Chapter 17: Conveniently
Translator: YH Editor: X
Ai Hui felt that he did not have a good disposition and in the Wilderness, it was unnecessary. Instead, traits like strength, aggression, and perseverance were required. Even in the most desperate of times, one must be able to put everything on the line in exchange for a chance to survive. Those with a delicate disposition were the first to be eliminated.
Besides, who wouldn’t get riled up after being beaten up all the way till five in the morning?
Ai Hui was like a volcano that was ready to explode, but he could not find an outlet. Lou Lan wore his naivety like armor, so his sincerity exposed no openings. Fatty was still the best since Ai Hui could beat him up whenever he felt like it.
Here, someone had served up a sandbag just when Ai Hui felt like beating someone up.
Squinting his swollen eyes, a cold murderous intent surged through Ai Hui’s heavily bruised body. He promptly threw the stuff that he had bought on the floor, clearly not caring if they shattered.
Zhao Zhibao saw the other person walk towards him and the anger he felt rose to another level. He had no choice except to endure his loss to Duanmu Huanghun, but he simply could not accept having some random person from the streets challenging him. How could he not be angry?
With an evil grin on his face, Zhao Zhibao lunged at Ai Hui with his hands extended. His palms gave off dense, red flames.
The red-hot tongues of flame lashed out as the hollow of his right palm flashed radiantly, raising the surrounding temperature. Zhao Zhibao was extremely satisfied. Duanmu Huanghun had knocked him down before he could even utilize his elemental energy, then humiliated him by trampling him for five whole minutes. Now, his thoroughly damaged self-confidence soared with his flames, making Zhao Zhibao feel mighty again.
His carelessness had led to his defeat at Duanmu Huanghun’s hands. Yes, it must have been so. If he had circulated his elemental energy earlier, the outcome of the battle might have been different.
His opponent’s silhouette was distorted by the flames. It had become tiny and insignificant, just like the countless other opponents he had defeated in the past.
Blame it on your bad luck!
Zhao Zhibao let loose an explosive cry. With an expert step forward, the streams of fire emanating from his right hand appeared to be molded by an invisible force, with two flame pillars spreading out like wings. The sharp overbearing cry of a crow rang out from amid the flames, creating the awe-inspiring image of a flaming crow spreading its wings.
Zhao Zhibao’s heart filled with ecstasy.
[Crow’s Wings of Ice and Fire] was a move employed by both fire and water elementalists. Being a fire elementalist, Zhao Zhibao naturally practiced the Fire Crow. The first skill he learned upon opening his right hand palace was the Fire Crow. The form manipulation involved was not difficult for him, but manipulating its form was only the first stage of the skill. The crow’s cry was the next level and the elemental energy’s resonance with the skill signaled a sharp increase in its power.
Zhao Zhibao did not expect himself to make a breakthrough at this moment. He felt it was a pity that such a magnificent skill was wasted on such an unworthy opponent. Not using this skill in the fight against Duanmu Huanghun left him filled with regret.
Ai Hui was unconcerned.
[Crow’s Wings of Ice and Fire] was a commonly seen move and was nothing to make a fuss about. It was certainly not easy for him to achieve the crow’s cry at his age, but that was about it.
In the moment that Zhao Zhibao lunged forward, a glimmer of light flickered in Ai Hui’s pupil.
Almost simultaneously, he brazenly dashed toward his opponent.
Ai Hui’s actions gave Zhao Zhibao a slight shock. Rather than hide, Ai Hui had unexpectedly rushed toward him. Was his brain not functioning normally? Since his opponent had a death wish, Zhao Zhibao was most certainly not going to go easy on him.
As the distance between the two rapidly grew closer, Zhao Zhibao became more and more excited. His eyes grew wide with excitement as an evil grin emerged upon his face. Ready to knock his opponent down with one blow, he prepared to raise his right palm.
Just as his opponent was about to collide into Zhao Zhibao’s palm technique, Ai Hui swerved his body, disrupting Zhao Zhibao’s rhythm.
His opponent’s maneuver left Zhao Zhibao feeling unspeakably annoyed. Any moment later, Zhao Zhibao could have blindly accelerated his palm at his opponent. Any moment earlier,he would have time to make the necessary adjustments. This maneuver, however, was perfectly timed and completely stopped him in his tracks. The resulting discomfort left him reeling.
Both parties were extremely close, so Zhao Zhibao had no time to alter his move. All he could do was twist his palm toward its side, sweeping at Ai Hui in a chopping motion.
Wait a minute, where did he go?
Zhao Zhibao’s eyes suddenly grew wide, as if he had seen a ghost. His opponent had completely disappeared right in front of him.
Just what was happening?
Bang!
Zhao Zhibao felt an intense pain in his right ribs, which slowly spread to the rest of his body in a flash. His body began to stiffen. How was this possible......
His mind was a blank, unsure if the intense pain or the sudden shock had rendered him incapable of thought.
After swaying aside, Ai Hui had bent over like a limber cat toward Zhao Zhibao’s right ribs. He did not even use elemental energy for this blow. The nerves in this area were bundled densely such that any strong strike was enough to momentarily stun someone.
After having gotten the upper hand with just one move, Ai Hui seized the opportunity, turned to his side, and infused elemental energy into the soles of his feet. A silver light flashed as Ai Hui quietly pressed his back onto Zhao Zhibao’s chest. Ai Hui’s arched back was like a compressed spring. Upon release, a powerful force exploded from his back, hitting Zhao Zhibao’s chest like a wild rhinoceros.
With a loud thud, Zhao Zhibao was sent flying backward in an arc.
Bang!
Zhao Zhibao landed heavily on the ground. Instantly, Ai Hui appeared beside Zhao Zhibao, relentlessly pursuing him in a demonic manner. Without any hesitation, Ai Hui pressed his right knee into Zhao Zhibao’s back while his left hand gripped onto his opponent’s head. His right hand conveniently grabbed the bamboo skewer stuck in the ground, then viciously stabbed Zhao Zhibao in the back of his neck.
Ai Hui could easily stab a wild beast in the throat with a blunt chopstick, let alone with a bamboo skewer that had such a sharp edge.
The whole process happened smoothly, as fast as lightning.
At the instant that the bamboo skewer was just about to pierce through Zhao Zhibao’s skin, Ai Hui had a sudden realization—this was not the Wilderness! He forcefully stopped the bamboo skewer. On Zhao Zhibao’s neck, a fresh red dot the size of a needle prick emerged and a drop of crimson blood seeped out of the wound.
Zhao Zhibao, who had been knocked silly, had no idea that he had just narrowly missed death.
This was not the Wilderness!
Ai Hui reminded himself once more, as his gaze became solemn and withdrawn. Ai Hui then conveniently threw the bamboo skewer back to the ground.
“Ah!”
Zhao Zhibao let out a mournful cry that abruptly stopped.
Ai Hui withdrew his hand from Zhao Zhibao’s nape without taking so much as a glance at the now-unconscious Zhao Zhibao. Winning against such an opponent did not give him any thrill or excitement. Without any concept of timing, Zhao Zhibao’s attacks were utterly superficial. Moreover, this opponent became distracted in the middle of the fight. Such a lackluster performance left Ai Hui feeling unsatisfied.
As a result of his strong occupational habits, Ai Hui certainly did not forget to rake in his rewards.
Zhao Zhibao was stripped bare of his possessions and even his armor was not spared. Such thoroughness had long been ingrained into Ai Hui’s basic instincts.
Earning twenty thousand yuan put Ai Hui in a good mood. His opponent’s clothes and materials were of good quality, so Ai Hui put them on without any hesitation.
Picking up his belongings, Ai Hui continued toward the city gate.
Duanmu Huanghun had yet to give up. He picked out a high ground near the city gate, waiting idly for his target to show up. He plucked another skewer of candied fruits seemingly out of nowhere and began leisurely eating it.
Since he’s not in the city, could he be outside?
After giving Zhao Zhibao a good beating, Duanmu Huanghun felt himself becoming more placid. This was the only way into or out of the city.
A group of young ladies hovered nearby, their eyes gazed upon Duanmu Huanghun passionately. They suddenly became agitated.
“Look! Zhao Zhibao!”
“He looks so pitiful! His face and body are all out of shape!”
“He deserves it! How dare he challenge our Huanghun, this is already letting him off easily...”
Duanmu Huanghun, who was standing on high ground, shot a quick glance at Zhao Zhibao before looking away. He had no interest in those he defeated. Duanmu Huanghun had not looked Zhao Zhibao in the eye even once during the entire encounter. He did not care what Zhao Zhibao looked like before and cared even less now that the man was all battered.
Ai Hui spotted Duanmu Huanghun before quickly retracting his gaze. Eating candied fruits instead of attending lessons or practicing, the whims of a spoiled brat were indeed strange.
He too heard the chatter coming from the group of ladies, but he had no inkling of who Zhao Zhibao was.
Noting that it had nothing to do with him, Ai Hui disregarded the commotion and walked toward the Suspending Golden Pagoda.