Ren Yuanhao left without looking back. Yang Lingxue and Shen Lan Ni were about to chase after him when Ye Lan said, "Don't chase him. I've done something to his new phone last night. If he makes any moves, he won't escape my tracking. Moreover, Yuan Hao may want to draw a line between us on the surface, but in his heart, he can't let go of us. This martial arts manual is the best proof."
"Isn't that right? He almost lost his life to save you. I truly envy you. If it were me, that kid probably wouldn't bother with me."
Yang Lingxue leaned against the window, a hint of sorrow flashing across her face as she watched Ren Yuanhao turn into a dark alley and disappear into the twilight.
"It's impossible. Yuan Hao, even if he doesn't say it, he actually cares about us very much. I think if we can grow to a point where he doesn't have to worry so much, he will definitely return to us."
Ye Lan held the manual, took a brief glance, and then handed it to Shen Lan Ni. "This manual is already so profound and obscure from the beginning. I imagine Yuan Hao encountered considerable trouble while practicing it. There are two things we can do now: first, investigate the background and combat strength of the Chi Xiao Sect as much as possible; second, annotate and explain the key points in the manual and diligently practice it."
"You're right. I've glanced at it briefly. This manual involves the extremely complex 'Five Energies' principles of internal martial arts. Master often said when he was alive that his internal martial arts were considered quite good in the eyes of ordinary people, but in front of true masters, they were no different from those of an infant."
Shen Lan Ni said, turning the pages as if she had found a treasure.
"Master once said that the true qi and internal breath of ordinary people are born without attributes, and most martial artists remain so throughout their lives. However, among the myriad types of true qi, they can actually be classified into five categories: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, corresponding to the Five Elements. This manual simply explains some of the existence and basic cultivation methods of other attribute true qi. More importantly, it mentions the blending and conversion of true qi, complementing each other."
As Shen Lan Ni spoke, Ye Lan recorded it with a voice recorder. She believed these things would help Ren Yuanhao.
...
After leaving, Ren Yuanhao walked into a not-so-large park with a heavy heart.
Beneath the maple trees lining the path was a cobblestone trail. To the right, there was an outdoor swimming pool. As the weather gradually turned cooler, the pool had been abandoned, and one could even see remnants left from the fireworks festival.
Occasionally, men and women on their morning runs would pass by him, bringing gusts of wind and the scent of autumn.
He involuntarily pulled his clothes tighter and habitually reached for his cigarette pack, only to find it empty.
Fortunately, there was a small convenience store around the corner not far away. Some morning papers and magazines were displayed outside, and a hunched old woman was sweeping the already spotless ground outside the store.
Ren Yuanhao felt a little curious and was about to walk over when he noticed that after tidying up, the old woman carefully placed an old, faded oil-paper umbrella on the outermost rack.
He looked up at the sky. Although the sky was still hazy after the fireworks, there was no sign of rain. Such an old oil-paper umbrella from the last century did seem a bit out of place.
"Grandma, I'd like to buy cigarettes."
Ren Yuanhao's voice was not loud, but the old woman had good hearing. She immediately turned around and nodded at him.
The old woman was thin, with high cheekbones and deep-set cheeks, her skin stretched over bone. At first glance, she looked like an old witch from a Western fairy tale.
However, the moment the old woman looked up, Ren Yuanhao felt two sharp glints of light shoot towards him, and an indescribable sense of crisis surged within him!
"Young man, I see your physical condition isn't very good. Eating this will help. It's best to smoke less."
The old woman handed him a bag of betel nuts. Just as she was about to say something, a surge of water suddenly erupted from the pool to his right!
Both of them turned to look. They saw a group of ferocious men pushing a woman in a red knitted dress and matching skirt into the dirty pool. Ironically, the woman seemed unable to swim. As soon as she plunged into the water, her hands flailed left and right like withered grass. Just as her head emerged from the filthy water, the man in the lead grabbed her hair and pushed her back down.
After swallowing several mouthfuls of water, the woman's struggles grew weaker. Seeing this, Ren Yuanhao put down the betel nuts and sprinted. However, before him was a wire fence at least 4 meters high. Some of the morning runners, four or five of them, were gathered around, pointing and gesturing, but not one dared to cross the wire fence.
"Damn it, I can't worry about that anymore."
Ren Yuanhao used his intention to control his qi, tapped his toes, and with a push of his hand, he leaped high into the air, easily clearing the wire fence.
The four men with dyed hair saw Ren Yuanhao charging at them and assumed he was the woman's boyfriend or something. Seeing his aggressive demeanor, they immediately retreated behind the leader.
The man, seeing someone approach, yanked the woman's hair upwards. After dragging her up, the woman kept vomiting, her face pale, and her eyes staring straight at Ren Yuanhao, signaling for his help with a pathetic look.
"Hey, punk, who the hell are you? If you want to play the hero and save the damsel, I'm telling you, the cost will be extremely, extremely high. Do you have medical insurance? Are you prepared to have your hands and legs broken?"
The leader wore a thick gold chain around his neck and a gold tooth in his mouth. However, there were still bits of cabbage from the dumpling filling remaining on the gold tooth. As he spoke, saliva splattered everywhere, and his nostrils flared high, making him look like an arrogant, fire-breathing fat dragon.
Ren Yuanhao shrugged his shoulders and said slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, since you gentlemen are involved in this line of work, you should all be fully covered by medical insurance, right?"
"Nonsense, of course we're covered~" As the big gold tooth said this, he felt the tone was wrong and grumbled, "Hey, wait, what the hell does it have to do with you whether I have medical insurance!"
Ren Yuanhao wagged his finger and said playfully, "What I mean is, since you have medical insurance, there's no need for me to hold back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Yuanhao didn't wait for the five men to respond. He swept forward like a gust of wind. Seeing this, the five men hastily swung their fists, but before their fists could fall, all five were incapacitated by the fierce wind and rain, collapsing to the ground and groaning.
"Get lost. I hope your medical insurance can be used."
Ren Yuanhao ignored these lackeys and slowly walked towards the woman. At that moment, the woman suddenly grabbed his hands tightly, as if she had found a lifesaver, and said tremblingly, "Save me..."