Chapter 53 Why Did It Suddenly Explode?
“Bang—Bang—!”
Like a hard whip made from the spine of some reptile, it produced bursts of air explosions without touching the walls, leaving deep and shallow dents on them.
Although Luxianbei could predict the Masked Man’s movements, the opponent’s speed was simply too fast.
Under such constrained terrain, aside from risking a bare-handed catch of the blade, she could only defensively evade and dodge.
She dared not use spells recklessly; the bone whip in the Masked Man’s hand struck after strike, as fast as thunder, destroying the hard walls in its path. Luxianbei had no chance to pull out a coin for a divination spell’s amplification.
Without a relative amplification figure, using spells haphazardly could lead to unforeseen consequences.
One mistake, and a spell with over fifty times amplification could explode in this narrow alley, turning her counterattack into a suicidal strike.
She couldn’t even open her guitar case to retaliate; if she hesitated for even a moment, she’d feel a fiery pain on her skin.
She had already tried several times. Every time she prepared to unzip the guitar case and take something out, the Masked Man’s bone whip would invariably strike towards her hand with speed and precision.
If she proceeded stubbornly, her entire hand would be shattered by the bone whip.
In contrast, the Masked Man had a clear advantage.
His agile movements in the narrow alley, the strange scales appearing on his forehead, the chilling golden vertical pupils…
Plus, the “hissing” sound made when he wielded the bone whip, akin to a snake flicking its tongue, gave the impression that he was some strange, creeping creature guarding treasures in a dark lair.
————
d*mn it, how am I so unlucky? Can’t I have even one lucky moment?
Luxianbei cursed inwardly while dodging yet another whistling bone whip.
In fact, when she divined that the ancient sword was hidden in Li Shunian’s secret chamber, she had already suspected that there might be guards lurking in the shadows.
It was reasonable to expect a secret room containing high-level spirit energy items to be equipped with a few spiritual ability users or urban legend guardians, so this situation wasn’t entirely outside her expectations.
However, she had not sensed any notable spirit energy fluctuations around her while heading towards the secret chamber, which led her to take the risk.
What if?! How would I know the outcome if I didn’t try?
It turns out that the so-called “perpetual unlucky b*stard” is a kind of curse that ensures anything with a low probability of happening will certainly occur.
One could only say that Luxianbei’s luck was indeed terrible.
“Hey—!”
Luxianbei shouted lowly, leaping up, activating her agile armor, her legs pressed against the wall, perpendicular to the ground, she dodged the sweeping bone whip while creating some distance from the Masked Man.
d*mn it, I can’t keep dodging indefinitely; I have to do something, or there will be big trouble once that woman finishes dealing with the police and comes back.
How about… trying to negotiate with this guy first?
Maybe my strong persona hasn’t completely collapsed yet; perhaps I can buy some time.
Luxianbei thought to herself, steadying her stance and looking coolly at the Masked Man, she said, “Enough! Stop now, and I will still forgive your offensive actions, otherwise…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the bone whip whistled towards her, accompanied by a wave of dangerously looking black mist.
Seeing this, Luxianbei was startled and had to temporarily close her mouth, hurriedly evading.
What the hell! Why is he still playing dirty? Can’t you wait until I finish speaking?
Those who love to talk express strong condemnation!
“Big brother, let me explain! I’m not doing anything bad; I just sensed unusual spirit energy fluctuations here and came to take a look, didn’t expect to run into you by coincidence.”
“If you keep bothering me and delay this, the real thief might escape!”
“Really, just look at me! With a face like mine, do I look like someone who would deceive others?”
“Hmph!” At this point, the Masked Man could no longer hold back his cold snort, saying grimly, “Most beautiful women are indeed deceivers…”
“???”
Luxianbei, listening to the Masked Man’s words, whose tonality resembled the dialogue of characters from a Thai drama that Jumeng watched recently, was left bewildered.
What the heck? He’s a Thai guy?
Does that mean there’s no room for negotiation?
d*mn! Total failure in conversation!
Luxianbei suddenly realized that aside from the gap in the yin-yang, the greatest barrier between people is probably the language barrier.
Therefore, it is absolutely essential to promote Mandarin Chinese globally!
Fortunately, the Masked Man responded, giving Luxianbei some time to create distance. She unzipped her guitar case, reached inside, gripped her Wudao kn*fe tightly, and predicted the Masked Man’s next move, her eyes darkening with a shadowy look.
You’re forcing my hand… Normally, I don’t like to use violence!
“Whoosh—!”
At the moment the man lunged towards her, she suddenly pulled out the Wudao kn*fe from the guitar case and slashed at the bone whip.
In an instant, sparks flew, and a jarring sound of metal striking echoed.
And then?
Then there was no “then.”
To summarize what happened in that one second, it could be divided into three stages.
Luxianbei drew her kn*fe to strike the Masked Man’s bone whip.
Luxianbei felt a numbing shock through her hand holding the kn*fe.
Luxianbei’s ancestral kitchen kn*fe was lost.
The kn*fe slipped from her grip after a brief clash with the bone whip, grazing the Masked Man’s neck, leaving a shallow bloodstain slightly above his collarbone, and then with a “thud!” it embedded into the metallic wall at the end of the corridor.
Luxianbei, “……”
What the hell! Are the laws of physics in this place different from everywhere else? Why does this seem endless?
Masked Man, “……”
He looked at the bone whip, now with a large chunk missing due to the kn*fe, and then glanced at the small hand in front of him, resembling a kn*fe grip, which seemed like it wanted to punch him, his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
“Uh…” Luxianbei reluctantly retracted her hand, “Don’t be so quick to get mad. I can explain the situation, just let me think of how to spin this, uh, I mean…”
Luxianbei stammered, suddenly her gaze sharpened, she shot a glance at the Masked Man, and bellowed, “d*mn it!” pulling out her last ancestral kitchen kn*fe.
A sudden silver arc flashed in front of her; the Masked Man was alarmed, pushing off the ground and retreating several meters, keeping his distance and watching the sickle kn*fe in her hand, his expression filled with vigilance.
A regular kitchen kn*fe wouldn’t be able to cut through a bone whip made from a Naga spine; she must have employed some method…
That’s right; it’s not the kitchen kn*fe’s sharpness; this thief possesses some special spell, the Masked Man thought.
He seemed to fear my kn*fe… Luxianbei’s thoughts turned, straightening her back, she feigned toughness, saying, “Kid, I already told you, I don’t want to clash with you. If you keep pestering, don’t blame me for being rude.”
“Once I strike, there will be no turning back. A thousand blades will rain down, conservatively speaking, this little building will likely cease to exist.”
“Just leave; I’m unwilling to add to the killing.”
“…”
A thousand blades… Does that mean the kitchen case is filled with the kind of knives from earlier?
The Masked Man stared at Luxianbei unwaveringly, unmoving.
Looks like he’s really scared? What an opportunity; I can escape! Luxianbei thought symbolically, subtly putting the sickle kn*fe back in her guitar case and casting a cold glance at the Masked Man.
“Hmph, ungrateful! Is everyone around here like this? Seems like I don’t need to stay in this lousy place!”
After finishing her words, Luxianbei’s eyes darted around, and then swiftly she pulled up the zipper of her guitar case, slung it on her back, and turned to make an escape.
Just then, a strange chant filled the air behind her, reminiscent of a certain Thai drama actor reciting lines.
“Don’t let the water ripple; I want to see it clearly…”
While the Masked Man murmured in a low voice, he gripping the bone whip, the sharp protrusions pierced through his palm, and bright red bl**d surged out, instantly staining the white bones.
Immediately afterward, Luxianbei felt the air around her suddenly become humid, almost turning into a viscous entity; large patches of mud and moss began to visibly form on the ground, and waves of purple-black smoke spread from the gaps between the floor and walls.
Even inhaling a small amount made her dizzy.
The once-hard ground beneath her feet was gradually softening, as if the narrow corridor were slowly transforming into a swamp under the Masked Man’s spell.
He dared not advance to confront Luxianbei anymore, but he didn’t want to just watch her escape, so he decided to use spells to hold her back while awaiting support.
Luxianbei took a few steps back, feeling an obstruction in her legs as if she were sinking into a quagmire, and couldn’t help but frown.
“…”
Little brother, what are you thinking?
Do I, Luxianbei, look like someone who’d just stand there and let the enemy finish their spell?
After pondering for a moment, she tilted her head, quietly pulling a bottle of ‘calamity water’ from her guitar case, raised a hand with a thumb up, aimed, and then hurled it toward the Masked Man’s forehead.
Disrupt the spell!
“Boom—!”
A deafening explosion and violent shaking ensued, as if there were explosives going off in this underground space, the flames engulfing the figures of the Masked Man and Luxianbei.
Only at that moment did she suddenly remember that ‘calamity water’ is a flammable and explosive item.
But…
Why did it explode suddenly? This isn’t reasonable!
————
At the empty space by the swimming pool of No. 16 Hongshan Villa.
Police officers questioned the attendees of the party one by one, took simple records, and sent two officers to search the villa but found nothing, preparing to withdraw.
As one of the initiators of this nighttime pool party, Bai Kai accompanied the leading police officer, continually explaining in good spirits.
“Comrade, you see, everyone just got together to have some fun. There’s absolutely no illegal behavior; it was all just a misunderstanding.”
“It must have been some son of a b*tch looking down on us, stirring trouble behind our backs.”
The police officer cast a glance at Bai Kai, his annoyance evident, “A misunderstanding is for the best. However, things like you making a racket in the middle of the night inevitably upset the neighbors; we’ve encountered several similar incidents before.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Bai Kai repeatedly replied, “We will be more cautious from now on, absolutely wrapping things up before midnight.”
At this point, he paused, grinning as he added, “So, comrade, right now…”
“Right now, you should probably disperse!” The police officer nodded, “You’ll come with us to make a simple record.”
“Not a problem! As a law-abiding citizen like me, I will definitely cooperate!”
The police officer opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but his eyes caught sight of the swimming pool behind Bai Kai, which seemed to be bubbling, and he furrowed his brow, stepping forward to take a closer look.
Just then, Bai Kai suddenly sensed a strong spirit energy fluctuation coming from beneath the ground; his eyes searched the surroundings, locking onto the swimming pool. Seeing the police officer approaching, his expression changed drastically.
“Not good! Get down!”
Police officer, “???”
“Boom—!”
A muffled sound like thunder echoed from beneath the ground, and the next moment, the swimming pool transformed into a surging fountain, tons of clear water shot up into the sky, and then spread out like a waterfall, drenching the surroundings.
“Splash—!”
The police officer, drenched in hot water, was taken aback, regaining his composure just to find that the water in the pool had nearly dried up, revealing a dark pit at the bottom, emitting thick smoke, while Bai Kai had seemingly disappeared.
Police officer, “……” Where did he go? The so-called law-abiding citizen?
————
When Jiang Li found Luxianbei within the smoke-filled underground space, she was lying on the ground, unconscious, clutching a strangely styled broken sword.
b*stard! You just had to make headlines when I wasn’t watching you?
Glancing at Luxianbei, Jiang Li silently cursed, then hoisted both her and the sword along with the guitar case onto her shoulder, vanishing from sight in a blink.
d*mn, why is this so heavy? Has she been wandering around carrying such heavy stuff all this time?
Not long after she left, shouts of anger from Li Tanghan echoed through the alley.
“Who! Who the hell is it?!”
“How dare you cause trouble in my house?”
“If I catch you, you’re dead!”
……
Jiang Li gazed absently toward the direction of the angry shouts, shrugged, then quickened her pace, swiftly leaving Li Tanghan’s mansion.
It’s good that Luxianbei caused this explosion; now the Siye Society has a reason to intervene and investigate openly. Jiang Li thought.
————
Five minutes later, at a small river two kilometers away from the Hongshan Villa area.
Jiang Li laid Luxianbei flat on the ground, glancing at the river nearby, she silently recited a spell, conjuring a column of water that splashed directly onto Luxianbei’s face.
“Splash—!”
The autumn night river water was painfully cold, dousing Luxianbei thoroughly, causing her to jolt awake, her eyes opening wide. Before she could see anyone, she heard a voice asking.
“You’re awake! Now you’re back to being Luxianbei!”
At these words, Luxianbei’s heart jumped. However, she quickly composed herself, maintaining a calm facade, she asked, “Who? Who is Luxianbei?”
Jiang Li, “……”
After a moment of silence, she decided to abandon this line of questioning with Luxianbei, squatting down beside her and saying softly, “You had quite a haul this time, huh?”
“I came to rescue you; shouldn’t you at least share a bit with me?”
Though this incident could be seen as ‘bad people getting what they deserve’, Jiang Li still felt uneasy about handing so many spirit energy items over to Luxianbei.
Shouldn’t she keep some for the Siye Society? Jiang Li contemplated.
Luxianbei stared blankly at the face of Miaomiao Sauce suddenly appearing in her line of sight, then snapped back to reality, evading Jiang Li’s gaze, pretending to be clueless, “Uh, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!”
Help me! There’s a woman here trying to rip me off! Luxianbei shouted inwardly.
“Playing dumb? I already inquired; it seems the Li Family Mansion was robbed, initially estimating the loss of spirit energy items equivalent to two hundred kilos of gold…”
Luxianbei paused, frowning.
Those crappy items are worth that much?
That b*stard Li Tanghan must be inflating the numbers!
If I get caught, not only do I have to return everything, but I’ll also be out of pocket!
Seeing that Luxianbei remained unresponsive, Jiang Li added, “If he reports this to the Siye Society, you’ll probably be wanted.”
Luxianbei tilted her head to look at Jiang Li, expressionless, “I’m not afraid; the Siye Society won’t catch me!”
Like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, no one is going to take my money!
“…”
Jiang Li slightly parted her lips, wanting to tell Luxianbei something more.
Just then, a surge of spirit energy suddenly entered Luxianbei’s perception.
Oh no! Someone’s chasing us!
Luxianbei’s expression changed slightly; she hugged Jiang Li and sprang up, “Whoosh!” diving into the nearby bushes.
Jiang Li, confused, looked at Luxianbei’s hand holding down her head, about to speak when she saw Luxianbei shushing her, whispering, “Shh! Don’t say a word; someone’s coming.”
As soon as the words left her lips, Jiang Li sensed the spirit energy fluctuation. A second later, she spotted a silver streak in the distance.
Is that Bai Kai? How could he…
Bai Kai moved so fast that before Jiang Li could even finish her thought, he was already in front of them.
“I want to see which b*stard is messing with me today!”
Bai Kai stopped in front of the bushes, cursing as he began to push aside the branches. His expression suddenly froze.
Among the bushes were two figures—Luxianbei and a girl he had never seen before.
Bai Kai’s expression darkened, pointing at Jiang Li, “Little Wang, who is she?”
Luxianbei, “……”
