Chapter 225: Chen Feng's Sigh
Before them was a massive basement. In the center stood an enormous fighting ring, looking as though it had been built just for this occasion.
Dozens of people occupied the underground space, all clad in strange, uniform outfits. They were glaring at Zhou Fan and his companions with sinister eyes.
'Li Mei has some serious nerve,' Zhou Fan thought. 'To dare gather all her people in the Chen Group's basement...' judging by the shocked look on Chen Feng's face, even he had no idea this was happening.
Li Mei walked to the front of her group, then turned around. "Well, Mr. Zhou?" she asked, looking at Zhou Fan with confidence. "Who will you be sending up first?"
"Why should we go first?" Fan immediately piped up, yelling indignantly. "This place is full of your people! It's a huge disadvantage for us to go first. You should be the one to send someone out!"
"I'll go first!" A hulking man from the opposing crowd, well over six-foot-three with a full beard and bulging muscles on his arms and legs, roared. He shot Fan a provocative "come here" gesture, then leaped directly onto the ring.
THUD! As the brute landed, everyone felt the ground itself seem to tremble.
"I'll take this one," Bai Zhi said quietly. After a nod from Zhou Fan, she darted onto the ring in a few quick strides.
"Hey, big guy! A piece of work like you isn't even worthy of my attention!" Fan yelled, flipping the brute the bird. He then stepped back to Zhou Fan's side and muttered under his breath, "Holy shit, he's huge. I don't really have much experience fighting someone that big. Thank god for Bai Zhi!"
"You're up next. I'm saving myself for the final opponent," Zhou Fan said. He was well aware of Fan's combat style and knew he'd be at a disadvantage against the big man.
"Don't you worry about that. My martial uncle came and taught me a couple of our sect's secret techniques. I'm invincible!" Fan boasted with a narcissistic grin before his gaze shifted to the ring, where Bai Zhi was now clashing with the big man. "Hey, you think she's gonna be okay? I'm getting the feeling that guy isn't even fazed by daggers."
"Don't worry. Bai Zhi is more reliable than you are," Zhou Fan said flatly, earning him an eye-roll from Fan so dramatic it looked like he was trying to see the back of his own skull.
"Little lady, is dodging all you can do? If you're just going to run, why'd you even get in the ring?" the brute taunted. His attacks were wide and powerful, but Bai Zhi's movements were nimble. She evaded every single one of his strikes perfectly, then seized the openings to land a few counterattacks of her own.
But just as Fan had predicted, Bai Zhi's daggers struck the man's body but failed to even break the skin. Not a single drop of blood was drawn, let alone any real damage inflicted.
"What are you yelling for? What master taught you that fighting means standing still and trading punches? Are you a moron?" Seeing that Bai Zhi wasn't retorting, Fan stepped forward and started cursing out the man on the stage. After all, Fan himself relied on agility and speed to take down his opponents; the brute's taunt might as well have been aimed at him.
Besides, anyone who wasn't a complete idiot knew you couldn't trade blows with a giant like that. Going head-to-head was just asking to get hurt.
Have you ever seen anyone try to win a fight by pitting their own weakness against their opponent's strength?
If you have, it was definitely a fixed match.
"Ah Lian, did you know they'd turned this place into… this?" on the other side of the room, Chen Feng asked in a low voice, his eyes locked on the two fighters in the ring.
"Young Master, I… I only found out recently myself!" Ah Lian replied hesitantly in a small voice.
"Ah Lian, sometimes I wonder if you're on my side or theirs. So much evidence suggests you're in league with Li Mei and her faction, but I just can't bring myself to believe it. I can't believe you would hurt me. After my parents were gone, you were the only one who was always by my side."
Chen Feng's voice was soft, but every word landed on Ah Lian's heart like a heavy stone.
"Young Master, please believe me. No matter what happens, I would never, ever hurt you!" Ah Lian's gaze was firm, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Even though I was sent to serve you—and to watch over you—since I was a child, I'm still a person with feelings, not a machine. After spending so many years by your side, day in and day out… I… I fell in love with you long ago. How could I ever harm you?"
Listening to her heartfelt words and seeing the deep emotion in her eyes, Chen Feng sighed softly. He reached out, took her small hand in his, and said nothing more.
BAM!
Just then, the tide of the fight turned. The battle had been a loop of Ah Han's relentless attacks and Bai Zhi's constant evasions as she waited for an opening. The reversal came the instant Bai Zhi leaped up and drove a fist into the spot just behind the big man's ear.