Chapter 44

★ Congratulations to Xiao San, Ying Long Emperor, and Illusiome for becoming the first three patrons of this book on the same day ★!!!

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Before Li Pu could answer, Liu Qianqian, who was leaning against her father, suddenly raised her head and said forcefully, "When Brother Li Pu came in, these beasts were about to assault that girl. They had guns... Brother Li Pu just knocked them down. I was the one who stabbed them with a dagger! If it happens again, I'll stab them again!!"

At this moment, the middle-aged man in a suit—Qin Yuancheng, the Party Secretary of Huanghai City—entered the room under the protection of several police officers. As soon as Qin Xia'er saw him, she called out "Dad" and rushed into his arms. Hearing Liu Qianqian's words, he hugged his daughter and cursed with a pale face, "Scum of the earth, they deserve to die!"

An experienced old police officer glanced at Wu Yuanhuo's body without showing any emotion—indeed, there were multiple stab wounds, but the fatal injury seemed to be the chest that was caved in as if hit by a pile driver.

However, this case was indeed complicated. It involved the daughter of a colleague, the daughter of the city's Party Secretary, and a drug trafficking gang that had committed multiple public murders and kidnappings.

If it could be resolved this way, it would be a stroke of luck. If the case dragged on for a few more days without being solved, the entire city police system would be in trouble!

"Don't worry, they had guns and were both murderers and kidnappers, with extremely heinous motives," the old police officer patted Li Pu's shoulder. "Young man, you don't need to worry. What you did was heroic. But who taught you these skills? To be able to fight against people with guns? Even active-duty special forces soldiers might not be able to do that."

"I learned from my adoptive mother," Li Pu smiled and answered ambiguously.

Another police officer came over and whispered to the old leader, "This child's adoptive mother is Chen Xin, one of the parties involved in the 'Entangled Fruit Snake' case a few years ago."

"Oh... I see," the old police officer suddenly understood. The "strange case" three years ago, based on the testimony of witnesses and the crime scene, involved people who seemed almost superhuman. It was not something ordinary police could handle.

Since this young man was the adopted son of one of those people, his strength could be explained.

The police finished their work quickly. Before leaving with his daughter, Qin Yuancheng specially walked up to Li Pu and asked with a gentle smile, "Are you Xia'er's classmate? You look familiar."

"Uh..." Li Pu blinked, "Uncle Qin, I'm Li Pu. We went to the same kindergarten in Haizhou City when we were young, and then we were classmates in primary school and middle school..."

"Oh, I remember now!" Qin Yuancheng slapped his thigh and laughed, "You're the little rascal who used to pull Xia'er's pigtails and make her cry! You've grown up to be quite strong."

Uh, so he remembered me for that. Li Pu felt a bit awkward.

"Thanks to you this time. You have great skills and even more courage. If you choose the right path, you have a bright future ahead."

Qin Yuancheng looked deeply at Li Pu, "Don't worry, I saw what you did." He then took out a business card and handed it to Li Pu, patted the young man's shoulder, smiled, and nodded before leaving with his daughter.

As Qin Xia'er was about to leave, she turned around, her eyes red, and smiled at the young man, whispering, "See you at school!"

Li Pu's mouth moved slightly, but he swallowed the joke, "Don't dream about me tonight!" After all, her father was right there, and besides, Xia'er had been through enough today. The feeling of her sobbing in his arms was unexpectedly delicate.

She really felt very feminine, very different from the nagging classmate of his childhood. Compared to her, he seemed to be the same as before, except for his increased strength.

After that, Li Pu went through the formalities of giving a statement. It was already past eleven at night when he got home and had a good night's sleep until morning.

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The next day at school, Qin Xia'er didn't come.

As expected, Li Pu wasn't too surprised. He casually answered Wang Shujun's gossip questions when returning the bicycle and continued his regular high school routine: going to school, coming home, and practicing his skills.

Around nine o'clock, there was a knock on the door. When the young man opened it, he saw Officer Liu Jianjun, who looked disheveled.

Liu Jianjun naturally came to thank him for his daughter's rescue, but he also brought important news.

"After an intense interrogation, the kidnapper whose wrist you broke confessed," Liu Jianjun's face was grim, but he still managed to smile at the young man. "The leader of the gang is called Wu Yuanhuo. He has two older brothers, Wu Yuanshan and Wu Yuanlei. These two are said to be far more dangerous than Wu Yuanhuo. They were in contact by phone when they kidnapped the daughter of Secretary Qin. If they find out that Wu Yuanhuo is dead, they will likely seek revenge. So Secretary Qin has temporarily asked his daughter not to go to school, and you should also avoid school for a while. Don't worry, Secretary Qin has already informed the school. Once these two criminals are caught, the city government will publicly commend your bravery."

In other words, to protect him, they wouldn't reveal that he was the one who killed Wu Yuanhuo. Li Pu nodded in understanding.

Although he was a bit curious about Wu Yuanshan and Wu Yuanlei, the actions of Secretary Qin and the police were well-intentioned.

"Qianqian has been sent back to her hometown. She's much more obedient now, but also more somber... sigh." As Liu Jianjun was about to leave, he paused, looked deeply at the young man, and said solemnly, "Thank you, for doing a good job."

With no need to go to school, Li Pu found himself bored at home. For the next two days, he practiced his skills, punched, and read for leisure. Life was quite pleasant.

On the third day, he received a call from Qin Xia'er.

"Your phone number was really hard to find. I asked several classmates, and none of them knew it," Qin Xia'er complained and thanked him, occasionally bickering, before getting to the point.

"My dad told Uncle Zhang about my kidnapping by that bad guy surnamed Wu. Uncle Zhang said he would send someone to handle it," Qin Xia'er's tone seemed a bit troubled, "The person he sent is already here, and he wants to meet you."

"Oh?" Li Pu asked, "Who is it?"

Qin Xia'er sighed deeply, "Uncle Zhang's only son, Zhang Shi."

"Sounds like you're at a loss with him?" Li Pu could almost picture Xia'er's expression, "Is he a tough guy to deal with?"

"Uh-huh!" Qin Xia'er nodded repeatedly, "Zhang Shi is my cousin. He's always been very nice to me, a super-rich second generation. But his personality is very strange... how to put it, like a character from a martial arts movie, with an over-the-top personality."

Li Pu thought: like a character from a martial arts movie? That's an interesting comparison.

"In short, he just wants to meet you," Qin Xia'er continued, "If he wants to fight you, be careful! It's best to refuse. Cousin Zhang Shi isn't a bad person, just a bit eccentric..."

"Fight? Is he very strong?" Li Pu became more interested.

"Uh-huh, Cousin Zhang Shi has always been trained by Uncle Xie Zong. Uncle Xie Zong is said to be very famous in Southeast Asia, known as the 'Fist Saint.' Cousin Zhang Shi is also called the 'Little Fist Saint.' Last summer when I visited his house, I saw him practicing. He shattered a piece of granite that weighed over a hundred pounds with one punch! Just like in a martial arts movie!"

Shatter a piece of granite weighing over a hundred pounds with one punch? Li Pu thought for a moment and asked, "How did it break? Did it shatter all at once, or did it leave a palm print?"

"Not a palm print, it shattered all at once!"

"Oh..." Li Pu thought: It sounds like a powerful 'shock force' or an explosive internal force. If it's the latter, it's truly impressive. He himself had only mastered penetration force and was far from achieving explosive force.

Penetration force is like directly piercing the target with force. Explosive force goes a step further, causing intense vibrations and diffusion inside the target, like an explosion of force, with immense power.

Even a peak master of transformation force would be proud to have mastered explosive force. When Aunt Chen Xin first demonstrated her skills to him, she shattered the back of a tree trunk with a combination of penetration and explosive force. At the time, Li Pu, who was just a beginner, didn't understand much, but now he knew that it represented extraordinary physical strength and exquisite skill in force application.

—This made Li Pu even more interested.

"When and where does he want to meet?" Li Pu asked.

"Um, today at six in the evening, at Building 2 on North Hongqiao Road, a private club called 'Tian Chan Yuan.' I'll be waiting for you at the entrance."

After the young man agreed, Qin Xia'er repeated her instructions several times and finally made Li Pu memorize her phone number before hanging up.

In the evening, Li Pu took a taxi to the entrance of "Tian Chan Yuan." This private club was even more spacious and grand than a regular hotel, with an ancient Tang and Song dynasty style exterior. Two towering ancient pines stood at the entrance, exuding a strong and majestic aura.

At first glance, it was clear that this was not a place where just anyone could enter.

Next to the ancient pines, a girl in a water blue ELLE dress for the current season saw Li Pu and waved to him happily.

Qin Xia'er wasn't wearing her usual neat ponytail today. Her long, fine black hair was held in place by a hair clip and fell loosely, giving her a sweet and innocent look, like a proper idol. Although she was only sixteen and still somewhat immature, the well-developed girl already had a hint of a soft and charming demeanor.