No blood splattered, and there was no struggle at all as the long body fell straight to the ground. Xiao Lin jumped down from the exhaust pipe, walked up to the snake's head, took out a short blade, and cut it off, holding the head in his hand.

"Come out!" He coldly released two words into the silent air.

Behind Xiao Lin, a short and thin old man jumped down from a vent, hands behind his back. A goatee hung from his chin, and his long robe covered him, lacking only a long braid at the back of his head. Xiao Lin looked at him, feeling transported to the Qing Dynasty; this person seemed quite exotic.

The old man said nothing, his gaze landing on the snake head in Xiao Lin's hand, eyes filled with murderous intent. "Give it to me, and I'll let you keep your life."

Xiao Lin lifted the head in his hand. "You want this? I'll give it back to you." With that, he tossed it like a ball towards the old man's face, emitting a hissing sound.

Not daring to be careless, the old man formed a claw with his left hand downward. Xiao Lin did not overlook this gesture; unseen air currents gathered as he formed the claw. Xiao Lin understood that the old man was confident because he indeed had skill, also an expert in using Inner Strength. He carefully activated all his energy gates, preparing for the old man's strike.

The snake head came too swiftly, and as the old man prepared to catch it, he noticed the Inner Strength hidden behind it. He spun around and abandoned his initial plan, and the snake head smashed into the wall, exploding into a mess, with fragments scattered on the floor, its shape no longer recognizable.

The old man uttered a horrifying chuckle, like a mix of crying and laughing, as if Xiao Lin couldn't discern the sound—just a freak. Compared to him, Black Crow under that wing seemed much more normal.

It was hard to see how the old man moved, but in Xiao Lin's distracted moment, he was already in front of him, curving his fingers to attack Xiao Lin's eyes like bone-cracking claws. Xiao Lin retreated half a step, locking his gaze onto the old man's fingers, the change at the joints was exceptionally clear in his eyes, instantly transitioning from curved to straight, the control force just enough to reach his eyes.

Xiao Lin spun half-bodily around his outstretched arm, grabbing the old man's goatee, pulling down along with his head. The old man didn't expect Xiao Lin to use such despicable means, angrily glaring and retracting his arm, kicking towards Xiao Lin's abdomen. After a feint, the two quickly parted.

"Despicable brat," the old man reprimanded.

"We're alike; I suppose you're receiving more courtesy from me." The one Xiao Lin dealt with earlier was Middle Eastern, and this old man was Asian; this organization had all sorts.

During his thoughts, Xiao Lin heard a scream. Without hesitation, he abandoned the old man and ran back; it was Dan Qing's voice.

"Where are you running to?" The old man sprang up to block Xiao Lin.

"Get out of the way." Another scream sounded, Xiao Lin frowned, the old man took a horse stance in front of him. "Don't force me to strike and kill you."

"That depends on whether you have the skill."

Ignoring Xiao Lin's warnings, the old man launched an attack. After a few exchanges, Xiao Lin had figured out the old man's moves. He shook his hands, secretly gathering energy, and as the old man launched his next attack, Xiao Lin delivered a punch to the old man's lower abdomen.

The old man flew straight out, flipping mid-air before landing on the ground, one hand clutching his abdomen, glaring. Xiao Lin didn't advance, the old man's throat moved, suppressing the rising blood. He underestimated Xiao Lin, not expecting his Inner Strength to be a notch above his.

"I advise you to quickly leave with your snake; you won't be able to take my second move. Don't die here like your snake," Xiao Lin's cold voice drilled into the old man's ears. "That punch just gave you a chance, and I'm sure you've felt the shattered internal organs. If you don't move aside, the next punch will hit the same spot, then even the Great Luo Immortal won't save you."

The old man spat blood onto the ground, refusing to move, indirectly telling Xiao Lin his intention, making him shake his head repeatedly—a stubborn one indeed. If you want to die that badly, he doesn't mind.

At the moment the old man charged forward, Xiao Lin slid a step, extending his left hand to strike hard at the old man's lower abdomen. This time he didn't send him flying; instead, after hitting, he withdrew his hand, and the man fell to the ground unresponsive. Xiao Lin didn't spare him another glance and quickly made his way to his car spot.

There was no trace of Dan Qing in the car, only the items he'd just purchased. "Dan Qing!" Xiao Lin called out urgently, but no one answered him.

He frantically weaved between every parking space, searching for any sign of Dan Qing. But he found nothing. In his desperation, a drag mark watermark caught his eye. He ran in the direction of the drag, and upon reaching the second basement level, he heard sounds of fighting. Not trusting his ears, he followed the sound.

A man kicked at Dan Qing, but she squatted down with bare feet and blocked the attack with her arms. The next second, and beyond Xiao Lin's imagination, Dan Qing, after fending off the attack, swept her leg out and floored the man. Seizing the chance, she jumped up and punched the brute in the face. Her stance was not much weaker than a man's, and her long hair traced a black arc as she leaped. At that moment, Xiao Lin noticed Dan Qing's eyes, filled with an excited beauty. Shaken by this unexpected side of her, Xiao Lin leaned against the wall, realizing he probably didn't need to intervene. She was likely capable of handling this opponent on her own.

The brute on the ground didn't expect this seemingly frail woman to be so formidable. Caught off guard, he was attacked, but being a professional, as Dan Qing struck again, he lifted his arms, dispersing her power and shoving her outwards. The force threw Dan Qing over a meter back before she steadied herself. Climbing up quickly, with minor scratches bleeding on her arm, a moment of confusion flashed across her face before she concentrated again, preparing for the thug's next attack. Her mind focused solely on not getting caught, to avoid bringing trouble to Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin blinked and stepped out from the side. As the brute charged at Dan Qing, Xiao Lin swept in from the side and sent him flying. He turned to Dan Qing, wagging his finger. "You didn't listen, now stay put and don't run around. We'll settle this later." It was as if he was coaxing a child; Xiao Lin threatened her. In response, she stuck out her tongue at him before sneaking behind a pillar to hide.

After ensuring Dan Qing's safety, Xiao Lin faced the brute head-on. "Who are you guys?" The brute didn't respond, standing there panting. "Your accomplice is dead; do you also want to end up like him? If you tell me who you are, I'll let you go."

The brute hesitated, unsure if what Xiao Lin said was true. Noticing the man's hesitation, Xiao Lin took a step forward. "Which district's 'Black Crow' are you from? Were you sent by Mu Rongyun?"

The brute took a step back, finding himself intimidated by Xiao Lin. Unknowingly, he had approached the driveway. At that moment, a car came speeding down, violently crashing into the brute and sending him flying. The man landed far away and started convulsing. Xiao Lin sprinted over, but the car had already sped off. By the time Xiao Lin reached the man, he had already breathed his last, blood bubbling from his mouth.

Witnessing the scene, even Dan Qing couldn't help but tremble. It was her first time seeing something like this. Walking from behind the pillar towards Xiao Lin, although unable to decipher his expression, she sensed the aura he emitted and knew he must be very angry, so she chose to stay by his side without saying anything.

"Let's go!" After a short while, Xiao Lin took Dan Qing's hand and headed toward the silver QQ car.

The warmth from his clasped hand enveloped her smaller hand. Dan Qing looked up at Xiao Lin's back from behind, feeling a flutter like a young girl. Realizing this emotion, Dan Qing mocked herself inwardly. How could she compare to Xia Xue? After dismissing the thought, she silently sat in the passenger seat without saying a word.

Xiao Lin dialed Wu Shuang's number, gave her the address, and asked her to bring someone to handle the body before starting up the car, heading towards the farmhouse.

With Xiao Lin remaining silent the entire way, he seemed incredibly serious, in stark contrast to the previously playful atmosphere. Dan Qing didn't know how to break the ice; she was afraid of this stern side of Xiao Lin.

"I didn't know you were so good at fighting!" As Dan Qing was about to speak, Xiao Lin broke the silence with a question. "What's going on?"

"I..."

"No lying!"

"It's from following Shaoqing. Whenever he was training at the gym, I'd mimic the moves when I had nothing else to do." Dan Qing lowered her head, meekly responding to Xiao Lin's question.

"What else?" Xiao Lin believed her; he recognized Shaoqing's familiar moves in her body technique but also noticed others he hadn't seen before. "You must have trained in martial arts from a young age. Though you've learned the Profound Lady Heart Scripture, given your constitution, reaching the fourth level in a short time should be strenuous. But you're already approaching the fifth level. That puzzled me. Xia Xue's physique naturally complements this Heart Method, so I understood, but with you, I was confused. Now, shouldn't you tell me how this happened?"

Dan Qing realized she couldn't hide it from Xiao Lin any longer. She gathered her hair and tied it behind her head with an elastic band. "My father was a martial artist, a descendant of the Yue Family Fist. So from a young age, I traveled with him from town to town performing. But after my father was beaten to death during an underground match, I never touched martial arts again." (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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