One Third Remaining Chapter Thirty-Nine: Third Time’s the Charm

Seizing the initiative was key. Whether she truly had the upper hand or not, as long as she could intimidate her opponent in the first instant, she could steer the course of events to her advantage, provided the other’s confidence wavered. This was the principle behind winning by sheer force of argument, the same principle behind the saying that a flurry of wild punches could fell a seasoned master.

The momentum Zhang Yunxi unleashed in that split second indeed startled the man in sunglasses. While he hesitated, she struck out with her fist. He raised his left arm to block, grunting as a jolt of pain shot through him, as if his arm had collided with a steel pole. A thousand curses raced through his mind. Sun Tiantian’s strength had already been formidable, but Zhang Yunxi’s was even greater. Gritting his teeth, the man in sunglasses endured the pain and launched a counterattack with his right fist.

But Zhang Yunxi seemed to have anticipated his move. Her left palm, which she had kept near her waist, lifted just enough to deflect his punch. In the same instant, her right palm, swift as lightning, lashed out at his face.

A crisp slap echoed through the air. Zhang Yunxi, having succeeded, stepped back a few paces, smoothed the hair from her forehead, and with a frosty gaze said, “That first slap is to remind you not to underestimate women. You’re the first who dared block my punch with just one hand.”

The man in sunglasses touched the red imprint on his face, his eyes turning cold and menacing. He rolled his shoulders and neck, then barked, “Good! Let’s go again!”

Zhang Yunxi pursed her lips, yet this time she did not attack immediately. Instead, she took a bottle of gum from her pocket, unscrewed the cap bit by bit, poured out a piece, tossed it into her mouth, and put the bottle away again. The whole process was calm and unhurried, her hands steady, showing no tremor from any excess exertion. She chewed a few times, then beckoned at the man in sunglasses with a look of disdain, saying nothing.

The man noticed the odd looks from the black-uniformed figures around them, frowned, and took a deep breath. With sudden speed, he lunged forward, bringing his right palm down hard toward Zhang Yunxi’s left shoulder.

Zhang Yunxi refrained from striking first, intending to lure him into exposing a weakness. As soon as his foot landed, she moved her left foot as well, twisting her body lightly to the side and slipping past his blow. Once again, her right palm flashed out.

Another ringing slap resounded. Zhang Yunxi retreated a step, rubbing her palm. “No wonder you rely on numbers to bully the weak—your skin is thick enough. This one’s for her,” she said, nodding toward Sun Tiantian. “She injured your hand, you cut her leg—fair enough. But you shouldn’t have had your men ambush her. That’s just shameless.”

The man in sunglasses lowered his head, laughing maniacally in embarrassment and rage. He spat bloody saliva onto the ground, wiped his mouth, and said in a chilling tone, “Not bad—I like it! Even if you put down what you’ve brought, you’re not leaving here today. Don’t even dream of getting out of Lvteng City for the rest of your lives.”

Sun Tiantian, who appeared injured and sat slumped on the ground, had actually been watching every move between Zhang Yunxi and the man in sunglasses. She knew better than anyone what Zhang Yunxi was capable of. Only now, seeing the bloodshot madness in the man’s eyes, did she finally relax, discreetly tending to her leg wound and wiping the cold sweat from her palms. She took something from behind her waist, slipped it into her sleeve, stood up, and, while slyly handing it to Zhang Yunxi, mocked, “For someone with so little skill, you sure have a big mouth. Lvteng City isn’t your private garden. I’ll come and go as I please—what can you do about it?”

Zhang Yunxi immediately caught on, took the item from Sun Tiantian, and shrugged with feigned indifference. Narrowing her eyes, she moved in a blur, charging straight at the man in sunglasses. Just as she neared him, she deliberately raised her right palm, hiding her left hand behind her back.

Having learned from their previous encounters, the man in sunglasses assumed she was going to slap him again. Laughing in fury, he tensed every muscle, bringing both arms up to guard his face. “Third time’s the charm—”

Before he could finish, Zhang Yunxi was already upon him. To everyone’s surprise, she didn’t strike with her right palm, but instead whipped her left hand from behind her back, stopping just short of him and jabbing the object she held into his side. A sly smile curved her lips as she pressed the switch on the black device in her palm. “Idiot, you fell for it!”

The man froze, then suddenly felt a powerful electric current surge through his body. His hair stood on end, eyes bulging as his facial muscles seized up, and he slowly toppled to the ground, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

The black-uniformed figures around them were thrown into panic and stepped forward, trying to check on the man’s condition.

Sun Tiantian pursed her lips, walked over to Zhang Yunxi, and, taking advantage of the moment, put on a show of bravado, giggling, “Come on, who else dares to mess with me?” She draped an arm over Zhang Yunxi’s shoulder and pointed at the man writhing on the ground. “Take one more step and you’ll end up worse than that poser in sunglasses, believe it or not. Let me tell you, my sister’s move is called Thunder Palm—struck by lightning, five bolts of thunder!”

For a moment, the black-uniformed men hesitated, caught between advancing and retreating.

Seeing this, Zhang Yunxi immediately hoisted Sun Tiantian onto her back and, swift as a storm, carried her away with steady steps. She raised a hand in farewell, her voice sweetly mocking: “Till we meet again.”

A few minutes later, Sun Tiantian was sprawled across Zhang Yunxi’s back, licking a lollipop. “Even though I hate to admit it, you were at least two percent as cool as Nie Yi just now. But there’s still room for improvement. For example, your parting line just now didn’t have quite the right tone…”

Zhang Yunxi glanced around, then tossed Sun Tiantian off her back. With a flick of her left hand, a black baton landed on Sun Tiantian. Her voice was cold: “Don’t think I didn’t notice you got hurt on purpose. Those idiots thought I was saving you, but I was actually saving them. Sun Tiantian, ‘self-defense’ is not your excuse to go around hurting people as you please. Now put that dumb snake around your arm away!”

Sun Tiantian stowed the electric baton and looked innocently at Zhang Yunxi. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What dumb snake? I hate slimy things like that…”

As she spoke, a small, vividly green snake—no wider than a finger and barely over a foot long—poked its head out from Sun Tiantian’s right sleeve, flicking its tongue at Zhang Yunxi with excitement.

Sun Tiantian froze for a moment, then tossed the little green snake to the ground and crouched down, feigning surprise. “Oh my, where did this little snake come from? Poor thing, so young and already out on the streets. It must be malnourished. Come… come to Auntie Tiantian… I’ll take you home for some tasty treats. There are red spiders, black scorpions, yellow centipedes…”

The little green snake turned away disdainfully, trying to slither off, but Sun Tiantian pinched it between two fingers and stuffed it back into her leather jacket.

Zhang Yunxi rolled her eyes, walked to the roadside, pulled aside a pile of branches, and wheeled out a black motorbike. She swung her leg over, fished a small slip of paper from her pocket, blew a pink bubble with her gum, slipped the note inside, then stuck the gum onto a nearby tree. She beckoned to Sun Tiantian. “Time to go!”

“Where to?” Sun Tiantian climbed onto the back of the bike. “What was in that gum? Why stick it to a tree—are you leaving a secret message for someone?”

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Zhang Yunxi twisted the handlebars, and the bike let out an angry roar. “Didn’t my dad give you that thing? Don’t tell me you really thought he sent you here just to pick up a jar of pickled vegetables…”

“So that means we can stay in Lvteng City for a few days? Awesome!” Sun Tiantian cheered. “Uncle Man really cares about me. He knows I’m exhausted from all the autopsies that old witch makes me do every day, so he’s letting me have a break… Since we’ll be working together for a while, can I make a suggestion?”

Zhang Yunxi frowned, her face expressionless, and spat out a single word: “Speak.”

“Next time you need to pass a message, could you use a different method?” Sun Tiantian pouted. “Using chewed gum is just so unhygienic…”

But Zhang Yunxi ignored her, released the brake, twisted the throttle again, and, donning her black helmet, sped off into the distance, leaving Sun Tiantian shouting and laughing wildly in the wind.