"Let's go." Zhang Ruofeng was a little confused too, but he was the one who had gained the skill. Although Perman's Dragon Blood had helped catalyze it, if Zhang Ruofeng hadn't had the potential to unlock such a skill, he probably would have died when the potion's overdose took effect and evaporated all the blood in his body. In that case, there would have been no skill to speak of.
"Mm." Xin Mu could tell that Zhang Ruofeng was in a terrible mood. The last time she'd seen him so upset had been when he'd failed to conquer Black Soul after several nights of trying. He'd shown up at the club with a furrowed brow, radiating an air that made everyone else afraid to approach him. It was also one of the rare times when a few of his friends from the same year brought up stories about Zhang Ruofeng.
Zhang Ruofeng walked ahead, but he felt uneasy. If he kept going like this, he'd eventually get into serious trouble. Even if he lost control and did something to a girl, he'd probably be overwhelmed by that inexplicable heartache before she could do anything. He knew all too well that anger or sadness could sometimes take over his reason. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have ended up here by some strange twist of fate. And if he blamed himself too much, he might go berserk. Until the rampage ended, Zhang Ruofeng could barely remember himself. His friends said that when he went berserk, he was like a beast: he had no friends, only enemies.
"Three on the right, three on the left." As soon as the two reached the fork, Xin Mu quietly called out the number of enemies. Zhang Ruofeng could just make out their silhouettes in the darkness. He immediately crouched slightly, waiting for the two groups of Earth Bees to gather or approach him one after the other. He couldn't kill them instantly, and deliberately taking hits just to grab them, as he had earlier, wasn't a good tactic to use repeatedly. Even with his strong ability to purge toxins, he really didn't want to suffer another bout of negative effects.
"Ruofeng, you take the right side," Xin Mu said calmly. She could see that the Earth Bees on the right had already noticed her and Zhang Ruofeng, while the ones on the left hadn't. Zhang Ruofeng turned back in surprise to look at her. Xin Mu gave a slight shake of her head. "I can't keep hiding behind you."
"It's still too—" Zhang Ruofeng hadn't finished speaking when Xin Mu swiftly flung a dagger into the left passage. The Earth Bees on the right charged at them, too. Seeing Xin Mu holding a dagger in each hand and moving toward the left passage, Zhang Ruofeng knew she'd landed a hit. At least one Earth Bee should be left, aiming at Xin Mu. But he had his hands full, so he could only brace himself and fight.
As the Earth Bees drew near, Zhang Ruofeng pushed off with his left foot and used the momentum to leap into the air, meeting them head-on. He found that his punches and kicks were far less effective against them than simply grabbing them and smashing them to death with brute force. Without hesitating, he yanked two Earth Bees out of the air and slammed them hard into the ground. Then he raised his left hand to block the third one's stinger. Metal rang out as he drove a right hook into its abdomen. Just before making contact, he eased off and turned the punch into a shove, using a burst of short-range force to send it crashing into the maze wall.
One of the Earth Bees struggled to get up. Zhang Ruofeng couldn't give it the chance. He crouched and punched it with his left hand, kicking up a little dust as he smashed the Earth Bee on his left into fine black sand. Then he hurriedly stood and brought his heel down on the head of the Earth Bee lying on the ground as it tried to take flight. The second Earth Bee he'd slammed down also turned to powder.
"Bzzzz..." Zhang Ruofeng hadn't expected the Earth Bee he'd knocked into the wall to fly back so quickly. He turned and saw it lunging at him with its stinger. He couldn't dodge in time and raised his right hand to block it, but the Earth Bee didn't stop. Its stinger pierced his skin, and Zhang Ruofeng grimaced in pain. He raised his left hand, grabbed the creature by its body, and crushed it. It turned into fine sand in his palm.
Zhang Ruofeng had no time to pick up the Magic Stones or tend to his wound. He just shook his hand and rushed straight to the left passage, where Xin Mu was. He saw a very faint streak of blood on her face. It wasn't serious, but she was supporting herself on her right leg alone, so her left leg was probably completely numb. One Earth Bee was still attacking her, and she had only one dagger left. Judging by the angle and distance, it would be very difficult to kill it with a thrown knife.
"Don't come over!" Xin Mu barely managed to deflect the Earth Bee's attack, but it left another shallow cut on her right hand. Zhang Ruofeng knew that Xin Mu rarely listened to others because of her personality. Her privileged upbringing had made her quiet and refined, but it had also given her plenty of self-confidence. She'd always been an outstanding student who liked to study everything in depth. Even when it came to League of Legends, a game Zhang Ruofeng liked to play, she'd dragged him into playing all night after trying it herself. The two of them had skipped class for four days straight, grinding until Xin Mu reached level 30. That showed just how determined she was once she'd set her mind to something.
"Don't let it throw you off. Lower your body and sink your weight. Force it to fly low instead of constantly swinging your dagger upward." As he spoke, Zhang Ruofeng kept an eye on his wound as it healed and watched Xin Mu. If the Earth Bee tried to sting her again, he definitely wouldn't stand by. He'd take care of it himself.
"This method's clumsy. You can only win by defending, but you can't attack right now anyway," Zhang Ruofeng added. When Xin Mu used throwing knives, she relied most on the angle of her throw and the coordination of her body. The moment Zhang Ruofeng spoke, she realized what she'd been doing wrong. She lowered her body, and in several face-to-face exchanges with the Earth Bee, she either deflected or dodged its attacks. The last time she dodged, the Earth Bee turned its back to her. Ignoring the numbness in her left leg, Xin Mu pushed off with her right leg and hurled her dagger, striking the Earth Bee squarely in the back. It crumbled into powder, and Xin Mu lost her balance and began to fall.
"Don't push yourself so hard." Zhang Ruofeng took three quick steps forward and caught Xin Mu from behind. Her tense body slowly relaxed. It reminded him of the first time he'd gotten into a fight with someone and his left leg had started cramping afterward. He couldn't help smiling slightly.
"Don't laugh." Xin Mu was lying in Zhang Ruofeng's arms and had no idea what he was smiling about. Thinking he was laughing at her made her feel even more embarrassed. After all, the monsters on this floor weren't that dangerous, and her fighting style should have given her an advantage over Zhang Ruofeng, yet she'd still ended up in such a sorry state.
"No, no." Zhang Ruofeng hurried to explain. "I was just laughing at myself for not having enough faith in you. I was worrying for nothing."
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