Chapter Thirty-Nine: Fierce Battle

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The moment the bullets sliced through the car door and roof, streams of scorching air burst forth. The rear window had already been shattered. The whistling sound of bullets tearing through the air, mingling with the blast by the muzzle, was reminiscent of firecrackers exploding during the New Year.

Wang Tingting, lying prone on the seat, managed to call the police. The overwhelming firepower from behind made it evident they meant to kill us. Ma Junfeng hunched down, driving while dodging bullets, but the barrage was so dense that several bullets pierced right through the cabin. A few even went through the top of the driver’s seat—had Ma Junfeng not ducked, his head would’ve been riddled with holes.

The car sped madly onward, with gunshots still sporadically echoing from behind. At any moment, a bullet could strike the fuel tank or a tire, and then the car would be finished. Wang Tingting whispered urgently, “Think of something—fast!”

Without thinking, I retorted, “Isn’t your second uncle the police chief? If you want someone saved, you should call her.”

Wang Tingting snorted, clearly annoyed by my mockery; she hadn’t expected me to joke at a time like this. She was about to retort when a bullet whizzed past her head, leaving a scorched smell that made her panic. “A distant well can’t put out a nearby fire! If we don’t do something now, we’ll be riddled with holes—maybe roasted like pigs!”

Just as she finished, Ma Junfeng let out a muffled groan, the car swerved, then he regained control. Ignoring Wang Tingting, I shouted to Ma Junfeng, “Are you okay?”

“No problem!” Ma Junfeng didn’t even turn his head, merely waved a hand.

After a short distance, the pursuing car drew closer. I saw that if we could just get past the intersection ahead, we might shake them off—there was a police station just beyond it.

No sooner had I thought this than two cars appeared ahead, blocking our way. Pursued from behind and ambushed in front—it was a dire predicament.

Gritting his teeth, Ma Junfeng floored the accelerator and charged between the two cars ahead. The parallel cars abruptly parted to let us through, and men leaned out of the windows, spraying us with submachine gun fire.

My heart sank as I recognized their weapons—AK47s, easily capable of piercing the car’s shell. “Watch out, they’ve got AK47s!” I shouted, pulling Wang Tingting down and covering her with my body. She hadn’t noticed and, losing her balance, ended up facing me directly. I didn’t pay it any mind—my only thought was to shield her from the bullets.

Only when she cursed me—“Shameless!”—did I realize my hand had landed on her soft chest. No wonder she was angry, but there was no time for that now. I quickly moved my hand away, though my body was still pressed firmly against her.

Ma Junfeng saw it too, and before I could say more, the car made a sharp turn, swerving sideways across the road. I silently marveled at his driving skills, not knowing where he’d learned such prowess.

The car slid out, crashed into the guardrail, and smoke billowed from the hood. The inertia tossed us around; a sharp pain shot through the back of my head as it slammed into the door handle. Dizziness threatened to overwhelm me, but I held on, refusing to black out—if I passed out, I couldn’t protect Wang Tingting.

Wang cried out, mumbling something I could barely hear. But to my surprise, the gunfire from the cars ahead wasn’t aimed at us, but at our pursuers. The staccato “ka-ka” of the AKs mingled with explosions from the rear—intensifying the heat in the air.

Ma Junfeng, slumped in the driver’s seat, let out a heavy, weak groan.

Anyone could hear how feeble he was. My heart chilled; summoning every ounce of will before I fainted, I formed a “Motionless King Seal” with my hands. Instantly, my mind cleared. As a practitioner, I cultivated a calm mind—unflinching even if Mount Tai collapsed before me, giving me a rare clarity in crises.

Smoke poured from the engine—if we didn’t get out soon, the car would explode. With all my strength, I kicked the door open and dragged Wang Tingting out. She wasn’t hurt, but shot me a few furious glares, clearly still upset about my earlier actions—though there was no time for that now.

I nearly crawled out—never had I been so disheveled in my life. Outside, smoke blasted at us. I shoved Wang Tingting, yelling at her to run, and my shout startled her into bolting.

I covered my nose, yanking the driver’s door, but it was jammed from the impact. Ma Junfeng’s head lolled to the side, unresponsive. The other door was pinned against the guardrail, and flames were licking up from the engine.

Ma Junfeng was unconscious, oblivious to my shouts. Desperate, I summoned my inner strength and slammed my palm against the car roof. The impact left my hand numb and a metallic taste in my mouth as blood welled up my throat. The bang was as loud as a grenade blast, but miraculously, it popped the jammed door open.

Swallowing the blood, I grabbed Ma Junfeng and ran. Bullets occasionally whistled past, their “whoosh” hissing in my ears.

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I hadn’t gotten far carrying Ma Junfeng when the car behind us erupted in flames. The explosion wasn’t as dramatic as in the movies, but the sound of glass shattering was clear, and a wave of heat rolled over us. In less than half a minute, the whole car was engulfed in fire, tongues of flame shooting from inside and out.

At that moment, my phone rang. Setting Ma Junfeng down, Wang Tingting came over to help me support him.

It was District Weiye on the line. He chuckled, “Brother, brother, that was thrilling, wasn’t it? Ha!” At his words, I immediately realized the two cars were sent by the Hongmen Brotherhood. No wonder they dared use AKs in Guangzhou.

“You predicted I’d be ambushed, didn’t you?” I snapped, annoyed. “If you knew, why didn’t you warn me? Look at me now—how am I supposed to pick up girls looking like this?”

District Weiye just laughed heartily—the only one who could joke at a time like this.

Though Hongmen’s reinforcements had arrived, the situation was still grim. The Yamaguchi-gumi had sent three more cars, pressing on both sides.

I gave a bitter laugh. “Is this all you’ve got? Looks like the other side’s doubled their numbers.”

District Weiye hadn’t expected so many opponents. “Get out of there, fast! The police will be here in minutes. If you stay, you’ll be in serious trouble. There’s a taxi two hundred meters ahead—get in it.”

Hanging up, I saw Wang Tingting bandaging Ma Junfeng’s wound. He’d been shot in the back, his shirt soaked with blood. Wang Tingting tore a piece of his shirt to plug the wound, tying it off—apparently, she knew first aid.

No time for questions. I hefted Ma Junfeng and followed District Weiye’s directions. Sure enough, two hundred meters ahead, around a corner, a green taxi waited—it must have been arranged for us.

I put Ma Junfeng in, told Wang Tingting to watch over him, and got behind the wheel.

No sooner had I started the engine than distant sirens wailed. Wang Tingting, staunching Ma Junfeng’s bleeding, choked out, “Hurry to the hospital—he’s lost too much blood, needs surgery.”

I sped toward the nearest hospital, flying through three streets; we were almost there. My driving wasn’t exceptional, but it was steady.

Wang Tingting suddenly warned, “Careful, we’re being followed!”

In the rearview, I saw two sedans—a Mercedes and another I couldn’t identify. They didn’t seem to be together.

The Mercedes quickly closed in. I was prepared, a talisman hidden in my hand—if they attacked, I’d make them pay.

But the Mercedes didn’t seem to be simply pursuing us. As it drew alongside, the window rolled down to reveal a stunning young woman. Her presence was like a spring breeze, captivating me with large, spirited eyes and delicate lips. She was the epitome of classical Chinese beauty, though her nose was aquiline.

She smiled and greeted me in perfect Mandarin, “Good day, Professor Chang!” Few people knew my surname was Wanyan—most assumed my name was Chang Feng, and my surname Chang.

Her greeting caught me off guard, but I quickly realized who she was. “Yueyue?”

Yueyue seemed surprised I recognized her instantly, then clapped her hands in praise. “You truly are a remarkable teacher.”

Receiving such praise from a beauty made my cheeks flush, despite my thick skin. Meanwhile, Wang Tingting glared and pinched me secretly.

Yueyue laughed heartily, her boldness making me want to befriend her. Then, sincerely, she apologized, “I’m very sorry, Professor Chang, for the trouble I’ve caused you and your students these past days. I’m glad you’re all safe—if anything had happened, I’d never forgive myself.”

Her words made everything clear: from the attacks on Tang Xin and the others, to my own ambush, it all stemmed from the stone she’d bought—an eighty-million-yuan stone.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the car behind, a submachine gun poking out the window and firing at us. Most of the bullets struck Yueyue’s car.

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Yueyue ducked down, the people in her car quickly drawing weapons to return fire. Wang Tingting, still pressing on Ma Junfeng’s wound, urged, “We must get to the hospital now, or it’ll be too late.”

Glancing back, I saw Ma Junfeng’s pale, ashen face, his lips bluish, barely breathing. To reach the hospital, we had to shake our pursuers—but how?

Ultimately, all this was over that stone. Since Yueyue had bought it, and now trouble had come knocking—

Wang Tingting understood my thoughts. She rolled down the window and tossed the stone to Yueyue, shouting, “Here’s your damned stone back!”

The moment the stone landed in Yueyue’s car, all the gunfire shifted to her. Shifting gears, I sped away, leaving behind: “Let’s have tea sometime, beautiful!”

With the stone in hand, Yueyue turned off into another street, her voice trailing back, “We’ll meet again soon.”

Our pursuers ignored us, chasing after Yueyue instead. Freed from danger, we reached the hospital in minutes.

Ma Junfeng was rushed into surgery. I called Gu Jing, briefly explaining what had happened. He surely knew of the ambush—nothing escaped his fox-like cunning. When I mentioned Ma Junfeng had been shot, he sucked in a breath and said, “My apprentice has a tough life—he’ll survive, don’t worry. Did you find Tang Xin’s soul?”

That reminded me: “The souls are in the Spirit-Calming Talisman. Use the Soul-Summoning Banner to transfer them. Save the others first; I’ll discuss more with you later.”

After hanging up, Wang Tingting and I watched nurses and doctors hustling back and forth, carrying blood and surgical tools—we could only wait anxiously.

Before the operation was over, four plainclothes officers quietly approached us. The hospital, following protocol, had reported the gunshot wound.

Suddenly, the four policemen tried to restrain Wang Tingting and me. Their grip was strong and precise—enough for ordinary people, but useless against someone trained in qigong.

Instinctively, I countered with a reversal technique, flipping them in an instant. Wang Tingting, though a woman, didn’t hesitate—a back kick sent her assailant slamming into the wall with a sharp crack, either a break or a dislocation.

One short officer, seeing us subdue three of his colleagues in seconds, drew his gun and barked, “Police! Don’t move—let them go!”

Only then did Wang Tingting and I realize they were indeed police. I shrugged, releasing my hold. The two I’d pinned rubbed their arms, then turned to cuff me.

Before I could protest, Wang Tingting snapped, “Open your eyes—can’t you tell your own people?”

The officers were shocked by our skills. When they saw our composure even with a gun pointed at us, their suspicion only grew. They searched me, and a thin-faced officer found my credentials in my jacket—the Interpol badge given by Ren Tianxing, stamped with the seal of the United Nations.

At the sight of the badge, their expressions changed. After a quick exchange of glances, the short officer promptly saluted. “Sorry, sir! Wang Yong, Captain of the Tianhe Criminal Police Squad, reporting.”

I returned his salute, signaling there was no need for formality. The officer Wang Tingting had kicked had a dislocated shoulder, but Wang Yong quickly reset it.

From the moment we left the university, the traffic police had been tracking us via surveillance footage, reporting the heavy firepower. The local police, realizing they were outgunned, had called in the armed police to assist.

The criminal police were to coordinate with them. When the hospital reported a gunshot victim, Wang Yong’s team was dispatched to investigate.

I insisted they keep my identity confidential and told them our attackers were likely from the Japanese Yamaguchi-gumi, urging them to track their whereabouts.