The man with the stick had blond hair, which by now had beco grimy, like a yellow rag.
The key was his face, which was exactly the sa one Li Chengyi had just seen, that handso man who had drugged Zhao Xiaoli.
"It’s you?"
Li Chengyi swept a glance around, walls were splattered with blood, and the man’s wounds had been considerately dressed and bandaged.
But his question was dood to remain unanswered.
The handso man lifted his head, as if he felt soone approaching, and revealed his face.
Both of his eyes had been gouged out, and blood stread from his ear canals.
Clearly, he could neither see nor hear.
"...." Li Chengyi was at a loss for words and turned to walk away.
By day, he had seen the bustle of Chaoyu, by night, it was filled with bloodthirsty brutality.
He had only made it to the mouth of the alley when two tall n, wielding black machetes, blocked the exit.
The two n looked at him, as if assessing sothing.
Seconds later, they stepped aside to make way, silently gesturing with their hands.
Li Chengyi imdiately understood and quickened his pace out of the alley, blending into the nightti throng on the street.
The next morning.
He was back at Catherine Bar.
The sa spot, the sa people, the sa honeyed milk.
Zhao Xiaoli was there too, in her usual seat, right next to him. "Hi."
Still wearing a mask, her eyes crinkled into a smile as she greeted him.
"The guy from yesterday got taken care of, was that your doing?" Li Chengyi sat down and asked.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about." Zhao Xiaoli shook her head.
Li Chengyi suddenly felt the milk was a bit too sweet, looking up at the bartender serving them, he noticed the staff had changed.
"Are you looking for the previous bartender?" Zhao Xiaoli asked.
"Yeah, today’s isn’t as good as yesterday’s," Li Chengyi said.
"He’s dead," Zhao Xiaoli said with a laugh.
"Dead?"
"Yes, he was killed by so do-gooder in a car accident."
"...." Li Chengyi looked at her, she was discussing a death, but there was no hint of solemnity or heaviness on Zhao Xiaoli’s face, only cheerfulness.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because he saw sothing he shouldn’t have, and chose to remain silent," Zhao Xiaoli said.
"Why do it like this? He didn’t deserve to die," Li Chengyi frowned.
"Big brother Li, have you ever heard a saying?"
"What saying?"
"When there are few in this world who understand you, eliminate those who don’t. This way, you’re left only with friends who share your values. Then the world becos a beautiful place..." Zhao Xiaoli explained with a smile.
Li Chengyi was speechless.
But on closer inspection, this girl seed to fit the criteria he was looking for in the Holy Infant.
He thought it over.
"But this way you’ll make many enemies. You might get hurt, even die."
"It doesn’t matter. If all of us good people kill one bad person each day, the world will beco a better place."
"...." There seed to be sothing off about that statent...
Li Chengyi was speechless.
"Aren’t you afraid of dying?" he asked.
"Not afraid. After all, life itself is quite boring. Death might not be eternal slumber, but rather rebirth, going to other different planets, worlds, to live a different life. Sotis I’m quite looking forward to it," she said, still smiling.
But by now, Li Chengyi could clearly sense her abnormality.
In his life, he had t many people, but she was the first one so twisted and abnormal.
Not even White Skeleton was this distorted in their worldview.
But wasn’t this even better? She t the selection criteria for the Holy Infant perfectly.
He pondered.
"But there are too many bad people in this world, even if you try hard, you can’t accomplish much alone."
"Yes... sotis it does feel quite powerless," Zhao Xiaoli nodded in agreent.
"Have you ever thought about becoming stronger on your own, instead of relying on your family’s power?" Li Chengyi asked.
"Sure, I’ve dabbled in Feiyi, combat technique, firearms fighter, and so on, but none of them et my expectations," Zhao Xiaoli sighed.
"They all require a lot of cooperation, help, and support from many people. It’s not purely executing one’s will. Once the team behind stops their support and maintenance, I can’t do anything..."
Clearly, she too had been constrained by others.
"So, one’s own strength is the foundation of survival," Li Chengyi murmured.
"That’s true."
"Since you have ideas, wealth, and resources, why not learn how to fight with ?" Li Chengyi suddenly offered.
"Learn to fight?"
"Yes. You can tell, you are a good person with ideals and aspirations. In this era, good people are always criticized, misunderstood, misinterpreted. So the more you do good, the more strength you need!" Li Chengyi said.
"...Do you think combat technique is strong?" Zhao Xiaoli asked, puzzled.
"Combat technique is not strong, it is the person that is always strong," Li Chengyi said.
He finished his milk in one gulp, stood up from his seat, and left the bar.
Zhao Xiaoli remained sitting, lost in thought.
Not far from where they were sitting, a short-haired girl was eavesdropping on their conversation, sweating profusely.
Zhao Xiaoli? That’s Zhao Xianrou!
In the Chaoyu Nobility, among the younger generation, there are only four who are utterly disgusting and frightening.
Zhao Xianrou was ranked third.
She was rightfully regarded as rcurial and neurotic, prone to endangering lives at the drop of a hat.
The key point was, she was extrely talented, a master of Feiyi, combat, and firearms, no one knew how strong she really was, but after surviving several assassination attempts by Grade Five assassins without so much as a scratch, you can imagine how formidable her hidden power must be.
And now, this mysteriously foreign man suddenly wanted to teach her combat technique?
Da Zhuang’s mind was filled with surging thoughts, and she had no idea what to say.
She really wanted to get up and leave, but her intense curiosity made her stop and continue to watch and eavesdrop on Zhao Xianrou’s actions.
Unfortunately, after Li Chengyi left, Zhao Xianrou did not display any more unusual behavior, just quietly drinking her milk as if pondering sothing.
After about ten minutes, a tall man in a silver jacket walked into the bar and whispered sothing to her.
"Go ahead, prove it, if he is as strong as he claims, then he is still a good person," the man said softly.
"If not, then he’s a bad person. Liars are bad people, they all need to be dealt with," Zhao Xianrou said lazily.
Good people don’t lie.
She had always believed this to be the case.
*
*
*
On the streets of Chaoyu.
Li Chengyi had just co out of the bar and was disoriented as he looked at the silver flying vehicles continuously passing through the sky, wondering where he was.
The silver streets, the silver buildings, the swirling Sky River. Half-human, half-chanical pedestrians.
Boom.
Suddenly a burly Bald Head man in a tal exoskeleton approached quickly, his upper body resembling a Mantis leaning forward.
The man’s right arm hung limp, ejecting a section of tal club that trembled slightly.
The sound had co from there.
"?" Li Chengyi stood still and looked at the man with confusion.
Bald Head made no attempt to speak and raised his right hand.
With a Soft Qi Eruption, his arm burst into exaggerated speed, striking at Li Chengyi’s head with a force far beyond that of a common man.
Boom.
The tal club hung in midair in front of Li Chengyi’s face.
Immobile.
"Combat Technique?"
Li Chengyi grabbed the man’s forearm with one hand, and no matter how hard the man struggled or exerted force, he was immovable.
"You... let go!" Bald Head imdiately realized he was in trouble and his face turned to fear. "My master is..."
Boom!
His neck was tightly gripped by a large hand, and he was slowly lifted into the air, his entire body suspended.
Naturally, he could no longer speak.
"Threats are the patent of the weak. Are you begging for rcy?"
Li Chengyi applied more pressure, and with a snapping sound, Bald Head’s neck bone broke instantly.
In the past, such an injury would have been fatal, but here, as long as treatnt was prompt and proper, at most it ant lying in a hospital bed for a few months.
Throwing the man aside casually, Li Chengyi straightened his sleeves and left leisurely, heading towards the hotel.
At dusk.
He returned to Catherine Bar.
"So? Have you thought it through?"
He sat again in his previous spot, next to Zhao Xiaoli.
"You’re pretty strong, but to be my teacher, that’s not enough," Zhao Xiaoli said, shaking her head with a smile.
"What would be enough then?"
"The limit of Combat Technique is to modify genes to the extre, which falls far behind compared to Feiyi and Reinforced Humans. So I don’t think it’s worthwhile to spend ti and energy on that."
"I disagree," Li Chengyi shook his head.
"What’s the difference? In the Combat Technique of Assassination Fist, Yu Long from Dragon Whisker Sect was only so strong at his best. Are you saying you’re stronger than him?" Zhao Xiaoli asked back.
Dragon Whisker Sect?
Li Chengyi instantly understood that she had investigated him.
"Since you know Yu Long is my master, you should also know that he hasn’t been a match for for a long ti," Li Chengyi said calmly.
"Is that so?" Zhao Xiaoli’s smile widened. "But I’ve also learned Combat Technique, from the Yan Bagua Gate. If you want to be my teacher, you’d have to see if they agree."
She picked up her milk and sipped gently.
"You should know that in this Chaoyu, countless sects would like to join them, to beco their disciple."
"It seems you still don’t understand," Li Chengyi’s gaze darkened. "It’s not about what I want you to learn, but about the opportunity I’m offering you."
"Is it? But to , there are too many opportunities in this world. If it’s not the strongest, then to , everything else is trash..." Zhao Xiaoli said with a smile.
"Too bad..." Li Chengyi closed his eyes, picked up his cup, and drained it in one gulp. "Initially, you were one of the best candidates, but now, I’ve changed my mind."
He rose from his seat and walked toward the exit.
He was looking for a Holy Infant who respected teachers and their teachings, not crazies or lunatics like Zhao Xiaoli.
So the selection this ti had to change.
Left alone at the table, Zhao Xiaoli sighed.
"Good people wouldn’t make a pretty and cute lady like angry."
"Miss, do you need soone to deal with him?" A woman in a blue suit approached.
"No... Big Brother Li is still a good person, just not as good as before... killing him would be too much..." Zhao Xiaoli considered.
"He prides himself on his Combat Technique, right? Send an invitation to his teacher. This year’s Ultimate Martial Battle is about to start, and we demand that Dragon Whisker Sect must participate, or they’ll lose their sect privileges," she instructed.
The Ultimate Martial Battle is a major national competition organized by various Combat Technique sects of Yi Country, designed to select the elite and bring them into the military for talent reserve.
This competition not only attracts military attention but also quite a few high officials and nobles find it interesting, treating it as one of the few entertainnt events.
As a result, gambling and other subsidiary industries have erged.
And the few sects that win the title of the strongest usually get to teach quite a few noble children and genius Feiyi Masters.
After all, although Combat Techniques are increasingly weak, they remain an important complent to the close-quarters skills of a Feiyi Master.
Hence, the top sects are also linked with the Feiyi Master Realm’s Thirteen Flying Flow.
The Ultimate Martial Battle does not allow the use of any chanical or electronic devices; only pure physical prowess is permitted. "He says he’s strong, right? Let’s see how many rounds his Dragon Whisker Sect can survive," Zhao Xiaoli said with a smile.
"But what if he really is strong...?" The woman in the suit asked.
"It doesn’t matter. No matter how strong Combat Techniques are, what use are they? One slice from a Feiyi, and all are re illusions," Zhao Xiaoli raised an eyebrow.
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