C16 A Loud Roar!

Master Jin burst into wild laughter, poised to grab Zhong Yuyuan's hand.

Liu Feng, standing behind Zhong Yuyuan, finally acted, pulling her back slightly.

Master Jin's eyes bulged with surprise as he glared at Liu Feng, who couldn't bear to meet his gaze and instead looked away, focusing on the alley's entrance.

"Heh, and here I thought we had a hero. Turns out you can't even bear to look me in the eye. You're not much of a man, are you? What's your plan?"

Liu Feng was in agony. His conscience was at war with itself, regretting that he hadn't managed to restrain himself. He had provoked Master Jin prematurely and now feared a beating might be inevitable.

But could he have refrained from intervening? Who could stand by and not act? Would that even be human?

"What's it going to be? Speak up. I, Master Jin, am a man who prefers civility before force. Don't make me resort to the latter."

"No, no, no, Master Jin, please, calm down. I didn't mean anything by it. How could I possibly dare?"

Master Jin's brow furrowed deeply, his bald head accentuating the multiple layers of flesh on his face, which now seemed even more menacing as he scowled.

"Are you mocking me?"

It was over. Completely over.

Liu Feng hadn't anticipated that, in his panic, he would inadvertently unleash his talent for sarcasm.

It wasn't entirely his fault, though. Sarcasm was practically in his DNA; as a seasoned practitioner of the art, it was second nature for his words to carry that yin-yang edge.

"No, no, no, Master Jin, you've got it all wrong. Please don't take it the wrong way. I'm just a bystander, truly sorry."

Forget pride or dignity; groveling was the order of the day.

Zhong Yule lay on the ground, too weak to unleash the torrent of curses he had for Liu Feng. He was astounded. Typically, when a fragile girl is harassed by a thug demanding she pay off debts with her body, wouldn't any red-blooded man be outraged? Surely, one couldn't just cower in such a situation?

"Heh, I really can't stand you."

"If you were just saying you wanted to handle this situation, that'd be one thing. But to think you're such a woman. Give him a beating."

Master Jin directed the last command to his henchmen.

"No, please! I promised not to let you hit him!" Zhong Yuyuan cried out, but Master Jin remained impassive.

It was over. What's meant to be will be; there's no escaping fate.

A man approached Liu Feng, rolling his fists as if to warm up.

Another man headed toward Zhong Yuyuan, seemingly intent on pulling her aside.

Liu Feng sighed deeply, scanning his surroundings. He was flanked by people on both sides; escape was impossible.

A burly man seized Zhong Yuyuan's arm, yanking hard to pull her to the ground.

Liu Feng swiftly knocked the man's hand away and shielded Zhong Yuyuan behind him, locking eyes with the assailant.

"Heh, so the man steps up now? What good will that do? Beat them both, but go easy on the lady. Don't hit her face."

Liu Feng's blood ran cold at Master Jin's words. They were going to hit a woman too? That was beyond the pale.

He threw a hook punch with his right hand, targeting the big man's right ribcage.

Liu Feng had watched documentaries claiming that the ribs were densely packed with nerves, and a solid hit there could cause excruciating pain.

But before his fist could land, a straight punch struck him in the face.

The pain was unbearable!

Blood burst forth, covering his face.

He stood no chance, especially against two.

Liu Feng, feeling helpless, turned his back to shield Zhong Yuyuan, hoping to offer her some protection. He faced away because the back could take a hit better.

"Liu Feng!"

Tears streamed down Zhong Yuyuan's face as Liu Feng held her close, enduring the flurry of punches and kicks.

Initially, Liu Feng managed to remain standing, but after taking a few hits, he couldn't bear the pain any longer. Clutching Zhong Yuyuan, he slowly collapsed to the ground.

The pain was excruciating. When was the last time he felt something like this?

He couldn't recall. It was his first time being on the receiving end of a group beating.

As the blows rained down, Liu Feng's vision blurred, and his thoughts became a jumbled mess.

"Mr. Liu!"

A commanding voice erupted from the mouth of the alley, like a thunderbolt out of the blue, silencing everyone in its wake. The two hulking men were so startled they halted their assault.

"What the hell? How can a voice be that loud?"

Master Jin, with a grimace, stared down the alley where a towering figure stood, eight feet tall with muscles like steel cables, casting a shadow so vast it seemed to swallow the alley's light.

"Mr. Liu!"

The shout came again, even louder, vibrating through Master Jin's skull.

Wang Dali charged toward Liu Feng, his roar echoing through the air.

"How dare you lay a hand on Mr. Liu! I'll take you all on!"

Legend had it that Zhang Fei's roar had once sent a million soldiers fleeing at Changban Slope. Whether true or not, those present felt as if they were witnessing the rebirth of Zhang Fei himself.

That day would be etched in their memories as a pivotal moment, the day they would never forget the man whose triple roar sent Master Jin, weighing over 300 pounds, flying through the air.

Indeed, he was sent soaring, defying gravity as he was propelled a meter backward before crashing to the ground.

The crowd was stunned. Master Jin's henchmen rushed in, but none could withstand even one punch from Wang Dali.

This was, after all, a man who treated tending thirty acres of land as child's play.

"Let's get out of here! Master Jin can't even stand up!"

"We'll be back for you!"

With those parting words, they hoisted Master Jin into the car and sped away with the engine roaring.

At the town hospital.

Zhong Yule winced in agony, while Zhong Yuyuan watched over her brother with concern.

Liu Feng lay on an adjacent bed, his head swathed in bandages. His nose, shattered by the punch, was now suspected of having a slight fracture after the X-ray.

Wang Dali perched on the edge of Liu Feng's bed, both hands swathed in gauze.

The thing about Dali was, he wasn't exactly injured. His strength was simply too immense. In the heat of the brawl, he had thrown his full force into the fight, and his hands' skin just couldn't handle that level of impact, resulting in abrasions.

As for the aftermath, Zhong Yule was battered with multiple bone fractures and a mild concussion. Liu Feng suffered a fractured nose and had sustained injuries to the skin on his back. Wang Dali, on the other hand, only had minor wounds on the backs of his hands.

Given his extraordinary resilience, he might very well heal by the end of the day.

"Zhong Yule, you'll need to stay in the hospital for a few days. The two of you are all patched up and free to go now," a nurse announced as she entered the room.

"Thanks, thanks," Zhong Yule mumbled, her speech slightly muffled by the gauze covering half her face.