Just as Xing Ao reminisced, Li Jin had already taken a few steps forward with his men, and the distance between the two sides was only five meters. Before Li Jin could speak, Zhang Qiang behind him opened his mouth and said, "Old Brother Xiao, it's been a few days. I hope you're doing well."

Xiao Zihan glanced at Li Jin, a hint of disdain in his eyes, and said, "Yeah. I may not have anything else, but I'm lucky. I just don't know the purpose of Li Hall Master bringing so many people to wait for the two of us brothers."

Li Jin, seeing Xiao Zihan's contempt, couldn't bear it: "Damn it, Xiao, there's no need for bullshit. I came today to settle the score with you for what happened two days ago."

"The score from two days ago? What score? Oh, I remember now. I told you, a heroic figure like Li Hall Master, a woman among women, how could he have an issue with a prostitute? It must be that Li Laoda, with a burst of conscience, wanted to apologize to that woman, right? But today, you've got the wrong people. My brother and I are no longer working there. Li Laoda, you don't need to be upset. Just give her twenty thousand, and everything will be fine. No need for my brother and me to run errands for you. You know, I charge for my services. Isn't that right, Ah Ao?" After speaking, he signaled to Xing Ao to continue making up stories.

Xing Ao and Xiao Zihan acted as one person. Even without Xiao Zihan signaling, Xing Ao would follow suit and strike. It was just a habit they had developed. Stepping forward, Xing Ao said, "Li Laoda, my big brother is right. People like us, with no connections or influence, can only move around and earn small money. Unlike you, Li Laoda, who needs ten or eight people just to apologize. Oh! Life is so unfair." After saying that, he sighed deeply, taking the opportunity to glance at Xiao Zihan beside him. He noticed Xiao Zihan's face filled with sadness, though a bit exaggerated. It looked like he had just lost his wife. Xing Ao almost burst into laughter on the spot, quickly taking a deep breath to compose himself.

Angry at the duo's nonsensical talk and exaggerated sadness, Li Jin felt a surge of rage. He turned to order his subordinates, only to find all eight of them holding back laughter, trying not to smile. When they saw their boss furious, they quickly suppressed their amusement and, realizing the purpose of today's mission, emanated a palpable killing intent. After all, these eight were ruthless figures within the "Fierce Wolf Society."

Satisfied with his subordinates' response, Li Jin nodded approvingly. Li Jin had risen to the position of hall master in the "Fierce Wolf Society" thanks to the support of these eight individuals. Except for Zhang Qiang, the other seven were capable of taking on five opponents alone, and some even ten. Today, Li Jin had brought them all, determined to eliminate Xiao Zihan and Xing Ao.

Wearing a face filled with a mocking smile, Li Jin pointed forward, and then with a wave of his hand, seven individuals led by Wang Dazhuang rushed towards Xiao Zihan and Xing Ao with their knives drawn. Due to the short distance between the two sides, in the blink of an eye, they were already in front of the two. Wang Dazhuang raised his knife to strike, aiming not at Xiao Zihan or Xing Ao but the space between them.

It was evident that Wang Dazhuang, despite being a brute, had considerable combat experience and understood the strategy of dividing and conquering. After separating Xiao Zihan and Xing Ao, each of them was immediately surrounded by three opponents.

Xiao Zihan swiftly dodged the three strikes aimed at his head, chest, and abdomen, then quickly retreated to avoid being surrounded. As he backed away, he contemplated whether to engage in a fight with these individuals. If he killed them, it would undoubtedly worsen his relationship with the "Fierce Wolf Society." Although it wasn't a major gang with only about a hundred members, most of whom were untrained thugs, he still preferred not to provoke them. Otherwise, his "peaceful" life might come to an end. Li Jin seemed to be overly concerned about trivial matters. Xiao Zihan couldn't fathom how someone with such a lack of composure could become a gang leader. It would have been better if someone had already taken care of him. It appeared that the leader of the "Fierce Wolf Society" wasn't much of a formidable figure, explaining why the gang remained small despite its several years of existence.

"Li Lao Da, what's the meaning of this? We haven't exchanged a few words, and you're already letting people attack with knives. This is completely unreasonable. Aren't you afraid of karma, worried that in your next life, you'll be something like a turtle? How will you live then? Remember, one must lead a principled life and avoid doing things that go against morality. Did your mother not teach you that? Oh, well, then your mother has been quite negligent in her duties. Your mother..."

"Damn it! Shut the hell up!" Li Jin was so infuriated that steam seemed to be coming out of his head. Watching Xiao Zihan effortlessly evade one knife after another added fuel to his anger. His three capable subordinates swung their machetes violently at Xiao Zihan, who was defenseless, yet they couldn't even graze his clothes. Li Jin had often boasted about how skilled his subordinates were and how well he had trained them. If Xiao Zihan and Xing Ao managed to escape today, there would be no place for him in the underworld.

"Are you all starving? Keep slashing! And you, Wang Dashuang, standing there like a damn wooden pole. I brought you here to blow in the wind?" Li Jin continued his barrage of insults. Wang Dashuang felt quite frustrated. He believed that by separating Xiao and Xing with one swing, he had created an advantageous situation: three against one. With these three seasoned fighters, he thought they could easily capture Xiao and Xing. If anything went wrong, he could support them at any moment. Little did he expect that his strategic move would earn him a scolding. Feeling aggrieved, he concluded that his big brother Li Jin was indeed acting unreasonably. In the end, he joined the fray, machete in hand.

Xiao Zihan was annoyed, contemplating whether to fight or flee when Li Jin's words reached his ears. "Xiao, you're quite good at dodging, huh? But it doesn't matter. Just like that girl the other day, she hid for two days but was eventually exposed by me. In Chaoyang City, anyone who goes against me has only one path—death."

Upon learning that the girl from that day had died, Xiao Zihan's eyes, which had appeared somewhat dim, suddenly flashed with a chilling light. The girl was quite pretty, especially with those big watery eyes that often showed a shy expression, giving off a pitiful yet adorable vibe. After the incident that night, Xiao Zihan and Xing Ao had escorted her home, chatting and laughing along the way, completely carefree. They had forgotten the unpleasantness from moments before. Xiao Zihan had even thought about advising her to find a legitimate job, but the words never left his mouth as they were still practically strangers.

Now she was dead, probably tortured to death. Xiao Zihan felt a burning anger, and holding it back was no longer an option. Dodging a swing of the machete, he suddenly let out a loud roar. This unexpected shout brought the ongoing fight to a halt, everyone turning to look at Xiao Zihan.

No longer did Xiao Zihan exude the lazy demeanor from earlier. His face was dark, his gaze piercing, and with his tall stature, an intense aura of killing intent surrounded him invisibly. Although this killing intent was intangible, all ten, including Xing Ao, could unmistakably feel it. The atmosphere became strangely eerie.

Unable to withstand the spine-chilling sensation enveloping the trio surrounding Xiao Zihan, one of them shouted and rushed forward, swinging the machete fiercely towards Xiao Zihan.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Xiao Zihan sidestepped with his right foot, avoiding the blade, and then shifted his right foot forward. Leveraging the twist of his waist, he swung his right fist at an astonishing speed and incredible force, directly hitting the man's face. The man let out a cry of pain, as if struck by a heavy hammer, and was sent flying. Simultaneously, his grip on the machete loosened, and Xiao Zihan swiftly seized it.

Standing with the machete in hand, Xiao Zihan positioned it toward the ground, exuding a murderous aura like a vengeful deity. Then, he raised the machete, pointing it at Li Jin, and declared domineeringly, "Li Jin, living in this world requires understanding how to conduct oneself. Never forget to leave yourself a way out, unless you don't want to live, or your strength has reached a point where you can act recklessly. Let me teach you a lesson before you descend into hell for your irresponsible mother. Ah Ao, why aren't you taking action?"

Meanwhile, Xing Ao's thoughts were racing: "Boss, you've finally opened up. I don't know why the death of a mere prostitute could trigger this change in you, but it's more than enough."

The two have been together for three years, traveling extensively to various places. During these three years, Xiao Zihan rarely took action, always relying on Xing Ao to handle any trouble. If a fight was unwinnable, they would flee. Xing Ao had his own reasons, but he could also see that Xiao Zihan had some psychological issues. Although Xiao Zihan usually acted indifferent, he must have suffered a significant trauma. Thus, he forced himself to change his personality to forget the past. However, Xing Ao still noticed the lingering cold aura around him. Despite multiple attempts to inquire, Xiao Zihan only smiled and avoided the questions. In the past year, the coldness emanating from Xiao Zihan had become imperceptible to Xing Ao. To celebrate this change, Xing Ao even threw a party for Xiao Zihan, making him believe Xing Ao was unwell and publicly checking his forehead. Now, with the storm passed, Xing Ao felt optimistic, anticipating the appearance of a rainbow. In high spirits, Xing Ao's face beamed with a brighter smile, even his fists carried an excited demeanor. The three opponents across from him exchanged confused glances, wondering if this guy had gone mad. Facing life and death, how could he still smile so cheerfully? Little did they know, in the chaos of a life-and-death struggle, their lack of focus on Xing Ao would leave them vulnerable to his punches. With a triumphant yell, the unfortunate person on the left side took the punch. The other two simultaneously thought, "Damn, this guy was deceiving us with that sly smile, intentionally trying to confuse us. Unforgivable! We must deal with him properly." Lacking concentration, they could only take another punch. Another loud cry, and the person in the middle went down. The remaining person couldn't dodge Xing Ao's iron fist either and also collapsed.

In fact, the three of them were not so ineffective. After all, they were formidable figures by the side of Li, the leader of the "Fierce Wolves Association." However, the psychological shadow left behind when they attempted to attack Xing Ao earlier had affected them. Normally arrogant and domineering, they were not significant figures in the city. People in this remote border town might praise them, thinking they were heroes, but in reality, they were not noteworthy. Despite their lack of real capabilities, they believed themselves to be formidable. Today, their confidence suffered a severe blow as their combined efforts failed to deal with Xing Ao. Moreover, the imposing momentum displayed by Xiao Zihan earlier, followed by Xing Ao's "mysterious smile," left them bewildered and unsure how to proceed, providing an opportunity for Xing Ao to subdue them.

Turning to Xiao Zihan's side, the battle had already concluded. Three individuals lay unconscious around Xiao Zihan. Li Jin and Zhang Qiang were nowhere to be found.

Xiao Zihan mocked the three individuals who had been knocked down by Xing Ao, saying, "You guys really followed a great leader, abandoning your brothers without hesitation. Look at your pitiful appearance. I'll spare you this time. Take your brothers and leave, but you better hurry. Otherwise, hehe..."

Seeing the gleaming machete in Xiao Zihan's hand, the three men trembled. One of them carried his fallen brother and ran away.

Xing Ao, witnessing the sorry state of the three men, burst into laughter.

After a good while, he finally stopped laughing and walked to Xiao Zihan, asking, "Boss, when did Li Jin run away?"

Xiao Zihan looked up at the sky, lost in thought. He sighed and said, "When you knocked down the first person with your punch, he sensed the danger and ran away with Zhang Qiang. Later, Wang Dazhuang also fled. They really are great brothers."

Xing Ao knew that Xiao Zihan was still reflecting on the three men's unjust actions. He said, "Boss, I remember you were just boasting confidently about making Li Jin meet Yama. How could you let him escape?"

"I initially planned to do that, but firstly, chasing Li Jin would inevitably make the matter widely known, which is not something I want. Secondly, when I saw Li Jin abandon his brothers without hesitation, I wanted to see the consequences of his actions. That's why I didn't kill those people. Instead, I let them all go back. What do you think? Will they cause trouble for themselves?"

“Haha, I don't know about that, but Li Jin is definitely in deep trouble. Not only will he have a hard time explaining himself to his brothers, but even 'Black Wolf' Zhao Biao, the big brother of the 'Fierce Wolves Society,' won't let him off the hook. This is like stealing a chicken and losing a handful of rice. And he's lost quite a lot of rice; he might even lose his life."

"Alright," Xiao Zihan straightened his face, then relaxed, saying, "Ao, I don't think we can stay in Chaoyang City anymore, but I still have something unfinished."

Xing Ao immediately became alert, unsure of what his boss was planning. He asked, "Something unfinished? What is it? Don't tell me you've set your sights on another pretty lady and want to touch her chest." After speaking, he became even more cautious, afraid that he had hit the mark on Xiao Zihan's intentions, risking a beating to his head or a kick to his butt.

Seeing Xing Ao's reaction, Xiao Zihan smirked and said, "Ao, why do you always have such evil thoughts, always thinking about touching a woman's chest? Since I'm your boss, I have a responsibility to guide you onto the right path; otherwise, people might say I'm a negligent mentor, and that would be my fault."

But who was really the one with the evil thoughts? Who was constantly thinking about touching a woman's chest? Somehow, it all got pinned on Xing Ao. Xing Ao protested, "Hey, hey, boss, don't talk nonsense. Why does the shit always get dumped on my head? I... ow."

Xing Ao either wasn't on guard or had taken a solid hit.

"What shit bucket? A bucket of shit indeed. You've even stirred up clear water. It's called a graceful lady, a charming maiden."

"Yes, yes, boss, you're right. It's a graceful lady, a charming maiden. Is that okay? So, boss, are you thinking of finding a charming little maiden?"

Xiao Zihan was still immersed in the enchanting beauty of Qin Fangyue and couldn't extricate himself. Suddenly, when he heard about finding a charming and lovely girl, he immediately nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yeah, yeah." When he realized something was wrong, he reacted, and Xingao was already smirking on the side.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xiao Zihan cleared his throat and put his arm around Xingao's shoulder, grinning, "Ah Ao, you must have seen the beauty just now too."

"Of course! How could I not have seen her? Hey, that's a true beauty, absolutely stunning! But she's the woman you've set your eyes on, Boss. Even if I'm thirsty to death, I wouldn't dare touch even a hair on her head."

"Enough, enough, Ah Ao," Xiao Zihan showed impatience, saying, "To be honest, I just suffered a 'throw over the shoulder' move in public from that girl. It's very embarrassing, so I have to get it back. Ah Ao, go find out where she lives for me."

Xingao furrowed his brows, asking, "Boss, what are you planning?"

"What am I planning? You blockhead, what do you think men usually do to women? Hehe, after you find out where she lives, I'll bring her out and demonstrate my invincible skills. With my rich experience, I'll make her surrender completely."

Xingao felt increasingly awkward as he listened, especially with the phrases like "invincible skills" and "rich experience." Along with his discomfort, his questions surfaced.

"Boss, I want to ask a question, don't know if it's appropriate."

"Where are these unnecessary words coming from? Just spit it out."

"Alright, I'll ask. Boss, I want to ask seriously – are you still a virgin? You..."

"Cough, cough," before Xingao could finish, he was interrupted by Xiao Zihan's coughing. Xiao Zihan's face turned red, and he spoke in a thick voice, "What the hell are you talking about? How could I still be a virgin?"

"I remember three years ago..."

"Three years ago is not the same as now."

"But in these three years, we've hardly been apart. How did I not know..."

"There are many things you don't know. Listen to me," Xiao Zihan coughed twice, cleared his throat, deliberately spoke slowly, as if telling a story, and continued, "It was a crisp autumn night, and you were snoring like a pig. Couldn't sleep. So, I quietly got up, went to a nightclub, found a girl, and then, things happened. I lasted for more than three hours. The girl even rolled away. In her eyes, I was still confident, like an undefeated god of war. After that, the girl gave me a nickname, 'Indomitable Golden Spear God.' Since then... well, let's not talk about that; there's too much."

Upon hearing Xiao Zihan's words, Xin Gao almost fell over. Even a fool could see that this was a lie, but he didn't expose it. The matter ended there.

The two packed their bags, paid the rent to the landlord, and left Chaoyang City.