Chapter 202: The Flower Guardians (Part II)

"Was it you who wrote that note?" Xiang Ri asked in a casual tone, glancing at the grotesque man with decaying teeth, his words effortlessly spoken in Russian. 

"Hmm?" The peculiar-looking man immediately shifted his gaze to the frail, crippled man he had previously ignored among the so-called "flower guardians." His mismatched eyes reflected the same confusion. "You speak Russian?" Then, as though recalling something, he feigned a sudden realization. "Ah, you must have been the one who translated my letter?" 

"Exactly," Xiang Ri admitted, neither denying nor confirming further. He propped his chin up, feigning a contemplative expression. "I must say, I'm rather curious about the object you're after..." 

"I suggest you refrain from inquiring further," the grotesque man interjected, cutting Xiang Ri off before he could finish. Turning his attention away as if Xiang Ri were invisible, he sneered at Anaïs, who stood nearby. "Miss Anaïs, have you made up your mind yet? Our time is limited." 

Xiang Ri showed no signs of displeasure at being dismissed, merely lowering his head as though lost in thought. 

Anaïs, however, stood firm. "I'm sorry, Mr. Felodoro, but I have no idea what it is you're looking for, so there's nothing for me to consider." 

Felodoro's expression darkened, his grotesque features twisting further into a terrifying scowl. "Miss Anaïs, are you trying to force us into using violence? I believe none of us wish to see such an outcome." 

"What are you planning to do?" Perhaps intimidated by the sinister edge in his voice, Anaïs instinctively took a step back. Yet her tone remained unyielding. "We're on school grounds. If anything happens to me, you won't escape the consequences!" 

"Oh, really?" Felodoro sneered, his eyes glinting with mockery. "Thanks for the reminder, Miss Anaïs. But it seems you've forgotten that we're not in a crowded place. It's just the few of us here. Should anything happen, who would bear witness?" 

"That's not necessarily true!" Anaïs retorted disdainfully, though inwardly she regretted her earlier rashness. Had she known things would escalate to this point, she would have waited until after class to gather reinforcements. 

But it was too late for regrets now. Worse, she might end up dragging two innocent classmates into this mess. The thought made her uneasy, though she outwardly appeared even more resolute. "I have two friends here with me. Do you really think you can detain all of us? As long as—" Just as Anaïs was about to utter the word "run," she realized the seven or eight burly men had already encircled them. 

Felodoro, watching his prey trapped within the encirclement, grew more amused, his mocking tone intensifying. "Miss Anaïs, I can't decide whether you're foolish or clever. Had you instructed someone to run earlier, perhaps there'd have been a slim chance. But now, you'd better hand over the item. Otherwise, your friends might suffer some unfortunate accidents due to your lack of cooperation." 

As he spoke, Felodoro gestured with two fingers, prompting two of the burliest men to step toward the clearly terrified pair of classmates. 

"You despicable coward!" Anaïs exclaimed, her expression tightening as she rushed to shield the two from the advancing men. 

Felodoro remained unfazed by her actions, motioning for his men to halt. He spoke in a slow, deliberate tone. "Miss Anaïs, have you made your decision? Bear in mind that the safety of your two friends lies entirely in your hands." His gaze flitted briefly behind her, making his implication all the more pointed. 

"Felodoro!" Anaïs shouted, her voice trembling with both anger and fear. She suddenly pulled the visibly confused Ren Jun forward. "This is Miss Ren, the daughter of Professor Chen from the foreign languages department." 

"Oh, how delightful!" Felodoro's voice carried a tone of exaggerated admiration, though his expression remained indifferent. He turned to the towering bear-like man beside him. "Quik, didn't you say you have a fondness for exotic little wildcats? What do you think of her?" He gestured toward the now visibly uneasy Miss Ren. 

"Perfect, just perfect," Quik replied, his eyes fixated on the "exotic little wildcat." A wide grin spread across his face, revealing a trail of drool trickling from the corner of his mouth. 

Xiǎng Ri frowned at the scene. Though he conceded that Ren Jun was quite the beauty, she was far too slender, with barely any curves to speak of. How could this bear-like brute, who clearly weighed over 250 pounds, be so enraptured? 

Xiǎng Ri despised men who drooled at the mere sight of women. Moreover, a strange irritation welled up within him as he observed Quik's predatory gaze. For reasons he couldn't quite articulate, he felt an overwhelming urge to pummel the bear-like man senseless. 

Though she didn't understand French, Ren Jun could infer the man's intentions from his lecherous gaze and repulsive expression. Frightened, she instinctively hid behind Xiǎng Ri, clutching his arm tightly. 

"Miss, could you be a little gentler? You're hurting me," Xiǎng Ri's voice rang out, seemingly inappropriate for the tense situation. In truth, he'd intended to let Felodoro bask in his arrogance before delivering a crushing blow. But now, it seemed this entertaining game of "cat and mouse" would have to end prematurely—Quik's disgusting gaze had thoroughly tested his patience.

"Is it wrong for me to be nervous?" snapped Miss Ren, her earlier ferocious demeanor instantly returning as she pinched the man's arm mercilessly before finally letting go. 

"So being nervous gives you the right to pinch people?" Xiang Ri sighed, nearly at his wit's end. Just as he was about to teasingly retort despite the situation, the grotesque man across from him cut him off loudly, offering no chance for playful banter. "Miss Anya, surely you've heard the old saying, 'Tears won't fall until the coffin is seen.' Do you truly believe that being outside Paris means I won't dare harm these two?" 

Anya did harbor such a faint hope, though she also understood that someone of his savage nature likely wouldn't be deterred by such considerations. She opened her mouth to respond but was abruptly shoved with great force on her left shoulder, sending her staggering several steps to the right. 

Before she could turn to see who had pushed her, a familiar voice rang out—calm, mocking, and undeniably impactful: "Hey, Ugly! Do you know which animal I detest the most?" 

The saying goes one shouldn't strike someone's face or expose their flaws when insulting them, but Xiang Ri had no such reservations. He laid the insult bare, mercilessly rubbing salt into the wound. The consequences were predictable and immediate. 

"Damn you! I'll kill you!" bellowed the grotesque man, enraged. He didn't care which animal Xiang Ri despised most—he knew well enough what he detested the most was any comment on his looks. Especially when delivered so blatantly and unapologetically. 

In a fury, the man's focus on retrieving the item disappeared. His eyes blazed with vengeance as he signaled the two burly men originally targeting the Eastern pair. 

Receiving the signal, the two henchmen lunged without hesitation. 

Anya rushed forward in a desperate attempt to intercept them, but the distance between them was too great, and the burly men were much faster. She could only watch helplessly as the man who had somehow given her a sense of warmth seemed destined to fall beneath their fists. 

"No!" Miss Ren cried in terror, reaching out instinctively to pull Xiang Ri away, but her hand fell short. Watching the iron fists descend upon him, she screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. 

The grotesque man, on the other hand, remained unmoved. His mismatched eyes gleamed with cruel delight as if he could already see the fragile youth being torn apart. 

"Bang! Bang!" 

Two resounding impacts echoed, defying all expectations. Instead of Xiang Ri being struck down, the two burly attackers were sent hurtling several meters away, crashing into trees before collapsing to the ground. 

Anya's eyes widened in utter disbelief, as though witnessing Jesus cry out "I am the Monkey King" upon being nailed to the cross. 

Miss Ren's face lit up with unbridled joy, tinged with faint shyness. 

The grotesque man's smug expression froze halfway, replaced by the same incredulous look as the others. 

"Hey, Ugly! Want to know which animal I despise most?" Xiang Ri asked again, his tone lightly teasing yet utterly nonchalant. Ignoring the astonished stares, he cleared his throat and offered his answer with deliberate precision: "Crapauds." The word hung in the air—French for toads, synonymous with repulsive creatures. 

The grotesque man's face twitched violently in response. 

"Grahhh!" came an enraged roar from the bear-like henchman as he raised a fist the size of a saucepan and hurled it toward Xiang Ri's head. 

Xiang Ri shot him a cold glance and, with no warning, raised his hand to catch the massive fist mid-swing. The moment his slender fingers gripped the man's wrist, the attacker's face turned crimson with strain. 

This spectacle was even more astonishing than the previous one. Earlier, Xiang Ri's swift kicks had sent two burly men flying, but few had seen it clearly. Now, the scene unfolded in full view. 

A frail, almost windblown man held firm against a hulking figure capable of punching through walls. His slim fingers wrapped around the bear-like man's robust arm as though it were a mere foam object, entirely immobile. 

"Crack!" 

The sickening sound of bone snapping reverberated, sending shivers through everyone present. The bear-like man's arm bent unnaturally, resembling an iron bar forcibly twisted. 

A gut-wrenching scream followed as the hulking brute fled, clutching his arm and desperate for an orthopedic surgeon. 

In truth, Xiang Ri hadn't intended permanent harm—just enough to confine him to a hospital bed for six months or so. 

"Hey, Toad Brother, care to shake hands?" Xiang Ri's words dripped with mockery as he turned his gaze toward the grotesque man, his eyes brimming with mischief. 

The grotesque man shrieked like a woman on the verge of being assaulted and bolted, his cries echoing long after his figure disappeared. 

The remaining henchmen scattered in terror, even the two earlier casualties limping away as quickly as their injuries allowed. 

"Incredible!" Anya was the first to recover. She launched herself at Xiang Ri, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. 

"A proper French kiss," Xiang Ri muttered, momentarily dazed by the sudden affection. He stood motionless, captivated by her delicate features and the softness of her embrace. 

Miss Ren's lips curled in disapproval. Watching the lecherous man reveling in his fortune, she was overcome with an urge to separate them and deliver a well-deserved beating. 

Yet such thoughts remained unspoken, for she had no grounds to act on them. She hesitated, but someone else lacked neither the courage nor the will. 

"Xiang Kui!" 

From the distance, a furious female voice pierced the air. 

Xiang Ri froze. The voice was all too familiar. But how had she ended up here?