Chapter 301: The Battle of Zongming Mountain

Zongming Mountain Misfortune

"Unmarried fiancé?" Ling Chen was momentarily stunned.

He remembered that the porridge girl had been living in seclusion, rarely venturing out. How could she suddenly have an unmarried fiancé? But then again, he realized, this was someone else's private affair; why would she casually disclose it to an outsider? Still, the porridge girl’s words left him somewhat helpless. He was only concerned for a friend; was she overthinking things?

In the midst of his thoughts, he couldn’t resist stealing a glance at the porridge girl. Her face, delicate as a goose egg, with every contour seemingly sculpted with precision, was round and flawless. With a pert, aquiline nose and slender lips, her eyes were like pools of clear spring water, transparent and bright. Even without makeup, she was stunning beyond compare.

Such a woman would make any man’s heart flutter.

Ling Chen gathered his thoughts and patiently explained, "Porridge girl, I mean no harm; don’t misunderstand, I consider you a friend..."

The porridge girl said coolly, "Master told me, when a man is obsequiously attentive to a woman for no reason, he’s either a villain or a thief. Besides my unmarried fiancé, I cannot accept any man’s concern."

Hearing these words, Ling Chen cursed inwardly, not knowing who the porridge girl’s Master was. Her Master didn’t teach her anything else, just this Anti-pervert Skill—how utterly amoral. A beauty like her, who wouldn’t want to be friends with her? And that mysterious fiancé of hers, what sort of man was he, what merits and capabilities did he have, to actually marry such a top-tier woman?

He opened his mouth, hesitated a moment, but ultimately the words he intended to say were left unsaid. Since she was so averse to men’s care, he didn’t want to waste his breath, and turned back to He Ziyun’s side.

Little Hua said with a giggle, "Big brother, you got snubbed, didn’t you?"

"Nonsense," Ling Chen covered the embarrassment in his eyes and asked Mr. He, "How confident are you?"

"At best, fifty-fifty."

Ling Chen was slightly surprised. He Ziyun’s words clearly showed a lack of confidence. An old man in his seventies or eighties and a girl in her early twenties—such a great age difference, and an even greater disparity in their martial arts practice, yet He Ziyun was unsure. This indicated how formidable the porridge girl’s strength was.

"Ling Chen, later you take Little Hua down the mountain to wait for us."

"This... Mr. He, may I stay and watch the fight?" Ling Chen asked.

He Ziyun shook his head without a moment’s hesitation and flatly refused his request. Seeing the disappointment on Ling Chen’s face, He Ziyun spoke in earnest, "It’s not that I don’t want you to stay; observing high-level combat can improve one’s insight. However, if the skill disparity is too great, it would not only be of no benefit to you, but could also hinder you, preventing you from making progress."

Ling Chen touched his nose, feeling immensely frustrated inside. What He Ziyun meant was simple: you are too weak right now, not qualified to watch the fight. He thought to himself, is there really such a big gap between those on the Tiger List and the Earthly List?

Helplessly, Ling Chen had no choice but to take Little Hua, who had been forcibly driven away, down to the foot of the mountain.

Sitting on a smooth stone, Little Hua pouted her lips, looking unhappy. Her little legs swung back and forth, stirring the weeds, passing the dull time.

Ling Chen leaned against a thick tree trunk, a piece of foxtail grass in his mouth, arms crossed in front of his chest, gaze angled upwards at about 45 degrees, looking toward the distant mountaintop, his mind filled with images of He Ziyun and the porridge girl sparring.

At this moment, a series of engine roars suddenly reached Ling Chen’s ears.

He leaned forward, approaching the edge of the mountain path on Zongming Mountain, and looked down towards the entrance at the mountain base—three off-road vehicles were parked next to his car. The doors opened, and seven people got out from the vehicles one after another. Seeing them emerge, Ling Chen’s expression subtly changed, and he felt a twinge of unease.

Though these people were not armed with guns and did not appear fully equipped for combat, for some reason, Ling Chen detected a whiff of danger emanating from them.

Among the group were men and women, old and young, dressed in an assortment of styles—the eldest appeared to be in their seventies or eighties, clad in a rigid, old-fashioned Zhongshan suit, neat and solemn with grave expressions on their faces, while the youngest seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen, sporting a tank top and shorts, mismatched with an out-of-place pair of slippers. It was already autumn, but the youngster was dressed as if in the height of summer’s sweltering heat. The attire of the others in the group was reasonably normal.

What caught Ling Chen’s attention the most was a child, not even one meter tall, who looked to be about the same size as Little Hua and had an air of innocent naivety.

Such an oddly-styled group appearing on Zongming Mountain naturally aroused concern.

Observing the people coming up along the mountain path, Ling Chen made a snap decision, hastily returning to Little Hua’s side. He hoisted her on his shoulder and rushed into the mountain, finding a more concealed spot to put her down.

"Big brother, what are you doing?" Little Hua asked, puzzled.

"Some people are coming. I’ll go and take a look. Stay here and don’t move an inch," Ling Chen instructed.

After his cautioning words, Ling Chen returned to the midsection of the mountain path. By this time, the group had already reached the hillside, moving swiftly. Ling Chen hid behind the half-human tall weeds, keenly observing their movements with Wolf Kiss gripped tightly in his hand.

He watched as the people made their way up towards the mountaintop without stopping, and Ling Chen inwardly cursed.

Could these fellows be intending to harm He Ziyun and the porridge girl?

Thinking this, he glanced at the path beside him; there was a rugged goat trail that could bypass the main route and lead to the mountain summit. Without hesitation, he rose to take that trail, hoping to get ahead of the group to warn He Ziyun and the porridge girl.

However, just as he started moving, his clothes brushed against the nearby weeds unintentionally. The old man in the Zhongshan suit pricked up his ears; his murky eyes instantly sharpened. With a quick turn, he flicked his wrist and several darts whizzed through the air, shooting toward the thicket where Ling Chen was hiding.

Looking at the three darts on the ground, Ling Chen widened his eyes in shock.

Such precise skill!

Fortunately, he had moved promptly; had he been a moment slower, those darts would have surely hit him. This one move alone proved that the old man was an expert with skills concealed deep.

Now, as the old man reacted, a man and a woman quickly rushed toward the weeds. The man’s left sleeve was empty, tied around his waist, with only his right arm intact. The woman had a striking appearance, her left cheek adorned with a red snow lotus tattoo, adding a touch of icy allure.

Within a few strides, the two reached the thicket. Their sharp gazes swept the surroundings, on the lookout for any suspicious targets.

Ling Chen lay still in the underbrush, holding his breath without daring to exhale, intently listening to the sounds a few meters away. The man and woman moved quickly. He couldn’t escape in time and worried it would cause more noise and attract attention. Therefore, he stayed put, waiting for them to leave.

But at that moment, the pair began to walk around, pressing down the weeds with their feet as they went, checking the underbrush to see if anyone was hiding.

Seeing their movements, Ling Chen inwardly frowned. These people were not only strong, but also experienced—it seemed they would not be easy to deal with.