The intense pain made Liu Nanfeng dizzy, but he knew he couldn't fall.
With a thought, his painting was summoned.
He didn't intend to use the painting to "seal" the other party, but rather to seal himself and Little Carp inside.
Because the opponent was too fast, striking and then retreating, sealing them was extremely difficult.
As the opponent drew their sword, Liu Nanfeng's blood spurted out, splattering the face of Little Carp, whom she protected under her arm.
He realized all his past strength was an illusion; he was still too weak.
"Big brother, wah..."
Seeing Liu Nanfeng injured, Little Carp cried out with a wail, then charged forward wielding her Guagua hammer, heedless of anything else.
"Hong Jin..."
Liu Nanfeng was greatly alarmed and tried to grab her, but his right chest had been pierced by a sword, and his entire right hand couldn't be lifted.
Fortunately, it was his right chest; had it been his left, he would likely have been killed instantly.
His only option now was to bring Little Carp into the painting. With a thought, the painting swept upwards.
But at this very moment, a vast Buddha light bloomed in the darkness, and countless Buddhist chants echoed in his ears.
Liu Nanfeng narrowed his eyes, looking towards the light. It turned out to be the light emanating from Little Carp's raised Guagua hammer.
Little Carp was like an enraged little tiger.
And from the bursts of Buddha light, a phantom slowly rose.
He wore a moon-white kasaya, with one palm held before his chest, his head bowed, eyes closed, serene and peaceful.
"Feng Zhirun," Liu Nanfeng murmured.
He had some inkling of the other party's identity.
So this was his trump card left for his daughter.
"Big bad guy, I'll beat you to death."
Following Little Carp's words,
The Feng Zhirun standing in the air suddenly opened his eyes, or perhaps it was more accurate to call him the Baolin Divine Monk.
His eyes were like two burning flames, and his previously serene and peaceful face was filled with rage.
The entire world seemed to be ignited by his anger. The Buddha light that filled the world was no longer calm and peaceful; it became as scorching as the midday sun, as sharp as swords. Even the air inhaled felt like a burning pain.
"The Twelve Aspects of Sentient Beings."
Liu Nanfeng seemed to understand something, whether it was due to the mental confusion caused by his injury or a sudden epiphany from his heart.
In a trance, he sat cross-legged before a Buddhist hall, his face calm as he struck a wooden fish, yet a surging anger burned within him, an anger that threatened to ignite him, the Buddhist hall, and the entire world...
Finally, with a "bang," his body exploded, transforming into a ball of flame that burned all things. He wanted to incinerate all the evil in this world.
...
The colossal body of the Baolin Divine Monk bent down in the air. Despite his face full of rage, a hint of gentleness appeared.
He gently placed his large hand over Little Carp's small one, guiding her movement as she gently swung downwards.
"Dong~"
It sounded like a clapper striking a wooden fish, a soft chime, yet the entire world collapsed in its wake.
Instantly, light pierced the darkness. Sunlight streamed down from the sky, the myriad stars like a curtain forcefully torn apart.
Little Carp tilted her head back, gazing blankly upwards.
She met Feng Zhirun's lowered gaze. As their eyes met, Feng Zhirun's enraged expression faded, replaced by a look of profound kindness, a faint smile playing on his lips, and his figure then dispersed like a bubble.
Little Carp lowered her head, looking at her small hands, then at the Guagua hammer. Her little head hadn't quite comprehended what had happened.
"Hong Jin."
Liu Nanfeng, enduring the pain, shuffled forward. In reality, he felt much better than before. Due to his strong physique, his recovery speed was remarkably fast.
"Big brother~"
Little Carp finally snapped back to reality. Seeing the bloody state of Liu Nanfeng's right abdomen, tears welled up in her eyes again.
"It's... it's fine. Thank you." Liu Nanfeng slumped to the ground, panting, and extended his left hand to gently wipe away the tears still clinging to her cheeks.
The moment Liu Nanfeng and Little Carp emerged from the star realm, the Su sisters, who were on their way to the café, seemed to sense something.
Their bodies, walking on the road, turned into wisps of green smoke and vanished.
They reappeared behind Liu Nanfeng.
"Nanfeng."
Seeing Liu Nanfeng covered in blood, Su Jinxiu's heart ached, and she quickly bent down to examine his injuries.
Su Huamei, on the other hand, looked towards the distance with an angry expression, towards the place they had visited that morning.
"Sister~ wah..."
Upon seeing the Su sisters, Little Carp could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry.
"I... I'm fine. Thanks to Little Carp," Liu Nanfeng said, gasping.
The sword thrust had injured his lung, making it painful to speak.
"You say you're fine? Why are you so hot?" Su Jinxiu asked anxiously, embracing Liu Nanfeng.
Su Huamei picked up Little Carp, gently patting her back to comfort her.
"Tell your sister what happened just now."
"We were riding our bikes..."
"We'll talk when we get back," Su Jinxiu said, scooping up Liu Nanfeng.
"Wait~ wait~."
Liu Nanfeng panted like a bellows, and to the sisters' puzzled gazes, he pointed at the ground.
The sisters followed his gaze and saw a black chess piece, covered in cracks, lying on the ground.
Su Jinxiu reached out and beckoned. The chess piece fell into her hand. She glanced at it, and her expression turned somewhat grim.
However, she didn't say anything more. With a look, she signaled to Su Huamei, and then the four of them vanished from the dike.
When they reappeared, they were already back home.
Mo Yu, who had been lying in the living room, was startled by the sudden appearance of the four.
But it was clear no one was paying attention to it now.
Su Jinxiu, carrying Liu Nanfeng, rushed into the room and placed him on the bed.
Liu Nanfeng had fallen into a coma. The exposed skin on his body was flushed a deep red, like an overripe fruit.
"What's wrong? Why is he so hot?" Su Huamei asked nervously after putting down Little Carp.
Su Jinxiu did not answer. Instead, she placed her palm on Liu Nanfeng's wound.
The wound began to heal at a visible rate, but Liu Nanfeng's body temperature did not decrease; instead, it seemed to be rising.
"Big brother~"
Little Carp, her eyes brimming with tears, also called out worriedly.
Her voice reminded Su Jinxiu, who quickly asked, "What happened just now? Tell me carefully."
Although Little Carp was young, the process that had just occurred was extremely brief and simple, so she explained it relatively clearly.
After she finished speaking, Su Jinxiu's gaze fell upon her Guagua hammer.
"Can you let me see it?" Su Jinxiu asked.
"Here you go."
Little Carp was not stingy and handed it over directly.
In fact, she had seen it before, but hadn't paid much attention to it.
She examined it carefully but couldn't detect anything special, as if it were just an ordinary hammer.
Frowning slightly, she thought for a moment and gently placed it in Liu Nanfeng's hand.
The hammerhead immediately emitted a soft glow that wound its way up the handle, along Liu Nanfeng's arm, and spread throughout his body.
The flames filling the sky receded. Liu Nanfeng once again sat cross-legged before the Buddhist hall, the sound of the wooden fish striking and the Buddhist chants filling his ears.