Opening

"Hah—!"

Ryuseki angrily threw a punch, a single blow like an explosion that sent Lin Yingbin crashing to the ground.

"I can't forgive what you've done. I'll definitely make you come to your senses."

Lin Yingbin lay heavily on the ground, looking at Ryuseki, who had just struck him, with disbelief.

"Wake up! You're not the kind of person who lets others control them so easily!" Ryuseki shouted at Lin Yingbin, who was sprawled on the ground from his punch.

Despite being hit, the punch didn't seem to have worked. Lin Yingbin just cursed, "Damn you!" Then, he quickly sprang up, grabbed Ryuseki by the hair, and violently slammed him to the ground, returning the previous blow.

Ryuseki's face smashed hard into the ground, and a sharp pain shot through him.

"Waaahhhh!!!"

He let out a scream, then forcefully broke free from Lin Yingbin's grip and jumped back several steps, creating some distance between them. It was then that he realized his face was covered in blood.

"As I thought, I can't let you run wild." Ryuu Mufei aimed his palm at Lin Yingbin, once again using Psychic Chains to restrain his movements. He then inquired about Ryuseki's condition.

"Did he end up like this because of what happened before?" Ryuseki took out a tissue to wipe the blood and wounds from his face. Fortunately, they were only superficial injuries; his bones were unharmed.

However, the incident Ryuseki was referring to happened a few days before his duel with Slumber. Ryuseki, Ryuu Mufei, and Lin Yingbin had encountered several people on the school rooftop. They were wearing long black trench coats with lifelike red scorpions printed on them, and the seven of them were almost identical in build, as if cast from the same mold.

They had been discussing matters concerning Slumber when these individuals suddenly appeared, causing them to tense up. Ryuu Mufei, in particular, knew these people were subordinates of Zhi, but he didn't know their purpose for being there. Were they looking for him? That shouldn't be the case. Based on the information they had, it was quite possible they were after the entity inside Ryuseki!

"You guys aren't from around here, are you!" Ryuseki got into a fighting stance.

"Keep your voice down. I don't want us to be discovered." The man in the center of the group walked towards the three of them as if nothing had happened. However, if one were to compare, they seemed less powerful than the Golden Scorpions they would encounter later.

"Are you people from 'Zhi'? We're just students, why are you looking for us?" Ryuseki asked the approaching man. "We shouldn't have any past dealings, right!"

Lin Yingbin cursed in his mind, calling Ryuseki an idiot for mentioning Zhi's name. How could there be no connection?

"There are. You saved someone half a year ago, didn't you!" the man asked in a chilling tone. "Tell me where that person is!"

Ryuseki frowned. He immediately recalled that he and his brother Kouhi had indeed saved someone half a year ago. They were walking by the river when they found a man lying on the bank, covered in injuries. The two of them rescued him. However, after the man woke up, he left without saying goodbye.

Recalling this, Ryuseki asked with some displeasure, "So what if we saved someone? There's no law that says we can't save people!"

Just then, Ryuseki suddenly felt a killing intent emanating from the group opposite them. The leader replied, "That man is our most wanted fugitive. Our boss wants him gone. If you tell us information about him, we'll let bygones be bygones regarding what happened before. Otherwise, you will be executed!"

"What does that have to do with me?" Ryuseki glared at the man with displeasure. At the same time, Lin Yingbin suddenly rushed in front of the man and kicked him, sending him flying.

As the man was kicked into the wall, he dissolved into a black mist and disappeared. Then, one of the men in black trench coats with red scorpions stepped forward, speaking in the exact same voice as the man before him. "We will treat you as accomplices. And you," he pointed at Lin Yingbin, "remember your reckless behavior today!"

"This matter will be handled personally by that person." At this point, another man in a black trench coat with a red scorpion also warned them in the same voice.

"That person? Are you talking about the guy with the hat?" Ryuseki asked.

The man who had just spoken shivered and replied, "You've even met Master 'Snake'?" The man seemed to recall the terrifying power of this individual named Snake and couldn't help but shudder.

"I knew that guy wasn't a good person. He's responsible for what happened to Kikka You too! I won't let him get away with it." Ryuseki glared furiously at the remaining six men.

Without further words, Lin Yingbin attacked the group without hesitation. Then, they surprisingly turned into black mist and attempted to leave. Just then, Ryuu Mufei used Psychokinesis to grab one of them, intending to question him, but unexpectedly, a black mist appeared behind him and attacked him, causing him to lose control of his Psychokinesis.

"Hmm—could this be the young man from the Psychokinetic Clan that Lord Mo E has been searching for so desperately!"

With that, all the black mist vanished, leaving only the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

Concluding his brief recollection, Ryuseki became even more certain that Lin Yingbin was being controlled by Zhi's subordinates, as the other party had specifically named Lin Yingbin last time.

"I suspect that might be the case, but for now, we need to find a solution to this problem." Ryuu Mufei didn't dare to be careless, but when he finished talking with Ryuseki and looked back at Lin Yingbin, whom he had restrained, he found that Lin Yingbin had already vanished.

"Are you two looking down on me?"

Lin Yingbin's voice came from above Ryuseki's head. Ryuseki looked up at Lin Yingbin, who was attacking him, and replied, "No, I've never looked down on you."

Lin Yingbin delivered a heavy blow towards Ryuseki, who quickly dodged the attack.

"Then we'll just have to beat him until he can't fight back before we consider a solution!" Ryuseki and Ryuu Mufei said in unison.

"Do you really think you're my match?" Lin Yingbin smirked sinisterly, then disappeared from their sight at extreme speed.

"I told you I've never looked down on you!"

Ryuseki, having already predicted Lin Yingbin's attack, swung his fist in that direction, but Lin Yingbin managed to dodge it. Taking advantage of Ryuseki's inability to recover his stance, Lin Yingbin kicked him in the chest. It was at this precise moment that Ryuu Mufei unleashed his Psychokinesis. Suddenly, Lin Yingbin was as if violently pushed away by someone, blown away by the Psychokinesis, his body crashing into a nearby wall.

Ryuu Mufei looked at the collapsing wall and then at Lin Yingbin, who was rising from the pile of bricks, looking quite disheveled and covered in dust. As Lin Yingbin stood up, he shook off the dust and looked at Ryuu Mufei unpleasantly.

"That hurt!" Lin Yingbin said, rubbing his neck.

"Who are you kidding!" Ryuu Mufei clenched his fist, his expression cold.