They Blocked Me and Beat Me... Hiss, It Hurt

Just as Lu Chengze had expected, the police soon came looking for Bai Jin.

However, because of Lu Chengze, the police did not come to his door. They merely called to ask about the situation.

Bai Jin obediently repeated what Lu Chengze had taught him to say.

The police were only making a routine inquiry. Bai Jin's account matched Lu Chengze's, and the restaurant's surveillance footage had shown nothing unusual about Bai Jin, so the matter was dropped.

Bai Jin returned to his routine of going between school and home, and three peaceful days passed.

On the fourth night, Bai Jin was walking home alone along a small path. The moment he entered a pitch-black alley, he sensed that someone was inside.

And there was more than one person.

Bai Jin's expression did not change. He continued walking at an unhurried pace.

Just as he reached the middle of the alley, with no one ahead and no way out behind him, more than a dozen thugs wielding thick clubs suddenly rushed out from the shadows along the wall.

Towering plane trees blotted out the moonlight with their dense foliage. He could barely make out the others howling as they raised their clubs and swung at Bai Jin without a word.

Who wouldn't have their legs go weak when faced with a gang of thugs like this?

So when Bai Jin merely stood there with his arms folded, waiting for them to approach, the thugs assumed he had been scared stupid by their intimidating presence.

They shouted even louder.

"Brat, go die... Aagh!"

As the first thug charged at Bai Jin and spat out his threat, his thick club was already swinging toward Bai Jin's head.

But the scream he expected did not come from Bai Jin.

The thug did not even understand how the club in his hand had been snatched away before it smashed viciously into his abdomen.

The blow was so powerful it felt as though it would knock his organs out. He only had time to let out one agonized cry before passing out cold.

The other thugs saw this and charged Bai Jin even more frantically, shouting, "Damn it! You dare hit our brother? Get him, everyone!"

"Hit him!"

The dozen or so men did not waste any more words on Bai Jin. They rushed forward together and surrounded him.

"Brat, we were paid to do a job. Tonight, we only meant to beat you up and be done with it, but you hurt our brother. Now we've got a grudge."

"Don't blame us for being ruthless!"

"Boss, why waste words on him? He dared hit our brother—break both his legs."

The thugs kept making threats as they prepared to gang up on Bai Jin without hesitation.

In the darkness, they did not see the flash of bloodlust in Bai Jin's eyes. Nor did anyone see how Bai Jin moved. In less than five seconds, seven or eight of them had been sent flying.

The scene filled with wails and ugly curses. Amid the chaos, the thugs failed to notice someone at the entrance of the path hearing the screams and rushing in.

Bai Jin's ears twitched. Just as a thug's club swung toward him, Bai Jin turned and deliberately exposed his back. Then, with a loud bang, Bai Jin let out a muffled groan and went limp as he fell.

Lu Chengze caught the limp Bai Jin in his arms. "Bai Jin! Are you okay?"

Bai Jin seemed to only then realize that Lu Chengze had caught him. His eyes brimmed with tears. "It hurts..."

Seeing him whimper in pain, a violent aura erupted around Lu Chengze. Ignoring the thugs' cries, he kicked every last one of them flying.

The thugs closest to Bai Jin were sent flying three or four meters by Lu Chengze's kicks. Once they hit the ground, they did not get back up.

With Lu Chengze there, the thugs had no chance to fight back. In less than thirty seconds, every one of them was down, with only two or three barely conscious.

Lu Chengze's expression darkened. He did not know whether the child in his arms was too hurt to speak or simply frightened, but Bai Jin, who never took the initiative to get close to him, was now clinging tightly to him, his body trembling faintly.

It broke Lu Chengze's heart. His large hand searched over Bai Jin's body. "Where are you hurt?"

Bai Jin could not even stand steadily. Leaning against Lu Chengze's chest, his voice trembled. "My back... It hurts so much. Is it broken?"

Lu Chengze's hand returned to Bai Jin's back, his palm pressed against his spine as he carefully checked him. "Your bones aren't hurt. Don't be afraid."

"I don't know them... They blocked me and beat me. Hiss... It hurts!" Lu Chengze's appearance seemed to give Bai Jin an immense sense of security. He buried his face in Lu Chengze's chest and complained in a pitiful voice.

The thugs lying on the ground who were barely conscious: "..."

No!

Who the hell had beaten whom?

Was this man blind?

There were so many of them against one Bai Jin, and several of their brothers had been knocked unconscious, yet Bai Jin was still standing just fine.

With so many of them, not a single one had even touched the corner of Bai Jin's clothes.

If this man had not suddenly appeared and distracted Bai Jin, allowing them to barely land one blow with a club, they would have spent the night serving as Bai Jin's punching bags.

And they seriously suspected that Bai Jin had deliberately taken that hit. They even had proof.

"Leave it to me." Lu Chengze took out his phone and summoned Lu Jin.

Their car was parked by the roadside at the entrance of the path. Lu Jin arrived less than a minute after receiving Lu Chengze's call. Seeing people sprawled all over the ground and the child slumped in Fifth Master's arms, too weak even to stand, what was there left to misunderstand?

"Find out whether there was someone behind this. I don't want to see them again by tomorrow morning." Lu Chengze's voice was icy. If he had not been afraid of frightening the child in his arms, he would have dealt with them himself.

Lu Jin looked sympathetically at the piles of thugs on the ground. "Yes."

Lu Chengze scooped Bai Jin up in his arms and strode away.

Bai Jin did not struggle either, allowing Lu Chengze to carry him home with practiced familiarity.

The moment he was placed on the sofa, Lu Chengze began taking off Bai Jin's clothes. Bai Jin grabbed the hem of his shirt tightly. "W-what are you doing?"

His voice was both anxious and embarrassed.

If it had been the Lu Chengze from before, hearing Bai Jin whine so delicately would have made him pin Bai Jin to the sofa and tease him properly. But right now, all he could think about was the injury on Bai Jin's back.

"Be good. I won't touch you. I just want to look at the injury on your back." With that, he stripped off Bai Jin's shirt in just a few swift motions.

Then he saw a long strip of bruised, swollen redness across Bai Jin's back.

Bai Jin had cool, pale skin that was especially delicate. Even a firm pinch could leave a bruise, let alone a heavy blow from a club.

"Let me apply some medicine and work the bruising loose. Otherwise, your back will be so swollen tomorrow that you won't be able to wear clothes." Lu Chengze took medicinal wine from the first-aid kit, poured it into his palm, rubbed his hands together to warm and activate it, then began massaging Bai Jin's back.

Bai Jin trembled from the pain and kept trying to dodge around on the sofa.

To distract him, Lu Chengze brought up what had happened at the Japanese restaurant that day. "About that murder at the Japanese restaurant before—I heard the killer was an expert with cold weapons. Those four people had their carotid arteries sliced open by throwing knives and bled to death..."