The Start

Hmph~

Ryuseki threw a punch in anger, an explosive blow that knocked Lin Yingbin to the ground in a single strike.

"I can't forgive this kind of behavior from you, I'm going to snap you out of it."

Lin Yingbin was knocked heavily to the ground, looking in disbelief at Ryuseki who had beaten him.

"Snap out of it already, you aren't the kind of person who gets controlled by just anyone!" Ryuseki shouted at Lin Yingbin, who had been knocked flat by his punch.

Despite taking the beating, the punch didn't seem to work. Lin Yingbin only cursed, "Damn you!" Then he lunged forward swiftly, grabbed a handful of Ryuseki's hair, and violently slammed him down into the ground, returning the earlier blow.

Ryuseki's face hit the ground hard, and a wave of pain struck him instantly.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

He let out a miserable scream, then struggled free from Lin Yingbin's hand with great force and jumped back a few steps, keeping a certain distance from him. It was only then that he realized his face was already covered in blood.

"As expected, I can't let you run wild." Ryuu Mufei aimed his palm at Lin Yingbin, using psychic chains to bind his movements once more. Then he asked about Ryuseki's condition.

"Did he turn into this because of that incident before?" Ryuseki pulled out a tissue to wipe the blood stains and wounds on his face, relieved that it was only a superficial injury and his bones weren't hurt.

However, the matter Ryuseki spoke of was something that happened a few days before his duel with Slumber. It was when Ryuseki, Ryuu Mufei, and Lin Yingbin encountered several individuals on the roof of the school. They wore long black trench coats with lifelike red scorpions printed on them, and the seven of them were almost identical in build, as if carved from the same mold.

Originally, they were discussing matters regarding Slumber, but the abrupt appearance of these individuals forced them to tense up. Among them, Ryuu Mufei in particular knew that these people were subordinates of Zhi, yet he did not know their purpose in coming here. Were they looking for him? That shouldn't be right; based on current information, who's to say they weren't after the guy inside Ryuseki!

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

"Keep it down, I don't want to be found." The middle-aged man in black among them walked toward the three of them as if nothing were the matter. However, strictly speaking, they didn't seem as strong as the golden scorpions they would encounter later.

"Are you people from 'Zhi'? We're just students, why are you coming after us?" Ryuseki asked the approaching man, "We shouldn't have any past history between us!"

Lin Yingbin cursed in his heart that this idiot had already mentioned the name Zhi, how could there possibly be no connection.

"There is, you guys saved someone half a year ago, right!" The man asked in a frigid tone, "Tell me the whereabouts of that person!"

Ryuseki frowned, immediately recalling that he and his older brother Kouhi had indeed saved someone half a year ago. At the time, they were strolling by the riverside and found a man lying on the riverbank covered in wounds, so the two of them carried him back. Yet after that man woke up, he left without saying goodbye.

Recalling this matter, Ryuseki asked with some displeasure, "So what if we saved someone? There's no law stating that you aren't allowed to save people!"

Just at that moment, Ryuseki suddenly sensed the murderous intent emanating from the people opposite them. The leading fellow replied, "That man is our number one wanted criminal, the boss wants him to disappear. If you can give us information on him, we'll let bygones be bygones regarding earlier; otherwise, you

will be executed!"

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

The moment he was kicked and crashed into the wall, the man turned into a cloud of black mist and vanished. Another man stepped forward from among the remaining red scorpion black-trench-coat men standing behind, using the exact same voice as the previous man to say, "We will treat you as accomplices, and you—remember your reckless behavior today!" As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Lin Yingbin.

"This matter will be handled personally by that lord." At this time, another red-scorpion black-trench-coat man also warned them using the exact same voice.

"That lord? Are you talking about the guy wearing a hat?" Ryuseki asked.

Just then, the man from a moment ago shuddered and replied, "You've even met Lord 'Snake'?" The man seemed to recall the terrifying influence of this fellow named Snake, and couldn't help trembling.

"I knew that guy wasn't anything good after all. Kikka You's matter was his doing too, right! I won't spare him." Ryuseki glared angrily at the remaining six.

Without much further talk, Lin Yingbin attacked the group unceremoniously. Then, the few of them actually turned into black mist intending to leave. Just as this happened, Ryuu Mufei used psychokinesis to grab one of them, planning to ask him a few questions, but unexpectedly, a cloud of black mist appeared behind him and attacked, forcing him to release the psychokinetic control.

"Hmph~ Presumably this kid is the one from the Psychokinetic Clan that Lord Mo E has been searching for so bitterly!"

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

Ending the brief flashback, Ryuseki became even more certain that Lin Yingbin was being controlled by Zhi's subordinates, because the other party had called out Lin Yingbin by name last time.

"I suspect that might be the case as well, but right now we need to find a solution to resolve this." Ryuu Mufei didn't dare slack off at all, but when he finished speaking with Ryuseki and looked back at the Lin Yingbin he had restrained, he discovered that Lin Yingbin had already vanished.

"Are you two underestimating me?"

Lin Yingbin's voice came from directly above Ryuseki. Ryuseki raised his head to look at Lin Yingbin, who was attacking toward him, and replied, "No, I've never underestimated you."

Lin Yingbin assaulted Ryuseki with a heavy blow, and Ryuseki dodged his attack swiftly.

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

"You really think you're my match!" The corners of Lin Yingbin's mouth hooked into a seductive smile, and then he vanished from in front of the two with incredible speed.

"I already said I never underestimated you!"

Ryuseki, having deduced how Lin Yingbin would attack, threw a punch in that direction, but unexpectedly let Lin Yingbin dodge it. Taking advantage of the moment when Ryuseki couldn't recover his momentum, Lin Yingbin kicked Ryuseki squarely in the chest. At this exact timing, Ryuu Mufei unleashed his psychokinesis. Suddenly, as if someone had shoved him fiercely, Lin Yingbin was blown away by the psychokinetic force and crashed into a nearby wall.

Ryuu Mufei looked at the collapsed wall, watching Lin Yingbin stand up from the pile of bricks, looking quite disheveled and covered in dust. As he got to his feet, Lin Yingbin dusted off his clothes and glared hostilely at Ryuu Mufei.

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

"Who are you kidding!" Ryuu Mufei clenched his fists and replied with an indifferent expression.