Chapter 15: Taking Care of Him
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There was just one thing Yu Chengfeng had not expected: Lei Li was not necessarily clumsy and slow merely because he looked tall and powerful.
On the contrary, Lei Li took long strides when he ran, and his explosive strength was formidable. Although Yu Chengfeng had set off first and raced into the depths of the forest, Lei Li was gradually closing the distance behind him.
It seemed he was still suffering from the weakness of his original body. As he ran, Yu Chengfeng inwardly lamented his poor physical condition.
Just as Lei Li was about to catch up, Yu Chengfeng suddenly threw himself flat onto the ground. The steel saber in his hand plunged into the earth with the force of his momentum, halting him while also serving as a pivot around which he could adjust his posture.
In this way, Yu Chengfeng slid across the ground like a baseball slide, turning ninety degrees. He then pushed himself up, pulled the saber free, and ran off in another direction.
Lei Li naturally lacked such a technique. He could only slow himself down, then give chase in the direction Yu Chengfeng had turned. The delay cost him precious time, and the distance he had painstakingly closed widened once more.
“Yu Chengfeng, if you have the guts, stop running!”
He had been within arm’s reach, yet a single little maneuver by Yu Chengfeng had put so much distance between them. Lei Li was both furious and bewildered.
He was furious because, even within the fort, he was considered a skilled fighter, yet Yu Chengfeng had toyed with him so effortlessly.
He was bewildered because he had heard things about Yu Chengfeng’s character and conduct, but had never known that the man possessed such cunning and skill. Now that he had witnessed them for himself, Lei Li knew all the more clearly that he could not let Yu Chengfeng escape today.
Yu Chengfeng did not know how long he had dragged Lei Li along behind him. He was utterly exhausted. When he looked back and saw that Lei Li, too, was nearing the limits of his stamina, he finally stopped.
After halting, Yu Chengfeng deliberately surveyed his surroundings. The trees here grew thick and dense, while a massive boulder blocked the path behind him. It was indeed an ideal place to kill someone.
“You little bastard, you can really run. You even went out of your way to find such a fine place. Then let this be the site of your burial!” Lei Li advanced slowly, regulating his breathing. Once his breath had steadied, he tightened his grip on the great saber, ready to charge at any moment.
Yu Chengfeng likewise struggled to control his breathing and calm his rapidly pounding heart. With a sharp flick of his hand, he drew the saber hanging at his waist. His other hand, hidden from Lei Li’s notice, quietly closed around one of the bamboo tubes at his belt.
As Lei Li charged toward him, Yu Chengfeng rushed forward as well. Just as the two were about to collide, Yu Chengfeng pressed the mechanism on the bamboo tube and hurled it viciously at Lei Li’s face.
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Lei Li saw only a bamboo tube flying straight toward him and heard a hissing sound coming from inside. Before he had time to react, he saw Yu Chengfeng rapidly retreating.
The next moment, the bamboo tube exploded violently, splashing all the boiling water mixed with alkaline substances across his face.
The potent alkali burned through his eyes and facial skin almost the instant it made contact. Overwhelmed by agony, he clutched his face and let out a tremendous scream.
Seeing that the moment had arrived, Yu Chengfeng advanced with his saber and struck fiercely at Lei Li’s neck.
Yu Chengfeng had been supremely confident that this blow would sever Lei Li’s head, but when the saber struck his neck, he immediately realized something was wrong. His expression changed.
As Lei Li writhed in pain, his constant struggling had shifted the position Yu Chengfeng had carefully aimed for. The blade had missed his neck and instead struck his collarbone, becoming lodged in the gap between the bones and difficult to pull free.
Struck by a second wave of pain, Lei Li erupted in fury. Ignoring his injuries, he sprang to his feet, cursing loudly as he swung his great saber wildly. Several times, the weapon came terrifyingly close to hitting Yu Chengfeng.
Fortunately, Yu Chengfeng was agile enough to evade the blows by the narrowest margins.
Just as Yu Chengfeng was wondering how to deal with the maddened Lei Li before him, a thunderous tiger roar came from the direction of the old hunter. Its penetrating force was astonishing; though the old forest stretched for several miles between them, the roar reached them without losing its power.
While both men were still shaken by the roar, another similar tiger roar rang out above their heads in answer.
This roar was much closer, and far more terrifying.
In his previous life, Yu Chengfeng had seen tigers only in zoos. It was only now that he understood why the tiger was called the king of beasts.
He looked up to see a magnificent tiger with golden fur and black stripes standing atop the boulder. Its pair of massive eyes fixed fiercely upon them, while the tail behind it, thick as a man’s calf, lashed back and forth.
Looking at the tiger, which was nearly the size of a small sedan, Yu Chengfeng felt the fear of death for the first time since arriving in this world.
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As for Lei Li, his vision had already grown blurred, but he could still hear that earth-shaking roar that seemed capable of piercing mountains and splitting stones. Even his normally fearless heart began to fill with terror.
He threw down the great saber in his hand and staggered toward the opposite direction. Unfortunately, fleeing only stirred the tiger’s ferocity. It leaped from the boulder and pounced directly after him.
Lei Li was already injured, and under the grip of fear, how could he possibly outrun a tiger? In less than three to five seconds, the tiger struck him down with a single swipe, pinning him beneath its paws and tearing at him as his shrill screams rang out.
Within a minute, he had stopped breathing. Yet the tiger seemed unsatisfied. Lowering its shoulders, it slowly began advancing toward Yu Chengfeng.
Yu Chengfeng did not dare hesitate. He pressed the mechanisms on all the remaining bamboo tubes at his waist and threw them out. At the same time, he shouted loudly and repeatedly struck the stone with his saber, creating an enormous racket.
The bamboo tubes he had thrown also exploded violently, spraying large quantities of alkaline water into the air. The entire small clearing was soon filled with the sharp smell of alkali.
The tiger, startled by the unfamiliar explosions, was frightened as well. It abandoned Yu Chengfeng and fled with its tail tucked between its legs.
Only after confirming that the tiger had truly left did Yu Chengfeng let out a breath of relief. His entire body went limp as he leaned against the boulder.
Although he had successfully killed Lei Li this time, far too many unforeseen developments had occurred. If he had not been extraordinarily lucky, the slightest mistake could easily have cost him his life.
Yu Chengfeng forced himself to rise and walked over to Lei Li’s corpse, which had been reduced to a bloody, unrecognizable mess. He pulled out the steel saber, then slowly made his way toward the edge of the forest.
He did not know how long he had walked. By the time night was approaching, he saw the faint flicker of torches among the trees. Mustering his courage, he drew closer and discovered that it was the group of hunters. Some were dead, others wounded, and all of them were fleeing toward Poplar Fort like a flock of startled birds.
When they saw Yu Chengfeng emerge from the forest, they were startled as well. Only after recognizing him did they calm down and ask, “Where is Lei Li? Weren’t you taking care of him?”
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