Those guys turned their heads and saw a young fellow trying to interfere. One of them, donning a gold necklace, gelled hair parted 3:7, swore, "Kid, you better stay out of this, lest my wrath you encounter."
No matter what was said, they weren't going to listen. Verbal persuasion proved futile; action was in order.
Including the driver sitting in the car, there were six of them in total. Li Huai advanced swiftly, launching a kick that sent the 3:7 haired youth flying into the air.
This powerful kick raised the alarm among the bullies who had previously disregarded him.
The quickest to react was a guy with a black mole on his face; he pulled out a baseball bat from the car and swung it at Li Huai.
Just as Liu Xiangli caught up, she saw this scene unfold. But what followed left her astonished.
A swift swing of the baseball bat came tumbling down towards Li Huai, who neither evaded nor flinched. Instead, he countered with a punch. 'Crack', the baseball bat was broken in twain. With another kick, the guy with the black mole was also sent flying.
Compared to an iron shovel, a baseball bat is much thicker, sturdier, and makes for a formidable weapon in fights. Yet it was smashed by a single punch from Li Huai - this left not only Liu Xiangli amazed, but also the remaining bullies.
Someone who seems frail but can turn terrifyingly powerful creates a profound impact.
"Draw your knives, I'll bear the brunt if things go south!" shouted the 3:7 haired young man, scorned and defeated. Both he and the guy with the black mole, despite only being kicked by Li Huai, were writhing in pain, unable to get up.
Hearing the command, the remaining four men, including the driver, stepped out of the car. Two of them fetched two more baseball bats from the car, while the other two, upon grimacing, indeed pulled out sharp blades.
Seeing the knives, Liu Xiangli yelled in fright, "Li Huai, they've got knives, run!"
Run? Li Huai scoffed. A blade or even a gun posed no fear for him. Not wishing to waste any more time, he took the initiative to attack. His clenched fist was engulfed in a white mist - was he using the Frost Fist technique? Indeed, Li Huai was employing the first move of Frost Fist, Frost Wind Strikes.
Since learning the Frost Fist, he was either punching stones or trees; he had never tried it on humans. Now was the chance to test it out.
Whoosh!
Li Huai moved like the wind. Even if the enemies had guns, they wouldn't be able to keep up with his speed.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Four punches in rapid succession from Li Huai. So swift were his strikes that they seemed to land simultaneously. The adversaries had no time to react and each one was hit.
Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!
Four screams echoed as the remaining opponents were sent flying and hitting the ground hard. Then, something strange occurred.
Despite it being August, a chill permeated the air, as if they had been plunged into an icy cave with sub-zero temperatures.
"What…the heck…? Why is there frost on you guys?" gasped the 3:7 haired youth, noticing frost on his companions.
Why was it so? No need to guess - it was surely this kid's doing, but how did he do it? The bullies stared at Li Huai as if he were a monster, their faces pallid with fear.
"Damn, it's a ghost, run!" The 3:7 youth was the first to jump into the car. Upon making sure his companions were all on board, he stepped on the gas pedal and sped off. To their relief, the 'monster' did not pursue them.
Those viewing Li Huai as a monster were not just the bullies, but also the onlookers, Liu Xiangli, and the girl who had been rescued. All were fixated on Li Huai as if he were a monster.
This sense of shock and bewilderment made Li Huai feel uneasy. He approached Liu Xiangli and said, "Sis Xiangli, let's go."
"Huh?" Liu Xiangli snapped out of her daze, nodding somewhat dully.
They hadn't walked far when the rescued girl caught up with them, "Excuse me, please wait!"
The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, with a ponytail, a round face, and a touch of baby fat that was just the right amount.
Her features were finely chiseled, her big black eyes were bright and clear, very vivacious. Her voice was soft when she spoke, giving people the impression that she was the girl next door.
When she laughed, two shallow dimples would emerge, dimpling very sweetly.
Her white T-shirt was a bit loose, revealing her collarbone and invisible straps. Paired with denim shorts and slender, fair-skinned legs, they were radiant under the sun, as if emitting a charming halo.
Although there were no brand-name items on her, she didn't look like a rural person, but like a city person instead.
However, Li Huai was wrong. The girl was called He Nanqing, a rural person, who had just graduated from college.
As she said, her family arranged a marriage for her without her consent. The other party was from their town, that 3/7-parted hair youth she met just now. His family was into business, quite rich.
But no matter what, He Nanqing did not agree to this marriage.
After rejecting once, she returned to the city to wait for graduation and look for work. A few days later, He Nanqing's mother called her, saying that her father had suddenly fallen ill and was seriously ill, being treated in the hospital.
At that time, He Nanqing didn't think too much, bought a ticket, and hurried home.
What she didn't expect was that her father was not sick. They had merely used this as an excuse to deceive her back home to force her to marry the 3/7-parted hair youth.
No matter what, He Nanqing insisted on not agreeing, and after being trapped at home for a few days, she finally found an opportunity to escape when her parents were out.
As luck would have it, she happened to meet the 3/7-parted hair youth in the county town.
The 3/7-parted hair youth knew that He Nanqing did not want to marry him. However, she was beautiful, and he was hell-bent on marrying her, especially as he had already given the bride price money.
As a result, the scene just now unfolded.
Thankfully, Li Huai stepped forward, otherwise, He Nanqing really didn't dare to imagine if she could escape again if she was caught and taken back this time.
If she couldn't escape, then she would definitely have to marry the 3/7-parted hair youth. Marrying and having children early is not what she wanted.
Therefore, He Nanqing was extremely grateful to Li Huai.
"Humph! I can't believe there are such parents in the world!" Li Huai held back his cursing, after all, they were He Nanqing's parents. Even if they did something wrong, if he cursed them, He Nanqing would also be upset.
He Nanqing thought it was a bit strange, the man and woman in front of her; the man in green military clothing, wearing shoes with thousand-layer soles was still reasonable. But the woman in red dress, just like a bride, was a bit strange.
"We're leaving, sister, take care of yourself." Liu Xiangli said, it was getting late, and thinking of ways to return to Jianghai before dark was important.
"Where are you guys going?" He Nanqing asked casually.
"Jianghai." Li Huai said.
"Jianghai? I'm also going to Jianghai, we can be travel companions!" He Nanqing immediately caught up with them.
"You're going to Jianghai too?" Liu Xiangli stopped, "Sister, could you lend me your phone and your bank card?"
"Sure!" Without thinking, He Nanqing gave her phone and bank card to Liu Xiangli. But she was curious, it was normal to borrow a phone to make calls, but what was the bank card for?
While Liu Xiangli went to make a phone call, Li Huai explained Liu Xiangli's experiences and current situation to He Nanqing, and only then did He Nanqing understand.