Chapter 1 Slap! Slap! Slap!

Zhang Yuanqing's high kicks landed one after another on the young man's face, sending him staggering backward. He tried several times to retaliate, but his attempts were interrupted by the fierce attacks.

However, after taking a series of blows, the official adept remained unharmed, only feeling a stinging pain.

This was a remarkably durable Earth Guard.

On the other side, after notifying his companions, the middle-aged man immediately put away the walkie-talkie and donned a strange, dark brown mask that looked like it was made of tree bark.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

From a dozen meters away, the middle-aged man continuously spat air at the two locked in combat.

Tiny, sharp wooden splinters shot out with a barely perceptible "whoosh," heading silently toward their target.

The tree-bark mask was a tool used by Wood Manipulator class; the wearer could spit out tiny wooden splinters. The splinters weren't particularly lethal, but they contained biological toxins that could cause paralysis, pain, and difficulty breathing.

Moreover, there was no limit to the number of splinters that could be spat out. As long as the user had sufficient lung capacity, they could maintain the barrage indefinitely, making it a cost-effective weapon.

Zhang Yuanqing, with his Eye of the Seer, detected the attack in advance. He kicked the Earth Guard in the chest, using the force to leap to the side, roll, and nimbly avoid the wooden splinters.

The young Earth Guard wasn't so lucky. He was instantly covered in dozens of splinters, which created tiny, earth-yellow ripples on his body.

The splinters weren't strong enough to penetrate his defenses.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's gaze pierced through the reinforced concrete walls, and he saw three powerful adepts rushing toward the entrance.

And behind the building, the official adept responsible for guarding the rear was also circling the nightclub and heading toward them.

"That's about enough." Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate any longer. He leaped to his feet and sprinted across the street from the nightclub.

"Trying to run?"

Seeing this, the middle-aged man spat out more wooden splinters to block the escape route, then darted toward his enemy's back with ape-like agility.

His palm became like a knife, his skin rapidly becoming covered with tree rings as his hand and fingers transformed into sharp wooden spikes, aimed at the enemy's heart.

This was a level 3 Wood Manipulator, a captain-level expert.

Zhang Yuanqing, sprinting away, suddenly stopped, twisting his waist as his fist shot backward like a returning spear.

The middle-aged man raised his left arm, his skin hardening with wood grain to become as hard as ironwood.

"Bang!"

The wooden knife that was his palm was dodged by Zhang Yuanqing, tearing his clothes, while his fist slammed into the other's raised forearm, producing a dull thud.

Thump, thump, thump...

The middle-aged man staggered backward, his arm cracking with a *snap*, blood flowing from the fissures.

"He's gotten stronger?!" His expression changed slightly.

He had experienced the level of this Enchanter before, and he hadn't been this strong. Logically, being injured by the Law Enforcer should have weakened him, not made him stronger.

"Right, Enchanters become berserk when they see blood. He killed someone in the nightclub. This guy is weaker than I thought... No, I'm too strong. I'm already level 3, and it's nighttime, the Night Wanderer's strongest time. If I wasn't afraid of revealing my identity, and could use Howling Moon, I feel like I could end this within ten moves."

Thump, thump! Zhang Yuanqing took two quick steps, stomping heavily on the ground. Power surged from his tense legs all the way to his shoulders and neck, finally erupting along his arm.

*Smack!*

Another straight punch, cracking through the air.

The middle-aged man's breath hitched. He lowered his center of gravity, leaning acrobatically to the left, barely dodging the fist that would have shattered his skull.

Immediately afterward, he sprung back, leaping backward, simultaneously spitting out sharp wooden splinters with two "pfft" sounds.

Zhang Yuanqing allowed the splinters to embed themselves in his chest, stepping forward with his right foot and launching an uppercut from below.

*Bang!*

The middle-aged man's body crumpled into a shrimp-like shape, his eyes bulging with blood vessels.

At that moment, the three official adepts burst out, seeing this scene. The leader, a man in a white suit with a slicked-back hairstyle, broad shoulders, and an imposing aura, rushed forward, assuming the stance of a javelin thrower.

*Swish, swish...*

Flames erupted from his palm, solidifying into a blazing spear of fire. The Law Enforcer roared and hurled it with all his might.

The spear transformed into a streak of light, shooting away. At the same time, the middle-aged man snapped his fingers, attempting to use Fire Transportation, using the flaming spear as a medium to close the distance to his enemy.

Zhang Yuanqing reached into the void and pulled out a Daoist robe, black at its base, bearing the yin-yang symbol on its back, embroidered with silver纹 above and fiery flames below.

"*Whoosh!*"

The robe unfurled, automatically draping over his shoulders.

Zhang Yuanqing looked at the incoming spear and clenched his hand abruptly.

*Boom!*

The fire hydrant in the distance exploded, and a powerful torrent of water erupted like a snow-white dragon, extinguishing the flaming spear.

The flames that had just begun to rise on the white-suited man were also automatically extinguished.

He didn't pursue immediately but instead, gave a puzzled "hm" and scrutinized the unyielding youth draped in the Daoist robe.

The experienced Law Enforcer keenly sensed something was amiss.

This little brat was clearly an Enchanter. When did he learn to control water? And what was up with that robe on his body? If he had such an item, why hadn't he taken it out before?

Where was his blade?

Various questions flashed through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.

Just then, he saw the unyielding youth who had tried to assassinate him sneer and give a thumbs-down, cursing, "Death to Minotaurs!" Then, he turned and ran.

The white-suited Law Enforcer's forehead bulged with veins, his face twisted in rage, and finally, with a *bang*, fury erupted from the top of his head.

He chased after him, seemingly losing his mind.

The five subordinates immediately followed their superior, giving chase to the youth's back, running further and further away.

Just a few seconds after they left, a pale-faced youth with thick eyebrows and bright eyes cautiously walked out of the nightclub. He looked left and right at the entrance, and after confirming it was safe, he quickly left, disappearing into the darkness.

Kou Beiyue chose dark, narrow paths, sneaking through the darkness, not daring to stop for a moment until he felt his wounds throbbing faintly and his breathing becoming erratic. Only then did he stop.

He plopped down on the side of the road, panting heavily, pores opening like floodgates, sweat pouring out.

"I should be far enough away..."

He breathed in the somewhat stuffy night air and panted for a while before suddenly punching the ground, roaring softly:

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it..."

Kou Beiyue punched the ground again and again, venting his frustration until the mud cracked and his fist was bloody. Only then did he take a deep breath and calm down.

Kou Beiyue took out his phone, preparing to call Xiaoyuan back to tell her that he was safe and not to worry.

He lit up the phone screen and saw the unfamiliar number that had sent him a message half an hour ago: "Escape!"

He had already sneaked out of the nightclub before this message was sent. "Beep..."

He dialed Xiaoyuan's number.

The phone was picked up as soon as it rang, and Xiaoyuan's voice was icy:

"Kou Beiyue?"

"Xiaoyuan, it's me..." Kou Beiyue lowered his voice involuntarily, like a child who had done something wrong.

Then, he heard a soft exhale from the phone, like a balloon that had been filled with air finally deflating.

Just when he thought Xiaoyuan was about to burst into a scolding, the voice that came from the speaker was...

"Where is he? Where is the person who saved you?"

"I don't know. After he attracted those official adepts, I ran away," Kou Beiyue answered truthfully.

"You're really something!" Xiaoyuan sneered, with a bit of gritted teeth, and said, "Next time you want to die, don't call me again. Just die quietly by yourself, and don't drag others down with you."

Kou Beiyue hung his head in dejection.

"I'm sorry, I'll go back and find him now," the unyielding youth bit his lip.

"No need to look, I'm already here."

Kou Beiyue turned his head sharply and saw a young man's figure a few meters away, gradually being outlined in the dim light.

This was an ordinary-looking young man with a wooden expression and black-rimmed glasses, often associated with words like "tech geek", "otaku", and "introverted".

"Is he Xiaoyuan's friend? The person who saved me just now?" Just as the thought arose, he heard Xiaoyuan's relieved voice from the speaker: "Give him the phone."

Kou Beiyue tossed the phone over.

Zhang Yuanqing reached out, caught it, held it to his ear, and smiled:

"I'm fine, I'm not injured, and my identity hasn't been exposed."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a dozen breaths, and Xiaoyuan said softly:

"Thank you." She immediately added: "I agree to join your gang."

Zhang Yuanqing's mouth cracked into a smile as he said hypocritically:

"Oh, don't say that. It sounds like a transaction. I'm willing to help because of Aunt Xiaoyuan's personal charm. We're all friends, after all."

Heh heh, Xiaoyuan, you're mine now.

Xiaoyuan took a deep breath, "In any case, thank you very much. I will repay this favor."

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the unyielding youth and said, "I won't talk anymore. I have something to ask him."

He hung up the phone, walked to the young man's side, handed back the phone, and asked, "What's your name?"

As he handed the phone over, he took the opportunity to glance at the face reflected in the screen. This time, Zhang Yuanqing wasn't disguised as Wang Tai, but rather had searched online for photos using keywords like "otaku" and "social phobia".

With the Disguise Ring, he could become anyone he wanted. He couldn't keep shearing wool from Wang Tai alone.

"Kou Beiyue!" The unyielding youth looked at the youth who was much older than him and also asked:

"Are you a Night Wanderer? From the Taiyi Sect? How do you know Xiaoyuan?"

Kou Beiyue was not ignorant. On the contrary, to be able to become a level 3 Enchanter and follow Master Wuhen in cultivation, he could tell that this man's class was Night Wanderer just from the scene of his appearance.

After asking, he realized that he hadn't thanked him yet, and quickly added:

"Thank you, thank you for saving me. I will repay this kindness."

"You care about how I know Xiaoyuan?" Speaking of which, are you his son?" Zhang Yuanqing said lightly:

"I saved you, and it has nothing to do with you. Xiaoyuan will naturally repay me. Now, I'm asking you, why did you assassinate the Five Elements Alliance Law Enforcer?"

Kou Beiyue frowned.

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Since you know I'm a Night Wanderer, you should know that the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance are closely related. Killing an official Law Enforcer is a capital crime. Although I saved you for Xiaoyuan's sake, I need a reasonable explanation."

Kou Beiyue was silent for a long time, seeming to recall unbearable past events, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Because he killed my sister."

"I was born in a village in Jinshan City. I didn't finish high school because I was expelled from school for fighting. My sister was more promising than me. She went to college in Songhai and stayed to work there after graduation."

"The year before last, my parents thought I was doing nothing at home all day, so they asked me to come to Songhai to rely on her and find a decent job. Everything was fine at first, but suddenly one day, my sister disappeared."

"I went to her company to find her. Her colleagues said that my sister had already resigned, saying that she was doing business with a fellow villager from Jinshan City. But she never told me. The next day, she still didn't come back, so I immediately reported it to the Public Security Bureau and notified my family."

"After that, for a whole month, there was no news of my sister. I also quit my job and ran to the Public Security Bureau every day, but the reply I got was always to go home and wait, that they were investigating..."

"Until one day more than a month later, my sister came back..." Speaking of this, Kou Beiyue's eyes flashed with deep-seated hatred:

"She was covered in injuries, became very haggard, and her mental state was also messed up. I noticed that she was wearing slippers on her feet. She should have escaped... After returning home, she immediately packed her things, constantly telling me to run, to run quickly..."

"I asked her what was going on and where she had been during this time. She wouldn't tell me, just repeating 'run quickly'. I couldn't control myself and questioned her loudly, and as a result, she was so scared that she immediately squatted on the ground with her head in her hands, shouting 'Don't hit me...' It's hard to imagine what kind of torture she had suffered in more than a month."

More than two years later, when he spoke of these things, the pain and hatred flowing in Kou Beiyue's eyes were still too intense to dispel.

Zhang Yuanqing's face gradually lost expression, listening silently. "What happened later?" he asked.

"Before we could leave, that beast came after us. Yes, it was the Law Enforcer you were fighting just now. He slapped my sister to death in front of me. I will never forget the words he cursed when he killed her. He said, 'You stinking bitch, you dare to run? I haven't played with you enough, and you dare to run?'" Kou Beiyue laughed, cracking his mouth to reveal his white teeth:

"Then I was killed too, but I didn't die. The Spirit Realm granted me a character card, and I was reborn because of it, gaining a second life. Perhaps the Spirit Realm also feels that there is too much evil in this world and that violence is needed to control violence, and evil is needed to control evil."

"That shouldn't be, with the Law Enforcer's status, what kind of woman couldn't he get? Whether ordinary women or female adepts, he would never lack them as long as he was willing. Why would he treat an ordinary person like that? Unless there was a special fetish, or some other secret. Tsk, if Kou Beiyue's words are true, then I can't turn a blind eye to this matter."

Zhang Yuanqing frowned secretly and said:

"Then how did you join Master Wuhen's team?"

"Because I don't dare to kill people. Every time I see the begging of the weak, seeing them trembling in fear, I will think of my sister's appearance before she died. If I also indulge in killing and show my claws to the weak, how am I different from the beast that killed my sister?" Kou Beiyue looked distressed.

"You're quite principled. Yes, those who can be valued by Master Wuhen must be 'freaks' in the evil classes." Zhang Yuanqing was about to give his approval when he suddenly heard a smiling voice from beside them:

"Not bad, not bad, showing your claws to the weak, how is that different from a beast? The essence of killing is to control violence with violence, and to cleanse this dirty world with fast and efficient means."

Zhang Yuanqing and Kou Beiyue were startled and turned their heads in unison.

Under the orange street light, they saw a youth wearing a sports headband, standing with his hands behind his back, looking at them with a sunny smile.