Chapter 86: Chapter 84: Crisis (Supplement)_1
Fang Ren frowned as he looked at the worn-out white sneakers on her feet and said, "You really are clumsy..."
Bai Qi puffed out her cheeks, feeling wronged, and said, "I had no idea I had a dispersing spirit mark placed on me."
"Alright, get a cab and hurry back home."
As Fang Ren said this, he took the little Qianye back into his hands.
"Hee-ha hee-ha..."
Little Qianye looked up at Fang Ren, its round ball-like arms consistently stretching out towards Bai Qi, seemingly asking for a hug.
Seeing its appearance, Bai Qi suddenly felt an irresistible sense of attachment and said to Fang Ren, "Be nicer to it, and don't hit it all the time."
"..."
A twitch appeared at the corner of Fang Ren's eye, but he didn't respond. Him being rough with little Qianye? Impossible.
"By the way, Spirit Forms need spiritual energy to grow. You don't have a Spiritual Root, so the little guy might not grow up healthy," Bai Qi said as she stroked the head of little Qianye. She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "How about when I recover my strength, I'll come over periodically to give the little guy some spiritual energy?"
"No need, I have some," said Fang Ren offhandedly.
"Huh?" Bai Qi looked at him blankly and asked, "Your Spiritual Root is with me, how could you possibly have spiritual energy?"
"You don't need to worry about that, just hurry home by cab. Your family must be worried about you too," said Fang Ren, then he walked towards the school carrying little Qianye.
He had taken a pill to mask his energy, so unless he took action, other Cultivators would not be able to sense his spiritual energy. It was only natural for Bai Qi to think he was an ordinary person.
"..."
Bai Qi blankly looked at the wad of cash in her hand, waved towards Fang Ren's retreating figure, and yelled out, "If you ever encounter something you can't handle, you must tell me! Except for offering my body, I, Bai Qi, would brave fire and water to help you!"
The scorching sun was overhead, and the streets were bustling with endless streams of traffic.
At that moment, she looked entirely down on her luck.
Yet she couldn't have imagined that with that very shout, she would soon indeed brave fire and water for his sake...
"Just go already, dummy," Fang Ren said without looking back, waving his hand. Meanwhile, little Qianye in his arms was chirping and squeaking, seemingly saying something.
Upon hearing his words, Bai Qi frowned. This guy had called her a "dummy" three times in one day, which was truly infuriating. However, after thinking about the lady at the mall, she suddenly found the term "dummy" rather endearing...
...
In a nearby alley, a man dressed in black watched Bai Qi and spoke into a phone at his ear, "Group leader, I can confirm that this person is Bai Qi!"
"Are you sure?" a woman's voice came from the phone.
"Absolutely. She took off her sun hat while withdrawing money, and there's no doubt it's Bai Qi!"
"Send me the location. I'll dispatch someone to capture her!"
"Wait, group leader. Bai Qi's strength appears to be restricted by something. I can handle it alone!"
"She's a peak Yingyue Realm power. Can you be sure in your judgment?"
"I am certain."
"Fine, execute the mission now, but I'll also send backup your way," the woman replied.
The man in black immediately hung up the phone. Green Spiritual Energy burst from his body as he leaped over the alley and rushed through the crowd on the main street towards Bai Qi.
Bai Qi stood there, about to hail a taxi. With the True Qi inside her depleted, she was oblivious to the distant danger.
Whizz—
Suddenly a buzzing sound entered her ears, and Bai Qi quickly turned around.
But as she did, she saw a dark figure already at her side. She tried to mobilize her True Qi, only to find her meridians felt powerless.
The dark figure quickly covered her mouth with one hand, grabbing her arm with the other, and ran off into the distance.
The crowd on the street began to stir, and Fang Ren on the opposite side of the road hadn't turned back yet.
"Hee-ha! Hee-ha!"
Suddenly, little Qianye in Fang Ren's arms became furious, hopping out of his grasp and loudly shouting in the direction of the man in black.
Fang Ren immediately turned around, and the moment his gaze fell on the man in black grabbing Bai Qi, rage surged through his mind, and True Qi burst forth instinctively from his body.
It felt as though he was watching someone snatch something dear to him.
"Nine Techniques of Lethal Combat! First Strike! Release!"
Whizz--
In a flash, a red, searing aura exploded from Fang Ren, and with little Qianye in his grip, he rocketed off the ground in chase.
The man in black glanced back at Fang Ren and maintained his escape pace. Soon placing a simple walkie-talkie to his ear, in a conflicted voice, he said, "Group leader, I've captured Bai Qi, but I've run into Fang Ren."
A few seconds later, the walkie-talkie crackled back, "Why is he there?"
"I don't know. It turns out he's a Cultivator, and he's chasing me down, seems quite familiar with Bai Qi," said the man in black, his brow furrowed.
"What's his strength?"
"He's just at the peak of the Intense Concentration Realm, but somehow, his speed is almost on par with mine!"
"Intense Concentration Realm? Forget it then. Find a way to shake him off, and if you really cannot, teach him a lesson."
"Yes, sir."
...
After ending the call, the man in black immediately turned his head and ran towards a certain park with Bai Qi. There were still quite a few people around, so he needed to find a deserted place to persuade Fang Ren to back off.
"Qianye! You go after him!"
Seeing that he couldn't keep up with the man in black, Fang Ren immediately yelled at the little Qianye in his hand.
"Hey ha!"
A grey branch burst from the halo above little Qianye's head and rapidly shot towards the man in black in the distance.
"Where did this thing come from?"
The man in black ahead, sensing a branch coming from behind, immediately swung a stream of Green Spiritual Energy towards his back.
Bang—
The strike of Green Spiritual Energy resonated upon impact with the branch.
People in the park were shocked by the commotion and consequently fled in all directions.
"Hey ha!"
With a roar, little Qianye channeled Green Spiritual Energy along the branch, propelling it back towards the man in black who was sprinting ahead.
The man in black was taken aback to see his own Spiritual Energy reflected back at him!
As the charged Spiritual Energy hurtled toward him too fast to dodge, the man in black positioned Bai Qi behind him as his own True Qi surged violently: "Divine Wood Shield!"
Boom—
Suddenly, a wall of greenery grew from his feet into a shield that blocked the return strike of Qianye's Spiritual Energy.
And because of the man in black's pause, Fang Ren had caught up, leaping into the air with a fist glowing bright red with intense heat, and smashed it down upon the plant shield.
"Shatter for me!"
Bang—
The fist pierced straight through the plant wall, and upon seeing this, the man in black swiftly dodged backwards. Just as he retreated a few seconds, the shield withered away, turning to ash and scattering in the wind.
"This kid..."
The man in black glared at Fang Ren in fury, mumbling to himself, "He's at the peak of Intense Concentration, yet he can smash through my Divine Wood Shield at the mid-stage of the Ruoshui Realm?"
Upon seeing the restraint on her lifted, Bai Qi immediately ran over to Fang Ren, looking terrified at the man in black, then at Fang Ren: "Why can you still cultivate?"
"That's not the point."
Fang Ren casually replied, his gaze filled with murderous intensity as he stared at the man in black. The anger on his face slowly turned to mocking amusement.
Another fight was upon them, whether or not it would result in death, that was something it didn't know.
"What's your relationship with her?" asked the man in black, his face showing displeasure.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it."
Indeed, the fact that Bai Qi was his betrothed—if he mentioned it, he would probably be considered insane by others.
Having said that, Fang Ren charged at the man in black opposite him, his body turning red as the scorching aura engulfed him, his arm's meridians bulging ominously.
The man in black immediately stepped back, quickly forming another plant shield in front of him. He blocked Fang Ren's attacks while launching Green Spiritual Energy from his hands into the ground around him.
Bang—
Fang Ren's punch shattered the shield once more, but his methods of attack were too straightforward, relying only on his fists. The opponent was just as fast and kept dodging with defensive moves without directly engaging.
It was hard for him to get close enough to inflict any damage on the opponent's body.
But that was to be expected, as he was at the peak of Intense Concentration, and his opponent was in the mid-stage of the Ruoshui Realm—that was a whole major realm and two minor realms apart. The fact that he could keep up with his opponent's speed was a miracle in itself.
Seeing that the man in black was cornered against a pillar, Fang Ren intensified his assault. If the man in black was forced into a dead end, there was an eighty percent chance that his punch would land.
And if he landed that punch, everything afterwards would be easy.
"Kid, although I don't know what's between you two, you can't interfere with this! Let the thistles grow!"
As soon as the man in black saw Fang Ren lured in, he roared, and green thorns burst from the ground beneath him, wrapping around Fang Ren's legs.
Bang—
Fang Ren's punch hit nothing but air, and he was yanked into the sky by the thorns, crashing heavily into the ground, where he lay in a large pit, spitting out blood.
"Fang Ren!"
Bai Qi rushed forward to help Fang Ren but found that the scorching aura surrounding him prevented her from getting close.
Thinking Fang Ren had lost all ability to move, the man in black couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "You're a legendary figure, kid. Instead of doing something worthwhile, you're meddling in our organization's affairs."
No sooner had he spoken than he reached out to grab Bai Qi—taking her back was his top priority.
"You're damn right—I'm destined to be a legend!"
Just as the man in black grabbed Bai Qi and was about to leave, Fang Ren slowly stood up from the pit. His smile twisted into madness, and his speech was filled with disdainful arrogance.