The little crybaby in the group, the young master is a softie

When Su Yang was pulled off the stage, he was still yelling, "Brother Chen! I haven't lost yet! Let me have two more moves!" But he was held down by the administrator next to him. He could only stare at the stage angrily, cursing Qiu Gu dozens of times in his heart.

On the stage, Chen Yifan and Qiu Gu stood facing each other.

The air seemed to freeze instantly, even the noise from the audience quieted down a bit. Chen Yifan didn't put on any fancy moves, simply lowering his shoulders slightly, his hands hanging naturally, his fingertips exerting subtle force. Years of fighting had given him an aura of someone who was not to be trifled with.

Qiu Gu looked at him, his eyes under the brim of his hat fluctuating noticeably. It wasn't mockery, nor was it indifference, but a kind of... excitement of meeting a fellow creature, like a hungry wolf seeing its prey, with a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

"Your bones are hard," she whispered, "and I want to break them."

"Stop talking nonsense." Chen Yifan moved.

Without any warning, he suddenly jumped out like a leopard that had been accumulating strength, and his fist, with the sound of wind breaking through the air, went straight to the face of the prisoner.

Prisoner's Bones also moved. She was no longer as casual as when she'd teased Su Yang. Her movements were erratic, her feet seemingly following a certain pattern, always managing to dodge Chen Yifan's fists at the last second. Meanwhile, her counterattacks were swift and vicious, elbows ramming into his ribs, fingertips jabbing at his eyes, each strike aiming for vital points.

"boom--!"

"Snapped--!"

"Boom--!"

The dull thud of fists hitting flesh and the crisp snap of joints being struck echoed throughout the fighting arena. The two men's movements were so fast they resembled two afterimages. The audience could barely discern their moves, only seeing the interweaving of dark shadows and the occasional splash of blood, drawing gasps from the gamblers.

"I bet on the handsome guy to win! Ten times!" A pot-bellied man roared and slammed a stack of banknotes on the gambling table.

"I'm betting on the handsome guy too! No matter how good this girl is at fighting, she can't stand up to this ferocity!"

"Oh my god! Is this Master Chen from the Sky Eye Society? Back then, he took on the entire Axe Gang with just a saber! This girl is still a little naive!"

The bets from the audience were almost overwhelmingly placed on Chen Yifan, and the cheers almost blew the roof off.

Chen Yifan was not here to amuse these gamblers, he wanted Qiu Gu's life.

On the stage, his saber had been unsheathed at some point, flashing with a cold gleam, each swing carrying a breath of death. Qiu Gu also had a short knife in her hand, which she had obtained from nowhere. The blade was narrow and sharp, and in her hands it was like a venomous snake, searching for Chen Yifan's weaknesses.

The saber slashed down, the dagger blocked, and with a crisp clang, sparks flew everywhere. Both men took a half step back, their arms slightly numb.

Chen Yifan's eyes grew fiercer as he charged forward again, sweeping his saber across, forcing Prisoner's Guts to retreat repeatedly. His moves were wide and powerful, brimming with an unwavering bravery, as if no matter what the opponent's moves, he could break them with his sheer force.

The prisoner's body was like a slippery loach, weaving in and out of the gaps between the sabers. The short knife would occasionally stab out from tricky angles, forcing Chen Yifan to return to defend.

She was not as strong as Chen Yifan, but she was more flexible and completely ignored her injuries. Several times, Chen Yifan's saber grazed her arm, leaving deep blood marks, but she seemed to feel nothing and stabbed him in the lower abdomen with her backhand.

This is a fight between two ruthless people who don't care about their lives.

Chen Yifan's arm was cut open, blood flowing down his arm into his sleeve. He didn't even frown, but swung his saber even harder. Prisoner's shoulder was split open by the saber, staining his hoodie dark red. Her short knife attacks became faster and faster.

Su Yang, watching from the audience, was so nervous that his heart was in his throat. He clenched his fists tightly and dared not blink. Just as the two men collided again, the saber and the dagger pressed against each other tightly, and neither of them was willing to retreat even a step.

"Snapped--!"

The lights in the venue suddenly went out.

The sudden darkness stunned everyone. The noise disappeared in an instant, leaving only the heavy breathing and the pounding of hearts.

"What's going on? There's a power outage?"

"Turn on the light! I'm waiting to see the result!"

"Don't fucking move! You'll get stepped on!"

In the chaos, Su Yang tried to rush onto the stage, but was squeezed by the crowd and couldn't move. About ten seconds later, the emergency lights suddenly lit up, emitting a pale light, barely illuminating the fighting stage.

The stage was empty.

Chen Yifan stood in the center of the stage, his saber resting on the ground, his chest heaving violently, the wound on his arm still bleeding, but his eyes were fixed on the opposite side, where there was no one.

The prisoner's skeleton is missing.

At the ventilation hole of the fighting arena, the iron mesh there had been torn at some point, and cold wind rushed in from outside, bringing with it a smell of rust.

Under the pale light of the emergency lights, Chen Yifan's figure on the fighting stage looked particularly lonely and desolate. Su Yang finally squeezed out of the crowd and leaped onto the stage. He held Chen Yifan's bleeding arm and said in a tense voice, "Brother Chen, how are you? She ran away?"

Chen Yifan didn't respond. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the ripped iron mesh of the vent before looking down at the ground. A string of fresh blood dripped from the edge of the stage, winding along the corner like a red snake, pointing towards the back door of the fighting arena.

"Chase!" He uttered only one word, drew his saber with his backhand, and rushed towards the back door with Su Yang.

The back door led to a narrow alley, barely wide enough for two people to pass side by side. The walls on either side were mottled and peeling, and old clothes hung on clotheslines swayed in the night breeze like the hems of a hanged man's skirt. The figure of the prisoner was fifty steps away, the blood from his shoulder soaking through his hoodie, yet he moved as fast as a gust of wind, the black cloth sweeping across the spiderwebs in the corner, startling a swarm of flying insects.

"Where are you running to!" Chen Yifan shouted softly, turned his wrist, and the saber flew out of his hand with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, going straight to the back of the prisoner's heart.

Silver light pierced the night, but just as it was about to reach her, she suddenly slammed it sideways and knocked it back. She didn't run away, but stood up straight, as if waiting for them. Chen Yifan's eyes fierced, and he pounced on her, trying to subdue her with his bare hands.

Qiu Gu didn't fight him. With a flick of her body, she rushed straight towards Su Yang beside her! Her speed was astonishing. Her injured shoulder didn't affect her movements. She reached out and grabbed his wrist with a force as strong as an iron clamp.

"Come with me." Her voice was hoarse and full of unquestionable arrogance.

"Damn it! Let go!" Su Yang was caught off guard and staggered. His free hand flailing wildly, he just happened to touch the saber that Chen Yifan had thrown off target. Without a second thought, he pulled the saber back and, with brute force, stabbed it into the prisoner's shoulder!

The moment the blade broke through the cloth, he clearly saw Qiu Gu tilt his head slightly, obviously aware of the attack, but he didn't dodge.

"Pfft-"

The saber penetrated half an inch, and blood gushed out instantly, dripping along the blade onto the back of Su Yang's hand, hot and sticky.

"Hmm..." A very soft sound escaped from Qiu Gu's throat, but it wasn't a cry of pain, but rather a sigh of satisfaction. She looked down at the knife on her shoulder, then raised her eyes to look at Su Yang. Her pale chin was stained with blood, and a strange smile curled up at the corner of her mouth.

"You hurt me." She grabbed Su Yang's wrist and pushed his hand half an inch closer to her shoulder, digging the saber deeper. "You owe me, so it's time to come with me."

"You little stinky girl! Who wants to go with you!" Su Yang wanted to let go, but she held him tightly and he couldn't get rid of her.

"Let him go!" Chen Yifan roared angrily. He rushed forward and smashed his fist towards Qiu Gu's face with a strong wind.

Only then did Qiu Gu let go of Su Yang, dodged the punch sideways, and stumbled back two steps. The saber was drawn, and the blood gushed out even more violently. She glanced at Chen Yifan, then at Su Yang, her eyes full of resentment, like a child who hadn't snatched a toy.

"Next time... I'll come play with you again." She threw down a sentence, turned around and rushed into the darkness deep in the alley. Her figure rose and fell a few times, and then disappeared, leaving only a string of intermittent bloodstains, glowing strangely in the moonlight.

Chen Yifan stepped forward quickly and took the bloody saber from Su Yang's trembling hand. He rubbed Su Yang's wrist with his thumb, where a clear red mark still remained, and the knuckles were even purple from being pinched.

"Is Bones okay?"

Su Yang finally realized it and moved his wrist. Apart from the soreness, there was no excruciating pain. He shook his head, his voice still a little dazed: "No... It's okay, just a little numb."

Chen Yifan nodded without asking any more questions. He turned around, wiped the bloodstains on his saber against the corner of the wall, and put it back into the sheath at his waist. "Go back."

The two walked through the narrow alley in silence, the night wind carrying the smell of blood whirring by. The old clothes on the clothesline were still swaying, as if silently mocking the embarrassing chase. When they returned to Niguangtang, An Nuo had already heated up the meal, a simple three-course meal and a soup, with the aroma of fireworks, diluting some of the blood and violence.

Su Yang didn't have much of an appetite and put down his chopsticks after taking two mouthfuls of rice. Chen Yifan didn't eat much either, his eyes were heavy, and it was unclear what he was thinking.