Heart's Wounds

"All bark and no bite. This girl, who came from who-knows-where, is scared to death herself, yet she wants to meddle in other people's business?"

Liang Xin, recovering from his initial shock, retorted angrily, "Judging by her attire, she's probably from the drama club. How dare Liang Xin meddle in my business! I'll strip you naked!"

Another person said, "Judging from her figure, she's probably a beauty. Let's see if she takes off her mask; she must be gorgeous."

Xie Xiaomei was so frightened that she took a step back and said nervously, "You... you mustn't do anything reckless."

Unfortunately, when facing thugs, the weaker you are, the more they will take advantage of you; bullying the weak is in their nature.

Sure enough, Liang Xin chuckled and said, "I almost fell for her act. She was so convincing. I don't know how she did it. Let's strip her clothes off and see how she pulls her act."

As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Xiaomei's chest, intentionally trying to take advantage of her.

Si Ming Secret Voice Transmission, saying, "Kick your leg harder."

Startled and unable to move, Xie Xiaomei instinctively kicked out upon hearing the sound. She was too fast for Liang Xin to react. Although he wasn't dramatically kicked in the groin, his knee was hit, and he lost his balance on one foot, falling face-first into the mud.

Liu Qingqing's cultivation level was the weakest in Si Ming's team. In close combat, she certainly couldn't beat Ying Zhou. However, strength is relative. Among her peers, she was undoubtedly outstanding. Even at Linked Mountains University, where talented individuals abound, she was considered above average with a skill. Her Level Eight Internal Cultivation far exceeded the national average. In contrast, these delinquent students in front of her had only level three Internal Cultivation and relied on their physical strength to bully their classmates. Internal Cultivation below level four was almost useless and far inferior to external skills and martial arts in actual combat.

Even if Xie Xiaomei kicked haphazardly, the delinquent student in front of her couldn't withstand it, because her speed and strength were too great—it was an overwhelming physical advantage.

Chen Fan and his companion were unaware of this. They assumed that their opponent had specialized in leg techniques, which was why his kicks were so fast, and that Liang Xin had been caught off guard and thus fell victim to the attack. However, the two did not dare to be careless, so they attacked Xie Xiaomei from two directions, trying to make her unable to defend herself.

In fact, Xie Xiaomei really didn't know how to deal with it. Her mental age was only that of an eight or nine-year-old child, and her experience was limited to that level, let alone practicing martial arts and sparring with others.

Fortunately, her physical advantage was too great, and she could win even by throwing a bunch of random punches. However, it looked terrible and lacked any semblance of a master. Even shouting "Angry horse gallops through the pass" to cover it up was useless.

Si Ming promptly instructed, "Use the Air-Splitting Palm's technique I taught you on the way to strike out with force."

Without a second thought, Xie Xiaomei pushed out with both palms, unleashing a burst of energy. However, her clumsy technique meant that she only managed to unleash less than 30% of her power in those two strikes.

But that was enough. The two students who tried to gang up on her didn't have time to dodge. One was slapped in the face and the other in the chest, and they were sent flying on the spot. Liu Fan, who was slapped in the face, had blood gushing from his nose. The two of them crashed into the boxes behind them and were submerged by the falling ball.

Even the thin, bullied student realized that the person in front of him was truly a master.

Liang Xin, who had originally planned to launch a sneak attack and retaliate, felt his heart sink when he saw this scene. To deal with a delinquent student like him, a martial arts master actually had to resort to the tactic of pretending to be weak to catch a tiger. This was giving him far too much credit!

He chose to lie on the ground and play dead because he lacked the courage to challenge a stronger opponent; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in this state.

Xie Xiaomei was stunned. All the bad guys had been defeated; did this mean the operation was a success? In comics, how exactly do the female protagonists usually act?

She didn't come to her senses until the bullied student thanked her. Immediately, she imitated the heroine in the comic book, leaving behind the words, "I will appear whenever someone needs me," and then, with a flick of her whisk, she suppressed her joy and left gracefully.

I really want to know her name...

The skinny boy stared blankly at the departing figure, wondering if the other person was actually a girl in his class, or if a beautiful transfer student would be joining the class tomorrow?

Various comic book plots he had read floated into his mind, especially those where the male protagonist had no special skills but was pursued by a bunch of beautiful women—he usually read these comics to relieve his boredom when he was bullied.

While the boy was lost in thought, someone suddenly patted his shoulder. He was startled and turned around to beg for forgiveness, only to find that it wasn't Liang Xin or his gang.

"Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What's important is that although that person helped you, she can't help you forever. Those delinquent students who were beaten up will definitely take their anger out on you again in the future. You don't naively think that just because they were beaten up today, they will turn over a new leaf and become good people, do you?"

The speaker was Si Ming. Although from Xie Xiaomei's perspective, the operation had come to a successful conclusion. She had achieved her goal of saving the weak and punishing the bad guys, and the crimes of these bad guys did not warrant death. A light punishment would suffice. However, things in reality are not so easy to resolve. It's not like a heart-stealing thief who can change a person's character with a beating. Therefore, there are still some minor issues to deal with.

"Then, what should I do?" The boy panicked.

"There are two options: one is to tell your parents, and then either sue the school and make a big fuss, or transfer to another school and never see them again."

"I stole a lot of money from home. If I tell my parents, they'll kill me."

"There's another way. Go to the mall and buy a fruit knife. Carry it with you. If they bully you again, just stab them in the stomach. Remember not to hit any vital organs. I guarantee they won't dare to come after you again."

"I... I can't do that..."

"If you can't do it, then continue to be bullied. No one is obligated to save you; only you can save yourself. Either be a tough person for a second, or be a coward for life. The choice is yours."

After saying that, Si Ming waved and left.

Chapter 617 Psychological Trauma

On the way home, Xie Xiaomei was still excited, gesturing wildly as she recounted her heroic deeds. In her description, she had become a peerless hero, while the three delinquent students were evil people reincarnated from demons. When the two sides fought, the heavens and earth lost their color, and the sun and moon lost their light.

Although it appears that only two moves have been exchanged on the surface, there are actually hundreds of moves involved. The two sides have already fought countless rounds in the mental world, and the victory or defeat in the real world is merely the result of the fierce battle in the mental world—these plots are all depicted in the comics.

Si Ming knew this was normal human psychology. When someone does something unimaginable in normal times, or accomplishes something with great courage, they almost always brag about it and seek recognition, even if the thing itself is insignificant.

Instead of exposing her, he became a good listener, occasionally exclaiming in surprise and using subtle gestures such as wide eyes and open mouth to express his astonishment, which made Xie Xiaomei more and more enthusiastic.

Boasting isn't inherently a bad thing, and in Xie Xiaomei's case, it's even something to be encouraged. People who enjoy boasting are generally outgoing, and it provides a great deal of mental satisfaction, making them more extroverted and willing to communicate with friends. Can you imagine a gloomy person chatting and boasting?

Xie Xiaomei skipped and hopped all the way back to Liu Qingqing's house, constantly practicing her Air-Splitting Palm technique along the way, unleashing a series of palm strikes in all directions. Fortunately, she knew her limits, or perhaps she was afraid of strangers, so she would stop when she saw an unfamiliar person and hide behind Si Ming.

The "Air-Splitting Palm" technique itself is not difficult; an ordinary person can generate a palm wind by swinging their palm forcefully. Of course, it is not easy to generate a palm force that can injure someone from a distance using only physical strength. At least, it requires extremely high physical fitness, and ordinary martial artists may not be able to do it. However, for martial artists with Internal Cultivation, it is a very easy thing. With a little training, they can do it. The power depends on the depth of their Internal Cultivation.

It's far too late for Xie Xiaomei to start practicing martial arts now. Even if she's a natural martial arts prodigy, it's impossible for her to master it in just a day or two. Especially when an opponent gets close, she probably won't be able to use even a tenth of her full skill. But techniques like the "Splitting Air-Splitting Palm" that can injure people from a distance are perfect for her. They're simple, mindless, and easy to learn, just like a child could kill an adult with a gun.

"Maybe I should give these moves names. In manga, the female protagonists always shout out the names of their moves when they unleash them."

Xie Xiaomei said as she took off her shoes in the entryway.

"That's the narrator shouting, not the person shouting... Of course, if you insist on shouting, it's not impossible. Using your voice to intimidate people can at least startle them, and it can also show that you are aboveboard and disdain sneak attacks. How about calling it Pegasus Meteor Fist?"

"As fast as a shooting star? But why a celestial horse?" Xie Xiaomei blinked and asked.

"Well... because the Heavenly Horse is both fast and powerful. You see, generals always ride horses in battle, and it's always the horses that kill people. Have you ever heard of anyone running too fast and killing their horse?"