Chapter 070: Offering Oneself
"Stop!" Liao Zhijie was terrified, he shouted urgently, "Stop right there, take one more step and I'll make a move, you'll cry for a lifetime!"
While speaking, Liao Zhijie's knife blade swiped back and forth across Chen Zihan's face. Chen Zihan was nearly in tears, her face deathly pale as she stared intently at the blade. The sharp blade glimmered chillingly, making Chen Zihan tremble all over. She even dared not breathe heavily.
Xiao Han took a deep breath.
"Drop the branch in your hand," Liao Zhijie commanded.
"Okay, I'll drop it, just don't mess around," Xiao Han nodded.
After he spoke, Xiao Han threw the branch aside.
Liao Zhijie looked at his opponent with a sneer, a wicked smile emerging at the corners of his mouth as if he already saw the hope of victory. Then, Liao Zhijie commanded, "You two, go tie this kid up for me, damn it, I have to kill him today!"
"Xiao Han, don't!" Chen Zihan cried out.
Two burly men slowly walked toward Xiao Han, each holding a certain fear in their hearts since Xiao Han had traumatized them with the branch earlier. This psychological shadow had almost made them conditioned to fear. Under Liao Zhijie's coercion, however, they forced themselves to move forward, especially since Xiao Han had already thrown away the branch.
Xiao Han kept his eyes fixed on their footsteps, continuously calculating their pace in his mind.
Seeing them about to charge, Xiao Han quickly dashed forward. He stepped on one man's chest with one foot and catapulted himself up. Then, with enormous force, Xiao Han swiftly broke off a thicker branch from the tree.
By now, Liao Zhijie was completely dumbfounded as Xiao Han's movement speed had exceeded his expectations, causing him to stare wide-eyed at Xiao Han.
Smack!
Suddenly, Xiao Han descended from above, and his branch struck down fiercely.
That hit landed squarely on their hands.
Skin tore and flesh gaped open. The branch was tender yet sturdy. With the force from Xiao Han's wrist, it instantly tore the skin on Liao Zhijie's back, opening a gash from which blood surged out.
"Ah!" Liao Zhijie screamed in agony, clutching his back of the hand.
Thud...
Liao Zhijie's knife immediately fell to the ground.
Upon seeing this, Chen Zihan briskly lifted her foot and stomped hard with her heel on his foot.
"Ah!" Liao Zhijie screamed again.
Seizing the moment, Chen Zihan snatched Liao Zhijie's Magic Claw and quickly ran toward Xiao Han. Xiao Han opened his arms and embraced her, asking urgently, "Zi Han, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Chen Zihan shook her head hastily.
"That's good," Xiao Han breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "Stay quiet by my side. Watch how I deal with them."
"Okay!" Chen Zihan nodded quickly.
She had just witnessed the formidable side of Xiao Han, not only surprising but also delighting her, for it gave her an unprecedented sense of security that made her heart flutter like a startled deer.
"Xiao Han, you bastard, how dare you hurt me!" Liao Zhijie clutched his hand, blood streaming through his fingers.
Xiao Han gripped a branch as thick as a pinky, looked coldly at him, and said, "So what if I hurt you? Offend me again, and see if I don't kill you."
Killing is illegal, but every dragon has its reverse scales, and every person has their limits. Touch them, and death is certain. It's inevitable.
Xiao Han's lips curled into a sinister smile.
Liao Zhijie stared into Xiao Han's eyes, feeling panic for the first time. This look seemed hauntingly familiar, yet he dared not voice it out, still holding on fiercely, after all, he was Linjiang No.1 Middle School's boss and Little Overlord.
"You wanna kill me?" Liao Zhijie scoffed, "Haha, stop joking, okay?"
"Go ahead and try!" Xiao Han sneered back.
With Xiao Han's abundant energy and burst power, even a 100-meter dash took just over ten seconds. Such powerful burst power, combined with a brain that could agilely control his body, meant these ten or so men were no match for him.
Xiao Han's lips twisted into an eerie smile, he said, "Exactly!"
"Heh, go ahead and try!" Liao Zhijie picked up a dagger from the ground and sneered coldly, "Surround him and hit him. I don't believe our group of more than ten people can't overpower him!"
Immediately, over ten people closed in to surround them.
Xiao Han looked at them coldly, without a hint of fear.
As they were about to approach, Xiao Han's lips curled into a smile, and he chuckled, "Come on, let me show you how tough I am."
More than ten people closed in.
Liao Zhijie held a dagger in one hand, and others wielded various weapons: iron sticks, wooden sticks, iron chains...
"Xiao Han, they..." Chen Zihan was somewhat panicked.
It's hard to fight off four legs with two fists, let alone so many opponents. What if they attacked? What would she do then?
A smirk played on Liao Zhijie's lips; with their numerical advantage, they could easily subdue Xiao Han. Once Xiao Han was subdued, Chen Zihan would practically be his for the taking. Liao Zhijie had long coveted Chen Zihan, and now he saw the perfect chance to capture her as well while subduing Xiao Han—a chance to kill two birds with one stone.
"Go!" Liao Zhijie waved his hand.
Swish swish swish...
A group of people quickly surrounded them.
Xiao Han gripped a tree branch and swiftly jabbed fiercely at the opponents.
Thwack thwack thwack!
A series of strikes, rendering the opponents howling in pain, screaming miserably. Each was almost pitifully taught a lesson to the point of being hardly bearable to watch. Xiao Han attacked one handed with the tree branch, while his other hand tightly held Chen Zihan's, keeping their hands firmly intertwined.
Standing behind Xiao Han, Chen Zihan could clearly feel his strength. Xiao Han seemed like a tall, majestic wall standing in front of her, akin to her father's shoulders. So warm, so touching, so glorious!
This was the first time Chen Zihan had felt such a sensation from Xiao Han. Moreover, she was deeply immersed in it.
"Xiao Han!" Chen Zihan called out softly.
"What's up?" Xiao Han turned to look at her.
"I..." Chen Zihan blushed and said, "You're amazing."
By then, Liao Zhijie and his cohorts had all fallen, a bunch of them lying on the ground screaming. Some had their faces badly beaten, and others could hardly stand straight due to being whipped on the thighs. They could only limp forward.
"Hehe..." Xiao Han chuckled naively, taking Chen Zihan's hand, and said, "Let's go!"
"Okay!" Chen Zihan nodded.
She quickly followed Xiao Han out of the small woods.
Outside the woods, the world was vast and clear. It seemed as if there were bright lights, almost like vivid colors. In that moment, Chen Zihan felt that Xiao Han could bring her endless happiness and safety. She suddenly realized that she might not be able to live without him.
Xiao Han rode on an electric scooter with Chen Zihan, quickly leaving the school.
The cold wind blew, and along the way, Chen Zihan held onto Xiao Han tightly.
"Xiao Han, weren't you scared at all just now?" Chen Zihan asked.
"Scared!" Xiao Han laughed.
"Then why..." Chen Zihan looked at him curiously and said, "Why did you seem so calm?"
"What else could I do?" Xiao Han laughed and asked, "If it weren't for you being caught by Liao Zhijie, I would have run away. I was almost scared enough to pee my pants."
"Hehe..." Chen Zihan giggled, then said, "Xiao Han, when did you become so formidable? I had no idea you had such impressive kung fu skills. When did you ever learn these?"
"Of course!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "I've been practicing martial arts since I was a child..."
Xiao Han boastfully praised himself, making it sound like he was one-of-a-kind in the heavens and on earth.
Chen Zihan looked satisfied and hummed lightly, "I don't believe you."
"That's fine." Xiao Han shook his head and said, "I wasn't planning on making you believe anyway."
The electric scooter sped along, and they soon arrived at Chen Zihan's residential area. Chen Zihan jumped off the rear seat, then showed a shy smile and said, "Xiao Han, thank you!"
"What are you thanking me for?" Xiao Han scratched his head.
"Thank you for saving me today," Chen Zihan said shyly.
"Hehe..." Xiao Han chuckled and said, "Saving a life is traditionally rewarded with a lifelong devotion, right?"
"Cut it out!" Chen Zihan huffed.
"Uh..." Xiao Han was momentarily taken aback. Right then, Chen Zihan quickly hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and then ran off swiftly. Chen Zihan's smile turned mischievous. He knew that Chen Zihan was slowly falling for him. If previously she had merely felt a fondness for him, now she truly liked him.
Xiao Han was delighted. At least this meant his efforts hadn't been in vain.
Chen Zihan was undoubtedly the goddess of his heart. In the entire Linjiang No.1 Middle School, who wouldn't want to win over this goddess? Who wouldn't want to woo Chen Zihan? However, who else could truly be capable of that?
The following days were peaceful, and Liao Zhijie seemed not to dare show his face in front of Xiao Han. The storefront at the entrance of the pedestrian street was still being renovated, and Yang Lu was running around getting the business license.
On Saturday morning, after teaching at Hanmen Training Class, Xiao Han, without even eating midday meal, hurried to the provincial city.