Chapter 19: With Me Here, Nothing Will Go Wrong

Watching Chen Along rise to his feet once again, Lin Li let out a sigh.

It seemed he would have to act himself after all.

Indeed, this time there was no hope of standing by and watching. Chen Along, having been ambushed previously by Lin Li, now regarded him as his primary target.

He had already assessed the skills of those present when he first made his move. Aside from a select few who were worth attention, the rest were just as Ye Aotian had described—a collection of worthless riffraff, nothing particularly formidable.

But Lin Li was different.

Among these people, he stood out—eccentric and unique.

“To think that in such a wild, remote town, I’d find someone so interesting,” Chen Along said, slowly rising.

By now, Lin Li had already approached Qin Guosheng.

“Big brother, I’m not joking with you. The people you’ve summoned here are simply not enough to handle them.”

“In a moment, I’ll have someone escort you away. As for everything else, we’ll have to reconsider our plans.”

Initially, Qin Guosheng hadn’t intended to take Lin Li’s words seriously.

Leave? What leave?

He was just a young kid, nothing to be afraid of.

But seeing Lin Li so tense and on guard was unexpected. He’d known Lin Li for some time, and never had he seen this expression.

Could it be that Chen Along was truly something remarkable?

Meanwhile, Qin Guosheng’s men had swarmed Ye Aotian, pinning him to the ground and beating him mercilessly.

Ye Aotian had to consider Leng Ningxue’s safety.

But Chen Along had no such qualms, so Ye Aotian could only wait until Chen Along rescued Leng Ningxue before making his move to subdue these reckless fools.

The original plan should have gone smoothly.

No one expected Lin Li to intercept Chen Along.

Ye Aotian hadn’t considered it either.

He’d underestimated Lin Li before, which was why he’d lost to him. But after recovering from his injuries and gaining some strength, he thought he could easily crush Lin Li.

So he believed that even if Chen Along encountered Lin Li, victory would be assured.

Yet, as he watched the battle between the two, Ye Aotian realized something very clearly.

This was not nearly as easy as he’d imagined.

Lin Li perhaps wasn’t as formidable as he seemed, but his Bajiquan was utterly authentic.

This wasn’t the showy Bajiquan commonly seen, but the real, lethal techniques—each move ruthless and uncompromising, leaving no room for negotiation.

Chen Along recognized this the instant they exchanged blows.

Troublesome.

By now, according to the plan, he should have already rescued Leng Ningxue.

But he was still entangled with Lin Li.

At that moment, Ye Aotian, battered, finally released a signal flare.

Indeed, Ye Aotian wouldn't have come without a foolproof plan.

They had long since stationed their own men here, waiting for this very day.

A fierce conflict was imminent. Lin Li, meanwhile, fought and retreated, not intending to defeat Chen Along, but merely to buy time for Qin Guosheng to escape.

Chen Along understood this, and said, “With your impressive skills, why work for someone like him?”

“It’s an insult to your strength.”

“If you wish, you could follow our young master—you’d want for nothing.”

Chen Along was loyal to Ye Aotian.

Lin Li simply smiled and shook his head, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“I won’t let you pass.”

Chen Along narrowed his eyes at Lin Li.

He’d thought this matter would be resolved smoothly, but instead, unexpected twists kept arising.

Looking at Lin Li now, Chen Along felt his anger flare.

“Kid, even if you caught me off guard just now—”

“With your abilities, you think you can keep me here? That’s unlikely.”

“Today, I’ll show you the difference between us.”

With that, Chen Along moved.

Lin Li was cautious. For Chen Along to be one of the four palace masters meant he was no ordinary man.

The instant their conversation ended, Chen Along was already upon Lin Li.

A fierce battle erupted. This time, Lin Li held nothing back, fighting with all his might.

Chen Along, surprised, found that this young man could still exchange several blows with him in his current state.

That was troublesome.

Thinking this, Chen Along glanced at Ye Aotian.

Judging by Lin Li’s current performance, he had the skills of a third-rate, perhaps even second-rate martial artist—a rare talent among fighters.

Even most veteran street thugs were not up to this level.

Lin Li’s abilities were testament to his exceptional talent.

The scene was chaotic, and even Ye Aotian began to take action.

Just as Lin Li had said, from the very beginning, they never intended to negotiate with Qin Guosheng.

They also knew Qin Guo wouldn’t dare to kill Leng Ningxue.

If the Qin family truly harmed Leng Ningxue, the four great families of River City would unite, and that was no trivial matter.

Qin Guosheng might be formidable, but the combined strength of the four families would be enough to overwhelm him.

At this moment, Leng Ningxue was watching Lin Li.

No matter the situation, he always seemed so at ease.

Even now, facing the mysterious master summoned by Ye Aotian, he remained composed.

“Tch, you really called it right,” she murmured.

Ye Aotian did indeed have the connections to bring in such a formidable expert.

After a brief exchange with Chen Along, Lin Li feigned defeat, allowing Chen Along to strike him and send him flying, then smoothly made his escape.

Even Chen Along was stunned.

Moments before, their fight had been evenly matched.

Yet in a flash, Lin Li had fled as if wounded?

Chen Along wondered if his eyes deceived him, but for now, as long as he could rescue Leng Ningxue, nothing else mattered.

Meanwhile, Qin Guosheng and his few men had broken through the encirclement.

He hadn’t expected Ye Aotian to have such powerful backing—so many hidden experts outside, nearly preventing their escape.