Chapter Seventy-Seven: Bald Leopard Three

I truly wanted to slip away while Sky Roar’s attention was elsewhere, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. That wretched Taoist is despicable, but his crimes aren’t worthy of death; his life may be worthless, but even so, dying here would be a shame. He’s already lost an arm, and his fate is sealed—he can’t let his life end in this place.

It’s all or nothing now. With the situation as dire as it is, if I manage to win this fight, perhaps I can save that Taoist’s life; but if I lose, it’s all over—not just for him, but for me as well, and even those ruffians who fled into the cave won’t escape ruin.

Without delay, as Sky Roar drew ever closer to the Taoist, I summoned all the power in my body, channeling it into my palms, and unleashed what I believed to be the deadliest strike I’ve ever thrown since mastering the Thunderbolt Palm.

A crimson blaze erupted, hissing as it shot straight at Sky Roar.

Boom!

My whole body trembled; the cave quaked, and dirt and rocks showered down from the ceiling above. With the explosion of the Thunderbolt Palm, Sky Roar’s massive body was blasted seven or eight meters away.

A shower of golden light burst forth. Yet Sky Roar did not shatter as I’d imagined; instead, it staggered to its feet, trembling.

Roar!

Sky Roar let out another shriek, stumbling toward me, its body continuing to grow larger. Damn, what’s going on? When the Taoist struck it, not only did it survive, it grew bigger; now, after being hit by my Thunderbolt Palm, it’s grown even larger.

It approached, jaws gaping wide. I instinctively retreated, but it moved faster than I could react, standing before me in the blink of an eye.

Close enough that I could feel the searing heat radiating from its body, like a wave of hot air. My heart was cold with dread; even with the Thunderbolt Palm in hand, I dared not strike again—for each blow only made it larger.

It’s over! Looks like today’s the day I die here. Wang Ying, I… I fear I won’t be able to return.

Roar!

Sky Roar opened its mouth wide again, unleashing a foul gust that battered me; I felt myself involuntarily retreating, its strength overwhelming, like a hurricane of the highest order.

Suddenly, the roaring ceased, the wind stilled.

What’s happening? Is it about to eat me?

No, it doesn’t seem so. Sky Roar abruptly closed its mouth, its form beginning to shrink, slowly, slowly, it collapsed to the ground, the red glow fading.

I was astonished—could it be wounded by my attack?

It shrank smaller and smaller, the light dimming, and after about a minute, the glow disappeared altogether, leaving behind an object no bigger than an egg.

Eventually, it became a statue resembling bloodstone, a likeness of Sky Roar.

I was stunned by this series of transformations—a mighty beast turning into a stone. Was this the power of my Thunderbolt Palm? No time to ponder; now that I had subdued Sky Roar, it was time to leave. Wang Ying was still waiting for me at home. Taking a step forward, I turned back, picked up the blood-red Sky Roar and slipped it into my pocket.

At the mouth of the cave, sunlight poured in, and I gazed upon the vast, verdant landscape outside with a heart full of emotion—nearly deprived of the chance to see it again.

I’d intended to leave alone, but worried the Taoist might bleed out and die, so I called out the band of thugs from inside, instructing them to carry the half-dead Taoist from the cave.

“Brother, I’ll never dare again! I swear I won’t ever trouble you anymore,” the bald man said, blood still streaked across his face, forcing a bitter smile in front of me.

“Good for you. From today on, you’re responsible for the safety of my grandparents. If I hear of anyone causing trouble, you’ll answer to me,” I said.

Hearing this, the bald man seemed invigorated. “Brother, don’t worry! With Leopard Three around, no one will dare bully our grandparents!”

He was obsequious, clearly cowed.

“That’s best. Let’s see how you perform,” I said, confident he wouldn’t dare try anything, especially since I’d subdued the formidable Sky Roar; he’d be no match.

“Brother, if you need anything, just say the word. I’m your little brother from now on.” He shakily produced a crumpled business card.

“Alright, here’s your first task: hurry and take your brothers and get the Taoist to the hospital. If you wait any longer, he’ll bleed out.”

The Taoist was unconscious, slumped on the back of a young thug, blood staining both their bodies.

The bald man nodded repeatedly. “Brother, we’ll carry out your orders, no question!”

By the time I got home, it was already afternoon. Wang Ying saw me, and regardless of my grandparents being present, rushed up and hugged me, sobbing.

“Wife, what’s this? I’m fine, and Grandpa and Grandma are right here!” I said, gently patting her back.

“Husband, I was so worried! You said you’d be right back—why so long?”

I softly stroked her back and whispered, “Wife, I have something to show you,” pulling out the blood-red Sky Roar statue.

Wang Ying took it and glanced at it. “Where did you get this? It’s a fine bloodstone.”

“Bloodstone?” I’d heard of it before—a prized stone, with Inner Mongolia’s Bailing bloodstone considered the best. I’d only heard about it, never seen it.

Wang Ying handed it to her grandfather, who examined it for some time and declared it a top-grade Bailing bloodstone, simply carved, likely an antique and quite valuable. I planned to leave it with Grandpa in case he needed to sell it for money in hard times.

Grandpa firmly refused, saying he had plenty of money, with retirement pensions more than enough, plus savings. I didn’t insist, though I remained uneasy—why had a great beast turned into a stone? Suddenly, a reverse thought occurred: perhaps it wasn’t a beast turning into a stone, but a stone turning into a beast.

Yes—it sounded absurd, yet it was reality. Many things, once infused with human spirit and vitality, can take shape and transform. So if Grandpa wouldn’t keep it, so be it; if one day it became a monster again, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

With peace restored, Wang Ying and I discussed how to rescue her father. In the end, we decided to confront Director Yu of the Land Administration Bureau directly; if we could bring him down, her father might be acquitted. The only problem was, we had no idea where Director Yu lived.

Moreover, her father had handled all these matters in secret—no one knew anything. Now, the most important thing was to find Yu Changqing.

Just as we were about to go out and inquire about Yu Changqing’s whereabouts, someone knocked on the door.

Opening it, I saw the bald man standing there, his head bandaged but his face still swollen like a pig, accompanied by a follower laden with gifts.

“What is it?” I asked coldly, disliking these bullies from the bottom of my heart.

“Brother, I completed your task, so I’m here to check on you and make amends,” said the bald man with a cheerful smile. I had to give him credit—his face was swollen, yet he could still smile.

I hadn’t wanted to associate with these people, but I let them in anyway. After all, I couldn’t stay at Grandpa’s side forever and didn’t want to provoke him excessively. “Come in, I’m not that old—no need to call me ‘brother.’”

“Heh heh, from now on you’re my big brother. Wherever you go, I’ll follow, serving you and running errands,” he said, grinning.

I couldn’t help but laugh—this kid was quick to adapt, treating me like a gang leader. Suddenly, it dawned on me: with the power of my Thunderbolt Palm, becoming a mob boss would be a breeze.

But it was just a passing thought. I had a greater mission—my role as a mediator between the worlds of the living and the dead, resolving imbalances between them.

“Alright, here’s your next task: get me all the information you can on Yu Changqing, Director of the Land Administration Bureau, as quickly as possible.” Leopard Three could extort a million—clearly he had underworld connections. In this society, the line between black and white was blurred. He’d have no trouble finding Director Yu’s address and details.

Leopard Three became excited upon hearing my request. “Brother, don’t worry—it’ll take no time at all. I’ll be back within an hour with the information.”

“No rush—have some tea before you go,” I said, gesturing to the tea Grandma had poured.

“No need, no need! I’ll treat you to tea at Fujian Spring next time,” he replied, grinning as he left with his underling. Watching the door slowly close, I unconsciously sighed. If I really gathered a band of followers behind me, I wondered what life would be like.