When the masked man finished speaking, Yan Rou felt the hope drain from her. There was nothing left to cling to.
She forced herself to move, taking one step forward at a time. Her body was rigid and every motion felt heavy, as if her feet were carrying her toward her own execution.
She closed her eyes, unwilling to see the leering faces of the men who would capture her. A single tear escaped from beneath her eyelid, tracing a cold path down her cheek. Images of her family flashed through her mind: her stern but caring father, her gentle mother. She had failed them.
"This is my fate," she told herself. "To be caught and disgraced by my family's enemies… all because of one unlucky day. I hope I do not cause too much trouble for my family..."
Her shoulders slumped. Every breath was harder to take. The sounds of the men shifting around her only reminded her that she had no escape.
The masked man watched her give up, a triumphant smirk hidden behind his mask. This was exactly what he wanted. The proud Young Miss of the Yan family was finally broken and accepting her fate.
"Take her," he commanded his men. It looked like he could finally finish his task.
Manager Wei, along with two other thugs with lecherous faces, moved forward, their hands outstretched to grab her. They were clearly enthralled by Yan Rou's beauty and were more than willing to handle her, even if for a minute.
However, just as their fingers were about to touch the silk of her dress, a powerful force yanked her backward.
"What?"
For the second time that day, she found herself pulled from the brink, landing securely in the familiar, solid arms of Lei Feng.
But this time, he was not smiling. His brows were furrowed in slight annoyance as he looked down at her.
"What do you think you are doing?" Lei Feng demanded sharply. "I have already selected you as a potential candidate as my wife. How dare you walk so eagerly towards other men? Do you have no regard for your future husband?"
Yan Rou, still reeling from her near capture, stared at him. She was completely stunned and did not know what to say.
He continued his scolding, completely ignoring the dozen enemies surrounding them. "Have you no shame? Offering yourself up like that. It seems I will have to spank your behind later to teach you some obedience."
"Spank…my behind?"
Hearing Lei Feng's words, the shock on Yan Rou's face was gradually replaced by a furious, crimson blush.
The vulgarity of his statement snapped her out of her despair. "You... You shameless beast! You hooligan, let go of me!" she hissed, struggling in his grip.
However, her struggle was for naught.
"Absolutely not. If I let you go, you will offer yourself to these men again. I cannot let you go before teaching you a lesson." Lei Feng said, as he tightened his grip over her waist, pressing her body deeper into his.
By now, Yan Rou could feel her back touching Lei Feng's chest, and realizing the close proximity between the two of them, her face turned into an even deeper shade of crimson.
The masked man who was watching this bizarre and flirtatious exchange of the couple in front of him finally snapped.
"Enough of this nonsense!" he roared, his voice echoing in the clearing. "I don't know who you are, and I don't care! Men, kill the man and bring me the woman! This matter cannot be delayed anymore."
"Die!!!"
At his command, the thugs charged.
The first two reached them in a flash, their swords aimed at Lei Feng's heart and neck. Yan Rou gasped, but Lei Feng simply took a small sidestep. It was a simple, almost lazy movement, yet it caused both attackers to stumble past him, their blades slicing through empty air.
"Yawn, too slow." Lei Feng remarked casually as he looked at the others.
"Insolent, take this." Manager Wei roared and charged at Lei Feng, but the outcome was the same.The sword did not touch them, and Manager Wei fell onto the ground due to the momentum of his strike.
For the next five minutes, Lei Feng moved like a leaf in the wind, holding Yan Rou in one arm as if she weighed nothing. A thug swung his saber in a wide arc, but Lei Feng dipped, the blade whistling harmlessly over their heads. Another lunged with a spear, but Lei Feng twisted, the spearpoint missing by a hair's breadth.
It was not a fight; it was a dance.
Despite being surrounded by a dozen late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, not a single attack could touch them.
It was as if every move the thugs made was perfectly predicted. Their efforts seemed clumsy and disoriented.
Lei Feng was clearly toying with them.
As the masked man watched the spectacle in front of him, his confidence turned into disbelief, then anger once again.
"You useless fools!" he cursed with his voice full of fury.
"He is not even a cultivator, and he is burdened with the woman! What are you doing? Encircle him! Attack all at once!"
His men, frustrated and humiliated, followed the order. They formed a tight circle around Lei Feng and Yan Rou, cutting off any chance of escape. There was no more room for dodging.
"Now!" the masked man roared.
All ten men lunged at the same time. Blades, fists, and spears all shot towards the center of the circle. Yan Rou saw the wall of steel and muscle closing in, and she let out a terrified scream, burying her face in Lei Feng's chest.
"Noooo."
But amidst the chaos, a calm voice spoke out. "Ordinary Technique - Rapid Kicks."
In that instant, Lei Feng became a blur. Spinning on one foot with an unimaginable speed, he transformed into a human top. His other leg shot out again and again, a phantom limb that seemed to be everywhere at once.
"Arghhh..."
Thuds echoed in rapid succession. A dozen kicks landed squarely on the stomachs of the encircling men, each one delivered with pinpoint precision and surprising force. One by one, they were sent flying backward as if hit by a battering ram.
Within a second, the circle was broken. All twelve thugs lay groaning on the ground, clutching their stomachs in agony, completely incapacitated.
The clearing fell into silence. The masked man stood frozen, his jaw slack beneath his mask. Yan Rou, hearing the sudden quiet, slowly peeked out from Lei Feng's embrace. She saw the circle of defeated men, and her eyes went wide.
"What?" the masked man and Yan Rou exclaimed in perfect, simultaneous disbelief.