Trouble Comes Knocking

"How is it? These devices should be enough for you, right?" Su Nianhe looked at him with a smile, a hint of pride in her eyes.

"Enough! More than enough!" Lin Yun's voice trembled with excitement.

Before, he could only fight over the old equipment in the school's public training rooms, lining up for an hour just to train for ten minutes.

Now that he had these top-tier devices, his cultivation speed would definitely rise to another level.

Over the next two days, the two of them stayed in the martial arts gym and trained like mad. Lin Yun refined the form of his Vajra Fist, while Su Nianhe practiced her Gale Leg and swordsmanship. Every so often, they stopped to exchange moves and point out each other's openings. When they were tired, they sat beneath the corridor and drank water while chatting. Their days were fulfilling and relaxing.

At noon on the third day, Lin Yun emerged from the X-Type Blood Qi Cultivation Pod, his skin glowing with a healthy pale red.

He silently recited in his heart, System, exchange 20,000 Dragon Nation currency for Blood Qi.

[Ding! 20,000 Dragon Nation currency deducted. Exchanged for 2 points of Blood Qi!]

A faint warm current flowed through his body. Lin Yun stretched his muscles and put on an invigorated look.

Just then, the training room door opened, and Su Nianhe walked in.

She had just come out of the gravity room. Beads of sweat slid down her delicate wheat-colored neck from her temples, soaking the collar of her white training uniform. The drenched fabric clung tightly to her skin, outlining the girl's graceful curves so beautifully that it was hard to look away.

Lin Yun was at an age full of youthful vigor. His heart skipped a beat at the sight, and he hurriedly looked away, though the tips of his ears quietly turned red.

Su Nianhe took in his reaction, a sly smile flashing through her eyes.

She deliberately slowed her pace, walked up to Lin Yun, and leaned slightly toward him.

The unique scent of a young girl mingled with the smell of sweat washed over him, and Lin Yun's breathing quickened.

"Lin Yun." Su Nianhe's voice was soft. "Do you think it's a little boring that all we do every day is train?"

"Uncle Fu went out to buy lunch, so why don't we... do something else to relax?"

Lin Yun's heart immediately began pounding. His mind was a mess. Could Su Nianhe be thinking of...

Lin Yun turned his head away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"What something else?"

Seeing his nervous expression, Su Nianhe could not help but laugh. She took out her phone from her pocket and waved it at him.

"Of course, play some games!"

Lin Yun froze. "So, we're playing games."

"I can only slack off for a while when Uncle Fu isn't here. What did you think it was?" Su Nianhe deliberately blinked at him.

"I thought it was that too..."

Lin Yun scratched his head awkwardly.

Su Nianhe giggled, seemingly very pleased that she had successfully caught Lin Yun off guard.

"Then we..."

Bang!

At that moment, the martial arts gym's heavy solid-wood doors were kicked open.

"Lin Yun! Get the hell out here!"

With an enraged roar, Zhao Ritian led a group of people storming inside.

The smile vanished from Su Nianhe's face instantly. Her brows drew tight, and her gaze turned cold.

Lin Yun also collected himself and stepped in front of Su Nianhe, staring sharply toward the entrance.

Zhao Ritian strode in with more than twenty delinquent-looking young martial artists.

Every one of them had brightly dyed hair, tattoos across their bodies, and steel pipes or machetes in their hands. At a glance, they were clearly underground gang enforcers.

At the front was a burly, scar-faced man in his thirties or forties. A vicious scar ran down the left side of his face, from his brow bone to his chin, and his eyes were fierce.

"Zhao Ritian, have you lost your mind?"

Su Nianhe frowned and shouted coldly.

"This is private property. You dare cause trouble here? Do you believe I'll have your father break your legs?"

"So what if it's private property?" Zhao Ritian stared at Su Nianhe with reddened eyes, slapping his chest as if he had suffered some terrible grievance. "Su Nianhe, I've chased you for so many years, but you ignored me. And now you're alone here with this piece of trash... You! Are you trying to piss me to death?!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he became. Then he pointed at Lin Yun and roared, "And you, Lin Yun! You dared touch Zhao Ritian's woman? I'm going to cripple you today!"

"Young Master Zhao, stop wasting words with them."

The scar-faced brute beside him, Scarface, licked his lips and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth as he looked Lin Yun over with disdain.

"He's just some brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet. Cripple him, then we can hurry off to a karaoke club and have some fun."

"Don't worry, Brother Scarface." Zhao Ritian patted his chest in assurance. "As long as you help me cripple all four of his limbs today and turn him into a complete cripple, I guarantee I'll smooth things over with Uncle Kun. Didn't you just sleep with his mistress? What's the big deal?"

"Good! Straightforward enough!"

Scarface grinned viciously and loosened his muscles, his bones crackling loudly.

He stepped forward and crooked a finger at Lin Yun.

"Kid, I'm a martial artist, after all. I don't want to bully the weak. Break both your own arms, and we can be done with it!"

"A martial artist..."

Lin Yun's expression turned grave. Even if he spent every last cent he had and raised his Blood Qi to the seventh level of the martial apprentice realm, he would still be no match for Scarface.

That was because the gap between a martial apprentice and a martial artist was far greater than the gap between an apprentice martial artist and a martial apprentice.

To become a martial artist, a martial apprentice had to undergo foundation establishment, and the transformation brought about by foundation establishment was more than ten times greater than body tempering!

A martial artist-level expert would be considered an absolute mid-to-upper-tier figure in any field within Azure City.

Su Nianhe's expression tightened as well.

Just so she could play some games with Lin Yun, she had deliberately sent Uncle Fu to a restaurant far away to buy lunch. She had not expected Zhao Ritian to seize the opportunity.

She could only find a way to stall for time.

Su Nianhe looked at Scarface. "Big brother, however much Zhao Ritian offered you, I can pay double."

Scarface sneered at that, spat out a glob of phlegm, and pounded his chest as he shouted, "Double? Little girl, who do you think I, Scarface, am? I've been in this business for twenty years, and all I rely on is loyalty! Do you think your lousy money can buy me?"

"Su Nianhe, we'll settle our score later!" Zhao Ritian pointed at Lin Yun, his eyes filled with venom. "Get out of my way! Today, I have to cripple this trash who doesn't know his place, or I'll never ease the hatred in my heart!"

Su Nianhe stepped forward again, firmly shielding Lin Yun behind her. Her eyes were as cold as ice.

"I'll say this one last time. If anything happens to Lin Yun today, I won't just make you, Zhao Ritian, pay the price. I'll make the entire Zhao Family pay for you!"

"Who are you trying to scare?" Su Nianhe's gaze made Zhao Ritian shrink his neck, but he quickly forced himself to stand firm and shouted at Scarface, "Brother Scarface, stop talking to her! Do it!"

"Fine!"

Scarface waved a large hand with a vicious grin.

"Brothers, get them! Break that brat's arms and legs, and there'll be a heavy reward!"

The moment he finished speaking, the twenty-odd thugs behind him howled and charged forward.

These people had spent years brawling and killing in the streets. Their attacks were ruthless and vicious, and the steel pipes and machetes in their hands tore through the air as they swung straight for Lin Yun's limbs and vital points.

System! Exchange all my savings for Blood Qi!

Lin Yun's pupils contracted. He did not hesitate in the slightest.

[Ding! All remaining 280,000 Dragon Nation currency deducted. Exchanged for 28 points of Blood Qi!]

A warm current several times more powerful than before instantly surged through his entire body. Pale-red Blood Qi mist abruptly rose around Lin Yun. Instead of retreating, he charged straight into the crowd.