Chapter 141: Smashing Kui Hu’s Face Bloody

Yun Qimu turned to Pei Yu, who had caught up, and joked, “Looks like I was right when I said it earlier—if we hadn’t come today, we might really never have seen this suona player again.”

Pei Yu, dragging the chubby Yuan An behind him, wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced down at Zhong Qiu, who was sprawled on the ground in an undignified heap, looking like he’d just taken a nasty fall. Pei Yu’s face was full of sympathy.

They really had almost lost him.

That huge axe had come down just now, and they’d watched from not far away as the kid dodged it by leaping onto a rock. They’d all broken out in a cold sweat for him.

“Who are you people?”

Kui Hu and his lackeys snapped out of their daze—having been stunned by Yun Qimu’s beauty—and immediately grew wary, gripping their axes and glaring fiercely at these strangers who had suddenly appeared.

Zhong Qiu was jolted awake by the shout, his muddled head clearing. His pale face changed, and he scrambled up from the ground, shouting anxiously at Yun Qimu and the others, “Run! Hurry, run!”

Kui Hu’s face twitched, his eyes wide and fierce as he roared, “Catch them! Don’t let a single one get away!”

If they let these people escape and tip off Long Teng’s men, they’d be in big trouble.

The lackeys obeyed, brandishing their weapons and charging over, afraid of a repeat of Zhong Qiu’s earlier escape. They split into two groups, joined by another wave of men coming down the side path, and quickly cut off Yun Qimu’s group of five, blocking their way out.

They moved fast—so fast that Yun Qimu and the others hadn’t even figured out if this was a revenge killing or a crime of passion before they found themselves caught up in it.

Zhong Qiu was panicking, on the verge of tears. Damn it, he’d just met his goddess and already dragged her into trouble.

Seeing that even if they grew wings they couldn’t escape, he turned around, spread his arms to shield Yun Qimu and the others, and tried to stop his legs from shaking. His face was pale, but he forced himself to sound calm as he shouted at Kui Hu, “If you’ve got a problem, come at me! Leave these passersby out of it. Hit me, curse me, do whatever you want. I’m Zhong Teng’s brother—if you capture me, you can get a huge ransom. I’ll stand right here and let you take me, but I have one condition: let them go.”

“Hah?” Kui Hu bared his sharp white teeth in a menacing grin as he strode over. “A condition? You’re in no position to bargain, kid. If I want to catch you, I’ll do it right now. Who do you think you are, talking terms with me?”

Zhong Qiu clenched his teeth, his face alternating between blue and white. As harsh as Kui Hu’s words were, they were true—he was a fish in a barrel now, and Kui Hu could grab him anytime he wanted.

What should he do? If only he hadn’t snuck out.

Kui Hu rolled his eyes in contempt at Zhong Qiu, then glanced at Yun Qimu and the others, who were quietly watching the show. A flicker of hidden amazement flashed in his eyes.

He swallowed secretly, grinned with his shark-like teeth, and leered, “That little lady is quite the looker—perfect for Brother Qiu. Brother Qiu must be tired of his current beauty by now, time for a change. And these four pretty boys…”

His gaze swept over Wu Xingyu and the others, and he spat disdainfully, “Not bad-looking. Sister Hong would probably like them. Let’s send them to her.”

The lackeys cackled in agreement, praising Tiger Bro’s wisdom and luck—who else could find such fine specimens for Brother Qiu and Sister Hong in this rocky wasteland?

Their lewd tone made Zhong Qiu tremble with rage, his eyes reddening. How dare these bastards insult his goddess like that!

“That’s it, I’ll fight you all!”

He looked left and right, then, in a fit of fury, grabbed a rock just a bit smaller than his head from the ground and charged at Kui Hu.

Kui Hu’s smile vanished, his face turning cold and scornful. He raised his massive black axe, ready to split this overconfident brat’s head open.

At that moment, Yun Qimu, holding her little suona, raised an eyebrow, a sly glint flashing in her dark eyes.

Kui Hu, who had been feeling smug, suddenly felt dizzy. In front of him, Zhong Qiu seemed to split into three—no, five—people.

He blinked, momentarily confused, and in that instant, the crazed Zhong Qiu smashed the rock right into him.

Zhong Qiu might look weak and delicate, a pretty boy with no strength, but he actually had a fair bit of power. The rock hit Kui Hu’s shiny black forehead with a sickening thud, splitting the skin and sending blood streaming down his face.

Kui Hu staggered backward, crimson blood pouring from his forehead, his face twisting in shock.

The lackeys, who’d been waiting to watch the show, were stunned.

What just happened?

Why didn’t Tiger Bro dodge? Why did he just let that pretty boy smash him with a rock?

Zhong Qiu himself was dumbfounded.

Wait… did that really work?

Did he really smash Kui Hu’s face bloody?

Could it be that his mysterious ability had kicked in?

The thought made Zhong Qiu excited.

Speaking of this ability, he’d awakened it half a month ago. Unlike his genius older brother Zhong Teng, who had awakened his powers at the age of three, Zhong Qiu had always had the pure-colored hair that marked him as a potential ability user, but he’d been frail since birth, a sickly child who nearly didn’t survive infancy.

After their parents died, his brother rose to fame in Chaos City with his powerful lightning ability, formed a team, and became one of the city’s top powers. Zhong Qiu got to enjoy a good life, and his health improved—at least enough to be compared to a normal person.

But he’d never awakened any ability. He thought he’d spend his life as a pampered young master under his brother’s protection. But then, half a month ago, everything changed.

He woke up one day to find he’d awakened an ability, and there was a little suona by his side—a physical manifestation of his power. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t figure out how to use it.

Mr. Kui Hai said the suona was a tangible product of his ability, indistinguishable from the real thing by sight or touch—a sign of great potential. If Zhong Qiu learned to use his power, maybe one day he could stand alongside his brother, summoning hundreds of lightning bolts to slay countless berserk beasts.

The thought thrilled Zhong Qiu, making him feel like he could finally fight beside his brother.

But reality was harsh. It had been half a month, and he still hadn’t figured out how to use his ability. The suona was still there, unchanged, just like a real one.

He couldn’t help but wonder—had he really awakened an ability? Or had his brother just given him a suona to cheer him up and trick him into thinking he had powers?"