A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Bang--!"

A dull, teeth-grinding bang suddenly exploded in the narrow alley!

The wooden stick, as thick as a bowl, was gripped tightly by a large, veiny hand that appeared out of nowhere, less than a centimeter from Lu Nianci's head!

Time stood still at that moment.

At the other end of the stick, the thug with a face full of scars used all his strength, his face turning a liverish color, but he couldn't move the stick forward even an inch!

He looked up in alarm and met a pair of eyes that were weathered yet sharp as an eagle's.

"You little bastard, you're tired of living?"

A hoarse yet powerful voice came from the throat of the man who had suddenly appeared, wearing a faded old military uniform.

He looked to be in his forties, not very tall, but as sturdy as an iron tower, exuding a murderous aura as if he had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

"Who the hell are you? How dare you meddle in my business!"

The thug roared, his voice filled with bluster but his heart was filled with fear.

The man grinned, revealing a set of teeth yellowed from tobacco smoke.

"Your grandpa's name is Lei Ming!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lei Ming twisted his wrist sharply!

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out!

The thug's wrist, which was holding the wooden stick, snapped backward at an odd angle!

"ah--!"

The heart-wrenching screams were even more agonizing than the scarred man's cries from before!

Almost at the same time, Lu Xingzhou moved!

He was a beat too slow to react because he was protecting Lu Nianci. Now that he saw his sister was safe, his suppressed anger and killing intent erupted like a volcano!

"court death!"

Lu Xingzhou moved with the speed of a ghost, taking a single step to stand in front of another thug wielding a steel pipe.

Without any unnecessary movements, he delivered a clean and decisive elbow strike, slamming it hard into the opponent's chin!

"Bang!"

Before the thug could even scream, his eyes rolled back, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and collapsed like a lump of mud.

The situation in the alley was completely reversed in the blink of an eye!

The once arrogant and domineering thugs were now like lambs to the slaughter in front of Lu Xingzhou and Lei Ming, these two fearsome men!

"Damn! This is a tough one! Run!"

Scarface, clutching his still-bleeding eyes and enduring the excruciating pain, roared out the order to retreat.

However, it was too late.

"run?"

Lu Xingzhou's icy voice was like a judgment from the deepest hell.

His figure moved swiftly through the narrow alleys, each strike accompanied by the crisp sound of bones breaking and a piercing scream.

He didn't kill them, but he crippled every single one of their legs!

He wanted them to crawl on the ground for the rest of their lives, to pay the most terrible price for daring to harbor even the slightest evil thought towards his sister!

In less than a minute, all the thugs in the alley, except for Scarface, were clutching their broken legs, rolling and howling in pain on the ground.

Throughout the entire process, Lei Ming simply crossed his arms and watched with great interest.

He watched Lu Xingzhou's clean, crisp, and deadly fighting skills, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Good lad, not bad skills. You're from Sharp Sword, right?" Lei Ming spat out the cigarette butt from his mouth and asked.

Lu Xingzhou did not answer. He walked step by step toward the only person still standing in the alley, the one with the scarred face.

Scarface was terrified out of his wits; his crotch was wet and smelly.

As he watched Lu Xingzhou approach like a demon god, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Hero, spare me! Grandpa, spare me! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! I'm not human! I'll never do it again!"

He kowtowed frantically, slamming his forehead against the dirty ground until it bled profusely.

Lu Xingzhou walked up to him, looking down at him without a trace of pity in his eyes.

"You just said you wanted my sister to play with you guys?"

His voice was very soft, but it made Scarface feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his whole body trembled like a leaf.

"No...no! I...I was talking nonsense! I'm foul-mouthed! I'll slap myself!"

As he spoke, Scarface slapped himself hard across the face.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the alley.

Lu Xingzhou just watched coldly until he slapped himself until his mouth bled, then slowly lifted his foot.

"ah--!"

Another blood-curdling scream!

Lu Xingzhou stomped on his other intact wrist and broke it!

After doing all this, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and the overwhelming killing intent gradually subsided.

He turned around abruptly and strode toward the small figure who had been standing there the whole time, his face pale but who hadn't uttered a sound.

Lu Nianci watched him walk over, looking at his eyes, which were slightly red from lingering fear, and at the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

She knew that he had been genuinely scared just now.

I was afraid she would suffer even the slightest harm.

Lu Xingzhou squatted down in front of her, reaching out his slightly trembling hand, wanting to touch her, but afraid of frightening her.

"Nianci...don't be afraid, I'm here."

His voice was terribly hoarse.

Lu Nianci shook her head. She wanted to say that she wasn't afraid, but her body's instincts made her small body tremble slightly uncontrollably.

In both her past and present lives, this was the first time she had come so close to death.

Seeing her like this, Lu Xingzhou felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard for him to breathe.

He pulled her into a tight embrace!

That embrace was firm and strong, carrying his pleasant, faint scent of soapberry and his comforting body temperature.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, it's my fault for not protecting you."

He buried his face in her hair and, over and over again, murmured in the gentlest and most self-reproachful voice of his life.

Lu Nianci's small hand gently grasped the front of his shirt.

She could clearly feel his strong and powerful heart beating fiercely for her.

"Brother...I'm fine."

She said in a low voice.

Lu Xingzhou slowly released her, cupped her small face, and carefully checked her over to make sure she was really not injured before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go home."

He stood up, his voice still hoarse.

Lei Ming had already left the alleyway sometime earlier.

The thugs who were groaning on the ground were all taken away by the police officers who arrived later.

Lu Xingzhou didn't even glance at those scumbags again.

He bent down, picked up the books scattered on the ground, and then stretched out his large, calloused hand with distinct knuckles.

"Let's go."

Lu Nianci stared blankly at the hand extended in front of her.

Sunlight streamed in from the alley entrance, bathing his palms in a warm golden hue.

She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she reached out her little hand and placed it in his palm.

His hands were large and warm, with a rough yet incredibly reassuring temperature.

He held her small hand tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

On the way back, neither of them spoke.

Lu Xingzhou held her hand the whole time and didn't let go.

He took small, slow steps, carefully matching her pace.

Lu Nianci lowered her head, looking at their clasped hands.

His large hand enveloped her small hand.

That warmth, flowing continuously from his palm, dispelled the last trace of chill and lingering fear in her heart.

Her heart, for no apparent reason, began to pound faster.

One stroke after another, clear and powerful.

My cheeks were also slightly flushed.

This feeling... is very unfamiliar.

Yet... it's very warm.

It made her want to stay like this forever, to be led by him until the end of time.