At that thought, Loli Sakura immediately ran off into the distance.
"Catch her!"
Old Worm's face darkened as he ordered the driver.
He had already noticed something was wrong in the car. The little girl seemed to have suddenly become very afraid of him.
Had she discovered something?
"Ah!"
Seeing the driver rapidly catching up, Loli Sakura lost her footing and fell, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"No, someone save me..."
As the driver reached toward her, Loli Sakura's eyes filled with despair.
"A grown man bullying a little child. Have you no shame?"
Just then, a pleasant voice rang out.
Loli Sakura looked up and saw that a young man had already blocked the driver's hand.
"Where did you come from, you little brat? How dare you meddle!"
Clearly accustomed to throwing his weight around, the driver punched straight at Feng Xi.
"Heh..."
Feng Xi scoffed and swept one hand out, deflecting the driver's fist to the side.
Then Feng Xi grabbed that hand and pulled, making the driver topple toward him uncontrollably.
Seizing the opening, Feng Xi raised his arm and drove an elbow into the man's nose.
"Pfft!"
The driver felt all sorts of sensations gush out through his nostrils, and then his vision went black.
Feng Xi had swiftly slapped his temple, knocking him unconscious.
"Was that Taiji from China?"
Old Worm had a discerning eye and immediately recognized Feng Xi's style.
Indeed, Feng Xi had used Taijiquan.
As someone from Wudang, how could he not know Taijiquan?
"Young man, you'd best not meddle in other people's affairs, or you might bring trouble down on yourself."
Old Worm spoke sinisterly, his words laden with threats.
An ordinary person might truly have been intimidated, but Feng Xi, who knew exactly what he was, paid him no mind.
"Sorry, but there's nothing I despise more than people who bully little girls."
Feng Xi helped Loli Sakura up and brushed the dust off her, whispering, "Go on ahead. Find somewhere safe to hide."
Loli Sakura said in a clear little voice, "Thank you, big brother."
"Boy, you'll regret this."
Old Worm moved his arm, and a dense swarm of tiny flying insects emerged from his sleeve.
Although the Mage's Association's secrecy agreement forbade exposing magecraft to the public, outsiders never passed near the Matou Family's residence, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Go!"
Feng Xi pushed Loli Sakura away and pulled a talisman from inside his clothes.
"With burning incense, I summon the true god of the Water Palace. Feng Yi guards the door; Ren and Gui hasten to the court. Heavenly fire and earthly fire, neither smelt nor burn. Let all evil flames vanish without form. Swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"
"Fire-Raising Spell!"
He threw the talisman, which turned directly into a barrier of flame and burned all the attacking insects to ash.
Loli Sakura also took the opportunity to run away, hiding at the intersection and cautiously watching.
"A ZG talisman! You're a mage from ZG!"
Old Worm grinned wickedly. "Interesting. This is my first time seeing ZG magecraft. Is this what they call thought magecraft?"
"I'd prefer you called it Taoist arts."
Holding a talisman, Feng Xi watched Old Worm warily.
He had to remain absolutely vigilant against this fellow.
Suddenly, as though he had noticed something, Feng Xi leaped up and threw a talisman onto the ground.
"The three celestial wonders, sun, moon, and stars, pierce heaven and earth and startle ghosts and gods. The nine-ox earth-breaking general arrives, driving back fierce gods and rising evil spirits. Swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"
"Earth-Breaking Spell!"
The earth and stones immediately churned, shaking out a heap of disgusting insects.
Sure enough, he could not let his guard down against Old Worm.
Chapter 5: Feng Xi vs. Old Worm
(Tokiomi Tohsaka)
"Boy, you've got some interesting tricks."
Seeing that his sneak attack had failed, Old Worm spoke without concern.
Feng Xi landed on the wall and said evenly, "Sorry, but these are just the most basic tricks in China."
That was no lie. The talismans Feng Xi used were commonplace goods found everywhere in China.
For truly sophisticated talismans, one had to look to the Maoshan Sect, the Way of the Celestial Masters, and Mount Longhu.
Mount Wudang's greatest specialties were still Taijiquan and cultivating the body and nourishing qi.
The greatest flaw of these commonplace talismans was that their incantations were too long.
Back when he had practiced to get them fast and accurate, Feng Xi had nearly worn the skin off his lips.
Now that he had the system, he swore he would someday draw High-Speed Divine Words.
"But how long can you hold me off?"
Old Worm gave a cold smile.
He could tell that although the boy before him used thought magecraft, which he was unfamiliar with, his strength was nothing special. At most, he was Cause rank.
He himself was a Pride-ranked mage.
"Bzz, bzz..."
Feng Xi, who had remained on guard the entire time, suddenly heard a mosquito-like sound and immediately sprang aside.
Old Worm really was cunning.
He used words to draw Feng Xi's attention so his insects could seize the chance to ambush him.
Although this trick had already been seen through once, Old Worm had made clever use of human psychology.
He thought Feng Xi would be like an ordinary person and assume that the same trick would not be used twice in a row.
Unfortunately, Feng Xi knew Old Worm far too well.
"Wind rises from the Gen corner; the earthly gate marshals its troops. Ahead in the Xun direction, summon the fierce baleful wind. All things bear witness, in the palaces of Kan and Zhen. The Supreme Emperor issues his decree: forever subdue the thunder. Swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"
"Wind-Raising Spell!"
The yellow talisman vanished, and fierce winds immediately whipped through the previously calm surroundings.
All the insects trying to approach Feng Xi were blown away.
"Spirits of heaven, spirits of earth, let the patriarch of immobilization descend. Swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"
"Immobilization Spell!"
This time, Feng Xi stopped relying on defense as offense and took the initiative to attack.
The yellow talisman turned into a streak of golden light that enveloped Old Worm.
"Restricting my movements?"
Old Worm sneered. "But do you think this will work on me?"
A dense swarm of flying insects emerged from his clothes.
"Tch, insect magecraft really is a pain."
Seeing this, Feng Xi immediately decided to retreat.
With his current strength, destroying Old Worm really was still too much to ask.
Throwing out another Fire-Raising Spell to block the flying insects, Feng Xi immediately took off.
"Huh? Where's Sakura?"
When Feng Xi reached the intersection, he discovered that Loli Sakura, who should have been there, was gone.
"Old Worm was with me the whole time, so it probably wasn't him. Could it have been someone else from the Matou Family?"