School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

In fact, facing so many people, Xiao Han felt somewhat overwhelmed.

More than ten men, all wielding axes, and each with a face full of tough flesh, it was clear they had been mingling in the underworld for a long time. It was obviously unrealistic for Xiao Han to take them on. If he had to deal with a dozen high school punks, Xiao Han wouldn't have much of a problem. But these men were battle-hardened veterans, and it was hardly likely that he could defeat them.

Escaping from their clutches wasn't going to be easy. Moreover, they were in a closed space, and escaping meant having to fight his way out through the main entrance, which had already been blocked by the enemy. Behind him was Liu Si's office, and beyond that, floor-to-ceiling windows. Jumping from the fourth floor would mean certain death or disability.

Xiao Han started to ponder how he should act, how he could possibly escape their encirclement.

"Xiao Han, I advise you to recognize the situation and be a wise man," Li Shan knew that Xiao Han was out of options by now, so he immediately tried to persuade him, "Besides, joining us isn't so bad: money to spend, girls to play with. Isn't that what every man lives for?"

"I like to spend clean money and play with clean women!" Xiao Han retorted without hesitation.

"You!" Li Shan's face darkened as he said, "How can you be so blind to the situation?"

"Thinking I might join you is unrealistic," Xiao Han laughed, "If you don't offend me, I absolutely won't interfere with your business."

"Heh heh…" Li Shan sneered, "Chen Ming's matter hasn't been settled yet. If you want to stay out of each other's way, then start by chopping off an arm for yourself. Otherwise, don't even think about walking out that door!"

"Hmph!" Xiao Han laughed scornfully.

He was ready to fight it out, thinking if he really couldn't get out, then it was just down to his bad luck. The more than ten men, each holding an axe, slowly approached. A strange smile curled up at the corners of their mouths. Each one of them looked at Xiao Han as if he was their prey, over a dozen hunters circling their quarry.

Xiao Han's palms were sweating; it was his first time in a real fight, and he knew that one wrong move could leave him injured. As a high school student, he obviously lacked experience in real combat. The ten-odd men before him, however, were hardened by countless battles, each rich in combat experience, and he doubted he was a match for them.

Xiao Han took a deep breath, his fists clenched and ready to strike at any moment.

Just then, a man in a black suit rushed in from downstairs.

"Fourth Master, there's trouble," the man in the black suit said hastily.

"What's wrong?" Liu Si frowned.

"Brother Bao is here," the man in the black suit said urgently, "Fourth Master, what should we do about this?"

"Guests come as they please," Liu Si waved his hand, "Let him come up!"

"Yes!" The man in the black suit immediately nodded.

Once he left, Li Shan quickly approached, asking, "Fourth Master, but… what about here, what do we do?"

Liu Si squinted his eyes and said, "What can we do? Keep fighting!"

"Alright!" Li Shan nodded.

To Liu Si, although Brother Bao's strength was enough to stand toe-to-toe with him, he was not afraid of Brother Bao. In the whole Wangjiang District, who didn't know of Fourth Master's fame? Who didn't know that Fourth Master was the big shot in Wangjiang? Although Brother Bao was also formidable, he wasn't as well-known, mainly due to his low profile.

However, being low profile didn't equate to weakness; Brother Bao was not afraid of anyone when it came down to a fight.

Xiao Han carefully dealt with the more than ten men.

Just as the battle was about to start, Brother Bao's voice suddenly came through, "Fourth Master, you sure have a lively place here."

"Leopard, my brother, I hope you'll forgive me for not welcoming you from farther away," Liu Si laughed lightly, not even bothering to stand up.

Brother Bao waved his hand, "No need for distant courtesies. I'm just here to watch the fun."

"To watch the fun?" Liu Si was taken aback – he had thought that Leopard was here for territory issues, not to be a mere onlooker. Truth be told, there had always been an understanding between Liu Si and Brother Bao; each had their own turf, and neither wanted to offend the other. If a war broke out, it would affect both sides greatly, not to mention the heavy losses to their interests.

In the underworld, saving face was paramount, but profits were equally important—who would really fight over an unrelated individual and lose out on benefits?

"Yes!" Brother Bao nodded, "I was passing by, heard things were lively, so I came up to have a look."

"Brother Bao, what are you really here for?" Liu Si squinted his eyes, clearly distrustful of Brother Bao's words – he didn't even want to believe a single punctuation mark.

"No hidden meaning," Brother Bao shook his head, then said, "Xiao Han is my friend. I came to see him today."

"What?!" Liu Si's eyes widened.

The always low-key Brother Bao had come to his Entertainment Club for someone unaffiliated, which made Liu Si drop his jaw in disbelief. He looked incredulously at Brother Bao and asked, "Don't fool me, Brother Bao. I've not read much."

"If you haven't read much, better hurry to school and study while you're still alive," Brother Bao quipped, taking a deep drag on his cigarette, then said, "Tell your men to stand down."

"What are you planning?" Liu Si narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing of your concern." Brother Bao replied, "Xiao Han is my friend, and I need to take him with me. Besides, if you continue down this path, I've got a hundred or so brothers downstairs. There are over ten cars, each loaded with fifty pounds of gasoline."

Hiss...

The sturdy men surrounding them instantly sucked in a breath of cold air. The implication was very clear. This was a warning, a threat. If Fourth Master dared to make a move, then the next thing would be that not only would this Five Thousand Years Entertainment Club be burned down clean, but there would also be a bloody standoff.

Everything was ready, even the gasoline had been brought along—this was obviously well-prepared indeed.

Though Liu Si was not afraid of Leopard, he was clearly not as prepared, and he didn't dare joke with his own life. If Leopard really decided to seize the opportunity to take him out, where would he go to reason about it? And besides, it probably wasn't worth it to put himself in an unjust situation over a Xiao Han.

"Leopard, what do you mean by this!" Liu Si suddenly stood up.

"My intention has already been very clear," Leopard replied, "If you want to go after Xiao Han, then you'll have to deal with me first. I've brought my people too, now I'm just waiting for your decision. If you refuse, then let the battle begin!"

The two sides were on the edge of battle.

Just then, the suited man who had just run out, dashed back in. After seeing the situation, he seemed unsure whether he should speak or keep silent. He stuttered, "Fo... Fourth Master..."

"What is it?" Liu Si asked with narrowed eyes.

"Outside... there are quite a few people outside," the suited man awkwardly said, "It looks like... they've brought more than ten barrels of gasoline, I'm afraid... they're here to wreck the place."

"Damn it!" Liu Si cursed, flinging his hand dismissively, "I got it, now scram!"

"Yes, yes!" The suited man, frightened, hurriedly ran out.

In the room, the atmosphere was heavy, the temperature seemingly dropping to freezing in an instant, as everyone felt a cold wind blow over their backs. They dared not make a sound. They were just waiting for a showdown between the two bosses. A moment's difference in decision might lead to a bloodbath in LJ City.

Liu Si's expression was dark, his face iron-blue, "Leopard, are you really going to fall out with me over this person? There's no benefit in it for you!"

"Of course, I understand!" Leopard said with a faint smile and then stated, "I've made myself clear, Xiao Han is my friend. I must take him away."

"But he hurt my men," Liu Si said through clenched teeth.

"That's because your men bullied his mother!" Leopard said seriously, staring at Liu Si.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Liu Si said 'alright' three times consecutively.

"Take Xiao Han away!" Leopard looked at his assistant.

"Yes!" The man nodded quickly and then said to Xiao Han, "Let's go!"

Xiao Han's eyes showed a hint of gratitude, and then he weaved his way through their encirclement. As he emerged from the door, Xiao Han was stunned by the scene before him. The corridor outside the door was packed with Liu Si's men, each brandishing various types of weapons, their expressions either fierce or ferocious.

Xiao Han was truly scared stiff by the spectacle before him; as a high school student, he had never even been in a fight before. Yet now, he was faced with such an astonishing scene. From the fourth floor all the way down, it was full of Liu Si's underlings.

Xiao Han suddenly felt as if all his strength had been drained from him, realizing that the portrayals of the underworld on TV were nowhere near as thrilling as in real life. If Leopard hadn't come to save him today, he might well have ended up with an arm chopped off.

Thinking this, Xiao Han felt a chill wind blow across his back.

Seeing that Xiao Han and Leopard had left, most of the people got anxious.

"Fourth Master, are we really going to let him go just like that?" Li Shan asked.

"Or what did you think?" Liu Si asked back with a cold laugh.

"But..." Li Shan frowned, "That's just too much of a bully, isn't it?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Bang!

Liu Si suddenly smashed a vase by his hand down hard and then roared, "Damn, Leopard actually dares to challenge me. I mustn't let him get away with it!"

"Fourth Master, that Leopard is way too bold," an underling said angrily, "Why don't we chase them and kill them now?"

"No!" Liu Si shook his head.

"Why?" the underling asked curiously.

"At least it's not the time yet," Liu Si cautioned and then added, "Considering the current situation, we shouldn't initiate a fight. Let's endure it for now, and act when we find an opportunity."

"Big brother, we can't endure it anymore," the underling said through gritted teeth.

"You must endure even if you can't," Liu Si replied, and then said, "Those who want to accomplish great things must first learn to endure." Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire