A white light circled once, finally hovering obediently in Jing Mingqiu’s palm. Only then did everyone see the true form of the white light – a silver small sword, no more than three inches long.
“So cool!”
“Could this be the legendary flying sword?”
“Brother Jing, I want to cultivate immortality too, can you take me along?”
“…”
Amidst the praise, the already half-drunk Jing Mingqiu grew even more boastful. He waved his large sleeves and crossed his hands, forming a series of seals.
The silver small sword transformed into a swimming dragon, darting freely through the crowd, eliciting gasps at every turn.
“Rui Xue,” Yi Wenliu, fearing an accident, gently tugged at Mo Rui Xue’s sleeve. “Jing Mingqiu is already drunk. Quickly persuade him to stop. The flying sword is sharp; it would be bad if someone got hurt.”
Mo Rui Xue chuckled and whispered into Yi Wenliu’s ear, her voice low, “You don’t need to worry about that. This isn’t some flying sword. Just like the cloud that Qiu gifted me, it’s merely a special model of drone. It has automatic avoidance functions and won’t hurt anyone.”
Hearing this, Yi Wenliu breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes darted around quickly, and just as she was about to find an excuse to borrow it for a play, she saw a burly man with a gold chain around his neck and a face full of tattoos, accompanied by three shifty-looking fellows who clearly weren’t good people. They walked directly towards Jing Mingqiu.
“Hey, kid, that thing of yours is pretty neat. Two hundred yuan, I’ll buy it!”
With that, the burly man casually took out two flimsy paper bills from his bag and threw them onto the table. He reached out to claim the item, adopting a posture of forced purchase.
Before Jing Mingqiu could speak, Yi Wenliu couldn’t stand it. She stepped forward, blocking the space between them, her eyebrows knitted in anger. “Take your money back, we’re not selling!”
“Oh!” The burly man leered at Yi Wenliu. “Little girl, you’ve got some fire. I like it. Don’t follow that useless guy who needs a woman to stand up for him. Come with me, and I’ll make sure you live a life of luxury!”
The two younger thugs behind the burly man chimed in.
“Our boss is the king of this street. Go ask around, Chen Yanglong of Seventh Street, Brother Long! Everyone sings his praises.”
“Little girl! Let me tell you something secretly, our boss is amazing in that department. Seven times a night is nothing. Much better than that pretty boy!”
Yi Wenliu had achieved fame at a young age and had always been pampered. This was the first time she had been openly harassed, and her anger instantly ignited. Forgetting her upbringing, she pointed at Chen Yanglong and began to curse.
“Get lost! You ignorant scum, spewing vulgarities all day, embarrassing yourselves everywhere, shaming your ancestors…”
Yi Wenliu’s scolding was elegant; she didn’t directly insult anyone’s parents. However, being cursed at by a woman in front of his underlings, Chen Yanglong’s face was completely lost.
“Hey, little girl, how dare you talk back! I’ll teach you some manners, teach you that women shouldn’t interrupt when men are talking!”
With that, Chen Yanglong raised his hand high, preparing to slap Yi Wenliu.
The other people in the laboratory, seeing this, stood up in unison. Jing Mingqiu frowned and took a step forward, shielding Yi Wenliu behind him.
Just as a brawl was about to erupt, Ding Qi, the special bodyguard responsible for protecting Yi Wenliu, reached for his waist, preparing to draw his gun to rescue her. Suddenly, a large hand appeared and preemptively pulled the silenced pistol secured at his waist.
Ding Qi found his waist empty and his expression changed drastically. He pressed his wristband, preparing to call headquarters for reinforcements, but his wristband was also snatched off his wrist. A familiar voice echoed in his ear.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s me, Ding Yi.”
Ding Qi turned and recognized the man’s face, finally letting out a sigh of relief. “Captain, why are you here?”
“I’ve been here all along,” Captain Ding Yi tossed the silenced pistol and the communication wristband back to Ding Qi. “I’m responsible for Jing Mingqiu’s safety. Ding Qi, your reconnaissance skills have declined significantly. Remember to copy all the reconnaissance protocols when you get back, and write a self-criticism report to submit to me.”
“Yes, Captain. But,” Ding Qi paused, pointing at the tense standoff below, a hint of doubt in his eyes. “Captain, they’re about to fight. Aren’t we going down to help? What if something happens?”
Ding Yi was unfazed. “Don’t worry, Jing Mingqiu can handle this little scene. The mecha he’s wearing is no toy. Above has always intended to foster a relationship between Jing Mingqiu and Yi Wenliu. It’s a rare opportunity for a hero to save the damsel; we shouldn’t interfere with their good fortune.”
“Besides,” Ding Yi pointed at the surrounding vantage points. “I’ve already made arrangements. Twelve snipers, six in rotation, have already established full fire coverage. If the situation gets out of control, coupled with ground personnel, it will take at most three seconds to control all those people.”
While the bodyguards secretly protecting Jing Mingqiu and Yi Wenliu were exchanging words, Chen Yanglong, unable to contain his anger, made his move, viciously swinging a palm towards Jing Mingqiu.
“Get lost!”
Jing Mingqiu, acting faster, slapped Chen Yanglong across the face. With the power boost from his close-combat mecha, he sent the man flying.
Chen Yanglong spun two and a half times in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.
“Boss, are you okay!”
His subordinates rushed forward to help Chen Yanglong up.
Chen Yanglong spat fiercely, expelling three broken teeth, and then glared hatefully at Jing Mingqiu. “How dare you hit me! Brothers, charge! If you kill him, it’s on me!”
“Listen to the boss, chop them!”
“Kill!”
As Chen Yanglong’s voice fell, the three ruffians behind him revealed sinister smiles, drew their extendable batons and butterfly knives from their waists, and advanced towards Jing Mingqiu and his companions.
Zhao Geng and the others saw this, their legs went weak, but they still forced themselves to stand up, adopting a stance of readiness to fight alongside Jing Mingqiu.
“Just a few petty thieves, I can handle them myself.” Jing Mingqiu’s drunkenness intensified, making him more bold. He summoned the flying sword and gently flicked its hilt with a special technique.
The drone disguised as a flying sword then deformed, rapidly widening and stretching, finally transforming into a three-foot long sword, which landed steadily in Jing Mingqiu’s palm.
“Riding the sword through the wind, eradicating demons between heaven and earth.”
“Killing one person in ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles.”
“Behold my sword!”
Jing Mingqiu shouted random heroic verses and charged at the remaining thugs, his long sword slashing rapidly.
Although the sword was not sharpened, with the powerful momentum of the mecha, in the blink of an eye, Jing Mingqiu had defeated all the thugs.
“Too weak,” Jing Mingqiu staggered to Chen Yanglong. “What other tricks do you have? Bring them out!”
Chen Yanglong spat out another mouthful of bloody saliva, then pulled out his phone from his pocket. “Kid, you can really fight. If you have the guts, don’t leave, I’ll call people over right away.”
“No problem, I’ll wait right here.”
Jing Mingqiu casually tossed it aside, and the three-foot green peak once again transformed back into the three-inch flying sword, returning to his sleeve. He then returned to his seat and sat down with his legs spread wide.
Mo Rui Xue took out a tissue to help Jing Mingqiu wipe the dust off his clothes, while Jing Rou personally went to the kitchen to make a bowl of hangover soup.
Some of the people in the laboratory flattered him, while others worried about their safety and hoped to leave quickly.
Yi Wenliu sat in a corner, her gaze towards Jing Mingqiu growing more complex.
Soon, more than a dozen vans arrived! Over a hundred people alighted from the vehicles, carrying steel pipes and switchblades, surrounding the entire hot pot restaurant.