Chapter 634 - 632: Stalling for Time
"Stop! If you come any closer, don’t blame me for being rude."
Xue Kong frowned, unsure whether this guy was doing it on purpose or was just an idiot. Logically, someone who could injure Hu Fei should have decent strength, but this kid was clearly only at Yellow Dao four stars. What was going on?
After Xue Kong shouted, Chen Tianlong finally snapped back to clarity.
He knew the person in front of him was not Chen Kong from the past. Regardless, he was an enemy now. Whether it was really Chen Kong or not, this was wrong. These were drug lords; how could Chen Kong be involved with them?
"No way, I must pull Chen Kong out. He must be controlled by the drug lords, which is why he doesn’t dare to recognize himself," Chen Tianlong thought, then suddenly glanced aside and noticed many small secret paths near the cave entrance.
If he were to confront Xue Kong directly now, it definitely wouldn’t work. The only option was to escape and delay, waiting for Director Zhao to arrive before coming up with another plan.
Xue Kong seemed to have figured out Chen Tianlong’s thoughts and quickly darted to the side. Chen Tianlong was somewhat frustrated; this person was truly formidable, able to read people’s minds, indeed a master.
"Think you’re running? No chance."
Xue Kong coldly blocked Chen Tianlong’s path, leaving him frustrated.
However, the person before him was clearly not Xue Kong but a villain, bearing the shadow of Chen Kong but devoid of any emotional color.
Even so, Chen Tianlong couldn’t bring himself to harm him fatally and indeed couldn’t. He could only retreat a few steps, planning to escape outside.
Although Chen Tianlong had exhausted much of his strength and Powerful Qi, he could still use Ghost Shadow Step. As he quickly began to run out, he suddenly found someone standing ahead - it was Zhang Yufei.
"Damn, why did Zhang Yufei return so early?"
Chen Tianlong was frustrated. He had been planning to escape, but now it seemed impossible. If he ran, what would happen to Zhang Yufei? He was a cultivator, a couple of hits wouldn’t be a big deal, but she wasn’t; a single strike could be fatal.
So Chen Tianlong couldn’t afford to think much; he quickly ran to Zhang Yufei, grabbed her hand, and prepared to run with her. But at that moment, Xue Kong appeared again in front of them.
"Master Xue, take out this kid, he’s really strange."
Hu Fei finally caught his breath, his injuries had somewhat stabilized, and he was basically able to stand up. As long as it wasn’t intense fighting, he should be fine; after all, he’s a Yellow Dao six-star cultivator at worst.
Of course, Xue Kong knew how strange Chen Tianlong was, so before Hu Fei could say much, he immediately dashed forward and struck at Chen Tianlong with a palm.
"Xiaoling, you run first, I’ll find you later."
Seeing the opponent’s attack so fierce, the only thought that crossed Chen Tianlong’s mind was to escape. Direct confrontation was definitely not feasible; after all, their rank difference was too vast, even if he could barely avoid it, it would only be for a few moves.
"Chen Tianlong, I... I won’t run."
Zhang Yufei understood Chen Tianlong’s intention, but under such circumstances, if she ran, Chen Tianlong was left with only death. She didn’t want to watch Chen Tianlong die helplessly.
Chen Tianlong felt helpless; he knew Zhang Yufei’s personality, if she didn’t want to do something, you couldn’t move her by force.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Tianlong decided to confront Xue Kong for a while, then have Zhang Yufei seize the chance to escape into the secret paths. This way, there might be a chance for survival; after all, she might encounter Director Zhao in the secret paths.
"Xiaoling, let’s do this. There’s a secret path over there, and Director Zhao and the others might still be trapped inside the factory cave. Once inside, quickly find Director Zhao; it’s our only salvation," Chen Tianlong whispered into Zhang Yufei’s ear.
"Ah? That’s how it is."
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yufei realized it was indeed the case, and she nodded in agreement.
Chen Tianlong took a deep breath; with Hu Fei not yet recovered, if he could just handle Xue Kong for a while and lure him aside, Zhang Yufei could escape into the secret paths.
With this in mind, Chen Tianlong directly punched forward, not aiming to strike but to provoke, attempting to lure Xue Kong away.
Xue Kong was somewhat surprised by Chen Tianlong’s sudden attack.
Though surprised, Chen Tianlong’s attack did little harm. But this kid was strange; was he deliberately suppressing his strength, or did he have some hidden trump card?
For the always cautious Xue Kong, everything had to be handled meticulously.
Xue Kong dodged Chen Tianlong’s attack with a swift step, and they both arrived onto a patch of grass near the cave entrance.
Taking advantage of this, Chen Tianlong launched another attack at Xue Kong. After a cold laugh, Xue Kong didn’t continue being passive but swung his fist towards Chen Tianlong, though not with full force.
Xue Kong also felt strange, apparently lacking any intent to kill the man before him, not having the consciousness to kill Chen Tianlong. In his mind, he was still pondering Chen Tianlong’s previous words; why did he call him Chen Kong?
Moreover, every time he heard this name, a current seemed to flash through Xue Kong’s head, impacting his memory.
"Boom!"
With a muffled sound, Chen Tianlong was blown backward; although Xue Kong hadn’t used full force, the gap between a seven-star master and a four-star master, who had expended most of his energy and Powerful Qi, was immense.
However, Chen Tianlong was prepared; though it appeared to be a confrontation, he was actually defending. He used Powerful Qi for protection, appearing to cough up blood but his meridians were intact.
Seeing the opportunity, Zhang Yufei quickly took off running. Xue Kong saw her action, initially planning to stop her but was held back by Chen Tianlong’s renewed attack.
The only thing Chen Tianlong could rely on to confront Xue Kong now was his movement speed and endless stamina, because his Heart Method was continuously in operation.
While Xue Kong couldn’t pursue Zhang Yufei, Hu Fei could. After some time adjusting, Hu Fei had mostly recovered. Though handling Chen Tianlong might be difficult, dealing with Zhang Yufei was certainly manageable.
Therefore, Hu Fei didn’t continue meditating, directly stood up, and walked towards the secret path entrance. His purpose was clear, he meant to capture Zhang Yufei.
Of course, Chen Tianlong had long noticed Hu Fei’s actions, but he was stretched thin, barely able to cope with confronting Xue Kong, with no spare time to take care of Zhang Yufei.
"Kid, although I don’t know who you are, being with that policewoman and discovering our warehouse means certain death."
Xue Kong threatened, glancing at the employees nearby who were staring blankly, urgently shouting, "Move everything to the riverbank."
"Ah? Yes, yes..." The employees reacted quickly to Xue Kong’s orders and began heading to the warehouse. They were to move goods to the riverbank, though they were clueless about what Xue Kong intended.