Third Time's the Charm

Upon hearing Qingyan felt an extremely complex mix of emotions welling up inside her, a feeling that was difficult to articulate.

If I had to explain it, I'd probably just use the phrase "Holy crap, holy crap? Holy crap!" to describe it.

The boy asked, "Is it someone I know?"

Hongdou said, "Yes, he's a kind uncle. Last time when the demon tide came, he saved my life at school. He's just an ordinary person, but he dared to stand up and fight against the Demon Beast. Even Teacher Murong praised him as a righteous man worthy of respect."

The boy nodded and thanked the boy with Qingyan, saying, "Thank you for saving my friend."

"... You're welcome." Qingyan really didn't know how to respond, so he could only manage this one sentence, then added a warning, "Be careful, the enemy isn't dead yet; they're probably lurking underground."

"I understand. I'll make him get out here right away."

The boy raised his leg and stomped down hard.

Chapter 150 Things Don't Stop After Three Times

As Si Ming stomped his foot, a vast divine power slammed into the earth, causing the nearby ground to visibly sink.

A muffled groan came from underground, followed by a nimble figure bursting out of the ground and quickly fleeing away.

"Can they escape?"

Si Ming hurriedly put Hongdou down, stomped his feet, and a wave of heat rose from the ground. His body shot out like a rocket, catching up with his opponent in the blink of an eye. With a flick of his arm, he unleashed Bullet Fist that struck his opponent squarely in the back.

With a loud bang, the struck body turned into flying debris.

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west—we've fallen for their trap!"

Qingyan at Hongdou, who was less than three meters away from him, and thought that this was a good opportunity to make a move. He originally thought that today's assassination was destined to fail, but he did not expect that the heavens would be so kind to him and give him another chance, which was right in front of him.

As the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times. Having failed twice before, we can't afford to fail again this time!

The two swords flipped, drawing two perfect arcs, and slashed towards the girl's neck.

—I'm sorry, you saved me, yet I repay kindness with enmity. But this is the path I've chosen. Assassins are destined to be ruthless. In return, I will let you leave without suffering.

Just as Qingyan made his move, Si Ming destroyed Di Earth Raccoon Dog's clone and realized he had fallen into a trap.

Then, the true form of the Di Earth Raccoon Dog burst out of the ground and rushed towards Hongdou, intending to take her hostage and use her to blackmail Si Ming.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he emerged from underground, he saw a cold light slashing towards his face. He hurriedly swung his short sickle, but due to the hasty response, he did not exert enough force and was immediately blasted away.

Si Ming counterattacked, his single fist stirring up air currents that swept back like a whirlwind, enveloping all directions and leaving his opponent no room to dodge.

Helpless, Di Earth Raccoon Dog quickly used his Divine Ability to summon a thick earthen wall to block his way.

With a loud bang, the half-meter-thick earthen wall was shattered by Si Ming's punch. His momentum continued, but his power was inevitably weakened by 30%. After hitting the short sickle that his opponent used to defend, he only injured it and failed to kill it with one punch.

The Di Earth Raccoon Dog was launched into the air, and the moment it hit the ground, its body turned into mud and disappeared underground once again.

Si Ming looked at the astonished Qingyan and said gratefully, "Thank you so much, otherwise they would have succeeded."

Then he added, "Judging from its appearance, this guy doesn't look as imposing as the two big guys I encountered before, so I became careless."

From underground came the admiring voice of the Di Earth Raccoon Dog: "Impressive. You actually saw through my tactics beforehand. This is the first time I've encountered a human who can react so quickly."

"..."

Looking up at the sky with Qingyan, I feel like tears are about to fall if I don't.

Di Earth Raccoon Dog then said, "You are using your numbers to bully the few; your victory is not honorable."

Si Ming scoffed and said, "Then come out here. I don't need anyone's help. Let's fight one-on-one. I'll give you a handicap of one hand. Do you dare to accept the challenge?"

"You're all brawn and no brains. I won't stoop to your level. A wise man avoids dangerous situations. We'll meet again another day."

Just as Di Earth Raccoon Dog was about to escape from underground, Hongdou produced a painting. The painting depicted a huge prison cage. As she channeled her True Qi into the painting, ink formed from her True Qi gushed out and seeped into the ground.

"What... what is this?"

A gasp of surprise came from underground. The ink slid upwards, pulling the Di Earth Raccoon Dog out of the ground and quickly coalescing into a cage, trapping him inside.

With a fierce struggle, the Di Earth Raccoon Dog unleashed its Yao Qi, tearing apart the dark cage and breaking free.

Although this Painting School's Divine Ability looks magical, it is not powerful, and it is related to the Painting School's own painting skills and cultivation level. Painting skills determine the maximum limit, and the True Qi filling it represents the strength of this Divine Ability power.

However, this delay allowed Si Ming to react quickly. He slid over and grabbed the Di Earth Raccoon Dog, preventing it from touching the ground.

"Let go of me!"

Di Earth Raccoon Dog swung his short sickle backhand, aiming for Si Ming's arm. A flash of lightning followed, and with a crisp sound, the short sickle was sent flying.

"Take my stun spell (physical)!"

Si Ming grabbed the other person's head and slammed it against a steel plate, as if he wanted to smash the other person's head off.

Fortunately, the physical attributes of the Demon Beast were exceptional, far surpassing those of ordinary wild animals. Even the Di Earth Raccoon Dog, Demon Race not known for its physical prowess, possessed a head as hard as a rock. After Si Ming's powerful blow and close contact with the steel plate, it was only knocked unconscious without its brains splattering.

To prevent the creature from escaping using its innate supernatural Divine Ability after waking up, Si Ming immediately found a steel cable, tied it up using the tortoise shell binding technique, and suspended it from a fishing rod to prevent it from touching the ground.

Qingyan watched from the sidelines, wanting to attack Hongdou several times, but each time he changed his mind before making a move.

On one hand, he naturally had to consider Si Ming's presence. At such close range, even if he could kill Hongdou, he wouldn't be able to escape from Si Ming's clutches. He didn't have any deep-seated hatred for Hongdou, so there was no need for him to risk his life.

On the other hand, he had some doubts. His repeated failures at opportune moments made him wonder if the other party was blessed by fate, like the legendary character who could always turn danger into safety. He wondered if he would encounter some unexpected event if he made a move now.

Qingyan knew the idea was absurd, that it was all just a coincidence, but once the thought took root, he couldn't shake it off.