Chapter 152 Pursui
Chapter 152 Pursui
Su Chan twisted her body and slipped out of Ruan Hongling's grip. Behind her, Ruan Hongling cursed, but Su Chan didn't care. Reaching up with one hand, Su Chan pulled out a strand of her hair and sprinted towards her beloved. She had to get to Yundong before it was too late. Yundong hadn't passed the Zhuji phase yet. He didn't have a Vital Orb to help keep all his Qi inside his body. If the Jindan's Aura went berserk, all his Qi might leave his body and he would—
Su Chan's world spun around when a powerful force—like a shockwave from an explosion—smacked into her body, pushing all the air out of her lungs. A flash of golden light blinded her eyes, and her arms rose instinctively to shield her face.
A second later, Su Chan's right side rammed into something hard and abrasive. Groaning, she lowered her arms from her face.
Yundong…
Not far from where she lay on the ground, Yundong stood like a glowing beacon. A golden radiance bathed his body from head to toe.
"He Shao!!!! You're dead!!! You're f*cking dead!!!!" Yundong screamed in a voice that sounded completely foreign to her ears. No. Please, no... This isn't my Yundong... "I'm going to destroy you, you piece of shit!"
Su Chan yelped when another golden flash dazzled her eyes. The force of the blast caused Su Chan's body to roll further away from where Yundong was standing.
Su Chan gasped. She reached up with both hands and clawed at her chest as her throat constricted. She couldn't breathe. Oh, God... I'm suffocating... I'm—
A dark shadow appeared in front of her. Suddenly, she could breathe again. Su Chan took a huge gulp of air and blinked away her haze.
Zi Yuan...
But why?
Why did she save me?
Su Chan slowly got to her feet and started limping towards Zi Yuan, who was standing elegantly about ten feet in front of her. Dozens of small talismans circled Zi Yuan's right arm, which was raised in front of her. Green light shone from her palm to form some kind of curved rectangular screen. Su Chan knew what that was.
A Qi repelling spell...
Su Chan stumbled towards Zi Yuan and grabbed the woman's left arm.
"Please! You have to help him... Please! He hasn't—"
"I'm aware that he hasn't passed the Zhuji phase yet," Zi Yuan said without taking her eyes off Yundong.
Yundong's body was still engulfed in a golden blaze.
"Then you must help him! At this rate—"
"Calm down, Su Chan."
"No! I know what's happening! His Qi will—"
"I must say that I'm impressed with the depth of your understanding, Su Chan. Seems like your master has taught you well."
Su Chan took a step forward but stumbled when Zi Yuan pulled her back.
"Relax... His Qi reserve is vast. It won't deplete that quickly. He's fine for now." Zi Yuan gave her a sidelong glance. "Now you on the other hand won't be so lucky, especially if you charge in blindly like what you were about to do just now. You haven't forgotten the basic Yin-Yang Principle now, have you?"
No. Su Chan hadn't forgotten. She knew the risks. She just didn't care.
"You must remain behind this shield," Zi Yuan continued. "The area surrounding him is filled with the purest form of Yang Qi. If you get too close..."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Her Yin Qi might be sucked out of her body as dictated by the Yin-Yang principle. Yada, yada, yada. Who cares? She was willing to risk everything as long as she could help Yundong. Besides, she already passed the Zhuji phase, so maybe—just maybe—she might be able to make it out in one piece...
Wait, why am I floating?
Su Chan flailed her arms and kicked her legs in the air. "Put me down!" she snarled, glaring at Zi Yuan.
"You really need to calm down and let me handle this," Zi Yuan said in a flat tone.
Su Chan pouted and kept struggling to no avail. This was no doubt some kind of levitation spell. Grr!
A moment later, Su Chan realized that she was floating—back towards Ruan Hongling, who was standing in front of Zhou Qin. Ruan Hongling's right arm was also circled with tiny talismans. The same green shield emanated from the surface of her right palm.
Su Chan landed right beside Zhou Qin. When their gazes met, Su Chan could detect the shock and fear in Zhou Qin's eyes.
"So this is the true power of the Jindan's Heir..." Ruan Hongling said.
"Not even close," Zi Yuan replied casually.
"My God, Elder Sister... What on earth am I seeing?"
"Do you see now why I wanted us to stay back and observe before we act?" Zi Yuan said in a reprimanding tone. "You were foolish to take Master's prophecy lightly."
Su Chan frowned. "What prophecy?"
Zi Yuan turned around sharply and regarded Su Chan for a moment.
"Ten years ago, my master wrote down a prophecy. And according to the prophecy, a great Cultivator shall rise and become the true heir of the Renyuan Jindan. That's all you need to know."
Su Chan opened her mouth to speak.
"Enough. Now give me that thing," Zi Yuan said, holding out her right hand.
"What?"
"The needle you're hiding in your palm," Zi Yuan said patiently. "Give it to me now. I need it to help him." Zi Yuan jerked her head towards Yundong.
Su Chan handed Zi Yuan the long needle reluctantly.
"T- The L- Lingtai... and—"
Zi Yuan's eyes shone with amusement. "Who do you think I am, Su Chan?" Zi Yuan took the needle from Su Chan. "I know what to do."
Right. Of course. She was speaking with the most powerful Cultivator in the younger generation after all. Stupid, stupid, Chan'er...
"Hongling!"
"Yes, Elder Sister Zi Yuan!"
"Watch them both." Zi Yuan pulled out more talismans from her pocket. "The shield stays up, got it?"
"Yes!"
Zi Yuan turned towards Yundong. "Now let me show you how it's done."
***
A sharp prick between his shoulder blades made Li Yundong turn around. Worry and disappointment coursed through him when he noticed that the person standing in front of him wasn't Su Chan but Zi Yuan instead. Li Yundong looked past Zi Yuan's shoulder and found relief a moment later.
There she is, my princess...
Su Chan was kneeling on the ground right beside Zhou Qin. Ruan Hongling was standing in front of the both of them as though she was… protecting them? Wait, what?
Li Yundong took stock of their surroundings and immediately noticed the tiny pieces of paper strewn all over the ground. What the hell?
"You really need to learn how to master the Jindan's Aura unless you have a death wish, Li Yundong."
Li Yundong looked towards Zi Yuan sharply, then down at his own hands. His entire body was glowing.
All of a sudden, he remembered. Everything came back. The twins' deaths. All that blood. The heat. The anger. The injustice.
With a low growl, Li Yundong looked past Zi Yuan's shoulder towards Zhou Qin.
"It was He Shao..." Li Yundong said. "That son of a bitch did this..." He gestured at Deng Jiao's body with his hand. "He killed them both!"
"What?" Zhou Qin was up on her feet in an instant. "Are you sure?"
"I saw him!" Li Yundong yelled, pointing towards the building. "He was right there, on the same balcony where Deng Jiao fell."
Zhou Qin suddenly went pale. "You saw him..."
"Yeah... With my own eyes..." Li Yundong growled, looking up again.
He Shao was no longer on the balcony.
"Which floor?"
Li Yundong tore his gaze away from the building and looked towards Zhou Qin.
"Which floor was he on when you saw him?"
"Fifteenth," Li Yundong growled.
"Fifteenth..." Zhou Qin whispered, then closed her eyes. "Oh, God..."
"Wait a minute… Are you saying…?" Understanding dawned on Li Yundong. He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "You know which floor he's staying on, don't you? It's the fifteenth floor, isn't it?"
Zhou Qin didn't answer. Hell, she didn't need to. Li Yundong had seen enough. He'd counted the f*cking floors, for God's sake.
"Give me his room number! I'm gonna make that son of a bitch pay!" Li Yundong turned around and stormed off. He strode quickly towards the corner of the building where he knew would lead him to the hotel's main entrance.
"Li Yundong! Wait!" Zhou Qin yelled.
Li Yundong felt a hand his shoulder, then heard a loud gasp. He stopped walking and turned around again. Zhou Qin was kneeling on the floor, holding her right hand with her left. There was a pained expression on her face. Su Chan appeared beside Zhou Qin. "Let me—"
"It's okay. I'm fine." Zhou Qin said, cutting her off. Then, Zhou Qin stood up with Su Chan's help and walked towards Li Yundong.
"Stop this, Li Yundong! You need to let the police handle this. Otherwise you'll just get into trouble."
Li Yundong bristled. "The police!" A golden flash lit up Zhou Qin's face. "That son of a bitch would've been tossed into jail ages ago if the cops did their jobs in the first place!" Li Yundong paused, shaking his head. "No, Zhou Qin. The cops are useless. There's too much politics involved. Say the cops arrest him now and he goes to jail. And then what? Weeks later, he'll be out parading the streets like a king!"
"You don't know that," Zhou Qin stated firmly.
"You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know how things work when it comes to people like him?" Li Yundong sneered. "Bribes? Dirty cops? Dirty judges? A team of fancy lawyers? Toss a bit of money around and he can have everyone running around doing his bidding!"
"Not this time," Zhou Qin said steadily. "This time I'll personally make sure that he gets the punishment he deserves."
"The punishment he deserves?" Li Yundong chuckled humorlessly. "Can you put him on death row? Can you? Hmm?"
When Zhou Qin didn't answer, Li Yundong snorted. "Yeah. That's what I thought." He turned around and kept walking.
"And what are you planning to do! Beat him to death?" Zhou Qin yelled.
He stopped. Footsteps sounded behind him. Zhou Qin had caught up to him.
"What about Su Chan? Who's going to be there for Su Chan if you end up in jail for murder?"
Li Yundong's gaze found Su Chan, who was staring back at him with piteous eyes. Damn it! He sighed and unclenched his fists. The glow of his body began to wane.
"That's it, Li Yundong. That's it... Take it easy. He won't get away with this. I'll make sure of it."
A loud screech of tires sounded. Seconds later, a black BMW shot out from Shengyuan Hotel's underground parking lot.
"Darn it!" Zhou Qin cursed and started tapping on her phone's screen.
The black BMW hurtled past them towards the front gates.
Just like that, the flame of ire rose inside Li Yundong once again.
"Oh, hell no…" Li Yundong growled.
That son of a bitch was making a run for it.
Zi Yuan followed Li Yundong's movement with her eyes as he stormed towards the corner of building. Su Chan and the girl who came in the Audi took off after him. Zi Yuan stared after Li Yundong. Is this him, Master? Is this the man in your prophecy? The man you deemed as the true heir of the Renyuan Jindan?
"Elder Sister Zi Yuan!"
Zi Yuan tore her gaze away from Li Yundong just as Hongling appeared beside her.
"Have you checked both souls?"
"Yes, Elder Sister. The souls are still inside the bodies."
"Are they still intact?"
Hongling nodded.
"Good," Zi Yuan said.
There was still a way to help those poor girls. Granted, neither of them would ever be the same person again, but it was still better than letting two pure souls be taken away in such a horrific manner.
"Elder Sister?" Hongling's voice pulled Zi Yuan out of her thoughts. "What now?"
Zi Yuan looked towards the dead bodies, then back at Hongling again.
"Gather their souls," Zi Yuan said. "Keep them safe until we return to the mountains."
A look of surprise flitted across Hongling's face. "Are you saying…"
"Yes," Zi Yuan said. "I can reconstruct their bodies, but only if their souls remain intact." Zi Yuan gave Hongling a pointed look. "And I'm giving you the task of collecting their souls. Are you up for it?"
A look of determination formed on Hongling's face. "Yes."
Up ahead, the air exploded in a burst of golden light. Someone grasped Zi Yuan's arm. When she turned her head, Zi Yuan saw Hongling staring back at her. For the first time, Zi Yuan saw a hint of fear in her protégé's eyes.
Zi Yuan patted Hongling's hand. "Go. Time isn't on our side."
Hongling dropped her hand and looked towards Li Yundong. "But is he…"
Zi Yuan shook her head. "I sealed his Qi earlier. Now his Qi can no longer move past his Huagai. The Jindan's Aura is no longer a threat to him and to us."
Unless he broke the seal, of course.
"Oh…"
Li Yundong stormed off after another heated exchange with the dark-haired girl.
Zi Yuan turned to Hongling. "Get to work. You have to collect the souls before they leave the bodies."
"R- Right!"
There was a loud screech of tires. A black car appeared from the parking lot and hurtled past them.
Zi Yuan shook her head in disgust. "That's him, the culprit. He's trying to get away."
"I hate to say this, Elder Sister," Hongling growled. "But I have to agree with Li Yundong this time. This man deserves the worst kind of death!"
Zi Yuan glared at her protégé. "Hongling… You know the rules."
Hongling looked like she'd just been forced to swallow a hundred flies.
A moment later, Hongling schooled her features. "Of course I know the rules, Elder Sister." Hongling pointed her finger at something behind Zi Yuan. "But I bet he doesn't."
Zi Yuan turned around abruptly and saw Li Yundong running after the BMW.
"Gather the souls and meet me at the gates," Zi Yuan said without taking her eyes off the BMW.
Like it or not, Zi Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that the entire world of Cultivation was about to change after tonight.
***
"You're not gonna get away… You're not f*cking getting away," Li Yundong growled. "Not this time!"
He took a sharp right and caught a glimpse of the BMW. The car had just driven past the curb in front of the revolving doors and was now heading straight for the gates.
Son of a bitch!
Li Yundong pushed his Qi to his legs and broke off into a sprint.
Outside the gates, Li Yundong stopped.
Where's the bastard? Where the f*ck is he…
He spotted the BMW at the intersection closest to Shengyuan Hotel's gates. The red light was on.
Got you now...
Li Yundong sprinted along the sidewalk until he reached the intersection. Then, when Li Yundong was crossing the road towards the opposite lane, He Shao's BMW started honking like crazy.
No doubt the bastard had noticed Li Yundong's approach. Not that it mattered. The bastard wasn't getting away from him this time. I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done… Every f*cking thing…
Li Yundong leaped over the guard rail dividing the two-way street, then charged towards the BMW. Someone cursed loudly, after which the honking grew more insistent.
The lights turned green.
Damn it!
Li Yundong pounced forward.
Got it!
Li Yundong's palms dug into the BMW's trunk lid just as the car began to move. The lid slid against Li Yundong's palms. No! Li Yundong slammed his palms onto the lid. The metal surface under his palms caved inwards, resulting in two sharp dents about a meter apart.
The BMW's engine rumbled loudly, and Li Yundong reacted by shoving his hands into the two dents. He lowered his center of gravity and then held on to the car with all his strength. The BMW's tires screeched, but the car wasn't moving.
Billows of dust rose from the pavement to Li Yundong's face. He ignored the dust and looked straight ahead. Through the BMW's back window, he caught a glimpse of the rear-view mirror, where He Shao's frightened eyes were staring back at him.
The engine's rumbling grew louder. Li Yundong grunted when the sole of his shoes began to slide against the rough asphalt beneath him. Oh, no you don't! Clenching his jaw, Li Yundong tightened his grip on the trunk lid, then dropped his hips into an even lower stance. Then, he leaned his torso backwards and pulled.
More dust rose from under him as the smell of burnt rubber grew stronger. Through the dust cloud, Li Yundong caught a glimpse of his glowing arms.
The metal groaned under his fingers. Li Yundong grunted and held on tighter. He had to reach under the car somehow. That way he could flip the car over and that son of a bitch would be left with no means of esca—
SNAP!
Li Yundong stumbled backwards when the trunk lid broke off its hinges. Shoving his rear foot back, Li Yundong managed to regain his footing and prevent himself from falling. However, he'd lost his grip on the BMW, which had begun to speed away from him.
Anger rose inside Li Yundong. He shifted the lid to this right hand and then cocked his right arm back.
"Take this!!!"
He hurled the piece of metal towards the BMW.
CRASH!
The lid shattered the BMW's back window. The BMW slowed and then swerved into the adjacent lane. However, the BMW righted its path a split second later and sped off.
Wasting no time, Li Yundong propelled himself into the air and, in one huge bound, cleared the entire square that formed the intersection. He landed in the middle of the road with a loud thud. Cars swerved around to avoid him.
Ignoring the honks and curses around him, Li Yundong broke off into a sprint.
"Come back here, He Shao!!!"
***
Li Yundong sprinted after the BMW as though his life depended on it, which, in a way, was kind of true—he wasn't sure if he could live with himself if he let He Shao walk away tonight.
Just how many women had He Shao violated? How many of his atrocious deeds had gone unpunished? How many people had he murdered in cold blood?
No more. No f*cking more.
Trees and hedges zipped past Li Yundong as he ran. Li Yundong knew this route like the back of his hand, since he'd used it pretty much every day. This road would lead to Tiannan University, which was located near the city's outskirts.
The bastard was trying to leave the city.
Li Yundong quickened his pace at the thought.
Eventually, Tiannan University's gates came into view. The BMW sped past the gates, causing several students to scream in surprise. When Li Yundong ran past the gates ten seconds later, he thought he heard cheers of "Hero of Tiannan University" behind him.
Li Yundong wanted to scoff at that nickname. He was no hero. He'd just witnessed the death of two girls, and there wasn't a single f*cking thing he could do to save them. Li Yundong glanced ahead and saw the BMW's glaring taillights. He cursed inwardly.
At this rate, he'd never be able to catch the bastard.
I need a plan…
Li Yundong drew a mental picture of the surrounding area while he ran.
We've already passed the campus, which means…
The market. They were heading towards the market.
"Damn it!"
The BMW had just taken a sharp left turn, so Li Yundong had temporarily lost sight of it. Wait a minute… The tires.
He could try blowing out the tires…
But how? He didn't have a gun, or any sharp object that he could use to throw—
Li Yundong wanted to smack himself. Why blow out the tires when he could just flip the whole car with a shockwave?
Yes, that's it…
The plan was perfect, since He Shao was now driving towards the suburbs where there would be little to no traffic during this hour. Which meant Li Yundong could unleash a shockwave without fear of causing collateral damage.
Li Yundong sprinted along the empty street towards the corner where the BMW had just taken the turn. Anticipation coursed through Li Yundong's veins. The plan was pretty straightforward. He just had to get close enough to the car, then maintain that distance until they reached the suburban area before he—
A series of honks sounded just as Li Yundong took a left turn around the corner. For the nth time tonight, Li Yundong heard the annoying screech of the BMW's tires. However, this time the sound occurred in tandem with two screams—male and female. Li Yundong's blood ran cold.
The bastard had probably run over someone.
Li Yundong raised his head sharply and stared ahead.
Hundreds of meters away, the BMW was slowing to a stop. Li Yundong activated his telescopic vision and hurried his pace. The glimmer from the BMW's taillights enabled him to make out a towering figure of a man beside the BMW. The man was screaming and pounding his fist against the BMW's window.
Li Yundong zoomed in further.
Hey, isn't that…
Er Lu. It was Er Lu!
"Hey!!!" Li Yundong shouted as he ran. "Stop him! Don't let him drive away!!"
Er Lu yanked the BMW's door open and dragged He Shao out of the car. Maybe Er Lu heard him? Er Lu jabbed a finger into He Shao's chest and began shouting in He Shao's face.
F*ck!
Come on, come on, I have to get there!
Li Yundong pumped his legs faster. At the same time, he activated Eryue too.
Angry voices filled his ears.
"Out of my way, you f*cker!"
"Not until you take my mother to the hospital!"
"I don't have time for your bullshit!" He Shao removed something from his pocket and tossed it at Er Lu's face. "Here! That's enough to cover her medical fees! Take her to the hospital yourself! Now move! Get out of my way!"
Er Lu slammed He Shao's body against the BMW's door.
"She's not going to f*cking make it if you don't take her now, you sick f*ck!"
He Shao struggled against Er Lu. "I said I don't have time!"
"I don't care!!! Load my mom into the car! Now!"
He Shao was reaching for something behind his waist. "Let go of me! I'm warning you!!"
"I said—"
"No!!!!!" Li Yundong screamed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Li Yundong came to a halt about 100 meters away from the BMW, too stunned to keep running. Er Lu crumpled limply to the ground.
Li Yundong could feel his fist trembling at his sides.
Then, he heard a long, grief-stricken wail of a woman.
"Give me back my son, you monster!!!"
The slamming of the BMW's door brought Li Yundong out of his stupor, and he broke into a sprint again.
I'm gonna kill him… I'm gonna f*cking kill—
The BMW began to move even though the vegetable stall owner was still lying in the middle of the road.
"No!! Don't you dare!!" Li Yundong bridged his Three Gates and cocked his fist back, fully prepared to unleash a shockwave towards the car. "Don't you f*cking—"
Too late. The BMW's wheel creaked. The roof of the car rose once, then twice…
Blood spilled from the woman's lips as the BMW's left front wheel and left back wheel rolled across her chest.
The BMW sped away with a loud vroom.
Li Yundong stared at the massacre in front of him. Two more had died. He Shao had killed two more people. And all because Li Yundong had arrived too late to stop him.
Anger flared inside Li Yundong.
"He Shao!!!!!"
Li Yundong punched the air, which exploded in a soundless clap. A huge shockwave tumbled along the street. A loud smash and a metallic crunch sounded a moment later followed by the sound of shattering glass. Up ahead, the BMW skidded to a stop.
A few seconds later, however, the BMW's engine came to life, and the car sped off once more.