Li Yundong’s sudden aggression caught Xie Fei and Er Lü off guard; they certainly hadn't anticipated this guy daring to strike first.
Xie Fei managed to block the bag of vegetables hurled at him, only to immediately take a kick from Li Yundong that sent him flying two meters away, clutching his chest and gasping for air on the ground.
Er Lü, standing by, glared menacingly. He suddenly produced a long scallion knife from behind his back and swung it down toward Li Yundong.
Though Tiannan City had experienced rapid economic takeoff in recent years, with citizens' living standards catching up to those of second-tier cities, the fierce temperament and customs of the local residents hadn't changed much. A quick exchange of blows, or even drawing a blade, was an incredibly common occurrence at the slightest disagreement.
On quieter, less developed streets, it wasn't unusual to see thugs clashing with iron bars and scallion knives. Some of the more widespread criminal organizations were so entrenched that even the police felt powerless against them.
Er Lü and Xie Fei were members of one such organization. Accustomed to bullying their way around, they always carried blades and never held back, ensuring bloodshed with every confrontation.
Er Lü’s strike was wickedly angled, aimed precisely at the arm Li Yundong was using to hold Su Chan.
Although Li Yundong had consumed the Golden Elixir, he was essentially like Zhang Wuji just learning the Nine Yang Divine Art—he possessed immense Elixir-given power but knew no actual techniques on how to deploy it. Had this knife connected, even with his Elixir-strength, he would have suffered broken bones and shattered ligaments.
Li Yundong broke out in a cold sweat, instantly terrified by the blow, but just as he felt the shock, he saw Su Chan suddenly pivot beside him, launching a swift kick from beneath her skirt that sent Er Lü flying.
No sooner had Su Chan dispatched Er Lü than three more thugs rushed towards them from the front, while the five behind them simultaneously pulled weapons from beneath newspapers—all of them gleaming scallion knives!
Li Yundong didn't think twice; he grabbed Su Chan and ran.
Su Chan, however, tried to charge back, adopting a ferocious, combative stance: “Let go of me! Let me teach these guys a lesson!”
Li Yundong snapped back, “Are you insane? There are so many of them, and they have knives!”
In terms of sheer strength, Li Yundong, with his Golden Elixir power, was by no means inferior to Little Fox. He pulled Little Fox tightly against his chest, and without another word, swept her up into his arms, sprinting toward the direction of the school.
“Get him! Kill this guy, but keep the girl!” Xie Fei roared from the ground, clutching his chest in pain, his voice hoarse.
Little Fox, held securely by Li Yundong, struggled ceaselessly, “Put me down! Let me deal with these bastards!”
The thugs chasing them overheard this and felt a surge of fury. They gripped their knives tightly, sneering, grinding their teeth: We’ll see who deals with whom!
Though carrying Su Chan, Li Yundong felt she weighed almost nothing. The sudden eruption of conflict had stretched every nerve in his body taut, and the blood within him felt like it was fiercely boiling and burning.
As he ran, he calmly surveyed their surroundings.
It was a straight street running forward and back, flanked by shops on both sides. Three aggressive thugs blocked the path ahead, while five others pursued them from behind.
Li Yundong made an instant decision, veering sharply toward a pan-fried bun stall diagonally to his right.
The three intercepting thugs quickly reached him, about to bring their knives down, but they watched in astonishment as Li Yundong used his momentum, kicking off the wall several times—moving like a figure scaling walls—and in the blink of an eye, he bypassed them to stand behind them.
When the thugs turned around, Li Yundong had already landed, still cradling someone, and was speeding away!
“What are you standing around for?” Xie Fei got up, grimacing as he rubbed his chest. “Chase!”
The thugs shouted and took off after Li Yundong.
This street was neither exceedingly wide nor narrow, mostly lined with restaurants and snack stalls catering to students. Since it was approaching the end of the morning class period, the area was teeming with students.
The students watched as Li Yundong carried Su Chan, moving as swiftly as a galloping horse, weaving and dodging along the way, his movements so agile they truly resembled the parkour seen in movies and on television. The difference, however, was that these screen performers were usually unencumbered; none could match Li Yundong’s ability to remain so graceful while holding a person.
Some students watched in awe, reaching for their phones to record, but by the time they pulled out their devices and looked up again, Li Yundong had already sprinted ten meters ahead, leaving only his retreating figure.
The gangsters chasing him followed like a gust of wind, waving their scallion knives, cursing relentlessly.
Li Yundong ran with Su Chan for a while, then a glance to the side caught sight of the Tiannan University gate not far ahead. A thought struck him, and he bolted toward the school entrance carrying Su Chan.
Surely, those guys wouldn't dare chase him onto school grounds?
Upon reaching the entrance, Li Yundong immediately felt a pang of regret.
It was the time for students to leave classes, and many who opted out of the school cafeteria were streaming outside toward nearby small eateries. Li Yundong saw the students emerging in tidal waves; he and Little Fox were moving too fast, and with Er Lü and the others right behind them, slowing down or turning back was out of the question.
Driven by sudden panic and anger, Li Yundong let out a massive shout: “Get out of the way!”
As soon as he yelled, the students exiting the gate turned to look at him. Those who recognized him sneered inwardly: A sophomore, acting so arrogant? Those who didn't know him simply chose to ignore the commotion.
Sun Li stood among the crowd, looking strangely at Li Yundong. Seeing his tense expression as he rushed toward her while carrying Su Chan, she was about to ask what was wrong when she noticed the ten gangsters trailing him, and instantly recoiled in fright, intending to dodge aside.
But it was too late to move; Li Yundong’s momentum was too fierce. If he collided with Sun Li, she would likely be sent flying like a sandbag, sustaining serious injury.
Li Yundong knew this acutely. Gritting his teeth, he pushed off the ground, executing a somersault right over Sun Li’s head!
A collective gasp rose from the students at the gate. Somersaulting over a girl about 1.65 meters tall while carrying a person—was this even humanly possible?
Sun Li felt a powerful rush of wind, then a dark silhouette flashed past her eyes. When she regained her senses, a thin sheen of cold sweat had broken out on her back.
At this moment, Xie Fei and the others caught up. Their eyes were bloodshot from the pursuit, and they utterly disregarded the fact that they were at a school, yelling hoarsely, “Get out of our way!”
The students took one look at the knives in their hands and instantly parted to create a path.
Li Yundong glanced back and was instantly infuriated that these brutes dared to follow him onto campus. He cursed silently but dared not stop running, continuing his wild dash across the grounds.
His frantic run drew the attention of faculty and students alike. Upon seeing the thugs right behind him, everyone gasped in horror and began shouting warnings.
Li Yundong had never been chased and hunted like this. In his blind panic, he inadvertently ran into a dead end beneath the boys' dormitory building.
Li Yundong instantly broke out in a fresh wave of sweat. He glanced back to see that the pursuers were now fully enraged, their eyes burning red; if they caught him, he would surely be chopped into mincemeat.
He spun around, his mind racing. For some inexplicable reason, his gaze locked onto the right-angle corner where the dormitory’s balcony met the exterior wall, and an idea flashed through his mind.
The moment the thought registered, Li Yundong accelerated again, sprinting toward the dead end.
At that moment, Ding Nan and Zhou Qin were emerging from the opposite girls' dormitory. They saw Li Yundong rushing toward the corner like a gust of wind.
Ding Nan laughed in sheer disbelief, “Is that guy trying to smash into the wall and commit suicide?”
Before Zhou Qin could reply, they watched as Li Yundong abruptly planted one foot just before hitting the wall, his body instantly shooting upward as he kicked off the perpendicular corner!
With that kick, every drop of blood in Li Yundong’s body seemed to instantly concentrate in that single leg. His muscles contracted violently, his tendons snapping like compressed springs before instantly releasing!
This single kick carried a force perhaps weighing a thousand catties! It drove into the wall, causing a noticeable depression in the plaster!
Whoosh!
Li Yundong shot upward, gaining significant height, his trajectory arcing toward the other wall of the corner—the wall supporting the balcony.
The distance was barely a meter, but Li Yundong braced against the balcony wall with his other foot, once again channeling power through his thigh!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Li Yundong’s body shot upward like a firecracker, gaining height stage by stage. He leaped left and right, his movements as nimble as a monkey’s spring, his legs as powerful as a tiger’s pounce. After just a few soaring leaps, he reached the roof of the fourth floor in a matter of breaths.
The students gathered below the dormitory were stunned, their eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.
Only after Li Yundong had carried Su Chan all the way onto the roof by scaling the walls did they snap back to reality, erupting in uncontrollable excitement.
“Holy crap, did you see that? Damn, that was awesome! Is he even human?”
“Forget that, did anyone film it?”
“Film my foot! I was too stunned to even think about filming!”
“Ugh, what a waste! If this footage went online and didn’t blow up, I’d chop my hand off!”
Zhou Qin and Ding Nan were equally dumbfounded. Ding Nan murmured dreamily, “How is that possible? That’s too exaggerated!”
A strange light flickered in Zhou Qin’s eyes as she looked toward Li Yundong’s receding figure, now mixed with profound shock and amazement.
Just then, Xie Fei and Er Lü’s group arrived. They watched in horrified silence as Li Yundong, carrying Su Chan, bounded onto the rooftop like a leopard.
One of Xie Fei’s subordinates, gasping for breath, wheezed to Xie Fei, “Brother Fei, that bastard can run too well! He’s like a monkey, how can we chase him?”
Xie Fei glared at him sharply, “Shut up!”
Then, he turned and looked menacingly at Er Lü, “Why didn’t you tell me this guy was such a tough nut to crack?”
Er Lü’s face darkened. “I didn’t expect him to be this tough.”
Xie Fei curled his lip. Seeing teachers and security guards rushing toward them from within the campus, he barked at his subordinates, “Put the knives away! Do you think waving them around looks cool? Do you want to end up in lockup?”
He then shot a resentful look at Li Yundong and Su Chan on the roof. “I don’t believe he can keep running forever!”
But Xie Fei never considered what kind of force the person he was chasing—who could leap onto a four-story roof while carrying a grown woman—would possess if he ever bothered to learn a few actual fighting skills.