Did Bai Yaxin climb into the driver's seat and start the car by himself? Both Longya and XingYe Riyang thought about this at the same time.
"Ugh, this annoying guy, doesn't care about his reputation at all, and wants to run away like this?" XingYe Riyang reacted instantly, changing direction and sprinting towards the van.
Longya's reaction was not slow either. He pulled out two throwing knives from his pocket in succession, aiming them at XingYe Riyang, followed by another knife. He then swiftly threw a third knife by spinning in the air with a body rotation to increase speed.
The three knives traveled at different speeds and directions. One aimed between XingYe Riyang and the van. Another aimed at where XingYe Riyang would retreat. The last one targeted where XingYe Riyang would be based on his current speed.
It was a full-on blockade, effectively preventing XingYe Riyang from hijacking Bai Yaxin. However, at that moment, XingYe Riyang made another unexpected move.
XingYe Riyang planted his foot on the wall of a roadside shop, jumped sideways towards the road, and rolled under the railing, landing on the street just as a truck whizzed inches away from him.
The truck honked wildly, shocked by this reckless behavior. But XingYe Riyang stood up nonchalantly, dusted himself off, holding a broken iron rod in his hand.
He had ripped it off from the roadside railing moments before rolling. This unbelievable swift action caught Longya by surprise.
XingYe Riyang returned to the sidewalk, raised the iron rod, and pointed it at Longya, similar to a baseball batter pointing a bat at a pitcher.
"Now, I'm not afraid of your throwing knives," XingYe Riyang said with a smile.
"Oh? Is it okay to just let Mr. Bai be unattended?" Longya shrugged, not taking the iron rod in XingYe Riyang's hand seriously.
"No problem," XingYe Riyang said, swinging the iron rod. "I'll knock you down first, then go stop him."
As XingYe Riyang spoke, he slowly walked towards Longya. "Is that so? Liars will have to swallow a thousand needles in hell," Longya said, unfazed, as three more throwing knives appeared in his hand.
"Ugh, how many throwing knives can this guy's pockets hold?" XingYe Riyang wondered, recalling the twelve knives Longya had pulled out, including the three in his hand.
Considering the size and volume of the throwing knives, they couldn't have fit easily in his pockets. XingYe Riyang scanned the battlefield, realizing that although not all the knives were visible, there were definitely not nine of them.
"Did he secretly retrieve the knives?" XingYe Riyang wondered. The conclusion was clear: Longya somehow retrieved the thrown knives back into his possession.
At this point, XingYe Riyang had a good idea of Longya's techniques. The remaining challenge was to put his theory to the test. Guess right, win the game; guess wrong, rely on his own skills and judgment to survive.
As XingYe Riyang pondered, he approached within three meters of Longya. "What's wrong, reluctant to use your throwing knives?" he taunted, casually resting the iron rod on his shoulder, underestimating the threat of the throwing knives in Longya's hand.
"Oh, sorry, sorry," Longya suddenly feigned a dazed expression, as if snapping out of a daze. "I was just thinking, after killing you, should I go meet Mr. Bai?"
"Because I suddenly remembered, a little girl at the tavern invited me to drinks tonight," he continued, scratching his head with a sly grin. "That girl is quite special."
With that, Longya lightly tossed the three throwing knives into the air, revealing unknown intentions beneath his seemingly careless actions, which XingYe Riyang refrained from guessing.
If distracted by the knives, the real danger would be missed. XingYe Riyang's gaze remained fixed on Longya. The throwing knives wouldn't move on their own; only Longya's actions could change their trajectory.
Star physics taught in class wasn't worthless. XingYe Riyang tightened his grip on the iron rod.
Meanwhile, Longya shifted his body and leaped into the air, performing a series of precise kicks aimed at the hilt of the throwing knives. The knives responded, flying out one by one.
The knives kicked out at a much faster pace by the physics-defying method headed straight for XingYe Riyang's chest. Calm and composed, XingYe Riyang deflected the first one, deflected the second, and deflected the third with a swing of the iron rod.
Completing three perfect deflections, he prepared for the fourth strike. With both hands gripping the iron rod tightly, he swung it horizontally from his shoulder, aiming to strike Longya when he landed.
As Longya landed, he didn't stand straight but squatted down, evading the blow. Then, in a strange move, he reached into the air with his hands as if pulling back, suddenly stood up to try a bear hug.
However, before he could grab hold, XingYe Riyang dodged backward, falling flat on his back. Instantly, three throwing knives flew in from an unseen direction, piercing where XingYe Riyang had stood a moment ago, embedding themselves in Longya's shoulder and arm.
If XingYe Riyang hadn't dodged Longya's bear hug in such a unique way, the scene would have resulted in Longya grabbing hold of XingYe Riyang while the knives hit him from behind.
"Oof, uncle, how does it feel to be stabbed by your own throwing knives?" XingYe Riyang asked mockingly as he stood up, glancing towards the van where the engine was still struggling to start.
"I'll start counting down for you now. How many seconds until the poison from the dart frog puts you on the brink of death?" XingYe Riyang taunted, not rushing to deliver the final blow but sneakily shortening the distance between himself and the van.
Silently, Longya removed the throwing knives lodged in his shoulder and arm, with a glimpse of blood staining them. Although the wounds weren't deep, the stakes were already high.
"Ah, it's quite a sight for young people to see," Longya remarked as he put the three knives back into his pocket.
"When did you realize there was no poison on the throwing knives?" Longya asked XingYe Riyang with a wry smile.
"I didn't realize; it was just a wild guess," XingYe Riyang replied frankly.
"Your intuition is truly admirable," Longya complimented, stretching and getting ready for the fight in earnest.
"Compared to your killer moves, telling a couple of lies seems insignificant," XingYe Riyang retorted, then continued, "You use ultra-fine steel wires, similar to what Kumoi uses, right? But yours are even more advanced than Kumoi's. I only managed to vaguely figure it out after so many moves."
"Even on this you've already figured me out. Should I just admit defeat?" Longya finished warming up and tilted his head as he asked XingYe Riyang.
"Sure, then I'll leave. Take care of yourself." To Longya's surprise, XingYe Riyang turned and walked away without further engagement, leaving Longya slightly stunned.
—(Daring move, young man…)
Longya, who had been in the game for so long, felt insulted by being underestimated like this for the first time. He sensed that XingYe Riyang hadn't even revealed his full strength, only playing around.
Both being playful individuals, it was easy to read each other's intentions.
—(Let's play for real then!)
Facing XingYe Riyang's back, Longya swiftly drew out six throwing knives and hurled them all at XingYe Riyang, rushing towards him simultaneously.
Prepared, XingYe Riyang quickly turned, seeming to deliver a blunt strike, but precisely deflected all six throwing knives skillfully.
Taking advantage of the straight punch, Longya charged at XingYe Riyang, throwing a series of rapid punches at his head.
XingYe Riyang first blocked with his elbow a few times, then seized the opportunity between Longya's punches and countered upwards with a swift strike that nearly hit Longya's chin. In a hair's breadth moment, Longya retreated just in time, evading the iron rod.
As he withdrew, Longya manipulated the thread with his fingers, adjusting the flight path of the scattered throwing knives still in the air. Suddenly, he forcefully wielded his arm, launching the knives from various directions towards XingYe Riyang.
Facing the encirclement by the six throwing knives, XingYe Riyang remained composed. He took a big step forward before being completely surrounded, dashing to Longya's side…
-
-"Are you using the same old tricks again?!"
-
Just now, Longya was hit by two throwing knives from Xingye Riyang's move, and he wouldn't fall for the same trick again. He fiercely flicked his hands upwards, causing the knives to change their trajectories and float up into the air.
-
Seizing this opportunity, Xingye Riyang leapt up and delivered a straight kick to Longya's chest.
-
Longya reacted just in time, blocking with his arms, but he was still pushed back several steps before regaining his stance.
-
-"Die!"
-
Locking onto Xingye Riyang's position, Longya clenched his fists instantly and hammered down with both hands from above, causing the six throwing knives floating above Xingye Riyang's head to rain down like pear blossoms.
