Chapter 227: You Know Not Just That You're Wrong, But That You're About to Die, A Collision With Zho

Chapter 227: You Know Not Just That You're Wrong, But That You're About to Die, A Collision With Zhou Yinglin (4K)



Upon hearing this, Xue Jing slightly turned his head, glancing back with the corner of his eye.

He saw a clearly defined hand reaching towards Cat, who was perched on his shoulder.

"Swish—"

Without any warning, Cat let out a soft click of his tongue, and his front paw unsheathed silver-white Serpent-Slayer Claws, sharp as knives, in a flash.

"Ah!"

The intruder cried out in pain as four deep scratches appeared on the back of his hand, causing him to involuntarily retract his hand due to the intense pain.

Cat shook his paw, flinging off the traces of blood that had landed on the Serpent-Slayer Claws, and turned to face this rude individual.

He was a medium-built young man with short white hair, his features handsome, but his nose was overly prominent, revealing traces of plastic surgery.

At this moment, he was crouching, holding his bleeding hand, his face contorted in pain.

"Xiao Chao! Are you alright? Hurry and use your energy to stop the bleeding, just like I taught you!"

"Be careful, who knows if there are any bacteria or viruses... Let's go to the hospital first!"

About a dozen companions, including a young man and a young woman, stood not far behind the white-haired youth. Seeing the situation, they immediately stepped forward to support him, their voices filled with concern.

Cat looked down at them with disdain, letting out a soft humph before turning away, no longer paying them any mind.

Xue Jing also paid no heed to this minor incident. After all, Cat had already taught them a lesson, and such a trivial matter wasn't even worth his attention. He didn't even bother to glance back at them and continued walking towards Ning Yuantai, who had already exited the driver's seat.

However, trouble seemed to find him, even when he had no intention of seeking it.

A tall, burly man with curly hair approached Xue Jing with quick strides and said in a calm tone:

"Friend, don't you think you should apologize?"

As he spoke, he reached out to place his hand on Xue Jing's shoulder, intending to stop him from walking further.

"..."

Xue Jing paused at his words and slowly raised his left hand, grasping the curly-haired man's wrist that was reaching towards him.

This grasping motion wasn't particularly fast, and the curly-haired man had intended to dodge it. However, for some unknown reason, even though Xue Jing had his back turned to him, it was as if he had eyes at the back of his head. His palm seemed to shadow the man's movements, and no matter how the man tried to dodge—making three or four evasive maneuvers—he couldn't escape Xue Jing's grasp. Eventually, he found his wrist captured.

"Hmm?" The curly-haired man was taken aback, finally realizing that something was amiss.

The man before him, who looked ordinary and unremarkable, like a stone by the roadside, seemed to be a martial artist?

How could this be... Anyone who had achieved even a little success in martial arts would carry a certain aura that set them apart from ordinary people.

Especially the young ones, who, filled with pride and satisfaction from their accomplishments, would want the whole world to know that they were extraordinary. Thus, their demeanor would naturally undergo a transformation, an aura that couldn't be easily concealed.

But this person...

"What did you just say?"

Xue Jing, still grasping his wrist, slowly turned around to face the curly-haired man, a curious expression on his face.

"I think I didn't hear you clearly. Why don't you say it again?"

The curly-haired man's lips twitched as he was about to speak, but his wrist, held in Xue Jing's grasp, suddenly felt constricted.

The constriction increased, causing his skin to go numb before a sharp pain set in. The pain intensified with each passing moment.

His expression changed, and he channeled his energy, trying to pull his wrist free.

However, the hand that held his wrist felt like a mechanical claw made of steel alloy. No matter how much force he exerted, it remained unmoved, not even trembling a millimeter.

"How is this possible?!"

The curly-haired man's eyes widened in shock.

The grip on his wrist tightened further, causing his hand to swell and turn purple as blood rushed to the surface. The bones in his wrist emitted a creaking sound, as if they were about to give way under the pressure.

"Crack—"

The skin on his wrist burst open, and blood oozed out. The curly-haired man grit his teeth against the pain and raised his right hand, throwing a punch at Xue Jing's head.

Xue Jing gently shook his head. The hand that held the man's wrist twisted slightly, and an incredibly powerful force surged through his wrist and into the man's body, locking up all the critical muscle activation points in his body.

The fist stopped in mid-air, frozen just 20 centimeters away from Xue Jing's face, unable to move any further.

At this moment, the group also noticed the unusual situation and saw their companion suddenly stop his attack. They quickly rushed over, their eyes wide with shock.

"Brother Xiong, what's going on?"

"Brother Xiong, why is your hand bleeding... Ouch, that looks really bad!"

"Let him go, kid!"

"Release Brother Xiong!"

The dozen or so people exclaimed in surprise, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of concern and anger.

Xue Jing paid no heed to the commotion around him. With a forceful palm grip, the curly-haired man's wrist began to creak as the bones threatened to snap.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want to speak?" Xue Jing inquired curiously.

The curly-haired man's expression twisted in agony, his mouth opening and closing, yet unable to utter a single word.

'Damn, I've run into a tough one, and Brother Song isn't here...'

The sound of cracking bones grew louder as Xue Jing's grip tightened, reducing the man's wrist to the thickness of a sugar cane, with bone splinters piercing through the skin and bursting into a 'flower of bone.'

"Ahhhhhh!"

The curly-haired man screamed in agony, kneeling down with his right hand trembling as he supported his shattered left hand. His face contorted in pain, rendering him unrecognizable.

"Oh? I thought I was hallucinating when I heard your voice earlier, but it seems you're not mute after all."

Xue Jing looked down at him indifferently and said casually.

"So, the question is, why should I apologize to you? Can you explain that to me?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was calm and almost gentle, as if he were chatting casually with family at home.

However, his soft voice wasn't drowned out by the man's screams and clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, their hearts chilled as they turned to look at Xue Jing. Aside from the curly-haired man's cries, the place fell into an eerie 'silence.'

"Have I done something that warrants an apology? Hmm?"

Xue Jing spoke softly, placing his palm on the man's head and pushing it down forcefully.

"Pfft—"

The curly-haired man was pressed into the cement ground as if he were a nail, his body sinking into the concrete, leaving only his head exposed.

"If you're not going to speak, then it's my turn." Xue Jing said nonchalantly.

The man gagged, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face twitching.

Xue Jing stepped on his remaining head, looking down at him from above.

"Apologize."

"Wh...What?" The curly-haired man's mind was foggy, and he was confused by Xue Jing's words.

"Apologize to me." Xue Jing repeated slowly.

"Huh?"

The man was bewildered.

Why should he apologize now that he was in such a state?

"Be...fore..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the foot on his head press down harder, and he quickly changed what he was going to say:

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I was wrong, truly!"

Xue Jing scoffed.

"You don't just know you're wrong; you know you're about to die."

The man's face turned red with indignation, feeling wronged... Then why make me apologize?

Xue Jing applied more force with his foot, and with a squelching sound, he pushed the man's head into the ground, leaving only a shoe print on the cement.

"If apologies worked, why would we bother learning martial arts?"

After saying this, Xue Jing turned and walked away.

This time, no one dared to stop him. The dozen or so people who had been watching silently now exchanged glances, feeling uneasy and startled.

Only after he had left did they rush to dig the curly-haired man out of the ground.

"Brother Xiong, what do we do now?"

The curly-haired man, with his wrist dangling limply and his head bearing an obvious shoe imprint, lay on the ground, soft and limp. He gasped for breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "Help me call Brother Song... That guy earlier is definitely here for the U19 tournament!"

After saying this, he looked at the white-haired youth, who was curled up and pretending to be invisible among the crowd.

"Xiao Chao, come here."

The curly-haired man, now known as Brother Xiong, called out slowly.

Xiao Chao cautiously approached Brother Xiong, covering his bleeding hand, and said nervously, "Broth... "

Before he could finish his sentence, a large slap landed on his face, sending him spinning in the air three or four times before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

After taking care of Xiao Chao, Brother Xiong seemed to feel much better, his expression much calmer.

He turned to look at Xue Jing's departing back and gritted his teeth.

"This isn't over!"

...

"Hmm? Brother Xue, what happened?"

After reuniting with Xue Jing, Ning Yuantai curiously inquired about the situation.

Xue Jing was scratching Cat's chin and casually recounted what had just transpired.

Ning Yuantai's nostrils flared in anger as he heard the story. He rolled up his sleeves and exclaimed, "Damn it, Brother Xue, wait for me. I'll go and kill that bastard!"

Xue Jing reached out to stop him and said, "Never mind, it's not a big deal. Let's go; we should head inside now.

Ning Yuantai could only follow Xue Jing's lead and head towards the arena's main entrance, all the while grumbling under his breath.

The two chatted along the way, and since they were using the contestants' passage, they didn't have to queue up and quickly entered the arena's interior.

Ning Yuantai went to find the people he knew from the organizing committee, while Xue Jing was led by a staff member to his designated resting room.

Seeing the nameplate with his name on it hanging on the door, Xue Jing pushed it open and entered.

Inside the spacious room was a woman, Jiang Siyi, dressed in an OL-style outfit and wearing glasses. She was sitting in a chair, her hands tapping away at a laptop in front of her.

Hearing the door open, Jiang Siyi turned and, seeing that it was Xue Jing, her eyes lit up as she greeted him.

"Xiao Jing!"

"Sister Wei," Xue Jing nodded at her with a smile.

"You're just in time. The organizers just sent someone to say that they want to record a pre-match interview..."

As Jiang Siyi spoke, she saw that Xue Jing seemed to want to say something, so she quickly added:

"This is something that every contestant has to do. It's a tradition for the U19 finals, so it's better to just go along with it."

Xue Jing considered her words for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Alright."

Jiang Siyi breathed a sigh of relief, closed her laptop, and stood up. "Then let's go. I'll take you to the studio."

Xue Jing followed her, and they made their way through the maze of corridors towards the studio.

The Super Arena was indeed massive, not just the competition arena and spectator stands but also the backstage area.

It took them a good fifteen minutes to walk from the contestants' resting area to the studio.

While Xue Jing was unaffected, the untrained Jiang Siyi, wearing high heels, was left breathless and drenched in a fragrant sweat by the time they arrived.

"We're here..."

She pointed to the double doors at the end of the corridor, looking relieved.

Xue Jing followed her to the studio doors and was about to push them open when they were opened from the inside.

A boy with eyes as sharp as a hawk's and a youthful face stepped out, and the two of them locked eyes.

This exchange caused both parties to pause in their tracks.

"Young Master Zhou, we..." The middle-aged man speaking to the boy trailed off.

Jiang Siyi stiffened as well.

The bustling sounds from within the studio abruptly ceased.

"Boom—"

A powerful ring-shaped current of air blasted out from the center point between Xue Jing and the boy, spreading outwards violently.

Jiang Siyi's arms were empty as the files she had been holding were blown away, and the sounds of papers fluttering and furniture toppling over could be heard from within the studio.

Xue Jing stared directly into those sharp hawk-like eyes. For the first time in his life, the spiritual power deep within his consciousness stirred instinctively without any conscious effort on his part.

An invisible, intangible, yet undeniably present force emanated from both Xue Jing and the boy, colliding with each other.

Everyone and everything within a hundred-meter radius of the two youths was subjected to an overwhelming pressure that pinned them in place, unable to move.

The clash of their spiritual auras caused violent gusts of wind to erupt from the space between them.

Zhou Yinglin...

Xue Jing instantly recognized his opponent.

Although he hadn't researched him beforehand and didn't know his appearance, just one glance was enough for Xue Jing to be certain of his identity.

"Oh my, what's going on here?"

A gentle voice interrupted the standoff, and a graceful, long-haired figure emerged from the studio.

The strikingly beautiful face, even more so than a woman's, belonged to none other than Kaguya Suzuran.

His arrival caused a brief pause in the spiritual standoff between the two youths, and they simultaneously averted their gazes.

"Xue Jing..."

Zhou Yinglin looked at Xue Jing, his voice flat as he spoke.

"You've exceeded my expectations... To be able to hold my gaze for over ten seconds, there aren't more than ten people of our age who can do that."

"It seems you'll be a somewhat interesting opponent."

Xue Jing first nodded towards Kaguya Suzuran in greeting. "Suzuran-san."

Kaguya Suzuran returned the nod with a smile. "Xue-kun."

Xue Jing then turned his attention to Zhou Yinglin and spoke softly.

"You, on the other hand, are exactly as I expected... and nothing more."

Zhou Yinglin's expression remained unchanged as he let out a soft snort. "Save the big talk for after you win, country bumpkin."

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end