"Is something wrong?" asked Ding Huan.
"Yes, Brother Huan, let’s talk in the tea room," Lou Buzhi managed a strained smile.
The tea room of the Traveler’s Inn was just a turn and a few steps away from where they were on the ground floor of the Rest Building.
After sitting down in the tea room, Ding Huan pointed at Lou Buzhi’s face:
"Who hit you? How did you end up so battered?"
The slap marks were still visible on Lou Buzhi’s face.
Yet he waved it off nonchalantly:
"It’s nothing, just a minor conflict, all settled now."
Ding Huan poured a cup of tea for Lou Buzhi before continuing:
"Brother Buzhi, I was able to bring you here to live with me because I’ve never regarded you as an outsider. After all, we came on the same boat and are quite familiar with each other.
If you’re keeping something from me, it’s fine if it’s a trivial matter, but if it’s something beyond your own control, that’s not good for any of us."
Ding Huan thought about his own deductions and Qi Xinyue’s perceptions; he felt these might somehow be connected.
Lou Buzhi was taken aback, then admitted awkwardly:
"Brother Huan, you know I just followed you here to Jihe City. I can’t always depend on you for living. These past few days, I’ve been looking around the city, considering places that might be hiring, trying to find some work to do."
Upon hearing this, Ding Huan felt a pang of emotion. Lao Liu had been with him for so long and had never thought about finding work or felt ashamed of living off Ding Huan.
He didn’t think Lou Buzhi was wrong. If he were in Lou Buzhi’s shoes, he would do the same and look for work.
"Let’s talk about the job search later, first tell me how you got beaten."
Ding Huan probed further.
Lou Buzhi let out a self-deprecating laugh:
"I saw the City Patrol Guard recruiting, so I signed up. Luckily, I got the last spot."
"Not bad, being in the City Patrol Guard is at least official, with some security."
Ding Huan was genuinely happy for Lou Buzhi.
If Lou Buzhi had something to do, then they wouldn’t need to take him with them when they left.
Lou Buzhi shook his head:
"It’s not like that. This was just the signup. Two days later, I have to go through a series of assessments. Only if I pass them can I become a member of the City Patrol Guard.
Just then, a guy who also wanted to be a City Patrol Guard but failed to sign up wanted me to give him my spot, and I refused."
"So you refused to give him your rightful spot, and then he assaulted you?"
Ding Huan suddenly wondered if he had misunderstood the peace of Jihe City.
A flash of frustration crossed Lou Buzhi’s eyes, fading into a resigned sigh:
"My spot was taken by them. One of them thought I was being unreasonable. After seizing the spot, he still attacked me."
"That bold?" Ding Huan looked at Lou Buzhi in disbelief.
This was beyond boldness—Lou Buzhi’s spot was stolen, and then they beat him up.
"Was the person who stole your spot a skinny monkey, a bald man, and a woman?" Ding Huan suddenly asked.
Lou Buzhi was startled:
"Brother Huan, how did you know?"
Ding Huan sighed:
"I saw it."
His sigh was one of contemplation; could it be that Lou Buzhi really looked that easy to bully?
His spot was stolen, he was beaten up, and he still managed to make it all the way back to the Traveler’s Inn.
"Kid, you can really run, huh."
The speaker was the skinny monkey, who stared mockingly at Lou Buzhi and sneered, and after he finished, he disdainfully glanced at Ding Huan.
Ding Huan was about to speak when he suddenly felt a chill throughout his body, an extreme discomfort washing over him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a man with the look of a manager standing not far from the Rest Inn’s entrance—this fellow’s aura was very strong.
Ding Huan was sure he was no match for him; this guy must have reached Foundation Establishment, perhaps even the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
"What else do you want? All my things have been given to you already,"
Lou Buzhi’s voice carried a mix of fear and a kind of bewildered rage.
"What else? You’re clueless, kid. Did you think it would end with just a couple of slaps? If you hadn’t run, just waiting until your grandpa had vented enough would have been enough to let you off.
Now, well, get down on your knees and apologize, and cough up ten thousand Zhenye coins for compensation,"
the skinny monkey said with a chuckle.
Lou Buzhi retreated a few steps; he was completely out of ideas.
The skinny monkey charged at Lou Buzhi, aiming a slap at him. Ding Huan realized that at most, this skinny monkey was equivalent to an Earth-level Martial Artist and probably not as strong as Lou Buzhi.
If Lou Buzhi continued to dodge, the slap would hit Ding Huan, so without a second thought, he threw a punch towards the skinny monkey.
The speed and force of Lou Buzhi’s punch were far superior to that of the skinny monkey.
With this speed, before the skinny monkey’s slap could reach Lou Buzhi, his punch would definitely strike the skinny monkey.
Standing beside the skinny monkey, the ascetic clearly saw his companion was at a disadvantage and stepped forward, aiming a kick at Lou Buzhi.
Ding Huan saw the kick and understood the man’s strength was definitely on par with a Ninth-level Genetic Cultivator at perfect completion.
If Lou Buzhi got hit by this kick, he’d likely lose more than half his life.
As the ascetic’s kick came flying, Ding Huan also kicked out.
Their feet collided.
"Crack!" The ascetic’s foot was directly broken by Ding Huan’s kick, and he was hurled backward.
Although Ding Huan’s leg wasn’t broken, he spat out a mouthful of blood and was also sent flying.
Differently from the ascetic, Ding Huan had spat out the blood intentionally, and his retreat was deliberate, too.
At that moment, he noticed that, aside from the guy outside the Rest Inn observing him, several others had appeared at the entrance of the inn. These individuals were far stronger than him and also watching him.
His cultivation was more or less on par with the ascetic’s, meaning under normal circumstances, there would be no reason for him to be able to kick the ascetic into the air, breaking his leg, and remain unharmed.
So, he chose to take on an injury.
And because of the injury, he didn’t continue to pursue the fight.
Ding Huan’s intervention had stopped the ascetic, allowing Lou Buzhi’s punch to land squarely on the skinny monkey’s face.
The sound of breaking bones was painfully clear; the skinny monkey’s face was drenched in blood, and his vision was blurred into uselessness.
"You’re asking for it."
The woman, seeing Ding Huan kick away the ascetic and Lou Buzhi sending the skinny monkey flying with a punch, couldn’t help but lunge at Ding Huan to attack him.
Qi Xinyue happened to walk into Rest Building at that exact moment, witnessing Ding Huan spitting blood, and the woman was still trying to make a move on him.
Qi Xinyue didn’t think twice; she transformed into a shadow and kicked towards the woman attacking Ding Huan.
"Crack!" Another bone-crushing sound echoed.
The woman who had attacked Ding Huan was kicked by Qi Xinyue with full force, breaking several of her ribs, and she fell to the ground coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
This woman’s strength was not even comparable to that of the ascetic, while Qi Xinyue had long been a Ninth-level Genetic Cultivator at perfect completion.
Over the past year, Qi Xinyue hadn’t cultivated at all, only settling her foundation further, and her strength was far above her opponent’s.
But Ding Huan’s heart sank; he saw the manager-looking man from outside rushing over, and by his demeanor, he intended to attack Qi Xinyue.
The reason he had been holding back his strength all this time was precisely because he was wary of this man.
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