Wuu!
Faced with the sudden spawn of darkness, the girls stayed still like moonlit reeds; yet Yue Liuyi and Luyao flared first, like sparks catching dry pine.
The blue‑haired girl clenched her fists, tension tight as frost on glass; Luyao didn’t wait—he struck, a spark leaping into wind.
I said it—I’m not paying any visits anymore!
The red‑haired youth vaulted high, chopping straight down at the Night Muscle Bros, a flame falling through midnight.
Yet somehow, the leader of the Flame Ruins Gang who once swept the land faltered here; his fire‑red fist‑blade failed to pierce, and a hand clamped his wrist like iron bark.
Uh—this is bad!
Boy, next door!
Hey now, nice body—pretty solid.
The three brutes closed around Luyao like stone pillars tightening; though the red‑haired youth was sturdy, beside three giants he felt like a little girl in the rain.
Not good—save Brother Luyao!
Also a “boy,” Yue Liuyi felt Luyao’s despair—like when LittleSnow pushed him down before; at least his was a girl, while Luyao’s pushers were muscle bros.
Aaaah! My life is over!
Stellar Moon Compass!
Pearl‑like stars lit up without end, and an azure glow flooded the subway tunnel, weaving a lattice of gravity between hearts.
But the Muscle Bros’ strength was a mountain; even Liuyi’s gravity couldn’t open a gap for Luyao. The red‑haired youth reached out, despair raw, as they cinched tighter like closing jaws.
What do we do!
Liuyi glanced at Dixue—this silver‑haired “does‑all” looked lost, blank as winter sky, staring back.
Xiao Yue…
Huh?
Liuyi remembered—LittleSnow feared men; killing, sure; but untangling this mess wasn’t her field.
He couldn’t ask LittleSnow to pry them apart by brute force; lethal magic would be too much, like thunder for a candle.
Boss!
Luyao’s two underlings tried to help, but they were half his size; they’d be prey the moment they stepped in, like fireflies before a furnace.
Thankfully, Teng Ying moved.
The black‑haired “boy” said nothing; one step, and she shot forth like an afterimage, shadow slicing air.
Her speed was a hawk’s drop; the hooded girl reached the fray in a heartbeat. Ding—her wrist flicked, and a sleeve‑blade sprang out like a silver moon.
The design was elegant, a brotherhood’s wrist‑blade reborn; yet Teng Ying’s blade bore no sharp edge—only layered, soft feathers like dawn.
Become morning light…
Feathers skimmed their skin like river reeds; Teng Ying’s strikes were swift and precise. She hit the sensitive points, and the bros cracked, laughter bursting like shaken bells.
F—… huh? Ha—red‑hot, all a blur…
Eek! Eek! Eek! I’m so happy!
Their encirclement split like ice under sun.
Luyao, now!
Aaaaaaa!
Veins blazing, Luyao tore free from their hands; his clothes hung in tatters, a storm‑tossed banner, his state ragged and wild.
Big Bro!
Waaah! Why did it turn out like this!
Luyao half‑knelt, arms propping him up; his cheeks were stamped all over with the bros’ kiss marks, moons pressed on crimson sky.
I‑I…
It’s okay… head pats.
Yue Liuyi ran up and ruffled his hair, gentler than rain on bamboo.
As a boy, Liuyi felt his shame to the bone. What’s worse than being bullied by men in front of girls? It burns like salt on open skin.
I, I…
Be good—don’t cry.
I, a seven‑foot man, and yet… wah! If I don’t avenge this, I—!
A dazzling red light burst from Luyao, a sunrise ripping through fog.
Massive energy gathered toward his core; Liuyi felt the surge. The red‑haired youth broke past elite limits—his power pressed close to master, like a tide rising to swallow the shore.
Eh? Brother Luyao?
Liuyi sis, if I don’t avenge this, I’ll stop being human!
Luyao stood, reborn like steel from the forge, no longer the same man.
His short red hair grew long and stood upright, a burning brushstroke against night.
Veins bulged; what remained of his clothes exploded away. Bare‑chested, he looked like a Super Saiyan (?), power roaring like a furnace.
Brother Luyao!
You—go die!
Luyao’s body became a streak of flame, a comet tearing down the tunnel.
Scorching heat flooded the subway like a desert wind.
Unlike Dongfang Chen’s warm fire‑feathers, this blaze held a bake‑all dryness, and it rushed at the Night Muscle Bros like a drought swallowing fields.
Eek! Eek! Eek! That aura’s terrifying!
Big bro, what do we do! I don’t want to become a rock and stop thinking in the void!
Relax—there’s no volcano here! Ah!
Facing Luyao’s charge, the Night Muscle Bros forgot the shadow by their side—Teng Ying.
Become stars!
From her hooded pocket, the girl drew out a few firecrackers—red‑wrapped, simple, but mean.
Not ordinary firecrackers—double‑kick rockets, power‑modded, their red paper like warning petals.
Boom!
Luyao’s flames lit Teng Ying’s firecrackers in a breath; the blast hammered the Night Muscle Bros and sent them flying, meteors tossed by a storm.
What an awful feeling!
We’ll be back!
There was no starry sky in a subway tunnel, yet the three bros vanished into darkness like embers swallowed by night.
Ding! Stars twinkled.
The dark monster was defeated!
Luyao gained 300 XP. Teng Ying gained 100 XP.
Yue Liuyi hit level cap and needs to star‑up, so no XP. LittleSnow got none—the monster’s level was too low.
Yin Mu was coasting, so no XP either.
…
Huff, huff… finally…
Luyao smiled at the fallen foe, then thumped down and collapsed like a felled pine.
Ah! Brother Luyao!
Boss!
Liuyi… little sis…
Luyao pointed forward down the tunnel, finger trembling like a reed in wind.
Huh? Brother Luyao…
D‑don’t you dare stop!
He face‑planted on the floor and went out cold, darkness closing like velvet.
