You said you hated men, why are your eyes now full of love?

"Four-eyes!" Crazy Bear glared at the young man from the high platform. "You really dared to come."

Ji Mu glanced up slightly at the thug on the platform, squinting for a second in confusion.

Who is this idiot again?

After a brief pause, vague recognition flashed through his mind. "So it's you, Crazy Bear."

No wonder he hadn't shown up at school for over a month; he must have been looking for reinforcements.

Ji Mu's indifferent expression, as if Crazy Bear was barely worth remembering, instantly sent Crazy Bear into a rage.

"You've gone too far this time, Four-eyes!"

???

*Where did this divine metal come from?

Ignoring the Crazy Bear's clownish, glaring performance, Ji Mu looked over to see Ruan Qingqing tied to a chair.

She was struggling desperately to free herself, her delicate face pale and filled with helplessness, making her look fragile and pitiful.

She shook her head repeatedly at Ji Mu, eyes wide with worry beneath strands of her disheveled hair.

Leave quickly, don't worry about me...

Even though she couldn't say a word, her meaning was clear.

Seeing that the girl was unharmed, Ji Mu's tense muscles finally loosened.

Good, she's unharmed.

"Why so nervous, Mr. Ji?" Situ Yan casually flicked the lighter in his hand, his voice dripping with mockery. "I wouldn't dare to hurt our little fairy."

Ji Mu replied calmly, "Do you think this is funny? Young Master Situ Yan, don't you know that kidnapping is illegal?"

Situ Yan snorted as if Ji Mu had told the funniest joke he'd heard all year.

"You're lecturing me about the law?"

Situ Yan rose from his chair and curled his lips maliciously.

"In Tianhua City, the Situ family is the law."

Trying to act tough, huh?

Ji Mu rolled his eyes. "If you want to give a villain speech, go somewhere else. I don't have time for your nonsense."

He rolled up his sleeves impatiently. "Let her go."

Situ Yan's half-closed eyes slowly widened, studying Ji Mu carefully.

How can he still be so calm? Does he really not understand the current situation, or is he just pretending?

"Letting her go is possible," he drawled. "But that depends on whether you have the ability."

Forget it. There's no point wasting time on guessing what a dead man thinks.

Situ Yan withdrew his probing look and casually waved his hand downward.

Receiving the signal, Ying Yi prepared to strike. His eyes gleamed with a cold light, and his figure shot forward like a phantom in the night, moving so fast that it was impossible to track him with the naked eye.

In a blink, he was upon Ji Mu.

[Host, on your left!]

At the system's warning, Ji Mu sensed the threat instantly. His body shifted instinctively, narrowly dodging the attack by mere millimeters.

He missed?

Ying Yi was startled, unable to understand how Ji Mu had avoided his strike.

Without pausing, he spun reflexively, channeling his inner strength into a fierce punch aimed at Ji Mu's temple.

THUD!

The dull sound echoed through the moonlit, unfinished building.

A muffled groan followed immediately.

The pain, as though his bones had shattered, shot up his arm and flooded his brain. Ying Yi clutched his arm and staggered backward.

His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ji Mu calmly retracting his hand. All cold composure vanished from his face. "Impossible!"

This kind of strength definitely exceeded what someone at the early stage of Ming Jin should possess!

Years of cultivated vigilance made Ying Yi immediately call out to his nearby companions.

"Ying Er, Ying San, attack together! The target is—ugh!"

Long, slender fingers suddenly closed around his throat, lifting him cleanly off the ground.

The action was so fast that he couldn't even react. The grip was impossibly strong, like a yak stepping on his neck. His legs kicked involuntarily, and his face turned deathly pale.

He was held suspended helplessly until his body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Before darkness consumed him, his expression was overtaken by terror

One move. It was over in an instant.

From the sudden attack to the unconscious collapse, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

This unexpected turn of events took everyone by surprise.

The remaining two hadn't even seen what had happened. Just seconds ago, their ally had been standing, and now he lay motionless on the ground, his condition unknown.

What the hell was going on? Did the boss throw the fight?

"Ying Er, be careful!"

A black shadow flickered across the moonlit wall.

One of the thugs, still frozen in confusion, suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound cut through the air toward him.

His hair stood on end.

An overwhelming sense of crisis surged through Ying Er. Instinctively, he threw up an arm to shield himself.

BANG!

It felt like a sledgehammer had shattered the bones in his wrist, the searing pain tearing through his muscles.

Ying Er's face turned pale, veins bulging on his forehead from the sheer agony.

In the brief moment before impact, all he could see was a pair of round, framed glasses glinting in the light.

Before he could react, his opponent's foot struck with terrifying precision, delivering a swift and powerful kick to his midsection.

Ying Er's body bent like a bow before flying backward.

Ugh!

Clutching his stomach, he writhed in agony on the concrete floor, convulsing uncontrollably.

The pain was unbearable. It was like a swarm of ants was gnawing at his limbs. Even the thought of standing up seemed like an unattainable luxury.

And yet, the entire fight had lasted mere seconds.

Up on the platform, Crazy Bear was stunned, unable to believe what he was seeing.

This... this can't be real.

These were ancient martial artists with extraordinary fighting skills—not some frail nobodies! How were they getting tossed around like children?

Crazy Bear felt a surreal sense of deja vu, leaving him dazed as he recalled the fear he had felt at Ji Mu's hands back in the cafeteria.

"Uncle Fang..."

Meanwhile, Situ Yan's reaction was no different from Crazy Bear's.

His normally roguish and handsome face turned rigid, unable to maintain the composure of a mafia prince. Pure shock filled his eyes.

The first person Ji Mu had effortlessly defeated was Ying Yi, who not long ago had confidently boasted that he could make Ji Mu beg for mercy within ten breaths.

Just ten seconds ago, Situ Yan had been looking down on his opponent from a high vantage point. Now, within the next ten seconds, the situation had completely reversed.

This huge disparity left Situ Yan shaken.

He had always thought of others as prey that he could manipulate at will, not realizing that in the eyes of others, he was merely an ant, easily crushed with a single finger.

The irony was overwhelming.

Beside him, Uncle Fang's expression had turned grave.

To so easily defeat Ying Yi in mere seconds—even with his own strength, he could barely accomplish that.

Could this youth be… an An Jin (Dark Force) expert?!

Uncle Fang's breath caught in his throat, a wave of shock surging through his chest.

But he's only sixteen...

Something is definitely wrong. We severely underestimated him.

Thoughts racing, he quickly forced himself to calm down. After a brief pause, he decided firmly, "Young master, we need to leave now."

They had to report to the family head immediately.

The opponent's background was certainly more complex than what their information had suggested.

For now, Ying Er and Ying San would hold Ji Mu back. There'd be plenty of time to thoroughly investigate when they returned.

If Ji Mu truly was a disciple from an ancient martial arts family who was out to train, then they had really kicked an iron plate.

With this thought, Uncle Fang didn't even bother waiting for Situ Yan's opinion. He grabbed Situ Yan's wrist and swiftly retreated into the darkness.

Watching his allies run away, Crazy Bear was stunned.

Wait, seriously? They're leaving? What about me?!

Fighting back the fear in his heart, Crazy Bear lifted his trembling legs and ran after them.

"Wait for me, don't run so fast!"

Leaving him here to face this monster alone?

What kind of joke was that?!

Editor's note: here "divine metal" is being used idiomatically as a sarcastic way of saying, "where did this nonsense come from?" or "what's with this exaggerated reaction?" Ji Mu is looking down on Crazy Bear's outrage.

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