Chapter 24: The Pursuit and Hunt of the Gao Family (Part Two)

Gao Lan moved with remarkable speed, clearly well-versed in the light-foot kung fu. Had it been an ordinary person pursuing her, they would surely have lost her. Although her skills were still slightly inferior to Yan Tian’s, he knew that the only reason she could not outpace him was that while her internal energy was formidable, it still paled in comparison to his own.

Yan Tian felt a twinge of shame. His internal energy had not been cultivated bit by bit, but rather acquired through the rapid benefits of his ancestors' legacy. It made him feel like a spoiled heir, throwing his weight around thanks to the wealth of his forebears.

In less than twenty minutes, Gao Lan entered the city. It was not yet late, and the city was vibrant; nightlife had just begun, with traffic flowing busily through the streets. Gao Lan did not take a taxi. She slowed her pace slightly, weaving through the city's streets and alleys.

Yan Tian released a strand of his aura to lock onto her presence. With the city crowded and chaotic, he feared losing her, so he closed the distance, trailing about five hundred meters behind. Gao Lan was extremely cautious, leading Yan Tian on a circuitous route through the city. Yan Tian knew she had not detected him; given her current strength, she was still incapable of sensing his aura from five hundred meters away. He suspected her meandering path was merely the habit of a seasoned assassin.

After trailing her for about two hours, Gao Lan finally reached a small villa complex in the southern part of the city. Yan Tian recognized the place. Though the villas were small, their facilities were world-class, housing only high-ranking officials, dignitaries, or business tycoons. It was already around one in the morning, and most of the complex was plunged into darkness, with only a few houses still lit.

Gao Lan did not enter through the main gate. She found a corner far from the entrance, leapt gracefully over the three-meter-high wall, and slipped inside. Hidden in the shadows away from the streetlights, Yan Tian dashed to the base of the wall, counted ten heartbeats, and vaulted over, landing within the complex. Gao Lan’s aura was still moving. Too lazy to scan the surroundings, Yan Tian sprinted through the shadows, hot on her trail.

"Brother, you need to run!" Gao Lan declared as she entered her villa’s foyer, addressing Gao Qianduo, who was still waiting for good news.

When she arrived, Gao Qianduo had been reading a magazine, posing as an intellectual. Hearing her words, he jumped up in shock, flung the magazine aside, and shouted, "What did you say?"

Gao Lan looked at her incompetent brother with disgust and replied coldly, "I failed. Yan Tian is no ordinary man. He defeated me and let me return to bring you a message: starting tomorrow, he will hunt you down. As your sister, I regret to inform you that you have provoked someone you cannot afford to cross. Run now, or you might not live to see tomorrow."

Gao Qianduo’s eyes widened, his face turning ashen as he stared at her. He noticed the wounds on her shoulders; although they had stopped bleeding, the stains on her coat were clearly visible.

"Didn't I warn you to be careful?" Gao Qianduo bellowed. "You were the one who said you could handle him alone! If you had listened to me and brought more men with firearms, I don't believe we couldn't have killed that little punk, Yan Tian! Damn it, now you've botched it, and Yan Tian knows you were sent by me..."

"Watch your tone," Gao Lan said contemptuously. "Remember, I wasn't 'sent' by you; I was invited. You don't have the standing to use the word 'send' with me. Besides, do you think numbers matter? Yan Tian is someone who can dodge bullets. If I couldn't kill him, all your hired guns put together couldn't scratch him."

Gao Qianduo pointed a finger at her and yelled, "I don't care! You messed this up, so you fix it! Damn it, you want me to run? That punk Yan Tian needs to learn his place! Listen well, Lan: if Yan Tian really comes for me, I’ll make sure you're my shield, even if it costs me my life!"

"Ha, turning on me already?" Gao Lan glared at him. "You? Think you can use me as a shield? Let me tell you, if it weren't for the Old Master, your words just now would have cost you your life."

Under her murderous gaze, Gao Qianduo, despite his fury, suddenly shivered. He recalled that this little sister—whose actual connection to the Gao family was questionable—was notorious for her cold-blooded nature. They weren't even full siblings, and whether they shared the same father was uncertain. If he truly provoked her, she might really put a bullet in his head.

"I'm sorry, Lan, I'm just… I'm just anxious," Gao Qianduo quickly changed his demeanor, fawning over her. "Please, help me out. I’m begging you, okay? Go back out tonight, take all the guns from the house and the gang, and bring some long-barreled rifles. Yes, and bring some explosives—if we blow his house to the ground, won't he be dead?"

Gao Lan sighed. "Brother, it’s not that I won't help you, it's that I can't. You see these two wounds on my shoulder, but you don't understand... sigh, you wouldn't understand. I can't do it. I need to treat my injuries immediately, or I might lose the use of my hands."

Although her protective internal energy had deflected some of the force of the *Yiyang Finger*, some had still penetrated her meridians. She had been using her own energy to suppress the damage, but she was nearing her limit and had to neutralize the hidden force in her arms immediately.

Gao Lan hurried upstairs, leaving Gao Qianduo alone in the foyer. He stood there blankly, his expression shifting between rage and uncertainty. After a long while, he growled under his breath, "Damn wild girl, one day I’ll have you under my thumb!" He then roared toward the door: "Xiao Ting!"

His bodyguard, Xiao Ting, who had been keeping watch outside, entered and bowed slightly. "What is it, Young Master?"

Gao Qianduo gritted his teeth. "Make the calls. Get everyone here. I’m leading the team myself to finish off that punk!"

Xiao Ting nodded. "Yes, Young Master." He pulled out his phone, but just as he was about to dial, he let out a muffled groan and collapsed to the floor. A round hole had appeared in the back of his head, and blood mixed with brain matter began to pool on the floor.