Chapter 531: A Cat Playing with a Mouse!
'A hero saving a beauty? Heh, this little danger isn't enough.'
Shen Anyu's eyes flickered when he saw this scene, and he didn't rush to save her immediately. How could these petty thugs possibly harm Ji Xiaolin?
Ji Xiaolin was exceptionally talented and had also trained with her father, Zhang Tianen, who was at the Celestial Master Peak. In just a few short years, she had become an Artificer True Person, skilled in the Five Thunder Righteous Law. These petty thugs were nothing but grasshoppers; they wouldn't last long.
But the real danger was yet to come.
Shen Anyu's lips curved into a subtle, almost imperceptible smile, his presence melting into the deeper shadows of the alleyway. He was a predator observing a lesser hunt, curious to see how the cat would play with its mice before the true wolf arrived. He crossed his arms, leaning against the cold brick, his gaze sharp and analytical. The thugs were insignificant, mere specks of dust. It was Ji Xiaolin's reaction that interested him. Her innate talent was formidable, a blazing fire that she seemed to barely keep contained. Today, it seemed she was letting some of it out to play.
And at this very moment, his assessment proved correct.
Facing the pack of leering degenerates surrounding her, Ji Xiaolin didn't turn pale with fright like an ordinary girl. In fact, the opposite happened. A strange, excited blush bloomed on her fair, delicate face. A spark of predatory excitement flashed in her bright eyes, the unmistakable look of a bored cat that had finally stumbled upon a squeaking mouse.
Her mood, which had been simmering with frustration all day, had finally found a perfect outlet.
'Time to have some fun.'
With a subtle shift in her posture, Ji Xiaolin feigned fear, her shoulders hunching slightly as she retreated step by step. Her voice, usually so clear and confident, became a frightened stammer.
"You… what do you want to do? Don't do anything illegal, or… or you will definitely regret it."
The thugs exchanged crude, greasy glances, their smiles stretching into sinister, wicked sneers. They saw her fear as a confirmation of their power, a prelude to their conquest.
"Little girl, us brothers aren't doing anything illegal," the leader grunted, his eyes crawling over her form like insects. "We're just gonna play with you, make you happy."
Another one chimed in, his gaze fixed on her legs. "Tsk tsk, those long legs… at least 1.2 meters, right? We could play with them for a whole year!"
"Little girl, come with us brothers, so you don't suffer," a third one wheezed, stepping forward to cut off her escape. "We brothers don't want to use force. It's so much better when you're willing."
Ji Xiaolin continued her retreat, her movements looking flustered and scared on the surface, but her eyes, hidden by the downward tilt of her head, were filled with a sharp, chilling excitement. She was drawing them in, letting them think they had her trapped. She asked again, her voice trembling artfully.
"Don't come over! Or you will definitely regret it! If you do bad things, you will absolutely regret it!"
The leader let out a harsh, guttural laugh. "Hehe, regret what? For us brothers to get to play with a beauty like you, even a few years in jail would be worth it."
He lunged, his grimy hand reaching for Ji Xiaolin's fair, beautiful oval face, his fingers splayed to grab her chin.
Ji Xiaolin moved with a dancer's grace disguised as a panicked stumble, evading his grasp. Her back hit the cold, unyielding brick of the alley wall. The feigned weakness and fear in her eyes gradually bled away, replaced by an ice-cold amusement. A playful, dangerous curve slowly formed on her delicate lips as she looked at the thugs and their sickening grins.
"Hehehe, since you won't listen, this girl won't pretend to be a lady anymore," she purred, her voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. "Today, I'm going to give you a good, proper beating…"
At the same time, her slender fingers blurred into a complex hand seal. The air around her palm began to crackle, a faint scent of ozone filling the narrow space as spiritual energy gathered, ready to erupt into a devastating spell. These men were about to receive a lesson they would never, ever forget.
But, at that very moment, an unexpected change occurred.
"Halt! Release that girl!"
A voice, clear and powerful, roared through the alley. Young Master Shen made a grand entrance, his righteous cry exploding like a thunderclap.
The sheer force of the shout startled Ji Xiaolin so profoundly that her mind went blank. The intricate hand seal dissolved, the gathered energy dissipating into nothingness. She completely forgot to cast her spell.
The thugs were even more shocked. One of them, weaker of heart than the others, shrieked and collapsed directly onto the grimy ground, his legs turning to jelly.
"Damn it, you scared the shit out of me, kid!" the leader roared, patting his chest where his heart was hammering like a drum. He'd nearly had a heart attack. His face, pale with shock, quickly twisted into a mask of fury. "Where did this pretty boy come from, trying to play hero? I'll beat you to death!"
With a flick of his wrist, a sharp, gleaming dagger appeared in his hand. He lunged, not at Ji Xiaolin, but straight at the interloper, aiming to plunge the blade deep into Shen Anyu's chest.
"Where did this hot-headed idiot come from!"
Seeing the glint of steel about to pierce the chest of the handsome young man who had so foolishly appeared to save her, Ji Xiaolin's annoyance surged into genuine anxiety. There was no time for a complex spell. She snapped her fingers into a simple seal and chanted with blistering speed.
"Lord of Thunder and Mother of Lightning, quickly descend with your divine power, help me eliminate the enemy, boom boom boom boom boom!"
As Ji Xiaolin opened her slender, fair palm, a bolt of condensed lightning—brilliant white and shot through with veins of electric blue—leapt from her hand. It was a hastily cast Palm Lightning, clearly reduced in power, but it was more than enough. The bolt struck the knife-wielding thug with a sickening crack. His body went rigid, every muscle spasming violently. His eyes rolled back into his head, showing only the whites, and a plume of acrid smoke rose from his hair. His skin turned a charred, bruised black as he fell to the ground like a sack of stones, unable to even twitch.
"Oh dear, I hit too hard."
Seeing the result, Ji Xiaolin felt a flicker of annoyance. These thugs were human trash, but killing them outright was messy. Usually, she just beat them senseless and left them for the police. The urgency of the moment had made her miscalculate the spell's intensity.
She quickly extended her senses and felt the faint, ragged rhythm of the thug's heartbeat. He was alive, just comprehensively neutralized. A wave of relief washed over her. Then, she turned to the remaining thugs, who were frozen in absolute terror. She rubbed her small fists together, a malicious grin spreading across her face as she stretched one of her long, riding-boot-clad legs.
"Then I'll just beat you up with my fists and feet!"
Though her spellcasting was her true forte, an Artificer True Person's body was tempered by spiritual energy. Her physical strength and resilience far surpassed that of any ordinary mortal. Fighting ten or eight of these weaklings was hardly a problem.
A handsome right hook shot out. It wasn't just a punch; it was a perfect transfer of kinetic energy. Her fist connected with a thug's jaw with a wet, cracking sound. His head snapped sideways, and he went spiraling into the air before crashing into a pile of trash bags.
Before he even landed, Ji Xiaolin was already in motion. She launched into a spinning kick, a blur of motion and power. The thick, sturdy heel of her riding boot slammed into another thug's chin from below with a metallic clang. Teeth, like broken pieces of porcelain, flew from his mouth in a spray of blood and saliva. A choked, agonized scream tore from his throat as tears streamed down his face.
In just a few brutal, efficient moves, Ji Xiaolin had thoroughly beaten the remaining thugs into submission. They were on their knees, spitting out blood and teeth, groaning in a broken heap on the filthy alley floor.
Flipping her high ponytail over her shoulder, Ji Xiaolin turned, her pretty face a mask of displeasure as she glared at Shen Anyu.
"Idiot, don't just act heroically for no reason! Not only did you put yourself in danger, but you also ruined this girl's fun!"
Her voice was clear and sweet as a silver bell, and her face was delicate and bright, but her recent actions created a wonderful contrast. The lingering scent of ozone and violence around her added a touch of wild, heroic spirit, making her even more charming.
Shen Anyu's gaze swept over her swaying high ponytail, and a flicker of genuine surprise passed through his eyes. He suddenly smiled, a relaxed and disarming expression.
"My apologies, my apologies. You are actually an Artificer True Person, a favored daughter of heaven."
"Huh? You know I'm an Artificer True Person?" Ji Xiaolin was taken aback by his sudden words. Not everyone possessed a System. Without specific tools or techniques, it wasn't easy to discern another's cultivation level, especially when they weren't actively channeling energy.
"Do you also have cultivation? Are you a Martial Artist or an Artificer? How strong are you?" Ji Xiaolin's beautiful eyes stared at Shen Anyu, her annoyance momentarily forgotten and replaced by a burning curiosity.
"Probably just a tiny bit stronger than you," Shen Anyu said with an air of profound modesty that was somehow more infuriating than outright arrogance.
"A tiny bit stronger than me? I don't believe it!" Ji Xiaolin snorted. Being a high-spirited and proud individual, she was already displeased at having her cathartic beatdown interrupted. Now, this man's casual claim pricked at her pride. She really wanted to test him, to wipe that knowing smirk off his face. However, she had a bottom line; she wouldn't attack someone without a very good reason.
A surge of frustration welled up inside her. Her gaze fell upon a thug who was still groaning pitifully on the ground nearby. An idea sparked. She raised her boot, about to stomp down hard on his back to vent her anger.
"Don't reward him. If you want to step on someone, step on me," Shen Anyu said with another infuriatingly calm smile.
Ji Xiaolin's movement froze mid-stomp. She slowly lowered her leg, then narrowed her eyes at Shen Anyu. Her expression became a mixture of dangerous warning and bright, challenging amusement.
"You don't seem like a good person either. This girl is in a very bad mood, and you actually provoked her. Hehehe..."
At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded, slicing through the tense atmosphere. "Little girl, you are Zhang Zhiyun's fiancée, Ji Xiaolin, aren't you?"
Then, a gaunt, one-eyed old man in a black robe appeared at one end of the alley.
The black-robed, one-eyed old man looked over with a benevolent smile on his face, but there was an inexplicable sinister quality about him.
Upon closer inspection, the air around him seemed to be bound by an invisible force, twisting and rotating inwards. A small ant happened to pass by him and was instantly torn to dust...
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