Chapter 20: The Wooden Sister

At this moment, Lin Zhan felt he was more than just a little unlucky. In fact, he had just fallen—after successfully lighting the signal fire to scare the enemy, his excitement got the better of him and he slipped. Fortunately, he managed to adjust his posture midair and landed safely enough. To others, it probably looked like he was showing off with some flashy move.

“Kid, have you grown tired of living? If I don’t teach you a lesson today, my name isn’t Wei!” Wei Qinglong advanced step by step, each one slow and deliberate, aiming to impose a palpable sense of threat.

Lin Zhan pursed his lips and retorted, “Let me tell you, people who say things like that never end well!”

But inwardly, he was desperately chanting, “Brother Ten, Senior Brother Ten, where are you? Why haven’t you shown up yet?”

He wasn’t afraid of Wei Qinglong. With his cultivation sealed, the man was, at best, a particularly tough ordinary person. If it came to a fight, it might look messy, but Lin Zhan could handle it. What worried him were the unfamiliar men behind Wei Qinglong—obviously hired help, and they might possess genuine cultivation power.

There was no time for further thought; Wei Qinglong was already upon him.

He had no choice but to brace himself!

Well then, since the opponent was off guard, he might as well take the chance to give Wei Qinglong a thorough beating.

The “Wind and Rain Cloud” footwork had only just begun to make sense to him, and this was the perfect opportunity to practice.

With a furious roar, Wei Qinglong hurled a fist, putting all his strength into the blow. His face twisted into a particularly savage expression.

With a sharp exhale, Lin Zhan’s mind shifted and his body suddenly felt lighter, as though swept up by swirling wind and clouds.

Where the heart intends, the body follows!

Whoa, close call—he almost moved too hastily and botched it!

Lin Zhan shifted to his left and back, his determined face brushing past Wei Qinglong’s fist, narrowly avoiding the blow.

“Let’s see how long your luck holds!” Wei Qinglong swung again with another roar.

With each punch, he bellowed, trying to amplify his own momentum.

Lin Zhan’s answering shouts were more for show, just to keep up appearances. Inwardly, he grumbled, “If I were really lucky, I’d have dodged a dozen feet away by now—why am I still nearly getting hit?”

But his body wasn’t idle. Now that he’d found his rhythm with the Wind and Rain Cloud steps, he slipped rightward and back this time; Wei Qinglong once again punched thin air, his fist a full foot from Lin Zhan’s face.

“Roar!”

“Hah!”

“Roar…”

“Hah…”

“Hah, your sister!”

“I’m single, no sisters. Captain Wei, do you have one?”

“I… damn—”

Without meaning to, Lin Zhan’s taunts further enraged Wei Qinglong, whose punches grew faster and more ferocious, but also increasingly sloppy.

This only made it easier for Lin Zhan to spot openings.

After all, Lin Zhan wasn’t untrained. He was about to graduate from the official police academy in Huaxia! One-on-one, he’d never truly feared anyone.

Spotting a fleeting opening, he seized the chance without hesitation.

With a shout, Lin Zhan’s body—its strength and fist hardened by the Nine-Star Diagram—launched forward.

A pained howl answered him. Wait, that wasn’t a roar—why’d it turn into a yelp?

The members of the Plum Blossom Hall, who’d been watching, finally realized what had happened and couldn’t bear to look.

Boss Wei had been beaten!

Wei Qinglong, once at the peak of the human realm, might have his cultivation sealed, but his foundation remained. Human realm training was all about channeling energy and refining the body—a process that fundamentally transformed a person. Lin Zhan, a novice, shouldn’t have been able to compare.

So how was it that Boss Wei, after being struck, staggered back a dozen steps, landed heavily on the ground, and clutched his chest, vomiting blood?

Coughing up mouthfuls of blood, Wei Qinglong cut a terrifying figure.

Lin Zhan withdrew his gaze and looked at his own fist, thinking, “It’s not that I hit too hard; blame it on the Nine-Star Diagram’s spiritual power. I can’t control the strength yet!”

This was due to his inexperience—fighting with spiritual power was fundamentally different from the hand-to-hand combat taught at the police academy. Every move could be a matter of life and death; learning to control his strength in a pinch would require more training.

And as it happened, the opportunity for practice immediately presented itself.

“You dare hit our boss? I’ll kill you!” The vice-captain of the Plum Blossom Hall’s laborer squad, seeing his captain beaten and being his closest follower, was the first to charge with a howl.

All the others, except the three hired helpers, rushed in as well.

Wind and Rain Cloud!

Though not yet a formal cultivator, Lin Zhan’s physical strength and resilience had already reached the level of a mid-stage foundation-building cultivator. With spiritual power augmenting his movements, he could now handle several opponents at once with ease.

Since his enemies’ cultivation was all sealed, they were left with nothing but their menacing presence.

His fists, eager for battle and charged with the force of wind and cloud, crashed into the crowd. His attacks seemed chaotic but each punch landed squarely on an opponent.

In that moment, Lin Zhan fought like a god of war, reveling in the thrill of combat.

Seven or eight against one—of course he took a few hits, but it was well worth it.

The more he fought, the braver he became, until every opponent lay sprawled across the ground.

In battle, victory is measured by who remains standing. Lin Zhan still stood tall, while the captain, vice-captain, and disciples of Plum Blossom Hall were all flat on their backs.

“Senior Brother Wei, hand over the Ice Spirit Flower!” Lin Zhan pretended not to notice the three strangers still standing in the back. He faced Wei Qinglong and extended his hand.

“You… don’t push me!” Wei Qinglong instinctively braced himself on the ground, edging away. Then he turned to his helpers. “Why didn’t you come help me?”

“Well, Senior Brother Wei, you told us to let you handle it yourself just now, so…” Helper A shrank back, having just assessed that he’d probably only fight Lin Zhan to a draw given the latter’s superior movement technique. It would only be embarrassing to jump in now.

“Well, since you’ve secured the Ice Spirit Flower, my task is complete. I’ll take my leave!” Helper B said crisply, bowing slightly.

He also tried to drag Helper C away—they’d come together, after all.

If Lin Zhan had known what those two were secretly communicating, he’d have been shocked.

Helper C: “Are we really leaving now? What if something happens? Can Lin Zhan handle it alone?”

Helper B: “Judging by the time, Brother Ten should be arriving soon. We’d better go, or we’ll get kicked around again!”

Helper C: “If Brother Ten is coming, then we really shouldn’t leave yet. Didn’t we agree to keep an eye on Wei to make sure he didn’t slip away after stealing the Ice Spirit Flower?”

This was a drama worthy of a spy novel!

If you’ve read this far, don’t forget to add Old Hei’s book to your shelf and throw some recommendation votes this way!