"They used to live in slums?"
Li Fan stood up from the chair. His movement was so forceful that the chair toppled from the recoil. He paced back and forth a few times, occasionally looking at the servant to find any signs of falsehood. He could find none.
The servant kept his head bowed, his chin touching his chest. His arms were folded before his crotch, and his shoulders slumped. A clear sign of absolute servitude.
Li Fan would not doubt an individual this servile, not even in his dreams. And yet, this person had hidden an important fact from his master.
The children in question were under the protection of the notorious criminal, Red Eye. The same Red Eye who had killed Wei Family Patriarch and executed his son in the crowded square, to avenge his wife.
The whole story about the kids living in slums still sounded like a sham to Li Fan. But a little more digging had yielded results. The Kids had indeed lived in the slums.
When his people asked ordinary folks, they were told that the kids were cared for by someone who looked like Xin Ruo. The same lass who has now become the goddess in the hearts of many.
Li Fan realized by now that he had been played. His ego took a hit. Every piece of news was like a salt rub on his wounded pride.
"That bastard! How dare he play me!" Li Fan fumed with rage. He flung the chair across the room, shattering it to smithereens.
When he calmed down, he laughed at the sheer idiocy of his fear that night.
"Hahaha! I had him under my thumb, and I still fell for his ploy."
But then his hysterical laughter turned to chilly tranquility. He was not the one to take such an insult lying down.
Staring murderously ahead, he clenched his fists.
"Ikasa, it is time for you to depart from this world. Yin Ying, get your best men. We are going, now."
Yin Ying wanted to say something to dissuade him from rushing to a decision. Nevertheless, she kept mum. Because, when she had looked into his eyes, she knew her words would fall on deaf ears.
She obediently followed her young master to a place that was no different than a dragon's lair in her mind.
When the members of Umbra departed from Li estate, Feng Yan had just moved into an empty room in the Ikasa's mansion.
Ikasa would have never dared to invite him for a stay if not for the dire situation they were in.
When the two met in his study, Ikasa explained the detailed plan to Feng Yan.
"Are sure Li Fan will back off after knowing my identity?"
Feng Yan asked skeptically. He knew he was not that influential of a bigshot, who could scare Li Fan witless.
"As far as I know him, he would. In addition, I had fed him that special identity bullshit. He might connect dots and come up with some terrifying alternate reality himself."
Ikasa dismissed Feng Yan's worries. He had lost exactly three hairs and a night's sleep worrying over this problem himself. He was in no mood to engage in what-ifs.
Instead, thinking about a Plan B was a much more productive use of his time. Speaking of Plan B, Ikasa was reminded of the task he had assigned to Feng Yan.
"How many of your people are ready to move? Are they prepared to leave at a moment's notice?"
Ikasa asked while organizing his papers. Feng Yan sighed in response.
"Only 32 of the 51 of them agreed. Not all of them want to start anew in a new city."
Ikasa looked up in surprise.
"Why? Didn't you say they are living a harsh life in the slums?"
Feng Yan raised his hands in frustration.
"I bring them food and clothing. But yes, their living conditions are bad."
Ikasa shook his head, understanding Feng Yan's chagrin.
"Okay, then 32 it is…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a loud bang.
Feng Yan and Ikasa met each other's eyes. They shared a grim smile.
"It is time to face the music."
When they reached downstairs, the entire living room was a mess. The Kids were bravely holding off the grunts while Xin Ruo faced Yin Ying, the number one of the Umbra.
On the other side of the room, Li Fan was leisurely sitting on the sofa, enjoying the fights around him. Two goons were by his side, protecting him.
"We'll move according to plan."
Ikasa mouthed to Feng Yan, and he jumped into action. Feng Yan nodded and covered his face before rushing to his daughter's side.
—--
Xin Ruo and Yin Ying were evenly matched despite the multiple-stage difference between the two.
Yin Ying specialized in assassinations. In a frontal confrontation, she lost her advantage. If that was not enough, she had to capture her target alive, and without causing significant harm.
Even though handicapped, what could she do except obey her master?
Due to the odds stacked against her, Xin Ruo was able to match her skilled opponent. She was going toe to toe against someone who had vast fighting experience.
She threw a punch aiming at Yin Ying's right boob. Her opponent's lithe body dodged it effortlessly. Yin Ying stepped back and suddenly attacked Xin Ruo's exposed left side with a kick.
Xin Ruo bent over from the kick that hit her in the floating rib. Just when Yin Ying was preparing to hold her in a headlock, she saw Feng Yan rushing toward her.
Danger! Her instincts yelled to her. This was not an opponent to be treated with callousness.
Yin Ying paused to take out her dagger. Feng Yan was not her target, so she could kill him. But her momentary pause cost her.
'Gazelle Punch'
A powerful punch hit her in the jaw. She lost her orientation for a second.
Xin Ruo made use of the brief moment to launch a comeback. She sent a flurry of kicks at her dazed opponent.
Yin Ying dodged and deflected most of the kicks despite being disoriented. Still, a well-placed kick to her knees made her lose her balance and fall on the floor.
Xin Ruo aimed a Nutcracker Kick at her fallen opponent's elbow. As the kick connected to the elbow, she shouted,
"This for Chu Qing, you bi*ch!"
With a loud crack, the hand holding the dagger went limp. Anyone could see the whites of the broken bones of her upper arm.
To her credit, Yin Ying did not let a moan escape even after facing such a grievous injury. Her eyes were lit with anger. She tried to get back up and fight back.
Xin Ruo was not going to give her a chance to come back. She rushed and kneed her throat, making her unconscious.
Within seconds, the fight was over. Astonished, Feng Yan looked at his daughter in a new light.
He did not even get a chance to intervene before his 6th-stage daughter had taken down a 9th-stage Pinnacle Path Forger.
The Kids were injected with stimulants seeing their big sister take down the strongest opponent they had faced to date. With renewed vigor, they launched a new barrage of attacks.
Even though they were inexperienced in fights, their random attacks packed a punch due to their Top Grade Cultivation Manual.
"Qiqi, get this guy!"
Chu Qing yelled as he locked one of the grunts in place, with his arms.
"I am coming!"
Qiqi charged toward the grunt aiming at his family's jewels.
"Nutcracker Kick!"
She yelled when she was at arm's length from connecting with her target.
Even before the kick connected, the grunt screamed from the fear of the upcoming agony.
With a loud 'thuupp', Luo Qiqi ended the poor guy's lineage.
"Aaaaaarrrrrghhhhh"
His mournful screech brought the battle to a standstill. Yan Xiao took this chance to double slap his opponent with a Forehand and a Backhand.
This guy fainted from the buzzing the impact caused in his head.
Pei Yuan took advantage of the mayhem to undo the knot of the belt of the grunt he was fighting against. The belt was the only thing keeping his pants in place.
Once it was undone, the pants slid down. His opponent tripped on the pants that bunched up at his ankles and fell face first. His pretty white bum was exposed for his peers to view.
While others were holding off the grunts, Ikasa silently sneaked to the mastermind behind this attack. With Feng Yan joining the battle, the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
Unable to tolerate this, Li Fan ordered the grunts protecting him to take care of the pesky kids.
'Yes. Send them away.'
Ikasa cheered in his mind as he saw grunts try to reign in the unorthodox kids.
He reached the pillar beside the couch where Li Fan was sitting. But he couldn't find a chance to approach him without being noticed.
Without the protection of his guards, Li Fan had raised his vigilance. He was surveying his surroundings and the battles at the same time.
Suddenly, Ikasa noticed Li Fan swallow a mouthful of saliva. He was ogling something intently. When Ikasa followed his line of sight, he saw two plump white buns exposed to everyone.
He smirked and rushed to Li Fan. He followed the movements of the High-Grade technique, Chop, and landed a hit on the back of his neck.
His eyes, enjoying the booty a few seconds ago, turned to look at his assailant. But before they could see the attacker, they rolled back in his head.
Then his taut body slumped in his seat. Ikasa yelled the signal he had discussed with Feng Yan beforehand.
"He's out!"
And now Feng Yan unleashed his full power on the miserable lackeys of the Li Family.