"I've called the police; they'll be here soon," Lu Yuan tried to comfort the girl.
He deliberated on whether he should return to the house for another look. He wasn't sure if the kidnappers had accomplices or if there were other victims he hadn't discovered in the house. However, since they'd come out, the girl in his arms had been clutching his clothes tightly, a clear sign of her insecurity. Worried that any further shocks would exacerbate her emotional state, Lu Yuan didn't dare to pry himself free. Resigned, he decided against going back.
The police will be here soon, anyway.
Lu Yuan squatted at the shop's entrance, holding the girl and watching the rain. Before 10 PM, the streets were already deserted. The whole world felt desolate, as if only he and the girl in his arms remained.
After a while, Lu Yuan finally heard the distant wail of police sirens. He gently pried the girl's slowly relaxing hand from his clothes and stood up.
"Don't tell the police I saved you," Lu Yuan instructed her seriously.
He didn't want his parents to know he had fought seven or eight knife-wielding men in an alley late at night. If they found out, he reckoned he wouldn't be allowed to continue his martial arts practice.
"Here, take this back." Lu Yuan took a pink hair clip from his pocket, handed it to the girl, then turned and plunged into the rain. He vanished quickly onto the vast, empty streets before the police car arrived.
The girl hadn't said a word the entire time. Clutching the hair clip, she just stared blankly at Lu Yuan's departing figure for a long, long time.
It's late, and it's pouring. Even if there are surveillance cameras, they probably can't see my face clearly. Besides, since those guys dared to kidnap someone and keep them here, they can't be so amateurish as to not even consider the surveillance issue, right?
When Lu Yuan arrived home, he found the door to their small shop still open. His mother, Zheng Qiuling, stood at the entrance holding a plastic fan, looking around anxiously. When Lu Yuan, drenched from head to toe, dashed into the shop, he startled her. When she got a clear look at Lu Yuan's face, she cried out, "Where have you been? What happened to your face?"
"The rain was too heavy on the road, and I accidentally fell..." Lu Yuan braced himself and made up an excuse.
"A fall could injure you this badly?" Zheng Qiuling was both anxious and angry, her plastic fan waving up and down restlessly. "Did you get into a fight?"
Lu Yuan said nothing, just stood there with his head down.
"SIGH!" Zheng Qiuling slapped her thigh, tossed aside the fan, and rushed into the inner room. A moment later, she ran back out with a bath towel.
"Why did you have to fight?!" Zheng Qiuling briskly dried Lu Yuan with the towel, questioning him relentlessly.
This time, Lu Yuan finally relented. "They... were bullying someone."
"Bullying who? You? Who are they?!"
"A few... hoodlums..."
"You've really outdone yourself!" Zheng Qiuling rubbed Lu Yuan's head hard, her voice tinged with annoyance. Hearing his muffled grunt, her eyes immediately filled with concern, and her movements softened considerably. "Dry yourself. I'll go get you some medicinal wine."
Zheng Qiuling tossed the towel to Lu Yuan and turned to leave. Before going upstairs, she seemed to remember something and hurried back to pull the shop door closed. She appeared afraid that the "hoodlums" Lu Yuan mentioned might suddenly emerge from somewhere and chase him into the shop.
After quite a commotion, by the time Lu Yuan had finished his bath, applied the medicinal wine, and endured his mom's lecture, it was almost midnight when he finally reached his room.
"HISS—" Lu Yuan pressed his left side, near his ribs, and inhaled sharply from the pain. It was only then that all the suppressed pain surged up to torment him.
His injuries were most severe in two areas. One was his left ribs, where the middle-aged man had kicked him brutally. The other was his back, from being hit with a stick. The rest of his body was mostly fine, aside from some bruises and scrapes.
His mother had been heartbroken while applying the medicine. Lu Yuan had seen Zheng Qiuling turn away twice to secretly wipe her tears.
That guy was strong, definitely a ranked fighter. Fortunately, after I added two points to Strength, I managed to take him down before he could react. Otherwise, I might not have escaped.
Of course, what Lu Yuan felt most relieved about was that none of those people had guns! If any of them had been carrying a gun and suddenly pulled it on me, I would have been dead for sure by now.
Thinking back now, it felt so dangerous. If it happened again, I'm not sure I'd have the courage to charge into that alley again. I must not put myself in such dangerous situations again... at least not until I've had enough real combat experience.
After this battle, Lu Yuan truly understood the gap between himself and a real Fighter.
These skills on my Job Panel, without enough real combat testing, are just pretty-looking numbers.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan finally remembered to check his Job Panel. Focusing his mind slightly, a stream of messages immediately popped up before his eyes.
[Your Skill: Basic Fist has improved, Experience Points +12]
[Your Skill: Basic Legging has improved, Experience Points +8]
[Your Skill: Basic Stepping has improved, Experience Points +7]
...
He was met with a dazzling flurry of notifications. Lu Yuan scrolled straight to the bottom.
[You've experienced a battle, Job Experience +57]
[Congratulations, your 'Fighter' Job level has increased!]
[Congratulations, your Skill: Basic Fist level has increased!]
[Congratulations, your Skill: Basic Legging level has increased!]
[Congratulations, your Skill: Basic Stepping level has increased!]
The string of level-up notifications made Lu Yuan so excited his breathing quickened. He then looked at his current 'Fighter' Job Panel.
...
[Job: Fighter Lv4 (8/800)]
[Basic Professional Skills: Initial Body Forging Lv4 (36/800)
Basic Fist Skill Lv4 (66/800)
Basic Leg Skill Lv4 (49/800)
Basic Step Skill Lv4 (23/800)
Basic Capture Lv2 (65/200)]
[Attribute Points: 1]
[Skill Points: 3]
Basic Fist Skill, Basic Leg Skill, and Basic Step Skill had all advanced to Lv4. His 'Fighter' job had also risen from Lv3 to Lv4, catching up with his 'Student' job.
This fierce, life-or-death battle had granted Lu Yuan a full fifty-seven points of job experience and a total of several hundred skill experience points. This was equivalent to the experience he'd gain from a whole day of solitary intensive training, or from thrashing Cheng Peng forty to fifty times. The gains were undeniably massive.
"Indeed, a 'Fighter' grows fastest in battle," Lu Yuan mused aloud. "Battle is the best nourishment for enhancing strength!"
The attribute point he had temporarily used during the fight had been restored due to his job level breakthrough, leaving him with one spare point. Lu Yuan initially wanted to add this attribute point to Agility. But when he checked, he was surprised to find his Agility had somehow already reached 9.
I was already at the threshold, and with the Basic Step Skill leveling up from the battle, the increase finally manifested, huh? Lu Yuan blinked, quickly understanding the reason.
However, even though his Agility had increased, Lu Yuan still chose to add this attribute point to it.
First, I'll get everything past ten, then I'll consider specializing.
One attribute point was added to Agility, increasing it from 9 to 10.
Lu Yuan's four-dimensional attributes were now—
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 10]
[Physique: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]