Dark Alley at Night

Chapter 26: Alleyway in the Dark Night

Sycamore leaves, like scattered copper coins of light, dappled the bluestone ground, forming a lazy, flowing river.

Cicada chirps pierced the stagnant, humid heat, converging into a hollow melody among the concrete buildings.

Zhao Rui accompanied Sun Tiantian and two others, taking photos around campus to commemorate their time together. After agreeing to meet again before school started, he rode his bike away from the campus.

And so, his high school career had officially come to an end!

It would be a lie to say he wasn't sentimental, but life was long, and he had a broader future to forge.

After leaving school and cycling for over half an hour, Zhao Rui's bike arrived near his residential complex just as Bai Xuening's call came through.

"Are we friends?"

The young girl asked softly.

"Of course!"

Zhao Rui replied. Why wouldn't they be? Though their acquaintance was short, she was a girl he could get along with.

"That's good. See you in college!"

Zhao Rui was slightly taken aback, then chuckled freely, "See you in college!"

Bai Xuening had always been mysterious, giving off a feeling of being elusive, like a mist you couldn't quite grasp.

She had transferred in during their second year of high school. Upon arrival, her beauty and extraordinary aura had already sparked jealousy among many girls in the class.

Having joined the class midway and possessing a somewhat aloof personality, with no existing friends, she had been ostracized by the other girls.

He had only become familiar with her after an accidental touch of a sensitive area during a class sparring session, which led to some interaction.

To truly get acquainted, it started from their sparring session by the river last month, so their familiarity was still quite recent.

After their conversation, they each hung up.

Zhao Rui locked his bike and walked upstairs.

With his college applications submitted, the only remaining task was to wait for the admission notices to arrive.

Of course, there was a chance he might not receive one, but that probability was extremely low, especially with a second choice to fall back on.

With nothing else to do during the summer break, and no longer needing to worry about school, Zhao Rui dedicated himself wholeheartedly to martial arts cultivation.

Brilliant heavenly radiance, illuminating the sun and moon!

Time flowed by, and peach blossoms bloomed!

One day, Zhao Rui sat cross-legged by the riverside, bathed in the light of the early dawn, nourished by the river's essence, drawing qi from his Dantian and circulating it throughout his body.

At that moment, the acupoints within his body vibrated, like the roar of tigers and leopards, or the beating of drums and gongs, with a faint outward surge of inner qi.

The red sun was just rising in the sky, and a ray of light pierced through the clouds, slanting onto the river's surface and reflecting upon it.

"Ten years of cultivation begin now, breaking through the celestial gates in search of golden scriptures!"

Zhao Rui snorted coldly. As his eyes opened, a subtle gleam flickered within them, as bright as the morning sun.

"Although Master is unreliable, this Ethereal Divine Skill is genuinely ethereal, like clouds!"

Zhao Rui finished his exercise, exhaled, and couldn't help but ponder the recent experience.

After nearly half a month of sparring, his System panel had gained three advancement points. He had used two of them to boost his Internal Energy.

One was used to experimentally enhance the Zhongfu acupoint on the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.

The martial art he practiced, Cloud Hand Plucks Stars, followed the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian among the three Hand Yin Meridians. The Lungs are the mother of qi movement.

Cloud Hand Plucks Stars specifically follows the Lung Meridian, connecting the qi of heaven, earth, and oneself to form clouds, absorbing the qi of the universe, and using the mechanism of inhalation and exhalation to refine the body.

Upon reaching great accomplishment, all the acupoints of the Taiyin Lung Meridian would be connected one by one, and with every movement, there would be an inexplicable True Qi power.

However, this great accomplishment was as described by Li Da Naodai; he himself was unclear about the specific realm.

When the disciples asked him how many vital acupoints had been opened, Li Da Naodai stammered and changed the subject, never giving a definite answer.

At that, everyone felt he was likely bragging, either the martial art wasn't his own creation, or he was just talking nonsense.

Even the Senior Disciple Brother, who had been practicing martial arts for twenty to thirty years, hadn't opened a single acupoint, let alone the other disciples.

In short, no one took it seriously.

But today, at this very moment, Zhao Rui, with the System's power, successfully opened an acupoint and, after channeling ten years of cultivation through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, suddenly realized that it seemed to actually work.

From the Zhongfu acupoint, his Internal Energy clearly felt a trace of connection to the True Qi of heaven and earth. This vague sensation was incredibly profound.

It allowed a wisp of ethereal, cloud-like qi to spontaneously arise when he performed Cloud Hand Plucks Stars.

It was not an illusion.

"Could Li Da Naodai be a legendary master in disguise, hiding in plain sight?"

Zhao Rui couldn't help but ponder in his heart, as such reclusive masters appeared frequently in novels from his past life.

But then, remembering Li Da Naodai's usual demeanor, Zhao Rui felt it was unlikely.

Whether he was or wasn't didn't matter. How could he be more powerful than the System panel!

Zhao Rui finished circulating his inner qi and surveyed his surroundings. No one was around; only duckweed floated on the river, swaying gently in the wind, while tall reeds by the bank grew dense, rustling restlessly.

He had spent a lot of effort to find this place, which was already more than ten kilometers outside the city.

The area was surrounded by hills and riverbanks, with sparse villages and few people.

It was perfect for meditating alone, appreciating nature, and refining his inner qi.

After tidying up his belongings and strapping his backpack to the rear rack of his bicycle, Zhao Rui rode along the riverbank towards the city.

Although it wasn't as comfortable as a car, being close to nature was also quite nice.

Zhao Rui consoled himself as he watched a car flash past him on the road.

"You punk, what kind of riding is that? Spit!"

As he was cycling, a car turned from the intersection on his right, cutting him off and driving through the intersection.

As they passed, the driver even leaned out the window and spat at Zhao Rui.

"Ptooey!"

The spit landed weakly on the car door, leaving a wet streak as it dripped down the body.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Rui, furious, stopped his bicycle, picked up a stone from the roadside, and, with all his might, hurled it at the car's rearview mirror.

With a crack, the rearview mirror was hit squarely and shattered into pieces.

The car stopped abruptly, and the door was yanked open from the inside. The occupants peeked out, glanced at the broken mirror, and immediately retreated into the car.

Then, with a stomp on the accelerator, they sped away into the distance, instantly hitting over a hundred miles per hour.

"Damn, they ran into a martial artist!"

Zhao Rui, the perpetrator, felt a bit embarrassed. He had forgotten for a moment that he was a Martial Artist and had acted as he would have in his past life, throwing a stone just to scare them, since it wouldn't have hit anyway.

He never expected that with his current Internal Energy, he could smash not just a rearview mirror but even a car door with his immense strength.

Zhao Rui clicked his tongue, feeling a sense of lingering fear. His temperament was still unstable, his spirit not firm enough!

This was the downside of having two sets of memories merged into one; his spirit would often wander, causing him to forget his current situation.

Zhao Rui's advantage was his thoughtfulness and self-reflection.

Knowing his weaknesses, he could now focus his cultivation more effectively.

Zhao Rui swung his leg over his bicycle and was about to turn onto the road when he suddenly caught sight of a group of people wielding machetes rushing out of a nearby alley.

Their aggressive demeanor startled him.

Fortunately, after emerging from the alley, the group quickly turned into another dark alley, and then the sounds of chopping, slashing, and chaotic shouts and screams erupted from within.

Zhao Rui's expression instantly soured. Although he had encountered the "Fiery Cloud Evil God" causing trouble at the Carefree Pavilion last time, and many people had died, he had been far away then, and there were many people around him, so his emotions hadn't been greatly stirred.

But this was completely different. It was like watching a "Young and Dangerous" movie, which was exciting, but seeing people actually hacking at each other in front of you was an entirely different feeling.

"Help!"

As he watched in horror, feeling sick and wanting to get away from the place, two people burst out of the alley, covered in blood, stumbling as they fled desperately.

Their escape route was directly towards Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui had already recovered from his earlier unease. He quickly grabbed his bicycle with one hand and leaped to the side of the road.

The two men, already wounded by several knives, were barely escaping. One of them reached the middle of the road and collapsed, his strength giving out with a thud.

He blocked a car approaching from behind.

Seeing this, the other man didn't hesitate for a moment and ran for his life.

At this moment, their pursuers, a menacing group of over a dozen armed thugs, were closing in.

Their presence was terrifying.

Zhao Rui stood by the roadside, his blood running cold. Was this still a lawful society?

Just ten miles outside the city, and it was already this brutal?

Although these people were clearly ordinary thugs without any inner qi, their brutal demeanor was nothing like the peaceful, prosperous scenes in the city.

Just as Zhao Rui was preparing to cycle away from the area, the sound of police sirens echoed from nearby, and a patrol car came speeding towards them.

The thugs immediately stopped and scattered like startled birds.

"Stop right there!"

The patrol car arrived swiftly, its tires screeching in a sharp brake. The doors flew open, and a young female patrol officer in a well-fitting uniform jumped out, holding a gun.

A few more patrol officers followed her, also drawing their weapons as they exited the other doors.

The thugs had no intention of obeying and took off running.

The patrol officers didn't fire their guns but pursued the fleeing men closely.

Zhao Rui crouched slightly, grabbed a handful of small stones from the ground, and flicked his wrist.

Instantly, pebbles shot out, striking the huantiao acupoints of the fleeing thugs.

The men's legs instantly stiffened, and with a yelp, they fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the Patrol Officers sprang forward, cuffed their hands behind their backs, and hauled them up, escorting them to the roadside.

Zhao Rui, seeing this, didn't linger either. He leisurely got on his bicycle and headed towards the city center along the road.

At this moment, the female Patrol Officer who had finished calling for backup by the roadside looked around with a confused expression in her beautiful eyes. Apart from passing vehicles, she found nothing unusual.

She couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.

That night, stars studded the sky, and clouds veiled the moon!

Zhao Rui, dressed all in black and wearing a mask, strolled into an old urban village in the city center.

This was the very alley entrance Zhao Rui had passed by after finishing his promotion exam.

The roadside was still piled high with all sorts of garbage, and swarms of flies and mosquitoes buzzed, making the already withered streetlights even dimmer.

"Brother Hong? Why did you agree to meet in a place like this?"

Zhao Rui walked quickly towards the scarred-faced youth smoking under the streetlight, puffing out clouds of smoke.

Brother Hong glanced at him with his cold, stern eyes and casually threw his cigarette butt on the ground.

He said, "Come with me!"

Zhao Rui replied with an "Oh" and quickly followed.

The two detoured down a small path, gradually venturing deeper into an alley.

Shops lined both sides of the alley, with various food stalls emitting steamy heat. Quite a few customers were scattered in front of the shops.

These customers were all bare-chested, tattooed with dragons and phoenixes, behaving casually and rudely, with shouts and curses rising and falling.

Brother Hong walked forward without a word, bypassing the crowd.

Zhao Rui dared not look too much, only stealing a couple of glances before retracting his gaze.