Soon, Auntie Yao from Yao’s Shop appeared downstairs at Hu Youli’s house.
The woman looked around, saw the man at the street corner tilting his head to signal, sighed helplessly, and then called upwards, “Youli, Youli…”
She called several times before Hu Youli appeared on the upstairs balcony and shouted down, “Auntie Yao, what is it?”
Auntie Yao shouted, “Youli, this is bad. On my way back just now, I saw your three lodgers all beaten and injured, lying by the roadside near death. You should go quickly and have a look.”
Hu Youli was greatly shocked and hurriedly shouted, “Auntie Yao, please wait a moment.”
She quickly turned back and ran into the house, threatening Little Black, who was using his toes to scratch an itch on his other foot, “Little Black, I am going to buy you something tasty now. You stay at home and practise your writing obediently. Do not run around. If I come back and find you have not finished writing these few sheets, I will not give you anything tasty.”
Little Black pouted his lips, but still nodded, “Sister, do not worry. I will definitely finish writing.”
Hu Youli had no mind to argue with him further. Once he was pacified, she left immediately. She exited the balcony, closed the door, and then leapt straight down. Upon landing, she grabbed Auntie Yao’s arm and asked, “Where?”
“I will take you. Follow me.” Auntie Yao turned and walked away.
Hu Youli had not expected that Auntie Yao, who had always been kind to her, would deceive her, and so she followed.
The moment the two disappeared, the man at the street corner immediately appeared. He flew across in a few steps, leapt straight onto Hu Youli’s balcony, forced the door open, and at first glance saw Little Black inside practising his writing.
Little Black also looked up and saw him, instantly realising something was wrong. He flipped backwards and pounced, grabbing his big staff in hand, and shouted, “What are you doing?”
The corner of the man’s mouth twisted into a smile. He found this child rather amusing, and his movements were quite nimble.
He did not reply, nor did he bother with any nonsense. With a flash of his body, he reached out his hand to grab Little Black.
Little Black would not sit and wait for death. He immediately swung his staff and smashed it angrily.
However, the difference in strength between the two sides was enormous. The man grabbed the staff in one hand, and at the same time felt rather surprised, sensing that the force of this child’s staff attack was not small.
“Big Staff…” Little Black had only called out once before the man’s other hand gripped his neck.
Fearing that Little Black would make some noise, the man circulated his power to suppress him, instantly making it difficult for Little Black to move and hard to make a sound.
The sudden change also happened at this same moment. What he thought was a wooden carving staff suddenly popped out two shadows like a ghost.
Two thuds, and two blood flowers splashed on his chest.
Big Staff opened its eyes, revealing dark, gem-like pupils. Its two tightly retracted, sickle-like forelimbs suddenly shot out, both plunging into the man’s chest.
This killing move was partly due to Little Black’s shout, and partly due to the training from Old Rat Woman back in the day. It did not go soft on killing.
The man’s eyes instantly widened. He lowered his head to look at his blood-drenched chest, at the two sickles plunged into his chest, his eyes full of disbelief. Only now did he realise that what he had grabbed was not a staff at all. He also felt his life rapidly fading, and his hand was already too weak to control Little Black, who was struggling with brute force.
Moreover, Little Black truly possessed a body of brute force. The man’s arm went soft and released its grip. He staggered, his steps faltered, and he swayed, about to kneel down.
Little Black, now on the ground, immediately grasped Big Staff with both hands and directly pulled its two forelimbs out from the man’s chest.
Little Black jumped up, raised Big Staff with both hands, and smashed it down.
Big Staff immediately knew what he was going to do. It instantly closed its eyes, and its limbs quickly retracted again, shrinking back into the compact staff form.
Bang!
A resounding crash. Little Black jumped up and swung the staff down violently, smashing it onto the kneeling man’s head.
Blood emerged from the man’s forehead. He was instantly beaten until his head was broken and blood flowed. His eyes rolled back, and blood was also flowing from his chest.
Little Black was not done. He spun his body in one smooth motion, raised the staff, and delivered another horizontal sweep.
Bang! The man, whose head was already bleeding from the side, fell to the ground with a thud, convulsing.
Thud, thud, thud…
Little Black swung the staff and smashed the man repeatedly without stopping, beating him into a bloody pulp, and splattering himself all over with blood.
At this moment, his untamed, undisciplined wildness surged up again. He knew no rules, considered no consequences. He just attacked.
He continued until the man was completely motionless. Only then did Little Black immediately run to the door, glance outside, and then quickly retreat and close the door.
His appearance made Qing Ya, who was sitting behind a window of a certain building, freeze. Especially Little Black’s obvious action of retreating and closing the door. How did this look like someone who had been kidnapped? Where was the person who had just gone in to handle the matter?
He was not the only one who discovered the anomaly. Liu Piaopiao, behind another window, also noticed.
After separating from Yu Qing, Liu Piaopiao had not returned at the same time. She was still the one who withdrew first. Who would have known that the moment she turned back, her subordinates informed her that the observation point had discovered an anomaly. She immediately ran to the window to see what was happening.
Those who also discovered the anomaly included the accomplice of the man who had been beaten into a bloody pulp. So another man quickly flashed upstairs and forcibly pushed open the balcony window. Seeing the corpse on the floor inside the house, he was naturally greatly shocked.
Little Black, who had already hugged his staff and hidden on the second floor in alert, knew upon hearing the movement downstairs that another thief had indeed come.
In those years at Rift Valley Villa, the greatest skill he had honed was not fighting, but hiding and running away. His reaction was still the same now. He understood that he would likely be no match for these adults in a frontal confrontation.
Upon hearing the movement downstairs, he immediately opened the door to the second-floor balcony, leapt onto the balcony railing, and jumped out with a flying leap. It was a textbook suicide jump.
Qing Ya, who was behind the window peeling peanuts, was startled. He stood up directly in shock, his eyes wide open.
From a height of more than five zhang, a child this small jumping down would surely be smashed to death. He had come to take a hostage, not to kill a hostage. He had personally led people out to handle such a small matter precisely for the sake of efficient scheduling and a swift resolution. If it went wrong, it would truly be a slap in his face.
He was instantly furious, wondering how his subordinates, a bunch of dogs, had handled things. Two grown men could not even control a child. It was truly a disgrace.
Liu Piaopiao, behind another window, also widened her eyes, watching Little Black crash towards the ground.
The distance was too great. Even if she wanted to help, it was too late.
By now, even a child had been forced to jump off a building. How could she not know that something had happened at Yu Qing’s residence?
Just as her heart leapt to her throat, the falling Little Black suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then flew away.
Big Staff unfurled its black, curtain-like wings, lifted Little Black, and fled urgently.
“…”
This sudden change left Liu Piaopiao dumbstruck.
“…”
Qing Ya, with peanuts still pinched in his hand, was also full of astonishment.
The noise of the door opening upstairs had ultimately alerted the man below who was examining the corpse. That man quickly flashed upstairs. After seeing Little Black dash out, he was also startled. Then, seeing Little Black fly up, he immediately flashed out, flying and landing on the roofs of the houses on either side of the street.
He flew and leapt across the roofs a few steps, then soared into the air, catching up to Little Black in mid-air.
There was no other way. Big Staff’s speed while carrying a load was not that fast. Although it was already fleeing urgently, it was still a bit too slow.
Little Black was fierce. He kicked out at the attacker.
The attacker, however, grabbed his lower leg, swung his arm in the air, and the flying Big Staff immediately lost its balance.
Bang! The man kicked out with a flying foot in mid-air, and Big Staff shot out like a meteor. With another thud, it was driven into the wall of a roadside house.
Little Black, his long hair flying, his mouth crying out wildly, waved his fists and punched desperately in the air, but he was ultimately subdued by the other party in a few moves.
The man pinched the back of his neck, circulated his power in a rush, and the fierce Little Black immediately rolled his eyes and fainted.
The man brought Little Black and landed on a roof. He looked around, did not linger for a moment, tucked the person under his arm, and flew away swiftly.
Qing Ya, who had witnessed this with his own eyes, was fuming in his heart again. The purpose of luring the person away before making a move to capture the child was to avoid causing any disturbance. Now, it was fine. He did not know how many people had seen this scene.
Fortunately, this matter involved more than just his side this time. He estimated that certain people should be able to cover it up.
After feeling slightly more assured in his heart, the peanuts he had peeled were slowly put into his mouth to chew. His gaze was still fixed on Hu Youli’s house, because one of his subordinates had not come out yet. He still did not know what was going on.
Liu Piaopiao, however, quickly turned around and shouted, “Go, capture that person!”
There was no need to explain. Naturally, it was to capture the person who had taken Little Black.
“Yes.” The two subordinates cupped their hands and accepted the order.
The two were about to rush off in pursuit when a shout suddenly came from behind, “Halt!”
The two turned around and saw a person standing at the door. It was precisely the Zhenhai Office’s Great Manager Qi Duolai. The two immediately cupped their hands in salute.
Liu Piaopiao also cupped her hands. To Qi Duolai, who was entering, she said urgently, “Great Manager, a kidnapping has just occurred in broad daylight…”
Before she could finish her words, Qi Duolai directly interrupted, “I know. People have already been sent to pursue and capture.”
Liu Piaopiao: “Great Manager…”
Qi Duolai interrupted again, “There is no need for you to worry about this matter. In a moment, there will be another important task for you to handle.”
Being repeatedly dissuaded, Liu Piaopiao’s bright eyes flickered. She gazed deeply at the other party, realising that this matter was not so simple. She slowly turned her head again to look at Hu Youli’s house…
Big Staff, which had been driven into the wall, was as if dead. After being quiet for a while, it struggled with its limbs and pulled itself out of the wall hole. It shook its head, quickly climbed onto the roof, and looked around in all directions from the roof.
Having taken such a fierce blow, it was fine as if nothing had happened. One could see how sturdy and resistant its body was. No wonder it could be used as a staff by Little Black.
It failed to see Little Black, then spread its wings and flew back into Hu Youli’s house.
Just then, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie rushed back in a great hurry, borrowing other people’s roofs as a path, returning in a straight line.
One could do anything on one’s own roof, but jumping around on other people’s roofs was against the rules. If you broke something on someone else’s roof and ran away, who would the victim seek compensation from? Therefore, if caught running around on other people’s roofs, one would be fined.
However, the two could no longer care about this. After being lured to the so-called seaside where Yu Qing had had an accident, the two naturally discovered something was wrong. Realising they had been deceived, they immediately rushed back at full speed.
Seeing that the doors to both the upstairs and downstairs balconies were wide open, the two already felt that something was amiss.
The two entered the upper and lower balconies one after another. Their swords were already drawn with a swish, and they cautiously entered on guard.