Seeing that Wang Dezhu had fallen silent, the tattooed man, Zhao Qiu, nodded in satisfaction and turned to his henchmen.
"Alright, boys, it’s time for us to have a little fun. After we’re done, I’ll hand out the Spirit Stones..."
"Heh heh, it’s finally time. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time..." A bald goon leered at Zhang Yuxi, who was lying on her side a short distance away. Her exquisite figure was on display, and her face was a mask of despair.
"Once you’re finished, get rid of this woman... I’m leaving," Wang Dezhu said.
"Just get out of here! Don’t get in the way of our fun..." The tattooed Zhao Qiu waved his hand dismissively and started walking toward Zhang Yuxi.
The rest of his men crossed their arms, settling in to watch the show.
"Mmph, mmph..."
With a look of despair on her face, Zhang Yuxi watched the thug approach her, knowing what was about to happen. She struggled to move backward, muffled cries for help escaping her lips.
"Heh heh, don’t bother struggling. No one can save you now. You might as well enjoy it before you die!" With a wicked grin, the tattooed Zhao Qiu closed in on the struggling Zhang Yuxi. He squatted down in front of her and reached out to rip off her clothes.
But just as his hand was about to touch Zhang Yuxi’s clothes, a cry of alarm echoed from the distant stairwell.
"Who are you?" Wang Dezhu, clutching the Spirit Stones, was about to leave when a figure appeared before him, blocking his path.
Hearing Wang Dezhu’s shout, the dozen or so thugs all turned to look. Their gazes immediately locked onto the young man blocking Wang Dezhu’s escape.
"Mmph, mmph...!!!"
Zhang Yuxi, who had been bound, gagged, and utterly despondent, suddenly froze.
As she got a clear look at the newcomer’s face, her despair vanished, and her dull eyes ignited with the brilliant light of hope.
Lin Li heard the muffled cries from the distance and turned his head toward the corner. He immediately spotted Zhang Yuxi, disheveled and battered, but with eyes shining with hope.
Wang Dezhu, still clutching the black plastic bag of Spirit Stones, suddenly felt an excruciating pain in his stomach. The world in front of him seemed to fly backward.
THUD.
Struck by Lin Li’s kick, Wang Dezhu’s feet left the ground. His body shot through the air like a cannonball, flying backward until it slammed into a concrete pillar.
PFFT.
Wang Dezhu spat out a mouthful of blood as he landed. The black plastic bag he’d been clutching fell, and the Spirit Stones inside rolled and scattered across the floor.
The force behind Lin Li’s kick was immense. Being just an ordinary man, Wang Dezhu coughed up several mouthfuls of blood from the severe blow and passed out before he could even scream.
"Damn it... This guy’s looking for trouble! Boys, grab your weapons!" Seeing Lin Li take out Wang Dezhu with a single kick, the tattooed Zhao Qiu yelled to his men.
The words had barely left his mouth when his men cried out, "Boss, look out!"
"Huh?!!" The tattooed Zhao Qiu whipped his head around, only to find that the figure from the stairwell was now standing right in front of him.
THUD.
Lin Li kicked out again. The simple blow sent the once-arrogant Zhao Qiu flying. He smashed against the wall and rolled several times after hitting the floor.
Just like Wang Dezhu, Zhao Qiu coughed up blood and passed out.
"Shit! Everyone, get him! Kill him!" Seeing their boss taken out, the thugs’ anger flared. They snatched weapons from a nearby table and charged at Lin Li.
’There’s strength in numbers. So what if he can fight? Let’s see how he handles all of us at once!’ With this thought in mind, Zhao Qiu’s men charged forward fearlessly.
After disabling the tattooed Zhao Qiu with a kick, Lin Li stood protectively in front of Zhang Yuxi, his back to her. He watched the weapon-wielding thugs charge him and spoke with utter disdain.
"I was so cautious approaching this place, worried a Cultivator might be involved in the kidnapping. Turns out, it’s just a bunch of pushovers."
"Mmph, mmph..." Bound and gagged, Zhang Yuxi saw the thugs charge and tried to mumble a warning for Lin Li to be careful.
But the scene that unfolded next showed her that her worries were completely unnecessary.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD...
"AHHH..."
With his cultivation at the Peak of Tier Two, Lin Li was far beyond what these ordinary thugs could handle.
He didn’t even use his Spiritual Energy. Relying solely on his speed and strength, he left the dozen armed assailants with broken arms and legs, wailing in agony and begging for mercy.
"I’m sorry, I was wrong, please spare me!"
The bald thug, who had been the most boisterous earlier, watched in terror as Lin Li broke his companions’ arms and legs one by one, leaving them spitting blood and falling unconscious. Terrified, he dropped his weapon.
He dropped to his knees without a shred of dignity, clasped his hands together, and began begging for mercy from the terrifying man approaching him.
"Hmph. So now you know you were wrong? It’s too late for that." Lin Li knew these despicable thugs only groveled like this when faced with an enemy they couldn’t possibly defeat.
If Liu Lan hadn’t called him, if he hadn’t tracked them here to save Zhang Yuxi, he could easily imagine the news reports in the coming days: another story about a murdered young woman.