The lock's metal parts flew like bullets.
The masked man had to abandon the kick he was about to land on Li Zhonglou and dodged.
*Bang!*
The doorknob shot into the wall, scattering cement and dust.
Lin Ying turned on the light simultaneously.
The wall beside the nightstand had a hole in it, the doorknob embedded in the wall, terrifyingly so.
Li Zhonglou lay on the ground, finally getting a clear look at his attacker. The person wore a mask, their features and voice not resembling someone old.
They were tall and thin, but undoubtedly contained terrifying strength.
At this moment, Ayue Qubi was staring at the doorknob, his eyes filled with shock.
Lin Ying entered the room in a bathrobe, her pretty face as cold as black ice.
As she approached, the youth retreated like a cat, leaping from the bed to the window.
His entire body was visibly tense and on guard.
"Senior Sister." Li Zhonglou, enduring the throbbing pain all over, struggled to get up and called out.
His heart was also pounding like a drum.
He knew his senior sister was formidable; after all, the mental cultivation technique on the sheepskin scroll was a Lin family heirloom, and she must have practiced it since childhood.
He never expected her to be this powerful. Had he not been in danger, he probably wouldn't have seen her display her skills.
Hearing him, the ice on Lin Ying's face instantly thawed. "Junior Brother, you got beaten up again. You need to practice more."
She had been in the next room and heard a few muffled thuds from Li Zhonglou's place, immediately sensing something was wrong.
She rushed over without even changing her clothes.
Indeed, had she been a moment later, Li Zhonglou would have lost his life here.
Looking at his swollen arm, she felt a pang of heartache but showed no emotion on her face.
Then, she turned to the masked youth and said, "You injured my Junior Brother and tried to kill him. How do you propose we settle this?"
"You are Lin Ying?" Ayue Qubi deliberately deepened his voice.
Before coming, someone had emphatically warned him not to confront Lin Ying directly.
However, they hadn't told him about Lin Ying's capabilities, and he felt extremely unconvinced. If it weren't for the greater cause, he would have even intentionally provoked her to test their strength.
Now, seeing the force that had sent the doorknob flying, he knew she was no ordinary person.
But in martial arts, there's no definitive ranking. Without a real fight, how could one know who was stronger?
"It's good you recognize me. Who sent you?" Lin Ying asked, unfazed, as she advanced step by step.
Breaking into a room at night and trying to kill Li Zhonglou was definitely not the work of a common thief.
"Nonsense! Talk after you beat me!" Ayue Qubi narrowed his eyes, crouched low, and lunged at Lin Ying like a running wolf.
His hands formed claws, reaching for Lin Ying's eyes with extreme ferocity.
He showed no mercy just because Lin Ying was a woman.
In his eyes, there were only enemies and friends, no distinction between men and women.
His original plan was to steal the key and open the ancient tomb's stone wall without alerting anyone, disappearing without a trace. He hadn't expected to alert two people.
If he didn't end this quickly, complications might arise.
"Arrogant!" Lin Ying said with a cold smile, suddenly raising her leg.
Her fair, slender leg flashed from beneath her bathrobe, her slipper flew off, and her bare foot kicked towards Ayue Qubi's head.
Martial world practitioners were unrestrained.
The idea of exposing herself was not something she considered.
This kick, though not fast, was perfectly timed, directly blocking all of Ayue Qubi's attack routes.
Arms would never be as long as legs. If he didn't want his head kicked in, he had to change his move.
His body seemed to lose balance and slid to the left, narrowly dodging the kick. His claw-like hand transformed into a palm, and a glinting dagger appeared in it.
Taking advantage of the momentum, he lunged towards Lin Ying's abdomen.
Lin Ying's eyes chilled, and just as she was about to dodge.
Li Zhonglou, standing nearby, suddenly shot out like an arrow, crashing hard into Ayue Qubi.
He sent him flying sideways, crashing into the writing desk in the room.
*Crack!*
The wooden desk deformed and broke. Ayue Qubi's eyes blazed with fury, "Two against one, the Han people are truly shameless!"
"Shameless, your ancestor! You tried to kill me, and you expect me to play by the rules?" Li Zhonglou, for the first time, cursed.
This guy almost killed him and then tried to stab his senior sister.
He wasn't just a decoration, how could he not intervene?
Besides, playing by the rules with a thief was just foolish.
"Junior Brother, just watch. If I can't even handle him, I'll start practicing from being a novice," Lin Ying said, smiling sweetly at Li Zhonglou, and got serious.
As she spoke, she swiftly moved a few steps to Ayue Qubi's side, her jade-like hand quickly reaching to pull off his mask.
Ayue Qubi twisted his head and threw a punch.
As Lin Ying's left hand brushed his fist, he felt as if he were a clay ox entering the sea, all his strength rendered useless.
His heart jolted. By the time he tried to withdraw, it was too late.
The mask on his face loosened and was easily removed, revealing a handsome face that could make countless girls scream.
Lin Ying, who had expected a ferocious face beneath the mask, was momentarily stunned.
This gap between expectation and reality could make most people freeze for a few seconds. Lin Ying was certainly no ordinary person, and her moment of愣神 (daze) was extremely brief.
But in a duel between experts, even 0.01 seconds could lead to a mistake.
Taking advantage of Lin Ying's momentary lapse, Ayue Qubi powerfully pushed off the damaged desk and slid out like an arrow.
With a leap, he jumped out of the window and vanished into the night.
Li Zhonglou wanted to chase, but it was too late.
While he was an undisputed master in antique appraisal, in martial arts, he was still just a beginner.
"Junior Brother, he'll be back," Lin Ying said, casually tossing the mask away with a chuckle to smooth over the embarrassment.
She had just boasted that she could subdue him, only for him to escape.
Fortunately, it was in front of her Junior Brother; otherwise, she would have lost face completely.
"Senior Sister, you've exposed yourself," Li Zhonglou said, his gaze falling on Lin Ying before quickly looking away.
Lin Ying, already in a bathrobe, had her ties loosened by her movements, revealing her navel. Her fair skin could be vaguely seen, and it seemed she was wearing nothing underneath.
So, his Senior Sister had a habit of sleeping naked.
Li Zhonglou's mind began to wander.
Lin Ying glanced at herself, retied her bathrobe, and said boldly, "What's there to be ashamed of? Haven't you been to the swimming pool?"
"Sometimes I can't tell if you're twenty or eighty."
"You have a guilty conscience."
"It's respect!" Li Zhonglou retorted indignantly.
If his Senior Sister wasn't embarrassed, why should he be?
"Alright, respect, respect." Lin Ying surveyed the messy room. "Can you still sleep here?"
"Take your things and come to my room."
"It'll also be convenient for me to protect you."
Li Zhonglou paused. "Actually, you don't need to. You can just take the things; that person was after the items."
For some reason, in front of Lin Ying, his normally calm state of mind felt like a mere decoration.
"Hmph, afraid I'll eat you alive?" Lin Ying said, rolling her eyes. "You need to practice your skills properly. You still haven't reached the Divine Valley, and you almost got into big trouble."
"When we get back, I'm going to give you intensive training for a while."
"Otherwise, if my father finds out you got into trouble outside, he'll definitely scold me."
After speaking, she picked up Li Zhonglou's bag and left gracefully.
Li Zhonglou stood there dumbfounded until Lin Ying closed the door, which was now missing its lock.
You've been practicing since you were little, and I've only been practicing for a few days!
It's completely normal to get beaten up!
I'm not a monster who can reach the Divine Valley in two or three days. How is that considered not practicing properly!
His Senior Sister's words, however slight, stirred a spark of competitive spirit in his long-dormant heart.
Keep practicing!
He vowed to reach the Divine Valley in the shortest possible time, lest he have to rely on his Senior Sister for protection in times of trouble.
He couldn't afford to lose face like that.