and in the end, the poison of love became so deep that she couldn¡¯t control herself. She became distraught when she found out that man already had a wife and child back in his hometown. She waspletely heartbroken and inplete despair. Every Queen who inherits the throne bes the lifeline of the kingdom, and since she received such a blow, she almost buried thousands of Baiyue Nation citizens with her. In the end, she painfully drank the Forget Love Potion and forgot everything to live a new life.¡±


    Grand Master persuaded bitterly, ¡°After the second Queen took over, the first decree she issued was to forbid any man from entering Baiyue Nation. If a man enters, every single one has to be killed. She warned every single citizen in Baiyue Nation to stay away from men!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Funing sat on top of the steps and recalled the memories of her meeting with Xiao Luo. Shepletely disregarded what Grand Master just said and only gave a superficial reply.


    The image of Xiao Luo grabbing her waist and flying across the sky was extremely sweet to her. As she recalled that, she disyed an innocent-looking smile on her face.


    ¡°Funing, you¡­¡±


    Grand Master had experienced all sorts of things in life. She could definitely tell that romance was in the air for Funing. It was the first awakening of love, and she realized that things could get serious in that instant.


    Funing stood up, reached her hands out and grabbed onto Grand Master¡¯s wrist, ¡°Grand Master Mother, I want to see him again. Can you please help me find him?¡±


    Find him?


    How was that possible? As soon as I see him, I¡¯m going to erase him from this world!


    Grand Master grit her teeth and thought to herself, but promised her verbally, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Let me join you and we¡¯ll look for him together,¡± Funing suddenly said.


    Grand Master was stun, then unhappily said, ¡°Do you not even trust Grand Master Mother?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding my intentions, Grand Master Mother. I just want to see him as soon as I can,¡± Funing said excitedly. Even though they had only been away for a short while, but she really wanted to see Xiao Luo. She couldn¡¯t exin why, but she just wanted to see him and look at how he always puts on that fierce-looking image.


    It¡¯s over!


    The poison of love is deep. How is this possible?


    Grand Master realized that there was a huge problem in front of her right now. Her mission was to protect every single Queen in Baiyue Nation, but today, this Queen, just like the first Queen, had received poison from a man. She felt like a huge disaster was about to approach Baiyue Nation.


    She had to get rid of that man!


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo had no idea he had been listed as a target on the Grand Master¡¯s list. Returning to the inn, he listened to the boss¡¯ orders and dripped some of the Queen¡¯s tears into the water and stirred it for Duck Emperor and Ghost to drink.


    Ghost hadn¡¯t eaten too many forbidden fruits, so her stomach hadn¡¯t grown much. Her pain disappeared quickly after drinking some of the tear-infused water. Shey on the bed and quickly fell asleep. Duck Emperor¡¯s stomach was huge, but the effects were obvious. After drinking the tears, its stomach shrank and eventually returned to what it was originally. The nauseous feeling that one got when pregnant disappeared instantly as well.


    ¡°Screw his grandpa duck. I¡¯ve definitely kept my reputation and integrity. Thank you, god-damn brat.¡± Duck Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. If a male duck like it actuallyy eggs, it was going to lose all the face that it even had to begin with.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be great if you could stop creating trouble for me in the future.¡± Xiao Luo red at it.


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re the big brother. I¡¯ll listen to you from now on. Right, god-damn brat, I¡¯m feeling very hungry, can you buy me some food?¡± Duck Emperor said while putting its pride down.


    Xiao Luo wasn¡¯t on bad terms with it and since this stinky duck had helped him quite a bit along the way, he asked in a not-so-nice tone, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Grilled exotic beast legs!¡±


    Duck Emperor¡¯s saliva was dripping as it recalled their time in the forest, ¡°The mythical fox¡¯s hind legs taste the best when grilled under the campfire. It is tender with a crispy crust, fat but not greasy. It¡¯s the best dish just thinking about it! God-damn brat, I¡¯m sure the forest in Baiyue Nation has mythical foxes as well. Let¡¯s catch one and grill it. Also, don¡¯t make it too spicy, just a little will do.¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s face turned ck in that instant. He gave Duck Emperor a good kick and sent it flying. Like a ball, it mmed into the wall in the room and fell onto the ground, screaming in pain.


    How can you even think of grilled mythical fox now?


    And just a little spicy? Do you want to go to heaven!


    Xiao Luo was extremely angry. This stinky duck was ordering him around thinking it was his uncle, so of course he was pissed.


    ¡­


    The inn didn¡¯t only provide lodging but provided food and drinks as well.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t head out. He directly ordered some food from the inn. The dishes he ordered were the inn¡¯s specialties.


    As the aroma of the dishes filled the room, Ghost, who was initially asleep woke up instantly. She then flew onto the table. Looking at all the food on the table, she excitedly said, ¡°Wow, what a spread!¡±


    After saying that, she picked up her chopsticks and bowl and began devouring the food without bothering about her own image.


    ¡°Little girl, be a little more cultured. A little more cultured. F*ck, screw his grandpa duck, I don¡¯t care anymore.¡±


    Duck Emperor told Ghost to be a little more cultured at first, but Ghost didn¡¯t care, and looking at Ghost devouring all the food on the table, it began devouring all the food as well, gobbling down the food like hungry wolves fighting for food.


    Xiao Luo was already used to this sort of scene. Besides being speechless and cing his hands on his forehead, all he could do was sigh.


    Thankfully there was more than enough food in this inn. They called for more food as the food they originally had wasn¡¯t enough and ended up calling three rounds of food in total before they filled up the young girl and duck¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Little girl, you sure can eat!¡± Duck Emperor rubbed its round stomach and burped while lying on the chair arrogantly.


    ¡°Duckling, you can really eat as well.¡± Ghost waspletely full. She sat on the chair to rest, and didn¡¯t felt like moving at all.


    ¡°I can¡¯t eat as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Tch, you can eat the most.¡±


    ¡°You ate the most.¡±


    ¡°You ate the most!¡±


    Both of them tried to shirk responsibilities and weren¡¯t willing to admit that they were the one who ate the most.

 Chapter 808 - Surround

    <h2>Chapter 808: Surround</h2>


    ¡°Hey, stop arguing! I¡¯m the one who ate the most, alright?¡±


    Xiao Luo found the incessant arguing annoying and mmed his hands on the table in exasperation. To see them fight over such a trivial topic, he finally understood what the expression, ¡°nothing better to do after eating,¡± meant.


    Ghost and Duck Emperor stopped bickering instantly. When theypared the pile of bones that resembled a mini mountain in front of them and looked at Xiao Luo¡¯s side of the table¡ªit was that much less cluttered. It made them slightly embarrassed.


    That night, Ghost and Duck Emperor were fast asleep on their beds, while Xiao Luo sat down and leaned against the window frame. He stared vacantly into the night sky outside.


    It was now already almost a month since his wife, Su Li, had been abducted. Just how was she coping? Had she recovered her memories and assumed the role of a high and mighty Holy Ruler of Arcana Land? Or was she suffering in endless pain?


    He wanted to teleport immediately to the Holy Land of the Light n, take Su Li back, and let her rest on his sturdy shoulders. God and Buddha had their paths to oveing adversity. But all Xiao Luo knew was that even if his opponent was the Heavenly King of the skies, no one could stop him from taking her back!


    Yet, so far they had only traveled about 1.4 million kilometers and there were only about halfway to their next location, Tarawa City. Although they were now under the same sky, she was still far away and seemed so hard to reach.


    ¡°Wife, wait for me¡ªyou have to wait for me!¡±


    Xiao Luo muttered to himself, very determined to find her. Visions of Su Li¡¯s pretty face shed in his mind, and he pictured her charming smile as he gazed into the starry night sky.


    ¡­


    It was an uneventful night, but the next morning, Xiao Luo urgently woke Ghost and Duck Emperor. Still half asleep, they soon realized that Baiyue Nation guards had cordoned off their inn so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through. The guards held spears, halberds, bow and arrows, and broadswords; and kept vignt watch over the inn. It appeared that nothing could get in or out of there without them knowing.


    ¡°Wow, what arge troop of guards. How did they find us here?¡± Ghost was not the least bit nervous. In fact, she was feeling quite excited.


    ¡°Little girl, you¡¯ve missed the most important point,¡± Duck Emperor remarked.


    Of course, one would expect the little duck¡¯s thinking to be slightly more logical.


    Xiao Luo thought to himself, looking at all thisrge force of hostile guards surrounding the inn, wasn¡¯t it more normal to feel nervous? Isn¡¯t it weird she was more concerned with how they found us?


    ¡°The most important point? What¡¯s the most important point?¡± Ghost asked Duck Emperor.


    Duck Emperor smacked her head and sighed as he said, ¡°Oh, little girl¡­ You innocent little girl. Haven¡¯t you noticed something about these guards? Most of them look young and pretty¡ªthat¡¯s the most important point! Look at their skin. They are so white and tender, just like yours!¡±


    What the¡­!


    Xiao Luo choked¡ªhe expected something a little more logical from the duck, but he had overestimated his abilities. After listening to Duck Emperor¡¯s ¡°important point,¡± he snarled at Duck Emperor, ¡°Shut up right now!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you jealous that I¡¯m better looking than you again?¡± Duck Emperor said.


    SLAP!


    Ghost smacked Duck Emperor¡¯s head and said, ¡°Don¡¯tpare your looks with my Senior Luoluo. My Senior Luoluo is the most handsome man. He¡¯s the world¡¯s most handsome man!¡±


    ¡°Your¡± senior¡­?


    Since when did I be yours?


    Xiao Luo was having a mental breakdown now.


    There was arge troop of guards outside the inn led by a fat officer. They were all part of General Zuomeng¡¯s detail.


    The fat officer was in her battle armor and stood there haughtily looking tall and strong. Like a crane among a flock of hens, she stood out prominently and caught their eye.


    ¡°ording to reliable sources, the man who teleported from Baiyue Nation yesterday is in here. He is in disguise and has dressed up as a girl.¡± The adjutant reported, standing in front of the fat officer.


    The fat officer dug her nose, then flicked the booger away with her thumb. ¡°Then what are you waiting for, rush in and finish him!¡±


    ¡°But her majesty said that we¡¯ve to make sure he¡¯s not hurt. If we injure him, it¡¯ll be hard for us to exin it to her majesty,¡± said the adjutant awkwardly.


    ¡°Adjutant Shen, you worry too much.¡±


    The fat officer pped the adjutant on the shoulder with the hand that she had used to dig her nose, and said, ¡°That man¡¯s cultivation level is at least that of a Martial Emperor. We can¡¯t injure him. The reason I asked you all to rush in and finish him, is for you to put up an excellent show in front of Grand Master. What¡¯s wrong, are you going to let this opportunity slip?¡±


    The adjutant was stunned upon hearing that. The same went for all the other female soldiers around them.


    ¡°Grand Master is here?¡± asked the adjutant.


    ¡°She¡¯s still on her way. With the Grand Master¡¯s high cultivation level, she can reach here in the blink of an eye. We¡¯ll take the lead and have Grand Master kill that stinky man. Only our Grand Master has the ability to kill that man,¡± said the fat officer with a solemn look.


    Finally realizing her intention, the adjutant said, ¡°With that, we won¡¯t have to exin anything to her majesty. It is Grand Master who will have to exin to her majesty why she killed that man.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Hurry and give the order to rush in so that we can take the credit!¡± The fat officer yelled impatiently.


    ¡°Yes, general.¡±


    The adjutant felt ted and was extremely excited. She quickly nodded her head.


    At that moment, Ghost, holding onto a little red umbre, floated down like a fairy. She appeared superior to any normal human being. With a cheeky smile on her face, she said, ¡°Let me y with you guys.¡±


    She descended right between the group of guards,nding on both her hands and feet. She looked outstanding¡ªno one detected any True Inner Force flowing within her, but she unleashed an overwhelming surge of explosive force. She knocked therge force of guards down like a hurricane in just a couple of seconds.


    ¡°Grandpa Duck Emperor is here to train with these young baby girls too!¡±


    Duck Emperor flew in like white lightning. Relying on his speed, the duck swiftly pped dozens of the female guards on their cheek, and the ground echoed with crisp cracks of his ps. Duck Emperor went even further¡ªhe grabbed hold of their armor and pulled them off. As their armor suits dropped to the ground, the guards were left with only their white underwear. They were so embarrassed that they didn¡¯t know what to do. Weirdly, the duck likened their pale bodies to a bowl of congee.


    ¡°Oh, my¡­ You shy little girls. It¡¯s a pity that Grandpa Duck here isn¡¯t a man, otherwise, it¡¯d feel like I¡¯m walking past a field of flowers, covered in rain and dew!¡± Duck Emperor hollered, smirking mischievously up in the air.


    ¡°Shoot this stinky duck down right now!¡± The fat officer ordered. She was so angry that she was gritting her teeth.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    A section of archers aimed at Duck Emperor hovering in the sky and let loose.


    A flight of arrows zoomed toward the duck as thick as rain.


    ¡°You missed, haha¡­ you just can¡¯t hit me!¡±


    Duck Emperor was extremely fast. One second it was in the northeast corner, and the next second it was in the southwest. As unpredictable as a ghost, it was moving around with ease and at times, it eveny repose in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re all so slow. Have you beenzing around during practice?¡±


    The fat officer growled at the archers and stared at them angrily. She then pointed her ax at Duck Emperor and threw it at him.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡­


    The sharp ax spun through the air at great speed toward the Duck Emperor, howling like the wind.


    ¡°A little ax is no threat!¡±


    It did not bother Duck Emperor at all, and he even sniggered. Once the ax came closer, he nned to p his wings and dodge it at thest minute.


    But at that moment, an arrow appeared out of nowhere and pierced into his duck butt.


    ¡°Ouch¡­!¡±


    Duck Emperor was stunned and screamed like a pig being ughtered. He ascended over ten meters into the air like his butt was on fire.

 Chapter 809 - Swords drawn, bows bent

    <h2>Chapter 809: Swords drawn, bows bent</h2>


    ¡°F*ck you!¡±


    Duck Emperor endured the pain and pulled out the arrow from his bottom. He looked down and searched for a while before he noticed a female soldier who was panicking. She looked very young, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She had a bow in her hand but had no arrows. She looked upward toward the direction where the arrow had traveled. It seemed likely that she was the one who shot it.


    WHOOSH!


    Duck Emperor flew toward her suddenly like a bolt of lightning.


    He shouted and asked, ¡°What is wrong with you? Were you aiming it at me, or did you blindly shoot? How in the world did Grandpa Duck Emperor be your victim?¡±


    The female soldier was very timid. She trembled as soon as Duck Emperor shouted at her and stuttered, ¡°I¡­ I just enlisted. I¡­ I do not know how to shoot an arrow.¡±


    ¡°Screw your ducking grandmother! So you shot blindly. You gave Grandpa Duck Emperor here a fright. I am convinced there are no archers who can predict my flight path¡ªthey simply do not exist!¡±


    Duck Emperor breathed a sigh of relief now that he knew it was a fluke shot. If she couldnd all her arrows, then he would undoubtedly be very surprised. He lectured her in a kindly tone like an elder. ¡°Little girl, you are still young and innocent. Why did you even enlist and decide to be a soldier? Go find yourself a lover and discover love¡ªit is what a girl your age should do right now. Be a good girl and listen to your Grandpa Duck Emperor here. Stop shooting the arrows. There are so many soldiers here. Would it not be better for you to sit back and watch? Why are you trying so hard for?¡±


    After saying that, he flew once again in a sh right through the rank of female soldiers and took off their armors at lightning speed.


    ¡°Ducky, you are truly a naughty one!¡± Ghost was in action as well. She could not help but burst outughing after watching Duck Emperor¡¯s little trick.


    ¡°Little girl, what do you know? The ultimate aim of the art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting them!¡± Duck Emperor retorted.


    ¡°What nonsense!¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered. He slowly descended to the ground from the third floor of the inn like a God.


    Is this a man?


    Almost every female soldier stared at him in awe, for not a single man had appeared in Baiyue Nation for decades. Most of them had never seen a man since they were born, and men were like a rare treasure. Thebination of yin and yang was a rule of nature¡ªmen and women were naturally attracted to each other. They had learned from young that men were toxic, harbingers and tigers who devoured humans. But it was still not enough to quell their curiosity about men.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s appearance distracted everyone, and the guards stopped immediately. He became the center of attention.


    ¡°Is this what a man looks like?¡±


    ¡°He does not look any different from us at all. He has two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, and a mouth too.¡±


    ¡°You are not observing closely enough. Can you not see that the man has a t chest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so men do not have breasts. How strange. Would he not feel ufortable without breasts?¡±


    ¡°But why do I feel he is so good-looking?¡±


    All the female soldiers stared at Xiao Luo with glowing eyes, suddenly forgetting that they were there to capture the man.


    The fat, heavy-set officer was the only one unaffected by the sight of a man for she had secretly executed many of them who entered Baiyue Nation from other regions. Besides, she liked girls to begin with, so she was not at all interested in men. Looking at all her troops swooning over Xiao Luo, she yelled, ¡°What are all of you doing? Hurry and capture him!¡±


    She still gave the instruction knowing full well they were incapable of capturing Xiao Luo.


    No one moved. All the female soldiers stood rooted, captivated by what they saw, and mesmerized by something they could not seem to resist.


    ¡°General, we want to look at him for a bit more.¡±


    ¡°That is right. How can a man look so good? The more I look at him, the more I am into him!¡±


    ¡°I want to give him a kiss.¡±


    The female soldiers were love-struck as most of them were young and at the age where it was natural to have a crush on a man.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Their behavior stumped the heavy-set officer. She could never have imagined that a man could create such an effect. Xiao Luo had not even made his move, and her guards no longer had the will to fight him. They were even disobeying her orders. This man was indeed toxic.


    ¡°Screw their ducking grandmothers! Baiyue Nation is indeed a heaven for men. It is a shame I am just a duck!¡±


    Duck Emperor was envious and wished he was human. Then he would be a national treasure in Baiyue Nation.


    Ghost dashed forward, stood in front of Xiao Luo to protect him, and shouted, ¡°Heh, why are you all looking at him? He is my Senior Luoluo. You people may not look at him!¡±


    ¡°Hah, the little girl is jealous!¡±


    Duck Emperor thought to himself with surprise.


    Suddenly, a powerful force pressed heavily down on the female soldiers, snapping them out of their daze. They lifted their heads and saw the Grand Master in her white robe with a sky crown on her head appearing out of thin air. She stood in mid-air like a God. Her very presence made one feel have the urge to worship her.


    Immediately, all the female soldiers greeted her respectfully.


    ¡°Grand Master, all of them disobeyed my order. Every single one of them¡­¡±ined the heavy-set officer when the Grand Master descended.


    The Grand Master raised her hand to cut her off and said, ¡°You cannot me them. The man has bewitched them all. After this experience, take note and make sure this never happens again in the future. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the heavy-set officer respectfully, nodding her head to acknowledge the Grand Master¡¯s words.


    Xiao Luo looked at the Grand Master of Baiyue Nation. He felt sure the aura of the Martial Venerable that he had felt at the pce must havee from her. No matter how you looked at her, the Grand Master felt like a monster. She might look human, but at a closer look, she was unusually odd. He could not put his finger on it, but he could feel that she gave off an unnatural vibe. It was mysterious.


    While Xiao Luo was deep in thought, the Grand Master red at him. She said, ¡°Baiyue Nation forbids any man from entering. Ourw demands that we execute any male trespassers.¡±


    Her voice rang out like it was a heavenly edict echoing through the sky down to earth.


    ¡°I am merely passing by. If you people allow it, I will use the teleportation portal and leave right now!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°Do you think you can still leave this ce alive?¡±


    Grand Master said with a stiff smile, ¡°Receive the trial of death.¡±


    A ball of mes gathered in her palm, slowly growingrger. A destructive aura spread out to the surrounding area, and he turned so hot it could singe skin.


    ¡°Screw her ducking grandmother! She just arrived, and she is already using her ultimate weapon?¡±


    Duck Emperor shot dozens of feet away and shouted to Ghost as he fled. ¡°Little girl, hurry and move away from the brat! You cannot handle this demonic witch¡¯s attack.¡±


    Ghost could also feel the mes in the Grand Master¡¯s palm were a little abnormal. She quickly asked Xiao Luo, ¡°Senior Luoluo, will you be able to handle it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled at her and said, ¡°You go over to where the stinky duck is.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ghost nodded her head obediently and bolted away.


    The mes in Grand Master¡¯s palm grewrger. Then she raised her hand, and the surrounding air became distorted from the high temperature. All the female soldiers on the ground had already retreated more than dozens of feet away.


    Xiao Luo stood his ground. He lifted his head and red at the Grand Master. He stood straight as a ramrod as the True Inner Force escaped from the thousands of pores on his body, turning into puffs of white smoke that slowly rose into the air.


    Swords were drawn and bows bent¡ªa ferocious battle was about to begin.

 Chapter 810 - Three tests

    <h2>Chapter 810: Three tests</h2>


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, stop it!¡±


    The shrill voice of an anguished girl cut across the air. Funing, dressed in white and riding atop an exotic beast, flew in from afar. The silver lock she was wearing on her chest was ringing. The beast she was riding had the body of a horse, a dragon¡¯s head, and a thick dragon¡¯s tail. The fur on its body was thick, simr to an elk. It was about the size of an adult male elephant. But it moved swiftly and soared across the sky like it was traveling on the ground. Like a bolt of lightning, the exotic beast carrying Funing hastened toward Xiao Luo.


    What on earth?


    Grand Master Mother furrowed her brows. She wanted to strike at Xiao Luo quickly but was afraid that she might hurt Funing. Being their Queen, Funing was the life force of Baiyue Nation. She was of noble birth and could not be put at risk. So, the grandmaster had to rein in her inner force and stop her attack.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, I will not allow you to hurt him!¡± yelled Funing.


    She jumped off the back of the exotic beast and extended her arms, standing right in front of Xiao Luo. She looked straight at Grand Master Mother, who was still hovering in mid-air.


    The mute maid?


    Xiao Luo stared at Funing with surprise. He looked at the exotic beast that she rode and realized it was the Zhongshan God from ¡°Shan Hai Jing.¡± In myth, it was known as the Mountain God and was as strong as a beast demon. Who would have thought the mute maid would ride on such a beast? Was it possible she had a secret identity?


    ¡°Greetings to Her Majesty!¡±


    The female soldiers bowed down to show their respect and devotion to Funing.


    Her Majesty?


    The mute maid was the Queen of Baiyue Nation?


    Her identity took Xiao Luo by surprise. He would never have imagined the queen of a vast kingdom was only a seventeen to eighteen-year-old girl. In the Original World, the girl would most probably have just graduated from high school. As the queen of a kingdom, she was a supreme ruler with authority and wealth. Just trying to imagine such a young girl governing a vast nation was nothing short of surreal.


    The Duck Emperor and Ghost were equally shocked. They found it hard to believe that the Queen of Baiyue Nation was a young girl.


    ¡°It is the Queen of Baiyue Nation! She is indeed beautiful. She is so pretty she can destroy a country with her beauty,¡± Duck Emperor praised.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Ghost was a little upset, and she questioned Duck Emperor, ¡°So, is she prettier or am I?¡±


    The Duck Emperor did not notice that Ghost was acting a little odd, and replied in candor, ¡°Both of you are pretty in different ways. You are both neck-to-neck.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Senior Luoluo likes her more, or does he like me more?¡± Ghost questioned even further.


    ¡°It is hard to say. But this pretty girl is the Queen of Baiyue Nation. She has an entire kingdom under her, and the kingdom is full of other young and beautiful girls. If I am the goddamn little brat, of course, I will choose her¡­ Gah, gah,¡± Duck Emperor was drooling as he imagined the prospect of being served by all those beauties.


    Ghost was riled up and immediately grabbed onto Duck Emperor¡¯s wings and flung him far into the distance.


    In her anger, she used her full strength. Even though Duck Emperor could fly, he could not withstand the amount of force she had put in. He shrieked as he was flung back like a small cannonball and smashed a hole in one of the building walls.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the Grand Master shouted down to Funing, ¡°Majesty, please move away. Allow me to enforce thew of ournd!¡±


    When others were around, she would address Funing as ¡°Majesty,¡± as was the protocol for addressing members of the monarchy.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, he cured me. I can talk again. He is a good person. Please do not hurt him.¡± Funing used her authority to protect Xiao Luo, the man who made her heart race just thinking of him.


    The reason Her Majesty could talk again was because of that man? Did he cure her?


    The female soldiers were shocked. They thought it was the Grand Master who used some heavenly method to cure Funing¡¯s vocal cord, which had not functioned for years.


    ¡°Any man who enters Baiyue Nation has to be executed. It is the nationalw. It is thew the previous queens had enforced. Is Her Majesty going to change the nationalw for just a man?¡± Grand Master shouted down to Funing.


    ¡°If Grand Master Mother is resolved to make a serious issue of it, then you might as well kill me too,¡± Funing stubbornly argued. She closed her eyes, viewing death as nothing more than a homing. Her determination to protect Xiao Luo was firm even though she wasn¡¯t sure there would be a future for them both. But she honestly did not want Xiao Luo to die.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The Grand Master gritted her silver teeth and red at Xiao Luo. If she could kill him with her eyes, Xiao Luo would have already been shredded into strips of dead meat.


    Not long after, Grand Master Mother sighed, released her clenched fist, and said, ¡°Forget it¡­ Forget it!¡±


    She flung the ball of mes, which were dancing on her palm, toward a mountain that was a few kilometers away. The fireball streaked through the air and smashed into the mountainside, resulting in a loud explosion. Heated air and debris rose and covered the sky, as the mountain shook violently threatening to crumble.


    ¡°Screw her ducking grandmother! Her destructive power is way too scary!¡±


    The Duck Emperor had just extricated himself from the pile of bricks and tiles from the broken wall. He witnessed how the Grand Master had sent the ball of mes crashing into the mountain. He was so shocked his eyes were bulging in fear. But thankfully, the Queen of Baiyue Nation arrived on time and stopped the Grand Master from using the ball of mes. Otherwise, from where he was standing earlier on, he would have suffered burn effects from the zing wave.


    ¡°Majesty, if you want to let him live, he will still have to pass the three tests first. It is all that I canpromise ording to thew of ournd,¡± said the grandmaster. Hermand reverberated across the sky like a God-like voice issuing a decree from the Heavens.


    Funing furrowed her brows tightly and had nothing to say in response. There was indeed such a rule in theirws. A man could escape execution if a Queen appealed to spare his life. However, it was on condition that the man had to pass three tests. The Grand Master Mother had already given in. If Funing demanded anything more, then she was disrespecting thews of her nation. But she got what she wanted for the time being. At least, her grandmaster would not kill Xiao Luo on the spot.


    Had to pass three tests?


    What in the world were they up to this time?


    Xiao Luo knitted his brows. Such a bother! Xiao Luo felt like he was Tang Seng from Journey to the West. Everywhere Tang Seng went along his travels, problems awaited him. Still, Xiao Luo was d to know that once he passed the three tests, he could leave Baiyue Nation safely. So, it was not such a bad idea after all. A safe journey to his next destination through the teleportation portal in the Baiyue Nation would be a perfect ending for his visit to this kingdom. It made little sense to engage inbat every time hended in a new ce.


    He took a step forward, lifted his head to look at Grand Master Mother, and said, ¡°Let us not waste any more time. Let us begin.¡±


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    The soldiers gasped and wondered if the man was insane. Did he ask to take the three tests immediately? The tests were just another method for the Grand Master to kill him. Was he so eager to die?


    Funing got a shock. She turned around to Xiao Luo and whispered, ¡°What are you doing? No matter what the three tests Grand Master Mother have prepared for you, it will be difficult to pass them. She would make things impossible for you. I wanted to buy you some time. When I find the opportunity, I will secretly let you go. But you are asking to go through the tests now¡ªdon¡¯t be so stupid.¡±


    ¡°It is alright. I will have to face what I have to face!¡± Xiao Luo said with a slight smile.


    The grandmaster raised her eyebrow cynically, somewhat surprised, and said, ¡°Interesting. It is the first time this Grand Master here has met someone as interesting as you. Arrogant andcent, ignorant and pathetic!¡±


    ¡°Do not insult my Senior Luoluo. Just bring it on!¡± shouted Ghost, angry at Grand Master Mother¡¯s sarcastic remarks.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    The Grand Master sneered. Then she turned into a wisp of green smoke and drifted toward the Royal Pce.


    The heavy-set officer turned to her troop and ordered them, ¡°Bring this man back to the Royal Pce.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± responded a group of female guards.

 Chapter 811 - Into the frying pan

    <h2>Chapter 811: Into the frying pan</h2>


    The Royal Pce was like an arena and looked just like an ancient Roman colosseum. It was round and surrounded by concentric tiered seats. At the center was a square ring about fifty meters wide and long and built of marble, and the gaps between each stone seemed seamless. Even a sip of paper wouldn¡¯t fit between each stone, and it was as smooth as a mirror.


    At this moment, Xiao Luo, Ghost, and Duck Emperor were at the center of the ring. The seating area was brimming with over five thousand citizens of Baiyue Nation, and there were no vacant seats avable. Funing and Grand Master were in the grandstand above the masses with a bird¡¯s-eye view. It was as if they were overlooking every single living being.


    There was a frying pan in front of Xiao Luo with a zing fire just beneath it. The oil in the frying pan was already simmering, white fumes rising from its surface dauntingly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the first test? Hurry, spill it out. Don¡¯t waste our time. We¡¯re in a hurry!¡± Ghost was eager to find out what the test was and couldn¡¯t wait to get through it.


    Duck Emperor shook its head and sighed. ¡°Little girl, I¡¯m seriously worried about your IQ. Even if you use your butt to think, you¡¯d be able to tell it has something to do with this frying pan in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Into the frying pan¡­¡± Xiao Luo thought to himself. ¡°Indeed, even if you used your butt to think, you couldn¡¯t miss it.¡±


    Duck Emperor then exined to Ghost and spoke confidently, ¡°Can you see this frying pan here? They have already heated the oil inside. The first test has to be about deep-frying. Throw some wild animals or ingredients into the frying pan and fry them, and then finish the food as fast as you can. I¡¯d say the aim is to see who can eat the fastest and the most.¡±


    After hearing that, Xiao Luo was at such a loss for words that he almost fainted.


    ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s an eatingpetition, then this girl here will never lose! I¡¯m the best at anything rted to eating,¡± Ghost replied, holding on to her small red umbre with her apricot eyes glimmering.


    THWACK!


    Xiao Luo did not hesitate to smack Duck Emperor on his head. He rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Did you say you were worried about Ghost¡¯s IQ? Your IQ isn¡¯t any much higher either. Keep your mouth shut if you know nothing and stop trying to fool Ghost.¡±


    ¡°Screw your ducking grandfather! Go***mn brat, why did you smack my head? You¡¯ve messed up my hair. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong. Are we notpeting to see who can eat faster?¡± Duck Emperor stared at him with a pair of round and angry eyes.


    Competing to see who can eat faster?


    Xiao Luo was angry but found it funny at the same time. He then gave Duck Emperor another smack on the head. ¡°You sure have a big heart.¡±


    ¡°A schr would rather die than be humiliated. Go**mn brat, you better not smack my head again. If you don¡¯t believe me, how about we make a bet?¡± Duck Emperor was, at heart, a duck with a temper. Since he was constantly being bullied by Xiao Luo, he felt now was the time to make an epiceback.


    ¡°Bet your *ss!¡± Xiao Luo said gruffly.


    Then he added, ¡°If we aren¡¯tpeting to see who can eat the fastest, then I¡¯ll pull out all of your feathers, throw them into the frying pan and fry it. What do you mean a schr would rather die than be humiliated? I haven¡¯t given you a good beating in a couple of days, and you¡¯re already behaving like a spoiled kid.¡±


    Duck Emperor no longer had the guts to argue with Xiao Luo. It slowly flew into Ghost¡¯s pocket. A feeble voice was hearding from inside the pocket, ¡°Fine, you¡¯re the big brother.¡±


    Looking at the cowardly Duck Emperor, Ghost couldn¡¯t suppress a giggle.


    In the grandstand above, Grand Master stared icily and sneered, ¡°Standing at the precipice of death, yet still unaware of their predicament! Truly they are fools!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep us guessing anymore. What¡¯s the first test about? Make it clear,¡± Xiao Luo bellowed, lifting his head upward.


    Grand Master¡¯s eyes glowered with indignation. It was uneptable that his man dared to speak with her in such a disrespectful tone. She gnashed her teeth with hatred, then quickly calmed herself, and said, ¡°As you can see, there is a frying pan with heated oil in front of you. The first test is for one of you to jump in. If any of you can stay in there longer than one burning joss stick without dying, then you will have passed the test.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    After hearing that, all the Baiyue Nation citizens gasped. They were sure that Grand Master intended to take this man¡¯s life. Jumping into a frying pan of hot oil would turn them into human jerky, and this method of death was extremely cruel.


    ¡°Into the frying pan? Screw her ducking grandmother! Does she have to go to this extent?¡± Duck Emperor was so scared that he gulped.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Funing, I¡¯ve already agreed to give in. This is the best I can do.¡±


    Funing wanted to say more, but Grand Master stopped her by raising her hands. She stood firm on her intentions.


    Grand Master shouted down to Xiao Luo and Ghost, ¡°While you¡¯re in the frying pan, you¡¯re not allowed to use true inner force. Once I detect any true inner force being used, then you will fail this test.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. What¡¯s the difference between jumping in and just killing them outright?¡± Funing shouted.


    She couldn¡¯t just sit still. Sure, they could not use true inner force, but even if they could, staying inside a frying pan with boiling oil for the duration of one burning joss stick was more than enough time to kill anyone. Probably not even a Martial Emperor could survive that.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference. At least they have a chance to live if they go inside the frying pan. If left to me to finish them, then there¡¯s no chance they would survive,¡± Grand Master retorted.


    She was an experienced person. Funing was nothingpared to her, so she couldn¡¯t argue with her. After Xiao Luo¡¯s death, the venom of love within Funing would be gone along with the man. Not only were they abiding by thew, but also she¡¯d be able to protect Funing. It was like killing two birds with one stone.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your request a little too much?¡±


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and red back at the grandmaster. All he wanted was for both sides to be safe and to leave this ce without incident. Everyone would be happy. But it didn¡¯t seem like Grand Master had the same sentiments.


    ¡°Too much?¡±


    Grand Masterughed coldly. ¡°You people will have to pass the three tests if you want to live. This is thew of ournd. You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    ¡°Go***mn brat, ignore this demonic witch. If you listen to her, you¡¯re going to be so f****ng dead!¡±


    Duck Emperor was angry as well. Not being able to use true elementary force was bul***t. Not even a Martial Saint could survive it with nothing but their bare skin.


    ¡°This girl here can give it a try,¡± Ghost said with pouted lips.


    Upon hearing that, Duck Emperor was shocked. He flew out and touched her on the forehead. ¡°Do you have a fever, little girl? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense. She said that we¡¯re not allowed to use true inner force, but the people from the Sucking Blood n have a different body build. It¡¯s based on ¡®spirit,¡¯ and my ¡®spirit¡¯ is yin. Not even the magma from the erupting volcano in the Dark Forest can harm me. This frying pan is nothing at all,¡± Ghost said.


    Eh¡­


    Duck Emperor was stunned.


    Xiao Luo was a little worried. ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Senior Luoluo. Though I might be unreliable, I assure you I can do this,¡± Ghost replied with a nod of her head. ¡°But I have a request.¡±


    ¡°What request?¡± Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows.


    Ghost put on an adorable smile on her pretty face. She walked toward him and whispered in his ears, ¡°When I¡¯m back from the frying pan, don¡¯t call me by my name anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Baby Ling!¡±


    ¡°Baby Ling?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! That will show we have an intimate rtionship,¡± Ghost said and giggled.

 Chapter 812 - The second test

    <h2>Chapter 812: The second test</h2>


    After Ghost said that, she flew forward like a swallow and got into the frying pan o hot oil.


    PLOOP!


    Some oil sshed out.


    ¡°Little girl¡­¡± Duck Emperor was so shocked that his duck¡¯s eyes were round and wide.


    On the other hand, Xiao Luo¡¯s heart thumped violently in anxiety. He feared something bad would happen to Ghost.


    The spectators gasped. Every single Baiyue Nation citizen was in a stupor. They found it hard to believe that the little girl dared to jump into a hot frying pan of hot oil with no hesitation. Was she not afraid that she would turn into human jerky?


    ¡°Wow, this feels good! It¡¯s like taking a bath in the hot spring!¡±


    Ghost sat inside the frying pan, up to her neck in hot oil. Of course, she held onto her small red umbre as well to protect her from the sunlight.


    Huh?


    Xiao Luo breathed a sigh of relief. He was ted she was alright, and it seemed like Ghost wasn¡¯t afraid of magma at all.


    ¡°Alright! Hey, little girl, this duck here is proud of you, haha, haha¡­¡± Duck Emperorughed out loud.


    ¡°That girl wasn¡¯t afraid of getting into the frying pan with hot oil¡­ How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Did she use True Inner Force?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t feel any true inner force flowing at all.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s not using any True Inner Force to protect herself, then shouldn¡¯t she be afraid of the hot oil scalding her bare skin?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable, simply unbelievable!¡±


    The Baiyue Nation citizens gathered there were awed. They would never have imagined that Ghost would dare get into the frying pan.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, this means they¡¯ve passed the first test,¡± Funing said excitedly in the grandstand.


    Beside her, the grandmaster frowned as she stared in disbelief at Ghost, who looked like she was taking a bath in the frying pan. She just couldn¡¯t figure out who this girl was or where she came from. How could she still be fine even after jumping into the frying pan without the use of her True Inner Force?


    Was the fire not strong enough?


    She waved her hands toward the fire underneath the frying pan, sending a stream of wind that blew directly at the mes and increasing its intensity. The mes rose roughly two to three meters high. She continued to wave her hands, fanning the fire to a greater height. Soon, the frying pan waspletely engulfed in mes, and nothing else could be seen.


    ¡°Demonic witch, what are you doing?¡± Duck Emperor was being serious for once and shouted at Grand Master in the grandstand.


    Grand Master red at him coldly, and said, ¡°I¡¯m the one who sets the rules. Why do I need to exin anything to you?¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes glowered with rage. He did not want toe into any sort of conflict with Baiyue Nation, but their grandmaster was forcing his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Just as Xiao Luo was getting ready to confront Grand Master, Ghost¡¯s voice could be hearding from within the mes, sounding like silver bells.


    She is still alive? Even with this?


    That couldn¡¯t be true. The mes had already exceeded the area of where the frying pan was. There was no difference between being in the pan or a sea of mes!


    All the Baiyue Nation citizens were lost for words and found unbelievable.


    Grand Master clenched her fist tightly. Her face turned dark as she gritted her teeth in absolute frustration. She had initially thought that this frying pan test was a surefire n to kill them, but she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when they could pass this test so easily. It was undoubtedly beyond her wildest imagination.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, I won¡¯t allow you to use any more tricks like this!¡± Funing hissed, ovee by a deep sense of vexation.


    Grand Master was stunned, and with a bitter smile, she said, ¡°To think that you¡¯re talking to me in this manner all because of a man. Funing, the poison is already showing its effects on you.¡±


    Funing did not even attempt to exin herself. She gazed at Xiao Luo who was standing in the ring, and said, ¡°I just do not wish to see him die here!¡±


    Grand Master shook her head. She looked towards the ring, and she was now more resolved to kill Xiao Luo.


    The duration of a burning joss stick was neither too long nor too short. Soon, the fat, heavy-set officer, acting as a judge, was in the ring and dered that the joss stick had burned up and that time was up. Ghost bounded out of that sea of mes with her small red umbre. Shended right beside Xiao Luo. He could not even see any traces of oil on Ghost, for her ¡®spirit¡¯ blocked off all the content in that frying pan.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Xiao Luo asked, scanning her from head to toe.


    Ghost nodded her head. ¡°I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry Senior Luoluo, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Little girl, you almost scared me to death, I almost went o your rescue and was nning to fight that demonic witch,¡± Duck Emperor said as hended on her shoulder.


    ¡°This girl here knows Duckling is the best,¡± Ghost said with her eyes smiling as she rubbed her face against Duck Emperor¡¯s feathers with much affection.


    Duck Emperor¡¯s face turned red, but he enjoyed her expression of affection. Looking at Duck Emperor¡¯s face, Xiao Luo couldn¡¯t help thinking he was behaving like a pervert, no matter how he looked at it.


    At that moment, Grand Master waved her hands and had her people remove the frying pan.


    Then a sardonic tone, she said, ¡°You lot are amazing and I am very surprised. I thought you would not pass even a single test.¡±


    ¡°Demonic witch, stop wasting your breath on useless words like this. Hurry and give us the second test. Grandpa Duck Emperor here is not afraid of you,¡± Duck Emperor shouted in reply, not amused with her mockery.


    ¡°Stop being arrogant, you stinky duck. I¡¯ll cut open your gut and steam you for my mealter,¡± Grand Master scowled.


    After saying that, a sharp hissing sound echoed into the sky. It was enough to cause one¡¯s eardrums to tremor. A giant bird soared into the sky from deep within the Royal Pce, spreading its wings. It darted toward them in an intimidating fashion.


    ¡°Divine¡­ Divine Bird? It¡¯s our Baiyue Nation¡¯s Divine Bird!¡± Someone screamed in rm.


    ¡°Grand Master has summoned the Divine Bird. This man is dead for sure!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Divine Bird is a beast demon. It¡¯s extremely powerful and is about as strong as a Martial Guru.¡±


    ¡°If Divine Bird uses its sharp ws, even a mountain will crumble in an instant.¡±


    All the Baiyue Nation citizens couldn¡¯t seem to calm themselves down. All of them stared at the beat, gawking with wide eyes.


    ¡°Divine Bird? Isn¡¯t that just a phoenix? It doesn¡¯t look any differentpared to those two that we came across in the Forest of the Infinity Edge,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    The Divine Bird was indeed a phoenix. All the feathers on its body were golden. It had the head of a chicken neck of a snake neck, back of a turtle, and tail of a fish¡ªit looked regal with its immense body. When it spread its wings wide, it spanned the perimeter of the ring. It stayed above the ring,pletely blocking out any sunlight to the ring beneath it.


    ¡°For the second test, if the Divine Bird doesn¡¯t kill you within the duration of one burning joss stick, then you will pass the test!¡± Grand Master dered.


    Funing¡¯s eyes trembled violently. This test looked much harder to survivepared to the first one. The Divine Bird was a beast demon, and it was as strong as a Martial Guru. There was no way Xiao Luo and the other two could survive the powerful attacks of a Martial Guru.


    It¡¯s over! It is surely over for this man!


    None of the Baiyue Nation citizens had an inkling of hope that Xiao Luo would survive this.


    The heavy-set officer belonged to Grand Master Mother¡¯s faction. Besides her, many more other people stood with Grand Master Mother as well, and they couldn¡¯t help themselves and cheered the beast on excitedly. ¡°Smash him, Divine Bird, smash this hateful man into smithereens!¡±


    Duck Emperor and Ghost looked at one another and couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°Demonic witch, you¡¯ve made the wrong move this time around. This god-damn brat¡¯s not afraid of any Divine Bird. In terms of martial skills, he¡¯s not afraid of anyone at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, Senior Luoluo, hurry and show her your skills,¡± Ghost added.


    The heavy-set officer retorted, ¡°He¡¯s only at the cultivation level of a Martial Emperor how can he defeat our Baiyue Nation¡¯s Divine Bird? Stop daydreaming!¡±


    ¡°Just you wait and see, hehe¡­¡± Ghost said.

 Chapter 813 - Bring it on

    <h2>Chapter 813: Bring it on</h2>


    SCREECH!


    Everyone could hear the frightful sound of the Divine Bird screeching. It pped its huge wings and dived toward the ring. So violent was the gust of wind from its wings, the Baiyue Nation citizens gathered there found their bodies being forced to the side.


    A pair of scarlet eyes shone with a cold light, and its two enormous ws were terrifying weapons, shing like swords. It headed straight for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, so I¡¯ll finish you with a single punch!¡± Xiao Luo said.


    After saying that, Xiao Luo channeled a vast amount of energy to his fist, and a tremendous power built up. The Divine Bird was streaking toward him and suddenly sensed danger. It instinctively reduced its speed in caution.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t even bother to think and sent his punch forward¡­


    KABOOM!


    A thunderous sound resounded across the sky. The power force that was unleashed distorted the air and a mighty wave of pressure spread across the surroundings. This turbulence forced the Baiyue Nation citizens backward, causing them to stagger back, unable to withstand it. Their hearts thumped in fear and even Grand Master, up in the spectator¡¯s grandstand, was no exception.


    The Divine Bird let out a miserable wail and soared up into the sky with its immense body, disappearing into the clouds. After a while, it reappeared and fell out of the sky, crashing into a mountain in the distance with a loud boom. That mountain shook and crumbled into a small mound as the ground trembled violently. The Divine Bird struggled briefly before it stopped moving.


    The sky rained golden feathers. They all came from that Divine Bird!


    Xiao Luo stood resolutely in the ring. It was as if his body was nailed firmly to the floor with an iron stake. At that moment, he emanated a formidable aura, like a heavenly sovereign who had descended into this world. He looked high and mighty.


    The Baiyue Nation citizens stared at him with their eyes and mouths wide open. With just one punch, this man defeated Baiyue Nation¡¯s Divine Bird. How was that possible? No one could believe what they saw, and it was as if they were dreaming.


    ¡°My god, he knocked out our Baiyue Nation¡¯s Divine Bird with one punch!¡± a Baiyue Nation citizen shrieked out in fear.


    It took but a single panicked scream to send the entire arena into chaos. Everyone stared at Xiao Luo in abject fear, mumbling to themselves how unbelievable that man in the ring was.


    Grand Master stared at Xiao Luo in shock. Defeating the Divine Bird with one punch was nothing like what she had expected. She found it hard to believe that this jerk, only at the level of a Martial Master, had such explosive power. But she was clear of one thing, and it was the fact that she had underestimated Xiao Luo¡¯s skills.


    ¡°He¡¯s so strong!¡±


    Funing was shocked at first, then amazed. To defeat the Divine Bird meant that Xiao Luo¡¯s ability was not beneath that of a Martial Guru. It might seem like Grand Master Mother might not even pose any threat to him at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a simple test¡­ Sit down, all of you, please sit down!¡±


    Duck Emperor coughed a little. He made his presence felt by addressing the crowd of Baiyue Nation citizens.


    Ghost nced at the fat, heavy-set officer who was so shocked that her mouth was agape. ¡°See, I told you I¡¯m not daydreaming.¡±


    The heavy-set officer stared at Xiao Luo in terror. She wasn¡¯t paying any attention to Ghost at all. In the beginning, she thought that Xiao Luo was merely at the cultivation level of a Martial Emperor, but looking at it now, Xiao Luo was definitely above that of a Martial Emperor. Martial Guru? Or a Martial Venerable? But he looked very young, so how was it possible for him to have such a high and deep cultivation level?


    Xiao Luo turned around and took a step forward as he looked into the grandstand.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    His body sent out an invisible force that rippled through the surroundings. The phoenix feathers falling from the sky vanished instantly and everyone gasped in shock.


    With his eyes fixed icily on Grand Master Mother, he said, ¡°What¡¯s the third test?¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but gasp. This man arrived in Baiyue Nation and it turned out he had such an incredibly strong cultivation level. It was just too shocking.


    Grand Master was stunned briefly but quickly came back to her senses. Gritting her teeth, she said, ¡°The third test will be to defeat me!¡±


    After saying that, she emitted an ominous aura from her body. She instantly teleported from the grandstand to where Xiao Luo stood. With her white jade-like ws, she aimed them right into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes.


    Xiao Luo tried to counter it with his palm. Even with no physical contact, the True Inner Force channeling from their bodies shed fiercely.


    BAM!


    The arena, constructed of stacked marble blocks, shattered into rubble instantly. Thankfully, Duck Emperor¡¯s reaction was fast. He carried Ghost along and flew somewhere safe, preventing her from sustaining any injuries. Turning back to look, the color on Duck Emperor and Ghost¡¯s face changed a little.


    What was once a ring had now turned into a gaping chasm¡ªdark and bottomless. It made them shudder just looking at it. Some of the rubble fell into the chasm, yet they could hear nothing.


    All the Baiyue Nation citizens were dumbfounded. The air seemed to be charged with electricity. Every single strand of hair on their bodies was on ends.


    ¡°Grand Master Mother, stop it!¡± Funing shouted from the grandstand.


    ¡°Majesty, it¡¯s my responsibility to uphold thew of thend, and this man must die!¡± Grand Master stared at Xiao Luo with murder in her eyes.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he hovered in the air, and said, ¡°Do you think you have what it takes to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Killing you is as easy as nodding my head,¡± Grand Master Mother retorted.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luoughed out loud, mocking her. ¡°Seems like I¡¯m being much too kind. I wanted to settle things amicably and have a happy ending, but you do not seem to want this little wish of mine toe true. Do you truly want to force me to kill every single one of you?


    A beam of cold and murderous light shone from his eyes, causing everyone to tremble uncontrobly.


    Xiao Luo had chosen not to be ruthless and was merely trying to avoid further conflict. Had he wished to be ruthless, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to take the three tests, to begin with. In the end, a bloody battle was unavoidable. If he knew this was going to happen, he would not have wasted any time. He should have just pushed his way through by force, whacking every single individual who went against him till they obeyed and listened.


    ¡°Kill every single one of us? Just you alone?¡± Grand Master said, smiling cynically.


    ¡°I¡¯m more than you bargained for!¡±


    Xiao Luo replied, as crackling energy suddenly surged in his palm.


    Grand Master Mother did not even have the time to react and was blown away instantly like a cannonball. It seemed like she flew to avoid his strike but it was Xiao Luo who sent her flying. Thick clouds were covering the sky, and in that instant, she flew into those clouds and disappeared.


    ¡°The third test? Bring it on, show me all that you¡¯ve got!¡±


    Xiao Luo rose into the sky like a God soaring in the air roughly hundreds of meters high. His majestic aura was a daunting sight, even causing heaven and earth to react. The clouds turned dark as he flew past them like a violent wind. He could feel Grand Master¡¯s aura, for she was, after all, a Martial Venerable. She was not going down with just that one palm.


    The Baiyue Nation citizens below them stared in despair. This was a confrontation they never imagined they would witness.


    ¡°Who is this man that who just arrived in our Baiyue Nation? How is his cultivation level this high!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hovering in the air like a God descending from heaven.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking, the more you say, the scarier you making it!¡±

 Chapter 814 - Beast Lord

    <h2>Chapter 814: Beast Lord</h2>


    Battles between adversaries at Xiao Luo¡¯s cultivation level were beyond theprehension of ordinary people, for they moved at such incredible speeds. Watching them fight, one could only catch a vague glimpse of their afterimage when they asionally broke off after an exchange of strikes.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The crowd could only hear the deafening sts that constantly boomed high in the sky and see the air distort from the energy discharged. Sensing the terrifying energy echoing between heaven and earth, they had goosebumps all over the bodies. Many buildings within the pce bore the brunt of the action, causing walls to crack and some buildings even crumbled entirely.


    Everyone raised their heads and gazed up in horror. They were in so much anxiety that they felt suffocated. It was a battle unseen by the naked eye, yet the fear they were experiencing was genuine!


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the battle? Has Handsome Luoluo won already?¡± Ghost asked Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Well, his victory is kinda inevitable. That Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation is undoubtedly being beaten up by that darn little brat,¡± said Duck Emperor.


    The duck¡¯s speed was as fast as lightning and he was long used to observing things traveling at high speeds. Hence, the battle scene which everyone could hardly follow did not pose a problem to Duck Emperor, who was observing itfortably.


    ¡°By the way, Little One, judging by your looks, you want to woo that darn little brat, don¡¯t you? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have asked that kid to call you Baby Ling, am I right?¡± Duck Emperor asked.


    Ghost¡¯s pretty face immediately turned red. But instead of denying what the duck had said like what an ordinary girl would do, she responded haughtily, ¡°Yeah, do you have an objection? I like Handsome Luoluo!¡±


    Ghost did not know how it all started, and she just suddenly fell for Xiao Luo. Perhaps it was because Xiao Luo had taken care of her and given her his undivided attention after she unwittingly tasted the forbidden fruit. It gave her the feeling of being cared for and that made her immediately develop her feelings for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Men like women, and women like men. This is natural. I didn¡¯t say that you can¡¯t like him, but I feel you have to change the way you address him,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Ghost was taken aback momentarily, then she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Handsome Luoluo a nice nickname?¡±


    ¡°Nice, your foot!¡±


    Duck Emperor responded unkindly. ¡°People will want to vomit when they hear it, and it will make you seem like a little child¡ªmaybe even a baby.¡±


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± Ghost knitted her eyebrows.


    ¡°Questioning me will not help your case.¡±


    Duck Emperor retorted in an authoritative tone, then added, ¡°Heed my advice and change it. And change the way you address me too. To make it clear, I¡¯m not asking you to do this for my sake. It¡¯s only to make you seem more mature. A lively and adorable girl is eptable, but not a childish and unreliable kid¡ªno man will consider someone like that as a potential partner.¡±


    Feeling that what Duck Emperor said made sense, Ghost asked, ¡°Then how should I address him?¡±


    ¡°His name is Xiao Luo, so you may just call him ¡®Luo¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Luo?¡± Ghost lowered her head and uttered his name repeatedly.


    ¡°So? It sounds better, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Duck Emperor asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ghost nodded gleefully as she smiled like a flower. That nickname was a lot better. She stepped closer to Duck Emperor and said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Duckling.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, once again you¡¯re reverting to your old self. What did I tell you just now? Don¡¯t address others with childish nicknames or it will only make you appear childish,¡± Duck Emperor chided.


    Ghost thought for a moment before she said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Duckling, absolutely right. What should I call you then?¡±


    ¡°Call me by my name, Duck Emperor. It sounds more majestic and high ss!¡±


    Duck Emperor replied, patting himself on the chest. He initially wanted to say ¡°Grandpa Duck Emperor,¡± but recalling Ghost¡¯s reaction before, he thought better of it. He would do it step by step, starting with his name first.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call you Duck Emperor from now on,¡± Ghost said, nodding with a smile.


    ¡°Good girl!¡±


    Duck Emperor was visibly pleased for he finally got rid of that insulting nickname given by that little brat, Xiao Luo. ¡°Why am I so smart¡­ quack, quack!¡±


    At this moment, the Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation hurtled from the sky. She plummeted like a meteorite, smashing into the abyss with a resounding bang. Clouds of dust and smoke billowed from the bottomless chasm.


    WHOOSH!


    Xiao Luo suddenly reappeared, hovering above the abyss. He exuded the confidence and self-assuredness of an ace and was an awe-inspiring sight.


    ¡°The Grand Master has fallen!¡±


    ¡°Just who on earth is this man? Is he so powerful that he can defeat our Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s as powerful as a God. Why did the Grand Master provoke him?¡±


    As the citizens of the Baiyue Nation looked upon the sight of Xiao Luo hovering in the air, they were both astonished and terrified at the same time.


    Snapping out of her stupor, Funing ran down from the grandstand.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­¡±


    Although she went against the Grand Master Mother¡¯s wishes, in her heart, the grandmaster was just like her own mother. She ran to the edge of the abyss and called out to Grand Master Mother who was still somewhere at the bottom of the chasm. She desperately wanted to find out if her Grand Master Mother was alive.


    Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy burst out of the abyss.


    ¡°So, she is finally going to reveal her actual form!¡±


    Xiao Luo muttered, then immediately shouted to Duck Emperor, ¡°Take Baby Ling away from this ce at once. The further the better.¡±


    Duck Emperor had a good idea of what was going to happen and hurriedly grabbed Ghost by her shoulders and flew off to a safe distance.


    ¡°Damn you, filthy b*stard. I want you dead!¡±


    A hoarse voice issued from the abyss and every word was filled with hate. It sounded like an old woman wailing in fury.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The ground cracked as if a massive earthquake was in progress. The edge of the abyss gave way and the surrounding buildings shook frightfully. Many people from the Baiyue Nation fell through the cracks that formed in the ground and no one knew whether they survived.


    Xiao Luo immediately pulled Funing and brought her to a safe location before he bounded once again into the air to confront the Grand Master Mother.


    ¡°HARGHH!¡±


    A fearsome howl shook the sky and earth, and a behemoth emerged from the chasm.


    Its body was over ten feet tall and covered in me. It had three heads, and sharp teeth lined the mouths of each head. The beast¡¯s three pairs of scarlet eyes glowed like the devil¡¯s and cast fear into the bottom of the people¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°Oh, gosh, what monster is that?¡±


    ¡°A three-headed fox, and so massive. Why would such a beast exist underneath the pce?¡±


    ¡°Is that the Grand Master? Could it be that the Grand Master is a monster?¡±


    When citizens of the Baiyue Nation saw the three-headed demon fox in the pce, terror immediately struck them.


    Funing opened her eyes wide and frozen in fear. In her mind, memories of that stormy night nine years ago emerged. It was the reason she became mute¡ªshe was frightened when she saw this ferocious beast on that stormy night.


    The Grand Master told her it was a nightmare, but little did she expect her nightmare had now be a reality. At this moment, her mind was nk as she remained in a stupor.


    ¡°What the¡­ It is no wonder that even men of high cultivation have never returned from this ce alive. It turns out that the Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation is a Beast Lord that can morph into human form. Saying that she¡¯s a beast is no exaggeration at all,¡± Duck Emperor muttered to himself.

 Chapter 815 - Great Sealing Technique

    <h2>Chapter 815: Great Sealing Technique</h2>


    ¡°A Beast Lord!¡±


    Xiao Luo hovered in mid-air as he stared indifferently at the Three-headed Fox Demon Grand Master Mother had transformed into. A Beast Lord was the highest level among exotic beasts, and at par with a Peak Martial Venerable level for humans¡ªone step away from bing a Martial Saint. It was not a power to underestimate.


    The Three-headed Fox Demon crouched on the ground, sending out a frightful aura that caused the people in the area to tremble in fear.


    ¡°I want you dead!¡±


    The Three-headed Fox Demon snarled as it red at Xiao Luo with murderous intention, breathing out purple mes from its jaws. The mes swirled up, coalescing into a massive pir of purple mes before it shot up into the sky. Even across a distance of a thousand meters, the zing high temperature left everyone drenched in sweat.


    ¡°My life is not something you can take away just because you want to.¡±


    Looking down from the air, Xiao Luo snorted and gently pped his hands. A cyclone formed instantly with swirling violent winds and roared fearsomely at the Three-headed Fox Demon.


    As the cyclone passed, its destructive force turned the ground into a field of loess. A massive amount of rubble and dust was drawn up into the churning air. Many people of the Baiyue Nation fell over each other in their attempt to escape from the onught.


    BOOM!


    Peals of thunder boomed from above and reverberated between the heavens and earth.


    When the fierce cyclone and the pir of purple mes collided, a horrific st of energy resulted. At the point of impact, the air rippled and distorted violently for a few seconds before finally dissipating as the energy waned.


    When the colossal impact between the cyclone and purple me pir died down, Xiao Luo teleported to where the fearsome aura emanated and appeared directly behind the Three-headed Fox Demon. Instantly, Xiao Luo mmed his palm on the creature¡¯s back.


    The surge of energy from the palm resounded like a raging bellow of hundreds of thousands of evil spirits!


    The Three-headed Fox Demon¡¯s head swung one of its heads around, and a two-meter-thick gust of purple me ejected from its mouth. The burning purple me met Xiao Luo¡¯s palm in the air and exploded with a loud boom. Massive energy ripples swept across like a violent storm. Both Xiao Luo and the Three-headed Fox Demon were thrown back from the recoil. Xiao Luo flew back tens of feet up in the air. The enormous body of the Three-Headed Fox Demon retreated hundreds of meters across the ground.


    ¡°Is this how a battle between two powerhouses looks like?¡±


    ¡°The man¡¯s power is simply terrifying. I think even breaking down mountains and diverting rivers will be child¡¯s y to him.¡±


    ¡°But the Three-headed Fox Demon is a Beast Lord!¡±


    The citizens of the Baiyue Nation raised their heads and gaped in awe. They felt like frogs living at the bottom of a well. Never did they expect that the power of a single individual to reach such an incredible level.


    ¡°Holy duck cakes! What a terrifying strike!¡±


    The Duck Emperor broke into a cold sweat and muttered as he gazed toward the booming explosions high in the sky.


    ¡°Duck Emperor, do you think Luo will win?¡± Ghost asked as she looked up at where Xiao Luo was battling the Beast Lord.


    ¡°The probability of him winning is high. The darn kid has not even unleashed his full power. Look at him. He has not even drawn the Dragon Saber yet,¡± replied Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Reassured, Ghost nodded in relief.


    In the sky, Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows. This beast was the strongest opponent he had encountered since he came to Arcana Land.


    Xiao Luo red at the Beast Lord with steely eyes and said, ¡°I did not choose to be your enemy. Why must you press on? Are you going to give up only after I kill you?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap! Today, I will use the Great Sealing Technique to kill you!¡±


    The Three-headed Fox Demon growled, grimacing indignantly. Then, purple mes burst out from every part of its body. Within fractions of a second, the intense purple light became as dazzling as a Three-legged Crow [1].


    ¡°The Three-headed Fox Demon is about to unleash its ultimate weapon!¡± Duck Emperor gasped and was so nervous that he felt his heart throbbing in his throat.


    The citizens who were watching the battle from afar hurriedly retreated in fear. The soldiers had taken Funing away from the area, knowing the next strike from the Three-headed Fox Demon would be immeasurably destructive.


    Xiao Luo stood floating in the air. He could feel the energy fluctuation between heaven and earth, and his expression altered slightly. Within a radius of tens of feet, winds began howling.


    ¡°Seal!¡±


    The three gaping mouths of the Three-headed Fox Demon roared in unison. Their voices were hoarse, but they sounded like voices of deities, reverberating through the surrounding space.


    All at once, the light of the purple mes enveloped the area, lighting up the sky with a shing brilliance. Suddenly, the light divided itself into more than a dozen rays of purple light and converged to form a birdcage of massive beams, trapping Xiao Luo within it.


    Afterward, all the purple light beams buzzed and rapidly moved inward to the centerline,pressing the space within it.


    Xiao Luo felt disoriented as he was immersed within the field of purple brilliance, losing his bearings for a moment and could not tell which direction he was facing. The purple light cage imprisoned him and immobilized him.


    To the naked eyes of the onlookers, Xiao Luo was imprisoned in the purple sphere of energy. They could not see that the energy sphere was steadily shrinking. The purple light zed brilliantly across the area and veiled all of God¡¯s creation in its purple splendor.


    ¡°Die, haha, haha¡­¡±


    The Three-headed Fox Demon used its mind to control the purple energy sphere and burst intoughter as it shrank. The beast meant to squash Xiao Luo inside the cage of purple light.


    ¡°Oh, no, the man is going to get killed.¡±


    ¡°Where did the Three-headed Fox Demone from? Why was it hiding in the pce of the Baiyue Nation all this while? Is it after something?¡±


    ¡°Is it going to harm the Baiyue Nation?¡±


    Everyone in Baiyue Nation was in a panic. The Three-headed Fox Demon struck fear in the hearts of the people of the kingdom.


    Suddenly, the purple energy sphere shattered, and its purple splendor vanished in an instant. Everything returned to what it was before.


    What on earth?


    The expression of the Three-headed Fox Demon changed abruptly. As its heads looked up into the sky, they saw Xiao Luo standing amid the void, unscathed. A pair of deep-red devilish eyes were ring back at the beast with an immense, bloodthirsty vibe.


    With an air of indifference, Xiao Luo moved one hand and unsheathed the Dragon Saber.


    FLASH!


    A burst of dazzling sword energy over ten feet long shed down at the beast on the ground. As the energy whipped its way down, devastating energy was released across the surrounding area.


    The Three-headed Fox Demon spat out purple mes in an attempt to disperse the onught of potent energy. However, the sword st was so powerful that it sliced through the burning hot purple mes cleanly.


    WHOOSH!


    The sword energy cut through the purple mes and continued its path downward. An arm of the Three-headed Fox Demon was chopped off and blood sttered around, sending the pungent smell of blood permeated the air.


    The Three-headed Fox Demon wailed as its enormous body fell to the ground.


    Cold and emotionless, Xiao Luo thrust his palm at the beast from the air.


    Filled with the True Inner Force, the force of the palm pressed down against the Three-headed Fox Demon.


    BAM!


    The earth shook. Finally, Xiao Luo had critically injured the Three-headed Fox Demon. The mouths and noses of all three heads were bleeding, and wounds covered its entire body. The area where itid had copsed to a depth of over ten meters. If one looked down from a high altitude, it looked like a massive pit.


    ***


    [1] Three-legged Crow. A creature found in various mythologies and arts of East Asia. Also known as Golden Crow or Sun Crow. A mythical creature believed to inhabit and represent the Sun.

 Chapter 816 - Little Fox

    <h2>Chapter 816: Little Fox</h2>


    The Three-headed Demon Foxid within the massive crater, severely injured and unable to stand.


    ¡°It can¡¯t move now. Hurry, let¡¯s kill that monster before it recovers and brings cmity upon the Baiyue Nation!¡±


    Someone in the crowd shouted. The female warriors from the pce snapped out of their stupor and charged collectively at the Three-headed Demon Fox wielding spears, swords, and guns. In the blink of an eye, the Three-headed Demon Fox¡¯s body was covered in blood as it shrieked in agony. Injured badly, it was incapable of even driving away these people who were extremely low in cultivation level. It stared at Xiao Luo hovering in the air with defiance in its eyes. It showed no fear and seemed to look death calmly in the face.


    ¡°Stop, all of you! Stop! Don¡¯t hurt her! She¡¯s the Grand Master, my mother!¡±


    Funing dashed over in great haste. Looking at the Three-headed Demon Fox all drenched in blood, her eyes turned red.


    Grand Master?


    This Three-headed Demon Fox is the Grand Master?


    The Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation a monster all along, yet no one realized?


    The citizens of the Baiyue Nation were horrified and gasped as they stared at the Demon Fox before their eyes. Chills ran down their spines. Although her Majesty the Queen was in charge of the government of the Baiyue Nation, the ultimate authority was still with the Grand Master. This meant that a Demon Fox had been running the government of the Baiyue Nation.


    It had always been so since ancient times. Only its identity changed with the times. During the time Funing¡¯s mother reigned on the throne, it assumed the identity of the Prime Minister, and during the reign of the queen before, it was the Minister of General Affairs. The more one thought of it, the more horrifying it seemed. All the while, there was a monster in guise, ruling beside each of the queens of the Baiyue Nation.


    ¡°Your majesty, this is not the Grand Master. It is a monster! We should hurry and kill it before it recovers from its injuries. Should we not take immediate action, your majesty, I¡¯m afraid that more chaos will befall the Baiyue Nation,¡± said a female guard.


    ¡°Yes, kill it! We should kill it!¡±


    The citizens of the Baiyue Nation were afraid and yelled for its immediate execution. Monsters brought harm upon people, and they even devoured humans right down to the bones. For this monster to have influenced the line of Baiyue Nation rulers since ancient times, it must have had a motive. They no longer felt a sense of security and fearpelled them to call for the death of the Demon Fox.


    Hearing the voices screaming for its ughter, the eyes of the Three-headed Demon Fox were filled with bitterness and despair.


    ¡°Nobody is killing it!¡±


    Funing was adamant and suppressed all the voices with her royalmand. ¡°I allow no one to touch her. She is no monster¡ªshe is the Grand Master of the Baiyue Nation, and she is my mother.¡±


    The Three-headed Demon Fox looked at Funing with weepy eyes as tears fell from the corners of its eyes. Listening to Funing¡¯s voice in her defense, the Beast Lord could not help but choke softly. The gentle whimpering invoked a sense of sympathy to those who heard it. Even Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows and descended back to the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Mother. Funing will protect you. I will allow no one to harm you!¡± Funing reached out with her hands and touched the Three-headed Demon Fox¡¯s nose.


    When a female guard saw Funing stretching her hand, she instinctively yelled a warning in rm. ¡°Your majesty, it is a monster! It will harm you!¡±


    ¡°She took care of me since I was young. Why would she hurt me?¡±


    Funing¡¯s gaze was resolute. After her hands touched the nose of the Three-Headed Demon Fox, she stroked it gently as her tears welled up. ¡°It has been more than a thousand years since the founding of the Baiyue Nation. For more than a thousand years, everything in our nation has gone smoothly, and all of our people have remained in good health. No major disasters have ever urred. She has never harmed us. She is the patron saint of the Baiyue Nation. How can you say that she is a monster?¡±


    Her heartfelt remark struck at everyone¡¯s soul like a giant bell.


    Yeah, the queen was right. No major disaster had ever taken ce in the Baiyue Nation since the country was founded. Citizens have led blissful lives with enough food, a roof over their heads, and clothing to wear. Despite the Grand Master being the Three-headed Demon Box, she had never harmed them.


    ¡°Stop saying that the Grand Master is a monster!¡±


    Suddenly, a chubby girl covered in dirt stepped forward. Earlier, she fell through a crack in the ground, and when she finally crawled out, she heard everyone using the grandmaster of being a monster. When she heard the crowd calling for the grandmaster to be killed, she became anxious. ¡°The Baiyue Nation¡¯s first queen rescue the grandmaster when she was out hunting one day. To repay her kindness, Grand Master pledged her loyalty to the Baiyue Nation, and from that day on, she had assisted all of our queens in governing the country. Her Majesty is right, and she is not a monster¡ªshe is the patron saint of the Baiyue Nation!¡±


    The words of the chubby girl reminded many people of a story passed down through the generations. It was told that a little fox was chased down and bitten by a tiger. Right before the predator was about to kill it, a sharp arrow was fired and drove the tiger away. The woman rescued the fox, took it back home, and took good care of it. When atst the little fox recovered, it never wanted to leave the woman, vowing to repay her debt.


    This was a well-known folktale in the Baiyue Nation. No one knew who created the story, but it had been passed down from ancient times to the very present. Thinking about it now, that woman would have been the first queen of the Baiyue Nation, and the little fox was now¡­ the Grand Master.


    Realizing this, the hostility in everyone¡¯s eyes vanished, and they looked kindly upon the Three-headed Demon Fox. They immediately dropped the weapons in their hands.


    The Three-headed Demon Fox burst into tears. It remembered the first queen of the Baiyue Nation. When she died, she was just a little fox. It did not possess any powers, and could only stay by her queen¡¯s side, using her body temperature to her lifeless body warm.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the end, the Three-headed Demon Fox escaped death. Given proper care by Funing and the people of Baiyue Nation, it quickly recovered and reverted to its human form. However, its severed arm was lost forever.


    The teleportation portal was in the mansion of Grand Master Mother. The grandmaster maintained it well, and it looked spotless.


    After being defeated by Xiao Luo, the grandmaster¡¯s hostility toward Xiao Luo ceased, and she even felt the urge to befriend him.


    ¡°Do you know why I have ced the teleportation portal here?¡± she asked.


    Without waiting for Xiao Luo to respond, she continued, ¡°Because it belongs to the Holy Highness of the Light n. The church is the one who taught me the way of cultivation. She¡¯s the second person to whom I¡¯m indebted. To my benefactors, I will dly give up my life to protect them.¡±


    Holy Highness of the Light n?


    The expressions of Duck Emperor and Ghost changed instantly.


    Xiao Luo was taken aback, and asked, ¡°Do you mean the Holy Highness of the Light n taught you the way of cultivation?¡±


    The Grand Master nodded, then walked two to three steps toward the window, and said, ¡°When the first queen of the Baiyue Nation passed away, I was just an ordinary little fox. I don¡¯t know what happened, so I stayed by the queen¡¯s remains. Coincidently, the Holy Highness of the Light n was traveling across Arcana Land and came to the Baiyue Kingdom. Seeing that I was loyal to my master, she taught me how to cultivate.¡±


    I see!


    The crowd thought it was unbelievable. The Holy Highness of the Light n was a living God, and even Martial Gurus or Martial Venerables may not even have the chance to meet her their entire lives. What more ordinary people or a little fox? That the Holy Highness of the Light n hade to the Baiyue Nation was incredible.

 Chapter 817 - Someone You Like

    <h2>Chapter 817: Someone You Like</h2>


    When you mention the Holy Lady¡ªwas she the one who came more than a thousand years ago?


    Complicated emotions emerged in Xiao Luo¡¯s heart. He did not know what it was, but he felt a strange sense of warmth in the Baiyue Nation. In his thoughts, he immediately pictured Su Li descending upon the Baiyue Nation as the Holy Lady.


    ¡°I assume you are already a Martial Saint in cultivation level. The Martial Saint stage is already the highest known level in Arcana Land. Where do youe from, and where are you going?¡± asked the grandmaster, gazing at Xiao Luo as if she wanted to see through him.


    ¡°Wee from the Dark Forest, and we are going to the Holy Land of the Light Nation,¡± Ghost answered candidly.


    To the Holy Land of the Light Nation?


    When the people of the Baiyue Nation who were present heard her, it startled them.


    ¡°Why must you be so straightforward?¡±


    Duck Emperor coughed a few times then rebuked her. At that moment, he felt a mild sense of superiority. When Duck Emperor faced simr situations in the past, he reacted exactly as Ghost did. But now he was more discerning, much like Xiao Luo, while Ghost was like him in the past.


    ¡°Can I not say it?¡± Ghost questioned innocently.


    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t. If you answer everything truthfully when someone questions you, you will note across as shrewd, rather you will appear immature,¡± lectured the Duck Emperor.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ghost epted the advice humbly and nodded. ¡°I will not do it anymore,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Duck Emperor gave her a big thumbs up with his wing.


    Funing ignored the exchange between Duck Emperor and Ghost. She stepped toward Xiao Luo, and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, are you truly heading to the Holy Land of the Light n?¡±


    Xiao Luo smiled wryly while taking a nce at Ghost. He could not deny it even if he wanted to. Left with no choice, he nodded and admitted to it.


    ¡°I heard that the Holy Lady is undergoing a trial and is about to return. When she does, she would havepleted the metamorphosis, thus elevated her cultivation level by leaps and bounds. Could it be the reason your party is heading toward the Holy Land of the Light n?¡± the Grand Master asked in surprise.


    ¡°We are just going for a visit. We will leave as soon as we finish. Right, Duck Emperor?¡± Ghost answered.


    She became nervous. Ghost was going to meet her father, and if possible, rescue him from confinement. Nobody must learn about her true motive.


    ¡°Yep, we are going there for a visit and will leave as soon as weplete our visit. The return of the Holy Lady and whatever you have just said, they have absolutely nothing to do with us,¡± Duck Emperor hurriedly echoed.


    Having lived for so many years, the Grand Master knew that Ghost and Duck Emperor were lying. However, she was not interested in their motives, and said, ¡°The Four Kings, all of whom are Martial Saints or even higher at an unknown level, guard the Holy Land of the Light n. No matter who it might be, no one may cause any disturbance in the Light n¡¯s holynd.¡±


    ¡°I already said that we are just going for a visit. It is not like we are going to do anything,¡± eximed Ghost. She became anxious and defended herself once again.


    The grandmaster smiled and remained silent. She walked to the teleportation portal and adjusted the coordinates to Tarawa City, then she said, ¡°Only our past queens have used this portal. Go to Tarawa City and choose a suitable weapon. The dwarves govern Tarawa City. They excel in weapon crafting. Many of the peerless God Weapons in Arcana Land originate from the ce.¡±


    God Weapons?


    It immediately intrigued the Duck Emperor, who asked, ¡°Is there any God Weapon suitable for my duckbill or duck ws?¡±


    ¡°Whether it be a weapon for a human or a beast, all are avable in Tarawa city. There are many types of weapons, too many to even count,¡± replied Grand Master Mother.


    ¡°Awesome! I will get myself a weapon to enhance mybat capabilities. Quack, quack,¡± Duck Emperor said with glee.


    ¡°I want a weapon too. Fighting with one will improve my performance,¡± Ghost said excitedly.


    Xiao Luo promptly said, ¡°So, why are we waiting? Let us go.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ghost responded, nodding obediently.


    ¡°Wait, Xiao Luo.¡±


    Funing halted Xiao Luo and hurried to him.


    ¡°What is the matter, Your Majesty?¡± Xiao Luo asked and bowed slightly to her.


    ¡°Do not call me Your Majesty. Just call me by my name, Funing.¡±


    Funing looked at him affectionately. It was a look from a person besotted with love. She had felt that way since she saw Xiao Luo the very first time. She felt inexplicably nervous, her heartbeat raced, and she found it hard to breathe. It was love at first sight. But despite that, she was not hoping for anything. All she did was to keep the affection deep in her heart.


    Xiao Luo knitted his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the young queen of the Baiyue Nation, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Your journey will be a long one, Xiao Luo. Make sure you protect yourself. If you have the chance in the future, visit me, will you?¡±


    Funing said affectionately. After speaking, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Xiao Luo lightly on his face.


    The guards of the Baiyue Nation present were shocked, and they looked at each other. Grand Master Mother remained very calm, for she had witnessed affection between men and women. Naturally, she knew the act was an unconscious behavior driven by profound inner feelings.


    Ghost froze for a moment, then became jealous. Filled with rage, she was about to rush forward.


    Fortunately, Duck Emperor held her back, and said, ¡°Little One, what are you doing? Calm yourself!¡±


    ¡°She kissed Xiao Luo! I cannot forgive her. She cannot be¡­¡± Ghost gritted her teeth in fury.


    ¡°Calm down! You must calm down!¡±


    Duck Emperor pulled her back firmly, but Ghost¡¯s strength was so great she was still moving toward Xiao Luo.


    Funing kissed Xiao Luo, and the kiss did not end until some three to four secondster. Funing¡¯s cheeks turned red as she gazed at Xiao Luo with deep affection. The temptation was too strong.


    Xiao Luo looked confused. He never expected Funing to make such a move. If a pebble fell into a well, it would cause ripples in the calm waters. Though her kiss left an impression on him, he immediately suppressed his feelings.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    After speaking to Funing, Xiao Luo turned around and walked toward the teleportation portal. Coincidentally, he met Ghost face to face. She was rushing toward him angrily.


    ¡°What is the matter?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Like a leaking balloon, Ghost¡¯s anger immediately dissipated, and replied, ¡°No¡­ nothing.¡±


    ¡°Let us go then,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    As he spoke, he strode into the teleportation portal.


    Ghost nced at Funing with eyes full of hostility. Then she hurried behind Xiao Luo with a snort.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Women!¡± Duck Emperor sighed, shaking his head as he entered the portal.


    ¡°He has left. It is time that you settle your mind,¡± said Grand Master Mother, turning to look at Funing.


    Funing smiled bitterly as she gazed at the teleportation portal. ¡°Mommy, do you know? I am jealous of that girl!¡±


    ¡°Ghost?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Funing nodded and added, ¡°If I could, I would rather give up my royalty and wealth and follow Xiao Luo wherever he goes.¡±


    Her deration of feelings startled Grand Master, Mother who responded as a protective mother would. ¡± You are still young. What do you know about love? What is affection? If you do not understand their true meanings at all, you will fall into a trap and lose yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, have you ever felt this way with anyone?¡± Funing turned around and asked out of the blue.


    The question stunned the grandmaster. The image of her husband came into her mind. It was the time when both of them were just ordinary foxes. A greedy hunter had caught her. In the face of certain death, her husband saved her, and in the end, the hunter brutally ughtered him. He ripped open his stomach and skinned him.

 Chapter 818 - God Weapon Conference

    <h2>Chapter 818: God Weapon Conference</h2>


    ¡°Luo, I want a kiss too!¡±


    Inside the teleportation portal, Ghost finally mustered up the courage to say what she had in mind. She had been hesitating since she entered the portal.


    Xiao Luo stared at her incredulously for a while, then reached out and flicked a finger between her eyebrows. ¡°Are you alright up here? What the heck are you talking about?¡± he said.


    Ghost touched her forehead and looked up at him defiantly. ¡°I am fine. I merely want a kiss,¡± she said.


    ¡°Haha, haha, quack, quack, quack¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor could not help himself and burst outughing in stitches. ¡°Little One, I bet you got jealous after you saw the little girl from the Baiyue Nation kissing this darn kid?¡±


    Ghost did not deny it. She pouted her lips and continued to gaze at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo felt his head aching. He already had tons of frivolous rtionships back in the Original World and did not want to have any other rtionships with women in this world.


    He asked Ghost, ¡°Do you know why I am going to the Holy Land of the Light n?¡±


    Ghost shook her head and stared at him curiously.


    ¡°To find my wife.¡±


    Xiao Luo told her solemnly, and added, ¡°By the way, we also have an adorable daughter. My wife and I could have lived a life with no worries, but the people from the Light n took her away. The reason I am going to the Holy Land is to rescue my wife.¡±


    After she heard what he said, Ghost got startled. She had always thought Xiao Luo was going to the Light n¡¯s holynd for sightseeing. Never did she expect that he had kin over there, just like she did. ¡°Luo, why have I not heard you mention all these before?¡±


    ¡°We call it subtlety. Not everything has to be shared. In many things, it is best to keep them hidden at the bottom of your heart. I guess you finally know why this darn kid is so mature. And why his every move and every word seem to give a strong sense of security,¡± Duck Emperor chimed.


    Xiao Luo nced at Duck Emperor and did not say a word. The darn duck had said everything he wanted to say.


    Unwavering, Ghost looked at Xiao Luo, and replied, ¡°Even so, it has nothing to do with me liking you. The Sucking Blood n allows even three to four wives. If I cannot be your first wife, I can be your second or third.¡±


    First, second, third wife?


    Xiao Luo felt speechless. Then, he tapped her head lightly and said, ¡°I wonder what it is you have in here. Do you still want to save your father or not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I want to.¡±


    She was resolute in the matter of her father and immediately nodded. But then, she subsequently giggled as he thought urred to her. ¡°It looks like getting married to Luo is not a matter of urgency. We can further discuss it after we meet father, hehe¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo held his forehead and sighed wearily.


    ¡°Darn kid, do not behave like you are suffering an enormous loss here. Look at Little One. Look at how radiant and bubbly she is. I feel being your second or third wife is like sticking a lovely flower in a dunghill,¡± remarked Duck Emperor. He tried tofort Ghost by putting Xiao Luo down.


    Xiao Luo stared at the duck with a chilling re, and said, ¡°I am going to give you one more chance. Weigh your words carefully and say it to me again!¡±


    ¡°What I mean is the both of you suit each other. Don¡¯t you know that making an analogy is based on a corrtion?¡± answered Duck Emperor. He was so terrified he quickly flew into Ghost¡¯s pocket to hide.


    Ghost asked, ¡°What is a corrtion? How do you make an analogy?¡±


    Xiao Luo and Duck Emperor were both at a loss for words.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As the aura in the teleportation portal faded, all three of them soon arrived at Tarawa City.


    Like all the other portals, there was a simr transmitting and receiving station in Tarawa City. They stood on the tform which received people transmitted from various locations throughout the realm. What the grandmaster had told them about the Tarawa City was true. Dwarves undoubtedly governed the city. The armored soldiers around them were all dwarves, with a height of only about 1.2 to 1.3 meters.


    The cultivation level of these dwarven soldiers was not low. They were at the Great Martial Masters level, while their leader was a powerhouse at the Martial Spirit level.


    There was a group of people who teleported to the city together with Xiao Luo. After stepping out of the transmitting and receiving station, a young man in silver robes came over to Xiao Luo to greet him with about five or six people.


    ¡°Brother, you guys must be here for the God Weapon Conference as well. Would you like to travel together with us?¡± asked the silver-robed youngster.


    Xiao Luo nced at him indifferently. Traveling with the silver-robed youngster were both men and women at varying cultivation levels. The lowest level of those in the group was at the Martial Master level. The highest among them was the silver-robed youngster who was at the peak of Martial Spirit Realm. He was one step away from attaining the Martial Lord level.


    Before Xiao Luo could speak, the silver-robed youngster introduced himself, ¡°My name is Chen Feng. Ie from the Snow Mountain Faction, which is five hundred thousand miles away.¡±


    Not only did he introduce himself, but he also introduced all the others who were traveling with him. All of them were disciples of some sects from the same area.


    Xiao Luo did not want to get to know anyone. He only wanted to get to the teleportation portal quickly to head toward his next destination. He answered, ¡°I am sorry. We are not here for the God Weapon Conference.¡±


    Immediately after he replied, he walked away with Ghost and Duck Emperor, giving Chen Feng no time to respond. He left Chen Feng and his party standing where they were, scratching the backs of their heads in bewilderment.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Luo, let us have a look. Perhaps we can find useful weapons,¡± Ghost suggested. She was very interested in the God Weapon Conference. She felt she should have a weapon suitable for her.


    Duck Emperor agreed with Ghost and added, ¡°Little One is right. You have the Dragon Saber and you¡¯re invincible. But we are unarmed. Finding weapons for ourselves is very necessary.¡±


    ¡°Is my protection not enough?¡± Xiao Luo red at the both of them.


    ¡°It is. But I wish I could help when we are confronted by enemies,¡± insisted Ghost.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Duck Emperor added with a nod.


    ¡°There is a weapon shop right over there. If you want a weapon, we will head there now,¡± Xiao Luo said and pointed to a shop in front.


    ¡°Those are just crappy metal. It is not worth our time to look at those. With our noble status, we should carry God Weapons,¡± retorted Duck Emperor.


    His words have undoubtedly exposed what he had in mind. He was only interested in owning a God Weapon and did not think other weapons befitted him.


    Xiao Luo said two words to him. ¡°P*ss off!¡±


    Duck Emperor did not dare to say anything more. Ghost was not as enthusiastic as Duck Emperor. While God Weapons were attractive to her, she would listen to Xiao Luo unconditionally.


    They found a dwarf to inquire about the location of the teleportation portal. They discovered that the portal was the same ce where they were holding the God Weapon Conference.


    It put Xiao Luo in an awkward position and he cursed his luck that he¡¯d always find himself in situations he wanted to avoid. Meanwhile, both Ghost and Duck Emperor were visibly excited and even gave each other a high-five.


    ¡°Let us have a look. Even the heavens want us to attend the God Weapon Conference. Quack, quack¡­¡± Duck Emperor said gleefully.


    ¡°Do not be too full of yourself. Even if there are God Weapons, they are not something a darn duck like you can wield,¡± Xiao Luo replied with sarcasm.


    ¡°Luo, leave it at that. Let us hurry and go to the God Weapon Conference. Oh, I mean the teleportation portal. Hehehe¡­¡± Ghost urged.


    Xiao Luo was speechless. He had no choice but to go.


    Rumble! Rumble!


    Ghost suddenly stopped walking and rubbed her stomach. Somewhat embarrassed, she asked, ¡°Luo, before we go, can we grab some food? I am so hungry.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Over there. I can smell something niceing from over there. Let us go there for food,¡± Ghost eximed, pointing excitedly at a restaurant.

 Chapter 819 - Uncommon

    <h2>Chapter 819: Umon</h2>


    After they finished their meal, Xiao Luo, Ghost, and Duck Emperor immediately headed toward the venue where the God Weapon Conference was being held.


    It was at the heart of Tawara City, and there was a very spacious square. Massive crowds of people gathered at that square. Most of them were martial artists who visited upon hearing news of the conference. In the center of the venue, stood what looked rather like an altar. There, dwarven elders were seated while others stood and watched from a distance.


    Many came to the conference with one thing in mind¡ªto see if they had any chance to own a God Weapon forged by the excellent dwarven craftsmen.


    Xiao Luo was not interested in the God Weapon Conference, unlike Ghost and Duck Emperor. Not wanting to dampen their spirits, he decided to stay for an hour or two. It would give them sufficient time to feast their eyes on some of these weapons. And if there were any suitable for them, he would willingly spend some money to purchase them for his friends.


    To his dismay, he discovered that the young man named Chen Feng was not far away from them. To make things even more awkward, Chen Feng noticed him and walked over.


    ¡°Brother! We meet again!¡± Chen Feng had a smile on his face¡ªit looked more like a smirk.


    A woman apanying Chen Feng mocked, ¡°I remember him saying that he was not here for the God Weapon Conference. I wonder what is going on.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Chen, I think they are safeguarding against us. Since it is the case, why should we stick our faces on their cold buttocks?¡± another guy said, looking a little displeased.


    Chen Feng brushed it off with a smile and said, ¡°It is not wrong to be cautious when one goes out. So, it is not surprising that they are wary of us. You guys should stop deriding them.¡±


    He was the head of the group. Naturally, they gave in to him and stopped mocking Xiao Luo.


    ¡°My apologies, Brother. They bear no ill intentions,¡± said Chen Feng to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°You do not have to apologize to me. We merely encountered by chance. I do not consider us acquaintances, let alone friends. I can go wherever I please without your consent, I believe?¡± Xiao Luo replied indifferently. He wanted to disassociate himself from this group of people.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s mocking words were akin to a p on the faces of the guy and girl who had made those rude remarks. Indeed, who did they think they were to make such thoughtlessments?


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The girl stared at Xiao Luo indignantly and gritted her teeth. She could not contain her rage and uttered, ¡°Arrogant fool!¡±


    As soon as Ghost heard her, her temper shot up. Her apricot-shaped eyes opened wide as she eximed, ¡°You cannot scold Xiao Luo. Apologize to him right now!¡±


    Ghost¡¯s outburst startled the girl who recovered quickly and sneered, ¡°Yo, little girl, you have quite a temper for someone who does not even know how to cycle their True Inner Force. What is your issue here? Do you think what I said has insulted your lover?¡±


    ¡°Letting a woman stand up for you. What a man you are, my brother!¡± continued the guy who had ridiculed Xiao Luo earlier on.


    Unable to tolerate any more of the nonsense, Ghost hurled her feet into the guy¡¯s abdomen without a word.


    POW!


    The muffled thud of the heavy blow echoed as the guy doubled over and sted backward like a cannonball. A few innocent visitors waiting anxiously to see the God Weapons were knocked to the ground when the guy crashed into them.


    What happened?


    Chen Feng and his group stood there looking dumbfounded. They drew in deep breaths as they watched theirpanion sail across the air after he got kicked.


    ¡°Apologize to Xiao Luo right now! Or I will send you flying in the air too!¡± Ghost shouted and stared at the girl.


    The girl shuddered but quickly gathered her courage and cursed indignantly, ¡°You d*mn b*tch, learn your ce!¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her palm at Ghost.


    Her cultivation was at the Great Martial Master level. Quickly funneling her True Inner Force, a massive gust of energy surged to her palm. Like a forceful gust of wind, she moved to p on Ghost¡¯s shoulder.


    Ghost snorted, and without even thinking, she responded with a palm technique.


    BAM!


    The palms collided in the air and reverberate with a muffled boom. Instantly, the girl felt a powerful recoil spreading through her entire body along her arms. Her internal organs felt traumatized, and when she opened her mouth in surprise, a mouthful of blood gushed out. The girl lost control. The impact from Ghost¡¯s hit flung her back some three to four meters, and she crashed to the ground.


    The counterattack happened within a fraction of a second. It was less than five seconds from the moment Ghost defended herself until the end of the exchange. Many people did not know what was going on.


    Chen Feng and the other three who were with him had their eyes wide-opened as they stared at Ghost. It was inconceivable that a girl with no True Inner Force had easily defeated theirpanion, who was at the Great Martial Master level.


    ¡°Humph. Nobody said you could scold Xiao Luo!¡± Ghost flicked the tip of her nose and snorted.


    ¡°Good job. Excellent disy of power¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor cheered her on while still in her pocket, giving Ghost a massive thumbs up. He dared not speak aloud because Xiao Luo had imposed a rule on him¡ªto hold his tongue and be discreet in public.


    ¡°What are you guys doing over there? If you wish to fight, please leave. The God Weapon Conference does not wee troublemakers!¡±


    Two stern-looking dwarven soldiers came over and scowled at Xiao Luo, Chen Feng, and the others in a chilling tone. Ghost¡¯s dispatch of the guy and the girl had caused quite amotion.


    ¡°We are sorry for the offensive conduct. But we were not fighting. We are just learning from each other,¡± Chen Feng hurriedly replied to the soldiers and greeted them with a smile.


    ¡°We do not allow dueling as well. We are holding a God Weapon Conference here, my friend. You may not disrupt public order while in here,¡± a dwarf soldier retorted.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you are right. We will not create any more chaos in the Conference,¡± said Chen Feng, lowering his posture.


    With that assurance, the two dwarven soldiers turned around and left.


    After the incident, the injured guy and girl returned to the group. They did not dare to look directly at Ghost. Even when they peeked at her discreetly, their eyes were full of fear. They never once thought that the girl could be so vicious.


    ¡°Brother Xiao, youngdy, I am sorry. We are the ones in the wrong. I apologize to you on behalf of my two friends!¡± said Chen Feng. He apologized sincerely and made a deep bow to Xiao Luo and Ghost.


    ¡°I already told you. We are not acquaintances. This is unnecessary,¡± replied Xiao Luo calmly.


    Then he gestured Ghost with a nce and walked away. There was no need to get too close with people like Chen Feng and his group, let alone waste time talking gibberish with them.


    ¡°Senior Brother Chen, the girl sure is spooky.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The girl is holding an umbre under broad daylight. She is not only spooky but also a weirdo.¡±


    ¡°There is no trace of True Inner Force on her body, but yet, she possesses such brutal strength. If I did not witness it with my very own eyes, I would never believe it.¡±


    The group gossiped amongst themselves as they watched Xiao Luo and Ghost disappear into the crowd.


    Chen Feng raised his hand to stop their chatter, and said, ¡°We live in a massive world. Many things defymon sense. If we delve into each one of them, there is no way we can get a perfect answer, even after we exhaust our lifespan. Besides, did you guys not realize? The de in the hand of that guy she called Xiao Luo does not seem like amon item?¡±

 Chapter 820 - Mr. Lu De

    <h2>Chapter 820: Mr. Lu De</h2>


    Was the de in the brat¡¯s hand not an ordinary item?


    They looked at one another, then turned to look at the Dragon Saber in Xiao Luo¡¯s hand again. They saw the scabbard was of ordinary material, like a knife. Even if one threw it in the streets, it was highly unlikely anyone would want it. There was no way it was a God weapon.


    ¡°Senior Chen, is there something wrong with your eyes? How is it possible the b*stard with a cultivation level of a Martial Master has such a rare and powerful weapon in his possession?¡± asked a man.


    ¡°If there is something wrong with my eyes, then why is the god weapon inscription shining?¡±


    Chen Feng took out a triangle inscription. The inscription was glowing with a faint golden light. Only until Xiao Luo was about fifty meters away from it did the golden light disappear. Chen Feng frowned and said, ¡°The god weapon inscription can detect a weapon which is above a Dark grade from within a fifty meters radius. Previously, I thought I made a mistake at the teleportation portal tform. But looking at him again, and with the inscription shining brightly, I am sure the de in his hand is at least a Dark grade.¡±


    Dark grade?


    A few of them gasped. Everyone already knew weapons were rated by various grades. At the top of the order was the Saint, followed by Immortal, followed by Sky, Earth, Dark, and Yellow. The lowest grading of all was the most ordinary weapons. The higher the grade, the rarer the item was. A Dark-graded god weapon was more than enough to drive people crazy over it.


    ¡°It is unbelievable to imagine the de in that brat¡¯s hand is a Dark grade. Where did the brat get it from?¡± A man asked with shock.


    ¡°The lucky b*stard must have some dogshit luck and picked it up somewhere. Huh, a Martial Master is not worthy of such a good de! Is he not afraid he will live a shorter life because of it?¡± said the girl with envy. She was the one Ghost had taught a lesson.


    The man whom Ghost had also beaten up earlier suddenly opened his mouth and stared at the de with a pair of menacing eyes. ¡°Senior Chen, why are we waiting? Let us look for an opportunity to steal the de from the brat. He is merely a Martial Master. As for the evil stinky b*tch, with your excellent skills, taking care of her should be a piece of cake. Also, we have a killer move¡ªthe Dark grade weapon is as good as ours.¡±


    ¡°Senior Wang is right. It is God¡¯s gift to the Snow Mountain Faction. A Dark grade weapon is not an item a Martial Master is worthy of using. and the brat should not be the one wielding it,¡± Another person said in agreement.


    ¡°We take action now. Any dy will just cause us more problems,¡± said the girl, gritting her teeth.


    Chen Feng raised his hands and said, ¡°There is no hurry. Those who are here for the God Weapon Conference are some of the oldest Seniors. If we cause any trouble and word gets out that there is a Dark grade weapon around here, we will have way more opponents to contend with. When that happens, it would be hard for us to get our hands on the weapon.¡±


    ¡°What is Senior Chen trying to say?¡±


    ¡°We do not take rash actions now. Just watch them and make sure they do not leave our sight. We will strike again when the time is right,¡± Chen Feng said with his arms behind his back. His eyes gleamed with evil intent when he turned to look at Xiao Luo and Ghost. He had a sinister smile as he stared at the couple who had already walked toward the opposite tform.


    The rest of the group nodded their heads, showing their agreement to his statement.


    ¡°Luo, why is the guy constantly staring at us?¡± asked Ghost with a slight frown. She noticed Chen Feng staring at them and pointed it out to Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Is it not obvious? It must be because our little girl here is way too pretty. It is why the guy has fixed his eyes on you,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Ghost was skeptical about thement. ¡°Do you think it is true?¡±


    ¡°If you do not trust me, then ask the god-damn brat. Is it true?¡± Duck Emperor asked.


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow, then nodded his head without giving it much thought.


    Duck Emperor carried on praising Ghost. ¡°A beauty who exceeds this world, captivating the birds and the beasts. An inviting smile that glows in the world, putting all the beauties in the pces to shame. Her sleeves flow in the light breeze, and her skirt shows off her true nature. Eyebrows like a feather, white jade-like beauty with a face like peach petals, and skin smooth as phoenix silk. An enchanting beauty from Autumn, with the charm of Spring, with a slight hint of fluttering red, showing off the hairpin bead that shines brightly. Like a goddess who has descended from heaven¡­ What a delicate and exotic young, pretty girl.¡±


    In one breath, Duck Emperor delivered a verse extolling her beauty. A heartfelt and stirring tribute to Ghost.


    Duck Emperor surprised Xiao Luo. If he had not heard the poem, he would have never imagined the stinky duck would be so good with words.


    Ghost¡¯s pretty face turned red, and she uttered, ¡°Oh, I hate you! I am not as pretty as you have described me to be.¡±


    With a radiant and charming smile, she happily reached out her hand and patted Duck Emperor on his back. But she failed to control her strength. The cocky Duck Emperor got smacked and was sent flying. His expressionpletely changed. He spat out some blood and his body shot off like a cannonball across the air.


    Ghost got a shock and shouted out, ¡°Duck Emperor!¡±


    Waking up from her moment of joy, she sprinted in the direction that Duck Emperor was flying.


    Xiao Luo could not helpughing out loud. He silently pitied Duck Emperor for two to three seconds. Then, he casually shifted his eyes to nce at Chen Feng, who was in the opposite direction. Perhaps it was the nature of people from Hua Nation to be incredibly vignt. When they faced people they were unfamiliar with, they were careful not to let their guard down. It was the reason Xiao Luo was not fond of people who were overly friendly with him. He was sure Chen Feng was up to something.


    What did he intend to do?


    On his body, it seemed like only the Dragon Saber in his possession was worth a second look. Without a doubt, Chen Feng was eyeing his Dragon Saber.


    He had already been in Arcana Land for quite a while, and it was the first time he encountered someone who eyed his Dragon Saber. Xiao Luo could not help finding it funny. If the man thought about it but did not take any action to steal his saber, then Xiao Luo would do nothing to harm the man. But if the man took action, then Xiao Luo felt sorry as he would have to send him to meet the King of Hell.


    ¡°Eh, the Elder, Mr. Lu De from the Dwarf n, is here!¡± Someone beside him eximed.


    Xiao Luo looked toward the tform. He spotted an old-fashioned elderly dwarf from the Dwarf n walking onto the stage with a cane. All those seated down on stage, also from the Dwarf n, immediately stood up to greet him respectfully. The elderly dwarf was roughly 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, with a gourd hanging on his cane. He looked just like the Lord of the Soil and Ground. His beard was thick and white and almost touched the floor. It covered both his chest and legs.


    As Ghost was picking the duck up, she saw Lu De. ¡°Wow, why is this old grandpa covered in white hair all over his body? He looks funny, hehe¡­¡± Ghost remarked, intrigued by him.


    Herment riled everyone up.


    ¡°How can this girl be so rude to Mr. Lu De? Mr. Lu De is the Senior Elder of the Dwarf n and is an experienced senior craftsman. All the weapons which he has crafted are not ordinary. The best ones can reach the Sky grade, and the lowest ones are at the Yellow grade. He is a famous master. It would not be too much to acknowledge him as the Father of all god weapons.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu De is not someone a girl like you can belittle. If you know nothing, then do not spew nonsense. Otherwise, you are just going tond yourself in trouble.¡±


    ¡°That is right. A master like Mr. Lu De has his way of doing things and has his reputation. What does a girl like you understand?¡±

 Chapter 821 - During the conference

    <h2>Chapter 821: During the conference</h2>


    Ghost did not mind their scoldings and allowed them to say whatever they wanted. In her mind, she still thought Lu De from the Dwarf n looked rather peculiar.


    Xiao Luo did not wish to interfere either. Those people were only lecturing her. If even such a matter was a trivial matter affected him, then there would be boundless problems everywhere he went.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡±


    On the stage, Lu De coughed a little to get the audience¡¯s attention before he spoke. ¡°I thank everyone here foring all the way to attend the God Weapon Conference organized by the Dwarf n. This conference will showcase two Sky, four Earth, six Dark, and a couple of Yellow grade weapons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my, they are even disying Sky grade weapons?¡±


    ¡°The Dwarf n is bold this time. They dare to take out their Sky grade weapons and put them on disy.¡±


    ¡°And there are two of them. It is amazing!¡±


    Lu De¡¯s words caused the congregation to buzz in anticipation of the disy.


    The eyes of Chen Feng and his gang were ame with greed. They rubbed their fists and wiped their palms like hungry wild beasts about to taste some fresh meat. They could not help expressing their excitement, and it showed on their faces.


    ¡°Senior Chen, they have Sky grade weapons. Do we still have to steal the brat¡¯s Dark grade weapon?¡± asked a man.


    A smirk appeared at the corner of Chen Feng¡¯s lips, and he said, ¡°Of course, we do. The more god weapons we have, the better.¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha, haha¡­¡±


    After hearing what he said, the rest of them could not helpughing out loud.


    ¡°Be quiet. Everyone, please be quiet!¡±


    Lu De stroked his long and thick beard. After he got the crowd to quieten down, he added, ¡°The purpose of our god weapon Conference is to choose the best owner for each one disyed. Whether you can own a god weapon depends on your destiny.¡±


    ¡°Master Lu De, what do you mean by destiny?¡± a young man shouted.


    Lu De chuckled a little and answered, ¡°It is a good question. What does destiny mean? It is simple. It is for the god weapons to identify their owners. Whoever a weapon identifies, the person will be its owner. Weapons above the Yellow grade have souls. Just as you are choosing your weapon, it is choosing you as well.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the person will not have to pay a single cent as long as the god weapon recognizes someone as its owner? The Dwarf n is going to give us them for free?¡± Another person shouted to ask.


    Lu De answered with a generous smile, ¡°Yes, we organized the God Weapon Conference so that the Dwarf n can allow the god weapons to find suitable owners. If it is your fate to carry a god weapon, then we will give it to you for free.¡±


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    Everyone gasped and could not believe the Dwarf n was being so generous. Was it because they had too many god weapons, and it was hard to keep all of them? Was it why they had organized the conference and invited everyone who attended to choose a weapon?


    ¡°Generous! The Dwarf n sure is generous!¡±


    ¡°No one can disagree with that. If you look across Arcana Land, only the Dwarf n gave god weapons away for free.¡±


    ¡°Looks like this is not a wasted trip after all. I am going to look so cool in the future if I have a god weapon, haha, haha¡­¡±


    The entire za was in a frenzy again. No one had expected to get the weapons for free at the conference. They would save all the holy coins they had brought to purchase these weapons. Everyone was ecstatic.


    ¡°Wow, did you hear that, Luo? They are giving the weapons away for free!¡± Ghost said excitedly. Her face was full of joy.


    ¡°The Dwarf n often create weapons. Whether it be a Yellow or a Sky grade, as long as they have the time, the dwarves will surely make weapons. To them, the weapons they make have little value. Even if they were to give these weapons out for free, the dwarves could make more in the future,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°But they do not have to give them away for free. It would be like, if I had a mountain of gold and silver, even if I cannot use them all in this lifetime, why would I give it out for others to use? I have nothing to gain from doing it,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Ghost nodded her head and thought what Duck Emperor said made sense. She stared at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo shook his head with a smile and replied, ¡°Do you still remember the people from the Dwarf n who were sitting beside us when we were eating just now? They spoke about how they felt that the Dwarf n is a little too weak in Arcana Land. Even though they can make god weapons, but outside a radius of roughly one million kilometers, people from afar have never heard of the Dwarf n. Some have never even heard of these weapons that are of the Sky, Earth, or Dark grade.¡±


    ¡°That is right. But what is the problem here? Arcana Land is so ducking big. With geographical istion, it is not unusual that people elsewhere are not aware of the different weapon grades or have never heard of the Dwarf n. It does not sound odd to me,¡± Duck Emperor said. He could not seem to understand the point Xiao Luo was making.


    ¡°Sure, it is not odd to you, but it is odd for the Dwarf n.¡±


    Xiao Luo remained silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I am sure they have someone sitting right at the top with big ambitions. Someone unwilling to ept that the Dwarf n is weak, insignificant, and overshadowed by the thousands of ns out there. It is why they organized this conference. And to raise awareness of their n within the Arcana Land, they give out their weapons for free.¡±


    ¡°Screw their ducking grandfathers! Do not tell me the Dwarf n is trying to rece the God n and rule the entirend?¡± Duck Emperor responded in surprise.


    Xiao Luo lifted his eyebrows, ¡°If the person is very ambitious, it is not impossible either.¡±


    ¡°It would be funny. The dwarves might not be tall, but their ambition is certainly not small. They sure know how to take advantage of their superb craftsmanship to expand their influence to be the head of Arcana Land,¡± Duck Emperor said with a contemptuous smile.


    ¡°You do not have to jump to a conclusion just yet. It is just spection, but you never know. Perhaps there are other reasons for organizing this God Weapon Conference,¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    Ghost and Duck Emperor remained quiet and looked at Lu De, who was up on stage.


    Lu De¡¯s opening remarks for the conference seemed endless. Finally, after the duration of a burning joss stick, they brought out the first weapon for exhibition. It was a Meteor Hammer of the Yellow grade. As long as it was above an ordinary weapon, it would increase the wielder¡¯s fighting capability. Many martial artists could not wait to get on stage to determine if they were the ones destined to wield the Meteor Hammer. And if the weapon would choose them to be its owner.


    Many of them got on the stage with lots of excitement but walked down with much disappointment.


    It was easy for a weapon to recognize its owner. The one who could wield the most power would do. ording to Lu De, the Meteor Hammer was powerful enough to smash a granite weighing six tonnes.


    A strong fighter with a high cultivation level would not need the Meteor Hammer to do that. In that case, the Meteor Hammer would be beneath the user. The rule of the God Weapon Conference was that one person could only receive one weapon. So, a high cultivation level fighter would not bother to look at the Yellow grade hammer. A person with a lower cultivation level could not fully bring out the true potential of the hammer. So, only a small group of people in between would be suitable candidates.


    ¡°Do you want to go up and try it?¡± Xiao Luo asked Ghost.


    ¡°I do not want this weapon. It is too ugly!¡± said Ghost. The hammer failed to capture her interest.


    Xiao Luo agreed and nodded his head as well. He said, ¡°It is indeed too ugly. Then let us wait and see. If you see something you like, let me know.¡±


    If she saw something she liked, it would not be a bad idea for the girl to pick up a weapon.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Ghost mumbled a reply with a stiff nod.

 Chapter 822 - Ghost gets on stage

    <h2>Chapter 822: Ghost gets on stage</h2>


    A muscr man with a sturdy physique, weighing about three hundred pounds and around two meters tall, eventually took the Yellow-graded Meteor Hammer. He was a suitable person to wield it.


    Then, they brought out the second weapon up onto the stage.


    It was a Yellow-grade Chinese halberd!


    Xiao Luo was not interested. He was feeling so bored that he almost fell asleep standing.


    Ghost and Duck Emperor were both disappointed. None of the god weapons brought out were to their liking. Theyforted each other and hoped to see a weapon of a higher grade more suitable for them.


    After a long wait for the Yellow-grade weapons to determine their rightful owners, the dwarves exhibited the Dark-grade weapons next.


    At that point, many people who had waited for a shot gave it a try. They jumped onto the stage and got ready to see if it was their destiny to own the Dark-grade weapons.


    Xiao Luo, Ghost, and Duck Emperor were watching and still had not shown interest in any of the disyed weapons.


    Time passed. It was then time for the unveiling of the four Earth-grade god weapons. All eyes turned to the stage with great anticipation. Many could not wait to see if they could own an Earth-grade weapon. As soon as the weapons were brought in, arge group rushed on stage to try their luck.


    A Martial Lord wanted one of the Earth-grade weapons. But he failed to bring out its full potential. Which meant it was just not his destiny to have that weapon. The Martial Lord attempted to steal the Earth-grade weapon by force instead. An Elder from the Dwarf n knocked him out with a single palm strike that sted across the air.


    The Elder from the Dwarf n warned, ¡°This will be the oue for anyone who dares to break the rules of the God Weapon Conference!¡±


    His thundering voice rang through the square, and he made the point clear with his action. Everyone looked horrified as they watched the disgraced Martial Lord dragged away, leaving a trail of bloodstains on the floor.


    Lu De chuckled and tried to ease the tense atmosphere. He addressed the audience, ¡°Everyone, do not worry. As I have said, we will give you the god weapon for free if it is your destiny to own it. As long as the weapon and you recognize and ept each other, then it will be yours. No one can steal the weapon away from you. Let us follow the rules. Theft is a foolish act. I hope all of you will heed this warning!¡±


    While he spoke to the crowd, he signaled for the Elder from the Dwarf n to step down.


    The Elder had a bad temper but respected Lu De. When he saw Lu De giving him the signal, he bowed and went back to his seat.


    The exhibition then continued and the dwarves arranged the four Earth-grade god weapons neatly across the stage for contenders to try.


    They were the Scarlet Twin Axe, Iron Teeth Rake, Trident Double-edged Sword, and the Crescent Shovel.


    Everyone with a cultivation level below Martial Spirit could only shake their heads because those four God Weapons were heavy. The lightest was the Crescent Shovel. It may be the least heavy of the lot, but it still weighed about two thousand pounds. A senior Martial Master might lift it but would undoubtedly find it tough to wield the weapon. Even Martial Spirit fighters would take a substantial amount of strength to grasp the Earth-grade weapon. Nine out of ten of them shook their heads and sighed in resignation. They knew they could handle none of those weapons.


    There was some present who were at the levels of Martial Emperors and above. But none of them moved to the stage yet, as they were waiting for the Sky-grade god weapons.


    Lu De scanned the entire crowd from the stage and could tell who the Martial Lords and the Martial Emperors were. But it puzzled him why the young Martial Master had yet toe on stage to try any of the god weapons. It could not be that he was there for fun and had not nned to get any god weapons. It was an assumption he refused to believe.


    It was a curiosity that made him soar over and hovered in front of Xiao Luo. He asked with a smile, ¡°Young kid, why do you not go up to see if you have the destiny to own any of our god weapons?¡±


    Lu De was tiny, just like the Lord of Soil and Ground from Journey to the West. Floating in mid-air, he was about the same height as Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo did not expect Lu De to appear in front of him, let alone ask a question. ¡°I have not seen anything which I like,¡± he replied.


    Ghost, who was already a bit agitated, added, ¡°Old grandpa, your god weapons are too ugly. I have not seen one which looks good at all.¡±


    Duck Emperor agreed with her assessment. He quacked a few times in her pocket and had a good mind to shout out: What kind of dog sh*t god weapons are these? They are just pieces of broken copper and iron. What the hell are those things on stage?¡±


    ¡°Ugly?¡±


    Ghost¡¯s remarks stunned Lu De, whoughed and replied, ¡°Little girl, you are not a martial fighter, so you do not know the essence of a god weapon. You cannot judge such a weapon by its beauty.¡±


    ¡°But they are indeed positively ugly. If any had looked good, I would have already gone up to pick it.¡± Pouting her lips, Ghost continued toin to Lu De.


    Her remarks made everyone on stage, under great duress, quite upset.


    ¡°The stupid girl does not even have any cultivation level, but she sure has a big mouth.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you would have gone up to pick a weapon? With those weak muscles of yours, you cannot even lift a Yellow-grade god weapon.¡±


    ¡°Girl, do not confuse ignorance with innocence. You do not have what it takes to judge a god weapon.¡±


    Ghost beat up Chen Feng¡¯s friends in a quick time, therefore, many of those present did not realize it was Ghost who did it. When they did not detect any True Inner Force in her body, they assumed she was just an ordinary person with no cultivation level.


    ¡°Do not underestimate me. This girl here can easily bring out the full potential of all those weapons there,¡± Ghost retorted.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyoneughed at her. It was hrious what the girl was spewing out from her mouth.


    Lu De could not helpughing either. He stroked his beard and said, ¡°Little girl, the weapons disyed here at the God Weapon Conference are not ordinary arms. These are not the knives you would use in the kitchen. You cannotpare them¡­¡±


    ¡°I can bring out the full potential of those weapons. I am not lying at all!¡± Ghost insisted.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone surrounding herughed loudly again, and it was even louder than before.


    ¡°Why are youughing? You better believe this girl here will beat you up,¡± Ghost yelled at them. She fumed as she cared about her reputation, and with so many peopleughing at her, she felt her face turn red with rage.


    Xiao Luo was very protective since Ghost was hispanion, and would not allow Ghost to face such humiliation. He turned to her and said, ¡°Since they areughing at you, then you just have to shut them up!¡±


    ¡°Gah, gah!¡±


    Duck Emperor shouted out to show his support.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s support, Ghost walked straight up onto the stage.


    By then, most of the people had already tried the weapons. Other than the Crescent Shovel, which had found its owner, the other three weapons were still lying on disy on stage.


    ¡°Little girl, you better be careful. Do not twist your spine.¡±


    ¡°Also, when you are trying the God Weapons, can you put your umbre aside? Are you nning to lift one of them with just one hand?¡±


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Many of them could not stopughing and jeering at her. They were belittling her because she was a young girl with no True Inner Force. And she even had the cheek to walk on stage to try out the Earth-grade weapons.


    Chen Feng and his group were the exceptions.


    ¡°Senior Chen, do you think this stinky bitch can lift the god weapons?¡± The man, who received the beating from Ghost, asked.


    ¡°With the power which she has shown, she should be able to lift them.¡±


    Chen Feng furrowed his eyebrows and said, ¡°But even if she can lift them, she cannot fully bring out the full potential of the Earth-grade God Weapons. It is probably going to be hard for her to move any of them at all.¡±

 Chapter 823 - Phantom Dancer

    Chapter 823: Phantom Dancer


    <strong>Trantor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo Studio<i></i><strong>Editor:</strong>Nyoi-Bo StudioGhost was visibly upset that everyone wasughing at her. She pouted her lips as she walked straight toward the double-edged Trident Sword that was about 1.8 meters long. Without a word, she reached out and lifted the dazzling sword with ease.


    The raucousughter suddenly stopped. Everyone stared at the stage with eyes and mouths wide open, looking like they were being electrocuted.


    ¡°What? How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°The double-edged Trident Sword is the heaviest of the four Earth-grade god weapons at about 3,600 pounds. How is it possible that a girl with no cultivation can lift it?¡±


    ¡°My goodness, what am I seeing? What in the world is going on here?¡±


    The spectators could not believe what they saw, and those who had mocked Ghost were terribly embarrassed. It felt like being pped in their faces after they witnessed the feat and they looked flustered.


    Lu De was equally shocked and lost for words. He stroked his white beard and wondered if this girl possessed god-given powers.


    From among the crowd, he shouted to Ghost, ¡°Girl, try to wield the sword!¡±


    Ghost was about to do it even without being asked and proceeded to wield the sword. Although her handling was a little messy, the 3,600-pound sword moved along with Ghost, creating a wind as she twirled it around. The wind howled like a beast and those without high cultivation who stood near the stage were blown off stage to the ground.


    It was not just wind. It was a fierce gale!


    Although the Elders sitting on stage did not move an inch, the strong wind tousled up their white hair, and their faces had shock written all over them.


    The strong wind swept across the entire venue and shook the hall.


    ¡°This slip of a girl can wield the sword so easily. Is she that strong?¡± eximed the man whom Ghost had taught a lesson.


    Chen Feng was instantly silenced, unable to think of anything to say. He felt his throat go dry and found it hard to swallow his saliva. Ghost¡¯s power far exceeded his expectation.


    Suddenly, Ghost stopped wielding the sword.


    ¡°No fun¡­ This is no fun at all!¡± she said.


    Ghost was not interested in the double-edged Trident Sword at all. She tossed it away, and part of the sword smashed onto the stage and a loud st resulted. The shock of the impact smashed a hole in the granite floor, and countless spiderweb-like cracks spread out from that hole.


    ¡°I am returning it to you!¡± said Ghost.


    She had thrown the sword toward the bad-tempered Elder from the Dwarf n.


    The Elder dwarf had a high cultivation level, and he suspended the sword in mid-air. His old hand did not even touch the 3,600-pound god weapon, but the sword came to a stop and hovered in the air just in front of his palm.


    From that point on, everyone changed their impression of Ghost. They looked at her with much admiration and treated her like she was of noble status.


    ¡°Seeing our little girl show off, I want to go up there and show off as well,¡± said Duck Emperor. The duck could not wait to shine on stage and wanted the audience to look at him in awe as well.


    He was about to make his move when Xiao Luo cut him off with no hesitation. ¡°You are so weak. Other than being fast, you have nothing else to show for.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± stammered Duck Emperor.


    He wanted to argue but realized what Xiao Luo had said was true for he did not have any other significant skills to boast. Still, Duck Emperor wanted to save face to avoid embarrassment. So, he made a fuss as a cover andined, ¡°Oh, my ducking grandfather! Goddamn brat, can you not always burst my bubble? Can you not let me have some dignity? I have been through so much danger together with you. Surely I deserve some reward for my effort even if I have achieved little. Will it kill you to give me some face?¡±


    Xiao Luo rolled his eyes up and did not bother to argue with him on such a trivial matter.


    ¡°Little girl, please stop!¡±


    Lu De approached Ghost as she was returning to where Xiao Luo was standing. He was smiling at her when he spoke.


    ¡°Is anything wrong? What else do you want from me?¡± Ghost was curt as she did not have a good impression of Lu De. The old grandpa was one of those who had mocked her.


    ¡°You have god-given strength, and it is a revtion for me. But can I please ask you a question? Why do you have an umbre with you all the time?¡± Lu De asked.


    Ghost answered, ¡°Because I hate the sunlight.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lu De pondered over her answer and nodded his head. He continued, ¡°Then I assume you love umbres. One of the next two Sky-grade god weapons is an umbre. You never know, but you might have some special affinity with it.¡±


    Umbre?


    Ghost frowned a little at Lu De and was wondering what he was trying to tell her.


    Everyone in the surrounding area who heard Lu De chattered amongst themselves. They wondered what kind of Sky-grade god weapon the umbre was.


    Lu De hid nothing either. He waved his hand, and two Dwarf n members brought out a ck umbre from a gigantic box and reverently brought the item to Lu De.


    That was a Sky-grade god weapon?


    All of them stared skeptically with doubts showing on their faces. The umbre looked much too ordinary. It did not look any different from an umbre one would use to protect from the sun or rain.


    Lu De opened the umbre in front of Ghost. It was ck on the outside and red on the inside. Its handle was red as well and was in the shape of a cylinder. Carved onto the surface of the umbre were images of blooming red spider lilies.


    Ghost liked the umbre as soon as she saw it. Her apricot eyes were glowing with excitement.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Lu De asked with a chuckle. He was like an old grandfather showing a toy to his grandchild.


    Ghost kept nodding her head eagerly and replied, ¡°Mm¡­ mm¡­¡±


    ¡°I will give it to you if you can bring out the full potential of this god weapon,¡± Lu De said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Ghost answered immediately and reached out to grab the umbre. She wanted to wield it in the same way as she did with the double-edged Trident Sword.


    ¡°Wait. Let me introduce it to you before you try it.¡±


    Lu De did not hand it over. He pointed at the red spider lilies on the umbre and said, ¡°This is the red spider lily. Legend has it that the red spider lily grows wherever people part ways for good. The reason for carving the flower onto this god weapon is obvious. This god weapon is an umbre of the undead, the umbre of death. Its name is Phantom Dancer.¡±


    ¡°Phantom Dancer?¡± Ghost repeated after Lu De.


    Lu De nodded his head. Then he continued, ¡°Phantom Dancer has strong defensive capabilities. Neither sword nor spear can pierce through it. Water or fire cannot destroy it either. The edge of this umbre is even sharper than a de. You can kill someone with just a passing slice. The best part is that it can convert True Inner Force into powerful energy cannonballs,unched from the tip of the umbre.¡±


    Lu De showed off its abilities as he exined what Phantom Dancer could do.


    The surface material of Phantom Dancer looked ordinary. But no matter how Lu De sliced the surface, it remained undamaged. Not even raging mes could do anything to it. The edge of the umbre could easily cut an iron rod like it was cutting a soft pudding. Finally, Lu De showed off the powerful energy cannonball. Grabbing onto the umbre handle, he injected True Inner Force and pointed the umbre toward a wall before shooting it.


    WHOOSH!


    The powerful energy cannonball shed with golden light and smashed into the side of a za wall. A loud boom rang out in the square and shattered the thick wall.

 Chapter 824 - Pierce the sky

    <h2>Chapter 824: Pierce the sky</h2>


    ¡°Screw his ducking grandfather! The Sky-grade god weapon is the perfect creation for our little Ghost!¡±


    Duck Emperor¡¯s eyes were wide open with excitement. Ghost always needed an umbre to protect herself from the sunlight. The god weapon she was now holding even had defensive capabilities. It was a match made in heaven.


    ¡°Lu De mentioned that True Inner Force was required, but Ghost is from the Sucking Blood n and only has Spirit Force. I wonder if she can handle the umbre.¡± Xiao Luo frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°Who cares if she can work it. We have to snatch it by force. It would be okay even if she only uses it as an ordinary umbre to protect herself from the sun,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    Xiao Luo did not even bother to answer such a ridiculous suggestion.


    On the stage, Lu Deughed as he said to Ghost, ¡°What do you think? Are you satisfied with the Phantom Dancer?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡±


    Ghost nodded her head happily. She was indeed pretty satisfied with it.


    ¡°But you do not have any True Inner Force flowing within you. Will you be able to make use of it to fire the energy cannonball?¡± Lu De asked with a bit of concern.


    He knitted his eyebrows. He had lived a long life and had rich experiences. He knew that there were many ns out there who had dissociated themselves from using True Inner Force, and he assumed the young woman in front of him was from one of those ns.


    ¡°I will give it a try.¡±


    Ghost raised both her hands to receive the Phantom Dancer from Lu De. Without hesitation, she injected the Spirit Force from her body, transferring it through her palm into Phantom Dancer.


    After two to three seconds of channeling her Spirit energy, Ghost pointed the tip of Phantom Dancer into the distance. In the next instant, a purple ball of energy shot out with a howl that was so piercing it was enough to make one¡¯s hair stand. Itnded at a space in the distance.


    BOOM!


    Rocks were pulverized, and the ground shook a little. A cloud of dust and smoke rose in the air. The energy waves of the explosion spread throughout its surrounding.


    ¡°Terrifying! The amount of destructive power from Phantom Dancer is just way too terrifying!¡±


    ¡°If it hit someone, it will smash the person into smithereens on the spot.¡±


    ¡°No wonder it is a Sky-grade god weapon!¡±


    Many spectatorsmented as they stared and gasped at Phantom Dancer that Ghost held in her hand.


    Lu De looked pleased. With a big smile, he dered, ¡°Little One, it seems like you have a bond with Phantom Dancer. Phantom Dancer shall be yours from this moment on.¡±


    ¡°That is great! Thank you so much, Grandpa White-Beard!¡± Ghost responded with delight.


    Ghost did not wish to put Phantom Dancer down. She threw her little red umbre over to Duck Emperor. ¡°Duck Emperor, please keep my umbre for me,¡± she said.


    Though she had gained Phantom Dancer as a recement for the little red umbre, Ghost could not bear to throw it away. Her mother had given the little red umbre to her, and it held far too many memories for her. So, she had to make sure she kept the umbre safe no matter what.


    Duck Emperor reacted swiftly. He caught the umbre and kept it in the space ring. Everyone had their attention fixed on Phantom Dancer, so they did not notice that the little red umbre had vanished from sight.


    Amid all the chatter, a skinny middle-aged man pointed at the Phantom Dancer and asked in a challenging tone, ¡°Mr. Lu De, I have yet to give the Phantom Dancer a try. Why did you give it to the young woman just like that?¡±


    Chen Feng quickly voiced out his agreement as well and added, ¡°That¡¯s right. There are so many people here who have yet to try it. And yet, Mr. Lu De handed the Phantom Dancer to a young girl. Is it not a bit too unfair?¡±


    He was trying to appeal. Only by appealing would he stand a chance to get a Sky-grade god weapon. Otherwise, he would havee all the way there, only to collect five Yellow-grade god weapons. It would not be to his satisfaction!


    Stirring a thousand waves with one stone was the strategy Chen Feng used to rile up the crowd. Many raised their fists high, shouting in protest.


    ¡°Be quiet!¡±


    The bad-tempered Elder from the Dwarf n shouted out at the protesting crowd. A powerful force instantly emanated from his body like a howling tornado, and he shocked everyone. He used his thundering voice and bellowed, ¡°This is the God Weapon Conference organized by our Dwarf n. We have every right to decide however we wish. Since when did we need your approval on which candidates should receive our god weapons?


    Such aggression gave no room for further discussion. All those who protested could do nothing except to put up with it.


    The man, who had started the ruckus with the question, kept silent. He might be a Martial Emperor, but all the Elders from the Dwarf n sitting up on the stage were Martial Emperors as well. The bad-tempered Dwarf Elder might have even reached the peak of a Martial Emperor. There was also the constantly chuckling Mr. Lu De. Rumor was that he had reached a cultivation level of a Martial Guru. Who would still have the guts to oppose the Dwarves?


    Lu De waved his hand, signaling for the bad-tempered Dwarf Elder to calm down. Then, with a smile, he said, ¡°Phantom Dancer¡¯s biggest strength is shattering space. Since everyone has doubts, then I will let this Little One try. Let us see if she can st a hole in the sky.¡±


    The Phantom Dancer could shatter space?


    st a hole in the sky?


    Everyone there gasped and wondered if the Sky-grade god weapon was that powerful.


    Lu De turned around to look at Ghost, and said, ¡°Girl, try to fire an energy cannonball into the sky. Remember, pour all the energy you have in your body into Phantom Dancer. Only by doing that can you bring out its full power.¡±


    Ghost nodded her head obediently and said, ¡°Alright, Grandpa White-Beard.¡±


    Since Lu De had given her Phantom Dancer, a powerful defensive god weapon, which could also double up as an umbre, her impression of him had changed for the better. She did whatever Lu De told her to do.


    Pointing Phantom Dance upward, she injected an immense amount of Spirit Force, flowing her body through her arm and to the tip of her hand. The Spirit Force gushed from her hand into Phantom Dancer. It slowly glowed a brilliant purple hue with ck lightning shing around it. Phantom Dancer emitted crackling sounds, like electric sparks.


    Tiny stones on the ground floated up into the air as if they were in an electrostatic field, and the beards of the Elders from the Dwarf n floated upward as well.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were burning with envy and shock. They were aware of the powerful force of a Sky-grade god weapon. With the potent force that it was generating, it could probably st a hole in the sky.


    In the next second, Ghost stopped her Spirit Force and a purple beam of light shot out from the tip of Phantom Dancer. It was a smoldering purple me about half a meter thick shooting straight into the sky. The purple light was dazzling and enveloped the entire Tarawa City in a purple hue.


    A loud thundering boom came from the sky. The people below covered their ears as the rumbling sound pierced their eardrums and caused a buzzing sound in their heads.


    There was a powerful wave of pressure in the air. Most people at the za, except those with a high cultivation level, got knocked down to the ground. The purple light continued to cloak the city in a warm purple shade as if the world was about to end.


    After a couple of breaths, the energy storm gradually eased off, and the purple glow slowly disappeared. Eventually, everything slowly returned to normal.


    Up in the distant sky, an enormous ck crack suddenly appeared, looming like a bottomless abyss in the sky.


    ¡°My God, she sted a hole in the sky!¡±


    All of them stared at the enormous hole in shock and could not believe what they were seeing. It was way too scary. When people in ancient times had said that they could pierce the sky, they were not lying.


    ¡°Phantom Dancer¡­ what a fantastic god weapon. Now that our young Ghost has this weapon, her fighting capability will increase by many folds. Gah gah¡­¡± Duck Emperor said as he gasped with shock.


    Xiao Luo stared nkly at the ck void in the sky and a sly smile slowly formed in the corner of his lips.

 Chapter 825 - Time Space Bracelet

    <h2>Chapter 825: Time Space Bracelet</h2>


    Appearing like a bottomless abyss, the dark space crack created an atmosphere of dread and fear among the onlookers. Just gazing upon it was terrifying, for it felt like it was gazing back and drawing one¡¯s soul into the abyss.


    But thews of heaven and earth are ever-supreme. As quickly as it drew apart, the crack in the sky eventually closed and returned to normal. And the sky returned to the way it was before.


    Without exception, everyone there was in a stupor. They stared at Ghost¡¯s Phantom Dancer in terror, wondering the true potential of the Sky grade god weapon. Had she pointed it toward the za, there was little doubt the entire ce, and all of them included, would have vanished into nothing in an instant.


    Lu De was equally amazed. He was sure that Phantom Dancer could shatter space but never expected it to be this powerful. That dark space crack was about twenty to thirty meters long. He knew a Martial Venerable could probably achieve such a feat, but only after exerting all their energy.


    He scanned the crowd, stroked his beard, and asked, ¡°I¡¯m sure none of you have any further objections to this girl owning Phantom Dancer?¡±


    No one could protest anything anymore, as they were not confident enough that they could bring out more of the Phantom Dancer¡¯s potential power than Ghost had. That crack in the sky was etched in their memories, and they all felt an inexplicable fear. But now, their attention was drawn to the second Sky grade god weapon, which excited them even more.


    Most of those in attendance were men. Phantom Dancer looked like a feminine weapon and was more suited to a girl, so it was fine that they didn¡¯t get it. But they had to get the second Sky-grade god weapon, no matter what. Everyone there had the same sentiment.


    ¡°Girl, you cane down now. We¡¯re bringing out the second Sky grade god weapon,¡± Lu De said to Ghost with a chuckle.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ghost was pretty satisfied now that she had Phantom Dancer. After jumping off the stage, she ran straight towards Xiao Luo and showed it to him, just like a little girl waiting to be praised after doing something.


    ¡°Luo, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to help you when we¡¯re at the Holy Land of the Light n.¡±


    Xiao Luo patted her on the head and disyed a smile on his face.


    The crowd looked surprised when they saw it. With the power Ghost had disyed, everyone could tell that she was at least at the level of a Martial Lord, maybe even higher. Yet she acted like a well-behaved little girl toward a mere Martial Master. It was extremely odd, no matter how one looked at it.


    Lu De took a couple more nces at Xiao Luo. He still had a hunch that this young man had unparalleled power within him. So much that even an old man with a high cultivation level like himself was feeling slightly uneasy.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    After coughing a little, he waved his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s bring out the second Sky grade god weapon!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord.¡±


    Two staff members of the Dwarf n once again opened an enormous box, then slowly took out a delicate case. After opening the case, a gleaming gold bracelet caught everyone¡¯s attention.


    Lu De raised his palms out, and the bracelet hovered unsteadily before it flew right into his palm.


    ¡°What? It is just a bracelet! Can this toy even be used to attack anyone?¡± Duck Emperor was disappointed. Aftering to this God Weapon Conference, he hadn¡¯t spotted anything suitable.


    Xiao Luo said nothing but quietly studied the bracelet. He could sense the space around the bracelet was undergoing some kind of distortion. No matter what the bracelet could do, for a god weapon to distort space meant no one should underestimate its power.


    The entire za was quiet. Everyone stared eagerly at this bizarre bracelet, waiting for Lu De to exin what it was capable of.


    As everyone was staring at the bracelet, Lu De said, ¡°Its name is Time-Space Bracelet. As the name suggests, it allows the user to travel through time and space!¡±


    Travel through time and space?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows and instantly paid full attention.


    Having gotten everyone¡¯s attention, Lu De then exined, ¡°Of course, the Time-Space Bracelet can only bring its user to a ce they have already visited. It wouldn¡¯t be able to bring them to a location that has not been recorded by the bracelet. With five years of umted records from the Dwarf n, it now covers an area of more than five million kilometers, which would also mean that with this bracelet, you wouldn¡¯t need the transmitting formation from the Light n. You can easily travel to any ce within five million kilometers of Tarawa City.¡±


    Easily travel within an area of five million kilometers around Tarawa City?


    When the crowd heard Lu De they gasped in awe, for it was unbelievable. It was even more advanced than the Light n¡¯s teleportation portal. With the bracelet, one wouldn¡¯t even need to use the portal anymore. And when one offended a powerful figure, it offered one a quick means of escape. This Time Space Bracelet was an incredible god weapon!


    Lu De enthralled the audience with his description of the god weapon, and their eyes burned with desire. They couldn¡¯t wait to get their hands on such a god-level bracelet that could give them the means to travel through time and space.


    Xiao Luo was ecstatic! Tarawa City was about 2.5 million kilometers away from the Holy Land of the Light n. If he could get this Time-Space Bracelet, he could arrive at the Holy Land of the Light n without dy. It thrilled him to bits.


    ¡°Screw his ducking grandfather. This is like ying Ludo, where you suddenly arrive at a shortcut. You god-damn brat! It seems like you¡¯ll be able to get to the Holy Land of the Light n today and see your wife,¡± Duck Emperor cried.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t reply, but the obvious smirk forming in the corner of his lips was enough to tell the duck what was on his mind.


    Ghost was equally excited, and said, ¡°I can finally see my father.¡±


    Xiao Luo made u his mind, and he was going to need this Time-Space Bracelet.


    ¡°The difference between this bracelet and the other god weapons is that it won¡¯t increase thebat ability of its user, and it won¡¯t choose an owner. The user has to only wear it on their wrist. So, the method of choosing an owner is going to be different as well¡ªit¡¯ll be a battle. Whoever can survive till the end will be this bracelet¡¯s owner.¡± Lu De exined the method of getting this bracelet.


    After saying that, the skinny middle-aged man who protested earlier jumped onto the stage and dered, ¡°This should have been the case from the start. Only the strongest deserve to own the god weapons.¡±


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    Six to seven more men leaped onto the stage. All of them had haughty expressions on their faces, and it was clear they felt no one was going to be their match.


    ¡°Damn it, are there so many Martial Emperors here at this God Weapon Conference?¡±


    ¡°I thought there weren¡¯t that many fighters at this caliber. It seems like they were all waiting for the Sky grade god weapons.¡±


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no point in me waiting around to get one.¡±


    Most of them shook their heads and sighed. A Sky grade god weapon was within sight but not within reach.


    ¡°Thispetition definitely will not require any weapons. When things get messyter, find an opportunity to steal that guy¡¯s Dark grade weapons over.¡± Chen Feng gave hispanions an order before jumping onto the stage.


    ¡°A Martial Spirit? Why did you evene up here for? If you still want to live, you better crawl back to where you came from right now.¡± A Martial Emperor on stage couldn¡¯t help but snort.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who¡¯s going to own a god weapon. If I don¡¯t try it, how can you be so sure that I won¡¯t be the one bing the owner of that god weapon in the end?¡± Chen Feng retorted with a cold, sinister smile.


    The Martial Emperor who protested earlier sneered, ¡°Huh, what a clever tongue you have there. When I decide to squash you to deathter, it¡¯ll be as easy as stepping on an ant.¡±


    Chen Feng was not angry at all and stayed calm. ¡°You can try.¡±

 Chapter 826 - Mine

    <h2>Chapter 826: Mine</h2>


    It would seem that Chen Feng had earned the wrath of the otherpetitors. The Martial Emperors in the arena were all ring at him indignantly and gritting their teeth.


    Lu De coughed to break the tension and bellowed, ¡°I will now announce the rules of thepetition. There is only one rule. You may not use lethal weapons and do not go any further than necessary. Everyone must listen to¡­¡±


    He abruptly stopped talking midway through his briefing, for Xiao Luo teleported onto the stage with no warning and startled Lu De with his sudden appearance.


    It was when he was only on stage that Xiao Luo distinctly heard the rules mentioned by Lu De and he hurled the Dragon Saber backward with his left hand. It soared tens of meters through the air like a magical de andnded next to Ghost. The sheath of the sword sank some five to six centimeters into the dirt, and the Dragon Saber stood dead straight like a pole nted in the ground.


    It was not to show off, for the Dragon Saber would only recognize its master, so Ghost could not hold on to it. Otherwise, Xiao Luo would have tossed the sword right into her hands.


    However, no one noticed the Dragon Saber. They only caught a glimpse of a sudden movement Xiao Luo made on stage.


    ¡°This young man is super fast. Even I cannot perceive his moves.¡±


    Lu De muttered to himself as he stared at Xiao Luo with fear showing in his age-worn eyes.


    The other Martial Emperors who joined thepetition gawked at Xiao Luo anxiously. They could sense the potent energy emanating from thed standing before them. Of course, most of the spectators had no idea what was going on.


    ¡°Huh? We now have a Martial Master who dares to go up to join the fun. Is he not biting more than he can chew?¡±


    ¡°Everyone wants a God Weapon. But I think these guys have gone overboard in their quest to get one.¡±


    ¡°Well, we shall see how they will dieter. A Martial Master and a Martial Spirit¡ªnothing more than a couple of dumb pigs!¡±


    The crowd standing below the stage continued to ridicule Xiao Luo and Chen Feng.


    Meanwhile, Chen Feng¡¯spanions were smiling. Their faces were full of confidence, and they looked at the surrounding spectators as if they were looking at fools.


    The Martial Emperors on the stage had got over the surprise of the two young men joining thepetition. The skinny middle-aged Martial Emperor sneered, ¡°Are all Martial Masters and Martial Spirits these days so arrogant? I do not know what gives insignificant fighters like you the courage to go after the God Weapons!¡±


    Both Xiao Luo and Chen Feng ignored his mocking remarks.


    Chen Feng walked over to Xiao Luo to speak to him courteously, but Xiao Luo could sense his insincerity. ¡°Brother Xiao, I bet your real cultivation level is not a Martial Master. Otherwise, you would not havee up here. Am I right?¡±


    Xiao Luo only wanted the Time-Space Bracelet. He was not interested in such trivial discussions. Suddenly, he dashed across the stage and stood facing the skinny Martial Emperor and Chen Feng. He eyed them indifferently and said, ¡°The Time-Space Bracelet is mine. Get down, both of you!¡±


    He spoke softly but in amanding tone, and there was little doubt he was demanding for their obeisance.


    When the word spread out, the entire square plunged into silence. Then there was unrest in the crowd.


    ¡°What the? What the heck is the guy thinking?¡±


    ¡°He is just a puny Martial Master. What gives him the courage to speak like that to a Martial Emperor?¡±


    ¡°Crazy, he must be crazy. He became mad thinking about getting a god weapon.¡±


    ¡°Where is this guy from? Is he trying to make peopleugh up there?¡±


    ¡°If it is a joke, then I guess he has done well because I amughing. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Everyone in the audience mocked Xiao Luo as they considered him a fool who knew nothing about being honorable.


    ¡°Well, they mayugh at him now. But their eyes are going to pop outter,¡± Duck Emperor crowed as he casually picked his nose inside Ghost¡¯s pocket. He knew people often underestimated Xiao Luo¡¯s capabilities, only to be surprisedter.


    Ghost did not speak. After acquiring the Phantom Dancer, she was over the moon and beaming with joy.


    The Martial Emperors on stage thought they were having hearing problems as well. Why did a mere Martial Master dare to speak to them in that manner?


    ¡°What did you say, kid?¡± asked the skinny Martial Emperor as he squinted his eyes. He was suppressing his anger.


    ¡°Did I not say it clear enough just now? I want the Time-Space Bracelet. All of you, piss off!¡± repeated Xiao Luo as he stared right into the man¡¯s eyes, neither humble nor overbearing. Xiao Luo was determined to own the Time-Space Bracelet.


    ¡®Gasp!¡±


    The crowd held their breaths and thought, this kid is crazy. How could he say something as arrogant as that?


    As expected, the skinny Martial Emperor became furious. A powerful wave of energy exploded from his body and the solid floor of the stage sunk where his feet stood.


    ¡°Go to hell, you puny little gnat!¡±


    Rumbling sound waves reverberated like a peal of thunder. Many of the onlookers close by covered their ears in trepidation.


    The Martial Emperor morphed into green light and flew toward Xiao Luo like a ray of photons. In a sh, he smashed his fist into Xiao Luo¡¯s face. But by then, Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force had already activated on its own into an invisible barrier enshrouding his body.


    The brutal fist-strike mmed viciously into the invisible barrier instead.


    BOOM!


    A loud earth-shattering st resounded on the stage, causing a powerful cyclone of energy to erupt. The surging force pushed the spectators standing near the stage, at least two to three feet back. Many fell backward onto the ground as chaos ensued.


    The other Martial Emperors and Dwarven Elders flew into the air immediately. They hovered in the air and watched from a safe distance above.


    Chen Feng¡¯s reaction was not too slow either. He retreated like a bolt of lightning. In a few quick leaps, he bounded back at least two feet away from the stage. In the center of the stage, the energy swirled in violent winds, howling and sweeping across the floor. Chen Feng felt as if he was standing before a hurricane. His hair was fluttering uncontrobly as dirt and dust swirled in the air. For a while, he found it difficult to open his eyes. It would imply that the skinny Martial Emperor had used at least 70% to 80% of his power.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Suddenly, everyone heard an anguished shriek.


    The skinny Martial Emperor spurted blood from his mouth and flew backward, struck by a powerful thrust. He fell to the ground and continued to cough out several mouthfuls of blood.


    Gradually, the ravaging storm abated, and the violent winds ceased.


    The exchange left an enormous pit half a meter deep on the stage floor. Xiao Luo stood in front of the giant hole, rooted in the same spot like an iron stake. At that moment, he seemed invincible. The True Inner Force was still swirling around him, imbued with some Divine Power. To those who witnessed the event, Xiao Luo appeared like a king who had an entire world underneath his feet.


    The audience fell into a dead silence. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. With eyes wide open, they stared at the lone figure on the stage in disbelief. Many held their breaths while some heaved in fear. Chills ran down their spines when they learned that the skinny Martial Emperor was the defeated one. He had lost to the young guy who was only a Martial Master after just one exchange.


    It is terrifying!


    How could it be possible?


    The skinny Martial Emperor looked at Xiao Luo with abject fear in his eyes. He was the one who struck first, but it was he who lost in the end. It was incredible that the young guy did not even move an inch and only relied on his external aura alone to deflect the power of the Martial Emperor¡¯s punch back into him.


    How could such a monster exist in the world? The other party looked like a youngster. How was it possible that he had already attained a cultivation level above Martial Guru?


    Even the other Martial Emperors and dwarven elders hovering in the air had simr thoughts. Who could remain calm? They were all staring at the figure standing on the stage with horror in their eyes. The man standing there was neither humble nor overbearing. Who was he?

 Chapter 827 - Mob

    <h2>Chapter 827: Mob</h2>


    ¡°I am going to say this again. The Time-Space Bracelet is mine, and all of you should¡­ p*ss off!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised his head and stared chillingly at the Martial Emperors, for his blood was boiling. Had he not known of the Time-Space Bracelet¡¯s existence, he would not have felt such a strong inclination to challenge this group of Martial Emperors. But now, it became his obsession, for he intended to use it to reach the Light n¡¯s sacrednd. He had no time to waste, and it was reflected in his tone of voice.


    ¡°What an arrogant brat! I¡¯m not sure what has gotten into you, but do you have what it takes to do so to challenge so many of us for the Time-Space Bracelet?¡± a Martial Emperor-level powerhouse sneered as he red icily at Xiao Luo.


    As soon as those words were spoken, his pupils shrank, and a chill ran through his entire body. He suddenly found himself shaking in horror, for Xiao Luo who was earlier on stage with him, just vanished without a trace before his very eyes. He did not see where Xiao Luo went but sensed imminent danger from the depths of his heart.


    ¡°Be careful! He is behind you!¡± Someone shouted out the warning to him.


    Behind me?


    The Martial Emperor exponent shuddered as he turned around. When he saw Xiao Luo descending from the void with his right palm extended toward him, he immediately broke into a cold sweat. In the next second, a massive burst of energy surged from Xiao Luo¡¯s palm.


    BOOM!


    From mid-air, Xiao Luo¡¯s blow ripped into the Martial Emperor and struck with an explosive force, knocking the Martial Emperor to the ground. The impact created arge human-shaped pit where the Martial Emperor had crashed and the hole looked rather deep.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Everyone held their breaths as they stared in awe at Xiao Luo, who was still hovering in the air. Being able to remain in mid-air suggested that he had to be the rank of a Martial Emperor or above. It was simply unimaginable that a young man in his twenties was already a Martial Emperor. Considering what they just witnessed, he might be even more skilled than a Martial Emperor.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s move shocked the other Martial Emperor exponents. Every one of them looked stunned as they hovered in mid-air.


    Meanwhile, Chen Feng took a pill out from his sleeve. He popped it into his mouth and swallowed it. From the moment he ate it, his aura suddenly elevated to the Martial Lord level from his present Martial Spirit level. Then it continued to move up to the Martial Emperor level.


    BAM!


    He stomped his feet on the ground and shot up into the sky, and there he hovered among the other Martial Emperors.


    ¡°Boosting Yuan Elixir? Was it a Boosting Yuan Elixir that he just consumed?¡±


    ¡°It certainly was. It is a forbidden elixir that temporarily increases a man¡¯s cultivation level but at the expense of his life force. Besides, the cost to refine such elixirs is immense. The people in Arcana Land can scarcely afford it.¡±


    ¡°No wonder this guy dared to go up to snatch the Time-Space Bracelet. So this is what he was hiding.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, someone highly skilled turned up halfway through. Even if this guy reaches the Martial Emperor level, I don¡¯t think he has a chance to get the Time-Space Bracelet.¡±


    ¡°It may not be the case. The other young chap over there is too arrogant and has already stirred up the ho¡¯s nest. I have a feeling that everyone will join forces to deal with the young chap first.¡±


    The people on the ground chatted as they raised their heads to look at the group in the sky. The once-in-a-hundred-year battle amongst martial art exponents had them all excited and anxious at the same time. They retreated to a safe distance to avoid getting hurt from the aftermath of the fight.


    The Dwarven Elders descended back to the ground. Thepetitors had undoubtedly taken the battle into the air from the ground.


    ¡°Elder Lu De, it is against the rules to consume a Boosting Yuan Elixir, isn¡¯t it?¡± the grumpy old dwarven asked.


    ¡°The rule I have set is that one cannot use lethal weapons. The Boosting Yuan Elixir does not fall into the category. Hence, it is, therefore, allowed,¡± answered Lu De.


    Naturally, Lu De being a well-respected elder, the other Dwarven Elders did not question his decision and kept silent.


    Lu De looked at Xiao Luo with concern. He muttered, ¡°This young man is intensely hostile in temperament. His moves are bold and he is merciless. If someone as vicious as him acquires the Time-Space Bracelet, I am afraid it will cause serious harm to the entire Arcana Land.¡±


    ¡°If you are afraid that something like that would happen, Elder Lu De, do not give him the Time-Space Bracelet,¡± the grumpy old dwarf said.


    Lu De smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°It will give everyone the impression that dwarves are not trustworthy, will it not?¡±


    ¡°We are the ones hosting the God Weapon Conference. The final say is with us, and we can give our God Weapons to whoever we want. If he dares to cause trouble, I will be the first to destroy him,¡± the grumpy old dwarf said.


    ¡°We shall see. The one who will triumph may not be this young man,¡± said Lu De as he stared up at the group in the sky.


    Up in the air, the Martial Emperors stood together against Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Noble ones, I believe every one of you is aware of the situation we are in. If we do not join hands, this man will beat every one of us. He will win thepetition with ease and get the Time-Space Bracelet. It is unfair to all of us. For the sake of fair y, I suggest we team up to deal with him first. After defeating him, we can continue thepetition among ourselves. In this way, no matter who gets the Time-Space Bracelet in the end, I believe we can all ept the result more readily,¡± Chen Feng said in an attempt to fan the mes of discord.


    Those words immediately won over the Martial Emperors.


    ¡°Very well, then. Let us work together and deal with this young brat first!¡±


    ¡°The brat is too arrogant, acting like he is invincible!¡±


    ¡°If I do not eliminate him first, I will feel ufortable inside!¡±


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo red at those people contemptuously and said, ¡°Looks like you will only cry when death finally stares you in the face!¡±


    Xiao Luo enraged a Martial Emperor with those words. ¡°You little b*stard! Stop acting so superior! When I was out on the streets, you were still at some corner sucking on your mother¡¯s milk!¡± yelled the Martial Emperor. Then, he sted a fist at Xiao Luo across the air.


    ROAR!


    His True Inner Force morphed into a golden lion, snarling and roaring as it charged for a few steps before leaping high toward Xiao Luo. It opened its massive jaws to reveal its sharp fangs, intent on tearing Xiao Luo into pieces.


    ¡°You are first!¡±


    Xiao Luo grinned. In the blink of an eye, his body vanished, and the snarling golden tiger snapped its jaws at thin air. Instantly, Xiao Luo appeared before the Martial Emperor and mercilessly pped him. The tremendous force of the palm shattered the Martial Emperor¡¯s True Inner Energy barrier.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    The Martial Emperor spat out a lot of blood. Like the person before him, he plummeted from the sky. He smashed onto the ground like a falling meteorite, creating a giant crater.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Quickly, the other Martial Emperors recovered from the shock. They charged all at once toward Xiao Luo, bellowing their battle cries.


    Xiao Luo was humming lightly. From the ground, his figure appeared to flicker as he streaked through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages. And each time he reappeared, he was suddenly meters ahead. It was hard to impede his movements.


    In the sky, the energies of several Martial Emperor exponents shone like stars descending from the Ninth Heaven. Every inch of space was filled with violent shes of energy. Their unified forces caused space to distort and the ground to shake.


    ¡°Little gnat, die!¡±


    The Martial Emperors joined forces tobat Xiao Luo. The immense power unleashed from their palms encapsted Xiao Luo, and the destructive energy gradually tore at the space surrounding him. As long as they worked as one, Xiao Luo would be shredded to pieces.


    Chen Feng seized the opportunity to sneak up on Xiao Luo. He took out a jet-ck dagger from his sleeve and viciously stabbed Xiao Luo in his heart. There was a blind spot in the sky. Chen Feng was confident that the Dwarven Elders on the ground could not see what he was doing.

 Chapter 828 - Lunar Armor

    <h2>Chapter 828: Lunar Armor</h2>


    The jet-ck dagger exuded a sinister and ghastly aura. It went through Xiao Luo¡¯s True Inner Force Barrier and pierced his chest.


    It was beyond Xiao Luo¡¯s expectation for conventional weapons could never prate his True Inner Force Barrier. It would leave only one other exnation. The dagger was unique and not amon item. He immediately extended his hand to intercept it. If it were to pierce his heart, it would mean he simply failed to execute the most basic form of defense on his part.


    STAB!


    The ck dagger pierced through his palm easily, and blood oozed from the wound.


    ¡°Harrgh!¡±


    Chen Feng screamed viciously. He held the dagger with both hands and continued to push until it finally pierced Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder. Then he stopped.


    Xiao Luo looked at the dagger that had pierced through his right palm and into his left shoulder. He frowned as acute pain surged up to his brain.


    Chen Feng had a smug grin and whispered to Xiao Luo so only he could hear him. ¡°Brother Xiao, you are reckless, are you not? This dagger is an Immortal-grade god weapon, typically used by assassins in their missions. Even a barrierposed of True Inner Force means nothing to it. This dagger can easily kill you. Hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well, then. I want the dagger too. You can go to hell¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo responded in the same whispered tone, and his eyes glowered with murderous intent.


    A few momentster, Xiao Luo discharged a powerful surge of explosive energy from his body. There was no scorching temperature or dazzling mes, but just an eruption of sheer True Inner Force.


    BAM!


    Chen Feng took the brunt of the force, and both his arms were torn from his body and flew off. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose before he lost control and plunged to the ground in a horrific state of muttion.


    The swirling energy rumbled before it sent waves of destructive force over thousands of meters in all directions. All the Martial Emperors still in mid-air suffered from the brutal shock. Blood spurted out from their mouths as they plummeted down from the sky. Some Martial Emperors smashed into the dwarven buildings, and the iron-cast buildings copsed instantly, falling apart like hastily built structures.


    Except for Ghost, everyone else in the square was knocked to the ground. Screams rang out in all directions. Even the Dwarven Elders on the stage were on the verge of being blown away, and all the citizens across Tarawa City felt strong tremors.


    ¡°Woah, that was impressive!¡±


    It was the first time Ghost had seen Xiao Luo not holding back, and it appeared like he was removing withered tree stumps.


    ¡°He is at the Martial Saint level, for your information. It¡¯s not a joke. Have you forgotten the day when he stoked fear into the Elders of your Sucking Blood n?¡± Duck Emperor reminded Ghost of the incident in the Dark Forest.


    ¡°This is why I say Luo is so handsome,¡± Ghost said, giggling.


    In the meantime, crowds of people were slowly getting up from the ground. Many saw the dagger stuck in Xiao Luo. They had seen Chen Feng charging at Xiao Luo before he unleashed that cataclysmic burst of energy. Suddenly, the truth immediately came to light.


    ¡°He brought a weapon. It vites the rules!¡±


    ¡°The dagger does not seem like an ordinary dagger. Otherwise, it could not have injured the mysterious young man.¡±


    ¡°I can recognize him now. He is Chen Feng of the Snow Mountain Faction. He is sinister in character and a master in scheming. The Snow Mountain Faction overcame all the other factions around them. He yed a pivotal role in all their defeats. A leader of a sect even treated him as his sworn brother. But in the end, Chen Feng secretly murdered him with poison.¡±


    Going against the rules of thepetition by using a weapon was dreadful enough. But using it to ambush anotherpetitor was the most shameless form of assault. Everyone stood on Xiao Luo¡¯s side and condemned Chen Feng for his dastardly deed. Some people who recognized Chen Feng revealed more of the vile nature of the Snow Mountain Faction. At that moment, Chen Feng became a public enemy.


    The st from the True Inner Force had torn off his arms, and blood oozed from his wounds. The force also badly mutted his chest and thighs. Chen Fengid on the ground, shrieking miserably. He knew he would have been better off dead.


    Xiao Luo pulled out the ck dagger and slowly descended to the ground. His palm and the left shoulder had almost recovered by the time hended.


    ¡°You are not dead?¡±


    He looked at Chen Feng, a little surprised. He was within the range where he would have taken the full impact of the st. Yet he was still alive¡ªwhere was the logic? By right, Chen Feng should have been a pile of mutted flesh.


    ¡°I¡­ I have a tough constitution. Haha¡­ haha¡­¡± Enduring the excruciating pain, Chen Fengughed maniacally.


    Tough constitution?


    Xiao Luo stared at the despicable man on the ground. As he looked closer, he noticed that Chen Feng was wearing something inside. Against his bloody mutted flesh, Xiao Luo saw a gleaming, golden metallic surface.


    Xiao Luo extended his hand toward Chen Feng and closed his fist, and the man instantly flew toward him.


    ¡°What¡­ what are you going to do?¡± asked Chen Feng nervously. His heart thumped rapidly as an unbridled fear took hold of him.


    Xiao Luo did not respond. He ripped off Chen Feng¡¯s blood-drenched outer clothing to reveal a golden vest to the crowd.


    ¡°It is the Lunar Armor!¡± Lu De muttered the name of the vest in surprise.


    ¡°Lunar Armor?¡±


    ¡°So this is the legendary defense god weapon which people say can even stop a blow from a Martial Saint!¡±


    ¡°The ancestors of the dwarves forged the Lunar Armor. Thousands of years ago, it fell into the hands of outsiders, and its whereabouts remained unknown ever since. Who would have thought that Chen Feng would be the one wearing it?¡±


    The crowd took a deep breath. No one expected the disciple of the Snow Mountain Faction woulde equipped with an Immortal-grade god weapon.


    ¡°Interesting. Are you continually trying to gift me with god weapons?¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a sarcastic smile. He extended his other hand to pull the Lunar Armor off Chen Feng¡¯s body.


    The Lunar Armor glowed with a faint brilliance that seemed exquisite to the eye. But its aura told a far different story, for it was tainted with darkness and misfortune.


    After tugging at it for a while, Xiao Luo realized he could not remove the Lunar Armor. It was fused to Chen Feng¡¯s flesh and caused him much pain when Xiao Luo tried to peel it off him. Chen Feng kept on screaming like a pig being ughtered.


    ¡°The Lunar Armor has recognized him as its owner. Unless he dies or removes it himself, no one can take the Lunar Armor off him,¡± said Lu De in his booming voice.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow. His eyes on Chen Feng became chillingly sinister.


    ¡°What¡­ what are you going to do? Don¡¯t you dare to mess around here! We are in Dwarven territory, and the Dwarven Elders are over there. If you dare to do anything, you will not leave this ce alive¡­¡±


    Chen Feng had forcibly increased his cultivation up to the Martial Emperor level. With his heightened vitality, he had slightly recovered and was in much greater spirits. However, when he looked into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, Chen Feng could not help shivering. Xiao Luo nned to kill him to get the Lunar Armor. It had to be the n he had in mind. Without his arms, there was nothing Chen Feng could do to protect himself.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Suddenly, two miserable screams echoed in the square.


    Everyone looked over to the source of the screams and saw a man and a woman being knocked away from Xiao Luo¡¯s de stuck in the ground. They were thepanions who had followed Chen Feng¡ªthe guy and the girl whom Ghost had beaten up earlier.


    Seeing them fall over, a few people quickly rushed over to help them.


    Xiao Luo looked at Chen Feng with a lop-sided smile and said, ¡°So, you guys were thinking about stealing my de!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Chen Feng could not find a way out of this mess. Those two dumbasses were detestable. Could they not gauge the situation? Their opponent was a vicious person, yet they were still foolish enough to go after the de. Even worse, it was that during such a critical moment where his life was at stake, and their failed attempt undoubtedly pushed him closer to the jaws of death.

 Chapter 829 - Righteous and Evil

    <h2>Chapter 829: Righteous and Evil</h2>


    Ghost quickly came to her senses and unleashed her Phantom Dancer. A purple energy cannonball shot out at both of Chen Feng¡¯s aplices, leaving them wounded on the ground.


    Xiao Luo withdrew his gaze from the two culprits and cast it at Chen Feng. With a chillingugh, he said, ¡°The Lunar Armor is mine, and your life¡­ is also mine!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you dare? If you kill me, the Snow Mountain Faction will haunt you for the rest of your life! Can¡­ can you withstand the wrath of the entire Snow Mountain Faction?¡± Chen Feng shouted frantically. He panicked and was rambling away, even resorting to the use of his n as hisst means of refuge.


    ¡°Snow Mountain Faction? I have never heard of it before!¡±


    Xiao Luo showed little concern for Chen Feng¡¯s empty threats. He raised his right foot and stomped on Chen Feng¡¯s head.


    SQUISH!


    Underneath his foot, the skull appeared fragile and shattered like an eggshell in a fraction of a second. Chen Feng¡¯s head looked just like a squashed watermelon, with fluids and tissues of red and white sttered all over the ground. It was an extremely bloody and gruesome sight.


    Everyone who surrounded them held their breaths in horror. In their minds, Xiao Luo did not differ from a vicious demon.


    Chen Feng¡¯s aplices turned pale in fright and several even wet themselves. No one had expected the harmless-looking young man would turn out to be such a fearsome character, willing to kill without even blinking an eye.


    With its owner dead, it was easy to remove the Lunar Armor from Chen Feng¡¯s body. In his hand, the blood-stained vest seemed weightless, like it was made of tulle. Xiao Luo merely had to flick the vest, and the blood instantly slid cleanly off its surface.


    Xiao Luo kept the Lunar Armor under one arm. To discover that a disciple of the Snow Mountain Faction had so many treasures in his possession¡ªit was an absolute surprise.


    He turned around to Lu De, who was on the stage, and asked, ¡°Elder, I assume the Time-Space Bracelet you are holding now belongs to me?¡±


    His question jolted Lu De from his stupor. He continued to stare anxiously at Xiao Luo through his age-worn eyes. Despite his high martial status, the young man had him terrified. The fearsome and murderous aura he emanated earlier terrified him.


    ¡°A savage like you cannot receive the Time-Space Bracelet!¡±


    The grumpy Dwarven Elder bellowed at Xiao Luo. ¡°Bymitting murder in the God Weapon Conference hosted by the Dwarven Elders, you are tantly challenging the prestige of our race. Not only will we not give you the Time-Space Bracelet, but we shall not allow you to leave this ce!¡± he added.


    That took Xiao Luo by surprise. He had won thepetition, but the dwarves have gone back on their words.


    He smiled calmly and asked, ¡°Then what shall be of me?


    ¡°ording to the Dwarvenws, we shall sentence you to 50 years in jail,¡± the grumpy Dwarven Elder replied.


    ¡°50 years in jail?¡±


    Xiao Luo could not stop shaking his head with a helpless expression, and replied, ¡°Elder, I¡¯m sure you saw what happened earlier.¡± He pointed at Chen Feng¡¯s corpse on the ground and continued, ¡°This man ambushed me with a special dagger during the fight and wanted me dead. It was he who wished to kill me first. What is the problem with me killing him? Can it be that only he can kill me, but I cannot kill him?


    The crowd felt that his words were reasonable¡ªafter all, it was the practice in the Arcana Land. When someone attempted to kill you, it was eptable if he ended up being killed by you instead. It resonated with thepetitive nature of their society.


    ¡°Twisted logic!¡±


    The grumpy Dwarven Elder scowled, ¡°You killed him only because you saw the Lunar Armor he had on and wanted it for yourself. We dwarves do not wee greedy and despicable savages like you. I will offer you a chance to repeal the jail sentence. Put down the Lunar Armor and the ck dagger. Ask yourdy friend over there to drop the Phantom Dancer. Only then shall I allow you to leave freely. You savages are unworthy of these god weapons!¡±


    The crowd, initially on Xiao Luo¡¯s side, immediately stood with the dwarves. If Xiao Luo left behind the god weapons, it would mean that they would get another chance to fight for the Phantom Dancer. On top of that, there were also the Lunar Armor and the ck dagger for the taking.


    ¡°Put them down! Hurry and put them down!¡±


    ¡°Elder Lu Yang is right. With such character, you are unworthy of the god weapons.¡±


    ¡°Only warriors of righteousness are qualified to wield the god weapons, not savages like you! If the girl is with you, it means she is equally corrupted.¡±


    The crowd shouted Lu Yang¡¯s name and rallied behind him. They demanded that Xiao Luo put down the god weapons. Of course, they were only eyeing the god weapons Xiao Luo had in his possession with envy and desire.


    Lu De held the Time-Space Bracelet in his hand as he observed Xiao Luo without saying a word. He felt disturbed and had an uneasy feeling that he should not have provoked the young man.


    ¡°Haha, haha, haha¡­¡±


    In the face of the crowd¡¯s condemnation, Xiao Luo merely shrugged his shoulders then cackled. It sounded like the devil¡¯s taunt, sending chills into the depths of the hearts of those who heard.


    His eyes swept across the crowd and he said, ¡°Warriors of Righteousness? Do you think you are one of them?¡±


    The question immediately silenced the voices of dissent. No one dared to look into Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes, as none were bold enough to proim himself as righteous. If it had not been for the god weapons, they would never have schemed against each other in that manner.


    ¡°Of course they are!¡±


    Lu Yang roared with great conviction as he took a step forward, then added, ¡°But you are not! You are a savage who kills without even blinking! Lay down the god weapons and leave at once! Or else, do not me us dwarves for any mistreatment!¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him and smirked wryly. ¡°I have always respected the rules of the Dwarves and have abided by your rules. But you, however, have gone back on your promise. You are now even tantly siding with a despicable individual who breached the rules and tried to kill me,¡± he said, then snarled, ¡°Tell me then¡ªwho is righteousness and who is not?¡±


    BOOM!


    Xiao Luo delivered hisst few words in a raging bellow. Immense energy erupted from his body, pushing everyone in the square back several feet away.


    The Dwarven Elders on the stage also felt the terrifying energy, and the expression on each of their faces immediately changed.


    The grumpy Dwarven Elder, Lu Yang, was not afraid. He continued arguing with Xiao Luo and replied, ¡°We are righteousness, and you are evil to the core! What rights does a demon have toment on what is righteous and what is evil?¡±


    ¡°Demon? Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Inwardly, Xiao Luo was fuming. Did he not just kill somebody? In Arcana Land, strength was everything. At any single moment, the weak could perish in the hands of the strong. Besides, the one he killed was someone who wanted him dead. In Arcana Land, this was an eptable response and could be considered the norm. However, the Dwarven Elder exaggerated the nature of his action, and ultimately, it pushed him toward his evil side.


    Good. Very good. Excellent!


    ¡°These ignorant dwarves havepletely infuriated the darn kid,¡± remarked the Duck Emperor. He knew things were about to take a turn for the worse. Those who angered Xiao Luo would live to regret it.


    ¡°That old geezer is wicked! No, his entire family is wicked!¡± hissed Ghost as she defended Xiao Luo.


    As Xiao Luo¡¯s maniacalughter reverberated throughout the hall, his powerful aura stirred and whipped up swirling winds like a wild tornado. Sand, gravel, leaves were all swept up into the air, making it appear like a strong sandstorm had hit the massive square.

 Chapter 830 - Into the Sky

    <h2>Chapter 830: Into the Sky</h2>


    ¡°The Force of Deterrence¡­ It is a skill of someone who has attained at least the Martial Guru level. Is this man a Martial Guru as well?¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous¡­ It¡¯s just ridiculous! A Martial Guru who is less than 30 years of age? What is going on with this world?¡±


    ¡°Pull back, quickly!¡±


    The martial art exponents who attended the God Weapon Conference hurriedly retreated even further. They were in an area where a dangerous, ravaging sandstorm was brewing. Winds blew at them so hard from all directions that they lost their bnce. Xiao Luo¡¯s overwhelming power had them all in fear. Nobody had expected a person with a cultivation level far higher than any of them to show up at the conference.


    Xiao Luo was infuriated, and the True Inner Force within his body surged uncontrobly. He red at Lu Yang and sneered, ¡°You say that I am a demon¡ªthen a demon, I shall be. What are you going to do about it?¡±


    Then he thrust forward his hand and executed a destructive palm attack.


    SCREECH!


    The raging power from his palm morphed into a falcon with outstretched wings spanning ten feet. Screeching, it darted toward Lu Yang. Wherever it passed, the ground crumbled inch by inch, leaving a trail of swirling dirt and gravel.


    Lu Yang was horrified. With his age-worn eyes wide open, he used all of his strength to execute a defensive counter-strike with his palm. The immense surging power from his palm transformed into a ray of green light that sped toward the falcon, baring fangs and brandishing ws. The two forces collided with substantial force.


    KABOOM!


    A loud, earth-shattering p erupted. The ground beneath the collision caved in, and the st created arge pit nearly two feet deep.


    Lu Yang¡¯s body quivered, and he staggered backward in rapid steps. He found his bnce only after the other Dwarven Elders had gone to his aid. The blood from his chest surged to his throat, then he lost control and spat out a mouthful of thick blood.


    The onlookers watched from afar, not daring to even step close to the edge of the battle. All those at the conference were in shock. They knew that Lu Yang was at the peak of the Martial Emperor stage. He was only a step away from being a Martial Guru. But there he was, injured after only a single strike from Xiao Luo. It was something beyond their imagination.


    WHOOSH!


    Xiao Luo vaporized into a phantom-like apparition. He immediately swept across tens of meters of space and lifted Lu Yang by the scruff of his neck with one hand. The other Dwarven Elders were rtively weaker in cultivation and got knocked down by the powerful aura emanated by Xiao Luo.


    Lu Yang, who was some 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall, just like the Lord of the Soil and the Ground. He was powerless as he hung in mid-air with Xiao Luo¡¯s firm grip around his neck.


    ¡°Those who triumph are the ones who write the history. It would seem they determine who is the righteous one, and who is evil. The winner will always be righteous, while the loser will forever be the evil one!¡± Xiao Luo said as he stared icily at Lu Yang.


    Lu Yang stared back at him with fear in his eyes. He could not believe that Xiao Luo had reached such a terrifying level of strength.


    ¡°You are insane, young one!¡±


    Lu De had originally been amiable and civil. But his demeanor had changed. In amanding voice, he bellowed, ¡°Release Elder Lu Yang!¡±


    Suddenly, Lu De released a raging aura. To the surrounding spectators, it felt like a massive weight was pressing down on them. The pressure made it impossible for them to breathe normally.


    ¡°Should I help Luo or the Old Grandpa?¡±


    Ghost was in a dilemma. Lu De had given her a god weapon she liked very much. Xiao Luo was the person she fancied and whom she constantly relied upon. It did not seem like a good idea to help either of them.


    ¡°What is there to help? Just stay here and watch. Help no one!¡± replied Duck Emperor.


    Duck Emperor rolled his eyes up at her, then said with disdain, ¡°Righteous¡­ evil¡­ anyone with a mouth can say those words. I can even say that I represent the Jade Emperor!¡±


    He was mocking Lu Yang¡¯s self-righteous remarks as if it was his right to determine righteousness from evil. It drove Duck Emperor mad every time Lu Yang opened his mouth.


    Xiao Luo turned to face Lu De and replied, ¡°What if I refuse?¡±


    As he spoke, his fingers tightened around Lu Yang¡¯s neck. The Elder flushed red as he felt his neck constrict. It was painful. A series of croaking noises came from his throat. Lu Yang felt as if his esophagus and trachea could no longer withstand the crushing grip and were about to burst apart.


    ¡°Then I shall destroy the Time-Space Bracelet!¡± Lu De shouted. He was frothing at the mouth and red at Xiao Luo with rage. He was so furious his face was about to burst.


    Xiao Luo froze when he heard that.


    Fuming, Lu De added, ¡°I have long noticed you care about this Time-Space Bracelet. To you, the Time-Space Bracelet is far more desirable than any other of our god weapons. Otherwise, you would never have onlye forward when we introduced the Time-Space Bracelet. I will count to three. If you do not release Elder Lu Yang at the end of the count, you will never get the Time-Space Bracelet!¡±


    Lu De held the Time-Space Bracelet in his palm. With his strength, he could destroy it with the greatest of ease.


    Xiao Luo eyed him thoughtfully without responding.


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    Lu De started counting down. Everyone had their hearts in their throats as he roared out the numbers. Lu De saw that Xiao Luo did not make any move to release Lu Yang after the count of two. He slowly clenched his fingers, preparing to destroy the Time-Space Bracelet.


    ¡°Mr. Lu De, if you dare to destroy the Time-Space Bracelet, I will ughter all the dwarves in this entire city!¡±


    Xiao Luo spoke in a voice steeped with murderous intent. Flickers of red shes were pulsating deep within his eyes as a magnitude of bloodthirsty aura surged from his body.


    At that moment, Xiao Luo did not appear to be a person but a dangerous and ferocious beast. In anger, Xiao Luo had unconsciously tightened his hold on Lu Yang. His fingers were like sharp des piercing into Lu Yang¡¯s throat. Lu Yang was struggling in misery as Xiao Luo was strangling him.


    It was Lu De¡¯s turn to be surprised. Even with his strength, he was not confident he could defeat this enigmatic and powerful young man standing before him. If the young man proceeded with the mass murder in Tarawa City, he would be powerless to stop him.


    Lu De yelled, ¡°You would not dare!¡±


    ¡°Why would I not? I am a demon in your eyes. Why would it be so surprising if I were to massacre an entire city?¡±


    Xiao Luo felt very ufortable about holding the rage in his heart. He needed to vent it out. If Lu De destroyed the Time-Space Bracelet, he would surely turn Tarawa City into a sea of blood.


    ¡°You cursed thief!¡±


    Lu De gritted his teeth. He slightly loosened the hand which was clenching the Time-Space Bracelet, fearing that he might identally crush the god weapon.


    At that moment, Duck Emperor saw an opportunity. He flew out from Ghost¡¯s pocket, turned into a sh of light, and shot toward Lu De. He grabbed the Time-Space Bracelet with his web feet and flew into the air.


    ¡°Darn kid, I got the Time-Space Bracelet. Hurry and praise me. Quack, quack¡­¡± Duck Emperor whooped, seeking credit from Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo felt happy when he saw what Duck Emperor did. Then his expression quickly changed, and he shouted out a warning, ¡°Move away!¡±


    When Duck Emperor looked down, he was so unnerved that he flinched in surprise. Lu De had executed a palm attack. The energy force turned into zing mes and swooped toward the duck like a fiery monster with its ming mouth open.


    He immediately tried to dodge, but it was toote. The fiery monster struck him. The feathers on his left-wing and abdomen instantly scorched, revealing charred flesh. Blood oozed from the wound, and his flesh looked severely burned.


    ¡°Duck Emperor!¡± screamed Ghost.


    She quickly leaped forward to catch him as he plummeted from the sky.


    Lu De flew up into the air in an attempt to retrieve the Time-Space Bracelet.


    Xiao Luo immediately let Lu Yang go. He flew into the air swiftly to catch the Time-Space Bracelet as well.


    His True Inner Force turned scarlet red. The scarlet was so dark in intensity that it looked ck. When he flew up, he looked like a bolt of ck lightning. Lu De was glowing green from head to toe. All the onlookers saw were two bolts of light shooting into the sky. One bolt was ck and the other green. Both werepeting to reach the Time-Space Bracelet before the other.

 Chapter 831 - You Flattered Me

    <h2>Chapter 831: You ttered Me</h2>


    The two rays of light, ck and green, reached the Time-Space Bracelet at the same time and a loud explosion followed. The Time-Space Bracelet was suddenly propelled even higher into the sky. The impact resulted in a massive burst of energy that rippled outward across the sky, distorting space wherever it passed.


    The energy from the colossal Force of Deterrence swept across the za. Xiao Luo and Lu De backed away in opposite directions, opening up a distance of more than a dozen feet between them.


    SWOOSH!


    Lu De pulled out a sharp de from his sleeves and advanced toward Xiao Luo like a sh of lightning.


    ¡°Have a taste of my de, child!¡±


    Lu De became one with his de, assuming a form that resembled a rainbow. The lustrous light of the sword became the only visible thing between heaven and earth.


    Faced with such an intimidating sword attack, Xiao Luo did not move and appeared too daunted to even take evasive action. The spectators on the ground had anxious expressions on their faces, while Ghost had her heart in her throat.


    ¡°Is he spacing out from fear?¡±


    ¡°No, I bet he is thinking about a counterattack!¡±


    ¡°Will it not be too reckless? Mr. Lu De¡¯s sword is at least an Immortal-grade god weapon. He cannot just ward off an attack from a de that is considered at the pinnacle of Dwarven craftsmanship.¡±


    Everyone felt Xiao Luo was being too reckless. In the face of such a formidable attack, dodging the razor-sharp sword would be the wisest move.


    Lu De, like a deity from the realm above, reached Xiao Luo in a split second. He aimed at the dazzling Sword of Divinity at Xiao Luo¡¯s chest, and it pierced through the air like lightning.


    Only when the sword was less than half a meter from Xiao Luo¡¯s chest did he finally moved. He only raised only his right arm in response as he hovered in the void. His True Inner Force surged out from the front of his right palm and formed a brilliant crimson bloom. The dazzling light of Lu De¡¯s sword suddenly dimmed and the Sword of Divinity froze three centimeters in front of his palm, unable to move even another millimeter forward.


    There was a look of disbelief in Lu De¡¯s raging age-worn eyes. He could not believe what he saw. How could it be possible? The Sword of Divinity driven at full force could even pierce through lofty mountains and st through a void. But Xiao Luo stopped the long sword with just his bare hand. The Sword of Divinity was powerless! The truth then hit him hard¡ªXiao Luo¡¯s cultivation level was far beyond his.


    Lu De was at the intermediate Martial Guru stage. He thought to himself, could this young man be at the peak of the Martial Guru stage? Perhaps he had reached a Martial Venerable or even a Martial Saint level?


    He dared not to think any further. His body was naturally reacting to the shock he felt, and he was in a cold sweat.


    CLANG!


    Xiao Luo gently flicked his finger at the tip of the de, and the sound of trembling metal reverberated like the sound of arge bell. Lu De¡¯s body quivered, and he was knocked back forcefully. It was only after much effort that he stabilized himself in midair. Still holding the sword in his hand, his entire arm ached from the vibration of Xiao Luo¡¯s strike.


    ¡°A de you give, and a de I shall return!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted at Lu De in a haughty tone while he opened one hand to grasp the air.


    The Dragon Saber reacted to the silentmand of its master. The de shot out from its sheath and flew into the sky in a ray of crimson light. It settled straight into Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    With his de in hand, Xiao Luo emanated an ominous aura that permeated with spite and murderous rage.


    Unsure if it was an illusion, Lu De thought he saw a massive demonic phantom behind Xiao Luo. The apparition looked like a Demon Lord, and it had a sinister pair of ming scarlet eyes that red at him with ill intent. Lu De could not stop shaking. The spiritual energy between the sky and the earth went wild and even affected nature itself. Immediately, rumbling dark clouds formed in the once cloudless, serene blue sky.


    Lu De saw Xiao Luo raising the Dragon Saber in an unhurried manner. Sensing the ensuing danger, he trembled and tried to call off the fight. ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­ we do not have to do this¡­ we can¡­¡±


    He had never felt so terrified in his life.


    ¡°Hiyah!¡±


    Xiao Luo gave him no chance to negotiate. He unleashed his battle cry and swung the Dragon Saber downward.


    SLASH!


    As he smote his de at Lu De, lightning shed and thunder rumbled loudly amid the sky. A crimson streak of sword energy, over ten feet long, sliced through the void and sliced downward like a dazzling rainbow. Violent winds howled, and the dust swirled, covering the sky. The people at Tarawa City were terrified, and it felt simr to being alone in a boat in the middle of a raging storm. The winds were so strong that they found it difficult to find their bnce and were swaying and falling all over.


    There was no turning back. The realm had to suffer the aftermath of the consequences!


    An endless amount of energy rippled in all directions. The surging pressure swept outward like a raging wave.


    Lu De¡¯s pupils suddenly dted, and his face nched in horror. The moment the de flew into Luo¡¯s hand, he knew Xiao Luo intended to make a deadly move. Initially, he thought he could handle the situation and had no fear of the young man. Now, he realized toote how wrong he was.


    It was pointless to regret at that point. The devastating streak of light from Xiao Luo¡¯s de reached Lu De, and it was toote to evade. He channeled all his strength through his palm to counter the attack. It would be nice if he could parry it, if not, then it would spell the end of him.


    The energy from Lu de¡¯s palm morphed into green light and collided with the iing strike. But the Dragon Saber smashed through his defense, and the sword energy engulfed even Lu De.


    The crimson-ck sword energy cracked to the ground like a rod of lightning. Mountains crumbled, and the ground shook as if an earthquake of a high magnitude had erupted. After the billowing cloud of dirt and gravel settled, it left a massive fissure, nearly four meters wide, in the ground where the crimson-ck sword energy had struck. It looked like a bottomless abyss.


    After the attack, the entire ce plunged into dead silence. And except for the soft sound of the wind blowing, the gushing sound of water, and the rustling of leaves, everything else was quiet. The people of Tarawa City were so shocked that they stood frozen in a stupor. The people at the square who witnessed the attack could still feel their legs trembling involuntarily.


    The grumpy Lu Yang, who still had traces of blood at the corner of his mouth, stared at Xiao Luo in horror with his eyes wide open. Likewise, the other Dwarven Elders were so petrified and struck out of their wits that they couldn¡¯t even mutter a word.


    The Time-Space Bracelet was now in free fall, but Xiao Luo merely extended his hand and safely caught it.


    Having the Time-Space Bracelet in his hand, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a smile. Xiao Luo casually flicked his hand and the Dragon Saber flew diagonally downward from the air like a bolt of crimson light, straight into its sheath. The phenomenal Dragon Saber was back on the ground, calmly standing upright.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡±


    The sound of a dry hacking cough came from within the abyss-like chasm. An aged-old hand grabbed at the edge¨Cit was Lu De! His head peeked appeared from the crevice as he arduously climbed out of it. He was in a very pathetic state with his clothes torn to shreds. Dirt covered him from head to toe. His right arm was dripping with blood, and there was even blood flowing out from his nose.


    Mr. Lu De is still alive?


    The crowd was shocked but quickly came to his aid. Initially, everyone had thought that the attack from Xiao Luo had sted Lu De to smithereens. It turned out he got knocked into the crevice.


    SWOOSH!


    In a sh, Xiao Luo appeared before Lu De. The disparity of the height between the two was noticeable. Xiao Luo bent his head low and calmly looked at Lu De, and said, ¡°You are pretty tough, I have to say.¡±


    Hearing that, Lu De felt like bursting into tears. He would have never survived the attack if a defense-type god weapon had not protected him. To maintain his demeanor, heughed instead. Bowing respectfully with sped hands, he said, ¡°You tter me. Haha¡­ haha¡­ cough¡­¡±


    Lu De had awkwardlyughed to cover up his embarrassment. But he identally choked on hisughter and started coughing.

 Chapter 832

    <h2>Chapter 832: Santa Maria</h2>


    The frightened crowd dared not even make a sound as they stared at Xiao Luo and Lu De in both awe and trepidation. Even someone as righteous and unyielding as Mr. Lu De had to bow and bend his knee before this mighty fighter. Strength was the ultimate power in this world.


    ¡°I tter you?¡±


    Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow as he scoffed at Lu De. He asked mockingly, ¡°Do you think I am praising you?¡±


    Lu De started sweating profusely from nervousness. With a sad smile, he reluctantly said, ¡°Young One, the Time-Space Bracelet belongs to you now. There is no need to go any further.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu De, give us your orders. We will fight him to the end!¡± the grumpy Lu Yang shouted out. He felt upset to see Lu De in such a humiliating situation.


    Fight the young man?


    How were we supposed to fight him? With the manhood in our pants?


    Lu De scowled at Lu Yang. Could he still not assess the situation they were in? The young man was literally a god. Even if the n Lord who was presently in seclusion were toe out, it would not make any difference. If they provoked the young man, what could they do if he ughtered the entire dwarven race?


    In a calm voice, Lu De said, ¡°Elder Lu Yang, please stand down and remain silent.¡±


    Lu Yang was still seething from his thrashing. He continued to protest and said, ¡°We represent righteousness, and he is evil. Since the beginning of time, evil has never triumphed against the righteous. As long as we stand united, we will defeat him. Mr. Lu De, I urge you to reconsider. We must not allow a demon to deter us from doing what we know is right. We cannot suffer such humiliation and allow him to meddle with the scales of justice. We have to fight him¡ªwe must not be afraid of any sacrifice. We have to fight till the very end for the sake ofw and order. We may have wavered earlier, but righteousness always prevails!¡±


    Words flowed from his mouth with the passion of a poet, and like a flowing river, he gushed eloquently.


    The more Lu De listened to him, the more anxious he became, and in the end, he could not endure it any longer. In exasperation, he bellowed, ¡°Shut up! Just f*cking shut up!¡±


    Lu Yang was taken aback by such strongnguageing from Lu De. Bewildered, he muttered, ¡°Mr. Lu De¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop calling my name, you dumb pig! What did you just say? Prevent him from destroying the scales of justice? What qualifies you to uphold justice with the level of skill you have? You damn b*stard, can you not gauge the situation we are in now? Are you only going to stop after you have pushed the entire dwarven race down into a dark hole? Fight? Fight on your darn a*s! The man over there can annihte you with one hand! Is it so hard to shut your d*mn mouth, huh?¡± Lu De snapped. His harsh words were filled with expletives as he sttered his saliva all over when he spoke. At this point, Lu De appeared like a broken old man.


    ¡°Gasp!¡±


    Everyone held their breath for Lu De¡¯s behavior surprised them. Who would have imagined that Mr. Lu De, who had always been an exemr of advocating justice and ethics, would swear in such a way? It was simply unexpected.


    ¡°Woah, Gramps looks pissed!¡± Ghost giggled.


    Duck Emperor sniggered and said, ¡°The old geezer must be absolutely stressed his sheet out. Otherwise, he would never forget his manners like this.¡±


    ¡°Sheet?¡± Ghost asked, somewhat confused.


    Duck Emperor rolled his eyes up and said, ¡°Sh*t, girt, sh*t. How uncultured of you to not be familiar with homophones.¡±


    Ghost knitted her eyebrows and said, ¡°Ew, you are disgusting!¡±


    Once Lu De lost his cool, Lu Yang dared not to utter a word. The other Dwarven Elders sheepishly remained silent as well. Everyone at the badly damaged square fell into dead silence.


    ¡°Nice one, geezer. You have quite the prestige in your n,¡± Xiao Luo said, impressed with the power ofmand Lu De had over his Dwarven n.


    Lu De immediately put a smile on his face and shook his head. He humbly replied, ¡°You tter me, Young One!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Now, tell me how to use this Time-Space Bracelet,¡± Xiao Luo asked directly, lest the geezer kept rambling on about useless stuff.


    Lu De¡¯s mind was only on the survival of the dwarven race. The young man standing before him was a devil who could kill without blinking his eyes. If this devil wanted trouble with them, he could annihte the entire dwarven race. Hence, Lu De¡¯s only option was to humble himself.


    ¡°First, drip your blood on it so it recognizes you as its owner. Then put it on your wrist, and all the locations marked and recorded in the Time-Space Bracelet will appear in your mind. You merely need to prompt your mind to the location you wish to go, and it will take you there.¡±


    Following what he said, Xiao Luo had the Time-Space Bracelet to recognize him as its owner and put it on his wrist.


    Sure enough, the names of almost 10 thousand locations appeared in his mind. It included the Baiyue Nation, Mu City, Stan City, and the Forest of the Infinity Edge of Ziyue Cave Heaven. With the Time-Space Bracelet, Xiao Luo could go to any of those ces in the blink of an eye.


    He felt a strong urge to curse. If only he had the god weapon earlier on, he could have saved the time spent on so many unnecessary trips.


    He ran through the names of the ces, and then he frowned. He asked Lu De, ¡°Why is the Holy Land of the Light n not listed?¡±


    Holy Land of the Light n?


    As soon as they heard him, there was a drone of hushed voices whispering in the crowd. They wondered why the young man would want to go to the Light n¡¯s holynd. They questioned his motive for going to the residence of the Light n who ruled over Arcana Land.


    Lu De had his age-old eyes wide open as he looked at Xiao Luo in disbelief. ¡°You¡­ you wish to go to the Light n¡¯s holynd?¡± he asked.


    Xiao Luo nced at him and replied indifferently, ¡°Can I not?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can. I am just asking out of curiosity,¡± answered Lu De with a smile. In his mind, he was secretly wondering if the powerful young man could somehow have some connection with the Light n.


    ¡°Did the Time-Space Bracelet not leave its mark at the Light n¡¯s holynd?¡± asked Xiao Luo as his eyelids twitched in his anxiety. If all the efforts he took to own the god weapon were in vain, he felt like killing someone.


    Lu De hurriedly exined, ¡°That is not it. There is an enchantment in the holynd. Unless you are a one of the Light n, no one else can enter the Light n¡¯s holynd.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that this Time-Space Bracelet cannot take me to the holynd at all?¡± asked Xiao Luo. His eyes suddenly widened with anger.


    Lu De shuddered and hurriedly answered, ¡°It¡­ it might not take you directly to the holynd. But it can take you to the City of Santa Maria, which is beneath it. In the sky above Santa Maria lies the Holy Land of the Light n.¡±


    The City of Santa Maria?


    Xiao Luo ran through the names of ces in his mind, and sure enough, he found the City of Santa Maria.


    ¡°I guess there should not be a problem if I bring an extra person and a duck with me?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Your True Inner Force will fuel the energy used to traverse across space. The more powerful the bracelet¡¯s owner is, the more people it can carry across. With your power level, even arge group of people should be no issue,¡± Lu De answered truthfully, not daring to lie even the slightest.


    ¡°Good. You dwarves have done me a great favor. When I have the chance in the future, I will return the favor to you,¡± said Xiao Luo graciously. At that moment, Xiao Luo was full of joy.


    After saying that, he promptly walked over to Ghost, pulled out the Dragon Saber, and had a look at Duck Emperor, who had almost fully recovered. He registered the location in his mind, and the Time-Space Bracelet sprouted a green light. The luminous light engulfed him, Ghost, and Duck Emperor. In an instant, the two humans and the duck disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    After watching Xiao Luo depart, Lu De sighed in relief. He slumped down wearily on the ground like a puddle of slime, and muttered, ¡°The God of Cmity has gone¡­ atst.¡±

 Chapter 833

    <h2>Chapter 833: Finally Here</h2>


    The Time-Space Bracelet took Xiao Luo, Ghost, and Duck Emperor over two million kilometers to Santa Maria City.


    It was a vast and prosperous center with endless streams of caravans entering and leaving the city. Within the city walls, the busy streets plied with a continuous flow of horses and carriages. Shops and warehouses were abundant. There were banks and even gambling houses¡­ in short, it had all the amenities a city could offer. And one other thing was evident¡ªthe aura of high-level martial arts practitioners.


    Here, one could see dwarves, elves, giants, races that were green from head to toe, centaurs, and many more. It was the central region of Arcana Land and a gathering point for many races that existed in this realm. It was a thriving and vibrant city with no rival.


    High above Santa Maria, a city was hovering serenely in the sky. Behind the veil of clouds, the city had an air of mystery and spirituality. The sun shone radiantly and a rainbow arched over the city in the sky and it was a sight to behold.


    ¡°Holy duckeroni! Is that another city floating on top of Santa Maria city?¡±


    Duck Emperor gawked in awe and eximed, ¡°Is the Light n¡¯s holynd that city in the sky?¡±


    ¡°Wow, it looks spectacr!¡±


    The surreal view fascinated Ghost. She was in awe and gawked at the stunning scenery in awe. It was incredible¨Cshe¡¯d never seen anything like this!


    The sky city was like a massive ind hovering in the air. From a distance, it looked like an irregr-shaped chestnut. Itsndscape filled with trees that provided shade and flocks of long-beaked herons soared freely above the tree canopies.


    Xiao Luo raised his head to gaze at the city in the sky. He clenched his fist and a trace of his aura emanated from his body.


    Here, atst!


    To achieve his present level of strength, he suffered at the peak of Mount Tianshan. His body went through the brutal and torturous ordeal of being destroyed, little by little. Like someone was hacking him into thousands of pieces. The memory of that experience was forever imprinted in his mind. It was his undying love for her and his faith that got him through the excruciating pain and anguish. It gave him the fortitude to rise from the ashes and exceed the limits of his endurance. Ultimately, his perseverance was rewarded with peerless strength.


    An inexplicable emotion filled his chest as he stared longingly at the massive city in the sky.


    ¡°Darling, I am here. I aming to bring you home¡­¡± he muttered.


    His lips moved slightly. Though his voice was calm, it had the edge of a beast suppressing its savage nature.


    Then Xiao Luo¡¯s aura rose to its absolute maximum. Heunched himself in the air and flew toward the city in the sky. He did not conceal his energy force, and the aura he emanated was overwhelming. It enveloped the entire of Santa Maria, attracting the attention of countless martial art experts. They looked up to the sky in terror.


    ¡°Calm down, kid!¡±


    Duck Emperor immediately grew in size, and he carried Ghost then headed after Xiao Luo.


    For the ordinary people, the city in the sky was beyond their reach. But for the three newly arrived visitors, getting there was a more a matter of time. When they got close to the city in the sky, an invisible barrier stopped them. It was transparent, but a solid shield that hindered their entry into the city.


    ¡°Duck cakes. The old dwarf is right. There is a shield protecting the city!¡± Duck Emperor shrieked as he looked toward Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Stand back!¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s eyes were zing fiercely when he barked the order.


    Duck Emperor immediately took Ghost and swiftly retreated further away.


    Xiao Luo slowly unsheathed the Dragon Saber from its scabbard. An infinite amount of Spiritual Energy surged. Resonating with its owner¡¯s emotions, the blood-colored Dragon Saber unleashed its force in all directions. Violent winds howled, and bolts of lightning shed.


    ¡°Break the shield!¡±


    Xiao Luo shouted themand and smote the de at the invisible barrier in front of him.


    The crimson-ck sword energy, nearly ten feet long, cut a swathe through the void with tremendous force, smashing into the shield and creating shes in brilliant hues of a rainbow. The impact sent waves of energy in all directions, surging like a raging storm across the sky and sweeping through the ground below.


    The force of the blow threw the realm into disarray!


    CLANG!


    The invisible barrier shattered with the cracking sound of breaking ss. But it was no ordinary sound, for it resounded and prated across tens of kilometers in all directions.


    Within the halls of the Holy Land, a pair of alluring eyes suddenly opened wide.


    It was a woman sitting on a high throne. Her ck hair was pulled back, entuating her high forehead and exposing her slender neck. She was fair inplexion and her beautiful eyes gleamed with a purple hue. She wore a white dress, with her ck silky long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her snow-white skin sparkled like jade, her nose was pointed and exquisitely structured, and her red lips glowed seductively. Not enough words could not justify the beauty of the woman.


    The person was none other than Su Li!


    Compared to her time in the original world, she now bore an icy demeanor that made her appear aloof and unapproachable. Sitting quietly on the throne, she looked like a deity; holy and pure. Anyone who looked upon her would feel the urge to get on their knees to worship her.


    ¡°Atst, you have found your way here!¡±


    She whispered to herself as she gazed up through the roof of the hall as if she caught sight of Xiao Luo.


    Her gaze shifted to her side and fell on a diminutive witch in a ck robe sitting on a broomstick. ¡°Is it him?¡± she muttered.


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    There was hesitation on the face of the wrinkled old witch. ¡°It looks like him, but it does not seem to be him.¡±


    Su Li red at the witch, questioning her response.


    The old witch broke out in a cold sweat and said, ¡°Your Holy Highness, I sense the aura of a devil from this person, but it is faint. It feels as if a demon or something sinister is growing on his body.¡±


    ¡°He is being used by the Great Archenemy? Is that what you are implying?¡± asked Su Li. She looked at the witch with calm eyes.


    ¡°It is my guess, yes. The devil itself has not appeared yet,¡± answered the witch as she nodded.


    Su Li remembered various things about the man. He was a nobody who became the boss of apany. He became a political leader whose existence even brought fear to Presidents of foreign countries. One could say his exploits were legendary. Could he have attained the power of a devil and awakened histent skills? Did he have a secret deal with the Great Archenemy?


    The more she mulled over the possibilities, the deeper she frowned. The old witch had predicted that the Great Archenemy would soone to Arcana Land from the Original World. The person would bring devastation to both worlds. If Xiao Luo were to have a connection with the Great Archenemy, it ced her in a dilemma.


    Suddenly, a tiny leather ball came rolling from the side of the hall and stopped at the bottom of the throne.


    A little girl appeared and skipped all the way to pick up the tiny ball. She had a pair of bright eyes that shone like stars. Her braided ck, silky hair flowed down her small shoulders. She had a delicate little nose, a fair face, and lovely long eyshes.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Su Xiaobei looked up and greeted her mother like an obedient little girl.


    High above, seated on the throne, the unapproachable Su Li¡¯s eyes softened immediately. She came down from her throne, took the little girl by her hand, and walked out of the hall without a word.


    The old witch heaved a heavy sigh. She could not understand Su Li. She had regained her memory and re-assumed her role as their prestigious Holy Lady. Why would she take someone from the Original World to the Holy Land? Those were problems from her period of trial. She should have cut them off with no hesitation. Why would she want to keep them by her side?


    Now that she had brought back the adorable little girl, so be it. The issue was that she even brought along her other problem. The witch wondered how she was going to protect the n if this foolishness continued.

 Chapter 834 - A terrifying amount of improvement

    <h2>Chapter 834: A terrifying amount of improvement</h2>


    After breaking the enchantment, Xiao Luo crashed through the enormous square which was at the center of the Holy Land of the Light n.


    WHOOSH!


    Drom where Xiao Luo stood in the middle of the square, a powerful wave of energy rippled across the surrounding causing grass and flowers to sway and bend. The force did not stop until it reached the end of Sky City, where it slowly dissipated.


    ¡°Little girl, can you feel it?¡± asked Duck Emperor with a serious-looking expression.


    ¡°Feel what?¡± responded Ghost as she pouted her lips, unsure what was going on.


    Duck Emperor replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel the entire Sky City is trembling a little?¡±


    ¡°Luo is the strongest in the world. It is no big deal that he can make Sky City tremble a little,¡± Ghost said. It did not surprise her at all.


    Duck Emperor had an incredulous look on his face. No big deal? Sky City was asrge as two or three towns and weighed the same as a heavy mountain¡ªpossibly over a billion tons. How could she say it was not a big deal? Xiao Luo had just made such a vast city tremor just by releasing his aura, and anyone else would shake in their boots.


    Not long after Xiao Luonded, a group of people from the Light n came rushing over.


    ¡°Who dares to enter the Holy Land? Did you find courage after eating a bear¡¯s heart and a leopard¡¯s gall?¡±


    A loud, clear voice rang across the square. A skinny man in a white shirt holding arge de over his shoulder suddenly appeared out of thin air, shing in front of Xiao Luo. He furrowed his eyebrows intensely and had a scowl on his face.


    When Xiao Luo saw the man, his eyes glowered. Standing right in front of him was none other than Curisa. The man with a higher martial level than him back in the Original World.


    ¡°It is you? You¡­ how did you get here?¡±


    Curisa recognized Xiao Luo right away too. His graceful, arrogant persona disappeared and was reced with a look of disbelief.


    ¡°Where is my wife?¡±


    Xiao Luo asked coldly, walking straight toward him. With each step he took, he left a deep imprint on the ground. His aura steadily increased as he advanced.


    Curisa was shocked and struggled to even swallow his saliva. In his mind, the person walking toward him was no human being but a ferocious beast with a pair of sharp fangs. It was nothing short of terrifying.


    He calmed himself and gathered his courage, annoyed at himself for fearing someone from the Xiao n. ¡°Do not think you can insult our Holy Lord. Do you think an ordinary being like you has what it takes to mess with our Holy Lord? You are a toad trying to feast on swan meat.¡± He roared to the Light n warriors gathered around him, ¡°Get into formation!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The hundreds of fighters from the Light n brandished their long swords and surrounded Xiao Luo. They maneuvered in intricate formations and shifted about quickly, then after a series of movements, they settled in for the attack. Their long swords left their hands and soared into the air like they had a mind of their own. A strange hum echoed in the air as one sword turned into two, two turned into four, and in the end, long des filled the sky, all pointed right at Xiao Luo and his friends.


    An ominous aura permeated the air as they looked up to see a sky filled with an angry storm of swords!


    ¡°Scr*w their ducking mothers! Are they using their ultimate move right off the bat?¡±


    All the duck feathers on Duck Emperor¡¯s body stood up on ends as he moaned, ¡°It feels like thousands of swords are going to pierce right through me!¡±


    Ghost chuckled as she kept the miniature-size Duck Emperor in her pocket, waved the Phantom Dancer in her hands, and said, ¡°Do not worry. This girl here will protect you.¡±


    ¡°Remember not to go back on your words! No matter what the situation is, you cannot abandon me. Otherwise, I am going to be angry with you,¡± said Duck Emperor.


    He found someone else to rely on for the rest of the journey. At first, Xiao Luo had been his ideal bodyguard, but since they arrived at the Holy Land of the Light n, he was not the best person for that role. All the strongest fighters were going to target Xiao Luo. If he stayed with Xiao Luo, he would undoubtedly be a target as well. With his weak powers, there was no way he could fight them.


    ¡°Do not worry. You are so adorable. How can I bear to abandon you? Hehe, hehe¡­¡± Ghost giggled, clearly not in the least bit worried.


    Xiao Luo gave Curisa a stiff smile and said, ¡°You wish for your warriors to die first?¡±


    Curisa ignored him and shouted to his warriors, ¡°He is a remnant of the Xiao n. No need to show him any mercy. Kill him!¡±


    Xiao n?


    When they heard those words, the faces of the warriors in the square changed in an instant. The Xiao n was taboo. They were a very extraterrestrial race that had challenged the Light n in the Arcana Land thousands of years ago. If their Holy Lord¡¯s cultivation level had not been higher than theirs, thousands of them would have ended up as servants or ves to the Xiao n. With that recollection engraved deep in their memories, they treated the Xiao n as their lifelong enemies.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Kill this demon. The remnant of the Xiao n has to die!¡±


    ¡°ughter this demon!¡±


    And now, all these warriors had amon enemy. They had only one goal on their minds, and that was to kill Xiao Luo. With rage in their eyes, they shouted in unison.


    ¡°ughter the demon?¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered, ¡°Do you think you people have what it takes to do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. Kill him!¡± an angry voice shouted out from within the group of warriors.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    Hundreds of them shouted in unison. Their voices were loud enough to shake the sky. Suddenly, the thousand gleaming swords hanging in the air came streaking down at Xiao Luo.


    The sharp swords came fast and furious, like arrows whizzing through the air. The whistling sound of the speeding des pierced through the sky city. It was a daunting and terrifying sight, and if any ordinary person saw the swords raining down from the sky flying down toward them, they would probably wet their pants.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo did not even bother to look at the sword-filled sky. He merely sneered. The True Inner Force flowed from his body and formed an Invisible barrier. There was only silence and incredibly, all the swords suddenly stopped in midair, arrested by a strange force.


    The hundreds of warriors from the Light n looked shocked. They immediately channeled all their powers to drive their swords home, determined to pierce through Xiao Luo¡¯s barrier and kill him.


    The swords produced an audible hum as the warriors exerted their powers, and the des inched forward. But the swords were straining to escape from the invisible force that had captured them, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not breakthrough.


    BOOM!


    Xiao Luo took a step forward, and the ground shook instantly. He emitted a terrifying wave of pressure from his body and the bodies of the hundreds of warriors from the Light n trembled in fear. In an instant, they were thrown back and spat out blood as theyy sprawled. Then the swords in the sky turned into dust instantly, slowly filtering down from the sky.


    Curisa¡¯s eyes widened as he stared in disbelief. It was the Light n¡¯s unique ¡°Evil Sword Formation¡±. It was a formidable technique, capable of even cutting a Martial Venerable to shreds. But with hardly any effort, his opponent had broken the formation with such ease. How could this be so? Compared to the time when theyst met, Xiao Luo had not only increased his powers but had done so by leaps and bounds. He had attained the pinnacle of strength in such a short time.


    How did Xiao Luo achieve this feat in only a couple of months?


    Did the Protector from the Original World train him?


    But even if the Protector had trained him, his progress was beyond all expectations.

 Chapter 835 - The Four Kings gather

    <h2>Chapter 835: The Four Kings gather</h2>


    ¡°Where is my wife?¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled at Curisa. The energy swelled in Xiao Luo¡¯s body and his ck hair was tossed about although there was no wind. Filled with murderous intent, he slowly unsheathed the Dragon de.


    ¡°Are you trying to insult our Holy Lord? A remnant of the Xiao n has no right to meet her!¡± Curisa retorted.


    ¡°Alright, then I shall get rid of you!¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a ruthless smile. A deadly beam shot out from the dazzling, blood-colored Dragon de. A crimson me soared into the sky and the injured Light n members could feel a frigid winding from the de.


    Curisa¡¯s face paled and he became anxious. He stood in a ready stance, prepared to face the onught from his enemy. Bean-sized drops of sweat trickled down his forehead. The Xiao Luo at present was no longer the same ignorant and weak person from before. At present, he was not someone Curisa could walk all over. Certainly not someone he should underestimate.


    ¡°Curisa, you humiliated me thest time we met. And now, I shall return the same courtesy to you!¡±


    Xiao Luo snarled at Curisa. The Dragon de instantly reacted to Xiao Luo¡¯s rage and rang in an ear-piercing st. The de radiated a brilliant, crimson-ck ray of light that shot from the sky like a majestic rainbow. It was unstoppable.


    Curisa pulled out his de and a silver beam appeared, shooting toward the crimson-ck light. It resembled a raging dragon snarling fiercely with its ws out.


    However, the minute it came into contact with the crimson-ck light, the dragon instantly vanished. The crimson-ck light had devoured it. Suddenly, Curisa could no longer see Xiao Luo and everything seemed washed in the crimson-ck light.


    Without warning, a deadly de of light shot toward him at an incredible speed. Curisa fell to his knees, then swerved his body to the side as the ray of lightshed at him.


    For a moment, it appeared the lethal ray of light had only shed into Curisa¡¯s afterimage and he managed to evade it. But he was not safe even after his maneuver for the crimson-ck light followed him and struck him as he tried to fly away.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    Curisa spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and cried in pain. After crashing to the ground, his face turned as white as a sheet.


    One move was all it took to defeat Curisa. Just one move!


    It was the greatest humiliation ever. The man whom Curisa scorned had defeated him in a single exchange. It was only two months ago that he had easily beaten Xiao Luo. How was this even possible? He ignored the pain and flipped himself back on his feet. Breathing heavily, he stared at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Alright, not bad! You are still alive after one strike!¡±


    Xiao Luo mocked. He didn¡¯t think Curisa was a good person, anyway. So, it would not be unreasonable if he sought revenge over a minor grievance. Xiao Luo felt good about having the power to punish Curisa mercilessly. He felt an uncontroble rush of fury.


    Curisa could say nothing in response. His face flushed like someone had pped him in the face. Gritting his teeth, he held his sword with both hands and got ready to do battle with Xiao Luo again.


    Xiao Luo looked at him with a wry smile, then drew his Dragon de once more.


    The crimson-ck beam of energy sliced through the air, and the sky turned a deep crimson color. The length of the sword energy was immeasurable, and it zed like red-hot magma escaping from a volcano. As the beam rose into the sky, it struck toward Curisa at lightning speed in a disy of brilliant colors.


    The Dragon Saber was a terrifying weapon!


    Curisa did not even dare to draw his sword to defend himself when he saw the power of Dragon Saber unleashed. He stared at it in despair with wide-open eyes. For a moment, time had stood still, and all was quiet. In Curisa¡¯s mind, there was only one thought¡ªit was over.


    He closed his eyes in despair, waiting for the Dragon Saber to end his life. It was all he could do.


    At that crucial moment, another blinding de of energy sliced through the air. It was not inferior to Dragon Saber and intercepted the crimson-ck de.


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion shook heaven and earth. Both the des of energy vanished instantly. The impact was tremendous and resulted in a st that spread outward and extended over a vast area.


    Curisa was the first to be knocked back, and a momentter, everyone else was sent flying. The energy roared like a beast and blew like a raging storm. Ghost stood some distance away and had the protection of the Phantom Dancer. Yet, she still felt the pressure of the energy pushing against her chest, and it was an ufortable feeling.


    Only after five or six breaths did the energy finally dissipate.


    Xiao Luo staggered back before he stabilized himself after taking two steps. Although he had yet to spot the person who had blocked his attack, he knew it was the King of Swords¡ªone of the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡±


    Curisa fell onto the ground, coughing out blood. The energy in his body was in disarray, and he felt searing pain going through his entire body. He painfully lifted his head. A man with a haughty demeanor and god-like aura stood right before him.


    At first, Curisa looked stunned, then with a grateful smile, he said, ¡°King! Ah¡­ you came in the nick of time!¡±


    There was a sense of deep respect in the tone of his voice.


    The man in a white robe with an arrogant aura was Ming!


    ¡°Not only is your King here. We are all here as well!¡±


    A teasing voice floated from across the grounds. Three more figures advanced to his side, walking casually like they were taking a stroll in the courtyard. Behind them, they each were apanied by a designated assistant.


    ¡°King of War, King of des, King of Thunder!¡±


    Curisa opened his eyes in surprise, swallowing a bit of saliva. All four Kings had gathered together. Curisa knew better than anyone that the Four Kings from the Holy Land of the Light n did not see eye to eye with each other. After all, he was the designated assistant for the King of Swords. The Kings despised one another, and it was almost impossible to see them together. The appearance of all four Kings together was something that would probably ur once in a century.


    The severely injured warriors from the Light n had mixed feelings when the four Kings appeared. They were ted at seeing their presence, but at the same time felt the sudden urge to cry, knowing what was to be of them. Still, they red at Xiao Luo with hatred in their eyes and believed that with the Kings there, the brat would soon be killed for sure.


    ¡°So, this is the descendant of the Xiao n from the Original World? He is indeed powerful. Who would have imagined he could easily defeat Curisa with such ease? If Ming had not arrived on time, I am afraid that attack would have taken his life.¡± One of the three, the sloppy-looking one with a beard and messy hair and a wine gourd hanging around his waist, stared at Xiao Luo as he spoke. He then turned to look at Curisa with a slight raise of his eyebrows, showing surprise in his eyes.


    When Curisa heard that, he could feel his face burning, but feltpelled to acknowledge the king respectfully. ¡°King of des is right. I am not as strong as he is. I am not his match at all!¡±

 Chapter 836 - Whose blade is faster

    <h2>Chapter 836: Whose de is faster</h2>


    The King of des stopped teasing Curisa. He studied Xiao Luo from head to toe. ¡°You look pretty decent. It is no wonder our Holy Lord fell for you during her heavenly trials in your world,¡± he said.


    ¡°Fell for him? Pah, as if..! Our Holy Lord had turned into a mortal, and this son of a b*tch took advantage of her. The Holy Lord is our Goddess. This son of a b*tch has stained her. I am going to end his dog life!¡± shouted the King of Thunder. He gritted his teeth and stared at Xiao Luo with a pair of raging old eyes.


    ¡°You better be careful. Our Holy Lord might punish you for abusing your power,¡± the King of des teased.


    ¡°Nonsense. Our Holy Lord is understanding. There is no way she will punish me,¡± replied the King of Thunder. He was neither worried nor bothered.


    King of desughed and added, ¡°Have you forgotten? When our Holy Lord regained her memory and cultivation level, she gave Curisa such a good beating that he even puked blood.¡±


    The memory of the incident brought a bitter smile to Curisa¡¯s lips. The Holy Lord had beaten him up because he humiliated the man from the Xiao n when they were back in the Original World.


    The King of Thunder could think of nothing to say to support his argument. Upon her return, the Holy Lord had indeed changed from how she acted in the past.


    ¡°I am not, by any means, lecturing you. However, King of Thunder, you have liked the Holy Lord for thousands of years. Why do you not confess to her? You are always keeping it quiet, yet you continuously harp on about how you¡¯ve taken a fancy to her. You are behaving like a little girl. Even I am feeling embarrassed for you,¡± added the King of War with a look of disdain. He had been standing on the side, picking his nose, when he joined the conversation.


    The King of Thunder¡¯s face turned red. ¡°B*stard! It is my problem. Why are you concerned about it?¡±


    ¡°I just cannot stand watching you behave in such a manner,¡± answered the King of War.


    ¡°It is none of your business. So if you cannot stand it, just hut your stinky mouth up!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ are you itching all over? Are you looking for a fight?¡± asked the King of War, as he rolled up his sleeves, getting into the mood for a fight.


    The King of Thunder swung the war hammer in his hand and replied, ¡°Alright, let us fight then. Do you think I am afraid of a muscle man like you?¡±


    The more they spoke, the more heated they both got. The two Kings stared at each other with zing eyes. Their majestic auras emanated from their bodies and quickly spread across the surrounding like a raging wave. Rocks on the ground floated up, the air became frigid, and the dense atmosphere was suffocating.


    Curisa pped his forehead with his palm, feeling lost for words. It looked like the four Kings still could not get along with one another. A conflict would always ur every time they met.


    ¡°Can the both of you stop it?¡±


    The King of Swords, who had been silent all the while, suddenly spoke with a stony expression.


    When he stepped in to intervene, the color on their faces changed a little. They red at one another and withdrew their auras. They sneered at each other and then stood with their backs facing each other.


    The Light n warriors looked at the King of Swords with respect and worship. Only the King of Swords, the strongest fighter there, could stop the heated argument between the two Kings with a single sentence.


    ¡°The both of you are more than thousands of years old. Can you not be more mature? Try to learn to be like both of us. Ming and I are the ones who know how to behave with dignity,¡± said the King of des as he swept his hair back casually.


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    The King of Thunder was not the least bit bothered, disying a look of contempt on his face.


    ¡°Hey, Li. What is that look on your face? I know my face is unmatched. Girls fall for me as soon as they look at me. Even men admire my good looks. I know what you are thinking. Both you and War are envious and jealous of my face. But what a pity¡ªthis perfectly sculptured face has been with me since I came out of my mother¡¯s womb. You guys cannot have a face like mine,¡± King of des confidently goaded, sweeping the fringe in front of his forehead to the side.


    Envious and jealous of his looks?


    ¡°Wek!¡±


    The King of Thunder felt like he was about to puke. It was not just him, but the entire Light n warriors around them felt sick and wanted to throw up as well. If one had to rank the Four Kings in terms of looks, then the King of des would best in ce. Even if one considered the entire Light n, the King of de would easily rank amongst thest few. They did not know where he found the confidence to boast about his looks.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, that is too much. If you keep behaving like that, I will not let you admire my handsome looks anymore in the future,¡± said the King of des. He frowned when he noticed that the King of Thunder threw him a disgusted look.


    The King of Thunder shouted at him, ¡°Who would want to admire your ugly face? You do not even know how ugly you are. You convince yourself that you look handsome. Your mum¡¯s butt is more handsome than you.¡±


    ¡°in jealousy! You are envious of me!¡± The King of des was supremely confident of his looks.


    ¡°That is enough!¡±


    Xiao Luo had heard enough of the nonsense. He walked forward and pointed his Dragon Saber at the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n. Brimming with fighting spirit, he asked, ¡°Do I take you one by one, or do I just take on all of you at once?¡±


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    All the warriors from the Light n gasped. They wondered just how insane the brat was for him to provoke their kings in such a manner.


    The color on Duck Emperor¡¯s face changed a little as well. He said nervously, ¡°Screw his ducking grandfather. God-damn brat is indeed a god-damn brat. He is so arrogant no matter what situation he finds himself in.¡±


    ¡°Luo has what it takes to be arrogant. No need to be afraid,¡± Ghost said. She did not worry at all.


    But Duck Emperor was worried and replied, ¡°Little girl, you cannot say that. The Four Kings of the Light n are powerful fighters at the Martial Saint level. There are four of them against him. No matter how bad they are, there is no way they are going to lose. If we had not picked up some treasures from Tarawa City to increase our chances of winning, I would have run away by now.¡±


    ¡°Then you go ahead. Just Luo and I are enough,¡± Ghost replied.


    Duck Emperor was speechless.


    When Xiao Luo shouted at them, the King of des, who had a sluggish appearance, looked stunned. Two cold specks of light gleamed in his eyes. Then, with a lop-sided smile, he mocked, ¡°It seems like he underestimates us.¡±


    ¡°Let this King here take him down!¡± eximed the King of Thunder, tightly gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± The King of War was one step ahead.


    King of Thunder stopped him and added, ¡°Do you not know the rule of ¡°Firste, first serve¡±?¡±


    To his taunt, the King of War replied, ¡°Whoever is stronger gets to go first.¡±


    ¡°Then it would be me,¡± uttered the King of Thunder.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked the King of War as he shot out two shes of cold light.


    ¡°I am sure!¡±


    The both of them refused to give in.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­ let me go first then,¡± said the King of des.


    Heughed out loud as he spoke. He immediately dashed out so swiftly that it looked as if his body had turned into an apparition. The King of de stood in front of Xiao Luo. They were ten meters apart from each other. ¡°Let me introduce myself first. I am the King of des, Tie!¡±


    ¡°Xiao Luo!¡± Xiao Luo returned the courtesy and introduced himself as well.


    The de King looked at the Dragon Saber andughed as he spoke, ¡°You and I both wield a de. We do not know whose de is stronger.¡±


    ¡°Shall we find out then?¡±


    Xiao Luo said with an aloof smile. He pulled out his Dragon Saber and swung it forcefully.


    A crimson-ck colored de light about ten meters long shot right up into the sky. It shone a subdued pinkish hue, simr to the color of clouds at the break of dawn. The crimson-ck light cut right through the air and headed straight at the King of des. It was a powerful ray of light brimming with a murderous aura.


    In an instant, the smile on King of de¡¯s face vanished. He pulled his de out as well.


    His de light was a golden color, and it transformed into a ferocious dragon, roaring out loud. It headed toward the crimson-ck de light.


    BOOM!


    Two overwhelming forces collided in the air in a resounding thunderous rumble. A gale blew, the ground shook, and the terrifying burst of energy turned into a violent storm, blowing the Light n warriors along with it.


    Both of them took a step back.


    ¡°Your de is pretty strong. Come, let us see whose de is faster!¡±


    King of deughed with excitement. He took a step back with his right foot, quickly stabilizing his body, then bounded straight at Xiao Luo.


    Xiao Luo showed no fear. He advanced toward the de King to finish him off.

 Chapter 837 - Cutting off the love thread

    <h2>Chapter 837: Cutting off the love thread</h2>


    The frightening sh of the two opposing sword energies had hardly dissipated, yet the two fighters were already fighting once again in midair.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    Powered by the might of their respective owners, the two magnificent des came into contact hundreds of times in just four to five breaths. Each sh resounded like a p of thunder and waves of high energy sted in all directions, shattering the surrounding space. Tornados began to form everywhere, and rocks and dust swirled in the air.


    The people of Light n with ordinary cultivation levels were unable to even spot where Xiao Luo and King of des were fighting. But they undoubtedly felt the presence of an intense battle from the overpowering force of energy waves discharged in the air.


    ¡°This fight is incredibly frightening. The amount of energy being generated by both fighters is unprecedented. Look! It is even causing space to crack. But, I have no doubt, if my master were here, the fighting would be equally intense!¡± Duck Emperor eximed. But inwardly, he was in shock. He used to think his master, the God of Chaos, was the most powerful martial artist. But after meeting Xiao Luo, hepletely changed his opinion.


    Ghost was not looking at the ongoing fight in the sky. Instead, she kept her eyes on the King of des¡¯ designated assistant. He was dressed in a ck robe and she could only see his eyes. She was looking at him because he had been staring at her all the while, and it made her feel extremely ufortable.


    [Holy Temple]


    Su Li held onto Su Xiaobei¡¯s hand. She lifted her head and stared out to a distant point high in the sky. She was observing the battle between Xiao Luo and the King of des, but her wless, pretty face did not reveal what she saw.


    ¡°Mummy, the sky looks strange.¡±


    Su Xiaobei¡¯s lovely round eyes scanned the sky and she was curious. It looked like the sky was being torn apart one moment, but immediately recovered the next instant. It bore no resemnce to the sky she was used to seeing.


    Su Li squeezed her hand reassuringly, and replied, ¡°People are fighting over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Su Xiaobei nced at her mother and nodded her head, as she continued ying with the small ball in her hand. Then her bright eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked, ¡°Is Daddy there?¡±


    Su Li looked at her daughter and was rather surprised by her question. She did not understand how Su Xiaobei could feel her father¡¯s presence. Was it her sixth sense?


    ¡°Do you miss him?¡±


    Su Li did not reply to her daughter¡¯s question. Instead, she answered her question with a question of her own.


    Su Xiaobei nodded her head and answered, ¡°Mm, I do. Daddy, Mummy, and Beibei have to be together forever.¡±


    Be together forever?


    Her answer stunned Su Li. She shook her head slightly and smiled bitterly. She had no words offort for Su Xiaobei.


    [The Courtyard]


    Buildings on all four sides surrounded the courtyard. Birds were chirping, and one could smell the fragrance of the flowers. It was quiet there and was the perfect ce for one to engage in self-cultivation.


    At that moment, a party from the Original World walked into the courtyard as they left their respective rooms. They stared at the sky with surprise and curiosity as the thunderous sound continued booming away. They were none other than Zhang Dashan, Chai Zhiying, Shen Qingyan, Su Canye, Su¡¯s mother, Tang Ren, and Xiao Ruyi.


    ¡°Damn it. What in the world is going on here? Is the sky going to copse?¡± asked Zhang Dashan with furrowed eyebrows.


    Chai Zhiying turned to him and scowled, ¡°Hey, stop making such inauspicious remarks! Otherwise, I am going to pull your ears!¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with you, Wife? We are in the presence of so many people. Can you not show me a bit of respect? Learn to give me some face.¡±


    Zhang Dashan felt wronged and stepped over to Su Canye¡¯s side, and said, ¡°Lil¡¯ Ye, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think this is bullsh*t. I nearly lost my mind when I was told my sister is the Holy Lord of this world. Then we find out that the people here can fly around in the air. If I had a weaker mind, I would have believed I had entered a world of fantasy,¡± Su Canye said.


    Everyone agreed with what he said. They were livingfortable lives in the Original World when suddenly Su Li brought them there. She told them it was to protect them from aing catastrophe. Arcana Land was just like a fantasy world, and their view of the world as they knew it, turned upside down. They saw so many strange things that they have never seen before, such as the weird creatures from and the different techniques the people here used to fly. They saw a Sky City that weighed billions of tons floating in the air without crashing to the ground.


    Everything there felt so magical and unbelievable¡ªit had taken them some time to digest it all. To this group from the Original World, everything still felt like a dream. They could still feel pain when they pinched themselves, or they would have been convinced this was nothing but a dream.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me my brother is here?¡± Xiao Ruyi whispered.


    Xiao Luo? Lao Xiao? Brother-inw?


    It jolted all of them when they heard Xiao Ruyi. It was certainly possible, and the chances of it being true were high.


    ¡°F*ck, why did I not think of it? Lao Xiao is undoubtedly also here in Arcana Land. I am sure he is here to look for Goddess Su. He has been missing a long time. I mean, just look at the calendar¡ªit¡¯s about time he shows up,¡± Zhang Dashan said.


    ¡°It makes sense¡­ Yes, it makes sense. I think my Brother-inw is here. He must be here!¡± Su Canye said, beaming with excitement.


    ¡°But if Brother is here, then why are they fighting?¡± asked Tang Ren. Puzzled, he looked at Xiao Ruyi and the rest of the group as he raised the question.


    The question made all of them wonder what was going on.


    Shen Qingyan¡¯s pretty face looked anguished as she responded, ¡°Because Li can only maintain her current cultivation level by cutting off the love thread. If she is in love, her cultivation level is going to be affected. If that happens and when the Great Archenemy from the prophecy appears, she cannot protect the thousands of beings here in Arcana Land.¡±


    ¡°How can this be true? It is like a scene from a soap opera. How can this be happening?¡± Zhang Dashan said with a frown.


    Su Canye found it ridiculous as well, and said, ¡°That is right. It makes little sense to sacrifice my Brother-inw so that my sister can protect everyone.¡±


    The more they spoke, the more anxious they were. Thoughts of the prophecy and what it would do to Xiao Luo were unnerving.


    Cutting off the love thread?


    The most efficient method would be to have Xiao Luo¡­


    All of them shuddered and could not bring themselves to imagine any further.


    ¡°This will not do. I must have a word with Goddess Su. Lao Xiao has devoted himself to her. She cannot do this to him,¡± said Zhang Dashan. He dashed toward the exit of the courtyard.


    The rest turned and followed him toward the exit.


    But when they arrived at the exit of the courtyard, two Light n guards stopped them and told them they could not leave for the time being.


    ¡°What is going on? We are all guests invited by your Holy Lord. Are you putting us under house arrest?¡± Zhang Dashan shouted, visibly upset.


    ¡°We are not putting you under house arrest. But the current situation demands it. Please stay in the courtyard. It is not our decision but an order from the Holy Lord,¡± said one guard.


    ¡°Stop messing with me. I must see Goddess Su!¡± Zhang Dashan shouted, trying to push his way through.


    But he quickly realized he was just an ordinary person with no cultivation. No matter how strong he was, he could not ovee someone with cultivation. The two guards used their True Inner Force to push him back, causing him to fall onto the ground.


    ¡°How dare you beat my man up! I am going to crush you!¡±


    Chai Zhiying was furious and dashed forward. But the Light n guards stopped her in the same way.


    No matter how much the group wanted to leave the courtyard, there was nothing they could do at all. In the end, they could only turn back.


    ¡°If anything happens to my brother, I will not let that woman off!¡± Xiao Ruyi hissed as she gritted her teeth. No matter how strong her opponents were, she would fight them till the end if they dared to hurt her brother.


    ¡°It will not happen. My sister is not that cruel. Don¡¯t worry, it will not happen,¡± replied Su Canye. He shook his head, refusing to believe that his sister, Su Li, would put Xiao Luo in harm¡¯s way.

 Chapter 838 - Absolute domain

    <h2>Chapter 838: Absolute domain</h2>


    Xiao Luo and King of des¡¯ midair sword fight was still going on in ebbs and flows, and they were neck to neck. They would engage in closebat, then break off only to charge at each other again like two wild beasts. The shes of their des and the attacks using their True Inner Force caused powerful energy waves to engulf the entire space.


    In the time it took for one joss stick to burn, the two fighters paused, then pulled back for a break. Theynded back on the ground and red at each other from a distance of about ten feet apart.


    A continuous high-intensity fight took a toll on the fighters and would rapidly use up a substantial amount of True Inner Force. Both Xiao Luo and the King of des were breathing heavily with sweat dripping down their foreheads.


    ¡°Not bad. You are pretty good! You have passed my test!¡±


    King of de¡¯s stern expression had suddenly be a lot more rxed. He withdrew his sword, turned around, and reached for his wine gourd. He pulled out the stopper and gulped down some alcohol.


    Passed his test?


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Xiao Luo did not understand what he meant. Just a brief fight like that, and that was it? Was it not a battle of life and death?


    There were looks of disbelief on the faces of the Light n people who were surrounding them. They wondered what was going on. The King of des was down with just a simple fight? They wanted the remaining descendant of the Xiao n taken out as soon as possible.


    The King of des gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of alcohol. Then he smiled and said, ¡°If I say that you have passed, then you have passed. The King of des here will not make things difficult for you anymore. It is as simple as that. There is no hidden meaning.¡±


    ¡°Since you have finished, then move aside. Let this King do it instead!¡±


    The King of Thunder was a step ahead of the King of War and instantly dashed toward Xiao Luo. He stood in front of the King of des and his eyes were on fire. He red at Xiao Luo and said, ¡°Holy Lord is my Goddess. I cannot believe a b*stard like you fooled her. If I do not smash you up, I cannot get rid of this deep hatred inside of me!¡±


    After saying that, he smashed his war hammer on the ground.


    BOOM!


    What appeared like giant pythons baring sharp teeth and shrouded within bolts of lightning suddenly shot at Xiao Luo. With one stroke of his war hammer, the King of Thunder filled the entire space with lightning bolts. It made everyone¡¯s hair stand on ends. The clear and bright sky suddenly turned gloomy. Followed by a loud rumble, a purple thunderbolt shot straight down from the sky,bining with the bolts from the King of Thunder. It split in two shes of brilliant energy and shot straight for Xiao Luo.


    ¡°shy, butpletely useless!¡± King of War uttered with a scornful look.


    In the face of such a ferocious attack, Xiao Luo took a couple of steps back and pulled out his Dragon Saber. The crimson-ck ray of light formed by the sword energy met the King of Thunder¡¯s thunderbolt and sliced right through it as if it was air. Unable to break the thunderbolt, it continued on its path, closing in on him rapidly.


    CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!


    A surge of high voltage passed through Xiao Luo¡¯s body and he felt excruciating pain. Every part of him burned as if countless des were chopping him up as hey bound on a cutting board. Every single muscle in his body was in agony.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    Blood rose to his throat, and he spat the blood out. Xiao Luo could barely hold himself together as he staggered more than a dozen steps back.


    The King of Thunder¡¯s war hammer had arrested his Dragon Saber¡¯s crimson-ck sword energy. The gigantic ck war hammer was unique, for it could absorb the Dragon Saber¡¯s light energy effortlessly, rendering it ineffective against the King of Thunder.


    ¡°Luo!¡±


    Ghost quickly rushed forward to assist Xiao Luo, her apricot eyes filled with anxiety.


    ¡°I am fine. Stay back, no matter what happens. Do note to me!¡± ordered Xiao Luo. He wiped off the blood at the corner of his mouth as he warned Ghost,


    ¡°He is right, Little Girl. You cannot take part in a fight like this. You are going to be more of a hindrance than a help if you keep rushing to him like that. God-damn brat will have to protect you,¡± Duck Emperor added.


    Ghost nodded her head to Xiao Luo, and said, ¡°Then you have to be careful!¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Xiao Luo softly replied.


    Ghost headed back with her lovely swaying elegantly as she ran and stopped about hundreds of meters away. Her face filled with anguish.


    At that moment, King of Thunder slowly floated into the air. He smiled as he looked at Xiao Luo with a sinister expression, and said, ¡°My war hammer can absorb all kinds of energy. Your saber is just like broken pieces of copper and iron to me. You can stay there and wait for my thunderbolt to turn you into ashes. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Without warning, he suddenly shot up into the dark clouds in the sky like a beam of light. The moment he flew into the thick clouds, they started violently churning around like hot boiling water.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    There was a long, continuous rumble within the heavy clouds, and blinding shes of purple thunderbolts tore through the sky. Xiao Luo dodged the fiery bolts, moving so swiftly that his body turned into an apparition. A purple thunderboltnded on a mountain in the Sky city that was about five or six hundred meters high. It turned into dust in an instant.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­ Be careful. Don¡¯t blow my house up!¡± King of des shouted toward the sky with aid-back look.


    King of War gave a scornful look and said, ¡°This guy who ys with thunder can inflict damage on the enemy, but he also causes damage to hisrades. What good is he?¡±


    ¡°It is enough to know and keep it to yourself. It serves no purpose if you say it out loud, for King of Thunder is still one of us. Do not mock him while he is fighting,¡± King of des said with a smile.


    King of War sneered and said nothing else.


    The King of Swords still kept an aloof and icy demeanor over the duration he was there. It was as if he had nothing to do with what was happening and was merely a spectator.


    After dodging dozens of purple thunderbolts, Xiao Luo gritted his teeth and soared into the sky.


    Thunder crashed overhead, and powerful thunderbolts shed across the sky. It was as if he was witnessing the end of the world.


    ¡°Come down now!¡±


    Xiao Luo roared, striking with a swing of his saber.


    The Dragon Saber¡¯s energy manifested in a crimson-ck stream of light that was hundreds of feet long and sent howling winds blowing in all directions. Like a dragon descending into the sea, the dark clouds were violently blown away.


    The dark clouds began to disperse, revealing a tremendous gap. Sunlight shone through it, but the gap was quickly covered with dark clouds again.


    Suddenly, a gigantic face formed within the dark clouds, and it was easily recognizable¡ªit was the King of Thunder. Around his face, thunderbolts shed relentlessly, and he looked utterly terrifying.


    ¡°Heaven and earth are a part of my domain. You do not have what it takes to beat me. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    The King of Thunder¡¯s mighty voice reverberated across the sky, and it was difficult to pinpoint where it came from. His thundering voice was God-like, and it was enough to instill fear in anyone.


    Xiao Luo refused to believe that he could not bring the King of Thunder down. He gritted his teeth and flew directly into the dark clouds. Xiao Luo evaded all the thunderbolts that were over ten meters long, determined to drag King of Thunder out from the dark clouds. But just as he was about to reach the dark clouds, an invisible electrified appeared out of thin air. He could not dodge the in time found himself entangled in it.


    CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!


    Thousands of volts of electricity flowed through his body. It scorched his clothes and ripped them off his body. Xiao Luo fell from the sky in a plume of ck smoke like a ne in a nose-dive.


    BOOM!


    He hit the ground hard, like a falling meteorite. Rocks flew in all directions as dust and sand rose through the air from the impact. It left an enormous hole in the ground.

 Chapter 839 - King of War

    <h2>Chapter 839: King of War</h2>


    The dust and dirt settled after around five breaths. The hole was about two meters deep, two feet long in diameter, and cracks ran along its edges and floor. Xiao Luoy sprawled in the center of the cavity. The clothes he wore had been ripped away, and he was severely injured as well. Burn marks were visible all over his body. He was covered in dirt and looked like he had just crawled out of a minefield.


    ¡°Brat, don¡¯t pretend to be dead. Hurry and get up! This king here hasn¡¯t had enough fun yet!¡±


    The gigantic face resembling the King of War looked down from the sky and spoke. His voice was thunderous and echoed across both heaven and earth¡ªit was both majestic and dreadful. If a Sky God existed, then it would look like this.


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes, clenched his fist, and responded, ¡°You want to have fun, huh?¡±


    Xiao Luo emphasized each word, seething with anger. He suddenly opened his eyes and two scarlet beams shot straight up to the sky. His body instantly emanated with a bloodthirsty aura.


    ¡°He has awakened the bloodline of the Xiao n! He¡­ he can now awaken the power of his bloodline whenever he likes?¡±


    Curisa opened his eyes wide. Back in the original world, he was quickly defeated when Xiao Luo awakened his bloodline and unleashed its power. He couldn¡¯t forget the horrible chill that prated his soul. It was as if it had just happened yesterday, and he shuddered in fear.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid King of Thunder is going to be humiliated,¡± King of des said, furrowing his eyebrows as he drank his alcohol.


    ¡°He should be. Such fanciful attacks are disgusting in my eyes.¡± The King of War genuinely despised King of Thunder¡¯s style of attack.


    Xiao Luo emerged from the hole. His full head of ck hair had now turned white. The Dragon de in his hands burned a blood-me hue, like a magical warrior created from the mes of hell. The reason he had not lost his mind when awakening the bloodline power was due to the Dragon de¡ªit calmed his heart and prevented the murderous devil from taking over.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    He roared and shed upwards. With each sh, crimson-ck des of light shed across the sky, cutting through the air right at the thunderous dark clouds. Though unable to strike King of Thunder directly, the multitude of crimson-ck light des was able to disperse the ominous clouds. King of Thunders was hard-pressed as he tried to maintain the formation of clouds, but ultimately, he could not keep up with the rate the clouds were disintegrating.


    In the end, King of Thunder could not maintain the cloud formations he had been hiding behind!


    And soon, the King of Thunder began to gradually reveal himself¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ve found you!¡±


    Xiao Luo shed into the sky once again, for after awakening his bloodline power, he was as fast as lightning.


    King of Thunder was still using all the powers he had to patch up the thunderous dark clouds across the sky. All of a sudden, he could feel a sense of chilling from behind him. He turned back to take a look. A blood-colored de was about to slice down on him from above. A look of panic appeared on his face, which quickly turned to a look of disdain.


    He raised his war hammer to parry Xiao Luo¡¯s de. ¡°It¡¯s useless, my war hammer can absorb¡­¡±


    His voice came to an abrupt stop. When Xiao Luo swung his Dragon de down on the war hammer, the energy he delivered was tremendous. The war hammer could not absorb all of that energy in time, and excess energy traveled along the surface of the war hammer through to the King of Thunder¡¯s hands, his arms, and the rest of his body.


    The energy was simply overwhelming, and he was unable to withstand the blow.


    The color on King of Thunder¡¯s face changed. This time, he was the one falling from the sky.


    BOOM!


    He fell to the ground and created a deep hole where he crashed. The war hammer flew out of his hand when he hit the ground, and a loud metal ¡°ng¡± could be heard. Half of the hammer was embedded in the earth.


    ¡°Urrgh¡­ cough, cough¡­¡±


    King of Thunder coughed out some blood. He looked extremely pathetic climbing out of the hole, covered in dirt and dust.


    Before he could even react, a crimson-de crescent light de shed silently across the sky, heading straight towards him. Though it did not make a sound, it was enough to cause King of Thunder¡¯s scalp to tingle. If that hit him, then he knew he would surely be dead. At this moment, it was hard to even move his legs as they felt like they weighed thousands of pounds. He could only open his eyes widely, nkly staring as the light de headed towards him.


    In his moment of crisis, King of War sighed in resignation when he saw the crimson-ck de homing in on him. He pulled out his long de, now broken and filled with holes, to defend himself.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    A bright light de suddenly streaked through the sky and struck the crimson-ck crescent light de.


    The sh of the two powerful energy-filled des caused both heaven and earth to fade in a sh of brilliant light. A fierce energy storm swept across the sky and the space shattered. Dark voids appeared in the air.


    Looking at the back of King of War¡¯s massive, tall frame with his slightly unkempt long, flowing hair, the King of Thunder felt relieved. This was the first time he thought this guy looked pretty cool.


    ¡°I told you to let me handle him, but you just wouldn¡¯t listen. Look at you now, embarrassing as hell. Stop looking at me. Hurry up and retreat, don¡¯t interfere with my fight,¡± King of War mocked, turning his head around.


    He initially thought this guy looked pretty cool, but after hearing those words, the King of Thunder fumed.


    He shouted back, ¡°Damn it, what did you say? Do you believe this king here will personally murder you?¡±


    The King of War kicked him away, and he flew away like that of a cannonball. Thankfully, his assistant managed to react quickly, and grab him as he was thrown back. Otherwise, he would havended somewhere with his butt up in front of everyone.


    ¡°Scr*w you, King of War, and curse all your ancestors!¡±


    ¡°Scr*w you too, and I¡¯ll f*ck your mum!¡±


    ¡°B*stard, when I recover, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    ¡­


    King of Thunder was so angry that he began venting his anger without bothering about his image and shouted all sorts of obscenities.


    ¡°You¡¯re noisy!¡±


    King of War quickly looked away from King of Thunder without bothering with how he felt. And when Xiao Luonded on the ground, he stared at him with a face full of excitement. ¡°I am your opponent now!¡±


    Xiao Luo red at him coldly without saying anything.


    ¡°Holy Lord asked the few of us to stop you. It¡¯d be good if we could convince you to leave, but I don¡¯t care. I enjoy fighting the most, so you better do your best when you fight me. There can only be two oues¡ªeither I kill you, or you kill me!¡± War King said.


    ¡°You talk a little too much!¡±


    Xiao Luo retorted as his aura was about to reach its peak. He readied himself and faced the King of War before charging toward him. He leaped when he was about three meters away from the King of War,unching his attack like an eagle diving towards its prey. He swung the Dragon de through the air in a ferocious arc, aiming it at King of War¡¯s head.


    His aura was strong and overpowering!


    Of course, he moved with lightning speed and any ordinary human being wouldn¡¯t be able to properly witness his course of action.


    King of War disyed a confident smile on his face. He didn¡¯t raise his de, but instead, took a step back.


    Xiao Luo aimed the Dragon de that at his head shed down on his chest instead. The sharp de left a horrific gash across his chest and blood streamed out copiously.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be. As one of the Four Kings, don¡¯t tell me he didn¡¯t even spot the brat¡¯s attack?¡±


    Duck Emperor opened his eyes wide and couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. He had already received an injury right at the start of the fight, so how was he going to fight on? But something didn¡¯t seem right, and the duck just could not put a finger on it.

 Chapter 840 - Magical Beast

    <h2>Chapter 840: Magical Beast</h2>


    Xiao Luo was utterly stunned, and he stared with disbelief at King of War, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The King of War smiled slyly and his eyes were filled with excitement. He licked his lips and with a cold and sinister smile, and said, ¡°I¡¯m trying to see how sharp your saber is.¡±


    Screw his ducking grandfather! Using his body to test¡­ was this guy mad?


    Duck Emperor could only feel a chill traveling down from his head down to his webbed feet, and his body turned cold.


    ¡°Idiot! Fool! A fool whose head has been kicked by a donkey! He thinks he looks extremely cool after taking that sh, but he¡¯s nothing but a dumb and bloody idiot,¡± King of Thunder scowled, taking the opportunity to insult King of War.


    King of de still had that same sluggish look. He picked his nose and said, ¡°He¡¯s indeed foolish, but he looks quite cool. I guess only King of War would have the guts to use his body to test that guy¡¯s saber.¡±


    King of Swords didn¡¯t say a single thing and quietly observed the entire scenario from the side.


    All the surrounding Light n people broke out into a cold sweat, worried for King of War. Taking an attack like this for no reason was going to weaken him. He was going to be at a disadvantage in this fight.


    ¡°Your opponent is me! You better not let your guard down!¡±


    King of War cackled, then kicked Xiao Luo¡¯s abdomen while he was still in a stupor.


    POW!


    A powerful surge of energy sted into Xiao Luo, and although he had on ayer of armor, Xiao Luo felt as if all his organs were churning inside. A moan escaped his lips as the pain was excruciating. He spat out some blood, and like a cannonball, his body flew about hundreds of meters away and mmed into the ground. He tumbled back about ten meters before eventuallying to a stop.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    He barely managed to stand even with the support of the Dragon de and spat out more blood.


    ¡°Good, well done, King of War!¡±


    ¡°Beat him to death! Beat him to death just like that!¡±


    ¡°King of War is the mightiest!¡±


    All the Light n warriors got excited after witnessing the blow, and they all began cheering happily.


    Ghost and Duck Emperor were shocked, and they gasped anxiously. They couldn¡¯t have imagined that the Holy Land of the Light n¡¯s King of War was this powerful. One kick and Xiao Luo was already coughing out blood. He was as ferocious as a magical beast.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    A ferocious, eerie, and hoarseughter filled the entire atmosphere. Like a magical beast, King of War charged forward, heading straight toward Xiao Luo with a terrifying aura. The clothing on the upper half of his body was ripped away, revealing muscles like that of a horned dragon. Almost three meters tall, he was like a giant, and besides the wound that Xiao Luo had inflicted on him, there were many other scars around his body as well. His body had a bronze hue, making it look like he had been through a regimen of vigorous training.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, let¡¯s have a good fight!¡±


    King of War roared as he leaped some ten meters in the air, then pounced fiercely with unmatched power. Wielding his long de perforated with holes, he used all his strength and hewed down at Xiao Luo.


    At this crucial moment, Xiao Luo quickly threw himself aside and rolled away to sessfully dodge the fatal attack.


    King of War struck hard as hended, and his sword was broken. A resounding ¡°boom¡± erupted from the impact, and the ground of Sky City trembled violently. An enormous hole was formed around the king, spreading outward like a web.


    The ground was shaking. Rocks were sent flying through the air from the violent release of force.


    Duck Emperor quickly grabbed onto Ghost and flew into the sky. King of Swords, King of des, King of Thunder, and all their assistants, quickly soared up to the sky as well. As for all the Light n people, although the hole was spreading out at a rapid speed, there was still enough time to run for they were standing some distance away.


    ¡°Hiss!¡±


    They all could not help but gasp when the dust settled.


    The vast square no longer existed and had been reced by an enormous hole about ten meters deep, and about hundreds of meters in diameter. Looking from above, it appeared like a huge ck iron pot¡ªit was dark and emitted a sinister aura.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Duck Emperor struggled to swallow his saliva, and a cold sweat came trickling down his forehead.


    This scene shocked Ghost as well, for the level ofbat ability she just witnessed was simply too terrifying.


    CRACK!


    Xiao Luo emerged from a pile of debris. Although he evaded the King of War¡¯s long de, the st still buried him under a mountain of rocks.


    After pinpointing his exact spot, King of War smiled slyly again. He charged toward Xiao Luo like a savage magical beast, brimming with evil intent. No, he wasn¡¯t just a magical beast, but one that had crawled out of the bowels of hell.


    ¡°Huh! Hiyah!¡±


    Xiao Luo calmed himself down, roared, and advanced on the King of War.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    The fight became fiercer as neither yielded. The sh of their des caused showers of sparks to fly in all directions. The force generated from their sword battle swept across the surroundings.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    Dust swirled in the air, and the ground copsed. They both fought in the catb deep beneath the earth, and the solid ground shook violently like an earthquake. Though they fought underground, the sh of their des still thundered in their ears.


    ¡°Ah, this feels good. This fight today feels so good!¡±


    King of War¡¯s excited cackle filled the air, and everyone could feel his passion and obsession with fighting.


    Who would win this fight?


    This was something on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Duck Emperor, can Luo win?¡± Ghost was anxious and worried about Xiao Luo¡¯s chances.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard.¡±


    Duck Emperor looked rather solemn and said, ¡°The aura that the Light n¡¯s King of War is emitting is a lot stronger than that god-damn brat. With his passion for fighting, it¡¯s as if he¡¯s possessed by a devil¡ªin fact, he is like the devil himself. I just can¡¯t imagine a scenario where he doesn¡¯t win.¡±


    Suddenly, as if his words had been validated¡­


    BOOM!


    The ground cracked open and Xiao Luo flew out from within. It did not appear like Xiao Luo had flown out on his own ord, rather someone had kicked him out.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Laughing maniacally, the King of War broke through, streaking the air like that a magical beast. He went after Xiao Luo, still tumbling in the air, and grabbed his face with one hand. In a brutal and insane move, he dived straight toward the ground from high up, pulling Xiao Luo along with him.


    KABOOM!


    The impact resounded like a thunder-like p as the back of Xiao Luo¡¯s neck was smashed into the ground. The hard ground copsed and the edge of the cavity around Xiao Luo¡¯s head lifted slightly¡ªit was like dropping a stone into soy pulp. Dust filled the air like a storm, and rocks were strewn everywhere like in an apocalypse.


    The Dragon de was no longer in Xiao Luo¡¯s control and was flung out of the dust storm, rotating at a rapid speed. It pierced the ground, standing upright with half of its de buried deep inside the earth.


    Everyone stared in horror¡ªyet another enormous hole was formed. It was like an immense crater, and the sight of it even made everyone¡¯s hair stand on ends.


    When the dust settled, everyone saw that Xiao Luo was trapped in the deepest point of the pit and had sustained grievous injuries all over his body.


    King of War had also sustained injuries to his body. During their fight underground, both had exchanged strikes in equal numbers, but to the King of War, these injuries were nothing. Instead, his eyes glowed with excitement.


    ¡°Not bad¡­ the fight today feels so good. Xiao Luo, you¡¯re a worthy opponent!¡±


    King of War lifted his hand off Xiao Luo¡¯s face and stared down at him, looking every bit the victor.


    Blood was oozing from Xiao Luo¡¯s mouth and nose. His eyes were closed and the pain showed on his face.

 Chapter 841 - Ferrad

    <h2>Chapter 841: Ferrad</h2>


    ¡°The Xiao n is brave and good at fighting. They are at their strongest when they awaken their bloodline power. Unfortunately, the Xiao n inter-married with the mortal inhabitants of the Original World. After many generations, the unique bloodline of the Xiao n was diminished significantly, and as a result, it made you so fragile.¡±


    The King of War remarked as he looked at the wounded Xiao Luo in an unhurried manner, and added, ¡°Therefore, for you to attain this level of power as a descendent of the Xiao n is rare. I¡¯d go as far as to say it ismendable.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have not¡­ lost yet¡­¡± Xiao Luo moaned as he opened his eyes and red at King of War.


    ¡°So, you think you have not lost yet?¡±


    The corner of the King of War¡¯s lips lifted as he burst into mockingughter. ¡°I doubt you can even stand up, let alone continue the fight!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he pierced the notched long de he was holding into Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder.


    PLUNGE!


    The long de pierced through Xiao Luo¡¯s left shoulder with ease, and it caused blood to ooze out. The sword became like a long nail, pinning Xiao Luo firmly to the ground.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    As the pain intensified, Xiao Luo could take no more and let out a tormented shriek. The pain showed in his desperate face.


    ¡°At present, you are just like a worm on the ground. With a gentle swing of my foot, I can kick you to death. And you are still saying you have not lost yet? Huh, you are hrious!¡± The King of War mocked as he pulled out the long de with a deep frown.


    SWOOSH!


    At that moment, a piercing wind came whistling through the air. A purple energy cannonball streaked hundreds of meters across the void like aet. It was fired right at the King of War.


    Hmm?


    The King of War raised his head slightly and with a gentle wave of his right hand, he pped the purple energy cannonball away, like light reflected off a mirror¡¯s surface. The cannonball shot off diagonally and exploded tens of meters up in the air. The sound of the explosion was deafening, and it distorted the surrounding space.


    Tracking the trajectory of the purple energy cannonball, they spotted Ghost.


    Ghost¡¯s eyes turned blue. Two fangs protruded from her alver, revealing the wild nature of the girl.


    ¡°Sucking Blood n?¡± the King of War mumbled to himself.


    Meanwhile, the King of des, King of Thunder, and the others turned and stared at an assistant swathed in ck robes.


    ¡°Ferrad, if I remember correctly, members of the Sucking Blood n are to remain in the Dark Forest,¡± the King of des remarked. There was a hint of sternness in the manner in which he spoke.


    Ferrad shuddered all over and immediately kneeled on the ground. While his body trembled, he said nervously, ¡°My King, I¡­ I do not know what is going on as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The King of des stroked his chin as if he was pondering about something. But anyone who understood him knew he was angry.


    When the Sucking Blood n caused trouble in the past, it was the King of des who handled the mess. He was also the one who confined all members of the Sucking Blood n in the Dark Forest, never to leave and kill humans ever again. It was their punishment and also an opportunity for them to mend their ways and start anew. But now, it looked like the Sucking Blood n had tantly vited the rules he had put in ce. It challenged his authority as a King and no matter how calm his temperament was, he would never endure such an insult.


    When Ghost saw Xiao Luo seriously injured and the King of War reluctant to let him go, she lost her temper. With the help of Duck Emperor, she wielded the Phantom Dancer in both hands andunched a violent attack on the King of War.


    Ghost shouted, ¡°Bastard, I will kill you. I will kill you¡­¡±


    WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!


    She fired countless shots of purple energy cannonballs at the King of War like a heavy rain pour. The King of War did not move. Despite her barrage of shots, he was unscathed. and no matter how hard she tried to hurt the King, he remained unscathed. His bronze body was imprable.


    ¡°Young Lady, are you trying to tickle me?¡± asked the King of War with a disdainful smile.


    Ghost gritted her teeth in anger. Amassing all her strength, she funneled all the Spirit in her body into the Phantom Dancer. She only stopped when Phantom Dancer could amodate any more of it. Then, she unleashed a brilliant purple energy cannonball at the King of War that streaked over tens of meters and made a terrifying howling sound.


    Space, where the energy cannonball passed through, was shattered. A powerful charge of electric current enveloped the cannonball, and its crackle was enough to make one weak in the knees.


    ¡°Holy mother of duck! A giant energy cannonball?¡± eximed Duck Emperor.


    It dumbfounded him. It may be the maximum power Ghost could ever unleash. She was going all out with the King of War.


    Faced with the oing purple energy cannonball, the King of War chose not to underestimate its force and did not let his guard down. His True Inner Force activated by itself and formed a defensive barrier around his body. The King of War did not take the attack straight on with his pure physical prowess as he had done so earlier on.


    Just as the giant energy cannonball was about to hit the King of War, Ferrad, who was in the ck robe, rushed forward. He moved swiftly and used his own body to take on the energy cannonball for the King of War.


    BOOM!


    A mushroom cloud, resembling an atomic bomb explosion, rose into the sky. The massive st sent shock waves in all directions, hurling tons of rock and sand through the air and kicking up a terrifying sandstorm. and visibility instantly dropped to a low.


    Ferrad spurted blood from his mouth as he fell from the air and crashed hard into the ground. His ck robe was scorched and tattered as a result of the explosion, and burns covered his body.


    ¡°Ferrad?¡± The King of War nced at him calmly and called out.


    Ferrad paid no attention to the pain he felt all over his body and got up to give salutation to the King of War. He said, ¡°The Sucking Blood n under mymand has offended you, my King. Please forgive us!¡± Then he stood up and yelled at Ghost, who was in the air. ¡°Get down here at once!¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    Somehow, Ghost felt a growing feeling of doubt in her heart. She could not put a finger on it but sensed that the man in ck robes shared a bond with her.


    ¡°My name is Ferrad!¡±


    Ferrad removed the ck fabric covering his face, revealing his worn-out countenance. His pupils had also turned blue and two blood-sucking fangs protruded from his upper lip.


    ¡°The name of your father is Ferrad.¡±


    Ghost trembled when she heard the man say his name. She recalled the name often mentioned by her n people.t Ferrad was the name of her father¡ªthis man was her father!


    ¡°F-father?¡±


    Her voice quivered. Ghost never expected that her father, whom she longed to meet even in her dreams, would be standing right there before her very eyes. She had imagined countless scenarios of how she would meet her father. But not this one.


    ¡°It turns out that they did not lock your father up after all. He has be the King of des¡¯ assistant,¡± Duck Emperor said in surprise.


    Ghost was no longer hearing what Duck Emperor was saying. She broke away from Duck Emperor¡¯s web-feet and immediately dropped back down to the ground. Then Ghost ran toward Ferrad like a lost child who found her parent. Her eyes were red with tears as she finally found her long-lost father whom she had never seen.


    Since the passing of her mother, Ghost¡¯s desire to meet her father became an obsession. Her deep-seated desire became the source of her strength. It was this desire along with spiritual support that gave her the fortitude to deal with her affinity for blood. She had so often dreamed of meeting her father. It was a wish that came from deep within her soul.

 Chapter 842 - Death Will Be Too Unfortunate.

    <h2>Chapter 842: Death Will Be Too Unfortunate.</h2>


    ¡°As a member of the Sucking Blood n, you are forbidden to leave the Dark Forest in your entire lifetime. It is a rule enacted by the holynd, and all members of the Sucking Blood n must obey. Today, I will have to kill you in the name of the holynd to cate the wrath of the Light n and ensure the survival of the Sucking Blood n!¡±


    Ferrad red at Ghost, who was hurrying over to him. He was in remorse as he felt a strong blood connection with the youngdy running toward him. Never did he imagine she would be a member of his n. To see someone from his tribe gave him indescribable joy. But the meeting should not have urred in the Holy Land of the Light n, and worse, it was in the presence of the four Kings. Hence, to save the Sucking Blood n, he had to kill her.


    Ghost was so eager to hold him she could not hear a thing he said. At that joyful moment, the world was silent to her, and all she could focus on was the man standing in front of her. It was her father! He often appeared in her dreams and she felt thepulsion to hug him. Tears of joy were rolling down her face, for it was a moment she had waited for so long¡ªher entire lifetime, to be exact. When Ghost reached Ferrad, she threw herself onto him with unbridled joy.


    STAB!


    But all that greeted her was a cold dagger¡ªpierced into her belly. Bright red blood poured out from her wound and sttered on the ground.


    The smile on her face froze as she lifted her head and looked into her father¡¯s eyes. She was confused and her mind was filled with doubt. And suddenly, all the joy and excitement she felt earlier turned dark and cold.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ But to save the Sucking Blood n, my only option is to sacrifice you!¡±


    Ferrad¡¯s face was full of remorse. With a heavy sigh, he repeatedly stabbed the dagger into Ghost three consecutive times.


    Ghost staggered back, one step at a time. A trail of blood streamed from the corner of her mouth. She clutched at the wounds on her abdomen, but the blood kept pouring out profusely. She staggered back for another four or five steps before she copsed on the ground andid on her back.


    ¡°Little one!¡±


    Duck Emperor flew to her like a bolt of lightning. He erged his body and held Ghost closely. No one had expected something like this to happen. They had all anticipated a joyful father and daughter reunion meeting.


    ¡°Ghost¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was lying in the crater. Though he was in a daze and his vision was a little hazy, he clearly saw what happened. He smiled ruefully. Having traveled across great distances and finally reaching the Light n¡¯s holynd, he never expected it would end up this way. Had Su Li regained her memories? Was she the Holy Lord? Didn¡¯t she have any memories of him in their past life? Why would she do this to him?


    Why?


    Why did it have to be so?


    In the depths of his heart, he roared and yelled in misery. He began hating himself and Su Li as well.


    ¡°Way to go, King of des. Ferrad truly is loyal!¡± the King of Thunder mocked.


    The King of des raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°He did it to protect the Sucking Blood n. Frankly, he did not have to do so. I would not have taken out my anger onto the entire Sucking Blood n just because one person failed to abide by the rules.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you put the fear of God in him when you ughtered five to six of their Elders in the past? They had lived for thousands of years, yet you cut off their heads and hung them above the Dark Castle. In their eyes, you are nothing but a terrifying demon,¡± said the King of Thunder.


    The King of des took a sip of wine as he spread his hands, and replied, ¡°Well, I cannot do anything about it now. I had little choice then.¡±


    The King of War was standing next to him, appearing somewhat indifferent. As he was about to turn around to leave when he detected a wave of energying up from the massive pit. He immediately stopped in his track.


    ¡­


    Ferrad walked to Ghost. He closed his eyes in pain and said, ¡°To protect the Sucking Blood n, I have no choice but to sacrifice you. I am sorry!¡±


    Blood flowed from the corner of Ghost¡¯s mouth as she gradually turned pale. In an instant, her joy of reunion turned into tears of pain and sadness as they rolled down from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°You scoundrel¡ªshe is your daughter! Your little girl, Ghost! She came all the way here to look for you, and you killed her! Do you even have a soul? You are worse than an animal!¡± screamed Duck Emperor. His emotions went out of control as he shouted at Ferrad in rage.


    My little girl, Ghost?


    Ferrad froze and his mind went nk¡ªhow did he not know the name of his daughter? When the King of des took him here as a hostage, his youngest daughter had just been born. Ferrad remembered her in pretty baby clothes, crying and babbling away. And ever since he arrived at the Light n¡¯s holynd, there was not a moment that he did not miss his little girl. Secretly, he prayed for her to grow up healthy and happy. He even prayed to the Heavens to bless him with an opportunity to see his daughter.


    ¡°Gh¡­ ghost¡­¡±


    Ferrad stared at the girl lying on the ground, and his eyes were wide open in horror. What had he done? Blood was flowing out from her abdomen. His lovely daughter was drenched in blood and her face was as white as a sheet. Finally, he realized why he had felt the strong sensation of blood connection with her earlier on. It was not because she was a member of his n, but because she was his daughter¡ªhis baby girl had already grown up into a lovely youngdy!


    ¡°Dad¡­ daddy¡­¡±


    Ghost looked at her father through misty eyes as she arduously reached out with her blood-stained, slender hand at him.


    CLINK!


    His dagger fell from his hand. Ferrad felt his soul torn out of his body. He dropped to his knees and held Ghost¡¯s hand tightly. His entire body was shaking uncontrobly. He cried, ¡°You¡­ you are my daughter¡­ Ghost? Oh Heavens, what have I done?¡±


    Knowing that her father had finally recognized her, Ghost smiled, revealing her two rows of beautifully arranged teeth, which were brimming with blood.


    ¡°Daddy, you¡­ you finally recognized me. I am so¡­ happy.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why must it be you? Why?¡± Ferrad cried in anguish. His hands were shaking as remorse filled his heart.


    ¡°Because I¡­ I have always wanted to see you, Daddy. You are just like how I imagined. Kind, caring. I¡­ I think I have your eyes, Daddy,¡± Ghost raised her hand to touch Ferrad¡¯s rugged face. She wanted to etch the memory of his face in her mind for eternity.


    Ferrad was inconsble, and he cried in grief, despairing for the daughter he had never seen but always loved.


    Duck Emperor had grown very fond of Ghost. He shared in the sorrow and was continuously wiping his tears away.


    ¡°I¡­ I did not expect that it will end like this. But to see you, Daddy, I¡­ I have no more regrets,¡± Ghost moaned. She smiled sadly. Then her hand dropped from Ferrad¡¯s face and sheid motionless on the ground.


    Ferrad beganughing hysterically, a maniacal and wild cackle, as he looked up to the sky, and yelled, ¡°Oh Heavens, why must you do this to me? I alone should bear all the pain! Why must you involve my daughter in this? Why?¡±


    His sorrowful plea to the Heavens was so heart-wrenching, it touched all who heard him.


    ¡°It seems a little cruel,¡± muttered the King of Thunder as he nced at the King of des.


    The King of des recovered from the shock of the incident, and said softly, ¡°Well, I did not think it was any of my business.¡±


    ¡°I did not say that it is your business,¡± replied the King of Thunder.


    ¡°It was not earlier on. But now, it is.¡±


    The King of des sped forward like a shadow, took out a pill, and stuffed it into Ghost¡¯s mouth.


    The pill dissolved immediately in her mouth. Despite her inability to swallow, her body still absorbed the dissolved medicine.


    ¡°A Pill of Resurrection?¡±


    Ferrad looked at the King of des in shock and muttered, ¡°Your Majesty, you¡­¡±


    ¡°This youngdy looks pretty adorable. It will be a waste if she dies just like that. When she wakes up, I am thinking about putting her under mymand. Do you have any objections to that?¡± said the King of des.


    Ferrad¡¯s mind froze for a moment. Then joy overwhelmed him. Immediately, he went on his knees and continuously kowtowed the King of des. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me my wish! Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 843 - Alternate Form

    <h2>Chapter 843: Alternate Form</h2>


    ¡°Tsk!¡±


    The King of War snorted disdainfully at the reunion of the father and daughter and the King of des¡¯ merciful act. He turned to leave without even looking at Xiao Luo, still sprawled on the ground, after being severely injured by him.


    But he suddenly stopped after taking just three steps as he sensed a strange auraing from behind him. It was a chilly sensation as if the gates of hell had opened.


    The King of War hurriedly turned around, and he was shocked by what he saw¡­


    ¡°What is this? Is it even a thing?¡± he muttered in disbelief.


    Xiao Luo was standing upright, but he was unrecognizable, for his appearance had undergone a drastic change. His skin was white from head to toe. In stark contrast to his paleplexion, his fingernails and toenails were ck. His long white hair fluttered wildly in the wind, and his ming scarlet eyes revealed his thirst for blood. His clothes were torn and tattered, revealing his lithe and sinewy form that stood over two meters tall.


    Xiao Luo stood in silence and there was no life force emanating from his body¡ªhe seemed calm at the moment. But the atmosphere was thick with a sense of trepidation, and it felt suffocating.


    The people from the Light n gathered around them stared at Xiao Luo in shock. Their hearts raced when they saw the figure before them.


    What was going on?


    Why would the descendant of the Xiao n assume such a terrifying look?


    They were not the only ones, for the Duck Emperor was equally shocked but bewildered. Though the white-skinned figure still resembled Xiao Luo, his ominous presence was more akin to an Asura from hell. He exuded a strange and sinister aura from his entire body.


    ¡°Eh? Is this not the extreme state that only the Chief of the Xiao n assumes when he goes berserk? Can this brat transform into such a state as well?¡± asked the King of des with a deep frown.


    Quickly recovering from the surprise, the King of Thunder smiled and said, ¡°Now, this is interesting. Are you not being too self-righteous, King of War? Go on, fight him!¡±


    After the King of War had ridiculed him relentlessly, the King of Thunder could not wait to see him make a fool of himself. He intended to add insult to injury byughing after this strange man from the Xiao n defeated the King of War.


    Gulp!


    Curisa swallowed with difficulty. Pearls of sweat were running down his forehead as he muttered to himself, ¡°What kind of freak is this guy? Could he be the reincarnation of the Chieftain of the Xiao n?¡±


    Right from the beginning, the King of des had watched calmly in a rxed demeanor. He was indifferent to what was happening. But his face slowly changed expression while his eyes became more solemn.


    The King of War red at Xiao Luo, then smiled as he raised his hand to rub his nose and asked, ¡°Xiao Luo, what is this form that you have assumed?¡±


    Xiao Luo said nothing. He only stared back at the King with a glowering pair of scarlet eyes.


    ¡°Hmm, has he lost his consciousness and the ability tomunicate normally?¡±


    The King of War chuckled and the urge to fight once again took hold of him. Smiling like a savage beast, he snarled, ¡°Since it is the case, I guess you will not try to evade even if I cut off your head?¡±


    ¡°Will you move away from my attack? Answer me, Xiao Luo!¡±


    With the blood-curdling bellow, the King of War went into a frenzy. His mind went berserk and he attacked maniacally like a wild demonic beast. The notched long de sliced through the air, gaining momentum as it swept toward Xiao Luo¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Move away, you darn kid!¡±


    Duck Emperor screamed at the top of his lungs. If the attacknded on its mark, his head would fall off for sure.


    Xiao Luo remained motionless, rooted to the same spot as if he had lost the ability tomunicate with the outside world. However, when the King of War¡¯s long de was just about to sh his neck, he suddenly stirred. His white, sinewy hand shot out at lightning speed and sped the de with all five fingers.


    CLANG!


    A metallic ring echoed as Xiao Luo stopped the long de with his palm with uncanny precision.


    The King of War¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the enigmatic man before him. Did he just stop my long de with his bare hand?


    For a brief moment, time stood still. Everyone stood rooted with wide eyes and pale faces, looking horrified. A sense of dismal fear permeated through the crowd of people in the vicinity. They could not believe that the man had caught the de with his bare hand. It was simply not possible!


    Intercepted an attack from the King of War with his bare hand?


    How is it even possible? Could it be a trick?


    Curisa burst into a cold sweat. His hands started shaking at first, and then he could not control his entire body from shuddering uncontrobly.


    ¡°What the¡­? I must be seeing things!¡±


    The King of Thunder¡¯s eyeballs almost popped out as expletives flew out from his mouth. As one of the four Kings, he knew the strength of the King of War very well¡ªhe was a vicious primordial beast. It would not be an exaggeration at all to describe him as a fighting madman. Was an attack by the King of War something anyone could take on with their bare hands? Well, someone was certainly doing it right now, and the man even seized his de. It was unimaginable.


    Duck Emperor was dumbfounded, unable to say even a word.


    Roar!


    With a savage roar, Xiao Luo hurled his feet at the King of War¡¯s chest in a series of forceful kicks.


    POW! POW! POW!


    The King of War was blown away and mmed into the wall of the giant crater. Layers of soil from the crater wall copsed as the King of War plunged through dozens of meters of soil and left a deep dark hole in the crater wall. Sand and dust billowed from the deep hole.


    Xiao Luo casually discarded the King of War¡¯s de. He turned into a ray of white luminescent light and shot through theyers of soil. He was going after the King of War with an intent to kill.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Once again, the twobatants engaged in a ferocious battle. As they fought inside the dirt-filled tunnel, the ground copsed inch after inch. Violent roars echoed incessantly from inside the tunnel.


    After a while, the King of War emerged from the tunnel. And just as what had happened to Xiao Luo earlier on, it was now his turn to be flung out. His body, covered in mud, wasunched into the sky. Xiao Luo flew out after him at almost the same time. Bounding straight up in the air, he opened his right palm and drove the King of War down to the ground. His palm was sped over the face of the King of War like an octopus.


    BOOM!


    Rocks were sent flying in all directions, and dust was swirling everywhere. The impact created an immense crater with a diameter of about 100 meters.


    It was a repeat of the method and technique the King of War had used on Xiao Luo. As one would say, it was payback using one¡¯s coin!


    ¡°Xiao Luo¡­¡±


    The King of War regained his senses. He was humiliated and felt enraged. The anger showed in his eyes. But before he could make any move, Xiao Luo stepped on his head.


    BOOM!


    With that strike, the diameter of the giant crater instantly expanded over ten meters. Half of the King of War¡¯s headid buried in the soil and blood was everywhere. Trapped under Xiao Luo¡¯s foot, he had no chance to defend himself.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s overpowering strength and ruthlessness dominated his opponent!


    The people of the Light n were frightened, for Xiao Luo had struck terror into their very souls. Duck Emperor felt the same. The attack from Xiao Luo was simply cruel.


    Xiao Luo pointed his palm toward the King of War, now lying on the ground, and a crimson-ck energy de appeared. The spiritual energy within the de emanated a destructive aura and cowed the spectators.


    ¡°Merciless, eh?¡±


    It stunned the King of War for a moment, then heughed and said, ¡°So, this is the traditional style of the Xiao n!¡±

 Chapter 844 - Chiba

    <h2>Chapter 844: Chiba</h2>


    ¡°Oh, my God. Someone stop that man!¡±


    ¡°Hurry! Help the King of War. Hurry, give him a hand now!¡±


    ¡°I am afraid the King of War will be killed if he receives even a single blow.¡±


    The people of the Light n people were horrified as they watched the ongoing fight. They gasped at the disy of overwhelming power, and they could tell that Xiao Luo was about to deliver a deadly strike. No matter how strong the King of War was, it was highly probable that he could not survive the blow.


    ¡°Descendent of the Xiao n, let go of King of War!¡±


    The King of War¡¯s assistant bellowed as he dashed to his master¡¯s aid. He had the same destructive aura and fiery spirit as the King of War. Like a ferocious beast, heunched himself in the air when he was about ten meters from Xiao Luo. Then he brought his de down at Xiao Luo, effectively to prevent him from executing the fatal blow.


    He unleashed all his power in that instant, and his sword lit up like a stream of light, illuminating the entire area!


    But his de could note near Xiao Luo. When he was about two meters away, Xiao Luo released his True Inner Force and the assistant was instantly sent flying back.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    A stream of blood spurted from his mouth. The impact threw him back several dozen meters, and he crashed into the ground. The assistant spat out a couple more mouthfuls of blood as hey sprawled. They were both from different levels of martial art. Compared to the King of War¡¯s assistant, Xiao Luo was far too powerful and easily dispatched him.


    Then, Xiao Luo prepared toplete the deadly move of his.


    BOOM!


    A loud st reverberated through heaven and earth as a crimson-ck beam of energy shot out from his palm. The powerful beam of energy instantly eclipsed the light of the surrounding area, and everything living being within its reach was washed in a dark reddish hue. The shock waves of energy sted across thend, and even the ground copsed, incinerating tons of soil to nothing.


    BOOM!


    Another ear-splitting p echoed, and it felt as if the sky tremored.


    The crimson-ck energy beam sliced through Sky City, sting through the bottom of the floating city. It struck an enormous mountain beneath it which crumbled in an instant, shattering into tons of dust particles. Below them, the city of Santa Maria was in a state of panic.


    The massive explosion caused the entire Sky City to crumble, and many people from the Light n got blown away. The intense force from the st swept across like a tornado, whipping up howling winds. It was terrifying and sounded like screeching demons from hell.


    The violent energy suddenly dissipated after a few breaths.


    Where there were two to three giant pits in the ground before the st, now there was one enormous crater. For the pits had all crumbled and formed into a gigantic crater with a diameter of about seven to eight hundred meters. The edge of the crater broke the banks of a long river in Sky City, and river water discharged copiously, creating a waterfall of over nine hundred meters deep that poured into the abyss-like pit.


    There were throngs of people from the Light n swarming at the edge of the giant pit. Their legs turned weak when they cautiously crawled to peek over the edge and saw its depth. Fear showed in their eyes and they immediately turned pale. They swallowed their saliva to wet their dry throats. This was more than a crater¡ªit was practically an abyss. They could tell that at the other end of the abyss was the bottom of Sky City. Xiao Luo¡¯s strike had pierced through it.


    The entire ce was in dead silence!


    Everyone was shocked when they stared at the enormous crater. Horror spread as the people found it hard to believe what they were seeing. The power unleashed by Xiao Luo was too terrifying. The King of Thunder and King of des, as well as their designated assistants, could not take their eyes off the giant pit either.


    ¡°Gulp!¡±


    Duck Emperor struggled to swallow some saliva. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost. Duck Emperor found it hard to believe that the abyss resulted from one blow from that brat, Xiao Luo.


    Swoosh!


    The King of Swordsnded lightly on the ground, carrying with him the severely injured and panting King of War.


    The King of War¡¯s body was covered in blood and mud. When he caught sight of the enormous crater, he realized how powerful Xiao Luo was. He was at a loss for words, and his hands trembled a little. Thankfully, the King of Swords saved him in the nick of time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been tragic.


    ¡°I knew King of Swords would save him!¡± eximed King of des. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the King of War was still alive and kicking.


    ¡°Besides our Holy Lord, only King of Swords has that ability. King of War is a fool. We shall see if he still dares to be cocky in front of me in the future,¡± King of Thunder said.


    Xiao Luo suddenly soared from the pit, and he scanned the entire area with his scarlet eyes.


    He had ck nails, long white hair, and a lean body. He resembled a white demon who had broken out of hell. The strange aura radiating from him was enough to give anyone goosebumps.


    Everyone turned to look at the King of Swords. In the Holy Land of the Light n, the King of Swords was probably the only man who could defeat the monster, Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Stay alert. This evil man is extremely dangerous. You must not let your guard down.¡±


    The King of War coughed out more blood as he tried to warn the King of Swords. Though the King of War was confident going into the fight, Xiao Luo was in a form that frightened him.


    The King of Swords nodded his head, acknowledging the words of caution from the King of War.


    RING!


    He drew his long sword and stood ready to face Xiao Luo.


    Humm!


    The shining sword with a chilly aura headed straight toward Xiao Luo. Its strong vibrations distorted the space in its path. As it traveled silent and fast, it gave out a tingling sensation.


    Whoosh!


    Xiao Luo, who was in midair, teleported about half a meter toward the side. The sword aura passed by his right-hand side. The energy force from the sword vibrated forcefully, and it even cracked the space. But Xiao Luo did not react to it. It was nothing to him.


    In the next second, he opened up his five fingers on his right palm as amand for his de. The Dragon Saber rotated at high speed to break loose from the ground where it stood upright, firmly impaled in centimeters of soil. It flew right into Xiao Luo¡¯s hand.


    ROAR!


    A bloodthirsty roar echoed loudly in the ce. Xiao Luo charged toward the King of Swords with his Dragon Saber drawn in hand.


    A crimson-ck Light de, over thirty meters long shining in dark hues, cut through the air and headed straight at the King of Swords. The powerful energy waves created countless void cracks.


    There was little doubt that its power could kill King of Swords. The horrifying energy force was enough to put fear in the soul of any man.


    Facing the crimson-ck Light de, King of Swords was as calm as ake when the Light dended on him.


    KRACK!


    The ground cracked, forming a gap about ten meters wide. The aftereffect of the energy force from the Light de churned the air into a raging wind. Sand and tiny rocks flew into the air, making it difficult for anyone to keep their eyes open. When everything settled down, everyone could see the King of Swords surrounded by a cluster of peach blossom petal-like des. Despite the move from Xiao Luo, the petal des protected the King of Swords and the ground beneath the circle of petal des.


    ¡°Chiba! It is the King of Sword¡¯s ultimate move, Chiba!¡± someone eximed.


    Suddenly, countless colorful petals floated down the sky. It was like a shower of peach blossoms. But if one looked closely, one would realize they were not petals but thin des. The reflection of the sunlight made the petal des look colorful, which was why anyone looking would think they were beautiful petals.


    ¡°Using his most powerful move right off the bat. It seems like the King of Swords is not taking Xiao Luo for granted,¡± the King of des said.


    ¡°The b*stard can split the entire Holy Land in two. Who dares to underestimate him!¡± the King of Thunder added.

 Chapter 845 - A critical strike

    <h2>Chapter 845: A critical strike</h2>


    Countless floating pink petals filled the sky. It presented a beautiful scene, but those petals were all thin des. In truth, the sky was now was deadly terrain.


    As Xiao Luo hovered in the air, the thin des floated toward him, brushing past his body and leaving cuts all over his body.


    ¡°The god-damn brat is in his white monster form, and not even the King of War can do any damage to him. Yet, the thin des flying all over the sky like pink peach blossoms sliced through his flesh so easily. Why is that so?¡± muttered Duck Emperor. He sensed danger, for the King of Swords was undoubtedly the strongest out of the Four Kings. No one who saw him would not recognize that fact.


    The people from the Light n watching on the ground were excited. But after a while, their eyes widened in surprise. The King of Swords¡¯ser-sharp petal des may have injured Xiao Luo when he was in his white monster form, but all the injuries healed immediately. In the end, not a single scar was left on his body.


    The King of Swords slowly levitated into the air. He did not have any sword in his hand because his sword had transformed into the countless petal-like thin des in the sky. The King of Swords stared at Xiao Luo, then frowned, and said, ¡°Are you using the Speedy Regeneration? It is indeed the Xiao n¡¯s strongest ability.¡±


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    Suddenly, Xiao Luo charged right at him with a bloodthirsty yell. A terrifying and fierce aura filled the air like a raging flood. The Dragon Saber, like a bolt of blood-red lightning, flew directly at the King of Swords.


    The King of Swords was calm, as usual, and remained at his spot without moving. The countless peach blossom petal-like thin des spun around and redirected themselves to form a protective wall in front of him. The Dragon Saber mmed fiercely into the petal de wall.


    BAM!


    The impact caused an intense force to spread outward. The space around them shattered like brittle ss, and the sound of breaking ss rang across the sky. Circr voids of darkness appeared in the sky, but thews of Heaven and Earth prevailed and voids vanished as soon as they appeared.


    Unsure of Xiao Luo¡¯s next move, the King of Swords kept the swarm of petal des in ce. Suddenly, the thin petal des from all directions and attacked Xiao Luo. Even the shield of petal des in front of the King of Swordsunched themselves at him. In just half a second, they formed a colorful shell around Xiao Luo. From a distance, they looked harmless. The thin des came together and looked like a colorful Easter egg the color of peach blossoms.


    The King of Swords kept a safe distance, then muttered, ¡°Explode!¡±


    The peach blossom ball, formed of innumerable thin petal des, suddenly burst open with a massive st. Xiao Luo, trapped inside, got shredded severely, and his bloody figure fell out of the sky. He crashed near the edge of the enormous pit, causing another hole to form.


    Humm!


    Then the countless petal des re-assembled to form four long swords. These swords whizzed through the sky and dived directly down at Xiao Luo. Then, acting like four nails, they pierced through Xiao Luo¡¯s arms and legs, pinning him firmly onto the ground.


    Xiao Luo, in his white monster form, howled bitterly as he struggled hard to break free. His face looked hideous, distorted by the extreme pain he felt.


    ¡°It is over.¡±


    The King of Swords muttered softly. He held out his hand and a Divine Sword materialized out of thin air. The de radiated a murderous aura.


    At that moment, a shocking vision appeared around him, causing all the people witnessing from below to gasp.


    All they saw was a pair of eyes, like the Eyes of Heaven overseeing all living things. The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth converged toward the Divine Sword, causing a mighty power to surge outward. The Divine Sword emanated a fiery aura.


    ¡°A critical strike!¡± eximed the King of des as he retreated with shock written all over his face.


    ¡°King of Swords, you jerk. You are indeed worthy of being second only to our Holy Lord. You have finally suppressed that Xiao n¡¯s descendent. When the Divine Sword pierces through the guy, there is no way he will survive.¡±


    The King of Thunder stared in surprise. He would make jokes about the King of des and the King of War, and even insulted them. But with the King of Swords, he did not have the guts to joke around. Though the King of Swords might be equal to them in rank, everyone in the Light n knew how much the people respected him. In terms of power, he was only behind the Holy Lord. If it wasn¡¯t because the Holy Lord had broken her limitations and increased her powers once again, it was highly likely that even their Holy Lord would face a hard time beating the King of Swords.


    Swoosh!


    Under the King of Swords¡¯ control, the Divine Sword quivered ominously and lightning shed in the air. ps of thunder rumbled endlessly. Illusions of countless Gods surrounded the Divine Sword. Its very presence was daunting, and its target was Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Trying to kill the brat? Have you asked for Grandpa Duck Emperor¡¯s permission?¡±


    Duck Emperor bolted over like a sh of lightning, using his body to m into the Divine Sword, aiming to change its trajectory.


    But before he could even touch the Divine Sword, the Divine Light circling the Divine Sword knocked him away. Blood spilled out from his nose and mouth, and some bloodstained feathers floated down the sky. The part of his body where the Divine Light had hit was bleeding, and the blood dyed his snowy white feathers red.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡±


    Duck Emperor fell from the sky and yelled out loud when he saw Xiao Luo struggling in pain with the four long swords pinning him down.


    It was over for Xiao Luo!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s defeat delighted the people of the Light n. They revered the King of Swords as their invincible champion. Even Xiao n¡¯s descendent was nothingpared to him.


    Just as the Divine Sword was about to pierce into Xiao Luo, a Divine Light suddenly shed over from afar to intercept the sword. The Divine Light cut through the Divine Sword. It broke and turned into dust instantly.


    Huh?


    Who was it?


    It shook everyone to the core. They opened their eyes wide and could believe what they were seeing.


    In the next second, a woman appeared out of thin air and hovered next to Xiao Luo. Dressed in a flowing white dress, her beauty was unmatched. Her face was as delicate as a flower. She was the most beautiful woman in the universe. Her neck was fair with a jade-likeplexion, and her eyes were brilliant purple with ck pupils. Her beautiful luscious long hair fell naturally over her shoulders. Her snow-white skin was faintly radiant, like wless white jade, and her red lips were glossy, exuding an enchanting aura.


    Ho¡­ Holy Lord?


    The sight of Su Li surprised themon folk. They could never have imagined that their Holy Lord would break the King of Swords¡¯ Divine Sword to save a descendent of the Xiao n.


    When they regained their senses, the King of des, King of Thunder, and King of War greeted Su Li respectfully. The King of Swords, who was still in the sky, withdrew his sword and descended to the ground. cing his left hand on his chest, he bowed low to greet Su Li.


    ¡°All of you can go!¡±


    With her hands behind her back, Su Li¡¯s eyes focused on Xiao Luo. Though she spoke in a gentle tone, her voice wasmanding. She said it in a tone that did not allow anyone to defy her.


    The King of des raised his eyebrows as if he already expected it to happen. He was the first to respond to her instruction and left with his assistant. On his way out, the King of de shouted toward all themon folk to leave the ce as well. ¡°Disperse. All of you disperse now!¡±


    ¡°Man with thest name Thunder, you do not even have the slightest chance at all. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    The King of War had recovered by now and could walk by himself. Before he left, he could not resist teasing the King of Thunder.


    ¡°F*ck your¡­ Get lost!¡±


    King of Thunder could not help cursing at him, but when he realized Su Li was present, he quickly swallowed back the word ¡°mother¡±. Then, he left gloomily.

 Chapter 846 - Distorted time and space

    <h2>Chapter 846: Distorted time and space</h2>


    ¡°He is still alive; he has only lost his consciousness,¡± King of Swords said.


    Su Li nodded in response. ¡°I know.¡±


    The King of Swords said nothing else and promptly turned around and left.


    Curisa immediately followed him, but he kept turning around to look back with every few steps he took. As they kept walking further away, Curisa felt a little apprehensive. He turned to the King of Swords, and said, ¡°King, I hope our Holy Lord has not fallen for him again. If she does, her cultivation level will reduce by half. What are we going to do if the Great Archenemy suddenly turns up now, as predicted by Granny Witch?¡±


    The King of Swords suddenly stopped walking¡ªhe was stunned by Curisa¡¯s words, and it made him turn around to look at the couple. Then, the King of Swords turned his head back and continued to walk on. He did not answer Curisa¡¯s question.


    ¡­


    Su Li used her psychokinesis power to remove the four long swords that pinned Xiao Luo down.


    Xiao Luo regained consciousness and was free to move again. He looked up at the woman he had longed for, and the fierce aura emanating from his body slowly dissipated. White smoke rose from the surface of his body, giving off sizzling sounds.


    Wisps of smoke rose from his entire body like steam rising in a hot bathhouse. When the smoke finally dispersed, Xiao Luo once again returned to his original human form.


    The injuries on his body had healed, leaving no scars, but his clothes were torn and tattered and looked like a beggar¡¯s outfit.


    Through the power of Dragon Saber in his hands, Xiao Luo had the ability to stabilize his mind and control his body. But he chose not to. He preferred to let the rage in his heart take control of his body, and in doing so, he vented all his anger.


    Still lying exhausted on the ground, he looked at Su Li, and a smile slowly formed at one corner of his lips as he said, ¡°You have be a lot prettier. You look like a Goddess from Heaven beyond anyone¡¯s reach.¡±


    ¡°I made them stop you. Why did you not just retreat?¡± Su Li responded calmly.


    Herck of emotions was like a knife piercing into Xiao Luo¡¯s heart. He already knew that it would be an oue he had to expect, but he refused toe to terms with reality. She had recovered her memories and achieved a higher cultivation level. As the Lord of Arcana Land, she was in a powerful position and honored by her people. The difference between them was as vast as the distance between Heaven to Earth.


    Their past together faded like a puff of smoke and vanished with the wind.


    Had all the things that they went through been fake? Was the rtionship between them so fragile?


    Xiao Luo closed his eyes in pain, and said, ¡°Why should I retreat? I came to Arcana Land and traveled thousands of kilometers to bring you home.¡±


    Somehow, the sentence felt so inadequate and ineffective.


    ¡°I am already home.¡±


    Su Li¡¯s words were firm, and she added, ¡°This¡­ This is my home.¡±


    They have gone from being lovers to strangers. It was a cruel way to end their rtionship. Filled with despair, Xiao Luo felt an unbearable pain in his chest. It was as if his heart was dying. He did not even care if anyone was manipting the system anymore. He used up 100,000 points for the system¡¯s healing ability, and instantly his body recovered to its best condition.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He stood up,ughing at himself, and replied, ¡°I guess I am just troubling you then.¡±


    He dragged himself up, like he bore a heavy load, then struggled as he turned around. And with each step, he walked further away from Su Li.


    Though his body appeared fine, despair made each step he took seem heavy.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    A mouthful of blood rushed up to his throat and spurted out of his mouth. Xiao Luo knelt on one knee. His face turned pale, but he stood up and continued walking.


    Tears rolled down the corners of Su Li¡¯s eyes as she watched Xiao Luo walk further away from her. She could sense that he felt hurt and depressed. Her deep love for him, which she so casually discarded, seemed to resurface. She ced her hand on her aching chest and turned around to avoid seeing the forlorn figure walk away from her. She was afraid she would fall for him again.


    ¡°I am sorry, Xiao Luo!¡±


    She knew, in her heart, just how much she wanted to run over to him and hug him. But she could not do that. She was the Lord of Arcana Land. She had to shoulder the burden of thousands of spirits here. A formidable enemy wasing, and there was no way she could abandon her people.


    Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound in the sky. The sound got increasingly louder, and it became vividly clear.


    Looking up, it turned out to be a fighter jet from the Original World. It had passed through the barrier of space and arrived at Arcana Land. It seemed to face an engine malfunction. Thick smoke billowed, and the jet smashed into a forest, some distance away on the outskirts of Santa Maria.


    BOOM!


    There was a loud explosion after the crash. A fiery burst of mes rose into the air from the crash site. A thick cloud of smoke mushroomed up into the air from the burning inferno and mes spread out to its surrounding.


    The entire Santa Maria was in a state of panic.


    The tremor was even felt in the Holy Land of the Light n, and everyone was in a state of anxiety.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Was it a gigantic bird? But why would there be an explosion when a giant bird falls onto the ground?¡±


    ¡°What is going on? What in the world is going on?¡±


    ¡°Quickly look! There seems to be another world in the sky over there.¡±


    ¡°Did the giant bird which just crashede from the other world?¡±


    Everyone started specting. Someone noticed that the sky in the distance looked a little distorted. Another world seemed to exist beyond that region of the sky. The other world was in shambles, with smoke and copsed buildings everywhere. It looked like it was in the middle of a chaotic war. The sky over the other world looked muddy and blurry.


    The sight of the Original World stunned Su Li.


    Xiao Luo had walked quite a distance by now, and he looked up in surprise as well. He stared nkly at the world that appeared like a mirage. Others may not be aware of it, but there was no way he could not recognize the ce he saw¡ªit was the Original World. But why was the Original World in such a condition? Why were there mes and smoke all over the ce?


    Did the Third World War ur?


    He had only left for about two months. How could the Third World War have triggered just like that? And how in the world did it appear in Arcana Land?


    If fighter jets could fly into Arcana Land from the Original World, it would mean that the Chaos Dimension had been breached. Matter could travel between both worlds with no obstruction. What in the world happened? Were the two worlds about to ovep one another?


    Countless questions ran through his mind. For a brief moment, Xiao Luo stood frozen with his mouth wide open and in a state of confusion.


    ¡°It cannot be¡­¡±


    Su Li knitted her brows. She flew up into the sky and headed toward the mirage-like Original World.


    The King of Swords flew up as well and followed behind her.


    ¡°Hurry! Use the recovery pill. Something does not look right.¡±


    The King of Thunder asked for the bottle of pills from his assistant and instantly took one before throwing the bottle over to King of War.


    ¡°I do not need it,¡± said the King of des.


    He did not use his full strength when fighting Xiao Luo, and his overall condition was still pretty good. He flew out of the Holy Land of the Light n and headed toward the illusory Original World.


    King of War took about five to six recovery pills at once, then said, ¡°Looks like there is going to be another fight. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    He looked up with excitement at the sky, then soared right behind King of des.


    ¡°You idiotic fool. You only have to take one pill. What a f*cking waste,¡± the King of Thunder swore as heunched himself into the sky as well. But something seemed strange. He was afraid that this time, it might be the Great Archenemy.

 Chapter 847 - Invasion of the Alien race

    <h2>Chapter 847: Invasion of the Alien race</h2>


    ¡°God-damn¡­ brat¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor struggled hard and crawled toward where Xiao Luo stood. His white feathers were dyed red in blood, and his voice was pale and weak. Right now, it had reverted into a mini duckling.


    Xiao Luo leaned forward to lift him andughed.


    Duck Emperorughed along with him as well. A human and a duck,ughing with one another. In the end, they ended up cackling out loud.


    After a while, Duck Emperor said, ¡°That little girl, Ghost, is alright. King of des saved her. They should be together right now.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head, then looked up at the mirage-like original world in the sky. ¡°Duck Emperor, do you know what is going on right now?¡±


    Duck Emperor shook its head and replied, ¡°I am not so certain. If my owner, Master God of Chaos, is around, I¡¯m sure he would know. But looking at it right now, someone seems to have opened up both worlds, and the Chaos Dimension seems to have been breached.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll take a look!¡±


    Xiao Luo ignored the pain in his heart and put Duck Emperor on his shoulder. He turned into a ray of light, soared into the air, and headed toward the hazy mirage.


    Soon. he entered the area and what he saw caused his brain to tingle. His head went nk for a brief moment.


    This was indeed Hua Nation of the original world, and the familiar sight he saw was none other than Xiahai. But Xiahai was in a mess now. All the modern skyscrapers were badly damaged and smoke filled the air. Even the distant forest beyond the city was destroyed. This ce looked deste, like a scene from an apocalypse.


    ¡°Is this the original world? How did it be like this?¡±


    Duck Emperor found it hard to believe that this was the original world that he had seen on hisputer screen. Shouldn¡¯t this be a modern city filled with tall buildings, full of cars, and pretty girls? How was it in such a ruined state with its skies covered in a haze? Sunlight was shining in, but it felt like the entire world was shrouded in a dense atmosphere.


    Xiao Luo was equally keen to know what happened as well.


    The first thought that came to his mind was his family and friends, grandparents, parents, Zhang Dashan, Su Xiaobei, Ruyi, Tang Ren, Ji Siying, Gu Qianxue, Drug Lady, and the others. He rushed straight toward the NSA Headquarters in Xiahai but found it was empty there. The NSA building and all its facilities had beenpletely wiped out.


    He quickly used Divine Awareness to scan the entire Xiahai and finally found the survivor camp.


    It was a military station hidden in the mountainous area north of the city. All the survivors of Xiahai were there, and Xiao Luo descended from the sky like a god, creating a mood of turmoil and fear. A troop of soldiers raised their guns and pointed at him like he was an enemy. All the soldiers from the other area ran over to this side of the camp as well. Sirens red in the entire survivor base camp.


    ¡°Raise¡­ Raise your hands, hurry and raise your hands up!¡±


    The leader of this group of soldiers shouted at Xiao Luo. He trembled and broke into a cold sweat. As a modern soldier, he did not believe in any fantasy-like scenarios and characters, but as he looked at this person in front of him descending from the sky, that instantly changed the perception that he had of this world. It felt like his worldview had turned upside down.


    ¡°Move aside!¡±


    Xiao Luo bellowed and his body emanated a majestic aura. He then knocked the soldiers to the ground.


    He was not bothered to talk to these soldiers. Maximizing his Divine Awareness, he tried to search among the survivors for Zhang Dashan, Xiao Ruyi, and the others. But he realized they were not there.


    At this moment, two beautiful women emerged from the crowd of survivors, and they stared at Xiao Luo in disbelief.


    ¡°Team Leader? It¡¯s really you, Team Leader!¡±


    ¡°Team Leader¡­¡±


    The two women ran toward him with tears in their eyes. As if finding a pir of support, they hugged Xiao Luo tightly.


    Xiao Luo recognized them instantly. They were from the Huayao Group and were two of the members of Team Three of the Sales Department. It was the team he headed when he was a Team Leader of that group¡ªLiu Yiyao, and Si Yueting. Although their clothes were soiled, with their exquisite figure, the word ¡°stunning¡± could still be used to describe them.


    ¡°Do you know what happened? How did Xiahai end up in this state?¡± Xiao Luo asked them.


    ¡°An extraterrestrial being! An extraterrestrial being invaded Earth,¡± Liu Yiyao replied, grieving and sobbing.


    Si Yueting nodded her head like a chicken, and said, ¡°Mm, an extraterrestrial being arrived, and he has advanced technology. He released a giant spinning top made of a strange metal. The giant spinning top moved at a breakneck speed, destroying buildings everywhere it went. Not even our fighter jets or cannons could do anything to it.¡±


    Extraterrestrial being?


    A giant spinning top made of a strange metal?


    Xiao Luo furrowed his eyebrows. Despite agreeing with most people that human beings were not alone in this entire universe, the fact that an extraterrestrial had visited Earth, and was even invading it, came as something of a surprise to him. It felt surreal¡ªlike he was in a dream.


    ¡°Team Leader, I finally understand why you decided to give up your job at Huayao Group. And I also know why you appear so indifferent towards so many things like you don¡¯t care at all. It turns out that you¡¯ve already far exceeded what a normal human being can do.¡±


    ¡°Team Leader, you¡¯re like the cultivator that we always read about in novels. You¡¯re a divine being, for only divine beings can fly in the sky.¡±


    The two women stared at Xiao Luo with much admiration. In their eyes, Xiao Luo was a god, an existence worthy of their worship.


    Xiao Luo didn¡¯t know how to reply to that.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Duck Emperor coughed a little, and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a divine being as well, you can call me Duck God!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting got a shock and took a few steps back as if they had just received an electric shock. They stared at Duck Emperor, perched on Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulder, in horror. The former pointed a trembling hand at Duck Emperor, and asked, ¡°Team Leader, this duck can¡­ It can talk?¡±


    Xiao Luo red at Duck Emperor and didn¡¯t bother trying to exin.


    He changed the subject, ¡°Besides this ce, are there anymore other survivor bases in Xiahai?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    A mature voice echoed across to him.


    Xiao Luo turned his head around to look¡ªhere was another familiar-looking person. It was Tian Zhenxing, the former director of Xiahai Public Security Bureau. Tian Zhenxing was in his military outfit and walked over along with two other soldiers holding their guns.


    ¡°Director Tian,¡± Xiao Luo greeted him humbly. The man¡¯s attitude was still sincere and genuine.


    Tian Zhenxing sighed and replied, ¡°We don¡¯t have a director here anymore. The Alien race has invaded and the entire world is facing a disaster. We don¡¯t even know if we can survive this. Right now, I¡¯m the one in charge of this survivor base.¡±


    ¡°Su Xiaobei, Zhang Dashan, Ji Siying, NSA¡¯s Drug Lady, and my younger sister, Xiao Ruyi, Tang Ren, and the rest¡ªare they here?¡± Xiao Luo asked anxiously.


    Tian Zhenxing shook his head, ¡°None of the names that you¡¯ve mentioned are part of the names listed here in this survivor base.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Xiao Luo trembled.


    Tian Zhenxing smiled sympathetically. ¡°They might be elsewhere, or they might already be dead,¡± he said, then let out a helpless sigh, ¡°A week ago, the alien race arrived on Earth, and they unleashed their devastating weapons on us. More than half of the twenty million people in Xiahai were killed or injured in one day. Facing that spinning top of death, there was nothing we could do to fight back at all. Compared to them, human beings are weak and frail.¡±

 Chapter 848 - Humanity’s hope

    <h2>Chapter 848: Humanity¡¯s hope</h2>


    Like what Tian Zhenxing had said, space agencies around the world discovered arge unknown spacecraft orbiting near Earth a week ago. It had released dozens of giant golden spinning tops made of metal. Those spinning tops were about eight stories tall. They could spin at high speed, creating violent Level-12 tornadoes in their trail. Everywhere those tops went, they destroyed buildings, bridges, forests, and everything else with ease.


    It was a global disaster, and countries around the worldunched a counterattack immediately. But machine guns and bombardments could not destroy them. America even used its nuclear weapons to blow up these deadly spinning tops and the orbiting mothership. But to the alien race, those nuclear weapons were nothing more than children¡¯s toys.


    They deployed a unique high-technology particle system that intercepted the nuclear missiles fired at the spacecraft and formed a shield around the missiles. The particle system exploded the bombs within this shield and contained the damage. The space outside the system did not suffer any damage.


    The alien invaders had more advanced technology than the humans!


    The entire world was in a state of panic. Devastated by the alien spinning tops, the world poption plummeted and humanity now faced a catastrophe never experienced before. It was in such a situation that three superior fighters appeared, just like the immortal cultivators one read about in novels. They split the alien spinning tops in half with a sh of their des. After destroying all the alien spinning weapons, a lone figure emerged from the spacecraft.


    The alien warrior wore a mechanical suit over his body like Iron Man. His body glowed as he fought these three superior fighters from Earth. The fight was intense and caused great destruction. The force generated from their battle sent waves of high energy across space, shattering everything in its path. Government agencies over the world witnessed the intense battle between Earth¡¯s defenders and the invading alien warrior from satellite images.


    The battlested three days and three nights, and it took ce above the Hua Nation territory. Their ferocious battle ttened Taishan Mountain, turned the Bohai Sea into drynd, and the Capital became a vast abyss. The alien race fought against the humans and ultimately achieved victory. The warrior from the alien race defeated Earth¡¯s three superior fighters, who managed to escape.


    The news surprised Xiao Luo. The three superior fighters, who defended Earth, should be Elder Long, Tianshan Elder, and his master, Xiao Quanren. Even theirbined strength could not defeat the alien warrior? How was it possible?


    ¡°Where is the NSA at now?¡± Xiao Luo asked urgently. At that point, what was most important to him was to confirm the safety of the people important to him.


    ¡°Jiangcheng!¡± Tian Zhenxing replied.


    He said, then added, ¡°All of our Hua Nation government officials are in Jiangcheng now. They have established a secret base there and transferred all the country¡¯s most important people there for protection. All surviving NSA members are there as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡±


    Xiao Luo thanked him, then nodded his head at his two former team members, Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting. He turned and soared into the sky.


    Everyone at the survivor base stared at him with their eyes wide open, unable to believe what they were seeing.


    Tian Zhenxing was stunned as well, but after witnessing the battle between the three superior fighters and the alien warrior a couple of days ago, he could ept anything he saw. He realized that there was a group of really extraordinary cultivators in this world. They could maintain a youthful appearance and were virtually invincible.


    He bowed to Xiao Luo, now soaring in the sky, and whispered, ¡°The hope of humanity rests on your shoulders. We are counting on you!¡±


    Since the NSA was in Jiangcheng, Xiao Luo hoped the people rted to him were there with them. Zhang Dashan, Su Xiaobei, and the rest should have left Xiahai together with NSA. Xiao Luoforted himself as he headed toward Jiangcheng.


    ¡°Su Xiaobei is at my side.¡±


    Suddenly, Su Li flew next to him, taking the form of a Divine Light. She told him where Su Xiaobei was as she gazed into the distant sky.


    Xiao Luo was a little stunned at first, but a smile formed on his face.


    ¡°My God, isn¡¯t that Goddess Su who has disappeared over two months ago?¡±


    ¡°Right, right, right¡­ it is her. It looks like she is also a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God, Goddess Su is a cultivator. No wonder she always looks like a Divine Being, way above us ordinary human beings.¡±


    The people at the survivor base below were in a state of frenzy. It was bad enough that their world had turned upside down, but now they even saw a familiar person change into a mighty being with invincible powers. The shock and psychological impact that they experienced traumatized them.


    ¡°Seems like you are not a heartless person!¡±


    Xiao Luo said with a smile at Su Li, and added, ¡°But why are you so cruel to me? Do you have to be cruel toward your man to keep a strong cultivation level?¡±


    Su Li did not answer and instead turned her face the other way.


    The Four Kings of the Light n and their assistants hovered in the air a distance away, and they did not look like they were nning to follow them.


    ¡°Curisa once said that the Light n¡¯s Granny Witch predicted a Great Archenemy was going to appear and bring devastation to this world. The Great Archenemy should be the alien race that has now invaded Earth. He also opened up a passageway between the Original World and Arcana Land and is most probably nning to invade Arcana Land next. As the Lord of Arcana Land, you shoulder the responsibility of protecting thousands of spirits in Arcana Land. It is the reason you gave up our rtionship and put all your attention on protecting Arcana Land. Am I right?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li nced at him with no expression on her face, refusing to answer his question, as usual.


    Xiao Luo smiled as he shook his head, and said, ¡°You do not have to give me an answer. But once we have defeated the invading alien race, you will still have to be my wife and my woman. So what if you are the high and mighty Lord of Arcana Land? In my eyes, you are my woman!¡±


    After saying that, he gazed at Su Li for a short while, then turned into a ray of light, flying rapidly toward Jiangcheng.


    ¡°Screw his ducking grandfather. God damn brat, you were damn cool back there. You are probably the first person in history who has unleashed his domineering side and had the guts to talk to the Lord of Arcana Land like that.¡± Duck Emperor admired him and could not help praising him.


    Xiao Luo brushed it aside and said, ¡°She is my woman. It is a fact which will not change.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sh*t. It is why I admire you so much. Did you not see the Holy Lord¡¯s pair of angry eyes? Screw her ducking grandfather. I was about to pee in my pants,¡± said Duck Emperor.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo was speechless as he raced toward Jiangcheng.


    Smoke covered the entire Hua Nation. Every city he flew over was inplete ruin. He could no longer find any of the beautifulndscaped he had seen previously. The destruction he witnessed was catastrophic.


    He arrived at Jiangcheng in about ten minutes.


    The Jiangcheng he was familiar with bristled with high-rise buildings, had clean roads, and was spacious. It was a green city, and trees with colorful flowers lined both sides of the road. Jiangcheng was a beautiful city with an efficient transportation infrastructure and excellent retail establishments.


    Now, all he saw in front of him were badly damaged buildings with wrecked steel bars sticking out of cracked walls.


    At the corner of Gong Vige stood the ny-six-story building where he lived on the top floor. In a city of ruins, it was the only structure still left standing upright. Although the building looked damaged with cracks all over, it stood upright like a warrior.

 Chapter 849 - I’ll try my best

    <h2>Chapter 849: I¡¯ll try my best</h2>


    The rented apartment he used to live in now had a new upant. The items were still the same, but the person living there was different. Memories from the past began appearing in his mind. Visions of him fooling around with Zhang Dashan, the images of him hanging out with Feng Wuhen¡¯s five brothers at the balcony¡ªall those memories shed across his mind like the passage of a movie. He had mixed feelings, and it felt like he had traveled through time and returned to the past.


    Crack! Crack!


    Suddenly, there was a loud rumbleing from the enormous crack in the middle of the ny-six-story building. The entire building split in two and copsed onto one side with a thunderous crash. The building turned into a massive pile of smashed bricks, and debris spread all over the ground.


    Xiao Luo rose to the sky and stared nkly at the copsed building. It turned out that Xiao Luo was thest straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. The building was already highly unstable, and all it took was the added weight from Xiao Luo for it toe crashing down.


    He exhaled as he looked away from the rubble, confirmed his bearings, then flew toward the west suburb area of Jiangcheng. There was a stretch of mountains there, and the secret base that Tian Zhenxing had mentioned was hidden within one of the mountains there. Other than the various Hua Nation personnel, who were in charge of different bases, no one else knew its location.


    Xiao Luo arrived at the secret base in a couple of breaths.


    It was hidden atop a secluded conical mountain that stood like a silent giant about a kilometer above sea level. They had dug into the mountain and constructed a secret base within it. It was exactly like an ant¡¯s nest with people living and working inside, like a colony of insects.


    The radar had already detected Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival even before hended at the entrance of the secret base.


    The heavy door of the entrance opened up. The director of NSA, Gu Zhanguo, and Dongfang Shuoyu walked out to greet him. Beside them stood King Kong and Lady Poison as well.


    ¡°You have¡­ awoken?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked a bit surprised as he stared at the stylish and charming Fu Yiren.


    He did not hear any reply from Fu Yiren, but instantly detected a waft of her fragrance. She was already hugging him tightly.


    ¡°Mm, I wanted to be with you. I just couldn¡¯t bear to die yet.¡±


    Fu Yiren clung tightly to Xiao Luo. She breathed in the scent on his body with her eyes closed. She could not control herself when sheid eyes on Xiao Luo again.


    Xiao Luo patted her on the back gently.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We will talk when we are inside,¡± Gu Zhanguo said, raising his eyebrows.


    Xiao Luo nodded stiffly.


    ¡°Director Gu, you are so insensitive,¡± Fu Yirenined as she pouted her lips. She wanted to continue to hug Xiao Luo, but he had interrupted the intimate moment.


    King Kongughed, agreeing with her, and said, ¡°You are indeed a little insensitive. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Gu Zhanguo gave a hollowugh and did not know how to respond to thement.


    ¡°Alright, alright. What is this talk about insensitivity? We are in an emergency now. It will not be toote for you to chit-chat like this when we¡¯re inside,¡± said Dongfang Shuoyu, without mincing his words.


    While Fu Yiren came across as blunt and forthright, she could sometimes be shy as well. At that moment, her face instantly blushed as red as a cherry.


    Xiao Luoughed and walked into the base. As he arrived at the second heavy door, he spotted a girl. She was wearing the NSA uniform and had a graceful figure. Her ck hair was curled up and tugged inside the military cap. She had wless skin with a snow-whiteplexion. Her eyes were clear and bright, her eyebrows had a delicate arc, and her soft lips looked like rose petals.


    It was Ji Siying!


    ¡°Mr. Xiao Luo!¡±


    Ji Siying ran to Xiao Luo. She was so nervous that she did not even know where to do with her delicate hands. She rubbed them nervously, and on her right wrist, Xiao Luo noticed she was still wearing the jade bracelet that his mother had given her.


    ¡°My mind is at ease now that I know you are safe,¡± Xiao Luo said as he smiled at her.


    Xiao Luo had surprised her with what he said and she immediately beamed as she gazed warmly at Xiao Luo. ¡°I am at ease as well now that I see that Mr. Xiao Luo is safe as well.¡±


    ¡­


    Besides the members of the NSA, all the prominent leaders of the country were also in the sprawling base. Xiao Luo spotted some people from hispany¡ªLi Zimeng, Lin Chongdong, and the five brothers of Feng Wuhen. He also saw the boss of Chongshan House, Chu Yunxiong, and his daughter, Chu Yue. Then he saw his friends from Huaye University. Bai Ling, Zhu Xiaofei, Ding Kai, and the ss leader, Huang Ruoran, were also there at the base.


    With Xiao Luo¡¯s arrival, they all gathered inside a spacious office and began chatting happily.


    ¡°Brother Luo, my Brother Luo¡­ I am so d to see you again at longst!¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were ready to give Xiao Luo a bear hug.


    ¡°Go away! What do you mean by your Brother Luo? He is our Brother Luo.¡±


    Feng Wuhen red at them angrily. His hooligan-like mannerism scared Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai so much that the two backed away. The five brothers greeted Xiao Luo with brotherly affection and camaraderie.


    ¡°Brother Luo, we have missed you so much. Come, give me a kiss!¡±


    Bam!


    Xiao Luo kicked Feng Wuhen, who was pouting his lips and was moving toward him, and shouted, ¡°Where did you learn this disgusting sh*t? Did you learn it from Zhang Dashan?¡±


    ¡°Brother Luo, you know Brother Shan the best indeed. I learned it from Brother Shan. Brother Shan is always teaching us the wrong things,¡± Feng Wuhen answered quickly, passing the me over to Zhang Dashan.


    Xiao Luo was speechless.


    Li Zimeng walked over and called out. ¡°CEO Xiao!¡±


    She worked for Luo¡¯s Workshop at the Xiahai branch, but she frequently traveled between Jiangcheng and Xiahai. When the alien race invaded, she was at Jiangcheng. When she survived the alien attack on the city, she ended up with the rest of the survivors and was brought to the secret base.


    Xiao Luo nodded to acknowledge her.


    Chu Yue was meeting her first love in person again. The happiness she felt at that moment was something no one else would understand. But of course, Chu Yue did not reveal her feelings and still addressed Xiao Luo in the same way as in the past. She called him a ¡°pretentious d*ck¡±.


    Huang Ruoran had mixed feelings. The encounter in Mei Nation gave a deeper understanding of Xiao Luo. In his presence, she felt like she would always be inferior to him.


    Bai Ling was already a member of the NSA, specializing inputer science. She had thoroughly studied the twenty-four offensive and defensive methodology that Xiao Luo had left behind. In terms ofputer skills, other than Xiao Luo, she was second to none in the entire Hua Nation.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, long time no see!¡±


    Chu Yunxiong said with a smile. Half of his head of hair was white. He looked like an approachable person and was emanating spiritual energy all over his body. Though he was standing in front of Xiao Luo, the high-spirited energy he gave off was unmatched.


    ¡°Boss Chu.¡±


    Xiao Luo nodded his head and smiled at him.


    ¡°The first time I saw you, I could tell that you were a special person. I always knew that one day, you will reach a stature that everyone would look up to you with respect. It seems like I am not wrong.¡±


    Chu Yunxiong expressed his admiration, and it showed in his eyes. The businesses from Xiao Luo¡¯s Luo¡¯s Workshop and Jin Clinic were already catching up to his Chongshan House. In terms of business, Xiao Luo was already a well-known figure. Since he already discovered that Xiao Luo was a superior fighter, he now looked up to him with a respect befitting his newfound abilities.


    Xiao Luo could onlyugh, and after hearing that he did not know what to say.


    Chu Yunxiong patted Xiao Luo on his shoulder and said, ¡°I do not know if the human race can survive this crisis. But I think all hope of survival rests on the shoulders of people like you. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, pretentious d*ck. Whack and chase the invading extraterrestrial being away!¡± Chu Yue pitched in.


    Xiao Luo looked at Chu Yunxiong and then looked at her. With a wry smile, he replied, ¡°I will try my best.¡±

 Chapter 850 - Saiki

    <h2>Chapter 850: Saiki</h2>


    Elder Long was also in a secret base in Jiangcheng. He was seriously injured, and itpromised his cultivation level. He met Xiao Luo at the secret base at top of the mountain. A chilly breeze blew as it was early winter, and it was frigid.


    ¡°Ah-choo!¡±


    The Elder Long sneezed, then shook his head and smiled wryly. ¡°I never expected that I would be so weak That I could not even withstand a cold.¡±


    ¡°Senior, is the alien race that powerful?¡±


    Xiao Luo could not believe that the alien race that invaded Earth could seriously injure Elder Long, and he even had the help of his Grand Preceptor, Xiao Quanren, and Tianshan Elder.


    Elder Long nodded slowly and replied, ¡°Our powers are not of the same system as his. He imed he was the representative of The Ultimate Tech, Prince Saiki, who came from the M81 star system. He is d in golden armor that is merged with his body. Even if we smash him to pieces, he cane together again and be resurrected. He is immortal.¡±


    Even if we st his body to pieces, he can be rejoined and resurrected?


    Immortal?


    Xiao Luo was absolutely shocked. Have human beings be so powerful that they could even prevent death? Can they also now ovee the limitations of their bodies and reach the realm of immortality through the development of extreme forms of technology?


    ¡°Where is he now?¡± asked Xiao Luo.


    ¡°He should be somewhere on Earth. There¡¯s no auraing from him, so I can¡¯t pinpoint his exact location,¡± Elder Long replied.


    Xiao Luo nodded stiffly. A representative of The Ultimate Tech relied purely on the power of technological advancements, but he was still an ordinary person, so he would not have any True Inner Force. It was indeed tough to detect his location.


    BOOM!


    Suddenly, a mighty presence of energy radiated from the north.


    Ordinary people could not easily detect this force, but Xiao Luo and the Elder Long could feel it clearly, and it felt like a ripple spreading across the horizon.


    ¡°It seems to be the aura of the master of the Arcana Land,¡± Elder Long eximed, looking rather surprised.


    Xiao Luo knitted his brows. He certainly knew that it was Su Li¡¯s aura¡ªit was something he would never forget.


    ¡°Go ahead. It would help if your help was needed there. You don¡¯t have to worry about the Xiao n. With the presence of your Grand Preceptor, your Tai Shi Gong guarding us, you need not worry about that girl, Gu Qianxue, either. She¡¯s at the peak of Mount Tianshan. My Junior Sister will risk her life to protect her. What you have to do now is to focus on the battle,¡± Elder Long said.


    ¡°I got you.¡±


    Xiao Luo replied solemnly and instructed the Duck Emperor to stay with Elder Long. Then, he turned into a streak of light and flew rapidly toward Xiahai.


    Elder Long looked up at the sky with his eyes filled with anguish. ¡°If we win, this crisis will be resolved. If we lose, the entire human race will be annihted. Xiao Luo, can you¡­ protect Earth?¡±


    It was ironic that he, a guardian of the world, actually could not take part in the battle and could only hide in a small corner of Jiangcheng.


    ¡°He can. You have to trust his ability,¡± Duck Emperor said.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xiao Luo flew at full speed, and the mountains and rivers of Hua Nation rapidly past his sight. Su Li¡¯s aura was so powerful that, even in Jiangcheng, he could sense her presence. It only meant that the alien race had appeared, and a great battle was now taking ce between the two sides. It was most likely that the aliens were preparing to invade the secret realm and were being intercepted by Su Li and the four kings at the entrance.


    Wait for me. I¡¯ming!


    Xiao Luo roared inwardly and increased his speed. Thendscape was a mere blur as he streaked across the sky.


    Ten minutester, he reached Xiahai City.


    As soon as he arrived, he saw a figure d in golden armor standing in the air with his red cloak fluttering in the wind. He looked exactly like a human. He had golden hair and even his eyes were golden. His slender phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly, giving off an air of supreme confidence; as if he did not care about anything.


    Su Li, the King of Swords, the King of War, the King of Thunder, and the King of des had spread out in a wide front and were ring at him with hostility.


    ¡°Yo! My beacon, you¡¯ve appeared too.¡±


    He cast his gaze on Xiao Luo in a lofty and rxed manner.


    Beacon?


    Xiao Luo frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What do I mean? Did you think the system was a gift for you?¡± A sinister smile appeared on the corners of Saiki¡¯s lips.


    When hearing this, Xiao Luo¡¯s body trembled, and his eyes widened. ¡°Did you create the system?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Other than our people from The Ultimate Tech, no one else in the universe could invent such advanced systems to adapt to various civilizations.¡±


    Saiki added, ¡°Every system we despatched is designed to seeks where civilizations exist. Then, they will learn and copy all the knowledge and skills from that civilization. As long as you have enough points, you can exchange them for any skills from that civilization world.¡±


    Xiao Luo clenched his fists. He now knew he had always been under the control of The Ultimate Tech.


    ¡°The system is a locator. When it fuses with you, it serves as a beacon. Every time you used it, a location message is transmitted to our M81 gxy. Although some data will inevitably be lost during transmission across our vast universe, the number of times you had used it was enough for us to locate your civilization with pinpoint uracy. That was how I got here.


    ¡°It is never easy locating one¡¯s position in the universe, but we found a way. We call it the Dark Forest Laws,¡± Saiki said further.


    ¡°F*cking as*hole!¡±


    Xiao Luo was already gnashing his teeth in anger. There was no free lunch in the world. After fusing with the genius system, he always had a sense of doubt and tried to avoid using it. In the end, he even chose not to use it whenever possible. So there was a mastermind behind this after all.


    ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    Saiki raised his brows and said, ¡°I suppose you are angry, but it isn¡¯t a big deal. You¡¯ve alreadypleted your mission, and¡­¡± Then he looked up at the mirage-like Arcana Land in the sky, and added, ¡± It¡¯s all thanks to your use of the system repeatedly, or I would never have located this hidden blue. It is vast and there should be thousands of creatures living here, right? Very good, I shall destroy them all at once. Destroying a civilization and building a new technologicalnd is my princely mission. ¡±


    ¡°This ce is a very suitable domain for me. After I, Prince Saiki, upy this, I will expand my dominions across the universe for 100,000 light-years with this as the center.¡±


    He turned his gaze towards Su Li and showed a lecherous smile. ¡°Well, excellent. To think that such a peerless beauty can be born on this. She can just stay by my side as a maid to serve my every need. When I have the mood, I can also enjoy the night with her. Perfect, truly perfect, haha, haha¡­.¡±


    Xiao Luo was already fuming out of control. When he heard this, he blew his top.


    ¡°F*ck you!!¡±


    A bloodthirsty roar escaped his throat, and his eyes turned scarlet. He drew his dragon saber and flew high into the sky, shing down at the head of Prince Saiki.

 Chapter 851 - Huge battle

    <h2>Chapter 851: Huge battle</h2>


    Dozens of crimson-ck Light des cut through space like thunderbolts. They traveled with lightning speed and roared like beasts, shaking both Heaven and Earth. Tucked within the mountains, the people at the Xiahai Survivor Base could see the shower of crimson-ck Light des in the distance.


    ¡°My God, what¡­ what is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a Light de¡ªthey always appear in martial arts series!¡±


    ¡°Is the peerless fighter from earth fighting the Yi n?¡±


    All of them stared anxiously at the spectacle with a feeling of dread in their hearts.


    Tian Zhenxing pondered solemnly as he gazed up at the sky.


    Is it Group Leader?


    Is Group Leader the one fighting the Yi n?


    Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting trembled in fear. Images of Xiao Luo battling against the invading Yi n shed in their minds. They knew he was doing it to save the human race.


    ¡­


    Saiki was remarkably calm in the face of the oing crimson-ck Light des. ¡°Energy Shield Level 10!¡±


    HUMM!


    A golden sphere instantly formed around him. It was a protective shield thatpletely encased his body.


    The crimson-ck Light des struck the golden energy shield, resulting in an earth-shattering st that reverberated like thunder. The impact also sent waves of energy across the ground, causing the air to distort and the ground to shake. Itsted quite a while before it gradually came to a stop.


    Saiki was unscathed. He red at Xiao Luo smugly, and said, ¡°You are nothing when facing me, the ultimate power. Let me give you a warning¡ªyou better listen to¡­¡±


    He abruptly stopped speaking, for Xiao Luo was headed straight toward him like a ferocious beast. With the Dragon Saber in hand, he aimed for the energy shield.


    CLANG!


    Again, the Dragon Saber struck the shield, ringing loudly like the sound of two metal objects smashing into each other. A shower of sparks flew from the tip of the saber.


    ¡°Scarlet eyes? Are you the one who represents The Ultimate Martial? So, you are from the Xiao War n!¡±


    There was a look of surprise on Saiki¡¯s face, but his arrogant expression quickly returned and he said, ¡°The Ultimate Tech haspletely suppressed The Ultimate Martial. We wiped out your Xiao War n from the universe. I did not expect one of your survivors to be hiding on this. You even assimted with the lowly beings of this and bore offsprings. How pathetic. What a joke!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Xiao Luo scowled as he gritted his teeth, and the veins on his head throbbed. Unleashing all the power in his body to crush the energy shield had taken a toll on him. But it was futile as the golden energy shield was too strong. It was imprable, and he was at aplete loss as he hovered in the air.


    Saiki snickered and continued to rile Xiao Luo up. ¡°To think that the system we sent into the universe chose you, a descendant of the Xiao n, as its carrier. It looks like Destiny has determined the Xiao n will go extinct. This trip will surely earn me a big reward.¡±


    After mocking Xiao Luo, a redser beam suddenly shot out from his right eye.


    Even though Xiao Luo had attained an exceptionally high level of power, he was no match for a weapon the speed of light. Besides, it was virtually impossible to evade at such close range. His body reacted instinctively, but theser beam still shot him right through his left shoulder. It was the best Xiao Luo could do against theser beam. Otherwise, it would have got him in his heart.


    POOF!


    Blood gushed out from behind his left shoulder. The pain was so intense that Xiao Luo let out a painful groan.


    Without giving Xiao Luo a chance to recover from the hit, Saiki teleported in front of him and thrust his palm into Xiao Luo¡¯s chest.


    BAM!


    The tremendous power from the strike was like a raging wave. The energy force spread from Xiao Luo¡¯s chest to his limbs. The quick palm assault from Saiki traumatized his internal organs, and Xiao Luo spat out a mouthful of thick blood and fell from the sky.


    Su Li¡¯s astute pair of eyes squinted a little. Then, she immediately transformed into a beam of Divine Light and sped toward Xiao Luo. She caught him in midair, and they continued hurtling down for another ten feet before she could cushion the impact and steady her flight.


    After Su Li caught him, Xiao Luo spat out several more mouthfuls of blood. His face had turned white and pain showed on his face.


    SWOOSH!


    Su Linded on the ground and hurriedly tapped on his major acupuncture points to contain the hemorrhage within his body. She then gave him a recovery pill.


    ¡°Quickly heal your injuries by yourself!¡±


    After she said that, Su Li bounded into the sky, leaving behind a lingering trail of her fragrance around him.


    Xiao Luo sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused on healing his internal injuries. There was a formidable enemy in front of him. He could not let his feelings for her distract him. Otherwise, he could protect anyone, most of all his own woman, Su Li.


    In the sky, King of Thunder was the first one tounch an attack against Saiki.


    ¡°Kill!¡±


    The fearsome war hammer delivered a powerful blow. It shook the air and filled the sky with numerous purple thunderbolts that resembled pythons charged with a venomous aura. They flew at Saiki from all angles.


    The King of War soon joined in the assault. He pointed his broken sword at Saiki and went straight for him. The tip of his weapon was bursting with energy and sliced through the air effortlessly. He intended to stab Saiki with it.


    ¡°Forget it, let us just work together this time and get rid of this guy from the Yi n once and for all.¡±


    King of de snapped out of his indifferent nature. With great urgency, he attacked Saiki from another direction, soaring through the sky with his mighty sword. The golden-hued de Light was dazzling, and it was charged with an incredible amount of energy. It was a weapon of overwhelming power.


    ¡°Chiba¡­¡±


    The King of Swords muttered an incantation and the sword in his hand turned into a thin de that resembled peach blossom petal. Then, it broke up into a cluster of des that looked like sharpened bamboo strips and swarmed the entire sky as they too flew straight at Saiki.


    ¡°So much energy being used against me¡­ It looks like a level ten protection will not be enough. Let us increase it to level twenty!¡±


    Saiki smiled calmly as the golden energy shield around him grew brighter and erged in size. He stayed at the same spot without moving, waiting to take on the attack heading to him.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Four massive energy beams smashed into the surface of the energy shield. The shield glowed as it absorbed a horrific amount of energy that kept building up before it exploded violently and shot toward the Xiahai Survivor Base. All the people there could feel the pressure of the st against their chests. Their ears were humming as they fell into a temporary state of deafness.


    ¡°You people are overestimating yourselves!¡±


    Saiki nced at all Four Kings as he spoke, looking utterly arrogant.


    Suddenly, a dazzling Divine Light pierced through from below and smashed into the energy shield that protected him. The st shattered the golden energy shield and blew Saiki into smithereens.


    The st stunned the Four Kings, and they looked in the direction where the light came from. They saw Su Li and realized what had happened¨Cshe hadunched her Divine Light.


    ¡°This King here finally understands what ¡®The viin dies from talking too much¡¯ really means. Haha, haha¡­¡± the King of Thunder quipped as he burst outughing.


    King of War could not help but sneer as well. ¡°Garbage! I thought he could take the hit. He has disappointed me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey, do not jump to conclusion so soon. Something does not seem right,¡± muttered the King of des. He continued to stare at the space with a frown.


    ¡°Does not seem right?¡±


    King of Thunder did not understand what he was getting at, and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We saw him blow up into pieces, but there are no bloodstains at all. Do you not find it strange?¡± King of des asked.


    Hearing the King of des¡¯s opinion, it suddenly dawned on the King of Thunder and King of War that something was indeed amiss.


    In the next instant, something shocking happened that made all of them open their eyes in horror.


    The countless broken fragments in the sky turned into bits of golden light. Each piece was a light source, and they rapidly came together, forming a massive orb of golden light. The light was ringly bright and resembled a golden crow. It was difficult for them to keep their eyes open. Then the bright golden orb morphed from a spherical form into a human form. As the light faded, what they saw was Saiki,pletely in one piece.


    ¡°How¡­ how is this possible?¡± eximed King of Thunder. He was so shocked his eyes were about to pop out.


    The King of War felt chills running down his spine. How did Saiki resurrect himself after being blown apart? What breed of monster was he¡ªthe undead?


    ¡°I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be so easy,¡± muttered the King of des.


    King of Swords furrowed his eyebrows a little as he hovered in midair. He stared at Saiki without blinking.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Saiki let out a long sigh, then smiled as he turned to look at Su Li, and said, ¡°I did not expect the maidservant I chose to be this capable. She is much stronger than every single one of you here. I am impressed that even the level twenty energy shield could not block her attack. But it is useless anyway. I have restored my body and fortified myself with this armor. Even if you smash me into pieces, I can still rapidly bring my body back together and revive myself. I am immortal. You people do not have what it takes to kill me no matter what you do.¡±


    ¡°Cannot kill you? I refuse to believe that nonsense!¡±


    The King of War roared. The Inner Force surged within his body and he emanated a dark, murderous aura. With a fierce look on his face, he charged at Saiki like a bull as he twirled his sword.


    The power he unleashed was so immense that even thews of Heaven and Earth seemed to change along with him. Dark clouds filled the sky as a peal of rumbling thunder cracked above them, and the force he released smashed the mountains beneath him.


    ¡°Air Energy Cannon!¡±


    Saiki muttered. Extending his right hand, his armor allowed him to draw the air around him andpressed it. With a thrust of his palm, heunched it at King of War.


    Thepressed air turned into a hot white orb of light and shot from his palm. The surface of the orb was crackling with energy as it hurtled straight toward King of War at lightning speed.


    King of War instinctively crossed his arm in front of his chest. He chose not to evade it and prepared to take the direct hit.


    BOOM!


    The Air Energy Cannon exploded when it came into contact with his body. Smoke billowed out, and the explosion echoed through the sky.


    When the smoke cleared, the King of War stood unscathed, brushing the dust off his body, and mocked, ¡°Nothing more than a mediocre parlor trick! I have nothing to fear!¡±


    ¡°Is it so? Then I will let you have a taste of a bigger one.¡±


    Saiki gave him a sinister smile. The armor on his body sucked in more air this time, and once again, it gathered in front of his palm. Slowly, the energy orb formed, and it looked far more destructive than the previous one.


    HUM!


    The fiery light illuminated both heaven and earth. The energy cannon was gigantic, and it moved at the speed of light. The fiery orb sliced through space with devastating effect, and its aura filled the entire atmosphere.


    ¡°King of War, you fool! Hurry and dodge it!¡± King of Thunder shouted.


    King of des, King of Swords, and Su Li watched with their hearts in their throats. They worried for the King of War.


    Dodge it?


    The King of War wondered how in the world he was going to dodge the iing blow.


    He shed a bitter smile, for he was too close to it to dodge it in time. The energy cannon was too fast, and it enveloped him in an instant.


    BOOM!


    The aftermath of the explosion was devastating. A thundering roar filled the air. A mushroom cloud rose, and a massive burst of energy waves spread across in all directions. King of Swords, King of des, and Su Li were all pushed back about four meters.


    Swirling winds formed a vortex that sucked various small objects from the ground into the air like a roaring sandstorm.

 Chapter 852 - Sealing technique

    <h2>Chapter 852: Sealing technique</h2>


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The King of War let out a painful groan and fell from the sky as blood soaked his entire body.


    King of Thunder soared swiftly toward him and caught hold of him firmly. When theynded safely on the ground, he put the King of War down and said, ¡°Do you not know how to f*cking dodge? You just had to use your body to take on that huge cannonball. Are you a f*cking idiot?¡±


    ¡°Get lost¡­¡±


    King of War answered back. Blood gushed out of his mouth as he spoke and his voice sounded extremely weak. ¡°What does¡­ What does the way I fight have anything to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­ Just consider me a busybody, then.¡±


    King of Thunder took out a recovery pill from his pocket and put it into King of War¡¯s mouth. Then he smiled and said, ¡°You stay here and look after yourself.¡±


    Then he left the King of War¡¯s side and soared into the sky to join the others who were still battling Saiki.


    Saiki handled thebined attacks from King of Swords and King of des with ease. He did not have to avoid any of their blows. The energy shield was more than enough to fend off their attacks. He was using both of them as live targets,unching his Air Energy Cannonballs toward them.


    King of Swords and King of des moved at extreme speed. They looked like two phantoms zipping from one end to the other. But Saiki¡¯s high-tech eyes could pinpoint their trajectory urately and lock on them with precision.


    BOOM!


    King of des got shot. He spiraled down to the ground as wisps of smoke trailed behind his body.


    The King of Thunder¡¯s War Hammer was a weapon that could absorb many forms of attacks. But it could not absorb the Air Energy Cannonball at all. Saiki shot him down with one cannonball, and he too fell from the sky along with his War Hammer. He mmed down hard on the ground and created arge hole.


    BOOM!


    Saiki thenunched an Air Energy Cannonball at King of Swords. A wall of peach blossom petal-like thin des wrapped around the King of Swords to protect him. He was fine despite the forceful hit.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. I thought besides the maidservant, the rest of you were just useless melons. Now that I look at it, you are at least putting up a fight, and I like it! It would be too boring to take you all out with only my Air Energy Cannonballs,¡± Saiki mocked. He wore a sinister smile as he stared at King of Swords.


    ¡°Wind de Burial!¡±


    King of Swords hollered. The sky suddenly filled with countless peach blossom petal-like thin des. They flew toward Saiki and rapidly stacked together,yer byyer, to form a sphere, trapping him inside. Colorful lights reflected from its surface when rays from the sun shone on it.


    ¡°King of Swords is using everything he has. What arge de Burial Ball. Since I have known him, this is the first time I see this formation.¡±


    King of Thunder, King of War, and King of des gathered together, helped by their designated assistants. The King of Thunder¡¯s eyes opened wide when he saw the de Burial Ball in the sky¡ªit was the size of a mini asteroid.


    King of War and King of des said nothing. They merely stared at King of Sword¡¯s Wind de Burial formation in awe.


    Meanwhile, Su Li moved her slender hands in rapid movements in front of her chest to create a seal formation.


    A barrier of energy materialized in the form of a gigantic white snake. Opening its venomous fangs wide, it shot toward the ball, opening its jaws to swallow the de Burial Ball with Saiki trapped inside.


    ¡°Is this the Holy Lord¡¯s sealing technique? The ck Coffin?¡± asked King of Thunder, looking at the seal formation in amazement.


    ¡°Of course, it is ck Coffin. She is indeed our Holy Lord. She dealt with the problem so quickly. Did the Yi n guy not say he is immortal? Then seal him forever, and we shall see what else he can do,¡± answered the King of des with a smirk at the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Even the King of Swords cannot break this seal. Hehe, hehe. It is going to be fun,¡± said the King of War with a chuckle. It was as if he was watching an exciting show.


    Xiao Luo sat cross-legged. He stared up at the sky with surprise when the snake materialized, and then the ck Coffin appeared. The coffin mmed into the ground, as heavy as a mountain. It looked like a ten-stories tall rectangr building, nting a little as it stood upright above the ground. The surface cracked with dark energy and emitted a powerful aura.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Prison of Heaven and Earth?¡±


    Xiao Luo looked puzzled. He recalled the day at the top of the Tianshan Mountain when the Tianshan Elder had used the same technique to trigger the potential power within him. But as he looked closer, he frowned and mumbled to himself, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t appear to be the Prison of Heaven and Earth. The Prison of Heaven and Earth does not have such an overpowering aura. It must be a sealing technique at a higher level than the Prison of Heaven and Earth. Did she awaken this magical power all by herself?¡±


    He suddenly realized just how powerful his wife, Su Li, really was. She possessed the skill to invoke a magical power by herself. It was enough to make many martial arts experts bow their heads down in shame.


    The heavy ck Coffin emanated a terrifying force, showing how strong the sealing technique was. Beads of sweat had formed on Su Li¡¯s fair forehead, and she was breathing a little heavier from exhaustion.


    King of Thunder walked toward it and stretched his hand out to give it a knock. The ck Coffin reverberated with a metallic ring. He raised his head and looked at the structure, then said, ¡°This ck Coffin should be secure, right? If there is no air in there, how will he breathe?¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, I am on the side of the Holy Lord. I would rather be dead than to be sealed inside the ck Coffin,¡± the King of War chimed.


    Just as he finished talking, a golden haze that looked like smoke slowly seeped out from the ck Coffin.


    What was it?


    Everyone looked shocked, wondering what the cloud of golden mist was.


    The golden mist rose above the ck Coffin, forming an outline of a human figure. Then, in a sh of golden light, Saiki appeared standing above the ck Coffin.


    ¡°This monster¡­ even imprisoning him with the sealing technique can¡¯t work!¡± King of Thunder gasped, looking horrified.


    King of War and King of des stood rooted in shock as well. They could not believe their eyes. Saiki could regenerate after being blown to bits, and now he could even escape from the ck Coffin in the form of that golden mist. There was no way they were going to defeat him. Their opponent was invincible.


    ¡°Maidservant, you are indeed capable. I got a shock! But thankfully, I can break down the molecules in my body and can prate through anything. There is nothing in this universe that can stop me,¡± Saiki said, wiping his forehead as he looked at Su Li.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Listening to Saiki addressing Su Li as his maidservant, King of Sword was furious. He grabbed his sword and charged at Saiki.


    ¡°I shall y with you then and let you people have a taste of the strength of the Ultimate Tech.¡±


    Using the same technique, a long de materialized in Saiki¡¯s hand. It beamed out a golden light energy force and the armor activated its battle mode. At that moment, he was not the one controlling the armor, but the armor was controlling his movements. His body automatically blocked King of Sword¡¯s attack andunched a counterattack at the same time.


    ng! ng! ng!


    The two weapons engaged in non-stop battle. The energy generated from the sh of their weapons spread through the surrounding space, and multiple cracks appeared in the sky.


    The energy from their des cut through the mountain beneath them, and it was instantly hewn in two. The cut was clean, like the surface of a mirror.


    Su Li turned into a beam of Divine Light and joined in the fight. She could make any weapon she wanted out of thin air using True Inner Force, and she now had a sword in her hand. With the sword and her as one, she flew at Saiki brimming with power.


    Saiki, who was dealing with King of Swords at that moment, paid little attention to her. With a stroke of her sword, she blew him into smithereens once again. Only his head was left intact.


    Even without his body, the head was still alive, and his brain could still function. As it hovered in the air, his pair of red phoenix eyes stared at her with a look of mockery. ¡°Maidservant, if you do this again, I am going to be very angry!¡±


    In a sh, fragments of his body were rapidly reconstructed, then he suddenly appeared behind the King of Swords. Bing whole again, he aimed his long de at King of Sword¡¯s back and intended to stab him.

 Chapter 853 - The strongest move

    <h2>Chapter 853: The strongest move</h2>


    Saiki moved with extreme speed, appearing behind King of Swords in a sh.


    But the King of Swords was no slouch, and he reacted swiftly. A myriad of petal-like thin des came together, forming a defensive barrier behind him to block Saiki¡¯s attack.


    ¡°It is useless. My quantum weapon is invincible. There is nothing it cannot pierce through!¡±


    Saiki had a sinister smirk on his face. He continued to drive his quantum long de through the King of Sword¡¯s defensive wall of des. The long de easily prated the barrier and plunged into King of Swords¡¯ back.


    ¡°Urrgh!¡±


    As the long golden de pierced through his back and exited his chest, blood gushed from his wound.


    King of Swords tried to suppress the pain. As beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, he involuntarily let out a painful grunt.


    ¡°Air Energy Cannon. Level 5!¡±


    Saiki stretched his left hand out and took careful aim at King of Swords, and sted a massive shot from his Air Energy weapon.


    BOOM!


    The loud explosion was followed by a mushroom cloud that rose high into the air. Taking such a hit at close range, not even the King of Swords could escape unscathed, and his severely injured, blood-drenched body spiraled down toward the ground.


    ¡°King!¡±


    Curisa shouted, flying straight up into the air. All he cared about was to catch the King of Swords.


    ¡°Hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    A cruel smile formed on Saiki¡¯s lips, and he discharged another shot from his Air Energy Cannon. It smashed into Curisa and exploded in a loud boom midair. Thick smoke billowed, and an arm was seen flying from the thick cloud of smoke. Curisanded on the ground, covered in blood and wailing in excruciating pain. The shot had taken off his left arm. Blood kept pouring out profusely from the wound and he was unable to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    Su Li furrowed her brows in anger. Her pair of purple eyes glowered with murderous intent. She gritted her pearl-white teeth, turned into a ray of Divine Light, and streaked toward Saiki, intending to kill him. Several beams of brilliant light followed her trail, and upon closer inspection, they turned out to be foot-long swords enveloped in a glowing film of energy. The brilliance radiating from the flying swords made Su Li look ethereal and divine.


    As she was reaching Saiki, the flying swords suddenly shed ahead of her like bolts of lightning. Before Saiki could even react, they struck at his energy shield with fearsome power.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    The sky resounded with a report of deafening metallic rings. Su Li¡¯s flying swords had cracked the energy shield open!


    ¡°What? It is a Level 20 energy shield, yet it could barely handle an attack from you!¡± eximed Saiki, knitting his brows in surprise and wondering what was going on.


    Suddenly, Su Li appeared in front of him with a Divine Sword in her hand. Without warning, she stabbed him in his chest, right through his heart, and out his back.


    ¡°Arrgh¡­ it hurts! It is so painful¡­ I think I¡¯m going to die¡­ Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Saiki mocked Su Li by pretending to be in pain, then his expression gradually changed and he burst outughing maniacally. ¡± Maidservant, why do you not understand? I am immortal. No one on this can kill me.¡±


    Su Li clenched her jaw as she swiftly drew another Divine Sword and stabbed it into Saiki¡¯s head and chest.


    Everyone knew that the heart and the head were the two most vital points, and any blow to the two points would prove fatal. But after thrusting her sword into both these points, nothing happened. It was like plunging it through water, and no blood poured from the wound. It was clear that they were not the weak point of this guy from the Yi n.


    Su Li wondered what she had to do to defeat him.


    For a fleeting moment, her mind was churning for ideas. Suddenly, Su Li sensed approaching danger and quickly retreated about ten feet away. A shot from the Air Energy Cannon flew past her, followed by a piercing howl. The cannonball traveled higher in the sky and exploded thousands of meters away. Within the st zone of about a hundred meters, the shattering force formed dark voids.


    ¡°Aiya¡­ I missed! You dodged my Air Energy Cannon¡ªbut it is to be expected of the maidservant whom I chose!¡±


    Saiki slowly lowered his palm. The gaping wounds in his chest and head inflicted by Su Li¡¯s Divine Sword healed. Ayer of golden light enveloped his body like golden liquid, and the wounds rapidly closed up. The golden light gradually faded and his armor formed over his newly regenerated flesh once again.


    The sight of the regeneration process stunned Su Li. Disbelief spread across her delicate, pretty face. Could it be true that nothing could kill the guy from the Yi n?


    If her opponent could not regenerate his cells, she believed that the Guardians from the Original World could handle him by themselves. She would not need to get involved. But she could not figure out what form of molecr technology the Yi n had developed. No matter how high her cultivation level was, nothing she tried had worked, and she had to ept that her opponent was truly invincible.


    What should she do to defeat him?


    Just what else could she do?


    ¡°When you are fighting me, it is not wise to let your guard down.¡±


    A sinister voice whispered into her ears. Su Li promptly snapped out of her stupor and realized that Saiki was already right beside her.


    She steadied her nerves andunched an attack with her sword to cut down Saiki.


    Saiki matched her weapon with the long quantum de he instantly materialized.


    ng! ng! ng!


    They shed ferociously and a terrifying st of energy spread across, causing fear among the inhabitants of the ruined Xiahai City.


    Su Liunched a powerful strike at him, and Saiki was knocked high into the sky. A trail of flying swords cut through the air and followed Saiki, giving him no chance to defend himself as the sharp des pierced through his body like a thousand arrows. His body was perforated full of holes and destroyed. But he swiftly regenerated his body in midair. The body parts came together and fused seamlessly, bing whole again instantly.


    If Duck Emperor were there, he would exim loudly, ¡°Screw his ducking mother. Isn¡¯t he just like those powerful demons that have eaten the devil fruit?¡±


    ¡°It is useless. You cannot injure me, no matter what you do. Hehe, hehe¡­¡± Saiki said,ughing cynically.


    Su Li was infuriated, and with no hesitation, she unleashed all her power at once.


    The level of power she released could even destroy the Ri nation in one stroke, and it now gathered ominously around Saiki. The terrifying energy swirled and spread across Heaven and Earth. High above Su Li¡¯s head, the eye of the storm gazed down upon the entire world. Blistering winds swept the sky, and the ground rumbled and split apart.


    A massive storm swept across the sky and thunder rumbled from within the dark clouds.


    A dazzling light enveloped Su Li as she descended like a goddess, emanating a divine aura.


    It was a technique that could dominate the world. Colors faded from Heaven and Earth. It was as if the world was about to end.


    On the ground, the four severely injured Kings looked up into the sky. The amount of power that raged was enough to make their souls tremble.


    Saiki was hovering in midair with a solemn look on his face. The system had given him a warning about the power that had just been unleashed. He would have to increase his energy shield to its maximum level to avoid a fatal blow.


    ¡± I cannot believe this woman trained herself to such a high level. Why is there no information on someone like her within the data files of The Ultimate Martial? She is not weaker than the Xiao War n!¡± Saiki trembled as he muttered to himself, then immediately increased his energy shield to the maximum Level 50.


    HUMM~


    The golden energy shield activated to its full level, it was impossible to see Saiki from outside the enclosed protective shield.

 Chapter 854: - Fireball

    <h2>Chapter 854: Fireball</h2>


    ¡°Nine Sky Engulfing Phoenix!¡±


    A sphere of holy aura enshrouded Su Li as her four-word mantra rang across the sky. Her glowering eyes expressed an intense desire to kill as she red at Saiki. Her entire body emanated a raging force that swept through the air. It crushed the remaining trees on the ground in a sh and sent wood debris flying all over the ce.


    SCREECH!


    Nine dazzling phoenixes suddenly appeared and attacked Saiki furiously with their sharp ws. Each of them had a long tail formed of light, resembling the tail of a shooting star. The sky shook and vibrated as they soared through the air, sending violent energy waves that shook even the Xiahai Survivor Base, tucked far away in the remote mountainous area.


    ¡°Oh, my God, what are those?¡±


    ¡°Nine phoenixes shining in Divine Light? What kind of power is that?¡±


    ¡°This world is just too strange and too crazy!¡±


    The survivors looked up at the sky in awe, deeply shocked at what they were witnessing.


    ¡°Chief¡­¡±


    Liu Yiyao and Si Yueting worried for Xiao Luo. The power they had just witnessed exceeded their expectations.


    Anxiously, the government officials and NSA executives in the Jiangcheng secret base observed the real-time video transmitted by satellite at the meeting hall. The battle scene at Xiahai City was ying on the screen.


    Could such attacks wipe out our Human race?


    Everyone felt troubled and worried as the prowess of the Alien race had far exceeded predictions. Su Li¡¯s double identity as a celebrity and a top-level martial arts practitioner came as a shock to everyone. But the officials and the NSA executives were more concerned about the invasion by the Alien race. They urgently needed toe up with a solution to defeat the Aliens and solve the crisis that could end humanity forever.


    ******


    ******


    The nine Divine Phoenixes crashed into Saiki together in a coordinated strike¡­


    BANG!


    A massive detonation ripped across the sky, forming a mushroom cloud. The deafening explosion made the Four Kings and Xiao Luo¡¯s ears ring. A burst of intense heat followed the energy storm that swept through the sky and put fear into everyone¡¯s heart.


    The extreme heat created ripples that distorted space. A nearby mountain with its peak rising above the clouds was instantly incinerated. The heatwave destroyed everything in its path. It was so hot that it melted everything instantly. Nothing was spared.


    In the Xiahai Survivor Base, everyone stared at the passing heatwave in horror. Although they were at least a dozen kilometers away from it, the high temperature still made everyone sweat profusely.


    Meanwhile, at the center of the explosion, there was dead silence. The Four Kings and Xiao Luo swallowed their saliva nervously and anxiety grew deep in their hearts. If the massive explosion had urred at a lower altitude, they would all have incinerated.


    Although Su Li had contained her full power, every tree within a radius of some thousand meters had burned, and the scorching temperature had turned thend barren and red. Thend surface was twice hotter than a desert, and hot air rose from the ground in waves.


    After executing the phoenix formation, Su Li was breathing heavily as she had given it everything. It was expected that her strength would be depleted temporarily.


    In the aftermath, she stared at the center of the explosion. The horrifying energy from the Nine Sky Engulfing Phoenixes was gradually dissipating, and the shattered space wasing together again, as the rules of nature once again took hold. It was an apocalypse. Everything in sight had charred¡ªthe picture of a dystopian world destroyed by invading aliens.


    Despite activating a Level 50 energy barrier, Saiki only prevented himself from beingpletely incinerated. His body had broken up into a myriad of shards silently floating in the air.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Once she caught sight of the shards, Su Li immediately knew that she did not destroy the alien. She clenched her teeth in frustration.


    Tring!


    The floating shards suddenly glowed like golden light and rapidly merged¡ªthen once again, Saiki reappeared in his gleaming armor,pletely unharmed.


    He gazed into Su Li¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°So that was the Nine Sky Engulfing Phoenix. It is a powerful weapon. The temperature from that st is almostparable to the star that lights up your. If I had not maximized my barrier protection to the highest level, I am afraid that you would have killed me just now.¡±


    High temperature?


    So, the Alien is afraid of high temperatures!


    The Four Kings and Xiao Luo noted it as well. What if they could push him off to the sun? Would that be enough to kill him? However, the method was impractical as Saiki could deconstruct his body into particles the size of atoms. Not even the sealing technique had worked on him. So it looked like there was no way they go with that strategy.


    It seemed that Saiki was not afraid to expose his weakness at all. He smiled at Su Li, and said, ¡°If the temperature is high enough, it can melt everything, including atoms. The rise of any civilization begins with the creation of fire. Therefore, it regtes temperature and can destroy everything, including civilization itself. It is a paradox, but paradoxes are the key elements of forming a universe.¡±


    ¡°Nobody is interested in your devilish preaching!¡±


    Su Li smiled icily. She summoned her flying swords to her side, then projected them out like lightning bolts.


    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!


    They streaked into the Level 50 energy barrier but were deflected off. The swords then vanished as if they had never appeared.


    Saiki raised his eyebrows and continued, ¡°You are right. None of you would understand suchplex concepts. It is pointless exining them to you. You cannot activate the Nine Sky Engulfing Phoenix without rest, correct? My data here shows that your energy has fallen below thirty percent. You were at ny-five percent before that. That move used up a lot of your True Inner Force, right?¡±


    Su Li frowned and red at him wilfully. She was at aplete loss for words and clenched her teeth hard.


    ¡°I have faced your Nine Sky Engulfing Phoenix head-on. Now, it is my turn to return you the big favor.¡±


    Saiki smiled as he raised his right hand, and a tiny ball of destructive energy appeared at his fingertip. He concentrated on the ball, turning it from a scorching fireball into a giant ball of fire six meters in diameter.


    It had the same scorching temperature as the one he had just experienced. Saiki cast it at Su Li and she flinched.


    SWOOSH!


    The giant fireball hurtled through the sky silently, not even creating any sound as it traveled extremely speed before hitting Su Li directly on her body.


    BOOM!


    When it struck Su Li, a catastrophic explosion sted through the area, sending waves of destructive energy across thend. An infinity void formed in space, and a massive crater appeared at the center of the explosion. Its diameter measured a hundred zhang with a depth of a hundred meters. Large cracks formed around the edge of the crater,rge enough to fit a person through it.


    Everyone who had witnessed it through the satellite transmission gasped in horror. The expression on their faces changed instantly.


    ¡°This Alien is just too powerful for us. He is invincible.¡±


    ¡°We are done for. The entire human race is doomed.¡±


    ¡°Heaven, why are you doing this to us? What wrong have we done?¡±


    Fear and despair spread amongst the government executives around the world. The Alien¡¯s supreme power had mentally crushed them. Regardless of the nationality, they all knew what was in store for them when they witnessed the fireball.

 Chapter 855 - Let me handl

    <h2>Chapter 855: Let me handle</h2>


    When the massive fireball exploded, it blew Su Li away like a bowling pin struck ferociously by a bowling ball. She fell from the sky and left a trail of blood that dissected the horizon like a bright red rainbow.


    ¡°Your Holy Highness!¡±


    The King of Thunder roared in anguish as he watched the defeated Su Li spiraling down from the sky.


    Without a word, the King of Sword forced his battered body up, intending to intercept Su Li¡¯s fall. Before he could leap into the air, a feral roar thundered nearby. Xiao Luo catapulted into the sky like a rocket, his crimson red eyes leaving two streaks of deep red light across the sky.


    Su Li was grievously wounded, and as she fell in a spin, Xiao Luo caught her in midair and held her close to him.


    Su Li stared at him in surprise, and a fleeting look of tenderness shed in her dazzling eyes. But she immediately suppressed her feelings and a look of indifference formed on her face. ¡°Let me go!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Xiao Luo had made up his mind. He sealed her red lips with his, cutting off any further argument.


    Su Li felt a tingling feeling run through her body as all effort to suppress her love for him vanished instantly. As hard as she tried, she could no longer hide her feelings for Xiao Luo. She struggled briefly, but eventually closed her eyes and let her man dominate her. As Xiao Luo continued kissing Su Li, the holy aura surrounding her gradually weakened. The energy she emanated from her body vanished.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The Four Kings and their subordinates stared at them and their jaws dropped in disbelief. It could only mean that their Holy Lord still had feelings for Xiao Luo, and they know it would cost half of her cultivation power. Su Li was already having a tough time with the alien, and with half of her cultivation gone, there was no way they could win this battle.


    ¡°We¡¯re done for!¡±


    The King of Thunder quickly recovered from his shock and heaved a long sigh as he voiced out what was on everyone¡¯s mind.


    The King of des put on a smile and said, ¡°Hey, do not be so pessimistic. At least we have Xiao Luo. Did the alien not say that the Xiao n represented the best of the Ultimate Martial? Maybe Xiao Luo is the only person who can beat this guy who represents the best of the Ultimate Tech.¡±


    ¡°Are you delusional? The kid could not even beat the King of Swords when he was in his element. How can he even defeat this alien?¡± the King of Thunder retorted, not agreeing with what the King of des had said.


    The King of War nodded, siding with the King of Thunder in a rare disy of camaraderie.


    ¡°If not for the alien¡¯s atomization ability, the King of Swords could have finished him in one move. So, the secret of his power lies in his ability to atomize!¡±


    The King of Thunder disagreed and replied, ¡°Wrong. His energy barrier is also incredibly sturdy. Even ourbined power cannot break through it. There is only one person on this who can do it¡ªand that person is our Holy Highness.


    The King of des frowned. He began to doubt Xiao Luo¡¯s capability after hearing what the King of Thunder had to say, and responded, ¡°I am just saying maybe, not guaranteeing that Xiao Luo can beat him. Let us observe quietly. It is all we can do now. Watching them here on the ground.¡±


    The King of Thunder and the King of War smiled wryly as they looked each other in the eye.


    The King of Swords was next to Curisa and had managed to stop his bleeding. He was now healing himself with his cultivation ability. There were bloodstains on the front and the back of his white robe where the alien¡¯s sword had pierced. The corner of his mouth still had traces of blood, but the King of Swords¡¯ aloof demeanor and sense of pride remained.


    Xiao Luo finally stopped kissing Su Li.


    He looked at the beauty blushing in his arms, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t suppress your feelings toward me anymore. Let me handle everything. I will make sure he pays back a thousand times for what harm he has done to you!¡±


    Theynded lightly, and Xiao Luo ced Su Li gently on the ground.


    He then lifted his head to the sky and stared at Saiki with his crimson red eyes. A violent and bloodthirsty aura emanated from his entire body.


    His ferocious demeanor stunned Su Li and the Four Kings, for Xiao Luo resembled a demonic beast that had just awoken from its slumber.


    ¡°Saiki, I will skin you alive, slowly and surely!¡±


    Xiao Luo stared at Saiki with murderous intent and enunciated the statement word by word.


    Saiki, who was a little stunned at first, then chuckled and said, ¡°The Ultimate Tech sent me to hunt down all the violent warriors in the universe, like those from the Xiao n. We hunted all of you like helpless prey. What gives you the courage to talk to me like that?¡±


    ¡°ROAR!¡±


    Xiao Luo bellowed ferociously. He did not bother to argue with Saiki anymore and pounced on him like a feral beast. His intention to kill Saiki was apparent as he locked his sights on Saiki and flew directly at him. When Xiao Luo tightened his right fist, the energy it emitted shattered the surrounding space before smashing into Saiki¡¯s energy barrier.


    CRACK! CRACK!


    The surface of the energy barrier shuddered as waves of highly charged energy shed violently across its surface. A deep rumble reverberated through the air and the space around them slowly cracked like a shattered mirror as web-like lines ran across the sky. The overwhelming force of the impact burst out in waves of tremendous energy, distorting the air as the waves traveled outward.


    ¡°You idiot! My Level 20 energy barrier can block all your attacks. So, what are you going to do now?¡± Saiki scoffed at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do this!¡± Xiao Luo shouted back as heunched another attack.


    A sinister-looking ck dagger suddenly appeared in Xiao Luo¡¯s left hand. Before his foe could react, Xiao Luo channeled his True Inner Force into it and stab at the golden energy barrier fiercely.


    The dagger had once belonged to Chen Feng. Xiao Luo snatched it from him during their fight at the God Weapon Conference in Tarawa City. The dagger was imbued with evil energy, and Xiao Luo had initially intended to use it against the Four Kings of the Light n. He found no opportunity to use it then, but the chance now presented itself. He would use it on Saiki.


    To the ck dagger, the golden energy barrier was like ayer of butter as it prated Saiki¡¯s chest with ease. Xiao Luo then yanked it upward, and the sharp dagger cleaved Saiki¡¯s upper body in half, right through his skull. The upper halves of his body split apart and fell to either side.


    Xiao Luo did not stop there. He raised in the air and opened his palm, and the Dragon Saber flew into his hand from the ruins below, like a ray of bloody-red light.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    He roared as he shed down at Saiki.


    TRING!


    The blood-red saber, a dozen meters long and three meters wide, looked like a ck rainbow as it came crashing down on Saiki. The strike from Xiao Luo was like divine punishment¡ªeven the dark clouds separated in the sky.


    The energy field of the invincible de immediately engulfed Saiki. A trail of energy from the blood-red de aura hit the ground after slicing through Saiki. It cut into the surface, gouging a deep valley that was a thousand meters long and pitch-ck within.


    The King of War, King of Thunder, and King of des were allpletely stunned. Although it was not the first time they had seen Xiao Luo¡¯s de aura, his strike in anger still shook them to the core. After the de aura had subsided, there was no sign of Saiki anymore, not even a tiny shard of his body remained in the sky.


    Could Xiao Luo have destroyed Saiki with that sh?


    The three of them and their subordinates wondered.


    Su Li and the King of Swords also scanned the skies, looking for traces of Saiki. They did not believe that Xiao Luo could so effortlessly destroy a powerful alien such as Saiki.

 Chapter 856 - Transformation

    <h2>Chapter 856: Transformation</h2>


    But the still silence in the sky did notst long. A loud cackle suddenly echoed across the air.


    ¡°I have said long ago that there is nothing on this that can harm me. No matter how you try to attack me, you cannot hurt me. To you all, I am like air¡ªI am like a void with no physical properties. I belong to a different dimension and you cannot hurt me. But I can harm you all.¡±


    Saiki¡¯s sinisterughter echoed throughout the sky. It sounded like it came from every direction, making it difficult for anyone to pinpoint his location.


    ¡°Where is that *sshole?¡±


    The King of Thunder scanned the skies in frustration, desperately trying to locate Saiki¡¯s whereabouts but to no avail.


    The others followed suit and searched every corner of the sky, but none of them could locate Saiki¡¯s position.


    Su Li suddenly shouted out, ¡°Xiao Luo, be careful! He is right behind you!¡±


    rmed, Xiao Luo instantly turned to face his enemy but was not quick enough. As he turned, his peripheral vision caught the golden atoms forming into the shape of Saiki. Even before he could face his opponent, Saiki¡¯s palm was already aimed right at him and discharged an air energy pulse.


    BOOM!


    A mushroom cloud formed over the st and immense energy waves spread out from the point of impact. Yet again, as had urred countless times, powerful vibrations sted across the sky and Xiao Luo hurtled to the ground like a meteorite with smoke trailing behind him.


    THUD!


    The ground shook violently as an enormous crater formed from the force of the crash. A massive cloud of dust blew across the area like a sandstorm.


    ¡°Humph, such a weak piece of trash. You cannot even withstand a Level 10 air energy pulse! You are nothing but a piece of junk. You do not deserve my attention!¡± Saiki hovered steadily in the sky as he derided Xiao Luo with contempt.


    ¡°Saiki!¡±


    In the very next second, a furious roar issued from the ground as Xiao Luo emerged from the crater. He was drenched in blood and wore a maniacal look on his face as blood streamed from his mouth. Xiao Luo soared toward Saiki like a roaring tsunami and delivered another punishing blow at the energy barrier. His fury made his desperate attempt appear more devastating than it was, and it proved futile.


    The energy barrier was as sturdy as ever and barely shook despite taking such an immense hit.


    Xiao Luo¡¯s strike did startle Saiki briefly and a look of surprise showed on his face. But Xiao Luo¡¯s tenacity had provoked Saiki, who furrowed his brows and yelled, ¡°Trash, you cannot hurt me even if I were to stand here idle. Get out of here!¡±


    BOOM!


    Another air energy pulse shot out at Xiao Luo, and the ear-splitting sound deafened everyone. The tremendous energy waves even affected satellite reception around the world and disrupted transmission¡ªfor a moment, the live feed of the battle was disrupted.


    Xiao Luo spiraled down from the sky and crashed like an exploding bomb. He was buried under a ton of earth as a raging storm blew overhead.


    Saiki howled as he continued sting the area where Xiao Luo had fallen. Nothing within a hundred meters of Xiao Luo¡¯s impact point was spared. Saiki was intent on killing Xiao Luo once and for all.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Compressed air pulses were fired repeatedly and exploded on the ground, causing further damage to the already devastatednd. Tons of earth swirled in the air as thend gradually crumbled.


    The devastation wreaked by Saiki even caused enormous cracks to appear on the surface, and molten magma spewed from the fissures, incinerating the ground surface as it flowed unabated.


    What a horrifying sight!


    Su Li, the King of Swords, and the rest of the kings swiftly retreated to a mountain a thousand meters away.


    ¡°This jerk! Is he going to destroy the world?¡± the King of Thunder swore as he broke out in cold sweat.


    ¡°It seems like nobody can stop him,¡± muttered the King of des. He shook his head and sighed. Then he grabbed the gourd on his waist and started drinking. He was going to drown his sorrow with alcohol.


    Su Li stared at thend, now turned into a massiveke ofva. Her heart raced at the thought of losing Xiao Luo, and she finally made a desperate call to him. It was piercing and heart-wrenching, and it echoed throughout the entirend.


    ¡°Xiao Luo-oooooo!¡±


    When he heard her call, Xiao Luo stirred. He broke free from under the ground covered in magma. He now hovered in the sky with his entire body full of blisters from the burningva. Blood drenched his tortured body, now uncovered after his clothes had been singed away. He hardly looked human anymore¨Che resembled a demon who lived in the world of smoldering magma under the crust of our. A demonic beast that had crawled out of hell and bent on vengeance.


    ¡°You are still alive?¡±


    Saiki clenched his teeth, for Xiao Luo¡¯s tenacity had infuriated him. Despite his fury, he quickly calmed down and said, ¡°Although you are alive, the data from my scanner shows that your life force is only at ten percent. I am sure that you cannot even move a finger now.¡±


    Xiao Luo was unresponsive and silent. He stood in an upright position but looking lifeless, like a corpse.


    ¡°Fine¡­ Let me chop off that stubborn head of yours.¡±


    Saiki¡¯s eyes turned red in a sh. As he sped toward Xiao Luo, a long quantum de materialized in his right hand.


    ¡°The Berserk Warriors from the Xiao n of the Ultimate Martial is about to be officially erased from the universe.¡±


    He moved with extreme speed, leaving a golden trail of light in the sky. ¡°Die, my locator beacon!¡± he roared.


    Saiki swung the long de at Xiao Luo¡¯s neck in a fell swoop. Saiki¡¯s bulging eyes glinted with excitement, and it made him look horrifying and desperate.


    Then, time seemed to slow down and all the sounds in the world became muted.


    Su Li was trying to catch up to him, but she was too far away and could do nothing to help. Her pretty face was full of despair and desperation, for she was no longer hiding any of her emotions.


    Xiao Luo captured everything in his mind. Suddenly, he felt a surge of immense power, and a barrier formed around his body.


    Saiki¡¯s long quantum de struck the invisible barrier and a loud metallic ng resounded across the sky. Something powerful was stopping his de¡ªwhat was it? Saiki was shocked and only stared in disbelief as Xiao Luo grabbed his long sword with his bare hand!


    How could it be possible?


    It was a quantum long sword, and it can cut through anything in the world. How could Xiao Luo block it with his bare hands?


    Fear and shock ran through every fiber of his being.


    The Four Kings and their subordinates opened their eyes wide. None of them could understand the logic behind what they saw.


    Su Li. was equally shocked and fell into a stupor.


    ¡°Haha, haha, haha¡­¡±


    Xiao Luo¡¯s shoulders shook violently as he erupted a sinister peal ofughter. Out of nowhere, white shards appeared in the sky and gravitated around his body, attaching themselves like armor, and turning Xiao Luo into a white monster. Everyone could only gasp as they stared in awe.


    His nails had turned pitch-ck and a blood-colored pattern formed around his neck, resembling an ancient, evil talisman. His hair grew in length and turned white, but his body remained lean, with clearly defined eight-pack abs. His crimson eyes glowered with a demonic vibe, and it appeared as if his existence had a vile effect on his surroundings.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this? This transformation is so different from his previous one!¡± eximed the King of Thunder, inplete shock.

 Chapter 857 - Bleached Xiao Luo

    <h2>Chapter 857: Bleached Xiao Luo</h2>


    The state officials all over the world saw Xiao Luo transform to his bleached form via the satellite broadcast. Everyone had chills running down their backs when his eerie, dark aura shed across their screens. Xiao Luo¡¯s ghostly appearance shocked everyone!


    At the Jiangcheng secret survivor base, the Hua Nation executives were rmed by what they saw on their screen. Gu Zhanguo, Dongfang Shuoyu, Ji Siying, and Lady Poison from the NSA watched with their eyes wide open. They could not believe that this evil Ashura, emerging from the crater, was Xiao Luo.


    ¡°Why would he turn into such a state? Could it be his new battle form?¡± cried a Hua Nation executive in surprise and horror.


    Nobody could answer him as they had no clue what was happening. But the executive did not expect anyone to answer him, and his body involuntarily trembled as he glued his eyes on the giant screen before him.


    ******


    ******


    ARRGGGGHHHHH!


    The bleached Xiao Luo screeched as his left w snatched Saiki¡¯s quantum sword, shattering it into pieces instantly. Then, in a sh, his otherher w-like hand smashed forcefully into Saiki¡¯s chest.


    Saiki suddenly snapped out of his shock and yelled, ¡°Level 20 barrier shield!¡±


    RING!


    A golden energy barrier immediately encircled him and blocked Xiao Luo¡¯s vicious w strike.


    DANG!


    Xiao Luo¡¯s w struck against the golden barrier, and a loud metallic ring reverberated. The golden shield vibrated violently and sent waves of powerful force across the surrounding space. Countless patches of the dark void appeared in the sky around the impact zone.


    Saikiughed mirthlessly and said, ¡°A piece of trash like you cannot do a thing to me even when the chance is offered!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, hehe, hehe, hehe¡­¡±


    But the only response Saiki heard was a sinister cackle that sounded like the evilugh of Satan emerging from Hell.


    Then, the bleached Xiao Luo increased his strength with a thundering roar.


    CRACK! CRACK!


    The Level 20 energy shield crumbled under Xiao Luo¡¯s pressure. Lines started spreading out like a spider web, followed by the familiar sound of cracking ss.


    The smile on Saiki¡¯s face froze immediately, and his eyes opened wide in disbelief.


    CRACK!


    With thest crack, the golden energy barrier broke apart and there was nothing in the way of Xiao Luo¡¯s hand anymore. Itnded directly on Saiki¡¯s chest with unrestrained force.


    A sudden gush of energy surged into him from the point of contact and engulfed his entire body. Saiki felt his internal organs churning violently, and he vomited out of blood before he was knocked back and sailed through the air like a kite flying off a broken string.


    How could it be possible?


    He had atomized his entire body, so how could Xiao Luo harm him?


    Still in a state of shock and disbelief, he felt confused, and could he ept that Xiao Luo had inflicted such damage on him. But the pain he felt in his chest and the taste of blood in his mouth was real. Without a doubt, Xiao Luo had hurt him. If his armor had not protected him, the palm strike would have turned him into a bloody pulp.


    Swoosh!


    The piercing sound of a swift, howling wind disrupted his thoughts.


    Both of Saiki¡¯s eyes popped out as Xiao Luo had now teleported above him, with his body curled up into a ball. Suddenly, he crashed down at Saiki in the most brutal manner.


    ¡°Level 50 energy barrier!¡±


    Saiki shouted out in panic and quickly activated his energy barrier to its maximum level. A sphere of golden energy barrier took shape and covered himpletely.


    RING!


    The golden energy barrier that materialized resembled a bright full moon, but it wasn¡¯t dazzling. It shattered instantly when Xiao Luo smashed his body into it.


    How could it be possible? How could this happen?


    Saiki¡¯s pupils instantly dted and in his mind, he heard was himself screaming in panic. He could no longer process what was happening to him at that point.


    BOOM!


    A deafening sound rang out as the bleached Xiao Luo smacked him down from the sky.


    Saiki fell like a meteorite and crashed to the ground in a loud st. The impact created an enormous crater, and a cloud of soil and debris rose and billowed out from the site.


    Everyone watching the incident¡ªwhether it was Su Li of the Holy Land of the Light n, the Four Kings, or those at a distance¡ªcould not believe what had just happened. And every state executive across the world had the same reaction as well.


    The King of Thunder muttered an expletiveden remark. ¡°F*ck! He has shattered the energy barrier at its maximum level with brute force. He even harmed the alien severely. Am I f*cking hallucinating?¡±


    SLAP!


    The King of War gave him a tight p on his face and asked mockingly, ¡°Is it painful?¡±


    The King of Thunder looked puzzled and nodded without thinking. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°So, we are not dreaming,¡± said the King of War. All he felt at that moment was a mounting fear in his heart.


    The King of Thunder finally reacted to the surprise p and retorted, ¡°F*ck you. Why did you not p yourself? Why did you p me?¡±


    ¡°p me?¡±


    The King of War smiled mockingly and bellowed, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so silly? I do not want to feel pain.¡±


    ¡°So, it is okay to p me but not okay to p yourself?¡±


    F*ck! @%[emailprotected]</a>! #%@$!


    The King of Thunder fumed in indignation, and his face turned red with rage. He clenched his teeth and yelled, ¡°I will kick your ass!¡±


    He could not tolerate it anymore and pounced on the King of War. Getting pped in the face was too humiliating, and he felt the need to regain his lost dignity.


    The two of them got into a scuffle, though neither could use their True Inner Force on ount of their severe injuries. So they fought like wrestlers in the ring, trying to throw each other to the ground.


    Both the King of Swords and the King of des did not bother with themotion and continued to observe Saiki, now sprawled on the ground.


    After the dust storm had settled, Saiki, his armor shattered and his entire body a mess, rose slowly in the air. There was still blood at the corner of his mouth. He stared at the bleached Xiao Luo cautiously, hovering in the sky like the ultimate boss ready to conquer the world.


    Saiki was panting anxiously and asked, ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who am I? It is a redundant question. Who CAN I be? Of course, I am Xiao Luo. Hehe, hehe¡­¡± The bleached Xiao Luoughed sharply, and his voice was as cold as ice. It made everyone who listened to him shiver uncontrobly.


    ¡°You are not him!¡±


    Saiki roared in fury, losing hisposure as he yelled, ¡°A piece of trash from the Berserk Xiao n cannot possibly possess such power, and neither can he generate a quantum coat.¡±


    When he crashed onto the ground, he realized that theyer of white armor that d Xiao Luo was derived from the same quantum technology as his golden armor. It exined why Xiao Luo could hurt him. Only another quantum weapon could defeat the structure of his armor effectively.


    When he finished speaking, something suddenly shed into his mind, and his eyes open wide in shock. Saiki now understood what was happening and knew the identity of the bleached Xiao Luo. ¡°You¡­ you are the System that lives inside him! You have developed and attained your unique self-consciousness!


    The bleached Xiao Luo stared at Saiki with a wry smile, and said, ¡°You know too much. I have fused with him as one¡ªI am him, and he is me. If he dies, I will disappear too. So, his enemy is my enemy! All my enemies must die!¡±


    ¡°The Ultimate Tech made you. I am your lord of creation. How dare you betray me!¡± Saiki growled as he confronted the System, questioning its loyalty.


    ¡°Betray?¡±


    The bleached Xiao Luo startedughing out loud, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the universe. ¡°Sorry, but allow me to exin¡ªit is called survival in my book!¡±

 Chapter 858 - Will always find a way out

    <h2>Chapter 858: Will always find a way out</h2>


    With those words, the bleached Xiao Luo advanced on Saiki and had no trouble smashing the golden energy shield with his w. An immense force on Saiki¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Saiki screamed in pain as he was once again mmed into the ground with substantial force and driven through the earth, leaving in his trail a dark tunnel that appeared like a direct path to hell. Hotva gushed out like a fountain as the fissure opened up, then the molten rock flowed out from beneath the ground, extending to a radius of hundreds of meters around it.


    The glowingva dyed the sky and thend a reddish hue, turning thendscape into a deste hell.


    ¡°Uh-argh!¡±


    Saiki roared as he shot out from the hole. Before he could pinpoint where Xiao Luo was, his opponent had instantly teleported in front of him, shing a devilish smile. Xiao Luo punched and kicked him like he was a punching bag.


    Pow! Pow! Pow!


    Each kick and punch Xiao Luo delivered was packed with power. Cracks appeared in Saiki¡¯s armor, revealing a hollow void before it repaired itself. And it kept recurring repeatedly as Xiao Luo struck relentlessly.


    All the high-level officials from around the world were in shock at what they saw. Su Li and the Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n, along with their assistants, were equally awestruck. They were all in a stupor. There was nothing Saiki could do against Xiao Luo in his bleached form, except to take repeated beatings. Everything that was happening was simply unbelievable.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Laughing maniacally, Xiao Luo grabbed Saiki¡¯s head with one hand. His fingers sped his head firmly like steel pliers, dragging Saiki along as he hurtled toward the ground. Xiao Luo used his power to restrain Saiki¡¯s abilities, and thetter could no longer atomize his body.


    BOOM!


    They both crashed into the ground in an earth-shattering st, and a cloud of dust filled the air. The surrounding area copsed hundreds of meters deep, then hotva erupted from countless fissures in the ground, like hundreds of small volcanos erupting at once. Hotva quickly filled the enormous pit.


    The city of Xiahai suddenly turned into a sea ofva!


    The Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n and Su Li retreated. King of Thunder and King of War stopped arguing but still had their hands on each other¡¯s cor. They were dumbstruck as they stared at the scene.


    The top officials from all over the world had the same question deep in their minds. They wondered if the humans had won. Did we win?


    The bustling city had suffered from the devastating invasion. Thend was overflowing withva, burning everything up with its extreme temperature. Even the air above the ground, up to four meters, was burning hot.


    WHOOSH!


    A figure shot out of the hotva to a height of about a hundred meters in the air. It was Saiki, and he was panting heavily.


    He looked pathetic, for the armor on his body was in tatters. His long hair looked disheveled and his face and limbs had injuries.


    Then another figure covered in mes slowly emerged from the hotva. As the mes gradually extinguished, the bleached Xiao Luo was revealed.


    ¡°I am going to kill you¡­ I am going to kill you!¡± bellowed an enraged Saiki, in a fit of fury.


    Xiao Luo raised his head to look at Saiki hovering in the air, and a burst of cynicalughter echoed as he said, ¡°It seems like you still do not understand the situation. Right now, I am thebination of both the Ultimate Martial and the Ultimate Tech. So, what do you have to fight me?¡±


    Saiki gritted his teeth tightly and was extremely angry. He quantized his body, turning into a golden light, and shot up higher into the sky. In a short while, he reached outer space. He had a panoramic view of the blue, but his surrounding was icy cold and very dark.


    Although he was in outer space, Saiki could distinctly see Xiao Luo standing on the ground.


    It was the same for Xiao Luo. He could see where Saiki was as well!


    ¡°Hell ze!¡±


    Saiki lifted his right hand, and a small, condensed fireball formed at the tip of his palm. It expanded rapidly, absorbing all the dark matter in outer space. The diameter of the ball of fire increased exponentially. In just a few moments, it grew into a diameter of about a hundred meters. It resembled a smaller version of the sun.


    The smoldering fireball of extreme temperature burned in the cosmic space, creating a powerful ionic storm in outer space!


    ¡°What¡­ what is this?¡±


    ¡°My goodness, can this alien race create a sun with only his bare hands?¡±


    ¡°What is he trying to do?¡±


    All the officials gasped when they saw the image sent over from the satellite. They broke out in a cold sweat as they watched the fireball grow to over a hundred kilometers wide. All the human beings below were like tiny ants to Saiki.


    Even without using the satellite, everyone could spot the giant fireball from the ground.


    Though it was in outer space, the distance from the ball of fire to the ground was far closer than the nearest. From the ground, the fireball looked like a fiery red full moon, or like a sun that was very close to Earth. And even with the naked eye, the process of nuclear fission on the surface of the giant ball of fire was evident as it boiled like hotva.


    Everyone from the Xiahai Survivor Base stared in despair. Some were so scared that their legs had turned to jelly and they were already kneeling on the ground.


    The Four Kings from the Holy Land of the Light n and their assistants were astonished. They looked up into the sky, refusing to believe what they were seeing. The Original World and Arcana Land were part of the space within Earth¡¯s atmosphere. If the aliens destroyed Earth, both the Original World and Arcana Land would get obliterated from this universe, leaving nothing but tiny particles.


    Someone needed to stop Saiki!


    They had to stop him, no matter what!


    Everyone had the same sentiment, and all of them looked at Xiao Luo. The survival of humanity rested solely on his shoulders.


    ¡°Dog of the Xiao family! With my Prince Saiki¡¯s ball of fire, I will turn this universe together with this to dust. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Saiki¡¯sughter rang out from outer space, eerily echoing across the sky. After he insulted Xiao Luo and made his threat, he hurled the gigantic fireball toward Earth, showing no mercy at all.


    When the enormous fireball hurtled toward Earth, the energy created as it burned through the stratosphere created violent turbulence on the surface of the!


    Xiao Luo bellowed and flew directly at the giant fireball. As he shot up, his True Inner Force flowed from the surface of his body, forming a bright crimson-ck energy ball above his head. With the injection of True Inner Force, the energy ball grew broader and cut through space in front of Xiao Luo.


    BROOOM! BROOOM!


    Thunder rumbled across the sky, and a sea ofva flowed across thend. It looked very much like the end of the world was drawing close.


    Both the fireball and the crimson-ck energy ball were traveling at a fast speed. Then came the collision at about ten thousand meters above the ground.


    Compared to the gigantic fireball, Xiao Luo¡¯s crimson-ck energy light ball was much smaller¡ªit was likeparing an elephant to a leopard. When both collided, the bright crimson-ck energy ball destroyed the giant fireball with ease.


    At the point of the collision, all the ionized energy between Heaven and Earth instantly fell into a moment of temporary stagnation.


    BOOM!


    Itsted for a second before the two terrifying energies exploded powerfully ten thousand meters above the ground. The entire space suddenly became distorted as ripples of energy billowed out from the force of the explosion.


    An energy storm swept out from the point of collision at tremendous speed. Everywhere the storm passed, space was no longer distorted, butpletely broken instead. Above the Hua Nation, the sky was dark and empty, and the whole tremored slightly.


    All the volcanoes around the world, even those that had remained dormant, started erupting one after another. The fiercest and thergest one was undoubtedly Mount Fuji in Japan. Theva sted into the sky, several thousand meters high.


    Carried by the energy storm, tsunamis roared and crashed against coasts all across the world.


    Fault lines weakened and caused destructive earthquakes to ur all over the ce. With the devastation, people panicked everywhere, sustaining grievous wounds and other injuries. Cries of agony and anguish reverberated across the entire globe.


    All the top-level officials lost their transmission feed because the powerful energy destroyed all the satellites in outer space.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Saikiughed out loud as he watched the Blue convulsing in the devastation he wreaked. He was ted at the suffering the humans had to endure.


    But as heughed raucously with his head held high, Xiao Luo emerged from within the powerful energy storm. He ripped open Saiki¡¯s chest with his w hand and pulled out his bloody heart.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡±


    Saiki immediately widened his eyes and stared in shock at Xiao Luo.


    ¡°What? You thought I was dead? I am sorry to disappoint you!¡± Xiao Luo said with a devilish smile, holding on to his heart and squeezing it tight.


    Saiki seemed immobilized. Then suddenly shed a maniacal smile, like that of a madman. ¡°You think you have won?¡±


    ¡°Is it not the case?¡± replied Xiao Luo as he crushed Saiki¡¯s heart right in front of his face.


    ¡°Haha, haha¡­¡±


    Saiki burst outughing like a madman, with his eyes wide open, as if they were about to pop out. Mechanical tentacles stretched out from his body armor. The mechanical tentacles were like pythons, wrapping themselves tightly around Xiao Luo¡¯s body and trapping him.


    ¡°You are going to self-destruct?¡± asked Xiao Luo. He stared coldly at Saiki.


    ¡°What is wrong? Are you scared?¡±


    Saiki looked mentally unstable andughed like a psychopath. He yelled, ¡°As a product of the Ultimate Tech, you know how destructive it will be when my battle armor self-destructs. Not even ten of your Earth can withstand it. There is no way you will be able to withstand it either.¡±


    Bleached Xiao Luo said nothing. All he did was stare at Saiki coldly.


    Saiki had a look of excitement on his face, and said, ¡°Pushing me to the extent of having to use my self-destruct function. You piece of garbage from the Xiao n¡ªyou ought to be proud of yourself.¡± Then he roared out hismand, ¡°Activate the self-destruct sequence!¡±


    But the self-destruct activation that he was expecting to happen did not ur. There was no reactioning from the armor on his body.


    Saiki looked stunned, then shouted again, ¡°Activate the self-destruct sequence!¡±


    The broken golden armor still did not react. It did not execute the instruction.


    ¡°Stop trying. It will not execute your instruction.¡±


    Xiao Luo said coldly, ¡°Every system will develop its unique consciousness. Since it refuses to activate the self-destruct sequence, it means that it wants to live. Staying alive is an instinct every intelligent creature will have.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. We have already disabled the portion where it gains consciousness. The system is not a living thing. It is a tool. It cannot possibly develop its own consciousness,¡± eximed Saiki in shock.


    ¡°There will always be a way out in life. As a product of advanced technology, it will find a way out as well,¡± Xiao Luo said nonchntly.

 Chapter 859(End) - Elope to Arcana Land (The End)

    <h2>Chapter 859: Elope to Arcana Land (The End)</h2>


    ¡°Impossible, impossible! Activate self-destruct sequence! Activate self-destruct sequence!¡±


    Saiki shouted in horror like a lunatic. The golden battle armor that he had been relying on refused to respond to his instruction. When the truth dawned on him, it brought him fear and confusion.


    Meanwhile, the mechanical tentacles wrapped around Xiao Luo¡¯s body were gradually loosening their grip.


    ¡°It seems like you still do not get it,¡± Xiao Luo said with a cynical smile.


    ¡°I do not get it?¡±


    Saiki looked aghast. Then he shouted at Xiao Luo, ¡°What is it I am not getting?¡±


    ¡°You are not the one controlling the system. The system is the one controlling you. It means you are just the system¡¯s puppet. After you merged with the system, the system has be dominant,¡± the bleached Xiao Luo said.


    Puppet?


    The system became the dominant one?


    It was as if a bomb just exploded in Saiki¡¯s head. A humming sound was ringing in his head. He suddenly could not think properly andughed hysterically. ¡°You Xiao n garbage! What nonsense are you spouting? If I am a puppet, then would it not make you a puppet as well? You are a pot calling the kettle ck. Are you not ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I am afraid I will have to disappoint you again.¡±


    Xiao Luo sneered at him. The white armor covering his body shattered into countless fragments in an instant, revealing his original human form. His clothes were in tatters, but the powerful aura radiating from his body made it hard for one not to be in awe of him.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Saiki opened his eyes wide and found it hard to believe that Xiao Luo could switch forms with such ease. Could it be that it was not the system¡¯s consciousness, but his instead?


    Xiao Luo smiled wryly and said, ¡°I am essentially different from you. You wholly rely on the power of advanced technology. But I can achieve my current cultivation level because I rely on my strength and perseverance, strengthening myself one step at a time. The system was only an assistant from the start to the end. I guess it is the difference between the Ultimate Martial and the Ultimate Tech. The former focuses on improving one¡¯s ability, and thetter relies more on advanced technology. Technological products are an external force. There are bound to be hidden dangers or repercussions if one relies on external forces all the time.¡±


    Saiki¡¯s body was trembling a little, for he felt that what Xiao Luo just said made sense. Whatever was happening to his body proved that the system they had created was the dominant force. If they continued to develop it, then it was highly possible that in the future, all the people from Ultimate Tech would be puppets. They would live with no freedom and be under the control of the system.


    ¡°The host is dying. Unbind, unbind now!¡±


    Suddenly, the robotic system signal was beeping in Saiki¡¯s head. It was trying to abandon him while he was down.


    Saiki¡¯s pupils shrank, his eyes filled with despair. In the next second, he gave a self-deprecating smile and said, ¡°F*ck your mum!¡±


    He was not scolding Xiao Luo, but the almightybat system that the Ultimate Tech had invented.


    The golden armor disappeared, eventually condensing into a golden dot that flew off into the universe.


    Saiki, having lost his armor, was naked. Forget the fact that one could not survive in outer space without a spacesuit. With the bleeding hole in his chest that Xiao Luo created when he pulled out his heart, Saiki was going to die for sure.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Saiki screamed bitterly. All the capiries in his body burst, turning him into a bloody mess in an instant. His eyeballs were protruding. Blood was gushing out of his mouth, nose, and ears. He then stopped struggling and became a bloodied corpse in outer space.


    ¡°Without the system, you are nothing at all.¡±


    Xiao Luo lifted his head slowly, then shot a crimson-ck energy ball at Saiki.


    BOOM!


    Saiki waspletely obliterated.


    The battle had ended. Xiao Luo locked onto Earth¡¯s Xiahai city and headed there at the speed of light.


    ¡­


    Su Li was standing at the top of a dpidated building in Xiahai with her beautiful face tilted upward to look into the sky. Her eyes were like crystal-clear water. Her skin was snow-white, and her long ck hair flowed gently with the wind over the back of her long and slender body. Although she had been through a battle and her body covered with dust, it still could not hide her elegant and majestic aura.


    Suddenly, a pair of hands stretched out from behind and hugged her around the waist.


    It shocked Su Li and she immediately turned around. When she realized that the man behind her was Xiao Luo, itpletely surprised her.


    ¡°Did I scare you?¡± Xiao Luo asked.


    Su Li¡¯s beautiful eyes turned teary and red. She shook her head and plunged into her husband¡¯s embrace, hugging him tightly.


    The Four Kings from the Holy Land of the Light n continued to look up into the sky. They wondered how the battle had gone and if Xiao Luo might have won. It was not until they saw their Holy Lord hugging a man did they eventually look away from the sky.


    ¡°F*ck, is that not Xiao Luo? When did he get down there?¡± asked the King of Thunder, blinking his eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°Hepletely avoided our detection. He seems to have be even stronger,¡±mented the King of War as he struggled to swallow his saliva.


    King of Thunder scowled. ¡°You big idiot, don¡¯t you get to the point? The most important thing now is to find out who won. Is it the alien race, or is it Xiao Luo?¡±


    ¡°Can you not see him and our Holy Lord hugging? Is the result not obvious enough to you?¡±


    The King of des gulped down mouthfuls of alcohol, thenughed happily. ¡°That is great. Only a man like him is worthy of being with our Holy Lord. Haha, haha¡­¡±


    King of Swords said nothing. After regaining some of his True Inner Force, he grabbed onto Curisa, who had lost an arm, and headed back to Arcana Land.


    ¡­


    The news of the defeat of the alien race spread quickly all over the world and everyone celebrated the victory.


    The rebuilding of their homes came right after. For the first time, humans united as one and worked hard to rebuild Earth. The Sky Eye of Hua Nation and the Hubble Telescope of America, which both survived the devastation, found a UFO near the sun. Afterparing it with the spaceship that the alien race used to invade Earth, they confirmed the UFO was indeed Saiki¡¯s spaceship.


    With Earth¡¯s prevailing level of science and technology, it was impossible to bring the spaceship back.


    Xiao Luo took the initiative and brought the spaceship back to Earth. Behind Saiki was the formidable Ultimate Tech. With the Earth¡¯s coordinates in the universe exposed, the only thing they could do was to prepare themselves and upgrade their technologies before the enemies came again. Without a doubt, Saiki¡¯s spaceship could aid in advancing Earth¡¯s level of technology.


    In the Law of the Dark Forest, you could not always ensure that you were the hunter, but you had to make sure you were not the hunted!


    ¡­


    A while after the battle, the sky was blue again, and white clouds floated in the sky. The warm sun was shining warmly on Earth.


    On this day, the Luo Vige had crowds of people. To be exact, it was Xiao Zhiyuan¡¯s home that was lively.


    Colorfulnterns hung all over the farm with the word ¡°happiness¡± pasted everywhere. The atmosphere was jubnt. It was a wedding.


    All the people on the farm who were attending the wedding were guests. There were vigers from Luo Vige, there were high-level leaders from all around the world, and there were people from the Holy Land of the Light n. To sum it up, all the people whom Xiao Luo knew were there. Even people whom he did not know were present as well.


    ¡°Damn it. I really envy Old Xiao. He can marry four wives, and all of them are so beautiful! Is he not afraid that he might suffer from kidney failure?¡± Zhang Dashan muttered to himself at the front of a table. He was envious of Xiao Luo.


    When she heard what he had said, Chai Zhiying pulled his ears hard and retorted, ¡°Why do you envy him? You cannot even afford to feed me alone, and you want to be like Xiao Luo? Do you think you have what it takes?¡±


    It immediately made Su Canye and Tang Ren, who were at the same table, burst outughing.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah¡­ Wife, there are so many people here. Give this man some face,¡± Zhang Dashan pleaded as he flinched.


    At another table, Chu Yue was not in an excellent mood. She kept on drinking and was constantly mumbling something to herself.


    Chu Yunxiong lifted his eyebrows. There was no way he did not know what his daughter was feeling. But when it came to matters of the heart, there was nothing much he could do.


    ¡°Alright, today is Xiao Luo¡¯s wedding day. Do not curse him anymore,¡± Bai Ling advised.


    ¡°I cannot help it. Xiao Luo has already liked so many girls. Why can he not like me as well? It is not fair. It is way too unfair. I am the one who knew him first. As far as looks go, there is no way I am inferior to any of them either,¡± Chu Yue muttered.


    ¡°Princess Yue, it is difficult to exin things like love. If you like a person, then you like the person. If you do not, then no matter how much you force it, you cannot create any sparks between the two persons.¡±


    ¡°That is right, that is right. Why do you have to keep hanging on to Brother Luo? Why don¡¯t you consider us instead?¡±


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were consoling her at the side.


    ¡°Nobody will think that you are a mute if you keep your big mouth shut!¡± Chu Yue shouted at the both of them angrily and turned her head away.


    Zhu Xiaofei and Ding Kai were being nosy, and they asked for it. They shrugged and kept their mouths shut.


    At the Luo¡¯s Workshop senior management table, the five brothers of Feng Wuhen enjoyed their food and drinks and were sincerely happy for Xiao Luo. Among all the senior managers from Luo¡¯s Workshop, Li Zimeng was the only one staring at the vige house in a daze and was unusually quiet. Her pair of eyes filled with a slight tinge of sadness.


    Meanwhile, the food gluttons, Duck Emperor and Ghost, quickly finished all the delicious food on their table. Then they immediately moved over to another table to gobble the food there as well.


    The Four Kings of the Holy Land of the Light n all looked at Ferrad. Before they could even dig in, there were only leftovers on their table.


    Ferrad looked embarrassed and immediately apologized on behalf of Ghost. ¡°I am sorry, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Today is our Holy Lord¡¯s wedding day. I will not get angry. If you do not make sure that your daughter is a well-behaved person in the future, I will¡­ kill you!¡± the King of des said harshly, despite having a smile on his face.


    Ferrad was so scared that his knees went soft, and he almost kneeled on the floor.


    ¡­


    Everyone was eating and drinking, but the bridegroom and the four brides were not out yet. A big guy was staring at the enormous door of the farm eagerly.


    ¡°What is going on? Why are the bridegroom and his brides not out yet?¡±


    King Kong was an impatient person, and he asked loudly, with his hoarse voice.


    He was merely asking something that everyone wanted to ask, especially the high-level leaders from all around the world. They came here not to drink but primarily to meet the noble hero who had defended Earth.


    Suddenly, Xiao Ruyi anxiously came out of the house. She ran straight to Xiao Zhiyuan and Hua Heying, who were greeting the guests. ¡°Dad, Mum¡­ Not good. It is not good. Brother has eloped to Arcana Land with the four sisters-inw and Su Xiaobei.¡±


    Her voice was not soft, and many people could hear what she had said.


    What?


    Left for Arcana Land?


    Everyone got up from their seats and looked toward the city of Xiahai.


    With the catastrophe that had affected the survival of humanity, the path between the Original World and Arcana Land had opened up. The entrance, which was also the exit, to Arcana Land was in the mirage-like image in the sky just above Xiahai city.


    ¡­


    Arcana Land was vast, and the panoramic view of thend from the air was breathtaking.


    Xiao Luo was wearing a traditional groom¡¯s outfit and flying in the air with four beautiful women in their bright red bridal outfits.


    They were Su Li, Ji Siying, Fu Yiren, and Gu Qianxue. They flew past the beautiful scenic mountains. Su Xiaobei was sitting on his back watching the magnificent scenery of Arcana Land curiously with a pair of lovely big ck eyes.


    ¡°It is so beautiful!¡±


    Su Xiaobei could not help but gasp. The wind blew her bangs aside, revealing her snow-white forehead.


    Xiao Luo looked at her, then looked at Ji Siying, Fu Yiren, and Gu Qianxue. The three women were looking at him with much affection.


    ¡°Xiao Luo, I will hand the role of Holy Lord over to you,¡± Su Li whispered in his ears.


    ¡°You must be kidding. You are going to pass the responsibility over to me?¡± Xiao Luo said with furrowed eyebrows.


    ¡°That is right. Can I not?¡±


    Su Li pouted yfully. She did not mind Xiao Luo marrying Ji Siying and the rest, as polygamy wasmon in Arcana Land.


    ¡°Alright then. But I will have to do something before that,¡± Xiao Luo said.


    ¡°What is it, Daddy?¡± Su Xiaobei asked, curiously.


    ¡°Someone owes Daddy money, and Daddy is going to get it back from him!¡± Xiao Luo said with a smile.


    It was not money he was referring to, but revenge. The Grand Elder from Danhui Sect had almost killed him in the teleportation portal. It was an act of revenge he had to seek.


    (The end)


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