Chapter 913 — Her Heart

But Wei Zhao's strike had missed. What did that mean? Either he was now weaker than an ordinary man, or his opponent was no amateur.

Wei Zhao knew his own condition well, so only the latter could be true: the man was skilled. Not a cultivator, of course, but the sort of tough who far outstripped ordinary men.

But if the man was no common street thug, why was he here? And why did it so plainly look as though he had come deliberately to make trouble for Wei Zhao?

"Apologize!" The bald man looked coldly at Wei Zhao. "I'll give you three seconds to think it over. Either kneel and kowtow to me in apology, or I'll have my men beat you to your knees!"

Wei Zhao drew a deep breath. Premeditated — these men had certainly come with a plan. It was all too coincidental, like a scene rehearsed beforehand, and it had caught him off guard.

Had Zhen Yingjun sent them? Sent them to test whether he was injured?

Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. It seemed that sometimes appearances alone could not deceive people. When others harbored doubts about you, they would use their own methods to test you one by one — and that, it now seemed, was exactly what was happening.

For a moment Wei Zhao was caught between two courses. If he endured it, the other side would surely learn that his strength had not recovered. Even that first exchange had been enough for a careful observer to see that he no longer had his former power — otherwise, how could the bald man have dodged?

If he did not endure it, they would learn the measure of his strength all the same. But the situation no longer allowed him to hold back. Either way his strength was exposed, and there was no need for Wei Zhao to keep hiding it.

"Then let's see who kneels in the end." As Wei Zhao spoke, he moved — appearing behind the bald man like a ghost, a fierce knife-hand chop descending. The bald man let out a wail and dropped to his knees on the spot...

These were some of the assassination tricks Wei Zhao kept for saving his life, including the footwork he had just used — a lightness skill he almost never employed, a card he played only when driven to the wall.

"Damn it, brothers, get him! He dared to hit Brother Bald — we'll cripple him!" The bald man's men shouted and closed in around Wei Zhao.

"Can't you see the situation? Your leader is already on his knees. A few seconds ago, he wanted me on mine." Wei Zhao looked at the bald man's men. "Drive your cars away. I don't want to bother with you."

Wei Zhao's strength was exposed now. The only thing left was to find Gu Pengzhan and talk to him as soon as possible, to have him find a close guard to take over — otherwise, if he stayed in Songshan City any longer, he would bring Gu Pengzhan no end of trouble.

Of course, he hoped these thugs were not Zhen Yingjun's men, but merely a coincidence.

"This isn't your call to make. You laid hands on our leader — you have to stay." One of the bald man's followers pointed at Wei Zhao. "Otherwise we'll have no face in the streets again!"

"Fine." Wei Zhao had no choice. His strength would be exposed sooner or later anyway, and the ghostly lightness skill and the knife-hand chop just now could serve to confuse them, keeping his true strength unclear.

The speed of that ghostly lightness skill was beyond what any non-cultivator could ordinarily reach — except for Wei Zhao's own set of movements. The knife-hand chop, by contrast, was the plainest of fighting techniques, without a trace of true qi in it.

Thus, though the enemy might have doubts about that knife-hand chop, they would be wary of the ghostly footwork that had come before, and any guess about Wei Zhao's strength would yield no firm conclusion for the time being. While they were second-guessing themselves, they were buying Wei Zhao precious time.

But now, facing so many of them, Wei Zhao could no longer keep up the confusion. He could bring these men down, but only with fighting technique, not with true strength — and that, he believed, would not escape the eyes of the watchful.

Half a minute later, the bald man's men were all on their knees like their leader, groaning. Wei Zhao had not done much to them — only broken some arms and legs and ribs, which was the punishment they deserved.

Wei Zhao found his car keys in the bald man's hand, moved the man's Nissan van aside, turned back to his own car, and drove away.

Not a single security guard had appeared the whole time, which only proved how unusual this affair was. Wei Zhao would have to prepare his response soon.

"Phew..." Tang Zhi let out a breath of relief when she saw Wei Zhao climb into the car unharmed. "Didn't you say your strength was gone? You scared me to death just now!"

"My strength may be gone, but I'm still a cut above ordinary men." Wei Zhao smiled. Fearing Tang Zhi would worry, he said nothing of his suspicions.

"These people are truly despicable!" Tang Zhi had no idea that this was a premeditated provocation. "Where are we going now?"

Tang Zhi felt no sense of danger approaching; she was still steeped in happiness, gazing ahead with longing at the beautiful days she would share with Wei Zhao.

The man tills, the woman weaves; hand in hand, they grow old together.

"Shall I take you back to the hospital? There are still some matters I need to deal with before I leave, so these next couple of days I may not have time to come see you," Wei Zhao said.

"Oh..." Tang Zhi was a little disappointed, though she did not say so. Wei Zhao had his own affairs to attend to; she would not be so unreasonable as to cling to him.

Wei Zhao parked the car at the hospital entrance. Tang Zhi, in the passenger seat, was reluctant to leave; she held on to Wei Zhao's hand. This parting, and who knew when they would meet again... Tang Zhi was unwilling to let go.

Wei Zhao was her first love, and her firm choice for life. Brief as it had been, it was engraved on her heart.

"Then... I'll be going. Be careful!" Tang Zhi knew this was no time for tenderness. Though reluctant, she released Wei Zhao's hand and prepared to get out of the car.

"Mm. I'll be waiting for you to come find me," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Mm..." Tang Zhi opened the door and stepped out, but then turned back, leaned into the car, and swiftly kissed Wei Zhao on the cheek. Then, her face flushed red, she turned and ran off...

Tang Zhi had proven her feelings through her actions.

Tang Zhi was a conservative girl. To take the initiative and kiss Wei Zhao meant that, in her heart, she already regarded herself as his woman...

"Heh..." Wei Zhao touched the spot where Tang Zhi had kissed him and could not help but smile. Here was a girl worth cherishing for a lifetime, was she not?

Only after watching Tang Zhi depart and vanish from his sight did Wei Zhao, lost in melancholy, start the car, turn it around, and drive away from the First People's Hospital.