C7 Three Little Bastards!

While Ling Yifei and Situ Yun were shooting the breeze, Chen Tianxing managed to vanish from his perception!

Ling Yifei broke out in a cold sweat, shocked. It was a rare opportunity to encounter this arch-nemesis; he couldn't let him slip away now, could he?

He quickly navigated through the throng of people and spotted Chen Tianxing, who was preparing to exit the venue.

Chen Tianxing was on his phone, heading outside. Without hesitation, Ling Yifei followed.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes..."

Chen Tianxing was on the phone, repeating 'yes' incessantly. Though Ling Yifei was some distance away, with his Thousand-mile Ear ability activated, he could hear everything crystal clear. Yet, there was no sound coming from the other end of the call, not even background noise.

Why was it silent?

Chen Tianxing led the way, walking down the street as dusk fell. After a few steps, he turned into an alley.

Ling Yifei followed suit, but as soon as he entered, he realized he'd walked straight into a trap. Chen Tianxing had known all along that Ling Yifei was tailing him!

Before Ling Yifei could react, three men emerged and encircled him.

"Ling Yifei, you killed our big brother, and yet you have the audacity to strut around here!"

With that, Ling Yifei immediately connected the dots; these men were in cahoots with Chen Tianxing!

Ling Yifei was seething inside. Had he known, he would have used his Vital Spirit to take care of Chen Si's body right then and there.

"Ling Yifei," Chen Tianxing approached, patting him on the shoulder, "Honestly, my actions against your family's factory weren't personal. You know how cutthroat the business world can be. But by becoming the big brother here, you've made it personal!"

Ling Yifei remained silent, staring at Chen Tianxing in the fading light. His Vital Spirit was eluding him, which was far from ideal for a confrontation.

Meanwhile, the three thugs closed in.

"You're quite the survivor, aren't you? Even a bullet couldn't take you down." One thug brandished his watermelon knife, eyeing Ling Yifei.

Ling Yifei's eyes darted around before he suddenly dropped to his knees. "Guys, I have no clue what you're saying. I was just looking for a spot to relieve myself. If it's money you want, I'll give it to you!"

There are times when a man must bend to survive. Unable to fight or flee, Ling Yifei resorted to feigning ignorance. The trio exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if they had indeed mistaken him for someone else.

"Humph, I'm out of here. He's your problem now." Chen Tianxing chuckled and made his way back to the buffet.

But Ling Yifei's act of playing the fool ultimately did nothing to deter them. The three assailants leaped at him, brandishing their watermelon knives and aiming for his head.

"Curse it!" Ling Yifei desperately tried to harness the Vital Spirit within him, but it refused to obey.

Their knives were already hacking down on Ling Yifei's body.

"Ah!" A blade sliced into Ling Yifei's shoulder, blood sprayed, and pain seared through him.

It had been three thousand years since he last experienced such physical harm. More blades followed, striking him repeatedly.

After what felt like five or six slashes, Ling Yifei collapsed, writhing in agony, unable to get up.

Just then, an elderly man emerged from the alleyway. "What are you doing?"

The man appeared to be in his sixties, likely a recent retiree, but he still looked robust.

Ling Yifei managed to lift his head slightly and saw the old man in the dimming light.

"Buzz off, old timer, this doesn't concern you!" the thug barked. "Mind your own business and scram!"

"I've been watching you lot skulk around up to no good for several blocks!" the old man retorted, pulling out his phone, ready to dial. "Ever heard of the law? I'm calling the police!"

But before he could, one of the hoodlums charged at him, snatched the phone, and smashed it on the ground.

"Damn you, old man! Don't think I won't cut you too!" The thug brandished his knife menacingly at the old man's nose.

But who could have predicted that the elderly gentleman would snatch the knife from the thug's hand without a word? He swiftly subdued the thug on the ground and delivered a series of hard blows to his head, leaving the thug crying out for his mother.

The other two thugs, witnessing the scene, charged at the elderly man with their knives drawn.

Yet, the elderly man's movements were incredibly nimble, clearly the work of a seasoned martial artist. In no time at all, he had knocked the knives from their hands and landed a solid punch on each of their faces.

One of them couldn't handle the punch and started bleeding from the nose.

"I'm taking you to the police station today!" he declared.

The three thugs quickly encircled the elderly man, hoping to overpower him with their numbers.

But the elderly man was too quick, landing several more punches on them. Truth be told, while the elderly man was quick to extend a hand, his age meant his punches lacked strength, and the thugs didn't seem to be hurt much.

The four of them scuffled for a while until the elderly man landed a kick on each, sending them sprawling to the side.

Frustrated and humiliated at being bested by an older man, they picked up the watermelon knives from the ground in a rage.

The elderly man just chuckled, "Oh, still resorting to those useless things? Come at me!"

But even armed with the knives, they hesitated to confront the elderly man. Suddenly, the man clutched his chest and staggered back two steps, struggling to breathe.

He leaned on his hand, trying to catch his breath.

The three thugs saw the change in the elderly man and exchanged looks, cautiously taking a step forward. The man had lost all his previous momentum and confidence, retreating another step.

Realizing the elderly man was now vulnerable and unable to fight back, the thugs grew bold and charged at him. The knife in their hands was still stained with Ling Yifei's blood.

Caught off-guard by his sudden illness and unable to escape, the elderly man closed his eyes, resigning himself to the descending blades.

"Pathetic, what's the point in ganging up on an old man?" Ling Yifei's voice rang out as he effortlessly blocked the three knives with one hand. The blades struck him as if they were hitting a steel pipe. It turned out that while the elderly man had been holding off the thugs, Ling Yifei's Vital Spirit had been roused within him.

The Vital Spirit swiftly healed his knife wound, leaving no trace on his body except for his ragged clothes.

The trio of thugs were so terrified that they could barely stand.

Ling Yifei, without uttering a word, delivered a punch that knocked one of them out cold, not even needing to harness the Vital Spirit.

Seeing this, the other two tried to attack Ling Yifei, but he snatched the knife from them, effortlessly crushed it into a small ball, and tossed it aside. With a swift kick, he sent another thug sprawling to the ground, unconscious. The last one, shaking with fear, turned to flee.

But to his horror, after only a couple of steps, he found Ling Yifei already blocking his path. His movement was eerily swift, almost supernatural.

The frightened thug immediately dropped to his knees, pleading, "I was just here to take a leak, I'm a nobody, I swear! I don't know what's happening, but if it's money you want, it's all yours!"

Ling Yifei wasn't fooled by such a transparent ruse, a trick he knew all too well. Another kick from him sent the fool slumping to the ground, out cold.

Ling Yifei hurried over to the elderly man.

The old man was already on the ground, gasping, "Call the police..."

And with that, he lost consciousness.