Chapter 37: Chapter 35: A Fist Like a Sharp Axe, Diverting the Disaster

CLICK!

A flashlight beam cut through the darkness.

It was Professor Song.

He was crouched under a table, the light from his hand aimed right at the window.

Wan Ze looked up. The once-exquisite blue-green window was now shattered. A hand was clamped over Miss Ling’s mouth, and its owner was already standing on the window frame, about to bolt.

Lei Ming had already rushed forward, just about to grab Miss Ling’s arm, which was flailing in the air.

But suddenly,

Wan Ze noticed a red dot appear on Lei Ming.

’A sniper rifle?’

’This is bad!’

Wan Ze’s expression changed drastically. He surged forward, yanked Lei Ming back, and yelled urgently, "There’s a sniper!"

Almost simultaneously,

BANG!

A gunshot rang out.

The glass behind Wan Ze and Lei Ming exploded on the spot.

"Shit!"

The scare sent a jolt through Lei Ming. He immediately looked at Wan Ze, filled with immense gratitude. ’If it weren’t for my junior brother, my head would have probably exploded just like that glass.’

"Junior Brother, thanks."

"It’s too late," Wan Ze said suddenly.

"What?" Lei Ming didn’t understand. Then he saw Wan Ze suddenly speed past him. His face paled. "No, Junior Brother!"

After his Thunderbolt Breathing Technique had advanced, all of Wan Ze’s Attributes had improved. His Agility Attribute, in particular, had been boosted again by the Mysterious Shadow Step, allowing him to unleash incredible speed in an instant.

He seized Miss Ling’s arm.

Miss Ling’s mouth was covered, preventing her from making a sound, but her eyes were filled with terror. She looked at Wan Ze as if he were her last hope, her gaze screaming two words: "Save me!"

Their hands clasped together tightly.

A strong pull yanked Miss Ling backward, causing the person on the window to sway, seemingly surprised. But when she saw that the rescuer was an absurdly young boy, she clearly dismissed him, even scoffing at Wan Ze for overestimating himself.

CRACK! CRACK!

Her thumb and index finger snapped, creating crisp cracks in the air. The explosive power in those knuckles was proof of the woman’s immense strength, capable of inflicting incredible damage.

An ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits by the sound of that explosive Power.

Unfortunately for her, Wan Ze’s mental fortitude was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Gripping Miss Ling with his left hand, he clenched his right into a fist and swung it out like a great mountain-cleaving axe.

The masked woman’s gaze was cold. She kept one hand over Miss Ling’s mouth, pinning her with her arm, while her other hand formed a blade, qi and blood flowing through it as if ready to slice through any enemy.

But she hadn’t expected this young punk to be so fast, nor for his timing to be so perfect.

’He’s an expert!’

A strange feeling rose in her heart, but she dismissed it. After all, Wan Ze’s age was plain to see; he was just too young.

As long as this knife hand landed on the kid, even if it didn’t kill him, it would be enough to severely injure him.

Of course, the most important thing right now was to get away with the Rain Bell and the Miss Ling in her grasp.

But she had clearly underestimated Wan Ze!

The moment he saw her knife hand, Wan Ze sidestepped. With lightning speed, he changed his attack to a drilling punch aimed straight at the woman’s chest.

SMACK!

The masked woman blocked upward with her right hand, deflecting the punch to her chest. But she hadn’t expected the piercing pain that shot through her arm. She snapped her head up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

’How old is this kid?!’

’This strength is practically Innate Divine Power!’

Before she had time to think, Wan Ze closed the distance. The physical strength granted by his Taming the Tiger Vajra Skill made his swinging arm feel like a steel whip.

The masked woman’s arm was still throbbing with piercing pain from blocking his punch. Now, hearing another explosive sound, she cursed inwardly. In her haste, she released the hand that was tightly holding Miss Ling.

Who would have known that Wan Ze’s move was just a feint, his true intentions lying elsewhere. With his left hand, he snatched Miss Ling, pulled her into his arms, and quickly dodged backward.

BANG!

At the same time,

a shot rang out!

But it missed.

A whistle sounded in the distance.

Seeing this, the masked woman lingered no longer. She stood on the shattered glass of the windowsill, stared at Wan Ze, and leaned her entire body backward.

With a hard push of her feet, she launched herself backward out of the second-story window.

But there was a sniper outside.

No one dared to give chase.

"Ah Ze, are you okay?" Lei Ming asked immediately.

"I’m fine." Wan Ze was completely unharmed.

"Master Xiaowan, thank you for saving me. Could you... let go of me now?" From his arms, Miss Ling suddenly sounded a little bashful.

Wan Ze snapped back to reality and realized he was still holding Miss Ling, huddled on the floor. He let go and asked, "Are you all right?"

"I’m fine." Miss Ling’s arm ached from being pulled, but that was a minor issue. Suddenly, she felt around her body and her expression changed. "It’s gone!"

"What’s gone?" Lei Ming asked in a low voice.

Wan Ze also looked over, seeming to realize something. "The Rain Bell?"

Miss Ling looked at him, her face pale, and nodded in a panic.

"Fuck, so it really was for the Rain Bell!" Lei Ming cursed under his breath. He just couldn’t figure it out. "What kind of secret is this Rain Bell hiding? The Tie Shizhe people wanted to steal it, and now two more mysterious figures show up to grab it? What gives? Is this thing going to make someone immortal?!"

How would Miss Ling know? She just sat on the floor, dazed.

Wan Ze got up and held out his hand.

Miss Ling paused, came to her senses, and took his hand to stand up.

It was then that Professor Song finally spoke up. "Immortality is unlikely, but it’s said that if one can unlock the secret of the Rain Bell, they might obtain the secrets of the Martial Dao... If it’s truly related to that Master Zhang of the Celestial Harmony Palace, perhaps it really does involve some peerless divine skill."

"Master Zhang? Zhang Sanfeng?" Wan Ze suddenly asked.

"Master Zhang Heng," Lei Ming explained.

Wan Ze breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought Zhang Sanfeng actually existed in this world. ’Did that old master transmigrate here too?’ he’d wondered.

Fortunately, he had been overthinking it.

"Let’s call the police first. Let the department handle the investigation..." Lei Ming said, looking at Miss Ling.

But Miss Ling hesitated, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Maybe... we should just forget it. I don’t want that thing anymore. It’s already gotten you all hurt, and now this happens... I..."

"I think we should call the police," Wan Ze said suddenly. He had little interest in the Rain Bell; even his master didn’t think much of it. ’And he’s right. If it really held some great secret, how could countless geniuses and heroes over the past thousand years have failed to unlock its mysteries?’

’These people showing up now are just resentful, thinking they’re smarter than all those past masters!’

Miss Ling looked at him, not understanding.

Professor Song, however, also spoke up, agreeing with Wan Ze. He said to Miss Ling, "Master Xiaowan is right. Call the police first. Once this becomes a big incident, everyone else will know the item has been stolen, and no one will bother you about it anymore."

"Holy crap," Lei Ming couldn’t help but mutter. When Professor Song and Miss Ling looked over, he cleared his throat and tried to cover. "Right, that’s what I meant too. Let them fight it out, dog eat dog."

Miss Ling didn’t overthink it and nodded. "Okay, I’ll do as you say."

The police arrived quickly. The team leader knew Lei Ming, so things went quite smoothly. After they gave their statements, Lei Ming drove Wan Ze and Professor Song home.

「In the car.」

Professor Song was in the middle of lamenting how he was too old to withstand such an assassination attempt when, halfway through the drive, he suddenly flew into a rage.

"How dare he?!"