Li Dafu instantly sobered up. He was no ignorant peasant from the outer city; physical annihilation was one thing, but…
Soul Exile!
The last time he had heard that term was when his cousin was bragging to him.
It was said that in the distant Southern Alliance, there was a group of lunatics who disregarded human ethics and had developed an inhumane punishment known as Soul Exile.
The method was brutally simple: a prisoner's soul was banished to a virtual world to live forever. At first glance, it might have sounded like a good thing, but enduring endless torture for all eternity in a virtual world was a nightmare that made one's hair stand on end just from the description. It was simply too cruel and horrifying.
Right, she did mention she was from… Heaven?
Li Dafu suddenly felt hot. He wasn't sure if it was because of the weather or his own terrifying guess. Either way, sweat trickled uncontrollably down his forehead.
To verify his theory, Li Dafu recklessly probed further.
"What if the person doesn't deserve to die? What would you do then?"
Perhaps recalling an unpleasant memory, Xia Qingxue, emboldened by the alcohol, replied, "My brother told me that you should never be merciful to your enemies. Only by killing more and being ruthless will people fear you. Only then will no one oppose you or dare to do anything disgusting in front of you."
At that moment, Xia Qingxue's elegant demeanor vanished, replaced by a murderous aura that made Li Dafu shudder.
"I was just kidding! Kidding! Don't take it seriously!"
"It's getting late. Let's call it a night and get together again next time."
Li Dafu quickly changed the subject and mentally made a note about Xia Qingxue.
Do not provoke. Keep your distance. Lacks common sense. Prone to… exploding!
"Alright, no more drinks. Fatty, you take Brother Dafu and the kid home. I'll take Qingxue," Chen Pingchuan said.
His stomach was churning so violently that he completely missed Li Dafu's strange behavior. His mind was fixated on only one thing: finding a place to vomit.
"See you tomorrow. Be careful on your way."
"Okay, you too."
"Please look out for me in the future."
And with that, they parted ways.
「....」
The road was decently lit, with shops and all-night venues lined neatly on both sides of the street. Light from the signboards and neon lamps shone on the two of them, but only one shadow was cast.
"Chen Pingchuan, are you okay?"
"What do you mean, am I not okay?"
"You would be if you were walking on your own."
"What's wrong with letting me lean on you for a bit, young lady? I spent the whole day with you. If I don't get any credit for it, don't I at least get points for effort?"
"What, are you going to get rid of me now that I'm no longer useful?"
"I'll kill you!"
Xia Qingxue shot Chen Pingchuan a playful glare. He was hanging onto her like a puppy, his hot breath occasionally puffing against her neck. It was a tingly, itchy sensation that made her face flush red.
When she didn't hear a response from him, Xia Qingxue turned her head and saw that his face was pale. Her shy demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by pure worry.
"Hey! Chen Pingchuan, what's wrong with you?"
Chen Pingchuan quickly covered his mouth, terrified he might accidentally vomit all over Xia Qingxue. That would be a real disaster.
He pointed to a dimly lit alley at the side of the road, signaling for her to wait there for him before he scurried inside.
"BLEGH!"
"BLEGH! BLEGH! BLEGH!!!"
After a passionate bout of vomiting, Chen Pingchuan finally felt relieved.
But someone else was not.
"Hey! Kid, are you blind?"
"Didn't you see people were here?"
As the voice rang out, Chen Pingchuan finally noticed a group of youths in the dark alley, puffing on cigarettes.
"Sorry about that!"
His words were slurred. The four of them had polished off nearly two cases of beer; it would be a lie to say he wasn't drunk.
"You think a simple apology makes everything okay? Life doesn't work like that. So, kid, how are you going to compensate us?"
As the group approached, Chen Pingchuan finally got a clear look at them.
The familiar Huang Mao and Green Hair, dressed in their alternative, punk-style clothing. What a coincidence, running into them for real.
Chen Pingchuan shook his dizzy head and took two steps back. He was in no state to appreciate his own masterpiece, afraid that looking at it would just make him start all over again.
"Look, what I did was wrong, but I really couldn't hold it in. Tell you what, since you're here, I'll give you some money to clean it up for me. Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while."
Chen Pingchuan casually pulled a wad of cash from his clothes, counted out about ten bills, took a few more steps back, and then bent down slightly to toss them on the ground.
The punks, led by Huang Mao and Green Hair, had initially just planned on roughing him up and shaking him down for some cash. But now they saw he wasn't just some drunk; he was a cash cow.
"Is that it? Are you giving change to a beggar?"
"Looks like we're going to have to teach you a lesson, or you'll think we're pushovers."
Chen Pingchuan chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"What a joke. A bunch of riffraff like you dare to shout at me? One punch from me and…"
He paused, suddenly realizing a critical problem. In his drunken state, with his enhanced strength, a single punch might literally blow their brains out.
Although Huang Mao and Green Hair were always making trouble for him in the simulations, blowing someone's brains out upon their first meeting would make him no different from a villainous Demon King.
"Kid, you're courting death! Brothers, get him! If we don't break his third leg today, I'll stop being called Green Hair!"
"Yeah! If his third leg isn't broken, I'll stop being called Huang Mao!"
At their leaders' command, the four or five other punks swarmed forward.
Seeing this, Chen Pingchuan took to his heels.
Standing gracefully on the street, Xia Qingxue was kicking a stray pebble when she suddenly saw Chen Pingchuan racing toward her at an incredible speed.
Trailing behind him were six or seven delinquent-looking youths with all sorts of crazy hairstyles.
Chen Pingchuan ran to Xia Qingxue's side, grabbed her delicate hand without explanation, and kept running down the street.
He ran, they chased. He kept running, they kept chasing.
They ran like this for twenty minutes. When it became clear the guys behind had no intention of giving up, Chen Pingchuan finally lost his patience. The long run had helped him sweat out some of the alcohol, and he felt a little more confident. He stopped abruptly.
THUD!
Caught by surprise, Xia Qingxue crashed straight into Chen Pingchuan's chest.
Throughout the run, she had it relatively easy and felt no fear at all. Instead of watching their pursuers, her eyes never left Chen Pingchuan's back. As their hands were clasped tightly together, a fiery, passionate feeling welled up from the depths of her soul.
A word naturally flashed through her mind.
Love-struck!
Chen Pingchuan didn't notice Xia Qingxue's expression. He first pulled her behind him, then turned to face the approaching Huang Mao, Green Hair, and the others.
Seeing Chen Pingchuan stop, Huang Mao and Green Hair also halted a short distance away. They bent over, panting heavily, and wheezed out their threats.
"You… lit-tle… brat… You're a… real… runner… Why'd… you… stop? Just you… wait… we'll show you… If I don't tear you to pieces today, I'll have lived these last twenty years for nothing!"
Just as Chen Pingchuan was about to let go of Xia Qingxue's hand to teach the punks a lesson, a sudden, immense force pulled him back.
Xia Qingxue stepped in front of him, shielding him as she frowned at the group.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you chasing us?"
"And was what you said just now true?"