Chapter 8: Shouldn't Have Provoked Me

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"Cough cough, can I do anything?"

Being stared at so directly by Zhou Ruoran made Ding Fan also feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Zhou Ruoran also felt inexplicably anxious at the moment, even she couldn't believe that her heart would start pounding faster at the sight of Ding Fan.

Undeniably, Ding Fan looked very handsome today. Standing beside him, his aura even made one feel very comfortable.

"I have already eaten. Go ahead and eat." Zhou Ruoran said this without any emotion and then turned back to her room.

Zhou Ruoran remembered Huang Xing's phone call about how Ding Fan was fighting with thugs over a flower girl. Flirting with women was Ding Fan's speciality, wasn't it? Perhaps it was because the flower girl liked sunny-type men, so Ding Fan must have acted that way on purpose.

Ding Fan was just a hopeless wastrel, and now, even if she believed pigs could climb trees, Zhou Ruoran would never believe Ding Fan could change.

Ding Fan could feel that Zhou Ruoran's complexion was somewhat pale today, her health was very poor due to constant life stresses. Ding Fan thought that after he went to withdraw money from the bank tomorrow, he could indeed help Zhou Ruoran by refining a medicine pill to adjust her health.

At this point, Ding Fan was actually quite hungry. He was currently cultivating, and his food demands were quite high. He then went to the kitchen and saw the fish Zhou Ruoran had stewed for him and the rice she had cooked in the rice cooker.

Ding Fan immediately rolled up his sleeves and in no time, he had eaten up all the rice and the entire fish. After eating, he hurried back to his room energetically, as it was indeed the right time to cultivate.

...

An entire night of Breathing Exercises had exhausted Ding Fan, but the True Qi in his body had become much more solid. At this pace, he would soon touch the barrier of the Second Level of Qi Cultivation.

However, two of the three white flowers on the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass had withered overnight. Ding Fan knew that this was caused by the Spiritual Energy from the herb being absorbed by him. At the moment, he dared not absorb the Spiritual Energy of the Spirit-Focusing Herb. On Earth, where Spiritual Energy was sparse, if he were to completely drain the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass, finding new Spirit Grass would not be easy.

Ding Fan thought about whether he could plant the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass. From his experience, it would not take ten days for the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass to seed, and then he could perhaps try planting it.

Growing Spirit Grass was the only option left on Earth, where Spiritual Energy was sparse. Once Ding Fan thought it through, he prepared the villa's garden flower bed and then planted the Fragrant Mind-Consolidating Grass.

Having finished this, it was nearly noon. Zhou Ruoran had made him lunch before she went to school. After eating lunch in the kitchen, Ding Fan decided to change the thirty thousand yuan cheque into cash at the bank.

Ding Fan went straight to the bank, and withdrawing thirty thousand yuan went smoothly. After withdrawing the money, Ding Fan directly headed for home.

Crossing the main road, he reached a back alley. Taking this route would save a lot of distance. Unlike the bustling main road, this area had more massage parlors and hostels.

"You little bitch, get out of the way!"

While Ding Fan was considering whether to go to the pharmacy first to buy some herbs, a nearly roaring voice came from ahead.

Ding Fan looked up and saw seven or eight people chasing a middle-aged man with machetes. The shout was from one of the chasers yelling at him.

The security in the back alley was always rather chaotic. Judging by their attire, the men chasing the middle-aged man were just some thugs. Ding Fan wasn't in the mood to meddle. He stood still, then stepped aside to let them pass.

The middle-aged man seemed to have good stamina. Despite several knife wounds on his body, his steps were not disordered. He had just run past when the group chasing him followed suit.

"You motherfucker!" the leader, moved by some sinister impulse, swung his machete at Ding Fan as he approached him.

Ding Fan frowned slightly. He hadn't meddled in their affairs, yet this person had come swinging a machete at him for no reason.

"Scram!" Ding Fan dodged the machete aimed at him and then kicked the thug leader's chest.

Ding Fan's kick was quite forceful. The leader had not expected that Ding Fan could so easily dodge the sudden attack.

But it was too late to think more. The leader was sent flying straight back, knocking over another thug behind him before crashing to the ground in a very embarrassing manner.

"Dammit! You dare touch me! Cut him down!" The leader was kicking from the pain in his chest, and after he spoke, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

His numerous followers then abandoned the middle-aged man they had been chasing and charged with their machetes towards Ding Fan.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh... several machetes were furiously slashed towards Ding Fan's face.

Ding Fan's expression turned ugly; it seemed he couldn't avoid today's trouble.

"Die!" Accustomed to the sight of blades and shadows, mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Cultivation World, Ding Fan could hardly take a few street thugs seriously.

Whoosh... A blade sliced directly toward the top of Ding Fan's head.

Ding Fan didn't even think about dodging. He stood his ground, using his left foot as support, his body suddenly spun 360 degrees, driving his right leg with his waist strength, and his right foot swung up high.

Crack!

A very loud sound smacked directly onto the opponent's neck, and at this moment, the knife chopping toward Ding Fan was still several inches away. Perhaps even the opponent was puzzled, since he had struck first, yet he was the one to get hit first.

Thud! The thug's body drew a 180-degree arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

The other thugs were stunned, but Ding Fan didn't give them time to react. His previous move hadn't even finished before the subsequent moves followed in quick succession. Several kicks bombarded in a blink, and all the thugs were kicked to the ground instantly.

The gang leader saw everything, his mouth gaping open. He had come out today with some skilled followers. In his view, even if a martial arts champion stood before him, he was confident he could kill him.

Having been a thug for so many years, he had seen plenty of tough fighters, but he had never seen anyone who could fight like Ding Fan.

Ding Fan looked coldly at the gang leader, who was so frightened that he involuntarily stepped back, seeing Ding Fan as some sort of demon.

Ding Fan had no intention of dealing with the thugs anymore. Had they not provoked him, he wouldn't have bothered with them at all.

Although he was only at the First Level of Qi Cultivation, his memory was filled with numerous combat techniques; dealing with these thugs was a piece of cake.

"Sever your own right hand, then scram," Ding Fan approached the gang leader.

The opponent had tried to kill him unprovoked, and Ding Fan definitely wasn't going to let him get away unscathed.

"You... do you know who I am?" the gang leader tried to speak toughly, but in front of Ding Fan, he felt an immense pressure that almost suffocated him.

"If I have to act, then I'll be chopping off both of your hands," Ding Fan said coldly.

The gang leader looked at Ding Fan, hesitating. But eventually, he grabbed a cleaver nearby and decisively chopped off his own right hand.

The other thugs were shocked by the scene. They knew their leader well— a man who wouldn't yield even with a knife to his throat, yet now he had severed his own right hand just because of a few words from the opponent...

The gang leader had his reasons for doing so. Having been in the gang for so long, he was quite astute in judging people. Despite Ding Fan's mild tone, his eyes were resolute, convincing the leader that Ding Fan was a man who meant his words.

Moreover, if the opponent really wanted to chop off both his hands, who there could stop him? So, losing one hand was definitely better than losing both.

"Scram!" After severing his right hand, Ding Fan didn't want to waste more time with them. He waved them off.

The gang leader and his followers didn't dare to linger, helping their leader; they hurriedly scrambled away.

"Wait, young man, thank you for saving me just now."

As Ding Fan turned to leave, the middle-aged man he had just rescued came chasing after him.

Ding Fan glanced at the middle-aged man. Although he had indirectly helped him by stopping the thugs, he saw with his peripheral vision that the man hadn't tried to escape. Instead, the man had grabbed a brick, clearly intending to come to his aid.

Although Ding Fan needed no help to deal with a few thugs, the middle-aged man's sense of loyalty was commendable.

"I didn't save you. They provoked me, and I simply took the opportunity to teach them a lesson," Ding Fan said without seeking credit. His words were also the truth.

The middle-aged man was taken aback; clearly, he had not expected Ding Fan to say that. However, this statement increased his admiration for Ding Fan even more.

"I, Lin Zhan Ting, owe you my life. If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to a meal," he said.

Ding Fan thought for a moment. "Alright."

Although he had eaten lunch already, Ding Fan's need for food was great. He had to consume nutritious foods to replenish his strength. The middle-aged man seemed like a decent person, so having a meal seemed fine.