Yang Hongtao came from humble beginnings and had eaten plenty of outdoor barbecues in his previous life, so he had neither high expectations nor any aversion to this. Seeing that Xin Yue liked it, he was happy to accompany her to relive the feeling of the past.
This time, the two of them didn't bring a driver. Xin Yue drove around the city streets, and soon they arrived at a busy intersection. They found a simple parking lot and parked there. Then, Xin Yue led Yang Hongtao on foot into a small street that was almost entirely lined with open-air barbecue stalls. From a distance, they could smell the pungent odor mixed with the tempting aroma of meat.
It turned out that someone was grilling stinky tofu... and the stench was truly something that would be remembered for eternity!
Although Yang Hongtao also likes barbecue, there are very few places in Zhongdu that sell grilled stinky tofu. The city management there is much more powerful than here. If they say that selling stinky tofu is affecting the city's appearance and cleanliness, they can overturn your stall on the spot.
Later, even those selling fried stinky tofu started renting storefronts and operating openly, which finally made the tough urban management officers helpless against them.
Yang Hongtao had never eaten stinky tofu before and couldn't stand the smell. However, seeing Xin Yue's interest, he didn't want to spoil her fun, so he pinched his nose, held his breath, and followed Xin Yue into the barbecue street.
Soon Yang Hongtao noticed that Xin Yue was constantly sniffing around as she walked, seemingly looking for the smell in the air, and she would go wherever the smell was the worst.
"Wow... this place has the most authentic taste, let's eat here!"
After searching for a long time, Xin Yue finally chose a place that smelled the strongest. She happily picked a seat and plopped down. Without even waving for a waiter, she ordered food on the spot, just like a seasoned diner, without even looking at the menu.
"Give me ten pieces of stinky tofu first... the longer they ferment, the stinkier the better! Then give me a plate of chives, a plate of green peppers, a plate of live clams, a plate of pork belly, a plate of live pupae... and two pitchers of beer... Okay, that's all for now, I'll ask for more if I need more later!"
"You really want to eat stinky tofu?!"
Yang Hongtao overestimated his tolerance. Sitting in this stinky place, he felt waves of discomfort in his stomach. When he heard that Xin Yue had actually ordered ten pieces of stinky tofu, he couldn't sit still any longer.
"You're such a beautiful woman, why did you have to eat that instead of something else... Aren't you afraid of ruining your image?!"
Xin Yue rolled her eyes and said, "Who says beautiful women can't eat stinky tofu? You don't know... the more stinky tofu smells, the more delicious it tastes... Oh... I don't even dare to mention it anymore, just thinking about it makes my mouth water... Waiter, hurry up and bring me the stinky tofu..."
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 81 Finding Fault
"No...no...I really don't eat this stuff...Sister Yue, you can eat it if you like! I can't come..."
Yang Hongtao was almost in shock when he saw Xin Yue grilling several pieces of stinky tofu on the charcoal stove until they were sizzling and dripping with oil, and smelled the pungent odor. When he saw Xin Yue actually stuff a piece of grilled stinky tofu into his mouth, he was terrified.
"You have to eat it! Only if we both eat stinky tofu will you not be able to smell the stench on me... Otherwise... you'll definitely avoid me whenever you see me later, and that won't do..."
Xin Yue once again revealed her fiery temper, grabbing Yang Hongtao's shoulder with one hand and shoving a piece of stinky tofu into his mouth without saying a word.
She also threatened that if Yang Hongtao dared to spit out the stinky tofu in his mouth, she would dump the rest of the stinky tofu on him.
Faced with such an unreasonable woman, Yang Hongtao could only blame himself for getting on her bandwagon. He couldn't very well fight her, could he? Helpless, he could only pinch his nose and forcefully chew and swallow the piece of stinky tofu in his mouth.
But who would have thought that after forcing myself to eat this piece of stinky tofu, I could actually taste some flavor.
Just as Xin Yue described, the more stinky the tofu smelled, the more delicious it tasted, and the more unforgettable it was.
When Yang Hongtao looked at the stinky tofu roasting on the charcoal stove again, he no longer felt disgusted.
"Hehe... How is it? You can taste the flavor now, right!" Xin Yue could tell from Yang Hongtao's expression that this man, who was eating stinky tofu for the first time, had been completely conquered by this delicacy. She couldn't help but reveal a sly smile, then divided the grilled stinky tofu in half to Yang Hongtao, and then waved her hand and said, "Boss... ten more pieces of stinky tofu, the stinkier the better!"
Just as the two men were enthusiastically scrambling over the stinky tofu on the hot charcoal stove, three stalls away, two men in black shirts were also sitting next to a small charcoal stove. Although there were several prepared ingredients in front of them, neither of them showed any intention of grilling anything. Instead, they each held a glass of draft beer and took a sip from time to time.
Suddenly, the man on the left, wearing wide-rimmed sunglasses, took a sip of his cold draft beer, answered the phone, and replied expressionlessly, "Yes... Boss Huang, it's just the two of them... There are no other suspicious people nearby... Yes, I'm sure... Okay... Please rest assured, we will definitely complete the task assigned by Boss Huang!"
Meanwhile, in the hotel where Yang Hongtao was staying, Huang Lianshu stood by the window with a cold expression. While looking at the charming night view of Kunming outside the window, he closed the phone and gritted his teeth, saying viciously, "You brat... I'll let you make money off me... The 65 million I lost, you'll pay me back with one of your hands and one of your feet!"
After downing two glasses of draft beer and devouring over twenty pieces of stinky tofu, Xin Yue was already seven-tenths drunk. She swayed and leaned against Yang Hongtao's shoulder, gazing at his thin face with seductive eyes. She chuckled and said, "You little rascal, tell me, do you like me?"
Yang Hongtao frowned and replied irrelevantly, "Sister Yue, you've had too much to drink. Let me take you home!"
"Hmph... You won't admit it, huh! I can feel it, your heart is pounding really hard right now... Hehehe... You're not still a virgin, are you? Otherwise, why would you be so shy... Hehehe..."
Yang Hongtao was even more alarmed by Xin Yue's question. He hurriedly took out his money to pay the bill and then helped Xin Yue up and walked towards the parking lot.
"Hehehe... You haven't answered your sister yet, are you a virgin or not?" Xin Yue was held in Yang Hongtao's arms, and her whole body became even more limp, almost hanging on Yang Hongtao's body, and she refused to move her feet.
This caused Yang Hongtao a lot of trouble. He half-dragged and half-carried Xin Yue for a while before he was out of breath and couldn't help but complain, "Hey... you don't have to be this drunk! Can't you stand up and walk properly? You're so heavy, I can't carry you..."
"Tch...who are you trying to fool?"
Slightly tipsy, Xin Yue gave Yang Hongtao a seductive look and said, "Others may not know your abilities, but I know them all! Don't let your skinny frame fool you, you could probably lift two of me with one hand! Uh... I really can't walk anymore... Good little brother, just carry me! Okay?"
Yang Hongtao said with a wry smile, "Sister Yue, I'm really not as good as you think. Didn't you hear how exhausted I am that I can't even breathe properly?"
"Come on! Stop pretending with me..."
Xin Yue had already memorized Yang Hongtao's heroic performance on the plane, so she naturally couldn't believe that Yang Hongtao's physique was really that weak. So she pouted and said, "I know... you're not out of breath from exhaustion, I bet you're... nervous, right... hehe... I think you're a virgin, you've never been with a woman in your life, haven't you?"
Yang Hongtao's forehead creased with annoyance upon hearing this. Just as he was wondering what to do with this drunken woman, he suddenly saw two men pass by and seemingly accidentally bump into the staggering, drunk Xin Yue.
"Damn it! You bitch, can't you see where you're going? You bumped into me and you're acting like nothing happened?"
The man walking ahead, who was wearing sunglasses late at night, seemed to be jolted by the collision and sat down on the ground with a thud. He then jumped up in a fit of rage, grabbed Xin Yue by the collar, and slapped her across the face.
Seeing this, Yang Hongtao quickly took a step back while holding Xin Yue, narrowly avoiding the slap. Otherwise, given the strength of this man's hand, Xin Yue's face would have been swollen from the slap.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to! I'm really sorry..."
Startled by the two men, Xin Yue sobered up instantly and hurriedly apologized to the man in sunglasses. Although she couldn't tell whether she had bumped into someone or someone had bumped into her, she didn't want to have an unnecessary conflict with someone on the street over such a small matter.
"Sorry? What good is sorry anyway!"
The man with a buzz cut following behind chuckled lewdly and said, "If 'sorry' works, then the two of us will gang rape you, and then we'll apologize to you... How about that?"
"Fine..." Xin Yue was furious when she saw that the two of them were clearly looking for trouble.
Despite her anger, she wore a captivating smile that could charm anyone.
"If you've got the guts, then come at me! My boyfriend will break your bones!"
Xin Yue was not a coward. If it was just an accident, she would not want to cause trouble. But if the other party was deliberately looking for trouble, she was not willing to be a coward. Moreover... when she thought that Yang Hongtao could easily kill several terrorists, how could he take these two bored street thugs seriously?
Meanwhile, Yang Hongtao was already secretly groaning in despair...
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 82 Encirclement
"Alright...you're the one who sent me...hehe...as for your boyfriend...well, I'll take care of him after I'm done with you! Hahaha..."
The man with the buzz cut squinted and gave a sinister smile. He then exchanged a glance with the man in sunglasses and suddenly lunged at Yang Hongtao and Xin Yue from the left and right.
"You two were sent by Boss Huang, right?"
Although Yang Hongtao's physical strength was lacking, his reaction speed was still quite astonishing. Holding Xin Yue, he suddenly twisted his body and miraculously slipped away from the encirclement of the two people. Then he sneered and said, "Boss Huang claims to be a big shot on the Chinese Forbes list! How can he be so petty... I didn't ask him to gamble on that stone today. He lost the bet and now he's taking his anger out on a nobody like me. Isn't he afraid of being laughed at?"
The two men missed their target and were about to jump back up when they heard Yang Hongtao say those words. They were slightly startled, exchanged glances, and the man in sunglasses immediately denied it, saying, "What Boss Huang or Boss Green! We don't know them! Your girl bumped into me just now, and I... I'm not done with you... Let's not bring up anything else! If you don't want to get beaten up, that's fine too. Let your girl sleep with us for one night, and we'll call it even!"
Yang Hongtao gave a cold laugh and said, "You don't recognize Boss Huang? Hmph... This afternoon, you've been standing to Boss Huang's left and behind, like a lapdog... Don't think you can pretend to be blind just because you're wearing those lousy sunglasses! Let me tell you... I don't have many other strengths, but I do have a good memory, especially for people I've met before. Once I've met someone, I'll remember them clearly. Even if you cover your whole face, I can still recognize you from your body features."
The man in sunglasses wore them late at night, obviously to avoid being recognized by Yang Hongtao. Little did he know that Yang Hongtao possessed the power to see through the souls of all non-living beings. As soon as he saw the guy wearing sunglasses at night, he knew he was no good. Upon closer inspection, he indeed recognized him as an old acquaintance—one of Huang Lianshu's bodyguards.
Yang Hongtao was secretly groaning because he recognized the guy's identity. He knew that Huang Lianshu's bodyguards were all hired at a high price through special channels, and each of them had extraordinary skills, at least no less than those terrorists who participated in the hijacking.
Yang Hongtao is currently unarmed, and if he were to fight these two, he would likely only get beaten up...
What a blunder! If only I hadn't carried a gun, I should have at least found some throwing knives or something for self-defense! Now look what's happened… With my small frame, I'm already exhausted after just a couple of dodges. How am I supposed to fight this? I can't possibly use that mutated soul power technique I learned on the plane again, can I? That… consumes almost a third of my soul power at once. If I need to defeat these two, I'll have to use it twice… Ugh, all the soul power I've painstakingly accumulated will be gone in an instant!
"You..." The man in sunglasses was at a loss when he realized that he had been recognized.
The boss had instructed him to break Yang Hongtao's arms and legs, but had also told him not to reveal his background. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to cause trouble. Now that his identity had been recognized, it seemed inappropriate for him to break Yang Hongtao's arms and legs. If he caused any more trouble for the boss, he would be in deep trouble.
So when Yang Hongtao exposed his true colors, the man in sunglasses hesitated for a moment, then without saying a word, he grabbed the short-haired guy who had come with him, turned around and left, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
"Let's go quickly..."
After the two men left, Yang Hongtao felt no relief whatsoever.
He was Huang Lianshu's enemy, and had once worked under Huang Lianshu, even if he was just an insignificant manager in Huang Lianshu's company. He didn't have much opportunity to have contact with Huang Lianshu, but he still knew a little about his former boss.
I know this person is narrow-minded, ruthless, and extremely concerned with saving face.
Since Huang Lianshu had already sent people to retaliate against him, there was absolutely no way he would abandon his original plan just because his subordinates had inadvertently revealed their identities.
After all, Huang Lianshu was always extremely arrogant, believing himself to be all-powerful. Aside from major crimes like murder and arson, he thought that as long as he could cover up his ordinary misdeeds and remain unknown, that was best. Even if he were exposed, it wouldn't matter; at most, it would just mean breaking someone's limbs, and he wouldn't even be the one who did it. Even if the police opened a case, it wouldn't matter. At most, he'd just have to spend a little more money to have his subordinates take the blame, and that would be the end of it. Did Huang Lianshu lack that little bit of money? Of course not! So what did he have to fear?
Therefore, Yang Hongtao could predict that after those two guys left, as long as they reported to Huang Lianshu, they would definitely have to return immediately. When those two reappeared, they would probably completely tear off their masks and not even bother with pretense. At that time, one side would have to fall first, otherwise it would be impossible to resolve the issue peacefully.
By this time, Xin Yue had sobered up considerably. Seeing Yang Hongtao's serious expression, she understood the gravity of the situation and dared not play around with him anymore. She let Yang Hongtao pull her arm and run as fast as she could towards the parking lot outside the alley.
Just as the two stumbled out of the snack street, they heard footsteps chasing after them from behind. Yang Hongtao turned around in his haste and saw that the two had returned and were desperately chasing after them.
Fortunately, there was still some distance between them. If they could run a little faster, there was a good chance they could get on the car before being caught.
That Cadillac is a luxury car with bulletproof glass. I believe that once they get in the car, even if those two guys have guns, they won't need to be afraid of them anymore.
However, just as Yang Hongtao turned around and was about to pull Xin Yue away and run as fast as he could, he suddenly saw two people emerge from the street corner ahead. They were both wearing blue pants and black shirts, and each of them was wearing a large pair of sunglasses.
Damn it, this is terrible!
Seeing this, Yang Hongtao knew the other side was prepared and wouldn't give him a chance to escape. Helpless, he could only whisper in Xin Yue's ear, "Quick...call the police..." After saying that, he pushed Xin Yue against the wall with force, then turned to look at the two men chasing after him and said in a deep voice, "I believe you know a little about Miss Xin's identity...she's not someone you can afford to offend! Even if Boss Huang offends her family, they'll be in big trouble...and you're only after me, there's no need to involve others...if you have the guts, come at me alone!"
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 83 First Test of Power
Huang Lianshu did indeed instruct the bodyguards that they should only target Yang Hongtao's hand and foot, and not to easily harm Xin Yue.
The reason why the man in sunglasses said he would take Xin Yue away and rape her was just to provoke her. So when Yang Hongtao pushed Xin Yue aside, no one bothered her. Instead, they surrounded him from the front and back, completely blocking his escape route.
After the hijacking incident, Xin Yue had developed a blind admiration for Yang Hongtao, so she didn't think these four thug-like men posed any threat to him. Fortunately, she wasn't the kind of woman who thought she was superior. Since Yang Hongtao had specifically told her to call the police immediately, even though she felt it wasn't necessary, she still quietly dialed the police number when the four men weren't paying attention.
Huang Lianshu's four bodyguards were not unaware of Xin Yue's subtle actions, but they believed that with the four of them working together, they could probably complete the task assigned by their boss in less than two minutes. By the time the police arrived, they would have already returned to the hotel to report back.
Since the boss wouldn't let them touch the woman, even if they snatched her phone now, she would still have other ways to call the police after they finished beating her and left. So why bother stopping her?
Yang Hongtao knew perfectly well that even if Xin Yue called the police, it would be to no avail; these four ravenous bastards certainly wouldn't wait for the police to arrive before making their move.
So ultimately, his only option now is to save himself!
The mutated soul power is one of his trump cards, but because it consumes too much soul power, he can only use it to save his life.
In addition, he also considered using the method of creating independent soul entities to capture the weapons carried by the other party, but unfortunately, the bodies of these people were always in motion, and Yang Hongtao had no chance to make a move at all.
Unable to easily use his mutated soul power, and unable to capture the opponent's weapon... Yang Hongtao himself didn't have a single weapon he could use. After all that, it seemed that the only way out was for him to rely on his physique and fight these four muscular men head-on with his fists!
Damn it... Never mind all that! Let's just go for it!
Although Yang Hongtao knew that he had no chance of winning against these four professional bodyguards in a physical fight, he still couldn't just surrender and wait for someone to break his arms and legs.
Although he estimated that as long as his hands and feet were not cut off, the powerful regenerative ability that his strong soul power brought to his body would not cause him too much harm, even the most serious injury would not cause him much damage.