The moment his fist lashed out, Li Zhonglou flipped backward like a dove, landing steadily before sidestepping the punch. In one fluid motion, he pivoted and drove his elbow squarely into Gedong’s forehead.
*Thud!*
A violent dizziness sent Gedong staggering back. Before he could even react, Li Zhonglou was already closing the distance again.
"Damn, you hit way too hard."
What followed was a relentless barrage of blows. In terms of internal energy, Li Zhonglou was a tier above him. As for combat skills? The rebirth he’d undergone in the Iron Forest had long since elevated him beyond the realm of ordinary humans.
Gedong stood no chance. In less than half a minute, Li Zhonglou’s fist sent him crashing to the ground, unconscious.
But Li Zhonglou wasn’t unscathed either. That full-force strike had landed squarely on his face. Despite his tempered physique, he was still flesh and blood—his nasal bone was shattered.
If not for his internal energy suppressing the damage and his muscle control, the unstoppable nosebleed alone would’ve been a nightmare.
With no time to tend to the aftermath, Li Zhonglou immediately activated Tai Chi, channeling the energy from his acupoints through Pulse Concealment for continuous repair.
Five minutes later, his injuries were mostly stabilized, and his facial structure restored through muscle manipulation.
"That was too close."
Glancing at Gedong’s motionless form, Li Zhonglou felt a chill of hindsight. Thankfully, this was only a fourth-tier opponent. Had it been fifth-tier or higher, that single misstep could’ve cost him his life!
"Xiao Li, you’re seriously a freak. You’re fine already?"
Old Lin’s voice carried a trace of lingering fear. Luckily, it had been Rainbow—another battle junkie—who’d taken action earlier. If it had been Old Lin, whose past strength was lower, the outcome could’ve been far worse.
Li Zhonglou sighed. "Let’s not talk about it. Next time, I won’t let you guys take over so casually. This was practically cheating death."
And he wasn’t being ungrateful. The reality of the situation had been far more perilous than it appeared.
The instant a fused soul lost consciousness, the fusion state would dissolve immediately. If not for Old Lin—eager for his own chance to shine—keeping close watch and seamlessly taking over the moment Rainbow withdrew, that half-second delay could’ve been fatal. Gedong would’ve finished him off!
"Kid, you’ve been neglecting your pet too much. Clearly, it could’ve come along, but you insisted on leaving it at the company."
Old Lin couldn’t resist voicing a long-held grievance.
Originally, after bringing Little White out, Li Zhonglou had kept it by his side. But for some reason, this time, he’d left it behind at the company. Had it been here, it could’ve launched a surprise attack at that critical moment.
Don’t underestimate Little White just because it’s only third-tier. With its size and element of surprise, even a fifth-tier expert might’ve fallen for it!
Li Zhonglou sighed. "Right now, Chen Peiyue’s the only one holding down the fort at the company. If Du Tian and his crew try anything, she won’t be enough to deter them. With Little White there, at least there’s a backup plan."
Du Tian and the others still had no idea Little White existed—a fact Li Zhonglou had deliberately kept hidden, even discussing it with Zhou Tong. It was their insurance.
Unlike a human, unless it acted, not even Li Zhonglou could sense its true strength from a distance. And who’d ever suspect an unassuming pet-like creature could pack such destructive power?
Leaving Little White behind had been a calculated decision.
Old Lin didn’t press further, though he remained fused, no longer caring about energy expenditure. What use was frugality if the person was dead?
But Gedong, as a master of counter-reconnaissance, hadn’t brought any deadweight along. From the fight’s end to Li Zhonglou stabilizing his injuries, no further surprises emerged.
Approaching the unconscious Gedong, Li Zhonglou sealed his acupoints. After confirming no hidden weapons remained, he hoisted the man over his shoulder and headed back toward the Black Market.
Old Lin seemed to guess his intentions. "Xiao Li, don’t tell me you’re planning to take that Xiao Qiang with you?"
Li Zhonglou nodded. "Yeah. Even though he’s just an ordinary guy, he’s got qualities most street thugs lack. I want to bring him back for Black Blade—he’s probably short on reliable people right now."
According to Black Blade’s intel, the Green Gang was also scheming behind the scenes. If nothing else, this could be a prime opportunity for him to climb the ranks.
Having a few more dependable hands around never hurt.
But Old Lin, long removed from the ordinary underworld, wasn’t convinced. In his eyes, one Xiao Qiang wasn’t even half as useful as Yi Defa.
Li Zhonglou didn’t bother explaining further.
In China, legitimacy mattered. Yi Defa, while undoubtedly more capable than any civilian—even without using internal energy—was still part of their circle. Black Blade’s operations were likely just power struggles among ordinary enforcers. The moment someone from their world intervened, the implications would shift entirely.
In fact, Li Zhonglou suspected Fourth Master hadn’t contacted him precisely because of this.
Back when he’d first arrived in Shangjing, unaware of these nuances, he’d risen swiftly among the ordinary ranks. Of course, that had also involved deliberately concealing his strength.
Later, Fourth Master and the others must’ve realized his identity as a circle insider, hence their reluctance to deploy him casually. Past actions could be excused as ignorance, but persistent exploitation would inevitably invite retaliation in kind.
That would escalate the conflict entirely.
Old Lin, as an outsider, wouldn’t grasp these subtleties. Explaining would’ve been more trouble than it was worth, so Li Zhonglou let it slide.
Fused with Old Lin’s soul, Li Zhonglou covered the distance back to the Black Market in just over ten minutes.
Thanks to Gedong’s bomb, chaos still reigned there. Amid the gambling frenzy, the sudden disruption had led to rampant looting, leaving the accounts irrecoverable.
Only when Thunder God stepped in, using his aura to suppress the crowd and restore order, did the situation stabilize—with the establishment absorbing all losses.
"Thunder God, the guy we caught is awake. Want to interrogate him?"
A subordinate approached with the update. Thunder God pondered briefly before nodding. "Let’s see what background this guy has."
Ado, ever the shadow, followed closely behind. But as they exited the gambling hall, Li Zhonglou suddenly appeared.
"No need. Hand him over to me. I’ll take my leave now. Apologies for the disturbance."
Ado instinctively shielded Thunder God. Seeing this, Li Zhonglou frowned. His loyalty mirrored that of the Yu family’s lifelong-trained experts.
But the problem was—Ado came from the General Administration.