Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Li Xiaoran screamed and involuntarily hugged Zhao Dong. "Zhao Dong… it hurts… It's like a knife, so painful…" Tears streamed down Li Xiaoran's face. Her body convulsed, the agony suffocating. She had never expected Zhao Dong to actually go through with it, nor had she anticipated this much pain. Soon, Li Xiaoran's head swam, and she almost lost consciousness.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, it was all over.

Zhao Dong looked at the crimson stain on the desk and narrowed his eyes. So she really was…

At that moment, Li Xiaoran looked completely drained. She glanced at Zhao Dong, her expression a complex mask, and said weakly, "Are you satisfied now, Zhao Dong? You should let me go."

Zhao Dong replied indifferently, "I can, but first, you have to tell me why you wanted to harm Gu Moning."

Li Xiaoran opened her eyes and said faintly, "I've given my body to you. I suppose that makes me your woman now, so you should be helping me!"

Zhao Dong shrugged. "Don't even go there. You're not my woman. We each took what we needed, and I'm not responsible for anything more. Besides, this is the price for trying to kill me. There are no feelings between us."

"Zhao… how can you be so heartless?" Li Xiaoran asked, sounding aggrieved.

A corner of Zhao Dong's mouth twisted into a smirk. "We're all adults here. Stop playing these games with me and come downstairs."

"I won't!" Li Xiaoran snapped, throwing a small tantrum with a strange hint of coquettishness.

Zhao Dong's gaze turned cold as he stared straight at her. A shiver ran down Li Xiaoran's spine as a profound sense of fear gripped her heart. Feeling wronged, she fell silent and got dressed, then followed Zhao Dong downstairs.

The moment they reached the ground floor, Zhao Dong frowned. Gu Moning was nowhere in sight.

His pupils constricted. Gu Moning came here with me. If anything happened to her, I could never live with myself!

"Where is Gu Moning?" Zhao Dong's gaze turned impossibly frigid, and the chilling look startled Li Xiaoran.

She panicked as well. "I don't know where she is! I swear, I really don't!"

Zhao Dong's perception was incredibly keen. He swept his gaze over Li Xiaoran and, convinced she wasn't lying, grew intensely anxious and rushed out into the courtyard.

As soon as he was outside, he looked out into the night, and his expression changed. A sinister shadow flashed through the courtyard! A dangerous aura radiated from the figure, and Zhao Dong's expression turned grim.

He roared at the shadowy figure, "Let her go!"

The figure gave a sinister laugh. Hidden in the gloom, his features were obscured by a black cloth, and he was dressed head to toe in black.

"Are you a man or a ghost!" Zhao Dong demanded coldly.

The figure stood his ground, holding Gu Moning captive. "You are not of the Gu Family," he said to Zhao Dong in a chilling voice, "so why have you come here?"

Zhao Dong replied coldly, "I may not be from the Gu Family, but I won't stand by and watch you harm someone! Release her immediately!"

"Insolent brat! You dare speak to me like that? I could slap you to death!"

As he spoke, the figure stirred a frigid wind and lunged at Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong's pupils constricted. Without a moment's hesitation, he gathered all the Spiritual Energy in his body into his right fist, unleashed the Dragon-breaking Fist, and blasted it toward the figure.

The figure met his attack with a palm strike. The instant their fist and palm connected, a wild wind erupted. A powerful shockwave spread out from them as the epicenter. The paving stones cracked, sand and grit flew through the air, and the trees thrashed violently.

Li Xiaoran lost her footing and was sent flying by the shockwave, hitting the ground hard and coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Zhao Dong's expression flickered. He immediately launched the Dragon-breaking Fist again, unleashing a torrent of punches that rained down on the shadowy figure. The figure was composed and obviously an expert, parrying Zhao Dong's strikes. They became locked in a furious exchange of blows, one attacking while the other defended in a nonstop flurry of fists and feet. The terrifying power and astonishing speed of their exchange blurred their forms.

"Huayin Cross Fist!" the figure roared, his fists tracing a strange cross pattern in the air. His aura swelled as he drove a punch straight for Zhao Dong's chest.

Zhao Dong hadn't anticipated that his speed could increase so sharply. He failed to react in time and took several punches square in the chest, sending him staggering backward. He was sent flying, tumbling several times before he landed, clutching his chest and coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

His entire body ached intensely, as if his bones were about to shatter. Panting heavily, he forced himself back to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said coldly, "Again!"

"You've got a death wish, boy. If you don't learn your place, this will be the day you die!"

The figure showed no mercy. He kicked off the ground with his back leg, cracking the pavement, and shot forward like a gale, launching a palm strike with the force of a tidal wave straight at Zhao Dong. Zhao Dong didn't take the blow head-on. He dodged and countered with an attack from the side.

The figure frowned, grunted coldly, and then unexpectedly whipped out a leg, smashing it down onto Zhao Dong's shoulder. Zhao Dong's body buckled, his shoulder blade screaming in agony as if it were about to shatter.

The figure's eyes were filled with disdain and indifference. "Do you really think a little skill makes you something special? You're nothing but an ant!"

A cold sneer appeared in Zhao Dong's eyes. "Really? You're not worthy of saying that to me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Dong's hand shot out and seized the figure's ankle. Concentrating his Spiritual Energy into his right fist, he executed the Mystic Sky Fist, smashing it into the figure's leg with incredible force.

CRACK!

The figure's face twisted in agony. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and a savage expression flashed in his eyes.

"Damn you, kid! I'll kill you!" he roared, launching a punch straight at Zhao Dong's heart.

Zhao Dong lashed out with a fist of his own, meeting the figure's blow head-on. With one leg caught in Zhao Dong's grasp, the figure was unsteady. The impact of the blow sent him stumbling, and he fell to the ground.

Zhao Dong also took a punch, his qi and blood roiling, but he seized the opening. With a roar, he hammered his fists down on the figure like raindrops.

At first, the figure managed to block, but after two punches, his defense fell into disarray. Zhao Dong's punches were utterly without reason, devoid of any discernible pattern, making them impossible to defend against. The man took several hard blows as a result. One heavy punch landed squarely on his nose, making stars explode before his eyes as a wave of nausea washed over him.

However, he was no pushover. He simply dropped to the ground and swung his other leg, sweeping it toward Zhao Dong's lower body. The attack struck Zhao Dong's legs, and the sheer force of the blow made him lose his balance and fall to the ground.

The figure immediately rolled and sprang up, his fist radiating murderous intent as it shot toward Zhao Dong. Zhao Dong rolled away several times, then sprang to his feet with a bounce and kicked at the figure's chest. The figure hurriedly crossed his arms to block. He managed to stop the kick but still staggered back two steps.

His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "You're so young… what level of power is this?"

"None of your damn business!" Zhao Dong cracked his neck, shot forward like an arrow, and engaged the figure in battle once more.

After a few more exchanges, both of them unleashed their strongest palm strikes.

BOOM!

With a muffled explosion, Zhao Dong was thrown backward, while the figure staggered back seven or eight meters, his face pale and blood trickling from his mouth.

The figure was stunned. I'm a sixth-level Master! How could I have fought this kid to a near standstill?

Dusty and battered, Zhao Dong coughed up more blood. He pushed himself up from the ground, supporting his aching body. Panting heavily, he looked at the figure and rasped, "You're not taking her today. Not unless you kill me."

The ferocity in Zhao Dong's eyes startled the figure, and an ominous feeling washed over him.

"Insolent whelp! I'll spare your life today, but next time, I will surely kill you!" With that, he picked up Gu Moning and prepared to leave, afraid of getting further entangled with Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong's aura is unsettling. He's so young, and his power doesn't seem that profound, yet he fought me to a near standstill! I'm truly afraid now. To possess such power at his age… his background has to be extraordinary.

The figure, carrying Gu Moning, turned to melt into the darkness, but Zhao Dong frowned and kicked a small stone at his feet. The stone shot forward like a bullet, whizzing straight toward the man.

THWACK!

The stone slammed into the figure's right leg, splattering a spray of blood.

"AGHHH!" the figure roared in pain. His eyes were bloodshot with pure hatred as he glared at Zhao Dong. "You meddling kid! Are you trying to force me to fight you to the death?"

Zhao Dong gave a cold smile and pulled a Speed Talisman he had crafted long ago from his pocket. "If you don't release her," he sneered, "I'm fully prepared to fight you to the death. I have a Speed Talisman. You can't escape me."

The figure's pupils shrank, and he gasped in shock. "A talisman? You… you're a Cultivator?!"

"None of your business. Right now, I'm telling you to let her go!"

The figure clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with shock. Cultivators were a one-in-ten-thousand rarity, and he had never expected Zhao Dong to be one. Thinking of Zhao Dong's strength and the Speed Talisman in his hand, the figure's tone softened. "Young man," he said in a placating voice, "I have no intention of making an enemy of you. I simply have some grudges with the Gu Family. How about this? We don't interfere with each other, and I'll give you five rare medicinal herbs."

The thought of parting with them made the figure's heart ache, but he was desperate to avoid further conflict with Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong grinned. "Five rare medicinal herbs? You're quite generous. But I can't accept. I promised the Gu Family I'd protect Gu Moning, so there's nothing to discuss unless you release her right now."

"How can you be so foolish?" the figure exclaimed angrily. "Whatever the Gu Family gave you, I'll match it!"

Zhao Dong shook his head. "I really can't. A man has to have some integrity. Let her go. Otherwise, you won't be able to shake me today. Even if I can't kill you, I can still seriously injure you. Do you think it's worth the risk?"

The figure was out of options. He bit his lip, shot Zhao Dong a hateful look, then glanced at Gu Moning in his arms, his face full of reluctance.

Finally, the figure asked bitterly, "Kid, what's your name?"

Zhao Dong cocked his head. "Zhao Dong!"

"Good. I'll remember you! Be careful, because we will meet again!" The figure dropped Gu Moning. His body flashed to the top of the wall where he gave a cold snort, his eyes revealing a chilling glint. "Go back and tell the Gu Family that the old scores will be settled eventually! Let them prepare for ruin and annihilation!"

After saying this, the figure's body flashed again and vanished into the night.

Zhao Dong rushed to help Gu Moning to her feet. Li Xiaoran, seeing her chance, was about to sneak away when Zhao Dong's cold voice stopped her.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Li Xiaoran trembled, her face pale. "I… I won't leave."

Zhao Dong gave her a cold glance before carrying Gu Moning back into the villa. He placed Gu Moning on the sofa. Li Xiaoran stood beside them, not daring to move. She had witnessed the terror of Zhao Dong's power and was now truly afraid.

Soon, Zhao Dong began transferring Spiritual Energy into Gu Moning. A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Zhao Dong before her, then looking over at Li Xiaoran, Gu Moning looked confused. Her normally melodious voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "Zhao Dong… what just happened? Why am I on the sofa?"