This was a race against time.
After kicking down the stone pillar again and triggering the alarm, Fu Qian set off without hesitation, making his way forward with practiced ease.
This time, it took him less than five minutes to reach Wen Li's room.
He kicked down the door, smashed the bowl, and rescued her in one fluid motion.
But this time, when faced with the javelin-like stone pillar, he didn't kick Wen Li out of the way.
Drawing a deep breath, he gathered his rampant strength in his right hand. As the stone pillar hurtled toward him, Fu Qian punched straight at it.
A deafening crash rang out, and dust filled the air.
The stone pillar, so thick it would have taken a person to wrap their arms around it, was smashed into thousands of pieces, raining down through the room like hail.
Fu Qian lowered his right hand and turned to look at the people covered in dust.
Not a sound could be heard. Faced with a scene like something out of a legend, the whole group seemed to have stopped thinking.
Good. This was exactly the effect he wanted!
"May I ask..."
Wen Xiuxian was the first to recover. He eyed Fu Qian cautiously, as if trying to figure out what to say.
"Sir... what is going on?"
"There's no time to explain."
Fu Qian snorted, clasped his hands behind his back, and struck the pose of an expert. He gestured toward the Stone Giant that had appeared in the courtyard.
"It's an emergency. Take me to the safe room here, or your daughter is dead."
"This..."
Wen Xiuxian instinctively wanted to object, but the terrifying sight of Fu Qian smashing the stone pillar with one punch flashed through his mind, and he swallowed his words.
He had seen underground shelters built by wealthy and powerful people before, but when he watched the nearly two-meter-thick metal door slowly open, Fu Qian realized he'd still underestimated how afraid these people were of dying.
"This is it."
Wen Xiuxian pointed inside the metal door.
"Once you go in and activate it, this door can only be opened from the inside. It can't be opened from outside, and there are enough supplies inside to last a long time. But..."
The initial shock had worn off, and now he looked hesitant.
Anyone would have doubts if a stranger suddenly appeared in their home and, without a word of explanation, tried to stuff them into a safe room.
The worst part was, the man was wearing a uniform that matched the bodyguards'—with the word "Gu Wei" shining brightly on his chest.
He had to be a transcendent of at least the sixth rank. How had I never heard that this bodyguard company was so powerful?
"Do we really need to hide in here? Who exactly are they?"
"People strong enough to kill all of you. And it's not 'we.'"
Fu Qian pointed behind Wen Xiuxian.
"Only Wen Li and I are going in. Everyone else, get out. No one comes near without my orders. Anyone who does will be killed."
"What makes you think you can give orders here?"
Before the dumbfounded Wen Xiuxian could speak, a voice roared from behind him. Young Master Ye, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, had finally lost his temper.
He probably hadn't seen Fu Qian's little demonstration earlier. Fu Qian glanced at him.
Compared with Wen Xiuxian and the others, Young Master Ye's party of four was much cleaner.
They must have only just entered the Wen Family estate when Fu Qian shattered the stone pillar.
"You don't want to die, do you?"
Fu Qian ignored him completely and turned to Wen Li.
Miss Wen had first been drenched in poisonous soup from head to toe, then had her face scrubbed with lime. At this point, she looked truly pitiful.
Even so, her beauty was impossible to hide. If anything, she looked all the more delicate and vulnerable.
No wonder Young Master Ye had gotten so worked up at Fu Qian's suggestion.
"I..."
Wen Li had just returned from the brink of death, and she was still shaken. A different kind of hesitation showed in her eyes.
"Could we go somewhere else?"
"No!"
Seeing that she still had a decent will to live and probably wouldn't suffer a mental breakdown this time, Fu Qian showed no mercy. He kicked her into the safe room and activated the switch.
"You dare!"
A roar came from behind him. Ignored, Young Master Ye attacked outright, the fierce rush of wind aimed at Fu Qian's back.
Just what he'd been waiting for!
Fu Qian stomped a deep crater into the alloy floor and surged forward on the force of the rebound.
"Look out!"
A figure moved even faster, darting in front of Young Master Ye to try to stop Fu Qian.
Just who he was waiting for!
Mr. Ji, who had been silently playing the expert, finally couldn't hold back.
Faced with an attack far more fierce than Young Master Ye's, Fu Qian didn't hesitate to meet it head-on.
Fist and foot collided, and force burst in every direction.
His newly enhanced strength sent Mr. Ji flying several meters.
Only then did Young Master Ye's attack finally arrive.
Fu Qian neither dodged nor flinched. He slapped Young Master Ye across the face, not only interrupting his attack but sending him flying.
"This isn't someone we can handle!"
After landing, Young Master Ye flew into a rage, but Mr. Ji grabbed him and held him back.
"Go get the Night Watchers!"
After quickly saying those two sentences, Mr. Ji spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Without a doubt, as the strongest person present, he had a good eye for these things.
The metal door slowly closed, and no one dared to stop it.
Fu Qian stood behind the door, watching Young Master Ye's face twist through fear, hatred, confusion, and shock. For some reason, it gave him the feeling of "Fu Qian's that thing"...
The imagination really was the source of indecency. Fu Qian was simply treating the sick and saving lives. Please don't make baseless assumptions by forcing some vulgar scenario onto the situation.
Creak!
With one final groan, the metal door shut completely, and silence fell over the safe room.
Fu Qian turned around. The room was quite spacious; the Wen Family had clearly invested a fortune in it.
Wen Li had gotten up and was sitting against the wall.
After his upgrade, he had far better control over his strength. He was certain that kick hadn't hurt her at all.
Their eyes met, and Fu Qian noticed something was off.
She'd actually taken the time to wipe her face!
"I can tell you don't mean me any harm."
Wen Li's voice trembled, but she still managed to speak between gasps.
"Can you tell me why you're doing this?"
"To save your life. I already told you that."
"If you mean well, couldn't you communicate in a gentler way?"
"No."
Fu Qian's expression didn't change. In the loops she knew nothing about, he'd already tried being gentle.
Relatively gentle, anyway.
"Then can I ask how long we'll have to stay in here?"
Wen Li had just thought of another question.
Fu Qian held up one finger.
"A week... or don't tell me it's a month?"
Wen Li looked thoroughly opposed to the idea.
"No."
Fu Qian waved his finger.
"One day."
Just one day?
Wen Li's eyes brightened. That answer was clearly beyond her expectations.
"Does that mean the assassins will give up after today?"
"No. You have one day to break through."
Fu Qian wagged his finger again.
"Starting now, get to enlightenment!"
"If you haven't reached the sixth rank by this time tomorrow, I'll strip you naked and throw you outside."
"Crying counts toward the time!"
Before you continue