Success

With a flash of fire, a bullet shot out from the gun chamber. Liu Qing'er instinctively leaned to the side, the scorching round grazing a strand of her hair before striking the wall and sparking. At the same time, Fang Xiu moved against the armed bodyguard in front of her.

At such close range, no one except Gu Chen, a Pillaring Vigorous Strength Grandmaster, could track the bullet's trajectory. He reached out his palm and pressed forward, the terrifying force of a Pillaring Grandmaster converging at his palm center through his blood and qi.

Slap!

With a soft sound, he caught the deflected bullet that had ricocheted. He only felt a slight sting, like a needle prick, because the firearm's caliber was small, and the bullet had already bounced off the wall, reducing much of its power. Thus, he could rely on the formidable body of a Pillaring Vigorous Strength Grandmaster to intercept the bullet.

Of course, Fang Xiu in the hallway and the still-shaken Liu Qing'er completely missed this exaggerated scene, which kept Gu Chen from being exposed.

Thump!

Fang Xiu struck the neck of the armed bodyguard in front of her with a White Crane Bright Palm. The latter collapsed without a sound, and the gun in his hand clattered to the floor.

From the moment the bodyguard drew his gun on Liu Qing'er to Gu Chen flicking a ceramic shard to save her, and then to Fang Xiu knocking out the bodyguard, only six or seven seconds had passed in total.

With the earlier gunshot, Second Master Sun and the appraiser inside the auction house were startled badly. They vaguely sensed something was wrong.

"Ah Wen? Ah Cai? What's going on..."

Second Master Sun called out but received no reply. Fear surged in his heart. Without any hesitation, he grabbed the Fragmented Ancient Scroll on the table and prepared to flee.

In the hallway, the still-shaken Liu Qing'er quickly recovered. Looking at Fang Xiu, who was showing concern, she hurriedly said, "I'm fine. Boss Beichen is here. The Fragmented Ancient Scroll is what matters! Go grab it now!!"

Hearing this, Fang Xiu, being decisive, immediately rushed into the auction house. She spotted Second Master Sun trying to escape at a glance. Unfortunately, his portly build and lack of exercise meant he couldn't run fast. In just a few steps, Fang Xiu caught up to him, scaring him half to death.

"Spare me, spare my life, please..."

Fang Xiu couldn't be bothered to listen to Second Master Sun's blabbering. She raised her hand and struck his neck, knocking him out cold.

As for the trembling auction house appraiser standing nearby, she showed no mercy either, slapping him unconscious with a single blow. Only then did she pick up the Fragmented Ancient Scroll from Second Master Sun's arms and head back.

Gu Chen reached out and helped Liu Qing'er to her feet. After her initial shock, she had already recovered and quickly thanked him.

"That was so thrilling! I thought I was going to get shot. Thank goodness you were here, or it would have been terrible. Master Beichen, have you practiced throwing weapons before? That was amazing!!"

Facing Liu Qing'er's curiosity, Gu Chen smiled and said softly, "I practiced a little before. Just a hobby, nothing much. A minor skill. The real foundation is mastering national martial arts..."

On this point, both Fang Xiu and Liu Qing'er deeply agreed. With longing expressions, they spoke.

"That's right. Once you become a Transforming Strength Great Boxer, or even a Pillaring Grandmaster, you wouldn't even fear bullets coming at you."

"I read in the Dragon Snake book that a Transforming Strength Great Boxer can already use their whole body's Internal Force to resist ordinary handguns to some extent. Getting shot would be like an ordinary person being cut by a fruit knife—just a flesh wound. Plus, with the terrifying neural reflexes of a Transforming Strength Great Boxer or a Pillaring Grandmaster, firearms can't even aim at them.

The author described it so meticulously. I'm sure he's also a national martial arts super expert, maybe even a Pillaring Grandmaster. He's incredible..."

Listening to the two women's musings, Gu Chen, as the Main Body author himself, put on a look of agreement. Being praised face-to-face by his readers was quite a peculiar feeling.

"Ahem... Since we've got the item, let's withdraw now. Delays could bring trouble. Who knows if Ye Zhen and the others succeeded."

The three of them immediately evacuated the place. As they left, Gu Chen, walking at the back, casually crushed the bullet into a ball and flicked it into a trash can at the end of the hallway. Unfortunately, Fang Xiu and Liu Qing'er, walking ahead, didn't notice this at all, unaware that the man behind them was the Pillaring Grandmaster they had just been discussing.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Zhen, Li Xingming, and Wang Xiaoai were also in action. Compared to Gu Chen, Fang Xiu, and Liu Qing'er, they had a much smoother time, encountering no obstacles at all. Moving quickly, they reached a remote suburban stretch of road, where they bumped into a car driving ahead. This infuriated the three grave robbers inside, who cursed loudly and stopped to check the damage.