Chapter 167: The Flower’s Guardian

At that moment, from out of nowhere, seven or eight men appeared and surrounded Zou Ning and her companions. Before Zou Ning's three friends could figure out what was happening, they found themselves skillfully hemmed in by the group, their minds struggling to process the sudden situation. As Zou Ning continued to weep softly, one of the girls asked, "What do you want?"

One of the men replied, "Nothing much. We just saw that you might need some help, so we can walk you back..."

The girl retorted, "No need, we can manage on our own!"

With that, she turned to the other girls and said, "Xiaofang, Dongxiang, Zou Ning, let's go!"

Seeing the four of them trying to leave, the seven or eight men stepped forward to block their path. "Heh, want to leave? Oh no, come on, come with us," they said, reaching out to grab the girls' hands.

The young women were not helpless damsels to be bullied. Having learned a few self-defense techniques, the moment the men lunged to grab their hands, they fought back. Aside from Zou Ning, who stood frozen in place, the other three girls acted with immense courage. They swiftly executed wrist-locks, stepped hard on feet with high heels, delivered knee strikes and low kicks, and raked their fingernails across the men's faces. As she fought, one of the girls screamed at the top of her lungs, "Help! Murder! Help!"

At first, the girls' self-defense moves struck true, catching several of the men off guard. Unfortunately, it did not last. Their tempers flared, and the seven or of eight men turned vicious, dropping all pretense of politeness. The bystanders who heard the cries for help ignored them entirely, watching as if the brawl had nothing to do with them, unwilling to court trouble. After all, a gang of seven or eight men was not something ordinary people dared to provoke!

Just as the men were about to overpower the girls and thought victory was theirs, a sudden series of thuds echoed from behind as the four previously uninvolved men collapsed to the ground. Amidst the sounds, He Zhixing stood before them, smiling calmly as he looked at the men who were about to seize the four girls. "You really should pick your time and place better," He Zhixing said. "Is it really okay to be this blatant?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of the man standing right in front of them, the four men instinctively released the girls and took a step back. "What do you want?" one of them demanded.

"I don't want anything," He Zhixing replied. "They are my friends. If you know what's good for you, get lost right now, or you'll end up with broken arms and legs. Don't say I didn't warn you and resort to underhanded methods later!"

The men exchanged glances. By then, the four thugs previously dropped by He Zhixing had managed to get back up. He Zhixing hadn't used heavy force on them; he had simply tripped and toppled them with clever maneuvers. Emboldened by the sight of their comrades back on their feet, their courage returned. "Let's get him! Let's fight him together!" one shouted.

All eight men surged forward, surrounding He Zhixing in a fierce assault. He Zhixing sneered, shifted his body slightly to evade the first man's straight punch, and delivered a swift chopping strike to his back. With a loud smack, the man shrieked and crashed to the ground in agony. Immediately afterward, three or four others swarmed him with punches and kicks. He Zhixing dismissed such petty brawling entirely.

With a sudden, thunderous roar, he shouted, "You're courting death!"

He pushed off the ground, leaped into the air, and seamlessly transitioned his stance. From the moment he sprang upward into a flying kick, shifting fluidly into a crane-style spinning aerial kick—a technique far surpassing the legendary Shadowless Kick of Foshan—a rapid succession of loud thuds rang out as every attacker raining blows upon him was struck by his rotational force. The unlucky ones were blasted several meters backward through the air.

This was merely the result of He Zhixing using a fraction of his inner energy. Had he unleashed his full spiritual and internal power, these men wouldn't have lasted a single second. As the bruised and battered men groaned in pain, struggling to stay on their feet, He Zhixing swiftly delivered a few backhands across their faces, instantly swelling their cheeks. Some spat blood and lost teeth. Standing firmly in place, He Zhixing looked down at the eight figures sprawled across the ground and said coldly, "Remember, don't do too many evil things. Karma will catch up to those who do..."

The four girls stared at the scattered, writhing men, pressing close to He Zhixing. He turned to them and said gently, "Let's go. We can head back now."