The two walked out of the teaching building side by side. The streets were bustling with people, and many college students would come here during their holidays.
Xu Qing and Gu Yuena walked straight into a barbecue restaurant. They had eaten there last time they were here, and the food was pretty good.
The owner was busy inside, the charcoal fire crackling, and the grease from the grilled meat dripping onto the embers, sending up plumes of white smoke.
The rich aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
The two found two empty seats facing each other and promptly rattled off a long list of dishes: beef and lamb skewers, grilled saury, grilled vegetables...
Before long, the table was covered with roasted meat.
The grilled fish, roasted on an iron rack until golden brown and crispy, had tender, white, and juicy flesh.
Gu Yuena held a bamboo skewer and tore off small pieces of fish to eat, the aroma of the oil spreading in her mouth.
Xu Qing also picked up a skewer and started eating.
I'd love another beer!
The two chatted casually, and before long, most of the barbecue on the table was gone.
After finishing their barbecue, the two strolled over to the braised beef restaurant and ordered several more servings of braised beef, which they then began to eat.
The two strolled along, eating street food as they went, until they paid the bill and were almost full.
The two walked down the street, the evening breeze blowing in their faces, slightly easing the heat from the food they were covered in.
The streets were still bustling with people, and the streetlights illuminated the ground brightly.
Just as the two were chatting and laughing and preparing to leave, Xu Qing suddenly felt a pair of eyes staring at her from behind.
The other party was well hidden, and it was obvious that their Martial Soul was related to concealment. They were mixed in with the passersby, following from a distance without approaching.
Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged. He reached out and grasped Gu Yuena's hand, continuing to walk forward as usual, seemingly completely unaware of the strangeness behind him.
He turned slightly to the side, brought his lips close to Gu Yuena's ear, and whispered in a low voice, " Nana, someone is following us."
Gu Yuena's gaze seemingly casually swept over the bustling crowd behind her, but her invisible Spiritual Power quietly spread out, instantly capturing the hidden aura. She nodded very slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
The two did not turn back, but walked a short distance forward as if nothing had happened, passing a secluded alleyway corner beside a side street.
Just as they passed the alley entrance, Xu Qing exerted a slight force, pulling Gu Yuena down and using the wall as cover. In an instant, they disappeared into the shadows of the alley, vanishing completely from the street's view.
At almost the same moment, a man with a sleazy appearance walked out from the crowd behind.
He quickly scanned the entire street from left to right, his face filled with astonishment.
"Huh? What happened? How come he disappeared in the blink of an eye?"
He paced back and forth, his Soul Power repeatedly scanning every corner of the street, but he couldn't detect the presence of Xu Qing and Gu Yuena at all, standing there blankly.
Inside the alley, a faint mist of ice had quietly gathered around Gu Yuena's palm, poised to strike at any moment.
Xu Qing raised her hand and gently stopped her, indicating that there was no need to take action yet.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Qing walked slowly out of the shadows of the alley and appeared directly behind the man.
"Hey, what are you doing following us?"
A calm voice suddenly rang out from behind him, causing the man to stiffen abruptly. He whirled around, his pupils contracting sharply, his face filled with unprepared panic.
But in an instant, the panic on his face vanished, replaced by a righteous and indignant expression. He pointed his finger directly at Xu Qing and shouted sharply, "You despicable Evil Soul Master! You won't escape this time!"
Xu Qing tilted his head, looking at the person in front of him with a speechless yet somewhat puzzled expression, wondering when he had become Evil Soul Master.
The sleazy-looking man reached for his waist, pulled out a strangely shaped metal flare that resembled a signal firework, and pulled the trigger sharply.
"Call out--!"
I have an arrow that pierces the clouds, and a thousand armies will come to meet me.
A blinding crimson flame pierced the night sky, shooting high into the air before exploding with a deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire neighborhood.
A moment later, the rumbling of machinery grew louder as it approached, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Several standard-issue mechs, all silver-gray with sharp, cold edges, broke through the night sky above the street. The heavy mechs' feet slammed heavily onto the ground with several loud "bangs," scattering gravel and dust everywhere and quickly sealing off the area. Ordinary pedestrians on the street screamed in fright and retreated to both sides.
Each mech is five or six meters tall and is engraved with a white emblem.
The moment the thug saw the mechs appear, his eyes lit up. All traces of his previous sternness vanished. He dashed to the back of the tall, yellow mech at the front, fawning and bowing obsequiously.
"Boss! Boss! You've finally arrived!" He hunched over, almost bending into a shrimp, his tone extremely obsequious, "I've been keeping an eye on this Evil Soul Master for a long time, just as you asked! If I hadn't risked my life to follow them, I would never have caught them!"
A voice came from the chest hatch of the leading mech, its gaze fixed intently on Xu Qing and the direction of the alley exit.
"Kid! I finally caught you!"
It's you!
That voice belonged to the thug leader who had been so frightened by Xu Qing that he had called the authorities.
"That's right! It's me! That damned Evil Soul Master!"
" Evil Soul Master? Hey, are you kidding me? What makes me look evil...?"
Before Xu Qing could finish speaking, the lead yellow mech launched an attack.
A beam of soul-guided light instantly shot out from the mech's cannon.
Seeing this, Xu Qing
He cursed under his breath.
He dodged to the side, thus avoiding the soul-guided beam.
boom!
As the yellow mech launched its attack first, the remaining four mechs also opened fire simultaneously. Several thick, dazzling beams of soul-guided light tore through the night and rained down on Xu Qing.
"Damn you!! You really think I'm easy to bully, huh?!"
Xu Qing couldn't help but curse, and with a flick of his wrist, a gleaming broadsword instantly appeared in his hand.
He shifted his feet rapidly, his body moving sideways like the wind, scorching soul-guided beams grazing his sides and slamming into the ground, creating charred craters and sending debris flying everywhere.
Under the cover of artillery fire, Xu Qing stomped his feet on the ground and suddenly lunged forward, rushing to the front of the yellow mecha in an instant. He swung his heavy cleaver with both hands and slashed down hard at the mecha's metal shoulder joint!
"Bang--!!"
The sharp blade slammed heavily into the gaps in the armor of the mecha's joints, the ear-piercing metallic clang causing a painful ache in the eardrums.
Just then, a flash of white light appeared in the alley, Gu Yuena slowly walked out.
Her eyes were icy cold. She gently raised her jade-like hand, and the moisture in the surrounding air instantly condensed. Countless, chilling ice spikes appeared out of thin air, sweeping out in a deafening roar, heading straight for the remaining four white standard mechs.
Ta-da!!
Ice spikes struck the mech's outer alloy armor one after another, sending up large amounts of ice shards and sparks flying everywhere.