"Come at me!"
With a savage laugh, the bandit lunged at the senior brother as well. They crashed together, their fists colliding with a series of dull thuds.
Their figures crossed, fierce gusts spilling outward and flattening swathes of medicinal herbs.
Sounds like leopards, tigers, and thunder erupted from their bodies. Both were martial artists who had reached the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound realm, with abundant blood and Qi and strength exceeding ten thousand jin. They could be called ferocious beasts in human form.
Lin Fan stared fixedly at the battlefield, gauging the gap between himself and the two men. That gap chilled him to the bone. Either of them could smash him apart with a casual punch.
Lin Fan did not dare seize the chance to get up and flee. The bandit was far faster than him. If he abandoned the senior brother to deal with Lin Fan first, Lin Fan would truly have brought disaster upon himself.
Yet what left Lin Fan speechless was that their battlefield was actually shifting toward him.
Damn heavens, are you fucking messing with me? Lin Fan cursed inwardly, his eyes fixed on their movements as he prayed they would not come this way.
But heaven seemed to enjoy opposing him. The two figures drew steadily closer-thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters. For martial artists, ten meters was already within arm's reach.
Lin Fan was already trying to crawl backward with the smallest movements possible, but how could he match the speed of their twists and turns?
A fierce gust swept over, flattening the medicinal herbs and exposing Lin Fan's body to the air.
Three pairs of eyes met. The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
Lin Fan's eyes held speechlessness, the senior brother's held helplessness, and the bandit's held cruelty.
"Heh heh..." The bandit grinned savagely. "Boy, I've caught you. Die!"
The bandit unleashed his strength, driving the rugged disciple back with a palm strike before pouncing on Lin Fan. Blood and Qi gathered in his palms as he struck at Lin Fan's chest. If this blow landed, Lin Fan's internal organs would surely shatter, beyond all hope of saving.
Every muscle in Lin Fan's body tightened. The threat of death made his scalp prickle, but it also stirred his ferocity. Blood and Qi gathered in his fists, and he prepared to stake his life on one strike.
The palms drew closer and closer to Lin Fan, and he raised his fists, ready to strike.
The bandit wore a contemptuous expression, utterly dismissing Lin Fan's resistance.
"Bastard, stop!"
The rugged senior brother roared, pursuing the bandit with Gale Steps and unleashing the Gang-Breaking Fist at the center of his back.
Lin Fan noticed a smile of success curl at the bandit's lips. The bandit abruptly turned, his palms surging like a great river bursting its banks as they struck toward the rugged senior brother's chest.
Lin Fan understood. The bandit's target had always been the rugged senior brother. He had merely been bait. Now the fish had bitten, and the outcome went without saying.
One had plotted while the other was unprepared. The rugged senior brother had yet to fully gather his strength and could not possibly block the bandit's attack in his haste.
His fists were blasted aside, leaving his center wide open, and the bandit's palms slammed into his chest.
Crack...
The sound of breaking ribs rang out. The rugged senior brother spat blood and flew backward.
"Heh heh... You actually saved an ant. If you don't die, who will?" The bandit's face was full of mockery.
But he failed to notice that a cold glint had already approached the back of his head and stabbed viciously into it.
Killing intent and anger mingled on Lin Fan's face. His right hand gripped the half-arrow he had broken off yesterday. Using the arrow in place of his fist, he unleashed the Gang-Breaking Fist, concentrating all his strength into a thrust at the back of the bandit's head.
Having studied biology, Lin Fan naturally knew that this was a vital spot.
The sensation of death swept through the bandit's entire body. His smile froze, and he reflexively circulated his blood and Qi to defend himself.
He felt a sharp pain at the back of his head. "Argh!" he screamed, desperately gathering blood and Qi at the wound to stop the arrowhead from penetrating.
"Die!"
Lin Fan let out a beastlike roar, gripping the arrow with both hands and driving it in hard.
The bandit howled in pain again and smashed his right hand behind him. Unable to dodge in time, Lin Fan felt searing pain in his shoulder as his bones shattered. The tremendous force struck him, sending his entire body flying.
Lin Fan clenched his teeth. He understood one thing: if he could not completely cripple the bandit, he was dead.
"Gale Leg!"
His foot tore through the air and kicked the end of the short arrow hard, driving it another length deeper. The bandit screamed even more horribly, while Lin Fan slammed into the ground, his whole body feeling as though it had fallen apart.
Had he not perfected his Iron Cloth Shirt and possessed blood and Qi to protect his body, he would probably have died already. Even a hasty strike from a martial artist in the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound realm was no easy thing to withstand.
Psh...
Blood spurted from the back of the bandit's head as his blood and Qi forced the short arrow out. He turned to glare viciously at Lin Fan, his eyes now scarlet. He had never imagined that he would nearly die at an ant's hands.
"Boy, I'll make you wish you were dead!" His voice was utterly chilling as he advanced on Lin Fan.
Lin Fan's expression darkened. A martial artist's vitality exceeded his expectations. Even with a vital spot pierced, the man could still move.
He propped himself up with his left hand and struggled to his feet. His right hand was now completely numb and would not obey him at all.
Lin Fan kept backing away, trying to put some distance between them, but how could the bandit let him go?
"I'll skin you alive!" The bandit rushed at Lin Fan. Lin Fan glanced behind him, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
"Wait!"
He shouted, and the bandit instinctively froze, halting in his tracks.
"Can I join you? I want to be a bandit too, feast on fine food and drink." Lin Fan hurriedly spoke, his face full of anticipation.
The bandit laughed in fury. "Boy, you nearly killed me, and you still want to become a bandit? In your next life!" With that, he lunged at Lin Fan again.
But just then, a cold glint flashed and once more plunged deep into the back of the bandit's head.
The bandit's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He tried to turn his head, but the light in his eyes faded completely.
"Cough, cough..."
The rugged senior brother coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, staggered, and sank to one knee. Already gravely wounded, he had exerted himself again, worsening his injuries.
Lin Fan glanced at the bandit, who had died with his eyes wide open, and silently reflected that villains always died from talking too much. He swore that whenever he killed someone in the future, he would not waste a single word.
He shuffled over to the rugged senior brother and pulled him up with his left hand.
"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" he asked.
"There's a bottle of healing medicine inside my robe. Give me a pill first," the rugged senior brother said weakly.
Lin Fan did as instructed, placing a healing pill in the senior brother's mouth.
"Let's go. We'll talk once we're back," the rugged senior brother instructed.
"Wait a moment, Senior Brother," Lin Fan said, hurriedly running over to loot the bandit's corpse.
The money pouch was heavy. Although Lin Fan did not open it to count, he reckoned it held a good several dozen taels.
He was overjoyed, but remembering that the senior brother was still there, the corners of his mouth drooped. He walked over and offered him the pouch. "Senior Brother, here's the loot."
The rugged senior brother smiled helplessly. "Keep it. Hide it well once we get back," he reminded him.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Lin Fan beamed again, carefully supporting the rugged senior brother as they headed back toward the manor.
"I haven't asked your name yet, Senior Brother. You saved my life. I'll remember this kindness forever. Whatever you ask of me in the future, I won't refuse." Lin Fan spoke earnestly. Without this senior brother, he probably could not have escaped his doom today.
The rugged senior brother shook his head. "What kindness? Didn't you save me too, Junior Brother? My name is Yang Kuan. And yours?"
"My name is Lin Fan."
"Lin Fan, you're very good. I'll introduce you to my master later, and we can become true fellow disciples."
Lin Fan was delighted to hear this. He had not expected such a gain. In the future, he would finally have someone to back him and would no longer be an ant anyone could bully.
"Thank you in advance, Senior Brother Yang. Whether it works out or not, I'll remember this kindness." He sincerely thanked him again.