"You're Lu Lin, you son of a bitch?"
"You pretty boy, you actually dared to beat Miss Liu's hand into that state. Die!"
The Tiger-Tattooed Youth spoke arrogantly as he aimed a punch straight at Lu Lin's chest.
Terrifying!
The Tiger Head Youth was far stronger than Zhao Xun had been.
Lu Lin didn't dare let his guard down. He immediately raised his left arm to block.
"Bang!"
"Huh?"
Feeling the force that came through his hand, the Tiger Head Youth couldn't help looking puzzled.
Wasn't this kid Lu Lin just a useless failure at the Martial Arts Examination? How had he managed to withstand his furious strike?
Unlike him, Lu Lin was beaming.
That punch from the Tiger Head Youth had made his Golden Bell Shield's progress surge by 10 points.
Ten points per punch. Wouldn't a hundred punches be enough to raise Lu Lin's Golden Bell Shield to the Fourth Layer?
"Again!"
Lu Lin shouted. The Tiger Head Youth snapped out of it, and seeing Lu Lin looking completely unharmed only made him angrier.
"You little bastard, you're asking to die!"
The Tiger Head Youth spat on the ground and charged at Lu Lin again.
Lu Lin seemed to have anticipated his move. He stepped back and slammed his right fist into the other man's.
The Tiger Head Youth couldn't help grimacing.
That hurt a little.
He was already at the Martial Artist grade. How could hitting a kid like Lu Lin make his hand hurt? Had he cultivated his Vitality Power for nothing?
[22/1000]
Lu Lin's Golden Bell Shield progress surged another 10 points.
This Tiger Head Youth in front of him was probably a Martial Artist-grade expert.
Whatever reason the other man had for coming after him, Lu Lin felt he ought to thank him.
What a good guy.
That was what Lu Lin thought, but what he said was, "That's it?"
His disdainful expression only enraged the Tiger Head Youth further. He roared, unleashed the Vitality Power within him, and sent punch after punch crashing toward Lu Lin.
Lu Lin wasn't about to let such a good opportunity go to waste.
This guy was seriously a good person.
Bang, bang, bang—bang, bang, bang.
In just a few seconds, Lu Lin took more than a dozen punches.
His Golden Bell Shield's progress reached [202/1000]. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he reached the Fourth Layer.
The Golden Bell Shield was notoriously difficult to cultivate. If Lu Lin went from the First Layer to the Fourth Layer in a single day, the speed would probably leave plenty of martial arts bigwigs' jaws on the floor.
"What's going on? Who are you people?"
Just as Lu Lin was enjoying the increase in his proficiency, Li Jiangtao's voice suddenly came from behind him.
Lu Lin thought, This is bad.
Sure enough, a gust of wind swept through, and the Tiger Head Youth went flying backward, landing on his backside near the entrance.
"Li Jiangtao?"
"Hm?"
Hearing the Tiger Head Youth address him by name, Li Jiangtao's eyes widened.
They knew his name and still dared to act so arrogantly. These Martial Artists clearly had some backing.
"Hmph, Li Jiangtao, if you're going to protect Lu Lin, then protect him for the rest of his life. Otherwise, the moment he steps out of this Martial Arts School, a few of us can kill him."
"Lu Lin is the one our Young Master Ma specifically ordered us to kill."
Perhaps worried Li Jiangtao might lose his temper on the spot, the Tiger Head Youth added "Young Master Ma" at the end, hoping it would make Li Jiangtao think twice.
"Young Master Ma?"
Li Jiangtao frowned. "You're from the Jiang Zuo Ma Family?"
"That's right!"
The Tiger Head Youth got up, looking extremely proud. He was only a Beginner Martial Artist, but he wasn't the least bit intimidated by Li Jiangtao.
"So, are you still going to protect Lu Lin?"
"The Ma Family..."
Li Jiangtao fell silent for a moment and glanced at Lu Lin. The Ma Family wasn't some insignificant family. Even in Jiangzuo City, a place teeming with experts, they were a force to be reckoned with.
How had Lu Lin managed to get on their bad side?
"Lu Lin is an official sparring partner at Liu's Martial Arts School. Even the Ma Family can't run wild inside my school."
"So you're saying it's fine as long as Lu Lin leaves your school, then?"
The Tiger-Tattooed Youth didn't care in the slightest. He bluntly spelled out the implication behind Li Jiangtao's words.
He didn't care, but Li Jiangtao's expression changed at once.
He hadn't expected these people to be so unreasonable. They were forcing him to pick a fight with the Ma Family, and he didn't have the nerve for that.
"Fine. I'll speak on behalf of our Second Young Master and give you some face. As long as Lu Lin doesn't leave this place, he'll be fine."
"Come on, let's go. There's a milk tea shop nearby. We can kill some time there."
The Tiger-Tattooed Youth had arrived in a blaze of arrogance and left without a fuss.
Before leaving, he made a throat-slitting gesture at Lu Lin and flashed him a sinister grin.
"Break it up, everyone. Break it up."
Li Jiangtao dispersed the crowd and came over to look Lu Lin up and down. Seeing that Lu Lin hadn't suffered so much as a scratch, he was secretly amazed.
Still.
Even if Lu Lin had strong defenses and could withstand attacks from these Beginner Martial Artists, the Jiang Zuo Ma Family had even High-level Martial Masters. Lu Lin might hold out for a while, but could he hold out forever?
This wasn't something he, Li Jiangtao, could handle. Even Liu Qinglong, the Hall Master of Liu's Martial Arts School, couldn't take it on.
"Lu Lin, how did you offend the Ma Family's Second Young Master? He sent four Martial Artists after you in one go."
"Unknown, but they mentioned Miss Liu's hand just now..."
"Wait, Hall Master Li, could these people have come because of Liu Weiran? Her hand was injured..."
Lu Lin trailed off. Li Jiangtao nodded. "You guessed right. The Ma Family's Second Young Master is indeed pursuing the eldest young lady, but she doesn't like him."
"But the Ma Family is powerful. Their overall strength far surpasses our school's. Even the Hall Master can only let things slide. As long as they don't try to force the young lady, the Hall Master can't really say anything."
So that was it.
Lu Lin understood now. This was simply the Ma Family's Second Young Master showing off his power. It looked like he was targeting Lu Lin, but in truth, he was putting pressure on Liu Qinglong. Lu Lin was just an innocent caught in the crossfire.
If Lu Lin didn't currently need the salary and Vitality cultivation method the school provided, he would have cut ties with it immediately. Li Jiangtao's words had made it clear that he wouldn't offend the Ma Family for Lu Lin.
Lu Lin and the school were only employer and employee. They couldn't expect him to risk his life for a few thousand yuan.
Seeing Lu Lin lost in thought, Li Jiangtao felt a little awkward. He had only just signed a Martial Artist-grade sparring contract with Lu Lin, and now he was turning around and abandoning him. That was downright dishonorable.
"Lu Lin, why don't you leave through the back door later? Here are my car keys. Take my car home."
Li Jiangtao held out his car keys, but Lu Lin didn't accept them.
"Hall Master Li, I appreciate the offer."
"But I'm not afraid of a few worthless punks like them."
"It's only the Ma Family's Second Young Master. Let him make his move."
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