Chapter 108: Misstep

After a series of cracking sounds, Liu Liwa and his two companions fell beneath the Divine Miracle. How could those three good-for-nothings be a match for an expert who practiced both Buddhist and Taoist arts, and mastered both magic and martial skills?

Fortunately, Liu Liwa dropped to the ground the moment he saw the magic spell being cast. Luckily, the opponent showed Buddhist compassion and did not strike too hard. Liu Liwa only got two kicks on his buttocks, his wrist was twisted, and his brooch was taken away. However, Bing He and Xing Shi were not so lucky. They clearly did not realize the terror of the forbidden spell. A handful of iron sand thrown by the Black-Clad Figure hit their faces, making them look like they had broken out in pimples.

Liu Liwa felt relieved that he had pretended to be dead just in time and did not fight back. It was obvious—in these times, without some real skills, who would dare cause trouble? Those who came out late at night to play the hero saving the beauty were either someone like Young Master Ye, who was rich and knew how to act, or someone like the Black-Clad Figure, who combined magic and martial arts!

The other two were struck down by the ‘forbidden spell.’ Liu Liwa lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. Under the protection of the Black-Clad Figure, Miss Zhao also calmed down. She was not moved by the heroism of the Black-Clad Figure. At that moment, she was more concerned about what the rogue who had grabbed her looked like. However, Miss Zhao was still frightened and did not step forward. In the end, the Black-Clad Figure walked over and tried to pull up Liu Liwa, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

Naturally, Liu Liwa could not let Miss Zhao see his face. So, the moment the Black-Clad Figure reached out, he swallowed several mouthfuls of saliva until his throat felt blocked and his stomach churned with acid.

‘Urgh…’ A pungent smell of alcohol rushed out. Liu Liwa pretended to vomit. The Black-Clad Figure immediately withdrew his hand, not daring to touch him. Miss Zhao also jumped aside, afraid he would vomit on her. Liu Liwa dry-heaved a couple of times and then continued to lie down, pretending to be dead. A wise man knows when to retreat!

Fortunately, it was not long before Young Master Ye successfully ‘took care of’ Zi Long and the other two. He pulled the cheerful Third Young Miss over. Seeing the scene, Young Master Ye was stunned. He thought Liu Liwa had directed the same act for someone else. Suddenly seeing the Black-Clad Figure, Third Miss Zhao was also a bit excited. However, thanks to Young Master Ye’s outstanding performance earlier, she had abandoned the hero in her heart and chosen the hero she could see and touch.

Miss Zhao quickly pulled her sister aside and asked her what happened. Only after learning that her sister was safe and that Young Master Ye had bravely driven off the enemy did she feel relieved. Still, she felt a pang of sorrow. She had suffered great losses today but dared not tell anyone.

With Young Master Ye as her protector, Third Miss Zhao naturally was not afraid of anything. She immediately clamored to step on Liu Liwa and the others to vent her anger. The Black-Clad Figure tried to persuade her, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”

How much is known about the past… Liu Liwa silently added in his heart and continued to play dead.

At the critical moment, Young Master Ye showed some sense. He said it was not safe to stay there and pulled Third Miss away. The eldest sister naturally followed. The Black-Clad Figure brought up the rear. It was pitch black, and no one could see clearly. But Liu Liwa could hear footsteps and see shadows. He wondered, wasn’t the Black-Clad Figure supposed to be elusive, coming and going like the wind? Now that the bad guys were taken care of, why didn’t he gracefully ride the wind away? Or use space magic to disappear without a trace? Why was he instead following the two girls?

He could not understand it. In any case, they left. Zi Long, Yi Hui, and the other one returned. A Sun held a Fire Starter. The dark alley suddenly lit up. The three of them were in tattered clothes and looked miserable, but they did not have any real injuries. They were all experienced actors! When Zi Long and the others saw Bing He and Xing Shi, they were shocked and asked excitedly, “Wow, you two were really into your roles! You must have earned a lot of reward money, right?”

Bing He groaned as he stood up. He scraped off handfuls of iron sand from his face; it seemed embedded in his flesh and stung badly. “No reward money, nearly funeral money instead!”

“Can’t be!” Zi Long was very surprised. Each of the three took out a hundred-tael Silver Note from their tattered clothes. They wondered, “Just now, Young Master Ye only tore our clothes but rewarded each of us a hundred taels. Your fight was so intense and miserable—surely you got at least two hundred taels?”

“No two hundred Silver Taels, but two hundred taels’ worth of iron sand!” Xing Shi stood up and spat on the ground twice in anger. Caught off guard, he had not only been hit all over his face but also got some in his mouth.

Liu Liwa also got up from his pretense of being dead. Seeing Bing He and Xing Shi’s miserable state, he felt lingering fear. Luckily, he had acted quickly and played dead convincingly, or he would have ended up just as badly. Moreover, the Black-Clad Figure’s forbidden spell was indeed formidable. Those tiny pellets, when thrown, could embed in a person’s face. Though the wounds were not deep, they would likely leave scars—almost like disfigurement. And this was not shotgun pellets fired from a gun; it was all done by wrist strength. That showed the Black-Clad Figure was unfathomable. Playing dead was the right move.

“Damn it, that bastard got away too fast, or I would have beaten him to death!” After all, Liu Liwa was the leader. The first time he led the team out, they were beaten so badly. How could he keep his reputation? He shouted in the direction the Black-Clad Figure had gone, pretending to be tough. Then he began to summarize, “Everyone listen up. From now on, when we go out to do business, we must not drink. Today, because I drank, I got stomach pain, acid, and bloating. That’s how that guy got the upper hand. Next time, he’d better not run into me, or I’ll beat him until he calls me ‘Fourth Uncle’!”

The Leftover Warriors were smart enough not to expose him. Instead, they flattered him, “Of course! Our Seventh Brother is wise and mighty, with extraordinary bearing. Who in the world would dare challenge him? When he gives an order, none dare disobey!”

Huh? That sounded familiar. Hadn’t he once said something similar about Brother Chun or Lord Zeng? Those guys learned fast. But Bing He and Xing Shi had suffered a bit. Liu Liwa said, “Alright, you three got rewarded, but we suffered here. We’re all brothers trying to make a living together. Shouldn’t you spill a little and take them to see a doctor first?”

“Of course,” Zi Long agreed readily. He helped Bing He and the other, but then saw Liu Liwa turning to leave and could not help asking, “But Seventh Brother, where are you going?”

Liu Liwa walked toward the alley entrance and declared loudly, “I’m going to gather information about that guy from earlier. A real man doesn’t rest until he gets revenge. Sooner or later, I’ll finish him off!”

“Seventh Brother is mighty!”

Amid the inspiring cheers of the Leftover Warriors, Liu Liwa walked out of the alley. Lanterns hung on the houses on both sides, lighting up the area. Just then, a person dressed in black passed by Liu Liwa. Scared, he turned and ducked back into the alley, his heart pounding. Upon a closer look, he realized the person was just passing by.

Liu Liwa could not stay there any longer. He had to retreat quickly. Damn it, when people stage a hero-saving-beauty act, the biggest mistake is usually the hero running into real thugs. How come today, the fake thugs ran into a real hero…