The bronze-masked man finally took a few steps back, a gesture that slightly reassured Zhang Xiaotao. But then, one of his words made her face turn even paler!
"I am Chen Xiao's enemy, and I've come to seek revenge!" For some reason, Zhang Xiaotao felt that there was a hint of mockery in the other person's eyes. Her mind was in turmoil at the moment, and she couldn't think much about it, but she was startled by these words!
"Hmph!" The bronze-masked man sneered, "Do you think Chen Xiao is very capable, so you think I'm incapable of taking revenge?"
Amidst the cold laughter of the bronze-masked man, he suddenly and casually raised his palm, making a light, feinting chop at the large tree beside him.
With a loud "pop!", a clear handprint appeared on the trunk of a large tree several meters away, deeply embedded in the wood!
Zhang Xiaotao subconsciously pursed her lips. Although the skill of this palm strike looked quite frightening, Zhang Xiaotao had already witnessed Chen Xiao's abilities and felt that compared to Chen Xiao's divine power, this palm strike was nothing special.
But then, her expression froze!
Suddenly, countless tiny wood chips floated up from the handprint on the large tree. Then, the wood chips on the trunk were seen being rapidly corroded and shaken off!
The entire tree seemed to have lost all life. Countless branches and leaves withered instantly, their vibrant green turning completely yellow. Leaves fell like raindrops!
Less than half a minute later, the entire tree crashed down! It turned into a pile of rotten wood!
Such amazing ability—even though Zhang Xiaotao was a layman, it was obvious that this ghostly guy seemed to be much more powerful than Chen Xiao!
"Now, do you believe me?" The bronze-masked man's voice was cold and devoid of emotion.
"I..." Zhang Xiaotao gritted her teeth, her heart filled with extreme fear, but she forced herself to say, "What do you want to do!"
"It's simple. Chen Xiao owes me a life. I'm going to get it back." The bronze mask's voice carried a hint of mockery: "You're his woman, aren't you?"
“…Yes!” Zhang Xiaotao straightened her chest.
But to her surprise, her answer only intensified the anger in the bronze-masked man's eyes.
"Fine! I'll make him pay with his life! Either I kill him now, or I kill you! It's all the same!"
Zhang Xiaotao didn't hesitate at all: "Just kill me."
The bronze-masked man suddenly froze, then took two steps back, coldly staring at Zhang Xiaotao: "My method of killing is rather complicated. A girl as beautiful as you, I'll first disfigure your face, and then..."
"Do whatever you want." Zhang Xiaotao suddenly calmed down, staring at the other person: "You're right in front of me now, I can't resist you, you can torture me however you want, I can't fight back. But let me tell you. Even if you're very powerful, Chen Xiao won't let you go! Even if you kill me, Chen Xiao will avenge me!"
"...You trust him that much?"
Zhang Xiaotao's eyes flickered, her tone firm: "I believe every word he says! I believe every single one of his words! I am his woman, a woman, how could I not have faith in my man?!"
The bronze-masked man seemed to pause for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, as if to shout, "Fine! I'll kill you!"
Zhang Xiaotao's heart sank, and she closed her eyes.
But after a while, the other person's hand did not fall. When he opened his eyes, the bronze masked man seemed to be watching him quietly.
"You're not bad."
The bronze-masked man suddenly uttered these words, then placed his hand on Zhang Xiaotao's neck. Zhang Xiaotao closed her eyes, her body went limp, and she collapsed.
The bronze-masked man looked at the girl who had fainted in front of him, helped her to the ground, and sighed deeply.
That sigh contained anger, grievance, and a hint of resentment.
Suddenly, he stomped his foot hard, turned his head, and shouted at a clump of bushes by the roadside, "Hey! Uncle Tian, have you looked enough?!"
From behind the big tree, a man in a mechanic's uniform, his clothes still covered in oil stains, emerged, rubbing his nose and smiling wryly: "You noticed?"
"Hmph!" The bronze-masked man's voice was filled with annoyance: "You're quite good to that kid! He went to rescue someone, and you're still here watching over his little girlfriend!"
She paused, then her voice turned angry: "Why didn't you step in when I was scaring her? Aren't you afraid I'll really get angry and do something?"
Old Tian chuckled sheepishly, "You wouldn't do that. If you did, you wouldn't be yourself. Alright, Phoenix, girls shouldn't be jealous or quarrelsome. I know you wouldn't act so recklessly. After that kid goes back to China, I'll teach him a lesson for you, okay?"
This bronze-masked figure is, of course, the phoenix.
She didn't even bother with the feigned metallic voice anymore, using her naturally delicate and clear voice, glaring at Old Tian with a hint of anger: "Uncle Tian! You're practically family to me! How can you be so biased towards outsiders! You're actually helping that philandering little bastard instead of me!! You! You're still here protecting his little girlfriend!"
"No! Don't get angry at me." Old Tian raised his hand and laughed, "That kid doesn't know I'm here. I was just bored at home, so I came to Japan for a stroll."
Old Tian paused, sighed, and looked at Phoenix with a hint of pity in his eyes. He said softly, "Alright, girl, I know you're upset, but I also know you're a good girl. If it were a woman like Zhu Rong here, she probably would have scratched this girl's face long ago. You're a good girl, and I know you won't take your anger out on others. Next time you see that brat, you can tear him to pieces, and I, Uncle Tian, will absolutely not help him, okay?"
Phoenix stomped her feet in anger: "Bah! Whoever wants to... he... he'll be torn to pieces... to eight pieces! Humph, if you anger me, I'll cut him up!"
At this point, she blushed with embarrassment, but fortunately, the bronze mask covered her face so that Lao Tian couldn't see it.
The young woman was clearly feeling resentful, and Old Tian wisely refrained from responding, pretending not to hear her.
Phoenix took a deep breath before speaking seriously, "Tell that kid to go back as soon as possible if he has nothing else to do. Things in Japan are complicated and the waters run deep. He'd better not get involved. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect him. Hmm, he killed an Onmyoji on the mountain today; he took down Masashi. He's probably in trouble now. Those people weren't paying attention to such a small fry like him before, but now that's happened, he'll probably be on their radar from now on. Tell him to be careful."
After saying that, Phoenix turned and left, and Old Tian shouted after her, "Aren't you going to see him?"
"See him? I'd rather chop him up with a knife!"
Although Phoenix was stubborn, a hint of tenderness suddenly appeared in her heart. However, when she saw Zhang Xiaotao lying on the ground, her heart hardened again. Filled with bitterness and resentment, she stomped her foot, and with a flick of her body, disappeared into the night.
Old Tian sighed, shook his head and muttered to himself, "Girls these days are really something else. They fight over men and get so jealous that they're ready to kill each other at the drop of a hat."
He smiled slightly, raised his finger, and traced it back and forth a few times, leaving a trail of writing on the ground. Old Tian looked at it carefully, then suddenly heard footsteps in the distance. He shook his head: "That foolish kid, let's teach him a lesson when we get back."
After saying that, he disappeared into the bushes.
Chen Xiao ran all the way and saw in the distance that the big tree had collapsed on the ground, turning into a pile of rotten wood chips like flour. Then he saw Zhang Xiaotao lying on the ground, her life hanging in the balance! This scene almost scared Chen Xiao out of his wits! He rushed over in a few big strides, and in his excitement, he almost stumbled and fell.
He threw himself to the ground, picked up Zhang Xiaotao, and carefully checked her over. He found that she had only been knocked unconscious and was not injured at all, which relieved him slightly.