Talent

A crotch-shot gun.

That was all it took.

The crowd that had been so aggressive just moments before seemed to have had a bucket of cold water thrown over them. Their offensive crumbled instantly.

Everyone was backing away, their feet moving as if they were on a space-walk—one step, two steps, like demonic footsteps.

Every gaze unconsciously drifted downward to the groin area. A chill ran through their crotches.

Attack again?

Who could guarantee the next bullet wouldn’t come for them? That thing had no eyes, and it aimed straight for the vital parts.

Oriental Leaf was quite satisfied with the effect. He didn’t even bother to look at those cowards. Instead, he turned his head lazily toward the two people behind him.

“You two go over to the car, stay close to that young man. He can protect you.”

No sooner had he spoken than things took a sudden turn.

Three sharp whistles cut through the night air—the sound of some sharp object tearing through the air at high speed.

Three streaks of cold light formed an arrowhead pattern, heading straight for Oriental Leaf’s face. The blades shimmered with a greasy green glow that made one’s scalp tingle just to look at it.

“Oh?”

Instead of being alarmed, Oriental Leaf was delighted. A flicker of excitement lit up his eyes.

He didn’t even bother to dodge. He clenched his right fist and thrust it straight ahead.

The air coalesced. An invisible giant fist shot outward as well.

Clang!

When the fist’s wind collided with the blades, it produced the dull ring of metal striking metal.

The three flying knives hit an invisible wall, bounced off, and tumbled away, embedding themselves diagonally into the distant ground, their handles still quivering.

That wasn’t the end.

Before Oriental Leaf could retract his fist, a denser whistling erupted from the darkness again.

This time, six knives!

High and low, left and right—completely sealing off any path of evasion Oriental Leaf might have taken.

But Oriental Leaf had no intention of dodging.

“Nice one.”

Instead of retreating, Oriental Leaf stepped forward with a low shout. He threw both arms wide open.

A surge of immense power exploded outward from his center, stirring up dust and fallen leaves from the ground and forming a visible ring of air.

A clattering chaos rang out.

The six flying knives, thrown later but faster, were sent flying every which way by the airwave, losing their aim and scattering across the ground.

“Hide-and-seek is over. Get out here now!”

Oriental Leaf’s eyes shot like lightning. He reached out toward the deepest patch of shadow to his left front, his five fingers hooking as if grabbing at empty air.

In that patch of darkness, a small pocket of space collapsed inward.

Then, he flexed his wrist and yanked back hard!

“Ugh!” A short, choked grunt came from the shadows.

A dark figure was caught off guard, yanked out of the darkness by an invisible giant hand, flung into the air, and sent flying in a clumsy arc.

“Got you. You’re the one who killed Director Han, aren’t you?”

Thud!

The figure hit the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust. That person struggled to get up, but a foot ruthlessly stomped onto the middle of their back.

“Pfft!”

The breath was knocked out of them. The remaining air in their lungs was forced out, leaving them twitching helplessly like a fish out of water.

Oriental Leaf ground his heel down, slowly sweeping his gaze across the nearby thugs, who were now completely frozen. A cold smile spread across his lips.

He shook the crotch-shot gun in his hand.

“Everyone, hands on your heads. Hit the ground.”

“If anyone moves, or if I even think they want to end up like a eunuch...”

He paused, shifting his gaze between the back of the person beneath his foot and the crotches of the assembled thugs. The implication was clear.

“This gun of mine isn’t limited to one use.”

The men crouched down one by one. Over a dozen men, but not one dared to move.

Oriental Leaf looked down at the person beneath him and gave them another couple of firm grinds with his toe.

This person’s abilities resembled Qin Suishou’s somewhat, but only superficially. They mimicked the form without capturing the spirit—rough and clumsy.

Behind him, Wang Chen and the girl hadn’t moved.

Wang Chen watched the person under the foot, then shot a glance at the distant figures of Daoist Hegui and his disciples. Still unable to hold back, he cautiously edged closer.

“So, you’re really from the Yanhuang Awakening?”

Without turning his head, Oriental Leaf spoke in a tone as flat as if he were asking about the weather.

“Yes. First, tell me what exactly you saw in that Director Han’s house.”

With one sentence, he took back control of the conversation.

Wang Chen instinctively glanced again toward Daoist Hegui. Seeing no movement from them, he lowered his voice and spoke rapidly.

“That Han guy was never a good man! He had my whole family killed. Then I accidentally overheard him and my master whispering in the temple. They made a deal. They said that when I turn eighteen, they’d send me off like a piece of merchandise to some big shot!”

As he spoke, Wang Chen’s fists clenched unconsciously. His young face was filled with humiliation and lingering fear.

Oriental Leaf’s brow furrowed. His gaze traveled past Wang Chen’s shoulder and landed on the three distant figures.

Daoist Hegui and his two disciples were watching them intently, not moving an inch.

“So you ran away from the Chongyang Temple,” Oriental Leaf said. It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes!” Wang Chen nodded emphatically. “My master... he’s too powerful. I couldn’t fight him. But that Han guy was just an ordinary man. So I thought, I’ll end it once and for all—kill him first!”

The youth’s thinking was simple and direct, laced with a harsh edge.

Oriental Leaf didn’t interrupt. He gestured for him to continue.

“But I didn’t expect that when I finally snuck into his house, I found her in the utility room.”

Wang Chen motioned toward the girl beside him, who had been silent the whole time. At his gesture, she trembled slightly.

“I was just going to take her away. But as luck would have it, the whole Han family—together with those people—chose that exact moment to come back.”

Wang Chen pointed at the men again.

“Things got urgent. I could only pull her into the closet under the counter with me. They seemed to have some disagreement over something. They talked, then started fighting, and things turned chaotic out there.”

“They didn’t search the house?” Oriental Leaf hit the key point.

“At first, no.”

Wang Chen’s face took on a strange expression, almost embarrassed. “I was hiding. Later, when it went quiet outside, I came out. The entire Han family was dead. I figured, dead is dead, so I thought I’d chant a funeral sutra to help their souls along.”

Oriental Leaf: “...”

He didn’t even bother giving the young apprentice a look. Only one thought ran through his mind.

What a talent.

Wang Chen knew he had done something stupid. He scratched his head awkwardly. “But just when I finished, they all came rushing back.”

He let out a deep breath, his face full of the relief of having survived a close call.

“After that, we had no choice but to run for our lives. But the strange thing is, no matter where we went, they always caught up fast. It was like... like we had something on us that pointed them in the right direction.”