“Rise!” With a low shout, a True Qi barrier instantly enveloped me as I curled into a ball, muscles tensed to their limit.
Why wasn’t I using my flight technique? With an explosion this powerful, wasting True Qi to fly would be suic!dal! Besides… the blast’s force should send me flying far enough anyway.
“Ugh!” The True Qi barrier shattered, followed by a sharp pain in my waist.
Judging by the sensation, shrapnel had grazed my side. It hurt, but there was no feeling of anything embedded—and just to clarify, as a real man, I’d never let anything penetrate me. Our motto: We penetrate others, not the other way around! (Except for the rear—that’s off-limits!)
The explosion’s force sent me flying several meters.
As I was about to crash into the ground, I quickly activated my levitation technique to slow my descent.
But after exhausting most of my True Qi to withstand the blast, I didn’t have enough left to fully sustain the technique. All I could hope for now was a gentle landing.
Boom!
I hit the ground hard, but the levitation still cushioned the impact. A few rolls later, I was mostly unharmed—aside from the gash on my waist.
Since I couldn’t treat the wound properly on my own, I tore off a piece of my already-tattered clothes and bandaged it hastily.
That explosion had to have drawn attention. I needed to leave—now.
Gritting my teeth, I sprinted toward the wall, vaulted over it, and dashed back to the apartment when I was sure no one was watching.
Just as I reached for the door, it swung open—revealing Mei’er.
Her face was full of worry. “Xia Tian, are you okay?”
“A little banged up, but nothing serious,” I forced a smile. The run had worsened the bleeding; I needed to stop it fast.
But with Xu Xin and the others inside, I couldn’t treat myself here.
“Everyone, stay put for now—don’t move yet!” I called out, then exchanged a glance with Mei’er and pulled her into my room.
“Xia Tian, you—” Her eyes reddened the moment she saw the wound on my side.
“I’m fine,” I reassured her quickly. “Just help me apply this medicine.” I pulled out a packet of medicinal powder—the same kind as last time—from my Storage Ring and handed it to her. Then, after swallowing a healing pill, I gritted my teeth and lay face-down on the desk.
As she sprinkled the powder on the wound, Mei’er frowned. “Xia Tian, what kind of magical weapon caused this? It’s so severe!”
“Magical weapon?” I blinked. Since when were grenades considered magical? It was just advanced weaponry—but explaining that to Mei’er would be pointless. She wouldn’t understand. “It’s… complicated. I’ll tell you later.”
She nodded silently. The wound was healing, but slowly.
“With your Demon Fox bloodline and this medicine, you’ll recover soon,” Mei’er said, squeezing my hand reassuringly.
I smiled, but then it hit me—the blood trail! I’d left traces all the way here.
“Mei’er, clean up the blood outside—quickly!”
“Mm!” Seeing my urgency, she didn’t ask questions and rushed out.
Taking a deep breath, I sat cross-legged on the floor, pulled a spirit stone from my Storage Ring, and began replenishing my depleted True Qi.
Over time, the wound closed completely. But since I’d diverted some True Qi to accelerate healing, the spirit stone’s energy was fully drained before my reserves were fully restored.
Standing up, I changed into fresh clothes and headed out—only to get smacked in the face by a mop the second I opened the door.
Since the assassin was already dealt with, my guard was down. Who the hell—?
Before I could even curse, I realized it was Sister Lin holding the mop.
“You dare kick me?! You’ve got a death wish!” she roared, swinging again. This time, I dodged easily.
As she raised the mop for another strike, I blurted out, “Sister Lin, listen! It was an accident—I was trying to save you!”
She paused, her expression shifting to one of fear—probably remembering the gunfire earlier.
I sighed in relief… until she narrowed her eyes. “Not good enough! That kick nearly killed me! I’m paying you back!” She lifted the mop again.
I raised my hands. “Do you never want another massage?”
She froze, then reluctantly lowered the mop. “Fine. You’re off the hook… for now.”
With a huff, she stormed off.
Phew. Thank goodness I had leverage.
In the living room, Qin Mengdie and the others were cleaning up. Strangely, none of them looked traumatized—no excitement, no fear, just… normal.
“Aren’t you guys scared?” I asked, puzzled.
Tang Shuya smirked. “What’s there to be scared of? I’ve been through worse!”
“I didn’t feel directly threatened, so no,” Xu Xin said with a smile.
Sister Lin shrugged. “You knocked me out—I missed everything.”
Mei’er returned and gave me a nod before joining the cleanup.
Then Qin Mengdie walked over. “Thank you,” she said quietly, her usual coldness softened. When I didn’t respond, she added, “I misunderstood you earlier. You saved me.” Having said what seemed like a monumental effort for her, she picked up a book and headed upstairs.
Just then, my phone rang—Diao Sinan? Was something wrong?
I answered immediately.
“Boss, hurry! Second Brother’s about to fight a Thai guy solo! Get here fast, or it’ll be too late!”
“Slow down—what Thai guy? And who’s ‘Second Brother’?”
“Dammit! It’s true! I’m on my way—stop Lu Sen before he does something stupid!” I hung up and turned to Tang Shuya. “Stop cleaning. Call the landlord to fix the place. I’ve got an emergency!”
“Xia Tian, you—” Sister Lin called after me, but I was already gone. Jokes were one thing, but when it came to serious matters, nothing else mattered.
What the hell is Lu Sen thinking?! Challenging a Thai boxing champion?!