Chapter 48: The Scheming Woman is Not Virtuous
Lou Huiying rested the baseball bat on her shoulder and rubbed the thin red mark on her neck. “It still kinda stings,” she murmured.
Having worn this headpiece for so long, she had almost forgotten what pain felt like.
With Duan Kaiping dealt with, Lou Huiying was ready to head back to the restaurant when she noticed a bespectacled young man ambling toward her. He was so ordinary and unremarkable, yet something about him made her scalp tingle. Instinctively, she halted.
She watched as the youngster approached, adjusting his glasses. The sunlight glinted off the lenses, obscuring his eyes, but she could sense he was looking right at her. “Kid, was that you just now?” Lou Huiying squinted, questioning him.
Xue Jing nodded, smiling. “Yep, that was me.”
Alarm bells rang in Lou Huiying’s mind. “Did you have a gun?” she asked.
Moments earlier, a hole had suddenly exploded in Duan Kaiping’s thigh, unmistakably a wound inflicted by a firearm. She wasn’t sure if she could withstand a bullet, nor was she eager to find out.
“A gun? Well, sort of,” Xue Jing chuckled. “But don't worry, I won’t use a ‘gun’ on you.”
Tossing his jacket to the ground, Xue Jing began some warm-up exercises, completely unconcerned with anything else. From observing her scuffle with Duan Kaiping, he had already gauged her fighting ability—strong, tough, but her technique was rudimentary at best, clearly lacking formal combat training.
A perfect sparring partner, indeed.
This was an excellent chance to hone his fighting style. Therefore, Xue Jing decided on the spot—no taking off his glasses, no relying on looks; he would confront her head-on and defeat her.
With [Twin Lives] activated, he now possessed the speed and strength of two lives, an irresistible itch to unleash his power.
Of course, if things went awry, he could always take off his glasses midway and unleash his 'hard control' skill.
Lou Huiying, hearing his words and seeing his actions, understood his intention.
"You? Against me? You think you have what it takes?"
Lou Huiying's eyes flashed with scorn and mockery.
Hmm... But upon closer inspection, though this boy wore glasses and his features were unclear, his physique was impressive. Perhaps he wasn't bad-looking either. It could be fun to toy with him.
"Well then, let's have a go. Let's see if your punches are as tough as your little mouth..." Lou Huiying licked her lips.
Xue Jing remained silent, taking a deep breath as he activated his breathing technique, causing energy to surge through his body with accelerating blood flow and rising body temperature.
In his mind's eye, he envisioned a true dragon sprouting wings, a faint 'dragon aura' beginning to emanate from him.
Lou Huiying furrowed her brows, sensing something was off.
Could this boy... actually be very strong?
"Who exactly are you?!" Lou Huiying shouted.
Xue Jing pondered for a moment, then smiled, "You can call me... Arm Fighter."
As soon as the words were spoken, Xue Jing immediately launched his twin-speed technique, rushing towards Lou Huiying.
His speed defied logic, as if someone had pressed the turbo button on him, creating an initial shock effect that almost no one could react to.
Naturally, Lou Huiying was no exception. Having never systematically studied martial arts, her vigilance was severely lacking. Faced with Xue Jing's rapid close-in attack, she was utterly unprepared.
"Bang!"
His fist sliced through the air, carrying momentum, and struck Lou Huiying's chin with fierce impact.
She was hit with such force that her upper body bent backwards in a violent arch, yet somehow, she did not collapse.
Xue Jing realized from the sensory feedback of his fist just how tough this woman was. His eyes narrowed, activating his twin force, following up with a roundhouse kick aimed at Lou Huiying's waist.
This strike was powerful enough to bend steel, sending Lou Huiying flying over three meters into the air, crashing against a concrete wall which cracked under the impact.
"Boom boom boom boom boom!"
Amidst the dull, heavy strikes, the first punch caused Lou Huiying's head to slightly embed into the wall.
The second punch drove it deeper.
A barrage of continuous punches further drove her head into the wall, embedding it, as cracks expanded outward from her head’s embedded point on the concrete wall.
"Crash…"
Finally, the wall could no longer withstand the relentless assault and collapsed entirely, shattering into countless pieces and burying Lou Huiying beneath them.
Xue Jing panted slightly, looking at his slightly reddened fists and muttered, "So hard…"
Surrounding residents, including over a dozen of Duan Kaiping’s underlings, stood with mouths agape, watching the bespectacled boy, standing tall and steady like a pine tree.
“Are they shooting a movie or something?”
“Oh my gosh, the entire wall is wrecked! Could Sister Lou have been crushed?”
“Jeez... What a ruthless person! Even if it's like that, she's still a woman. How could he hit her so hard?”
“A woman's fury, unleashed!”
“Who on earth is that guy? He took down Duan Kaiping with a single blow, and now he's got Sister Lou on the ropes?”
From amidst the rubble, a slender arm suddenly emerged.
The sound of debris shifting filled the air.
Lou Huiying slowly sat up, dust and small stones cascading from her body.
A punch that would have been deadly to an ordinary person struck her face countless times, yet aside from some bruising, she seemed unharmed.
“You... you really pissed me off this time!” she spat out each word through gritted teeth.
A crown engraved with black flowers atop her head faintly exuded a dark aura, which coursed into her body, simultaneously strengthening her physique and magnifying the malice in her heart.
Xue Jing looked at her with a heavy gaze, but inside, a thrill surged through him.
This was what fighting was all about!
Invigorating!
Lou Huiying suddenly sprang to her feet with a powerful stomp, cracking the concrete underfoot, and rushed toward Xue Jing.
Despite her lack of technique, her sheer leg strength propelled her with incredible speed as she lunged towards Xue Jing.
"Almost got him..."
Lou Huiying's grin twisted into a wild arc, saliva trailing from her mouth.
"Once I catch him," she vowed fiercely, "I'll tear that boy apart!"
Just as her fingertips were about to clutch Xue Jing, he deftly stepped backward, her hand seizing only air.
In an instant, Xue Jing's hand snapped forward, grabbing her golden locks.
With a powerful yank!
Dragged down by her hair, Lou Huiying was met with Xue Jing’s brutal knee strike, harnessing his twin-force technique.
His knee struck squarely into her face, launching her head back up with vicious momentum.
Despite the fierce blow, Lou Huiying's agonized cry escaped as her nose bled profusely.
Yet, fury blazed hotter within her.
Twisting her waist, she forced her body to halt its backward arc, spinning fiercely to grab Xue Jing's wrist.
However, before she could execute her next move, Xue Jing's other hand darted to her face, flicking a finger sharply.
"Aaaahhh!!"
Power surged through his fingertips in a deadly flick onto her vulnerable eyeball.
Even Lou Huiying couldn't withstand such piercing pain, releasing Xue Jing's wrist to clutch her eye, crying out in agony.
Xue Jing remembered Li Qi's teachings in that moment.
"Call it low or ruthless, if it leads to victory, every move is justified. Only the last one standing gets to speak!"
Resolute and unfaltering, Xue Jing's eyes sharpened as he delivered a fierce Spartan kick to Lou Huiying's lower abdomen.
It wasn't only a man's vulnerability; a woman's was just as significant!
…
As the shadows of evening lengthened, the streets were bustling with activity. Hidden among the throngs were individuals cloaked in their own intentions.
Off in a dim alleyway, Chen Fuguang watched as a deal unfolded, his eyes narrowed with calculation.
"Remember," whispered Duan Kaiping to one of his underlings, "Timing is crucial. Ensure everything goes smoothly."
With a nod, the lackey blended back into the crowd as Duan Kaiping turned away, his mind already onto the next step of his plan.
Meanwhile, deep in the Hidden Dragon Dojo, Li Qi sharpened his skills, unaware of the schemes swirling around him. Guided by instinct and training, his fists moved with an elegance that belied their lethal power.
In a corner of town, a confrontation brewed, tensions high. Meng Boshang stood firm, his presence exuding a silent strength that challenged those around him. Closer inspection revealed a shared understanding among the seasoned fighters—they were all connected by invisible threads of power and ambition.