"…COUGH COUGH COUGH… It was Young Master Lu… He's the one who… sent us to find you…"
The white-haired young man coughed violently, his eyes filled with terror. He didn't hesitate to give up the person behind all this.
He quickly explained the gist of what had happened.
'It's that rich second-generation brat who stole the original owner's goddess again.'
The other party had sent them over not only to give Hu Qi another beating, but also to ask about the whereabouts of Wu Shan and his men.
This was because they were now missing, and no information about them could be found.
Regarding this,
Hu Qi had already anticipated it.
'Those men were involved with the monster, so the higher-ups must have covered it up.'
As for their intentions,
he'd had his suspicions from the moment he met them and saw the wolf-head tattoos, similar to the one Wu Shan had.
Now, he was just confirming it.
'Interesting. This is really never-ending,'
Hu Qi said to himself.
The look in his eyes grew colder.
He glanced down at the five men on the ground.
"If any of you dare to breathe a word about what happened today, or if you ever dare to cause trouble for the people around me again!"
At this, Hu Qi walked over to the large tree deepest in the thicket, his eyes turning sharp.
He raised his hand and threw a vicious punch.
BAM!
The next moment, before the men's terrified eyes, the thick, sturdy bark of the large tree—so wide it would take two people to wrap their arms around it—instantly exploded, sending fragments flying everywhere.
A shower of leaves drifted down from the sky.
When Hu Qi pulled his fist back,
a clear, sunken fist print was visible on the tree's trunk.
"Then, I'll personally pay a visit and crush his bones inch by inch! If you don't believe me, feel free to try me!"
Hu Qi's calm words rang out in the air.
...GULP!
The men couldn't help but swallow hard.
The area instantly fell into a deathly silence.
By the time they came to their senses, Hu Qi had already turned and was walking away.
"FUCK! My hand! This can't be over! I'm gonna fucking kill him!"
After a long moment, one of them finally spoke up, letting out a pained cry.
"Yeah, we can't let this go! That bastard…"
Someone next to him chimed in, his face full of resentment.
But he was only halfway through his sentence
when he saw Hu Qi's figure returning.
The rest of his words immediately got stuck in his throat.
"Remember to clean up the trash on the ground!"
Hu Qi's voice echoed in the air.
Only after Hu Qi's back had completely disappeared did the men let out a long sigh of relief.
"We fucked up this time. Let's just pretend nothing happened. We can't afford to mess with this guy. If anyone asks, we just say we fell down on our own!"
The white-haired young man, one side of his face swollen, stared in the direction Hu Qi had disappeared around the corner, his expression wavering.
Finally, he heaved a long sigh.
The others wanted to say something more, but then they looked at the clear fist print on the nearby tree and imagined that punch landing on their own bodies.
A shiver ran down their spines.
...
Hearing the faint sounds of conversation from behind him,
Hu Qi's pace faltered for a moment.
Then he quickened his pace and left the area.
Outside,
Li Yi was standing at the intersection.
When he saw Hu Qi come out, he opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
He found that his cousin seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist, making him impossible to see through.
"It's all over. Let's go."
Hu Qi smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
Seeing Hu Qi's familiar smile, Li Yi finally snapped out of his daze.
He thought for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"Brother Qi, how did you do that? That was so awesome! You were totally badass!"
He recalled the scene of Hu Qi sending a man flying several meters with a single kick, his voice filled with excitement.
For every teenage boy, there are two great fantasies.
The first is to have immense physical strength and power: to be able to shine in all sorts of sports and take on a group of people by yourself.
And in doing so, earn the shocked and admiring gazes of the crowd.
In common slang—flexing!
The second is to have explosive luck with women: to have chance encounters with beautiful women on all sorts of occasions, causing many girls to fight over him out of jealousy.
And if one had to choose between the two,
it would definitely be the first.
The glory of a conquering hero, his deeds carved in stone for all time—that was the ultimate dream.
The power Hu Qi had just displayed
undoubtedly hit that first point perfectly.
"It's nothing. I recently joined a fighting club and learned some Fighting Techniques."
Hu Qi briefly explained that he had joined the Red Scale Club.
"Fighting Technique, it's that amazing!"
Li Yi habitually pushed up the black-framed glasses on his nose, his eyes shining with excitement.
"You don't have much to do at home during summer break right now. If you're interested, you can come along!"
Hu Qi thought for a moment before speaking.
'This world is too dangerous. The monsters hiding in the darkness, choosing their victims to devour, leave me with a profound lack of security.'
'The original owner's aunt and her family have been pretty good to me. If possible, I don't mind giving them a hand.'
'From what I know so far, the Red Scale Club is anything but simple.'
'Of course, I'm just making the suggestion. Whether he is willing to join the Red Scale Fighting Club,'
'and whether he can achieve anything there, is not something I can determine.'
"I can join too?"
Li Yi looked at his own somewhat slender arms and legs, a hint of doubt on his face.
"Some things will never have an outcome if you don't try. I'm just giving you a suggestion. Whether you're willing or not is entirely up to you."
Hu Qi looked up at the gradually setting sun.
"Let's go. I'll walk you back.
This whole thing happened because of me, and you got dragged into it. I'll take care of any future trouble.
It's not safe outside at night now, there are even wild animals attacking people. When you have nothing to do, just stay in the shop with your aunt. Don't go running around by yourself!"
...
The sky gradually darkened.
The neon lights along the road began to light up one by one.
After taking Li Yi home,
Hu Qi rode his bike back to his own place.
About ten minutes later, he changed his clothes and left the house again.
...
「Celestial Lake District.」
It was the core area that Qirong City had focused on developing in recent years.
Here, one could find the administrative office center, the business and cultural exhibition center, a base for leisure and tourism, and comprehensive residential areas.
All kinds of facilities were available: hospitals, shopping malls, schools—it had everything.
At this moment, the decorative lanterns were just being lit, casting a crisscrossing web of brilliant, colorful light and shadow.
Ye Lai Bar.
"Young Master Lu, take care!"
Two tall security guards stood on either side of the main entrance, their sharp gazes sweeping over the passing pedestrians.
When they saw a young man and woman walk out from inside,
they immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle, their eyes fixed on the ground, and shouted.
Lu Shi paid them no mind, merely giving a casual wave of his hand, his left arm wrapped around Jiang Yuyan.
He walked toward a red supercar that a valet was driving up.
The car's sleek lines shimmered with a captivating luster under the lights.
The two of them reached the car, and the valet respectfully handed over the keys.
Lu Shi took the keys, and then the pair got into the car.
He stomped on the gas, and with a series of roars from the engine, the car sped away.
"Who's that guy? What a grand display."
At the bar's entrance,
someone who saw this scene curiously asked their friend.
"That's Lu Shi. Ye Lai Bar is one of his properties,"
his friend explained.
"Lu Shi, I think I've heard of him. Isn't he that rich second-generation internet celebrity who gets a new girlfriend every few months? I heard his old man used to be in the triads, and his businesses are spread across several cities around Qirong City…"
The person who had first spoken said, as if remembering something.
The two of them chatted.
What no one noticed at all was that,
in the shade of a tree down the street, a tall figure was standing, their gaze seemingly fixed on the direction the supercar had gone.